Month: December 2021

The Gift Of Sharing and Giving

The year is coming to an end and we can all say it is nothing less than a roller coaster ride of so many different things. If we look back, we all have had our share of happiness, grief, excitement, anger, joy, blues, and so many more things. Each one has had it just in different quantities. Before we start our New Year and new adventures, we all have one small thing to do so that there is the hope of change and betterment when we move forward. The small thing I am referring to is sharing and giving. As Leonard Nimoy says and I quote “The more we share, the more we have”  

During this festival celebration of the year let it be it Christmas, Diwali, or Eid it is time that we all spread our hands forward to help by sharing and giving to those people in need. By doing this we not only make our lives better but also the people whom we are helping and also the society and the world. When we share and give, we make the world a happier, peaceful, and joyous place to live. When a festival is celebrated, it should not be limited to those just of a better class but also to the people who are trying to make their lives better by working hard every single day and trying to meet with the fast-growing world. Let us understand this on a more detailed note.

Why is it important to share and give?

The first and foremost thing that one should understand is that when a person shares or gives one should do it selflessly. There should not be any ulterior motive or expectation of any kind of praise, reward, or anything else in expectation of return. The other thing that people should keep in mind while sharing and giving is to do it with all their heart. It should be done out of kindness and happiness not because there is a requirement or just for the sake of it. This might sound very typical but when children see their parents share and give then they learn a lot and even make it their habit. Sharing and giving is not something that kids should learn and leave it aside rather it is a thing that a child should learn, imbibe, and make use of it in their lives at the very end. The contentment and the joy and happiness that one feels from within are very powerful and can even influence the way a person sees and behaves positively. The importance of sharing and giving cannot come at a better time when the world is slowly becoming mechanic, selfish, and greedy. It is the process of sharing and giving that makes us human beings more humane and evolved than other species. The idea of sharing and giving should remain intact until the very end of everything if we want to have a better future not just for the future generation but also for ourselves

Tech pitches in to fight COVID-19 pandemic | Computerworld

Sharing and giving during the pandemic.

The pandemic is not over yet and it managed to put a big pause on our robotic life. The pandemic made us realize the amount of destruction and pain we have caused to nature and other living creatures in the name of development and progress. It is not that development and progress are bad but it will be harmful if we lose the very essence of living and being ourselves. The pandemic created havoc, something that nobody expected or was ready for the destruction that it is causing. It was this very pandemic that made us realize the importance of humanity and the importance of sharing and giving during tough times. By sharing and giving, we were uniting as one and made us realize that only through togetherness and hard work will we be able to fight the virus. We realized during this time that sharing and giving was not just related to materializing things but rather more important things such as sharing our thoughts, feelings, and emotions so that more people could open up and acknowledge their feeling and emotions as well and give so much more important to mental health than we ever did.  We realized that when many people come forward to give the pressure of it reduces and the quantity and quality of things get better and thereby we can help more and more people are safe and secure. When scientists, doctors, and other front line workers shared their ideas and perspectives and also made sure to give their hundred percent by constantly working hard day and night that it was possible to reduce the death toll, bring down the positive cases and get back some sense of normalcy back. I can go on and on about how sharing and giving have had a major positive impact during the pandemic. Let us all go back to the memory of the very first year of the pandemic and the present. So That we can see and understand how we have had so many small and big instances of our lives where you have shared or given to someone or someone has shared and given something to you. This is when we understand that these actions have not only made each other’s lives better but also strengthened the relationships with people around us.

All of these things being said we also need to remember and make sure to follow that we do not need a major event or anything big to happen to share and give. Rather I think it should come from the space of responsibility and duty towards the society and the world that is constantly playing a role in our growth and development. When a person truly with a good heart and mind without any motive shares and gives then it speaks a lot about their personality and their character. One does not have to do many things to share and give. They can just spend their weekend in an orphanage enjoying and playing with the children there or one can go to the orphanage and spend some peaceful and fun time with all the people there. Even giving your toys and clothes that you do not use to someone who requires them can make such a big difference and impact.

In the end when someone does something big or small towards a positive change then it always makes an impact and difference in the whole world. It will always be there. To conclude with a thought-provoking quote by Robert Brault where he says and I quote “The willingness to share does not make one charitable rather it makes one free”

References

  1. Google searches for images and quotes.

True Love

Domestic Dogs | Different Types of Dogs | DK Find Out

 As Jill Abramson rightfully says and I quote, “A dog can span you out of any bad kind of mood that you are in faster than you can think of”. This article is going to be a joyous treat to all animal lovers, dog lovers, dog parents who own a dog or not, and I hope this article encourages everyone out there to have a dog at least once in their lifetime. The joy, happiness, love, and trust one receives from a dog whether it is a street dog or even their pet is beyond one’s imagination and belief.

The fruitfulness and contentment that one receives through a dog’s love make us truly wonder whether these beautiful animals are a gift to humankind. One will understand the true meaning of love and compassion through a dog. A dog never sees which religion, caste, class, or hierarchy humans with whom they try to be friends. Dogs only see the goodness and good heart inside a person. Dogs are the most selfless animals that we can ever find on this planet. Sometimes it honestly mind boggles me how dogs descend from the most ferocious and dangerous animal like wolves. A dog’s love will always be unconditional and pouring whether they belong to large breeds or small breeds. Dogs are those creatures that do not need words or sentences to show us what they feel and what they want. They just do things that make us happy without saying a single word. That is their hidden beauty and strength. Let us understand more about dogs through this article.

Are dogs ferocious?

Well according to me, the answer would be a no. However, dogs descend from the wolves they are said to be more accommodative and accustomed to the human habitat. Then you must all be wondering how we have cases of dogs getting ferocious and angry. The answer to this query is very simple. It is mostly how a person trains their dog. If the dogs are trained to react with bites to a threat then they may be very ferocious and dangerous to strangers even if the family members know them. There is also special training that is given to police and other force-related dogs so that they are trained in the right way for all the unexpected situations these dogs need to handle during their service. There is also this constant myth and belief that large breed dogs like the German Sheppard, Bull Dog, Rottweiler, and Pit Bulls are ferocious and dangerous dogs. This cannot be considered true under all circumstances because it all depends on the kind of environment, people, and the way these dogs are taught to behave which also needs to be highly considered. Another reason why dogs do get ferocious is their experiences whether they are street dogs or even pet dogs. If they have been abused or hurt by other people the dogs are ferocious and dangerous. They use their instincts as a means of defense mechanism to protect themselves and keep themselves safe. In short, dogs are not ferocious it is how they are trained and exposed to different factors that play a major role in their behavior.

Role of a dog in a family

The role of a dog in a house is not just looking after and safeguarding the house. It is much more than that. For instance during the pandemic when we all were locked and cooped up in our house and couldn’t go out it was not just dogs but all those people who had pets in their house who had so much more love, compassion, and enjoyment than houses without pets. Even people who were staying alone decided to get small or large breed according to their requirements and are showing better mental health and positivity around them rather when they were alone. A dog can make anyone and everyone happy by just existing around them. Several reports and research done have shown that dogs have a positive impact on the environment, feelings, thoughts, and emotions of all the family members of the house. Several reports have also shown that when children grow and develop around dogs they learn things like love, compassion, trust, friendliness, which all play a very important role in the proper growth and development of a child. Dogs tend to teach things to children things that often are looked over or difficult to teach as human beings.

I have mentioned just a few examples of how important the role of a dog is in a family but there is so much more that one will discover when they have a dog around them. I have just managed to mention the role of a dog in a family; however, there is so much more these beautiful animals do in our society and world, which is beyond comparison.

Home - Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center

Should one adopt or buy a dog?

This question has also always been there and asked so many times by so many people to other people. My answer to this question is very simple. ALWAYS CHOOSE TO ADOPT RATHER THAN BUY. When a person adopts a dog, they are not just doing a good thing for the dog but also for themselves. When you adopt a dog, you consider them more than a pet. Their value is not just limited to money but to so much more of feelings, emotions, and love that are needed in this industrialized world. Yes, the fact that when you adopt a dog the process can be tedious and even requires a lot of effort but once the connection has been made all the effort and struggle will be so fruitful that you will always cherish it for life. You can always choose to adopt an indie dog or a specific breed dog; there is no harm in doing both. If you choose to buy a dog then it is always recommended to look at these loving animals beyond their monetary value.

One of the most important thing that everyone need to keep in mind is, there is much more to do for these animals than just adopting them or buying them and giving them food and shelter. A pet parent has to be very responsible, dedicated to looking after their dogs or any other animal for that matter, and must keep a check on even the tiniest thing about these animals that are not looking for anything more than love, trust, and compassion.

One can go on and on about dogs who are like disguised angels from heaven who have come to look after us humans and provide an emotional sense to this materialized world. To conclude with a beautiful quote by M.K Clinton where he says and I quote “The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog”  

References

  1. Google searches for images and quotes.

BYZANTIUM : A SYMBOLIC ANALYSIS

Among the 20th century poets, Yeats is considered as the craftsman in the use of symbols and images. His poems are filled with complex system of symbols. The poem Byzantium is also rich with various symbols and images. The poem consists of five stanzas and each stanza carries a key image and symbols. Through this key image Yeats portrays the theme of the poem. The title of the poem itself do not stand for the real Byzantine Empire. It is the country or Empire of the mind which is a transcendental place out of the constraints of Time and Space. Here the empire stands for Purgation and Paradise. The poem focuses on the eternity of art and is contrasted with the sensual elements of the physical world. Through the use of complex symbols Yeats successfully presented this idea.

The poem begins with the unpurged images of the natural world. The starlit and moonlit dome of the cathedral looks down with disdain on the complexities of man.The dome is the powerful symbol used by the poetic personae. The dome is symbolic of the perfection and eternity which is opposed to the natural world of passion. The dome can also be considered as the symbol for the permanence of art. As Keats used the ‘grecian urn’ as a symbol for the eternity of art, the dome stands for the same and it scorns the complexities of man.

On another level this dome has another symbolic significance. This can also be relate to the creation of poem or art. According to Richard Ellmann Byzantium is a description of th act of making a poem. While analyzing on the basis of this, the poet is the Emperor and Byzantium is the ideal place for the poet, where all the unpurged realities disappear. The church gong is the premonition of death. As the gong sounds the realities disappear and the poet begins writing the poem. And the dome is the tower of the poetfrom where he is looking as a spectator to the world. The conflict between the real and the ideal is powerfully portrayed through the symbol of dome.

The next key symbol of the poem is the superhuman figure. This is the soul of the dead and is unwinding the memories of earthly existence. Actually the dead is the living. After death the soul liberates from the constraints of body and is living forever. So the dead is the actual living and living is really the death. The superhuman figure signifies imagination. As said before the poem can also be analyzed on the basis of creation and process of making a poem. The superhuman figure is the poet’s imagination. This purified soul will teach the poet wisdom and take him to heaven, Byzantium. In the process of creation of the poem poet attains perfect bliss. This imagination gives coherence to things and resolve all differences. What the poet saying is that the artist has to exploit the tension between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Among all the symbols used in the poem, golden bird is the most important one. Like the dome, the golden bird sitting in the golden bough also symbolizes perfection in the creative process. Through this symbol poet celebrates artificiality and changelessness of art. The golden bird is opposed to the living things and it scorns the common birds. So the perfected art looks down the nature which is subjected to time and emotions.

The flames represents spiritual realization. They are purgatorial fire. On the emperor’s pavement, fire fed by no fuel is burning and the souls of the dead purify themselves by dancing. They are ideal flames. Apart from spiritual realization the flames and purgatorial dance als represents the process of making poem. As Richard Ellmann says this poem is about the creation of art and each stanza depicts the image of imagination and art. So here the emperor’s pavement is the poet’s tower and the flames are the imagination of the poet. The blood begotten spirits are the raw material for the poem and dance is the process of creation. The raw materials gets purified and the imagination cannot be disturbed because it is independent. So here also the symbol stands for the creative genius. The golden smithies, dolphins and sea are the symbols presented in the final stanza. Dolphins are the images for resurrection and it guides to enlightenment. The poet describes the shore of ocean of life in the last lines. On the level of creation the dolphin and goldensmithies represents duality and craftsmanship of the poet respectively and it gives order to flesh and passion. Marble of the dancing floor is the imagination of the poet and it breaks the chaos.

Apart from these major symbols, Yeats presents certain images. The moon presented in the beginning stands for cycle of time and different phases in the man’s life. Mire is the cycle of birth and death. The “mummy cloth” which is unwinding clearly signifies what is inside beyond the question of life and death.Yeats used four elements of creation as symbols in the poem. The empire stands for earth, heaven for air, sea for water and flames for fire. Here Yeats attempted to bring together spiritualism, symbolism, aesthetics and mysticism. Thus he powerfully brought the themes of battle between immortality and creation, nature v/s art, human imperfection and perfected form of art and tension between life of senses and soulful life. Through the symbolic analysis of the poem it can be understood that Yeats is a craftsman in the use of symbols and images.

ECOFEMINISM

Ecofeminism or ecological feminism is the most important approach within ecocriticism and ecological activism. The writings of Annette Kolodny gave impetus to what has come to be called ecofeminism. The term ecofeminism was coined by French feminist Francoise d’Eaubonne in 1974. It is a branch of ecocriticism and feminism that examines the connection between women and nature. Eco feminism can be considered as the analysis of the role attribuntasies of the natural environment, by male authors. It also includes the study of specifically feminine conceptions of the environment in the neglected nature writings by female authors. According to Pramod K Nayar, ecofeminism argue that patriarchal society’s values and beliefs have resulted in the oppression of both women and nature. He also says that it ignores
women’s work, knowledge and situatedness. The situatedness of women is her immediate location in nature, where the relationship of woman with environment is far more intimate than that of man’s. In simple terms this philosophy examines the ways both nature and women are treated by patriarchal society. The earlier binaries in Western thought and literature was that of nature versus culture. Further eco feminists interrogate the effect of gender categories. That is the masculine culture as objective, rational, mind and public and feminine as subjective, emotional, body and private. And these binaries are used in order to demonstrate the ways in which man is equated with culture and woman with nature. Images like “mother nature” indicate two things. They are the naturalization of woman and feminization of nature. Thus it illustrates how men dominate nature and women as exploitable objects. The works of Vandana Shiva, Mary Mellor, Ariel Salleh has generated nuanced readings of the relationship between gender and nature.Ecofeminism can be classified into two, radical ecofeminism and cultural ecofeminism. One of the assumptions of radical ecofeminism is that the dominant patriarchal society equates nature and women in order to degrade both. In fact, in it’s emergence, ecofeminism tends to be radical revealing practices of patriarchal domination of both. So radical ecofeminism targets the historical and cultural
backgrounds that equates the feminine and nature with negative and commodifiable attributes, while men have been elevated as capable of establishing order. Such a socio economic structure easily facilitates the exploitation of women and nature, for cheap labour and resources.
Cultural ecofeminism promotes an association between women and the environment by focusing on the more intimate and organic relationship between them. As per the anthropologically assigned gender roles women are nurturers of family. Culture ecofeminism has roots in nature based religions, goddess and nature worship. It is a way of redeeming both the spirituality of nature and women’s instrumental role in that spirituality. The cultural myths and
spirituality of Native America, Australia and African tribal populace underscores this mutual bonding between women and nature. Because they are built on a mother goddess instead of omniscient father God.
Vegetarian ecofeminism, materialist ecofeminism and spiritualist ecofeminism are some of the new branches of ecofeminism. A major theme within ecofeminism is the belief that there is a strong connection between the domination of women and the domination of nature, and that both must be eradicated in order to end oppression. Vegetarian ecofeminism aims to include the domination of not only the environment but also of nonhuman animals to the list. Materialist ecofeminism connects institutions like labour, power and property as the source of domination
over women and nature. This belief stresses that the sphere of production that is men and factory is dependent on the production of reproduction ( women and family). Materialist ecofeminists thus call for quality in labour distribution, the recognition of the contribution of women’s work.And they suggest to expand the very definition of ‘work’ to include women’s work. In spiritualist ecofeminism, a turn to myth and theology is advocated against materialism because of the
importance given to women, nature and all forms of life. They argue that pre-modern culture have always treated nature with respect and give importance to women’s knowledge, female body and female sexuality. Thus this philosophy turned to Native American religions, godess worship in Hinduism and other native cultures. Vandana Shiva, glorifies Vedic period of Indian History, for its emphasis on symbiotic values in her work Staying Alive (1989).

Politics in India

By – Supriya

India one of the world’ s largest democratic countries , is a Union of 28 States and 7 Union Territories. The country is a Sovereign , Socialist , Secular , Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of government. The Republic is governed according to the Constitution inaugurated on January 26,1950. India was a dominion under the British colonial rule for a period of over 200 years till 1947.On August 15,1947, India became independent after years of struggle , under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, popularly known as the Father of the Nation . The Indian Constitution , the world’ s lengthiest constitution (with 395 articles and 12 schedules) was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November 1949 and came into force on 26th January 1950. The constitution created a Sovereign Democratic Republic which was officially named ‘ Bharat’ that is India ,a Union of States. India is a federal system, a system of government in which power is divided by a constitutional arrangement between national and local units of government . The Constitution provides detailed lists of division of the legislative powers between Central and State government. The residual powers of legislation remains with the Union. India has the biggest number of people with franchise rights and the largest number of political parties , which take part in election campaign . In the 2009 General Elections to the 15th Lok Sabha, 406.9 million voters actually voted out of 714 million eligible voters and an average of 15 candidates completed for each of the 543 territorial constituency seats. Elections are held at different levels. The two major election levels are at national level, after which the national government is established and at the state level, after which the state governments are established. Elections are also held for city, town and village councils. In the 2009 General Elections , the UPA was able to put together a comfortable majority with support from 322 members out of 543 members of the House. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is a ruling coalition of center – left political parties heading the government of India. The seeds of coalition governance were sworn for the first time in 1989; until then a single party rule of Congress dominated the political landscape at the Centre. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress (INC) , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha ( the lower house of the parliament of India).
Though in the 2004 elections , 335 members supported the UPA , as opposed to 332 in 2009 , however ,in the 2009 elections UPA alone had a plurality of over 260 seats as opposed to 218 seats in the 14th Lok Sabha. Hence the government emerged to be more stable than the previous one. External support came from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) , Samajwadi Party (SP) , Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other minor parties. Besides Congress , other political parties in India are the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP – Indian People’s Party) , the Janata Dal ( People ‘s Party) , the Samajwadi Party ( Socialist Party), and the Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP – Party of society ‘ s Majority) which attempts to ascend to power on the crest of an alliance of interests uniting Dalits , Backward Classes , Scheduled Tribes , and religious minorities. There are different political issues in Indian politics. Some are of national level and some of regional levels. Some communities just demand more economical and social rights for their communities. While others demand more autonomy for their cultures within the Indian States. With all its problems , India survives as a single state with democratic character . But a number of political problems still exist and remain unsolved in India. On 22 May 2009, Manmohan Singh was sworn in as the Prime Minister at the Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan . Apart from being the Head of the Union ( Federal) Government, Prime Minister is also in – charge of the Ministries not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister like Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions ; Ministry of Planning ; Ministry of Railways; Department of Atomic Energy ; and Department of Space. INC ‘s President , Sonia Gandhi, serves as the Chairwoman of the UPA. The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are drawn from members of the UPA. Other important cabinet ministers are Pranab Mukherjee , Minister of Finance ; Sharad Pawar , Minister of Agriculture and food Processing Industries ; A .K.Antony , Minister of External Affairs and Kapil Sibal , Minister of Human Resource Development and Minister of Communications and Information Technology.
Political awareness should be created among the masses and this can be done by imparting the right kind of education and also inspiring the youth to join the politics. Both the tasks are great challenges , as the youth seems to be totally disillusioned by the way the Indian political system works and how education till date has failed to achieve the desired ends. Yet, the situation is not as bleak as one imagines it to be. Things are gradually changing with the way political parties are realising the need of change of leadership from the old to the young. Moreover, the voter of today is not as naive as before. The results of the past few general elections have taught the parties that the public answers and avenges their grievances during the time of elections . All we need is to persistently pursue the path of change through constitutional means and refrain from electing corrupt leaders of criminal background. We also need to promote free and fair elections . The latest instance of the elections held in Bihar in 2006 can be cited. The process seems to have begun . There are many flaws that are still remaining and a lot needs to be done. But a beginning has been initiated , all we need is to continue to travel on the road to development , education and awareness in order to stabilize and develop a mature polity in the country.

THANKYOU !