My experiences as a Rotaractor

Rotract stands for Rotary in Action and the word was itself derived from a combination of “Rotary” and “Interact”.But today this club has a new meaning was youngsters like me;
So I am not going to repeat the facts and figures about rotract which all of you can find in the blink of an eye with a click on the net.Here I want to relate what I as an individual
or lets say as a rotracter have felt in my only one year of service.It has definitely instilled in me a sense of responsibility towards my society.I have felt myself changing as a person
being a part of this club.

Way back in 2006 when the movie “RANG DE BASANTI” was released I was a class VIII student,I saw innumerable youngsters pumping and rearing to serve the nation when the popular dialouge
“ye dekhkar jiska khoon na khaula wo khoon nahi pani hai,jo desh ke kaam na aae wo bekar jawani hai”, instigated them to do so but very soon the feeling faded away.At that point the young
guns felt they should stand up for their society with all the right intentions but then where did that anger,the sense of responsibilty go??Well,its not like they did’nt mean to keep
their promises ,its just that they did’nt know where to start from.So when I entered my college life and was fortunately inducted in this prestigious club I realised it was time for me
to fullfill my promise in whatever little way I could.

Today I can definitely afford a couple of hours or even more in a week ,maybe cut down a few hours of facebooking and tweeting to give people some happiness and myself some satisfaction.
My first project was on tree plantation,I still remember the feeling of disgust which I faced when I was told to use cowdung as a manure for the plants.I was hesitant to use my hands and
thus made use of a plastic at first but very soon I started enjoying the work and the plastic was thrown away to some corner.My hands became my weapons.It was that day to this day;
I have done a number of projects like teaching little kids,singing and dancing with them in an orphanage,participated in awareness rallies,have served water to the needy under a scorching sun
least bothering about any tanning of my complexion which by the way I am sure all of you realize is an asset to a girl but by doing all this I have earned myself priceless assets in the
form of blessings,wishes and most importantly contentment.

Concluding my article,I would just like to say that there are many in our country who are rearing to go but is in need of an opportunity to make this world a better place to live in.
My contribution is not even 1/zillionth of what people have done but I promise to always put service before self.

 

Life from the eyes of a Boarder

I sensed the pain in my little brother’s eyes once it was fixed I had to leave home for college life , however he pretended to be unaffected by all this, after all in our world even a boy of 11 thinks he  must not cry lest it would tarnish his image of being a ‘MAN’. Even I had always displayed a very practical approach to life and was prepared for this day or so I thought until the day my parents finally settled me here. Then the very thought of how my brother would survive without quarrelling with me day in and out brought tears to my eyes but I hid them from my parents and I bade them goodbye with a smiling face but the moment they were gone I could not stop them from rolling over and I guess the same happened with my parents as well.

Days passed by and I could sense the change that was occurring within me and with the relations I shared, my conversation with my brother changed from “get lost!” to “ghar kab aaogi?”(when will you come home?) However I had too many classes and labs on hand. Writing records, studying intensely for Viva’s as if it were my board exams, but I had to do it, I had  to make a place for myself in this new world. I barely interacted with anyone besides my roommates “Riyoti and Surbhi” and I must say both of them are a blessing to me till date for even though we came from diverse backgrounds they were never quick to judge me and announce me as a snob .I also found a confidant in my neighbour  “Heena Hassan”. We have bonded really well over these years .I was at first a laughing stock for them as I did not even know that clothes are first soaked in before rinsing but we helped each other out in times of need. Hostel life teaches you Team Work for sure, be it for assignments or internal answers and especially for exchanging movies even if it is  3:00 A.M.

On abundant circumstances we grudge being boarders for sure, especially when we have to literally beg the day scholars for a mass bunk nod and they dismiss our request saying “ We’ll  get bored at home” , if only they realized how precious would those few more days  be for us. We terribly miss the home-made food, the freedom to ride our own scooty throughout without a restricted entry time, and we are really tired of getting applications’ signed for even stepping out of the hostel .Bearing taunts that we inhabit a prison is common to our eardrums.

Today  still  on the journey of being called a “hostelite” , I have fathomed out that this place has instilled a sense of responsibility in us . The responsibility to return to my hostel premises by 7:00 pm, the responsibility to get up early to grab a bite of  the tasteless breakfast in order to survive the day that lay ahead, to find the way to your destination using the public transport, the responsibility to raise your voice for what you think is right, the capability to organize hostel events such as puja’s and helping each other get over the depressed times so that no one else  succumbs to pressure,( we still miss our friend who unfortunately left us in the first year and hope she is happy in the world she chose for herself ) ,the responsibility to manage our budget and last but not the least ,never in life will we have the slightest hesitation to write an application.

I would still say those who missed being a boarder miss a lot, for you will never know the sense of freedom we have attained behind these bars, the feeling of rising over the hopelessness on your own, the thrill of doing something mischievous and not getting caught, the absolute freedom to make use of the cellular facility especially commencing from 11:00 P.M. Our bonding with  friends is tested from every angle only to eventually give us our  lifelong friends, the pain of missing your family on festive occasions and your birthdays and you most definitely will never know the  joy of  the journey back home ,the joy to have home cooked food once again and the strength to bring yourself back to work.

Holi in Solitary Confinement !!!

It’s been very long since I expressed myself here.Sometimes it feels like I opened my blog for the sake of it.So whatever happened post college has been a tumultuous journey all together.Shifting base from Rourkela to the National Capital Region to start my journey as a young independent girl faced quite a few initial setbacks.Had some friends to begin with but at the end of the day you have to walk your own path as they say.

So to cut a long story short,I earned I spent,I saved and I finally quit.No I am not a loser trust me on that.Quitting your job needs immense amount of guts and I could do that only after months of deliberation. My dreams are different if not better from the career graph I had tread on and honestly more than mine it’s my father’s dream.I have no clue if I will ever be able to reach that milestone in life to satisfy my father but that wont stop me from putting in an earnest attempt.

To start with I gradually disconnected myself from the social life.Not that I had a happening one but definitely had a multifarious circle of friends from school and college.Social Media makes it an arduous task to do so and that is why it was the first step taken.Having barely shared my contact number with anyone,I do have a fear of missing out on all my friends once I decide to revive myself to normalcy.Though some very sweet ones have taken the effort to email me asking for my whereabouts.Receiving letters always fascinated me (which I never have actually) but emails are the new-age letters I guess.Those who actually felt my absence bothered to write.Another daunting task was to dodge my relatives.Being an ardent Potter Fan I wished he would send me his invisibility cloak. My relatives are awesome people and do care for me but I do not have answers to their queries and I am in no mood to hear to their advice .To be released from my services in Gurgaon was a herculean decision which requisites courage and persuasiveness .It is not incorrect to say that I was putting my career at stake by leaving a well paid job with a bright future but it would break my heart to hear that loud and put me in two minds again. By default my birthday was the day I dreaded but surprisingly everyone just wished me luck for my endeavors .It actually made me feel I was taking it too hard on myself.

Coming to the present,it’s Holi today! my favoured,flavoured vibrant favourite festival.In my hostel days I went crazy playing colours,dancing to songs, and trying Bhang for the first time in the final year ,literally running around like a demented person.Today I am sitting alone in a closed room away from my family friends and wishes.I am not complaining.It was my choice to be alone on Holi and catch up on the studies that has been pending for a while .With my exam due in June I barely have anytime left .I have no other choice but to crack the toughest exam of this country to make the gone year worthwhile.It might go either way but from this moment onwards I pledge to leave no stone unturned to qualify.There is a sense of energy ,rigour and determination to do it.So this Holi I might be in self imposed solitary confinement but I have the treasure of hope ambition and aspiration by my side.

So concluding this gush or rather vent of emotions instead of colours that I have splashed this Holi I actually feel even more fiery and rearing to go for my goal.On the contrary the song being played in the background is Green Day’s Broken Dreams. I would rather have it’s lyrics altered today “I walk the lonely road,the only one that I have ever known.I know exactly where it goes ,but it’s only me and I walk alone.I walk this empty street, on the boulevard building my dreams”