Anika Choudhary

"Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet" -Vietnamese Proverb Raksha Bandhan, the festival celebrating the beautiful depth of sibling love, will be celebrated on 19th August, 2024 with joy and enthusiasm across India. This festival holds deep significance in the country's cultural heritage, symbolising the bond between siblings.  On this day, sisters tie rakhis around their brother's wrist, signifying their vow to protect their brother. In return, the brothers give gifts to their sisters, promising a commitment to their well-being.  The origin of Raksha Bandhan leads back to the ancient times of India. There are several different stories as to how this festival came into being. Here is one of them:  According to Hindu mythology, once Lord Krishna had cut his finger. Draupadi (the wife of the Pandavas) tore a piece of cloth from her saree to bind his bleeding finger. In exchange, Krishna promised to protect Draupadi whenever she needed it. This simple act p...

When we start something in life, trying to continue it can become quite hard. One moment, everything is going the way we want and the next day, the situation can be completely opposite. We feel compelled to leave what we started. That is because we feel that continuing it is just useless. But remember, dedication, consistency and commitment always pays off. It is indeed difficult to find the strength to keep going. But once you do, you are already halfway to achieving your goals.  So no matter what happens, never leave what you started. Who knows? Perhaps it may bring you some fun and unexpected surprises. So when you feel like you want to give up, just stay calm and keep going on. 

Feeling overwhelmed is a feeling we may feel constantly in life. As we grow older, our responsibilities increase drastically. And we can't always cope up with that, which may not always feel acceptable to us because of our inner mind telling us that we aren't doing enough. So, we keep pushing ourselves to go further. This tiny endless cycle keeps on going until we can't find the motivation to push ourselves anymore. Then what do we do? Getting more overwhelmed is something that happens to us unconsciously in these types of situations. But that's not the right approach to problems like these.  Instead, look outside your window and remind yourself of something that you are thankful for in your life. It doesn't need to be anything big and robust. Even if it's a small detail, it doesn't matter as long as you are satisfied. Remember and immerse yourself in that detail. And for a while, you may find yourself feeling happier, energetic, less overwhelmed and most of...

" To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe" -Anatole France Being determined is one of the hardest things you could ever do. It is the barrier between putting off your work and moving forward to achieve your goals. Life can throw us under a bus sometimes which can make ourselves feel demoralised. We may begin to think that our efforts are just futile. But, that is when we are supposed to remember that hard work and determination always pay off. Your will power is nothing less than an actual superpower. It is what divides successful and unsuccessful people. Harness this power. Nuture it, support it and let it grow within you. Even when you feel like giving up, just keep going on. Hard work is difficult. But to preserve the determination to go on is much harder. 

Society is the world's biggest and most feared judge. Everyone wants to be loved by other people and feel like they belong in this world. But society's absurd 'rules and regulations' have their dreams crushed. The public has created their own ideal 'perfect person with a perfect personality' that every one strives to be, so that they can feel wanted and accepted. But in the midst of trying to be that perfect person, we lose ourselves. We lose our true personality that used to define us.  Maybe we might not be society's favourite. But the truth is that nobody is society's favourite. So instead, we should try to be our favourite. Be your own favourite person. Don't run after acceptance and that perfect persona, charm and looks. It may see like the best option to feel accepted, but it's actually one of the worst options in disguise. Because doing all of this, is never worth losing your true self. Trying to please the public is just one of the defini...

" The strongest are those who stand alone" Life often throws us down a cliff sometimes. We can be going through the worst times of our lives all alone, even when we alwere always there to support others in their times of darkness.  But this doesn't mean that we should consider ourselves a magnet of loneliness. Instead we should use these times to make ourselves stronger and grow to be a better version of what we were before. Yes, of course asking for help is never wrong. But the best person who can help you is yourself. You know your needs, the ways you can cheer yourself up. In fact, you know yourself better than anyone else does in this planet. And when you realise this fact, you will soon begin to realise that you don't need anyone else to help you.  And once you help yourself, you will see yourself nourish into a more conscious and wise person.