A Loss Making; MARKET BULL

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India is a country with huge diversity of food, people and their tastes and preferences respectively. And with growing urge to explore in people all around, food industry and related companies are rapidly working on making all these varieties of food available in every corner of the country. The most popular entrant to this growth currently is the concept of food delivery at your doorstep and While, talking about food delivery services you just couldn’t miss out the name of ‘Zomato’.

Journey to become a Leader.

First of it’s kind in India, Zomato is one of the leading firm in the business of food delivery. With a total of 1,69,802 delivery partners, 3,89,932 listed restaurants and 1,48,384 food delivery restaurants, Zomato is present in 552 cities in India and 23 other countries. According to The Economic Times Zomato said “it connects customers, restaurants and delivery partners—serving their multiple needs. Customers use the platform to search/discover restaurants, read/write reviews, upload photos, order food, book tables and make payments while dining out. Restaurant partners get marketing tools to acquire customers, while delivery partners earn by making deliveries”. After a tremendous growth in business in FY20 due to the pandemic, The Gurugram- headquartered company said its revenue from operations has grown from Rs 466 crore in FY18 to Rs 2,604 crore in FY20, signifying around 5.5X growth over the three-year period. Revenue from operations for the nine months ended December 31, 2020, stood at Rs 1,301 crore. Despite this terrific revenue growth, between march amd December the company showed a loss of over Rs.682 crore.

The STEP TOWARDS GROWTH !

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However, these losses doesn’t stop the growth of the company at any level. Zomato Ltd. launched its three-day initial public offering (IPO) on July 14, making the online food aggregator one of the first Indian startup to list on the national bourses. The company raised as much as Rs 9,375 crore by issuing fresh stock and via an offer for sale at Rs 72-76 per share. It is likely to be valued at nearly $9 billion at the upper end of this price band. With a bid lot size of 195 shares and multiples thereof the net proceeds will be used for organic and inorganic growth initiatives, and general corporate purposes. Zomato is the largest IPO of the year. The IPO provided Zomato with a valuation of Rs 64,365 crore, which is the second biggest since SBI Cards and Payment Services, which is somewhere around Rs 10,341 crore in March 2020. The IPO of this food delivery service was subscribed 38.25 times. It was to be finalised, on July 23. According to the stock exchange data, Zomato got bids for 2,751.25 crore shares against 71.92 crore shares on offer. The IPO is India’s biggest since March 2020.

Zomato has already mobilised Rs 4,196.51 crore from 186 anchor investors on July 13, a day before the issue opened. The IPO size has been reduced to Rs 5,178.49 crore from Rs 9,375 crore earlier. The company, backed by Jack Ma’s Ant Group Co, is the first from a long list of Indian unicorn startups to launch an IPO.

𝑫𝑬𝑽𝑶𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑳 𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑮

“WHERE THERE IS DEVOTIONAL MUSIC, GOD IS ALWAYS AT HAND WITH HIS GRACIOUS PRESENCE”

A devotional song is a hymn which accompanies religious observances and rituals. Traditionally devotional music has been a part of Hindu music, Jewish music, Buddhist music, Sufi music, Islamic music and Christian music . Each major religion has its own tradition with devotional hymns.

Music is a medium often used to communicate with God. It transcends space and time. It is free of religion, caste, nationality, and even language. It resonates with the inner self of a person, reflecting the purpose and deeper meaning of life. While music is a form of expression, spirituality is born from a space of personal experience, and the environment. It brings clarity to thought and gives an opportunity for personal reflection. Old age is just right to contemplate about the bygone years and the deeds. Old age is a time to seek a passage to the Supreme Being. At an age where nothing comes as a surprise, but everything is consequential, the mind keenly looks for peace.  Devotional songs have long been used to direct mind and soul towards a safe harbor. It is for the same reason that we are encouraged to hear songs that encourage us during yoga lessons or morning prayers.

Devotional songs help one find compassion, generosity, and harmony. In addition to this, listening to devotional songs is shown to have added benefits on the mental health of a person. Listening to devotional music regularly gives out positive vibes, and contributes to a happier outlook on life. It results in the enhanced and elevated mood, especially when listened to during mornings. It also fosters relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety, and increases self-esteem. In Alzheimer patients, devotional music can increase communication skills, and stimulate parts of the brain responsible for memory. It significantly helps in keeping a check on anger. Those who listen to devotional music have reported better sleep, increased the ability to concentrate, increased awareness, and lessened the need for medications.

In India, devotion is a way of life. It can vary in medium, intensity, and genre, but there is no way around it. Whatever definition of spirituality one holds, the nature of music is a path one treads on. It is an integral part of human life, and more so when the mind needs most strength to carry on into the sunset.    

Devotion or bhakti is intrinsically always present in music. From the yester years, music has forever been an expression of ultimate devotion. Ranging from bandishes, thumris, bhajans to general colloquial music, music represents devotion – a symbolism of surrender to the supreme Lord.

In classical music, the musical notes, alaaps and lyrics are all devotional. Various ragas sung at specific times, signify a deep meditation and penance. The permutations and combinations of the musical notes for the different ragas rise the mental level of the performer as well as the audience to a high spiritual platform. In this way, a musical performance creates a devotional environment.

Unpopular UNESCO World Heritage sites in India

What is a word heritage site?

A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area of cultural, historical, scientific or any other significance which is given legal protection by an International Convention administered by the UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). Such sites are specially marked as well as protected to preserve and maintain the heritage of the places which are unique, rare and of outstanding value to the humanity . These sites are conserved to protect them from trespassing which will end up in destroying the beauty of the place. These sites can include ancient or historical sites, buildings, lakes , mountains, forests, cities , monuments or wild areas which maintain the above criteria.

There are a total of 1121 sites recognized as World heritage sites across 165 countries by the UNESCO. India is the fifth position in the list of countries holding largest number of World Heritage sites with a total of 38 sites spreaded across the country.

Here is the list of 10 most unpopular World Heritage Sites that are rarely known

Unpopular World Heritage Sites in India

  1. ELLORA CAVES

A perfect blend of historical religion and architectural significance is the Ellora caves situated in Verul, Maharashtra. It is one of the world’s largest rock-cut Hindu Temple cave complexes enclosing within the walls of the cave beautifully carved artefacts of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism’s religious artefacts.

2. GROUP OF MONUMENTS , MAHABALIPURAM

The Group of Monuments is a collection of 7th- and 8th-century CE religious monuments in the coastal resort town of Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, situated on the coast of Bay of Bengal. It is known especially for its rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs such as the famous ‘Descent of the Ganges’, and the temple of Rivage, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva carved out of stones.

3. KEOLADEO GHANA NATIONAL PARK

Situated in the state of rich history and heritage is the Keoladeo National park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan which was in earlier times a duck hunting reserve for the Maharajas that ruled various kingdoms in India before. Now, it is the major wintering areas for large numbers of aquatic birds from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia. Some 364 species of birds, including the rare Siberian crane, have been recorded in the park. The other wildlife of the sanctuary include, Nilgai, Chital , Sambar, Indian Porcupine, Indian Gray Mangoose, Jungle Cat, fishing Cat, civet, Jackals and striped hyenas. The park has well defined treks which can be explored either on foot or on rickshaws provided there. Infact, the national park provides rickshaw pullers for the bird watching who are also the fabulous guides to the area.

4. MOUNTAIN RAILWAYS

What better than an experience of travelling in rumbling train apartments amidst the majestic mountains. The Darjeeling Himalayan railway, Nilgiri Toy Train and the Kalka Shimla train which offers the experience of travelling in the train over the steepest heights surrounded by nature all around was declared as the world heritage site as it explores that hidden part of the country which is still saved from encroachment . The toy train on Nilgiri line takes passengers from a height of 1,069 ft to 7,228 ft. This rail network is one of the steepest in Asia. 

5. THE CHURCHES AND CONVENTS OF GOA

This coastal southern state of India on the coast of Arabian sea which is famous for its party life and beaches also has many monuments and churches of historical significance. Goa was the capita lof the Portugeese traders that came to India in around 16th century and therefore consists many victorian style buildings.

The main buildings that are included, are:

  • St. Catherine’s Chapel
  • Church and Convent of Francis of Assisi
  • Sé Cathedral
  • Basilica of Bom Jesus
  • Church of Saint Cajetan including the seminary
  • Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
  • St. Augustine Tower

The Basilica of Bom Jesus holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier, a missionary across Asia (India, Japan, China) who died in 1552. He is regarded as the patron saint of Goa. Once every decade on December 3, the body is taken down for veneration and for public viewing.

What is VPS (Virtual Private Server)? Its features!

VPS (VIRTUAL PRIVATE SERVER)
Do you know what VPS is?
The full form of VPS is Virtual Private Server. As the name suggests, it is a virtual private server, which is rented to the user. It appears to the user that on a VPS there is no other user on the server & it is a dedicated server. However, VPS is installed on a server serving multiple websites. There are multiple VPS on a computer. The user has full access to his VPS. It has a unique IP address, disc space, CPU resources and the user doesn’t have to share it. It is independent.
How a VPS works?

There is an OS (Operating System) installed on each VPS. The user can install any software that runs on that Operating System. The web hosting provider uses virtualization technology which installs a virtual layer on the Operating System (OS) of the server. Hence, it separates the server into individual compartments, through a virtual wall. Thus, the user can install their OS & software. Hence, it is a completely private server.

Advantages of a VPS Hosting

The first one & the best advantage is that the user has full access to the VPS’s OS without any restrictions &  no need for permission from the admin for any custom process.
Users can also host additional services such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP), a mail server, an e-commerce store & many more.
It also allows the user to host multiple websites which are best for an organisation, developer, & many other types of businesses.

Disadvantages of VPS Hosting

Generally, small businesses & organisations own VPS, to get the flexibility of a Dedicated Server at a cheap price. But it also has its disadvantages.
Another disadvantage is that it lacks in performance. The VPS generally throttle the server’s performance. Because the VPS provider tries to increase the number of VPS on the server.
Security is not a major disadvantage on VPS. Generally, VPS is separated from another VPS because of server virtualization. But there is also a security requirement, which is avoided by some hosting providers. Hence, it may lead to a major security issue.

The right time to switch to VPS?

Are you currently using any Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting, etc. & are thinking to switch to VPS. Many questions arise in your mind that what is the right time to switch to VPS hosting. So, I am going to talk about this topic in this section.
Here are the top 5 reasons because of which you can switch to VPS.
1. If you are worried about security, & want some extra & reliable security, extra backup space, extraordinary security for your e-commerce store or any online payment, then you can surely go to VPS. You will get top-level security in VPS.
2. If you are constantly experiencing a high amount of traffic on your website, & thinks that the shared hosting is not able to handle it. And, if you don’t want to take the risk, then you can consider VPS hosting.
3. Sometimes, because of high requests & traffic, your website starts running or loading slowly or lagging. Because Shared Hosting is not idle for this traffic, then you can definitely go for VPS hosting.
4. Sometimes, you need to install software other than WordPress, Drupal, etc. & you want to install your software. You may also need to use a custom server configuration. Then you want a hosting provider, which rents the server with extra configurations. Then, you should buy VPS hosting.
5. If you are constantly running for server errors on your Shared or any other type of web hosting, & want more reliable & budget-friendly hosting, then you can go for VPS hosting.

Conclusion

If your business is going decently & if you want more resources, then you have to surely go for VPS hosting. It’s nowadays budget-friendly.
I will also talk about other types of Web Hosting such as Colocation Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, etc. in future posts. So don’t forget to bookmark this website.
Thanks for reading!

ACTION SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

Don’t you see this adage as an example of gaining trust through your actions rather than merely blabbering about wonderful things? You may have come across several persons in your life who talk a lot about a variety of topics. With their words, they try to influence or control you. They make allowances when it comes to acting, though. Some of your pals, for example, make a New Year’s goal to study harder this year. When the time comes, however, they forget about their resolution and return to their usual sluggishness. They aren’t goal-oriented. Making resolutions is pointless if you are unable to follow through with them. Acting is required to construct a success storey. You can’t merely talk about climbing Everest; you have to put in the necessary effort to do it.

Most individuals forget that bragging about one’s accomplishments is pointless. If your accomplishments are significant and worthy of praise, others will be aware of them without you having to say anything. Everyone should realize that working hard to attain one’s goals is preferable to talking about it. The most basic illustration can be found in the life of a student. Do not say it every day if you are a hardworking student. Rather, demonstrate it by your academic performance. Most top students never brag about their accomplishments, preferring to focus on their hard work in order to attain their goals. Their grades are self-evident.

This saying, “Action speak louder than words,” has been proven true in every industry. If you want to be successful, you should concentrate on taking action. The deeds of a man define him. Your behaviours will also play a role in shaping your personality. Actions indicate that something is alive, but the dead do not move. As a result, progress is proportionate to actions. Your actions will naturally speak louder than your words the day you obtain what you dreamed of and worked for. You won’t have to justify or detail your accomplishments any more. The rest of the world will find out by itself. Consider Mahatma Gandhi, a legendary national leader. Gandhiji accomplished outstanding outcomes in his work, yet he never brags about how his leadership changed India. The proverb “doing speaks louder than words” is appropriate in this circumstance.

Another good example is the military of our own country, India. Most importantly, these troops put their lives on the line every day to ensure the safety of the country. Unlike many politicians, who merely provide speeches, these troops truly carry out their duties. Furthermore, these troops serve without regard for personal gain. Many people will undoubtedly never discover their names. Any achievement can be killed by ego and pride, and in some situations, the worth of any achievement can be reduced to zero. In the history of mankind, all of the people who have remained on Earth have had incredible success. Simply follow your dreams and strive to attain your goals; your actions will undoubtedly speak louder than your words.

Finally, the adage “doing speaks louder than words” is a useful life lesson. Furthermore, lying with words is much easier. An action, on the other hand, is inexorably related to one’s desires and ideas. Without a doubt, deeds speak louder than words.

UNDP Equator Prize 2021

UNDP Equator prize is counted among, one of the most prestigious international prizes, the winners for equator prize are chosen from different countries. The highlight of this years Equator prize are the two winners from India – Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company and Snehakunja Trust.


Significance
UNDP which stands for United Nations Development Program which is United Nations network that operates globally to recognise the efforts that contribute towards betterment of world, under this comes equator prize for which nominations are filed every year and then winners are selected.


Equator prize brings together society, its people, international bodies and other organisation, its main agenda of focus is sustainability and development of society.
Indian winners


On 15th July UNDP made the announcement through there official twitter handle that this year two Indian communities are chosen as winner and other winners from other countries include- Bolivia, Costa Rica, Mexico etc. This is a proud moment for all the Indians.


Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar producer company
The first organisation which belongs to the state of Tamil Nadu, which is entirely run by indigenous people of Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and has over 1000 members. They have been working for past 8 years with crop and forest produce production and marketing and successfully helping 147 local villages to have better livelihood options. A wide range of produce is available in the reserve which is extracted in a sustainable way.

Snehakunj foundation
The trust is working for restoration and conservation of wetlands and ghats in Karnataka for almost 45 years now, and additionally Snehakunj Trust is running blue carbon project for the first time in India. they are helping forest communities and self-help groups learn and earn through sustainable ways. People are taught about farming techniques, entrepreneurship etc. helping them lead a better life.


Equator prize is a great initiative that not only recognises people and organisation but, also great ideas, thoughtful efforts and hard work that are capable of bringing positive change in the world resulting in overall development.

Just a story on travel and language


When I was very little, I caught the travel bug. It started after my grandparents first brought me to their home in France and I have now been to twenty-nine different countries. Each has given me a unique learning experience.

At five, I marvelled at the Eiffel Tower in the City of Lights. When I was eight, I stood in the heart of Piazza San Marco feeding hordes of pigeons, then glided down Venetian waterways on sleek gondolas. At thirteen, I saw the ancient, megalithic structure of Stonehenge and walked along the Great Wall of China, amazed that the thousand-year-old stones were still in place. It was through exploring cultures around the world that I first became interested in language.

It began with French, which taught me the importance of pronunciation. I remember once asking a store owner in Paris where Rue des Pyramides was. But when I pronounced it PYR–a–mides instead of pyr–A–mides, she looked at me bewildered with more accent on the A.

In the eighth grade, I became fascinated with Spanish and aware of its similarities with English through cognates. Baseball in Spanish, for example, is béisbol, which looks different but sounds nearly the same. This was incredible to me as it made speech and comprehension more fluid, and even today I find that cognates come to the rescue when I forget how to say something in Spanish.

Then, in high school, I developed an enthusiasm for Chinese. As I studied Chinese at my school, I marvelled how if just one stroke was missing from a character, the meaning is lost. I loved how long words were formed by combining simpler characters, so Huǒ (火) meaning fire and Shān (山) meaning mountain can be joined to create Huǒshān (火山), which means volcano. I love spending hours at a time practising the characters and I can feel the beauty and rhythm as I form them.

Interestingly, after studying foreign languages, I was further intrigued by my native tongue. Through my love of books and fascination with developing a sesquipedalian lexicon (learning big words), I began to expand my English vocabulary. If you want your child to become prompt in English, visit the website.  Studying the definitions prompted me to inquire about their origins, and suddenly I wanted to know all about etymology, the history of words. My freshman year I took a world history class and my love for history grew exponentially. To me, history is like a great novel, and it is especially fascinating because it took place in my own world.

But the best dimension that language brought to my life is interpersonal connection. When I speak with people in their native language, I find I can connect with them on a more intimate level. I’ve connected with people in the most unlikely places, finding a Bulgarian painter to use my few Bulgarian words within the streets of Paris, striking up a conversation in Spanish with an Indian woman who used to work at the Argentinian embassy in Mumbai, and surprising a library worker by asking her a question in her native Mandarin.

I want to study foreign language and linguistics in college because, in short, it is something that I know I will use and develop for the rest of my life. I will never stop travelling, so attaining fluency in foreign languages will only benefit me. In the future, I hope to use these skills as the foundation of my work, whether it is in international business, foreign diplomacy, or translation.

I think of my journey as best expressed through a Chinese proverb that my teacher taught me, “I am like a chicken eating at a mountain of rice.” Each grain is another word for me to learn as I strive to satisfy my unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Today, I still have the travel bug, and now, it seems, I am addicted to language too.

You, me and the screens

21 Virtual Graduation Ideas 2021 — How to Throw a Virtual Graduation Party

No one ever knew that coronavirus would stay on this long, and a 21 days lockdown would extend to a year and half now. All the plans, the expectations of getting a normal grad-farewell, went nowhere but into an invisible bin in space.
Day by day, breath by breath, I find it hard to live, to exist; sitting and wasting the last year of my graduation attending lectures online – what worse could happen. But no. The worse was yet to come an online farewell?! For real?

I get that this is not really as worse as the situation is out there. Millions of people have lost thier jobs and their only source of income. Many corners of the world has peoples starving to death. Here every passing second, I can hear the intensity of sirens increasing next street. My phone is buzzed with calls of my parents asking if I’m doing okay and also my relatives informing that they tested positive and we could do nothing but just be there emotionally, a thousand miles apart. Just like the cases, the number of deaths of knowns and unknowns are increasing and I’m so intimidated by the pain and anxiety this has left us with.

If we look back when everything was normal, when we could roam around with our friends and family, when we could have things we craved for at that instance, when we could watch skies changing colours while the sun setting down over chit chatting with our friends, when we could stay with them even if the sky turned dark. When there were no curfews, no restrictions, we could stay that way as long as we wished for.
Only if we knew in March’20, maybe then, we could hold on to our closer ones a little longer, we would enjoy that last sunset together a little longer, we would enjoy that one last meal together a little longer.
Only if we knew that time, we would appreciate those small little things more than we ever did. This pandemic taught us few lessons though; to reconnect with our loved ones; to appreciate and be grateful for every little joy of happinesses.

Ever since our births, we’re always taught to look at the brighter picture. This pandemic taught us few lessons though; to reconnect with our loved ones; to appreciate and be grateful for every little joy of happinesses. Even if we’re miles apart from our loved ones, we’re still connected to them by these screens; these megapixel screens act as a ray of hope to the darkness of despair around. In the end, all that I have now is just me and these megapixel screens. But, is it really an end if it’s not a happy one? Somewhere deep down in our hearts we still know we’re going to live that life before Covid again; where we would step out of our houses without masks & sanitizers. But this time hasn’t come yet. So, we still have to follow all the safety precautions as we know together we can get through this.

“United we stand, divided we fall”

Evaluation of Otto Von Bismarck

Otto Von Bismarck (1815-1898) was a Conservative Statesman from Prussia. He was appointed as the Prime Minister of Prussia by William II. He remained the first chancellor of German federation from 1871 to 1890.

After joining the office, his primary objective was Unification of Germany. For this he chose the path of diplomacy throughout the process.

He believed in Real Politik, an ideology of Machiavelli, i.e. the policy to be applied rather than have a handbook. In his famous Blood Iron Speech he said:

"Germany doesn't look to Prussia's Liberalism but to her power... not by speeches and majorities will the Great queestions of the day be decided but by Iron and Blood."

Role in Unification of Germany

Diplomacy

He won the support of Liberals and Socialists with following policies:

  • He banned Social Democratic Party but started Social Welfare Program which included health insurance, accident insurance and old age pensions.

For liberals he diminished church rights. Also made anti church and anti Catholic policies. The struggle between the church and Bismarck was called Kulturkamph.

Bismarck was also in favour of Industrialization which added points in favour of Liberals.

War strategies

i) Prussia + Austria againdst Denmark (1864)

(Diplomacy to gain Austrian support)

Denmark lost

Prussia and Austria took over Schelweig and Holstein respectively.

ii) Austria-Prussian War (1866)

(Prussia was supported by Italy)

prussia won in 7 weeks

Austria’s allies were annexed and Prussia became leader of German unification

iii) Franco Prussian War (1871)

(Planned to arouse Nationalism by France attack on Germany)

Aims of policy:

Wanted to isolate France thereby remaining in good terms with Austria and Russia

  1. Driekaiserbund (League of Three Emperors) was Bismarck’s policy of isolating France
  2. He hosted Congress of Berlin 1878. The result left Russia angry and signed out of Driekaiserbund.
  3. To safeside Germany he made Reinsurance Treaty 1887, with Russia.
  4. Dual Alliance 1879, with Austria became “the way to cornerstone of the foreign policy” says Caer.
  5. Bismarck wanted to remain neutral and did not want to disturb Balance of Power. However pressure built during Scramble of Africa.

Bismarck enjoyed formidable reputation. His handling of Vongress of Berlin helped prevent war in Europe. Biggest criticism for him is his disregard for people of small nations. He ignored the wish of people of Ottoman Empire during Berlin Conference.

Australia To Host The Olympics in 2032 After Brisbane Wins Its Bid

The international Olympic Committee announced that Australia will host the Summer Olympic games for the third time It was announced on  Wednesday in Tokyo during the 138th IOC Session at Hotel Okura.

Brisbane, Australia the world’s largest sporting event will host the Olympic Games.

Adrian Schrinner, the lord mayor of Brisbane, said that the effort to make Brisbane a host city began six years ago under his predecessor.

“Our purpose was to seek an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity for our region and for our city,” Schrinner said in a message shared on Twitter celebrating the announcement.

The IOC member nations had an easy choice to make Wednesday. Brisbane was the only option still in the running to be a host city.

Whether Olympic host cities actually gain economically from holding the event is unclear, according to some reports.

The Associated Press reports the IOC essentially gave Brisbane exclusive negotiating rights in February, leaving officials from Qatar, Hungary and Germany who has also attempted a run at the 2032 hosting effort, out in the cold.

Australia previously hosted the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2020. Paris is all set to host the 2024 Olympics; Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy will host in 2028. Beijing is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics.

United Fight Against SMA: 18 Crores Raised To Treat A Rare Genetic Disorder

Mohammad, son of Rafeeq and Mariam from Kannur district in Kerala, has been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. A similar condition that his 15-year-old sister Afra is suffering. As a consequence of late diagnosis and treatment, she is paralyzed below the waist and can therefore move around only in a wheelchair.  

Spinal Muscular Atrophy(SMA)

It is a genetic disease that affects the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system and voluntary muscle movement. Nerve cells controlling the muscles are located in the spinal cord. But SMA affects the muscles which do not receive signals from nerve cells.

Atrophy refers to ‘getting smaller’ which usually occurs when the muscles are not stimulated by nerve cells.           

What Causes SMA?

Deficiency of a motor neuron protein called “survival of motor neuron” (SMN) in chromosome 5 results in SMA. The protein is necessary for normal motor neuron function. SMN plays a pivotal role in the expression of the genes of motor neurons.

Symptoms of SMA

  1. Includes weakness of the voluntary muscles near the shoulders, hips, thighs, and upper back.
  • Lower limbs are more affected compared to the upper limbs.
  • Deep tendon reflexes are decreased.
  • Chances of spinal curvature.
  • If the muscles for swallowing and breathing are affected, chances of other complications.

Zolgensma

A single dose of the medicine to treat the disorder costs around 18 crores. One of the most expensive medicines in the world had to be imported from the US for treatment. According to the hospital, if he is administered and treated with the medicine before the age of two, he can be helped.        

Crowdfunding

A treatment committee led by MLA Vijin and a video posted by Afra seeking help from the public to raise the amount for the treatment proved to be successful. Contributions came in from all around the world and within the initial few days they were able to raise around Rs. 4 crores. And within the next few days the entire amount had reached their account.

People all over the world were like the Good Samaritan in Mohammad’s life.

SCHEDULING

How Can You Plan Your Days?

There are two kinds of people, first ones are those who like to plan their days and the other one are those who like spontaneity. Being spontaneous adds a level of excitement to your life because you don’t know what you are going to do next. This behavior is good when you are enjoying leisure time. But if you are a working professional or a student it is necessary to have a schedule drawn up so you know how to proceed with your day without wasting time. Scheduling brings a certain discipline that certainly makes your life easier.

Planning helps you get control over your life. If you are a serious procrastinator , planning is exactly what you need to make you more productive. If you are not much of a planner, the below mentioned tips might help you understand how you can plan your days.

  • Start with planning your week: For a first timer it is advised that you start planning for a week rather than a day. For example, a student can plan to study a particular subject for 5 hours that week. This gives them room to decide what day they want to study that subject and in how many shifts. Allot your time in hours rather than days. Planning for a week takes the pressure off your daily commitments. Once you are able to complete all your tasks for the week, you can start planning for each day.
  • Plan your day the night before: It is always a good idea to plan the next day, the night before. This helps you make room for your professional as well as personal commitments. You can allot time to any plans that arise suddenly and also plan your work commitments around that.
  • Plan at the same time: It is advised to plan at the same time everyday. It will act like a closing task for the day and will make you feel a lot better about everything that you have accomplished that day.
  • Prioritize your tasks: Planning is done so you can finish the important tasks and everything gets done on time. The activity would only be successful if you prioritize your tasks and perform them starting from most important to least important. People are generally productive in the morning and thus it is beneficial to get all the heavy tasks done during the day so the rest of the day feels lighter and the pressure is off.
  • Take regular breaks: It is very important to take breaks between your work/study sessions. Plan to make a wiggle room for rest after a number of hours. Plan in a manner that your day does not only involve tasks. On the other hand it is also important to keep in mind that the breaks must not be too long. This will reduce your overall productivity.
  • Follow through: Planning your day is easy but the challenging task is to get through with it. Display the timetable directly before your eyes so that you are constantly reminded of all the things you need to get done. If you slack off, don’t give up on the whole constitution of planning. Make room for the left out task the next day. Think of planning and scheduling as developing a habit and do it regularly for 21 days before it becomes a conscious part of your life.

Planning breaks the streak of unproductivity. Once you plan and go through with it the, you won’t be asking yourself “What did I do all day?”. Instead You would be proud about how much you got done. As an added bonus, planning helps reduce the stress quotient and you achieve peace of mind because you framed a plan with all the goals you can attain and there is no room for procrastinate. If this article fails to convince you on planning your day, why don’t you give it a try and experience the results yourself.

Superstition in Hinduism

Religion in India is very dominant over its people. People have blind trust and faith in the religion and it's practices. In India people can get killed, and people can kill for their religion.
From the day a person is born to the day he dies, he lives his entire life superstitiously. If he tries to make any progress, the fear of sin, God etc will stop him.

Indian society is a male dominated society. It doesn't matter what the standard of living of a particular person is, still his thinking and actions somewhere supports that pillar. I believe the rise in population of India is due to the desire for a baby boy instead of a girl. Here it is believed that if you keep a vow to any of the Gods and seek for a boy child, that couple would definitely get it. Sometimes by luck they get a boy and this increases the faith and belief in vows.
People make a deal with God that if I get this job I will give you this. If my son recovers soon, I will come and give you this. There are thousands of ways in which people bribe God for their own good. Even if God existed, he would never need anything as he is supreme.
It is believed that skipping one meal in a week is good for health, but here in the Hindu religion, keeping fast is to appease God, who doesn't exist. Keeping fast also doesn't mean to eat nothing, one could eat fruits and various other stuff which is not made up of wheat and all. How can a person be so selfish? Even if he is not eating, he is keeping a vow, he is doing this for his own benefit.
Before marriage it's not important to see whether a girl and boy love each other, like each other or understand each other. It's ok if thinking doesn't match, matching a horoscope is far more necessary and important. If something is going wrong between the couple after marriage it is because of the bad position and conditions of various planets in space. It's really hard to make people understand that the universe is one, the position of various planets is fixed in the orbits, how could it affect a man sitting on the earth? How can one relate to this craziness? It's really strange and shocking to see this behavior of a growing and developing society.
When a person dies and is taken for funeral, only boys can burn the dead body of his/her mother or father. Girls are not not allowed to go to the cremation grounds. This is not because they know the scientific reason, it's because they are girls.
Girls aren't allowed to enter the temple of Lord Hanuman because he never married. On one hand they worship him and on the other hand he wasn't married so girls cannot touch his statue.
People believe in the fact that ghosts exist in this world. Many claim that they have seen souls, only bad souls which eat a person at once or take him away. Where do those souls take them? No one knows. The level of Dumbness is hard to express in words. In this world no soul exists. The human body is like a machine with an additional feature of feelings, emotions and capability to think high. Heart is the engine, which pumps throughout life, the day that engine stops working, the machine is of no use. It's a kind of machine that if engine fails once it's impossible to repair it. With the body all emotions, all functions stop working. That's the end. Nobody can restart and can make it work in the form of ghosts or souls. All the evil and angels exist and live inside you and end with you.
When people worse than ghosts exist in front of your eyes openly, what's the need of bad souls which only comes in night and darkness? To trouble you? Vibes of people matter that can be evil or god.
Menstruation is one of the natural processes which every girl has to face after the age of 12 till 45-50. It's a very beautiful process created by the universe, for reproduction, and to create your young ones. In a girl’s body,  eggs exist which she lays over the membrane of blood in her ovary duct. Every month that membrane of blood waits for the sperm to fuse which later becomes a foetus and becomes a child. When the egg doesn't receive any sperm that layer breaks down and blood comes out of the body every month, which causes pain and various other problems to a girl.
However, due to superstitions, a lot of stigma is attached to this beautiful process. Girl is forced to be singled out by barring her from entering temples and kitchens, to name a few places. It is so humiliating to know that everyone now knows you are having periods. This is a private thing, there is no reason to make it public, and a point of discussion.
India is one of the major emerging and growing countries of the world. On one hand it is going towards westernization in terms of technology, culture and standard of living and on the other hand at ground reality it is stuck to the same old mentality.There are infinite examples to give upon these superstitious behavior of the people . Majorly in Hindu religion. For real development and progress Indian society has to rise above all these, that only will lead to real development and progress.

Haruki Murakami’s ‘Kafka on the Shore’

Nobuyoshi Araki for The New York Times

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer whose novels and short stories have been translated and admired all over the world. Murakami’s works are a true testament to the genre of Magic Realism wherein seemingly unnatural things and incidents happens in the natural world. His stories revolve around inner conflicts, the dilemmas of human existence and a spectrum of psychological topics that makes us question the working of the world. His most notable works include Norwegian Wood, Sputnik Sweetheart, Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage etc. Through this unique method of narration, Murakami explores the warped realities of the human world.

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore is a Japanese novel that was published in the year 2002. Its 2005 English translation was among “The 10 Best Books of 2005” from The New York Times and received the World Fantasy Award for 2006. The novel alternates between two different stories that are happening simultaneously. One story revolves around a teenager a teenager who is on the run from home to escape his tyrannical father and a horrendous oedipal prophecy concerning his sister and mother. He renames himself Kafka Tamura after his favourite author. The other follows the story of an elderly man named Satoru Nakata, who as a child, goes into a coma after an unknown wartime affliction during the second world war. Despite being an academically bright child, after waking up from the coma, Nakata discovers that he can no longer read, write or do any of the normal mundane activities that humans indulge in. But he gains the special ability to talk to cats. Through a series of astonishing mystical events, the two are finally forced to cross paths resulting in a few exhilarating surrealist events.  

“Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn’t something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you.

Like any other Murakami novel, Kafka on the Shore is filled with symbolism, surrealist imageries, and mind-numbing parallels. With hints of time travel, hidden histories, conspiracy theories and magical underworld, the novel takes us through a rollercoaster of emotions in a world, where talking to cats, fictional characters, ghosts of a living person, raining of fishes and leeches, and opening up portals to different dimensions are all perceived into the rigid lines of reality. Through his grand narrating powers, Murakami fantastically combines elements of personal experiences, seemingly real supernatural experiences and Japanese folklore together. In most of Murakami’s works, the characters are influenced by the terrors of a post-war era all the while enthralling in the globalised community where Led Zeppelin and other global musical artists has an effect on everyday life. Music of both classical and contemporary nature plays a major role in most of his works. In this work, Murakami explores the inner turmoil and unexplored journeys existing within our minds as the two characters set out on a journey to find themselves.

Reference Links:

KEY TO SUCCESS IN LIFE

 


What is Success ? 👈

Success is something that makes our life meaningful. It is the highest point in the ladder that one wishes to climb upon. We all would have played the game of snake ladder. In this game, we are bitten by the snake many times especially when we reach easily towards target. The same is the story of success. The ladder for the success is full of challenges and we have to be ready to face and overcome these challenges to be successful in our life.

We need to work hard and value our time to make our dreams come true. Success is only granted to those who deserve it. They are the people who work accordingly to accomplish the goals of their life and make their dreams come true. Failure is a part of success. Despite being depressed with our failure we must try to learn from it. It helps us in knowing about our mistakes. The meaning of success is different for everyone. To someone, it is getting a good position, good wealth, etc. According to me, the real success lies in thing that you love and want to do. Success in that thing will make you happy and satisfied. For example dancing, singing, studies, sports, etc.

Steps For Success👇

  • Decide the Goal – We all must have a goal in our life. Life without aim is of no value. An aim in our life helps us to be focused and think about accomplishing the same.
  • Time Management – It is the most important factor that is required for getting success in life. Time lost can never be brought back. Everything in this world is meant to be done in a definite period of time. Therefore we must realize the importance of time and work accordingly to get rewarded with a happy and successful life.
  • Motivation – Everybody in this world needs an inspiration that helps us in pushing forward to accomplish our goals of life. It is something that instills a spark in us and gives us positive energy to work with dedication.
  • Hard Work – There is no substitute for the hard work in the process of becoming successful. There are people in this world provided with luck or genius minds but hard work is necessary for everyone. It is considered the key to success irrespective of the field.

How is Success Important in Our Life?👀

We all work to achieve something in our lives. The goals can vary but the final destination for everyone is getting successful. It is very important for us to become successful in our lives. It gives us a good name and recognition in our society. Success makes us more confident and happier in life. It also provides us great inner satisfaction as attaining success means getting the thing that we desire and love doing in our life.

It is most important for the survival of human beings. It opens up the doors of different opportunities for us. Success gives us the encouragement to move forward in our life. We can never live our life without encouragement or motivation. Success is something that makes our life meaningful and optimistic. It is something that gives a proper direction to our life. The successful people are an exemplar for other people in the society.

Conclusion💁

It is always said that in order to gain something in our life we have to sacrifice something. Success is also about the same. We need to leave our lazy behavior and luxuries of life far behind to become successful. This can be realized by you once you become successful in your life. And you feel proud of yourself that day.