Matilda

NEWS: The death toll in yesterday’s Mid-Day Meal (MDM)) food poisoning, has reached 22 with the death of 10 more kids in the night. At least 25 kids are still be treated, while 10 of them are said to be critical. The serious schoolchildren have been shifted to Patna. The woman, who prepared the food and her two children too died. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the dead children. MY OPINION: India has witnessed so many deaths due to malnutrition but here is something even more alarming: children dying after eating food in school. The flagship programme "Midday meal scheme", which was started to improve literacy levels amongst the destitute , has turned a horror for so many families who thought they were guaranteeing a bright tomorrow for their kids by sending them to school! This has terrified parents and most of them are not prepared to send their children to school again.  Not only parents, I think this inc...

Translation of the title : Cease the day!  I remember reading a dialogue from the comic Winnie the pooh which goes like this: Pooh: What day is it? Piglet: Today!! Pooh: Oh that's my favourite day! These cartoons though are meant for entertainment can actually teach us the priceless lessons of life. Pooh tells us all to the cease every moment and every minute! We all have a tendency to peep into the past- either too delighted by our achievements or too depressed by our failures. But we all know that past is history and future is mystery.  This summer has taught me how to have a new perspective of life and know my inner self. A new habit I have adopted is to smile the moment I get up because it helps me to begin my day with a new zeal. I read somewhere that we must all learn to focus on kriyas rather than karmas. Too ideal but absolutely true! Kriyas are the actions we do in the present while karmas are our deeds in the past. Our kriyas decide our future so ...

A small piece in The Telegraph today said," Telegram no more in India. STOP. " Telegram evokes both heartening and saddening memories in our parents minds. The very arrival of the telegram used to set hearts pacing!The gen-next screenagers can never understand the significance of the  "taar" . Telegrams sure were a concise and precise way of sending messages.My father remembers how he used to send telegrams about their achievements to his mother in colourful envelops by paying a little extra.  It is certainly the "end of an era" for those who have witnessed the evolution from the "katta-kat" times to the watsapp chats.  The government realised that India now only has 75 offices with only 1000 employees. Thus, this service which was currently being managed by the BSNL(Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) had been running huge losses. It was losing its significance and further technological advancements would finally make it a dead letter. Th...

While walking towards the temple, my grandpa stopped and asked me," Akshita, can you think of any relation between poverty and dignity ?" Little surprised by the question posed at me, I knew exactly what he was trying to convey! Yes, long post-dinner walks with my grandpa have always been an excellent way to capture words of wisdom.  Coming back to the topic, this is how my grandpa linked the two short words: "Poverty in dignity and dignity in poverty!" I thought for a while and realised how very realistic it sounded in the present scenario. So, I m using this forum to think aloud! One side  - Poverty in Dignity There are the top notches who either have power or paisa which give them the license to fulfill their avarice for whatever comes to their mind. Their constant desire to uplift their social status compels them to take unfair means to do so. I think we are not short of instances to prove this statement. Politicians readily obeying to the demands i...