Spiels of a Quill

Related posts: Part 1: The easiest part of the job is done - signing up for a half marathon A couple of people that I talked to about what happened at the first run humorously laughed at me and brushed it aside saying "You have been idle for too long in life that you can't even do something as simple as this. Look at people around you; if they can do it so effortlessly, so can you. It is not a big deal. Stop whining and train harder- build up your stamina, and your lung capacity." It broke me from within to hear that- probably because I am conditioned to take negative criticism to heart , but I convinced myself that it might indeed be due to the lack of strenuous physical activities in the recent years. Maybe if I push myself harder I can get better, I told myself.   Two days later as I was getting ready for my second run with Team Asha, I found myself taking mental notes for a To-Do list: take deep breaths, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth,...

Today, I want to start telling you the story of my first ever half marathon. I know it is a cliche to do so, but please allow me to start with a quote: "  If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you. " I never realized how true this quote by Fred DeVito is, till I signed up for the Biofreeze San Francisco  Half Marathon 2019 as part of Team Asha to raise funds for Asha for Education which is an NGO that supports the education of underprivileged children back in India. The race is over, but my journey isn't complete yet. However, I think it is important to get the narrative started - if not for anything else, merely to just share my story with anybody who is willing to listen. It was probably a hasty decision in the early days of the summer - one taken under the influence of people who had previously run for Team Asha. I always knew that I wanted to run at some point in life to raise funds for charity, but I wasn't mentally prepared to do it this...

This, I believe was my first attempt at 'prose poetry', which is a style of poetry written in prose form. While I don't believe I did a good job at it, I share it solely because I like the bit of rawness in the poem that can be attributed to the prose and the repetition of phrases. ************************************************************************ ************ ************* ******** Oh yeah, I would like to know why… Why is a girl aborted or abandoned b y people who bring her to life? If now you’re planning to tell me “Ohh…It’s because she is a girl” I tell you now and I’ll tell you again! Your daughter is a precious gem a nd NOT your liability in life. Oh yeah, I would like to know why… Why is a girl told that she can’t do it w hen boys her age are encouraged? If now you’re planning to tell me “Ohh…It’s because she is a girl” I tell you now and I’ll tell you again! Never underestimate a girl ‘coz s he is NOT incapable of anything. ...

Dear diary, It’s been a while (I guess not really, it’s been almost a year) since I have written something. All this time, I’ve always felt hollow, like I’m missing a part of myself because writing meant so much to me. I’ve wondered what happened to that girl who penned down poems and wrote up blogposts. But since my university kept me busy with all the course load and the struggle for an internship in a foreign land, I never gave it much thought. I used to believe that writing was my way of expressing myself. However I noticed that I hardly ever wrote when I was happy, because I am generally too busy living the moment to capture it in words, and that is something I’ve never regretted. I then thought that it maybe is an escape I find from reality during times I can’t handle the stress in my life. Many a time in the last one year, I’ve wondered why I never felt like I had to write something, in spite of having gone through so much stress. The stress was more tha...

“Deceptive illusions and varying perceptions, Life is more than just cross-road junctions. It is a whirlwind of danger that poses To the naked eye like a bed of roses.”             Life- this four letter word seems indeed very small to us, because the mind of a human can scarce conceive the plethora of opportunities it has to offer. We also have an inner life that defines the real us, our wishes and our dreams. This is what that gives meaning to our lives. Very often than not, we find ourselves at fork-roads, unable to decide which path to follow- the one that has been treaded upon yet seems uninteresting, or the one that remains unexplored, yet appeals to us. It is the general human tendency to follow the footsteps of others, because paving a path for oneself is something extremely difficult and requires immense dedication and will power. Also, when one embarks upon a new path in life, they tend to face defiance f...

Engineering is no longer the abracadabra of academics — the magic word that opens the door to a secure and lucrative career even before a student can put B.E. or B.Tech on the résumé. The quality of engineering education has often been called into question by academics and industry, and recent figures from the studies conducted by human resource development ministry seem to buttress their point of view. In view of the changes occurring in engineering practice and research, it is easy to understand why some raise concerns that we are attempting to educate 21st-century engineers with a 20th-century curriculum taught in 19th-century institutions. Engineering practice and its related technologies have become global in scope and scale. To be effective, today’s engineering graduate must not only be grounded in scientific and mathematical fundamentals, engineering principles and design, but must also have a global outlook and the broader skills to work in society in both, home country a...