The AICUF Story!

                                                                                 When hope falls for despair  TW : This piece contains mentions of su*cide, death, blood and self harm if you aren’t comfortable reading about these topics please don’t read further. If you or anyone you know is feeling su*cidal or is having thoughts about it, help is at hand, please do reach out either to someone you trust or call 9820466726. To everyone who chooses to read further i hope you are okay <3 This is a story about a person called despair who has only known ghosts and shadows. They have always loved and lost. Thus, finding it hard to fall in love. One day that changes when they meet hope, and slowly falls in love with them: hope. Hope to be better, Hope to love and Hope to feel. (adapt...

                Humans find joy when they embrace, interact with and become a part of society. This joy is infectious and keeps on multiplying especially with the positivity that people share with each other. Healing and caring for others is the essence of human nature. We work to protect our own and form connections with one another. This compassion is what binds us together and forms a unique bond based on a pure purpose. The bliss, peace and satisfaction people get from helping others is something so precious and elusive in its essence.  Have you ever been in need of help and someone has been there for you, unexpectedly? A little help in organizing your things, leading the way when you're lost, a reassuring smile, a kind gesture? Small instances like these help us see the beauty in life and within us.  Humans love to give back care and kindness to the world, to return even just a fraction of what we’ve received and been blessed b...

As Onam has already dawned upon us, the internet has been flooded with images of people sporting golden-bordered sarees and refulgent mundus: a typical picture of the celebrated Onam. Though Onam has its origins as a Hindu festival, the sheer spectrum of people who celebrate it is astounding. It cuts across all segments of society, reaffirming, once again, the image of our country as steeped in communal harmony.  For many, Onam is not merely an occasion to enjoy the culture, but also to reconnect with the traditions practised by the Malayalis.  The worldwide Malayali diaspora also engages in cultural indulgence which gives them a sense of belonging helping them feel connected. It gives them a sense of identity as a part of a community even when they are thousands of miles away from their homeland.  Unlike the modern one-day celebration of Onam, it's traditionally a 10-day extravagant festival rooted in the mythical story of King Mahabali. The king's exemplary governance a...

College fests. For wide-eyed freshers like me, it’s an opportunity to branch out, find our own niche in the hustle and bustle of college life and carve out a life far away from the one we knew in school (Unless you’re a junior college student). A chance to take part in “The College Experience” TM  that all those reels on Instagram had promised us – big crowds, bright lights and a whole lot of fun that would keep us in high spirits in the weeks following. For seniors, it’s their time to let go and busy themselves in getting ready for the big day. Or days. It’s an enjoyable time of the year for students and teachers alike where the stress of studies and work wash away for a few days and they’re allowed to immerse themselves in the joyful atmosphere that always seems to tag along around college fests like the endearing younger sibling that tags along everywhere with their older sibling.                For some, it’s their time to shine. To step ...

  Dear Mom, I am doing fine, how have you and father been? I miss home. The "government" school provides for us but their mannerisms do not come close to how we live.  The polluted air of this concrete jungle wraps around my lungs like a predatory snake. The serene silence of home evades me, and I can't seem to find my place. The tranquility of sleep escapes me as the toxicity of this new world infiltrates my consciousness - it deeply disturbs me how the people of urban don't seem to value what Mother Nature offers them.  Just today, a "friend" of mine stomped on a plant without an inkling of remorse, and when I exclaimed that the poor thing possesses a soul, all he did was laugh in my face!!! Perhaps they don't even respect their ancestral spirits: their guides and their protectors, and their resting place; why do I even doubt their evil intentions with the way they mercilessly drill holes into the Earth and contaminate it with their agents of ruin - th...

If you are even remotely active on social media or the internet, there is no way you have not heard about ‘Barbenheimer’ in the past few days. Barbenheimer is a portmanteau that combines the words ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ both of which are famous movies that were released on the 21st of July worldwide. Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, is a movie about Barbie and Ken, two dolls from Barbie Land, who get a chance to witness life in the so-called real world. This movie has undertones of feminism, value and appreciation of life. It is a light hearted movie that still provides the audience with a message. On the other hand, Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan is a movie based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.  This eponymous film explores the invention of the atomic bomb – and the implications of creating such a deadly weapon. The movie also dwells on the moral dilemma of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. As we see, the two movies come fro...

Adulting. Sounds scary, doesn't it? It especially does when you’re a college student at the cusp of adulthood, about to enter the “real” world. A lot of us wonder who we are, whether this world has a place for us, or what our purpose in life is. Figuring out exactly who you are, labels and all, is difficult but expected the moment you turn 18. When you are about to try out the “adulting” thing for the first time, not knowing who you are is daunting. There's so much to figure out - your career, your purpose, your identity, and what your “true calling” is, the very reason you were placed on earth. Isn’t this idea of one true purpose in itself unrealistic? We read and watch those coming of age books and movies where towards the end the protagonist has figured themselves out or has learnt to make their peace without knowing, but then you leave that world of fiction and realise that the real world will never be that kind to you. College is a period of milestones, from figuring out...