Positive Overtones

Ages ago, in a certain….. wait isn’t that how all stories start. Anyway, getting straight to the point there was a village called Anandwadi. The village was very welcoming and hospitable. Many people from neighboring villages and towns would come to trade or to settle there. And so, Anandwadi became diverse. Initially all the villagers lived in harmony despite their differences in marriage rites, food culture and dressing style. However, as time went by, jealousy and hatred began to creep in. Soon, a decree was passed by the village panchayat. Colonies would be set up in the village area and each person had to be living with his ‘set’ of people. There was a sense of reluctance, but the decree was accepted. Years passed on, generations came and went. Peace too slowly settled in. In spite of this, jealously, hatred and pride continued to slither around waiting to pierce its fangs into the prey of harmony, love and peace. A certain group of people did not like the variety in Anandw...

Jonathan was no ordinary boy. Though he seemed ordinary in his dealings with the other students in his class, he had an innate gift that he himself was yet to discover. This power that he possessed enabled him to absorb electricity – so as to charge himself – and to give off electricity – that would make him lose energy. He was a like a storehouse of electricity. He was a human battery. A picture from Infamous The day he discovered the super power that he had was like any other ordinary day. He was walking back home one evening when he noticed a lamp-post that had a flickering bulb. Knowing what his mother had taught him, he dared not go near it as he did not want to do anything that would bring about more damage. However, he felt drawn towards it. It was as if the lamp-post was calling out to him for help. Reluctantly, he moved towards the lamp-post and as he touched it, he felt an electric energy pass from him onto the lamp-post. Suddenly, the light atop the lamp-post began ...

Among the many legends written about King Arthur, there is a peculiar one that captured my attention. It goes thus: Before becoming King, Arthur wanted to be a knight for which he had undergone some training under the master magician Merlyn. This was quite common among the aspirants to knighthood. During one of his training spells, he had encountered a Badger. The Badger had taught him a number of things but when the topic of war and violence arose, Arthur was taken aback when he found out that humans, along with five different species of ants, are the only species that wage war against their own species. Man, above all, is not only the King of the animals but also a tyrant. A contradictory way of life I am not sure about the five species of ants but we humans are really living up to the legend, and not to our original vocation. Our world was meant to direct us towards harmonious living, but we have turned it into a ‘universal fight-club’. International warfare, terrorist attac...

Despair is a part and parcel of everyday life. We all go through some despair or another at some point in our life. However, some face an extreme experience of despair leading even to depression. What is important is to support them in these moments of trial rather than just judging them. Instead of trotting on the Pharisaical route, it would be better to take the Samaritan approach. People in despair want s to reach out to them and not push them away. They need support and encouragement not sermons or theories. They need love not judgment. There are numerous concrete examples of people in despair who were able to overcome it because they received love, support and encouragement.

A consumer in today’s world is one who falls prey to the advertisements and promotions of companies. We are all consumers in the sense that we watch movies in theatres, buy from the supermarkets or purchase new clothes from the retail shops like Van Heusen, Zudio, Max, etc. A consumer culture is also known as consumerism. Consumerism has its good effects and bad effects. The positive points in consumerism is that it gives one varied choices to buy and induces a competitive culture in many companies. The negative effects is that, it can lead to exploitation of the illiterate and ignorant. As Scouts and Guides we have the social responsibility of making consumers aware of their rights and duties. They need to make people aware of the exploitation that takes place by retailers and trade companies. Reasons for Consumer Exploitation -         No unity amongst consumers: While producers have trade unions and are usually well-connected with ...

Introduction Media plays a vital role in a democracy in informing the public about political issues and acting as a watchdog against abuses of power. For politicians, it provides a platform to connect directly with people across the country at a reduced cost and wider reach, to spread their policies and agenda. During election campaigns, media provides information to voters about the policies, candidates and performances of any particular political party be it regionally or nationally. It helps shape public opinions and can even spark debates. One of the examples of politics used in media is the result of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.      Politics and media are two different tyres in the vehicle of democracy. Without a proper balance between the two, democracy would just be a useless tool that has no effect. Therefore, without media, politics cannot be expected and without politics, media cannot be dreamt of as media and politics are equally essential to pass ...