Self Belief or Magic

Paris, an enchanting place in France was, is and will be the fashion capital of the world. In this huge place Paris lived a small girl Liana, whose dream was to be the greatest fashion designer of France but what stopped her was the financial crisis faced by her family, still she worked hard and won a scholarship to the best Designing University of Paris called “Self Design”. In the university she studied very well and was very popular amongst the teachers but among the students she was considered as a nerd. Despite of these criticisms she found her two best friends amongst the students they were two sisters named Kylie and Jenner. They both tried to convinced her that she didn’t had to be popular to be the best but still with those with those bitter comments on her, it was difficult for her to concentrate on studies and so her studies were destroyed due to those harsh comments and then she finally decided to become popular after observing the popular people. After weeks of observation she found that all popular people are unsecure within them but from outside they try to show that they don’t care about anything and so they are careless, happy and cool people and so she started behaving like but this didn’t bought her popularity. Due to these things she began to go under depression and so to pull her out from her depression her friends Kylie and Jenner took her to their favourite store for fashion designers called “Fashion Fairytale”. They shopped for a long time but nothing impressed Liana. Her friends bought some notepads and pens, when they came to the billing counter, the accountant seemed very friendly and while she was billing, she was constantly staring at Liana and then when the billing was done she gave a beautiful pen with something carved on it to Liana as a free gift from her side, Liana tried to not to take it but the accountant was so stubborn that she had to take it. The pen was tremendously beautiful with some warnings carved on it they were:

• If you write with this pen you will get whatever you need .
• Use the pen for what you need otherwise the magic will react back.
• This pen’s ink will get finished after giving you what you really need.

She tried to test the pen’s magical property and so she wrote she needs some food which was actually what she needed because she was really hungry and as soon as she wrote it a table complete with lots of delicious food appeared in front of her. Till many days she had fun with this pen but as soon as she asked to be popular she realized this was what she really needed and so she understood that her pen’s ink will soon get over so, she asked for another magic pen but she didn’t needed another pen so the magic reacted and she became popular in a bad way and so she got popular as a thief. Everyone criticised her and then she realised that just because of her greed for popularity made her so bad and then she remembered what her friends had tried to convince her for now she really understood it and as soon as she understood that she didn’t needed a magic pen to be amazing and popular, she just needed to be herself and as soon as she understood it the magic’s effect disappeared and again she became an unknown girl. From that day onwards she tried to be herself and soon she became popular without the help of any magic. She understood what she really needed, she needed to be dependent on herself and not on magic, and she needed to be self dependent not magic dependent.

Henry Vivian Louis Derozio – My Role Model

Everyone has a role model in their life. They are people you look upto in your life. It is someone you admire and adore. They inspire you and the decisions you make. They act as the ‘guiding light’ in our life.

I have always enjoyed History as a subject because of the wide array of fascinating characters that it presents. It is not surprising, therefore, that I should choose my role model from the golden pages of the glorious past. His name is Henry Vivian Louis Derozio. He was an Indian poet and assistant headmaster at Hindu College, Kolkata. He was a radical thinker, openly rebellious in temperament and staunch patriot. In the brief span of his life, he made a mark as a poet, teacher, social reformer and a journalist. Blind belief and superstition which plagued the Indian community then were anathema to him, and he stressed upon being rational and having an objective outlook towards life.

He was passionate and taught beyond the prescribed syllabus and took interest in interaction with the students. Writing about students, he said,

‘Expanding like the petals of young flowers,

I watch the gentle opening of your minds’

He was one of the first Indian educators to disseminate Western learning and science among the young men of our country.

To me, Derozio stands for living life one hundred percent, with honesty, integrity, honour and commitment. He refused to compromise on the core issues of his life. It is this fortitude that attracts me. I hope millions of people are inspired by his glorious legacy.

By: Arshia Rehman

My Dad is the Best

For people role models are actors, leaders, achievers or scientists but for me it is my dad like whom I dream to be of one day.

He is a top ranked employee of his organization and has won many awards, very cheerful, charismatic & a good human being, and a doctor by profession who saves human life. He has always taught me good values, preparedness to fight the competition, and respect one and all. He explains me about interesting news articles, new developments in and around world and cheers me up by giving his colloquial style of human values, tips to face the difficult challenges from peer group, to be kind, passionate and above all unique by aspiring for the best but prepared for the worst. When tensed or nervous, few soothing words of him really makes me confident and calm to face the challenges. Some of his teachings are, be generous, accept the criticism as it comes, focus on invention, self-help, be honest and humble.  His unique ability to face the challenges, teaching most difficult things in simple ways and to help to face the toughest situations with a smile are the ones which makes me feel proud to be his daughter.  My Dad always says love ever, hurt never.

Sure you all would have by now understood why I say my dad is a genius and I always wish to become like him.

By: Shivangi Sharma

Shivangi Sharma

Shivangi Sharma

Shivangi Sharma

Shivangi Sharma

One Direction-The Best

So, speaking about role models, the first thoughts that comes to my mind are about 5 people, 5 persons who rule my world. They are none other than the members of 1D (One Direction, the best and the most popular boy band in the world), of course!
Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik. Although Zayn Malik is not there in the band anymore, he still is a major part of 1D. Let me give you some basic information about 1D. They are the best boyband of the world (and this is based upon true facts and analyses) and this band was formed on 23rd July, 2010 at exactly 08:23 p.m. They have topped the charts every time they released a new album. Right now, they are on a hiatus, continuing with their own respective careers and we all directioners are really hoping for a come-back soon. Now, reasons why I respect 1D a lot and why they are my role models:
They are really good singers and instrumentalists.
Yes, they sing really well. And they play many instruments. Everyone in the band can at least play the guitar or the piano, among other instruments. Their songs are always very touchy and hit right in the heart. They are the best.
The lyrics are always heart-touching.
The lyrics! They make the songs usable at any point of time. They make you happy! Yes, in fact, I would recommend everyone to listen to their songs. They can be therapeutic, I swear.
They can make you happy only by their antics.
Yes, 1D can be very funny at times. Actually, all the time. When we directioners get the time, we YouTube their video diaries of 2010. It is really funny to watch the boys having fun.

They can make you happy.
Yes, if you are sad or stressed, nothing on this planet can be better than 1D (or a mom’s hug) Oh yes, One Direction’s music helps you relax.
They are really talented.
All of the boys are very talented. Harry Styles, other than music, is going to act in the movie Dunkirk, releasing in 2017. Niall Horan has released his first single, ‘This Town’. Louis Tomlinson also has released his own song ‘Just Hold On’ with Steve Aoki. Liam Payne is also on the way of releasing his single soon. And Zayn Malik? He has his album ‘Mind Of Mine’ with his single ‘Pillowtalk’ having topped the charts. What else!
So, this is how I sum up my love and respect for One Direction. 

By: Saanvi Pani

Why is it called “Feminism”?

A few days ago, I had someone ask me, “why is it called feminism if it aims for equality?”

So I did a bit of research and this is what I realized:

Feminism first evolved as a concept in order to give women equal rights. It has never been about putting women above men or proving that any gender is better than the other. All feminism is trying to do is bring women to the same position of power as men, where they can enjoy equal opportunities and equal treatment.
Women are the sex that has faced an enormous history of oppression and still continue to be oppressed in a few big and several small ways.
They are judged and shamed when they do things that they want to do, their capabilities are constantly underestimated and their achievements continuously undermined, and they are always reminded that their bodies aren’t their own and society must dictate what they’re supposed to do with these bodies, (because God forbid they are ever viewed as anything more than objects). When stereotypes are enforced and crass jokes are made at the expense of women (and sometimes men), feminism tries to stand up for them.

Yes, it is true that the patriarchy harms men as well. And it is important to understand how. Men are told they cannot show an ounce of emotion because it isn’t manly to cry. They receive harsher punishments than women, even when they commit the same crime. Women can wear suits and ties and pants and look stunning and smart, but when a man wears a skirt he’s somehow no longer a man.
Why?
This is because society finds it degrading to be feminine or to possess even an ounce of feminine qualities.
Why?
Because women have forever been perceived as the weaker sex.

Men’s washrooms never have baby changing stations, even though there are lots of single fathers and gay fathers and fathers who want to change their child’s diaper simply because.

Men also generally don’t receive paternity leave.

Why?
Because it is apparently the woman’s job to look after the children and the home, while men stay outside doing manly things, like tearing apart their enemies with their bare hands.
This is how the patriarchy affects men.

It is called feminism because it is the feminine traits possessed by a person that are condemned by society. Feminism aims at bringing up women and the feminine to the same position as men and the masculine.

Ladies first, men, please hold the door for women. Why? Because apparently, women are so inferior and so weak, they are incapable of doing this simple action for themselves.
This mindset of women being delicate, fragile flowers and men being strong, brave lions that have to protect the delicate flowers, needs to be destroyed to prevent the patriarchy from affecting both genders.
Don’t hold the door for me just because I’m a woman. Hold the door for me because I’m a person. Hold the door for me and for the men walking behind me, because you’re the first person to reach it and that’s just a nice thing to do.
Don’t go around beating up other men for the smallest of things and then not flinch when a women does something big because, “oh, I don’t hit women.” Don’t counter by saying, “if it’s acceptable for women to hit men, it should also be okay for men to hit women.” No! Nobody should hit anybody. Violence is never the answer. Dear women, if it’s wrong for women to be hit by men, why isn’t it wrong for men to be hit by women?
And dear men, if you don’t hit women, why do you hit men?
Everyone should be nice to each other regardless of their gender. See each other as people first, men or women second.

Feminism is associated with removing the stigma surrounding feminine characteristics, to stop using the word feminine in this context and simply saying characteristics, because men have emotions and women can be strong and fearless.

Men’s issues are extremely valid and important to talk about it.
But that doesn’t erase the fact that women have been the more oppressed sex.

I’m happy to talk about men’s issues at any given time. But if you bring up men’s problems simply to make me shut up about women’s problems, I will not listen.

It is called feminism because it is about bringing up, not tearing down.

By: Ananya Mahapatra

Every ‘Body’ Matters

It was the last day of the Sahodaya Pre-boards and some of us had a meeting with Chairman Sir. Out of the many things that he advised us about, the topic that really concerned me was maintaining a healthy diet while the exams. Just so you know, I am not going to yap (my new favourite word, thanks to Purnendu Sir) about health, fitness and all that stuff. What I am going to really talk about is something more than that, something that we never bother to give a minuscule thought about. It’s been four months since I have become a complete vegetarian and am trying my best to stick to healthier food substitutes. It was not just because I have always liked the way vegetables tasted than meat, but also because I wanted to maintain a good figure. Mind you, not because I wanted to remain healthy, put the 10% law (look it up in the class ten science book, chapter 15) in use and gain more energy from food than non vegetarians, or to decrease the effect of biological magnification (chapter 15 again), but because I wanted a “good figure”. I still do. And that’s exactly what the problem is.

I have had many encounters with kids my age who literally ridicule me for skipping Jalebi and fries in the cafeteria. It felt like I could mind read them calling me a self absorbed, ostentatious, diet conscious, spoilt snitch of a girl who does everything to make them feel like a piece of dirt. I have come across quite a lot of people, who are really insecure about their body. And it’s not just the people who are overweight, or too short, or too tall or just downright disproportionate. I have seen people having excellently built bodies cursing after the little this and that they “think” is wrong with their bodies and being ashamed of it.

So, yeah, I am going to talk about body positivity.

You might have a flab of fat pooling out of the waist of your trousers, or a bit of a bone protruding out just at the side of your big toe joint on the feet (called bunions), but does that even matter? Would you really become a different person if you had pretty feet and a toned waist? Are your thoughts and ideas going to change? Just remember that the people who really care for you, love you, will still love you, however you look. And as for the others, you don’t need to satisfy their expectations and live to impress them.

Body positivity is about loving one’s body for what it is, what it was and what it could be. But, it doesn’t mean that if I am obese, or malnourished, or lack basic body hygiene, I should be happy about it and do nothing to improve myself. It also doesn’t mean that my body, whatever it is like, is better or worse than anybody else’s. Body positivity is looking at the positive side of your body. It is more psychological than factual. And agree or not, psychology plays a major part in the way feel about us and others. Remember, it’s body “positivity”. It’s not “only my body” positivity, or “bodies like mine” positivity. Actual body positivity includes everyone. Body positivity is not backbiting about the person sitting two seats ahead of you who has a double chin, it is not wearing extra tight jeans so you could fake a thigh gap, it is not taunting about someone’s diet  and it is not at all for women only. It is for every gender.

Most importantly, body positivity isn’t just about embracing one’s body the way it is and working towards bettering( it’s correct English, I just looked it up) it, it is also about adopting ideas about our non physical attributes and see us and others in a completely different light. Body positivity for me is gaining skills and knowledge from people around me by not judging them on the basis of what they are but who they are. So, my readers who endured my lousy writing till the end, whoever you are, raise your chin up, broaden those shoulders and sashay yourselves through the crowd, because your body is yours alone. You live in it and with it, and you have got every right to be proud of it.

By: Urja Misra