A Rainy day in Delhi

Rain in Delhi sounds wonderful as it's quite rare here. But as soon as it happens, it provides relief along with quite an unsettling feeling, as after rain comes the extreme summers where the afternoon burns extremely and the nights are too got to sleep. It's not rare to find people wearing scarves and holding an umbrella to prevent direct sunlight during the day.

After a hot summer's day, the slight drizzle and the pitter-patter sounds of the rain calms the raging heat within. Providing relief to everyone as they all stand at their windows watching the rain. The doors and windows would be open to let the breeze cool our home.

During the summers, the ground will be too dry as the moisture gets evaporated quickly, dust in the air, and other air pollutants. After the first rain, it settles down, giving fresh air to breath. The smooth scent of the rain gushes towards your nose, giving a hypnotizing effect. 

A cup of hot coffee with some pakoda (hot crispy snack) and soft music just brings out the aesthetic feeling while pouring out joy in our hearts. It's not the same for all. I know. Some might hate the moisture in the atmosphere or the splashes of water on the roads or even the wet mud sticking to their shoes. I do sometimes feel the same, but rain is just a blessing that occurs once in a while, so it's always good to cherish it while it lasts.

Enjoying the rainy days in our own ways sure makes it much better and special.

The Third Level by Jack Finney

We all try to escape from reality that disrupts the peace and it provides comfort. The short story that we will discuss talks about one such escape from reality.

The story " The Third Level" by Jack Finney is about a man who finds a mysterious place that is similar to a portal that takes him to the past. We are all always curious about time travel, going back to the past, escaping this harsh modern life and finding peace in a simple life. Isn't it just amazing, and what if it actually becomes true? Since the author is an American writer, the plot revolves around the American context. Let's begin with the title, the title shows the location of a mysterious place where the entire story takes place. As the short story begins, we see the superiors of the station making an oath, claiming that there are only two levels, but Charley, the protagonist, claims that there are not only two but rather three levels to the station. Here's where the mystery starts: how did he see the mystery level, and what proof is there of his claim?

As the story goes forward, we meet his psychiatric friend who claims that Charley is having a ' waking wish fulfillment' which means that he is daydreaming because of his modern insecurities and worries, and he wants to escape from reality. As a way to escape from reality, he had a hobby of collecting stamps, but he justifies saying that having a hobby necessarily does not mean a way to escape from reality. 

Then he starts the story of his experience of how he discovered the mysterious third level and what he saw there. The detailed description of the Grant central station draws up a picture in our mind, leading us to stand at the very same station, walking along with Charley. He walks along various tunnels, finally leading to an exit towards the third level, and he sees a totally different world, somewhat similar to his past life. The description of the place and the year 1894 indicates him travelling to the past. He wanted to take his wife along and stay there, but the currency he had was not the same as the past, which led him to go back to the present and exchange it for the currency from the past. Later, when he tries to go find the Third level, he cannot find it, leading to his disappointment and disregarding it as an illusion.

One day he finds a letter among his grandfather's letter collection and when he opens it he find the letter addressed to him by his friend Sam, who was a psychiatrist initially called his discovery of the third level but later he started searching for it leading him to go to the past and start a small business of his own and leading a peaceful life.

The characters Charley and Sam are a reflection of individuals who are tired from the rat race and the monotonous life that they live. This repetition leads to the search for something exciting and adventurous. We all live in an illusion, convincing ourselves that people in past lived a very peaceful time, but if it's true, wouldn't they want to pass down their same livelihood to the younger generation rather than finding various technologies to make life better? As I understand that every era had its own struggles, and changes were only made to overcome these struggles. Instead of running away, we need to try to find something interesting to do along with our daily activities.

Art Work

Busy schedule seems to be hectic and tiresome. The adrenal rush seems to work at that moment but as the work is completed the body gives out losing all the energy making us feel lethargic.

I had lots of written work which led me to sympathised with all the students who have lots of assignments to write during their college days.

My work was not limited to files but it also had art and craft work which consumes a lot of time but it was refreshing. I prefer doing crafts instead of writing. 

The wall hanging, photo frame and flowers took lot of time but the final look was beautiful decorating home aesthetically. The wall hanging has a cardboard based with orange strips and the boundary with small flowers made of glitter paper, with an origami bird sitting at the branch. The words 'Home Sweet Home' is attached to the end with little bells.

After a long time of hardwork the final result brings out an unexpected joy at the beautiful craftwork.

Waste to Wonder theme park

 

We are long aware of the seven wonders of the world, as we have been taught about them since childhood. It feels different from what we read in books and how it actually looks in reality. It would hit differently when we witness with our eyes. Before witnessing the real wonders it would be amazing to witness the representation first.

This theme park is called "Waste to Wonder" and has a representation of all the wonders of the world made with waste materials, mostly metals and other spare parts. It's amazing how real it looks if not for the metals being used. It's a great place for children as they feel excited about identifying what they saw and knew only from books.

The theme park also has models of different types of dinosaurs, which we are very much known from books and movies. There were recorded sounds being played which felt as if it were the dinosaurs' growls. There also was a representation of two dinosaurs fighting, causing destruction through the portrayal of damaged cars.

The entire walk inside the theme park feels like a mini forest where there are different dinosaurs in the territory, whether land or water is present. The end of the walk leads to a huge dinosaur which has a slide attached to its tail where children can slide from its belly till the end of its tail. It was a fun walk to refresh our knowledge.

Sports day

Sports day is always athletic, but it only starts at the venue, but for me, it started from the bus stand. It was a foggy winter morning, so I thought the whole day might be dull, but thankfully the sun shone brighter than most days. As I left home at a slow pace, I did not expect to run for the bus.

After running after the bus, it took me quite a while to calm down, but still, all's well that ends well. The event started by 11 am and carried on till 3:30 pm. We had a march past followed by the pledge to begin the event.

We began with the 100m race, and it was tough. It's been years since I ran on a track, so it felt so unfamiliar. We also had games like kabbadi, relay, three-legged race, lemon and spoon race, etc. It was fun, and time passed by quickly.

As the day came to an end, none of us could feel our legs. It was a fun and tiring day. We all sat in a circle basking in the sun in the winter afternoon chatting and relaxing. A fun sports day bringing the child hidden somewhere within jumping and running around the ground.

A winter goodbye

A chilly morning is what I have been waking up to after coming back from Kerala. The contrast in the weather is huge in the northern and Southern states. 

It was surprising one day when the sky was filled with smog and nothing could be seen on roads with only headlights flashing here and there. The cold wonder mornings were terrible, but people still traveled from place to place with public transport being filled with passengers. It was a struggle to leave home as it still felt night even at 6 am. 

It was a relief to bask in the sun, but there's a catch, that is the cold windy weather. Sometimes winters felt good, but other times it was torturing. We often burn fire with coconut shells to keep ourselves warm. It's only momentary, but it's like a small campfire with all of us surrounding the small fire.

Now as winters are leaving, its getting slightly better. It's not foggy anymore, and the sky gets dark early nor the sky brightens late. Even though this harsh weather was terrible, it still reminds me of the poems that describe winters, and its association with sadness. Winters are beautiful as well as terrible, but still it's one of those beautiful seasons that shows all its colors.

Happy new year

 As a year ended and a new year began, all the reflection of the past year ended. We all made many resolutions at the beginning of last year; some may be fulfilled, some not. We began the year with loved ones around us, and some lost their loved ones during this year. Many started the year alone but at the end smiled looking at their life partner.

 It was a year of blessing for some and vice versa. As we step into a new year, a lot of resolutions need to be made, and those need to be fulfilled. 

 Being in the rural area seems different than in the city. In cities we find crackers being burst to welcome the new year. 

 This new year was celebrated by visiting the beauty of nature. It was a breath of fresh air being close to nature. The beauty of the nature is different from the busy city life. Time moves slowly, showing how every minute is beautiful and eventful. The presence of children makes you feel young when we go back to playing games like antakshari or stone, paper, scissors. 

 I wished that time slowed down, giving time and space to breadth. Our grandparents lives show the beauty of simple life when they still bicker with each other just to make the other person respond in a positive way. It's fun to watch them tease each other. 

 Life is beautiful, but we sometimes forget it in our own rat race. This year let's pause, wait, and stop just to appreciate the gift of life that is offered to us.