Sigmund Freud: I

Father of Psychoanalysis.

Civilisation, and the study of humanities associates lots of things with him, someone people keep talking about, amused by his theories, pass a lot of judgement, he’s a “crazy” man himself – belief. Freud can be or has been debunked now, his theories insightful, but not necessarily useful. The most influential western thinkers – timeline of publications 20th Century(?) – The clinical days when Lacan and Freud worked are important, both were medics. Human Nature/Sexuality/Dream/Children/Conflict/Desires – Freud Works his insights was controversial. Psychoanalytic’s a framework based on originated in Clinical Observation Freud made in his work. Freud often associated as an originator of these theoretical idea, he’s not the only Psychoanalysts [Jung and Freud didn’t see eye to eye on occasions & Lacan revisited Freud – reconceptualising aspects of theory.]. 

Psychoanalysis —  Method of treating mental disorder and mental illness; a treatment approach – treats mental disorder. The therapeutic aspects that help distressed people, to use psychoanalytic tool to try and make them feel better.Its a theory of human psyche – attempts to explain how human mind works. Psychoanalytic to interpret culture,  mass media and more, the understanding of psychoanalysis that people have offered is broad not just therapeutic but more. The potential the theory has to applicate in the cultural understanding of Psychoanalysis. 

Freud came along and created ripples amongst people which made them squeamish – actions controlled by areas of human mind where we have limited or no control which control our actions; human mind as ice berg, what we see is just the tip, the wight, the bulk, density is what we aren’t aware of. Freud about the unconscious and human actions — people found in uncomfortable because people believed human beings as rational and cognisant to their choice, and thus man was different from other animals, but Freud, that most rational of people are controlled by their unconscious. [Infantile Sexuality]  We are obligated to assume the effects of the unconscious – way of affecting our behaviour/actions/what we say and conduct our selves making us assume the condition of our unconscious — you don’t know that when your behaviour/actions being impacted. Freudian Slip – Humour and the unconscious.

Expend the considerable amount pf energy – the material from the unconscious will appear in the conscious mind, no certainty — the preconscious and unconscious, the union; that domain that it may not change or if it does, great difficulty is followed. This is a premise that the idea that most of the individual mental process is unconscious; Carl Jung and Alfred Adler, did not agree with this premise, that all human behaviour is motivated by Sexuality – Libido; & all human behaviour is greatly motivated by this. There are social taboos created and attached with these sexual practices, and thus many of our desires are Repressed not allowed to take any form in conscious awareness. 

Psychoanalysis, and everything in between.

Why and what infatuates someone with the subject of psychology and its importance and acceptance to human existence.

What was it that got me curious about the idea of psychoanalysis, is the part where you tap into someone’s psyche  or at least lear about the process and what could it unravel. The idea of psychopathology and beyond what society perceives psycho therapy lies an abundance of resources one must always find a way to study or understand that. The notion of psychoanalysis needs to adapted as a common practice, too, since it gives everyone a more peacefully aware and woke outlook towards life and people they engage with. 

The generation now is pretty invested in Psychology, just based on the prejudices they have over the subject, their prejudice seemingly creates a very systemic fascination and it helps in understanding a group or an individual alike. 

But beyond this is works in clinical psychology or behavioural psychology that has interested scholars and led many thesis work. 

But why is such curiosity in people to take on this subject? Is it to better understand your s/o, that seems almost like a common consensus, but is it that people feel allured to analyse someone? Mostly to justify their actions, no matter how absurd, such analysis help cover their wrongs, to help them get better, perhaps. The motif seems sufficient but we aren’t here to cure everyone, we are to push them, or to give them impetus toward a direction that would help them for a better way forward, and that’s what Psychoanalysis is, it is a way — a scientific way — to have a better action plan, call it therapy, but the stigma around that word has created a wave that has saddened people, but we in lieu of respecting psychoanalysis and all that it entail, we need to create a purer atmosphere for us, our peers and one way to do so it having a open approach to this field of study.

Freud, Lacan and many more enable us with tools to understand a fraction of this field but make no mistake that the field is broader and intense and relieving if we take up the patience and understanding of it. 

Corruption In India

Corruption has been in Indian society in some shape or another since time immemorial. Our opportunistic politicians, who have already done more harm to our country, are at the root of corruption. People who labour on the basis of correct ideals are acknowledged and seen as silly in today’s culture. Corruption in India is caused by the collaboration of bureaucrats, politicians, and criminals. Previously, bribes were paid to have the wrong things done, but now bribes are paid to get the right things done at the appropriate time. Furthermore, because respected individuals are participating in it, corruption has become something respectable in India. Social corruption such as under-weighing of products, adulteration in culinary items, and different types of bribery have persisted in society.

In today’s world, if a person wants a government job, he must pay lakhs of rupees to higher officials, even if he meets all of the eligibility criteria. In any office, one must either offer money to the employee in question or arrange for work to be done through other means. Adulteration and duplicate weighing of products occur in the food and civil supply departments by unethical workers who defraud consumers by jeopardising people’s health and life. Officers charge money in property tax assessments even if the house is built properly according to government norms and regulations.

In India, political corruption is at its highest. The primary source of concern is that corruption is weakening the political body and undermining the supremacy of the law that governs society. Politics is now solely for criminals, and criminals are designed to be in politics. Elections in several sections of the country have become connected with a slew of illicit activity. Threatening voters to vote for a specific candidate or physically preventing voters from entering polling booths – particularly weaker sectors of society such as tribals, Dalits, and rural women – occurs often in numerous parts of the country. The government has boosted the compensation of M.P.s from Rs.16, 000 to Rs.50, 000, a 300 percent increase over the previous salary. However, many of them are dissatisfied with the raise and want the government to increase the wage to a much greater amount. This clearly demonstrates how politicians are always out for monetary gain and are unconcerned about the wellbeing of the people. One of the most common types of corruption is tax evasion. It is usually practised by government officials and politicians, resulting in the buildup of black money, which lowers people’s morale.

MAJOR REASONS RESPONSIBLE FOR CORRUPTION-The nature of the human being is the most significant component. People in general have an insatiable desire for luxury and comforts, and as a result, they become involved in any dishonest activity that results in monetary or material gain. Moral and spiritual qualities are not prioritised in the educational system, which is largely to blame for the degeneration of society. Employees are paid extremely little, and as a result, they are obliged to generate money in illicit ways. The penalties placed on criminals are insufficient. Political leaders have absolutely ruined society. They live a lavish lifestyle and are unconcerned about society. The people of India have not been woken or enlightened. They are afraid to speak out against anti-social elements in society.

MEASURES– The Right to Information Act (RTI) provides all necessary information about the government, such as what the government does with our tax payments. This act gives you the right to ask the government about any problem you’re having. The Central Vigilance Commission is another effective anti-corruption tool (CVC). The Government established it to advise and guide Central Government entities in the areas of vigilance. If there are any instances of corruption or complaints about them, they can be filed to the CVC. CVC also bears the obligation of raising public awareness about the dangers of bribery and corruption. The establishment of special courts for expedited justice can be a tremendous benefit. There should not be a long period of time between the filing of a case and the delivering of a verdict. Strong and strict rules must be adopted, leaving no room for the guilty to flee. In many circumstances, personnel choose corrupt methods out of necessity rather than choice. Some people believe that the earnings they are paid are insufficient to feed their families. They would not be forced to accept bribes if they were paid more. The one thing that must be ensured is the correct, fair, and unbiased application of numerous anti-social legislation in order to take strong, deterrent, and prompt legal action against offenders, regardless of their political influence or financial strength. To combat the threat, firm and decisive efforts must be taken, and an environment must be established in which decent, patriotic intellectuals can come forward to serve the country with pride, virtue, and honesty for the benefit of the people of India.

TERRACOTTA- LET’S COLLECT KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IT

Sparkle of Terracotta

TERRACOTTA- AN UNIQUE STYLE OF ART

According to the dictionary the Terracotta art means hard,fired clay,brownish in colour when unglazed which is used to make architectural ornaments and facings, structural units, pottery and as a material for sculpture. The word ‘Terracotta’ came from Latin word ‘Terra-cotta’ and in Italian language Terrakotta means ‘baked-earth’.  

 Basically Terracotta is a type of earthenware or Ceramic pottery. At 1st we should have enough knowledge about earthenware. Earthenware is glazed or unglazed non-vitreous pottery which is made on fire below 1,200°C (2,190°F). So what do you say ? ‘baked-earth’ makes sense right? 

Normally Terracotta is used for sculpture making. But not only for sculpture but also for flower vas, doll,pot,water pipes, bricks,roofing tiles etc. Even there are also many temples of Terracotta. It is too flexible material for sculpture.Terracotta is usually a fairly coarse, porous type of clay. At first it has to be shaped then fired until hard. In the past, it was left to harden in the hot sun ,after that it was baked in primitive ovens. Ultimately, it was fired (at about 1000°C) in a special oven, kilns. After baking the clay became a brownish colour. Until it was glazed it was not watertight.terracotta is too simple than other bronze or other material work. 

It was 1st used in Prehistoric art according to Venus of Dolni Vestonice (26,000-24,000 BCE) which was found buried in a layer of ash in Moravia at a paleolithic encampment. Some famous Terracotta figures are- The Thinker of Cernavoda(5000 BCE), The Enthroned Goddess Figurine(6000 BCE).Bronze and Iron Age artists kept the culture of the terracotta tradition, like the female fertility cult figures unearthed at Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan (3000-1500 BCE), and The Burney Relief (1950 BCE) from Ancient Mesopotamia. On the other hand we must say Chinese art created the biggest example of Terracotta art, those are-The Terracotta Army (246-208 BCE). Around the Mediterranean,such as early Egyptian, Minoan, Mycenaean, Greek and Etruscan cultures, employed terracotta for figurative works – such as the Tanagra Figurines from Boeotia in central Greece – besides  decorative art and architectural ornamentation.Particularly in the era of Hellenistic art (323-30 BCE) it was widely used by sculptors. It was also used in Early Christian art, for tomb reliefs (from c.200 CE). Terracotta is also famous in African sculpture, pre-Columbian art.

In India Terracotta is famous in the same way as in the past. In India Terracotta is a heritage culture. It is very common that there are many things of terracotta at most homes in India. ‘Bishnupur’ in West Bengal is a great source of Terracotta sculptures or other things. Murshidabad, Birbhum, Jessore, Digha (all are in West Bengal)  are also the treasure of Terracotta. There are also famous in Rajasthan, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir etc.    

CHILD TRAFFICKING

Introduction

In India child trafficking is a very serious issue. This is happening because there are a number of people who fall under the poverty level category and it is usually this demographic that is subject to child trafficking. The majority of the country’s trafficking problem is internal. This means that usually the most unprivileged families and disadvantaged people of the countries like the Dalits, religious minorities, tribal community members, and girls from different minority groups etc have to face this. Due to poor socio-economic situations, people take advantage of the poor parents and thereby leaving their children into such trafficking rings. The parents from these poor backgrounds assume that the children are going to live in better conditions but in reality, the children are kidnapped and taken advantage of.

What is child trafficking

Child trafficking is a practice where children are taken away from their family and later they are forced to beg on streets, do some form of work, used for sex or simply sold.

Child trafficking is linked to demand for cheap labour, especially where the working conditions are poor. Children are forced to do many dangerous stunts and also in illegal situations. Such works include slavery, domestic labour, sexual exploitation or prostitution, drug couriering and being turned into child soldiers. Those children are exposed to many dangerous situations like working in hazardous environments. Many are also denied the chance to reach their full potential because they don’t get an education or have the freedom to make their own choices. Children become separated from their families. They are left without protection and are easy prey for traffickers to exploit either by force or with false promises.

How many children are affected by child trafficking?

It is estimated that almost 21 million people are trapped in forced labour or slavery among which one in every four people are under the age of 18.

Almost 5.5 million children are victims of child trafficking around the world. They suffer violence, exploitation and abuse – ending up in work, forced marriage, prostitution, begging and armed recruitment.

Causes of child trafficking

Poverty
Poverty is one of the main causes of child trafficking. Poor parents were sometimes forced to abandon their children in the hands of traffickers assuming that they would lead a happy life.

Humanitarian Crises
Child trafficking is particularly prominent in areas struck by natural disasters.The countries where human rights are violated have a higher rate of child trafficking.

Lack of Education
Illiteracy and the lack of education make families more vulnerable to traffickers.

Absence of Birth Registration
The children whose births were never registered are the most threatened.

Lucrative Activity
Child trafficking is extremely lucrative.

International Adoption
International adoption is very common among infertile couples. Traffickers and dishonest adoption agencies take these advantages and they don’t get much trouble finding potential clients.

Use of Children
Children are sold for the purposes of sexual exploitation, begging, soliciting, or for forced marriages. Their life comes to risk while doing construction work, working in factories, or are employed as domestic servants. Children are given a substantial sum of money to parents waiting to adopt.The sale of child organs is also a very infamous practice done by the traffickers. To earn a good living, many children agree to sell one of their kidneys for money.

Prevention of child trafficking

1. Foster the spread of education.
2. Spread awareness among parents and communities. …
3. Strict laws in place to prevent child trafficking. …
4. Encouraging business to not use child labour. …
5. We must support NGOs like Save the Children in the fight against trafficking.

http://www.ilo.org/ipec/facts/lang–en/index.htm

http://www.un.org/en/events/childlabourday

@track2traininginstitute @track2trainingseminar @edunewsnetwork @track2trainingservice

|Complexities in life |

Complexities and complications in life makes us who we are today. If it isn’t for the experience’s and complex situations that we had undergone we wouldn’t have become who we are today. This essay focuses on how these complexities make our life beautiful. I would like guide you down to a very different lane of thoughts about life. These complex thoughts can only be learned and understood with examples and real-life situation in order for us to comprehend it. Referring to the idea of addressing the twisted and complicated side of globalization, Manfred B Steger made us understand some of these complexities. 

Sometimes we find ourselves at crosswords with different situations which are hard to simplify. An example of this is how Cameron Russell talks about how she if living a life most of us would want to grab at the first chance we get yet how unhappy she is with it. These are the complex situations where we stop to think of how happy we are and content with our lives even when we have no wealth or fame. Happiness instead of becoming a choice then become an unattainable option. 

‘Is google making us stupid’ is an article by Nicholas Carrwhich focuses on how complex the system of google working is, there are two sides to the story. One, where we completely rely on google to learn while the other google making us stupid. It is pretty paradoxical if I put it that way but it is quite true too. I would like to unravel such complex thoughts in my essay. 

 

The Paradox in Life 

Our lives aren’t compromised of simplicities nor they want to be easily defined. From the flip side of romanticizing sadness to people actually being able to relate to it, we have come across some complex dimensions a human brain can adapt too. We are social beings kept locked away in our homes for the past 8 months, imagine the irony. People learn new thoughts and possibilities and eventually life only through socialization but what happens when they are cut off from the world completely. They forget to live life as it was before. They forget about how beautiful life was before this pandemic struck. How we all loved the little complex moments and shared the joy in it.

The word ‘Love’ has different pronunciations and spellings in different places yet it shares the same feelings wherever it is expressed. Love cannot be limited to just your partners affection, love is also when your mother buys you, your favorite dress or when your father cooks your favorite dish. Love cannot be reduced to a specific section of people because love is omnipresent. And if shared brings a lot of joy. But this cannot be said about the way humans treat each other. 

People aren’t always filled with love and happiness but also emotions like anger, sadness, regret, guilt and jealousy. They are sometimes driven by these complex emotions which sometimes can result in unpredicted circumstances and we learn from them. We learn from our mistakes every time we commit one, everyday we are learning, evolving, changing into a better version of ourselves because of these complexities. 

In Steger’s text on globalization we had come across a very twisted side of how the interconnectedness of the world has resulted in many tragedies rather than the advantages. The world has become so progressed yet it has not let go of its secular roots and stereotypes. One of the after product of this globalization is the internet. People make use of the most popular search engine ‘Google’. Yes, google makes us look smart and earns us good grades but at the same time it makes us lose the ability to concentrate and read, it reduces our concentration span and it makes us reduce the amount of knowledge we could have acquired through reading a book. So, think about it? Are we really becoming smart? 

These thoughts I have put forward were for you to realize how complexities that stay out of our normal thinking could easily make us know the world in another perspective. Looking at things from one point of view is quite biased and subjective. Learning to view through the objectivize path requires wide reading as said by Ann Morgan. She had set on a voyage for reading a book from all the countries across the world. It is a beautiful yet complex mission which if attained can make her quite a knowledgeable person. Someone with wide reading capabilities know how important it is to acknowledge the little things in life and live in the moment. 

Writing conclusions for an essay with such a variety perspective is quite a challenge, because it isn’t about a specific topic nor about an unchanging entity. It is about the situations and experiences where we learn to be a better person and it is no easy challenge. My examples of how I see the world can be very different from yours but it does not make it any smaller. We all are part of something as huge as the milky way. We have yet to find out so many things in the world, but we should always learn to embrace the complex moments and the beauty in our lives.

Karst Topography

Karst is a type of landscape where the dissolving of the bedrock has created sinkholes, sinking streams, caves, springs, and other characteristic features. Karst is associated with soluble rock types such as limestone, marble, and gypsum. In general, a typical karst landscape forms when much of the water falling on the surface interacts with and enters the subsurface through cracks, fractures, and holes that have been dissolved into the bedrock. After traveling underground, sometimes for long distances, this water is then discharged from springs, many of which are cave entrances.

Chemical Reaction:-

Limestone is a type of carbonate rock — that is, a rock made up primarily of a carbonate mineral which, in the case of limestone, is usually calcite or aragonite. These are both forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Over time, limestone may be dissolved by carbonic acid (i.e., carbon dioxide dissolved in water). Carbonic acid is formed when rain picks up CO2 as it falls through the atmosphere. Once it hits the ground, it may pick up more CO2 in the soil, turning into a weak carbonic acid solution. When this solution seeps into limestone bedrock via cracks and fissures, larger openings are created. Over the course of thousands of years, this erosive process creates underground drainage systems and caves.

Mammoth Cave,USA is the longest Cave system in the world.

Xiaozhai Tiankeng,China Largest Sinkhole.

Other examples,Yutacan peninsula,Mexico

Cockpit Country,Jamaica etc.

In India karst topography is present in the Vindhya region (mainly southwestern Bihar), the Himalayas (parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Robert Cave, Sahasradhara, the eastern Himalayas, areas near Dehradun), Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh, the surrounding coast near Vishakhapatnam, and Bastar in Chhattisgarh.

Landforms :-

A 100 year battle

This started about a century ago, in the early 1900s. During that time Israel-Palestine was under the Ottoman Empire. The place was diverse with a majority of Arabs and Christians and a minority of Jews. At that time, the Jews and Palestinians wanted their own country. After World War 1, the Ottoman Empire collapsed and British took control over
Palestine. But then many conflicts between Arabs and Palestinians began and as the conflicts started to worsen, the UN took action divide British Palestine into Israel for the Jews, Palestine for the Arabs and Jerusalem was an international site as it was important for the Jews, Arabs and Christians. But the Arabs weren’t satisfied with this and
decided to declare war on Israel. This was the Arab – Israeli war (1946 –1949).

There were many consequences of this war. One was the destruction and loss of life, there was loss of life of soldiers and even innocent people. Israel won the war and took over some parts of Palestine. Due to this, some of the Palestinians were expelled from their homes. Israel conquered most of the territory except the West Bank and Gaza in Egypt. After this war there were prolonged conflicts between Israel and Palestine. Israel had won many of the wars and occupied the Palestinian territory in the West Bank and Gaza. This is when it became an Israeli – Palestinian struggle. The recent Gaza conflicts where a violent extremist group of Palestinians situated in Gaza known as HAMAS declared war on Israel. This war had bombs and other machinery due to which many people lost their lives and their homes. In the future the condition can get worse or better, so we shall just hope for the best. People in these battles have shown various colors from both the sides, the countries have played their parts in the violence and havoc in todays world. People including toddlers have been pulled into the vicious cycle of battle between both the places for their nationalistic issues.

Markha Valley – Ladakh’s Gem

Introduction

The barren but enchanting landscapes of Ladakh have many enthralling places to trek but arguably the best of them is the Markha Valley situated on the river of the same name. The Markha River is a tributary of the Zanskar river, who is the first major tributary of the great Indus River. It lies within the Hemis National Park just on the outskirts of the capital, Leh and the valley is the largest in the Union Territory. The River starts at the junction of Langtang and Nimaling with the villages along the river valley including Skyu, Hangkar, Rumbak, Yurutse and Markha.

The Route

Markha Valley is one of the most popular trekking routes in Ladakh. Leh is the starting point of this trek. The valley is accessible near Spituk in the west which is generally the starting point of the trek and Gongmaru La pass near Hemis, where the trek ends. There are many tiny hamlets present throughout the valley. The villages in the valley have preserved monasteries, temples and ruined forts. The Tacha Gompa is the most important Buddhist monastery in Markha Valley.

Views of the Heights

Kang Yatze
Stok Kangri

As the trail goes through Hemis National Park, all it’s cherished fauna, mountain sheep, rabbits and even snow leopards can be spotted. The majestic K2 Peak, Stok Kangri and the Kang Yatze peaks are visible from the valley. Even the region of Tibet is visible on a clear day.

https://www.trekthehimalayas.com/Markha-Valley-Trek/

https://wikitravel.org/en/Markha_Valley_Trek

the kirlian photography

Hellooo guys ,

Today’s topic is going to be refreshing and entrancing.

I am sure you guys know about photography as skill of capturing the world that we see with our eyes in a photo. Photography is a very broad topic, based on how the photo is taken the feelings ,the emotions that the photo shows also changes.

But have you guys ever heard about Kirlian photography?

Never heard about it, no problem cause I am going to brief you guys on this topic.

Kirlian photography is also known as AURA photography.

Although the kirlian photography is not so well known among beginners or non photographers it is definitely popular quirk and that is its believed by people that through the technique of kirlian photography “aura “of the objects can be captured.

Kirlian photography is possible through only by following a certain techniques and due to that technique the possible result is believed to be the aura of the thing that is captured.

The other name aura photography also came due to many myths formed around Kirlian photography .

It is believed that the soul of the body and aura which cannot be seen with our naked eye can be captured through Kirlian photography

Even the Kirlian couple Semyon and Valentina who discovered Kirlian photography in 1939 , also believed it to be that the Kirlian photography is capturing the objects aura, which intrigued many scientists curiosity into this field and many researches started taking place.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

But sadly the truth is Kirlian photography only appears to capture aura and the crux lies in the technique the photography uses, the mechanism of the photos is the high voltage corona effect. In this effect when the photographic films encounters changes in the chemical composition which in turn alters due to the light producing the aura effect.

Although there is no particular Kirlian camera you can still produce this effect using a transparent electrode in modern cameras

Its believed that every object in this universe has distinct energies and the mental, emotional states of that person can effect those auras.

So the Kirlian photography is used in many therapies and is used to detect various diseases, they also used in treating psychiatric patients

Photo by Sergey Katyshkin on Pexels.com

Kirlian photography unlocked a new page for the subject called photography ,it showed the effects of light can totally change the result, and stills there are many mysteries to unravel.

Recently many applications were also developed , so that we can also enjoy the Kirlian photography .

Some people believe the aura photography is true and some people only believe in facts ,whatever it maybe for me its just fun to enjoy these unique things rather than contemplate ,at last my opinion is that

“Kirlian photography is fascinating”

THANKYOU^^

Please visit the below websites for more information^^

https://www.lightstalking.com/what-is-kirlian-photography-the-science-and-the-myth-revealed/

http://www.mindoverimage.com/treatment/aura-kirlian-photography-mumbai/

https://www.pixsy.com/kirlian-photography-image-protection/

ONAM- THE HARVEST FESTIVAL

ONAM – the festival of colour in Kerala

Onam is one of the famous festivals of the colourful India. It is actually a major event  of kerala. The people inside and outside of Kerala enjoy it too much. It is a harvest festival . 

According to history, Onam has a long religious context and history of Kerala. According to an earlier reference , Onam is found in Maturaikkaci – a Sangam ers Tamil poem. It says that when games and duels were held in Madurai temple , immolation was sent to the temple , then  the people wore new clothes and celebrated it. On the other hand , in the 9th-century according to Pathikas and Ballads by Periyazharwar , Onam is celebrated as offerings to Vishnu God with feasts and community events. 

According to Kurup  , Onam is a historical hindu-temple based cultural festival which is celebrated for many days. This is a harvest festival and its significance is of 2 Hindu-legends, Mahabali legend and Parashurama legend.

According to the Malayalam calendar Chingam is the 1st month  and the Onam is celebrated in this month. It is marked as the Malayalam New Year. It is celebrated over 10 days and concludes with Thiruvonam. The ten days are sequentially known as Atham, Chithira, Chodhi, Vishakam, Anizham, Thriketta, Moolam, Pooradam, Uthradam and Thiruvonam. The first and the last day are particularly important in Kerala and to Malayalee communities elsewhere.

The 1st day of this festival is Atham ws marked at Vamanamoorthy Thrikkakara temple in Kochi. This temple is the focal center of this festival and the abode of Mahabali legend with raising their festive flag. There are celebrated the parades and those are colourful ,whimming  and floating.

On other days there are celebrated different types of events like boat races which are most popular and stunning , different types of cultural programmes , martial arts, dance, rangoli etc.  People celebrate their times in those days by shopping, donating time or food for the charities and spending quality times with family. The men and women wear their traditional dress . Basically women wore Kasavu saree on this day. 

At Tripunithura near Kochi the Onam is celebrated with a grand procession which is called ‘Athachamayam’ , it is also addressed by ‘Thripunithura Athachamayam’. There are elephant marching, drum beats and other music , floats, folk art forms and colourful dressed people and with their masks which is wonderful. According to Kerala history the Kochi king conducted a grand military procession which has now become a state-supported event

There are epic scenes from Mahavarat and Ramayana in this traditional float procession . There are also themes from the Bible .From Tripunithura to the Vamanamoorthy Temple in Thrikkakara, Ernakulam district , is the traditional path. It is  the temple of Vishnu in his Vamana (dwarf) avatar. After arrival at the temple, the marchers offer a prayer.

In this festival ‘Pookalam’ , which is called floral rangoli in general, is an attraction. It is known as Onapookalam or Pookalam. There are so many types of flower, basically marigold is the main blossom. It is decorated particularly at the entry point and temple premises like a flower mat. On Atham the Pookalam is called Athspoo and for this day it is comparatively small in size. It grows in size gradually with each day of this festival. In this Pookalam the Dasapushpam (10 types of flower) is used. In Kerala Pookalam competitions are common everywhere on Onam day.

In this festival there are so many types of traditional dance performed like Kathakali , Pulikali, Kummattikali, Thumbi Thullal, Onam Kali etc. Thiruvathira Kali is a women’s dance, where they circle around a lamp. Kummattikali , which is a colorful-mask dance. In Thrissur, festivities include a procession consisting of caparisoned elephants surrounded by Kummatikali dancers. Onam Kali is a form of dance where players circle around a pole or tree or lamp,dance and sing songs from the Ramayana and other epics.  Kathakali is the most famous dance type. 

Pulikali is a different type of dance which is known as Kaduvakali during this festival where the performer is painted like tigers in bright yellow, red and black, and dances to the beats of instruments like Chenda and Thakil. It is a type of folk dance.

Another amazing part of this festival is Vallamkali which is a snake boat race. In this boat race numerous oarsmen row huge snake-shaped boats and men and women come from far and near to watch and cheer the snake boat race through the water. Particularly it happened on the Pampa River.

The Onam sadya, which is the feast, is  another amazing part of Thiruvonam and it is observed in every Keralite attempt . Chips , Sharkaraveratti ,Pappadam, various vegetable and soups such as Injipuli, Thoran, Mezhukkupuratti, Kaalan, Olan, Avial, Sambhar, Dal served along with a small quantity of ghee, Erisheri, Moloshyam, Rasam, Puliseri, Kichadi and Pachadi, Moru , Pickles both sweet and sour, and coconut chutney are the menu.

So it is the very interesting festival of our colourful India which is more colourful and delightful to us.

The Restoration Period: Verse (Part 2)

Please ensure to read the part 1 of the Restoration Literature.

  1. Restoration Tragedy  – Heroic Tragedy – combination of Epic and tragedy; Tragedy – a tragic flaw but Heroic Tragedy, not because of tragic flaw but by Failure, hero failing by his failure may be in a duel/battle, in Restoration Tragedy – hero’s failure isn’t something inherent from the beginning of the play, but when he tries something –an act, he fails – Nicholas Rowe, John Dryden, Thomas Otway.
  2. Epic – a lengthy poem – often poets never able to completely write it, due to its extreme length – a stylised life off a person, dictated in a formal manner, not a person existing alone but connected to society – it begins in media rest – not a liner progression of events but could begin anywhere. Alexander Pope wrote a Mock Epic, written using the style of the Epic, making fun of it.
  1. Restoration Comedy – Comedies in Elizabethan Period – love and its tribulations – romances written in the Elizabethan Period is congratulatory praises the Monarch – Elizabeth mainly. With restoration, comedy comes back, but a different set; a class bound comedy – to deal with the upper classes, Shakespearean plays enacted by Shakespearean Company, which in Jacobean period the company was renamed under Jing James – ‘Kings Men’ – which catered to the needs on general people and not aristocracy, but was later seen to align to the needs of Aristocracy, therefore the comedies written during Restoration was class bound, and lot of upper class people were represented in that way. Metropolis – London, urbanised metropolitan – filled with stereotypes – innocent with faulty characters; ‘predatory widows’ looking for men with money, as well as men looking for women with good estates – money. Restoration Comedy emphasis on love triangle and rivalries, among parallel plots. Restoration Comedy – marriages are regarded as a boring restrictive system, ‘looking for estates’ as well as a boring restrictive system. Both narratives existed the latter was unique, where women had a voice of their own and men objecting towards the institution of marriage. Adultery/Carnality/Folly and Vices/ Proviso Scene – ‘Way of the World’ by William Congreve  – a prenup – a marriage bargaining scene. William Congreve, George Etherege, William Wycherley, George Fraquhar, John Vanburgh – Big five of Restoration Comedy – portraying the upper class yet critiquing – subverting them.  London – the urban side is a setting for all of them and there would be a juxtaposition between the urban and rural side of London.Attacks on Immorality – genre of drama is declining, Theatre Licensing Act of 1737, granting license to any play or refuse on any grounds – the initial half of 18th Century; revival of this particular form of writing – 1770’s Restoration Comedies – Oliver goldsmith – 1773, ‘She stoops to Conquer’ and Sheridan in 1775 and 1777 ‘Rivals’ ways in which the RC is revived in the 1770’s. And Oscar Wilde in ‘the Importance of Being Ernest’.

The Restoration Period: Prose (Part 1)

Restoration Period is during 1660 and the monarch and its influence in England. This period marked the return of Charles II as King (1660–85) following the period of Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth

  1. history writing – a significant contribution made during the Restoration Period, documenting the religious and political history of England. The English Prose written to popularise Science – in Renaissance – emergence of new cosmos and science able to release from the clutches of religion, and during the Restoration Period – The Royal Society of London – for the improvement of Natural Knowledge – a learned society thinking about rationality, factual interpretation, empirical reasoning, clearly the opposite of the Medieval Period, where we don’t question authority – a significant thread carried forward in the Restoration is the spirit of Science and Technology. The Royal Society of London – a scientific advisor to the British Government, a principal advisor as well. Thomas Sprat – history piece, on The History Royal Society of London.  Gilbert Burnet.
  2. Diary writingPepys and Evelyn diaries- social documents –  presenting grant details, gossip and rumours of 17th Century intellectuals, discussing events like  – coronation of Charles II, Fire of London (1666) Plague of England (1665), wars fought.  Evelyn’s work Fumifugium – smokiness of London, how it was becoming increasingly populated , Sylva – reforestation, and pollution, how river Thames was becoming increasingly populated.
  3. Travel Writing – sponsored by The Royal Society of London to make a systematic documentation and collection of natural knowledge, funding foreign travels – only condition is to report the travels. Samuel Smith, Benjamin Walford, William Dampier – traveler belonging to the Restoration Period, connection is restoration science and travellers as they work hand in hand, beyond providing data  but also their direct interaction with a new land would impact – direct experience of the new land and not just the marvels of travel documentation. Richard Haklyut and Thomas Roe (India is a very rich country and they sell Jewels on the streets of India).
  4. Biographies – secular as well as religious people as well – Izeak WaltonLives’, John Dryden the History of particular mens life. Hagiography – biography of a christian Saint – the pious life of a saints life.

A guide to take your business international

As Globalisation takes over the world, more and more businesses are expanding and opening their manufacturing units, branches, outlets, offices all over the globe. While some grow exponentially and expand their market, sales and customer base, some fail to get any response and incur huge promotional, travel, administration and financial costs.

This is why it is extremely crucial to form an entry strategy that suits the organisation. It is also important to assess the financial position and capacity of the organisation and to understand that International business gives delayed returns as spreading awareness, competing with the competitor’s product and building an International customer base takes time and incurs promotional costs.

Once the business is ready to enter the international market, there are several factors to be considered.

  1. Firstly, the organisation needs to conduct market research and choose the country and the specific locations where there is demand for their product/service.
  2. Secondly, assessing the culture, language of the country and city is also very important. The organisation can make the necessary changes (if any) to its product/service and its packaging and labelling accordingly.
  3. The last step is to form an entry strategy that suits the organisation and the market and implement the stategy.

Ways of entering an International Market

There are several ways to enter a market depending on the product/service reach preferred by the organisation and the financial capacity of the organisation.

  • Direct Exporting- In this method, the organisation directly sends its products, transfers its employees and workers to the location chosen. It involves huge setup, transportation and transfer costs. Therefore, this method is only used when the product that is being exported has a lot of demand in the new market and will definitely get a response from the target audience. For example, exporting machines to developing countries where there’s no manufacturing of such machines but a huge demand for the same.
  • Through a distributor- In this method, products are sold to distributors who are wholesale buyers. The distributor uses his own selling and pricing strategies to sell the product in the market.
  • Licensing- Through licensing, the organisation can share its technology, method and basic know how with local companies. However, through this method, the product is sold under the local companies’ name and brand so there is no scope of building an international brand and consumer base.
  • Contract Manufacturing– Through this method, the company pays a local manufacturing unit to manufacture their products by sharing their technology and design. It saves the cost of exporting or setting up a manufacturing unit abroad and is ideal for products that require large scale production.
  • Strategic Alliance- This method includes Mergers, Acquisitions and Joint Ventures. In Joint Ventures, two companies form another company to work as partners. For example, Hero Honda. In Mergers and Acquisitions, one company merges with or acquires another company. There is no formation of third company or new identity in this case. For example, Walmart acquired Flipkart.
  • Through an Overseas agent- Using this method, the company hires a local agent to make business relationships on behalf of the company. The agent acts as a sales representative who sells the products on behalf of the company and has no direct relationship with the customers. The agent gets commission on his sales. This is an effective method to save costs in case the organisation wants to test out the response of the foreign potential consumers or distribute their products on small scale without incurring huge costs.