Nomad Scholar

  A kid in his school uniform looked back. He had a small bag with Mario's picture on it. "Bye, Ma!" "Love you, beta! Be a good boy at school!" He has returned now. He has traced his way back home. He is wearing a nice blazer and has a suitcase with him. The garden is overgrown with weeds and wild flowers have grown at the doorstep. People from all of the neighborhood have gathered to just catch a glimpse of him.  He rings the doorbell. "Ma!" There's no response. He knocks on the wooden door. "Papa! I'm home!" Again, there's no response. "Ma! Papa! I'm here! I've done it! I'm home!" There's no response. He sits down with his back to the door and lets out a primal scream. It starts pouring. All the people rush for shelter. He sits there, hands on his head and starts crying.

  A voice never heard; Yet I can recognize. A verse never written; Yet I feel otherwise. A sight never seen; Yet clearer than ever. A scent never perceived; Yet it doesn't waiver. All this time I had been blind- Numbed by the material world. All this time I never found a home. The light I was seeking Had always been in me. The faith I thought was lost Was hiding in me. The one I was looking for Had been me all along. Today I'm grateful To all who helped; To all who let me down. You've made me what I am.

  Autism in childhood, adult conditions such are anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and dementia in old age are all examples of mental illness. According to WHO, mental illness makes up for 15% of the total diseases in the world. An estimate says that from 1990 to 2017, every 1 in 7 Indians has suffered from some kind of mental illness be it anxiety, depression or severe conditions like schizophrenia or dyslexia. It would not be an overstatement to say that India is going through a mental health epidemic. This situation is no less than the COVID-19 pandemic currently raging through the world. Lack of mental health awareness among Indians is one of the most important reasons for the unprecedented outbreak of mental diseases most of which majority are psychiatric problems. Pick up any random Indian and they would know the difference between an oncologist and cardiologist but they won’t be able to tell a psychiatrist from a psychologist or a neurologist. As we Bengalis love to say...

“Good morning, Sir!” “Good morning, students. Take your seats.” “Thank you, Sir!” “I’ll take your attendance now. Please respond. Roll number 1?” “Yes Sir!” (that’s me) Being the topper of the class might still be a dream to most of you but believe me, it’s not as ideal as it seems. Currently, I feel like being the first boy of the class might be the worst mistake I’ve made till date. The toughest question of the class always comes to me and if I can’t answer that, not only will the teacher be disappointed but also my classmates will talk behind my back. “Hey, Savina! Santapan is getting worse in his studies now.” “Really?” “Shh! Don’t tell this to anyone but he can’t answer a single question in Physics class.” “Oh! This reminded me that I saw him carrying chits to the exam last time.” Rumours often get worse than this and though it might be nothing more than a little joke but it hurts me a lot. I will take this one upon myself because I’m touched way too easily. ...

In this fast-paced world, we’re struggling to keep up. It is necessary to prove ourselves or else we’ll be judged. All relationships are fading away and friendship is one of them. True friendship is one of the purest forms of bonds. Friends know us better than ourselves. Friends are the ones who love us unconditionally and never judge us. A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.                                                                                           ...

I asked myself: what to write? Idk Why write? Idk Did I ask myself any more questions? Idk   The above section of questions is as annoying to you as it is to me. With chat platforms gaining the upper hand over phone calls, every other question has this answer: idk. It’s just yesterday that I was chatting with my classmate, Samiksha and we had a rather enlightening conversation. We talked about how social media is separating us from core reality. Interestingly, I did it all while I was scrolling through Instagram. In course of the conversation, we came up with a great acronym for social media which I would like to share with you. S pecialization in M adness O mnipresent       E utopia C reative                D isintegration I noculation for     I lliteracy A cronym for         A gony L et humanity retain its sanit...