Day: July 3, 2020

Impact of pollution on Ecosystem

Modernization and industrialization has its adverse effect on environment surging toxins and health hazardous chemicals in both biotic and abiotic components of environment. Undoubtedly machines have made life super easy but it has taken a toll on human civilization.  World is facing many environmental issues wherein presence of pollutants in environment is being one of the major issue.

Pollutant is elements, unwanted particles and chemical and toxin present in atmosphere. Pollution is referred as presence of these pollutants in biotic and abiotic components of atmosphere. Both Biotic and a biotic component of atmosphere built our eco system. Abiotic is presence of all non- living and physical component  of atmosphere required to balance the eco system like water , air, natural gas etc. whereas biotic is all living organism present in eco system like humans, plants, bacteria etc.  These components are essential to maintain a balance in ecosystem.  It’s a impurity that is unwanted and is harmful to mankind and currently is major significant issues of the world.

Air pollution is one of the major pollution concerns existing in world and has raised an alarming situation. It is injurious to human health and the planet as a whole. Major causes are burning of fossil-fuels, coal, natural gases, industries, household uses, insecticide and pesticide and likewise.

Soil pollution is another major pollutant that is detrimental to humans and plants. Mixing of pollutants in soil has deteriorated its PH value causing to have it unfertile and barren. Illegal mining, dumping of urban and industrial waste, has resulted in soil erosion.

Water pollution is mixing of waste from factories, homes in water bodies. Mixing of pollutant make water contaminated and resulting in deletion in quality of water.  Heavy metals like lead, iron and arsenic is found in water making it poisonous for both terrestrial animal and aquatic. Last but not the least is noise pollution.  It is continuous exposure to an extreme sound level that causes annoyance and irritation. Sound levels less than 70 dB is tolerable by living organism and above that can affect respiration, headache nausea, according to World health organization.

Human activities that create pollution and affect environment

Pollution has disturbed the ecosystem to much extent.  Ecosystem chain has been adversely affected by climate change. Depletion ozone layer – ozone layer prevent entry of harmful sun radiation to the earth.  But toxic gases like carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform is leading its depletion.

Various examples in both world and India

Almost 90% of world population lives in areas where level of contaminated gases and fine particles have exceeded the limit according to WHO. Worldwide an estimated 6.5 million deaths (11.6 per cent of the total) were associated with indoor and outdoor air pollution in 2012, according to the WHO.

India is developing economy of the world and is growing rapid in recent years. With these recent developments of infrastructure, industrialization has increased pollution revelation the rise of toxicity in air and water. Many parts of India have witnessed acid rain making lad barren for further use. approx.25% of global deaths attributes to hazardous particulate present in the air.

https://www.lifegate.com/people/news/air-pollution-in-india

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Though education and training are parts of the learning process, yet education is wider in its scope than the training and the training is concerned with increasing knowledge and skills in doing a particular job, and the major burden of training fall upon the employer. But education is a broader field of subject and has a lot of connections in its roots and has a lot of scopes and its purpose is to develop individuals in each of their respective fields and it is very concerned with increasing the general knowledge and understanding of the total environment. Education also teaches us to solve any analytical, statistical concepts in a better manner with an in-depth understanding of all the complexity in them.

THE DIFFERENCE

By, education, we generally mean formal instruction in a school or a college or in a research facility or in a corporate environment, whereas the training is a vocationally oriented before you work on a complex or sophisticated machine or environment and is generally imparted at the work-place. Educational is theoretical, while training is practical and education is the process of developing and understanding of some organized body of knowledge and it is usually formal and aims at the total growth of an individual and it develops mental skills that enable one to use the knowledge acquired effectively in problem-solving situations. Training increases the aptitude, skills, and abilities of employees to perform specific jobs and it leads to the developmental of manual skills for a particular job, whereas education aims at enhancing the general knowledge of a person so that he may accomplish a job in an economical way or can start his own venture or a company to develop his knowledge that gives way for the evidence of his general intellect. As Flippo said in training “Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skills of an employee for doing a particular job”.

Actually, the distinction between training and education is not precise because in many cases both training and education occur at the same time in the form of some formal vocational school programmes are job-oriented only, whereas some employee development programmes in the industry are quite wider in scope and they may be viewed as education. The scope of training is narrow as it restricted to a specific job that requires a lot of practical knowledge to complete the given work or the job, whereas the scope of education is wide as it gives information about a specific area instead of a specific job. The objective of the training is to learn the method of accomplishing a specific job successfully whereas education aims at enhancing the general knowledge of a person to enable him/her to accomplish a job in an economical way giving evidence of his general intellect and training is imparted by a business organization, on-job or by setting up a separate training centre whereas the main source of education in schools, colleges and university. The burden of expenses for imparting training is the responsibility of the business organization, hence it alone bears are borne by the employee himself.

How to Successfully Cope with a Crisis Using Surrender

“Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.” ~Sonia Ricotti

The scent of sanitizer once again pervades my home. And as much as I am grateful for it, every time I use it, that astringent, alcoholic smell takes me straight back to the out-patient chemo ward at the hospital.

It’s been nearly seven years since I was a fortnightly visitor there, but the sanitizer and masks make me feel like I’m in a weird flashback.

It’s surreal to see the whole world now facing what was one of the hardest parts of my treatment regimen.

I was in quarantine for almost ten months.

Risk of infection, and hence, delay in treatment, is one of the biggest fears faced by anyone who has ever had any kind of chemotherapy. I only left the house to go to the hospital, and when I did, I wore a mask.

We discouraged visitors, and the few people who did come over also wore masks and sat a good six feet away from me. For an inveterate hugger, this was incredibly isolating.

And now, this is the new normal for everyone.

I find myself thinking a lot about that time in my life, and I realize that I had hit upon a coping strategy that worked excellently then, and is still something I lean on.

In a word, that strategy was surrender.

Surrender is an odd word to hear from someone who had to “fight cancer.” But when I say surrender, I mean to accept what is. To be fully aware of what is. To stop wasting your precious resources on things you cannot change.

Here are three practical steps that can help you translate this nebulous concept into reality.

Step 1: Make a list of every single thing you cannot change about the situation.
The moment I got home after getting my diagnosis, I went to my room, sat facing my window, and went through all the things I knew had to happen. I had to have chemo. That meant I might have pain. I would have to stay at home. I would likely lose my hair. And so on.

What does being in lockdown or quarantine or self-isolation mean for you? What are the everyday aspects of it that you’re going to bump up against? What are the little pin pricks of annoyance that could balloon into giant stabs with a blunt sword? Think of every possible thing and write it down, no matter how small.

Step 2: Go through your list, one by one, and vent about each point.
When I was undergoing my treatment, I wrote nearly every day. I wrote about what it felt like to lose my eyebrows, to spend New Year’s Day at the hospital, to only be able to keep down boiled mashed potatoes.

Everything on your list is real, and worth your attention. Take the time to journal, to vent and really work through how you feel about all of it. Let yourself express all the little things that you may think are silly, or overreactions, and especially the ones you feel ashamed of, or guilty for, having on your list in the first place.

If you have trusted friends, this is a great time to set up a support call system, where you take turns venting. The other person’s only job is to say, “Thank you. What else?” You can set a pre-determined amount of time to go one way, and then switch. At the end of both (or all) participants’ venting, you could include a judgement-free discussion.

Yes, this is a time to be grateful for our blessings, but that doesn’t mean we hide from our truths. Leaving feelings unacknowledged means leaving them to fester. You deserve better.

Step 3: Find your silver lining.
For the first six months, I had alternating “tough weeks” and “good weeks.” In the tough weeks, all I could do was sleep. In the good weeks, however, I studied everything from logic to science fiction on Coursera, I played board and card games with my family, and I ate like a horse!

Whatever your situation, and no matter how difficult, where is your silver lining? What can you do for yourself, even if it’s for five minutes a day?

Please don’t think I am urging you to use this time to be the most productive you’ve ever been, or finish a dream project that you’ve never had time for. We’re in lockdown, not on sabbatical, and no one expects you to scale new heights in this time. Even if you make it through the day, more or less intact, that’s good enough, and you’re doing enough.

I’m just asking you to look a little further. See what you can find, in spite of, or maybe inspired by, the items on your list, that can bring you some joy.

I have an amazing friend who dressed up in a unicorn costume and surprised her husband when he was working from home. My talented sister is coming up with fabulous ways to take everyday household items and make toys and sensory experiences for my one-year-old. Another friend is baking. People are putting daffodils in bunches on their driveway for others to help themselves to.

All over the world, people are finding ways to grow into better versions of themselves, and these versions are as varied and beautiful as wildflowers.

Taking it further
I always knew I would need six months of chemo, so I was mentally prepared for six months of isolation. However, after my six-month scan, my oncologist said I needed radiation therapy, just to be on the safe side. And my heart sank. And after the radiation was done, she told me I needed to stay home for another couple of months, to give my immune system time to recover, just to be on the safe side.

Those seven words began to seriously grate on me.

But that last extension was sheer torture. I felt fine, wasn’t going to the hospital for any kind of treatment, and still had to stay at home. Those two months felt longer than the eight months I’d already endured and pushed me to my limit.

And that was when I learned another huge lesson. When things are tough, trying to get through it by counting on it all getting better soon isn’t the best way to deal with things. If there’s any change or delay, you’re going to have to deal with a backlash that stings like a rubber band rebounding onto your cheek.

Focussing on when it will all be better or over is just setting yourself up for disappointment. None of that is ever under your control, so you’re better off working on the one thing that is always in your control: how you respond to situations.

When you do a thorough job of anticipating most things that might come up, you tend to also automatically think of how you will deal with them. And if you’ve also released the emotional charge that might be associated with these issues, your response is filled with grace and peace.

As for me, my first outing was a spontaneous visit to a bookstore opposite the hospital. I had just got the all-clear from my doctor, and my mum and I decided to hop across the road and spend some time around books. Which, I have to add, is one of my favourite places to be! We had a fabulous time, and my first outing was so much better than anything I could have planned. I still have the book I bought that day.

So, what potentially amazing experiences for you are hiding in plain sight in the present moment? Try these three steps and notice how your awareness expands and your appreciation blooms.

Things outside will continue to be unpredictable, and you may have to go through the steps more than once. But each time you do, you will learn more about yourself, develop better response strategies, and be more grounded in the present.

Surrender, and like Confucius said, be the green reed that bends in the wind, instead of the mighty oak that breaks in a storm.

Messi expected to leave Barcelona by the End of 2021.

The poor run of Barcelona has resulted in many controversies since the start of la liga and the Barcelona star is unhappy about it and is reportedly fed up of being held responsible all the time.

Lionel Messi is expected to leave Barcelona at the end of next season, according to one report in Spain, with the club’s all time top scorer fed up with the ‘lack of a winning project.’

The club’s all time top scorer’s contract is set to expire next year but he was initially expected to sign a new deal that would keep him at the club until at least 2023.

However, according to Cadena Ser, the player has now changed his mind and will instead leave when the deal ends. That’s because of leaks about his life, being blamed for things that aren’t his fault and because of the club’s poorly run state.

Earlier this season Messi, and the players as a whole, were blamed by Eric Abidal for the departure of manager Ernesto Valverde, following the loss to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa.

Messi denied that he had anything to do with the decision starting a war of words with the director of football, and his former teammate, Abidal.

Things haven’t got better on the pitch under new manager Quique Setien and it looks increasingly likely that the Catalan giants will miss out on the La Liga title to rivals Real Madrid.

Problems are mounting off the pitch for Barca and they have problems with finances, with players taking wage cuts up to 70% during the break for Covid-19.

Transfers such as Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and even Antoine Griezmann haven’t gone according to plan in recent years and the latest move has seen a club who have spent two years trying to bring down the age of their squad swap 23-year-old Arthur for 30-year-old Miralem Pjanic.

In his last few contract agreements it’s been known that the Argentinian has had a clause that has allowed him to leave the club at the end of every season, a clause he hasn’t taken the option on previously.

It’s considered more and more that Messi is carrying the club, something he’s clearly struggling to do this season, and it’s been a worry that the team have been wasting his final great years, that might soon not be their problem.

Let’s see if the Barcelona star takes up a new challenge in his footballing career or stays loyal to Barcelona till the end of his career.

Cigar Shaped Interstellar ‘Oddball’: Big Exclusive Report >>>>>>>>>

First known interstellar visitor is an ‘oddball’, with a very odd and highly unusual aspect ratio.

FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY (AURA):

In October astronomers were surprised by a visitor that came racing into our Solar System from interstellar space. Now, researchers using the Gemini Observatory have determined that the first known object to graze our Solar System from beyond is similar to, but definitely not, your average asteroid or comet. “This thing is an oddball,” said Karen Meech of the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy who leads an international team studying this interstellar interloper.

Originally denoted A2017 U1, the body now goes by the Hawaiian name ‘Oumuamua, in part because of its discovery by Meech’s team using the Pan-STARRS1 survey telescope on Haleakala in Hawai’i. When discovered in mid-October ‘Oumuamua was only about 85 times the Earth-Moon distance away and its discovery was announced in early November.

Credit : Third Party Reference

Since its discovery ‘Oumuamua has faded from view. The object’s rapidly increasing distance from the Earth and Sun now makes it too faint to be studied by even the largest telescopes.

“Needless to say, we dropped everything so we could quickly point the Gemini telescopes at this object immediately after its discovery,” said Gemini Director Laura Ferrarese who coordinated the Gemini South observations for Meech’s group.

“What we found was a rapidly rotating object, at least the size of a football field, that changed in brightness quite dramatically,” according to Meech. “This change in brightness hints that ‘Oumuamua could be more than 10 times longer than it is wide – something which has never.

‘Oumuamua’ shares similarities with small objects in the outer Solar System, especially the distant worlds of the Kuiper Belt – a region of rocky, frigid worlds far beyond Neptune.

“While study of ‘Oumuamua’s colors shows that this body shares characteristics with both Kuiper Belt objects and organic-rich comets and trojan asteroids,” says Meech, “its orbital path says it comes from far beyond.”

The research led by Meech is published in the November 20th online issue of the journal Nature.

‘Oumuamua was visible from Chile and Hawai’i so both Gemini North and South telescopes were on high alert and ready to track the visitor from outer space. “We observed from both sites for three nights, before it sped away and faded from view,” said Ferrarese. Two additional teams obtained data from Gemini North and their results are currently pending publication.

Credit : Third Party Reference

According to our current understanding of planetary system formation, our Solar System ejected comets and asteroids due to interactions with the larger outer planets. It is presumed that other planetary systems do the same and that these visitors might be more common than previously thought.

“We estimate that there is always one of these objects of similar size as ‘Oumuamua between the Earth and the Sun at any given time, so up to about 10 per year,” says Robert Jedicke also on Meech’s team.

“These observations allow us to reach into another planetary system to learn about one of its rocky bodies, and compare this object with the asteroids we know throughout our own Solar System”, says Faith Vilas, the solar and planetary research program director at the National Science Foundation who helped support this research.

Credit : Third Party Reference

Surveys like Pan-STARRS and the future Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST, currently under construction near the Gemini South telescope in Chile) will undoubtedly increase the detections of these interstellar wanderers.

“The discoveries of rare surprises like ‘Oumuamua from outside our Solar System will be greatly accelerated by the power and grasp of the LSST,” said Richard Green of the US National Science Foundation (NSF).

“LSST is going to produce a torrent of data and revolutionize this sort of time domain astronomy when it begins operations early in the next decade,” adds Green. LSST is funded by a partnership with the NSF, the Department of Energy, and the LSST Corporation.

‘Oumuamua loosely means “a messenger that reaches out from the distant past,” fitting the nature of the object’s interstellar origin. In Hawaiian ‘ou means “to reach out for,” while mua means “first” and is repeated for emphasis.

Reference – https://divyanshspacetech.wordpress.com

How to Detach Yourself from Someone Who Distresses You

Do you sometimes wonder the way to detach yourself from someone who causes you to feel distressed and uncomfortable?

We often need to affect people that cause us stress. These might be strangers, but they will even be close people, whom we love.

Attachment to folks that creates stress in your life isn’t good for your physical, emotional and psychological state .

There are people that only speak of their troubles and problems and suck the energy of the people around them. they’re often focused on themselves, and aren’t really curious about people . it’s tiring and exhausting to be around such people.

These people might be your coworkers, neighbors, friends or family. the simplest thing for you to try to to , if this is often possible, is to stay a distance from them. you furthermore may got to detach yourself from people who create stress, distress and anxiety, and who suck you energy and cause you to feel exhausted.

What Does Attachment Do to You?
Too much attachment causes you to susceptible to other people’s moods and state of mind. If these people are positive, the connection could be helpful, but if they’re negative and therefore the complaining type, there could be problems for you.

Too much attachment to negative people leaves the door open for his or her worries, anxieties, fears and complaints to enter your mind and affect you adversely.
In this situation, you permit their worries, anxieties, fears and problems to affect how you think that and feel.
You allow their thoughts and emotions to soak into your subconscious and affect you.
You allow negativity, distress and bad feelings into your life.
You lose your emotional and mental freedom.
You worry an excessive amount of about matters that don’t concern you.
You allow people to control you emotionally and mentally.
The more you’re attached to someone, the more worried you’ll get around losing him or her. you would possibly call this type of behavior love, but it’s not love, it’s attachment, fear, and lack of independence.
If you get aside from someone to whom you’re attached, you would possibly get depressed.
Detach Yourself from people that cause you to Feel Stressed
You might be attached to your job, career, and therefore the people on the brink of you. However, this attachment is usually against your best interests, and sometimes , might hurt you. you would like to form a change in your life, strive to be less attached to anything that causes you pain and unhappiness.

When within the company of stressful people, who cause you to feel stressed, emotionally agitated and unhappy, just leave and get away .

What do you have to do if you can’t just leave and go away?

What if you can’t leave your job or prevent from certain people, and you’ve got to continue being around them? Sometimes, the people closest you’re those you disturb your inner peace.

In these situations, you would like to find out to display a particular degree of emotional detachment.

What Is Emotional Detachment and Why you would like It
Emotional detachment doesn’t mean abandoning .
Detaching yourself from people doesn’t mean abandoning on them.
Detaching yourself from someone doesn’t mean breaking communication and becoming and uncaring and inconsiderate.
Detaching yourself from someone means protecting your mental and emotional health, staying calm and poised, and not allowing negative thoughts and feelings to affect your state of mind, attitude or actions.

You can be loving and considerate, and yet detach yourself from the negative emotions and negative thoughts that somebody projects.

The detachment process doesn’t mean ending relations, abandoning goals, or abstaining from the items you’re keen on to try to to .

Emotional detachment is that the skill of remaining calm and poised in stressful and difficult situations, avoiding stress and worries, and not allowing the strain , worries, and anxieties of people to agitate your mind and emotions and affect you adversely.

Attachment and detachment apply not just to people, but also to things and possessions. Enjoy what you’ve got , be grateful for what you’ve got , but if you lose anything or something breaks down, stay calm and advance . this is often detachment.

Feeling okay if you lose something, and happening together with your life, saves you tons of heartache, pain and unhappiness.

Detaching yourself mentally and emotionally from anything that limits you or creates stress, distress and unhappiness will bring freedom, lightness and happiness into your life.

Attachment causes you to feel weak, helpless and worried. Detachment causes you to feel strong, confident, invulnerable and happy.

How to Detach Yourself from Someone Who Creates Stress
How does one detach yourself from someone who features a bad influence on you, and who causes you to feel stressed and unhappy? Here are a couple of simple suggestions:

  1. Find a couple of minutes a day to believe the bad effect stressful people wear you.
  2. believe what these people’s words and emotions do to you, and the way they affect your mind, emotions and behavior. If you’re not satisfied with things , you would like to try to to something about it.
  3. Think and picture how you’d feel if you’ll stay calm and poised, not suffering from the strain , anxiety and strain they’re causing you.
  4. Think and plan what you’ll do to avoid being suffering from them. Maybe you’ll stand back from them, not hear their words, or change the conversation.
  5. When in stressful situations, take a couple of deep breaths, and when possible, drink a category of water.
  6. Another useful strategy is to start out brooding about something pleasant and funny, so you divert your attention from what you’re hearing.

ICMR to launch indigenous Covid-19 vaccine for public use by August 15 after completion of clinical trials

Indian Council of Medical Research, ICMR is planning to launch indigenous Covid-19 vaccine for public use by the 15th of August after completion of all clinical trials. ICMR has partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited to develop this path breaking, Covid-19 vaccine.

ICMR has asked Bharat Biotech to fast track the clinical trial mechanism and ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated by 7th of July.

AIR correspondent reports that this is the first indigenous vaccine being developed in India and one of the top priority projects of the government. The vaccine is derived from a  SARS-COV2 strain isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and Bharat Biotech are jointly working for the pre-clinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine.  

Recently, the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation, the National regulatory body for Indian Pharmaceuticals and medical devices, has granted approval to Bharat Biotech India to conduct human clinical trials for Corona Vaccine called ‘Covaxin’.

PM Modi makes surprise visit to Leh; Interacts with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel at Nimu

In a surprise visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Leh early this morning. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief MM Naravane also accompanied the PM on his day long visit to Leh.  The Prime Minister was briefed by Personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP at a forward position in Nimu amid ongoing tension with China.

Located at 11,000 feet, the region is among the world’s toughest terrains, surrounded by the Zanskar range and located on the banks of the river Indus.

AIR correspondent reports, with an aim to  boost the morale of soldiers, PM Narendra Modi is in Leh. Without any information to many, PM Modi landed in Leh. Immediately on his arrival PM Modi took off to Nimo, a nearby village where Military engineering services have given him a demonstration of equipment that meets the requirements of Army personnel along the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Ladakh.

At the technical area, the PM is being received by the Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur and MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal. PM Narendra Modi ‘s visit definitely sends a strong signal across the border about preparedness.

PM Modi will be briefed by the senior Army officials at Hall of Fame in Leh. 

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the  visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ladakh and his meeting with army soldiers and encouraging  them, has certainly boosted the morale of the army. In a tweet, Mr Singh said, the borders of the country have always remained  secure in the hands of the army. He  thanked the Prime Minister for this move.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said in a tweet that India is so proud of Mr Narendra Modi who is in Leh today to encourage our brave soldiers.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said that Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ladakh will tremendously bolster the morale of our armed forces. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the  visit of  Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Leh will surely boost the morale of our valorous soldiers. In a tweet, Mr Shah said that Mr Modi is  with our brave and courageous personnel of Army, Air Force and  ITBP at a forward location in Ladakh.

5 Best Books to Read

Books are the best companions that anyone can have in their life. It does not only help us gain knowledge but it also contributes to the growth of human beings as part of a dialectical and gradual process. Reading books helps us in several ways. It helps us explore different domains that go beyond that typical physical reality. It helps us escape from the mundane world and enjoy peacefulness and calmness that eventually helps us attain mental peace and harmony. If you are one of those people who grab a book whenever they feel low or they just want to experience a glimpse of the parallel universe made out of imagination, then this article is for you. Take a quick look at the list of 5 best books that help us grow.

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

It is one of those books that will give you an overall impression of the experiences of exploration. It also inspires human beings to grow further as better versions of themselves. It is a short read yet full of impactful ideas and moral views that takes the readers to a parallel universe and urges them to do better for themselves and for the world.

2. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

This book gives a complete overview of the history of our species from a different perspective that engages the readers throughout their whole process of reading the book and makes them thoughtful about the world along with the creation of the universe.

3.The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli

This book has a huge contribution in helping people to make proper decisions in their lives. The whole book contains 99 short chapters consisting of the common thinking errors people make and how they affect in a long run. It includes issues like how envy and social distortions affeceffect human behaviour and how they can be changed for good.

4. Think and Grow Rich by Nepolion Hill

This book is one of the most remarkable self-improvement and self-assessment books that helps people understand the drawbacks of their characteristics and make proper decisions accordingly. The author has introduced 16 laws that can be applied to achieve success along with 13 principles in order to form a “philosophy of achievement”.

5. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This novel is a seminal African narrative that portrays the gradual yet effective process through which the African continent had been colonized by the Europeans during the late 19th century. Through the description of a few characters this novel depicts a larger picture of colonialism that is not only confined in Africa but it also represents the reality of all the third world colonized countries in a wider manner. Everyone should at least have a minimum amount of knowledge regarding how colonialism as a dialectical process had taken over almost the whole world and this book can be the absolute representative of the colonial picture that the colonized nations had to face over ages.

Needless to mention, everyone should go about reading according to their own choice and wish but these are some of the books that should take place in each and every book shelf across the globe for they represent the world in a better way and help human beings grow and evolve in a better manner.

-Suvasree Bandyopadhyay

Appearance vs Reality of Merchant of Venice-3

Most importantly, Shylock.He is introduced as this very self-centred person who only cares about money and is portrayed as a really bad person only basis that he was a jew and he lends money with interest. He is the antagonist in the play. Even though his actions and behaviour was not the best, I honestly feel he is the way he is only because he was treated the way he was.i believe he is a good person.as for the thing about lending money with an interest, as it is given that at the time the play was set, 1598; London, England and at the time, Jews either having been “forced,” or voluntarily choosing to abandon landholding and with no alternative but choosing moneylending as a livelihood.

He doesn’t hurt anyone intentionally.i think the real reason he has this cruel hatred towards Antonio is that he bullies

I think the real reason to why Shylock’s actions towards Antonio are so evil is mainly because of the evil things done to him. Antonio bullies Shylock and treats him really badly.  This is proved when he asks if Jews don’t get sad, hurt, happy and angry just like Christians. It clearly shows that Shylock acts like a bad person because people around him made him that way. just like the saying:

People say that I’ve turned bad, but the thing they don’t understand is that the same people are the ones who changed me.

I feel really moved for Shylock because he is the only one who really suffers in this play. Everyone has a happy ending into the play except him. It is as if all the bad luck has been dumped on him. To one extent Shakespeare has cut him some slack as at the end the audience does feel sympathy for Shylock. As begun from everyone hating him for choosing a living by taking interest for loans he gives out, to being a Jew. I do understand at the time of this play is set it was a very conservative society and Shakespeare was only trying to interest his audience with relatability. In the play, Shylock goes through a lot of loses. He loses his beloved whom he deeply moved and trusted daughter when she elopes with what he calls “the enemy”. Robbing him of his money and jewels too. Knowing that this Jessica doesn’t have any materialistic values and how she doesn’t understand them is quite unsympathetic.

I strongly believe what he did with being adamant with getting revenge as in cutting the man was very rude but the thing is that the only reason the man did that was that after all these ill-luck happening to him, he saw a chance of revenge in Antonio. Antonio was in a way the face of Christians, ones who caused him all the bad things, and wanted to win at least once. And it is clearly proved when Antonio is off the noose and gives him a hell life to live. Just like flipping a coin, two-faced. It was so confusing when he changed from begging shylock to making Shylock a beggar. Just for making Shylock made Antonio feel powerless for merely a month, which was only due to how Antonio treated him his whole life, because to his inferiority complex, he took away everything the man had left. Taking away his money and making him a Christian, as a whole taking away his free life and only happiness.

All these actions and traits really make all the protagonist as the antagonist and vice – versa.


Hurting but not knowing why?

does it happen to you, too? this unnamed feeling that comes quietly and leaves you feeling empty? you’re doing nothing, and suddenly, you feel terribly sad. this sadness that you feel suddenly and you don’t know where it’s coming from?

you’re sitting with your family and the spirits are high. you are laughing with them and everyone is happy. but suddenly, you go quiet, as if someone said something mean to you. but no one spoke a word. you can still hear everyone talking and laughing, it’s just you who has changed from within.

it’s like someone or something unplugged your “happy-fuse”. you no longer feel the way you were feeling moments ago.

you’re out with your friends, celebrating, and this feeling returns. you start to feel lonely and want to get back home as quickly as possible. you’re suddenly annoyed by the little things everyone around you does.

you don’t have tears in your tears. you want to cry, but tears don’t come to you. you’re so lost inside your head, trying to look for a reasonable explanation to what just happened? you cannot shake this unnamed feeling.

inside your head, you start searching for a reason, for that moment where it went wrong, but there’s nothing. to your friends, you have zoned out.

and then, someone brings it up, “something happened?”, or “are you lost?”. how do you explain someone something when you don’t even understand it yourself? how do you explain that you need a moment alone, away from everything, and this unnamed feeling is an uninvited guest that’ll leave you empty for minutes or weeks?

do you feel this way, too? if you do, i hope whatever is hurting you, i hope you make peace with it.

sometimes you just feel alone.

when was the last time you felt terribly alone? last week? yesterday?

we all have been there. the last time when you wanted to talk to someone and you reached till the end of your contact list and didn’t find a name?

you have so many unread messages in your inbox. you have so many conversations, every day. but you just don’t ‘vibe’ with anyone. you don’t find that connection. you just can’t let your guard down and share everything with someone.

and when you do, you end up blabbering. you end up oversharing. you end up saying things you shouldn’t have.

how long has it been since you had a ‘deep’ conversation with your friend over beer that lasted until 2 am? that’s the thing with loneliness. it hits differently when you have some happy news but you don’t have someone who would listen to you.

and maybe gotye was right when he sang, ‘you can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness.’ after a point, you just accept it. you accept that this is your life where you have ten friends who you can chill ‘with’. and no one who would want to listen to your sob stories on the days when you feel low.

then there are days when you don’t even need anyone. you sit down with a cup of chai and you play some nice music. in those moments, it feels a little less lonely. but then the song ends, or you finish your cup of chai. and then loneliness comes knocking on your door like an uninvited guest. it sits down on your couch and refuses to leave your room until the next morning.

to be honest, the feeling of being ‘lonely’ sucks. on some nights, it sucks more. so you just pull your pillow close. hug it tight. and wait for all of it to pass.

Read this if you are sad.

sadness is a perpetual feeling and we all are born with it. there is no escaping or hiding from it. when you feel sad, remember, this feeling is a part of you. and it’s okay.

it’s okay if your parents didn’t understand you. if they made a ‘joke’ that hurt you. or your sibling snitched on you. remember, people you grow up with – they have your best interest, even when it’s twisted.

it’s okay if you feel you’ve no one to tell a funny story to, to have a friend over for sleepover, to have a 3 am friend. like me, keep a journal. or sleep through your problem.

love doesn’t always have to love you back. it’s okay. there is nothing wrong with you or them. you can only love someone so much. sometimes, acceptation of rejection is all you need to love again.

i get it if you’re tired of being a nice friend who listens to everyone’s problem. you don’t owe your life to people you spend time with. you can and should be with yourself and listen to some of your favourite songs.

it’s okay if they didn’t text back. try not to overthink things, okay? sometimes, you got to be patient and give them space, too. even if it’s your best friend.

it’s okay if you couldn’t complete the book you’d been excited about. something has been eating you from within, i get it. write about this feeling.

it’s okay to have an existential crisis. just a friendly reminder: no one can give you a map to success and happiness. you’ve to find it yourself.

people leave. this world is a sad place. we all are wanderers. when you are sad, remember, you’re not alone in this. things get worse to get better. and then, it’ll get worse again. it’s a complete cycle. your happiness didn’t stay. neither will your sadness. as they say, this too shall pass, as all things do.

To my inner circle.

of all the people i know, you all are the only people i can be honest with about my feelings. you’ve seen my cry about boys who don’t matter anymore and friends who are long gone. yet, i never got a chance to say how blessed i am to have you guys in my life.

this is a letter of that sort that ends with i love you.

you’ve known me the longest and you know about my emotional unavailability. you know everything about me – from how i prefer pyjamas to the type of music i listen to.

you were there when i was going through a phase of short hair and “discovering” myself. you have seen my discover myself – everything i am and couldn’t be. you were there when i wrote my first poem, and when i thought overdoing the kohl in my eye would make me look like Avril Lavigne.

you might not have witnessed every family drama, but you sure knew every story, every detail. and you had your own theories about my uncles and aunts.

you all have roasted me in our whatsapp group, surprised me on my birthdays, and stopped me from talking to that fuccboi. you’ve forgiven me and guided me.

this letter is a reminder of how much you all mean to me. it’s a reminder of how many times you’ve let me make my choices just so i could learn. you were always there to pick me up when i fell. and this is a letter we will never, ever talk about again, okay?

thank you for being calling me out when I need it. i am grateful that I have you. I love you.

you ruined what love for me was.

do you have any idea how difficult it is to love anyone after you left? my friends kept telling me to not trust you so soon. but i was this naive person. i believed in every lie that came out of your pretty mouth as if they were verses straight out of the bible.

i remember taking you to my favorite cafe where we sat down for hours and tried to study. i remember those bus ridess which used to be my favourite, on our way back home. i remember waking up and not finding you in bed. how was i so stupid? and you know, i wouldn’t hate you so much if it all ended with you.

you’ve scarred me in ways that nobody can see. you know, there’s this person who’s always around. he knows how i like to hog the entire blanket when i sleep. he knows so much about me. things you never even tried to know. things which really mattered to me.

and it really breaks my heart that i am not able to love him like i loved you. deep down, i know he doesn’t deserve my second-hand love. do you know how difficult it is to let go of love just because you have lost the capacity to love someone?

i remember, whenever you’d hug me, you’d whisper in my ears, “you’re beautiful.” and i’d melt. and now, i fucking hate it when someone calls me beautiful. it’s like reliving a memory that’s so scarring. a memory that i so badly want to wipe away like it never existed.

you know, there are so many terrible things in this world but making someone fall for you without any intention of loving them back has to be the worst thing you can do to someone, emotionally. it’s as if your kisses never meant a thing. it’s as if, we never meant anything. our promises were just words for you.

now, i don’t have it in me to trust people. you’ve made me hide behind a wall. i am now scared to love because of you. you know, i hate you. but i hate myself more for believing in everything that you said.