Many of us wonder what the Army does in peacetime when there is no war on. Some people believe that they live a life of luxury, drink a lot and generally waste their time in playing golf or card games or hunting. This is far from the truth. As you know our army is deployed all along the Himalayan borders with China, and along the LoC in J&K. Most of these borders are inhospitable, uncongenial in climate, lacking in normal facilities. Even drinking water is not available in some areas. 

The army formations not deployed on the borders have been busy combating insurgencies in J&K and the Northeast. It is evident that only a small portion of the army gets a chance to stay in a peacetime cantonment, that too for short periods.

This chapter deals with army activities in fields and peace areas, to enable the reader to fully visualize the lifestyle of our solider and officers and their daily activities in peace and field stations.

Life in a Peacetime Location

A military station is called a Cantonment. Here a number of units are billeted in peacetime. A cantonment is a separate township under a cantonment board which is like a town committee or municipal board. It has some elected civilian members and others nominated by the station HQ. The cantonment board runs all the civic services like a municipal board. Most cantonments have normal bazaars and civil population like any small town or locality. The rules and regulations in a cantonment are however strictly enforced. Therefore, you generally find good roads and greater cleanliness in a cantonment as compared to other civil localities. A number of units are located in a cantonment depending upon the availability of accommodation. These units are generally grouped under a brigade or a sub-area (Static HQ). The station HQ is responsible for general administration, allotment of houses and barracks along with allied facilities.A unit, i.e. a battalion or a regiment, stays together in what is known as unit lines. These lines generally have a group of living barracks for troops, playground, armoury for weapons and unit office buildings. The JCOs’ and NCOs’ clubs and Jawans’ langars (community dining rooms) are also located here along with the unit canteen, recreation room, unit clothing stores, transport park and light vehicle repair sections etc. Barbers, washermen and safaiwalas (sweepers), carpenters, blacksmiths etc. posted to a unit also stay here. The family lines of a unit are located nearby where jawans can stay with their families for limited periods. The officers’ messes and living quarters are located slightly away from the unit lines. Married officers live in small bungalows allotted to them in the cantonment area. Bachelors are allotted single rooms near the officers’ messes.

There is no restriction in going in and out of a cantonment area for civilians but they cannot enter a unit line without prior permission from the authorities.

A Normal Working Day

In a peacetime cantonment the normal day of a jawan starts before sunrise. Once the Reveille bugle is sounded, jawans ‘fall in’ (assemble in rank and file) in sports kit. By now every jawan has shaved and washed and is ready for physical training (PT). His platoon commander –a JCO, normally inspects him to make sure that he is properly shaved and well turned out. He inspects his dress to ensure that it is clean and well ironed. Now the jawans are moved ‘on the double’ (running) or marched off briskly to the unit parade or PT ground. In this assembly the whole unit is together. Here the JCOs and then the officers join the parade. The PT, which is the first parade, involves vigorous exercise and running. After the PT, every one disperses for breakfast and assembles for various other training, parades or tasks after an hour’s break. Weapons training, firing, driving training and education classes, as applicable, are carried out till about 12’o clock. At this hour jawans are marched off to clean their weapons and return the weapons and equipment. After this, jawans proceed to the langars for lunch. Officers and JCOs now go to attend the office or administrative work as required.

 

India is a diverse country, a fact that is visibly prominent in its people, culture and climate. From the eternal snows of the Himalayas to the cultivated peninsula of far South, from the deserts of the West to the humid deltas of the East, from the dry heat and cold of the Central Plateau to the cool forest foothills, Indian lifestyles clearly glorify the geography. The food, clothing and habits of an Indian differ in accordance to the place of origin.

The Indian culture varies like its vast geography. People speak in different languages, dress differently, follow different religions, eat different food but are of the same temperament. So whether it is a joyous occasion or a moment of grief, people participate whole-heartedly, feeling the happiness or pain. A festival or a celebration is never constrained to a family or a home. The whole community or neighbourhood is involved in bringing liveliness to an occasion. Likewise, an Indian wedding is a celebration of union, not only of the bride and groom, but also of two families, maybe cultures or religion too! Similarly, in times of sorrow, neighbours and friends play an important part in easing out the grief.

The global image of India is that of an upcoming and progressive nation. True, India has leaped many boundaries in all sectors- commerce, technology and development etc in the recent past, yet she has not neglected her other creative genius. Wondering what it is? Well, it the alternative science that has been continuously practiced in India since times immemorial. Ayurveda, is a distinct form of medicine made purely of herbs and natural weeds, that can cure any ailment of the world. Ayurveda has also been mentioned in the Ancient Indian epics like Ramayana. Even today, when the western concept of medicine has reached its zenith, there are people looking for alternative methods of treatment for its multifarious qualities.

With increasing complexities in one’s lives these days, people are perpetually looking for a medium through which they get some peace of mind. This is where another science, that of meditation and spirituality comes into the scene. Meditation and Yoga are synonymous with India and Indian spirituality. Meditation is one of the most important components of Yoga, which is a mind-body therapy involving a series of exercises. The word ‘meditation’ covers many disparate practices from visualizing situations, focusing on objects or images, thinking through a complex idea, or even getting lost in a provocative book, all qualifying as meditation in the broad sense. However in Yoga, meditation generally refers to the more formal practice of focusing the mind and observing oneself in the moment. Many people from India and abroad are resorting to yoga and meditation to de-stress and rejuvenate their mind.

Another widely followed phenomena in India is the Doctrine of Karma that preaches that every person should behave justly as every act or deed comes back in full circle in one of the births of an individual.

A very important aspect of India in the recent past is the emergence of the New Age woman. Women in India are predominantly homemakers, though this perspective is changing. In many places, especially metros and other cities, women are the bread earners of the house or are at par with their male counterparts. The increase in the cost of living/economy has also contributed to the rise in this aspect.

The beauty of the Indian people lies in their spirit of tolerance, give-and-take and a composition of cultures that can be compared to a garden of flowers of various colours and shades of which, while maintaining their own entity, lend harmony and beauty to the garden – India!

KOREAN CULTURE has survived for 5,000 years, despite the best efforts by hostile neighbors to stomp it out. If you know and respect Korean culture you will get much more out of your time in Korea.

1. Kimchi is culture

Kimchi is sliced cabbage, fermented with red chili sauce and anchovy paste. It is pungent, spicy, and sour. Koreans love it and eat it with every meal — usually on the side -– though they also use it as an ingredient in countless other dishes.

Kimchi is symbolic of Korean culture: it’s strong, distinctive, and defiant. Some foreigners can’t stomach it, but if you can, you will earn the locals’ heartfelt respect. It’s definitely one of the top food experiences you need to have in South Korea.

2. Shoes off

When entering a Korean home, you must remove your shoes. To do any less is a sign of great disrespect.

Koreans have a special relationship with their floor, on which they sit and often sleep. A dirty floor is intolerable in a Korean home, and they view Westerners as backward savages for remaining shod in our living rooms.

3. Soju

Korea is a drinking culture, and their national booze is soju, a clear, vodka-like drink.

Soju is drunk out of shot glasses, and like all liquor in Korea, it’s always served with food. Koreans drink in boisterous groups, regularly clinking glasses, while shouting geonbae! (cheers) and one shot-uh!

At night, you will see men coming out of norae bang (karaoke rooms) and staggering through the streets, laughing, singing and arguing. Just be sure to avoid the puddles of reddish-vomit often left behind, which are also known as kimchi flowers.

Koreans have strict drinking etiquette: never pour your own drink, and when pouring for someone older than you, put one hand to your heart or your pouring arm as a sign of respect.

4. Rice

Like the Japanese, the Koreans eat rice with almost every meal. It’s so ingrained in their culture that one of their most common greetings is Bap meogeosseoyo?, or ‘Have you eaten rice?’

Unlike the Japanese, Koreans usually eat their rice with a spoon, and they never raise the rice bowl off of the table towards their mouths.

Also, chopsticks must never be left sticking out of the rice bowl, as this resembles the way rice is offered to the dead.

5. Do not smile

Koreans are a warm and generous people, but you would never know it from the sourpusses they paste on in public.

Sometimes, the chaotic streets of the peninsula resemble a sea of scowls, with everyone literally putting their most stern faces forward. This is NOT true of the children however, who will invariably grin and laugh while shouting “Hello! Hello!”

6. Beware of elbows

Korea is a crowded country. It’s a cluster of stony mountains with only a few valleys and plains on which to build.

The result is a lot of people in small spaces, and folks will not think twice about pushing and jostling in order to get onto a bus, into an elevator, or to those perfect onions at the market.

Don’t even bother with “excuse me,” and beware of the older women, known as ajumma. They’re deadly.

7. Protests

South Koreans fought hard to achieve the democratic society they now enjoy, and are among the top in the world when it comes to exercising their right to protest.

Dissent is alive and well. Koreans protest with frequency and they protest with fervor –- on all sides of the political spectrum.

Protesters employ a variety of methods, from the violent (angry students regularly attack riot police with huge metal rods), to the absurd (cutting off fingers, throwing animal dung, covering themselves in bees).

8. Hiking

As Korea is mountainous, it should come as no surprise that hiking is the national pastime.

Even the most crowded of cities have mountains that offer a relative haven from the kinetic madness of the streets below.

Koreans are at their best on the mountain. They smile and greet you and will often insist on sharing their food and drink. Make sure to stop at a mountain hut restaurant for pajeon (fritter) and dong dong ju (rice wine).

9. Bow-wow

Yes, some Koreans do eat dog meat, despite some sporadic attempts by the government to shut down the boshingtang (dog meat soup) restaurants, in order to improve the country’s “international image.”

Dog meat is mainly consumed during the summer and by men, who claim that it does wonders for stamina.

10. Nationalism

Koreans are an extremely proud people, and sometimes this pride transforms into white-hot nationalism.

You see this nationalism displayed at sporting events, where thousands of Korean fans cheer their national teams on in unison, banging on drums and waving massive flags.

This nationalism especially comes to a boil whenever Japan is mentioned, as Japan has invaded them several times, and occupied Korea as a colony for almost the first half of the 20th century, decimating the country’s resources and conscripting thousands of their women as sex slaves.

Recently , mindfulness has evolved as a way of treating children and adolescents with conditions ranging from ADHD to anxiety, depression , stress etc. And the benefits are proving to be enormous. It can be used at home and in school and the role mindfulness can play is significant .
Mindfulness can be defined simply as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” To explain that in a more elaborate manner , mindfulness is a meditation practice that starts with paying attention to breathing in order to focus on the here and now—not what might have been or what you’re worried could be. The ultimate goal is to keep you a little bit away from disturbing thoughts and emotions to be able to observe them without immediately responding to them.

Benefits of using Mindfulness….
They were less emotionally reactive and more able to handle daily challenges and choose their behavior. Stress reduction and self-acceptance are two of the major elements of mindfulness and are particularly important during the drama and turmoil-filled teen years. “Regulating the emotions, learning how to calm one’s mind— are the invaluable skills.”
The children of this generation are almost restless and it is difficult for teachers to hold their attention for a reasonable amount of time. They get distracted easily and are unmanageable and out of control. But with mindfulness , the students behavior get regulated and they focus more on learning activities in the classroom.Being socially responsible , we feel that there is a need for some positive changes in the society and the Education system . In this current scenario ,Mindfulness is meaningful to almost everybody.
Learning to control their focus : The children learn how to calm themselves and get to a place where their mind is settled and that is of course a great tool to have. The children who seemed to worry about everything and have trouble focusing on the moment. The mindfulness brings them back into the present moment so they can learn.
The kids feel that they can actually calm themselves even just through breathing. The ultimate goal is self-awareness and self-regulation. They are learning self-awareness and then making choices based on that self-awareness.
Creating calmness in the classroom : Both the terms Yoga and Meditation are closely associated with mindfulness. It creates a calmness in those classes. Students learn how to self-regulate their behaviors and are avoiding conflict, avoiding situations that might get them into trouble.Kids who have the most difficulty with self-control are the ones who most benefit from a mindfulness-based program.
Helping kids manage stress : Mindfulness is enormously helpful to children and adolescents for dealing with the everyday difficulties of today’s highly stressful school age kids-life.A mindfulness-based social and emotional learning curriculum help kids gain tools for stress management at an early age that would transfer into teenage years and adulthood. The hope is to help kids manage their own stress as they turn into grownups.
The concept of mindfulness can be extended to Parenting as well.
Mindful Parenting
The Mindfulness techniques can be used to take stress and anxiety out of raising kids by giving a better perspective and some strategies to implement. If there is not enough downtime , the situation can become worse.The guided mediation , body scan, and breathing exercises can help them slowing things down, stepping back and observing their own reactions to effectively restructure the family’s morning routine.Slowing life down in general seems to be a common theme . When parents become stressed ,that stress becomes contagious and children come to know about their parents temperament. Parents often forget what their children need in their busy lifestyle. To take a breath and listen to what their children are trying to tell them with their behavior.Mindful mornings may be less efficient, but they’re more pleasurable.
Parents are able to make peace with their imperfections and begin to regulate their emotional state, so that they can be calmer and more present for their kids and cultivate some self-compassion.It can be proven that taking a deep breath and staying calm when your children are pushing you to the edge actually causes positive changes in the brain.
Making home a safe environment
Your calm response helps kids calm down and make them trust that their parents are in control . And, this is a safe environment. And they feel more secure . So that’s another benefit of parents practicing it on their own.
Mindfulness involves paying close attention to whatever you are doing in the present moment—breathing, eating, feeling your feet on the ground and smelling the air if you’re outside taking a walk. It can be achieved through meditation and it can be achieved by paying close attention to daily activities .Meditation is the best way to get there.The whole point of mindfulness is not to do away with particular thoughts, including negative ones, but to develop a different, non-judgmental relationship to them—to understand that they are feelings but they are not you.
It means that they then have choices about how they want to engage with or react to that thought and that’s very powerful clinically because they actually feel that they have control. It really has incredible benefits in terms of their happiness, their ability to get a better night’s sleep etc.And that is the ultimate goal of mindfulness. It provides you with a psychological and emotional buffer where previously there was none.Mindfulness teaches you how to respond wisely instead of reacting blindly. That is a super power.
The final words….
Mindfulness seems to be closely associated with Emotional intelligence, Yoga ,Breathing exercises and Meditation .The combinatoric therapy is supposed to work well for children with behavioral issues .Of course, Parents too can benefit from it by regular practice. The ultimate goal is self-awareness and self-regulation. Mindfulness teaches you how to respond wisely instead of reacting blindly. That is a super power.

If you would like to read and explore the topic further , please check the following link :

https://www.verywellmind.com/mindfulness-meditation-88369

Getting Started with Mindfulness

Internet games are good for fun but they can highly be addictive

I was talking to a mother of two children, Rina and she said – she always keeps monitoring how much time her children spent on videogames. Many times, she has to urge them to stop playing. The lockdown period has also increased the hours they spent playing online games.

This is not new. There are countless parents like Rina, who keep checking their children and impelling them to plug up. It is a huge challenge for them. Many reports say the upsurge in Internet gaming disorder (IGD) among children in the lockdown period. It states the endless usage of on-line and off-line video games by youngsters. With the emergence of high-tech devices like computers, tablets, and smartphones, playing online or offline games has developed into a widespread pastime, exclusively amongst adolescents. Folks frequently play video games for leisure, distraction, enthusiasm, challenge seeking, depression, and runoff from actuality to be per their unfulfilled desires or impulses.

Even though a selection of reviews has confirmed profitable outcomes of playing video games on the emotional state of players. It helps in getting mental ability stronger, increases problem-solving attitude but it also has numerous harmful effects on both physical and mental strength. It has been put forward that extreme video gaming could be dangerous. It is connected with insomnia, lack of concentration, poor academic performance, anxiety, depressive symptoms, deterioration of interpersonal relationships, family conflicts, youth violence or crimes, lower self-esteem, and no self-satisfaction.

The possibility of gaming addiction was expressively greater among boys, those with poor educational accomplishment, and those who favored multiplayer online games. Gaming obsession was pointedly connected with the average time spent gaming per week, frequency of spending money on gaming, the period of spending money on gaming, perceived family disharmony, and having more close friends. These outcomes propose that successful learning and precautionary curriculums or approaches are required.

Class 10th and 12th are the days of board exams. The board exams are important for all the students as well as their parents and family. The entire family eagerly waits for the board results of their child.

Every year, Board Exams are held in India in March and April and results are usually declared around May and June. But this time, the situation is a bit different. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the exams could not be conducted, there was an unexpected shutdown of schools and exams were postponed hoping it can be conducted a few months later. But, the spread of virus could not be controlled in these days and the number of infected population kept on increasing. An initial prediction gave an estimate that the corona cases can get under control by July and hence board exams can be held in July, but unfortunately that prediction didn’t work out. The administration tried out different options so that the remaining exams could be held and students can get the marks and grades that they actually deserve. It was decided that by maintaing proper sanitisation as well social distancing rules at schools, and by following proper guidelines such as wearing masks,etc, exams will be conducted in July. Unfortunately, all these proposals could not be put into action due to the continuous increase in number of cases. It was now wise to see and care for the health of students rather than for the exams. So, it was decided not to take risk on the life of youngsters. It was announced that all the exams are to be cancelled and results are to be declared by 15th of July. The assessment will be based on the exams given by the student till then.

Besides the challenge faced by the students, it was a tough time for teachers as well to do the evaluation while staying at home. The answer sheets of students were made to reach teachers at their home itself and they  could complete the copy-checking at their place. All updation of marks of individual students was done online and compilation was done and results of students were prepared. Results of class 10th and 12th for different boards are already declared and is  to be declared for CBSE in a few days. Since exams were not conducted in the way it used to be. Thus, this time it is expected that there will be a very easy grading. Due to this, it is expected that the a large number of board students will clear the exam. The pass percentage is expected to be high this year. Since relaxed marking is expected this time, hence most of the students are expected to be satisfied with the results. However, there are chances that a few students might find their score not satisfactory as they could have performed better if exams were held. For this, the administration has come up with the solution of re-examination for those students who are not satisfied with their result and want improvement.

The situation has been hard for all of us. Everyone tried their best to keep the situation as normal as possible. The idea of holding the examination was also supported until it was understood that this idea could make the situation worse, due to which, then the idea was dropped. After the examination, admission to class 11 has to be done. And for students of class 12th, admissions to colleges needs to be done. Hence, there was a need to wrap up with the school exams and go ahead with the competitive exams and admission process. Taking the decisions were difficult for everyone but there is a hope that the decisions taken will bring out the best results for the majority.

Writing isn’t always about publishing. For many, the pure joy of putting words and thoughts on paper is achievement enough. Here are tips on how to find—or find your way back to—the joy of writing.There is a pleasure and a power in the art of practicing writing, rather than simply producing it. And as more and more people discover this, personal writing is becoming its own distinct form of artistic expression. It’s no longer just the writing you do before you can get published.

If you want to put pen to paper and see what unfolds, it’s time to awaken to your identity as a writer. By rediscovering, or perhaps discovering for the first time, that the simple act of writing is a transformational process, you can alleviate the pressures that stifle creativity and open up to what you are truly meant to say. You might find that the greatest rewards of writing do not exist in the future with publication and public validation, but evolve during the process of bringing your ideas to the page. Consequently, you will begin to enjoy the freedom of your own creative voice, have a new, more compassionate understanding of yourself and reap rewards that are within your reach right now, just as you are.

Unearth your voice
Each of us is born with a unique way of looking at the world and an unlimited potential for creative thought. But as we grow up, we’re forced to stifle much of our creativity in order to “fit in.” Through personal writing, you can uncover your creative voice again.

Whether you write in a journal or on a computer, you can create a safe, nurturing space where your voice feels free to emerge. Simply by acknowledging your unique thoughts, even though you don’t share them with anyone, you can rediscover your natural creativity and paint a picture of your psychological and spiritual landscape.

As you reveal more of yourself on the page, you might notice patterns in the way you think, behave or react to situations or people in your life. This kind of self-awareness can help you make better decisions, understand difficult situations and sort through your feelings. It is a powerful way to find answers to some of your most difficult questions. And at other times, it can remind you that there are no easy answers, which is the root of wisdom.

Discover your writing style
As you discover your voice, you will also tap into your personal writing style. Writers often ask about “style,” a term used by teachers and literary critics in sentences like “She writes in a style reminiscent of Hemingway.” It is something that great writers have, yet even the best teachers cannot tell you exactly how to develop it.

Writing style is an expression of your unique voice and emerges through the act of writing itself. Your style can surface most easily when you write without concern for how you might be perceived by others. This does more than just encourage your writing style to reveal itself. It can also help you understand how important it is to not repress your “uniqueness” just becauseit does not sound like your favorite writer or does not match your conception of what a “good” writer would write.

Personal writing gives you a safe place to let your style emerge, and a valuable tool to help you embrace this style as an honest reflection of yourself and what you have to say to the world.

As you begin to welcome your personal voice and style onto the page, you will notice your writing becoming more vivid. At the same time, you may find that your life away from the page becomes richer and your observations and senses become sharper.

For example, “I went to the zoo today” might become “The polar bear looked sad and the smell of monkey pee was overwhelming.” You will naturally begin to absorb your environment in a new way so that everyday details become interesting, and everywhere you look, you find inspiring material for your writing.

Look East for answers
It seems miraculous that so much creativity, self-understanding and wisdom can come from an act as simple as personal writing. Then again, writing is not always simple. It is a challenge to find the time and conditions necessary to get into “writer’s mind,” that place where words flow freely and you can be yourself. In this, the practice of writing presents the same challenges as Eastern meditation, which is especially difficult for Western minds. The first time you sit in a meditation class, you are told to shut your eyes and just listen. You might squirm, worry about what everyone else in the class is doing or think about what to make for dinner.

Then, after a few classes, it will become easier. You will begin to hear the quiet breathing of your classmates, their squirming on their cushions, a cough, a sniffle. And you will hear the noise of your own racing mind. When you learn to slow down, to notice, it tunes you into the moment, with all of its life, noises and peculiarities, including all of your bare emotions and thoughts. This is the same “tuning in” you can achieve by letting yourself write freely on the pages of your journal. And it is wrought with the same challenge you face with meditation—you have to take the time to slow down from the activities of your life to practice it. But fortunately, you don’t have to get stiff-legged on a beanbag cushion for 20 minutes to experience this “tuning in.” You can write anywhere, anytime. As Alice Walker once said about writing, “You can even do it in bed.”

Slow down
Personal writing, like children and meditation and traffic jams, slows you down and makes you aware of the only thing that is certain in life—this very moment. This is not an easy thing to do. There is little encouragement to pay attention to this moment. Instead, you are taught to focus on achieving and moving ahead. By writing down what your life is in this moment, you are facing the aspect of what you expect your life to be like.

Sometimes it is frightening to accept that this is where you are right now. Other times it can be exhilarating as you realize that you are doing something you have always wanted to do, or that you have carved out a satisfying life that you never could have imagined. As you get accustomed to seeing your own life in words, you can gain an even greater appreciation and understanding of how your life is unfolding.

I’ve talked to published writers who are nostalgic about the days when all of their writing was just for them, before editors, agents and readers were influencing their craft. A friend who has published several short story collections told me he spent three years writing just for himself before considering publication and that he wishes he had spent 10. He said the time before the pressures of the market bear down on your creative spirit are often the best times of your writing career. You might think it is easy for published writers to lament their exit from the bliss of “pre-publication.” But this hindsight is an indication that, published or not, you already have access to the most rewarding gifts that writing has to offer.

Whether or not you dream of publication, you can use personal writing as a way to accept where you are right now on your writing path. Because in writing, as in life, enjoying the journey is the ultimate destination.

Did you know that your body weight is approximately 60 percent water? Your body uses water in all its cells, organs, and tissues to help regulate its temperature and maintain other bodily functions. Because your body loses water through breathing, sweating, and digestion, it’s important to rehydrate by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water. The amount of water you need depends on a variety of factors, including the climate you live in, how physically active you are, and whether you’re experiencing an illness or have any other health problems.

Water Protects Your Tissues, Spinal Cord, and Joints

Water does more than just quench your thirst and regulate your body’s temperature; it also keeps the tissues in your body moist. You know how it feels when your eyes, nose, or mouth gets dry? Keeping your body hydrated helps it retain optimum levels of moisture in these sensitive areas, as well as in the blood, bones, and the brain. In addition, water helps protect the spinal cord, and it acts as a lubricant and cushion for your joints.

Water Helps Your Body Remove Waste

Adequate water intake enables your body to excrete waste through perspiration, urination, and defecation. The kidneys and liver use it to help flush out waste, as do your intestines. Water can also keep you from getting constipated by softening your stools and helping move the food you’ve eaten through your intestinal tract. However, it should be noted that there is no evidence to prove that increasing your fluid intake will cure constipation

Water Aids in Digestion

Digestion starts with saliva, the basis of which is water. Digestion relies on enzymes that are found in saliva to help break down food and liquid and to dissolve minerals and other nutrients. Proper digestion makes minerals and nutrients more accessible to the body. Water is also necessary to help you digest soluble fiber. With the help of water, this fiber dissolves easily and benefits your bowel health by making well-formed, soft stools that are easy to pass.

Water Prevents You From Becoming Dehydrated

Your body loses fluids when you engage in vigorous exercise, sweat in high heat, or come down with a fever or contract an illness that causes vomiting or diarrhea. If you’re losing fluids for any of these reasons, it’s important to increase your fluid intake so that you can restore your body’s natural hydration levels. Your doctor may also recommend that you drink more fluids to help treat other health conditions, like bladder infections and urinary tract stones. If you’re pregnant or nursing, you may want to consult with your physician about your fluid intake because your body will be using more fluids than usual, especially if you’re breastfeeding.

How Much Water Do You Need?

There’s no hard and fast rule, and many individuals meet their daily hydration needs by simply drinking water when they’re thirsty, according to a report on nutrient recommendations from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. In fact, most people who are in good physical health get enough fluids by drinking water and other beverages when they’re thirsty, and also by drinking a beverage with each of their meals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you’re not sure about your hydration level, look at your urine. If it’s clear, you’re in good shape. If it’s dark, you’re probably dehydrated.

Social Bubbles offer an opportunity to socialize in close proximity with a small group of people. Keeping your social bubble to 10 or fewer can help reduce exposure to Covid -19 outdoor activities are a great way to with your social bubble. Summer time screams spending time with family and friends at celebrations inside and out. But with the pandemic still underway, the more people we interact with at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of getting Covid -19.

We can still get our social fix, though. One way people are safely interacting with others is by embracing social bubbles or social pods.
In order to make your play pod as safe as possible, it’s important that you put some boundaries in place. First, the more people who are in your pod, the greater your Covid exposure risk. Ideally, keep your overall pod size to 10 people or fewer. Keep your circle small if you or anyone in your family is at an increased risk for Covid -19 due to age, asthma, it other medical conditions. Once your social bubble is established and you’re ready to interact, the following ideas can help bring some fun to your pod amid these stressful times.

• Embrace Your Backyard
Stepping out can increase the risk of getting Covid -19, use the backyard of your house as an escape.
The beauty of a social pod or bubble — at least one where everybody follows the rules — is that when you spend time together (as long as you’re away from other people) you can interact pretty freely. Meetups where you’re all contained to one person’s home, backyard, or stoop are fair game.

• Catching A Movie
Due to the pandemic, outdoor movie theatres are shut to curb the spread. Catching up for a movie indoors along your social bubble will help reduce the risk of getting Covid -19.

• Look for Look Out Points
It’s hard for kids to stay at home idly. Plan games indoors, arrange dinner at the terrace, to get them moving and having fun.

Interacting with others by embracing social bubbles is one way you can get your social fix more safely by avoiding any physical contact.

Initial Public Offering (IPO) means company will be listed for the first time in the stock exchange. Public can purchase the share of the company by investing in the IPO of the company. In IPO campany may sell its existing share or can freshly issue new share. By IPO company can get funds which is needed to run the business which company may use that fund for the working capital or Purchase new assets. For the IPO company will appoint the merchant bankers to look the process of IPO. If the more people bid for the IPO it will be called as oversubscribed and if less people bid it will be under subscribed. A ipo should not to be under subscribed. A ipo need to raise more than 90% of total issue. So to get rid of this risk company will appoint underwriters, who will purchase the share if if the ipo was under subscribed. Company will give time to subscribe for bid for share, people need bid for share from their demat account. Within few days share will come to demat account later it will be listed in stock exchange where it can publically purchased and sold.

Staffing is the process where organisation need deicide it’s required manpower for the work, Selection of the candidates,Placing the selected candidate for work, Introduction of candidate to the organisation and organisations to him, Giving relevant trading to the candidate in different way and giving compansation for the work done by the employee. For any organisation human resources is very important to get them and to give proper training company need proper staffing method. Firstly organisation will plans the member of employees needed to for the work then company will select the candidate by recruitment process then selected candidates will be introduced to organisation and training will be given to them. According to their work the organisation will give the remuneration.As organisation need employees according to their demand in the organisation they select candidates accordingly.

1. Face to Face interview : in this type of interview the interviewer will be there infront of candidate where he will ask questions and get the information about the candidate.
2. Telephone Interview: In this type of interview interviewer will make interview in telephone.
3. Video call interview: In this type Internet platform will be used to make video call where interviewer and candidate are connected through the internet. If the destination of the interviewer is far then this type of interview is preferable.
4. Panel Interview: here interview taking people will be 2 or more where candidate will be one. Questions will be asked by the different interviewers but one person need to answer all of their questions.
5. Group Interview: Group interview is the interview where many Candidates will be interviewed in single time. In this one Topic will be given based on that candidate need to talk. Here the communication and confidence will be considered more.

All of us are enchanted by colours. None of us can discount how a bright colourful painting or a vibrant coloured room has uplifted our mood at some point or the other. Just try to recall how mesmerized you were to see a beautiful flower bloom or the sudden bliss you felt on seeing a pretty butterfly in your garden. The one thing which is common between the flowers and butterflies is that both are colourful.
Colours are all around us. Whether or not we pay attention to it, but colours have a profound impact on us. Colours can have a major impact on our physical and mental health. Different colours have different affect and understanding that can help to deal with various mental and physical conditions.

What is chromo therapy or colour therapy?
Colour Therapy is an idea which believes that, the colour one is surrounded by has direct impact on their physical as well as mental health. Different colours have different impact on the person. According to the colour theory, every colour hue ranging from white to black has different affects on how an individual thinks, behaves and interacts with the world around them.
Researches has showed that different colours have different healing power. This is the major reason why we usually find a pattern of colours in hospitals and health care centres. White and green are used in common ward because of their calming effect, whereas children ward has bright colours to give them a moral boast.
Colour Therapy is also known as chromo therapy. It is the use of different shades and hues to affect the wellbeing. Since each colour has unique light and wavelength, colour therapy principal uses the energy of each shade to improve your mental and physical wellbeing.

Common colours and impact
• White is a colour which is mostly associated with purity and clarity. This colour helps the body by purifying it and the mind by providing it much needed clarity.
• Red: The colour red stands for passion. Red helps strengthen, stimulates and adds passion to your work. Adding red in your outfit can improve your confidence level on a daily basis.
• Yellow: Surrounding yourself with the colour yellow can help you boast your inner power, positive and level of happiness. For physical health, the colour yellow has positive impacts on nervous and digestive system.
• Blue: Blue is a colour which has a great impact on physical and mental wellbeing. It is a colour which is associated with intelligence, trust and ability to find tranquillity in life. Blue also helps people who suffer from hiccups, sores and even asthma.
• Green: The colour we usually associate with nature, green is highly effective to restore a sense of balance, harmony, security and safety. It helps in reducing our anxiety level and at the same time has positive effect on heart health.
• Orange: The colour orange is extremely helpful in boasting confidence and energy. It is a colour that encourages. It helps to improve the condition of your liver. It also has antidepressant qualities. It also help in pumping up our creativity level.
• Purple: Purple can give a sense of power, increase peace of mind and strengthen spirituality. This colour is also related to relaxation and creativity.
Every colour has a great impact on your lives and we need to incorporate each effectively.

In the scientific book, sounds of frogs and toads is often said to be ‘croaking’. Whatever their musical qualities, vocalizations are conspicuous features of behaviour of most frogs and toads. Acoustic signalling has a great importance in the breeding ecology of most frogs. Acoustic data are used in taxonomic studies of frogs. Thus, researchers today are very interested in studying sounds produced by anurans to know about their behaviour, study their evolution, monitoring population, comparison of species and find ways for their conservation.

In anurans, generally males are involved in bioacoustic signalling. Only a very few female and at very few times are found producing signals. Anuran vocal repertoires can be into various calls namely advertisement calls( mate calls), courtship calls( responsive calls), aggressive calls, release calls, defensive calls. These are useful in male-male and male- female communications. These sounds are also used by them to protect them from predators too. They can estimate distance between opponent and get warned.  Further, the produced sound defines the species, it’s size, it’s habitat , it’s dominance, etc in some way or other.

Advertisement calls are often referred to as mating calls and are principal signals given by males during breading season. Experiments have shown that females approach conspecific calls. Advertisement calls are often found to stimulate hormone production in females. It also expertises male’s position to other males.

The vocal behavior of male frogs often changes when females are nearby or are approaching. Courtship call are a sort of continuous trill( unlike two-note advertisement calls). These are simply increased call rates. Female courtship calls also exists. These are given in response to the calls of male, which tends to be at low intensity and therefore, are hard to hear. It enhances the ability of males and females to find each other.

Aggressive calls are produced as a sign of defence for their calling sites against conspecifics. These are often called territorial calls. Then there are release calls given when male anurans are clasped by other males. Further exists distress calls, which are generally loud screams to describe vocalisations given by frogs being attacked by predators. Alarm calls and defensive calls are to warn neighbours of danger or startle the predator, to allow victim to escape.

The pitch(determined by frequency) of sound is an indicator of anuran’s body size. The frogs with higher pitch are found to be small in size while the frogs having low-pitched calls are large and heavy. Call structure is an indicator of habitat of frogs( whether near waterfall or near sream or in forest or in open habitat). For ex: frogs living in dense forest are large in size and produce low pitched calls and vice versa. Thus, there also exists preference in calling site for different species. If male and female, both are at the same level, then high frequency components will suffer greater attenuation than low frequency components. But, if either caller or receiver is elevated, then differential loss of higher frequencies is reduced.

Comparison of frogs living in Amazonian forests with those in floating meadow habitats revealed that forest species have significantly lower-pitched calls. The forest species generally are larger than those in open areas, and call frequency decreases with increasing body size. Calls of many species probably are not adapted for long range propagation, but for ease of localization at short distances. Phylogenetic differences probably are important as well. Forest frogs have very different call structure than open-habitat frogs. They tend to have more narrowly tuned calls with lower pulse repetition rates than open habitat frogs. Call intensity is related to factors other than habitat structure. For ex: frogs that call in open habitats tend to call in much denser choruses than those in forested habitats, and competition among males should favor the evolution of very loud calls.

Thus, understanding sounds of anurans is a very interesting part of study and researchers are working on it, striving to discover more, finding ways to conserve some endangered species( like N. sahyadrensis).

People struggle to find happiness in life. They usually search for happiness in the outside world and thus causing major unhappiness. However it is worth noting that real happiness is internal.

Reason that cause unhappiness

• Lack of self-confidence in yourself: Happiness comes with self confidence. Unless an individual is confident of their own self, they cannot be in a happy place. People usually lack the ability to believe in themselves and what they can do. Unless an individual has the courage and confidence to quit the job or relationship that they are not satisfied with, they can never be happy in true sense. Though it is not true for everyone, but majority of the people’s happiness is hindered by their inability to say “I can do it”.

• Focusing on negativity: We have a natural tendency to lean more towards negativity. We focus more on the worst possible outcomes of a situation, than thinking about the best. We tend to be over critical about ourselves. We tend to focus more on your negative traits, rather than focusing on the positivity within us. All this negative thinking weakens our self esteem, thus leading to long term unhappiness.

• Inability to cut off toxic people: Toxicity of an individual can show in their actions or words. If the action and words of someone hurt you physically or psychologically and thus hindering you from attaining your happiness, at the same time make you think negatively of yourself, then chances are you are dealing with individuals who are toxic for you. Cutting off such people from life is of utmost importance, or else your happiness would never be achieved.

Approach towards happiness

Though there is no rules or guide to be happy, but certain tips and approaches can help you be more happier in life .

• Self Acceptance: The key to happiness is acceptance. We usually crib about the things or traits that we do not possess, rather than accepting it. Though we might not be in our best versions, but we do have to accept our current state. Unless we accept ourselves, we cannot be happy in the truest sense. Unless we acknowledge what we do not have, we cannot work towards achieving it and will never be happy.

• Practice Gratitude: Happiness is usually related to how meaningful we think our life is. It is extremely important to generate genuine meaning and appreciation each day. We usually take people, things and opportunities for granted. Appreciation of good things in life is a way to achieving happiness. Take out a few minutes each day and pen down the things you are blessed to have. Practicing gratitude gives you a happiness from within and helps you to be sane.

• Pamper yourself: Cater to your needs the way you cater to others. Taking out time for a nice massage, hot bath or beauty session at a local salon every ones in a while is important. Pampering yourself every now and then is important for being happy.

• Calm your mind: Though it is quite difficult to calm your mind in this hectic schedule, but it is very important. Meditation is a good way to calm the mind and connect to your inner self and discover it’s desires. Taking out time to practice meditation regularly is highly recommended.

• Show love: One of the most positive emotion is love. Doing small acts of kindness without expecting anything in return, making someone smile, forgiving are some acts that foster positivity. By creating positive atmosphere around you, you create happy momentum for yourself too.

• Surrounding yourself with uplifting people: Surrounding yourself with a good social support network always helps. Being around people who see and inspire the best in you does help your well-being. Optimistic, like minded and supportive social circle are key for a happy and contented life.

This lockdown has put a halt on many people’s travel plans. Pro-travellers are suffering the most. These people may have been so accustomed to spending their lives travelling that they may not have a clue about how to deal with the situation anymore. The only travel they may be able to experience is from one room to another within their houses.

Not getting a chance to travel can be inconvenient but there are activities that can be done to make up for one’s long lost love.

Reading books:

People generally resort to travel guides while planning when they go out but since the option is not available for a certain period, a good alternative will be to switch to storybooks. The different genres of books that one comes across is unlimited. The biggest advantages attached is that most of the books are easily accessible on the internet. Kindle becomes a bundle of joy in these times. Books that narrate a travel journey carries you along with them to new lands. Audio versions are also available if one doesn’t like reading a lot.

Movie time

Documentaries, movies or even TV shows can be a great pass-time activity. They do a great job in making the viewer travel the world along with the characters. This is an activity that has something for everyone. One need not be a movie buff to enjoy them. Documentaries can even be informative. You may find various interesting topics about nature. People who like to spend their time interacting with the mother planet can benefit a lot. Netflix has a lot of content to offer in this case. The number of TV series can’t be forgotten either. Netflix originals have got everyone hooked to them. Binge-watching has become everyone’s favourite hobby now and all they believe in is “Netflix and chill.” 

Social media/ travel blogs

There are many bloggers on social media who post photos or blog about their travel experiences. Following such travellers can provide you with fresh photos of many otherworldly locations that you have yet to visit. One advantage is to have your feed filled with photos of the most beautiful locations on the planet. You can even search up your favourite destination and read various articles about those places.

Document your own experiences

If you get inspired, you can create your travel blog. As a traveller, one may tend to have a collection of many untold stories waiting to be spread around. If one is a writer, photographer and a blogger along with being a traveller, they can be a great storyteller to do. Maybe they can connect their experiences with their other interests and put out something worth reading. Relive your travel videos. Nothing can be more peaceful than remembering your own time in the blanket of wilderness. 

Learning languages of the countries you want to visit

Whenever you travel across countries, you will be exposed to a plethora of cultures, some of them being very different from your own. The language also constitutes an important part of the culture. You will find yourself trying to pick up new words from the places you visit. Maybe you can prepare for this well in advance. This can make your experience easier as it will help you in connecting well with the people there.

You can turn to YouTube to take you on a virtual tour with the millions of videos it has to offer on travelling. Vloggers put out eye-catching content and make the experience interactive as well as fun.

Virtual tours

For a virtual 4-D experience, there may be some technology that can make the experience better. But since everyone can’t resort to spending money on it, it is best to make use of the resources at hand. There is nothing that can amount to the same level of excitement or adventure that travelling on your foot provides but having a personalized experience for yourself sitting within the walls of your home does not lag behind either.

This doesn’t mean that people give up on their dreams of travelling. It’s just basically putting them on hold till this global pandemic comes to an end. Meanwhile, you can start planning your future trips. Start journaling the name of the cities you want to visit in future and make a bucket list for yourself. You can also read about travel hacks to make your next experiences better than your past ones. This time can be put to good use if you engage yourself in learning many activities that can eventually help you with your future experiences.