WHAT DOES IT MEAN

TO
TO BE

BE
HUMAN
REAL

YOU
BE
TO

REVERIE
EDITION 01
 dear reader,
It gives us utmost pleasure to welcome you to the debut issue
of Reverie. As the editors-in-chief, we provide this platform
to the students to showcase their creativity and reflect on
their thoughts. This gazette is a product of Sanskriti the
Gurukul.

We are grateful that you took the time to read this

publication. We wish that you discover your creative (or
serious) niche with us, whatever it may be. A student-driven
publication, the diversity of voices present within our
community is what inspires and drives us.

Poetry writing? Reverie!

Have a strong opinion on a current problem? Reverie!
Interesting journey of faith? Reverie!

Our goal is to provide our community with insightful and

interesting commentary on all topics while also showcasing
our creative side through literature and other forms of art.
We want to be as transparent as possible, hence we gratefully
accept any feedback or constructive criticism from readers.
We are thrilled to be advancing Reverie's goal and to hear
your tales.

Welcoming you to your very own gazette,

Bhavya Sri and Vamika Singhal,
Editors-In-Chief,
Reverie.
 Am i really that bad
i know people don't like me
and maybe that is why i'm always sad
but deep inside i know there's more then that

not getting the perfect scores

not being the perfect child
the taunts kill me from inside

i try i really do but who is gonna tell them that

sometimes im happy sometimes i'm not
sometimes im bratty some times not

there are phases im going thru

but every time i question
am i really that bad ?

but you know what

that's not true
cause they haven't lived a second of my life
so who are they to tell me that i am bad

yes i am practical and straightforward

but that doesn't make me bad
i'm proud of what i am
broken or happy, fat or not
i am what i am
-Palchin
 WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE ME?

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE YOU?

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE ME?
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A WOMAN?
A WOMAN WHO LOVES WOMEN
MUST BE HUMILIATING AS THEY SAY
THE SOCIETY.
THE NORMS.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A MAN?
A MAN WHO LOVES MEN.
GAY – THEY SAY IT LIKE AN INSULT
LESBIAN - THEY SAY IT LIKE IT’S A
DISGRACE.
BUT IT’S NOT.
IT’S NOT AN INSULT.
IT’S NOT A DISGRACE.
I BEING A WOMAN, LIKE LOVING A
WOMAN
I BEING A MAN, LIKE LOVING A MAN.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE ME TO BE ME
WHO LOVES MAN AND WOMAN BOTH
EQUALLY?

-REEONA
They said she was a mess and a mess she was. Her body
was wet and cold, Her feet tired but yet she kept
dancing to the melody in her head, her hollow eyes
begging for more than the gloomy sky. She wishes to
feel the sun on her skin, the wind brushing her pink
cheeks. She wanted her heart beating fast and
adrenaline coursing through her veins. The feeling of
being alive.
She paints it so well in her imagination that even a
painter would get jealous of every bold stroke she
made.

This is about
being happy
even though it
is dark and
scary. It is
about of
finding of
hope, it takes
a little bit of
light to keep
on going.

- Esther
 WH A T
DOE S IT
MEA N T O
BE YO U
 ME
I wonder often about the little things,
About the little memories that make me who I am.
I ponder often about how people perceive me,
About who I really am ?

There are so many versions of me,

That it's hard to identify the original one.
There are so many choices to make but which is the right one,
That leads me to who I am ?

The question arises in my mind: who am I?

Why am I ?
The question arises in my mind: Where do I belong?
What will my future be ?

The questions, the doubts and the never ending race

The race to know and to learn about myself
To find answer to the question
What is it to be me?

- Vedahi
-Tejal
 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE
ASSAMESE
Bohagote amare aai mohura hoi ghure
Maghot xunor haatere lakhimi aadore
Xorot nixai torare xojai aair e kexh
Bharotore purba dixhor xurjyo utha dexh

In the month of Bohag, mother dances and whirls with grace like a
mohura
In Magh, she welcomes Laxmi, the Goddess of Prosperity.
She adorns her tresses with the stars of the autumnal sky of Sarat.
She is the land of the rising sun.

In a world that is changing so fast, we barely get anything to hold

onto. Yet the only thing that remains at its place are our own very
roots. We are all that remains of those who came before us and so,
we all represent our cultures in many unique ways. Expressing the
feeling of belongingness to a certain place, region, community
and culture might be a little difficult but here we are :)

As someone who grew up in an Assamese household, I have a

recollection of the most memorable moments of my life. From
sharing stories with family around a bonfire to beat the cold
during winter nights to celebrating the festive spirit of Bihu
together, each memory is filled with a deep, underlying feeling of
love and togetherness.

When I think about all those times when I would sneak off with my
brother and cousins to steal larus and pithas, running between the
fields of rice when we visited our hometowns and walking along
the roads where there would always be kohua, xewali and kopou
growing and looking at the fishermen going out to catch fish at
dawn never fails to fill me with nostalgia
Bihu is the most popular festival of Assam, however to
Assamese people, it is so much more than a festival. It is a way
for us to express our love for each other as a community. Every
Magh Bihu would include a scrumptious feast and burning of
a Meji. I, along with all my cousins, would go to every house in
the neighborhood, singing and dancing also known as xusori
mara, every Bohag Bihu. While Kati Bihu is the least festive of
the Bihus, everyone earnestly prays to Lord Krishna in the
form of a tulsi plant, in hopes for a good harvest in the month
of Magh. Amongst all festivities, feasts and prayers, I can’t
help but be sentimental about how this one festival becomes
our way of connecting and expressing our love for each other.

I have always felt that this side of my culture often goes

unnoticed. I have seen and heard others talking about how
Assamese culture is never really portrayed properly and how
tea is the only thing we are known for and how we are all
somehow treated differently just because we belong to a
different culture. What I would really like to say here is that I
am who I am because of my culture and language and the
place I live in and the people I meet and the festivals I
celebrate. Being Assamese is me being me and I love
everything that comes with it. I love the history, the food, the
language, the habits and mannerisms, the extravagant
performances during the festivals, the dancing and the
singing and everything else that makes me feel proud about
being a part of a community like this.

by pranamika
 TOXICITY

OH! THOSE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS,

OH! THOSE AWFUL DAYS,
A SOUL, PILED UP WITH NEGATIVE FEELINGS,
TOO DIFFICULT TO START HEALING.

DRAINED OUT WITH ALL THE HAPPINESS,

AND MIND WHICH BECAME SENSELESS,
SLOWLY FADING AWAY THE CHARM OF HER SMILE,
HAPPINESS DOESN’T LAST EVEN FOR A WHILE.

ONE NIGHT, SUDDENLY SHE WOKE UP,

THINKING, THIS IS NOT WHAT SHE DESERVES,
LOVING HERSELF SHOULD BE HER CONCERN,
BEING POSITIVE SHOULD BE HER CONCERN,
DETOXICATING HERSELF SHOULD BE HER CONCERN,
LIVING FOR HERSELF SHOULD BE HER CONCERN,
AND, AFTER THAT NIGHT
SHE LEFT TOXICITY MILES APART.

-SIYA
In the glimmer of light, i see darkness,
Lonely and unique, it may be,
It is utmost the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Like the charcoal,

It is born in the rough
Survives and has the power to ignite,
Discarded by everyone,
Only accepted by its own.

Diamond or charcoal,
You are the same.
Like diamond and charcoal,
The same father births you.
The world may perceive you as a blasphemy,
But, on the contrary,
You and your perception matters.
Whether a diamond or a charcoal,
Both can bring light in the darkness.
- Aniruddha

- Mehjub
~Tejal
 “TELL ME A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT YOURSELF.”

My mind races to find the appropriate amount of little to share. It seems like a
relatively easy question to answer but self-awareness is my lack. I wonder if the
question demands a name and age or does it demand an autobiographical
analysis of my life. Words have always been my solace. My mind never fails to
weave sentences out of words. Yet words fail to spew out as an expression when
the situation demands it.

Limiting my description to a mere 5

sentences seems like a task too
punishing to take on. How people
could manage to comprise their
entire essence in a few lines had
always been a wonder to me
manage to choke out a few generic
adjectives here and there and give a
vaguely specific idea of my
personality. The interviewer seems
satisfied by the answer but I can’t
reciprocate the sentiment. As the
questions become progressively less
personal, I settle into comfort. The
interview ends by the next 15
minutes and as I walk out of that
stuffy room I feel lost, although I
don’t fail to walk in the correct
direction to my mom in the parking
lot.
- Toshani
I think it upsets me how I lack knowledge of myself but have enough knowledge to
write a book about my favorite celebrities. As I sit back in the passenger seat of the car
and let my mom drive us back home, I try to slip into a self-analysis session,
unsuccessfully.

Shakespeare seemed to have accurately summarized almost every typical teenager’s life
when he made Antonio quote, “I have much ado to know myself.” I really do have a lot
left to learn about myself. But I think that’s what being a teenager is all about.

I am not supposed to be ready with an answer for “tell me a little bit about yourself” just
yet. I am supposed to be discovering myself and the things that make me ‘me’ alongside
all the other discoveries I am learning during chemistry.

I am still yet to figure out which story’s protagonist I play. In fact I am still yet to figure
out how I want this story to be told because everyone is their life’s own storyteller. “You
are the storyteller and the story told. You are somebody’s something, but you’re also
your ‘you’ “ (credits to John Green for that). I think the path which finally reveals the
answer to “what does it mean to be you” takes you an endless journey. There will truly
never exist a version of you that looks all the same to the world.

There’ll be different versions of us throughout, so I really don’t think I will ever find a
satisfactory or stagnant answer to the big question
“tell me a little bit about yourself”, it’ll just
have to change in accordance with the changes that I go
through. I’ll just have to keep reframing my sentences for this
answer as I pick up new words on the way.

–Jasnya Barman
 REFLECTION

I found myself on a Saturday night standing amidst a

dozen,
Feeling aloof and disdainful,
Without the company of a familiar face or a cousin,
Every passerby would only glance and it felt nothing
but painful.
The calm breeze kissed my face and left me
wondering,
What was it that made me so dishonoring?

I went up to a lady in a pretty lilac dress,

Asked her to have a drink or two with me,
But she turned her face away with distress,
And I couldn’t have gone against her decree.
I gently removed the strands of hair bearing against
my forehead and started wondering,
What was it that made me so dishonouring?
All of you drank white wine and consumed cashews as
snacks,
But it made no difference
For your souls are equivalent to darkened amber wax
And I will never be able to comprehend your inference.
My difference almost made me feel superficial and I
started pondering,
What was it that made me so dishonouring?

Your skin like dawn and mine like musk ,

God created us as children of his;as one ,
Our bodies comprise of the same coconut under its husk,
Choose your actions wisely, for they can never be
undone.
I looked at myself in the mirror and started wondering,
What was it that made me so dishonouring?

At the end of the day, we’re human beings with similar

emotions, feelings, bodies and mind. When in a
gathering, we eat the same food, dance along in the same
song, rejoice our differences and enjoy the purpose of
life. When one rejoices, we are all uplifted. In our
oneness, we will find our destiny and destiny is to be
one.

-Anamitra
 SHE IS STILL A DANSEUSE

She is Still a Danseuse

There is this girl who was enchanting yet crazy,
Who even danced in the refrigerator light.
She didn't care or neither stopped,
She was herself above all.
Oh, but then she tripped off the cleat she wore
All owing to the patriarchy.
Yes, my opinions were unheard.
Those shoes and those pov's tore off.
But I was against that macho voice.
She had worn those cleats again.
She does not just wear pink,
She wears it all.
She is still a danseuse.
She is herself above all.

-ISHIKA
what does it mean to be YOU

- toshani
Omg You !
I am proud to be my own self ! Each day I learn a part of myself and evolve.
Whenever I go back to my growing up years, I feel nostalgic about my
carefree days, blending myself into an adventurous life, not caring about what
others think of me.

With time, as I stepped into my teens - the YOU within and the YOU expected
by our so called society collided with its full on stigmas. I gradually got
cocooned into a quiet woman, not to laugh too loud, always lady like in one's
mannerisms, not to question WHY as your elders know best, what is good for
you. The bubbly YOU within wanted to burst out, but the new YOU would
tame me - OMG, what is this? Am I a bipolar me or just a stereotype YOU, as
the world expects you to be. This is how I learnt to switch on and off,
according to the need of the situation or the society, but as a bargain, I learnt
to enjoy my true YOU within and would enjoy my individual company to the
core during my most pensive moments.

Why is it so difficult for an individual to live the life as you wish and not get
influenced by the social norms and lead according to what is expected of
you? Expectations run too high and one gets pressurized under it and
gradually tends to lose one's own identity. This is exactly what happened as I
took the role of a married woman at a very young age, and got dictated as to
what I should wear, how I should behave and bury my priorities as a good wife
as that is expected from a good female and forget about all the degrees and
intellectual accumulation you have as you are not required to think - this the
society and the in-laws will do it for you!
Being me and the free thinking personality I was raised up with by my parents,
I started taking a middle course of action so that everyone remains happy, but
gradually realised that my ideologies are all good, then why not set my life
on my terms, after all it’s my life and I will get this one life to fulfil my dreams
and not be a shadow to someone else’s dreams of how I should live my life.

Yesss…I did set my priorities straight, and took the reins of the new me -
turning it into a new YOU and delved into becoming a good mother, an
efficient wife, a good daughter/in-law, a supportive sister, a focused
educationist, etc. I felt whatever I do I should work on it with passion and zeal
and should never regret, whenever I look back on the life I led! That is how I
love the YOU in me and at the end of each day I retrospect on my own self
and feel satisfied with a life well lived for it is only one life we are entrusted
with, and it needs to be well looked after.

The best part of this self persona is being a mother and the educationist,
where I am able to be a friend and guide to so many young aspiring faces who
have so many dreams and so many ideas which they want to work upon, but
just need a reassuring signal that yesss you are in the right track…. Just go
ahead without fear! Appreciate the YOU within and walk confidently as this
world is all yours to make a mark as each one of us has something unique to
contribute, no matter what or who is the obstacle….

“ You are the one best thing that has happened to you
You have to tread a life on a canvas set anew
You have to print the iconic views
You are the only one who can nourish the YOU

By Dr. Banashree Bordoloi

 What does it mean to be a
middle child?
There are advantages and disadvantages of being a middle child.
I am a middle child and sometimes I like being a middle child as
I have both a small brother's love and a big sister's protection
but at the same time I wish to be a single child because I have to
tolerate my small brother's tantrums and my big sister's anger .
From my perspective I like being a middle child. I may not be
the oldest , nor the youngest, just somewhere in between, not
quite sure where to fit in.

I have seen that 85% of middle children are very naughty and I
am one of them. In my house out of the three of us I am always
blamed for every mistake as I am too small to do something and
too big to not do something. I always had to sacrifice as my
small brother is very stubborn and my big sister always
blackmails me . Whenever my sister and I fight, my mother says
that your big sister is very mature so it must be your fault and
when my brother and I fight my mother says that how can your
small brother fight with you it must be your fault that's why
sometimes I don’t like to be a middle [Link], I want to say that
you can't change your position from a middle child but if you
have the right spirit you can prove that being a middle child is
not the worst but its the actually the best.

- Chehak, VI D
 A human is like a blank slate,
Waiting to be filled with colours of the world.
Whether it is the vibrant yellow of joy
or the deep blue in the morning.
Each person is unique as our choices are.
In the end, life is nothing but a beautiful journey.

- Tejal
 UNSCRAMBLE
Let’s start by thinking about our problems and then us, followed by the Earth
above which there is a universe. But then? Is there anything beyond?

There are cosmologists who consider the universe to have different forms.
However, it is safe to say that there is literally nothing that is beyond this
universe at present. So is it possible that all our distractions, suffering,
problems are just mere blips?

When we think about ourselves, I believe self love is not skincare or the
perfect grades or just being “That person of your age”. Rather, I believe that it
is simply about accepting our flaws and imperfections. It is about
understanding ourselves which makes us feel complete. Contentment is the
real practice of well being.

Life is a roller coaster filled with lots of ups and downs. Wanting life to be
without any bumps is the same as choosing a black and white television over a
high definition one. However if the former makes you happy, then I support
you. Since it makes you happy, it is what matters the most.

Now, Pause.

Spare a second.

Drop a peek into your past.

Think about where you have reached. Start the journey from your past to your
present.

And finally, Take a deep breath and be confident. Look forward and be assured
that you will be able to succeed further.

-Priyangshi
LETTER FROM PRINCIPAL

It gives me immense pleasure to address everyone

once again through our News Letter Reverie which
gives students a golden opportunity to develop
their creative thoughts and imaginative self-
expression through their writings and visual art.

True education is that which blows the' conch of

knowledge' to release our minds from stale ideas
and conceptions. It is in fact like a breath of fresh
air- opening new vistas in helping each student
find his/her identity, meaning and purpose in life.

Time and tide waits for none. Today the world is

running at such a swift pace that there is no time
to stand and stare.
In one's effort to constantly achieve, one's
creativity is often sidelined. This NewsLetter will
give all an opportunity to give their best.
Congratulations to the Editorial team on your
new endeavour and first publication. May you
come out with many more.

- Ajanita Hazarika
 REVERIE
Edition #01
Editors-in-chief Vamika Singhal
Bhavya Sri

Graphic designers Priyal Agarwal

Palak Sovasaria
Sanya Agarwal
Toshani Konwar
Vedahi Das

Editorial Ishika Das

Pranamika Phukan
Jasnya Barman
Devangana Saha
Anamitra

(NOUN)

A state of being
pleasantly lost in
one's thoughts's;
A daydream.