Raya's Realm

Today wasn’t just another college event. It was a think tank session, where ideas were meant to shape the future of the college and the well-being of its students. But somewhere between discussions and suggestions, something unexpected happened to me. We had a jamming session. And somehow… I was pushed to sing. That alone was enough to make my heart race. Singing in front of people has never been easy for me. Every time I try, my breathing betrays me. My voice trembles. My confidence slips away before I even reach the chorus. But today, I said yes. I decided to sing my own song,  The lost promise The moment I started, I could feel it. My voice shaking. My chest tightening. The fear was loud, louder than my own singing. I noticed it so clearly that I instinctively pulled the mic away, as if distance could hide my fear. For a second, I thought I would stop. But I didn’t have to face it alone. And then, my Professor stepped in and played the karaoke track of my song. And s...

What if every time we fall asleep, we don’t escape reality… but enter another one? What if the dreams we brush off as imagination are actually moments we lived, just not here? Maybe that place felt familiar not because you’ve been there… but because another you still is there. Every time I fall asleep, I don’t just dream, I become someone else. Sometimes a child, sometimes a stranger, sometimes someone older than I am now. And in those moments, it never feels strange. It feels normal, like that life is the one I’ve always known. I don’t question it. I live it. What’s even more unsettling is how familiar everything feels. Places I have never seen in my waking life appear so clearly, yet they don’t feel new. It’s like my world blends with something unknown. My college exists there too, but right next to it, there’s a waterfall I’ve never seen before… and yet, it feels like I’ve always known it. In those dreams, I don’t feel like I’m watching a story, I feel like I’ve been ass...

Imagine being woken up by your mom or dad, and the first thing you see is a set of numbers floating above their head: Anger: 80% | Kindness: 10% | Energy: 50% Congratulations. You’re in a game. Let me explain this real quick. You’re living in a world where numbers define everything, and every person has an emotional stat board displayed above their head, constantly changing with their mood. At first, it sounds fun. There’s no need to guess what someone feels or overthink their reactions. Everything is crystal clear. This is a world where emotions are kept in a glass jar, completely transparent. It actually feels helpful too. Imagine noticing your friend’s Energy: 12% even when they smile and say they’re fine. You wouldn’t have to wonder anymore, you’d know they’re struggling. Understanding someone’s mental state becomes easier, more direct.  But when we expand this idea to society as a whole, social media influencers, politicians, celebrities, things start to shift. The...

If something has a positive side, it also carries its own negatives. In many cases, the disadvantages can outweigh the advantages, making it difficult for such a system to sustain in this world. Firstly, I think society would fall into complete chaos. Without rules, everything would become unstable and disorganized. The economy itself would collapse because there would be no structure to regulate demand and supply, no fixed value for money, and no authority to maintain balance. People might start taking whatever they want without giving anything in return, which would completely destroy the concept of exchange and fairness. Along with economic collapse, social order would begin to break down. Even now, when laws and regulations exist, crime rates continue to rise in many places. This shows that rules, though not perfect, still play a crucial role in maintaining order. If everyone were allowed to act entirely according to their free will, without any restrictions, the situat...

This is a new question asked by my professor today, and I’ve never thought about it before. I’ve thought about what it would be like if I got the freedom I need, but not about the entire world gaining freedom. When I started thinking about this, a ton of thoughts came rushing into my mind like waves crashing onto the shore. I wouldn’t call my mind a golden shore though, more like just a handful of sand, because as they say in Tamil, katrathu kai mann alavu 😂. But in this blog, I’ve compiled a few of my thoughts about what would happen if it actually did. Firstly , I’ll be talking about the advantages of this. Of course, as you all know, the advantages are plenty, but the disadvantages might be even more. I would love to roam the entire world freely because I wouldn’t have to follow any rules, no collecting visas, no paying money for anything. Everything would be free. My dream is to visit every country on the planet, collect a piece of rock, sand, leaf, flower or anything unique from ...

We live surrounded by voices. Conversations fill our days, in classrooms, over calls, in passing moments with people we claim to know. Words are constantly reaching us, brushing against us, existing around us. And yet, somehow, something feels incomplete. Because hearing has become effortless. It happens without intention, without thought. But listening… listening is something we’ve slowly forgotten. There is a difference, a quiet but heavy one. Hearing is just sound. It is words entering our ears and leaving just as quickly. But listening is presence. It is choosing to stay, to understand, to feel what someone is trying to say beyond what they actually say. And somewhere between distractions and assumptions, we stopped doing that. We listen to reply. We listen to react. We listen while checking our phones, while thinking about what we’re going to say next, while forming judgments before the other person has even finished speaking. We catch words, but we miss meanings. And maybe that’s...