The International Sand Art Festival is a one of its kind festival organized at the Chandrabhaga beach of Konark in Odisha from December 1 to December 5. This 5 day extravaganza features sand artists from many countries who compete with the best Indian artists for the title. Its a remarkable cultural event held along with the Konark Dance Festival and is organized by Odisha Tourism to provide an impetus to tourism in Odisha. Thousands of people visit every year to witness sand artists showcasing their talent and creating masterpieces with sand. During this 5 days, there are 5 different themes and the artists are required to change the sculpture every day as per the theme. 

I had the opportunity to visit the sand art festival in 2017 and see the brilliant artists in action. The theme for the day was “Buddhist Heritage”

http://soulesplanade.com/2017/12/02/konark-international-sand-art-festival-2017/

A little boy went to his old grandpa and asked, “What’s the value of life?”

The grandpa gave him a stone and said, “Find out the value of this stone, but don’t sell it”.

The boy took the stone to an Orange seller and asked him what its cost would be. The Orange seller saw the shiny stone and said, “You can take 12 Oranges and give me the stone”. The boy apologized and said that his grandpa has asked him not to sell it.

He went ahead and found a vegetable seller. ”What could be the value of this stone?” he asked the vegetable seller. The vegetable seller saw the shiny stone and said, “Take one sack of potatoes and give me the stone”. The boy again apologized and said he can’t sell it.

Further ahead, he went into a jewelry shop and asked the value of the stone. The jeweler saw the stone under a lens and said, “I’ll give you 1 million for this stone”. When the boy shook his head, the jeweler said, “Alright, alright, take these three 24 karat gold necklaces and give me the stone”. The boy explained that he can’t sell the stone.

Further ahead, the boy saw a precious stone’s shop and asked the seller the value of the stone. When the precious stone’s seller saw the big ruby, he lay down a red cloth and put the ruby on it. Then, he walked in circles around the ruby and bent down and touched his head in front of the ruby. “Where did you bring this priceless ruby from?” He continued, ”Even if I sell the whole world, and my life, I won’t be able to purchase this priceless stone”.

Stunned and confused, the boy returned to his grandpa and told him what had happened. He asked his grandpa, “Now tell me, what’s the value of life grandpa?”.

The Grandpa said, “The answers you got from the Orange seller, Vegetable seller, the Jeweler and the Precious stone’s seller explains the value of our life….You may be a precious stone, even priceless, but, people will value you based on their intellectual status, their level of information, their belief in you, their motive behind entertaining you, their ambition, their risk taking ability and ultimately their caliber. So, don’t fear, you will surely find someone who will discern your true value”.

Moral: Respect yourself. You are rare, unique, original and the only one of your kind.

There was a man who made his living by selling balloons at a fair. He had balloons of many different colors including red, yellow, blue and green. Whenever business was slow, he would release a helium-filled balloon into the air. When the children saw the balloon go up, they all wanted one.

They would come up to him, buy a balloon and his sales would go up. All day, he continued to release a balloon whenever the sales slowed down.

One day, the balloon man felt someone tugging at his jacket. He turned around and a little boy asked, “If you release a black balloon, Would that also fly?” Moved by the boy’s concern, the man replied gently, “Son, it is not the color of the balloon, it is what’s inside that makes it go up.”

Moral: The same principle applies to our lives, It’s what’s inside that counts. And what’s inside of us that makes us go up is our attitude.

A mother and a baby camel were lying around under a tree. Then the baby camel asked, “Why do camels have humps?”

The mother camel considered this and said, “We are desert animals so we have the humps to store water so we can survive with very little water.”

The baby camel thought for a moment then said, “Ok…why are our legs long and our feet rounded?” Mother camel replied, “They are meant for walking in the desert.”

The baby paused for a while and then asked, “Why are our eyelashes long? Sometimes they get in my way. Mama responded, “Those long thick eyelashes protect your eyes from the desert sand when it blows in the wind.

Later the baby thought and thought. Then he said, “I see. So the hump is to store water when we are in the desert, the legs are for walking through the desert and these eye lashes protect my eyes from the desert then why in the Zoo?”

Moral: Skills and abilities are only useful if you are in the right place at the right time. Otherwise they go to waste.

What is STEM?

STEM is a loose definition of education and related careers that focus on four areas of study: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. By combining and emphasizing these four disciplines, the hope is that students will have a greater chance of achievement and the nation will be able to fill a perceived gap in these areas.

Science

The sciences can cover a wide range of fields, from biology to astronomy to physics. These careers are complex but because of their broad-ranging and diverse topics, science brings in people of all types, from people fascinated by tiny insects to those who want to learn more about the galaxy.
 
Examples of STEM fields that are heavy with science:

• Biomedical engineering
• Chemical engineering

RECOMMENDED: Purdue University.
 

Technology

Technology is another broad term. Your coffee maker is a form of technology, as is the smartphone in your purse and the industrial crane in a commercial construction zone.
 
Examples of STEM careers that are heavy with technology:

• Software developer
• Database administrator
• Data management
  
  RECOMMENDED: Capella University.
   

Engineering

Although technology and engineering are somewhat synonymous, engineering is often seen as the design and construction of large, complex structures, such as buildings, computer networks, and ships.

STEM fields that are heavy with engineering:

• Civil engineer
• Industrial engineer
  
  RECOMMENDED: Kansas State University.
   

Math

It’s all in the numbers. Math involves calculations from simple to complex that help make predictions and solve problems. While some deal with it more than others, all STEM fields will involve math in some form.

STEM jobs that are heavy with math:

• Statistician
• Mathematician

Link

https://www.geteducated.com/careers/stem-majors

“Once, two grains were lying side by side on the fertile soil. The first grain said: “I want to grow up! I want to put down roots deep into the ground and sprout from the ground. I dream to blossom in delicate buds and proclaim the coming of spring. I want to feel the warm rays of sun and the dew drops on my petals!”

This grain grew up and became a beautiful flower.

The second grain said: “I’m afraid. If I will put down my roots into the ground, I don’t know what they will face there. If I will grow tender stems, they can be damaged by wind. And if there will be flowers, they may be disrupted. So I’d rather wait for the safer time.

The second grain was waiting, while the chicken that passed by pecked it.

Moral: If you have your dream in your mind, do something with it. The first small step you take will make a great difference. If you just wait for the perfect condition and keep worrying about what obstacles you may face, you’ll end up doing nothing and dream will die.

Experience the Beautiful world through #GalleryofSoorya

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton