Shishukunj

एक रावण भी जरूरी था।

एक रावण भी जरूरी था सदा संसार में।
जिसने अपनों को नहीं छोड़ा कभी मझधार में ।।
शिवभक्त ऐसा नसें काटी बना दी वीणा ।
हर मुश्किल घड़ी में सिखाया ज्ञान से जीना ।।

वीर ज्ञानी और था विद्‌वान भी सम्भ्रान्त था
धर्म का ज्ञाता अनेकों गुण सहित विद्‌वान था ।
एक रावण भी जरूरी था सदा संसार में ……..

शौर्य ऐसा था प्रभू को मारने आना पड़ा।
विश्व ने देखा महासंग्राम था भीषण बड़ा
धर्म का साधक रहा दुश्मन की भी सेवा करी
छोड़ कर भ्राता गया ना, युद्ध में देरी करी।
एक रावण भी जरूरी था सदा संसार में…..

नौ ग्रहों को वश में करके देवता जीते सदा।
राम को श्रीराम जिसने ही बनाया सर्वदा ।।
पाया था अमृत उसी ने वेद का ज्ञाता रहा
-श्रीराम ने भी लक्ष्मण को सीखले उससे कहा।

एक रावण भी जरूरी था सदा संसार में…..

Until I’m Due

MUNs are a rollercoaster
they kill me, yet fascinate
They destroy me when I don’t win,
yet capture my attention from within.

Four MUNs where I lost,
not an award,
but my hope, my dedication, my faith.
Still, I showed up,
improving bit by bit.

I did not win, like most did,
but I still showed up,
like many didn’t.

It’s the feeling I both love and hate,
every single day I hoped
“This time, I’ll feel the win,
this time, my blood, sweat, and tears will count.”
But no—
that was never the test.
It asked for much more than my best.

And still
I will show up,
until I’m due.
Because at last,
I am a stubborn soul.

The origin of the word ‘echo’

The direct ancestor of “echo” is the Ancient Greek word ēkhṓ (ἠχώ). This term primarily meant “sound” but specifically carried the connotation of a sound repeated or reflected. The word “echo” is inextricably linked to Greek mythology, specifically to the poignant tale of the mountain nymph (Oread) named Echo.
According to the most famous version of the tale, the nymph Echo possessed a beautiful voice and loved to talk. She was known to keep people busy with long stories, conversation, and flattery. Her downfall came when she aided Zeus, king of the gods, by distracting his wife Hera the Queen of the Gods, goddess of marriage family and childbirth who was incredibly powerful but also vengeful, Whenever Hera was close to catching Zeus with someone else, Echo disoriented the goddess with long stories giving Zeus time to leave.
Discovering the deception, the enraged Hera cursed Echo, stripping her of her ability to speak freely; she was doomed to only speak the last words spoken to her by another, thus ‘echoing’ their words. The effect of losing her agency was catastrophic for Echo, and it paved the way for her eventual downfall. Later, in her life Echo fell deeply in love with the handsome youth Narcissus. However, due to her curse, she could not express her feelings, but could only repeat fragments of his speech. Narcissus, famously self-absorbed, cruelly rejected her. Echo ran into the forest with tears in her eyes. The rejection was too much, too cruel to handle.
The love that she had felt for Narcissus was so intense and so obsessive that Echo could not accept the way he had treated her and decided to live alone in the wilderness. However, the thought of her rejection kept coming back. In the end, her feelings were so intense that her body withered away, and the only thing left behind were her bones and voice.

Human’s Will is Human’s Way

For the past millions of years, from the Stone Age till today, many developments have been made by humans, which mark a long journey. People are cutting trees for their own purposes, and in the name of progress, this “destruction of our mother earth” causes global warming and a rise in temperature on earth. Global warming is caused by human interference, which results in increasing greenhouse gases (CO₂) in the environment by cutting an excessive number of trees. This also creates a challenge for humans worldwide, as inhaling these harmful gases can lead to suffocation and death. It leads to rising sea levels, severe storms, and other extreme weather conditions, which can cause ocean acidification, collapse of tropical rainforests, and huge masses of ice falling into oceans. There must be preventive steps to check global warming. We can reduce it by installing eco-friendly home appliances and reducing tree cutting. Together, we can bring peace and happiness to our mother earth. If humans will something, they can achieve their goal for the planet.

An Ode to our Guiding Light

Teachers have many intriguing forms

In the life of a growing child

Their behaviour varies with their norms

Some are strict, while some are mild

Some are bold in inspiring confidence.

Some offer powerful, silent support.

In school life, which bond has more prudence

Than a student and a teacher’s rapport?

Despite the din of the class ruling mightily,

The teacher’s voice doesn’t fade;

A student or two sits as quietly

As a predator in a thick bush’s shade

My mind becomes alert with curiosity.

As a teacher explains concepts with zeal

I admire all teachers, for they fight adversity

With a heart of gold and nerves of steel

The teacher is a God in Indian culture

Yet they’re losing their societal respect

It’s time for our nation’s developing future

To think deeply, for they have much to introspect

The Whispers I Left Behind

I drift from the nest of my yesterday,
Where walls once whispered my name.
“Must you leave us?” they pleaded softly,
Soft hands of comfort tried to hold me,
Yet I longed for a brighter flame.

I traded the hush of familiar skies
For roads that echoed with the unknown.
“Do you know where you’re going?” they asked.
“Forward,” I whispered ; heart unarmed, yet fiercely burning,
Dreaming of a future to call my own.

I carried hope like a fragile lantern,
Through storms that silenced my song.
“Will this light be enough?” my spirit trembled.
Every step a bargain with the present,
Every joy I left felt wrong.

And when at last the horizon opened,
Gold crowned the towers I had built.
“You’ve arrived,” the world declared with pride,
But I touched the dream I bled to nurture,
And my soul lay heavy with guilt.

For what is triumph, if not borrowed,
From the tender hours I could not keep?
“Where are the voices you left behind?”
The laughter I left, the love I buried,
Now haunt my victories in sleep.

I fled my home to shape tomorrow.
“Did tomorrow welcome you?” they asked.
I lowered my eyes and could only whisper,
“Tomorrow was never mine to claim ;
I traded my present for shadows of time.”

As I see the scenery in front of my eyes,
All that I loved now haunts these silent hills,”
I stare into the hollow,
A silence deeper than the mountains,
A shadow heavier than the skies.

The wind asks me questions I cannot answer,
The trees whisper names I once knew.
“I traded warmth for dreams, only to find joy left behind,”
I reach for the echoes of laughter,
But only the hollow reaches back too.

As the setting unfolds before my eyes,
I gaze into the void, time sliding form my hands
The echoes of the lost whispers creep back,
Behold ! Now I see I have wandered into a future
That was never meant to be mine.

The Strings of Time

As I stepped out of the old clockmaker’s shop, everything stopped. People stood like statues all around me. People in cars, men on bicycles, babies in prams, all lifeless, frozen in time. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows. He wore a chain whose appearance resembled that of a pocket watch.

”You’ve been chosen,” he whispered.

Chosen for what? I wanted to ask. But my voice was trapped in my throat, a result of grave fear. The mysterious figure handed me a pocket watch. “Wind it”, he instructed me, his voice distorted.

I then turned the dial, and everything around me began to unfreeze. I looked down, but there was no sign of the unknown shadow. People walked past me, running their errands, going on about their day, as if they weren’t frozen completely just moments ago. As if the world suddenly hadn’t tilted on its axis. I heard a voice whisper, “You’re the keeper,” its origin unknown. But I knew, deep down, what the truth was.

Time couldn’t be manoeuvred, yet I was now its master. I looked down at the pocket watch, its back engraved with an eerie message. ‘Time is now yours to control.’

Even the Silence Was Tired

They flicker like half-remembered dreams—

those quiet windows

that carry the scent of a thousand yesterdays,

still warm, still waiting.

Not quite light,

not quite shadow—

just that space in between

where nothing is said,

but everything is heard.

There are rooms behind them.

Locked.

Flooded.

Carved with names no one speaks aloud anymore.

A father who didn’t stay.

A friend who did—

and maybe shouldn’t have.

Moments that curled into corners,

too tender to touch.

Too real to forget.

Some carry storms

so still,

you’d think peace lived there—

until you notice

how carefully the quiet is placed,

like glass on a fault line.

And then there are those

that hold entire lifetimes in a single glance.

Not stories—

but fragments.

A breath caught in the throat of childhood.

A question never answered.

A goodbye that never learned

how to say itself out loud.

They look at the world

as if it might disappear

if stared at too long.

As if joy is a myth

written in another tongue.

As if they’ve learned

that nothing beautiful

stays.

Some shimmer when spoken to softly,

not because they believe it—

but because they want to.

Hope, for them,

is a borrowed coat in winter.

Warm,

but never theirs to keep.

They do not weep.

They ache.

Silently.

With the elegance of porcelain

that knows its own cracks

by heart.

And when they close—

it is not sleep.

It is retreat.

A quiet folding inward,

where the soul goes to remember

who it was

before it had to become so careful.

These are not just eyes.

They are archives.

Unsung hymns,

shards of every version of self

that dared to feel too deeply.

They do not look—

they remember.

No need to name them.

You’ve seen them.

Felt them.

Maybe you are them—

walking through the world

with everything unsaid

pressed gently

behind the glass.

A Sky that Forgot to Be

They asked me to be the sky—

But only the part they liked.

The soft, well-behaved, morning blue,

No storms, no stars, no spikes.

“Keep your colours quiet,” they said,

“Let no lightning cross your face.

No gold at dawn, no fire at dusk —

Just blue, and stay in place.”

I brought them winds that sang of far lands,

And clouds that could dance and bend.

But they frowned at my thunder’s poetry,

Called my weather a thing to mend.

They clipped the wings of my rainbows,

And told my sunsets to wait.

They didn’t want my chaos or calm —

Just something to laminate.

So I stopped drawing with light.

I buried my moons in sleep.

I learned that to be accepted

Was to be still, and deep, and cheap.

But oh — if they had looked closer,

They’d have seen galaxies in my skin.

They’d have heard oceans crashing in my chest,

Felt the wild I kept within.

Now I sit in silent corners,

A sky turned into a wall.

Not because I lack colour —

But because they asked for none at all.

Five Things I Will Do to Build a Self-Reliant India

Note: This essay was originally penned for the Tata Building India Essay Competition 2025-26. The theme of self-reliance, which has gained renewed prominence in recent years, led me to deliberate on Industry, Rural Empowerment, Innovation, Education and Sustainability as the five beacons illuminating the path to India’s self-reliant future. This composition is more than just a response to a prompt – it reflects my perspective as a student and voices the youth of India.

In his book “India 2020”, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the Missile Man of India, shares his vision for India in 2050 as a knowledge-driven, innovation-led and self-sustained nation where science and technology play a pivotal role. To reach this utopian vision, a step has been taken in the form of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India), which demands not only an economic mission but also a socio-cultural resurgence. We must begin to understand the importance of linking cultural and scientific heritage with modern technology through collective commitment and smart strategies. Hence, as a responsible student and as the future of India, I propose 5 ways to fulfill Dr. Kalam’s futuristic vision and to improve the acclivity of India in the coming years.

First, strengthening local manufacturing, i.e. the secondary sector of the Indian economy, is crucial to increase our self-reliance and to transform India into a global manufacturing hub. Whether it be semiconductors or sustainable textiles, India is making its mark in every emerging field. Thus, investments in infrastructure, skilled labour, technology-driven industries, etc. should be encouraged. This would reduce foreign dependence in the form of imports and would certainly boost exports. The secondary sector may not currently have the most employment or the highest share in GDP, but it has the highest potential to do so. Hence, innovative schemes like Make in India, Vocal for Local, Production-Linked Incentives (PLI), etc. should be promoted. These provide financial incentives to blooming businesses and stimulate domestic manufacturing, including the vital MSMEs.

Second, empowering rural India will increase the self-reliance of the country. This is because rural India is still home to a major chunk of the Indian population. People in villages tend to shift to cities in search of employment and education, abandoning their hometowns. Promoting agro-based and transport industries, improving irrigation, increasing storage facilities, etc. will reduce the underemployment prevalent in the primary sector and will stimulate income and self-reliance. Rural entrepreneurship must go hand-in-hand with digital connectivity to increase the reach of grassroots innovation and make rural innovators and tinkerers self-reliant.

Third, fostering innovations and startups is vital for creating a self-reliant India. Even though various national competitions like VVM, Olympiads, etc. identify and develop scientific temper in young minds at the ground level, not many of the achievers of such competitions come up with practical yet innovative startup ideas in their future. The emerging youth brims with curiosity and innovative ideas which hold the potential to change the world. Therefore, harnessing such blooming ideas and converting them into businesses through strong mentorship, research and funding is key to a self-reliant India. This can be done through innovative ecosystems like incubators in colleges, Shark Tanks and other business pitching initiatives by already established business personalities for future entrepreneurs.

Fourth, self-reliance can be brought even in the lives of young students by the provision of quality education and skill development. A self-reliant nation must first be a skilled one. Students’ ideas should not only solve existing problems but must also have the perfect balance between practicality and innovativeness. Policies like NEP 2020 and NCF 2023 stress on skill building like problem-solving, coding, AI, robotics, Financial Literacy, etc. early on for learners in an interactive and ‘no burden’ format. However, their true impact depends on their firm execution.

Fifth, true independence cannot be at the cost of the environment. India must increase dependence on ‘clean’ renewable energy and shift away from fossil fuels to lead in sustainable green technology. Eco-conscious policies, startups, etc. are the need of the hour to counter climate change. Therefore, the contribution of the youth, especially of students as ‘Green Ambassadors’ would be a step closer to sustainable self-reliance.

In conclusion, self-reliance is not isolation – it is, rather, the ‘standing strong on our feet’ and building valuable connections with the world on an equal level. Self-reliance is a community goal, for fulfilling which many more pivotal steps are required. Like Gandhiji once said, for India to truly become a trailblazer of self-reliance, Indian society mustn’t wait for change; instead, “be the change you wish to see in the world”. And this change begins now, one step at a time.