Day: June 23, 2020

The art of happiness

William Ogdon’s column appeared on the editorial page of the New York Times on. December 30, 1945.

There was never a time when so much official effort was being expended to produce happiness, and probably never a time when so little attention was paid by the individual to creating the personal qualities that make for it. What one misses most today is the evidence of widespread personal determination to develop a character that will in itself, given any reasonable odds, make for happiness. Our whole emphasis is on the reform of living conditions, of increased wages, of controls on the economic structure- the government approach – and so little on man improving himself.

The ingredients of happiness are so simple that they can be counted on one hand. Happiness comes from within, and rests most securely on simple goodness and clear conscience. Religion may not be essential to it, but no one is known to have gained it without a philosophy resting on ethical principles. Selfishness is its enemy; to make another happy is to be happy one’s self. It is quite, seldom found for long in crowds, most easily won in moments of solitude and reflection. It cannot be bought; indeed, money has very little to do with it.

No one is happy unless he is reasonably well satisfied with himself, so that the quest for tranquillity must of necessity begin with self examination. We shall not often be content with what we discover in this scrutiny. There is so much to do, and so little done. Upon this searching self analysis, however, depends the discovery of those qualities that make each man unique, and whose development alone can bring satisfaction.

Of all those who have tried, down the ages, to outline a program for happiness, few have succeeded so well as William Henry Channing, chaplain of the House of Representatives in the middle of the last century:

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy . . . to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to the stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never ; in a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.”

It will be noted that no government can do this for you; you must do it for yourself.

Taken from Light from many Lamps by Lillian Eichler Watson.

What it takes to become a PRO?

The Difference Between Professionals and Amateurs

It doesn’t matter what you are trying to become better at, if you only do the work when you’re motivated, then you’ll never be consistent enough to become a professional.

The ability to show up everyday, stick to the schedule, and do the work — especially when you don’t feel like it — is so valuable that it is literally all you need to become better 99% of the time.

I’ve seen this in my own experiences…

When I don’t miss workouts, I get in the best shape of my life. When I write every week, I become a better writer. When I travel and take my camera out every day, I take better photos.

It’s simple and powerful. But why is it so difficult?

The Pain of Being A Pro

Approaching your goals — whatever they are — with the attitude of a professional isn’t easy. In fact, being a pro is painful.

The simple fact of the matter is that most of the time we are inconsistent. We all have goals that we would like to achieve and dreams that we would like to fulfill, but it doesn’t matter what you are trying to become better at, if you only do the work when it’s convenient or exciting, then you’ll never be consistent enough to achieve remarkable results.

I can guarantee that if you manage to start a habit and keep sticking to it, there will be days when you feel like quitting. When you start a business, there will be days when you don’t feel like showing up. When you’re at the gym, there will be sets that you don’t feel like finishing. When it’s time to write, there will be days that you don’t feel like typing. But stepping up when it’s annoying or painful or draining to do so, that’s what makes the difference between a professional and an amateur.

Professionals stick to the schedule, amateurs let life get in the way. Professionals know what is important to them and work towards it with purpose, amateurs get pulled off course by the urgencies of life.

You’ll Never Regret Starting Important Work

Some people might think I’m promoting the benefits of being a workaholic. “Professionals work harder than everyone else and that’s why they’re great.” Actually, that’s not it at all.

Being a pro is about having the discipline to commit to what is important to you instead of merely saying something is important to you. It’s about starting when you feel like stopping, not because you want to work more, but because your goal is important enough to you that you don’t simply work on it when it’s convenient. Becoming a pro is about making your priorities a reality.

There have been a lot of sets that I haven’t felt like finishing, but I’ve never regretted doing the workout. There have been a lot of articles I haven’t felt like writing, but I’ve never regretted publishing on schedule. There have been a lot of days I’ve felt like relaxing, but I’ve never regretted showing up and working on something that is important to me.

Becoming a pro doesn’t mean you’re a workaholic. It means that you’re good at making time for what matters to you — especially when you don’t feel like it — instead of playing the role of the victim and letting life happen to you.

How to Become a Pro

Going about your work like a pro isn’t easy, but it’s also not as complicated or difficult as you might think. There are three steps.

1. Decide what you want to be good at.

Purpose is everything. If you know what you want, then getting it is much easier. This sounds simple, but in my experience even people who are smart, creative, and talented rarely know exactly what they are working for and why.

2. Set a schedule for your actions.

Once you know what you want, set a schedule for actually doing it.

You want to set a schedule based on actions you can do, not results that you want.

3. Stick to your schedule for one week.

Stop thinking about how hard it will be to follow a schedule for a month or a year. Just follow it for this week. For the next 7 days, don’t let distractions get in the way.

Setting a schedule doesn’t make you a professional, following it does. Don’t be a writer, be writing. Don’t be a lifter, be lifting. For one week, do the things you want to do without letting life get in the way. Next week, start again.

Once you get at the top there is no coming or looking back because when you reach there it becomes more of habit .that you cannot leave .

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The real ground reality of the corona treatment

Corona virus, every day its like we are tuned to the same channel spewing the same things like a factory mill on overwork. But be as it may every day, we learn more about this disease that was thrust suddenly to the world, after initially originating from china. There are many a theory afloat that China deliberately kept the onset of this disease a secret to gain from it, and knowing the level the Chinese usually stoop to it would not be farfetched to believe so. Nearly every country is trying to cope up to this disease with drastic level of differences. On one side we have countries like new Zealand who have virtually negligible cases and still effectively trying to combat the situation and on the other end we have countries like USA where the cases have arisen to such a point that their President has announced that he will be slowing down testing to make it seem like the number of cases have dwindled. So where on this spectrum does India lie?

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

India is home to a vast population that counts in billions, to safely combat a virus which spreads so easily is a herculean task in itself. However, the front-line workers are continuously working to be the first line of defence, but is it enough. Very often we see on the news and media how heroically our government is fighting the virus, often depicting them as gallant saviours shielding us from the evil virus. The hospitals giving their best in order to help the patients that they get, treating them and sending them back to society so that they may function like before. However,  the ground reality is anything but so, with the influx of corona positive cases of nearly 15000 each day, adding the fact that hospitals are seeing the worst mismanagement that could be done during a pandemic, it is no surprise that to many people going to the hospital seems like a walk towards the gallows. The hospitals launched apps in order to increase their efficiency and help them control the crowd gathering in hospitals, however with the traditional Indian scene of mismanagement this has just poured fuel to the increasing fires. The apps show the hospitals having free beds when there are none, mistreating patients and whatnot. Many a hospital within Delhi, India’s capital city have started to look more like morgue, without enough beds to put the dead bodies in, entire floors have been converted into makeshift morgues with bodies simply piled up unhygienically. This is just the tip of the iceberg that is the inefficiency of the hospital scene in battling corona virus. With the amount that an average corona patient is charged, coupled with the gross mismanagement it can make life a living hell for anyone going to the hospital regarding this issue. During this pandemic bed charges have inflated very much, a general ward bed in super specialty hospitals costs around 11000 a day, due to the covid-19 expenses. The overall amount depends on the time period one I admitted. Adding the mismanagement of the hospital staff into the mix it can go for unnecessarily long periods. Counting in the per day costs of a ventilator in the ICU ward for serious cases it can add an additional 50,000 per day as well. Thus, even if one miraculously survives the ordeal of corona, monetarily they are thrust back way harder than before.

What actions we further take is for everyone to see.

Growing vegetables at home

Vegetables are essential part of our food, green leafy vegetables gives us the important nutrients we require to lead a healthy life, but nowadays there is a risk buying vegetables from outside not only does it have a risk of getting exposed to the virus but also it can be filled with inorganic fertilizers and toxic stuffs like preservatives which will actually damage our health.  These harmful chemicals are introduced to increase productivity and longitivtiy of the vegetables and consuming these things causes the chemicals to accumulate inside our body and if it is not stopped it can lead to many diseases. The concept of organic  vegetables was introduced as a solution for this where no synthetic chemicals is used on the plant of the vegetables, but these vegetables costs so much that many people cannot afford it.

There is a better solution to this, if  one has space in their home they can grow vegetables in home, but as we know there are some vegetables which cannot be grown  at home nor some plants can be grown together, maybe in the future some way comes up so that these plants can also be grown. For now the vegetables you can grow are Tomatoes, Radishes, Okra,Ginger, beans  and many more. These can be grown in pots  and require some attention and care, this way of growing vegetables is economical also .

If you are a beginner you should have some tools like

  1. watering can- required to water the plants.
  2. Hand pruners – A type of scissors to cut the weeds.
  3. scoop- used to dig the soil.
  4. Small gardening fork- used for loosening the soil

These are the basic equipments required, but may be no need to buy them as you can make them by using many things in your house, like one can make the watering can by using an old water bottle and making holes on the cap or  for hand pruners one can use the ordinary scissors or can use some spoons or forks for loosening the soil.

You can plant these vegetables by seeds or buying the saplings, and put it in a pot with mud which is loosened well and it is very necessary to make holes on the pot which are also called drainage holes.  One should place the pots where the plants can receive optimum amount of sunlight. Its vey much required that you spend at least 1hour  of your day to water these plants, to cut them properly to check their growth status.

Some tips for different plants

  1. Tomatoes – The tomatoes should be grown in a pot of larger height so as to get sturdy and strong roots. These plants require more sunlight. Do add organic pesticides because insects attack tomatoes much more than other plants
  2. Okra – Do not water it very much as it may lead to fungal diseases
  3. Ginger- plant the root in a wide container and do not cover it with very much soil.

such tips will help you to grow these plants better, one should take care of the plants very much in winter seasons as this season tend to inhibit the growth of these plants, sometimes the plant become dormant. Immense amount of love and some care  required to grow these plants.

 

If you take care of these things and do all the things properly you would certainly get the results so

Enjoy the fresh, organic and healthy vegetables……

 

Why you must learn a foreign language!

Introduction

When the majority of people say they want to learn new language, they say because of the tendency to learn something new but they never really think of the importance of learning a foreign language and how it can help them for years to come. Learning a foreign language gives a different vision to life. The brain of a bilingual people operate is not the same as other, they have different way to function.  They have another mental level which bilingual people lack in caliber.  That is why learning a foreign language has its benefit as it makes your brain sharper and stronger. Not only this, It just not been advantage to your resume but is also handy for travelling making one smarter and make better to connect with world. Many studies have suggested that communicating in different language has a great benefit.  It is a great asset to mental awareness supporting cognitive process. One doesn’t learn languages in one go and it became powerful. The brain has to put extra effort for improving the functionality of your brain. The brain challenges itself to learn, negotiate meaning, and communicate in different system. It means the learner has skills that boost the ability of solving tasks as well.  Toddlers and children are very much skilled in catching new words and switching between two systems that includes speech, writing, and structure. Switching between the languages makes a good multitasking as it’s easy to switch between the languages.  A good learner often likes its brain to do exercise because it functions well in that case. Learning something obeys the memorizing rule and a set of vocabulary that assist a learner to gain mental strength and stretches mental muscles.  This totally improves an entire memory, that proves that multilingual are better learner and remembering list and arrangements. They could easily catch names and address, says many studies. Every language has its own set of jargons and glitches and subtle implication included in the vocabulary that influences the judgments. It makes any bilingual more confident on its decision making skills. They are quick in checking whether initial conclusion stand up. They hardly become biased and subconsciously influence the judgment. It is said that language is best learned between the sheets.  If a learner has to study a language he/she   better aim of a culture and its diversity. Also help in getting a good knowledge of society are interactively motivated.   Language and its aptitude is the main tool that builds for long relationships and meaningful provides communication. Linguistic studies show that integrative motivation always yields faster and more effective language learning results than any other type of learning. Learner studying language can achieve their goal more instantly than others as they are more motivated. Therefore, tracing its origins or evolutions is the most difficult thing.

 Motivation to learn a language is not problematic but if a learner has a zero cultural curiosity then it’s hard for him/her to learn. The learning process will be more difficult than for those with integrative motivation and difficult to target or even prejudice. Desire to communicate and accelerate language learning that can motivate one to learn a language.  It is also a basic need for a cross cultural friendship and one can fuel integrative motivation. 

Global Warming : A closer look

Many people are still unaware about the changes in the overall climate of the planet. Human emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are posing an unprecedented threat to the future of life on Earth. Recent observations suggest that the planet has experienced the largest increase in surface temperature over the last 100 years. The continuous rise in temperature of the planet is really upsetting and will severely affect ecosystems and disturb ecological balance and the fundamental cause for the rapid climate change is global warming. Global warming is caused due to human activities such as industrialization and burning of fossil fuel thereby releasing uncontrolled emission of green house gases. Fossil fuels are being continuously used to produce electricity. The burning of these fuels produces gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides which lead to global warming. It is the considered to be the root cause of rising sea level, flooding, changes in weather patterns, storms, cyclone, epidemic diseases, lack of food, death, etc. Melting of polar ice caps will lead to floods which can cause mayhem everywhere. Rise of sea levels will devastate agricultural and fishing activities. Hence appropriate measures must be taken to tackle this problem.

Global warming has impacted the nature’s balance, biodiversity and climatic conditions of the earth over decades. Another cause of global warming is the ozone depletion. The ozone layer protects the earth surface by inhibiting the harmful sun rays to coming to the earth. However because of the gradually declining ozone layer , ultraviolet sun rays are entering to the biosphere and get absorbed by the green houses gases which ultimately increase the global warming. The process of global warming begins when sunlight reaches the Earth. The clouds, atmospheric particles and surface of oceans then sends back sunlight back into the space, whilst the remaining is absorbed by oceans, air and land. This heats up the surface of the planet and atmosphere, making life feasible. As the Earth warms up, this solar energy is radiated by thermal radiation and infrared rays, propagating directly out to space thereby cooling the Earth. However, some of the outgoing radiation is re-absorbed by carbon dioxide, water vapours, ozone, methane and other gases in the atmosphere and is radiated back to the surface of Earth and are commonly known as greenhouse gases. The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere was artificially increased by humankind at an alarming rate since the past two centuries. According to a study, over 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide was pumped, huge amounts of methane gas are generated in landfills and agricultural decomposition of biomass and animal manure, nitrous oxide is released into the atmosphere by various nitrogen-based fertilizers including urea and ammonium phosphate and other soil management utilization . As a result, thermal radiation is further hindered by increased levels of greenhouse gases.

 We must solve the issue of global warming by spreading social awareness among people about global warming to get it eradicated from worldwide and make the possibilities of life on earth forever as usual.

HABITS

All have habits-anything done continuously becomes, a habit – habits may be good or bad – necessary to prepare good habits and avoid bad ones – good habits help us to succeed in life. All of us have habits. Anything that is done repeatedly becomes a habit.

Man is a bunch of habits. Anything done frequently and repeatedly is called a habit. It is an obtain pattern of action which becomes easy and mechanized because of repetition. Thus, habits, once formed, are difficult to be removed. That is why the saying, ‘Old habits die hard’. The root of habit is practice and regularity. The more we repeat a habit, the more easy and permanent it becomes. We are bound to repeat a habit, because if we do not we feel intolerable and uneasy. This is called the force of habit.

Habits can be good as well as bad. But it is very easy to acquire bad habits. Bad habits once acquired become the bonds and chains forever. If one becomes a sufferer of bad habits, they contribute his get away impossible. Habits become part of a man’s nature. They cannot be changed, specially at advanced stage. As a cat cannot change its streap, so you cannot change or get rid of evil habits. Like ones name they stick fast till the grave. Habits make or spoil our destiny. They actually form the foundation of our fortunes. In the words of an author: “Sow an ‘act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit, and you reap a character. Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.” Thus, habits form the cornerstone of one’s personality and destiny. We are the maker of our destiny because we acquire good or bad habits and have the results accordingly. It is the use which causes origin and growth of a habit. Without use and frequency there would be no habit at all. A thing done occasionally, say once in a blue moon, cannot be called a habit. 1 n the words of Dryden “Ill habits gather by unseen degrees, as brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas.” The same fact is underlined by the poet Hannah More in the following words: “Small(evil) habits, well pursued betimes, May reach the dignity of crimes.” The same principle applies to the formation of good habits. But healthy and good habits can be formed only with a great labour and long continuous practice. You cannot acquire a good habit simply by determination, chance or by fits and starts. You have to perspire and persevere to acquire a good habit. It is far more easy to acquire good habits early in life when there is lot of flexibility both in body and nature. Once you have attained a good habit, it will always stand you in good stead. By possessing them you become quite capable to bear the ups and downs of life like a real, man. Good habits, like those of hard working, sincerity, honesty, courtesy, punctuality, simplicity, frugality, accuracy, tenacity of purpose, etc., constitute a sure security against ills of fortune and circumstances. They form a firm ladder to success and happiness. They are to be acquired, cultivated and possessed by hard labour, practice and constant use. And early youth is the best period to have them because then they make not so much demand on us. In brief, habits make the man. What actually you are, depends on your habits. You are good, excellent, bad or worse in proportion to your good and evil habits and their intensity.

There are many forces which play an important role in forming habits. Early education, impressions, company, association, etc., are some of the major factors in habit-formation. Gradually they get ingrained in our nature. Idleness, smoking, drinking, telling lies, flattery, gambling, cheating, stealing, spitting here and there are some of the major evil habits. Habits are also acquired because of imitation. Parents, elders, friends, etc., help them in their formation, and development. For example, a boy, who sees his father smoking, is likely to acquire the evil habit of smoking. The boy may think that in smoking there should be some pleasure and excitement that is why his father is a smoker. And then he may try it stealthily as smoking material is easily available to him. Gradually he may become a habitual smoker. Curiosity, routine and boredom also help in acquiring bad habits.

One bad habit leads to another bad habit. It is a vicious circle from which, there is hardly any rescue and escape. So always make good habits because sometimes you know by your habits also. Habits takes a very important place in our life. As our life changing we have to acquire new and good habits who gave us comfort in our day to day life. Habit of early wake up, healthy food habits, excercise regularly, reading books, gardening, painting, dancing, etc. Whatever you like. Sometime habit become passion for some people.

The Fault In Our Stars

John Green is a world famous writer who has written various worldwide best sellers like Looking For Alaska, Turtles All The Way Down. John green quickly grew into popularity because of his very touching writing style and remarkable way to storytelling. All his novels are worldwide best sellers and his stories always leave his readers in awe. The Fault In Our Stars is another one of his remarkable works. This book brought a huge amount of success to John Green and made him one of the most popular writers in the world. The fault in our stars got so popular that due to fans demand it was also made into a movie which was undoubtedly a huge hit as well. The Fault In Our Stars is a story about a 16 year old girl, Hazel Grace Lancaster who was diagnosed with cancer when she was 13 and a 17 year old boy Augustus Waters who is a survivor himself as he once had a tumour in his leg. This is an emotional yet heartbreaking story about these two characters hopelessly falling in love even though they are aware that their love story will end in a heartbreak.

The fault In Our Stars is written by John Green who has somehow managed to tackle a very bold yet sensitive topic that is cancer without being over cheesy and tacky about it. The novel is loved by readers of all ages, all over the world and is so brilliant that it has a movie made on the adaptation of the novel. 

John Green starts the story by introducing Hazel Grace who seems to be depressed as she keeps on re-reading the same novel over and over again. She is smart but lacks the motivation in her life. Hazel is forced to join a cancer support group by her parents where she meets Augustus Waters. Augustus, even after losing a leg to tumour is very cheerful and is determined to leave a mark on the world. Further in the story these characters fall unconditionally in love and embark on a beautiful journey together leaving all us readers in awe. John Green used the phrase “forever in a counted days” to describe their love story.

Some quotes from the novel like “some infinities are bigger than other infinities” and “pain demands to be felt” have gotten so famous that you see them quite a lot. The dialogues used by Hazel and Augustus in the novel are so impactful and indulging that one can even cry reading the novel. 

Saying that the novel is as perfect as it could be seems like an exaggeration but is not. The Fault In Our Stars is a huge success worldwide and it will be a legacy of our time. I found myself reading this novel multiple times in my free time as it is a masterpiece. The Fault In Our Stars adds itself into the list of world-wide bestsellers by the talented John Green.

India, China reach consensus to disengage in Eastern Ladakh sector

India and China have reached a consensus to disengage in the Eastern Ladakh sector.

In the Corps Commander level talks between India and China at Moldo, both sides agreed to disengage from all frition areas.

Army sources say,  the Corps Commander level talks between India and China on Monday were held at Moldo in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere.

AIR correspondent reports, Modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in Eastern Ladakh were discussed and will be taken forward by both sides.

The marathon meeting lasted nearly twelve hours in Moldo on the Chinese side of Line of Actual Control (LAC) to defuse tensions at the Eastern Ladakh sector.

This was the second meeting between the two sides.

They had earlier met on June 6th and agreed to disengage at multiple locations.

But on June 15th, violent clashes took place and casualties were reported from both sides. India termed the clash as a premeditated action by the Chinese troops.  

Reacting to the development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the countrymen that Indian armed forces are leaving no stone unturned in protecting the country.  

Mr Modi asserted that country today has such capability that no one can dare even look towards an inch of our land.

People are spontaneously boycotting and burning Chinese products in different parts of the country.

India stresses on need to respect principles of international relations at RIC trilateral FM’s meet

India has said that respecting the international law, recognizing  legitimate interests of partners, supporting multilateralism and promoting common good are the only ways of building a durable world order.

In his opening remarks at the Russia-India-China- RIC trilateral  Foreign Minister’s Video Conference  today, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said that this  Special Meeting reiterates our belief in the time-tested principles of international relations.

He said,the challenge today is not just one of concepts and norms, but equally of their practice. He said, the leading voices of the world must be exemplars in every way.

Dr Jaishankar said the United Nations began with 50 members and today it has 193.

He said UN’s decision making surely cannot continue to be in denial of this fact.

He said Russia, India and China have been active participants in shaping the global agenda and it is India’s hope that RIC will also now converge on the value of reformed multilateralism.

Dr Jaishankar said the victory over Nazism and Fascism in the second world war was achieved through sacrifices across many theatres by many countries.

India made a significant contribution, with 2.3 million of its citizens under arms and 14 million more participating in war production.

The Minister pointed out that when the victors met to fashion the ensuing global order, the political circumstances of that era did not give India due recognition.

He said this historical injustice has stood uncorrected for the last 75 years, even as the world has changed.

He said that therefore, it is important for the world to realize both the contribution that India made and the need to rectify the past.

Small Business, Big Trouble: The Viral Times

The outbreak of coronavirus has taken back happiness from our lives, at least for some time. It has forcefully changed our long habits. Lot of people from different walks of life are at the receiving end of our changed habits. One important segment is the small traders, shopkeepers and hawkers. Apart from their everyday sale they also depend on major festivals for huge sales. The demand for new clothes and other consumer items usually ensure good profit for them. But no more going out for shopping in crowded markets. It is a difficult situation for them.

The virus has already stopped the celebrations of the Bengali New Year, Eid ul-Fitr and Rath Yatra. The same fate awaits many more. Shopkeepers who sell essential commodities are in a little more comfortable position than the rest. The official notification only permitted opening of shops selling essential goods in the lockdown. In the Unlockdown 1.0 only some non-essential shops have been allowed to open. Still people are afraid to go and buy because of the fear of infection. Hawkers face the worst situation. According to the National Hawker Federation, there are around four crore hawkers in the country. They have incurred a huge loss of Rs. 48,960 crore out of total turnover of Rs. 2,88,000 crores within April. What has happened to them in this lockdown? How much loss have they incurred personally? We do not know clearly. Let us discuss few instances.

Poila Baisakh or Bengali New Year is celebrated in a big way in West Bengal. It is one of the very special days for Bengalis. Each year the markets in Kolkata offer Chaitra Sale, annual shopping festival, from 14 March to 14 April. It ensures a huge sale of new clothes, shoes, earrings and many more items. The markets are kept open till midnight and for a month they remain very crowded. During this time in a month hawkers make about 35% of their total annual profit. The sale attracts around fifty to sixty lakh customers. But this year all those vibrant scenes were missing. The markets and pavements were all empty day and night for the first time in decades. It came as a huge blow to thousands of hawkers. They do not even know how the business will get back to normal.

Eid ul-Fitr is a much celebrated national holiday after one month of Ramadan. This is a special day for Muslims and they buy new clothes and other items to celebrate with their families. The profit from this festival sale is always more than the normal sale in the market. But in this lockdown the usual hustle and bustle was missing in the streets. It turned out to be a low-key affair this year.

The Jama Masjid in Delhi saw the lowest attendance in prayers for the first time. According to the meat vendors and livestock traders, transportation of Eid special meat was held up in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The poultry farms have also lowered the production due to their heavy loss in April. The supply chain has been broken by serious restrictions followed during the pandemic. Thus all the vendors have faced huge loss in Eid. Some families are out of work for over two months and almost are out of savings. The rise in price and low supply meant that meat was beyond reach for many families.

Rath Yatra is a week-long festival for devotees of Lord Jagannath and his family. In Puri the event draws around five to ten lakh devotees in a week in June. All of them are seen outside the iconic Puri temple where three chariots remain ready to move. It not only attracts devotees but also small street vendors from Puri and other places to earn extra money. The hotels, restaurants and other business establishments wait eagerly for Rath Yatra to have large footfalls. The religious festival has a major economic dimension.  But this year because of the coronavirus the Supreme Court had initially banned Rath Yatra. This had led to great disappointment to those who were waiting to recover some losses. Then the Supreme Court allowed it but imposed severe restrictions, including curfew, to prevent people from attending the festival. The shutdown of airports, railway stations and bus terminuses for nine days has deprived small traders and hawkers of Odisha from the large customer base they expect during the festival time.

We do not know yet how many festivals will be celebrated without shopping. Small time traders and hawkers in the country are facing tremendous loss even after the Unlockdown 1.0. No one can undermine the importance of safety in such times and no one is arguing that we should crowd the markets as before but the fact remains that they are paying a heavy cost because of the pandemic.   

General Myths about Introverts

Many people find it difficult to deal with introverts due to some preconceived assumptions that they seem to have. It is nothing new. It has been going on for ages now and still people seem to have no idea on how to deal with introverts. This article aims at showing some of the major misconceptions people have about introverts:

1. Introverts are shy

Introverts are not shy. They might seem to be so but they have their own world within which they are as comfortable as extroverts are in front of people. Introverts have a hard time opening up to people they don’t/barely know but it never makes them shy.

2. Introverts are rude

Due the fact that introverts very seldom communicate with people, people tend to think that they are rude and have attitude problems when in reality they can be the most interesting people on earth. They don’t mean to avoid people to hurt their feelings or emotions. It’s just that they don’t feel comfortable with interacting with people they barely know. Once you happen to be close to them, they will be the most amazing individuals you will ever meet in your life.

3. Introverts hate people

Introverts don’t hate people. They just don’t feel comfortable in initiating a conversion or going to crowded places like concerts or parties due to which people think that way. They do appreciate the few people they have in their life. They care for them deeply and never take them for granted for they know they’re the only people to be their in their life.

4. Introverts are boring

Once you get to know someone really well only then you will be able to understand the kind of depth they happen to have. They are not boring. If they choose you as their friend, you will come to realize how interesting they can be. They will make you see the world differently. They will help you grow and have new perspectives. All you need is patience and care.

5. Introversion is a choice

It is not. People tend to grow different characteristic tendencies as they grow up. They do not choose to be introverts. It is how their mind prepares them to be in their life. People can choose to quite, but not introverts. It’s a mindset that slowly and gradullay develops from within. No one can control or overpower it.

6. Introverts are always melancholic

There is a very common misconception amongst people about introverts. They think introverts are always sad and melancholic. They keep quite most of the time but it does not mean they are sad or depressed all the time. They choose to keep their happiness within themselves and their way of showing joy is different than the others. Just because they choose to spend time with themselves it does not necessarily mean they are sad.

There are hundreds of different misconceptions about introverts and introversion in general due to which people often find it difficult to deal with introverts. These are some of the very common myths that people have about them and they need to understand these really well in order to understand their introvert friends well in life.

-Suvasree Bandyopadhyay

Novak Djokovic and his wife tests positive for Covid-19

The Serbian tennis professional and one of the most dominating players in men’s tennis and the men’s world number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic,33 has been tested positive for covid-19 along with his wife, who has also tested positive for the virus

The World No. 1 is now the fourth tennis player to test positive for the virus after participating in a charity tournament recently which he organised in Serbia and Croatia. Djokovic confirmed the news in a statement and also issued an apology to those who were infected with the virus after playing in the charity tournament.

Earlier in the week the Serb stands widely accused of complacency for organizing an unofficial charity event – in Belgrade, Zadar and Montenegro (subsequently cancelled) – without safety protocols applicable in most other countries and which have prevented resumption of the main Tour until August.

Djokovic expressed regret and sympathy but little contrition in a prepared statement. He was clearly upset that his close friend, Viktor Troicki, and the Serb’s pregnant wife, along with Grigor Dimitrov and Borna Coric – who played each other on Saturday – as well as Dimitrov’s coach and his own fitness trainer had also tested positive. he also repented for each individual case of infection and hopes that all of them recover soon.

With increasing number of covid-19 positive cases all over the world its important to be safe and take the necessary precautions

Need of afforestation in present world

We are living in a world where development is the atmost priority for everyone whether to develop knowledge , infrastructure , our own countries or any other field. In this period of development we have taken our mother Earth for granted and as a result we have forgotten the prophesy of give and take that we never gave the nature anything in return . And now the condition has gotten worse , humans recklessly cut trees for their own benefits, to earn money.

Afforestation is a very important element to protect and save our beautiful mother earth. Trees are meant to give us oxygen, shade , shelter , food etc. but humans are not understanding it and cutting them endlessly. Trees not only help us sustain life but also help to reduce global warming which if not seen would be a major problem in future.

What I am suggesting is that we teenagers and the future of this extraordinary world should take steps rather small steps but help our mother nature to survive like it helped us. Let us not let us ruin our futures by destroying the nature around us. Let’s make this world a better eco-friendly place to live in. Start awaring people around you. Plant trees, start taking part in environmental programme in your schools. You try to be friendly with nature the nature will automatically be friends with you.

Let’s go friends with nature!!!

Rath Yatra of Shri Jagannath

Wishing you all a Happy Rath Yatra!

Rath Yatra is the biggest and the most paramount festival celebrated in the state of Odisha, every year, in the monsoon months of June and July. The presiding deities of the main temple, Srimandira (in Puri), Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, with the celestial wheel Sudarshana are taken out from the temple in an elaborate ritual procession on their respective chariots. The huge, vividly decorated chariots, are drawn by hundreds of devotees on the Bada Danda, the grand avenue to the Gundicha temple. Devotees pull these three beautiful giant chariots. These chariots have unique names. The name of Lord Jagannath’s Chariot is Nandighosh, that of Lord Balabhadra is Taladhwaja and that of Goddess Subhadra is Devdalana. After a stay for seven days in their maternal aunt’s (mausi) home, the deities return to their abode in Srimandira.

It is believed that Lord Jagannath wishes to visit his birthplace for a few days every year and to fulfil this desire Rath Yatra is celebrated. The whole ceremony is a 12-day long process, which includes many rituals, including the Snan Yatra.

Lord Jagannath

It’s believed that the glimpse of Lord Jagannatha on the chariot is regarded as very auspicious and the ancient scriptures and bards have repeatedly glorified the sanctity of this occasion. It is said by the locals that even with a touch of the chariot or the ropes, with which these are chariots are pulled, is considered enough to confer the results of several pious deeds.

The concept of the chariot has been explained in the Kathopanishada in the following words-

“Atmanam rathinam viddhi sareeram rathamevatu
Buddhim tu saarathim viddhi marah pragrahameva cha.”

Meaning-
The body is the Chariot and the soul is the deity installed in the chariot. The wisdom acts as the charioteer to control the mind and thoughts.

Speaking historically, the Ratha Yatra of Jagannath dates back to the period when the temple was built by Anantavarma Chodaganagadeva in the 11th century CE. Also, if we check the tracts of historical facts and texts, we will find that there were a lot of times when this auspicious and grandest festival of Rath Yatra was stayed back.

In today’s scenario, keeping in mind about the ongoing pandemic situation,the apex court (Supreme Court) granted liberty to celebrate this festival but with some major restrictions.

https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/less-known-facts-about-rath-yatra-or-car-festival

In a nutshell, the Rath Yatra, which is not only celebrated in Odisha but also in other states like -West Bengal and Gujarat, remains one of the grandest festivals celebrated in India, gathering a large number of devotees,hence. Joi Jogonnath!