Enthralling Trails

  Be brave to stand for what you believe in even if you stand alone― Roy T. Bennett It was a vibrant evening. The roads were full of people as the holiday season had set in. The winter seemed warm with the bells, stars and God’s blessings. The cakes and pastries were in numerous colourful attractive forms. Moms and Dads were hastily buying some for their little ones as these were the freshest ones this season. Far off at the end of the steps that led to the bakery, there stood a little girl barefooted in a clean blue frock. She wasn’t more than 6 years old for sure, her hair was neatly combed and she was persuading the customers leaving the bakery to purchase the garbage bags that she sold. These bags weren’t very good in their quality so no one purchased them. Just as she was about to move to the next corner, she saw a little girl standing close to the bakery eating a colourful pastry. The little girl waved her garbage bags at the girl who was busy eating. A humanitarian observed them

  Picture from Google photographs I looked down in disbelief as I heard the clanking sound of the broken pendant. The pendant was attached to my Mangalsutra, a wedding chain that symbolized my marriage. I wondered what would happen next but my subconscious asked me to move on. As I placed the broken pendant in a silver bowl, I remembered how my mother-in-law had shown me her pendant long after we lost my father-in-law saying, ‘ I never removed this one as it has always given me strength’. I felt a bit weak but consoled myself by thinking of the numerous times the chain had broken. We decided to go to the Tata Gold showroom since the gold was authentic and certified. I met the saleswoman who looked at the pendant well and enquired, ‘ Do you want a new one? I said, ‘ No, can you add a new hook to this pendant? She shook her head and said, ‘ We do not repair, you will have to get it done by a local goldsmith. I pleaded saying, ‘ You can take a few days She said, ‘ We do not repair a gold

  Shaurya was not just a bike for Rinkyui, but also an important member of their family. Her son Daksh had always been passionate about bikes since his childhood. When he was just four years old, Rinkyui and her husband Komleva took him to a showroom to buy a scooter. However, Daksh was instantly drawn towards a Hero motorbike and admired it for a long time. Although Rinkyui and Komleva felt that a scooter would be safer to ferry their son, they couldn’t ignore his love for bikes. As Daksh grew up, his fascination for bikes only intensified. He started collecting posters and pictures of different bikes and even started building a scrapbook of cars. One day, when he was twelve years old, Komleva decided to take him to the Mercedes Benz assembling workshop. Daksh was thrilled at the idea of seeing different cars and was eagerly looking forward to the trip. At the workshop, Daksh was amazed by the variety of cars and the intricate details of their assembly. Komleva explained the different

  The beginning is always today- Mary Shelley A friendly and warm welcome can make a world of difference. It’s not just about a smile but it’s a great start towards building a positive connection with someone. As I strolled along the newly built flyover yesterday, I was captivated by the magnificent hues in the sky — whites, pinks, purples, oranges, and a dark grey that surrounded the setting sun. To my right, I noticed an elderly man sitting in his place, gazing at his mobile phone. What drew my attention, however, was the little pug sitting next to him, constantly nudging him to drop the phone and take a walk with him. The old man paid no attention, but the pug lovingly placed its head on his left shoulder, then his right. The evening was lively with three other dogs playfully rushing around. The golden brown Spaniel moved gracefully, the German Shepherd took huge leaps, and the pale Labrador followed the fun. Although the other dogs came close to the pug, it remained seated next to

  I sat behind the window watching the tree outside swish and swash in the wind. It was a pleasant day with occasional rain, but I was awaiting an examination on the dental examination chair. Several Dentists, including the head dentist and his assistants, were preparing to pull out my molar tooth. They called it 6 and I read it as 46 probably 4 was the sign of a molar tooth. I prayed to God for safe surgery. It took me back to the recent happenings….It was a Friday night and we looked forward to a bright weekend when I began experiencing spasms of pain in my right jaw and teeth. I popped paracetamol in the evening and went for a trek. The pain grew worse that night. As doctors are usually not available on Sundays, I took a painkiller, but the pain kept getting worse and the next day I ended up at the dentist’s office. The dentist carefully examined the case and clicked a few x-rays saying ‘shoot’. They shot the pictures, uploaded them digitally and showed them to me. It showed a probl

  Nurturing Minds is the Deeper Essence of Education There is nothing more commendable in life than your student sharing his achievements, especially if it is a long-term goal. Prathamesh had qualified for admission into technical postgraduate programs through the Graduate Aptitude Test in Computer Engineering (GATE). He had enrolled at one of India’s most prestigious institutions to pursue his higher education. Many of these exams are tougher than others, and getting into these programs is not easy. His appreciation for my help with his accomplishments puzzled me. Although I hadn’t taught him, I realized that students can be inspired by more than just their teachers’ instruction. I paused and read his message, feeling grateful for his words of appreciation but it hurled down the memory lane…. Every year we bid farewell to one batch of students and welcome another batch of students. During their undergraduate course, they are with us for four years. There is a strong bond between the s

  We had the chance to visit Rishikesh, a land of ancient temples, ashrams, and sacred ghats just before the G20 Summit here. A ghat is simply a place where pilgrims gather to perform religious rituals and seek blessings on the Ganges River. The city was almost ready for the influx of delegates. Beautiful hoardings of the culture, traditions and people connected one to a captivating experience. A few last-minute touches like the whitewashing of the manmade rocky walls set as tiny barricades at certain spots were being painted. We saw a few more pictures and deep cleaning being done enthusiastically. Rishikesh in India is known as the World Yoga Centre and is famous for the rigorous penance that was taken up here, it is also the start of the four main pilgrim spots in North India, Char Dham consisting of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. It is a great adventurous place with Kayaking and Himalayan treks. We found the place bustling with people just as any other spiritual plac

  My senior students recently went on a study tour. One of the students shared an excellent photograph of these girl students standing near a cliff and looking ahead towards the future on Women’s Day. Their hands were cupped to form a symbol of love. I fell in love with the photograph as it brought alive every young girl’s dream. Youth provides the opportunity to be productive and develop skills. There is an innate strength of fearlessness in it. When I asked them whether I could use their picture in my blog post, they nodded in affirmation and thereafter they kept asking me when it would be published. I decided that I would write this post celebrating womanhood. After losing a lot of observational skills lately, I decided to compliment the women around me. My girl students have been very special to me and everyone in the college community. My day begins with a walk at 530am. I have been following a vow of silence for the first hour of my day for the past several years. It isn’t just a

 My cabin was filled with students. There was a lot of space outside the cabin where long benches with cabinets were lined for people to sit but none wanted to do that. They had their bags on their shoulders and it was stifling. I gently opened all the windows, switched on the fan and said, ‘One at a time, please leave your bags outside…’ They walked out and waited in the waiting area. The odd semester end-term submissions were due for numerous subjects for these undergraduate engineering students. As faculty, we were responsible for courses related to Humanities and professional development. Most of our assignments happen during class hours, but we do have end-term submissions to help students update their work and submit their hard copies. Their work is then organised in files and the students have to submit these, later these files are attested by the heads of the respective departments Due to the retreating pandemic, we are still getting used to the new schedules. It is also diffic

  Every year, the month of January rings in the invocation of Lord Surya, the Sun God. We also welcome the year with a festival named Makar Sankranti that marks crop harvests, like rice, lentils, beans, sorghum, and millet. Some call the festival Maghi. This festival follows the Solar cycle and is almost constant, unlike the festivals that follow the lunar cycle. Makar Sankranti festival commemorates the transition between the winter and summer solstices with longer days and shorter nights as the sun moves towards the North. According to mythology, Sankranti is celebrated in appreciation of the divine who killed the evil Sankarasur and Kinkarasur demons. In Pune, the temple of Ayyappa located at Shasta Hills is surrounded by the Sahyadri Mountains. This temple celebrates the festivities with pomp and splendour. The temple is a replica of the Ayyappa temple in Pulmedu near the river Pampa in Kerala. The route to the temple at Pulmedu is a terrain path through dense forests. One has to t