Overcoming Obstacles by Praveer Deva (XII)

If you put a stick in an ant's path
It doesn't stop and complain about it.
It strives until it accomplishes its task.
And teaches us how to overcome obstacles.

If you blow at it, a whirlwind,
a hundredth of its capacity, no stumbling,
No falling and no amount of pressure
Will stop it from reaching its destiny.

Death, and only death will stop it
No other problem, none whatsoever,
No amount of pain or hardship or
Failure will stop it from overcoming obstacles.

If a creature so small, can move
A mountain load of problems, treating
It as a trifle, as miniscule
As a bird's pupil, why can't we?

When it seems as if the universe
Conspires against you, when you are
influenced by the inexplicable conundrum of life,
Do not lose the spirit of Elpis inside you.

Writing this down not in five or ten but
in fifteen minutes, no less,
was hard, but not
losing hope and just doing it
Will make the most cumbersome
task feel as tiny as a dot.

A DUMMY'S GUIDE TO 'BTS' by Paridhi Bansal (VIII A)

I know what you're thinking: Behind The Scenes? No, just no. It's Beyond The Scene.

You know that artist who broke Justin Bieber's Top Social Artist 6 year streak? Yeah, this is them.

BTS or BangTan Sonyeondan, who recently also extended their identity to stand for Beyond The Scene, is a seven member Kpop (Korean pop) boy-group. But the thing is- they're so much more than just any boy-group.

BTS debuted from a small, financially struggling entertainment company, BigHit, in 2013. They were not promoted excessively, nobody paid much attention to them initially, but slowly- over the course of these 5 years, they've made a huge name for themselves in the industry. And I mean both, the Kpop and the Western music industry.

Like I said, they aren't just any boy-band. So what is it that makes them so different?

Like most other Kpop groups, BTS includes vocalists, rappers and dancers. But what most other Kpop groups don't have, or just most mainstream artists these days lack, are BTS's spectacularly written and inspirational lyrics. BTS members compose, produce and write their songs themselves, another rarity in the industry. 

They have songs (more like two entire albums, to be precise) on the pressures of school. Their main concept being youth, they promote self- love, talk about hardships that young people face all around the word, including depression, and even encourage feminism. Their lyrics make you cry, they make you laugh. They make you nod your head excessively because it's just so relatable. Their lyrics connect.   

Another amazing thing about them is how they're willing to try all music styles and how they constantly grow as musicians. There's something for everyone.

Put together those beautiful lyrics, gorgeous vocals, raps (and I mean those hardcore, heavy duty ones) as well as killer dance moves that make you wonder if they even have bones, and you've got yourself the perfect package. Their music videos have beautiful aesthetics and concepts focusing on youth with references to movies and books. Not to mention, they have extremely amazing personalities that can make you laugh till your tummy aches. Its easy to get to know them since they’re so active on their social media and have a vlog channel on YouTube by the name of BangtanTV. 

BTS' fans are officially called ARMYs and take my work for it, we're quite a force to reckon with. Breaking records left and right every comeback season, ARMYs have made BTS the Kpop artist with the most number of music videos to have over 1M likes. And yes, that does include Psy- the Gangnam Style singer. They have a crazy following on twitter of 10M and 6M subscribers on YouTube. BTS are played on famous US radio stations, extremely rare for Kpop songs and have sold out multiple stadium concerts there as well, including Prudential Centre. In fact, BTS are on their way to becoming a household name in India, too.  You can catch their year old song on VH1 Top Ten and other segments.

BTS was not just the first Kpop group to be nominated for a Billboard Music Award but also took home the trophy. They performed at the 2017 AMAs, the first Kpop group to achieve this feat and have collaborated with artists like the Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki and Desiigner. They were also invited to the Ellen Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and the Late Late Show starring James Corden.

This seven member group is taking over the world. Give them a chance, they'll take over your hearts too. Hopefully by now you're a little curious, so here are some songs you can listen to- 'Blood Sweat and Tears', 'Spring Day', 'I Need U', 'No More Dream’, 'Spine breaker', ‘Mic Drop’ and their latest hit single- ‘DNA’ . 

So, what are you waiting for? Check 'em out. 

Optimistic Nihilism by Ananya Mishra ( VII B)

Human existence is scary and confusing. A few million years ago we became conscious and found ourselves in a beautiful place. It was filled with other beings;we could eat some, some could eat us. The daytime sky had a great yellow ball that warmed our skin. The night sky had beautiful lights. As we evolved, we found out that the universe did not exist just for us. The rain, the warmth, all natural things, did not happen because we needed it to. We slowly learned that we are just  temporary state of life, and we are inconsequential compared to the sheer overwhelming size of what we now call the universe.

We learned that we reside on a speck of dust which orbits a medium sized star, which is a tiny part of a galaxy group that we will never leave. The universe might be a million times bigger than what we can observe, but we will never know.

If we do not remember the billions of years that passed before us, it is likely that the billions of years after us will pass in no time once we are gone. From the little we know, the universe itself will die and nothing will be left. This might induce existential dread in some people, and I want to offer a different view on things - a subjective, philosophical view.

Please take it with a pinch of salt; I don’t know any more about the universe than you do.

I counter existential dread with optimistic nihilism.

What does this mean? Well, to summarise, it’s unlikely that gazillions of stars have all been made for us. If the universe ends with a black hole, every humiliation that you have suffered, every mistake you have made will be forgotten. We have only one shot at life, which is scary, but it also sets you free. If life is all we get to experience, then we must take advantage of it. We must fill it with good things, like food, books,sunsets and pleasant company. If a nightingale can sing her joyous song everyday, there’s no reason not to enjoy life.

We are free in a universe sized field, so we must try to build a utopia with each other. There are so many things to do; stars to discover, video games to play, schoolwork to finish.

In conclusion, if this is our one shot at life, there is no reason not to be as happy as possible, and to make other people just as happy. Bonus points if you help build a human-alien galactic empire.