Shrinika Neethi

 Hello and welcome to the 2nd episode of Mythology and Science, in which I narrate stories from Indian and Greek mythology and their scientific implications. Mythological stories explain the complex of ideas to the simplest of people. While it takes you on a fantastic ride it also drives home the point. In this video, I’m going to tell you one such story. The Saptarishis or the seven sages were the first to learn Yoga from Lord Shiva. One of them was chosen by the Lord to be of service in southern India, that is sage Agastya or Agathiyar. He was short and stout and the most knowledgeable of the Saptarishis. He compiled the grammar of Tamil which is one of the oldest classical languages in the world. He also wrote many verses of the Rig veda along with his wife Lopa Mudra. When you are so awesome and grounded, there will always be someone around to make sure you get into trouble. Such a person was sage Narada, the gossip monger of the cosmos. He decided to have some fun and paid ...

 Do you like listening to mythological stories? They were fantastic entertainers in our childhood, right? But did you know that they contain layers of knowledge and wisdom in them? As a grown up, it is even more interesting to peel each layer and discover the hidden meanings and concepts.    Hello and Welcome to the 1st Episode of Mythology and Science. I will narrate wonderful stories from Greek and Indian mythology and also explain their amazing scientific implications.   Click on the link below to enjoy this content in video format https://youtu.be/WmQ0nkpH3mc You can also subscribe to my youtube channel 'Balancing Act' to watch more such exciting stories. Now it’s story time. STORY Once upon a time in Greece, there lived a young boy called Phaeton. His father was Helios, the Sun God and His mother was Clymene, a water nymph on earth. Helios had the job of perpetually riding his chariot of fire around the earth. Hence, he could never make time to visit his family....

Swami Vivekananda, during his stay in Boston, was asked by an American woman as to why he does not wear proper clothes like a gentleman; to which he replied, “In your culture, the tailor makes a gentleman. In my culture, character makes a gentleman”. Indisputably, good character is the primordial quality of a gentle man; but being a part of the fashion fraternity I strongly believe that the clothes you wear say a lot about who you are. Fashion is simply a form of creative self expression. Does that mean clothes too have a character? How do we judge whether our clothes are of good character?    We mostly base our choice of clothing on factors like how well it enhances our appearance, how high it can place us in the social hierarchy and how easy it is on our wallets. In any case, we take only ourselves into consideration. In reality, from farming to retailing, there are a lot more factors concerning and affecting the clothes, eg. the raw materials, the space and land, and the wo...

The pandemic and lockdown  pushed us into an alternate lifestyle that we wouldn't have thought of in our wildest imagination, one peculiar aspect of that was the online classes. The following article sums up my experience with my son and his homework in the times of Covid 19.  I spoke this in a Humorous Speech Contest on October 2020 and won the 2nd place. Do any of you know what Devwahrphobia is? It is the fear/ aversion towards homework. I’m a devwahrphobic and was averse to the conventional methods of schooling. All the rote learning, class work and homework devoured my happiness. I’d tell mother, “I know I’m a genius, I don’t have to prove it to anyone. Einstein was a school dropout for God’s sake!” And she’d furiously say, “The only similarity between you and him is the hairstyle! Silly girl. You are so privileged; you won’t understand the pain of those who can’t go to school”. Every day was an ordeal. But do you know what is worse than doing your homework? It is gettin...

  The following piece was my Ice breaker speech in Toastmasters International, a club to hone our public speaking skills. This  is an introduction of me as on September 13th, 2020. No Man Is An Island   Poet John Devon says, “No Man is an Island, entire of itself “, he talks about how we all are interconnected. There is a lot of talk about equality and empowerment in the society these days. Of course, we are all equal but we are not the same. The unique characteristics that differentiate us from each other are what make us equally important; and playing our differences to our advantage is what empowers us. As social animals, we all are a mixture of introversion and extroversion in varying degrees. How many of you here are Introverts? How many of you are extroverts? How many are not sure? Chances are you are an Ambivert – an equal mix of both. I am an Ambivert, at times I balance both simultaneously and other times I dangle between the two. This is what makes me unique. I...

  This is a sample article that I had written for an organization's employee training course. I am posting this here because this is a topic that everyone can remind themselves about, especially the teens and tweens. Our choice to do or not to do a certain activity depends on the effect it has on us. We do the things that make us feel good and beneficial for us; and we don’t do the things that can bring harm to our well being. When we ask whether spending time in social media is beneficial or harmful to us, we cannot answer in a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.    Social media helps us connect with people anywhere in the world with just a click of button. Apps like Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram etc. allows us to stay updated about the lives of our friends and family and vice versa. Having a good LinkedIn profile helps us network with people in our respective fields and tell them about our accomplishments/ capabilities. It is because of such comforts that Social Media has become an...

 * This is the eulogy I wrote on 10th March, 2019,  for my maternal grandfather who passed away on 1st Feb, 2019. Thatha and Me, 1986 It’s my 34 th birthday today and until last year,I used to share it with a man who has affected me in a profound measure. He is my role model, inspiration, guru and grandfather, a GRAND MAN – K.R.T. Thatha. My ‘Ammamma veedu’ was just a stone’s throw away from my home. As a toddler, I was playing in the verandah with my kitchen set. Someone ran at the cue of the car horn, to open the front gate. As the Premier Padmini arrived at the portico, the conversations of the family members and bickering of domestic helpers dumbed down as an acknowledgment to his presence. My grandfather composedly gets out of his car, adjusts his veshti and proceeds towards the house. With an instant dash of excitement, he says, “ Eyyyyyyy……. Sinna kuttyyyyyyyy”, acknowledging my presence and participates in my pretend luncheon. *————-* My elder mama was the swaggiest of...