Category: social issues

Creating miracles while fighting air pollution- The inspiring story of Bhutan

Flag Of Bhutan

The amount of carbon dioxide emission is increasing day by day causing a rise in overall temperature and global warming. Main reason behind the increase is that most of the energy producing sources emit carbon dioxide (for e.g. in thermal plants), burning of combustible substances and even our vehicles and transports emit carbon dioxide.

Usually, the plants and trees are able to absorb most of the carbon dioxide that is emitted but due to increase in deforestation it has become hard to maintain that balance.

While most of the countries are struggling to become carbon neutral that is trying to find a balance between carbon dioxide emission and absorption, Bhutan has already achieved that milestone.

Bhutan may be a small country but it is the only country in this world that is carbon negative.

Carbon negative can be explained by the comparison between total amount of carbon dioxide released to total amount carbon dioxide absorbed in the atmosphere as total amount of carbon dioxide released is lower than the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed.

Bhutan produces around two million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide and absorbs around 7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

This milestone was achieved because the 4th king of Bhutan-King Jigme Singye Wangchuck’s belief that Gross National Happiness of the population of Bhutan was more important that Gross National Product. And further development was done by keeping this ideology in mind.

Few steps that were taken to achieve this are as follows-

-By maintaining 60+% of forest cover at all the times and not letting it go below that number played a huge role.

-By building Biological Corridors- People of Bhutan believe in co-existence that is why they have built biological corridors between forests to enable the free movement of wildlife throughout the forests

-By using Hydro-Power plants to generate electricity without causing pollution, and they highly promote the use of sustainable resources.

-By planting more trees, in 2016 on the birthday of the last prince they planted over 1 lakh trees, they even have the Guinness World record for planting the highest no. of trees in one day in the year 2015.

But despite its great efforts to maintain the balance, Bhutan is still suffering from the global warming without any of its own fault. China and India, two of those countries which contribute the most to the world’s pollution, surround Bhutan from two sides and is causing it to suffer from global warming, melting glaciers resulting in flash floods. Some states in India and China have the highest pollution index in the world. Unless some strict actions are taken, it is not possible reduce the pollution. We should learn from Bhutan, even though is has a smaller economy than most of the developed and developing countries but it is still better at controlling the air pollution than most of them.

Youth demands employment

12670 applicants gave the interview for the post of Chaprasi(Peon). These includes engineers, graduates & post graduates

What are your reactions after seeing the above picture ? Well , whatever your reaction is, just think over that.

Youth, the age group which decides the progress of a country. And we Indians are lucky to have a large no. of youths. Every 5th( 20%) out of the total youth population in the world resides in India.India, at present, is home to the largest population of youth in the world. 

By having such a large population of youth, we could easily be the largest economy of the world. We could easily achieve all the sustainable development goals.

But where are we ? Just see India’s rankings in the fields of poverty, hunger,equality, corruption, unemployment. Out of 189 countries ,India’s ranking was 131 on Human Development Index 2020.

And why are we at such position ? Well , there’s no need to define , the first picture of this blog is self explanatory. Just imagine how would you feel if you’re post graduate but are applying for the exam whose demand is just 8th class. Just think.

We are turning our ‘would be asset’ into a liability.

No. of educated youth is higher than the uneducated ones. Aren’t we indicating that ,”if you want employment , don’t study ?”At the one hand we talk about literacy rate , and on the other hand there’s no job for the literate ones.

And yes, the angry Indian youth is opposing the Indian government. Just see the image below –

Angry Indian Youth tweeted more than 50Million tweets in just an hour on february 25th in demand of employment.

Why is Indian youth not getting proper employment ? Why is there so much anger among the youth ?

Lack of skill training is what everyone calls , the cause of unemployment. But now,let’s not discuss over that.

Let’s discuss the other reason lack of jobs in Indian job market. The no. of jobs is not increasing at the rate the population is increasing in India. If the government invests in creating new jobs and the government policies are well implemented then we could have jobs for our every citizen.

Of course a lot of jobs could be created,which fit well to the need of time. And yes , that skill training portion is also the need of time.There’s a huge share of engineering people in jobless market. And the main reason behind this is lack of skills. The curriculum of Indian universities is still a decade old. There’s no focus on the need of market.

The dream of seeing , our love, our India, leading the world could be fulfilled if and only if we get succeed in turning our youth into asset rather than liability.

Let the peace prevail…🙂🙃🙂

Happy Reading..🙂

Recent reports show an increase in number of the malnourished in India

According to the Center for Science and Environment (C.S.E.) State of India Environment Report – 2021, the corona epidemic has had a lasting impact on the health and economic conditions of 37.5 million children across the country.

CSE Director General Dr. Sunita Narayan, said that children from new-born to 14 years will have more health-related problems. There is a possibility of low weight of children, lack of physical development according to age and increase in mortality.

Child from a poverty stricken family gets a free meal at his school.The schools are run by some volunteer organisations or individuals and have inadequate facilities. Yet some people are working relentlessly to help these poor children.

One of the reasons could be India’s struggling with Covid-19 lock down interrupted crucial government schemes that benefit hundreds of millions of women and children. But that still doesn’t explain the rise in malnutrition rates in the years leading up to the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.

According to reports, India’s latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS), which shows that children in several states are more undernourished now than they were five years ago, is based on data collected in 2019-20. The survey was conducted in only 22 states before the onset of the pandemic – so experts fear the results will be much worse in the remaining states, where the survey began after the lock down ended.

In rural places the problem seems to have begun earlier. Rural areas have seen a steep rise in the proportion of undernourished children compared with 2015-16, when the last survey was conducted.

Due to malnutrition in infants and young children stunting in growth and even experience wasting away of muscle and anemia. The proportion of severely underweight children has risen. Stunting refers to lower than expected height for age, wasting shows lower than expected weight for height, and anemia is a deficiency of hemoglobin in blood.

Most of the Indian women are anemic and poor women, especially so. According to the experts, the worsening rate of malnutrition could be a result of women struggling to access nutrition benefits because undernourished mothers give birth to undernourished babies.

Migration to cities is also a reason for this. Many families migrate to cities to make a better living. But that also means being left out of massive government schemes that are mostly delivered at local level – so benefits aren’t easily transferred across districts or states.

The National Family Health Survey-5 report, the latest data set on health and nutrition, showed that of the 22 states and Union Territories in the year 2019-20, a majority reported an increase in malnutrition parameters such as stunting and wasting of children, anemia in children and in women between 15-49 years of age.

Due to poor health of children, there may be adverse effects on education and workplace too. This report released online, has been prepared by 60 environmental and other experts from all over the world. The epidemic forced approx. 50 crore children over all the world to leave school. More than 50 percent of these children are in India. Dr. Sunita Narayan said, “An additional 115 million people have come under extreme poverty due to the epidemic.” Most of them live in South Asia.

Given this situation, there is a need to enhance allocations for government schemes to address child malnutrition as well as for schemes promoting nutrition for pregnant and lactating mothers. A group of people should be assigned who provide health and nutrition counseling to pregnant mothers. Better health care and nutritious meals for the pregnant mother, because with proper pre-natal care, adequate food and timely health check-ups, a pregnant woman stays fit and gives birth a healthy child and for that there is a need for huge amount of investments. Different sectors of the government need to coordinate to handle this problem effectively. There are some independent organizations who are working actively to help the unprivileged sections of India and educating others about the problem and with enough funds and support from us maybe they can tackle with the problem more effectively.

FUEL PRICE SURGE ADDS TO THE WOES OF PANDEMIC HIT INDIA

The oil marketing companies have continuously been surging the price of fossil fuels for the past few weeks which resulted in the prices reaching an all-time high. During a time when the country is struggling to recover from the covid crisis, the fuel price hike is sure to have a tremendous impact on its citizens and economy. The rise in the price of commodities and public transportation are expected along with a significant dip in the automobile industry. Today, the price of LPG cylinders have been increased by 25 rupees, resulting in a cumulative hike of about 200 rupees within the past three months.

India, being the third-largest importer of oil in the world has always ended up on the suffering end whenever the crude oil price has seen a surge in the international market. The recent firming of international crude oil rates in addition to the high taxes levied on fuel by central and state governments is the major reason for the extremely high fuel price in the country. Since India follows a dynamic system for altering fuel rates, oil marketing companies are mostly responsible for the recent hikes and the government has no control over it. However, the government does impose a tax on the base price of fuel. At the moment, Indians pay one of the highest taxes on fuel in the world.

By late January, the price of extra premium petrol has touched the magic digit of 100 at Rajasthan, with Madhya Pradesh and many other states following the trend in early February. The price of diesel has also set the record of reaching an all-time high in the past days. A remarkable fact is that the Indian citizens are paying about 200% of the actual fuel price as taxes, by far the highest anywhere in the world. Sources close to the oil companies have reported that the fuel prices might see a further hike as the companies will be forced to meet the global developments to avoid making losses on the sale of the fuels. The price of LPG is also on the rise with the surge being constantly climbing higher for the third in this month itself. Within the last 10 days, the price of LPG was increased by more than 50 rupees.

The government is looking forward to getting the situation under control as the surge in the price of auto fuels can directly reflect in its economy and might even result in inflation. Though short term remedies like cutting down taxes and other related costs are in line, the major emphasis is on turning towards sustainable and renewable energy resources and reducing the dependency on fossil fuels in the long run. Plans have already been laid on increasing the natural gas share in the energy basket and to cut short the reliance on fossil fuels to about 60% of the total energy share by 2030.

Exams coming up? Here’s how to battle examination anxiety

With the examination schedules being declared its hard not to get anxious about our exams. Examination anxiety is a fairly common among students of all age groups, you would think a grown-up would know how to prepare for exams without being stressed out given all their previous experiences but that’s not the case. It is the uneasiness that occurs before, during, or after an examination and is not age-restricted.

Many people experience feelings of anxiety around examinations and find it helpful in some ways, as it can be motivating and create the pressure that is needed to stay focused on one’s performance. Examination nerves or fear of failure are normal for even the most talented student.

However, stress of examination results in such high degrees of anxiety in some students that they are unable to perform at their full potential, like they have shown in less stressful situations.

Sometimes it can result from the pressure to perform well in examination so that they don’t get judged by others (relatives, classmates, teachers), which is often the root cause for their negative thoughts about themselves, feelings of inadequacy, helplessness, and loss of status and self-esteem.

High stress can interfere with the student’s preparation, concentration, and performance so it is very important to manage it effectively so that it doesn’t get in the way of you giving your best performance in the exams. Just like other stressful situations, it is very easy to cope with examination anxiety and here are some ways to do so-

  • Prepare well– Plan it out and give yourself enough time to familiarize yourself with the content and the pattern of the question papers.
  • Multiple rehearsals- Practice as many mock papers as possible, when you are with your friends’ test each other by asking each other questions on the examination topics.
  • Inoculation- When practicing for examinations try to do so in an environment that is similar to the examination hall to prepare yourselves physically and mentally.
  • Think positive- Have faith in your abilities and emphasize on your strengths and try to think positively to motivate yourself.
  • Seek help- When facing a problem, do not hesitate to ask for help from your friends, seniors, teachers or parents. It will help you to feel stress-free and also give you an insight into the problem.

While preparing for examinations, exercising regularly even if a little bit and resting properly before the exam will be really helpful. Overview and weigh one’s strengths and weaknesses, plan a revision timetable, space out revision periods, and most importantly on the examination day concentrate on staying calm.

WHEN THE ‘TOOLKIT’ BECOMES THE TOOL

In light of the recent ‘Farmer’s protest toolkit controversy’, a 22-year-old environmental activist from Bengaluru, Disha Ravi has been arrested by the Delhi police on Sunday 14th February 2021. She is now under five-day police custody as the Delhi Magistrate decided to remand her following the arrest. She has been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 124(a) for sedition, 153(a) for promoting enmity between different sections of the society and 120(b) for criminal conspiracy. She is accused of involvement in the composition of the “toolkit”, an online document shared by the International environmental activist Greta Thunberg, which consists of action plans to protest against the farm bill. Police claimed that the toolkit had the violence on 26th January as one of its “action plans” to protest against the farm bill, in addition to the pro-Khalistani elements.

Since last October, thousands of farmers have been camping on the national capital borders, protesting against the three newly passed farm laws introduced by the NDA government. On the republic day, the tractor rally conducted by the protesting farmers has resulted in great commotion as the farmers attempted to enter the national capital region, storming the Red Fort complex and clashing with the police and security forces. The police allege that plans for such actions were formulated in the online document, described as a “toolkit” that Ravi created and shared with Thunberg. “The main aim of the toolkit was to create misinformation and disaffection against the lawfully enacted government,” said a police official. “The toolkit sought to artificially amplify the fake news through various tweets which they have created in the form of a tweet bank. The document that they drafted had secessionist and pro-Khalistani content embedded into it through links and texts” he added. 

The arrest of Disha has instigated furious criticism against the fascist actions of the government regarding the farmers protest. The efforts made by the government to silence and oppress the voice of the farmers and the people supporting them is more of a provocative manner than a call for peace.

INDIA PAID TRIBUTE TO THE VALIANT MARTYRS OF PULWAMA ATTACK

It’s been two years since the Pulwama terror attack which took the lives of 40 Indian soldiers happened. The 14th of February leaves a deep sigh in the hearts of every patriotic Indian. It is one of the worst hit attacks and is remembered as a ‘ black day’ in the history of India. While paying his tributes to the Pulwama martyrs on the occasion of the second anniversary of the attack, Prime minister Narendra Modi said: “No Indian can forget this day. Two years ago, the PulwamaAttack happened. We pay homage to all the martyrs we lost in that attack. We are proud of our security forces. Their bravery will continue to inspire generations”.

The gruesome incident which shook the whole nation took place on 14th February 2019 after the security convoy of 78 buses carrying around 2500 military personnels of the Indian Army was rammed by an IED-laden vehicle while traveling from Jammu to Srinagar. Investigations have revealed that the car which rammed the convoy was driven by a 22 year old suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar and carried nearly 300 Kgs of explosives including 80 Kgs of RDX and ammonium nitrate. The attack which took the lives of 40 CRPF jawans was later claimed by the Pakistan based terrorist group named Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Even though the investigation agency was able to confirm the identity of the suicide bomber through DNA samples, they are yet to trace the source of the explosives used. 

Along with the Prime Minister, many Senior officers of the various armed forces of the country also participated in the remembrance and paid tribute to the valiant heroes of the nation. “Did not Forgive, will not Forget: Salute to our brothers who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation in #PulwamaAttack. Indebted, we stand with the families of our valiant Bravehearts,” the force said in a Twitter post.

Science > Commerce >>> Arts ? ( A typical Indian society’s thinking )

Do you know approximately 16 lakhs people apply for the NEET every year and more than 9 lakhs apply for the JEE ?

Well , this huge amount shows the craziness of Indian teens for the two prestigious exams of the country .

But do you know that India has a huge amount of unemployed engineers ? Or do you know that India has lack of specialized doctors ?

Why the things are like that ?

Ohk, let’s not talk about these things now. Let me ask you a simple question,”What subject did you opt in 11th & Why ?” Just try to find out the reason behind this “Why”. Was it because you wanted to be ‘something’ or because you liked ‘the subject’ or was it because others gave you the suggestion to opt ‘ that subject ‘ ? Or was it because you wanted to prove someone your intelligence or brilliance ? Or because of the reason that you scored the percentage of marks that fall in the category of the subject ?

Well , as much I observed ; I think most of you must have opted ‘the subject ‘ because of the reasons other than the first two.

Normally , high secondary students aren’t mature enough to decide what they actually want from the life. So they may ended up opting a subject , they don’t like.

In most of the cases , students opt for the science , not because they love it , but because they fall in the so called ” category of 90+”. Many students opt for science because of the respect the science students get. Ohk ohk , before you think more about this ‘ respect portion ‘, I think I should explain it to you.

Just observe the facial expressions of people , when you tell them that you belong to the arts stream.

Well , exceptions are always there. But it’s a typical Indian society’s thinking that arts students aren’t intelligent or science students are among the most intelligent creatures of the Earth. Well , commerce students act as the bridge between the two streams.

Ohk , let’s not talk about other categories. Let me pay my all attention to that typical “90+ or 10 cgpa” student. Students from this category get a lot of respect after their so called achievement in class 10th. So they can’t compromise with that ‘respect portion’. And the parents or relatives of these achievement holders have lot of expectations from them. And as everyone knows these ’90+’ students are made up for the science stream. They may or may not interested in science. They may or may not want to become a doctor or an engineer. But off course they don’t have any other option. Believe me , respect matters a lot. So these students ended up opting the pcm/pcb.

And then these students pack their luggage for the Kota or they enroll themselves in a local coaching. These ’90+’ are confident enough and see the dreams from the eyes of society. They prepare for the NEET or for the JEE. Many out of these get selected in first attempt , many require more than one attempt. Many of these don’t get selected , so they ended up choosing a private college or many decide to go with the BSc. Degree. Many out of these just realise at this moment about their dreams & change their graduation stream to Arts or Commerce.

But sadly , a lot of students commit suicide after not getting selected in these exams.

And a lot more who get selected in a government college or those who decide to graduate in technical field from private colleges ended up regretting. Well , such things are also valid for the ‘MBBS’ students. But let me talk about engineering students.

Just ask this question to an engineering student , that how much she/he is interested in her/his branch or field. You”ll get the answer, “why so many of them are unemployed.” And that’s the reason why you”ll find most of them engaged in non-technical activites. Off course there’re other reasons behind the ‘unemployment in engineering’. But , yes this is one out of those reasons.

Off course you”ll find this ’90+’ category students among the toppers in many prestigious exams , like CAT , or CSE. And most of them are from engineering background.

And off course many people blame them, ” why they did engineering if they don’t want to pursue it as a career.” If you’re also one of these people , then blame the society , not the students.

The society needs to restructure its thinking about science>commerce>>>arts

There should be stream counselling & career counselling sessions for the high school students.

Never opt for the subject or degree you don’t like. Choose your subjects wisely.

SLEEP DEPRIVATION CAUSED BY THE UNHEALTHY USE OF GADGETS

It is said that “Sleep deprivation will kill you more quickly than food deprivation.” A good night’s sleep is one of the basic necessities of the human body for its active metabolism and better productivity. An average adult human requires 8 hours of continuous sleep each day. Any interference in the natural regular sleeping patterns can have a tremendous impact on one’s health: mentally as well as physically. Nowadays, people tend to sleep less than they did in the past and their quality of sleep has also faced a downturn.

We live in the middle of a world full of technologies and are surrounded by screens of smartphones, laptops, tablets, e.t.c. Though these gadgets make our lives easy and fast, we are least bothered about its negative effects on our lives. The overuse of technology causes eye strain, musculoskeletal health issues, sleep deprivation, etc. not only in adults but also in teens and kids. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), prolonged use of computers, tablets, and cellphones can lead to digital eye strain which results in blurred vision, dry eyes, headaches, due to screen glare, bad lighting, and improper viewing distance. The unnatural way of holding the smartphones induces a lot of stress on the neck, shoulder and spine. Initially, these physical strains might seem negligible but can cause severe health impacts in the long run. 

Technology in the bedroom can interfere with sleep in a number of ways. Studies have found that 90% of US citizens use screening devices in the hour before going to bed, which can cause immense psychological and physiological impacts, capable enough to disrupt one’s sleep. Scientifically speaking, the blue light emitted from the gadgets suppress the sleep-inducing hormones like melatonin disturbing the biological clock. Lack of sleep causes stress, increased blood pressure, memory issues, weakened immunity, increased risk of heart diseases etc, thus dramatically decreasing our quality of life. Studies reveal that the increasing number of depression and anxiety among people, especially youth, has a correlation with the overuse of gadgets and social networks. Kids who are exposed to television, video games, mobile phones, and tech toys beyond the recommended time limit is seen to have retarded brain growth than other kids. They too experience sleep problems in addition to behavioural and social problems. 

From buying groceries to attending online classes, from consulting a distant doctor virtually to paying bills and dues, technology and gadgets plays an intangible role in making our lives smooth and less hectic. The technologies which we depend on for our comforts should never be the reason for our own distress. For that, we should always make sure to keep a balance between technology and healthy lifestyle.

Food Waste – The Social , Economical and Environmental Issue

Do you know that more than 40% of food produced in India is wasted ?

Inspite of adequate food production , India’s ranking is 103 in global hunger index. According to UN approximately 190 million Indians remain undernourished. Estimated value of food wastage in India is ₹ 92,000 crore per annum.

Why the data seems so much scarious ? Do you know how much you contribute to this wastage of food ?

Well , next time if you go to a wedding , or a party , or function , just observe everyone around you , you yourself”ll get the answers of these questions. Just observe people in restaurants or observe everyone in your house.

And if you want to see the dark side of India , then just move out of your house , & observe people around the bins. There’re a lot who just eat food from the dustbins. Can you just imagine about them ?

For some it’s waste , for some a day’s Meal

There’s a lot of leftover but edible food which can be provided to those who need this. Many NGOs work in this direction. They collect the leftover edible food from restaurants , households , weddings & from other sources & provide them to the needy.

It’s not always like that , one can also leave some food in their plates when it’s simply not edible or when she/he isn’t feeling good.

And this leftover food from your plates then go to dustbins & then it decompose in landfills. This leads to the emission of green house gases like CO2 & CH4 .

The impacts of food waste on the global scale are huge. According to the World Resources Institute, if food waste was a country, it would be the world’s third largest carbon emitter after the USA and China.

Food waste rotting in landfills produce millions of tonnes of methane in CO2 equivalents , a measure that directly compares the global warming potential of pollutants.

But do you know that wasted food can be used effectively ?

Yes , food waste can be transformed into valuable resources. It can be used as fertilizer , can be transformed into energy , & can be transformed into a bunch of innovative products , from pharmaceuticals to building materials.

Food waste can be recycled to produce nutrient rich fertilisers. Household composting recycles food waste in an environment where lot of oxygen is available. Fungi and bacteria break down the proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the waste into compost and CO2. The CO2 released from the breakdown of organic materials returns to the atmosphere , which is then captured by the plants. So it’s a carbon-neutral process.

Food waste can generate sustainable energy through waste-to-energy processes , where organic waste is used to generate electricity or heat. It is categorised as renewable energy. Various technologies are available to generate such energy ,although they do produce greenhouse gases like CO2, methane and nitrous oxide, so measures should be taken to reduce these emissions.

Extractions from the food waste can be used in production of biofuels like biodiesel & bioethanol.

Fruits and vegetables have the highest wastage rates of any food products. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations  estimates that globally, 45 per cent of fruits and vegetables are wasted along the supply chain. But these scrapped by-products can be reprocessed into functional and valuable products.

There are researches investigating how mango seeds could be used to make surfboard wax & fibres in root vegetables could be used in super strong concrete. Rice husks have variety of applications , such as cement, insulators, adsorbents and various construction material.They can also be ground with glass to create lightweight bricks that are resistant to fire and termites.

Discarded parts of fruits & vegetables are often rich in bioactive phytochemicals. These extracts can be used in pharmaceuticals , dietary supplements & food preservatives. Extracts & oils derived from food waste also be used in cosmetics.

The essential chemicals needed to create bioplastics include various carbs, fats and cellulose fibre that can be extracted from food waste using methods like freeze drying and hydrodynamic shockwave technology. Bioplastics ,are plastics produced from renewable sources and can be used for packaging, coatings and adhesives.Turning food waste into bioplastics can reduce food and plastic waste. It could also minimize the emissions associated with plastic production.

There’s need to reliase that this waste is not only causing social & economical problem but is also a cause of green house gases emissions, & thus is a harm for the environment.

Obviously , we should think of alternate ways to transform the waste into resource but our first priority should be to minimize the waste.

Avoid wastage of food. Provide the leftover edible food to those who need this instead of throwing this out. Use the leftover food as fertilizer

Love & Food are meant for sharing not for wasting
🙂 Don’t waste Food 🙂

Social media and Eating Disorders- does it have a connection?

Eating disorder describes conditions in which individuals engage in disordered eating. Eating disorders are not simply poor eating habits but are recognized mental health disorders in which emotional issues manifest in harmful eating habits. Eating problems in childhood and adolescence are very common.

It usually starts to be a problem in teenage years. It is not known for certain what causes them, but many factors could play a part such as Social pressure, particularly caused by the social media idealizing being thin, losing weight can make us feel good and in control, others include puberty, family problems, trauma, bullying, depression and low self-esteem.

The messages people get from society about how they should look, how much they should weigh especially western culture (particularly, the social media) promotes extreme thinness as the epitome of body perfection, success and happiness. Bullying others when they fail to be perfect since bullying others over the internet is easier due to anonymity so people do it without feeling guilty without worrying about the consequences. This leads people to become dissatisfied with their own bodies, their self-esteem suffers and they turn to dieting as they feel the pressure to be thin.

Our generation has become so obsessed with taking picture perfect selfies, having the perfect body and weight just like they see on the internet and thinking a person can only be happy if they have large number of followers and likes on social media that they fail to realize that social media only shows the good side of a person’s life and nobody knows what goes on the inside.

A lot of effort goes into becoming like those people or what we call “influencers” and not everything we see or hear on the internet is the truth and as the saying goes “comparison kills the joy” we see them and get disappointed with what we have when we compare ourselves to them. A lot of people start taking shortcuts just achieve those unrealistic goals like excessive dieting or starving and in turn ruining their overall health. Sometimes it leads into developing an eating disorder.

Eating disorders can develop from the desperation to live up to unrealistic cultural expectations, strained relationships within the family, other pressures arising from school or in the work place. Some people eat to curb their loneliness, anxieties and sometimes even to pass the time. A lot of people with eating disorders do not have other effective coping strategies, so, they turn to their eating disorder to help them cope and without even realizing it, many of these individuals actually end up harming their health and the quality of their lives.

The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.

There are a lot of causes of eating disorders including stress from a variety of external factors such as some sort of crisis or disappointment to the individual. The loss of a loved one or life changes, lack of communication as people who are unable to communicate clearly and effectively often prefer to hold in their emotions, sometimes described as “swallowing” their emotions, many individuals choose to remain silent but express their feelings and frustrations in other ways, including through abnormal eating disorders.

Signs of Eating Disorders vary, but here are some of the signs and symptoms to look out for an eating disorder are only eating certain types of food, using the bathroom immediately after eating, making excuses not to eat at meal times, obsession with body weight/being overweight.

Anorexia Nervosa–

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which an individual becomes so afraid of gaining weight and/or having body fat that they severely limit the amount of food that they eat or they exercise excessively in an attempt to burn off the calories that they do eat so that they will not gain any extra weight. Self-induced vomiting, the misuse of diet pills, diuretics, or laxatives is often found in them.

There are many health risks of Anorexia such as if weight becomes dangerously low, there is the risk of vital organs shutting down and anorexia nervosa has the highest death rate. Others include malnutrition and dehydration, anemia, amenorrhea.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa, which is more commonly known as bulimia, is an eating disorder marked by binges and then purges. During a binge a bulimic will eat a great amount of food in one sitting, then purge by either inducing vomiting or taking a laxative or diuretic to expel the food. For bulimics, bingeing and purging becomes a cycle but they may never lose or gain enough weight to make it obvious that they have an eating disorder.

Damage to the digestive tract, mouth, teeth, and salivary glands is common among bulimics and the constant bingeing and purging mean that bulimics rarely keep in enough vitamins and minerals to remain healthy. Others include changes in body chemistry, erosion of tooth enamel due to vomiting and, in extreme cases, stomach rupture and death.

People suffering with bulimia are often of a normal weight so it may go undetected for many years, with those close to them often having no idea they have the disease or that their health is suffering.

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder is a common eating disorder in which an individual regularly consumes a large amount of food in one sitting, or “grazes” constantly even when they are not hungry or become physically uncomfortable from consuming so much food.

Binge eaters do not purge after over-eating, nor do they routinely exercise excessively in an attempt to burn off the calories.

Binge eating disorder can occur in individuals of any gender, race, age and because binge eaters often become overweight or clinically obese, they put themselves at risk for a wide variety of health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, gallbladder disease, kidney disease, fertility problems, high cholesterol, and some types of cancer.

Treatment for Eating Disorders

The type of eating disorder treatment that is most appropriate will depend on the severity and type of eating disorder and the length of time it has continued, as well as, the patient’s individual preferences about the type of treatment they would like.

Getting professional help is a good idea. Various therapies are available, including psychotherapy, family counselling, group therapy, and self-help groups, in which patients can explore their issues with food and learn to develop healthy eating habits. They might suffer relapses once eating disorder treatment has begun, but early treatment makes a far greater chance of recovering successfully.

Coping with Stress

Developing efficient coping skills may prevent the development of an eating disorder. Some of the simple coping skills include:

-Accepting that life brings disappointments

-Avoiding stressful situations. If reading fashion magazines makes people feel bad about themselves, then, they should stop looking at them and focus on another activity instead.

-Scheduling time for hobbies that are enjoyable and relaxing.

-Building a support system of friends and family who support their hopes and dreams, and accept them for who they are.

Family and friends can help individuals stay strong and prevent an eating disorder by praising an individual’s talents and strengths, listening to and discussing an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and fears, supporting an individual’s hopes and dreams, reminding an individual that a healthy body, not necessarily a slim body, is most important, barring unrealistic and unhealthy diets and excessive exercise regimes.

Overuse of social media can become an addiction which might lead to anxieties, damage to eyesight after staring at the screen for long periods of time, unhealthy sleep patterns leading to insomnia and other health problems so we should always keep a check on the content and the amount of our usage of social media. If it goes out of hand and you feel like its impacting you negatively you can always quit it, since you are in control of what should be a part of your life, take a social media detox. And always know that in whatever form and whenever you need help it is always available.

Twinkle Twinkle little star – Now I wonder why so far

You must have read & recited the poem ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ in your childhood days. Kids still read & recite the poem. But there’s a difference in their recitation.While we used to recite it in starry nights, they just watch twinkling stars in a youtube video.What else can they do ?

Those starry nights are no longer visible. Even in a small town , there are only a few stars you can see by naked eyes. Future generations will see the starry nights only in pictures.

Now you can’t just point out your finger in the north to show someone the pole star.

Now the question is why ? Why the night sky is vanishing ? Why the Milky Way is fading ? Why the stars are no longer visible ?

Well , the reason is light pollution. With the advancement of more & more LEDs , the milky way is now no longer visible to more than a third population of the world. Those thousands of stars have just turned into hundreds.

Buildings’ lights , residents’ lights , street lights, vehicles’ lights , neon signs. Well , this much amount of light is creating a permanent ‘skyglow’ at night,which is obscuring that beautiful sight.

Is it only about the stars ? No , excessive lighting at night has other adverse consequences too –

1. It can disrupt our sleep , or in long run can cause stress.

2. It is waste of energy , not all the lights you see in cities at night , are needed. A lot of buildings or streets just glow for the sake of beauty.Thus , a lot of energy get wasted.

3. It’s not good for animals , birds & ecosystem. Migratory birds often get bewildered by lighting buildings , sea turtles lose their ability to navigate in ocean due to the confusion lighting from coastal create. There’re evidences that artificial lighting make it harder for the zooplankton to eat harmful algae in lakes , thus degrades the water quality.

And of course this one consequence is also there , from which I started the blog. Future generation will not be able to see the milky way without a telescope , thus it”ll lessen their interest in astronomy. It”ll lessen their sense about vastness of Universe.

Of course , the street lighting is necessary , but not for the show off. Unnecessary lighting can be avoided. Street lights can be replaced by more focused LEDs which only send light downward rather than those lights which scatter the lights in all directions. There can be other ways to reduce the light pollution. As it is said “Where there’s a will , there’s a way”.

Rajasthan or The Dowry Sthan

I’m just confused from where should I start. But ok , let me start from the rates, the rates of bridegroom. Ohh yes , you read it right.

10 lakhs for a government third grade teacher , 15 lakhs for a cleark or constable , 20 lakhs for a patwari , 30 lakhs for a college profesor or minimum 50-60 lakhs for income tax officer , more than a crore for an IAS , IPS or for a doctor. I’m not so familiar about conditions of other states , so let’s only talk about Rajasthan & its neighbors. Rates may vary ( T & C applied ) . I’m not a trader friends , I just wrote down some rates I’ve heard or seen. Yes , it’s what you people call dowry.

Rajasthan , the braveland , has such a bad condition , in this matter. This is the place where dowry is like the Saat Feras , compulsory element of marriage ( relax, exceptions are always there ). It’s not only about Rajasthan , but this tradition is followed on equal basis in the states of M.P. , Bihar & U.P. .Well , I only know about eastern Rajasthan.

I know it’s hard to believe. But you’ve to believe. The rates actually varies directly with the government job , the power & with the amount of money the groom can earn. Like a patwari & constable will get more money than a teacher. And this principle tells us why an income tax officer , a doctor , an IAS , an IPS or an IRS are pro in this game. They fall in the upper most category.

And yes , these marriages happen on a large scale , but you may not be able to find about such marriages as there’s no one complains about these. Why will people register complain when they know that their girls can only get married to the one whom they can pay. Or you can say , no one forces the other. This dowry doesn’t stop here , this continues in an indirect manner , even after the marriage. Middle class people often take years just to pay the loan , they take for their daughter’s marriage.

This kind of direct or indirect dowry , or this kind of rate system can’t be stopped by any law because no one will complain against this. It’s not like that people like this , but they just accept it.

Like a frog in a well , people have accepted their fate. They are stuck in a well which is called as society , so they can’t even think of getting out from it.

The only way to stop this is to change the thinking of society. Only equally provided real education can do this.

India – The land of Green Gems

Have you ever wondered why some advertisement makers show that we’ve used this or that plant in our product ?

Do you know there are about 47,000 plant species in India ?Out of these , many have healing capacities , they have abilities to cure some diseases. You may have even used one out of these plants’ leaves or bark to heal your wounds or to beautify yourself or to cure some disease .

India has about 8000 species of plants which have some medicinal qualities. About 2000 species have been described in Ayurveda & more than 500 are in regular use. You may be familiar with some medicinal plants , herbs & trees like Tulsi , Neem , Babool , Palash , Ashok & Arjun.

Let’s talk about their qualities .

Tulsi is used to cure not only cough, cold & headache but is also useful in indigestion, heart diseases & respiratory diseases. Neem has antibiotic & antibacterial properties. People often use its twig to clean their teeth , its bark can be used to heal wounds , it is also used to cure bloody nose & leprosy & to kill intestinal worms. Babool has its use in healing of bleeding gums , its leaves are used to cure eye sore , it is also used as tonic. Palasha is used as a cure in complexion of skin, worm infestations, roundworm. Ashok is used to cure menstrual irregularities & used as uterine stimulant . Arjun’s leaves are used as a cure for earache , it is also used to regulate blood pressure.

Sarpgandha is one such medicinal plant which is found in India only. It is used to treat blood pressure.

Some other popular medicinal plants are Amaltas , Amla , Kachnar , Jamun , Varun , Brahmi , Kateki & Akarkara.

There are many medicinal plants which are like all-rounders , they are not only for medicinal purposes but also used as beauty products. Some are edible ( & off course tasty too ). People use some of these plants for decorative purposes , some of these are used to make colors , & some are used as jewellery too. Some plants like Tulsi are worshipped by many Indians.

India’s ancient culture valued its flaura & fauna. But now we’re losing on it.The World Conservation Union’s Red List has named 352 plants out of which 52 are critically threatened & 49 are endangered.It’s not only about saving the culture , it’s about preservation of the biodiversity , or you can say it’s about saving our own lives.

There are a lot of local medicinal plants & herbs in India. They are not so popular but are very useful. Only the locals have knowledge about them & only they can save such plants , trees & herbs.

There’s a need to create & implement policies which include locals. Locals , administration , & government together can change the whole scenario . One such example is of India’s only orchid sanctuary, where the administration together with the locals rejuvenated the Sessa Orchid Sanctuary in just 21 days.

Let’s come together to preserve the beautiful Indian culture , & the biodiversity.

Ps : It’s never too late to make a change.

India @75

We’re going to enter in the 75th year of our Independence on 15 August, 21.

As I’m not a political leader so I”ll not talk about what we’ve gained in last 5 years , or in last decade or in last 25 years. As it is said it’s good to appreciate yourself but it’s also necessary to criticize yourself . A simple google search can tell you what we’ve gained since independence. So , now let’s see what we’ve lost since independence.

At the time of independence , we’ve not only lost many lives & a part of our land & but we’ve lost our peace , our fraternity , & the love , for ever. And then after the independence , the list continued. We’ve lost the morality , the sympathy , the kindness & the care. In short , we’ve lost The Humanity.

We still repeat the pleadge “All Indians Are My Brothers And Sisters” , but we’ve lost this fraternity , years before.

Years before , we talked about sex ratio , we talked about death rate , we talked about infant mortality rate , we talked about literacy rate but amidst of all these we’ve lost a lot.

Sex ratio haven’t yet improved since independence but the situation is now worser than what it was in 1947. At the time of independence , at least the little girls & the old women were safe. They were safe in their neighborhood, with their relatives, they were safe in religious places . But amidst their education , we’ve lost the respect for women( ok ok , I’m not talking about every age group , but the little girls & old women had some respect at that time ) . Ohk , I agree we’re in better condition now , but relax I’m just talking about the need of time.

Well , we’ve talked about death rates & infant mortality rates & off course we’ve improved a lot in this field. But we’ve lost the humanity , believe me we’ve completely lost it. At least that was the time when unknowns too used to care about your little ones , they used to give some respect to the dead person. But now , accidents are games of wait & watch.

And some devils are just too eager to have some so called pleasure , that they didn’t even look at a infant like a infant , they treat them as a object. Of course their desires has nothing to do with the gender & age ( some people say it’s all about beauty , body & clothes ). We’re losing humans day by day.

Better not to talk about the literacy, as the education without morality can’t do anything good.

On the 75th anniversary of independent India ,we”ll have all that which is needed to be a developed country but what about all that which is needed to be a Human ? Will we celebrate India @ 75 as a zombie ?