Do you want to lose weight? But you dread about all the rules and restrictions that come with it? Do you want to rope in the benefits of vegetarian diet? But cannot even imagine about going meat –free. Don’t worry. Stay put and read on.

Flexitarian – a term coined by Dawn Jackson Blatner in 2008 in her book “The Flexitarian Diet”, simply means combining plant based diet and animal diet in a holistic manner.

As the name suggests it comes from flexible + vegetarian. It encourages plant based foods without letting off your favorite chicken burger. So you need not follow a strict regime. But let me aware you of the fact that this diet system decreases the frequency and quantity of your meat intake.

How much meat should I consume if I follow this diet regime?

You should be consuming 9 to 28 ounces of meat per week depending upon your allegiance.

How to begin with?

There are 3 stages by which you can gradually decrease your meat count.

1. Beginner: Do not consume more than 28 ounces per week. You can go meat-free for 2 days a week.
2. Intermediate:  Increase your intake of fruits and veggies. Have a full vegetarian diet for  3-4 days a week. Reduce your meat intake to 18 ounces for the rest of the days of the week.
3.  Expert: Opt for complete vegetarian diet for 5 days a week. For the remaining 2 days, go for 9 ounces of meat. But mind it NOT MORE THAN THAT!

Can I consume dairy products?

YES. Since its flexible dieting, you can have dairy products (thanks to its nutritional values) but in moderation.

What benefits shall I reap?

• Reduced risk of heart disease : Veggies are high in fiber and have antioxidants. Since meat have saturated fats, non veg foods buoy up cholesterol levels. This increases fat deposits in blood vessels, thereby making it difficult for sufficient blood to flow through the arteries. On the other hand, fiber rich diet and healthy fats reduce blood pressure and increase good cholesterol.

Flexitarian diet is not completely but mostly plant based, hence it shall give you the benefits of a veg diet.

• Weight management :  Veggies are fiber rich, they keep your tummy full for longer hours, thereby reducing your hunger pangs. And being lower in calories, they help you to keep your weight under control.

• Prevents diabetes :  Vegetarian diets are many times better for reducing the risk of Type-2 diabetes due to their weight management capability (thereby making your body more insulin responsive) and high fiber.  This benefit will incorporate in flexitarian diet to some extent.

• Preventing cancer : There have been many debates over this topic. Evidences are limited, but some researchers believe that plant based foods have an added advantage over meat regarding this issue. Since vegetables and fruits have much lower calorie-count, they control your weight. Weight gain is one of the factors of some type of cancers.

• Flexible : As the name suggests, you don’t need to forgo your favourite hamburger or your favourite juicy steak. Invite your friends at your place, cook them a delicious non veg meal and enjoy it with them. Wink!

• Eco friendly :  Even after reading so many benefits, you are heavyhearted about having to let go off your fried chicken for most days of the week, let me tell you that not only you are improving your health but also the health of mother nature. YES… YOU READ THAT RIGHT. Farming livestock contributes a lot to greenhouse gas emissions. By reducing your intake of meat, you are stepping into the shoes of an environment warrior.

“Following a flexitarian lifestyle not only has a smaller environmental footprint, but patients often experience weight loss, have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and live 3.6 years longer”

Blatner

Great! So it’s completely healthy, right?

Actually not. Flexitarian comes with its cons.

• Nutrition deficiency: Plant based diets may lack in some nutrition that meat meals provide such as omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, zinc. In order to get the best of both worlds, plan your diet accordingly.

• Difficult for regular meat eaters: This regime might become difficult for those who cannot even imagine one meat-free meal. In such case, I would suggest to gradually reduce your meat intake. Start with one day, then go on increasing to 3 or 4 days. In this way your body will get accustomed to vegetarian food and you will not indulge in unhealthy eating habits.

• Lack of awareness: People are not well aware of flexitarian diet. Reducing meat intake and increasing veggies consumption does not mean that you can have added sugar and carbohydrates as this will lead you to nowhere.

Conclusion – Like all other things in the world, Fkexitarian diet comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. But with proper plan and tenacity, you can make the most out of it.

What are you waiting for? Go ahead and let me know your comments in the comment section below.

International Day Of the Unborn Child is a feast day celebrated on 25^th March of every year. This day is celebrated in remembrance of unborn foetuses. This day is observed as a day of opposition to abortion. In 1993, El Salvador, the first country to celebrate this day, observed Day of the Right to Be Born. After this, many countries began to observe their own remembrances of the unborn child.

What’s the significance?

This day celebrates thousands of unborn children whose lives have been sacrificed due to the savagery of abortion. This day is a reminder that all human lives are special. Each and every human life is precious and has dignity since the day of its conception. The countries observe this day as their protest against abortion.  International Day of The Unborn Child reminds us that human life at any stage should be respected.

History

Pope John Paul II established this day to coincide with the Feast of Annunciation. Following the footsteps of El Salvador, several other countries started observing this day.

Argentina – Day of The Unborn – 1998

Chile – Day of the Conceived and Unborn – 1998

Guatemala – National Day of the Unborn – 1999

Costa Rica – National Day of Life Before Birth – 1999

Nicaragua – Day of the Unborn Child – 2000

Other countries such as Peru, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic and Paraguay are also observing this day.

Abortion and its effects

The decision to end a pregnancy is quite a difficult one and often requires a lot of reflection. There are variety of reasons to undergo an abortion – unplanned pregnancy, financial crisis, health issues, socioeconomic reasons and many other such factors.

Abortion is a loss and different individuals deal with it differently. The range of emotions varies from grief, regret, depression to happiness or sense of relief. This is a very crucial stage and requires support from family and friends.

Abortion can cause irregular menstrual cycles and sudden hormonal changes that require a longer recovery time. A constant state of negative emotions can lead to anxiety and depression.

Legality of abortion

There have been many debates regarding the abortion laws. Different laws prevail in different countries. There has been a constant wrangling between “pro-life” and “pro-choice”. In light of religious beliefs, human rights issues, women’s rights, as well as ethical issues, the entire matter is very debatable as both sides strongly believe they have logical reasoning and moral rights to support their claims.

There are 67 countries in the world that allow women to undergo abortion upon their request (with limiting gestational period). On the other hand, there are 26 countries in the world that forbid abortion altogether.

Some countries with liberal abortion laws offer legislations to safeguard the abortion clinics against vandalism, demonstrations, threats and harassment to both patients and staff. While some other countries create “buffer zones” around the clinics so that the protestors cannot have an access to the facility.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act of 1971 provided for the legalization of abortion in India under various circumstances for the past 50 years.

Now let us go through some facts and figures:

• According to a report, in 2019, there were approximately 630,000 legal abortions reported in the United States.
• According to WHO, 22% of all pregnancies in the USA (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.
• WHO noted that every year there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions in the world. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day.

Today is World Tuberculosis (TB) Day. Every year 24^th March is observed as World TB Day. This day is celebrated to build public awareness and eradicate this disease. It was on this date in 1882 that Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacteria Mycobacterium Tuberculosis that causes tuberculosis, which opened the door to diagnosing and curing this deadly infectious disease.  The theme of World TB Day 2022 is “Invest To End TB, Save Lives”. As per a report stated by WHO, 15,00,000 people died of TB in 2020. As a result of COVID-19, years of progress made to end TB have been reversed. The number of TB deaths increased in 2020 for the first time in more than a decade.

Let’s have a look at the causes and symptoms of TB.

Causes

TB is a contagious infection that usually affects lungs but can also spread to other parts of the body such as brain and spine. It is an air borne disease. When a person inhales air particles, droplet nuclei, containing Mycobacterium Tubeculosis, it infects the person. It is curable but the medications need to be taken for a long period of time, usually 6 to 9 months.

There are 2 types of TB-

• Latent TB – The person neither shows any symptoms nor is he contagious. But there are chances that the bacteria will become active.
• Active TB – The person is contagious and can spread the disease by coughing or sneezing.

Symptoms

• Cough that persists more than 3 weeks
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Blood in the cough
• Night sweat
• Fever
• Chills
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite

Prevention

• Proper ventilation – Since TB is an air-borne disease, poor ventilation elevates the disease.
• UV Light – UV light can kill TB bacteria
• Hygiene – Covering mouth and nose is important while coughing or sneezing to prevent the spread of TB
• Vaccination – BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) is the only vaccine against TB and has been in use since  1921. A strain of weakened bovine tuberculosis bacillus, Mycobacterium bovis, is used in this vaccine. It is administered only to infants and is not given once the infant becomes 12 months of age.

Organisations

Many organisations such as World Health Organisation (WHO), National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA), TB Elimination Alliance, Stop TB Partnership, Atlanta Tuberculosis Prevention Coalition (ATPC) are working to build public consciousness and eliminate this disease. By joining hands with local administration bodies, they arrange for public training and campaigns.

U.S National Institutes of Health, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, UK Medical Research Council are some of the major organisations that provide funds for TB research and development.

Now when you are well aware of the causes and symptoms of TB, let us go through some statistics.

Statistics

• According to some reports, as of 2019, it was estimated that TB was responsible for around 1.2 million deaths a year worldwide, with most TB cases and deaths occurring in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia.
• India has the highest number of deaths from TB worldwide, with around 436,000 deaths from the disease reported in 2019. The three countries with the highest death rates from TB in 2019 were all found in Africa.
• Cases of TB in developed countries have decreased steadily over the past few decades, dropping to a rate of 2.76 per 100,000 populations in 2018.
• The report also states that there has been a success rate in treatment for all new and relapse TB cases in WHO world regions. In 2018, Africa reported a treatment success rate for new and relapse cases of about 82 percent.     

23^rd March of every year is marked as Shaheed Diwas or Martyr’s Day. This day commemorates the sacrifices made by freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev for India’s independence. This day marks the death anniversary of these 3 valiant freedom fighters.

History of Shaheed Diwas

Lala Lajpat Rai was a pivot figure in Indian Independence Movement. In 1928, Simon Commission, headed by Sir John Simon, was set up to report on the political situation of India.  Indian political parties boycotted the commission because it did not include any Indian member. When the commission visited Lahore on 30^th October 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai led a non violent protest and gave the slogan  “Simon Go Back”. Protestors held black flags and chanted the slogan.

Inspite of the peaceful protest, the superintendent of Lahore police, James Scott ordered the police to lathi charge the protestors. He fatally wounded Lala Lajpat Rai. Lajpat Rai succumbed to his wounds on 17^th November 1928.

Aftermath

The British government denied any role in Lajpat Rai’s death. Revolutionary Freedom fighter Bhagat Singh witnessed the horrific incident. He joined hands with Rajguru, Sukhdev and Chandra Shekhar Azad and vowed to avenge the death of Lajpat Rai.

On 17^th December 1928, owing to mistaken identity, Rajguru and Bhagat Singh shot the assistant superintendent of Lahore police, John P. Saunders.

In April 1929, in the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi, Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt blowed two bombs and allowed the authorities to arrest them.

The trial led to the hanging of the trio in 23^rd March 1931.

“Bhagat Singh did not become popular because of his act of terrorism but because he seemed to vindicate, for the moment, the honour of Lala Lajpat Rai, and through him of the nation. He became a symbol; the act was forgotten, the symbol remained, and within a few months each town and village of the Punjab, and to a lesser extent in the rest of northern India, resounded with his name.”

Jawaharlal Nehru

Conclusion

The sacrifices made by our national heroes should be remembered at all times. Shaheed Diwas reminds us that we must not forget the martyrs of our great leaders and uphold the dignity and valour of our motherland.

Theatre is defined as a form of performing art in which live performers present real events or fictional events before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage.

“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” 

Oscar Wilde

The origin of Indian theatre dates back to 2^nd century BC. The earliest form was Sanskrit theatre. Indian theatre was heavily based upon Natyashastra authored by Bharata. It eventually modernized with the advent of British rule.

Indian Theatre can be classified into 3 parts – classical, traditional and modern.

Classical – Some notable playwrights of this era are Kalidasa, Bhasa, Harsha, Shudraka, Vishakhadatta and Bhavabhuti. Classical era plays were based on stories that were already known to the audience such as folk tales, history or epic. This era lasted upto 1000CE.

Traditional –  Traditional era mainly consisted of different Hindu religious cult and divinities. It dealt with vice and virtue and thereby was larger than life. This era witnessed the introduction of monologue and soliloquy. Different types of traditional theatres performed throughout the country are Jatra, Rasleela, Bhavai etc.

Modern – Contemporary Indian theatre is rooted in the British era. It was heavily influenced from western dramas. In contrast with the stylized techniques used in traditional Indian theatre, the acting became melodramatic and naturalistic. Not just historical and religious themes, but for the first time social and political themes were enacted. Playwrights like Shambhu Mitra, Vijay Tendulkar, Ibrahim Alkazi, Girish Karnad and Utpal Dutt etc. made new experiments and contributed in developing the theatre form to reach where it is today.

Indian theatre and society

The theatre and society in India have always been interconnected. Even during the colonial era, the plays were heavily based on nationalism and patriotism. The first famous play of this kind, Nil Darpan,  was written by Dinabandhu Mitra in Bengali. This play was based on the theme of forced cultivation of indigo inflicted on the native planters by British rulers. Plays like Khadrin Verdri, Desheeya Koti, Bharat Durdasha, Andher Nagri also reflected the plight of then India.

19^th century plays condemned the social evils and superstitions like caste system, untouchability, dowry, child marriage, to name a few.

Indians were now introduced to plays of foreign languages. Many plays of Shakespeare were adapted in India.

Indian theatre witnessed many changes in the post-independence era. Cinema posed a challenge to the entertainment theatre and thus, amateur theatre flourished. While entertainment theatre thrilled masses, it was often criticized, particularly by educated people. This opened the door for literary drama and amateur drama. One such notable playwright of literary drama was Rabindranath Tagore.

Conclusion

Indian theatre has played a significant role in spreading awareness among the masses. Street theatre deals with various daily life issues like corruption, domestic violence, child labour, women empowerment etc.  In collaboration with various NGOs, theatres also conduct plays in rural areas to spread awareness.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are cryptographic assets on a blockchain with unique identification codes and metadata that distinguish them from each other. Unlike cryptocurrencies, they cannot be traded or exchanged at equivalency. This differs from fungible tokens like cryptocurrencies, which are identical to each other and, therefore, can serve as a medium for commercial transactions.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• NFTs are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain and cannot be replicated.
• NFTs can represent real-world items like artwork and real estate.
• “Tokenizing” these real-world tangible assets makes buying, selling, and trading them more efficient while reducing the probability of fraud.
• NFTs can also function to represent individuals’ identities, property rights, and more.

The distinct construction of each NFT has the potential for several use cases. For example, they are an ideal vehicle to digitally represent physical assets like real estate and artwork. Because they are based on blockchains, NFTs can also work to remove intermediaries and connect artists with audiences or for identity management. NFTs can remove intermediaries, simplify transactions, and create new markets.

Much of the current market for NFTs is centered around collectibles, such as digital artwork, sports cards, and rarities. Perhaps the most hyped space is NBA Top Shot, a place to collect non-fungible tokenized NBA moments in digital card form. Some of these cards have sold for millions of dollars. Recently, Twitter’s (TWTR) Jack Dorsey tweeted a link to a tokenized version of the first tweet ever, in which he wrote: “just setting up my twttr.” The NFT version of the first-ever tweet sold for more than $2.9 million.

Understanding NFTs 

Like physical money, cryptocurrencies are fungible, meaning that they can be traded or exchanged, one for another. For example, one bitcoin is always equal in value to another bitcoin. Similarly, a single unit of ether is always equal to another unit. This fungibility characteristic makes cryptocurrencies suitable as a secure medium of transaction in the digital economy.

NFTs shift the crypto paradigm by making each token unique and irreplaceable, thereby making it impossible for one non-fungible token to be equal to another. They are digital representations of assets and have been likened to digital passports because each token contains a unique, non-transferable identity to distinguish it from other tokens. They are also extensible, meaning you can combine one NFT with another to “breed” a third, unique NFT.

Just like Bitcoin, NFTs also contain ownership details for easy identification and transfer between token holders. Owners can also add metadata or attributes pertaining to the asset in NFTs. For example, tokens representing coffee beans can be classified as fair trade. Or, artists can sign their digital artwork with their own signature in the metadata.  An example of NFT is Holy Bibles NFT

Why Are Non-Fungible Tokens Important? 

Non-fungible tokens are an evolution of the relatively simple concept of cryptocurrencies. Modern finance systems consist of sophisticated trading and loan systems for different asset types, ranging from real estate to lending contracts to artwork. By enabling digital representations of physical assets, NFTs are a step forward in the reinvention of this infrastructure.

To be sure, the idea of digital representations of physical assets is not novel nor is the use of unique identification. However, when these concepts are combined with the benefits of a tamper-resistant blockchain of smart contracts, they become a potent force for change.

Perhaps, the most obvious benefit of NFTs is market efficiency. The conversion of a physical asset into a digital one streamlines processes and removes intermediaries. NFTs representing digital or physical artwork on a blockchain remove the need for agents and allow artists to connect directly with their audiences. They can also improve business processes. For example, an NFT for a wine bottle will make it easier for different actors in a supply chain to interact with it and help track its provenance, production, and sale through the entire process. Consulting firm Ernst & Young has already developed such a solution for one of its clients.

Non-fungible tokens are also excellent for identity management. Consider the case of physical passports that need to be produced at every entry and exit point. By converting individual passports into NFTs, each with its own unique identifying characteristics, it is possible to streamline the entry and exit processes for jurisdictions. Expanding this use case, NFTs can serve an identity management purpose within the digital realm as well.

NFTs can also democratize investing by fractionalizing physical assets like real estate. It is much easier to divide a digital real estate asset among multiple owners than a physical one. That tokenization ethic need not be constrained to real estate; it can extend to other assets, such as artwork. Thus, a painting need not always have a single owner. Its digital equivalent can have multiple owners, each responsible for a fraction of the painting. Such arrangements could increase its worth and revenues.

The most exciting possibility for NFTs lies in the creation of new markets and forms of investment. Consider a piece of real estate parceled out into multiple divisions, each of which contains different characteristics and property types. One of the divisions might be next to a beach while another is in an entertainment complex, and yet another is a residential district. Depending on its characteristics, each piece of land is unique, priced differently, and represented with an NFT. Real estate trading, a complex and bureaucratic affair, can be simplified by incorporating relevant metadata into each unique NFT.

India might have to engage more deeply with the Ukrainian war as the conflict deepens

With a convincing majority of 141 of 193 countries, the UN General Assembly voted on Wednesday for a resolution that deplored in the ” strongest terms” Russia’s attack on Ukraine and demanded an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops .The resolution, which was discuss in a rare special emergency session and under the rubric of the “Uniting for peace ” resolution invoked after decades , came as a result of an aborted resolution at the UN security Council, which Russia, as a permanent member,had vetoed . While the UNGA resolution carries little teeth , it does represent a common stand taken by the international public commons , with 96 countries signing up as co-sponsors of the resolution. Russia rejected the outcome as a political vote that came of severe “pressure” from the U.S. and European countries that were the drivers of the resolution, but it seemed clear that it was isolated on the global stage . Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea and Syria voted against the motion, and 35 , including India, abstained. While the resolution also decried the Russian decision to recognise Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states, representatives of member states made it clear that it was the relentless bombing of Ukrainian cities that they could not turn a blind eye to.

India’s abstention, not a surprise, disappointed many western countries that have been lobbying for a shift in the Indian position. In the past week, India has abstained from three votes ( including two procedural ones) at the UNSC where it is an elected member, one at the UN Human Rights Council, and another at the IAEA on resolutions critical of Russia.

While evacuating Indians is an important priority, it cannot be India’s only focus in this crisis, given its aspirations for global leadership and the oft quoted motto of “Vasudhaiva kutumbakam” . It may become necessary for India to engage more deeply with the conflict in Europe, which is now a global concern.

India must pursue schemes for rehabilitation of children orphaned by the pandemic

Numbers can often be hustled to tell many tales; but it is the story that is picked on the basis of the desire to do what is morally right that sets the course for meaningful action. The recent lancet estimates of COVID-19 associated orphanhood , which put the number at over 19 lakh children orphaned as a result of COVID-19, has raised India’s hackles . The Lancet study generated numbers based on modelling, and therefore only estimates and not actual numbers are available. Globally, it estimated that 52 lakh children had been rendered orphans by the pandemic. The study, in its original period, March 1,2020 to April 30,2021 was revised , with updates based on excess mortality and fertility data used to model increases in estimates of COVID-19 associated orphanhood between May 1ans October 31,2021 for 21 countries. Orphanhood was defined as the death of one or both parents ; or the death of one or both custodial grandparents. The authors claimed their findings showed numbers of children orphaned by COVID-19 had almost doubled in six months compared with the data after the first 14 months of the pandemic.

India has objected strongly to the estimate of 19 lakh, terming it as “sophisticated trickery intended to create panic among citizens” . As per data collected by the National Commission for protection of child rights and collated on the Bal Swaraj portal, the number of children orphaned during COVID-19 in India was far lower, at 1.53 lakh.

While the study does include revised estimates for all the nations , the message that it seeks to convey is the absolute urgency with which governments must incorporate childcare into any COVID-19 management programme. The state should proactively draw such children into the umbrella of care to save them from numerous adversities —poverty, violence , destitution, and lack of access to education and health care. The Indian government, to its credit, announced a grand plan of support for children forced into orphanhood by COVID-19.

Well begun is half done , but the centre and the states must expand efforts. The government would do well to allow interventions for children to be informed by a “whole life” care paradigm, and fresh data from time to time , especially in a pandemic that is not only rapidly evolving, but by all accounts, is nowhere near ending.

The time may have come for clarifying the role and functions of Governors

Signs of a confrontation between Raj Bhavan and the elected government in a state are not infrequent in the country. The onus often appears to be on the Chief Ministers to avert a constitutional crisis, as evidenced by Pinrayi Vijayan trying to buy peace with a miffed governor, Arif Mohammad Khan, rather than pursue a confrontational course, over several issues in recent times . One way of seeing these developments is to attribute then to the appointment of those who have been politically active in the recent past as Governors and the partisan role they playas agents of the centre .

However, the problems may have to do with the way they understand their own powers. Constrained by the ‘aid and advice ‘ clause in their routine functioning, some Governors seem to be using the discretionary space available to them to keep regimes on tenterhooks . A constitution bench of the Supreme court laid down in 1974 that the president and governor shall “exercise their formal constitutional powers only upon and in accordance with the advice of their Ministers save in a few well known exceptional situations”—“situations” also iluustratively listed.