The Teachings of 2020

What the Global Pandemic has Taught Us?

At the preface of another decade, it all goes as a one-way window film through the AC compartments of Indian trains. By the end of February 2020, while India was struggling with anti-CAA protests followed by multiple waves of bloodshed, property destruction and mob attacks by slashing and setting people on fire in Delhi we weren’t aware that some other perilous danger was about to hit people emotionally, socially and financially across the globe. The invisible demon crept into our world, claiming thousands of lives, and if not lives, marooned them with the horrifying memories of the year 2020.

The last ten months have been the most challenging times that we have seen in our lives, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic which has thrown the world into disarray. We did never imagine that a reveling beginning of the year will end in this disastrous way inflicting the scourge of mass unemployment, crippled economy and the loss of precious lives due to the global pandemic Covid-19. We never gave it a thought that someday an invisible evil will change our thought process, our life style and our social and emotional behaviour so profoundly and we must agree that this happening is beyond any phenomenon of human civilization. All this topsy-turvy has taught us the lessons for life which will be difficult to forget and many have really transformed themselves entirely which is a good sign of reinventing and reintroducing oneself in a time of adversity and challenges. In a bid to assuage fears and uncertainty in life let’s have a look on the following points entailing the reforms and the lessons taught by 2020:

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     A Stitch in Time Saves Nine:

We all know the importance of planning and preparation as well as the fact that lost time can never be regained but do we ever value our time and focus on planning and being prepared for the worst? Certainly not, but the corona period has helped us lot to introspect and retrospect as how to invest our time and money in order to manage work and life to be ready to face the difficult times and survive the obstacles that fall on our way.

     Health is Wealth:

    Human is considered to be the mightiest of all creatures but when millions of lives were under an unpredictable threat we learnt to give enough attention to our health, hygiene and immunity. This pandemic has forced us to respect our body and well being. During the course of this unprecedented pandemic, people have shown great interests in buying healthcare equipment as well as maintaining healthy lifestyle and incorporated yoga and physical exercises in their routine on regular basis. Even the healthcare industry has produced inspiring examples of innovation in products, services and processes.

     Definition of Development:

We considered industrialization, urbanization, space science and nuclear weapons as the mark of development of human civilization. We all witness how the lockdown in the initial time of the pandemic revived the magnificence of snow capped mountains, blue sky and crystal clear lakes. It has forced us to think that the clamour and chaos in the name of development was really not the aim of human life rather maintaining the mesmerizing beauty and enchanting melody of nature is the sole responsibility of human civilization.

     Learning is a Lifetime Process:

This pandemic has changed this ideology that childhood is the only learning period of life. People of all age groups and from all walks of life learned digital payments, online teaching and learning, virtual get together and games, online consultations and what not. This was a paradigm shift for us that how we can learn even the impossible things in just a wink of eye and get hooked to all-new-normal practices in a jiffy. We must feel grateful to be imbibed with this human instinct that even in this tough year, we’ve braved the pandemic and we are alive and healthy to experience what life has in store for us.

     Change is the only Constant:

The biggest strength of humans is the ability to change and reinvent ourselves. One has to have fire in one’s belly to move on and surmount any challenge that comes on the way to success and perfection. If we can flow and walk with the changing times we can make life better. Getting accustomed with new patterns and system always helps in restoring energy and encouraging new habits and passion for a smooth sustenance.

     Family and Friends are the Assets:

Once again it has been proved that none can be as caring and loving as your family. In the race of cut throat competition we forgot that our loved ones always demand our time and attention and that’s the most expensive gift for them. Lockdown period helped people refresh and rejuvenate all those relationships and friends unions. These are the essential ingredients of the recipe of a healthy, blissful and contented life. Spending quality time with your loved ones is indeed a luxury of life.

     Education:

Education is the biggest investment for an individual, society and a nation; and that’s the only reason that teaching and learning could not be hindered by the pandemic, millions of lives were touched and taught during this period by various virtual teaching platforms and brought a revolutionary change in the mindsets of people that learning depends upon classrooms, buildings and infrastructures. In the wake of this pandemic many universities and institutions have launched online courses to facilitate learners and aspirants from miles apart breaking the boundaries of distance and physical landscapes. We are waiting that a new hybrid model of education will emerge soon with significant benefits and the online education will eventually become an integral part of school education.

     Work from Home:

Curtailing the commute time and traffic congestion were the challenges for many employees before corona period. The pandemic made it mandatory to stay at home and manage your work and it became an indispensable part of our work life. The new trend of ‘work from home’ helped many to manage kids, household responsibilities and the job work. Many companies have reduced the number of offices and the expenses by promoting this concept as a new normal of work culture.

Thought Provoking Read: Self-Isolation-or-Self-Adoration

The unforgettable experiences and learning during this pandemic should never go in vain with the passage of time, Let’s hope to have a virus free new year, Let’s wait for a joyous beginning of the year 2021 with this promise with SELF that we will never stop infusing joie de vivre into the scenarios and spaces we live in; no matter how difficult life is!

Organ Donation: Life After Death

If Life is Meaningful Why Not Death?

Jash Oza, a two-and-a-half-year-old, innocent boy, and the apple of the eyes of all his loved ones in Surat gifted new lease of life to five others including two four-year-old children from Russia and Ukraine. On December 9, Jash fell from the second floor balcony of his neighbor’s house in Surat. He suffered a brain haemorrhage and, on December 14, doctors declared him brain dead.

Fondly called as ‘Babu’, when left his parents bereaved, devastated and lifeless, how difficult it must have been for them to decide and agree for the cadaver donation that none can even imagine. But thanks to the NGO, Donate Life which made the efforts to bring hope and survival to five more lives. His heart and lungs were transported to Chennai within 160 minutes and heart was transplanted into a 4-yr-old child from Russia and lungs given to a 4-yr-old from Ukraine. Kidneys were transplanted into two girls and liver was donated to a 2-year- old girl. The resplendence, Jash has left behind is eternal, or we can say Jash has gone nowhere he is still alive, his heart is still beating and eyes are shining as brightly as ever. He is going to live forever. We salute to the parents for contributing to this noble and altruistic cause.

Every year 5 lakh Indians lose their lives waiting for an organ and  more than half a million Indians are  in dire need of an organ transplant- kidney, liver, heart, pancreas and so on and it is estimated that 90% of patients waiting to receive an organ die without getting one. Kidney transplants are the most common in India and only one out of 30 patients receives one.  What is exasperating is that the second most populous country in the world has a donation rate of only 0.26 per million people that means only one out of 4 million people chooses to be an organ donor. And this wide gap in the country is due to myriad of myths, cultural beliefs, traditions and ritual practices.

With the increasing number of deaths due to organ failure, it becomes imperative to get the low-down of this humane attempt for saving lives. The most popular myth about organ donation is that if we are cremated or buried without our organs, in the next life we are born without these, which is completely an absurd notion. How one can carry his organs to his next birth if one can’t carry any of his possessions? Most of the religions teach the principle that a body is just like apparel and soul is immortal. It’s the soul that dons the body as apparel and leaves when the life span is over. None of the religions object to organ donation and transplantation. On the contrary, religions endorse the act of giving and donating and what bigger form of giving can there be than giving life. A pervasive notion about organ donation is the belief that patients will not be treated carefully when required if they are registered organ donors.  A recent survey conducted by a national newspaper revealed that 28% of a total of 641 urban respondents believed that organ donors will not receive any lifesaving treatment while 18% believed that their bodies will be mutilated which is a fallacy.

Interesting Read: Can Gratitude Be Enforced?

There are nearly 300 deaths everyday due to organ failure and to combat this number our country needs organ donors. Out of the 9.5 million deaths in India every year, at least one lakh are believed to be potential donors; however less than 200 actually choose to become donors. The remaining about 99,800 are lost. At any given time, a major city in the country has 8-10 brain deaths in the various ICUs and the conversion of these brain dead patients into donors can take care of the long waitlist of end stage organ failure patients. Organ donation is a kind and noble act that harms none but helps many.

Organ donation promotes a noble, humane spirit in society. It means that one is desirous of extending one’s spirit to others even after one’s death. Each of us can save 8 lives and we believe this is the best legacy any of us can leave behind as many unfortunate ones are waiting for an organ to embrace a fresh lease of life.

While ending this blog, I am leaving you to take time off and ruminate over this: “If life is meaningful why not Death?”

Let’s pledge to be an organ donor!

The Conundrum of Commitment with Self

“A task left undone remains undone in two places- at the actual location of the task and inside your head. Incomplete tasks in your head consume the energy of your attention as they gnaw at your conscience.”

The advent of New Year makes me reminisce the old school and college days when we would have new year resolutions to improve upon a skill or to learn a new thing, developing a new hobby, striving to become the better version of ourselves ( Not in the abstract way😊) and so on. By January end all were back to their previous habits and activities being oblivion of the New Year and those resolutions. Growing with time it made me conclude that we tend to hold ourselves back when it comes to change our habits, as it is rightly said, “Old habits die hard” but if we have procrastination as one of our ‘old habits’ it will take no longer to realize that our dreams, goals and Success are at a high risk no matter how skilled or expertise we are in our personal or professional life. Needless to say that it was only procrastination that led Raavan to his doom not Rama’s resolution to kill him.

 Enriching Read: The-Pursuit-of-Perfection

The surprising fact about getting rid of procrastination is that it doesn’t require scrupulous planning or intense aspiration as proceeding in an organized and systematic way with sustained commitment will be enough to help. We really need strong Will Power to overcome our habit to procrastinate as more often we are in a slumber of hollow, meaningless lethargy and old stubborn habits and squander our precious days, weeks, months and years. The activities that interest us require no will power and we never procrastinate about them. Does a child need willpower to eat ice cream? Do we ever hesitate in planning a hang out? Do we ever resist ourselves for spending most of our quality time on social media? Absolutely no; but we always want to spare a special day to start reading a book or going for morning walk or begin to organize our desks, wardrobes or declutter our surroundings. The reason is only the conflict of interests.

Let’s think it in a different way; we can cultivate willpower to avoid and overcome procrastination and choose wisely what is needed to fulfill our purpose of life. If the heart is not willing to walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes let’s start with 5 minutes a day; when it feels boring to read a complete book it can be a good beginning with an article each day, if it seems impossible to clean the entire wardrobe, arranging a small shelf is always a good inaugural ceremony to instill regularity and time management. Consistency in maintaining good habits will certainly help you strengthen your life skills and life management.

This principle applies in all spheres - career, relationships, fitness regime, self development, spirituality and so on. Having goals in life makes us alive and focused; chasing those goals keeps us energetic and enthusiastic and achieving those goals brings bliss and self worth.

Let’s not forget these words of the famous essayist, Francis Bacon, “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand- and melting like a snowflake.”

Hope you will create an auspicious beginning to instill a good habit or a positive change in your life style today itself and won’t wait for the New Year  2021 to resolve for something.

All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Celebrity Culture

Appearances Can Be Deceptive 

We all have grown up hearing this adage that everything that glitters is not gold, barely we felt a need to ponder about this very common saying why it has been originated and what is its relevance in our behavioral approach.  Not just children but very often adults also fall prey to the glitter and glamour of their favourite celebrities without an iota of realization whether these ‘Glam Gods’ deserve their love and worship or not. The recent incidents of drug abuse, social media vitriols and publicity stunts by our favourite actors have grabbed our attention towards the big chasm of difference between their personal and public life.

Celebrities: The ‘Gods’ of Modern Culture

Celebrities are the ‘Gods’ of our modern culture just like kings and the royalties were in the past. They are highly adored by the general public and when these stars, larger than life heroes are accused of being drug addicts, having a lowest set of moral and ethical values, aren’t we forced to feel whom we are following and worshipping uselessly and for what reasons.

Interesting Read: Kindness Turns A Person Into A Human

It’s very important for the people who have a public life to maintain their demeanour and a life of values and authenticity as they are the icons for youth and carry dreams of millions through their journey of success. It doesn’t mean that they can’t have their personal life but one can’t deny that the people in public eye have more of a responsibility because they are symbols of success and excellence in the domain; moreover they are the trend-setters. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen at all so it becomes our responsibility to always take their words with a pinch of salt primarily because their societal position does not justify the correctness of their opinions. Big companies and powerful political leaders also use them for their greedy advancement and vested interests.

It’s impossible to escape the ‘celebrity cult’ and observing the youth imitating their moves, dresses, make up and speaking styles is really condescending. They exert negative moral influence when exposed in their private lives. Not just this, they create stereotypical beauty standards with a particular body type, skin color, tiny nose and perfect facial features over and over again. Instead of celebrating diversity in beauty we shunt every other kind of ‘imperfect’ beauty to the sideline and rarely ever mention intelligence or personality.

As huge movie fans, we all believe in the hard work and perseverance these actors put in. For the same, the entertainment industry can be a source of inspiration, powerful commentary or great laughs but the social power they hold goes far beyond their movies and it’s a crucial time that this power has to be checked.

The solution is to disengage with the celebrity world. It’s hard to escape the constant barrage of information and sneak peeks that overwhelm us everyday, but believe me it’s worth it. Each of us can make the choice to de-glamorize celebrity and step away from the damaging culture of celebrity worship. Only this way we can help our youth and younger generation limit the inordinate cultural power Bollywood currently commands.

The Thakur’s Well Still Brimming with Casteism

Caste Discrimination in India  

The Indian, acclaimed writer Munshi Premchand’s story, ‘Thakur’s Well’, read by all of us during our middle school days, has left a deep scar in our hearts narrating about the feudal customs of caste hierarchies, inhuman landlords and heartless moneylenders. Gangi and Jokhu the protagonists of the story could never assuage their thirst as the ‘Well’ is still prohibited for them.  Gangi, whose heart cried out against the restraints and the bars of the customs, still prevalent in Indian society and nothing much has changed for her, she wanted to ask why she was so low and those others so high? And her question is still unanswered. We talk of developments, social equality and economic independence but that seems to be so illusive when a Dalit girl in her teens is brutally raped, murdered and cremated without her family’s consent.

This heinous crime not just reveals the grim status of women in Indian society but also the mindset of such so called upper caste societies that imbibe the roots of such shameful practices in their generations that women’s bodies and their existence are the most favoured sites for inflicting punishment and shame on their communities. For them this brutality is the weapon for inflicting shame and ignominy which will keep haunting the families of these communities for years and they will never think of resist such acts.

The incident in Jammu tells another saga of an 8-year-old girl who was raped, drugged, held captive and murdered with an intention of teaching a lesson to her Gujjar parents who belong to a minority nomadic tribe and are frequently accused of encroaching land in the areas. Is this a lesson? Is this what we call a nation, a civilization? Where are we heading towards with such intentions and lessons?

Our Constitution has promised the Right to Equality to everyone irrespective of caste, class and gender but the reality is far away which has been experienced by the young Dalit girl in Hathras in life and in death. Neither the police treated her sympathetically nor did the administration provide her proper medical care rather she was silenced by the system, the politics and the influential class of the town. Even her death couldn’t earn any respect and the last rites when she was cremated forcefully at midnight without any of her family members as if having been born in a Dalit family is a curse. The sufferings of these people are endless; the poor parents can’t educate their girls because travelling to distant schools is not safe. Literacy rate of SC women is 64% compared to 81% among General Women. Due to lack of safety and distance from schools they are denied education and without education they are deprived of their dreams to get rid of generational poverty and persecution.

According to the National Crime Bureau’s records 2012, every 16 minutes, a non-dalit commits a crime on a Dalit and every day 4 Dalit women are raped by non-Dalits. From the year 2009 to 2018, 3.91 lakh atrocities were reported and the records flagged the rise in sexual violence, witch branding and dishonouring against Dalit and Tribal women.

Interesting Read: The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep

Beyond punishing all the culprits, there is an urgent need to make sure that police and judiciary treat all citizens equally. There must be greater accountability as a means to curb against caste and gender based oppressions. In 1998, Indian government committed to develop policies aimed at the social and economic advancement of the Dalit population. The Independent Downtrodden and Oppressed Community Council was formed with the objective of planning and coordinating policies for their socio-economic development in the areas of education, health, training and skill enhancement. But no reform or policy could change the living conditions for them as the iniquitous caste system of our country doesn’t allow the discrimination to come to an end.

As said by John F Kennedy, “If we cannot end our differences at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.” Can we mull over these words and think of a harmonious coexistence between all the groups of our society.

While I was writing this blog three minor sisters belonging to the Dalit community in UP’s Gonda, suffered burn injuries when an unidentified person allegedly threw acid on them, an 18-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh.

How Online Outrage Kills Innocence

The Battle Royale Games are Killing Innocence in Children

It was not just shocking but horrifying to read that a 9-year-old girl was bludgeoned to death in Indore, by an 11-year-old boy, who was very angry as she had been beating him in an online game continuously since the lockdown began. They were neighbours and had been playing an online game – where contestants have to kill each other to survive on an island. The boy, constantly losing to the girl, became furious and took her to a nearby field where he hit her in anger in the head and face with three stones. The girl collapsed in no time.

The increasing anger, violence and aggression among children due to such online battle games is a common phenomenon these days. Emotional and mental instability is playing havoc with our precious innocent minds. Covid19 has shut the schools and the young learners are forced to adapt learning from home. The prolonged restrictions on community leisure activities coupled with parents juggling supporting their children’s transition to online learning with their own household and professional responsibilities result into more liberty for kids to spend screen time.  Children getting addicted to such battle games tend to become less socially active and start developing negative and retaliating thoughts. It disturbs their sleep patterns and physical health as they adopt a sedentary life to play uninterruptedly. Surprisingly, gaming begins as entertainment and fun but this fun takes a back seat in a jiffy and it turns into an addiction and starts affecting children’s physical and mental health adversely.

These days children are going through a very difficult phase so it’s quite often they react to happenings without giving a thought to possible consequences. If they feel anything going on against their will they lash out at them. We all know that the lockdown fatigue, stress, overwork and anxiety have allowed e-devices and digital platforms to overtake our children’s needs. With all such changes parents should be more vigilant on their kids’ online activities as owing to the online classes; there are more chances of being involved in such online games- making them more aggressive, defiant and violent.

 It is evident that the rise in technology, while empowering and connecting people all over the world, also obliterates the very boundaries necessary for our emotional well-being and it won’t be an exaggeration to say that children get affected the most with this as they are just like clay. The aggression and violence which they come across during such online games make them so vulnerable that they become the object of their anger and are caught up in fury, hatred and vengeance. They begin to harbour resentment for hours, days, weeks, months and sometimes whole life which eventually make cruel with no respect for others.

I still remember my days in Udaipur, Rajasthan when I was working in a school where every month we had ‘Warm Smile’, and ‘Surya Namaskar’ (Surya Namaskar and Pranayam were daily practices during morning assembly) competitions for our children. Apart from these monthly competitions we had two camps in a session; ‘Know Thyself’, and ‘Rise and Shine Camp’ to instill leadership qualities and mental and emotional stability in our children. Those days emotional and mental well-being was not a much talked about topic but my Director, Mrs. Alka Sharma had a strong belief that imbibing an attitude of gratitude and emotional stability are great virtues which give children enough strength to fight back all the setbacks in life. Today when I see the menace spreading by leaps and bounds I can’t resist admiring and respecting the vision behind those competitions and camps organized by the school. Educational institutes should mull over introducing such activities as a regular practice to build an emotionally stronger generation.

Thought Provoking Read: Never to Advise Adolescents

It becomes the sole responsibility of parents, teachers and the elders to inculcate the strong sense of will power, forgiveness, gratitude and contentment in their children so that when they encounter problems or dejection in life they don’t get overwhelmed by it. Teaching our children to be thankful for everything and forgiveness for everyone are the best practices a parent and a teacher can do. Teach them empathy and seek their help in household tasks. Talk to them as much as you can so that you help them improve their physical and mental health. This difficult time will pass soon and these tender buds will blossom beautifully again.

I would like to conclude my blog with Leo Tolstoy’s words, “There is something in the human spirit that will survive and prevail. There is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of man that will not go out, no matter how dark the world becomes.”

Embracing History to Discard Distory

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” – Marcus Garvey

These words remind and reiterate the importance of history in building a strong culture, well developed nation and a civilized society that takes pride in eternalizing the legacy of perpetual elegance of victory and valour but what if we as citizens and our posterity are studying Distory but not the History of our empowered-for-eons nation. Do we ever think why as school students we studied what was forced and designed to accept ourselves as slaves only? Why our History books have taught us that we have always been ruled by foreign invaders, we had never won any battle and we could never show our dogged Commitment to sustain the glory of our Motherland?

An African adage goes as, ”Until the lions have their own storytellers, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” So, the fact is, until we learn to tell our own story and continue to think of ourselves as in the way others have defined us, we will continue to be their slaves. And, it’s very important that we tell our own stories which has become the clarion call today but that road is also full of bumps and hurdles as there are pervasive biases, platitudes and ambiguities which make it truly pathetic that even after 74 years of independence we are still not able to tell our History. It's the need of the hour that we should start embracing history to discard distory.

Interesting Read on History: Women-Warriors-Demand-Gender-Neutrality

The most important and obvious bias of Indian History is we all have been Forced to study the history of Delhi Sultanate but not the history of India, we have been forced to memorize a large number of kings and rulers of Delhi including obscure dynasties like the Lodhis and yet there are sizeable parts of Indian history which are not even mentioned in our history narrative, so, as a result unless you happen to be from Tamilnadu you probably never heard or know very little about the Cholas and Pallavas. You have never heard about the great Ahom kings from North East who ruled over that part of our country for 600 years. You might have not heard about Lalitaditya who set up a huge empire in the north of India. Satvahanas, Chalukyas etc. have been left out the narrative of India almost entirely, ironically we know nothing about them.  Goa and Sikkim don’t even exist in the History books of our country. India needs to grab back its narratives from Delhi and this is the first most important thing we need to do with our curriculum which is much expected after the National Education Policy 2020.

To recognize that the large part of the way we think of our narratives have been heavily dominated by the way colonial rulers had told us the stories. Have you noticed that in all our History books whatever battle we fought we always lost it? Battle of Panipat, Battle of Buxar, Battle of Tarain, Indians were defeated in all of them. Didn’t we win any of the battle? And if we won how didn’t we know the least about them?  The point is if we still own our motherland we must have won a few of them, here the problem is the victorious feats have been removed from our study so systematically that we know nothing about them, we are forced to believe that we people are meant to be colonized and ruled by some foreigners.

 In the early 18^th century, the Dutch East India Company was the most formidable colonial power in the world. They had conquered Indonesia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and were almost ready to conquer India. But all their dreams shattered when they came across Marthanda Varma, the legendary ruler who is considered the founder of the Travancore kingdom.  After their rout in the Battle of Colachel in 1741, the Dutch East India Company was never able to re-establish their power in Kerala again. It was a famous and decisive victory, more importantly a water-shed moment in global history, against one of the most fearsome military powers in the world that eventually led East India Company to take over India.  It was known worldwide that since the Japanese defeated the Russians in 1905,no Asiatic power had ever defeated a European power, even the Indian History text books talk about the Japanese defeating the Russians, but they don’t tell us that previously the man who defeated Europeans was an Indian, Marthanda Varma.  Sadly, these narratives have been suppressed and ignored by most Indians by leftist historians. What we all know today is the Mughals ruled India and then the British took over.

One very important feature of our history  which has been wiped out completely from our textbooks is the contribution of women in building a great nation like India which is seen nowhere in the world, absolutely unique in itself. Indian history is full of powerful, interesting, courageous and intellectual women. And yet we don’t know very much about them. How many history text books tell you about Devi Ahilya bai Holkar, Rani Durgawati, or the resistance of  Rani Abbakka from Ullal who fought against Portuguese? The only one we hear about is Rani Laxmibai and that too because of a very famous poem in Hindi by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan.

Expectations are rising from all walks of life with the NEP 2020, a milestone in India’s journey to becoming a global knowledge superpower. When our young nation strides towards development, it becomes imperative to take inspiration from our ancient heritage, glorious past and cultural values to transform the existing status quo with an advanced futuristic approach. It’s the need of the hour that our young learners should read the true history of their great nation, it’s time to throw our distory books and revise our history books.

When Anguish is Anticipated from All

Value of Co-existence and Harmony

Three female elephants have been found dead in north Chhattisgarh- in less than three days- leading the forest department to suspect they were poisoned as all three carcasses had foam at the mouth. The more painful fact about the dead tuskers is that two of the dead elephants were pregnant. During post-mortem it was found that the elephants had charred skin inside their mouth, congested lungs and intestinal haemorrhage. All are indicative that the three consumed something toxic and poisonous.

I have more to say

On May 27, a pregnant elephant in Palakkad, Kerala, was reportedly fed a fruit stuffed with firecrackers. Despite its agony, it chose to die quietly, harming none.

The recent brutal killing of a pregnant elephant has shocked many but the more appalling is that the incident is not a crime committed for the first time neither it will be curbed so easily. Moreover, it has uncovered other instances of cruelty towards animals and the ugly realities of the human intervention into wildlife. It’s quite evident that such heinous acts towards these gentle creatures are grave repercussions of human-animal conflicts, erupting often across the country, triggered by deforestation, habitat loss and unplanned expansion and urbanization. The shrinking of natural habitat has resulted in elephants and other wild animals venturing into human territories, leading to casualties on both sides. To save their crops from collapse and destruction by these pachyderms, farmers often use brutal methods like fireworks, poison and electrocuted fences.

The more abominable is that poachers are hell-bent on involving local villagers to poison the water bodies in the path of elephant herds to try to kill tuskers.

In a country, like India where ‘Gajanana’, the elephant-headed is an epitome of fulfillment of one’s desires, attainment of wealth, prosperity and surmounting all the hurdles and roadblocks in one’s ways to success, elephants are being treated so vilely. 

Here are a few facts:

• India has about 27000 wild elephants. It has been reported that explosive-laden fruits, electric fences and crude bombs are used to keep away these pachyderms from eating farm produce.

• There are over 3000 elephants in captivity in India. From tourism to agricultural labour, logging and participation in weddings and religious rituals, elephants are used in multiple forms of work.

• Captive elephants are often kept standing for hours, chained or shackled, with even spikes embedded in their ankles.

• Young calf elephants are separated from their mothers and beaten and starved into submission.

• Many elephants work over 20 hours a day, exposed to heat, noise pollution, crowds, firecrackers, unhygienic conditions and dangerous transportation.

• In 2018, Raju, a captive elephant, forced to beg by his owner, was rescued by Wildlife SOS which found Raju starved, beaten, chained and wounded by metal spikes in his feet. Having suffered such cruelty for 50 years, Raju wept upon his rescue.

The brutal death of the Jumbo, stirred the country and the perpetrators were condemned by all walks of life but will this sudden flow and flood of anguish and condemnation suffice to restrain such atrocities against animals in future? No, not really, unless we control the excessive economies of demands so that human intervention can be extenuated in tuskers’ natural habitats.  Can we understand the value of co-existence and harmony among all living beings? How could the politicians (though laced with their insinuations on the horrible death of the elephant) oversee that parts of an elephant sanctuary in Assam were handed over to coal mining – less than two months ago? How the stakeholders can be so indifferent towards wildlife protection?  

Positive Read: How Jainism Can Help Us Fight Corona Virus

The anguish is anticipated from all on such cruelty against animals and we strongly feel a need to inspire a wider learning experience, with both systemic reforms and individual changes. We must be more responsible towards the environment and more mindful about our own needs. Our patterns of consumption are causing the increasing intrusion of humans into natural spaces which is a growing threat to sustain our ecosystem as well as the ecological balance. If it persists for little longer, the day is not far when we will remain confined in the miasma of utter despondency of losing many precious life forms on this beautiful planet.  We need to understand that every animal has unique identity and importance of its own. 

We must respect their space - and their right to live.

Never To Advise Adolescents

Social Media Trends Affecting Teenagers 

#BoisLockerRoom, a sensational social media post which took toll on a class XII boy’s life in Gurugram, was no other than a quintessential of mob justice done by some teenagers. As #BoisLockerRoom unravelled, a 17-year-old girl shared on Instagram an alleged incident of sexual assault two years back. The boy, an aspiring class XII student, was trolled and humiliated as the girl’s post went viral and the same night i.e. May 4, 2020 he jumped from his 11th- floor flat in a DLF-5 condominium, Gurgaon.

This incident clearly shows the rampant use of social media and its vilest forms for cyber bullying by teens which is unfortunately quite common and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, lower self-esteem and tragically suicide. Trolling and online harassment took a young, precious life. How can social media disclosures be allowed without the burden of proof ? It’s really horrifying how teenagers abuse and harass their targets using social media platforms. Many innocents take extreme steps as they can’t face such humiliating situations.

                                                                         

These days children make confession groups on social media accounts to reveal their personal feelings for someone, failing to realize the consequences and understand how confessions can be ‘social’ or ‘public’? As the Gurugram incident reveals a life-threatening mindset of today’s teenagers that neither the boy nor the girl chose their parents to open up themselves and share their ordeal. The girl knocked the door of Social Media Court to seek quick justice rather than speaking to her family and the boy also didn’t prefer to talk to his parents but decided to kill him. The vulnerability of teens has become a grave issue and because of their impulsive natures, they are at risk of sharing intimate photos or highly personal stories which can result in being bullied or even blackmailed. The other big danger that comes from teenagers communicating more indirectly is that it has gotten easier to be cruel. “They text all sorts of things that you would never in a million years contemplate saying to anyone’s face.” says Dr. Donna Wick, a Clinical and Developmental Psychologist.

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Role of Parents:

A significant thing that every parent should concern about is to structure their psychological and emotional framework around the most fundamental fact that they are the most valuable living force for present as well as future.

 

Being a responsible parent it’s your duty to set reasonable limits for the usage of social media. Encourage a bedtime routine and keep all the cellphones and tablets out of teens’ bedrooms. Set an example by following these rules yourself as children don’t follow what is said, they follow what they observe. Let your teen know that you will be regularly monitoring his/her social media accounts and talk about your social media habits. Remind your teen that social media is full of unrealistic images. Teach your child that everything that glitters is not gold. Give them this assurance that their well-being is the only treasure of your life not their scholastic or co-scholastic achievements.

How Important Are You?

As the title suggests that this blog is not meant to advise adolescents; (I know you don’t like advices and preachy sentences😃) let me make it very clear that this blog is a message from society to all of you.

Dear Teenager, living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you. You were like that as a child, weren’t you? You were so happy and chirpy with the things and people around you. So I am not talking about taking you beyond, I am just talking about starting at the square one of your life. Why you have mortgaged your happiness, peace and love to the external situations? What if the mobile phone that you use is not as expensive and cool as your friends’? What if you haven’t scored as high as your classmates? What if your life is not as luxurious and lavish as your peers’? The most important thing is you are the best in your own way and you can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life. So, do what you want to do in your life, being in reverence with the life, being in love with your LIFE.

Let’s Simplify Life

Let's Make Life Simple & Beautiful

Confucius once said, “Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated.” This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get. Humans have been victims of this practice since time immemorial and the journey of rise and fall, gain and loss, and triumph and defeat of human race describes the same. Life is a string of inevitable experiences. Happy events are savoured while adversities are considered as wrongs, inflicted upon us by destiny.

Today everyone is thinking wistfully the same question whether the life will be normal or not and if yes how? The life during lockdown is somewhat similar to when there were no TVs. People would love to spend time with friends, relatives and play outside (amidst lockdown playing virtually) and were contented with what minimal resources they had. In 90s TV was introduced to the society and people glued to the idiot box for hours to watch cricket and serials. Physical work from routine and socializing for the purpose of entertainment took a back seat. Sports were lesser played in streets and more watched on screens. Then entered the world of Internet, PCs, laptops and multimedia. Though initially the services were plagued by certain issues but gradually became an indispensable part of our society. Obesity and other life style diseases were included as gift hampers in the package, indoor and outdoor games were replaced by video games. Junk foods and sedentary life became the new trends, visiting friends and relatives needed appointments or formal invitations. Eventually human relations, care and concern for neighbours and seeking or giving advice to relatives were on the verge of extinction.

Life was too fast now to devote time to value and practice gestures of kindness and generosity as the time was much needed to be spent in traffic jams and in pursuit of mundane and materialistic goals. And now enters our favorite Guest whom we want to cling to us forever, yes these are none other than androids, 3G, 4G and high speed internet services. The digital enthusiasts were so engrossed in striving hard to fulfill their dreams to become mightier than ever and became supercilious in attitude. In this race of ambitions and achievements we forgot what the very purpose of human life is. It won’t be wrong if I term this journey as Evolution of Human Intellect, yes we changed, we evolved and we grew in all dimensions with materialistic mindsets; expanding in a different milieu during the years from 1990s to 2020s.

Thought Provoking Read: All That Glitters is Not Gold 

The feeling of having the world just a click away gives a sense of supremacy to humans, ironically the supremacy gave us rights only, not the duties-the duties towards nature and ecosystem, the duties towards lifting up humanity and our inner self, the duties to realize the very purpose of our life i. e. being altruistic to all life forms which are dependent upon us as mere philosophy of evolution without  a life imbued with love, compassion and service cannot sweeten and glorify human advancements.

Though the human mind is responsible for great advances of culture and civilizations it has grown unable to handle negativity caused by traumatic experiences. While struggling with feelings of distress and uncertainty amidst the pandemic many think as if they will hardly find their way back from such an emotional cul-de-sac as negative events have a tendency to imprison our minds. The lockdown has taught us that to live a happy life we need to be alive not to be the supreme power; we need to reinvent and revamp our life so let the life be lived at its fullest instead of dreaming for tomorrow. Let’s remove all toxins and obsessions of materialism and enjoy a serene, happy and wholesome life. Let’s take the blessing in disguise to value and appreciate the fact that life demands nothing it is we who keep demanding incessantly from life. Let's simplify life. Let’s enjoy just being alive. 

Life is simple, Simplify The Life.

Miles To Go Where I Can Sleep

The Problems Faced By Migrant Labourers During Lockdown

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost’s famous poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ is a source of inspiration to many and the fan club of this poem has recently been joined by millions of Indian migrant labourers who are on their journey to reach the destinations where they can sleep without starving. The contrast with the poem’s traveler is that the woods are actually not lovely, dark and deep for these poor daily wagers so they are forced to plod on.

Kasa Madkani, 22, a migrant worker from Odisha’s Malkangiri district, breathed his last due to exhaustion while walking back home from Hyderabad due to lockdown.

For 35-year-old Sandeep, his wife and three daughters, the ordeal has no end. Like thousands of other migrant workers, the vegetable vendor decided to leave for his native village after exhausting his meagre savings over a month and a half of the lockdown. His wife Rekha, a heavily pregnant and famished 28-year-old woman covered 900 kms from Noida on foot and in the back of a truck to reach Gopalganj on the UP-Bihar border before her body almost gave up. She gave birth to a girl child in the Gopalganj Sadar Hospital

When thousands and thousands of migrants, burdened with pain, agony and trauma walk everyday to their hometowns from all over the country, each one of them has a heart wrenching story to tell. Who better knows the length of Indian roads than these self rescuing exoduses who have measured them in uncountable footsteps? Enforced by the ardent desire to salvage themselves from the apathy of our so called efficient, innovative and benevolent government they found it easier to walk miles than to remain languished at their work stations. Witnessing the desperate exodus of migrants, the Indian highways must have shed tears in helplessness as their subservient creators who had once pitched in to construct these roads and brought them into life have been left with nothing except trudging to their home. 

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The travails of these migrants are unimaginable. With loss of shelter and livelihood they have been thrown in disarray, on the mercy of meagre help provided by authorities which was surely not enough for sustenance. Completely shattered, many of them embarked on arduous journeys to their native places to get some support at a time of acute distress owing to the belief that home offers emotional and social support, especially in times of a crisis like Covid-19. The journey was going to be precarious for many as no provisions were there for food, shelter or medical relief. Many died on the way back home due to hunger, sickness or mishaps.

The developing notions of social justice and the expanding horizon of socio-economic equality seem to be futile when a large number of migrants are spotted walking on highways across states with their families, growing immune to heat, hunger, body pain and even police lathis.

Time plays a crucial role in any crisis.What if the government could have provided them with adequate support in time? When the Vande Bharat Mission can be scheduled to bring back Indians stranded abroad why can’t the Shramik Specials could have been planned earlier and executed promptly. If welfare of these migrant workers is not taken care of, the pictures of their leaving the cities will be going to haunt the country for years to come. Our beautifully constructed big cities have sent their pillars at home. They have shown their strength by walking hundreds of miles now it’s time for the government and our society to reciprocate as words are always not enough to win trust of these poor folk.

Dear Readers, my blog ends here but not the story, it’s just a beginning for all those who reach their desired destinations where they can sleep comfortably but the questions will remain unanswered for them how to find solace? How to tryst with a confident living? How all the migrants will be employed again? Who will provide them substantive succour?

I am still trying to convince myself with these lines:

And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep