HAVE WE FORGOTTON OUR SHEROES ?

Women have made landmark contributions encompassing various fields.Its time we sing joys of celebration for our sheroes too like we do for men.They have suffered various setbacks in life but emerged powerful as pointed out by Swami Vivekanand ,“Woman has suffered for eons, and that has given her infinite patience and infinite perseverance”.

For celebration we need to know about the milestones they have crossed and the hinderances they’ve overcome.

Their benefactions can be categorized Two folds .First theEducational Sector.

Second the Political and the Social Sector.

In Education:-

When discussing about Economy we cannot rule out the role education.The first female graduates Kadimbini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Bose long broke the stereotypes of Male centric education system.There have been other historic Educationists of India like Ayyalasomayajula Lalitha who became the first Engineer of India back in 1943.

Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi was the first female doctor of India.

SavitriBai Phule along with Mahatma Jyotiba Phule led a movement for education of Girls.

They faced social ostracization and societal pressures but did not stop.In the end, SavitriBai Died while serving the victims of plague.In the field of law which was highly patriarchic Cornelia Sorabji broke all shakles and became India’s first female lawyer.                                                           Durgabai Deshmukh an early lawyer and political activist said-“I had then decided to take up the study of law so that I could give women free legal aid and assist them to defend themselves.”

These woman are not mere inspirations or role models,theybecame game changers and paved the way for education for the upcoming generation.

Polity:-

Politics despite being male dominated ,some Strong Female leaders have made immense contributions to freedom struggle. Going back to the the Delhi Sultanate,Razia Sultan became the first and last Female to ever became sultan in 1236.

After that there were different princely states in which women lead their dynasties. Rani Laxmibai became an epitome of strength along with JhalkariBai giving a strong fight to British.

Uda Devi a ‘Dalit Virangana’ fought the British Bravely in 1857 Battle.

Rani Gaidinliu of Manipur,was imprisoned at a young age of 13 because of her Anti-British Stand.During the 1857 Revolt the participation of Begum Hazrat Mahal of Lucknow is unmatched.AhalyaBai Holkar of Malwa Kingdom is still remembered as one of the Finest Leaders of India.In the modern era of freedom struggle Female Leaders like Sarojini Naidu,Annie Besant,Vijay Laxmi Pandit(First Female President of UNGA),Aruna Asif Ali(Grand Old Lady of Independence) etc fought against the British.        

Be it Anti partition movement of 1906 or Non Co-operation Movement or Civil Disobedient Movement, Women have added by large,the amplitude of struggle.

Revolutionaries like Capt.Laxmi Sehgal lead the Jhasi rani regiment of INA Army made by Subhash Chandra Bose.AlsoPritilata Waddedar,Kalpana Datta took up arms against the British.

Post-Independence Rajkumari Amrit Kaur became the first woman Health Minister of India.

Indira Gandhi not just became India’s First Prime Minister but also was the first female Finance Minister(1970-71),to present a budget.Sucheta Kriplani became the first female to become a Chief Minister of UP,also Sarojini Naidu became the first ever female Governor in UP.

The list of contributions made by our early Women is never ending. Such zeal and sacrifices, on par with those of Men, despite miniscule opportunities, simply motivates us.

It would be appropriate to agree with Mohammad Ali Jinnah when he quoted,

“There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women”.

Mohd Ali Jinnah

Why Most Of The Startup Fails? -10 Reasons Why Startups Fail.

Helllo Friends !….. ,You may have often seen that most of the start-ups got closes in their first year They have an idea but still, the company got closed So in this video, we will talk about the top 10 reasons behind every startup fail. If you are also planning to start your own venture so please consider all these 10 reasons. The first thing is what is the type of industry Whichever industry we have chosen is that right for us or not? For Example – As you guys, all know I was a marketing head at an E-commerce company Where I realized that too many things are going wrong in this industry. The cost of the product that we are selling is for 4800 and the same product was selling on Amazon is for 4100 on his platform. Including all the taxes and profits. How is it possible? Then I realized that they are playing a Big game.

 We were placing orders for 100 products but they might be placing an order for 50k products maybe that’s why they are able to sell their products in such competitive pricing. There are chances that they have a lot of funds that’s why they are trying to destroy the market So that no other e-commerce platform wouldn’t d be able to compete with them. Another big reason behind this they are considering their logistic cost to zero They consider their logistic cost as loss for now There are so many factors which make me realize that if I want to open an e-commerce store like Amazon or Flipkart so I wouldn’t be able to flourish Because I don’t have the same amount of fund that they have or how long I would able to fight with them 1or 2 years. 

After then I will be broke like so many other’s companies. Now come to the second point and that is a faulty business model I think that If I do this business so I would be profitable. But, If I do overall calculations so I will find myself in the loss For example – we open a factory and product costing is coming 80rs And what we do next is we made all the plans regarding the selling price and all Then we decided that we will sell this product at a profit margin of 95 rupees. Then we did all the packaging and branding of that product. Then we got to know that the price of raw material frequently fluctuates. In starting, the price of raw material was 60 rupees and now it is available for 110 rupees. So now Can I increase the price of my product? No, Because we did all the branding and marketing of that product for the pricing of 95 rupees. 

Or maybe at the timing of calculating the total cost we made some errors. We didn’t include rent and employees salary under that calculation. In short, we have to make our strong business model. If we don’t want to let our startup fail. There are many businesses which are in auto-pilot mode in which money comes automatically. Like I told you about Trivago Business model Now comes to the third point and that is marketing myopia. In this topic, I have already made a video but let me tell you how marketing myopia affects business model. Sometimes, we feel that our product is the most optimum product for the consumer. For example – You decided that you are going to make pager that is used a long time ago for only sending the messages. If you know about it, drop a comment below with yes. You are making pager in this modern era and telling everyone that your pager is a touch screen. But the consumer needs a touch smartphone with a strong camera, display, processing power.

 But No you have already decided to sell pager. By doing things in this way your business will come to an end like Nokia. Along with that, we also have a week feedback system. In initial days every business product is going through the developing stage. Right now even they don’t know what kinds of problems customer’s are finding in their products. We think that our product is good For example – My protein business, we think that the quality and taste of our protein powder is superior. The chocolate favors of our protein powder are good. This is what we exactly think. But until we asked the customer’s about our product feedback and asked them how was our product? We have to ask our customers about possible changes and other things. 

When we received feedbacks and work on it so the customers become loyal to us. Maybe he couldn’t buy my product before but I simply called him and develop my product according to his feedbacks After then I said thank you because of him I able to make changes in my product. Now, there are high chances that he will buy one more time from me and if he like my product then he will recommend others. Ultimately my customer base will be increased So basically we have to build at least one feedback system doesn’t matter what kind of business we are doing. So we can get in touch with the consumers directly And know where our product is lacking and what kind o possible changes can be done. If you are in the service industry, for example, you own a salon. you should always ask your customer about his experienced and his suggestions. 

Many companies use feedback form so that is also the part of the system. Next point is you do n’t have a passion for doing business. He just got into the business because of the peer pressure. I have seen that go daddy makes websites for businesses for 100 or 1000 rupees. Will try to expand his father’s business by running ads But why would I do it? Because my friends are doing business People don’t know about the industry and they do not have any experience but still, they do business. What happens after then, if business got fail they feel demotivated. Ultimately the company got wasted Along with that, the other problem is we don’t have enough skills for starting a business. For example – I want to open digital marketing and a web development company but I don’t know anything about both of them But I feel like I am a good manager so I will hire employees who know these skills And I will manage all of them and will make money by doing these. In order to do something, you have to learn that skills first otherwise anyone will make you fool. Your own team will make you fool. They will tell you it will take around 1 month to make this website. 

But if you have knowledge about that you can tell him that no it will hardly take 1 week to complete the website If someone is doing digital marketing so maybe their strategy will be different So at that point, you can also add up your strategies which will work. Because as a boss it’s totally your responsibility to do the project in the right way. None of your clients will blame your employee, they will blame you for anything which goes wrong. Ultimately, all the clients will go away and the company will shut down There’s a huge blunder for any startups which is lacking necessary skills. Even if you don’t have a passion still you can do business by learning it, But if you don’t have the required skills for running a business then you are going to face a huge failure. 

The next point is we have a wring team members. What we did is we hired some of our cousin’s brothers or sisters and also hired our best friends and all. Because we think we have a good understanding so that we can do great business. Yes, understanding between team members is necessary but there should also have some skills set. For example – I know about digital marketing but doesn’t have knowledge about sales. Because of that, I can’t pitch my services to potential customer’s. So do I need someone in my team who knows digital marketing or knows about sales? Second example – I have all the knowledge about digital marketing but I need a guy knows about finances Who can file my GST and handle all the other things related to finance and tax. 

Because no one knows about everything So what mistake we made is we hired our siblings and friends And we tell them to learn while doing the work Ultimately this thing will lead us to waste of time, money and resources and at the end, the company will come to an end. So we should make a team of those who know different skills set. So by doing this thing altogether, we can become an idle team and grow our company. There is no doubt that understanding between members is also important so don’t avoid it as well as. But the most important thing is to complement other’s The next thing is the cash burn rate cash burn rate is how much money do I need in a month to run my company.

 It should be a total of all the expenses like marketing cost, rent, the salary of employees, and all. For example, we have a 10 lakh rupees and the rate of cash burning rate is 1 lakh rupee per month. So it means we can run our company for just 10 months. So we have to keep this thing in our mind with the purpose of making it profitable within 10 months. Otherwise, after then we will have to shut down it. Or If you have already started a business without knowing your cash burning rate Or you think you will decide your cash burning rate after a few months. So it means your company is going to close soon and all the money will be wasted. And the last point is which includes two sub-points. 

First one is you failed to raise funding for your start-ups. You have a good business model but you always failed while pitching your business model in front of the investor. And because of that your business usually fails We have already made a series of funding to investors. So you can check that series. Funding to investors is also a kind of art. You have a good business model and burning cash rate is also low and you may also cross the break-even point But in order to grow your company to a big level. you need some funds Along with that, the second point is you are hungry for the funding in your initial days of business. 

Equity of your company gets dilute by receiving quick funding. In the starting days of business, you have to dilute 30-40% of your company equities for some funding. And because of that, all the power you had earlier is now shifted to the investors. For example – If you are able to cross break-even point within 8-10 months. it means your company is in profit. In this stage, you need to work on your company 1 year more to make it more profitable and capture some more market share After then you can go for funding if you want to. There are many companies who shut down just because of , They all were just running behind the funding and then had some issues with the investors and because of that, they didn’t give any funding to them. 

Why you should include push ups in your workout routine?

Push-up is a evergreen exercise in the evolving fitness world. Many new exercises emerges and many disappears but push-up is right there enhancing everyone’s gain. Here’s some motivation to include push-ups in your workout routine.

Compound movement

It simply means that they targets activate multiple muscle groups at time instead of targeting muscles in isolation. Like bicep curls target only biceps but push-ups target whole upper body. Push-ups performed with correct technique chest, triceps, core, anterior shoulders etc. It maximizes your training efficiency. If you are skinny guy with ectomorph body type, focus on compound movements like push-ups to stimulate muscle growth.

Measure of cardiovascular health

According to a study by Jama network, men who could complete at least 40 push-ups under 30 seconds were at a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular problems like heart attack and heart failure. It means more push-ups you can do, the more likely your cardiovascular health is good.

Modifiable

If you can’t even do a single traditional push-up, no need to worry as there are many variations of this exercises and you can perform variation which suits your fitness level. Pushups can be modified up to 100 variations. If you are a beginner and find normal push ups very hard, start with wall push ups and than move to tougher variations like decline push up, knee push up and normal push up. Also there are many variations available for pros like one hand push ups.

No equipment needed

Push ups are a great way to challenge yourself without spending a single cent. While many exercises requires equipment like dumbbells and barbells, but that’s not the case with push ups. There’s always a push up variant to challenge your body irrespective of your fitness level. You can do it anytime, anywhere.

Helpful in improving posture

It is a great posture improving exercise. If done with proper form, push ups can help you in getting a proper posture helping in putting us in a good positioning instead of being hunched over or looking down. So to save your back bone, do push ups daily.

Beneficial for core and upper body and bones

Generally push ups are considered as an exercise for our limbs. But many people don’t know that they help in strengthening your core stabilization muscles. These muscles are foundation of any strength work we do and kay factor in getting stronger. They are also a great exercise to improve upper body strength. They will you in getting bigger and stronger chest biceps , triceps , shoulders and upper back. Also few pushups a day will keep your bone doctor away. They build bone density which prevents from osteoporosis specially for women.

They are empowering

As stated earlier push ups help in strengthening upper body. Big and strong upper body will make you feel more strong confident and capable. The fact that you can push your own body weight up off of the ground and hold yourself up is incredible—and something we should all aspire to do!

So next you do a workout, try to include any variation of push ups.

HOW TO KNOW THAT YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT PATH ?

We all try really hard to become successful and for that we need to know our right path. We think about the situation if we not become successful in future. The fear of failure haunts everyone. We all are in a blind race of success and sometimes we forget our genuine subjects of interest in this rat race.

Pin on LDS Quotes

You all might have heard stories of people in which, initially they were involved in other professions like engineer or management but now they are in different profession maybe actor or fashion designer. There could be many explanations for it, one of them could be they didn’t have a clue about their right path, their inclinations.

The signs which tell that you are on the right path are:

1.You’re not doing things that make you feel uncomfortable.

2.You’re not making statements you later apologize for.

3.You don’t want to think twice about the Big Deal Stuff.

4.You feel your feeling of significant worth or worth and see it reflected back by your current circumstance.

5.You’re certain about your decisions and life.

The signs which tell that you are on the wrong path are:

1.The current situation is costing you your force.

2.You feel depleted. Getting tired is fine. Depleted means drained.

3.You feel ridiculously befuddled about where your life is going.

4.You are particularly on some unacceptable way when you feel as you are “losing yourself” to a specific circumstance.

5.In the event that you wind up saying “I can’t resist the urge to feel like I lost myself,” then, at that point you’ve presumably sold out yourself somehow or another.

If you ever feel like you are on the wrong path and need to escape the present situation then you ought to ask yourself questions like “What do I really want ?“. If you feel you are too afraid to get out of circumstance thinking it would make it only worse, then you should know that it is your life. You reserve an option to live your life in your own particular manner. You don’t have to compromise with your interests. Individuals who are in contact with their inward aides can all the more likely explore life’s hindrances. They quit jobs as they know aren’t ideal for them. They cut off relationships that aren’t satisfying. They settle on extreme decisions, since they know they’re taking the right decisions.

It’s hard to know the correct way for yourself however not impossible. The primary thing you need is to trust yourself, realize that you’re picking a right way for yourself and no one knows you better than you. Decide your objective and achieve it everyday, every week and every month. Don’t be hard on yourself. Relax and think with peaceful mind.

RESOURCES:

  1. https://everydaypower.com/signs-youre-on-the-right-path/

2. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11308/how-do-you-know-if-youre-on-the-right-path.html

DEEP LEARNING SERIES- PART 8

The previous article was about the padding, stride, and parameters of CNN. This article is about the pooling and the procedure to build an image classifier.

Pooling

This is another aspect of CNN. There are different types of pooling like min pooling, max pooling, avg pooling, etc. the process is the same as before i.e. the kernel vector slides over the input vector and does computations on the dot product. If a 3*3 kernel is considered then it is applied over a 3*3 region inside the vector, it finds the dot product in the case of convolution. The same in pooling finds a particular value and substitutes that value in the output vector. The kernel value decides the type of pooling. The following table shows the operation done by the pooling.

Type of poolingThe value seen in the output layer
Max poolingMaximum of all considered cells
Min poolingMinimum of all considered cells
Avg poolingAverage of all considered cells

The considered cells are bounded within the kernel dimensions.

The pictorial representation of average pooling is shown above. The number of parameters in pooling is zero.

Convolution and pooling are the basis for feature extraction. The vector obtained from this step is fed into an FFN which then does the required task on the image.

Features of CNN

  1. Sparse connectivity
  2. Weight sharing.

    

    Feature extraction-CNN              classifier-FNN

In general, CNN is first then FFN is later. But the order or number or types of convolution and pooling can vary based on the complexity and choice of the user.

Already there are a lot of models like VGGNet, AlexNet, GoogleNet, and ResNet. These models are made standard and their architecture has been already defined by researchers. We have to reshape our images in accordance with the dimensions of the model.

General procedure to build an image classifier using CNN

  1. Obtain the data in the form of image datasets.
  2. Set the output classes for the model to perform the classification on.
  3. Transform or in specific reshape the dimension of the images compatible to the model. The image size maybe 20*20 but the model accepts only 200*200 images; then we must reshape them to that size.
  4. Split the given data into training data and evaluation data. This is done by creating new datasets for both training and validation. More images are required for training.
  5. Define the model used for this task.
  6. Roughly sketch the architecture of the network.
  7. Determine the number of convolutions, pooling etc. and their order
  8. Determine the dimensions for the first layer, padding, stride, number of filters and dimensions of filter.
  9. Apply the formula and find the output dimensions for the next layer.
  10. Repeat 5d till the last layer in CNN.
  11. Determine the number of layers and number of neurons per layer and parameters in FNN.
  12. Sketch the architecture with the parameters and dimension.
  13. Incorporate these details into the machine.
  14. Or import a predefined model.  In that case the classes in the last layer in the FNN must be replaced with ‘1’ for binary classification or with the number of classes. This is known as transfer learning.
  15. Train the model using the training dataset and calculate the loss function for periodic steps in the training.
  16. Check if the machine has performed correctly by comparing the true output with model prediction and hence compute the training accuracy.
  17. Test the machine with the evaluation data and verify the performance on that data and compute the validation accuracy.
  18.   If both the accuracies are satisfactory then the machine is complete.

HAPPY LEARNING!!

TECHNOLOGY – A BOON OR BANE

 

Technology uses techniques to manufacture
or make some products and services. In this modern world, Technology is very
important and ever increasing. Technology changed each of our lives in many way
till these last decade. It has a very high impact on Big industries to normal
Human beings. So, we can extremely say that Technology played a crucial role in
changing each of our lives. Technology has been Revolutionary. It gave us so
many good things. But, a coin should have two sides. It has a good and a bad side
too. Technology changed our lives, but we can’t to say it changed us completely
in a positive way. Technology, of course is a boon as well as a bane!

One of the serious issue of Technology
growth is High usage of Mobile phones, especially , smart phones . Since early
times, smart phones have been revolutionary. Smart phones have had so many
advantages, it helped us in so many ways, but smart phone misuse is a major
drawback. But, it isn’t the fault of its developers as they never develop it in
order to make social issues. It is us, who make it worst. So, Smart phones make
our life easier, thereby, making us lazy. Technology has become an essential
part of our lives. It has transformed luxuries into necessities. I agree with
this statement. In earlier times, affording a computer or even a television was
considered as a luxury but, now-a-days, it has become a necessity. The
generation today wants everything personal T.V., laptop, computer, etc. According
to me, technology has improved the standard of living. Owning new and latest
gadgets is a status symbol now. Earlier, there used to be the postal service.
like, if we wanted to inform anything to somebody, we wrote letters or sent
telegrams. Now, they are outdated; and are replaced by e-mails, SMS, WhatsApp,
etc. undoubtedly, it is very much faster as compared to the older systems.
Development in technology has helped the people of all ages, student, teacher,
doctor, housewife, businessman and many more.

Negative Aspect of Technology

Although technology is a good thing,
everything has two sides. Technology also has two sides one is good and the
other is bad. Here are some negative aspects of technology that we are going to
discuss.

With the help of technology, students
understand what they are taught and can apply it in real life easily. Thanks to
technology, school has become a place where students love to go.

Even outside the classroom, students can
share notes online, research, annotate, collaborate on work, have study groups,
share courses and create virtually creative content online with the help of
apps like google drive. Even social media platforms like facebook and twitter
are places where students can connect with each other to share ideas, articles
and other resources with each other. Internet is the biggest
advantage of technology. We can find anything or order anything while sitting
at home. It is a great boon to us. So, I’ll conclude by saying that, though
technology has provided us with many things but we should be wise enough to use
them.

DEEP LEARNING SERIES- PART 7

The previous article was about the process of convolution and its implementation. This article is about the padding, stride and the parameters involved in a CNN.

We have seen that there is a reduction of dimension in the output vector. A technique known as padding is done to preserve the original dimensions in the output vector. The only change in this process is that we add a boundary of ‘0s’ over the input vector and then do the convolution process.

Procedure to implement padding

  1. To get n*n output use a (n+2*n+2) input
  2. To get 7*7 output use 9*9 input
  3. In that 9*9 input fill the first row, first column, last row and last column with zero.
  4. Now do the convolution operation on it using a filter.
  5. Observe that the output has the same dimensions as of the input.

Zero is used since it is insignificant so as to keep the output dimension without affecting the results

Here all the elements in the input vector have been transferred to the output. Hence using padding we can preserve the originality of the input. Padding is denoted using P. If P=1 then one layer of zeroes is added and so on.

It is not necessary that the filter or kernel must be applied to all the cells. The pattern of applying the kernel onto the input vector is determined using the stride. It determines the shift or gaps in the cells where the filter has to be applied.-

S=1 means no gap is created. The filter is applied to all the cells.

S=2 means gap of 1. The filter is applied to alternative cells. This halves the dimensions on the output vector.

This diagram shows the movement of filter on a vector with stride of 1 and 2. With a stride of 2; alternative columns are accessed and hence the number of computations per row decreases by 2. Hence the output dimensions reduce while use stride.

The padding and stride are some features used in CNN.

Parameters in a convolution layer

The following are the terms needed for calculating the parameter for a convolution layer.

Input layer

Width Wi – width of input image

Height Hi – height of input image

Depth Di – 3 since they follow RGB

We saw that 7*7 inputs without padding and stride along with 3*3 kernels gave a 5*5 output. It can be verified using this calculation.

The role of padding can also be verified using this calculation.

The f is known as filter size. It can be a 1*1, 3*3 and so on. It is a 1-D value so the first value is taken. There is another term K which refers to the number of kernels used. This value is fixed by user.

These values are similar to those of w and b. The machine learns the ideal value for these parameters for high efficiency. The significance of partial connection or CNN can be easily understood through the parameters.

Consider the same example of (30*30*3) vector. The parameter for CNN by using 10 kernels will be 2.7 million. This is a large number. But if the same is done using FNN then the parameters will be at least 100 million. This is almost 50 times that of before. This is significantly larger than CNN. The reason for this large number is due to the full connectivity. 

                                                 

Parameter= 30*30*3*3*10= 2.7M

HAPPY READING!!

QUALITIES OF GOOD LEADER

Best characteristics of an effective leader | IronStrike

1.Good Communications skills

Communication can make or break your efforts to connect with your team, manage and coordinate initiatives, and build trust within your organization. Great pioneers speak with a worker first focal point. They communicate based on the needs and preferences of their team members and seek to listen to and understand the employee experience.

2.Have a dream for what’s to come/have a vision

Vision gives center, inspiration, and course to travel through change and snags. Great pioneers have a reasonable vision and can express the way ahead to their group. Leaders ought to have the option to interface the work on the ground to the master plan and give the explanation for all that they do.

3. Understanding what others want

For dealing with a group one should understand what sorts of jobs are reasonable for every single individual from the group. The pioneer ought to have the capacity to use every individuals potential to the most extreme. Each colleague ought to have singular objectives fell down from a solitary Goal and vision of the group. Colleagues accordingly feel that their commitments are significant in accomplishing the goal/Goal.

4.Consider themselves responsible

Great pioneers consider themselves responsible and are continually attempting to improve and advance. They are perpetually discontent with business as usual. Responsibility and consistent improvement require a guarantee to looking for and following up on criticism, gaining from errors, and course remedying.

5.Show appreciation

A grateful pioneer is an powerful pioneer. Appreciation brings positive collaborations and association, expands commitment, and fabricates flexibility. Grateful leaders comprehend that achievement is a collaboration and they make a point to perceive the work and commitments of their group.

RESOURCES:

  1. https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/characteristics-good-leader/

2. https://www.quantumworkplace.com/future-of-work/5-qualities-of-a-good-leader

The time when Britain-China clashed over India's Opium -> Opium War 1840

It was in June 1840 when a fleet of British warships went to China’s Pearl River Delta and started war. The security system of China’s coastal areas was weak. China could not last long in front of this British attack and it knelt down.

This was the first Opium War in which thousands of people were killed and that too in the name of free trade. The opium trade in China was a profitable business but it was also illegal. Two Scottish men were involved in this business and both played a major role at the start of the war.

William Jardine was a doctor by profession and also a businessman.

From Tea to Opium :

After the first meeting in a Chinese brothel, another businessman named James Matheson became William’s partner. In 1832, the two together formed Jardine, Matheson and Company, headquartered in Canton, southern China. The canton is now known as the Ganzhou of China.

Foreigners were allowed to do business only in this area of ​​China. They used to trade opium instead of tea. There was a great craze for tea in Britain. By the end of the 18th century, Britain was importing 6 million pounds of tea from the canton every year.

Business in Silver :

But soon Britain started facing problems in this business because China’s condition was that it would take only silver as the price of tea. Britain offered things like carved utensils, scientific instruments and woolen cloth as the price of the tea. But China refused to take it.

Qian Long, the then emperor of China, wrote in a letter to King George III, “We have all those things and are of better quality. I do not value such useless things and we have no use for things made in your country.”

Smuggling of Opium :


In the span of fifty years, Britain paid China the equivalent of 270 million pounds of silver, and in return could only sell them 9 million pounds of goods. This tea coming from China for Britain gradually started becoming expensive and they did not see any other way to make money there.

At least legally it was so. But British businessmen in India saw it as an opportunity. Opium was grown on a large scale in the Bengal region. Although opium was banned in China, opium has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.

Ban in China :

But by the time of the fifteenth century, Chinese people started using it for intoxication by mixing it with tobacco. Soon a large section of Chinese society became addicted to opium and fell into its grip. Its social side effects also started coming to the fore. The victims of opium addiction started selling their valuables for it.

In 1729, Emperor Yongzheng of China completely banned the sale and sale of opium and its use as a drug. But after a hundred years had passed, the craze for opium of the Chinese had not diminished in the slightest and the British started exploiting their addiction.

Eastern Part of India : 

By the year 1836, 30,000 boxes of opium started reaching China every year from India. Jardine, Matheson & Company held a quarter of this business. By breaking the government order banning opium in China, Britain had found a way to increase its income from China.

According to Professor Jan Carroll of the University of Hong Kong, “The British realized that opium is grown in the eastern region of India and that smuggling it into China can make a lot of profit.” And this was made easy for Britain by the coastal position of Canton city of China.

China’s action : 

Professor Jan Carroll said, “They easily carried opium in small boats to the shores of the canton. There was always someone there to help them on the shore. From an economic point of view, it was making a lot of profit.”

But breaking the law of Britain in this way did not remain hidden for long. In 1839, Emperor Daoguang of China declared war on drugs. An order was given to launch a raiding campaign against Western businessmen.

British Government :


Warehouses located in the 13 Factories area of ​​Canton were raided and sealed by Chinese troops. The Chinese forced the foreign businessmen to surrender. In this action of China, goods worth 2 million pounds were confiscated. It also had 20,000 boxes of opium and 40,000 opium pipes.

Following this seizure, Pershan left for London from William Jardine Canton, where he pleaded with the British Foreign Minister, Lord Palmerston, to retaliate against China. Opium played a major role in the British’s revenue from India, so it did not take long for the British government to decide to send a navy to China.

China’s Defeat :

In June 1840, Britain sent 16 warships and 27 ships to China’s Pearl River Delta. There were 4000 people on these ships. The fleet also had the iron warship Nemesis, on which rocket launchers that could be fired up to two miles were stationed.

Although the Chinese were ready for this attack, they did not have the ability to counter the British power. His cannon could last only four to five hours in front of Britain. For the next two years, the British Navy started moving through the Chinese coast towards Shanghai.

Treaty of inequality :

Most of the Chinese soldiers were victims of opium addiction and were defeated everywhere. There were 20 to 25 thousand Chinese casualties in this war while Britain lost 69 soldiers. After this war, China was completely shaken. In August 1842, on HMS Cornwallis near Nanking, the British signed an agreement with the Chinese, which the world knows as the ‘Equal Treaty’ or ‘Treaty of Equality’.

China had to open five ports to foreign trade and paid 201 million silver dollars to Britain as damages caused by the opium trade and the war. Britain got possession of Hong Kong from this treaty, which was to be used to increase the opium trade in China.

Is Chocolate Good For Our Health?

We all love eating chocolate but our parents always scolded for eating them. But is it really good for our health or it just brings obesity.

Although eating too much chocolate is not good but in adequate amount it serves various benefits. Researchers have found that an ingredient in chocolate – cocoa beans contains antioxidants (a substance that inhibits oxidation, especially one used to counteract the deterioration of stored food products.) which reduces the damage to our cells which otherwise may lead to cancer development. Some report that eating chocolate may lower the risk of certain cancers, while others show no benefit.

 Flavanols ( naturally occurring compounds found in cocoa) have been shown to lower blood pressure and make heart, veins, and arteries work better. Chocolates contains maximum amount of cocoa are considered best in terms for our heart.  Chocolate is also said to fight against bad cholesterol and so consuming a bit of chocolate once in a while will keep the bad stuff away for a long time.

 Dark chocolate is loaded with soluble fiber and many essential minerals like zinc, iron, magnesium and copper. Since it contains sugar it is thus a great source of energy. It is also found that dark chocolate contains certain chemicals that signals brain to release a happy hormone- dopamine which is a stress relieving hormone.

Apart from these benefits – “Excess of everything is bad”. Since it contains high amounts of sugar therefore it should be taken in less amount and is not recommended to obese people. Moreover eating high level of chocolates is also not good for our teeth and we should always brush our teeth after having them. Furthermore only those chocolates should be taken which contains high amount of cocoa atleast 70% of cocoa and less amount of cocain. It might give your heart some benefit, and it generally has less sugar and saturated fat than milk chocolate or other kinds of chocolate. 

Plight of Victim in Criminal Justice System

                                                        (Photo: The Daily Guardian)

You want to report,
but that could get your family in danger… And if you snitch on a real gang
leader…. they can get you bad… [The] police don’t have your back unless
you’re like someone on the news or whatever, and they will kind of give you
witness protection. But that doesn’t happen in the real world. 

–FEMALE,
SACRAMENTO

 The expression
‘victims of crime’ has been defined in section 2 of the code of criminal
procedure, 1973. Initially, the criminal justice system in India was focused on
punishment as part of the crime without much attention on the suffering of
victims of crime. The rights of prisoners were protected even after their
conviction whereas little concern was shown for the rights of victims of crime.
Though there is a wealth of data on victims of reported crime nationally, as
well as various services and programs intending to meet their needs, there
remains a dearth of clear information on how to interrupt cycles of violence
and the persistence vulnerability that keeps such an overwhelming percentage at
high risk of experiencing more crime.

 However, with the
emergence of public interest litigation, the higher courts’ attention was drawn
to this lacunae in the existing criminal justice system by social activists,
and the courts started granting compensatory relief to victims of crime, but
comprehensive legislation on this aspect of criminal justice was still awaited.
In recent times, among the many reforms canvassed for improving the criminal justice
system is the one that advocates a victim orientation to criminal justice
administration. Though there are some provisions under the Indian constitution
and some sections in the code of criminal procedure, 1973 to protect the rights
of the victims and for providing compensation, the criminal courts at the lower
level in India have ignored those provisions for a long time and not utilized
them during their sentencing processes.

 Victim plays an
important role in the criminal justice system but his or her welfare is not
given due regard by the state instrumentality. Thus, the role of high courts or
the supreme court in our country in affirming and establishing their rights
holds much importance. “Tears shed for the accused are traditional
and trendy but has the law none for the victim of crime, the unknown martyrs“?
This remark by the Hon’ble Justice VK Krishna Iyer aptly describes the plight
of victims in the criminal justice system in our country. The victim is almost
a forgotten entity in the criminal system rather the irony is that the victim
sets the wheel of justice moving by giving information to the state
instrumentalities without which the entire system would collapse.

 “Victims
should come first“…

 It is of
course an indisputable fact that victims of crime have long been a forgotten
group, a group that suffered for centuries not only from society’s neglect but
also from the exploration of their rightful dias by the state. It is also true
that they had their conflicts stolen by professionals and by the criminal
justice system. However, the exceptional speed with which they were
rediscovered and their cause adopted by the politicians, let alone the
political climate that prevailed at the time of their rediscovery, is bound to
raise questions about the real interests and motives behind what has been
portrayed as a genuinely humanitarian and disinterest cause.

 A comprehensive
legal code for victim compensation is a dire necessity. The time has come for
the legislature to stop shirking its duty. Hence, a comprehensive legal code
should be enacted providing for fair treatment, assistance, and adequate
compensation to victims of crime. Only on embarking on this step can justice in
its more altruistic forms be obtained. It should be made mandatory for the
state to pay compensation to the victims of the crime of not only the private
criminal wrongs but also for the criminal acts perpetrated by its agencies.
This mandatory duty of the state gains importance from two points of view
namely as a welfare state committed to the constitutional goal of social
justice and secondly, for its failure to protect the life, liberty, and
security of its citizens.

 Therefore, I would
like to conclude with this quote-

 “Too
much money…. often resulted in further crimes which were fatal to innocent
victims who need not have been victims if justice had been put first and mercy
second.” 

–Agatha Christie

 

How Psychology has affected my life?

 by Shashikant Nishant Sharma 

(Photo: EduAdvisor)

It takes the
innocence out of everything. You don’t see love (or any other feeling) as love
but dig deep to uncover a subconscious need. Of course, that usually turns out
to be true, in which case it worsens the lack of spontaneity. A psychologist
will define it or forever be in pursuit of the meaning behind it. Some people’s
brains are like that. They’re good at it. But nobody likes to be under a
scanner all the time. It’s unnerving.

 Psychology softens
one’s understanding of oneself.  But the same distance or unattached
empathy has to be maintained to achieve that. At first, psychology and its
study is a way to answer personal conflicts. Studying psychology has affected
and taught me to recognize and check my biases. I used to think that I was fair
and unbiased in how I viewed other people and myself. I have learned about
various psychological errors and biases which made me realize how wrong I was.

 Psychology is all
about observing how we behave and why behave that way in every situation of our
life. It changes your way of approaching a problem or situation drastically and
you can find a solution easily to any problem. It changed my way of thinking
and increased my maturity level to better standards. Now I’m able to receive
people as they are without judging them and able to find out the root causes of
my emotional problems and carefully editing my emotions.

 It’s an old saying:
“For the world, a psychologist is crazy; for a psychologist, the
whole world is crazy.” This is so true. We consider a psychologist as
a mental. We fail to understand the benefits which we can derive from a
psychologist or simply by studying psychology. In today’s world of rush, it’s
hard to keep yourself calm and your mind in peace. Psychology helps you to deal
with that. So, it is very much needed in today’s world. 

 They say that
knowledge is power, and indeed it’s true that studying certain subjects gives
you an edge over others, and in life in general. Psychology proved to be one of
those. It helps in inculcating various skills that are relevant in today’s
world. Along with my problem, psychology has helped me in developing five major
skills which are: communication skills, critical thinking skills, insight into
people’s behavior skills, research skills, and understanding skills.

 In a nutshell, a
mind is a powerful tool, and psychological insight can hone it into something
invincible. It has the power to change your perspective and outlook. It has the
power to change you into a better person. Studying psychology has proved to be
a blessing for my life and it has affected my life positively.

 

LIFE WITHOUT MODERN GADGETS

By: Astha Raghav
Technology today has revolutionalized our times in all possible ways. From dawn to dusk there is no time where we work without a gadget in our hand. Be it the global plague of mobile phones or our fingures struck on computers, i-pads,tabs, modern gadgets are such an integral part of our everyday life today that we can’t really imagine a world without them.
Today we are completely dependent on modern gadgets. Our mobile phone is like a personal secretary with accounts of all that we do everyday. The times when we remembered the phone numbers of important contacts have long gone, now that is the job of mobile to save it in its memory. Everywhere around, we can spot young people with headphones in their ear, connected to their i-pads and unaware of their surroundings. Modern gadgets seem to have helped to connect us virtually but in reality they have forced us to  an isolated life. The human connects, especially the amount of time we used to spend with family and friends in past has today reduced to watsApp messages and Facebook updates. Perhaps if we go back to such a time when we have our life without modern gadgets, we will be able to come close to our family and friends. The connect between two persons is a human bond. Messages and emails transfer our words but they can’t send the emotions which lie behind those words.

 Thus in today’s time, a life without modern gadgets will be one of human emotions and feelings and not of robotic expressions and methods. We will be able to build relationships and not increase the friends list. It will be a human life with sensitivity and love. Science has made life easy, convenient, comfortable, better and more beautiful. Its achievements, discoveries and inventions are wonderful. Friends and relatives living in different parts of the world seem a lot closer all thanks to modern gadgets, such as web cam, etc. Therefore, it is suffice to say that life without modern gadgets would slow down and become less efficient. Science has made life easy, convenient, comfortable, better and more beautiful. 

THANK YOU!

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

 By: Astha Raghav

It should not take a doctor to tell you that laughing is good for health, a better way to cope with life than brooding over negative thoughts. Can there be a better way to greet the day than with a smile or a deep- bellied laugh? Laughingout loud helps more than endless rounds of medication. Not only is laughter therapy free and easy to practice, it can benefit in many ways. The benefits of laughter. It’s true: laughter is strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress.

Laughter is a good muscle-relaxant and reduces stress hormones, it increases the count of natural killer cells and raises antibody levels. 15 minutes of laughter is equivalent to 10 minutes of strenuous aerobic exercise. It is the enemy of anti-depressant pills and tranquillizers.

  Laughter improves lung capacity and oxygen levels in blood and cures chest infections. It is the best medicine. Do not waste time; join a laughter club and harvest rich benefits from the healing effects of laughter therapy. Laughter is the best medicine!: Humor is good for the health! idiom. This idiom suggests that laughter or good humor is beneficial to the health. The old cliche, “laughter is the best medicine,” may actually have some truth to it. According to legendary funny man Carl Reiner, “there isn’t anything more important than being able to laugh. When you can laugh, life is worth living.

THANK YOU!

What Are Paralympics?

The Paralympics started in a small scale in 1948 and now it is one of the most anticipated events of all times. It is a periodic series of international events comprising of multiple events involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power (e.g. paraplegia and quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome, spina bifida), impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency (e.g. amputation or dysmelia), leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment.

It comprises of summer Paralympics and Winter Paralympics. It is held immediately after the Olympics. The Paralympics has grown from 400 athletes with a disability from 23 countries in 1960 to thousands of competitors from over 100 countries at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Paralympians strive for equal treatment with non-disabled Olympic athletes, but there is a large funding gap between Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Since the athletes participating in the games can have varied disabilities therefore to make the games equal for all, the permissible disabilities has been divided into 10 parts.  The categories are impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment. These categories are further broken down into classifications, which vary from sport to sport.

The first Winter Paralympic Games were held in 1976 in Sweden. This was the first Paralympics in which multiple categories of athletes with disabilities could compete. The Winter Games were celebrated every four years on the same year as their summer counterpart, just as the Olympics were. The International Paralympic Committee is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. It comprises 176 National Paralympic Committees (NPC) and four disability-specific international sports federations. The IPC’s international headquarters are in Bonn, Germany.

The Paralympic Games emphasize the participants’ athletic achievements and not their disability. Recent games have emphasized that these games are about ability and not disability. The movement has grown dramatically since its early days – for example, the number of athletes participating in the Summer Paralympic games has increased from 400 athletes in Rome in 1960 to 4,342 athletes from 159 countries in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Both the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games are recognized on the world stage.