“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Easy to churn out meaningful quotes, very hard to live by them. But here’s Supriya Kulkarni, volunteer at Aviratha, a non-Governmental organization engaged in activities related to overall human development. In this post, Supriya describes the sense of joy and happiness she feels doing what she does. My biggest regret is not having joined Aviratha the year it was founded. Aviratha means ‘incessant’

“Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don’t want.” —Abraham Hicks I am happy to say that I have moved to a new city, which means I can finally take a moment to breathe! I have lived in three different cities in a span of four years, so I’m no stranger to the art of moving – but it never really gets easier! There were a lot of obstacles I have had to deal with moving from one city to another.

Those who haven’t experienced racism cannot and will never understand the deep rooted psychological issues experienced by the victim. One must applaud the growing collective consciousness on the subject but let us not fool ourselves that we entirely understand the gravity of the issue. I dedicate this to my father who faced years and years of racial discrimination, leaving him an angry man, disappointed with the society. But it takes a strong heart to power through and heart of steel

“I was always terrified of challenges and my biggest fear was rejection” says 39 year old Chinnmaye Praveen. You may think that this would have hindered her from living life to the fullest – absolutely not! Chinnmaye heads the Strategic Planning Department at a company that manufactures and installs water purification units. Not only that, in order to give back to society she started an initiative called Vistaara, to empower kids through cross learning, community participation, events, workshops and awareness

Every morning, as we go through the newspaper with our morning cup of tea, we get to read at least 5-6 cases of sexual harassment, molestation or rape. It has become a norm in our country. Not a single woman – be it your mother, sister, friend or any female acquaintance can say that she has not faced harassment of some sort in her lifetime. I too have experienced sexual harassment. It all started, back in school, when this perverted trend

“It was my fate to not have any children. Because of that, we planned to plant trees and raise them and get blessings. We have treated the trees as our children.” I am sure most of you have read about Saalumarada Thimmakka from Karnataka, who is admired for being an environmentalist and noted for her work in planting and tending to 384 banyan trees along a four-kilometre stretch of highway between Hulikal and Kudur. Born in Gubbi Taluk, Tumakuru, Thimmakka

I grew up in a small locality in Kuwait. On my 3rd birthday, my uncle gifted me a tiny keyboard. I spent all my time plonking on it. Although my traditional Malayali parents knew nothing about classical piano and even though lessons were expensive, they found me a good teacher. As my studies advanced, my teacher suggested that we buy an instrument. It was beyond my parents’ reach though. For many years, I practised on a keyboard. In the 80s,

No one was asking, but I always went around telling everyone, that “I’ll become anything in life, but never a teacher”. It isn’t that I did not have positive role models or that I did not understand teaching, but it’s just that when I was growing up, learner profiles and learning styles of children weren’t exactly the most talked about aspect of classroom education. However, after much coaxing by my mother, who herself is a Special Educator, I took up

I woke up with a jolt and frantically checked my watch. 7.00 am. I heaved a sigh of relief. It was a cold fuzzy November morning in Chandigarh. And a Sunday. And a day where a “normal” person would possibly just bump off again right into that warm cosy bed. As a doctor, I had no such luxury or luck. If fact I had a 12 hour straight shift. In the ICU. I cursed the day I had taken up

Jingle bells jingle bells, jingle all the way, Santa Claus is coming along, riding on a sleigh!! It is that time of the year when everything seems to be magical… our hearts fill with joy and cheer. Love engulfs the air and the season brings hope into our lives for a shinier future. Christmas is a time of celebrating our love, joy, peace and faith. From decorating the Christmas tree to buying gifts for our loved ones, we feel happiness