Category: News Update

To Grow Mentally and physically

Growing mentally and growing physically are two completely different things. Growing mentally refers to a person’s psychological growth the way we think and deal with different situations, and by what methods we develop and disseminate information. Growing up physically refers to a person’s physical growth like increased height, strength, and health. It can also refer to the development of your brain.
” The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life mental emotional, spiritual as well as physical.” A healthy body can help your mind stay strong.when your body isn’t fit, it’s tougher to make challenging decisions.
Some of the tips will help you to improve both simultaneously.


ENRICH YOUR MIND :


keep challenging yourself to learn new things. By doing this, will gain more knowledge about things around you, and you will learn how to utilize things in a better way. Don’t let yourself get stuck in one place, either mentally or physically. Be proactive, curious, conscious and informed about the world.


Use your brain more often by doing brain exercises:


Exercising your brain means using it more. Generally the brain takes part in everything we do, but there are some types of activities which are specifically exercise our brains. Activities like doing puzzles, playing games like chess or scrabble, solving numerical problems, studying difficult topics and changing your dexterity, spatial reasoning and logic. Doing these mental exercises daily can sharpen your mind , and it can be an excellent way to strengthens neural links in your brain.


CONSUME NUTRIENTS THAT ARE GOOD FOR BRAIN:


Take in nutrients which are good for your brain. Foods that have antioxidants like vitamin c,e,b etc are good for the brain.consuming almonds and apple juice is also good for sharpening the brain.

THINK CRITICALLY :


when we hear, read or work on something, It is very important than we question everything and pay attention to details.such an approach can improve our thinking ability because it requires more brain work than mere observations.


DO PHYSICAL EXERCISES :


A healthy body means a healthy mind; regular exercise has a positive influence our brains function. The brain takes in nutrients from the blood, which makes the brain healthier. Physical exercise is essential for enhancing mental power .


EAT HEALTHY FOODS :


spend some time to examine which kinds of food bring you up and which foods bring down. Creating a diet plan can make you feel good, and gives you a sense of self-development. This will boost your sense of success.


GET BETTER SLEEP AND TAKE NAPS:


Get as much sleep as you need, around Seven or eight hours, every night. While sleeping well does not guarantee good health, it does help you to maintain many vital functions. Perhaps most importantly sleep helps you recover from the wear and tear of daily life. Major healing functions in the body such as tissue repair, music and mental growth occur almost exclusively during sleep.


SPEED TIME WITH PEOPLE :


Build a good support system with the people around you. Whether it’s your family, friends, or something else, find a group of people who are willing to support you in any circumstances. This increases flexibility and helps to provide perspective in the midst of stress and discomfort.


STAY AWAY FROM DRUGS AND ALCOHOL :
using cigarettes, alcohol, and illegal drugs damage your mental and physical health. Decreasing mental and physical stability produces” false” emotions.


FIND A GOOD LISTENER :


Find someone who is eager to listen to you, who you can talk to openly and freely. This can help you in relieving stress and anger and can heal you mentally, which ultimately has an impact on your physical health.


LAUGH MORE :


Laughter is the best medicine for human health. Human increases dopamine, and it improves memory and health.


GET RID OF BAD HABITS THAT HURT YOUR CONFIDENCE :


If you have a habit of smoking too much, drinking alcohol too much, spending too much time online, or a different habit that’s hurting your confidence, take steps to eradicate them. Study books, watch good films, play games, watch dances, and listen to songs; do the things that make you feel relaxed. Many studies suggest that watching TV and using a computer late at night is bad for your health.


STAR YOUR DAY BY THINKING ABOUT ONE GOOD THING YOU CAN DO :


Generally, it’s just a matter of deciding to do something good. Develop the habit of finding a good deed to do each day. Set aims and goals and follow through with them to attain them. By setting goals and gradually working to attain them , you will grow mentally.

International Chess Day 2021: Theme, History, significance and what to do?

Theme this year: “Teach someone how to play chess”

The idea to commemorate International Chess Day was proposed by UNESCO after it was established by FIDE in 1966. FIDE, the International Chess Federation has 181 chess federations as its members organize chess events and competitions across the globe on International Chess Day.

FIDE: Fédération Internationale des Échecs

-Chess was invented in India around 8th Century. It was known as chatrang-

Chess:

Chess is a board game played by two players. It is enjoyed all over the world. There have been many grandmasters and the records get tougher to hold the title. Chess is an abstract strategy game and involves no hidden information.

 It is played on a square chessboard with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. At the start, each player controls sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. The main chessboard and pawns are black and white.

The goal of the game is to put the opponent’s king under immediate attack .i.e. in “check” and give no way for it to escape. There are also several ways a game can end in a draw. Each pawn has its own limitation of movements.

It is one of the most fun, intellectual, and brainy indoor games.

Players: 2

Abilities: Strategy, tactics

Fact: In 1997, Deep Blue became the first computer to beat the reigning World Champion in a match when it defeated Garry Kasparov.

History:

The origin of chess date around 7-8th century. Three are written in Pahlavi and one, the Harshacharita, is in Sanskrit. Chatrang was named shatranj, after the Islamic conquest of Persia. Xiangqi is the form of chess best-known in China

The modern piece movement rules began to appear in intellectual circles in Valencia, Spain around 1475. The queen replaced the vizier chess piece and by the 15th century had become the most powerful piece.

Prague-born Wilhelm Steinitz laid the foundations for a scientific approach to the game, the art of breaking a position down into components. In addition to his theoretical achievements, his triumph over the leading German master Johannes Zukertort in 1886 is regarded as the first official World Chess Championship.

Significance of chess:

“The United Nations recognizes that sports, the arts and physical activity have the power to change perceptions, prejudices and behaviours, as well as to inspire people, break down racial and political barriers, combat discrimination and defuse conflict, and therefore contrabute in promoting education, sustainable development, peace, cooperation, solidarity, social inclusion and health at the local, regional and international levels.

The designation of World Chess Day of the UN will not only recognize the important role of the FIDE in supporting international cooperation for chess activity and aiming to improve friendly harmony among all peoples of the world, but also to provide an important platform to foster, dialogue, solidarity and culture of peace”

-United Nations

Fact: The rules of chess are published by FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs)

Notable Men and women in the world of chess:

  • Judit Polgár
  • Garry Kasparov
  • Vera Menchik
  • Magnus Carlsen
  • Rohini Khadilkar
  • Andrey Espienko
  • Nona GAprindashvili
  • Hou Yifan

Movies to watch:

  1. The Queen’s Gambit
  2. Queen of Katwe
  3. Pawn Sacrifice
  4. Searching for Bobby Fischer
  5. Brooklyn Castle
  6. Hikaru no Go

What to do?

LEARN CHESS!!

Cause why not? Learning moves or moving pieces entirely after thorough thought, being on your toes to find the easiest or quickest win to checkmate, and tricking someone to make the move you wanted them to do! It is a load of exercise for your brain.

Refernces:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess#1200%E2%80%931700:_Origins_of_the_modern_game

Who Is Surekha Sikri?

Actress Surekha Sikri

The veteran actor who passed away at the age of 75 of a cardiac arrest has starred in about 29 films and 19 Indian television shows and has been honoured with three National film awards for Best supporting actress (highest than any other actress in this category) and also is a recipient of a Filmfare award, a Screen Award, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and six Indian Television Academy awards.

                  She was born in New Delhi , 1945 and attended Aligarh Muslim University and graduated from National School of Drama in 1971 and later went on to work with NSD Repertory company for a decade and then moved to Mumbai. Her notable works include playing the characters of ‘Durga Devi kaushik’ in the movie Badhaai Ho (2018) , ‘Kalyani Devi Singh’ (aka ‘dadisa’) in the prime-time soap opera Balika vadhu ( 2008-2016), Fayyazi in Mammo (1994) and ‘Rajo’ in Tamas (1986).

                   The news of her death has saddened her fans and colleagues. Her co-actors Ayushmann Khurrana, Avika Gor, Shashank Vyas and Avinash Mukherjee paid a heartfelt tribute to her by penning down their memories while working with the actress. She was humble, grounded, hardworking and was devoted to work. Her impeccable performances on screen has always left the audience in an awe, her demise has certainly left a void in the film and television industry but she will be cherished and remembered for the legacy she left behind. May her soul rest in peace.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Science and technology play a huge role in our society as well as in our lives. Nowadays we all are surrounded by technology and are dependent on it for everything we do. Especially after this pandemic everything is in virtual mode and is completely based on technology. We live in the technological era where gadgets are of outmost importance to us. A gadget is simply a human made device which is programmed to reduce human effort and does a piece of job easily without any hassle.

In this fast-growing world we human beings are always surrounded by machines and gadgets for every need of ours starting from the time we get up in the morning till we again go to bed we even use gadgets while we are asleep such as air conditioner, insect repellent and many more. Science is a boon for us, but in the other hand as everything has its own merits and demerits there are also people who do use science for a bad cause. Technology is good but it is advisable to keep this technology out of the reach of children as otherwise they will not tend to learn things and will prefer to take the help of science to solve a particular existing problem this may affect their growth.

IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY :


Technology, science and knowledge are important in modern contemporary society. Essential questions include the following : How does science and technology produce new products, new ways of living and new nutritious? Why is new technology and knowledge so fundamental to us in the ways through which we imagine the future?


Technology, knowledge and science are fundamental in modern contemporary society. The understanding of how social, cultural and material elements influence the production of new practices, new ways of under of contemporary postmodern society. Studies of technology and science provides students with insight into how different processes of knowledge are initiated and progressed, and how innovative technological processes are developed employed and increase in importance.
In this manner, students will be provided with the academic basis for working with detailed analyses of different forms of technologies and process of knowledge within business life or industry and commerce, research work , political development, management of knowledge and innovation.


THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY :


Science , technology and innovation each represent a successively larger category of activities which are highly interdependent but distinct. Science contributes to technology in at least six ways.

  1. New knowledge which serves as a direct source of ideas of new technological possibilities.
  2. Source from tools and techniques for more efficient engineering design and a knowledge based for evaluation of feasibility of designs
  3. Research instrumentation, laboratory techniques and analytical methods used in research that eventually find their way into design or industrial practices, often through intermediate disciplines.
  4. Practice of research as a source for development and assimilation of new human skill and capabilities eventually useful for technology.
  5. Creation of a knowledge base that becomes increasingly important in the assessment of technology in terms of its wider social and environmental impacts
  6. Knowledge base that enables more efficient strategies of applied research, development, and refinement of new technologies.

THe ROLE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


Teaching technological literacy, critical thinking and problem- solving through science education gives students the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in school and beyond.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY USED IN SOCIETY :


Science and technology have had a major impact on society, and their impact is growing. By making life easier, science has given an the chance to pursue societal concerns such as ethics, aesthetics, education and justice to create cultures, and to improve human conditions.

INSPIRATIONAL STORY OF J.K ROWLING

J.K Rowling’s story is one of the most famous insipirational failures to the success story of our time. She had failed in almost everything she attempted to do in her life and at one point she considers herself a major failure.


Most of the people only know her as a woman writer who created Harry Potter, but what people don’t know about the struggle she faces before reaching the stardom.


BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD :


Joanne Rowling was born on 31st July 1965 in yate, Gloucestershire, England to Peter James Rowling and Anne Rowling. Her father was a Rolls- Royce aircraft engineer and mother was a science technician
She had one little sister, Dianne, as a child Rowling loves to write fantasy stories and read them to her younger sister. When she was a teenager she got a chance to read Jessica Mitford ‘s autobiography, from then on Mitford become her heroine and after that, she read all her books.


BOOK INSPIRATION AND MOTHER ‘S DEATH :


After working for Amnesty International as a researcher and bilingual secretary in London, Rowling moved to Manchester with her then- boyfriend where she worked at chamber of commerce. In1990, Rowling first had the idea for Harry Potter, a story of a young boy who attends a school of wizards, while she was on a 4 hour delayed train trip from Manchester to London.
While travelling the idea fully formed in her mind and when she reached her flat she began writing furiously. However, in December 1990 her mother died after 10 years of complications from Mutiplr sclerosis Mother’s death heavily affects Rowling and leave her extremely distraught and upset. Later she channelled her own feelings of her loss by writing about Harry’s feelings in her first book.


MARRIAGE, DIVORCE AND SINGLE MOTHER:


After a few months of her mother’s death, she moved to Portugal to teach the English language. There she met a man, fall in love with him, got married and gave birth to her daughter. In 1993 her marriage ended in Divorce and she with her infant daughter moved to Edinburgh Scotland to be closer to her sister.
This is the most struggling time for Rowling and she saw herself as a complete failure. She was divorced, jobless, no money and a dependent child. Because of all this, she suffered bouts of depression and contemplated suicide. Eventually, she signed for Government-assisted welfare describing her economic status as poor. It was a really difficult time in her life but she kept going on and put all her energy on completing her novel.


HARRY POTTER :


In 1995 Rowling completes her manuscript for Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone on an old manual type writer. She was so poor at that time she could not afford a computer or even the cost of photocopying the novel, so she manually typed each copy and submitted to twelve publishing house in London.
The manuscript was rejected almost dozens time until she was finally given chance with £1,500 advance by a small London publisher, Bloomsbury after the company’s CEO little 8 years old daughter fell in love with it after reading the first chapter of the book.


In July 1997 Bloomsbury published first 1000 copies of Harry Potter series out of which 500 copies were distributed to libraries. Just five months later the book won Nestlé smarties Book prize it’s first award . In early 1998 an auction was held in America for the printing rights to publish the novel.
Scholastic INC won the auction for USB 105, 000, later Rowling said in a interview that she nearly died when she heard the news of this amount for printing her novel. Today Harry Potter is a global brand worth an estimated 15 billion dollars.
The last four Harry Potter books have set the records for the fastest selling books in history. The Harry Potter series to talking 4, 195 pages have been translated either in whole or in part into 65 languages. The Harry Potter books series have also gained recognition for creating an interest in reading among the children’s at a time when they were more inclined towards the Internet, computers and television.


FINANCIAL SUCCESS :


In 2001 J.K ROWLING purchased a 19th century killiechassie House, an estate house on the banks of the river tay in Perth. She also owns a £ 4.5 million Georgian house in West London. In 2004 , Forbes named Rowling as the first person to become a us dollar billionaire by only writing books.In 2017, according to Sunday times, Richard list Rowling net worth was approx. £ 650 million.


PERSONAL LIFE :


Rowling and her second husband Neil Murray were married on 26th December 2001. They live in Edinburgh with their 3 children. Rowling was a runner up in 2007. Time’s annual person of the year issue after Russia’s president Vladimir putin.


JK ROWLING’S RULES OF SUCCESS :

  • Failure helps you discovers yourself.
  • Take action on your ideas.
  • You will be criticised
  • Remember where you started
  • Truly Believe in yourself
  • learn from adversity.
    *Visualise to achieve
  • Persevere
  • Dreams can happen.
  • use your creativity.

Depression

Depression and anxiety are very common problem these days starting from teenager to elderly adults anyone and everyone can face this at any point in life and they equally affect us as any physical disease does, many people don’t take mental health seriously but it is outmost necessary to do so. Here are a few simple daily habits which will help you to deal with depression:

  1. Stay away from negative thoughts, and always try to focus on the filled part of the glass and try not to worry about the empty.
  2. Practice meditation regularly it helps to calm one’s mind and helps in relaxing the brain.
  3. Try to stay out from field where you feel irritated and also do try ignoring unnecessary mess.
  4. Physical exercising is a must for a healthy mind as it keeps the body fit and also helps keeping negativity away.
  5. The physical environment where one spends time and the company of people with which one spend time also plays a key role in determining the and dealing with depression issues.
  6. One must also take care of the diet, consuming fresh fruits and vegetables are highly recommended and one must take care that proper diet is consumed.

Depression symptoms :

Depression can be more than a constant state of sadness or feeling ” blue”. Major depression cane cause a variety of symptoms. Some affect your mood, and others afect your body. Symptoms may also be onging or come and go. The symptoms of depression can be experienced differently among men, women and children differently.

Men may experience symptoms related to their:

* Mood, such as anger, aggressive, irritability, anxiousness, restlessness.

* Emotional well- being such as feeling empty, sad, hopeless.

* Behavior, such as loss of interest, no longer finding pleasure in favorite activites feeling tired easily , thiughts of suicide, drinking- execessively , using drugs, engaging in high- risk activities.

* sexual interest, such as reduced sexual desire, lack of sexual performance

* cognitive abilities , such as inability to concentrate, difficulty completeing tasks, delayed responses during- conversations.

* sleep patterns, such as insomina, restless slepp, excessive sleepiness, not sleeping through the night.

* physical well- being, such as fatigue, pains, headache, digestive problems.

Women may experience symptoms related to their:

* mood, such as irritability

* emotional well- being, such as feeling sad or empty, anxious or hopless.

* congnitive abilities,such asthinking or talking more slowly

* behavior, such as loss of interest in activities, withdrawing from social engagements, thoughts of suicide

* sleep patterns, such as difficultu sleeping through the night, waling early, sleeping too much.

* physical well- being, such as decreases energy, greater fatigue, changes in appetite, weight changes, aches,pain, headaches, increased cramps.

Children may dxperiences symptoms related to their :

* mood such as irritability, anger, mood swings, crying.

* emotional well- being, such as feelings of incompetence or despair, crying, intense sadness

* behavior, such as gettkng into trouble at school or refusing to go to school, avoiding friends or siblings thoughts of death or suicide.

* cognitive abilities, such as difficulty concentrating, decline in school performance, changes in grades.

* sleep patterns, such as difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much

*physical well- being, such as loss of energy digestive problems, changes in appetite, weight loss or gain.

Depression causes :

There are several possible causes of depression. They can range from biological to circumstantial.

Common causes include ;

* Family history :

You’re at a higher risk for developing depression if you hace a family history of depression or another mood disorder.

* Early childhood trauma :

Some events affect the way your body reacts to fear and stressful situations

* Brain structure :

There’s a greater risk for depression if her frontal lobe of your brain is less active.

* Medical conditions :

Certain conditions may put you at higher risk, such as chronic illness, insomia, chroinc pain or attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder

* Drug use :

A history of drug or alcohol misuse can affect your risk.

Many factors can influence feelings of depression, as well as who develops the condition . The causes of depression are often tied to other elements of your health. Depression can be linked with to other health problems, your healthcare provider may also conduct a physical examination and order blood work.

Types of depression :

Depression can be broken into categories depending on the severity of symptoms. Some people experience mild and temporary episodes, whike other experience severs and ongoing depressive episodes.

There are two main types. Major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder .

Major depressive disorder :

Major depressive disorder is the more severe form of depression. It’s characterized by persistant feelings of sadness, hoplessness and worthlessness that dont’t go away on their own.

Persistent depressive disorder :

Persistent depressive disorder ( pDD) used to be called dysthymia. It is a milder, but chronic, form of depression.

It’s common for people with PDD to

* lose interest in normal daily activites.

* feel hopless

* lack productivity

* haveclow self- esteem

Depression can be treated successfully, but it’s important to stick your treatment plan.

Treatment for depression :

Living with depression can be difficult, but treatment can help improve your quality of life. Talk to your health care provider about possible options. You may successfully manage symptoms with one form of treatment ,or may find that a combinations of treatment works best.

Jim Corbett’s Birth anniversary-“25 july”.


Full name – Edward James Corbett
Born – 25 July 1875 ,Nainital, (North-Western Provinces, British India
(now in Uttarakhand, India))
Died – 19 April 1955 (aged 79), Nyeri, Kenya
Nationality – Indian
Occupation – Hunter, naturalist, writer.

‘My India, about which these sketches of village life and work are written, refers to those portions of a vast land which I have known from my earliest days, and where I have worked; and the simple folk whose ways and characters I have tried to depict for you are those among whom I spent the great part of seventy years,’ -wrote Jim Corbett.

These words are not merely a description of a country by a man. These words reveal the life of a rare man who was British by blood but became an Indian at heart.

About Jim:

Edward James ‘Jim’ Corbett was born on 25 July 1875, at Nainital, United Province (now Uttarakhand) in British India. Corbett held the rank of Colonel in the British Indian Army, and worked for the Bengal and North Western Railway. Corbett was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces to slay man-eating tigers and leopards who had killed people in the villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon region. Corbett was able to succeed in many cases where numerous others had failed.

History:

Between 1910 and 1938, Corbett shot much-feared man-eaters such as the Champawat Tiger, the Leopard of Rudraprayag, the Tigers of Chowgarh and the Panar Leopard, who had cumulatively killed over a thousand people. His success in slaying the man-eaters earned him much respect and fame amongst the people residing in the villages of Kumaon, many of whom considered him to be a saint or sadhu because of his simple, dedicated and honest lifestyle. After his retirement, he authored The Maneaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences. Corbett’s stories became best-sellers because he narrated tales bubbling with spine-chilling reality in simple and enjoyable language.

Corbett had great admiration for tigers and photographed them avidly in his later years. His attraction towards the uncorrupted beauty of nature in the wild started in his childhood. He could identify the call of most animals and birds from a very young age, owing to his frequent visits to the wild. He never shot a tiger or a leopard unless it turned a man-eater. Corbett was a pioneer conservationist and lectured at local schools and societies to create awareness about the need to respect the wild.

A great human being who would even risk his own life for saving somebody else’s, Corbett continued to write and sound the alarm about the declining numbers of jungle cats till the last days of his life at Nueri, Kenya. He was distressed when people described the tiger as a blood-thirsty’ and ‘cruel’ beast. He refers to his childhood when a child freely roaming about the forest often ended meeting a tiger, the latter giving him a clear, ‘Hello child, what the hell are you doing here?” look and walking away.

. “”a tiger is a large-hearted gentleman with boundless courage and that when he is exterminated-as exterminated he will be unless public opinion rallies to his support-India will be the poorer, having lost the finest of her fauna,””- Jim Corbett had written. This quotation also makes it very obvious that Corbett had great respect for India and Indians. When you read his description of his experiences with men like Bala Singh in his stories or read about the manner in which he could identify the distinct grieving of an Indian wife for her husband, you know why he is still so revered. Corbett passed away on 19 April 1955. The Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand is named after him.

Life of Jim corbett:

In childhood, he has a deep fascination for the forests and wildlife, and due to his interest in wildlife, he became a good tracker and hunter with time. Due to his amazing skill of tracking and hunting, he was often sought after by the then government of the united province to track and kill the tiger and leopard who becomes a man-eater. Even though he was the skilled hunter, he never killed any wild animal other than man-eaters.After many years as a celebrated hunter, he then developed a hobby of wildlife photography, especially, recording films of tigers in their natural habitat. He also used to give lectures on the rich natural heritage of India and the importance of the conservation of forests and wildlife to the school students.

He also penned his experience as a hunter and written many books on wildlife and hunting experiences. His most famous book was Man-Eaters of Kumaon that intensely portrayed his own hunting adventures. Many movies, TV episodes and documentaries have been made that are based on this critically acclaimed book.Later in his life, Jim Corbett started a movement to conserve the wild animals and forests. He strongly supported the All-India Conference for the Preservation of Wildlife and promoted the foundation of the Association for the Preservation of Game in the United Provinces. He also used his influence over the provincial government and lead the path that cleared the establishment of the first national park in India, the Hailey National Park, named after the Lord Malcolm Hailey in 1930s. The name later changed to the Jim Corbett National Park after the independence of India in 1957 in the honor of the legendary Jim Corbett.

NEW QUAD GROUP

The United States, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan have agreed to establish a new quadrilateral diplomatic platform to enhance regional connectivity. The US State Department announced the setting up of the new diplomatic platform on July 16, 2021 to help strengthen economic connectivity across the region. The department announced that representatives from Washington, Kabul, Islamabad, and Tashkent had agreed, in principle, to establish a new quadrilateral diplomatic platform focused on enhancing regional connectivity.

“The parties consider long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan critical to regional connectivity and agree that peace and regional connectivity are mutually reinforcing,” the State Department said. Afghanistan’s strategic location has for a long time been touted as a competitive advantage for the country.

This development comes as the security situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating following the withdrawal of US military forces from the country. The drawdown is set to be complete by the end of August.
As the Taliban continues to seize new territory, US officials have been engaged in talks with countries neighboring Afghanistan to support the Afghan defense forces. Other south and central Asian countries are also engaged in talks to advance peace talks.

The new quad group’s formation is significant as it comes amid China’s efforts to extend its Belt Road Initiative (BRI) to Afghanistan. The Belt Road Initiative was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013. The Belt Road Initiative aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. Afghanistan due to its strategic location can provide China with a strategic base to spread its influence across the world. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had visited Uzbekistan in the past week for an official two-day visit during which he highlighted the benefits of regional connectivity and invited the nation to become party to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. 

PEGASUS LEAK IN INDIA

Pegasus is a spyware program developed by the Israeli business NSO Group that may gather data from mobile phones. Stating simply, It is a type of malware that infects iPhones and Android smartphones, allowing its users to extract texts, images, and emails, as well as record calls and covertly activate microphones.

 Pegasus was found to be spying on roughly 50,000 phone numbers throughout the world, according to a worldwide investigation. Out of which 300 of them being confirmed Indian numbers. According to an investigation into a large data breach, authoritarian regimes have targeted human rights activists, journalists, and attorneys all around the world using hacking tools provided by the Israeli spy business NSO Group. In India, the phone numbers include of  the legal community, businesspeople, government officials, scientists and acitivists. According to THE WIRE, Over 40 journalists, three major opposition figures, one constitutional authority, two serving ministers in the Narendra Modi government, current and former heads and officials of security organizations, and scores of businesspeople are among those in the database and their names would be soon released in the upcoming days. Newspapers like, The Guardian and The Washington Post, among others, released important facts showing the extent of what they dubbed “global surveillance operations” using Pegasus. The NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden tweeted on Sunday that this “spill” might be “the tale of the year.” 

So basically, all we have to know is how Pegasus operates and how does it actually work. So after it is installed, it may collect data from emails, text messages such as SMS, WhatsApp conversations, phone records, contact lists, and GPS data and send it to the attacker. It can also activate a microphone, call recorder, and camera to give the attacker with surveillance capabilities. Forensic examinations on certain phones linked to the target numbers found unmistakable indications of Pegasus malware targeting and this task made simpler by the fact that the device was an Apple iPhone. 

However, The Israeli firm that distributes Pegasus, NSO Group, disputed the claims, claiming that it only sells its spyware to “vetted countries.” Representatives claimed the business was “considering a defamation action” after allegations that it sold malware to intelligence, military, and law-enforcement organizations in 40 nations. On the other hand, the government of India also denied any involvement in the hacking, claiming that “the claims about government monitoring on individual people have no solid basis or truth linked with it whatsoever.” They also released a statement which states that in the past, similar accusations were made regarding the Indian State’s use of Pegasus on WhatsApp. In the Supreme Court, all parties, including WhatsApp, explicitly rejected the reports. They also said that this press release looks to be a similar fishing expedition, based on speculation and exaggeration in order to discredit India’s democracy and institutions.

Nevertheless, Pegasus was reportedly used to target journalists and human rights activists in India by Facebook-owned WhatsApp in 2019, according to a few sources. This information was revealed in a lawsuit filed in a US court in San Francisco by WhatsApp.

How the Sahara is Getting Bigger

The Sahara, the world’s biggest hot desert, the third largest desert overall, is getting even bigger. In fact, it is currently about 10 percent larger than it was nearly a century ago, and scientists suggest that climate change is partly responsible.

To qualify as a desert, a region has to see 4 inches (100 mm) or less of rainfall per year. The Researchers looked at rainfall data from across Africa recorded between 1920 and 2013. They found that more of the area around the Sahara — about 10 percent more — qualified as desert, making the largest hot desert even larger.

At the southern border of the Sahara lies a semi-arid grassland known as the Sahel. It’s a buffer zone between the harsh Sahara and the fertile savannas in southern Africa, particularly Sudan and Chad. Lake Chad, for example, has been getting smaller due to climate fluctuations and because its used to irrigate crops. The lack of rainfall does not help the situation.

The study also points out that it’s probably not just the Sahara that’s expanding. Deserts around the world are likely experiencing the same climate changes and growing larger as well. Deserts are all formed pretty much the same way: Warm air rises in the tropics, which are near the equator, then spreads toward the poles, a frightening prospect fot the locals.

The Sahara Desert is getting bigger

https://www.livescience.com/62168-sahara-desert-expanding.html

Google and Apple employees are not happy with the decision to return to the Office.

Earlier this year in June, Apple CEO Tim Cook came up with a new hybrid working protocol that tells employees that they would be required to be present in the office thrice a week starting from September. But, it turns out that didn’t go well, as some of the employees claiming to leave the company if Apple directs their physical presence in the office. 

After the announcement was made, employees conveyed their frustration in their letter telling that it forced some of the employees to resign. Although a new report says that now Apple is denying even more appeals from the employees who are insisting to continue working from home. With around 6,000 members in a Company Sack channel, employees are pleading about leaving one of the world’s leading firms if it doesn’t change its decision. 

A report from the Verge said, “while in a company Sack channel where employees support for remote work, approximately around 10 employees said about quitting their job due to the hybrid work protocol or knew others who’d been forced to quit.”

The report also said that the tech giant has told the employees that those staff who documents their medical reports with the firm will only be getting permanent work from home, which “made some people uneasy.”

Also, according to a survey around 90℅ of the employees said that flexible working options are much important to them. Now, some of them are thinking to write a letter again to Apple while some are thinking to take the legal route. 

Even Google’s employees are not much happy about the company’s decision to bring employees back to the office. Earlier this year in May, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced a hybrid working protocol similar to Apple’s, according to which employees would be required to be work from their offices thrice a week, which also starts from September. According to the new protocol, 20℅ of the staff would work remotely, and another 20% could work from fresh locations, but the salary would be adjusted according to the local market. 

Though Google is trying to bring employees back to the office, some employees are getting more frustrated with the anxiety over their shoulders. Employees are being tensed regarding office transfers and pay cuts. The widespread confusion and jagged enforcement of the new protocol, particularly among ground-level staff, also doesn’t help. 

Although in a recent survey Google software engineers said that they found themselves as constructive as they were before the pandemic.

Workers in many industries found it difficult to work virtually and have decided to quit their jobs. However, it is not the deal with the tech giants like Apple and Google, but it would be interesting to see when their employees shift back to the office. 

Story – I see you

I always look forward up to the nights. Because that’s when we meet, right? I never felt myself until I met you. Like the day, I don’t feel the need to hold up a bright smile before you; I don’t feel the need to turn back and look at my shadow(s). With you, they go nowhere but into an invisible bin in space but come back again the following day. But with you, I am ready to embrace it all. With you, even the silence feels comfortable, and it doesn’t creep in into every vein in my body. With you, it’s all easier, easier to live, to breathe, to laugh, talk and have fun. Whenever the thoughts in my mind get a bit louder than the silence the night holds, you’re there to hear me out. You never say much, it’s always me rabbling on things, and you hear it all without complaints. With you, I feel like I’m being listened to. With you, I don’t feel judged; like the night sky, you have seen me cry.

Is it only me who felt warm last night?

The nights are often cold and frigid, but with you, they’re warm and cozy. I feel safe when you place your right arm on my right shoulder, and I lay my head on your chest – your language of telling me not to worry and life’s momentary; this shall pass too. But I don’t want this to pass away just like that. I want to lie against your chest a bit longer. I want you to hold me this way a bit longer.

But that’s when mum stepped in and invaded our personal space. As she switched on the lights, you were nowhere, as if you disappeared in the thin air.

Mom: Siya, who are you talking to?

Siya: I’m talking to Ajay. Please leave my room mom and don’t interrupt our talk.

Mom: Who Ajay? Our neighbour’s child? But, I can see no one here.

Siya: But he is right here (pointing towards the left), can’t you see him?

Mom: I can see no one here. You gotta sleep.

Siya: Fine.

*While walking back to her room, Siya’s mom was in a riddle. How could Siya talk to someone who died a week ago?*

The following day, Siya was drawing while chit-chatting with someone asking how was the drawing. Her mom when peeped at the paper, it was a guy aged as same as Ajay and wearing clothes similar to his style. When asked to Siya, she said that Ajay liked her drawing too and later she went to play chess in her room. Siya’s mom followed her to figure out the situation and realised Siya’s just 13, who taught her to play chess, that’s when she remembered Ajay; he was a state-level champion of chess. Siya’s mom was concerned about her daughter, so along with her dad, she took Siya to a child psychiatrist. The psychiatrist came up with a conclusion that she’s affected by a major psychiatric illness – schizophrenia. The disease is called “early onset” schizophrenia when it occurs before the age of 18. And this is the reason she’s been seeing visuals of things/ peoples that ain’t actually there.

What happens next once your child is diagnosed with schizophrenia?

Siya’s parents were quite distressed if there was a treatment to this or lifelong she’ll have to deal with the positive or negative symptoms. Further, the psychiatrist explained to them that there is no permanent cure for this but they could try reducing the severity of symptoms. The next step is developing a mutually agreed-upon treatment plan — incorporating psychotherapy, medication, and school and community support — that works for you, your child, and your family.

How do we treat schizophrenia?

As you addressed this early, the treatment might turn out more successfully. Your clinician will prescribe treatment methods that may include medication, psychotherapy, specialized educational or activity programs, and support groups. Siya’s parents supported the treatment as advised by the clinicians, which obviously freed Siya from often repercussions.

So, this is just a request to all the parents to address thier child’s mental health every once in a while and support the treatment procedures too. If addressed early, it’s better for everyone, the child, the parents and for the family too. Ignoring the symptoms might just worsen the symptoms and make the recovery impossible.

Helpful Links:

For parents:

20/20 Presents: Stories of children with schizophrenia

For teens:

CopeCareDeal

Central Vista Project

Central vista project is an ambitious initiative by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre to reconstruct a 3.2-kilometer stretch known as the Central Vista in the heart of Lutyens Delhi, which was erected by the British in the 1930s. In 2019, The national government proposed this renovation project to give India’s “power corridor” a new identity. The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is in charge of the project, which is expected to be finished by 2024 and its estimated cost is more than Rs. 20,000 crore. The main vision of this project is to symbolize India’s commitment to confront the tough challenges that have afflicted it for decades and it is relentlessly focused on modernizing in order to satisfy the needs and ambitions of its inhabitants. Tradition is respected, but it is not held captive by it. The project is environmentally conscious yet not paralyzed by it. 

This project which intends to renovate and enlarge India’s Parliament, Prime Minister’s home, and numerous other official buildings at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore, has been dubbed a sign of indifference and highlighted as an example of the administration’s misdirected priorities during the Covid-19 epidemic. The criticism to central vista project can be seen in various instances as follows:-

On July 12, a Maharashtra-based organization held a public gathering in the capital to protest the project, claiming that the country “needs hospitals, not a new Prime Minister’s home.” The Central Public Works Department restricted photography and video recording at the building site in May, when the project was attracting criticism for continuing despite the devastating second wave of Covid-19, allowing for even more severe criticism. 

Due to many criticisms and reacting to opposition’s objections the central government released a document busting all the myths related to this ongoing project to bring a reality amongst citizens of India.

According to the report and defining the current activity at the project site, the central ministry stated that suspending it at this point would result in the government incurring responsibilities under existing contracts and jeopardizing the interests of the employees. Inflation is also a major concern if the project is delayed. The government also stated that environmental sustainability is at the heart of the Central Vista project, dispelling the misconception that it will harm the environment. No heritage structures, including India Gate, Parliament, the North and South Blocks, the National Archives, and others, would be demolished, according to the administration. The center has also   rejected claims that the Prime Minister’s new home will cost Rs 13,450 crore. The estimate covers a number of projects, including ten structures, according to the ministry, which also stated that the construction work for the Prime Minister’s house has yet to be bid and that the government has given no approval. The major criticism of continuing the work amid covid 19 was also dismissed by the government by citing that the work comes under  Essential Services Act.  On May 31, the Delhi High Court also dismissed a petition challenging the Central Vista Redevelopment project’s ongoing construction operations, calling the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) a “illegal motivation” to halt the work.

Danish Siddiqui

The Indian Photo- Journalist ,Danish Siddiqui has been killed by the terrorist on Friday in Afganistan. He was Honoured with prestigious Pulitzer Prize in feature photography.

He was working with the International media Reuters for more than a decade.The 41 years old Photojournalist was on a assignment where he was shot by the terrorist while covering the war between the Afgan Security Forces and Taliban forces.

He graduated from Jamia Millia Islamia ,Delhi with a degree in Economics.He had also done his post-graduation in Mass communication from A.J.k mass communication research centre ,Jamia.

Siddiqui started his career from Hindustan Times and later join The Reuters as an intern in 2010.

He became the first Indian along with Adnan Abidi to win Pulitzer Prize for feature Photography in 2018.

Horticulture

Horticulture, the branch of plant agriculture dealing with garden crops, generally fruits,vegetables, and ornamental plants. The Horticulture falls between domestic gardening and field agriculture, through all forms of cultivation naturally have close links.


It is divided into the cultivation of plants for food and plants for ornament. Pomology deals with fruit and nut crops. Oliericuture deals with herbaceous plants for the kitchen, including, for example carrots, cauliflower. Floriculture deals with the production of flowers and ornamental plants; generally, cut flowers, pot plants, and greenery. Landscape Horticulture is a broad category that includes plants for the landscape, including lawn turf but particularly nursery crops such as shrubs, trees, and vines.
The specialisation of the horticulture and the success of the crop are influenced by many factors. Among these are climate, terrain, and other regional variations.


HORTICULTURAL REGIONS :

TEMPERATURE ZONES :


Temperature zones for horticulture cannot be defined exactly by lines of latitude or longitude but are usually regarded as including those areas where frost in winter occurs, even though rarely. Thus, most parts of Europe, North America and Northern Asia
are included, though some parts of the United States, such as southern Florida, are considered subtropical.
The temperature zones are also the areas of the grasses – the finest lawns particularly are in the regions of moderate or high rainfall- and of the great cereal crops. Rice is excluded as being tropical, but wheat, barley, corn and Rye grow well in the temperature zones.
Plants in the temperature zones benefit from a winter resting season, which clearly differentiates them from tropical plants which tend to grow continuously. Most of the great gardens of the world have been developed in temperature zones. Particular features such as rose gardens, herbaceous borders, annual borders, woodland gardens, and rock gardens are also those of temperature zone gardens. Nearly all depends for their success on the winter resting period.


TROPICAL ZONES :


There is no sharp line of demarcation between the topics and the subtropics. Just as many tropical plants can be cultivated in the subtropics, so also many subtropical and even temperature plants can be grown satisfactorily in the tropics. Elevation is a determining factor. In addition to Elevation, another determinant is the annual distribution of rainfall. Plants that grow and flower in the monsoon areas, as in India, will not succeed where the climate is uniformly wet. Another factor is the length of day, the number of hours the sun is above the horizon;some plants flower only if the day is long, but others make their growth during the long days and flower when the day is short.
In the tropics of Asia and parts of central and south America, the dominant features of the gardens are flowering trees, shrubs, and climbers. Herbaceous plants are relatively few, but many kinds of orchids can be grown.


PROPAGATION :


propagation is the controlled perpetuation of plants,is the most basic of Horticulture practices . It’s two objectives are to achieve an increase in numbers and to preserve the essential characteristics of the plant. Propagation can be achieved sexually by seed or asexually by utilising specialised vegetative structures of the plant or by employing such techniques are cutting, layering, grafting and tissue culture

SEED PROPAGATION :


The most common method of propagation for self- pollinated plants is by seed. In self-pollinated plants,the sperm nuclei in pollen produced by a flower fertilize egg cells of a flower on the same plant. Propagation by seed is also used widely for many cross- pollinated plants pollen is carried from one plant to another.
The practice of saving seed to plant the following year has developed into a specialized part of horticulture. Seed technology involves all of the steps necessary ensure production of seed with high viability, freedom from disease, purity, and trueness to type. These processes may include specialized growing and harvesting techniques, cleaning, and distribution. Germination in such seed may be accomplished by treatment to remove these inhibitors. This may involve cold stratification, storing seed at high relative humidity and low temperatures, usually slightly above freezing. Cold stratification is a prerequisite to the uniform germination of many temperature-zone species such as apple, bear, and redbud.


VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION :


Asexual or vegetative reproduction is based on the ability of plants to regenerate tissues and parts. In many plants vegetative propagation is a completely natural process; in others it is an artificial one. It has may advantages. These include the unchanged prepetuation of naturally cross pollimated palnts and the possibility of propagation seedless progeny.
Vegetative propagation is accomplished be use of

  1. Apomictic seed
    1. Specialized vegetatice structres such as runners, bulbs, corms, rhizomes, offshoot, tubers, stems and roots.
  2. Layers and cuttimgs
  3. Grafting and budding
    1. tissue culture.