Month: June 2021

Global chip shortage : An Analysis

Not many industries have suffered the fate of disarray as the chip industry after the advent of the Covid pandemic. Things were not great for chipmakers in 2020 due to the pandemic but instead of seeing any signs of improvement, 2021 has been even worse for the industry so far. There has been a deficit of chip supply as compared to the demand and it’s not just the electronic industry that is going through a rough phase but it’s many other industries as well. Unlike a couple of decades back when chips were mainly present in personal computers and specialized electronic appliances and gadgets. Now chips power the world. One of the worst-hit industries has been the automobile sector. When the first wave of Covid-19 hit the world, global sales of cars had dwindled, and to compensate for this, car manufacturers had lowered their chip orders from the manufacturers. These chips are a requirement for assembling the critical electronics and computers that are inside modern cars. 2021 saw a sudden increase in automobile sales and this caused the disruption in equilibrium of chip supply and many automobile manufacturers started giving large orders and chip fabrication plants like TSMC were unable to cope up with the sudden growth in demand. This parallel demand for chips has increased the backlog and even though the chip manufacturers are operating over time, they have not been able to keep up with the demand. Now even home appliances might face issues with their chip supply.

There is one more important aspect that we have to address and it’s the increased demand for electronics items after the pandemic. As many people were and are still stuck in homes, they are buying computers, consoles, televisions, and various other electronic components. Many companies have not been able t keep up with the demand due to this. Graphics card is one of those elusive items that have suffered a double whammy. Both potential gamers and crypto miners want their hands on the newest graphics card but due to a shortage of chips card manufacturers are not able to keep up with the demand. There have been many cases where individuals and groups are scalping (buying in bulk) these new cards and reselling them at much higher prices.

Basic appliances and car components often use chips manufactured with older technology. For instance, PC and smartphones are using 7nm manufacturing whereas cars manufacturers uses older 32 nm or 14 nm technology because they are comparatively cheaper to manufacture. But due to the shortage in supply, manufacturers are prioritizing their newer chips and it’s getting challenging to allocate resources for older manufacturing processes. Due to this many car manufacturers have scaled-down on the extra amenities in their models.

TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor manufacturing company) is one of the biggest chip manufacturers in the world. The company produces 60 percent of the world’s chips for automobiles and 92 percent of cutting-edge chips. Recently Taiwan is experiencing its worst drought in over 50 years. A high quantity of water is required to clean the wafers during the manufacturing of the chips. Droughts have only increased the problems in the manufacturing of these chips. There is immense pressure when most of the world’s chips are made in one single building. This also exposes the problem of relying on a single source of manufacturing. Due to globalization and completion, most of the world’s manufacturing shifted to Asia. The issue of chip shortage will most probably remain next year as well. Intel (U.S) is has started to set up two new manufacturing plants in Arizona. This comes at a time when many have realized that a concentrated source of manufacturing is not the most reliable thing and diversification is the only way to deter any future shortages.

PATIENCE IS THE KEY

You’ll end up with whom you are supposed to be,

doing what you love,

living a life you’ve always desired

Everything will fall into place

Patience is the key.

This is the first thought that dawns upon my mind every single morning. Every day I remind myself that whatever happens today will happen for a reason. Don’t stress over things that are beyond your control. Rather than resisting and fighting just stop struggling. Unhook yourself from every situation or person or experience that is holding you back.

Recently I read a book by Mark Manson named ‘the subtle art of not giving a f**k’. There is a paragraph in the book which hit me hard and I realized how true it was, ‘When “real traumatic shit” happens in our lives, we begin to unconsciously feel as though we have problems that we’re incapable of ever solving. And this assumed inability to solve our problems causes us to feel miserable and helpless.
But it also causes something else to happen. If we have problems that are unsolvable, our
unconscious figures that we’re either uniquely special or uniquely defective in some way.’

You know what things fall apart, bad things happens and the one who refuses to surrender in those situations is the real hero. There is a lot of stress out there and giving up on yourself will not help in reducing it.

Life is full of challenges. If you surrender then there shall be no opportunity left to grow. You look at your friend’s life and feel that he has it easy but what you don’t know are the struggles he went through to reach at this stage of his/her life. And the struggle does not there, life is an uphill battle it rarely ‘comes easy’. Instead of looking at other’s blessings, one should be grateful for the life they have. There are a lot of people who desire what you have and this thought should be enough to make you feel grateful for everything good in your life.

There will be moments in your life when you feel dejected but those are the moments that make you stronger. When big things fall apart, all you have to do is appreciate the smaller things in life and just be patient. Adopting this outlook won’t stop negative events from occurring, but it may help prevent us from over-emphasising their importance in our lives.

Someone once said, “Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – that is patience.”

Being patient won’t make life easier but it will definitely guide you and help you find a way out of the tough situations you might face. We have often heard, “God has a plan”, let’s trust the plan for once. Let’s stop overanalyzing things, let’s be at content with what we have and let’s just work towards achieving our personal goals and patiently wait for God’s plan to unfold.

I would like to end it with a Greek proverb, “One minute of patience, ten years of peace.” This should be the motto.  

Book Reviews

Pin on libros

TOPICS OF BOOK REVIEWS:-

* Goodreads

* LibraryThing

* Reedsy Discovery

* LoveReading

* The Millions

* A Promised Land

* Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

* Luster

* The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

* Uncanny Valley

1. Goodreads:-

Goodreads
Review Styles: star rating, community reviews
It’s impossible not to mention Goodreads when discussing book communities: it’s the Facebook of book reviews — the ultimate social media platform for bibliophiles. If you’ve somehow managed to go this long without stumbling upon this omnipresent site, here’s the run-down: you can use Goodreads to organize, display, and discuss your virtual bookshelf with other users.
Goodreads recommendations are based on your listed interests. You can follow authors and book influencers ranging from Celeste Ng to Bill Gates. This allows you to see all their reviews, which vary from compact one-liners to critical analysis, and watch the new reviews roll in. For a quick verdict, just take a look at the star rating that they give the book.
Also if you like to browse lists, Goodreads compiles the best and most popular books for every genre. There’s also the annual Goodreads’ Choice Awards to celebrate each year’s new releases, where you can cast your vote or peruse the list of contenders to find a new book to read. It’s a site for every kind of reader, with abundant ways to comment and interact

2. LibraryThing:-

LibraryThing
Review Styles: star rating, recommendation, community reviews
This is the OG of all online book catalogues and discussion boards — take a look and you’ll see that it’s an oldie but a goodie. Of course, the basic functions of LibraryThing are rather similar to Goodreads: there are millions of books that readers can add to their lists, as well as review with star ratings.
While the interface harks back to the earlier days of the world wide web, LibraryThing has a secret weapon that’ll appeal to all readers, especially modern ones: their Zeitgeist. This page displays the crème de la crème of the whole site, from the most popular books to the hottest reviews, which is updated constantly. Just a glance shows that the readers here know how to read between the lines and wield their words!
So if you’re hoping to read or share some in-depth literary thoughts with fellow sharp-minded users , LibraryThing is the site to browse. (You can even access it without creating an account!)

3. Reedsy Discovery:-

Reedsy Discovery
Review Styles: star rating, recommendation, editorial reviews, community reviews (video option available)
Now, if you’re searching for some hidden gems to peruse, Reedsy Discovery’s got your back. While our blog features everything from classics to contemporary hits, Discovery’s specialty is indie publications, many of which are accompanied with succinct comments from experienced reviewers. There’s no better way to broaden your horizon!
Moreover, if casual and creative reviews are more your cup of tea, then rejoice: the burgeoning community of readers on Discovery can leave comments, one-line reviews, and video reviews (calling all Booktubers!) on just about any book. It’s a fun and interactive way to geek out over your favorite reads and discover all the coolest new titles you won’t find anywhere else.

4. LoveReading:-

LoveReading
Review styles: staff and guest contributor reviews
Though it’s UK-based, this prolific site caters to audiences around the world. LoveReading is strictly a reviewing site, with a base of staff writers and carefully selected contributors, so you know the reviews are top-notch. The staff often give quite personal reading experiences in their reviews, which make their recommendations very endearing, like they’re from a close friend. They even offer you presents — well, if you think of giveaways as presents!
LoveReading covers books from every genre you can think of. They also have weekly, monthly, and yearly list features to keep you up to date with the latest stellar releases, so you’ll never be in want of something to pore over.

5. The Millions:-

Review styles: professional and guest contributor reviews
In search of reviews that really dive into the themes, metaphors, and overall executions of interesting and highbrow books? The Millions has got you covered.
Written by a collection of seasoned critics, these reviews are speckled with memorable quotes, elegant analysis, and plentiful comparisons to other works — which means extra reading recommendations for you! If contemporary and literary fictions are your go-tos, then The Millions is the site for all your lit nerd needs.

6. A Promised Land:-

A Promised Land_Barack Obama
Nate Marshall on Barack Obama’s A Promised Land (Chicago Tribune)
A book review rarely leads to a segment on The 11th Hour with Brian Williams, but that’s what happened to Nate Marshall last month. I love how he combines a traditional review with a personal essay—a hybrid form that has become my favorite subgenre of criticism.
“The presidential memoir so often falls flat because it works against the strengths of the memoir form. Rather than take a slice of one’s life to lay bare and come to a revelation about the self or the world, the presidential memoir seeks to take the sum of a life to defend one’s actions. These sorts of memoirs are an attempt maybe not to rewrite history, but to situate history in the most rosy frame. It is by nature defensive and in this book, we see Obama’s primary defensive tool, his prodigious mind and proclivity toward over-considering every detail.”

7. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland:-

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Merve Emre on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (The Point)
I’m a huge fan of writing about books that weren’t just published in the last 10 seconds. And speaking of that hybrid form above, Merve Emre is one of its finest practitioners. This piece made me laugh out loud and changed the way I think about Lewis Carroll.
“I lie awake at night and concentrate on Alice, on why my children have fixated on this book at this particular moment. Part of it must be that I have told them it ‘takes place’ in Oxford, and now Oxford—or more specifically, the college whose grounds grow into our garden—marks the physical limits of their world. Now that we can no longer move about freely, no longer go to new places to see new things, we are trying to find ways to estrange the places and objects that are already familiar to us.”

8. Luster:-

Luster_Raven Leilani
Parul Sehgal on Raven Leilani’s Luster (The New York Times Book Review)
Once again, Sehgal remains the best lede writer in the business. I challenge you to read the opening of any Sehgal review and stop there.
“You may know of the hemline theory—the idea that skirt lengths fluctuate with the stock market, rising in boom times and growing longer in recessions. Perhaps publishing has a parallel; call it the blurb theory. The more strained our circumstances, the more manic the publicity machine, the more breathless and orotund the advance praise. Blurbers (and critics) speak with a reverent quiver of this moment, anointing every other book its guide, every second writer its essential voice.”

9. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall:-

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Constance Grady on Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Vox)

Restoring the legacies of ill-forgotten books is one of our duties as critics. Grady’s take on “the least famous sister in a family of celebrated geniuses” makes a good case for Wildfell Hall’s place alongside Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre in the Romantic canon.

“[T]he heart of this book is a portrait of a woman surviving and flourishing after abuse, and in that, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall feels unnervingly modern. It is fresh, shocking, and wholly new today, 200 years after the birth of its author.”

10. Uncanny Valley:-

Uncanny Valley_Anna Wiener
Ismail Muhammad on Anna Wiener’s Uncanny Valley (The Atlantic)
Muhammad is a philosophical critic, so it’s always fun to see him tackle a book with big ideas. Here, he makes an enlightened connection between Wiener’s Silicon Valley memoir and Michael Lewis’s 1989 Wall Street exposé, Liar’s Poker.
“Like Lewis, Wiener found ‘a way out of unhappiness’ by writing her own gimlet-eyed generational portrait that doubles as a cautionary tale of systemic dysfunction. But if her chronicle acquires anything like the must-read status that Lewis’s antic tale of a Princeton art-history major’s stint at Salomon Brothers did, it will be for a different reason. For all her caustic insight and droll portraiture, Wiener is on an earnest quest likely to resonate with a public that has been sleepwalking through tech’s gradual reshaping of society.”
Referance Link:
https://reedsy.com/discovery/blog/book-review-sites
https://lithub.com/the-10-best-book-reviews-of-2020/

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Drug abuse and the illegal trade of drugs have been a huge concern. No matter what steps have been taken, this illegal trade continues to take place undercovers around the world.

It is well known; how injurious drugs are for health. Overconsumption of drugs can cause serious illnesses like cancer, lung or heart disease, and increases the chances of having a stroke. Drug abuse can also affect the mental health of a person and result in mental disorders.

What is Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking of Drugs?

Drug abuse refers to the use of drugs and certain chemicals in amounts that are harmful to the body. Taking drugs in heavy amounts causes addiction, which often leads to illegal buying and consumption of drugs.

The illicit trafficking of drugs refers to the illegal trade of drugs. The question here arises, are there legal drugs? The answer is yes. There are drugs which legal like- nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, and other such drugs that are given on medical prescription. Such drugs bind upon the age, and regulations liking driving and location where it is being consumed.

Different nations have different drugs forbidden by law. Cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy are some of the drugs that are illegal at different places.

What is International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking?

The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed on June 26th every year since 1987, after the United Nations General Assembly decided to see this day to spread awareness about drug-related issues among people. This year’s theme, ‘Share Facts on Drugs, Save Lives’, aims at educating people about the effects of drug consumption, its treatment, and ways to combat misinformation about drugs.

People consume different drugs to create pleasure for themselves. Especially the youth consume it; mostly in peer pressure. Other reasons can also make people opt for drugs like any stress; be it personal or professional. When such drugs are consumed in heavy amounts its results are dangerous. It can even result in death due to the failure of organs. It can also cause hallucinations, reduce memory power, lowered attention, insomnia, and difficulty decision making.

Drug abuse for a long time can even cause depression and anxiety. People who are addicted, even overuse their medically prescribed drugs by buying them from different medical stores.

People commit crimes due to drug abuse as they lose control over themselves and their conscience. There have been cases where people have become ill-tempered and have murdered or attempted to murder people just because of some small argument. Their relationships with their families and friend have been destroyed. They have lost their jobs and are living chaotic life. They get aggressive and violent over time.

It is important to talk to people who abuse drugs and find out the reason for their condition; what made them fall into this trap, and not just push them away. if medical help is required, they can be sent to rehabilitation centers to make them addiction-free and help them live a normal life. things happen around us, but we often tend to ignore such things walk away; without bothering about it as it has nothing to do with us. As responsible people and for the sake of humanity we must try and help such people.  

Agriculture is not farming it’s feeding.

Agriculture is defined as the science and art of soil farming, and this definition emphasizes the primary nature of plant production in agriculture. It is not only a means of livelihood but a way of life. Agriculture is the most fundamental form of human activity and involves not only the cultivation of crops but also the domination of animals. Thus, agricultural land is the most basic of the world’s vast and diverse resources, and it provides food, clothing, and shelter to the human population. It is the main source of food, feed, and fuel. It is the basic foundation of economic development. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy. Agriculture is not only important from an economic point of view, but it has a profound impact on our social, political, and cultural life.

The agriculture industry in India reached a value of INR 63,506 billion in 2020. The agriculture industry represents an important component of the Indian economy both in terms of its contribution to the GDP as well as a source of employment to the majority of the country’s population. This sector is currently showing immense opportunities, with India presently being one of the world’s largest agricultural producers by value. A number of transformations have taken place in this sector over the past few decades. These include – rising penetration of the organized sector, growth in contract farming, agriculture becoming more mechanized, easy loan facilities, rise of exports, use of agrochemicals and high yielding seeds, and an increasing role of the private sector in processing, branding and marketing.

India is the second-largest populated country accounting for 18% of the total world population. With an increase in the population, the need for various agricultural products has increased significantly. This rise has prompted the farmers to adopt enhanced technologies and methods in dairy, fisheries and livestock in order to meet the diversified food needs of the people. Additionally, more than 50% of India’s population is dependent on agricultural products which is further promoting the growth of the market.

Over the past few years, India’s GDP has been growing at a steady pace which has resulted in a rise in the disposable incomes of the consumers. This rise has driven the agriculture market both in terms of the producer and consumer. It has enabled farmers to invest more in advanced agricultural infrastructure such as irrigation facilities, quality seeds, equipment’s, fertilizers, warehousing, cold storage, etc. It has also increased the consumers purchasing power creating a positive impact on the domestic demand of agriculture products. India represents one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world. The country encompasses various types of climatic conditions and soil types suitable for cultivating a large number of cereals, fruits, vegetables, flowers, cash crops, etc. The Indo-Gangetic plain, for instance, represents one of the most fertile lands across the globe. In addition, India also represents the second largest fish producing country in the world. The country has diverse resources ranging from deep seas to lakes in the mountains and more than 10% of the global biodiversity in terms of fish and shellfish species.

The establishment of rural banking and credit system has also played a pivotal role in the growth of the agriculture industry. The transformation of agriculture from subsistence to commercialization requires investment on the farm along with the use of modern inputs. With the availability of credit, the constraint on certain inputs like seed, fertilizer, pesticides, hired labor, etc. has been reduced.

INDIA AND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 4.0 Part-1

The industrial revolution is the advancement in manufacturing processes. The industrial revolution began in Europe in the 17th century. It was the first Industrial Revolution.  With the advancements in machines and manufacturing processes, Industrial revolution 2, 3 and 4 came into existence.

Industrial Revolution 2.0 started just after the first industrial revolution. It was also coined as Technological Revolution. The area of influence of the Industrial Revolution 2.0 was mainly Britain, America and parts of Germany.

The third industrial revolution began with the era of computers. With the widespread use of computers, and the capability to do superhuman things, Industrial revolution 3.0 started. Industrial revolution 3.0 stated the use of programming logic controllers. It also laid foundations for Industrial revolution 4.0.

The industrial revolution, also coined as “smart factory”, is the dependency of machines and smart reality at the more ease and comfort with more increase in production. In essence, industry 4.0 is the trend towards automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies and processes which include cyber-physical systems (CPS), the internet of things (IoT), industrial internet of things, cloud computing, cognitive computing and artificial intelligence.

Industrial Revolution 4.0 consists of different aspects viz.

1.Internet of Things

2.Smart Sensors

3.Advanced robotics

4.Big Data Analytics

5.3D Printing

6.Augmented reality

7.Cloud computing

8.Location Detection

1.Internet of Things

The ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction is known as the Internet of Things.

In simple language, when things communicate with each other over a common network, it is known as the Internet of things. In the consumer market, IoT is synonymous with home automation, home security and systems that can be controlled with devices related to that ecosystem like smartphones.

2. Smart sensors

Smart sensors are a major part of the Internet of Things. They are equipped with a digital interface, and they perform self-diagnosis by monitoring internal defects for evidence of faults.

The most important feature of a smart sensor is the ability to communicate, which can be done by displaying the data directly to the user and transfer it over a wired interface wirelessly.

3.Advanced robotics

Advanced robotics is the use of sensors that allow a robot to interact with the real world. The concept of creating machines that can operate autonomously dates back to classical times, but research into the functionality and potential uses of robots did not grow substantially until the 20th century. Throughout history, it has been frequently assumed by various scholars, inventors, engineers, and technicians that robots will one day be able to mimic human behaviour and manage tasks in a human-like fashion. Today, robotics is a rapidly growing field, as technological advances continue; researching, designing, and building new robots serve various practical purposes, whether domestically, commercially, or militarily.

4. Big Data Analytics

Big Data analytics is the process of collecting, organizing and analyzing large sets of data (called Big Data) to discover patterns and other useful information. Big Data analytics can help organizations to better understand the information contained within the data and will also help identify the data that is most important to the business and future business decisions.

5. 3D Printing

3D printing covers a variety of processes in which material is joined or solidified under computer control to create a three-dimensional object, with the material being added together (such as liquid molecules or powder grains being fused), typically layer by layer.

6.Augmented reality

Augmented reality (AR) is one of the biggest technology trends right now, and it’s only going to get bigger as AR ready smartphones and other devices become more accessible around the world. AR let us see the real-life environment right in front of us. Perhaps the most famous example of AR technology is the mobile app Pokemon Go, which was released in 2016 and quickly became an inescapable sensation.

7.Cloud computing

In its most simple description, cloud computing is taking services (“cloud services”) and moving them outside an organization’s firewall. Applications, storage and other services are accessed via the Web. The services are delivered and used over the Internet and are paid for by the cloud customer on an as-needed or pay-per-use business model.

8.Location Detection

Several technologies can provide real-time information about the location of devices, and hence the location of users of the devices. The types of devices that can be located include mobile telephones, laptop computers, personal digital assistants and gaming consoles. There are many location detection technologies, such as the global positioning system (GPS)

Read more about India and Industrial Revolution in next part, INDIA AND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 4.0 Part-2.

RACISM IN THE FORM OF COLORISM

Our country has a history of being ruled by the whites, i.e. the Portuguese, the Dutch and French traders, the Mughals, the British. They were relatively fairer than the rest of the Indian population. This succession by the white people left behind the desperate desire of looking fair. Indians felt that only the light skin people can attain power, dignity and respect as they were the master race. The racial prejudice in our country has taken the form of colorism. The basic definition of colorism means that differentiating or classification of a person from another on the basis of the skin tone or complexion. Discrimination against the members of the same race due to their dark skin complexion is called colorism. The black people are generally considered of a lower status and they are included in the lowest strata of the society while the fair is considered the noble and intellectual. In our Indian society, the complexion of a person is given a lot of importance, fair people are believed to have positive impacts and the dark has negative impacts. This is how the stereotypical mindsets of the Indians work. The black is now hated upon, it is highly condemned by the people worldwide. 

Racism and colorism are very closely related to each other. People with a lighter skin tone were considered as a rich of an upper-caste while people with a dusky skin tone is considered as a poor of a lower caste. Due to the color discrimination, the black people face problems all over the world. It brings down their morale, enthusiasm, self-efficiency to a great extent. They fear the world outside, the voices of the black people go unheard. They do not receive the right amount of appreciation, instead they face constant hatred and are subjected to brutality. The black people face harassment be it in either a physical or virtual form on any online platform. They are bullied not only on the basis of their color, but also on the basis of the structure of their lips or any facial attribute. The black color is the least preferred color in the entire human race. They are denied access to educational institutions, workplace or employment services, social services etc. There is no system which would act as a protection shield against the brutal and the inhumane bullying. The crime rate against the black has evidently increased, but people choose to be silent about it. If the same crime had been done to a white, then the public and the law would have done their best to win justice.

The social media and the advertising agency contribute to a great extent in favoring the notion of colorism. It is well known that the people would prefer a lighter skin tone than a deeper one and they would try their level best to reduce the tone of their skin color using any artificial means. People tend to follow the social media, their role models and hence in a despair to look fair. There are numerous cosmetic brands and skin lightening industries which came up as a solution to their consumer’s needs. In 1975, the “Fair and Lovely” cream was launched by Hindustan Unilever. This brand added a lot to the theory of colorism. It had become an indispensable requirement in the life of the young girls. It denoted that the deep complexion was not acceptable by the society anymore and how the dark people prove to be a disappointment. Only the fair people could achieve success and lead a happy life. Such fairness cream commercials promote the concept that how fairness is the only means of achieving success, dignity, honor and respect. Such products created an obstacle in the society by differentiating people on their skin tone. There was no actual appreciation of the natural beauty and color anymore. It led to the formation of biasness on the preference on the skin tone and color. Colorism really brings down the level of self-esteem and confidence in life of the people which in turn creates a confined status. 

HEALTH AND FITNESS

An old saying “Health is wealth ” . It’s known that more we respect our body, more in return it will do for us “. One should always prioritize his health above everything .The word health indicates that state of body being free from any kind of illness .Being healthy and fit means taking good care of the body. We all knew that healthy mind resides only in a healthy body. Being healthy give us feeling of goodness throughout the day. Body start releasing happy hormones like dopamine and the individual start working actively .Our fitness and health depends physical environment , the quality of food we eat and the people we interact with . Thus , health and fitness doesn’t mean maintaining only physical health but it also includes being healthy mentally and socially too .Thus there are some of the ways through which we can build up both our physical and mental health . The very first thing where fitness starts is the food we eat. We should eat food rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates. All these are the essential components of healthy diet . Carbohydrates are the souce of glucose that provides energy to the body .Vitamins boosting our immune system.Proteins are the building blocks of the body that helps in growth and maintainance of the body . Fats also provides us immediate energy .Taking a balanced diet keep both the body and mind strong and healthy . It include vegetables, fruits, and pulses in daily diet.The physical health can be achieved through regular exercise . As it helps in preventing body from serious problems like heart disease , diabetes, obesity . Atleast walking 10,000 steps per day 20 minutes of exercise would help us to keep away our body away from diseases .For mental health improvement , it is important to have positive thoughts to stay fit and healthy in order to stay happy and maintain the mental and emotional health and fitness . Thus , it’s a verified fact that our surroundings put a large effect on our minds and growth. Thus to keep our body healthy and fit we should be in touch with good people, take balanced diet , make our body physically fit through exercise and mentally fit through meditation and yoga . Thus , nothing is more precious than our healthy soul , so one must go easy with the body .

Causes of gender inequality

Over the years, the world has gotten closer to achieving gender equality. There is better representation of women in politics, more economic opportunities, and better healthcare in many places of the world. However, the World Economic Forum estimates it will take another century before true gender equality becomes a reality. What drives the gap between genders? Here are 10 causes of gender inequality:

#1. Uneven access to education
Around the world, women still have less access to education than men. ¼ of young women between 15-24 will not finish primary school. That group makes up 58% of the people not completing that basic education. Of all the illiterate people in the world, ⅔ are women. When girls are not educated on the same level as boys, it has a huge effect on their future and the kinds of opportunities they’ll get.

#2. Lack of employment equality
Only 6 countries in the world give women the same legal work rights as men. In fact, most economies give women only ¾ the rights of men. Studies show that if employment became a more even playing field, it has a positive domino effect on other areas prone to gender inequality.


#3. Job segregation
One of the causes for gender inequality within employment is the division of jobs. In most societies, there’s an inherent belief that men are simply better equipped to handle certain jobs. Most of the time, those are the jobs that pay the best. This discrimination results in lower income for women. Women also take on the primary responsibility for unpaid labor, so even as they participate in the paid workforce, they have extra work that never gets recognized financially.

#4. Lack of legal protections
According to research from the World Bank, over one billion women don’t have legal protection against domestic sexual violence or domestic economic violence. Both have a significant impact on women’s ability to thrive and live in freedom. In many countries, there’s also a lack of legal protections against harassment in the workplace, at school, and in public. These places become unsafe and without protection, women frequently have to make decisions that compromise and limit their goals.

#5. Lack of bodily autonomy
Many women around the world do not have authority over their own bodies or when they become parents. Accessing birth control is frequently very difficult. According to the World Health Organization, over 200 million women who don’t want to get pregnant are not using contraception. There are various reasons for this such as a lack of options, limited access, and cultural/religious opposition. On a global scale, about 40% of pregnancies are not planned and while 50% of them do end in abortion, 38% result in births. These mothers often become financially dependent on another person or the state, losing their freedom.

“The Funny boy” – A Homosexual Novel of searching identity

“For me, growing up, I felt like there was something fatally and tragically flawed in my nature and that it was my duty to try to avoid falling for that vice”.

– Shyam Selvadurai

Certainly, we all as a human, face some sort of battle within ourselves, might be towards our identity or maybe our existence. The worst crisis any human can face is the crisis within him/herself. It is one of the dangerous crises any person goes through, and this is what the author Shyam Selvadurai had gone in his own life which he portrayed in the novel “Funny Boy” through the main protagonist “Arjun” aka “Arjie”.

The Funny Boy – A Background :

The novel evidently sets in the early 1980’s at the consequent of Sri Lankan civil war, which showcase us the disputes and riots of Tamil – Sinhalese Historical enmity towards each other. The novel is divided into 6 chapters, in which every chapter has its own uniqueness which makes the novel more explicit.

The 1st chapter, “Pigs can’t fly”, begins with the Naïve life of the main character Arjie and his reminiscence of his childhood days, where he presents his own baffled thoughts of his own existence of, he being “Different” from other boys of his age. He was anxious and felt that his interests in playing with dolls and girls is a taboo for society whereas playing cricket will make him an ideal boy in the society.

“Life is full of stupid things and sometimes we just have to do them”, Arjie’s Amma says this to him when he refused to play with boys and instead, he likes to wear saree and play, “bride- bride” with his female cousins.

 This shows us how this chapter portray us that our society is prejudice towards the gender norms in which all of us are distributed. In one of the incidents when the relatives of Arjie saw him wearing a saree , made him a center of laughter and mocked him by saying him “ Funny”, through which the author tried to showcase us that the third Gender in our society is considered as unethical or as a clown which is irrelevant to the society, namely the title of the chapter “Pigs can’t fly’’, presents us how people in our society don’t accept the people who belongs to the third gender as according to them, pigs represents the people who are transgenders or gay like Arjie are breaking the norms of the culture.

“Any war, riots or a sense of violence happens within the human minds, and politically, language and cultures drift us apart sometimes to establish a war”, this quote is well explained in the second chapter “Radha Aunty”, where this chapter explains us how casteism becomes a hurdle, when people fall in love.

They say that “If two people love each other, the rest is unimportant.”

“No, it isn’t. Ultimately, you must live in the real world.

And without your family you are nothing.”

The Funny Boy

By this quote, the author explains us the tragic love story of Radha Aunty and Anil Uncle who wanted to get marry, but the enmity and disbelief in both the communities of Tamil and Sinhalese made them apart! Indeed, this tragedy is obvious to show us the situation of the Sri Lankan civil war and the rules in which people were abused to be in. Incidents of Radha Aunty where she was brutally attacked by 2 Sinhalese people show us how threatening Humans were demons for each other.

“See no evil, hear no evil”, is the chapter 3 where show us one more Tragic incident happened with “Daryl Uncle”, we can say that the novel has a theme of failed love relationships, casteism, hatred, war, and disputes, as this chapter encloses about the incident of how Daryl uncle died or rather got murdered. It portrays us how violent was the time in columbo when the Journalist like Daryl uncle was abused and murdered.

In chapter 4, “Small Choices”, we get to know about Arjie’s feelings for the male character Jegan, who came to work in Appa’s hotel. This is the chapter where Arjie started to know about his identity but hide from the outer world as it was against the norms, which Arjie felt his feelings for men is Immorality. This chapter also counts about Anti- Tamilians and how these community was making a life miserable for the innocent people of Columbo.

Often, we know who we are, what is our identity, but because of the taboo inflicted in the society, we escape from our originality and behave as how the society wants to picture us. This is what Arjie was doing to be a normal ideal boy, but somewhere he was an abnormal boy (according to him) because of his gay feelings for the character Shehan in chapter 5, “The Best School of All “show us. When Arjie fell in love with Shehan, his perception for life and his ideology of his identity changed when he met shehan and shehan removed all the perplexed thoughts floating in the minds of Arjie. Shehan made Arjie realized that “We should ultimately know who we are! We should not hide identity from ourselves”. This is what made Arjie realize that he should respect himself and his identity. This was the chapter where he was not afraid of who he was and his sexual desires for Shehan was totally legit. In this chapter, Arjie was proud to be himself as a gay and his love for Shehan was compatible.

In “Riot Journal: An Epilogue’’ is the last chapter where Arjie wrote a journal on the effects and incidents of riots and its impact how ruined his life and lost his parents. The books end in a dismal and with a sense of alienation of Arjie and the tragic feelings inculcated and made him hollow.

Funny Boy – A Novel to explore one’s own identity !

Still unending war a human faces within himself/ Herself when it is about recognizing one’s own identity. We Humans have a psychology of hiding our real personality infront of other humans which is basically due to the age old cliché ideology of “Acceptance in the society”, due to which people hide there real self.

As Humans, we live in society and communities in which we have an urge of desire that we need love, cherishment, respect and acceptance in return, thus when we don’t get it we realize we are different from others, which ultimately makes us feel that we are an outcast from our society. so, as a part of community we behave as the world wants us to behave.

Whereas, “The Funny Boy” is the best novel of all which provides you that particular kind of Catharsis if you not aware of yourself!

So, a personal recommendation to the Bibliophile out there , Go check this Book which is not only a homosexual novel, but a novel which is Heartening and will open your insights to understand your real self.

Another Scam in Bhadraloks’ State

In my service days whenever for official purposes visited across the state of West Bengal, I have observed in general people are polite in behaviour and amicable to the guests. Many will offer a cup of tea in an earthen pot in the offices or normal working place with ‘Rosogolla’ and ‘Nimki’ (Snacks salted item prepared with Maida). In Bankura district if one visits, although a lot of poverty can be seen in spite, people with smiling faces welcome the guests. And   during lunch along with dal, rice, normal curry and fish curry there will be one time called ‘alu-posto’ (potato with seed of a poppy plant). I always enjoy food in West Bengal. 

Anyway, this time observing pool violence (during election and post-election) has very much upset me as I have commonly heard people of West Bengal are known in general  as ‘Bhadralok’ (cultured gentleman). The violence has proved that many  ‘Bhadralok Babus’   can go at any level of violence i.e. killing, arson, assault etc. irrespective of any political party. And unfortunately women, children and aged persons were not spared during poll and post poll violence.   It is pertinent to mention that same time along with few other states assembly elections were held in Assam, a neighbouring state but not a single violence took place in Assam, so “Bhadralokbabus” of West Bengal should learn lesson from the people of Assam.

Then coming to scam we know there are different types of scams that took place in the state of ‘Bhadraloks’. Here are a few points about the scams.

a)      The Saradha Group financial scandal was a major financial scam and alleged political scandal caused by the collapse of a Ponzi scheme run by Saradha Group, a consortium of over 200 private companies that was believed to be running collective investment schemes popularly but imperfectly referred to as chit funds in Eastern India. It is evident from the different secondary sources that the Group collected between ₹200 and 300 billion (US$4–6 billion) from more than 1.7 million depositors before it collapsed in April 2013. The West Bengal Government (where the Saradha Group belongs and most of its investors reside) instituted an inquiry commission to investigate the collapse. The State Government also set up a fund of ₹5 billion (US$70 million) to ensure that low-income investors were not bankrupted. It is pertinent to mention that the scam has often been compared to the Sanchayita investment scam, a multi crore rupees scam that took place in West Bengal in the 1970s, complaints related to which led to the formation of the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act of 1978 (wikipedia.org/wiki/Saradha).

b)      Many Indians know about the Narada sting operation, which was a sting operation carried out by Mathew Samuel. The operation portrayed many of the politicians who are now associated with the present ruling party of West Bengal taking bribes (wikipedia.org/wiki/Narada_sting_operation).

c)      The Rose Valley financial scam or simply Rose Valley Chit Fund Scam (rocked West Bengal in 2013) was also a major financial scam caused by the collapse of a Ponzi scheme run by Rose Valley Group. According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) around Rs 17,520 crore was reportedly raised from investors across India. The all India small depositors association mentioned  the amount at Rs 40,000 crore, even though few highlighted total collection was more than Rs 60,000 crore. The states affected by the scam were West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Tripura (wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Valley_financial_scandal).

d)     The latest fraud is ‘fake vaccination’. One Debanjan Deb used to give NKacin 500 jabs instead of Covid vaccines and many many people were vaccinated across Kolkata. No one could even guess what has been happening. The CID, police and others could not detect anything as such camp was continuing for days together. A fake   IAS officer was doing this but an alert by TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty, helped the Police to take action. I simply felt what the local police and CID officials did. The Kolkata Police arrested  the scam master  Debanjan Deb who  opened a  vaccination camp at Kasba also across north and central Kolkata, including one at City College in north Kolkata and another on June 3 (2021) at Sonarpur. All the places are in Kolkata or its vicinity.

 I feel all the political leaders, administrators, academicians, NGOs and others irrespective of caste, creed, religion, language etc., should be involved in development politics not in narrow politics. The State has awfully suffered in 1947 and again with so many scams people will suffer particularly the helpless and the people who are not involved in the politics. I request ‘Bhadralokbabus’ “Arise! Awake! and stop not until the goal is reached”. 

The following websites have been consulted during the course of writing the article:

1)      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saradha_Group_financial_scandal

2)      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narada_sting_operation

3)      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Valley_financial_scandal

4)      https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/west-bengal-fake-vaccination-camp-busted-in-kolkata-anti-bacterial-jabs-given-in-the-name-of-covid-19-vaccine

5)      https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/fraudster-held-for-organising-fake-kmc-vax-camps-hundreds-sweat-over-shots-they-got/articleshow/83793608.cms

How To Be More Assertive

I learned to be assertive from my mother. She always expresses her feelings, is comfortable with saying no, acts in her family’s best interest, and also thinks about the common good.

She’s the most assertive person I know. No one can take advantage of her. If you try, she will let you know about it. And you won’t like it. 

What is assertiveness actually? Robert E. Alberti and Michael L. Emmons are considered the lead experts in this field. Their book Your Perfect Right, first published in 1970, is considered a classic on the topic. They define assertive behavior as follows:

“Behavior which enables a person to act in his own best interests, to stand up for himself without undue anxiety, to express his honest feeling comfortably, or to exercise his own rights without denying the rights of others.”

In general, there are three types of behavior:

  1. Passive: Indirect, dishonest, does not take control, is nice at all cost, focuses on others.
  2. Assertive: Direct, honest, self-worth, to the point, focuses on the self, respects others.
  3. Aggressive: Harmful, egocentric, will to win at any cost, justifies the means, wants to control others.

If you watch our society, most behavior happens at the extremes. How often do you experience dishonesty at home, with your friends, and at work? It’s not always because people have evil intentions. Too often, it’s because most people are passive. They are afraid of the confrontation, and instead, they prefer to lie. 

But there are also a lot of aggressive people. People say that aggression is becoming more common in the world. I don’t know about that, but I do know that no one wants to be around aggressive people. 

The middle is where you want to be. You want to be respectful, firm, and not aggressive. That’s what assertiveness is all about.

An Assertiveness Technique 

But how do you become more assertive? Like anything in life you want to improve, you must practice. And the best way to practice is on aggressive people and in confrontational situations. 

Next time you experience a stressful situation or when you must deal with an aggressive person, do the following: Detach from the person and situation. Tell yourself you’re observing the situation. 

You never want to get emotionally involved. That’s the most important thing if you want to be more assertive. And once you’re detached, you simply get to the point. I know this sounds vague, so let me give you an example.

The other day I called a construction company that’s supposed to fix a leakage problem I had at my apartment. The guy tried to brush me off and wasn’t too subtle about it: “We don’t have anyone right now.”

I paused, detached from the situation, realized it wasn’t personal, and said: “What am I supposed to do? Let everything go to waste when it rains? What would you do?” 

It went on like that for a while until he finally said, “Alright, fine, I’ll come by myself.” Two hours later, he came to my apartment and fixed the leakage. Problem solved. 

Often, we escalate situations that are not necessarily bad. That’s because we allow them to become personal. But we must realize that other people have their own issues. It’s never personal. Or, we do the opposite: We do everything to avoid escalation. But that only works against us.

In the past, if something like this happened, I would say, “Okay. When can you send someone over?” And then I had to wait. That’s classic passivity.

In this world, you have to be assertive to get what you want. You don’t have to act like a bully, but you have to be a little demanding. I see it as honesty. I was simply honest with that guy. I had a problem that needed to be fixed.

It’s All About Practicing

When we become more assertive, we need to be careful not to overdo it. Otherwise, we risk becoming aggressive or overly dominant. Recent research showed that informal leaders were more liked and respected when they had “a moderate amount of assertiveness and warmth.”

That’s very accurate. When we are too nice, we risk that people take advantage of us. When we are too aggressive, we push people away. But if we’re direct and are respectful to people at the same time, we can get much more done together.

Unfortunately, you only become more assertive by being more assertive. You must practice. What helps is to see every social situation as a negotiation.

I highly recommend reading Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss. In fact, I learned the “How am I supposed to do that?” technique from that book. When people give you a proposal you don’t like, ask them that question. In my case, I changed it to “What am I supposed to do?” 

You put the ball in the other person’s court. That’s a good way to deal with difficult situations. Let others come up with a solution. But sometimes, people need a little push to make that happen. And that’s exactly what assertiveness is: A little push in the right direction.

INS vikraant

• Named after its predecessor – procured career.
 India’s first Majestic Class aircraft carrier
 Formerly called Hercules – acquired from Britain in 1957
 commissioned in 1961 as INS Vikrant
 1997 – decommissioned .

• First airbase reinforced warship of India .

• Also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1).

• IAC boasts nearly 75% indigenous content.

• Informally called INS Vikrant 2.

• Currently under construction and conducting trials by Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi, Kerala

Specification

• Weighs up to 40,000 tonnes • Can carry up to 40 aircraft.

• To operate MiG-29K fighter aircraft, Kamov-31 Air Early Warning Helicopters, the soon-to-be-inducted MH-60R multi-role helicopter, and the indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters.

• Third air craft career INS Vishaal – expected to be commissioned in 2030.

Project Sea bird

• Largest naval infrastructure project for
India .

• 3 billion dollar programme. • Upon completion- largest naval base on the west coast and also the largest naval
base east of the Suez Canal.

• Project sea bird: project for creation of a naval base at Karwar on the west coast of India.

• Aims at providing fleet support and maintenance
of warships.

• Will be able to support several major warships and at least 30 vessels submarines and yard crafts .

• Naval Air Base will also have a maintenance
section.

• Totally spread across over 11,000 acres .

• Located on hilly terrain along the coast and by reclaiming the part of sea.

STOP PROCRASTINATING

The Merriam-Webster dictionary utters the word ‘procrastination’ is to put off intentionally and habitually the doing of something that should be done.

If we procrastinate, we keep delaying things we should do until later, often because you do not want to do them. It is the opposite of ‘punctuality’ which means doing something at the agreed or proper time. It is rightly called the ‘thief of time’ because a procrastinator never gets time again to complete his work.


No matter how disciplined and dedicated we are, chances are that we have found ourself spend hours in a slow and usually foolish way on trivial quests like watching TV, updating our Facebook status, shopping online, chatting on WhatsApp when we should have been spending that time on work or school-related projects.


Whether we are rescheduling the start of a venture for work, evading homework assignments, or overlooking household chores, delaying a visit to a doctor for compulsory regular check-up, or postponing an educational video shoot for YouTube, procrastination in each case can have a major impact on our career, our rankings, and our life.


The lost health can be regained by good food and lost wealth by hard work, but lost time, under the shadow of procrastination, is unreturnable.

CAUSES


Procrastination is caused by laziness, delayed action and the illusion of unlimited time in future. There are many men who are lazy by nature. They lack enthusiasm for work. They delay action thinking that today’s work will be done tomorrow. But their tomorrow never comes. The illusion of unlimited time in future is also one of the causes of procrastination. Many men are of the opinion that life is a long span of days, weeks, months and years. So, there is no need of being in haste. Such an opinion about the unlimited time in future encourages them to delay or postpone action.

PROCRASTINATION IS HARMFUL

Procrastination or delayed action and illusion of unlimited time in future ruin a man’s life. His success and progress become uncertain. He loses many good opportunities in life. His work remains unfinished and so the burden of work becomes unbearable. It creates tension in the mind. Postponement of work till another time more often may keep us left without its benefits, which might have accumulated had we done that on time. His life becomes a sequence of sorrow. That is why everyone should try to be punctual which alone can unveil the face of success. The necessity of cultivating punctuality is thus very important in life.

HOW TO OVERCOME

  • We plan our day in advance, set a priority list on our activities.
  • Break down the objects on our list into small, controllable steps so that our tasks don’t seem so threatening. We must complete the work and accumulate the confidence.
  • We must ask ourselves what distracts us the most—whether WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook updates, or something else. We must shut them off quickly, only to open on necessities.
  • We must be ready for action and start quickly into a workday. By doing something important as early as possible, we will work at a higher level of productivity and efficiency all day long.
  • Last but not the least, in case we find ourselves procrastinating, we must start chanting,

“DO IT NOW!    DO IT NOW!     DO IT NOW!”

This ‘dynamic mantra’ will penetrate deep into your subconscious mind where it serves as an activator to get you going and keep you moving.

THE GOLDEN childhood DAYS

The golden days of childhood will never comeback.

The irony is when we are children we want to grow up fast but when we are an adult and we have to make choices, take decisions and bear responsibilities we want to return to our golden childhood days

I say it golden because it so precious and valuable to us when we talk about childhood days we always remember it as our best time in our life.

Do you guys remember how we used to bunk school when it rains ,and how happy we used to feel when the school used to declare holiday on weekdays unexpectedly

I know most of you also tried to fool your mother by saying you have stomachache or fever, so that you can stay at home but in vain they easily catch our tricks. we are the fools to think we can fool our parents.

we used to love when teachers give us free sports period so that we can play, we used to play so many games, playing rock paper scissors ,hand cricket, ice or water, hide and seek.

when we used to win prizes in events conducted by school and we used to do projects, we used to go to trips to museums, zoo and parks.

Especially sharing food in break time and trying different varieties was also memorable.

We feel so elated by thinking that we made a masterpiece by drawing whatever we used to feel and as you guys already for making a masterpiece the paint should be everywhere else except on the paper.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

I used to love playing with bubbles, especially playing with balloons, and flying kites on the occasion of sankranthi.

I used to love the time we used to spend playing word games, singing songs in bus while coming home ,and not to forget the card games and board games .Racing with bicycles and skating also used to be my favourite leisure time.

How can we forget all the kinds of snacks like pichu mithai(sugar candy), coconut toffee, biscuits, so many varieties and also the figurines we used to win

Waking up early mornings to watch your favorite cartoon was always so fun, but we used to be always late for school. I know we have got our own priorities first ,hehe

Do you guys still remember how we use to use glitter pens ,sketch pens ,stickers and various types of things to decorate our projects, and the pride we used feel when our drawing or project are displayed on the notice board ,participating in quiz competitions, debates were also fun

Every time we used to think of new stories to write in the exam and end up writing film stories > <

Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com

Those days where running even a small errand for mother and bringing back the exact amount was a matter of pride and was always excited to run errands for them unlike. The things which we used to do happily are a hassle now.

I know we are grown ups and we should understand and be more matured about the situations

But its ok to miss those days and bring out our memories into our present. Its ok to enjoy the things that we like and enjoy, age doesn’t matter.

People can still spend some time on themselves, on their own happiness and don’t care about this whole” you are an adult you cant like these thing at your age, you can’t do this at your age”.

Child hood is a phase that everyone goes through and that golden time will never comeback, but we should never forget lessons learnt in our childhood.

The main thing, the essence of our childhood that is the pure happiness we feel from encountering smallest things is our golden time although short but definitely sweet

Thankyou^^ and keep smiling.