The below article shares personal views on Emily Doe’s (Chanel Miller) case of sexual assault inside the Stanford campus by a fellow student in 2015. The case gained traction as the judgements passed down were initially lenient- that opened up the fallacies of the US court and the law systems. Click here to read her personal account of the horrendous events that followed suit, to gain more depth and understanding of my comments.
Feminism. Feminazi. How often we women are ridiculed with these words! How often is our fight for equal rights is dismissed as publicity stunts! And then they talk of women empowerment. Gender diversity at workplace. Oh, the double standards that this society is made up of!
The story of Emily Doe reminds me of those countless women worldwide who have been raped, abused and assaulted. A UN report cites that more than 250000 rape cases are reported worldwide annually. This is shocking because the world is moving towards providing human rights and equality to everyone rapidly, or it seems so.
It felt horrible to go through the entire 8 pages. I could feel all the pine needles, the dust, and the pain. I could feel the shivers running down my spine. It was terribly gruesome and graphic. I cannot imagine a human being undergoing such torture and harassment.
Apart from the statement, I did a little bit of digging. Her real name is Chanel Miller, the author of Know my Name. To protect her privacy, in all her court papers, she has been referred to as Emily Doe. I don’t know what kind of privacy are they talking about. When a woman has been photographed from all angles and the close-ups of her private parts have been flashed in the court, her horrific story published in the press, then what kind of privacy has been maintained? I could not follow.
Whenever we think about rape, the countries that usually strike our mind are nations like Afghanistan and Pakistan, South East nations like Bangladesh and India and parts of Africa. But do you know that the United States comes under the top 10 countries that are unsafe for women? Yes, US is the only western country that falls in the list. The country that claims itself to be the powerhouse for championing the cause of women’s rights and women empowerment.
Now, coming back to Miller. Emily was in a party, where she was in an inebriated state, and was subjected to physical and sexual violence. The details of her harassment are dreadful and chilling. She was also victimized to digital penetration. That made the court who handed over the sentence feel that this was not that of a big deal.
Wait, what?
Turner, her traitor, a student of the prestigious Harvard (read literate and educated) was also intoxicated that night, and hence whatever heinous crime that he did was taken warmly on the ground that he was drunk, and being an excellent swimming candidate for Olympics just added fuel to the situation.
So, if you are drunk and you have a scholarship, does that make you more humane?
In other words, the judge felt that he was not that guilty as he should have been.
It’s true that the judge also sentenced him to register himself as a sex offender for life. But was justice served in a right manner? I feel it wasn’t.
The alcohol was blamed more than Turner. Emily was also challenged in court for being drunk that night. Her memory had gone blank, she did not recall incidents from that night. Turner and his lawyer took advantage of that. Turner was allowed to paint a picture of that night’s details, much to the dismal and horror of Emily. She was asked way too personal questions that further shattered her core into pieces. She was mentally agonized time and again in the court when these questions were thrown at her, when all eyes were glued to her skin, when friends sent her “I am sorry” messages.
Emily became an international figure, and has been awarded the prestigious Glamour Award of the year twice for the courage and bravery that she depicted, for her fight, but at what cost? She lost her identity, succumbed to depression, suffered a lot of physical and mental trauma, and had to leave her job. She lost track of time, became emotionally vulnerable, and the way she visualises the world changed forever.
The need of the hour is to have fast track courts that handover apt punishments as quickly as possible. We need sensible people in courts who are better equipped at handling emotions. But most importantly, we need to teach our kids that it is not right to go beyond limits, limits that specifically concern women and their bodies, their rights and their lives.
This article fetched me the 1st prize in Tour De Force article writing competition by Alumni Relations Cell, SBM, NMIMS Mumbai(March 2021)
Mumbai is the city of dreams, both for humans, and certain animal species.
Got you there, huh?
Well, with a population of 20 million, Mumbai is the 2nd most populous city in India, with over one lakh strays roaming the streets. But that’s not all. The city is home to hundreds of thousands of birds, snakes, jackals and leopards (You can find them sneaking out from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the Aarey Forest).
But why are wild animals entering into the city in the first place?
Habitat destruction and fragmentation
They are utilising human food sources, birdfeeders, pet food and garbage.
They are slowly learning to adapt to human environment and have a high level of tolerance
Amid the COVID 19 pandemic, even though humans were locked down, their actions continued to prove fatal to wildlife. Glue traps, ghost nets, plastic pollution, fishing lines & speeding vehicles continued to kill wildlife more than ever.
And that’s where my Tour de Force moment comes in.
I am associated with RAWW (Resquink Association for Wildlife Welfare), an organisation that deals with human-animal conflict mitigation and works towards urban wildlife conservation. The team has rescued over 20,000 animals since 2013, with over 1,600 animals rescued during the pandemic itself. They rescue, rehabilitate, provide immediate treatment and temporary foster care to the wild animals, birds, and reptiles in the city and ensure that they are released into their natural habitats.
I joined their team online in June 2020 and while I could not get an opportunity to work onsite because of the COVID restrictions, I still managed to play a key role in each and every rescue operation. Having worked with their Awareness department, I was fortunate enough to be a part of the awareness campaigns in schools and colleges and was instrumental in creating social media posts.
Having been an ardent fan of biology since my childhood, I remember bringing back bones and snakeskin, unidentified mushrooms and discoloured plants back home in order to study them. But then, life happened, and I joined an engineering college. All these years, I was yearning to work for something I am truly passionate about and RAWW gave me that platform. I have learnt so much about wildlife patterns and rescue in the last one year!
The volunteers take a lot of risks, travelling throughout the city to save distressed animals. Field volunteers are crucial in maintaining both, the safety of the humans in the vicinity and the animals, while also keeping themselves alert and careful. These volunteers are usually students who manage studies along with the full-time work of rescuing and taking care of animals.
Founder of RAWW, Mr. Pawan Sharma, Honorary Wildlife Warden, Thane, MH
While the team was taken aback with the sudden impact of the pandemic, they never compromised on the rescue efforts. I have witnessed the ultimate and most efficient use of managerial skills to utilise existing resources to the fullest, during emergencies.
First and foremost, we procured written permissions from the Forest Department to continue wildlife rescue operations.
Keeping in mind the difficult situation, we created a COVID Lockdown Response Team with 22 members including rescuers, vets and fosters, and put them on a rota basis, so that none of them would be overworked. All these personnel are active workers even today.
Feeding in-house animals (injured animals under treatment and observation) was a challenge but was taken care of efficiently.
The team has been absolutely relentless in maintaining its track record and has shined brighter and brighter. The organisation is well known across the state of Maharashtra and people who encounter any animal emergency, reach out to them first. I am proud to have worked for the wellbeing of animals, while also acquiring new skill sets!
NOTE:
All the references have been taken in from RAWW’s official website: https://www.raww.in/, and from curated quarterly and annual reports by the organisation, compiled by Ms Ritu Sharma.
This article is a subject of my limited knowledge and observations on the concept. This, in no way represents any staunch research. Please refer to the industry reports and the references shared for more details.
Last month I was helping out my mother with the food license renewal process (we have a small packaged drinking water unit). Earlier the designated website was FSSAI (Food Safety and Standard Authority of India), now it has a sister website known as FOSCOS (Food Safety Compliance System). The process is now online, hence both of us decided to try it out on our own, without taking the help of the so called “agents”.
Our license was going to expire on 16th of Jan, 2021, hence we decided to look into this on 13th of Dec, 2020, hoping that the license renewal has to be done prior to one month of the existing expiry date, as usually happens in the offline mode.
To our dismay, we found out that we had already been slapped a fine of Rs 1200 as “Late Fees”. The cost of renewal itself was 3000 bucks! A full hundred rupees fine per day! For an MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)!
Long story short, we had to run to the agent thrice to get our existing credentials for the registered account of mom’s factory and to learn more about the inputs and documentation required for the same.
Similarly, it has been difficult to navigate through other government websites, the most recent one being the “Parivahan Sarathi” for Driving License, but that is a different story for another day.
The Govt. of India has digitalised all the manual paperwork processes in the anticipation that the transition from offline to an online mode would be quick and hassle-free, but they surely have not taken many disruptions into consideration. What is the use of having the processes online if you still have to pay a middleman to do things for you? It is not the case with food license, it is the same for BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) and other licenses as well. The agents take their own share of the commission before passing on the benefits to the government officials responsible for overlooking the license formalities.
You get what you pay for, but you pay a lot here, my friend!
Whenever I open my social media accounts, I see tons of new start-ups basking in the glory of sponsored Ads and “Make in India” campaigns. I applaud the government for taking such a beautiful initiative. This has definitely increased the number of start-ups in the country, that are largely focussed on bringing technology to the grassroots levels. Agritech remains my favourite.
However, when I look at manufacturing industries, the support has been dismal. There has been a lot of buzz around the same but the final output has been negligible.
MSMEs, I feel, are the foundation of this country. India is home to the second largest number of MSMEs, just after China. They are instrumental in job creation for the lower sections of the society. These jobs require unskilled or semi-skilled employees and pay in the range of 5k-20k p.m. Currently, there are 634 lakh small scale units in the country. They either manufacture their own products or are used as franchisee units for larger brands like Bisleri and Cocacola.
I have done the SWOT analysis to help us understand the current market of Packaged Drinking Water in Odisha:
From where I come from, natural disasters are a big issue. Odisha is hit by cyclones, floods and droughts every year. Even though it is experiencing a steady economic growth, there are a host of issues plaguing the small manufacturing sector:
The rise of local mafia, who do not allow outsiders to do business, and harass the localites as well.
Erratic power supply. Even while you have electricity, if you don’t have a required voltage, you won’t be able to run your machines. This is particularly an issue during the summer months. And it is unviable for small scale units to have their own transformers.
A plethora of regulations. A small scaled food processing unit pays nearly 3 lakh rupees yearly as BIS and FOSCOS license renewals. Isn’t this too much? How can we grow if we have to spend a huge chunk of our turnover as licensing fees? (Regular checks by the concerned organisations are done on a semi-annual basis.)
Lack of laborers. Most of the people are migrating to other states in search of work, as they are paid higher in state like Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. In Odisha, the state government is paying through their nose for food grains, hence a portion of the working class has lost all the motivation to earn their own bread. It has become difficult to employ workers.
Lack of support from the State Government
The entire system thrives on the extra money paid to the government officials to bypass the laws and get things done. This is an open secret. If you are honest, you cannot run a business here. Sometimes, I am concerned about the FDIs and the FIIs coming into the country. Maybe this is the reason why other South East Asian nations like Vietnam are suddenly seeming more lucrative to foreign investors now.
MBA has taught me words like sustainable growth and development, brand management and market potential, but there is perhaps no solution to the hardships faced by MSMEs. I can’t afford to change my bottle design immediately to ensure brand identification. I cannot drastically reduce my price to get a good sale. I cannot invest in automated machines till I get good returns from the market. I cannot afford advertising on traditional media. I cannot create brand loyalty.
I cannot do business here if I am strictly trying to walk on a straight line.
P.S. FOSCOS returned Rs 1400 that it had taken as fines, 2 weeks back. Life is not so bad after all 😛
These learnings are a part of my WeCare Internship with Adhikar Microfinance Limited, Bhubaneswar, organised by SBM, NMIMS Mumbai.
I have been awarded the Runners up position by Team Finstreet, the Finance Committee of KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai, for their January Edition of Finly 2021.
Formal financial institutions have always shown a preference for urban over rural sectors, large-scale over small scale transactions, and non-agricultural over agricultural loans. Hence, Microfinance in India started in the late 1980s in response to the gap in availability of formal sources of credit and lending to the underserved and low income population.
In rural areas, women living below the poverty line are unable to realize their potential. Microfinance programmes are currently being promoted as a key strategy for simultaneously addressing both poverty alleviation and women empowerment. The self-help groups (SHGs) and joint liability groups (JLGs) of women as sources of microfinance have helped them to take part in development activities. The participation of women in SHGs and JLGs has made a significant impact on their empowerment both in social and economic lifestyles.
Microfinance companies in India conduct the following operational procedure: awareness creation, group formation (Small Help Groups), document verification (checking legal documents like Aadhar and Voter ID), loan sanction, loan disbursal & finally loan amount collection. The cycle from loan disbursement to the loan collection can last 24 months.
SOCIAL PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
SPM refers to the effectiveness of the organisation in achieving its stated social goals and creating value for clients. With the PPI, some of the microfinance companies analyze whether clients continue to live at the same level of poverty over time, or whether they become relatively less or more impoverished. Initially, this seems to be a simple question of comparing baseline and follow-up surveys. This involves a level of data management and evaluation that is a step beyond and required for analysis of client targeting.
PROJECT METHODOLOGY
The Progress out of Poverty Index is a questionnaire of 10 questions to determine the social growth of a client and her family. This is measured during the 1st cycle of loan disbursement, and during subsequent cycles (in 2 years or so). The PPI checks whether the family saves up money after exhausting it on food, clothing and shelter.
The following is the list of some questions:
Number of school going children in the family (with gender)
Does the family own a bicycle?
Does the family own a motorbike?
Does the family own a television set?
SPM will benefit clients, giving them:
● Services more appropriate to their needs
● More product choices
● Better customer service
● A greater ‘voice’ in the programme.
There have been some observations:
Agriculture, being a family intensive business, does not necessarily describe a woman’s contribution or financial freedom on monetary control in the house. Though it provides food for the entire year, is not a sustainable business. Crop failure due to drought, cyclone or heavy rainfall might push the family much deeper into debt.
The loans are being utilised for miscellaneous activities like house construction and daughter’s wedding.
The loans, even though are being taken for income generation by women, are mostly being utilised by the male members in the families.
Baring the women who are actually participating in agriculture/animal rearing in their households, a majority of women have no motivation to start a business of their own. This is primarily due to lack of motivation and family support, and lack of awareness regarding the benefits of the same.
Since women have a higher emotional quotient, they easily trust ring leaders and are giving out their loan amount to them.
CHALLENGES FACED
The process takes a minimum of 1 cycle of time period so that an accurate difference can be measured.
The women are not motivated enough to start their own businesses.
It is difficult to measure the growth of families in coastal regions, thanks to the frequent floods and cyclones.
The women, despite of such efforts at financial inclusion, still do not understand the prerequisites of financial education.
The improvement, if any, of a family does not guarantee the financial status improvement of a woman, as mostly the males are taking the decisions. If the woman chooses to remain unemployed, she has no say over the finances in the family.
RECOMMENDATIONS
According to sources, it has been observed that widows and unmarried women have a higher risk of defaulting than married women as they have no source of stable income. Also, the company has some very stringent policies towards these groups. Disabled persons are not given loans, per se as well.
Small businesses like bee keeping, mushroom cultivation, agarbati and bindi making can be some examples as they require minimum investment and yield good returns. These are sustainable businesses as well. This can start off as a novel initiative, to act as a moral boost for other women, as well as a respectable income generation source for the women without any support.
Apart from this, frequent interactions by ASHA workers or Anganwadi teachers on the importance of financial inclusion and self-employment might also lead to a spark of interest in women.
CONCLUSION
Changing the statistics via SPM is not a one-time job. It needs continuous efforts both from the microfinance organisations side as well as from the borrowers to increase their income levels. There is a need for research to understand more about the reasons why there is no zeal to incorporate micro businesses amongst rural Indian women.
This article was a part of my submission to the SRF’s (Social Responsibility Forum) Article Writing Competition at SBM, NMIMS Mumbai. I bagged the 1st Runners-Up position 😀
With mental health being the new buzz word around, I am elated to share my experience with fellow B-School students here, from a different company background: a type of industry that usually doesn’t (read can’t) afford to provide placements at the top 20 Indian B-schools.
I am not sure about how many other B-Schools follow this procedure, but at SBM, NMIMS, we have a “We Care” internship from the 4th week of January to the 3rd week of February. The We Care: Civic Engagement Internship has been initiated to acquaint students to examine social realities, understand BOP markets, and engage them in civic activities. Students undertake projects which are aligned with various SDGs like healthcare and education. It was during my internship stint with a microfinance organisation that I realised how important is employee wellbeing is not only to the employee, but to the organisations as well.
Formal financial institutions show a preference for urban over rural sectors, large-scale over small scale transactions, and non-agricultural over agricultural loans. Hence, Microfinance in India started in the late 1980s in response to the gap in availability of formal sources of credit and lending to the underserved and low income population.
Microfinance companies in India conduct the following operational procedure: awareness creation, group formation (Small Help Groups), document verification (checking legal documents like Aadhar and Voter ID), loan sanction, loan disbursal & finally loan amount collection. This process is very tiring and cumbersome as it involves long travel hours (a normal day on field is working for 10 hours), talking to rural people, and then coming back to process the papers.
I encountered the following issues being faced by the junior credit officers:
Cumbersome paper work, with outdated software to work on
Long and erratic working hours (12+ hours a day)
Undefined work profile
Going out for loan collection for long hours without any food, water or sanitation facilities. (nearly 50% of the workforce is female)
There is also a fear of the money being stolen (as collection is purely in cash)
I used to follow a credit officer every day to his/her territory to understand how this business works. Apart from the business, I also got to learn about their expectations from the company that were not fulfilled:
Lack of advanced software training for the junior employees
Lack of safety procedures for women employees (employers and clients badmouth sometimes)
High attrition rate
Low salary
While the targets are usually met, the emotional and physical wellbeing of the employees is most often ignored. From what I have understood after studying one single company for 4 weeks, I have realised that there is no such concept of employee wellbeing in the industry, or is rare. The employees are always pressurised with unrealistic targets and are often forced to stay back in the job because they have nowhere to go. They have neither motivation, nor inspiration. They are tired, hungry, tensed and frustrated all the time.
There was a bright side to all this as well: following the high attrition rate, the company actually realised the blunder it was making. The HR now compulsorily tries to include the juniors in a training session once in every 2 months. The Regional Head pays a quarterly visit to the branch offices, and they have a healthy discussion around the issues that are bugging the employees. The colleagues go on picnic sometimes and cook their own lunch.
While nothing has been done till now to understand the mental health aspects of the employees in this industry, the rapid growth of the PM’s Jan Dhan Yojana has certainly kicked off a frenzied activity around small saving banks. This, I believe would provide stiff competition to the current microfinance industry and they would be forced to upgrade some of their practices. An effortless operational procedure would certainly take away more stress than a fat pay check could ever do!
This article has been taken in from the collection of a magazine titled “Characteristically Sketched” by the Junior Committee (2019-20) of Mantavya (The Literary and Quizzing Cell) of SBM, NMIMS Mumbai.
I rarely pen down Book Reviews or Character Reviews, but I had to write this. I got to learn so much about Japanese culture, and I am hopeful that after reading the book, you would fall in love with the character too. This also reiterates the fact that women, no matter from which part of the world they belong to, were, are, and will always be subjected to subjugation.
Chiyo, a 9 year old Japanese girl from the countryside, suddenly finds herself in the pleasure district of Kyoto. Her parents, old and disease stricken, sell her and her sister off in the hopes that the kids’ survival would be taken care of. However, the survival comes with a price: Chiyo is sent off to a geisha house and her elder sister is sold off as a prostitute. The siblings make a desperate attempt to escape, but Chiyo is left behind and never hears of her sister again. Shortly after the incident, she learns that her parents are dead. To punish her for trying to escape from the house, she is demoted to perform servitude till she repays her debts of training. But, as things turn around, she is intrigued by a gentleman’s kindness one fine evening. She decides to become a geisha to get back that love, and proves her mettle by being one of the most eminent geishas in town….
A still from the movie “Memoirs of A Geisha”, 2005
The story of a simple Japanese peasant girl, whose life has been reduced to rubble: a choice for others and a compulsion for self, this narrative is much more than cultural enlightenment for the reader. Chiyo makes us realise that life often leads us to the most unexpected destinations, at times even some unpleasant ones. Still, it is up to us to decide how we build our existence around it, despite a lack of motivation to drag on to the misery.
Chiyo holds on to the unkind truth-that life has been unfair to her, yet she tries to find and create happiness in the midst of all the chaos. Because even if you never find happiness and perhaps you believe that you don’t even deserve it or that it wasn’t destined to happen, you never stop looking for a purpose in life, that is to seek your own little peace of mind. Chiyo manages to invoke the seeds of love in her wistful gardens to help her survive the ordeal and hopes to witness the full blossoms of her sincerest dedications.
The story presents various dimensions for the reader to relish on. Set against the backdrop of a World War era, it portrays the true visualisation of a woman in a Japanese society, about how her societal position is determined by the choices the culture makes for her; she has no say in her predestined fate. Entertaining men with art becomes the sole purpose of a Geisha; her beauty and talents sustain her livelihood. She is debarred from entering into romantic relationships, and has to suffice with being a sort of a consort-a half wife, a mistress. How can a society establish such a discrimination for its inhabitants, all made up of same flesh and blood? How can it devour upon a sect of its own womb to satisfy the other end?
Sprouting from such a negative environment, nevertheless, the character of Miss Chiyo Sakamoto is an amalgamation of optimism, determination, courage, kindness, hard work and perseverance- a concoction that we all must acquire to pull through this graveyard of unborn dreams and unspoken stories.
The Funky Writer is back on her pavilion with the most hashtagged topic of the week- mental health.
First things first:
People have been posting stuff like “If you wanna talk, I am here.”
No need to call them up to rant out feelings, dude. They are the same people who would never even call you back if they missed your call! As soon as this popular news would die out, once again mental health would be the same hush-hushed topic that generations have decided to sweep down their beds.
Okay, so coming back to me, I am here to talk about depression and anxiety. I wanted to write about this since last year but finally I have managed to pitch in all my thoughts into this article. I hope that this would be helpful for people who are struggling with keeping their minds healthy as well as for people who want a lucid understanding of the concepts.
WARNING
THIS ARTICLE IS A SUBJECT OF MY LIMITED KNOWLEDGE AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE CONCEPT. THIS NO WAY REPRESENTS ANY STAUNCH MEDICAL ADVICE OR RESEARCH. PLEASE CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL IF YOU HAVE ANY SORT OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
We all seem to be sad sometimes, maybe we are in grief too, what is the big deal? We are humans, and as emotional creatures, it is okay to hit the low. How do we distinguish depression from sadness and grief?
Sadness is a natural emotion, just like happiness or anger. You express sadness when, say, your dad didn’t fulfil his promise of getting you a Hotwheels or you had a fight with your sibling. But it is temporary, and it goes away soon.
Grief is an aggravated version of sadness. It can go on for a prolonged period of time, when you are dealing with a stressful situation, like, the death of a loved one, or you being denied admission to your dream university.
Depression is a state of prolonged sadness, that starts off with a reason and then slowly the reason evaporates but you still have that void in your head. If you remain continuously sad for more than 2 weeks, you are depressed.
One of the major differences between grief and depression is that grief doesn’t make you feel bad about yourself, while depression does. Some of the behavioural changes include:
Incessant crying for no reason
Excessive eating or flunking meals
Absentmindedness
Sudden emotional outbursts, like anger or sadness
Extreme emotions, like excitement or feeling down
Anxiety and nervousness
Stress and frustration
Confusion, taking time to make the simplest of choices (say choosing a food item or a dress)
Staying aloof, or getting attached too often (to people)
Difficulty falling asleep or feeling sleepy/lethargic the entire day
Negative minded even in the most positive situations
Self-harming (like hitting head/hands against the wall)
Self-talk
Phantom pain (bodyache, etc.)
Suicidal attempts
Succumbing to intoxicating pleasures like drinking/smoking
Discontinuation of hobbies
Depression is curable, though it can come back into your life again and again if not treated properly. It is not a stand-alone condition. I have created this cycle for a better understanding:
Long periods of depression can cause a reduction in performance due to a lack of concentration, leading to low self-esteem. This can be further aggravated by frequent comparison of self-performance with others. Anxiety and nervousness can set in when you are under confident or are anticipating negativity in any activity that you undertake.
Anxiety is our body’s response to stress. It is normal to panic during situations like interviews or elocutions. However, if you are constantly dwelling under fear of anything and everything under the sun, then you are getting anxiety attacks. Some of the symptoms include:
Increased heart beat (a thumping sensation in the chest)
Dry mouth
Cold sweat
Tremors (limbs start shaking)
Negative thinking
When we are performance centric and face dead ends, we seem to be more anxious than depressed. The fear of failure or log kya kahenge can push us into depression. Feelings of loneliness and unworthiness can further worsen the situation. When we start seeing ourselves through the eyes of others, we constantly fail to achieve happiness or success.
But why are we depressed?
The following reasons might hand out a clue or two:
The loss of a loved one (physical or emotional)
You have suffered violence/betrayal that might be sexual or non-sexual in nature (physical or mental)
Work/academic/family stress
Prolonged illness, like organ failure or diabetes
Anxiety
Living someone else’s life
Dissatisfaction with current lifestyle
Genetic/hereditary
What to do if you are anxious/depressed?
The first step to ease out your pain is to accept that depression and anxiety are for real and will not pass away like a midnight summer dream. Only then you would be able to work on eradicating the sadness from your life.
Some of the following activities are worth a try:
Eat, sleep and repeat!
One of the best ways to de-stress is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A good diet and a good night’s sleep of 7-8 hours can leave you refreshed and relaxed.
The best perk of staying at home is maa ke haath ka khana. Eat good food, eat a lot of it if you want to, exercise a bit, and turn off the lights by 11 p.m. Stay close to your family. You can see the change in yourself!
Keep a journal.
If you feel that you have no one to speak to, then voice out your concerns on paper. Sometimes, even after talking to people, your chest might feel heavy. Then in that case just write down your feelings. You’d feel better. Making this a regular habit can go a long way in making you emotionally stronger.
Restart your hobby.
One of the biggest hints that you’re depressed is your lost interest in hobbies. It can be, indeed, very difficult to do something that is not much required in your daily life for survival, like cooking, studying or going to office. However, hobbies can give your life a new perspective to work on.
I had a hard time writing this article, since I had lost touch of my keyboard. My hands could only type out assignments. I just used to listen to music, but now I shake a leg and put in my tune while my song is on.
Say goodbye to negativity.
Many personal incidents have brought me to the conclusion of staying away from toxic people who are forever jealous of you or are angry at you and hence keep on hurling sharp, hurtful statements at you. Many times it has happened that people have reached out to me for favours only; they are not concerned about my time or wellbeing.
Stay away from such people. Learn to say NO. They might be your ex colleagues or old schoolmates. At first, it might seem as if they are trying to stay connected to you, but in reality, all they want are favours and once they’re done with you, they’re done with you. And what are you left with? An empty heart, and possibly you might denounce mankind.
Sharing is NOT Caring
When you keep talking about your troubles to everyone, firstly, they would not like to hang around with you and secondly, they might use these statements against you: to put you in a bad light or simply, make you the talk of the town. A personal advice is to talk less and listen more. Talk to selective people only, like your closest friends and family members, who love you and do not judge you unconditionally.
Binge watch shows.
I was never a fan of Amazon Prime or Netflix. But sometimes, when your mind is full of negative thoughts regarding yourself and your surroundings, it is good to take a diversion and feed something else into your brain. This way, you look forward to events unrelated to your life and might find solace in stories. Thanks to the lockdown, I got a chance to watch some of the specific series and movies that I had wanted to watch since years. Have a look into my lockdown list:
You can also read your favourite books if you are a bibliophile instead of a movie person. Sharing a list of the PDFs that I have:
You know it’s time to go to the doctor when you are not able to handle your feelings with home remedies and counselling by family and friends. Consider going to a professional counsellor first before visiting a psychiatrist. Bells start ringing when you are not able to focus on your day to day life without having a good cry or imagining about how worthless you are.Warning bells: when you tend to get suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide or self-harm yourself in the anticipation of ending your life to get rid of the suffering.
Counsellors are active listeners, and can mostly pinpoint the source of sadness. They would help you to focus on the positive aspects of life, by telling you to conduct simple exercises like making a list of positive things in life and putting it as a mobile wallpaper. They also might tell you to take tests to determine behavioural patterns. Counselling is like a placebo effect; when someone shows interest/confidence in you, you tend to bloom up and feel better, as depression makes you an easy prey to judgements by the public.
A counsellor might refer you to a psychiatrist when plain good thoughts don’t work; your brain needs medical intervention.
Your psychiatrist might prescribe you anti-depressants on the basis of the severity of your condition. For example, if you have moderate depression, then your doctor might prescribe you a low dose antidepressant.
What to do if your loved one is depressed?
Talk to them. Listen to them. Kindly do not give them any advice in the beginning. Let them work on themselves. If they fall down, you pull them up, but don’t keep on pushing them unnecessarily. They know what is right and what is wrong, they just need time to figure it out.
Spend time with them. Eat their favourite foods, go out and take a walk in the lap of nature. Fresh air always helps.
Slowly, show them the positive side of life. This might take days, and frequent counselling might be required. However, if you feel that you need expert guidance, then it is a good practice to go to a professional.
I hope that my article helps. Remember, mental health is as important as physical health, and you need healing and peace to progress in life. Do whatever it takes to be happy. Just don’t get hurt and don’t hurt others. You never know when someone’s suffering starts!
Happy new year, my dear followers and my fellow bloggers!
We writers are fierce, brave and bold. We believe that the pen is mightier than the sword. Nothing deters us from exercising our freedom of expression. With Bangladeshi bloggers being killed, the Charlie Hebdo incident and Indian writers returning their awards, 2015 has been a tough year for the writer community. Nevertheless, we shall continue doing what we do the best: Writing. Let us promise to inspire people through our painstakingly handwritten texts. Let us bring out the brighter side of humanity. Let us spread happiness and awareness.
I have been reading your blogs religiously and I must say that everyone of you had something good to offer to the big World Wide Web. Well, here’s my share: my second travel journal.
Animals have always been associated with religion. Nature has inspired different faiths. Hence, my parents believed that there couldn’t be a better time than Durga Puja to visit Odisha’s very own biodiversity hotspot: Bhitarkanika. (thanks to my class mass bunk actually :p)
Bhitarkanika is a national park located at Rajnagar in Kendrapada district. What makes it special from other parks are its mangrove forests, spread across the Brahmani-Baitarini estuarial region. It is the second largest mangrove forest of India, just after the Sundarbans. Housing the saltwater crocodile, water monitor lizard, deer, migratory birds, turtles, and dozens of aquatic species, amongst others, Bhitarkanika is a treat for all the wildlife lovers.
We started our journey at about 11.30 a.m. by road and reached at about 5.30 p.m. The long journey had tired us out. Sitting in the car the whole day with my cousin on my lap was fun, but exhausting as well. The countryside scenery was excellent. We crossed small ponds, gardens, paddy fields, rivers and saw the lovely sunset. After entering Rajkanika, we noticed fisheries on either side of the road, along with small huts surrounded by vegetation: the homes and the businesses of the local fishermen. We saw aerators in the pond to supply oxygen to the prawns.
Our resort had a striking resemblance to that of a village: each cottage had been made in such a way so as to blend with the forest. Our rooms had all the basic facilities, though. There was a small pond, paddy cultivation, a small orchard and a flower garden inside our resort. No T.V, no internet. Most of the networks wouldn’t receive any signal except BSNL, so be ready to spend a day without social networking sites.
The food tasted great, with sea food being obtained fresh. Most of the other food stuff, including packaged drinking water, is procured from outside, from a nearby village which is accessible only through boat. Every day, the staff resort toil hard and take dangers to ensure the perfect vacation for you. You can dine on big fish, crabs and prawns. Other veg and non veg delicacies are also available at special request.
The next day, we were up by 6 a.m. After taking bath and breakfast, we were ready to plunge into the wilderness. Our fellow tourists were mostly Bengalis, a few Odia people and two ladies from the Netherlands!
We hired a motor boat from Khola. The one room office was just next to the entry gate of Bhitarkanika, hence was being guarded. We had to give all our personal details which was necessary for the officials to initiate a search if we don’t come back (well that sounds terrifying :p)
We saw what we were craving for: the mangrove forests. During the morning time, the water from the Bay of Bengal had pushed itself into the rivers, hence resulting in a high tide. When we returned back, the excess of water had already resided back into the sea.
Our journey to see the crocodiles began. We had been warned not to dip our hands into the waters, as a hungry croc might be waiting inside to gobble you up. If your boat suddenly capsizes (not to worry as this usually never happens until and unless done on purpose), then you can see the heaven within minutes of touching the water surface. We had stretched our necks out in anticipation, to spot the oldest living reptiles on earth. I spotted a plastic water bottle as well. Trust the humans to dump plastic inside a national park!
And then, our motor boat suddenly stopped. As I was looking around in confusion, there it was! A saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus parosus) basking out! There was no turning back after that. We passed through various creeks and saw a lot of crocs: some big, some small. The scenery was pretty new, not of a regular kind. The mangrove forests are stretched across miles, with nothing but mud colored brackish water in between. The eerie silence of the vicinity can give you freaks, with occasional sounds of a bird or a croc diving underwater.
Our excitement reached at a whole new level when we spotted deer! There were lots of deer by the riverside. But they weren’t drinking water. Perhaps they knew about the presence and timing of the crocodiles hence were taking precaution and waiting for the right moment to quench their thirst. We also saw a water monitor lizard and a white crocodile.
The riverside was muddy. So we could see fresh foot and body prints of crocodiles and the monitors, sliding into the water, which indicated their recent presence.
We reached a stop called as the Heronry. Migratory birds from foreign countries come during winter to breed here. We took a short walk in the forest. We reached a high tower and climbed on it so see the unseen: thousands of herons perched atop the tree canopies. The canopies looked white, with the birds building their nests on them.
While getting down from our boat, we noticed some small strange looking fishes on land. They were feeding outside water! Later I came to know that they are called mudskippers a kind of amphibious fish which can live both on land as well as water. Some have been reported to climb onto the mangrove trees as well!
There was a board warning us to walk on the concrete path only, and not on bare land, as crocs might have sneaked into the small clearings present throughout the forest. Our walk was exhilarating, mostly mine as I spotted pneumatophores in large numbers, about which I had studied in Biology. They are also called as breathing roots and go deep into the soil before coming out of them and standing erect. Mangrove forests are present in brackish areas, which always have a lack of oxygen. Hence, to fulfil this need, the plants have devised this method of respiration. We also spotted tiny red crabs and eccentric looking insects on the mud.
Our next stop was at Dangamal. Here too, we had to take a walk in the forest. We saw large tracts of ponds filled with algal bloom, with cacti along the concrete paths. We spotted two more towers, which were in use by the King of Kanika, during the Zamindari period, for hunting purposes. After independence, the Zamindari system was abolished and the responsibility of the sanctuary fell on the shoulders of the Odisha Govt. The towers have been repaired for the benefit of the tourists. There are two small temples, dating back to the time during the reign of kingdoms, where the deities are still being worshipped by the villagers. Walking on the plain grass spread out on the clearings, just below the blue sky made our trip all more enchanting.
Our last stop was at the museum. Here, we saw fruit orchards and medicinal gardens being maintained by the forest officials. The collection of eggs, skin, embryos and skeletons of crocodiles, wild boar, deer, snake, turtles and other lizard species housed at the museum is fascinating. We saw the skeletons of 18-19 feet long crocodiles! Contrary to what I had seen in the zoo, I had thought that the length of the crocs must be about 10-12 feet at max, but this was shocking! Bhitarakanika has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest crocodile spotted of length 23 feet! That’s scary. It gets more scary: according to the 2015 census, Bhitarkanika has 1665 crocodiles teeming underwater. Hence, it comes as no surprise that during rainy seasons these crocs often wander into paddy fields and drag unsuspecting farmers to death. Some temporarily reside in the village ponds, killing cattle and sometimes humans.
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The singular attraction of this stop was:
Gori tere pyaar main :p
The mangrove forest cover has increased, so has the number of crocodiles due to adequate protection towards the species, thanks to the tireless efforts of the State govt. towards the conservation of wildlife. The population estimation of the crocs takes place every January. The work being done towards the preservation of the biodiversity is remarkable, but the plight of the nearby villagers during rainy season is depressing as well. We educated people always preach to save wildlife but end up in killing the most indirectly. But the villagers are the true heroes who share their lives with these frightening creatures, without complain. They are dependent on fishing, agriculture and tourism to eke out a living. For this reason, the govt. needs to enhance their security so that it is possible to live harmoniously with nature.
FAST FACTS:
Where: Rajnagar, Kendrapada, Odisha
How: By road: Route: Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Nischintkoili-Kendrapada-Salepur-a lot of the countryside-Kendrapada town area-Rajnagar. Can travel by bus/take help of Odisha Tourism
When: Can go starting from the month of Oct, but preferably during Dec-Feb to see the highest number of crocodiles and birds
What not to pack: Any kind of plastic/polythene which needs to be disposed off. There is no proper waste disposal unit out there, and the rules are even stricter as it is a national park. Therefore the waste is either dumped into the ground/burnt. So try to avoid polythene.
Travelling time: About five and a half hours by road, have lots of petrol saved up
Road condition: Fairly stable, some countryside roads need urgent government attention
Food: Local dhabas spread erratically across the region during travelling and resort buffets during the stay.
P.S. Kendrapada is famous for its sweets and if you are visiting during DP, do make a point to enjoy the Gajalakshmi Puja 🙂
People: Since you are a visitor and you are travelling by car(which is a luxury for most of the Indian people), some villagers might stop your vehicle from time to time, asking money on the occasion of the puja. Otherwise, the forest guards, the guides, the boat drivers and the staff at your resort are great folks, who shall make you feel at home with their warm hospitality.
Accommodation: Panthanivas, owned by the Odisha Govt. or private organizations offering cottages and food at expensive (read reasonable) prices, owing to the location of the park. Booking should be done in advance before 3-6 months, due to high demand of wildlife tourism.
Total cost of the trip (including stay, food, car travel and boat ride for 6 people for 24 hours): Nearly Rs 15000/-
During the trip: Do’s and don’ts
• Keep sufficient amount of drinking water
• The water might call you out to take a little feel of it, but you dare not to
• Stay close to people, specially your boatman and your guide
• Do not litter the forest
• Do not walk on bare mud
• Do not touch the trees as snakes and insects are abundant in that region
So this winter, come home to wilderness. Come home to nature!
P.S. For best results, do watch the Australian movie Black water :p
This article won me the 1st Runners-Up position in the January 2021 Edition of Prayatna, the Magazine of Social Responsibility Forum, SBM, NMIMS Mumbai. I had originally written it for a national article writing competition for The Hindu in 2015.
Climate change is a transformation in the distribution of weather patterns over long periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. Since the formation of the earth 4.54 billion years ago, the earth has undergone 5 major extinctions, mostly due to these climatic changes i.e. a cyclic pattern between the ice ages and the warmer ones. And we are heading on towards the current Holocene extinction event very fast. Most of us shoo off this topic as merely an exaggeration about global warming, but it is actually happening, and if we visualize the situation in the terms of a country like India, the situation is worsening with each passing day. It is indeed a shame for us that Chennai has overtaken Delhi as the most polluted city of the world.
India puts a great pressure on its existing natural resources, even more profoundly than its counterparts because it is a developing nation. The water table is depleting fast, the summers are getting longer and hotter, and the rain spells are getting erratic. The sea levels are rising due to the polar ice caps and glaciers melting at a pace like never before.
The biggest crisis of India is that its population is dwelling in ignorance. Most of the people have no idea about global warming, and even if they have, they are not bothered about it. And our nation has a plethora of other problems, which need greater attention than the climate. Illiteracy and lack of basic education and health facilities in many parts of rural India top the chart.
Most of the people in our country do not have the purchasing power for food and fuel. Immigration to the cities in the search for a better life adds to the pressure on the existing limited drinking water and electricity. However, the pollution contributed by the richer nations should not be compared with the pollution coming from the poorer ones; the former use it for the increasing lifestyle of luxury and comfort, while the latter utilize it for their survival. Today, necessity has become a luxury, due to the ever increasing greed of humans. And global warming is the perfect example of this phenomenon, disrupting forests, lives and livelihoods.
Nearly 60% of the population is agrarian in nature, and our country has more than a billion mouths to feed. Agriculture takes up nearly 90% of the fresh water resources of our country, and with depletion of the water table and with the increase in the production of water demanding crops like rice and wheat, the situation is getting grim. We are facing the aftermath of the Green Revolution. Frequent drought spells are getting common mainly in the central and the eastern parts of the nation. Denganmal, a village in Maharashtra, where people keep more than one wives just to fetch water from long distances should be an eye opener for all of us. Latest statistics report that India will run out of drinking water by the year 2040. Farmer suicides are a reminder for us that the provider of food has himself no food security.
The change in the sea levels is leading to powerful cyclones, hurricanes and tsunamis every year. Salt water intrusion in low lying agricultural plains could lead to food insecurity , spread of water related diseases and lack of fresh water.
India houses 3 biodiversity hotspots from 32 present: the Indo-Burma region, the Western Ghats and the Himalayas. The endemic amphibian species of the Western Ghats are fast dying out. The rare and exotic plants of the Himalayas are fast disappearing even before we get to know about their astounding medicinal properties. India has now only 23.07% of its forests left. Illegal logging for agriculture, grazing lands, urbanization and commercial plantation are the major causes of deforestation.
Destruction of the wild habitats is leading to a more exposed interaction of humans and animals, and hence, strange and often incurable diseases are cropping up from the warmer parts of the planet. The maladies are spreading on to the colder regions too, due to the gradual increase in the average temperature of the earth, which has increased by 0.6 degrees in the last century.
Greater political and bureaucratic attention is needed to diversify the livelihoods of the poor people to reduce their vulnerability. We need to have a significant increase of targeted investments in crop production and management e.g. crop rotation, mixed crop production and organic farming and advanced irrigation systems like drip irrigation and water sprinkler approaches, which should be given to smaller farmers at a subsidised rate. We need to utilise the maximum amount of our existing agricultural lands by using genetically hybrid crops which are more tolerant to the environmental stresses like droughts and floods. There is an immediate need for placing water meters in every Indian home for checking the water usage.
Afforestation will not only help in conserving forests and decreasing desertification, it will also help restoring the water table, in tackling natural disasters and in regaining the livelihoods of the people who are dependent on forestry. Crop pollination needs mutual coordination between the plants and the pollinators like honey bees. Hence, this would ensure maximum food production naturally.
It takes about 10 kgs of grain to produce 1 kg of meat. This contributes to the global warming and our failing health. Hence, people need to shift from a non vegetarian to a vegetarian diet. Buying fresh produce would lead to the practice of rooftop hydroponics, which is cheap and easy to produce, and would definitely act as a combat towards excess plastic packaging layers. Use of plastic bags need to be banned immediately. People need to use cloth/jute bags for getting their groceries.
The good old 3Rs : Reduce, Reuse and Recycle still hold true. We need to reduce our usage of packaged materials. We need to buy less. We need to reuse old clothes, books, toys and stuff. And finally, newspapers, bottles and scrap should be recycled. Scrap materials from used automobiles and e wastes should be treated properly and can be re used. Instead of recycling, we can burn the waste materials in waste incinerators and can generate electricity.
The development of a country largely depends upon the growth of the small scale industries. Amount of carbon produced is the benchmark of development. The small scale industries cannot cope up with the Clean Development Mechanisms initiated by the international communities. Hence, the laws enforced for the national and the international giants in the markets should not be imposed on these units. Rather, the government should bring on some innovative solutions in collaboration with the national leading institutions at a subsidised rate so that they can both thrive and prosper under the new laws, without compromising their income.
More number of nuclear power plants need to be setup in our country. And most importantly, the myths associated with the nuclear effects need to be sorted out first. Solar based water pumps in certain areas of Sambalpur district in Odisha has led to the efficient utilisation of water with the demonstration of an excellent use of solar energy. The Canal Solar Power Project launched in Gujarat, uses 19,000 Kilometers long network of Narmada canals across the state for setting up solar panels to generate electricity. Energy efficient systems are the need of the hour. Our country is a fast growing economy, with a lot of business opportunities. Hence, alliances with powerhouses can serve as a blessing for those 400 million people who do not have a proper access to electricity. Biogas is being implemented by village people since long, and is a perfect example of utilisation of organic farming. Using natural products is only possible if sustainable development is undertaken hands on with technologically feasible solutions for the environment.
India, being an affordable holiday destination for many, can serve as a heaven for ecotourism. It leads to the preservation of the nature as well as works towards the protection and enhancement of job opportunities for the forest loving communities.
When we consume less energy, we spend less on energy. Hence, it is cost effective. Thus, we need to create laws for automobile and aviation industries, furnaces and miscellaneous factories to keep a check on their emissions, as per the standard norms decided by the governing bodies. By purchasing energy efficient gadgets, we can reduce our carbon footprint.
Awareness is need to be created amongst people for safer practices for nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, so that people are alert towards their changing environmental conditions and get more health conscious. More number of nutrition programs and clinics need to be functional in the rural areas for the proper diagnosis and the treatment of the people in a short period of time. Telemedicine and Any Time Medicine technologies can bring radical changes in the history of treatment.
There is a need for more number of people who can enhance sustainability development like agricultural scientists, ecologists and biotechnologists. People need to be more aware of their opportunities as scientists and the role they have to play in the society. Extra amount of the country’s budget needs to be spent on the research and development sectors to bring on more innovative and challenging solutions for tackling the environmental issues.
Keeping the frequent natural disasters in view, there is an urgent need for advanced weather forecasting systems and their timely broadcasting in our country to ensure minimum damage to lives and property.
We need to promote cities with excellent public transport facilities and need to encourage them to use ethanol and CNG. We need to convince our farmers to grow bio fuel crops like jatropha, camelina, switch grass and willows; along with normal food crops. These grow well in poor soil and use up less fertilizers. These are high in cellulose, and produce low carbonic fuels.
The solutions to these challenges are definitely not simple, and are not at all possible if they are only implemented by the government. Participation of the common mass is equally important to make these projects a success. More awareness is needed to be created amongst the public about their role towards the environment and their future. There is so much of positivity around us. We just need to make them happen.
Sorry, folks! I kept you waiting for so many days…….actually I was really busy with my studies……..but now I won’t allow it to overcome my passion to write!
As usual, you need a lot of patience and time to go through this. [I write less, but still I write more. I have the biggest mouth in the whole world.]
Let me tell you about my recent trip to New Delhi. It’s not recent, really, as I had been to the place in the month of June, but the artistic impressions of the city still remain vivid in my mind.
The historic city of Delhi or New Delhi has seen many a great rise and fall of kings and queens, emperors and empires. Well now we stay in a democratic country, so we don’t have kings or kingdoms anymore; but they have left their monuments for us perhaps as their legacy. They may be dead, but their memories live on.
Some months back I used to watch a TV program on DD National titled as the Forts of India. I’d really like to thank to Indian Government for producing such an educational show. It used to show about all the Mughal as well as the Rajput forts. Some of the Rajput forts even have their descendants residing there. I had been really fired up by this show as I had been after seeing Maharana Pratap, so when Daddy announced that we were going to visit the glorious Indian capital, my excitement knew no bounds.
The day we reached the place, we were too tired to make any trips. So, as expected, we went to KFC for dinner :p [Quite thrilled about KFC as KFC Bhubaneswar hadn’t opened then] [Born to eat] ;] :p
The next day, we started at 7.30 a.m. The traffic laws had been made stricter because just a day back then Rural Minister Gopinath Munde had expired due to a car accident and doctors had written in his biopsy report that he could have been alive if he had his seat belt on. So we back seated passengers were obliged to put on the seat belts. We had completely left on our driver to guide us around the place. So he was doing all the directing part. I quite do not remember the dates and order of our visits, so I’m presenting here a random account.
We first halted near the famous Birla Temple. I wish we had clean temples back in Orissa here! It is a beautiful temple and has a very peaceful atmosphere. It is large and has white marble flooring and has been maintained nicely even though it is so old. The sound of the temple bells would fill your hearts with a sense of tranquility.
Our next stop was at the National History Museum. They provide you a free guide. My God, the museum is huge! But we were rushing like a Superfast express. We missed out everything. The history museum showcases Indian history from the beginning of the Harrapan and Mohenjo Daro Civilisation. I do not know where it ends. For a history fanatic like me, it would require a week’s time to see all the items on display and take notes. We went through the civilizations, then the Mauryan, Gupta dynasties, birth and growth of Buddhism and Jainism………and then daddy was such in a hurry that we had to miss out the other things. I still managed to take a quick peek on the Mughal miniature paintings. If you are a CBSE student, then you must have studied history in 6th and 7th standard. All the pictures in the books have been taken from the Museum’s display only.
We need more Indian historians in our country. It is really a shame that Indian World Heritage sites have been mostly studied and deciphered by foreign historians. Well, what can I do. There isn’t any other job here except Engineering. All hail Science!
There was a female skeleton on display. Even turtle shell bangles were intact on her hands. Pottery, coins, paintings, idols, relics……..if any day the museum’s security is breached, then the thieves will be billionaires :p
Our guide, Mrs Neena Jain, was a sweet old lady and was explaining us like a professor. She had the light and the feelings in her eyes while speaking about our history. Since we were visiting from Odisha, she showed us the Sun God idol preserved carefully. The Konark Sun Temple does not house it. It was really a proud moment! She reminded me of my dearest Bio teacher Reena Madam.
Bidding a sad adieu to the place, we moved on our journey further and spent a short time at Jantar Mantar.
Then we stumbled across one of the oldest monument of Delhi, the Qutub Minar. It had been built in the year 1193 by Qutubuddin Aibak. He had built it for his daughter. Standing at a height of 72.5 meters, it is the second highest minar in the world. The minar has suffered a lot of damages due to natural calamities like earthquakes. An archway has already broken from the top. was repaired by Iltutmish and many other emperors who ruled next. The famous Iron pillar- the metallurgical marvel of India stands in front of the Qutub Minar. It belongs to the Gupta dynasty and it is always wrongly referred to as the Ashokan pillar due to architectural similarities between its style and that from the Ashokan era. When you enter the place, you can see the tombs of Qutubuddin Aibak and his successor Iltutmish on the right side. There is a marked difference between the tombs of Mughal Emperors and the Delhi Sultans. The tombs of the Delhi Sultans are not covered by arched forts like that of the Mughals. They are lying in a dilapidated state.
Now let us get a little bit of patriotic as well as historic. We had paid a visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Amar Jawan Jyoti and the India Gate. Rashtrapati Bhavan is the home of the President of India. Amar Jyoti Jawan is a flame which is kept burning continuously in the memory of the soldiers who have died fighting for our motherland. I salute to all those brave hearts who have died fighting for our country, and are still fighting for our betterment and want to give us justice.
I could not quite understand the importance of visiting Lotus temple. We went and sat inside. That’s it. It is a peaceful place where seats have been made up of marble. The room is so cool and it almost lulls you to sleep :p But I must admit that the place has been very well constructed. An architectural marvel indeed. Doesn’t it remind you of the famous Opera House at Sydney?
Our final destination at Delhi was the place from where the Prime Minister hoists our National Flag every Republic Day. You guessed it right…its Red Fort! Built by Shah Jahan, it is a real beauty. The fort has got a Meena Bazaar which is functional till today. We purchases some key rings and purses as materialistic memories, but they were too expensive :[ The fort even houses a small museum in it which we had to see in just two minutes, as it was already curfew time. The museum has a dress preserved carefully of that of a princess. Really, the craft work of that era remains unmatched with that of today’s time. Other stuff included swords, utensils and other things we couldn’t go through. A light and sound show is also being organized in front of the Diwan-e-aam[ironically!]
Here I would like to distinguish between Rajput forts and Mughal forts. During the Mughal reign, there were a lot of invaders who were thirsty for the royal blood, hence for extra protection, the forts have thick and large walls, which go missing in the forts at Madhya Pradesh. Take, for example, the Gwalior fort. The ruling Sindhiyas had made Gwalior a princely state during the British rule. Hence they had no requirement of such huge walls for security. The windows of both types of forts also show marked differences. But there are some similarities too. The minars are a mixture of both Islamic and Rajput architectures. I need to see some Rajput forts to give an extensive report on this.
Pooh! Enough of this Delhi talk…….now let’s move our eyes on to Agra!
Our first stoppage while visiting Agra was at a Gurudwara. I had never been to a Gurudwara before. It had been made up of white marble. [ Marble, marble everywhere, no another stone in the brink XD ] The persons there were preaching us not to eat meat and love all animals. How could I have ever explained to them that I love everyone but Chicken is my favorite? ;] I wished they had a langar :[
Then I met Sahenshah-e-Hind, Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar…….not in person actually, but at his tomb. After seeing the movie and the ongoing show Jodhaa Akbar, I was delighted to meet the greatest emperor of the Mighal Empire, even though it was at his gravesite :p
The tomb is a real huge one. It had been built by Emperor Jahangir in the memory of his father. The tomb has no lighting system like that of the Taj Mahal hence it is very dark. But it is really cool inside. Just to think, we are alive and we are being troubled by the scorching heat, on the contrary Jalal is dead and he is sleeping in a permanent A/C room like condition. Now I’m real jealous of him.
The fort has a ground where some deer are residing. It is indeed a great way to utilize a place and save two diminishing things together: flora, fauna and history.
Agra Fort, here I am!
Agra Fort had been built by Emperor Akbar when he shifted his base from Delhi to Agra for security concerns. It is smaller than The Red Fort. You can see the Taj Mahal from here. Shah Jahan had been under home arrest at Agra Fort and he died seeing his creation from a distance. It has a small room where it is said that Shan Jahan offered his daily prayers. Most of the rooms were locked but I chanced to see one open. The rooms are small and the walls of the room have carvings where decorative items would have been put once, but now they are absolutely empty. The Britishers have taken away most of them, mostly from the Red Fort, where the British soldiers resided. They had remodeled the place, destroying the original designs.
Finally the time has come for me to introduce you to the Taj Mahal…even though the 7th wonder of the world needs no formal introduction. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his youngest wife Arjumand Banu Begum or Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal had bore 14 children of Shah Jahan and had died during childbirth just at the age of 38. She had made him promise not to marry any other begum after her demise. People say the Empress Consort was prettier than the moon, and the Emperor could never resist her temptation.
The Taj has been completely been built out of pure white marble. It took 16 years to build it. I got goose bumps when I reached the scene. History can get on to your nerves at that place. You can almost feel the romance……..but not in the scorching heat.
We had been to Agra on the day it was 47 degree Celsius. Poor we :[
Wikipedia even tells you that Shah Jahan had cut the hands of his 22000 workers, who had come all the way from Persia to build this magnificent beauty; but it is not true. We had a guide with us from the Govt. Tourism Dept., who said that this is completely a hoax and no one knows why this has become widespread and strong. According to him, the workers were allowed to build rooms for them to stay. During the construction of the Taj, the workers felt that it was necessary to build a mosque nearby so that they could offer their daily prayers. Hence, a mosque was built. To maintain equilibrium for the structure, a guest house was made on the opposite side. It is difficult to distinguish between them, as both have been made as Xerox copies to each other. Shah Jahan gave the workers huge amount of money and gifts. Some of the descendants of the workers still stay in the neighboring areas and do the same work their forefathers did: crafting of stones.
We needed to wear a special kind of covering on our shoes so that the tomb would not get dirty. The central part of the tomb has got a mausoleum where both the bodies of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan have been placed in separate coffins. Actually the one that we see is fake. The real bodies are below the fake ones, where once people were allowed to go, but now it has been closed.
Shah Jahan wanted to make his own tomb too. So he had started making the Black Taj, which overlooked the White Taj over the river Yamuna. But then Aurangazeb had already come into power, and he had ordered to put his father at house arrest. Hence, Shah Jahan’s dream could never be fulfilled. On the top of that, Aurangazeb had brutally killed Dara Shikoh, Shah Jahan’s eldest son who was worthy of the throne, and his family. Dara Shukoh was the emperor’s most beloved son. In this grief, Shah Jahan’s health had started to fail, and even under the intense care of his favorite daughter Princess Jahanara, he could not be saved. His last wish was to be buried near his beloved Mumtaz, who had died years ago, but their love has not died. It will exist as long as the Taj will, and I believe it is for ever. On full moon nights, when the moonlight falls on the Taj, you can see inside it from outside at a distance. In other words, the monument is translucent. Fees: Rs 500-/- to see this mystery being unrevealed.
When the construction of the Taj Mahal ended, Shah Jahan had distributed a kind of sweet called Panchi Petha, which is native to Agra to the whole public, to express his happiness. We were so much impressed by the musings of the guide that we purchased a packet from Bikanerwalas. I would like to give you a free piece of advice: Never ever eat a Panchi Petha. They are even made up of pumpkin. Gross!
The Taj mahal has been beautifully maintained, but the pollution from the refineries at Mathura has not spared it. This splendor has started turning yellow in color due to the reaction of Calcium Carbonate [white marble] with the oxides of nitrogen and sulphur. Acid rain also adds fire to it. We need to save our heritage. After all, its our legacy.
My visit to Delhi and Agra was not a piece of cake. In the middle of the summer season, the temperature varied from 45 to 47 degree Celsius. I had nearly fainted while walking back from the Taj Mahal. The climate of Delhi is quite dry. We were continuously making up for our lost body fluids by drinking water, lemon juice, cola, cucumber and ice creams. Life in Delhi is harsh. The traffic is so intense and the place is so heavily populated, that you feel like a lost grain of salt in a heap of sand. The expense on top of that is heart rendering. We could only manage to eat Thalis. Food consisted of only paneer, rice, dal, dahi and a salad. Back at home, we have so many veggies. I have always created a fuss when mummy cooks them. There I realized I have been so lucky to get proper food to eat. The result of AIPMT was declared the day before our return and my mood had become completely off.
I would like to extend my heartfelt greetings towards the Indian Government and UNESCO for the excellent work they have undertaken towards the protection of our glorious cultural heritage. Also, tourism is a booming industry and it provides employment for thousands of people. Foreign tourists love coming to India because for them it is a cheaper destination than other countries. I hope that this good work will always continue and will extend towards my state as well. Odisha has a plethora of temples, mostly belonging to the time of 9th-12th century. But they fail to get recognition due to the lack of government funds and they always remain unclean. I hope that my article sends a message to all the people of Odisha so that we all can work together to protect our Odia culture.
Good or bad memories…..memories are memories; and they lie in your brain but never clog it, when you think about the past time, they are magically revived instantly, placing a smile on your lips and tears in your eyes. I wish I could go back to Delhi again. I have missed out so many places of visit.
My dream list has expanded: now I want to go on a historical tour of India. I know that will cost me a lot, but I will. This dream has to be fulfilled. And I hope that someday it will.
CONFESSION: All the theories which I have written are purely based upon my knowledge with due reference to my history textbooks, Wikipedia and Agra Tourism Department. No fact should be challenged publicly as it is just a travel memoir. However, I’ve tried to put my sincere efforts in collecting real details as far as possible. I have provided numerous links for further studies.
THE FUNKY WRITER 