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I’ve always loved beginnings. New years, new days, new notebooks – everything. In the constancy of life and living the same old, beginnings offer a chance for a change. If you think about it and want to give yourself an existential crisis, nothing really changes from one year to another, or one day to another. Time is a man-made concept, and is really just a bit of the old wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. However, the good thing is that we are men (women, non-binary humans, whatever you prefer) so we do get to believe in all man-made concepts. Even if nothing really changes from one year to another and you aren’t the kind to make new year resolutions, there will still be things you’ll do differently because of it; maybe just cutting out or writing over the last digit of the year while writing the date in the first few months. That is exciting for me. It’s like the universe is trying to point out that you’ve been inertial for a while and say, “Hey, look, something has changed! Do you want to do something about it?”

So the question is – do you want to do something about it? You don’t get offered do-overs in life but beginnings are almost as good. You can’t go back and correct things but beginnings offer you a chance to make peace with things that have happened and sort of draw a fresh starting line to have another go at it with whatever changes you want to make. That is also the reason why every beginning is better than the last – you are more conscious about where you went wrong and can correct yourself if you feel that you’re slipping into the same old pattern again.

Not only do I love beginnings, I also believe that they are important. The start of something new may not colour the entire narrative but a good start sure doesn’t hurt. That’s reason enough to be excited about beginnings. If you weren’t happy with how school life turned out, you get to turn over a new leaf and leave a considerable bit of that behind. I know I did. If last year didn’t work out for you in college, you get to change things – leave societies, join societies, talk to the people you want, get new notebooks which offer the promise of blank pages which you can fill however you want, even if you just doodle all over them. But, doodle better – that’s the point.

The point is also that another man-made idea of a beginning is upon us right now – a new college year. It’s as good a beginning as any other. Whether you want to do something about it or not is entirely your choice. But what a great time for starting something! The US might get a woman President, Pokemon fans are everywhere, and Delhi rains are not a sad excuse for a monsoon. So, there are, indeed, exciting times ahead!

Shubham Kaushik
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Image Credits: www.8womendream.com

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Reasons why one must learn a new language

By Shefali Bharati March 3, 2016

With the world becoming increasingly homogeneous and ‘Pop Culture’ words taking over, there is little space left for any other language to express itself.

It is also a time where knowing a language additional to your own or English can work well for your professional or recreational activities.

A different perspective

A language, foreign or local offers a deeper knowledge in culture, ideas and history of those people. For those who love to travel, language of the place you are visiting is the best thing you can carry. A conversation in the native language between people holds greater connection and meaning and helps forge trust. It makes one feel a part of something bigger and exclusive at the same time.

Saying it right

Looking at the menu and seeing words such as Bolognese or Quesadilla give us social anxiety while ordering to the waiter, the words are usually distressed muffles or simply a finger pointing to it that implies that neither you or the waiter really know what the dish is called. It’s always impressive to pronounce the words correctly and if your language happens to be the one of your favorite cuisine, it’s even better!

Brain and Work

Learning a new language puts your brain to work. It has been proven that knowing more than one language makes you sharp, increasing your cognitive abilities and boosting your memory and attention. It is also great for your employability, where this skill can be advantageous in securing a position or a higher pay.

It could be just the basics to sail you through on trips or the advance that helps you write, it could be self taught from the abundant tools available on the net or a more serious language course at the embassy, it could also be the sophisticated French, animated Italian or the sweet Bengali. But it’s time to invest in learning a new language and reap the many benefits it has to offer!

photo credits: queensu.ca

Shefali Bharati

[email protected]

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3 things to keep in mind before starting a new semester

By Sidharth Yadav December 15, 2015

A new semester is either a dreadful or a pleasant opportunity for the Delhi University students. Irony hangs heavy when the experience of going through ‘Board Exams’ every six months has students on the extreme ends of the stress spectrum. Either they are stressed and anxious right from the beginning or are ‘casual’ about the supposedly serious things. For both kinds of people, here are three things to keep in mind for a new semester

1. Setting a target

Right from the beginning, set your goals for a new semester or just set the goal of not setting any after all. Changing things midway won’t land you either way. If you decide to achieve something by the end of the semester, then strive for it. If you decide to drop goals in the middle then there was no point in the beginning to start and pursue them. Realising what can be a realistic goal is important and no exterior force can bring this realisation.

2. Balancing social and academic lives

This realm haunts most of the DU students. The act of balancing here requires being or getting smart enough to be aware of what’s to be done when. Although a person can balance both of them efficiently, the supposed efficiency proves to be detrimental for both the areas. It needs to be understood that in a time frame, only one area needs to be focused on. Focusing on both the areas at the same time would involve a lot of juggling.

3. Figuring out the way to score

After results of a semester are declared, one understands the plus and the minus of the academic system. It is wise to discuss the extrapolation regarding the techniques to score with your college mates. Developing a concrete notion on scoring before starting a semester is always helpful.

Image credits: http://blogs.simmons.edu/

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