Every Food has a Story.

Food is such an important part of our life with so many varieties. Their are multiple mouth watering cuisines in todays world.
But did you ever wonder that every dish you eat or every drink you have, has a history behind it. There is a story of invention and origin behind each of it.

Let’s take a look at the origin of some of the popular varieties of food and beverage that everyone loves and craves to have.

  • Biryani

The origin of biryani lies in Persia and was later brought to India where it was further developed by the Mughals in the Mughal Royal Kitchen during the Mughal period. It is said that Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor’s Queen, Mumtaz Mahal, asked the chef to create and serve a special dish that provides balanced nutritions to the undernourished army people that she visited once. That is how the creation of biryani took place.
This invention was followed by creating various types like Hyderabadi Biryani and Calcutta Biryani.
Biryani” comes from the Persian word “birian” that means “fried before cooking”.

  • Margherita Pizza

The name Margherita was derived from Queen Margherita of Savoy. During her visit to Naples, chef Raffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi along with his wife created a pizza that resembled the colour of the Italian flag using the ingredients Tomato (red), Mozzarella ( white) and Basil (green).  As it was created for and served to Queen Margherita, and she liked it, it was named after her.

  • Tea

The origin of Tea took place in southwestern China where it was used as a medical drink. It was when Chinese Emperor, Shen Nung, got to know about the  plant Camellia sinensis. As his troops took shelter under the trees, a few leaves of the plants fell into the pot of boiling water due to the wind and they took the first sip of tea. That’s how tea was invented.

  • French Fries

By looking at its name you might think that they originated from France. But we are giving all the credits to the wrong country.
Earlier, the poor villagers of Meuse Valley, used to catch small fish, fry and eat them. When the winter came and the river froze, they were forced to look at other food sources. They moved to the root plant, potato. They sliced and deep fried it just like they used to fry the fish. That’s how Fries were invented.
During the World War I, when the American soldiers took a hault in Belgium, they were served Fries which they enjoyed having. Since then, fries became a popular snack.
The official language of Belgium was French, so the French soldiers named it as French Fries.

  • Nutella

The creation of the World’s favourite spread was done in Italy by the son of Pietro Ferrero, named Michele. He improvised his Father’s recipe called SuperCrema, which was made using hazelnuts, sugar and small amount of rare cocoa.
Michele, evenly used new hazelnut and cocoa cream and the World famous spread was invented and named Nutella.

  • Chicken Nuggets

Back in 1950’s, when the meat industry faced two major problems, one was being able to clump meat without a skin and second was producing a batter coating that could be deep fried and frozen without being detached. A food science professor, Robert C. Baker, in United States, invented a chicken piece of bite size, coated in batter and deep fried. He named it as ‘Chicken Crispie’ . He published it as his unpatented academic work. It became the solution to the meat industry problems and were called Chicken Nuggets.

  • Popsicles

Popsicles was everyone’s most favourite thing in the childhood since generations. It has the most interesting invention story. It was invented by accident in  San Francisco.
Back in 1905, an 11 year old boy, named Frank Epperson, mixed soda powder and water in a glass with a stirrer to treat his friends. He left the glass outside in the cold chilly night and forgot about it.
The next day he discovered the first popsicle. He pulled out the ice candy along with the frozen stirrer by running it under hot water and then tasted it. He enjoyed it and decided to name it as Epsicle. He sold it in the neighbourhood.
After 18 years, he applied for a patent. He recommended birch, poplar, or wood-bass for the stick.
As he was now a grown man with children he renamed his Epsicle as Popsicle the all the generations since then enjoyed it.

  • Nachos

Ignacio Ananya at a restaurant in Mexico, fried some chips and added some toppings. He served it to the first batch for a group of hungry U.S. military wives. Just like that Nachos were invented. He names it after his Nick name that was Nacho.

  • Hamburger

The origin of the Hamburger is quite complicated. It is named after a German city, Hamburg. The patty was made using meat and was served as Hamburg steaks and went on for a long time. Later people found it difficult to eat the Hamburg steaks alone.
Hence, USA was the first country to combine the patty and the bread or bun together. There went on controversies about the origin of the Burger as both the important parts, the patty and the bun were invented separately. At last in the 20th century, Hamburger was identified with the United States of America as they were the ones who combined both the basic ingredients.

  • Sandwich

Sandwich was a result of unwillingness to get up for food break. British statesman John Montagu, who was a gambler in England, was so deep into playing cards that he didn’t want to leave the table and take a food break. Therefore, he told his servant to make him something that he can eat without having to get up from his place and continue playing. So his servant stuffed a piece of meat between two breads and that’s how the sandwich was invented. However, the name of the servant got lost in the history. Later, his friends demanded for the sandwich too and since then it became popular.

So next time when you have any of these things, you’ll be aware of their stories and you won’t be able to stop yourself from sharing it with the person you have it with.

Writing: A Cathartic Journey

Writing is a prolonged process that requires a lot of time followed by a passage of intense thinking and exploration of different things at the same time. The act of writing allows us to explore a plethora of domains that go beyond human existence. Unknowingly we become a part of the cosmic universe through the act of writing.

Catharsis is an intense word which has been interpreted and represented in a lot of different ways by various historians and theorists with the passage of time. It was first used by Aristotle in Poetics with the definition of tragedy, as one of the main genres of dramatic representation. This word has been used only once by Aristotle. Afterwards, it became an important resource of research for the theorists.

Catharsis can be considered as a process of purification and purgation that helps the excess of our emotions and feelings to get evaporated from our physical system. Although, Aristotle never explained it or even mentioned it anywhere else, critics and theorists have added layers after layers to this concept since it first appeared in Poetics. Catharsis therefore can be regarded to be a process that brings about a sense of relief through releasing our strong and repressed emotions and feelings.


It does not necessarily have to be a novel/drama/poetry so on and so forth but writing casually for no one but yourself can contribute a lot in the healing process that is something we all need in some time or the other in our life. We write when something hurts us/amuses us/makes us happy/makes us sad- there is no particular time/feeling. We tend to write all the time. In other words, writing can be viewed as a process that can be regarded as an output of our thoughts. Specifically writings that take place when the writer is in melancholic or nihilistic brings forth the intense cathartic nature of writing.

Writing is therapeutic. It unlocks our long repressed emotions and desires. It allows us to go beyond the mortal and physical boundaries and transcend to a different domain of existence that is otherwise unknowable.

The act of writing therefore can be considered as a reflector as well. It helps transferring our oppressed feelings to a different world through a pen and paper. It helps us grow. It helps us move forward through helping us with releasing our emotions. A recent psychotherapy study has come up showing people who have a habit of writing their feelings down on a daily basis are less likely to feel low. Hardships are not really that hard for them to overcome since they do not keep it all bottled up within themselves. Even a personal journal/diary can be really helpful in order to maintain a healthy balance between our emotional sphere and the societal reality.

Various psychotherapists have also focused on how writing about our fears can eventually help us get over them in a simpler and easier way. Patients with mental illness are often recommended by therapists to write down their traumatic experiences and the like that bother them. It helps us get past distressing and disturbing incidents of our life.
Writing is an honest activity that helps us transcend our real and not-so-real borders and eventually takes us to a sphere that is peaceful, calm and filled with solidarity and emotional harmony.

– Suvasree Bandyopadhyay.

Life Unplugged

For a second, let your imagination run along these lines. It is a beautiful morning, the sun is slowly rising. You are there on your balcony, peacefully sitting and the only sound you can hear is the chirping of birds. In your hand is your favorite drink, and in your mind is calmness. Amidst all this, you take a long deep breath and feel connected to your soul.

Your life keeps going on and you do things which you think are important for you. You never once stop to just take a breath and look around to see where you have actually reached; what is going on in your own life. So to counteract this, there is this unworldly concept that you just sometimes take a break from your life; you unplug from your own life.

More often than not, you forget to take a break. And even if you do take it, you usually only give it to your physical being but forget that your mental being is equally important.

Take a break every now and then to reevaluate your life and your surroundings. It is just as important to stop as it is to continue to accomplish things because, without a balanced head, you would not be able to accomplish them anyway. Take a break from places, from routines, from people, and even from yourself. Unplug from the chaos of life.

Plug back into life in its purest form and not through a lens. Plug back to your values and the things you desire. Connect to those who truly matter. Connect to peace, joy, and Zen. Embrace your inner self once in a while.

  1. Start your day with yourself

There will come a time when you have to attend to your duties and obligations. The world will start pulling at you and the day will become just a domino effect of endless pulls. Before that happens, spare a few moments for yourself.  You deserve it. Nobody else is more important than you. Take five minutes to breathe, contemplate, and feel grateful for your life.

yoga

  1. Mind your diet

The world is a chaotic place where every being has to fend for himself. Start by minding and mending your food habits. Introduce a new super item into your diet. The only condition is that it should be healthy. Drink a green smoothie if you like that. Find healthier alternatives for your favorite foods. Try eating cakes and sweets that are gluten-free. Cleanse your diet.

  1. Empower yourself with an inspiring book

Your subconscious mind creates reality. Feed your mind with the world you want to create for yourself. Start your day by reading a portion of a book that embeds positive thoughts in your mind.

  1. Explore your neighborhood

It is not necessary for you to travel to exotic places to feel relaxed. You could just go outside your home and take a walk around your neighborhood. Connect yourself with nature. Try a new restaurant. Join a class that you wanted to for a long time.

  1. Prioritize your time and feelings

Learn to balance your time within your boundaries. Manage the time you spend on social media. Own up your actions and let people know how you want to be treated. Focus less on what you want to do and achieve and more on how you want to feel while achieving that.

Image Courtesy: Google

Cultural Diversity!

Cultural diversity can be explained as the presence of different cultures within a social system, which differ in values, norms and behavior and encompasses different ways of thinking, managing, and communicating. It is important because a country, workplaces, and schools increasingly consist of various cultural, racial, and ethnic groups and hence makes a country stronger and better able to compete in the new global economy . People from diverse cultures bring language skills, new ways of thinking, creative solutions to difficult problems and negotiating skills.

Cultures are created through communication which is considered to be the means of human interaction through which cultural characteristics are created and shared. In every culture there are basic standards for social interaction such as personal space distance, eye contact, amount of body language displayed in public, negotiating style etc. Culture is very important because it covers many different parts of human life. It is directly related to the human experiences regardless of gender, age and race. It forms people’s everyday life, their views, lifestyles, basic assumptions, their perceptions and above all, the culture shapes the individuals’ relationship.People express their culture through the values they possess about life and the world around them which in turn affects their reasoning in what behaviors suits to certain situations. Learning about another culture does not necessarily mean that one must internalize the norms of another culture and accept them. It provides a channel to learn how to manage the cross-cultural conflicts and helps people understand different perspectives within the world in which they live, and helps eliminate negative stereotypes and personal biases about different groups.

Diversity is a concept that counters discrimination and embraces the inclusion of people with various experiences and backgrounds such education, parental status, geographic location, language, and culture. It is also about learning from others, providing support and respect to those with similar and different experiences.

Culture is a way of regarding and living life that is shared by members of a social group and that is passed on to people from the previous generation. More specific, culture consists of ways to behave and value aspects in life and is derived from the social environment where people grew up. Due to globalization and labor migration the presence of diversity in society and in organizations has accelerated the process cultural diversity further. Therefore it is evident that cultural diversity is becoming an unavoidable factor in many areas.

To support cultural diversity in our workplace or at school, we can increase our level of understanding about other cultures by interacting with people outside our culture, be proactive in listening, accepting, and welcoming people and ideas that are different from your own, avoid imposing values on others that may conflict or be inconsistent with cultures other than your own , intervene in an appropriate manner when you observe others engaging in behavior that show cultural insensitivity or bias and advocate for the representation of various cultural groups within the local community and the society in general.

As diversity keeps growing globally, cultural diversity should be embraced as it acknowledges and values various cultural ideas, encourages contributions from all groups, recognizes and respects diversity, people are empowered to achieve their full potential and differences are celebrated.

Child Labour – A Curse By Fate

The COVID-19 pandemic, the worst crisis faced by mankind since the second world war will not spare anyone. It has already created much havoc as a result of which humanity is severely suffering and will continue to suffer for the next not known years. It has pushed almost every country in this world into deep recession resulting in massive job losses in all sectors of the economy and its devastating effects have already started affecting the humans.


India is the second most populous country in the world. Our country is home to more than 400 Million Children. They constitute more than 40% of Indian population. India also has the highest number of working children in the world who are employed, not only in small scale industry, but also in industries with hazardous work. There are 10 Million child labourers in India, according to the last census and majority of them are confined to the workplace by employers. In India over 80% of children below 14 years of age are engaged in child labour are based in rural areas . It has been thirty years since parliament passed the law against child labour but still is prevalent in India and is increasing at an alarming rate.


According to International Labour Organisation (ILO) this pandemic would push 400 Million informal workers in India into deep poverty and many families will not be able to provide their children with basic necessities of life and with little or no government support and with no other alternative left they would be forced to employ their children for their survival, it will become the new survival mechanism for them.


According to UN this pandemic will push thousands of vulnerable children into child labour. ILO and UNICEF have noted that number of children locked in child labour had declined by 94 Million since 2000 but UN agencies have already warned that this pandemic has the capacity of reverting the growth .


To spread awareness and for the eradication of child labour from the world in all its form by 2025 ILO introduced world day against child labour in 2002 . Since then 12 June is celebrated as World Child Labour Day. Theme for 2020 is COVID-19 : Protect children from child labour, now more than never. ILO defines Child Labour as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to their mental and physical development. According to the most recent estimates published by ILO in 2017, around 152 Million children were forced into work from 2012 to 2016, including 73 Million in hazardous position.


This pandemic has already affected millions of life and is likely to affect a million more and its impact is going to be long lasting and intense. Loss of livelihood, closure of school for long duration combined with loopholes in the law and poor conviction of violators will make the children worst sufferer of this crisis. Already the condition of children in India was not any good and it is likely to get worse because of this pandemic. With extreme unemployment and poverty many children will be forced drop out of school and join work to support their families .


The government should ensure strict enforcement of child labour laws and provide children and their families with the basic necessities of life so that they are not left to suffer and to prevent them from falling in the traps of trafficking and bonded slavery.


If the government of India will not take immediate and effective actions for protection of children from child labour in this crisis then we are sure to lose the battle against child labour and elimination of child labour by 2025 will just become a dream.

Whatsapp on 4 devices to access same account may come soon.

Messaging and calling app whatsapp is going to provide the facility to run the same account to multiple devices very soon. Now, user can have the access to the account with multiple device of their choice.

Whatsapp is testing multiple-device backing since few months and still many experiments are under way and is need to be done and the company might be getting ready to reveal the feature, at least in the beta version. The website that tracks new features on the beta version of the instant messaging are few other  interesting information from application.

The new post also shared a screenshot of the feature signifying that the device will use Wi-Fi in order to synchronize data between multiple devices plans.  It is also expected to provide a similar option for app handlers working on just cellular networks.

WABetaInfo, the website claimed via a post that operators will be able to practice WhatsApp on various multiple devices of their choice which is currently, a single account can only be used on a single device.

Tech expert are excited with whstsapp announcing use of multiple devices for same account handlers and its functioning. It will take few more months to whatsapp to make it official as the test and trial are under way. The app is quite popular and it is widely being used in India and other part of the world. Coming with this feature will provide more customers in near feature and it is going to be a profitable decision for the company, tech expert says.

The introduction of the instant messaging platform, WhatsApp has been limited to usage on solo device. The company later released WhatsApp Web support but the feature is only available when the primary device is connected to the internet and also needs authentication from the device. The support for multiple devices might extend to different form factors including iPads. The feature will first be made available to the beta version of the application.

WhatsApp is also making changes to the recently launched dark mode. In order to make the experience better, the instant messaging application is planning to change the color of chat bubble to a new shade of green.

WhatsApp has also been reported to release a new feature where the user will be able to conduct searches on the basis of dates. The feature has been spotted by WABetaInfo.

 This is going to be great feature and people will surely love it as whatsapp is quite common and popular with use of both the android and IOS users subsequently.

Earlier the popular messaging app is bumping up the number of people who can be on a video or voice call at once to eight, double its previous limit of four.

https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/whatsapp-may-soon-allow-up-to-4-devices-to-access-same-account-11592037835230.html

Exploitation Of Innocent : Child Labour

Child labour is the employment of children in any type of work. It keeps children away from the childhood and interferes with their schooling. It is dangerous and harmful to all the children (below age group of 14 years) in the aspects like physically, mentally, and socially or morally.According to the 24th Article of the Constitution of India, the work of children below 14 years of age as labourers, factories, hotels, domestic servants, etc., is covered under child labour, if a person is found doing so There is a provision for appropriate punishment.As reported by UNICEF, there has been a 54% increase in child labor in urbanized areas for children between the ages of 5-14. In addition, according to a Campaign Against Child Labour study, India has approximately 12 666 377 child laborers total. Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India, has 19,27,997 child labourers Child labour and exploitation are the result of many factors, including poverty, social norms condoning them, lack of decent work opportunities for adults and adolescents, migration and emergencies. These factors are not only the cause but also a consequence of social inequities reinforced by discrimination

How we can reduce child Labour?

  1. Review national laws regarding child labour.
  2. Refer to your buyers’ requirements.
  3. Check the age of your employees.
  4. Identify hazardous work.
  5. Carry out workplace risk assessment.
  6. Stop hiring children below the minimum age.
  7. Remove children from hazardous work.
  8. Reduce the hours for children under the

Generally the child of poor families work as Child labour. So , there must be more employment among the poor people. Government should provide more jobs . By reducing poverty we can eradicate the child labour.152 million children worldwide are victims of child labor; 88 million are boys and 64 million are girls. Girls who leave school early do so disproportionately to undertake responsibility for chores within their own homes, while boys are more likely to leave school prematurely in order to join the labor force.The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act of 2015: This law made it a crime, punishable with a prison term, for anyone to keep a child in bondage for the purpose of employment.A new report by risk analysis firm Maplecroft, which ranks 197 countries, identifies Eritrea, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Yemen as the 10 places where child labor is most prevalent All over the world, children are being exploited through child labour. This mentally and physically dangerous work interferes with schooling and long-term development—the worst forms include slavery, trafficking, sexual exploitation and hazardous work that put children at risk of death, injury or disease

Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially or morally harmful.

The government has failed to eliminate this dehumanisation of childhood . It has also failed to launch compulsory primary education for all, despite the rhetoric . Between 60 and 100 million children are still at work instead of going to school and around 10 million are working in hazardous industries . India has the biggest child population of 380 million in the world , plus the minimum age of employment ; this makes implementation of these laws difficult .

If the government was at all serious about granting children their rights , an intensive effort ought to have been made to implement the supreme court’s directive of 1997 which laid down punitive action against employers of child labour (Rs.20,000 per child to be paid by offending employers ). Only compulsory primary education can eliminate can eliminate child labour .

Surely , if 380 million children are given a better life and elementary education , India’s human capital would be greatly enhanced . But that needs , as president Abdul Kalam says , a “second vision“. Can our political establishment see beyond the haze of shallow realpolitik?

5 ways to turn your mistakes into life lessons

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I’ll never do that again,” only to find yourself doing the exact same thing just a short time later? If so, you’re not alone. It’s likely all of us have repeated some of our mistakes at one time or another.

But making the same mistakes over and over can be costly in more ways than one. Perhaps your team has lost faith in you because your behavior doesn’t match your words. Or maybe your errors have cost you or someone else a lot of money.

The good news is, you can take steps to learn from your mistakes. Then, instead of repeating them again, you’ll gain valuable wisdom that will help you in the future.

Here are five ways to learn from your mistakes:

1. Acknowledge Your Errors

So often, leaders say things like, “I’m sorry you felt that way,” or “It’s unfortunate it didn’t work out.” But blaming other people or minimizing your responsibility isn’t helpful to anyone.

Before you can learn from your mistakes, you have to accept full responsibility for your role in the outcome. That can be uncomfortable sometimes, but until you can say, “I messed up,” you aren’t ready to change.

2. Ask Yourself Tough Questions

While you don’t want to dwell on your mistakes, reflecting on them can be productive. Ask yourself a few tough questions:

• What went wrong?

• What could I do better next time?

• What did I learn from this?

Write down your responses and you’ll see the situation a little more clearly. Seeing your answers on paper can help you think more logically about an irrational or emotional experience.

3. Make A Plan

Beating yourself up for your mistakes won’t help you down the road. It’s important to spend the bulk of your time thinking about how to do better in the future.

Make a plan that will help you avoid making a similar mistake. Be as detailed as possible but remain flexible since your plan may need to change.

Whether you find an accountability partner or you track your progress on a calendar, find a way to hold yourself accountable. Keep in mind that what works for one person might not work with someone else.

4. Make It Harder To Mess Up

Don’t depend on willpower alone to prevent you from taking an unhealthy shortcut or from giving into immediate gratification. Increase your chances of success by making it harder to mess up again.

As a psychotherapist, I’ve worked with people who have found some creative ways to become more disciplined. I once worked with a woman who blew her budget every month because she shopped online late whenever she was bored.

To prevent herself from having instant access to her cards, she froze her credit cards in a big block of ice. She’d have to wait for the ice to melt to get the number. Whenever she found herself trying to thaw the block of ice, she would pause and realize how ridiculous the situation was and she’d stop short of spending money she didn’t have.

5. Create A List Of Reasons Why You Don’t Want To Make The Mistake Again

Sometimes, it only takes one weak moment to indulge in something you shouldn’t. Creating a list of all the reasons why you should stay on track could help you stay self-disciplined, even during the toughest times.

I once worked with a woman who wanted to stop talking to her ex-boyfriend. She knew he wasn’t good for her but she couldn’t’ resist answering the phone whenever he called.

She created a list of all the reasons why she shouldn’t talk to him—it was bad for her mental health, they were toxic together, etc. She laminated the list and taped it to the back cover of her phone. Whenever he called, she’d turn her phone over and begin to read over the list. It helped her resist the temptation to answer the phone.

Self-discipline is like a muscle. Each time you delay gratification and make a healthy choice, you grow mentally stronger.

So, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, most importantly you should learn from your mistakes.

Meditation: A happy pill to your life

In our lives we are surrounded by a lot of tensions of our career, of our studies and recently we are really stressed about global pandemic (Covid-19). So in this stressful time, it is necessary to keep your mind and body, calm and healthy. So one of the best way to cope up with this is Meditation.

Meditation is the practice of thinking deeply in silence to make your mind calm and peaceful. Through meditation you are able to reduce and manage your stress level. Meditation is just like other relaxation techniques like yoga and deep breathe which activates your body relaxation response. It boost your feeling of happiness and calmness. Regularly doing meditation increases your ability to stay cool, calm, and composed even if you have a lot of pressure.

According to researches, doing meditation also benefits our mental health. It decreases depression and increase the positive emotional state. It also increases the ability to deal with unavoidable stressful condition.

Doing meditation relaxes our body, it leads to active growth of positive mental skills such as affection, kindness, sympathy, tolerance and energy. It increases the creative level of our mind. We are able to do things better if we regularly do meditation.

It is necessary to perform meditation in a quite place, as effective meditation should be free from any distraction. Meditation also have a positive effect on our health, while doing meditation our heart rate and breathing slows down, usage of oxygen becomes more efficient and it normalise our blood pressure. If you are doing meditation regularly, your immune system also works well. Meditation enchances our attention span and increases positive thinking. It is very effective in reducing stress so, it is used in treatment of the prevention of many stress – related conditions. According to a study of Haward University, Meditation alters the chemistry of brain and increases positive emotions. It also shows that meditation has improved the lifestyle of many people suffering from stress related conditions.

In our lives we are surrounded by lots of tension, anxiety, stress, so it is necessary to start meditation. Even if you are happy and don’t think that you are suffering from any kind of stress then also do meditation. As we know that, meditation will also help in reducing many health related issues and also help you to be calm, reduce your anger issues.

So start meditating, it will really help you to live a happy, peaceful and disease-free life.

Movement of people during unlock 1.0

The novel coronavirus cases still continue to rise in the country at an alarming rate. The total coronavirus cases in the country has crossed 3,00,000 with a total number of 3,10,760 cases as per June 13, 2020. Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases with more than 1,00,000. With Tamil Nadu and Delhi in the next. Maharashtra, Tamill Nadu and Delhi are the top most affected states with the highest number of cases respectively. 

During unlock 1.0, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has allowed all areas outside containment zones to resume activities until June 30 with various restrictions. The government has directed the States and Union Territories that no movement shall be allowed to take place anywhere in India between 9 PM to 5 AM except for essential activities. Ajay Bhalla, the Union Home Secretary stated, movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited between 9 PM and 5 AM throughout the country except for essential activities. Some States and  Union Territories are also restricting movement of persons and vehicles plying on highways between 9 PM and 5 AM. “The restriction does not apply to instances of loading/unloading of goods (as part of supply chains and logistics); buses carrying persons and trucks and goods carriers plying on state and national highways; or persons travelling to their destinations after disembarking from buses, trains and flights,” Ajay Bhalla said.

Even so, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated, the restrictions do not apply to persons travelling to their destinations after disembarking from buses, trains and flights. It also does not apply to loading and unloading of goods (as part of supply chains and logistics). Therefore, the states and UTs are also informed not to prevent such movements as mentioned above. Many social, religious, economic and sports activities are allowed to function under unlock 1.0 as per the MHA guidelines. However, according to the MHA guidelines, the lockdown shall continue to remain in force in the containment zones till June 30, 2020 and no movement is allowed anywhere in the country between 9 PM to 5 AM. The announcement was made in order to prevent gathering of persons and to ensure social distancing is maintained but it should not hamper with supply chains and logistics.

The nationwide lockdown has been imposed since March 25 and was first announced by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, in order to fight the spread of novel coronavirus. This is unlock 1.0 with several restrictions. However, everyone should stay indoors and avoid going out as much as they can, to fight against the spread of novel coronavirus. 

Necessary precautions to be followed by everyone-

  • Always wear a mask properly which should be covering your nose and mouth while going out. 
  • Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds after coming back home. If you touch an object outside and do not have water and soap, use hand sanitizer with more than 60% alcohol content.
  • Maintain a minimum distance of 6 feet from others.
  • Avoid touching your face without clean hands. 

 

A Break in Between

The high school focuses on the textbook education of a child. As a student, you will be provided with insights on the Nazis and the best topography for the coniferous trees. But by the time you graduate from high school, you get so focused on your formal education that you are completely burnt out for the real world. There are still lessons waiting for you out there, many of which you need to learn before you enter your university and get a taste of the real world.

Although most students head directly from the high school to the university courses, it can be healthy to take a break from school and focus on building your character for once. What most people don’t believe is that education can be continued outside a classroom too.

A gap year is the answer for such students who are lost. It will give you the opportunity to take a breath before you dive headlong into university life. You can go to another country and instead of simply reading about the place you get a firsthand experience of its culture, traditions, and people. The change in scenery will aid in your networking and give you a global perspective on life.

The one-year gap is a breather for you to understand what you want to pursue in your life. You will get the experience of making tough decisions and be more independent.

Here are 4 benefits of taking a gap year in a country that is not yours.

  1. Accelerated maturity

You can be a good student easily but there is nothing to support your statement. A gap year allows you to gain quality life experiences. You get to witness different things the world has to offer, from new sites to new foods. You learn about the people and more importantly, about yourself. Living in a place that is not your home allows you to handle things on your own, making you more responsible and self-reliant.

  1. Better performance in college

If you are a student struggling to decide upon your major in college, the bridge year gives you a chance to explore your interests and allows you to make an informed decision regarding your field of study. It also gives you the time to refine the specific skills you feel you are lacking and catch up on them before you begin university.

  1. Boost your job prospects

Since you return to college invigorated with a newly found confidence and perspective, you will have a better chance at any future employment prospects. You will be able to cater to the needs of diverse customers. Your time spent volunteering will be proof of your empathetic side which most employers seek while hiring.

  1. Discover a hidden passion

In one year’s time, you can learn a new language or pursue a new hobby. Maybe you can even hone a previous skill of yours like writing, public speaking, and cooking. These skills will give you an edge in your career or help you in your personal life by making you feel relaxed. Either way, you’ll become a well-rounded person creating positive opportunities along your way and leading a rich and rewarded life.

Image Courtesy: Google

Tik tok vs YouTube

Getting infected with a viral fever is far more complicated than becoming viral. Imagining today’s reality is unimaginable. Is this a topic that became viral after people started to speak about it or people used to speak after it became a viral?Youtuber wants to be in news. He doesn’t speak about something rather he picks the same thing that is news. He talks about the news in order make the news and eventually become the news i.e Takes the news,talks the news,make the news and become the news. The New always make a way to the News.

Talking about things is easier than taking the things. Speakers aren’t good listeners since listeners aren’t good speakers. Once a speaker,he always will be a speaker but listeners evolve to be speakers. Always be a good listener in order to become a good speaker. A speaker will not be a good speaker until he is a good listener.

It is easy to identify a good speaker in Youtube because tiktokers never speak(they only enact the sayings).A good youtuber don’t make good stuff,what ever they make becomes good stuff. The topic is never good,but it becomes good. He doesn’t make it good,but it becomes good.A good youtuber isn’t good as he talks good but he behaves good or appear to be good. Some youtubers talk about bad and appear to be good. Talking about bad in a bad way don’t make them good because it is the only way that projects them as good and we are blind enough to be blind. As bad spreads fast doesn’t mean good is slow enough to reach. Both reach in the same manner but good is not remembered and bad is not forgotten.
Tiktokers make us believe nothing because we spend no time with them. The time we spent while watching it doesn’t let us think. It even doesn’t allow us to make a choice to watch it or not because it makes us to watch it before we skip to the next. It doesn’t make tiktokers mindless as we use mind a less and you too better mind less about the mindless in order to make this as issue and become a mindless.
We can control the mind while watching YouTube and there is no need to mind about our mind while using TikTok. Therefore both platforms are just like the platforms that we are used just to stand . Remember Railway platforms don’t make us stand ,pair of legs does. Similarly online platforms don’t make us they support us.

Who is wrong is it Carry minati or Faisu Khan?People are behind these people not because of them because of the platform they like. This had turned into a war between online platforms and making it as roadside platform issue. They both tried to get attention from the ends. TIKTOK users had succeeded in deleting the youtube video and in turn youtube users had succeeded in the declination of TikTok ratings. Whom does this benefit? Only for the people like me who got something to write about something and make something out if it.

Why is it TikTok vs YouTube but not YouTube vs TikTok¿? Youtubers,please make it as issue and thereby giving a topic for my next post.

How the current lockdown situation has impacted a student’s career.

As we know the global pandemic Covid-19 has caused a lot trouble to the world including the education system. Due to the lockdown the school’s and university’s are shut down until the further notice. This will have a large impact on a student’s career irrespective of his/her field. Many entrance tests and competitive university exams are also on hold. Not to forget that the 10th board exams are also cancelled in the state of Maharashtra.

Impact on a School student.

Let’s start from the students who were going to enter the school for the very first time, Yes the new admissions in the primary sector. Due to the pandemic their admission is also on hold and most probably will be cancelled as the parents won’t take any risk by sending their child to school in the time of crisis as a result the student would miss one crucial year of his/her life and would graduate a year later.

Talking about the students attending the classes from 1st-9th. This is a period where a student learns all sorts of social skills and sporty activities. The student learns to adapt to the environment and learns new skills and experiences difficulties on a regular basis. Due to the lockdown there is a pause in this process and would affect the student later on as they would have to start their journey all over again. The online classes won’t fulfill the gap as to what the students used to learn In the school’s. As there is no proper monitoring and no discipline whatsoever. This will cause a student lack of discipline, social skills and would tend to loose a alot of learning opportunities and competitive activities which are held in the school to enhance the potential of a student.

The higher secondary education students are at a greater risk, with the 10th class board exams getting cancelled and the students are getting promoted on the basis of their internal marks. The major disadvantage that the students will be facing is that they won’t be experiencing any board exams this year and would directly look face to face with the 12th board exam. The experience of writing a board exam is really essential for a candidate to understand the paper and the patern.

Impact on college students.

University’s and colleges are the place where a student learns and excels new platforms to enrich his experience and gain alot of working potential. Due to the pandemic there is a temporary stop on the semester and the examinations are kept on hold.

The freshers (First year students) who were keen to learn and adapt to the college environment will now have to wait till the next semester. The first year of college is really important as the student understands his/her responsibility and starts learning in a specific manner and bring a moderate change.

The major problems arises for the final year students, as the final exams approaching and Covid-19 still increasing day by day the students are in a state of fear. Assuming the examinations getting cancelled and the students are rewarded with their degree what would be the next step? As college placement won’t be in hand due to the pandemic and won’t be receiving any job offers from the corporate sector due to the current situation.

Conclusion.

The pandemic and lockdown would eventually affect the student’s career by wasting some period of their golden time. It could also lead to certain unemployment for the graduates. The school going students and the college freshers can cope up with upcoming challenges, the major problem arises for the final year students.

NATRON LAKE, THAT TURNS CREATURES INTO STONE?

It is so-called due to its high alkalinity. The water of this lake has a high amount of Natron chemical(a mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate, kind of soda ash, and some percentage of sodium bicarbonate). The pH of the fluid in the lake is measured to be 10.5 which is nearly high as ammonia. This salt lake is in the Arusha region in the country of Tanzania(specifically Northern Tanzania). 2° 25′ 0″ S, 36° 0′ 0″ E is the coordinate for this alkaline lake. It is entirely shallow, about 9.8 ft intense while the width varies. The lake runs to 35 miles in length and 14 miles wide. Temperatures at the lake reaches above 40 °C (104 °F) oftentimes.
Where does Natron come from?
High temperatures and high evaporation level leaves behind natron and trona(sodium sesquicarbonate dihydrate) and due to these fragments, the alkalinity reaches a peak of 12, and the lake precisely originates its color from salt-loving microorganisms that grow in its alkaline liquid. Spirulina, a blue-green algae with red stains, passes its stains along to the Lesser Flamingos that feed on the algae.

SATELLITE IMAGE OF THE LAKE,NATURAL COLOR THAT MICROORGANISMS HAVE COLORED THE LAKE’S SALT CRUST RED OR PINK.

The salt coating changes over time putting on the variation in the appearance. The reports say that Volcanic ash from the Great Rift Valley has accumulated in local lake basins, establishing a configuration of soda lakes antagonist to most organisms. This rough atmosphere enables Lake Natron to serve millions of flamingos as the ideal nursery; would-be predators avoid the saline lake and vacate young birds in peace. It can burn the eyes and skin of animals that aren’t adapted to it. However, it’s a home to many flamingos, they also have to be cautious as the lake can turn fatal to them. Rainfall plays a vital role in its alkalinity. The temperature can reach 60°C when the lake is flooded with water that has warmed up below the ground.
The uniqueness of Lake Natron provoked Tanzania to add the lake to the Ramsar
List of Wetlands of International Importance on July 4, 2001.

Lake that turns animals to stone? Some media reports say the creature just turn to stone and expire after coming into contact with the lake’s water. In fact, Lake Natron’s alkaline waters support a thriving ecosystem of salt marshes, freshwater wetlands, flamingos, and other wetland birds, tilapia, and the algae on which large flocks of flamingos feed. Photographer Nick Brandt has captured haunting images of the lake and its dead in a book titled “Across the Ravaged Land” (Abrams Books, 2013).
Brandt somehow found out the remains of flamingos and other animals with chalky substances like sodium carbonate residues tracing their bodies. “I unexpectedly found the creatures — all manner of birds and bats — washed up along the shoreline of Lake Natron,” Brandt wrote in his book. “No one knows for certain exactly how they die, but … the water has an extremely high soda and salt content, so high that it would strip the ink off my Kodak film boxes within a few seconds.”


“I took these creatures as I found them on the shoreline, and then placed them in
‘living’ positions, bringing them back to ‘life,’ as it were,”
Brandt wrote, relating as
he moved the animals. “Reanimated, alive again in death.”
Images credit: © Nick Brandt 2013 Courtesy of Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, NY.


The popularity of the lake increased after a book was published by the
photographer.

Go Digital: The Latest Mantra in the Media World

Mass media are going through a great change in the contemporary times. One hardly needs to mention that mass media offer a huge platform with amazing reach among the audience. People depend on various mediums to get information on events and issues, be it news or entertainment. Newspapers, radio and television used to be the major vehicles of mass communication. But now the digital medium is becoming the most powerful agency. So powerful that it is forcing other mediums to depend on it. Newspapers are coming out with online editions. Printed books are fast turning into e-books. Radio and television are having digital versions. Movie industry is being threatened by the rise of web series. Online sites of various pre-Internet media are becoming increasingly interactive, adding advanced features and devices. The features include news chats, blogs, comments and various kinds of audio-visuals. Audiences are also being invited to contribute, giving them the feel of reporters. No doubt, the number of people contributing are increasing. It is injecting a participatory flavour to one sided traditional broadcasting. Let me be a bit more specific about the change.

Newspapers cover a broad area— from hard news to entertainment, from description to analysis. Now conventional newspapers are facing challenge from the digital. There are some limitations of newspapers. It is slow in production. It is not possible to get current updated second-to-second information from all around. At least a day is required to get news physically and process them for publication. Newspapers also need lot of material and human resources— buildings, machines, paper, ink, people— to get going. In order to get rid of slow pace newspaper proprietors are now utilising the Internet to provide updated information to readers. Even a traditional newspaper like The Hindu, established in 1878 and considered by many to be India’s best newspaper, has online presence through The Hindu News App since 2010. The Hindu online subscription is free. Even without registering one can read twenty articles per month. The Times of India, another prominent newspaper in existence since 1861, also has a powerful online presence. All newspapers, national and local, prefer to go digital with e-papers to attract readers with the promise of access to news anytime anywhere. Being digital has a major advantage. The contents can be uploaded and updated instantly.

Radio is the most cost effective medium. But in the face of competition from electronic and digital media it has witnessed a steep decline in last few decades. In recent times radio in India has received a boost through commercial stations. These channels, not being allowed to present news, have effected an entertainment mode of presentation. But alongside this change in the conventional mode of broadcasting radio stations are managing online audience interactions through local, station-branded websites. They are also making use of social media to increase their popularity among the youth. The stations are moving forward to adopt universal ‘audio platform’ tag facing increasing competition from audio-streaming platforms and other formats of digital media consumption. Thus, radio stations are becoming radio channels, increasingly building their online presence across audio and video content formats. The YouTube channel of Red FM, for instance, has 3.6 million subscribers. It has provisions for behind-the-scenes videos, contents created exclusively for the digital world, and digital versions of channel’s radio shows. Radio Mirchi has a strong digital content strategy. This brand has about thirty online radio stations and multiple YouTube channels including Filmy Mirchi, Mirchi Murga, Mirchi Bangla and Mirchi Tamil with a combined subscriber base of eight million. Various radio channels are also latching on to the trend of creating podcasts. Radio City, Radio Mirchi and Red FM are building a library of podcast content exclusive to their digital channels. The original content for digital platforms gives radio channels extra avenues for monetisation and brand integrations.

If newspapers and radio channels do so can the television be far behind? Television in India began its journey in September 1959 in a skeletal form with limited hours of telecast. The regular service started from 1965. There has been a huge change in the world of television since the coming of the privatisation of airwaves and the end of monopoly of Doordarshan by a Supreme Court judgement in mid 1990s. Now private commercial channels are vying with each other to go digital. Many innovative and more sharply focused programmes are being devised by television channels opting for Internet-based services. It is happening with increasing popularity of online streaming and connected TV sets. Subscription video on demand (SVoD) for watching full-length TV shows and movies for a monthly fee is also becoming popular. Netflix is a prime example. Many traditional broadcasters are making their content available for streaming on their website, both live and on demand. The types of content provided are called ‘over-the-top’ (OTT). It means that Internet service providers (ISPs) only have responsibility for delivering the IP packages and leave distribution rights, viewing abilities etc. over to another actor. OTT services uses the same network services as regular web browsing does. Smart TV, also known as connected TV or hybrid TV, is the collective term for TV sets that have an internal TV-tuner but also integrated Internet-connected technologies and applications that can be run; a convergence between television and computers. TV contents are being continuously complexed with the expansion of Internet and increasing presence of screens like smartphones and tablets on which content can be presented. There are online streamings of news and entertainments at the same time as that of television in the Internet. The audiences can view the shows of their preferences even if they are outside their homes. They can watch movies via Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hoichoi etc. News can be seen through mobiles and laptops via Jio TV, Hotstar, and Zee apps. These are all for catering the audiences whole day and at any time any place. All channels ensure online internet presence for viewers to be updated with latest information.

So it is a happening scene in the Indian media world. Different media are vying to go digital. The strict boundaries between print media, audio media, visual media and audio visual media are weakening steadily. Digital is holding the show.