Another much needed and the topic to be discussed -the power of meditation. To lead a stable and peaceful life mediation is important. Meditation enhances our ability to understand and think deeper. Meditation involves focusing. It can be anything a thought or an activity but the main aim is to focus on to focus on yourself.

Meditation is a boon for us and is practiced since old times. A tradition which was present yet lost. Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind of a particular object, thought or activity- to train attention and awareness ,to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. It can also be called as “healing process ” which relaxes and calms the soul of an individual.

These days, with greater need to reduce stress in the midst of our busy schedules and demanding lives, meditation is increasing in popularity. Although there isn’t a right or wrong way to meditate, it’s important to find a practice that meets your needs and complements your personality. There are several types of meditation. Some of them are – Mindfulness meditation, spiritual meditation, focused meditation, mantra meditation, visualized meditation and movement meditation.

Meditation is proved to be a stress buster in our complicated lives. Where there is pressure everywhere, by the practice of meditation we can achieve inner peace and relaxation of mind. This practice increases our ability to think, understand and remember things for future. It also lowers blood pressure, reduces anxiety, decreases pain, ease of symptoms of depression and improve sleep. It is scientifically proven that meditation is beneficial to an individual.

Hope you will like reading it…. Thank you!!!

Today’s article discusses about the evils of terrorism. Terrorism is a world wide problem. A terrorist is a person who tries to create fear and panic among the people to gain his own ends. Their aim is to frighten the people and the government. In order to create panic they explode bombs and spread rumours. Terrorists change their hideouts. Sometimes the hard-core terrorists commit suicide or kill their associates when arrested.

Terrorists are usually young and the old behind them. They coordinate and guide the terrorists activities. Terrorists are extremists who act with great zeal. But they are misguided people who sometimes do not know what they are really acting for. Sometimes terrorists are helped by some foreign agencies in order to create disorder inside the country. In such cases, they are trained in the use of sophisticated weapons. They are also supplied with money and arms by agencies.

Terrorism is threatening peace and security all over the world. Many countries in the world have been hit by the cult of violence. As terrorism is an international problem, we can solve it by with the help of international cooperation. The countries of the world should not allow terrorists activity against another country. Terrorists have no religion and no faith in human values. Their only philosophy is bloodshed for political gains.

The genuine grievance of the people must be redressed and justice should be done to all. Terrorism has crossed borders and he developed into a global issue. We hope we could fight the evils and come back with peace and harmony in the near future. Today’s generation don’t want such sort of fear in their minds and want to lead a stable and happy life. It’s the responsibility of the organizations of WHO, UNSC to maintain peace all over the world.

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The surging technologies and digital era has paved the way for many leading developments over several domains like healthcare, agriculture, business, communication, networking, medicine, aviation etc and particularly in education. Gently we were perceiving many evolutions occurring in the educational environment like practical learning with the help of digital platforms, for a better learning experience for students. With the advancement in technologies and digital media many schools & colleges over the world implemented the idea of Educomp (smart classes) in every classroom to make learning effective for students and to enhance their understanding capability and cognition. When everybody of us were gradually moving towards a modern stratum in education to make things easily accessible and feasible for a finer learning environment, the pandemic has pushed us to a devastating state where education has taken a back seat and made learning intricate for students through online classes. The impingement of online learning has made the education dreadful/unpleasant at times. It is a mere exhaustion for students rather than imparting knowledge.

Students became bewildered with the circumstances revolving around them because it was entirely new for everyone, which nobody would have even dreamt of. Yes, indeed the e-learning ie. the online classes was like a silver lining to the dark cloud, because the covid-19 has resulted the schools and universities to shut down all over the world, whereby education has changed drastically and the teaching is undertaken virtually on a digital platform. With students shattered across various domain the online learning has been a key to make sure that the students are engaged with the syllabus. However , the online learning plays a pivotal role in the contemporary situation, its consequences cannot be neglected or ignored . A home cannot provide the ambience that a school creates.

Education is more than a black board and ahead of the school text books as there is much more fascinating activities and qualities associated with the school environment that a student acquires. It is a place where young inventive minds gather together and gain knowledge form one and another as peer learning is very vital in the educational domain. The digital medium can’t make a replica of the interpersonal interactions that the school facilitates by having the young generation together from diverse backgrounds and culture. It has refrained students from gaining practical knowledge. The peer group interaction in an education sphere is very prominent as it promotes very strong soft skills, but unfortunately the retention of all these factors was a great challenge and posed as a bane in the online classes. At home children are not bound to have the classroom professionalism.

In addition the students are exposed to many health issues, which are attributed due to the prolonged screen time, like eyesight problems with constant headaches, mental illness, uneven sleeping, stress due to the home confinement and rising level of anxiety. Classes at home have become like a pass time for students and curtails the concentration on the curriculum. At school, students would have more exploration towards the extra-curricular activities like sports, art which kindles their interests towards various fields. While speaking about the cons of the online classes that students experience, on the other hand the students in the rural area face many obstacles even in accessing the online classes due to the unavailability of smartphones, laptops and some distortions in the mobile network, so they are on a more frightful side.

To a larger extent we always raise opinions from a student’s point of view, the effects of e-learning that impacted a student. But the fact is, the teachers are affected by the same with parity, even they live a similar life as we do. Moreover we could derive to a phrase that, they are the ones who face so many challenges more than students. Initially many of them weren’t aware of how to make use of the digital platform and struggled with it. In fact they become skeptical whether the content delivered had reached all the students or were there any network interruptions midway. It becomes strenuous for the teachers to cope up with the academics in this pandemic. Teachers are also exposed to all the mental pressures and health issues as the students do. Thus the e-learning has impacted both the students and teachers on an equal proportion. People frame this as the new normal but the education system cannot be taken over like the same for many days. So it is very certain that online classes could be a substitute until the situation lets us get to the educational place but could never be a replacement. So let us hope that the pandemic ceases soon utterly and revive back to the classrooms for a better learning experience.

Gooseberry (Ribes spp.) scientifically known as Phyllanthus emblica is a small spiny bush in the family Rosaceae which is grown for its edible fruit of the same name. It is also known as “fayberries” because of the ancient belief that fairies used bushes of gooseberry to hide from danger. The plant is native to Nepal, India and Sri Lanka, throughout South-East Asia to southern China. Apart from gooseberry it is also known as Amla, Emblic, Indian Gooseberry, Malacca Tree and Myrobalan. The bush begins fruiting 2-3 years after plantation. One gooseberry bush produces 8 to 10 pounds of fruit per season. Gooseberry can produce fruit and survive at least 20 years in the wild. Fredonia, Pixwell, Downing and Poorman are few of the popular varieties of Gooseberry.

Gooseberry Quick Facts

Name : Gooseberry

Scientific Name: phyllanthus emblica

Origin : Nepal, India and Sri Lanka, throughout South-East Asia to southern China.

Colors : Pale green changing to yellow when mature

Shapes : Depressed globose drupe 2–4 cm in diameter, with six vertical striations

Taste : Sweet, slightly tart taste

Calories : 66 Kcal./cup

Major nutrients : Vitamin C (46.22%)
Total dietary Fiber (16.84%)
Carbohydrate (11.75%)
Copper (11.67%)
Manganese (9.39%)

Health benefits : Cancer, Improving Appetite, Diarrhea and Dysentery, Infection, Brain health,Heart Disease, Digestion, Diuretic Activity, Diabetes, Menstrual Cramps, Metabolic Activity, Aging, Calcium Absorption, Eye Care, Hair care

Plant

Gooseberry is a fast growing, small to medium-sized, low, deciduous tree, 5–25 m tall; trunk often crooked and gnarled, up to 35 cm in diameter; bark thin, smooth, grey, peeling in patches, with numerous knobs, main branches angular and densely pubescent. The plant has sharp thorns all along its woody branches. It is normally found growing in tropical and subtropical regions from near sea-level. It grows equally well in arid and wet or humid conditions. It is light demanding plant, common in grassy areas, brush and village groves. The plant is not fastidious of soil type and grows on a wide range of soil types ranging from sandy loam to clay, light or heavy, and slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. It flourishes in deep, fertile soil. It is moderately drought resistant but some cultivars may be sensitive to drought and frost. It is fire-resistant and is one of the first trees to recover after a fire. Branchlets are glabrous or finely pubescent, 10–20 cm long, usually deciduous.

Leaves

The buds perk up early in the spring, dotting the stems with green when most other plants are still tawny. Leaves are alternate, single, deeply lobed, and glossy dark green (European types), or pale to gray-green and sometimes finely pubescent (American types). The stems are thin, becoming woody, with a large thorn at each axil. American gooseberry stems are densely bristly, with one or more additional thorns at each axil. Leaf size and number are reduced under heat or light stress, and are easily burned by intense sunlight. Plants that have been subject to drought may make a new growth flush after deep irrigation. If the roots are lost, regrowth will wait until the following spring.

Flowers

Flowers are greenish-yellow, fascicled in axils of leaves or fallen leaves, unisexual. The male flowers are numerous at base of young twigs, the female flowers solitary and higher up the twig. Male flowers are shortly pedicellate, with six pale green perianth lobes 1.5–2.5 mm long and three entirely connate stamens, six disk glands alternating with the perianth lobes; female flowers sessile, with six somewhat larger perianth lobes, a cup-like six-angular disk, and a superior three celled, glabrous ovary crowned by three styles, connate for more than half of their length and deeply bifid at apex. The flowers are self-fertile and pollinated by wind and insects, including bees. Each flower bud opens to yield from one to four flowers, depending on cultivar.

Fruit

Fruit, borne singly or in pairs at the axils, is a berry with many minute seeds at the center. A gooseberry is depressed globose drupe 2–4 cm in diameter; with six vertical striations. The color of the berries is usually green, but there are red (to purple), yellow, and white variants. (Ribes hirtellum fruit can be green or dark purple to black. Fruits of the European gooseberry may be very large, like a small plum, but are usually 1 inch long, less in width. American gooseberry fruits are smaller (to 1/2 inch), perfectly round, all becoming pink to wine-red at maturity. In general, the berries weigh about 4 g to 10 g. The fruit skin is thin, translucent and adherent to the very crisp, juicy, concolorous flesh. Inside, a berry may hold 15-30 tiny edible seeds. Skin color is most intense in full sunlight. Berries generally drop when overripe. The fruit has a flavor all its own, the best dessert cultivars as luscious as the best apple, strawberry  or grape.

History

Phyllanthus emblica commonly known as gooseberry is considered to have originated in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka, throughout South-East Asia to southern China. It is widely cultivated for its fruits throughout its natural area of distribution, particularly in India, and also in the Mascarene Islands (Réunion, Mauritius), the West Indies (Cuba, Trinidad), Central America (Honduras, Costa Rica), and the West Indies and Japan. Formerly it was cultivated in Madagascar. It is commonly cultivated in home gardens in India, Malaysia, Singapore and southern China. Nowadays because of its wonderful taste and health promoting benefits it is grown throughout the world.

Nutritional value

Apart from their sweet, slightly tart taste, gooseberry is a good source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Consuming 150 gram of gooseberry offers 41.6 mg of Vitamin C, 6.4 g of Total dietary Fiber, 15.27 g of Carbohydrate, 0.105 mg of Copper, 0.216 mg of Manganese, 0.12 mg of Vitamin B6, 0.429 mg of Vitamin B5, 297 mg of Potassium, 0.46 mg of Iron and 40 mg of Phosphorus.

Health benefits of Gooseberry

The gooseberry features a higher nutrient content and is also obtainable in white-colored, green, or even red types. One fourth of the everyday requisite of vitamin C is available in the average offering of gooseberries. Gooseberries usually have an acidic sour taste to them, yet recently, new versions have been discovered to become fairly sweet. These types of berries are generally utilized whilst producing jams, jellies as well as puddings.

Gooseberries are not typically the most popular of fruits, and lots of individuals don’t have any idea exactly what a gooseberry is, however this unusual, somewhat sour fruit has numerous health advantages. From assisting in avoiding ageing to maintaining the body powerful from problems, this particular remarkable gooseberry has numerous healthy and balanced advantages!

Some of the reasons to eat Gooseberry are listed below-

1. Eye Care

Regular consumption of Gooseberry juice along with honey is quite beneficial for improving eyesight, and research has shown it to improve nearsightedness and cataracts, while decreasing intra-ocular tension. This is mainly due to its remarkable content of carotene, which has long been known for their powerful effect on vision-related disorders, including those that stem from free radical activity. Vitamin A and carotenes reduce macular degeneration, night blindness, and strengthen your vision before the age-related degeneration from free radicals can occur

2. Digestion

Just like most of the fruits, gooseberry is very high in fiber. Fiber helps to add bulk to the stool and helps food move through the bowels and keeps bowel movements regular. This reduces the chances of constipation, and fiber bulk up loose stools and decrease diarrhea. Fiber also encourages the secretion of gastric and digestive juices, hence food is digested efficiently, nutrients are absorbed in an optimal way, and you feel lighter and healthier.

Reducing constipation can also help protect your from several gastrointestinal disorders, even colorectal cancer!

3. Diabetes

Gooseberry consists of chromium, which has a therapeutic value for diabetic patients. Indian Gooseberry encourages the isolated group of cells that secrete the hormone insulin, thus decreasing blood sugar in diabetic patients and keeping their body balanced as well as healthy. When blood sugar is reduced, it means that glucose is also being used by the cells as functional energy, thus the metabolism is stronger and you have more energy, without the plunges and spikes in blood sugar that are so dangerous for diabetic patients. Chromium also improves the effect of beta blockers, which are used for heart health, by decreasing the LDL cholesterol content of the body.

4. Calcium Absorption

Gooseberry helps the body absorb calcium in a positive way. Calcium is a crucial component of our bones, teeth, and nails, and also ensures that we have attractive lustrous hair. Thus, regular consumption of vitamin C-rich fruit like Indian gooseberries is a wonderful way to keep the body looking and feeling great!

5. Cancer

Gooseberry is a rich source of antioxidants which is effective to prevent DNA cell damage from free radicals. Similarly due to its high Oxidative Radiance Activity Capacity (ORAC) it protects cell damage from oxidative stress.  The Best part of Gooseberry is that it doesn’t lose it nutrients value even in powered form. During research it was found that Gooseberry has tremendous effect on multiple cancers.

First, it slows down the growth of cancer. Later it starts killing the cancer cells. After complete slow down, it also starts to kill the cancer cells. Also, the major part is that it didn’t harm any healthy cells. It shows beneficial in preventing and protecting from cancer. It is effective to prevent growth and spread of cancer cell. It is effective to prevent tumor cell growth.

6. Menstrual Cramps

Gooseberry consists of huge variety of minerals and vitamins which is quite useful in the treatment of menstrual cramps. Since it takes a while for the necessary elements to accumulate in the body, it is better to consume gooseberry on a regular basis so it is always in the system and menstrual cramps can be prevented every month for women.

7. Brain health

Gooseberry consists of huge amount of vitamin and minerals that helps to improve brain health. Due to the high iron in the blood, it offers oxygen to the brain. Also, it improves memory.

Apart from that it contains a high amount of antioxidants; it is effective to prevent degeneration of brain caused due to oxygen free radicals. Therefore, it provides complete health benefits to the brain.

Additionally Gooseberry is effective to protect from Alzheimer’s disease but not to cure it.

8. Aging

Aging is common with the increase in age. But the process of aging is totally changed. Skin starts to show sign of aging at an early age.

These early signs of aging are due to unhealthy diet, pollution, stress and much more.

Gooseberry helps you fight the problem of aging due to its high antioxidants content. Oxidative Radiance Activity Capacity (ORAC) value is 3387 micromole per 100 g. Free radicals are known to damage healthy cells. They damage the healthy skin and accelerate the process of aging. But antioxidants fight these free radicals and slow down the process of aging.

9. Diarrhea and Dysentery

Due to its strong cooling and laxative properties, Gooseberry is a wonderful component in remedies for diarrhea and dysentery. It offers great relief for gastric syndrome as well as hyperchlorhydria (burning sensation in the abdomen). As a laxative, it helps flush out toxins or harmful substances you may have eaten that are causing your discomfort or illness, thus removing it from your system so the healing process can begin, and cooling the burning and discomfort often felt when diarrhea occurs.

10. Hair care

Gooseberry is used in several hair tonics because it enhances hair growth and hair pigmentation. It fortifies the roots of hair, maintains color, and improves luster. Regular consumption of fresh gooseberry or applying its paste on hair roots improves hair growth and color. Gooseberry oil is quite popular in India because it has been shown to decrease the chances of hair loss and baldness. This quality is due to the carotene content of gooseberry, as well as its iron content and general antioxidant capacity, which reduces hair loss by not allowing free radicals to damage hair follicles or impact the hormones that can cause premature hair loss.

11. Improving Appetite

Regular consumption of Gooseberry powder with butter  and honey  before a meal improves appetite. It also helps to balance nitrogen levels, thus increasing weight in a healthy ways.

12. Heart Disease

Gooseberry helps to strengthen the heart muscles, so the heart pumps blood effortlessly throughout the body. By decreasing excess cholesterol buildup, the chromium can reduce the chances of atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the vessels and arteries. This reduces the chances of strokes and heart attacks. The iron content encourages the creation of new red blood cells, increasing circulation and the oxygenation of organs and cells to maximize growth and regeneration of tissue, while keeping the blood vessels and arteries clean.

13. Diuretic Activity

Besides being a fruit that is very high in water, Gooseberry is slightly diuretic in nature. This means that it increases the frequency as well as volume of urination. Urination helps to eliminate unwanted toxins and excess levels of water, salts, and uric acid from the body. Additionally, it can help you lose weight, since up to 4% of urine is actually composed of fat. Thus, a diuretic substance is always essential for keeping our kidneys healthy, and also preventing urinary infections and uterine infections. Gooseberry is a great way to do this.

14. Infection

Gooseberries have antibacterial and astringent attributes; so it protects the body against infection and improves the body’s immune response. They are also a very good source of vitamin C, which is eminent for its impressive antioxidant abilities and its stimulation of the immune system. It increases the white blood cell count in the body, which is the main line of defense for the immune system, since white blood cells attack and remove foreign toxins and substances in the bloodstream and throughout the body.

15. Metabolic Activity

Regular consumption of protein rich foods is one of the most significant ways to stay healthy, since proteins are an essential part of our body’s metabolic activities. Our enzymes can breakdown plant proteins into amino acids and reunite them into usable proteins for our body. Protein is essential for cellular growth; muscle development, organ health, and a wide range of other metabolic activities that we need to remain healthy and happy!

How to Eat

• Emblic fruit is extremely rich in vitamin C and edible fresh, cooked, dried or pickled.
• Fruit is cooked in various cuisines in a dhal (lentil) preparation and in a sweet dish amle ka murabbah indigenous to the northern part of India (wherein the berries are soaked in sugar syrup for a long time) which is traditionally consumed after meals in Andra Pradesh.
• Fresh fruits are also baked in tarts.
• It is a common practice for Indian housewives to cook the fruits with sugar and saffron and give one or two to a child every morning.
• Fruit is used to as sour seasoning in sambal and sayor in place of tamarind pulp in Indonesia and Malaysia.
• Ripe or half-ripe fruits are used to make sweetmeats, jams, jellies, “emblic myrobalan” fruit preserves, candies, emblic powder, chutney, pickles and relishes.
• Emblic preserves are manufactured and marketed in large quantities in India.
• Preserved amblics are available in enameled cans or crystallized as a confection.
• Emblic flesh can be dried and made into chips.
• Fruit juice is used to flavor vinegar.
• Fruit is extensively used by local Thais to quench the thirst when walking in the forest in Thailand.
• Phyllanthus drink prepared from fruit extract is commonly known, and wine made from fruit extract is sold in the market in China.
• Tart, astringent quality berries are favored in fish, poultry, and meat dishes.
• Berries are also used in muffins, pie-fillings, and ice creams.
• They are also used to flavor beverages such as sodas, flavored waters, or milk, and can be made into fruit wines and teas.
• Gooseberries can be preserved in the form of jams, dried fruit, or as the primary or a secondary ingredient in pickling, or stored in sugar syrup.