Growing up in a Bengali household we have all come across weird theories about food that our grandmothers and mothers told us. Starting from keeping ghosts away with garlic to predicting your exam results, Bengalis love to blame or credit their food habits for what happens in their life.

In the past couple of years, the world has taken a huge paradigm shift. Through globalisation and changing mindsets, a lot is being spoken about today that was considered taboo even a decade ago. Be it feminism, menstrual hygiene, mental health, environmentalism, body positivity or even the drawbacks of the education system.

Imagine how comfortable it would be to possess some divine powers that hold you tight with the assurance of school hours being bearable for you. You could resort to them at your own urgency (or pleasure) and bask in the blessings they are meant to bring.

Whether you're giving an exam with no preparation or you're stuck inside a lift on the fifteenth floor, panicking is inevitable. It is human nature to feel the dismay whenever one is stuck in such situations. Under such circumstances, you'll come face to face with people who react to the impending problems each in their own way.

Whether it's your A-level exam or just a simple coaching mock, you're bound to meet a wide variety of people with hugely contrasting mentalities right before you sit for one. Some of them you'll hate, others you'll love because you find them so relatable; either way, you better get used to them –

Many fanbases are so bad at being fans that they might make you, a neutral observer, dislike the object of their fixation before you even know what it is. The worst are highlighted below, and I apologise in advance if you find any similarities with your own actions. I didn't want you to find out like this.

Thirteen years of school. Two years of college. That is 5475 days of our lives spent trying to get good enough grades to get to a good university, which in turn will get us a good job.

With Eid-ul-Azha upon us, it's time for Cow Marketing 101.

Growing up is the worst. It is quite ironic how going back to the horror of the “what's-happening-to-my-body” phase actually sounds quite appealing once you are well past it. Alas, there is no going back.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” — the one question that plagued our childhoods. Somewhere along the line, the answers changed from becoming an astronaut to becoming a doctor who does charity work on the side to even more elaborate, albeit comparatively tamer, plans of where to study for university and picking out a major that has lesser odds of resulting in unemployment.

As people around are becoming more individualistic, the culture of moving out to live alone is gaining momentum, especially in students pursuing higher education.

I've always been fascinated with colouring my hair vivid colours. I admired the people with electric blue or bold violet hair. I was amused by people who changed their hair colour every week or every month.

The onset of Eid-ul-Azha brings forth a season filled with excitement, merriment, respect, and charity. Family members and friends alike come out and enjoy the festivities (mainly the food) and with it begins the waves of social events and dawats.

Balancing work and play can be quite the challenge for those of us who prefer the former over the latter. The rush that we get from a job well done is quite inexplicable to those who don't hold the same values.

Ah, monsoon. Who doesn't love free swimming lessons every time you leave your house. Wading through knee-deep brown water is every little boy and girl's dream, and your buddy monsoon has it covered.

Take a moment to pick a book, preferably in English. Then, search “*name of your book* review” on Google. One of the very first things you'll see are the ratings on a website called “Goodreads”, the Facebook of books.

A few weeks ago, I came across a podcast called “The Science of Happiness”. The host Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology, brought in “happiness guinea pigs” in each episode, which were essentially people who shared their experiences after partaking in one of the practices that the website “Greater Good in Action” had in store.

With competitions or group projects limiting the number of members a team can have, the first decision you have to make and the problem you have to face is deciding who gets into the team and who doesn't.

Try not to get hit by all the sentiments listening to November Rain. At least wait till November rolls around.

I was inspired to write an ode to potatoes honestly because I am shaped like one. Being potato-shaped, however, is nothing to be ashamed of since when it comes to cooking, potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables out there.