GIRL INFANTICIDE IN INDIA

We live in 21st century which is an era of a modern and advanced society. There are some dark truths that run deep in our roots, Female infanticide being one of them. While some of us are aware about it, many others deny to acknowledge this truth. Female infanticide is the intentional killing of baby girls due to the preference for male babies and from the low value associated with the birth of females. It is the dowry system, lack of financial independence, social customs and beliefs that have downgraded the females to a secondary status comes discrimination, domestic violence and girl infanticide. There are still several cases reported every year of girl infanticide in our country. It is a fact that even though we are in a global society, the major part of our country’s population lives in rural area. In the rural areas, most women give birth in their homes only and because of this we still don’t have the accurate data of girl infanticide.

Sex Ratio indicates the proportion of males to females in a certain population, whereas, in India, the sex ratio is calculated as the number of females per 1000 males. A girl child is considered to be a liability by early societies, and even today, also many people have the same mindset regarding female children. Many parents consider it better to invest in a son than in a daughter. Female infanticide causes an imbalance in the society among the number of males and females. The Socio-Cultural perspective relates to gender differences on a household level, whereas the demographic perspective focuses more on gender differences in the desired family composition. According to a report by the Indian government in 2018, around 63 million women are missing in India. With a decline in sex ratio, the number is going to increase more in the near future. Thus, Indian sex ratio can be characterized as adverse and a declining one, which favors male more than female. There is an immediate requirement for strict regulations to keep a check on such traditions, which is carried out in many parts of India.

According to a recent report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) up to 50 million girls and women are missing from India’ s population as a result of systematic gender discrimination in India. In most countries in the world, there are approximately 105 female births for every 100 males. In India, there are less than 93 women for every 100 men in the population. The United Nations says an estimated 2,000 unborn girls are illegally aborted every day in India. In our country women face problem in the family and psychological disturbance because of giving birth to the girl child and regretted being women. Most of the women reported that they killed their babies under pressure from their husbands. Many a time the husbands would beat up their wives and force them to kill the female child because she is an economic burden. .

Even though the law is a powerful instrument of change yet law alone cannot root out this social problem. The girls are devalued not only because of the economic considerations but also because of socio-cultural factors, such as, the belief that son extends the lineage, enlarges the family tree, provides protection safety and security to the family and is necessary for salvation as he alone can light the funeral pyre and perform other death related rites and rituals. It is, therefore, essential that these socio and cultural factors be tackled by changing the thought process through awareness generation, mass appeal and social action. It’s a high time that we as a country come together and put an end to this heinous crime.

MILKHA SINGH

Milkha Singh, popularly known as “The Flying Sikh,” was a renowned Indian sprinter who began competing while serving in the Indian Army. On November 20th, 1929, Milkha Singh was born. He came from a Rathore Rajput Sikh household. Govindpura is a settlement in Punjab Province, British India, that is 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from Muzaffargarh city (now in Pakistan).

Singh competed in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games in the 200m and 400m sprints for India. Due to his lack of experience, he did not go past the heat stages, but a meeting with Charles Jenkins, the 400m winner at those Games, encouraged him and gave him valuable information about training techniques. Singh won gold medals in the 200m and 400m in the National Games of India in Cuttack in 1958, He also won gold medals in the 200m and 400m at the Asian Games in 1958. With a time of 46.6 seconds, he won a gold medal in the 400m at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. This performance earned him the position of first gold medallist from independent India in the Commonwealth Games. Singh won gold in the 400m and the 4 x 400m relay at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta.

Following his victory in 1958, Singh received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honor. In 2001, he declined the Indian government’s offer of the Arjuna Award, claiming that it was designed to honor young athletes, not adults like him. Singh’s medals have all been donated to the country. They were first displayed in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, then relocated to a sports museum in Patiala, where they were paired by a pair of running shoes he wore in Rome. In 2012, he gave the Adidas sneakers he used in 1960 400m final to be auctioned off by actor Rahul Bose for charity.

Milkha Singh, a renowned Indian sprinter, died on June 18 as a result of post-Covid problems. At the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, he was receiving treatment. The 91-year-old Milkha Singh tested positive for COVID-19 on May 19 but was placed in home isolation after indicating that he was asymptomatic at his Chandigarh house. However, on May 24, the renowned athlete was taken to the Fortis hospital’s ICU in Mohali owing to “COVID pneumonia.” On June 3, he was transferred to PGIMER in Chandigarh. He was cremated with full state honors.

Nirmal Kaur, who was a former national volleyball captain and also the wife of Milkha Singh, also died due to post-Covid problems. The couple died with a mere gap of 5 days.

In a statement, his family confirmed, “It is with extreme sadness that we would like to inform you that Milkha Singh Ji passed away at 11.30 pm. on the 18th of June 2021.”

Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, paid tribute to the renowned sprinter. In his tweet, PM Modi wrote, “In the passing away of Shri Milkha Singh Ji, we have lost a colossal sportsperson, who captured the nation’s imagination and had a special place in the hearts of countless Indians. His inspiring personality endeared himself to millions. Anguished by his passing away.”

A tribute to Milkha singh

“The track, to me, was like an open book, in which I could read the meaning and purpose of life. I revered it like I would the sanctum sanctorum in a temple, where the deity resided and before whom I would humbly prostrate myself as a devotee. To keep me steadfast to my goal, I renounced all pleasures and distractions, to keep myself fit and healthy, and dedicated my life to the ground where I could practice and run. Running had thus become my God, my religion, and my beloved.”

 – Milkha Singh

Milkha Singh never looked back in outrage at that one minute when he’d fatefully looked back. Missing what might have been India’s most prominent track and field award — a bronze at the Rome Olympics in 1960 by 0.1 seconds — autonomous India’s to begin with wearing genius instructed a country entering its teenagers what a shock felt like. An Armed force man, who awed a Pakistan Common so much that he gave him the celebrated moniker “Flying Sikh”; a track legend who put India at the beginning pieces of the greatest donning arrange; and a trailblazer who requested fabulousness from all those who spoke to the nation — Milkha Singh passed absent from Covid-related complications late Friday at the age of 91.

Five days prior, Milkha’s spouse, Nirmal Kaur, a previous India volleyball captain, had misplaced her fight with the infection at a Mohali healing center. Milkha is survived by 14-time universal champ and golfer child Jeev Milkha Singh, girls Mona Singh, Sonia Singh, and Aleeza Grover — and a bequest that’s a portion of India’s donning legend.

Whereas his four gold decorations within the Asian Diversions and duels with Pakistan’s Abdul Khaliq lit up stadiums, one of Milkha’s more popular wins was his noteworthy 400m gold at point British Realm and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, UK. Running within the outermost path at Cardiff Arms Stop before more than 70,000 fans, Milkha pipped the at that point world record holder, South Africa’s Malcolm Spence, clocking 46.6 seconds to form history and get his award from Ruler Elizabeth. After the race, as he told the BBC that he had satisfied his obligation towards his country, a youthful country learned to strut around overnight.

After the riots amid Segment claimed his guardians and three brothers, Milkha landed in Ferozepur in a military truck after a bad dream journey from Multan in a prepare doused in blood. Still a boy, he would sparkle boots of warriors and, on awful days, be constrained to take proportion to nourish his purge stomach. After two fizzled Armed force enlistment endeavors, Milkha joined EME, Secunderabad. And it’s within the shadow of the Golconda Post that he made a 10-man waitlist out of 500 for a 6-mile run and came beneath the tutelage of his, to begin with, coach, Havaldar Gurdev Singh.

Chipping absent at competition at inter-services meets, Milkha made the India camp in 1956, and booked a billet for the Melbourne Olympics, starting his 400m spell. He’d observe the greats streak past, as the desire to run as quick as they took root. Preparing till he dropped and with a fixation to win, Milkha begun setting national records, attempting his best to stay to a regimen written for him by Olympic winner Charles Jenkins in Melbourne. He was before long Asia’s best, and the highly-touted Pakistan runners would begin falling brief. It was Pakistan president Common Ayub Khan who blessed Milkha the “Flying Sikh” after he blitzed past the domestic nation’s Abdul Khaliq at a worldwide race in Lahore.

However, whereas reflecting within the gleam of knowledge of the past after his retirement, Milkha would liberally credit those he beat and was beaten by, calling them the pacesetters of his life. A survivor of the Segment, Milkha wouldn’t let the wounds putrefy, accepting that destiny’s casualties endured on both sides. He immovably recognized how his childhood in Pakistan and youth in India formed him as a battle-hardened sportsman. And he’d continuously allude to Abdul Khaliq as his shadow, strolling ahead in some cases, falling back on others, but twinned until the end of time, each pushing the other.

There was epic elegance in his falling flat at the Olympics, as well. In a race where Otis Davis of the USA set a world record of 44.9 seconds with Carl Kauffman of Germany wrapping up a near moment, Milkha set the national record of 45.6 seconds. Afterward, he conceded that looking back at the halfway organize had fetched him valuable time but wouldn’t brood on it. He grasped the result as fate. Milkha was continuously thankful for anything he accomplished, instead of remaining gloomy over what he missed.

As he nursed his drink and busied his hard-earned retirement a long time of consolation in Chandigarh, playing golf and developing ancient encompassed by grandchildren, with an undiminished get-up-and-go for life, Milkha instructed his nation how to require all that life tossed at him, in what was his amazing walk.

He was and will be a legend.May his soul rest in peace.

YOGA

Yoga could be a word that got to be prevalent over the world within the last few years. Yoga isn’t as it were advantageous for the body but moreover for the intellect. It makes a difference to move forward bloodstream and makes a difference in building intellect clarity. For ages, yoga was known to be useful for our physical & mental wellbeing. It not as it were makes a difference for us to remain calm but moreover makes a difference us to lose weight. During this progressing coronavirus widespread, when we are all bound to live a confined life beneath the steady fear of contamination dangers, it is common for anybody to create uneasiness. The ceaseless stream of negative news, the insufficiency of day-by-day assets, everything is included in this developing uneasiness and misery. Being limited at domestic for such long periods of time can be mentally challenging for us. When our intellect is overflowed with the instability of end of, we regularly encounter restless evenings causing weariness. Numerous of us are incapable to unwind our intellect amid this time subsequently expanding the stretch on our minds. 

Amid this time, it is imperative to get it that mental wellbeing is exceptionally critical for survival. To assist with this developing level of uneasiness and misery, we must lead a sound way of life, remain associated with our cherished ones, and hone yoga at domestic.

WHY YOGA?

Persistent uneasiness or push can show numerous well-being conditions such as tall blood weight, muscle pressure, breathing issues, etc. Push is the component that triggers our thoughtful anxious framework causing all these wellbeing issues and in such circumstances, yoga can offer assistance to us to remain calm. The pose and asanas of yoga offer assistance to diminish muscle pressure, joint issues and unwind our thoughtful framework, coming about in a loose intellect. There is a parcel of yoga postures that offer assistance to oversee our blood weight level and uneasiness. Yoga moreover educates us to direct our breath, which can make an individual feel loose and at peace.

YOGA DURING THE PANDEMIC

To live through this lockdown & widespread period, yoga is the most excellent thing to embrace as a way of life propensity. It makes a difference us construct a solid physical, mental and otherworldly wellbeing framework. When combined with breathing and contemplation, it acts as the most excellent component to require care of our intellect, body, and soul. There are diverse shapes of yoga that can offer assistance to us to remain physically solid and rationally adjusted. It could moreover be something you’ll be able to propel others in your family & social circle to do because it seems to offer assistance to them get through these times effortlessly & soundly. Rather like a typical walk within the stop or 30 minutes of hard-core exercise center working out, Yoga brings its possess enhance and benefits to the table, which can be performed by individuals of all ages, and gives you with an all-encompassing sense of wellbeing, which is particularly required amid these times.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA 

Yoga is accepted to have started in India thousands of a long time prior additionally finds say in ancient mythological books just like the Fix Veda. On 27 September 2014, Prime minister Narendra Modi, amid his discourse at the Joined together Countries (UN) Common Gathering, proposed the thought of practicing “Yoga Day.” In his discourse, Modi named Yoga as an ‘invaluable blessing of India’s old tradition’ and highlighted the significance of yoga for keeping up “harmony between man and nature.” The draft determination passed by India was sponsored by 177 countries and the primary Worldwide Yoga Day was celebrated on June 21, 2015.

THEME FOR 2021

Concurring to the UN site, the topic for Worldwide Yoga Day 2021 is “Yoga for well-being”, i.e. how the hone of Yoga can advance the all-encompassing wellbeing of each person. With the COVID-19 widespread compounding mental enduring and mental wellbeing issues, numerous individuals have been grasping Yoga to remain sound and to battle confinement and sadness.

Yoga plays an imperative part within the psycho-social care and recovery of COVID-19 patients in isolation and segregation. As per the site, the message of Yoga in advancing both the physical and mental well-being of humankind has never been more pertinent. The World Wellbeing Association (WHO) has moreover inquired its part states to hone Yoga and has included it in its Worldwide Activity Arrange for physical movement 2018-30.

Yoga is all about creating a balance in your life. It is about balancing your senses, balancing your body, soul, and mind in order to live healthily and live in peace. Wishing you a peaceful and healthy life on International Yoga Day.

Living With A Star- The Sun

We have our own star- the mighty Sun. The Sun is the biggest source of heat and light in our solar system. It is one of the several trillion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. Though it is massive, it is classified as a yellow dwarf star. Without it, life might not exist, and that makes it very important to us. 

To ancient people, the Sun was something to worship. Various religions around the world venerated the Sun as a god with various names. 

Image result for Sun. Size: 160 x 160. Source: www.physics.upenn.edu

Solar Physics

Our sun is very special to us and the solar system. So, we have a separate branch of physics specially for our dear Sun.Solar physicists seek to explain how the sun works and how it affects the rest of the solar system They take  measurements of the temperature and have assigned it a stellar ‘type’ based on their measurements. They figure out its structure. Their studies help us to know more about the other stars.

Structure of the sun

The Sun is basically a big sphere of superheated gas. It has an outer solar atmosphere, which is called the corona (not the virus of course).  It’s an incredibly thin layer of superheated gas having over a million degrees temperature. Below that lies the chromosphere. It’s a thin, reddish-hued layer of gases and its temperature changes from 3500℃ at the base to 35000℃  where it transitions up to the corona. Next is the photosphere, where temperatures range from 4000°C to 5700℃ . When you look at the sun, the photosphere is actually what you see. The sun is actually white(believe me), but it appears yellowish because its light travels through our atmosphere, which removes blue and red wavelengths from the incoming light. After the photosphere, we have the convective zone. It contains bubbles, which are currents moving through the Sun. The next layer is the radiative zone. This region truly does radiate heat from the center of the Sun up to the convective zone. The final layer is the solar core. This is a huge nuclear furnace where nuclear fusion happens. The temperature here is 15million degrees celsius. The rest of the Sun pressing down on it provides a pressure 340 billion times the earth’s atmospheric pressure at sea level (the poor core has a lot of pressure indeed!). The Sun fuses about 620 metric tons of hydrogen to helium each second, and that’s what gives out all that heat.

Heliopause

The solar wind from the sun extends out about 100 astronomical units, and creates a bubble that surrounds the solar system. The bubble’s inner edge is called the heliopause. 

Sun spots

The surface of the sun is dotted with dark regions called sun. Look who has acne problems! Well, these are not really acne. These are areas threaded with magnetic fields and look dark because they are cooler than the surrounding regions. Sunspots appear in eleven year cycles.  As the Sun reaches solar minimum and solar maximum through the solar cycle, the spots change darkness. These sunspots are related to solar activity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/in-depth/

MENSTRUAL HYGIENE: A CHALLENGING DEVELOPMENT ISSUE


Menstruation is still now a social taboo in Indian Society.The major reasons behind menstruation still being a taboo in the Indian society are illiteracy, poverty and lack of awareness.

WHAT IS MENSTRUATIONS?
The blood coming out from vagina normally occurs as part of a woman’s monthly cycle called menstruation or periods. Every month, our body prepares for pregnancy. The uterus, or womb, sheds its lining in case of no pregnancy . The menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from inside the uterus. We can say that periods are the onset of puberty in girls. During this time a girl goes through several physical and psychological changes in her body. It is associated with bleeding along with stomach ache , nausea as well as mood swings.
After the onset of puberty , it brings various rules, restrictions, isolation and changed expectations in the girls life by the society. These changes in attitude towards girls such as restrictions on their self expressions, schooling, mobility and freedom has far reaching consequences on the mindset of women.

MENSTRUATION- A TABOO
In the Indian society menstruation is still considered as a taboo. Till now, adolescent girls are not given proper information about menstruation. People create major hurdles in educating girls about menstrual hygiene.

Mothers also don’t talk with their daughters about this topic because they feel shy while expressing the terms. Another reason they don’t discuss this topic is because most of them lack scientific knowledge on puberty and menstruation.
Most of the people in India, especially the girls are illiterate. This is one of the reasons for which menstruation is still a relevant taboo in our Indian society. The other important reasons are poverty and lack of awareness about menstrual health and hygiene.
Very less number (less than 18 percent) of Indian women use sanitary pads.

TROUBLES SUFFERED BY THE WOMEN:
In many families women’s freedom is still in the hands of patriarchal discourse. With the evolution of these cultures, there has not been any significant change in people’s attitudes and mentality towards menstruation.

In some families menstruation is still denoted as an unclean or embarrassing thing. For them even mentioning menstruation in public or private places is embarrassing. Most girls feel embarrassed to go to a medical store to buy sanitary pads for them. There are also many girls who cannot afford to buy the Sanitary Napkins.

Most of the girls in financially unprivileged families drop out of school when they begin to menstruate. More than 77 percent of girls and women in India use an old cloth, which is often reused, ashes, newspapers, dried leaves and husk sand during periods.

During these periods women are not allowed to participate in day-to-day activities. They are not allowed to enter the house or carry in with their household chores. They are even restricted from entering the kitchens. They are restricted from entering the temple. They are not even allowed to any sacred places and also not allowed to perform any rituals. They are restricted from doing all these works because they think that a menstruating woman is impure and everything she touches turns impure or bad. They think after menstruation a woman must be purified before entering the house or other places.
While menstruating, a woman goes through several psychological trauma and mood swings . During this time they should be given proper care but instead they are treated poorly by the society.

SURVEYS:
According to the latest National Family and Health Survey 58 per cent of young Indian women (15-24 years) use a hygienic method of protection (mostly sanitary pads) which is a significant increase from the 12 percent using pads in 2010. This is a consequence of greater attention to menstrual hygiene management over the past few years in India. This not only prevails in the Indian society but is a global issue.
On a global level, at least 500 million women and girls lack adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management. The lack in appropriate information on sanitation and hygiene facilities, especially in public places like schools, workplaces or health centres can pose a major obstacle to women and girls.

CONCLUSION:
To prevent this troubles faced by the menstruating women in our society, we must give them proper education about menstrual health and hygiene, provide financial support or distribute sanitary napkins to the unprivileged women so that they don’t have to suffer the ill fate. @track2traininginstitute @edunewsnetwork

the stability of life

A father’s fears and tears are unseen, his love is unexpressed, but his care and protection remains as a pillar of strength throughout our lives.

Ama H. Vanniarachchy
Happy Father's Day to all dads - The Sunday Guardian Live

Stability, when we ponder upon this, we can think of many things. For some, it means having a peaceful life sheltered within the four walls and a roof, while for some, it means well enough income for sustainability while others might think about their plans like marriage. But for these versions of stability, one has to work hard and sacrifice everything in his way to achieve it. But there is one kind no one has to ever work for, a kind we receive since we are born in this world, that is, the stability provided by the pillar of our lives, our dad.

A dad is an individual who sacrifices all his versions of stability so that his son and daughter can live a stable life. He gives up his peace, his savings so that he can secure his young ones future. He devotes his entire existence to us to live a better and happy life at the expense of his countless days of sleep.

A mother may carry us inside her womb for nine months but, it’s the father that helps us take our first step. When we fall, it’s the mother who treats our injuries but, it’s a father who tells us to get back up and try again. While a mother supports us emotionally, it’s the father who shows us what real strength is.

On the brink of this pandemic, where many lost their families, jobs, houses, the pillars of our household didn’t lose hope. Without proper public transportations, they travelled long miles for their work, worked alternatively from their home and office to fulfil the shortages inside their household. And unfortunately, many fathers lost their lives due to this.

Their real strength is hope. Hope to feed their families at heart’s content with their earnings, hope to see their kids become successful in life, hope their loved ones to lead a healthy life and hope that their family would live on if something were to happen to them. They may or may not have higher qualifications in this modern era of technologies, but they have the best experience when it comes to life. Having been through countless ups and downs and having seen the lowest of the low points in life, they try to give their kids a perfect life so that they wouldn’t have to experience the cruelty of the world. They protect from the frontline while stepping aside during celebrations shows how selfless and giving their love is.

So on this Father’s Day, let’s appreciate his sacrifice and show him that his hard work was never in vain. Let us show him that we were always thankful for his guidance whenever we stuck at crossroads, felt safe when he covered us with a blanket at night, were happy when he fulfilled all our wishes without any expectations. But, we also got worried when he was late, tensed when he caught a cold, felt sorry when we saw the dark circles under his tired eyes, cried when we saw him hurt but loved him from the bottom of our hearts as he was and always will be the permanent stability of our lives.

BOOK REVIEW- Heidi

Ah, Heidi, that brings light to the heart! What comfort you have brought me!

Peter’s Grandmother in ‘Heidi’ (Johanna Spyri)

Heidi is a child who warms the heart of each and everyone she meets, be it the beautiful characters she meets and interacts with or the readers who only meet her through the words of Johanna Spyri. A girl so pure and untainted that all you want is a happy ending for her.

Reading the book as a 12-year-old brought me immense joy and happiness. From the moment we first met her, a bundle of clothes being taken up the mountains to live with her gruff grandfather because her aunt couldn’t care for her, her aura shone through the pages and made you feel like you were actually accompanying her. I felt bad for her when her aunt was describing the rumors about ‘Uncle Alp’ her grandfather, felt happy for her when ‘Grandfather’ turned out to actually be the most caring and kind human being who loved Heidi with all her heart. I could almost see the beautiful sunset that lit up the mountain tops that she saw on her first trip up with the goats and her excitement dripped off the pages every time she did something new.

Reading the book again as an adult brought me the same happiness. The same sense of wonder and sympathy. I was hooked once again and dragged into the Swiss world of Heidi, the moment I opened the first page. I experienced anew the fear and confusion she felt at suddenly being sent away to Frankfurt, a city that was so much of a contrast from the mountains and nature she had gotten used to. At the same time, I laughed along with Sara, the invalid she was sent to accompany, at the ridiculous exploits she still got up to. I laughed at Miss Rottenmeier, the housekeeper’s, dismay at having to deal with a child who seemed to know nothing of the basic alphabet let alone etiquette.

As any children’s book, Heidi gets her happy ending when she is sent back to her Grandfather in the alps by Mr. Sesemann, Clara’s father, when he sees how homesick she is. She returns home a changed girl though. While still maintaining her innocence and carefree nature, she has grown into quite a capable young woman who brings a lot of change in her mountain friends, getting even Peter, who hated studying, to read a hymn a day for his poor old, blind grandmother.

‘Heidi’ is a book that I think I will enjoy reading even when I am much much older. A book that will bring back the feelings I felt as a child every time I read it. Well-written and a timeless classic, it is a book that captures the innocence of child, the confusion they face when put in an unfamiliar environment, the ease with which children adapt. It is also a book that poignantly captures the homesickness any human feels in a place they don’t belong and the beauty that is nature. It is a book filled with a lot of emotions while still remaining light-hearted. Many things made an even more profound impact on me when I read it as an adult. A lot of themes like the power of rumors and the misconceptions of people about ‘Uncle Alp’ hit me more as an adult. The helplessness Clara feels, stuck in a wheelchair all her life, and the immense happiness she experiences at being able to walk again. The resignation with which Peter’s grandmother accepted her fate and the peace she felt when her days were filled with the light that Heidi brought in with her every time she visited. While I did feel happy reading all the good things and sad at all the bad things, reading them again at a much more mature age put them in a different light.

This is a book, I feel that everyone must read at least once if not twice. A book that will bring you so much joy no matter your age. A book that reveals a lot more layers than you would expect from a children’s book. A book I am sure I will pick up once again to read the next time I come across it on my shelf. A book I will fall in love with all over again no matter how many times I have read it.

Body Shaming- Too Fat Too Skinny

Body shaming is not just limited to making fun of someone just because they are fat or thin. It has wide scope for shaming someone for their height, body shape, any physical mark, physical features, muscularity or femininity, or any other external elements on the body such as tattoos.

What is Body Shaming?

Body shaming is the mocking of people based on their physical appearance. Fat-shaming might be the most common shaming that you must be knowing, but that’s not the end. Today, people are even mocked for their masculinity or femininity (even lack of it). Some physical features are stereotypically gender-associated. Some features like- broad shoulders, hairy body, facial hair, muscular body, and short hairs are associated with men, while features like- broad hips, prominent breast, long hairs, and smooth hair-free skin are associated with women. 

Sometimes these features, if visible in the opposite gender becomes the reason for bullying. A man having a prominent breast or a woman with small breasts are often bullied for their appearance and are put up with questions on masculinity and femininity. A woman with facial hair and a man without a beard (both of them are normal and naturally possible) are also mocked as they are expected to have the opposite. 

Movies and TV shows have contributed to a great extent in developing such a mindset of mocking someone or judging oneself by comparing self with others based on physical appearance. You must have seen, a ‘fat’ or a ‘bald’ character is always a subject of a joke and is bullied and called names. These visuals leave a psychological impact on the viewers and make it seem normal to bully someone for their appearance. 

Body shaming can take various forms;

  • Judging and commenting on someone’s physical appearance on their face.
  • Self-judging and comparison of one’s physical appearance with others.
  • Mocking on someone’s appearance without their knowledge.

Body shaming has increased with the increase in the use of social media. People tend to put up themselves much different way than they are in real life. People get flattered with other people’s posts and want to have such lives or look the way the other person looks in the posts. Also, the photo filters or filter apps available make them want to look “perfect”, without any flaws. These filters can make you look thinner if you are fat or vice-versa, make your skin look smooth and flawless, make you look tall if you are short, or the other way.

Bullying people traumatizes them and leaves them in self-doubt and immensely low self-esteem. Having acne or marks is all-natural, but the fear of your appearance not getting accepted by people makes it difficult to accept oneself the way you are. Every individual has their natural height, hair type, body shape, skin type, and skin colour. Sometimes few of the physical aspects evolve because of underlying disease or health issues. You never know what someone might be going through. 

Your physical appearance doesn’t define you. What makes you stand out is how your behavior and actions. Beauty is very distinctive for everyone. What might not be appealing to you might be liked by someone else. That’s why it’s said, “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. There is no standard appearance to be socially accepted. It’s just made up of people around which has no significance. So, neither bully someone for their appearance nor stay quiet if you see anyone bully someone or you. If you see someone body shaming someone, take a stand. Stay positive and love yourself and everyone the way they are.

DIGITAL MARKETING

INTRODUCTION

Digital marketing is the response to marketing your goods and services through digital means. Digital marketing is done through the Internet. We can connect to it through internet, computer, mobile phone, laptop, website advertisements or any other applications.

The first few attempts were made in the 1980s to establish a digital market but this was not possible. Its name and usage started in the late 1990s. Digital marketing is a simple way to reach new customers. It carries out marketing activities. It can also be called online marketing. Digital marketing is marketing to reach more people in less time. It is a technological developing area.

TYPES OF DIGITAL MARKETING

(i) Search engine optimization or SEO: This is a technical medium that places your website at the top of the search engine results which increases the number of visitors. For this, we have to make our website according to keyword and SEO guidelines.

(ii) Social Media Marketing: Social media is made up of many websites – such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. Through social media, a person can express his views in front of thousands of people. You are well aware of social media. When we see this site, we see advertisements on it at certain intervals, it is effective and effective means for advertising.

(iii) Email Marketing: E-mail marketing is the delivery of your products via email to any company. Email marketing is necessary for every company in every way, because any company gives new offers and discounts to customers on time, for which email marketing is an easy way.

(iv) YouTube Channel: Social media is a medium in which producers have to communicate their products directly to the people. People can also express their reaction on this. This is the medium where there is a crowd of many people or just say that a large number of users / viewers live on YouTube. It is an easy and popular way to make your product visible to the public by making videos.

(v) Affiliate Marketing: The remuneration that is earned by advertising products through websites, blogs or links is called Affiliate Marketing. Under this, you create your link and put your product on that link. When a customer buys your product by pressing that link, you get hard on it.

(vi) Pay per click advertising or PPC marketing: The advertisement which you have to pay to see is called Pay Per Click Advertising. As it is being known by its name that money is deducted by clicking on it. This is for every type of advertisement. These advertisements keep coming in between. If someone sees these advertisements, then money is deducted. It is also a type of digital marketing.

(vii) Apps Marketing: Making different apps on the Internet to reach people and promote their product on it is called apps marketing. This is the best way of digital marketing. Nowadays a large number of people are using smart phones. Big companies make their apps and make the apps accessible to the people.

IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL MARKETING

Digital marketing is capable of functioning through the Internet. Today’s society is struggling with scarcity, so digital marketing has become necessary. Every person is connected to the internet, they can use it easily everywhere. If you ask to meet someone, they will say I do not have time, but on the social site, they will have no problem talking to you. Given all these things, digital marketing is making its way in this era.

The public can easily get their favorite and necessary goods through the internet as per their convenience. Now people avoid going to the market, in such a situation, digital marketing helps the business to reach its products and services logo. Digital marketing can show different types of the same item in a short period of time and consumers can quickly consume what they like. Through this, the consumer goes to the market to enjoy the goods, the time it takes to come and go .It has become necessary in the present tense. The trader is also getting help in business. He can also connect with more people in a short time and can convey the characteristics of his product to the consumer.

FUTURE OF DIGITAL MARKETING

Change is the law of nature. Today’s life is the age of the Internet. People of all varnas are connected to the Internet today, due to all this it is easy to collect all the people in one place, which was not possible in the first time. Through internet, we can also establish the connection of all businessmen and customers. The demand for digital marketing is being seen very strongly in the present times. The merchant who is making his goods is easily passing on to the customer. This is giving a boost to digital business.

Earlier, had to resort to advertisements. The customer looked at him, then liked, then he bought it. But now goods can be sent directly to the consumer. Every person is using Google, Facebook, YouTube, etc., through which the trader shows his product to the customer. This trade is within the reach of all – traders and consumers too. Every person gets every use thing without any hard work. The businessman does not even have to think of resorting to newspapers, posters, or advertisements. In view of the convenience of all, there is demand for it. People’s trust is also moving towards the digital market. This is a matter of joy for a businessman. The saying goes, “What you see is what sells” – the digital market is a good example of this.

FEMINISM

INTRODUCTION

Feminism is a social and political movement that advocates for the rights of women on the grounds of equality of sexes. It does not deny the biological differences between the sexes but demands equality in opportunities. It covers everything from social and political to economic arenas. In fact, feminist campaigns have been a crucial part of history in women empowerment. The feminist campaigns of the twentieth century made the right to vote, public property, work and education possible. Thus, an essay on feminism will discuss its importance and impact.

KINDS OF FEMINISM

1.Liberal Feminism: It attempts to focus on women’s individuality and independence. It demands equality and liberty. Freedom of choices is the key to development. Some of the notable Liberal Feminists are Abigail Adams and Mary Wollstonecraft.

2.Radical Feminism: The body of Feminism that arose from the civil liberties movement of 1967-68. Radical Feminism believes the male -capitalist mentality as well as the forces of the state to be the sole reason for women’s oppression.

3.Marxist and Socialist Feminism: The Marxist Feminism believes that to liberate women from age-old oppression, the forces of the capitalist society need to be overthrown; otherwise, equality of sexes cannot be achieved.

4.Cultural Feminism: Cultural Feminism is a more recent transformation of radical Feminism. Radical Feminism tried to transform the dominant patriarchal society into a more inclusive one. However, Cultural Feminism is an attempt to create an alternative to the dominant society and try to increase its acceptance.

5.Eco Feminism: Eco Feminism is more of a spiritual ideology which beliefs on the exploitation of patriarchal resources to be the solution for women’s liberation.

IMPORTANCE OF FEMINISM

Feminism is not just important for women but for every sex, gender, caste, creed and more. It empowers the people and society as a whole. A very common misconception is that only women can be feminists. It is absolutely wrong but feminism does not just benefit women. It strives for equality of the sexes, not the superiority of women. Feminism takes the gender roles which have been around for many years and tries to deconstruct them.

This allows people to live freely and empower lives without getting tied down by traditional restrictions. In other words, it benefits women as well as men. For instance, while it advocates that women must be free to earn it also advocates that why should men be the sole breadwinner of the family? It tries to give freedom to all. Most importantly, it is essential for young people to get involved in the feminist movement. This way, we can achieve faster results. It is no less than a dream to live in a world full of equality.

Thus, we must all look at our own cultures and communities for making this dream a reality. We have not yet reached the result but we are on the journey, so we must continue on this mission to achieve successful results.

IMPACT OF FEMINISM

Feminism has had a life-changing impact on everyone, especially women. If we look at history, we see that it is what gave women the right to vote. It was no small feat but was achieved successfully by women. Further, if we look at modern feminism, we see how feminism involves in life-altering campaigns. For instance, campaigns that support the abortion of unwanted pregnancy and reproductive rights allow women to have freedom of choice. Moreover, feminism constantly questions patriarchy and strives to renounce gender roles. It allows men to be whoever they wish to be without getting judged. It is not taboo for men to cry anymore because they must be allowed to express themselves freely. Similarly, it also helps the LGBTQ community greatly as it advocates for their right too. Feminism gives a place for everyone and it is best to practice intersectional feminism to understand everyone’s struggle.

CONCLUSION

The key message of feminism must be to highlight the choice in bringing personal meaning to feminism. It is to recognize other’s right for doing the same thing. The sad part is that despite feminism being a strong movement, there are still parts of the world where inequality and exploitation of women take places. Thus, we must all try to practice intersectional feminism.

POVERTY

INTRODUCTION

Poverty refers to a situation in which a person remain underprivileged from the basic necessities of life. In addition, the person does not have an inadequate supply of food, shelter, and clothes. In India, most of the people who are suffering from poverty cannot afford to pay for a single meal a day. Also, they sleep on the roadside; wear dirty old clothes. In addition, they do not get proper healthy and nutritious food, neither medicine nor any other necessary thing.

CAUSES OF POVERTY

The rate of poverty in India is increasing because of the increase in the urban population. The rural people are migrating to cities to find better employment. Most of these people find an underpaid job or an activity that pays only for their food. Most importantly, around crores of urban people are below the poverty line and many of the people are on the borderline of poverty. Besides, a huge number of people live in low-lying areas or slums. These people are mostly illiterate and in spite of efforts their condition remains the same and there is no satisfactory result.

Furthermore, there are many reasons that we can say are the major cause of poverty in India. These causes include corruption, growing population, poor agriculture, the wide gap of rich and poor, old customs, illiteracy, unemployment and few more. A large section of people are engaged in an agricultural activity but the activity pays very less in comparison to the work done by employees. Also, more population needs more food, houses and money and in the lack of these facilities the poverty grows very quickly. In addition, being extra poor and extra rich also widens the gap between the rich and poor. Moreover, the rich are growing richer and the poor are getting poorer creating an economic gap that is difficult to fill up.

EFFECTS OF POVERTY

It affects people living in a lot of ways. Also, it has various effects that include illiteracy, reduced nutrition and diet, poor housing, child labor, unemployment, poor hygiene and lifestyle, and feminization of poverty, etc. Besides, this poor people cannot afford a healthy and balanced diet, nice clothes, proper education, a stable and clean house, etc. because all these facilities require money and they don’t even have money to feed two meals a day then how can they afford to pay for these facilities.

SOLUTION FOR POVERTY ERADICATION

For solving the problem of poverty it is necessary for us to act quickly and correctly. Some of the ways of solving these problems are to provide proper facilities to farmers. So, that they can make agriculture profitable and do not migrate to cities in search of employment. Also, illiterate people should be given the required training so that they can live a better life. To check the rising population, family planning should be followed. Besides, measures should be taken to end corruption, so that we can deal with the gap between rich and poor.

CONCLUSION

Poverty is not the problem of a person but of the whole nation. Also, it should be deal with on an urgent basis by the implementation of effective measures. In addition, eradication of poverty has become necessary for the sustainable and inclusive growth of people, society, country, and economy.

UNEMPLOYMENT

INTRODUCTION

Unemployment is a very serious issue not only in India but in the whole world. There are hundreds and thousands of people out there who do not have employment. Besides, the problems of unemployment are very severe in India because of the growing population and demand for jobs. Moreover, if we neglect this problem then it will be going to become the reason for the doom of the nation.

MEANING OF UNEMPLOYMENT

Unemployment refers to a situation in which a skilled and talented people wanted to do a job. But cannot find a proper job due to several reasons.

TYPES OF UNEMPLOYMENT

The various types of unemployment include disguised unemployment, seasonal unemployment, open unemployment, technological unemployment, structural unemployment. Besides, some other unemployment is cyclic unemployment, educated unemployment, underemployment, frictional unemployment, chronic unemployment, and casual unemployment. Above all, seasonal unemployment, under unemployment, and disguised unemployment are the most common unemployment that is found in India.

REASONS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT

In a country like India, there is much reason for a large section of the population for being unemployed. Some of these factors are population growth, slow economic growth, seasonal occupation, slow growth of the economic sector, and fall in the cottage industry. Moreover, these are the major reason for unemployment in India. Also, the situation has become so drastic that highly educated people are ready to do the job of a sweeper. Besides, the government is not doing his work seriously.

Apart from all these, a large portion of the population is engaged in the agricultural sector and the sector only provides employment in harvest or plantation time. In addition, the biggest reason of unemployment in India is its vast population which demands a large number of jobs every year which the government and authorities are unable to provide.

CONSEQUENCES OF UNEMPLOYMENT

The various consequences of unemployment include increase in poverty, an increase in crime rate, exploitation of labor, political instability, mental health, and loss of skills. As a result, all this will eventually lead to the demise of the nation.

INITIATIVE BY THE GOVERNMENT

The government has taken the problem very seriously and have taken measures to slowly reduce unemployment. Some of these schemes includes IRDP (Integrated Rural Development Programme), DPAP (Drought Prone Area Programme), Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, Employment Assurance Scheme, NRY (Nehru Rozgar Yojana), Training for self-Employment, PMIUPEP (Prime Minister’s Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication Program), employment exchange, Employment Guarantee Scheme, development of organized sector, small and cottage industries, employment in forging countries, and Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana and few more. Besides, these schemes the government also make some rules flexible, so that employment can be created in the private sector also.

CONCLUSION

The problem of unemployment in India has reached a critical stage. But, now the government and local authorities have taken the problem seriously and working on it to reduce unemployment. Also, to completely solve the issue of unemployment we have to tackle the main issue of unemployment that is the vast population of India.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

INTRODUCTION

It is said that it is easy to learn and maintain bad habits but it is very difficult to switch them back. The issue of a healthy lifestyle is very serious but the people take it very lightly. Often, it is seen that the people take steps to improve their lifestyle but due to lack of determination quits in the midway.

Moreover, for a healthy lifestyle is it important that you take small and one-step at a time. Also, do not go overboard with it. Besides, this healthy lifestyle will help you in life in a lot of ways.

HABITS FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

For keeping your body and mind healthy you have to follow certain rules that will help you achieve your goal. Besides, there are certain measures that will help you to stay healthy. First of all, for being healthy you have to plan and follow a strict diet. This diet should contain all the essential minerals and vitamins required by the body. Also, eat only healthy food and avoid junk and heavily carbohydrate and fatty food.

In addition, wake up early in the morning because first of all, it’s a healthy habit. Secondly, waking up early means you can get ready for your work early, spend some quality time with your family. Besides, this decides time for your sleep and sleep early because it de-stresses body. Doing exercise regularly makes your body more active and it also releases the pent-up stress from the muscles.

Avoid the mobile- the biggest drawback of this generation is that they are obsessed with their mobile phones. Moreover, these phones cause many physical and mental problem for them. So, to avoid the negative effects of mobile the usage volume of them should be reduced. Connecting with positive minds because the more you indulge with these people then less you will go to the negative side.

BAD HABITS TO BE AVOIDED

Bad habits affect our healthy lifestyle. These habits can cause much harm to not only to the body but to the society too. In addition, these habits are also the cause of many evils of society. The major healthy lifestyle destroying habits are smoking, drinking, junk food, addiction, meal skipping, and overuse of pills.

All these activities severely damage body parts and organs which cannot be replaced easily. Besides, they not only cause physical damage but mental damage too.

BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

A healthy lifestyle has many benefits not only for the body but for the mind too. Also, if you follow a healthy lifestyle then you can reduce the risk of having cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis.

To sum it up, we can say that there are various benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. Also, a healthy lifestyle has many benefits to your social as well as personal life. Besides, it improves the relationships in the family. Most importantly, the person who lives a healthy lifestyle lives longer as compared to those who do not.

CONCLUSION

If you do maintain a healthy lifestyle, there are many benefits, and not only for your body. Some are maintaining a healthy weight, reducing risk of developing heart disease, increasing energy levels, assisting a healthy immune system, and it helps you to be more social. Having a healthy lifestyle is crucial for giving your body everything that it needs.

AFFORESTATION

INTRODUCTION

Afforestation is the creation of a forest or tree stand in a region where no earlier vegetation cover existed. Forests provide us with oxygen and are an essential condition for survival. Our country’s population increase has contributed to a decrease in the forest area. The forests that purify the air were cut down, and new towns and factories were built in their place.

Not only has this impacted the world, but it has also affected us the most because we have disrupted the balance of nature that was important to our survival. Hence, recognising the value of afforestation is the need of the hour. March 21st is the UN International Day of Forests, which promotes forest and trees’ importance in our lives. Also, Van Mahotsav is an annual one week tree planting festival in India, celebrated in the 1st week of July.

SIGNIFICANCE OF AFFORESTATION

“Afforestation” is important in India, as rapid deforestation occurs in many areas where new industries and urbanisation are emerging. The Western Ghats in India are renowned for their lush green mountains, beautiful rice fields, waterfalls and blooming environment. Due to the factories and heavy construction work, these mountain valleys are continually eroding. Widespread deforestation has led to devastating flooding and landslides. It is also possible to quote the value of “afforestation” for forest protection to safeguard the wildlife. The wild animals face a dearth of inhabitable forest regions and the land is being cleared for agricultural and industrial purposes.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF AFFORESTATION

Forests are a source of renewable energy and contribute significantly to economic growth. They play a significant role in improving environmental sustainability. As per the 2007 assessment, the country’s forest cover is 690,899 km2 which is 21.02 percent of its geographical area. Very dense forest forms 83,510 km2 (2.54 percent), moderately dense forest for 319,012 km2 (9.71 percent) and open forest forms 288,377 km2 (8.77 percent) of the geographical area protected by the scrub for 41,525 km2 (1.26 per cent).

BENEFITS OF AFFORESTATION

Forests are providing raw materials for pulp, panel goods, matching wood and other wood industry. Forests are also a source of various minor but essential items such as bamboo, canes, grasses, essential oils, medicinal plants, lacquer, resins, fatty oils, fats, gum, tanning content, painting, animal products, etc. Any of these goods are precious foreign currency earners. Forests play a crucial role in our country’s economy. They produce a range of forest products, major and small. Timber and firewood are big items.

These are used for industrial purposes and charging. Forests offer natural protection against storms of dust, hot winds and erosion. According to an estimate, we consume four times as much wood as is regenerated each year in the forests and other tree lands. If this plundering of forests is avoided, the resources of forests in India will soon become extinct.

NATIONAL AFFORESTATION PROGRAM

The overall objective of the National Afforestation Programme (NAP) scheme is the ecological restoration of degraded forests and to develop the forest resources with peoples’ participation, with a focus on improvement in livelihoods of the forest-fringe communities, especially the poor. 

NAP aims to support and accelerate the on-going process of devolving forest conservation, protection, management, and development functions to the Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at the village level, which are registered societies. 

COMPONENTS OF THE SCHEME

The major components of the scheme include; 

Afforestation under Seven plantation models

Maintenance of previous years plantations and Ancillary Activities like soil and moisture conservation activities (SMC)

Fencing, overheads, monitoring, and evaluation (M&E)

Micro-planning,Awareness-raising and Entry Point Activities (EPA) etc.

CONCLUSION

Afforestation is the most important program every people in the world should follow to save the future. For that awareness programs should be conducted among the general public for the benefit of the forest. People should be encouraged to create their own forests. So the public forest should be quiet among the local people. Forests can conserve soil. Some seasonal rains are also important. Rivers, hilly areas, and uncultivated fields must be put to good use by planting trees.

Afforestation can help conserve wildlife, herbal remedies, and a number of other things that are important for mankind. Forest conservation is equally important. Strict laws should be enacted to protect forests. Since people do not know much about forests, they cut down trees for various purposes. People should be educated about the negative effects of deforestation and the beauty of the forest, which means that afforestation helps to balance the earth’s water cycle that develops humanity in the world for many generations.