Publications – 41 to 50: For The Joy of Sharing
PUBLICATIONS: 41 – 50
#49. Mein Kampf
GUEST ARTICLE #34
By Jyotsna Balasubramanian
Chartered Accountant
New Delhi, India
12-Apr-2022
REFLECT
Foreword by Venkat
Certainty and uncertainty seem to go always hand in hand not just in action but in thought as well. And not just in extent but in degree as well. An attacking (firm in mind) soccer front runner has more opponents tracking him or her. Being too certain or fixed in views carries the risk of being too fragile to last. It is hard to be sure if our choices are completely from our free will. Yet like soccer, life must go on regardless of the in-progress goal score. Some decisions may be great and some otherwise but the key is to keep playing the game.
Jyotsna shares glimpses from her personal experience of the various turning points in her life in career and as a mother with the lovely lessons they brought. Grateful to her kindness in sharing a wonderful perspective and thoughts to muse over.
Reflect on your decisions and the experiences they brought through this wonderful article to answer the deeply provocative questions on perspective, dependency and choice.
STUDENT ARTICLE #7
Foreword by Venkat
Things do not always turn the way we expect them to. Yet a disappointing outcome can become a relishing experience of being together, of gaining a new perspective and of understanding oneself better through the act of narrative writing. Young Manasvi did just that, with her beautiful recollection of the travel and experience in an expressive style! Congratulations to Manasvi for such a love for writing at a very young age. Best wishes for a wonderful life and future.
Explore what to (not) expect at Kanha Wildlife Sanctuary in Manasvi’s easy-to-read style, baking her disappointment into a sweet experience!
#47. A Lesson From History
GUEST ARTICLE #33
By Kajal Kataria
Homemaker
Bangalore, India
10-Apr-2022
INSPIRE
Foreword by Venkat
As students we learn about the law of conservation of charges which states that the total charge in a system remain constant and the positive and negative charges always exist in pairs (equal in amount). This law can be applied as well to life and human nature to equal effect. The capacity to interpret the negative comes when the positive in known. While the real nature is non-dual as explained in detail in our scriptures, the pairs in all dualities are a necessary means to understand as well as to communicate to help others understand the value of things. No story can be effective in conveying its message without the pair of opposites (usually of the good and evil).
Kajal takes us through a trip into a few pages of history and nails down the value that emerges from the contrast of the named vs. the unnamed tombs (again opposites). While we will never know the likely turn of events if Aurangzeb’s elder brother ruled instead of him, we can be rest assured that where there are liberals, there would be conservatives (and vice versa). So it would not really matter if history were different (than we know it today) going by the law of conservation of dual qualities (if I may call it so)!
This article in Kajal’s simple words, inspires to always explore the unwritten stories, unsung heroes, and un-named tombs of history that brought us to our present.
STUDENT ARTICLE #6
Foreword by Venkat
There are fashions in trend and there are trends in fashion. Yet like door knobs to the door, accessories can enhance or diminish the fashionable looks. It is no different in a language. Phrases are the same accessories potent with abilities to beautify the literary expressions. Writing in effect is the integration of many art forms. Sometimes we shape or add things like a clay potter and at other times, we chip out things like a sculptor to enhance the effects. Diya presents an interesting piece where the fashioned garment is fully made of accessories (phrases in the literal sense!).
Explore the world of phrases for the love of language in Diya’s pleasant words!
#45. My Native Place
GUEST ARTICLE #32
By Divyaa Doraiswamy
Founder – GURUKULAM The Shloka Learning Centre (REGD)
Bangalore, India
06-Apr-2022
REFLECT
Foreword by Venkat
Memories are best, of the songs which touch, of the stories that inspire, of the people that love, and of the places that are exciting. Chennai became Divyaa’s Disneyland as a child, offering the exciting change from the Bengaluru gardens, and the boring quietness at home. It is natural that we absorb as well as observe better when we are into things in full enthusiasm – so evident in Divyaa’s descriptions and lucid imagery.
Reflect on the things that bring out the spirits in you and their influence on your choices as Divyaa spotlights on every such event and place in this lovely article!
STUDENT ARTICLE #5
Foreword by Venkat
This writing is a special one, not just for the refined attention to a sensitive topic but also for the beautiful choice of title that says it all! It is true that we identify ourselves with those who have similar interests, looks, beliefs and aspirations especially when we are young and not yet clear on our own identity. Life itself in a way parallels the life cycle of the moth or butterfly. As we grow wiser, we distinguish the butterflies from the moths and later find that there is no difference between them in the feelings, needs and the will to achieve. So it doesn’t matter after all where we come from or how we look just as the various colored candies ultimately expose the same sugary, sweet soul. And this sets one free in its truest sense indeed. The truths about under-representation, minorities, feeling secluded etc. are like butterflies and moths. One cannot catch it just by jumping on them or by chasing. It needs that quiet pause and attention from a distance to observe what is going on. A great one to feature among the articles here and thanks to Swetha for this contribution.
Explore Swetha’s experience and the touching message in words that hit straight yet gentle in the way it builds on itself!
#42. Financial Literacy for the Young
GUEST ARTICLE #31
By Oliver Sequeira
Senior Management
BFSI experience across Sales, BD,
Operations and Customer Service
Bangalore, India
04-Apr-2022
EXPLORE
Foreword by Venkat
There have been various interesting guest and student articles so far covering the ways to appreciate and experience the value of things viz. When we lose them, being in Switzerland, through stories, from one’s own child, improving learning habits, loving oneself, latent messages in art, in the will to explore, creating happiness than to search it, in conscious consumerism, redefining perfection, in avoiding overload of information and so on. Anything of value (in quality and durability) comes through conscious effort, understanding and practice of good habits run on good principles. It then makes sense to price this effort and the gamut of knowledge that made it possible (which themselves have costs we already paid in the process of education).
In this wonderful writing by Oliver, he shares his rich and vast experience in financial literacy as useful tips for the young. While there are a few areas of the financial literacy covered in schools, it does not come with an end-to-end view or an independent program in most institutions in my understanding. Financial literacy is certainly a critical life skill and it is better to learn it from basic principles than to learn the hard way through experiences after schooling. It is interesting to note Oliver’s recommendations for every age bracket through the schooling years. He has a lovely prize-winning game in the end for young readers of this article. A big thanks to him for sharing his practical advice to the young to become financially independent sooner.
Going by Oliver’s lovely article, fortune favors not only the brave but also the financially literate! Read on to learn some basic skills to achieve it.
STUDENT ARTICLE #4
Foreword by Venkat
When experiences become memorable, we have long-lasting memories to savor the wonders of life. Saanvi’s lovely memory of scuba diving reflects her sharp observations, sweet spontaneity and beautiful feelings shared straight from the heart!
Enjoy the sweet little story by Saanvi of a Scuba diving experience garnished with a dash of all the sensations of a tangy-sweet jellybean!