By Simran Kaur
Month: April 2020
MY LIFE IN THE AGE OF CORONAVIRUS
By- Samyukta Narayanan
It’s now the 19th day of lockdown since the Day the Earth Stood Still, life at home is falling into something resembling a routine, sporting events and travel plans are being called off, while hand sanitizer is flying off the shelves.
It is somewhat challenging to channel either of those things during a global pandemic in which you are also trying to stay mentally and physically healthy, and try as best you can to keep optimistic while the world around you seems so utterly dark.
My day starts with waking up at 12 or 12:30 pm I freshen up and eat my breakfast then I start with watching something on Netflix it could be a movie or any series then if I am feeling sleepy I sleep or I continue using Netflix or YouTube. Then about 2 or 2:30 pm I eat lunch and again after about an hour I go back to sleep I love sleeping it’s like sleeping is a meditation for me since this pandemic I’m sleeping a lot. Then I work out a for like 30 mins to stay fit and healthy eat some fruits or drink some shakes then do my assignments. This is my daily routine.
At this period of time, it’s really difficult to be optimistic but we have to. I sometimes go to the market to buy some stuff and it feels like I’m some kind of daredevil going out like this alone outside where nobody’s out like as usual. I really feel sad because I can’t go outside to play badminton in the evening before this pandemic I used to play badminton daily and I really miss it.
Sometimes I feel really trapped in my house because I can’t go outside. Every person is going through this phase. As we got to stay home police stations, hospital, journalist’s and reports didn’t get that they are still going outside and doing their jobs to keeps us safe and keeping us updated hats off to all of them who are still working.
This is a period in which we are getting a lot of time to self-analyse, to start doing something like a hobby as I’m seeing in every Instagram stories that everyone has become a chef making momo, cakes etc or you can do something that you were doing when you were in school and after completing your school you don’t have that much time now is the time when you can change something about yourself this is a precious time so use it properly. I hope everything will be fine soon.
Everything is fu*ked: A book of HOPE by Mark Manson
By Padma Dolma
New York times and International best selling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fu*k, Mark Manson.
Title: Everything is Fu*ked. Author: Mark Manson published: 14 May 2019. Genre: Self help book. Publisher : Harper One
The hope is described as Nihilism in the book he writes that telling yourself important is a lie. Acknowledging and appreciating our existence must create the hope.
“Hope cares only about the problems that still need to be solved. Because the better the world gets, the more we have to lose. And the more we have to lose, the less we feel we have the hope for.”
To create hope in our self the either thinks we must have these three things
- Sense of control (feeling like we’re in control of our lives)
- Belief in the value of something (something worth striving for)
- Community (being part of a community valuing what we also value)
Without these three Mark writes that to understand why we are suffering through such crisis of hope today, we need to understand the mechanics of hope, how to generate it and how to maintain it.
Than comes the ‘Sense of Control’, the author writes that the self control is an illusion.The war between the two brains, you must be thinking brain fight means IQ tests, but in the book Everything is fu*ked tells us the research of many physiologist, scientists on the behaviour of our brain. He describes the two brains ,feeling and thinking brain must act together to make the person as living as possible if either one is shut down the other one would overwhelmed the human actions and can isolate him from the rest of the world and he’d loss the importance of others presence in his life.
Our values the second necessary thing to generate hope. Author describes the values with the example of Issac Newton being a social freak and an absentminded kid who had stayed his entire life searching answers for his curiosities and never once understood the importance of being surrounded by loved ones he died as a loner and his discoveries remain hidden to the world, collecting dust.
The third necessary thing community. He has explained this necessity in the fourth chapter of the book where he writes about religion as a leverage to people who think they had failed their lives and living their lives wrongly without making their dreams come true. He writes that God’s value slowly shifts and becomes the preservation of the religion itself: not to lose what it has gained. And there the corruption starts. To maintain the status the people toss aside the movement, the revolution and the values that defined the religion, that becomes organizational level narcissism. He believes that the only thing that can ever truly destroy a dream is to have it come true.
He writes about Nietzsche who believes both beliefs of ardent nationalists and anti – Semites to be stupid and offensive and he strictly believed in the value of a person’s deeds, nothing else no system, no race, no nationality.
The book mostly talks about the hope being generated automatically by our feeling brain but making it look like that we think it’s the only support system to live your life but that’s a lie you tell yourself. Also tells the unbreakable desire of human being to be more happy to be more lively, all we need is to have inner peace and he tried to analyse this desire by giving examples.
This is a philosophical book to every reasons that has crushed your hopes and dreams and believes.
#9baje9minutes
By Saakshi Sharma
Featured Image: @HWnews
WE WILL FIGHT BACK!
By Samyukta Narayanan
Image courtesy: Press Trust of India
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.
The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently and not touching your face.
The virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow).
At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for this virus. However, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments. WHO will continue to provide updated information as soon as clinical findings become available.
‘Everyone wants this to get over soon but still, they are coming out there homes’
Cases of coronavirus are rising day by day and still are not taking the lockdown seriously. 2,069 cases on Thursday, according to Union Health Ministry data. Out of these, 1,860 are active cases, while 155 people have recovered or discharged from the hospital, while 53 people lost their lives to the highly contagious COVID-19 disease. The recent jump in the number of patients is done by the recent events held in New Delhi (Nizamuddin) and the sudden increase in the cases in Andhra Pradesh shows that people are neglecting the decisions taken by the government.
Globally, the total number of coronavirus cases has crossed 12 lakh. Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu are among the worst affected states. Till today the cases rose to 3,374 in India, 77 deaths.
With 472 fresh cases reported in 24 hours, the total number of coronavirus positive cases in India jumped to 3,374 today, according to the latest figures released by the Health Ministry. The death toll has gone up to 77 while 266 have recovered. Maharashtra (490), Tamil Nadu (485) and Delhi (445) are among the worst affected states.
“India stands at an important turning point in its fight against COVID-19. Extraordinary situations demand extraordinary measures. The Prime Minister has taken bold and decisive steps to break the chain of transmission. It is equally vital that this window is used for further ramping up measures to find, isolate, test, treat and trace.
WHO stands together in solidarity with India and its people and is committed to providing all the support that is needed,” says Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative to India.
A policewoman wears gloves as she stands to perform her duty, during a nationwide lockdown, imposed in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Jammu.
The Centre informed the Supreme Court Tuesday that it has taken “proactive and preemptive timely steps” to deal with the coronavirus pandemic due to which its spread is so far contained but fake news causing serious panic, is the “single most unmanageable hindrance” in the management of this challenge.
In a status report filed in the apex court, the government has given details of the steps taken, including enhancement of testing capacity and issuance of an order to purchase 40,000 ventilators to meet the contingencies, to prevent coronavirus or COVID-19 and its spread in the country.
It is a tough time but we all are in this together if we want this to end soon then we have to stay positive and follow all the steps given by the government i.e we should stay inside no matter what. So ‘stay safe, stay strong.’
TOGETHER WE STAND
By Muskan Mehndiratta
If you are freaking out over the COVID-19 pandemic, you are definitely not alone. The world is fighting with the novel coronavirus which started off from Wuhan city in China.
The pandemic has infected over 3 lakhs and has taken the lives of over 8000 people globally. The government’s of various countries announced the lockdown in order to keep COVID-19 at bay. People have been asked to practice self quarantine to protect themselves and their family members. This comes with lot of concerns‐– food, medication, and many more but one thing that we are not talking much about is how to fill the time.
Two weeks is lot of time to spend stuck at home (either as professional or a student), the first thing to do is make sure that you’ve done all of your assignments first, but lets talk about some of other productive things that you can get done if you find yourself at home for an extended period.
This is the best time when you can indulge in your hobbies and make the best use of this leisure time to make yourself happy and relaxed;
• You can now cook your favourite meal by using the best use of the recipes on youtube or you can now read your favourite book which you were thinking of starting when the time when your office was on.
• This is the best time to binge – watch all our favourite shows and movies present on Netflix, Amazon prime, Hotstar etc. Its good to take a mental break from all the news about the pandemic. Some may call it escapism, but switching off can be good for your mental health.
• This is probably the perfect time when you can have a family time. Even though you have to work from home, its better to have background voices of your loved ones behind, giving an idea of how everyone is fighting the pandemic together.
• Take care of your skin: No more harmful rays of the sun, no more pollution causing pimples and dry skin because of the change of weather because you no more have to go out. You can spend your free time by following a skin care regime that you were thinking of starting from a long time.
WHO DIRECTOR SHARES 5 WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY…
During this difficult time, its important to continue looking after your physical and mental health. This will not only help you in the long term.
1. Eat a healthy and nutritious diet, which helps your immune system to function properly.
2. Limit your alcohol consumption and avoid sugary drinks.
3. Don’t smoke. Smoking can increase your risk of developing severe disease if you become infected with COVID-19.
4. Exercise: WHO recommends 30 minutes of physical activity a day. For adults, and one hour a day for children. If you are local or national guidelines allow it, go outside for a walk, a run or a ride, and keep a safe distance from others. If you can’t leave the house, find an exercise video online, dance to music, do some yoga, or walk up and down the stairs.
5. Look after your mental health, its normal to feel stressed, confused and scared during the crisis. Talking to people you know and trust can help. Supporting other people in your community can help you as much as it does them.
COVID-19 is taking so much from us, but it’s also giving us something special. The opportunity to come together as one humanity to work together, to learn together, and to grow together.
Happy quarantine!
Image Courtesy: @SearchEngineJournal
The Diary Of a Young Girl
By Simran Kaur
Image Courtesy : Amazon.com
This book named, The Diary of a Young Girl is also known as , The Diary of Anne Frank . This is book is all about the diary of Anne Frank. This book is written by her on her own life as hiding from 1942 to 1944 during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War 11. Anne Frank was a German born Dutch- Jewish diarist and the thing is this book is one of the World’s best known book.
During World War II, a girl (Jewish) named Anne Frank and her family were forced to hide in the Nazi occupied Netherlands. There was a shopkeeper there in Netherlands named Kraler. The shopkeeper hides two jewish families in his attics. Anne Frank had a habit of keeping a diary with her, about the everyday life of their family in Nazi’s Netherlands and the threat of Nazi’s as well.
This book is also written in Dutch language, not just dutch again this book is translated into 70 languages.More than 30 million of her diary has been sold and about in 60 countries this book has been published.
The Diary was retrieved by Miep Gies and he gave it to Anne’s father, as he was the only survivor after the war was over.
The important characters in the book were,
Anne Frank – a thirteen year old girl , and received a diary which would change the world. Mr. Frank – a man who will do anything to keep his family safe.
Mrs Frank – Wife of Mr. Frank.
Margot – Anne’s older sister.
Peter – son of Van Daan’s .
Mrs. Van Daan – Wife of Van Daan .
Mr. Van Daan – He helped Frank in hiding .
Mr. Dussel – a dentist.
If I talk about myself, I liked the character of Anne the most in the book , as she had a lot of courage.One can see her astonishing bravery. Her behaviour, the way she made it feel happy sometimes is just amazing .
Anne Frank’s writing style was easy to read. Her way of writing is basically proffessional and journalistic too. Her tone in the book feels like anger, irony and humor . Her writing style at the age of 13 was liked throughout the world after the war when she died.
People who love mysteries, people who has an interest in reading historical things related to war. It also contains some sad portions also, it’s heart- touching beautifully written book . I recommend everybody to read this book as it doesn’t contain any fictious story it’s truly based story.
Virtual talent
By Padma Dolma
Indeed it is hard for the ones who goes outside almost everyday and hardly stays at home, with a situation like COVID-19 everyone must stay at their homes. And people like Acoustic Ladakh has created a platform for those who are blessed with vocal and instrumental talents. Acoustic Ladakh is a Leh based guitar shop. They have created a platform on Instagram for the young talented people with vocal and instrumental skills to participate and win prizes like a guitar, a ukulele and a full life service for them & etc https://instagram.com/acoustiveladakh?igshid=odw392i4e4ua
Making the students of Ladakh who are stuck in their education cities like Jammu, Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangluru,etc fascinating and making their quarantine more fun without their families around to stick together. This initiative is a great move to keeping the quarantine spirit filled with positive attitude and making them occupied and also making them not wanting to go outside as well to keep themselves safe from the virus.
Quarantine = Panic Buying
By Padma Dolma
Where Corona virus had reached at a height where we called it a ‘Pendamic’ and super nation like America itself had fallen for it with out any cure. Meanwhile India announcing the lockdown had created a panic wave over the citizens which resulting a huge mass doing panic buying.
BUT THE QUESTION RISES, SHOULD WE REALLY BE DOING PANIC BUYING IN THIS SITUATION?
Answer is a clearly ‘NO’
WHY?
The reason is as simple as it looks
For example : In a middle man house there are 2 people living and during a quarantine this house buys groceries for almost 8 people and if every middle man house does this when there is a lockdown, the demand goes pitched hieght and the supply is not enough for everyone so some gets and some doesn’t.
And in a country like India there are more below poverty line families then middle man families, so the BPL people suffers for every grain to fill their stomachs. There are people who suffer daily with the lockdown and the lockdown had made them jobless, shelterless and an empty stomach with no money to buy food or any medical backup. With the schools, colleges, offices and industries closed they don’t even have any reason to stay at the places where they came to work for and already facing difficulties of being shelterless, joblessness they are traveling by foot to reach their houses. With the people buying in a bulk in order to keep themselves away from ranning out of groceries they do a lot of panic buying and it’s really not necessary when the government is keeping a lenient lockdown.
Summer Hair Care Tips
By Muskan Mehndiratta
Every women wants to have smooth and silky hair, short or long, straight or curly but shiny hair always gives a good impression.
But hectic city life traffic pollutants and stress ruins the beauty of the hair.
Fortunately, you don’t have to buy expensive products and pay for salon treatments. Here are some homemade tips in this video which helps you in getting frizz-free, flawless, undamaged, glossy and bouncy hair at home.
Image Courtsey: @SevenRoses
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