My another article is about education and academic news. Education is one of the most important pillar in the life of an individual. An educated person is respected everywhere. Every organization appoints such a person who can be an asset for the organization in the long time. Education is important for everyone and it’s the fundamental right of every child to access it.

Education – A major transformation has been taken place in the field of academics. The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) , which was approved by the Union Cabinet Of India in 29 July 2020, outlines the vision of India’s new education system. The new policy replaces the previous National Policy on Education, 1986. The policy is a comprehensive framework for elementary education to higher education as well as vocational training in both rural and urban India. The policy aims to transform India’s education system by 2040.

Vision – National Education Policy 2020 envisions an India – centric education system that contributes directly to transforming our nation sustainably into an equitable and knowledge society by providing high quality education to all. The National Education Policy 2020 has “emphasised” on the use of mother language or local language as the medium of instruction till Class 5 while, recommending it’s continuance till Class 8 beyond. Sanskrit and foreign languages will also be given emphasis. The policy recommends that all students will learn three languages in their school under the ‘formula ‘. At least two of the three languages should be native to India. It also states that now language will be imposed on the students.

Conclusion – The Policy focussed on all the levels of education and recommended prior changes that will be helpful to students in future. The basic idea is to generate competition and feeling of decision making since childhood. Every form of education (since childhood to Masters) is categorized and formed. Hope you will read more about it and clear your doubts.

Thank you for today!!!!!

So today we will talk and know about UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hampi is famous for its ruins belonging to erstwhile medieval Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar. The temples of Hampi, it’s monolithic sculptures and monuments, attract the traveler because of their excellent workmanship. The Hindu style of architecture found at Hampi reflects the splendor of the Vijayanagar Empire. The rugged landscape adds to the historic ambiance of this site.

Location – Hampi is situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in the eastern part of central Karnataka near the state border with Andhra Pradesh. It is 376 kilometers from Bengaluru, and 165 kilometers from Hubli, and 13 km from Hospet (Railway Station). It is located on top of the rugged terrain and is 467 m above sea level.

History – The first settlement in Hampi dates back to 1st Century AD and several Buddhist sites belonging to that time have been found nearby. Hampi was the capital of the mighty Vijayanagar Empire. Vijayanagar was one of the largest Hindu empires in India. Two brothers, Harihar and Bukka , founded it in 1336. Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529) was the greatest ruler and controlled almost all of peninsular India south of Tungabhadra River.

Town – The town of Hampi in the 14th century had a population of half a million people. Seven concentric lines of fortifications protected the city. It maintained a huge army to protect it from other kingdoms. Vijayanagar Empire flourished, as it controlled both cotton and spice trade routes of southern India. Medieval historians refer to Hampi as an important center of trade. However the glory was short – lived and the empire was destroyed in 1565.

Main attractions – Hampi is famous for Purandara Festival . This annual festival is held in January – February in the Vittal temple to celebrate the birth anniversary of the medieval poet – composer, Purandar. The best time to visit Hampi is from October to March. I hope by reading about Hampi you will like to visit this place once…!!!

Thank you… Keep reading…..

So today’s post is about you, about us. I mean about our personality , about our identity, our views , our behavior, etc. Personality development encompasses the dynamic construction and deconstruction of integrative characteristics that distinguish an individual in terms of interpersonal behavioral traits.

Indeed , personality development is ever -changing and subject to contextual factors and life altering experiences. Personality development is also dimensional in description and subjective in nature. The dominant viewpoint in personality psychology indicates that personality emerges early and continues to develop across one’s lifespan.

We all possess certain personality traits that set us apart from the rest. A mix of good and bad, these traits define how we respond to situations and people. Now I tell 13 personality development ‘tips’. I hope you will enjoy reading it and become the most terrific version of you.

13 ways of personality development :

• Know you are incomparable – Know that you and the other person are unique and are just incomparable
• Be kind to yourself – Self compassion brings positive traits in life.
• Give space to imperfections – Find your peace amidst the world’s flaws even as you strive to make a change.
• Be spontaneous – Spontaneity makes one to be fun around and be per cent aware in the present moment.
• Be light in mind and heart – Be happy and don’t overthink and overanalyze yourself.
• Stay enthusiastic – Enthusiasm is infectious and appealing so one must never give up enthusiasm.
• Be a better communicator – A skillful communicator can win over people and adverse situations through his words.
• Be warm and approachable – We all like people whom we can easily mingle and talk to. Be friendly and be ready to share and help.
• Do things with style – Doing things with style adds zing to your personality. At the same time, stay relaxed.
• Learn to let go – After you’re done with your task, let go of your attachment with the result.
• Be a lion in the face of danger – Don’t give into pressure and face every challenge confidently.
• Stay calm with the power of breath – Being calm strengthens one’s personality and your stress will diminish.
• Remember you’re a proton! – A proton never lose its positivity, nor can you. Your inner core continues to radiate positivity.

That’s all for today hope you will like it!! Thank you…

Ozone layer depletion

Ozone is a form of oxygen (O3). In the stratosphere (Ozonosphere),ozone blocks out the sun’s ultraviolet rays and is a life saver.

Ozone as a natural sun block

The electromagnetic radiation emitted from the sun includes ultraviolet radiation, which is potentially harmful to most living things since it can damage DNA. The ozone layer screen out the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. Even 1% reduction in the amount of ozone in the upper stratosphere causes a measurable increase in the ultraviolet radiation that reaches the earth surface. If there was a no ozone at all ,the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaches us would be catastrophically high. All living things would suffer radiation burns,unless they were underground, or in the sea.

In the stratosphere, small amount of ozone are constantly being made by the action of sunlight on oxygen. At the same time, ozone is being broken down by natural processes. The total amount of ozone usually stays constant because its formation and destruction occur at about the same rate. But unfortunately human activity has recently changed that natural balance. Some manufactured substances such as chloroflurocarbons and hydrochloroflurocarbons can destroy stratosphere ozone much faster than it is formed.

Ozone hole

Ozone loss was first detected in the stratosphere over the Antarctic. The part of the atmosphere where Ozone is most depleted is referred as ” Ozone hole” but it is not a real hole just a vast region of the upper atmosphere where there is less Ozone than elsewhere.

Ozone-poor air can spread out from the polar regions and move above others areas. In addition, direct Ozone less elsewhere is slowly increasing.

Ozone-poor air can spread out from the polar regions and move above other areas. In addition, direct Ozone depleted area is also slowly increasing.

Reason for Antarctic Ozone hole

Scientific observation prove that the ozone hole formed over Antarctic is due to compounds of chlorine and bromine formed in the atmosphere. Nearly all of the chlorine and half of the bromine in the stratosphere comes from the human activities. The chlorofluorocarbons released due to human activities get transported up into the upper stratosphere.

The most common ozone depleting substances (ODS) are chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) or freon gases,certain bromine compounds, nitrogen oxides and methyl bromide. These compounds are liberally released from air-conditioners,freezers,foam insulation, aerosol products, industrial solvents, fire extinguishers and pesticides.

Effects of ozone depletions

If the ozone is depleted more ultraviolet radiation (especially ultraviolet B (UVB) will reach the earth’s surface.

Effect on plants – will affect crop yield and forest productivity.

Effect on animals – will cause damage to fish larvae and other Small animals.

Effect on human health – results in non – melanoma skin cancer and melanoma ,acute erythemia(sun burn), ocular abnormalities, cataract,poor immune responses.

Preventing ozone depletion

1. CFC’s ( Chloro Fluoro Carbons) should be replaced by HCFC’s (Hydro Chloro Fluro Carbons). If over used could damage ozone, HFC’s ( Hydro Flouro Carbons), Hydrocarbons such as butane and propane ( but flammable and poisonous), Ammonia ( must be handled carefully), water and steam.

2. Production, use and emission of ozone-depleting chemicals should be controlled.

3. Recycling of these chemicals should be increased.

4. Servicing of refrigerators and air-conditioners should be regulated.

5. Refrigerants should be recaptured and used .

6. Adopt protection measures from sun’s radiation.

What is the Atmosphere?

The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that surrounds the planet. On Earth, the atmosphere helps make life possible. Besides providing us with something to breathe, it shields us from most of the harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation coming from the Sun, warms the surface of our planet by about 33° C (59° F) via the greenhouse effect, and largely prevents extreme differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures. The other planets in our solar system also have an atmosphere, but none of them have the same ratio of gases and layered structure as Earth’s atmosphere. 

Gases in Earth’s Atmosphere

Nitrogen and oxygen are by far the most common; dry air is composed of about 78% nitrogen  (N₂) and about 21% oxygen  (O₂). Argon, carbon dioxide (CO₂), and many other gases are also present in much lower amounts; each makes up less than 1% of the atmosphere’s mixture of gases. The atmosphere also includes water vapor. The amount of water vapor present varies a lot, but on average is around 1%. There are also many small particles – solids and liquids – “floating” in the atmosphere. These particles, which scientists call “aerosols”, include dust, spores and pollen, salt from sea spray, volcanic ash, smoke, and more.

Layers of Earth’s Atmosphere

The atmosphere grows thinner (less dense and lower in pressure) as one moves upward from Earth’s surface. It gradually gives way to the vacuum of outer space. There is no precise “top” of the atmosphere. Air becomes so thin at altitudes between 100 and 120 km (62-75 miles) up that for many purposes that range of heights can be considered the boundary between the atmosphere and space. However, there are very thin but measurable traces of atmospheric gases hundreds of kilometers/miles above Earth’s surface.

There are several different regions or layers in Earth’s atmosphere. Each has characteristic temperatures, pressures, and phenomena. We live in the troposphere, the lowest layer, where most clouds  are found and almost all weather occurs. Some jet aircraft fly in the next higher layer, the stratosphere, which contains the jet streams and the ozone layer. Temperatures reacj their lowest in the mesosphere, because the there are almost no air molecules there to absorb heat energy. The sky also changes from blue to black in the mesosphere, because there are so few molecules for light to refract off of there. And fartherst from the surface we have the thermosphere, which is the widest layer of the atmosphere and absorbs much of the harmful radiation that reaches Earth from th Sun. The exosphere represents the transition from Earth’s atmosphere to space. 

Troposphere

The troposphere  is the lowest layer of our atmosphere. Starting at ground level, it extends upward to about 10 km (6.2 miles or about 33,000 feet) above sea level. We humans live in the troposphere, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer. Most clouds appear here, mainly because 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere is found in the troposphere. Air pressure drops, and temperatures get colder, as you climb higher in the troposphere.

Stratosphere

The next layer up is called the stratosphere. The stratosphere extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground. The infamous ozone layer is found within the stratosphere. Ozone molecules in this layer absorb high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun, converting the UV energy into heat. Unlike the troposphere, the stratosphere actually gets warmer the higher you go! That trend of rising temperatures with altitude means that air in the stratosphere lacks the turbulence and updrafts of the troposphere beneath. Commercial passenger jets fly in the lower stratosphere, partly because this less-turbulent layer provides a smoother ride. The jet stream flows near the border between the troposphere and the stratosphere.

Mesosphere

Above the stratosphere is the mesosphere. It extends upward to a height of about 85 km (53 miles) above our planet. Most meteors burn up in the mesosphere. Unlike the stratosphere, temperatures once again grow colder as you rise up through the mesosphere. The coldest temperatures in Earth’s atmosphere, about -90° C (-130° F), are found near the top of this layer. The air in the mesosphere is far too thin to breathe; air pressure at the bottom of the layer is well below 1% of the pressure at sea level, and continues dropping as you go higher.

Thermosphere

The layer of very rare air above the mesosphere is called the thermosphere. High-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in the thermosphere, raising its temperature to hundreds or at times thousands of degrees. However, the air in this layer is so thin that it would feel freezing cold to us! In many ways, the thermosphere is more like outer space than a part of the atmosphere. Many satellites actually orbit Earth within the thermosphere! Variations in the amount of energy coming from the Sun exert a powerful influence on both the height of the top of this layer and the temperature within it. Because of this, the top of the thermosphere can be found anywhere between 500 and 1,000 km (311 to 621 miles) above the ground. Temperatures in the upper thermosphere can range from about 500° C (932° F) to 2,000° C (3,632° F) or higher. The aurora, the Northern Lights and Southern Lights, occur in the thermosphere.

Exosphere

Although some experts consider the thermosphere to be the uppermost layer of our atmosphere, others consider the exosphere  to be the actual “final frontier” of Earth’s gaseous envelope. As you might imagine, the “air” in the exosphere is very, very, very thin, making this layer even more space-like than the thermosphere. In fact, the air in the exosphere is constantly – though very gradually – “leaking” out of Earth’s atmosphere into outer space. There is no clear-cut upper boundary where the exosphere finally fades away into space. Different definitions place the top of the exosphere somewhere between 100,000 km (62,000 miles) and 190,000 km (120,000 miles) above the surface of Earth. The latter value is about halfway to the Moon!

Ionosphere

The ionosphere  is not a distinct layer like the others mentioned above. Instead, the ionosphere is a series of regions in parts of the mesosphere and thermosphere where high-energy radiation from the Sun has knocked electrons loose from their parent atoms and molecules. The electrically charged atoms and molecules that are formed in this way are called ions, giving the ionosphere its name and endowing this region with some special properties.

Planetary Atmospheres

Earth is not the only world with an atmosphere. All of the planets – and even a few moons – in our solar system have atmospheres. Some have clouds, wind, rain and powerful storms. Recently scientists have also begun to get glimpses of atmospheres of planets in other solar systems.

Each of the planets in our solar system has an uniquely structured atmosphere. The atmosphere of Mercury is extremely thin and is not very different from the vacuum of space. All four giant planets in our solar system – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune – have very thick, deep atmospheres. The smaller, rocky planets – Earth, Venus and Mars – have much thinner atmospheres hovering above their solid surfaces. The atmospheres on moons in our solar sytem are typically quite thin. Saturn’s moon Titan is an exception – air pressure at the surface of Titan is higher than on Earth! Of the five officially recognized dwarf planets, Pluto has a thin, seasonal atmosphere containing nitrogen, methane  and carbon monoxide, and Ceres may have an extremely thin atmosphere of water vapor. But only Earth’s atmosphere has the layered structure that allows enough light energy to enter and be trapped for warmth, but also shields us from too much harmful radiation. This important balance is necessary to maintain life on Earth. 

Another article is management related. One of the basic and core part is organizational behavior in an organization. Organizational behavior (known as OB) is the” study of human behavior ” in organizational settings, the interface between human behavior and the organization itself.

• OB research can be categorized in at least three ways. The following three ways are mentioned as under :-
• Individual in organization (MICRO LEVEL)
• Work groups (MESO LEVEL)
• How organizations behave (MACRO LEVEL)

Organizational Behavior is the academic study of how people act within groups. It’s principles are applied primarily in attempts to make businesses operate more effectively. The study of organizational behavior includes areas of research dedicated to improving job performance, increasing job satisfaction, promoting innovation and encouraging leadership.

The new frontiers of organization behaviour are the cultural components of organization, such as how race, class and gender roles affect group building and productivity. Organizational Behavior is the study of how people behave within groups. Early studies determined the importance of group dynamics in business productivity.

The study of organizational behavior gives insight on how employees behave and perform in the workplace. It helps us develop an understanding of the aspects that can motivate employees, increase their performance and help organization’s establish a strong and trusting relationship with their employees.

Thank you for today!!!

The topic for today’s article is scrap policy in India. Now the question is what is meant by scrap? The answer to this is – to remove an unwanted covering or a top layer from something. Scrap consists of recyclable materials left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials.

Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered metals and non-metallic ,especially are also recovered for recycling. And the much -awaited draft policy on vehicle scrapping is finally out.

The policy outlines the criteria for defining end -of-life vehicles and scrapping them. It also makes provision for scrapping facilities for safe disposal of waste and material recovery. This policy has only “advised” the state governments and the automobile industry to provide voluntary incentives to the owners of the vehicles.

This proposed policy seeks to phase out unit vehicles to reduce vehicular pollution, meet the climate commitments, improve road safety and fuel efficiency, formalise informal vehicle scrapping industry and recover low cost material for automotive, steel and electronics industry. The vehicle scrapping scheme is likely to usher in significant change and is expected to generate demands for new vehicles.

The policy says, commercial vehicles of more than 15 years and passenger vehicles of more than 20 years will have to be mandatorily scrapped if they don’t pass the fitness and emission tests. Vehicle owners who would voluntarily scrap their vehicles will get a rebate on road tax in the range of 15% to 25% and complete waiver of registration fees on the next vehicle purchase.

The government has envisaged investments worth Rs 10000 core for establishing vehicle fitness centers. Most likely scrapyards are to be established in the four zones and they will also supply scrap steel to automobile manufactures and other industries. The milestones set in the draft policy require the rules for fitness tests and scrapping to be in place by October 1, 2021. All government and PSU -owned vehicles older than 15 years will be scrapped by October 1, 2022. The same will be done for other vehicles by 2023 and 2024.

Hope you will like this information. Thank you!!

Starfish (or sea stars) are beautiful marine animals  found in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. All starfish resemble stars, and though the most common have only five arms, some of these animals can grow up to 40 arms. The amazing sea creatures—part of a group of animals known as echinoderms—travel using their tube feet. They can regenerate lost limbs and swallow large prey using their unusual stomachs.

Sea Stars Are Not Fish

Although sea stars live underwater and are commonly called “starfish,” they are not true fish. They do not have gills, scales, or fins like fish do.

Sea stars also move quite differently from fish. While fish propel themselves with their tails, sea stars have tiny tube feet to help them move along.

Because they are not classified as fish, scientists prefer to call starfish “sea stars.”

Sea Stars Are Echinoderms

Sea stars belong to the phylum Echinodermata. That means they are related to sand dollars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea lilies. Overall, this phylum contains approximately 7,000 species.

Many echinoderms exhibit radial symmetry, meaning their body parts are arranged around a central axis. Many sea stars have five-point radial symmetry because their body has five sections. This means that they do not have an obvious left and right half, only a top side and a bottom side. Echinoderms also usually have spines, which are less pronounced in sea stars than they are in other organisms such as sea urchins.

There Are Thousands of Sea Star Species

There are about 2,000 species of sea stars. Some live in the intertidal zone, while others live in the deep water of the ocean. While many species live in tropical areas, sea stars can also be found in cold areas—even the polar regions.

Not All Sea Stars Have Five Arms

While many people are most familiar with the five-armed species of sea stars, not all sea stars have just five arms. Some species have many more, such as the sun star, which can have up to 40 arms. 

Sea Stars Can Regenerate Arms

Amazingly, sea stars can regenerate lost arms, which is useful if a sea star is injured by a predator. It can lose an arm, escape, and grow a new arm later.

Sea stars house most of their vital organs in their arms. This means that some species can even regenerate an entirely new sea star from just one arm and a portion of the star’s central disc. This won’t happen too quickly, though; it takes about a year for an arm to grow back.

Sea Stars Are Protected by Armor

Depending on the species, a sea star’s skin may feel leathery or slightly prickly. Sea stars have a tough covering on their upper side, which is made up of plates of calcium carbonate with tiny spines on their surface.

A sea star’s spines are used for protection from predators, which include birds, fish, and sea otters. One very spiny sea star is the aptly named crown-of-thorns starfish.

Sea Stars Do Not Have Blood

Instead of blood, sea stars have a circulatory system made up primarily of seawater.

Seawater is pumped into the animal’s water vascular system through its sieve plate. This is a sort of trap door called a madreporite, often visible as a light-colored spot on the top of the starfish.

From the madreporite, seawater moves into the sea star’s tube feet, causing the arm to extend. Muscles within the tube feet are used to retract the limb.

Sea Stars Move Using Their Tube Feet

Sea stars move using hundreds of tube feet located on their underside. The tube feet are filled with seawater, which the sea star brings in through the madreporite on its top side.

Sea stars can move quicker than you might expect. If you get a chance, visit a tide pool  or aquarium and take a moment to watch a sea star moving around. It is one of the most amazing sights in the ocean.

Tube feet also help the sea star hold its prey, including clams and mussels.

Sea Stars Eat With Their Stomachs Inside-Out

Sea stars prey on bivalves like mussels and clams as well as small fish, snails, and barnacles. If you’ve ever tried to pry the shell of a clam or mussel open, you know how difficult it is. However, sea stars have a unique way of eating these creatures.

A sea star’s mouth is on its underside. When it catches its food, the sea star will wrap its arms around the animal’s shell and pull it open just slightly. Then it does something amazing: the sea star pushes its stomach through its mouth and into the bivalve’s shell. It then digests the animal and slides its stomach back into its own body.

This unique feeding mechanism allows the sea star to eat larger prey than it would otherwise be able to fit into its tiny mouth.

Sea Stars Have Eyes

Many people are surprised to learn that starfish have eyes. It’s true. The eyes are there—just not in the place you would expect.

Sea stars have an eye spot at the end of each arm. This means that a five-armed sea star has five eyes, while the 40-armed sun star has 40 eyes.

Each sea star eye is very simple and looks like a red spot. It doesn’t see much detail but it can sense light and dark, which is just enough for the environments the animals live in.

All True Starfish Are in the Class Asteroidea

Starfish belong to the animal class Asteroidea. These echinoderms all have several arms arranged around a central disk.

Asteroidea is the classification for “true stars.” These animals are in a separate class from brittle stars and basket stars, which have a more defined separation between their arms and their central disk.

Sea Stars Have Two Ways to Reproduce

Male and female sea stars are hard to tell apart because they look identical. While many animal species reproduce using only one method, sea stars are a little different.

Sea stars can reproduce sexually. They do this by releasing sperm and eggs (called gametes) into the water. The sperm fertilizes the gametes and produces swimming larvae, which eventually settle on the ocean floor, growing into adult sea stars.

Sea stars can also reproduce asexually through regeneration, which is what happens when the animals lose an arm.

So my another article is about a well known evil practice of society, dowry system. It the most common problem in every family whether it’s the poor, middle or rich class of the society. The marriage is considered as business and terms and conditions are mentioned. It sounds like a contract, the better the boy and family is, the higher is the price.

The history of dowry system is old. At the time of marriage of a daughter, the presents are given as dowry to her husband and family so that she can live happily there with all the luxuries and comforts. But unfortunately it has turned into an ugly and unfair practice.

One of the worst part of this practice is that if a girl brings less dowry she is harassed by her husband and in laws of the family. No one supports her at that time and the girl takes major steps which can risk her life. Most of the girls try to hide this from their parents so that they don’t get tense about the situation and handle everything alone. Parents are even pressurised to fulfill the demands from time to time.

The custom of dowry has crossed every barrier and has got it’s roots in the society. Although there are strict laws which have been made and imposed on the culprits too but people are not taking it as a lesson in their lives. Many ngo and women organization are also working for the enforcement of these laws strictly and encouraging the women to speak up.

We as the citizens, marching towards the new millennium, should also strive for the discontinuation of this evil practice. The boys should try to change the mindset of the families that marriage can’t be done as business and girls should try to make understand their parents that dowry is an unfair practice, not a tradition.

Hope this was helpful. Thank you all my readers!!

This article is about green revolution and the use of HYV seeds. The green revolution in India began in the mid 1960’s marking a transition from traditional agriculture in India and the introduction of high yielding varieties of seeds and the associated agricultural techniques . The need for introducing the Green Revolution in India arose due to a shortage of food-grains in India in part due to the legacy of colonial regime.

Need of green revolution – The government of India post – Independence wanted to make India self dependent on terms of food grain production and these efforts coincided with the development of high yielding varieties of seeds of wheat developed by Norman Borlaug and his associates in Mexico.

Food shortage – The situation in terms of fulfilling nutritional needs of Indians was worse before the green revolution in India. In the British colonial period the grain supply was dependent on British trade and high trade price led to affordability issues for Indian people in accessing food.

Impact of green revolution – The green revolution did effectively solve India’s problem of food grain shortage after it was introduced, it was a boon to India’s agricultural production. The green revolution in India started with great promise and made immense contributions in boosting agricultural productivity with HYV seeds, and the introduction of new methods of agriculture.

Endnote – There can be no guaranteed assurance that using high yielding seeds will increase yields exponentially, which also can be dependent on agricultural practices and environmental elements. A balance must also be found between traditional techniques and modern farming science as also with natural growth. Hope you will like it.

Thank you!!!!

• Honey bees have five eyes
• Bees have been producing honey for at least 150 million years
• A cave painting depicting an androgynous figure robbing honey out of the hive was found in the Cave of the Spider in Valencia, Spain. It is estimated to be 15,000 years old.
• Honey stored in air tight containers never spoils. Sealed honey vats found in King Tut’s tomb still contained edible honey, despite over 2,000 years beneath the sands.
• 80% of the pollination of the fruits, vegetables and seed crops in the U.S. is accomplished by honeybees.
• A queen is the largest bee in the hive. She can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day, twice her own body weight per day.
• Bees have to fly over 55,000 miles to make 1 lb. of honey.

• Worker honey bees are all females. Males do not know how to even feed themselves and their only reason for being in the hive is for reproducing with the queen. The males do not have a stinger and they are kicked out of the hive in the autumn, because there are no uses for them.
• Honey bees are very clean .They want their hive (which they made themselves, hexagon by hexagon) to be immaculately clean. If something dirties their hive, they will immediately get the offense out. The only honey bee in the hive that uses the bathroom inside the hive is the queen. She never leaves the hive, so her faithful workers get her mess right out. Bees will also make sure that when their time comes, they will die outside of the hive.
• There is only one queen per hive. The queen lives 2-3 years. The queen is made, rather than born. Worker bees will feed larvae royal jelly for a certain period of time. The royal jelly is secreted through the heads of the worker bees and is fed through their antennas to the larvae. The royal jelly has so many vitamins and nutrients it will allow for the larvae to become queens. Since there can only be one queen per hive, the potential queen bees will fight to the death until there is one queen remaining.

• Honey bees, like their name  implies, are the only insects to make honey. Bumblebees make a honey like substance, but it tastes nothing like the sweet honey we know and love. They also make this in very small quantities. Honey bees though make honey in surplus so bee keepers are able to take a certain amount without hurting the bees or depriving them of food.
• Honey bees never sleep! No wonder worker bees have such a short lifespan!
• Honey bees are the only insects that produce something that humans eat. It is also the only food that never goes bad! Its sugar content is too high and because it is naturally anti microbial, (Anti fungal, anti bacterial, anti everything nasty) which is why it’s also such an incredible healer.
• The honey bee colonies each have a distinct odor which allows for them to identify the members. Often times bee keepers will need to assimilate colonies. A way to do that would be to place bees from each colony into a paper bag together. The paper bag should have a divider so each colony stays in its own side. Being in the container together the smells will mix and they will not be able to recognize the other bees as enemies due to their familiar odor.
• The Queen bee lays up to 2,000 eggs per day! She can also select the gender of the larvae. Most larvae that will be produced will be female..

• To make one pound of honey it would take 556 workers and 2 million flowers. 50-100 flowers are pollinated during one collection trip. About one ounce of honey is all it takes to give the honey bee enough energy to fly around the world (although the farthest they usually fly away from their hive is six miles).
• Honey never spoils. No need to refrigerate it. It can be stored unopened, indefinitely, at room temperature in a dry cupboard.
• Due to the high level of fructose, honey is 25% sweeter than table sugar . . 
• Honey is created when bees mix plant nectar, a sweet substance secreted by flowers, with their own bee enzymes.
• To make honey, bees drop the collected nectar into the honeycomb and then evaporate it by fanning their wings.
• Honey has different flavors and colors, depending on the location and kinds of flowers the bees visit. Climatic conditions of the area also influence its flavor and color. NZ’s Rata honey is nearly white, Manuka honey is rich ginger-brown and Black Beech honeydew honey is dark brown.

• To keep their hives strong, beekeepers must place them in locations that will provide abundant nectar sources as well as water.
• In the days before biology and botany were understood, people thought it was a special kind of magic that turned flower nectar into honey.
• Honeybees are one of science’s great mysteries because they have remained unchanged for 20 million years, even though the world changed around them.
• The true honey bee was not known in New Zealand until 1839, when an English woman  Miss Bunby, introduced the European honey bee species we have today, Apis mellifera. The Americas didn’t have honey bees until they were introduced by Spanish, Dutch, and English settlers near the end of the 17th century.
• Did you know that bees have 4 wings?
• The honeybee’s wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.
• The queen bee is the busiest in the summer months, when the hive needs to be at its maximum strength. She will lay about 1,000 to 1,500 eggs per day, without sleeping.

• In the cold winter months, bees will leave the hive only to take a short cleansing flight. They are fastidious about the cleanliness of their hive.
• Honeybees do not die out over the winter, but reduce numbers by throwing out the old, the weak and drones. They feed on the honey they collected during the warmer months and patiently wait for spring by forming a tight cluster in their hive to keep the queen and themselves warm. They may forage on sunny days and collect nectar and some queens will lay, but less.
• It takes 35 pounds of honey to provide enough energy for a small colony of bees to survive the winter.
• Nurse bees work inside the hive. Their job is to make royal jelly, feed and clean the larvae, queen and drones.
• House bees clean away the dead, make wax and comb, heat/cool the hive, receive nectar and make honey, put it into the comb, sealing it with wax.
• A honeybee visits between 50 and 100 flowers during one collection flight from the hive.
• In order to produce 1 kg of honey, about 4 million flowers must be visited.

• A honey bee flies at about 24 km/h (15 mph).
• One bee colony can produce up to 150kg of honey per year.
• An average worker bee makes only about ½ to 1 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
• At the peak of the honey-gathering season, a strong, healthy hive will have a population of approximately 50,000 bees.
• It would take approximately 1 ounce of honey to fuel a bee’s flight around the world.
• Honey is the primary food source for the bee. The reason honeybees are so busy collecting nectar from flowers and blossoms is to make sufficient food stores for their colony over the winter months. The nectar is converted to honey by the honeybee and stored in the wax honeycomb.
• In New Zealand, we have almost 5000 beekeepers, most are hobbyists with less than 5 hives.
• Honey contains vitamins and antioxidants, but is fat free, cholesterol free and sodium free!

• Not a spinach lover? Eat honey – it has similar levels of heart-healthy antioxidants!
• One powerful antioxidant called “pinocembrin” is only found in honey and propolis.
• For years, opera singers have used honey to boost their energy and soothe their throats before performances.
• Honey has the ability to attract and absorb moisture, which makes it remarkably soothing for minor burns and helps to prevent scarring.
• Honey speeds the healing of open wounds and also combats infection.
• As recently as the First World War, honey was being mixed with cod liver oil to dress wounds on the battlefield.
• Modern science now acknowledges honey as an anti-microbial agent, which means it deters the growth of certain types of bacteria, yeast and moulds.
• Honey and beeswax form the basics of many skin creams, lipsticks, and hand lotions.

• Queen Anne of England, in the early 1700’s, invented a honey and olive oil preparation to keep her hair healthy and lustrous.
• According to Dr. Paul Gold, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, “people remember things much better after they’ve consumed glucose, a form of sugar found in honey.”
• Beeswax is made from tiny glands on the worker bee’s abdomen and melts at 62 -65 degrees C.
• Honey is nature’s energy booster! It provides a concentrated energy source that helps prevent fatigue and can boost athletic performance.
• Recent studies have proven that athletes who took some honey before and after competing recovered more quickly than those who did not.
• Honey supplies 2 stages of energy. The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost. The fructose is absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy.
• Honey is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water; and it’s the only food that contains “pinocembrin”, an antioxidant  associated with improved brain functioning.

“I would like to turn into a ladybug so that I can add to the beauty of nature.”

~Prachi Pandey

Ladybugs, or lady beetles, are insects in the beetle family. There are about 5,000 species of these tiny insects, and most of them are quite helpful. Although best known as a red insect with black spots, ladybugs come in a variety of colors, and some have stripes or no markings at all.

These little hard-shelled creatures are harmless to humans and helpful to gardeners. From their hidden wings to their talent for warding off predators, discover fascinating facts about the lovable ladybug.

1. Technically, They’re Lady Beetles, Not Ladybugs

These small insects are more accurately called lady beetles or ladybird beetles. Ladybug is the American name given to the Coccinellidae family of beetles. Bugs have needle-like mouthparts and a mostly liquid diet, while beetles have the ability to chew and enjoy munching on plants and insects.

Beetles also have hard wings, while bugs have softer wings or no wings at all. Beetles go through a complete metamorphosis, while bugs look about the same throughout their entire life cycle.

2. They Aren’t All Red With Black Spots

Though most people think of ladybugs as red with black spots, not all species of ladybugs look like that. There are about 5,000 species of ladybugs in the world, including 450 in North America. In addition to red, they can also be yellow, orange, brown, pink, or even all black. Their spots, which some ladybugs don’t have at all, can look more like stripes.

3. They Consume a Lot of Pests

Ladybugs earn their place as a desirable insect based on their preferred diet of plant-damaging insects, including aphids. Ladybugs lay hundreds of eggs in aphid colonies, and as soon as they hatch, the larvae immediately start feeding. An adult ladybug may eat as many as 5,000 aphids in its lifetime.

These beneficial insects also eat fruit flies, thrips, and mites. Different species of ladybugs have different food preferences. While many prey on garden pests, some, like the Mexican bean beetle and the squash beetle, feed on plants and are unwelcome pests themselves.

4. They Hibernate in Winter

Instead of heading south for the winter, ladybugs living in colder climates enter diapause, a type of insect hibernation. When the aphids begin to disappear, ladybugs realize that winter is coming and flock together to reproduce right before entering hibernation. During this period, which can last as long as nine months, they live on their fat reserves, which hold them until spring when insects become plentiful again.

5. Their Spots Serve as a Warning

The spots and bright colors on ladybugs are not for looks alone. They are meant to warn would-be attackers that this beetle tastes terrible. Beyond their warning colors, ladybugs have another line of defense: They emit foul-smelling blood from their leg joints when they’re startled. This yellow liquid is toxic to many ladybug predators such as birds and small mammals.

When all else fails, ladybugs are known to play dead, giving them a third defense mechanism in a world of eat or be eaten. They aren’t often preyed upon thanks to all of this protection, but some insect species — assassin bugs, stink bugs, and spiders — eat ladybugs.

6. Their Name Is Legendary

Legend has it that the “lady” in lady beetle dates back to the Middle Ages. The story is that farmers’ crops were being damaged by swarms of aphids. But after the farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help, the ladybugs arrived, ate all the aphids, and saved the day. The farmers were so grateful that from then on they referred to the insects as “Our Lady’s beetles.”

7. They May Eat Their Own Eggs

Female ladybugs lay as many as 1,000 tiny gold-colored eggs during a single season, but not all of the eggs make it to adulthood. While they prefer to lay their eggs on leaves covered with aphids, when prey is in short supply, the ladybugs may eat the eggs and larvae.

In fact, ladybugs plan ahead for supply shortages; when food is scarce, ladybugs lay infertile eggs to provide for their offspring.

8. They Have Hidden Wings

Much like butterflies, ladybugs go through four stages before they complete their metamorphosis. They begin as tiny eggs that hatch into larvae that resemble tiny spiny alligators. Then they begin the pupal stage, which lasts around two weeks. In their final phase, they become adult ladybugs and their hidden wings appear.

Adult ladybugs have a recognizable smooth dome shape, and their forewings are protected by an outer shell, or elytra. Underneath the outer shell is a pair of thin hind wings that unfold at a speed of 0.1 seconds and are significantly larger than the ladybug’s body.Once unfolded, ladybug wings move at a rate of 85 beats per second.

9. Ladybugs’ Numbers Are Declining

Researchers studying a decline in native ladybugs in the United States and Canada theorize that the population reduction may be due to the introduction of non-native species, climate change, land-use changes, disease, or shifts in the availability of prey. In an effort to track ladybug populations, entomologists at Cornell University created the lost Ladybug Project, a citizen-based effort to spot, photograph, and report on ladybugs across North America.

As the name suggests I think you can get a idea what are we talking about. In book we read only if ideas, thoughts and experiences of other person. The knowledge thus acquired is theoretical. In day to day life, we cannot be successful with mere theoretical knowledge. We must also know about the habits, manners and ways of living of other persons. We can learn about others by coming in contact with them. Travelling takes us from the field of bookish knowledge to the field of practical knowledge.

An individual who has never gone out of home has very narrow outlook. He feels his own way of living to be the best and perfect. He also fails to understand the effect of environment on the life of man but a well travelled man sees for himself the life of different people their culture, tradition and taste. He can easily understand the point of view of others. By travelling mental outlook is broadened.

There are various difficulties when anyone is away from home. Sometimes he doesn’t find a suitable place for his lodging or the food is not hygienic and not according to the taste preference. Language barrier is often a common problem. But these barriers make the person more resourcefulness, initiative taking and develops a positive approach towards them.

That education is good which make a man readily adjustable to changed circumstances. We cannot acquire this ability from books while travelling, we have to adjust ourselves to the new conditions in different difficulties which we meet, various new problems which arise in our way, make us really adjustable. This is the greatest advantage of travelling.

A traveller must keep his mind open on his tour. He must not imitate the fashions, manners habits of other people. He must adopt the things which are good. He must tell his experiences to others in a realistic way. Travelling can be useful for the young as well as for the old age, only if they keep their minds open and start exploring.

That’s all for today… Thank you keep reading, keep knowing…

I have read many books by different authors. But Shakespeare and John Bernard Shaw among English authors. Dinkar Nirala and Tagore are my favorite among Indian authors. Rabindranath Tagore is one of the greatest poets of the world. Let’s come to know something more about Rabindranth Tagore.

Rabindranath Tagore belongs to a very respectable family of Bengal. He was born on 7th May, 1861 at Jorsanko in Kolkata. His father’s name was Shri Devendranath Tagore. Rabindranath Tagore received elementary education at two schools of Kolkata. They were the oriental seminary and Calcutta Normal. Tagore sailed for England in 1871 for higher education. He joined the university of London. Tagore ‘s family life was very sad. He was married in 1888. But his wife died in 1902. His second daughter died in 1904. His father passed away in 1907. These sad events in life made Tagore more and more religious.

Rabindranath was a great writer. He was the editor of several magazines. Tagore ‘s “Gitanjali ” is one of the best books. Some English poets like W. B. Yeats and Stopford Brook praised Tagore ‘s Gitanjali. His poems combine the tender humanity with a deep religious touch. And the Nobel Prize was awarded to him by the Swedish Academy. Balka and Purabi are his great creations. One of his greatest poetical dramas is Chitrangada. He also wrote some beautiful short stories.

Rabindranath was a great lover of India. He raised his voice against the Britishers. He fought the war for freedom through his writings. Tagore was a great educationist also. He founded the Vishwabharti in 1901. He wanted to make India a home of culture and education. It has become the famous university of the world. But this great son of India died on 7th Aug, 1941. Tagore is my favorite author. He was a writer, educationist, social reformer and patriot – all combined in one.

Above all, was Rabindranath ‘s love for children. He used to lose himself in joy when he taught little children. He was indeed a Gurudev, a great teacher in this earth. To more than a generation of Indians he stands in the position of a great teacher who taught them to learn a beautiful language to the finer shades of poetic art. He opened up to us beauties of nature in a way which no one else did before.

Thank you for today….!!!

Today’s article is about books. We all know that man is social in nature and can’t live alone . A company is needed at times . He wants a friend who may share his joys and sorrows. But in the modern age man has grown selfish and tries to serve his own interests. At that time a traditional company can be beneficial. Yes they are books. Books are our best companion and we know that there are no complains and no demands from them…. Hahaha but apart from jokes book is proved to be our best friend.

Books take us into a different world of imagination. They give us plenty of joy and improve our standard of living. They tone up our intellectual taste they make our outlook broad. They encourage us at our worst times, doesn’t make us feel depressed and inspire us to work hard with hope and courage. Books enrich our experience and sharpen our intellect. They remove our ignorance and add to our knowledge.

It is important to differentiate between good and bad books as bad books ruin our intellect and may mislead or misguide and that will not be beneficial. We must try to read good and inspiring books that make our mind to think about that in our way. The book reading time must be fully utilised and must be understanding. A good book is our ‘ friend, philosopher and guide ‘.

I would also like to review a book that I have read. The book is well known to you ‘SITA – The Warrior of Mithila ‘by the author ‘Amish ‘. It changed the whole thinking about Sita and I must suggest that you should also read it once. She was not only a princess, a wife, a daughter in law but much more than that. She lived as a warrior in disguise. She was talented, calm, intelligent and a pious. A woman should consider her as her own ideal.

A well read man is loved by all. He is a store house of information and can give extraordinary facts what he has understand by reading several books. Books are of different kinds. A general reader likes to read books of general nature. They give us knowledge and pleasure.

Thank you and yes keep reading..!!!

“Which blooms once in a bluemoon like the kurinji flower but remains etched in memories forever to be sought for again and of course hard to pursue….”

~Shree abhy

Kurinji is a shrub that is also called Strobilantheskunthiana or neelakurinji. Found along the Western Ghats in the Shola forests in South India, the specialty of the flower is that it blooms in 12 years. The rare sightings of the flowers have been rigorously demonstrated in the years 1838, 1850, 1862, 1874, 1886, 1898, 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 and 2018 respectively.

To put things into perspective, the neelakurinji flowers were documented first in 1858 and since then, they have bloomed only for 15 times. The last time the flowers were bloomed in 2006, you witnessed Saddam Hussein being executed by the American Armed Forces, Italy won the football world cup and Pluto was declared a dwarf planet.

In India, there are 250 different types of kurinji flowers and 46 types of neelakurinji in India. The red and maroon kurinji flowers are also available but it is the blue, azure neelakurinji that is widely popular and most-coveted.

The flowers are purple-blue- showering the valley with the sublime purple haze when they bloom. A rarest of the rare sight, which happens once in a blue moon literally!  The blooming of kurinji flowers happens during September-October. People from all over the world come to Neelgiri Hills to see this rarest phenomenon unfolding in front of their eyes. The Neelgiri hills or the Blue Mountains get their name from the blue Kurinji flowers that cover the entire landscape during the period of 12 years.

KURINJI FLOWER HAD UNUSUAL BLOOMING CYCLES

In the world of flowers, such plants with unusual blooming cycles with long intervals are called plietesials. Besides, the blooming cycle, the plant shows other signature characteristics of being one such as gregarious flowering, supra-annual synchronized monocarpy and mast seeding. Mast seeding of Strobilanthes refers to the reproduction of the seeds once during their lifetime.  The synchronized monocarpy implies flowering once in a lifetime and dying after fruiting.

Similarly , strobilanthescuspidatus, other kurinji species, blooms once in every seven years and then subsequently, wilts and dies. The seeds take seven years to sprout, grow and bloom. Each species of kurinji flower takes different time to mature. Neelakurinji takes 12 years to grow and bloom gregariously.

The kurinji flower is a bright coloured, bell-shaped blue flower. In the local language, it is called Kunthiana, referring to the river Kunthi that flows through the Silent Valley National Park in Kerala.  Kurinji flowers grow in the lower expanse of the valley that has no dense tree forest.

The plant of kurinji is a bushy shrub with hairless reddish branches. The leaves are hairless and have a leathery texture. Elliptic in shape, the size of the leaves are 6 x 3 cm.

In the 19^th century, Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck first discovered and described the genus, Strobilanthes.The flowering periods of Strobilathes vary from one species to another, as explained in the journals like Indian Foresterand Journal of Bombay Natural History Society.

All species belonging to this genus have an unusual flowering patternranging from annual blooming cycle to the longest with 16-year! The flowers grow in the cluster of 2-5 and have woolly texture. The flowers are hairy and grow in a linear pattern. The lance-shaped petals are almost 2.5 cm long and are attached to the spikes 3-5 cm long.

The plant is usually 25 to 60 cm high and grows at an altitude of 1,300 to 2,200 metres.

KURINJI HONEY

The flowers are pollinated by honey bees. The honey collected by these bees is very sweet, nutritious and has high medicinal value.

Butterflies, eastern honeybees and insects love these nectar-filled blue flowers. The nectar collected by the honeybees is regarded to be superlative and healthier. This rarest honey can last for more than 15 years.  The indigenous tribe Paliyan harvests the honey from hives. The tribe calls it ‘liquid gold’ for its value. Unlike other brands of honey available in the market, it is transparent and a bit greenish-yellowish in colour. The taste is unique and so far, it hasn’t been artificially cultivated at all. Besides, the honey is only available when the flowers bloom once in 12 years. For now, you need to wait until 2030 to get some.

BLOOMING SEASON FOR NEELAKURINJI

Covering the 3,000 hectares of hills in blue-purple carpet and filling the air with intoxicating sweet fragrance, this is a phenomenon that only happens in India!

The most interesting fact about the blooming phenomena of kurinji is that scientists and botanists have failed to arrive at any conclusion that how these flowers manage to adhere to their blooming periods, which range from 3, 7, 12, 17 to even 36 years!

The plants begin flowering in the last phase of Monsoon. By the time rains vanish, the valleys are covered with neelakurinji flowers. India receives the last rains of monsoon season during September and October, so if you want to witness this beauty first-hand, this is when you should visit Munnar or any Southern hill station.

However, with the erratic climate situation, we are dealing with, the blooming of neelakurinji flowers too has been impacted. It is advised to check the monsoon schedule before you make any plans.

HABITAT OF KURINJI FLOWERS

Earlier, kurinji flowers used to envelope the entire landscape of Nilgiri Hills, Bababudangiri, Cardamom Hills, Palani Hills and Anamalai Hills. There were times when one could witness the splurge of purple shade throughout the Chandra Drona Hill Range in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka and Datta Peeta. With private real estate and plantations, their habitat has become limited in the area.  Apart from the Western Ghats, the magical growth of Kurinji flowers can be seen in the layout of Eastern Ghats namely Idukki district, Agali hills, Palakkad, Sanduru Hills in Bellary, Karnataka.

Ootacumend, the Queen of Hills or Ooty is home to 33 varieties of kurinji flowers and is popularly called Blue Mountain for kurinji flowers that cover the landscape.  Apart from Ooty, one can see the blue, bright flowers in their glory in Coonoor, Lamb’s Rock and Kothagiri. 

Thanks to these flowers and their unique blooming period, the sleepy town of Munnar, Kerala made it to the list of “Top Places to Visit in Asia in 2018” by the Lonely Planet.

THE WESTERN GHATS AND KURINJI FLOWERS

The Western Ghats wrap in an extraordinaire world of endemic fauna and flora. The alpine climate of plateaus and hills promote the growth and habitat of a wonderful ecosystem above 1,500 meters, known as the Shola. According to S.K. Seth and H.G. Champion, the sholas are the wet temperate stunted evergreen forest. The trees have crooked branches with an abundant supply of moss, lichens, orchids, epiphytes and pteridophyte, making the entire system hygroscopic- the phenomenon of attracting and absorbing water from the surrounding atmosphere. To avoid the high-velocity western monsoon winds, the shola trees have developed interlocking branches. The grasslands, where kurinji plants grow are open meadows and valleys-in the midst of misty hills.

Some botanists and experts refer to this ecological climate of the Himalayan range as “Islands in the Sky” because these habitats are divided by several low-lying inhabitable areas, making the grassland vegetation and fauna of the Southern Western Ghatare unique, highly evolved and nothing like other.

The Flora of British India enlists more than fully detailed species of Strobilanthes species in this region. Similarly, James Sykes Gamble, the noted botanist of the British era has also detailed 46 species in his book Flora of Madras Presidency.

SIGHTING OF NEELAKURINJI FLOWERS

Neelakurinji was sighted in the year 2006 after 12 years, in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Kurinji flowers of Strobilanthescuspidatus species were again witnessed in their full glory in the year 2016 in Udhagamandalam.

In Munnar, the last mega kurinji bloom was spotted in 2006. In 2017, the purple flowers were recorded in their full glory in Bellary, behind Kumaraswamy temple.

In 2006, the neelakurinji flowers were last bloomed in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The flowers were spotted after 12 years. To commemorate this rare sighting, the state government released a stamp and declared the year as the “Year of Kurinji.”

The flowers were seen again after exact 12 years in South India in the year 2018.

The next flowering season in Munnar will be in the year 2030.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE ABOUT NEELAKURINJI

Since Kurinji flowers have their home in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil literature is rich with their references and similes. In Tamil Nadu, Kurinji is the part and parcel of everyday life. A temple is dedicated to the flower deity called Kurinji AndavarTemple in Kodaikanal. Commonplace references to the deity and kurinji flowers can be found in Kurunthogai, the classic Sangam Age literature of Tamil Country. The blooming season of kurinji is celebrated with small-scale and big-scale festivities among locales, who believe it to be the enduring symbol of secret love and romance. For a tribal community in Munnar, the neelakurinji is the symbol of self-awakening of a woman.

The Tamil Country literature classified the land into five types, which were Kurinji (mountainous), Mullai (forested), Marutham (agricultural), Neithal (coastal) and Paalai (desert) – based on their geographical topography and the plants found in these ecosystems.

In a classic Tamil Literary piece, Kuruntokai- the flower is used indirectly for the poetic verse, Red Earth and Pouring Rain. In Clare Flynn’s novel, Kurinji Flowers, the flowers’ association with clandestine love affair is used as a backdrop to narrate a fictional account of a tragic romance in India of the 1940s.

WHY DOES NEELAKURINJI FLOWER BLOOM AFTER 12 YEARS?

It is called survival mechanism in botany. The longer pollination helps the plant to survive through the periodical blooming, natural calamity as well as protect it against the predators. The plant is a favourite of birds and mammals, rendering it vulnerable and at a great threat. In such a scenario, the annual pollination may not be a favourable condition for the plant and leave it more defenceless and weaker. The extended period of blooming is determined by the internal mechanism clock of the plant. The neelakurinji plants, much like bamboo plant, follow the records of daytime, variation in monsoon season and bloom accordingly. Until the kurinji plants are ready, they may or may not bloom at all.

On the recommendations of “Save Kurinji Campaign Council,” the Kerala cabinet has decided to increase the 3200 hectares and redraw the boundaries of the sanctuary. The cabinet also took decisions to appoint a settlement officer and conduct drone surveys on a regular basis. A decision was also taken on the Kerala Promotion of Tree Growth in Non-Forest Act 2005 to stop the encroachment of other plant species to steer clear of the ground for kurinji flowers.

Besides, the need to educate people is the must. Responsible tourism is still not a thing in India and because of this, the growth of kurinji flowers gets affected adversely. The influx of tourism affects the environment and natural habitat of the flowers. Be it at the micro-level, it changes the structure of soil and nutrients to a level that it alters the blooming pattern of flowers and affects their pollination cycle.

Around 3,500 people were allowed to visit the Eravikulam National Park in 2006. There were reports that they plucked the flowers and took them home- just for the thrills.  This impact of this encroachment of this will be seen later when the next round of blooming period will occur…or not.  The managing committee of National Park, Munnar Wildlife Division has provisioned a fine of Rs. 2,000 on damaging the plants under Section 22 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

According to the local people in Munnar, the climate of the hill station was cool and a balancing mix of mist and rain- favourable to the growth of neelakurinji flowers. However, it is not anymore. The climate is also rapidly changing and becoming unpredictable, making the flowering of neelakurinji flowers big guesswork.

” The bamboo that bends

is stronger than the oak that resists”

Bamboo – the giant grass

Bamboos popularity has risen in recent years fuelled by its myriad of practical uses and aesthetic features. Bamboo is the fastest growing and most versatile plant in the world with many nations depending on it for their livelihood. However, in western countries (particularly Australia), bamboo has been somewhat misunderstood and even seen as a pest due to the early introduction of so many running species.

There are about 1500 bamboo species in the world, however approximately half of these are monopodial (running or invasive) species. It is unfortunate that in the past, so many of these running species have made it into Australian gardens, as it is these species that has tarnished the reputation and acceptance of bamboo. However with the introduction of more and more sympodial (clumping or non-invasive) species to Australia, people are slowly learning that there is a huge variety of bamboos which are perfectly safe and that will not take over your garden. With bamboo species ranging in height from 3 meters to 30 meters and in a variety of colours and shapes, there is sure to be a bamboo to suit everyone and every application.

Bamboo is the world’s fastest producer of biomass and can be used for anything between production of paper or clothing, used as a building material such as flooring, bench tops, fences and screens, or even as a food source in the form of the edible shoots for your favourite curry or stir fry. In China, bamboo leaf extract has a long history of food and medicinal applications and its potential can only be speculated in a global market. Due to the large variety of bamboo and their remarkable ability to adapt, there is a bamboo suitable for every application.

Growing habits

Bamboo is in fact a type of grass – a very fast growing and giant grass. Bamboo grows in a short but strong growth spurt during summer and then remains near dormant over winter. During the ‘growth spurt’, a bamboo will start with new shoots from the ground which will grow to full height in two to three months. Due to some of the largest bamboo species being capable of reaching over 30 meters in height, during peak growth a bamboo shoot can grow up to 1 meter per day.

Planting a new bamboo is a very rewarding experience since each yearly generation of culms usually double in diameter and nearly double in height from that of the previous year. This continues until the plant reaches its full mature size. For smaller bamboos, this only takes 3 or 4 years while for larger bamboos, it may take 5 to 6 years. Nonetheless, a 30 meter plant in under 6 years is certainly something to boast about. After reaching its full potential, a bamboo will keep generating shoots of the same size year after year with the only possible causes for fluctuations being factors such as water, temperature, humidity, etc.

As a bamboo clump ages, it will slowly grow in size (diameter) as new shoots emerge on the outskirts of the clump. Some bamboos, even though clumping, will grow into large diameter clumps, while other varieties will stay in a very narrow clumps. This is why careful species selection is crucial when planning what bamboos to plant. You obviously wouldn’t want to plant a bamboo which has a tendency to form a clump 2 meters in diameter in your narrow garden bed along your driveway.

Bamboo terminology

Sympodial (Clumping): Sympodial or clumping bamboos are those that DO NOT spread and form tight clumps which only slowly expand in diameter each year.

Monopodial (Running): Monopodial or running bamboos are the dreaded bamboos that will not only take over your garden or property, but quite possibly also your neighbours. Bamboo groves of running bamboo can be very beautiful, but only in areas where space is not an issue or where they can be controlled.

Rhizome: These are the underground stems of a bamboo from which culms, roots and other rhizomes can grow.

Culm: This is the name given to the stems of a bamboo.

Shoot: This is the name given to a young culm as it emerges from the ground from the rhizome.

Node: Nodes are the diaphragms that separate the hollow bamboo culms into compartments. These are the visible ‘rings’ on the bamboo culms.

Internode: The hollow sections between the nodes. These vary in length from species to species.

Culm Sheath: This is the name give to the protective leaves which wrap around new shoots / young culms as they grow. They give the culms strength during the initial growth period until the culm matures and the timber hardens. Once this has happened (usually once the culm has reached its full height) the culm sheaths start falling off. Culm sheaths are also an excellent aid in identifying bamboo species – but that’s too much to go into detail here.

Bamboo for construction…a timber resource

In many developing countries, bamboo is traditionally considered as the poor man’s material. This is obviously due to the abundance of bamboo forests and the relative low level machinery and expertise required to obtain a usable building material in its natural form (ie. round poles). It is used for everything from house framing, flooring, thatch cladding for walls and ceiling, and even as shingles for the roof.

However, in many other countries where bamboo has not traditionally been used in the past, bamboo timber is starting to establish itself as a more exclusive building material into a niche upper-class market. The superior strength and durability of bamboo has earned its successful use as a timber for flooring and bench tops. These applications are utilising the more processed bamboo timber (ie. laminated strips of bamboo) but bamboo timber even in its natural form (round poles) are in high demand as people are wanting to use it more and more for construction of gazebos, fences, screens, etc.

The strength and hardness of bamboo timber is equivalent to hardwood timber whilst the cost is also comparable to hardwood timber. So why then should people be considering growing bamboo on a commercial level? The simple answer is that it has the potential to be a direct substitute for hardwood timber and thus reducing the pressure on natural hardwood forests.

Bamboo shoots for eating

Bamboo shoots is an important food source in many Asian countries with Thailand, China and Japan being the biggest consumers. Bamboo shoots are not yet part of traditional Western food, however most people have at some point eaten bamboo (perhaps without knowing it) as it is found in most curries and many other Asian dishes.

Currently, Australia imports vast quantities of bamboo shoots to supply restaurants and markets. Most of this however is in tins, despite fresh shoots being far superior and preferred among consumers. Very little of the bamboo shoots available in Australia is grown in Australia, leaving an obvious gap in the market ready to be filled by the entrepreneurial farmer. As bamboo produces new shoots in summer or autumn here in Australia, corresponding to Winter time in China and Japan, there is also an opportunity for export to these countries during their off-season.

Bamboo shoot production does not need to be on commercial scale, in fact it is also a great small crop for the common gardener – even on small suburban blocks. By choosing species which suit your garden (ie. ornamental or screening varieties) that also produce good shoots (or timber), you can combine a multitude of uses in the one clump of bamboo. A very versatile plant to have at your disposal.

Most bamboo species produce edible shoots – though some species produce naturally sweet shoots whilst others tend to be fairly bitter tasting. For clumping species which produce good edible shoots, please refer to the species descriptions in the Catalogue.

Enviromental Restoration

Bamboo is a pioneering plant in that it can be grown in full sun and tolerates high winds. This enables its use as a starting point in restoring cleared land which may have been damaged by overgrazing or poor farming. Because of the bamboos fast growth and dense foliage, it will quickly deposit a thick layer of leaf litter covering the ground, which will then start restoring degraded soils and re-establishing a cooler micro-climate.

Bamboo for erosion control, windbreaks and noise barriers

A bamboos root system grows into a dense ‘mat’ of fine roots which is shallow but wide spread. This means that its ability to hold soil together is excellent, even in areas where erosion caused by flowing water is a problem. It will hold soil together along fragile river banks, deforested areas, dam walls and spillways. There are no tap roots on bamboo plants, thus they are not going to cause any problems if planted on dam walls (like so many other trees will).

Many clumping bamboo species have very erect (straight) growth whilst still tight clumping and bushy. These species are ideal for use as windbreaks around orchards, sugar cane fields, etc. There are bamboos that will grow very uniformly to whatever height is desired. So whether it be a short hedge (so that crops aren’t shaded) or a tall barrier (to prevent storm damage from high winds), there is a bamboo to suit.

Waste water treatment

Bamboo has the capacity for very high nitrogen uptake. This makes it ideal for mitigation of waste water pollution and disposal of effluents. Waste water from manufacturing, livestock farming and sewerage treatment plants can be used to irrigate bamboo crops, thus converting the waste water into useful biomass.

It can also be used to treat water run-off from agricultural land. Most farming adds soil nutrients to waterways from pastures and cultivated fields. This water clouds and poisons clean water. Planted alongside rivers, creeks and ditches and holding dams, bamboo can catch these excess nutrients in the run-off water thus preventing harmful run-off from entering nearby streams.

Good heavens, my bamboo is flowering!!

You may not have heard that bamboo flowers, or if you have, then you may have been told that if this happens, then its all over for your bamboo and it’s going die. Though this does hold true for some bamboo species – it is not true for all.

The flowering of a bamboo is usually quite an extraordinary event – not because they produce spectacular flowers (quite dull actually) but for the simple reason that it very rarely happens. A bamboo can have one of 3 flowering patterns dependent of genera and species.

The first (and most impressive) pattern is that called gregarious flowering. Many of the big timber bamboos flower in this way. Each species has an inbuilt genetic time clock keeping track of its life cycle which may vary from anywhere between 20 to 120 years. Once a particular species reaches its life expectancy, it will start to flower which is then followed by the development of seeds. A bamboo flowering in this way spends an enormous amount of energy producing the flowers and seeds which usually stresses the plant to such an extent that it will actually die. This, of course, is all part of the bamboos genius plan. A particular species can flower (and die) all over the world at the same time. This happens because all plants originating from a particular source are clones of the mother plant (since bamboo is usually multiplied via cuttings or clump divisions). What this means is that the bamboo that you have just planted in your garden is not actually a young plant (unless grown from seed), rather it could be a 100 year old bamboo. This is the magical phenomenon that is.

Another type of flowering pattern that some bamboo varieties undergo is sporadic flowering. As the name suggests, there is very little pattern to this type of flowering and it seems that it is brought on my environmental factors (such as drought or cold) rather than genetics. Flowering is usually not wide spread but can happen to either singular plants or all of the same species within a localized area. Sporadic flowering rarely results in the production of viable seeds but on the upside, the plants very rarely die after the event.

The third and last flowering cycle is annual flowering. A select few bamboos (usually only some of the Schizostachyums) undergo this type of flowering. A particular species may keep flowering year after year without any effect on the plant itself. Viable seeds are a rarity with this type of flowering but not impossible.

So time to value our natural resources. Today we will know about the Mountains and Rivers of India. Great poets have sung songs in the praise of mountains and rivers of India. They are a boon for us. The rivers and mountains are source of great pride and joy for every Indian. India is blessed with the natural beauty as a whole which makes it different from other countries.

If we look at the map of the country, we find long ranges of mountains in the North. They are the Himalayas .They remain covered with snow throughout the year. They have some of the highest peak of the world. In Central India also we find big mountains. They are the Vindhyanchal and Satpura range. They separate Southern and Northern India. Besides these, Araveli and Nilgiri Hills are slow famous.

Mountains are useful from various points of view. First the high Himalayas are called “The Sentry of India ” they are so high that go enemy could invade India by crossing them. So they are like a natural wall which separates India from Tibet. Sharpa Tenzing an Indian citizen was the first to conquer the highest mountain peak of the world MOUNT EVEREST. He made history and so did Bichendri Pal the first woman to conquer this peak.

Like mountain and their ranges, our rivers are also world famous and well known. In the North, we have the Ganga (Ganges), the Yamuna, the Brahmaputra and their numerous tributaries, the Ganga is regarded as sacred by the Hindus and thus called Ganga Maa. South has famous rivers like Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada. Many of our big cities are situated on the banks of these rivers. Varanasi, Haridwar and Allahabad are important pilgrimage sites.

Rivers and mountains are real wealth of the country. Thanks to them. We are sure to make great progress in the near future. These natural resources should be fully utilised according to the necessary needs and try to save them. Hope you will like reading it.

Thank you!!

So I think you must have the name by the title…. Yes you are absolutely right none other than Ur. A.P.J Abdul Kalam. Dr. Avul Pakir Jainul Abideen Abdul Kayam, the missile magician who became the President of India (2002-2007). His name is synonymous with India’s technological development in satellite launch vehicles missile, main battle tank and light combat aircraft.

He was born on 15th October, 1931 in Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. He graduated from St. Joseph in Trichy and later specialized in aero – engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology . His only stunt abroad was a four month visit to NASA in the United States. In 1958 , he joined the Defence Research Organization (DRDO) and five years later he joined the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Dr. Kalam left the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in 1982 and joined the Research and Development Establishment Hyderabad as Director. It was here he conceived Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme and laid a solid foundation for indigenous design development of critical technology projects. In 1986 the Guided Missile Board took the decision to take up Missile Technology Control Regime from there on the short range anti tank Nag, surface to air Trishul and Akash 250 km, range Prithvi and Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRDM) Agni came into existence.

Over the 15 years the Kalam team has delivered five missile to the nation of gradually improved efficiency and this was primarily due to the kind of leadership and vision that, Kalam provided. The nuclear test conducted on May 11 and 13, 1998 by the joint efforts of DRDO team led by Dr. Abdul Kalam and the atomic energy team had made India the 6th nuclear in the world.

He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, highest civilian award of the country in 1997. He was a man of victory who was at peace with himself. He never changed himself. His simplicity, politeness, humility and thoughtfulness is still remembered and alive among us. On 27 July, 2015 while delivering a lecture at Indian Institute of management, Shillong he was collapsed and then died of sudden cardiac arrest. Dr. Kalam was basically a man of peace.

” If you truly love

nature, you will find

beauty everywhere “

Custard apple, also known as “sitaphal” in Hindi, is a delicious fruit that is popular for its creamy, sweet flesh. This soft and creamy fruit has a hard rind and is full of nutrients. The fruit contains antioxidants and is high in nutrients like magnesium and potassium, offering a plethora of health benefits. In this post, we have outlined some of the most amazing health benefits of custard apple along with its nutritional value, and an easy recipe to go with. 

Nutrition Value of Custard Apple 

Custard apples are a rich source of nutrients and minerals required by the body. Let’s take a look at the table below to understand the nutritional values of the fruit. 

A fresh, 100-gram custard apple contains:

• Calories – 94
• Proteins – 2.1 gms
• Dietary Fiber – 4.4 gms    
• Total Fat – 0.0 gms
• Carbohydrates – 23.6 gms    

With that in mind, let’s discuss the potential health benefits of consuming custard apples. 

Health Benefits of Custard Apple 

There are several advantages to eating custard apples. Various research and studies have proven the potential health benefits of custard apples. Listed below are some of the known health benefits of consuming custard apples. 

1. Better cardiovascular health 

Custard apple is one of the few fruits that contain a well-balanced ratio of potassium and sodium that helps in regulating and controlling blood pressure  fluctuations in the body. The high magnesium content in custard apple relaxes the smooth heart muscles, thus preventing stroke and heart attack. Moreover, fiber and niacin in the fruit help in lowering bad cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol in the body. Most importantly it helps in preventing the absorption of cholesterol in the gut and averts the free radicals from affecting lipid.

2. Helps fight fatigue 

Fatigue can result from a number of factors, including daily lifestyle as well as diseases. A 100-gram serving of custard apple contains 101 kilo calories (Kcal), which is roughly around 5% of the recommended dietary allowance. The fruit will keep you going with your day to day activities without any hassle.

3. Boosts eyesight 

Custard apple is a rich source of vitamin C and riboflavin, two most essential nutrients that are responsible for keeping the eyes healthy. They also help in fighting free radicals from damaging the cells. As we age, weak eyesight is a common problem. In this day and age where we are glued to the screens of our phone, TV, tablets, and laptops, it is important to take good care of your eyes. The essential nutrients in custard apple prevent your eyes from drying out allowing them to function properly.   

4. Boasts natural anti-cancerous properties 

Custard apples are rich in flavonoids which are helpful in treating numerous types of tumors and cancers. The fruit also contains elements like alkaloids and acetogenin that are known to reduce the risk of renal failure and cancer. The antioxidant properties of custard apple act against cancer-causing cells, without affecting the healthy cells. Bullatacin and asimicin are two antioxidant compounds that have anti-helminths and anti-cancer properties. They help in counteracting the effects of free radicals, thus avoiding cancer. 

5. Lowers the risk of arthritis 

Custard apples are a rich source of magnesium. When consumed, magnesium helps in equalizing the water balance in the body, therefore eradicating acids from the joints. This ultimately helps in reducing the symptoms of arthritis  and rheumatism. According to experts, regular consumption of the fruit also helps in fighting muscle weakness. Custard apples also contain calcium which is essential for bone health. 

6. Custard apple for better brain health 

Custard apples contain B complex vitamins in abundance. B complex vitamins are known for controlling your brain’s GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) neuron chemical levels. This is what influences different emotions, including depression, irritability, tension, and stress. The B complex vitamins help the brain to calm down, especially when you are stressed about something or are depressed. According to experts, it is a great food to have to protect against Parkinson’s disease. 100 gms of custard apple contains 0.6 gms of Vitamin B6 which is 15-20% of the daily recommended value.  

7. Remedy for inflammatory diseases 

Custard apple is a highly recommended fruit for people suffering from inflammatory diseases like gout and rheumatoid arthritis. The antioxidants present in the fruit can help curb pain related to auto-inflammatory diseases and conditions. Not only the fruit, but the leaves of custard apple have also been known to possess anti-inflammatory properties. 

8. Keeps skin youthful and delays aging 

Eating custard apple has shown to stimulate and increase collagen production in the body. Collagen is a protein that gives the skin its elasticity, plumpness, and smoothness. As we age, collagen production becomes slow. This results in the formation of crease lines on the skin, sagginess of the skin, and wrinkly skin. Consuming custard apple thickens and stimulates the production of collagen, therefore reducing the fine lines and wrinkles. The compounds present in custard apple slow down the breakdown of collagen, improving the elasticity of the skin and keeping the skin hydrated. The presence of antioxidants in the fruit ensures that signs like blemishes and age spots are delayed. Last but not least, it is essential for the regeneration of the skin cells, which keeps the skin look youthful all the time.        

9. Prevents anemia 

Anemia occurs due to a disorder within the body. It leads to the body having less than regular amounts of hemoglobin or red blood cells in the body. The red blood cells use hemoglobin for transporting oxygen all around the body, allowing the body to perform numerous functions. Lower amounts of red blood cells or hemoglobin result in the blood lacking an adequate amount of oxygen. This makes the lungs and the heart work harder to produce more oxygen. Custard apple is known as a haematinic as well as an expectorant, which helps in dealing with conditions like anemia.  

Best Ways to Consume Custard Apple 

While custard apple is better served raw and fresh, it can be used as seasonings or dressings. You can mix the white creamy pulp with other fruits in salads or can use the pulp as a topping for your ice cream.

Custard apples are not only delicious but also boast several health benefits. From lowering the risks of arthritis to fighting cancer-causing cells, preventing inflammation, boosting brain health, and more. Custard apple is among the top foods that can help you lead a healthy life. It is filled with mineral, nutrients, and vitamins in the right amounts that make up for your daily recommended intake. You can have it raw or as dressing for salad and shakes.

” Happiness is

Getting

Custard Apple to eat”

~ Helen

“Body shaming” this word has broken many hearts out there. Body shaming is something disguise and disheartening one can ever feel in his her life. It is something which eats your out completely, it makes the person insecure, uncomfortable, not confident in their own skin or body, less motivated and every thing that can make a person to doubt on his/her body and to hate the body.

Body shaming is an act of mocking or criticizing one’s physical appearance. The culture of body-shaming is generation old and an ongoing social practice irrespective of social status, education, creed, etc. The reach of body shaming is wide and is not restrictive to only the shape of the body, it includes looks, the colour of the skin, height shaming, one’s muscularity or absence of masculinity, the list goes on and on. These clichés still dominate India’s mindset. This is a big part of our school and college life, and it will never mellow down however we educate ourselves. It is very common in family functions, in schools, the workplace, among close friend circles, relatives, and social media. This practice diminishes the love for our own body, love towards self and we struggle to be socially acceptable. Society has set artificial standards of beauty. It hampers one’s psychology of looking at self. Body shaming is not limited to only females, but males also do go through this trauma of body shaming. But it is more stressful for females in India since our society is patriarchal. Media plays a very notorious part in spreading this disease. We all are social media addicts, the way advertisements preach about looking perfect, has the power to affect someone’s mental health. The most recent and biggest example of media playing a key role in this aspect is the replacement of the word “Fair” to “Glow” and renaming it as “glow and lovely”. All these years they have promoted the concept that fair is beautiful. Body shaming carried on frequently affects the person’s mental health badly, it can cause depression, anxiety, lack of confidence, and social isolation. A person may suffer from panic attacks or depression disorders. Body shaming can lead to eating disorders. Body shaming is the act of suggesting that someone’s body isn’t good enough, and that they should not be satisfied or comfortable with its current composition, proportions, or exposure to the gaze of others. It is rude and disrespectful behavior, and there is no body type that creates an exception that would make body shaming less rude or less disrespectful (even if that body is, in fact, unheathy). A person’s body is their own. It is none of your business. You are not their medical practitioner, and you are neither assisting nor improving the lives of anyone by boorishly sharing your opinions and “helpful” intentions. There is no person on the planet that is not keenly aware of the ways in which their body does not meet the current standard. There is not one person who needs you to point it out.

Please choose kindness. Choose empathy. See the beauty in every body, and choose to spend your time bringing people and ideas together. We each have a staggering array of our own flaws on which to focus — let us not mock others for the state of their earthly form.

The word ‘reservation’ can be defined as an act of reserving or keeping back or holding something. It is a kind of process to provide facilities to the people belonging to the weaker sections of the societies in the areas of education, scholarship, jobs, and government service and in other spheres in which they are not being represented properly. The reservation system is under the control of constitutional laws, statutory codes, local rules and regulations.In India, this system is also known as ‘Quota System’, meant for the people attached to the reserved category. Reservation is a form of Affirmative Action a certain percentage of seats are reserved in Parliament, State Legislative Assembly, Central and State Services, Public Sector Units and in all Public and Private Educational Institutions except in the Minority and Religious Educational Institutions for the reserved categories. The Constitution of India provides three types of reservations i.e. Political, Educational and Employment and the percentage for the reservation of these has been fixed by them.

In India, the reservation is being provided by the Government on the following basis: (1) Caste (2)Religion (3) Domicile and (4) Gender (5)Economic Condition

India is one of the few countries of the world that offers job and educational reservations to the minor and backward communities of the country, so as to uplift them. This technique has received worldwide praise and generally positive views. However, this system has its own merits and demerits to offer. Firstly, our country is a developing one, and as a result, the people often tend to narrow-minded. Age-old traditions of not letting women be educated or work, and beliefs that originated from the infamous Varna system, still prevail. Therefore, strenuous and money-consuming efforts by the government often do not befit the minor citizens.

Disadvantages of Reservation System.

1. It divides our country on the basis of caste, religion and gender and hence threatens our national unity. People often see benefits according to their caste, religion and gender and hence for the sake of benefits people often end up having disagreements and fights with each other. Being a secular country, this kind of behaviour can break our unity and the the respect for the nation. It totally divides our country and threatens the national unity, which always have its own consequences that can tear up the unity and the prosperity of the nation.

2.For the benefits, many people make their fake certificates of being an OBC, ST or SC. Which not only disrespects the castes but also it makes the system dirty and unfaithful. This is something terrible that can be done for the sake of advantages and benefits. Making fake certificates is something very disheartening to the respective castes and a kind of disrespecting their own religion and caste. This breaks the unity among the citizens and hence become the reason of discrimination among the citizens.

3. The attempt of goverment is that all the people in our country live without any discrimination on any basis, but reservation will not let that happen. It creates the feeling of superiority and inferiority among different class of people. Since SC, ST and OBC have their own respective advantages and benefits but on the other hand the general category always suffers. General category has become now the most inferior category as compared to all the categories. Being from a general category and still getting admission is a very extreme accomplishment that an adult can praise for the rest of his/her lives.

4.Beneficiaries of reservation are largely from dominant class in backward castes.Marginalised section still remains marginalised. The real benefits and advantages usually got prevailed only by the dominant classes in the backward castes and on the other hand the lower section of people remains the same. This shows how much the discrimination is their in every part of the castes and society and how only the extreme weaker section people always suffers.

For some of you, journaling may seems something old fashioned, or something that the people of 1960 may had done. Even a lot of us might have had a habit of putting down their thoughts, feelings in a dairy, but then eventually when we grew up we stopped writing. But now again, journaling is making a huge comeback. It’s filling Pinterest boards and also making headlines. You can even see on the explore feed on Instagram, about how journaling is now getting popular again. Many people have made their journal accounts on Instagram in order share their thoughts, and how aesthetically they decorate that diary page with lots of stickers, aesthetic tapes, stamps, flowers, leaves, novel pages and what not! Seeing such beautiful and aesthetic pages can make you fall in love with the idea of journaling even more.. back then in 1900s people were soo into journaling, they had a habit of doing it so. Even most of the mysteries or some real facts were discovered only through the journal books that were written by the people back then, the facts which we study in our books or the theories, the history everything that we read today was deciphered in the light brown pages of the dairies back then. Journaling affects you mentally & physically, writing down important events of life, your personal feelings, your experiences, the lessons you’ve learned leaves a permanent impact on your mind and on your personality. The experiences that you’ve faced in your life , and what you’ve learned from them makes you even stronger and stronger with more and more experience ahead. Journaling and writing notes soothes you, it takes all the heaviness your heart has, it gives you a shoulder to lean and cry on to the extent by writing only half of the problems always disappear.

1. Journaling helps your injuries to heal faster.

Journaling helps older adults heal faster after a medically necessary biopsy, researchers in New Zealand have shown. Researchers noted that writing about stressful events helped patients make sense of tragedy and reduced their distress. Long-term upset can increase your body’s level of stress hormones like cortisol, which weakens your immune system. So writing about distressing experiences lowers your cortisol levels and allows you to heal quicker.

3. Journaling reduces your stress and Anxiety.

Journaling lets you work through your anxious feelings and obsessive worries before you descent into rumination and stress. When you ask yourself how likely the worst-case scenario is, you gain a more realistic perspective on life. Getting your thoughts down on paper helps you identify stress-inducing thoughts and beliefs that are distortions of reality. You begin to notice when you’re in a bad mood or when you overgeneralize with words like “always” or “never” to describe your experiences.

3. Journaling helps you learn from your experiences.

When you journal and reflect on the day, you’re more likely to draw lessons from what you’ve gone through. And in this digital age when you’re consuming massive news and information, journaling lets you step back and actively engage with ideas you’ve encountered. It connects you with complicated concepts when you’re able to phrase them in your own words.

4. Benefits of journaling for students

The practice of writing can enhance the brain’s intake, processing, retaining, and retrieving of information. Through writing, students can increase their understanding of complex material, overcome their insecurities, unfamiliar concepts and subject-specific vocabulary. Vocabulary can definitely be improved by writing daily. Vocabulary is something that should always be up to mark and through journaling through writing you can use different words, and can also get to know about more and more words daily.

5. Journaling improves your communication skills.

When you journal, you learn to better express yourself. And this lets you better communicate your feelings with others. The more self-aware you become, the more you can make yourself understood to others. Writing leads to clear thinking – which in turn leads to clear communication. Journaling can also benefit you in relationships and marriage, where so many problems come from misunderstandings. Journaling is used in classrooms to help students learn to better express themselves. Writing increases self-efficacy and promotes a healthy sense of control over one’s life, which is vital for child and adolescent development. Journaling is an incredible tool for people of all ages to learn to label their thoughts and emotions, which in turn makes it easier to communicate with others.

6. Journaling improves your memory too.

It’s proven that students who take notes during lectures retain information better. Just writing something down improves your ability to remember it. Journaling is also a great way to remember specific moments in time and phases of your life. When you write by hand, it stimulates a collection of cells called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). Your mind then puts whatever you’re focusing on at the forefront and processes it at a deeper level. The physical act of writing brings information centerstage and lets your brain know it should pay close attention. When you’re writing, you’re letting your brain know your words are important.

7. Journaling boosts your creativity.

Journaling lets you explore uncharted thoughts and emotions. Writing about your recurrent thoughts gets them out of the way and clears your mind to make room for other ideas. Writing on paper also lets you examine your ideas from various perspectives. Journaling helps you keep track of your ideas, inspirations, quotes and sketches. They may be just scribbles when they stand alone, but they add up to powerful insights over time. A journal is a safe space for honesty that will free you from thinking about what you should be writing. It also frees you from endlessly comparing yourself to others. Writing puts you into your own lane and boost your self-esteem. It makes you less likely to worry about pleasing others. Journaling is also great for brainstorming, dreaming out loud and just letting your mind wander. Journaling can also be used to record your ideas and take notes on inspirations. These notes give you content to inspire your own work.