Kisholoy is produced by youth members of Ananda Mandir The articles, drawing or photographs of this magazine are copyrighted and should not be reproduced in any other forms without the consents of the owners.
We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the followings:
Drawing: cover - Anooshka Sen (age 8), Inside- Aarohee Dhara (age 7), Ahana Roy (age 9)
Editorial: Dipak K. Sarkar, Utpal Sengupta, Sudipta Bhanja Choudhury
Magazine Composer: Dipak K. Sarkar
For information about the Kisholoy – contact Dipak K. Sarkar via email (Dipakksarkar@hotmail.com).
Picture Gallery
Drawing of Ahana Roy (age 9)
Drawing of Aarohee Dhara (age 7)
Arohee’s friend’s favorite animal is Polar Bear. So, she drew this picture on her friend’s birthday to give her a virtual surprise. Covid changed the world a lot.
- The End –
The World Around You
By Auroni Sen (age 11)
As I step outside, I can hear the soft buzzing in the trees
As I start to move closer, it becomes louder And then I see one
On the ground Laying still Watching me
With it’s glowing red eyes I carefully move around it And after I pass it It lifts up it's wings And flies up into the air
And I watch
As it goes higher and higher
Until it's gone
Darcy Botts and the Missing Bracelet
By- Anshini Biswas (age 11)
It was a chilly autumn afternoon. Everyone in the fifth grade of Lakeback Middle School was excited, because it was time for Olivia's birthday party, Olivia’s birthday party might sound normal to you, but it is a big deal to a lot of people in Lakeback Middle School. Everyone in Ms. McGill's class agrees that Olivia’s birthday parties are the most fun and unique. Last year she had her birthday party at a carnival, and the year before that she had a party at the local zoo. However, Amelia for some reason didn't like Olivia’s birthday parties that much. No one really knew why and whenever someone asked her, she never gave a clear answer. Some people thought it might be because they aren't exactly known to be the best friends.
The day before Olivia's birthday, everyone in the class was bursting with excitement.
At lunch Tanya was the one who started talking about it. “I can't wait for your birthday party Olivia!”, she said.
“Thank you”, Olivia said with a smile, “I'm excited as well.”
“What are we going to do this year?” Finn asked curiously.
“It's a surprise”, Olivia winked.
“Alright,” Finn replied, “we’ll know soon” .
A few hours later school was finally over, and everyone in Ms. McGill's class looked very happy.
The next day for Olivia’s birthday party, everyone arrived at the address that was in the invitation, and when they arrived they found what the surprise was all about. This year Olivia's parents arranged her birthday party on a boat that they rented for a few hours.
On the boat there were different games and activities for the kids. Everyone excitedly started boarding the boat, and all the kids were super excited to see all the entertainment that was on the boat. As soon as everyone boarded the boat, it started slowly sailing on the water. A few kids immediately ran towards the trampoline station and Olivia was one of them. They started jumping up and down, and after a few minutes they ran towards another area where there was a Magician.
Soon, it was almost time to cut the cake. Even though everyone was excited to eat cake, Olivia looked worried and she was frantically looking for something. A few kids asked her if she was alright, and she eventually admitted it was because she has lost her lucky bracelet. Everyone was in shock, because they knew Olivia got that bracelet from her grandmother who passed away last year, and Olivia always mentioned that her bracelet is the only memory of her grandmother and she loved it dearly. Everyone felt very bad for her and they all started looking for it.
Darcy was on the other side of the boat enjoying some fruit punch, and hearing all the commotion she came over and asked, “Hey ! what's going on here?”
Olivia explained that she lost her lucky bracelet and everyone was helping her look for it. Darcy was famous in her school for being very observant and solving mysteries. Darcy looked very calm though. She said in a calm voice, “oh you didn't lose It, I know where it is.”
Everyone was surprised. They looked at Darcy with confused eyes, wondering how she would know, as she was not even around; She was on the other side of the boat enjoying fruit punch when Olivia lost her bracelet.
Darcy looked at Amelia and said, “Ameila can you please get your backpack and open it. I’m sure it’s inside.”
Amelia looked more confused. She didn't understand why she had to open her backpack, but she did it anyway. She stuck her hand in there for a few seconds, and pulled out Olivia's bracelet.
“It was in my backpack, how did you know? Who put it there?” Amelia asked, surprised.
“Remember after we started sailing, the boat took a sharp turn and a few of us fell over including you and Olivia. I noticed at that time your backpack was open so a few of your things fell out?”
“Yeah, what about it? I put everything back.” Amelia said.
“Yes but Oliva was next to you and she also fell over. So now that Olivia's bracelet is missing, I figured that it must've fallen off her hand when the boat turned, and it must have landed in your pile of things, and when you put everything back in your backpack you didn't notice that you also put Olivia's bracelet in your backpack.”
“You noticed from that far? That's awesome! Thank you so much Darcy! You saved the day once again.” Olivia said happily
“I'm happy to help,” Darcy said happily. “Now let's go cut the cake.”
As Darcy and Olivia walked to the cake table everyone else followed. And the cake was amazingly delicious and everyone enjoyed the rest of Olivia's birthday.
The end –
Neuro-Inspired Computing Chips
By- Shivan Mukherjee (age 17)
The human brain is considered by far the most powerful and efficient computer ever created. Artificial intelligence (AI) and computers have come a long way and by all rights, they exceed human intelligence in many facets. However, the human brain is still much more efficient in the practical applications of artificial intelligence and consumes as much as 10 times less energy in data processing and decision making. Unlike the human brain, existing computer architecture presents a memory bottleneck in its operation. Particularly in the use of model training in medical imaging, AI workloads can consume great amounts of memory due to the high resolution of medical data. The separation of the processing units and memory units in traditional Von Neumann computer architecture is effective in conventional computing but it is largely inefficient when dealing with AI models.
As such, scientists have begun to try and emulate our brain, creating a new neuron inspired paradigm for computer architecture. Here the memory and the processing units are intertwined and work to create connections between electronic neurons, representative of human synapses. There are commonly 2 stages in an AI model: the learning phase and the inference phase. The advantage of these neuroinspired chips is that, by emulating the workings of a human brain, there is a much greater optimization of energy efficiency and performance on the chip itself. Consequently, it allows for the possibility of onchip learning as opposed to the constant use of the Cloud to store data with AI algorithms. This would allow for the greater security and flexibility of the use of AI. Not to mention, the ability for on- chip learning would steadily bring neuro-chips closer to emulating the brain function.
While these chips may still be in early stages of development, their increased capabilities and future possibilities depict a bright future. Neuro-inspired chips may soon become commonplace in small IT Devices and allow new brain-like devices to perform their tasks anywhere without the need for Cloud.
From the moment we are born, we carry around something even more personal to us than our own names- the labels that brand us from our childhood that we may possibly carry for our entire lives. We grow up in families we are born into, confined to their ideals and expectations, carrying the burden of it without acknowledging it, shaping our future for the sake of the numerous ‘what-might-have-been’s of their past.
Growing up, desperate not to be alone in a world unknown, we try to fit in with the masses, branding ourselves with a stereotype and in turn shackling our free will to ‘belong’ with the world. But we fail to realize that the world is vast. We never had to ‘fit in’ because no one ever can truly belong anywhere. You are branded as a prodigy, nerd, beauty, sportsman, loser, weirdo, failure and a million other labels with people not realizing that you don’t have to be just one of it. Every person is not just the labels they carry but what they are beyond that. Afterall, humanity is far too complex to be identified by a single trait of popularity or exam grades or wealth.
Yet, it is utterly fascinating how the society divides itself by labelling everyone while calling out for unity, and discriminates against its own while striving for equality. People never realize the darker side of the labels we carry. The masked side that’s not pretty. The side that bleeds in pain. The side striving to end it all someway, someday. A label in the society always comes attached with its fair share of burdens that people, no matter young or old, struggle to shoulder and die failing.
Most of us have seen others, if not ourselves, wrestle to have relevancy. Whether it is with one’s peers, one’s family or even the community they live in. We have also witnessed no matter how immeasurable one’s talent or relevancy is, they are nothing but mere memories in the minds of those they knew upon their death. In a way, it’s just sad if people do end up succeeding in being defined by only their labels and nothing more.
For instance, let us talk about William Shakespeare- immensely successful and notable in the literature community. Almost every person has heard of his works if they haven’t read them personally. Yet as much important as his contributions were to the society, does anyone know how he was as William, the person and not William Shakespeare, the author? He is forever subjected to being defined by his label as a literary genius and not how kind or genuine of a person he was.
In the end, the point is that, being successful on your terms by your own choice and being successful by growing in to a label that defines you are completely different notions. Never be burdened by the expectations that precede your identity for you are more than just a label or a stereotype. What happens beyond death is a mystery that one cannot resolve. The only certainty is present and that present shouldn’t be defined with what the world thinks we are. Never be bullied away into silence, suppressing your authentic self, regardless of what the world might think. Be known for who you are that what you are supposed to be. Be kind and genuine. Be compassionate and true. You are always more than just the names the society brands you with. You are complex. You are human.
