World Explore

**Congratulations**

The Adroit

Sudeshna Sen

For

The Political Curtain

Well-known as Koel among her friends and well-wishers, Sudeshna Sen is a student who is backed by an intellectual family with strong political background.  A resident of Kolkota, India, Sudeshna Sen is fond of Chinese and Hyderabadi food. She loves hanging around her own home city Kolkota and carries a special liking for Hydreabad and Puri, Orissa.

Being a ghostreader, Sudeshna Sen admires authors including Amartya Sen, R.K. Narayan, Jhumpa Lahiri. Her favorite book is Bitter Chocolate by Pinki Virani.

Sudeshna loves socializing, reading and listening to music in her spare time though she doesn’t miss killing her spare time with political thoughts too.

She wants to be a social entrepreneur while backing herself financially up with a sound job after completing her masters.

Apart from being an excellent writer and a thoughtful personality, Sudeshna Sen carries a firm attitude towards life and society. She looks forward to see a corruption free world. She believes in exploring children’s potential to help them achieve what all they are capable of. 

You can see her penned down thoughts at http://koel-asterixa.blogspot.com/ and http://unpresidented.blogspot.com/

You can contact her at sudeshna290@gmail.com

We wish her all the best for a bright future.

We thank all the participants for crafting their best pieces and we’re sure they’ll not get disappointed rather they will outperform their own efforts next time. Any competition is about getting the best out of you. If you’re not the winner, it means a next contest is waiting for you. With every new effort, you are making a diamond out of you that gets refined with every hit.

We appreciate Miss Nair’s entry that was able to draw lot of attention for a very sensitive issue. We can’t miss Khushboo’s entry that equally emotional and provoke a responsible son/daughter in you. Where “Bond of marriage…” was a refreshing and carefully crafted piece, joy of shopping was an interesting piece of knowledge that gave an insight of human psychology. We are glad to see so many talents around sharing a single platform, World Explore.

In this contest, we noticed that some of the best pieces were left out because of lack of people’s vote. An artist is one who admires every art not just his own. A writer is also an artist who crafts the words into soft feelings to powerful swords. We’d really appreciate if all entries are seen with equal eyes no matter you’re the contestant or am audience. We definitely need your support to make this platform strong enough to help talents recognized. 

In next few hours, you’ll find a new post of next contest topic. We expect you to explore your talent until you achieve that perfection and prove yourself. Never give up. It is not just about win, it is about will to win finally.

We’ll keep the comment section opened by the time we post the next contest topic. Once again, congratulations to Miss Sudeshna Sen. She must have received her reward by now and we hope she must be glad with her win.

Thank you all

Nominee 1 - The Political Curtain

Nominee 2 - Bond of marriage or bondage of marriage?

Nominee 3 - Joy of Shopping

Nominee 4 - No Time To Repent

Nominee 5 - When my heart bleeds for the children and my soul burns with rage…

Nominee 1 - The Political Curtain

Nominee 2 - When my heart bleeds for the children and my soul burns with rage…

Nominee 3 - Joy of Shopping

Nominee 4 - Bond of marriage or bondage of marriage?

Nominee 5 - No Time To Repent

There will be three nominees countdown posts in which Top 5 posts will be disclosed. 4th post will disclose The Adroit.

The top 5 are brought up after keeping in 4 criterias mentioned earlier.

Nominee 1 - When my heart bleeds for the children and my soul burns with rage…

Nominee 2 - The Political Curtain

Nominee 3 - Joy of Shopping

Nominee 4 - No Time To Repent

Nominee 5 - Bond of marriage or bondage of marriage?

Next countdown nominees post will be made after 12 hours.

Good luck

I can’t say whether excitement of contest is over or it has just started now. I guess, it’d be a real hot time after the contest. This is the time when you are done with the job of writing your best yet have to defend your stand. It is good to be a critic but it can add a grace if done in a constructive and positive manner.

You may be disappointed at times when someone would rate your entry C and at times, you’ll be flying at twinkling 5 stars. I’d say, read and analyze all entries equally with a neutral mindset. Rate them honestly. Give your frank comments but avoid being offensive.

The best entry would be selected on 4 ground factors

1.  World Explore Panel Review

2.  Popularity of the post

3.  Value of the post to general audience

4.  Writing Style and clarity in the post

You can comment on the posts by clicking the particular post. It will open as one page where you can see the comment box.

You are not allowed to post any URL or link in your comments. We would welcome your hot yet healthy discussion.

You can see the social bookmarking option/sites just above the comment box. It can help you draw readers from other social networking sites and read your post. It’ll make your post more popular as well as worth being discussed.

Once again, I congratulate all contestants who have got the entry through their power of words. Wish you a great luck.

This article reveals that smoking has enormous harmful effects. Smoking is dangerous for your health. It can cause many major diseases like heart attack, blood pressure, high cholesterol and cancer. Aptitude of lung diseases and lung cancer is very high among the smokers. Smoking affects your skin and teeth. It can cause infertility in men and women. It reduces the days of life as well as makes your life miserable. There are some useful tips for the smoker which can be helpful for them. Many people give different reasons for smoking like habit, addiction and for fun. To stop smoking you just plan a schedule and work on it. Consult from a doctor and ask for the tips to quit smoking. Once you think about stop smoking firmly stick to your plan. I hope these tips can be helpful for you to quit smoking.

Every body wishes a long and healthy life to spend with his love ones. But do you know that smoking is a habit which is reducing your life day by day. There are countless harmful effects of smoking but few are very much dangerous which can lead you to death before time. Almost every year thousands of people die just because of the harmful effects of smoking. Now give a brief look to the harmful effects of smoking:

Thousands of the people die in their mid age from smoking.

*Tobacco smoke contains such type of toxic elements which can cause cancer.
*Smoking slower down the flow of bloods into vessels which is the major cause of blood pressure and heart attack. Lung cancer is very common among the smokers. Initially it’s a simple bronchitis which leads into a lung cancer.
*Teeth become yellowish in color because of the tar accumulate on the teeth.
*Smoking can increase the fat deposition especially in the blood vessels so that it can block these vessels.
*One of the five persons can die from heart attack.
*Skin becomes dry and desiccant and a person lost his fresh look.
*Men who smoking can be impotent because of low blood flow in the penis. There sperm production rate minimize as compare to the normal persons. Mostly sperm are in abnormal condition.
*Women who smoke have less chance to get pregnant and have higher rate to miscarriage.
*Children whose parents smoke can suffer from asthma in their early ages.
Smoking is a great lose of money and health.

Now the question is why people smoke? A survey on smokers revealed that there are different reasons of smoking.

*People smoke because they are habitual.
*Some people smoke only for the enjoyment.
*Most of the people are addicted to the smoking.
*Some people smoke just to ease them like stress, anxiety, tension, depression and anger.

There are some useful tips which can help you to stop smoking.

*Quit smoking is a difficult task but not impossible. You should be aware of the harmful effects of smoking.
*Set a date when you start to stop smoking. You must be busy in these days.
*Consult from a doctor especially if you are suffering from a health problem like heart, lungs or weight gain.
*Change your company if your friends smoke.
*Ask the help from your family. They can be helpful for you to stop smoking.
*If you cannot quit smoking at once then day by day reduce the number of cigarettes in your daily routine.
*Try to involve in health activities like exercise, jogging and walking.
*Believe in yourself that you can quit smoking.

Authored By Saima Waqas, Pakistan 

We all love to do shopping but have you ever gave it a thought that why shopping is so much exciting… Let’s explore the joy of shopping. 

Have you ever wondered why shopping makes you feel so good?

When you are shopping to buy a gift or get something for yourself, either way it’s kind of a treat—— but why, why this feeling develops into your mind. And why you feel happy & satisfied after buying something esp. for yourself or for your loved ones…?

A growing body of brain research shows how shopping activates key areas of the brain, boosting our mood & making us feel better- atleast for a little while. Peering into a decorated holiday window or finding a hard to find toy appears to tap into the brain’s reward center, triggering the release of brain chemicals that give you a “shopping high”. Understanding the way your brain responds to shopping can help you make sense of the highs & lows of holiday shopping, avoid buyer’s remorse & lower your risk for overspending.

Much of the joy of holiday shopping can be traced to the brain chemical dopamine. Dopamine plays a crucial role in our mental & physical health. Dopamine is associated with feelings of pleasure & satisfaction, and it is released when we experience something new, exciting or challenging. And for many people, shopping is all those things.

The level of dopamine pumps up also because you are seeing things you haven’t tried on before.

But MRI studies of brain activity suggest that surges in dopamine levels are linked much more with anticipation of an experience rather than the actual experience- which may explain why people get so much pleasure out of window-shopping or hunting for bargains.

But if we see the other side of a coin, dopamine can cause someone to get caught up in the shopping moment & make bad decisions. Dopamine may help explain why someone buys shoes they never wear. You see the shoes & get this burst of dopamine which motivates you to seal the deal & buy them. It’s like a fuel injector for action, but once they are bought it’s almost a letdown. Moreover, stressful holiday crowds, poor service or the realization that you’ve spent too much can quickly eliminate the feel-good effects of shopping.

Knowing that shopping triggers real changes in our brain can help you make better shopping decisions & not overspend while in a dopamine-induced high. For instance, walking away from a purchase you want & returning the next day will eliminate the novelty of the situation & help you make a more clear-headed decision.

And beware don’t shop when you’re visiting friends or relatives. The added novelty of shopping in a new place puts you at higher risk of buying something you don’t need.

But that doesn’t mean you should stop shopping, after all this is your brain at the mall.

So, enjoy your shopping.

Authored By Navneet Bidani, India

It is neither an article nor a story, but these are my feelings, in which you may not be interested, but I would urge you to continue reading. My relationship with my mom was very critical as any young adult girl would have. I always misunderstood my mom like hell, but was she worth my ignorance and rude tantrums? I will be revealing this story because you are with me in this journey and I feel that you should know what the actual meaning of life is and what exactly mother is. It’s well said that whatever you see has two sides, two people may see same thing, but they analyse and evaluate it differently, because different people have different perceptions. Same thing happened with me too.

I always wanted to live life on my own terms. I tried to do everything, what mom didn’t like. She didn’t like me roaming with those frivolous boys and stupid girls, who always lied to their parents and slept with their colleagues for few bucks to fill their pockets. We did party every night and bunked school and lectures since I grew up. I always tortured and lied to my mom. 

I can define my relation with my Mom with a single word, HATE. I hated her because she stopped me from doing everything wrong, yes wrong! She tried to stop me at that time too, when I became a well known doper in my college, I did all this simply because I wanted to hurt her. My mom loved me a lot and I hated her a lot throughout her life! I don’t know why. What was the reason to hate her so much? 

It may be because of that childhood memory, which is blurred and still not clear. That memory still haunts me and makes my senses go feeble and blocks my mind. Dad passed away when I was just 3 years old. I was 6 years, when one day I saw my mother going with some other man at night. It was raining heavily and street poured out like well. 

I said: “Mom wait, brother is waiting at home and he wants you to be with him, he is not well, he needs you”. 

My brother had severe fever and he needed mom. But she didn’t listen, and moved on. My brother died. I blamed mom for that. If she would have stayed and treated my brother with some medicines and called some doctor, then he would have been saved. I loved my brother a lot, he was the only possession left with me. 

Days passed by and I still couldn’t find who that man was. I tried to ask, but she turned mute. Mom was not well one day and she suffered from cancer. I called doctor but it was of no use because it was too late. She hid her disease from me since years. At night when she was suffering from heavy bloody vomiting, somehow I felt a strange satisfaction in watching her suffer. 

I felt, she is paying price of killing my brother. Now my brother’s soul would get some peace. Suddenly a man came out of the limousine and walked towards my mother; she tried to speak but couldn’t talk because of the blood that totally blocked her mouth. She tried to stop that man as if not to tell anything but the man didn’t listen. He knew my attitude towards my mom. Before my mom could utter anything, she died. The man continued: 

“She picked a bud thrown away; many years back from the unknown street of Goa and brought it home. Many people stopped her but she pledged that day that she will turn that bud into a beautiful flower that will make all the scenes of her life beautiful and extraordinary. She knew that her son was ill. She tried to arrange the doctor and medicines, but I came in between, to show her one more bud, which was lying down on the same street. 

She came with me and picked up that bud to give her a life, which would be worth living. She did that to save that bud from the paws of those hungry lions that will grind that bud under their feet within no time. You were the earlier bud and now my adopted daughter is the second bud.” 

I was taken aback! This is what my mother was; this is what the word mother means! Life didn’t give me a single chance to understand her and when I got the chance, she was no more. There is no time to repent now!  

Authored By Khushboo Agarwal, India

The following essay deals the aspects of relationship, the various types of relationships obtained by every individual. it also explains the various ways of safeguarding the relationship with fellow beings and the tactics to cope with the fellow human beings.

Relationship makes our life sensible and realistic. At the moment of birth,the relationship starts with the humans. It is a bond between the fellowships and completes the content of life effectively. As we are humans,we dependent on each others for the mutual benefits. The art of making relationship makes the human to have a marvelous life forever. Let we see some of the important aspects of relationship in the following essay.
 
DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF RELATIONSHIP

As I mentioned earlier, the very first relationship bonds with the mother for every individual. It is the best relationship in the world and provides the power of obtaining various relationship in the life. The relationship is long chain which goes like father,siblings,relatives, teachers and the everlasting relationship called friends.Thus an effective relationship between the individuals starts by practising some of the special behaviours and activities. These activities makes the individuals to handle the relationship in an better manner.

SAFEGUARD YOUR RELATIONSHIP FROM BREAKING

As we are the human beings we believe most of them by the emotional bonding between others. Approaching the relationship with matured minds avoids more than ninety percent of the problems among the relationship when both the individuals are capable of judging themselves with the experienced minds and thoughts, then the probability of breaking the relationship approaches to zero. As the relationship is coupled with emotional instincts,be bold to solve the problems with intense height of positive thoughts.

LEARN FROM OTHERS MISTAKES LEADS TO HAPPINESS

It will be a joy in reading the mistakes and conflicts of the relationships with the respective solutions. The very small decisions and activities at the conflicts may safeguard a million worth relationship. Thanks to advanced technologies in web which helps to refer a number of blogs in an easier way. When we read a number of quarrels and problems with their style of solutions, then we can avoid these quarrels easily in our real life. Attest we can predict the later results of conflict and can control the way of dealing with our dear ones. As the relationship is seen as a mirror, it is highly important to safeguard it with calculated measures and behaviours. This may avoid the barriers of involved in the relationship and makes our life to live with satisfaction
 
SEE YOUR RELATIONSHIP BEYOND THE MONETARY BENEFIT 

When we deal the people with our human kindness and emotional intelligence we start to look the relationship with human kindness. As we are comfortable in dealing the relationships, then the monetary benefit through the relationship might go out of scope.

So live the life with the real happiness and satisfaction by adding values to your relationships and fellowmen!

Authored By Balaji Jayaraman, India

I’m politically honest (oops! Was that an oxymoron!!!) All my idea about politics is the way I see it in my college- for nothing other than power! And all I do as a common voter is choose the best among the worst!

College politics- one of those very favorite things to debate upon!! How can the country progress without the youth thinking of politics? Why should you sell off your youth to a dirty thing like politics?

It is useless to define what politics is- we all are intelligent enough to check the dictionaries. But do you realize how important the State is? I came to think of it when, in my first year of college a senior told me, “You don’t exist if the state chooses to not let you exist!”

When we are born, the State confirms our birth, hands over the Birth Certificate. We get in to school, we pass out. The State certifies that we are literate. We find a job, the State says that we earn more than what we need and therefore should give up something. We get married- yet again the State affirms that. We die- but we are dead only when the State officially hands over our death certificates. So you can cease to exist without dying if the State chooses to. And ultimately who whips this horse? The political leaders chosen by us, the democratic people of India!!!

And we say running a State is a joke? No way!! But unfortunately thinking of politics today, all that I know is what I see in my college.

Being under the Communist rule ever since birth, I shouldn’t have seen much of tension. West Bengal is politically, the most stable state in the country. You may wonder whether I’m anti-industrialization, talking against Tata’s car factory or speaking up against the violence in Nandigram. I am neither a democratic maven nor the Marxist saint; I cannot comment on policy implications or send out judgments about what these two particular events had to do with the Communist rule. I am a small entity.

My college has always been politically active. I didn’t know why till I joined. I wondered why Students’ Federation of India (SFI), never approached me in spite of the party members knowing that I come from a communist family. I found out very soon- all the active SFI members are muscle men who can bulldoze down the opposition. All that they needed from me was the vote- better not let me see the dirty politics that they play behind the curtain. I was the most confused soul on the Election Day…

College elections- CPM backed SFI have the right to bring in people from other colleges to beat up the opposition. They fail to recognize classmates whom they have studied with for a whole year, they steal away the strategy sheets of the opposition, they call up confirmed voters and threat them, frighten their families so that the students cannot even come out to vote! In spite of that they fail to win the elections. They fight, they demand a re-poll, and they say that the opposition rigged, arrange for attendance registers from the University long after the working hours are over and don’t allow the panel election to come through before a month is over!

What about the so highly sought after opposition, Independence Consolidation, IC, who seem to win the election doing nothing? I’ve nothing to say about them because they don’t do anything except the passion to make a change! They hardly have any organization. They don’t have a mother party helping them beat up people and bag the votes. They aren’t even good liars! Poor them!!

In the devastating state that Indian politics is in, even this much honesty would go ways to help us achieve the Indian dream. But that is really a distant dream- after all what do we students understand of politics? What can the youth do? And incidentally, by the time they are old enough to make an impact, unfortunately, the common citizen’s psychic phenomena will turn them corrupt enough as well. After all, we live in India!

So, do we, the youth, bid a good bye to our political dream and just end up being a statistic in census?

Perhaps we should now go and look up on the dictionary as to how politics is exactly defined!
Authored By Sudeshna Sen, India

The word fashion usually conjures up the image of designer clothes in these rapidly changing modern times.  The old cliché that clothes make the man has been reverberating down the ages since they were first coined in 16th century England. The term was later changed to ‘ye taylor maketh the manne’ and may be one of the first crude attempts re the use of slogans as a marketing tool.

What is most interesting about the complexities of vogue, as a subject, is the reasons why people, often spending huge amounts of money, follow trends and want constant change. The rate of fashion change has certainly accelerated since the beginning of the 20th century, due on the most part to changes of affluence, the industrial revolution, the availability of more leisure time that in turn created demand for apparel other than that of basic work clothes and department stores; however, Neanderthal cavemen can be attributed to being some of the earliest trendsetters with the application of various dyes to their fur skins and having the odd bone accoutrement fixed into their ears and nostrils. Not exactly an Armani or Lauren I admit, but in those days who knows the name of the fellow in question-probably no more than a grunt anyway?

Fashion has many different connotations, some of which bear stark contrast to each other. For example, is fashion seen as a statement of status and distinction from our fellow human beings? To the contrary, is it that we want to appear similar by wearing a type of basic tribal uniform that identify us into like-minded peer groups?-mods and rockers, teddy boys or punk rockers for example. A sense of identity and tradition certainly seem to be a major factor.  If I was to list a number of hat and shoe types, I would think most people would be able to identify their origins. Let’s give it a shot: sombreros, the fez, bowler hats, berets, stetsons, clogs and cowboy boots-not one of the hardest quizzes I hear you say!

To try to understand the reason behind trend statements, we need to look back to their origins in history. Dress basically used to separate the opulent upper classes from their downtrodden serfs, whose basic dress was practical, normally designed for work purposes and hardly changed over the centuries. Vogue was usually brought about by people who would be considered on a par with the film stars and sportsmen of today-nobility and royalty. High class robes were viewed as a means of expression; Queen Elizabeth I used her apparel, rich in beaded jewellery and sequins, to emanate power and wealth. Forms of dress have also been influenced by wars, religion, climate and culture.

Many designs of today are reruns and variations of themes from yesteryear. When new fashions take off, they have to be widely accepted; the wild and extravagant ranges do not necessarily gain automatic notoriety. The human mind, however, does tend to play tricks on us; I would challenge anyone who did not admit that they have at one time or another greeted new apparel with scepticism and disdain, only to admit later to becoming an aficionado. My particular admissions include bleached jeans and ones that like someone had had trouble with a roll of barbed wire ending up with tears without the scratches-within months of their introduction, yours truly was wearing them.

Clever marketing and advertising have a considerable influence on winning us over to what first appear to be outlandish or weird innovations. In this throw-away society, clothing suppliers want to ensure the average number of times we wear some our clothes does not mean they end up threadbare before we discard them. So the statement from the wizard of words, Mr Will Shakespeare, does seem to have a ring of truth in them-five hundred years on!

Authored By Maira Kamran, Pakistan

This article discusses about the recent suicide cases of young students due to failure in academics. It divulges the reason for that and suggests some solution to this precarious trend.

As famous writer Phil Donahue said, “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem”, it looks like many of our younger generation are opting for the ‘so called’ permanent solution to even smaller problems in their life. And, the recent increase in the number of suicide cases of young students across the country, owing to the poor academic performance, would vouch for that. If the real reason for this is dug out, it would turn out not really to be the poor performance of the students but it is the lack of proper motivation from the school and parents side. Students are made completely oblivious to the other options available to them and are enforced with the burden of securing the highest ranks and subsequently a place in the reputed colleges and medical institutions.

What has crept into the minds of the students and their parents that makes them to even take their life for granted and struggle for merits and top ranks? To begin with, Students are only taught how to work harder and concentrate on their school subjects and fair well in their exams. They are not properly educated about the various other career options available to them. “So what if I don’t study well? I have this career option to pick up….I have this passion to pursue” should be the attitude of every student. And they should be exclusively trained on this, that is, in parallel to education the importance should also be given to attitude building. But, It does not mean students can simply skip the studies and take up some hobby or passion to pursue. It is that, Students who cannot really concentrate or fair well in their exams will be surely gifted with some talent or the other. So why not tap their potential and make their lives easier and happy, instead of pushing them into the same old path and finally to see them hanging one day.

A very recent instance is the death of an IIT student in the northern India and the reason cited is that she failed in two subjects. This is really daunting and this clearly indicates that students are motivated in the wrong way that they should study to live. But practically, the student should be made to understand how living is more important than studying. After all education is one of the ways to make the life easier and comfortable to live, but definitely not the only way.

So what is the solution? And what is the strategy to be adopted?

Sadly, The Indian Education system is also to be blamed for the student’s ignorance and the biased view. Because the whole concept of schooling is to carry books, read books, and live with books and the system is complacent with its current method. Hence students right from childhood to adult age firmly believe studying is something related to books and if they don’t master their books their life is gone for the toss. This is a completely incorrect and perilous notion that they carry. Hence, school should comprise everything in equal proportions.

Say if studying is 50% then the remaining 50% should comprise of activities like sports, music, painting, dancing etc. And more importantly the hobbies should also be made compulsory like the other subjects. Each student should compulsorily take up a hobby and in parallel they have to be trained on that too. This is only a step towards making the students realize that apart from studies there are so many wonderful things in the world to pursue. This way, they can also get rid of that attitude of “INABILITY” from their mind and in turn will gear up and emerge as masters in their own field.

So it’s time now for the country to seriously think of the pitfalls in the current education system After all, when every country’s development is dependant on youngster’s it is  equally important that the development of the youngsters are also properly taken care by the country.

Authored By Susheela Subramanian

This is a story of a couple who rediscovered the spark of their marriage in the most vulnerable times. Can we do the same? Let’s see how.

Anju and Mohan were happily married after a courtship of six long years. The world was such a beautiful place for both of them until a few months after marriage, when the harsh realities of day to day life started striking them. The souls which were felt to be created for each other suddenly started departing as if from Mars and Venus! Well, they knew earlier too that there are many differences between both of them. But Mohan used to say, “U know dear opposite poles attract each other!” and Anju honestly believed so. Then why suddenly lines like-“We both were happy for twenty years, thereafter we met” started sounding sarcastically true? Why even after bearing a sweet little kid, everything about each other seemed wrong?

Does above story sound too familiar? After so many books written and read about “Improving your relationship with your spouse”, why most marriages are unhappy? As many of us, Anju and Mohan were also educated and cultured people. They had already started contemplating the reasons for their troubled marriage.

This was the time when Anju fell sick. The chills and temperature were just not receding and then followed a series of investigations. As the misfortune would have, she was suffering from severe typhoid and septicemia. She had to be admitted to hospital. After initial three to four days of frequent hospital visits, Mohan decided to bring her back home and do the nursing care himself, as they were alone in the big city and nobody could accompany her.

Severely ill and tensed Anju was initially reluctant to go home. She felt, the fellow who does not know what household chores are will never be able to manage. But to her utter surprise, he did. He took care of her and their kid for nearly 18-20 days without a frown of complaint. He took leave from his work. During this time he realized how important the mere presence of his wife for him is! For her, all negativities seemed to vanish in thin air when he used to apply analgesic lotion to her painful back.

For all those who detest their spouses, here is the trump card! Think whether you will love your life without him or her? Many of us desire so many things in life and our desires do not seem to match our partner’s. However, many times, when we think that we have achieved all those desires in our life without the presence of our spouse, we realize how futile that happiness is.

In most marriages, however troubled they may be, the spouses say, “No, I may be happier for a few days without her but cannot tolerate total absenteeism of him or her in life.” If your answer is same or similar, take it for granted that there is lot of scope for improvement in your relationship. Then let’s see what can be done? Or what Anju and Mohan did?

1. Think beyond you- Well, though this is easier said than done, with practice it is definitely possible to put yourself in other person’s shoes and understand his or her problems and feelings. Even a pat on back or a hug after a long day’s work works wonders than a diamond necklace!

2. Understand importance of small things in life- It is well said that smallest things in life bear the largest implications. While on work, message her, “I love you sweetheart, you are so beautiful” and she is sure to greet you with warm hug on your return. Tell him how crazy you are of his golf hobby instead of nagging him about his bad habits and he is sure to take responsibility of kitchen one fine evening.

3. Give enough space to each other- This is the most important but most ignored aspect of any marriage. The bond of marriage shouldn’t seem big burden of restriction for both of you. More the space you give each other, more likely you will form the major part of that space. It has been observed by relationship experts that couples who are not restrictive have more to share with each other and so have better communication.

4. Learn the art of forgiveness- This is truly tricky thing especially in today’s world where both spouses are independent and have their egos always intact. Though we all know, “to err is human”, how many of us can really accept this error and move ahead? This forms the major hurdle for any relationship to bloom and mature. Unless couples stop criticizing about each others’ inadequacies and blunders, the lotus of love cannot bloom. Accepting the errors and living with them as part of life makes the path much easier. It is very well said that we should enjoy our similarities and respect our differences.

What more? These were things sensed in time by Anju and Mohan. So, when Mohan whispered in Anju’s ears, “You are looking so gorgeous! I love you, please don’t leave me ever”, Anju’s watery eyes told him that their relationship is here to stay…till eternity…even beyond!

Authored By Dr. Shreya B. Deshpande, India

Looking around the feelings of writers who have wrote their heart in recent posts I admire. Last 2 days are left for your submission. Writers who are willing to write and stuck in many thoughts about what to write, I’d say, just pen down your true feelings and interests with the simplest use of words. Beleive me! It WILL work

Looking forward to last days’ entries. Let’s see how it goes.

Also, we’ll open comment as the contest ends on June 10. We all will be able to share the views in a better manner.

All the best

HIV is proving to be smart as man is becoming difficult to work with. What other option do we have that will help us get out of this trap? Is there anyway you can help? This piece shades some light on this issue.

It really kept disturbing me why some people had doubts on the existence of God. Now, I know. The damage that HIV has done and is still doing is proving to be worse than even the two world wars. There is no part of the world where you will mention HIV and fail to get the attention of people. I mean, from the widows, the orphans, the infected and the affected everyone is just tired about this whole thing.

The question is; why isn’t a solution being found to permanently end this scourge? I mean even if you ask a child you will get to realize that they understand the ways of contracting the virus and the methods of prevention. This message has reached everyone. Yet, everyday we see more and more new infections. Has God abandoned his people? It depends on what you think and believe. God is not the type to desert you. He will always continue to demonstrate his undeserved kindness to humans.

Despite the fact that people know what should be done, not all are practicing that. That is the reason behind the increasing infections. The only thing that will save us is when we look for other preventions. There are a lot of people who are beyond the abstinence age and they have no permanent partner to be faithful to. Yet, sometimes they are forced to avoid condom use. This is the group who will benefit greatly from the HIV vaccine.

The people who have been infected have also not accepted to practice what they are told. Some of them keep behaving as though they are on some revenge mission. Even for their own health they are not supposed to be engaging themselves in unprotected sex. If they were adhering to this, there would be no much infections. At the same time, not everyone who is infected knows that they are. There is still that group who are afraid to test and know their status.

They will keep infecting those who do not know for sometime. So, the responsibility should be taken by everyone regardless of their status. You see mothers infecting their children out of ignorance. Who does not know about the prevention of mother to child transmission program that has been around since? We do, yet not all pregnant women are willing to have the test and give birth in hospitals.

Surely, it is God that will deliver us. Just the way he has helped scientists and medics to get the ART, he will help researchers get a vaccine. The vaccine will be our only help. So, when you see the call for volunteers in the trial studies, if you are not yet infected, please take the responsibility to volunteer.
 

Authored By Elmeldah Obiero, Kenya

When I see children, I see all good that remains in this world in their faces and actions. Doesn’t this world always christen children as; ‘the future of the world’, ‘the father of man’, ‘the epitome of innocence’ and ‘the icon of love’?

And this very same world also takes the pleasure to crush the very innocence of a child when they are used by adults to cater to their wild sexual needs.

Chubby Cheeks, dimple chin
Rosy lips, teeth within
Curly hair, very fair
Eyes are blue, lovely too
Teacher’s pet, “Is that you?”
Yes, yes, yes.

Aashu loves to recite this rhyme; she is after all her class teacher’s favorite student.

Aashu is a normal, pretty and lovable six year old child. She is the ultimate representation of joy, freedom and innocence. Aashu goes to a neighboring school and studies in 2nd grade. She loves Mummy, Papa and her doggy Bozo. Her best friend is Rashi and she shares her food and even her favorite crayons with her. Aashu loves to draw rainbows in her drawing book. Life is beautiful for Aashu and she blooms everyday basking in the love of all who know her and care for her.

But……

A month has passed since all have started noticing the changes in Aashu, she doesn’t laugh anymore, she hates going out to play and bursts into tears with no reason. She hits Rashi and doesn’t like Mummy,Papa or Bozo.

Mummy and Papa think it is just a phase, maybe it is the workload at school; after all Aashu is ‘no more a kid’.

They have no idea as to how ironical this statement is! 

Yes, Aashu is no more a kid, her innocence, her modesty and her childish dreams have been destroyed and thrown away.

Nobody noticed that Aashu’s seven color rainbows had changed into red ones; she had started drawing small, childish stick figures which she would later slash them and tear the pages.

Those figures were Aashu herself!

Aashu used to bleed everyday but as the bleeding would stop in few minutes, she could never tell Mummy. Without proof, Mummy may think that she is lying and give her a good spanking. Already it pains every day and she doesn’t want more of it.

Aashu is scared!

Aashu wants Mummy to hug her tight and talk to her with love but she doesn’t want Papa to hug her, she is scared of Papa.

Papa is a ‘man’ just like the uncle who makes her bleed everyday, maybe Papa too will do the same and hurt her if he hugs her, so she remains far from Papa.

Mummy had told her on her 5th birthday( how happy we all were that day, we had many balloons, chocolates and glittering ribbons all over my room and I got so many gifts, Papa had given me the huge teddy bear) that GOD hurts only those who have sinned in this world.

So, that meant she had sinned and that’s why uncle hurt her!

She hates this world, she hates school, she hates uncle, she hates Mummy, Papa and Bozo.

She hates herself! 

Aashu now wished only one thing – TO DIE!

I have never known Aashu personally, I have never met her but I know that this is the story of millions of children who are victimized by sex-fiends every second in this brutal world.

If, I could wish for something, I would wish that a story like Aashu’s never existed.

‘CHILD ABUSE’ (Yes, I have written it bold and loud so that the readers can feel at least an iota of this harsh reality), this is a phrase I have detested since the day I came to know what it actually means.

Before 19th century, child was considered a property and when I think of it now, aren’t they treated the same way even today when their childhood is scarred by actions of abuse? 

“Universal Declaration of Human Right’s recognized ‘child rights’ in 1948.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Child came into force in 1990(this shows that it took almost half a century for adults to declare that children have rights too).

“The world would be a better place if we would bend down to try and protect these saplings from being trampled upon.”

This space and word limit is too short to describe this horrendous crime but I wish from the bottom of my heart that this piece would have scarred the heart and burnt the soul with rage of every reader. Because it is said;

“When the heart and soul rebel; a change is achieved”

We all should act or we may have to change the nursery rhyme to-

Wounded cheeks, broken chin,

Torn lips, no teeth within,

Ragged hair, dirty not fair

Eyes full of tears, full of pain

Teacher’s pet, “Is that you?”

No, No, No. I don’t want to be the pet.

Just save me from this big bad world!

Authored By Lekshmi. G.Nair, India

A great writer returns to his birthplace at a time when his grandniece is exploring her own imagination.

On May 30, 2007 after 24 years of unintentional exile, the Nobel prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez returned to his hometown of Aracataca, Colombia on a train painted with yellow butterflies. The train left from Santa Marta late in the morning and passed our school during lunch recess. Children, teachers, and workers flocked to the fence to watch history float by. Some of us stood on tables, while a hundred children raced to the end of the school grounds to watch that “magical train” pass. One of my students was a passenger riding it. She is nine.

Every recess just before lunch, she sits by me while we watch the kids play soccer. She tells me stories from her week and the funny or startling things she’s seen and heard. She began slipping me scraps of fiction and drawings at the beginning of the year, and I was so delighted and amused by her unconventional stories, I told her that although I’ll treasure them forever, I don’t want her to lose such great work.

I found an unused, blank notebook on the top shelf of our classroom’s closet.  I slipped it to her unobtrusively, and she spent the next hour eagerly copying down her tales of the beautiful witch who jilted a hapless prince at the altar and flew to Rome and became a millionaire instead…of the girl who murdered the devil because he had once told her that he was her father, and then later (absentmindedly) told her to kill her father…of the man who walked out his front door, hit his head, and promptly forgot who he was…of the lonely sun and the lonely moon who found each other by chance, while the stars first ridiculed them, and then later attended their wedding…  There are also poems and songs: lyrics of heartbreak and love, lines of friendship and trust.

It was only last week that I found out who her great-uncle is.

A teacher’s days are long and hard.  Sometimes it is difficult to see any significant change or progress in one’s students.  The work can be overwhelming, the challenges insurmountable.  But all it takes is a few minutes of listening to what a student has to tell you and a weary day is transformed into something life-affirming and new.  Give students room to use their imaginations, to discover themselves, and watch how the future shines in their eyes.

I look forward to sitting on that wooden balance beam tomorrow to watch the kids play soccer and listen to her tell the story of today. Maybe I’ll even ask her to write it down.

Authored By Ana María Correa, Colombia

Oh Hello! Nice to see these well crafted entries woven in amazing words. Still, at times, it is the feelings and interest that overpower the choice of words. And in some of the entries, we can litrally see this. We appreciate everybody who has participated in this contest. Congreatulations to all whose entries are approved and we would encourage those whose entries are returned unfortunately either because of incomplete details or other problems. We hope, they will not give up and will surely appear in next contest

Well, we just wanted to announce something about prize distribution; or better say there is a change. As categories don’t have many entries to compete, we’ll be awarding only the BEST entry. However, if we receive minimum 4 entries for each category by the last day of submission i.e. June 10, the prize distribution will remain unchanged. 

Wish you all the best again. See you soon

This is a short depiction of the post election anarchy in Kenya after the general election which was in December 2007, where over two thousand were brutally people killed and over three thousand others displaced internally. The evil is seen through the eyes of a ten year old boy called Fla. The occurrence opened the hypocrisy of love and brotherhood which many people in the world sham to exhibit to their neighbors. Despite this having happened in Kenya it can be can be, has being and will be a cause of many civil strives in the world.

This article is dedicated to all the victims of the civil strive and gives thumbs up to all those who assisted the victims in escaping and the later giving them refuge in their homes and other places.

The heart is one of the most vital organs in the human; it pumps the blood which contains nutrients and oxygen to all parts of the body. But the heart is a source and a reservoir for a lot vices as hate, envy and greed. As in the saying ‘the matters of the heart’ it harbors a lot of lethal secrets. When the heart is overburdened with sorrow it bleeds; but not literary! It pains forever.

The different campaign trails passing by the village of Barito gave great excitement to Fla; many gifts came along ranging from money and an assortment of clothes and other political apparel made the December holiday unforgettable. Little did the young Fla know what would follow some days to come? In his mind he did not fully comprehend significance, and innocently sang to the tune and echoed his parent’s political stand.

The election formed two main political rival parties based on ethnic alignment; in all his life he had never conceived the idea that his people were foreigners in their own country. He spoke the local language but he always wondered why they had different naming systems. Then came the polls day, the anxiety of the delayed results raised temperatures in all citizens; creating sharp divisions in every human indulgence. Things that were easily agreed upon earlier become bones of contention.

On Sunday, two days after the election, Fla woke up as usual ready to attend the Sunday school which was part of the day’s joy; on top of having to wear his best clothes. Unfortunately, he did not notice the unusual dead silence had befallen their homestead. He was later to realize that the livestock had not been milked or fed, the door to their house had been broken and his parents were missing. As he proudly and piously strolled towards the church; that’s when he realized that all was not well.

On the way he saw a group of machete wielding people of whom he recognized almost all of them and another that was kneeling down begging for their lives. Thinking that there had been a robbery somewhere in the village, he thought in his heart thieves deserve to die.

In Barito, it had become a common site of law breakers being dealt with by the mob; mob justice due to the corrupted form of legal security system where the guilty went scot-free. On a closer look he became petrified seeing; his father mother, uncles, aunts and other close friends all bleeding from cuts and beatings. His heart went cold and he surged forward ready to undergo anything than see his family being hurt.

An uncle-through tribal intermarrying quickly grabbed him and firmly pinned him against his body deterring him from passing to the kneeling group. When he persisted an electric slap cooled him leaving him only watching with his mouth agape. The leader of the group, a well know church elder passed the verdict and the rowdy, blood thirsty group descended on the helpless group; merciless kicking and slashing followed till all lay down as still as logs. Blood spattered from their bodies soiling everything. When all were still, petrol was poured on the bodies and lit.

The odor of the roasting human flesh is something that will never be erased from his mind. Later they razed their homes and confiscated anything that they would lay had on; livestock, household goods and businesses.

Fla phobia for everyone, he trusts no one than himself and his nights are filled with nightmares. His heart bleeds as he wonders why such impunities could come from the people he played and prayed with, dined with and regarded them as his own.

Since then he has vowed not to go to the place he called home and has opted to be placed in an orphanage rather than be adopted by many willing families.

Despite the continued counseling, don’t you think one day his bleeding heart might propel him to wage vengeance on the killers of his family making the violence to never end? This should be a lesson to all people in the world, ‘not all those who laugh with you love you!

Authored By Jeremiah Alfred Ngunjiri, Kenya 

It is strongly believed that Marriage is the entwining of the two hearts. It is a new beginning for two different individuals, knitting two households into one family.

The nuptial tie turns everything auspicious and stands upon trust.   

Being an Indian, for me, an Indian marriage is the most beholding state of commitment and love. The sprinkling of akshita or colored rice, flowers, the bells, the decorations, the excitement, the piousness, the sanctified steps and vows, the tying of mangalsutra-the sacred thread, the ethnic customs and traditions are performed to unite two people so firmly that after marriage they become one soul, retaining two separate bodies.

It’s a strongest bond between husband and wife that is rooted more on faith and understanding and less on mundane things. It is executed in the presence of parents, relatives, and friends. An irrevocable commitment is a greatest blessing bestowed by the Gods above.

The new relation commits and ensures selfless trust, love, respect, care, concern and salvation of the two, tied together. The rituals at the time of marriage with each step bring the bride and the groom much closer. Kanyadaan symbolizes the union of couple in bliss, where bride’s parents promise the groom to take away their daughter to be his life partner. Likewise there are many steps which involve different pledges between husband and wife for the lifetime.

It’s wonderment if life partners could transform into soul mates. Marriage is a pledge between the two to be always there for each other in the ups and downs of life. It’s all about falling in love many times but always with the same person. It’s a ballad of love sung by two caring hearts. It’s a cuddle giving the best chance to grow. It’s a responsibility to share and enjoy. Marriage is meant to be in ecstasy till the end of life.

It’s very easy to keep the passion of love up in the marriage by cherishing and adoring your life partner. The roadblocks those are likely to hit this beautiful relation can be laid back by just sharing with your life partner, by avoiding the things or hurt feelings, and by having an open conversation open at the gloomy or sad hours. 

Marriage is the most blessed state. It is a zephyr in the scorching heat. This system is by no chance created to nourish any pitfalls of excessive pride.

Authored By Ritu Sharma, India