Month: February 2022

PM talks to Romanian, Slovak counterparts, thanks them for evacuation aid

Prime Minister Narendra Modi particularly thanked Romania for permitting Indians to enter its territory without visas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Romania PM Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă, and Slovak PM Eduard Heger for permitting evacuation flights to land in their countries to bring back stranded Indians from war-hit Ukraine. (PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to his Romanian and Slovak counterparts Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă and Eduard Heger, respectively, as India continued to use the two nations as land routes to bring back its stranded nationals from war-hit Ukraine.null

Modi thanked both Ciuca and Heger for their assistance in the repatriation process since Russia’s invasion of the east European country. According to a statement, he particularly thanked the Romanian PM for allowing Indians to enter the country’s territory without visas.

He thanked them for allowing special evacuation flights in their countries, which are being used to bring home stranded Indian citizens from Ukraine.

Further, Modi apprised Ciuca and Heger of the deployment of aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Union law minister Kiren Rijiju in Romania and Slovakia, respectively, as special envoys to oversee the evacuation process over the next few days.

During his calls with the two leaders, Modi also expressed his anguish at the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, and reiterated the need for a return to dialogue. “He also stressed upon the importance of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations,” a PMO statement said.

Written by Sharangee Dutta | Edited by Sohini Goswami, New Delhi

Life of Hostel students

There are two kinds of students attending school or a college, they are either hostellers or day scholars. Day scholar students would have been wondering what would hostel life be like? There are a few things we all would have heard from hostellers. Nowadays both of the parents are working, so they prefer to join their children in a hostel rather than picking them up or arranging them a transport and worrying whether the child has reached safely or not, Also students from long distance obviously need hostel for them to stay.

Hostel life

There are certain things we are curious about hostellers. We often ask hostellers whether they miss their family and their previous environment. Of course hostellers miss their family and their home when they are new to hostel life. It’s very natural for a person to feel uncomfortable in a new place with new people surrounded by them. We often come across the word home sick, which is nothing but a distress caused by being away from home. Students miss their home, their family, they want to go back but all these sickness is temporary, once they find new friends and start feeling easy about hostel, it would be the best period of their lives. Hostel life is real fun, imagine staying with your friends all day long, chatting, watching shows and having your own little snacks party and saying creepy stories and enjoying the frightened face of your friends, isn’t it funny? Hostel is not only meant for enjoying but also it’s a great advantage to discuss and learn new things among friends. Each one of the students must be good at something, so it will be easier to learn a lot of new things within themselves.

Leaving Hostel

Staying all those years in hostel, it becomes like another home for them, leaving all those crazy memories and friends hurts them a lot, it’s the same feeling when they left their home for the first time or we can even relate it with our graduation day ,the farewell day , the day after which we won’t be able to experience what we experienced till now. But at last everyone came to the hostel with a purpose, once the purpose is filled we are supposed to leave the zone.

Secularism

Introduction

A country is divided not based on its geographical features, but its unique citizens. Even though the underlying principle of India’s success is “Unity in Diversity”, often these differences do not play well with ethnic communities. The intrusion of religion in politics can only yield unwelcoming outcomes. This is where secularism comes in, an ideology that clearly states” Civic affairs should not have any basis in religion”. In 1851, the British writer George Holyoake coined this term, in a quest to replace the aggravating word ‘Atheism’. The main objective of this ideology is to make appropriate decisions without harming the integrity of any religion. In lamen language, he did not want secularism to be misunderstood with discrimination. Not involving certain topics in a decision-making conference does not necessarily mean we deliberately excluded them or seek to prejudice them.

Types of secularism

Based on the intensity of secularism, it can be divided into two types-hard and soft. Hard secularism is a radical option, which aims to completely disavow any stance the topic takes in political decorum. It renders any form of religious knowledge illegitimate. On the other hand, soft secularism finds its roots in neutrality, tolerance, and liberalism. It argues that attaining the “absolute truth” is not possible without proper deliberation and tolerance of religious issues in civic issues.
Secularism is also divided into three different types based on its application. These are political secularism, philosophical secularism, and socio-cultural secularism. All three overlap and are related to each other, yet they exhibit divergent traits and embody discrete meanings.

Secularism in India

India is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society. From harboring Muslims, Christians, and Hindus to being the home of more than a hundred languages, our diversity is one that is marveled all over the world. Keeping in mind the conflicts of interest that might arrive with this heterogeneity, our leaders came up with an effective solution to keep the integrity of politics of this country intact. With the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution enacted in 1976, we declared ourselves a secular nation.
Secularism has always been an inspiration for modern India. We identify as a just nation that gives equal rights and opportunities to all its citizens despite their race, caste, or creed. But, the controversy surrounding Indian secularism has also had its share of attention. With many critics claiming that Indian secularism is “defrauded”, a good look at the positive changes bought about by this ideology might change the way they think about our nation.

One of the best examples of the success of the secularism amendment in India is Muslim Madrassas ( religious education schools) getting government funds. Or the fact that one of our own presidents, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, was a Muslim. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was a Sikh, whilst the party leader Sonia Gandhi was a Christian(Born in Italy). Time after time we have witnessed different communities get their fair share of opportunities, and produce fruitful outcomes, all because Indian secularism was, has, and will always be a success.

The term “secular” means being “separate” from religion or having no religious basis. Religion is open to one and all and is given as a personal choice to an individual without any different treatment to the latter.This is the ideology that has done wonders for the world.

India’s Leading Business Women: NAMITA THAPAR

Namita Thapar is the Executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals. Emcure pharmaceutical is a multinational company in Pune, Maharashtra. The company produce tablet, capsule, and various parental pharmaceutical product. The company also is to promotes youth entrepreneurship by teaching entrepreneurial skills to children in age 11-18 years.


The Namita Thapar born in 21 march 1977. she is from Gujarathi Family. She has done her schooling in Pune. After that, she achieve Charted Accountant degree from ICAI. She completed her MBA from Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She likes to spend time reading and traveling. She is also a public speaker conducting public speaking at various platforms such as Harvard business school, IIM-Ahmedabad, etc.


Namita Thapar has come into the eye as an investor in shark tank India. The Judges are called Sharks who listen to various business ideas and invest in them. It is the platform for youth to become successful entrepreneurs. In 2020 Thapar started a Youtube channel named Unconditional yourself with Namita Thapar. In this talk, she uploaded videos about Women’s health with various doctors, patients, and healthcare experts.


Namita Thapar got the economic times ahead list 2017 Award, India’s hottest young business leader by The economic times in 2017. she always focuses on women’s empowerment. During her interview she shared three M’s for a happy and healthy life she said, “I relax in three ways- Massage, Movies, and Meditation. I ensure I schedule time for this on a routine basis so I can’t reach that breaking point”

REGULATION OF APP-BASED TAXI SERVICE PROVIDERS

 In pursuance of provisions under Section 36 of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 and section 93 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has issued the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2020 on 27th November, 2020 and amendments therein on 8th December,2020. The Guidelines are available on the website of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (www.morth.nic.in ). It has been shared with States to take appropriate action for regulating taxi aggregators.

Perfume: The Story of A Murderer Book Review

Cover of Perfume: The Story of A Murderer (1985)

Introduction

 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (German: Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders ) is a 1985 literary historical  fantasy novel by German writer Patrick Süskind. The novel explores the sense of smell and its relationship with the emotional meanings that scents may have. An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind‘s classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man’s indulgence in his greatest passion – his sense of smell – leads to murder. This novel was later adapted into a famous movie in 2006 with the same name, starring Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Karolina Herfurth and others.

Ben Whishaw as Grenouille in Perfume: The Story of A Murderer (2006)

About The Author

Patrick Süskind ( born 26 March 1949) is a German writer and screenwriter, known best for his novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, first published in 1985. Süskind lives as a recluse in Munich, in Seeheim , and in France at Montolieu. After spending the 1970s writing what he has characterized as “short unpublished prose pieces and longer un-produced screenplays”, Patrick Süskind was catapulted to fame in the 1980s by the monodrama Der Kontrabass [The Double Bass, 1981:], which became an instant success and a favourite of the German stage. In 1985 his status as literary wunderkind was confirmed with the publication of the novel Das Parfüm. Die Geschichte eines Mörders [Perfume. The Story of a Murderer], which quickly topped the European best-seller list and eventually sold millions of copies worldwide.The public knows little about him; he has withdrawn from literary society and does not grant interviews or allow himself to be photographed.

Ben Whishaw as Grenouille and Karolina Herfurth as Girl with Plums in Perfume: The Story of A Murderer (2006)

Storyline of The Novel

The novel is set in Paris in the 1700’s and follows the life of a man named Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who is born with an incredibly strong sense of smell. His nose is so keen that he is able to smell people coming, can locate lost items simply by their scent, and can catalogue smells in his mind. Whilst his sense of smell may be keen, his heart is empty and he seems to be completely unrestrained by everyday emotions. As a young lad, Grenouille encounters the irresistible smell of a young girl entering puberty. He promptly murders her and sniffs every inch of her body to catalogue the unique scent. Believing it is his destiny to bottle such a scent, Grenouille decides to pursue a career as a master perfumer, he works as an apprentice where his unique skills quickly make him the best perfumers in France. The story then follows Grenouille as he becomes a famed perfumer and experiments in scents that allow him to either go unnoticed or incite various emotions among those who smell it. His obsession with scents goes on to reaches a head with extreme consequences for all.

Ben Whishaw as Grenouille in Perfume: The Story of A Murderer (2006)

Analysis of The Storyline

A book about the sense of smell could have been a dull affair, were it not for the excellent way it is written by Suskind. His use of language is beautiful and his descriptions make even some with a dull nose like mine feel like they can smell the essences on the page. It’s not hard to see why this book has become such a modern classic given how excellent Suskind’s prose is. I challenge anyone not to read this and not then start using their nose a little more.

Scene from Perfume:The Story of A Murderer (2006)

The character of Grenouille is both fascinating, sympathetic, and yet also repulsive. In early life he is beat down at every corner and one can’t help but root for the character as he tries to rise above his terrible beginnings. As he becomes more in control of his life, Grenouille quickly becomes insidious and deceptive and there’s something very creepy in the way he is described as living like a tick. Grenouille does indeed live like a parasite, taking whatever he needs from people. As he becomes more unstable, eventually resorting to killing a young virgin, Grenouille turns into a monster, but a compelling one nonetheless. Like Humbert Humbert from Lolita, he’s a character you feel bad for sympathising with, though Grenouille may be a little more redeemable.

Scene from Perfume: The Story of A Murderer (2006)

Criticism of The Storyline

this is in every sense an olfactory novel gives a striking sensory immediacy to the fiction itself. ”Perfume” is a historical novel but one in which the sheer physicality of its theme lends it an honorary present tense. And if Grenouille is the hero of the novel, his obsessions are also its informing presence. Just as he has difficulty with words ”designating non-smelling objects, with abstract ideas and the like,” so the novel itself creates an elemental world in which such abstract matters are only of token significance. The nose is defined here by a priest as ”the primitive organ of smell, the basest of the senses,” with its powers springing from ”the darkest days of paganism”; but it flourishes in Grenouille, even in an age of ”enlightenment,” and the unspoken message of ”Perfume” is that it flourishes still. The point about genuine historical fiction is that it is primarily concerned with the contemporary world. This is not a historical romance, full of ”Prithees!” and strange objects known as poniards, but a meditation on the nature of death, desire and decay.

Scene from Perfume: The Story of A Murderer (2006)

Conclusion

The story of perfume made us really re-evaluate the importance of scents and how certain smells can influence us on a subconscious level. It makes one wonder how much of our everyday lives are dictated by scents without us even realising it. Throughout the book, you get the feeling pressure is mounting and it ends in a finale that sees an orgy of scents come together in one hell of an ending that isn’t likely to leave you any time soon.

Indian Classical Dance: Kathakali

Kathakali is one of the eight major classical dance forms as recognised by the Sangeet Natak Academy. Other dance forms that Sangeet Natak Academy recognises are, Kathak, Manipuri, Sattriya, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam

Kathakali is a narrative dance form, from the state of Kerela. Kathakali is the amalgamation of two words, ‘Katha’ which means story, and ‘kali’ means a dance or a performance, in Malayalam. The dance form is based on the stories from Ramyana, Mahabharata and stories from Shaiva literature. Although not clearly traceable, it be believed that this classical dance from originated in the late 16th and early 17th century India.

Distinct features

The art form developed in courts and theatres of Kerala’s dynasties, that is, it was an outcome of a long line of theatrical practices, contrary to other Indian classical dances which predominantly developed in Hindu Temples and monastic schools. Another distinct features was, unlike other classical dance forms, Kathakali is traditionally performed by only male performers, who play the role of both males and females.

Kathakali involves the use of intricate make-up code, costume, face masks, head dresses and brightly painted faces. The colourful make-up of Kathakali performers is quite complicated and unique among all the other classical dance forms. The intricate make-up is called vesham, which is based on the psychology of colour. The costumes consists of full skirts, a heavy jacket, numerous garland and necklaces, and headgears.

Five main roles

Kathakali is a highly expressive dance form and requires vigorous trainings to be able to deliver such precision and mastery. In order to deliver such performances, make-up plays an important role in classifying the character in Kathakali. Thus, there are five important character veshams (make-up) in Kathakali, they are;

  • Pacha vesham– It is a green coloured make up on the face that is used to portray noble male characters like kings and divine beings.
  • Kathi– It denotes arrogant and evil character. The make is basically green showcasing that they are high born, but a red mark like an upturned moustached or knife (Kathi) is painted on the cheeks to show they are evil.
  • Kari vesham– This is the colour black,  and it is used for demonic characters, playing the most heinous figures on the stage.
  • Minukku vesham– It symbolizes gentleness and high spiritual qualities, denoted by using radiant lighter colours.
  • Thadi vesham– This refers to the beard, it can vary in length and colours, depending on the gravity of the character.

Apart from these five character veshams, there are eighteen other special characters that cannot be fitted into any particular category.

Kathakali in the present times

Traditionally Kathakali dances revolved around themes from religious sagas, legends, mythologies, folklores and spiritual tales, derived from the ‘Puranas’ and the Hindu epics. However, apart from such traditional themes, the modern day Kathakali troupes have also incorporated themes based on legends from Christianity and also adapted themes based on stories of renowned western authors such as William Shakespeare and more.

Another development that can be seen in present day Kathakali is the inclusion of women in the troupes. Traditionally Kathakali was performed by an all-men troupe who played the parts of both men and women. But now, this seems to be changing, as there has been a growing number of women participating in performing the dance form. This new changes have been welcoming, and viewers are accepting and appreciating these changes to an extent.

                    However, certain things remain the same such as beginning the performance by lighting a lamp and playing orchestra music, and the voiceover continues to be in Sanskritised Malayalam. Kathakali as a dance form not only entertains us but also provides a window to have a glimpse into the past and an opportunity to comprehend the ancient heritage that has been preserved for centuries through Kathakali performances.  

Time Travel

We are always curious about time travel which is hard to believe but some people say it is possible to time travel with advanced technology while others say it’s a myth. First of all what is time travel? It is a concept of movement between certain points in time. We always come across cartoons or movies where people go back and forth in time using a hypothetical device known as time machine.

When it all started ?

You may be wondering when did all these talks started. The first time this concept was mentioned was in a novel named “The Time Machine”, written by H.G Wells and published by Heinemann in 1895. We would have also come across ancient myths where some characters had the power to skip forward in time. There is also a Hindu mythology where the king “Raivata Kakudmi”, travels to heaven in order to meet the creator Brahma. There are a lot of cartoons which uses the concept of time travel to entertain the kids.

Science and time travel

What does science mention about time travel? In our physics book we all would have learnt about special and general relativity and also types of motion in space. Theoretically speaking, time travel is possible. According to general relativity, time travel is possible by moving faster than the speed of light , which includes cosmic strings, warm holes and Alcubierre drives. Some of us would have seen the movie interstellar in which the main character travels to the future using black hole concept and meets his daughter who had become way too older than him. Stephen Hawking suggests that the fundamental laws of nature prevent time travel. Still physicist cannot come to a conclusion on time travel but we all find it as an interesting topic to talk about.

Time Machine

Most of us are curious on how does a time machine would look like if it really existed. No one knows How a time machine looks, because real time machine doesn’t exist till date, but from seeing in science fictions and cartoons, we can say that it looks like vintage cars without a roof with some clocks installed in it. whatever maybe a time machine, if it existed won’t we all be standing in line to travel in it?

MGNREGA-The most important scheme of our government?

Inrtoduction

On 23rd August 2005, the Government of India launched a scheme that would prove to be one of the most sophisticated moves the then leadership would make. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (later renamed as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employee Guarantee Act) was passed to guarantee the citizens their “Right to Work”.What would later prove to be a major success in the field of rural employment, the bill was one a lot of people were apprehensive of. India is a country where even the smartest of engineers are unemployed, and the conditions in rural areas are worse. This is a direct consequence of poor job security, availability, and restrictive labor laws. But the MGNREGA aims to eradicate this lineage of poverty.

Why MGNREGA?

The act was first proposed in 1991 by our then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. After thorough scrutiny of the program, it was finally launched in 2005, covering 625 districts of India. The statute was praised as”the largest and most ambitious social security and public works program in the world”.In its World Development Report of 2014, the World Bank applauded it as a “stellar example of rural development”.But why was this scheme needed? According to tons of surveys and reports by the various governments of India, between 1980 and 2005, the number of unemployed persons in India steadily increased from around 7.8 million in 1983 to 12.3 million in 2004–5. Not only this, but several media organizations claim that “there is unanimity amongst scholars that the organized manufacturing sector [in India] registered “jobless growth” during 1980-81 to 1990-91”. Such deplorable conditions of our workers were sought to be amended by this act.

Objectives of the program

The key objective of the program is increasing the working days of a daily-wage worker to at least 100 per year, to one or more members of a family, willing to do unskilled work. In its early years, NREGA was claimed to be “making a difference to the lives of the rural poor, slowly but surely.”
Improving the negotiating power of labor who were incessantly exploited was one of the major objectives of the program. The key benefit of the scheme hangs on the reduction of wage volatility.
Another important aim of the program is parity between men and women working similar jobs. This highlights the importance of women’s empowerment through paid jobs and entitled compensations.
Another problem faced is that of water shortage in rural India. With water bodies shrinking, the sources of irrigation for farmers seem to be depleting. In a report covering the timeline of the last decade, it was found that almost half of the funds were directed towards solving this critical problem. Our country relies on agriculture for a large part of its economy, and any hindrance to its fruitful growth could simply not be tolerated.

Achievements of the program so far

Some of the many achievements of MGNREGA include providing a standard livelihood to the women of India, employing the people critically affected by Demonetization and GST, and benefitting the agricultural sector immensely.According to the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), this scheme has played a vital role in reducing poverty among the poor as well as the socially weaker sections (Dalits, tribals, and marginal farmers).

This program has indeed proved to be a boon for the Indian youth and is the epitome of the fine implementation ability of our democracy.

Abhilasha Toppo

Articles written by Abhilasha Toppo

 1. https://track2training.org/2022/01/17/online-education-and-work-from-home-have-we-arrived-in-virtual-world/

2. http://track2training.org/2022/01/17/national-educational-policy-2020/

3. http://track2training.org/2022/01/17/student-suicides-what-are-the-deep-rooted-problems/

4. http://track2training.org/2022/01/18/role-of-media-in-protecting-democratic-values-in-india-success-and-failure/

5. http://track2training.org/2022/01/19/aadhar-and-privacy/

6. http://track2training.org/2022/01/20/raising-legal-age-of-marriage-in-india/

7. http://track2training.org/2022/01/22/should-courts-declare-prostitution-legal-in-india/

8. http://track2training.org/2022/01/23/juvenile-justice-system-in-india/

9. http://track2training.org/2022/01/24/death-penalty-in-india/

10. http://track2training.org/2022/01/25/addiction-of-social-media/

11. http://track2training.org/2022/01/27/role-of-students-in-eradication-of-drugs/

12. http://track2training.org/2022/01/31/single-use-plastic-ban/

13. http://track2training.org/2022/01/31/ignorantia-juris-non-excusat/

14. http://track2training.org/2022/02/01/language-is-not-only-a-means-of-communication-but-also-a-tool-by-which-we-think/

15. http://track2training.org/2022/02/02/aatmnirbhar-bharat/

16. http://track2training.org/2022/02/07/kashi-vishwanath-corridor/

17. http://track2training.org/2022/02/08/feminism-and-women-empowerment/

18. http://track2training.org/2022/02/08/child-marriage-a-legal-view/

19. http://track2training.org/2022/02/09/impact-of-feminism-and-women-empowerment-on-indian-society/

20. http://track2training.org/2022/02/09/triple-talaq/

21. http://track2training.org/2022/02/13/impact-of-caste-dynamics-in-contemporary-india/

22. http://track2training.org/2022/02/13/electric-vehicles/

23. http://track2training.org/2022/02/14/pm-ayushman-bharat-health-infrastructure-mission/

24. http://track2training.org/2022/02/16/farm-bill-2020/

25. http://track2training.org/2022/02/16/uniform-civil-code/

26. http://track2training.org/2022/02/17/azadi-ka-amrit-mahotsav/

27. http://track2training.org/2022/02/22/__trashed/

28. http://track2training.org/2022/02/23/__trashed-2/

29. http://track2training.org/2022/02/26/the-indian-constitution-indian-republics-sacred-book/

30. http://track2training.org/2022/02/27/section-377/

 

THE MAN WITH ZERO HATERS

Inspirating story of RATAN TATA

The Ratan Tata is an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. He is chairman of the Tata group. He is the biggest Indian business magnate and chairmen of 100$ billion. The mission of the company is “To improve the lives of communities we serve globally.” Ratan Tata is a very best leader because he takes care of his employees. He started medical benefits to its employees. He is regularly supporting the education system, the health system that is medicine, and rural development. He is a role model for all youth.
The Ratan Tata was born on 28 December 1937(age 84). He is the son of Naval Tata and was adopted by Ratanji Tata (son of Jamsetji Tata). He is situated in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He is an alumnus of Cornell University College Of Architecture. And Harvard business school through the Advanced Management Program in 1975. he joined the company in 1961. he gives 8 hours of work to employees.


Tata invested personal savings in Snapdeal-one of India’s leading e-commerce websites in January 2016. he also invested in Teabox, an online tea seller. he made small investments in both early and late-stage companies in India. Tata Motors rolled out the first batch of Tigor Electric Vehicles from its Sanand plant in Gujarat. For that Tata said, “Tigor indicates a willingness to fast forward India’s electronic dream. the government has set an ambitious target to have only electric cars 2030.”
I came upon a lighthouse: A short memoir of life with Ratan Tata written by Shantanu Naidu. Tata industries work in various fields such as steelwork, ironwork, cotton mills, and hydroelectric power plant. Ratan Tata got the Padma Bhushan award in 2000 and Padma Vibhushan in 2008. He is a real hero and a legend person.

Section 377

In the past, homosexuality was regarded as an offence of criminal nature. However, few years back in 2018, a remarkable judgement was laid, decriminalizing Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code making private homosexual relations legal. This judgement was assumed to be bring benefitable changes in the life of the homosexuals and was believed to contribute in their fight for their right to be a part of the society. Nonetheless, the increasing cases of suicide of homosexuals recently has turned upside down the above believe and the fact of decriminalizing the Section 377 has not brought fruitful effects that was expected as such.

In 1864 initially, Section 377 was introduced by the ruler of British colonial. Section 377 of the IPC states that any homogenous intercourse or sex activities between individuals of same sex are prohibited and illegal under the law. Our Indian government followed this act for a very long time but it was opposed by a great number of people. Many NGOs and foundations also stood in support of the homosexuals and many rallies and campaigns were started to create awareness about gay sex and normalize it in the society.

Prior to the revilement of the Act, the people were afraid to express their real feelings. They considered the fact that they are gay should remain hidden because they thought that if the people come to know about this fact, the society would avoid them making them feel unmotivated, uncomfortable and unaccepted. Such was the reality back then. However, when the ban was raised, many homosexuals came forward and expressed their true feelings. The upliftment made gay sex legal and such people started living a happy confident life and it also encouraged them to make confident choices.

Taking into account the present scenario, many people still consider homosexual intercourse and sex as a taboo. There is a false belief that performing such actions is excessively repulsive and vicious for the society or human race. Although, it has been proven scientifically that its all about changes in the hormones and it’s utterly normal to have affection and love between individuals belonging to same sex. There should be no sense of uneasiness among the people, rather they should support the homosexuals as they are also humans as them and they also have the same emotions and feelings. Love and support are the mere needs of homosexuals to feel accepted by others in the society.

The ban upliftment was the result of the help and support of a number of foundations and NGOs. One such foundation was Naz foundation that focused on putting this act at public notice and tried to make it a significant topic to be noticeable by the court. Many NGOs and foundations came together and joined hands in implementing campaigns to make people familiar about the concept of same sex relationship.

The ban was uplifted by a five-judge bench of constitution headed by chief justice Dipak Mishra. Prior to the revilement of the act, if an individual was caught in this act then he/she was liable to be in atleast a 10 year imprisonment along with fine. It was the outcome of the support of many people and determination of the NGOs and foundations that the ban was raised by a long 185 years period. This encouraged the people to come out of the shadows and live their life confidently and happily. Today, not only in India but in many other countries, the government is open for gay relationships and one can marry an individual of same sex and can even adopt a baby. These things are now no more regarded as taboo because of their constitutional flexibility which is made only for the betterment of the people.

Swarnajayanti fellow’s work to pave way for developing strategies to manage and treat attention disorders

 Prof. Sridharan Devarajan, currently an Associate Professor in the Centre for Neuroscience & Associate faculty in Computer Science and Automation, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, is a recipient of the Swarnajayanti fellowship for the year 2021. He seeks to identify brain regions and neural mechanisms that mediate human attention, with potential applications in developing therapies for treating attention disorders.

The human brain has the remarkable ability to pay attention to important objects and locations in our world while ignoring irrelevant ones. Although attention has been studied behaviourally for many decades, we know very little about how attention works in the brain. Unexplored territories include— identifying brain regions that allow us to sustain attention on particular objects, brain regions that suppress irrelevant information, and brain processes that are disrupted in disorders of attention.

Along with his group, Prof. Sridharan is employing combinations of cutting-edge, non-invasive technologies. Including functional and diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI/dMRI), Electro-Encephalography (EEG), and Trans-Magnetic and Electrical Stimulation (TMS/TES) to both record and perturb human brain activity in a targeted manner.

In his recent work, Prof. Sridharan has identified how particular brain regions – both in the neocortex (outermost layer of the brain) as well as in the deeper midbrain – contribute to attention. His group has shown that human participants with asymmetric wiring between the midbrain and the cortical hemispheres also show marked asymmetries in the way they pay attention. In another recent study, they have shown that perturbing activity in a particular region in the neocortex (the parietal cortex) can affect participants’ ability to pay attention. To analyse and simulate how attention works in the brain, they also developed detailed mathematical and computational (deep learning) models of the neocortex and midbrain. This research has been published in various prestigious journals, including PLoS Computational Biology.

“While these studies from our group and others have hinted at the role of several brain regions in attention, very few have experimentally established these links directly. As part of the Swarnajayanti Fellowship, our lab will seek to understand “causal” mechanisms of attention in the brain. We will follow a three-pronged approach,” told Prof. Sridharan.

First, they will track changes in the structure, activity, and connectivity between specific brain regions (“neuroplasticity”) when participants are learning to paying attention. Measuring such neuroplastic changes in the brain may have key implications for testing the effectiveness of interventions for managing attention disorders, both in children and adults.

Second, they will develop brain-machine interface technologies that can be used to train participants to voluntarily control activity in attention-related brain regions (“neurofeedback”). They will then try to find out whether achieving such neurofeedback control improves participants’ attention abilities. This type of interface may be developed into a non-invasive tool for training attention capacities in healthy individuals, as well as in patients with attention disorders.

Third, they will perturb and image brain activity in real-time, with millisecond precision (“neurostimulation”), to identify the role of particular brain regions in attention. This technology may be adapted in clinical settings for targeting brain regions implicated in disorders of attention, such as attention deficit disorder (ADD).

All of the experiments will be carried out at the state-of-the-art JN Tata National MRI facility at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), which houses a 3T (Siemens Prisma) MRI scanner with integrated MR-EEG and MR-TMS setups.

“Broadly, the research findings from this proposal will advance our fundamental understanding of key principles by which attention works in the human brain and may pave the way for developing rational strategies to manage and treat attention disorders,” added Prof. Sridharan.

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Publication link: https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009322

Looking Back to Past: Vintage Kolkata in Photos

A busy street of Today’s Kolkata

Introduction

Kolkata, also fondly know as “The City of Joy”, never ceases to amaze generations with its breathtaking beauty, not only with its metro city status of today’s India, but also in the days of past. In today’s editorial, we’re going to take glance at glimpses of Vintage Kolkata from the past.

Brief History and Importance

Kolkata’s recorded history began in 1690 with the arrival of the English East India Company, which was consolidating its trade business in Bengal. Job Charnock, an administrator who worked for the company, was formerly credited as the founder of the city; In response to a public petition, the Calcutta High Court  ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a founder. The area occupied by the present-day city encompassed three villages: Kalikata, Gobindapur  and Sutanuti. 

Kolkata , also known as Calcutta (official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly river, the city is approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commercial, and financial hub of Eastern India  and the main port of communication for North-East India .According to the 2011 Indian census, Kolkata is the 7th most populous  city in India, with a population of 45 lakh (4.5 million) residents within the city limits, and a population of over 1.41 crore  (14.1 million) residents in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area. The Port of Kolkata  is India’s oldest operating port and its sole major riverine port. Kolkata is regarded as the Cultural Capital of India.

Vintage Kolkata Album

Here we take a look at the vintage snaps of Kolkata’s most iconic places

Crossing of Harrison Street, Strand Road and Burra Bazaar Area
Park Street
Calcutta High Court
Traditional Goddess Durga Idol
Victoria Memorial Hall
The Hindustan Building on Central Avenue once served as the office of US Army
The Bathing Ghat of Hooghly River
Hustle in front of Calcutta Stock Exchange
Early days of Howrah Bridge
The auspicious Kalighat Temple of Goddess Kali
St. Paul’s Cathedral Church
Burra Bazaar Area
Esplanade Area
Calcutta Town Hall

Conclusion

Though the time has changed, and history has taken many turns but the essence of Kolkata, has remained the same over ages. The Government has come forward to preserve the heritages of Kolkata, that have made the Bengal and Bengalis proud through decades. People are hopeful that this tradition follows down with the upcoming generations by passing love and the celebration of the beauty of Kolkata.

Health and Nutrition

We all know that being healthy is real happiness, but most of us live a hectic lifestyle, rushing everything, pushing ourselves to earn money, studying hard and we forget about our health. Sometimes people forgot to eat or had forgotten they’ve eaten already. Some of us really do care about our diet, but we don’t know what is appropriate in order to stay fit . Speaking of food, it’s not only important to eat but also to eat a nutritious meal.

Weight loss and weight gain

Many of us are fascinated on seeing celebrities, how do they have such a fit body? how do they look young even at this age? We even try lot of diet and workout to look fit without knowing the basics of dieting and end up gaining all the weight we lost. People skip breakfast, thinking that might help them loose weight but it’s the other way round, skipping breakfast leads to a drop of blood sugar level, reduces your body metabolism which means your body doesn’t breakdown the food you intake, which obviously leads to weight gain. Some people try hard to gain weight, most of the time people gorge themselves leading to eating syndromes and other health issues.

Diet and Exercise

What can we eat to stay healthy? what kind of exercise makes me fit?, These kind of doubts would be arising in our minds while reading this article. There’s a simple way to understand this, our human body needs vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrate, fat, dietary fiber and water. It’s very important to note that all these nutrition should be taken in moderation to avoid disorders caused due to malnourishment or over nutrition. Exercise plays an important role in health, at least half an hour of exercise everyday is necessary to keep us fit. Remember to eat healthy and be active to lead a healthy and happy life , another interesting and effective way to stay healthy is facing all our problems with a smile and laugh out your stress, because laughing stimulates your heart which improves your cardiovascular health. Remember to begin your day with a smile.