Gol cease your gappe!

India’s Beloved Paani Puri Narrates Its Spicy Tale

 Manvi Yadav, AIS Gurugram 46, XII I

Camera rolls and starts recording - Hello! I am Chaatpur’s most wanted criminal, and this is my confession. But, before that, “Golu beta, go fetch me my aloo wali bindi from my purse. And the beetroot lipstick! The CBI (Chaat Bureau of Investigation) cameraman is going to click my side profile after this.” Right, where was I? Pranam ji - that’s the local greeting of where I’m from - Magadha in Bihar. I am Golgappa - your favourite chaat order - naam to suna hi hoga! Or you may know me by my aliases, such as paani puri, paani patashi, phulki, paani ke batashe, puchka, pakodi, or gup chup.
I have been convicted for being the most scrumptious delicacy of India. Not really bragging but the legends of my glory date all the way back to the Mahabharata, in one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of India - Magadha. Draupadi was left with some potato sabzi and just enough wheat dough to make one puri but had to cook a meal in order to satisfy the hunger of all five of her husbands. And then (mai hu Don plays in the background) a suji star was born! Even the Greek historian Megasthenes and the Chinese Buddhist pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang joined my fan following and mentioned me in their accounts of India (speaking of that, do not forget to follow me @mai apni favourite hu).
Here we are centuries later, and I remain as popular as ever, keeping up with all your GenZ trends. Don’t even get me started on the stunts I pull in Nagpur - being the Fire Pani Puri, I hold life by its neck, or rather by its suji as I’m being stuffed with aloo and more spices than one can imagine. Later, I’m topped with gulkand before being lit on fire!
When I visit Tamil Nadu, I take the form of Sambhram Kadumanga Paani Puri. It’s a new disguise I came up with. I established my very own Achaar Business and began investing in the Puchka Stocks combining Kerala buttermilk with mango pickle (lots of scope in this biz). In the Banaskantha district of Gujarat, I was the first of my kind to launch the Contactless Paani Puri ATM, where we serve paani puri Gujju style - sometimes with Gujarati Kadhi. I recently collaborated with The Kettlery in Mumbai and now I serve over 75 flavours of chai in crisp suji balls to energise every customer who walks through the door. I don’t blame them; there’s no other chaat like me. Well, I am a global star. Google India celebrated my popularity by creating a doodle in my honour. My fame has also taken me to Amrricaa. I was all dressed up in my Banarasi saree to meet Joe (Biden, not Jonas) and he loved me so much that I am now an official item on reception menu of The White House! Oh and…*Purse begins to vibrate* Good God! That must be my husband. I told him to wait in the Puri Cart downstairs while the CBI was done being so dramatic - mera kya zurm mai hu hi itni chatpati!

Forgiving & ForgetTing

Brain’s Tug Of War Between Closure And Clarity

Endri Agrawal, AIS Saket, Alumna

The art of forgiving and forgetting is often easier said than done - a never-ending saga, if you will. Who hasn’t faced the wrath of their parents after forgetting to do something trivial, like taking the milk off the stove or defrosting frozen food? Our memories can deceive us, and when they do, we’re often met with stern lectures about responsibility. Most of us have at least once believed the lie - “I’ll remember, no need to write it down.” Spoiler alert - We don’t remember. We forgive ourselves for the lapse, promising to remember the next time, only for the cycle to repeat.
But, as we grow older, the concept of forgiveness becomes more layered. When we’re wronged, anger is often our first reaction. But amid the fury, self-blame tends to creep in too - we ask ourselves why we were so naïve. It’s this internal struggle that makes ‘forgive and forget’ a complicated ideal. Why should we forgive when revenge feels so much more satisfying? The answer lies in the freedom that forgiveness offers. It’s not about excusing the wrong, but about granting yourself closure and moving on. Studies even show that the act of forgiveness improves happiness by 27%.
Consider the case of Nelson Mandela. After 27 years of imprisonment, Mandela chose forgiveness over vengeance. When he was released, instead of seeking revenge, he advocated for unity and peace, proving the power of forgiveness to heal not just individuals but entire nations.
Forgetting, however, is another beast entirely. It’s easy to forget little things - like a notebook for class or an anniversary gift, but emotionally heavy events are much harder to forget. Our brains function like computers, storing every important memory, especially the bad ones. These memories stay with us, not because we want them to, but because our brain processes them as lessons to prevent future harm.
While you might not want to revisit these utterly painful memories too often, learning to let go is indeed essential. As hard as it is to forget, once we forgive, the weight of the memory begins to lighten. You won’t need a ‘burn book’ to keep your past learnings, just a heart ready to forgive, and, with time, forgetting might just follow eventually.
(Endri is pursuing BA from
Ashoka University, Haryana)