Day: May 14, 2021

BASICS OF DIGITAL MARKETING

What is Digital Marketing?

Computers and the internet have made it easy for us to do many things simultaneously. It has revolutionized our thought process. With the Covid-19 pandemic the entire world has adapted to the situation by working from home. The use of the term ‘Digital Marketing’ has increased during this time frame. It is used to promote small businesses as well as large scale businesses. We make use of it from the time we use our phones to surf social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, etc to making deals and strategies for our company or brand. Digital devices, platforms, media, data generated and technology are the foundations of digital marketing.

Milllenials are considered as ‘digital pioneers’ of technology and social media. It is the generation to be born into a world which is at its peak technological innovation. It has seen the rise of many Influencers and social media pioneers who make content and earn through brand collaborations. For a brand, an online presence has never been as important as today. Online brands like Amazon, Google, Zomato, Myntra they’re all based on keeping their online audiences engaged.  As Albert Einstein said “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” there is an opportunity for us to seize even in a pandemic. Marketing yourself is the best strategy to follow in this digital era.

Types of Digital Marketing –

With digital marketing platform, you can gain a better understanding of what type of content resonates with the customers. This allows marketers to understand the demand of the consumers. It is entirely dependent on the engagement rate of the audience.

Digital Marketing can be branched into Search Engine Optimization or SEO Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing or SMM, Influencer and Affiliate Marketing, Pay- per-click or PPC Marketing. When the customer is looking for something to buy they will probably click on one of the first results that show up on Google. Hence SEO Marketing comes into the picture. It consists of learning strategies on how to rank your own website on Google using appropriate keywords. It is more credible form of marketing. Email marketing allows organizations to stay connected with customers and clients via newsletters and connecting employees within a company to interact formally. Social Media Marketing involves Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter for promoting brands, businesses or their skills using visual effects. It depends upon the impressions, comments, conversions, clicks, etc. Influencer Marketing requires you to choose up a specialty and create a platform and gain followers. The followers trust the influencers, which makes them likely to buy a product recommended by them. Affiliate Marketing is to promote other brands and earn a certain percentage through it. Pay-per-click or also known as PPC is one of the most common types of digital marketing. It charges you for the number of clicks that you get on your advertisement. PPC comes under search engine marketing and content or social media marketing.

Digital Marketing is cheap, measureable and has high returns. Various resources online provide insight into what digital marketing is. There are many students studying in universities who decide to take up Digital Marketing as their major and make a career in this field. The knowledge and skills are just as important as it is to keep ourselves updated with the ever changing technology.

Bioenzymes : Feed Your Soil

Bioenzymes are organic soil growth supplements which has natural and essential nutrients to replenish the soil. Also known as “Jeevamrit“, does exactly what the name says!
It contains growth stimulants like potassium humate, amino acids, vitamin B complex, probiotics as well as blends of various enzymes like proteases, lipases, amylase, etc. Proteases breaks down bigger proteins into smaller amio acid units. Lipases acts on fats molecules and Amylase breaks down carbohydrates like starch.

Benefits of using bioenzymes:
Talking about the benefits, it works miracles. The enzymatic activity increases the concentration of good bacteria thereby, increasing the overall biological activity of the soil. It also increases the NPK levels, boosting plant growth and the difference is quite visible. Plants appear greener and fresher. Flowers are more fluffy n bright. Fruits, bigger and better resulting in good yield. Its a good natural herbicide, insecticide and pesticide which repels pests, enriching the soil of your home garden and orchards, helping plants to grow well in full potential.

Bioenzyme : works miracles

Bioenzymes : DIY
Making bioenzymes at home is extremely easy and simple. All you need is water, fruit peels and jaggery in 10 : 3 : 1 ratio. The peels could be dried or fresh, whatever is available. Even rotten fruits could be put to use. Do not replace jaggery with sugar. Chop the fruit peels into small pieces and mix them all together in an air tight container. Smaller the fragments, better the results. And that’s all! To speed up the process, a pinch of yeast is added. It would be ready to use in a month. If you don’t want to add yeast, have patience and wait for 3 months. Make sure that you don’t fill the container completely. Leave some space, about 1/4th, for the gases to evolve during fermentation. Don’t forget to open the container and stir once in a day or two for at least a few weeks. This is because the gases evolved should be released time to time or the container may explode.

Strain the liquid in a separate bottle for convenience. The fruit peels could be used to make next batch or it could be decomposed to add to the fertility of soil. As long as you maintain the proper ratio, results would be the best!

Vegetable peels can also be utilized but fruit peels, preferably citrus peels are used as they are full of antioxidants and the final product has a very pleasant fruity smell. Even flowers like dahalia are used to make bioenzymes. They have a mild fragrance which gives an aesthetic touch to your house and garden.

How to use bioenzymes?
Bioenzymes could be used in multiple ways. It acts as an excellent cleaner and could be replaced with floor and bathroom chemical cleaners which are extremely polluting & lead to fat bergs in the sewer system. They are also used in rest rooms as surface cleanerns, odour eliminators and even more!
Bioenzymes can be added to the plant roots as liquid fertilizer, mixed with water in the ratio 1:50. Its good to always start with a more diluted solution.
Or it can be applied as foliar spray. Just add a teaspoon of it to 1 litre of water and there you go! Spray it all over the plants. It could be added once or twice a week depending on the vegetation.

Happy Gardening!

Empathy vs Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone disproportionately and unfairly. Health care workers face the harsh realities of the virus head-on. Teachers have had to adapt their years of experience gained from conventional teaching to suit online classes. Millions face the harsh reality of poverty and hunger everyday. Millions have lost their hard-earned jobs. Businesses have been forced to shut down. Hate crimes against groups of society that are baselessly and cruelly accused of spreading the virus have drastically increased. Mental health issues have risen and fueled by isolation, anxiety, uncertainty, and fear. More than 150 million people have gone and continue to battle with this invincible enemy. More than 3 million people have lost their lives because of this virus. Families have lost their loved ones and the world has lost countless dreamers. This virus cossets no one.  

Early notions such as the pandemic would be ephemeral and infections were punitive for those who flouted the necessary precautions and rules have diminished during the ongoing second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In my opinion, this is due to a rise in empathy amongst the people of India. Simply put, empathy is the ability of a living being to understand and share the feelings of another living being. Colloquially, it is referred to as “putting oneself in someone else’s shoes” 

The Government of India has had no shortage of opportunities to show empathy and alleviate the suffering of Indians. The Government has neglected its duty to serve the country and as Arundhati Roy put it, has committed a crime against humanity. The government has failed on many fronts. I would like to highlight a few that showcase an egregious lack of empathy. 

Firstly, the poorly planned nationwide lockdown, which was imposed with a mere 4 hours of notice, left thousands of migrant workers helpless, stranded, and vulnerable. With no help from the government, these migrant workers bravely decided to walk back to their villages. This lockdown was stained by police brutality and hate crimes against people that just wanted to survive. The lack of condemnation and apology by the government showcases a lack of empathy. 

Secondly, in an attempt to alleviate the suffering of Indians, the government launched the risibly named PM CARES (Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) fund and its primary objective was “to deal with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide relief to the affected”. The fact that a government that has never shied away from repeatedly putting their plans such as “Make in India”, “Swachh Bharat”, “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao”, etc on the highest possible pedestal has created such an opaque and inaccessible fund shows a lack of empathy. 

Thirdly, the government’s actions before the second wave hit can be described as complacent, incompetent, and overconfident. On the 21st of February 2021, a resolution was passed in the BJP National Office Bearers meeting that “unequivocally hails its leadership for introducing India to the world as a proud and victorious nation in the fight against Covid”. Additionally, the government decided to export vaccines to other countries without ensuring adequate supply was available for Indian citizens. This not only leaves Indian citizens in danger but also betrays all the countries that depended on “the pharmacy of the world” as vaccine exports were abruptly stopped. None of this would’ve happened if the government showed empathy towards the people of India and established appropriate contingent plans.

Fourthly, while the second wave virulently spread and claimed thousands of lives, the government showed no empathy. While a strong case can be made to prohibit sitting union ministers from campaigning in elections that they are not contesting during a crisis, a complete stop to the democratic process would have been detrimental. The occurrence of huge rallies during a pandemic is untenable and all politicians are guilty of this. The myopic and unsympathetic nature of the government is accentuated by the needless comments that they have made throughout the pandemic.  

Finally, the iniquitous lack of co-operation between the centre and states to fight this pandemic showcases a pathetic lack of empathy. The failure to come up with a comprehensive and transparent plan for the distribution and supply of oxygen and vaccines has caused unimaginable suffering to the people of India. Any attempt by the government to set aside pride and partisanship, as leaders have done before when facing a crisis, and listen to good advice and imploration would be a sign of empathy. No such attempt has been made. Their lack of action and belated action have had fatal effects, but the government has not shown a sign of remorse or empathy.    

But all is not lost. There have been instances in which the government has shown empathy. Most states have decided to offer a Covid-19 vaccine for free for different age groups. The central government also has plans to allow final-year MBBS students to join Covid duty before completing the NEET exam. This will drastically reduce the strain faced by health care workers taking care of Covid patients. The government of Karnataka also announced that it would form a team of 15,000 civil defence volunteers in Bengaluru for tracking and tracing Covid-19 patients. This is a significantly more empathetic and humane approach to managing the crisis than the sadistic and vicious approach used last year that made victims of Covid-19 feel like criminals.

However, none of these actions are as consequential and empathetic as the profound empathy amongst the ordinary people of India. Early displays of empathy were seen when people started taking care of stray animals during the lockdown. Furthermore, countless rations and donations were given to the stranded migrant workers to help them cope with the dire situation they faced. From providing meals, oxygen, assistance to the elderly and handling cremations, Gurudwaras around the country have been the perfect embodiment of empathy. Conspicuously, the empathy and equanimity shown by the youth of India has truly been remarkable. With the help of social media, the relentless youth are constantly doing their part by helping those in need. 

Empathy also provides a strong basis for our everyday fight against Covid-19. Precautions like wearing a mask, staying indoors as much as possible, social distancing when outside, and getting vaccinated as soon as possible would not be flouted if people were more empathetic. For those of us who have not been directly affected by the virus yet, empathy goes a long way in helping and caring about those who have. 

Perhaps, the most optimistic and quixotic change that we can hope for during this precarious and seemingly inexorable situation is the crippling of traditional barriers that have separated us before. If we, as ordinary citizens of India, continue to disregard gender, caste, religion, wealth, age, ethnicity, language, political ideology, and other barriers when helping those affected by this pandemic, we could truly be united in this fight against the invisible enemy. Together, we shall overcome.  

How India is lacking in Healthcare

Health is man’s most precious possession. One who enjoys good health can enjoy life in the real sense. The healthcare system of India has been poor for a long time and the ongoing covid pandemic has revealed it.


In the absence of modern quality healthcare in the public sector , people prefer the private sector for better treatment but it is not affordable for them. Healthcare sector is not ready for the unprecedented rise in coronavirus cases which could turn worse. It has highlighted the lack of medical funding to build better healthcare infrastructure.

The covid pandemic creates a special challenge due to the paucity of testing services, weak surveillance system and above all poor medical care. The impacts of this pandemic, and especially the lockdown strategy, are multi-dimensional.


Due to lack of vaccines, many people are getting infected with corona. Not all patients are receiving treatment due to lack of hospital beds. The problem has become more serious as there are not enough doctors. People are dying from oxygen after being infected.

Many states are already at risk of pandemic due to the lack of health infrastructure and equipment ranging from oxygen to ventilators. Most of the people in India have no medical insurance, so they cannot cope financially and mentally against pandemic or any other disease. Who are the decision maker of the society, most of them live in cities and towns. So they cannot reach to the people who live in rural areas. Now people’s lives are at stake.

The solution is to increase healthcare spending and strengthen the healthcare system.The epidemic highlighted the inadequacy of private health care and the importance of spending and strengthening public health care. Longevity; The government needs to re-evaluate and make rapid improvements in public health, infrastructure funding. India need more doctors and nurses for better healthcare system. More government hospitals are needed to treat most people. India need to prioritize healthcare and be better prepared for the future.