Month: September 2020

Cooperatives: Providing Livelihood to people and empowering them with new jobs, new roles and new opportunities

Article by – Shishir Tripathi
Intern at Hariyali Foundation
In collaboration with
Educational News

In the present day times, where a virus is killing lives and people losing jobs each day, it is really important to have some skill, some qualification so that the contribution of an individual to the firm, to the organization or to the government cannot be ignored and the jobs are maintained like the previous times. But creation of new jobs is a slightly difficult thing at present and starting a business all on own is risky too. Now what next then?

This problem is being faced by most of the youth at present in India. To overcome this problem creation of Cooperatives by people can be a very great option. Cooperative society or Cooperative is an association or a group created voluntarily with the aim of fulfilling the common interests of its members.

One can easily decode cooperative as simply a group that is being created by people of similar interests or occupation that come together and start a new venture collectively.

People in many parts of India have come together at the local level and are running cooperatives together and earning good amount of income.
Starting a cooperative society is not so difficult task. According to Societies Act, 1860 a minimum of 7 people can form a cooperative.

For creating a cooperative, a proper mutual understanding between its members should be there regarding the work to be done, contribution of each member into the work done and other investments, distribution of profit after the work between the members and many more issues having a possibility of arising conflicts between the members of the society.
Cooperatives are different from other businesses because they function more for the benefits of their members rather than just earning profit for the investors.

Cooperatives are organized to provide competition, reducing costs, improving the bargaining power, expand new and existing market opportunities, improve product or service quality or both, and obtain unavailable products or services (those products or services that profit-driven firms don’t offer because they consider them as unprofitable).

In Businesses, the share of the person who has invested to the highest amount in the profit is highest. But in Cooperatives the profit earned is distributed among its members as per their contribution in the work or in the production process.


In the process of setting up of a cooperative, a core committee should be formed to represent the cooperative and those members who are good at a particular skill which is required for the growth of the cooperative.

Secondly, a proper study regarding the market should be done so that whichever product or service will be provided by the Cooperative, it gets its consumers in no time it arrives in the market.

All cooperatives have to be incorporated under the appropriate state statute. Selecting a legal counsel to draft or review the articles of incorporation and bylaws is equally important. A cooperative can start out with very basic bylaws and just refine them after developing the business plan.

Lastly, creating a proper plan regarding the techniques for efficient product of goods to be manufactured or following efficient ways to provide the services is important during setting up of a Cooperative. And also, it should be decided that how and when the services of the cooperative will be expanded in order to meet the demand requirements and overall well being of the members of the group.

There are many such examples of Cooperative societies in India that started from scratch and reached to a very high level in future not only across state borders but International borders too. Amul is one such example from India that started from the state of Gujarat in 1950 and is at the present the largest milk cooperative in the world. Amul is owned by 3.6 million milk producers and produces 4.5 million litres of milk per day with an annual turnover of more than 52,000 crores.


Another cooperative from Mumbai known as Shree Mahila Griha Udyog popularly known as Lijjat Papad brand created with the objective of empowerment of women by providing them employment opportunities. With total 43000 members all across the country, it has an annual turnover of more than 801 Crores producing Papad, soaps and detergents, Masale (spices), Gehu Atta (wheat flour), bakery products, Khakhra, Appalam, Chapati,etc.

Therefore people should talk about their interests and mission and collaborate together in the form of cooperatives and can work together and earn their livelihood and good profits by the means of production and various other services.

This needs to be read by every individual who’s not having job, or has lost his or her job, or fears to start a business all alone. Cooperatives will help people get stable income and overall prosperity to the locality, to the nation and obviously to the person who is working and his or her family too.

Modi Government Achievements

Modi can be judged on his government’s five year performance which are follows to read:

Ayushman Bharat: The health insurance scheme launched on September 23, 2018, has already benefited 10 lakh poor patients and could be an electoral game-changer. More than 500 million Indians who could not afford medical treatment for non-communicable illnesses like cancer and heart disease now have access to free healthcare.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code: The legislation, enacted in December 2016, is the silver bullet to tackle India’s chronic problem of non-performing assets. Banks have begun to recover debts that had seemingly turned irretrievably bad. “Phone banking” has ground to a halt.

Sanitation: The Swachh Bharat Mission has built toilets at an unprecedented pace. Since October 2014, over 92 million toilets have been constructed, covering nearly 500 million households in one of the world’s largest operations of its kind. Cultural habits, however, mean that open-air defecation remains endemic. Many newly-built toilets lack sewage facilities; others are being used as storage rooms. Nonetheless, a beginning has been made.

Digital transfer of subsidies: This has cut out most (though not all) middlemen who routinely siphoned off large chunks of benefits due to the poor. Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, had famously said in December 1985, while addressing the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Congress, that only 15 paise out of every rupee in subsidies reaches the poor. With digitised transfers that figure has probably risen to 75 paise.

Free LPG cylinders: Under the Ujjwala Yojana scheme, women in villages now have access to cooking gas. This has both health and economic benefits. Over 60 million free LPG connections have been given with nearly 50 per cent going to SC/ST households.

PM Narendra Modi listed out the big decisions taken by the government in the last eight months. PM Modi said that the aim of government was to perform better as well as faster.

Here are the big achievements of the Government in the last eight months which PM Modi quoted at the Summit:

All farmers covered under the PM Kisan Yojana

Ensuring pension to farmers, laborers, shopkeepers

Ministry of Jal Shakti constituted to end silos on important subject like water

Special fund of Rs. 25,000 crore for completing housing projects for the middle class

Regularising unauthorized colonies which benefits 40 lakh people of Delhi

Law related to triple talaq

Law for strict punishment against child abuse

Law empowering transgender persons

Chit fund scheme fraud prevention law

National Medical Commission Act

Historical reduction in corporate tax

Strict law to prevent road accidents

Appointment of Chief of Defence Staff

Delivery of next generation fighter plane to the country

Bodo Peace Accord

Brue-Reang Permanent Settlement

Formation of Trust for a grand Ram Temple

Decision to revoke article-370

Decision to make Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories

Citizenship Amendment Act

Lathi Khela: A Lesser Known Art and Identity of Bengal

Martial arts and stunts are a treat to look at, and no one can tell me otherwise. In motion entertainment, this form of action is rapidly gaining an enthusiastic audience, thus steadily becoming mainstream. Even the basic moves, when exhibited accurately, looks tough but tempting altogether. Speaking of martial arts, the names and visuals that used to pop up in our mind would have been Karate, Tae Kwan Do or MMA. But, recent times, many indigenous forms are getting recognition, some more than others. It won’t be surprising if you have heard of Kalaripayattu, or Kalari (native to Kerala) or Gatka (native to Punjab). But, do you know about Lathi Khela? If not, how about we find out!

Origin and history

Lathi khela is a form of Bengali martial arts, and the practitioners and experts are termed as lathials. The origin of this art form can be traced  back to ancient South-East Asia, and was said to be practised by the then inhabitants of the region. The etymology of lathi khela can be described using two words, lathi, the Bengali means stick, and khela, which is translated to game. So, this whole word sums up to mean ‘game of sticks’. To this date, this form is practised, mainly in eastern parts of India and Bangladesh.

Lathi, or stick, the integral part of this art, is produced from male bamboo. This makes the lathi flexible and strong. The usual length of lathi is 2 to 2.5 metres. Sometimes, these lathis are also bounded by iron ring(s).

In earlier days, hiring lathials for security and protection was seen as a sign of status. Hence, it was a common practice in rich farmers and important personalities. Lathials were also sent to collect taxes, mostly forcefully, by the  zamindars. 

Mock fights, one on one, or in a group were also fought for entertainment. They were termed as Nori Bari and Baoi Jhak respectively. Many other styles of art forms that used sticks as fighting weapons are unambiguously classified as stick martial arts. 

A distinguished name in the field of lathi khela is Pulin Behari Das. He was a capable lathial and also trained young individuals in stick welding, swordplay and wrestling. Infact, he founded the Bangiya Byayam Samiti, an akhada,  in 1928 for the same purpose.  He also single handedly founded the Dhaka Anushilan Samiti, and taught hundreds of youth to wield lathi against the British firearms. The training made the lathi a formidable weapon and the lathials of Bengal were said to be dreaded even by the British, so was their agility and strength in wielding their weapons. 

Present scenario

In present times, lathi khela is treated more as a sport than a defense technique. And, sadly, both spectators and students learning lathi khela are decreasing at a steady rate. A veteran in the field of lathi khela, Kaushik Mazumder feels that they might be the last generation to see lathi khela in all its former glory. He pointed out that attempts to keep this art form alive are being made, but it is not working very well due to lack of interest and students who learn this. Another occurrence that solidifies this fact is that until 1989, Kushtia, Bangladesh used to organize an annual lathi khela tournament, which was graced by teams from all over the country. But due to decline in demand, this event is now organized once in three years. In India, lathi khela is practiced at an organizational level only in Bharat Sevashram Sangha. And demonstrations have become far and rare, mostly at regional ceremonies.

With appropriate interest and culturing, this art form can be revived to a new glory. At present, lathi khela needs recognition and acceptance in the masses. Let’s hope and help  lathi khela get its due in near future. 

Website References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathi_khela

https://www.getbengal.com/details/bengal-s-lathi-khela-is-an-answer-to-modern-martial-arts-does-it-survive-today

Seven Fundamental Rights in Indian Constitution

Indian Constitution is the longest Constitution in the world. It’s because india has several religions. Each state differs from its religion and language with the other. Indian Constitution contains 395 articles and 8 schedules and is about 1,45,000 words making it the longest national Constitution to be adopted. We have seven fundamentals rights in our Constitution. Let us now know each of them.

Fundamental rights are written in the third part of the Constitution. The fundamental rights can be defined as the basic human rights. The main prospective behind these seven fundamental rights was to preserve the idea of equality. Let us know each one of the seven fundamental rights clearly.

Right to Equality

Right to equality can be simply explained as the right to live with equal opportunities. It includes equality before law, prevents or prohibits discrimination on various grounds like caste, religion, birth place, race and gender. It also includes untouchability, equality of opportunity in employment.

Article 14 guarantees equality before law as well as equal protection of the law to all people within the territory of India. Article 15 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth, or any of them. Article 16 guarantees equality of opportunity in matters of public employment and prevents the State from discriminating against anyone in matters of employment on the grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, place of residence or any of them. Article 17 abolishes the practice of Untouchability in any form, making it an offense punishable by law. Article 18 prohibits the State from conferring any titles other than military or academic distinctions, and the citizens of India cannot accept titles from a foreign state.

Right to Freedom

Article 19 guarantees six freedoms in the nature of civil rights, which are available only to citizens of India. These include the freedom of speech and expression, freedom of assembly without arms, freedom of association, freedom of movement throughout the territory of our country, freedom to reside and settle in any part of the country of India and the freedom to practice any profession.

There are also some restrictions on these freedom rights to avoid conflicts.

Right against Exploitation

The right against exploitation is contained in articles 23-24. It contains some provisions to prevent exploitation of the weaker sections of the society by individuals or the State.

Article 23 prohibits human trafficking, making it an offence punishable by law, and also prohibits forced labour or any act of compelling a person to work without wages where he was legally entitled not to work or to receive remuneration for it. Article 24 prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in factories, mines and other hazardous jobs.

Right to Freedom of Religion

the right to Freedom of Religion is explained in the articles 25-28. It provides religious freedom to all Indians.

Article 25 guarantees all persons freedom of conscience and the right to preach, practice and propagate any religion of their choice. Article 26 guarantees all religious denominations and sects, subject to public order, morality and health, to manage their own affairs in matters of religion, set up institutions of their own for charitable or religious purposes, and own, acquire and manage a property in accordance with law. Article 27 guarantees that no person can be compelled to pay taxes for the promotion of any particular religion or religious institution. Article 28 prohibits religious instruction in a wholly State-funded educational institution, and educational institutions receiving aid from the State cannot compel any of their members to receive religious instruction or attend religious worship without their (or their guardian’s) consent.

Right to Education and Culture

It is explained in articles 29 and 30. This right is to protect the rights of cultural, linguistic and religious minorities, by enabling them to conserve their heritage and protecting them against discrimination.

Article 29 grants any section of citizens having a distinct language, script culture of its own, the right to conserve and develop the same, and thus safeguards the rights of minorities by preventing the State from imposing any external culture on them. It also prohibits discrimination against any citizen for admission into any educational institutions maintained or aided by the State, on the grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them. Article 30 confers upon all religious and linguistic minorities the right to set up and administer educational institutions of their choice in order to preserve and develop their own culture, and prohibits the State, while granting aid, from discriminating against any institution on the basis of the fact that it is administered by a religious or cultural minority.

Right to Constitutional Remedies

The Right to Constitutional Remedies empowers citizens to approach the Supreme Court of India to seek enforcement, or protection against infringement, of their Fundamental Rights.

Right to Privacy

Right to privacy is the latest right of our country being recently approved by the supreme court of Iindia. According to this right we are liable to keep our material private and without our permission no one can interfere in our private matter.it applies to all our private material also.

Right to Property was removed from the Indian Constitution in 1978. It is no longer counted as a fundamental right.

Some of the information to make up this article was taken from Wikipedia to provide the information with a great reference and in simple words.

Creation of Time: Time Management


Time management is concerned with managing your time efficiently so that all your daily tasks can be completed in a systematic system. One who can follow his timetable correctly can complete almost any task successfully. This is the reason that time management is necessary and it is very important for people from different walks of life.

Time management is important in every field

Time management is essential for people belonging to different walks of life. Whether it is a student or a homemaker, working professional, freelancer or business professional, everyone should manage time to successfully carry out their tasks. Here is detailed information on the importance of time management for each of these groups:


Importance of time management for students

Many such activities are included in this list from the time the student participates in various activities throughout the day and from getting involved in self-study to being fit by participating in additional exercise activities. In such a situation, if you do not arrange your time properly, then you will not be able to do any work efficiently.

Importance of time management for business personnel

If you are planning to start a business, discipline is the first thing that needs to be kept in mind and the first step to discipline is respecting time. In your business, you are the owner yourself, so you have more responsibilities on you rather than working for someone else. To handle everything efficiently you have to start everything by streamlining your time resources.

Importance of time management for homemakers

Housemakers toil throughout the day. Their task list is endless and if they do not manage their tasks properly then it may take them a long time to finish the work. Since they have to do different kinds of tasks every day, they need to prepare a list in the morning. They can prioritize tasks on their list and do them one by one. This will not only enable housemakers to manage their time efficiently but they will also feel a sense of satisfaction in their work.

Importance of time management for freelancers

Freelancers who do household chores, in particular, should ensure that they make a daily schedule and follow it faithfully. Most people who do household chores choose this option because they have to complete some other chores in the house. It is quite challenging to fulfil your systematic duties and professional tasks simultaneously. The key to handling both tasks together is managing your time efficiently. Identify the hours in the day when you can concentrate the most so that you can finish your business tasks diligently.

Importance of time management for professionals

Working professionals also need to perform well in their fields with increasing competition. They are expected to do something different so that their image will remain good in the eyes of their superiors, beating their fellow personnel. Professionals need to schedule their time so that they not only take time out for their normal work but also have enough time to do something different/new.

Tips for efficient time management

• List the work that is necessary

• Finish important tasks first

• Focus only on current work

• Learn to say ‘no’

• As soon as you start your work, put your phone aside

• Get 7-8 hours of sleep a day

• Have a healthy diet

• Exercise regularly

Conclusion

It may appear simple to look at but efficient time management demonstrates a person’s great qualities. You need to always be disciplined and constantly remind yourself why it is important to complete your tasks on time properly.

Cotton

Cotton is the smooth, fluffy staple fibre that grows around the Gossypium seeds in the Malvaceae family in a boll or protective case. The fibre is nearly pure. The cotton bolls increase the seed dispersal under natural conditions. This plant is a shrub from all over the world, tropical and subtropical, as America, Africa, Egypt and India include. Mexico, led by Australia and Africa, has the greatest diversity of wild cotton varieties. In the old and new worlds cotton was autonomously domesticated.

The fibre is spun into yarn or threads most frequently and creates a thin, respiratory textile. The use of cotton for fabrics has been known from prehistoric times. Figures of cotton produced in the Indus Valley Civilization dated to the fifth millennium BC and traces of cloth dating from 6000 BC were found in Peru. While it has been cultivated since ancient times, its invention reduced production cost and commonly used cotton gin and is currently the most widely used fabric of natural fibre in clothing.

At present world output figures are approximately 2.5% of the arable land worldwide, or 110 million bales annually. The largest cotton producer in the world, India. India. For several years , the United States has been the biggest exporter. Cotton, which is approximately 0.48 m3 and weigh 226.8 kilogrammes, is usually weighed in the USA in a bale.

In the Indian subcontinent, Indian cotton production increased in raw cotton, silk cotton and cotton textiles, under the Mughal Empire from the early 16th century until the early 18th century. In response to increasing market demand, the Mughals implemented agricultural reforms such as a new tax structure that favoured high-value cash crops such as cotton or indigo. Cotton cloth, which included manufacture of parts products, calicos and Muslim items available without bleaching and in a range of colours, was the largest manufacturing industry in the Mughal Empire. A substantial part of the empire’s foreign trade was carried out by the cotton textile industry. In early 18th century, India accounted for 25 percent of global textile trade. Indian cotton textiles, consumed across the world from the Americas to Japan, were the most important manufactured products of world trade in the 18th century. The Bengal Subah Province, particularly its capital, Dhaka, was the major centre for cotton production.

Up until the 19th century Indian textiles, particularly those from Bengal, continued to have a competitive advantage. Britain has invested in labor-saving technological innovation to compete with India, while introducing protectionist measures such as prohibitions and tariffs to limit Indian imports. At the same time, the rule of the East India company in India led to its deindustrialization and opened up a new British market for products. After its 1757 conquest, the assets acquired from Bengal were used to invest in UK industries, such as textile manufacture and to raise British wealth.

India is the world ‘s largest cotton producer. India’s cotton production was tied to 29 million bale by the United States Agriculture Minister in the 2019-20 period compared to the previous year’s 26 million bale. The latest estimates suggest that China will all overtake India with 27,75 million bales expected for the same season.

However, productivity per hectare is very poor despite these impressive figures. The Cotton Association of India (CAI) reports a mere 420.72 kg of cotton per hectare of cotton production in India, which is approximately 2.47 bales per hectare during 2018-19. In addition to practices which do not lead to higher income, this means greater land use, but lower-income for farmers. Industry experts think farmers should be aware of the safe practises of cotton.

Happy Engineer’s Day

Every year, the country celebrates September 15 as National Engineer’s Day to appreciate the contributions of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. The Bharat Ratna awardee, Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1861 in a village called Muddenahalli in Karnataka. He studied Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Madras and pursued civil engineering at the College of Science in Pune.

A Bharat Ratna awardee, Visvesvaraya had studied Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Madras and pursued civil engineering at College of Science in Pune.

As years went by, the Engineering community began to develop greatly that   in the early 19th century, so many changes on production techniques began to take place. As the British engineers then able to design a simple machine that was powered by steam. i.e the steam engine. This simple evolution in British technology brought about great benefits to the government as a whole. So many aspects of productions were improved. Which in turn boosted the economic strength of the nation. All industries soon grew up as labor was now assigned to their new machine. The transportation, power and other basic sectors of the nation’s economy soon diverted to the steam engine which brightened their economy in return. The engine was used to create electricity and also used to move caravans to aid transportation. As time went by, this

evolution was spread all over the world and then Engineering found larger grounds for exploitation.

Everywhere you look you’ll see examples of engineering having a positive effect on everyday life. Cars are safer, sound systems deliver better acoustics, medical tests are more accurate, and computers and cell phones are a lot more fun! You’ll be giving back to your community.

Engineers don’t sit back and watch – they make things happen. Using innovation, creativity and a wealth of knowledge, engineering graduates are impacting the world unlike any other.

The world is changing, and engineers are the ones behind so much of this development. The majority of today’s services and products had some element of engineering involved in their conception at least, paving the way to long, fulfilling and healthy lives for the people influenced by them.

Engineers must be critical yet creative; curious yet capable; as well as ready to handle the constantly changing world.

The wide range of disciplines that fall under the engineering title mean that no matter what the prospective student’s interest, there’s bound to be one facet of the sector they’ll find enticing and engaging. Whether its civil, electrical, chemical or mechanical engineering, if you like tinkering, creating, designing or building, the engineering sector has a place for you.

In an advanced technological world, we need engineers to bring ideas into reality. By applying the principles of mathematics and science, engineers develop solutions to the world’s biggest technical issues.

You could find yourself doing anything from building new bridges to developing electrical sockets for refugee camps; working on special effects for blockbuster movies or testing aircraft and aerospace products. With a myriad of positions open to engineers in almost every field, graduates happily welcome the huge choice of careers they have the potential to explore.

The engineering portfolio knows no bounds, but these people are all working to the same common goal: building a sustainable world. Whatever you wish to contribute to society through your engineering dedication, nothing compares to the knowledge that you’ve achieved something that’s impacted people’s lives for the better.

With this infrastructure, people can go to other place with more comfortable and faster. For example, engineer had created many type of vehicles such as car, motorcycle and airplane that make human life now easier to go to other place. This can reduce of used of more energy by human nowadays. It is also highly important on a human level such as roads, railways and aircraft which all of these are allow people to travel over varying distances. The importance of this for encouraging more frequent personal contact between people cannot be understated. Integrated design has made the system highly efficient, and time wasted by travelling has been significantly reduced. We also can travel to everywhere in the world by transport whether by air, water or land transport for business or holiday.

In our homes, schools, offices, agriculture, automobiles, banks, security, and so many other areas, we observe the applications of engineering. In fact, you may not be able to read this article effectively without the underground works performed by engineers before the final manufacturing of the device. Engineering is a faculty that have been making machines with unique properties everyday. It is filled with experts that have great innovative ideas.

The internet has helped many businessmen in the marketing of products and selling some useful services to their customers. People sit with their computers and advanced mobile phones and promote their businesses through this channel. Presently, there are many websites created where people go and render services to get paid in turn for the work well done. An example of such website is the one called Fiverr. This is a website that has been a source of daily bread to people from different parts of the world. There are dozens of services being offered by sellers in that website including web and graphics designs, promotion of books and other tangible goods, application designs, sound cloud works, writing businesses, and so many others.

Engineering plays fundamental roles in banking institutions of various societies. In a bank, there are many engineers that engineer the affairs of the banking activities. Without these engineers, the banks will not function effectively. Banks are advancing on a yearly basis and they have been demanding the services of the engineers (especially Software and Networking Engineers) to make the advancement unique. Engineering in banks has added a lot to the quality of services that banks render to their customers

Engineering as a profession is a major player in the twenty-first century. Engineering is a unique profession and it has been changing the face of the earth to good. The world is upgrading and seeing clearly because of the importance of engineering profession in our society. In this piece of write-up or essay, the author detailed out the importance of engineering as it relates to agricultural, banking, automobile, educational, marketing, and health sectors.

What Happens When You Starve yourselves?

Your body needs energy to do anything and everything. But what happens if you do not provide the box with this energy? What consequences would occur?

  • Mechanism

 A human body is immensely active and has a smart system in itself. It has a great ability to adapt itself into the new environment and new conditions. The only condition your body has with you is health and food to eat. We all know that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It simply gets transferred. Supposing,the same are built so that the turbine spins and through which, electricity and fresh water can be obtained.  Here,mechanical energy has got converted into electrical energy. The electricity then flows to make use for domestic and industrial purposes. The electricity then,is  released in the form of heat energy. So,your body cannot really make energy. It simply converts one type of energy into the other. So unless you intake any eatables,the body does not have any energy. But…..then how do people in the hospitals for a longer period of time? Well,they are given supplements,maybe through the fluids injected into their body regularly. In fact, according to a site, supposing if a person in a condition of coma and cannot move at all. Many ,many things can happen when a person in  a state where he cannot move. First of all,the mechanical equipment, like the central line,the tubes,the cathedral( Yah,confusing to me as well) , these equipment stay at the same place,to inject the fluids. When a substance is left out,infections can commonly occur. These lines or tubes have everything that a microbe needs to grow. Now these same  lines travel  inside the patients body and not every time,it will get killed. The infection can also lead to be fatal and even statistics say that a certain amount of death occurs yearly due to the central lines getting infected. Sure,the environment in sterilized and all,but we are talking about the things which have actually happened in the past and present. Anyway,the point was that the nurses have to constantly clean the teeth of the patients and even gently jerk the hands. Almost every day. (So the next time you see some nurse in the corner,just don’t ignore them cause they are doing an awesome work out there.) But what if you stop eating,let’s say for three weeks?

  • Human fuel.

Some people call  food,the ‘human fuel of energy.’  Food is crucial for growth, development,for the organs in your body to work etc. But most people stay without food for about 6-8 hours sometime. What happens is,your body stores that glucose in the form of something called Glycogen.When you eat foods,your body previously stores this glycogen and when your body needs glucose,it will be provided in the form of this glycogen. But..then why do we faint? Fainting can be observed from many factors,the common one being when the brain does not receive oxygen. Why does it not receive oxygen? Well,many factors can be  taken into consideration,such as 

1. Standing for too much time. 

2. Standing under the sun for too much time.

3. When you do not eat food(but sometimes,the food which you’ve eaten,that food also needs energy to be converted into glucose which again makes you faint.)

After some days,your body moves into the phase of something called Ketosis. Ketosis is when your body produces  something called ketones which  is temporarily used as a fuel. But this is not enough. So the next phase is something very disturbing.Now,the body does not have any carbohydrates, so it sort of cannibalises the fats,the proteins in your body because your brain needs it desperately. But when proteins and fats are used to make glucose,your brain will be satisfied,but your body will be devastated. You’ll develop a bony structure as the body builders (proteins) have been burnt. And if you don’t stop now,it can even lead to death.

Fact- Something similar but less complicated occurs in potatoes. You must have noticed,the potatoes tend to sprout maybe due to humid Linares. How does it grow? It uses all the nutrition inside itself. But the potato will not grow until it obtains N,P,K (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium)so the sprouting is nothing but wasted

Photo By Pixabay

Birthday Tribute to Sri Sarat Chandra Chatterjee: Also Popular in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

For academic works, I had the opportunity to visit across the country (before my retirement on superannuation) and one of the names commonly I have heard mostly in the districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana whenever discussion on story and novels were cropped up   was  the great writer Sri Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (Chatterjee), alternatively written as  Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. He was born on 15 September 1876, now in Hooghly district of present West Bengal and passed away on 16 January 1938 in Calcutta/Kolkata. Sri Chatterjee was a novelist and short story writer. Most of his works highlighted the lifestyle, tragedy, suffering and struggle of the people of then Bengal also on the contemporary social practices that prevailed in Bengal. Based on his novels many films were produced in different languages and among these one very popular is Devdas. Based on Devdas   in Hindi 17 times different movies were produced by the film makers because the novel is very favourite to them for making films. In 1937 Assamese film based on Devdas was produced and the film was directed by Sri Pramathesh Chandra Barua. It is pertinent to mention that Sri Barua was born on 24 October 1903 in Assam, (Brahmaputra valley) and passed away at comparatively early age, that is, on 29 November 1951. He was a brilliant actor, director, and screenwriter. Prior to Devdas Assamese film, Sri Barua produced Devdas in Bengali in 1935 and in 1936 in Hindi. Also based on Devdas in 1953 a film under the title of Devadasu was produced in Telugu and Tamil languages (the later on changed name to Devadas).      

   Sarat Chandra ji had to struggle in his life although he studied at a village school but was forced to drop out of college due to his economic issue. He spent most of his childhood with his mother at her family’s home in Bhagalpur, Bihar (in Bengali called Mamabari/maternal uncles’ house).

 After coming to Bhagalpur, Sarat Chandra ji was admitted to the scholarship class of ME school and by staying in Bhagalpur he wrote many stories. At the age of 27, he went to Rangoon (now Yangon, Myanmar) and joined as a clerk in a government office and published his first short story Mandir that won the Kuntolin Puraskar. He stayed in Rangoon for 13 years and after that he returned to Bengal, and started writing. He was a favourite among the readers for his publications in Jamuna and Bichitra. Among Sarat Chandra ji’s  many popular novels, few are mentioned here – Devdas (written in 1901 but published in 1917), Parineeta (1914), Biraj Bou (1914), Palli-Samaj (1916), Srikanta (in four parts; 1917, 1918, 1927, 1933), Charitraheen (1917), Grihadaha (1919), Pather-Dabi (1926), Shesh Prashno (1931), Bipradas (1935) etc. I wish to mention here among his other stories  Mejdidi has greatly touched me. Based on the story in Hindi and Bengali films have been produced under the title of Majhli Didi and Mejdidi respectively.

On this auspicious occasion of his birthday, great salute to respected Sri Sarat Chandra Chatterjee.  

Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

5 TIPS FOR CORPORATE LEADERS.

Corporate leadership is quite different from other forms of leadership. Roles and responsibilities of a corporate are very diversified. From generating high revenue to building agood office culture every thing comes under the domain of a corporate leader. A leader is a connecting wire that connects each and every employee and make the circuit complete. A good corporate leader has to maintain a critical balance between idealism and realism. He has to take decisions which is favorable to the company but keep morality and ethics in Like other forms of leadership corporate leaders doesn’t focus on increasing the number of followers they focus on the quality of the men they lead not the quantity. A condition where most of the leaders face problem is when their employee does not perform because being over rude is also not right but taking some action is also necessary. A simple solution to it is to make score board of every employee whether clerk or even HR. Appreciate them when they perform and help them when they don’t. A good corporate leader should be an ideal for others he should be a target personality for others.

5 TIPS FOR CORPORATE LEADERS

  1. PERSONAL POWER- Your position is of no use if you don’t have personal power. If you make your employees work with positional power, it will create a pressure on them which can later result in toxic relations. But if your employee admires you and feel connected with you he will obey your orders by heart.
  2. INFLUENCE- Start making an influence on the team you lead otherwise you will be a puppet. Your decision your words should have high value for your team but don’t choose wrong methods to make influence, be friendly, treat them as your family, stand with them in their personal problems.
  3. GIVE IMPORTANCE-If you are the leader that doesn’t mean you are always right and best always encourage your juniors to give new ideas, give some autonomous tasks to them, ask for suggestions, never ignore their points if it is not acceptable then point out the shortcomings and encourage to improve.
  4. PROGRESS ADVANCING- Make sure the progress of your team along with you. If you alone will keep progressing without your team soon you will loose their belief in you and you will be all alone. Your team mates should not feel left out.
  5. COMMON GOALS -The goals of your team and yours should be same. There should be no differences in the goals. The moment they will realise that their goals will be achieved by being with you, they are never going to leave you and they will give their 100% to you and your organisation

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-97)

Mary Wollstonecraft was born in 1759. She is sometimes called the Mother of Feminism. Her body of work largely is concerned with Women’s rights. In her 1791-92 book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, now considered a classic of feminist history and feminist theory, Wollstonecraft argued primarily for the rights of woman to be educated. Through education would come emancipation.

Mary Wollstonecraft was a participant in and observer of a significant range of social changes. Firstly, was the Enlightenment thought which regarded institutions as out-dated, and in need of review, along with changes in educational theory and domestic structure. Reason was of primary importance to the Enlightenment philosophers, a company to which Mary Wollstonecraft belongs.

Wollstonecraft wasn’t taken seriously by many people during her time because her ideas were so unique. Mary was a moral and political theorist as well as a women’s rights activist. She was a true French Revolution child, a new age of reason and benevolence. She wanted women to achieve a better life, not only for themselves but for their children and husbands too and to bring together what people already had and ‘ultimate perfection’. She argued that women’s education was “strictly training them to be incapable and frivolous” so they could only be wives and mothers, but she wanted to secure happiness for women and men so they could be looked at as equals. She wanted women to take a stand and fight for their educational rights, not to be weak and depend on men for their identity.

As aforementioned, she is sometimes called the Mother of Feminism. Her body of work is largely concerned with women’s rights. In her 1791-92 book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft argued primarily for the rights of woman to be educated. Through education would come emancipation. A keen and vital concern with education, especially the education of girls and women, runs throughout Mary Wollstonecraft’s writing and remains a dominant theme to the abrupt end of her career. The title of her first book, Thoughts on the Education of Daughters, speaks for itself. Her single most important work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, begins as a plea for the equal education of women and includes an ambitious and farsighted proposal for a national school’s system. More directly, Wollstonecraft produced a book for children in the innovative, progressive mode of the day, edited an innovative reader specifically designed for the use of girls. Education was critically important to Wollstonecraft both as a liberal reformer and as a radical theorist and proponent of women’s rights.

Wollstonecraft accepts the definition of her time that women’s sphere is the home, but she does not isolate the home from public life as many others did and as many still do. For her, the public life and domestic life are not separate, but connected. The home is important to Wollstonecraft because it forms a foundation for the social life, the public life. The state, the public life, enhances and serves both individuals and the family. Men have duties in the family, too, and women have duties to the state.

Control your dreams.

Many people experience lucid dreams spontaneously, simply because their mind is alert during that phase of sleep. Some train themselves to dream lucid, intending to harness the potential of lucid dreams and utilizing them to their advantage. Lucid dreams are known to help with anxiety, nightmares, dispelling phobias, boosting creativity, and improving motor skills.

During lucid dreams, the sleeper is aware a dream is taking place but will not leave the dream state. Some further define these phenomena as dreams in which the sleeper can exercise control over different aspects of their environment, though studies have found this is not always the case, and that certain people are more predisposed to “lucid dream control” than others.

Surveys show that roughly 55% of adults have experienced at least one lucid dream during their lifetime, and 23% of people experience lucid dreams at least once per month. Some research has pointed to potential benefits of lucid dreaming, such as treatment for nightmares. However, other studies argue lucid dreams may have a negative impact on mental health because they can disturb sleep and cause dreamers to blur the lines between reality and fantasy.

Anxiety:
Since lucid dreams hover between reality and dreams, people can use lucid dreaming to play out real-life situations. For instance, if you are anxious about an upcoming job interview, you can run it through your mind numerous times before going to bed. Your brain gets accustomed to the scenario and chances are high of the scene playing out in your dreams, where you will have control over your actions. Playing and replaying the scene in your dream, while being aware of what is happening helps in easing anxiety. The fear of the unknown fades away, as you experience the situation.

Creativity boost :
Some practice lucid dreaming consciously to enhance their creativity. They test their imagination while being conscious of their dreams. It is a sort of game to see how far your dreams take you, while you are consciously aware of it. It lays the premise for out-of-the-box thinking since anything can happen in your dreams.

Maintain a journal :
This is the first step to syncing up with your dreams. Get into the habit of writing down every minute detail of your dream immediately as you wake, and make it a habit. It helps you to understand your dreams better —understanding your dreams and thoughts are steps that will lead you to lucid dreams.

Link the dots :
Once you get into the habit of maintaining a detailed dream journal, review it often. Doing so will help you identify a pattern in your dreams. You will recognize if there is a trend of themes, people, or subjects that crop up in your dreams. This will give you an insight into your inner psyche and help you understand what plays in your subconscious mind. Moreover reviewing details of your dreams will also help you pick up signs, teaching your brain how to identify a dream while being conscious of the dreaming state.

A technique to help lucid dreaming:
In this technique, you set an alarm five or six hours after you fall asleep. When the alarm clock rings you wake up during the REM stage of your sleep, when your brain is most active, leading to longer dreams. If you wake up during this stage and then go back to sleep, chances are high that you will re-enter your dream phase and be more conscious of it.

Why I Quit Social Media?


These days a Netflix documentary is trending everywhere named “Socia Dilemma”. It will give you many surprises and shocks. How social media business model control you and how they made you a puppet. This documentary will tell you everything about it.
Why do we open a social media account? Just to connect with friends and family will be the common answer. But do we stick to that only? Surely, not. We chat with people, connect with many and get addicted to this routine. Okay, tell me about your routine. How many times do you sneak into your social media accounts in a day? It must be more than an hour I bet. But the harsh reality behind these social media platforms is that they always spy on us. They secretly watch everything you do on your phone. I’ll give you an example. Suppose you’re looking for an electronic device to buy, let’s say mobile online and searched for it on google. The next day or the same day, you will see mobile advertisements in all your social media handles. Even you didn’t ask for it but still, you’ll see the number of advertisements. Because these platforms live on advertisements and they make us a secret medium for it. Let me tell you, privacy is a myth.
The worst thing about it is it’ll make you a puppet. You will have our phone with you wherever you go. No matter how busy you are, you’ll be checking your phone. You will always crave for online likes, comments and shares. What will he/she reply? Why he/she is not replying me? Does that mean he/she is angry with me? Such numerous thoughts will always pop up in our minds snatching away our mental peace. Social media is one of the most prominent reasons for mental disorders these days. They will always keep you on the phone. They know your psychology better than yourself. What will be your next move, what are you expecting, they know everything. It’s the time when you try to move away from your phone and suddenly a notification pops up maybe a chat notification you were craving for.
Another thing about social media is there is so much negativity. Maybe it’s your personal account or your art page, you’ll receive negativity everywhere. Someone will try to give you threats via messages or someone will slide into your DMs with unsolicited pictures. People will appreciate your work and will also show hatred for now reason. It has become such a toxic place to be in. Now few will come in the support of social media saying it connects people, let’s you showcase your art, make you find people you lost and much more. And Yes I definitely agree to them to some extent. It’s totally up to your use. How you will use it will decide who will be on driver’s seat. If you use it with all your senses at the place, then you’ll drive it and even if you give them a small loophole, they will sneak in your mental peace and drive you the way they want.

Story of the two most expensive spices

• Saffron

One pound of saffron costs you $5000. It is the most expensive spice next comes vanilla. Saffron is a complicated spice to harvest. Harvesting saffron needs a lot of hand work to pick up the flowers, separate the saffron that is the dried stigma or the female part of the flower. Saffron comes from the saffron crocus flower and each flower has 3 stigmas. The yield of saffron is very low. One pound of saffron requires 170000 flowers. These flowers bloom over a six week period from late September to early December. There is a specific time to day to harvest them. High relative humidity and sunlight can break the chemical structure in the saffron. Early morning is preferably the best time to harvest them.

90% of the world’s saffron is grown in arid fields in Iran. It is so because workers are available and for cheap. But it’s mostly like slavery. Most workers are women getting five dollars a day. Not only Iran, it’s grown in Morocco, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Afghanistan, India and even in United States. Though many Americans have never eaten saffron, the US imports large amount of saffron. Saffron has a resistance to cold weather.

Over centuries saffron has proven useful in many situations. Most commonly used in cooking. Middle east Asian countries have a lot of food containing saffron. When saffron is broken down it creates a golden dye. Which is how when used in cooking it gives a different kind of colour and taste and smell to it.

Saffron contains some chemical components which are really expensive like picrocrocin, crocin and safranal. These are the main components responsible for the taste, smell and colour.

People have tried passing turmeric, red marigold petals, and lily flower stigma as saffron. But the flavour and dye is totally different. In large quantities, saffron can be a potent happiness inducing narcotic. Research suggests it may help reduce the symptoms for Alzheimer’s, depression and PMS.

• Vanilla

From ice cream to cakes and even perfume, vanilla is the go-to flavour of the world. In recent years, the price of natural vanilla has shot up. At one point it was more expensive than silver by weight. 80% of the world’s vanilla is grown in the perfectly suited climate of the north east region of Madagascar. It’s the country’s primary export crop. In 2014, vanilla was $80 a kilo. Three years later it was $600. Today its around $500. The price rise is due in part to global demand. The trend of eating naturally means that food companies have shunned synthetic flavouring in favour of the real deal.

Price fluctuations affect producers of agricultural commodities everywhere but vanilla is particularly volatile. In just a few weeks the price can jump or plummet by over 20%. Liberalisation is one reason for such movements. The Malagasy government once regulated the vanilla industry and it’s price. But now the price is negotiated at the point of sale which makes for a freer market but a more volatile one. It’s also a tiny industry. A single cyclone can knock up the entire crop within Madagascar. It’s also a difficult and delicate crop to grow.

Vanilla is an orchid that needs to be hand pollinated. This is a really labour intensive practice. It takes roughly six months to grow it on the vine and then six months of manual post harvesting. The interesting thing about vanilla is that it needs to be taken off the vine when it is almost rotted!

The growers have to contend with another problem. Thieves are targeting vanilla crops. So Malagasy now have to sleep out in their vanilla fields. They can’t rely on those who are changed from the state to protect them or their crops. Some farmers have resorted to harvesting the beans before they’re ripe but this produces a poorer quality vanilla and ultimately pushes down the price. The combination of deteriorating quality and high prices is having an effect. The vanilla price bubble may burst. If the price continues to stay high there’s a number of scenarios that will play out. Continuation of current situation will cause an unstable market. Otherwise the corporate sectors step in, try to regulate the market in some way that may stabilise prices and also quality. Or the market may crash out.

Big buyers that provide vanilla are now working directly with farmers in a bid to gain greater control over quality. Other companies have started to look elsewhere for their natural vanilla. Indonesia, Uganda and even the Netherlands are growing the crop. For a century Madagascar has enjoyed a near monopoly on vanilla. But this industry maybe in line for radical overhaul.

Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!🌼

The power of Gratitude !

As kids we were taught there are three magical words— Thank you. Sorry and Please. As adults we could understand what it meant. I will today write about the second magic word “THANK YOU” . We have heard so many times that “gratitude is the best attitude”. And it actually is. When you have the power to acknowledge an effort that someone has put in you and you smile back to them and tell them a Thank you, it solves everything. You on your end may get a sense of satisfaction and the other person on his end smiled because of you. And making someone smile in today’s world is the most priceless thing you can do.

Being grateful makes us optimistic and happier. It improves our relationships with others.We have a lot of people around. The people who make us happy, the people with whom we chill out with, or share things with.They make our life easier. But at times we as humans tend to take things for granted. We forget to appreciate the things they do for us. But if we start acknowledging and for once if we go back to them and tell a Thank you,it would be more than enough. A mother who gives everything to her children with no expectations, deserves a thank you from her children for everything she does for them. A father who does everything for their children to give them a comfortable lifestyle deserves a thankyou. Your friends who are always there to support you and stand by your side deserves a thankyou. Anybody who does anything for you deserves a thankyou in return. Even when you go out to buy something the shopkeepers deserve a thankyou.And, believe me they actually know the value of being thanked . Because maybe out of all the customers you maybe the only one who has acknowledged their efforts and thanked them for the same and that makes them happy.

Not only people but also everything around us is important. Before the pandemic we were free birds. We could do anywhere,do whatever we want. Enjoy nature. We had already taken everything for granted, but this lock down has already taught us not to take things for granted.It has taught has the value of things we never thought they had.

The problem of ego is the biggest problem in a human. But why ? Why do we need to bring in ego for everything. Showing gratitude does not make you a small person. Instead, it makes you the biggest all and somebody with a pure heart. Being grateful to somebody is never out of trend and will never be. We can not imagine our lives without certain things and people in it . So it is better if we start valuing things and not wait for a Thanks giving day to tell people how much they matter. You do not need to follow a protocol to speak your heart. All you need to is call/text the person you are thanking. It’s hard not to feel happy when you make someone smile.

Be thankful to God to give us this life. There is always a blessing to thank God for ; the ones you are aware of and the ones you are not. Be grateful to God everyday.

Promise yourself to be grateful to things that matter. There are good times and bad times and every day may not be good,but there is something good in every day. Remember,to count your blessings and not your regrets.