Asmita Haq

There is one moment in each day when you are completely in control of your own destiny. It is the moment you first open your eyes in the morning, the instant the first thought of the day skitters through your brain. The very first thought sets the mood for the rest of the day.

It is only in this moment that life can be fully lived. It is only right now or today that I can hold my head high and forget my problems; I can smile and make everyone else's day better. It is only right now that I can enjoy the sunrise or feel the cold water against my skin. Just for today I can make a wish upon an eye lash, kiss a butterfly, Run barefoot over sandy beaches; make a statement loud and clear. But its sad even after knowing we could be happy from the little cute things that life offers us now and then. Sadly so many things go unnoticed.

Instead of being in this moment, we are often worrying about something we did yesterday or we are tensed about something we have to do tomorrow. We spend most of our time in morning away from our present to a time in future.

I am afraid I will fail in the test. What if I get a bad grade? What if he doesn't love me? What if she tells my secret? How would I act so stupid? What would he be thinking of me now. And so on...

That we sit and worry, and life on the other side is passing you by. I am not saying that we should not give time or thought to what we have done. Or we will do in future. There are many things which we should remember, or think about tings we now regret having done. We should try to overcome those mistakes that we made and try to find ways of correcting those mistake. We should start trying to focus on what we can do now.... in the present.

It is impossible to stop our mind from going into the past and racing towards the future. But there are things we can do to prevent ourselves from worrying about our past or stressing about the future. We can remind ourselves that the past can't be changed and the future can't be controlled. The only thing that is truly yours is right now.

One minute you're longing to be sixteen, and the next moment you're dying to have sixteen back. Best is, we should try to make as many new memories as can fit in our hearts. Just for today I will accept life's ups and downs, and know that they only make me stronger in the end. This moment is where everything important exists. This moment is the only things that is real! You really don’t want to miss it.

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With a view to developing teaching strategies that take the learners off the beaten track, the Shishu Medha Bikash Kendro, also known as the UCMAS Lalmatia Centre, organized a special all-day event for children at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Rayerbazar on January 10. The programme was based on the multiple-intelligence studies at Harvard University, USA, and focused on three different skill groups.

The first segment of the session focused on numeracy skills. The young participants displayed their mathematical acumen by performing basic calculations using an abacus.

The second segment was aimed at sharpening interactive skills, and had a Liberation War theme. Representing the '71 generation was journalist Zahid Reza Noor, who engaged the young ones in a lively discussion about the War, and Liberations, and the events occurring before and afterwards, which shaped the history of the country.

The third segment tested body smarts, and the participants were put through a series of aerobic exercises and sports activities to test their fitness level. This segment was supervised by yoga and aerobics expert Shishir Bindu.

The session concluded with Shamima Yasmin, the coordinator of the Centre, handing floral bouquets to the invited guests on behalf of the students and faculty at the Centre.

Note: The UCMAS Centre, which was inaugurated in July last year offers supplementary skill-building training for young learners.

For more information, contact shishumedhabikas@yahoo.com

RS Desk