Words.

My mom and I were discussing stories today. What makes the good ones stand apart from the bad? My guess is the passion that the author writes with. When the author can make you feel the pain and the joy; make you see the beauty in the smallest of things; make you fall in love with the characters. That's passion. That's true writing. The ability to bare yourself to the world on paper, not afraid to show how you feel, not holding back. The ability to show yourself as you are. You can always see glimpses of the author in the books. And in the really good books, you see glimpses of yourself. What is it that sets apart the brilliant writers from the mediocre? Is it that they feel pain in a way others don't? Is it that their writing is a healing balm to their wounds? Do words provide them the solace that they can't find elsewhere?  Whatever it is, to be able to write with such beauty is a gift from God. To be able to see such beauty in so much adversity is a gift from God. And lastly to be able to paint vivid pictures in the mind of the reader with nothing but words is the greatest gift of all.

Some Sunshine and Some Rain

Today was the last Children's Day I would ever celebrate. My last year of school, and just a few months before I turn 18. It's funny, isn't it? The things we take for granted? You don't even realise their importance until they're just a memory. It hit me today, that next year, I'll be off to college. I'll be allowed to drive and vote. Although that has it's own charm and allure, nothing is more precious than the moments you spend in school, laughing at a fellow student or poking fun at a teacher. Even the fights, they seem so silly after a point. It makes you wonder, is being an adult all that it's hyped up to be? You have to work, pay bills, manage a house. So monotonous. Really, I now truly understand the words, "Give me some sunshine, give me some rain. Give me a another chance, I wanna grow up once again!!"

Childhood

Albert Einstein once said, "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent read them more fairy tales." Quite interesting, isn't it? Nowadays, kids are being sent off to these classes, where  apparently they're learning, and have some sort of advantage over every other kid their age. These kids aren't read fairy tales. Fairy tales inculcate imagination. They teach children how to dream. How to believe. How to create. Somewhere along the way, we started thinking that the way to make kids brighter is to put them in finishing schools and things like "Baby Geniuses". You aren't making them brighter, you're taking away their childhood. Childhood is about making mistakes. Making mischief. Finding yourself. Having fun. What finishing school can replace the carefree time spent between classes. Eating junk, laughing, making fun of the teachers. With only two months of school left, I realise how precious these moments are. Soon, I'll be out of school, all my friends scattered all over the place. All of us on different career paths. Finally time to grow up. I'm almost 18 now. It's quite a frightening thought. That I'll officially grow up. Be an adult. Be responsible. Growing up isn't really all it's cranked up to be. 

Diwali

Diwali. The festival of lights. It is said that Lord Ram returned to his kingdom Ayodhya on this day after being exiled for fourteen years. Not just that, he had just defeated Ravan and brought back his wife Sita. On this day, to perhaps commemorate the return of Ram, everyone lights "diyas" or earthen lamps and prays to the Goddess of Wealth, bursts firecrackers and dresses up in brand new, fancy clothes. Indian culture is amazing, isn't it? Even our stories. So intricately woven. So much so, it's hard to believe they might just be fiction.  Its one of my favourite festivals. Houses decorated prettily with lights and 'rangoli', a garland of marigold flowers at the door. People distributing sweets to each other, in all their finery. The sky filled with the smoke and the pretty lights of the crackers that people burst throughout the night. Diwali is a beautiful festival- of food, of lights, of noise, of fanfare.