SAMIKSHA

  The initial days of the lockdown were hard for us but the hardest for the migrant labourers. The sudden announcement of lockdown with just 4 hr prior notice left lakhs of such migrant workers homeless and jobless. They were vulnerable and had no option but to migrate back to their homes. No Bus, No Train, they decided to walk on foot hundreds or even thousands of kilometres, they decided to smuggle themselves through the cement trucks, they paid exorbitant prices to reach their home draining all their savings, yet they were retreated back by police. All these images were there on national television as well as in newspapers. And the govt. as well as the privilege and most insensitive middle class were blaming them for their hopeless act and called them as carriers of the virus. Now they were not just homeless, jobless but also the carriers of the virus. Thus making them more vulnerable to social boycott. We the privilege ones were sitting on our comfortable sofas, wat...

If you will search for the guide for bird watching thousands of articles and journals will appear. They will give you a very long list of prerequisites that you need to have before starting bird watching. And only some of you will be able to retain your energy and motivation level the same as it was before reading the article. Stuff like professional cameras and binocular, a good bird guide, some knowledge about birds is required when you are supposed to be a professional bird watcher. But if you are a beginner who is just fascinated by birds and their activities you can become a first-level bird watcher without having any of those things all you need do is follow the simple steps mentioned below. Step 1: Observe anything! Do not pressurise yourself to observe and focus on birds only, on your very first day of bird watching. Never do that! Nature works in harmony, everything is interrelated here. You can start by observing anything that surrounds you, like plants, flowers, ...

Just a nanometer-sized microorganism affected the most advanced and developed species on earth very badly. In the initial days of this pandemic, people couldn't believe that a virus can cage them in their houses and could change their lifestyle altogether. We couldn't digest the fact that this virus has challenged our civilisational development. Because for us that virus is just a lifeless thing. Here we are ignoring the fact that viruses and bacteria have been on earth for 3 billion years and has seen more evolution than humans have.  " Viruses were here when no one was here and viruses will be here when no one will be here." They are a lethal weapon which has been programmed with the only task: 'multiply and destroy'. Covid19 Pandemic has been an event which has changed the situation altogether be it Geopolitics, World economies, Politics across countries, Scientific community, social life and life at an individual level. There has been heated d...

Are you on Instagram? Share me your user id! Whenever you make new friends, you will encounter this question. After all, how can you be friends if you don't follow each other on Instagram? But my answer to this question is NO. My answer gives rise to many more questions and a sense of surprise in the other person. Those questions are quite obvious and deserve a detailed explanation. I have always been shy to answer such questions, but I think my viewpoint can actually help someone who must be going through the same dilemma through which I went! Enjoy reading! Life before quitting Instagram.  Too late in the morning, rubbing my eyes, hands searching for the phone before I could even look outside the window. The morning started just like the last night ended, by scrolling kilometres down on my screen. Reading memes, liking posts( so that they will like mine; social media connection you know), watching stories and getting aware about useless gossips, with all t...

Blackish blue sky, mountains outlined with redness of rising sun, stars still glittering and birds chirping. This is what I saw when I woke up at 4:30 am unexpected. The scene was intimidating enough to motivate me to wake up at 4 am, to experience it again. But never knew that this incident will altogether change my morning routine. Though I don't wake up as early as 4 am, definitely at 6 am, and from there onwards starts my ideal morning routine which till now I have managed not to skip. 1. Do not see the phone. 2. Assemble my bedding. 3. Freshens up. 4. Have a glass of water. 5. Picks up my newspaper and go straight on the rooftop. 6. Greet my mom (she is there already ). 7. Look at the sky, the sun. 8. Appreciate mother earth and offer gratitude to nature. 9. Observe activities of birds. 10. Have a look at each and every plant. 11. Water them if needed. 12. Read the newspaper. 13. Have a glass of milk (no coffee, no tea) with some snacks. 14. Come back to my room an...

Foot bend, minor scratches and wounds, headache, earache, toothache, muscle pain, these were the things which used to happen quite often with me and left me irritated with a feeling of vulnerability. For some days I couldn't eat due to my wisdom tooth pain, couldn't sleep due to my ear piercing infection or another day I couldn't walk due to foot injury while playing. However, when I changed my outlook one day, such incidents were no longer unwanted or irritating in fact, a blessing to do things which we are not able to do normally either due to lack of time or just we don't want to do. This change in outlook didn't happen overnight, it was a process that was initiated with none other than my positive thinking books, which according to me works best when we are troubled with our circumstances the most. It is that time when we can relate to it the most, the only condition being you need to have an open mind to accept it and apply it even if you find it strange ...