Day: August 20, 2021

KANHA

Kanha is situated in Madhya Pradesh. Kanha’s Sal and bamboo forests, rolling grassland and meandering streams stretch over 940 sq km in dramatic natural splendor. Kanha National Park forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve created in 1974 under Project Tiger. The park is the only habitat of the rare hard ground barasingha.  
In the 1930s, the Khana area was divided into two sanctuaries, Gallon and Banjar, of 250 sq km and 300 sq km each. Though one of these was subsequently disbanded, the area remained a protected one until 1947. Depletion of the tiger population in the years that followed led to the area being made an absolute sanctuary in 1952.
By a special statute in 1955, Khana National Park came into being. Since then, a series of stringent conservation programmes for the protection of the park’s flora and fauna has given Khana it’s deserved reputation for being one of the best and finest administered National Parks in Asia.
Forest Department guides accompany visitors around the park on mapped-out circuits which enable viewers to see a good cross-section of Kanha’s wildlife. The best areas are the meadows around Kanha, where black buck, chital and barasingha can be seen throughout the day.
Kanha has some 22 species of mammals. Those most easily spotted are the stripped palm squirrel, common langur, jackal, wild pig, chital or spotted dear, barasingha or swamp dear, sambar and black buck.
Patient watching should reward the visitor with a sight of Indian fox, sloth bear, striped hyena, jungle cat, leopard, mouse deer, chausingha or four horned antelope, nilgai, ratel and procupine. Wolf can be seen far east of the park, chinkara can be found outside the park’s northern boundary. Indian pangolin, the smooth Indian otter and the small Indian civet are also the rarely seen species.
Kanha has some 200 species of birds. Watchers shoud station themselves in the hills, where you can see bamboo forest and other species of flora. Water birds can be seen near the park’s many rivulets and at Sarvantal, a pool that is frequented by water birds and the area in front of the museum. The sal forests do not normally yield a sight of Kanha’s avifauna. Early mornings and late afternoons are best for bird watching, binoculars are an invaluable aid to the watchers. Commonly seen birds are cattle egret, pond heron, black Ibis, common peafowl, crested serpent eagle, racket-tailed drongo, hawk, red wattled lapwing, dove, parakeet, woodpecker, Indian roller and grey hornbill.
Bamni Dadar known as Sunset Point, this is one of the most beautiful areas of the park, from where a spectacular sunset can be watched.
October to June is the best time to visit Kanha National Park. The park is closed from 1st July to 30th September due to rains. For  those planning a visit, a stay of at at least three nights is recommended in order to have a good chance of seeing the more elusive animals.
Kanha Museum
This is a unique natural history museum that preserves skeletons of reptiles and animals and houses an exhibition of the wildlife conservation work done in Kanha and an audio library of sounds of birds.
Things To Do
1.Enjoy walking and cycling in the pristine air of buffer zone.
2.Take a safari in open Jeep (all days except Wednesday afternoons).
3.Visit the nearby villages to experience life in remote jungle- Sarekha (15 km from kiski gate), Garhi (20 km from Mukki gate), Lagna(5 km from Mukki gate), Mocha (10 km from Mukki gate)
4.Shop for souvenir at the Khatia gate. 

PANNA

Panna, the erstwhile capital of the Bundela Kingdom in Madhya Pradesh is famous for the Panna National Park. Panna Town, the administrative headquaters of Panna District, is the hub of many religious monuments, which showcases the architectural Marvel’s of Hindu and Islamic styles. Adorned with greenish meadows dotted with evergreen trees, undulating forests, hills and rocks, Panna serves as a perfect place for holiday tours.
Panna National Park was created in 1981. It was declared as a Project Tiger Reserve in1994. The National Park consists of areas from the former Gangau Wildlife Sanctuary created in 1975. The sanctuary compromised of territorial forests of the present North and South Panna Forest Division to which a portion of the adjoining Chhatarpur forest division was added later. The reserved forests of the Park in Panna district and some protected forests bordering Chhatarpur were the hunting reserves of the erstwhile rulers of Panna, Chhatarpur and Bijawar princely states in the past. The location of the National Park is crucial as it is situated at a point where the continuity of the forest belt, which starts from Cape Comorin in the south is broken and from there beyond, the great Gangetic plains begin. This area is also the northern most tip of the natural teak forests and the eastern most tip of the natural Kardhani forests. The Ken river, which flows through the reserve from south to north, is home for Gharial and Mugger.
Tiger, the king of the jungle, roams freely in the secure habitat along with his fellow creatures like leopard, wild dog, wolf, hyena and caracal and smaller cats. Sloth bear has his most favorite home in the rock escarpments and undistributed vales. The wooded areas are dotted with sambar – the largest of Indian deers, chital and chowsingha. Other animals that can be found are nilgai, chinkara, snakes and reptiles.
There are more than 200 species of birds including migratory birds. One can see White Necked Stork, Bar-Headed Goose, Honey Buzzard, King vulture, Blossom Headed parakeet,etc.
Panna has dry and hot climate and has shallow Vindhyan soil which give rise to dry Teak and dry mixed forest. The dominating vegetation type is miscellaneous dry deciduous forest inter spread with grassland areas. The characteristic floral species of this area include tree species such as Tectona fransis, Diospyros melanoxylon, Madhuva indica, Buchnania latifolia, etc.
OTHER PLACES TO EXPLORE 

Fort of Ajaygarh 
Built in 1765 AD by the nephew of the Maharaja of Jaitpur, the fort is situated at a height of 800 ft. However by 1809 the Britishers overpowered it.
Gatha Falls
The height of Gatha fall measures up to 91 meters.The Gatha falls are at their prime during the rainy season, when the river water swells to the maximum. River Ken is the water source of Gatha Falls.
Mahamati Prannathji Mandir 
It is one of the most revered pilgrim places for the Pranami sect followers the world over. The temple was completed in 1692. Other than this Padmavati temple, Jugal Kishore Temple and Kalinjir Fort are with a visit.
National Museum 
It was established in 1988. It has a remarkable collection of icons and coins. 

PACHMARHI: Verdant Jewel of the Satpuras

Pachmarhi is Madhya Pradesh’s most verdant jewel, a place where has found exquisite expression in myriad enchanting ways.
Complementing the magnificence of nature are the works of man; Pachmarhi is also an archaeological treasure-house. In cave shelters in the Mahadeo Hills is an astonishing richness in rock paintings. Most of these have been placed in the period 500- 800 AD , but the earliest paintings are an estimated 10000 years old.
The town has a quiet gentility about it as if Victorian traditions and high collars still governed most people’s lives.
PLACES TO EXPLORE 

PRIYADARSHINI (FORSYTH POINT)
This vantage viewing point marks the place from where Pachmarhi was discovered by Captain Forsyth in 1858. The British developed Pachmarhi as a resort and their influence is embodied in its churches and colonial architecture.
JAMUNA PRAPAT (BEE FALL)
A spectacular fall in the stream which provides drinking water to Pachmarhi. The bathing pools above the fall are very popular.
HANDI KHOH
A mile long trek from Bee Falls takes one to Handi Khoh, a horse-shoe shaped ravine, the edge of which drops a sheer 100m into the earth. The valley is rich in medicinal plants. 

APSARA VIHAR (FAIRY POOL)
Easily accessible from Jai Stambh, this fairy pool is an ideal picnic spot for families with small children, since the pool is shallow, deepening only towards the base of the fall.
ALSO VISIT:  Banshree Vihar, Tridhara and Irene Pool are the other pool of Pachmarhi. 
RAJAT PRAPAT (BIG FALL)
Those seeking adventure will find it in this ten-minute walk over rocks and boulders from Apsara Vihar to the top of the Rajat Prapat.

JALAWATARAN (DUCHESS FALLS)
The descent is steep and the trek strenuous for almost all of the 4km to the base of the fall’s first cascade.
SUNDER KUND (SAUNDER’S POOL)
Crossing the stream below Duchess Falls and following a footpath about 2.5km in a south-westernly direction brings one to a huge Rocky pool in the Jambu Dwip stream, an excellent place for swimming.
MAHADEO
The temple at Mahadeo cave is located at the base of the Mahadeo hill, at a distance of 12km from Pachmarhi town. There is a pool in the temple which has curative properties. About half a kilometer west of the Mahadeo cave is a natural fissure in the rock, that is worshipped by the locals as Gupt Mahadeo or Chhota Mahadeo.
CHAURAGARH TEMPLE
Located at an altitude of 1330m atop the Chauragarh Peak, the trek to the Chauragarh temple comprises of 1380 steps. The temple courtyard is stacked with thousands of tridents offered by the devotees. The temple is a half-built modern structure with an idol of Shiva in the sanctum.
CHRIST CHURCH
Built in 1857 by the British, this church is generally regarded as the most beautiful small Church in Madhya Pradesh. The Church’s architecture if fascinating; its ‘sanctum-sanctorum’ has a hemispherical dome on top with its ribs ending with faces of angels. The nave of the church does not contain single pillar for support. The baptismal font is a rare brass piece and the bell is as old as the church and it’s chimes can be heard from a long distance.

PANDAV CAVES 
Five ancient dwellings excavated in the sand-stone rock in a low hill. Pachmarhi derives its name from these caves which, as the legend goes, once provided shelter to five Pandav brothers. These caves are now protected monuments.

SATPURA NATIONAL PARK 
Set up in 1981, Satpura National Park is 524 sq km in area. It spreads through a dense forest of evergreen Sal , teak and bamboo. The park is home to the gaur, tiger, leopard, beer, four-horned deer, blue bull and rich variety of birds.
BISON LODGE 
Constructed in 1862, the Bison Lodge is the oldest house in Pachmarhi. It now houses a beautiful museum depicting the rich flora and fauna of Pachmarhi.
ALSO VISIT: Jata Shankar, Catholic Church, Dhoopgarh, Trishar, Banshree Vihar, Reechhgarh, Sangam, The Cave Shelters, Astachal and Harper’s Cave.

BANDHAVGARH: National Park With a Rich Historical Past

Bandhavgarh is a small National Park ; compact, yet teeming with wildlife. The density of the tiger population in Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India. This is also White Tiger country. These have been found in the old state of Rewa for many years. The last known was captured by Maharaja Martand Singh in 1951. This white tiger, Mohun, is now stuffed and on display in the palace of the Maharajas of Rewa.
The terrain is of great Rocky hills rising sharply from the swampy and densely-forested valley bottoms. The finest of these hills in Bandhavgarh, sided with great cliffs and eroded rocks and on its highest point stands Bandhavgarh Fort, and particularly around the fort, are numerous caves containing shrines and ancient Sanskrit inscriptions.
Prior to becoming a National Park, the forests around Bandhavgrah had long been maintained by as a Shikargah, or game reserve, of the Maharajas of Rewa. Hunting was carried out by the Maharajas and their guests – otherwise the wildlife was relatively well-protected. 
In 1947 Rewa State was merged with Madhya Pradesh; Bandhavgarh came under the regulation of Madhya Pradesh. The Maharaja of Rewa still retained the hunting rights of Bandhavgarh and no special measures were taken until 1968, when the areas were constituted as a National Park, since then, numerous steps have been taken to retain Bandhavgarh Bational Park as an unspoilt natural habitat. 

What to see 

The Fort 
The Fort is estimated to be 2000 years old. Various dynasties have ruled the fort : the Maghas from the 1st century AD, the Vakatakas from the 3rd century AD, the Sengars from the 5th century AD, the Baghela took over, ruling from Badhavgarh until 1617, when Maharaja Vikramaditya Singh moved hi capital to Rewa. The last inhabitants deserted the fort in 1935.
Flora 
The vegetation is chiefly of Sal forest in the valleys and on the lower slopes, gradually changing to mixed deciduous forest on the hills and in the hotter, drier areas of the park in the south and west. Bamboo is found throughout.
Wildlife
There are more than 22 species of mammals and 250 species of birds. Common langurs and rhesus macaque represent the primate group. Carnivores include the Asiatic jackal, Bengal Fox, sloth bear, ratel, grey mongoose, striped Hynes, jungle cat, leopard and tiger. The artiodactyls frequently sighted are wild pig, spotted dear, sambar, chausingha, nilgai and chinkara. Mammals such as dhole, the small Indian civet, palm squirrel and lesser bandicoot rat are seen occassionally. The vegetation along streams and marshes is rich in birdlife. The common ones are little grebe, egret, lesser adjutant, saris crane, black kite, crested peafowl, red jungle fowl, dove, parakeet, kingfisher and Indian roller. Reptilian fauna include cobra, Krait, viper, ratsnake, etc.

Wildlife viewing 
The main way of getting about in the park is motor vehicle. Jeep safaris timing are from 10 am to 4 pm, as the animals are most active during these periods. A Forest Department guide must always accompany you. This guide will able to direct you and point out wildlife. 

THE PENCH

Pench lies in Madhya Pradesh. Nestled in the southern sloes of the satpura ranges of central India, Pench Tiger Reserve(757.90 sq.kms)lies in southern Madhya Pradesh , bordering Maharashtra. The Pench National Park which constitutes the core of the Park is 292.86 sq.kms , and comprises the Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park and the Mowgli Pench Sanctuary. Pench was brought under Project Tiger in 1992 .
Pench National Park gets its name from the Pench river that flows through it, dividing it into the western Chhindwara Block (141.61 sq kms) , and the eastern Seoni Block (145.24 sq kms).
Over 1,200 species of plants have been recorded in the area including several rare and endangered plants as well as plants of ethnobotanical importance.
Pench National Park is the original setting of Rudyard kipling’s famous work, The Jungle Book. The character, Mowgli, was inspired by Sir William Henry Sleeman’s pamphlet, ‘An Account of Wolves Nurturing Children in Their Dens’ which describes a jungle boy captured in Seoni district near the village of Seoni district near the village of Sant Baori in 1831. 
Pench being situated in Central India is subjected to extreme and tropical weather. Month of January may also witness sub-zero temperatures and frost. Monsoon arrives in the second week of June. 
The forests found in Pench Tiger Reserve are divided into three parts as follows:-
1.Southern Tropical Wet Deciduous Forest
2.Southern Tropical Dry Teak Deciduous Forest
3.Southern Tropical Dry Mixed Deciduous Forest
Dry mixed forest spreads in about one-third area of the protected area. Whose main species are salai, pickle, moyan, tendu etc. Kahua (Arjuna), Jamuna, Guular and Saja are found along the banks of river streams. Trees of Mahua, Palash, Plum etc. are found scattered around the open forests of displaced areas of old villages. Teak forests are found in about one quarter area. There are about 82 types of grass species and Bamboo found in this forest area.
Pench is prime tiger country. The area has always been rich in wildlife. Pench Tiger Reserve has the highest density of herbivores in India, 90.3 animals per square kilometre. The area is especially famous for its huge population of gaur (Indian bison), cheetal, sambar, neelgai, wild dog and wild pig. Other animals in the Park include the sloth bear, chousingha, chinkara, barking deer, jackal, fox, palm civet, small Indian civet, jungle cat, hyena and porcupine.
Pench Tiger is also among the best area for bird watching. Over 285 species of resident and migratory birds including the Malabar pied hornbill, Indian pitta, osprey, grey headed fishing eagle, white-eyed buzzard are found here. Four species of the endangered vulture, white-rumped, long billed, white scavenger and king vulture can be seen in good numbers in these forests. In winter, thousands of migratory birds come to this reserve. 
Jungle safaris are a major attraction of the park. A dawn safari, when animals are out in the open looking for food and water, is an unforgettable experience. Tigers and leopards can be seen near water bodies and even on the roads in summer. Cheetal, sambar and neelgai are found grazing in the forests and the banks of the river. Large herds of gaur are often spotted in the bamboo patches. Jackals, wild dogs and rhesus monkeys can be seen foraging for food in the densely-wooded jungles.

DEEP LEARNING SERIES- PART 6

The previous article was about the procedure to develop a deep learning network and introduction to CNN. This article concentrates on the process of convolution which is the process of taking in two images and doing a transformation to produce an output image. This process is common in mathematics and signals analysis also. The CNN’s are mainly used to work with images.

In the CNN partial connection is observed. Hence all the neurons are not connected to those in the next layer. So the number of parameters reduces leading to lesser computations.

Sample connection is seen in CNN.

Convolution in mathematics refers to the process of combining two different functions. With respect to CNN, convolution occurs between the image and the filter or kernel. Convolution itself is one of the processes done on the image.

Here also the operation is mathematical. It is a kind of operation on two vectors. The input image gets converted into a vector based on colour and dimension. The kernel or filter is a predefined vector with fixed values to perform various functions onto the image.

Process of convolution

The kernel or filter is chosen in order of 1*1, 3*3, 5*5, 7*7, and so on. The given filter vector slides over the image and performs dot product over the image vector and produces an output vector with the result of each 3*3 dot product over the 7*7 vector.

A 3*3 kernel slides over the 7*7 input vector to produce a 5*5 output image vector. The reason for the reduction in the dimension is that the kernel has to do dot product operation on the input vector-only with the same dimension. I.e. the kernel slides for every three rows in the seven rows. The kernel must perfectly fit into the input vector. All the cells in the kernel must superimpose onto the vector. No cells must be left open. There are only 5 ways to keep a 3-row filter in a 7-row vector.    

This pictorial representation can help to understand even better. These colors might seem confusing, but follow these steps to analyze them.

  1. View at the first row.
  2. Analyse and number the different colours used in that row
  3. Each colour represents a 3*3 kernel.
  4. In the first row the different colours are red, orange, light green, dark green and blue.
  5. They count up to five.
  6. Hence there are five ways to keep a 3 row filter over a 7 row vector.
  7. Repeat this analysis for all rows
  8. 35 different colours will be used. The math is that in each row there will be 5 combinations. For 7 rows there will be 35 combinations.
  9. The colour does not go beyond the 7 rows signifying that kernel cannot go beyond the dimension of input vector.

These are the 35 different ways to keep a 3*3 filter over a 7*7 image vector. From this diagram, we can analyse each row has five different colours. All the nine cells in the kernel must fit inside the vector. This is the reason for the reduction in the dimension of output vector.

Procedure to implement convolution

  1. Take the input image with given dimensions.
  2. Flatten it into 1-D vector. This is the input vector whose values represent the colour of a pixel in the image.
  3. Decide the dimension, quantity and values for filter. The value in a filter is based on the function needed like blurring, fadening, sharpening etc. the quantity and dimension is determined by the user.
  4. Take the filter and keep it over the input vector from the first cell. Assume a 3*3 filter kept over a 7*7 vector.
  5. Perform the following computations on them.

5a. take the values in the first cell of the filter and the vector.

5b. multiply them.

5c. take the values in the second cell of the filter and the vector.

5d. multiply them.

5e. repeat the procedure till the last cell.

5f. take the sum for all the nine values.

  • Place this value in the output vector.
  • Using the formula mentioned later, find the dimensions of the output vector.

HAPPY LEARNING!!

DEEP LEARNING SERIES- PART 5

The previous article was on algorithm and hyper-parameter tuning. This article is about the general steps for building a deep learning model and also the steps to improve its accuracy along with the second type of network known as CNN.

General procedure to build an AI machine

  1. Obtain the data in the form of excel sheets, csv (comma separated variables) or image datasets.
  2. Perform some pre-processing onto the data like normalisation, binarisation etc. (apply principles of statistics)
  3. Split the given data into training data and testing data. Give more preference to training data since more training can give better accuracy. Standard train test split ratio is 75:25.
  4. Define the class for the model. Class includes the initialisation, network architecture, regularisation, activation functions, loss function, learning algorithm and prediction.
  5. Plot the loss function and interpret the results.
  6. Compute the accuracy for both training and testing data and check onto the steps to improve it.

Steps to improve the accuracy

  1. Increase the training and testing data. More data can increase the accuracy since the machine learns better.
  2. Reduce the learning rate. High learning rate often affects the loss plot and accuracy.
  3. Increase the number of iterations (epochs). Training for more epochs can increase the accuracy
  4. Hyper parameter tuning. One of the efficient methods to improve the accuracy.
  5. Pre-processing of data. It becomes hard for the machine to work on data with different ranges. Hence it is recommended to standardise the data within a range of 0 to 1 for easy working.

These are some of the processes used to construct a network. Only basics have been provided on the concepts and it is recommended to learn more about these concepts. 

Implementation of FFN in detecting OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA)

Advancements in the detection of OA have occurred through AI. Technology has developed where machines are created to detect OA using the X-ray images from the patient. Since the input given is in the form of images, optimum performance can be obtained using CNN’s. Since the output is binary, the task is binary classification. A combination of CNN and FFN is used. CNN handles feature extraction i.e. converting the image into a form that is accepted by the FFN without changing the values. FFN is used to classify the image into two classes.

CNN-convolutional neural network

The convolutional neural network mainly works on image data. It is used for feature extraction from the image. This is a partially connected neural network. Image can be interpreted by us but not by machines. Hence they interpret images as a vector whose values represent the color intensity of the image. Every color can be expressed as a vector of 3-D known as RGB- Red Green Blue. The size of the vector is equal to the dimensions of the image.

                                                  

This type of input is fed into the CNN. There are several processing done to the image before classifying it. The combination of CNN and FNN serves a purpose for image classification.

Problems are seen in using FFN for image

  • We have seen earlier that the gradients are chain rule of gradient at different layers. For image data, large number of layers in order of thousands may require. It can result in millions of parameters. It is very tedious to find the gradient for the millions of these parameters.
  • Using FFN for image data can often overfit the data. This may be due to the large layers and large number of parameters.

The CNN can overcome the problems seen in FFN.

HAPPY LEARNING!!!

History & Law

                                            (Photo: University of Chicago Law School)

“History and law are two sides of a polished mirror”. As we read it, that is there any relation of history with the law, then suddenly it strikes our mind that these two are different subjects because in India students mostly take topics in relation with the subjects they are studying. But when we think beyond, the subject we get to know that history and law are interrelated. Laws are influenced by events in history. The events which have happened before and what their outcomes were and what things can be changed for the better. In taking all these points in mind, laws are made. We take a lesson from our history to make laws.

 History is also related to law. As we read the incidents in our history, they are somehow related to the laws which existed at those times. The British laws which are still followed now from our history are Indian penal code,1860; the transfer of property act, 1882; the foreigner’s act, 1946; Income tax act, 1961; Indian evidence act,1872; Indian police act,1861; etc.

 The goods and the bads all somehow share a relationship with the laws and rules. The movements which changed the life of many countries also took place because of the heinous laws in countries like the French revolution, the American civil war, the National movements in India, and many more. All are related to laws that became unbearable torture on the victims. One can study the connection between law and history in comparative law. Comparison of laws of different time scales can be done. Law is a process that makes the public civilized, abides by norms that are set by society from time to time. Hence, the law is continuity in search of humanity and civility.

 Now the question that arises is: “Which part of history is relevant in today’s time“? According to my, contemporary history is most important in the present time. Contemporary history includes the span of historical events starting from 1945. These events are most relevant to the present time scenario. Many historians describe the early modern period as the time frame between 1500 and 1800.  This period mainly follows the late middle-age period. Further, it is marked by the initial European colonies, the beginning of recognizable nation-states as well as the rise of strong centralized government.

 Contemporary history helps in strengthening the cultural identity of a nation. This is because when we learn about the cultural heritage of our race or religion, we engulf ourselves in an abundance of information, which often depicts the decisions our ancestors made or the traditions that have been carried down the generations. These define who we are and why we exist in our society.

 History well told is beautiful. Many of the historians who most appeal to the general reading public, know the importance of dramatic and skillful writing as well as of accuracy. History is very important because it helps us to understand the present. If we will listen to what history has to say, we can come to a sound understanding of the past that will tell us much about the problems we now face. If we refuse to listen to history, we will find ourselves fabricating a past that reinforces our understanding of current problems.

 To conclude, George Mosse once said, “What man is, the only history tells.” History is interlinked with law. With truly reading, one can have a holistic view of the idea of the concept. In my view, contemporary history is more relevant in today’s time. The study of it is still relevant albeit the uncertainty of today’s world. As the saying goes, “With age comes wisdom“, is a true reminder of the experience one gains with the passage of times (which is history).

 

 

 

History & Law

                                            (Photo: University of Chicago Law School)

“History and
law are two sides of a polished mirror”. As we read it, that is there any
relation of history with the law, then suddenly it strikes our mind that these
two are different subjects because in India students mostly take topics in
relation with the subjects they are studying. But when we think beyond, the
subject we get to know that history and law are interrelated. Laws are
influenced by events in history. The events which have happened before and what
their outcomes were and what things can be changed for the better. In taking
all these points in mind, laws are made. We take a lesson from our history to
make laws.

 History is also
related to law. As we read the incidents in our history, they are somehow
related to the laws which existed at those times. The British laws which are
still followed now from our history are Indian penal code,1860; the transfer of
property act, 1882; the foreigner’s act, 1946; Income tax act, 1961; Indian
evidence act,1872; Indian police act,1861; etc.

 The goods and the
bads all somehow share a relationship with the laws and rules. The movements
which changed the life of many countries also took place because of the heinous
laws in countries like the French revolution, the American civil war, the
National movements in India, and many more. All are related to laws that became
unbearable torture on the victims. One can study the connection between law and
history in comparative law. Comparison of laws of different time scales can be
done. Law is a process that makes the public civilized, abides by norms
that are set by society from time to time. Hence, the law is continuity in
search of humanity and civility.

 Now the question
that arises is: “Which part of history is relevant in today’s time“?
According to my, contemporary history is most important in the present time.
Contemporary history includes the span of historical events starting from 1945.
These events are most relevant to the present time scenario. Many historians
describe the early modern period as the time frame between 1500 and 1800. 
This period mainly follows the late middle-age period. Further, it is marked by
the initial European colonies, the beginning of recognizable nation-states as
well as the rise of strong centralized government.

 Contemporary
history helps in strengthening the cultural identity of a nation. This is
because when we learn about the cultural heritage of our race or religion, we
engulf ourselves in an abundance of information, which often depicts the
decisions our ancestors made or the traditions that have been carried down the
generations. These define who we are and why we exist in our society.

 History well told
is beautiful. Many of the historians who most appeal to the general reading
public, know the importance of dramatic and skillful writing as well as of
accuracy. History is very important because it helps us to understand the
present. If we will listen to what history has to say, we can come to a sound
understanding of the past that will tell us much about the problems we now
face. If we refuse to listen to history, we will find ourselves fabricating a
past that reinforces our understanding of current problems.

 To conclude, George
Mosse once said, “What man is, the only history tells.” History is
interlinked with law. With truly reading, one can have a holistic view of the
idea of the concept. In my view, contemporary history is more relevant in
today’s time. The study of it is still relevant albeit the uncertainty of
today’s world. As the saying goes, “With age comes wisdom“, is a true
reminder of the experience one gains with the passage of times (which is
history).

 

 

 

An unexamined life is not worth living

 by Shashikant Nishant Sharma 

                                                       (Photo: Motivation Mentalist)

Well said by
Socrates.

An
unexamined human life is deprived of the meaning and purpose of existence. The
ability to introspect removes the individualistic absurdity by invoking a
commitment to moral integrity and social solidarity.

 Just like a seed
needs soil, sunlight and water for its germination, human life needs
introspection and examination for its growth. A greater understanding of the
experiences gained in the life at any particular time, enriches one’s
engagement with self and the universe.

Mahatma Gandhi’s
examination of self through his autobiography, “My experiments with
truth”, highlights the significance of reflection on life. Mahatma Gandhi
was not only able to map his weaknesses and vulnerabilities through the
examination, but was also able to question his prejudices and understand his
strength as a human being.

 This very ability
to reflect on life adds more depth to the character of Arjun in Mahabharat than
most of the other characters. Instead of following the norms and fighting with
his clan, Arjun questions the meaninglessness of the war and the purpose of his
life.

 The fast-changing
societies and consumerist culture in the contemporary world leave less time for
human beings to examine and think about the changes. Adaptation to changes have
become automatic and unquestionable.

 The quotation has
strong relevance in the present times where human beings are burdened with the
histories of war, colonisation, nationalisation, erosion of morality in the
scientific and technological advancements and the sense of spiritual
uprootedness. 

It is in these
times that one needs to dwell deeper into the conscience to find the purpose of
existence and engage in a more meaningful manner with the society.

 

THE FIGHT AGAINST CHILD TRAFFICKING

Child trafficking alludes to the abuse of girls and boys, essentially for labor work and sexual exploitation. Children account for 27% of all the illegal exploitation victims around the world, and two out of each three child victims are girls. Some of the time sold by a relative or an associate, in some cases baited by bogus guarantees of education and a “superior” life.

Child Trafficking in the European Union - Humanium

The reality is that they take advantage of children. They are held in slave-like conditions without sufficient food, haven or clothing, and are regularly seriously manhandled and cut off from all contact with their families. Every country on the planet is influenced by human trafficking, and subsequently, kids are compelled to exit school, hazard their lives and are denied of what each child deserves ,a better future.

We can stop this by supporting unprivileged children who are denied of legitimate education, health and shelter. It’s a child right to get legitimate education, heath and shelter fundamentally a superior living. We can do this by interfacing with NGOs which work in improvement of kids’ lives. We can donate cash, garments and different accomplices to them. Also strict action should be taken against those who are involved in this vicious crime. Children are future of a country if they are not safe then a country will never develop.

RESOURCES:

https://www.savethechildren.org/us/charity-stories/child-trafficking-awareness

ATTITUDES AND JOB SATISFACTION

 ATTITUDES AND JOB SATISFACTION


Attitudes are evaluative statements they may either be favorable or unfavorable. It is concerned with the objects, people or events. They reflect how we feel about something which finally leads to everything because that an Attitude. They are complex, to be more estimable it is considered to be as the fundamental properties or components.

The attitude towards the job is all what defines us. Typically, researchers assume that attitudes have three components: COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, BEHAVIORAL. Cognitive component is the opinion or belief with a particular segment of an attitude. Affective component is the motion or feeling segment of an attitude. Behavioral component is an intention to behave in a certain way forward or toward someone or something.


When it comes to Organizations, attitudes are important. When we think Job is important, we need to change our attitude, according to the sequence with the knowledge development. Performance can be enriched when one commits towards the job.


JOB SATISFACTION

We as human beings have thousand of attitudes, but Organizational behavior focuses on a very limited number of that form positive or negative evaluations that employees hold about their work environment. Much of the research has looked at three attitudes Job Satisfaction, Job involvement and Organizational commitment. Other important attitudes include perceived organizational support and employee engagement. 

The job satisfaction is said to be a positive feeling about evaluating job characteristics while a person with the negative feeling shows less job satisfaction. Employees with high job involvement strategy, identify, with care about the kind of work they do, they enjoy themselves.

An employees’ asset is the true satisfaction as if it were separate from life satisfaction, but they may be more related to think. Life satisfaction decreases when people become unemployed, according to research in Germany, and not just because of the loss of income. Research in Europe says that job satisfaction is positively correlated with the life satisfaction, and your attitudes and experiences in life spill over into your job approaches and experiences.


HOW CAN I MAKE MY JOB BETTER?

  1. You can work on your attitude to either improve your experience or find a positive perspective. 
  1. Write down everything you hate about your job, but wait for a few days off so that you can get a more objective view important. 
  1. Be specific, Think about the environment, the people and the work separately, find something positive even if it’s just the coffee in the break room.
  1. Job satisfaction is generally more strongly related to how interesting you work is than it is to other factors.
  1. Read your lists aloud to a few trusted friends.
  1. Decide what to do, you will be getting a solution.