Author: Pooja Bisht

Moral Philosophy and Ethical Theories

Moral Philosophy is a branch of philosophy that contemplates what is right and wrong. It explores the nature of morality and examines how people should live their lives.

Ethics are the moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conduct of an activity. Morals are concerned with principles of right and wrong behaviour and the goodness and badness of human character. Morality governs private, personal interactions while Ethics governs professional interactions. Ethics and morals relate to right and wrong conduct and are often taught to be the same however they are different.

Ethics refer to rules provided by an external source e.g., codes of conduct in workplaces or principles in religions while Morals refer to an individual ‘s own principles regarding right and wrong. Many morals are common as they stem from basic human emotions.

There are 3 Branches of Moral Philosophy

  1. Meta-ethics

This Branch asks the big picture question such as “What is Morality?” “What is Justice?” “Is there Truth?”

  • Normative Ethics

This branch answers questions of what we ought to do. It provides a framework for deciding what is right and wrong. There are 3 common frameworks;

Consequentialism (Utilitarianism)

Deontology

Virtue Ethics

  • Applied Ethics

This branch addresses specific, practical issues of Moral Philosophy such as war and capital punishment. It also tackles specific moral challenges that people face daily, such as whether they should lie to help a friend or coworker.

The Focus of this article is on the Normative Branch of Moral Philosophy

  1. Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its consequences are. For instance, most people would agree that lying is wrong. But if telling a lie would help save a person’s life, consequentialism says it’s the right thing to do.
  • Deontology is duty ethics, so it compares a person’s ethics against some duty or imperative. Deontology emphasizes the character of actions.
  • Divine Command Theory

In this Theory, the action performed is in accordance to the order or decree given by God.

e.g., Sabbath

Virtue Ethics

Virtue Ethics is a philosophy developed by Aristotle and other ancient Greeks. It is the quest to understand and live a life of moral character.

This character-based approach to morality assumes that we acquire virtue through practice. By practicing being honest, brave, just, generous and so on, a person develops an honorable and moral character.

According to Aristotle, by honing virtuous habits, people will likely make the right choice when faced with ethical challenges.

Aristotle and The Highest Good

In book one of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he claims every action is aimed at some good yet these aims vary between individual and context. 

According to Aristotle the highest good must fit into three criteria:

  • it is desirable for itself
  • it is not desirable for the sake of some other good
  • all other goods are desirable for its sake.

Furthermore, Aristotle later includes that the highest good must be acted upon because if one does not act to achieve any aim then they will never achieve it. In other words, the highest good is a solitary nucleus, which all other goods are acted upon for.

For Aristotle this highest good is happiness or eudaimonia (which translates to living well). He argues this by going through the list of what many may consider the highest good of actions; for example, pursuing wealth, honor, or wisdom. Yet, these do not fit the criteria he is trying to fill. Instead, he examines all these aims and realizes happiness is the highest good because it is what living well consists in and the latter aims are sought because they promote living well, not because they are what living well consists in.

Eudaimonia vs Euphoria

Euphoria can be described as the short spike of happiness that we feel during certain moments while the lasting happiness is called eudaimonia.

Eudaimonia is a more balanced approach where the happiness does not rely on isolated, powerful events but yields from every day events. Little things like conversations, encounters with people, a walk in a park, hearing a bird sing, a train being on time, a drink in a pub, a beautiful sunset. It is a mental attitude to appreciate little things and creates a robust and content state mind.

Bhagavad-Gita: The Philosophical Guide

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most well-known scriptures in Hinduism. It is a scripture that extends upon the Vedic teachings. The word ‘Bhagavad Gita’ literally translates to ‘Song of God’ and is a dialogue that took place between the Supreme Lord Shree Krishna and His devotee Arjun, when they were on the battleground of the Mahabharat war. Bhagavad-Gita has been a source of perennial wisdom and has inspired many modern thinkers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Carl Jung & Herman Hesse.

One who comes to know the Absolute Truth attains knowledge of everything.

The science of knowing the Absolute Truth is called “Brahma Vidyā.” The purpose of the Bhagavad Gita, above everything else, is to impart Brahma Vidyā, the science of God-realization.

Philosophical Teachings from Gita

  • Gunas
    • According to Gita Prakriti is made up of 3 Gunas. Sattva (Purity), Rajas (Passion and Activity) and Tamas (Ignorance). The balance of these three Gunas in humans decides the character of that person.

    1. Jnana Yog

    Jnana Yog (Path of Knowledge) emphasises on attaining self-knowledge and meta-physical knowledge. According to Jnana Yog we need to continuously seek to achieve knowledge and the answers for all this knowledge that we need to know lie within us. We do not need to seek them in external sources. The concept of Reality of Body and Soul is also explored in Jnana Yog.  It says that all souls (Atman) are a part of Brahman and all creations come from God. The present world is just 1/4th of God’s realm. Something larger awaits in the 3/4th of the other realm and we can go there only when we achieve liberation.

    2. Karma Yog

    Karma Yog (Path of Action) refers to performing one’s worldly obligations and responsibilities without attachments but involving ourselves in it. It advocates detaching the mind from the fruits of actions and doing tasks without having any expectations but staying true to the task and doing it with complete attention of mind and heart. By not having expectations, even from people we free that individual from any burden of dependency and hence make them free to follow their own path.

    Whatever you do with your body – whether you eat, dance, sing or you just sit and breathe – if you do it with involvement and joy, you become a Karma Yogi. – Sadhguru

    3. Bhakti Yog

    Bhakti refers to Path of Devotion. It means to devote ourself to God by constantly worshipping them and keeping them in our mind. Krishna reveals in Gita that he is the Supreme Being who has taken several avatars such as Brahma, Vishnu, Ram, etc.

    Krishna also distinct between positive and negative worship. If one follows a character of negative influence, they too will inculcate their negative attitude and habits. Similarly, when one worships a character of good virtues they will be positively influences and grow in the right direction. Therefore, since God is known to be perfect and the best positive influence Krishna asks to worship God through Bhakti.

    After a soul achieves knowledge of these 3 Yogs and practices them only then one can realise God, Atman and Brahman can become one and attain blissful liberation.

    Gandhi’s Concept of Bread Labour and Sarvodaya

    Mahatma Gandhi are one of the legend figures associated with India and it’s Independence. Born on 2 October 1869, Gandhi Ji always stood strong about their principles. Two of their very famous principles; Bread Labour and Sarvodaya are explored in this article.

    Bread Labour is a concept that is referred to as a blessing to those who observe non-violence and worship truth. When we talk about labour there exists two types of labour, manual labour and intelligence labour. Manual labour, as the name suggests refers to work that includes physical handwork like carpentry or labours that help in construction works. Intelligence labour talks about work that uses the intellect of a human being for example scientists, teachers, salesmen etc.

    Gandhi advocated that an individual must labour to fulfil their daily needs and desires but along with this the individual should also make use of their intellect to help others and provide service to mankind. E.g. NGOs, social workers who labour for the well-being of others.

    Gandhi ji first practiced the ideal of Bread Labour in Phoenix Settlement and Tolstoy farm in South Africa. Bread labour was a compulsion for certain hours of every day in the ashrams and people performed activities like agriculture, dairying, weaving, carpentry etc.

    When Gandhi ji returned to India he continued with the bread labour concept in his Sabarmati Ashram along with providing people with basic educational activities. The reason why Gandhi ji strongly believed in Bread Labour and encouraged it was because he believed that upon the adoption of bread labour, we will have a classless and casteless society.

    Gandhi ji also said that a rich man cannot forever be happy with his riches and will someday get bored of them.  And that this rich man will be able to understand others and feel satisfied only when he takes upon physical work and engages in the activity of bread labour.

    In his concept of Sarvodaya Gandhi ji explores a more a comprehensive, social, economic, political, moral and spiritual philosophy.

    Sarvodaya is a term meaning ‘Universal Uplift’ or ‘Progress of All’. It is based on the principle of duties rather than rights of individuals. It lays great emphasis on moral and spiritual values. It seeks to create new social and economic values.

    The term was first coined by Mohandas Gandhi as the title of his 1908 translation of John Ruskin’s tract on political economy, “Unto This Last”, and Gandhi came to use the term for the ideal of his own political philosophy.

    Gandhi advances the concept of Sarvodaya, which were the based on three basic principles:

    1. That the good of the individual is contained in the good of all.
    2. That a lawyer’s work has the same value as the barber’s in as much as all have the same right of earning their livelihood from their work.
    3. That is a life of labour, i.e., the life of the tiller of the soil and the handicraftsman is the life worth living.

    Gandhi ji were of the firm view that the earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not for every man’s greed. The concept of possession yields places to the concept of trusteeship. In the Sarvodaya society of Gandhi ji’s dream, therefore, every member will be free from any greed for limitless acquisition of material wealth and more and more luxurious living and they will follow the motto of simple living and high thinking. Everyone will, thus, get ample opportunity to produce and earn sufficiently through honest work for decent and dignified living. Consequently there will be no problem of unemployment.

    In short we can say that the concept of Sarvodaya and Bread Labour is for the betterment of the society and holds a significant role even today in its application.

    Your Humble Beginnings Matter

    Even if your beginnings are humble, the end will be prosperous.

    When was the last time you compared yourself to someone and felt utterly dejected about your own self? When was the last time you stopped rushing through tasks and took time to breathe in an air of relief?

    For me, comparison is something that I do on a daily basis. Randomly, anytime, anywhere as if performing a sacred ritual meant to calm you. In my case, this ritual only leaves a turmoil behind. And to be honest I can’t help it.

    For instance, one time I saw a girl riding a bike and going to work. She was dressed in “office-clothes” while I wasn’t. Looking at her beam confidence I started to compare myself to her and started feeling lower than her in some way. Another time, I heard some of my seniors bad-mouthing someone and I felt how much better I was than them because I wasn’t doing such a thing. But the truth was that I just wasn’t comfortable enough with them to join in the conversation. If it had been a good-friend of mine I bet I would have joined in the “judgy-gossip” right away. But the thing is, I really am clueless about how to do this away.

    The regular sayings of “It’s okay”, “It happens. You’ll grow through it” doesn’t seem to take the shape of reality. Everyday goes on with me self-assessing almost every individual that piques my interest and trying to find ways just to put myself below or above them in the hierarchical status called being and life. I don’t think there are any successful ways out for people like me, for whom even trying feels like a hassle because all we’ve gotten back until now is nothing.

    So the only thing that I’d like to tell people and to myself is, “Keep your beginnings humble”. What I mean to say is, take your baby steps, and take your sweet time to grow, even though life is short, it’s actually pretty long and no one knows what lies on the other side of life.

    When your beginnings are humble, and your view is not clogged with ‘perfectionism’ or victory, you’d be more at ease. You’d move with your own conditions and would therefore care less about the tasks of others. Your humble beginnings will remind you to see things from your perspective and not from the object race-winning one. Your humble beginnings will show you that you don’t have to learn things fast and execute them perfectly as a machine. Some things can be taken slow. (I don’t mean the hobbies)

    If you keep your beginnings humble you’ll be able to cut yourself some slack once in a while without any guilt and without the pressure of keeping up with others. You’ll understand that everyone’s pace is different and so is their direction. So whenever you’ll find yourself in a tough spot, you won’t hesitate to take a break.

    Your humble beginnings, that doesn’t blow the bomb right out of the cannon, are okay too. It’s okay if your focus is on one thing and a little minor on the rest. These simple and humble beginnings will end up as prosperous and bring happiness for you someday.

    Know About The Vinca Cora Red (The Beautiful Periwinkle)

    Kingdom:   Plantae

    Clade:        Angiosperms

    Clade:        Eudicots

    Clade:        Asterids

    Order:        Gentianales

    Family:      Apocynaceae

    Flowers are often famous for either their smell or their visuals that catches the heart many. However very little attention is paid to flowers that grow locally and doesn’t belong to the ‘exotic’ category of plants. Vinca minor or as it is locally known, Periwinkle is one such flower plant. It is a perennial, evergreen flower plant that has a quick growth rate and not much of a fragrance. Apart from the pre-dominantly white and pink periwinkle flowers, the Vinca genus also includes other color variations such as blue, maroon-red, faded-pink, purple etc. In this article, the focus will be on the maroon-red flower plant of Vinca Genus known as Vinca Cora.

    The periwinkle plant – Catharanthus roseus  also known as rosy periwinkle or Vinca Cora Red, is a lovely small plant that grows outside very well but also finds itself at home in a summer window.

    Vinca Cora Red features large, dark red blooms along glossy green foliage. The stunning scarlet flowers of ‘Cora Red’ annual vinca have a white eye that gives the plant an extra dose of personality. Vinca plants are native to North America, Europe, China and India.

    Vinca or Periwinkle is a prolific heat and drought tolerant annual, perfect for hot, dry areas. This small upright plant grows to about a maximum height of 14 inches. The leaves of Vinca  are very shiny and long, with a clear almost white center vein.

    Periwinkle plants are easy to grow and care for. Provide them a well-drained moist soil, plenty of bright light, warm temperatures 65° F and above and they will do wonderfully out on the patio or deck as potted plants.

    Take care not to overwater this plant as it’s easily susceptible to root rot. 

    Taking care of Vinca

    • Lower Leaves Turing Yellow and Falling Off

    When lower foliage turn yellow and fall off, it usually is the sign  of too much water or the plant has been subjected to cold.

    Back off the water or if it is cold related, move the plant to a warmer position.

    •  Leaves Droop and Fall

    When leaves hang, droop and fall, it normally is a periwinkle plant growing in a pot and has dried out too much. The best solution is to drop the whole pot into a bucket of Luke warm water for at least half an hour.

    When the weather is warm, plants may need to be watered daily.

    Uses Of Periwinkle Plant

    Apart from functioning as a ground cover to areas where grass won’t grow, periwinkle also serve as a source of alkaloids for medicinal use. With a total of 86 alkaloids, the periwinkle plant extract covers a lot of benefits.

    One of its products is vinpocetine, a synthetic derivative coming from the vincas alkaloid vincamine. This compound aids short-term memory and serves as an anti-aging agent.

    Vincristine and vinblastine can treat various forms of cancer such as leukemia, child cancers, hodgkin disease or hodgkin lymphoma, and other types of lymphoma.

    Pratitya-samutpada and I-ness

    Pratityasamutpada is one of the 4 doctrines of Buddhist Philosophy. The word Pratityasamutpada translates to ‘Dependent Origination’. The doctrine claims that every effect has a cause and every phenomenon that arises is because of some cause. The Pratityasamutpada can be explained with a simple example of A (cause) → B (effect), when condition A exists only then effect B arises. And -A → -B, if condition A does not exist then effect B does not arise. In simpler terms, an effect arises only and only if there exists a cause for its rise.

    Therefore, the existence of metaphysical entities like God, soul etc is denied by this doctrine because nothing can come into existence on its own will. Everything has a cause and effect cycle, and the metaphysical entities fail to fulfil this condition. This cause and effect connection is also known as the ‘causal link or ‘causal nexus’.

    If we try to understand the translation of the word Pratityasamutpada, i.e. Dependent Origin, we can infer that the origin of every object, event or phenomenon is dependent on something else. And everything that exists in this world did not come into being on its independent will but as an effect of some cause.

    Since everything is dependent, conditional, subject to death and birth therefore Pratityasamutpada states that everything in the world is impermanent.

    Pratiyasamutpada is contained in the 2nd and 3rd noble truths. The reason why suffering comes into being is due to ‘existence’. Thus, suffering is samsara (the cycle of death and birth) and the path to eliminate this suffering is Nirvana.

    Buddha gave the 12 links of the causal wheel of dependent origin which are as followed:

    (1) Ignorance (avidya).

    (2) Impressions of karmic forces (samskara).

    (3) Initial consciousness of the embryo (vijnana).

    (4) Psycho-physical organism (nama-rupa).

    (5) Six sense-organs including mind (sadayatana).

    (6) Sense-object-contact (sparsha).

    (7) Sense-experience (vedana).

    (8) Thirst for sense-enjoyment (trsna).

    (9) Clinging to this enjoyment (upadana).

    (10) Will to be born (bhava).

    (11) Birth or rebirth (jati).

    (12) Old age and death (jara-marana).

    Avidya or ignorance, which refers to the false concept of ‘I’ or ‘Individuality’, leads to the bearing and breeding of Karma which in turn leads to rebirth, and this in turn leads to suffering in life. The consciousness is believed to be the only entity that persists even after death and this consciousness serves as the connecting link between past life and a new birth. (connecting link between old and new). Nirvana is the only way to cease his consciousness and thereby prevent rebirth and suffering.

    If we simplify this ‘I’ concept, you’ll realise how most of your life’s perspective begins with ‘I’. For instance, “I don’t want to do this.” “It’s because of me that this happened.” “I’m so not worth it.” 

    Because of this ‘I’ – ness you grow blind to the facts, situations and even the feelings of another person. That’s why you need to eradicate this egoistic ‘I’ ness and shape it to the one that’ll be beneficial for you. Not tormenting. 

    Gandhigiri With Munna Bhai: Valuable Lessons From The Film

    Released in 2006, Lage Raho Munna Bhai is a movie directed by Rajkumar Hirani, screenplay by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and starring talented actors like Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani, etc that proved to be a massive hit on the box office. The story begins with Munna Bhai being in love with the radio jockey Jhanvi. To win a chance to meet her, he cheats his way through the Mahatma Gandhi quiz and passes. When he finally meets Jhanvi, Jhanvi requests him to give a lecture on Mahatma Gandhi to the old people in her house. Munna who pretended to be a History professor and a Mahatma Gandhi fan has no choice left but to study all about Mahatma Gandhi for the remaining 3-4 days that he has left until the fixed date. This causes an extensive load on his brain due to which Munna Bhai starts hallucinating about Mahatma Gandhi’s persona.

    The whole story moves forward with a battle against the corrupt Lucky Singh who deceives Munna and takes over the 2nd Innings House (of the old men) versus Munna Bhai who fights back using Gandhigiri. All along the movie Munna’s hallucinations of Gandhi continue to help him win and showcases Gandhi’s ethics that were long forgotten. Lage Raho Munna Bhai leaves its viewers with a deep sense of morality and Gandhigiri along with bouts of humor and comedy that keeps the audience engaged throughout the end, making it such a massive hit.!

    The movie succeeds in reminding the long-forgotten ethics laid by Mahatma Gandhi for the country that he visioned. Below are the major matters that the movie tackles by implementing the concept of Gandhigiri. A neologism that refers to implementing and following the methods and guidelines laid and preached by Mahatma Gandhi. Throughout the movie, Munna acts as a spokesperson for Gandhiji’s values.

    Here are some of the valuable lessons from the movie:

    1. Truth – Truth is one of the fundamental teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. In this movie too, the value to always speak the truth no matter what is depicted firmly. There are 3 major instances when the characters are encouraged to speak the truth. The first instance is when Munna hides his real identity from Jhanvi and is later persuaded by Gandhi to tell Jhanvi the truth.

    The second instance is when Munna and Jhanvi start their ‘Gandhigiri’ program to help people and a caller explains his desire to die as he doesn’t have the courage or way to return the hard-earned money of his father. To this Munna convinces the caller to tell his father the truth honestly and work hard to return the money. No matter how small the amount he earns or how long it takes to return the money Munna requests the caller to speak the truth.

    The last instance is when Lucky’s daughter runs away from her wedding because she is upset about the lie that her father told her in-laws about her not being ‘Manglik’. Munna advocates her to face whatever it is and to tell the truth to her in-laws. Further, he comforts her by saying that if the boy loves her then he will not care about such stuff and will still marry her regardless of all this.

    2. Non-Violence – This is the 2nd fundamental teaching of Mahatma Gandhi. Non-violence is also preached through the movie in a very subtle and effective way. The first example of non-violence in the movie is when Gandhi advocates Munna to turn to non-violence rather than hurting his enemy.

    The second example is when another caller asks Munna for help to stop his fellow neighbour from spitting on his entrance wall. Munna suggests him to adopt the Non-Violent way and instead of beating or spewing bad words, he should clean up the spit every day with a smile on his face. This will reduce the hatred in the enemy’s heart and make him realize his mistake. And so, it happens!

    3. Importance of values and respect for elders – At the start of the film, we see how children abandon their parents in their old age. This is a very heart-wrenching scene. Later Munna is seen remarking and rebuking the son of one of the old men. He scolds him saying that the parent who raised him with everything he got, is being abandoned today by his son when he needs him the most. This is a strong criticism towards people who, in their selfishness forgets the values and morals that one needs to follow in life.

    4. Satyagraha and peaceful methods of protests – The very core theme of Lage Raho Munna Bhai movie explores the aspects of corruption and bribery. Gandhi Ji advocated the concept of Sarvodaya for everyone’s progress however, we know that the present world does not focus on equity but greed.

    Corruption in the system is growing at a stark rate. By adopting the Gandhigiri way to fight against this, the peaceful methods of protests preached by Mahatma Gandhi are ignited again in this movie. First, Munna adopts the peaceful method of Satyagraha to fight against Lucky Singh’s corruption. In another instance, again through one of the callers, we are reminded about how to fight bribery and corruption in the system i.e. by making the other person feel ashamed in the most non-violent way.

    5. Superstitious beliefs in India Lage Raho Munna Bhai smoothly tackles the superstitious problems that are still common in India. We see the plot of the movie revolve around Lucky Singh’s daughter being ‘Manglik’ and how Lucky Singh lies about it, which in the end is revealed to the in-laws by Lucky Singh’s daughter. It shows how most of the superstitions that Indians have is nothing but a way for the so-called ‘pandits’ and ‘Jyotish’ to extract money from people. Mahatma Gandhi never showed support for superstitious beliefs and always asked people to walk with reason, empathy, truth, and non-violence. Thus, this also remains an important point in Gandhian Philosophy.

    The film succeeds in lining up with the expectations of people. Lage Raho Munna Bhai proves to be a great movie to convey the message of Gandhigiri to the audience in a serious yet humoristic way without being didactic. It not only shows Gandhi’s principles of thought but also shows a way to employ them in the present situations in India. The film is a great medium for anyone who wants to explore Gandhi Ji’s ideals without needing to have any prior knowledge about it.

    Evolution of ‘Tragedy’ in English Drama

    Tragedy as known in Dramas is one of the earliest forms of Drama that you can trace back in the history of Drama. With the passage of time ‘Tragedy’ continued to be redefined in history by many famous philosophers as well as playwrights. Both leading us to the present day contemporary Drama which portrays Tragedy in a whole different aspect as compared to the past.

    The beginning of Tragic Drama first took place in Greek culture. The well-known stories and myths were the main sources of inspiration for the Tragic plays. The features of the Greek Tragic Drama were as followed. The play involved few actors who themselves played several characters on-stage. There was a norm that tragedy and comedy were never supposed to be mixed. The play strictly followed the three unities in drama known as the unity of place, unity of action and unity of time.

    I will now talk about the description of Tragedy in Drama as approached by the early philosophers as well as modern day playwrights. Thus, proving the variations and evolution that took place in the Tragic category of Drama.

    As first defined by the great Greek Philosopher Aristotle, a Tragic Drama was a good Tragic Drama if it followed the certain rules as laid out by the Philosopher. The first rule describing the characters of the Drama. According to Aristotle the character had to be good but not too good. This was because the main purpose of the ‘Tragedy’ play was to evoke feelings of pity and sympathy and not any other. This purging of emotions was what he called Catharsis. He also talked about presence of Hamartia in the lead character, which refers to the presence of flaws that later paved way to the tragic aspect of Drama known as the downfall of the protagonist. Aristotle also believed that apart from all this, the action of the play itself had to be proper and of high magnitude.

    Geoffrey Chaucer, one of the great poets and writers of the middle English times, gave us why the subjects of tragedy were of ‘High Society’. He explained that the idea of tragedy was to show falseness of human power and wealth. Unlike Aristotle he believed that humble and meekness were the feelings that had to be purged out through tragic plays.

    G.W. Hegel a modern philosopher stressed that ‘Tragedy’ in English Dramas had to have a moral conflict. A conflict between two rights.

    The present day modern dramas are highly influenced with the ideas of William Shakespeare about Tragedy in Dramas. William Shakespeare was one of the first playwrights to break away from the restrictions about Tragedy as described by the Greeks, the early philosophers and the playwrights. Though he still followed Aristotle’s concepts of tragedy to some extent but he did not completely follow all of his ideas with regard to Tragedy.

    The modern-day Dramas today revolve not just around people of high society but also around the stories of ordinary people, leading to a more realistic feeling in Tragedy. It also breaks away the norm of Tragedy not being mixed up with others genres of Drama. Thus, providing the audience with a combination of genres and a great source of entertainment and learning through Dramas.

    People – Purpose

    This is not going to be an informative or factual article but it will be a inquisitive article. So sit back, relax and read it as if you are reading something written in someone’s diary, only that you have been allowed to read this one. 🙂

    Have you ever taken the time to just sit back and reflect upon all the billions of people you might have encountered till now and how they were all a part of your life at different moments in life? Have you ever wondered if life had been different to all of them? Or had Life been playing the same cards except with different decks for each one of us..?


    If you haven’t then I request you to do this just once. The next time (possibly when pandemic ends) you find yourself amongst a humongous swarm of people, just pause for a second or maybe just sit around somewhere and look at them carefully. (Don’t make it obvious that you are staring them please). Just observe the people who might be passing by. Imagine what they might be going through (It’s okay you don’t have to correctly identify their life situation.This ain’t “Kaun Banega Crorepati”. Try to observe and think if all the desires that they had has been fullfilled or is there still something left incomplete within them?


    Well, of course you can’t go and ask all the people to tell their life stories to you. But just try to look through. It doesn’t matter if what you see is wrong but just try to perceive one’s desires.


    You soon will realise how little your problem means in this swarm of people. How tiny we all are in this numbers that crosses over billions.


    Now I’m pretty sure that most of us have sat back and reflected upon our past times and been grateful for the people we have in our lives or maybe brooded about the ones who left us all alone in this battle of life that we are failing to fight.


    Among these people, the ones who are now gone, some must have gone for good while some left without any reason as they hardly cared.


    In this course of us meeting them and giving them a place in our hearts, we at times must have found ourselves with void without them, as if a big hollow is carved in our chest.


    But with these people now gone and time being pretty kind to us, the void starts and we realise no emptiness ever resided there.


    And in this filling up of an invisible hollow we come to know our deepest desires and wishes. We come to know that what we thought was never the way it was. We come to know that those people who never cared and left without a flinch doesn’t matter much but are still a part of our beautiful memories.

    So this what I think. I think


    With people we find our purpose. If we fail to find it, then keep looking. Keep seeing through that swarms of people. Know that all these who were never a part your of social life but still your living life, are also searching for their deepest wishes somewhere. You too should continue to search with them.

    You’ll soon come to know that on a road solely chosen by you, you’d still find unknown faces that’ll never be part of “your” life but would still be persons whom you brushed past. You’ll realise that it’s people who’d continue to bring you happiness and people who’d be a part of your purpose. 🙂

    Sorry for the incoherence in my chain of thoughts!

    Economic Benefits of Biodiversity

    All of us live in a world where we depend on each other for our needs. Almost all of our needs are met through biodiversity, directly or indirectly. Biodiversity refers to the variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part, this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. Biodiversity in short is our whole environment including flora, fauna, microbes, gases and everything that constitutes our planet earth. It is the foundation of life.


    Biodiversity is of great importance when it comes to its economic benefits. Here are some of the economic benefits of biodiversity.


    (1) Biodiversity provides us with potential raw materials – Biodiversity provides a great diversity of materials for the construction and fuel including wood, biofuels and plant oils that are directly derived from wild and cultivated plant species.


    (2) Food and fresh water – The most important services for the survival of human beings like food and water are provided by the biodiversity. Biodiversity regulates the flow and purification of water.
    (3) Organic waste disposal – Biodiversity acts as an organic disposal ground for waste materials, as many things are naturally decomposed in the environment with the help of microbes present in the soil.


    (4) Climate and air quality control – Trees provide shade while forests influence rainfall and water availability both locally and regionally. They also play an important role in regulating air quality by removing pollutants from the atmosphere.


    (5) Nitrogen fixation – Nitrogen fixation is essential for plant growth and an insufficient quantity of it frequently limits biomass production in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. To increase production of crops, a process called biological nitrogen fixation is implemented through chemical uses, however natural biological nitrogen fixation proves to be healthier and more yielding than the commercial one.


    (6) Moderates natural disasters – Extreme weather events or natural hazards include floods, storms, tsunamis, avalanches and landslides. Ecosystems and living organisms create buffer against natural disasters, thereby preventing possible damage. E.g. wetlands can soak up floodwater while trees can stabilize slopes.


    (7) Species Habitat – Habitats provide everything that an individual plant or animal needs to survive. Each ecosystem provides different habitats that can be essential for species’ lifecycle.


    (8) Medicinal Resources – Ecosystems and their biodiversity provide many medicinal plants used in traditional medicine and as well as provide raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry.


    (9) Pollination – Insects and wind pollinate plants and trees, which is essential for propagation and development of fruits, vegetables and seeds.


    (10) Biotechnology- Biodiversity has led to an important field of study in science known as biotechnology. Biotechnology refers to the technologies produced from animals, plants and microbes. Biotechnology is of utmost importance because it provides us with various beneficial products and inventions that lead to an advance in our economy and in human life.

    (11) Tourism – Ecosystems and biodiversity play an important role for many kinds of tourism, which in turn provides considerable economic benefits and is a vital source of income for many countries.


    These are only a few important economic benefits of biodiversity. Biodiversity as a whole has a lot more benefits and is our main sustainer of life. Therefore, we must strive to conserve our biodiversity.

    Ashtanga Yoga

    The word “Ashtanga” in Sanskrit is made up of 2 words, “Asht” which means “8” and “Anga” which means “limbs”, thus translating to “8-limbs”, which is a central theory of Yoga Philosophy. Yoga Philosophy has its roots about 5000 years BC as described in Vedic Philosophy and Tantras. Patanjali, a great sage composed this path into a Darshan (Philosophy) in his Book Patanjali Yoga Sutra. In this Sutra, he has also formulated Yoga as an Eight Limbs or Eight-Fold path.

    According to Patanjali, the path of internal purification for revealing the Universal Self consists of the following eight spiritual practices:

    1. Yama [moral codes]

    2. Niyama [self-purification and study]

    3. Asana [posture]

    4. Pranayama [breath control]

    5. Pratyahara [sense control]

    6. Dharana [concentration]

    7. Dhyana [meditation]

    8. Samadhi [absorption into the Universal]

    The first two stages are ethical preparations. A Don’ts and Do’s guide. 

    1. Yama (restraint) denotes abstinence from causing injury (violence), falsehood, stealing, and lust. 

    2. Niyama (discipline) on the other hand denotes moral culture and cultivation of good habits such as the cleanliness of body, contentment, the study of the Vedas, and devotion to God.

    The next 2 stages, i.e., Asana and Pranayama are considered to be stages of physical preparations.

    3. Asana is the adoption of steady and comfortable postures that are intended to condition the person’s body and make it supple, flexible, and healthy. Asana is accepted to be mastered only if the person is able to hold one of the prescribed postures for a long period of time without involuntary movement or physical distractions.

    4. Pranayama or breath-control is regulated inhalation, exhalation, and retention of breath. It aids in stabilizing the rhythm of breathing that encourages complete respiratory relaxation.

    5. The fifth stage, Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) involves control, or the ability to withdraw the attention of the senses from outward objects.

    Although the first five stages are said to be external aids to Yoga, the remaining three are considered as purely mental or internal aids.

    6. Dharana (holding on) refers to the ability to fixing one’s mind to one particular object for a long period of time. For e.g., the tip of the nose or the moon.

    7. The seventh stage, Dhyana, which is similar to Dharana in some sense, refers to meditation that is a steady contemplation of an object without any break.

    8. The last stage, Samadhi (total self-collectedness) or concentration is that stage in which the contemplative consciousness if lost in the contemplated object and one has no awareness of itself. Thus, the meditator perceives or experiences the object of his meditation and himself as one. This is also the stage where the individual gets released from samsara and attains moksha. 

    Although the eight limbs do not rank any order of performance, all 8 limbs are integral and mutually inclusive of one another and are required to be followed strictly in order to gain liberation from suffering and self. 

    If you simplify these 8 limbs paths to one that can be easily integrated in your life, your life will become better, healthier and happier. 

    Basics of Cyber-Security

    Recently I’ve been getting barged with calls from unknown numbers often ending as a nuisance from the other side. Result? Blocked. 

    I wasn’t very aware of all this cyber security stuff because no one ever explained it to me properly. The small tid-bits that I got was often from here and there from the internet itself. And let’s be honest. Even though this whole self-learning thing is the ‘new-trend’ not many of us have the time in hand or patience to sit down and browse through these millions of articles. If you’d ask my opinion about it, I definitely think it’s high-time that cyber-security as a course is introduced in junior grades and everyone is aware of the basic cyber-security laws and procedures. 

    Without wasting anymore time, let’s begin this article by asking the “Why?”

    Why is it important to know about cyber-security? 

    Social media, telegram group chats or any other websites that have your personal information stored is susceptible to threats and leakage of your data. When your personal data is leaked it may cause further problems as a possible danger to your bank accounts, personal life information and any such things that can be maliciously used by some people. It may sound “fine”, but it is indeed a big deal. Doxxing which refers to publishing someone’s private information on the internet typically with malicious intent may cause problems such as incessant callings from unknown numbers, or someone actually knowing details such as your exact location and using it to fulfill any of their evil goals. Therefore, it’s important that you stay safe and share your personal details with caution. 

    How Can We Stay Safe? 

    1. Enter your personal details such as Name, age, location, etc only on trusted platforms. Avoid giving out too much information about yourself on Social Media and do not publish your phone number on any site unless it’s an absolute must and the site is safe. Keep your phone number and person details hidden from unknown people if possible. 
    2. To recognize safe sites, look for a 🔒and  https in the URL of the website. A site with ⚠ and just http in it’s URL is usually a site that’s prone to cyber attacks and thus unsafe. 
    3. If you ever need to sign-up on any website for insignificant reasons then do so with a spare email ID that doesn’t reveal much of your credentials and is not associated with any of your bank details or personal secured email IDs.
    4. Do not click on any unknown link sent to you by any unknown number or SMS. It can possibly lead to hacking of your personal details and accounts. 
    5. Do not reply back to unknown numbers that call you incessantly and for no genuine reason. Best way is to report and block them. 
    6. If you ever find yourself a victim of any of the cyber-bullying or such blank or malicious calls, do not hesitate to report them to the cyber security of India. 
    7. To report any such events or seek any further assistance you can contact either an organization called Law Sikho that works pro-bono or report directly to the Cyber Crime Security of India Website. 
    8. Lastly, always be cautious to never share any of your personal details to anyone on the internet unless you trust them 100% and know them personally. 

    That’s it for the tips. I hope you’d keep them in mind and browse safely and securely on the internet! 

    How Technology Has Changed the Lives of Students

    Technology is something every kid of today’s generation will be well familiar with. It has been growing at an immense rate and has been impacting every section of the world from quite a few years now. Technology has garnered high attention especially in the recent pandemic times as it has served as an indispensable tool for students amidst their ‘online classes’. However, we cannot restrict ourselves to only one aspect of technology, for technology has been bridging the learning gap from a long time by enabling students the access to a virtual world of resources at almost no cost.

    A foremost benefit of technology has been the vast availability of resources for students and teachers. These resources can be in terms of education matters or to discover new ideas. Teachers now are also able to communicate with their students in a convenient way as well as have the freedom to employ new innovative teaching methods in their studies. Free access to e-books, e-magazines and other reading materials has made it a lot easier for students to acquire materials without having to search through libraries or spend a lot of money in bookstores. This divergent range in materials has also enabled them to research their subject of interest from different points of views and gain as much as knowledge available from verified sources.

    The second pro point of technology is its feature to obtain a degree through online education. It does not matter whether you are young, old or just passionate about learning a new skill. It is now possible for any individual to gain a degree without the need to attend a university physically. Technology extension has provided such efficient modes that one can now enrol in prestigious universities located abroad without requiring the need for a passport or visa. Technology has also made it possible for people to sign up for a course offered by any valid institution and complete it within the time limit they wish. Giving them advantages like flexible study routines along with the comfort of their rooms.The third way through which technology has changed the lives of students is by giving them the opportunity to learn at their own pace and their own understanding level. Science has proved before that every individual learns and acquires knowledge differently. Some people are visual learners, some auditory, some verbal, some kinaesthetic etc etc. Here, technology gives a chance and means for every type of learner to learn at the best of their ability. For example, the availability of videos, audio books or audio contents, exercises etc accessible through the forum of technology gives every kind of learner a chance to shine compared to the usually dull and closed environment of physical classrooms. In addition to all this the advancement in technology has now enabled digital simulations and models thereby, enhancing the perceiving powers of students.

    The fourth advantage of technology is the easy availability of any news or notices related to their subject or university. The official website of a university serves as a major way for students to procure information with ease, which can be further related to their classmates, friends or teachers through any social media apps of their choice. Not only does it provide an instant way to obtain the latest news but also helps to keep the students up-to-date along with their ongoing course subjects.Lastly, in the present times of pandemic, technology has proved to be a big boon in accessing online learning methodology. It has made assessing students efficient as well as helped vastly in maintaining records of student activities through a variety of online applications. Furthermore, teachers can upload their teaching materials and class recording on apps like Google Classroom and make it possible for students to revisit the teachings for revision sake or in case they end up missing any of their online lectures.

    To conclude, technology has come a long way and has successfully impacted the lives of students. It has made students’ lives easier and more efficient by providing them various benefits like e-printed books, ease of access to education, faster communication with teachers and friends and overall comfort of homely environment.

    Why Animal Experiments Should Be Banned

    Animal experimentation has been increasing at an immense rate. Each year, millions of animals are used to test the safety, effectiveness, and usability of various products like cosmetics, drugs, chemicals, etc. These animals often undergo genetic modification, are deprived of their natural habitats, and tortured all in the name of “Scientific experiments”. Hence, it is a cruel and unnecessary activity and therefore Animal Experiments should be banned.

    In the name of ‘Science’ many animals are exploited, ill-treated and made to suffer immense bouts of pains during the experimental process. The animals are cut, burned, poisoned and given crippling diseases in order to test the effects of drugs or to measure the safety of products. For instance, in the Draize Test the substance or product being tested is placed in the eye of the animal and the animal is kept under observation for further damage reports. This experiment not only leaves the animal afflicted with pain and blindness but also proves to be an act full of cruelty. Moreover, the experimented animal is not allowed euthanasia to free it from its misery but caused to bear the pain a long time. Thus, animal experiment is highly cruel and painful and must be banned.

    Secondly, there are many better alternatives that can replace animal testing and provide just as much accurate results. For instance, the development of a synthetic cellular tissue that closely resembles human skin. This has enabled researchers to test the potential damage of a product on the skin by using this artificial “skin” instead of testing it on animals. Computers have also been used as an alternative, to simulate and estimate the potential damage that a product or chemical can cause. In another alternative method, in vitro testing, cellular tests are done inside a test tube. All of these tests have been proven to be useful and reliable alternatives to testing products on live animals. Therefore, because effective means of product toxicity testing are available without the use of live animal specimens, testing potentially deadly substances on animals is unnecessary.

    Although there are alternatives available and animal testing significantly proves to be painful, some people still argue that animal experimentation is valid because animals are lower than humans. They believe that animals don’t possess the intelligence or knowledge like humans and thus animal experiments are justifiable. However, this is a baseless justification. Medical research proves that even though animals are lower than humans in the evolutionary chart, animals possess many features that resemble humans. For e.g. many animals, especially those belonging to the mammalian class, possess many internal organs and structures that are identical humans. Therefore, animals’ lives should be respected because they have an inherent right to be treated with dignity. The harm that is committed against animals should not be minimized because they are not considered to be “human”.

    In conclusion animal experimentation should be banned because it proves to be highly painful and unnecessary. There are plenty of alternatives that can be considered instead of animal testing. Animals have the rights to live freely and to be treated with compassion. Hence, animal exploitation in any form should be banned because it is the most inhumane act that one can do towards other living beings.

    Upanishadic Concept of Atman and Brahman

    Upanishads are one of the oldest scriptures of the world. The term Upanishad (‘upa’ near; ‘ni’ down; ‘sad’ to sit) means sitting down near; this implies the students sitting down near their Guru to learn the mysteries of life and its creation. Upanishads were written later than Vedas and are said to be derived from the different Vedas. Upanishads mainly focused on ‘spiritual enlightenment’.

    The concept of Brahman and Atman is deeply explored in the Upanishads in the form of dialogues. The dialogues can be between husband and wife, student and teacher etc. The Upanishads are extensively divided into 13 book, each of which tackles different concepts.

    In general, Upanishads attribute the quality of ‘Creator’ and ‘Supreme Being’ to Brahman. This Brahman is said to be unfathomable, thus it’s impossible for a mere human to come close to Brahman by using external measures.

    Thus the Upanishads shifted their focus from Brahman to Atman. (Self). Atman is considered to be a part of Brahman and is present within every human being. All of us are born with a spark of Divinity (God) within us and therefore it is our ultimate goal to unite this Atman (self) with the Brahman (Supreme Being) from which it formerly came.

    Thus, if we are a part of Brahman itself then there cannot lie a separation between God and human beings. Because God is dwelling within all of us and so we are inherently one with God. We do not need to look for God elsewhere. But we cannot achieve this oneness unless we realise this fact.

    Therefore, Upanishads say that inorder to be one with Brahman ‘self-actualisation’ is required.

    This concept is best expressed in the Chandogya Upanishad by the phrase Tat Tvam Asi – “Thou Art That” – one is already what one wants to become; one only has to realize it.

    According to Upanishads (related to Karma, Dhama and Rebirth) :

    Each individual was thought to have been placed on earth for a specific purpose which was their duty (dharma) which they needed to perform with the right action (karma) in order to achieve self-actualization. Evil was caused by ignorance of the good and the resulting failure to perform one’s dharma through the proper karma.

    Karma, if not discharged correctly, resulted in suffering – whether in this life or one’s next – and so suffering was ultimately the individual’s own fault.

    The transmigration of souls (reincarnation) was considered a given in that, if a person failed to perform their dharma in one life, their karma (past actions) would require them to return to try again.

    The one thing which striked me when I read the above point was the optimistic view towards Rebirth. Instead of Rebirth being called a suffering or something that one needs to get rid of, it is looked upon as a second chance to fulfill the duties we failed to achieve in our past lives. 🙂

    Therefore, it’s true that our old scriptures reveal a lot of truth that is needed in our daily life. From encouraging us to accept suffering as a natural part of life, to believing in giving ourselves second chances, Upanishads explore a lot of deep concepts that needs to be more generalised to be accessible to audience who are not Philosophy Students.