few of my aricles

1. 3
If you haven’t experienced the Christmas celebration in London you’re really missing
out on some awesome stuff!
London has been one of the greatest tourist attractions since several years
particularly because of its historic monuments, museums, weather, culture, food
and much more.One can simply never get bored in the city as there is so much to
see and do from shopping at the world-famous oxford street to drinking english tea
at Harrods or having the best fish and chips in the world.
This winter make Christmas memories in Britain.
Reasons to visit
this Christmas season!
LONDON
London is a wonderland during December because of the extravagant Christmas
decorations, dazzling lights and a list of other things to do like:
By Saanya Batra 23rd November,2017
By Saanya Batra
1.Ice skating in somerset
house’s 18th-century courtyard
ice rink or ice skating while
admiring the city’s skyline from
the rooftop ice rink at Skylight.
2.Singing Christmas carols
around Trafalgar Square’s
world-famous Christmas tree.
3.Watching christmas shows
as London’s theatres have a
great selection of classic shows
with famous personalities and
family-friendly fun.
4.Christmas shopping is never
as fun as in London with the
most amazing stores in Oxford
Street, Regent Street and Bond
Street.
5.Cruising in the river Thames
and admiring the mesmerising
beauty of the city.
So if you’re planning a vacation this December London is the place to be!
Picture credits: Saanya Batra
Picture credits: Saanya Batra
Picture credits: Saanya Batra
5
5 Road trip essentials you
can’t do without!
We all long for a good road trip with
friends and family every now and
then. There are 5 really essential
things I don’t think anyone should
miss out on while traveling
• Wet wipes –They’re extremely handy
and you can need them anytime from car
sickness when you need to freshen up or
when you have sticky fingers.
• Camera- It is obvious to carry a camera
while traveling but now everyone has good
quality cameras on their phones so people
avoid carrying one. But a Polaroid camera
can add a personal touch and make the trip
more memorable.
•Sanitizer – Sanitizer is a very important
thing to carry while traveling for hygiene.
• Snacks- We all can feel hungry anytime
hence carrying snacks like chips, Maggi or
energy drinks which can give you instant
energy.
•Blanket and pillow- Long hours in the car
can be really tiring hence taking a nap is a
great way to pass time.

2. 6
LIFESTYLE
MEET HAPPY FEET
19-year-old, moves gently to the rhythm.
Anoushka has been an achiever
since she was a little girl. She
is an all-rounder who’s always
been clear about her goals and
dreams and has done everything
in her capability to achieve them.
Bharatanatyam dance is a big
part of her life and it has given
her direction by always keeping
her motivated. Bharatanatyam is
a traditional Indian dance from
the temples of Tamil Nadu in
southern India. It is one of the most
respected dance form.
Q- Who/what inspired you to learn
Bharatnatyam?
A- It was always my mother’s
dream to make me learn dance
since she was never able to learn it
herself. From the age of 3, I was on
it and I became my own inspiration
to do better.
Q-WhatimpactdoesBharatnatyam
have in your life?
A- Bharatnatyam has been a part
of my life for 15 years now.
It’s given me a personality and
helped me find the true meaning
of life.
Q-You’ve been performing
internationally, what is the reaction
of the audience abroad?
A- The reaction of the audience
there made me feel like no less
than a film star. I was being
photographed and appreciated by
thousands.
Q- What is the difference between
Indian audience and the audience
abroad?
A- Both can’t be compared. One
makes you feel like a celebrity
while the other mocks you for
pursuing an Indian art form.
Q- What are your interests apart
from dance?
A- Since dance has formed such
a big part of my life, there’s hardly
any time for anything else. But I
sure do love to travel and explore
which I’m able to experience
thanks to dance.
By Saanya Batra 25th November 2017
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is the country’s
largest art fest which takes place in
February each year. Multicultural festival
takes place in Mumbai for a week where
people from all over the world show up.
It is held in the Kala Ghoda district near
Colaba, Mumbai. This year, there were
appearances of celebrities and other
celebrated artists.
I visited Kala Ghoda as a student this year
and observed variety of art and displays.
Of course, it took a while for us to enter
as there was a huge overly excited crowd!
The fest is filled with interactive
installations made by artists/college
students. The tree of hope was one of
such kinds. Most people were trying to
click pictures around it without noticing
the deeper meaning of the tree. One could
write down their messages/wishes and
could tie to the branches of the tree. Once
the tree it lit up, it would radiate positive
energy for these wishes to come true.
Mostly, it was also about saving trees and
not wasting them for paper.
Apart from just installations, there are art
works for sale too. These works are purely
handmade home furnishing products to
creative daily use objects. Super unique,
these articles will not be found anywhere
else. They are sold at affordable prices
too! These are generally a mix of creative
modern look to traditional elements. The
stalls were crowded with buyers. Further
we walked around the area and noticed
huge installations. Most of them were
made by college students.
An Event you can’t afford to miss next year!
Kala Ghoda Art Festival is taking place from 3rd to 11th February 2018.
By Omisha Dhatwalia 28th November, 2017
5
3. LEH-VING IT - A trip to remember!
4. NANITAL on my mind
By Manika Agarwal 20th November, 2017
By Saanya Batra 23rd November 2017
Visiting Leh made me realise the importance of “father-
daughter” bond. It was the most spontaneous plan with
my father. All our trips are planned in advance and the
bookings are made but this time it was impromptu. We
booked our plane tickets just 4 hours before the flight.
Since we live in Agra, we had to rush to Delhi at 6 in the
morning to catch our flight and somehow we managed to
make it in time.
Leh is the capital of Ladakh, situated in the state of
Jammu and Kashmir at an altitude of 11,562 feet. The
population of Leh is 30,870, inhabited by the people of
the Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent, Leh spans from
the Karakoram Mountain range in the north to the Great
Himalayas in the south. Full of natural wonders, Leh is
home to scenic lakes, hilltop Buddhist monasteries, and
the world’s highest motorable pass.
During spring break, me and my cousins
decided to go for a weekend getaway.
We had been thinking of going to Nainital
for quite a while. A three day occasion
just appeared the best time to do it.So
we settled on the spot.It took us about 7
hours to reach the hills and another 1 hour
to find our hotel.The hotel had a perfect
location. Likewise, with any hill station, the
view of the valley beneath was beautiful.
Alternate points of attractions were Snow
view, Naini peak, Dorothy’s seat and Tiffin
top. The Himalayan snow caps were
noticeable from Snow view however one
requires a clear skyline for that. On our 1st
day we enjoyed and ourselves, we went to
the market area, then for a boat ride.The
lake was picturesque and the boat ride is
an absolute necessity for everyone. We
finally ended the day with a great dinner at
the boathouse club. The next morning we
decided to go trekking to the tiffin top.We
were informed that it is quite a distance
and we should take horses yet the vast
majority of us wanted to trek anyway.So
The trek began from bara pathar which is
a spot for rock climbing We had barely
begun and we lost our direction.We then
had to walk back and go down the slope to
reach the right track. After walking for 45
minutes we reached the ‘land’s end’ which
gave a better than average perspective of
the slopes ahead. At last, we achieved a
little garden sort region on the slope.We
sat there for a while and had a quick meal.
We then reached tiffin top and it was truly
a moment of achievement. The wind was
very chilly and We could see the entire
town from the top.As it was getting dark
we finally decided to walk our way back.
we all were totally exhausted by then.
Everything was so quiet and dark and
all of us were getting creeped out.We
started to look for a place to relax and eat
something but it was or unfortunate luck
that most of the restaurants were shut.
Suddenly we all stopped outside a house
which looked really haunted and decided
to go inside.We all were extremely scared
but luckily for us, it turned out to be a
restaurant which had great food.The next
morning we packed our stuff and headed
back to Delhi. It was the most fun and
adventurous trip I’ve ever had!
It took us two hours to reach there, as
soon as we reached, we found a hotel
nearby and then started planning our
next five days in the city. We hired a bike
and explored the city in our own way.
After visiting Magnetic hill, Sanchi Stupa,
Thikse Monastery we did river rafting in the
cold waters of Indus-Zanskar confluence,
which was a whole new experience.
We were fortunate enough to ride a two
humped bactrian camel. Bactrian camels
are not of Indian origin. This particular
species of camel came to India when
a group of caravans used to tread this
route for trading between India and the
Central Asian region of Bukhara, Kokand,
Turkestan, and Xinjiang region of China.
The double-humped camels are the most
beautiful beings in the Nubra Valley.
Waking up at 4 in the morning just to
catch the sunrise at Pangong Lake was
breathtakingly beautiful. I loved how the
lake kept changing its colours from time
to time.
Unlike all other places, this trip was not
about luxury but learning to adjust in
different situations. I travelled in a local
bus because we had not made prior
bookings. I even interacted with strangers
and I got to know their story.
I never thought that this trip would change
my relationship with my dad completely.
We got to know each other better, we
stayed up late at night talking or playing
games. I am so glad I took this trip with
him and explored the most beautiful city of
India in the most adventurous way.

3. 9
It is one of the most common
and the least looked upon
social issue. Living is hard,
dealing with stress, anxiety,
loneliness, and loss is not
easy. We all try to deal with
depression and we all have
our own ways to do so. Some
people self-harm, become
suicidal while some get
addicted to drugs and alcohol
at a very young age because
they do not get proper help or
guidance from their families or
loved ones. It often makes the
person feel worthless, ruins
their ability to have dreams
and makes it difficult for them
to achieve their goals because
their mind is loaded with
negative thoughts and anxiety.
Anxiety is the most common
side effect of depression.
Often we see people who
are going through massive
changes in their life like
moving out, starting college
or ending a relationship may
become down temporarily
and then start to feel better
as they adjust to their new
circumstances. We’ve all
experienced gloomy days
with a foggy path ahead
when nothing seemed right.
For instance, my 16-year-old
cousin shared her experience
with social anxiety and how
she dealt with it at a very
young age. She was just
13 when social anxiety hit
her. When I asked her about
her experience she replied:
“To feel so much at a young
age and not understand
what’s happening to you can
be draining. I was 13 and
devastated, to think back I
could deal with my depression
and anxiety in a much better
way if I had someone to guide
me but living in a country like
India where people are not so
open about mental illnesses
made it really hard for me. I’ve
had a hard time dealing with
depression and the fact that
no one understood me led to
social anxiety because I knew
I was mocked and my feelings
weren’t respected”.
Life is not always a Sunday
morning with breakfast in
bed, sometimes it is a dark
Monday morning when we
struggle to get up. People
dealing with this mental
illness forget the meaning of
happiness. They find it hard to
love themselves and find inner
peace. Only if they try to have
a positive mindset and learn to
appreciate the simple things
in life a lot of their problems
could be solved , perhaps
that is easier said than done.
Depression is a mental illness
that affects 350 million people
of all ages in the world. It is a
serious and a growing problem
that needs more attention.
Depression corners you and
leaves you all alone. It is a
bottomless pit of sadness
where you watch yourself fall
apart and lose control. It is
feeling sad when everything
is going right.However, It is
important to have people
support you and get you out
of this mental state. It can’t
be dealt with alone. That is
what people need to realize.
Depression is not solved by
one person, it is solved by
many. In India specifically, It
is becoming a large problem
but no one recognizes or
pays much attention to it. As
a community, we should be
more aware. People fake
smiles and mask their feelings.
It is difficult to recognize but
there are always signs. It is
also important that people
who are depressed speak up
and tell someone how they are
feeling. Without both side’s
cooperation, depression
cannot be solved!
Depression As A Social Issue
“It takes too much to find light but too little
to be sucked into darkness”, I guess that is
what we refer to as ‘depression.’
By Saanya Batra 4th December, 2017
She started her own business
‘Design By Aikonik’ in 2006
which is based on bringing
daily inspiration by visually
appealing photography and
handwritten typography.
She has a passion for
fashion, travel and lifestyle
trends. Carissa started as a
freelancer and worked with a
number of clients that helped
her create an interesting
portfolio. She always believed
in herself and had bigger
goals to accomplish. In 2014
she figured that Instagram
is a perfect platform for her
to showcase her creative
ideas and talents to the entire
world. Her posts on Instagram
consist of everything that is
pleasing to the eye as they’re
extremely aesthetic and ace
flat lay photography. For
those who don’t know what
flat lay photography is, it is a
way to showcase items on a
white or wood background to
tell a story. Like every other
blogger, Carissa has also
collaborated with various
brands including Clinique,
Toni&Guy, Moccona Coffee,
Decjuba and Fashion Bunker.
When I asked Carissa what
inspired her to be an influencer
she replied: “My motive was
to show my content with some
‘tips and tricks’ of both fashion,
beauty and flat lays through
Instagram , blogging was
never my agenda.”However,
this is not the only job she
has. Apart from being famous
on Instagram she works 9-5
as a graphic designer. “I have
a job as a full time graphic
designer but i also do create
content for my own Instagram
blog at the same time. It’s all
about multitasking so I can
get the best of both worlds
whilst still meeting all my
commitments says Carrisa.”
I further asked her the secret
to her success to which
she responded “Being the
ultimate girl boss and running
your own business requires
a person to be a “jack of all
trades”. You should have the
ability to be organized and
multitask by being your own
boss If something needs to
get done there is no one else
to rely on but yourself and
actually I wouldn’t have it any
other way .”
THE ULTIMATE
GIRLBOSS
Carissa Smart is a Communication/Graphic
Designer and Photographer based in
Melbourne
By Saanya Batra 4th December, 2017