Author: purnima

Informal Communication-Improve English Conversations

When we communicate with our family, friends, relatives or even strangers in a casual set up, it is called Informal communication. This includes exchange of casual words- views or opinions, ideas or other interactions where the intention is only to know the person or acquire some knowledge. It is not meant for formal expression or behaviour.

It is important that we communicate effectively even if we are in an informal set up. It gives an impact and creates an impression in the mind of the other person about you. Good communication helps you enhance your growth as an individual. There is some framework you would work upon in order to be a good communicator.

It is important that your message reaches the intended person the way you mean it. There are some behavioural patterns to be followed when you interact with somebody regardless of the person’s age or gender. The most important thing to keep in mind is to respect them.

  • Never use rude words with anyone. Always be calm and speak softly. Nobody likes a person who is aggressive and harsh in his/her behaviour.

Whenever you are talking with somebody, give that person the time to complete his point. Listen carefully to what the other person is trying to convey through his words to you.

  • Never jump in between a conversation or disturb/stop somebody in-between. Let them complete and then you speak.

Keep your lines precise and avoid useless information or words which may lengthen the message and the real meaning gets lost.

  • Avoid jargon so as to make the message understandable. Also, speak only what is necessary. Speaking out unnecessary stuff may get your real message lost in the conversation.

Your body language should go with what you are conveying to the speaker/listener. The other person should not feel you are trying to dominate him/her.

  • Don’t be too loud with your body language when you are speaking and express your alertness through your body language while listening to somebody. It will assure the person of interaction from your side.
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The way you address the other person is important in deciding the response you will get from him/her. It is also the case of a formal discussion or conversation.

It is all upto you that how well you express yourself in front of others, the similar response you will get! Also, you should take into consideration whom are you talking with. This simply focus on the personality or behaviour of the person you are trying to communicate.

It is often a problem that people don’t know how to start a conversation with a stranger or a high official person. Making new friends is included in this. Since English as a language is preferred all across , the basics you can start with is to address the person saying hello, with a smile or in the formal manner(good morning) as the case may be. Initiate with what you want to say, with clarity of thought. Don’t mix up your words and make sure the person is listening to you and is interested in continuing the talk. There needs to be some common topics to make up a friend otherwise you won’t get expected response.

The way you address should be in accordance with the personality of the person; whether he/she accept frank behaviour or likes to talk about information, entertainment, etc. All such aspects help ending up with an engaging conversation. There might be people who don’t like talking much. In that situation, you avoid it and let them have their space.

Fashion-Changes in clothing styles-An overview

Fashion industry is a fast growing industry offering great opportunities to fashion enthusiasts all over the world. It has evolved over time and now people wear clothes not only to cover themselves but to express as well. Now, clothes are more about styling and depicting one’s personality. In fact, people are divided on this basis. You can see variation in clothes of rich and poor, native and foreign, and many other categories all over the world. The clothing sense of countries also differ whether they are neighbouring or distant.

In earlier times, people would stitch together the threads just to make garments for their use but now they make it for others as well. It has now taken shape of a business where tailors sell ready-made as well as on-demand outfits to the public. There have been a variety of production when it comes to designs in clothes. Focusing mainly on Indian clothing styles, it initiated from kurta-pyjamas for men and women wore ghagra-choli(tops with long skirts) which evolved to jeans and tops/shirts in the modern era.

It is more about fashion now. The standard of a person is being decided by their clothes and sense of fashion determines how up-to-date a person is. Even if we observe the changes in school uniforms, you will see an improvement for the sake of becoming modern. There occurs a difference between the uniform of a govt. school and that of a private school. The more reputed schools(usually private schools with high fees) design their uniforms in a more formal and aesthetic way than a local one. This also marks the standard of a school.

In India, there is ‘unity in diversity’. The diversity here signals to the variability in culture too, among other differences. People of different regions follow their own culture and practices where the difference in clothing sense is not a big thing to notice. Every region, religion and tradition has its own look which is used to identify them. But, from a farther view, we all look same, following a similar trend. It is only the days of special occasion when people would merry on wearing ethnics and all, otherwise we all follow a common fashion expressing our united beliefs in modernity and comfort clothing.

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Ongoing is the time of ripped jeans and extra-size t-shirts which is common in male and female dress code. Fashion gives the advantage of designing without differentiating. As much as can be a women’s apparel be unique and decorative, a men apparel too can be so. There are no limits to fashion. People prefer a new type every time it takes the lead. This indicates how alert and active people are, in relation to their dressing and looks. Some people would prefer more pockets in their lowers to make it useful while some would like tight-fitted, printed jeans even without pockets. The times are always changing and one or the other trend always catches the fire and is followed around in the market. However some people settle for a limited designs i.e. they don’t get attracted too often by these trends and stay in their selected apparel zone for long time.

Social media plays a significant role in business, so do in fashion. Fashion influencers around the globe get a large following which doesn’t need any explanation as to how updated people prefer to be. Gender, age or region doesn’t mark the boundaries for such people. It is all in the mind. Whoever has a passion or determination gets what they aspire and this is how the fashion industry also works. It is more about present and even more about the future forecasts. The upcoming trends are the ones created in the present moment and accepted wide across.

Social Media attacking Mental Health

The online medium to connect with people in an informal way is the Social Media. It can be your friends, relatives or even strangers.

You can communicate with anyone through this medium. It is not limited to chatting, voice messages or video calls only. The technology is advancing day by day and till now we have found a place for entertainment in The Social Media. People get a chance to showcase their talent through this media. It is accessible to all and easy to use. Even common people can gain popularity in a way; by using such platforms to entertain others’.

During high times of stress or tiredness, it serves a relaxation to people to engage on social media platforms. But is this truly helping out people ? Is it a good way to recover from stress and tension ? Are people using it the way it is meant to be ? These are some of the many questions that may come up in mind.

Now-a-days, people of all ages can be seen using social media for their own reasons but, it is becoming an addiction at the same time. Without needing it, people prefer using it. This has become an escape from the real world bringing us into a virtual reality where there are real people but communication is online, where there are real feelings but being shared through memes, where there is sadness but covered with fake smileys!

These so called “sources of happiness” are actually leading to bad mental health. Constant use of online media affects not only our eyes due to the screen reflections but, use of mobile phones affects the skin as well. You must have noticed fingers and thumb paining after using smart phones for a long time. The young generations are already using these far beyond what they need it for.

Everything should be consumed in accordance with its need. The mental health is being compromised while using these platforms without any such need. The flood of useless communications and interactions opened while using social media apps puts an impact on the mind of a person. You don’t need to know everything that happens on that platform; it is not mandatory to be aligned with the ongoing trends of social media which is nothing but some stuff created by a random person going viral due to its impact! Also, there is peer pressure-You join such platforms because your friends enjoy being there, active all the time. It can also be that you started it for some work but may end up scrolling content of no use.

These practices grow into addiction and affects the brain making it slow while working. A social media addict can be observed struggling with work. It’s because of disturbance created by the useless (and fake) content in the brain. People make fun of these facts and enjoy being destructed by them. This is however, a serious issue.

So much of mixed content and videos disturb the mind. Although you might enjoy them in the first place but gradually you start using them in an undefined manner. People use it when they are bored or too lazy to work. This affects physical strength besides affecting mental health of a person. And it is not only the case of children but adults as well. There is already work requirements of phones that the focus should be to reduce extra usage for the sake of healthy mind and body. Unfortunately, people understand things but don’t follow them.

Social media is not only a medium of exchange of thoughts and skills but fraud also takes place via the internet. Surely it is beneficial to use but only when you use it productively. Growing business or setting up a new venture, etc. are good to use social media for. And that also should be done carefully. There are no less cases of fraud through social media. It gives rise to crimes as well and these are some more of the reasons for decreasing mental health; when people see such news, they are hurt mentally and many even fear its usage. Personal information often gets leaked. There exist people who keep an eye on the users and target them by various techniques. Getting such fake/fraud calls or messages puts a person in tension and stress. In order to get famous, people apply various ideas to grow on social platforms, often risking their info in unsafe hands.

Therefore, social media should be used with precaution and not more than what is required. If it is a stress-reliever for you, use it, but only to an extent. Control your mind from flickering towards wrong directions and never exchange your data on such platforms.

There are people who find it difficult to manage their usage of social media for entertainment. Here are a few ways to self- control–

  • Find something interesting–Make yourself busy with some other work so that you don’t get time for this.
  • Read books- Make a habit of reading books or magazines, journals, etc. so that you get engaging and useful content.
  • Listen fun music– Listen to music which activates your mind and you no longer need any other entertainment.
  • Set a target– Close your accounts on such platforms and set a target of not opening them for a number of days. Increase the limit gradually to help control yourself.
  • Add something valuable– If you are a lot addicted to using your smart phone, then add an app that will teach you something new( related to learning or improving a skill, etc.) and Use it instead of social media.

Internships-What is expected vs What we get

Internships are an opportunity for the freshers to get an insight into the corporate world by performing assigned tasks and duties. They provide real world experience to the college students to prepare for their future.

Usually, internships are unpaid. Even then the students apply and work for the companies just to gain experience in a field (since jobs demand experience). However this is becoming a problem now. How ? Read on to understand the issues that both the students and the companies are facing.

Be it big or small, profitable or non-profitable; companies make a call for the interns whenever they need the workers. But the problem is that it is not easy to get an internship. Getting a good job was already a trauma but internships too are going the same way.

Students search for internships that address their concern. Majorly they require a good internship that offer a certificate of completion along with a letter of recommendation(LOR) to them while supporting skill development. Getting a paid internship is a feather in the cap. But it is becoming rare to have all these features in a single offer.

What is the issue about Internships ?

Aspirant’s point of view

  • The offered internships don’t match the requirements and those which match, are not offered to the aspirant.
  • The task or work is manual and doesn’t support individual growth.
  • LOR is not provided after completion
  • No skill development
  • Good internships demand good skills from the candidate- Those willing to learn it don’t get the opportunity
  • Fear of fraud– personal info gets public through applications and resume
  • Full time work with no incentives gives pressure and tension
  • No direct communication
  • Some also require experience of work.

These are major issues faced by the interns applying for the internships which is why the employment rate is low even when the youth is ready to work. They work without being paid for the internships, with full dedication, just to gain some experience for jobs but the sad part is that the internships have also put forward the requirements of experience in various fields. Now, where would people go to learn something new! Of course they need practical knowledge since the books only cannot guide in how to fix a place for yourself in the world. You definitely need some practical knowledge and experience of the operations in this world.

Employers’ point of view

The companies want those individuals in their organisation who are capable of handling its daily operations, deal with clients, manage funds, etc. For this they seek good interns with proven ability of handling tasks and complete work on time. No firm hire people who don’t know about the corporate world or doesn’t have advanced knowledge since their aim is to succeed, not to teach.

This makes up the gap between the job seekers and givers. The givers are either too expecting or are underestimating the potential of the applicants whereas the seekers are either not interested in the job or they don’t have the required skills.

What is the need of the hour is that there must be a platform where the focus is on skill development without pressurizing the people. The aim should be to make the youth capable of working in the corporate world. Also, the firms should volunteer such programmes where the interns be provided with proper training and incentives while working. This would ultimately increase the worth of the organisation, both economically (through trained individuals) and socially (by working for the welfare of the society and its people). The employment rate and productivity will see a rise.

Only together we can achieve the goals. We all should show responsibility on our part and work for collective welfare. The gaps need to be filled. No one is born perfect but it is the environment that makes us worthy. Let’s create an environment where opportunities are available for everyone and all the resources are tapped. Each of us make a useful resource. What we need is a platform to early access it and put it to work. There is surely a place for everyone in this world!

Delhi University: Societies-Importance for students

The Delhi University is well- known for its academics as well as extra- curriculum. It offers a variety of courses in its affiliated and recognised colleges. Students dream of getting admission to DU colleges. Equally are important the societies of DU as much is its academics. They upskill the students and provide a platform to grow and develop. Societies are a good way to improve yourself and prepare for the future. You can take part in any of the societies as per your (career) choice or hobby. It can be a single or multiple based on your capability to manage things but there are some procedures to be selected for a society in DU. Yes, you have to clear either interviews or auditions to be a member. Some are open societies too, i.e. anyone can enter them but you surely have to participate actively and do hard work to make them a success and make your college proud.

What do the DU societies offer to its students ?

  • There are a number of societies in DU which serve the needs of your career along with making you enjoy the membership.
  • It often makes up a small family or a big group of friends where age is no bar; all three year’s students enjoy and party together besides managing the society.
  • It not only builds a community but also introduce you to the corporate world. You get ready for the formal world by participating in the college activities and also get a chance to launch your own ventures.
  • The staff is very supportive in colleges and always ready to assist the newbies. You will never feel alone or bored once you take part in a college society.
  • You will always feel engaged yet enjoy the moments. There won’t be much burden of work but hard work is a necessity in them.

What are the types of societies in DU ?

  • Social service

You will find some student-led societies that work for the welfare of the people especially who are in need. They provide them assistance either by organising food drives or book donation, etc. to help them out. It feels great to have the youth concerning for the nation and putting forward a step to improve the conditions. The students work their best under the guidance of the college staff and sets up a good example for the upcoming ones.

  • Career related

They help the university students get an exposure to the outside world and sharpen their skills. They provide with opportunities to learn and explore. It could be either by assigning responsibilities in the society itself or outside, i.e. through placements in the corporate world. You will learn while doing and would never regret it. Such societies/cells prepare a student for the formal world full of responsibilities and new opportunities to grow.

  • Hobby / Passion

It’s not necessary to always worry for future, instead you should not worry at all since it spoils the joy of the moment. Think about the present and take up a role you would enjoy forever. There are dance societies, fashion societies, creative writing societies and many more which you can choose as per your hobby or passion to pursue. Usually, their selection process is not hard to crack. You will enjoy a lot in the activities of such society if it matches your preference.

Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com

This is too less to say perhaps. The offerings and advantages can’t be listed better than the real experience a person gets. Besides societies, there are cells and units as well, which too, are student-led. The biggest opportunity and advantage is that the societies are run by the students themselves. They manage the operations their own way but in accordance with university rules. The exposure a student gets especially during college fests is hard to express in short lines. You meet the giant community of the university during fest season.

The societies surely have their own classifications and departments bearing responsibilities and hard work based on good knowledge. It seems easy but actually is difficult, to run such organisations at college level. You need to manage time for that and also grow along to keep up with others’.

What to do at home-making it useful-How to stay active

These times are difficult for everyone and most of us are either too tensed about work or have nothing to do besides sitting idle. It gets difficult to spend a single day now. So what can you do to make your day productive without getting bored ? You can follow some simple steps to enhance your skills on one side and make your day not go waste.

  • Start by waking up early morning

When you wake up late, the whole day already gets ruined to an extent. You will feel a burden of work left to do or you will find it difficult to spend the rest of the day due to the laziness built because of waking up late. An early morning routine provides freshness and energy for the whole day.

Start with a cup of tea/coffee or juice as per your preference. Apples are good to eat in the morning since are more effective than caffeine to wake you up. Make a to-do list if you have any tasks lined up for the day. After around half an hour, switch to exercising or do Yoga to stretch the muscles and start a healthy day with strength and good mood. It also helps to sharpen the mind and concentrate on your work. But do the exercises only to your capacity as a beginner. Take some rest after this by watching T.V or using your phone.

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Next go to a green place which can be a park, your garden or just between your beautiful plants on the terrace or balcony. They provide peace to the mind and send good vibes with their greenery. spend some time with them by watering and taking care of them. Observe the nature through them; how they grow, what they need to grow, how to take good are of them and arrange them in a better way( use the plants to decorate the house, buy more to spread good vibes around the house…). Studying about nature gives immense pleasure and is always interesting to learn. You can do this activity before exercising as well.

  • Develop a New Skill

There are a lot of things to do at home which can not only help you remain engaged but also give a chance to enhance your skills or develop new.

  • You can test on cooking, for instance. Check on new recipes to water your mouth for lunch. Make for your daily dinner a surprise dish to merry on. This way you will learn new things while enjoying it.
  • You can also devote time to painting or stitching.
  • Maintaining a diary to improve your writing skills or pen down your thoughts.
  • Learning to play musical instruments or handling technical devices is another option.

You can enhance your existing skills too in the spare time.

  • Create an Environment

To move out your laziness and stay happy and healthy, it is important to maintain a cherishing environment where you will never be bored of staying. How is it to be done? The answer is to decorate your house in a bright yet simple way that it adores you and create a happy environment for you to stay active all round the day. Make changes to the routine set up of your room and turn over the sheets of depression and stress into joy. Paint your walls, add photo frames to it or some show pieces on the table. Make crafts by yourself to spend the time and enjoy the process. A happy environment will keep you cherished and active. Always try to do something different for Yourself.

  • Interact with People

It is not a good idea to distance yourself completely from the world. Keep in touch with your friends and relatives who support you and love to spend time with you. Arrange lunch or dinner with them, share your feelings and opinions. This help de-stress your mind and apply it to some productive work. It is a good way to freshen up your mind by chatting with friends and playing fun games. Staying alone is not good for mental health so, always try to be a part of some community, be it your neighbours or join some social help group to keep yourself engaged in some work along with interacting with people.

Easy and simple ways to improve English at home

English is a globally accepted language spoken world-wide thus, acquiring significance in learning. People speaking fluent and correct English are treated with more respect in our country. It is recognised as a standard in corporate world. This language is easy to learn but requires practice to reach a good level of understanding. It has become important to know English if a person wants to interact with officials or even common people since it reflects the standard of a person in these times. It can also be learnt to speak without knowing to write for those who joined in late for the purpose.

Some useful tips to improve English and speak it confidently are:-

  1. Reading English Newspaper

This is a very useful tip and easy for those who have a habit of reading newspapers daily. You can learn more quickly this way. What all is needed to read your local language newspaper as usual and then read the English newspaper. Since the news is same in all languages’ newspapers of an area, you will read the same articles in both languages and earn an understanding of how the ideas, opinions, etc are presented in the English. Make it a daily habit and results will soon be out. You can choose magazines or journals instead, as per your preferences.

2. Watching English movies

They will help you understand the way of speech. The fluency will improve gradually when you will watch their movements carefully of how they react and respond in the English movies. Prefer watching those having subtitles so as to know what is actually being said. It is better not to assume things. There are many English shows also which are good to improve your English. They are preferred more since you get familiar with the characters and the story easily. Also, their speech is much clear and slow as compared to the movies.

3. Listening English Songs

There are many melodious as well as fun songs on the platform to enjoy and learn English without any hard work. Music is always known to destress the mind and refresh the mood. Songs are a source of pleasure and can help improve fluency in English as you keep listening them. Monitor their lyrics and you will get better understanding soon.

Photo by Anete Lusina on Pexels.com

4. Read Books

Books extend the knowledge to great levels and what can be a better way to improve your English while reading interesting stories and insightful texts. They are available online as well.

5. Talk with Friends/ Practice in front of mirror

Friends are always supportive. Start talking in English with your friends. It is the best way as they will not make fun of you if you make a mistake, instead they will guide you or correct you at times. You can practice speech in front of mirror. This way you will also be able to administer your body language while speaking which plays an important role during presentations or even during normal interactions. Speaking in front of mirror will also prepare you for public speech i.e., speaking in front of an audience. You will improve quick with daily practices.

6. Go for online apps and YouTube

Search for relevant apps and videos on the virtual platform to get a good insight into the language, along with following the above steps.

Improving ‘syllabus’ at school

India is a country where people from different religions, customs, regions, etc. reside without any restriction. But it is often seen that people fight for their religion or castes either to establish supremacy over others’ or to protect theirs’. Isn’t it ironical to hear same people singing “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” during political rallies or on national days!

People celebrating the Gandhi Jayanti don’t even hesitate to spread violence when it comes to their so called self-respect. Is this what the slogan of “unity in diversity” strives ?

The loophole stands in the education system. The youth today is walking on the path enlightened by the corrupt and selfish people of the society. We are not empowered enough to take action since everyone is either scared or lack adequate resources. The world is revolving fast. It is peak time for action which should start by providing correct and necessary information and knowledge to the students.

It should be taught at school level to respect each person you meet, to be kind to every section of society, to learn from failures rather than taking revenge or hurting oneself. The secondary level begins from sixth standard in school which should be the time Life lessons should be started for the students where they would learn what the world offers to the people and how they can tackle their problems.

Personal mentorship should be provided to guide each one through the circumstances they may be facing. Only textbook knowledge cannot make a person successful. Education should be learning based. Some schools follow it by arranging sessions for their students but this is majorly the case of private schools. Now that the govt. is improving the facilities in public schools, such programmes should be arranged which will guide the students in their problems.

Health and sanitation is a must to be taught from beginning, not only through books but the students should be taught such basic things during interactions. Syllabus should not be the focus point of the teachers at schools. Shaping the students in a way that they become responsible citizens and more importantly good human being, should be a matter of concern for the teachers. Being formal and not interacting with students on a regular basis happens to be the reason why today, nobody cares for anybody. People don’t even talk without any self motive.

Teachers always stress on procuring good marks which brings competition to life at early stage. The time has come when the world needs to pace down and bring out moments of life. It seems like machines are working when people work hard to earn more comfort. They should bring out moments for themselves to improve as a human not as a worker.

The Education system is designed in a way that personality development gets compromised in front of theoretical knowledge, hindering the youth to step up for themselves. A good system supports well being of the society as a whole without discriminating on the basis of caste, religion, gender, etc.

Reservation becoming danger!

The government constantly launches new programmes and schemes to support the citizens of India in the best way. But, every aspect has some negative relations to it. While bits of negativity can be ignored, the differences can’t be neglected when it starts shaping into a social issue. This article addresses the issue of Reservation- An Analysis as to how far is it beneficial to support the minorities via reservation quotas.

The agenda of the reservation for the backward class in the society is to provide them equal opportunities to showcase their talent and abilities. This initiative proves best when it gives a chance to the left-out people of the society to come up and earn for themselves a respectable and comfortable life.

  • The problem originated from the mindset of some sections of the society or some particular people who believe in supreme powers to be in the hands of only few, selected people belonging to particular religions or caste or place, etc. Clearly speaking, people who favour discrimination in the society. This leaves those people behind who are unaware of their rights and powers as a citizen of the country.
  • People who are in minority at a place are often in danger of being controlled by the dominant ones. This happened to be a serious problem.

Consequently, the govt. launched the mission for reservation in quotas for the poor and backward classes of the population. This has been an ever growing compulsion imposed to all institutions including the private sectors, to provide reserved seats to the disabled, poor, scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs), OBCs, EWS, and so on. The institutional bodies must reserve some seats/posts in their organisations for these people. To avoid fraud, people belonging to such categories are issued a certificate for the same after verification but frauds are committed even after it. It has become easy to get a certificate proving a general category person to be the one belonging to scheduled castes. What is more important to know is why do people try seizing rights of backward class that are granted to them by the govt. itself.

The reason is competition. The race is going so fast that everyone wants success, be it at others’ cost. The mindset is still. It is not changing. This is one side.

The other side says that the minority groups are being provided with a lot! Their recognition is increasing but in a negative way. Know how-

  • There are people belonging to backward classes also, who take advantage of situations. Such people get the reserved seats with the help of their certificates and owns the rest (this way, corruption originates from them too when they misuse their rights for self purpose…).
  • The reservations are provided with quotas to each backward section which they can avail without being in the competition or the race of success that everyone is running nowadays. This is the real advantage to them. They are given relaxation for marks in schools/college admissions especially in govt. institutions, for ranks in competitive exams, for eligibility of posts in govt. jobs, and so on. This has led to high disagreement among the ones belonging to the general category. Opportunities seem to be seized from the hands of the general people when the less competent fellows get higher positions in the work environment or even in the educational institutions.

Students work hard to reach a better place in life. Granting admissions to students with “certificates” even at lesser marks than the ones belonging to general category appears injustice. The reason is that the competitive exams are to test the abilities of the students which is examined on the basis of their scores. If the minorities are given admissions at very less scores than the others’, this should not be considered a competitive exam anymore!

These exams are the only way to earn recognition in the fast growing world since they form an important part in defining a person’s knowledge. Govt. jobs also require a ranking in their exams to consider an applicant for a post. This is a connected chain which is being misused when the deserving people are left out just to follow some norms. If the poor or other Reserved seat students are provided education at low costs in schools and in the same manner as others, then at-least there should be not such leverage in colleges or in the competitive exams. When the equality has been granted since the beginning, everyone is equal till the middle, then why again protect them. Having access to same knowledge as the general people, the minor section students too become capable of scoring high, making it a point of dissatisfaction to provide them support at every step of life even when they are better off.

This is a big discussion with many pros and cons but it is also a very serious matter to be addressed keeping in mind the welfare of each section of society. Everyone seeks protection in such matters since it is the question of future of the present and upcoming generation.

4 best places to visit in Delhi

Delhi is not only the capital of India but also lies in the heart of the country. It is filled with joyful and hard working people who always merry on hangouts around the city. Each place is special and offers something one of a kind in Delhi. People from various regions visit here to gain sale of their innovative and beautiful products. This has also led to emergence of various known markets in the place. Here are some of the favourite hangout places of ‘Delhiites’.

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  1. Chandni Chowk

It is a very famous market in old Delhi for spices, sarees, religious places and many more. What is more famous is the Paranthe wali Gali. The variety and deliciousness of their Paranthas are unmatched since 19th century, the period of their start-up. There’s always a crowd at the place. The Chandni Chowk market is also famous for variety in clothing and tasty food. There are over hundreds of delicacies to wet your tongue ranging from sweet to spicy, the street food in Chandni chowk always attracts visitors. There are religious places- temples, church, Gurudwara and masjid set up in the same row where people come from distant places to worship. Nearby is the Red Fort, the historical monument established by the Mughal emperor-Shahjahan. The crowded streets never end here. The market has a lot to offer to general public as well as tourists. There are popular shops of sweets and local food vendors, you can also find shops selling trophies, and other items such as bells and wooden statues, handicrafts, etc. Chandni chowk has also witnessed shooting of many Bollywood movies. Fair are also organised close to the place during festivals, bringing larger crowd to the market.

2. Connaught Place (Rajiv Chowk)

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It is a go-to place especially when it comes to youngsters. It covers a wide area built with many commercial buildings and hangout spots for people to enjoy food and luxury. The Hanuman temple is also a reason behind the crowd at the place. Connaught place of Delhi also holds many cultural events at its central park. The Georgian style architecture of the place brings the difference out from other places. The market is built with big showrooms offering branded products and good services.

3. Lodhi Garden I Khan Market

The Lodhi Garden is a beautiful city park spread out in a vast area and is one of the old green places in Delhi holding historical significance. Located in Lodhi estate, it is a prime area to calm down and relax in between the nature, just aligned to the main roads. The architectural heritage here is an attraction to tourists as well as the locals. The serenity provided by sweet chirpings of the birds and clean water of the lake is magical and relaxing. The garden has tombs and other architecture.

Nearby is the Khan Market to shop luxurious items from foods to branded clothing. It is a tourist place situated on the main road of the Lodhi estate, well-fenced with structured walls. It is not much crowded and quite close to the metro station.

Photo by Elena Saharova on Pexels.com

4. Karol Bagh

It is a commercial as well as residential place located in Central Delhi. It has busy shopping streets and tasty street food serving the crowd around. This place has also served as shooting site in pop culture. There is direct metro connectivity to Karol Bagh. Branded as well as non branded and inexpensive items are available in the market adjoining the metro station with less crowded streets to offer a mindful shopping experience.

Descriptive Writing-How to write, improve English.. creative writing..

Descriptive writing is a tool to make the audience imagine the event or place through your words. Below is a fictional description of visit to a café, mentioning details observed at the place:

A Visit to ” The Blue Café “

It was a regular Sunday afternoon but the discount coupons of The Blue Café on the occasion of their fresh opening, made it special. The café was only at a walking distance from home. The decoration on the entrance of that single-storey building turned out to be a strategy to attract people in the marketplace. Wonder how expensive it would have been to get a shelter on the main road of the city! There used to be a sweet shop before, which the owner sold for being unprofitable. Now it has been reconstructed to cater the demands of a wide range of consumers by offering a variety of food at one place. The café is making way for a large customer base since day one by bringing out luxurious offers for residents nearby.

Sunday was obviously attracting more customers. The guard at the entrance was well dressed and welcoming. The air conditioned hall and sitting arrangements were the most satisfactory. There was plenty of space to dine even on a busy day. The blue lights reflecting from the green walls had a soothing effect on the mind. They were neither too flashy nor too dark. The walls were holding fun and interesting posters compelling visitors to click several photos after lunch.

The tables were made of glass having beautifully prepared menu cards on them which offered a variety of dishes native to different places. The prices were on the peak but the discount coupons had our back for now. The service was fast enough since they had a good number of employees at work. Their uniforms had it written- ‘a day here gives a memory forever’. The kitchen was visible to an extent from the washbasin area. It was well equipped with modern cooking machines arranged in an order; leaving ample space to work. Proper sanitation facilities were provided for the customers which is a key point at public places. The management was really good and the food was delicious. There were free chocolate candies at the table for first hundred customers. The café was new and so was the crockery design. It was majorly a family dine-out at night and attracted young generations the most, during the day. The music at the background was pleasant and refreshing. The place is best suited for the working population since it calms down the mind, helps release stress and energises the body with its tasty food. The seats are arranged in a manner that no other gets disturbed.

Besides the blue lights, the name of the café also matches to the special dish called ‘Blue Bucket’ which is available only during the day at a high rate and unfortunately, the discount coupons doesn’t work on that. As the manager briefed, it is a dish having a basket of fruit salad, a cup of blue-berry ice cream and a special Thali. The veggies offered in the Thali are costly which is why this dish is unaffordable for many. Youngsters come here in groups just to have a taste of the famous Blue Bucket. Surely it is not a dish a single person can finish.

The place is really cherishing, especially for the youngsters. It is operative from nine to three during the day and seven to eleven at night. The café building adores the street with beautiful green lights hung upon the adjoining trees at night.

Descriptive Writing

My Dreamhouse

Those big architectural windows blow me out with the air whenever I think about it. The sunshine touching the hair in the early morning descends to the feet as the day grows off. My dreamhouse is quite big and beautiful with a garden marking its boundaries. The adorable flowers at the entrance gate elate my visitors. The fragrance they shower off in that small place complements their colourful petals. Some trees are tall and thick while some are newly planted. The biggest of them all holds a small treehouse apt to keep my secret things. Moving on, there’s a pavement on the doorstep of the house with a welcome board.

The tour of the house now starts inside that door. Wooden furniture are the main highlight of my dreamhouse besides the open, airy windows. The hall bears a bouncy couch and table with a glass flower pot along with a dining set for six at the front of the kitchen. The kitchen has a well-settled chimney as a centre of attraction. There is always some extra space in the kitchen for new items. The walls are beautifully designed along with fascinating sculptures on the roof boundary.

Photo by Marta Dzedyshko on Pexels.com

Next comes the staircase which leads to the bedroom and guest room area. The stairs are covered with red carpets to make them look traditional and classy. The width is not much since they are attached at the corner of the hall. The hall is big but to keep it spacious and relaxing to look, everything is arranged at its minimum.

The staircase takes a turn to make us reach the first floor having a bedroom, a guest room and a servant quarter at the corner. The bedroom is the biggest, of-course. It is majorly pink coloured with beautiful prints representing nature. There’s a piano-set besides a bed and a wooden almirah in the room. The lamp aside the bed belongs to antique items. It is muddy yellow in colour and gives a pleasant look to the room at night. There’s a round carpet on the floor between the bed and the piano-set. There are a total of 3 windows among which one is the biggest and right beside the piano- set. It gives immense peace to play it there with open window. There is a study table too at the corner of the room- small and stuffed with books and magazines. The lamp at the study table is small and a modern type. The bathroom attached with the bedroom has also been kept modern style having blue walls with pictures of whales and ships.

The accompanying is the guest room, little smaller than the bedroom but remarkably spacious. It consists only a bed , an almirah, a sofa set and glass table. It too has a big window allowing abundant of sunlight to pass through in the morning. The speciality lies in the location of the house too, every window fetches the most of the sunlight to the house making it irrelevant to turn on lights during the day. The curtains need to be heavy since it becomes too hot in the summer. The servant quarter is comparatively small; approximately the size as of store room attached to the hall on the ground floor. It is however, convenient to stay there. It too includes a bed but relatively small, a table, a sofa, an almirah and attached with it is the washroom.

Next floor is build with terrace which is wide, and cold during winters. It is fenced at two edges with strong grills made of stones. The other two edges are joined via walls to other two houses in the neighbour. The view is wide and serene from the terrace. The designer table and chairs are specially placed to have a cup of tea under the beautiful sky whenever it feels like. The garden too is visible to an extent from the terrace. The chimney installed in the kitchen opens up at the top on the terrace.

The larger windows of the hall and the bedroom hold a wing chain each with different sounds knocking softly at the ears during a pleasant weather. It is therefore a good place for writers and poets to put up. The house in itself is a glory and has a lot to write about. This dreamhouse can be the best to reside in- neither too big nor too congested. Its beauty lies in how spacious and a mixture of traditional and modern architect it is!

Life in Delhi

The fascinating crowd says it all. Every place has its own specialty when it comes to Delhi. Every market has something different and every café is party-fit.

The busy roads, rushing vehicles, exciting views and active population -less to describe but highlight main features of a city like Delhi where all day work and each night parties prevail. It’s a dream of many to have a residence in Delhi but the property rates here are devastating. After all, it’s the capital of India and hence the center point of all political dramas. Trade is also a salient feature of Delhi-not because we have best of the workers but more because we are dependent on neighbouring states to get our basic supplies. But we do have excellent business men which is somehow a reason for the deteriorating conditions of such cities. Wonder how? Lets focus on the selfish class of people for this, who, for their own well being, are ready to sacrifice the welfare of the lower sections of the society. They charge high for the services but pay considerably less to the workers. Isn’t it shameful for educated youth to indulge in such destructing activities! Everywhere there’s a race going on where nobody wants to be left behind which is quite a reason behind these practices. The unreachable property rates, caste discrimination, peer pressure, recognition of family background, and many more of such aspects define the drawbacks of living in a city a Delhi. These make up for the increasing stress levels and reason why people plan vacations at less crowded locations or some even migrate. Yes it can be this annoying to continuously live in between a crowd.

What’s healing here, is however, exigent. You cannot miss out on the delicious food once you visit the place. It offers the delicacies of the country at one place under beautifully decorated roofs of the cafes and restaurant which compel you to always have some more! The management and execution they offer don’t let you take leave of the place. Not only the well established food centers gain attention, but the street food points too are famous for their taste. You will always find a crowd especially at such vendors’. From local to regional to international, you will get what you want.

The visitors’ destination are also well known in Delhi. There are many historical monuments and beautiful, famous gardens attracting tourists worldwide. The markets are always eye catching. You can see hand-made crafts as well as sophisticated items being sold extensively in different markets of Delhi. It’s the benefit of being the center of attraction as a city. People from various states come to offer their goods for sale here bringing on the speciality of varied regions . The trade fair is the festival to celebrate in Delhi. The well set up institutional buildings are dreamy to look at. From schools to colleges to industry set up, people work hard to get the best of the best! It’s a lot competitive to stay in the business and very difficult entry for freshers.

Photo by Rohit Gangwar on Pexels.com

For a middle class person, the day starts with a tea and newspaper and usually ends with work and stress. Every individual strive for a tension free and comfortable life. People seldom find time for family and friends but manage it, after all Delhiite we are! Night clubs become a must to release stress and hangouts are another way to interact with family and friends on weekends. The night life, no not only night, the days also spark up with the active and excited personality and aura of the Delhiites. It is something people are over-proud about here. But there should be no over -confidence generated out of it.

Its always a good idea for startups to begin with Delhi like city. It offers professionalism and great expansion opportunities when it comes to businesses. It is most preferred for trainings and learning. The best opportunities lie here but require skills to efficiently tap them.

Yoga- A guide to health

Yoga is the practice of communicating with and exploring your inner self. It includes various postures and meditation to connect and enrich your soul. International Yoga Day is celebrated every year on 21st June to advocate the importance of a healthy lifestyle. It is an excellent way to calm our muscles from the work stress and sharpen our mind. Usually it is performed early morning to start the day fresh and active. It is not just a series of exercise you may wonder, it requires to keep hold of a pose/asana in order to be effective.

Nothing is easy in this world if you don’t have the correct guidance. The speciality of yoga lies in the holding of poses which is quite difficult but on the same hand, teaches patience.

Below are some of the postures to start yoga journey for a beginner:

  1. Vrikshasana (The Tree pose)

This is a very basic, easy and beneficial pose.

Procedure for Vrikshasana–

  • Stand straight with arms at your sides.
  • Now bend your right leg with your right foot pointing the left leg. Rest the foot above the left knee and balance it.
  • Now slowly stretch your arms out and bring them above your head together. Try to join hands above your head and balance it.
  • Focus yourself on a specific point to maintain balance and avoid distraction.
  • Keep this pose for as long as 10 -15 seconds as a beginner extending to 30-40 seconds with daily practice.
  • Repeat it by keeping your left foot above the right knee.

Advantages of Vrikshasana–

This pose helps balance your body by lifting your weight to one side and also improves focus. The blood circulates with more ease and the some tensions in the back are also resolved by practising this asana. It is a stretching exercise therefore contributing to growth and development of the body in terms of height as well as stamina.

People having leg injury should not perform it.

2. Padmasana

It is a sitting posture.

Procedure for Padmasana–

  • Sit on a mat with back straight, legs folded and arms at your sides.
  • Now move your right foot and rest it on the left thigh.
  • Shift your left foot and keep it on the right thigh. Take help of your hands in doing so.
  • Straighten your back and keep your hands on the folded knees. The hands should be free and not stiff.
  • Now take one or two deep breaths and release the pose slowly by moving legs back to a comfortable position with the help of your hands.
  • Relax and repeat the same steps once again.

Advantages of Padmasana–

This is a very relaxing pose once you get habitual to it. It aligns the back and strengthens the leg muscles. The deep breaths help in blood circulation and body functioning through lungs and heart. This pose calms the mind and helps release stress and anxiety.

It should not be performed in case of knee injury or back injury.

3. Tadasana

It is a wonderful pose to increase height.

Procedure for Tadasana–

  • Stand straight.
  • Now slowly lift your body weight to your toes.
  • Stretch up your arms above your head simultaneously.
  • When you have balanced to stand on your toes, lock your fingers of both hands together and start stretching yourself higher on your toes.
  • Hold it for 10-15 seconds as a beginner extending to 30-40 seconds with practice, once you achieve the highest stretch.
  • Release slowly once you are done and repeat it after relaxing for a few seconds.

Advantages of Tadasana–

It stretches the overall body muscles and increases stamina. This asana helps improve focus and maintain balance.

People having any injury in shoulder, legs or back should consult doctor before performing this.

4. Trikonasana (The triangle pose)

It is a standing pose of bending.

Procedure for the triangle pose–

  • Stand with your back straight and legs apart (around 3 feet).
  • Move your arms parallel to the ground besides your shoulder.
  • The arms should be straight throughout and facing down.
  • Now slowly bend yourself from the waist area to the right being in the same position of arms and legs.
  • Try to touch your toes with your hands keeping your back straight.
  • Knees should not be bent.
  • Hold the pose for 5 breaths or as per convenience when you have reached maximum of your bend.
  • Return to the starting position slowly and repeat it on the other side (left).

Advantages of the triangle pose– 

It enhances strength and balance. This pose is good for increasing height and improving flexibility in the waist area.

You should consult a doctor first in case of injury in the waist, hips or a back injury.

5. Paschimottanasana

It is the seated forward bend pose.

Procedure for Paschimottanasana–

  • Sit on a mat with back straight and legs open forward.
  • Keep your legs straight and together with toes facing up and heels straight on the ground.
  • Stretch your arms bringing them above your head. Grab up your hands.
  • Now slowly bend your back to the front by stretching with your straight arms.
  • Try to touch your toes with your hands.
  • Hold for 2 or 3 breaths once you reach your maximum bend.
  • Now slowly come back to the position by straightening your back and moving the arms down.
  • Repeat after relaxing for a few seconds.
  • Remember to not bend the knees while doing it.

Advantages of Paschimottanasana–

This pose helps improve flexibility, stamina and will power. It also builds confidence and strengthens our muscles.

You should consult a doctor first, in case of knee or back injury.

Importance of Yogasana:

Yoga is a wonderful solution to many health related problems not only physically but mentally as well. It cures many problems and protects from infections and injuries. There are many more yoga postures than stated above which affect our life in a healthy way. These are basic to start. Yoga is the key to happiness when it comes to a busy and tensed life and work stress. Everyone should include it in their daily routine to keep a check of their health and fitness. It is a field of development. The range of postures is limitless and one never gets bored of them when it becomes a part of life. It is suitable for every age group, any gender and is applicable worldwide. The moments of deep breaths make a part of meditation during yoga. The scope of yoga is not at all limited whether in terms of teaching or learning. What limits is the imagination and the lack of motivation in people to pursue it.

Each pose should be done with care and caution. It is very important to execute them properly to earn benefits and save from injury. Yoga is a great way to sharpen the mind, build confidence, stay fit and be healthy. Also, it offers many such health benefits. It all comes with practice and dedication. You need to be regular and determined to adopt it as a habit. The more time you give to it, the more fruitful the result would be.

FORMAL COMMUNICATION- GETTING JOB READY

Ever imagined reading someone’s mind? Well you can do that once you go through the wonderful experience of learning effective communication. Yes, a simple yet complicated study of human behaviour, attitude, personality can be very well assessed through communication. Maybe you feel it absurd talking about communication since it’s a very typical thing we all inhibit as we grow. But, Let me correct you. It’s an art to communicate EFFECTIVELY.

Communication not only means speaking and listening. It’s more about how you present yourself while speaking and how you behave while listening.

It creates an impact on the person you are communicating with. Suppose you have a business meeting going on and you are wearing your pyjamas while presenting your COMPANY. The clients will lose interest on first sight since your clothes are speaking about you . And what if you go to a night club wearing formals, all eyes will be on you. Not because you look attractive, but you went the wrong place, they will think. Of course clubs welcome party wears! Every place has its own demand, you see. It is essential to get into what the situation demands of you.

For an effective communicator, you have to be a good speaker as well as a good listener. You should be able to ADMINISTER one’s thoughts. We will soon return to this point after learning few basics.

Now, When you are in a formal set up, you should know what your business requires you to be like. In a textile business you should have knowledge of cloth materials while in a transport business you should be aware of the routes where your business is operative. The basic motive behind KNOWING YOUR BUSINESS is that it allows you to interact with your clients, employees, suppliers, in a better way. The basic know-how plays an important role in deciding investment plans, employee- pay, expansion and likewise for the company. Similarly if you are an employee/employer of the company, you should be aware of the current trends and evolutions that may bother your business. Actions are to be taken accordingly. Each and every person concerned should be active in terms of knowledge. When you will go for an interview with no idea of what the company offers, the rejection happens before the communication. It is like hitting hammer on your own legs. Not only it creates negative impact about you but also there are chances of you being tricked by people. They may hire you for irrelevant or undesirable work without you knowing an inch about it. Such cases do exist!

However, Being knowledgeable is not sufficient to interact. You should follow the basic etiquettes of a business.

After making a formal appearance, Your body language while presenting matters a lot.

Body language shows how confident you are and what determination you have to turn the world around. Your behaviour should be active and not like the one of a procrastinator. Organisations employ or contract with only those who have the stamina to do something for their welfare. No one recognises a lethargic and frustrated person. You should be a solution provider for their problems and not a problem yourself.

Good posture and attentive behaviour are the ideology to get attraction towards you.

A smile on the face, tight hand shakes, confident walk

These attributes relate to interviews but apply to all businesses where companies deal with the clients on a daily basis. A serious look is not advisable as much a happy face while dealing formally. Weak hand shakes signal the low confidence level of a person. Similar is the case of walking manner. Remember, you are being judged throughout. Nothing gets ignored when it comes to formal interactions.

There are more of such signals that show your nervousness. While shaking hands, if your hands are getting cold, the interviewer will know it and such observations may affect your selections for jobs having specific demands.

Another example can be your movements. If you are clicking a pen while waiting for your turn in the interview or you are changing your postures very often or clicking your fingers; all of these give a direct impression in the interviewers head. Here, your behaviour speaks about you.

On the contrary, if you are too loud while speaking or too frank/cheerful/excited while interacting with that person of authority, it shows your over confidence or other such attitude as may be undesirable for the post you are being interviewed for. Formal set ups admire moderate personality employees-neither too loud in their behaviour nor too lazy.

Having discussed the basics, we now come to the most important and the final stage of our discussion – Administering the thought process

Now that you know the dressing sense, body language and awareness (knowledge) required for effective communication in formal set ups, we now learn how to read the mind of the individual we are interacting with. It is quite a simple task which comes with experience. Ever imagined how such big organisations manage time to interview a number of applicants ? They are the mind readers. They excel at knowing your personality via your thought process. You are asked questions that reflect you. Your way of speech and your answers decide if you are suitable. This is why interviews are often quick as they read you through your words and expressions.

But what does this has for you? You also can read them up. As humans, we interact and communicate on a daily basis. What you need is work upon it. Make your every interaction effective by being attentive and presentable. You will come up with more ideas to communicate through practice. You should be clear in your speech and responsive to others‘. Give time to others’ complete their point and make place for your words on the same hand. This way you get better at understanding point of views.

Through more such assessments you will become able to grasp ideas before people speak up. You will know what the interviewer is going to ask about. Yes, it happens! You too will start to get an idea of the thought process of a person and analyse his personality. These signals are hard to trace in formal set ups, that is why it comes with experience…