Category: social issues

Love each other

In today’s world, there is enough hate to make a person sick of loving others. Hate is engraved in our society; it has become a go-to emotion for everybody. When we see others succeeding but not us, we start spreading hate towards them. Spreading hate is not going help anybody, it will neither make you successful nor will it help the other person, the negativity will affect their mental health too.

For once, try loving people without expecting anything in return. It will free you from any negative emotions, you will get to know that by loving others you will feel good too. Loving includes all types of love whether it is love for your partner, your child, your sibling, your parents, or fellow planet-mates. All of us need to be loved, whether we realize it or not we need all kinds of love, from our partner, from our children, etc.

Love is a very powerful emotion; we can win over people’s hearts with love. Today, when everybody is spreading hate, jealousy, negativity, start loving others, this planet needs it. Imagine a world where there is no hate, almost all the problems would be solved, there would be no wars, no shootings, no crimes, and everybody would live peacefully. Every year, so many people are killed, so many women are raped, there are bombings and suicides and homicides, these all occur due to hate engraved within people’s souls towards one another

When you love others, you might always get love in return but that does not mean we start hating those people who do not return our emotions. In the end, we’ll be happy that we lived a life devoid of any kind of hate. It is highly unlikely though, when you are generous and you love people, you will attract people with negative emotions, instead you will attract people who are as generous and lovable as you.

Some people fear to love others; this may happen because they might have had some traumatic past where they loved the other person but they betrayed them. Such people, for the rest of their lives, fear to trust and love others. They must see a counselor solve their mental and emotional issues.

When people spread hate towards you, you must act in a certain way, rather than spreading similar hate and negativity towards them you should forget about them, exclude them from your life and move on We must concentrate on our actions rather than on others, when we show kindness and generosity, and love towards others the universe will conspire to return the same emotion to us. Therefore, we must start to watch our actions and deeds, and rather than noticing how other people behave and then choosing our way to treat them we must spread love no matter what. Love and kindness start at home and your body is your home too, so in order to love others, we must love ourselves, and treat our mind with kindness.

Immigrants

Majorities of publics in top migrant destination countries say immigrants strengthen their countries, according to a 2018 Pew Research Center survey of 18 countries that host half of the world’s migrants.

In 10 of the countries surveyed, majorities view immigrants as a strength rather than a burden. Among them are some of the largest migrant receiving countries in the world: the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Australia (each hosting more than 7 million immigrants in 2017).

By contrast, majorities in five countries surveyed – Hungary, Greece, South Africa, Russia and Israel – see immigrants as a burden to their countries. With the exception of Russia, these countries each have fewer than 5 million immigrants.

Meanwhile, public opinion on the impact of immigrants is divided in the Netherlands. In Italy and Poland, more say immigrants are a burden, while substantial shares in these countries do not lean one way or the other (31% and 20% respectively).

Caged Bird by Maya Angelou

This poem was published in 1983 in Maya Angelou’s poetry collection “Shaker, why don’t you sing?”. This was her 4th volume of poetry which was published by Random House. It contains 28 poems and they are dedicated to her son guy Johnson and her grandson Colin Ashanti Murphy Johnson. Maya Angelou has depicted the plight of the Black American especially Black Women through this poem.

In this poem, Maya Angelou tries to make a comparison between a free bird and the caged bird. The birds are used as an extended metaphor, the African Americans are compared to the caged birds and the unoppressed people compared to the free birds. The African Americans had to suffer immensely and the caged bird’s captivity depicts the same, whereas the free bird and its freedom to be able to do anything that it likes and its will to claim the sky and everything in its reach depicts the privilege and the entitlement that the un-oppressed felt

The free bird can fly anywhere, explore the sky and they are not subjected to any limitation but the caged bird is kept behind the cage, it cannot fly anywhere and it feels helpless and angered, in the same way, Maya Angelou tries to explain that the oppressed people were not given opportunities and they were treated badly.

The caged bird sings of freedom and that is why that song can be heard even on the distant hills. To the bird which is free, freedom is something which they do not think about whereas for the caged bird freedom is a privilege.

The oppressors feel that they own everything and that they can achieve more and more just like the free bird names the sky his own but the oppressed were not allowed to do anything, they were treated as slaves.

“A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind   

and floats downstream   

till the current ends

and dips his wing

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and   

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard   

on the distant hill   

for the caged bird   

sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn

and he names the sky his own

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams   

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream   

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied   

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard   

on the distant hill   

for the caged bird   

sings of freedom.”

Helath care availability issues

The robust transformation of India’s Public Healthcare System witnessed in the past few decades has not only been progressive but also an example for the developing economies of the world. The healthcare system in India can be divided into two parts viz urban and rural areas and both have a significant differential gap in terms of treatment, not because of uncommon diseases but due to lack of adequate infrastructure and health experts, besides several other challenges in the system. However, the objective in this article is to bring out the challenges which the public and private healthcare systems are currently confronting with.

Fund Allocation & Inadequate Infra

The gap in fund management by the administrations should be understood and be balanced. Not enough funds are allocated for public healthcare in India and the inequality in urban and rural facilities is well known. Due to the lack of modern quality healthcare in the public sector, generally, people prefer private healthcare which is not affordable for most of the rural population due to lower-income and lack of basic insurance policy. Private healthcare in India is a premium and expensive affair for a large section of society. Notably expensive medical device is procured but basic infra is missing in public healthcare system.

Fugu: The forbidden fish

Everyone knows that its human nature to want a thing that is forbidden to them. This is what drives many people in Japan and even foreigners who visit Japan, to try the infamous fugu fish. Found in the Pacific Ocean, this fish is a pufferfish and looks rather innocuous, in terms of being poisonous. However, it’s the perfect example of the phase, “looks can be deceiving” as the fish is said to be 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. The fish is so poisonous that a slight error in its preparation can cause instant fatality. However, its still one of the most expensive and revered delicacies of Japan.

Described as a fish whose taste is “indescribable”, Fugu is only affordable to the high-end part of our society. The taste of this fish is said to be like no other food anyone would have ever tasted, so utterly delicious that people are willing to risk their lives for it. The liver is famously known as the tastiest part of the fish, but its also the most deadliest part, along with the ovaries, and the eyes. Fugu is deadly because of the poison tetrodotoxin. The poison, a blocker of sodium channels, paralyses the muscles while the victim is completely aware, then the poisoned person cannot respire and dies from suffocation. This takes roughly about 10 mins. Now, with so much advancement in science, there has got to be an antidote to this poison which has been killing people for more than 2,300 years, which is the time during which fugu consumption dates back to. Unfortunately and surprisingly, there is no cure once you ingest this toxin. The normal therapy is to help the respiration and circulation of the person until the toxin is digested and removed through the victim’s body. Researchers found that a fugu’s tetrodotoxin arises from eating other tetrodotoxin-loaded animals that the fish develop insensitivity to over time. So, an effort has been made to cultivate these fishes in toxin free environment.

Now the question looms that if the fish is so poisonous, how are people consuming it? Well, no one is consuming it with a 100% surety that they wont die. However, due to its popularity, high demand and income, there are specialized chefs who prepare fugu. These chefs train in fugu preparation from anywhere between 4-10 years. A license is then assigned to them, specifically for the preparation of fugu. Only then, under controlled restaurant conditions, can they prepare fugu. The fugu is then served in an arrangement representing chrysanthemum petals.

A paradox has appeared in Japan where some activists are proposing a ban on the selling and consumption of fugu, while some are even requesting the government to legalise the consumption of the liver of fugu. Fugu has been the leading cause of food poisoning in Japan and most of the people who have died from it were fishermen who tried to cook fugu domestically. There is no doubt that fugu is highly lethal, however consumption of this delicious delicacy in restaurants with controlled environment and skilled chefs is reasonable. What do you think? Given a chance, would you ever try out this dangerous but indescribably tasty delicacy?

Females in jobs(critical analysis)

How often do we see a woman on top official post? Women judges at the country courts?Women leaders of their countries?Female leads in movies?

You answer may be 1,10 or may be 100.

This proves exemptions cannot be treated as generalist examples.

Sustainable Goal by UN (goal-5)focuses   to Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls..193 countries including India endorsed the goal.Still we witness a divide.

According to World Bank data (WB) women contributed 38.833% to the labor force in 2019.Less than 50%,not enough right? The same data shows that male labour force participation rate is 74.334%.

(As per ILO,Labour force participation rate is defined as the section of working population in the age group of 16-64 in the economy currently employed or seeking employment)

Where and why?

1.Judiciary

       Since Independence there have been only 8 female judges in the Supreme Court of India.While ,no Female CJI yet. High courts witness the same fate with 82 females as judges.In federal court of America,about 73% judges are male.UAE had their first female judge in 2019.Kenya recently appointed its first female Chief Justice

2. Films

There is a huge gender pay gal witnessed in film industry be it hollywood,bollywood.Many actors like Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence,Emma watson have been vocal.National Award winner Priyanka Chopra said ,”Gender pay gap is a global problem”.

3. Private sector 

     Private sector particularly Service sector provides ample opportunity for women.Although they face problems as the employers want to avoid giving maternity benefits and leaves ,flexibility of night shifts ,transfers due to marriage etc.Women have proved their mettle by engaging in most challenging jobs in the modern times and broke the above myths.

4.Politics

 A 33% reservation for women in and legislative assembly and legislative council bill is still pending before the legislature. According to UN women Women serve as Heads of State or Government in only 22 countries, and 119 countries have never had a woman leader .

5.Education              

The literacy rate for females in India is 53.7% whereas in America it is 77%.No prizes for guessing,male literacy rate is higher in both the developing and developed country.

According to UIS data provided by UNESCO,only 30% women researchers in science.Still they have managed to fare well and won most noble prizes in physics,chemistry and medicine.

They are faced with societal,matrimonial,family pressure.Child marriage,trafficking undoubtedly illegal on paper but are still  practiced by villages.

6. Police

 According to data from Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) ,women constitute only 8.3% to the police personnel in India.It wasn’t until recently that women were allowed in territorial army.They are still not allowed in major combat roles.

Way forward:-

  1. Postive role of social media to spread awareness.
  2. Laying impetus on education,providing better research opportunities,creating more infrastructure in rural areas etc
  3. Employment generation for women,to make them better contributers in Country’s GDP.
  4. Support women entrepreneurs ,Shgs,make them aware about existing schemes and benefits.
  5. Increasing reservation of women wherever underrepresented,provision of training for required skills therein.
  6. Making workplace amicable by taking prompt action on their complaints.
  7. Creating avenues for her to explore,learn ,grow in any sector she desires.
  8. Ensuring no girl child suffers from child marriage,school drop outs,become victims of violence .
  9. Efforts to remove the taboo of menstrual cycle.

Dr.Ambedkar had once quoted,I measure the progress of any society by the condition of women in it.

Indeed ! Any country cannot flourish to it pinnacle by leaving the one gender behind.

Protest’s surfacing in Lakshadweep after new Govt.laws

Located in the Arabian sea, Lakshadweep Island is the only part of India where nature has been existing in its purest form, with no traces of exploitation.
The archipelago is a collection of 36 islands, of which 10 are inhabited. Located on the southwestern coast of the Indian peninsula the island has just a population of 65,000 people, thus being the smallest among Union Territories(UT).

Amid the beautiful wilderness, harmony among the people, and well-balanced ecology, resentments among the people due to the introduction of new laws have been surfacing lately.
Protests of the hashtag “Save Lakshadweep” are echoing on social media.

A Brief Backdrop:


Lakshadweep politically has no Legislative Assembly or a Chief Minister. The entire administration of the island is divided into 3 levels-
* Lok Sabha has 1 Member of Parliament
* Local self-government: Panchayats
* The President of India appoints an Administrator for governance.

The administrators of Lakshadweep have always been bureaucrats. In 2020, it was Dineshwar Sharma, an IPS officer.
Unfortunately, on 4 December 2020, he passed away.
This was the time when entanglement started in the affairs.
After the death of Dineshwar Sharma, no bureaucrat was appointed as the administrator, rather the strings of the governance were passed to the hands of a politician. This person was Praful Khoda Patel, a right-wing politician of the running Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

The Resentment:


Since the new administrator came to the seat, Patel put forward a maverick set of laws without consulting the locally elected representatives of this Muslim-majority island. These laws have shattered the tranquility of the island and immersed it under protests and chaos.
The new algorithm of laws is being widely agitated upon. People claim that these laws endanger their livelihoods, land ownership, culture, and even the biodiversity of the tropical islands.

Typically the administrators of the island maintain their relationships with the local leaders for smooth governance. However, in the past few months, the people have raised voices against this new authoritarian administrator.

The Authoritarian approaches of Praful Khoda Patel:

Land Grab-


The administrator Praful Khoda Patel introduced the Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021, where the government is empowered to take over the lands from the residents for constructing highways, railways, or infrastructure.
The islanders view this as a land grab by giant corporates. This would also put a huge strain on the ecology and biodiversity of the area.

Weakened the democratic voting rights-


It is an old dream of the Lakshadweep inhabitants to have statehood and a Chief Minister like Goa.
They even do not have the right to elect their administrator.
keeping these besides, the poor islanders just have the shaky right to elect their MP and officials only at the Panchayat level.

Things do not stop here, the new administration under Praful Khoda Patel intruded in the local government and drained powers of the Panchayat from 5 different areas, namely- education, healthcare, agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries.

Further, Panchayat election regulation has been introduced declaring people having more than 2 children ineligible to contest elections.

Covid threat:


When the country was struggling hard from the Covid spell, Lakshadweep was the only Union Territory to be free of Covid. This was because until December Standard Operating Procedure to prevent COVID-19 was being strictly followed. Under this SOP, people coming from outside were mandated to have a negative RT-PCR test followed by a 14-day quarantine. People supported it and that is why Lakshadweep was Covid free.
Unfortunately, the first Covid case was reported on 18 January, 8 days after the SOP was removed by the new administrator.
The cases skyrocketed due to the island’s small area and dense population along with a not-so-modern healthcare system.

Unjustified laws:


Patel’s Anti-Social Activities Regulation Bill 2021 or Goonda Act further created discontentment among the inhabitants. This act empowers to detain anyone without public disclosure for up to a year.

This law would not be a fight against criminals because Lakshadweep already has the lowest crime rate in India. Rather it is the clear manifestation of authoritarian rule and sharply against the law of natural justice.
The application of this unjust law would be used to brand anyone who protested as a criminal.
The islanders allege that this law would be used by their administrator against those who criticize his decisions and protest his rule.

Liquor permit and beef ban:


Liquor and alcohol were banned in the inhabited resorts of Lakshadweep for a long time due to the Muslim majority and was allowed only at resorts on the uninhabited island. Praful K. Patel reversed the situation. He lifted the ban and permitted opening bars and shops, claiming this will boost tourism on the island.

Lakshadweep Animal Preservation and Regulation 2021 further aggravated people’s anger.
Praful K. Patel imposed a strict ban on the sale, or buy of beef or beef products in any form anywhere in the Muslim-majority islands. Anyone found violating the law would be imprisoned for up to 10 years.

The people of the island are Muslim majority and have a Malayali culture where beef consumption is followed traditionally and imposing something opposite of their culture is an intrusion.

Neighbouring Kerala state’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and KC Venugopal, a Congress member of parliament, have also opposed Patel’s decisions. Vijayan says “Patel’s actions pose a grave threat to the life and culture of the people of Lakshadweep”.

Forced migration- a major crisis in Uttarakhand

Forced migration can be described as mass movement of people of a particular area out of threat to their lives and livelihoods. People unwilling to leave their home towns and countries are forced to migrate to nearby, or sometimes far away, cities, towns and countries to have access to better facilities.

In context to Uttarakhand, forced migration or distressed migration has arisen as one of the major issues in recent times. In particular, male-specific outmigration has become a trend in the hills. The people have been migrating not just to seek better employment but also to have access to better healthcare and educational facilities. The educated ones are the first to leave as they get good opportunities in the cities and settle there forever. However, the elderly population is not yet ready to leave their home land because of the affection and attachment to the place.

More than 5 lakh people have migrated from Uttarakhand within the last 10 years. According to 2011 census, a total of 1,18,961 people from 6,338 village panchayats have migrated out of Uttarakhand permanently, while 3,83,726 people have migrated in search of work and prefer to visit their native places in the hills frequently. Out of 16,500 villages in Uttarakhand, 734 have become ghost villages. Also, there are 664 villages with negligible population and 3,900 other villages in the state that have a population of 50 or less.

The state of Uttarakhand was formed in the year 2000 after separation from Uttar Pradesh to ensure development in the hilly region. Though the purpose doesn’t seem to be served yet. Well structured roads and good health facilities continue as the basic requirements of the people. The lack of educational facilities is also among the majors reasons of migration.

Moreover, the decreased fertility of soil is a major concern for the locals affecting the agricultural productivity. Since it is an ecologically fragile state prone to natural disasters with half of the population’s workforce on farm, scope for other employment opportunities reduces.

Changing time brings along changes in basic needs which might not be fulfilled by the traditional methods and style of Uttarakhand. It proves to be a major cause of the shift. People now prefer to settle in the cities permanently in order to enjoy the relaxing life and lucrative opportunities offered there as compared to their home towns in the hills where the daily routine is tough and hectic and a decent livelihood has become a challenge.

Disrupt, Divide, and Develop

The Effects of Covid-19 on Education

The pervasive nature of the Covid-19 pandemic has created one of the largest disruptions of education in human history, countervailing all efforts to provide education for all children. It caused unprecedented changes and continues to change numerous aspects of education that we took for granted. In March 2020, schools around India began closing to avoid the spread of Covid-19. These sudden closures led to confusion and uncertainty amongst students, especially those who were appearing for their board exams. For other students, these abrupt closures brought about a perplexing break from school. These ostensibly temporary closures were made permanent once the nationwide lockdown was effectuated and students were separated from their schools.

According to data by UNICEF and UNESCO, more than 1 billion children were at risk of falling behind due to school closures during the pandemic. Schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost an entire year. Around 214 million children globally, which is equivalent to 1 in 7 children, have missed more than three-quarters of their in-person learning. Furthermore, more than 888 million children worldwide continue to face disruptions to their education due to full and partial school closures. 

In India, the closure of 1.5 million schools in 2020 impacted 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools. In early March 2021, only eight States and Union Territories had reopened classes 1 to 12; 11 had reopened classes 6-12 and 15 had reopened classes 9-12. However, the ongoing second wave has caused the complete closure of schools yet again, as well as either the cancellation or postponement of board exams, competitive exams, and entrance exams. 

We began a new academic year like never before – from our homes. To continue the process of education, schools were compelled to adapt, adopt, and evolve. The biggest change has been the abandonment of traditional notions of schooling and the shift to online learning and teaching. Teachers have had to adapt to teaching online, a complete shift for those who’ve had many years of traditional classroom teaching experience. The fun and exciting trip to school has been diminished to clicking a link to join our classes. Interactive classes have become eerily similar to videos on our laptop or phone screen with a tincture of interaction arising when teachers ask us whether we’re present. The extreme sport of completing notes just before the teacher calls out our names has become the tedious process of scanning our notes and sending them as a pdf. Eating with our friends in the school canteen has been replaced with us eating alone during classes. Our classmates have become little rectangles on our screens. Outdoor sports have disappeared from the list of extracurriculars that we did in school. The end of school or college life is marked by video calls instead of grand graduation ceremonies. A lot has changed. 

These changes have led to some pernicious problems. The blurring of lines between school and home has led to students feeling overworked. This holds true for teachers too as they answer questions, clear doubts, and create lesson plans at all hours of the day. Students often have to study and sleep in the same rooms now. According to scientific studies, this often leads to a decrease in productivity and concentration. Students, especially younger ones, are easily distracted during online classes, despite attempts to marshal concentration and focus, as a classroom atmosphere is non-existent. Teachers are unable to pick up cues such as body language and facial expressions, making it challenging to connect with and understand their students. Problems such as eye strain and headaches are more common now due to the drastic and unavoidable increase in screen time for students. Online classes are often disrupted by copious internet problems, power cuts, background noise, and vexing software problems. All forms of practical education have been eliminated. A lack of clarity on important events such as board exam and entrance exam dates has led to the upheaval of students’ plans that were formulated before the pandemic began, fueling a rise in students’ anxiety and uncertainty.  

Covid-19 has also been a catalyst to the widening of socio-economic gaps in society on numerous fronts. While the virus cossets no one, the fact that it has disproportionately affected students belonging to less affluent households, especially those in rural India, is indubitable. Undoubtedly, access to the internet and an appropriate device are the lifelines of online education. 

A UNICEF report from August 2020 highlighted that only 24% of Indian households have access to the internet. While television and radio were purported as an alternative, there is no substitute for an actual teacher. A more recent survey conducted by Learning Spiral in February 2021 revealed that more than 50% of Indian students in rural and urban areas don’t have access to the internet. Moreover, only 47% of the households that have access to the internet own a device that can access the internet. It also revealed that, while 27% of all Indian households have access to the internet, only 28% of those are in rural India, even though rural India comprises of nearly 71% of India’s households.

Families in rural India are plagued with other impediments to online education –  insufficient or no smartphones, having to borrow smartphones (and therefore may not get them at the time needed), not having enough money to buy an appropriate internet package, and patchy connectivity even if they have internet access. The severity of these problems is incalculable and more prevalent than in urban households.   

Assuming that the problems stop here would be specious. The closure of schools has obstructed the “Mid Day Meal Scheme”. India has about 120 million children enrolled in the scheme in over 1.26 million schools across the country. However, due to the disruptions caused by Covid-19, many States and Union Territories have been forced to stop this initiative, depriving children of their basic nutritional needs. This scheme also serves as a huge incentive for children to attend school. Therefore, its removal may negatively impact both their health and their education. Furthermore, incidents of domestic abuse and child labour have drastically increased as students can no longer be protected by going to school. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has been atrocious but there has been a silver lining. The pandemic has led to an “academic revolution” that, unfortunately worsened certain differences in our society, but has also alleviated certain differences. 

Even before Covid-19, there was high growth in and adoption of education technology. Projections have shown that the overall market for online education may be valued at $350 Billion by 2025. There has been a significant surge in the usage of language apps, virtual tutoring, video conferencing tools, online learning software, etc. This is not only providing alternative paths for education but it is also future-proofing education. Through programs such as Coursera and edX, students can attend classes that they normally wouldn’t have had access to. India is considered the largest marketplace for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) after the USA.

In certain aspects, online learning has made school more inclusive and obviated numerous hindrances to education. The use of videos in class greatly benefits visual learners. The use of tools such as online polling and chats have improved the class participation of those who otherwise may have hesitated to speak up. Notes, videos, and other study material that are sent to students can be reviewed anytime so the pressure on students to complete their work “before the bell” has been reduced. Furthermore, differently-abled students who found it difficult to attend school in-person can now attend classes with their friends from their homes. 

As students are attending classes from their homes, commuting to school no longer blocks their schedules. This gives them more time for extracurriculars such as internships, online courses, and online competitions. It also allows them more time to do the things they enjoy such as singing, cooking, writing, and painting. Students are also honing their online collaborative skills and improving their digital literacy, this will immensely benefit them in the future as the entire world shifts online.    

Hopefully, the move to online learning creates a new, permanent, and more effective method of educating students. While this “new normal” has had certain benefits, we must remember the value of education for all and prudentially strive to shrink the divide caused by this unavoidable transition to online learning.     

The Flaws In Our Education System

Historically, the concept of education involved the sharing of knowledge and values between people. This form of education ensured that valuable knowledge was promulgated within a society, from one society to another, and from generation to generation. It focused on the importance of culture and taught skills needed to positively contribute to society through hands-on learning and observation. Children were given the freedom to explore on their own because this supported their natural ways of learning. Moreover, it bolstered unity as the teachers were always members of the same community that they were teaching. We would not be aware of countless facets of history, such as the Egyptian civilization, the Mesopotamian civilization, and the Hunter-gatherer culture if this form of education did not exist.   

So how did it all go wrong? 

The popularization of the standardized education system as we know it today, in which children are corralled into classes based on their age and study in institutions known as schools, can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution. Nowadays, it is suitably referred to as the “one shoe fits all approach to education” and the “factory model of education”. However, if we consider the prevailing socio-economic conditions of that time, creating a standardized education system was ineluctable and economically beneficial. 

Schools were tasked with transforming their attendees from students to efficient workers who would eventually increase the quantity and quality of the labour force. The need to encourage unique skills and individuality did not exist as students would grow up to do monotonous and regulated work. As Alvin Toffler put it “the whole idea of assembling masses of students (raw material) to be processed by teachers (workers) in a centrally located school (factory) was a stroke of industrial genius”. At the time, it was thought that the best way to produce efficient workers was through the teaching of certain subjects that curricula makers deemed “crucial” using the same method and pace for all students. Students were compelled to utilize rote learning and take graded exams that decided their “intelligence” and potential in life.   

The egregious problem arises when we notice that schools continue to espouse this myopic view on education even after over a hundred years. A hundred years ago, things like the radio, jet engines, helicopters, credit cards, car seat belts, personal computers, smartphones, and the internet did not exist. In a world that undergoes major transformations constantly, how can we be satisfied with this archaic and pernicious education system in the 21st century? 

In today’s world of modernity, complexity, fastidiousness, globalization, and innovation, the flaws of our education system are more conspicuous than ever. No two students are the same. This monolithic and iniquitous system neglects the fact that students have different skill-sets, they learn at different paces, they come from different backgrounds, and wish to pursue different careers in their lives. Undoubtedly, there are numerous instances in which students benefit from and even thrive in the current education system. There are also countless children that long to go to school but don’t have the opportunities or resources to do so. However, there are too many instances in which students, despite arduous effort, struggle in and are lobotomized by this sclerotic education system. They are made to feel inadequate. They are made to believe that they are “slow” and will always flounder.    

Students acquiescently regurgitate vast amounts of information on exams with minimal innovation. These exams, more often than not, test the memorization skills of students, rather than serve as a platform on which they can showcase their understanding of a concept. Students who do well in these exams have the hubristic belief that they are “winners” because society says so and those who don’t do well are humiliated and considered “losers” by society. While it is understood that learning requires the amassing and retention of information, any information that is not understood becomes an undigested burden. The misconception that good grades are the only path to success causes unnecessary pressure on students. 

The strictures imposed by this education system curtails creativity and originality. Concurrently, it encourages conformity, rigidity, and conventionality. It assiduously ignores essential modern-day lessons, such as financial literacy, life skills, mental health, critical thinking, empathy, compassion, collaboration, and countless others. This results in students feeling disconcerted when they face the precarious reality of after-school life. It provides students with a series of conclusions, rather than a way of thinking. 

To truly change this standardized educational system, we have to abandon the ostensible idea that it is still a product of logical necessity or scientific insight. The hunter-gatherers adapted their education system to their needs. The education system was modified to cater to the needs of the industrial revolution. Likewise, our education system must change too so that students can truly be prepared for the future. This will certainly alleviate any antipathy held by students towards education and will make education and learning synonymous again.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Albert Einstein

What is happening in Palestine?

In the beginning of holy month of Ramadan on 13th of April the Israeli security forces installed metal barriers outside the Damascus Gate not allowing access of Palestinians in the area. Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims where they fast, pray, donate and go to pilgrimages.


The conflict kept rising between them starting from May 7th to May 10th. Clashes took place in the Eastern Jerusalem region. The Israeli forces stormed Al Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. Al Aqsa Mosque is the third most holiest pilgrim place for Muslims around the world. The Israeli security forces used tear gas while people were in the middle of their prayer. There was a video that went viral on the internet that showed that the Israeli forces were dropping tear gas on them in the middle of their prayer. They used stun grenades and rubber tipped bullets on the worshippers. More than 900 hundred Gazans have being injured 31 of them being children since the day of attack. This took place during the final week of Ramadan. Since the evening of May 10th around 250 rockets were launched from Gaza which a city in Palestine into the Israel territories.


Social media platforms are deleting certain posts showing the footage of the violence taking place in Palestine. Freedom of Speech and Right to Information and Mass Media is a fundamental right of every citizen and that is being taken away too. People are scared for their lives. “We felt like we were in a horror movie,” said a local resident Salwa Al-Attar, who escaped the bombardment with her family. “The planes were above us, and the tanks and navy were bombing – and we could not move. The children, women and men were screaming.” This statement is from a BBC news article.
On Friday, May 14th which is yesterday seven Palestinians were killed after Israel launched an airstrike on a house in Gaza City. On Saturday May 15th, Israeli airstrike destroyed a high rise building Al Jalzeera and The Associated Press and other media offices in the Gaza Strip. The airstrike happened an hour after the Israeli military ordered people to evacuate the building. The building had The Associated Press, Al Jazeera and a number of offices. Israeli air strike in Gaza city today killed at least 10 Palestinians majority being women and children.

As each moment passes by the Palestinians are scared and living in terror. They are living with the fear of losing their loved ones. We should post about it, tweet and share it on our stories to spread the awareness and amplify to stand in support of the suppressed. It is the least we can do in the middle of this pandemic that has already cost so many lives.


We can see the unity amongst different countries as they unite and stand together. 100,000s of people were seen in London marching for peace between the two. There are over 70 protests in support of Palestinians across UK, USA, Japan and Jordan. You don’t have to be a Muslim or belong to Palestine to be in support of them it is merely for the sake of humanity.

Empathy vs Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone disproportionately and unfairly. Health care workers face the harsh realities of the virus head-on. Teachers have had to adapt their years of experience gained from conventional teaching to suit online classes. Millions face the harsh reality of poverty and hunger everyday. Millions have lost their hard-earned jobs. Businesses have been forced to shut down. Hate crimes against groups of society that are baselessly and cruelly accused of spreading the virus have drastically increased. Mental health issues have risen and fueled by isolation, anxiety, uncertainty, and fear. More than 150 million people have gone and continue to battle with this invincible enemy. More than 3 million people have lost their lives because of this virus. Families have lost their loved ones and the world has lost countless dreamers. This virus cossets no one.  

Early notions such as the pandemic would be ephemeral and infections were punitive for those who flouted the necessary precautions and rules have diminished during the ongoing second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In my opinion, this is due to a rise in empathy amongst the people of India. Simply put, empathy is the ability of a living being to understand and share the feelings of another living being. Colloquially, it is referred to as “putting oneself in someone else’s shoes” 

The Government of India has had no shortage of opportunities to show empathy and alleviate the suffering of Indians. The Government has neglected its duty to serve the country and as Arundhati Roy put it, has committed a crime against humanity. The government has failed on many fronts. I would like to highlight a few that showcase an egregious lack of empathy. 

Firstly, the poorly planned nationwide lockdown, which was imposed with a mere 4 hours of notice, left thousands of migrant workers helpless, stranded, and vulnerable. With no help from the government, these migrant workers bravely decided to walk back to their villages. This lockdown was stained by police brutality and hate crimes against people that just wanted to survive. The lack of condemnation and apology by the government showcases a lack of empathy. 

Secondly, in an attempt to alleviate the suffering of Indians, the government launched the risibly named PM CARES (Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) fund and its primary objective was “to deal with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide relief to the affected”. The fact that a government that has never shied away from repeatedly putting their plans such as “Make in India”, “Swachh Bharat”, “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao”, etc on the highest possible pedestal has created such an opaque and inaccessible fund shows a lack of empathy. 

Thirdly, the government’s actions before the second wave hit can be described as complacent, incompetent, and overconfident. On the 21st of February 2021, a resolution was passed in the BJP National Office Bearers meeting that “unequivocally hails its leadership for introducing India to the world as a proud and victorious nation in the fight against Covid”. Additionally, the government decided to export vaccines to other countries without ensuring adequate supply was available for Indian citizens. This not only leaves Indian citizens in danger but also betrays all the countries that depended on “the pharmacy of the world” as vaccine exports were abruptly stopped. None of this would’ve happened if the government showed empathy towards the people of India and established appropriate contingent plans.

Fourthly, while the second wave virulently spread and claimed thousands of lives, the government showed no empathy. While a strong case can be made to prohibit sitting union ministers from campaigning in elections that they are not contesting during a crisis, a complete stop to the democratic process would have been detrimental. The occurrence of huge rallies during a pandemic is untenable and all politicians are guilty of this. The myopic and unsympathetic nature of the government is accentuated by the needless comments that they have made throughout the pandemic.  

Finally, the iniquitous lack of co-operation between the centre and states to fight this pandemic showcases a pathetic lack of empathy. The failure to come up with a comprehensive and transparent plan for the distribution and supply of oxygen and vaccines has caused unimaginable suffering to the people of India. Any attempt by the government to set aside pride and partisanship, as leaders have done before when facing a crisis, and listen to good advice and imploration would be a sign of empathy. No such attempt has been made. Their lack of action and belated action have had fatal effects, but the government has not shown a sign of remorse or empathy.    

But all is not lost. There have been instances in which the government has shown empathy. Most states have decided to offer a Covid-19 vaccine for free for different age groups. The central government also has plans to allow final-year MBBS students to join Covid duty before completing the NEET exam. This will drastically reduce the strain faced by health care workers taking care of Covid patients. The government of Karnataka also announced that it would form a team of 15,000 civil defence volunteers in Bengaluru for tracking and tracing Covid-19 patients. This is a significantly more empathetic and humane approach to managing the crisis than the sadistic and vicious approach used last year that made victims of Covid-19 feel like criminals.

However, none of these actions are as consequential and empathetic as the profound empathy amongst the ordinary people of India. Early displays of empathy were seen when people started taking care of stray animals during the lockdown. Furthermore, countless rations and donations were given to the stranded migrant workers to help them cope with the dire situation they faced. From providing meals, oxygen, assistance to the elderly and handling cremations, Gurudwaras around the country have been the perfect embodiment of empathy. Conspicuously, the empathy and equanimity shown by the youth of India has truly been remarkable. With the help of social media, the relentless youth are constantly doing their part by helping those in need. 

Empathy also provides a strong basis for our everyday fight against Covid-19. Precautions like wearing a mask, staying indoors as much as possible, social distancing when outside, and getting vaccinated as soon as possible would not be flouted if people were more empathetic. For those of us who have not been directly affected by the virus yet, empathy goes a long way in helping and caring about those who have. 

Perhaps, the most optimistic and quixotic change that we can hope for during this precarious and seemingly inexorable situation is the crippling of traditional barriers that have separated us before. If we, as ordinary citizens of India, continue to disregard gender, caste, religion, wealth, age, ethnicity, language, political ideology, and other barriers when helping those affected by this pandemic, we could truly be united in this fight against the invisible enemy. Together, we shall overcome.  

Too Much Information- Source of your stress?

Input overloading. Information overload concept. Young woman running away from information stream. Concept of person overwhelmed by information. Colorful vector illustration in flat style

Too much information is harmful for us, yes you read that right. In this age of internet, we are surrounded by so much information on all sides, its actually adding onto our stress levels. With so many sources of information just at the palm of your hand be it work related, entertainment or political, we do not even realize how little of it is actually important for us.

“We are now so preoccupied with keeping up with the bombardment of new facts, new developments, and new points of view that we have no time to listen to the past, or reflect on even the most recent history, much less to make a judicious reckoning of its significance.”

-Regis McKenna, public relations specialist.

Due to information overload in workplace, the employees have to deal with tension between work colleagues and loss of job satisfaction. This amount of stress is affecting the health of the employees and even their personal relationships suffer.

Having too much information interferes people’s ability to make decisions and most of the time is wasted in collecting and searching information. Many people believe that internet is the prime cause of information overload over the years. Wherever you go on social media, be it a social networking site or even our e-mail accounts, it is all filled with so much content totally irrelevant, but we scroll through it anyway, reading and taking in most of it anyway even after knowing that it would be of no use to us.

We should be smart enough to decide how much information we actually need. The key is to ‘filter’ and be selective in our information intake. We know it very well that it’s impossible to gather and analyze all the information related to your work and doing so would leave us no time to complete our necessary task.

Most of the information we absorb on a daily basis is largely irrelevant, both to our business and to our personal lives. So much of it is either sensational or celebrity focused, earlier most of the people depended on it to kill their boredom, but now when we are already so busy, we don’t even have the time to be bored but yet continue to do so.

All we need to do is a social media detox and save some time by cutting low content media from our diet and make sure the content that we are following is beneficial to us in some way. Keeping only the useful and content of our interest will help us to keep our stress levels in control, after all we use the internet as way to release our stress so it should definitely not be a source of it.

Women and workplace- how far have we come?

Women working from home are facing many challenges. Working women in India are fighting a hard fight for work and salary. They are underestimated a lot in their capabilities. Along with having a full-time job they are burdened with most of the domestic responsibilities. This was revealed in the LinkedIn Opportunity Index, 2021 survey report. According to the report, 22 percent of women in Asia-Pacific countries are not given the expected importance compared to men.

By the 18th century women were able to engage only in occupations related to the textile industry, where they had to work in low wages and in dreadful conditions. The situation changed when all the healthy men enlisted in the army in the First World War. Then women were included in transportation, hospitals and even arms factories.

By the end of the First World War came, women were pressurized to give up their jobs automatically, so that the soldiers who returned from war again can take that job. In her book Feminine Mystique, the American writer Betty Freedom wrote that after the Second World War, women were tried to convince them that their lives were only in the boundary wall

NITI Aayog’s agenda for 2017-20 stated that women are paid less wages and get less productive employment and they get less paid than non-paid jobs. The devaluation of women in the market is because their experience, education and skills are underestimated. Over the decades, there has been an attempt to establish the myth that women themselves do not want employment, but this is not true.

In the year 2018, a study said that India’s eight crore adolescent girls have a lot of expectations about their careers, but their expectations will be fulfilled, it is difficult to say. What is more is that during the calamities and pandemics, all efforts are made to connect women with the labor force and this goal can be achieved if we all work together.

Women are capable of doing all kinds of jobs just like men if not more. This has been proved by women over and over again that they can succeed in all fields if given the opportunity. Women don’t want to oppress anyone but to grow together and make the world better. They are making some great contributions in various fields such as science, literature, medicine and defence.

In India, on Women’s Day a big step was taken in the direction of gender equality. The Navy deployed four women officers on its warships after 24 years, the Navy spokesman said that two women officers have been deployed on INS Vikramaditya and two other INS Shakti. One of the women officers on board the tanker vessel INS Shakti is a doctor.

“Academic stress – too much to handle”

According to a recent report 95% of the GEN-Z is stressed out as compared to the global average of 86% of the same age group. To put to scale, that is 95 of every 100 Indians between the age group 18-25. The numbers are so staggeringly high that, without even realizing, you and I could also be one among those 95 people. What is the reason ? Well the answer to this is : pressure of performing good at academics.

Whether pressure from parents or from peers it becomes too much to handle after some time and pulls the student down. The impact of academic stress is also far-reaching: high levels of academic stress have led to poor outcomes in the areas of exercise, nutrition, substance use, and self-care. I would like to put it this way: the self-worth of students in the Indian society is mostly determined by good academic performance, and not by vocational and/or other individual qualities. Indian parents report removing their TV cable connections and vastly cutting down on their own social lives in order to monitor their children’s academics, this not only pressurizes the student to perform better but also instills fear of failure. Fear of school failure is reinforced by both the teachers and the parents, causing children to lose interest in studies. Because of academic stress and fear of failure in examination, every day 6 Indian students commit suicide.

As it is said that one learns the hard way , we as students ourselves have to come up with our plans and find support to cope with the academic stress until we as country and a society don’t recognize the problem and act accordingly.