Month: July 2021

Indian Rituals

India is known as a cultural country, filled with traditions, religions, rituals, customs, etc. The diversity in the country results in spreading love, unity, and openness among the citizens. Over the years, people have learned to accept each other’s religions and beliefs. Every person in India has his language, religion, traditions, rituals, and beliefs. We all are aware of these traditions and beliefs but, there are some odd rituals too which are practiced in India but unfortunately, we are not aware of it at all.
These rituals are weird but are still practiced in many rural parts of the nation. The people practicing them have a lot of faith in it. These rituals are brutal and it’ll be shocking to know that they exist even today.
These are some of the rituals you should know about.

 • Baby Tossing
Baby Tossing is a very old ritual followed by many in the states of Maharashtra, and Karnataka. In this, a baby is thrown from a height of 30 to 50 feet and the devotees catch the babies with the help of some blankets. This ritual is not at all safe and is also against India’s children’s rights law.

•  Thimithi or Firewalking
Thimithi is a festival celebrated in the state of Tamilnadu, South India. It is believed that walking on a pit of fire will bless the devotees and Goddess Draupadi will grant their wishes.

 

• Impaling
Impaling includes piercing various body parts with sharp objects such as needles, iron rods, swords, hooks, etc. It is practiced in the southern part of India. It is done for protection against evil and it is also done to bring good luck to the community.

 

• Female Genital Mutilation
FGM is a procedure that involves partial or total removal of the external female genital organ. So basically the clitoris is the pleasure center of the female body and they just brutally cut the clitoris, not to enjoy the pleasure of having some sort of extra affairs. It’s is strongly believed that if a girl has done is circumcision, she will have no extramarital affairs.FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) is violence against girls and is practiced in countries like the Middle East, Indonesia, some parts of India, and many more countries.

 • Aghori
Aghoris are the followers of Lord Shiva often referred to as the God of Death and Destruction. They believe that everything nature provides can be consumed. They feast on human flesh, drink from skulls, and live among the dead. From Eating flesh to conjuring black magic, they do it all.

It is hard to believe that such rituals are still practiced in India. India is truly filled with mysteries.

Communication skills

Good communication is very important to convey what is there in the mind. Whatever language, communicating in a understandable way is very important. communication today is very important both in the business world and in private life.

Even though the person is good at skills and is capable of doing things better, lack of communication degrades the skills and brings a negative mark on the person which is a bad thing for the individual.

Top 5 communication skills and How to improve them

Developing strong communication skills is essential when it comes to building a successful careee. Communication skills play a key role in your private life too. These 5 skills are absolutely necessary for sucessful commuincation in the workplace or private life.

1. Listening :

Listening is one of the most important aspects of communication. Successful listening is not just and understanding of spoken or written information, but also an understanding of how the speaker feels during communication. If a speaker can see and feel that someone is listening and understanding that can help build a stronger, deeper realtionship between interlocutors.

Careful listening can also create an environment in which everyone feels safe to express ideas, opinions and feelings, or plan and solve problems in a creative way.

2. Straight talking :

Conversation is the basis of communication, and one must not neglect its importanc. Even a simple, friendly conversation with colleafues can build mutual trust and even detect problems before they become serious. A healthy does of chatting with and unknown person can lead to a business opportunity . Be accessible and friendly because then you will be able to talk to almost anymore.

3. Non- verbal communication :

When we talk about things that matter to us then we send a lot of nonverbal messages. Non verbal signals are wordless communication, body position, facial experssion, hand movements, gestures, eye contact, attitude and tone of your voice, muscle tension and the way you breathe. The way you look, listen create, react, gesture , speaks far more about feelings than words will ever be able to.

4. Stress Management :

In small quantities, stress can be very useful and encouraging for work . However, when the stress becomes constant and completely begins to take effect, it can affect communication, clarity of opinion and appropriate behavior and action. When you are under stress you may misunderstand other people, send confusing nonverbal signals, and use funny patterns of behavior.

5. Emotion control :

In communication, feelings play an important role. Making decisions more often affects the way you feel than the way you think. Gudided by emotions, your nonverbal behavior affects the understanding of other people and how others understand and perceive you. Control of emotions provides you with tools to understand others, yourself and the messages you send. Though recognizing feelings makes it simple, many people have strong feeling like anger, sorrow, or fear being pushed under the carpet.

Importance of communication :

Communication thus helps understand people better removing misunderstanding and creating clarity of thoughts and expression. The communication brings people together, closer to each other. The communication is an important management function closely associated with all other managerial functions.

Everybody has their own way of communicating. It is influenced by cultural background, the way someone was raised, their gender, their temperament, and much more. At that point true communication may become utterly impossible. Sometimes we may have a difficult time understanding anothers feelings , needs and habits.

* communication serves four major functions with a group of organization :

* control

* Motivational

* Emotional expression

* Information

* communication serves five major purposes :

* to inform

* to express feelings

* to imagine

* to influence and

* to meet social expectations

For example:

For instance, if an individual is going to an interview with great confidence. An individual who is good at different kinds of skills, and also good at executing them and he is lack of communication skills. As the person is not a good communicator, the person faces difficulty in explaining the things to the other person which is known to him. Instantly, this brings a bad impression on the person and a negative mark will be marked on him. The negative mark has a lot to do with. The negative mark can also lead to the rejection of the person in the interview.

Being knowledgeable is very important to achieve certain goals in life, attaining good communication skills and being a good communicator is also equally important to achieve high in the life. Being a good communicator is not A big deal. It is so easy as the lifestyle. Any individual can be good communicator if he communicates all the time with other people in the possible way.

Communication skills

Good communication is very important to convey what is there in the mind. Whatever language, communicating in a understandable way is very important. communication today is very important both in the business world and in private life.

Even though the person is good at skills and is capable of doing things better, lack of communication degrades the skills and brings a negative mark on the person which is a bad thing for the individual.

Top 5 communication skills and How to improve them

Developing strong communication skills is essential when it comes to building a successful careee. Communication skills play a key role in your private life too. These 5 skills are absolutely necessary for sucessful commuincation in the workplace or private life.

1. Listening :

Listening is one of the most important aspects of communication. Successful listening is not just and understanding of spoken or written information, but also an understanding of how the speaker feels during communication. If a speaker can see and feel that someone is listening and understanding that can help build a stronger, deeper realtionship between interlocutors.

Careful listening can also create an environment in which everyone feels safe to express ideas, opinions and feelings, or plan and solve problems in a creative way.

2. Straight talking :

Conversation is the basis of communication, and one must not neglect its importanc. Even a simple, friendly conversation with colleafues can build mutual trust and even detect problems before they become serious. A healthy does of chatting with and unknown person can lead to a business opportunity . Be accessible and friendly because then you will be able to talk to almost anymore.

3. Non- verbal communication :

When we talk about things that matter to us then we send a lot of nonverbal messages. Non verbal signals are wordless communication, body position, facial experssion, hand movements, gestures, eye contact, attitude and tone of your voice, muscle tension and the way you breathe. The way you look, listen create, react, gesture , speaks far more about feelings than words will ever be able to.

4. Stress Management :

In small quantities, stress can be very useful and encouraging for work . However, when the stress becomes constant and completely begins to take effect, it can affect communication, clarity of opinion and appropriate behavior and action. When you are under stress you may misunderstand other people, send confusing nonverbal signals, and use funny patterns of behavior.

5. Emotion control :

In communication, feelings play an important role. Making decisions more often affects the way you feel than the way you think. Gudided by emotions, your nonverbal behavior affects the understanding of other people and how others understand and perceive you. Control of emotions provides you with tools to understand others, yourself and the messages you send. Though recognizing feelings makes it simple, many people have strong feeling like anger, sorrow, or fear being pushed under the carpet.

Importance of communication :

Communication thus helps understand people better removing misunderstanding and creating clarity of thoughts and expression. The communication brings people together, closer to each other. The communication is an important management function closely associated with all other managerial functions.

Everybody has their own way of communicating. It is influenced by cultural background, the way someone was raised, their gender, their temperament, and much more. At that point true communication may become utterly impossible. Sometimes we may have a difficult time understanding anothers feelings , needs and habits.

* communication serves four major functions with a group of organization :

* control

* Motivational

* Emotional expression

* Information

* communication serves five major purposes :

* to inform

* to express feelings

* to imagine

* to influence and

* to meet social expectations

For example:

For instance, if an individual is going to an interview with great confidence. An individual who is good at different kinds of skills, and also good at executing them and he is lack of communication skills. As the person is not a good communicator, the person faces difficulty in explaining the things to the other person which is known to him. Instantly, this brings a bad impression on the person and a negative mark will be marked on him. The negative mark has a lot to do with. The negative mark can also lead to the rejection of the person in the interview.

Being knowledgeable is very important to achieve certain goals in life, attaining good communication skills and being a good communicator is also equally important to achieve high in the life. Being a good communicator is not A big deal. It is so easy as the lifestyle. Any individual can be good communicator if he communicates all the time with other people in the possible way.

How Can Fiction Be Written? Featuring Barbie!

“Imagination and Fiction make up more than three quarters of our life.”

  • Simone Weil

Today’s article discusses an essential factor when it comes to writing fiction I.e how to write it? Barbie aka Barbara Milicent Roberts is our chief guest for today’s discussion.

“Hello Barbie! Warm Welcome Aboard. We are so glad to have you here with us.”

“Thank you for inviting me. I’m pleased to be a part of this discussion as well.”

“So, would you like to tell us the ways of writing fiction? (That for which you are here)”

“Definitely! Fiction is an interesting genre when you come to look at it. It also, comes with a wide range of interesting sub – genres which have been discussed in the earlier article. It can be written insensibly by taking almost any entity that you prefer or make one for yourself by amalgamating two or more entities. There are mostly no constraints in fiction and that is why, writing or working upon this genre doesn’t actually seem a hard task. Yes! I agree that imagining certain factors is a hard task, but we mustn’t overlook the fact that almost everything comes with its own set of hard work! Here, however I am not considering contemporary fiction or that which pertains to reality. I shall be emphasizing on how fiction (fantasy and other related genres) can be written.

Now, let us learn how exactly to write fiction through a step by step approach.

Brainstorm Over The Fictitious Topic You Intend To Choose!

Brainstorming is a process that requires time. So, first and foremost, the thing to be done, is to sit down on your favourite couch and ponder over the best fictitious topic that would definitely seem great if sketched on paper. However, don’t forget to get yourself in the reader’s shoes as stated in our earlier articles. Consider what your readers would love and write in accordance to that.

Think Of The Characters You Wish To Involve!

This is a quintessential factor that makes a story interesting. The characters make a story. However, framing of characters also depends on the sub – genre you choose. If you choose contemporary fiction, then you would definitely make use of real life characters. In such cases, you could ignore this second step and only consider the first. This step is for people who wish to work with the fantasy sub – genre because framing fictitious characters requires certain amount of deep thought processes.

In Case Of Writer’s Block, Approach The Outside World!

  Certain people experience writer’s block while writing fiction because they seem to fall short of ideas. In such cases, it is advisable to approach the outside world as inspiration to your thought processes. Some incident will definitely inspire you to write about it.

Create Strong Characters!

Make sure that the fictitious characters you create are strong enough so that the readers love them. Like, a certain character should show strong traits in personality and not physical strength 😉 Make the characters take risks throughout the story and later help them succeed. This will also deliver a good message and inspire people to take risks! Thus, all that we mean here is, that try creating characters that would also impart a message to the readers. Also, mostly it is advisable to create Round characters. Round characters are those whose traits or personalities throughout the story aren’t easily decipherable. These characters would arouse the interest factor and enhance your write up.

Create Unique Characters!

By this we mean, that when you choose to create fictitious characters, make sure that you don’t use the same repeated mythological supernatural entities revolving around mermaids, aliens and robots. These are widely known and won’t make your story that interesting. You could always create a new character for yourself by amalgamating existent entities, as stated in the earlier article.

Read Other Fiction Books For Ideas!

This is the basic step that would definitely help you to frame your own story easily. Read more and more fiction books by widely renowned authors for amazing techniques of writing a fiction book easily.

Try Fictionalizing Your Daily Life!

This means, fictionalizing your daily chores and duties in an imaginative and creative way. For instance, you are working in the kitchen and see a ladle, now you could create your own fictitious character named Mr. Ladle who could speak throughout the story. He could also be an antagonist or maybe even a protagonist if you decide to create an animated fictitious story.

Be Alert And Aware Of Your Surroundings For Inspiration!

This is extremely important because developing a fictitious story requires complete imagination. So, you need to be alert when you come across such objects which could make your story interesting. After all, if you aren’t alert then that inspiration wouldn’t be accessible to you and would pass you directly, without you acknowledging it. So, remain alert and vigilant.

“These were such essential points to be noted. We heartily thank you for your precious time! Hoping to have you again to speak on such interesting topics in the near future!”

“Please don’t mention it. I’m touched by this honourable gesture of being a chief guest on such an important discussion. Looking forward to yet another invite in the future for sure!”

Thank You So Much Barbie!

How Can Fiction Be Written? Featuring Barbie!

“Imagination and Fiction make up more than three quarters of our life.”

  • Simone Weil

Today’s article discusses an essential factor when it comes to writing fiction I.e how to write it? Barbie aka Barbara Milicent Roberts is our chief guest for today’s discussion.

“Hello Barbie! Warm Welcome Aboard. We are so glad to have you here with us.”

“Thank you for inviting me. I’m pleased to be a part of this discussion as well.”

“So, would you like to tell us the ways of writing fiction? (That for which you are here)”

“Definitely! Fiction is an interesting genre when you come to look at it. It also, comes with a wide range of interesting sub – genres which have been discussed in the earlier article. It can be written insensibly by taking almost any entity that you prefer or make one for yourself by amalgamating two or more entities. There are mostly no constraints in fiction and that is why, writing or working upon this genre doesn’t actually seem a hard task. Yes! I agree that imagining certain factors is a hard task, but we mustn’t overlook the fact that almost everything comes with its own set of hard work! Here, however I am not considering contemporary fiction or that which pertains to reality. I shall be emphasizing on how fiction (fantasy and other related genres) can be written.

Now, let us learn how exactly to write fiction through a step by step approach.

Brainstorm Over The Fictitious Topic You Intend To Choose!

Brainstorming is a process that requires time. So, first and foremost, the thing to be done, is to sit down on your favourite couch and ponder over the best fictitious topic that would definitely seem great if sketched on paper. However, don’t forget to get yourself in the reader’s shoes as stated in our earlier articles. Consider what your readers would love and write in accordance to that.

Think Of The Characters You Wish To Involve!

This is a quintessential factor that makes a story interesting. The characters make a story. However, framing of characters also depends on the sub – genre you choose. If you choose contemporary fiction, then you would definitely make use of real life characters. In such cases, you could ignore this second step and only consider the first. This step is for people who wish to work with the fantasy sub – genre because framing fictitious characters requires certain amount of deep thought processes.

In Case Of Writer’s Block, Approach The Outside World!

  Certain people experience writer’s block while writing fiction because they seem to fall short of ideas. In such cases, it is advisable to approach the outside world as inspiration to your thought processes. Some incident will definitely inspire you to write about it.

Create Strong Characters!

Make sure that the fictitious characters you create are strong enough so that the readers love them. Like, a certain character should show strong traits in personality and not physical strength 😉 Make the characters take risks throughout the story and later help them succeed. This will also deliver a good message and inspire people to take risks! Thus, all that we mean here is, that try creating characters that would also impart a message to the readers. Also, mostly it is advisable to create Round characters. Round characters are those whose traits or personalities throughout the story aren’t easily decipherable. These characters would arouse the interest factor and enhance your write up.

Create Unique Characters!

By this we mean, that when you choose to create fictitious characters, make sure that you don’t use the same repeated mythological supernatural entities revolving around mermaids, aliens and robots. These are widely known and won’t make your story that interesting. You could always create a new character for yourself by amalgamating existent entities, as stated in the earlier article.

Read Other Fiction Books For Ideas!

This is the basic step that would definitely help you to frame your own story easily. Read more and more fiction books by widely renowned authors for amazing techniques of writing a fiction book easily.

Try Fictionalizing Your Daily Life!

This means, fictionalizing your daily chores and duties in an imaginative and creative way. For instance, you are working in the kitchen and see a ladle, now you could create your own fictitious character named Mr. Ladle who could speak throughout the story. He could also be an antagonist or maybe even a protagonist if you decide to create an animated fictitious story.

Be Alert And Aware Of Your Surroundings For Inspiration!

This is extremely important because developing a fictitious story requires complete imagination. So, you need to be alert when you come across such objects which could make your story interesting. After all, if you aren’t alert then that inspiration wouldn’t be accessible to you and would pass you directly, without you acknowledging it. So, remain alert and vigilant.

“These were such essential points to be noted. We heartily thank you for your precious time! Hoping to have you again to speak on such interesting topics in the near future!”

“Please don’t mention it. I’m touched by this honourable gesture of being a chief guest on such an important discussion. Looking forward to yet another invite in the future for sure!”

Thank You So Much Barbie!

URBAN ECOSYSTEM AND URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

URBAN ECOSYSTEM

UNDERSTANDING URBAN ECOSYSTEM

Urban Ecosystem is the ecological system which is located within an urban area or a city or town or any densely populated area. Urban Ecosystem is the amalgamation of the urban population, its built infrastructure along with its surrounding environment and the interactions between them. It can be seen as a modern way by which adaption can be promoted and guidance can be provided for ecosystem approaches for planning and management of urban areas and their ecosystem. By this the effectiveness and efficiency of the amenities and services being provided for the people can be improved.

URBAN ECOSYSTEM

NEED TO UNDERSTAND URBAN ECOSYSTEM

  1. As of the current situation, more than 54% of world’s population is residing in urban areas (2017) and is projected to reach nearly 66% by 2050.
  2. Urban areas occupy only a small portion of land as compared to the total land available but the amount of global energy consumed by them is huge and is nearly 67 – 76%.
  3. Industrial activities are one of the most widely practiced activities in urban areas and they consume nearly 80% of residential water and 80% of woods.
  4. With the increasing percentage of population residing in urban areas the chances of deterioration of urban ecosystem also increases.
  5. The expanding urban areas convert the  biomes into residential, industrial, commercial, and transportation areas.

STRUCTURE OF URBAN ECOSYSTEMS

Urban Ecosystems consist of 2 elements:

  1. Biological Elements : In the biological components in includes plants, animals and other life forms of life and in addition to that, it also includes the human population, their demographic characteristics, their institutional structures and the socio economic tools that they employ.
  2. Physical Elements : The physical component mainly includes buildings, transportation networks, modified surfaces (e.g., parking lots, roofs, and landscaping) and the environmental alterations etc . 

CHARACTERISTICS OF URBAN ECOSYSTEMS

  1. In comparison to other ecosystems, urban ecosystems are more warm because of high built up areas which reduces the infiltration of rainwater and show high amount of surface run off.
  2. The amount of chemicals, pollutants and heavy metals and other man made organic compounds is also more concentrated in these areas.
  3. The biological community found in different urban areas and urban ecosystems is similar, which is mainly attributed to the structural similarities in urban areas like infrastructures, buildings etc. and due to introduction of different types of activities and characteristics in urban areas for satisfying the needs of the population.

URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

As the percentage of people residing in the cities is increasing, the need of understanding the human – nature interactions and the evolution of their interaction and relationship also increases. With increasing urbanization, the complexities, adversities and nature of this relationship increases and keeps on changing.

Urban Sustainability is the approach that aims to reduce the reliance of cities on other means and modes for satisfying its need and to power itself by making best use of the available renewable sources of energy. By this practice, the carbon footprint, ecological footprint and extent of pollution caused by the cities and urban areas can be reduced. This can be done by efficiently using the land, using the compost obtained from material, by switching to zero waste strategy and waste – to – energy concept. By this the cities impact on micro and global climate change will be reduced.

SOME STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

  1. Urban Gardening
  2. Using Sustainable Approaches in construction of buildings
  3. Sustainable Landscaping
  4. Investments in Downtowns
  5. Food Forest

URBAN ECOSYSTEM AND URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

URBAN ECOSYSTEM

UNDERSTANDING URBAN ECOSYSTEM

Urban Ecosystem is the ecological system which is located within an urban area or a city or town or any densely populated area. Urban Ecosystem is the amalgamation of the urban population, its built infrastructure along with its surrounding environment and the interactions between them. It can be seen as a modern way by which adaption can be promoted and guidance can be provided for ecosystem approaches for planning and management of urban areas and their ecosystem. By this the effectiveness and efficiency of the amenities and services being provided for the people can be improved.

URBAN ECOSYSTEM

NEED TO UNDERSTAND URBAN ECOSYSTEM

  1. As of the current situation, more than 54% of world’s population is residing in urban areas (2017) and is projected to reach nearly 66% by 2050.
  2. Urban areas occupy only a small portion of land as compared to the total land available but the amount of global energy consumed by them is huge and is nearly 67 – 76%.
  3. Industrial activities are one of the most widely practiced activities in urban areas and they consume nearly 80% of residential water and 80% of woods.
  4. With the increasing percentage of population residing in urban areas the chances of deterioration of urban ecosystem also increases.
  5. The expanding urban areas convert the  biomes into residential, industrial, commercial, and transportation areas.

STRUCTURE OF URBAN ECOSYSTEMS

Urban Ecosystems consist of 2 elements:

  1. Biological Elements : In the biological components in includes plants, animals and other life forms of life and in addition to that, it also includes the human population, their demographic characteristics, their institutional structures and the socio economic tools that they employ.
  2. Physical Elements : The physical component mainly includes buildings, transportation networks, modified surfaces (e.g., parking lots, roofs, and landscaping) and the environmental alterations etc . 

CHARACTERISTICS OF URBAN ECOSYSTEMS

  1. In comparison to other ecosystems, urban ecosystems are more warm because of high built up areas which reduces the infiltration of rainwater and show high amount of surface run off.
  2. The amount of chemicals, pollutants and heavy metals and other man made organic compounds is also more concentrated in these areas.
  3. The biological community found in different urban areas and urban ecosystems is similar, which is mainly attributed to the structural similarities in urban areas like infrastructures, buildings etc. and due to introduction of different types of activities and characteristics in urban areas for satisfying the needs of the population.

URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

As the percentage of people residing in the cities is increasing, the need of understanding the human – nature interactions and the evolution of their interaction and relationship also increases. With increasing urbanization, the complexities, adversities and nature of this relationship increases and keeps on changing.

Urban Sustainability is the approach that aims to reduce the reliance of cities on other means and modes for satisfying its need and to power itself by making best use of the available renewable sources of energy. By this practice, the carbon footprint, ecological footprint and extent of pollution caused by the cities and urban areas can be reduced. This can be done by efficiently using the land, using the compost obtained from material, by switching to zero waste strategy and waste – to – energy concept. By this the cities impact on micro and global climate change will be reduced.

SOME STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

  1. Urban Gardening
  2. Using Sustainable Approaches in construction of buildings
  3. Sustainable Landscaping
  4. Investments in Downtowns
  5. Food Forest

Abortion : Life or Choice?

Introduction:
Abortion is ending of the pregnancy by killing the embryo. This could take place for many reasons, the mother may not be ready to take responsibility of the child yet or it could be due to the sex of the child or it could be as there may be abnormalities in the child.

Pro-life v/s Pro choice :
People who choose not to end the pregnancy by getting an abortion are pro-life. People who choose to end their pregnancy for a number of reasons, valid or not, are pro-choice. Free will is definitely a factor in both of these choices. For many reasons, it could be considered ethically and morally wrong but there are equal number of reasons why it should not be a judge of character and there should be an understanding as to why it is done.
Abortion could take place due to a medical issue. There are two ways of aborting a child, namely, non-surgical and surgical methods. Non-surgical methods include abortion pills and morning after pills. Some people may not find this morally right as according to them a life holds a lot of importance. But, what they don’t understand is sometimes it is necessary to get an abortion so that the mothers life is not In danger and everything cannot be morally correct.
Selective abortion sometimes takes place when the parents find out the gender of the child. Sex selective abortion, even though, illegal is still practiced in many places due to the preference for the male child.
Many a times, a child is aborted as it poses a threat to the mothers life. Sometimes, parents don’t want to have a child with an abnormality as it might affect the child later in life and they might have problems coping with it. People argue that it is better to at least give them a chance to shape their life instead of just ending their life.
Sometimes, pregnancy is unintentional and the woman might be using contraception but it may have failed as a measure. When this happens, the parents cannot be blamed for the abortion as they never wanted the child in the first place.
Ethically, people still believe that if the parents weren’t ready for a child then maybe they shouldn’t have been having sexual relations.
The mother could get an abortion as it might affect their lifestyle. The child could be an obstacle for achieving their dream or it was very sudden and it doesn’t exactly work out with what they have planned for their future. Though, people argue that the child has rights of its own and it had the right to live and it should at least be given a chance to have their own life, it still depends on the parents.
Some people think that abortion is a way to punish the man but it is not a fact at all. The mother could be having her own problems or complications with the pregnancy and the man just doesn’t want to accept that as for some men, family means everything. If people think it doesn’t affect the woman at all, they are absolutely wrong. It affects her mentally and physically. So, we just cannot blame the woman without getting to know the root of the problem.
Sometimes, a woman gets an abortion as she mislead the father about the fact that she actually wanted a child or wanted a family. Usually, the man is blamed but in some cases, it isn’t true.

Conclusion:
Personally, I support abortion. Pro-choice is what I believe in. There are many reasons a woman would want to abort a child and it should be up to her to make that decision as free will plays an important role in my life and therefore, I would like to know that every other person, at least, has the choice of their own. People usually look down on women who get an abortion but that shouldn’t be the situation at all. We need to understand their needs and think about all the reasons why they wouldn’t want the child and we should also respect their decision and support them.

Abortion : Life or Choice?

Introduction:
Abortion is ending of the pregnancy by killing the embryo. This could take place for many reasons, the mother may not be ready to take responsibility of the child yet or it could be due to the sex of the child or it could be as there may be abnormalities in the child.

Pro-life v/s Pro choice :
People who choose not to end the pregnancy by getting an abortion are pro-life. People who choose to end their pregnancy for a number of reasons, valid or not, are pro-choice. Free will is definitely a factor in both of these choices. For many reasons, it could be considered ethically and morally wrong but there are equal number of reasons why it should not be a judge of character and there should be an understanding as to why it is done.
Abortion could take place due to a medical issue. There are two ways of aborting a child, namely, non-surgical and surgical methods. Non-surgical methods include abortion pills and morning after pills. Some people may not find this morally right as according to them a life holds a lot of importance. But, what they don’t understand is sometimes it is necessary to get an abortion so that the mothers life is not In danger and everything cannot be morally correct.
Selective abortion sometimes takes place when the parents find out the gender of the child. Sex selective abortion, even though, illegal is still practiced in many places due to the preference for the male child.
Many a times, a child is aborted as it poses a threat to the mothers life. Sometimes, parents don’t want to have a child with an abnormality as it might affect the child later in life and they might have problems coping with it. People argue that it is better to at least give them a chance to shape their life instead of just ending their life.
Sometimes, pregnancy is unintentional and the woman might be using contraception but it may have failed as a measure. When this happens, the parents cannot be blamed for the abortion as they never wanted the child in the first place.
Ethically, people still believe that if the parents weren’t ready for a child then maybe they shouldn’t have been having sexual relations.
The mother could get an abortion as it might affect their lifestyle. The child could be an obstacle for achieving their dream or it was very sudden and it doesn’t exactly work out with what they have planned for their future. Though, people argue that the child has rights of its own and it had the right to live and it should at least be given a chance to have their own life, it still depends on the parents.
Some people think that abortion is a way to punish the man but it is not a fact at all. The mother could be having her own problems or complications with the pregnancy and the man just doesn’t want to accept that as for some men, family means everything. If people think it doesn’t affect the woman at all, they are absolutely wrong. It affects her mentally and physically. So, we just cannot blame the woman without getting to know the root of the problem.
Sometimes, a woman gets an abortion as she mislead the father about the fact that she actually wanted a child or wanted a family. Usually, the man is blamed but in some cases, it isn’t true.

Conclusion:
Personally, I support abortion. Pro-choice is what I believe in. There are many reasons a woman would want to abort a child and it should be up to her to make that decision as free will plays an important role in my life and therefore, I would like to know that every other person, at least, has the choice of their own. People usually look down on women who get an abortion but that shouldn’t be the situation at all. We need to understand their needs and think about all the reasons why they wouldn’t want the child and we should also respect their decision and support them.

OLIGOPOLY MARKET

Oligopoly is a market situation in which there are a few firms selling homogeneous or differenti­ated products. It is difficult to pinpoint the number of firms in ‘competition among the few.’ With only a few firms in the market, the action of one firm is likely to affect the others. An oligopoly industry produces either a homogeneous product or heterogeneous products.

The former is called pure or per­fect oligopoly and the latter is called imperfect or differentiated oligopoly. Pure oligopoly is found primarily among producers of such industrial products as aluminium, cement, copper, steel, zinc, etc. Imperfect oligopoly is found among producers of such consumer goods as automobiles, cigarettes, soaps and detergents, TVs, rubber tyres, refrigerators, typewriters, etc.

CHARACTERISTICS OF OLIGOPOLY

  • Interdependence

There is recognised interdependence among the sellers in the oligopolistic market. Each oligopolist firm knows that changes in its price, advertising, product characteristics, etc. may lead to counter-moves by rivals. When the sellers are a few, each produces a considerable fraction of the total output of the industry and can have a noticeable effect on market conditions.He can reduce or increase the price for the whole oligopolist market by selling more quantity or less and affect the profits of the other sellers. It implies that each seller is aware of the price-moves of the other sellers and their impact on his profit and of the influence of his price-move on the actions of rivals.

Thus there is complete interdependence among the sellers with regard to their price-output policies. Each seller has direct and ascertainable influences upon every other seller in the industry. Thus, every move by one seller leads to counter-moves by the others.

  • Advertisement

The main reason for this mutual interdependence in decision making is that one producer’s fortunes are dependent on the policies and fortunes of the other producers in the indus­try. It is for this reason that oligopolist firms spend much on advertisement and customer services.As pointed out by Prof. Baumol, “Under oligopoly advertising can become a life-and-death matter.” For example, if all oligopolists continue to spend a lot on advertising their products and one seller does not match up with them he will find his customers gradually going in for his rival’s product. If, on the other hand, one oligopolist advertises his product, others have to follow him to keep up their sales.

  • Competition

This leads to another feature of the oligopolistic market, the presence of com­petition. Since under oligopoly, there are a few sellers, a move by one seller immediately affects the rivals. So each seller is always on the alert and keeps a close watch over the moves of its rivals in order to have a counter-move. This is true competition.

  • Barriers to Entry of Firms

As there is keen competition in an oligopolistic industry, there are no barriers to entry into or exit from it. However, in the long run, there are some types of barriers to entry which tend to restraint new firms from entering the industry.

They may be:

(a) Economies of scale enjoyed by a few large firms

 (b) control over essential and specialised inputs

(c) high capital requirements due to plant costs, advertising costs, etc.

 (d) exclusive patents and licenses; and

(e) the existence of unused capacity which makes the industry unattractive. When entry is restricted or blocked by such natural and artificial barriers, the oligopolistic industry can earn long-run super normal profits.

  • Lack of Uniformity

Another feature of oligopoly market is the lack of uniformity in the size of firms. Finns differ considerably in size. Some may be small, others very large. Such a situation is asymmetrical. This is very common in the American economy. A symmetrical situation with firms of a uniform size is rare.

  • Demand Curve

It is not easy to trace the demand curve for the product of an oligopolist. Since under oligopoly the exact behaviour pattern of a producer cannot be ascertained with certainty, his demand curve cannot be drawn accurately, and with definiteness. How does an individual seller s de­mand curve look like in oligopoly is most uncertain because a seller’s price or output moves lead to unpredictable reactions on price-output policies of his rivals, which may have further repercussions on his price and output.The chain of action reaction as a result of an initial change in price or output, is all a guess-work. Thus a complex system of crossed conjectures emerges as a result of the interdependence­ among the rival oligopolists which is the main cause of the indeterminateness of the demand curve.

  • No Unique Pattern of Pricing Behaviour

The rivalry arising from interdependence among the oligopolists leads to two conflicting motives. Each wants to remain independent and to get the maximum possible profit. Towards this end, they act and react on the price-output movements of one another in a continuous element of uncertainty.On the other hand, again motivated by profit maximisation each seller wishes to cooperate with his rivals to reduce or eliminate the element of uncertainty. All rivals enter into a tacit or formal agreement with regard to price-output changes. It leads to a sort of monopoly within oligopoly.They may even recognise one seller as a leader at whose initiative all the other sellers raise or lower the price. In this case, the individual seller’s demand curve is a part of the industry demand curve, having the elasticity of the latter. Given these conflicting attitudes, it is not possible to predict any unique pattern of pricing behaviour in oligopoly markets.

OLIGOPOLY MARKET

Oligopoly is a market situation in which there are a few firms selling homogeneous or differenti­ated products. It is difficult to pinpoint the number of firms in ‘competition among the few.’ With only a few firms in the market, the action of one firm is likely to affect the others. An oligopoly industry produces either a homogeneous product or heterogeneous products.

The former is called pure or per­fect oligopoly and the latter is called imperfect or differentiated oligopoly. Pure oligopoly is found primarily among producers of such industrial products as aluminium, cement, copper, steel, zinc, etc. Imperfect oligopoly is found among producers of such consumer goods as automobiles, cigarettes, soaps and detergents, TVs, rubber tyres, refrigerators, typewriters, etc.

CHARACTERISTICS OF OLIGOPOLY

  • Interdependence

There is recognised interdependence among the sellers in the oligopolistic market. Each oligopolist firm knows that changes in its price, advertising, product characteristics, etc. may lead to counter-moves by rivals. When the sellers are a few, each produces a considerable fraction of the total output of the industry and can have a noticeable effect on market conditions.He can reduce or increase the price for the whole oligopolist market by selling more quantity or less and affect the profits of the other sellers. It implies that each seller is aware of the price-moves of the other sellers and their impact on his profit and of the influence of his price-move on the actions of rivals.

Thus there is complete interdependence among the sellers with regard to their price-output policies. Each seller has direct and ascertainable influences upon every other seller in the industry. Thus, every move by one seller leads to counter-moves by the others.

  • Advertisement

The main reason for this mutual interdependence in decision making is that one producer’s fortunes are dependent on the policies and fortunes of the other producers in the indus­try. It is for this reason that oligopolist firms spend much on advertisement and customer services.As pointed out by Prof. Baumol, “Under oligopoly advertising can become a life-and-death matter.” For example, if all oligopolists continue to spend a lot on advertising their products and one seller does not match up with them he will find his customers gradually going in for his rival’s product. If, on the other hand, one oligopolist advertises his product, others have to follow him to keep up their sales.

  • Competition

This leads to another feature of the oligopolistic market, the presence of com­petition. Since under oligopoly, there are a few sellers, a move by one seller immediately affects the rivals. So each seller is always on the alert and keeps a close watch over the moves of its rivals in order to have a counter-move. This is true competition.

  • Barriers to Entry of Firms

As there is keen competition in an oligopolistic industry, there are no barriers to entry into or exit from it. However, in the long run, there are some types of barriers to entry which tend to restraint new firms from entering the industry.

They may be:

(a) Economies of scale enjoyed by a few large firms

 (b) control over essential and specialised inputs

(c) high capital requirements due to plant costs, advertising costs, etc.

 (d) exclusive patents and licenses; and

(e) the existence of unused capacity which makes the industry unattractive. When entry is restricted or blocked by such natural and artificial barriers, the oligopolistic industry can earn long-run super normal profits.

  • Lack of Uniformity

Another feature of oligopoly market is the lack of uniformity in the size of firms. Finns differ considerably in size. Some may be small, others very large. Such a situation is asymmetrical. This is very common in the American economy. A symmetrical situation with firms of a uniform size is rare.

  • Demand Curve

It is not easy to trace the demand curve for the product of an oligopolist. Since under oligopoly the exact behaviour pattern of a producer cannot be ascertained with certainty, his demand curve cannot be drawn accurately, and with definiteness. How does an individual seller s de­mand curve look like in oligopoly is most uncertain because a seller’s price or output moves lead to unpredictable reactions on price-output policies of his rivals, which may have further repercussions on his price and output.The chain of action reaction as a result of an initial change in price or output, is all a guess-work. Thus a complex system of crossed conjectures emerges as a result of the interdependence­ among the rival oligopolists which is the main cause of the indeterminateness of the demand curve.

  • No Unique Pattern of Pricing Behaviour

The rivalry arising from interdependence among the oligopolists leads to two conflicting motives. Each wants to remain independent and to get the maximum possible profit. Towards this end, they act and react on the price-output movements of one another in a continuous element of uncertainty.On the other hand, again motivated by profit maximisation each seller wishes to cooperate with his rivals to reduce or eliminate the element of uncertainty. All rivals enter into a tacit or formal agreement with regard to price-output changes. It leads to a sort of monopoly within oligopoly.They may even recognise one seller as a leader at whose initiative all the other sellers raise or lower the price. In this case, the individual seller’s demand curve is a part of the industry demand curve, having the elasticity of the latter. Given these conflicting attitudes, it is not possible to predict any unique pattern of pricing behaviour in oligopoly markets.

Learning at the school garden

India Requires All Schools to Have Kitchen Gardens
  • A one of its kind initiative, Edible Schools has been launched by MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Kalpetta, Kerala in association with Botanical Garden Conservation International (BGCI) to familiarize school children with food crops and family farming. 
  • The aim of this program is to engage the children in food production and farming activities under the guidance of trained and caring leaders, who lead the children into discovery and exploration of soil, water, biodiversity and the science of agriculture production and consumption.

Teaching gardening in schools

  • This project was launched in 2 schools of Waynad – Hill Blooms School, Mananthavady and Government High School, Thrikaipetta, in January, 2021 and it is a huge success till date. The programme was initiated by developing a nutrition garden and fruit garden at both schools following COVID 19 protocols. 
  • These gardens were designed on approximately 870Sq.ft land and fruit trees were planted as part of the campus greening. The nutrition garden has been cultivated with mostly leafy greens such as Amaranthus, Spinach, Curry leaves and Moringa and the commonly consumed vegetables such as Brinjal, Okra, Beans and Cow peas as well as medicinal plants , fruit trees, wild food plants and larval hosts have also been planted. 
  • The first harvesting from the nutrition gardens at the edible schools was done by the students and they were guided by their leaders. They were very excited to see their produce as well as fruit garden saplings of Guava, Custard Apple and Mango seeds growing into healthy trees. 

Although during pandemic the students couldn’t visit the school campuses much, the nutrition gardens have been extended to their homesteads. Training was given to the students for the collection and multiplication of the seeds of wild native trees like Venga, Njaval, Athi etc.  The seedlings planted by the students will be handed over to MSSRF and hence, the students will be a part of the reforestation programme

reference-https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/teaching-from-the-garden-creating-transformative-learning-landscapes-at-schools

https://rodaleinstitute.org/education/school-gardening-curriculum/

Learning at the school garden

India Requires All Schools to Have Kitchen Gardens
  • A one of its kind initiative, Edible Schools has been launched by MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Kalpetta, Kerala in association with Botanical Garden Conservation International (BGCI) to familiarize school children with food crops and family farming. 
  • The aim of this program is to engage the children in food production and farming activities under the guidance of trained and caring leaders, who lead the children into discovery and exploration of soil, water, biodiversity and the science of agriculture production and consumption.

Teaching gardening in schools

  • This project was launched in 2 schools of Waynad – Hill Blooms School, Mananthavady and Government High School, Thrikaipetta, in January, 2021 and it is a huge success till date. The programme was initiated by developing a nutrition garden and fruit garden at both schools following COVID 19 protocols. 
  • These gardens were designed on approximately 870Sq.ft land and fruit trees were planted as part of the campus greening. The nutrition garden has been cultivated with mostly leafy greens such as Amaranthus, Spinach, Curry leaves and Moringa and the commonly consumed vegetables such as Brinjal, Okra, Beans and Cow peas as well as medicinal plants , fruit trees, wild food plants and larval hosts have also been planted. 
  • The first harvesting from the nutrition gardens at the edible schools was done by the students and they were guided by their leaders. They were very excited to see their produce as well as fruit garden saplings of Guava, Custard Apple and Mango seeds growing into healthy trees. 

Although during pandemic the students couldn’t visit the school campuses much, the nutrition gardens have been extended to their homesteads. Training was given to the students for the collection and multiplication of the seeds of wild native trees like Venga, Njaval, Athi etc.  The seedlings planted by the students will be handed over to MSSRF and hence, the students will be a part of the reforestation programme

reference-https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/teaching-from-the-garden-creating-transformative-learning-landscapes-at-schools

School Gardening Curriculum

History Of Animation

Moving pictures are eye-catching. When this technique was used in developing characters with a story, it was known to be the greatest innovation of all time. Animation has artistically brought millions of smiles on the faces of children and adults. The power it possesses to transport you to an unimaginable world has changed people’s outlook towards its ability to create optical illusion. The evolution in animation with the growing technology has been remarkable and it’s still expanding. It has significantly attracted children of all age groups across the world. Adults are finding it fascinating too. History of animation is diverse and revolutionizing.

It all began in 1834 when Joseph Plateau from Belgium tried his hand at classical animation. He created a cardboard disc that had images. When it was spun and viewed in the mirror, it gave an illusion of movement.

Silent era was a phase from 1900’s -1920’s where the films had moving pictures with no audio. J. Staurt Blackton founded Vitagraph Studios in 1897 and created first ever animated video was created by J. Stuart Blackton in 1900, called “The Enchanted Drawing”. In this video, a drawing was made by J. Stuart Blackton which has a face reacting in different motions. He experimented with stop-motion techniques in his videos. He was considered to be the ‘Father of American Animation’.

Emile Cohl tried creating a similar video. Cohl had created first ever hand-drawn video. One of his creations was “Haunted Hotel”. He used stick figures in his videos.

Later, the animation industry outsourced services of artists to create animations like Mutt and Jeff.

Another well known animation artists in the animation industry was Windsor McCay. He created genius animated videos like Little Nemo in Slumberland and The Sinking of Lusitania. It was later developed by Pat Sullivan.

Walt Disney, an esteemed cartoonist, had given the world most unique and loved characters of all time. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was his early creation followed by Mickey Mouse which went on to become the most beloved show. Steamboat Willie was the first sound synchronized show. The sound techniques Disney adopted in creating these cartoons brought life to the characters. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first hand written animated feature film that smashed the Hollywood box office. Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi and many others were iconic feature films that made Walt Disney the legend of animation. His achievements were phenomenal that entirely changed animation industry.

Animation industry was rapidly growing and people felt it had more to offer. Two brothers from New York took this opportunity and created even more sophisticated animation characters with more advanced technologies. They were the Fleischer Brothers. They worked on an unknown technique of rotoscoping. This technique was further introduced in their series “Out of the Inkwell”. Fleischer Brothers animation was more urban and adult.

Warner Bros. cartoon studios created even more edgy cartoons. Warner Bros. had the most talented artists like Chuck Jones, Bob Cannon, Tex Avery. The characters they had created were different and had a bit of quirkiness to them. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s animation studio was later joined by Tex Avery. Red Hot Riding Hood was the first ‘Red’ cartoon.

Animation industry is flourishing with advancement in technology and has become more prevalent in today’s entertainment industry. All these years, animation has given us classic shows and movies that are still being adapted in designing characters and developing fresh stories.

History Of Animation

Moving pictures are eye-catching. When this technique was used in developing characters with a story, it was known to be the greatest innovation of all time. Animation has artistically brought millions of smiles on the faces of children and adults. The power it possesses to transport you to an unimaginable world has changed people’s outlook towards its ability to create optical illusion. The evolution in animation with the growing technology has been remarkable and it’s still expanding. It has significantly attracted children of all age groups across the world. Adults are finding it fascinating too. History of animation is diverse and revolutionizing.

It all began in 1834 when Joseph Plateau from Belgium tried his hand at classical animation. He created a cardboard disc that had images. When it was spun and viewed in the mirror, it gave an illusion of movement.

Silent era was a phase from 1900’s -1920’s where the films had moving pictures with no audio. J. Staurt Blackton founded Vitagraph Studios in 1897 and created first ever animated video was created by J. Stuart Blackton in 1900, called “The Enchanted Drawing”. In this video, a drawing was made by J. Stuart Blackton which has a face reacting in different motions. He experimented with stop-motion techniques in his videos. He was considered to be the ‘Father of American Animation’.

Emile Cohl tried creating a similar video. Cohl had created first ever hand-drawn video. One of his creations was “Haunted Hotel”. He used stick figures in his videos.

Later, the animation industry outsourced services of artists to create animations like Mutt and Jeff.

Another well known animation artists in the animation industry was Windsor McCay. He created genius animated videos like Little Nemo in Slumberland and The Sinking of Lusitania. It was later developed by Pat Sullivan.

Walt Disney, an esteemed cartoonist, had given the world most unique and loved characters of all time. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was his early creation followed by Mickey Mouse which went on to become the most beloved show. Steamboat Willie was the first sound synchronized show. The sound techniques Disney adopted in creating these cartoons brought life to the characters. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first hand written animated feature film that smashed the Hollywood box office. Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi and many others were iconic feature films that made Walt Disney the legend of animation. His achievements were phenomenal that entirely changed animation industry.

Animation industry was rapidly growing and people felt it had more to offer. Two brothers from New York took this opportunity and created even more sophisticated animation characters with more advanced technologies. They were the Fleischer Brothers. They worked on an unknown technique of rotoscoping. This technique was further introduced in their series “Out of the Inkwell”. Fleischer Brothers animation was more urban and adult.

Warner Bros. cartoon studios created even more edgy cartoons. Warner Bros. had the most talented artists like Chuck Jones, Bob Cannon, Tex Avery. The characters they had created were different and had a bit of quirkiness to them. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s animation studio was later joined by Tex Avery. Red Hot Riding Hood was the first ‘Red’ cartoon.

Animation industry is flourishing with advancement in technology and has become more prevalent in today’s entertainment industry. All these years, animation has given us classic shows and movies that are still being adapted in designing characters and developing fresh stories.