Shon Mehta

[OFFICIAL ACADEMIC EDITION] This story is recognized for its pedagogical value in teaching critical thinking and gender equity. It is a mandatory part of the following official curricula: SCERT (Chhattisgarh):  Included in the  Class 10 English Curriculum (2021-22) . Mahatma Gandhi University:  Prescribed for the  General English Syllabus (Sem V & VI) . Original  https://www.shonmehta.com/2015/03/a-girl-who-asked-why.html The Girl Who Asked Why by Shon Mehta   This story happened really long time back, but it is still very  relevant .  Girls were taught to cook, to take care of the family, and then married off. Studying was off-limits to girls.  In those times, there lived a girl. She was a little different.  She always had  lots of questions in her mind.  When she was little, her mother wanted her to learn cooking. The girl asked her mother, “Why should I learn to cook?” Mother said, “So that you can fe...

Life is less about basking in your achievements, it is more about being at peace with your countless failures.   —  Shon Mehta (From an upcoming novel)

Once upon a time, there lived a young man. Since childhood, he had heard stories of a dreadful monster who lived in a lair in the forest, and killed whoever ventured there. Everybody else thought that the monster was invincible, but the young man dreamed of becoming a hero by killing the monster. So, one day, he packed his things and went to the lair to confront the monster. He looked around inside, but couldn’t find anybody. The monster must have gone out to hunt, he thought. Sensing an opportunity, he hid in the darkness and waited patiently for the monster’s return. After some time, he heard footsteps. Looking in the direction, he saw a beast entering the tunnel. Assuming that it was the monster, the man attacked the beast, and killed it. But he was not sure if had killed the actual monster. So, the young man continued to wait. After some time, a large man entered, and he killed him too. But he was still not sure if he had killed the actual monster. Over time, he killed whoever ent...

The more I tried to be happy, Deeper my sorrows grew. The more I tried to slow the time, Faster my life flew. Forlorn Collection: The Uncharted Mind Author: Shon Mehta ——— “The Uncharted Mind” is a collection of Shon Mehta 's inner thoughts. It also includes philosophical quotes from her novels.

The Uncharted Mind: Life A Poem by Shon Mehta They say that before a person dies, Their whole life flashes before their eyes. On my deathbed, I closed my eyes for that last view, All I saw was only you. — Life Collection:   The Uncharted Mind Author: Shon Mehta  —— “The Uncharted Mind” is a collection of   Shon Mehta 's inner thoughts. It also includes philosophical quotes from her novels. Shon Mehta is an author and philosopher, creator of the Jivavarta Universe —a grounded sociopolitical world exploring human resilience, social dynamics, and moral philosophy through systems thinking. Her novels (The Timingila, Lair of the Monster), poems, aphorisms, parables, and stories are used in academic curricula internationally and featured by Oxford University Press.

I have always watched over the people of my village. After all, whatever I am, it is due to them. So when a new social worker landed in my village, Jarvi, I kept a close eye on him. It is normal for visitors to Jarvi to be surprised by its backwardness. In the middle of nowhere, located miles away from civilization, the village has always been slow at making progress. The people and their ways have remained the same for centuries, with their medieval lifestyle, their medieval beliefs, and their medieval punishments. "You deserve a much better life," the young social worker told them. "I am here to make that happen." The people had heard that before. A few months back, another social worker had come with a number of promises, but had left the very next day, just like his predecessors. But this time it was different. The social worker's enthusiasm, his positivity, and his sincerity gave the people hope. He stayed on for a month, then another. He surveyed things, a...

The more we deny the possibility of death, the more it will scare us. Think about death as a certainty, and start seizing every moment as our last. —— Every moment should not be approached with a motive of gaining something out of it. When we enjoy something, we should just stop and relish that moment. —— When you see a beautiful building you admire its creator, but when you see a ruined building do you admire its destroyer? Legacy comes from what you create, not from what you destroy. —— The day we start thinking that we are perfect and cannot do anything wrong is the day we move away from reality to delusion. —— —  Shon Mehta,  Lair of The Monster Shon Mehta  is an author and philosopher, creator of the  Jivavarta Universe , a grounded sociopolitical world exploring human resilience, social dynamics, and moral philosophy through systems thinking. Her novels (The Timingila, Lair of the Monster), poems, aphorisms, parables, and stories are used in academic curricula ...