Author: News Updates

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Motivational Factors that Will Encourage Student to Study Well

Climbing a mountain does not happen at once. More than 40% of high school students are chronically disengaged from their educational institutions as reported by The National Research Council.

Most probably, these children don’t realize the importance of learning, especially education . Taking under consideration it’s impossible to continue the tutorial trip without passing the initial stage, school, many modern kids fail to succeed at the first stages. It is difficult to revive later.

Visualize Yourself Taking Action
Numerous researches discovered that visualization features a strong, positive impact on the training process. Even in sports, it makes a difference to the performance of athletes. Students can be compared to those athletes as well, so it might be a good idea to visualize things for them too.

Interactive content will do:

In-class PPT presentations
Photographs and images
Videos and documentaries
Games
After-class practice
A teacher should dedicate longer to attending theatres, museums, and cinemas to let the scholars imagine particular scenarios. Vivid life examples will help to know the topic better.

As for the scholar , it’s necessary to pretend you’re already taking certain actions (e.g., writing the last page of a search paper, collecting study materials, getting enrolled in the dream college, etc.) This technique assists in accomplishing things on your list.

Remember: Even Smallest Actions Add up
Many times in our life, we can get bogged down being sick and tired of things happening around us.

Working on 10,000-word research or composition could be one among the explanations for facing stress. No teacher assigns such large assignments on the submission eve. It means every student features a few weeks or maybe months to organize the paper. Thus, if you come up with 5-10 sentences per day, you’ll manage to end the project before the deadline. Postponing it to the last minute will not help.

Right, every action adds up to accomplishing a big , long-term goal.

The best thing a student can do trying to make a strong dissertation is handling 500 words a day . If you finish earlier, it is still better than being late. Late papers result in F in 90% cases.

Writing 500 words a day will cause you to complete the project in only 20 days, and it’s but one month! Even if you propose to go away weekends aside, which will do. Remember: worry disappears in the face of action.

Keep Telling Yourself It Will Not Last Forever
Knowing that at some point the “nightmare” will end, and you’ll obtain far more freedom may be a perfect motivation. Who knows: perhaps, at some point you’ll become a manager in some cool firm, which can cause you to tell people what to try to to , and not the other way around .

Focusing and Keeping Things in Mind
Start re-reading the study materials 3 times from today. An old and really wise teacher shared this hint with us a while ago. We managed to find out some historical episodes by memory and even improved the knowledge of some languages.

You should not go into every detail – the photographic memory will help you to scan the letters and store them somewhere deep inside your head. And yes – ask questions whenever you revise the fabric and find out things that sound weird to you.

Break down the Readings Classes like World’s History or English Literature demand students to read long swathes of content. It would be easier to review by dividing the whole material into chunks of one page (approximately 500 words). Put down at least 5 questions related to the discussed topic and ask your tutor or experts to answer.

A better idea to organize the things would be involving the flash cards in the educational process. The sooner you get the answers, the sooner you will master the topic.

Cooperate in Teams
Get together with your peers to speed up the learning process. Brainstorm in groups to gather sources and find replies to the essential questions. It will also help to improve communication skills, analysis, and critical thinking.

It is impossible to write down huge volumes during one evening. Besides, the teachers shouldn’t overwhelm students with multiple homework assignments, so it’s okay to urge professional help if your teacher breaks the rule.

Class 12 boy handles bodies of coronavirus patients

Introduction

The spread of Corona Virus has resulted in World-wide lockdown and India too has implemented lock down in all its states for last few months. This led to closing of the major industries like automobiles, infrastructure, tourism, manufacturing etc. which are biggest stakeholders of organized and unorganized sectors in India. Most of the people working in these sectors are daily age workers who do not have fixed income or benefits but solely relies on everyday wages. The closure of all these sectors has led to one of the biggest crisis which we will face in future. Here’s an article on class 12 boy handling bodies of coronavirus patients to earn living.

About

In a hunger for job to ease living, 12 class boy haunted a dangerous job of handling bodies of corona patients. A class 12 student, wants  to study medicine, to supply for his siblings’ school fees and his mother’s treatment he is doing this job. Chand Mohammad’s mother suffers from a thyroid disorder and needs her medicines urgently, but the family doesn’t have enough means for the treatment. They are barely making their ends for living . As his elder brother lost his job at a merchandise store in Krishna Nagar market during the lockdown. Chand Mohammad is from Seelampur in Northeast Delhi. He and his family has been surviving on ration provided by neighbors. And whatever his brother could earn doing odd jobs. 

Where Chand joined for work?

 A week ago, Chand joined a corporation as a sweeper at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital in New Delhi. The job requires him to handle bodies of corona patients. The shift is from 12 noon to eight pm. He took this work after he got exhausted from all options to seek out work. Though this is a dangerous job, as he is at a better risk of getting engaged with the infection, but he want the work and earn. His family, including three sisters, two brothers and fogeys, is struggling for living. Right now, they had food and medicines for my mother. On many days, they cooked food only once. There’s an opportunity that they may fight the virus, but they cannot run away from hunger. Chand’s three sisters are still in school. He, himself is in 12 standard and have to pay the varsity fee. They need money to study. He hopes that his first salary will set things right to a particular extent. He read namaz before he exits his home for work. He even have faith within the almighty. God will look after  him and will surely show him the way. 

How he is handling bodies of coronavirus patients?

 Chand, who wants to study medicine, says But what bothers the youngster is that employees like him who are into high-risk jobs don’t get any insurance from the private companies employing them. “The most dangerous job within the world immediately handling bodies of corona patients  pays around Rs 17,000 per month. Every day, Chand handles around two to three bodies along side another sweeper. They are required to place the bodies inside the ambulance, take it to the crematorium and put it down on a stretcher once they reach the crematorium.They also have to remove all wearing the private protection equipment, which is extremely heavy. It limits movement and suffocates an individual. During this heat, one can finish up bathing in their own sweat. 

An incident he shared with media

 On Tuesday evening, Chand handled a body on his own. There was no helper with him, So, it took him a while. He gathered his breath at the top when he heard, a doctor saying the body had been lying within the mortuary for a month which nobody claimed it. Once he tried taking the body down from the ambulance, the duvet came off and a few liquid spilled on his thighs. As he is desperate to get some money, Chand has approached people giving money on low interest rates and he took his Aadhaar card and voter card, hoping to urge some money on low interest rates. His family is worried about his safety. Perhaps they also know that this is the only way for them to survive at the present. His parents inquire about his work daily. They pray for his safety. His mother cries tons daily, but he make her understand. Chand takes a shower as soon as he reaches home and keeps a distance from his family members. He is taking all precautions.For now, he would like some help in order that the family remains afloat. But we may never know what is in our destiny! 

Conclusion

 As this pandemic has made many people to suffer a lot. They are unable to have one time meal. Many don’t have money, they have migrated.We should help poor and needy as much as we can. This boy Chand Mohammad has to opt this job in which he is handling bodies of coronavirus patients. Just because he don’t have enough money he is doing this dangerous job.

How do Teenagers perceive Religion???

When you think of teens today, “religious” might not be the first word that comes to mind. A common perception might be that teens are too shallow to embrace something as complex and introspective as spirituality. But why is this? The teen years are a time for self discovery on a deeper level. Shouldn’t religion be a part of the discussion?

We have known for years that parents are key influences on teens religious lives. Despite the tendency of parents to say they are helpless in this area, three out of four religious teens consider their own beliefs somewhat or very similar to those of their parents (they are more similar to their mothers’ beliefs than to their fathers’). In choosing friends, teens tend to surround themselves with people who reinforce the shaping influence (religious or nonreligious) of their parents. Here are two important messages: First, peers may be important to teens, but parents are still primary when it comes to religion. Second, “teenagers are not a people apart, an alien race about whom adults can only shake their heads and look forward to their growing up.”

Religious traditions understand themselves as presenting a truth revealed by a holy and almighty God who calls human beings from a self-centered focus to a life of serving God and neighbor. Adherents are understood to be reared or inducted into a historically rooted matrix of identity, practices and ethics that define selfhood, loyalties and commitments. Main central points regarding religion:-

1. A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.

2. God wants people to be good, nice and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.

5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

Teens made few references to traditional religious concepts such as justice, grace or resurrection. “When teenagers talked in their interviews about grace, they were usually talking about the television show Will and Grace, not about God’s grace.” This shows that teenagers are not that much into religion, it is there age of exploration.

The connections between religion and family life are receiving renewed attention from scholars. Recent work has examined the role religious practices and beliefs play in parenting behavior, marriage, intergenerational ties, and demographic behavior. Scholars are finally turning their attention to the role of religion in the lives of adolescents and young adults. Religious practices and beliefs also have been shown to powerfully shape adolescent sexual values and practices. Finally, some recent work has begun to address the role of religion in the post-teenage years, when youth are laying the foundations for their subsequent adult lives by making decisions about romantic relationships, cohabitation, and marriage.

Although religious practices differ by culture, political boundary, local community, and individual, some form of religion is influential, even central, in the lives of many people across the globe. Religion is an important context for development because it provides a means of socialization in areas such as moral behavior and offers emotional support to individuals from the cradle to the grave. Given cognitive advances during adolescence including increased abilities to think abstractly and understand symbolism, it is important to study the impact of religion during this stage. 

Part of being a teen is exploring different aspects of identity for the first time. Religion is one aspect of that, and while it might not be as important to teens now as it was a few decades ago, it definitely still plays a role. Though teens hold many different beliefs on the subject of religion, many agreed that simply experiencing the world around them and respecting others are the most important values.

Refrences:

  1. http://www.huffpost.com
  2. http://www.religion-online.org

Timing & Learning

The result of anything depends on how we judge timing of the task. Even in every sports team hits the opponent based on fine tuning of timing and yes on efforts. In recent case of Patanjali’s Corona Kit, in my opinion they missed timing by hurrying for being the first. They could wait before announcement. We don’t doubt on their efforts, we are feeling proud at least they have tried, but sorry for their missed timing.

The Citrus Family

Lemon and Lime

Many of us don’t know the difference between Lime and Lemon and are often confused if a lemon is also called lime or vice versa.
They both are citrus fruits and do have a lot in common but also differ in some properties.

Here are some points that makes lime and lemon different from each other.

  • Lemon

  1. The scientific name of Lemon is Citrus limon.
  2. The colour of a lemon is pure yellow.
  3. Lemons are oval in shape
  4. Lemons have a thick skin.
  5. They are less sour as compared to lime.
  6. Lemon is less acidic than lime due to slightly higher pH value.
  7. The pH range of lemon lies between 2.00 and 2.60, respectively.
  8. Lemons can be stored in the refrigerator or without the refrigerator at room temperature for about two months.
  9. Lemon is healthier due to presence of more vitamin C.

  • Lime

  1. The scientific name of lime is Citrus aurantifolia.
  2. Lime is green in colour.
  3. Lime is round in shape.
  4. They have a thin skin.
  5. They are more sour as compared to lemon.
  6. Lime is more acidic than lemon due to slightly lower pH value.
  7. The pH range of lime lies between 2.00 and 2.35 respectively.
  8. Lime must be stored in the refrigerator at constant temperature of +4 degrees for not more than two weeks.
  9. Lime is not as healthy as lemon due to less vitamin C.

Does this question “is lemon a fruit or a vegetable?“ ever cross your mind?

The answer to this question is that, lemon is a fruit.
Lemon has seeds inside it and as any edible item has seeds inside or outside it, it falls under the category of fruits.
Anything that doesn’t have a seed and forms the other parts of a plant like leaves, stem, roots are called as vegetables. The characteristics of lemon do not support the terminology of being amongst the vegetable group.


Oranges

Orange has various types
The scientific name of the fruit orange is Citrus sinensis, which is also called as sweet orange.
The bitter orange in known as Citrus aurantium.

The other varieties are

  • Navel oranges

Navel oranges are the most common variety of oranges.
There name is due to the second fruit that it protrudes at the apex which resembles the human navel.
They have a thick skin and are easy to consume. They are less juicy and more bitter than the other varieties of oranges to consume.

  • Blood red orange

These oranges have a tart yet sweet flavour. They are most aromatic among all the other varieties of oranges.
Their name is due to their appearance which is rich and ruby, almost blood red coloured. They have thick flesh when peeled. They are very juicy and prove to be good for garnishing dur to their appearance.


Madarin Orange

Mandarin oranges are smaller than the normal oranges and have similar taste. They have loose skin, sweet taste and less acidity.

Tangerine

Tangerines are smaller in size. They have a sweeter taste as compared to typical oranges. Their skin is soft and thin hence, they are easier to peel.

Clementine

Clementines are small in size and also seedless. They are branded as ‘Cuties’ in U.S. Their skin is thin and glossy. Their apex is flat due to which they have an oval shape, unlike blood red and naval oranges.


Grapefruit


The scientific name of grapefruit is Citrus paradisi.
The taste of the fruit ranges from sour to semi-sweet and a little bitter.
The interior flesh of the fruit varies in colors like white, yellow, red and pink.
It was once named as ‘ forbidden fruit ‘.



Citron

The scientific name of Citron is Citrus medica. It is one the citrus fruits from which many hybrids developed.
It is ovate and oblong in shape and is narrow towards styler end.
The shape of the fruit is variable as it contains large quantity of albedo which depends on the position of the fruit on the twig.
The inner portion is quite thick, wide and hard while the outer portion is thin and fragrant.

The color varies from green when unripe, yellow when ripe and yellow – orange when over ripe.



The fruits of the citrus family have many benefits and are used for various purposes.

Nepotism in Bollywood.

Nepotism in bollywood has reached another level of toxicity. Ever since the demise of the bollywood star sushant singh rajput there is anger among the fans and audience as to why did sushant singh rajput kill himself and the fingers have been ultimately raised towards the industry on why on the first place was the star in depression which was the major cause of his death. It was reported that sushant singh rajput was not invited to any of the big parties and was ultimately ignored by the bollywood industry. One of sushant singh rajput’s friend wrote on instagram describing the star saying that he hated fake friends,phone calls and small talk. He didnt need a campus, he had his own kingdom. She also added that his friend was a fighter and made his own place in the industry. He was an outsider and never cared about being an insider as he had life beyond films. She was left in sorrow as she added that her friend was a fighter. Sushant singh rajput told that he used to be back ground dancer and it shows how much the person had struggled.

The focus has shifted to the topic that how talented actors are made to struggle in the industry where as the starkids are being launched just because of nepotism. The fingers are mainly being raised on the director karan johar who was called as the flag bearer of nepotism by kangana ranaut on his own show of coffee with karan. Karan has launched some of the star kids like alia bhatt and varun dhawan. Lets see what some of the star kids think of nepotism.

1- Alia bhatt

As some of the star kids admit there’s nepotism, some deny it. Alia Bhatt, daughter of famous film director Mahesh Bhatt, once said she feels like punching people who talk about nepotism. Having made her debut with Karan Johar’s Student of The Year in 2012, Alia has established herself as an accomplished actress.

“I want to punch all those people who say that star kids have it easy because it makes no sense. The way the world is today, either you have it or you don’t.”

2- Tiger shroff

Tiger Shroff, son of popular actor Jackie Shroff and known for his dance moves and action stunts, told GQ Magazine revealed he would have never made it to acting, if he had to go through an audition. Sajid Nadiadwala happened to ‘find’ him.

“Had there been one, I wouldn’t have got it anyway.”

3- Sara Ali khan

Sara Ali Khan, daughter of Amrita Singh and Saif Ali Khan, has acknowledged that nepotism exists in Bollywood. However, she believes that one can stay in the business only if they work hard. This is what she had to say on nepotism to India Today.

“I definitely believe that knowing people in the industry does help. That’s not a fact that I can run away from. I’ve often admitted to the fact that the biggest advantage of nepotism is the fact that we have easy access to people. I can call up Karan Johar without doing any film. I can go to Rohit Shetty’s office. So these are privileges I’m well aware of.”

4 – Ananya pandey

Ananya Pandey, daughter of actor Chunky Pandey, debuted with Karan Johar’s Student of The Year 2 and has defended nepotism on several occasions. She was badly trolled as well.

When people hate on me for nepotism, I’m not going to shy away that I’m Chunky Pandey’s daughter. My Dad has worked really hard and he’s still working. My Dad never did a Dharma film, my Dad never went on Koffee with Karan. It isn’t as easy people say it is. Everyone has their own journey.”

The movie Om shanti Om which starred the famous Bollywood King khan Sharukh khan had unknowingly shown the product of nepotism as when Shahrukh khan had tried to act with the same set of skills when he was born in a poor family he failed. But with the same set of skills when the star was reborn as a star kid he was launched easily.

Xiaomi’s Laptop Launch in India

Xiaomi is a very young tech company in the mobile business compared to most other players of the industry. Mobile phones themselves are not very old technology. Commercial Mobile telephony started in mid-90s. So, it was only natural that the first companies came from other background. The first companies like Nokia, Motorola, Sony, Panasonic and even the Samsung, Apple were already a tech company. Mobile telephony was not their first business. So, when Xiaomi jumped straight into mobile phone manufacturing in 2010 it was one of the first companies to do so.

Launched in 2010 in Beijing, China; Xiaomi made roads to India after just 4 years. In 2014, Xiaomi launched in India and its India journey that we are going to focus today. Xiaomi launched in India on 100% online platform. Armed with cheap Chinese manufacturing and policies, the phones appealed the consumers instantly. So much that the websites crashed on the first day itself. They made it to number one selling smartphone brand in 2017, within just 3-years. They were one of the factors pushing 4G penetration in India. The Ecosystem on the consumer side was a big factor which delayed launch of 4G services in India for many years despite licenses being sold. Xiaomi was a leader in supplying cheap 4G phones. Which lead to faster 4G penetration in India. Xiaomi has built offline sales capacity as well since then. Even today more than half of Xiaomi’s sale comes from online platform.

Xiaomi has not been beyond controversy. In 2014, they faced temporary ban by High Court of Delhi due to a complaint filed by Ericsson. Xiaomi has also faced concerns regarding privacy and data thefts. Based out of China, the lack of transparency brings such concerns naturally. But cheap products with reasonable quality has been warding off the privacy and security concerns of price conscious Indian customers.

Since 2014, Xiaomi has launched several mobile phones. Slowly they have ventured into other home appliances also. They are selling Air Purifiers, Water Filters, Smart Televisions, Fitness bands to count a few. They have been expanding their categories continuously. So, it was only a matter of time before Xiaomi started selling laptops.

Xiaomi is set to launch their first laptops next week in India. Powered by Intel i5 and i7, they are priced between 40,000 and 55,000. They come with Solid State Drives, Great graphics cards and fast charging. The sale will start on online platforms- Amazon and Mi website. With the current ongoing lockdown and the Corona pandemic, the Work-From-Home culture is on the rise. And WFH requires personal laptops so the demand of the laptops is going to rise. So, a quality laptop reasonably priced should sale like hot cakes.

However, there has been an increase in tension at India China border. China is being the aggressive oppressive bully. They have destroyed Tiber, they are destroying Hongkong and not to say anything about the human rights issues within their country, and now they want to grab Indian territories. And all this is happening when the world is facing a life-threatening pandemic which incidentally has been gifted by China. Naturally, Indian consumers want to boycott Chinese products. But unfortunately, Indian consumers do not have much money and/or options to be choosy. We will have to see how much Indian consumers are able to resist something they know they want to avoid.

Wise Device: Cellphone

Earlier people had to wait to send and receive a message where was a chance of losing the cognitive and emotional connect, which has now reduced to zero with the invention of mobile phone.  Apart from enhancing social connection, mobile phones are widely used in industry work that saves time and money as well.  But today, Men have come a long way in technological advancement with time that has affected our life and has changed it in many ways.  World has become a global village where many things seems to be just a click away. Life has become more convenient and easy with it and undoubtedly one of the major being invention of mobile phone.  Anytime-any place, is what defines a cell phone as it is one of the portable and fast medium of communication. Or in other words it can be said as, one of the major invention that has become the lifeline of the masses. It has brought communication revolution around the world and changed the way people connect to each other. Previously it was just a device used to receive and send a message but with the evolution of internet it has become a multitasking device used for various purposes making it more impactful in both good and bad sense. Earlier people had to wait to send and receive a message where was a chance of losing the cognitive and emotional connect, which has now reduced to zero with the invention of mobile phone.  Apart from enhancing social connection, mobile phones are widely used in industry work that saves time and money as well.

Previously it was just a device used to receive and send a message but with the evolution of internet it has become a multitasking device used for various purposes making it more impactful in both good and bad sense.

Be it information, entertainment, education, mobile phones have now become a portable computer that can perform many task in one go. It is best device to boost up knowledge on any particular topic be it a subject-related or any issues and happening around the world. Nothing can be a better choice for social gathering than mobile phone these days as its makes people more approachable amid friends and relatives. It’s a best device to socialize anytime soon. Life seems little less complex with the invention of mobile phone.

But as the coins have the other side- mobile phone too has its demerits. Easy access on internet has also made it a device for isolation. Teenagers and adults can be witnessed frequently messaging, gaming, posting updates, clicking pictures or else watching videos and listening music.  According to a survey on the most popular smart phone activities in India 2017 almost 50 percent of the respondent accessed social media via mobile. India recorded the world’s highest number of selfie death, accounting more than any other countries in the world.

High use of mobile phone is leading to health issues as well.  People who tend to use mobile phone on bed seem to have interrupted health and sleep disorders.  Children are becoming more dependent on search engines rather than being creative. It is affecting their creative skill making them dependent on internet. Frequent use of mobile phone is killing absorption as frequent notification, messaging is emerging as a disturbing agent and is killing concentration of the people. Mobile has its impact of people life style and living habit as people have become more fake and cunning.  Like any other technology, mobile phones too can be a choice to lead a good life but as said excess of everything is bad.

TALENT vs ROOTS

Over the past few months a lot has been said about Bollywood and, sadly, none of it has been positive. The film industry has been labelled corrupt, misogynistic, incestuous, corrosive and operating like the mafia.

Some may argue that trashing Bollywood is not new and has been going on since the first movies hit the screens, but the recent controversy is a low point for all of us and completely unwarranted.

 Bollywood no doubt in the last few years has taken itself to a totally different level. The craze for a Bollywood movie all across the globe is insane and as Indians we are really proud. The status bollywood industry has today is unparalleled, but there is a downside to it, something which has crippled it and grown its roots in the last 20 years and has been a hot topic of debate. This is the topic of nepotism.

It is indeed the bitter truth of Bollywood that the seeds of nepotism have now really grown into big trees.

The very famous movie Om Shanti om starring Shah Rukh Khan stated that the fact outsider Om Prakash was a struggling actor and had to die and take birth in the family of superstar to make it big says a lot about nepotism in bollywood.We cant deny the fact that there’s nepotism and favoritism existing in Bollywood.

Nepotism or not, star kids have always been a part of Bollywood. Some of those who made an entry riding on family names made a quick exit, while others like Alia, Ranbir Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Kajol, Hritik Roshan, have carved a niche for themselves without depending on their star parents.

The question is, should those using their lineage for a foothold in the industry stop pursuing acting as a career? Or should the ‘outsiders’ give up so easily, despite having oodles of talent?

It would be wrong to say and put all actors in the same plate and target them with bullets of nepotism and say that they don’t deserve their status as an actor. There are certain actors despite coming from privileged families of Bollywood  who have proved themselves worthy with their acting skills.

But yes they definitely had an upper hand over the people not coming from so called star families and they already got a kick start due to their connections.

credits- First Post

The debate of talent Vs privilege has been a contentious one

 If countless outsiders spend years slogging it out in small films, is it fair that star kids in their early twenties get to start their careers with lead roles in plum projects irrespective of their skills?The difference between star kids getting a movie as compared to an outsider is that they have to constantly struggle to prove themselves again and again to survive in this industry and these people literally have to thrive hard to be casted by good directors.

We cannot deny the fact that there are a lot of leading actor and actresses who doesn’t really have a Bollywood background but have still managed to make their way and have foot hold in this industry.

But the thing which has outraged a lot of people right now is why has privilege surpassed talent these days in b-town? Why actors who are really deserving doesn’t get those bright chances and on the contrary there is an entire PR machinery planning and executing  tricks and crores are been spent on an average star kid’s launch. Post launch, if the kid fails, there are the options of relaunch and re-relaunch. There are industry kids who are yet to score a single major hit even after over half a decade, but they still bag projects thanks to familial contacts, one such example is Arjun Kapoor. They always have something on their plate only because they belong to a privileged btown families.

The late Sridevi’s daughter Janhvi Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor’s half-brother Ishan Khatter in Dhadak, and Salman Khan’s brother-in-law Ayush Sharma in LoveYatri, were other blue-blood launches last year besides Sara. Although these films were forgettable, each debutant saw ample publicity boost.

last year Karan Johar, big daddy of B-Town nepotism, geared to introduce Chunky Pandey’s daughter Ananya in Student Of The Year 2 and is all set Sanjay Kapoor’s daughter Shanaya in an untitled project. Sunny Deol directs son Karan’s debut flick Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. Sajid Nadiadwala shoulders responsibility of launching Suniel Shetty’s son Ahaan.

Be it when actor Kangana Ranaut called director-producer Karan Johar the ‘flag bearer of nepotism’ on his own show Koffee With Karan or the time when young Ananya Pandey ‘complained’ about it and debutant Siddhant Chaturvedi ‘silenced’ her, nepotism has and will always be one of the burning topics in the Hindi film industry. 

Being an outsider we really don’t know the reality going inside this industry but for sure this industry does have a dark side that directly or indirectly affects a lot of people who are struggling to be a part of this concept of pure art form and not a money making business scheme.

An interesting case of forgery

Art heists, we see them countless times in movies as well as read about them in newspapers. They can be daring swiping of art works or plain robbing them outright. One such type of thieving is forgery. Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone. Forgery in itself requires a lot of skill and mental acumen to pull-off. And as all crimes go once caught, one must prove their innocence in court to live freely. However, one case in Holland which included forgery was a little different, here the accuse pleaded guilty and tried to convince the court of his guilt. This was the case of  Han Van Meegeren in 1947.

Photo by u00b6Project Atlas on Pexels.com

Like the cliché which goes with art forgers, Meegeren was an artist whose original works failed to bring him renown so he set put to make fools of those who shut the door to the art world on him. Like it was stated this kind of thievery requires a lot of skill and practice. Meegeren worked for nearly 6 years, studying all about the old masters, their styles, their biographies, their techniques and their materials.  He chose a baroque painter from the 17th century by the name of Johannes Vermeer, a rather difficult choice given that Vermeer is celebrated throughout the art world for his technical brilliance in portraying domestic scenes. He carefully made meticulous practice pieces, going as far as to making his own brushes, and paint from his knowledge of Vermeer’s time. He was partly successful in his forgeries due to the fact that the sophisticated means of testing that are available now weren’t as advanced or widespread then. The other factor was his planning, the originality of the art work being tested depends on the art specialist reviewing them, and their popularity which is subjective. From his research he knew that the leading expert on Vermeer believed that he had an early fixation on religious painting and as there was no proof of this theory, Vermeer decided to provide one. Even thought it had some inconsistencies, as it was considered an early piece, it got the stamp of approval and he sold his fake for an equivalent of $4 million dollars. The success prompted him to make and sell more forgeries.  However, his triumph was to be short lived, soon Nazi Germany occupied holland, and Hitler’s top general Herman Goring wanted a Vermeer painting for his collection. And Van Meegeren was more than happy to sell his fake. However, when the allies won the world war, Meegeren was tried for his “treasonous” act and was to be sentenced to the electric chair for selling a Dutch “masterpiece”. Thus, began Meegeren’s trial and his fight to prove that it wasn’t an original. To prove this, he explained step by step how he had forged it. However, he faced an ironical obstacle, the very man he had used to dupe the world, now came forward to take him down. The very expert who had enabled him to do the scam, now fought to protect his own reputation. Thus, to prove his innocence Meegeren made another fake and submitted to the court and was thus acquitted for collaborating with the Nazis, but sentenced to one-year imprisonment for fraud. Thus, he went from the scum who collaborated with Nazis to the folk hero who managed to swindle them. Due to his notoriety his works became valuable is his own right. Later down the line even his son forged his father’s paintings to gain money.

Thus, his “lack of talent” in his peer’s eyes was actually the fuel that unlocked his real talent in his eye for detail and dealing the art.

Dealing with Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is one of the most common anxiety disorders. It is a chronic mental condition where people have  intense fear of social interactions, making it hard to go out, make friends, or interact with others. People with social anxiety tend to fear and avoid social situations. They are very concerned that they will do something embarrassing, or that others will judge them. It is normal to feel anxious in social situations from time to time. For example, most people feel anxious when they have to speak in front of a large group. Social anxiety becomes a problem when it becomes quite distressing and starts getting in the way of your ability to function and enjoy life. Trivial tasks such as filling in a form with people around and eating in public places or with friends may become highly stressful for somebody with social anxiety.

Social anxiety can affect daily tasks, including school life, work, and other activities. Behavioral and emotional signs and symptoms include : fear of situations in which you may be judged, worrying about embarrassing or humiliating yourself, intense fear of interacting or talking with strangers, fear that others will notice that you look anxious, fear of physical symptoms that may cause you embarrassment, such as blushing, sweating, trembling or having a shaky voice, avoiding doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment, avoiding situations where you might be the center of attention, having anxiety in anticipation of a feared activity or event, enduring a social situation with intense fear or anxiety, spending time after a social situation analyzing your performance and identifying flaws in your interactions, expecting the worst possible consequences from a negative experience during a social situation etc. The physical symptoms include: trembling, sweating , feeling nauseous , trouble catching your breath, avoiding eye contact, feeling dizzy , weeping, tantrums, clinging to parents, or isolation in children

In order to deal with social anxiety, we need to change the way we think, and change what we do. Methods to overcome social anxiety include:

  1. Social anxiety becomes a medical condition when everyday social interactions cause excessive fear, self-consciousness, and embarrassment. Anxiety can be harder to treat if you wait. Hence its important to get help. Medications and psychotherapy can help us gain confidence and improve our ability to interact with others.
  2. An important first step in learning to manage social anxiety involves better understanding your social anxiety. Take a couple of weeks to notice which situations cause you anxiety and what you experience physically when you are in those situations. Keep a journal or a list to keep track. It is a lot easier to manage your anxiety when you have a better understanding .
  3. When we’re in a social situation with a group of people, our focus of attention becomes totally caught up in our own thoughts and feeling. Hence, it is important to learn how to change our focus of attention and take more control over how we react to thoughts . We can learn to just notice the thoughts, acknowledge them, then let them pass and turn your focus of attention to something else.

Music As An Art Form

We all need entertainment. Entertainment is a crucial part of our lives. It is an absolute need for today’s world as we all are busy within our lives. Kids are busy with school and homework, adults are busy with work and other life stresses, so all of us need some entertainment from time to time. This entertainment we all need comes in various forms, while some might enjoy movies, some enjoy sports and many more. But sometimes we can not afford to take a break long enough to watch a movie or talk to someone or play a sport. One of the entertainment sources which fit that very important gap of being portable, easily accessible as well as quick is music. Music can be listened to on the go. Whether you are in a train or a bus, if you are working and need a short break, or you need some entertainment to push you through a task like working out of data entering, music is perfect for it. Some good music of your liking can fill up the mood bar and get you back on full throttle. And not just for entertainment, music is an allrounder, it is used all over the world as a healing method, music therapy is used to cure various mental illnesses and even helps easing physical pain. Apart from a medical standpoint, music can also be a great source of motivation and upliftment. 

Music has also given a lot of people an open environment and space to freely express themselves and spread a message. Music is not just a source of entertainment, it is an artform which is capable of many deeds.

One of the best attributes of music is that it is for everybody. There exists a type of music for everyone to listen to.there are many many genres of music form. While some or more expressive and informative some have a very electronic upbeat vibe to them. 

Music is also a great hobby because of its wide range. You can adopt music as a hobby in various forms. You can choose to be a singer or a songwriter or an instrument player or even a mixer. There are also a wide range of musical instruments to choose from like guitar, piano, flute , violin etc. the same with singing and writing, it may be jazz, rap, upbeat, slow etc. studies show that people who have adopted music as a hobby in their lives tend to be happier as it is also a stress reliever.

Music is also one of the oldest art forms as well. From the ancient times humans used to play music via drums and dance to celebrate. It has evolved and evolved to an extent where today every person in the world listens to some sort of music. It has also given various artists a creative career in life. Music industry today is worth billions and is growing by the minute.

Music is one of the best arm forms to exist and everyone should incorporate in their lives.

YOGURT- a fermented milk product

Yogurt is a basic fermented milk product that usually contains the basic bacterial starter cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophillus.
Although the composition of different types of yogurts changes but there is some fixed composition of fats present in them. It is important to note that all yogurts must contain at least 8.25% of solid which is not fat. The fat composition changes with the type of yogurt like full fat yogurt must contain not less than 3.25% of milk fat whereas low fat yogurt must not contain more than 2% milk fat. Also there is a category of non fat yogurt where the fat composition is even less than 0.5%.
The yogurt is basically a mixture of milk and cream which is then fermented by using a culture of Lactic acid producing bacteria. The types of milk which can be used are whole, reduced-fat, low-fat or non-fat depending on which the type of yogurt is decided. The lactic acid produced by the starter culture bacteria is basically responsible for lowering the pH of the yogurt making it acidic and tart. This finally causes the milk protein to thicken. These bacteria ferment the milk which results in the production of yogurt leads to partial digestion of the milk making it more easily digestible. In addition, these bacteria also act as a beneficial microorganisms for the human body as they act as oral-antibiotic therapy and helps in eliminating the pathogenic-bacteria from the gut and replenishing the non-pathogenic bacteria.


Ingredients of yogurt –
Milk
Cream
Sweeteners (e.g. sugar, honey, aspartame, etc)
Flavorings (e.g. vanilla, coffee, etc)
Other ingredients (e.g. fruits, preserves, stabilizers such as gelatin)

Types of yogurt –

  1. Set yogurt – This type of yogurt has a jelly-like structure and texture and is incubated and cooled in a final package.
  2. Stirred yogurt – This type is less firm than set yogurt. It is incubated in a tank and final coagulum is broken by stirring before cooling.
  3. Drinking yogurt – It also has coagulum broken before cooling though very little reformation of coagulum will occur.
  4. Frozen yogurt – This type of yogurt is incubated in the same way the stirred yogurt is incubated. It has an ice-cream like texture.
  5. Flavored yogurt – In this type of yogurt, flavors are added just before yogurt is poured into pots and the sugar content present in this type of yogurt is about 50%.

General processing of yogurt –

  1. Adjusting milk composition and blending all the ingredients
  2. Pasteurization of milk (at 85 degrees celcius for 85 minutes)
  3. Homogenization of milk (2000-2500psi)
  4. Cooling of milk to 42 degree celcius
  5. Inoculation with bacterial starter cultures into the cooled milk
  6. pH reduction by waiting for sometime
  7. Again cooling to 7 degree celcius
  8. Addition of fruits and flavors
  9. Packaging of prepared yogurt.

Health benefits of yogurt:
• Yogurt is comparably easier to digest than milk.
• It is rich in variety of vitamins.
• It is a rich source of protein.
• As it is source of protein, it may help in losing weight and gain muscles.
• It acts as a booster for immune system
• It is also important and useful for digestive system. It destroys the pathogenic microorganisms from the gut.
• It is good for bones especially for kids and elderly
• It may also be useful in lowering the blood pressure.

URBAN LIFE PERILS

PC: Concrete Jungle.

Whenever we think about life in a metro or living in an urban area, we realise that we have everything. All that comfort, luxuries that contribute to a healthful lifestyle; opportunities, infrastructure, restaurants, big hotels, malls, hospitals and life represents progress. However, every coin has two sides, the opposite side of the concrete jungle is less than desirable. We have advanced cars but a lot of traffic and pollution; huge buildings but less open space, money and facilities but never satisfying desires, education and opportunities and more stress and depression in life. We have our McDonalds and Pizza Hut with them we have obesity, diabetes, cholesterol issues too. People work over 10 hours a day and have no time for themselves or their family. These problems are a result of an occupational hazard in cities as people are stuck in a never-ending rat-race.

In the advanced setup of an urban area, life is being run by technology, and we are all slaves to it. Our WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype has consumed most of our time and thoughts, and while we are virtually closer, we are physically farther than ever before. People are victims of impatience and lack of tolerance, and so confront emotional issues. A proper healthy diet and lack of exercise are standard characteristics of urban lifestyle. Life in a metro offers economic efficiency and a better lifestyle, but what is wealth without health?

The glamour, neon-lit nights, glitz of urban life appeals to us no doubt, but if we want the pleasure, we must take it with the pain. Everyone from a school going child to a worker to businessman is under performance pressure. We have created it for others and ourselves too. Our desires are bringing heftier bills, costs and expenses that sometimes leave us with stress. These stresses lead to diseases, and we look for gym, spas, health courses, yoga classes, and we burn more cash for the illnesses that we created for ourselves. There is less green cover in urban life and how much time do we spend with the left nature, the one we have? We have also developed a culture of isolation. We spend much time on television and on laptops. We keep ourselves distant from people around us because we love spending time with these electronics than we do with people. We isolate ourselves.

Every afternoon, evening and night, we take a fresh breeze of pollution because there is not much fresh air left. What do come comes in the morning and our late-night work, associations and morning affairs do not give us time to enjoy that either. There was a time in the 1990s and early 2000 when kids could move about one ground in an urban city and play cricket, badminton, or anything and now we don’t have space, and when they play this in colony parks, the older people send them away. There was a time when a Rs 2 Kismi bar appeared to be a delight and now the time has changed, areas are more urbanised than ever, and a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk does not satisfy an appetite. Even in an urban setting, there was a time when few had TV and people used to collect at this person’s place. Now since everyone has everything, nobody needs humans anymore.

Life in an urban city is materially incomparable; it is just great. We are part of a privileged generation which gets to live in this setting. However, we must learn the values of humans, our environment, and we must make the other side of this coin better because we are responsible for giving a beautiful urban life for generations to come.

Kerala health Minister honoured to speak at UN regarding COVID19 control

Kerala health minister played a vital role in reducing the number of COVID cases in Kerala. She responded very quickly and became very attentive. She predicted the arrival of the disease prior to the warning from WHO. She said that she processed 3 plans and executed in advance. The plan A includes the establishment of 15 COVID19 awareness centers. Plan B is of arranging 10000 beds and sending victims to quarantine. Plan C is about increasing the beds to 25000 and implementing lockdown. Kerala must have been included in one of the highest COVID case State. But due to her advanced actions Kerala became the fastest recovered state and UN recognised the efforts of health minister and her plans. They invited her to speak about her plan of action. She is the only person who is honoured to get invitation from India.

The selection of K K Sailaja in UN program is to present the Kerala model that she had adopted in the fight against COVID19. She had gained immense popularity across the international media. The UN honoured all the people who had involved in this fight against COVID19. International media had appreciated the Kerala model of COVID is more effective than other models.

The minister said that state had opened special control rooms and took precautionary measures before the actual entry of COVID to India. As soon as the state recognised 3 cases it implemented plan B. During the plan A the minister also confirmed that the they were keeping a note and observing people who came from other states and countries. Those who have symptoms have been sent to quarantine. Home quarantine had been implemented to the people who came from other states. One of the foreigners praised to the treatment and methodology used by the government was too good. The hospitality and the treatment they have is extremely warm. The foreigner was so impressed by the action of government.

The people have actively involved in health care and social welfare including the distribution of masks and sanitizers. “Whether working in healthcare or delivering essential services in the areas of sanitization, social welfare, education, postal , delivery, law enforcement and public servants globally who continued to work in the community as people shelter at home, risking their life to ensure ours can continue” WHO said in a statement.

The Kerala health minister is proud of the country. She recognised the threat in advance and took necessary precautions and honoured to speak in prestigious stage. The only Indian to be honoured with such a thing. Hope she continues this perspective in future and still be the reason for our country to feel proud of her.

Here we, Indians salute you for making our country proud.