Lakshadweep is the smallest UT in India, most popularly known for its sandy white beaches with crystal blue waters and secluded lagoons.

But Lakshadweep is now in the news for all the wrong reasons. The accountability of such disturbance and row in Lakshwadeep can be credited to the fascist and corrupted minds of politicians. 

It has a population of around 60,000 people with 90% of Muslims and consists of somewhat 30 small islands. Once a peaceful area is now facing disruption because of the capitalistic, islamophobic and exploitative mentality of politicians. Praful Khoda Patel, a political leader of BJP presents the ideological projects as an idea for development. But these actions by him will only fill the pockets of capitalists on the mainland and will hurt the islanders.

Unlike Delhi and Puducherry, this union territory has no legislative assembly nor a Chief Minister. The President of India appoints an administrator to govern the whole territory.

Until 2020 this responsibility was given to bureaucrats, they were either IAS or IPS officers. In December 2020 misfortune happened, a greedy politician got the responsibility of the administration there. His ignorance and eagerness for materialism disrupted the lives of islanders.

Praful Khoda Patel | Mastermind for Lakshwadeep Row

Before digging deep into the main cause, let’s have a brief history of our antagonist Praful Khoda Patel.

In 2014, when the reign of Narender Modi began, Praful Khoda Patel was allocated the administration of Daman And Diu. There also before him the bureaucrats were selected as the administrator for the governance.  In 2019, the administration of Dadar and Nagar Haveli was also allocated to him.

There were several instances in his tenure, where the houses on the seafront land were demolished in the name of progression. This step led to protests by the dwellers of the union territory. To harass and detain the protestors, section 144 was imposed several times.  

In February 2021  Mohan Delkar, a tribal rights activist and seven-time MP of Dadra and Nagar committed suicide. In his 15-page long suicide note, he mentioned Praful Khoda Patel. Patel allegedly harassed Mohan Delkar for 25 crore rupees. Patel threatened him that if he fails to do so, he’ll be falsely accused under the “prevention of anti-social activities” act. 

What is Happening in Lakshwadeep Right Now?

Since December 2, 2020, when the administrator took charge of the Union Territory, Patel has issued a series of orders, which haven’t sat too well with the island dwellers.

1. Spike in Covid cases: From Zero to 7000+

In 2020 Lakshadweep was one of the few areas in India, which was unscathed from the grasp of the coronavirus. As in Lakshwadeep, there were strict and mandatory quarantine rules for travelers.

But in 2021, more than 7,000 cases have been reported there. Citizens of Lakshadweep alleged that the spike was due to a change introduced in the covid management protocol by a new administrator Praful K Patel. The change was that anyone could enter within 48 hours of getting a negative RT-PCR test.

Thus, this proved that such ignorant politicians can work as a catalyst in making the Covid related situation worse. Just like political leaders who organized rallies all over the country and gave permission for ‘Kumbh Mela’ to take place, here also the leader is running from accountability.

Patel claimed that such a surge in cases is ‘natural’ as in Kerela to which Lakshadweep has strong links also witnessed the increase in cases. But that is evidently baseless, as he was the one who changed the earlier protocols.

2. Goonda Act- Equivalent to UAPA and TADA

Past events prove that a state always tries to introduce immoral acts to forcefully silent the masses when the rise of questioning the authorities occurs.  

Patel’s administration has proposed to enact the ‘Goonda Act’ (prevention of anti-social activities bill) which allows a person to be detained without public disclosure for up to a year.

This island already witnesses a very low crime rate. A question that comes up is- What is the need for such an ‘act’ to be implemented?

Just like UAPA, TADA, and Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance (Love jihad) this unnecessary implementation of the act could be interpreted as a means for misuse to disrupt the uprising of resistance against the bigotry.

3. Prioritising Alcohol Over Beef

A proposal to ban beef while removing the alcohol sale led to outrage on the island, which has a Muslim-dominated population. This particular step is being used to trigger and hurt the sentiments of the population there. The administration also invited criticism for stopping non-vegetarian food in school midday meals. 

4. Disruption in the name of Development?

The ‘Development’ agenda was one of the most controversial changes that were proposed.

It is a law that gives sweeping powers to the administration to take over private property for developmental activities. Critics said that this might leave people at risk of eviction and relocation and that unchecked construction could threaten the ecological balance of the islands. Patel argues that these laws were necessary to bring in development and to create a smart city in the atolls.

But, is there truly a need for resources to be used for a smart city, when people of an already beautiful island are fine with what they have?

Prioritizing development over the sanctity of the ecosystem is one of the causes of spoiling the harmony in the world. While the world battles climate change and the rising sea levels, this step might just contradict the effort being made by hurting the ecological balance of the islands.

Victims of The Lakshadweep Row

During the row in Lakshadweep, we witnessed how an entry of a single person disturbed, disrupted, and even ended the lives of the people on the island.

In a place where the existence of COVID was negligible, the cases have risen to 7,000 and resulted in 22 deaths.

The work of politicians is to govern and maintain harmony in the system. But when the introduction of such acts and bills makes the people of the state insecure about their existence, then it might not be a step worth taking.

Superstition, a belief or practice typically resulting from ignorance, a misunderstanding from Science or causality, a belief in fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown.

Superstitions allow people to explain events that otherwise seem random and to feel they have a measure of control over outcomes that would otherwise seem out of their hands.

Approximately 70% of people in India believe in superstitions and force others too to believe in them.

Some common superstitions believed in India and their scientific reasons…..

Avoid standing under Peepal tree at night.

Peepal tree is defamed as it is said that if one will stand or go near the Peepal tree at night then that person will be possessed by an evil spirit.

Scientific reason – In the morning when photosynthesis happens, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide, change it into energy and give out oxygen in the air that we breathe. But at night, plants exhale carbon dioxide while there is a lack of sunlight.

Lemon and Green chilies.

Shop keepers, businessmen, people at home usually hang lemon and green chilies so as to avoid bad luck and evil spirits.

The logic here is that since goddess of misfortune ( who can bring bad luck to the shop owners or business), likes pungent, sour and hot things, individuals hang lemon and green chilies so that the goddess eats her favorite food and goes back from their fully satisfied.

Not to sleep facing the North side.

It is said if one sleeps facing the North side then he/ she would die.

Scientific reason – It’s about the relation between Earth’s magnetic field and the human body’s field. They made this rule of sleeping with our heads in the South direction to avoid harmful effects related to blood pressure and other diseases that asymmetry with the Earth’s magnetic field would create.

Broken mirrors.

People of ancient Rome spread the rumors that breaking mirrors will give you 7 years if bad luck.

Scientific reason – The logic behind the number 7 is that as per Roman beliefs, it takes 7 years for a life to renew itself.

Twitching eyes.

It is believed if your left eye blinks then you are going to hear a bad news. If your right eye jumps, you will see someone you haven’t seen in a long time. If your left eye jumps then your loved one/ friend is doing something behind your back. If your left eye jumps, then your loved one/ friend is in trouble.

Scientific reason – The logical reason behind it is that twitching is caused due to alcohol, stress, allergies, strain or dry eyes.

Adding one rupee to a gift sum.

Whenever we hand over a sum of money to anyone as a gift we often out in a coin of Rs. 1 to it and the wedding ‘lifafah’ always has a coin stuck to it.

Scientific reason – The main reason to add extra coin is to make the entire sum an odd number which becomes indivisible, and therefore it is good for the person or the newly married couple. If the number is even by that logic, then the sum will end in a zero which means ‘the end’.

Swallow Tulsi leaves, never chew.

There is one popular belief that Tulsi is Goddess Lakshmi’s Avtar and hence one should not chew the leaves, not show disrespect.

Scientific reason – Although a Tulsi leaf is healthy, it also contains a little amount of Arsenic. So to save your teeth from turning yellow, and saving the enamel from degrading, you do not chew but swallow.

Cashews are delicious. When we’re in the mood for a nutty snack, cashews are hard to resist. The only problem is, they can really hurt your wallet over time, especially when compared with other nuts.Cashews are not a cheap indulgence.  No wonder gorging on roasted, salted or plain cashews is pure bliss, but what makes this rich, crunchy, silky nut so expensive?

The reason behind the expensive cashew nuts is their growing climates. Cashew can only be harvested in tropical climates such as India, Vietnam, Brazil, and some African countries. It grows in a single nut attached to the bottom of a fruit called cashew apple which takes two to three months to develop.

Cashews are in high demand and supply is limited. That is the primary reason for their high price.

The seed is removed from the apple. The cashew seeds have to be steamed and then dried for 24 hours to make it easier to remove the outer shell. Cashew seeds are cracked individually by hand. Cashews need proper processing in order to make them edible, but most of the extraction and processing is done manually, which makes this task tough!

The cashews have a toxic substance under the shell similar to poison ivy, therefore workers oil their hands to protect them. The shell’s oils cause damage to the skin of the workers responsible for processing the seeds. Roasting the cashew nuts to destroy the toxins is dangerous as well, as the toxins are released into the air. After the toxins are removed, the cashews must be graded and sorted. The entire process is labor-intensive as well as hazardous, which helps explain part of why cashews are so expensive. Cashews are then dried to reduce the moisture content making it easier for peeling. Lastly the kernel is carefully peeled one by one to reveal the final product!

I was amazed at the long labour intensive techniques involved in bringing cashew nuts to our table.  This made me realise the reason behind the high price tag of the cashew nuts I love.

Women’s empowerment equips and allows women to make life determining decisions through the different problems in soceity. they may have the oppurtunity to redefine gender roles or other such roles, which in turn may allow them more freedom to pursue desired goals. women empowerment has become a significant topic of discussion in development and economics. economic empowerment allows women to control and benefit from resources, assets, and income. it also aids the ability to manage risk and improve womens’s well being. it can result in approaches to support trivialized genders in a particular political or social content. while often interchangeably used, the more comprehensive concept of gender empowerment concerns people of any gender, stressing the distintion between biological and gender as a role. women empowerment helps in boosting the status of women through literacy, education, training, and awarness creation. furthermore, women’s empowerment refers to womens ability to make strategic life choices which had been previously denied them. it refers to increasing and improving the social, economic, political and legal strength of the women, to ensure equal right to women. women empowerment helps women to control and benefit from resources, assets, income and their own time, as well as the ability to manage risk and improve their economic status and wellbeing. many of the barriers to women empowerment and equity lie ingrained in cultural norms. many women feel these pressures while others have become accustomed to being treated inferior to men.

So firstly let us know why the music is very important in humanlife? once let us question ourselves why music is very important. it is very important in human life because it relaxes peoples mindsets. this music is also know as universal language of humanity. it has the power to bring positivity and entertainment in the lives of people. everyone loves music because it holds the power to transform the mood and bring a sense of relief in their daily life. we can get all answers to our unsolved questions through music. music can make a person until the end of their lives. it never leaves the person along during their difficult times in life. it plays an important role in the world as it helps us in easily expressing ourselves. it has different impacts on the daily lives of the people. there are different emotions attached to every kind of music as we can easily relate music with power to bring people together in different ways on several occasions. it can also be termed as a good source of communication. in our daily life there are certain feelings which we fail to express but through music all the missing words find its way and we can easily communicate our message to the people. we find the words to express either by writting songs or just listening to it. music can also be described as a theraphy for many people because it has the power to heal the problems of many people. there are many children with a learning disability who have responded to the music set pieces. music is a part of meditation in many workshops to make people positive and to make them aware of their emotions. music has an impact on everyones life in different ways in different phase of life. music can transform the emotions and feelings of the people within no time. it can lessen the stress, pain, struggle, distraction, and bring positivity and calmness in our daily life. music holds the power to bring people together in different ways. music can make us expressive and help us in understanding our feelings and emotions in a better manner. making art is an basic human function. for whatever reason we feel the need to leave a mark on the world. we have a burning desire to create, whether its a folk songs, rock art, or movies. having a carrer in music can be frustating and at times a discouraging affair. its easy to feel discouraged about it. truth is music is incredibly important to people. its important that people hear music, see music, learn music, play music, create music and teach music. making music is inherently worthwhile.

Kolkata, still commonly referred to as Calcutta, is the capital of India’s eastern state of West Bengal. It’s now known for its gentle pace of life, but back in the 18th century, the city was British India’s most important trading post and the showpiece of colonial power.

In addition to its history, the gateway to eastern India is famous for its food. Bengali cuisine has evolved over time, but Kolkata still remains an ideal place to experience the cuisine characterized in part by mustard oil and fish.

There are many very good restaurants in the city, but if you want home cooked Bengali food, then that’s possible, too. Iti Misra is one of a number of home chefs that host lunches for visitors to the city: Cooking from her kitchen, Iti dishes out authentic Bengali cuisine and gives her guests a glimpse into local life.

Home to prominent intellectuals, Kolkata is regarded as an artistic and cultural capital of India. In northern Kolkata, the oldest part of the city, you’ll find the stately mansions of famous Kolkatans such as Nobel Prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore.

That area of the city is also home to the busy Kumartuli clay making quarter. There, potters mold lifelike religious idols for the city’s many festivals.

Running from north to south right through the city is Hooghly River. At roughly 160 miles long, it provides the city with a supply of water and serves as a major transport system for both people and cargo. It was through the river that the East India company sailed into the region and established its trade settlement.

The waterway also provides the perfect place to experience a Kolkatan sunset. You can hire a boat to take you out on the water where you can see the iconic Howrah Bridge and the newer Vidyasagar Bridge.

For the Bengali high society, evenings in Kolkata can be spent at one of the many old colonial private members clubs such as The Saturday Club, which was founded in 1875.

Reminders of Kolkata’s colonial past can be found on every corner, but it’s the combinations of that history and modern advances that make this friendly metropolis a unique Indian experience.