Salute To The Committed.

On June 23, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, Health, Life3 Comments

Committed, we are all. To our professions, to our duties for our children, to everything we do. We are committed to ourselves to see our intentions for the living are fulfilled. Life without a purpose does not bear any meaning. If we achieve our purpose of living we feel proud.

Think about the soldier fighting for us on the border, fighting against all odds to keep us safe. How is he committed?

Think of that social worker who has only intended to do works for people. How are they committed? Remember Mother Teresa?!

Think of the doctor who takes rounds after rounds to see his patients cured. He forgets sleep and food sometimes.

Think of the surgeons who thought about the heart transplantation and head transplantation of late. And those in search of medicines to cure cancer.

Think of the scientists working in NASA, searching for another habitable planet.

The scientists and the people involved in exploring the Earth, space, ocean, deserts and Antarctica for the benefits of human being.

The people who are committed towards the benefits of society are really blessed. They are the children of God. Who can leave a mark, remains alive after death is the really committed people.

#Salute.

Commit

Musing Memories

On June 22, 2017June 22, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts1 Comment

Every one of us, who has the opportunity to look back to childhood days will agree that those were the best days of our life. When we were children we mimicked our elders. We played with kitchen items, cooked foods, prepared fake tea and coffee and offered them to all the elderly guests visiting home. I can remember my childhood in many ways. As there was no technology around, the days were very innocent. Playing games and reading books were part of our lives. Whenever I remember my childhood days I become nostalgic about the presence of ‘papers’ in my life. Papers were around me, in plenty. I did not know how to read from a high-end mobile phone or iPad! My dad used to buy lots of books with all kinds of pictures on them. Books were very attractive those days. We learnt names of flowers, animals, creatures, fishes, birds, all kinds of vehicles, foods, fruits, from books. The pictures were so attractive and colourful to win the heart of any child. I used to keep all my books and notebooks very nicely, taking so much care of all of them like they are my own children. The new season in school, the arrival of new books, notebooks and covering brown papers. Who can forget those days of our life! All throughout the year my every textbook, notebook and pencil box was looking new. I set examples for all my other friends and for my sisters too that how to maintain study materials. The secret of over caring was the smell of the new books or new papers. I always have fallen in love with that smell. I still remember opening the new books very slowly and taking them upwards near to my nostrils and a deep breathe…..Ahh!! How I say, how I loved you!!

That smell of a new book!

I was afraid if I reopen the books frequently then I will lose that smell. The innocence of childhood it was! Now whenever I remember, I smile. My favourite books were handwriting books where I used to learn cursive writings and practised writing to improve my handwriting. The drawing book was very attractive as some figures were always drawn on it and We had to draw the same on the other side of the page. So I was always curious to see what are the figures drawn on it. When we grew up the colour papers entered into our life. We made so many materials out of colour papers. Come any festival and we were ready with scissors and colour papers to prepare decorative pieces. The joy of creating designs with all friends together cannot match any luxury. There was a subject called work education where we learnt to make greeting cards and invitation cards using coloured papers. So many story books, cartoon books like Tintin, Phantom, Mandrake, magazines, sports magazines were part of our life. I can remember the paper packets of grocery shops. We never knew plastic bags. Either there were jute, cloth or paper bags to carry things. We were not knowing anything about conservation of forests or save trees. Never had we predicted the environmental pollution in our childhood. So, never anyone pushed forward the concept of the paperless way of life, what we are practising now.

Who could forget the rainfall, water clogging and our excitation of making paper boats!! Lovely paper boats of various sizes and shapes. All children used to come out with paper boats after a round of rainfall, floating them in the water and watching the rainbow up in the sky. Beautiful memories! I don’t see, nowadays children enjoying their childhood in this way. We are losing the nature, the natural beauty, the natural life. Slowly we are moving towards ‘paperless’ days- digital life is taking over. How the life would be without papers? Will we lose the smell of a new book? I can’t guess anything. Within few years I have experienced lots of changes. With time, ‘natural’ is replaced by ‘artificial’. Maybe the days are not far away when we, the older will miss papers but the younger will enjoy a digital life!

Slowly we are moving away from nature, aren’t we??

Paper

New ambitions and Old Chains

On June 21, 2017June 21, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, LifeLeave a comment

Life is a joyride in the loop line.

Twenty-first century, new ideas, new technologies every day, new fashion, new thoughts are driving people crazy. Everyone wants to taste the new gears, to reach new heights. Are our girls falling behind? No, not at all. They too are striving forward with the boys. We talk about gender equality, calculate gender gap index, calculate the sex ratio of every country. The statistics are not encouraging but not the worst either. Things are much improved with the girls and women. Many women are at the top of positions, winning medals, running countries.

You try to peep into any field and you find a successful lady there. It’s required that the women folk must contribute in the developmental ideas for the benefit of the society. They constitute the half of the total population!

Try to go deeper into the sea. Are women happy? Are they capable of breaking the glass ceiling or the thread of development of women takes a round and comes back to the same spot- making a loop?

An incident shook me recently which made the ground for writing today’s blog. A bubbly young, pretty, intelligent civil engineer and a PhD scholar who has good publications to her credit committed suicide. Very recently this news hit all the TV news channels and the newspapers. Many articles are written about her. I too came across the news, the plight of the girl hit me at the bottom of my heart. Are we civilised enough? The girl died because her father could not pay the dowry, the groom’s family asked for. In this century, this incident happened. The mostly educated, independent, a scholarly girl could not bear the torture and found solace in death. Her father, at the hospital, uttered that he did the mistake of spending money on her education, rather he could have saved it for her marriage. I understand it’s the pain and agony.

The same old story. A girl child born and you start thinking about her marriage. But the society tells you that it has progressed, the girl child is no longer a burden. You feel the dilemma and decide to take a joy ride in the loop line. After few years the line ends at setting up an arranged marriage, the dowry negotiation, the restrictions a girl suffers from her family. You realise nothing has changed!!

Why? Why the new ambitions and old restraints are still meeting? What are the reasons we are unable to cut the thread which is making the loop again and again and in this century too? When our mindset, which oppresses women will change? When will we be able to call us as ‘progressed’ in the truest sense?

I am waiting.

Loop

Meddling Mom-In-Law.

On June 20, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, Life, ParentingLeave a comment

Rupsa is a lovely, bubbly girl in her twenties. Just got married, her in-laws live with her in a palatial house. Husband Manish is a very handsome, well-educated man who loves Rupsa so much that he never forgets to ask her about any kind of inconvenience in the new household. For Rupsa, the house was new, the people were new as she did not know about Manish and her family earlier. It was like a dream marriage. The prince came, liked her so much that he could not wait for more than a week. The marriage took place all of a sudden. Rupsa and her parents were in dilemma to decide the venue, food, guests and before settling on anything, Manish’s family did all the rituals and Rupsa was just robbed away from her parents. She was happy. Mother in law tried to teach her the new dishes, took care of her clothes, her makeup, her wardrobe, jewellery and what not. For everything she has to ask mom- in -law, wait for her approval. But she felt happy. It was like her own mom guiding her. Father- in- law was her team mate in any kind of rule breaking. Have a chess round in between the work or discussing political affairs of the country. Pa- in- law was just giving her company as like her dad. What else a girl can demand? Manish was loving, caring and fulfilling all her wishes. A small family in a lovely house, God was very kind.

Came the good news. The much awaited news of arrival of a grandchild made Rupsa’s mom- in- law very happy. She was elated so much that she could not resist herself from declaring that from now on, she will take care of everything about Rupsa. Her food and timings of all activities, right from getting up from the bed to going to sleep in the night, will be monitored by the would be grandma. Initially, Rupsa could not understand what it was all about as it was first pregnancy. Slowly after two months, she started realising that all the rituals done by her mom in law are pure interference to block her freedom. Complete meddling!! She could not have the food she likes. All foods were too healthy, too bland. For her, every movement there came a cautionary word ‘Take Care’ or ‘don’t do’. Now she turned up to Manish. Asked him for help. Manish is a really good guy. Took Rupsa out of the house, convincing his mother. They savour food outside the house, watched movies. Life for Rupsa came back to normal, but her mom- in- law did not stop meddling. Rupsa was happy with Manish, so she tolerated and ignore her mom- in- law’s activities.

Manish had to leave home one day as there was an important conference in a different city.He had to be there for three days. He was not willing to go, but the job rituals, one has to obey. So Manish left home by a flight and promised Rupsa that he will come back on time. Three days later, when all were watching TV and Rupsa was waiting in the terrace for Manish’s arrival, there was a scream of her pa- in- law. Rupsa came running down the stairs, saw her pa- in- law crying and shouting. Before Rupsa could understand anything, her mom in law stated that Manish’s plane crashed. It all happened because of the ill-fated child to be born and the inauspicious mother of the child. This was her statement “ kill the child, the ill-fated, lost his father before even seeing the light”. She started hitting Rupsa. Rupsa felt the pain in the abdomen and fainted.

When she revived her consciousness, she found Manish standing beside her. She was on the hospital bed. Tried to understand what might have happened. She saw her own parents standing in a corner weeping, sobbing continuously. Rupsa was told by her mom in law that the plane crashed was not Manish’s. Her pa in law did that mistake of learning the correct flight number and the unfortunate incident happened which took a toll on Rupsa and her child’s health. Rupsa listened quietly. Not uttered a word. Called her dad and called Manish. She declared that she would not stay with in-laws, rather she would love to stay in her parents’ home. Too much meddling of her mom in law with her life was now suffocating her. She wants her child to be free of all kinds of superstitions, she wants her child to grow with humanitarian values, not with any kind of blind beliefs. She got up from the bed, moved towards her mom, and went out of the sight of Manish and his parents.

Manish tried to ask her to reconsider as his mother’s behaviour was an emotional outburst, but Rupsa did not stay back, only assured Manish that she may come back once the child was born. Let Manish understand her trauma and wait till she returns.

Meddle

The Killing Alzheimer’s

On June 19, 2017June 19, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, Health, LifeLeave a comment

Have you ever watched a nail-biting finish of world Cup football match or have seen your favourite sports star winning the game after the hardest fight? Or, have you could reach the airport to board the plane at last minute? Or, arrived for the job interview in last minute? All of us, have, at a certain point of time realised the feelings of ‘relieved’ to the core of our bones. I have also experienced so many “last moments” in my life that now can’t bear this kind of tensions at all. So, I try to avoid last minute arrivals nowadays but can’t help last minute win of my favourite football team.

The most pathetic moment of excitation of my life seen my grandpa missing from home. He was a Professor working in a renowned University. He was a scholarly person and had to travel to various colleges for up gradation of the Philosophy Departments and designing the curriculum. We had a farmhouse too in a nearby village. My grandpa was very fond of gardening and he used to visit the farmhouse on the weekends. When I was only five years old, my parents along with me went to visit my grandparents during my summer vacation in school. With grandparents everything becomes different. The most pampered days, foods, roaming, shopping and lots of chocolates and sweets were an everyday affair. After two days of our arrival, my grandpa had a call from a college Principal requesting him to solve a problem related to their work and he agreed to attend the meeting. The place was only two hours journey by train from our place. As usual routine work to finish, my grandpa left for the station and asked us to go to the farmhouse as he would come back directly to the farmhouse in the evening. We also were happy and along with my grandma, we arrived at the farmhouse. We enjoyed whole day, my father was fond of fishing, I also enjoyed with him. The day spent so well. In the evening we were waiting for Grandpa to arrive. My mother prepared a special sweet and snacks for him. But, to our surprise, he did not come back. The clock ticked it’s time to midnight, my grandma was out on the street, my dad started calling neighbours, and the moment of terrible anxiety gripped us. On those days, we didn’t have mobile phones, no internet, no communication was available.

There was no news of train accidents too. The night passed with anxiety, grief, predicting the worst possible news. In the early morning, next day, my dad and neighbouring uncles went to police station to file a missing report. All disheartened, tears in eyes we were sitting numbly. Could not predict what went wrong! My grandma went inside to pray to God and closed the door. I fall asleep on my mother’s lap. My dad sat on a chair like a statue, no amount of consolations could feed him a cup of tea!

Time passed and it was about noon, I woke up as I was feeling hungry. I looked at my mother but didn’t dare to ask for food. There was a knock on the door and a voice calling “Joy”…..my dad’s nickname. We were dumbstruck, we knew that voice, its grandpa out there. My mother just rushed fast towards the door and as if holding her breath she opened it wide with bangs!! Grandpa standing with two other men we didn’t know. Our eyes forgot to blink, we got up, moved slowly towards the door, didn’t believe having him right in front of us!! What a relief!!! Till today could not forget that day of my life. At that age, I experienced the worst anxiety and the best relief!

The story unfolded. My grandpa boarded a wrong train and arrived at a wrong place. He could not realise what he did, where he arrived. He got down from the train when co-passengers told the train has reached the last station. He sat in a place in the station and tried to remember where he was supposed to go. As he could not help himself, he sat in the same place. After the whole day passed, in the night, the station vendors got curious about him. From his appearance they guessed that he must be any dignified person, they tried to know his home address. My grandpa could not tell them anything but shown all his papers. The kind-hearted people could know his address from his identity card and boarded a train in the morning to our village place. Thankfully, the identity card was reading our farm house address. So, the two men decided to accompany him up to our house. Our heart felt the gratitude never like before and after. They took food with us and left for their home and now they are our extended family. We were not technologically advanced those days, but people were with angelic hearts!!

My Grandpa was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and took abode to heaven three years later.

Relieved

Fathers are Angels

On June 18, 2017June 18, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, Life, ParentingLeave a comment

Father.. Dad… Papa… Abba.

Defining father’s role to shape our life makes us emotive. Close our eyes and think about your dad. What he did for you?

Right from your birth, he takes care of you. You start walking by holding his fingers. He is the only man, on whom you rely so much that when he throws you up in the air and catches you again, you laugh immensely. Think your dad showering love on you and you can’t stop laughing and smiling. The most precious moments of happiness comes from dad. He shows you how to wear your shoes, how to tie the shoelace. How to put up your school dress, how to ride a bicycle. He encourages you for fishing and teaches how to gobble up fish separating the bones. He takes you on a joy ride in his bike or for a long drive on a rainy day! Dad is so close to your heart who teaches you lessons, helps to solve Maths, appreciate your drawings, and introduces you to dancing and sometimes too weird music. Have you watched movies with your pa? Horror or adventurous it must be. Went for trekking or tried to roast a chicken or had a feast with barbequed? Swam in a pool or a pond, dad gives the company. Run, fight, box, play chess, or football, father is everywhere. Want a gift, want your school fees, look up to your pa. And who saves you from your growling mother? It’s your darling dad!

We can’t imagine life without father’s affection. Blessed are those who get father’s love for a longer period in life.

A father does all his duties quietly as if these duties are his life. Never demands. Devotes himself to his wife and children’s happiness. Forgets in the way, what are his wishes? His passions? Sometimes he feels low, depressed but bottles all it up! We never ask him whether he wins every day, in his life’s battle of keeping his family alive and happy. We presume that he can’t lose. Dad is the winner, always.

In reality, a loving and caring father bottles up all his emotions, tight. Never lets that bottle to be opened by anyone. He lives for others. His divine pleasure is to keep all of us happy.

Happy Father’s Day !!

Celebrate having a father in your life, EVERYDAY !

Bottle

Turn the Bottle Down!

On June 18, 2017June 18, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, LifeLeave a comment

Emotions are part of human life. Out of all emotions, anger is destructive. Managing anger is an art.

If you feel angry at a certain point, at your workplace or home, you must know how to express it so that you can put up your viewpoint without hurting others. If you can do it, you are blessed. Most of the people can’t manage anger. Either they become furious and abusive or they do not express anything, keep all the assaults in their heart. And this bottled up anger never shrinks. Imagine a relationship where every day some expectations are not meet with, the anger grows but not expressed thinking the valuable relation may die out. At workplace the employee is harassed by the boss, unable to express the disappointment, the employee bottles up the anger. It explodes one day when the bottle overflows leading to the worst of expressions including murder. The incidences are many, which were written about or picturised in movies.

Many a time we have witnessed mass movements, candlelight marches, revolutions, where the bottled up anger gathers public to take it to the streets. Until that point, the authorities at the helm of affairs don’t care to address the issue. The bottled up anger and its explosion did many wonders but basically one should avoid bottling up emotions. When the anger is at a personal level, it’s better to express, be it in a loud and clear way or in a much uglier way! But end it up without bottling it. The sudden eruption of anger may be considered as an uncivilised way of expression but it is the much more convenient way to convey our displeasure. Bottling up emotion hurts you, takes a toll on your health. The longer period of bottling up anger has seen cardiovascular diseases, depression and hypertension.

Research has shown that we can learn anger management. Discover the various ways to grip over negative eruptions.

Do not bottle it up. Do not hurt yourself.

Bottle

Romanticism Blossomed

On June 17, 2017June 17, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, LifeLeave a comment

A lazy day began with incessant rain.

Nature is pouring out all its agony and pain.

Just passed through a hot scorching, torturing summer.

With the sun at its full glaze, showing its cruelty at its best.

Human life doesn’t know to stop, went out for work every day

Without air conditions on, as there were power failures,

Life at the peak of struggles to survive, water scarcity,

Fruits, vegetables without their lustres, trees seemed helpless

For a drop of water, heat waves beating them ceaselessly.

I felt for everyone, felt for the mother Earth…

The wait seemed endless, as the global warming, dense population,

Non-stop demand from nature, torturing all through the year?

Will it shower us with affection or it will show us the ugly side- revenge?

Will the clouds blossom there up in the sky?

Will the prayers of every living being reach the sky?

And will the sky burst out in tears?

The wait is over. The sky is bloomed with clouds.

What a lovely sight. Thunderstorms, lightings, and rain.

Water everywhere. Lush greens everywhere.

Nature blossomed again.

Moods enthralled with music, guitars, fried pakoras.

Romanticism Blossomed !!!!

Blossom

Weave your creation!

On June 16, 2017June 16, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, LifeLeave a comment

Creating something every day make life purposeful. What can you create? An idea, convert that idea into realism is creation. Draw and paint with colours, paint, build a machine, construct a house, innovate ideas to help society, create a methodology for easy teaching, do research to prepare a medicine to cure and the list is endless. Imagine the word “create” goes missing from us. There will be no music, no art, no dance, no circus, no sports, no games, no programmings, no new recipes, new items of clothing, no no no….life becomes standstill. Just no life without its creator.

Don’t you feel the most important word is ‘create’?.

I would like to share what I like about creation. I like the weavers and weaves. They are the magical creators on Earth. They create fairy tales with threads. They create colours and designs on the clothes we wear. Blessed are the weavers who keep everyone happy with their creations!

I will share some of the weaves India is lucky to possess…

How is the journey through the beautiful and colourful creations?! Hope you liked it.

Create

Total Essence of Life!

On June 16, 2017June 16, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, Life2 Comments

Forgive and forget, if you can, to have a happy life. Forgive people for their mistakes and forget anything bad that has happened to you. Let positive energy surround you. Spread love and happiness as much as possible. You live only once. Live life to fulfil your purpose of being here. Experience, accomplishment, peace, contentment are the words which should surround us. A short note from me today for all of you!

Stay Happy, Stay inspired
Have a sense of wonder!
Believe in yourself
Read books
Love your work
Accomplish your passion
Love your friends and family
Be helpful to others
Never Regret
Listen to your heart
Make life simple!!

If you don’t follow your heart, you might spend the rest of your life wishing you had!

Total

Paragon of Serenity

On June 15, 2017June 15, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, Life1 Comment

What actually we want from the lady of the house? That she should be a paragon of affection and love. Taking care of everyone around her, preparing awesome food, helping everyone getting ready on time, raising her children in a perfect way, motivational factor for her husband, adorable daughter in law, a perfect home manager. If it’s more than that then we start idolising her. I am fortunate to have that idol in my life.

Devyani aunty is a close acquaintance of our family. We knew her as my mum and she was working in the same school. She was the Principal and my mum was working under her. As their interests were similar, they became bosom friends. Aunty was an amazing cook too and my mum used to get interesting recipes from her. And you know what, anyone who can satisfy your stomach, becomes your favourite. Knowingly or unknowingly you start admiring her and fall in love with her! So, this is the secret, the foodie me, became her cajoled child. Her daughter was also a close friend of mine. Her way of carrying herself at home and in school, managing home and taking care of her children, friends and relatives; altogether she was a learning station.

Slowly, we moved apart. Our marriages, Parents’ ill health and my career kept me busy. I lost both my parents and thought of leaving my native place. My husband too was interested in new challenges and we moved to a new city, far away from our original place where we used to have Devyani aunt around.

Little did I imagined what was in store for me in this new modern city!! The new aroma of the city was so attractive that we were almost out of the house every day, enjoying the beauty of the city. The attraction of visiting a huge shopping mall, multiplexes, eateries with pizzas and burgers were just alluring. In this way, while roaming in a mall, I met my idol, Devyani aunty. It was so sudden, so unpredictable, so amazing. How can I express my feelings of having my another mum around? I wasn’t moving, remained standstill, tried to understand it wasn’t a dream and so did aunty. The initial pause got over, we ran towards each other and hugged tightly. Moment of eternal peace indeed! We enquired about each other, we cried, we laughed, we hugged each other again.

Aunty stays in the same city where I landed with my family! God is Great.

As she was, not changed a bit. Took me to her house. Nicely decorated, peaceful, serene, beautiful home. Aunty stays alone!!

She unfolded her story when I expressed anxiety on her staying alone. Her husband died of cancer a couple of years back. Son is a brilliant, successful engineer who decided to leave home for a better opportunity. Daughter got married to a handsome guy and has cutest of the children. She stays in a nearby city and visits her in the summers. Her son and daughter in law visit her once in three years. They are in touch over the phone. I was moved to tears. I insisted her to call back her son or at least, daughter to stay with her. But as she was, a paragon of serenity, a perfectionist, consoled me. She said, her time passes with the Doberman Jimmy, the fishes in the aquarium and few species of birds in the balcony space. She has kept water and seeds for birds and has a nice terrace garden. Kind hearted lady, goes to a centre too, twice a week, to teach the special children. She said that she does not want to keep her children in a cage of responsibilities. She believes in love. Let her loves fly high, let their wings fly as high as possible. True love returns back. Her children, too, love her. They will come back if they find her in distress. She believes. May her beliefs come true.

I took a leave for that day thinking about her and her ideology. How much love one can show! How much selfless one can be! My inner voice said, “Learn”.

Hats off aunty!!

Now, I don’t forget to visit her once in a week. Enjoy the food cooked by her and learn life’s Philosophy endlessly. My decision to move out of my native place found a worth.

Hope this paragon of serenity increase in number, at every nook and corner of the world!!

Paragon

Punctured Wounds!

On June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, LifeLeave a comment

Hearing about a Punctured bike tyre or bicycle tyre is an everyday affair in a country like ours. Ask a youngster why he/she is late and the answer is definitely about a punctured tyre. My young age too has seen many punctures. I learnt bicycling at the age of seven. Fall from the cycle due to a punctured tyre was a monthly affair. When I grew up and started going to college with a bike. So many days it happened that, I was feeling terribly hungry and wanted to come back home after classes and phew! the bike has punctured. Cried with agony, pushed the bike to a nearby shop, waited for repair work done and came back. Thankfully, every time friends helped me with chocolates and biscuits, giving company in the repair shop.

And who has not suffered a punctured wound at least once in a lifetime?

Most of the time the culprits are a nail, a pin or a glass piece which causes puncture of the tyres.

A thorn in a rose, in pineapple leaves, on eggplants, on cactus – hurt by them?

Fond of sewing? Then you must have a puncture on the fingers by needles.

Ever stepped on a nail or a broken glass piece while playing? Oh! Yeah!

And have you ever played games with your enemy by puncturing his car tyres because of his any action you didn’t like?

I have many stories to tell. Experienced each one I told you.

You can count your punctured wounds.

Bye!

Puncture

“Taper” is the way of life!

On June 13, 2017June 13, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, Life5 Comments

The word “Taper” made me think about life’s essentials which have tapered ends and how these things would be sans a tapered end? Funny. I want all of you to think like me!

Here I go with my list……..

A man wearing a tie and if the tie has no taper ends?

Flame of a candle, sans its tapered end, does it look that amazing?

Mountain tops or tree tops, imagine they are flat at the top!

Imagine leaves of trees. How beautiful they are with tapering ends?

Should I share with you that I was drawing beautiful leaves in my science project books?

I enjoyed drawing the tapering ends the most!

Tails of fishes, sharks, whales, lizards or snakes…..flat ends. Do you like?

How birds and aeroplanes could fly high without tapered wings and tails?

How life or Physics would be without convergent rays?

How would we deal if there was no centripetal force?

Would geometry be little easier without cones or angles? Life without ice cream?!!

How we would be writing if pencils and pens were without a tapering end?

To end with a romantic note:

Kate Winslet and Leonardo at the tapered end of the giant Titanic singing

We’ll stay, forever this way.
You are safe in my heart and
My heart will go on and on…

The wish of a lifetime, isn’t it?

Love.

Taper

Louder please.. Ma’am!!

On June 12, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, education1 Comment

All most all of my career life as a teacher saw me struggling with the volume of my voice while teaching. As I saw today’s prompt I smiled, smiled with my cheeks turning red! I thought, for me, the volume is the biggest issue and how they know about it!!

Always liked to teach. Started teaching while I was very young and pursuing my graduation. Fortunately, I was good in studies, all my juniors from my neighbourhood used to come to me to learn Mathematics. Some used to come to discuss Science topics too. In this way, when I fell in love with teaching, I never knew. But that was mainly tutorials with very few students around. When I finished my long study period and thought to join a job, obvious choice was teaching. I never realised teaching needs a good larynx too.

First few classes went with some kind of nervousness. All most hundred students seeking a professional degree used to sit in front of me to learn. Yeah, that’s the normal size of a class of a developing nation. I had to take care of a crowd sized classroom. And, slowly, I realized students are struggling to listen to me. But they were not complaining as I was new and perhaps they were pleased with me. I started observing that whenever I entered the class room, some boys used to move from last benches to first rows. I noticed for few days and kept on wondering about it. When I settled down and got the responsibility of conducting laboratory classes too, I came into contact with students closely. Usually size of a laboratory class is very small as it is batch wise. I could explain them well and students also overcame the fears and hesitations. After few days, I asked few of my favourite students, the reasons for the change of sitting arrangements in my class, they smiled. Said, “Mam, if you don’t mind, can you please be little louder? We have no problems with the way you teach, rather we love to hear your lectures, but as your voice is low we can’t hear you.” Then they said me many more things so that I don’t get hurt. I came home, thinking all the way about raising the volume of my voice.

My professor husband came in to raise my mood. He guided me how to reach to every students, how to handle a class when there are hundred students, how to do voice modulation so that students remain attracted towards the lecture. Then my practice started to raise my volume and volume modulation. Now I am comfortable, and my students too. And I never suffered from laryngeal oedema or laryngeal dysfunction!!

Volume

Try N Triumph

On June 11, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily PromptsLeave a comment

I like to share my life’s experience through my blog posts. My experiences as a teacher have been wonderful. Nothing teaches you more when you are into teaching and come across many souls every day.

As a teacher, I use to talk about “triumph” to my students. Work hard, be sincere, be disciplined, so that you can come up with good marks in the examination and may you win a medal. Real nerds focus hard on listening to my words but what the not so nerds do? They ask “why’? Why is it so much important to be triumphant? I smile and try to explain my perception of being triumphant in Exams.

It is important to take part in the struggle of getting successful in exams. Learn to fight. Learn how to survive in a competitive world. Learn how to be alive in a world where everything is getting scarce. Fight for what lifestyle you want, get it, otherwise get disappointed or even die. Survival is a triumph when you woke up in the morning having foods, clothes and a roof over your head you must feel triumphant. Hence try to come out victorious in life’s all struggles. Lessons of life start at a really young age.

Learning the art of struggle makes one courageous. One can take up any challenge without fear.

How can I explain and motivate students to become victorious if I, myself is not motivated enough?

I don’t want to say that one must be at the top but must try to be at the top. Like I read somewhere-“if you want the moon you may fall into the stars”. Just to improve the condition of humankind, we must teach this importance of triumph. We must remember “At the end, good tastes the triumph, not the bad”.

Here I share some quotes which inspire me, may inspire others to know the importance of ‘Triumph’.

As Pierre de Coubertin, Founder of International Olympic Committee and Father of modern Olympics said “The Important thing in life is not Triumph but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but o have fought well. To spread these principles is to build up a strong and more valiant and above all, more scrupulous and more generous humanity.”

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear”.

~Nelson Mandela

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

~Edmund Burke

For me, the vast marvel is to be alive. For man, or for flowers or beast or bird, the supreme triumph is to be most vividly and perfectly alive

~Al Purdy

Classes struggle, some classes triumph, others are eliminated. Such is history; such is the history of civilization for thousands of years.

~Mao Zedong

I am in politics because of the conflict between good and evil, and I believe that in the end good will triumph.

~Margaret Thatcher

When we create hope and opportunity in the lives of others, we allow love, decency and promise to triumph over cowardice and hate.

~Kirsten Gillibrand

Triumph

20 easy ways to practice sustainable living.

On June 10, 2017 By Swastika DasIn education, Environmental Protection, Life, Uncategorized2 Comments

The World Environment Day has just passed a few days back. We celebrated it in the best possible ways. Now, we are back to our routine work of destroying this planet. Why don’t we think every day about sustainable living? Why don’t we adopt a lifestyle which gives the scope of ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’? We must practice it throughout the year and speak about our good work on the Environmental day. Let more of us get inspired to practice sustainable living.

What is sustainable living?

It is the reduction of using natural sources, less demand and less supply pattern. If we reduce our demand for things which uses and thereby depletes natural resources, then we are into the practice of sustainable living. How can we do that? Many of points I am discussing here are known to us but then a reminder on saving the Earth is necessary. Don’t all of you agree with me? Here I go with my suggestions:

Reduce energy consumption. It’s a routine talk about saving electricity and fossil fuels. What is new? Can we read more books and play outdoor and indoor games to avoid watching TV and avoid mobile phones, thereby reducing consumption of energy? Go back to the earlier days when children knew how to climb a tree or swim in rivers and ponds. What we did when we were technologically behind?
Use green energy as much as possible. Use of solar, wind and hydro energy should be encouraged.
Walk, bicycle, use car pools and public transportation. This will not only reduce the fossil fuels consumption but will promote reducing the junks of old car materials. Imagine the number of old cars and their parts after the maximum use are converted into the trash, the burden on the planet.
How many mobile phones, laptops, iPads, iPhones, computers, Television sets you require? Can you minimise the numbers? The unnecessary demand of electronic gadgets will promote manufacturing and the electronic waste will seek a landfill to get disposed. Still now, we don’t have proper recycling units of electronic gadgets. So think thrice before you buy any electronic gadget next time.
Nowadays, human habits are pampering luxury. You can find four cars displayed in front of a house but can’t find a tree grown up to add to the beautification of the house.
We have a habit of shopping unnecessarily. Sometimes shopping is done to lift up a depressed mood. But this is a wrong practice. Unnecessary things turn out to be junk materials and we remain clueless about disposing of the junks.
You can exchange clothes with your friends or your siblings to minimise the purchase of clothes. You can donate clothes of kids to orphanages or to the needy. Keep your old clothes and some new out of fashion clothes to distribute among natural disaster victims. More organisations are required to collect clothes and channelize the donation to the poor.
You can use your not so used clothes to prepare cloth bags, pillow and cushion covers or doormats. Can use old towels converted into kitchen napkins. Replace tissue papers with cloth napkins. Put your thoughts to innovate ideas for reusing clothes.This way we can minimise our demand of cloth materials and save the raw resource for future generation.
“Stop using plastics” is almost slogan now. Use glass, ceramics, paper or aluminium containers and packaging, to save the planet and its wildlife. Many marine animals are killed consuming plastics.
Stop drinking plastic bottled water. Use your home RO plants or filter water for drinking purpose. Carry that water in bottles wherever you go. Reuse the plastic water bottles as many times as possible. Plastic bottles are adding to the severe environmental hazards created by civilised society.
Adopt a lifestyle which demands minimum. Use small rooms, small buildings, small apartments. Avoid constructing a palatial house where only three or four people live.
Instead, construct a small house with lots of greenery around. Plant trees which bear fruits so that birds can live in your surroundings. Keep a bowl of water and seeds on which birds can live. Have lots of flowers in your garden to wake up to a beautiful morning every day. Stay close to nature and inhale fresh air every moment.
Segregate dry and wet wastes. Use your kitchen wastes to prepare compost and use it in gardening.
Work for the preservation of animals and plants. Teach your children about the importance of having a beautiful surrounding.
Take care of population growth. More population leads to more demand, more manufacturing and ultimately more trash burdens on the planet Earth.
Reduce your laundry work. Avoid use of plenty of soaps and detergents. Reduction of washings and use of soaps will reduce water pollution.
Similarly, if we reduce our consumption in every area, then definitely we will reduce the use of packaging and use of plastics. Remember every item you buy needs a packaging.
If you grow vegetables in your garden, then you can avoid buying grated vegetables from supermarkets. This will reduce packaging and trash burdens.
Unplug everything when not in use, save electricity. Use LED lamps.
Use natural cleansers like a mixture of vinegar, baking soda and water instead of soaps/detergents to clean kitchen and bathroom tiles.

There are many more methods which we can practice. If we start practising reduce, reuse and recycle, we need to have more recycling units. Creating awareness about a sustainable living will encourage many to set up recycle and reuse units.

My purpose of writing this long post is to create awareness and also to remind already aware people. Environment protection is not one day or one week practice. It should be in our mind always. Let us born with nature, live with nature and rest in peace with nature.

Hope to return to you with another blog written on my way of sustainable living in the next World Environment Day.

Happy Living !!

Revealing Truths: Know How.

On June 10, 2017June 10, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts

Revealing Secrets in the right moment and at the right place is an art. Life has many secrets. How one looks or behaves may not always reflect the truth. The secrets, sometimes are so important that they cannot be revealed. It ends up buried and goes in the coffin. But there are secrets which must be revealed to save a relation, for the betterment of a human being or uplifting a distressed situation.

If a child has a bad habit and the parents do not know it. The habit is destructive to the child, and no one dares to reveal it to parents as it would harm their feelings.

If a child is adopted and the parents decide to keep it a secret to the child for not hurting his beliefs.

If a child has problematic sexual orientation, parents do not know it. Sudden revelation may be shocking for the parents.

If one does not want to reveal the diseases he is suffering from to his partner before marriage. It may bring havoc to the relationship later.

If the real financial status is kept secret and it is revealed after the person becomes bankrupt!!

If one is practising law or medicine with a forged degree. It can be socially harmful.

If a person is corrupt and his family doesn’t know about it, the family’s reputation may be hit after the law takes action.

If the false allegations against a person are not revealed at the right time, his or her reputation, social status will be at stake and it may cause severe psychological distress.

So, the secrets may be many. Especially the ‘online’ age may see or experience many more secrets.

How will be the scenario if the truth is revealed in every case I mentioned above? Only one has to know how, when and where to reveal the truth. Procrastination of revelation can cause a huge problem for the person who listens to the truth. Try to be less destructive while you make revelations. Hence reveal as soon as possible to save relation.

The rule of revelation is

One must be very cautious. Know how to speak the truth.
Should not let your tongue loose. “Loose lips, sink ships”.
If you are not able to reveal the truth, have your friends or anyone to support you.
Revealing in public or in private: Understand what is better

Decide first whether the secret should remain secret forever or be revealed.

Stay happy. Keep others happy!

Revelation

Crazy for Crispy

On June 9, 2017June 9, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts

Life is full of challenges, goes up and down. Since the time we are born we have to follow a routine. A child, a teenager or an adult, everyone is busy to follow a routine. Take up a new challenge and fight to finish it. Never ending workout to be on the straight path, achieving goals squeezes out energy and we sometimes feel losing the true essence of life.

We live only once. Living as human, it is precious. The world is so vast and there are ample things to know, to see, to taste. Do we care enough to live life to the fullest? Or instead, we get trapped in a daily routine of eating, working and sleeping? Why can’t we make our life’s routine flexible? Why can’t we live to know the bounteous world? Why make life so tough?

This thought of mine took me out of my sweet home when I was a teenager. I decided to leave my sweet home and stay in a hostel for my studies. I wanted to live independently, do all my work and studies independently. Little did I knew what actually hostel life was?

First thing we learnt in hostel was about seniors. Obey all your seniors, they can’t be wrong. Do all your work alone and it was tough. Attend lectures regularly, follow a routine. First six months went on smoothly as we juniors were all trying to understand what the ‘hostel life” was all about. Slowly we realised we were eating bland food for a long time. That was not the food we were used to having in our home! The food was very traditional and without varieties. Since we were living in a remote area there were no eating outlets to taste varieties of delicious food. We started requesting the managers for good quality food but he didn’t pay a heed to our request. Now, we became desperate to have something crunchy, crispy on our platter. Huge syllabus, regular classes, acquiring knowledge, remembering and preparing for tests, without proper food, was making us tired of hostel life. Hence we decided to cook. A group of friends of mine sat together and discussed how to find a way out. We wanted to taste Crispy Chickens, French fries, Egg rolls immediately. The hunger was burning inside. Moreover, why to lead a tough life which follows a strict routine. Young minds thought so much and became revolutionary. So we decided to have a feast in the nearby place which was full of big trees amidst the mountain. Our hostel was located in a really beautiful place as if it were sitting on the lap of small mountains surrounded by trees.

We went to our warden to seek his permission and tell him the agony and pain of not having good food for months. As he was a kind gentleman, he understood our plight and permitted us to have a picnic on a Sunday but in the Day time. We agreed. The excitement was so much that we were cursing the calendar system. Why not every day is a Sunday??

I still remember, the raw chickens marinated in all spices and curd. The preparation for making a stove out of available stones, collecting woods for fire and then bringing barbeque sticks from a nearby market. Then roasting the chickens. We were so hungry and so excited that we could not wait for the chicken to roast fully. So the first round went half crispy and when the mind and stomach felt little peaceful, we had the complete crispy ones. The surrounding got filled with the sounds of crackles of crunchy crispy food. Heartfelt relaxed, mind felt sleepy. Life’s experiences are so many. It was one of them!!

Crisp

How I say how I knew “polish” !!!

On June 7, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts

How did I know polish? It was a word used in my daily life. School going can’t be without polished shoes. Everyday morning, check for the cherry blossom and apply it with a brush. Make shoes shining and leave home. Polish has got this much of importance then. Time flew and it was time to settle down in life. Parents started to see for a suitable groom for me. I could not manage to fall in love with any boy and they had to take this trouble. An arranged marriage is always tough for a girl. You never know who is he but you have to sit and talk with him. Only a few minutes and you have to decide whether he is suitable for you or not. Yeah! Real tough job. Even if all family members are in the surrounding but it’s only you who will suffer if anything goes wrong. Naturally, I was nervous. “Never interacted with a boy kind of girl” is ready to see a boy first time in her life. All elders advised me how to handle the situation but one important advice came from elder sis who was staying abroad. Check out the boy’s shoes properly. If its cherry blossomed, nice looking expensive shoes then only marry him. It seemed that, the boy’s any other qualification as the groom was secondary. I was ready with all pieces of advice. I was obedient too. Met with the prince charming, spoke about studies, careers, future plans and I was satisfied. Neither asked him his financial status nor watched his shoes. Just forgot as I was satisfied with all his academic excellences. Forgot all pieces of advice and said yes. My sis, when came to know that I forgot to watch his polished shoes, said, “you are gambling”. That is, not checking properly about the boy, especially his cherry blossomed polished shoes and saying yes for the marriage is no less than gambling. If marriage works then fine, otherwise there is a chance it may not work.

Thus I knew what “polish” is in the true sense. But then, did I care?

I only cared for polished behaviour. Not even for a polished hairstyle, skin or wardrobe. Polish has only one importance in human life. What reflects your personality is your polished behaviour. It keeps you connected to the society. Appreciation from others is key to success and it comes only when you are a polished human being.

Polish

Carry Yourself ‘Natty’ Way!

On June 6, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts

Being natty is as important as oxygen, water, food and shelter. A human being of any kind, beautiful or not, needs to have a fashion sense. That doesn’t mean he or she must be looking attractive all the time. The general perception is, a girl must look beautiful and a boy must look smart. I differ with this outlook. Fashion, to me, is whether you represent yourself to the society in a dignified manner. Imagine all the professionals like Doctors, Lawyers, Professors, High school teachers, Actors, Nurses, Company Secretaries, Police Officers or Detectives. Everyone has their own dress codes. How they carry themselves is so important! Do you go to a Doctor who wears an untidy dress and looks unhygienic kind? Or, do you listen to a Lawyer without his black coat on? Every person should be natty, as it speaks volumes about him or her at the first sight. Your style, your being natty conveys a message about you. It’s a ‘Love at First sight’ kind of thing.

Now, how much natty we must be? As much required. Overdoing of anything irritates the eyes. Think about an actress with high makeup or a Professor only conscious about her dress! Not being natty or fashionable may imply that you are ‘out of the society’ creature. Or, you are not interested in life. My word of caution will be, let the children not get involved in fashion too much. The media glaze, movie actresses are influencing the styles of very young girls, which hampers their studies or the passion they are supposed to nurture. Too much natty at very young age does not allow the child to learn the life’s lessons. They start spending money unnecessarily on the stuff they are going to throw out as soon as that fashion is gone out of the market. Let them be tidy about their dresses but not overdoing of the things. Once children grow up, join a profession and start to earn money, let them, then understand the fashion world. Being fashionable will boost their confidence and they will succeed in their professional career.

Be natty and carry yourself in a dignified way, wherever you go, whatever you do.

Natty

Beautiful Life

On June 5, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts

Uniform is beautiful, uniform is cliché-ridden. When there are opposite opinions there is always a clash between these two. In my life, I used to wear a uniform during my school days. but there were fun filled days without uniform in college. I enjoyed my schooldays as all of you might have. Getting up early, wear ironed uniform, tie up hair, pick up school bag, wear black shoes with white socks; ready for school! It was a daily routine. Come Saturday and there is an announcement for the winner who wears the neatest uniform throughout the week. This competition kept us alert about our uniforms as everybody wanted to be the winner. Come Tuesday, uniform changes to full white dress, time for yoga and meditation classes. Keeping a white dress all through the day, shining, was a real task. In this way, we somehow learnt the importance of wearing a neat dress and shoes, maintaining hygiene, how to iron the uniform and how to be disciplined about school routine. From childhood, the training we get helps us to mould our future. A habit grows and when you are in college you are disciplined enough to handle more responsibilities.

Graduated from school to taste the freedom of college life. No uniform!! Counted my coloured dresses. Planned which dress I wanted to wear in the previous night itself. No uniform taught me to feel more responsible. It whispered, ‘Be wise, Act wisely’. Coloured dresses and the wish of looking beautiful went hand in hand. Knew how I look beautiful! Life went on to shape me up what I am today. Enjoyed both statuses –with and without uniform—cliché ridden and beautiful.

What I want to say is both are important. Uniform is a word applied in every field—let it be, Mathematics, Science, shapes, or our nature. A crystal, a cube, a rectangle, a square gives you uniform pattern and shapes, they look beautiful. A uniform handwriting gives visual pleasure to the teacher, uniform grass lawn attracts you, a uniform pattern in a garden or uniform waves in the ocean. All are beautiful. We appreciate uniform building patterns on the road side, uniform civil code or uniform education policy and health policy. Think about uniformity, you smile!

That does not mean non-uniform patterns are not appreciable. Mountains, forests, clouds, weather throughout the world, sunlight, rain or many of the things in nature are non-uniform but those are the most beautiful. Can you think about uniform gender? NO. Non-uniformity of gender made the Earth the most beautiful place. Do you agree with me?

Enjoy uniformity amidst non-uniform nature. That’s LIFE.

Uniform

I Miss You Like Hell

On June 4, 2017June 4, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts

Distant are stars and the moon, distant are deserts and oceans, distant are arctic poles, and distant are forests and mountains. Do we regret being distant from nature’s all wonders? No.

But the ‘distant’ we worry about the most is relationships. Relation with near and dear relatives, brothers, sisters, friends, parents and your own loved one. How distance affects these relationships is a matter of concern for all.

Modern day lifestyle has seen parents detached from their children, children detached from all their relatives when they leave their native cities and move out for better career options.

The Younger generation is moving away from their loved ones, settling in a different country thousands of miles away. Are they really capable of shortening the distance lying between them and their loved ones? The answer, most of the cases, NO.

To keep distant relations alive one need to be communicative. Regular communication is the key to keep in touch with everyone who matters in your life. The hassles of a job, the regular chores to maintain a house and health, keeps everyone busy. One gets busy in developing new relations, new friends in a different city far off from hometown. Getting acquainted with the new place, its shopping areas, movie theatres, and hospitals take away lots of time. End of the day is marked with tiredness and little time for phone calls. Communicating through Facebook or WhatsApp also needs alert minds which sometimes the drained out body fails to give! In this way, gradually, one gets distant from his or her own people with whom he or she spent the entire childhood. Keeping the distant relation alive needs both side communication too. One who has moved away may be busy, but the people who are relatively less busy can call up or communicate through messages. If both sides fail to communicate, the relation dies a natural death. All relations move away except one that is parents. Mom and Dad cannot forget the child, so, somehow that evergreen bond of love exists, though like a thin thread. If this thin thread also tears off, the parents find themselves in an old age home. Bitter but true

The scariest thing about distance is you don’t know if they’ll miss you or forget about you.

-Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook.

My life has seen many ups and downs of relations. In a lifetime, one experiences many kinds of relations, some stays, some drift apart and some dies. Whatever is the relation, a distant relationship of love is the most talked about issue. Two distant people in love need to communicate almost always. Otherwise, suspicion grows, the fight starts over small issues, disharmony, jealousy, disrespect and the bond breaks down forever. My advice for loving couples will be ‘stay together, don’t listen to any theory on distant relationships, but be together always’.

“Distance does not break off the friendship absolutely, but only the activity of it.”

—–Aristotle.

Distant

EVERGREEN PROFESSION: TEACHING

On June 3, 2017June 3, 2017 By Swastika DasIn education, UncategorizedLeave a comment

“Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, calibre, and future of an individual. If the people remember me as a good teacher that will be the biggest honour for me.” – Dr A.P.J.Abdul Kalam.

This is the most important time of the year. All the results are declared, students are busy in choosing their career. In India, there is a general rush towards Medical/Engineering courses.

While the most brilliant students go for IITs or Medical courses in reputed colleges, other settle down with a seat in private Engineering colleges. Very few students opt for General Science, Commerce and Arts.

When most of the students want to join professional courses, very few want to become teachers. Better to say that teaching as a profession is considered last: more so by compulsion.

Isn’t it a sad state of affairs? India needs millions of teachers. According to the reports of UNESCO, India’s teacher crisis is little less than Nigeria’s. Every professional college needs teachers/professors. Every vocational college needs teachers and instructors. Every college, high school, primary school are in need of teachers. There are also reports that India doesn’t have enough number of good teachers and Professors at every level. Then why there is no rush to become a good teacher?

The reluctance probably lies in the social status of a teacher. A low paid salary and a disciplined life…no one want!! There is no distinction between paid time and unpaid time of work. A teacher works almost always, either physically or mentally. Hard work indeed but still less glamorous than an Engineer or a Doctor!!

Now, it’s time to call for creating an undercurrent among the mass to take up teaching as a profession. Good students should take up this social responsibility to educate our next generation. Again, If we go through the survey reports of UNESCO which says the abysmal condition of teaching and learning in most of the Government primary schools. A sixth-grade student cannot read a second-grade textbook! The level of understanding of Mathematics and Science is abnormally low. The capability of students to learn the language, frame a sentence is shamefully low.

The various lucrative career options could not drag good students towards teaching. As a result, the quality of teachers degraded over the years. The failure of subsequent Governments to think about the quality of primary and higher education, infrastructural facilities to schools and colleges lowered the dignity of the teaching profession. There must be a social drive to convey the positive sides of a teaching career.

A teacher is a social creature, connected to society, committed to social responsibilities. Noble profession, isn’t it?
A teacher is a surrogate parent for students. Teaching discipline, punctuality, inculcating moral values are part of the teaching job.
There is a lot of scope for freedom. Prepare your own models. Innovate methods to teach any topic, help students in completing projects etc. You are the boss of your classroom. Isn’t that fantastic?
Interacting with the young curious mind is fun itself. You, as a teacher, get a chance of shaping the future of the country. Educating fresh minds, showing them the right path, exploring their ideas in the best possible way will help the nation to progress.
While teaching others, you also develop good qualities. You learn to be disciplined, always seek for knowledge, develop leadership quality because sometimes your students depend on the decision you take.
You teach the future engineers, doctors, lawyers, scientists, accountants, poets and other teachers
You become a role model for several hundreds and thousands of future citizens of the country
A teacher meets thousands in a lifetime, parents list includes the richest to the most struggling. It’s a good opportunity to know people and the society. Realise the change the society is facing if yu are for a long time in teaching.
Not all get the opportunity to shape young minds. Teaching others, gives your heart and mind, a unique kind of pleasure and satisfaction
If you join teaching, gradually, with experience, you will find a purpose of your life. Life is all about purpose and passion. Teaching in this way the most fulfilling job.
The opportunity to mix with people of many types- culturally, religiously. You can have a closer look to life, you come to know about life, people and problems.
Moreover, you do not forget what you have learnt in your school and college days. Teaching needs a lot of reading. In this way, you can keep yourself upgraded about your subject.
Young students are always smart when it is about new gadgets, new style or anything that is new in the market. You have to know everything to tackle them. So you remain smart all through your life.
There are so many new methods to apply while teaching. Many innovations you can do with your teaching methodology. Teaching is so challenging that it keeps you busy with a new problem every day.
Nowadays, teaching is multifaceted. Teach, guide for projects, keep track of students, study their behaviour, counsel and then write a report on every student.
Identify weak learners and try to do your best teaching for them.
Hence, teaching has many benefits that you won’t get in other professions.
You will never scared of losing your job if you are a good teacher. There will be schools and colleges. Society will not ban education any day. So this is a job where you are super secure.

Be creative, transform lives, contribute in building a civilised society, spread knowledge, help poor, be a role model, inspire, ignite the hunger of acquiring knowledge.

BE THE CHANGE

BE A TEACHER

‘True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own’ – Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer and Philosopher.

Cottage Cheese or Paneer: Nutritional facts.

On June 1, 2017June 1, 2017 By Swastika DasIn HealthLeave a comment

Cottage cheese is a wonder food. Storehouse of all nutrients our body needs. No fussy preparation makes it the most widely used food by vegetarians. Boil milk and add some lime juice or vinegar. The casein protein in the milk when reacts with the acid curdles up and your cottage cheese is ready. Strain it through a muslin cloth and press it. Now you can cook or can have it directly with a little sugar.

IMG_20170530_182950[1].png — Curdled Milk OR Paneer

One cup of cottage cheese provides you approximately 200 calories. It has protein, vitamin B12, Riboflavin (vitamin B2), calcium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium. One cup can provide you 28 grams of protein which is 47 percent of the recommended daily dose. Like other animal-based proteins, cottage cheese provides all the amino acids you need, making it a source of complete protein. Hence if you are vegetarian then you need not worry about protein intake with paneer on your platter. One cup of paneer gives you plenty of phosphorus and calcium. These two minerals are essential for bone growth and strength. Phosphorus also helps in biological metabolism to create energy and helps in make up the structure of DNA. Calcium also helps in muscle relaxation, prevent muscle cramps.

One cup of cottage cheese provides you vitamin B12. The only natural source of vitamin B 12 is animal protein. This vitamin helps to remove homocysteine, from the blood stream. Homocysteine is a natural byproduct of other processes in the body, but it should be removed as it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin B 12 converts homocysteine into other helpful substances. Another vitamin is Riboflavin (B 2) found in cottage cheese which helps in enzymatic reactions to produce energy.

Zinc, which is one of the micronutrients required by the body is present in paneer. Zinc improves the immune system, digestion, diabetes control, improves ocular health, and prevents prostate disorder.

Selenium is another micronutrient which is available in paneer. It helps in protecting cell and DNA. Selenium is also helpful to prevent prostate and colon cancer.

Add Yoghurt to your daily diet

On May 29, 2017May 30, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Health, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Nowadays people prefer vegetarian diets for many reasons. Some are spiritually inclined, some are worried about the environment and animal rights while some want to lose weight. Reasons may be many, including personal choice. When the life is too busy, there is absolutely no time to think about food, forget about thinking about their nutritional values. Whether you are vegetarian or not, your diet must include an adequate amount of proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates and fats along with micronutrients like calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, selenium etc. Foods which are rich in nutrients keep you on your toes.

But how many are aware of and care about nutritional food values and how the diet should be planned? Especially in a country like India where people are under tremendous pressure to make their both ends meet? When a vegetarian diet isn’t planned in a manner as it should be, then the trouble related to nutrition can start. It’s not only about vegetarians but also for people who suddenly stops eating meat and instead, decides to be a vegetarian.

If you are a vegetarian, how frequently you check with your protein intake? One very good source of protein for all you vegetarians is yoghurt/curd.

Let us first understand the difference between yoghurt and curd.

Indian curd is made by boiling and cooling the milk to lukewarm state and then adding a spoonful of curd. Curd has lactic acid bacteria or lactobacillus. This bacteria multiplies itself in the ambient temperature and in few hours ferments the milk to form the curd.
Yoghurt is prepared similarly but the fermentation of the milk is done by adding other specific strains of bacteria like Lactobacillus bulgaris, streptococcus thermophiles, Lactobacillus casei. Other strains of lactic acid bacteria may also be added. This ensures both quality and right quantity of bacteria in the yoghurt. Sometimes vitamin D is also added to yoghurt to enhance its nutritional value.

Hence, you can yoghurt of your choice from the market or you can have homemade curd. Nothing else is easier than preparing curd at home!

Yoghurt/Curd is a good source of protein, vitaminB6 and B12, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and other minerals. It’s a source of fat too but you have a choice of low-fat or fat-free yoghurt if you are hypertensive and diabetic. Due to the presence of protein and calcium, yoghurt helps in building bones, prevents osteoporosis, and keeps your muscles relaxed after a workout (or prevents post work out muscle trauma).

The presence of bacteria or more precisely, the probiotic bacteria keeps your gut healthy. Our digestive tract needs these bacteria which help in digestion and keeps away other gastrointestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhoea, colon cancer, and more importantly H.pyroli (a bacteria) infection. Chronic H. pylori infection causes ulcer and stomach cancer.

Yoghurt helps to reduce lactose intolerance. Scientists believe that probiotics in yoghurt boost the release of beta-galactosidase, an enzyme that enhances lactose digestion.

Scientific evidence reveals that addition of yoghurt to your diet can protect you from the development of several types of cancer like colon, bladder, and breast.

Yoghurt helps in reducing obesity. The main component of yoghurt, calcium is responsible for its anti-obesity benefits. Calcium can suppress the release of the hormone calcitriol, thereby halting fat storage and promotes fat breakdown. The anti-obesity activity thereby reduces the risk of Type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It also enhances the immune system of the body.

Yoghurt also helps in reducing hypertension and increases HDL. It can prevent gum disease too.

Enough of good side effects of yoghurt. Excess intake may cause prostate cancer and kidney stone due to high intake of calcium. And many people can’t tolerate milk sugar (lactose). So they may avoid having yoghurt in case yoghurt can’t improve their lactose intolerance condition.

I wanted you to know the health benefits of yoghurt or curd. A food which can be prepared easily is so beneficial. So, why wait? Let me give you some idea to have yoghurt in your diet in the easiest way.

Always have fresh yoghurt/ curd. Have it during breakfast with fruits or alone.
You can have yoghurt, cereals and banana mixed together. It makes a nutritious food.
Prepare a smoothie of hung curd and mango. Take equal quantity of mango pulp and hung curd. Add sugar (optional). Blend it, relish it instead of an ice cream. Have a better food than ice cream.
Hung Curd and Alphonso Mango Smoothie
Prepare a thinner blend of yoghurt/curd (Indian lassi) with any fruit crush like blueberry, strawberry or black currant. Add a pinch of salt. Add few ice cubes (optional). Have it after lunch or in hot summer, anytime.
Black Currant Crush and Curd blend.
There is a famous preparation of ‘sweet curd’ in India. It can replace ice cream.
Add curd in different recipes of paneer or vegetables.
Prepare delicious Curd Rice.

Eat healthily. Daily intake of curd will help you to live longer.

Zika Virus: What you Should Know?

On May 28, 2017 By sayandeepIn Health, UncategorizedLeave a comment

What is a Zika Virus?

Zika Virus is a disease caused by a virus transmitted by daytime Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopticus mosquito and which also transmits Chikungunya, Dengue and Yellow Fever. Sexual Transmission of the disease is also possible.

What are the Symptoms of Zika Virus Disease?

Mild Fever or rash can appear after few days of being bitten by an infected mosquito. Muscle and Joint Pain, Tiredness, Conjunctivitis. Symptoms usually last from 2 to 7 Days.

infographic-showing-symptoms-of-zika-virus — Image Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

How is it detected?

Zika Virus can be detected in blood and urine sample of suspected cases using RT-PCR. Results are typically available after 3 Weeks.

What are the Complications of Zika Virus Disease?

Zika virus is known to trigger Guillain Barrè Syndrome in adults. It also causes severe neurological deficits and Microcephaly in foetus of a pregnant woman.

What is Guillain Barrè Syndrome?

Guillain Barrè Syndrome is a condition in which the person’s own immune system attacks his or her nerves. In 20 to 30% of the cases, the chest muscles are severely affected making it hard for the person to breathe which results in near total paralysis or death.

What is Microcephaly?

Microcephaly is a condition in which the baby’s head is smaller than those of other babies of the same age. Zika Virus infection in a pregnant woman is known to trigger Microcephaly. Children born with Microcephaly may have developmental challenges as they grow older.

zika-virus-and-pregnancy — Image Source: http://www.consumerhealthdigest.com

What is Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome?

A range of manifestations have been reported in babies’ upto 4 weeks old upon exposure to Zika Virus in utero. These includes malformation of head, involuntary movements, seizures, brainstem dysfunctions, difficulty in swallowing, limb contractures, contractures, hear and sight anomalies. Other outcomes may include miscarriage or stillbirths. These group of manifestations are known as Zika Virus Syndrome.

Is India at Risk?

The medical journal Lancet has said 2.6 billion people living in parts of Asia and Africa could be at risk of Zika infection, based on analysis of travel, climate and mosquito patterns in those regions.Although Zika was first identified in 1947, the virus wasn’t considered a major health threat until a major outbreak in Brazil in 2015 revealed that it can lead to severe birth defects when pregnant women are infected. WHO Declared Zika Virus as global public health emergency last year.

On 15^th of May 2017, WHO said that India has reported three confirmed cases of Zika Virus infection in the western state of Gujarat. According to the WHO, more cases of Zika virus may occur in the future as it is known to be circulating in South East Asia region.

How is it treated?

There is no specific medicine or vaccine available for Zika Virus Infection. Treatment aims at relieving the symptoms with rest, plenty of fluids, medications for joint pain and fever. Aspirin and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) should be avoided until Dengue is ruled out.

How to stay protected?

Your best protection is to prevent mosquito breeding and protect yourself from a mosquito bite.

How to prevent breeding of Mosquito?

At least weekly empty or get rid of cans, buckets, old tires, pots, plant saucers and other containers that hold water.
Keep gutters clear of debris and standing water.
Remove standing water around structures and from roof
Rinse and scrub vases and other indoor water containers weekly.
Maintain backyard pools or hot tubs.
Cover trash containers.
Water lawns and gardens carefully so water does not stand for several days.
Treat front and back door areas of homes with residual insecticides if mosquitoes are abundant nearby.

How to protect yourself from Mosquito Bites?

Wear Insect Repellents
Cover up with long sleeve shirts and long pants
Keep mosquitoes out with air conditioning the room or by keeping the windows and doors closed.
Limit outdoor activities during the peak mosquito times.

How to Protect yourself if you are providing care to a person infected with Zika?

Do not touch blood or body fluids or surfaces with these fluids on them with exposed skin.
Wash hands with soap and water immediately after providing care.
Immediately remove and wash clothes if they get blood or body fluids on them. Use laundry detergent and water temperature specified on the garment label. Using bleach is not necessary.
Clean the sick person’s environment daily using household cleaners according to label instructions.
Immediately clean surfaces that have blood or other body fluids on them using household cleaners and disinfectants according to label instructions.

If you visit a family member or friend with Zika in a hospital, you should avoid contact with the person’s blood and body fluids and surfaces with these fluids on them. Helping the person sit up or walk should not expose you. Make sure to wash your hands before and after touching the person

Say No To: ‘Let This Semester Go; I Will Study from the Next’, MANAGE YOUR 24 HOURS SKILLFULLY.

On May 27, 2017May 27, 2017 By Swastika DasIn education, UncategorizedLeave a comment

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
―Michael Altshuler

We are familiar with a phrase “time is precious”, right from our childhood days. Children are taught the value of time in many ways. Still, the most struggling part of a day is to finish all the scheduled work on time. For students, this happens every day: procrastination for work occurs every day, every moment! They won’t get tired of procrastination. Rather gets a pleasure in accumulating tasks and trying to finish them all at the eleventh hour. Result?? All messy assignments, homework is undone, poor performance in exams.

Quite a while in teaching, watched students from close. Real bad habits are hampering their career. The first rule of career building is “be disciplined”. More precisely-“be disciplined with time management”.

At the beginning of every semester, students start with high expectations of doing well. Energised with excitations of new syllabus, new learnings of new subjects, new books, and notepads- the new hope of achieving zeniths of success. Days passes, slowly the initial enthusiasm starts dropping down and they start thinking ‘Let this semester go, I will study in next semester’. End of semester arrives so fast, they realise the failure of managing time well!!

Few Tips for students to manage time effectively:

At the beginning of semester prepare your own timetable/planner. You can get a printed planner from market or can prepare on your own. The planner should have all weekdays mentioned including Sundays and corresponding dates. It should have the time blocks when you are at home. Mention First date and last date of semester.
Sit quietly to fill that planner. Include college time and do not add much task during college hour as you will be busy in attending classes.
In case you have time gap/ long break during class hour you can plan for that time period. You can write journals, have snacks, and sit in library to collect some important points or surf through net to collect study materials.
If you are good in any extracurricular activities then plan sometime for it. Just keep yourself informed about the events in college and plan accordingly. But mention it in your planner.
When you are in classroom, try to understand the concepts. In case you have doubts, get it clarified immediately from your teacher. If you are shy enough to ask a question in class, try to overcome it. If not attentive in class, you lose one precious hour and subsequently many hour. Gross waste of time is being inattentive in classroom.
While studying at home try to be focussed with your work. Get engrossed, go with the flow of learning. Switch off all distractions. Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, SMS or anything of that sort. One hour of engrossed study gives immense pleasure, satisfaction and boosts the confidence. Don’t believe me? Try it and give yourself a thumbs up.
Planning for every hour matters. Before starting of your semester classes, plan what to do during every week of semester. Things may change. Unforeseen events may happen. Let it happen but come back on track as soon as possible.
Do not spend time watching every programme on TV, hanging out with friends, indulge in gossips (most of the time gossips are fake news), avoid spending unlimited time in snacking in canteens, going for every movie released etc. You know how you waste your time and learn to avoid those practices. Be wise, act wise.
Rather plan for watching a movie with family/ friends which carries a strong message. Watch out for reputed movie directors’ opinions/messages. Listen to music of your choice to feel relaxed or practice dance. Plan for every activities. This is important. Proper Time management plan helps you to enjoy your life too.
Sometimes you may slip in following schedule, reschedule it immediately and complete the task. Do not procrastinate. Sometimes you may be loaded with assignment works and other out of college work too. Finish the tasks priority wise.
Get yourself organised. Maintain separate folder for separate study material. For example, if you have four subjects-Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics then you should carry four different folders to keep the notes separately. You may use a Physics notebook, but if you are using sheets to note down extra points in library or from internet, keep them in Physics folder only. You may get some Xerox of notes from a friend, keep it in the definite folder. This habit saves lots of time.
If you are ahead of your schedule, utilise the saved time in revising. Sundays can be utilised for revising and planning for next week’s to do’s.
Your task of finishing a chapter/topic can be divided into three or four parts. Set up a timer of approximately thirty minutes for each part and try to finish it. Put a check mark after finishing each part. Can have a short break of not more than five minutes in between. In this way you can finish a chapter within two hours.
Finishing the entire syllabus needs a realistic planning. Give adequate time to the topics which are difficult to understand and important examination point of view.

I know I am sounding “impossible”. But is anything impossible really? You may not succeed in following your own planner but give it a continuous try. You will succeed definitely. It’s all about how much willing you are in developing a good habit. Start from a young age, when you are in school. As you grow up and join college you are already adapted with a good habit, you are disciplined enough. After all you want a fabulous career and who doesn’t want it? Treat your college time as your job time. Treat your understanding of subject as urgent. As urgent as an employee treats his work. Failing in duty may brand him as ‘jobless’. Do it sincerely, otherwise you are fired. If you try hard then you may not fall behind. Develop a good habit- lead a good life.

“Habitual procrastinators will readily testify to all the lost opportunities, missed deadlines, failed relationships and even monetary losses incurred just because of one nasty habit of putting things off until it is often too late.”

………… Stephen Richards

Dear Students: What reduces your productivity?

On May 24, 2017May 24, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Health, LifeLeave a comment

Students are always in hurry, jittery, confused with the word success. Most of them want to achieve pinnacles by a non-sweaty way! I say it’s possible. Give up few of your bad habits guys!!

How many bad habits you have? Count on your fingers. One is surely “skipping breakfast”.

Pulling out all through the night, getting up late, rush to college with everything half done! Want to get inside the classroom, ignorant of that big “why”. But the keenness of attending classes is appreciable.

After all, you want to learn!!

Learning, understanding, memorizing what the teachers explained requires lots of energy. Your body must feel energized enough to pull you through the mental stress of “understand the concepts”, otherwise you fall asleep in between the lectures.

To avoid the mess, be disciplined in having your breakfast. During my long career in college, I had the opportunity to stand on the Dias to deliver my lectures while watching students’ activities with vulture’s eyes! In laboratory and in classroom, the morning first hour lecture saw the late comers, breakfast skippers falling unconscious or falling asleep etc. With these experiences and interactions with lots of parents, I could make out that how the students are failing to achieve a far greater height.

Girls are poor eaters, ignorant of nutritional food values and boys do not understand how to tackle college life in the initial days. Most of them either skip breakfast or have inadequate food in the morning. What are the harmful effects of not having breakfast in time?

It lowers your blood sugar level and you end up in feeling lethargic whole day
Low blood sugar hampers blood circulation in brain and you do not follow lectures
Your concentration diverts frequently and it gets directed to the feeling of hunger
Skipping breakfast lowers the metabolic activities of body and you feel sluggish
It leads to overeating in the later part of the day leading to weight gain. In long run, it causes diabetes and hypertension.
You miss understanding, forgets to ask questions and you land in the bushes of “accumulated work to be done”. Now you have to read and understand everything on your own.
In this process, your performance in exam remains lower than expected.
You start losing, because those who maintains a strict regime of discipline drive their cars far ahead of you.

How can you improve your habit?

Be wise, be smart. Select your breakfast food. Think what you like and consume easily in morning.
Keep all the ingredients ready breakfast in the night itself to prepare your breakfast as soon as you get up.
Develop a habit of spending some time to go through next day’s timetable. Keep your study material in bag, keep your clothes, shoes and of course the breakfast materials ready before you go to sleep.
Have a breakfast which can be prepared easily if you are too busy.
Stop being nocturnal, get up early in the morning so that you feel hungry while at home itself.
You can keep your breakfast menu same for all days in a week or keep two or three breakfasts menu for six days to have them alternately.
Shop on Sundays so that the ingredients do not get out of stock.
Prepare your own breakfast if you are staying in hostels or help your mom to cook your breakfast. Moms feel happy with a helping child.

What you can have when you are too busy.

The wisest method is to choose food according to their nutritional value. The foods which keeps your energy level high and give a feeling of filled stomach for long time are helpful.

Try cereals/cornflakes/ oatmeal with milk and fruits like apple and banana.
Can have toasts with butter / cheese / jam with a glass of milk or juice and an egg.
Can have South Indian breakfasts like poha or upma. But don’t forget to add a fruit after having it. You can enhance the nutritional value of poha by adding yogurt/curd to it. Can add dry fruits or chopped vegetables to poha and upma. It tastes good and fulfilling.
Always carry a chocolate bar and a box of dry fruits in your bag. Have plenty of water and juice.
Avoid consuming junk foods and caffeine containg energy drinks as much as possible.
If you have little time in the morning you can prepare a smoothie with yogurt and any seasonal fruit. Mango and watermelon are good choice to make smoothies.
Pancakes and French toasts in the morning are awesome. Have a fruit too.
Can have avocado if available. Avocado is a wonder fruit having all the nutrients. It has monosaturated fats or the “good” fat, keeping blood sugar levels steady throughout the day. Avocado has vitamin K and folate which help to prevent blood clots in the brain (protecting against stroke) as well as help improve cognitive function, especially both memory and concentration. They’re also rich in vitamin B and vitamin C which aren’t stored in your body and need to be replenished daily. Plus, they have the highest protein and lowest sugar content of any fruit. Its taste neutral but plenty of recipes are available which you relish, I am sure.
Another very good food to have in morning is beetroot juice or you can have it with salads and toasts. It will do wonder for you. Beet root reduces inflammation which are caused by physical and mental stress, and thus prevents chronic inflammation which causes hypertension. It is high in cancer-protecting antioxidants and help kick toxins out of blood. The natural nitrates in beets actually boost blood flow to the brain, helping with mental performance. Plus, during tough workouts, beets actually help boost energy and performance levels.
Try to have blueberries in your fruit bowl. It’s one of the highest antioxidant-rich foods known to man, including vitamin C and vitamin K and fibre. Because of their high levels of Gallic acid, blueberries are especially good at protecting our brains from degeneration and stress.

I tried to give you some tips. Skipping breakfast is a strict NO that we know. Human tendency is to neglect till sickness knocks the door. Develop this good habit while you are student. You will find it the most beneficial habit when you become an employee or entrepreneur.

All happiness lies on a leisurely breakfast.

HORN PLAYERS: THE MENACE OF HONKING IN INDIA!

On May 16, 2017 By Swastika DasIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Born and brought up in India, I knew honking is a way of driving. In my first visit to abroad, I realised the world is far ahead than us only if we consider roads, driving rules, concern about noise pollution and anything related to traffic. European countries and the USA are so organised and structurally strong for maintaining road disciplines. There are speed limits mentioned on every road and any driver breaking that limit has to pay a fine. In Vienna, I saw different lanes for different vehicles. And to my utter surprise, I found a separate lane for ambulances. Isn’t it amazingly intelligent? The ambulance has no need to honk or create a noise nuisance to alert other passengers on road!! I said “Gosh!!! Are we Indians living in the ice age?” Visited Florence, where I passed through the very narrow lanes where only one or maximum two cars can pass through but drivers were cool, patient, driving without honking a single time! Rome too is so organised and I felt Romans are so civilised! When a physically challenged person was crossing the road, all vehicles stopped, waited patiently, let the man passed through and then they started driving. I imagined the Indian scenario- the same man would have been killed either by a speedy car or by honking from all surrounding vehicles. In my first visit to Italy and Austria, I realised what aristocracy is!

Should we always float the excuses of a heavy population? Should we not think how much we have progressed technically? Where the faults lie and how to solve the problem: the menace of honking?

Whether it is metropolis or any semi-urban city, on the roads you can find all kind of vehicles- two and four wheelers, heavy loaded trucks, public buses, three wheeler auto rickshaws, tractors, water tanks, pedestrians, cows, buffaloes, pigs, dogs and what else remains?! The funniest part is every truck has a signboard HORN PLEASE.

Now, the big question— Who has the “Right of Way”? We bold Indians dare to answer “ALL”!

We all move on the same road (irrespective of the road conditions), and everyone is in a hurry to reach the destination for a very important work!! No one can stop for anyone, every object on the road is treated as an obstacle and everyone honks and honks and honks till destination is reached.

Then there are people who neglect traffic rules. They stop anywhere without giving any signal, turn to left and right as per their wishes, take wrong routes and keep on honking to alert others that he is doing a wrong thing. Honking at traffic signals, honking near residential areas or hospitals, they just loose the sense while driving. We all know what happens on Indian roads. Many kinds of incidents unique of a kind too.

To solve the problem we must take some steps like:

School children must be enlightened with all traffic rules including how to cross the road.
Parents of the children also need to take the lessons on traffic rules so that they can guide and remind their children about the rules frequently.
There must be some awareness camp conducted for “Safe Driving, Without Honking”. Educational Institutions can take the initiatives as well as other organisations also can conduct this kind of campaigning at least twice in a year.
The government should set up a correct system to regulate any traffic rule violations. Rules are in place but the implementation is missing.
Strict rules are to be implemented for drunk driving and indisciplined driving.
Adequate laws against creating noise pollution are missing.
Road infrastructure should be upgraded and there must be separate lanes for heavy and light vehicles in every city.
Pedestrians are neglected. By developing footpaths and zebra crossings at every traffic signal, we can give them chance to feel safe while walking.
Humanity is to be respected. Human lives are precious. This ideology can be developed through continuous training and awareness programmes. Every year India loses approximately two lakhs lives due to road accidents. This figure is pretty much than the lives lost during all the wars we fought so far.
There is no dearth of intelligent minds but there is a lack of willpower. “Where there is will there is a way”. If all citizens work in an organised way, take an oath to be more disciplined on road then many lives can be saved.
Honking is needed when drivers are unruly, impatient, least bothered about human safety and no respect for fellow travellers. Why we choose to be a honking monster?
You build a stylish home to live peacefully. You choose a style for everything. Why can’t you become a stylish, disciplined traveller sitting behind the wheels?!

THINK. Thinking and innovation build a civilised nation.

Unwanted honking not only irritates others, but may also end up causing accidents. Drivers lose cool and it may result in road rage

-Rahul Dravid.

Attention Mothers! Watch out for Magnesium.

On May 14, 2017May 14, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Health, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Motherhood: “All love begins and ends there” .

~Robert Browning.

Nobody can deny mother’s role to shape up the life of their children. Anything missing, call mother. Anything needed – clothes, books, accessories, good food, call mother. Fall sick? Nobody takes better care than the mother. But a mother often forgets to take care of herself. Today is Mother’s Day which compelled me to think and write something which can help all mothers out there, reading this.

We know the role of nutritious food in building our body. All of us have some idea about the food contents. But almost all of us have no idea about the role of magnesium as food nutrient and magnesium deficiency. When we give importance to calcium we ignore magnesium because we do not know the role of magnesium to regulate the amount of calcium in the body.

Magnesium acts as a cofactor in enzymes, functions as the regulator of electrolyte balance, metabolism and controls over 300 biochemical reactions in our body. You name any disease and it is related to magnesium deficiency. Here I am mentioning few:

Hormonal imbalance
Stroke
Type 2 diabetes
Osteoporosis
Constipation
Tension or migraine headaches
Anxiety, depression, insomnia
Blood pressure
Nerve weakens
Migraines and Pre-Menstrual Symptoms
Attention Deficit disorder
Muscle spasm and muscle cramps
Fibromyalgia
Asthma
Fatigue

Also, magnesium is necessary for the correct adjustment of potassium and the correct and efficient functioning of enzymes, the most important of which is transport, store and utilise energy. Many aspects of cell metabolism are regulated by magnesium such as DNA and RNA synthesis, cell growth and cell reproduction. Magnesium supports a healthy immune system, prevents inflammation associated with certain cancers. A Harvard University study found that high daily magnesium intake reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 33 percent, can reduce the risk of heart attack and depression.

The calcium: magnesium ratio (usually 2:1 but better to have 1:1) must be maintained as the absorption and metabolism of magnesium depends on calcium intake and vice versa. Magnesium regulates the entrance and utilisation of calcium in the cells. Without magnesium, calcium remains in the body unused. This will result in calcium deposits in the joints which aggravates arthritis, gallstones and kidney stones and in extreme cases, calcification of the brain and other body organs. Hence if calcium consumption is high, then magnesium intake also needs to be high. Since calcium and magnesium depend on each other to be assimilated into the body, they should never be taken alone. High calcification may cause memory loss as well as the loss of ability to reason and eventually, death. All of these conditions have frequently been known to disappear after taking extra magnesium.

Why magnesium deficiency occurs?

Magnesium depletion in healthy individuals can be caused by:

Low magnesium diets for example diets containing high fat, sugar, salt, proteins and supplemented calcium
Processed foods
Sodas
Soft water
Medications
Alcohols and tobacco
Mental and physical stress
Ageing and illness
Genetic disorders

Why food is so important?

A high-saturated fat diet reduces magnesium absorption in the intestines.
High sugar intake increases excretion of magnesium by the kidneys.
Phosphates found in carbonated beverages such as dark-colored sodas bind magnesium, rendering it unusable by the body.

MAGNESIUM RICH FOOD

Almonds
Sesame seeds
Sunflower, flax and pumpkin seeds
Banana
Oatmeal
Cashewnuts
Tofu
Sweet corn
Spinach, chard, kale and other green leafy vegetables
Yoghurt prepared from skimmed milk
Dark chocolate
Figs
Avocado
Black Beans

Obtaining Magnesium and other minerals from food and water is the best way. If the food is organic then it’s the best because farmland soils are a deficit of magnesium due to cultivation style and added fertilisers. Pesticides and insecticides to damage soil. If required magnesium level is not boosted up through food than oral supplementation and magnesium oil can help.

Happy Mother’s Day! Take care of yourself and your loved ones!!

All the green in the planted world consists of these whole, rounded chloroplasts wending their ways in water. If you analyse a molecule of chlorophyll itself, what you get is one hundred thirty-six atoms of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen arranged in an exact and complex relationship around a central ring. At the ring’s centre is a single atom of magnesium. Now: If you remove the atom of magnesium and in its exact place put an atom of iron, you get a molecule of haemoglobin. The iron atom combines with all the other atoms to make red blood, the streaming red dots in the goldfish’s tail

~Annie Dillard

Parent: A Child’s Role Model!

On May 10, 2017May 10, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Uncategorized1 Comment

It has been observed through research studies that Parental care is the key to child’s development. A parent who is involved in their child’s education has a positive impact in achieving the child’s academic success. Help your child in becoming methodical when they are in school.

Set up a routine at home. Divide the entire available time for different activities like- finishing homework, nurturing hobbies ( hobby time), watching TV and playing games. This will make the child disciplined.
Spend time with the child, speak with them about the difficulties they are facing in school. Try to figure out the difficulties regarding studies or extracurricular activities and help your child.
From the young age involve your child in learning. Let them spend time with story books, drawing, writing etc. Practising writing will develop a good handwriting.
Take care of their diet as a healthy nutritional diet helps in brain development. Keep away junk foods and synthetic drinks. A healthy diet must contain fresh fruits and vegetables.
See that the child gets enough sleep, otherwise, they may fall asleep in the classroom. Follow a strict timely routine for good night’s sleep and good morning’s exercise.
Inculcating the moral values, ethics are very much essential. If the child fails in this aspect then the entire family may face any kind of trouble anytime.
Let your child be empathetic towards elders and youngers. Let him understand the societal norms: Do’s and Don’t s. Showing respect and getting respect are both sides of the same coin.
Take an interest in your child’s academics. This is so important. Check your child’s homework and assist them in solving problems when necessary. Reading with children is a good way to spark interest in learning in them; it’s also a good way to spend quality time with your child.
A child must be organised when it comes to school activities. Let your child carry a planner or a diary to record homework subject wise. Let them record the assignment and project work submission dates, tests dates etc whenever announced in school. Later these important dates can be marked in a calendar on their study tables. This will help them not to miss any dates and you will be able to keep a track record of your child’s studies.
Most of the schools and colleges still carry on the tradition of holding regular Parent-Teacher meetings. The purpose of the PT meetings is to determine which policies are working positively for teaching learning process.
The PT meetings keep the parents involved in their children’s activities as well as keep the students on their toes to prove that they are doing well in studies. Otherwise, they may hide actual performances from their parents.
Try to understand your child’s passion and help them to nurture it. You never know the potential of a child. He or she may become a great musician, artist, writer, photographer, scientist or even a great cook. Hence always encourage your child.
Volunteer yourself in school activities. Maybe it’s designing, decoration of a stage, storytelling session, art and craft or music. Try to keep a healthy and positive communication line with teachers. No teacher avoids parents. Rather they become glad to see your caring attitude towards your child.
Do not involve in the comparison game. After all, every child has a different genetic background too.
Parents are a child’s first teacher and try to be a good lifelong teacher for your own child.
Simple rule: You should not be very strict or very lenient towards your child. Do not overestimate and do not underestimate your child. Walking on the middle pathway will help to build a healthy parent-child relationship.

“Your child will follow your example not your advice”

Anomalies of Indian Education System.

On May 6, 2017May 6, 2017 By Swastika DasIn education, UncategorizedLeave a comment

“Culture is something that needs to adapt and change, and you’ve got to be able to have a learning culture. The intuition I got was from observing what happens in schools. I read a book called Mindset. There’s this very simple concept that Carol Dweck talks about, which is if you take two people, one of them is a learn-it-all and the other one is a know-it-all, the learn-it-all will always trump the know-it-all in the long run, even if they start with less innate capability.”———Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft.

Came across Nadella’s statement while surfing the net and it triggered the thoughts I am nurturing for sometimes recently.

I am circling around the Education system of India throughout my life. As a student first and then as a school teacher to college Professor. I have realised the changes or deterioration is going on every year. In this vast country where the population is diversified with respect to religion, language, economic status, cast, geographical positions- the introduction of a uniform education system is very much desired. The vast populace of India resides in interior rural, rural, semi-urban and urban places. Providing them with a single kind of infrastructural facilities, single syllabus, and single examination system is a herculean task but we should take up this task for the betterment of the country and the world. Shouting out a rectification never means the system is the worst. In fact, the Indian education curriculum is still following a system introduced by the British and the performances of Indian intellectuals worldwide are exemplary. Here scope of learning is diversified. At a tender age, children start learning so many subjects with many extracurricular activities. The syllabus covers many topics which one requires to know if one is interested in various facets of life. But learning the entire syllabus of a school curriculum needs a student’s fullest dedication. The peer pressure to emerge as a top performer in school needs the students running around schools and coaching classes. Many fall behind but the system doesn’t want to demoralise them. So the process of dilution begins!! Our Indian education system is now tasting the most diluted concoction.

Every system has its flaws; every system can be upgraded with powerful insight and can opt for reformation. I tried to figure out the flaws and summarised them as follows:

Excellent quality education is not available to all children. Educational inequalities are there while learning Science, History, Mathematics and languages.
Examination and result oriented learning are encouraging the practice of rote memorising. Read, memorise (with /without understanding), write the exam and forget.
There is no standard procedure to evaluate the merit of every children i.e not all are measured on the same scale.
The syllabus is designed for oral discussion based/ didactic lectures.
Students have little scope for “hands-on” learning.
More of theoretical knowledge cannot create curiosity among students and completion of the huge syllabus in short period of time do not allow them to think while learning.
“System” means so many things – curriculum design, the school sub-system, the college and university sub-system, the exam-and-result subsystem, the competitive exams and coaching class subsystem. Maintaining a coordination between all subsystems is difficult.
As government did not invest enough in education sectors, Private institutions came into the play and resulting in High Cost of Education
Low salaries of teachers do not motivate people to take up teaching as a career which has created an acute shortage of teachers.
Due to a very low teacher to student ratio in most schools of India, it is very difficult for a teacher to concentrate on each and every child in his class.
Then there are the laws, policies, different regulatory authorities, accreditation bodies. Teachers/ Professors are spending lots of time in upgrading personal and Institutional data. They get less time to think about innovative teaching methodology.
No Universities in India could make it to the Top 100 Universities list by “Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2016”.

Hence it’s time to think and act.

As Swami Vivekananda once said, “If you want to build a great nation, you have to build a great society.” And to build a great society we will have to renovate the methods of knowledge creation and its dissemination.

Constancy to Purpose

On April 30, 2017April 30, 2017 By Swastika DasIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Most of us have a secret desire to achieve success in our life. It provides us with inner peace and bliss, but defining success is tough.

I prefer to define success this way- “Leave a mark that you existed”

What is the secret word to become successful? Is the key word for success ––“consistency”?

Everyone wants consistency, whether it is regarding running a business, investing, supervising employees, dieting, academic excellence, scientific research, nurturing one’s passion, exercising or parenting. Consistency develops routines, forms, habits and builds momentum.

Being consistent means—–

Do your work every day with the same desire of achieving your goal.
Be disciplined and make a routine for every day.
If you are an employee in any organisation then be punctual in arriving at your workplace and starting the day’s work.
Plan your work in the morning. Execute it during the day.
In the Evening summarise what you did, try to understand the level of your satisfaction.
If you are in business then you must be more disciplined to keep your clients/customers happy
As we live in an Unpredictable world, Customers want predictability. A consistent person can provide a predictable service.
If you are boss/leader yourself, then you have to be consistent with your attitude and behaviour. A fickle minded boss or leader is untrustworthy, neither good for the juniors nor for the organisation.
While striving hard for success one must have short term and long term goals. Define them properly and let them hover your mind consistently.

To understand the need for consistency let us see what the successful and famous said about it.

“It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.”― Anthony Robbins

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.”― Jim Rohn

“Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” –John Maxwell

“Keeping possibilities alive requires a consistency of thought and focus.”― Steven Redhead

The requisition list is endless and life seems to be like a machine

What is the other side?

What if you are not consistent?

What if you are reluctant to be consistent?

Watch out what these famous men said, which will cheer you up:

“Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago.”― Bernard Berenson

“Too much consistency is as bad for the mind as it is for the body. Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead. Consistent intellectualism and spirituality may be socially valuable, up to a point; but they make, gradually, for individual death” -Aldous Leonard Huxley.

Take a break from your routine work. Take out some time to go for a vacation to enjoy life’s all beauty. Even the most committed employees become bored out of consistent performance. Nature too gets furious sometimes, behaves in an unruly way, resulting in cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes. It just protests against the routine!!!!

So Relax!!! Define your life’s purpose. Work on it while remaining consistently focused.

As Benjamin Disraeli said, “The secret of success is constancy to purpose.”

Good Luck !!!

Dream Sleep Meddled!!

On June 20, 2017June 20, 2017 By Swastika DasIn Daily Prompts, education, Life1 Comment

“The best kind of rain, of course, is a cosy rain. The rain that falls on a day when you’d just stay in bed a little longer, write creatively or read a good book while sipping on hot Tea and Honey. Even on rainy days, there is beauty in the making. Let the rain fall where it may, and don’t be reluctant to feel it fall upon you. On the busy days, enlighten someone new by saying hello with a smile. Hold and share your umbrella with someone that may not have one. It’s the smallest of things that make the greatest difference and can bring the sunshine on a gloomy, rainy day. There is always a Rainbow to be seen ~ even if it’s within your heart to shine onto others.” — Star Roberts

We like rain. Rainy days, music, a book, a movie, hot food make us so content. It seems life is really worth living. Cloudy skies can make you a poet or a lyricist. A rainbow can turn you into an artist. Rain has a power to bring out the creator in each one of us.

Blessed are those who can enjoy a rainy day deep down to their hearts. Very often, the rhythm of raindrops is meddled by the surrounding noise of a city life. The beauty of the raindrops falling, the pitter patter sounds, the dark clouds, the chilly winds are meddled by the tensions of your work, your target achieving, your household chores. In reality, hardly we can enjoy our wishes as described in a good book.

I, in my childhood days, was fond of sleeping. Especially on a rainy day or in a winter morning. I struggled to fulfil my wishes as my studies were meddling the hidden wishes of mine. My mom was also a strict lady. We sisters used to call her ‘tigress’!! As soon as the clock was striking 5 in the morning she used to get up and used to call us. The rule was, we must wake up early in the morning for studies, she never insisted us for exercise but for studies. Whether it’s chilling cold or incessant rain, nothing deterred her getting up in the morning and did her all work. She expected the same from us. So never ever I could sleep properly though my bed was my best friend!. Now, my work keeps me always busy. The mind is preoccupied with ‘to do list’. Little laziness makes this list longer. Time is so precious! The work meddles my good friend, my dream like sleep to arrive up to me !!

Only an early retirement may see me sleeping or watching a cosy rain through windowpanes with a cup of hot coffee and my favourite book.

Meddle