We all wonder if we could move from one point to another, as such sitting in some type of vessel or a vehicle. That would be more sort of fun and quite interesting for our present generations that always dreamed of going to the past or moving back to the future. Hold on, time travel is much more complicated than we think when we are ready to take a new adventure.

If we see the Relativity theory of the Late Scientist Albert Einstein, we get to know the connection between space and time. We all know light travels at the greatest speed but some scientist believes time does. Much research in the past also showed that the time clock on an airplane is behind the clock on the ground. This seems quite interesting to know that time travels at a different speed. Meanwhile, the absence of gravity above the earth causes the clock of the satellite to travel faster. Many of us even had heard the word dilation. It must have been the effect of time they travel back to earth younger than their twins. Were they in time travel?WhoKnows?

Cosmic Strings, Infinite cylinder, Black Hole, and Time Machines draw many conclusions and theories on time travel. While the cosmic string is believed to bend space-time between two parallel strings under such configuration that might make time travel real, an Infinite cylinder is said to roll masses 10 times bigger than the sun into the very long but very dense cylinder forming a spiral around it that might take us into time travel. Another black hole theory is most mysterious of all the time when we know it has been absorbing all lights and nobody knows where this light travels into. Can we travel into the future getting into a black hole? Well, nobody has tried this yet. Well, we all dream of making a Time Machine to go back and forth. Moving a time machine at different speeds might be possible but it's a long way for scientists and physicists to go around.

Taking a note on this, it might seem another big achievement for this generation but it might prove to be equally fatal for human civilization. For now, we can only end up with different assumptions and theories.

Two things are infinite: The Universe and Human Stupidity. And I’m not sure about the Universe.  -Albert Einstein

In our life, we go through one question “Which is the largest number?” We are introduced to the number system at the age of 5. With time, we learn to count to a hundred, thousand, million, billion, and trillion. But the question is “Do the numbers end?”  At the School level, we are introduced to the term “infinity” and you might have seen it in Maths and Physics. If I ask you what exactly is infinity you will rather give me a symbol or you might say it’s a number which can’t be counted and many wouldn’t want to hurt your brain. We often see infinity in Maths and subconsciously, we know numbers are taught in Mathematics. So we assume infinity as a number but it’s not exactly a number.

Infinity is a concept.  Infinity is an idea. Infinity is a thought. Infinity is endless. In Maths, Zero and infinity don’t have physical significance. Zero means it does not exist and infinity means the concept that is endless, unlimited, and unbound. We often imagine a train traveling on and on and we consider it as infinity but actually it is not infinity. Just imagine something endless or boundless which has no reason to stop. There is a common misconception that infinities are big only but they can be small too. For Eg: Numbers between 1 and 2. So, It’s not necessary that infinity should be big. 

Infinity has been a topic to discuss from Ancient Greek. Zeno of Elea who is known for the creation of paradoxes has a paradox named “Zeno paradox of Zeno dichotomy paradox” is one of the mind-bending paradoxes to understand infinity. In his paradox, he has told how a Greek famous Hercules cannot defeat a turtle in a race. It basically says that if there are two points A and B and the distance between them is 1m then you can never travel that distance. Infinite time is required to travel that 1m distance. This paradox has been useful to understand infinity and with the help of it, many people started giving their ideas.

Pythagoras believed in the sequence of whole numbers and later his own theory proved him wrong because when you take height and base 1 in a right-angled triangle its hypotenuse is root 2 which is irrational. Then come Aristotle and Plato who believed in potential infinity rather than actual infinity and in the modern age of Physics and Mathematics Georg Cantor has described infinity in his own way which is widely accepted. 

Infinities are used in Mathematics and Physics which are also classified into Mathematical Infinities and Physical Infinities and Metaphysical infinities. Mathematical infinities include irrational numbers whereas Physical infinities include thought like infinite space-time, etc. Infinities are divided into countable and uncountable infinity. The fun fact is countable infinity can’t be counted. They are the set in which elements could be theoretically counted though the end would never reach and uncountable infinities are like irrational numbers like the value of pi.

The challenge for modern physicists to understand this vast UNIVERSE is to discover the infinity-free equations which follow the true law of physics. In this search of GRAND UNIFIED THEORY, We need to first question infinity and figure it out to understand this Elegant Universe.

The T.V. blares loudly, remote’s two feet away,

I sit here lousily, unwilling to move away.

Clothes strewn on the floor, beard unkempt;

All have come to a standstill, nothing’s even to tempt.

“Mom, I’m hungry. Can you please bring something?”

To eat and sleep is to live; all else has fallen to nothing.

Books gather dust, clothes gather dust, the outdoors is tempting.

Still my eye fixates on screens, my limbs scream to move but my brain is haunting.

Thoughts now surround me now instead of people;

I laugh, rage, and argue with my own thoughts, they are my keypals.

Is it even worth laughing anymore? This feels heavy.

But hey, these are just the laments of a couch potato!

I lay here typing, wishing I could say ‘I gotta go’!

It is okay if you’re feeling bad

It is okay if you're sad 

It is okay if you are not okay

Because it is okay to not feel okay

You are doing great, just don’t forget 

To look back and see how far you have come  

And don't forget that you are awesome.

Pollution is one of the biggest burdens in today's world. It is a threat to the environment and affects all. It occurs when pollutants contaminate the surroundings. Pollution is a global problem. Pollution has now reached its peak due to all modern advancements and development. Pollution is a major cause of premature death .Also, it can be caused by natural events such as volcanoes, forest fires, etc.

There are many forms of pollution; Air pollution, water pollution, sound pollution, etc. Air pollution is the most dangerous form of pollution. This pollution is caused by both natural and artificial events. When volcanoes erupt, they emit ashes and cause pollution. Most air pollution is not natural. Mainly, Industries produce harmful gases like carbon monoxide, Sulphur dioxide, etc. which cause air pollution. Vehicles, deforestation, household and farming chemicals, etc. also cause it.

It can be controlled by improving industrial emission standards ,Maintenance of vehicles ,afforestation ,and the government can make strict laws against pollution, creating sustainable development strategies, promoting the use of electric vehicles, following the concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. And so on. Use of pesticides must be discouraged. There are many ways to reduce pollution. We people should also be aware about pollution and its effects in order to prevent the worst from happening. The effects of pollution are alarming. Pollution causes global warming, acid rains, respiratory problems, etc. If the pollution is not controlled, the air will become so poisonous that it will be necessary to use an oxygen kit to breathe easily and can lead to respiratory disease, lung cancer and other diseases.

Pollution control is our responsibility .Let's protect our mother Earth.

It seems like the suffering has come to end,
All those meaningless days have come to end.
A little bird chirping with sorrow to get its freedom has finally got it,
Or it may seem like it.
 
There is freedom but there is no end to the sorrow
At the end freedom was nothing but a bluff.
The small cage door that lead to freedom has its own dark secrets
It looked like it was just the beginning.
 
It was a step to other deeper, darker and larger cages filled with sorrow and grief
The little bird afraid of this whole world has no other options than to sacrifice freedom like this.
The little bird is crying for help
But for what?
There is no end to this loop, there is no freedom.

"You have to see failure as the beginning and the middle, but never entertain it as an end." -Jessica Herrin, founder, and CEO of Stella & Dot

So now what is an Entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is a person who always craves innovation and drives us towards the future. The thing that you use daily which has helped u a lot in everyday life might be a child of someone's imagination. Everyone has an idea, in fact, every day a person can get up to 4 mind-boggling ideas but they are too scared about failing or they have too many excuses but an entrepreneur get an idea to solve a problem and evaluates it if it’s applicable in the real world or not and if it is they don’t waste another time thinking about what if they fail.  Barack Obama once said, “I think Ronald Reagan tapped into [the fact that people wanted] a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing”. This idea from him shows the impact of an entrepreneur in this world.

 In one way Entrepreneurs are inventors who introduce new technologies to the world and from which the world hasn’t been accustomed. An entrepreneur runs a firm, who focuses on capital and labor that helps him to produce goods or services for profit. Entrepreneurship stands itself as one of the important leaders in innovation leading to economic growth. Entrepreneurship is defined by high-risk, but also a high-rewarded one that serves to generate economy, boosting, and innovation. To be a successful entrepreneur, one needs to have a leading ability and be well known on managerial aspects.

 How do Entrepreneurs work?

The answer to this above-mentioned question is as important as the most difficult one to elaborate on. The way of working and leading the company towards success will make you an entrepreneur. So, mostly an entrepreneur conglomerates labor, time, and capital and focuses to manufacture goods or disseminate the services. They create a certain business plan that lasts for a certain time period and even renovate thoroughly, hire laborers, dedicate themselves towards obtaining resources and financing, and lastly take the leadership and management for the business. Entrepreneurs face many obstacles when building their empires. Among the lot here I have mentioned three that are more common as well as the most challenging one.

v  Overcoming problems at the initial finance and managerial

v  Hiring real talented people

v  Obtaining finance from parties

At last, this world needs more visionary entrepreneurs who are crazy enough to think that they can change this world and as Steve Jobs once said the ones crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones to become entrepreneurs. Now is the time to initiate and grind on that idea which you thought is cool and could help this world in a different and creative way.

I remember those lonely nights, broken homes full of strife,
Sleeping in abandoned houses,
Crashing on friends couches,
Walking around for hours at a time,
Restless nights with No peace of mind,
I tried to numb the pain, 
With alcohol and drugs, 
Trying to fill a void,
With artificial Love,
It only left me empty,
Still feeling the same, 
Putting on a fake smile, 
To cover the guilt and shame.

Manchester United is the boyhood club that I adore. The club’s history is one you cannot ignore if you’re a football fan. Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world but we aren’t one of the best right now. Our sworn rivals Liverpool won their sixth champion’s league trophy in the 2018/2019 season and now they are the premier league champions of the 2019/2020 season whereas we’ve been sacking managers and struggling for champion league spot. But now after the appointment of club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær, there has been a new breeze in Old Trafford, a breeze rebuilding the club into its glory days. Since his appointment, Manchester United have signed players in a position we were lacking like Harry Maguire at Centre back, Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back, Daniel James at winger and Bruno Fernandes at Attacking midfielder. Although these signings have given Manchester United a huge boost, the club is still lacking depth and players in some positions. So as a football fan who loves ball possession and attacking football, I have decided to line up my Manchester United dream XI with new signings in a 4-3-3 attack formation.

Goalkeeper: Manchester United has some of the best keepers in the world. We have David De Gea, Sergio Romero, and Lee Grant. David has been our first choice keeper since his arrival back in 2011/2012 from Atletico Madrid. He has not been in his form for the past few seasons but I still believe he is a world-class keeper. So I choose David de Gea in my lineup.

Right-back: As simply as I can put it, I would keep Aaron wan bissaka as my right back all day long. He is the best defensive right back at the premier league for me. His tackling skills and defensive slides are top-notch. His attacking threat and assists are still improving since he is just 22 years of age.

Center back: Manchester United has several good defenders like Victor Lindelof, Eric bailey, Axel tuanzebe, Timothy fosu-Mensah, and Phil Jones. But only Harry Maguire among them is an exceptionally class defender. I would keep Harry Maguire as my Centre back since he has very good strength and defensive stats as well as he can set up Counterattack by his long passing ability. He also is good at set-pieces. 

Center back: Manchester United missed out on Matthias de ligt in the summer transfer window. The former Ajax captain is one of the most influential players as well as a complete defender as seen in the Ajax team of 2018/2019. I like him as a young captain who led the Ajax team in beating the biggest club in the world Real Madrid. He is still 20 years old and he would be one for the future.

Left-back: Manchester united have decent right-backs like Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams. For a stable possession-wise game I would prefer Luke Shaw given his current form due to competition from Brandon Williams.

Defensive Midfielder: Manchester united has good midfielders like Nemanja Matic, Scott Mctominay, and Fred but I would prefer Ngolo Kante from Chelsea. He is the complete defensive midfielder in the world. He always has an impact in the game defensively as well as offensive wise. His pace is unbelievable and he along with Paul Pogba can change the game as in the world cup 2018.

Midfielder: Manchester United’s world-class player, as well as my favorite player Paul Pogba, is a player that can go into any team’s starting XI. His vision of the game is unbelievable. His specialty is the long crosses and passes he finds for the attackers upfront. He is the kind of player that controls the game’s flow.

Midfielder: Manchester United’s signing of the season Bruno Fernandes is my next player in the lineup. He is an all-out midfielder who plays as the playmaker for Manchester united. He can find passes in short space as well as initiate counterattacks, score free kicks and he is also brilliant in set pieces. Since his arrival, the whole club has changed into a team that is worth watching. 

Left-winger: Manchester United’s own bred and born Marcus Rashford is one of the best players in his position. He is a lethal winger who likes to cut through defenders using his pace as well as his dribbling skills. He has a very good shooting at short range as well as long-range.so, I would put Marcus Rashford in my Starting XI.

Striker: Manchester united have a young striker whose ball control is very good as well as his shooting skills. Yet being played at the wrong position throughout his career until recently he moved up to his main position as the no 9 of Manchester united. He will be in my Starting XI because the way he finishes goals are absolute class, as well as his dribbling and I think he has the potential to be one of the best strikers in the world.

Right-winger: We need a player who has the creativity and attacking threat on the right-hand side and someone who can assist Marcus and Anthony.  Manchester United should sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. He fits the criteria perfectly. He is young, fast, creative and he can score and assist. His stats are very impressive as well as he used to play for local rivals Manchester City. This player is already reaching world-class status and he proves it by his stats. 

Do you still bow to your book when you accidentally kick it? I guess we all do. So do I. But what is this?  Respect ? or just a taboo? Actually it's a taboo but we don't see any harm here. Right? Now, these words of mine might have got you a bit anxious considering our culture as a taboo, but I have a question.

What about menstruation, we all know that it is still considered as a taboo practicing at your own house. Are you, your sister or your mom allowed to celebrate whatever the festival is when you got stuck with Period? The one festival that you've waited for so long for all of your brothers, sisters, and cousins to get together and enjoy and suddenly you get kicked out of it because of you getting your period?. That's absolutely natural and you didn't even ask for it. Of course, you don't want to suffer from this natural phenomenon, you even don't like it but it loves to visit you always like your annoying bestie. (AKA period  cramps).

Being sarcastic, I am here portraying the exact scenario of how all the ladies think/suffer at a certain moment of menstruation. Heading back to taboos, Let me define a taboo in simple words. It's all your thoughts and beliefs and you are the one who is preserving what someone just passed over some religion or so-called “culture”. Come on, How can we add something that causes a lot of people to suffer as a precious thing to us, in our culture.?

Let's come to  “Racism”, it is also a taboo in my perspective. Which even prevails among us even after those  9 years of studies in high school, and your textbook didn't even have the word   “Racism” and it only said discrimination on the basis of race. The consequences of this discrimination don't only remain within color rather it goes beyond leading to mental threat, sexual abuse, and even DEATH! Ever called your friend black? You might be joking but to that friend it might have not been a joke. 

Just like that “body shaming” is also one of the discriminations on the basis of the physical appearance of someone. We have created certain criteria to be loved and thus representing that as “perfection”. You say that you support “LGBTQ” right? Then why do you humiliate your friend with the word  “gay/lesbian”? Now that friend of yours has already taken the word as humiliation no matter how he/she had the feeling towards LGBTQ before. The relationship might not change but it really will hit hard in a negative way.

It is okay to be whoever you want and you have your own decisions and choices over yourselves don't let the others decide it for you.

Racism is deeply engraved within us but in different ways thus making life lots of people around. They are not only dying physically but mentally as well. There have been many suicide and murder cases here in Nepal, there are numerous reasons and racism is also one of them. It hasn't been long since slavery, especially termed as The Kamaiya System ended officially in Nepal (2000 A.D) and other lots of discriminating systems. If that hadn't happened  I don't think that we would have been here at DEER WALK studying. But still, slavery exists in different other forms, like child marriage, polygamy, and so on. So, to sum up, Taboos aren't going to just disappear magically, it needs our effort. Why don't we start individually from our home?

These do not prevail only in society. “It prevails within you, Then goes to the society, becomes a culture and finally a TABOO”. So it's time for us to be responsible.

(This  article is  not against culture, but I don't think that pain  and  chaos is the definition for culture,  Do you?)

“You have to stop singing. You have throat cancer. If you insist on continuing so, you might die”, the doctor said to her but she wasn’t the one to agree to it quite easily. All she ever wanted to become was a singer from the time she could barely speak. What she had for music couldn’t be described by the word “passion”, she felt connected to music every time she heard it. Violin was her choice for instrument and with the beautiful face and the sweetest voice, everyone who had ever listened to her performing went crazy for her. It really was a wonder why she wasn’t famous already. Maybe it was because she was too young to be recognized anywhere outside of her family or high school. After all, she was only 15 years old. It’s nearly impossible for a person of that age to be recognized anywhere else. 

How could such a person give up such a feeling? She replied to the doctor, “Perhaps if I continue singing, I might die one day soon but if I give the only thing that pushed me forward till this day then I will die every second of every day. The regret will just eat me up that I didn’t live up to my capability.” The doctor said many things to convince her but she stood still on her decision. There was no changing of her mind. When she was about to leave the room, she stopped and said “Doctor, have a little faith in me. Soon you’ll hear my name on that T.V. Remember it. You’ll hear the encore for Sakshya Snow.” The doctor couldn’t say anything and let her leave. 

After she went home she was tired and it would be nightfall soon. As she lay on her bed, she went to sleep quickly. She always seemed to be so cheerful and happy like she had no regrets or tension in the whole world but that night something happened. She dreamed of a tall, dark man wearing a black robe staring at her. All she saw in the dream was that man staring at her and nothing else. After she woke up the next morning she began to think about just who that man was? She had neither seen him nor known of anyone like that in her life. She thought, “It’s probably nothing. I shouldn’t keep my head stuck on some random dream.” As she looked at her phone she screamed and said, “Oh no, I’m late for class today as well. I was supposed to meet Harry like an hour earlier. He will kill me.” Saying this much she rushed out of the house without even breakfast and ran toward her school.

When she met Harry she told him everything about the other day and after hearing that, he freaked out and screamed at Sakshya. He said, “If you really have to just leave singing for your treatment then why don’t you? Why are you always so stubborn? Do you not realize what you’ll be giving up just because of your music?” After he lashed out all the information on her she began to cry. She was sobbing and said, “I’m not crying because you screamed at me but because I thought at least you might be the one to understand why I need to continue to sing. It’s not just a passion for me, it’s a part of me now that I can’t give in even if I want to and believe me I would never want to. Just try and understand that I have to keep on performing. When I go out to that stage and perform, the people that listen to me will never forget and that’s all I ever want in life. Even if it shortens my life, it will be worth it.” Harry still not convinced with it stormed out of there leaving her alone. She understood why he left. After all, anyone would if someone heard their friend was trying to kill themselves. 

Shortly after that, she went to the Concert Hall for her performance. While she was preparing for it, the man from her dream again took place inside her head. It was so unusual for her. She normally wouldn’t think about anything else except for her performance when preparing for it. As she was lost on her though, she was called for her performance. When she went upon the stage and started playing everyone in the audience were so mesmerized that they were on a whole new world. All that just by listening to Sakshya. When the performance was over, the crowd stayed still, still lost in the music that was thrown to them. Moments later, she got a huge applause and the crowd started going crazy. They cheered her name and applauded for her. As she stood on that stage only one thought crossed her mind, “This is what I should feel for the rest of my life. This feeling is what matters me the most. Just by playing here I was able to touch this many people by just my music, I wonder what will happen if the world could listen to me. Will I ever reach them? I hope I can.”

When she was all packed up and was about to go home, a gentleman called for her. He told her that he was a music director and wanted to work with her. His exact words were, “Among many people in there, I was also the one to be mesmerized by your playing and all I want is to get to know you more.” She immediately agreed to it because it was a dream-come-true for her. She went home to tell her family the good news.

On the other hand, Harry still troubled with what Sakshya said, went to see her doctor. He was furious and slammed the door and screamed at him, “Why won’t you restrict Sakshya not to sing anymore? Why won’t you do anything to save her? She’s too young to face death.” The doctor got surprised at first then understood what was going on and said, “You must be her friend then. Well, I tried to talk some sense in her but she won’t listen.” “What do you mean she won’t listen? You must force her to listen. After it’s her….”, said Harry. The doctor remained calm and replied, “Now I won’t say anything to her. She said something to me and after hearing that I know she can’t be reasoned with.” Harry still with a red-hot face said, “What could she possibly have said for you to take this decision.” The doctor looked down and said, “ I believe her exact words were, “Perhaps if I continue singing, I might die one day soon but if I give the only thing that pushed me forward till this day then I will die every second of every day. The regret will just eat me up and I didn’t live up to my capability.” After that I knew she wouldn’t listen to anyone.” When Harry heard that, he froze for a while and without saying another word he left the room and went home. When he went home, he got a text from Saskshya. She said, “Hey you. I’m sorry to burden you with all the news today. But I’ve got some good news. A music director named Stan met me today and asked me to work with him. I’m offered to play my own music and record it. It’s going to be great.”

When Sakshya was about to sleep she again thought about the man from her dreams. Thinking about the man she dozed up to sleep and a surprising thing happened. She saw the same dream again that night but the man was a little closer to her. When she woke up she thought, “That’s strange. Same dream again. Perhaps it was because I thought about it before I fell asleep. But no worries, it’s a new day today and I have my song to record.” With this excitement she got out of bed and went straight to the studio. She was more excited than nervous to be there. Stan introduced her to everybody and without delaying she went to do what she came to do. She sang so beautifully that all the people listening to her were amazed with her voice. Everyone congratulated her. She was so glad to have finally recorded a song. She felt like being in paradise. She went home fully tired but happy and went to bed straight away. She said, “It was the best day.” and went to sleep. The same things happened again. She saw the same dream and again the man a little closer to her. The next morning when she woke up she got a little worried. Same dream for 3 straight nights. Anyone would freak out.

Pretty soon, the song was released and was a hit all over the world. With only one song she got recognized all over the world. When she was walking in the streets also, people used to come to speak with her and praise her. She felt so happy about it. The way she was in everyone’s mouth, she was really having the time of her life. She began going to the studio frequently and recorded quite a few songs within 2 weeks. Soon, she was a celebrity. Who would have thought, a 15 years old girl would be recognized globally. With the best songs, she really was a rising star. Her happiness was accelerating every day but she was hiding something from everyone. She had the same dreams, again and again, every day. Every day the man came closer and closer. She always was so terrified the next morning. The only thing that kept her calm was her admirers because of her music. The same day Stan called her and said that he had good news. She went to the studio and saw everyone smiling. She said, “So, what is the big surprise?” Stan said, “You have been invited to perform in a concert in front of a live audience. There will thousands of people and it will air on every music channel on TV. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I don’t think any person of your age ever had an opportunity like this. It’s in a concert place in Manhattan. Are you ready for this?” She completely lost her mind with excitement and said, “I’m disappointed that you even have to ask. Let’s go and prepare for it. When is it? Will there be anyone else performing? Sorry I’m asking all these questions but I’m just so excited that I can’t even catch my breath.” Stan replied, “It’s exactly 1 month from today. No one will be performing but you. I know you’ll be awesome out there.” 

She rushed home told her parents about what happened and went straight to bed. Her parents were worried about her health but they couldn’t say anything. She would still die soon because of cancer it was only sensible that she died doing what she loved. So they held tears in their eyes and let her do what she wanted to before it was too late.

When Sakshya was in the bed she began to think about the recurring dream. She’s couldn’t stop wondering who exactly that person was. Soon after that, her bed started shaking and she saw a person walking in the room but not through the door. He walked straight through the walls and as he turned around she was shocked to see the same person from her dreams. Her jaw dropped and she remained silent for a while. Then after about 10 minutes, she spoke, “Who are you? Why do I see you again and again in my dreams?” The tall, dark man replied, “I’m dying. I come to inform you that you aren’t going to live so long. I don’t normally go and warn people beforehand but there was something special about you. I don’t know what. But I just had to inform you that you must come with me exactly 3 weeks from now.” Hearing this she began to cry. The death said, “I know this must be a lot of information and you must be freaked out but there’s nothing that can change fate. Everyone must die one day. You just have to die a little soon than others. I’m sorry.” With tears on her eyes, she replied, “I’m not crying because I’m about to die. I actually knew that for a while. And I don’t fear death. I would have died peacefully if I got to perform. By singing continuously I’ve invited my death myself. But I have this performance in a month from today and that is the most important thing in my life. It’s so hard to know that you won’t live long to achieve the thing that you have dreamed about since you can even remember. It’s just not fair.” The death just said, “Well there’s nothing you can do” and left.

From the next day the death kept close eyes on Sakshya. He saw her every activity to find out what was so special in her. She didn’t have the same dream that night. She saw Harry in her dream and thought she should meet him so she left him a text. She wrote, “Hey you. You must be mad at me till now as well but please know that I have to meet you. I need to tell you something. It's good news” After that she just started her day with breakfast. She went to the studio and practiced for her performance. She gave everything in her practice. The death was quite amazed seeing her like that. “Even though she knew she was dying before the concert, she’s still preparing for it. She’s so determined in her singing that she can’t care about anything else in the world. Not even her death”, such though revolved around his head. When Sakshya went to the park, many people gathered there just to see her. It soon became a crowd. She talked with everyone there. She shared conversation, food, with all of them. She played with the kids there. She sang because of their request. She was adored by everyone there. The death observed that carefully and finally came to the conclusion, “I think I’m starting to realize why she’s so special. She is so precious for the world. Everyone wants to see her singing. They will literally throw their lives to see her. And she also fulfills all their expectations. I know what I have to do, even if I don’t like it”, whispering this much he left Sakshya’s watch. She went home and realized she didn’t have a reply from Harry.

Days passed like they were nothing. Sakshya knew that death was coming nearer and nearer but she still gave her best in preparation for the concert. Soon enough the day she was finally going to die arrived. With a heavy heart, she accepted her fate. When death came to her he asked something, “Even though you knew you were going to die before the performance, why did you practice for it?” With a smile on her face she said, “To be honest, I don’t practice just for the performance. I just sing because it makes me happy. In the time that I sing, I feel no strings attached and couldn’t care about anything else. It’s like I’m connected to the music in the way that I don’t know how to express. It’s like the music itself is a part of me.” Hearing this much, The death said, “Well then there’s nothing else to do now, is there? I have to do what I have to.” Saying this much he put his hand on her head and spoke, “I finally figured out why you were so special. So, I’m making an exception. I’m not allowed to break the rules but I can bend the rules. I will let you live until your performance is over.” The girl standing in front of her became so happy that she cried out like never before. She just said, “Thank you. I’ll always be grateful for your actions today.” She went to bed and had a good sleep.

Next day she woke up and had a normal day just like she used to have before that. She practiced for the performance. She decided to text Harry one last time. She wrote, “I understand why you haven’t been replying back to me. But I have to meet you so soon or else I might not get to. The good news that I was talking about, let me tell you about it. I am going to play in Manhattan a 6 days from today and I really want to see you there. Please be there.” She didn’t get reply to that as well. She just thought that he was too mad at him so she was disappointed in herself. 

Next few days passed easily. With each day passing, Sakshya’s excitement grew even more. She was one step closer from her dream. The day finally arrived. A dream which she had for her entire life was only few hours away from her. As she went upon that stage and saw thousands of people in front of her, all cheering her name, the small part of her that felt nervous was gone. The one who conducted the program said, “Let’s introduce the person for whom we are here today, “SAKSHYA SNOW” Please give a big hand for her.” When this was happening, in corner room of the hospital, the doctor smiled and said, “Well she really did it. She really kept her promise. As she started singing and the crowd singing together with her the day became more and more amazing. The whole area was in an uproar. The excitement in Sakshya’s and everyone else’s eyes sparkled clearly. She sang on that stage for 4 hours and every single second she caught all the audience’s attention by her voice. Each moment of those 4 magnificent hours, Sakshya felt like she was on the top of the world. That concert was over after those 4 hours but the echo that her singing had left would be in everyone’s ears for a long time. That she was sure of. After it was over, she said, “Thank you everyone for being here. You all have influenced my life in a way that I can’t even describe. It was an honor to sing with you. Farewell everyone.”

 Tired from all that, Sakshya went to the backstage where she found everyone close to her giving her an applause. She was so happy at the moment. Then seconds late someone was screaming “Sakshya! Sakshya!” from the back. She knew exactly who he was. It was Harry. As she saw him they both held each other in their arms. In that moment Sakshya felt like she had everything. They were both speechless for about 5 minutes. Then Harry spoke, “I’m so glad of the person you’ve become. I’m sorry for not replying back to you. I’m so sorry. By the way what did you mean by, you might not get to meet me?” Sakshya smiled and said, “I meant that……….” Her body suddenly became heavy. She closed her eyes, fell on Harry’s arm and with that she took her final breath.

 She stood up and saw her body lying in Harry’s arm. She realized she was dead and was in the spiritual realm. She saw “The death” in front of her. She just said, “Thank you for giving me time to live this moment. I’ve said my goodbye. Now I’m ready to go. My life is complete.” The death just said, “Just what I expected from you” and they both vanished.

Everyone in the backstage silenced because of what happened in front of them. All of them were taken by shock. A legendary icon laid dead in front of them. Sakshya’s Mother said, “Even though we knew that this day was coming, why does it hurt so much? Even though it’s not sudden news, why is there so much pain inside me?” Everyone there cried to have seen the last of Sakshya Snow. Harry was completely out of his mind. He understood what she meant by ‘I might not get to meet you’. He couldn’t speak. 

He found a small paper in Sakshya’s hand. He thought it should be given to her Mom so he did so. When she opened the paper, she read the note out loud. It said, “Mom, I don’t know who will get this note but I hope you get to read it first. Please don’t be upset because of my action. I know I pushed myself to my death and I have made peace with that I hope you will too. I don’t know what to say that will make your pain go away but please don’t hurt yourself because of me. Dad must be devastated as well but I hope you have it in your heart to forgive me. Also could you do something for me? Please tell Harry that I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make him worry so much. Please tell him to hang on and be fine and cheerful even after I’m gone. I’m sorry to leave you everybody but I am gone now and I’m glad that I don’t have any regrets in life. Farewell.”

Every students’ heart is pounding as fast as it can, as you know, EXAMS are coming. Everything gets wrapped up; the plans for the weekends are being canceled, no child is seen on the playground, everyone forgot about the movie released, no gatherings are happening now and all they do is stick to their chairs and start revising things with fear. Half fear about not getting good scores even after they prepared so much and the remaining fear whether the invigilator is going to allow them to do any of their criminal activities inside the exam hall or will they manage to copy from their friends and so it goes on, and examination fever (examine-phobia) is they all suffer from.

The temperature increases as the exams approach near. Even after a good preparation, the examinee thinks as if he never learned anything in the whole year. And finally, on the day of examination, the examinee tries to go over answers only and prays to God to make everything proper. Now when he receives the question paper, his mind gets blocked and his pen gets stopped which gives him a feeling as if everything blew out suddenly from his mind and now all he knows is- Nothing.

Even after the exam the fever doesn’t go away but haunts the student every night with evil dreams about failing the exam. After the result gets published, he fears to face his parents, relatives and his friends who will go to the next grade but not him. All he can do now is make excuses regarding his failure like- there might be something wrong with the examiner or maybe my extra answer sheets didn’t get attached properly. This becomes a painful situation for everyone.

 It is believed that examinations are held for evaluating students’ performance, their mental ability, and knowledge. Examinations make students work harder. They will fear failure which will also help them know their capacity and they can get placed accordingly into different careers. But examinations are only a gift from the British rule.

 I personally dislike the idea about the examination system of our country where exams encourage cramming rather than true and appropriate knowledge. When I am in the examination hall, I feel like a worker in a factory who gets instructed to do the exact required things for a given time limit, obeying the rule for specific hours. A year of hard work and knowledge and there is a 3-hour test which is enough for your life damage. All your rote learning for a year goes in vain. Yes, ‘rote learning’ is the appropriate word I find to describe the effort of a student of our country in terms of learning. I find many of my friends getting good grades even if they never understood anything and that is for a short period of time but what about getting good scores in the real-life examination? 

 I would not go against the idea of taking examinations but surely against the system of approaching examinations. Every single person pressurizing individuals for rote learning is responsible for the suicide attempt of thousands of students every year whose dreams are stolen under the pressure of exams, for those who are dying of examination fever!