A Flurry of Firsts - My Trip to Mayo College, Ajmer

"Once a year go someplace you have never been before", said Dalai Lama once. And I did - to Mayo College, Ajmer.

It was the best trip ever. I had a lot of fun with my friends and this was a journey full of first times. I did so many things for the first time and that included travelling by train, which far exceeded my expectations.

We arrived at Mayo College Girls by bus after dropping the boys off at Mayo College Boys. I was awestruck by the amazing campus. We had a little briefing after which we were taken to our dormitories in separate houses by the escorts. Thankfully, I was put in Charumati House with my closest friends. Everyone there was very helpful and sweet as sugar. They told us everything that we wanted to know and helped us throughout. We made a lot of new friends.

On the first day, we went to the school fete, that luckily happened to be held on the same day as we arrived. We ate a lot and enjoyed a lot. It even rained towards the late evening, which I quite loved. It was so pleasant after that and everything was so scenic.

We went to Mayo College Boys the next day to get a tour of the campus. It was nothing like I had ever seen before - It was humongous. We saw so many amazing things and the two boys escorting us and showing us around, Abhi and Raghav, were very nice. We even went to the museum, where we saw all sorts of amazing things....from age old currency to a baby preserved in a glass container. I have to say, that it was equally fascinating as it was creepy. Over the course of the next four days, we visited Pushkar, Ajmer Sharif and a Jain temple; all of which were interesting experiences. We even attended home science classes, dance and music classes, a Science and English lecture (which, by the way, was on a totally different level).

Another first time for me was when we were taken to the Shooting Range and I shot a 10m distance rifle. It was thrilling! We also attended art lesson, where our group did two things - monoprinting and yarn mandala making, both of which were spectacular. But the highlight of my trip was the speech we had the honour of attending by Lt Gen Sanjay Kulkarni. He spoke about his adventures and struggles in Siachen and how positivity got him places. His determination, discipline and optimism inspired me in more ways than one essay can put across. He made me want to make a difference. He said "You may not be what you want to be, but you can be the best of what you are", and that struck a chord.

Maybe, that is another reason why I, so badly, want to enforce some kind of change in my school - some more discipline, some more motivation, some more excellence and some more...well, Mayo!

Our goodbye was a very sad one; for within just four days, I had gotten very attached to the girls in my dorm. It felt like we had known each other for ages. We exchanged contacts and promised to stay in touch. All I can say is, I am eternally grateful that I was presented with this splendid opportunity.

Read more about the influence of my experiences at http://rajivmaheshwari.com/an-account-of-april-and-annual-closing-the-endgame/

Tomorrow - A Poem By Tanvee Maheshwari

Tomorrow is an illusion
The ideas of "future" are bait
Do what you want to
Nothing is worth the wait

Was yesterday really there,

And what lies in tomorrow?

Will it bring sunshine of joy,

Or, will it bring tears of sorrow?

Will the Sun come to work tomorrow?

Will all your beloved be there?

Or, will the Lord take you -

Into his subtle care?

Oblivion may come crashing

Everything may be snatched away

So, the best thing to do for now,

Is to live your best life today!

Be with the people you love,

Be away from the ones who are rude

You will never know what hit you

But the memories are forever

So, to be continued!

"Tomorrow"

A Poem by Tanvee Maheshwari

FLY AWAY

FLY AWAY

-A Poem By Tanvee Maheshwari

Why do these chains bind me?

Limit my birth?

Break them;

Fly away

What do these people expect of me?

Why downgrade my worth?

Let me spread those wings;

And fly away

Can't you see I'm only human?

Can't you see I just want some mirth?

I'll prove them wrong;

And fly away

Are Humans Becoming Emotional Robots?

Hey Guys!! Today I want to share my views on the topic "Are humans becoming emotional robots?"

What are robots? Robots are just a combination of parts put together, designed to do what we tell them to. It is quite unwise to compare the superior human race with order following good for nothings. I disagree that humans are becoming emotional robots. Humans have so many things that robots don't... the power to imagine, generate ideas, think, contemplate situations, and even the power of intuition ~ the sixth sense!

Let me elaborate upon ideas. Currently, I am reading two books - How To Get Ideas (by Jack Foster) and Where Good Ideas Come From (by Steve Johnson). What I have learnt till now from these two books is that an idea is something so obvious that you regret not having thought about it yourself earlier. Had somebody not had the idea of it, you would not be sitting in the comfort of home on a sofa, with an air conditioner to keep you cool when it gets hot and a heater to keep you warm when it gets cold. This is not what an emotional robot can do!

There is a popular notion that technology is to be blamed for humans becoming robots, but in fact, a study shows that video games, if designed in the right manner, can improve empathy in school kids. Technology can be a boon if we want it to be, and a bane if we overuse it for the wrong purposes.

We humans have a nature of wanting similarity - we dress up our pets, dogs and cats to wear accessories like us and the cartoons are made to look, talk and even behave like us! So let us not get confused because robots also tend to imitate the human form factor. It's time we look beyond this veil of  obviousness and do not look in terms of form, but in terms of substance.

😊

So here I conclude with my final thoughts - NO, Humans are not becoming emotional robots.They are much more and we should preserve and cherish our humanity while building better technologies and robots.

P.S. I came across some of these thoughts on Quora.

The Magical Brew

The Magical Brew

- A Poem By Tanvee Maheshwari

A silver, frothy potion,

bubbling to the top

if you want the solution,

you shall require just a drop

In go the rat tails, 

the blood of a whale,

the skin of a tiger, 

the shell of a snail

Splish,splosh, chink, chomp

stirs the wizard on the broom

when the ingredients are added,

he adds 2 red mushrooms

Hop around the cauldron twice, 

remember not to run,

add just another mushroom,

and the potion will be done

The cauldron abandoned,

its contents now blue

lies in a dark cave,

bet you didn't have a clue

If you want answers,

this one's for you,

just drink a teeny tiny drop

of this magical brew!

Seedballs 101

Hey guys!!

So today's post is inspired by a video I came across while surfing on the net. So the video talked about the massive amount of trees cut down daily, and that they had finally come up with the perfect solution - seed balls.

WHY??

Let's take a second to realize, that even though we are all aware about deforestation - effects, causes, downside, everything, and YET we continue to do absolutely, clearly, nothing! Even if we wanted to.😑

However, the solution has come.

Seed Balls

 WHAT??

Seed balls are basically seeds contained in a ball of clay/fertilizer (not  modelling or polymer clay though😅).They are also known as Seed bombs.    They can just be thrown around in a deserted area, the clay or fertilizer will  provide nutrition and the seed will grow.

 SOME CONCERNS

 So, even though the seed balls are an awesome idea, I do have some genuine   concerns. 

1. If too many seed balls cram up in one place, they will not be able to grow properly, or even at all!😕 So, if you are planning on planting these balls, remember not to throw them all at one place.
2.  So even though this seems like a glamorous idea, the plant will require water to grow, so if you are planning to make and plant these in the next few days, this is definitely the time because once monsoon kicks in, the watering problem is probably solved! However, if you are making this at a time when monsoon is not near, I suggest you plant these at a place through which you pass by daily. This could be on the way to your school, bus stop, office, or playground.

HOW??

These are extremely easy to make, and require only a few materials.

For this, you will need ~

• Some water 
• Some soil
• Fertilizer/clay
• Seeds - you can use any seeds. You can buy them or eat some fruit and then use the seeds. I will be using cherry seeds. 

Start by mixing together the soil and fertilizer in equal quantity, or you can also purchase fertile soil. Add a little bit of water so that it becomes dough-like.If it becomes to muddy,add some soil and if it is too dry, add water. Once your dough is in the right consistency, start forming little balls of it.These should be about the size of a coin.Poke a hole in the ball with a finger, put the seed in the centre and cover the hole with more soil. Once all your balls are made, leave them to dry outside for about a day, and you are done!!

FUN WITH SEED BALLS

Seed bomb making is a really fun activity to do together as a family, or just in a group of friends.There is fun in every step - start by eating some fruits together, then make these balls, and then go out and throw them out like confetti, because who doesn't like confetti?🎊🎊A fun way to disperse these would be using a slingshot. Seedballs also act as a great gift, return gift, or party favor.

ALTERNATIVES

If you're looking for something else, you can also try making Seed tape or Seed paper, thogh that requires more effort.If you want a tutorial on making Seed tape, then comment down below.

WHY NOT??

Exactly, why not?? While farming requires a lot of work- tilling the soil, sowing seeds, watering, weeding, harvesting and all, seed balls are a much better alternative, where you just have to throw the balls and water them!! Somebody who doesn't know about deforestation and global warming has definitely been living under a rock...😁 Seed balls are so much fun to make, and don't we need to do our bit for the Earth that gives us so much?

 GO GREEN BEFORE GREEN GOES

10 Crazy Words You Can't Help But Say Out Loud

10 Crazy Words

Hey Guys ! This is Tanvee and I am back with yet another post to spice up your English vocabulary.

I have come up with a list of 10 crazy words that you simply CANNOT help but say out loud! So get ready to stupefy your friends as you utilize these supercalifragilisticexpialidocious words!!

• Collywobbles : A gurgling feeling in the stomach

• Bumbershoot : An umbrella

• Lollygag : Someone who is wasting time

• Snickersnee : A long dangerous knife

• Gubbins : A silly person or something rubbish

• Flibbertigibbet : (Yet another) silly person or someone who talks a lot

• Flabbergasted : To be shocked

• Bibble : To eat or drink noisily

• Brouhaha : A noisy response or uproar

• Nincompoop : (YET ANOTHER) silly, foolish or stupid person

Have a divvy day !!

4 Fun Ways to celebrate an Eco-Diwali this year

4 Ways to a fun Eco-Diwali

Hey guys! With Diwali tomorrow, I am sure you all share my excitement. Diwali is by far my favourite festival, and so it was for many more people, until a few years ago. But now, it is not; all because of the noise and pollution created by the crackers burnt. The smoke released is harmful for our lungs and is an invitation to diseases such as Asthma. The old and elderly, along with the patients suffering from various diseases also get affected by the high intensity of noise.

And in who's name are we doing this? Culture? Diwali? Our religion never taught us to harm not only our fellow living beings, but us ourselves, in the name of 'celebration' and 'joy', and as for Diwali, it was just celebrated to welcome back Lord Rama and Sita back to Ayodhya after spending 14 years in the forest. Now, we have turned it into a nightmare. This Diwali, I encourage all the readers of this post to celebrate Diwali in its true spirit, to burn out the bad thoughts, not crackers.

Here is a list of a few ways how you can celebrate an Eco- friendly Diwali this year:

1. Go traditional on rangolis this year

Skip the artificial colours this year and opt instead for organic materials like pulses, leaves, flowers, twigs, pebbles, and even seashells. This will also give you an opportunity to go to a local park or garden, exploring and collecting different things.

2. Try balloon crackers

Is the 'pop' sound and glittery sparkles all you burn crackers for, then, this one is for you.

Take a balloon and fill it with glitter or confetti using a funnel. Now fill the balloon with air. Tie a knot and you are ready!Pop these balloons for a glittery surprise!

You can also fill larger balloons with toffees and candies and gift them to small kids or even adults with a sweet tooth and they will be sure to love this.

3.Pop air packets

If you have been shopping online from sites such as Amazon and Flipkart, you probably know what I am talking about. Take the air packets, which are just a larger version of bubble wrap that come with the packages delivered to you to protect the item you purchased. You can jump on these to pop them and even involve small kids who would totally love the idea of these air crackers.

4. DIY things

Not only will this keep you occupied (And for a good reason), but this will also help save money. Instead of spending a fortune on decorative diyas, torans/bandhanwars, and other such items, try making them yourself this year.

Buy plain diyas and paint them to jazz 'em up. You can also recycle old things and DIY your way to amazing knick-knacks. For example, use your old bangles to make a tealight holder. Stack them one on top of the other making creative patterns, and stick them together using super glue or a hot glue gun.

Use old CDs for their rainbow shine and stick beautiful stones or pearls on them. Hang or stick them outside and admire the beautiful reflection they give of the shining diwali lights. You can also give it a go at making your own confetti by cutting shiny wrapping paper or just plain colourful ones into small bits. If you want to go totally Eco-friendly, try using recycled paper for this.

This is just the tip of the iceberg and you can have limitless fun without resorting to sound and environmental pollution. You can try packing or making your own gifts. You can also search online for more such craft ideas or use your own imagination. I hope you have a blast celebrating eco-Diwali this year!

Here is a challenge...convince five people to celebrate eco-Diwali with you this year and you will be doing noble work on a pious occasion this year. Please do share your ideas on fun ways to celebrate eco- diwali in the comments section below.

HAPPY DIWALI !!!!!

All Types Of Chairs

   All Types Of Chairs

-A poem by Tanvee Maheshwari

All types of chairs,

High and low,

For adults and children,

Lined up in a row

  Some are blue,

Some are red.

                 Some are as long as bed

                                                                                                                             One for my study table,

                                                                                                             Two for spare

                                                                                                              Some for high,

 And some for a low fare

                                                                          Big and small

                                                                          Round and square

                                                                          Four, Five, Six –

                                                                          All types of chairs!

- By Tanvee Maheshwari

Leadership Skills Series #10

Leadership Skills Series #10 ~ Setting Goals

This, is a must do. However, a bit complicated. There are two aspects to this - Organizing, and doing things step by step. But first, let us talk about setting goals. Setting a goal means setting a target, or rather a end goal you want to achieve, which can be a project, a part of the project, or something else altogether. Organizing can be done by various methods including scheduling, setting deadlines, giving the team members equal work, gathering all your materials and resources into separate topics, etc. 

Doing things step by step is universally understood, but let me explain it otherwise. Here, it means to do things in a sequential order. First, express the information related to the first topic of your project, then move on to others and keep explaining how the separate topics are interconnected.

You can read my previous posts on the Leadership Skills Series ~

1. Time Management
2. Be Calm
3. Respect 
4. Mind Making
5. Ability Awareness
6. Confidence
7. Imaginize
8. Sincerity and Punctuality
9. Teamwork

Leadership Skills Series #9

Leadership Skills Series #9 ~ Teamwork

 Teamwork..... A word, or rather a quality schools try to develop in you. Isn't it? But there are rarely a few cases in which they succeed. Tell me.... why not all? The answer to this question is as simple as that teamwork, comes from inside. You cannot force it into one. In a team, there is never "I" or "me", there is only "we" and "us".

 A team should work together in harmony, efficiently, rather than spending all their time quarrelling and back stabbing.

As the leader of the team, you must be responsible enough to break fights and make peace. When you manage properly, teamwork is your gateway to success. It will be really difficult for one person to do all the work so you must divide it properly and equally. That is why teams are made, plus, you all will always be there to cover each other's backs and this may otherwise turn into friendship.

You can read my previous posts on the Leadership Skills Series ~

1. Time Management
2. Be Calm
3. Respect
4. Mind Making
5. Ability Awareness
6. Confidence 
7. Imaginize
8. Sincerity and Punctuality

Leadership Skills Series #8

Leadership Skills Series #8 ~ Sincerity and Punctuality

To be a succesful group, all of the group members ( including you ) must be sincere and punctual. Now, we all know thet these are two seperate topics, but somehow, these topics are interconnected. I will tell you how. 

You should show sincerity in all your work. Some of the things you can do to show sincerity are doing things on time, applying extra effort in work if possible, and adding multiple media resources to the disired project. For example, you could display some information through a powerpoint presentation, a model of a structure, tabular chart on paper, or a skit. However, it depends on the project.

Switching over to punctuality. One of the most important things in sincerity is to not wait for the deadline and do things as soon as possible. Which leads to being punctual in your work. So, like I said in my last post, set a time line for everything according to time limitations.

You can read my previous posts on the Leadership Skills Series~

1. Time Management
2. Be Calm
3. Respect
4. Mind Making
5. Ability Awareness
6. Confidence
7. Imaginize

Leadership Skills Series #7

Leadership Skills Series #7 ~ Imaginize

Having troubles achieving goals again? Don't worry, I've got your back. Whatever is the desired target, before starting it, imagine how you want your finished project to be, and then do it. It is very important to do so as you will know every detail of how you want to do it. But, like I said in my last post, don't be confused between two things. 

Another thing you can do is to sit down for a minute, and brainstorm ideas. Just think about your project, and don't rush, let the creative juices flow.

Also, not to lose track of time, set a timeline for every thing. Lets say you have 5 days to complete a project. So the first day, you can collect material and information, next, you can make changes and think if any other media resources are required, and so on.

You can read my previous posts on the Leadership Skills Series~

1. Time Management
2. Be Calm
3. Respect
4. Mind Making
5. Ability Awareness
6. Confidence

Leadership Skill Series #6

Leadership Skills Series #6 ~ Confidence

Out of all the previous leadership skills, this one is something you need to really work upoun. You must appear confident in front of others, whether it is your team members, or your assistant. This will help you in gaining trust of your fellow mates as they will think that you are confident enough to save their back at hard times and support them. This will also inspire best effort from others and make the other team members confident.

However don't get so confident and supportive that they get totaly dependent on you. All this is very important and cannot be taught at a workshop. Remember, confidence comes from within. Some of the ways to increase your confidence are to be positive and remove negative thoughts. If you believe and trust in yourself and revise and practice, you will surely succeed.

You can read my previous posts in the leadership skill series ~

1. Time Management
2. Be Calm
3. Respect
4. Mind Making
5. Ability Awareness

Ladership Skills Series #5

Leadership Skills #5 ~ Ability Awareness

Ability Awareness, Hmmmm..... a complex word, isn't it ? Well, the meaning behind it very simple and possesing this skill is even simpler. All you have to do is observe and make a list of the abilities and limitations of your fellow members of the group. Then use the abilities in a way that is related to your project and try to avoid giving them a task related to thier limitations.

However, don't forget that even if you are the boss, keep a note of YOUR own abilities and limtations. If you are daring enough, try to ask the group members for their views on your abilities and limitations and how you could improve.

You can read my previous posts in the leadership skils series ~

1. Time Management
2. Be Calm
3. Respect
4. Mind Making

Leadership Skills Series #4

Leadership Skills #4 ~ Mind Making

To be an effective leader, you must be a mind maker. set your mind on one thing and follow it and only it. You shouldn't be confused between two things - like either this or that. Be confident, firm, and sure about the the thing you have chosen, now you don't want to wrong later on. 

Remember, never doubt on the decision that you have taken, believe in yourself. However, this doesn't mean that you are not open to new ideas. You can totally rock some changes, but again, don't be confused between 2 things.

You can read my previous posts in the Leadership Skills Series:

1. Time Management
2. Be Calm
3. Respect

Happy Leadership !!

Leadership Skills Series # 3

Leadership skills #3 ~ RESPECT

Respect, is one of the most essential things that gets you everywhere in the field of leadership. You must respect each and every individual in the group. This will help you be more frank with all your colleagues, plus, they will also respect and honour you as a leader.

Though, always remember that you might be in charge, but we're all born equal. Ensure that there are no fights in the group for any possible reasons, may it be the division of work, or the matter of who is worth what. So always remember, respect, relax, and sometimes, reconsider.

I hope that you guys learnt something from this post and will be eager for more. So don't forget to check out my last post, Leadership skills series #2, and I will see you next time. Bye guys!

Leadership Skills Series #2

Continuing with my leadership skill series, here is the 2nd lesson.

LEADERSHIP #2 ~ BE CALM

It is very important that leaders have a sense of natural calmness. It doesn't mean that you should not get excited, but leaders face many stressful and irritating problems. At this time of distress and uncertainty, most group members look up to leaders for help.

You must be calm and gentle to your fellow colleagues because unwanted scolding and arguments lead to bad results as well as bad relationships with team members. You may want to take some time off to unwind and relax, even if a deadline is approaching. For this, my post on how to relax will help you. 

So keep a smile, believe in yourself and trust each other and your group will too.

HAPPY LEADERSHIP!

Leadership Skills Series #1

Introducing the Leadership Skills Series

Hey guys! Everyone wants to be a group leader, but when it comes to actual leading, many people, even the experienced ones aren't able to handle the problems. So today, I would like to share a few basic tips on leadership skills for kids as well as grown-ups~

#1 - Time Management

One of the most important skills of leadership is to know how to manage your time. You should learn this, as most projects require a lot of hard work and time. You must make sets of time for everything. Try not to be behind schedule and inspire your mates to do the same.

'Better three hours too soon than one minute too late' , a beautiful quote by William Shakespeare tells us about the importance of even a single minute lost. Time is very precious, once it is lost, it cannot be regained. Everybody has equal time and the one who uses it the most productively is worthy of being a leader. So, to conclude this brief explanation, here is a one line tip-

 You should use your time judiciously and that will make you a better leader.

Top 27 Summer Boredom Busters - Your Ultimate Summer Bucket List

27 Things to Do While You Are Bored in Summers

Hey Guys! So, recently my exams ended. Yeah...right?

But the excitement lasts only for a while.

Until you start getting the Annual Boredom Syndrome. In my post on 'How to Make New Year Resolutions', I gave you guys a rough idea of what you could do while you are bored. However, these were large ticket items.

So, let's beat some boredom and here are 27 cool ideas for what you could do as a kid or teenager while you are bored in the summers:

1. Have an evening rooftop party
2. Make drawings with sidewalk chalk
3. Have a water and color fight
4. Play paintball
5. Play messy twister
6. Pick an official Summer 2017 song
7. Go to the water park or hit the pool
8. Eat noodles / spaghetti
9. Make different bracelets
10. Have a sleepover                                                                      
11. Eat ice cream soda
12. Make a DIY or craft
13. Host a party at your house for no reason
14. Make a blanket fort
15. Learn the basics of a new language
16. Make popsicles
17. Create a YouTube channel
18. Try to do Calligraphy
19. Make and eat jelly
20. Eat loads of Ice cream
21. Blow bubbles
22. Play Wii or Xbox
23. Walk around streets doing nothing
24. Have a successful prank
25. Go cycling
26. Try Juggling and Bottle flipping
27. Make a Summer scrapbook

So, I hope you guys will enjoy your Summers. 

Keep having fun and get ready for my upcoming Leadership Skills Series !! Do check my blog every Sunday at 9AM IST (3:30AM GMT) for updates.