Year: 2020

Trigger Warnings

Trigger Warnings (TW) are labels that we are well-acquainted with today. The term comes from the vocabulary of therapy especially for PTSD, where an individual who has undergone trauma is ‘triggered’ by something that they come across, creating a negative emotional response. It has been extrapolated into mainstream discourse as a measure to help in such situations. ‘Trigger warning’ is meant to be used before content that some may find distressing or triggering owing to their past traumas or experiences. It appears widely on social media platforms, spaces of activism, and even in classrooms to alert students about potentially distressing images or texts that may come up in class. These can include images such as those of violence or mutilation, discussions or descriptions of instances relating to racism, sexism, misogyny, discrimination, rape, murder, etc. , or any topic that is connected to traumas. Trigger warnings acknowledge the existence of trauma and give them legitimacy, allowing individuals to mentally prepare themselves should the content be triggering.

close up photo of caution signage
Photo by Viajero on Pexels.com

However, a careful understanding of the dynamics of trigger warnings is worth looking into in the current scenario since the term is a pointer towards a much larger framework of engagement. Particularly when cancel culture is in vogue and anyone who speaks against anything that is not agreed upon by those who control that space is “cancelled”, labeling what others say as ‘triggering’ can be used as a weapon to attack anyone who might disagree. It is important to note that this is not about legitimate concerns and harm inflicted, but about those who use such labels as a defense to escape accountability or use activism as a facade for their own ends. While there are always individuals whose experiences have made their apprehension of such content extremely difficult, there seems to be an increasing proclivity towards considering being triggered as providing legitimacy, especially if one’s voice is to be heard. A Harvard researcher opines that it only encourages people to see trauma as central to their identity. However, that is not healthy for them. There can come a point when any opinion that might be against or even deviant from the popular discourse among a certain group be considered “triggering”. It can be used to permit behaviors that focus on destroying rather than constructively criticizing. Mindful responses are given away in favor of immediate reactions, creating echo chambers where no one who might disagree is allowed to enter. This only leads to the deterioration of any movement or cause, since it effectively cuts off all engagement with another.

It is also important to understand that while we may be able to move away by seeing the label TW, there is someone, and often a group of people, for whom what we move away from seeing is their everyday lived reality. It is our privilege, to an extent, that lets us walk away. While we should not discount our mental states, we should not promote avoidance as a coping mechanism. Adoption of trigger warnings itself has been questioned by academicians who opine that it only leads to lower levels of resistance and consequently, a decreasing capacity to engage or bring change. It is interesting that therapy for those who have experienced trauma does not go the way of avoiding all triggers, but gradually increasing exposure to them under the guidance of an expert. Only then can we say that the person is on the road to healing. This is a difficult process but considered necessary. Otherwise, the patient will be a victim of the experience all through their lives. And a growing of body of research suggests that trigger warnings do not really help a person who faces such struggles. In fact, it might even have the opposite effect by making him weaker and more sensitive to anything that could potentially cause distress. Seeing TW itself can instinctively cause a negative reaction. This will also render him incapable of adequate response when he might be faced with such a situation in real life without any warning. Avoidance does not help with learning nor with the skills to properly respond. Being fragile in such respects is not something to be aspired to, but something to be dealt with gently for those who are struggling, and to be overcome with support and care.

So, while trigger warnings are useful, the manner in which we think about them might need to change. They should not be an excuse to leave every single time, but more of a “proceed with caution” sign. They should exist as a marker that reminds us of the need for change, and an opportunity to be mindful of how we engage with the content that is presented to us. We might not be able to deal well with all content overnight, but gradually we will be able to not leave the space but stay and meaningfully act in spite of our discomfort, and to provide encouragement to those facing similar struggles. It will also allow us to be better allies to those the mention of whose experiences we find triggering. Our mental health is important, but strength can be built over time with exposure, and we should consider if we are to privilege how something makes us feel over how that something is a lived reality that is affecting lives on the ground, and what we can do about it.

A Lost and Found Case

Twenty years, 10 months and two weeks after her daughter vanished, Cynthia Haag was inside the row house she refused to abandon – lest her missing child come back – when her phone started to ring. Her other daughter was on the line, saying she’d just gotten an unexpected message on Facebook.

It was from Crystal. The long-lost child.

Haag steeled herself for yet another disappointment. But when she saw the Facebook profile picture later that day in March last year, she knew immediately. Same white straight teeth. Same crinkled eyes. Same luminous smile. The daughter whom she’d last seen as a 14-year-old girl: now a mature adult.

Questions started tumbling in her mind. Why did Crystal leave? Where had she been? Why had she come back? And, most basic of all, was she OK?

Within a half-hour, Haag’s older daughter, Bianca Davis, was in the car, driving north to New York City, where Crystal was living north of Harlem. Late that night, after word had spread throughout the West Baltimore neighborhood, and the house had filled with people, Crystal finally appeared.

Her hair was now short. She spoke Spanish somehow. And she was no longer Crystal Haag, who would have been 35, but had adopted the alias of Crystal Saunders, who was 44. In that moment, however, none of those changes mattered.

“Still my pretty girl,” Cynthia said, hugging her.

Her missing daughter was finally home, but the hard part was just beginning.

‘I cried every day’

Roughly half a million children are reported missing every year, the vast majority of whom are soon found or return. For a small number, however, it can take months before they’re with their families again, and for a smaller number still, it can take up to a year, possibly even two. But it’s extraordinarily rare that a missing child who eventually comes back is away for as long as Crystal. Between 2011 and 2016, only 56 children were gone longer than 20 years and returned, according to a report by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

There’s a conventional narrative to how these reunions play out – with tears and hugs and the promise of a new and happier beginning. “The fairy tale ending,” is how Meaghan Good, the curator of The Charley Project, a database of the long-term missing, described it. But in many cases, experts say, the situation is significantly more complicated.

“It’s not as simple as being found and restarting your life,” said Robert Lowery, an official with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children who edited its report on long-term missing children. “There are feelings on both sides that they’ll have to reconcile, but that takes a lot of time and patience and understanding.”

The longer someone is gone, the more difficult that can become.

Lori Peterson, 60, a mother in Colorado Springs, Colorado, learned that a decade ago when her son, Derek, reappeared after four years. A troubled teen who ran away from a residential treatment facility at age 16, he’d spent much of the four years either homeless or living on the other side of the country, in North Carolina. Meanwhile, back in Colorado Springs, Peterson deteriorated. Convinced he was dead, the family started doing DNA tests to see if he matched any cadavers. “I cried every day on the way to work, and then cried all the way home,” she said.

Then for him to suddenly come back, after everything they’d been through, after they’d held a candle service to finally put him to rest? It was at first challenging to forgive him. And in some ways, the damage was irreversible. “It’s not really a mother-son relationship,” Peterson said of her bond with her son. “I missed those years of him going from a teenager to a man, and there are things I don’t know about him.”

The majority of kids who go missing are runaways like her son. But not all who vanish had behavioural issues. Some simply disappear without their family having any indication of why. Some are like Crystal.

Had she been abducted?

It was April 26, 1997, a Saturday. Cynthia was working as a cashier at the local grocery store. She wasn’t making much in those days, just a few bucks per hour, but felt proud that food was always on the table and her children had clean clothing. She was busy all of the time, working and parenting, but she was making it as a single mom.

That morning, she looked up at work to see 14-year-old Crystal, her fourth child, smiling as usual. Cynthia knew her as a burst of light – “a sweet girl” who won an award in the fifth grade for always complimenting others, who liked school, and who got along with everyone, classmates and three siblings included.

Crystal got some milk and cereal, and came over to her mom. “Stay around the house today,” Cynthia recalls saying, and her daughter said she would. That was the last time she saw her for 21 years. In the first few hours after Cynthia returned home and found Crystal was gone, she called friends, relatives, anyone who might know where Crystal was before finally contacting the police.Her mind ran through possibilities. Had she been abducted? Did she run away? She refused – then and later – to think that her daughter had been killed or had somehow died.

From then on, she looked for Crystal in the face of every brown-haired girl. One day, she was going down Baltimore Street in the back of a taxi, and thought she saw her outside one of the clubs, on the sidewalk, but by the time she ran over, the girl was gone. Another time, there she was again, this time on the back of a bus, pulling away, to who knew where.

“She always wore a baseball cap,” Cynthia said. But that clue wasn’t enough to find her. Cynthia stopped celebrating Christmas – it just seemed wrong without Crystal – and years went by, with intermittent Baltimore police reports charting the passage of time:

April 29, 1997: “Crystal Haag has not returned.”

Aug. 19, 1999: “Investigation continues.”

May 3, 2006: “Crystal’s case is still open.”

Sep. 20, 2010: “All efforts to locate [her] have been exhausted.”

A new identity

Crystal remembers those years differently than her mother. She said she barely got along with her siblings. She said she sneaked out all of the time. And she said she was not the happy kid her mother recalled. In fact, she was so miserable and so scared that the only plan that made sense to her was to escape.

When she was 9, she recalled, a neighbour began sexually assaulting her, and for the next few years, it happened so much that it seemed to be almost normal. She never told anyone about it, but when she became a teenager, she began to suspect there wasn’t anything normal about it. The abuse by then had gone on for so long that, she said, she’d begun to think her mother had to have known – a suspicion that solidified into belief. Her mother called it ridiculous and untrue. “What kind of mother would do that?” Cynthia said.

After getting her milk and cereal from the grocery store that spring Saturday in 1997, Crystal did not stay at home as her mother had requested. She went to hang out with friends for hours. She knew her mother would be mad, so decided to stay out even longer. “And then it was 12 [a.m.], and I wasn’t going back,” she said.

She boarded a bus to New York, she said, and recalls walking the streets of the city as morning broke, seeing Statue of Liberty license plates. She didn’t have anything with her, but remembers feeling little fear. Those first few nights, she slept outside, homeless, until she made it up to Upper Manhattan, where she introduced the world to a new person: Crystal Saunders, a 23-year-old woman, though she now doesn’t remember why she chose that name.

Soon she was cleaning houses and apartments, living in a heavily Dominican neighborhood, pregnant with her first child by a local man and equipped with a fake drivers’ license. Later, she said, she even acquired a Medicaid card, which for pregnant women in New York City is relatively easy to obtain without official documentation.

The new identity at first was easy to remember, she said, because she had changed only small details. The last name. The age – believable because she looked so much older than she was. As for her family? She told people she didn’t have one, and often they didn’t press the issue. “It’s not a rare thing to not have a family,” she said.

But over time, as Crystal learned fluent Spanish, birthed four children, immersed herself in the Dominican community and even adopted new relatives – people she referred to as “grandpa,” “grandma” and “cousin” on social media – she didn’t have to remember anymore. Her new identity had subsumed the old.

And so on Jan. 29, 2014, the date Crystal actually turned 31, she posted an image on Instagram. It showed her holding a birthday cake. “Happy 40th to me!!!!!!” wrote Crystal, who was by then working in the food industry.

“We have seen this before,” said Lowery of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “Some of these kids don’t want to be found, and they assume new identities.”

In the national records database, Nexis, Crystal Marie Saunders, now 45, is a fully-realized person, with a list of New York addresses, a 2010 lien against her in the amount of $1,282, and a felony conviction for criminal sale of a controlled substance. But for Crystal Marie Haag: nothing.

‘I just want to love her’

When her oldest child, Bryan, now 20, reached his late teens, he started asking questions. Where was her family? Everyone has at least some family, he said. At first she didn’t tell him what she’d been doing regularly since Facebook came into existence: furtively checking in on her family back in Baltimore.

She badly wanted to reach out to them and often thought of Cynthia. But she was terrified to contact her relatives, ashamed by what she’d put them through. Only after her son started urging her did she write her sister, Bianca. And then it all happened so fast. Bianca was coming to get her. Crystal was walking through the door of a home she’d left 21 years ago. And Cynthia was so overjoyed to see her – even asking Crystal to sleep in her bed that night – that Crystal decided to stay.

The joy at the reunion, however, soon gave way to uncertainty, even resentment.

Crystal: “She treats me like a child … but I have kids myself.”

Cynthia: “It’s like meeting a whole new person. She leaves as a child, and comes back as a grown adult.”

Crystal: “It’s been very difficult, and sometimes it’s easier to just stay away.”

Cynthia: “I just want to love her.”

But in addition to that, Cynthia had to know why she had left for so long. Crystal, after equivocating for months, finally came out with it. She’d been raped continuously as a child. And she’d thought that Cynthia had known.

Cynthia said she was shocked. She said she’d had no idea that had happened, but no matter how many times she says it, Crystal said she still isn’t certain it’s the truth. She loves her mother – that’s why she came home, why she wondered about her for so many years – but there are so many issues weighing down their relationship that it seems stuck at times.

Still, both keep trying, as months go by, 2018 turning to 2019. Crystal these days lives with an aunt in the same neighbourhood, and often sees her mother, who’s on disability. They’re in each other’s lives, each wanting more. “I just wish we were a bit closer,” said Cynthia, now 61.

But it’s a start. It’s also the end of something else: With her daughter back home, Cynthia will finally move out of the house that she’d refused to leave all of these years.

“Within the next year,” she said. “I’m gone. It’s time to go.”

International Tiger Day

“Let us keep the tigers in jungles & not in history, save tigers”

Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held annually on 29 July. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit. In the summit, governments of tiger-populated countries vowed to double the tiger population by 2022. Almost a decade has passed since then. The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues. According to the WWF experts Darren Grover,  the world had lost around 97 percent of wild tigers in the last 100 years. Currently, only 3,000 tigers are left alive compared to around 100,000 Tiger a century ago.  Many international organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), are also involved in the conservation of the wild tigers.

“The roar is rare.”

unnamed

The awe-inspiring tiger is one of the most iconic animals on Earth. The tiger population across the world dropped sharply since the beginning of the 20th century but now for the first time in conservation history, their numbers are on the rise. Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, on Tuesday, released the detailed Status of Tigers Report 2018. According to the report, released on the eve of Global Tiger Day, tigers were observed to be increasing at a rate of 6 percent per annum in India from 2006 to 2018. In good news for India, Environment Minister, Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said, the country “has 70 percent of world’s tiger population”, after releasing a report on tiger census ahead of International Tiger Day on July 29.

There are a number of different issues that tigers all around the world face. There are a number of threats that are driving tigers close to extinction, and we can do our bit to make sure that we do not lose these incredible creatures. Some of the threats that tigers face include poaching, conflict with humans, and habitat loss.  Poaching and the illegal trade industry is a very worrying one. This is the biggest threat that wild tigers face. Demand for tiger bone, skin, and other body parts is leading to poaching and trafficking. This is having a monumental impact on the sub-populations of tigers, resulting in localized extinctions. We often see tiger skins being used in home decor. Moreover, bones are used for medicines and tonics. This has seen illegal criminal syndicates get involved in the tiger trade in order to make huge profits. It really is a worrying industry. In fact, it is thought to be worth 10 billion dollars per annum in the United States alone. This is why we need to support charities and work hard to put an end to poaching and the illegal trade of tiger parts. While this represents the biggest threats to tigers, there are a number of other threats as well. This includes habitat loss. Throughout the world, tiger habitats have reduced because of access routes, human settlements, timber logging, plantations, and agriculture. In fact, only around seven percent of the historical range of a tiger is still intact today. That is an incredibly small and worrying amount. This can increase the number of conflicts between tigers, as they roman about and try to locate new habitats. Not only this, but genetic diversity can reduce because it can cause there to be inbreeding in small populations.

Since the tiger is an “umbrella species”, its conservation enables the conservation of their entire ecosystems. Several studies have shown that Tiger reserves harbor new species, which are found practically every year. Tiger reserves have also improved the water regimes in regions where they are located, improving groundwater tables and other water bodies, thus contributing favorably to the climate. This year marks the tenth International Tiger Day. On International Tiger Day, several countries discuss issues related to tiger conservation and also try to amass funds for wildlife preservation. Moreover, many celebrities also pitch in for International Tiger Day and try to spread awareness about the conditions of tigers using their massive social media presence. India is especially important for International Tiger Day 2020 as the country currently has 75% of all tigers on the planet. A lot of people are not aware of these threats, and so spreading the knowledge can help to make sure that we all do our bit to ensure that the tiger’s future is a fruitful one. There will be a lot of videos, infographics, and interesting pieces of content going around that you can share with others.

Male_Tiger_Ranthambhore

“Tiger is a symbol of Beauty, Bravery, Strength and Nationality. So Save the Tiger, Save the Nation’s Pride.”

INDIAN EPIDEMIC ACT

The novel coronavirus has focused all attention to our countries public healthcare and how our country is handling this crisis. The Indian legal system already has an act called the Indian epidemic act, an act in the constitution that states how a country will handle the crisis and foreseeable public health care needs. First India has two acts that prepare our country to face disasters. The first act is the disaster management act of 2005 and the Indian epidemic act 1897. These two acts were enacted when the COVID-19 outbreak hit India.


The Indian epidemic act was first made in the British rule when the bubonic plague hit the town of Mandvi in the Bombay presidency. The disease spread at a higher pace because Mandvi was a densely populated place and kept on increasing due to the inflow of people to the city. Seeing this, the queen and the British government enacted the Indian Epidemic act of 1897. It aimed to curb to spread of the infection in the city. The act has 4 parts where it explains the provision of the act which has been amended from time to time. This act gives the central and the state government power amidst an outbreak of a dangerous disease to enact laws because the ordinary law isn’t equipped to deal with the outbreak disease. The government is allowed to make temporary regulations that can prevent further increase of infection of the disease and punish those who violate the regulations. The act permits the government state and central to inspect citizens who are travelling and to distinguish and separate or segregate those who may have been infected. It also powers the government to inspect and hold ships that are leaving and coming to India. The section 2 and 2A of the Act also prescribes the punishment which is the same as sec 188 of the Indian penal code, the persons who are charged with violating the act can spend up to 6 months in jail and a 1000 rupee fine. Section 4 of the act protects government officials from any prosecution on good faith.
The Central government passed another ordinance which is called as The Indian Epidemic Ordinance which allowed the act to be amended and provisions added to punish those who attack or harm doctors or health care professionals. Those guilty can spend up to 7 years in jail and all cases must be resolved within a year. The offence is non-bailable.

State governments formulated its ordinances specific to tackle state-specific problems. The outbreak also brought out problems of its own, medical health care workers were attacked, migrant workers were stranded without proper provisions for food or shelter. The sudden lockdown affected everyone. The already poor conditions of the workers are aggravated by the lockdown. India needs to update the act. This act is 123 years old. The act itself has colonial baggage. It needs to be amended to fit contemporary India. It also needs to be more stringent and tough. With a fragile and underfunded public healthcare system and a complex and old legal system, we must stay vigilant to get through this pandemic.

HIMALAYAN GLACIER MELTING DOUBLED

The melting of Himalayan glaciers has doubled since the turn of the century. Joshua Maurer, from Columbia University ‘s Lamont – Doherty Earth Observatory, used a computer tool that enabled converting US spy satellite images of mid-1970s into 3D maps. It led to declassify the satellite data to create the first detailed, four – decade record of ice along the 2,000km mountain chain. The scientists thus found the changes in 650 Himalayan glaciers. On average, the glacier surfaces sank by 22cm a year from 1975 to 2000.But the melting has accelerated, with an average loss of 43cm a year from 2000 to 2016.The analysis shows that 8bn tonnes of ice are being lost every year and not replaced by snow, with the lower level glaciers shrinking in height by 5 meters annually.

As per the report at least a third of the ice in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya ranges was already doomed to melt by the end of the century. Serious consequences will be felt by those who rely on the great rivers that flow from the peaks into India, Pakistan, China and other nations. Increasingly, uncertainty and irregular water supplies will impact the 1 billion people living downstream from the Himalaya mountains in South Asia. The study shows that only global heating caused by human activities can explain the heavy melting.

What is to be done when the Cheque is bounced?

Cheque is an instrument to transfer the money from one person to another. Cheque is safe and secure. To promote cheques and people should trust the simple mechanism of cheque and many people should use it effectively without any doubt in their mind so the Government in the year 1988 have introduced a chapter in Negotiable instrument Act, 1881 which deals about dishonour of cheques. As per Negotiable Instrument Act section 138 to section 143 deals with the provision of dishonour of cheques

Problems in Dishonour of Cheques

1. Penalty

If a cheque is bounced, then a penalty is levied on both drawer and payee by their respective banks. The person will additionally have to pay late payment charges if the dishounoured cheque is against repayment of a loan.

2. Damage To Credit History

Your credit history is negatively impacted if a cheque is dishonoured since your payment activities are reported to the credit bureaus by the financial institutions. The lenders will trust you if you have a good credit score. In order to have a good credit score, it’s a good practice to avoid your cheques from being bounced. Your good payment activities will help you build good CIBIL score and benefit you at the time of lending money from financial institutions.

Important terms which is used by Bank in relation to Cheques :

  1. Drawer -the maker of a bill of exchange or cheque is called the “drawer”
  2. Drawee- the person thereby directed to pay is called the “drawee”.
  3. Cheque Return Memo – the bank offer memo to the payee indicating the reason why the cheque id dishonoured.   

Reason why Cheque is bounced :

  1. Insufficient Funds
  2. Closed account
  3. Stop payment

Let’s take a hypothetical situation to understand it completely in a very simple way :

Mr. Atul draws a cheque in the name of Ms. Ria of Rs. 5,000/-. Here Ms. Ria is a drawee and Mr. Atul is drawer. Ms. Ria deposited the cheque in the bank. The cheque got bounced i.e the cheque is dishonoured.

After dispositing the cheque Ms. Ria came to know about the dishonouring of cheque in 2-3 days. Then the bank will issue Cheque return memo.

As the cheque return memo is received by Ms. Ria within 1 month she needs to send a legal notice to Mr. Atul. But also if Ms. Ria and Mr. Atul are friends Ms. Ria knows the actual problem for dishonour of cheque then she has two options

  • She can call Mr. Atul and ask for the reason and ask him when she can again deposit the cheque. If their will be a genuine problem or based on their understanding Ms. Ria deposit the cheque again and then the cheque is honoured.
  • (ii) Ms. Ria can send a legal notice to Mr. Atul. She should mention the cheque is dishonoured, she should mention Mr. Atul should process the amount within 15 days from when the notice is received. Then to after 15 days no amount is being processed and no reply of legal notice is received by Ms. Ria then from 16th day her cause of action has started now within 1 month Ms. Ria will file a case against Mr. Atul under Negotiable Instrument Act 1881

Ms. Ria can file the case under sec 138 of Negotiable Instrument Act for dishonour of cheque. Ms. Ria can file the case with Judicial Magistrate 1st Class (JMFC) or Metropolitan Magistrate.

Documents which is to be furnished at the time of case :

  • Copy of Original Cheque
  • Cheque Return Memo
  • Copy of Legal Notice
  • Postal Receipt of the Legal Notice.

Punishments :

In accordance with section 138 of this act, dishonour of cheque is a criminal offence and is punishable with monetary penalty or imprisonment up to 2 years or both.

Latest amendments in the Act:

The Act has been amended time to time to ensure and enhance trust in negotiable instruments. With an aim to further streamline the Act, the Central Government incorporated Sections 143-A and 148 vide Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Act, 2018 (“Amended Act”). These new sets of provisions have been effective since 1st September 2018.

  • Section 143A of the Amended Act

Section 143-A of the Amended Act empowers any court while trying an offence for dishonour of a cheque to direct the drawer, who is the issuer of the cheque, to pay interim compensation to the complainant. The amount of compensation payable cannot exceed 20% of the amount as stated in the cheque. This amount has to be paid within a stipulated time period of 60 days from the date of the order passed by the court, or further within the extended period of 30 days, as may be directed by the court on showing sufficient cause for the delay caused.

  • Section 148 of the Amended Act

According to the Amended Act, Section 148 states that in the event of the conviction of the drawer of the cheque, if the drawer proceeds to file an appeal, the appellant court has the power to order the drawer of a cheque to deposit an amount. This deposited amount in such case has to be a minimum of 20% of the fine or compensation awarded by the Magistrate Court in the appeal preferred against his/her conviction. However, if the appellant is acquitted, then the Court shall direct the complainant to repay to the appellant the amount so released, with interest.

Easy Ways To Live More Sustainably

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

How beautiful is our planet earth, refreshing and clear lakes, gorgeous sunsets, glorious mountains, and that’s the reason why we love it so much but what if this beautiful nature starts asking for something in return, something as simple as using less water, would we still claim to love it? It is not news that factors like climate change and pollution are a threat to our planet, it been decades that scientists and activists are begging people to be considerate towards our unsustainable lifestyles which are hurting the planet. But our habits and convenience are not letting us change and we chose to ignore the dire warnings, continuing our usage of plastic and burning fuel like there is no tomorrow, which at this rate might be true. While the changes are not just needed for an individual but a policy and behavior changes of companies is also essential in saving the planet and being more sustainable. There was a study conducted in 2017, which stated that 71% of the global emissions were generated by just 100 companies. But as charity begins at home, change also begins from an individual, so here are some extremely simple ways in which we can move to a sustainable lifestyle, help the planet and be the change we want to see in this world.

1. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth – It is a habit of most people that they leave the tap running while brushing their teeth, leaving a tap open can waste eight gallons of water per day which is a ridiculous amount considering that the precious water is going to waste. It can be hard breaking a habit which you have been carrying all your life but there is no reason in continuing such a habit knowing the amount of clean water going to waste like that. Water may be a renewable resource but we just have a limited amount of clean, fresh, and unpolluted water, which is not available everywhere, and hence saving even a drop is important. With groundwater being polluted and lack of clean water, we rely on water from rainfall which is also decreased due to climate change. If the situation continues like this by 2030 half of the world population would face a major water crisis. And if you need a monetary motivation, saving water can reduce your water bill too.

2. Use Public Transportation- We always complain and crib about public transports and avoid them at any chance we get. But the truth being told embracing buses, metros, and trains is one of the best things we can do to save our planet since transport is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases around the world. Using public transport and avoiding your car is the most beneficial way to curb climate change. An average car emits around 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, so living car-free has the highest potential of mitigating a person’s carbon emissions. If you don’t have a choice but to drive, try using carpooling if the travel is unavoidable, it not only decreases the carbon but also saves you money.

3. Stop Buying Packaged Water- People prefer buying single-use plastic bottles of water every time they go out and then throw that plastic away which may never decompose, instead make it a habit of filling up a water bottle from home and carry it whenever you go out, it may take a tiny effort but it can delay the inevitable end of the planet. Almost all the plastic produced to date still exist in the environment and is likely to stay forever as it takes over 500 years for plastic to decompose into smaller particles.

There is no doubt that these suggestions cannot be feasible for everyone, like one won’t take pubic transport if the time of travel becomes three-times but this does not mean we should not try changing and embrace it, trying is the least we can do. If we wish to make the biggest impact on the climate for the least amount of effort, the best place to start is by making small changes individually and then taking it up to our communities, schools, colleges, and workplaces.

CAVEAT

The term “caveat” has been derived from Latin which means “beware”. According to the dictionary meaning, “a caveat is an entry made in the books of the offices of a registry or Court to prevent a certain step being taken without previous notice to the person entering the caveat”. In other words, a caveat is a caution or warning given by a party to the court not to take any action or grant any relief to the applicant without notice given to the party lodging the caveat. It is very common in testamentary proceedings. It is a precautionary measure taken against the grant of probate or letters of administration, as the case may be, by the person lodging the caveat. Section 148-A of the Code of Civil Procedure provides for lodging of a caveat.

Section 148-A

Section 148-A, as inserted by the Amendment Act, 1976 is a salutary provision. It read as under:

  1. Where an application is expected to be made, or has been made, in a suit or proceeding instituted, or about to be instituted, in a Court , any person claiming a right to appear before the Court on the hearing of such application may lodge a caveat in respect thereof.
  2. Where a caveat has been lodged under sub-section (1), the person by whom the caveat has been lodged (hereinafter referred to as the caveator) shall serve a notice of the caveat by registered post, acknowledgement due, on the person by whom the application has been, or is expected to be, made, under sub-section (1).
  3. Where, after a caveat has been lodged under sub-section (1), any application is filed in any suit or proceeding, the Court, shall serve a notice of the application on the caveator.
  4. Where a notice of any caveat has been served on the applicant, he shall forthwith furnish the caveator at the caveators expense, with a copy of the application made by him and also with copies of any paper or document which has been, or may be, filed by him in support of the application.
  5. Where a caveat has been lodged under sub-section (1), such caveat shall not remain in force after the expiry of ninety days from the date on which it was lodged unless the application referred to in sub-section (1) has been made before the expiry of the said period.

Object

The underlying object of a caveat is twofold: firstly, to safeguard the interest of a person against an order that may be passed on an application filed b a party in a suit or proceeding instituted or about to be instituted. Such a person lodging a caveat may not be a necessary party to such an application, he may be affected by an order that may be passed on such application. This section affords an opportunity to such party of being heard before an ex parte order is made. Secondly, to avoid multiplicity of proceedings. In the absence of such a provision, a person who is not a party to such an application and is adversely affected by the order has to be taken appropriate legal proceedings to get rid of such order.

The provision related to the caveat would be applicable to suits, appeals as well as other proceedings under the code or under other enactments. It is no doubt true that no order should be passed against the caveator unless he is heard, but if the caveator is not present at the time of hearing of the application and the Court finds that there is a prima facie case in favour of the applicant, ad interim relief can be granted by the Court in his favour. Interim order passed without giving notice to the caveator is not without jurisdiction and is operative till it is set aside in appropriate proceedings.

Who may File?

Sub-section (1) of Section 148-A prescribes qualifications for the person who intends to lodge a caveat. He must be a person claiming a right to appear before the Court on the hearing of the application, which the applicant might move for the grant of interim relief. The language of Sub-section (1) of Section 148-A is wide enough to include not only a necessary party, but even a proper party. Hence, a caveat may be filed by any person who is going to be affected by an interim order likely to be passed on an application which is expected to be made in a suit or proceeding institute or about to be institute in a Court. Thus, a person who is a stranger to the proceeding cannot lodge a caveat. Likewise, a person supporting the application for interim relief made by the applicant also cannot file a caveat.

Rights and Duties

Sub-section (2), (3) and (4) of Section 148-A prescribe the rights and duties of the caveator who lodges a caveat, of the applicant who intend to obtain an interim order and of the Court.

Under Sub-section (2) of Section 148-A, once a party is admitted to the status of a caveator, he is clothed with certain rights and duties. It is his duty to serve a notice of the caveat lodged by him by registered post on the person o persons by whom an application against the caveator for an interim order has been or is expected to be made.

Sub-section (4) of Section 148-A provides that is the duty of the applicant to furnish to the caveator forthwith at the caveator’s expense a copy of the application made by him along with the copies of papers and and documents on which he relies. This provision thus makes it obligatory for the applicant to serve his application along with all copies and documents filed or intended to be filed in support of this application.

Once a caveat had been lodged, under Sub-section (3), it is duty of the Court to issue a notice of that application on the caveat. This duty has been cast on the Court obviously for the purpose of enabling the caveator to appear and oppose the granting of an interim relief in favour of the applicant.

Oil spills

A Decade After BP Oil Spill, Scientists Still Working To Save Bird ...

In this figure we can see clearly very bad condition of sea water.

The oil spills are very harmful to marine birds mammals as well as the under water various fishes, shellfish, sharks etc. there are oil destroy the insulating ability of fur bearing mammals such as sea otters and the water repellent of a bird’s features , thus the abilities, thus exposing these creaturess to the harsh elements.

Two cargo ships collided off the Mumbai coast on August 7 causing an oil spill that spread quickly through Maharashtra’s coastline. MS,c Chitra ruptured its tank when it hit incoming MV Khalijia and ran aground at Colaba, near Prongs Reef Lighthouse. The vessel contained about 1,200 tonnes of fuel oil in its tanks of which 800 tonnes spilled into the Arabian Sea before the leaks could be plugged two days later.

BAD IMPACT ON THE SEA FISHES:

5 Environmental Consequences of Oil Spills

Oil destroys the insulating ability of fur-bearing mammals, such as sea otters, and the water repellency of a bird’s feathers, thus exposing these creatures to the harsh elements. Without the ability to repel water and insulate from the cold water, birds and mammals will die from hypothermia.

Juvenile sea turtles can also become trapped in oil and mistake it for food. Dolphins and whales can inhale oil, which can affect lungs, immune function and reproduction. Many birds and animals also ingest oil when they try to clean themselves, which can poison them.

Fish, shellfish, and corals may not be exposed immediately, but can come into contact with oil if it is mixed into the water column — shellfish can also be exposed in the intertidal zone. When exposed to oil, adult fish may experience reduced growth, enlarged livers, changes in heart and respiration rates, fin erosion, and reproduction impairment. Fish eggs and larvae can be especially sensitive to lethal and sublethal impacts. Even when lethal impacts are not observed, oil can make fish and shellfish unsafe for humans to eat.

An oil tanker stationed in Tamil Nadu’s Ennore released at least two tonnes of oil into the sea north of Chennai on Sunday after its fuel hose snapped, the spill occurred at the Kamarajar Port in Ennore, around 20 km from the state capital. An oil spill was reported from the same port in January 2017 after two vessels collided. It had affected 30 km of the coastline, caused significant environmental damage and killed a large number of turtles and hatchlings.

“Preliminary estimate of spilled fuel oil quantity is less than 2 tonnes,” port authorities said in a statement. “The emergency response mechanism was immediately activated and all concerned agencies, including the Coast Guard, swung in action to attend and mitigate the situation.” Raveendran added that 80% of the spilled oil has been contained within the boom – floating barriers installed to contain leaks – and has not spread out into the sea.

INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW

International humanitarian law is a set of legal laws that regulate the conduct of war. It seeks to protect the people who do not participate in the war and to limit the methods and the repercussions of war. International humanitarian law is a part of public international law. It is made up of a set of treaties, rules, principles and regulations. It also follows the customary war laws that regulate the conduct of participants of the war. Its main purpose is the proportionality between the military necessities of humanity and its humanitarian cause. The sources of international law are international agreements such as the Geneva Convention 1, 2, 3 & 4, protocol 1 and 2, and the Hague regulations. All these agreements aim to protect civilians, non-combatants and medical professionals who are not participants of war but are victims of war.


International law divides conflict into international armed conflict and non-international armed conflict. International armed conflict is strictly between two states only as stated in the article two of all Geneva Convention. The rules regarding combatant status, conduct regulations and methods of war are more conditioned for international armed conflict. Non-international armed conflict is defined in article 3 in all Geneva Convention. Any inclusion of a non-state actor makes the war a non-international conflict. IHL follows some basic rules that every country that had signed or ratified has to agree to. Non-combatants or the civilian population who are not participants of the war shall and must be protected at all times. Any prisoner of war must be protected from violence. It prohibits perfidy. Treatment of the wounded and the sick is done by medical groups or the Red Cross, any attack on medical personnel is considered as a war crime. There must be a clear difference between non-combatants and combatants. There should be special protection given to women, children and medical professionals. International humanitarian law also speaks about the prohibition on certain kind of weapons such as cluster weapons which harms all combatants and non-combatants. It also forbids the conscription of children under the age of 15 into armed forces. The use of protective emblems to attack other parties who are participants of the war is considered illegal.


Crimes such as genocide, attacking civilian population, ethnic cleansing and using child soldiers in war are considered as grave war crimes. Present trends in wars are likely to continue. International human rights bodies should make more stringent laws. Given that most human rights laws are governed by the state and its behaviour. The state must take strict actions against it. International humanitarian laws serve the purpose of keeping a balance of the necessity of war and humanitarian laws. It aims for war to occur without the loss of any non-combatants. Combatants who knowingly break the law are subjected to go under a tribunal for their crimes and these individuals are held accountable for the war crimes that they have committed. It is rightly said that only in total abandonment of human conflict will human rights prevail. The human capacity and to inflict suffering to one and other is inevitable in the history of mankind but when we can’t prevent it then we must regulate it and reduce the amount of suffering.

AI helps in improving website USABILITY

Today, an online presence is a must for even the startups and the small businesses. And, a website is essential for it. Without a website, the business is considered simple and not doing well. Almost, all the businesses have one, including all your competitors. The question is — does it really bring about more business? Do your potential buyers or regular shoppers have a good time using your website?

All of that comes down to the user experience (UX) or usability of your website. That is, if your website isn’t user-friendly, it won’t be effective.  To make it an effective one, the navigation is expected to be simple and various features can be accessible instantly. If they can’t easily navigate your website or find it not very appealing, they’ll just return back to the search engine and find an alternative website that fulfill their needs.

Website usability is a crucial factor and it plays a significant role in any business. That’s why website usability — delivering a pleasant user experience to your website visitors — should be your top priority in 2020.Now, as you probably know, artificial intelligence (AI) is making great improvements in recent years, with positive influences in various industries such as healthcare, hospitality, automotive, and even online usability (UX).

To illustrate the latter, here’s how AI can improve a website’s usability:

Semantic Search in Search Engines

Usability of the website can be improved by implementing the Semantic search in the search engines.Search bars on any website allow visitors to quickly navigate to what they’re looking for. These users have a specific intent in mind, such as finding a piece of information or shopping for a particular product.In traditional search, known as lexical search which involves character-matching wherein the results were limited to literal matches of the query words or variants of them.

That’s where AI helps — with semantic search, the search engine can figure out the intent and contextual meaning of the search query, thus improving the accuracy of search results, and consequently increasing the user satisfaction. Semantic Search is defined as the search for information based on the intention of the searcher and contextual meaning of the search terms, instead of depending on the dictionary meaning of the individual words in the search query.

Semantic search denotes search by understanding the overall meaning of the terms as they appear in the search query, to generate more relevant results. Semantic Search in search engines mean the search engine would provide relevant search results based on the intent and contextual meaning of the search terms.

Factors considered in SEMANTIC search

A smart search engine would consider several factors to provide the most relevant and useful search queries, including:

Current trend – If the world cup match finals was just over in the country and someone is searching for ‘Who won the world cup’, the semantic search system should be able to understand the query and give relevant results based on the current trend and news.

Location of search – If a person is searching for ‘what is the temperature’, the semantic search engine should be able to provide results based on the current location of the search.

Intent of the search – Semantic search engines should be able to give appropriate search results based on the intent of the search and not based on the specific words used in the search query.

Variations of words in Semantic Search –Semantic search should consider tenses, plural, singular etc and provide relevant search results for all semantic variations of the words. For example, words like device, devices, device’s etc.

Synonyms and Semantic Search – A semantic search engine should be able to understand the synonyms and give more or less the same search results on any synonyms of the word users search for. For example, try searching for “biggest mountain” and “highest mountain”. You would get pretty much the same results since both of them means the same in this particular query, even though the “biggest” and “highest” could mean different things in different cases.

Concept matching – This is a sub-set of context matching in semantic search. Semantic search should understand the broad concept of the query and return relevant results. For example, a query on “Traffic problems in a particular city” could return relevant results including the topics “narrow roads”, “nonfunctioning traffic lights”, “lack of roadside assistance” etc. because in a broad conceptual point of view, all of these lead to traffic problems.

Conclusion:

Semantic search will enable even the non-technical persons to get the more relevant results based on the intent and contextual meaning of the search terms. Bing and Google are not pure semantic search engines. However, both of the search engines incorporate many elements of semantic search in to their search algorithm to provide more relevant and useful search results.

To explore , further about this topic, please check the following link :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_search

World Hepatitis Day

On World Hepatitis Day, let us put an end to all forms of discrimination that is meted out to people suffereing from hepatitis.

 

World Hepatitis Day, observed on July 28 every year, aims to raise global awareness of hepatitis — a group of infectious diseases known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E — and encourage prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Hepatitis affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing acute and chronic disease and killing close to 1.34 million people every year. Hepatitis causes liver diseases and can also kill a person. World Hepatitis Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).

shutterstock_443761078-Converted

WHO keeps this year’s theme is “Hepatitis-free future,” with a strong focus on preventing hepatitis B among mothers and newborns. On 28 July, WHO will publish new recommendations on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the virus. HBV can be prevented among newborns through the use of a safe and effective vaccine. WHO is calling on all countries to work together to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

Significance of the theme

WHO says, “A hepatitis-free future is achievable with a united effort.”

With 2020’s theme for World Hepatitis Day being “Hepatitis-free future”, it becomes all the more crucial to know about the nature, prevention, and treatment of these viral illnesses. Hepatitis A and E are usually self-limited infections and comparatively not as severe as the other types. Hepatitis B and C are the leading causes of hepatitis-related deaths and can lead to serious conditions and cause long-term liver damage like liver cirrhosis, acute on chronic liver failure, liver cancer, or even death. Hepatitis D usually occurs in conjunction with Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B and C especially pose a serious threat to India as suggested by the numbers.

Once diagnosed, the course of treatment is based on whether the infection is acute or chronic. In the current scenario, it is vital to get a test and have the medications started, as those with pre-existing health conditions are at a higher risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. Increased awareness through campaigns, initiatives, and discussions will help spread information as well as reduce the stigma about the disease. Awareness will also enable access to testing, ultimately resulting in early diagnosis.

WHO mentions the following points in dealing with the situation:

  1. PREVENT infection among newborns.  All newborns should be vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth, followed by at least 2 additional doses.
  2. STOP TRANSMISSION from MOTHER to CHILD. All pregnant women should be routinely tested for hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis and receive treatment if needed.
  3. LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND. Everyone should have access to hepatitis prevention, testing, and treatment services, including people who inject drugs, people in prisons, migrants, and other highly-affected populations.
  4. EXPAND access to testing and treatment. Timely testing and treatment of viral hepatitis can prevent liver cancer and other severe liver diseases.
  5. MAINTAIN essential hepatitis services during COVID-19. Prevention and care services for hepatitis – such as infant immunization, harm reduction services, and continuous treatment of chronic hepatitis B – are essential even during the pandemic.

Education of the masses is the way forward to find these missing millions and ensuring that they receive proper treatment and care. Only then, it is possible to drastically reduce the number of patients who would suffer from these diseases and eliminate the risk of the virus and achieve the dream of “Hepatitis-free” India.

2017-7-31--11-44-28-887_gvk-mialworld-hepatitis-day-2017free-camp4

Let us learn to protect ourselves from Hepatitis diseases on World Hepatitis Day.

 

Venture capital Financing

Venture capital is the form of Financing where venture capitalists will invest funds in startups and starting stage companies which has potential to do good in future.Venture capitalists will invest in equity share of the companies.where it will be high right risk but with the analysis of them they will invest and analyse the good return in future. Venture capitalists will invest in well diversified and new product company which is producing new product which may have demand in the market. Venture capitalists will advice the management to take good decisions to make company successful.

Ways in which venture capitalists finance the company

  1. Venture capitalists may purchase equity share of company
  2. Investing in debentures of the company
  3. Giving the loan to the company

Stages of venture capital Financing

Seed stage: Here company just has the plan or the idea of the product but requires fund to bring that idea in to actual product and make the market research, demand forecasting.

Startup stage: Here company need fund to make the advertisement of the product, where the market research and demand analysis has already completed.

First stage: Here Business goes for actual production of products and bring it in to the market. For production need the fund.

Second stage: Here business go for the more and more production of products and bring new products for the market.

Bridge stage: Here Business already matured and ready for merger, aquision and go for ipo. So need fund for merger and ipo.

Exit strategy for venture capitalists

  1. Initial Public Offering
  2. Merging with other companies
  3. Acquired by other company
  4. Purchased by other venture capitalists
  5. purchased by company owner

Following the Footsteps of Google: Work from Home is the new Modal -SHUBHANKAR

The pandemic has been an unprecedented situation not only for a few countries but for the whole world. But the most impacted country of all has been the United States of America. The situation hasn’t improved at all in the US as it looks to reopen after nearly 4 months in lockdown. But as far as experts claim, the Trump administration has failed to make sure that the crisis doesn’t affect one of the largest economies of the world. Yesterday, tech giants Google announced that it is letting its employees work from home for at least another year until July 2021. This decision has been taken in terms of the situation in the United States prevailing because of the Coronavirus.

The US administration and in particular the US President Donald Trump since the start of the coronavirus have always blamed the Chinese government for the outbreak of the virus in not only the US, but around the world. But what the US hasn’t been able to do so far with one of the best healthcare facilities in the world, is to contain the virus spread. The sole reason behind it is the lack of strict restrictions imposed and the willingness of the Trump administration to open the economy back again. The utter eagerness for the economy to be opened back quickly has risked many a lives in the US already and is risking many more. But the appreciation needs to be given to the tech giants google for taking this step, keeping their employees health as a priority over anything else.

What google has done is set an example, that yes we know that these are unprecedented times, but work can be done from home as well. The feeling that work can’t be done from home isn’t the best at all. I know that work should be done at office only, but risking one’s life for the work to be done is the utmost disrespect to one’s work also. The companies need to understand that work can be done from home as enthusiastically as it can be done at the work place physically. With the advancement in technology, working from the comforts of home is the easiest way to work as well as stay safe from the virus which has impacted the whole world, be it the powerhouses of the world or the developing nations. What I want to convey through this article is the fact that companies should make sure that their employees don’t suffer and the work is also not impacted.

In the end, I want to say that what Google did is the best thing to do right now, to make sure that the work is also not compromised and also that safety is established. The thing is to make sure that companies follow the footsteps of google and let its employees work from home for atleast a year from now on until the vaccine is given to each and every person around the world.   

HUMAN RIGHTS

Man, of course, even in natural state is born with certain rights. He has right to live. Even animals recognise this. But in a civilized society which we witness today and for which the man has spent thousands of years of his existence, witnesses abrogation and violation of his ordinary Human Rights. As civilisation advances, more disrespect is shown to human rights. We cannot confine this accusation to a particular country but to the whole world.’Amnesty International’, the universal supervisor, though not a silent spectator, has failed to achieve the targeted results.

Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains. It is not a mere statement of psychological or philosophical nature. But today is material reality. Even in western civilisation like America ‘s great leaders like Lincoln and Martin Luther King who fought for the human rights of blacks in yesteryears fell victims to bullets. Racism has been an eyesore to any civilised society. Man would have better been in jungles.

If it is racism in western world, it is casteism in countries like India. It is appalling note that even today two – tumbler system exists in remote villages of India. As the whole system revolves around this vicious circle, violation of human rights is a everyday phenomenon in India.

Though the Indian Constitution clearly enunciates and defines the Fundamental Rights of citizens and their guardians, need has arisen to create extra-constitutional bodies to protect human rights. Human Rights Commission at National level and at State level have been created to deal with violation of human rights. The high-handedness of the police which is the enforcement body of laws, custody deaths, filing of cases under provisions not related to their pretty crimes committed to satisfy either their superiors or their political bosses have received condemnation from all quarters. The incidents in Tamil Nadu after May – 2008 elections, were subjected to wild criticism. The political vendetta and vengeance by political parties and their leaders are not healthy signs of democracy. Gone are the days when the policies and not individuals were subjected to valid criticisms.

As far as India is concerned, we have enough laws, but the violations arise only when they are implemented. To a large extent, though the violation of human rights can be traced to a large scale illiteracy prevailing in India, it can be safely concluded that the system of education practised in India does not emphasis much on human values. The system needs total revamping. Strict enforcement of law is the need of the hour but violation of human rights is strongly condemnable.

We are in a civilised democratic country. In the words of Churchill, ‘Democracy is the worst form of Government but, we do not know better than that’. Hence, what is required is ‘respect for human values’.

Staying fit in lockdown

Corona virus disease which was first identified at Wuhan, China has caused a massive spread all over the world as because this is an infectious ailment, our country has adopted the method of Lockdown to tame down the vulnerable situation of Covid 19. This circumstance is becoming a lot more serious over the days when Corona virus is creating a dreadful impact worldwide. Lockdown basically is a very effective process to ensures the security of people by isolating the positive cases. Government has taken up this solution to break the chain of Corona Virus. Lockdown will help in the reduction of death rate as face to face interactions nowadays is to be avoided. The policy of staying separated from one another is also known as Quarantining oneself. This is relatively a new term which signifies that people should not get much exposed to the contagious disease. World Health Organizations has termed Covid 19 as a Pandemic. Hence, all the other places like Shopping malls, Cinema Halls, Restaurants which provided entertainment to the common folks after a strenuous busy day have been closed down. Also, school, colleges, universities has declared to be shut off till the Graph of Covid spread goes down. Hence it is much crucial for all of us to take proper measures and precautions to protect ourselves at this time. Usage of Masks and Sanitizers has become compulsory as declared by the Government which is undeniable and is the best rule to be followed for the protection of every one around, preventing the spread of Virus. Those who are breaking such regulations are to be strictly punished by the cops. Other than that, Few below mentioned steps can be followed for a happy living:-

1) Mental Health of a person needs to be taken care of and known just as we do to the physical Health. Mental Health is not much talked about and not many considers this as a significant issue. This requires serious treatment too. Mental Health is a time span when the afftected one faces a lot of trauma, starts gets negative feelings and lose all hope of living. A large no. of people commits suicide on a regular basis due to depression. If someone seeks help he should be talked to often or will mandatorily attend a psychiatrist. Understanding the depth of such an ailment in India is practically impossible as they don’t know how to communicate regarding this to another. due to this Covid situation Mental Health is getting hampered as because People are social beings, it is a torture of them to caged down for a very long tenure.

2) As because the Gyms are closed, you cannot skip on your exercises. Exercises are a must for your body, it releases stress and motivates you to get back in shape and keeps away ailments. Even a little bit of working out, or running around would help a lot. Exercising is the best way to work on yourself, plank for 30 seconds, arm and leg stretch is indeed a must. If someone has never been to a gym, this is the best time to indulge yourself in working out at home.

3) Talking to family is a very relaxing idea as it takes away all the boredom of your life and opening up to them is essential for your growth. Family is the foremost place which knows you thoroughly and understands you better no matter what. Spend your leisure time by chit chatting with them or playing indoor games like Chess, Ludo, Cards together just like we did in our child hood days. Family bond makes you feel and live much better. Use this ample of time to strengthen your connections, which was previously lost due to shortage of time by getting closer to your family.

4) Eat properly, take proper vitamins and minerals which are prescribed by the doctors globally. Taking medicines time to time is very essential these days. In taking Junk foods are absolutely a big No No for your health right now. Food should be consumed at regular intervals, Seasonal fruits shall be consumed daily for removing body toxins and it also keeps the body hydrated.

5) Many people can start pursuing their lost passions once again, utilizing this time for your benefit is the best option. Hence those who couldn’t earlier manage time to continue with their likings because of the work pressure can restart by cooking new dishes, gardening, painting, singing, dancing, writing e t c. All these are a part of self care which would enhance your skills once again.

6) Children are getting time to spend with their parents which is in turn a boon for them because both the parents work for a lot of time and do not get the scope to speak to their children, also the children spends a lot of time in Schools. After a busy day, no body has the energy to communicate with each other making the child lonely and irritated. Parents must take the initiative to engage the child and watch a movie or t v shows all together or read out a book to them which will increase their moral values and they will become comfortable while exchanging views.

7) Youngsters should help their parents out with household domestic chores which in turn is going to make the difficult and boring work ten times simple. Also, Teenagers should spend time with the grand parents, hear out their stories of experiences which also serves as a healing therapy both ways. Also they can associate themselves with new Learning courses online which will enhance their knowledge.

The practice of Domestic Violence all over India should be stopped immediately as this will hurt both ou and your loved ones.

Job Satisfaction

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”

– Aristotle

Job Satisfaction may be defined as the feeling of satisfaction or attitude that an employee has about the job that he or she is performing. It is not a self- satisfaction, happiness but the satisfaction on the job. Job Satisfaction relates to the total relationship between an individual and the employer for which he is paid. There is direct relationship between employee’s job performance and the satisfaction that he or she derives from doing the job. Many research studies have clearly shown that employees who are satisfied have a better attitude towards their jobs and his productivity is significantly higher than less satisfied employees. Hence, it is important that the employees feel a sense of satisfaction with their job or else it might lead to frustration, anger and in some cases depression. Job Satisfaction is also an achievement indicator in career development task. When an employee is satisfied, he or she cares more about the quality of work, they become more commited and loyal towards the work and the organisation, the employee retention rate increases and the employees become more productive which helps in achieving goals of the organisation. A satisfied employee generally have a positive attitude towards his job and company. He or she is proactive, they have a higher level of motivation and they tend to take initiative, they are willing to take more responsibility and establishes better relationship with their colleagues, fellow employees, superiors and subordinates. A satisfied employee shows a positive energy all the time. As we know satisfied employees will stay with the organisation or company for a long-period of time and so for this the organisation must concentrate on removing dissatisfied employees from the workplace inorder to reduce negative energy. Empower the satisfied employees so that they helps in achieving both their own needs and those of the organisation. Job Satisfaction is an attitude that employees have regarding their work and the organisation and it is based on numerous factors which includes both intrinsic and extrinsic to the individual. Job Satisfaction also plays an important role in maintaining and retaining the appropriate employees within the organisation as the company has already invested a lot of money on them. It is a complex and multifaceted concept as a wide range of factors affects the level of job satisfaction. They are individual, social, cultural, organisational and environmental factors. Job Satisfaction is usually linked with motivation as it motivates them to work hard and give their best. Job Satisfaction can be measured in cognitive (evaluative), effective (or emotional) and behavioral components. Job Satisfaction helps in knowing whether employee is satisfied and it is one key metric that can help in determine the overall health of an organisation, that is why many organisations employ regular surveys to measure employee satisfaction and track satisfaction trends over time. A high satisfaction level indicates that employees are happy with how their employers treat them. Job Satisfaction plays a crucial role both for the company and for the employees for many reasons including the following:-

  • Increases Productivity – Job Satisfaction is highly correlated to productivity. If a person is satisfied with his job he will be more productive. A happy and satisfied employees generally work smarter and harder to achieve company goals.
  • Protects Physical Well-Being- Job Satisfaction is directly proportional to physical health and well-being of the employees. An employee who is healthy will adjust himself well in the organisation and to the work and hence tends to contribute more towards the organisation.
  • Decreases Employee Turnover and Absenteeism- A company where there is high employee turnover shows that the organisation provides less satisfaction to its employees and this is the major disorders of company. A high job satisfaction level significantly reduces voluntary separation of employees and thus company is able to retain its talented employees. A higher satisfaction level also has a positive effect on the attendance of the employees. It helps in reducing the rate of absenteeism in the organisation.

So lastly, job satisfaction is really very important for the prestige and goodwill of the organisation.

Animal Cruelty: Are Humans Losing Their Humanity?

Imagine you were the one being tested on, imagine your skin being torn off alive, imagine your arms and legs being ripped off while still alive, imagine being burnt alive, fellow classmates even imagine losing your life, just so you can satisfy other species. Doesn’t sound fun, does it?

Now imagine this, you are a poor soul who has been searching for food everywhere. Suddenly, your happiness sees no bound as you see pineapple lying in front of you. You thank god and people for feeding such a delicacy amidst long hunger. You gulp that in one bite and feel inside of your body hurting and burning. You soon realize it was not just a pineapple. You run for water to soothe down the internal wound and burning. You stand in water for hours in oblivion just to face one reality – that now only death can relieve this burning. If reading this makes your stomach churn, you might understand the pain that poor soul went through which for some people was a mere ‘elephant’. What makes it even more disheartening that the elephant was pregnant  and yet had to spend her last few hours standing in the water waiting for death so that to leave this cruel world in solace.

In yet another instance of cruelty towards animals, a monkey was hanged to death from a tree in Telangana’s Khammam district.

Animals – creatures that are considered fit for human cruelty. Hitting dogs, throwing bricks at speechless animals and taming them forcefully for circuses has become common news now. It is time we re-emphasized the need for animal rights to protect and safeguard their lives from humans.

It’s blood curling that there exist some people who intentionally hurt animals because they enjoy hurting things, or because it makes them feel powerful. Some, love the control they possess over these helpless creatures. While, there are others who simply enjoy pain and violence.

It should be noted that intentional cruelty to animals is strongly correlated with other crimes, including violence against people. (HSLF). Any psychologist or police officer can ascertain you that animal cruelty is a precursor to criminally violent behavior toward humans. There are plenty of laws against cruelty to animals as well. Thus, Outright cruelty, harm to a living creature for no other purpose than the cruelty itself, is definitely prohibited and while not punishable to the extent that human cruelty is punishable, it is considered a serious indicator of a disordered mind and a dangerous person.

There are very strict guidelines laid down by the Indian government. Like, the animal should have rested before being slaughtered, an animal should not be killed in front of the other animals, no pregnant animal can be killed and all the animals should be diagnosed by the veterinarian before butchering them. The veterinarian must allow only the healthy animals to be slaughtered but all of it is on paper. All the strict laws have no strict implementation due to lack of will. There will surely be reduction in the rate of animal cruelty if these laws are implemented strictly!

We need to begin with our own selves without expecting any kind of new policies or laws to protect animals. Regularly keeping a bowl of fresh water outside your house and feeding the street animals. Such small activities would provide street animals with basic survival needs in the harsh city life.

Are we going to realize this any soon that we are a part of an ecosystem where human, plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms, all have to live together without harming each other? It’s generally only the humans that are less tolerant towards animals, plants, insets, etc. whereas, the rest simply seek for a peaceful existence.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE

As we all know that earth has so many wonders in it….nature show us its beautiful creation but there are some mysterious places also present on earth…Bermuda triangle is one of them….


The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle or Hurricane Alley, is a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Popular culture has attributed various disappearances to the paranormal or activity by extraterrestrial beings.
The earliest suggestion of unusual disappearances in the Bermuda area appeared in a September 17, 1950, article published in The Miami Herald (Associated Press) by Edward Van Winkle Jones. Two years later, Fate magazine published “Sea Mystery at Our Back Door”, a short article by George Sand covering the loss of several planes and ships, including the loss of Flight 19. Sand’s article was the first to lay out the now-familiar triangular area where the losses took place, as well as the first to suggest a supernatural element to the Flight 19 incident.
In February 1964, Vincent Gaddis wrote an article called “The Deadly Bermuda Triangle” in the pulp magazine Argosy saying Flight 19 and other disappearances were part of a pattern of strange events in the region. The next year, Gaddis expanded this article into a book, Invisible Horizons.

There are some explanations also about the Bermuda triangle-
Compass variations- Compass problems are one of the cited phrases in many Triangle incidents. While some have theorized that unusual local magnetic anomalies may exist in the area, such anomalies have not been found.

Gulf Stream- The Gulf Stream is a major surface current, primarily driven by thermohaline circulation that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and then flows through the Straits of Florida into the North Atlantic. In essence, it is a river within an ocean, and, like a river, it can and does carry floating objects. It has a maximum surface velocity of about 2 m/s (6.6 ft/s). A small plane making a water landing or a boat having engine trouble can be carried away from its reported position by the current.

Human error- One of the most cited explanations in official inquiries as to the loss of any aircraft or vessel is human error.

Violent weather- Hurricanes are powerful storms that form in tropical waters and have historically cost thousands of lives and caused billions of dollars in damage. The sinking of Francisco de Bobadilla’s Spanish fleet in 1502 was the first recorded instance of a destructive hurricane. These storms have in the past caused a number of incidents related to the Triangle.
A National Hurricane Center satellite specialist, James Lushine, stated “during very unstable weather conditions the downburst of cold air from aloft can hit the surface like a bomb, exploding outward like a giant squall line of wind and water.”


Methane hydrates- An explanation for some of the disappearances has focused on the presence of large fields of methane hydrates (a form of natural gas) on the continental shelves. Laboratory experiments carried out in Australia have proven that bubbles can, indeed, sink a scale model ship by decreasing the density of the water.
However, according to the USGS, no large releases of gas hydrates are believed to have occurred in the Bermuda Triangle for the past 15,000 years.

HERE ARE SOME INCIDENTS –
• Flight 19 was a training flight of five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that disappeared on December 5, 1945, while over the Atlantic. The squadron’s flight plan was scheduled to take them due east from Fort Lauderdale for 141 mi (227 km), north for 73 mi (117 km), and then back over a final 140-mile (230-kilometre) leg to complete the exercise. The flight never returned to base. The disappearance was attributed by Navy investigators to navigational error leading to the aircraft running out of fuel.

One of the search and rescue aircraft deployed to look for them, a PBM Mariner with a 13-man crew, also disappeared. A tanker off the coast of Florida reported seeing an explosion and observing a widespread oil slick when fruitlessly searching for survivors. The weather was becoming stormy by the end of the incident. According to contemporaneous sources the Mariner had a history of explosions due to vapor leaks when heavily loaded with fuel, as it might have been for a potentially long search-and-rescue operation.

• G-AHNP Star Tiger disappeared on January 30, 1948, on a flight from the Azores to Bermuda; G-AGRE Star Ariel disappeared on January 17, 1949, on a flight from Bermuda to Kingston, Jamaica. Both were Avro Tudor IV passenger aircraft operated by British South American Airways. Both planes were operating at the very limits of their range and the slightest error or fault in the equipment could keep them from reaching the small island.


• On December 28, 1948, a Douglas DC-3 aircraft, disappeared while on a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami. No trace of the aircraft, or the 32 people on board, was ever found. A Civil Aeronautics Board investigation found there was insufficient information available on which to determine probable cause of the disappearance.

• Connemara IV a yacht was found adrift in the Atlantic south of Bermuda on September 26, 1955; it is usually stated in the stories (Berlitz, Winer) that the crew vanished while the yacht survived being at sea during three hurricanes.


• On August 28, 1963, a pair of US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft collided and crashed into the Atlantic 300 miles west of Berm

Rafael aircraft coming to India from France

The Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide range of weapons, the Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike, and nuclear deterrence missions. Many of the aircraft’s avionics and features, such as direct voice input, the RBE2 AA active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, were domestically developed and produced for the Rafale program. Originally scheduled to enter service in 1996, the Rafale suffered significant delays due to post-Cold War budget cuts and changes in priorities. The aircraft is available in three main variants: Rafale C single-seat land-based version, Rafale B twin-seat land-based version, and Rafale M single-seat carrier-based version.

Rafel-piuja-390x220

The Rafale is being produced for both the French Air Force and for carrier-based operations in the French Navy. The Rafale has been marketed for export to several countries and was selected for purchase by the Indian Air Force, the Egyptian Air Force, and the Qatar Air Force.  Due to its great capabilities, the first batch of 5 raflaes arrives in India in two days.

On the one hand, when there are neighbors like China and on the other hand, when there are neighboring countries like Pakistan, India needs to work on both its army and the Indian Air Force. In such a situation, 5 Rafale aircraft was given to the Indian Army yesterday. These Rafale aircraft flew from France yesterday and reached the UAE airbase Al Dhafra today. Here their maintenance and refueling work will be done. After this, these fighter aircraft will fly and arrive at Ambala Air Force Base tomorrow. With this aircraft joining the Indian Air Force, the morale of the Indian Army will be greatly elevated. However, the condition of the Airforce is not good right now because there is a shortage of squadron. This thing has been told in many reports. But with Rafael joining the Indian Army, it can play a decisive role in winning a war.

1gd_5ecb8a1e88067

“You can call them (Rafale) both beauty and the beast,” said Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf after interacting with the IAF pilots at the airbase before they set off for India. “Delivery of 10 aircraft has been completed on schedule. Five will stay back in France for a training mission. The delivery of all 36 aircraft will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021,” the Indian embassy in Paris said in a statement. India and France signed a Euro 7.87-billion ( ₹59,000 crores approximately) deal on September 23, 2016, for 36 Rafale jets. The IAF official said the air-to-air refueling of the aircraft will be undertaken with dedicated tanker support from the French Air Force. “Our air force pilots tell us that these are extremely swift, nimble, versatile, and very deadly aircraft,” said Ashraf while congratulating the IAF pilots on becoming the first ones to fly one of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft. The envoy thanked Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the aircraft, for delivering the fleet on time, the French government and the French Air Force for extending all required support.

Online Classes During Pandemic

COVID-19 began in the month of December in 2019 and soon it grew into a pandemic, leading to several losses of lives and locking down of many cities. Social distancing became the key to escape out of this problem. But, with this solution came other problems. We are able to follow social distancing by keeping us locked in our houses but this stopped students’ education too. But we can’t just stop everything due to this COVID thing. We need to find an effective solution to continue the education of students. We need to continue the functioning of schools and colleges.

Online Classes

In the times of the internet, the one and the only solution are online classes. The online way to share knowledge and information now is the internet. It has proved to be a real miracle these days, connecting millions and making information access fast and easy. Be it school, college, tuition, or coaching classes, knowledge is now being delivered to students who are sitting at their home and can learn things sitting there only. Students now need a mobile or desktop and fast internet connection to attend their online classes and learn things. It is not possible for a pandemic to stop students from learning.

download

How it is a different experience?

This way of learning is totally new to everyone, be it students, be it teachers or be it parents. We were already involved in some small ways of e-learning but a complete shift towards this type of mode is  something new and challenging to everyone. Teachers are continuously involved in finding new ways to make e-learning more interactive and interseting for students. They are continuously evolving their way of teaching and trying to give them a class-type of feeling. Teachers are also learning to adapt with new softwares and explore things. Students are learning how to deal with online homework submissions, doubt-sessions and examinations. But, the problem is that the medium of interaction is always an electronic device. Hence, students are subjected to fatigue and mental stress. They seem irritated and develop body pain sitting still at a particular position holding their phones or laptops. Students are also developing stress on eyes. It is quite difficult for them to adjust with all of these. It seems that this way of teaching costs their health, both mental and physical. Besides this, internet is not available to all the areas of the country and to all the students. Poor students can’t afford high speed data. This method of teaching, is thus, a barrier between poor students and education. It is a harsh truth that they are left behind. We need to work together towards this to make education available to underprivileged students also.

newslaundry_2020-06_aec18d7f-f6b0-4edd-bee2-a94995674237_onlineeducation__1_

 

INVENTIONS: THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

As we are humans and we always want something new, something unique, something bigger, and most importantly something different…..our history is full of great people and great inventions…..there were some inventions after them, the world has took a new dimension or we can say that the world get updated by time by time……there are some inventions which have changed the way of thinking of human beings, and provide a new face to the world……these inventions are as follows:


WHEEL- just imagine if there were the invention of wheel didn’t take place then how our life will be going on….This primitive technology made it easier for all of us to travel. From the archaeological excavations, the oldest known wheel is from Mesopotamia, around 3500 B.C.
As a result of advancement in the new and innovative design of wheels, industrialization could take root. Wheel played a vital role in our life.


COMPASS- It was created for spiritual and navigational purposes; the earliest compasses were most likely invented by the Chinese in around 1050 BC. It was made of lodestones, which is a naturally magnetized iron ore.The invention of the electromagnet in 1825 led to the development of the modern compass.


STEAM ENGINE- In 1781, James Watt introduced a steam engine and went on to fuel one of the most momentous technological leaps in human history during the Industrial Revolution.
During the 1800s these engines lead to an improvement in transportation, agriculture, and manufacturing industries.


AIRPLANE- On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first powered, sustained and controlled airplane.
Beginning with gliders, the duo laid the foundation for modern aeronautical engineering.
The possibility to fly over thousands of miles in less time would not have been made possible if the aircraft were not invented.


FIRE- From the past to the present Fire has been in rituals, agriculture, cooking, generating heat and light, signaling, various industrial processes, cremation, and as a weapon or medium of destruction. This remarkable control of fire happened during Early Stone Age by Homo erectus. The invention of fire was the biggest achievement of our ancestors and an essential thing of all the time.


LIGHT BULB- Today we get light by only switching on a button….the light bulb was just like a revolution in the history of world…Thomas Alva Edison invented the light bulb.


ELECTRICITY- There is a very big invention apart from light bulb….the electricity….without electricity we feel very incomplete now a days…Alessandro Volta discovered the first practical method of generating electricity. 1831 is marked the year of major breakthrough for electricity. A British scientist Michael Faraday discovered the basic principles of electricity generation. This invention was also the revolution in the history of world. It works as a backbone for almost every work..


X-RAY- X-ray was the very big invention for the medical field as it brought an ease in treating people.
All credits to physicist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen. While testing whether cathode rays could pass through glass, he noticed a glow coming from a nearby chemically coated screen. Because of their unknown nature, he named it as X-rays. Through his observation, he learned that X-rays can be photographed when they penetrate into human flesh.

In 1897, during the Balkan war, X-rays were first used to find bullets and broken bones inside patients. In 1901, he received the Nobel Prize in physics for his work.


CAMERA- Camera was one of the remarkable inventions in the history as it allows us to capture all the moments and with the help of this, we can travel in the memories of flash back.
The first partially successful photograph of a camera image was made in approximately 1816 by Nicephore Niepce, using a very small camera of his own making and a piece of paper coated with silver chloride, which darkened where it was exposed to light.


COMPUTER- In today’s life laptop, computer become an essential thing either it is business man, student, employee everyone need it. It was also the biggest achievement for history. Major Shoutout to the mechanical engineer Charles Babbage for laying the foundation to this remarkable and most reliable invention. In the early 19th century, the “father of the computer” conceptualized and invented the first mechanical computer.


TELEPHONE- Alexander Graham Bell, best known for his invention of the telephone. Today we can talk to any one from anywhere…and we feel connected to our every loved ones because of telephone.


INTERNET- Internet was also the remarkable invention as everyone needs it in today’s time either it is a school going child, an employee, or elder ones. Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has had a revolutionary impact on technology, including the rise of electronic mail, instant messaging, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone calls, and two-way interactive video calls.


WORLD WIDE WEB- The Internet is a networking infrastructure. Whereas the World Wide Web is a way to access information over the medium of the Internet.
The father of the World Wide Web is a British Computer Scientist, Tim Berners-Lee. By October 1990, three Tim laid the foundation to the web through HTML, URL, and HTTP technologies.
April 1993, marked an important step in the history of Web. The decision to use the web for free was announced. And today we can see there is not a single day gone when we don’t search something on Google. We can say Google has become the part of our life…if we don’t know something and if we want to search something, then we easily open Google and collect the information….from a street to the world every information is available here.

Lockdowns And Decreased Seismic Noise

Scientists from the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Brussels recently shared an observation that after lockdowns were imposed by governments all over the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a remarkable decline in human-linked vibrations within the crust of the Earth. And the scientists in Brussels, with the help of other scientists around the world, have published a new study in the journal “SCIENCE“, which shows how the ‘Seismic Noise’ has reduced, allowing them to observe and record previously concealed earthquakes better.

Courtesy- Stephen Hicks @seismo_steve

Measured using seismometers, seismic waves are the vibrations traveling within the Earth that could be set off by earthquakes or volcanoes. The waves could be subject to the disturbance caused due to human activities or naturally. In the study, it is found that the reduced human activity led to an average drop of around 50% human-caused seismic noise, which was recorded between March 2020 to May 2020. The drops in the seismic noise, especially in the urban areas, are unprecedented and are observed to be more than what is considered usual quiet periods like weekends, holidays, or during the night.

The scientists have termed this time of global anthropogenic or human-based seismic noise deduction as ‘Anthropause’. This anthropause can help the scientists get a more accurate measure of the seismic waves and to differentiate between human and natural seismic noise clearly.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Thomas Lecocq from the Royal Observatory of Belgium explains, “With increasing urbanization and growing global populations, more people will be living in geologically hazardous areas. It will, therefore, become more important than ever to differentiate between natural and human-caused noise so that we can ‘listen in’ and better monitor the ground movements beneath our feet.”

The scientists and researchers are hoping to move forward with their study of seismic lockdown and the previously hidden indications of earthquakes and volcanoes would be easier to be recognized and there will be a better understanding of the natural seismic waves.

Hobbies

“I want to fly a plane. I want to make a paper boat. I want to become a police officer and catch all criminals by myself. I want to become a model. I want to become the Prime Minister of my country. I want to meet Sharukh Khan in person.” These are some of the things one must have said or at least heard a child say. But as we grow up, things change and people find it difficult to continue their dreams. Some of them make use of their hobbies and elevate it into their career, some pursue them in their free time and some just don’t really happen to bother about it.

hobby

According to Wikipedia, A hobby is an activity, interest, or pastime that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation, done during one’s own time.

Some hobbies include DIY, coin collection, writing poems and articles, stamp collection, gardening, camping, play board games, watch movies/series and documentaries, make a scrapbook of special events, cooking, drawing, dancing, singing, stargazing, flying a kite, calligraphy, learning a new language, volunteering, performing yoga and the list continues.

Some of them have become obsolete such as stamp or coin collection due to VUCA world. Technology has also enhanced various things and have led to molding of interest. Now-a-days, it is possible to learn new things via internet. YouTube and other online platforms have made it possible for amateur to learn new skills online.

Some hobbies can be expensive but some comes with few costs involved. But at the end of the day, one must devote some time for these hobbies as they are a great stress reliever. One way to end the monotony is to focus on a hobby that is both enjoyable and helps you pass the time in a meaningful way.

Benefits of having a hobby:

  • Hobbies offer a new challenge.
  • They are a great source of happiness and stress reliever.
  • Hobbies provide an outlet for stress.
  • They help in enhancing one’s own personality.
  • They promote healthy relationship with oneself as well as others.
  • They also give one a platform to showcase one’s talent with the world.

As we grow up, life becomes monotonous and sometimes dull. Presence of some hobbies help in innovative thinking and reducing everyday stress. It is something that one has outside the normal job and something that is interesting. It is extremely important to adapt to the changes overall keep going and these hobbies add colors to life.

 

Aloe vera

Aloe vera is a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. An evergreen perennial, it originates from the Arabian Peninsula, but grows wild in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world. People have used it for thousands of years for healing and softening the skin. Aloe has also long been a folk treatment for many maladies, including constipation and skin disorders. The cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries use aloe vera extensively, and the plant has an estimated annual market value of $13 billion globally. Each leaf contains a slimy tissue that stores water, and this makes the leaves thick. This water filled tissue is the “gel” that people associate with aloe vera products. Like other Aloe species, Aloe vera forms arbuscular mycorrhiza, a symbiosis that allows the plant better access to mineral nutrients in soil.

ANTIOXIDANT

The gel contains most of the beneficial bioactive compounds in the plant, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants .Aloe vera gel contains powerful antioxidants belonging to a large family of substances known as polyphenols.

SKIN PROBLEMS AND WOUND HEALING

Aloe vera is known for its antibacterial, antiviral, and antiseptic properties. This is part of why it may help heal wounds and treat skin problems. There is some preliminary evidence to suggest that topical aloe vera gel can slow aging of the skin. The United States Pharmacopeia describe aloe vera preparations as a skin protector as early as 1810–1820.

REDUCES CONSTIPATION

Aloe vera may also help treat constipation. This time it is the latex, not the gel, that provides the benefits. The latex is a sticky yellow residue present just under the skin of the leaf. The key compound responsible for this effect is called aloin, or barbaloin, which has well established laxative effects.

LOWERS BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL

People sometimes use aloe vera as a remedy for diabetes. This is because it may enhance insulin sensitivity and help improve blood sugar management.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

Hate Binge And Chill

Over the last weekend, all I can notice on social media was Netflix’s latest docu-reality series, which was trending on number #2 “Indian Matchmaking”. People on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook were criticizing the show and the memes were being circulated, I am no fan reality shows but I was just curious to know what the fuzz is all about.

The show begins with a woman (Akshay’s mom) listing all the qualities, to a Mumbai based matchmaker- Sima Taparia, that she is looking for in her future daughter-in-law, and trust me when I say this that 10 minutes into the show and I am already hating it but I still watched 2 episodes in the same sitting. “I shouldn’t be watching this shit,” I say to myself but somehow, I finished all eight episodes of the show in a matter of hours within a day. The show is downright cringe-worthy. Sima Taparia, the narrator makes pretty nasty and mean comments, especially about girls who are ambitious, independent, and looking for a partner that would treat her as an equal. Such girls for Sima Aunty are stubborn, not-flexible, demanding, and difficult to find a match for; while on the other hand if a boy demands those qualities then it is normal. So much for the double standards. The show without doubts contains all the elements of a binge-worthy reality show- A man-child, who wants a wife like his mother, nosy mother, who blackmails by pointing to her high blood pressure the boy into marrying, a most probably closeted guy, an ambitious, career-oriented woman, a face reader, astrologers, life-coach, and US-based scenes. It is worth all the hate and I too watched it under the hate spell.

It happens to a lot of us that we get glued to television for such shows that we hate, those shows don’t make any sense, we make fun of them, get offended by them but we still binge them. But why does that happen? Why can’t we stop watching something that we do not like? According to psychology and communications experts, love and hate are 2 strong emotions and once our emotions are unleashed, whether it’s because we’re very attracted to something or very repelled by something if we feel strongly enough about it, we want to know more, we grow curious about it.

The same happened with Indian Matchmaking, I was annoyed by Sima Taparia and other problematic characters and it unleashed my emotions. I was furious when Sima Taparia said, “Indians don’t like lawyers as a daughter-in-law”, words like “flexible”, “compromise”, “tall”, “well-settled” were thrown around and I was screaming, “Why even bother getting married then?” at my TV screen when Sima Taparia said, “In India, marriages are breaking like biscuits” and thus her job is getting tougher. But with every episode I felt that I do want to know what is going to happen next in their lives, I might miss something and everyone is already talking about it. When there are no good options about what to do, we tend to do this like binge-watching a show that you dislike because you have developed an interest as it is more interesting than doing nothing.

When we start a show that we begin to hate, we think that we have wasted our time by start watching it in the first place and to compensate the lost time and effort we keep going on in a hope that we will get at least something out of it in the end. And eventually what happens is you dislike it more and more, you waste more and more money, and things generally just get worse.

But how do we stop this hate-binge? Well, psychologists suggest that turning off the auto-play is a good start, if you don’t like something in the first two episodes stop watching it then and there and if you feel peer pressure by the Social Media into watching the entire series because everyone else has, try to start a new series and then go back to the one you hated. I honestly would love to try this technique out because hate-binge just makes you feel guilty and nothing good comes out of that.

LONAR LAKE

Recently we have heard about a lake which water turned into pink color and it was the big cause of everyone’s wonder….everyone was surprised that how it happened ….then every had curiosity to know about that lake and to know about how it’s green color changed into pink color……and the name of that lake is the LONAR LAKE…….


The lonar lake is located at Lonar in Buldhana district, Maharashtra, India. Lonar Lake was created by an asteroid collision with earth impact during the Pleistocene Epoch.

The lake was initially believed to be of volcanic origin, but now it is recognized as an impact crater. Lonar Lake was created by the impact of either a comet or of an asteroid. The crater has an oval shape.


The water of the lake contains various salts and sodas. During dry weather, when evaporation reduces the water level, large quantities of soda are collected.


The lake is a haven for a wide range of plant and animal life. Resident and migratory birds such as black-winged stilts, brahminy ducks, grebes, shelducks (European migrants), shovellers, teals, herons, red-wattled lapwings, rollers or blue jays, baya weavers, parakeets, hoopoes, larks, tailorbirds, magpies, robins and swallows are found on the lake.


In early June 2020, the lake turned red/pink in a span of 2–3 days. A report by Agharkar Research Institute, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and Geological Survey of India suggested that lowered water levels and high salinity caused growth of Halobacterium and increased Carotenoid levels, which in turn led to color change.


PROBLEMS OF LONAR LAKE-
• Use of fertilizers, pesticides and toxic materials in the agriculture field around the lake results in pollution of lake water.
• Deforestation is illegally carried out in the surroundings and cattle grazing inside or near the rim of the crater creates fecal pollution.
• Excavation activities are often carried out illegally thus disturbing the lake’s underground water source.
• The lake’s ecosystem is being damaged because of the sewage dump in the lake.
• Commercial activities, including illegal construction, within the vicinity of lake has damaged the lake’s natural.


There are various activities (e.g. “Save Lonar”) for the protection of Lonar crater are on-going.

Mutual Divorce as per Hindu Marriage Act, 1955

Divorce is a very serious issue. Nowadays, the seriousness is vanished the couple find it very easy to end up a relationship without thinking twice about the decision. Some Couple knows it all about the consequences they could suffer later on but apart from it they decide to end up the marriage rather than sitting together and solving the differences between themselves.

What is Divorce by Mutual Consent?

Under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 both the husband and the wife have been given a right to get their marriage dissolved by a decree of divorce on more than one ground specifically enumerated in Section 13.

Section 28 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 and Section 10A of the Divorce Act, 1869, also provides for divorce by mutual consent.

The conditions required under section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act are as follows:

(i) Husband and wife have been living separately for a period of one year or more.

(ii) That they are unable to live together.

(iii) And that both husband and wife have mutually agreed that the marriage has totally collapsed. Hence marriage should be dissolved. Under these circumstances, a Divorce by Mutual consent can be filed.

As per the Indian Legal system, a divorce procedure fundamentally begins with the filing of a divorce petition.

Where to file a divorce petition

1. The court can be one where couple seeking divorce last lived.

2. The court can be one where the marriage was solemnized.

3. The court can be one where the wife is residing as of present.

The entire procedure of divorce in India starts begins with the divorce petition which is filled by the parties associated with the divorce process and notice of the same is served to the other one.

According to the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955; a petition for a ‘mutual divorce’ can be filed if you and your spouse are facing difficulties and have decided to part your ways legally.

You can even file for divorce if the other party is not willing to get a divorce- this is called, ‘Contested Divorce’.

Points to be discussed before getting a divorce by mutual consent

  1. Maintenance
  2. Child custody
  3. Settlement of Property and assets

Requirement of Documents for filing Mutual Divorce Petition:

  • Marriage Certificate
  • Address Proof – Husband and Wife.
  • Four Photographs of Marriage.
  • Income tax Statement of last 3 years.
  • Details of profession and Income (Salary slips, appointment letter)
  • Details of Property and Asset owned
  • Information about family (husband and wife)
  • Evidence of Staying separately for an year
  • Evidence relating to the failed attempts of reconciliation

Procedure for getting a decree of divorce by mutual consent

Step 1: Jointly filing a petition

A divorce petition in the form of an affidavit is to be signed by both parties and filed before a family court in their region.

Jurisdiction of the court should not be a major issue in filing for divorce as the petition can be filed within the local limits of the ordinary civil jurisdiction of where the marriage was solemnized or where either of the parties currently resides.

As mentioned earlier, the parties to a marriage must be living separately for at least one year before filing the petition.

Step 2: First Motion

After filing the petition the parties shall appear before the court and give their statements. If the court is satisfied and the statements are recorded then the first motion is said to have been passed, following which a waiting period of 6 months will be given to the parties before they are able to file the second motion.

This waiting period as statutorily prescribed under Section 13B(2) of the Act is for the parties to introspect and think about their decision. It is a time given for them to reconcile and give their marriage another chance, just in case they decide to change their mind.

Anyhow, sometimes the court may be convinced that the marriage has reached the point of no return and the waiting period will only expand their misery. In that case, this period can be waived off by the court. This period if not waived off can extend up to 18 months. If the parties still want to get divorced they may now file for second motion. The second motion can be filed only after the waiting period of 6 months and before 18 months has elapsed.

Step 3: Second Motion

This is when final hearings take place and statements are recorded again. If the issues of alimony and child custody (if any) are mutually agreed upon the decree of divorce is passed after this step. The marriage has finally ended by now and divorce by mutual consent has been granted.

Conclusion

In my views marriage is a unique friendship where you find a best friend and a soulmate. In friendship sometimes we have to adjust according to our friend as per their likes and dislikes. Similarly, in marriage we need to make some compromise to make it work throughout our life. Taking such important decisions so quickly will offer us nothing. So we should try to make it work rather than leaving someone for just some bad incident in the past months or years.

ETHNIC CLEANSING

Ethnic cleansing is a premeditated attack done to drive out a specific community of people from a particular area. This means that a place will no longer have any signs of existence of the specific community; the area will no longer have the cultural or physical remains of the community thus effectively ethnically cleansing the area of traces of the specific community. It differs from genocide as the only intention of ethnic cleansing is to push a particular community from the area where genocide aims to completely kill an ethnic community in the area. Ethnic cleansing or forcibly pushing out a community is considered as a crime against humanity and condemned by the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Ethnic cleansing is done using a wide range of inhuman methods such as rape, executions, assaults or unlawful detention or forceful displacement, threatening civilians and attacking civilian population all these crimes are classified as crimes against humanity.


Ethnic cleansing is ideas that rise when nationalist movements with racist ideologies. The term ethnic cleansing was first used during the war in Yugoslavia where Bosnian Muslims were driven out of the country by Bosnian Serbs who claimed the land as their own. There are many examples of ethnic cleansing; the most radical and extreme is the displacement of Jews with culminated in the mass killing of the Jews. The ethnic cleansing of Jews was tied to the final solution proposed by Hitler which says that the true and real solution to the problems faced by the people of Germany was the Jews and the only way to end it was to deport them or kill them in concentration camps. The Tutsi community in the country of Rwanda was also first raped, its civilian population attacked and unlawful detention this later progressed to a genocide where the Tutsis in the country were violently killed. The most recent example is the Rohingya persecution in Myanmar where Rohingya Muslims were forcefully deported from Rakhine State by Myanmar’s military government. The Rohingya Muslims were denied from getting citizenships thus were considered as illegal immigrants and were driven out of the country to Bangladesh.


Ethnic cleansing occurs during a war which later escalates into genocide. At least this is the usual trend. The reason could be a community’s religion, race or colour which is discriminated in an area. It is accompanied by assault, unlawful deportation and attack on civilian population which is against the Geneva Convention and a war crime. The very idea of ethnic cleansing debases a value of human life and disregards every human right which every person regardless of their nationality is entitled to. The entire idea of ethnic cleansing is inhuman and a disgusting taint on humanity. Political parties tend to take advantage over nationalism to create a common enemy where the majority of the population can relate to it. Ethnic cleansing divides an already fragmented population of a country leading to more problems. There should be more stringent rules from the international laws laid down that condemn ethnic cleansing. Monitoring bodies such as the UN must make ethnic cleansing which occurs in various forms must be recognized.

10,000 Digits Of Pi

More often people complain about having a terrible memory, things like birthdays, anniversaries, grocery lists, etc. tend to slip off their minds. One might imagine memory like something set in stone but it is not the case, with the right technique you can train your brain to remember almost anything you want. A four-time USA Memory Champion, Nelson Dellis, who has memorized 10,000 digits of pi, the lists of hundreds of names after only one hearing, and the order of more than nine shuffled cards, says that anyone can improve their memory with a little dedication. Here are five steps that can help in training your brain to remember things.

Photo by meo on Pexels.com
  1. Start With Strong Images- Dellis suggests that to memorize anything, start turning it into an image. Let u take seven wonders of the world, for example, for the Great Wall of China you might just want to imagine a wall or for Petra of Jordan, you can just go for an image of your pet. Images that are weird or gross or emotional tend to stay in the brain for a longer time. When looking at the brain, researchers found that the amygdala—a part of the brain that is important for processing emotion—encourages other parts of the brain to store memories. That’s why strong emotions make it more likely that memories will stay.
  2. Put Those Images in a Location- Next, you have to locate those mental images in a setting that is familiar with you. Using Dellis’ example, he locates the seven wonders of the world on a route through his house, starting with a wall in his entryway, then Christ—representing Christ the Redeemer— lounging around on his sofa. He also mentions that the weirder the location, the better are the chances of staying in the memory. Linking images to a place are called the memory palace, which capitalizes on your existing memory of a real place. It is usually a place you are familiar with, which can be your house or workplace which you know very well. Neuro-imaging research has shown increased activity in the occipito-parietal area of the brain when learning memories using a memory palace. This technique helps the brain to bring in parts that are dedicated to other sense-the parietal lobe is responsible for navigation, and the occipital lobe is related to seeing images.
  3. Pay Attention- Memorizing seven wonders of the World is not as hard as memorizing 10,000 digits of pi or 100 names in one hearing, and doing that needs more motivation and more attention. According to Dellis, he motivates himself with the mantra “I want to memorize this”, it may be simple but this mantra helps him focus on the task by concentrating his attention on the task in hand and it helps him remember better.
  4. Break Things Up- For a long sequence of cards or a large number, it is a good technique to break things up into smaller sequences. Dellis says that it is easy to remember words as you can associate words easily with images but numbers or names or cards can be tricky, and for that, he has a technique that whenever we see a name or a number or a card, we already have an image preset for it.
  5. Finish Up by Reviewing– After getting the images and their location sorted in the memory, all we have to do is make sure that it stays in the brain. Most of the memories don’t even get to the long-term memory part of the brain and that is why it is important to repeat the information, again and again, to turn short-term memory into the long term. There is no shortcut for that, all you have to do is practice and persistence.

Training the brain is not as easy as it sounds or seems, it takes a lot of efforts, repetiton, hard work and training on a daily basis. Train hard, work hard, practice hard, then it can become instinctive, says the memory champion.

DISTANCE EDUCATION

What Is Distance Education?

Distance education is defined as the practice of using correspondence, either written or virtual, to learn. With this practice, a teacher in New York could provide instruction to students all over the United States and the world. This helps students access teachers who may live geographically too far away to attend a class; it also assists students who cannot take classes during traditional hours because of work or other responsibilities.

Growth of Correspondence Courses

By the late 1800 s, correspondence courses had taken off, especially in the United States. Colleges and universities began offering correspondence courses, including some large schools such as Baylor University and the University of Chicago. As popularity in distance education grew, so did the number of schools offering the courses. By the mid-1900 s, schools all around the world relied heavily on correspondence courses to supplement their on-campus student bodies.

THE TYPES OF DISTANCE EDUCATION :

  1. You have the option of pursuing a distance learning programme from the one and only national open university of India – the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) or any of the 13 state open universities in India.
  2. All distance programs must be approved by the Distance Education Bureau (DEB) of the University Grants Commission (UGC.) You can access the list of ODLs (Online and Distant Learning Institutes) that are currently approved by the DEB on their website.
  3. Distance learning has evolved a lot in the last couple decades. With advances in technology, distance learning now also includes online learning or e-learning.
  4. Post Graduate Diploma in Sustainability Science (PGDSS)
  5. Appreciation Programme on Sustainability Science (APSS)
  6. Post Graduate Diploma in Food Science and Technology (PGDFT)
  7. Post-Graduate Diploma in Food Safety and Quality Management (PGDFSQM)
  8. Though two degrees cannot generally be pursued simultaneously, a student can pursue two programmer simultaneously through the distance mode or combination of distance and regular modes from the same or different universities/institutions in the following various combinations:
  9. One Degree and one Diploma/PG Diploma/Certificate
  10. One P G Diploma and one Diploma/Certificate
  11. One Diploma and one Certificate
  12. Two PG Diplomas
  13. Two Diplomas
  14. Two Certificate
  15. 8.There are now many institutes/ colleges/ universities in India that offer only online courses. University 18 is such an example. It has been developed in a Public Private Partnership with national universities like Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), Uttarakhand Open University (UOU) and IIM Shillong. Another such 100 percent online education platform is UTS. You can submit assignments online, access an online library 24-7 and take exams online.

beST DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM :

Take the leap towards the next stage of your career with programs that have been thoughtfully designed for working professionals. They are structured and scheduled to allow for a fulfilling work life & study balance. Depending on the need and depth of up skills, students have an option to choose from specializations within following: Certificate programs, Diploma Programs, Professional Programs, PG Diploma Programs and Master Programs.

DURING PANDEMIC PERIOD DISTANCE EDUCATION AT HOME E LEARNING :

The idea of rolling out of bed and moving onto the couch to study in your pyjamas may have once sounded like a real dream come true. But in reality, the novelty will soon wear off (if it hasn’t already) as you realize you’re getting through more Netflix series than you are assignments and lecture notes.

Impact of COVID-19

Human life most important on Earth. It also face many natural and artificial problem.Disease is also one of them which is caused by various microorganisms like viruses, Bacteria, Fungi etc Now human is facing a viral disease COVID-19 also known as
Corona virus Disease 2019. Firstly it outbreak in Wuhan,China in December 2019. WHO declared it as a pandemic. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) which causes illness in the respiratory system in the humans. It is the new virus that is impacting the whole world badly as it is spreading primarily through contact with the person. When an infected person meets with another person then by touches their nose, eyes, and mouth the virus can be spread. There is no current vaccines are made by the scientist which can prevent this disease. Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans, these viruses cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses include some cases of the common cold while more lethal varieties can cause SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 There are as yet no vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent or treat human coronavirus infections.

Everyone wants to overcome from this disaster. COVID-19 badly impacted on Indian economy. It increases the rate of unemployment, interest rate, fiscal deficit. The import of electrical goods, clothes, is slided by 15%-25%. The export of raw materials like metal, cotton, jute, vegetables etc also decreased. Various institution and Experts presume India’s GDP growth is about 2%-4%.

Health Impact

The main issue in India is about the health care system that it is now one doctor available for 10000 population and improper facilities in government hospital and they are also lack of the adequate doctors, physicians, nurses etc other equipments. The poor “Health Literacy” is a big issue because , it is crucial tool in prevention of communicable disease. It will be easy to overcome if spreading the awareness among the people. Government is issuing the notification of the banning people gathering events, stay at home but due lack of awareness or poor Health-Literacy people not obeying it strictly. The other main issue is low medical infrastructures.

Social Impact

After the spreading of this pandemic people are facing challenges like improper delivery essential goods like food, rice, vegetables in rural or slum
area. The other major issue to the farming that presently is sowing season of rice, barley, arhar, maize etc if no gathering of workers are allowed so how the crops would sowed, harvested or processed. Persons, Children also facing mental stress or boredom during the lockdown due to COVID19. By the unknown lockdown tourist, migrants labourer stuck at these place is also a problem. The Event and ritual ceremony, marriage are also postponed.

Economic Impact

The loss of employment is also a major issue most of factories, industry, commercial centers are closed nearly unemployment rate is increased by 23% and daily wage workers are not getting job and they facing both pandemic and starvation. By the shutdown of companies, transport system and other economic activities leads to economic crisis. The government should allow few of them where there not gathering occurs to push step of the development and giving packages to smaller and cottage industry. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced package of 1.75 lakh crore package for relief. The economic activity must be promoted by e-commerce, online broking and
in remote areas industry may open with proper preventive measures.

Academic Impact


The classes, semester, education system is also closed is also an issue and the other alternative method (like online classes, notes) of study is not much effective. It is big challenge to academic to continue it in original form or other alternative. The students are also facing mental stress, or anxiety, over thinking due in pandemic is also a big issue. It may become health problems to students or people because theyare no doing daily exercise, walking, playing games etc.

Legal Impact


There is also legal issue is arising by the lockdown in country it violates the human rights, right to life . People are beaten if they go outside for essentials or for morning walk. The court is not going on so it may result in the compilation of cases and petition. It can be disposed by online sessions. There is also legal problems that employees are not getting the compensation, allowance in shutdown. Due to COVID19 pandemic the performance of the many contracts delayed or interrupted.

There is also Psychological problems is also a challenge by remaining inside the home it bores the mind and by continuous watching news of COVID19 makes people panic. People fear in getting touch with any object, vegetables, or the other packets. At last we should not be panic in this situation.

We have must follow guidelines of the government and take precautions to
save us from the disease. Someone truly said prevention is better than cure so we must follow the preventive measures to protect us like washing or sanitising hands wearing masks , avoid public gatherings, covers mouth and nose while sneezing. If we stand together against it we firmly win over this pandemic.

Thanks

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN INDIA

There are many environmental issues in India. Air pollution, water pollution, garbage domestically prohibited goods and pollution of the natural environment are all challenges for India. Nature is also causing some drastic effects on India.

Environmental issues are one of the primary causes of disease, health issues and long term livelihood impact for India.
Major environmental issues are forests and agricultural degradation of land, resource depletion (such as water, mineral, forest, sand, and rocks), environmental degradation, public health, loss of biodiversity, loss of resilience in ecosystems, livelihood security for the poor.

The major sources of pollution in India include the rapid burning of fuel wood and biomass such as dried waste from livestock as the primary source of energy, lack of organized garbage and waste removal services, lack of sewage treatment operations, lack of flood control and monsoon water drainage system, diversion of consumer waste into rivers, cremation practices near major rivers etc.

Air pollution, poor management of waste, growing water scarcity, falling groundwater tables, water pollution, preservation and quality of forests, biodiversity loss, and land/soil degradation are some of the major environmental issues India faces today.

India’s population growth adds pressure to environmental issues and its resources. Rapid urbanization has caused a buildup of heavy metals in the soil and these metals are being ingested through contaminated vegetables. Heavy metals are hazardous to people’s health and are known carcinogens.
According to a British thinker Malthus, a growing population exerts pressure on agricultural land, causing environmental degradation, and forcing the cultivation of land of higher as well as poorer quality. This environmental degradation ultimately reduces agricultural yields and food availability, famines and diseases and death.

Population growth, is also seen as a major cause of air, water, and solid-waste pollution.

Some measure issues which affect the environment-


• WATER POLLUTION
India has major water pollution issues. Discharge of untreated sewage is the single most important cause for pollution of surface and ground water in India. There is a large gap between generation and treatment of domestic waste water in India. The problem is not only that India lacks sufficient treatment capacity but also that the sewage treatment plants that are exist do not operate and are not maintained. The majority of the government-owned sewage treatment plants remain closed most of the time due to improper design or poor maintenance or lack of reliable electricity supply to operate the plants, together with absentee employees and poor management. The uncollected wastes accumulate in the urban areas cause unhygienic conditions and release pollutants that leaches to surface and groundwater.

According to a World Health Organization study, out of India’s 3,119 towns and cities, just 209 had partial sewage treatment facilities, and only 8 have full wastewater treatment facilities (1992). Over 100 Indian cities dump untreated sewage directly into the Ganges River.
Other sources of water pollution include agriculture run off and small scale factories along the rivers and lakes of India. Fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture in northwest have been found in rivers, lakes and ground water. Flooding during monsoons worsens India’s water pollution problem, as it washes and moves all sorts of solid garbage and contaminated soils into its rivers and wetlands.

• AIR POLLUTION
Surveys suggest over 100 million households in India use such stoves (chullahs) every day, 2–3 times a day. It is a major source of air pollution in India, and produces smoke and numerous indoor air pollutants at concentrations 5 times higher than coal. Clean burning fuels and electricity are unavailable in rural parts and small towns of India because of poor rural highways and limited energy generation infrastructure.
Air pollution in India is a serious issue with the major sources being fuel wood and biomass burning, fuel adulteration, vehicle emission and traffic congestion. These biomass-based household stoves in India are also a leading source of greenhouse emissions contributing to climate change.

In other states of India, rice straw and other crop residue burning in open is a major source of air pollution.

Vehicle emissions are another source of air pollution.

• SOLID WASTE POLLUTION
Trash and garbage is a common sight in urban and rural areas of India. It is a major source of pollution. Indian cities alone generate more than 100 million tons of solid waste a year. Street corners are piled with trash. Public places and sidewalks are despoiled with filth and litter, rivers and canals act as garbage dumps.
In part, India’s garbage crisis is from rising congestion. India’s waste problem also points to a stunning failure of governance. The tourism regions in the country mainly hill stations are also facing this issue in the recent years.

Even medical waste, theoretically controlled by stringent rules that require hospitals to operate incinerators, is routinely dumped with regular municipal garbage. A recent study found that about half of India’s medical waste is improperly disposed of.

Some of the few solid waste landfills India has, near its major cities, are overflowing and poorly managed. They have become significant sources of greenhouse emissions and breeding sites for disease vectors such as flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, rats, and so on.

• NOISE POLLUTION
Noise pollution or noise disturbance is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human or animal life. Noise-wise India can be termed as the most polluted country in the world. The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused by machines and transportation systems, motor vehicles, aircraft, and trains. In India the outdoor noise is also caused by loud music during festival seasons. Outdoor noise is summarized by the word environmental noise. Poor urban planning may give rise to noise pollution, since side-by-side industrial and residential buildings can result in noise pollution in the residential areas.

Indoor noise can be caused by machines, building activities, and music performances, especially in some workplaces. Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by outside (e.g. trains) or inside (e.g. music) noise.

• GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
India was the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, in 2009 at 1.65 Gt per year, after China and the United States . With 17 percent of world population, India contributed some 5 percent of human-sourced carbon dioxide emission; compared to China’s 24 percent share. On per capita basis, India emitted about 1.4 tons of carbon dioxide per person, in comparison to the United States’ 17 tons per person, and a world average of 5.3 tons per person

THE CURIOUS CASE OF CHANGE

Change is evolution by every person on the universe. It is the law of the universe to change. Physical change or personality change, we change for the better or the worse. Sometimes we change for the betterment of others or ourselves but mostly change is noticed by others than ourselves. Every time we change there is a different outlook on life, love and friends. We acquire a new perspective on the same things around us. Every time we change we don’t notice that we have upgraded to a new personality. There are hard sides to change, some people will leave you or you can outgrow each other. We notice only when we are acquainted about it when someone says that we have become different or something has changed about us. Change happens over time, over a series of situations. There isn’t a certain event to trigger a change or you will decide to change. Change can be confusing or threatening to what you were once but it’s inevitable. It’s different for everybody. It isn’t easy for everyone either. Change isn’t necessarily accepted by everyone because we always fall in love with a person when our vibes flow in one direction and when we change so does our vibe. When the vibes don’t sync, people end up on different terms with each other on life, that’s why we grow distant Change also makes sure that you are staying on top of your game. You become the person who you want to be when you change because of your own motivation. It’s integrating yourself to change that will make it an easier process. Change more importantly helps you move on. You find different coping mechanisms to get better and become a better version of yourself. Change means progress in your life. It’s the only way you will leave your comfort zone and move on. Change is what humanity has always done best. It is a huge part of our life. Change documents our journey. It makes you realize that you are worthy because you are more evolved than your previous version. It is an important and undeniable part of life regardless of time. All you can do is to embrace change.
Your friends, family and main people fell in love with the old you. Your friends made friends with the old you not the new you. Change doesn’t always end like this, maybe with enough trust and love. You turn into a better person than before. The older you get the more you understand that change is life. That’s the gamble everyone takes in life, a gamble we make using ourselves to be a better person, to end up successful in life, to have the life that we have envisioned to be as a kid or rich or just perfect to according to our standards, to have dreams, hopes, happiness or love but more importantly, we will change for yourselves or for the people you love but ultimately everything will change with time.

LITERACY IN INDIA

Literacy in India is a key for socio-economic progress, Despite government programs, India’s literacy rate increased only “sluggishly”. The 2011 census, indicated a 2001–2011 decadal literacy growth of 9.2%, which is slower than the growth seen during the previous decade.


There is a wide gender disparity in the literacy rate in India: effective literacy rates (age 7 and above) in 2011 were 82.14% for men and 65.46% for women. The census provided a positive indication that growth in female literacy rates (11.8%) was substantially faster than in male literacy rates (6.9%) in the 2001–2011 decadal period, which means the gender gap appears to be narrowing.
One of the main factors contributing to this relatively low literacy rate is usefulness of education and availability of schools in vicinity in rural areas. There is a shortage of classrooms to accommodate all the students in 2006–2007. In addition, there is no proper sanitation in most schools. The study of 188 government-run primary schools in central and northern India revealed that 59% of the schools had no drinking water facility and 89% no toilets. In 600,000 villages and multiplying urban slum habitats, ‘free and compulsory education’ is the basic literacy instruction dispensed by barely qualified ‘para teachers’. The average pupil teacher ratio for all India is 42:1, implying a teacher shortage. Such inadequacies resulted in a non-standardized school system where literacy rates may differ. Furthermore, the expenditure allocated to education was never above 4.3% of the GDP from 1951 to 2002 despite the target of 6% by the Kothari Commission. This further complicates the literacy problem in India. Several caste disparities also exist. Discrimination of lower castes has resulted in high dropout rates and low enrollment rates. The National Sample Survey Organization and the National Family Health Survey collected data in India on the percentage of children completing primary school which are reported to be only 36.8% and 37.7% respectively. On 21 February 2005, the Prime Minister of India said that he was pained to note that “only 47 out of 100 children enrolled in class I reach class VIII, putting the dropout rate at 52.78 percent.” It is estimated that at least 35 million, and possibly as many as 60 million, children aged 6–14 years are not in school.

The large proportion of illiterate females is another reason for the low literacy rate in India. Inequality based on gender differences resulted in female literacy rates being lower at 65.46% than that of their male counterparts at 82.14%. Due to strong stereotyping of female and male roles, Sons are thought of to be more useful and hence are educated. Females are pulled to help out on agricultural farms at home as they are increasingly replacing the males on such activities which require no formal education. Fewer than 2% of girls who engaged in agriculture work attended school. The provision of universal and compulsory education for all children in the age group of 6–14 was a cherished national ideal and had been given overriding priority by incorporation as a Directive Policy in Article 45 of the Constitution, but it is still to be achieved more than half a century since the Constitution was adopted in 1949. Parliament has passed the Constitution 86th Amendment Act, 2002, to make elementary education a Fundamental Right for children in the age group of 6–14 years.

Several states in India have executed successful programs to boost literacy rates:
• Bihar has significantly raised the literacy rate as per the 2011 census. The literacy rate has risen from 39% in 1991 to 47% in 2001 to 63.8% in 2011. The Government of Bihar has launched several programs to boost literacy, and its Department of Adult Education won a UNESCO award in 1981.


• Presently Tripura has the third highest literacy rate in India. According to the 2011 census, literacy level was 93.91 percent in Kerala and 91.58 percent in Mizoram, among the most literate states in the country. The national literacy rate, according to the 2011 census, was 74.04 percent.
projects implemented by the state government of Tripura to increase literacy in the state are:
10,000 Anganwadi centers have 100 percent enrollment.
Policy of no-fail till class VIII to prevent children from dropping out.
Midday meals in all schools with an eclectic menu for all days of the week to attract more students.
No tuition fee in government colleges.

• In Kerala a special program – titled improved pace and content learning (IPCL) – has been designed to provide basic education to such people. Kerala topped the Education Development Index (EDI) among 21 major states in India in the year 2006–2007. More than 94% of the rural population has access to a primary school within 1 km, while 98% of the population benefits one school within a distance of 2 km. An upper primary school within a distance of 3 km is available for more than 96% of the people, whose 98% benefit the facility for secondary education within 8 km. The access for rural students to higher educational institutions in cities is facilitated by widely subsidized transport fares. Kerala’s educational system has been developed by institutions owned or aided by the government. In the educational system prevailed in the state, schooling is for 10 years which is subdivided into lower primary, upper primary and high school. After 10 years of secondary schooling, students typically enroll in Higher Secondary Schooling in one of the three major streams— liberal arts, commerce or science. Upon completing the required coursework, students can enroll in general or professional undergraduate programs. Kerala launched a “campaign for total literacy” in Ernakulam district in the late 1980s, with a “fusion between the district administration headed by its collector on one side and, on the other side, voluntary groups, social activists and others”. Kala Jāthas (cultural troupes) and Sāksharata Pada Yātras (Literacy Foot Marches) were organized to generate awareness of the campaign and create a receptive social atmosphere for the program.

  • Himachal Pradesh underwent a “Schooling Revolution” in the 1961–2001 period that has been called “even more impressive than Kerala’s.”


• The government of Mizoram identified illiterates and organized an administrative structure that engaged officials and community leaders and manned by “animators” who were responsible for teaching five illiterates each. Mizoram established 360 continuing education centers to handle continued education beyond the initial literacy teaching and to provide an educational safety net for school drop-outs.


• Tamil Nadu’s midday meal program is among the best-known in the country. Starting in 1982, Tamil Nadu took an approach to promote literacy based on free lunches for schoolchildren, “ignoring cynics who said it was an electoral gimmick and economists who said it made little fiscal sense.” Then the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, MGR launched the program, which resembled a similar initiative in 19th century Japan, because “he had experienced as a child what it was like to go hungry to school with the family having no money to buy food”.

GOVERNMENT EFFORTS:


NATIONAL LITERACY MISSION
The National Literacy Mission, launched in 1988, aimed at attaining a literacy rate of 75 per cent by 2007. Its charter is to impart functional literacy to non-literates in the age group of 35–75 years. The Total Literacy Campaign is their principal strategy for the eradication of illiteracy. The Continuing Education Scheme provides a learning continuum to the efforts of the Total Literacy and Post Literacy programs.

SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Hindi for Total Literacy Campaign) was launched in 2001 to ensure that all children in the 6–14-year age-group attend school and complete eight years of schooling by 2010. An important component of the scheme is the Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education, meant primarily for children in areas with no formal school within a one-kilometer radius. The centrally sponsored District Primary Education Programme, launched in 1994, had opened more than 160,000 new schools by 2005, including almost 84,000 alternative schools.

Do we choose our problems ?

Everything in life happens by our choice. Life is a struggle and we pick something on the go and hold it as a treasure. These belongings limit us from attaining the spiritual enlightenment. Now you are at a certain point in your life and you have the liberty to make wise choices and proceed to the path of liberation.

To think about a situation or a problem as being everything, is called a worry. Worries are not easy to get rid of. Everyone experiences worries now and then. To worry is the same as taking the matter into your own hands. It is wrong to take matters into your own hands. Each and every God has said that people should not worry and that we have to leave everything to Him.You cannot experience anything amidst your worries. Experience (of God) and worrying are never together. You will have the experience once these worries disappear.

Worry is the greatest ego – Real peace should be with you forever. You cannot experience God in the presence of worries. Worry is the greatest ego. A person who believes, “I am running this, I am doing it,” will suffer from worries. The person, who does not have faith in God, will be the one who worries.

Worry is an open fire – Worry is a fire. One becomes consumed with anxieties that something bad may happen. Once in a while there arises an opportunity for a human being to become an individual with imposing values but if he wastes away his human life worrying, then he will lose the right to be born a human again. Grave indeed is the consequence of not realizing this. The path of liberation starts the moment you stop worrying. Until attaining the spiritual experience of the Lord, the fire of worries continues to burn and people burn in the fire of worries just like potatoes roasting in a fire pit. Such is the life of those who worry.

Spiritual Enlightenment – Bliss follows when worries stop. When worries no longer occur, then all entanglements will diminish. You will experience bliss in the absence of worries and in the midst of all external turmoil. It is then that you will realize that the true entanglements are gone. It will not come just like that. Bliss will only come after the spiritual enlightenment or the Eternal Spirit untangles all your puzzles, and at that point, you will experience bliss and it will remain with you. A life free from worries is a desirable one for all of us , is it not?

Nothing in this world is worth worrying about, not even for a second. Now face those entanglements and bring a solution to them.“Oppose adverse circumstances, look for solutions, but do not worry.” Double punishment for those who worry God says that there are two punishments for those who worry and just one for those who do not. If you worry about a task, you ruin it. Nature tells us to put forth tremendous effort in order to accomplish a difficult task. The one who worries takes the reins into his own hands and believes, ‘I am the one who is making it work!’ .Dependence on the non-Self (complex of thoughts, speech and actions) results in worry. You will have to leave behind all your materialistic possessions and relations when you leave this world. During this final stage in your life, no one will have the power to do anything. The only things you will be allowed to take with you are your paap (bad deeds) and punya (good deeds). To put it simply, a list of whatever rights and wrongs you have done here, will accompany you. The monetary earnings gained from those crimes will remain here and the case will continue in the next life. As a result of these accumulated karma you will acquire a new body and you will have to start afresh to pay off the debts you created in your this life. So why not wake up from the beginning? Worries actually harm your health and obstruct whatever is due to you.

The final words….

If you truly had faith in God, you would leave everything to him and sleep soundly. There is so much going on inside of you (such as digestion etc) that requires care, and yet you worry about what is happening on the outside. God is doing all the great work inside, and all the outside work is minor in comparison to this. You claim that you are doing all the work, so naturally God will feel bad! Worries arise because of this ego of ‘doership’. The person, who worries, is egoistic. Leave everything to God , Surrender yourself to HIM and stop worrying. Then  you will realize God, so that your worries will be gone forever.

THE REALISATION OF LIFE

Man has every day to solve his problems and adjusting his burdens. His burdens are many, too numerous for him to carry, but he knows that by adopting a system he can lighten the weight of his load. Whenever they feel too complicated , he starts to search for a system to set everything in place and distribute the weight evenly. This search for system is really a search for unity, for synthesis; it is our attempt to harmonize the heterogeneous complexity of outward materials by an inner adjustment. All our egoistic impulses, our selfish desires, hide our true vision of the soul. For they only indicate our own narrow self. When we are conscious of our soul, we perceive the inner being that transcends our ego and has its deeper affinity with the All.

Teachings of Jesus and Buddha

When Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,” he meant this. He proclaimed the truth that when man gets rid of his pride of self then he comes into his true inheritance. No more has he to fight his way into his position in the world; it is secure for him everywhere by the immortal right of his soul. Pride of self interferes with the proper function of the soul which is to realise itself by perfecting its union with the world and the world’s God.  Jesus also says in his teachings, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven” – which implies that whatever we treasure for ourselves separates us from others; our possessions are our limitations. He who is bent upon accumulating riches is unable, with his ego continually bulging, to pass through the gates of comprehension of the spiritual world, which is the world of perfect harmony; he is shut up within the narrow walls of his limited acquisitions.

Buddha says, It is true, that I denounce activities, but only the activities that lead to the evil in words, thoughts, or deeds. It is true,  that I preach extinction, but only the extinction of pride, lust, evil thought, and ignorance, not that of forgiveness, love, charity, and truth.

Eternal Spirit – the light of a consciousness

The man of science knows, in one aspect, that the world is not merely what it appears to be to our senses; he knows that earth and water are really the play of forces that manifest themselves to us as earth and water . Likewise the man who has his spiritual eyes open knows that the ultimate truth about earth and water lies in our apprehension of the eternal  which works in time and takes shape in the forces we realize under those aspects. Unlike science, this is not a mere knowledge, but it is a perception of the soul by the soul. This does not lead us to power, as knowledge does, but it gives us joy, which is the product of the union of kindred things. The man with the spiritual vision understands deeply these natural phenomena. The water does not merely cleanse his limbs, but it purifies his heart; for it touches his soul. The earth does not merely hold his body, but it gladdens his mind; for its contact is more than a physical contact – it is a living presence.

When a man does not realise his kinship with the world, he lives in a prison-house whose walls are alien to him. When he meets the eternal spirit in all objects,  for then he discovers the fullest significance of the world into which he is born; then he finds himself in perfect truth, and his harmony with the all is established. Thus the text of our everyday meditation is the Gayatri, a verse which is considered to be the epitome of all the Vedas. By its help we try to realize the essential unity of the world with the conscious soul of man; we learn to perceive the unity held together by the one Eternal Spirit, whose power creates the earth, the sky, and the stars, and at the same time irradiates our minds with the light of a consciousness that moves and exists in unbroken continuity with the outer world.

“Sadhana – The Realisation of Life” is a breathtaking collection of spiritual discourses given by Rabindranath Tagore in West Bengal. To him the verses of the Upanishads and the teachings of Buddha have ever been things of the spirit, and therefore endowed with boundless vital growth;A repository of the timeless wisdom of the East, Sadhana is one of the most profound books on spirituality that you will ever read!  It is highly recommended as a starter book to any seeker of spiritual wisdom.

Please refer this book to explore further on this topic – “Sadhana – The Realisation of Life” .It is available as a downloadable free e-book (in PDF format also) online.

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS DUE TO LOCKDOWN

Well before i start this article, let me mention to you that this is just my point of view on the current situation.So as we all know it’s a tough period that the entire world is currently facing ,it’s necessary for all of us to keep our physical and mental health stable.We all know the physical impact of the pandemic , here i’d like to mention a few psychological impacts the pandemic has on society.

Firstly, let’s talk about the lack of patience that has  been shown by the people of all the age categories.I’ve seen people being impatient on the matters which they would usually not consider even paying attention to.This is affecting the marital status of the couple ,divorce rate has been massively increasing due to the intolerant behaviour between the husband and the wife.Parents losing their minds on their own kids who are just unaware of their mistakes.Also, lets not forget how the adults have been treating their old aged parents,a feeling of parents being a  burden has risen in the mindsets of the children.

Secondly, due to the pandemic many of the employees are on the verge of losing their jobs, well that doesn’t mean they are supposed to show the frustration of their work on the family and society, it’s happening, there are many cases where violence has taken place due to the frustration of husbands or wives on their spouses.Not to forget that people are not hesitant to take  others life just for the sake of money, because they don’t have any source of income .Government has been implying many plans to provide food and shelter for ones in need but not everyone are being are part of this privilege provided by the government.

Thirdly, I would want  you to know  about the number of cases which includes self harm,suicides, depression etc. We live in a society where people take hours posting about mental health and how they are there for the ones who need them  but, cannot take 2 seconds of their life to pick up a call from a person who is suffering from the same disease they mentioned in their posts.We witnessed some of the most shocking suicides in this period of lockdown like Sushanth Singh Rajput who gave an amazing performance in movies like MS Dhoni nand Chichore.

Fourthly, I’d like to mention some of the cruel acts that took place due to the rumours spread in the quarantine.Doctors and Nurses who are treating us during this time are being harassed by few people in the society because of the the fact that they have a lot of chances of spreading the virus because they come in contact with the patients.Such rumours are spread by people from our very own society ,well they are not to be completely blamed because it’s the fear that’s being built in the mindset of every person that’s leading them to take such  steps.

I would like to conclude by saying that at the end of the day we must not forget the fact that we are humans and only we can help our fellow beings.Let’s all stand united in fighting the pandemic and stay mentally stable and not take any step that we might regret in the future.

The dark side of Indian Marriages

Well, before i start this article, let me mention to you that this is just my point of view on the current situation.What comes to your mind when i say the word wedding or marriage?Let me tell you what comes to my mind when i hear this word ‘wedding’,firstly,it’s a celebration  especially the indian weddings, people literally wait for this moment probably their whole lives.Its a gathering of people who are present to wish the newly wedded couple.Well, this was just a jist of the positive aspects of the wedding little do we focus  on the dark side of the wedding .The major practice that few of them still follow is the taking of dowry.In india dowry was abolished according to the ‘Dowry Prohibition Act’ in the year 1961.Even after that we can still see people receiving dowry more like people demanding for dowry,loans are being taken just to give dowry to the groom’s family, not just that, in few places if the dowry fullfillment hasn’t been made the inlaws dont hesitate to torture the bride, which has led to suicides and even murder of the girls.Talking about ‘marriage’ i feel it is not the same as wedding because wedding is a celebration or a ceremony where two people are united for the social acceptance of the two whereas marriage is a lifelong wedlock between the two it involves loving each other ,compromising for one another,sacrifising etc.It takes many people for the success of a wedding but it just takes two of them to make a marriage successful.I would also like to mention the cruelty being shown by the people when it comes to the intercaste or inter religion marriages .Honestly,somewhere it is still not accepted as easily as the same caste or religion marriages.We still live in that stereotypic society where all humans are not considered one, there is discrimination against people based on their caste and religion.A few days ago i just read a news where a boy in punjab was tied to a tree and was thrashed mercilessly for daring to fall in love with a girl of different caste,shocking!I also read another news where the father killed his own daughter for falling in love with a man of a different caste.In the above mentioned cases all they did was to  dare to love the other.It is really heartbreaking to come across such scenarios, where the innocents are being punished like the criminals and the criminals who have been committing crimes like rape,murder,acid attacks etc are freed, and it takes 5 and more years for the people to decide if they are to be punished for example the ‘Nirbhaya’ case.I hope there is a change in  the mindsets of people in the society and hope for them to live in peace and harmony. Love is not a crime, it is our human right, to love the person we want to. 

Self-sabotaging:Is it different from failure?

First, let’s start off with what does self-sabotaging actually mean. A behavior is said to be self-sabotaging, when it holds you back from doing what you actually want to do, it undermines your goals. How different is self-sabotaging from failure? We’ll when you fail to complete or achieve something because of certain external factors or because you just didn’t work the right way it’s called failure but self-sabotaging is something to do with your inner thoughts or behavioural pattern that causes you to fail. 

There are mainly two types of self-sabotaging behaviour:- 

1. Conscious self-sabotage:- It happens when you are aware that your behaviour is keeping you away from what you want to do and achieve your goals. Example:- You know that your mum asked you to buy some groceries that she needs but you end up playing your video games instead. 2. Unconscious self-sabotage:- It happens when you behavioural patterns keep you away from doing what you want to do or in achieving your goals indirectly and you realise it later. Example:- Students who fear failing often either come always late to classes or do not perform well in exams wantedly to avoid the expectations of the teachers and students. Higher expectations lead to more pain when not succeeded. 

Let’s have a look at few forms of self-sabotaging behaviours commonly seen:- 

1. Procrastination:- As human beings, we all have procrastinated at some point of our lives, or we still continue to do so. We often delay our school assignments, or the work assigned by our bosses in office, or have delayed some work even though we know we have to do it, this is a very common form of self-sabotaging often shown by most of us. It does no good to us but still we consciously choose to procrastinate. 2. Abuse of substances;- People often drink and smoke a lot and even use drugs. These may give you short term satisfaction but it creates a lot of problems. People tend to drink and use drugs, if they’ve gone through a tough time at work or college, but that does not entirely negate the problem. You might not be able to enjoy your time with friends and family because you’re drunk . 3. Stress eating:- When a lot of people face problems, they end up eating a lot out of stress, but this doesn’t help them at all . For a short period of time it might give you the comfort you require, but it ends up ruining your health. 

Conclusion:- 

Self-sabotaging can go a long way in creating problems for you. The only one that can stop it is you. We show this behaviour typically in three situations:- 

1. When you realise that everything is going good but you somehow try and spoil it 

yourself. 2. When you work hard to achieve something and you destroy it as soon as you come 

close to it. 3. When it’s time to stand up and speak for yourself but you instead keep mum about 

the situation. 

If you want to stop self-sabotaging, you must realise the purpose it has in your life, and what it does to you. You must practice facing difficult situations in life and even failure. You must try finding alternative behaviours to fill in. The best way to stop this is aiming to improve your good habits, rather than just eliminating self-sabotaging behaviour you possess.

Galaxy – A cluster of masses

A galaxy is the collection of stars, stellar remnants, gases, dust and dark matter all bound together by gravity. The Earth, the planet in which we live, is in a galaxy called ‘The Milky Way’. Galaxies are of various shapes and sizes.  A galaxy which has stars ranging from a hundred million to few billion is called a dwarf galaxy. These galaxies are small as compared to other galaxies. Scientists confirm that the Milky Way galaxy has about four hundred billion stars. The IC 1101 is a super-giant galaxy, which has about hundred trillion stars. These stars orbit around the galaxy’s center of mass, which are thought be massive black holes. A galaxy can be elliptical (ellipse shaped), spiral (disk shaped with arms) or irregular in shape. The Milky Way galaxy is spiral shaped.

The size of a galaxy ranges from 1,000 to 1, 00,000 parsecs in diameter and are separated by millions of parsecs from each other. The Milky Way galaxy is thirty thousand parsecs in diameter. 1 parsec is approximately equal to 31 trillion kilometers. The spaces between galaxies are filled with gases. All the galaxies identified by man are organized into groups, cluster and superclusters. 

If you like watching stars at night, you are looking at the stars that belong to the Milky Way galaxy. On dark, cloudless nights especially in the northern hemisphere, you can see bands of the Milky Way galaxy stretch across the sky.

Galaxies are constantly moving, at nearly 600 – 850 kilometers per second. Some are moving away from each other, which in turn mean that they are moving towards other galaxies. The Milky Way galaxy will also collide with other galaxies, but since they are trillions of kilometers apart from the nearest galaxy, this will not happen in the near future. 

Astronomers observe galaxies or any heavenly bodies by the use of a very powerful telescope, in observatories. The Hubble telescope is a power space telescope which constantly observes the universe for new discoveries.

Every galaxy has its own magnetic field. They are strong enough to drive mass inflow into the centers of galaxies. They can modify the spiral arm formation of spiral shaped galaxies. Magnetic fields are highly in formation of new stars, as they provide for angular momentum required for collapsing gas clouds.

Spiral galaxies produce new generations of stars, as they have dense molecular clouds of interstellar hydrogen in their spiral arms. Star forming materials are not available in abundance, so once a star is formed, the available supply of hydrogen is reduced and formation is new stars must wait until the level of hydrogen is increased. There is something called as a dark galaxy. These are hypothesized galaxies with none or very few stars. Dragonfly 44 is an ultra-diffuse galaxy with has the same mass of the Milky Way galaxy but with nearly no discernable stars and is completely made of dark matter.  

Scientists tell that the universe is constantly expanding; this is hard to observe during one’s lifetime, as it takes millions of years to do so. Hence constant research must made and passed down to future scientists. 

SOUTH INDIAN DELICACIES

South India primarily consists of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana and Puducherry. Now that we know the Indian states that form South India, let us learn about the amazing cuisines available here. From crispy dosas to spicy biryanis, these cuisines will certainly make your taste buds wanting for more.

If you decide to visit the southern states of India, you are in for a treat. The food here is delicious, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian dishes, the variety is extensive. The staple food in this region is rice; you have rice in almost everything. Some are steamed; some are grinded to make a fine paste or batter to make idlis or dosas. The food is mainly spicy here, because lots of spices are cultivated in this region and also exported to other places from centuries. All the states in this region have coasts, so fresh sea food is abundant. Fruits, vegetables, pulses, cereals and many varieties of crops are grown in this region. So the cuisine is not limited to a few ingredients.

 Let me now see the most popular dishes available here.

Dosa: There are almost a hundred varieties of dosas made. It is a traditional breakfast food made of fermented rice and lentil batter. The most popular type of dosa is Masala dosa, which is an extra crispy dosa, with a spicy paste applied inside. It is stuffed with mashed potato called as palya and served with chutney and sambar. Other varieties include onion dosa (dosa with lots of onion served with vegetable curry and chutney), set dosa (just like pan cakes), rava dosa and plain dosa. Other varieties are inspired.

Idly and Vada: Idly and vadas are also breakfast items. Just like dosas, idly is also batter made of fermented rice and lentils, but unlike dosas this one is steamed. The result is a soft, fluffy, round delicious idlies. Vada is shaped just like donut, but it is savory and fried. They are a fantastic combo, often served with chutney and sambar.

Biryani: Be it chicken, mutton, egg or fish; biryani is by far the most popular and most consumed food among non-vegetarians. It has a lot of varieties, just like any other food item. Done Biryani in Karnataka, Chettinad Biryani in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Malabar Biryani in Kerala and Hyderabadi biryani in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which is the most popular one. Biryani is a mixture of spices, rice, vegetable, dry fruits and tender meat, all steamed together to produce a mouthwatering dish. It is often served with raita (spicy curd with onions), eggplant curry or any type of spicy gravy.

South Indian Meals: A wide variety of food items. It is a pure vegetarian dish. Let me name a few, white rice, poori, chapathy, vegetable pulao, spicy vegetable mixture (called palya), sambar, rasam, curd, pickles, papad, payasam (any type of sweet) to name a few. It is eaten as lunch or dinner.

There are many different types of food, specific to that region also. Here we have seen the most popular food items that are also common in these areas. 

Sky watching can lead you to a magical place. Do you believe that?

How many of you as kids would look up to the sky and wonder where the stars came from?,or why do stars twinkle?, or why can we just see them in the night time?. Well I guess that makes all of us. The night sky along with its stars and planets, have always been magical and mysterious, in some ways. Do you remember the nursery rhyme ‘twinkle twinkle little star’?. It was not a topic for just older people, people of all age groups still watch and admire the night sky, and all the elements it carries. Sky watching at night, also somehow makes us forget our problems, and worries, how magically it  takes us to a different dimension, without any problems. Do you know that we can also see different planets at night from planet earth?. You don’t often need a telescope for that,with a little bit of knowledge about it, and a little bit of analysing skills, you can see them clearly. Stars are of different kinds, shapes, sizes and sometimes colour too. 

So, what is the colour of a star, and how are they different from planets?

To answer this question, let us first look at what a star is. Star is an astronomical object consisting of, luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its own gravity. Sun is also a star and the closest one to earth. Fusion of hydrogen into helium into its core makes the star shine. There are seven main types of stars O, B,A,F,G,K and M. Red, orange , yellow, green , white and blue are the colours of the stars. A dead star is called a white dwarf. The stars are different from the planets, as stars have a higher temperature, and they radiate energy, and are more brighter than the planets. Stars also twinkle unlike the planets, and stars also stay in the same position, but the planets do not. Sometimes, in order to observe certain stars and planets carefully, you require a telescope or a binocular. 

How to observe the sky?

To observe the sky , we first must have a general idea about the sky, it’s stars and planets as well, this will help us in having a better and an easy start. The next thing is, finding out a perfect location to sky gaze,as not all the places can show you, what the sky holds clearly. We also can make use of telescopes and binoculars for further clarity. Make sure you are comfortable, and then peacefully start it. Safety is very important , so try avoiding looking at the  sun, in the day-time, it can have serious after effects. The stars and the planets start moving from the eastern horizon, and set on the western horizon, just like the sun. Simply, naked-eye gazing can show you, wonders of the sky. The sky holds much more than we can ever imagine. So once you start observing it, there is no end to your learning.

Is Ageism the new Racism?

Ageism, that is also known as age discrimination is the unfair treatment of older people, because of their age. This is a very common problem, which never really ages. It’s usually the so-called youths of today’s society, who often display this rude behaviour. Growing up, our parents and our teachers have always taught us to be kind and helpful, to the older pack of this world, respect them for their long journey and admire them for having survived this harsh and tough world. But as the time is passing, we are all leaving behind the values instilled in us. They not just face discrimination from today’s youth, but also in their work place or wherever they go they are subjected to discrimination. Personally growing up as a Indian, my mother not only always taught me to respect and help the elderly just like every parent did, but also upheld good examples that I can carry throughout my life. All of you reading this would have ignored, or have refrained yourself from helping the elderly, at least once. It might have occurred, when you stopped yourself from giving an elderly person your seat, while traveling in a bus, or when you ignored an elderly person, who needed help, in climbing the stairs.

Some examples of ageism:-

  • Losing their jobs, because the employer feels that their aging, would become an obstacle to their work.
  • Not being entrusted with any major work at home,by their children or grandchildren, who feel they are incapable to do so.
  • Not being given new credit cards, or insurances like travel insurance etc, because of their age.
  • Receiving a very poor service, either at a restaurant or at the place of purchase, because of their age, not to forget being mistreated by them as well.
  • Being mistreated by doctors and staff at the hospitals, who do not respect them, because of their age.

How does the law protect the elderly from Ageism:- 

There is no codified law on basis of age discrimination in India, but our constitution guarantees us equal protection under law, and protection of every individual from discrimination on various grounds such as, religion, caste, sex or place of birth, under Article 15 of Indian constitution. However there is no inclusion of discrimination of age in this article. Our country still has no law as such in place, and in a country like India where one of the major economic problems is unemployment, they cannot afford to keep the elderly in their jobs.

Conclusion:-

It is our duty as fellow human beings, to love,care and respect each other, especially the elderly. Age discrimination can cause a lot of psychological problems to the elderly, they may loose confidence in their abilities, and stop living their life, the way they want to, it will surely make them lonely and depressed. Ageism is increasing day by day, and people must realise that age is not static, and one day we’ll all grow old and weary and be treated the same way by the generations to come. This is not a cycle we all should be proud of, this should stop. We need to educate ourselves and others around us about the vicious cycle of ageism. It’s time to bring up the values deeply rooted in us, and be wise in realising that, being rude does not equate to being cool. 

COMEDY

Comedy is an art form to entertain people with funny content. Comedy makes people laugh or at least it removes the frown from a gloomy face. Comedy is often expressed in many forms mainly through books, theatre, film, television and stand-up comedy. Comedy is always done at the expense of someone or something. Sometimes the comedian makes fun of himself to make others laugh or he might make fun of someone else. So if comedy hurts your feeling in any way, laugh it off. Comedy too, has its limits on how far the comedian takes a joke. It must always be funny or at least help you relax but never make you feel uncomfortable. 

Being a comedian is a tough task because he must always keep coming up with new ideas and not keep performing the same routine repeatedly. A comedian must have the ability to read the room and must always adapt instantly. 

Comedy is of multiple genres based on the source of humor, the method of delivery and its context. Most of the comedy fits into multiple genres. Let us see few genres below:

Farce: Farce is a comedy that entertains people through situations that are highly exaggerated and improbable. It is characterized by physical humor, drunkenness and use of deliberate absurdity. It is usually written for the stage. Few examples in this category are mockery of rich people, mistaken identity and constant falling depicting that the person is drunk.

Comedy of manners: This comedy deals with the behavior of people. This type of comedy has a satiric tone to it. The comedian uses witty language to expose the unwanted hype and proudness of the upper-class society. The basic abstract of this genre in that even though the upper-class people give a vibe that they are better than others, they too are immoral; they too live a life full of scandals.

Burlesque: This type of comedy is intended to cause humor by mocking something or an issue with a serious note. Here the comedian imitates a serious subject in a comic and humorous way. Parody is the best example. This version has two types; high burlesque, where a dignified subject is portrayed as low or undignified version whereas the low burlesque portrays a subject of low importance as highly important. Some examples are parody movies, for example “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is an emotional movie whereas “The Epic Movie” is its parody version.

Satire: This category is something which is more witty than comical. Here the main purpose is to ridicule the actions of individuals, organizations or even government where the comedian is emphasizing on their mistakes and corrupt nature. This is meant as a constructive social criticism to draw attention from the concerned parties. This is achieved by ironic statements or statements that are sarcastic.  This is often found in memes or television shows like daily news or other such programs.

Romantic Comedy: This is not a type of comedy that makes you fall down in laughter; this is more of a smile or slight giggle at the expense of two individuals involved in a romantic relationship. How they meet and how they get involved is the basic storyline. The plot is a lighthearted humorous plot. This genre always has a good ending, one which the viewer or reader desires. Rom-com movies or sitcoms belong to this genre.

COVID-19 AND MENTAL HEALTH

It is normal and understandable that people are experiencing fear,worry and stress when they are faced with uncertainty in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic.Added to the fear of contracting to the virus significant changes in our daily lives as our movements are restricted in support of efforts to contain and slowdown the spread of the virus faced with new realities of working from home, temporary employment, home schooling of children and lack of physical contact with other family members , friends and colleagues .It is important that we look after our mental as well as our physical health.WHO together with partners is providing guidance and advice during COVID 19 Pandemic for health workers, managers of health facilities, people who are looking after children , older adults, people in isolation and members of the public more generally to help us look after our mental health.

         Preliminary evidence suggest that symptoms of anxiety and depression(16-28percentage) and self reported stress(8percent) are psychological reactions to the COVID 19 Pandemic and may be associated with disturbed sleep. A number of individual and structural variables moderate this risk.Studies prove that more vulnerable groups identified are older adults , the homeless, migrant workers and children.

       Lack of knowledge among mental health professionals and difficulty in obtaining the cooperation of patients for preventive measures leads to psychotic disorders. As the number of patients affected by this pandemic continues to increase social distancing , using mask and sanitizer were the common measures used to prevent the pandemic and promote the BREAK THE CHAIN program.

      Quarantine, isolation and social distancing in the times of a raging pandemic can be psychologically distressing for many people.Giving Confidence and support to them and to their family is an important factor.FIGHT THE DISEASE NOT THE PATIENT should  be our motto.

Virtual Classes – The Game Changer

The concept of Virtual Classes is relatively new, and this is slowly becoming popular day after day. Virtual classes are also known as Online classes and its trending as of now. This virtual classes basically signifies the classes are to be conducted online using Laptops or Tables or Smartphone whichever is available. The teachers are taking the initiative to educate the students because they cannot compromise of completion of the syllabus as it is mainly associated with the future of the students. It is really not possible for the teachers to go out and gather the students for taking a normal class due to the Pandemic situation; i.e., for the Covid 19. Hence a temporary solution for the problem is certainly an online class. Taking Virtual classes can come under the broad category of working from home. As because all the school, colleges and institutions has been closed for quite a long time right now because of Lockdown, no one is eager to take the risk of taking normal classes. The Parents would not approve it as well. Also, it has been made mandatory by the Government to follow these rules. The teachers are instructed to conduct Online Classes till date the School , Colleges reopens after lockdown. Virtual classes are going to be a trademark for the upcoming generations. Through Virtual classes, a professor or a Teacher can reach out to many more students once at a time. The process of conducting online classes is simple, you just need to have proper undisrupted Internet access, then you need to download one app from various options like Zoom, Discord, Google meet, Microsoft teams e t c. Then you have to attach your smartphone with a Tripod and film the videos. The videos can be recorded and it is of great help for the students to check it out again at the time of requirement. Virtual classes are a lot beneficiary for all the students out there and if this step has not been taken from the start of Lockdown, the entire framework of education would have been broken down. It is comparatively easier for the teachers to take Virtual classes from their homes at any time they may feel appropriate. Upgrading the system of education can be achieved in such a way.

There are a several disadvantages for Virtual Classes too, namely

1) Several media platforms revealed that such applications aren’t safer for usage as it gets the access to personal information, and hence the question of cyber security arises which is undeniable. The Right to Privacy gets hampered if it is not protected with proper passwords and can cause a huge loss to the general people.

2) Virtual classes are much less impactful as compared to the regular classes as the visual effects aren’t created by the teachers which is a core of learning, especially for the kids.

3)Virtual classes never helps in creating interpersonal relationships between the teachers and students as because there is much lesser interactions between peers and scope of discussions related to any other topics except studies is relatively much lesser.

4) Communication enhancements never happens if u don’t interact face to face with a person, skill doesn’t get improved in any ways, only listening to various subject descriptions is not of much help.

5) Maximum no. of people from our country India belongs to poorer sections, in fact many of them belongs to the Below Poverty Line category, we need to look into and improve such basics before continuing with online classes as because they cannot afford proper food, Primary education comes for free as because Government intervenes but Internet connection never comes for free.

6) Many teachers do not know the proper technicalities of taking Online classes, especially the old aged tutors as they never got the official training for conducting such.

7) Virtual Classes increases the Screen time for the youngsters as they tend to get addicted to smartphones already, these choose not to go through lines of textbooks hence such rays affect their minds and body. Much more distractions are caused because of the family disrupting their focus and undivided attention.

8) Many students do not have the habit of understanding Virtual classes well which in turn provokes them to play online games rather than studying.

A DAY OF STREET CHILDREN

Today I am going to describe a day of street children……..the start of their morning takes place on the footpath or on the dividers…then a normal child usually go to his school but a street children go to find their 2 WAQT KI ROTI…so they either start begging….or they start selling something…they also clean the vehicles on crossings when it is red light and then they ask for money to the vehicles owner….a normal child have option of breakfast but for the street children there are lot of difficulties lunch so for them breakfast is not the cake of street children’s plate…..they have to do a lot of work to earn food….to earn money…sometimes there are some street children who are elder in their family then we just cant imagine the burden of their responsibilities…..they have to manage their siblings as well as their earning….when a normal child go to the school for learning….and here is the street children who learn from their daily experiences….who learn from their empty stomach……and after giving exam every day in their life they get these learnings…..the roads are their biggest teachers…….when a normal child return back to his home after school then their mother ready the food for them and also serve them with full of love…here are the street children who have to make their plate of food by own…..there is no one to serve them…there is no one to feed them a single bite with love….while a normal child ask for a mineral water…..and here is those children who lives on street, they have to drink hand pump’s water….and they remain happy in this because they know they don’t have any option….while a normal child plays games on tablet, computer, phone …….and here is street children who feels very happy in playing gilli danda, kanche etc……a normal child have AC in their room and a very soft bed to sleep….and here is street children who have nature’s land to sleep and the wind is their AC …..and if it starts raining some time then it becomes too difficult to them to manage……..


In actually if we see that whether they have facilities or not they know that how to create them….and how to be live happy in less facilities…..even though they haven’t place to sleep but nature has done all the settings for them…next time if you face any kind of these children then please don’t be rude to them because apart from doing this they don’t have any option ……giving them some rupees will not make you poor and on receiving that rupees will not make a children rich….the only thing which will happen that at least they have some rupees to eat something….to fill their stomach……

             OLE is at the Wheel: The Success of Manchester United

                                                                                                  -SHUBHANKAR

What a dramatic turnaround it has been. The 2019/20 season saw the Premier League table turn dramatically at the end of the season. The halted 2019/20 Premier League season, which was halted due to the Covid 19 pandemic came to an end yesterday. This season can be surely termed as one of the best in many years for the Red Devils- Manchester United. Yes, Ole is surely at the wheel right now. The way Manchester United started the season, with the selling of their outright strikers Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, a top 6 finish was going to be termed as a very good season for Manchester United. But when yesterday the league got over, Manchester United finished 3rd on the overall table, finishing above the likes of Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and Leicester City. This table showed the grit and determination with which the whole squad played this whole season of ups and downs. The start of the season saw Manchester United at one stage being 14 points behind Leicester City and completed the season with 4 points more than Leicester City.

What made this turnaround possible for a struggling Manchester United team midway through the season? The answer is the signing of the Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes in the January transfer window. The change brought in by the midfield maestro has helped Manchester United perform better than before and helped them have a steady team, building a steady team around him and enjoying the fruitful results. Not only Bruno Fernandes, but all the other players from the squad need to be congratulated as they never gave up and till the end fought like a strong team, which never gives up. With rumours going strong of Paul Pogba not happy, wanting to leave, the club was under pressure. But with the introduction of Ole as the permanent manager of Manchester United, the fortunes have really turned around quite significantly. Yes, Manchester United haven’t won any silverware under him, but he has obviously built a team which in the future can challenge not only for the Premier League but also for the all important Champions League.

What Ole has done, is shown faith in the youth and brought in players from both the academy as well as from the transfer window. He has brought in the young players, building a squad for the future who could challenge for any tournament. Look at the names they have in the starting line up, be it the young English striker Marcus Rashford, French striker Anthony Martial and the teen sensation Mason Greenwood. The midfield also has the mixture of both young and experienced talent like Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, Matic, Scott Mctominay, etc. The major problem what United will face over the next few seasons, which Ole has to focus on and fill the gap as soon as possible is the defence. With the experienced goalkeeper David Degea making way to many mistakes this season, he has to come up with the quality performances again before the criticism increases, leading him to be axed by the club in the near future. The young defenders like Lindelöf and Harry Maguire have to make sure that their mistakes are less going into the new season and that they hold a tight backline. These are things which Ole needs to focus upon in the future, with Champions League football coming up the net season.

What I feel after Ole’s performance this season as a manager and the team he has built is that it wouldn’t be long before Manchester United are back again dominating the footballing world. The main focus for him should be to nurture the young talent into world class players who can dominate the likes of current English champions Liverpool or the ever dominating Manchester City. This team which Ole has played over the course of this season has looked just going on the right track and I feel what the fans of Manchester United have been waiting for, the domination of Manchester United over other football clubs is very very close and the man who could do it is, none other than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Paradox of Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is a wonderful liberty and health inducing function of society if, and only if, the citizens exercise their right to freedom of thought beforehand – exploring their ideas to see if they come from a place of love, good intention and virtue – or emotional indifference, entitlement and fear.”

The paradox of free speech and freedom of expression – at what level can one’s freedom of speech will involve limiting the freedom of speech of another person’s? Its really something to think about. The irony and the paradox of freedom of speech is this – in theory, every single citizen, regardless of who they are or where they come from, are entitled to their opinions and should be free to say whatever they please and the government should not try any means necessary to censor that person.. … except that someone else can who is not a part of the government can, or the government can censor that person through indirect means, or that person can be limited in their freedom of speech because of other reasons. Hate speech is one of them or speech that is deemed as offensive or crude.

Sure, saying homophobic slurs or racist slurs are deemed as hate speech, but what if this angrily-provoked language is done to antagonize a particular group of people who rightfully deserve it (like for example, a dictator or an social elite that have all the power but leave little of that power to the public)? Can that turn into censorship as well? Or what if someone has an opinion or makes a statement that is unpopular or controversial or unorthodox? For example, if a person says that he/she does not like a section of people following a particular religion because they possess an internalized paranoia about a religion that they do not know. That person can easily be deemed as being intolerant.

What about having unpopular opinions but you do not want to say anything about of the fear of being judged because of stigma or taboo like sexual fantasies or sexual orientations or having an opinion that is very unpopular like thinking that Communism is justified or thinking that the Earth is flat, even though scientific evidence will show otherwise? Or what about the political correctness movement that has been happening the past few years that replaces certain words with other words which at the same time limits the amount of speech that people are allowed to say or not say or else their words will have a negative effect on a certain demographic? (even though it is already well-known that whatever word or phrase you say, those words will shape our thoughts and may even reinforce already internalized schemas about certain categorized human groups like the mentally challenged as “idiots” will further reinforce the internalized image of an idiot).

What if someone makes a statement that someone else would find as unsettling or offensive? What gives the other person the right to censor the person who made their joke and limit his/her freedom of speech because that person did What if someone makes a statement that someone else would find as unsettling or offensive? What gives the other person the right to censor the person who made their joke and limit his/her freedom of speech because that person did not like it? Whether you liked the joke or not, that person given charges for hate speech and many people feel that his joke can taken out of context and his freedom of speech was taken from him just because some people did not like it.

What about people who have a lot of influence or in a very high position where their influence will influence the behaviors of others? Businessmen, lawyers, politicians, marketers and so on. If they say something that will eventually upset a lot of people, whether they are being genuine or not, they could be risking having their own image damaged such as when EA chief creative officer Patrick Söderlund said about the upcoming game Battlefield V having women in game despite the historical context, he said “either accept it or don’t buy the game” and a few months, it was reported that the number of pre-orders of BFV was low, possibly as a response to Söderlund’s comment (who now left EA). I think we all know that whatever you say, you are not going to please everyone but I sometimes feel that people are in an advantage or a disadvantage – if a person has a lot of influence and power, their freedom of speech will surely have a positive influence on others, regardless of what say or should be very picky on what they say or else their may be a backlash; or for those people who are in a severe disadvantage for having opinions or statements that are unpopular statement are of sound mind or not.

Despite the shortcomings, free speech is an error-correcting mechanism whose function is to prevent the entire structure from collapsing; the ability to constantly criticize ideas serves as a firewall to contain bad ideas and prevent them from spreading uncontrollably. It also serves as a guide to navigate grey areas where the right path is often hard to see. Having said that, everything has a cost and benefit, and free speech is no exception to this. However, I think that this is a commodity that is far too valuable to be jettisoned, such that the price we pay for not having massively outweighs the downsides of having it.

It should be also realized that freedom of speech is deemed to be a governor of other freedoms, and the erosion of it is usually a reliable signifier that some semblance of totalitarianism is beginning to take root. Freedom of speech is the natural extension of freedom of thought, and thus should be the most vigorously defended of all inalienable rights. If your right to free is being violated, it’s your duty as a citizen of a free country to make that known, and if all else fails, it’s a important enough matter to warrant violence if no other means will suffice. Free speech, especially free political speech, speech is the beacon of all other freedoms. It must be protected Is the costs, and at least here in America, our first constitutional government was created with the idea in mind that their constituents should openly rebel should their rights begin to erode. The last time that happened, it ended up being much more complicated than that. You know it as the American Civil War.

“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”

Noam Chomsky

What is Ethical Hacking?

Hacking refers to the practice of gaining access to systems or computers through unauthorized means. While our everyday life is increasingly moving online as are all activities, it is important that our privacy is maintained, our bank accounts remain secure, and our data not be used for other purposes. Cyber-crimes which are crimes perpetuated online pose a massive threat to our security in the virtual world and are on the rise every day. These activities are done by malicious hackers who use the information for their own personal gain or for organizations with criminal intentions. It is to counter this threat that ethical hacking is promoted now.

code on computer screen
Photo by ThisIsEngineering on Pexels.com

Ethical hacking refers to the practice of breaking through or bypassing system security with non-criminal intent. It is a pre-emptive measure to identify the flaws in a system as well as expose the probable cracks through which data can be compromised. The breach in the system will allow the organization to understand their current security status and do what is needed to better it. Ethical hackers are also known as White Hat hackers as opposed to Black Hat hackers who use illegal means to gain access to a system and do harm. There is a third group who are called the Grey Hat hackers. They are hackers who break into systems without authorization but do so with no mal-intention. Many do it for the fun of it and also report their breaches to whoever concerned. However, the lack of official authorization makes even this act a crime. Data theft, identity stealing, and large-scale money heists are all common activities that a black hat hacker would engage in. In the current landscape of commerce and technology, it is undebated that those who have access to and control of more information get the upper-hand. Information and data are the currency used most widely now. It is to ensure that these transactions and safekeepings are as secure as possible, and that the organizations who handle our data are able to safeguard them that we have need of ethical hacking.

An ethical hacker employs his skills to find the glitches in the armor and alerts his employers about his findings. With technological innovations reaching new heights every day, it is necessary that security systems are constantly upgraded and under scrutiny. Companies hire ethical hackers to find vulnerable points in their security systems and software that could be points through which an unethical hacker could enter the system. Ethical Hacking is also known as pen-testing or penetration testing. This is because they perform what is called a ‘pen test’ to hack into the system. Ethical hackers usually use the same methods that unethical hackers will use to enter a system. The only difference is that they are doing it with legal authority. They are required to keep their findings and understanding of the security system of an organization confidential since any slippage of information from them can cause harm as well. They are to remove or erase any traces of the hack once they have finished checking the system in order to stop unethical hackers from exploiting the same vulnerabilities. Ethical hacking can be learnt online from professionals or as part of courses. It is becoming a much sought-after profession and an increasingly pertinent one in the current global scenario.

CLIMATE CHANGE

The rising average temperature of Earth’s climate system, called global warming, is driving changes in rainfall patterns, extreme weather, arrival of seasons, and more. Collectively, global warming and its effects are known as climate change.


CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE –


• The largest human influence has been the emission of greenhouse gases, with over 90% of the impact from carbon dioxide and methane. Fossil fuel burning is the principal source of these gases, with agricultural emissions and deforestation also playing significant roles. Temperature rise is enhanced by self-reinforcing climate feedbacks, such as loss of snow cover, increased water vapor, and melting permafrost.


• Forces that contribute to climate change include the sun’s intensity, volcanic eruptions, and changes in naturally occurring greenhouse gas concentrations.
According to NASA, “These natural causes are still in play today, but their influence is too small or they occur too slowly to explain the rapid warming seen in recent decades.”


• On Earth, human activities are changing the natural greenhouse. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). This happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities has increased concentrations of greenhouse gases.

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE:
The consequences of changing the natural atmospheric greenhouse are difficult to predict, but certain effects seem likely:

• On average, Earth will become warmer. Some regions may welcome warmer temperatures, but others may not.


• Warmer conditions will probably lead to more evaporation and precipitation overall, but individual regions will vary, some becoming wetter and others dryer.


• A stronger greenhouse effect will warm the oceans and partially melt glaciers and other ice, increasing sea level. Ocean water also will expand if it warms, contributing further to sea level rise.


• Meanwhile, some crops and other plants may respond favorably to increased atmospheric CO2, growing more vigorously and using water more efficiently. At the same time, higher temperatures and shifting climate patterns may change the areas where crops grow best and affect the makeup of natural plant communities.


The Role of Human Activity in climate change:
In its Fifth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from countries all over the world under the auspices of the United Nations, concluded there’s a more than 95 percent probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed our planet.

The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 412 parts per million in the last 150 years. The panel also concluded there’s a better than 95 percent probability that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have caused much of the observed increase in Earth’s temperatures over the past 50 years.

Schools of Hindu Law

There are two main schools of Hindu Law, the Mitakshara and the Dayabhaga. The Mitakshara (literally means “a concise work”) is a running commentary on the code of Yajnavalkya. It has been written by Vijnaneshwar (11th century) and prevails in all parts of India, except in Bengal. The Dayabhaga School, which is followed mainly in Bengal, is not a commentary on any particular code, but is a digest of all the codes. It has been witten in Jimutavahana (12th century). It may also be noted that the Mitakshara is the orthodox school, whereas the Dayabhaga is the reformist school of Hindu Law. The Dayabhaga ia considered to be a dissident school of the old Benares School.

The Dayabhaga is not divided into any sub-schools. However, the Mitakshara is sub-divided into four schools prevailing in different parts of India. These different schools have the same fundamental principles, but differs in matters of details, especially with reference to the topics of adoption and inheritance. These four sub-schools are as follows:-

  1. The Benares School, which prevails in northern and north-western India except in rural Punjab where its authority has been considerably modified by customary law. The main authorities of the school are the Virmitrodaya and the Nirnaya Sindhu.
  2. The Mithila School, which has most of its followers in Bihar. The main authorities are the Vivada Chintamani, the Vivada Ratnakara, the Madana Parijata and the Vyavahara Mayukha.
  3. The Dravida or Madras School, which prevails in southern India. the principle authorities are the Smriti Chandrika, the Parashara Madhaviya, the Saraswati Vilasa and the Vyavahara Nimaya.
  4. The Maharashtra or Bombay School, which prevails in western India. The main principle authorities are the Viramitrodaya and the Nirhaya Sindhu.

Difference between the Mitakshara and Dayabhaga Schools

The fundamental points of difference between the Mitakshara and Dayabhaga Schools of Hindu Law may be summarised as follows:

BASESMITAKSHARADAYABHAGA
As regards Joint PropertyRight to property by birth (of the claimant); hence the son is co-owner with the father in ancestral property. After the commencement of the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, the daughter can also a coparcener.Right to property by death (of the last owner; hence son has no right in the ancestral property during father’s life time.
As regards AlienationMembers of joint family cannot dispose of their shares while undivided Any member of joint family may sell or give away his shares even when undivided.
As regards inheritanceThe principle of inheritance is consanguinity (i.e., blood relationship). But cognates are postponed to agnates.The principle of inheritance is spiritual efficacy (i.e., offering of pandas). Some cognates, like sister’s son are preferred to many agnates.
As regards Doctrine of factum valetA fact cannot be altered by hundred texts. It is recognised to a very limited extent.Doctrine of factum valet is fully recognised.

Besides the above points, the other bases of difference between Mitakshara and Dayabhaga arouse out of their differences in the meaning of the word “Sapinda”. According to Dayabhaga ‘Sapinda’ means the same ‘pinda’ means the ball of rice which offered by the Hindu as obsequies to their ancestors. The term ‘Sapinda’ thus connotes those related to the duty of one to offer ‘pinda’ to the other. On the other hand, Vijnaneswara defined ‘Sapinda’ relationship as the relationship arising between two persons through their being connected by particles of one body.

Thus fundamental difference in the term “Sapinda” resulted in the formation of law, which were in material respect quite distinct from each other.

ANIMAL RIGHTS

God has done so many creations on the earth…animals are one of them….animals don’t have mind as human beings but they have feelings and emotions like human beings….they can’t express their feelings by words as human beings but they also suffer a lot but they can’t express it and there are some people who take advantage of this…..as we know that this world is full of good or bad people so there are also good people in this world who understand that every living being also feel the same as human beings….even there are some religions who declared the violence against animals as a sin.
The Vedas, the first scriptures of Hinduism teach ahinsa or nonviolence towards all living beings. In Hinduism, killing an animal is regarded as a violation of ahinsa and causes bad karma, leading many Hindus to practice vegetarianism.
Jainism was founded in India in the 7th-5th century and ahinsa is its central teaching. Due to their belief in the sanctity of all life, Jains practice strict vegetarianism and many go to great lengths even to avoid harming insects.
Buddhism is the third major religion to emerge in India, and its teachings also include ahinsa. Buddhism teaches vegetarianism (though not as strictly as Jainism), and many Buddhists practice life release in which animals destined for slaughter are purchased and released to the wild. Despite the influence of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, meat-eating was still common in ancient India.

In 262 BCE, the Mauryan king Ashoka converted to Buddhism. For the remainder of his reign, he issued edicts informed by the Buddhist teachings of compassion for all beings. These edicts included the provision of medical treatment for animals and bans on animal sacrifice, the castration of roosters, and hunting of many species.when it cross the limit of violence against animals then the government and some people came forward and done work for animal’s welfare.


WORK FOR ANIMAL’S WELFARE:


• India’s first national animal welfare law, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960), criminalizes cruelty to animals, though exceptions are made for the treatment of animals used for food and scientific experiments.

• The 1960 law also created the Animal Welfare Board of India to ensure the anti-cruelty provisions were enforced and promote the cause of animal welfare.

• Subsequent laws have placed regulations and restrictions on the use of draught animals, the use of performing animals, animal transport, animal slaughter, and animal experimentation.

• The Breeding of and Experiments on Animals (Control and Supervision) Rules, 1998 sets general requirements for breeding and using animals for research.


• A 2006 amendment specifies that experimenters must first try to use animals “lowest on the phylogenetic scale”, use the minimum number of animals for 95% statistical confidence, and justify not using non-animal alternatives. A 2013 amendment bans the use of live animal experiments in medical education.


• In 2014 India became the first country in Asia to ban all testing of cosmetics on animals and the import of cosmetics tested on animals.

• In 2013 India made it illegal to use captive dolphins for public entertainment.

• In 2017 The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released four new Gazette notifications under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 to regulate dog breeders, animal markets, and aquarium and “pet” fish shop owners .
Now India has a grade of C out of possible grades A,B,C,D,E,F,G on World Animal Protection’s Animal Protection Index.

Animal issues The 1960 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act is the legal basis of animal protection in India. Provision 11 states that it is illegal for ‘any person… [to treat] any animal so as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering or causes, or being the owner permits, any animal to be so treated’, and that such mistreatment is punishable with fines or prison sentences.[ Despite restrictions on killing and eating cows throughout most of the country, India became the world’s largest exporter of beef in 2012.]
According to a 2012 FAO report, India also had the world’s largest population of dairy cows (43.6 million) and was the second-largest producer of milk (50.3 million tons per year). In 2011, India was the third largest producer of eggs (behind China and the United States) and the sixth largest producer of chicken meat. India is the second largest fish producer in the world after China, and the industry has substantial room for growth.
A 2007 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations found that Indians had the lowest rate of meat consumption of any country. Roughly one-third of Indians are vegetarian (the largest percentage of vegetarians in the world), but few are vegan. Despite having the highest rate of vegetarianism in the world, Indian consumption of dairy, eggs, and meat – especially chicken – was increasing rapidly as of 2013.
India’s 1960 anti-cruelty law created the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) to regulate animal experimentation. A 2003 report by Animal Defenders International and the U.K. National Anti-Vivisection Society based on evidence gathered by the CPCSEA during inspections of 467 Indian laboratories finds “a deplorable standard of animal care in the majority of facilities inspected”. The report lists many instances of abuse, neglect, and failure to use available non-animal methods.

There was a time when animals are used for entertainment and in teaching them they have to suffer from so much pain….
• In 2014, the Supreme Court of India banned the traditional bullfighting sport Jallikattu, which was mainly practiced in the state of Tamil Nadu. This led to widespread controversy, and the 2017 pro-jallikattu protests. Under this pressure, the government of Tamil Nadu adopted a law that reintroduced the sport on state level, likely leading to a renewed ban by the Supreme Court. The sport remains a controversial issue.
An inspector from the Animal Welfare Board of India said in 2017 that cases of dogs being bludgeoned with iron bars or burnt alive had taken place almost every month.

India has a number of domestic animal welfare organizations such as Peoples for Animals Haryana, Scouts & Guides for Animals & Birds, OIPA: Indian People for Animals, started by Naresh Kadyan, People for Animals, started by Maneka Gandhi, as well as chapters of international animal nonprofits including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Humane Society International, and In Defense of Animals.
Government and organizations are trying their best but this is responsibility of every human being to aware people, to teach the children that animals or other living being are also our friends, it is the responsibility of everyone to not to harm the BEZUBAAN ZAANWAR….we can see the example of the Kerala incident where a mother elephant died after eating the cracker-filled fruit and stood in a river for many days with its trunk and head immersed in the water perhaps to nurse its wounds and it was found that it was pregnant….this is not only one case…. don’t know how many animals are got killed every day….whoever do this just remember you can’t stop the karma to follow you…just remember if you are harming anyone either it is human being or animals or any other living beings then you also have to face that situation and you will also get whatever you have done with them…….

Rosalind Frankline:The Unsung Heroine of DNA

Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Elsie Franklin (25 July 1920 – 16 April 1958) was an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite. A victim of male prejudice, she is also known as “wronged heroine of DNA.” Franklin is best known for her work on the X-ray diffraction images of DNA, particularly Photo 51, while at King’s College London, which led to the discovery of the DNA double helix for which James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. After finishing her work on DNA, Franklin led pioneering work at Birkbeck on the molecular structures of viruses. Her team member Aaron Klug  continued her research, winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1982.

She struggled throughout her life for recognition for her work among her male counterparts. Her work wasn’t highlighted while she was alive nor after her death for a long time. Her research played a huge role in the awarding of Nobel Prizes to Watson, Crick and Wilkins and Aaron Klug. She was a potent symbol of male prejudice and also her grave read that her work on viruses was of “lasting benefit to mankind”. However her top priority remained academic success.

Story of ram mandir ayodhya

History of Ayodhya

Ayodhya, also called Oudh or Awadh, town, south-central uttar pradesh state, northern india. It lies on the ghaghara river just east of faizabad.

An ancient town, Ayodhya is regarded as one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus, revered because of its association in the great Indian epic ramayana with the birth of rama and with the rule of his father, Dasharatha. According to this source, the town was prosperous and well-fortified and had a large population.

Oudh was joined with the Agra Presidency in 1877 to form the North-Western Provinces and later the  united provinces of Agra and Oudh, now Uttar Pradesh state.

Dispute of ayodhya

Despite the town’s great age, there are few surviving monuments of any antiquity. The Babri masjid (“Mosque of Bābur”) was built in the early 16th century by the Mughal emperor Babur on a site traditionally identified as Rama’s birthplace and as the location of an ancient Hindu temple, the Ram Janmabhoomi. Because of its significance to both Hindus and Muslims, the site was often a matter of contention. In 1990, riots in northern India followed the storming of the mosque by Hindu nationalist’s intent on erecting a temple on the site; the ensuing crisis brought down the Indian government. Two years later, on December 6, 1992, the three-story mosque was demolished in a few hours by a crowd of Hindu nationalists. It was estimated that more than 2,000 people died in the rioting that swept through India following the mosque’s destruction. An investigative commission led by Manmohan singh Liberhan, a retired judge, was formed in 1992 but did not issue a report until 2009. The report, when it finally appeared, caused an uproar because it blamed several leading figures from the pro-Hindu Bhartiya janata party for the mosque’s destruction. A court ruling in 2010 divided the land between Hindus and Muslims, but that decision was overturned in 2019 by the Supreme Court, which entrusted the property exclusively to Hindus.

Judgement of ayodhya dispute

the Supreme Court cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, In the judgment of the three judges of the Allahabad High Court ruled that the 2.77 acres (1.12 ha) of Ayodhya land be divided into three parts, with one third going to the Ram Lalla ,a previous Hindu temple Rama represented by the Hindu Maha Sabha,, and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque  and the remaining one third going to Nirmohi .

Now, after the judgement ,5th of august will be bhoomi pujan and construction will started soon of ram mandir.

The construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is set to begin on Wednesday when the first bricks will be laid for its foundation, according to a spokesperson for the head of the temple trust.

The event will be marked by prayers to Lord Shiva at the Kuber Tila shrine on the Ram Janmabhoomi site, allocated for the temple in a historic supreme court verdict last November.

The rudrabhishek ritual follows the tradition set by Lord Ram, who prayed to Shiva before launching an attack on Lanka, said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, spokesperson for the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust head Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.

The work of laying the foundation of the temple will begin after these special prayers.

The prayers will be performed by Kamal Nayan Das and other priests on behalf of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, who visited the site recently.

“This religious ceremony will last for at least two hours and after that the construction of the Ram Mandir will start with the laying of the foundation of the mandir structure,” Kamal Nayan Das said.

In its verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute, the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of construction of a temple at the site.

The Ayodhya dispute is a political, historical, and socio-religious debate in India, centered on a plot of land in the city of Ayodhya uttar pradesh.  This is the first  judgements in India’s history, a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi put an end to the more than a century old dispute that has torn the social fabric of the nation.

Tort And Contract

The distinction between a tort and a contract, is clearly brought forth the definition of tort given by Winfield which states “Tortious liability arises from the breach of a duty primarily fixed by law, such duty is towards persons generally and its breach is redressible by an action for unliquidated damages.”

A contract is an agreement, whereby a legal obligation is constituted and defined between the parties to it. It is a legal relationship, the nature, contents and consequences of which are determined and defined by the agreement of the parties, the law giving legal forces and authorities to the agreement. Thus, whereas in tort, the duties are fixed by the law, in the contract, they are fixed by the parties themselves.

In a contract, one party owes duty to another contracting party only (Principle of Privity of contract) while in tort, the duty imposed by law is not towards any specific individual or individuals, but they are towards the world at large. Both in tort and contract, the remedy available is damages, but while in contract, the damages are liquidated (i.e. they are predetermined by the parties), in tort, the damages are unliquidated (i.e. they are not predetermined by the parties), but are awarded by the court.

In certain cases, the same incident may rise to liability both in contract and tort, for example, when a passenger whilst travelling with a ticket is required owing to the railway company’s negligence, the company is guilty of a wrong which is both breach of contract and tort.

In Edwards v. Mallan, (1908) KB, it was held, a dentist who contracts to pull out the tooth is of course liable for breach of contract, if he injures the patient by an unskillful extraction. He is also liable for the tort of negligence, for everyone who professes skill in a amount of such skill.

In such cases, where the same fact resulted in a breach of contract as well as tort, the plaintiff cannot claim the damage twice over. he can either sue for the breach of contract or for the commission of tort. The contractual duty may be owed to one person and the legal duty (duty by law), independently of contact to another. For example, the surgeon who is called by a father to operate upon his daughter owes a contractual duty to the father who takes care. If he fails in that duty, he is also liable for a tort against the daughter.

In Pippin v. Sheppard, (1822), a surgeon was called in by a husband, to treat his wife. The court held that the husband could sue the surgeon for the breach of contractual duty while the wife could maintain an action in tort as the doctor owes a duty of care to his patient .

Thus, liability in tort is fixed by law irrespective of any contract between the parties, although it s possible that in certain circumstances liability in tort may be modified by contract.

The Legality Of Gambling In India

Gambling is a type of wagering agreement which takes place between two parties, where one party promises the other to pay a certain amount of consideration on happening of a future uncertain event. It will be regarded as gambling if there exits consideration, risk and a prize. Gambling can be majorly of two types: 

  • Chance/Probability Based: In such type of gambling, the final result is totally unexpected and random. Everyone has an equal chance of winning and losing. For example, lottery, bingo, roulette, etc. All games where the outcome is uncertain.
  • Skill Based: The outcome of the even is not totally uncertain, and it can be influenced by a certain set of skills in a person. These games require skills to play, and the outcome cannot be totally certain. For example, poker, betting on races, etc. 

There are different state gambling laws in India, as it has been clearly given under the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution that the states can have different legal policies of “gambling and betting, it is the option of the state to either allow and regulate such activities, or totally prohibit them. It is totally the discretion of the state and the centre should not be involved in gambling and betting matters in the state. There is a central legislation named “The Public Gambling Act, 1867” which was enacted to prohibit all types of gambling and games in relation with chance and probability, however it regulates the skill based gambling. This Act is a 145-year-old law which has been existing from the British era, and it has provisions for the operation of a gambling house, its financing, and the crimes related to gambling. Chance/probability gambling is legal only in two states in India, they are Goa, Daman and Diu and Sikkim which have special legislation for this purpose. The state of Goa has allowed gambling by enacting the Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act, 1976, and the state of Sikkim has Sikkim Regulation of Gambling (Amendment) 2005, all the other states have a similar type of the central legislation which has been enacted. However some states have legalised lottery, with some restrictions, that lottery could be drawn only once a week, however it being drawn more than that illegally. The Central Lotteries (Regulation) Act of 1998 , has the respective rules and regulations related to lottery for state governments. Sikkim and Nagaland have enacted other legislations for the purposes of online gambling, they are The Sikkim Online Gaming (Regulation) Act, 2008, and c The Nagaland Prohibition of Gaming and Promotion and Regulation of Online Games of Skill Act, 2016. Ironically even though there have been legislations regarding gambling, but not even one defined what gambling is.  All the above legislations have provisions related to rules and regulations of gambling and betting, process to apply for a license, the restriction on obtaining a license, the payment and payment restrictions fro obtaining a license, the liability and enforcement in case of an offence,  and the respective punishments and penalties.

There are other legislations like Payment and Settlement Act, 2007, Information Technology Act, 2000 which contain some provision relating to the regulation of gambling and betting. In Spite of all the above legislation there have been many on-going debates on why the “games of skill” excluded from punishment and penalty under the law. There have been doubts on why horse race betting is legal in India, but not cricket betting even though both have so many similarities. Horse race betting is considered as a game of skill but it is not the same case foe cricket betting. There has also been a debate on Rummy not being a game oc chance, and it shall come within the purview of game of skill as it is not similar to that of  flush, brag, etc which are games of pure chance and probability. There have been many cases and discussions with respect to Rummy as a game of skill, and its legal status in the nation, the debate still continues to happen. Surprisingly the states of West Bengal, Nagaland, and Karnataka have legalised the game of poker, regarding it as a game of skill. 

To sum it up, we have understood the legal status of gambling and betting in the nation. However, it is still regarded as highly uncertain and unclear. It is high time that the laws related to gambling have to be amended both at the central and state level. The laws have to be more clear to avoid unnecessary confusion and debates. The legislation should also become stringent so that illegal gambling can be total unseen in the nation. However, the efforts that are being put be different state government under this area of law should be appreciated. There is hope that in the future we can see a day where all gambling and betting activities are under control. 

Why Insolvency And Bankruptcy Code, 2016?

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), has been enacted in India  when the parliament passed the bill in the year 2016. Insolvency is a state of being unable to pay off your debts, it a state of economic distress, when the person, firm or company is no linger able to carry out its business. Bankruptcy is more of a legal term when one is declared as insolvent, and the legal process which is followed a person who could not fulfill their financial obligations, as they had due payments to their creditors. The legal process of bankruptcy relieves a person to some extent from some depts, and protects them so that no one could harm them for their money. The IBC is a single legislation for all the problems related to insolvency and bankruptcy by giving time-bound processes for resolving them , it is a combination of may other existing laws. It was implemented to bring one uniform law with respect to insolvency and bankruptcy. It took India and average of 4.3 years to come up with such a resolution, it took a lot of time as compared to other nations. However this bill has brought a tremendous change in the policies related to insolvency and bankruptcy.  The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)  was established under the code which aims to fulfill the objectives of the code, by making sure insolvency resolution are happening in a legal and transparent way. The IBBI contains a total of ten members from law ministry, finance ministry and the Reserve Bank of India. This act applies to and individual person, companies, partnership and other firms which have been established under any particular statute. This gives all round solutions to creditors, debtors, companies, shareholders and anyones who has an insolvency problem.

The main reason behind the legislation was to provide clear and timely processes for resolving insolvency, it provided a speedy solution. The code gives an opportunity to the creditor to assess the position of the debtor, and can make plans for the liquidation of debt. The code has provisions for a special agency which only deals with insolvency proceeding and matters of a party. This provides protection to the debtor by giving them immunity against the shareholders, creditors and other party involved. Several insolvency professionals will be appointed to take care of the communication between the creditor and debtor, they manage all the information related to the assets of the debtor, and they make sure the entire process of insolvency resolution happens correctly. The proceedings of the resolution process are adjudicated by the National Companies Law Tribunal (NCLT), for companies and the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) for individuals, and through this process the insolvency professionals will be guiding the part through it. The resolution process can either be initiated by the debtor or creditor. Then a committees which consists of all the creditors if formed and they decide upon the action of plan that has to be taken for recovery of their debt.  They might either take a decision to give the debtor more time, otherwise the assets of the debtor will be sold for recovering the debt, all the function should happen before the time limit prescribed in the code. As soon as the decision is taken the process of liquidation happens where the assets are sold under the guidance o the insolvency professionally, and fee has to be paid for the whole process and other necessary costs. The insolvency resolution process for the company is a total of 180 days with a 90 day extension, and for small firms it is 90 days with a 45 day extension, these were the changes brought through the bill. The above process is termed as the Insolvency Resolution Process (IRP). Therefore, the IRP consists of three major steps, they are Initiation, the resolution of insolvency and then finally the liquidation process. IBC has been amended thrice in the past few years, making it a better legislation by changing according to the situation in the society.

We can come to conclusion, that this act has brought a good change in the areas of insolvency and bankruptcy, as the system which existed before this act was proved to br inadequate or ineffective. This code has introduced a time bound process for insolvency resolution. It has provisions relating to IBBI, Insolvency professionals, adjudicating mechanisms like NCLT and DRT, and for Information utilities, which has all information regarding the process and decision taken. This code enabled the protection of debtors, and gives an efficient insolvency resolution process. In spite of the efforts India is still way backward in the World Index of Ease of resolving Insolvencies, and this will be changed in the future due to the IBC. If it is implemented in a strict manner, we can look forward to seeing a day where India may top the index, and it will be appreciated world widely for its efforts in this area. We as responsible citizens should make sure that we follow the laws of the nation which will lead to the welfare of people inturn developing the nation. Many such more effective and efficient legislations should be enacted to solve the problems in the society. 

Debentures

Debenture is the loan or debt instrument which is issued by Government and Corporates to raise the fund. Debenture are issued on fixed interest rate. Their value is based on credit rating. Based on credit rating people will purchase the debentures. Debenture holders are the creditors to the company and they get interest on their investment in the company.

Types of debentures

Secured debentures: secured debentures are backed by the assets security. They are like mortgage loan. For such debenture particular assets will be act as security.

Unsecured debenture: Unsecured debenture are not secured by any assets they are purchased based on companies credit worthiness and reputation.

Convertible debentures: Convertible debentures are the Debentures which allow to convert to Equity shar. Where debentures holder will become equity share holder.

Non Convertible debentures : Non Convertible debentures are the Debentures where it is not possible to convert it into equity share.

Redeemable debentures : in this types of debentures the time of repayment of loan is mentioned and when investor can get back his invested money is mentioned.

Irredeemable debentures : The debentures will not have time of repayment. These are long term debentures. These are repayable at the time of liquidation.