In search of a new life: The Mars planet

Life has been existing over for 3.5 billion years ago. There were significant events in the past, like the extinction of dinosaurs about 66 million years ago. We also know about the start of agriculture, human-made tools used for several purposes. Now in the 21st century, we’ve accomplished a lot of achievements. Still, yes, we are slowly destroying the planet Earth. The nature around us earlier was so satisfying maybe a decade or before that. Suddenly, humanity started constructing buildings, complexes, resorts, artificial reservoirs, etc. This list never ends. They are even cutting down the trees to get more residential areas leading to deforestation. After all, this will all lead to a concrete jungle in the future, there will be no oxygen for survival, the animals will start disappearing, and soon everything will come to an end. This sequence of incidents can be a nightmare for someone, but this can turn into a reality. It’s in our hands to save the planet.

A dinosaur statue.
A dinosaur statue.

On the other side, they’re positive things going around the globe. Scientists and researchers have continuously been looking for existence in life in the other planets. Several space programs have been successfully executed and are still in progress. We know our solar system consisting of eight planets, but we’ve been more interested in the planet Mars. The first mission on Mars on 14th July 1965, Mariner 4, followed by Mariner 9, entered into the orbit. Though the first landing was by Mars 2 but crashed due to a malfunction which later on 2nd December 1971, Mars 3 became the first spacecraft to land on the Mars surface, that too interrupted after 14.5 seconds after its signal transmission failed.

A Mars rover.
An animated Mars rover.

Now in search of water on Mars, there are several types of research claiming that it is in the form of ice caps and many more theories. Still, of these findings, scientists, namely John G. MacDonald, Karien Rodriguez, and Stephen Quirk, developed something unique by which plants can be grown. You heard it right, a polymer through which it can deliver oxygen for the germinating sprout. They claim that regolith has nutrients for plant growth, but not oxygen, the prior requirement of a sapling as 95% of the Martian atmosphere is carbon dioxide. They described two methods of extracting oxygen, either from the metal oxides pre-existing in the regolith and electrolysis, but both processes are time-consuming. The proposed idea is that when the polymer combines with sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide, it becomes an oxygen infused foamed hydrogel. It has the potential to deliver controlled amounts of gaseous oxygen. The foamed matrix, along with regolith, can form the base or be directly coated around the seed to grow plants.

A plant is in a hand.
A person is holding a plant.

The most crucial mission among them was MOM, an interplanetary mission by ISRO, India called Mangalyaan, orbiting since 24th September 2014, becoming the 4th space agency to reach the planet Mars with the lowest cost. This mission has fascinated the kids in India, it got picturised in a movie called “Mission Mangal” in the Hindi language, premiered on 13th August 2019 in theaters. Imagination never ends, everything has a route, and hence it becomes a success, a part of the movie’s storyline. I hope you adhere the same in reality.

For more details about the research, you can visit the site mentioned below:

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2019.2056

Health facilities in life support

There is constant fear among the frontline health workers in India that the system is under severe stress and can crumble anytime in the middle of the covid-19 pandemic. India is a country that spends just over 1% of its GDP in health infrastructure. Hundreds of people lining up from different parts of the country outside hospitals like AIIMS, RML, GTB etc. is testament to our governments failing to provide affordable basic healthcare facilities to people. Even before the pandemic hit the country, there was 82% shortage of specialists and professionals in all government hospitals. Same goes for lab technicians, nurses and pharmacists.

Now, the covid-19 pandemic has tested and even defeated the health facilities of countries that provide the best healthcare in the world. Even in countries like Italy, Spain, United States and France; hospitals were continuously running out of staff, beds, oxygen cylinders, ventilators, medicines and many other essentials. There was a severe shortage of doctors, nurses and other medical staff to attend the admitted patients and then treatment was eventually handed out in priority basis.

Image
Wedding halls in Delhi being converted into corona isolation wards

Now consider the nightmare scenario India is currently in. Already the number of positive cases are rising exponentially with no signs of slowing down or even flattening. The ICUs and general wards of Delhi and Mumbai hospitals are almost full. Patients are being denied admission and treatment even for the most serious cases.  There are harrowing reports of people struggling to get a hospital bed including many grieving relatives saying that their loved ones died at the doorsteps of hospitals. In some cases, people even visited 6-7 hospitals and were still denied admission citing non availability of beds.

Nearly 70% beds vacant in COVID-19 hospitals run by Delhi govt, private facilities almost full
Patients waiting for their admission in a hospital in Delhi

And the misery persists even after death. Dozens of grieving men and women keep waiting outside hospitals throughout the day to identify the bodies of their loved ones who died due to COVID-19. Bodies are pilling up in hospital wards. There are chilling visuals of dead bodies left unattended by the hospital staff along with the patients. The relatives are handed over wrong bodies and patients are dangling out of their beds. These sights are becoming increasingly common in government hospitals all across the country.

After receiving hundreds of public interest litigations and taking suo moto cognizance after looking at numerous reports of gross violations of human rights, the high courts and the Supreme Court have come down heavily on central and state governments. The Supreme Court said that the situation is “horrendous” with respect to the handling of Covid-19 patients in Delhi, the capital city, and that the patients are being treated “worse than animals”. The court also slammed the Delhi government on mishandling of the situation and asked them why do the patients have to undergo such pathetic conditions in the hospitals. The situation is more or less the same in the rest of the country too. In Maharashtra, the state which has the maximum number of coronavirus cases, the high court had to direct the government to conduct more tests and increase the number of beds. Many doctors and health experts have said that Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has less than 30 ICU beds remaining.

E-learning: A boon or bane?

E-learning, which literally means, ‘electronic’ learning has received a sudden market-boost since the coronavirus outbreak. Digitalisation has been ongoing for quite some time, but the pandemic seems to have heralded it.

The digital coaching institutes which were earlier restricted to a few brand names, have now grown into a vast network. Many regular educational institutions have switched to e-learning temporarily. But  is online learning reliable as a permanent source of knowledge? Are we ready to modernise our system, or is e-learning not a substitute for traditional classrooms? 

Let’s find out. 

Schools offer twin development commitment: Academic and Characteristic. While e-learning modifies the pedagogy and makes learning more visual and digitally enabled, the students somehow miss out on social interactions and collaborative activities. It doesn’t seem to be very convincing on the characteristic development front of a student. Yet, it has an edge over traditional classrooms. How?

Let’s break this down into boons and banes of online learning.

Boons

  • Anything you need to learn is a search away- 

The beauty of digital learning is that anyone can learn anything,  at any place. There are no boundaries or restrictions. Every curiosity of yours has an answer. 

  • Less resource input and economically feasible –

For online learning, a physical set up of a classroom is not required. This makes the platform open for any teacher or even an ordinary person who wishes to teach. With less input cost, the cost of education ultimately lowers. 

  • Certificate and skill courses for better employment opportunities- 

Digitally you can pursue any course of your interest at any time, regardless of your age. When qualifications become a barrier in your professional life, you can always have a chance to enhance them digitally, even when it’s not possible physically.

  • Flexible study timings-

Flexible timings make e-learning accessible for everyone according to their routine, which ensures seamless learning.

  • Real-time interactive classes-

Live classes assure a healthy interaction between the tutor and the learner. Any query or confusion could be put up by the student without any embarrassment or fear.

  • Reduced school crimes-

Crimes we often hear about like sexual harassment, physical harassment, bullying, body shaming by seniors, teachers or classmates would be reduced to their minimal. 

With no physical interaction, it would be almost impossible for these crimes to emerge if the student has the right cyber knowledge.

Banes

  • Social ineffectiveness – When classrooms enter a room and are confined to a mobile screen, the student doesn’t get to interact with anyone physically. Gradually when they move out, they’d realise how the world is more nerve racking than their bedrooms. Social infectiveness would be a major impediment in not only their professional life but also in regular living. 
  • Unskilled scholars- As weird as it sounds,  if we enforce a digital system permanently, we’d soon be producing dumb-scholars, with no team working skills, extra curricular abilities, patience and communication skills. That would be like hatching a scholar chick out of his/her house who is in fact a grown up chicken and needs to live like one.
  • Unpunctuality and lethargy-  With everything served in their rooms and no one to keep a surveillance on, the learners would be rather lethargic and slothful. Their work would be left incomplete and if they do it, it would be done at the eleventh hour. They’d lose the value of knowledge if everything is readily available.

Lucknow – The City of Nawab

Introduction

Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh. It is also known as the City of Nawab. It has been listed as the 17th fastest growing city in India and 74th in the world. It is situated on the bank of river Gomti. Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula is known as the Creator of this city. This city is known as the centre of Urdu poetry and courtly diction and reached its zenith during the reign of Wajid Ali Shah who was the expert of music and poetry. Lucknow has always been a multicultural city that flourished as a North Indian Culture and artistic hub. It was the seat of power of Nawabs in the 18th and 19th century. It continues to be an important centre of governance administration, education, commerce, design and tourism etc. It was bounded on the east by Barabanki, on the west by Raibarelli and in the north by Sitapur and Hardoi. Lucknow along with Agra and Varanasi is listed in the UP Heritage Arc, a chain of survey triangulation created by UP govt to boost tourism.

History

Historically, Lucknow was the capital of the Awadh region controlled by the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire. It was transferred to the nawabs of Awadh. Lucknow also claims that this is one of the most ancient Hindus states with rich cultural heritage and monuments. Its original name was Lakhimpur or Laxmanpur because it was gifted to Lakshman bother of Lord Rama after their period of exile from the forest. In 1856, The British East India Company abolished local rule and took complete control of the city along with the rest of Awadh and in 1857, transferred it to the British Raj. It got independent in 1947 along with whole India. It got its title City of Nawabs after the reign of the third Nawab when Lucknow became their capital. It was best remembered for extra emergence and redefined culture and lifestyle. Here, you will found a mix of Hindu – Muslim culture which is known as “Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb”

Climate and Geographical Touch

In Lucknow, you will find humid subtropical climate with cool, dry winters from mid-November to February and dry hot summers with sunshine from March mid – May. Fog is quite common from mid – December to late January. As earlier, it was mention that Lucknow was situated in the bank of river Gomti. The city surrounded by rural town and villages. 

Famous Festival 

Lucknow Festival: This is one of the most popular festivals celebrated in Lucknow during November – December. This festival is celebrated for ten days and it mainly showcases the culture, heritage, arts and cuisines of people of this state. Other common festivals celebrated in Lucknow include – Holi, Diwali and Dussehra.

Famous Places for Visit

Lucknow’s buildings show different styles of architecture with the many iconic buildings built during the British and Mughal Era. The UP Tourism Department organizes a “Heritage Walk” for tourists covering the popular monuments. 

Husainabad Clock Tower

Kaiserbagh Palace of Complex

National Botanical Research Institute

State Museum Zoo

Hussainabad Imambara

Shah Najaf Imambara

The Millenial’s culture

Lingo is the new cool

Here,there,everywhere on the internet we find the new blood putting forward their ideas in an open manner, without being judged on the grounds of their maturity level or their age. The number of people using the social media handles is getting larger and larger every day and especially when it comes to the new age teens; they tend to post stories, posts and blogs on these platforms very blatantly. But that’s not enough- very one seeks out an easy mechanism to speak up their field of vision- the youngsters of our country or any country, do not lag behind in using “the lingos.” Yes, it sounds so awkward, instead of using a full fleshed word they go on to use abbreviations of these, but it is the only gospel truth. And why not? Living in an era as this, when pretending to be cool on social media platforms is the only way to survive the world, every individual strive to be the most influential one and is the root cause of rise of a problem which is huge, as huge as a mountain.

We all have gone to school, everybody have experienced that how preserving our teachers were, they made us grasp and master each and every spelling carefully. But, once the stories of their hard work is washed off from our minds, it’s gone then, never even unknowingly they struck in our minds. But unfortunately, this was not the day we digested so much of spellings and got beaten from our teachers when-

Perfect has been replaced with “perf”; though has become ” Tho”; through has been changed into “thru”; an enthusiastic yes has become ” Yaas”; they use words like “bruh” to signify a serious issue; “dead” is unapologetically used when someone is euphorically happy; family is replaced for “fam”, and so on and so forth.

All things considered it is a serious issue hanging out on the flanks of people’s eyesight, since at the end of the day, it is the Millenials who build up the social media and it is them on who’s shoulder the way to get a fresh breed of intellectuals is stationed.

Though the trend is going through all over the social media and these young buds are following it anyway, it has drastically changed the way they speak, they write and also the way they handle with their studies and stuff like that.

It sounds fun to use such lingos as these and that the planet has become flooded with such abbreviations but there are times when we go much out of our ways and start using them in our day to day routines, even with our parents who fails to understand what we want to convey and become “old, fogey and obstinate” Despite knowing the fact that “old never gets odd“

Free time- ‘Qualifying’

Its 3 months of being quarantined at home. And don’t know how long it will take to normalise the situation. So everyone would be asking what productive you are doing being at home!? Yes we are getting a lot free time and in that case instead of absurdly wasting it, we should do something that will add to our personality. And to be honest this pandemic made me realise that I have no good hobbies so that working on them I may get perfection in them:/ But we should not get diasppointed as we have many more sources through which we can try our luck on. Trying things doesn’t mean only related to the academics. You should try things even for fun because this time will never come back so as much as making it productive, make it joyous as well! On the top of, you can learn so many things online being at home so trying different things will only add on more to your personality.

Here’s a list that we can do in this no vacation holidays!!

1) Blogging:- Yes you can start writing a blog on your own. Blogging helps write on the particular topic you are interested in. And being alone bored at home having depression or suicidal thoughts, then you should definitely try writing you’ll feel relaxed and it will be same as people are listening to you!

2) Painting/sketching:- This is the right time where you can relive your adolescence, childhood. You can sketch, paint, draw according to your interest. Don’t try to bring perfection, just try and check you skills. Atleast for fun.

3) Meditation:- I know it will not be called a hobby but make it a part of your hobbies. Meditating just 30 seconds, yes its only a matter of 30 seconds. Start with really less time and slowy increase it second by second. Thanking and being grateful for everything you have now even in this hard time.

4) Online courses:- Join an online course and start practicing it. We are having many online courses available for free that can add up to our skills.

5) Dance:- Even when you are a bad dancer you should dance for a while. Its a best stress booster. You will be overwhelmed and will feel energetic and joyous. You don’t have to have good professional steps. Dance as you like to dance..choose the basic steps, silly steps but you should dance atleast for 2 minutes. Even ask your family members to accompany you.

6) Singing:- Is it too much that am asking you? Never mind; ) those who are bathroom singers don’t restrict yourself to that area, sing infront of your parents. They will be satisfied that the kid is not pinning into the phone.

7) Watching good movie:- Watching good movies, web series and shows with your family will stronger your bond between your families, and try to watch comedy movies more. This time is of living with less stress.

8) Cooking:- Mostly people are stuck to this one hobby which is good. This is the best thing one can do and being a foodie and as well being a good cook(chef) will make you do wonders in cooking. Try on tasty food items at home and let your parents know your magic in cooking.

9) Share market:- This is a good time to know about the position of the market. On going pandemic has brought a drastic decline in the market. So, investing time in this may get you knowledgeable in this field. ‘First learn and then earn.’ Not a part of your hobby but may add more to your knowledge.

10) Reading:- Make reading as your habit. Reading is a basic part of our life. Reading will help you open up various ideas, will broaden your point of view and change the scenario.

Try on some of these and try to make it a part of your daily routine. This will change your perspective and you will feel positive.

Values of discipline

Discipline defines our destiny. It is a training of the mind to bring in self-control and obedience. Discipline is the most important and expected quality of every human being. In the way of discipline, we can able to achieve all walks of life. It makes them do the right thing and be obedient to others. People achieving in the sports field are able to do so, due to the discipline they show in their activities. It sweats in them sweat in the field and achieve their goals. A man who lost his discipline then he has to lose all belong to him.

Discipline is the strength of a Nation. Discipline in the Army used to protect the country from enemy forces. Discipline in their work makes them be an expert in their field like a discipline in sports make perfect sportsmen. A disciplined man can never be involved in any crimes and illegal activities. Every citizen in the country should consider Discipline as their lifelong pleasure. Such disciplined persons are proud assets of the country. Discipline protects the society.

There are certain disciplines that govern the whole universe. Let think, what will happen if that Earth moves from the East to West. The solar and lunar eclipses also exist with certain laws. Lack of discipline is harmful to society and all the crimes were the evidence for the lack of discipline

” Discipline is obedience to rules formed by the society for the good of all” – Aristotle.

Post Graduation Opportunities In Australia

The world is your oyster! The world is yours to conquer after you complete your graduation in Australia. There are plenty of routes one can take to enhance their career or to settle down. Once graduation is complete, the students can apply for further studies to enhance their knowledge and creative pursuits. Like a candy shop for students, there are several post-graduate courses and diplomas available in various universities across Australia that a student can choose from.

There are various Visas that students can apply for. There is the attractive Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485) that students can apply for to stay longer(18 months) in the country to work and hone their skills and get work experience and eventually get a permanent residency. The 402 Training and Research Visa for students allow them to enhance and improve their skills for two years under the guidance of the employer. The 487 Regional Sponsored Visa leads to permanent residency with work for 3 years. There are other Visas like the 885, 886 and 887 Visa which allows permanent residency too.

There are various top-class universities in Australia that students can choose to do their post-graduate studies. The top 5 Universities in Australia according to QS World University Rankings are -:
1) University of Melbourne
2) Australian National University
3) University of Sydney
4) University of Queensland
5) UNSW Sydney

There are varying Master’s degrees for those who wish to continue with their academic studies.
1) Traditional Masters- This is the traditional form of Masters which allows students to study the subject of their choice in more details. This generally paves the way to research. 

2) “Change of direction Masters” -This is for students who want to gain information and study a new field which is different from their field of study in graduation.

3) “Professional development Masters”- This allows students to have a more comprehensive understanding of their field through training. For example, a teacher can enhance his/her skills by opting for Education management.

The various postgraduate programmes in Australia can cost the student anywhere between AUD $22,000 and AUD $50,000 per year (USD $15,100-34,305) for overseas students. However, like Universities around the world, different courses have different fees. A MA in Arts and Humanities will cost less while a course in Science will cost more.

Barring academics, students can opt to work in a field of their choice where the employer may keep the employees via Employer Nomination Scheme Visa and then they can stay in Australia for as long as they keep working under the employer. Students can also decide to take a break from academics and work and travel the country. The students can apply for the Tourist visa which allows international students to stay in the country for either three, six or twelve months. Australia has a lot of scenic tourist spots such as the Sydney Opera House, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Blue Mountains National Park, Bondi Beach to name a few which is a pleasure for the senses.

Australia, the largest country in Oceania offers a lot of opportunities for students to pursue post their graduation. It is up to the students to decide the direction they want to take. They can also decide to return back to their own country as a graduate degree from Australia is invaluable in any country and commands respect.

SUMMER SEASON IN INDIA

@martin_photography

Among the four seasons of India, the one that shows signs of sweltering heat is the Summer Season. Summer Season in India falls between the months of March till May. During this season, most parts of the country face hot winds and beating heat from the Sun. Many parts of the country face Water Scarcity during this season. The temperature easily varies between 35°C to 45°C. The best way to keep ourselves feel better is to keep drinking water frequently throughout the day. Taking fruits like Watermelon, eating light food and drinking tender coconut are effective ways to protect ourselves from getting dehydrated easily.

Summer Season in India starts in the month of March and ends in the month of May. Sometimes, the season prevails till the second week of June before Rainy Season in India. Summer Season in India is tolerable during the month of March. But slowly, as the season continues till the month of May and June, we can experience the roasting sun hitting our places every day from 8 am or 10 am. We can hardly experience a pleasant environment around us.

It is important to keep ourselves from dehydration. Best suggestions to follow during summer season are:

  • Drinking lots of water everyday minimum 3 liter
  • Eating lots of fruits with water content (Eg Water Melon)
  • Drinking Tender Coconut frequently
  • Avoiding going out unless and until it is very important (to keep yourself from prickly heat and sunburns)
  • Wearing light clothes to avoid sweating easily and to feel better

Many parts of India suffer due to water scarcity during this season. The temperature shoots up to 45°C which cannot be tolerated by many people. People in many states even die because of the burning summer season. We cannot control nature and its adverse effects, but we can right actions to meet them and keep ourselves safe. We should take initiatives to save water throughout the year for use during times of scarcity in Summer Season. Generally, tourists from other countries do not visit India during Summer Season; it is not advisable too.

Think and wonder,wonder and think..

Wonder is defined as a feeling of amazement and admiration caused by something beautiful, remarkable, unfamiliar. Someone has rightly quoted that “Mystery creates wonder and the wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand”.The campaign to search 7 World started in (2000 -2007) to select out of 200 existing monuments. In which “The Great Wall Of China” was selected it was built around 5th an 16 th Ce BC. It is a stone built wall to protect the borders of Chinese empire from invading Mongols. “Christ The Redeemer Statue”was also the part of 7 Wonders the statue has been looming over the Brazilians from over Corcovado mountains this statue is mesmerizing to see. “Machu Picchu (Peru) which exist in Incan city of sparkling granite precariously perched between 2 towering Andean peaks.The beautiful view of the site can be taken by reaching through foot,train, or helicopter.The “Chichen Itza” (Yucatan Peninsula , Mexico) is the great work of Mahan culture is the genius work of art.This was a powerful city, a trading centre for cloth ,slaves , honey and cloth.It was one of the largest cities.”The Roman Colosseum” which stands in Rome was built between AD 70 and 80.The elliptical structure was constructed in a way so that 50k people could gather and watch the traditional events. The most beautiful can be called heavenly beauty “The Taj Mahal” which is in India (Agra) was built by the Mughal Emperor ‘Shah Jahan” in the memory of his beloved wife ‘ Mumtaz Mahal’.The white marble structure represents number of architectural styles which includes Persian,Islamic, Turkish and Indian. The “Petra” ( Jordan) which was originally known as Raqmu it is a historical city in Jordan the city is carved with rose red standstone rock facades, tombs and temples it is the most visited tourist attractions in Jordan.