IIT students watch their 3D avatars get degrees as convocations go digital amid lockdown

a group of people standing in front of a crowd

New Delhi: The students’ names were called out and they walked on to the stage, where the director stood waiting to hand them their degrees. The director delivered his traditional address too. The ceremony had all the trappings of a regular convocation, but it was actually just the closest-possible alternative IITs could organise for students inspite of pandemic.

Final-year IIT students in Bombay and Gandhinagar — robbed of their precious last few months in college, like thousands of others, but covid 19 lockdown — found some measure of solace Sunday as they were “handed out” their degrees in a live animation ceremony.

The participants were 3D avatars of the actual students and the ceremony was beamed live to their computers. And it created quite a buzz among students, who took to social media to post glimpses from the ceremony.

“Even in online mode, the institute made sure to retain the feeling of the graduation ceremony for its students, right from the academic procession by the faculty members to invocation, Convocation addresses by the director and the chief guest, award of degrees and medals to their digital self, and convocation pledge followed by individual congratulatory messages from the IIT faculty and staff in various Indian languages,” a statement from IIT-Gandhinagar said. “The entire event was streamed online on IIT’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.”

Sushant Singh Rajput hired a special team to achieve his list of dreams. Details inside

Sushant Singh Rajput had a list of 150 dreams and hired a special PRO team to achieve them. His flatmate, Samuel Haokip, was a part of this team and also used to help Sushant with his legal matters as well as handling finances. Sushant Singh Rajput wanted 5-6 people who could help him achieve his list of dreams

a man looking at the camera: Sushant Singh Rajput had a special team of people to help him achieve his dreams.

Following were the members of Sushant Singh Rajput’s PRO team:

Samuel Haokip

Samuel Haokip met Sushant Singh Rajput through common friends. Sushant was looking for someone who has knowledge of law, which is why Haokip, who is a lawyer, became a part of his team.

Samuel Haokip lived with Sushant Singh Rajput for almost a year and left his house in July 2019, since he got a job in a law firm. It was Sushant Singh Rajput’s sister, Priyanka and her husband, Siddharth, who helped Samuel in finding the job. He left Mumbai and shifted to Delhi in order to continue with his law practice. He used to majorly focus on the actor’s film contracts, negotiating with producers, drafting contracts for house helps,and used to manage other people who used to work for Sushant.

Kushal Zaveri

He was with Sushant Singh Rajput since the actor’s television days. In a telephonic interview with Aaj Tak, he had shared that he was with the late actor during the shooting of Dil Bechara as well. However, he went to Goa for a personal project in 2018 and his contact with the actor decreased.

Siddharth Gupta

He is Vikas Gupta’s brother and was also Sushant Singh Rajput’s roommate for some time.

Abbas

He worked as the editor in the PRO team.

Gradually, all members got busy with their work and left Sushant Singh Rajput’s PRO team. Samuel Haokip was the last one left.

Sushant then reached out to one of his friends as he wanted to hire more people. It was here that Siddharth Pithani entered the picture, upon a friend’s recommendation. Samuel Haokip trained Siddharth Pithani and it was in April 2019 that Rhea Chakraborty entered the actor’s life.

Earlier, only Samuel Haokip and Sushant Singh Rajput were staying together along with the house helps, the cook, Keshav and housekeeper, Neeraj. Gradually, Rhea, as well as Siddharth Pithani, also started living there. Sushant had also called Dipesh Sawant, a friend of Abbas, to stay with him.

Claims over coronavirus vaccine availability in India false, will confirm once trial results are out: SII

The claim by certain media houses that Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine candidate COVISHIELD will be available in India in the next 73 days are “completely false and conjectural”, the Serum Institute of India (SII), the Indian partner of the AstraZeneca clarified on Sunday.

a close up of a bottle © Provided by Jagran EnglishThe SII said that the official confirmation on COVISHIELD’s availability in India will be confirmed only after the vaccine is proven immunogenic and efficacious in human trials which are currently underway across the country.

“The current claims over COVISHIELD’s availability in the media are completely false and conjectural. Presently, the government has granted us permission to only manufacture the vaccine and stockpile it for future use,” a statement from the Serum Institute of India shared by news agency ANI read.

The statement further stated that the phase-3 trials for Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate are currently underway and the vaccine will be commercialised in India only after successful trials and necessary regulatory approvals.

“COVISHIELD will be commercialized once trials are proven successful & requisite regulatory approvals are in place. Phase-3 trials for Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are underway. Only once the vaccine is proven immunogenic & efficacious, SII will confirm its availability officially,” it said.

The clarification from the SII came after a report published by Business Today claimed that the Oxford University-Astra-Zeneca vaccine candidate will be commercialised in 73 days. The website cited a top official from the SII as there source of information.

“The government has given us a ‘special manufacturing priority license’ and fast-tracked the trial protocol processes to get the trials completed in 58 days. By this, the first dosing is happening from today in the final phase (Phase III) and the second dosing will happen after 29 days.

“The final trial data will be out in another 15 days from the second dosing. By that time, we are planning to commercialise Covishield,” an SII official was quoted as saying by the website in its report.

Global stocks, dollar rise with U.S. economic data

Reuters: A jump in U.S. business activity and home sales helped push global equities and the dollar higher on Friday, counteracting earlier stock declines in Europe. Oil fell about 1%. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 hit record highs and the dollar broke an eight-week losing streak, gaining as weaker economic data in Europe weighed on the single currency. The fresh impetus came from a preliminary purchasing managers’ survey that showed U.S. business activity in August snapped back to the highest level since early 2019, data firm IHS Markit said.

Services and manufacturing indices also rose, even though new COVID-19 cases remain high across the United States. U.S. home sales data for July showed deals rising at a record pace for the second straight month, providing another glimmer of growth in the U.S. economy.

Friday’s data counterbalanced a steep rise in U.S. jobless claims on Thursday and Federal Reserve minutes on Wednesday that suggested the economy was beginning to stall, prompting investors to seek safe havens, said Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Global Advisors in Boston.”It’s not surprising to see a pick-up in manufacturing as the economy has started to reopen, even though pockets of the country have pulled back on their reopenings,” said Lindsey Bell, chief investment strategist at Ally Invest.

“It’s an encouraging sign and it supports the upside we have seen in the markets.”The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 190.6 points, or 0.69%, to 27,930.33. The S&P 500, which broke out of its bear market on Tuesday by recouping pandemic-related losses, powered up 11.65 points, or 0.34%, to 3,397.16. The tech heavy Nasdaq Composite added 46.85 points, or 0.42%, to 11,311.80. Among global shares, MSCI’s benchmark for global equity markets was off its lows for the day, rising 0.27% to 571.17.

Europe’s broad FTSEurofirst 300 index dropped 0.20% to 1,416.57. Meanwhile, the dollar index rose 0.63%.”Investors are exiting some of the more economically sensitive sectors of the market and going back to the old stalwarts of tech, where you get reliable growth,” Arone said of the rise in tech shares.

EUROPE DECOUPLED

Somber economic numbers earlier in the day in Europe, including eurozone data pointing to a faltering recovery, doused stock market gains in Asia overnight and also caused the euro to recoil further from recent peaks.The loss of momentum came after fresh numbers painted a muted economic outlook, with purchasing managers’ index releases from France and Germany as well as the wider euro zone falling short of expectations.

“The survey contains some strong evidence that the recovery has slowed in August, particularly in the services sector,” said Moritz Degler, senior economist at Oxford Economics. The euro fell 0.61% to $1.1787 and also ended down for the week, after seven weeks of gains against the dollar.U.S. Treasury yields declined for the week, showing the preference for safe-havens. The shift short-circuited last week’s rally and resumed the downtrend that has largely prevailed all year.

Analysts pointed to rising coronavirus infection numbers having tempered economic activity. On Thursday, France experienced a post-lockdown record in new infections, while countries across the region imposed fresh travel restrictions.Europe’s troubles weighed more heavily on oil, which lost about 1% on Friday on concerns about the global economic recovery, renewed coronavirus lockdowns and rising crude supplies.

Brent crude futures settled at $44.35 a barrel, down 55 cents, or 1.2%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled at $42.34 a barrel, falling 86 cents, or 1.1%. Brent fell about 1% for the week, while WTI saw a weekly rise of nearly 1%.Spot gold dropped 0.3% to $1,937.69 an ounce. U.S. gold futures fell 0.12% to 1,934.60 an ounce.

Explained: Why the Kerala govt has taken control of an 800-year-old Church

Early on Monday morning, the Kerala government took control of Marthoman Jacobite Syrian Cathedral Church at Mulanthuruthy in Ernakulam district, which has been in the focus of a dispute between Jacobite and Orthodox factions of the Malankara Church, a prominent non-Catholic Christian community.

Take over triggered by SC verdict

The takeover has brought to the forefront a decade-long dispute between Jacobite and Orthodox factions of Malankara Church. The Church at Mulanthuruthy, built in AD 1200, has been managed by Jacobite faction, but as per a Supreme Court verdict of July3, 2017, its ownership should go to the rival Orthodox Church.

The Supreme Court had upheld the validity of the 1934 constitution of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church to govern the parishes under the Church. Although the court verdict came on dispute over the ownership of two churches, it impacted over 1000-odd churches. The court verdict had given a clear upper hand for the Orthodox faction, which has been governed by the constitution of 1934.

Since the SC verdict, several churches under dispute have already been handed over to the Orthodox group despite stiff resistance from the bishops and laymen from the Jacobite Church. As the government delayed implementing the SC order due to political compulsions, the Orthodox Church moved various courts against the non-compliance of the order of the apex court.

Mulanthuruthy church

Established in AD 1200, the Marthoman Jacobite Syrian Cathedral Church at Mulanthuruthy is one of the ancient Churches in Kerala. The church is a fine example of Gothic architecture. The carvings, sculptures, symbolic icons and wall paintings, are a blend of Indian, West-Asian and European architecture. Most of the parishioners belong to the Jacobite faction.

Why a takeover now

In the case of the church at Mulanthuruthy, the Orthodox faction had moved a contempt of court petition, telling the Kerala High Court that their laity have been denied access to the church. The government cited the Covid-19 scenario and the monsoon havoc in the district as reasons not to take over the church as an action would demand mobilisation of force, now burdened by lockdown duties. After the single bench favoured the government stand, the Orthodox group moved a larger bench.

Rejecting the government contention, the division bench on August 12 issued an ultimatum to the Ernakulam District Collector that the church should be taken over within five days and submit a compliance report to the court. Hence, the takeover of the church in the early morning of Monday, when only a few hours have been left for executing the high court directive.

The district officials have to deploy police to remove the protesting bishops, priests and faithful of the Jacobite Church, who have been camping at the church premises since Sunday to resist the takeover. The church was locked from inside by the Jacobites, but police broke open the gates and evicted the protesting people.

Apple took just 2 years to add a trillion dollar to its market cap, but the next one won’t come easy

Apple Inc. has done it again. On Wednesday, just two years after becoming the first U.S. company to boast a trillion-dollar market valuation, it became the first to top $2 trillion. Getting to the next trillion may not be such a breeze. With its shares up roughly 60% this year, Apple is among the Big Tech winners that have benefited from a “safety premium.” Investors have piled in to the iPhone maker’s shares as well as those of other technology darlings – including Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. – betting their business models, robust balance sheets and large cash balances would make them more resilient amid the economic fallout from the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Indeed, Apple did post impressive June quarter financial results last month on the back of strong sales, a perfectly timed lower-cost iPhone launch and a boost from government stimulus. But it faces a more uncertain road ahead. First, Apple’s valuation now embeds elevated future expectations. To illustrate, Wall Street’s current consensus for Apple’s fiscal 2020 sales ending this September is just 3% higher than its revenue two years ago. And yet, the stock price has more than doubled in that time frame, resulting in a heady valuation of about 33 times the next four quarters’ earnings.

Apple’s lofty valuation leaves little room for disappointment, but the success of its upcoming slate of products isn’t a sure thing. In contrast to the cheaper iPhone SE model that boosted its June quarter, the company is going to have to convince consumers to buy higher-priced $1,000 iPhones when it launches new 5G-enabled models this fall. And these more expensive phones may be a tough proposition with tens of millions of Americans facing job insecurity. Further, I’m still skeptical there will be new apps anytime soon that will need the faster fifth-generation wireless speeds, making phone upgrades less compelling. Finally, according to a Bloomberg News report last week, it doesn’t look like there will be much innovation coming from Apple on the services front either – just a new virtual fitness-class subscription and some modest subscription bundles.

On top of all this, Apple is facing increased regulatory scrutiny over its dominant position in the smartphone market. In June, the European Union announced it had opened two formal antitrust investigations into Apple, with one of the probes specifically looking into the requirement guidelines of its in-app purchase system. Last month, CEO Tim Cook also had to defend the company’s App Store policies and high fee structure before a landmark House antitrust hearing as well. Obviously, if either of these global regulators clamp down on Apple’s business practices, it could negatively impact its profitability.

There is no doubt Apple’s stunning ascent to $2 trillion is impressive. The climb to $3 trillion may be even more so, because it will be that much harder.

World Photography Day

The term “Photography” goes hand-in-hand with ‘camera’ and ‘pictures’. Photography is actually an artistic form of work which demonstrates clicking pictures of any objects, place or thing with details. Capturing a picture is not as easy as it seems, being a good photographer is really a task as one has to keep in mind the angles, focus, light etc. Several cameras and phones support a good quality of photography i.e., a person who clicks pictures, August 19, every year is celebrated as the World Photography Day to cherish the custom of Photography as to cherish the craft and uniqueness around each and every photographs. Earlier, taking aa photograph was considered as a bigger issue as it was expensive. Photography was not a matter of Entertainment those days, it was made to hold the moment forever at look at it again and again in the long run. Not many people had so much access to it as the availability of cameras or smart phones were of a luxury those times. Most of the common people were not in a position to afford them. The concept of Photography was of Black and White format, and no shades of colors were being used. The first picture was taken by French inventor Joseph Nicephore Nicepe in 1826, 1827, taking a click of the view outside Window in Burgundy. Later on, The Concept of Photography evolved and after generations we are clicking pictures on ever possible minutes, frequently too. After colored photos came into being, we saw the ‘portraits’ and ‘landscapes’ formats of Photography. “Portrait” is taking human photograph, and “Landscape denotes scenery. It is a must for all of us to capture the beautiful mountain or sea when we go out for a journey, just to reminiscence regarding it, later on. Photographs are till only still memories of a person. We often scroll down the gallery of our smartphones to look at the picture to recollect the moments we have shared with our family, friends o the close ones. Pictures are reflections of us other than the mirrors. The images remind us of all the good nostalgia and gives us positive vibes. People take up Photography as a hobby as well, like they want to go on with this activity during free times which gives them the feelings of immense pride and satisfaction. We have renowned photographers across the world who are expert in clicking pictures of models and eminent celebrities. Also, some take up photography professionally, as a source of income. We actually love to click selfies, as a part of the latest trends for the popularity of social media, as we just want to upload them on these platforms, just to show a glimpse of our lifestyle and share them with our friends. Many bloggers who take pictures of their crafts to showcase their talent on social media platforms, making their job a lot more easier. “Practice makes a man perfect”, the more a person clicks nice pictures, the more he develops himself. We can tell a lot more about any person, by looking at the body language he represents in the pictures. There are several courses out there for a person too know this skill or learn more about Photography, if he wants to take that up later on as his profession. Newspapers have Photography as a very important part of their work, to let the readers know about an incident, showing the pictures helps anyone to understand the level of occurrence, of an incident. Pictures reveals a lot more than what we say or do. Pictures are a proof of everything real, as the Detectives or Police officers tend to keep pictures or use pictures for interrogation. Photography needs editing as well, which is also a different skill, and serves as a profession or hobby as well for many. Editing is basically much related o photography, as editing is done to make the photo look prominent removing any errors. Nowadays, many pictures can even be edited and made use of wrongfully, making it a criminal offence.

National Handloom Day

Handloom is a type of Loom which is made manually, without the use of electricity. The products woven out of Handloom are especially known as Khadi. Handlooms are our country’s own property. It is a man-made process done using a spin wheel which was originally started by Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi i.e., our beloved Bapuji. At the time of Civil Disobedience Movement, before India gained Independence, Bapuji wanted to flourish something very Indian, hence he gave this idea of spinning handlooms and so Indians strongly opposed to foreign goods. Hence, centuries later on Handloom industries came into being, providing several options like Textiles, Clothing, Handloom Decorative e t c. August 7th is the official National Handloom Day, the Concept was launched by the Prime Minister of India on 2015, and celebrated to inspire the wavers and workers to support their hard-work and creativity. This was done also to let everyone know about the exceptional talents we have around the Nation. Handloom is widely accepted and loved all over the world, leading to a lot of Exports. Thus, it is beneficiary for India. Handloom Industries are basically run by the Weavers and Workers who crafts the Handloom materials into proper outcome. The Legacy of Handlooms is to be continued for generations. Bapuji forecasted that we shall not take inspirations from foreign every time, but instead do something of our home. Handloom as an industry is tremendously popular inn village areas, as of the most families contribute to country by spinning Handlooms and selling them into markets. Though expensive, Handloom products ensures excellent qualities. A huge sections of village workers earns their livelihood through these Handloom industries. Not just the men, but the women also get to work for these Industries, so Handloom Industries serves as an employment for both men and women. Handloom industries are preferred by all those who wants something extraordinary yet unique and original. Over 4.3 million people are some way or the other engaged into Handloom Productions. Handloom industries are popular especially in the rural areas as not many people get access to proper education due to low rate of literacy, hence most of them prefers to work from an early age, to sustain their regular needs. The raw materials are initially process and made use of properly, before taking the work of production any further, then the Infrastructure comes which is basically the use of products or machinery or the hand-work. The better the infrastructure and working conditions, better will be the productions. Then the theory of wages comes which means the amount of salary provided to those who contribute to the successful making of Handloom items. It must be ensured that these people gets maximum benefits from productions. The next concept is of the budget which is the exact sum of expenditure which consists of all the money need for procurement at least the minimal budget should be stated. The next step is the Patent, which signifies who shall own and have authority over the outputs been made. This is the second largest employment provided for the rural populations. Exclusively, these markets tend to infuse modern design, creating a trend. This process is much loved by the youth, because of its texture or class. Handloom industries promotes diversity and prosperity of Indians. This industry is particularly known for its distinctiveness. According to the Integrated handloom Development Scheme, The Government of India has introduced a new scheme IHDS. here, following Four components are included with assistance will be provided to Handloom Coop. Society, APEX body and Corporations.

1) Clusters, having Handlooms in the range of 300-500 per cluster.

2) Group approach for development of Handlooms.

3) Assistance to Handloom organizations

a) Marketing incentive b) Strengthening of Handloom Organizations.

4) Others like innovative ideas and publicity, Monitoring, Supervision, Training and Evolution of the Scheme.

Transgender

Transgender is the Third Gender basically, who is not a male type or a female type. Transgender is defined as denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal. Identity and gender do not correspond with their birth sex. A Transgender is a person who is unable to fit himself in any of the two categories specified beforehand, a Transgender right also comes under the concept of Gender Equality. They very much belong to our society, to our lifestyle, but the fact here is they are not widely accepted yet. People literally hate them or harass them for choosing their own likings over the “society norms” created. They also are human beings, just like us, nothing inferior. It is just that they practically loves themselves just the way they are, they shall be strong enough to be proud of their own skin. It is our duty to stand by their virtue, no matter what. It has been seen that they face a lot of social difficulties everyday. They do not get to live by common people, they are isolated from their residence and they had to form a separate community of their own for survival, especially known as LGBT Community. Right from birth, they are not treated as “Normal” and are repetitively pressurized to choose one amongst the two genders. People yet, in this generation aren’t ready to believe that there can be a third gender as well. But fitting into somewhat stereotyped categories is a must for the people, especially in India. They were not allowed to have proper sanitization, worst thing is that they do not have a separate washroom. They aren’t being taught in schools on colleges, hence education for them is a luxury. They do not even get proper food to sustain themselves. We can see the “transgender” begging for food, it is so heartbreaking to see that how much sorrows they face, yet holds smile on their face. No person has control over their choices, earlier as well several paintings has depicted the onset of “transgender” people. Sadly, they haven’t got their recognition yet and fighting day and night for their freedom. They just seek a life where they won’t be judged, or questioned or made fun of being a transgender. But we, the educated class of people disagree and contest against their liberty. Their privilege are snatched away by the ‘commoners’ around them. They do not get enough opportunities to pursue their talents. The most traumatic experience they face is regarding work places. It is rare that a transgender is working as an official even if that person is competent enough. Transgender community should not be deprived of their own equity or justice. It is so difficult for third-gender child to confess his inner feelings to his family of that sort because the family isn’t in a position to realize his situation, moreover try to brainwash the child for worse. The parents do not remain as a support system to them anymore, they just feel upset and betrayed of the “choice” the child has made. Secondly, choosing aa partner for one self is really difficult, because taking about this on the society is treated almost as a ‘crime’. That person is basically termed as “spoiled” and suffers a lot from loneliness and depressions. It is no way his “Fault”.

Sec 377 in IPC states that, whoever voluntarily has carnel intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years or with a death penalty, and shall also be liable to fine.According to The Times of India, The Supreme Court of India on September 6, 2018 decriminalized Section 377 making Gay Sex legal. The SC in its verdict mentioned that consensual sex between adults in private places which is not harmful to women or children, cannot be denied as it is a matter of individual choice. The apex court partially strikes down Section 377. “Section 377 results in discrimination and is violative of constitutional principles. Consensual Sex between Adult homosexuals in private is not an offence”, said by Supreme Court in its verdict.

Domestic role of the Husbands

Gender Equality – A much relatable term these days. Gender Equality signifies that all men and women are equal, having the same duties towards the society, in no way one is superior than the other and is equal in all other aspects. This is the literal definition for Gender Equality. Earlier, girls had absolutely no scope to pursue higher educations, were forced to marry at a very young age and they were basically the home markers and treated as care- takes of the Family, and that was a normalized situation that time. Is this the Reality even now? Or do we see emerging mindsets supporting Gender Equality around us? Or is it just preserved in bookish terms. Till this era, our core believes hasn’t changed much. We show ourselves as cool or modern every time, but what about the man-made rules or superstitions of local people? The Hypocrisy tells us that women should cook food for the family, look after the child and is bound to perform much more household chores, even if she is a Chartered Accountant or the IPS Officer. Now why this biasness? The Patriarchal society makes the norms that husbands shall perform the duty of “an earning member” or as “head of the family”. Why is that the female has to be a ‘home maker’, In spite of having a degree or proper education? Just for the sake of the family? or the child? or the society? These customs portrayed long back, cannot be revolutionized in just one day. These are the loopholes of our systems, and we need to identify these as soon as possible for the betterment. Days are changing, the women are going to work outside their homes, they are becoming corporate officials manager, along with being a wife. They are fighting for their freedoms throughout. They are earning for family as well, balancing both the duties. If a woman can do so much why is that a male member just has to earn to contribute to the family. “Gender- assigned” roles should not be followed anymore, The responsibilities shall be shouldered equally. It is not just the headache of the woman to be in charge of the Family. The husband can take his time out to help, to cook for the family, not just for a couple of days, but as a routine. Work should be divided and shared, the husband shall also perform his tasks to support the wife. This will increase the love and affection for the family, ensure that peace and harmony prevails. These are smaller steps taken against the never-changing prejudices of the society. It shows the maturity of the male members to serve their counterparts, the husband shall find happiness from these household chores, and this is the perfect “gentleman” trait. Nothing is impossible on this earth. This small step taken is capable of making a drastic change of things a lot in the long run and is inspiring for the upcoming generations. If the husband starts assisting his wife, all the workings becomes 10times easier, as the burden is not just on one in this case. Suppose, both the parents are working, the wife has to reach her office within a fixed time, she cannot head out before once she is done with family duties, or may even her child could be late for school. In this situation, the concept of being “late” is considered as unprofessional. Maybe she won’t be in a position to pack her own tiffin, which is so much wrongful. If she has her husband as an helping hand, she never has to sacrifice her time or food. Also, the child will also reach his school within a fixed time, really the best solution for any Family. The Child especially looks up to the Father as the Role Model. Not just for the wife, the male member can also do domestic tasks to help their parents, or sister or they can sit down to teach the child. There is no harm in doing something for the family, this will definitely strengthen the bond between all the members of a family.

Controlling Parents – A serious threat.

Parents are the role mode for any child, his primary support system. A parent is a person who guides his/her child and teaches him to be better in life. While a child faces any problems or difficulties in his life he deliberately runs to the parents for utmost care and love. Parents are the one whom a child looks up to. It is the duty of the parents to constantly motivate their children and make them learn social and moral values. Parent’s are the core of a child’s survival, child seeks blessings from their parent throughout. Parenting is a crucial phase of one’s life. Undoubtedly, a parent can make or break a child’s life. Improper parenting can result in the downfall of the carrier or personal life of the child. If the parenting isn’t implemented properly, there is the highest chance for the child to get self-centered i.e., becoming a spoiled brat. Too much care is certainly not necessary though, overdoing anything turns the whole situation toxic. It is mandatory to give freedom to their child, so that he never feels pressurized or overburdened. One of the foremost rule of parenting is to give the child a proper space, and treating him as another individual. In spite of the age of a person we all seek leisure, specially a child would love to spread his wings and fly, literally. This is the time for his growth and enrichment. He needs to get socialized, play outside, meet new friends, talk more, have fun, as this span of innocence is never going to come back later on. It is wrong to take away the freedom from him, in the name of restrictions.

Suppose, two kids are friends, one is having a scheduled time to talk to his peers over phone, and also studies for a fixed time, but for another kid has to study for the whole day, getting absolutely no fixed time. This is extremely wrong on the parent’s part. Due to not getting the time to open up, the child gets cooped up and his voice remains unnoticed. He has not got anyone to share his feelings with, no one listened to him, turning him to become narcissistic and egocentric. This type of Parenting is known as “Controlling Parents”. ‘All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy’ – we all have come across this line. A child should never feel threatened by their parents. If not given validations by the parents, this hurts the child making him more aggressive. To worsen the situation, just as the child grows up, he won’t be in a situation to listen to the parents anymore, out of fear, or would lie to the parents, which is worst, or will become extremely rude. The parents cannot deny the responsibility this time, as they have never allowed the child to bond with others. It is much difficult to believe that such a child would listen to the parent’s scolding and won’t protest against it. If he cannot share his problems like a friend with his parents, he will slowly get depressed and detached from his family, leading to him getting jealous of his peers. The parents can make up a routine for him to follow, scheduling timetables for studies and recreations as well. He can watch a movie, go to gym classes, pursue his passion, or go for some extra curricular activities according to his choice. It is a must for the working parents to take some time out and spend it with the child, or going for some entertainment together outside, this will strengthen the relationship and create dependence, which is beneficiary both ways. It is okay to scold a child for wrongdoing, but locking him in a room and not allowing him to go out and play, is inhuman. If the parents understand the logic that everyone needs some time for recreations, and it is healthier for the child’s mindset, the parents would be trustworthy enough, and would get a lot of respect from the child. It is then the duty of the child to look after the parents and show empathy, dedication and care towards them.

Harry potter – A must read

Harry Potter is a story of a young wizard who fought against the Dark Lord, Voldemort and defeated hs penned down by J.K Rowling. As we are growing up, we are accustomed with choosing to watch series over going through the main Novel. The Novel depicts the characters Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Wealsey played by Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint respectively showing the pure bond of friendship between the three. They stood strong, in spite of all the odds. The Genre for Harry Potter isn’t much specified, as it portrays Horror, Thriller, Drama, Romance, Friendship also Fantasy. While the series influenced the minds of youngsters a lot, this is for Good. There were 7 novels written Part by Part, starting with the Philosopher’s Stone (1997), Harry meets Hagrid, who came to take him away to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as ordered by Albus Dumbeldore, the Professor. He learns that his parents were killed by Lord Voldemort, but he somehow survived. Harry met his friends here and recognized his talents for Quiditch Game. He met Snape, the Potions master who disliked Harry a lot. the second novel was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998), Ginny, Ron’s sister finds out the Tom Riddle’s Diary, through which Voldemort possessed her, she opened the chamber of Secrets. Harry learns that he can speak Parseltongue, snake’s language, with help of which he entered in Chamber to kill Basilisk, the ancient monster. The third novel was Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Here Harry meets with Sirius Black, his father’s best friend who was a mass murderer, as stated by the Wizarding World, also Remus Lupin, a Defence of Dark Arts teacher, who was a warewolf by nature. Lupin taught harry a few Defences. The forth one was Goblet of Fire (2000), this is basically a tournament which was dangerous, for wining Triwizard’s Cup. He was mentored by Mad-eye-moody. Here, Voldemort tried to kill him by kills Cedric Diggory instead, another student of Hogwarts. The fifth book was Order of the Pheonix (2003), Ministry of Magic refuses to believe that Voldemort has returned, Harry and his friends form Dumbledore’s Army. Ministry appoints Dolores Umbridge, who turns the school into dictatorial regime. Harry had a face off against Voldemort’s followers, Series black dies in the conflict. The fifth novel was The Half Blood Prince (2005), Harry finds out, through a device that Voldemort has split his soul into pieces, and created a series of Horcruxes, hidden in various locations. Draco Malfoy, who was his classmate joined with the Death Eaters and attempted to kill the Professor, who was killed by Prof. Snape instead. The last novel Deathly Hollows (2007) was the final climax. These novels had attracted children a lot due to absurd creatures and magic elements present on, through there was a lot more to understand. How much positivity is incurred in Harry Potter, in spite of being such a young boy. The Wizarding world was related to the Fantasy world, having no practicality as such on its own and mostly based on imagination. According to Rowling, main was death, other than that there was Prejudice, Corruption and Madness. Novel also shows the angle of Harry’s cleverness and focus to remove all evils, whereas without his friends, he was nothing. He was all alone on his childhood, before he came to know his wizarding skills, and no one loved him as such, he was tortured by his Aunt’ Family. Harry potter has been one of the greatest Media Franchise of all times. Harry Potter became widely popular, for all age groups due to relativity. Like something we all face in our teenage, heartbreaks, betrayal, respect, loneliness and such feelings. Though, it is a fact that Positive energy conquers all sorts of negativity, how much powerful it is.

As for many, Prof. Snape was the real Hero of the series because he was exceptionally skilled, Wizard, who was extremely mocking and aloof was initially threat for the Wizards, Snape loved Harry’s mother, as shown later on through, was deeply attracted to Voldemort’s theories, who hated Muggles.

One Plus Nord : An Affordable Premium

Nowadays, we all are obsessed with Smartphones. We cannot imagine a life without it, that is for sure. Due to the Pandemic situation for Corona Virus, i.e., Covid 19, we all are stuck at our homes. As for most of us, we are participating in Group meetings, Virtual Classes, Work from Home or just for making a video call to our loved ones, or to drop a mail to the office. We all are engrossed in smartphones for Studies, Official Work or for Entertainment, for all the other aspects with the help of Smartphones. A Smartphones along with proper Internet Connectivity is a must nowadays. All we do is typing on our smartphones, also for Online Shopping this comes handy. Smartphones are a savior for us, right at this moment. We all cannot afford the Luxury I phones or something close to that, as because we are youngsters and do not earn so much, but we all dream to own a premium quality Handset. This is a sort of Fascination or a Trend revolving around today’s world and we cannot deny that. What if we want a Beautiful camera or better resolution in a much more affordable form? The easiest option is to buy A One Plus Node, much cheaper in rate than a Premium Smartphone. One Plus Nord is an android based Smartphone, which will be launched as on 21st July, 2020s. It will be available in India, off course, also in Europe, Malaysia and in some parts of Hong Kong. Slogan for the One Plus Nord Smartphone is, ‘Pretty much anything you could have asked for’. According to Gadgets Now, that is India’s No 1 Tech news site, One Plus Nord is described as it:

1) Camera: One Plus Nord comes with a quad-camera setup that includes a 48MP Sony IMX586, primary camera, and 8 MP ultra-wide-angle lens. On the front, the phone will feature a deal punch hole camera that will include a 32 MP main sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide.

2) Design and Specifications: OnePlus Nord will have a curvy glass back with a vertically aligned quad-cam set up that will be on its top right corner. While the alert sider is shifted to right edge, just above power button. Weight – around 185 grams.

The new entrant is expected to run Android 10 with Oxygen OS on top. It will have a 6.4inch Full-HD+ AMOLED Touch screen display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. One Plus Nord is one of the first few phones to launch in India having an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC processor, coupled with up to 12GB of RAM.

3) Battery and Color Options: OnePlus Nord is expected to support 4115mAh battery, can back up to 30W Warp Fast Charging. This is available in three color options like Gray Ash, Blue Marble and Gray onyx.

4) Storage Options: OnePlus Nord is available in three different storage variations – 6GB RAM + 128GB internal storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB internal storage, available at several costs.

OnePlus Nord smartphone price in India is around Rs 24,999. A Survey would be done in which these smart phones will be given for usage to 50 chosen people for a review in US and Canada, the best part is reviewers can keep these phone, depending on the situation. This is a form of Marketing Strategy. One Plus Nord is founded by Pete Lau Carl Pei, and area served is worldwide. There’s a slight difference to OnePlus Nord models sold in India, versus other countries in respect to5G. This is an opportunity to experience something brand new and OnePlus Nord is the Flag Bearer of an affordable premium. Games like Pubg can be played in big screen and HDR video is streamed using YouTube and Netflix. This whole thing is pretty much hyped up and a lot of people are extremely excited to try this model out. It is free from any competitors as such, no companies haven’t made a 5g ready phone yet in such an affordable range under 50,000. This states that One Plus Nord is indeed in a much better position.

Happy Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated as on the full moon Hindu month of Shravana ( Shravana Purnima ) or around July or August every year. This day is celebrated to mark the bond between brothers and sisters. The Expression “Raksha Bandhan” in Sanskrit literally means the bond of ‘Protection, Obligation or Care”. The Sister ties a sacred thread on wrists of the brothers, named as “Rakhi”. Also, the sister prays to God that may his brother stays in high spirits and healthy forever. This is a custom which is being followed for so many years, till date. This is a day for celebration or happiness for all the brothers and sisters across the world. Whether he is a cousin, or a sibling, or someone known, the sister will wait for his day to tie the thread. We also form bondings with someone whom we meet by travelling, or seniors in our office or schools, they also uplifts us so much with heir brotherly instinct. Actually, this is a ritual which depicts the protection of brothers from all the evils and odds, simultaneously brothers also plays the role of Savior after the demise of her father or her husband. Sisters have an immense respect for their brothers, so this “Raksha Bandhan” celebrates the connection of Brotherhood and Sisterhood. Gift plays a very important part in this ceremony. It isn’t about the gift actually but just the soulful connection between them, as sisters tend to demand a lot and throw all the childish tantrums to their brothers only. A sister blesses the younger brother for her well being and prays for his successful life. No Raksha Bandhan is ever complete without a gift In return of the Rakhi, the brother especially pays a sum of money or gives presents to the sisters as a token of appreciation. This attachment stays on for Lifelong. “Raksha Bandhan” signifies togetherness between brothers and sisters. The term ‘Raksha’ signifies Protection and ‘Bandhan’ signifies the Bond. Rakhi is tied on the wrists of Brothers to show care and affection for him. Lets find out the History behind his celebration and how it actually started.

According to the ancient mythology, it has been stated that In Mahabharata, Lord Krishna shared a brotherly relationship with Queen Draupadi, she considered Lord Krishna as her brother. For the protection of Dharma on the Earth, he killed Sishupal, while doing so he accidentally has hurt his finger and it was bleeding very badly, Draupadi could not tolerate this and she had torn a strip from her saree and tiedit on the Finger of Lord Krishna. Amused by her behavior, Lord Krishna promised to protect her from all odds and be by her side forever, which he did so as well later on. Another popular evidence regarding Rakhi is between Rani Karnawati and Emperor Humayun, In medieval era, Rajputs were busy protecting their territories from Muslim attacks. raksha Bandhan that time meant that the priority of the brothers is to foresee the security of their sisters. Rani Karnawati was the widowed wife of a King of Chittor, she got to understand that she cannot protect her Kingdom from Sultan Bahadur Shah’s invasion, hence she sent a Rakhi thread to Emperor Humayun, he was deeply moved by the gesture and started off to Chittor for saving her. The Great Poet Shri. RabindranathTahore used the concept of brotherhood, togetherness and thread o “Rakhi” as a medium to protect against British Partition Policy to prevail harmony between two communities. A Brother from very childhood keeps guiding the sister, by supporting her in studies by sharing important views for her carrier, also the sisters are the source of inspiration for their Brothers. We eventually learn a lot from our brothers, as he shoulders a lot of responsibilities after the demise of Father, he becomes the decision maker of the family. In “Raksha Bandhan” Ceremony, the Brother promises to bless her no matter what and also to protect her. Hence all the sisters are immensely grateful to their brothers for all the help and support. Nowadays, the Sisters also tie Rakhi on another sister’s hand to show affection. This day, make a video call to your brother or write a letter, expressing your appreciation to him if you cannot meet him personally, just to let the brother know that you love him and still stand by him.

Source – Wikipedia

Improving Communication Skills

Communication is the core of a Personality. Having a good communication skill can change your life instantly. What makes us actually attractive and impressive, is our Communication Skill. We say, “First impression is the last impression”. How can you even make a proper impact without proper communication skills? The trick to make a person listen to you and get your points clearly is by showing him that you have immense control on your communication skills. Without this you cannot be a complete achiever, in spite of having all the good qualities you cannot move forward because of not having the best rapport. Whether you are in front of your teacher or an interviewer, your communication skill is the reflection of your capability. You should be sure of what you wish to speak or how much to speak, you cannot let down your opinion just for the reason of not having effective communication Skills. Here are few tips to enhance your communication skill –

1) Choosing a Language – While conversing with someone, it is indeed the best option to use the language you feel comfortable in. Choosing any other language, which you have a little difficulty in speaking, just to make yourself look cool won’t help you much in the long run. The Interviewer is an experienced person and will get a clear idea that you do not know much about that language giving a wrong image, hence to avoid that, start speaking in the language you know better. Just because any one else is choosing a different language, do not go preach for that. If any specific language is mentioned that you have to opt for that particular language to communicate verbally, you certainly have no choice here. Else, if possible choosing the language you had great command on.

2) Speaking Techniques – You simply do not have enough time to think, translate and speak. Even if you do it in your mind, you won’t be fast enough to speak. While an Official is taking an interview or a teacher asking viva is questioning a lot of others, including you or even more qualified than you. So, you have to make your opinions crystal clear and crisp. Change the game by being direct enough, respectfully having supreme control on the way you are speaking and an abundance of knowledge over the points you have to explain or discuss with.

3) Short and Sweet – No One likes to hear a lot of rantings while conversing, listener is going to get bored or tired very soon. He needs simple answers, not much hard or tricks words. If you genuinely want to contradict a point or raise a question, do it politely. Let the other person speak, let him finish his sentences. It is a strictly No to interrupt in between or speaking in between lines, give small gaps, maintain the eye contact to give a picture that you are listening to the topic and glad to be the part of discussion. Just how to talk to someone known, carry the same attitude while interacting with someone else, always.

4) Vocabulary – Having a good stock of words is absolutely necessary. Do not use any word you do not know the meaning of and you are confused. Choice of word is very important – keep this in your mind. Choose the right word and apply it nicely. Do not repeat the words. Know the basics, or learn about them, like how to start the conversation, how to end it up. Just we write down in a letter or mail, few etiquettes are to be followed here as well. You should have a decency in speaking and should observe more. Also, body language plays a very important look in Communication Skills.

5) Learning more – There is no better way to enrich your stocks of words other than learning more about it. Watch movies, seek the inner meanings of the dialogues, take notes, write it down, write a diary, read newspapers, novels, check out interviews of renowned personalities, read any other book of interest, go through dictionary, find out words and write their antonyms and synonyms. You can also start practicing to speak in English as this language is much admired worldwide and known by a lot of people, also it comes lot handy in competitive exams as the 1st language for most of these Exams are mentioned as in English.

Emoji

Emoji – This term speaks a lot for itself. Emoji depicts pictography, there is an uncanny similarity between the English words “Emoji” and “Emotions”. Emoji is especially used by the youngsters as they haven’t got much time to write a lot and they tend to make it more fun. Emotions can be expressed through these cute and humorous emojis. Emojis are only available in smart phones and very rarely on feature phones. In today’s life, we cannot imagine an “Emoji” less world. It is a must have for we youngsters. Earlier we used Smileys which was a most simplified version of Emojis where punctuation marks were used like full stop, semi colon, exclamation marks etc. Emoji is basically the faces which shows several sentiments. This makes the online conversation much more funnier and easier, not having to type lengthy texts while you are texting someone else. Every year we celebrate World Emoji Day, as on 17th July every year. This is the modern world where chatting is becoming must to carry on day to day activities and for entertainment. Emoji is everyone’s best friend. What we cannot say through a call or even through texting, we can just do it by dropping an emoji. It is a much subtle way to reveal the sentiments without overdoing anything. Sending emoji is a casual and informal way, and is not something dignified or professional. We were certainly very fond of smiley, we repeatedly used to send those smiley to each other. Emojis are more modern way of Smiley, having a lot more varieties. There are happy emojis, sad emojis, exclamatory emojis, angry emojis, also there are flags of other countries, furniture, foods, we have all in our smartphones. Emojis can be tricky sometimes, when used sarcastically, if a person sends a text and an emoji just opposite to it, this signifies mockery. Emojis come handy as to text a friend or in groups. As because we are so deeply engrossed into social networking sites like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, it is not always possible to write long texts in an informal conversation more than one at a time, usage of emojis makes it faster and easier. Emojis are also handy to use when you are certainly not in a mood to text or chat, just want to end it up without being rude. It is also used to freshen the mood and make it more entertaining. There are several kinds of laughter Emojis. Emojis like casual smile, fun, extremely happy, laughing in tears, laughing heartily as we normal humans do. While in a call you can guess a person’s nature of behavior, but through emojis you cannot very easily get hold of his conduct or instincts, When we are extremely busy and we have to reply and cannot offend the other person, few emojis will easily sort the matter out. Emoji can be helpful during sadness, as it is difficult to express these feelings very easily. Emojis are also relatable for a birthday wish, as it is a more decent and fair way to show joviality, or to wish for any festivities to the close ones. Many people who cannot type or on keypads can henceforth use emojis to express themselves. Emojis are very efficient aspects to use while a person is busy in work or while travelling. Emojis speak a lot more than mere words, what words cannot express, emojis can.

However, a person can understand emojis wrongfully, if it is sent on a hurried note, the person receiving it shall think that emoji is a sign of an ignorant attitude. While texting, imagine you by mistake send a wrong emoji to the recipient, and there is no possibility of correcting it out, like sending any unsuitable emoji to an elderly person or a much younger person, it is very disrespectful on your part. There are various emojis of sports, fruits, veggies and is so much impactful while conversing. No body likes to type lengthy messages or unwanted chatting, also if we are not having the time to type texts separately we can just forward the emoji and the work is done. Without emojis an important part of our life such as chatting which is essential by all means, for official purpose or family group or with friends, it would become much boring and we will start feeling lethargic real soon. Improper usage of emojis can break the conversation even. There are several emojis on our smartphones as gifts to express gratitude and thankfulness.

Coronavirus Family vs Humans

Corona virus or Covid 19 has conferred all of us at homes. Words such as ‘Lockdown’, Shutdown’, ‘Isolation’ we have cam across in History Books, is a harsh reality for the world today indeed. Corona Virus has created a havoc worldwide, Especially for the old aged community of people. It is not allowed to shake hands or give a warm hug when you meet or greet someone. Covid 19 has made our lives much more difficult and less happening. A situation of Pandemic has been created by this disease named as Covid 19, as declared by World Health Organization. The symptoms for this disease are cough, sore throat, feeling lethargic, fever just common symptoms for a normal flu, but the strangest part is that it can cause even a loss of life. While it has been strictly declared by the Government that going out and making an crowd isn’t safe but some reckless and desperate people won’t care to follow them. They should know that many rules has been made not just for their own safety, but also to ensure the safety of their loved ones. It should be realized that these steps are taken for our awareness on safety. We are human being, superior to all other creatures so we don’t easily until something really dangerous happens to us. We shall abide by the rules and regulations of the Government and make stuffs like marks, hand gloves, sanitizers the most crucial part of our lives. We shall maintain proper hygiene while travelling by public transport till reaching to a public place and should ensure social distancing. Social distancing means maintaining at least 6feet distance from on other to avoid physical contact. We should also use masks to protect ourselves from the dust and be less prone to viruses outside our homes. Sanitizers are a must have before touching any stuffs also, sprays are also available. Wearing a mask won’t harm anyone but not wearing a mask would surely do. Hands should be sanitized well before eating or drinking anything. Sanitization in all the public places are mandatory. Maintaining personal stuff and washing them properly after every uses shall keep us away from any viruses. Self Quarantining is absolutely essential for a Covid positive Patient for lowering the chance of spreading. We should take proper vitamins and minerals to create that hard immunity which is deliberately needed and must have to fight with the corona family to keep the human race intact. A person having progressive mindset should understand the urgency of the situation and hence act accordingly. He should not go out without having any important reason. It is our duty to give mental support to corona positive patients and treat them with utmost care sot they get the motivation to fight back this deadly disease. If possible, more companies shall take up the initiative to make the employees work from home, to avoid gatherings or official meetings shall be conducted on video calls. Technology should be used more often in this condition and manual works shall be excluded. We should be careful enough not to sneeze or cough openly. We should also refrain ourselves from talking to others or touching anyone without a mask or proper sanitization. Spending a lot more time at home with the family will normalize the situation lot more and would relieve stress and cut down the negative feelings. We all need the constant support of family in this crucial times. The best part we all can do is to educate or acknowledge others about the seriousness of this matter and so they will stop taking human lives as a practical joke. Carelessness is the main drawback of struggling with a pandemic situation as thousands of people are dying everyday because of being not aware enough. Corona virus family will surely leave us someday, if we follow the principles prescribed by the doctors. We should not gather together like we used to do, just to combat the disease. If each and every people starts having this self consciousness we can get rid of Corona virus very soon.

Feature phone: A thing of the Past

Phones are an integral part of our everyday life. We cannot imagine an hour without our mobile phones. Mobile phones connected the entire world together. In case of an emergency or a free chitchat, we just need to make a call or drop a text message. As because we are so deeply involved in mobile phones right from the mornings till going to bed at night. Mobile phones were invented on April 3rd, 1973, Martin cooper made the first mobile telephone call from Handheld subscriber equipment, he called Dr. Joel Engel of Bell Lab, his Rival. He was a Motorola researcher and executive, Motorola was the first company to produce handheld mobile phones. What we see today is a much modified version of Mobile Phones. These days, the kids just have the Idea about smartphones and how it works. Without internet connectivity life for them is clueless. Smart phones supports 5g nowadays which has almost no disruption, was a dream long back. Either we just had 2g or 3g connectivity which was extremely slow. But initially, such was not the case. Primarily, feature phones came into market and gained wide popularity. This phones had a smaller screen, a keypad and not a touch pad. These phones were largely efficient for quick calling or dropping a message. Social media services like Face Book, Instagram, WhatsApp e t c came into being as Smartphones made it much more accessible due to its touch facilities. The technicalities about feature phones were simply and easy to use. Lot of elderly people uses Smartphones nowadays, making Feature Phones a thing of the past. Feature phones were easier to carry around but had a disadvantage that we had to press the buttons a lot more, damaging the key pad. Feature phones were less convenient as compared to Smartphones and hence termed as Backdated. People need faster and swift options for better living. Official works such as mail checking or video calling weren’t possible on Feature phones. Just as the Gallery of Smart phones supports a lot more pictures, because of the high quality camera, such was not possible during the times of Feature phones. Feature phones thus lacked a lot of speediness. We often do a lot of online shopping nowadays, cannot even imagine of going out because of our busy schedules, strangely this was not possible in the context of Feature phones. Feature phone supported a lot less games as it didn’t had a play store to download more games. Though many feature phones had facilities of Music. Feature phone those had a lot of usage still as because we human being always opt something modern with lot more technicalities and infrastructure. The Mobile Companies always seeks to launch a new product with more and more features in order to help people. Also, mostly many keeps mobile as a thing of premium and is ready to spend a lot of money for it. The companies understood this and hence adopted this as a marketing techniques. A lot of promotional activities are also involved in this business, also many other companies collaborate or invest a lot of money for upgrading this market. The mobile companies launches these phones for all over the world, though we also have Indian companies for production of Mobile Phones as well. Many companies bought Feature Phones in to play like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola etc. Smartphones uses systems like Android, Windows, Symbian Operating System. Earlier times, Smartphones were a luxury only richer categories could afford them as those were much more costlier. After, telephones which cannot be carried on from one place to another became a history. Feature phone had a huge sale due to its features. As compared to smartphones, the Features of Feature phones are almost nil. The poorer sections of India especially still use Feature phones. Feature phones is a story for most people now, though it is a reality for those few who use them yet.

Domestic Violence

Firstly, we have to understand that Parents are not Gods, they are also human beings, we all are flawed in various aspects. Just because the fact that they are “parents” or “older than us”, does not justify everything. It is wrong on their parts as well if they go violent on one another. Maturity depends on the kinds of work you do or your mental stability in life, not anything else. No man is perfect on the earth, whether being the father or the mother. There is absolutely no concept like Perfection. If they do not care of the feelings or unable to guess the traumatic experience the child goes through, the whole idea of worshipping Parents and accepting their unnecessarily rude behavior isn’t correct on the child’s parts as well. Parents are not free from all sorts of punishment if they commit Domestic Violence. Parents can be undignified or lack morality in certain cases if they aren’t having a normal mindset. A person reaching the age of adulthood doesn’t mean he holds values, a literate and educated person shall also be involved into domestic violence, without any concrete cause or basics. Home is a sweet place where harmony and peace shall prevail. Domestic violence is a punishable offence. The Protection of Woman from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, this is a civil Law which includes Physical, Emotional, Sexual, Verbal, Economic abuse as Domestic Violence. is enacted by the Parliament of India. It was bought into force by Indian Government from 26th October, 2006. Domestic Violence is toxic and impacts the mind of children a lot. Violence is basically the practice of abusing or torturing a family member member especially the companion either physically or mentally. This is so distractive for all the members of the family and surroundings also. Domestic violence can be for various reasons. When a person attacks on his family members, it is against the Law and disrupts the whole healthy atmosphere. This violence especially happens for a longer span of time and is mostly incurable. This person can be very jovial and happy person on the outside, but at home he fights or beats his family creating harassments. He certainly has no control over his anger, emotions and is desperate in nature. Maybe he has experienced the same in family which he is practicing now. He even tends to hurt his wife or kids by brutally beating them up. This person can also be alcoholic by nature. The person who is going through all the hate or harassment find it difficult to lodge a complaint by fear of society. It is easier said than done. The toxic person keeps on screaming or shouting, also using filthy languages at the top of his voice. this not only toxics the family but the surroundings as well which is embarrassing. A child who grows up in such a family has a hard time coping up with the situation as this is not a normalized behavior. He thinks he isn’t privileged enough like his friend’s happy family is. He grows up to be arrogant and short tempered. His reckless and selfish nature is basically the result of the domestic violence faced by him. The child can also choose to change the whole circumstances by preparing himself for the best and making himself capable of taking the charge of his family. This is the only way he can adopt to change his present situation. Not by repeating the same mistakes his parents did whereas focusing in achieving a lot more and better. Mostly, the Women are victims of Domestic Violence. There has been several cases on torturing on wives after marriage due to money, even killing them which is a heinous crime. A lot of women dies every year in the hands of Husbands or in Laws unfairly.

According to a National Family and Health Survey in 2005, total lifetime prevalence of Domestic Violence was 33.5 percent and 8.5 percent for sexual violence amongst women aged 15-49. A 2014 study in Lancet reports that although the reported sexual violence rate in India is among the lowest in the world, the large population of India means violence affects 27.5 million women over their lifetimes. a Survey carried out by Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked India as most dangerous country in the world for Woman.

Happy Friendship Day

“A friend in need is a friend indeed” – We all grew up listening to this line repetitively. From very childhood, when a baby learns about his family and relatives, the very next thing he comes to know about is Friendship. If Family is the beginning step of one’s life; Friendship is the secondary step. Friendship largely impact one’s life. Just as family teaches the moral value, Friendship teaches the social values. Friendship Day is celebrated on 30th July every year worldwide whereas, we Indians usually celebrate the Friendship Day as on 1st Sunday of the August month. Primarily, when that kid starts going to school, he meets several new children of his age and instantly develops a connection. This sacred bond is known as Friendship. When two kids are like-minded, they talk a lot and hence get really attached resulting in devotion towards each other. This connection entirely comes from the heart and not from anywhere else. Two person cannot forcefully be friends till they don’t develop the connection mutually. Friendships mostly forms between two or more peers i.e., classmates as this essence stays on for a long period of school life. Friends tend to play together indoor and outdoor sports. They discuss about various matters like news, sports, cinema etc. Friends go off to cinema halls, excursions together also visits each other’s houses. They also supports each other at difficult times. Friends can only match up with the enthusiastic nature of one another. Friends also help each other with studies and homework. Friends are punished together for any mischief caused by them. These are some innocent naughtiness which are harmless and is remembered later on as a part of nostalgia later on after school. Every person needs friends in their lives. A child can feel difficulty in conversing with their parents due to the age gap. The child henceforth shares all the complications and problems with the friends as because they won’t judge as like the parents do. The generation gap thing here is excluded. The friends are best companions at the time when a child is facing any confusion or is reluctant to take new decision for life. True friends do it out of selflessness. Here ‘True’ friends means the best ones who would motivate you to be good and stay by your side. There are many such people who will compete with you, or get jealous and will secretly bring you down. You need to be aware of them. Your friends understand you a lot better because they shares the same learnings. A good friend would never let you down and as a companion or partner in crimes, he would stay by no matter what. Friends get to know all your secrets and also makes fun of them. Friends never allows you to get depressed or hurt. you get to enjoy your life along with your friends, by going out to various places, exploring sight scenes, eating out together, having fun etc. Giving exams together is also an important part of life.

Friends can also ruin your life, as it makes or breaks a person. A good company would ensure a better living whereas a bad company would force you to have several wrong habits which would harm your body in the most negative way. This will result in failure in fact, end of carrier or life. Choosing the better company is important indeed. Many people suffers due to a mistake of choosing wrong friends for life. They can drag you into drugs or illegal crimes, if not taken care of.

As we grow up, there is no scope for re bonding with the lost friends once again without special meet ups, because during college life you focus more on studies or carrier and not having so much fun. College life is mainly meant to prepare your self for the future hence, it requires much more responsibilities and seriousness. During college we do not get enough time to watch a movie or eat out together as we used to do in school canteens. In college one mostly has a only few friends. Later, during jobs, a person has just a handful of friends and colleagues. Friendship Day shall be enjoyed in the name of old and golden friends.

Social Media Good or Bad?

Well before i start this article, let me mention to you that this is just my point of view on the current situation.We all know the rapid growth of Social media in the today’s world.We have so many platforms like Faccebook,Instagram,Twitter etc.I’d like talk about the good and bad about Social Media.

Advantages:

1.It is a platform where we can convey our messages immediately.It is definitely a boon when it comes to this because when you consider the period 50years ago,the major communication medium that was used were the letters but the major drawback of it was that it was time consuming and the message to be sent was delayed.Well not anymore.

2.People who lived away from their family can virtually meet them through video calls .

3.There are many platforms where we are free to share our views ,our photos and our videos.Things get viral in no time in today’s world.It’s immediately brought to notice to people who later give justice to the case.

4.Online shopping is one of the most trending social media platforms now in this pandemic .It is very easy for us to just order anything online and in no time we have it on our doorstep.

Disadvantages

1.Online bullying has become worse case scenario nowadays.Young people are a trap fro this.Many of them comment or state statements which hurts the others feelings.There are cases where online bullying has led to crimes like suicide and murders.

2.Online predators are increasing everyday ,teenagers are a prey for it.These predators sexually assault them online and cause harm to the mental health of the young minds.

3.Everyone is getting addicted to it. We are making social media a bane for ourselves by over using it .We are forgetting the value of relationships and rather worry about the virtual relationship ,we are spending less time with family and more on being online.

4.We depend on the social media and make less use of our minds for example when a small boy is given a math problem he immediately googles it instead of spending some time to think about it.

I would like to conclude by saying that we have to be alert in whatever steps we take and not depend on something which might result in harming us.During the lockdown we literally spend horse on social media instead we could just spend some time with our family and also spend time in exercising and keep our mental and physical health stable.

Let’s just say that social media is a boon to people, who make use of it, in a right way, and a bane to people who just want to fool around. But we must be careful and not get tangled in the dangerous web of social media evils. We must use social media carefully and make it an advantage to us. The more we restrict someone from using social media, the more they get curious about it and end up getting caught in its evil web. So it’s better to let them use it carefully and find out more about the same.

Maladaptive Daydreaming

Daydreaming can be fun, harmless and beneficial but, not at all times. Growing up we’ve all day dreamed about a past event that took place in our life, or a future scenario, we wish that could take place. It’s all fun and happening if we can control it , if we don’t end up spending our entire time imaging them or if that does not disrupt our daily lives. But when someone keeps daydreaming excessively and cannot control them and this leads to them always being distracted from what they are required to do ,then that is a serious issue and is called Maladaptive Daydreaming.

Most of the time, our daydreaming is voluntary, that is, we can control it and stop it whenever we want to, but sometimes it becomes excessive and tricky and we often find it difficult to concentrate on our real lives. If you have anxiety, then you think about every possible negative scenario, that can take place. Say for example, you have a class presentation, you start worrying and start daydreaming about how the presentation can go wrong. You often overthink something and start imagining awful stuff. Say like, you start imagining about, getting under a bus or falling from the terrace etc. People with depression end up daydreaming about every possible depressing scenario.

Some people say that daydreaming is a form of escapism. This is not bad, but avoiding any situation can only make it bigger and worser, so it’s better to face problems, than avoid them. It’s our brain’s way of protecting us from stress and pain. It’s however possible that playing a sad scenario in your mind is just normal and not Maladaptive Daydreaming. Research says that people with this disorder end up spending at least 60% of their waking hours daydreaming and disconnecting themselves from the real world. People have often been fired from their jobs because they were often found daydreaming, this has affected a lot of people in a negative way.

Symptoms of Maladaptive Daydreaming:-

The quality of the daydreams are very high and vivid.
They are abnormally long.
They become hard to escape and return to the real world.
Daydreaming is triggered by an external event such as watching a movie or listening to music.
They cause insomnia.
There are certain unconscious movements while daydreaming.

We can stop this by getting proper sleep, increase the amouyand the quality of your sleep. Keep someone informed about your symptoms, so that they can help you when you abnormally day dream for a longer period of time. Identifying the triggers and avoiding them can really be helpful and talking to a therapist about this would help you feel better. This is a serious disorder as it ruptures your mental health and you start avoiding the real world and spend more time in your imaginary world. But don’t freak out after reading this because I did too, it’s common for us to daydream, all of us do, but ensure that you can control it and it doesn’t disrupt your normal real life.

Body shaming: How ignorant are we?

Discriminating or criticizing someone for their physical appearance is called body shaming. How often do all of us face it?. We almost face it very often but we have become immune to such comments. Is this right? Well in some cases it is right to lock out the negativity of life, but in the long run we cannot choose to ignore them, we must take a stand for ourselves and others and tell the shamers that they are wrong. Society has some norms of how one must look, anything more or less will attract attention and unwanted advice.

We see a lot of advertisements for weight loss, it’s not wrong to feel that you wanna lose weight, but the problem is that the advertisements are so disrespectful, they make chubby people look like they’re diseased.

Have you noticed that a lot of sitcoms use chubby people always as side-kicks and constantly crack jokes on their weight? Don’t you feel disgusted to laugh at these jokes? But let me tell you something, even chubby people sometimes end up laughing not understanding the insulating sitcom. This is how society and it’s unwanted norms have made people do. This society should rather work on making people feel awesome the way they are. We are often told that changing your appearance would help or wearing some loose clothes will not show those extra inches or should cut on some food. There is a clear difference between people who genuinely care for you, and people who fake concern, just to thrash you down.

Body shaming manifests in three ways:-

Criticizing yourself:- You often compare yourself with others, the way they dress up or how their body shape is often makes you feel insecure. You want your body to be like the other person’s body, this often leads to lack of self love and self confidence. You start to hate every part of you bit by bit.
Criticizing another person’s appearance in front of them:- You often tend to hurt or insult someone’s appearance directly. You make certain derogatory remarks about them on their face like how they might not end up having a boyfriend because of their weight. This is really demeaning, as this can break them down and make them feel worthless.
Criticizing about a person to a third party:- You often comment about someone’s appearance or looks, to another person. You start making derogatory remarks about that person to someone else. This can also seriously affect the person if they get to know about this through a third person. You start commenting and making remarks such as:- ‘look at how fat her thighs are she needs to dress up more accordingly and stop wearing tight clothes’.

Body shaming should be stopped, people have the right to choose the way they wanna look and sometimes people don’t get to choose the way they wanna look. So we must stop being judgemental about them and help them love themselves. Encourage them and bring their self confidence higher than it can reach.

Personal Racism

We’ve all heard about racism, it is not something unheard of, but let’s put racism as ‘ Discriminating a person or group of people on the grounds of skin colour, ethnicity or even culture. ‘ Personal racism is the same, but the people to do so, are your own friends and family. Haven’t you seen people making fun of a person from the eastern side of India by calling them a ‘ Chinese’ or ‘Nepalese’ ? , Instead of correcting them, a lot of us have laughed it off. Let’s take another example, Indian parents often tell their own children, to use different facial creams or products for skin lightening. Why?, Because they feel that being dark is something to be ashamed of.

Let me tell you my story, of the racism I faced , based on my skin tone. Growing up as a child with a darker skin tone, a lot of my relatives would ask my mother to change the skin product she usually gives me or change my diet. This utterly broke me down, I grew up with no self esteem and confidence. I would feel ashamed walking through the school gate or any public places. I would hide behind my mother and not let go of her. I was good at dancing during my school days, but no one even cared to take me in or even if they did, I would be placed behind someone in the last. There was no end to my silent wails because I did not want to constantly trouble anyone with my problems. One fine day I got selected for a dance and was even given a good position, on the day of the program I reached the school super excited, the teacher did all of our make-up and that’s when I realised they used the lighter make-up products for everyone and I looked like a disaster, I started tearing up when all of a sudden a teacher told me ” Why don’t you use some fairness cream ? You’ll start looking pretty just like the others”, do you know how much it broke my heart? I was just 10. I can say to you all that I have never faced racism outside, but I have faced it within my peers and family.

Today I’m in college, but personal racism never left me. I’ve been mocked and made fun of my colour and when I get offended, it’s so easy for everyone to say that, I need to calm down as it was just a joke. But no, it’s not a joke for a person who’s broken by racism, who was not given equal opportunities as the others, because of racism. It can be fun to you, but not for the person who’s facing it. So let’s all be nice to each other and not mock someone for something they don’t deserve to be made fun of. It’s not an imperfection, as they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Tomorrow when you see your friends mocking your other friends or a stranger about their skin tone, don’t laugh it off, stand up and tell them they’re wrong and tell them why they shouldn’t bring a person’s self esteem down. You never know what you will face tomorrow, so let’s all help each other live a better life.

Loving is a human right

We live in a world filled with diverse culture, people and values. What you might find attractive is not attractive to another person. If you look into the history of every country, you will find that every person on this planet had a battle of their own, be it fight for equality or humanity. Indians fought for freedom and against oppression of the downtrodden, Americans fought for the oppression of the coloured people. But during these times there were people who chose love over power or love over anything else. We should not forget a lot of whites supported the coloured people, a lot of Britishers helped Indians. They chose to love when they were given a chance to rule. There are certain things that can never be taught, it has to be experienced. People fought for respect, respect for their religion, sexuality or culture. Even till today, a lot of Muslims are looked upon as terrorists, Christians are looked like they do every good deed, for the sake of conversion and Hindus are laughed at, their culture. Why do we choose to hate people from another religion, when your own religion and your scriptures keep teaching you to love. Aren’t you just negating your own beliefs? The next time a religious person spreads hate, you tell them on their face, that they don’t belong to any religion. Religion teaches love not hatred. Atheists are no exceptions, just because they don’t believe in God, that does not give them a right to hate.

Let’s talk about sexual orientation. People have the right to live the way they want, if you being a girl choose to love a boy is right, so does a boy who falls in love with another boy. Ultimately all we do is love. You can never restrict love. You cannot choose to love a person it chooses for itself. Let’s consider an example, how many of you know what’s k-pop? If you don’t, then stop, and then go check k-pop out. Boys’ in a k-pop boy band are usually referred to as ‘gays’, they mean it in a very disrespectful way. The term ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ or ‘transgender’ is used as a derogatory term. I don’t understand how, people can hate when we don’t have enough time to love. Our life is too short to hate and bully people, we need to spread love. Animals have the right to be loved, animals of every kind, even a snake or a lizard, they deserve love and we can give it to them. As human beings, we don’t understand the privilege we have to walk, talk, think, act and love the way we can. I bet animals would have done a better job in loving and making this place a better one to live , if they get to replace us. Let no one stop you and limit your love, love anything and everything you want. You just have one life to love and time’s running, so chase happiness and not success. Don’t forget , there are so many of them out there, craving for some love, and you have it, so just give it to them. Love is the only thing in this universe, which starts increasing, as you start giving it out.

Grit: How Mental toughness matters?

Grit is the perseverance and determination to achieve one’s long term goals in life. Grit is also called mental toughness. Grit, is our key to success and self confidence. It becomes more important than our IQ itself. Grit requires, strong passion for doing things, even if things get boring, tiring and frustrating, they wouldn’t give up on their dreams, because of their passion for it. Have you ever wondered why the kid in school who was always the intelligent one or the teacher’s pet or an all-rounder, ended not becoming successful in their careers? It was because of the lack of grit. Grit does much more than intelligence or IQ does to a human being. Grit gives us the extra push we need to achieve something in life. Grit is the ability to persevere even when you face obstacles or fail, it is the ability to work harder, in order to achieve your goals. This is the reason, you find that students who were once failing in school, are very successful in their lives, this is because of their mental toughness, to not give up after failing, and to keep working hard, until they achieve it.

Importance of grit:-

Grit can make you hard working. It can make you committed to your work, so that you stick with it until the end. Grit is the driver of both intelligence and talent, so talent without grit or intelligence without grit is equal to a vehicle without fuel that helps it work. Some people are born talented or born smart but without enough grit in life they can never become successful or achieve their goals. Only grit can transform intelligence and talent into a skill that paves your way to success. Grit helps you overcome failure easily. It helps you do extra always, like run an extra round during your exercise sessions, or do extra research on your homework.

There are some basic characteristics of grit, they are:-

● Staying strong and overcoming your pain and fear:- A lot of people are way more courageous than they think they are. We need to overcome our fear of failing, a child overcomes it’s fear of starting the first day at school, entrepreneurs overcome their fear of failing when they have to start a new business. Grit helps us overcome them and achieve success in life.

● Staying committed and positive always:- Have you noticed how determined businessmen are ?. If they won’t be resilient and determined, then they will lose, as there is a lot of cut throat competition in the world of business. We must also be confident and always committed in achieving our goals to be successful.

● Staying put in order to achieve goals:- Nothing in this world is easily achieved, everything requires hard work, commitment and confidence. Everyone faces failure in life, but a person with grit will always endure the pain, and overcome the failure and try again. If we don’t stick with our goals and try again, we will never achieve them. Grit is a very important aspect of life that is often neglected. People always strive to

be intelligent and talented, but fail to realise that it’s ultimately the grit that brings them success.

Karnataka, one State many worlds

Karnataka is a beautiful land of culture, art and a wide landscape. It extends from Belgaum in the north all the way to Bangalore down the south. It is a land with a rich cultural heritage. It is famous for its serene beaches, tasty food and amazing monuments and historical artifacts. The native language of Karnataka is Kannada, but you find people right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, who’ve made Karnataka their home. You find people from all the religions here as well. This Southern state of India is surrounded by different states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh , Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra. It is also surrounded by the Arabian sea. It ranks second in housing famous monuments in India. It is also famous for its hill stations and beautiful palaces. Bangalore is its capital situated towards the south. There are a lot of tourist attractions in Karnataka that you shouldn’t miss at any cost. There are a lot of palaces, waterfalls, dams , temples, mosques and churches which are a sight to behold. I have curated a few of the most beautiful and amazing places, which you should know about.

1. Mysore palace:- It is the major attraction of the Mysore City, which is also called the

city of palaces. The detailed carvings on it’s pillars and the beautiful hand sculpting is a delight to everyone’s eyes. Only mobile photography is allowed inside the palace, one cannot use their cameras. The best time to visit the palace is during the Dasara festivals, the palace is completely decked up with enticing lights. The best part about it is the rich customs and traditions followed during these times. Do not forget the Jamboo savari, it is a treat to watch.

2. Jog falls:- It is a waterfall on the Sharavathi river ,located in the western ghats of Uttara Kannada district. It is the second highest waterfall in India. It is a major attraction for the tourists. The best time to visit Jog falls is during the monsoons, it creates a beautiful sight with rainbows appearing every now and then. The water falls down directly without streaming into the rocks. August-December is the time when there is, best flow . There is a dam nearby associated with it called the Linganamakki dam.

3. Bandipur National Park:- It is a tiger reserve located in the state of Karnataka. It has the second highest tiger population in India. It was used by the Maharaja’s of Mysore as their private hunting reserve. Later after independence it went on to become Bandipur National Park. Adjacent to it is the Nagarhole National Park. There are about 150,000 cattles in this reserve, so diseases might be transmitted from the cattles to the wildlife. These diseases are feared to destroy the flora and fauna of the reserve. There is a national highway passing through the reserve, this has killed a lot of animals in the reserve. Night traffic is banned to save these animals.

These are just few places which one must not miss to see in their lifetime, but there are a lot more wonderful places this beautiful state possesses and takes pride of it.

History of political parties in India

Organized group of citizens who form a unit , sharing similar political views, and who try to control the government are political parties. Indian political history dates back to the pre-independence times. People have a right to form their own political party and they usually work for the common interest of the nation. There are three types of political systems basically they are:-

● One party political system:- Here there is only one political party in place, and they elect their leaders, from this party only. Example:- Russia, China etc

● Two party political system:- Here there consist of two political parties, who compete to run the government. Example:- USA, Canada etc.

● Multiple party political system:- Here there can be any number of political parties in place. Example:- India, Pakistan etc.

There are about seven recognised parties as of today, they are:-

● Bharatiya Janata Party (1980)

● Indian National Congress (1885)

● Communist Party of India (Marxist) (1964)

● Communist Party of India (1925)

● National Congress Party (1999)

● All India Trinamool Congress (1998)

Pre-independence era political parties:-

● Muslim League

● Shiromani akali dal

● Swaraj Party

● Communist Party of India

● Dravidar Kazhagam

● National Conference

● All India forward bloc

Advantages of having a multi political party system:-

● India is a democratic country, and every citizen has a right to form, or be a part of a political party.

● It brings about transparency in the election process , though there still exists foul play in the election process.

● The political parties are held accountable to the needs of, common public and their problems.

● India , one of the most diverse countries in the world, is best suited with a multi political party system. This way, all the sections of the society are given recognition and their voices are heard.

● This system negates the single dictatorship of one political party. There is a healthy competition among the parties.

Disadvantages of having a multi political party system:-

● Due to many parties in place, there might be political instability in the country.

● There is a lot of corruption seen today because of a number of parties existing.

● To implement a policy or a decision, the government will take a very long time, due to the opinion and disagreements among the various political parties.

● The regional parties work for just one particular part of a society, hence the other communities can go unheard.

● Most of the political parties can work for the interest of certain religions, thereby creating religious issues in the country.

There are negatives and positives with the multi political party system, but it surely does more good to our country, and India with its huge population and diverse culture, is best suited with this type of a political system. The only major issue we all have to fear is the threat to our unity and security of our country. Every system has its own loopholes, no government in this world has ever achieved perfection, as long as people are different, there will be differences in their viewpoints as well. The only thing that can make us better, is the improvement seen in the country and its political parties.

Traditional Television vs OTT

Electronic television was originally invented Sir Philo Farnsworth, on September 7th, 1927, who was an American. On earlier days, having a Television was of a great deal. It was considered as a luxury because of its High cost. If one person had a television set, others gathered his home to watch news or sports. Televisions came after radio which became hugely popular worldwide as it provided audio also as well as videos. Television is a media where we ought to find and surf across a lot of channels, films and television shows in various languages, by paying off a fixed price. Shows such as Ramayana, Mahabharata on Cable television broke all the records and attracted a lot more viewers. Traditional television mandatorily needs Cable connectivity. There are several dealers all over India who provides these facilities to people regularly. This media works by sending transmission signals and transmits them through antennas, also Satellite televisions are also available which takes the help of Satellites for communications . Televisions basically confers people to their homes and it is a favorite time pass for many. Various shows all over the world are made specifically for this platforms. The Target audience for media platform is all the age group from children to old age. A person can choose any show according to his preference and watch the same. Televisions created a vast impact on people as because people from all over the world can enjoy these shows if it is live telecasted. Cartoons, Music, games also can be relished on. Televisions serves a great bundle of entertainment for those elders or the housewives who watch particular serials on their free times. T.V. can be used for a student’s purpose as well as it can help as a means of knowledge to children, in a funny way, without going anywhere else, when special classes are provided. Television is probably the best platform for Broadcasting International News.

OTT stands for Over the Top which is in fact a relatively new Technical concept. This is an online media platform which provides content entertainments like Films, Television shows e t c. OTT do not requires a cable connectivity. the best part here is that several latest films are being launched here, or directed and made for this platform only, hence this created an immense trend across the world, and is also adopted by our country. OTT mostly refers to such media field via high speed Internet connections rather than the Cable connections, as used by televisions. By charging appropriate data, these contents can also be passed through smartphones supporting the same. Television was more of an offline Platform whereas OTT is an online platforms. Here you can make your own time to watch a series or even download that to see it afterwards. OTT is so much well-liked and approved by the youngsters because they have a busy study schedule for which they do not have time to watch regularly. OTT cuts off a lot of costs as you get to see only what you pay for, not extras. Also you don’t have to sit and watch unnecessary advertisements in between. You do not have to go to Cinema Halls, just have to download the movie and watch it for free. OTT has encouraged raw talents to show their creativity and gave new life to dynamic entertainment shows. Televisions basically has single handedly controlled the market and distribution o such creations till this day before onset of OTT platforms. OTT holds the copyright of the shows to and is the sole supplier. OTT is also known as Online or Media TV.

According to KPMG Media and Entertainment report 2018, the Indian OTT market is expected to grow 45 per cent to reach R.s. 138 billions by end of Fiscal year, 2023. Reports by Ernst and Young states that number of OTT users in country will reach 500 million by 2020, making India 2nd biggest market after US. 5 most subscribed OTT platforms are Disnep + Hotstar, Amazon Prime, Sony LIV, Netflix and Voot.

Staying fit in lockdown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS DUE TO LOCKDOWN

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

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

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

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

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

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

The dark side of Indian Marriages

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

Self-sabotaging:Is it different from failure?

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion:-

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

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

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

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

the situation.

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

Galaxy – A cluster of masses

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SOUTH INDIAN DELICACIES

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

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

Let me now see the most popular dishes available here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to observe the sky?

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

Is Ageism the new Racism?

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

Some examples of ageism:-

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

How does the law protect the elderly from Ageism:-

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

Conclusion:-

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

COMEDY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Virtual Classes – The Game Changer

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

There are a several disadvantages for Virtual Classes too, namely

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Trend of Online Shopping

Shopping is indeed a necessary and integral part of our life. We need to shop for meeting the essential requirements also many people tend to shop just for entertainment and fun. Shopping serves the dual purpose of meeting needs and relaxation. The feeling of buying or getting new things is an excitement of a kind. Shopping actually means buying goods from the market in terms of money. Barter system was introduced centuries ago, even before monetary system was invented, as a method of exchanging goods for goods. This process went through a lot of criticisms and wasn’t that fruitful. After that people implemented usage of money as this was a much simplified process. People hence started taking up the habit of buying by transferring of money. This was widely accepted by people and gained much admiration. Earlier people had to travel a long for buying any particular good, as the availability and choices were much lesser than today’s date. Also, it consumed a lot of precious time just to buy one product or food. We don’t have much time to spend on travelling from one place to another and buy products as this was much tiresome. Our lives have become first paced. The structure of shopping has slowly evolved and updated to catch up with the demands of public. Everything is just one click away nowadays. Hence the concept Virtual/ Online shopping came into place which originally changed everything and made the lives of mankind 10 times easier. It is much convenient for our elders or the old aged community to directly order and buy. If a person is disabled and not have anyone to help them out, they can easily make the most use of this platform. Basically Online Shopping has made people much more self dependent. There are a number of applications provides those life saving medicines which may not be found in the markets. English Entrepreneur Micheal Aldrich, the Pioneer started with the whole idea regarding E-commerce in 1979. The whole trend gained popularity in no time. Online shopping is a casual term for E Commerce. This came to be known as the easiest method where we just need to download a shopping application, there are many such apps which deals with online shopping subdivided into various fields of interests like Electronics, Clothes, Cosmetics and Food facilities e t c. Then we have to scroll down the contents and then choose what exactly we are looking for. They also holds the certificates and claims these products to authentic and 100 per cent genuine. Also, various methods of payments are received by these platforms through bank transactions and most commonly the Cash on Delivery option in which you have to pay in hand directly at the time of delivery at your doorstep.

A random problem which many have already faced is the problem of Consumerism. Here, a person is tempted to buy more and more even if they don’t need those items, its just they get manipulated by the reviews made on the products. Many just buy because they just feel like shopping even if its not required by them. In this way they tend to spend more money for no reasons, this is a serious drawback of Online shopping. The varieties and choices given are much more as compared to normal shopping, also many Brands provides clothes or shoes as a much cheaper prices. Also, Online shopping is just a time pass for many, they just scroll down the products to reduce stress and cut down pressure. It becomes just a state of peacefulness for them. Here, people also gets a proper idea of the prices and costs are sometimes slashed due to stock clearance. Also, those craftsman making such items sells them to the online market in bulk. Online shopping sites will be providing you with the best discount and offers no matter what. We spend a much longer screen time and we cannot meet the salesman face to face which increases the loneliness for many, also you cannot strictly bargain here. Most often, such products can be found tampered and damaged, also some items mostly dresses don’t match up with the expectations or don’t fit perfectly. The practice of trailing before buying is excluded from Online shopping platforms which is a headache in many cases. The delivery person, though ensures but fails to provide proper service. A lot of cases are prevalent all over the media where the Online Shopping sites are accused of cheating on their customers and taking unfair means. As because, the teenagers get a wholesome choice, do a lot of researches regarding branded products a lot they forces their parents to buy them, in spite of the higher costs. If they don’t get these items they become arrogant and ill-mannered. Also, the pros is that, in case of any defects the goods can be returned or refunded as promised by the Online sellers.

Online shopping is a lot more convenient and much relevant procedure as to this day because digitalization is the most crucial aspect of our future. Suppose you have invited a few guests and opting for some food, here if you prepare or go out you won’t be able to entertain the guests which is much disrespectful. Hence you will choose what’s easier, i.e., taking out your smartphone and placing the order, many such online shopping platforms also guarantees hassle free payments.

Contribution of Health Workers – Real Heroes.

The Hero for us is mostly a superstar, for whom we stand up and applaud in the cinema halls. These are our reel life heroes whom we admire a lot and millions of people follows them. Do we ever look back take some time to appreciate what the real life heroes do for us. We are a lot privileged to have these people around us who will stand by strongly no matter what. Real life heroes are mainly the Social service providers like Doctors, Soldiers or Health workers who single handedly holds the Earth together. The systems will break down in no time if these people fails to or if they aren’t competent to do their work seriously. What would have happened if they haven’t served so much for he society? Working towards a national cause is the best policy of serving the humanity. Existence would have seized if these people weren’t available there for contributing towards needs of the society. Heath workers, maybe we don’t recognize them as much as we do to the Superstars, but their contribution isn’t any less. Heath workers are the Pillars of society, they are those people who helps to cure patients and takes care of them so they heals properly. They have to deal with a lot of patients suffering from various physical or mental ailments. They look after those victims constantly and convinces them about the beauty of life, also helps in preventing further problematic situations for them. They in turn contribute to the health workforce. We actually owe a lot and will be supremely grateful for and never disrespect them.

In this present scenario we get a lot of information through media that so many health workers are randomly getting affected by the Covid 19 and also some are losing lives because of this cause. This is so heart wrenching to hear of their demise for such a noble cause i.e., providing service to the public. They are disguised Gods who give a new life to the broken people. A patient who has lost all hopes and is waiting for the end needs a lot of motivation and guidance for accepting that they deserve to live more and fight back. This mental support is very much needed and is very much needed and is provided by the health working. Not just this day, the Health workers are doing this jobs since the starting of the pandemic, all over the world. The health workers initially started their duties with testing to trace the covid 19 patients. It was their primary duty to detect whoever is corona positive. Then they isolate those patients and also provides utmost care and concern to them. It is really difficult to wear those Personal Protective Equipment kits which has been prescribed by the Medical Association of India. We don’t know whether they take proper food or nutrients. yet cannot do anything about that. Health workers also voluntarily fulfills the requirements of those who stays in Home quarantine.

For the Health workers, Work is God, their family becomes secondary to them. As because they are liable towards society they cannot take a leave any day and go to meet with their family. Even if the Family requires them urgently, many a times they are unable to attend social gatherings or meetings. The family deliberately misses them, like we all do and they sadly so cannot indulge themselves in all the happiness either. They are so dedicated towards their work, they rarely takes up holidays. Many health workers have to work 24 * 7 and no body knows when a patient would need a First Aid. They even do not get proper mess or rooms to stay. Random cases are over the media nowadays where frequently these people are abused or harassed due to the fear of Covid. Their families are tortured and thrown out of their homes. This shows that hardly any humanity is left within us any more. They do not get Honors or Prizes ever, they don’t need such but all we can do is provide them with proper empathy and acceptance. They are our real life Heroes and the children should learn and read more about them and get inspired by their work spirits. Children shall look up to them as their role model. They are the strong walls on which the community stands intact.

World Cousin’s Day

On 24th July every year we celebrate National Cousins Day. Cousins are the relatives having common forefathers. This is the day to mark the irreplaceable bond between the cousins of a Family. A bond which defines the sweet and salty relationship between the Cousins. Right after birth, a child gets to know about his Family, here he grows up slowly and steadily. Family is the foremost belongingness of a child. He gets his emotion and basic moral values from his parents. He gets to understand how to deal with the surroundings around us. Now, the awareness of friendship is served by the cousins. Friendship is the core element which joins the cousins together. Cousins are our first friend. Having such a friend as a family member is a blessing from God. When a child takes the first step towards growing up, he celebrates his birthday after inviting all his cousins and blows the candles. He starts enjoying and that sense of association helps him to prosper. As because concept of Joint family is rare nowadays, the cousins come from abroad or from another state to join the festivities. Also, during the get together, they spend the best family time together. Sharing foods, toys, clothes becomes an integral part of this special bond. This also strengthens the relation between the cousins and links them together. Sometimes, the elder ones tend to irritate the younger ones more and they become oppose of each other. All these are the humorous parts of childhood. The elder ones not only annoys them but also helps them in best possible ways. A cousin is your friend, philosopher and guide. Often the elder ones, helps and guides the younger ones in the in their home works. Cousins gets scolding from their mother together. There is no bond on earth as selfless and innocent as the love for your cousins. As the child blooms, it becomes the responsibility of the cousins to guide him in the best ways possible. Elders performs this duty to make him understand the reality of outer world and show him the right path. It is so nice to have someone so close to you. Many a times, our friends betray us, leaves us, abuses us but along with your cousin you stand strong. He will stay with you forever. Your cousins won’t be expecting anything from you. No family gatherings are special without the presence of your cousins. They make the family complete. We all have that one WhatsApp group where we share all the memes and crack jokes along with our cousins. Cousins will realize if you are in any kind of trouble and will make sure you don’t suffer all alone. Cousins are the best replacement of siblings. Things can go somewhat wrong with siblings but it never gets wrong with the cousins. The age of Cousins do not vary much, just a few years of difference. You can talk to them the hole night, watch a movie together. It won’t ever get boring. The best part is our cousins knows all the family secrets as much as we do. During holidays the cousins coming down to visit you home is constant for all the ages and this routine won’t ever change. Getting excited about when they are coming with how many gifts during summer or winter breaks is the funniest thing.

A the child tends to become a teenager, he faces a lot of difficulties in sharing the problems with parents, hence cousins then becomes more easy going. Cousins knows you the best and provides you a lot of inspirations within no time. Cousins influences to become better also punishes you for wrong doings. They listen to you without judgements, share their own experiences, and motivates you all the time. Your misdeed reminds the of all their mistakes and makes sure you don’t repeat them. You can always trust them no matter what, they won’t harm you in any ways. They can pass your thoughts to the parents so you don’t feel embarrassed. All needs to work nowadays hence gets a very less time to unite, hence arranging family gatherings more often will help you to get social and feel nostalgic once again. Never hurt your cousins or fight with them, they are your personal rare attachments, never lose them. Hence, Lets do something special this day, make sure to call your cousins or drop a message, just remind them they are important and mean a lot to you. Show them you are grateful for all their love and support throughout. Also, love the children of your cousins as much as you can, they are dearest to you.

Men sorrows

When we talk about the concept of “Gender Inequality” – It clearly states that sometimes men and women are not considered as equal. These inequalities has been passed on from ages and is still very much prevalent. According to the norms of society, There is a vast dissimilarity of how the men or women shall be treated. Either of the Gender gets harassed in one way or the other. Many people certainly don’t understand the definition well and they probably get the idea of Gender Inequality wrong i.e., only the harassments towards women are unjust. This is true that the women face a lot of discriminations on a daily basis across the country. They get abused in their homes then gets insulted in their workplace. This is way too shameful and is a criminal offence in the eyes of Law. Several regulations has been created to ensure the protection of females. But can we say such similar kinds of principles has been made for the Male communities as well? We don’t get to hear a lot about the pressure that has been burdened on Men from the very childhood. They also go through a lot of trauma, they too feel low or disgraced often. Why do men have to maintain an image of being “strong”? Why are they overloaded with so much of responsibilities and is meant to fulfil all of it silently. Why don’t they cry and vent out their sorrows.? Men tend to bottle up their emotions right from their adolescence and that is considered as a “Manly” trait. Society has decided that a Man shall remain silent and aren’t allowed to cry. A boy when gets hurt while playing, the mother hushed him up and said that injuries are obvious for the boys. Such is not the case with her attitude towards the Girl child , they can express their thoughts easily with their mothers. The struggle of a man while growing up remains unnoticed for generations and they won’t get to admit anything to their family. They just have to serve the family according to their whims and fancies. Women are expected to be emotional beings while a Man has to be the “Guardian of the Family”. They have to be successful in life and hence to work day and night for providing a better life to their parents, also to their wife or children. We rarely talk about the sacrifices our father makes for our livelihood. Maybe the “MAN” in our homes never expects recognition, he just goes on working selflessly. A child grows up in such a way that he keeps demanding everything from the father. If a Man cries it is considered to be “Womanly”. A man might not tell you but secretly he needs praises and guidance for his excellent work. Why does a man gets up every time to let a woman or a child sit in seat of a bus even if he is completely exhausted? What about our gratitude towards the Father or his never ending “fatherly love”?

‘Men only likes to count his troubles, he doesn’t calculate his happiness.’ – Fyodor Dostoevsky. In India the suicide ratio of a Man is much higher than that of a Woman, amongst all age groups. Why do the men have to take such a drastic step like suicide? As of 2015, almost two thirds of worldwide suicides (representing about 1.5 per cent of all deaths) are committed by men. This statistics clearly revels that man battles with a lot of depressions more likely, and talking about mental health this is much evident that the Male member in our family seeks support and guidance too. This is a serious issue, Just don’t ignore their problems, this will in turn make them more arrogant. This is the sole reason why the Men become more violent and frustrated, because their voice remains unheard most of the times. They feel hurt and betrayed because they have seen female counterparts receives much more care and concern, even for negligible reasons. Everyone is not greedy or needy, some can be a “Gentleman” too. It is wrongful to shame the whole Men community this way. What about the domestic violence that is happening to Men? Don’t we come across such cases almost everyday? When a man gets tortured or beaten in his own home, does he receives the same remedy a woman receives? Do Courts pay attention in hearing his part as well? Society plays a huge role indeed. There are a lot of cases in which the Husband’s family has been tormented repetitively by the wife and still he was unable to do anything about it? Many a times, there have been false accusations made against a man for any selfish purpose, or just to defame him. Even before the judgement, the man receives criticism and death threats all over the social media. He already becomes a culprit for the society, though nothing has been proved. This demolishes his entire carrier or forces him take away his own life.

Empathy towards Animals.

Animals – A gift of nature, just as we Humans are. We often come through phrases like, “Man is a superior being” . Man is indeed the best creation of God. God has made man his favorite being along with all the abilities to conquer the world. Are we really superior on any grounds if we cannot treat the other beings of God well? What is the definition of ‘superiority’ then? Superiority means treating all the other beings equally. We can justify our superiority as more intelligent beings by showering love and empathy for those other special creations by Gods like dogs, cats, birds etc. Yes animals won’t speak in your language. They won’t understand your language either. Is this the only reason we don’t understand them? We are not kind enough towards them? We don’t accept them as our mate? You should not only be concerned about your pet dogs or cats, but also towards the stray dogs or cats. They deserve your love too, They need your love for their survival. If you don’t take the responsibility of feeding them, how will they sustain? They are animals they cannot express their pain or hunger in your language. Showing empathy is a lot different from being sympathetic towards them. Your empathy is for each and everyone around you. It is your social duty to care for the dogs, the cats, the birds, feed them, provide them shelter. If you see an injured dog or a cat take them to a nearby vet or give medicines. Maybe this is the simplest way to show your humanity. God gave you the power to serve other beings. You are liable to do this much for the society, at least to be true to yourself. Your happiness lies in treating and serving them as well. Think like this, they belong to you, they are a part of your family. Just imagine if we couldn’t express our pain or have been in such a condition ever, its way too painful to handle. They aren’t capable of understanding what is right/ wrong. So, they cannot Thank you for your service. They cannot ever express their earnest gratitude, not directly so. But if you feed a bird one day, it is going to come home everyday for food. Even if you feel low or unhappy, you have got a friend for lifetime. Animals are so loyal, they won’t stay every time, but won’t leave you either any day. Show them you care, they will love you 10 times more, selflessly. If you go out, you will be surrounded by all the stray dogs, they won’t let you feel alone. They are going to stay by your side no matter what. They can be man’s best friend forever, no doubt on that.

“He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man, by his treatment of animals” – Immanuel Kant. Throwing stones towards them just for fun, being unkind towards them, beating them unnecessarily just because they are weaker than you? Or they cannot fight you back? No animal is going to harm you until and unless you cause pain to them, they sometimes get aggressive due to fear. God will bless you if you treat his innocent beings and all your prayers are going to be fruitful. Several social activists spend their lives making others learn to be kind towards the animals. A very recent incident from Kerala on May 27th, 2020 was thoroughly criticized all over media. An Elephant died, she was pregnant standing in the middle of a river. Report says that she died of an explosive in her mouth, that explosive was being put inside a pineapple and was fed to the elephant. He trusted those people and unknowingly she has been killed. How can someone even think of doing this to an innocent elephant? Is this the world we live in? This is so shameful on our part. Also, poaching is strictly prohibited and killing animals for their skin is a heinous crime and has been declared as illegal in the eyes of Law.

What is wrong with the Indian education system?

India has produced a lot of talented engineers like M. Visvesvaraya,A.P.J Abdul Kalam,Sundar Pichai,talented entrepreneurs like Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, J.R.D Tata , Ratan Tata and a lot of famous actors, architects, doctors and lawyers who are extremely talented, but these are just few people. A majority of Indian population is not successful, and we can’t always blame over-population for it, because this time it’s the education system that’s at fault.Our education system is far behind many other countries. There is a huge gap between the rural and the urban education.The poor who are extremely knowledgeable, are not in competition with the privileged urban students, who are technically advanced. Even after all these years, there has been very little change in our education system, we still follow the STEM system. It stands for Science,Technology, Engineering and Maths with English as a mode of instruction. We have smart students showing excellence in their academics, but lack speaking and communicating skills. Our government has introduced a lot of literacy programmes, but what is it used for if people, if the foundation of our education system itself is wrong.

Historical view:-

Earlier ancient Indians followed the ‘Gurukul’ type of an education system here, the students stayed at the teachers house and studied. The advantage of this type of an education was that the students received personal attention from their teacher, so they could easily excel in their academics, but the disadvantage was that only Brahmins and Kshatriyas were allowed to attend these classes. Later another type of an education system came into play, the open type, and Ekalavya was the first student of this type of an education system. The whole system changed when the Britishers ruled our country, and since then had very little changes.

Problems in our education system:-

● Our education system is split between state board , CBSE and ICSE , this gives rise to a huge inequality among students, the state board always occupies the lower level , CBSE the middle and ICSE the top. The state board students are incompetent when compared to the other two.

● There is always a gap between the public and the private schools, while most of the public schools require no to minimum fee, they lack a lot of basic facilities and the quality of education is very bad, the teachers teach for the sake of teaching and not to educate the students. The private schools on the other hand are usually scammers who loot the money of helpless and ignorant parents.

● India always secures a place in the top 10 for student suicides and the reason for this is that the students are just evaluated based on their marks and not on their talents and fields of speciality.

● Lack of moral science classes also lead students to just become a capable human, but there is absolutely no values and discipline instilled in them.

Conclusion:-

The government and other institutions are trying hard to bring some important changes in the education system, but without the support of teachers, parents and students it is not possible. The schools must be encouraged to introduce different types of teaching and learning ways. The priority of the education system must be the excellence of the students, and not just getting high marks. The teachers must be better equipped and trained. Most importantly, teach the students to study because they should achieve excellence and not success.

Deforestation

Clearing or removal of trees or any type of plantations for resources or land is called deforestation. Forests cover almost 31 percent of the Earths land today. The Earth is losing forests at an alarming rate. Forest area that are being lost area every decade is about the size of a nation.

The main reason for deforestation is to convert the forest area for the following reasons:

Agricultural land
Construction of roads
Construction of buildings
Grazing
Timber
Mining
Food items
Medicinal uses.

Forests are the homes to thousands of species of animals, birds, insects and many other life forms. Destroying them for resources will endanger the many life forms that solely depend on them as it is their natural habitat. These resources are very essential for man but man being greedy does not know when to stop.

It starts with converting a few acres of forest for urbanization. Then as the demand rises few more acres are cleared and this keeps on going until the entire forest is lost. Rearing livestock for milk and meat has a drastic effect on the environment. Grazing causes soil erosion which damages soil permanently so no new plants can grow there. Millions of trees are cut down for timber and for paper.

Forests take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which causes global warming. Removal of trees is one of the main causes of global warming which in turn causes climate change. Melting of ice bergs in the Arctic and Antarctic region gradually increases the sea level, which results in the sea covering the land for containing the extra water. Forest fire is also a main reason for deforestation.

Trees take in the water from the ground through their roots and release them into the atmosphere. This loss of transpiration makes the climate drier and ensures minimum rain. Soil erosion is also a result of deforestation, where the soil become loose and results in landslides.

How can we reduce this abuse of nature? Farmers must adopt new and sustainable farming techniques to produce crops efficiently which will stop the farmers from acquiring the forest area for farming. We live in the digital age, so we must make minimum use of paper. We can use aluminium sliding windows instead of wood windows and find alternate solutions where ever it is possible. We do not want future generations to suffer for our mistakes and irresponsibility.

The various governments around the world along with many good citizens and organisations are taking necessary steps for the protection of forests. They do this by planting tree saplings where ever or whenever it is possible. Many offices are going paperless. Governments have created forest bodies to protect and maintain forest area from encroachment. Many other steps are also taken to reduce cutting of trees, which are more valuable than gold for all the resources that they give man. You and I too can help, by having small plants at our houses. By doing the best we can even in the smallest ways possible we can make a difference because one small plant for every person makes it seven billion more plants in the world.

Stress and how to deal with it.

A person is stressed when he or she has a feeling of emotional strain and pressure. Stress in small amounts is beneficial and even healthy when it a motivational factor. An excess amount of stress is very unhealthy, to the point where it leads to bodily harm. It increases the risk of stroke, ulcers, heart attacks, hyper tension and even mental illness such as depression.

Hans Selye, a renowned endocrinologist proposed four variations of stress:

Good stress ( eustress)
Bad stress (distress)
Over-stress (hyper stress)
Under-stress (hypo stress)

Different events or experience leads to stress. A person cannot know when or where catastrophes might occur. No one can control such situation no matter who that person is. Natural disasters (tsunamis, earthquakes), wars, pandemics are all unpredictable. Change in a person’s life like marriage, moving out of the house for education or work, death of close ones and birth of a child, these are all major life events. A person will be stressed thinking about how to move forward after such events. Both of above mentioned causes of stress are something that a person cannot ignore or quit. These are a part of life.

Simple reasons of stress are daily hassles, something that a person works on to avoid it. If you do not like your job, you can always quit or be involved in ways where you can actually make a difference. If you do not like traffic jams, leave early. Start working on projects at the earliest so that you can meet deadlines, instead of starting late and inducing unwanted stress upon yourself. If a person constantly irritates you, ignore him or talk to him or even become friends.

Stress causes unwanted health issues, like insomnia, depression, strokes, heart attacks and many other which can be avoided simple actions. With stress come behavioral changes. A person becomes a reason for someone else’s stress. With such changes, you might lose respect among family members, colleagues and friends.

Here are few simple ways to deal with stress.

Exercise: Exercise done right is always a stress buster, makes you more calm and relaxed. Workout can make a person forget the events that cause stress; it induces good sleep, keeps you physically fit and also boosts you confidence.
Reduce Caffeine intake: Tea, coffee, soft drinks, and energy drinks; all these increase a person’s anxiety level. It makes a person addicted. Alcohol consumption or even smoking causes stress, it might give temporary relief but after that is over it is life back to normal.
Spend time with people: Spending time with your family or friends reduces stress. You can talk about your life, the joy and the pain that comes with it instead of keeping it to yourself or always immersed in the electronic media. It might be difficult at first, but it gives you a sense of relief.
Listen to music or enjoy good humor: Music is always a stress buster. Humor is always better. You relaxes you mind, you can also do those chores while listening to music.
Eat Healthy: Eating healthy keeps you fit. Makes you more confident. Maintain a balanced diet. Get more nutrients. Reduce junk food intake. It increases your cholesterol level, which causes health risks.
Hobbies: Learn new things, maybe a musical instrument, start painting, do some photography, learn new technical data. These hobbies help you relax, forget about your worries and make you confident.

Why is Aging Mindfully very necessary ?

Mindful aging is aging in a way that does not ignore the negative effects of aging, and also having a positive outlook to the benefits of aging. It’s all about accepting the things that come with aging, and not being ignorant to it. It’s all about not blowing things out of proportion. People often tend to have a negative response to aging, even if you think about aging all you can see is being dependent on someone, needing assistance almost all the time, having difficulties in doing your day to day activities and most importantly you feel you will stop enjoying life. But we should never forget that it’s in our hands to draw limitations or never think about it at all. We must never dwell on the misery life has installed for us, be it today or tomorrow, always find ways to make today better than yesterday. Constantly ask yourself these questions:

● Am I willing to grow old?

● Am I ready to face tomorrow?

● What can I do to make complete use of my time later?

● How can I overcome the fear of getting old?

● How can I stop dwelling on negative thoughts ?

● Is it really bad to grow old?

As we grow older and older we are more thankful for everything in life, we get to see people falling sick , people dying. So we must be grateful that we are alive, and try to make the best use of our remaining time on earth. No one knows what the future holds, so enjoy every moment of life like there’s no tomorrow. By mindfully aging there is also a decrease in the stress and anxiety levels of a person. Practicing mindful aging is not only for people in their 60’s and 70’s but we can start practicing it today. Follow simple steps to start working on it:

● We might often dwell on certain bad memories or friends who are no more friends with you, we must learn to let these memories fade away. You require space to make new memories and dwelling on these old and painful ones can only worsen your mind-set, and you may never be able to make a new one.

● Plan things you could do when you grow older, make a bucket list of things you wish to do before you die, be it skydiving or traveling to the coldest place on earth. Planning things beforehand will help you stay focused on your happy life.

● Try respecting your body as much as possible. You might not have the same tiny waist anymore or perfect skin, but you must learn to accept these inevitable changes your body must go through. Try making health your priority , you might not be able to run a marathon, but you surely can go out for a walk or go jogging.

Conclusion:-

You might feel that you don’t require these things as you’re still young, but this is not just something to do when you grow old, but we all need it right now. Being mindful must change into being our lifestyle, people don’t realise the importance of this, but it’s as important as

taking your tablets when you feel sick, mindful aging is like therapy to lost minds. Older people are often more happy than younger ones, this is because they are aging more mindfully unlike the young ones. Remember the key to your happiness is in your own hands, make sure you unlock it before it’s too late.

Black skin matters

Racism- The belief that a person with fairer skin or practicing any particular language or belonging to a race is superior than the others. This is one of the most peculiar and disturbing norms of our country- India, also very much prevalent till now , even in today’s world and probably this will again be carried on from generations to generations. Our society is dynamic and adopts new methods of survival but what about the ancient rituals? Shall we get rid of those any day? Abolishing those customs or faith is definitely going to change the conditions of society for better. Racism begins from home, yes, and has everything to deal with our own individuality. Right from birth, a girl with relatively darker skin is to be criticized by the parents or their relatives as , ‘yeh toh kitna kala haain’. It is unfortunate that the father or mother may say all these to their child as if having a dark skin is some kind of a curse. Why is Dark not considered as beautiful? Why should a child be humiliated for his/ her skin, for something which isn’t his/ her fault at all? A person who is rich in melanin content will automatically result in her skin color. This phenomenon is 100 per cent genetic and has nothing to do with God’s grace or something close to that. Being dark skinned needs no treatment to be fairer or be beautiful, she is already beautiful enough In her own skin. As if being fairer will have a huge impact on the carrier or success of a girl. She has to be fair to prove herself to be beautiful even if she is an IPS Officer or the greatest actress. Eminent personalities like Priyanka Chopra, Susmita Sen are a few World class Indian beauties who aced their tanned skin tones and made our country proud. Still, the mindset of commoners hasn’t changed. No one can defame you on your skin color or disrespect you, its high time. India needs to make racism illegal and punishable. As because, there are so many different types of skin colors in India, with so much variations of cool and warm undertones as well… namely, Olive, Brown, Dark, Black and a lot more. We should be proud of our distinctiveness, protect our uniqueness and not to disregard these variations randomly. We should be ashamed of how guilty we all are to embarrass someone of their skin color. The term “Dark” metaphorically means Evil whereas “Fair” means Good. Being dark skin doesn’t signify evilness or being fair skin doesn’t signify goodness. This is actually very important to embrace your own skin tone, as having any skin color is a blessing and this is exactly the way you look or the way you shall carry yourself. Black men or women shall start loving their tones and be proud of that. Just accept the way you are and no need to feel unhappy or shy about it. Your ambition, determination defines you and not the color of your skin.

“Dipped in chocolate, bronzed in elegance, enameled with grace, toasted with beauty, My Lord, she is a black woman” – Yosef A.A. Ben- Jochannan. Unfortunately, each and every dark skinned girls had either been insulted, harrassed or called out for their skin color. It really hurts to see such kinds of mindsets still exists in qualified and educated communities of people. At least once in their lifetime, the dark skinned beauties has been abused in spite of how successful they are. The acceptance a fair-skinned woman gets during marriage is very much rare in case of those dark skinned beauties, in a country like India. Often they are rejected directly on their face which breaks their self confidence within a minute. This custom is a disgrace for the society. The guardians should teach our Youngsters to treat everyone equally and not to be partial towards any particular category.

The most annoying part is that the Magazines And Advertisement literally slaps us with n number of Skin- lightening and brightening Products. Fairness creams or foundations won’t ever do any good to your skin, this won’t even help in lightening your original color. It is useless to put so much of harmful chemicals directly on your face. You can be beautiful and glowing without being light and that is the actual fact. Even the home remedies promoted by the actresses are just not worthy as it won’t make your skin 10 times lighter in a week. You just don’t have to apply those whitening products for “whitening” your skin, you can do without wasting so much money on those or undergoing treatments. These kind of advertisements lays a huge impact in the lives of teenagers or children as they get influenced and brainwashed easily by the concept of “fair is pretty”. Racism is a social problem which needs to be cured real soon. India won’t develop as a country if it fails to look into this crucial matter. Lastly, the most hypocrite outlook of people reflects into worshipping Goddess Kali while making fun of a girl with dark skin, this is just strange and way too disheartening.

Life – changing Tricks

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy” – Dalai Lama. So, implementing certain good habits in our daily life won’t certainly do any harm. The key for betterment of living lies entirely in your hands. Leading a normal and simple life along with a few tricks here and there helps you to achieve your goal. Enhancing your lifestyle in every aspects of life is a answer for proper subsistence. Lets start following these tips from today onwards –

1) Drinking enough water – This is the first and foremost point to start the whole theory with. At least 8 glasses of water is mandatory for a day. You just cannot ever compromise on this part. Drinking less water is a serious issue for sure. A person who often drinks a lot of water everyday stays more healthy and fit rather than the rest. According to doctors, around 60 per cent of human body consists of water. This basically hydrates your body and helps in getting rid of all harmful toxins. Hydration for your body is a must. Water is such a fluid which helps in proper digestion and also helps in assists you in the weight loss game. Do not harm your body consuming alcohol, cold-drinks e t c , replace those with Water from today onwards.

2) Exercising everyday – This is such an essential step to be followed daily. You need not join a gym or workout like a beast no you need not do that. Just take a few minutes out from your schedule and just perform some free hand. Also, try to stretch in the morning before leaving the bed. This is going to make a lot of genuine difference in your life. This is not only makes you physically fit but also boosts up your confidence, improves your focus towards the target. Exercising motivates you to get better everyday. When your body says you No, your mind says you to push yourself further. Exercising is the most crucial steps for the aged group of people too and this helps to remove pain or stress.

3) Cleansing, toning, moisturizing – Let me tell you this step is Not just for the girls out there, very much for the guys too. As they seem to do absolutely nothing for the skin, just know that skin is the largest organ of your body. You are liable to do this much for your skin. This process is simplified as follows… 1stly, apply a Face wash, any one of your choice to remove the dirt and debris. After that apply to tone down your skin a bit. Now apply the hydration, a Moisturizer to your skin to lock in all the goodness. I promise you this is life – changing.

4) Applying sunscreen – Another step for treating your skin, applying a sunscreen. Won’t take even a minute but this has a hundreds of benefits. Protect your skin from the harsh sunlight and keep it safe. Whether you go off to your workplace or playground. Apply some sunscreen before leaving and make sure it is of a good brand. Keep reapplying your sunscreen after every 2-3 hours if you can manage to do so. Skipping a sunscreen will make you pay a lot as it will worsen your skin condition. Sunscreens with UVA and SPF protections is the best.

5) To-Do-List – Yes, maintaining a To Do List and pre-planning everything beforehand makes your life way more easier. Suppose you have got a meeting the next day, sort everything out, the timings, the work and jot it down in a paper or in a diary. Now make a list of all necessary things to be done and check the list after you have finished tasks of the day. The more you will write the more you finish. You can never go wrong with a To Do List. This routine will give you to explore more scopes of life. Also, write down all your dreams, aspirations, your needs so that you have the urge to finish each one of them within a given span of time. Being unpredictable and having no ambitions won’t certainly help anyone in the long run.

6) Enhancing your skills – if you really want to achieve bigger and better in your life, you have to have some skills. Not stressing on the part of scoring good marks, but having any particular skill is a MUST for the youngsters. The skill can be anything, knowing more than 1 languages, mending parts of a car, knowing computer well, making new paintings or whatsoever. the point here is… brush up your skills, your passion and never leave it in the midways. if you can excel in this part, you surely will make a huge difference. Your skill is what makes you recognizable in a field of work. This will also cut down your laziness and make you happy.

7) Believe in yourself – If you cannot practice this, the above mentioned points won’t come handy for you. ‘Believing in your self is the 1st secret to success’ . You have to keep faith and keep believing that you can be better, you can do better. Make your mindset so determined from the very beginning that life is going to thank you for the same. Start working hard from today onwards and make no more excuses. If you fail to believe in yourself today, you are being answerable to your life after 30s for sure.

8) Read a lot – Nowadays, the kids do not practice proper reading. Going through the School text books or Course books before exams does not justifies the term “reading” . This concept is vast and cannot be achieved only by reading subtitles of Netflix or surfing google. You have to slow down a bit and go through some world Class- literatures or Novels. Reading new journals or news everyday will become your best friend someday only if you get addicted to this. This is going to help you so much by increasing your command on the language, enhancing vocabulary. Reading is like doing something productive to yourself.

9) Organizing your closet – This is a grooming tip for our generations as we certainly get no time for this and keep everything way too dirty especially if someone stays in a hostel or a mess. Cleaning your shirt, Ironing them properly adds so much more dignity to your overall personality. We often hear the term , 1st impression is your last impression, hence this is evident that whatever you wear, it should be fitted and taken care of. You won’t have to wear a high end gown for the same, the trick here is to be clean and real. Appearance is the game changer and never ever mess this up in your life.

10) Help them out – Helping never signifies doing something for someone expecting anything in return, or to show yourself superior in any ways. Helping out means genuinely coming to someone’s rescue and being empathetic. Just help out of your own willingness, help your family, your friends, show love to the plants, feed the animals. Doing all this is in turn serving God indirectly. Having a golden heart is rare- make sure you are one of the few.

Value of Discipline in life

Imagine being in a society where there is no discipline, just think for a mere second, what would happen to this world if there is no discipline. The only word that comes up instantly is disaster. If there is no discipline among the people of a society then there is just chaos. Discipline bridges the gap between our aims and achievements. In every sphere of life this is a very essential factor. To quote Roy Smith, discipline is the refining power which transforms talent into ability. If soldiers disobey the orders of higher officials and perform their duties as they like, then terrorists can easily enter our country and ruin everything. In the same way disciplined soldiers are more efficient to work. In a battle fought between the Englishmen and Frenchmen, the English won the battle even though the French had a bigger army, this was because of their discipline and morale. Imagine that you are a pedestrian, and the drivers on the road are not following the traffic rules, scary? This is what lack of discipline can do to a peaceful society. Countries like Japan and Israel have a higher economic growth compared to a lot of countries, this is because of the discipline shown by the common public.

Advantages of being disciplined:-

● Being disciplined will help a person focus more on their goals and day to day activities. They perform their activities in a more efficient manner.

● Being disciplined has its own perks as well, people start respecting you as discipline commands respect. Since being disciplined takes a lot of effort, people respect your determination.

● Being disciplined helps you finish your job smoothly and on time. You will not be distracted by anything else and will be focused on your work.

● Being disciplined includes having a balanced life with habits like healthy food, exercise, walking and sleeping at the right time. Hence you have a better and healthy life.

● Being disciplined helps a person have a very good self control over himself/herself, avoiding silly problems, not indulging in trivial things and having a healthy relationship with everyone around them.

● Being disciplined will also help a person avoid unnecessary stress or tension and be happy in all their activities.

● Being disciplined will make a person more organized, they will have a time schedule allotted for every activity, and this will help them find a lot of extra time to relax.

● Being disciplined will also make a person value time the most, and make use of every second possible. They have better time management skills than others.

Conclusion:-

Discipline should be omnipresent. Every small activity taking place around us happens in discipline, be it the sun rising on time or the birds chirping blissfully in the early morning or the blood flowing in our veins or the heart that beats continuously. They all happen to continuously do their work without any help or a clock. Initially we might feel it’s excruciating but with time it will always get better soon. Imagine how beautiful and happy will all of our life be if it’s disciplined. This will help all of us resist evil and enjoy life’s true fruits in a real sense.

KERALA MODEL – The Trail and Error

The Kerala model was established in 1970. This received world wide recognition and applauds for its immense development of two most crucial aspects of humanity – Health and Education, also ensured high female literarcy rates. Much prior to today’s situation, the measures taken by Kerala was a milestone and also proved deep insights in the matter. The upliftment of The Health and Education is the treasure of a state. On the early March, Kerala and Maharashtra had the most number of cases all over India. Inspite of all all the necessary precautions taken beforehand, the question here lies is… Whether the Model was successful enough to combat the Pandamic- Covid 19? Was this Model efficient enough to be implemented nationally? Can a Pandemic be controlled by any specific Model or theries? Initially during the outbreak of Pandemic in India, Kerala a state with population over 35 Million, has reported 4189 cases of Covid – 19 as on 30th June, 2020 and 23 deaths with a stirring recovery rate of 51.7 per cent. hence, this Model got praises all over India. BJP Government in Madhya Pradesh has leant and adopted Kerala’s strategy of tackling Covid 10 infection. Kerala actually emphasized on various key factors, firstly educating or alerting the citizens on the gravity of the situations and hence dealing with it on personal levels, this is the primary step as it is mandatory for the citizens to understand it is safe for them as well as for safeguarding other’s interests. After that, as recommended by the World Health Organizations the 4 T’s Test, Trace and Treat, Kerala followed the same. Thirdly, Isolation that is Quarantining the infected ones specially and not allowing them to roam. Kerala played a very significant role in treating the issues of migrant labourers hence tackling them properly and this was a remarkable achievement of India. Kerala was the first state amongst India to conduct exams as well for students of Class 10-12. A lot of controversies were triggered upon across the media as to who will guarantee the protection of the students? due to the speedy recovery rate has there been a sense of carelessness and over confidence in the mindsets of Kerala Government?

Commissioner of Police Vijay Sakhare, Kochi, Kerala was the chief architect of Kerala’s brand new policy i.e., Triple Lock Strategy in Kasaragod District. This was actually made on the basis of Three relevant lock down stages for the people, separately for each sets of people strictly for their security. 1) The General Lock – the 1st lock was implemented on 25th March, 2020. This is the primarly lockdown for all the people to remain confined in their homes and not to roam around. Self quarantining is absolutely essential for restricting the movements. Rule- breakers were hence widely punished by the cops. 2) Containment Zones – the 2nd lock was implemented as on 28th March, 2020. This is the segregated places with the most number of Covid – 19 positive patients. Only the service for most essential goods very provided as the rest shops, industries, market places were closed down to avoid gatherings. 3) Home Quarantine – the 3rd lock was made especially for those who were affected and also their contacts, they were isolated and their treatments were to be done in the house itself. wearing masks and repeatative sanitizations is a must of those who were isolated. This led to around 75 per cent reduction of new cases which was commendable.

Unfortunately, Mass Spread of Covid Infection was confirmed in the state of Kerala on 17th July, 2020. Silent community transmission happened in Thiruvananthapuram at over 50 percent rate in Covid- 19, says Kerala Health Minister. This created a terror amongst the common people. Around 10 large community clusters has occurred in the state. The costal neighbourhoods of Pulluvila and Poonthura is coping with the stage of community transmission, as declared by the Chief Minister of Kerala, Sir. Pinarayi Vijayan in a press conference. The community transmissions has also been found in Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Hence, the Government is answerable to the people that whether a Model of a state can actually help to combat with relatively world-wide issues such as a Pandemic.

Hail Zidane

Zinedine Zidane- A man of inspiration for the upcoming generations. each and every football lover should know his story really well. Zidane can be defined as the Come back king, a True Coach and a perfect man. Probably one of the greatest player of his era. Zidane’s story is an inspirational theory of exactly how sportsman shall be. His victory of La Liga 2019-2020 is very raw and particularly relevant these days, after defeating the arch rival Barcelona indirectly. He never failed to shine in the role of a complete sportsman. Not only just as a player but his hunger for recognition as a coach is commendable. He proved to entire world that a greatest player can be a greatest coach too. To start the story with, Zidane was born on 23rd June 1972. He got his inspiration from the Argentine sportsman Diego Maradona whose techniques “were on another level” for him. Lovingly known as Zizou, he was a French Soccer player who mainly performed as an attacking midfielder. He was an asset for his team, often served as the backbone and has contributed a lot for the enhancement of the football fraternity. Zidane debuted professionally and scored his first goal for Cannes against Nantes. He was devoted to his national team of France where he received a lot of respect. His contribution in Euro Cup 2000, was unforgettable and he also was claimed as the Player of Tournament. He also had a great contribution for FiFA World Cup 2002,2006 and Euro 2004. He was also rewarded as the FIFA World player 1998, 2000 and 2003 also Ballon d’or 1998. He was a one man army who served his team so well and proved himself to be the greatest of all times.

Now lets come to the not-so-famous part, that such a responsible and disciplined person like Zizou, headbutted Marco Materazzi right to his chest, in 2006 World Cup. In the last world cup match of his life, he was shown a Red Card. Seriously was it heroic? or a bizarre act? This shocked the entire world and this was probably one of the worst act for breaking the rules. This drastic step was highly criticized by the media and questions were repeatatively asked to him. This became the most controversial headline. Zidane later accepted his fault and stated that, ” I am not proud of what I did to Materazzi “. Actually, Materazzi revealed that he spoke something worse to Zidane.

An advice for the future fast paced generations is that You have to compete with yourself, your primary competition will be with you and no one else. That very day Zidane had probably taken a vow that it is not okay to lose, or to accept the unfair game. He was of really a challenging nature so he promised to himself that being coward is never an option. you have to show the world your capabilities and what you deserve. Even till now, his aura of an elegant soccer player is still intact. Zidane ruled the Real Madrid club as a star player along with teammates like Cristiano Ronaldo and David Bekham (both supremely stylish players) primarily. Just as a brilliant student evolves to be the Principal. When he returned to Real Madrid as a Coach nobody thought that he is going to flourish so much on the upcoming days, however… He proved his excellence as a manager and was successful on his part. Though some people continued to criticise him whether he deserved to be in the position or not. Zidane was gifted with huge honours namely, Three Champion Leagues, Two European Super Cups, Two Spanish Super Cups also Two Club World Cups. He left his Coaching when he was questioned on whether he was capable of the position or not. The thing was his eligibility was constantly tested in all phases. After that the conditions of Real Madrid coaching really degraded and the previous coach was sacked. Zidane came back again as a King, and for concluding this story… he won the La Liga title after 2017. 34th La Liga Title, 2020 was hoisted by Real Madrid players defeating Villareal, under guidance of Zidane.

“WE WERE A FAMILY WHO HAD COME FROM NOTHING AND NOW WE HAD RESPECT FROM FRENCH PEOPLE OF ALL SORTS’. – Zidane.

REFERENCE: Zinedine Zidane – Wikipedia.

Big Data! How much does it matter in today’s World?

Extracting and analysing information or data sets that are very large and complex to be analysed using traditional methods is very difficult and time consuming. Big data analytics is the use of advanced analytic techniques to do this in a comparatively easy and efficient way.

One must understand that the importance of this vast subject is not in how much data you have, but what you do with the data that you have. We can analyse this data to make smart decision in any work place environment. This is used in many organisations for cost reduction, improving customer experience, enhance online security.

The major industries that use Big Data Analytics:

1). Banking Sector

The banking sector uses big data analytics to detect credit card fraud, pattern in loan payment defaulters, tick analytics, credit risk reporting and risk analysis in case of money laundering and trade analytics among others.

The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in the United States is using network analytics and natural language processors to detect illegal trade activity in the financial market (stock market).

2).Entertainment Sector

The Entertainment sector especially online streaming services use Big Data analytics to understand patterns of real time content usage, creation of new content for the audience based on age demographics, culture and language of the region. They also use this to recommend movies and music to the user based on previously watched content.

Have you wondered why YouTube always keeps popping those cooking videos?

3).E-Commerce Industry

From recommending the next product to buy based on previously bough items to items currently in the cart, big data analytics is a major player in the e-commerce industry.

Other than recommending new items to buy, big data analytics is used in this sector to reduce fraud (don’t keep returning items), analysis of inventory, decision of what products to be kept in which region and number of delivery staff to be deployed in an area all depends on the cluster of customer in that region.

4).Health Care Sector

Big Data analytics is becoming more and more important in the healthcare industry mainly because of the vast amount of information available and increasing healthcare costs.

This is used for efficient staffing in hospitals i.e. how many doctors and nurses needed to be always present in the hospital to provide adequate care to the patient.

Analysing the patient’s record and keeping a check on his/her health always (e.g. blood pressure and glucose testing at home, exercise routine) and informing the patient about the next to visit the doctor. Risk of the same condition passed on to the patient’s descendants. The consulting doctor also gets these alerts.

5). Government

The government is by far the biggest user of Big Data analytics. The uses range from health care research, environmental protection, financial market analysis, fraud detection in money laundering and tax payment fraud and finding resources of energy.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses Big Data analytics to detect and study patterns of food-related illnesses and diseases. This makes it possible for a faster response, which leads to rapid treatment and to ban the substance that causes life threatening diseases.

“Man is by nature a political animal”. How far is it true in the case of students?

The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle believed and quoted that man is a political being. He always felt so, because man is blessed with the ability to speak and rationalize. No other species on this earth have been blessed with these abilities, hence he feels that we must make best use of it. But how far does it apply to the students? This topic has always been a bone of content in our country. A lot of people feel that it’s in the best interest of the student, if they don’t involve themselves in politics, on the other hand people feel students must involve themselves into politics, as they are the future of this country. You might as well think about what’s best for the students? There is a clear cut difference between educating yourself about politics, and getting involved in politics. A lot of people feel that the participation of students in politics will weaken their will to study, and educate themselves academically. The people opposing this, have also claimed that, the participation of students in political movements, during the freedom struggle had a great impact on the Britishers. Even during the second World War, a lot of students were actively participating, and helping their respective countries.

Advantages of students not participating in politics:-

With the level of corruption prevailing in politics, it’s almost impossible for students to remain honest and sincere. Hence it degenerates their moral character.
These students might be used by political parties for their selfish needs.
These students become a tool in the hands of the politicians, who achieve their needs through them.
These students will ultimately lose their interest in studies, and direct their full potential to politics.
These students are also used for the purpose of strike and protest. Hence they end up destroying public property, and they cause damage to themselves.

Advantages of students educating themselves about politics:

This will help them concentrate more on their academics, as well as give importance to politics.
They get to increase their Political knowledge through various debates and discussions happening in colleges.
Since they are completely educated, they can make use of various approaches, to solve an issue arising.
Inorder to straighten the democracy, more educated leaders are required.
Educated leaders in future can also possibly remove the rotten system of politics, filled with corruption in our country.
Educated leaders are also much more capable of bringing in new reforms that the society requires.

Conclusion:-

It is good to conclude that politics is inevitably present in every students’ life, and it cannot be ignored. Having immense knowledge about politics is always important as students are the future leaders of our democracy. At the same time it is good to not mix politics into their academics as it will do no good to them. An educated and wise leader is the one people look forward to, and in order to be that, students must work hard in their academics without getting involved completely into politics. But when time comes and this nation is in need of young minds, students mustn’t hesitate to give their all to this country.

Open University : A new way of empowering higher education in India?

Education should be limitless, it should not be limited by various restrictions. It should be available to people coming from all walks of life. The government tried out various different methods, to educate the underprivileged and deserving candidates in our country. Open University is a university which opts for an open door academic policy. This policy has no or very minimal requirements for their entry. The university offers a distance mode of studying , so students will not have to travel to a particular location of the university. The important aspect of this mode of studying , is that it offers everyone an equal opportunity to study, and improve their abilities to the maximum.

History and development of open universities in India

Earlier the education system in India was very formal and rigid. The only way of teaching and learning was the “Gurukul” system , in this system the students stayed in the teachers home and studied, the drawback of this system was that it only permitted the Brahmins and Kshatriyas to study. Later open learning was introduced and Eklavya was its first learner. The advent of Buddhism and Jainism brought about a new wave in our education system. J.C Stobart , a historian and Educationist advocated the “Wireless University” and the first ever open University was opened in the year 1969 in UK, and India was one of the first countries to follow UK and on 26th August 1982, the government of Andhra Pradesh opened India’s very first open University called the Andhra Pradesh Open University . This University was later renamed as Dr. B. R Ambedkar Open University. There are at present 13 open universities in our country. This University provides equal opportunity to all the students who were not able to pursue regular courses provided. The government of India had started a national open University in the year 1985 and was called as ‘ Indira Gandhi National Open University’.

Advantages of distance learning:

The admission requirements are zero to minimum, previous academic marks are not required. This is because they follow open door academic policy.
They do not follow classroom mode of teaching so it’s a lot more affordable and easy.
Their fee is very affordable, so people who are rich, poor , working or non-working will be able to avail this opportunity.
There is no age limit in these universities, so people from all walks of life can pursue their education.
Open Universities come under UGC, so all their certificates and degrees are approved by UGC.
The study centres act as storehouses of knowledge, and are located at a location convenient to the student.
The students can also use radios, TVs and computers in addition to books.

Conclusion:

Open University is like a blessing, to students who haven’t been able to attend regular classes due to various reasons, to students who have scored less marks in their previous academic year, to students who find travelling difficult, due to the location of the university, and to students who would like to pick up from where they left. These universities are very flexible when it comes to their academic matters. Students who have been to Open universities in our country, have fared very well and have raised their intellectual tone in today’s society. Open Universities have become an important instrument, in fulfilling the desires and wishes of the less fortunate.

References:

Vipra Shrivastava, What is an Open University?

https://www.shiksha.com/humanities-social-sciences/articles/what-is-an-open-university-blogId-14031

‘The New Normal’

Lockdown In India: India has been in a complete lockdown system due to the global pandemic issue since March 2020. It was the only way of staying safe at our homes and maintaining social distancing. However, all essential services,essential commodities and medicines were available. Banks, ATMs, grocery shops, petrol pumps, hospitals were not included in the lockdown. The night curfew was initiated by the Government that no movement of people from 7pm to 7am shall take place except for essential items.

The global pandemic changed the daily lifestyles of people, the work scenarios, the Indian economy, the Entertainment Industry, and so on.

Nothing like this was expected that the world would be in such a dilemma.The entire world has been affected by the global pandemic issue. Be it the economy, the business and industry sectors, the health sectors, the agriculture and law sectors, small scale and large scale sectors,railways and metros,aviations,etc.

The poor and daily wages workers have been hit tremendously by this pandemic. They are the ones suffering a lot today. Even the unemployed are facing problems and a number of employees have lost their jobs already. The ones still working in their work spaces are constantly in fear of the safety of themselves and the others.

This pandemic has changed a lot of things over the past few months. Each and every person is suffering due to the sudden issue be it through mentally or financially.

Even after the complete lockdown system initiated by the Govt. of India for literally three months, the number of cases of covid-19 has been going on tremendously increasing day by day. There is no number of decrease in the cases till date.

The nation followed complete lockdown for more than two months except for essential items. Initially, the domestic flights were resumed from May 25th with guidelines that has to be followed for travelling. The Railways then decided to start to operate the Shramik Special trains from May 1^st to transport the stranded migrant workers, students, pilgrims and tourists.

The centre then decided to start lifting few restrictions on things in lockdown as Unlock 1.0 phase from the 8^th of June. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi Ji however gave the authorities to the States and Union Territories to decide about what should be made opened and not in their respective states.

In the Unlock 1.0 phase malls, hotels and restaurants for takeaway and home delivery, and places of worship for the public were made opened. However, social distancing and proper safety measures had to be followed. The containment zones were in complete lockdown as earlier. People stepped out of the houses as soon as they heard about the Unlock 1.0 phase thus increasing the risk of themselves and others.

Amid the rise in the cases of the coronavirus after the Unlock 1.0 phase, the Government directed the State & Union Territories to ensure mandatory basis that no movement of people except for essential things would be allowed from 9pm to 5am throughout the whole nation. Indian Railways decided to operate 15 pairs of Special AC trains from 12^thof May and 200 time-tabled trains from the 1^st of June.

On July 1^st, the nation entered into the Unlock 2.0 Phase with relaxations in night curfew, provision for more domestic flights and trains and clearance for more than five people in a shop. However, schools, colleges and other educational institutions are closed till July 31^st. At present, offices are too opened with all the safety measures that has to be followed. Some offices still prefer work from home (wfh) for their safety. Works which can’t be done from wfh are resumed.

Shootings have also been resumed for daily soaps and TV Stars are practicing all the social distancing and are following safety measures while they are on the sets and all the reality shows would be getting back with new episodes from 13th of july.

Looking at the increasing number in the cases day by day, the nation would be entering in the Unlock 3.0 phase from July 31^st.

The fact:

Currently, as we have entered unlock phases of lockdown people have accepted and are trying to make it a habit of wearing masks and scarfs before stepping out of their homes. Maintaining social distancing and using a hand sanitizer as and when required. All the precautions and safety measures have been followed by every person.

Markets have realised that masks are now an essentials things and also trendy and therefore, producing different brands and patterns of masks to the customers. This is an amazing business which is in actual demand and has already started making profits.

People are trying to accept ‘the new normal’ or you can say ‘the new usual.’ Earlier hand sanitizers were not in much demand the way it is now. Without masks, its impossible to think of going out right now today. And you think we have to follow this only for some months?

No, we have to follow and adapt this new normal not only till the number of cases gets reduced to ‘0’ which we all are hoping but also for some years for future prevention. It is true that we are not safe anymore. We can’t freely go out or hang out like earlier we used to do. We can’t do social gatherings or get together at some one’s home. We can’t chill with our friends or spend time with them at our homes. We can’t go to theatres for watching movies or go shopping with our friends. We can’t chill at the malls, or public places like earlier. This is the reality. We can’t touch anywhere or anyone without having the fear of risk right now or for few years till everything settles down completely.

I am just stating the facts. No one knows when exactly we all will be free and will be back to our normal life. Everyone is waiting for that one day when we hear the news that coronavirus (covid-19) is reduced and no more cases have been detected.

Hence, today looking at the current situation I do feel its not safe to step out of the houses without wearing our masks for coming years. This is the new normal that we have to abide by and just like we can’t leave our smartphones at homes, the same way we can’t leave our masks today before stepping out of our homes for anything.

Well, who imagined a world full of people wearing masks one day? But here we are today.

Masks are the new normal.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s relatives launch Nepometer app,say it’s a tribute to SSR

After Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic demise on 14th June 2020,the debate on nepotism in Bollywood has gained momentum. People started reiterating that Bollywood does not give chance to struggling actors who are outsiders. Whereas, the star kids get all the stardom even though they may not have talent. Kangana Ranaut was bold enough to describe how nepotism was the cause of the Star’s death. This may be true indeed, because SSR himself in an interview on the ‘Raabta’ movie release event said that nepotism is everywhere. And he was so humble to say that nepotism is fine if they also give chance and recognise the outside talents. This gives us a hint of how much he had struggled to reach where he was.

In a recent development, Sushant’s brother in-law, Vishal Kirti posted on his Twitter profile about the launch of Nepometer app. The app will measure how much nepotistic a movie is. Vishal Kirti wrote that it is a ‘not for profit voluntary effort’ and they wanted people to make ‘informed choices’. “The app is a tribute to SSR”Vishal Kirti wrote in his another post. The app has been developed by Vishal kirti’s brother Mayuresh Krishna.

“We’re still grieving. Our focus now is to take care of each other. I shared my brother’s idea of Nepometer because it enables people to make informed choices. It’s a small tribute to Sushant. It’s a not for profit voluntary effort. Please stay patient since it isn’t our 1st priority,” he wrote on Twitter.

The news was announced on Twitter with the caption, “Fight Bollywood Nepotism with Information. We will provide ratings for movies based on how nepotistic or independent movie crew is. If the #nepometer is high, then it’s time to #boycottbollywoodnepotism #fightnepotism.”

Nepometer gives Alia Bhatt starrer ‘Sadak 2 ‘ movie 98% rating

Nepometer gives rating to a movie based on the fact whether it’s actor and actress and supporting crew members Viz director,producer,writer, supporting actor are star kids or anyway related to Bollywood celebrities. The greater the number of insiders or star kids in a movie,the higher rating it will get on Nepometer app. Higher rating on Nepometer dneotes that the movie is highly nepotistic.

For eg, the movie ‘Kalank’ starring Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt is likely to get a high score on Nepometer while ‘Thappad’ featuring Tapsee Pannu is likely to get a lower score.

The first movie to be rated by Nepometer on Thursday is ‘Sadak 2’ which is a sequel of ‘Sadak’. Sadak 2 is starring Alia Bhatt in the lead role. The app gave the movie a 98% rating which means it is highly nepotistic.

A tweet on the Nepometer Twitter page read, “#Sadak2 is 98% Nepotistic. We rated it based on 5 categories, Producer, Lead Artists, Supporting Artists, Director & Writer. 4 out of 5 categories have Bollywood Family members. When #nepometer is high it’s time to #boycottbollywood. Will you watch this movie? Tell us in comments.”

The idea behind developing the app is that people should avoid watching movies which are featuring star kids and go for movies featuring outsiders to encourage new talents.

Meanwhile,police is investigating on Sushant Singh Rajput’s case and so far, the police have questioned at least 28 people, including his domestic staff, family, friends and co-stars.

PM Modi wraps up Ladakh visit with a swipe at China, says times have changed

On a quiet visit to Ladakh designed to deliver a loud message to China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told soldiers posted along the Line of Actual Control that the courage they had demonstrated had sent a message to the entire world. Addressing soldiers deployed in Ladakh, PM Modi said tales about their valour were being spoken in every house across the country.

‘The enemy has seen your fire and fury as well,’ PM Modi told the soldiers in an address telecast live from Ladakh to the country. PM Modi also referred to the violent clash between soldiers of India and China at Galwan on 15 June and paid his tributes to soldiers who laid down their lives.

“From Leh, Ladakh to Siachen and Kargil…and Galwan’s icy waters…every mountain, every peak is witness to the valour of Indian soldiers,” PM Modi said. “You have given a befitting reply to people who attempted to conquer,” he told them before going on to deliver his direct message to China.

PM Modi underscored that India had always pursued the path of peace in the world but at the same time, those who are weak can never initiate steps for peace. “Bravery and courage is a prerequisite for peace,” he said.

“We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the ‘Sudarshana Chakra,” the Prime Minister said.

Without naming Beijing that has been trying to encroach into Indian territory in Galwan valley and Pangong Tso and create new boundary disputes, PM Modi said times had changed and the era of expansionism was over. This is the time for development, not expansion, he said.

PM Modi stayed on target and continued hurling darts at China. The expansionist policies of some countries had affected world peace, he said, a clear reference to China that has disputes with 21 of its neighbours.

But history records that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back, PM Modi said, delivering his final shot before wrapping up his surprise visit. PM Modi’s office had finalised the day-trip to Ladakh late last evening but kept it a closely-guarded secret till the last moment.

News of the visit got out sometime after he landed at Leh’s airport, a height of over 11,000 feet with rarefied atmosphere, dry air and ultra-violet rays from the sun in the cold desert.

PM Modi, 69, headed straight for his briefing by top military commanders at the XIV Corps headquarters at Nimu outside Leh. He had had similar briefings back in Delhi also. This time, PM Modi could see the Zanskar and the mighty Karakorams that he had been spotting on the maps during the briefings. He also interacted with the soldiers to give them pep talks and hear their perspectives before he came around to delivering his speech.

His arrival in Leh had already delivered the first set of messages to Beijing. It also contrasts India’s approach to the standoffs along the Line of Actual Control to Chinese leadership’s efforts to signal a hands-off approach.

The PM’s visit is also a very strong message to President Xi Jinping that either he gets his aggressive Western Theatre Commander Zhao Zongqi to restore status quo ante or accept the inevitable consequences of PLA escalation. The Indian Army and Chinese PLA are locked up at four points on the LAC in East Ladakh with the latter consolidating on ground while mouthing peace overtures.

The location at Nimu where PM Modi addressed soldiers from the army, air force, ITBP and border road organisation resembled an active forward base. “There were artillery guns and other heavy equipment all under camouflage with soldiers wearing helmets and sitting in trenches and other kinds of dug out positions with a rare glint of courage on their faces,” a top military commander said.

Referring to some veterans who taunted that Nimu is a picnic spot, the commander said it was “a picnic spot for those who have treated their tenures as picnics instead of doing serious soldiering. For them even Kargil and Pangong Tso are picnic spots. If only they had treated these locations as future combat zones they would dare to comment,” he said.

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