Day: October 11, 2021

CHIPKO MOVEMENT 2.0 ?

A historic environmental movement took place in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand in India. It was started by Amrita Devi and lead by environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna. People involved in developmental projects ordered their workers to chop off the woods situated in Chamoli. The forest resources contributed greatly to the livelihood of the villagers. Their predominant occupation included, food gathering, forestry, farming, pastoral work, etc. Hence, these locals heavily relied upon the forest. The developmental officials intended to industrialize the area for improvement in transport and communication. But, the locals disagreed upon their plans. In the month of April 1973, contractors and workers visited the site to begin with felling of the woods. But, the locals gathered in masses and hugged the tress in protest. Women in large numbers too came forward to lead a non-violent struggle. Therefore, the movement came to be known as ‘The Chipko Movement’ (English Translation – ‘Hug The Tree Movement’) This unique movement gathered a lot of praise as the workers had to retreat due to the mass protest. The villagers thus gained success in eliminating deforestation.

A very similar protest occurred in the Aarey Forest in Mumbai city of India, which is an urban green space spread across 800 acres of land. This green landscape is popularly known as the ‘Green Lungs of Mumbai’. It is one of the only areas with a natural forest cover in Mumbai. A multi-crore metro rail project was launched in the city to ferry 13.9 lac passengers daily. Bharatiya Janata Party ( an Indian political party) announced a controversial decision to construct a car shed for Mumbai Metro line-3 at Aarey Forest. For this project, 2141 trees were cut down. Shivsena (political party) opposed the move of the BMC Tree Authority to allow felling of the trees, while other parties such as NCB and BJP were in favour. Mumbaikars were highly agitated with the decision taken. Protests regarding the same, legally gained pace when environmental activist, Zoru Bathena signed a petition at the Bombay High Court against the Tree Authority for giving clearance to the proposal.

The MD OF MMRCL claimed that the plus points of the developmental project will outweigh the felling of trees. Upon receiving all such actions and statements, not just politicians and environmentalists but also the Bollywood actors came on ground to protest against the decision. The ‘SAVE AAREY’ campaign gained popularity with social media hashtags, posters, slogans and blogs. People from NGO’s, celebs, youtubers, influencers and the civil public gathered in the Aarey Milk Colony, Goregaon to lead agitations. As a part of duty, men and women in uniform had to detain, charge and arrest people for indulging in an unlawful assembly, under Section 144 which was imposed during that time period.

All of this gained favorable outcomes when, the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr. Uddhav Thackeray announced the declaration of 800 acres of land in the Aarey as forest premises, which will remain unharmed pertaining to any developmental work in the future as well. The cases filed against the protesters were also taken back by the court. CM Thakeray also announced that the Metro car shed for Phase III be shifted to a land in Kanjurmarg (suburbs of Mumbai), owned by the State Government. The land will be used free of cost as a property of the State. In this manner, the green patch of Aarey was treasured by a cohesive movement. Hence, we can conclude by stating that, this Save Aarey Movement 2020 was much similar to the Chipko Movement 1973.

“The Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need but not every man’s greed”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Sustainable use of natural resources and prevention of environmental degradation is essential. Mass consciousness in this regard is leading to environmental actions and movements. Thus, human evolution and environmental protection must go hand in hand.

Are electric cars the future? The success story of Tesla

In 1834, Robert Anderson of Scotland created the first electric car carriage. The following year, a small electric car was built by the team of professor Stratingh of Groningen, Holland and his assistant, Christopher Becker. More practical electric vehicles were brought onto the road by both American Thomas davenport and Scotsman Robert Davidson in 1842. Both of these inventors introduced non rechargeable electric cells in the electric car. The Parisian engineer Charles Jentaud fitted a carriage with an electric motor in 1881. William Edward Ayrton and John Perry, professors at the London’s city and guilds institute, began road trails with an electrical tricycle in 1882; Three years later a battery-driven electric cab serviced Brighton.

Electric cars during 1890s in the United States

Around 1900, internal combustion engines were only one of three competing technologies for propelling cars. Steam engines were used, while electric vehicles were clean, quiet, and did not smell. In the United States, electric cabs dominated in major cities for several years. The electric vehicle did not fail because of the limited range of batteries or their weight. Historian Michel Schiffer and others maintain, rather, that failed business strategies were more important. Thus, most moor cars in the twentieth century relied on internal combustion, except for niche applications such as urban deliveries. At the end of the century, after several efforts from small manufactures, general motors’ made available on all electric vehicle called EV1 from 1996 to 2003. In the late 1990s, Toyota and Honda introduced hybrid vehicles combining internal combustion engines and batteries.

How Tesla was created?

Entrepreneur Elon Musk is the man behind many modern innovations. It includes the digital payment service PayPal, the independent space travel company SpaceX, and the electric car company Tesla motors. Tesla motors is named after Nikola Tesla, a Serbian American inventor who contributed to the development f alternating current electricity. In 2003 two Silicon Valley engineers, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning sold their eBook business for 187 million dollars and started Tesla to build a greener car. Elon musk joined as an early investor leading the series finance and taking on several other roles as well. Tesla’s plan was simple but potentially genius. They focused on lithium-ion batteries which they expected to get cheaper and more powerful for many years. They planned to start their journey with a high margin, high performance sports car. Tesla also planned to integrate energy generation and storage in the home and develop other emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles.

Tesla Gigafactory in Tilburg, Netherlands

With this plan set, the company was ready to build a high performance low volume sports car, the roadster. Finally in 2008 Tesla motors released its first car, the completely electric roadster. In 2008, Martin and Marc left the company, and eventually Elon Musk took over as CEO. He made drastic changes, raising 40 million of debt financing and borrowed 465 million from the US government. In 2012 Tesla started focusing on two new cars, model S and model X. beginning in 2012, Tesla built stations called supercharges in the United States and Europe, designed for charging batteries quickly and at no extra cost to Tesla owners. These two models were poised for success but the high cost of lithium ion batteries made it a luxury item. To compensate this, in 2013, Tesla began building large factories called Gigafactories to produce lithium ion batteries and cars n large scale. It made Tesla cars ultimately cheaper than gas powered vehicles. Then Tesla gave autopilot system for its model S which gives semi autonomous capacities. By the end of 2017 Tesla passed ford in market value. Tesla released another crossover he model Y, in 2020. The model Y was smaller and less expensive than the model X and shared many parts with the model 3. Tesla announced several models to be released in the future, including a second version of the Roadster, a Semi trailer truck, a Pick-up truck and the Cybertruck.

A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE

The story revolves around a boy whose a expeditious effort saved everyone from being in a huge challenge.

One fine afternoon a Dutch boy was off his duty. He took his afternoon tea and went to have a walk along the dykes which kept the sea from the low lands. He saw a slight moisture in one spot of the dykes. He examined it with his fingers & found a tiny hole.

What should I do now? Leave it or look into it?

The boy grew serious. He knew that the force of the water would widen the hole & these protective sea walls would fall down in course of time. This idea brought the scene of ruin before his eyes. He made up his mind to put a stop to such a trouble at any cost. He puts his fingers in the tiny hole.

He might go home but he would not go. Little did he care for food, sleep and loneliness. The day dawned. His parents grew very anxious about him. They made a thorough search of him in the village but all in vain.

The next morning when a team went to spot to rectify the fault existing they were surprised to know how that boy being selfless handled the situation for that night & what could have happened if he wasn’t there. His mother father they all were very happy to discover that their son had done a heroic deed last night. They felt very proud when they knew that he had saved the whole country from a great disaster. He had not put a stop to the water, a great disaster would have certainly befallen on the country.

Often we tend to ignore or end up procrastinating the problems in front of the sight & that’s how we unknowingly invite the bigger troubles.Thus conclusion is ‘A stitch on time saves nine’.

Do it before it is no longer Doable.!!

Death as a lesson

Most would agree with me when I say, Steve Jobs was one of the most brilliant people, who went on to become an innovator and entrepreneur and a co-founder of Apple then worked for Pixar too.

Today, for the first time, I watched a motivating speech given by him.

What he said, and how he said is no doubt invaluable. But the points he made is what makes it so great, making it an inspiring array of words aimed for people from all walks of life.

Perhaps that is the reason, this video on YouTube had more than 1.3 crore views. And this was not even the original one, it had been edited to create a story. But the lessons he has learnt and the three stories he told made all the difference.

We all know the successful reviews of Apple company from their over priced gadgets which no doubt never fail to deliver what they promise. But the penance behind it’s creation is perhaps more interesting to know and yet many are not aware of it.

From what I understood, Jobs talked of circumstances that lead you to a place. The dots that you can connect months, years or sometimes even decades. He also talked of failure as a teacher, and the lessons it teaches.

Now all of these were a good expressions of wisdom, because most of would have heard of it or have been told about while growing up. In some cases, you must have felt them to be true as well.

But the last one, the quote that he read at the age of 17, which impacted him for the next 33 years when he gave the speech and probably till his death 5 years later.

“If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.”

-unknown

He questioned himself every morning, if he was going to do the things he would be doing if it were his last?

And facing yourself in the mirror when you answer. Because everything we do daily has an impact for the rest of our lives.

Living our life as a boon, living each moment as if it is the last will no doubt make us more happy if not more successful. Because then you are free of all the chains that bind your potential. The fears and thoughts that hinder your growth.

You are not only less self conscious (as you have few hours left to live) but you become an outgoing individual. You grab the chances, even the unseen opportunities that come your way.

You live the day to its fullest.

Carpe Diem becomes your mantra. Keeps you going through the ups and downs.

Just look at what Jobs managed to do all by himself. There are countless other people who have managed to become great personalities despite the troubles they had to live through.

And that my friend is how you can unlock your true potential. Wishing you all the very best all of your life’s endeavours.

Image source : Google

By lens!

Huge industry economy wise, content wise. Most countries make very good GDP from this sector. Example South Korea makes 3%of its GDP from the band BTS alone. Nigeria makes 1.4% of GDP  from it’s movie sector.

Entertainment majorly consists of movies, songs,

Documentary, short cinemas reality shows,talk shows,Etc. It also helps grow industry such as make-up, hairstyle, and all backstage such as art directors,dubbing, distributors, concert staff and other auxiliaries very important for smooth working of the industry.

These industries not just provide entertainment and diversion from daily life. They have been influencing society’s customs, beliefs, practices, innovations, mostly the entire thought process. People do want bodies like the actress.We want our stories to be like there’s. That what sell for public. It influences our Christmas or deepavali. They have a certain kind of soft power over the public. Many governments and businessmen use such Power to sway the public to their ideas. The celebrities hold certain call over public.

With the growth of Netflix and Amazon online channels there has been a revolution in the industry people watching movies online anytime. There are countless shows and series to begin with. But still people love to watch a few cinema at the cinecomplex. In group of friends this forms a big opinion on us i have heard!!

Some facts about the movie industry

  • France is the birthplace of cinemas.
  • Hollywood is the world’s oldest national cinema industry.
  • China has the biggest market for cinemas beating North America as of 2020.
  • Indian cinema is the largest national cinema industry in terms of the number of cinemas produced,1,813 feature cinemas produced annually as of 2018.
  • Nigeria is the third largest cinema industry after the US at first and Indian at second.

(Called Nollywood)

About that author- Emily Dickinson

One of the most prominent 19th century poet, who sharpened her skill with self reflection and seclusion and made such a huge impact in literature

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson born in 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S. her father Edward Dickinson was a Whig lawyer and her mother was a docile housekeeper. Her parents were loving but strict with their 3 children. So Emily and her siblings Austin and Lavinia got closer. The 2 sisters never got married and stayed at home.

Emily was a well behaved, docile little girl just like anyone would expect a 19th century girl to be like. All the siblings went to the same school where Emily excelled academically and was particularly good in music and composition and she also played the piano. 

Emily’s family was highly religious and she grew up with religious faith all around her household and it inspired some of her work as well. Contrary to her family’s beliefs, Emily herself was not particularly religious and was the only member from her family who did not join Amherst’s First Congregational Church.

Dickinson was introduced to the works of  William Wordsworth,  Ralph Waldo Emerson by one of her father’s friends Benjamin Franklin Newton, who she also talks about in one of her poems.

It was during her late teens when Dickinson started writing poetry consistently. And later her poems took the form of letters assorted with a little bit of humor which she sent to her brother and her friends, one of whom was married to Austin. She was especially close with Susan Gilbert, her brother’s wife and sent more than 300 letters to her. Susan was very supportive of Dickinson’s work and was a very dear friend.

Her poems also possessed a sense of alienation and seclusion as she faced loss of friends in her life. 

As time passed Emily withdrew to herself and became isolated from the outside world. This was because of her mother’s illness and someone had to stay with her at all times. During this time she found comfort in reading and writing. In 1858, she started rewriting her previously written poems. Between 1858 and 1865 she wrote around 800 poems, which no one was aware of until after her death. These are the works that Dickinson is most famous for.

Dickinson’s work possessed a certain melancholy to it, the kind that can also be seen in Sylvia Plath’s work, which shows that Plath was inspired by Dickinson. Her poems mostly revolved around death, which for some weird reason she seemed aggressive, self reflection and immortality. Her poems have been punctuated with dashes that critics are still not sure as to why they were used by the poet.

The last few years of Emily’s life were extremely tough for the Dickinsons; one death followed another. In an 1884 poem she wrote “The Dyings have been too deep for me, and before I could raise my Heart from one, another has come.” In 1886 she died, her physician gave the cause of her death as Bright’s disease. Before her death she asked her sister Lavinia to burn all her poems. Lavinia found 1800 poems after her sister’s death. Her first volume of poems was published four years after her death and Thomas H. Johnson published Dickinson’s Complete Poems in 1955.   

The Transit

Moving out, has to be a difficult choice especially if you live in a small town, moving to a big, metropolitan city could be one hell of ride. These metropolises can have a toll on the new, moved in person’s mind as they entail the feeling of racing through the life for a goal so far away to reach. The kid of 16-17 that moves out having a different perspective for everything that came across them changes as soon as that teenager finds himself/herself walking on the streets of a totally unknown place all alone. The innocence and purity that small town had taught to a person is soon discovered to be a fragile characteristic for a person who needs to compete in the rat race with other strong headed people. This rat race robs the person’s inner capability that was enlightening enough to him/her but not for others. The difference in lifestyle varies on whole new level and adjusting to that can be a sport in itself.

The Problems

Whenever a person from a small town moves into a different city there are a number of problems that they have to face and difficulties that they have to go through. These problems as some might feel hinder the development as compared to the natives. For a person moving into a new city, leaving behind the comfort home, living away from their beloved has to be a different sport altogether. They are on their own for at least three years, adjusting to the situations and circumstances all alone. The fear of uncertainty and aloofness stares right into the eyes of the migrated. The difference in culture, lifestyle, sometimes language and ethnicity is something that may further make the migrated anxious the fear of unknown. Further, for someone coming from a middle class of a small town shifting to a big city might become a financial constraint, a thing that definitely affects their overall development and growth for what they actually shift or migrate. The most important issue that the migrated ones face is discrimination. They are treated with the stereotypes that have existed for forever now. The immigrants aren’t treated with equal respect and dignity sometimes because of the small town origin. Immigrants are offered low-paying jobs because of the thinking that the standard of education is not so up to the mark that they might fit in the top positions.

The Bright Side

Though all these problems might be prevalent in the big cities even today but there have been a change in attitude in past few years. Today, globalization has reduced all sorts of gaps and hence, the standard of living in small towns has come near close to that of big cities. The settlers in new cities are judged for their capabilities and talents rather than their original cities. Although financial constrain still poses a big problem for the immigrants but the promise of a better and bright future makes them take the risk and mostly succeed in it. The peace that they find at home and among the people they love still might be missing in the new city but they do get the peace that they always aspire for. The rat race they become part of unknowingly might not be as beneficial as they believe it to be but it could still open the door to the illuminated path which turns out to be their real passion and the better career.

Squid Game (2021)

Squid Game is a highly bingeable nine-episode show that can be described as a variation of the Hunger Games series (albeit better, less generic, and even more brutal). It is a dystopian flick that nobody wanted until everybody did—with this ruthless South Korean hit trending as on Netflix. I can’t say that it is one of my all-time favorite shows, nor would I necessarily consider it to be “high art” per se. But I do recommend it. To me, it seems that there are two main types of popular television: the cheesy shows that consist mostly of instant gratification, and the anomalies that not only generate insane traffic but are also well-done. Moreover, the show features some scintillating social commentary on the rich vs. the poor. This—combined with equally striking action—renders a scrumptious blockbuster.



The pilot episode takes a while to draw viewers in, with some backstory that dragged at times. But once you’re in, you will remain on the edge of your seat. The central plot is as follows: 456 people (particularly people facing insurmountable debt) are lured into an elaborate game on a secret island with a prize of nearly $40 million. The rules are simple. 1. Contestants play children’s games. 2. There are six rounds, each containing its own game. 3. Each round, those who lose will be eliminated until only one winner emerges from the final round. The assumption is that losers will simply leave. Little did they know that “elimination” entails something far more nefarious: death, which they don’t discover until over 200 people are killed in cold blood. Another interesting facet is the guards. They too are moved around like cannon fodder by the elites who run this sick, elaborate spectacle.



Squid Game has plenty of redeeming factors. The quality of the acting, which I found too histrionic in the beginning, is ultimately believable. The screenwriting is as sharp as it is creative. The cinematography paints a surreal, colorful world that feels like the backdrop of a video game, all exaggerated shapes, sizes, and harsh edges. Also, the characters are compelling; you find yourself rooting for some to win triumphantly and others to fail dramatically. Many of them undergo enormous trauma and transformation, and the actors rise to the challenge of portraying believable emotions in an unbelievable setting. To be fair, this show will not go down in my head as a “classic,” but it was enough to lure me into devouring all nine episodes in less than 24 hours. Granted, Squid Game is too graphic for even some of you who tolerated the Hunger Games series. Otherwise, this is truly an immersive and stupendous experience with some crazy twists that will leave you shocked.

Rating: 10/10

Written by : Ananya Kaushal

How GST on Petrol, Diesel will bring down prices

The soaring prices of petrol and diesel has time and again highlighted the question of whether bringing it under the goods and services tax (GST) regime will prove beneficial for the consumers.
The much debated and speculated issue might finally come to a conclusion on Friday when the 45th GST Council meets in Lucknow.
For the first time in 20 months, the GST council will be conducting a physical meeting. After December 18, 2019, all the GST Council meetings were done in virtual mode.

“We are not saying that we should bring petrol and diesel under GST immediately, we are basically asking states to suggest a timeline,” a government source told TOI ahead of the crucial meeting of the GST Council on Friday.
When GST was introduced in July 2017, five commodities — crude oil, natural gas, petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) — were kept out of the GST purview, considering the revenue dependence of the central and state governments on them.


As demand recovered, the spike in global oil prices pushed petrol and diesel prices to an all-time high, leading to demand for bringing it under GST.
Fuel prices have been hovering at record levels on account of 41 increases in its retail rates since April this year.
However, since the past 11 days there has been no revision in prices of petrol and diesel as oil marketing companies (OMCs) kept a tab on global oil prices.
Accordingly, in Delhi a litre of petrol costs Rs 101.19 and diesel costs Rs 88.62.
Similarly, price of petrol in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata stood unchanged at Rs 107.26, Rs 98.96, Rs 101.62 per litre, respectively.

Diesel price also remained unchanged. In Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, the fuel was sold for Rs 88.62, Rs 96.19, Rs 93.26 and Rs 91.71 per litre respectively.

Prices are largely going to remain unchanged or get some relief by way of a cut in days ahead as global oil is expected to soften again.
Oil cartel Opec and its allies have agreed to gradually raise production levels that should prevent upward price movement.

Written by : Ananya Kaushal

Centre vs States On Coal Shortage Amid Fears Of Blackout Panic: 10 Points

Power Minister RK Singh said that the supply routinely drops during monsoon as the mines get flooded, but the demand remains high especially with the growing economy.

To the centre’s ‘All is well’ messaging over the coal situation in the country, several states have said that the crisis and concerns over power blackouts are real. Many Chief Ministers have written to PM Modi spotlighting the same.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has called out Power Minister RK Singh’s “sufficient” coal stock statement as “irresponsible”, adding the same thing was said during the oxygen shortage crisis in the capital during the COVID-19 second wave. “When we had an oxygen crisis, The coal situation is similar. We have a crisis today,” Mr Sisodia said.

A panic and been unnecessarily created about coal shortage and this is due to miscommunication from GAIL and Tata, Union Minister for Power RK Singh said. “We have sufficient power available… We are supplying power to the entire country. Whoever wants, give me a requisition and I will supply them,” he said.

The supply, Mr Singh said, routinely drops during monsoon as the mines get flooded, but the demand remains high especially with the growing economy.

The Bloody Tower – A Brief Account

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History

The Bloody Tower was one of the many towers that together constituted the Tower of London Complex. It was built in the early 1220s as part of the first wave of modifications of the Tower of London under the watchful gaze of King Henry III. The Tower was originally named Garden Tower because the upper storey opened on the parade ground which was formerly the Constable’s Garden. Notable people who suffered imprisonment and death include the Tudor Archbishop Cranmer, Bishops Ridley and Latimer, Protestant martyrs, a Lord Chancellor and Sir Walter Raleigh. Later on, the tower became synonymous with a gruesome murder that stained its legacy forever.

The Murder and noteworthy suspects 

The then thirteen-year-old Edward V and his brother, Richard Duke of York, were confined to the tower on the orders of their uncle, who was later crowned King Richard III. The mystery surrounding the tower continues to…

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