Dowry- A curse

Dowry originated to give stress to women and made up of sthreedhanam ( Stree means woman and dhan means wealth) consisting of money,property,or gifts given solely to women by her parents in marriage in the form of dowry. But the abuse of this custom started when it became a price tag for groom. The groom demands dowry consisting of a large sum of money,furniture and other luxury things.

The price of Indian groom has increased based on his qualifications,profession and income. It is the ritual that doctors,chartered Accountants and Engineers expect a handsome dowry. Dowry has reduced the status of women in our society. The grooms have also become a saleable commodity available at such a price,earning so many amounts. Even the rate of dowry has been fixed by doctors ,bank officers,govt officers and businessmen.

In case marriage takes place where dowry is less than a new chapter of mental and physical violence takes place against the bride in order to extract more dowry. The violence started from one day taunting by inlaws and then domestic violnce by husbands.The practice of dowry has been still rising in India badly.The most severe case is when bride is burning in regard to less dowry and these incidents are given shape of accidental burns in kitchen or disguised as suicide.In india every 20 woman die as result of harassment over dowry,either murdered by their husbands or compelled to commit suicide.dowry death rose from about 19 per day to 20 per day in 2020. And many reports of dowry death are unreported in police stations. Taking or giving dowry is practice from 1961. And still now it is a significant part of Indian marriage and falling women empowerment.

In some cases,to escape from punishmenet the husband and family not only kill woman directly but harass them mentally and physically too commit suicide.We are in 2020 and still this system is prevailing. The reason for that is our old customs and patriarchal society that values men over women. The stronghold of gender inequality makes them give dowry that is too wrong . The second reason is this practice is so rooted in the Indian culture that it is seen as normal and unchangeable.Even today people get to know that they are taking dowry they use to ignore them and take it as cultural tradition. If a woman’s marriage requires dowry in return for a safe,happy life then this world is unsafe and discriminatory for women. And where women are not treated with equity then that country can’t become developed. This is a ahrsh reality that women sacrifice their life because of this single small stupid thing. Nothing is above than life.

The need of the hour is the social awareness at least among females to stand up against wrong and right. More stringent laws,more awareness ,more education is required to girls for their independence and a social awakening can curb this ever increasing evil.

Factors determining job satisfaction of employee

Job satisfaction is defined as the level of contentment employees feel with their job. This goes beyond their daily duties to cover satisfaction with team members/managers, satisfaction with organizational policies, and the impact of their job on employees’ personal lives.

Satisfaction with:

▪︎Compensation and benefits

▪︎work environment

▪︎team members and managers

▪︎ job impact on personal life

What is job satisfaction ?

Job satisfaction, an unquantifiable metric, is defined as a positive emotional response you experience when doing your job or when you are present at work. Leading organizations are now trying to measure this feeling, with job satisfaction surveys becoming a staple at most workplaces. It’s important to remember that job satisfaction varies from employee to employee. In the same workplace under the same conditions, the factors that help one employee feel good about their job may not apply to another employee. For this reason, it is essential to have a multidimensional approach to employee satisfaction, covering the following areas:

▪︎ The challenging nature of work , pushing employees to new heights

▪︎A level of convenience (short commute, access to the right digital tools and flexible hours)

▪︎competitive pay, which employees maintain a good quality of life

▪︎The promise of career progression in sync with employees’ personal growth targets

▪︎ Regular appreciation by the immediate management and the organisation as a whole

Factors determining job satisfaction of employee:

There’s no one definition of job satisfaction, and factors contributing to it will depend on the nature of your workplace. For example, a satisfied employee in the manufacturing sector looks different from a satisfied software developer. However, there are ten traits that every workplace geared toward employee well-being and satisfaction will have in common.

▪︎Does your company are about its employees ?

Remember, it’s not enough to only care – communicate this care regularly to employees through newsletters, rewards, informal recognition, paid incentives, and other forms of communication. Companies with a high job satisfaction level, such as Google and Starbucks, also feature employee happiness and satisfaction stories as part of their communication strategy.

▪︎Does the workplace have room for employees to engage in their hobbies?

Today, most of us spend a significant part of the week at work, but this doesn’t mean we want to ignore our hobbies or personal interests. A workplace where employees have enough free time to read a book, catch up on the news, have a pleasant meal, for example – and where such behaviors are not considered slacking off – will better enable job satisfaction.

▪︎Do employees feel respected from their peers?

A workplace where employees feel regularly criticized or under some type of scrutiny is ripe for dissatisfaction. You can detect their dissatisfaction via one-on-one conversations with employees, or through anonymized data collected via employee satisfaction surveys and take appropriate measures to improve their experience in this area.

▪︎ Is there a culture of two way feedback?

Employees need regular feedback (both positive and constructive) to know that they are on the right track. Also, they want to share their opinions with managers/HR/senior management to guide the future of the company. This culture of two-way feedback is essential to maintaining employee satisfaction. It is doubly necessary for you to act on the feedback you receive.

▪︎Where do you stand on the issue of work life balance?

Companies must try to build a non-toxic culture of high performance, where productivity isn’t prioritized over well-being. Positive work-life balance is integral to this. As per the 2019 Workplace Happiness Report by udemy, work-life balance adds meaning to the job for 37% of professionals. Mandatory work-from-home days, paid time off, and flexible working benefits are great ways to help employees achieve this.

▪︎Do employees feel secure about their role ?

Job security is now a major concern as technology upends existing processes, and automation threatens legacy models of working. As a future-focused employer, you must clearly explain how an employee’s role will transform over the years and equip them for this change. Apart from basics such as compensation, employee benefits, and workplace amenities, these ten factors go a long way in either improving or negatively impacting employee satisfaction. And here’s why you can’t afford to have dissatisfied employees.

▪︎Does your organisation follow fair and inclusive policies?

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace have a positive impact on the business bottom line, while also improving a company’s culture and work environment. By ensuring fairness toward all your employees, regardless of age, gender, or disability, you can increase the average level of satisfaction across the company. In other words, job satisfaction shouldn’t be limited to a select few – everyone, across the company, should experience the same level of well-being.

▪︎How do employees rate their relationship with their reporting heads?

We have all heard the axiom that employees don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses. And this is confirmed by studies – a poll by Gallup found that 75% of voluntary attrition can be attributed to the behavior of immediate supervisors and not the job itself.

5 reasons why job satisfaction is so important

By actively working on satisfaction in the workplace, you end up with employees who are more engaged, involved, and eager to go the extra mile. This benefits your company in several ways.

1- satisfied employees translate into satisfied customers :

If employees are unhappy at work, the chances are that this will reflect in their interactions with the customer. Contact centers, specifically, cannot afford to have dissatisfied employees – this is sure to show in every word they say and every campaign they work on.

2- Voluntory turnover will come down:

Sometimes, turnover can be good for business, as it brings fresh talent into the organization. But voluntary turnover looks different – you risk losing top talent you have carefully trained over the years. Also, this talent takes with it tribal knowledge once it leaves the company, which could toughen up the competition for your products and service offerings. On the other hand, a satisfied workforce is less likely to quit.

3- You increase the chance of referral:

Employee referrals are the most effective method of recruitment, none. A report by Jobvite found that referrals make up 7% of all applications but an overwhelming 40% of all hires. An employee satisfied with the work conditions and the pay scale is far more likely to recommend their friends than a dissatisfied employee.

4- Satisfaction is directly linked to your productivity:

In a positive work environment, employees are more likely to bring their best to work every day. For example , research by the social market foundation and the university of Warwick’s centre of competitive advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE) found that happy employees are 20% more productive than unhappy employees on average.

There’s also a secondary reason for this – high-satisfaction workplaces prioritize employee wellness. Therefore, they are more likely to look after themselves, and address stress/burnout/health issues, before it impacts work.

5- In the long term, you can dramatically reduce HR costs:

Typically, you need to plan for both fixed and variable costs as part of your HR budget. Low satisfaction could significantly dent the variable aspect of this equation – dissatisfied employees require targeted surveys, specialized learning and development, additional career assistance, and ultimately may lead to rehiring and retraining costs in the case of turnover. All of this needs you to invest more than you had expected.

By making job satisfaction a priority at your company, you can stay ahead of the curve and ensure that there are no unprecedented issues arising due to low satisfaction.

Driven by these benefits, more and more organizations are investing in job satisfaction initiatives. And this has had a marked impact on job satisfaction, as seen in the following statistics.

Poverty and Pollution

“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” – Aristotle

Poverty, as Aristotle defines- may lead to revolution as we have seen innumerably be it civil wars of 1980’s or mass movement of Indian freedom struggle. The second genesis of poverty as per Aristotle’s definition, is significant in present context- “Crime”. Be it crime committed by poor thieves to feed their family or crime of polluting environment, we all commit- both are polluting and consequential.

Poverty and pollution are the two most normal issues keeping the world from achieving its objective of manageable turn of events. By and large we accept that it is fortune which makes all the issues identified with ecological corruption causing contamination, environmental change and so on. In spite of the fact that it is consistent with a specific degree we can’t overlook a more profound interrelationship which exists among neediness and contamination. The poor are progressively inclined to the contamination issues and it is destitution which is somehow identified with contamination.

The interrelationship among destitution and poor can be concentrated through different measurements; first, we’ll take a gander at the practices followed by individuals in helpless networks which lead to contamination. We accept that the majority of the ecological related issues like contamination are brought about by well-to-do segments of the general public due to their ways of life. They are the significant employments of vitality assets, vehicles and record for a significant lump of private utilization consumption which is answerable for ecological corruption. Despite the fact that it is consistent with a specific degree we can’t overlook the commitment of more unfortunate areas the general public in issues identified with condition. Needy individuals for the most part rely upon kindling and dairy animals fertilizer for their cooking rehearses which thus produces a great deal of contamination. Kindling is gathered by felling trees which weakens the dirt condition causing soil contamination. Soil contamination will have negative ramifications on horticultural works on causing a decrease in food assets. Also, there is an absence of mindfulness among helpless networks with respect to natural issues. Inadvertently, their day by day practices, for example, open sanitation, ill-advised waste removal, unhygienic environmental factors and so forth can contribute towards contamination. Another issue relating to air contamination is open agrarian waste consuming. Notwithstanding constant updates from the state governments and even punishment estimates requested by the Supreme Court helpless ranchers are persistently consuming their agrarian squanders in open fields seriously decaying air quality. Absence of some other moderate methods and particularly mindfulness is the underlying driver of this issue.

Pollution as an issue involves genuine worry for the whole world. So as to guarantee practical advancement whole planet has held hands to expel neediness from the world. In any case, some of the time strategies used to expel destitution can likewise prompt ecological issues. We need monetary development and advancement to beat neediness. All the creating nations are moving towards industrialization for accomplishing monetary success. These advancement exercises are expanding the carbon impression on the planet. In the quest for expelling neediness through improvement we are hurting our condition. Structures, ventures, apparatus, foundation ventures and so on all contribute towards contamination. A ton of e-squander from created nations is being dumped into creating nations for removal. For the most part it is the destitute individuals who handle its removal and are probably going to experience the ill effects of its outcomes as they in its nearby region. So as to dispose of one issue we are making another.

The following connection among destitution and contamination is worried about its belongings. Who are generally influenced by contamination? It is the needy individuals who are getting the brunt of contamination. According to a Harvard study directed in the late 90’s future is low in helpless nations when contrasted with wealthier networks and the significant explanation for this is ecological contamination. Destitute individuals don’t have the privilege to appreciate characteristic assets as much the wealthy do. The best model is water. The majority of the individuals living in India despite everything don’t approach perfect and safe drinking water and they are for the most part from helpless foundations. All the modern and electronic waste is dumped into the streams which influence the lives of individuals living in those regions. Air quality is seriously debasing in our nation. Needy individuals who burn through the greater part of their occasions on roads are increasingly inclined to experience the ill effects of its outcomes. Neither they have cash nor the assets to keep themselves from these issues. Medical issues brought about by contamination will have extensive effect on destitute individuals. Absence of sustenance, social insurance and in particular mindfulness will additionally add to their issues.

We need a synergistic way to deal with conquer the twin issues of neediness and contamination. At the same time we need to remember the entomb connection between the two and must be incredibly careful in discovering arrangements as one issue’s answer can turn into the reason for another. The fundamental need is to make mindfulness and spread training among the helpless masses with respect to contamination; its circumstances and end results. Government ought to give cooking ovens and gas associations with the destitute individuals so they don’t need to rely upon kindling and different assets for their cooking prerequisites. Government activity of requesting that individuals surrender their LPG appropriations to give LPG to the poor is excellent. Sufficient measures ought to be received to save woodlands on which numerous neighborhood networks are needy. Works on prompting deforestation ought to be debilitated. Government needs to give elective wellsprings of occupation to such helpless networks. Individuals ought to be debilitated from receiving practices, for example, inappropriate waste removal, open sanitation, consuming of agrarian waste which prompts ecological contamination. Open specialists need to assume a significant job in this. They need to take endeavors to make mindfulness among individuals, screen such destructive practices which can contribute towards contamination, instruct individuals about the unsafe impacts of contamination and attempt vital measures for restorative activity. We need to guarantee that while creating helpless nations we are not trading off our condition. So as to have economical advancement we have to dispose of destitution without making any damage the earth and guaranteeing social equity. No decent can be accomplished by hurting others. Neediness and contamination, both are dire worldwide issues that ought not be dealt with independently as one is well on the way to affect another.

Burdens of online classes

I have just been promoted to the second year of my postgraduate course and our dean was very much proactive in launching the online platform by buying a Zoom subscription, providing access to the online private library and even bought subscriptions to buy e-books. A necessary amount of fees was also reduced although there is no reimbursement of the internet or Wi-Fi charges. Around 2-4 classes of duration 90 minutes are usually scheduled each day, with a couple of days off each week. Faculties usually provide assignments with deadlines and we have to prepare presentations almost every week. Everything which one usually does in a MBA college, we are doing everything and even the faculties are trying to replicate the entire offline model of MBA into an online model. Truth to be spoken, they have been successful in their endeavours, but to what extent?

With each passing day, such online classes are becoming more of a burden. Attending classes every day, for such long hours as well as trying to grasp new topics is becoming increasingly difficult. Even though the faculties are trying to make things easy, there is something about this online platform that makes the entire teaching process a mile less effective. Recent trends suggest that the attention span of a normal 25 years old human being ranges from 10 to 20 minutes. This trend is well observed when we are studying a class environment, usually surrounded by friends who help us getting through the class. But coming to the online mode, what usually happens is our attention span gets drastically reduced and since there is no check with the reality, we often drift away from what exactly is happening in the class. What spikes our frustration is the absence of non-verbal cues during the class activities or during presentation. In classes, we can see our audience and change ourselves accordingly, but in online mode, it seems like a one way communication – we only speak without any response from the opposite end. And to add to that, we always face a fear of losing internet connection in the middle of class. And God forbid, the days when that happens, we have no other options but to succumb to our own senses to try and to understand what we have missed.

But that is not all. Post graduate study is so designed that group work is more of necessity which reduces time and increases effectiveness of our study. Studying solo in our rooms is making things harder, and this is piling up day by day.

But what is more frightening and despairing is that unlike the corporate, schools and colleges does not have any mental wellness programs. Hours of online classes with studying solo in our rooms is creating a mental challenge coupled with anxiety and stress. What actually is happening now is that students are trying to cram everything but what is the effectiveness? Are we really being able to retain anything at the end of the day? There is no doubt that the faculties are trying their best, but somewhere they have failed to consider the mental challenge that we are facing in the meantime.

Online class is perfectly fine for those curriculum which have been designed in that way. It does not work, or at least we are not ready to embrace this form as a substitute of offline mode of classes.

Source – Self

Love

I watched as my sister knelt down beside me
Tears running down her face calm face
I watched as she gently raised me up to her chest and the loud scream coming out from her mouth
People ran past us to hide for their dear lives
Then she detached me from chest and place my head on her lap
Gently rub my face with her hand and tears continue to flows down like a waterfall
My lifeless body on her lap and keep saying words but she seems not to care
And suddenly she start singing calling out my name softly
I could remember the song, our parents sings the song a lot to us
“Oh Dil-ara!! You are bold, you are beautiful,oh my Dil-ara! If the stars were your dream,I will give you my whole sky,oh my little princess”
Just then,her breath caught in her throat and the tears continue to stream down
People keep running to hide
But my sister is here with my lifeless body
A body that knows no wounds nor pain
Seeing with me, I believe that her love is so boundless towards me.

Village Life

A lot of people think that it is just impossible to live in some under-developed rural areas while modern city life can provide a person with almost everything that one could only imagine. However, such active and bustling way of life is not for everyone. There are a lot of people who do not pursue a crazy success and luxury and just want their life to be simple and plain. A village is a perfect place to live if you are in search of harmony with nature. People have everything for their minimum requirements of life. Villagers are just satisfied with the necessities of their living. They are always provided with fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, water, and clear air. It is the simplicity, natural beauty, and tranquility that make the rural life unique and special. Moreover, living in a concrete jungle can be quite stressful and it can make you more vulnerable to depression.

Villages preserve our national customs and traditions. The village people usually hold various festivals and fairs where they represent the wealth of our culture. Villagers think in the terms of religion and God. The village temple is the divine place where people draw inspiration for their further work and pray for their families and themselves. There is a unique closeness between the elder and younger generations. Young people treat their parents and grandparents with great respect and follow their valuable advice.

In spite of everything good that the village can give us, there are a lot of important things that rural areas lack. Peasants lack the utilities and convenience a more developed area can offer, such as hospitals, stores, police stations, firefighters, public health, mass education, proper cell phone coverage, and internet access. So, there should be some progress in rural areas in order to make such places more pleasant and comfortable to live.
Conclusion
A lot of philosophers and great thinkers admired the rural life because the country people are able to gain a sense of well-being from the purposefulness of a simple country existence. You can easily find a certain spiritual serenity and enjoy the pleasures of meaningful time among the magnificent rural landscapes. There may come a time when you just want to escape from everyday stresses and complexities of city life. At village you can feel the time and make your life move slower.

Farming and agriculture are one of the most difficult jobs. The Indian farmer, in particular, is a hardworking and diligent man. The land and the crops need close attention and efforts day and night for a successful harvest. Life in an Indian village is not a walk in the park by any means.

The farmer will usually start his day before sunup and work throughout the whole day. It involves a lot of manual labor and persistence. They plow the land, sow the seeds, harvest the crops, etc. And a lot of the farmers do not enjoy the luxury of machines or tractors and have to rely on intense manual labor. Rain or shine, they can never take a day off.

“Spirits can never be conquered”Book Review: Living Courageously


The book “living courageously” written by Lipa Rath; an angel therapist, a true healer is a self-help
book which helps the reader to discover the true meaning of life. Author Lipa Rath, did not believe in
God until she was shaken up by the sudden death of her elder sister and her broken marriage which
lead her to the discovery of spiritual path which gave her the strength to tackle life’s numerous
problems. “Living Courageously” has come from the author’s heart. “Going through a long, dark
tunnel makes you wonder if you are ever going to see light.” Her crisis became so severe that she
thought of killing herself at one point. But eventually, she came out of darkness. Lipa suffers from no
hatred. “Today,” she says, “I feel very proud of the sufferings that I bravely suffered.”
As Lipa retraces her path with us in this journey, she shines bright throughout the end. Love and
forgiveness, surrender to God, deep devotion, power of the mind, fear and negativity, health and
happiness, will power, introspection, health, healing, affirmation, karma, spirit within, desires, death.
A proper disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, Lipa covers every aspect of life with a rare candor.

Memories can never be replaced. Book review: “Million Memories”


The book Million Memories written by Pallavi Kodan is a narrative of 3 best friends which makes the
reader dwell into memories and relate it on every aspect. It is a story of three friends and their journey
of life. Aashima, Karishma and Siddhant, from classes to tuitions, they grew up together. Higher
education made them drift apart and they left with promises to stay in touch. Karishma who was the
misfit among the valued Siddhant and Aashima, had a great deal of ups and downs, fallings and
heartbreaks, she ignored her old friends for the new found fun but returned back to them, every time
with the guilt that proved her wrong. Being madly in love with her, Siddhant always found her in her
heart while the all forgiving Aashima was always more than a friend who cared. Siddharth finds the
way to make a profession out of his passion but somewhere there are distractions that don’t let him
live. Ashima falls in love but is confused about the right time. Time takes it’s leaps and Karishma’s
series of misfortunate adventures don’t seem to end.
The story is full of roller coaster ride and will make the reader fill up with multiple emotions at
various stages. This book is the wonderful combination of various emotions and experiences.

Amazing health benefits of Corn.

You will find the reason very easily during the monsoon days. In this era of coronavirus epidemic, if you are missing out for a snack in the evening then you can consume it. It is used for eating even after roasting it at home and it also provides excellent benefits for health.During the monsoon days, we often feel like eating spicy foods. Especially in the rain, there is more to eat these dishes. Right now the coronavirus epidemic has imprisoned people in their homes during this period, so it is better to avoid eating outside things. At the same time, corn is consumed the most in this season.

You will find it very easily at the vegetable shop. You can also roast it at home and consume it. Corn intake will not only change your test, but it also provides many good benefits to your health. Let us tell you below, what are the benefits of consuming corn to your body.

Correct digestion Those who are struggling with digestive problems or their food is not digested properly, then such people should definitely consume corn. The amount of fiber present in corn actively acts to correct digestion.

Beneficial for the eyes Corn intake can also prove beneficial for good eye care. The amount of vitamin-A present in it maintains the eye’s ability to see. Along with this, the amount of carotenoids present in it is also considered very beneficial for the eyes.
Beneficial for the skin The amount of antioxidants present in it works to improve the skin. The risk of skin pigmentation is also reduced manifold due to the number of antioxidants.

Boost immunity Corn intake is also considered to be the most effective for maintaining immunity. According to a scientific study, the special properties present in corn have the potential to strengthen immune cells. For this reason, if you consume corn, your immunity can also be strong.

Strengthen bones Foods rich in calcium nutrients should be consumed to make bones strong. This nutrient is also found in corn. So if you want to keep your bones strong, then eating corn can also prove to be a portion of good food.

10 Unhealthy food items one should avoid.

Just like it is important to know about the foods that enhance good health, it is equally important to give attention and have knowledge about the top foods that are unhealthy for the body and should be avoided as much as possible. The foods mentioned below are not only unhealthy but also hampers with the regular functions of the body making you more prone to diseases and health problems.

Candy Bars
Candy bars are loaded with sugar. They cause cavities in teeth, which can lead to tooth loss over a period of a time. Candy bars also cause insatiable hunger and can up your sugar glucose levels. They also cause liver failure and excess weight gain. They are one of the factors that cause insulin resistance in the body.

Ice Cream
Ice creams are irresistible foods for both adults and kids alike. However, these sugar loaded desserts are high on carbohydrates and can cause several health issues. They cause diabetes, weight gain and even teeth sensitivity issues. They also increase the blood triglycerides in the body.

Fast Food
In the modern era, people prefer something that is quick and tasty. Fast foods are the most eaten food across the world. These are extremely dangerous to health, as they can cause excessive weight gain. They also cause depression due to the presence of harmful chemicals. Studies show that fast foods are also responsible for dementia.

Coffee Drinks
Intake of coffee must be restricted to no more than 2 cups per days, as it can increase caffeine levels in the body. It can cause restlessness, stomach disorders, vomitings, nausea, acidity and irregular functioning of heart. It is always better to limit your coffee intake per day.

Processed Foods
Processed foods may be easy to consume, but they are extremely harmful to health. They are loaded with sugar and fructose corn syrup. These have very little amounts of nutrition and fill body with empty calories. This causes increases heart diseases, obesity and sudden deaths in people.

Pasta
White pasta of any form or shape is one of the unhealthiest foods that one should stay away from. There are no vitamins and minerals that are provided to the body and a minimum amount of fiber which is not even significant. The only thing it has is empty carbs. The unhealthy fat is only an add on in most of the cases.

Soda
Aerated drinks are another of the unhealthy foods that totally deserves to be in this list. Soda is only a hundred percent calories without any nutrient or health gains for a person. It also has high levels of sugar that affects the body in a negative way. It damages the teeth; weaken the bones and leads to cavities.

White Bread
White bread is just another form of pasta and one that provides no nutrients to the body and only empty calories. White flour based products are unhealthy snacks and you can always adhere to healthier substitutes like brown bread.

Tomato Ketchup
Tomato ketchup is full of preservatives and high levels of sugar. It is one of the processed foods that bring only bad health to the body. Make sure you stay away from this unhealthy food as much as possible.

Processed Cheese
Have you ever seen the slice of cheese in hamburgers? These are nothing but processed cheese and something highly unhealthy and full of saturated fats. There is nothing else in this food apart from calories and the way to obesity.

“City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert: Book Review

You may have heard of Eat, Pray, Love, the memoir that spent 199 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List thanks to the writing of American author Elizabeth Gilbert. Similarly, the most recent book of Gilbert’s, City of Girls, has thus far met quite satisfactory reviews and is a New York Times bestseller itself. In addition to this, the book is a winner of the 2020 Audie Award for fiction because of its jazzy style, sexy characters, and indisputable New York glamour.

Book Summary

Vivian Morris is a nineteen-year-old girl who is rich, beautiful, and second-to-last in grades out of every single student at Vassar college. When she inevitably flunks out, her parents don’t know what to do with her, so they decide to send her to New York. There, she will live with her estranged Aunt Peg and assist her with the old, decrepit live theater she owns, which Vivian comes to know fondly as the Lily Playhouse.

When she arrives, Vivian is aghast at the fiery glamour of the Big Apple. She’s swept up in it, in fact, so much so that this rather innocent girl becomes a late-night lock-the-door partygoer, romping along with her new showgirl and actress friends from the Lily Playhouse as they put on their first hit show: City of Girls. Vivian describes her adventures, and does so in a chatty, fun tone—even when she comes to the part in the story where a regretful sexual encounter leaves her as almost nothing more than a piece of gossip in the tabloids, she keeps up her high-spirited style.

Because of the ruckus that said sexual encounter caused, Vivian, now twenty, decides to leave New York out of guilt and shame. She comes back a few years later out of necessity—Aunt Peg needs her help putting shows on for the soldiers of the second World War—but in the time that she’s back with her parents, she still has her adventures, one of them being narrowly escaping an engagement. When she finally arrives back in New York, Vivian sews costumes for the political skits that Aunt Peg and her secretary, Olive, put on, and she’s happy to be home at last.

In the last leg of the book, Vivian talks about the aftereffects of the war and the destruction it caused, the death of her brother being an example of that. One day, Vivian meets a soldier named Frank who knew her brother—and although the pair do share a small but terribly unpleasant piece of history involving why Vivian left New York, they gradually move past it and become the best of friends. As the pair grow older and Vivian settles down, becoming a happy, independent seamstress, she recounts all the wild events of her past and allows them to flow into the much calmer events of her present, graciously allowing readers to join her in the process.

Review

In my humble opinion, I think City of Girls lives up to its expectation in every way. It’s an effervescent, witty, and sexy adventure that reintroduces us to colloquial things we thought we forgot, giving readers insight and wisdom along the way. As a story of a young girl growing up and discovering the real world, it has its share of heartache, but never fails to swing back into the shameless you-only-live-once style that Vivian never quite grows out of.

My favorite thing about City of Girls was probably the characters—each one more unique and interesting than the last, you’ve got girls that sound like boys and boys that look like girls and playwrights that respond to “Good morning!” with “I fail to see your argument.” Elizabeth Gilbert spared no expense in giving even the smallest characters a trait unique to them, and that kind of patience is admirable among authors.

A CASE OF MOLESTATION!!

He must be illiterate, impoverished, rowdy and a low level guy. Only such people can do these types of filthy and cheap things to women. They must be educated and trained on how to behave with women. Molestation is a sexual assault or abuse of a person, especially a woman or child. It is the action of pestering someone in an aggressive manner. I heard one of my colleagues saying to others over a newspaper report that illustrated a molestation case.

There are two different perspective of a man, first, is extremely well educated, financially sound and socially esteemed person who misbehave or abuse to womens.Mostly goons are represented as someone who wears flashy clothes, speak in slangs and seems to have no education or manners.

We usually think only poor people abuse or use dirty weapons but our higher class society also misbehaves with, and hurts the sentiments of child women. It is easy to point the finger on someone who lack power no one is to watch the person who have all its power and superior .Mostly these high class man used to molest and throw their frustrations on weaker section sex.

I want to share one instance in my locality ,where a 39 year old man allegedly misbehaved and tried to molest a 17 year old girl who is very beautiful, elegant ,delightful but belongs to poor and low standard society and not much educated. Actually, it’s not something scary about molestation in the present day secenario.In fact; it is in the perception of the majority of people in our country. People generally feel that behavior of an individual is essentially dependent on the social and financial strata that come from the people.

One instance bollywood actor Zaira Wasim alleged that a co passenger who was seated behind her in the business class, misbehaved with her in vistara flight which was enroute to Mumbai from delhi.she triggered the news by posting a video message on her twitter account as soon as she landed on Mumbai airport. She accused the passenger of molestation and said he didn’t only place his leg on her armchair but also rubbed his toe on her back and neck throughout the journey. The entire country responded to her allegations and thousands of people including many celebrities supported her. The police arrested the accused in no time.

But on the other hand, an eye witness who was travelling in the same flight in the same class, gives her opinion that the accused is being blamed for the wrong thing which he hasn’t done. She stated that the accused fell asleep as soon as he took his seat and his only fault was that he placed his leg on the actor’s armchair.

The truth behind the incident will be unearthed but the hypothesis is that a man with high class society wearing an expensive suit, highly educated, committed a low class deed. Crime is crime neither it was, nor it is and never it will be proportional to someone’s ethnic, social, political or financial background.

We have to change the perspective of our society that women are vulnerable when a specific category of people are around and should feel safe and surrounded by safe people.

I must conclude my point by every famous quote, true equality means holding everyone accountable in the same way, regardless of race, gender, faith, ethnicity or political ideology.

Hospital a boom or a doom??

When a person falls sick,his condition drags him into a pathetic condition where the mind stops working and they need some sort of treatment to get well. Their hearts start controlling the minds and that is the worst case scenario. The man becomes fragile not just to the external environment but his inner state of mind as well. He desperately wants to get well at any cost. And that leads to the unending medical process in hospitals . Sometimes,situations become so critical that patients along with his near and dear ones stretch themselves to all possible horizons. The word doctor is used to be a synonym of god . Doctors are treated as god in our country as it’s their duty to save our life. Medical negligence is too scary,news reports about deaths due to medical negligence ,called as unprofessional behaviour of doctors and hospital staff and high cost therapies that have suffused us from all around.

Whether it’s the case of road accident or just new born baby who was declared dead along with his dead twin sister by the doctors of Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh in Delhi or the plight of seven year old girl Adya Singh who died during dengue treatment,allegedly due to unethical practices in the Fortis hospital in Gurugram,Haryana and their parents are handed a bill of 16 lakhs by the hospital authority for only 15 days hospitalizatiuon.

Like these incidents many incidents appeared back to back within a short interval of time storming the whole nation. No doubt ,the Delhi government took a strict action by cancelling the license of max hospital,Shalimar bagh.    CM Kejriwal himself came forward and stated that the Delhi government will not tolerate such unprofessional behaviour of private hospitals. He also stated that they are not against private hospitals in fact they are in favour of such an entity,and want them to grow further but not on the cost of public health.

On the other hand,Haryana health minister Anil Vij has written to Haryana Urban Development Authority to cancel the land lease of fortis hospital in Gurugram citing the charges against the hospital.

However,the Delhi medical association and Indian medical association have strongly criticized the move of the Delhi government and called the decision autocratic.

But when we see on other hand the entire hospital shouldn’t be closed down on the grounds of mistakes made by a single individual. But ,they are denying the fact that a mistake which declares a living baby dead or charging money even from a dead body of a seven years old girl can’t be treated merely as an individual fault. The whole system must take responsibility and indulge in self corrective measures.a nation where more than 50 percent medical care is served by private hospitals,such carelessness shouldn’t be ignored.private sector also have to understand that it’s not just the responsibility of govt to take care about social things.

Moreover,the government will have to work much harder towards building a public healthcare system where every citizen of this country feels secure while visiting any hospital and gets proper treatment on time.

Triple Talaq

No religion other than Muslim treated women with such humiliation and suppression. In fact,every religion treats them equally and parallel to men in every aspect. It is our human mind that allows such disgrace manipulated religion according to its own benefits and requirements. However,when negative things go extreme,something always comes to stop it.

In the verdict of Shah Bhano case,1985 scupreme court upheld that a muslim women has right to receive alimony from his husband after divorce. After that parliament enacted a law under pressure of muslims,which overruled the previous judgment and muslim women were deprived of their true rights.

But a very common phrase i.e. What goes around comes around happened and the history was going to repeat itself when a constitutional bench of supreme court started hearing a case on triple talaq in such there is instant divorce by male after pronouncing talaq for three consecutive time or you can say a method used by muslims in name of muslim personal law. After divorce wife cannot even ask for any financial support from the husband. This gave muslim men tremendous unequivocal power and right to dominate women.

The Supreme Court was to decide whether this form of divorce is constitutional or not. In muslim law women are treated as object . They don’t respect their sentiments. And all those women wanted to get rid of these laws which had been exploiting them from the past. Among all this orthodox muslim male dominated society supreme court of india non 22 august,2017 deemed triple talaq unconstitutional. This landmark ends the biased practice which has drastically destroyed many lives.

With this verdict,there was an urgent need to Implement the decision of the apex court by enacting a law against triple talaq. Because there are many caes of instant divorce when this practice was declared unconstitutional.On 15 December,2017 union cabinet approved to introduce the Muslim Women protection of rights on marriage bill 2017, to make triple talaq a punishable offence.

One thing was very cleared that once this bill has been passed then no muslim women will face such adversity . But for that situation also not only law should accept this but all the society should come forward and act against such social evil without any prejudice.only then this will produce results . Women of this society need protection even after law was enacted for them because no society can progress if they are not united and no country can become great where a woman isn’t treated respectfully.

Neither man nor women are perfect or complete with each other. Thus,no marriage or family is likely to reach its full potential until husbands and wifes,mothers and fathers,men and women work together by respecting each other’s strength.

Zombies – A Myth or a Reality?

Have you watched the popular series – “The Walking Dead”? If you have watched it, you will definitely know what exactly I am talking about. If you do not know, I will just give a brief about it. It is a series about how survivors of zombie apocalypse are trying to escape and combat the threats from the zombies and how with time, human beings formed their own communities and groups and the rise of conflict between those communities. So basically this is a series about zombie apocalypse and how they are being termed as ‘walkers’ on earth.

So what exactly are these zombies? Do they exist for real or are they just a figment of imagination? From ages, zombies are being described as flesh eating corpse with a ravenous appetite, terrorizing on the grounds like a strong robot, looking to infest on flesh. Such creatures are almost dead and oozes every signs of inhumanity.

Are these new or have they always infested the earth? Well, history says that the stories of zombies first originated in Haiti culture, where the West African slaves were brought to work on Haiti’s sugar cane plantations. But they were treated so brutally, that their life or afterlife represents the zombie culture. Other says that the Ancient Greek Civilization was the first to experience this. In fact, many skeletons which were pinned down to ground using stones were unearthed, which kind of verifies their existence.

Who is prepared for a 'zombie apocalypse'? - BBC News
Zombie Apocalyse

But there do exists some true facts about the zombies and voodoo. Voodoo is practised as a religion in some cultures like Haiti where some people believe that zombies are people who are revived by a voodoo practitioner, Bokor. It is a concoction of herbs, bones, animal parts and especially ‘tetrodotoxin’ which is a deadly neurotoxin found in marine species, which if injected in high quantities can lead to paralysis and coma. It manifest zombie like qualities among the human beings. Thinking that infected person to be dead, they usually revive and thus rose the term ‘zombie’.

But is there even a bit of truth? Medical reports suggests so. One instance was that a person named Clairvius Narcisse, who was admitted to hospital due to acute respiratory problems in 1962, but later slipped into coma and being declared as dead, was buried later. 18 years later, a man goes to Angelina Narcisse and claims to be her brother. Upon verification by doctors, that he was buried alive, he was sent off to work in the sugar plantation.

Zombies might not exist as there have been no mention of these in Old Testament or New Testament but there have been mentions of resurrections of saints and sinners in Bible. So there is a very little evidence as to whether such zombies exists or if there is even a zombie apocalypse. Not only on religious books, since the eighteenth century, there have been various literatures of spirits and ghosts. Various movies were also made such as Night of the Living Dead and World War Z, just to name a few.

It is ultimately all about perception. Disasters have always caused such huge destruction and there is always this survival of the fittest psychology which goes among us. So it might be true that zombies do not exist, but then again who are we to judge history?