Child Marriage!
I started watching a serial called “Balika Vadhu” on colors recently. It’s like a cool wave of fresh air as it brings respite from the conventional “saas bahu” serials. Besides breaking the monotony of serials showing scheming women, it highlights the still prevalent evil practice of child marriage in India, especially rural India. This serial has portrayed the serious subject of the various problems a girl faces when she is married in her teenage in a very mature and entertaining way. A girl of 12 years of age, who is more interested in playing hide and seek, is suddenly expected to behave like a grown up married woman. She is restricted from participating in many activities because she is the daughter-in-law of the house. She is not allowed to continue her studies. She is under the constant vigilance of an authoritative grandmother whose commands everyone has to obey. She misses her parents, her village and her friends but is helplessly bound to her new family now.
The serial shows how a carefree, naïve and immature girl is trying to adjust to the unquestionable and stern ways of her in-laws house. Written and scripted by Purnendu Shekhar, Balika Vadhu has a message at the end of every episode to discourage the practice of child marriage across the country.
Whenever I watch this serial, I always question the modernity and growth of our country. Has our country really developed? Does development only means building sky scrapers in metropolitan cities? Has our country been able to break free from the horrendous traditions of child marriage, sati, dowry etc? Though these practices are something which urban India may not relate to but they are still very much prevalent in rural and tribal parts of India. The primary reason for this is ignorance. These belts of tribal and rural areas are still living in the 18th century due to lack of education and awareness. Unfortunately, girl children have to bear the brunt of this. Many parents try to validate this gruesome act of child marriage by giving numerous cultural, traditional, religious and economical reasons. Poverty is the biggest culprit which engulfs the life of a girl child. Girls are either seen as an economic burden or valued as capital for their exchange value in terms of goods or money.
Many parents tend to curtail the education of their girls and marry them off, due to fear of the high level of physical violence and abuse encountered en route to, and even at, school.
Child marriage limits young girls’ skills, resources, knowledge, social support, mobility and autonomy. Young married girls have little power in relation to their husbands and in-laws. They are therefore extremely vulnerable to domestic violence, abuse and abandonment. Violence may include physical, sexual or psychological abuse. It is one of the most persistent forms of sanctioned sexual abuse of girls and young women. The young age of child brides, their limited power in decision making and reduced economic opportunities compound their vulnerability to multiple health risks. These girls are also more likely to be infected by HIV.
Though people like Raja Rammohun Rai have tried to bring about reforms in the society since early 19th century, still such practices continue to daunt the lives of young girls. It’s time that we all realize our responsibility towards such helpless girls and try to educate at least one person in our life time. If we all pledge to educate at least one person, it would definitely help in transforming many lives.
Five ways of making your car more fuel efficient!
The oil prices are soaring higher and higher and it has become almost impossible to neglect other ways of making the cars more fuel efficient.
- Do not apply a lot of brake while driving. Try to change lanes rather than slowing down for a braking driver while on road. Not riding the break can increase your fuel efficiency by up to 30%.
- Switch off the ignition if you are stopping for more than 10 minutes at a stretch. This way you can prevent burning of unnecessary gas and increase the fuel efficiency.
- Though you should turn off the engine if you are stopping for more than 10 minutes, avoid turning off the car if you have to stop only for a brief moment. More gas is utilized in starting the engine again than you would burn in that short span of time.
- Many drivers neglect a very important aspect of tires while driving. Tires should be properly inflated to increase fuel efficiency. It is a general practice to inspect air inflation of tires only when they go flat. However, having tires that are properly inflated can save fuel and make your car more fuel efficient, saving you money. Because of this, you should check your tire pressure on a regular basis.
- Start driving as soon as the engine starts. This might seem obvious but some people leave the car idling for some time before driving. But this is totally unnecessary.
Top things which sell as hot cakes in India!
Nowadays it’s all about TRP. Media has gone ignorant of the fact that it has a responsibility of providing healthy and useful information to people. Instead all every channel is striving for is a better TRP rating than others.
Arushi murder case was followed every day by Aaj Tak as if it was an investigating firm rather than a news channel. They even intruded into the privacy of lives of the victim and the accused. You could write a documentary or make a movie with the extensive coverage they had provided of the murder case. Media is in forefront to cover any crime related news. Bomb blasts or killings are sensationalized like they are thrillers. What the media people forget in the bargain is that by airing so much of bloodshed and killings etc, they might actually be planting seeds of revenge in minds of innocent people.
The next much talked about thing in our country is cricket. It is the most passionately followed sport in India. Channels have dedicated slots for this sport. Media has spokespersons and commentators, retired cricket players and officers to comment on it.
The news of Big B being in hospital on his birthday was on the front page of a leading newspaper on 11th October. This much coverage would have been given to the prime minister ideally. But in India the common man is more interested in knowing about what the film stars are doing, who is dating whom, who said what to whom, who attended which party etc. All this has started taking precedence over important worldly affairs.
Not far behind in the league of attracting viewers with spicy news are the sting operations on politicians. Airing corruption that obtains in all walks of life has made people wonder whether there is any better place left to live in or whether every human being has become corrupt.
As media has become a 24 hour service, it’s losing its integrity and essence. Repetition of unimportant new items on all channels is just a waste of time, money and energy. Content-wise, news media has become very week.
Crushed in Devotion!
August 27, 2003: 39 pilgrims killed, 125 injured when devotees who were waiting to bathe heaved over a flimsy fence triggering a stampede at Kumbh Mela bathing festival in Nasik, Maharashtra.
January 25, 2005: 340 devotees trampled to death during an annual pilgrimage at Mandhra Devi temple in Maharashtra.
March 7, 2006: 28 killed and 101 injured in two bombings across Varanasi. First blast at a Varanasi temple followed by another at Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station crowded with pilgrims.
August 3, 2008: 162 dead while 47 are injured in a stampede triggered by rumors of a rockslide at Naina Devi Temple in Himachal Pradesh.
August 10, 2008: Two pilgrims died when over 250 people were left stranded on stairs leading to ancient Mahadeva temple in Kota district of north-western Rajasthan collapsed.
September 30, 2008: 147 devotees lost their lives in a stampeded triggered by rumors of a bomb in the temple of Chamunda Devi, in Rajasthan.
This chronology of temple tragedies reveals the unfortunate fact that in spite of loosing so many precious lives in the past, we have still not matured enough to implement proper rules and regulations in order to ensure a smooth flow of crowds in places of worship. Ironically, stampedes have taken more lives than bomb blasts in India. In 2008 alone so far, over 360 people lost their lives in stampedes as compared to 156 killed in bomb blasts. The worst part is when there is a tragedy like a bomb blast; at least some action is taken by the government. The security is tightened (though only superficially and momentarily), arrests are made, people themselves become more cautious etc. But there is little done to prevent stampedes. Stampedes happen and are conveniently forgotten till the next one claim valuable lives again.
My heart grieves at the sad state of affairs as far as management at religious places is concerned. Has the life of our people become so inexpensive that it can be sacrificed at the altar of worship? Is it so difficult to implement some rules to manage devotees properly? Can we not spare some manpower and money to ensure a chaos free flow of traffic in temples, rather than using abundance of these resources to just build concrete jungles?
We have a timeless tradition of religious and cultural pilgrimages where gatherings running into lakhs of people on days of special religious or spiritual significance are a regular feature. While the major pilgrim destinations are usually geared towards handling large crowds, the smaller ones come to notice only when a tragedy strikes — the recent stampede at Jodhpur, for instance. Stampedes are mainly caused by inefficient crowd management when an administration is caught off guard by an abrupt swelling up of numbers of worshippers. There are places of worship like Vaishno devi mandir where only a limited number of people are allowed to go inside the cave at one time. Though there are long queues of devotees waiting for hours at a stretch, it ensures a smooth flow of crowd. Those who have religious fervor understand the value of waiting and are consequently rewarded with a hassle free visit to their deity.
There should be a continuous monitoring of the number of people who are allowed to worship in the temple at one time. For others, there should be proper rest areas made so that people of all age groups can wait patiently and conveniently. People should be allowed to move forward only in proper queues and for this surveillance sufficient number of security guards should be on patrol. Help can be taken by NGO’s and volunteers who are always there to render their selfless services. Security should definitely be increased on special religious occasions in anticipation of larger crowds.
If our government takes few steps towards the improvement of crowd management at religious places, these places would never have to witness the agony of grieving devotees and the anguish of wailing survivors.
Freedom from Smoke Rings!
The world health organization had estimated that there were around 94 million smokers in India in 2007. Surely the numbers have risen this year (it’s estimated to be around 120 million), engulfing the lives of not just the smokers but also the non-smokers (it’s said that passive smoking is as injurious as active smoking). According to a recent study, India’s death toll due to tobacco smoking will be around 1 million people per year, by the year 2010. This horrendous habit kills not only from diseases like cancer and lung diseases but also from tuberculosis and heart attacks. In order to discourage people from endangering their lives for a temporary high or relaxation, the government will introduce a no smoking policy which is effective from October 2, 2008.
“From October 2, the government has introduced the no smoking policy in all indoor establishments,” Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told reporters in Bangalore on Tuesday. “Smoking will not be permitted in any private or public building. Companies can no longer have designated smoking rooms. Smokers will have to step outside into open space if they wish to smoke,” said Ramadoss who has been in the forefront in pushing for the ban on tobacco and tobacco products.
The rule applies to all companies, including IT companies, small cafes, restaurants, pubs or discotheques. Hotels having more than 30 seat arrangement would have to create a separate enclosure for smokers and a separate ventilation arrangement as per the act, he said.
I personally feel that it’s a very positive step in the pursuit of building a healthier and cleaner India. Even though the ill effects of smoking are well known even to chain smokers, but the ready availability of space to have a puff doesn’t give them chance to think twice before plunging into the whirlpool of this slow destruction. I’m confident that this policy will restrict a lot of casual smokers and only those who just cannot resist the urge to have a puff will come out on the streets. Hopefully factors like going out on the street, finding the company of a compulsive smoker, wastage of time etc will dampen the spirits of even chain smokers in some time.
Smoking is registering a steady decline in western countries as the non-smoking policies are becoming stricter and the general awareness about the dangerous after-effects of smoking is increasing amongst people. Unfortunately, India didn’t seem to ape the west in this regard till now with the percentage of smokers increasing every year in India. Let’s all hope that laws like the one being imposed from October 2 will help in bringing about a drastic change in the present scenario.
Ways to Enjoy Weekend Nights!
Come Saturday and almost everyone is gripped with the Saturday night fever. But there are certain tips to enjoy the night even more.
Always have a designated driver if you go in a group. This way you can assure that everyone will be safe on your way back and you can enjoy without any tension.
Never accept a drink from anyone. Nowadays it has become a very common practice for bad elements to mix drinks with drugs and dupe innocent people especially girls. This has lead to numerous cases of misconduct with girls.
Always make sure that your parents or your friends or some acquaintance knows about your whereabouts. You might lose track of time while partying, so if someone knows about the location you are at it would help them trace you in case of emergency or any problem.
Always try to party at popular joints. Avoid shady and unknown destinations as these places are more prone to misconducts. Popular joints have a reputation to live up to. So such places take special care in ensuring a healthier environment for its clients.
Try and ensure that the place you are partying at has ample open space. A small and overcrowded place can be claustrophobic and lead to a lot of pushing and accidents. Also if there isn’t any open space, your lungs might start feeling suffocated in a smoky bar or pub after some time.
Effective Ways of Communicating with People!
The most common reason why people hesitate in communicating effectively with other people is their fear of making a fool of themselves in front of other people. People tend to shy away from interaction to avoid being ridiculed at. What such people don’t realize is that the other person is just like them. He might have the same apprehensions as them. He might have the same amount of limited knowledge on a subject as they have. Instead of retiring into the cocoon of anonymity, if we muster some confidence to voice our opinions and thoughts, we might be able to make an impactful impression on others.
Another reason why people avoid interactions is to avoid conflict. What they don’t realize is that conflict is the exact learning experience they need to provide the growth, knowledge and confidence for dealing with people in the first place. Conflict management or managing the conflict of ideas and thoughts between two or more people can be an incredible learning experience for everyone involved; so much information is revealed in these intense periods that if we can learn to keep our integrity intact during these short bursts of emotion; common ground can be quickly found.
Be assertive when you are dealing with others. Being assertive means that you can stand up for yourself, express yourself effectively and prevent others from taking advantage of you. Being assertive helps boost self-confidence and may help you win respect from others. It can also help control stress and anger. All this helps in communicating with others in a better way as it elevates you to a stronger and esteemed pedestal. When you get positive vibes from others, you tend to be in better control of your thoughts and actions.
Don’t be afraid to take risks and voice your opinions. Tell others what you feel about a situation or a thing exactly the way you feel about it. Honesty is always appreciated by everyone. People respect a person who has the courage to stand up for what he feels and doesn’t hesitate to stand for his convictions.
Always be prepared in advance. If you have enough knowledge on the matter to be addressed, it automatically pumps a lot of confidence in you. That confidence is then well exhibited in the way you communicate with other people.
Dealing with people effectively is a skill that can be learnt and developed over time. If you feel nervous or shaky about doing this, you need to feel the fear and do it anyway, if it’s on your mind, the time will come when you will have to act, go in, do it with the expectation you are going to get it all wrong, but it is never as bad as you think it is going to be. So just close your eyes, take a long breadth, and clam down all anxieties you have before approaching another person. Present yourself in a confident and assertive way and you are sure to win the battle.
Health Benefits of Taking Green Tea!
Do you need a dose of caffeine to get going in the morning? Are you apprehensive that your caffeine intake might cause health problems for you? Do you want a remedy for it? Well, you are reading just the right article for it then. The solution is “Green Tea”. Green tea has increasingly become a very popular drink worldwide because of its immensely powerful health benefits.
Asian cultures have used green tea for medicinal purpose throughout the course of time. However, in Ancient China, it was used especially against headaches and depression. Green tea has a great importance in China history. It is produced from the leaves of Camellia Sinensis. While green, oolong, and black tea all come from the same plant, the Camellia green tea is processed differently than the other teas. The leaves are steamed. Therefore, the compound that is so helpful isn’t oxidized as it is in the other teas. Green tea has considerably less caffeine than coffee.
The various health benefits of consuming green tea are:
- Lowering of cholesterol: Green tea helps in reducing cholesterol levels in the body as it has high concentration of antioxidants. Green Tea helps to increase liver’s LDL receptors. This helps in reducing bad cholesterol in the blood, thereby lowering the total cholesterol levels.
- Remission of cancerous cells: The antioxidant in green tea is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E. It helps in inhibiting the enzymes which aid cancer cells spread throughout the body. It can decrease tumor sizes and prevent further tumor formation.
- Eases the pain associated with arthritis: The antioxidants in the tea ease swelling, which in turn, helps ease the pain associated with arthritis.
- Keeps bones strong: The very key to this is high fluoride content found in green tea. It helps keep the bones strong by preserving the bone density.
- Prevents heart diseases: The tea helps break down plaque on artery walls. This allows better blood flow, and thus, heart disease prevention.
- Cures infections: Another health benefit of drinking green tea is its ability to cure infections. The antioxidants in the tea have the ability to kill the disease causing organisms. Polyphones and antioxidants exist in green tea. These help with the stimulation of the immune system. This helps in building strength and fighting immunity.
- Treating acne: Natural antioxidants and antibacterial properties of green tea make it useful for the treatment of acne. It also reduces some of the hormone levels that are known to cause acne. For acne problems, it can either be ingested or administered directly on the skin in the form of a cream.
- Prevents cavities: As green tea can destroy bacteria and viruses, it inhibits the growth of cavities, which are primarily caused by these things.
- Promotes longevity: The polyphones in green tea help to fight against free radicals. This helps in fewer wrinkles and longer life.
- Helps in weight loss: Green tea helps shed those extra kilos. It burns fat and boosts the metabolism rate naturally. It can help burn up to 70 calories in just one day. That translates to 7 pounds in one year.
- Prevents obesity: Green tea prevents obesity by stopping the movement of glucose in fat cells. If you are on a healthy diet, exercise regularly and drink green tea, it is unlikely you’ll be obese.
- Prevents Diabetes: Green tea improves lipid and glucose metabolisms, prevents sharp increases in blood sugar level, and balances the metabolism rate.
- Slows process of Alzheimer’s: Though there is no cure for this disease, green tea helps slow the process of reduced acetylcholine in the brain, which leads to Alzheimer’s.
- Retards the growth of Parkinson’s: Antioxidants in green tea helps prevent against cell damage in the brain, which could cause Parkinson’s. People drinking green tea also are less likely to progress with Parkinson’s.
- Prevents cold and flu: Vitamin C in green tea helps prevent cold and flu.
- Reduces Asthma: Theophylline in green tea relaxes the muscles which support the bronchial tubes, reducing the severity of asthma.
- Relieves stress: L-theanine, which is a kind of amino acids in green tea, helps in relieving stress and anxiety.
- Relieves allergies: EGCG found in green tea relieves allergies. So, if you have allergies, you should really consider drinking green tea.
How you can Motivate your customers to buy your product!
Whenever a product is launched, the obvious motive behind it is profit. And that profit would come only if the product sells more than its competitors in the market. So it is very important to understand what factors motivate a customer to buy a product. You need to find out what the customer wants your product to accomplish in their life. How it will make them feel in owning it? Does it make them look intelligent to their neighbors? Does it make them sexier to their mate? Or does it help them to accomplish other goals by saving them money? What is this really doing to affect the quality of their life either directly or indirectly?
The first and foremost thing that motivates a customer is the need for the product. Customers will satisfy their need by selecting the best available solution that they can find; at the time they need it. You have to convince your consumer that they need your product. A company selling exercising equipment advertises by highlighting the dangers of over-weight. Beauty products are sold by targeting the “marriageable section of society”. Anti-infectants try to strike the soft emotions of a mother. People buy life insurance because they fear dying prematurely and leaving their family financially strapped. So your product should be such that it generates an essence in the lives of the customer. Present problems and offer solutions. Early on in your offer is a great place to do this. Outline a problem that your target audience is probably facing and then point out how your product provides the solution. Present luxuries and offer opportunities. The flipside to that coin is to present something that triggers their passion and offer them a chance to obtain it.
The next thing to attract a customer is the value of the product. There are two basic ways that we judge value; Quantity and Quality. Who would not be enticed by offers like “Two for the price of one. Buy one get one free.” These are nothing but ways of providing more quantity for the same price. And that, in a lot of cases, is a determining factor as to how valuable something is.
Then is the quality of product. There are a lot of people who would pay a premium because of quality. People don’t mind shelling out some extra bucks simply because a product is of higher quality. That is how a ‘Rado’ differentiates itself from a ‘Titan’; there is a separate segment of customers for an ‘Armani’ or a ‘Luis Vitton’.
Value is closely related to the sale of products on the basis of recognition. People buy things because of name recognition. People buy things because of familiarity. They feel more comfortable in owning something which is widely recognized. Judge it for yourself. You go to the store to buy a tooth brush. There is a Colgate and a new brand lying on the same shelf. What would your instinct tell you to pick knowing the fact that it is for your precious teeth and has to be used daily?
And finally, the icing on the cake goes to presentation. With the proper presentation of your offer, you can conquer all other laws at the same time. You can trigger the need, provide value, build expectation for your product; if you learn to present your offer the right way, then selling is the easy part. Go to Rodeo drive in San Francisco (it is the most expensive street in San Francisco) and you will be amazed at how all the top brands have gone out of their way to display their products. They entice you the moment you step onto that road.
If you find out what a customer’s true motivation is by finding out what their values and beliefs are you can design an individual sales presentation. You can then determine how to sell specific features about your product or service to this unique person based on ideas that you know will determine a more positive outcome for both you as well as the customer.
India’s Most and Least Corrupt States!
In the Global Corruption Index, a survey of 133 nations conducted by TI (a Berlin-based anti-graft watchdog), India is ranked 72 among 180 countries as far as corruption is concerned. In India all the states are categorized into 4 categories: Alarmingly Corrupt; Very Highly Corrupt; Highly Corrupt; and Moderately Corrupt.
Alarmingly Corrupt:
There are four states in this category.
Bihar
Bihar is the 12th largest Indian state in terms of area and the third largest when it comes to population. This highly downtrodden state has never been able to rise above poverty, corruption and natural calamities.
Jammu & Kashmir
Kashmir was once called the paradise on earth, but today it is nothing but a constant battleground between Indian security forces and terrorists. Terror strikes have reduced the once-booming tourism trade in the state to nothing but a distant memory.
According to the survey, police department in all these states tops the corruption chart, followed by others — including the forest department, land records/registration and housing.
Electricity, banking, education, water supply and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme fell under the other corrupt services.
Madhya Pradesh
Nepotism and corruption are very conspicuous in this state.
Uttar Pradesh
India’s most populous state, with agriculture as its main occupation is fighting a losing battle against corruption. It is one of India’s major tourist hubs, especially since it houses the magnificent Taj Mahal in Agra. The state also has some large manufacturing units and is one of the top IT centers in India too.
Very Highly Corrupt:
Karnataka
It has one of the fastest growing economies in the country with a booming IT sector as its backbone, still it is a very highly corrupt state.
Rajasthan
This state has a lot to offer as far as tourism is concerned. It stands strong with forts to guard its periphery, yet it has to fight tooth and nail to curb the growing corruption.
Tamil Nadu
The fact that the state is categorized as being ‘Very Highly Corrupt’ is quite surprising as Tamil Nadu is also one of India’s most literate states, bursting with great talent across all sectors of human activity. Its per capita income too is higher than the national average.
Highly Corrupt:
Chhattisgarh
It is one of the fastest growing states but is a victim of long time neglect due to which corruption is rising here.
Delhi
India’s capital Delhi is one of India’s richest states with its per capita income more than twice the national average. The state is the seat of the Indian government and, perhaps, that makes it vulnerable to corruption as industrialists and common folk alike throng the corridors of power to get their ‘work done.’
Gujarat
It is one of the richest states in the country with major projects like Reliance industries backing it. It also has a rich and flourishing agricultural sector, and is also blessed with rich mineral ore.
Jharkhand
It was carved out of Bihar in 2000, and is dogged my corruption at all levels of government.
Kerala
It is one of the most literate states of the country. The standard of living in Kerala is among the best in India. The state has a very well developed tourism, banking and finance, and communications sectors.
Orissa
Mineral –rich Orissa has been on the forefront of privatization and economic reforms despite the high levels of poverty. Even this could not save it from being in the Highly corrupt category.
Moderately Corrupt:
Andhra Pradesh
This state has emerged as a major IT hub. This sector has generated large-scale employment in the urban areas of the state.
Haryana
Haryana is the home of major IT and BPO firms. It is also a huge manufacturing base for many a global company, having received a massive amount of foreign direct investment. The state’s business-friendly policies have seen it grow on all parameters of economic development. It is also one of India’s richest states.
Himachal Pradesh
This state lies in the lap of nature and attracts thousands of tourists. The state also has mega hydro-electric projects.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is India’s most industrialized state. It is also one of the richest. It has a great mix of giant industrial units, well developed agricultural base, flourishing services sector, a fairly free market economy, and a booming financial, banking, and insurance sector.
Punjab
It is one of the richest states with agriculture as its mainstay.
Uttarakhand
This state was carved out of UP. Uttarakhand is blessed with natural beauty that helps promote tourism. It also has many dams where it seeks investment to set up huge power projects.
West Bengal
Being economically backward, the state becomes a hotbed for corruption. West Bengal, despite its problems, is one of the fastest growing states in India due to rapid industrialization and a booming information technology sector. West Bengal is also a power-surplus state.