India’s economy posted the biggest contraction among major economies last quarter, with a recent surge in coronavirus infections weighing on the outlook for any recovery.
Gross domestic product shrank 23.9% in the three months to June from a year earlier, the Statistics Ministry said in a report Monday. That’s the sharpest decline since the nation started publishing quarterly figures in 1996, and was worse than any of the world’s biggest economies tracked by Bloomberg. The median estimate in a survey of economists was for an 18% contraction.
Once the world’s fastest-growing major economy, India is now on track for its first full-year contraction in more than four decades. While there are early signs that activity began picking up this quarter as lockdown restrictions were eased, the recovery is uncertain as India is quickly becoming the global epicenter for virus infections.
Economists had anticipated the economy shrinking anywhere between 15-25% while an ET Now Poll projected Q1FY21 GDP at -19% YoY.
As largely expected, agriculture was the only silver lining among all sectors as it grew by 3.4% in the April-June quarter.
Manufacturing, construction and trade (hotels, transport, communication & services related to broadcasting) shrank by 39.3%, 50.3% and 47% during the quarter. Interestingly, governmetn expenditure during the quarter also contracted by 10.3% as per NSO figures.
Let us find the reasons in this article that what are the reasons behind the decline in the Indian GDP–
1. Sharp decline in overall demand:
Increment in the employment opportunities leads to further demand of the other products in the economy. Since last few months Indian economy is facing the problem of lower demand which ultimately trapped the whole economy.
2. Sharp fall in consumption
Consumption has accounted for 55-58% of GDP. Remember consumption is at the core of domestic demand in India. Indian economy experienced a sharp decline in private final consumption expenditure from 7.2% in the March quarter to 3.1% in the June.
3. Decline in investment
The value of declared investments in the same quarter is Rs 71,337 crore, which is also the lowest since September 2004. This is a big indication that industries are not yet confident in India’s economic future.
4. Poor condition of banking sector
The recent announcement of the mergers of the banks may further create the atmosphere of anarchy in the mind of the investors and depositors.
Former President of India(13th) Pranab Mukherjee died on 31st August 2020 at the age of 84 after battling a long illness.In mid-August, he had undergone a brain surgery at the Army Research and Referral hospital in New Delhi. Hours before his death, hospital authorities said his condition had deteriorated and he was in a state of septic shock due to a lung infection.Prior to surgery, he tested COVID-19 positive on 10 August 2020.
His Personal Life :
Pranab Mukherjee was born on 11th December 1935 in the village of Mirati in Birbhum district in West Bengal. His father’s name is Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee, who was an activist in the Indian independence movement. His mother was Rajlakshmi Mukherjee. He married Suvra Mukherjee on 13 July 1957.
His Career :
Pranab Mukherjee took his education at Birbhum. He got MA degree in political science and history and also an LL.B degree from the department of law of the University of Calcutta. He began his career as a clerk in Post and Telegraph Department in Calcutta. He also worked as a journalist with the ‘Desher Dak’ before entering politics.
Pranab Mukherjee became a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1969. He was re-elected to the house in 1975, 1981, 1993 and 1999. He was appointed as Union Deputy Minister in 1973. He was appointed as Cabinet Ministers. He held many important posts in the government. He became the 13
th President of India on 25 July 2012.
His Honours:
National Honour:
1.Padhma Vibhushan-India’s second-highest civilian award in 2008
2.Bharat Ratan Award- India highest civilian in 2019.
Foreign Honours
1- Bangladesh Muktijuddho Sanmanona– Bangladesh Liberation War Honour in March 2013.
2- Grand Cross of National Order of the Ivory Coast– highest state order of knighthood of the Ivory Coast in June 2016.
3- Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios II– highest order of Merit awarded by Cyprus.
Academic Honours
Hon.Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Wolverhampton, the UK in 2011.
Hon.D.Litt by Assam University in March 2012.
Hon.D.Litt. by Visvesvaraya Technological University; Belgaum, Karnataka in 2012
Hon.LL.D. by President of Bangladesh and Chancellor Md. Zillur Rahman at the University of Dhaka on 4 March 2013.
DCL (Doctor of Civil Law) (honoris causa) by University of Mauritius on 13 March 2013.
Hon.Doctorate by Istanbul University on 5 October 2013.
Honorary Doctorate from the University of Calcutta in on 28 November 2014.
Hon.Doctorate in Political Science by University of Jordan on 11 October 2015.
Hon.Doctorate by Al-Quds University of Ramallah, Palestine on 13 October 2015.
Hon. Doctorate by Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel on 15 October 2015.
Hon.Doctorate by Kathmandu University, Nepal on 3 November 2016.
Hon. Doctorate by Goa University on 25 April 2017.
D.Litt.(Honoris Causa) by the Jadavpur University on 24 December 2017.
Hon.D.Litt by University of Chittagong on 16 January 2018.
Other Recognitions
1- Best Finance Minister in World (1984)– a survey by Euromoney magazine.
2- Finance Minister of Year for Asia (2010)– Emerging Markets, the daily newspaper of record for World Bank and IMF.
3- Finance Minister of Year (2010) by the Banker.
4- Honorary Citizenship of Abidjan, the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in June 2016.
Pranab Mukherjee: Books Written
Midterm Poll
Beyond Survival: Emerging Dimensions of Indian Economy – 1984
Off the Track – 1987
The saga of Struggle and Sacrifice – 1992
Challenges before the Nation – 1992[13]
A Centenary History of the Indian National Congress – Vol. V: Volume-V: 1964-1984 – 2011
Congress and the Making of the Indian Nation – 2011
Thoughts and Reflections – 2014
The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years – 2014
“Judges cannot speak out even if they are humiliated. How long can the Supreme Court and the Judges suffer the humiliation heaped regularly? It is not a question of one or two tweets. Look at the number of contemptuous statements made by him and the number of contempt cases initiated against him. Yet he justifies his conduct. What use is a warning to someone who does not realize his mistake?”
– Justices Arun Mishra, BR Gavai and Krishna Murari of Apex Court
We have seen for ourselves how the Supreme Court most recently on August 31, 2020 has in a contempt case titled “In Re: Prashant Bhushan And Anr. in Suo Motu Contempt Petition (Crl.) No. 1 of 2020 taken suo motu cognizance against advocate Prashant Bhushan of the Supreme Court for his two tweets. A three Judge Bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra and along with him Justice BR Gavai and Justice Krishna Murari have sentenced him to pay a fine of Rupee One, which is to be deposited with the Supreme Court Registry within September 15, 2020. In case of default to deposit, Prashant Bhushan will have to undergo imprisonment for three months and will be debarred from practice for three years!
Needless to say, this is nothing but just a slight reprimand from the top court to Prashant Bhushan which is quite ostensible also when one goes through the 82-page lengthy judgment! A leading role was played by the Attorney General – KK Venugopal who pleaded for magnanimity from the Apex Court for which his stellar contribution cannot be denied! Earlier Prashant Bhushan was held guilty of contempt vide judgment dated 14.08.2020 over his tweets made on June 27 and 29 about the Supreme Court’s functioning and the Chief Justice of India. But the final judgment was not pronounced!
No doubt, it must be mentioned that it was Mehek Maheshwari who is an advocate who had filed a petition before the Supreme Court on July 9 seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Prashant Bhushan for his tweets. Based on Mehek’s petition, the Apex Court then suo motu (on its own) took cognizance of the matter and listed the case for the first time on July 22 and issued notice to Bhushan the same day! After a day-long hearing on August 5, the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict on August 14.
Be it noted, Bhushan’s first tweet said that, “When historians in the future look back at the last six years to see how democracy has been destroyed in India even without a formal Emergency, they will particularly mark the role of the SC in this destruction, and more particularly the role of the last four CJIs.” The second tweet referred to CJI Sharad Bobde and said that, “The CJI rides a Rs 50-lakh Harley Davidson motorcycle belonging to a BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] leader at Raj Bhavan, Nagpur, without wearing a mask or helmet, at a time when he keeps the SC on lockdown mode denying citizens their fundamental right to access justice!”
To put things in perspective, it is pointed in para 3 that, “At the beginning of the proceedings itself, we had called upon Shri K.K. Venugopal, learned Attorney General for India, to address us. In the morning session, we have heard him at great length. Learned Attorney General stated that this Court, by showing magnanimity, should not impose any sentence on Shri Prashant Bhushan. He submitted that the tweets made by Shri Prashant Bhushan could be considered as bona fide criticism in order to seek improvement in the functioning of the institution. He further stated, that taking into consideration the causes represented by Shri Prashant Bhushan in various public interest litigation and the service rendered by him to different classes of society by bringing their issues to the notice of this Court, the Court should consider not imposing any sentence on him.”
Honestly speaking, it is then very rightly pointed out in para 4 that, “When controverted with various statements made by the contemnor in the affidavit in reply, the learned Attorney General fairly conceded that such statements were not warranted.”
While elaborating further, it is then disclosed in para 5 that, “He suggested that such statements be either withdrawn by the contemnor or should be taken off from the pleadings. When further confronted with the Contempt Petition filed by the learned Attorney General in one of the proceedings against the very same contemnor, the learned Attorney General submitted that since Shri Prashant Bhushan, on a piece of paper, had expressed his regret, he expressed desire not to pursue the said contempt proceedings. The learned Attorney General attempted to read out the statement made by Shri Prashant Bhushan in the contempt proceedings, which was initiated in the year 2009, wherein Shri Prashant Bhushan had expressed his regret. However, when it was pointed out to the learned Attorney General that the said statement was not pertaining to the present proceedings but earlier proceedings, the learned Attorney General stated that when Shri Prashant Bhushan had expressed regret in other proceedings, there is no reason as to why he should not express regret in the present proceedings also. We had also pointed out to the learned Attorney General that the contemnor was pressing the statement made in the affidavit and was raising a plea of truth as a defence. In such circumstances whether it would be appropriate on the part of this Court to take off the said statements from the pleadings. The learned Attorney General, faced with this situation, stated that unless the contemnor withdraws the said statements in view of the provisions of Section 13(b) of the Act, the statements cannot be taken off.”
To be sure, the Bench then again made known the stand of Attorney General by pointing out in para 7 that, “After Dr. Dhavan, learned senior counsel completed his arguments, we again called upon learned Attorney General, to address us by taking into consideration the submissions made on behalf of contemnor by Dr. Dhavan, learned senior counsel. Learned Attorney General was fair enough to state that insistence on the part of the contemnor to press into service various objectionable statements made in the pleading was not warranted and also not justifiable. He fairly stated that in the interest of the administration of justice, the contemnor ought not to have made such statements. He further stated that such statements, which were also concerning various sitting and retired judges of this Court, including the past and present Chief Justices were totally unjustifiable, specifically so when the retired or sitting judges were not in a position to defend themselves. He further submitted that no verdict could be passed without hearing such Judges, and as such, the process would be endless. He submitted that such a defence cannot be looked into. From the tenor of the submission made by the learned Attorney General, it was apparent that the learned Attorney General was at pains due to the statements made by the contemnor in the affidavit.”
Commendably, the Bench then goes on to also very rightly point out about Dr Rajeev Dhavan’s candid acknowledgement in para 10 stating that, “Dr. Dhavan, learned senior counsel, fairly stated that publication of the supplementary statement of the contemnor in various print as well as other media in advance was not proper, and he also stated that no lawyer or litigant should either give an interview, talk to the press or make any statement with regard to pending litigation before any court. He submitted that though a fair criticism of judgment after the judgment was pronounced was permissible in law, making any statement or giving press interviews during the pendency of the litigation was not permissible.” Dr. Rajeev Dhavan also very rightly pointed out that, “In the Ayodhya case, I refrained from making any comment on the judgment as I had argued the case.” Dr Dhavan had appeared on behalf of Muslims in Ayodhya case and his conduct was certainly exemplary which all lawyers must emulate!
Equally commendable is what is then stated in para 11 that, “When Dr. Dhavan, learned senior counsel was confronted with the situation as to how the sitting, as well as retired judges who are not supposed to speak to anyone or to give interviews can defend the allegations made against them, Dr. Dhavan responded that though this Court should not reprimand the contemnor for the tweets made by him, this Court should lay down guidelines for the precautions to be observed by the lawyers and litigants while making any statements with respect to the judges and the institution of administration of justice. He submitted that this, apart from giving a right signal to the contemnor, would also give a signal to all the members of the Bar in the country.”
Regarding the remarks and tweets made by Bhushan, the Bench minces no words to say in para 52 that, “We find no justification to make such a remark/tweet, particularly when it is made by a lawyer with 35 years standing like Shri Prashant Bhushan, who is an officer of the Court and advocates enjoy equal dignity in the system. In spite of learned Attorney General’s insistence that the averments made in the defence should be withdrawn and regret should be submitted, Dr. Dhavan, learned senior counsel, stated that the contemnor is not ready to withdraw the defence taken in the reply. That further makes it clear that while insisting with the unjustifiable defence and insistence to go with it makes the entire episode the one which cannot be ignored.”
Without mincing any words, the Bench then makes it unequivocally clear about lawyer’s ethical duty and fair criticism in para 53 that, “The tweet has been made by the lawyer who has the standing of 35 years and who is involved in several public interest litigations. However, merely because a lawyer is involved in the filing of the public interest litigation for the public good it does not arm him to harm the very system of which he is a part. Though expectation from an ordinary citizen may be different, the duties and expectations that are expected from a lawyer of long standing are on higher side. An advocate cannot forget his ethical duty and responsibility and cannot denigrate the very system of which he/she is an integral part. Fair criticism is not to be silenced, but an advocate has to remind himself/herself, where he/she crosses the zone of propriety and the Court cannot continuously ignore it, and the system cannot be made to suffer. When the criticism turns into malicious and scandalous allegations thereby tending to undermine the confidence of the public and the institution as a whole, such a criticism cannot be ignored.”
What’s more, the Bench then concedes in para 90 that, “The Court, from the very beginning, was desirous of giving quietus to this matter. Directly or indirectly, the contemnor was persuaded to end this matter by tendering an apology and save the grace of the institution as well as the individual, who is an officer of the Court. However, for the reasons best known to him he has neither shown regret inspite of our persuasion or the advice of the learned Attorney General. Thus, we have to consider imposing an appropriate sentence upon him.”
To say the least, the Bench then says in para 91 that, “Duly balancing the factors urged by Dr. Dhavan as to the offender, offence, the convicting judgment and the defence taken we have to decide the question of sentence. In our considered view, the act committed by the contemnor is a very serious one. He has attempted to denigrate the reputation of the institution of administration of justice of which he himself is a part. At the cost of repetition, we have to state that the faith of the citizens of the country, in the institution of justice is the foundation for rule of law which is an essential factor in the democratic set up.”
Most significantly, the Bench then minces no words to say aptly and appropriately in para 92 that, “We have given deep thought as to what sentence should be imposed on the contemnor. The conduct of the present contemnor also needs to be taken into consideration. This Court in Tehseen Poonawala (supra) has observed that the said matter was a fit matter wherein criminal contempt proceedings were required to be initiated. However, the court stopped at doing so observing that it would have been an unequal fight. The learned Attorney General had also initiated contempt proceedings against the present contemnor, however on the contemnor submitting regret, the learned Attorney General sought withdrawal of the said proceedings. However, the said proceedings are still pending. In the present matter also not on one occasion but on several occasions, we not only gave opportunity but also directly or indirectly persuaded the contemnor to express regret. Not only that the learned Attorney General had also suggested that it was in the fitness of things that a contemnor expresses regret and withdraws the allegation made in the affidavit in reply, which request was not heeded to by the contemnor. The contemnor not only gave wide publicity to the second statement submitted before this Court on 24.08.2020 prior to the Court, but also gave various interviews with regard to sub judice matter, thereby further attempting to bring down the reputation of this Court. If we do not take cognizance of such conduct it will give a wrong message to the lawyers and litigants throughout the country. However, by showing magnanimity, instead of imposing any severe punishment, we are sentencing the contemnor with a nominal fine of Re. 1/- (Rupee one).”
Finally, we see that the Bench observes in para 93 that, “We, therefore, sentence the contemnor with a fine of Re. 1/- (Rupee one) to be deposited with the Registry of this Court by 15.09.2020, failing which he shall undergo a simple imprisonment for a period of three months and further be debarred from practicing in this Court for a period of three years.”
On his part, Prashant Bhushan has gracefully accepted the punishment and has said that, “I will respectfully pay the fine as I would have done in case of any other punishment that the court would have given me. My tweets were not intended to disrespect SC but were meant to express my anguish at what I felt was a deviation from its sterling record. This is watershed moment for freedom of speech and seems to have encouraged many people to speak out against injustices.” He also said that he reserve the right to file review plea.
It cannot be ignored that the former Attorney General of India Soli J Sorabjee said that, “I don’t agree with the judgment (punishing Bhushan for contempt of court). The court should have allowed him to prove his defence. The courts must have broad shoulders to shrug off such comments made by the lawyer.” Yet another eminent lawyer and former Solicitor General of India – Harish Salve reacted by saying that, “I am yet to read the judgment. But this (punishment of Re 1 and in default 3 months jail term and 3 years debarment from practice in SC) will put Bhushan in a piquant situation. If he does not pay, he will be seen as an obstinate person who encourages defiance of court verdicts. If he does, he acknowledges that he made a mistake, which I do not think he will find easy.” Abhishek Manu Singhvi who is also an eminent lawyer and former Additional Solicitor General said that, “First the lighter side: Judgment of 180 pages to convict plus 82 pages to sentence = Re 1 fine. More seriously, even after recording their views, they should have let him off with a severe warning. Either way, it’s been a victory for Prashant, something the SC would certainly not have intended.”
I very strongly believe like Soli J Sorabjee that Prashant Bhushan should have been given an opportunity to prove corruption charges that he has levelled against so many Judges and also he should have been allowed to prove his defence. If he was unable to prove then he should have been punished. But since this latest judgment has come directly from the top court, it has to be accepted gracefully which even Prashant Bhushan has gladly done as is quite ostensible from his reaction also!
I am sure Prashant Bhushan will also pay heed to what the top court has advised him and from next time instead of talking endlessly in media on serious corruption charges against Judges would produce the evidence straight before the courts so that the whole world can see for themselves what the real truth is! But to just level serious allegations without any proof and that too against many Supreme Court Judges and even former Chief Justices of India cannot be ever justified under any circumstances!
It was arranged marriage, a doctor guy marring an engineer girl, both were modern enough as they studied in metro cities. After all the rituals, it was time for their first night. White bedsheets decorated with roses were arranged in their room. When both were entering in the room, aunt of the groom said, “We need to check the sheets tomorrow”and everyone laughed. But she was scared. Both were sitting on the bed. He saw her tensed face and asked her what’s wrong. She told him”I’m not virgin”. His reply was calm and casual”so what?I’m also not”. We both had relationships in the past which didn’t end up well and that’s completely okay, said the groom. But she was still scared. She said, We live in a village with people of typical mindset, they’ll judge me when they’ll get to know about this tomorrow. Then he said, I married you the way you are and nothing else matters for me and if you’re scared that something bad will happen because of this, then it’s my promise that I’ll be there by your side no matter what. I’ll tell them that I’m also not and if then also some mess happens, then I’ll face all the consequences along with you whatever it may be. I’m not gonna leave you, don’t you worry! Tears rolled down her cheeks by his words and she felt herself lucky that she got the perfect soulmate for life!….
Yes it’s a weird topic but according to today’s situation we need to discuss this feeling ,the feeling of Being alone in a room full of people,feeling of not being loved,feeling of getting ignored,feeling of being stupid about things ..but do we really need these feelings? And if by any chance the answer is “YES” then do we need to commit suicide or not giving chance to us for one last time? Do we really need to do that?
Yes ..i am talking about the person who was too good for the world …”sushant singh rajput”…suicide of sushant took us in shock …personally i was numb …like what the hell was he feeling the it was easy for him to take his life than to live…that what on earth was hurting him so hard that he took this decision.
Yes if anyone of you feel like this or anything that is hurting you so much and having these anonymous feeling then for god sake please think of your parents ,family, friends and don’t commit anything that would leave your loved ones in grief….and yes as we all know it’s easy to take a life but it’s tough to live one….so you should be that much stronger to lead a happy life
And last but not the least …you should atleast try one last time … talk to people around you and share what you feel..I’m sure they would understand…and if one does not then go to next because we are living in a place full of people…so try and never lose hope.
In today’s world, problems like stress, anxiety etc. are a common issue. Studies have found out that at an average of 10 people, 6 usually suffer from these issues. The solution? Well , a distraction. A distraction for some hours, to be free from all the notifications, the social media posts, the pending work, the recent gossip, everything. Because we all have adapted ourselves to this ‘lifestyle’ so readily that we overlooked the consequences like the mental issues we are facing today.Not only adults, but even children and adolescents! But, can you imagine a book can help you with that? No? So here are some ridiculously amazing things a book can do!
(Image source- pexels.com)
Helps with various disorders.
Makes your day peaceful.
Improves your vocabulary and pronunciation.
Makes one curious!
Increases your confidence.
Introduces you to various concepts and develops your imagination
•Helps with various disorders
The core principle behind reading is that it helps one to focus and think. And this is beneficial because it helps in curing of various disorders.A cognitive Neuropsychologist Dr. David Lewis stated that reading can reduce stress levels by 68 percent. Research has shown that reading gradually helps insomnia patients to sleep. Many people suffering with anxiety and depression, even by reading just for minimum 20 minutes everyday, helped. It may sound boring to read but when you do start, you explore so many things , imagine yourselves in God knows many world’s,
you just can’t stop!
(Source: Pixabey)
•Makes your day peaceful
According to a research, reading may relax one’s body by lowering his heart rate and easing his muscles. It’s because reading may include you battling a whole army but in your mind! The 2009 study found out that reading calms your mind and lowers aggression. Books help you to think, interact and imagine infinite thoughts.
•Improves your vocabulary and pronunciation .
As you read you find out meanings of words you’ve never heard of , often helping in improving your writing skills.By doing this, you get familiar to many words and their synonyms. English is a mixture of various ancient languages, which means you also learn the origin of the words. This makes one understand various cultures and spoken languages and dialects. When you understand a particular word, you start trying to pronounce it. Eventually you are able to pronounce difficult words easily and helps for a fluent pronunciation .
•Makes one curious!
While reading, you might find different terms, anthologies etc. You acquire knowledge through the books. And this does not require any research, it is an experiment you can do on yourself ! We humans love to learn, even if we deny it. Everything you do, everything you act was through observing, examining and learning. Be it now to play video games or to read. While video games are fun to play, it makes one hard to focus when given a topic to elaborate. It makes you experience different situations, through which one inculcates it in his life as well. Curiosity may have killed the cat but satisfaction had bought it back!
•Increases your confidence.
Confidence is not procured by fairness creams, but through your acts and work. Now that your vocabulary is increased, your words are smooth as butter and this makes you feel confident. Children stutter while reading in front of a crowd. Reading , indirectly Maidstone read in a correct grammatical order because you’ve practiced. Not only for English language ,but every language, if one practice while reading them, he is sure to add that language. Sure enough you can’t just keep reading the whole day, while that would have been great, but unfortunately ,we all have other crucial works to complete as well. But we can make it a point to read at least a paragraph from a novel, or a small article from the newspapers/magazines. Our first step is to start reading, not just making timetables about reading on this particular time. They ended up reading nothing and wasting all the time making timetables. It’s alright if you just can’t read due to excessive work assignments, one should read according to his own speed and his own convenient time but remember to read everyday.
•Introduces you to various concepts and develops your imagination
Books have their own hierarchy. Listed from self help to mystery, from rom-com to thriller, from action(yes they do!)
to sweet romance stories, fantasy etc. and so many authors , trying hard everyday to give you a variety of stories and so much more. Printed books are more preferred over digital reading for they provide a lesser strain on your eyes but it’s alright if you read e- books in a limit. If you are not able to get your hands on a printed books , the e- version is always available with paid memberships. If you are looking for free books, apps like Wattpad, Radish fiction etc give you access to many interesting stories . Wattpad is also a field where you, yourself can write your own stories. Infact, many Wattpad stories are published and famous , for example The Storm and silence series by Rob Thier (comedy) , Chasing Red by Issabelle Ronin (romance) and the After series by Anna Todd (the book was produced into a movie as well!)
(Source: Goodreads)
(Source : Goodreads)
The conclusion? Well reading helps you with many things, but by the end of the day it’s always your choice to read. If you are looking for some book recommendations, here are some books!
The mortal instruments by Cassandra Clare (fantasy)
The fault in our stars by John Green (young adult)
Me before you by Jojo Mayes (drama)
Mahashweta by Sudha Murthy (drama)
The silent patient (mystery)
These are handful of books(not technically) but you can find millions of book recommendations on Goodreads, Pinterest etc.
Feeling ashamed of how we look has become normal. Hardly any of us think we make the beauty grade. We might even think there is something odd with someone who is perfectly happy with how they look. As a kid, I was really confident, never had any negative thoughts about my appearance ; it never bothered me untill people started sowing the poisonous seed in me. And I am sure that I am not the only who’s been through this.
“Oh, She’s healthier than the other kids” was the subtle way to body shame a little kid. At first ‘healthy’ was a positive word for me, I never understood what these judgemental people were trying to imply. I was in 6th grade and I had a terrible fall while cycling which led to three cracks on my ankle bone and I remember the doctor had something else to state ; according to him, I wouldn’t have broken my bone if I wasn’t overweight and he told me to lose weight and diet. A 6th grade kid was advised to start a diet life. Yeah, true. I mean honestly yes, it is so ‘unrealistic’ that a fall from cycle cracked my ankle. It is a universal truth that only weight issues causes major accidents.
We have been conditioned to dislike ourselves, from our family members to the outside world. Be it the relatives who tell you to look pretty in order to get married or the shopkeepers who refer you the dress which will hide those curves, everyone is always promoting how to not feel good in your own skin. Let’s step back for a second, ignore the society and take a peek on the inside : Family. Our own family members are taking “Charity begins at home” to a whole different level. I bet you might have been commented on your body, colour, features..maybe existence too by your family.
At this point we don’t even realize that those comments, ‘jokes’ are unacceptable and reprehensible because we are so used to that. My confidence kept sinking and insecurities, anxiety was on a rise. I despised family functions, and as Indians even the thought of not wanting to attend a family function is like a drug call made by us in our parents’ perspective. I stopped participating in extra curricular activities in school, I just wanted to be blend in the crowd ; away from people’s view because I knew I would be judged as i don’t fit the body standards set by the society. I never told anyone the way I felt, never told my parents the reason behind me hating social settings.
School ended, a new start awaited with a side of my insecurities. As college began, I started meeting new people, made friends only to realize that they had their struggles too. We can’t just expect other people to stop judging us, because we too are a part of this judgemental society. Jokingly calling someone by their most apparent physical trait does make us a part of the toxic culture.
With time I realized that I wasn’t alone. Everyone was struggling and still are. It’s a daily fight. With time, people have started empowering each other. The toxic body standards set by the society is being questioned, things are changing. Honestly, it did help me with my struggle. I started turning my insecurities into my strength ; cliché I know but yes it’s the truth.
However, I wouldn’t deny that working through the struggle is difficult but we’ll definitely make it. Together. Most importantly, let’s talk about it instead of penting it up inside us, we never know who we’ll inspire and empower by doing so. Personally, I have evolved both mentally and emotionally, and for the shockers : I may have started liking family functions minus the relatives.
The tale of Hades and Persephone is actually the way of the ancient Greeks to explain the change of the seasons, the eternal cycle of the Nature’s death and rebirth. According to Greek Mythology, Persephone, the queen of the underworld, was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of harvest and fertility.
The myth begins with Aphrodite (Venus) the goddess of love looking down from Olympus. Aphrodite was apparently a wee bit concerned about the mother/daughter relationship of Demeter and Persephone. Among other reasons, Aphrodite was reportedly concerned because there was no man involved in the picture so she sent Eros (The Cupid, love God) to strike the dark powerful god of the underworld, Hades, with an arrow of love and desire for Persephone.
Then one day Persephone was picking flowers and saw an incredibly beautiful one she wanted. She went to pick it, and as she did, a crack in the earth opened and Hades came out in his chariot and grabbed her. He put her in the chariot and drove into the Underworld while Persephone called out for her mother and father.
Hades and Persephone lived in the underworld while Demeter started searching everywhere. Demeter was extremely distraught by the loss of her daughter, so distraught and angry that she decided to take drastic action. Demeter decided to take away her life-sustaining gifts and command the earth die and mold until someone brought Persephone back or told her where Persephone was. The cries of the people who were suffering reached Olympus and the divine ears of Zeus. The mighty god finally realized that if he wouldn’t do something about Demeter’s wrath, all humanity would disappear. Thus he tried to find another solution to both calm Demeter and please Hades.
However when Persephone was in the underworld with Hades, he gifted her with six pomegranate seeds to eat, and she did. In Greek mythology, it was believed that if one ate food given to them by their captor, they would always return. Zeus decided that Persephone would split her time between her mother and her husband. Since she ate six pomegranate seeds, Persephone would spend half the year with her mother at Olympus and the other half with Hades.
The changing seasons :
Many believe that the Demeter and Persephone story explains the seasons of the year. During the time that Persephone spends away from her mother, Demeter causes the earth to wither and die. This time of the year became autumn and winter.
Persephone’s arrival to be reunited with her mother signals a renewal of hope causing Summer and Spring. It represents the rebirth of untold splendor and abundance. The earth once again becomes fertile and fruitful.
In many ancient versions of this myth – Persephone was actually quite happy and satisfied to be with Hades. And together they conceived a child.
During the days of my university, I am quiet famous for anchoring. People say that I got a nice tone of speaking. People get attached to the way of speaking. But trust me I had no idea of this side of mine.
One day my seniors, told me to host a university programme. I was literally scared and was thinking that how shall I do this. Because I have never tried this before. No formal training I took and neither was given to me. So with a little scared face, I went to practice for the programme. Full of audiences, faculties and my seniors, I was shocked and was in great thought how to begin and what to say.
The faculties said to start what I have prepared for the fest introductory speech. I started the speech by thinking that nobody is present in the auditorium and nobody will laugh or humiliate me if I cannot do. Because people are not perfect all the time. By the time I ended up with my speech, the whole auditorium was silent and seniors gave a me look that oh my god, what you have done? You cannot be very bad. I was like, now I am going to get a nice scolding from everyone.
Trust me, the moment I was coming down the stage, everyone with around of claps said me ‘You nailed it dear’. I could not believe that what did I do? I means how come everyone was so happy? I never faced camera and nor media. So that was another fear that I had. I overcame it also. The media and camera facing me was praising me for what I did. I was happy.
It was very difficult for me to begin, I still I managed. My mind was full of negative thoughts. But what I spoke was from mind and I did not allow any distraction to enter while delivering the fest introduction speech. It happened all from within.
I was from the beginning taught to do perform things in a certain techniques. The society used to judge me on me performance. They told me to follow certain idols and to become like them. To me leaders are not made but are born. I too have my own way of living. The thing that I cannot do or do not have interest to do can never be forced up on me.
Creativity has its own way of thinking and we all have to nurture that creativity within us. It comes from within you. The secret of work lies in the carelessness of your work not in the carefulness of the work. When you are careless, your mind gets diverted, and you can perform the work all from within.
All you have is YOU inside yourself, your own charms and capability comes from within. You become the ruler of your own mind.
There will not be the fear of loosing, there will also not the fear of who is saying what. The entire thing is done very smoothly and mindlessly. This is how my masterpiece was created. I am now the most wanted anchor in my university. I know my weak point and my strength.
When you get lost, when your mind is not within yourself, your masterpiece appears. Creating your masterpiece by disappearing yourself.
Hard Power or coercive power is often recognized as having shaped Global Politics for years. A smaller nation ought to fear a bigger nation that has an expansive army or greater economic prowess. On the other hand, soft power in politics refers to the ability to attract and co-opt rather than coerce. Soft Power is thus co-optive power. It primarily refers to shaping others’ preferences through appeal or through attraction.
Joseph S Nye Jr. was the scholar who coined the term soft power in the late 1980s. He defined it as the ability of a country to persuade others to do what it wants without force or coercion. In the context of International Relations, it emerged as one of the go-to-strategies for many. The US was among the earliest beneficiaries with the McDonaldization of the world. More recently, Asian countries have witnessed a remarkable boom in their economies thanks to the concept of soft power.
South Korea has been among the biggest beneficiaries of the same. Korean pop, or K-pop as it is more commonly known, has been at the heart of Korean soft power strategies. The Korean culture wave or ‘Hallyu’ has taken the world by storm. K-Dramas were initially meant for domestic audience but its audience soon spread to other parts of Asia and slowly captured the world. K-pop groups like EXO, BTS, Blackpink are now household names. BTS accounted for $4.65 billion (£3.5 billion) of South Korea’s GDP in 2019. EXO’s Baekhyun, who debuted as a soloist in 2019, released his second album in May 2020 and went on to become the first soloist in over 19 years to sell more than one million physical albums. In today’s digital day and age, selling over one million physical albums is a huge achievement.
The popularity of Korean music, K-Dramas and films has resulted in growth in other sectors such as food, tourism and has increased the demand for the Korean language as well. The international popularity of K-pop groups, actors and Hallyu in general, is a great example of the proliferation of Korean soft power. Soft power is at the heart of cultural diplomacy. Through deploying cultural diplomacy tools, nations and other international actors mobilize resources for forming positive opinions about their culture, people and society. The promotion of soft power through cultural diplomacy is a shared interest of both governmental and non-governmental actors as well as K-pop agencies.
K-pop groups play a big part in spreading positive associations with Korean culture worldwide, through the immediate impact of their performances on international music charts, merchandising and rise in tourism. The huge demand for K-pop merchandise in India is testimony to their growing popularity in the region. There are many sellers on Instagram and Twitter who devote their time and efforts to conducting group orders for fans in India in order to help them order albums and other merchandise from South Korea. All these cases illustrate how influential South Korean soft power strategy has been in expanding horizons for the Far East Asian nation.
Lockdown has brought social isolation to many, particularly people living alone or those who have been shielding. Social isolation is an objective measure, which may or may not lead to the subjective feeling of loneliness. Perhaps surprisingly, the proportion of people reporting they feel lonely often or always during lockdown has been similar to pre-pandemic, at around 5% (2.6 million) during April. But groups that have been disproportionately affected by loneliness include working-age adults living alone, those in poor health, and people in rented accommodation. However, social isolation has the potential for detrimental effects other than loneliness. There have, for example, been serious concerns about victims of domestic abuse being locked down with perpetrators.
Good mental health is an asset and is also linked to good physical health – both of which support positive social and economic outcomes for individuals and society. Mental health disorders account for almost a quarter of the total burden of ill health . Poor mental health is strongly associated with social and economic circumstances, including living in poverty, low-quality work, unemployment and housing. There is also a well-documented burden of mental health disorders following disasters, including evidence from previous viral outbreaks. This suggests that COVID-19, and the response to the pandemic, could have a significant impact on the nation’s mental health through increased exposure to stressors. Exacerbating this, there has been a loss of coping mechanisms for many, and reduced access to mental health treatment. Here we draw together emerging evidence on aspects of the pandemic that are impacting on mental health, and inequalities in who is affected most. Many though have lost jobs or been furloughed, exercise and access to outdoor spaces has been limited, and some people have not been able to meet with friends or family. There are inequalities in these deficits: job loss is socioeconomically patterned, some groups cannot get outdoors, and some are unable to remain digitally connected to friends and family. All of this increases the likelihood that the pandemic will increase mental health inequalities. Commitment to this natural exercise with a disciplined sunrise schedule will surely have a positive impact on the body in the long run with faster healing tendencies. The emotional distress caused by the pandemic had led to a huge psychological impact on people around the world. Practicing yoga regularly can steadily nurture health across all age-groups and revive the much-needed healthy balance between the mind and body. Yoga serves as a therapy to reinstate one’s mind to normalcy. It also serves as a self-help technique. There are several asanas (postures) in this tradition that can be practiced at home and, it also lays great emphasis on the cleansing process within the body through a proper diet.
Pranayama is an essential component of yoga and focuses on breath control. It consists of synchronizing the breath with movements between asanas but is also a distinct breathing exercise on its own, usually practiced after asanas. It is believed to have had a positive impact on patients dealing with asthma, hyperventilation symptoms, and lung disorders and help them revitalize their breathing system. Foundational postures like Tadasana, Vrikshasana, Shavasana, and the likes can be performed easily and are helpful for beginners.
The entire yoga system not only helps in lubricating the joints but also boosts energy and stimulates digestion. It has a soothing effect on the nervous system, casting out negative energy and relieving the mind from stress-disorders. The regular practice of yoga also assists in harboring a gentle behavior towards others, thereby creating a positive environment of empathy. People practicing yoga tend to be at peace with others through the spirit of kindness and compassion that the world needs at this junction of our lives. Yoga also helps in increasing the will power of the mind and concentration that can help a person navigate through emotional impulses. Yoga can enable you to take charge of your thoughts and assist in the healing process by gradually helping one come out of anxious or negative thoughts. Yoga may also be of great support in establishing stability when practiced consistently through the daily routine. Yoga and meditation are a means of connecting with our inner selves and with others through the feeling of harmony for better and healthier living. We should embrace this life with gratitude and keeping moving forward with a positive outlook.
The latest fashion in educational circles is to send specially pre-university students to Coaching Classes in the hope of bettering their prospects. A student would have otherwise got 90 per cent is assured of 95 per cent. With the result the coaching classes are mushrooming in the city in abundance. The student’s meritorious performance is attributed to the particular Coaching Institute and not the Teachers who sweat in Junior Colleges for a paltry salary. Today, coaching classes have become ubiquitous in the lives of city students. It is impossible to imagine students’ lives without them. They are simultaneously a compulsion, and at the same time criticized a lot for spoiling education, students’ lives, standard of schools etc. Due to almost all students attending coaching classes in cities, the interest of school teachers to impart knowledge to students has now started dipping gradually.
Who should we blame for mushrooming of coaching centres ? It is our education system which is to blame since it weighs the students’ standings on the brilliance of his score-card. Practical exams in science are given a sufficiently low weightage as compared to theory which, though humongous in its extent can be managed due to assistance in rote learning given by the classes the students attend. In coaching classes for high schools, students are literally made to write formulae, theorems many times (which they just copy from textbooks or additional notes) before an actual test is taken on that topic. Many times, students are ‘encouraged’ to accept things as given in the textbooks without arguments or doubts that may arise out of inquisitiveness. The private coaching institutions exploit the prevailing excessive demand for education and operate with profit motives and they charge high fees. The reasons for demand can be two-fold: the inability of the government to provide education to all those who need or desire it; and the inability of government agencies to provide education of quality perceived to be worthwhile . It is here that coaching institutions find a fertile ground for undertaking their activities on a commercial basis. In general, coaching institutions of education is not accepted and approved by the society, particularly by the countries like India, which have a democratic polity. But , inequality of opportunities and provisions for educational services contribute to inter-personal, inter-regional and inter-generational disparities of all forms. These perpetuate socio-economic disparities and hamper national development. Moreover, India’s long history, tradition and culture of imparting knowledge and training have put pious obligations on the duty conscious society for providing worthwhile education.
The socio-economic benefits over the entire span of working life accrue more to educated and trained persons and therefore, attempts are made by students and their parents to obtain good education at even high private costs. The demand for various types and levels of courses is much higher than available places/seats for learning in creditable institutions. To meet excess demands, coaching institutions have been established in almost every part of country, these institutions have received social support. A lack of effective mechanism to identify and discourage institutions that are offering coaching has created an environment for mushrooming of such institutions.
The promotion of coaching institutions in education is justified on social, economic and cultural grounds. The inability of the Government, due mainly to financial constraints, to create and strengthen infrastructure for meeting the growing demand for quality education is mainly responsible for the increase of these commercial activities in education. The educational infrastructure- the schools, teachers and other learning support service- indicate deficiencies in facilities to attract and retain students for quality teaching and learning. The need of the hour is to let students and parents to search their own answers what they want their children to become a robot or creative person. Everyone should understand there is no alternative to SELF STUDY.
Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the common cold (which is also caused by other viruses, predominantly rhinoviruses), while more lethal varieties can cause SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. In cows and pigs they cause diarrhea, while in mice they cause hepatitis and encephalomyelitis. There are as yet no vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent or treat human coronavirus infections.Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the common cold (which is also caused by other viruses, predominantly rhinoviruses), while more lethal varieties can cause SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. In cows and pigs they cause diarrhea, while in mice they cause hepatitis and encephalomyelitis. There are as yet no vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent or treat human coronavirus infections.
Etymology:- The name “coronavirus” is derived from Latin corona, meaning “crown” or “wreath”, itself a borrowing from Greek κορώνη korṓnē, “garland, wreath”.The name was coined by June Almeida and David Tyrrell who first observed and studied human coronaviruses.The word was first used in print in 1968 by an informal group of virologists in the journal Nature to designate the new family of viruses.The name refers to the characteristic appearance of virions (the infective form of the virus) by electron microscopy, which have a fringe of large, bulbous surface projections creating an image reminiscent of the solar corona or halo.This morphology is created by the viral spike peplomers, which are proteins on the surface of the virus.
The earliest reports of an illness caused by a coronavirus occurred in the late 1920s, when an acute respiratory infection of domesticated chickens emerged in North America.Arthur Schalk and M.C. Hawn in 1931 made the first detailed report which described a new respiratory infection of chickens in North Dakota. The infection of new-born chicks was characterized by gasping and listlessness with high mortality rates of 40–90%.Leland David Bushnell and Carl Alfred Brandly isolated the virus in 1933.The virus was then known as infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). Charles D. Hudson and Fred Robert Beaudette cultivated the virus for the first time in 1937.The specimen came to be known as the Beaudette strain. In the late 1940s, two more animal coronaviruses, JHM that causes brain disease (murine encephalitis) and mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) that causes hepatitis in mice were discovered. It was not realized at the time that these three different viruses were related.
Human coronaviruses were discovered in the 1960susing two different methods in the United Kingdom and the United States.E.C. Kendall, Malcolm Bynoe, and David Tyrrell working at the Common Cold Unit of the British Medical Research Council collected a unique common cold virus designated B814 in 1961.The virus could not be cultivated using standard techniques which had successfully cultivated rhinoviruses, adenoviruses and other known common cold viruses. In 1965, Tyrrell and Bynoe successfully cultivated the novel virus by serially passing it through organ culture of human embryonic trachea.The new cultivating method was introduced to the lab by Bertil Hoorn.The isolated virus when intranasally inoculated into volunteers caused a cold and was inactivated by ether which indicated it had a lipid envelope.Dorothy Hamre and John Procknow at the University of Chicago isolated a novel cold from medical students in 1962. They isolated and grew the virus in kidney tissue culture, assigning it as 229E. The novel virus caused a cold in volunteers and was inactivated by ether similarly as B814.Scottish virologist June Almeida at St. Thomas Hospital in London, collaborating with Tyrrell, compared the structures of IBV, B814 and 229E in 1967.
Using electron microscopy the three viruses were shown to be morphologically related by their general shape and distinctive club-like spikes.A research group at the National Institute of Health the same year was able to isolate another member of this new group of viruses using organ culture and named one of the samples OC43 (OC for organ culture) Like B814, 229E, and IBV, the novel cold virus OC43 had distinctive club-like spikes when observed with the electron microscope. The IBV-like novel cold viruses were soon shown to be also morphologically related to the mouse hepatitis virus.This new group of viruses were named coronaviruses after their distinctive morphological appearance.Human coronavirus 229E and human coronavirus OC43 continued to be studied in subsequent decade.The coronavirus strain B814 was lost. It is not known which present human coronavirus it was.Other human coronaviruses have since been identified, including SARS-CoV in 2003, HCoV NL63 in 2003, HCoV HKU1 in 2004, MERS-CoV in 2013, and SARS-CoV-2 in 2020.There have also been a large number of animal coronaviruses identified since the 1960s.
Microbiology :- Coronaviruses are large, roughly spherical particles with bulbous surface projections.The average diameter of the virus particles is around 125 nm (.125 μm). The diameter of the envelope is 85 nm and the spikes are 20 nm long. The envelope of the virus in electron micrographs appears as a distinct pair of electron-dense shells (shells that are relatively opaque to the electron beam used to scan the virus particle). The viral envelope consists of a lipid bilayer, in which the membrane (M), envelope (E) and spike (S) structural proteins are anchored.[47] The ratio of E:S:M in the lipid bilayer is approximately 1:20:300.On average a coronavirus particle has 74 surface spikes.A subset of coronaviruses (specifically the members of betacoronavirus subgroup A) also have a shorter spike-like surface protein called hemagglutinin esterase (HE).
The coronavirus surface spikes are homotrimers of the S protein, which is composed of an S1 and S2 subunit. The homotrimeric S protein is a class I fusion protein which mediates the receptor binding and membrane fusion between the virus and host cell. The S1 subunit forms the head of the spike and has the receptor binding domain (RBD). The S2 subunit forms the stem which anchors the spike in the viral envelope and on protease activation enables fusion. The E and M protein are important in forming the viral envelope and maintaining its structural shape.
Inside the envelope, there is the nucleocapsid, which is formed from multiple copies of the nucleocapsid (N) protein, which are bound to the positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome in a continuous beads-on-a-string type conformation.The lipid bilayer envelope, membrane proteins, and nucleocapsid protect the virus when it is outside the host cell.
Genome See also: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus § Genome
Schematic representation of the genome organization and functional domains of S protein for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV Coronaviruses contain a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome. The genome size for coronaviruses ranges from 26.4 to 31.7 kilobases.[9] The genome size is one of the largest among RNA viruses. The genome has a 5′ methylated cap and a 3′ polyadenylated tail.
The genome organization for a coronavirus is 5′-leader-UTR-replicase (ORF1ab)-spike (S)-envelope (E)-membrane (M)-nucleocapsid (N)-3′UTR-poly (A) tail. The open reading frames 1a and 1b, which occupy the first two-thirds of the genome, encode the replicase polyprotein (pp1ab). The replicase polyprotein self cleaves to form 16 nonstructural proteins (nsp1–nsp16).
The later reading frames encode the four major structural proteins: spike, envelope, membrane, and nucleocapsid. Interspersed between these reading frames are the reading frames for the accessory proteins. The number of accessory proteins and their function is unique depending on the specific coronavirus.
Replication cycle Cell entry
The life cycle of a coronavirus Infection begins when the viral spike protein attaches to its complementary host cell receptor. After attachment, a protease of the host cell cleaves and activates the receptor-attached spike protein. Depending on the host cell protease available, cleavage and activation allows the virus to enter the host cell by endocytosis or direct fusion of the viral envelop with the host membrane. Genome translation On entry into the host cell, the virus particle is uncoated, and its genome enters the cell cytoplasm. The coronavirus RNA genome has a 5′ methylated cap and a 3′ polyadenylated tail, which allows it to act like a messenger RNA and be directly translated by the host cell’s ribosomes. The host ribosomes translate the initial overlapping open reading frames ORF1a and ORF1b of the virus genome into two large overlapping polyproteins, pp1a and pp1ab. SARS-CoV genome and proteins The larger polyprotein pp1ab is a result of a -1 ribosomal frameshift caused by a slippery sequence (UUUAAAC) and a downstream RNA pseudoknot at the end of open reading frame ORF1a.The ribosomal frameshift allows for the continuous translation of ORF1a followed by ORF1b.
The polyproteins have their own proteases, PLpro (nsp3) and 3CLpro (nsp5), which cleave the polyproteins at different specific sites. The cleavage of polyprotein pp1ab yields 16 nonstructural proteins (nsp1 to nsp16). Product proteins include various replication proteins such as RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (nsp12), RNA helicase (nsp13), and exoribonuclease (nsp14).
Replicase-transcriptase
Replicase-transcriptase complex A number of the nonstructural proteins coalesce to form a multi-protein replicase-transcriptase complex. The main replicase-transcriptase protein is the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). It is directly involved in the replication and transcription of RNA from an RNA strand. The other nonstructural proteins in the complex assist in the replication and transcription process. The exoribonuclease nonstructural protein, for instance, provides extra fidelity to replication by providing a proofreading function which the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase lacks.
Replication – One of the main functions of the complex is to replicate the viral genome. RdRp directly mediates the synthesis of negative-sense genomic RNA from the positive-sense genomic RNA. This is followed by the replication of positive-sense genomic RNA from the negative-sense genomic RNA.
Transcription of nested mRNAs
Nested set of subgenomic mRNAs Transcription – The other important function of the complex is to transcribe the viral genome. RdRp directly mediates the synthesis of negative-sense subgenomic RNA molecules from the positive-sense genomic RNA. This process is followed by the transcription of these negative-sense subgenomic RNA molecules to their corresponding positive-sense mRNAs.The subgenomic mRNAs form a “nested set” which have a common 5′-head and partially duplicate 3′-end. Recombination – The replicase-transcriptase complex is also capable of genetic recombination when at least two viral genomes are present in the same infected cell.RNA recombination appears to be a major driving force in determining genetic variability within a coronavirus species, the capability of a coronavirus species to jump from one host to another and, infrequently, in determining the emergence of novel coronaviruses.The exact mechanism of recombination in coronaviruses is unclear, but likely involves template switching during genome replication. Assembly and release The replicated positive-sense genomic RNA becomes the genome of the progeny viruses. The mRNAs are gene transcripts of the last third of the virus genome after the initial overlapping reading frame. These mRNAs are translated by the host’s ribosomes into the structural proteins and a number of accessory proteins.RNA translation occurs inside the endoplasmic reticulum. The viral structural proteins S, E, and M move along the secretory pathway into the Golgi intermediate compartment. There, the M proteins direct most protein-protein interactions required for assembly of viruses following its binding to the nucleocapsid. Progeny viruses are then released from the host cell by exocytosis through secretory vesicles. Once released the viruses can infect other host cells. Transmission Infected carriers are able to shed viruses into the environment. The interaction of the coronavirus spike protein with its complementary cell receptor is central in determining the tissue tropism, infectivity, and species range of the released virus.Coronaviruses mainly target epithelial cells.They are transmitted from one host to another host, depending on the coronavirus species, by either an aerosol, fomite, or fecal-oral route. Human coronaviruses infect the epithelial cells of the respiratory tract, while animal coronaviruses generally infect the epithelial cells of the digestive tract.SARS coronavirus, for example, infects via an aerosol route,the human epithelial cells of the lungs by binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor.Transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV) infects, via a fecal-oral route,the pig epithelial cells of the digestive tract by binding to the alanine aminopeptidase (APN) receptor.
Classification :- The scientific name for coronavirus is Orthocoronavirinae or Coronavirinae.
Coronaviruses belong to the family of Coronaviridae, order Nidovirales, and realm Riboviria.They are divided into alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses which infect mammals – and gammacoronaviruses and deltacoronaviruses, which primarily infect birds.
Genus: Alphacoronavirus;type species: Alphacoronavirus 1 (TGEV) Species: Alphacoronavirus 1, Human coronavirus 229E, Human coronavirus NL63, Miniopterus bat coronavirus 1, Miniopterus bat coronavirus HKU8, Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, Rhinolophus bat coronavirus HKU2, Scotophilus bat coronavirus 512 Genus Betacoronavirus;type species: Murine coronavirus (MHV) Species: Betacoronavirus 1 (Bovine Coronavirus, Human coronavirus OC43), Hedgehog coronavirus 1, Human coronavirus HKU1, Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus, Murine coronavirus, Pipistrellus bat coronavirus HKU5, Rousettus bat coronavirus HKU9, Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2), Tylonycteris bat coronavirus HKU4 Genus Gammacoronavirus;type species: Avian coronavirus (IBV) Species: Avian coronavirus, Beluga whale coronavirus SW1 Genus Deltacoronavirus; type species: Bulbul coronavirus HKU11 Species: Bulbul coronavirus HKU11, Porcine coronavirus HKU15.
Origin :- The most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of all coronaviruses is estimated to have existed as recently as 8000 BCE, although some models place the common ancestor as far back as 55 million years or more, implying long term coevolution with bat and avian species.The most recent common ancestor of the alphacoronavirus line has been placed at about 2400 BCE, of the betacoronavirus line at 3300 BCE, of the gammacoronavirus line at 2800 BCE, and of the deltacoronavirus line at about 3000 BCE. Bats and birds, as warm-blooded flying vertebrates, are an ideal natural reservoir for the coronavirus gene pool (with bats the reservoir for alphacoronaviruses and betacoronavirus – and birds the reservoir for gammacoronaviruses and deltacoronaviruses). The large number and global range of bat and avian species that host viruses has enabled extensive evolution and dissemination of coronaviruses.
Many human coronaviruses have their origin in bats.The human coronavirus NL63 shared a common ancestor with a bat coronavirus (ARCoV.2) between 1190 and 1449 CE.The human coronavirus 229E shared a common ancestor with a bat coronavirus (GhanaGrp1 Bt CoV) between 1686 and 1800 CE.More recently, alpaca coronavirus and human coronavirus 229E diverged sometime before 1960.MERS-CoV emerged in humans from bats through the intermediate host of camels.MERS-CoV, although related to several bat coronavirus species, appears to have diverged from these several centuries ago.The most closely related bat coronavirus and SARS-CoV diverged in 1986.A possible path of evolution of SARS coronavirus and keen bat coronaviruses is that SARS-related coronaviruses coevolved in bats for a long time. The ancestors of SARS-CoV first infected leaf-nose bats of the genus Hipposideridae; subsequently, they spread to horseshoe bats in the species Rhinolophidae, then to Asian palm civets, and finally to humans. Unlike other betacoronaviruses, bovine coronavirus of the species Betacoronavirus 1 and subgenus Embecovirus is thought to have originated in rodents and not in bats. In the 1790s, equine coronavirus diverged from the bovine coronavirus after a cross-species jump.Later in the 1890s, human coronavirus OC43 diverged from bovine coronavirus after another cross-species spillover event.It is speculated that the flu pandemic of 1890 may have been caused by this spillover event, and not by the influenza virus, because of the related timing, neurological symptoms, and unknown causative agent of the pandemic.Besides causing respiratory infections, human coronavirus OC43 is also suspected of playing a role in neurological diseases.In the 1950s, the human coronavirus OC43 began to diverge into its present genotypes.Phylogentically, mouse hepatitis virus (Murine coronavirus), which infects the mouse’s liver and central nervous system is related to human coronavirus OC43 and bovine coronavirus. Human coronavirus HKU1, like the aforementioned viruses, also has its origins in rodents.
Prevention and treatment:- There are no vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent or treat human coronavirus infections. Treatment is only supportive. A number of antiviral targets have been identified such as viral proteases, polymerases, and entry proteins. Drugs are in development which target these proteins and the different steps of viral replication. A number of vaccines using different methods are also under development for different human coronaviruses.
There are no antiviral drugs to treat animal coronaviruses.[citation needed] Vaccines are available for IBV, TGEV, and Canine CoV, although their effectiveness is limited. In the case of outbreaks of highly contagious animal coronaviruses, such as PEDV, measures such as destruction of entire herds of pigs may be used to prevent transmission to other herds.
A 20 year old girl dies in an accident in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh. Sudeeksha Bhati,the girl who died, overcame many hurdles and scored 98 percent in her 12th and became the topper of her district. She was the first in her family to get proper education, her parents never received quality education. She was the eldest of 6 siblings. She was studying entrepreneurship in Babson College in Massachusetts USA on a scholarship of Rs.3.80 crore.
The incident took place on Monday, the family of the deceased has alleged that the accident happened because two men on the bike were constantly harassing her, passing comments on her and were drive recklessly back and forth while she was going to a relatives house with her uncle and cousin on a separate bike. Although, the district authorities has said that the investigators of the case have found no proof of harassment. Two men who were captured on the CCTV are being investigated by the police.
When the district police talked to the eyewitnesses, they were told the accident happened when a Royal Enfield Bullet coming from the opposite direction suddenly stopped in front of their bike due to traffic, mentioning of any sort of harassment was not there. The accident caused an injury on her head. The body has been sent for postmortem.
The incident has created a hype on social media and everyone is demanding justice for Sudeeksha. The issue of eve teasing goes long back, many women and girls face these type of problems daily. Most of the time these issues go unnoticed. Our country has lost a daughter and What was her fault? When will girls be safe? The country relies on the police to find out the truth behind this and act accordingly.
The first vaccine of world is launched today by Russia.
Even as India recorded 53,601 new infections and 871 deaths in the last 24 hours, the health ministry in its latest briefing on Tuesday said that India’s recovery rate rose to 69.8 per cent due to effective and prompt clinical management of COVID-19 cases. It also said that the deaths as a proportion of known infected cases has been falling consistently, and has dropped below 2 per cent for the first time now. It is is currently at 1.99 per cent, said Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan.ADVERTISEMENT
The country’s coronavirus tally rose to 22,68,676. Of the 22,68,676 cases, 15,83,490 recovered, while 28.21 per cent (6,39,929) were still being treated. The fatalities stood at 45,257.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held a virtual interaction with chief ministers of 10 states to take stock of the Covid-19 situation. These states, which have 80 per cent of India’s Covid-19 cases, were Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. During the meeting, PM Modi said India was heading in the right direction, and that the states could defeat the virus by working together. Some chief ministers, meanwhile, sought bigger financial packages from the Centre to tackle the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday said his country had registered the first vaccine for Covid-19. The vaccine, developed by Gamaleya Institute, has received approval after less than two months of human testing. Putin said his daughter had been inoculated, and hoped the country would soon start mass producing the vaccine.
Global cases rose 20,011,186 on Tuesday, according to a tally by John Hopkins. The virus has spread to over 210 countries and territories since it first originated in China’s Wuhan in December 2019. The global death toll due to the disease stands at nearly 732,000. The United States has reported the highest number of cases (5,088,516), followed by Brazil (3,057,470) and India. (Follow our Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker, August 11)LIVE BLOG
Coronavirus (Covid-19) India News Live Updates: India has 22.68 lakh cases of which nearly 70% patients are cured, less than 2% fatalities; India’s death toll rises beyond 45,000; Russia has a Covid vaccine; global infections cross 20 million. Read Coronavirus vaccine latest updates
22:38 (IST)11 AUG 2020Over 10 lakh Indians have returned under Vande Bharat Mission: MEA
Over 10 lakh Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the “Vande Bharat” evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.
MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava tweeted, “Vande Bharat Mission crosses the 1 million mark!”.20:43 (IST)11 AUG 2020J&K govt to allow maximum of 5,000 pilgrims daily to visit Vishno Devi shrine
The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Tuesday decided to allow a maximum of 5,000 pilgrims daily visit Shri Mata Vishno Devi shrine in Trikuta Hills near Katra from August 16 to September 30. The government announced to open religious places/places of worship within the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir from August 16. The UT Governor has made mandatory to Install and use of Aarogya Setu App mandatory for all visitors.
20:08 (IST)11 AUG 2020Freash Covid cases today:
*Andhra Pradesh: 9,024 new cases, tally rises to 2,44,549; 87 more fatalities push death toll to 2,203
*Tamil Nadu: 5,834 new cases, tally goes up to 3,08,649; 118 more fatalities take death toll to 5,159
*Kerala: 1,417 more people test positive; five fresh fatalities take death toll to 120
*Delhi: 1,257 fresh cases, 8 deaths in last 24 hours; infection tally stands at 1,47,39120:01 (IST)11 AUG 2020Bihar plans to raise testing rate to over 1 lakh per day: Nitish tells PM
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish KumarTuesday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the state plan to raise testing rate for COVID-19 to over one lakh per day. Kumar, who was joined by his counterparts in nine othe states at the video conference meeting on coronaviru situation, said the state was at present testing more tha 75,000 samples daily though the number of RT-PCR examinations which he called “the most important”, remained as low as abou 6100 per day.
“The RT-PCR facility will soon be introduced at fiv more medical college hospitals which would help in raising th daily average by about 2300.
“Moreover, we have plans to purchase 10 RT-PCR and RN extraction machines which would raise our capacity by anothe 5,000”, he said.
The state government has set a target of conductin more than one lakh tests every day, he said.
“We want our entire population tested so that the sprea of the coronavirus could be effectively checked. The densit of population in Bihar is 1102 as against the national averag of 382. This makes the task daunting for us, Kumar observed.
He requested the Centre to provide Bihar with tw COBAS-6800 machines which would enable it to increase th number of RT-PCR tests to about 20,000 per day.
The chief minister also thanked the centre for helpin set up two 500-bed dedicated COVID hospitals, at Bihta nea Patna and in Muzaffarpur, drawing from the PM Care Fund.
“At present, the dedicated COVID facilities have 32,12 beds. We intend to raise the number to 70,000. We are als ensuring free of charge medical facilities to those in hom isolation”, Kumar added.18:48 (IST)11 AUG 2020States must not get overawed by increase in daily positive cases, says Health Ministry
The Health Ministry on Tuesday said states should not get overawed by a “mere increase” in daily positive cases of COVID-19 and should keep pursuing the policy of aggressive testing, comprehensive tracing and tracking and efficient treatment of cases. Addressing a press briefing, Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the active cases of COVID-19, which comprised 88.83 per cent of the total caseload on March 31, have reduced to 28.21 per cent as on date.
“We should not lose sight of the bigger picture that is why we say that mere increase in daily positive cases must not overawe the states. They must keep on pursuing the policy of aggressive testing, comprehensive tracing and tracking and efficient treatment,” he added.18:18 (IST)11 AUG 2020Kerala coronavirus: 1417 fresh cases reported
Kerala broke new record in daily cases on Tuesday with 1417 fresh cases. Of these, 1247 infected via local transmission. 18:06 (IST)11 AUG 2020Mamata raises issue of financial dues to WB during COVID-19 meeting
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerje Tuesday raised the issue of West Bengal’s financial dues fro the Centre during a video conference on the pandemic and urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the Centre issue guidelines on which vaccine to be procured and used to figh the COVID-19 pandemic. “The central government has raised the FRBM limit fro three per cent to five per cent but only 0.5 per cent out o the increased 2 per cent has been made unconditional. W request the central government to make the remaining 1.5 pe cent unconditional too for one year,” Banerjee said.
“Besides this, the state is still to receive Rs 413 crore towards GST compensation and overall outstanding dues o Rs 53000 crore from the central government,” Banerjee wa quoted in a media statement issued by the West Benga government. She raised the issue of which COVID-19 vaccine o serum to be used to treat the patients and urged the Centre t issue guidelines regarding it. “Regarding the vaccine, the central government shoul authorise which vaccine is to be procured and used. It mus issue guidelines in this regard,” the statement quoted her She also requested the Centre to provide the stat with more high flow nasal canulas and ventilators18:01 (IST)11 AUG 2020Rahat Indori passes away, had tested Covid-19 positive
Lyricist and poet Rahat Indori has passed away. He was 70. Quoting a doctor from Sri Aurobindo Hospital, news portal ANI tweeted that the poet suffered from two heart attacks today and had 60 per cent pneumonia. “Urdu poet Rahat Indori (file pic) passes away at the hospital. He suffered two heart attacks today and could not be saved. He was admitted to hospital on Sunday, after testing positive for #COVID19. He had 60% pneumonia,” reads the tweet. 17:26 (IST)11 AUG 2020MP CM says he tests negative for coronavirus
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said he has tested negative for coronavirus infection, six days after being discharged from a private hospital here. Chouhan, 61, had tested positive for coronavirus infection on July 25. He has been in home quarantine since he was discharged on August 5.
Chouhan had again tested positive for the infection on August 3. However, the Chirayu Hospital where he was admitted had said that the CM was being discharged as per the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). “They (doctors) advised discharge as per the ICMR policy dated May 8, wherein patients can be discharged after 10 days of symptoms onset and no fever for three days. There will be no need for testing prior to discharge,” a bulletin issued by the hospital had stated.17:08 (IST)11 AUG 2020Covid death rate dropped below 2% for the first time
Even as India recorded 53,601 new infections and 871 deaths in the last 24 hours, the health ministry in its latest briefing said that India’s recovery rate has neared 70 per cent. It also said that the deaths as a proportion of known infected cases has been falling consistently, and has dropped below 2 per cent for the first time now. It is is currently at 1.99 per cent, said Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan16:57 (IST)11 AUG 2020Coronavirus updates at 5 PM:
India’s coronavirus tally rose to 22,68,676 with 53,601 new infections and 871 deaths in the last 24 hours ending 9 am Tuesday.
However, the deaths as a proportion of known infected cases has been falling consistently, and has dropped below 2 per cent for the first time now
PM Modi, in his virtual meeting with chief ministers of 10 states said India was heading in the right direction, and that the states could defeat the virus by working together.
Mandeep Singh became the sixth hockey player to test positive. He was shifted to hospital after oxygen level drop
A panel of experts will meet Wednesday to discuss procurement and administration of Covid-19 vaccines. The meeting will be chaired by Dr V K Paul, a member of the Niti Aayog.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that his country had registered the first vaccine for Covid-19. The vaccine, developed by Gamaleya Institute, has received approval after less than two months of human testing.
Coronavirus broke out again in New Zealand after 102 days with four cases in one Auckland household from an unknown source.
Global cases rose 20,011,186 on Tuesday with nearly 732,000 deaths.
The virus has spread to over 210 countries and territories since it first originated in China’s Wuhan in December 2019.
The United States has reported the highest number of cases (5,088,516), followed by Brazil (3,057,470) and India.16:33 (IST)11 AUG 2020Coronavirus back in New Zealand
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday that authorities have found four cases of the coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, the first cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days. Ardern said Auckland, the nation’s largest city, will be moved to Level 3 from midday Wednesday, meaning that people will be asked to stay at home and bars and many other businesses will be closed. She said the rest of the country will be raised to Level 2. 16:19 (IST)11 AUG 2020PM’s virtual meet on COVID-19: TN CM urges Centre to share 50 per cent RT-PCR test cost
The Centre should fund 50 per cent of the cost of RT-PCR tests done for detecting COVID-19 and also finance the procurement of high-end ventilators, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Tuesday. Raising the demand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a virtual meet he (Modi) held with chief ministers of ten states on COVID-19, Palaniswami also said a proactive strategy has led to a slide in new positive cases in Chennai and the model was being replicated in other parts of the state.14:50 (IST)11 AUG 2020Putin on Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine: ‘It has passed all checks’
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Covid-19 vaccine: “I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks.” In fact, he confirmed his daughter has been administered the vaccine.14:40 (IST)11 AUG 2020President Vladimir Putin says Russia has developed the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country had registered a vaccine for Covid-19. The vaccine, developed by Gamaleya insitute, has received approval after less than two months of human testing. Putin said his daughter had been inoculated.13:56 (IST)11 AUG 2020Bengaluru: Nearly 18% of missing Covid-19 patients remain untraceable
Nearly 18 per cent of the 4,327 people who were untraceable since testing positive for coronavirus in Bengaluru between July 25 and August 7 are still missing on account of wrong contact details provided at the time of Covid-19 tests in Bengaluru, a probe by the city police and the city corporation has revealed.
According to the data for missing Covid-19 persons in Bengaluru, a total of 3,303 of the 4,327 persons who were untraceable after testing positive between July 25 and August 7 have been tracked down by the police so far, with 769 declared as untraceable and as many as 255 still being tracked. Read Johnson T A’s report13:51 (IST)11 AUG 2020PM Modi: India will win Covid-19 battle, and there will be a new beginning
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday held a video interaction with chief ministers of 10 states. During the meeting, he exuded confidence that India would win the Covid-19 battle. He said India was heading in the right direction, and that states could defeat the virus by working together, and learning from each other.13:41 (IST)11 AUG 2020Mandeep Singh sixth hockey player to test positive; shifted to hospital after oxygen level drop
Hockey player Mandeep Singh was shifted to SS Sparsh multispeciality hospital last night after his blood oxygen level dropped below normal. As per latest reports, his condition is stable. Singh was the sixth player of the men’s hockey team to test positive for Covid-19 on Monday. Read more here13:38 (IST)11 AUG 2020Pranab Mukherjee in critical condition, says hospital
Former president of India Pranab Mukherjee is in critical condition, a statement from the Army Hospital in New Delhi, where he is admitted, said Tuesday. Mukherjee underwent brain surgery yesterday. While at the hospital, he had tested positive for Covid-19. ‘Former President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee was admitted to Army Hospital (R&R) Delhi Cantt at 12.07 hours on August 10, 2020 in a critical condition. Workup at the hospital revealed a large brain clot for which he underwent emergency life saving surgery. Post surgery he continues to remain critical on ventilatory support. He was also found to be COVID-19 positive,’ the statement read.13:25 (IST)11 AUG 2020Punjab CM Amarinder Singh seeks liberal financial package to meet Covid-19 requirements
During the video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday said the cap of 35 per cent in the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) for Covid-19 related expenditure was insufficient to meet requirements. A statement from the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office said Singh had requested PM Modi to provide a liberal financial package for states to combat the pandemic, reported news agency ANI.
“During a video conference meet of PM Modi with CMs of some states to review Covid situation, Capt Amarinder Singh said current cap of 35% in State Disaster Relief Fund for Covid related expenditure, as per MHA guidelines, is not sufficient to meet current requirements. CM Captain Amarinder Singh today sought from PM Narendra Modi a liberal financial package for states to fill the collection gap caused by the pandemic, and also flexibility on Covid-related terms of expenditure in SDRF,” the statement read.
COVID-19 situation in Delhi under control: Kejriwal
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the Covid situation in Delhi is under control and the recovery rate is improving. Speaking at the inauguration of health facility in Ambedkar Nagar, he said in case the situation takes a turn for the worse, the government is fully prepared to deal with it. Delhi’s Covid-19 case count stood at 1,44,127 on Saturday, according to government data.
Manoj Tiwari claims Amit Shah is now negative, deletes tweet’ MHA says no test yet
Minutes after BJP leader Manoj Tiwari tweeted that Amit Shah has tested negative for coronavirus, the Ministry of Home Affairs has clarified that the Home Minister is yet to undergo a test. The Delhi BJP leader has now deleted his tweet.
Brazil’s death toll tops 100,000, Covid-19 peak still away
The number of people succumbed due to the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil surpassed 1 lakh-mark on Saturday, with 905 deaths and 49,970 cases in the last 24 hours. Despite the rising numbers and having over 3 million cases, the country continues to reopen its public places despite warning from experts that the pandemic is yet to peak. While it took three months for the toll to reach 50,000, it just took 50 days to kill the next 50,000.
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