THINK POSITIVE

  By Manoj R. Kodachwad   (Image generated through AI for representation only) It wasn’t a regular class. I was in 8th grade, and school had just begun. But instead of our teacher holding the book, it was our principal standing in front of us, taking a special class - a lesson that, even then, I didn’t realise would change the way I think and see the world.  He asked a simple question: “Where does beauty lie?” What followed was almost funny. Answers came from every corner of the classroom, and many still make me smile today. But none of them were quite right. At the end, he said something that made the room fall silent: “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” We were stunned. How can beauty lie in someone’s eyes? Everyone looked around, confused. And then he explained - each of us finds different things beautiful. What I may see as beautiful might not seem beautiful to someone else. That is why beauty truly lies in the eyes of the beholder. As I grew olde...

by Manoj R. Kodachwad     About a year and a half ago, I became the father of a beautiful baby girl. Since then, every day with her has felt magical in its own way. Time seems to move differently now, faster somehow. She is growing up quicker than I can fully take in, and I often find myself wishing I could pause these little moments just a little longer.  Whenever people meet us, one of the first questions they ask is, “How old is she?” At first, I thought it was simple curiosity. Over time, I realised the question often led somewhere else. Soon the stories would follow: "My baby started walking at 11 months." "Ours began crawling at just 6 months." "She started speaking before she turned one." "My baby eats everything on her own already." And just like that, parenting quietly turns into a race nobody officially signed up for. For a while, I found myself paying attention to these timelines. Not because I wanted to compete, but because comparis...

  Recently, I unexpectedly reconnected with a friend I had known couple of years ago. Time had passed, but some things about him hadn’t changed. He was still the same hardworking, focused, and dedicated individual I remembered. There was always a smile on his face - not forced, but natural. He carried an energy that was lively yet composed. He approached every task with enthusiasm and was always ready to extend a helping hand whenever extra work needed to be done. I had always seen him as someone calm and balanced. His steady nature made me assume that he was well-settled and content in life. He seemed like the kind of person who had everything under control. I was wrong. A few weeks after reconnecting, on an ordinary day, I noticed him going through the details of a new car model. Curious, I casually asked if he was planning to buy one. He replied that he was just looking into it for someone else. Out of interest, I asked whether he had plans to buy one for himself an...