Maithily's Scribblings

Every year, we change the calendar and pretend life has magically refreshed itself. New dates. New year. Same alarm. Same routine. Same responsibilities waiting for us the very next morning. And honestly? That’s okay. Because a new year was never meant to change our lives overnight. It was meant to pause us—just for a moment—and ask us to look back. Think about this time last year. What were you worried about? What were you excited for? What did you promise yourself you’d “definitely do this year” ? Some things happened. Some didn’t. And that doesn’t make you lazy or unsuccessful—it makes you human. We often forget that even a race doesn’t begin without a signal. The clap. The whistle. The gunshot. The New Year is just that—a signal. Not pressure. Not judgment. Just a sound saying, “Whenever you’re ready, begin.” You’ve already run one full lap called last year. You’ve learned where you slowed down, where you rushed, where you almost gave up, and where you surprised you...

 Parent–Teacher Meetings. Three letters that still make my heart race. When I was a kid, PTMs were never a good day for me. I was an average—sometimes below-average—student, and every meeting followed the same script. Teachers would patiently explain that I needed to work harder. They were kind, mostly. But what waited for me at home was another story altogether. Once we returned, everything I loved was taken away. No TV time. No snacks. No family time. I was isolated with books and expectations, and that routine continued until the next PTM—where the cycle would repeat again. At one point, my teachers themselves started worrying about PTMs. If I failed, I’d be yelled at in school, in front of other parents. If I just managed to pass with bare minimum marks, I’d still be yelled at. That’s something teachers usually discourage, but it happened anyway. And the worst part? Once the PTM was over, the teasing began. Students would talk about how my parents reacted. How I st...