learning and growing

After two long years, they sat for their exam. Two years back was when I invigilated for the first time as an assistant superintendent in one of the schools in Haryana. I was an external in that school and I remember how I was thoroughly nervous. There are way too many rules in CBSE. To stand for three hours straight and execute every part of the job minutely, come what may, is not an easy task.Then the pandemic started. Everything was online. Every class required twice the effort and thrice the grit. All I wanted was for this period to pass asap. Last week I invigilated two times and strangely I was happy to execute all those minute details despite the fact that it was not so delightful or pleasant to execute all of it, in the summer heat. To see students write their paper in person was a sight of joy. To see them think, struggle and write their answers and leave the examination room with smiling faces and discussing answers was an elated feeling after two long years. All nerdy talk. ...

Local markets are a thing.I often ask myself how do small vendors and shop owners manage? They work hard and that's an undeniable truth. It's not like the normal 'go-go-go' of people like us who are blessed with a regular service. It's a different sort of rush and effort on their part. Chance plays an important role in their day to day work, relying heavily on the number of customers that one would get in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. It depends on the number of deals they strike with their customers.They do it every single day. A no working day obviously attributes to a loss, if not a huge loss. For example, a shoe maker makes shoes and sells them. If we assume that the price of a pair of shoes is around Rs 500 and Rs 40-60 it's cost of production, then his profit is around Rs 450,for every pair that he sells. So selling around ten pairs in a month would hardly earn him around Rs 4500. So that's his monthly income. Yet so many people from all aroun...