You're sitting somewhere, doing absolutely nothing unusual. Maybe you're talking to someone, watching a video or just waiting for something.

Suddenly, you feel a small vibration near your pocket.

You reach for your phone almost immediately.

You unlock it. Check your notifications. Open your messages, maybe even your call history.

Nothing.

You put the phone away and carry on with whatever you were doing.

A few minutes later, you feel it again.

This time, you're almost certain it was a notification. But when you check, there's still nothing.

If this has happened to you, you're definitely not alone.

There's actually a name for this strange little experience: phantom vibration.

It's when you feel as though your phone is vibrating even though it hasn't received a notification and isn't actually vibrating.

But why does this happen?

The interesting part is that it has a lot to do with how our brain gets used to things.

Think about how often we check our phones. A message arrives, the phone vibrates, we take it out. Someone calls, we feel that familiar vibration again.

After doing this hundreds of times, that little sensation becomes something our brain recognises very easily.

Sometimes, even a tiny movement of our clothes or a slight muscle twitch can feel similar to a phone notification.

Our brain may interpret that sensation as the familiar vibration we've come to expect.

It's almost as if we're waiting for a notification so much that we occasionally feel one that never happened.

Researchers have studied this experience, particularly among frequent mobile phone users. It doesn't mean something is wrong with your brain. It's an interesting example of how our expectations can influence what we think we feel.

And here's the part I find particularly interesting.

Sometimes, we don't even realise how often we're expecting our phones to demand our attention.

We check them while waiting for someone, during a conversation, while eating and even when there's absolutely no reason to check them.

Perhaps that's why this little experience feels so familiar to so many people.

The next time you reach for your phone and find no notification, take a moment before putting it away.

Your phone might not have vibrated at all.

Your brain might simply have expected it to.

Now I'm curious. Has this ever happened to you?

- Ikshvaku Vidya Academy

You wait for a while, check again, and still nothing.

For many of us, this might be an occasional inconvenience. We wait for the water supply to return, ask when the tanker is coming, or manage with whatever water is left.

But for some families, this is not an unusual day. It’s something they deal with regularly.

We use water for almost everything. Brushing our teeth, cooking, washing clothes, taking a bath and drinking. It’s such a normal part of our routine that we rarely stop to think about it.

But having water available and having clean, safe water are two different things.

Some people have to travel to collect water. Some depend on tankers, and some have no choice but to use water that may not be safe.

It’s hard to imagine having to think so carefully about something we use without much thought.

And water is only one part of the problem. Access to clean toilets and proper sanitation is equally important. Without them, people’s health and everyday lives can be seriously affected.

This is what SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation is about. It aims to make sure everyone has access to safe water and proper sanitation.

We often talk about saving water, and we should. But I think there’s another question worth asking: why should something as basic as clean drinking water still be difficult for so many people to get?

Having clean water at home shouldn’t feel like a privilege. It should be normal for everyone.

- Ikshvaku Vidya Academy

17 Goals. 17 Stories. One Better Future.

Remember how, as children, even the smallest things could keep us busy for hours?

A cardboard box could become a car. A little rain could turn into an excuse to play outside. And one question could lead to five more.

Children have a way of finding something interesting in almost everything.

But as they grow up, things slowly start changing.

There are classes to attend, homework to finish, exams to prepare for and marks to worry about. Before we realise it, a lot of childhood starts revolving around schedules, expectations and results.

Of course, education matters. Parents want their children to do well, and teachers want to see them succeed. There's nothing wrong with that.

But sometimes, I wonder if we give children enough time to simply be curious.

Not every question needs to be related to a school subject. Not every activity needs to improve a particular skill. Sometimes, a child just wants to know why the sky changes colour, how a toy works or what would happen if they tried something completely different.

And honestly, those little questions deserve attention too.

We also need to remember that children aren't all alike. One might enjoy drawing, another might love numbers, while someone else might spend hours taking things apart just to understand how they work.

They don't all have to be interested in the same things or learn at the same pace.

And when a child makes a mistake, perhaps the first response doesn't always have to be correction. Sometimes, letting them try again is enough.

As adults, we spend a lot of time telling children what they should do. Maybe we should spend a little more time listening to what they want to know.

Because children don't just need someone to teach them. They also need people who are willing to listen, encourage them and let them explore.

This Children's Day, let's celebrate the things that make childhood special. The endless questions, the silly ideas, the big imagination and even the little mistakes.

Let's not be in such a hurry to make children grow up that we forget to let them enjoy being children.

Happy Children's Day!

- Ikshvaku Vidya Academy

“Don’t cry. You’re a boy.”

“Don’t go there. You’re a girl.”

Sometimes it’s said by parents, sometimes by relatives, and sometimes by people who don’t even realise what they’re saying.

Most of the time, nobody makes a big deal out of it. It’s just treated as a normal part of growing up.

But if you think about it, it’s a little strange.

Why should a boy feel embarrassed about crying? Why should a girl have to think twice about doing something that a boy of the same age can do without anyone questioning him?

Even at home, expectations can be different. A girl might be asked to help with household work while her brother gets more time to play. A boy might be encouraged to choose any career, while a girl is asked whether that career will suit her.

Not every family is like this, of course. Things have changed in many homes. But these situations still happen, and sometimes we don’t even notice them.

Gender equality doesn’t mean boys and girls have to be the same. It simply means they should have the same freedom to learn, make choices and build the lives they want.

That’s what SDG 5 - Gender Equality is about.

And I don’t think this change has to begin with something very big. It can start with the way we treat children at home, the responsibilities we share and the things we encourage them to do.

A boy should be allowed to express his feelings. A girl should be allowed to follow her ambitions.

Neither should have to prove that they deserve the same opportunities.

- Ikshvaku Vidya Academy

17 Goals. 17 Stories. One Better Future.

They listen to the same teacher, study the same subjects and write the same examinations.

But when they get home, their lives might be completely different.

One student has a separate room to study, a laptop, books and parents who can help whenever there’s a doubt.

The other might have to share a room with siblings, help with household work or manage studies without anyone to guide them.

Both are students. Both are expected to get good marks. But are they really starting from the same place?

We don’t always think about this when we compare marks.

If one student scores 90 and another scores 60, it’s easy to say that the first one worked harder. But we rarely know what each student had to deal with outside the classroom.

I’m not saying marks don’t matter. Of course they do. But they don’t tell us everything about a student’s effort, ability or circumstances.

And that’s one reason education needs to be about more than just getting children into schools.

Every student should have access to good teachers, learning materials, a safe place to learn and the support they need to understand what is being taught.

This is what SDG 4 - Quality Education is trying to promote: quality education and equal learning opportunities for everyone.

A child’s opportunity to learn shouldn’t depend entirely on their family’s financial situation or where they grow up.

Some students have more support than others. That’s a reality. But it shouldn’t mean that some children get better chances at building their future while others are left struggling.

I think that’s something worth remembering whenever we talk about education.

- Ikshvaku Vidya Academy

17 Goals. 17 Stories. One Better Future.

Maybe you had a headache but continued working. Maybe you weren’t sleeping properly, but kept waking up early because there was something important to do. Or perhaps you knew you should visit a doctor but kept saying, “I’ll go next week.”

It happens quite often.

We make time for classes, exams, work, family and so many other things. But when it comes to our health, we sometimes keep pushing it to the bottom of the list.

And it’s not always because we’re careless. Sometimes we’re busy. Sometimes we don’t want to spend money on a check-up. Sometimes we simply hope that whatever is bothering us will get better on its own.

But there’s another side to this.

Not everyone can just walk into a hospital whenever they need help. For some families, even a small medical expense can be difficult to manage. In some places, reaching a proper healthcare centre isn’t easy either.

That’s why good health isn’t only about what we eat or how often we exercise. Having access to a doctor, affordable treatment, clean surroundings and proper healthcare matters just as much.

The United Nations includes this under SDG 3 — Good Health and Well-being. Its aim is to make healthcare and a healthy life possible for everyone, regardless of their age or circumstances.

I feel this goal is easy to overlook because we often think about health only when something goes wrong.

But being healthy shouldn’t be a luxury, and getting medical help shouldn’t be something people have to struggle to afford.

Maybe the first step is simply taking health a little more seriously, both in our own lives and in the way we think about others.

- Ikshvaku Vidya Academy

17 Goals. 17 Stories. One Better Future.

Nobody really wanted it, so it was kept aside. I don’t know whether anyone ate it later or whether it eventually went to waste.

It’s a pretty normal thing, isn’t it?

Sometimes we cook more than we need. Sometimes we order something and don’t finish it. And sometimes we open the fridge, see yesterday’s food and decide we’d rather eat something else.

I’ve done all of that.

But there’s something uncomfortable about thinking that, while we’re deciding what we don’t feel like eating, someone else is wondering whether they’ll get a proper meal today.

I don’t mean this to make anyone feel guilty. It’s just something worth thinking about.

Hunger isn’t always what we imagine it to be. Sometimes it’s a child going to school without breakfast. Sometimes it’s a parent pretending they’re not hungry because there’s only enough food for the children. Sometimes it’s a family trying to make a small amount of food last until the next day.

And the difficult part is that we don’t always see these things happening around us.

The United Nations has a goal called SDG 2 — Zero Hunger. The idea is simple to understand: everyone should have enough safe and nutritious food, not just occasionally, but every day.

Of course, this isn’t a problem we can solve simply by telling people not to waste food. Food prices, poverty, farming, transportation and access all play a part.

Still, I think being a little more careful about what we waste is a reasonable place to start.

I don’t have some big conclusion to offer here. I just found myself thinking about how easily we take an ordinary meal for granted.

Maybe the next time we sit down to eat, it’s worth remembering that having enough food is not something everyone gets to experience.

Have you ever thought about how much food gets wasted in an ordinary household?

- Ikshvaku Vidya Academy

17 Goals. 17 Stories. One Better Future.

Imagine being a child and having to think twice before asking your parents for something as simple as a new notebook.

Not because you don't need it, but because you already know things are difficult at home.

For some children, this is normal.

They don't always talk about it at school. They sit in the same classroom, attend the same lessons, and write the same exams as everyone else. But when they go home, their lives can look very different.

One child might spend the evening playing with friends. Another might have to help their parents with work.

One might have a quiet room to study in. Another might be trying to read while people around them are busy with everyday responsibilities.

It's easy to say that everyone should work hard and achieve their dreams. But I sometimes wonder whether we give enough thought to the different starting points people have.

Poverty is often discussed in terms of money, and rightly so. Not having enough money can mean struggling to afford food, a safe home, healthcare, or education.

But it can also mean having to give up opportunities that other people take for granted.

A child might be good at mathematics but never get the chance to explore it further. Someone might want to continue their education but have to leave school because their family needs financial support.

And sometimes, people don't lack ability or ambition. They simply lack the opportunity.

That's what makes the first Sustainable Development Goal, No Poverty, so important.

It's not just about helping people earn more money. It's also about making sure people can access the basic things they need to live safely and build a better future.

I don't think one article can explain the reality of poverty. And I certainly don't want to pretend that understanding someone's situation is as simple as writing a few paragraphs.

But I do think we should talk about it more honestly.

Because a child's future shouldn't depend entirely on how much their family can afford.

Something I'd like to ask you:

Have you ever thought about how differently two children of the same age can experience the world, simply because they were born into different circumstances?

I'd genuinely like to hear your thoughts.

- Ikshvaku Vidya Academy

17 Goals. 17 Stories. One Better Future.

I used to think this happened to everyone for the same obvious reason.

You stay in water for too long, your fingers get wrinkly. That's it. Nothing more to think about.

I remember noticing it after long baths as a child. I'd look at my fingertips and wonder why they looked so strange. Sometimes I'd even press the wrinkles with my other fingers, just to see them disappear for a second.

I never really looked into it.

Recently, though, I came across something that made me curious.

Apparently, our fingers don't wrinkle simply because they absorb water. Our nervous system is involved. When our hands stay underwater for a while, the blood vessels beneath the skin narrow, and that causes the skin on our fingertips to wrinkle.

But wait, there's another interesting part.

Scientists have found evidence that these wrinkles may help us grip wet objects better.

Think about it. Our bodies might be doing something useful without us even realising it.

I don't know why, but I love discovering things like this. Something I've seen hundreds of times suddenly becomes interesting just because I finally know a little more about it.

And I'm pretty sure there are plenty of things like this that we never bother to question.

Anyway, next time you get out of a swimming pool or finish a long bath, take a look at your fingers.

You might remember this little discovery.

By the way, what did you think caused wrinkly fingers when you were younger?

I'd like to know if you had the same explanation as I did.

- Ikshvaku Vidya Academy

I remember looking out of the car window during long journeys at night and noticing something that always seemed a little strange.

The Moon was following us.

At least, that's what it felt like.

I'd watch the trees, houses and streetlights disappear as the car moved, but the Moon would still be there. Sometimes I'd look away for a while and then check again.

Still following us.

I don't remember when I first started wondering about it, but I do remember thinking it was quite strange.

Years later, I finally understood why it happens.

The Moon is incredibly far away from Earth. So far away that even when we travel several kilometres, its position in the sky appears almost unchanged.

Think about the trees beside the road. They're relatively close to us, so as the car moves, they seem to pass by quickly.

But the Moon is different. Our movement is tiny compared with the enormous distance between us and the Moon.

That's why it appears to stay in the same place, almost as if it's travelling along with us.

I find it interesting how something can seem so mysterious when we're children, only for a simple explanation to make sense years later.

And I wonder how many people have had that same little experience.

The next time you're travelling at night, take a look outside the window.

You might find the Moon is still keeping you company.

Did you ever think the Moon was following your car when you were younger?

I'd genuinely like to know if this was just something I imagined or if many of us had the same experience.

- Ikshvaku Vidya Academy