Normally you are 16 or 17 when you are in high school. Two years in your high school are very important for the rest of your life. It is the time when you have to decide who you want to be. And if you have an aim to be financially independent then it’s the best time to start investing. You are young and you have time to learn, experience and see the magic of compounding. Youth is the greatest financial asset available. The more time you have to let your money grow, the more wealth-building potential you have. So, start budgeting early, and get in the habit of saving and investing before you spend.

At the time you are in high school, your expenses are certainly low. And if it is not low then there are easy ways to cut off your pointless expenses. Just like, you can get food from home and save your canteen fee. You can ask your seniors for the books or borrow them from the library and save the high amount in books, which I personally did. So take advantage and save as much money as you possibly can. When you start saving and think of investing, you will slowly develop a risk-bearing ability because you have more time to ride out financial storms and slumps. Once you start trading and see the power of consistent investing, you are never going to stop. To get habitual with it, you can set a monthly target to invest a certain amount. By doing so, you can even control your spending habits.

High school students also get a chance to participate in many competitions in the field of robotics, technology, literature, entrepreneurship etc. that are happening in +2 colleges, and generally, they provide a heavy cash prize for the winners. It’s enough if you grabbed one or two prizes in a month. And if you invested that money wisely you could see the power of compounding and leave your money to grow. For example: on 2016/06/28, the cost of one unit share of Salt Trading Corporation Limited ( STC) was 215 and as of now its value is more than 12000 (Data taken from sharesansar.com). So, if you had 50 units of STC on 2016 A.D. for 10725, its value on today’s date would be more than 17 lakhs by adding its yearly dividend. It’s not true for every company but there are still few companies whose current value is low and have a high probability of growing big. You have to have your research and get a mentor who can guide you well in investing.

By doing so, you can have a little experience that could add value to your future journey of investing. Moreover, there is no substitute for experience. So, why not start enlarging that experience at a young age? On high school days, you can form a good financial habit while others are getting into drugs and falling into a relationship. Thus, it’s a good chance to stand out from the crowd and cultivate good, prosperous, wealth-building habits. If you start investing from a young age, you will be securing your financial future. Besides that, you are avoiding a lot of problems that come when you are financially unprepared.

If you are thinking of investments that could beat inflation and also give you good returns, investing in the stock market could be one of the best options. The stock market, when properly understood, can help you make a lot of money, but you can also lose all your money if you invest randomly without knowing the nature of the market. You have time to learn the basics of the stock market and the individual companies forming the market. Before you get into the market, have detailed information on how the market functions, what affects the market most, how the money increases and so on. It is also advised to understand the financial terms and definitions such as PE ratio, ROE, EPS, and even technical and fundamental analysis for proper stock selection. Most importantly, rules and taxes aren’t to be forgotten. You should invest in the stock market only after getting the basic knowledge about it and as per your financial goals.

People lose money in the markets because they simply jump to the market without understanding the economic and investment market cycles You always have to keep in mind that the stock market is not a money-making tree. These days we commonly hear our friends and relatives making a good amount on the stock market and it has been a kind of trend to talk about the stock market. And if you entered the market just to remain in the mainstream fashion, you have landed in for the wrong reason.

However, I completely understand that it’s hard to get excited about investing at this early age as there is not much short-term joy but trust me your future self will thank you for starting early. Besides, if you don’t start investing now, you’ll be looking back on years of financial opportunity wasted. Hence, have control over your emotion and hold a realistic expectation on the shares you own. And, take a step toward wealth, and start investing early.

“There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”In a general context, Humanity means extending unconditional love kindness, and respect, not only for the human species but also towards the other beings with which we share this planet. Humanity is the special quality that separates humans from other living things. But being human does not mean that an individual possesses humanity. The quality of humanity in an individual can be determined by perceiving what he does for people who give noting back in return to the favour they have offered.

Turning the pages of history, we can study many cruel acts performed by humans, but at the same time, we find countless deeds of humanity by some great people. Their thoughts have created a huge impact on the world we live in today. Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and so on have shown the most gigantic examples of humanity. Their ways of life have taught us and are still teaching to the future generation so that they can understand what it means to be a human. They are the ones to prove stronger people stand up for others.

It is necessary to understand the importance of humanity in our day-to-day lives. In addition, it is vital to recognize one important fact; an individual’s life is successful not by the number of degrees he or she attains but by the degree of humanitarian activities that individual is into on a day-to-day basis. Humanity is caring for and helping others whenever and wherever possible. Humanity means helping others at times when they need that help the most, humanity means forgetting your selfish interests at times when others need your help.

Aiding the economically weak and the disabled people is the greatest humanitarian help an individual can provide in his or her lifetime. The world remembers a person for his or her good deeds and it is essential to understand that there is no better deed than providing services for humanitarian causes. If God has made us humans there has to be some reason behind it. Only human beings can understand the importance of humanity. One does not need a heavy bank account to contribute towards humanitarian activities. Paying your domestic help fairly is also humanity.

As the world is moving ahead, the very meaning of humanity is slowly been corrupted. An act of charity shouldn’t be performed with thoughts or hopes of any personal gain of any form; may it be fame, money or power. Who are we as human beings if we ignore the suffering of others? Humanity comes from the most selfless act and the compassion one has. People can easily achieve fame through the work they do. And, everyone must know that humanity is the mother of all religion. In addition, no moral value is greater than humanity.

In this growing age of technology and capitalism, we are in desperate need to spread humanity and make everyone realize its importance for making this planet a better place to live. Global warming, the risk of communicable diseases, pollution, extinction of species every day could be controlled only if the future generation and we understand the meaning of HUMANITY. Moreover, Humanity acts as a bridge of friendship and unity among the people around the globe. Building such a strong bond will always help us to overcome every problem we face as we are facing the pandemic effect of the corona virus now. As soon as we understand the significance of humanity in everyday life, the motive for which we are on this planet is automatically fulfilled.

We have been on national lockdown since March 24, 2020. It was a sudden decision of the government as the precaution of the novel coronavirus. Once the lockdown was professed, the whole region seemed to suddenly wake up. I was quite happy with the government’s decision despite hearing about it just a day before lockdown. We had already seen the consequences of neglecting this deadly virus in some of the developed countries of Europe and China.

The Nepalese government has also instructed its citizens to stay at home and be on self-isolation. There needs to be a strong reason for moving outside the house. A home is a powerful place for all of us, and its presence feels particularly acute right now. I live in Balkot (a small town in Bhaktapur district)—the kind of place where everyone knows each other. There is something comforting and safe about being here. Maybe it's the fact the place itself is less populated and the community is small with some greenery. People living here are taking good care of their health by keeping distance, refusing to handshakes, forming orderly queues at the store, and so on. Moreover, Municipality has also done some praiseworthy stuff like spreading chemicals to kill the germs on the street and public places.

Few days of lockdown was interesting as we were spending good time with family, watching movies, playing cards, video calls to relatives and so on. Having a lofty rooftop is also a blessing; we could enjoy the beautiful sunrise and sunset. Besides, we can play games and relish the warm sun during the daytime. Boosting friend’s old photos on social media and playing Ludo has become a new trend these days. It is weird but entertaining.

These days, a big query in the minds of youngsters today revolves around the topic of our education. Though it is hard for us to relax and keep our eyes away from the screens instead of reading course books. Many students are blessed to be studying in schools that have hosted online classes and brought education into their homes. On the one hand, some students still have board exam left to take, with no clarity on when they will take place. Teachers, who are the very foundation of educational institutions, have been encouraging students to use this time more productively, by picking up new hobbies and spending valuable time with the family.

The novel coronavirus has brought about numerous variations in many activities and dimensions of our lives. The quarantine situation has turned out to be a curse for teenagers who are unable to meet their friends or go out to play. From behaviour to routines, it has conquered every activity of everyday life. One thing, however, remains irreplaceable i.e. screen time. With situations compelling us to be indoors these days, most teens and many adults are forced to depend on gadgets to keep themselves engaged. Even spending time with homies, we exchange a word or two occasions as we are busy with our phone.

Research demonstrates that the average teenager spends 7 hours and 22 minutes looking at the screen daily. With the strict lockdown all over the world, this number will significantly rise. Teenagers and adults now have a greater need for gadgets these days. As per scientific experiments and past experiences, it will not be wrong to say that raised screen time is the cause of many misfortunes. The common ills of anxiety, depression and irritation, all are caused by high screen time. Even educated adults and elderly people are hesitating to keep the phone aside these days. They now use their hours to explore the limitless world of technology.

A few decades ago, the mass entertainer and educator of the world were books. Books should stop being treated like a stepchild and must be given some love. They are, after all, man’s best friend. No one is required to read fat, bulky encyclopaedias. One can start by reading articles on topics that interest them, be it sports, politics, robotics, entertainment, discoveries, etc. Search for renowned and established books for your age and read a chapter, a day and slowly you can cultivate a beautiful habit.

Though we had been fortunate enough not to be the observer of any of the World Wars, going outside during the times of this pandemic is not less than entering a battleground. We are growing a habit of leaving our house armed with the strongest weapons of (viral) destruction i.e. sanitizers and masks. It almost seems certain that the fight against coronavirus is a long one, so instead of getting lost in the cloud of sadness, let us see its pros — Nature has pressed the pause button temporarily to help us rediscover ourselves, our hidden talents and explore all the things which we dug under our academic load.

However, the coronavirus has made one thing clear i.e. nothing is above the power of the universe. The world had caused so much misbalance in natural ecosystems by human activities and now Mother Nature is slowly recovering. And it’s amazing to see nature bouncing back. Moreover, we must be grateful for being able to see our loved ones while bounded by the lockdown rules and able to be somewhat productive at home. Therefore, we can say that technology has been a saviour for us in many ways. Ultimately, we should be thankful to see food on our plate and remember each loss is compensated by learning.

It was a real pleasure to win a “Line Following Robot Competition” in HEX-2019, organized by the Himalayan College of Engineering. Receiving a prize of NRs 5,000, certificates, medals and many good vibes roared my excitement to the fullest extent, but also we won the competition amongst the participants from various engineering colleges. Moreover, it was one of the huge achievement in my college life. We were a team of four members- Bishal, Manju and Sudha along with me representing VS Niketan College.

We were very excited and enthusiastic from the beginning of the competition. We started making robot 10 days before the competition. It was not so easy all the time for us to get the required equipment, go out of the college often to buy materials. We spent a couple of days making a base of the robot, as we had to stick to the rules and dimensions given by the organizing committee. It was my first project dealing with Arduino, so it was difficult for us to handle the coding part. We had to go through many technical issues but thanks to the help of our seniors-, we managed to overcome them. Eventually, it was such fun that seeing our robot did the same as what we wanted.

There was only a day remaining when the organizing committee released the track, which our robot should follow. We were shocked to see the track as it was completely different and complex than we anticipated. However, we did not give it up; we tried many tricks to make our robot complete the given track. We had Nirjan sir to support us. We made the track in our college’s auditorium hall for practice. We were so eventful that none realized it was already 8:00 pm. Bishal and I went to my home and changed the entire coding we had done before. We worked until late at night and did our best.

Finally, the day (13th Ashad, 2076) arrived when we had to demonstrate our talent amongst the audiences. All of us were proud to be a part of that. We were there with strong confidence and preparation but still, we could not be sure for the first position. In addition, we were lucky to get brothers from the engineering level who advised us with some tips to make our robot the best and win the title. Then it was time to compete, we had competitors from both +2 level and engineering level. We were so glad to know that our robot completed the full track in the least time and declared as a winner of the competition!!