Day: July 28, 2021

Bermuda Triangle

The area referred to as the Bermuda Triangle, or Devil’s Triangle, covers about 500,000 square miles of Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern tip of Florida, bounded by Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. When Christopher Columbus sailed through the area on his first voyage to the New World, he reported that a great flame of fire (probably a meteor) crashed into the sea one night and that a strange light appeared in the distance a few weeks later. He also wrote about erratic compass readings, perhaps because at that time a sliver of the Bermuda Triangle was one of the few places on Earth where true north and magnetic north lined up.

Did you know? After gaining widespread fame as the first person to sail solo around the globe, Joshua Slocum disappeared on a 1909 voyage from Martha’s Vineyard to South America. Though it’s unclear exactly what happened, many sources later attributed his death to the Bermuda Triangle.

Nonetheless, reports of unexplained disappearances did not really capture the public’s attention until the 20th century. An especially infamous tragedy occurred in March 1918 when the USS Cyclops, a 542-foot-long Navy cargo ship with over 300 men and 10,000 tons of manganese ore onboard, sank somewhere between Barbados and the Chesapeake Bay. The Cyclops never sent out an SOS distress call despite being equipped to do so, and an extensive search found no wreckage. “Only God and the sea know what happened to the great ship,” U.S. President Woodrow Wilson later said. In 1941 two of the Cyclops’ sister ships similarly vanished without a trace along nearly the same route.

A pattern allegedly began forming in which vessels traversing the Bermuda Triangle would either disappear or be found abandoned. Then, in December 1945, five Navy bombers carrying 14 men took off from a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airfield in order to conduct practice bombing runs over some nearby shoals. But with his compasses apparently malfunctioning, the leader of the mission, known as Flight 19, got severely lost. All five planes flew aimlessly until they ran low on fuel and were forced to ditch at sea. That same day, a rescue plane and its 13-man crew also disappeared. After a massive weeks-long search failed to turn up any evidence, the official Navy report declared that it was “as if they had flown to Mars.”

Bermuda Triangle Theories and Counter-Theories

By the time author Vincent Gaddis coined the phrase “Bermuda Triangle” in a 1964 magazine article, additional mysterious accidents had occurred in the area, including three passenger planes that went down despite having just sent “all’s well” messages. Charles Berlitz, whose grandfather founded the Berlitz language schools, stoked the legend even further in 1974 with a sensational bestseller about the legend. Since then, scores of fellow paranormal writers have blamed the triangle’s supposed lethalness on everything from aliens, Atlantis and sea monsters to time warps and reverse gravity fields, whereas more scientifically minded theorists have pointed to magnetic anomalies, waterspouts or huge eruptions of methane gas from the ocean floor.

In all probability, however, there is no single theory that solves the mystery. As one skeptic put it, trying to find a common cause for every Bermuda Triangle disappearance is no more logical than trying to find a common cause for every automobile accident in Arizona. Moreover, although storms, reefs and the Gulf Stream can cause navigational challenges there, maritime insurance leader Lloyd’s of London does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an especially hazardous place. Neither does the U.S. Coast Guard, which says: “In a review of many aircraft and vessel losses in the area over the years, there has been nothing discovered that would indicate that casualties were the result of anything other than physical causes. No extraordinary factors have ever been identified.”

Feminism and politics of childhood

Book review

Name of the book-Feminism and the politics of childhood Friends or foes?

Author of the book-Rachel Roshen and Katherine Twamley

DOI: //https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781787350632

Publisher 

UCLPRESS (university college London)

www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-press

Published in

2018

Feminism and the politics of childhood friends or foes? is written and edited by Rachel roshen and Katherine Twamley. The book consists of eighteen chapters in itself. The book is a contribution of many scholars, psychologists, professors and lecturers of education, catholic priest, activist and anthropologists. 

Rachel Rosen is a senior lecturer in childhood in the department of social science at the UCL institute of Education and Katherine Twamley is a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow in the department of social science at the UCL institute of Education.

The book discussed various kinds of feminism and children’s politics. It has an exploration of perceived commonalities and conflicts between the women and children. The whole book is in a dialogic method from a range of geographical contexts, social science discipline, activist organisations, and theoretical perspectives. The wide varieties of subjects include refugee camps, care labour, domestic violence and childcare and education. The author focuses on the local & global level and tries to drive the interconnection about the theoretical traditions.

Erica Burman found that the formulation of relation between women and children are representative. The responsibility of child caring is totally up to the mother as the bundling of women has been comprehensively critiqued. She also focused on the early care education of childhood. The book consists of childhood studies and women’s studies. Women and children are vulnerable victims or valorized as angelic innocents of home and hearth and the subject through which hope for national development flows. She said we should try to provide social and economical justice to the women and children. 

The book discussed gender & society. Barrie Throne wanted to ask about feminism and the politics of childhood. Thrawn worked with various frameworks and theories such as intersectionality theory, psychosocial studies, and critical disability studies. Grassroots Women (GW) was an anti- imperialist, feminist organization in East Vancouver, Canada in early 1990s. The organization welcomed her members with their children. They said the presence of children makes their members also focused on their work. They consider universal childcare a woman’s right. In the end they said (GW) children and women are became great power if they united. 

The book had a glance about the children and caretaker rights. Every child has the right of proper care and love. Radical feminism considers the children as the burden over the women and ground of oppression of women. They also discussed the challenges of/to feminist solidarity in the Sahrawi refugee camps (South Africa). 

Marxist feminism focused over the renewed frame attention to social reproduction. They consider the women as the second and less paid workers. Taking care of the children should be the first job of women. 

The concept of surrogacy is also shared here. The data is collected by the international commercial surrogacy. Here the practice of surrogacy is considered as the reproductive and productive laboring. Some feminist are in favor as some are in against. It directly impacts the child and women’s mental, emotional and physical condition. Decolonising childbearing and challenging the patriarchal nuclear family through indigenous knowledge is also shared here. In this chapter we discuss the role of men in child care and how the traditional value system of child bearing will guide the people to develop more effective programming for parent education and support family reunification. Child marriage practice is also criticized by the feminist. They share the world wide data of the early child marriage and its impact on the children and women. 

The feminist is mean to be a fighter of social justice, they fight and struggle to get the social justice foe women and children. Domestic violence is a cycle of violence, a person tries to fill a woman or a child with a lot of guilt and shame so she could not try to stop the violence over her. Feminist also work in this sector too for give a save environment for them. 

I chose this book for many reasons and one of them is this it discusses various feminism waves and theories. It gives a clear understanding of why we need feminism and the different context of women and children’s condition. Children and women are inseparable in order to provide strength to each other. 

Reflection 

The book is really Informative and interesting. It consists different view of feminism and feminist which going to help in my assessment too. The book had a broad number of examples, interviews and experiences about the challenges faced by the women and children at local and global level. Why we need feminist and how they struggle to achieve the goal of social justice for all. Here I also find the difference between radical feminism is different feminism. They consider child bearing as the ending of life or burden over the women or women does not want children or should not have children if they want to do something. The book gives a holistic perspective to think about geographical, social and economical impact on the condition of women and children. Everyone should go through the book once. They provide you with alternate theoretical constructs and practical examples of research on how best make sense of the importance of relation and thinking with complexity. 

Feminism and politics of childhood

Book review

Name of the book-Feminism and the politics of childhood Friends or foes?

Author of the book-Rachel Roshen and Katherine Twamley

DOI: //https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781787350632

Publisher 

UCLPRESS (university college London)

www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-press

Published in

2018

Feminism and the politics of childhood friends or foes? is written and edited by Rachel roshen and Katherine Twamley. The book consists of eighteen chapters in itself. The book is a contribution of many scholars, psychologists, professors and lecturers of education, catholic priest, activist and anthropologists. 

Rachel Rosen is a senior lecturer in childhood in the department of social science at the UCL institute of Education and Katherine Twamley is a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow in the department of social science at the UCL institute of Education.

The book discussed various kinds of feminism and children’s politics. It has an exploration of perceived commonalities and conflicts between the women and children. The whole book is in a dialogic method from a range of geographical contexts, social science discipline, activist organisations, and theoretical perspectives. The wide varieties of subjects include refugee camps, care labour, domestic violence and childcare and education. The author focuses on the local & global level and tries to drive the interconnection about the theoretical traditions.

Erica Burman found that the formulation of relation between women and children are representative. The responsibility of child caring is totally up to the mother as the bundling of women has been comprehensively critiqued. She also focused on the early care education of childhood. The book consists of childhood studies and women’s studies. Women and children are vulnerable victims or valorized as angelic innocents of home and hearth and the subject through which hope for national development flows. She said we should try to provide social and economical justice to the women and children. 

The book discussed gender & society. Barrie Throne wanted to ask about feminism and the politics of childhood. Thrawn worked with various frameworks and theories such as intersectionality theory, psychosocial studies, and critical disability studies. Grassroots Women (GW) was an anti- imperialist, feminist organization in East Vancouver, Canada in early 1990s. The organization welcomed her members with their children. They said the presence of children makes their members also focused on their work. They consider universal childcare a woman’s right. In the end they said (GW) children and women are became great power if they united. 

The book had a glance about the children and caretaker rights. Every child has the right of proper care and love. Radical feminism considers the children as the burden over the women and ground of oppression of women. They also discussed the challenges of/to feminist solidarity in the Sahrawi refugee camps (South Africa). 

Marxist feminism focused over the renewed frame attention to social reproduction. They consider the women as the second and less paid workers. Taking care of the children should be the first job of women. 

The concept of surrogacy is also shared here. The data is collected by the international commercial surrogacy. Here the practice of surrogacy is considered as the reproductive and productive laboring. Some feminist are in favor as some are in against. It directly impacts the child and women’s mental, emotional and physical condition. Decolonising childbearing and challenging the patriarchal nuclear family through indigenous knowledge is also shared here. In this chapter we discuss the role of men in child care and how the traditional value system of child bearing will guide the people to develop more effective programming for parent education and support family reunification. Child marriage practice is also criticized by the feminist. They share the world wide data of the early child marriage and its impact on the children and women. 

The feminist is mean to be a fighter of social justice, they fight and struggle to get the social justice foe women and children. Domestic violence is a cycle of violence, a person tries to fill a woman or a child with a lot of guilt and shame so she could not try to stop the violence over her. Feminist also work in this sector too for give a save environment for them. 

I chose this book for many reasons and one of them is this it discusses various feminism waves and theories. It gives a clear understanding of why we need feminism and the different context of women and children’s condition. Children and women are inseparable in order to provide strength to each other. 

Reflection 

The book is really Informative and interesting. It consists different view of feminism and feminist which going to help in my assessment too. The book had a broad number of examples, interviews and experiences about the challenges faced by the women and children at local and global level. Why we need feminist and how they struggle to achieve the goal of social justice for all. Here I also find the difference between radical feminism is different feminism. They consider child bearing as the ending of life or burden over the women or women does not want children or should not have children if they want to do something. The book gives a holistic perspective to think about geographical, social and economical impact on the condition of women and children. Everyone should go through the book once. They provide you with alternate theoretical constructs and practical examples of research on how best make sense of the importance of relation and thinking with complexity. 

POVERTY

What is poverty?

Poverty is about not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter. However, poverty is more, much more than just not having enough money.

The World Bank Organization describes poverty in this way:

“Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time.

Poverty has many faces, changing from place to place and across time, and has been described in many ways. Most often, poverty is a situation people want to escape. So poverty is a call to action — for the poor and the wealthy alike — a call to change the world so that many more may have enough to eat, adequate shelter, access to education and health, protection from violence, and a voice in what happens in their communities.”

In addition to a lack of money, poverty is about not being able to participate in recreational activities; not being able to send children on a day trip with their schoolmates or to a birthday party; not being able to pay for medications for an illness. These are all costs of being poor. Those people who are barely able to pay for food and shelter simply can’t consider these other expenses. When people are excluded within a society, when they are not well educated and when they have a higher incidence of illness, there are negative consequences for society. We all pay the price for poverty. The increased cost on the health system, the justice system and other systems that provide supports to those living in poverty has an impact on our economy.

While much progress has been made in measuring and analyzing poverty, the World Bank Organization is doing more work to identify indicators for the other dimensions of poverty. This work includes identifying social indicators to track education, health, access to services, vulnerability, and social exclusion.

There is no one cause of poverty, and the results of it are different in every case. Poverty varies considerably depending on the situation. Feeling poor in Canada is different from living in poverty in Russia or Zimbabwe. The differences between rich and poor within the borders of a country can also be great.

Despite the many definitions, one thing is certain; poverty is a complex societal issue. No matter how poverty is defined, it can be agreed that it is an issue that requires everyone’s attention. It is important that all members of our society work together to provide the opportunities for all our members to reach their full potential. It helps all of us to help one another.

On the basis of social, economical and political aspects, there are different ways to identify the type of Poverty:

  1. Absolute poverty.
  2. Relative Poverty.
  3. Situational Poverty.
  4. Generational Poverty.
  5. Rural Poverty.
  6. Urban Poverty.

Now let us understand them one by one:

1.Absolute poverty: Also known as extreme poverty or abject poverty, it involves the scarcity of basic food, clean water, health, shelter, education and information. Those who belong to absolute poverty tend to struggle to live and experience a lot of child deaths from preventable diseases like malaria, cholera and water-contamination related diseases. Absolute Poverty is usually uncommon in developed countries.

It was first introduced in 1990, the “dollar a day” poverty line measured absolute poverty by the standards of the world’s poorest countries. In October 2015, the World Bank reset it to $1.90 a day. This number is controversial; therefore each nation has its own threshold for absolute poverty line.

“It is a condition so limited by malnutrition, illiteracy, disease, squalid surroundings, high infant mortality, and low life expectancy as to be beneath any reasonable definition of human decency.” Said by Robert McNamara, the former president of the World Bank.

2.Relative Poverty: It is defined from the social perspective that is living standard compared to the economic standards of population living in surroundings. Hence it is a measure of income inequality. For example, a family can be considered poor if it cannot afford vacations, or cannot buy presents for children at Christmas, or cannot send its young to the university.

Usually, relative poverty is measured as the percentage of the population with income less than some fixed proportion of median income.

It is a widely used measure to ascertain poverty rates in wealthy developed nations.

In European Union the “relative poverty measure is the most prominent and most–quoted of the EU social inclusion indicators”

3.Situational Poverty: It is a temporary type of poverty based on occurrence of an adverse event like environmental disaster, job loss and severe health problem.
People can help themselves even with a small assistance, as the poverty comes because of unfortunate event.

4.Generational Poverty: It is handed over to individual and families from one generation to the one. This is more complicated as there is no escape because the people are trapped in its cause and unable to access the tools required to get out of it.

“Occurs in families where at least two generations have been born into poverty. Families living in this type of poverty are not equipped with the tools to move out of their situation” (Jensen, 2009).

5.Rural Poverty: It occurs in rural areas with population below 50,000. It is the area where there are less job opportunities, less access to services, less support for disabilities and quality education opportunities. People are tending to live mostly on the farming and other menial work available to the surroundings.

The rural poverty rate is growing and has exceeded the urban rate every year since data collection began in the 1960s. The difference between the two poverty rates has averaged about 5 percent for the last 30 years, with urban rates near 10–15 percent and rural rates near 15–20 percent (Jolliffe, 2004).

6.Urban Poverty: It occurs in the metropolitan areas with population over 50,000. These are some major challenges faced by the Urban Poor:

• Limited access to health and education.
• Inadequate housing and services.
• Violent and unhealthy environment because of overcrowding.
• Little or no social protection mechanism.

POVERTY

What is poverty?

Poverty is about not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter. However, poverty is more, much more than just not having enough money.

The World Bank Organization describes poverty in this way:

“Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time.

Poverty has many faces, changing from place to place and across time, and has been described in many ways. Most often, poverty is a situation people want to escape. So poverty is a call to action — for the poor and the wealthy alike — a call to change the world so that many more may have enough to eat, adequate shelter, access to education and health, protection from violence, and a voice in what happens in their communities.”

In addition to a lack of money, poverty is about not being able to participate in recreational activities; not being able to send children on a day trip with their schoolmates or to a birthday party; not being able to pay for medications for an illness. These are all costs of being poor. Those people who are barely able to pay for food and shelter simply can’t consider these other expenses. When people are excluded within a society, when they are not well educated and when they have a higher incidence of illness, there are negative consequences for society. We all pay the price for poverty. The increased cost on the health system, the justice system and other systems that provide supports to those living in poverty has an impact on our economy.

While much progress has been made in measuring and analyzing poverty, the World Bank Organization is doing more work to identify indicators for the other dimensions of poverty. This work includes identifying social indicators to track education, health, access to services, vulnerability, and social exclusion.

There is no one cause of poverty, and the results of it are different in every case. Poverty varies considerably depending on the situation. Feeling poor in Canada is different from living in poverty in Russia or Zimbabwe. The differences between rich and poor within the borders of a country can also be great.

Despite the many definitions, one thing is certain; poverty is a complex societal issue. No matter how poverty is defined, it can be agreed that it is an issue that requires everyone’s attention. It is important that all members of our society work together to provide the opportunities for all our members to reach their full potential. It helps all of us to help one another.

On the basis of social, economical and political aspects, there are different ways to identify the type of Poverty:

  1. Absolute poverty.
  2. Relative Poverty.
  3. Situational Poverty.
  4. Generational Poverty.
  5. Rural Poverty.
  6. Urban Poverty.

Now let us understand them one by one:

1.Absolute poverty: Also known as extreme poverty or abject poverty, it involves the scarcity of basic food, clean water, health, shelter, education and information. Those who belong to absolute poverty tend to struggle to live and experience a lot of child deaths from preventable diseases like malaria, cholera and water-contamination related diseases. Absolute Poverty is usually uncommon in developed countries.

It was first introduced in 1990, the “dollar a day” poverty line measured absolute poverty by the standards of the world’s poorest countries. In October 2015, the World Bank reset it to $1.90 a day. This number is controversial; therefore each nation has its own threshold for absolute poverty line.

“It is a condition so limited by malnutrition, illiteracy, disease, squalid surroundings, high infant mortality, and low life expectancy as to be beneath any reasonable definition of human decency.” Said by Robert McNamara, the former president of the World Bank.

2.Relative Poverty: It is defined from the social perspective that is living standard compared to the economic standards of population living in surroundings. Hence it is a measure of income inequality. For example, a family can be considered poor if it cannot afford vacations, or cannot buy presents for children at Christmas, or cannot send its young to the university.

Usually, relative poverty is measured as the percentage of the population with income less than some fixed proportion of median income.

It is a widely used measure to ascertain poverty rates in wealthy developed nations.

In European Union the “relative poverty measure is the most prominent and most–quoted of the EU social inclusion indicators”

3.Situational Poverty: It is a temporary type of poverty based on occurrence of an adverse event like environmental disaster, job loss and severe health problem.
People can help themselves even with a small assistance, as the poverty comes because of unfortunate event.

4.Generational Poverty: It is handed over to individual and families from one generation to the one. This is more complicated as there is no escape because the people are trapped in its cause and unable to access the tools required to get out of it.

“Occurs in families where at least two generations have been born into poverty. Families living in this type of poverty are not equipped with the tools to move out of their situation” (Jensen, 2009).

5.Rural Poverty: It occurs in rural areas with population below 50,000. It is the area where there are less job opportunities, less access to services, less support for disabilities and quality education opportunities. People are tending to live mostly on the farming and other menial work available to the surroundings.

The rural poverty rate is growing and has exceeded the urban rate every year since data collection began in the 1960s. The difference between the two poverty rates has averaged about 5 percent for the last 30 years, with urban rates near 10–15 percent and rural rates near 15–20 percent (Jolliffe, 2004).

6.Urban Poverty: It occurs in the metropolitan areas with population over 50,000. These are some major challenges faced by the Urban Poor:

• Limited access to health and education.
• Inadequate housing and services.
• Violent and unhealthy environment because of overcrowding.
• Little or no social protection mechanism.

QUTUB MINAR

Qutub-Minar in red and buff sandstone is the highest tower in India.

Built in the 13th century, the magnificent tower stands in the capital, Delhi. It has a diameter of 14.32m at the base and about 2.75m on the top with a height of 72.5m. It is an architectural marvel of ancient India.

The complex has a number of other important monuments such as the gateway built in 1310, the Alai Darwaza, Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque; the tombs of Altamish, Ala-ud-din Khalji and Imam Zamin; the Alai Minar, a 7m high Iron Pillar, etc.

Qutub-ud-Din Aibak of Slave Dynasty laid the foundation of Minar in A.D. 1199 for the use of mu’azzin (crier) to give calls for prayer and raised the first storey, to which were added three more storeys by his successor and son-in-law, Shams-ud-Din Itutmish (A.D. 1211-36). All the storeys are surrounded by a projected balcony encircling the minar and supported by stone brackets, which are decorated with honey-comb design, more conspicuously in the first storey.

Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, to the north-east of minar was built by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak in A.D. 1198. It is the earliest extant – mosque built by the Delhi Sultans. It consists of a rectangular courtyard enclosed by cloisters, erected with the carved columns and architectural members of 27 Hindu and Jaina temples, which were demolished by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak as recorded in his inscription on the main eastern entrance. Later, a lofty arched screen was erected and the mosque was enlarged, by Shams-ud- Din Itutmish (A.D. 1210-35) and Ala-ud-Din Khalji. The Iron Pillar in the courtyard bears an inscription in Sanskrit in Brahmi script of fourth century A.D., according to which the pillar was set up as a Vishnudhvaja (standard of god Vishnu) on the hill known as Vishnupada in memory of a mighty king named Chandra. A deep socket on the top of the ornate capital indicates that probably an image of Garuda was fixed into it.

The tomb of Itutmish (A.D. 1211-36) was built in A.D. 1235. It is a plain square chamber of red sandstone, profusely carved with inscriptions, geometrical and arabesque patterns in Saracenic tradition on the entrances and the whole of interior. Some of the motifs viz., the wheel, tassel, etc., are reminiscent of Hindu designs.

Alai- Darwaza, the southern gateway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque was constructed by Ala-ud-Din Khalji in A.H. 710 (A.D. 1311) as recorded in the inscriptions engraved on it. This is the first building employing Islamic principles of construction and ornamentation.

Alai Minar, which stands to the north of Qutub-Minar, was commenced by Ala-ud-Din Khalji, with the intention of making it twice the size of earlier Minar. He could complete only the first storey, which now has an extant height of 25 m. The other remains in the Qutub complex comprise madrasa, graves, tombs, mosque and architectural members.

UNESCO has declared the highest stone tower in India as a world heritage.

QUTUB MINAR

Qutub-Minar in red and buff sandstone is the highest tower in India.

Built in the 13th century, the magnificent tower stands in the capital, Delhi. It has a diameter of 14.32m at the base and about 2.75m on the top with a height of 72.5m. It is an architectural marvel of ancient India.

The complex has a number of other important monuments such as the gateway built in 1310, the Alai Darwaza, Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque; the tombs of Altamish, Ala-ud-din Khalji and Imam Zamin; the Alai Minar, a 7m high Iron Pillar, etc.

Qutub-ud-Din Aibak of Slave Dynasty laid the foundation of Minar in A.D. 1199 for the use of mu’azzin (crier) to give calls for prayer and raised the first storey, to which were added three more storeys by his successor and son-in-law, Shams-ud-Din Itutmish (A.D. 1211-36). All the storeys are surrounded by a projected balcony encircling the minar and supported by stone brackets, which are decorated with honey-comb design, more conspicuously in the first storey.

Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, to the north-east of minar was built by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak in A.D. 1198. It is the earliest extant – mosque built by the Delhi Sultans. It consists of a rectangular courtyard enclosed by cloisters, erected with the carved columns and architectural members of 27 Hindu and Jaina temples, which were demolished by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak as recorded in his inscription on the main eastern entrance. Later, a lofty arched screen was erected and the mosque was enlarged, by Shams-ud- Din Itutmish (A.D. 1210-35) and Ala-ud-Din Khalji. The Iron Pillar in the courtyard bears an inscription in Sanskrit in Brahmi script of fourth century A.D., according to which the pillar was set up as a Vishnudhvaja (standard of god Vishnu) on the hill known as Vishnupada in memory of a mighty king named Chandra. A deep socket on the top of the ornate capital indicates that probably an image of Garuda was fixed into it.

The tomb of Itutmish (A.D. 1211-36) was built in A.D. 1235. It is a plain square chamber of red sandstone, profusely carved with inscriptions, geometrical and arabesque patterns in Saracenic tradition on the entrances and the whole of interior. Some of the motifs viz., the wheel, tassel, etc., are reminiscent of Hindu designs.

Alai- Darwaza, the southern gateway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque was constructed by Ala-ud-Din Khalji in A.H. 710 (A.D. 1311) as recorded in the inscriptions engraved on it. This is the first building employing Islamic principles of construction and ornamentation.

Alai Minar, which stands to the north of Qutub-Minar, was commenced by Ala-ud-Din Khalji, with the intention of making it twice the size of earlier Minar. He could complete only the first storey, which now has an extant height of 25 m. The other remains in the Qutub complex comprise madrasa, graves, tombs, mosque and architectural members.

UNESCO has declared the highest stone tower in India as a world heritage.

FRIENDSHIP

Friendship is one of the greatest bonds anyone can ever wish for. Lucky are those who have friends they can trust. Friendship is a devoted relationship between two individuals. They both feel immense care and love for each other. Usually, a friendship is shared by two people who have similar interests and feelings.

You meet many along the way of life but only some stay with you forever. Those are your real friends who stay by your side through thick and thin. Friendship is the most beautiful gift you can present to anyone. It is one which stays with a person forever.

True Friendship

A person is acquainted with many persons in their life. However, the closest ones become our friends. You may have a large friend circle in school or college, but you know you can only count on one or two people with whom you share true friendship.

There are essentially two types of friends, one is good friends the other are true friends or best friends. They’re the ones with whom we have a special bond of love and affection. In other words, having a true friend makes our lives easier and full of happiness.

Most importantly, true friendship stands for a relationship free of any judgments. In a true friendship, a person can be themselves completely without the fear of being judged. It makes you feel loved and accepted. This kind of freedom is what every human strives to have in their lives.

In short, true friendship is what gives us reason to stay strong in life. Having a loving family and all is okay but you also need true friendship to be completely happy. Some people don’t even have families but they have friends who’re like their family only. Thus, we see having true friends means a lot to everyone.

FRIENDSHIP

Friendship is one of the greatest bonds anyone can ever wish for. Lucky are those who have friends they can trust. Friendship is a devoted relationship between two individuals. They both feel immense care and love for each other. Usually, a friendship is shared by two people who have similar interests and feelings.

You meet many along the way of life but only some stay with you forever. Those are your real friends who stay by your side through thick and thin. Friendship is the most beautiful gift you can present to anyone. It is one which stays with a person forever.

True Friendship

A person is acquainted with many persons in their life. However, the closest ones become our friends. You may have a large friend circle in school or college, but you know you can only count on one or two people with whom you share true friendship.

There are essentially two types of friends, one is good friends the other are true friends or best friends. They’re the ones with whom we have a special bond of love and affection. In other words, having a true friend makes our lives easier and full of happiness.

Most importantly, true friendship stands for a relationship free of any judgments. In a true friendship, a person can be themselves completely without the fear of being judged. It makes you feel loved and accepted. This kind of freedom is what every human strives to have in their lives.

In short, true friendship is what gives us reason to stay strong in life. Having a loving family and all is okay but you also need true friendship to be completely happy. Some people don’t even have families but they have friends who’re like their family only. Thus, we see having true friends means a lot to everyone.

Challenges in the new Digital era

Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the deep fault lines that have created challenges for India’s march towards a digitally enabled society.

During the pandemic, several essential services, ranging from access to healthcare services (including vaccination) to education, livelihoods, and rations — have felt the effects of unequal distribution of technology in the country.

Thus, with increasing inequalities and the burden on systems, the need for digitally driven programmes is now more urgent than ever before.

Digital Challenge

  • Digitally Inaccessible Remote Communities: The first wave of Covid-19 brought with it an immediate and urgent need for the development sector to shift towards technology, when faced by the inability to access communities remotely.
    • A survey in June 2020 indicated that only about half of the respondents were aware of online classes being held in their communities.
    • The consequences of these gaps are likely dire – an estimated 10 million girls could drop out of school.
  • Unserved Remote Areas: With digital services not being uniformly distributed, communities in remote areas often require on-ground staff to deploy and supplement digital tools.
    • They may also face significant barriers in accessing funding for innovative and infrastructural digital solutions.
  • Digital Divide: During the second wave, urban Indians have consistently relied on social media platforms to seek life-saving medical supplies but rural Indian could not utilise it to the fullest.
    • Unequal access to the internet has also made accessing and registering for Covid-19 vaccines in India a challenge, leaving millions of Indians unable to even register for them.
  • Digital Illiteracy: It’s apparent that a majority of Indian citizens lack digital literacy and online safety is an alien concept to many who may have digital literacy.
    • Language and accessibility barriers and limited data and infrastructural systems further compound the scenario.
  • Social barriers and systemic inequality also play a large role in this — even today, mobile ownership among women is significantly lower than their male counterparts.
    • Moreover, communities continue to remain averse to mobile devices in the hands of young people, especially young women, to prevent them from disrupting existing patriarchal systems.

Way Forward

  • Need For Technology Enabled Development Sector: It is time for the development sector to shift towards technology-driven ecosystems, to enable a more systematic and concerted effort to bridge the present digital divide and help access remote communities digitally. NGO’s and CSO’s can play a vital role in this step.
  • Technological Intervention: The process of creating and implementing digital solutions is multi-layered and complex. According to many CSOs, the first step is to address the demands posed by technological interventions across a programme life cycle.
    • This calls for customised digital interventions. The issue gets complicated because CSOs need to work with local communities who face digital challenges themselves. Digital interventions have to factor in these imperatives.
  • Feedback from People: The success of technology-based programmes is ultimately contingent on the support for it on the ground, and community feedback is critical to driving successful and sustainable programmes.
    • Programmes, therefore, need to integrate and account for interpersonal mediation and the last-mile “human touch”.
  • Partnership with Stakeholders: To enable them to incorporate technology at scale, CSOs require more systematic partnerships with stakeholders across the development ecosystem.
    • Collaboration with the government and other civil society partners is vital to normalising the use of technology-based interventions at scale.
    • For example, the government and private sector service providers need to prioritise the availability of digital infrastructure and connectivity while civil society integrates programmatic responses into government priorities.
  • Documenting the Learning: There are no blanket solutions to the critical challenges that come with embracing technology in framing programmes for the development sector.
    • Documenting their learnings is an important first step in pushing for more open conversations with regard to digital interventions in India.

Conclusion

Recognising the essential role that digital tools, access and literacy will play in the months and years to come, Civil societies and NGOs can play a major role in bringing technological revolution in their working.

Challenges in the new Digital era

Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the deep fault lines that have created challenges for India’s march towards a digitally enabled society.

During the pandemic, several essential services, ranging from access to healthcare services (including vaccination) to education, livelihoods, and rations — have felt the effects of unequal distribution of technology in the country.

Thus, with increasing inequalities and the burden on systems, the need for digitally driven programmes is now more urgent than ever before.

Digital Challenge

  • Digitally Inaccessible Remote Communities: The first wave of Covid-19 brought with it an immediate and urgent need for the development sector to shift towards technology, when faced by the inability to access communities remotely.
    • A survey in June 2020 indicated that only about half of the respondents were aware of online classes being held in their communities.
    • The consequences of these gaps are likely dire – an estimated 10 million girls could drop out of school.
  • Unserved Remote Areas: With digital services not being uniformly distributed, communities in remote areas often require on-ground staff to deploy and supplement digital tools.
    • They may also face significant barriers in accessing funding for innovative and infrastructural digital solutions.
  • Digital Divide: During the second wave, urban Indians have consistently relied on social media platforms to seek life-saving medical supplies but rural Indian could not utilise it to the fullest.
    • Unequal access to the internet has also made accessing and registering for Covid-19 vaccines in India a challenge, leaving millions of Indians unable to even register for them.
  • Digital Illiteracy: It’s apparent that a majority of Indian citizens lack digital literacy and online safety is an alien concept to many who may have digital literacy.
    • Language and accessibility barriers and limited data and infrastructural systems further compound the scenario.
  • Social barriers and systemic inequality also play a large role in this — even today, mobile ownership among women is significantly lower than their male counterparts.
    • Moreover, communities continue to remain averse to mobile devices in the hands of young people, especially young women, to prevent them from disrupting existing patriarchal systems.

Way Forward

  • Need For Technology Enabled Development Sector: It is time for the development sector to shift towards technology-driven ecosystems, to enable a more systematic and concerted effort to bridge the present digital divide and help access remote communities digitally. NGO’s and CSO’s can play a vital role in this step.
  • Technological Intervention: The process of creating and implementing digital solutions is multi-layered and complex. According to many CSOs, the first step is to address the demands posed by technological interventions across a programme life cycle.
    • This calls for customised digital interventions. The issue gets complicated because CSOs need to work with local communities who face digital challenges themselves. Digital interventions have to factor in these imperatives.
  • Feedback from People: The success of technology-based programmes is ultimately contingent on the support for it on the ground, and community feedback is critical to driving successful and sustainable programmes.
    • Programmes, therefore, need to integrate and account for interpersonal mediation and the last-mile “human touch”.
  • Partnership with Stakeholders: To enable them to incorporate technology at scale, CSOs require more systematic partnerships with stakeholders across the development ecosystem.
    • Collaboration with the government and other civil society partners is vital to normalising the use of technology-based interventions at scale.
    • For example, the government and private sector service providers need to prioritise the availability of digital infrastructure and connectivity while civil society integrates programmatic responses into government priorities.
  • Documenting the Learning: There are no blanket solutions to the critical challenges that come with embracing technology in framing programmes for the development sector.
    • Documenting their learnings is an important first step in pushing for more open conversations with regard to digital interventions in India.

Conclusion

Recognising the essential role that digital tools, access and literacy will play in the months and years to come, Civil societies and NGOs can play a major role in bringing technological revolution in their working.