Beaming with the aura of myself!

Dedicated to a very special friend who says he looks forward to my posts and that I should write more often. Well, his words are what I look forward to ;) 

I have been writing this blog since college. The followers' list bears testimony to the fact that this place has never had more than 4 readers or even 1 at times. My friends who began writing around the same time have their blogs too that have fetched them 50+ followers. 50 is not a great number for a thing such as "followers' list", but for those down the popularity ladder, it means a lot! :D 

Just as I happened to look my blog up on the web and read a few posts randomly, I asked myself why I never quit writing even when the blog could not achieve the stereotypical 'popularity'; why I found it worthwhile to continue; why I wrote despite the knowledge that there would not be anyone to read it and why I did not choose to maintain a personal diary instead. 

The answer to this was reflected in the blog itself- in the timeline (The list of years indicating the post name and year, found on the right side of the page). I reminisced and the idea of love and productivity struck me. 

The conclusion that is the most apt in my case has been the love for writing and the idea that this love has been the kind that never needed anything but a medium to express itself- which has been very cutely possible through this blog in its own little space. And that is it. The love. Love of doing something. When you love doing something, the love becomes the core driving factor for you to continue doing it. You do not wait for worldly approval, you simply proceed. There is something about love very pure and deep that ascertains the approval from the soul. I found out that my love for writing has been incessant ever since it commenced in the months following my 12th board exams. And that love- pure and deep- has been the reason that I have never stopped writing despite not getting the popularity that is usually desired. And it is this same love that has stayed with me in difficult times. 

The other facet of this love has been the joy of productivity. I realized that among all the years, 2012 was the one in which I wrote the most. 

2012 was the year when I had organized the first ever event of my life as an office bearer of my debating society. Eventually, it also proved to be the year when I won awards for various competitions at the university and college level. I was the happiest that year. Not that the happiness came free- I had worked day and night to achieve certain targets and had managed to face some of the gravest realities of being an exec body member- but the conclusion of each of the 'grave developments' was a serene sense of achievement. And THAT made it beautiful. I made great friends and embraced the idea of sportsmanship deeply. Contrary to this, 2014 has hardly got any posts-one to be exact. It was a turbulent year for me. The turbulence reflects therein. 

Happiness looks for broader accommodation, it inspires humility. When you are happy, you look for ten other people who can know and share it too. You wish to give others the same joy that you have. Better is the pleasure that comes from the sense of being productive, having achieved something, having done something great. That one thing does not look for assurance of there being someone who is 'actually' sharing it or not- you simply proceed with it with the hope that one day there would be one. 

For me personally, the joy of being able to have even one pleased reader is a catalyst (That explains why I loved my friend's words to the core. Those who have read it at times, have further stimulated the process... a big thank you to them! ) 

Sorrow, on the other hand, has often led me to being limited and confined. Melancholy has been meaningful, at times, but not speakable, shareable, ever. That is not to mean that the love for writing goes away- it only becomes dormant, if not incessant. Joy simply rekindles that dormant motivation to mould it into words. 

I feel elated to be able to even think that what goes on in my mind would someday be visible to the eyes. I love the idea of letting my thoughts occupy the digital space-waiting for someone someday to read, cherish and embrace. Meanwhile, the romance with my words keeps me pampered! 

So. Therefore. Hence. In conclusion- my love for sharing, through words, dies never!

PS: Trust me, my friend, your encouragement is invaluable. 

For the love of JNU

Another draft-turned-post from my inbox, just being published today. Also, this was my fb status for the date mentioned. :)
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21.08.2014

The day I published my Convener Report. Exactly Three Years Ago.
Man! I still remember that day when a year of turbulent JNU politics had finally concluded in a peaceful report presentation. Presenting the report only a few days after my 22nd birthday, I was thrilled by the various challenges that a year-long journey had brought me face to face with. A year had seemed no less than a decade. Yet, the realization that all of that had ended finally had brought great relief to my mind. I was still struggling to get out of the 'hangover' of political upheavals faced, but the transformation that had occurred in me was beyond what words can ever describe. And that is why I say that while it is impossible for anyone who learns of JNU through cooked up stories to comprehend the dimensions of its magic, it is only through being here that one realizes how truly special this place can be. Are there challenges? Immense challenges? Undesired elements. YES. Where are they not? JNU has taught me that facing challenges is THE key to solving them. JNU, you are love.

#FourYearOfBeingAtJNU #JNUMeriJaan # OhManIAmAYearOlder

Of JNU politics

JNUSU Elections 2017!

Yaass! After days of intensive campaigning, sloganeering, accusations, recriminations and heated debates, the election journey has finally reached a sound conclusion.  The election season is now almost over in JNU. The Left Unity is now going to lead the Students' Union of JNU- JNUSU 2017-2018. It was a tough fight fought by all the parties/organization! ABVP emerged as the single largest organization on campus. I have no comments to make on the nature of the results and my hopes. The theme of this post is generic. I only wish to wish all the candidates all the very best for the upcoming academic year.

Academics is the core foundation of any University. Our hopes, aspirations and dreams are all nurtured by this wand of magic. Every bit of learning happening within the periphery of campus extends to every aspect of life of its students even in their remotest home towns when they head there during vacations. This is the magic that a University creates. JNU is a live example of how an academic arena transcends beyond boundaries to transform thoughts and ideas located in distant corners of the country. This is what makes life in JNU amazing. The same may hold true for any other academic campus which works towards transforming the lives of those who seek to do so. There is no point in graduating with added credentials on paper if the years of University training could not add to your personality, thought and ideation-capability. It all is based on the academic vigor of the University which is reflected in its curriculum, syllabus, pedagogy and teacher-student compatibility. Academics is, thus, key to the making of a successful campus life.

Having said that, it is important to acknowledge the role that student activism plays in a campus like JNU. When I say a University transforms an individual, I also signal the significance of individual willingness to undergo that transformation for it is such a willingness that acts a catalyst in the process. Student activism is a result of such a willingness only. Activism is just another sobriquet for student politics in JNU.

Activism and Academics must merge at a point if the actual goal is to be attained. When people do miss a point in this, their destination gets lost.
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PS : I wrote this piece immediately after the elections in 2017. Do not remember if this is exactly what I had in mind while beginning, but I found this draft today in my inbox and decided to conclude it by adding the last two lines.

The beauty of grit...

" 'What' and 'if' are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side by side and they have the power to hold you for the rest of your life. "

These words from Letters to Juliet have touched me ever since I watched the movie for the first time. Towards the end of the movie, Claire reads out the letter that Sophie wrote to her in response to her 'letter to Juliet' fifty years ago. Fifty years later, the response to an ailing heart's appeal was made. Fifty Years! Yes. That is the time it took for Claire's response to reach her. But that it did reach her at the end is what forms the beauty of the story!

Many of us could have the lack of courage to present our deepest melancholy to someone who may easily cause its transformation to relief. It is difficult to express what runs in our minds day and night.

Just like Claire, the dilemma of our lives, too, can lead us into believing that some goals in life are not worth following; that some decisions ought not be taken; that some risks would be better if not taken; that the tiny dollop of courage would not be worth the time; What if the decision goes wrong, What if the gut feeling is nothing more than our mind's manipulation, What if , What if, What if.
This 'What if' is what has, in fact, just like Claire, held us back- from pursuing what could be the most cherished accomplishment of our existence here. While it may prevent us from embarking on that journey of courage that can enable a complete change of our lives, it may also serve as a source of comfort to that lazy bum that does not wish to look beyond the periphery of easy life, the limits of restrictions and the chains of stereotypes.

As I plan on accomplishing yet another goal of my life, about which I shall write very soon, I try to look back and reflect on what it has been that has inspired me to come so far, Why was it that I did not take some decisions while did a few others, where am I leading my life, what is it that I shall accomplish with my existence. Is my life just another life on this planet. Or am I someone a part of the Almighty's Special Task Force.

I reflect. I ponder. I think. I opine. I fail. Yet, I restart the process. For thinking, pondering and then acting in the direction of enlightenment is what, I believe, shall lead me to the goal that I have landed this life for.

Streams of thoughts tend to pose similar threat to my efforts of envisioning a change in the world; of
It is, thus, important that I get rid of all the restrictions that 'What if' has to pose and look into the possibilities that life has to offer.


         Do you remember the last time you had needed to act courageous?

Turning the pages...

I lived another birthday of my life yesterday. Yes, that is how, I believe, birthdays should be marked- lived instead of being celebrated. Living the day that marked the 'official' beginning of respiration and other life processes that are so important to accomplishing that one goal one needs to, in one's life.

As I look forward to another chapter of my life, I feel it important to stop and reflect, introspect and cherish- all that I have had the luck to receive in my life till now. And it is in this wandering that I have lived most of my life. 

By the way, I was really looking forward to extending a BIG 'Thank You!' - To all those who wished me yesterday. I was overwhelmed. That despite no facebook notification, so many people had the memory to wish me on my birthday simply overwhelmed me. Even those who did find it out through some social platform and were kind enough to extend their warm wishes, please accept my deepest regards. Every single word of appreciation and kindness is important to me. Thank You! Each one of you!

So, as I was saying, wandering has been synonymous with my life. It has been a latent constituent of my existence and it was only after it commenced leaving imprints in the form of indecisiveness that I realized its existence.

Have I gained from it? Have I lost anything? God would know. Time shall tell. But for the current moment, I feel like letting the feeling sink in. I really do do want to embrace the very thought of having passed these many years of my life.

This birthday again, I live to do what I need to do the most- Reflect. Introspect. Cherish. <3

                                     
                                      PC: Google Images