Change by Aditya Kolisetti -8IG A

Change

When I began writing, I asked myself, “Why change? Why such an abstract topic?” I thought, thought, and thought some more. After what seemed like an eternity, I found an answer.

Once, when I was a toddler, I had built a tall tower. When I stepped back to admire it, my foot caught on the rug, the rug shifted, and my block tower fell. When I looked back at the rubble, I didn’t see a ruined tower- I saw a village; a block for a house. All I had to do was change my mindset.

In my opinion, change is one of the inevitable forces in the universe. It affects everyone and everything. I have always found change hard to deal with, yet it has shaped me into who I am. Read on- my essay, no legacy of change.

I remember my summers in America. Blissful, happy, quiet and simple. Yet life went on. Seasons changed, I grew up, asking myself, “Why did it all have to change? Where did all the good times go?”

Since the dawn of mankind, we have adapted and adjusted to our surroundings. When living in caves, we learned to hunt. When living in mud-huts, we learned to socialize. When living in apartments and villas, we learned to turn on the Wi-Fi.

We have to change to adapt to problems in our surroundings, even if it’s as small as your phone dying. Every living thing changes and evolves to survive, even if at a primal level. Although change is necessary, a new question arises. Why is change so hard?

“But I don’t wanna!” I don’t wanna leave!” I half wail – half sob as the last of the furniture is loaded into the moving van. The suitcases are in the back of the cab, and the cab is ready to go. My parents desperately try to convince me that India is a better place. Exhausted, I collapse into my mother’s arms and retreat to a faraway place. The cab leaves our little neighborhood and off into the night.

Many times, it’s hard to let go of something- big or small.
I have trouble letting go as well. Though it’s fun and easy to live in the past, if we hold on to the old, how will we accept the future? How do you adapt to the new if you are still in the past? Maybe we should talk a little on how to let go.

Look at a tree through the seasons. In summer, it dons a bright green cloak of leaves. In fall, its leaves begin to fall off- a splash of orange, yellow and brown. In winter, our tree shed all its leaves and is barren through the frosty weather. In spring, fresh leaves grow, flowers sprout and life begins anew, and the cycle repeats.

I feel we should be like that tree. I fell that one must adapt to their surroundings and situation. Ultimately, we should always grow towards our goal. Remember, change will always be accepted with a happy mind and an open heart.

All-in all, as I write this final chapter, I find that my ideals and thoughts have changed for the better. I hope this legacy has shifted your views on change for the better.

After all, the only inevitable thing in this world is change.

Aditya Kolisetti

Reading - Creative Zone Of The Mind by Pranav Padukone

Reading - Creative Zone Of The Mind

Have you wondered why people read? Some read for the sake of reading while some read for passion.What do you love about reading? However,the main point is: How are you connected to the book you read? I am asking these questions to take you on a journey of a reader and his books as he explores many phases. Now, before I get into details, I have to ask one more thing: Is there a contrast? I am listing my real life experiences too.

About reading, some people prefer reading specific kinds of genres while some prefer all. Books come in many kinds of genres and I will give an example of each: Sherlock Holmes (Mystery), Action (Percy Jackson), Autobiographies (Gandhi's Life In His Own Words), Horror (Goosebumps),etc. What are your favourite genres?

As a child, I loved reading books, magazines, articles, etc. Mostly books. I love reading genres of all types be it horror, mystery, action, or comedy. My parents would get me books for my birthday and mostly on special occasions and you have no idea how much my friends and family love reading. They are so engrossed, when you call them, they won't answer at all. It's like a lion stalking a deer. My friends love reading books like: Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan), Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle) and many others while my parents love reading books by famous authors like Paulo Coelho, Agatha Christie, etc. What books do you love reading and who are your favourite authors?

It's said that reading improves a person's mind to react, interact, etc. When a person reads, it triggers his/ her mind. It makes a dull and bored mind teem with knowledge, fun and more, thus making it more creative. Reading changes an angry man's temper. In other words, his attitude changes. Angry to Happy and Negative to Positive!

This connects with a situation in my life. I had a fight with my friend and boy was it bad! I was really angry and I went home sulking. After I settled down, I picked up a Calvin and Hobbes book and a few minutes later, I cracked. I burst into so much laughter, I had forgotten all about the fight. It is because of the humour. This makes me realize that reading changes a person's mind, to interact, his/ her attitude and an individual's personality.

Reading is also said to be a really good source of entertainment. Some read for fun while some read for passion. I am not saying that you don't have it but you can develop a keen passion for it. People read for hours on end because they love that book and are engrossed in that book.

I would like to relate this to my parents. In their time, they didn't have any electronical devices to keep them company. Just imagine my parents 30 years ago. They were around my age. The only source of entertainment they had was a pile of books and a radio to listen to music. They used to read for hours on end. They read comic strips, books like Calvin and Hobbes, Asterix and Obelix,

Archie and many others. For them, just to get a book issued, they had to walk kilometers and kilometers just to get to a library. Now, there is one right downstaris. We have to be really lucky to live in a world like this.

Reading is also said to improve a person's vocabulary, grammar and would make him/ her learn new words/ concepts and that would make a person's life much easier. This makes me realize that the uneducated students and adults of our country can improve and be much better in their life by Learning, Writing and Reading. It is said to trigger the grey cells of our brain and help in developing it. So, instead of playing video games or watching TV, read and improve your knowledge and capability to do more.

So to wrap up this essay, I come to a conclusion that reading is the best thing that can happen to you. Be it a hobby, habit or anything. You name it!! Reading will improve your way of interacting, thinking and coming up with new ideas which you can use for a better life. Reading is in the form of a person who will help you in areas where you need aid. Reading is a journey you take on for a better life in many ways and I hope you had a wonderful journey with me and I hope you have many more in your upcoming future.

Imagination by Alekhya Bhat

the WORLD INSIDE OUR HEADS

Imagination is an unlimited resource. Use it.

Imagination is an endless loom that stretches across the very fabric of our minds, working its way through the intricate twists and turns of our brains. It is a work of art that sketches itself out across our personal canvases.

Though some people may persist on lacking it, imagination is something that you can’t control— it works on your subconscious mind. Our imagination works involuntarily; churning the gears of the mechanical system inside us. Every time you dream or have a nightmare, you’re using your imagination.

Have you ever wondered how imagination works, or the terminology behind it? Well, there’s no need to imagine anymore, as I have it all down in the next section!

  

Have You Ever Wondered…?

Imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability to form new images and sensations in the mind that are not perceived through senses such as sight, hearing, or other senses. Imagination helps make knowledge applicable in solving problems and is fundamental to integrating experience and the learning process.

Have you wondered where imagination comes from, what makes us inventive, why we think scientifically or create art, and invent tools? Philosophers have argued for thousands of years about the essence of imagination. 

Researchers have long suggested that human imagination exists thanks to a widespread neural network in the brain. However, clearly demonstrating that such a "mental workspace" exists has been extremely difficult with available techniques that only managed to examine brain activity in isolation.

Imagination affects our decisions the most of all. An experiment was conducted to check how imagination can affect your very choices in daily life!

Scientists opened a cake stall and baked two completely identical cakes. They wanted passers-by to taste each cake and tell them which one was better. Even if it was a free sampling, they decided to say that they were pricing one cake at $50 and the other at $10.

Despite the fact that the two cakes were identical, the customers insisted that the texture of the first or more expensive cake was richer and tastier than the other. The very prices of the cakes allowed the consumers’ imaginations to run wild!

Similar experiments have been conducted over the years to try and get a good grasp on the happenings in our brain with respect to our imagination, but even scientists aren’t able to come up with a theory for this abstract feeling that envelopes our minds.

So what exactly is imagination, or at least a close definition to what it is?

Imagination is considered "a power of the mind," "a creative faculty of the mind”. The term imagination comes from the Latin verb imaginari meaning "to picture oneself."  

As a medium, imagination is a world where thought and images are nested in the mind to "form a mental concept of what is not actually present to the senses." 

Our imagination may affect how we experience the world around us more than was previously thought, for instance, what we imagine seeing or hearing in our head can alter our actual perception, according to new research by a team in Sweden.

The finding, published in the journal Current Biology, explores the historic question in neuroscience and biology about how our brain puts together information from all the different senses.

We often never think that the things we imagine and the things we perceive are completely different, and that imagination can’t exactly affect our everyday life, can it? Well, recent research shows that our imagination of a sound or a shape changes how we discern the world around us the same way hearing that sound or seeing that shape does! Specifically, these scientists found that what we imagine hearing can actually change what we see, and what we imagine seeing can change what we hear.

Here’s an experiment conducted in Sweden by the Karolinska Institutet:

The first experiment had volunteers experience the illusion of two passing objects hitting each other rather than passing each other when they imagined a sound at the moment the two objects met.
During the second experiment, subjects' spatial perception of a sound was biased towards an area where they imagined seeing the short appearance of a white circle. The third experiment involved the participants' perception of what a person was saying was changed by their imagination of hearing a certain sound.

The results supported perceptually based theories of imagery and suggest that neuronal signals made by imagined stimuli can integrate with signals generated by real stimuli of a different sensory modality to make robust multi-sensory percepts.

One question that you might have is— why do we even have an imagination?

It's likely a necessary architectural consequence of our brains being able to do everything else. If you have a brain that can visualize objects in 3-D, feel emotions, remember conflicts between people in your tribe, do math, and otherwise do all the things that make humans so dominant evolutionarily, you have to be able to imagine. If you want to come up with solutions, you need to use some intuition. So being able to come up with new inventions, or scientific ideas, or social concepts, often requires being able to imagine a metaphor or look at things in some way beyond the surface level. 

  Conclusion— WHY OUR IMAGINATION IS IMPORTANT

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
~Albert Einstein

What if we could fly? That was the question that must have crossed the Wright brothers’ minds when they made the airplanes that we use today. I cannot even begin to imagine a world without travel!
What if we could go into space? This was what cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin must have thought before he launched himself into the sky.

Imagination is what tells us apart from all other creatures on the planet; something that makes us distinct.

When you get an idea, you twist and turn it around until it forms something that you can work with. You bend it like playdough until you can shape it into something you can use, and you manipulate it until it can be thrown into the stream of new innovations for the public.

As Walt Disney said, ‘Imagination has no age, and dreams are forever’.     

  Citing:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Imagination.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagination

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266426.php

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262608.php?trendmd-shared=0

http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/imagination.htm

https://www.quora.com/Where-does-imagination-come-from

I love Sports - Annirudh Vivek Kumar

Sports is a very important aspect in a person’s life. Many people disagree with me because they believe that studies is the only way to success. I believe that we should study as well as play with equal priority. The three reasons why we should play sports are:-

·         It keeps you fit

·         It is very important in a man’s life

·         It keeps you refreshed before anything stressful

Firstly, I believe that one way one way of keeping fit is by playing sports. During my third grade I had my fitness test coming up in two weeks and I was unhealthy I was under a lot of pressure because I was a huge fan of sports and if I failed I would have been heart broken. I was very confused as I did not know how to start my practice. I was just wasting my time.

My parents were constantly urging me to start practicing but I didn’t listen. During school hours, my PE coach would make me practice but I would struggle. Once my parents and I had gone to my grandfather’s house for a visit as he is very good at giving advice. He gave me a talk about how he would practice at his age. After his talk I finally understood that there was no point wasting my time and that I should start practicing. I started every day at 5 in the morning. I was concentrating on my athletics. I worked very hard and won my fitness test. I was only able to win because of the saying Train like an athlete, Eat like a nutritionist, Sleep like a baby & Win like a champion

Secondly, I believe that sports is very important in a man’s life. Without sports or exercise we wouldn’t be fit or have the energy to do anything. I have observed myself on the days that I play sports and days when I only study. I have realized that the days when I play sports I fell fresh and have the energy to do anything. The days when I only study I feel very weak and lazy. This proves that we need sports to keep us fit. Sports also teaches us about team spirit and respect. For example football and cricket. Team spirit and respect are two important things in our value education. Sports can also be a good choices for a career. Sports is also a good way to keep yourself calm.

Lastly, as I said before, sports can keep you calm. It was about a year ago I had my exams coming up along with a history project due in the following week and I only had weekend to complete it. I was under immense stress and I was also quite disorganized and that added to my stress. After I calmed down, I started with my history project, but sadly after all my hard work and research my computer crashed. I started to panic again, I tried to study but I wasn’t able to due to the mounting pressure. My parents told me to take a break and play some sports. Even though I didn’t understand what they meant. I played sports and calmed down. This happened because while playing I lost my thoughts on my pending work. Thanks to sports I was able restart my project with a fresh mind. I aced my history project and my exams and I thank my parents for pushing me to play sports even when I was so stressed.

To Conclude, I would like to thank sports for how it has always helped me. People should focus on sports along with their studies. Sports has taught me not to give up and about teamwork. In my opinion I don’t think anyone should wipe out sports from their lives.   

The past is over - Arnov Vellakat

The past is over

Sometimes you have to forget about the past and think about the present and the future. If you don’t, all fights will get worked up on and never come to an end. But more than that, you might affect someone else , you might get affected mostly you and your enemy will get affected.

My friends and I were all at the PE field waiting for our coach to decide the teams. We were going to play a 11- a side game. I was put in team A, however I did not want to be in team A because my enemy was in that team. We never play well together!

5 minutes of the game passed and the whole team could sense our teams incompetence. We were already a goal down and we needed to get back in the game. Whenever we get a chance, we never convert it. My enemy and I knew that it was mainly because of the both of us. Finally, the ball was passed to me and I dribble looking for a person to pass it to. My enemy was open and it would have been an easy goal for him if I passed. My angle is tight. Should I pass? Should I shoot? I shoot! Good save by the keeper. I felt the fire inside me burn all the way to my skin, because I missed!

 The score was 1-0 to them. We needed to get back in the game by scoring at least 1 goal. There are 2 miniutes for the game to end, when my enemy got a good through ball and dribbled. I was open and could have easily scored. He dribbles! He shoots! Good save by the keeper.

I the end of the game, I realized that sometimes you have to forget about the past and think about the present and the future. I should not have had any enemies. The whole team knew that the match was lost because of the both of us.

This is just one reason why one should sometimes forget about the past and think about the present and the future. Like Mahatma Gandhi said “an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. NOW! If anyone wants another reason, here I am. The fact is sometimes you are affected if you think about the past.

 

As the home time bell rang, everybody ran to their busses but I stayed back because I was late I packing my bag. When I was done, I walked out, when I walked out I saw my enemy. He was begging for help in carrying his bag because it was too heavy for him, but I rudely said “no way!!” I did feel a bit sorry for him tough.

The next day, as the home time bell rang, everybody ran with packed bags. When I was done, I tried lifting it, when I realized that it was too heavy for me to lift.  I  desperately was searching for someone who could help me. Then I saw my enemy who looks at me and says, “no way!!” when I asked for help.

I want to conclude with my last reason why one should forget about the past and think about the present and future. Sometimes you and someone else are affected.

When my cousin Revant and Dev  came over to my house to play. We were playing a badminton tournament. The first match was between me and Dev, which I won in a huge margin. Next up for me was Revant, who I again won with. Eventually the finals were between me and Revant. “ We had a long fifty one point game, where Dev was the referee”.

On the score was point – 49 to me, Dev made a big wrong decision, which made it a dues. I was really unhappy with the decision. We broke into a really big argument.Dev felt very angry and punched me. Then Revant stepped into the fight and punched Dev back on his face.

After we cooled down, we did our on job with out talking to each other. I was playing the piano, when I realized, if I would just let go off the game, we would have been playing right now. I then walked over to Dev, and said “I am really sorry can we go play football”. Dev thought for a while. Revant came downstairs and said, come on Dev forget it. Dev screamt  out the word soccer and ran with the soccer ball to the soccer field.

To conclude, I know that it is hard to forget about the past. But if you really hard, everything will be easy and rewarding. I would rather walk  with friend in the dark than alone in the light.

-          Arnov. Vellakkat