A week in the life of a 17-year-old student in India

Gunchaa Shandilya shares her week enjoying nature, learning animation and advocating for climate action with friends. (Courtesy of Gunchaa Shandilya)

Gunchaa Shandilya shares her week enjoying nature, learning animation and advocating for climate action with friends.

MONDAY

Mondays always begin with a new hope and a new urge to spend a perfect week. I wake up fresh and check the time — it's 5 a.m. I have my economics exam, so I revise my textbooks and head to the living room table for a warm, cozy tea. The weather in Rajasthan gets too cold at times, pricking the skin. A warm breakfast really helps ooze out the cold vexation. I have two slices of bread with butter and get ready for school. I was super anxious before writing the exam but it went fantastic, even though I missed out on a few details and crucial questions I should’ve revisited.

As the weather at noon got hotter, I had a patty and a large cup of cold coffee outside my school at a cafe nearby. Then, I booked a ride home and read Murakami’s “Sputnik Sweetheart” on the way back while noticing all the commotion around. The shops brimming with visitors and the typical smell of spicy Indian puffer-bread and other food items tickled me on the nose. I also saw a lot of animals, dogs, cows and horses slowly drifting through their routine. 

Because of climate change, we lose some natural vegetation due to water shortages around the area and irregular weather. The food production and monsoon cycle in Rajasthan and all around India have also been badly affected, leading to issues like stagflation and food shortages in low-income communities. It also has a big hand in destroying the natural features; many perennial lakes have gone dry and coastal areas have flooded. A lot of refugees from neighbouring countries are coming up. 

Climate change hasn’t affected me as much physically as it has emotionally. I feel deplorable when I see people around me with not the slightest inkling of how burning dried leaves, not making efficient use of water resources and polluting the air can impact our planet. It makes me sad. I also feel bad about animals, especially the ones who do not have any shelter, sources of food or anywhere to hide. The fact that our international community still isn’t doing enough is my biggest concern. I have read extensively on climate change and worry about the state and fate of the Earth in the future. I really don’t want to lose the beautiful rivers, acres of forests and the beautiful wildlife to this deadly human-inflicted disaster. I have advocated for change on various international platforms and work to bring our Earth back! 

I got back home feeling low on energy, so I made myself hot chocolate milk, grabbed “The Republic” by Plato and snuggled under the covers. Soon I fell asleep. Mumma came back home at around 6 p.m. and we had tea together with some brittle snacks. Afterwards, I took my dog Murphy for a nice walk. Later, I watched a few episodes of “Shinchan” and headed to bed.

TUESDAY

I didn’t have school today, so the daily warm tea ritual is there again. I have started waking up early now. I went for a walk at a lush green community park nearby, breathing the pure morning oxygen hungrily and making new friends, which are mostly stray puppies, home dogs and trees of varying ages. 

My name, Gunchaa, means bunch of buds. It’s maybe where my sweet love for bulky flowers and jasmines comes from. I love spending time in the lap of nature, so I walked a little more and headed back home, where another round of tea awaits! I took a warm bath and sat back studying. My board exams are approaching, I’m revising for every subject! 

“My name, Gunchaa, means bunch of buds. It’s maybe where my sweet love for bulky flowers and jasmines comes from,” Gunchaa shares. (Courtesy of Gunchaa Shandilya)

After napping for about an hour, I wanted to read but unfortunately, I had to take Murphy for his vaccination. I spent the rest of the day talking to my best friend over a video call, exchanging pleasantries and talking about our routines. Communication is a very instrumental part in condensing mental stress and straightening strained nerves. I showed her my room and told her all about what I did today. We also shared screenshots after the call!

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is auspicious according to Indian mythology. We have a very dear deity in India, Ganeshji. We celebrate Wednesday as his day. He symbolises wealth, satisfaction, kindness and the significance of food! He's called “the one with a huge stomach” because he's an incarnation of an elephant!

My mother has a very important meeting today, so I skipped my walk and woke up early. She left home at 8:30 a.m. after which I toasted a few slices of bread with butter, had my breakfast and framed my to-do list. I finished “Sputnik Sweetheart” and started “Looking for Alaska” by John Green. After some time, I remembered that I have always been fascinated with classical pianists and so I take out my Casio and practise Beethoven’s “Fur Elise,” which is one of the best works of art to date. 

“I have always been a patron of SDGs and believe in the importance of making positive changes in your daily habits and making sure they are sustainable,” Gunchaa shares. (Courtesy of Gunchaa Shandilya)

While having lunch, I completed an online animation course that I enrolled in out of love for cartoons and learned some crucial fundamentals. The course was amazing! Today was a lot busier than I had expected. 

I also love learning about micro cultures so I casually watched “Amazing Quest: Stories from Japan,” a documentary about Japan’s heritage. I was very tired after mom came home, so I headed to bed and fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.

THURSDAY

Today was super swift! I have a Model United Nations (MUN) conference on the 21st and 22nd of January and the agenda is “Gender-responsive climate action.” I have always been a patron of SDGs and believe in the importance of making positive changes in your daily habits and making sure they are sustainable. So instinctively, this would be the only topic I could’ve chosen. I had some warm honey water and watched some labourers in front of my house going about their routine, wondering how they work in this weather that’s always swinging in the extremes. It’s important to consider the human angle of climate change. 

FRIDAY

I slept late yesterday and messed up my sleep cycle. I had my geography practical so I completed drawing a few maps and revised the entire syllabus once. I had to arrive at school early, so I skipped breakfast as I didn’t feel like eating. After getting done with the practical, I chatted with my classmates for a while, shared lunch and left for home. Though I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t because a lot of my research for the upcoming conference was left. 

It’s so strange to notice that the same thing we have all excitement for comes as a pain if we’re not well prepared for it till the last moment. I also spent a lot of energy talking because I am a loquacious bee! I wrote my opening speech and a few GSLs (General Speakers’ Lists). A GSL — general speaker’s list — clarifies the basic stance of each delegate. All MUN conferences start with it. I then went to bed, hoping I do well tomorrow. This is my first offline conference after three years so I was a bit antsy at first but then soon got acclimatised.

SATURDAY

Saturday hit with its robust weekend energy! I got up early again, organised my papers, had tea and got ready in my western formal wear. I reached the venue for the MUN conference and was surprised to see the crowd! There were so many delegates and the competition was stiff. I went to the registration desk, collected my identity card along with my folder and the notepad and met a girl who also came to speak at the conference. Soon, we started talking and exchanging information about each other. We also had breakfast together and a cup of coffee. After this, we headed to the opening ceremony where many dignitaries delivered speeches. I was so excited to enter the committee sessions that I couldn’t stand just listening to people — I wanted to speak and never stop! 

Gunchaa with her fellow delegates at a Model UN conference. (Courtesy of Gunchaa Shandilya)

Finally, we headed to our committee rooms and the first session was amazing. We debated about agriculture and the reproduction-related ramifications of climate change. I put in all my writing. At 5:30 p.m., we broke for the high tea and had pav bhaji, samosas and chole bhature — we were a rather heavy group for evening supper! I came back home, cooped up and was in no mood to move my arms or legs. 

I had dinner while watching “Fired” with my mom, then I had warm water 30 minutes later and finally a good night’s sleep!

SUNDAY

The D-Day! I woke up early again and reached the venue by 9 a.m. The breakfast was a flurry of warm sunshine and tasty food. I was almost friends with my fellow delegates. We took a lot of candid pictures, had some discussions on the agenda and headed back to our respective rooms while having a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I met so many new people and my social bee demeanour was back! 

The rest of the day was filled with prolific, productive debate and we spoke a lot! My mouth was almost aching and I pretended to be a Pinnochio just out of fun! After four hours, we had the final session where each delegate raised important points. We then headed to the auditorium for the closing and award ceremony, my fingers crossed the entire time as I awaited a title! 

Gunchaa’s ‘Best Delegate’ award from the Model UN conference. (Courtesy of Gunchaa Shandilya)

Before the results, there was a panel discussion, during which I made some digital art and tried new colours. Soon the organiser stepped up on the stage and as soon as my committee name was out, I couldn’t hold myself to the chair anymore. And that was the moment! I was awarded the “BEST DELEGATE” and I couldn’t stop jumping. I was so euphoric. The two days of hard work paid off in a second! I then sat for the social night and headed back home. My mother was very happy to see the elegant wooden framed certificate!

Just a day before, I thought of skipping the second day of the conference because I was knackered up by the hard day. But I realised that at times, when we feel like quitting, we have to push ourselves only a little more and the best awaits us!