Month: July 2021

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TAMIL SONGS WITH BEAUTIFUL LYRICS

Music is the art of combining sounds to create a tune that is soothing or refreshing to listen to. Songs are musical compositions that are produced to be sung in a human voice. It is a combination of music and lyrics that represent a life situation, devotion, or affection. Songs with feel-good music and lyrical meaning go directly into the heart and touches the soul. Here are some such songs in Tamil that are worthy to listen to and enjoy.

  • Ovvoru pookalume solgirathey – Autograph

This motivational song digs your soul and makes you believe in yourself and your life. Its encouraging lyrics energize even a despaired man to regain hope. Lyric was written by lyricist P.Vijay, music composed by music director Bharathwaj and sung by legendary singer K.S.Chithra, this song has Tamil people’s hearts.

  • Ella pugazhum – Azhagiya Tamizh Magan

Another inspiring song that cheers up everyone to give their best at whatever they take up. A very uplifting song that has been specially made to honor the almighty. Composed and sung by music director Isaipuyal AR Rahman, this song has its lyrics penned by great poet Vaali.

  • Nadhiye Nadhiye – Rhythm

This song personifies water(river) as a woman. The lyrics are penned in such a way that each and every quality of the river is compared with the qualities of women. A feel-good and proud song for women to realize their own value. This beautiful song is composed by the legend AR Rahman, vocals by singer Unni Menon and written by lyricist Vairamuthu.

  • Poovasam purappadum – Anbe Sivam

A romantic melody that depicts the love that the couple share for each other. This song is written in comparison with the portrait. The sketches are given life by comparing it with the feelings and love the hero and heroine have for each other. This melody composed by music director Vidhyasagar, sung by singers Vijay Prakash and Sadhana Sargam has its lyrics written by Vairamuthu.

  • Aanandha yazhai – Thanga meengal

This is a soul-penetrating song that describes the bond a father and daughter share. The lyrics show the father’s love for his daughter and how he admires her. This lovely father-daughter song is sung by Sriram Parthasarathy, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, and lyrical magic by Late. Na. Muthukumar. The lyricist won the National award for this song.

  • Aariro aaraariro – Deiva Thirumagal

Another song that depicts the father-daughter relationship very smoothly that it’s always a bliss to hear. This is a lullaby that a father sings for his daughter. The song perfectly describes the movie’s scenario that how a mentally challenged father with 5-year-old maturity can take the place of both mother and father. A heart-touching melody sung by singer Haricharan, composed by GV Prakash, and written by Na. Muthukumar.

Many such magics are created by great legends. The songs with soothing music and pleasing lyrics are always a delight to enjoy. Do check these songs and experience the pleasure of the Tamil words and verses. Translations are available for all these songs. However, no translation would match the beauty of the Tamil language.

TAMIL SONGS WITH BEAUTIFUL LYRICS

Music is the art of combining sounds to create a tune that is soothing or refreshing to listen to. Songs are musical compositions that are produced to be sung in a human voice. It is a combination of music and lyrics that represent a life situation, devotion, or affection. Songs with feel-good music and lyrical meaning go directly into the heart and touches the soul. Here are some such songs in Tamil that are worthy to listen to and enjoy.

  • Ovvoru pookalume solgirathey – Autograph

This motivational song digs your soul and makes you believe in yourself and your life. Its encouraging lyrics energize even a despaired man to regain hope. Lyric was written by lyricist P.Vijay, music composed by music director Bharathwaj and sung by legendary singer K.S.Chithra, this song has Tamil people’s hearts.

  • Ella pugazhum – Azhagiya Tamizh Magan

Another inspiring song that cheers up everyone to give their best at whatever they take up. A very uplifting song that has been specially made to honor the almighty. Composed and sung by music director Isaipuyal AR Rahman, this song has its lyrics penned by great poet Vaali.

  • Nadhiye Nadhiye – Rhythm

This song personifies water(river) as a woman. The lyrics are penned in such a way that each and every quality of the river is compared with the qualities of women. A feel-good and proud song for women to realize their own value. This beautiful song is composed by the legend AR Rahman, vocals by singer Unni Menon and written by lyricist Vairamuthu.

  • Poovasam purappadum – Anbe Sivam

A romantic melody that depicts the love that the couple share for each other. This song is written in comparison with the portrait. The sketches are given life by comparing it with the feelings and love the hero and heroine have for each other. This melody composed by music director Vidhyasagar, sung by singers Vijay Prakash and Sadhana Sargam has its lyrics written by Vairamuthu.

  • Aanandha yazhai – Thanga meengal

This is a soul-penetrating song that describes the bond a father and daughter share. The lyrics show the father’s love for his daughter and how he admires her. This lovely father-daughter song is sung by Sriram Parthasarathy, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, and lyrical magic by Late. Na. Muthukumar. The lyricist won the National award for this song.

  • Aariro aaraariro – Deiva Thirumagal

Another song that depicts the father-daughter relationship very smoothly that it’s always a bliss to hear. This is a lullaby that a father sings for his daughter. The song perfectly describes the movie’s scenario that how a mentally challenged father with 5-year-old maturity can take the place of both mother and father. A heart-touching melody sung by singer Haricharan, composed by GV Prakash, and written by Na. Muthukumar.

Many such magics are created by great legends. The songs with soothing music and pleasing lyrics are always a delight to enjoy. Do check these songs and experience the pleasure of the Tamil words and verses. Translations are available for all these songs. However, no translation would match the beauty of the Tamil language.

LGBT COMMUNITY

BY: VAIBHAVI MENON

LGBT or GLBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the term is an adaptation of the initialism LGB, which began to replace the term gay in reference to the broader LGBT community beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s. The first widely used term, homosexual, now carries negative connotations in the United States. It was replaced by homophile in the 1950s and 1960s, and subsequently gay in the 1970s; the latter term was adopted first by the homosexual community. As lesbians forged more public identities, the phrase “gay and lesbian” became more common. A dispute as to whether the primary focus of their political aims should be feminism or gay rights led to the dissolution of some lesbian organizations, including the Daughters of Bilitis, which disbanded in 1970 following disputes over which goal should take precedence.

As equality was a priority for lesbian feminists, disparity of roles between men and women or butch and femme were viewed as patriarchal. Lesbian feminists eschewed gender role play that had been pervasive in bars as well as the perceived chauvinism of gay men; many lesbian feminists refused to work with gay men, or take up their causes. Lesbians who held the essentialist view, that they had been born homosexual and used the descriptor “lesbian” to define sexual attraction, often considered the separatist opinions of lesbian-feminists to be detrimental to the cause of gay rights. Bisexual and transgender people also sought recognition as legitimate categories within the larger minority community. After the elation of change following group action in the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, some gays and lesbians became less accepting of bisexual or transgender people. Critics said that transgender people were acting out stereotypes and bisexuals were simply gay men or lesbian women who were afraid to come out and be honest about their identity. Each community has struggled to develop its own identity including whether, and how, to align with other gender and sexuality-based communities, at times excluding other subgroups; these conflicts continue to this day. LGBTQ activists and artists have created posters to raise consciousness about the issue since the movement began.

From about 1988, activists began to use the initialism LGBT in the United States. Not until the 1990s within the movement did gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people gain equal respect. This spurred some organizations to adopt new names, as the GLBT Historical Society did in 1999. Although the LGBT community has seen much controversy regarding universal acceptance of different member groups (bisexual and transgender individuals, in particular, have sometimes been marginalized by the larger LGBT community), the term LGBT has been a positive symbol of inclusion. Despite the fact that LGBT does not nominally encompass all individuals in smaller communities (see Variants below), the term is generally accepted to include those not specifically identified in the four-letter initialism. Overall, the use of the term LGBT has, over time, largely aided in bringing otherwise marginalized individuals into the general community. Transgender actress Candis Cayne in 2009 described the LGBT community as “the last great minority”, noting that “We can still be harassed openly” and be “called out on television”.

WHAT REALLY ARE VACCINES?

BY: VAIBHAVI MENON

A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins, or one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the body’s immune system to recognize the agent as a threat, destroy it, and to further recognize and destroy any of the microorganisms associated with that agent that it may encounter in the future. Vaccines can be prophylactic (to prevent or ameliorate the effects of a future infection by a natural or “wild” pathogen), or therapeutic (to fight a disease that has already occurred, such as cancer).

The administration of vaccines is called vaccination. Vaccination is the most effective method of preventing infectious diseases; widespread immunity due to vaccination is largely responsible for the worldwide eradication of smallpox and the restriction of diseases such as polio, measles, and tetanus from much of the world. The effectiveness of vaccination has been widely studied and verified; for example, vaccines that have proven effective include the influenza vaccine, the HPV vaccine, and the chicken pox vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that licensed vaccines are currently available for twenty-five different preventable infections. The terms vaccine and vaccination are derived from Variolae vaccinae (smallpox of the cow), the term devised by Edward Jenner (who both developed the concept of vaccines and created the first vaccine) to denote cowpox. He used the phrase in 1798 for the long title of his Inquiry into the Variolae vaccinae Known as the Cow Pox, in which he described the protective effect of cowpox against smallpox. In 1881, to honor Jenner, Louis Pasteur proposed that the terms should be extended to cover the new protective inoculations then being developed. The science of vaccine development and production is termed vaccinology. There is overwhelming scientific consensus that vaccines are a very safe and effective way to fight and eradicate infectious diseases. The immune system recognizes vaccine agents as foreign, destroys them, and “remembers” them. When the virulent version of an agent is encountered, the body recognizes the protein coat on the virus, and thus is prepared to respond, by first neutralizing the target agent before it can enter cells, and secondly by recognizing and destroying infected cells before that agent can multiply to vast numbers. Limitations to their effectiveness, nevertheless, exist. Sometimes, protection fails because of vaccine-related failure such as failures in vaccine attenuation, vaccination regimes or administration or host-related failure due to host’s immune system simply does not respond adequately or at all. Lack of response commonly results from genetics, immune status, age, health or nutritional status. It also might fail for genetic reasons if the host’s immune system includes no strains of B cells that can generate antibodies suited to reacting effectively and binding to the antigens associated with the pathogen.

Even if the host does develop antibodies, protection might not be adequate; immunity might develop too slowly to be effective in time, the antibodies might not disable the pathogen completely, or there might be multiple strains of the pathogen, not all of which are equally susceptible to the immune reaction. However, even a partial, late, or weak immunity, such as a one resulting from cross-immunity to a strain other than the target strain, may mitigate an infection, resulting in a lower mortality rate, lower morbidity, and faster recovery. Adjuvants commonly are used to boost immune response, particularly for older people whose immune response to a simple vaccine may have weakened.

ARRANGED MARRIAGES

BY: VAIBHAVI MENON

Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be used to find a spouse for a young person. Arranged marriages have historically been prominent in many cultures. The practice remains common in many regions, notably South Asia, though in many other parts of the world, the practice has declined substantially during the 19th and 20th centuries. Forced marriages, practiced in some families, are condemned by the United Nations, and is not an arranged marriage. The specific sub-category of forced child marriage is especially condemned. In other cultures people mostly choose their own partner.

Arranged marriages were very common throughout the world until the 18th century. Typically, marriages were arranged by parents, grandparents or other relatives. Some historical exceptions are known, such as courtship and betrothal rituals during the Renaissance period of Italy and Gandharva Vivah in the Vedic period of India. In China, arranged marriages sometimes called blind marriages were the norm before the mid-20th century. A marriage was a negotiation and decision between parents and other older members of two families. The boy and girl were typically told to get married, without a right to demur, even if they had never met each other until the wedding day. Arranged marriages were the norm in Russia before the early 20th century, most of which were endogamous. Until the first half of the 20th century, arranged marriages were common in migrant families in the United States. They were sometimes called “picture-bride marriages” among Japanese-American immigrants because the bride and groom knew each other only through the exchange of photographs before the day of their marriage. These marriages among immigrants were typically arranged by parents, or relatives from the country of their origin. As immigrants settled in and melded into a new culture, arranged marriages shifted first to quasi-arranged marriages where parents or friends made introductions and the couple met before the marriage; over time, the marriages among the descendants of these immigrants shifted to autonomous marriages driven by individual’s choice, dating and courtship preferences, along with an increase in interracial marriages. Similar historical dynamics are claimed in other parts of the world. Arranged marriages have declined in prosperous countries with social mobility and increasing individualism; nevertheless, arranged marriages are still seen in countries of Europe and North America, among royal families, aristocrats and minority religious groups such as in placement marriage among Fundamentalist Mormon groups of the United States. In most other parts of the world, arranged marriages continue to varying degrees and increasingly in quasi-arranged form, along with autonomous marriages.

A woman who refuses to go through with an arranged marriage, tries to leave an arranged marriage via divorce or is suspected of any kind of immoral behaviour, may be considered to have dishonored her entire family. This being the case, her male relatives may be ridiculed or harassed and any of her siblings may find it impossible to enter into a marriage. In these cases, killing the woman is a way for the family to enforce the institution of arranged marriages. Unlike cases of domestic violence, honor killings are often done publicly for all to see and there are frequently family members involved in the act.

EFFECT OF MASS MEDIA ON MILLENIALS

BY: VAIBHAVI MENON

Individuals that fall into this generation known as “millennials” are particularly interesting to look into the effects of increased media presence, because they are the generation that is constantly surrounded with updated technology. These individuals are the group of people that are regularly online, taking full advantage of these resources; it has become not just a part of their life but their life in its entirety. Everything this generation does is centered on the Internet, whereas someone from an older generation grew up in a different kind of life, so the effects aren’t nearly as drastic or as meaningful. Millenials are the ones that have grown up with the presence of mass digital media in their lives and were the ones constantly subjected to the consequences of this presence while also adapting to new and improved technologies every day.

The existence of the smartphone has completely altered how this group of individuals interacts and participates in society, because they are the ones who stay constant with the progressions in technology and getting the new “iPhone” every time it is released. “The arrival of the smartphone has radically changed every aspect of teenagers’ lives, from the nature of their social interactions to their mental health. These changes have affected young people in every corner of the nation and in every type of household. The trends appear among teens poor and rich; of every ethnic background; in cities, suburbs, and small towns. Where there are cell towers, there are teens living their lives on their smartphone.” (Twenge). This age group is subjected to a life filled with mass media and technology every day, which results in different circumstances and different lives in comparison to older generations. There is a fundamental difference in how this generation and older generations process, analyze and understand information while they function in society. Comparing those who weren’t raised on the power of a smartphone and in the age of media constantly in your face to those who were, the contrast becomes quite clear.

Media messages can have a negative or unhealthy influence on teenage behavior and attitudes in certain areas, including body image, health and citizenship. Body image :- Your child’s body image is influenced by social media, other media and advertising. If teenagers see unrealistic ‘thin’ or ‘muscly’ body types often enough in the media they follow, it can have an impact on their body image and dieting behavior. This is especially true when there’s no-one to disagree with messages like ‘thin is beautiful’. Health and lifestyle :- Social media and other media can influence the decisions that teenagers make about their health and lifestyle. For example, media messages and content can make it look ‘normal’, cool or grown-up to eat junk food, smoke, drink alcohol and take other drugs. Citizenship:-To be responsible citizens, teenagers need reliable and good-quality information. But social media and other media are sometimes used in negative ways during elections and at other times. For example, ‘fake news’ might influence teenagers to believe false information about a politician, public figure or celebrity. Or sometimes online forums promote biased or hateful attitudes towards groups of people.

PHOBIA

BY: VAIBHAVI MENON

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically, result in a rapid onset of fear and are present for more than six months. Those affected will go to great lengths to avoid the situation or object, to a degree greater than the actual danger posed. If the object or situation cannot be avoided, they experience significant distress. Other symptoms can include fainting, which may occur in blood or injury phobia, and panic attacks, which are often found in agoraphobia. Around 75% of those with phobias have multiple phobias.

Phobias can be divided into specific phobias, social phobia, and agoraphobia. Specific phobias include those to certain animals, natural environment situations, blood or injury, and specific situations. The most common are fear of spiders, fear of snakes, and fear of heights. Specific phobias may be caused by a negative experience with the object or situation in early childhood. Social phobia is when a person fears a situation due to worries about others judging them. Agoraphobia is a fear of a situation due to a difficulty or inability to escape. It is recommended that specific phobias be treated with exposure therapy, in which the person is introduced to the situation or object in question until the fear resolves. Medications are not useful for specific phobias. Social phobia and agoraphobia are often treated with some combination of counselling and medication. Medications used include antidepressants, benzodiazepines, or beta-blockers. Specific phobias affect about 6–8% of people in the Western world and 2–4% of people in Asia, Africa, and Latin America in a given year. Social phobia affects about 7% of people in the United States and 0.5–2.5% of people in the rest of the world. Agoraphobia affects about 1.7% of people. Women are affected by phobias about twice as often as men. Typically, the onset of a phobia is around the ages of 10–17, and rates are lower with increasing age. Those with phobias are at a higher risk of suicide. There are various methods used to treat phobias. These methods include systematic desensitization, progressive relaxation, virtual reality, modeling, medication and hypnotherapy. The good news is that over the past several decades, psychologists and other researchers have developed some effective behavioral and pharmacological treatments for phobia, as well as technological interventions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be beneficial by allowing the person to challenge dysfunctional thoughts or beliefs by being mindful of their own feelings, with the aim that the person will realize that his or her fear is irrational. CBT may be conducted in a group setting. Gradual desensitization treatment and CBT are often successful, provided the person is willing to endure some discomfort. In one clinical trial, 90% of people were observed to no longer have a phobic reaction after successful CBT treatment. There is evidence that supports that eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is effective in treating some phobias. Its effectiveness in treating complex or trauma-related phobias has not been empirically established yet. Mainly used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, EMDR has been demonstrated as effective in easing phobia symptoms following a specific trauma, such as a fear of dogs following a dog bite

𝑯𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀 𝑨𝑩𝑶𝑼𝑻 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑹𝑼𝑲𝑲𝑼𝑹𝑨𝑳

“If you are working on something that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed”.

“Among the peoples who, after long centuries, had built a solid and brilliant fabric of civilization, were the Tamils. They had built towns, cities and had reached a high standard of life and achievement not merely in relation to the material comforts and convenience of life, but also in the realms of art, literature and philosophy.”

An unknown weaver of Mayilapur by the name of Valluvar gifted the Tamils and the whole of humanity, some two centuries BC, with an outstanding philosophical work called the Thirukkural, written in exquisite poetic form in Tamil. He must have been inspired by the Almighty to offer such gems which would be treasured and relayed to succeeding generations.

Qualified as one of the greatest books on Ethics and Morality, Thirukkural contains 1330 couplets on the multi facets of the life of different categories of people. The sage Valluvar, elevated unanimously to the rank of Thiruvalluvar, observed both the goodness and the weaknesses of governance at different levels and encouraged men and women, through the different couplets, to lead a moral life, based on strong values, e.g. righteousness, justice, truth, love, honesty, courage, compassion. He described the life and attributes of inter alia ordinary citizens, wives, husbands, kings.

Ministers, Administrators, formulating the rules of conduct to ensure the individual success, happiness and social harmony, but also depicting the causes of failure due to numerous vices. Thirukkural equally emphasizes the vital principles of non violence, vegetarianism, castelessness and brotherhood. The lessons that each human being can draw from the “Thirukkural are so powerful that they can be regarded as a source of inspiration for all ages”

Thirukkural has become a research subject in many universities and learning centres around the globe. It has been translated in more than 40 languages and its universality has been unanimously recognized and acclaimed.

A couple of years back, the Indian Prime Minister, N.Modi, publicly acknowledged the importance of the teaching of Thirukkural in schools and allocated special funding for the wide dissemination of the opus throughout the Indian continent. Thousands of copies were printed in different languages and freely distributed. Additionally, Tirruvalluvar Day (15 January) is celebrated in a grand manner not only in Tamil Nadu, but in all countries where there is a thriving Tamil diaspora. This is the case in Mauritius.

We are glad to learn that the Tamil associations have taken the laudable initiative of inviting Justice R. Mahadevan of the Madras High Court to Mauritius to pay a special and fitting tribute to Thiruvalluvar and deliver a lecture on the impact of Thirukkural on Humanity at the Tamil League on the 15 January. Justice Mahadevan has been chosen because of his landmark judgements on the Thirukkural and a number of socio economic  and environmental issues.

Recently, a citizen of Tamil Nadu filed a case before the Madras High Court to ask for appropriate action from the Court in the face of rising criminality and immorality and the lack of moral lessons in schools. In a luminous judgement, Justice Mahadevan ordered the Tamil Nadu government to make the study of Thirukkural compulsory in schools and treat it as a special subject for classes 6 to 12. He motivated his judgement by saying that students, teachers and the population as a whole are bound to become responsible citizens if they learn how to apply the precepts of the saint poet in their daily life.

Among the finest tributes paid to the genius of Thiruvalluvar is the 133-foot statue of the philosopher at Kanyakumari, situated at the southern tip of the Indian sub continent where the Arabian sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian ocean converge. I were mesmerised  when we admired the impressive statue of Thiruvalluvar overlooking the immensity of the sea as if he was praying for his teachings on ethics and morality to reach the hearts  of people in  all the continents

𝑯𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀 𝑨𝑩𝑶𝑼𝑻 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑹𝑼𝑲𝑲𝑼𝑹𝑨𝑳

“If you are working on something that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed”.

“Among the peoples who, after long centuries, had built a solid and brilliant fabric of civilization, were the Tamils. They had built towns, cities and had reached a high standard of life and achievement not merely in relation to the material comforts and convenience of life, but also in the realms of art, literature and philosophy.”

An unknown weaver of Mayilapur by the name of Valluvar gifted the Tamils and the whole of humanity, some two centuries BC, with an outstanding philosophical work called the Thirukkural, written in exquisite poetic form in Tamil. He must have been inspired by the Almighty to offer such gems which would be treasured and relayed to succeeding generations.

Qualified as one of the greatest books on Ethics and Morality, Thirukkural contains 1330 couplets on the multi facets of the life of different categories of people. The sage Valluvar, elevated unanimously to the rank of Thiruvalluvar, observed both the goodness and the weaknesses of governance at different levels and encouraged men and women, through the different couplets, to lead a moral life, based on strong values, e.g. righteousness, justice, truth, love, honesty, courage, compassion. He described the life and attributes of inter alia ordinary citizens, wives, husbands, kings.

Ministers, Administrators, formulating the rules of conduct to ensure the individual success, happiness and social harmony, but also depicting the causes of failure due to numerous vices. Thirukkural equally emphasizes the vital principles of non violence, vegetarianism, castelessness and brotherhood. The lessons that each human being can draw from the “Thirukkural are so powerful that they can be regarded as a source of inspiration for all ages”

Thirukkural has become a research subject in many universities and learning centres around the globe. It has been translated in more than 40 languages and its universality has been unanimously recognized and acclaimed.

A couple of years back, the Indian Prime Minister, N.Modi, publicly acknowledged the importance of the teaching of Thirukkural in schools and allocated special funding for the wide dissemination of the opus throughout the Indian continent. Thousands of copies were printed in different languages and freely distributed. Additionally, Tirruvalluvar Day (15 January) is celebrated in a grand manner not only in Tamil Nadu, but in all countries where there is a thriving Tamil diaspora. This is the case in Mauritius.

We are glad to learn that the Tamil associations have taken the laudable initiative of inviting Justice R. Mahadevan of the Madras High Court to Mauritius to pay a special and fitting tribute to Thiruvalluvar and deliver a lecture on the impact of Thirukkural on Humanity at the Tamil League on the 15 January. Justice Mahadevan has been chosen because of his landmark judgements on the Thirukkural and a number of socio economic  and environmental issues.

Recently, a citizen of Tamil Nadu filed a case before the Madras High Court to ask for appropriate action from the Court in the face of rising criminality and immorality and the lack of moral lessons in schools. In a luminous judgement, Justice Mahadevan ordered the Tamil Nadu government to make the study of Thirukkural compulsory in schools and treat it as a special subject for classes 6 to 12. He motivated his judgement by saying that students, teachers and the population as a whole are bound to become responsible citizens if they learn how to apply the precepts of the saint poet in their daily life.

Among the finest tributes paid to the genius of Thiruvalluvar is the 133-foot statue of the philosopher at Kanyakumari, situated at the southern tip of the Indian sub continent where the Arabian sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian ocean converge. I were mesmerised  when we admired the impressive statue of Thiruvalluvar overlooking the immensity of the sea as if he was praying for his teachings on ethics and morality to reach the hearts  of people in  all the continents

TOXIC MASCULINITY

BY: VAIBHAVI MENON

The concept of toxic masculinity is used in academic and media discussions of masculinity to refer to certain cultural norms that are associated with harm to society and men themselves. Traditional stereotypes of men as socially dominant, along with related traits such as misogyny and homophobia, can be considered “toxic” due in part to their promotion of violence, including sexual assault and domestic violence. The socialization of boys in patriarchal societies often normalizes violence, such as in the saying “boys will be boys” about bullying and aggression. Self-reliance and emotional repression are correlated with increased psychological problems in men such as depression, increased stress, and substance use disorders. Toxic masculine traits are characteristic of the unspoken code of behavior among men in prisons, where they exist in part as a response to the harsh conditions of prison life.

Other traditionally masculine traits such as devotion to work, pride in excelling at sports, and providing for one’s family, are not considered to be “toxic”. The concept was originally used by authors associated with the mythopoetic men’s movement such as Shepherd Bliss to contrast stereotypical notions of masculinity with a “real” or “deep” masculinity that they say men have lost touch within modern society. Critics of the term argue that its meaning incorrectly implies that gender-related issues are caused by inherent male traits. The concept of toxic masculinity, or certain formulations of it, has been criticized by some conservatives as an undue condemnation of traditional masculinity, and by some feminists as an essentialist concept that ignores the role of choice and context in causing harmful behaviors and attitudes related to masculinity. toxic masculine norms are a feature of life for men in American prisons, where they are reflected in the behavior of both staff and inmates. The qualities of extreme self-reliance, domination of other men through violence, and avoiding the appearance of either femininity or weakness, comprise an unspoken code among prisoners. Suppressing vulnerable emotions is often adopted to successfully cope with the harsh conditions of prison life, defined by punishment, social isolation, and aggression. These factors likely play a role in suicide among male prisoners. Toxic masculinity can also take the form of bullying of boys by their peers and domestic violence directed toward boys at home. The often violent socialization of boys produces psychological trauma through the promotion of aggression and lack of interpersonal connection. Such trauma is often disregarded, such as in the saying “boys will be boys” about bullying. The promotion of idealized masculine roles emphasizing toughness, dominance, self-reliance, and the restriction of emotion can begin as early as infancy. Such norms are transmitted by parents, other male relatives, and members of the community. Media representations of masculinity on websites such as YouTube often promote similar stereotypical gender roles.

The concept of toxic masculinity has also been criticized from a feminist perspective. Andrea Waling and Michael Salter have argued that the concept of “toxic masculinity” in contradistinction to “healthy masculinity” emerged from a misunderstanding of Raewyn Connell’s 1987 work on hegemonic masculinity. To Waling, “toxic masculinity” is problematic because it presents men as victims of an unavoidable pathology, an essentialist approach that ignores the surrounding social and material context and the personal responsibility of men. Instructing men to practice “healthy masculinity” dismisses androgyny and adopting aspects of femininity as valid options for men, thereby perpetuating gender binaries and privileging masculinity over femininity.

TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS

BY: VAIBHAVI MENON

A toxic relationship as “any relationship [between people who] don’t support each other, where there’s conflict and one seeks to undermine the other, where there’s competition, where there’s disrespect and a lack of cohesiveness.” While every relationship goes through ups and downs, a toxic relationship is consistently unpleasant and draining for the people in it, to the point that negative moments outweigh and outnumber the positive ones. Toxic relationships are mentally, emotionally and possibly even physically damaging to one or both participants. And these relationships don’t have to be romantic, friendly, familial and professional relationships can all be toxic as well. people who consistently undermine or cause harm to a partner — whether intentionally or not — often have a reason for their behavior, even if it’s subconscious. “Maybe they were in a toxic relationship, either romantically or as a child. Maybe they didn’t have the most supportive, loving upbringing.” “They could have been bullied in school. They could be suffering from an undiagnosed mental health disorder, such as depression or anxiety or bipolar disorder, an eating disorder, any form of trauma.”

Even good relationships take work. After all, our significant other, our close friends, and even our parents aren’t perfect (and, oddly enough, they may not see us as perfect either). We have to learn how to accommodate and adapt to their idiosyncrasies, their faults, their moods, etc., just as they must learn how to do the same with us. And it’s worth it. Some relationships, however, are more difficult and require proportionately more work. We are not clones but individuals, and some individuals in relationships are going to have more difficulties, more disagreements. But because we value these relationships we’re willing to make the effort it takes to keep them. And then there are toxic relationships. These relationships have mutated themselves into something that has the potential, if not corrected, to be extremely harmful to our well being. These relationships are not necessarily hopeless, but they require substantial and difficult work if they are to be changed into something healthy. The paradox is that in order to have a reasonable chance to turn a toxic relationship into a healthy relationship, we have to be prepared to leave it (more about this later). The importance of understanding what defines a toxic relationship is elevated in a global pandemic.

Pandemic precautions have us spending more time at home. Many of us have lost the outlets that bring balance to our social, physical, and mental health–work, friends, the gym, school. Isolation at home can shed new light on the indicators that a relationship is toxic, meaning recent months have been key in identifying unhealthy patterns in our relationships. In April 2020, the Journal of Clinical Nursing reported that “home can be a place where dynamics of power can be distorted and subverted. Often without scrutiny from anyone ‘outside’ the couple or the family unit. In the COVID‐19 crisis, the exhortation to ‘stay at home’ therefore has major implications for those adults and children already living with someone who is abusive or controlling.”

𝑴𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑲𝑬

“Make mistakes. Learn from them, Move on”

  • Making mistakes is an “important part of life”. We learn from our mistakes.
  • Mistakes are the best lessons of our life. They are something that happens unintentionally and without the knowledge of a human being.
  • The only way mistakes can be avoided is to never do anything. Therefore, in my opinion it is necessary to make mistakes.
  • We learn about ourselves through our mistakes and even learn how to become a better citizen for the society.
  • Utilize our slips-ups as a going stone. Allow them to be lessons in how you can do things differently. They mould you to be the best version of yourself.
  • You can’t learn anything from a mistake until you admit that you’ve made it. So, take a deep breath and admit to yours, and then take ownership of it. Inform those who need to know, 𝔸𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕚𝕫𝕖, and tell them that you’re working on a solution
  • .Saying “sorry” takes courage, but it’s far better to come clean that ᵐⁱˢᵗᵃᵏᵉˢ
  • Yes ………. i made lot of mistakes in my life, sometimes due to wrong decisions that i have made. But i never regret my decisions beacuse i always knew that it was my choice. Rather than regretting i used to learn lesson out of it. 

Now i realized that my parents are my well wisher and never ever ignore their advice. Most important i came to know the value of my health.

I think everyone of us make mistakes and it is ok. At some point of life we make mistakes whether it is the smaller one or bigger one because man is the effigy of mistakes. But the most important thing is that we should learn from our mistakes and not to repeat it.

𝑴𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑲𝑬

“Make mistakes. Learn from them, Move on”

  • Making mistakes is an “important part of life”. We learn from our mistakes.
  • Mistakes are the best lessons of our life. They are something that happens unintentionally and without the knowledge of a human being.
  • The only way mistakes can be avoided is to never do anything. Therefore, in my opinion it is necessary to make mistakes.
  • We learn about ourselves through our mistakes and even learn how to become a better citizen for the society.
  • Utilize our slips-ups as a going stone. Allow them to be lessons in how you can do things differently. They mould you to be the best version of yourself.
  • You can’t learn anything from a mistake until you admit that you’ve made it. So, take a deep breath and admit to yours, and then take ownership of it. Inform those who need to know, 𝔸𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕚𝕫𝕖, and tell them that you’re working on a solution
  • .Saying “sorry” takes courage, but it’s far better to come clean that ᵐⁱˢᵗᵃᵏᵉˢ
  • Yes ………. i made lot of mistakes in my life, sometimes due to wrong decisions that i have made. But i never regret my decisions beacuse i always knew that it was my choice. Rather than regretting i used to learn lesson out of it. 

Now i realized that my parents are my well wisher and never ever ignore their advice. Most important i came to know the value of my health.

I think everyone of us make mistakes and it is ok. At some point of life we make mistakes whether it is the smaller one or bigger one because man is the effigy of mistakes. But the most important thing is that we should learn from our mistakes and not to repeat it.