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 A Shelter Beyond Survival By Nidhi Guglani There exists a space far removed from the chatter of malls, the comfort of homes, and the hurried pace of everyday life. It is a space occupied by the forgotten, the abandoned, the mentally fragile, and the physically broken—where 500 souls reside, stitched together by pain, memory, and the quiet rhythm of survival. In this home, people are not admitted—they are found. Lying naked on the streets. Covered in wounds and worms. Often barely alive. They are brought in from where humanity tends to look away. Some are blind. Some have polio. Some are mute. Some speak, sometimes even in English. Others live in a world entirely their own. Their expressions shift from joy to vacancy, from laughter to indifference, like clouds passing across an unsettled sky. There was once a man whose hands were rotting, alive with worms. And yet, each worm was taken out. With care. With patience. Today, his hand is healed. His life—perhaps still fragile—is...

  The Cost of Always Being Available by Nidhi Guglani Many of us find ourselves in a role we never really chose, but slowly grew into—the one who’s always there, always giving, always adjusting. Whether it’s at home, with friends, or at work, we become the ones who manage everything quietly. We offer help, take care of others, spend when needed, plan the details, and rarely ask for anything in return. And because we do it so often, people begin to expect it. It’s no longer seen as kindness—it’s just something we’re supposed to do. But the moment we step back or say, “I can’t do this anymore,” others get uncomfortable. Not because they didn’t see how much we were doing, but because they had grown used to it. It’s hard to explain the tiredness that comes not just from physical work, but from always being the one who gives—emotionally, financially, or just by being available. What makes it harder is the guilt. People who give easily often struggle to say no. The fear of disap...

Stories from the Classroom When Trouble Turns a Corner by Nidhi Guglani  “Every child has a story. Sometimes, all they need is someone willing to read between the lines.” Two months ago, my classroom felt like a storm I couldn’t calm. Among the many energies and temperaments I work with every day, one child stood out—not because of brilliance or charm, but because of the sheer disruption he caused. For over a year, this child had troubled not only his peers but several teachers. His behavior was erratic and unsettling—disrupting classes, using abusive language, forging teacher signatures in others’ notebooks, scribbling nonsense across desks and books, even tearing pages. The complaints would not stop. On one particular day, I remember being called out of the staff room five or six times, unable to sit down because yet another issue had surfaced. It wasn’t just exhausting—it was emotionally draining. But what disturbed me more was something I realized during an interaction with his...

  Beyond Rote: Listening to What Our Children Aren’t Saying by Nidhi Guglani I recently had a conversation with a parent who felt their child was suffocating under the pressure of rote learning. The curriculum didn’t seem logical or engaging, and the child had begun to withdraw, showing no willingness to take initiative or explore further. That made me pause and think — is the problem rooted in the system, the curriculum, or in us as teachers and parents? There’s no single answer to this; it’s subjective and multi-layered. Personally, I feel that even the existing content — if delivered with purpose and creativity — can become interesting for most children. The issue may not always be what is being taught, but how it’s being taught. At the same time, how will a child ever discover their interest in a subject if they aren’t first exposed to it properly? Take mathematics, for example. If a child says they dislike it, is it because they fear the subject itself, or are they scar...