The Sunshine Within You

India, the world’s second-most populous nation, fails to show its dominance in sports. In fact, India's performance remains terrible except in few games. So, what's holding India back when it comes to competing in world sporting events like the Olympics? First, it's the conservative Indian mindset of the Indian society. You might be aware of the saying in India “ Padhoge likhoge banoge Nawab, kheloge kudoge banoge kharab ” which translates to “You can be a king if you study, can be spoilt if you play games.” Social life of a person who took the plunge of making a career in sports in India can be challenging and demotivating. An Indian parents or teachers, being part of the society, don't consider sports as a career. They have the biggest influence in a child's future ambitions. They may scold the child that “playing a sport will get you nowhere in life, but to make a life you need to be good in academics”. In other words, young Indians are discouraged from playing s...

India has, over the years, struggled to find medal-winning athletes for the Olympic Games. Let's take a look at the past performances of our players and team.  As an independent country, India won the first gold medal in 1948 in field hockey defeating Great Britain in the final. In the subsequent years, the expectation of medal was from our hockey team alone. After winning gold in 1980, the hockey team went downhill. Several times after 1980, Indian contingents have to come back empty-handed with a few exceptions in between. We have been helplessly standing close to the bottom in the league of third world countries.  India saw a watershed performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Abhinav Bindra stunned everyone and became the first Indian to bag an individual Olympic gold along with wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Singh winning bronze medal. Only four years later, a large 83-member contingent from India took part in the London Olympics, while setting a new bench...

In the Olympics, Gold medal is something which is glorified and celebrated from its intrinsic value as only the top performers of their relevant sports get to hold it. Every Olympian sees gold in their fantasy while getting trained for a particular sport. In case they miss it, they need to wait for years to reattempt and compete for the top position with the young entrants of the world. That must be exhaustive and tiring task. Four years only sounds small interval. However, only those who are mentally strong can wait, train and compete again. It's certainly not a child's play. Never before has the Indians took  so much interest in sports such as Javelin throw. The cricket loving nation was mapping the distance of Javelin thrown by Neeraj Chopra with great enthusiasm. Because for the nation lacking Olympics gold medal, Neeraj was the last hope of securing it.  23-year-old Neeraj Chopra was born in an agricultural family in Panipat, Haryana. The Javelin thrower, in his childhood...

One sector which is silently hit by the Covid-19 pandemic the most is the education. As a precautionary measure, schools were the first to be shut even before a formal announcement of lockdown. After all, education doesn't come under the umbrella of essential services.  According to the data from UNICEF, schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost an entire year, and more than 888 million children worldwide continue to face disruptions to their education due to full and partial school closures.  In India, only one in four children have access to digital devices and internet connectivity. There is a large rural-urban and gender divide which is why not everyone is able to benefit the digital revolution. Such vulnerable children unable to access remote learning might never be able to get back to learning even after the pandemic fades away, and could be easily exploited as child labor.  Shifting Classes Online   To those who...

At a certain point in life, we dream of moving abroad in search of better career opportunities, gain experiences, or to improve quality of life. However, it is not an overnight process; we have to face many challenges in the course of its preparation, from the very beginning, to which we find ourselves stuck and the dream remains unfulfilled. Living with a dream that cannot be fulfilled mixed with regrets is one of the most depressing feelings in the world. On several occasions, it all happens because of a foreign language. English is a cool language. It is important no doubt but it is foreign to many of us, if not most. It need not be replaced with mother tongue or native languages, but it is indispensable especially for those who aspire to go abroad for work or study. A great mathematician or a stalwart of a technical field —those who are called nerds— can eventually fail, if he is unable to express his works in the language people can understand. To reach out to th...

After an exhilarating Holi, comes the boring and haunting board exam, the exam for which no amount of preparation gives an impression of sufficiency. Students across the nation get excited as well as depressed. They are ‘excitingly depressed’. Excited to give the final exam of their school life, to enter into a new world, and depressed thinking what society would say if their marks won't be that good. Sharma Ji’s meritorious child is making things worse. While the level of questions asked in the exams has become easy these days, the quality of students being produced is decreasing, WhatsApp, Social Media and expansion of internet are to blame. The internet and smartphones may help students in their higher studies, but it misfires in case of younger kids. It only serves as a distraction, the biggest of modern times. Earlier, when kids go out to play some sports, it was treated as a distraction from studies. But now, it has been understood clearly that it wasn't seeing the...

After Diwali came the inevitable cloud of smog in Delhi. The fact that smog is going to arrive any moment was known to every single person living in Delhi, just the intensity of this smog was a bit surprising. And why not? The toxicity of air was 14-16 times more than the safe limit. The PM 2.5 level skyrocketed making people vulnerable to various respiratory problems. Usually when the smog checks in, a translucent greyish layer of air cover the city. But this winter, this layer was quite thick, almost opaque. As this year's smog came right after Diwali, a number of people directly blamed Diwali's crackers for it. On the other hand, some remain critical of the farmers of Punjab and Haryana who burned their paddy releasing poisonous gases in the air that reached Delhi through the wind. While both burning crackers or crops fairly invite criticism not because they polluted the air but because these actions could have been avoided or minimized. Diwali is celebrated everywhe...

Gangubai Nivrutte Bhambure gets up at 5 am to do household chores. She is a 94-year-young sarpanch of Bhamburwadi village and holds the distinction of becoming oldest sarpanch in Pune district. Gangubai believes in hard work. She says it's time to work for the people, her people, otherwise it's of no use of her becoming a  sarpanch . She says she will not disappoint them who trusted and endowed her with the chair of the  sarpanch . The first task would be to help farmers from seven villages who own 1000 hectares of land, but due to lack of water, they can't grow anything on it. According to Gangubai's grandsons, there is a canal less than 2km from these farms but they don't get a drop of water. The government had failed the people. Gangubai is keen to take PM's help in this matter and she is very optimistic that PM will respond to her request. She says that PM Narendra Modi is like her son and he will definitely help her and the farmers. Her other priorit...

I don't know whether committing suicide is a courageous or cowardly act. And I think, taking a specific side here would be unfair. During evolution, our thinking power enabled us to survive. But, it has also provided us an option to end a messed up life. Suicide is a very serious psychological and philosophical problem that modern humans are facing today. Legally, it is a crime. Religion, too, never permitted this act. And, as a society, we don't want people to do it. To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep— But, when life becomes miserable, why would one let one's mind to suffer, when there is an option of suicide to attain peace? Why is everyone against suicide? Probably because, suicide is the violation of human survival interest. We are an adapting species and always believe tha...

One day, Peter and team decided to give a final try and search the deepest part of the sea. Sadie noticed that there was a large number of aquatic animals moving in and out of a particular place. On further inquiry, she saw a castle, yes it was the magical castle. She felt immense pleasure to see it. She also saw a whale there. She informed Peter about this. Peter and John came there with swords and harpoon, hidden with them. They sent Sadie back to the ship for her safety. As they move forward, Octo uncle saw them and he at once spilled ink as a mark of danger to alert everyone there. Then, came the orca out of the ink to attack them. They moved back in three different directions. The orca chose John and started chasing him. John realised that he can't swim faster than a Whale. So, he aimed the harpoon towards Orca and shot it one after another. This made the orca even more aggressive. John realised that it is his last breath when the aggressive whale was mere 2 ft distance fro...

According to the weather forecast experts, it was an ideal weather for commencing a journey. Therefore, the ship SATAN-3O1 commenced its journey to Guyana. It was containing a large number of gold coins which was to be transported via sea route. During the start of this journey, everything was normal. However, somewhere in the mid sea, the weather became extreme. Suddenly, there were high tides, an unstopping rain and a violent storm. The captain and his co-workers fought the storm bravely but couldn't control the ship, and at last, the ship along with all the gold coins sank as the result of extreme weather. And, all the humans in the SATAN-3O1 became dinner of killer Sharks. The Magical Castle In the sea, the sank SATAN-3O1 has now a major attraction for the sea creatures. It has fallen into Octo uncle's territory. Octo was a wise octopus. He decided to build a castle, with the help of crab and sea ants, around it to protect them against theft. The ugly Octo has now beco...

Children are building blocks for a healthy society. They must grow to their full capacities. To carry the responsibility of human species on their shoulders and to take it to a next level, they must be developed strong, vigorous and healthy both physically and psychologically. Children are curious by nature. This curiosity must be nurtured. It is the quality that churns out great scientists, doctors, engineers, teachers, writers, etc. This curiosity brings innovation and creative ideas, essential for a progressive society, make our life easier and this world a better place to live in. All parents want to see their children in a healthy state. They leave no stone unturned to keep them strong, healthy and full of curiosity. Often, they get the results. But, in certain cases, their children fall behind on growth. They do not show the symptoms of growth. They do not attain right weight and height as per the age. And, as a result of retarded growth, they do not show curiosity for le...

Forgiveness is a divine power, something that ordinary humans are not entitled to have. And, those who have this quality are more than 'a human'. One, who is free from materialistic desire and, most importantly, the ego, is blessed with such divine power. Whether it is of physical or mental strength, weak cannot forgive others. Forgiveness is always an attribute of strong people. It is a trait of a mature person having deep inner control over his mind. This strength cannot be bought, it has to be earned. But, how would you earn that? I think spirituality may be the answer. There are multiple benefits of forgiveness. It directly influences our thinking process. It sets you free from the negativity building around and boosts positive personality. It saves energy which can be redirected to do productive things. It is also the key to longevity and good health. But, how will you forgive someone who is not even sorry for their action? How will you respond to evil with kindn...

This generation wants to explore and enjoy every moment of life. It is a generation of those who believe in hard work but, at the same time, cannot let it overshadow their enjoyment of life. That's why they are always on the go. This is the ready-to-go generation. And, no wonder, I am also a part of this generation, the generation that is full of fun and life. Despite having a very busy and hectic life, we are those who cannot afford to miss any fun out there. The definition of fun is, obviously, different for everyone. But, in general, as a part of human civilization, we love to hang out and spend quality time with our friends and families. Whether it is by enjoying food in a restaurant or going out for a long drive. Also, we seek freedom from all those things that restrict us to enjoy ourselves. Whether it is social norms or workload, nothing can stop us from doing what we want to do (except that it must be legal). We are the ones who do not let monotony of daily routine to...

Whether you call it Nitish Kumar's masterstroke for gaining publicity and support of people or a responsible chief minister batting for people's interests, on the face of it, it is great that Bihar is free from alcohol abuse. The Bihar excise (amendment) act, 2016 – a very old 1915 act has been converted into a very stringent law – is haunting the alcohol gang of Bihar. This law banned manufacturing, selling or consumption of liquors (strong or mild) and even prescribes the death penalty for the manufacturer, suppliers and sellers of hooch in case of death as a result of consumption of spurious liquors. Although Biharis can drink outside state boundary, they'll be punished if they create nuisance after returning home. The government had actually proposed to ban only 'desi' liquors. The sale of non-country or ‘Indian Made Foreign Liquor’ (IMFL) was allowed, although, with some caveats. However, within five days, the government extended the ban to IMFL as w...

Disclaimer : No alcohol has been used during the writing of this post. I don't know why I didn't cover this story earlier. Probably because on this topic, I didn't want to write in haste and as sayings go “better late than never”, I came up with this post. And while writing this article, sometimes I felt an alcoholic haze, that is why you should read this carefully! Let us begin with the definition of 'Alcoholism'. Casually, the process of consuming alcoholic drinks is called alcoholism. But, to be precise, alcoholism is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal addiction to alcohol, and taking it in small quantity very occasionally is not. Simply put, if you can live without alcohol, you are not an alcoholic. “Alcoholism is the effect of excessive intake of alcohol on the functions of the body and personality.” ~ W.C. Reckless “Alcoholism is a condition in which the individual has lost control over his alcohol intake in that he is constantl...

When you were a child and your parents told you stories about god, you listened to that with great curiosity and excitement, but as you grow older and started seeing everything with the rational eye of science, you realise that it was a lie, and so every religious event and ritual appears to you as an act of stupidity. Still, you keep worshipping the men or women whom you were told to worship as Gods. Why? Have you considered what is the significance of religion? Religion teaches us that God has created this universe and he is running it in his own way. The Sun, The Moon, Stars, Planets, Living creatures  — bacteria, viruses, plants, animals, humans are all the creation of God. We are just doing things ordained by him. It may appear that we are influencing things, but the reality is we, ourselves, are influenced by some heavenly forces. Indians, especially Hindus, are obsessed with rituals and other religious activities like holding fast and going to temple. Some of ...

J Jayalalithaa, the actress turned Chief minister of Tamil Nadu was given the nickname " Amma " by her followers comparing to or assuming her Amma (Mother). But, she developed this nickname to be the biggest brand in Tamil Nadu, the “Amma brand”. Despite having no market value of this brand, it has a very significant value for the people of Tamil Nadu, especially the poor and the have-nots. For them, she is the goddess who is not only filling their hungry stomach but also providing them almost all basic items necessary for living a decent life (including some luxurious items too). After becoming CM, the major work Jayalalithaa's government has done is providing subsidy and freebies to the people. For instance, subsidized cheap food at canteen, packaged water, pharmacy bill, cement, free rice, free mixer grinder, spectacles, mobiles, laptops, bicycles, etc. all under brand "Amma" and at the price no other shopkeepers, manufacturers or the e-commerce compan...

Through the ongoing controversy what we need to understand is that ours is a young nation still in the making which has all the ingredients to become truly a great nation, but it needs time. Give this nation that time, that gestation period and it will show the world the true meaning of greatness, one which is home to a complete spectrum of diverse culture but still thrives together with immeasurable amount of tolerance which has never been experienced anywhere else (this holds for the common citizens of India but unfortunately not for the practitioners of divisive vote-bank politics which they don’t find anti-national). Every powerful nation that exists today has gone through some sort of civil war which led to enormous violence and bloodshed. We too have our share of challenges; be it the Kashmir issue, Nagaland or Naxalism; but we have the opportunity to show the world that we can do it in a better way without any bloodshed. It is that unity in diversity that is the soul of ...

Earlier this week, the Backward Classes Commission proposed to implement up to 27 percent reservation in the private sector. Some caste obsessed politicians rushed to support this proposal. In the name of social justice, these netas are, in fact, encouraging social injustice. It has been old gimmickry of them to divide the society along the caste lines in order to play vote banks politics. And, those who are born Dalit or within SCs/STs community are supporting or eager to support this proposal to get a job without much difficulty and that would be a privilege for them. Undoubtedly, India's social structure has been highly stratified. And there might be a need for reservation for people belonging to backward castes during the making of the Indian constitution. But in today's India, there are laws which safeguard their interests. During the formulation of the reservation policy, there were not many private companies. So, the policymakers had given reservation to backward c...