Illuminate Lives

Let your scars shine, brighter than the wounds that engraved them. Let your fears become the ladder, over which you climb and choose to breathe. Let your heart bleed, until it’s done hurting from the pain. Let your soul rebel, what’s not pure and indecent. Let your feet stumble through paths of perfection, show that imperfection is sacred. Let your fate surrender to what is destined, while your blood serves the ink. Let your truth scream through your silence, in this intense vacuum. Let the sky witness, who can bear the storms barely by the spirit. Let the waters notice your depth, and want to fathom what you behold Let the wind feel small, with your force and your grip. Let the sun feel dimmer when you appear, leaving the darkness behind. Let the world see what stays, when humanity ends. Let you live, till you breathe and your heart beats. VEDIKA

  My journey as a defence aspirant started way back in 2017. I got my first green flag for the SSB interview in May 2019 after clearing my written examination, which is the first screening test of intelligence. I was recuperating from Typhoid and had lost all my hopes despite having been preparing for it since February, because, my health had taken a complete U-turn and I was out of shape. My father sensed the reason for my disinclination, as he had seen me in full spirits just weeks before my reporting date. He requested one of his friends back from his school days to guide me and encourage me. He made a call from the office informing me that Sir had made some space to connect with me from his schedule. Anticipating some relief, I made a call to Col M P Dinesh Nair, who was already aware of the whole situation. After a call of about 20-25 minutes, I felt a bout of energy in me, keeping aside the fact that I was not still healthy enough to undergo a 5-day interview process of asses...

Today, let me be lost Nowhere to be found, Nowhere to be seen. Let my existence be a delusion, And let my past be a myth. Today, let me be no soul Let my body have no structure, Let my heart have no beats, Let me have no flesh and blood, Let me have no air to breathe. Today, let me come from nowhere, And have no place to reach. Let me have no name, Let my design be no species, Let my blood be no colour, Let no gender define me. Today, let me be forgotten No proofs be found in papers and concretes. No trace be found in hearts and minds. No content of mine is known or read, No time be my witness, No context defines me. Let only the land know where I travelled. Let the water decipher my silence. Let the air feel the touch of my skin. Let the stars track my directions. Let the sun shield my shadows. Let the moon keep my secrets. Let me be unknown to humanity, Let me be unknown to humankind.                             ...

  What sets aside the Holi of 2024? Firstly, the festival coincided with an Eclipse. It happens when the sun, moon and earth form an alignment called syzygy and on a full moon day. Secondly, it was one of the hottest Holi day our nation saw, accredited to the El Nino and rise in global average temperature. What’s more? Well, it was hot like really hot even though the summer has just knocked on the doors and we’ve opened the doors. We’ve still not let our guest inside. My sister was sick a week ago. Suffering from seasonal transition viral, after an exhausting travel schedule and still performing her duties as board invigilator, supervisor and other mandatory duties at her school. She had to push herself hard throughout her schedules not because she isn’t used to but because there was an added contingency to deal with, her health. Even after knowing her schedules, she didn’t want to exchange her duties for the sake of clarity and the least she wanted was to take antibiotics. Ala...

Weary of the day and stressed of latest challenges, I stepped out after having dinner. Lonely, just to have a self-talk and to remind myself that I shall make through this time. The little crossroad just a few meters away was all dark, due to unserviceable streetlights. Although, it wasn’t all dark, I could still see very faint shadow of mine. I took an about turn, oblivious if I really wanted to return this soon. And then, my usual admiration for the night sky drove my vision to the sky. I could still feel the chill in air after the evening rain showers. The dark sky was all cloudy with no visibility to stars, giving it a very hazy concrete grey look. It was as though I could spend my whole life gazing and admiring the moon if it could stay as long as I wished. It felt as though all my fatigue had evaporated that very instant. It was a Halo-moon (also known as Lunar Halo), something which I had neither noticed before nor known about. Well to those who are also new to this term, scie...