Clean India Drive

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had started 'Clean India Campaign' or 'Swach Bharat  Abhiyaan'.  Modi has started  national level campaign to clean India on 2nd October, 2014 .  Modi has chosen this day as this day is celebrated as the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, our National father. Mahatma Gandhi had the vision of clean India.

At the event held at his Race Course residence, Modi also made a fervent appeal to all the NDA MPs to ensure the success of his ambitious projects like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

He had elaborated discussion on many issues which the government has brought to the nation. He focused mainly on cleanliness and how a MP, celebrities and common man of India  can make a change in India.
Narendra Modi called upon celebrities to campaign for the cause including Hritik Roshan, Nagarjuna, Salman Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Shashi Tharoor, Kamal Hassan, Priyanka Chopra, entire team of the popular serial ‘Tarak Mehta ka Ulta Chasma’, Baba Ramdev, Mridula Sinha, Amir Khan, Anil Ambani so that the campaign can gain momentum.

He asked for building a chain of campaign where every person will urge another nine persons to try and implement the campaign of cleanliness. PM took oath of providing free labour of 100 hours per year or 2 hours per week towards cleanliness and also not to litter or allow any other person litter.  Modi delegated this to celebrities as they are the role models for millions of people. If celebrities take initiative in campaign then definitely it can lead to the mass momentum.

Modi stressed that campaign will never reach its peak if Indians consider it as a government programme only. It should be a mass movement, where people have to change their mindset first and pledge to keep India clean. Modi has a dream that India will be clean by 2029... Read More

Indian Politics and Defense Personnels

India is one of  the biggest democratic countries where political leaders are given the utmost importance than anyone. Regrettably, the situation in India is such that the Human Resource Minister is just 12th Pass and handling Education Department. The Same situation in many other ministeries where civil servants are working under them and dancing to their tunes.

Another unfortunate situation is that the Armed Forces is the  backbone of security, but they cannot take  independent decision and had to hear politicians. In case they died in the war or safeguarding the territory from the terror attack, they were promised to give pension that was never received by the family in full amount. Though One Rank One Pension, (OROP) is passed for defense personals but not implemented correctly.

In India, immature politicians had been given constitutional power and not surprisingly, they make irresponsible and unaccountable use of the Armed Forces. To fulfill their political desires, they made many innocent defense personnel slain by terrorists.

Indian defense personals are not allowed to interfere in a governance at all levels.The Indian political system is such that they are bogey about a defense Personnels. This is unfortunate for the Indian Politics that it has been excluded from the valuable military advice in decisions involving India’s security. It is tragic for our nation, where, despite young cops ready to be martyred for the nation and can easily get the success of our enemies but could not take any step because of political pressure.

Not only the politics, even the upper class, elite class, bureaucrats, technocrats and business entrepreneurs care less about what the defense personnels do for their security. They are safeguarding borders in the extreme temperatures i.e. from + 50 degree Celsius  and – 26 degree Celsius. They had to face many adversities, but their efforts are going in vain because of corrupt politics.

Recently in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Col Munindra Nath  was killed in a gun battle with militants a day after he was awarded Yudh Seva Medal on Republic Day. There are many such Defence personnels who never cared for their life and died for the Nation. They are true Heroes who get martyred for the nation.

We Indians can sleep safely because they are awake for us 24/7. There is need to have gratitude for such great heroes and great respect for them. If you agree with me then salute these unsung heroes of our country and acknowledge their contributions for our security... Read More

Housing Societies in India

Nowadays, housing societies or resident welfare associations or apartment associations are popular in India. These societies or associations consist of the group of the house owners/flat owners who reside in the same premises, apartments, or buildings. They elect the management who form the appropriate laws for proper functioning of their society. Management also takes care of various other affairs of the society such as:

    • Registration with the Cooperative society
    • Liasoning with state & private authorities
    • Collection of membership fees from the members
    • Gathering of all the members of the society at least once in a month
    • Appointment of service providers: Security Guard, Electrician, Plumber, Gardener and other service providers as per the requirement of the society.
    • Maintenance of Society Premises
    • Solving member's grievances
    • Maintenance of books of accounts
    • Proper arrangement for safety and security
    • Holding function on festivals so that their members can celebrate it together with great enthusiasm. This will help in strengthening the bond between them.

Unfortunately, many societies are just for name sake and usually members of society don't bother about it unless it causes personal inconvenience to them. In this situation, an election was conducted just once, and the same group of people continues to hold the management position for years. Not surprisingly, this kind of managing committee takes money from the members of the society as well as from the state government for the welfare of the society but use it for their own personal purposes.

In this scenario member can demand the general body meeting of all other members of the society. In this meeting, they can decide for a fresh election. In the worst scenario when management is not ready for fresh elections then they can appeal to the higher authority. To avoid such situation proper procedure must be placed for administering elections to appoint a managing committee. Election process must start almost two months prior to the end of the term of existing management.

They have to put forward a notice of its expiry and invite all eligible and active members to contest the next election. The existing management must compile a list of members who are eligible to vote 60 days prior to the elections. Thereafter, the managing committee has to appoint an officer to supervise the election. In case, managing committee is unable to appoint... Read More

Diarrhea, Causes, Complications, Prevention and Treatment

Diarrhea is defined as having three or more loose or liquid stools per day, or as having more stools than is normal for that person.

Classification
(a)   Based on onset of symptoms

• Acute
• Chronic

(b)   Based on absence or presence of blood/mucous

• Secretary Diarrhea
• Inflammatory Diarrhea

Causes of Diarrhea

• Viruses
• Bacteria (common in food poisoning)
• Laxative abuse
• Diseases of Intestine
• Malabsorbtion syndrome
• Colon cancer

Complications of Diarrhea

• Dehydration
• Electrolyte disturbances
• Dehydration occurs when there is excessive loss of fluids and minerals (electrolytes) from the body due to
Diarrhea, with or without vomiting i.e. Electrolyte disturbances. Dehydration is common among adult patients with acute Diarrhea who have large amounts of stool, particularly when the intake of fluids is limited by lethargy or is associated with nausea and vomiting. It also is common in infants and young children who develop viral gastroenteritis or bacterial infection. Patients with mild dehydration may experience only thirst and dry mouth. A prolonged bout of Diarrhea or vomiting can cause the body to lose more fluid than it can take in. The result is dehydration, which occurs when your body doesn’t have the fluid it needs to function properly. Severe dehydration can cause Renal Failure or kidneys to shut down. Dehydration can be particularly dangerous in children and the elderly.

Know the Signs of Dehydration

If one is sick with Diarrhea or vomiting, watch carefully for these signs of dehydration:

• Thirst
• Less frequent urination than normal
• Dark-colored urine
• Dry skin
• Fatigue
• Light-headedness
• Inability to sweat

By the time these symptoms show up, however, dehydration may be well advanced. At the first sign of Diarrhea or vomiting, begin replacing lost water and the essential salts called electrolytes.

Classifications of dehydration in a child with Diarrhea:

• Severe dehydration
• Some dehydration
• No dehydration

How to Prevent Dehydration

When one is sick with Diarrhea or vomiting, one tends to lose fluid rapidly. So it’s important to take in as much fluid as possible. Drinking plenty of water is the top priority. The amount of water required is to replenish depends on how much is being lost.

Water rehydrates the body. But water alone doesn’t replace the essential salts required by the body for fluid balance and other functions. Most experts recommend drinking oral rehydration solutions.

Moderate to severe dehydration may cause orthostatic hypotension with syncope (fainting upon standing due to a reduced volume of blood, which causes a drop in blood pressure upon standing), a diminished urine output, severe weakness, shock, kidney failure, confusion, acidosis (too much acid in the blood), and coma.
Electrolytes (minerals) also are lost with water when Diarrhea is prolonged or severe, and mineral or electrolyte deficiencies may occur. The most common deficiencies occur with sodium and potassium. Abnormalities of chloride and bicarbonate also may develop.

Preventing Dehydration in Children

Children can lose a tremendous amount of fluid in a short time from Diarrhea or vomiting.  In addition to routine signs of dehydration, parents of sick infants and children should also watch for dry mouth and tongue, no tears when crying, listlessness or crankiness, sunken cheeks or eyes, sunken fontanel (the soft spot on the top of a baby's head), fever, and skin that does not return to normal when pinched and released also known as Skin pinch test.

If your sick child shows signs of dehydration, give fluids called oral rehydration solutions. Sport drinks and fruit juices are helpful too, but they don’t provide the ideal balance of water, sugar, and salt.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to ease the symptoms and get the bowel movements back to normal. People don't always need to take medication for Diarrhea.

Drugs like Antibiotics and antimotility agents should be used only after consultation with doctor.

Oral Rehydration Solutions:

Made at Home the most effective, least expensive way to manage Diarrheal dehydration.

The Simple Solution “Do-It-Yourself...” Encouraging self-reliance made at home: ORS Solution a special drink for Diarrhea.

Give the child a drink made with 6 level teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 level teaspoon of salt dissolved in 1 litre of clean water.

Be very careful to mix the correct amounts. Too much sugar can make the Diarrhea worse. Too much salt can be extremely harmful to the child.

ORS packets are available from health centers, Chemist shops.

Following traditional remedies make highly effective oral rehydration solutions and are suitable drinks to prevent a child from losing too much liquid during Diarrhea:

• Khichdi or Gruels (diluted mixtures of cooked cereals and water)
• Carrot Soup
• Rice water
• If none of these drinks is available, other alternatives are:
• Fresh fruit juice
• Weak tea
• Green coconut water
• If nothing else is available, give Water from the cleanest possible source (If possible brought to the boil and then cooled).

It is advised mothers must continue breast feeding their infants.  

How is the ORS drink prepared?

Put the contents of the ORS packet in a clean container. Check the packet for directions and add the correct amount of clean water. Too little water could make the Diarrhea worse.

Add water only. Do not add ORS to milk, soup, fruit juice or soft drinks. Do not add sugar.

Stir well, and feed it to the child from a clean cup and clean spoon. Do not use a bottle.

How much ORS drink to give?

Encourage the child to drink as much as possible.

A child under the age of 2 years needs at least 1/4 to 1/2 of a (250-ML) cup of the ORS drink after each watery stool.

A child aged 2 years or older needs at least 1/2 to 1 whole large (250-ML) cup of the ORS drink after each watery stool.

Preventing Dehydration in the Elderly People

Seniors are at increased risk of becoming dehydrated because they may not be as sensitive as younger adults to the sensation of thirst. In addition, age-related changes in the body’s ability to balance water and sodium increase the danger.

To decrease the incidence and prevalence of Diarrheal disease in India through safe drinking water

While continuous efforts have been made to provide drinking water in India over the past decade, the tremendous adverse impact of unsafe water on health continues. The highest mortality from Diarrhea is in children under the age of five, which calls for urgent focused interventions to prevent Diarrheal disease in this age group.

Despite investments in water and sanitation infrastructure, many low-income communities in India continue to lack access to safe drinking water. Regardless of the initial water quality, widespread unhygienic practices during water collection and storage, poor hand washing and limited access to sanitation facilities facilitate the transmission of Diarrhea-causing germs through the faecal-oral route.

Improved hygiene and sanitation also play an important role in reducing Diarrheal and other water-borne diseases. Motivation is required to bring about behavioral changes necessary for improved hygiene and sanitation Main emphasis is to raise... Read More

Child labour in India

Childhood is the most carefree and innocent phase in the human life. It is considered as building block of adult life. Usually children play, study and pursue their hobbies to be a successful person. Unfortunately, many children have to start work at very early stage. They have to work often in hazardous or unhealthy conditions to enable their families living in poverty to survive thus they are deprived of the childhood joy, innocence, education and last but not the least the time to play & pursue their hobbies and ultimately have no future... Many of them hate their childhood but continue to be where they are, not out of choice, but force.

In India even after 67 years of Independence, lots of innocent children are employed by farmers, factory & industry owners and individuals who put them to work under arduous circumstances. These children are made to work in scorching heat of sun continuously for long hours, unsafe factory and industrial units and sometimes made to carry load even heavier than their own body weight. Affluent or middle class families or individuals hire children as domestic help and physically torture them when they make a mistake. The children are at times made to starve and are given old and worn out clothes to wear. This is the picture of millions of children in India painful and yet true.

Reasons for Child Labour

Poverty, Inflation and lack of education are the primary reasons which indirectly lead poor parents to give birth to children thinking them as money-making machines. They carry infants to earn more on the streets from begging. Then as they grow they make them beggars, and many of them sell them to the employers.

Many times death of the earning person in the family forces them to work at the early age.

Child abuse is one of the greatest ill plaguing India and is yet another reason for the child labour. It is increasing each and every year and more so in the case of the girl child. When a girl is probably abused by someone, to hide this fact she is sold to an employer from a city as domestic help, or as a bride to an old man. This leads the culture of the Child labour spread extensively across the length and breadth of India.

Indian Constitution and Child Labour

According to the Indian Constitution child labour means when child is made to work that harms or exploits him/her physically, mentally, morally, or by preventing access to education. However, all work is not bad or exploitive for children.

There are certain provisions of the constitution, which have a direct bearing on child labour.

Article-23

Prohibition of employment of human beings and forced labour.

Human trafficking, begging and other similar forms of forced labour are prohibited and any contravention of this provision shall be an offence in accordance with law.

Article 24

Prohibition of employment of children in factories, industries or any other hazardous place

No child below the age of fourteen years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment.

Article-39 (e) and (f)

Directive principles of state policy

The state shall, in particular, direct its policy, securing:

(e) That the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter a vocation unsuited to their age or strength.

(f) Those children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment.

Article- 45

Provision for free and compulsory education for children.

The state shall endeavor to provide within a period of ten years from the commencement of this constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years... Read More

A wake up call for consumers… Know food adulterants to say no to adulterated food

Adulteration in food is a serious cause of concern. Prohibited substances are either added or partly or completely substituted.

In India people carry out contamination/adulteration in food either for financial gain or simply due to carelessness and lack in proper knowledge with regard to basic hygiene measures of processing, storing, transportation. This ultimately results that the consumer is either cheated or often become victim of diseases.

However, adequate precautions taken by the consumer at the time of purchase of such produce can make him alert to avoid procurement of such food. It is equally important for the consumer to know the common adulterants and their ill effect on health.

Injurious Adulterants/Contaminants in Foods and their Health Effects

S.No	Adulterant	Foods Commonly Involved	Diseases or Health Effects
	Adulterants in food
1	Argemone seeds Argemone oil	Mustard seeds, Edible oils and fats	Epidemic dropsy, Glaucoma, Cardiac arrest
2	Artificially coloured foreign seeds	As a substitute for cumin seed, Poppy seed, black pepper	Injurious to health
3	Foreign leaves or exhausted tea leaves, saw dust artificially colored	Tea	Injurious to health, cancer
4	TCP	Oils	Paralysis
5	Rancid oil	Oils	Destroys vitamin A and E
6	Sand, marble chips, stones, filth	Food grains, pulses etc.	Damage digestive tract
7	Lathyrus sativus	Khesari dal alone or Mixed in other pulses	Lathyrism (crippling spastic paraplegia)
	Chemical Contamination
8	Mineral oil (white oil, petroleum fractions)	Edible oils and fats, Black pepper	Cancer
9	Lead  chromate	Turmeric whole and powdered, mixed spices	Anemia, abortion, paralysis, brain damage
10	Methanol	Alcoholic liquors	Blurred vision, blindness, death
11	Arsenic	Fruits such as apples sprayed over with lead arsenate	Dizziness, chills, cramps, paralysis, death
12	Barium	Foods contaminated by rat poisons (Barium  carbonate)	Arterial hypertension, muscular twitching, convulsions, cardiac disturbances
13	Cadmium	Fruit juices, soft drinks, etc. in contact with cadmium plated vessels or equipment. Cadmium contaminated water and shell-fish	Increased salivation, acute gastritis, liver and kidney damage, prostate cancer
14	Cobalt	Water, liquors	Cardiac insufficiency and myocardial failure
15	Lead	Water, natural and processed food	Lead poisoning (foot-drop, insomnia, anemia, constipation, mental retardation, brain damage)
16	Copper	Food	Vomiting, diarrhea
17	Tin	Food	Colic, vomiting
18	Zinc	Food	Colic, vomiting
19	Mercury	Mercury fungicide treated seed grains or mercury contaminated fish	Brain damage, par

PREVENTION OF FOOD ADULTERATION, ACT 1954

A.     OBJECTIVE:

1.      To protect the public from poisonous and harmful foods.

2.      To prevent the sale of substandard foods.

3.      To protect the interests of the consumers by eliminating fraudulent practices.

Definition of Food: any article used as food or drink for human consumption other than drugs and water and includes

a. Any article which ordinarily enters into or is used in the composition or preparation of human food

b. Any flavoring matter or condiments and

c. Any other article which the Central Government may having regard to its use, nature, substance or quality, declare, by notification in the official gazette as food for the purpose of this Act.

Definition of Adulterant: Any material which is or could be employed for the purposes of adulteration

B. Concept of Adulteration

An article of food shall be deemed to be adulterated:

1. If the article sold by vendor is not of the nature, substance or quality demanded by the purchaser.

2. If the article contains any other substance which affects the substance or quality thereof. If any inferior or cheaper substance has been substituted wholly or in part for the article so as to affect the nature, substance or quality of the product

3. If any constituent of the article has been wholly or in part extracted to affect the quality thereof

4. If the article has been prepared, packed or kept under unsanitary conditions whereby it has become contaminated or injurious to health.

5. If the article consists wholly or in part of any filthy, putrefied, rotten decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance or is insect-infested or is otherwise unfit for human consumption.

6. If the article is obtained from a diseased animal.

7. If the article contains any poisonous or other ingredient which renders it injurious to health.

8. If the container of the article is composed, whether, wholly or in part of any poisonous or deleterious substance which renders sits contents injurious to health.

9. If any coloring matter other than that prescribed in respect thereof is present in the article or if the amounts of the prescribed coloring matter which is present in the article are not within the prescribed limits.

10. If the article contains any prohibited preservative or permitted preservative in excess of the prescribed limits.

11. If the quality or purity of the Article falls below the prescribed limits of variability which renders it injurious to health.

12. If the quality or purity of the article falls below the prescribed standard or its constituents are present in quantities not within the prescribed limits of variability which renders it injurious to health.

C.  SALE OF CERTAIN ADMIXTURES PROHIBITED

Sale by himself or by his servant or agent is prohibited in case of:-

1. Cream which has not been prepared exclusively from milk or which contains less than 25% of milk fat.

2. Milk which contains added water.

3. Ghee which contains any added matter not exclusively derived from milk fat.

4. Selling skimmed milk as whole milk.

5. Mixture of two or more edible oils as edible oil.

6. Any article of food which contains any artificial sweetener beyond the prescribed limit.

7. Turmeric containing any foreign substance.

8. Mixture of coffee and other substance except chicory.

9. Curd not made out of milk.

10. Milk or milk products containing constituents other than of milk.

D.  PROCEDURE FOR SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS    

Any food Inspector can enter and inspect any place where any article of food is manufactured or stored for sale or stored for the manufacture of any other article of food for sale or exposed or exhibited for sale or where any adulterant is manufactured or kept and take samples of such article of food or adulterant for analysis.

1. Notice will be issued by the Inspector in writing then and there to the seller indicating his intention.

2. Three samples are taken and the signature of the seller is affixed to them.

3. One sample is sent for analysis to Public Analyst under intimation to the Local Health Authority.

4. The other two samples are sent to the local health authority for further reference.

E. PENALTIES

Guilty will be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months and up to 3 years and with fine up to one thousand rupees.

PREVENTION OF FOOD ADULTRATION

As per provisions of PFA Act 1954 following preventive measures should be implemented:

1. If any extraneous addition of coloring matter is added, the same should be indicated on the labels.

2. From the labels the blending composition of ingredients should be clear to the customer.

3. Sale of kesari gram individually or as an admixture is prohibited as it uses carbide (acetylene) gas in ripening which is prohibited.

4. Sale of ghee with Reichert value less than the permitted level.

5. Sale of admixture of ghee or butter is prohibited.

6. Addition of artificial sweetener should be mentioned on the label.

7. Sale of food colors without license prohibited.

8. Sale of insect damaged dry fruits and nuts prohibited.

9. Food prepared in rusted containers, chipped enamel containers and untinned copper/brass utensils are treated as unfit for human consumption.

10. Containers not made of plastic material which is not according to the standards are not to be used.

11. Store of insecticides in the same premises where food articles are stored is prohibited.

1. Milk powder or condensed milk can be sold only with ISI mark.

11. Use of more than one type of preservative is prohibited.

12. Crop contaminants beyond certain specified level is treated as adulterant.

13. Naturally occurring toxic substances in the food material beyond certain level is considered as unfit for human consumption.

14. No anti-oxidant, emulsifiers and stabilizing agent is permitted beyond the prescribed level.

15. No insecticides should be sprayed on the food items.

16. Oils can be manufactured only in factories licensed for such purpose.

Conclusion

Awareness has been on the rise with regard to Food Adulteration and strict implantation of legislative measures to safeguard the health of masses.

Last Week in Feb 2014, Srinagar Municipal Corporation has filed a charge-sheet against three food processing companies for adulteration in a Court. The state government gave sanction to prosecute the companies whose products were allegedly found adulterated with chemicals which can cause cancer; the authorities are moving forward with the charge-sheet. Challan has been prepared against Avon Agro Industries Pvt. Ltd, Delhi, Khyber Agro Farms, Srinagar and M/S Kanwal Agro Food Industries, Anantnag. The government has already accorded sanction for their prosecution... Read More

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) In India

The HIV is a virus that destroys or impairs the function of the body’s immune system making the person more susceptible to infections. Unless treated, it develops into acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV infection. It is a condition when body’s immune system fails to fight with foreign microorganisms. It leads to various serious infections and/or certain cancers.

Most People living with HIV/AIDS have to face rejection, violent attacks, refusal to medical treatment, and even in some cases, face denial for the last rites at the time of their death.

Status of HIV/AIDS patients in India:

The adult HIV prevalence in India is 0.27 percent, as of 2012-13. Whilst this figure is small relative to other middle-income countries, the large population of 1.2 billion inhabitants means there are still around 2.1 million people living with HIV in India. Overall, India’s HIV epidemic is slowing down, with a 57 percent decline in new infections between 2012 and 2013, and a 29 percent decline in AIDS-related deaths between 2012 and 2013.

India’s HIV epidemic varies across its 28 states. The four states with the highest number of people living with HIV (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu) are all in the south, and account for 53 percent of all HIV infections in India. However, in a few states in the north and northeast, HIV infections are rising.

In India, as elsewhere, HIV/AIDS is seen as stigma and misunderstood by the community because of lack of awareness about HIV/AIDS.

There is a need that people must have the knowledge of facts about it which are given below:

HIV is spread by the following ways:

• By the use of HIV infected needles for transferring  blood.
• When semen, or vaginal fluids from an HIV infected person enter into another person's body, usually through sexual contact.
• Sharing needles of HIV infected person for injecting drugs.
• Transmitted from HIV infected mother to child at the time of pregnancy.

HIV is not spread by following ways:

• Sharing of Utensils
• Hugging  and Handshakes
• Sharing Toilet Seats
• Mosquito Bites

  Sign and symptoms that indicate that person is suffering from AIDS

• Persistent fever
• Extreme fatigue not related to stress or lack of sleep
• Persistent diarrhea
• Severe malnutrition, losing weight
• Swollen glands in the neck, groin, etc...
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Oral thrush
• Headache, confusion and forgetfulness
• Increased risk of developing various cancers like Kaposi sarcoma, lymphomas, cervical cancer, etc.

Diagnosis

The only way to diagnose HIV is to take a test which looks for signs of the virus in the blood. Presence of the virus in the blood is termed as HIV positive (HIV+). If no signs of the virus are found in the blood, the result is considered negative. It is diagnosed on the basis of positive results from two different HIV tests.

The plasma HIV RNA test (a viral load test) is recommended when recent infection is suspected. The test detects the virus in the blood within 9 days of infection; before the body develops detectable antibodies to it.

Antibody tests: The antibody tests check for HIV antibodies that the body produces in response to the infection. In most people, antibodies to the virus are not detectable during a window period of 3 to 12 weeks after infection. Hence, a HIV antibody test is not useful during this period. Retesting should be done after three months to confirm the test results. Some of the antibody tests are as follows:

• Rapid HIV antibody test, the most common HIV test, is done using blood, urine, or saliva and can produce results within an hour.
• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is an antibody test that is usually the first one used to detect HIV infection. If the result is positive, the test is usually repeated to confirm the diagnosis.
• Western blot test is one of the oldest but most accurate confirmatory antibody tests. It is done to confirm the results of two positive ELISA tests.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR, a viral load test) test finds either the RNA or the DNA of the HIV in white blood cells even if other tests are negative for the virus. The PCR test is very useful to find a very recent infection, screen blood for HIV before donation and in babies born to mothers infected with the virus.

Protein p24, the antigen on HIV that produces an antibody response in the body is produced in excess early in the infection. Antigen p24 tests detect these proteins in the blood. This test is usually not used for general HIV diagnostic purposes.

HIV-infected people may not have any symptoms of disease for eight to ten years or longer (asymptomatic period). Their CD4 (T-cell) count should be watched closely during this time. If they have a CD4 count below 200 and/or if AIDS-related conditions appear, then they are considered to have AIDS.

Treatment

The best treatment is awareness, precautions and diagnosis at the right time. Even though, the cure for HIV/AIDS hasn’t yet been found, there might be a cure on its way. Here are some of the advances made in the direction by researchers which are as follows:

Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs

ARV drugs are used for treating and preventing HIV infection. They stop or interfere with the reproduction of the virus in the body.

HIV therapy includes combinations of drugs. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) consisting of combination of three or more antiretroviral drugs to suppress the virus. ART does not cure HIV infection. It controls replication of the virus thereby strengthening an individual’s immune system to fight off infections. These drugs must be taken at the right time every day. Incorrect or inconsistent therapy can mutate the virus causing resistance to treatment. In such cases, other medication options must be used. The amount of the virus in the blood (viral load) is measured to monitor the efficacy of the treatment. The goal of treatment is to get an undetectable viral load in lab tests.

Bone Marrow Transplant

Brown aka the Berlin Patient. Brown – an HIV– Positive man who developed leukemia. After In After first-line cancer treatments failed, a bone marrow transplant procedure was done. Two transplants later, not only was his leukemia in remission, his immune system actually managed to ward off HIV.

 Stem cell therapy to overcome HIV

In a path-breaking breakthrough two American were believed to have overcome HIV after undergoing stem-cell therapy. The news has met with widespread elation with experts believing that a cure might... Read More
 

Holi is the festival of colors celebrated in the remembrance of triumph of good over evil

The Holi festival is originally commemorated in Nepal, India, and other regions of the world with significant populations of majority Hindus or people of Indian origin. Recently it is spreading to Europe, USA and other western countries where people from not only Hindu community but also from other communities participate with full enthusiasm.

Holi is celebrated mainly for two days starting  from full moon night of the Hindu month Phalguna which falls in the month of March – April is famous as “Holika Dahan” and the next Day is famous as Rangpanchami, Dulendi Holi, Basant Utsav, Dol Purnima, Lathmaar Holi, Hola Mohalla, Shimgo, Kaman Pandigai and Phagu Purnima.

First day is celebrated to signify the victory of good over evil. This day is started by the preparation of burning bonfire and praying in the night. There is a very exciting saga behind it.

Once there was the dominating king Hiranyakashyap who got the boon from Lord Vishnu that made him indestructible which made him believe that he was the most powerful person and thus asked his citizens to worship him. He had Son Prahlad, who was the devotee of Lord Vishnu. He worshipped Lord Vishnu and not his father and thus disobeyed his order of praying him. Hiranyakashyap became angry and wanted his son to be killed. He tried to push his son from high mountains and then he tried to kill him by giving him poison, but Lord Vishnu saved him. At last he asked his sister Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika had a boon that if she would sit in the fire with the gifted shawl, she would be immune to fire. She misused her boon for killing his brother’s son which was not justified. Finally shawl was shifted from Holika to Prahlad and thus Holika was burnt into ashes, and Prahlad was saved. Many people believe that Holika Dahan would help to void away the evil spirits.

Next Day is celebrated as the festival of Colors as Lord Krishna, a manifestation of Lord Vishnu, liked to play Holi by drenching his friends into color and water. Since then it is celebrated over 16 days in Vrindavan as well as Mathura, the two cities which are associated with Lord Krishna and his divine love for Radha. Apart from the usual fun with colored powder and water, Holi is marked by Praying Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha along with singing, dancing, eating delicious food and the general sense of abandoned energy and fun.

In many places, there is a culture that a container of buttermilk is fastened on the pole in the streets, and juvenile boys try to reach it and break it by making human pyramids. The girls try to stop them by throwing colored water on them to commemorate the pranks of Krishna and cowherd boys to steal butter while trying to stop the girls. The boy who finally manages to crush the pot is crowned the Holi King.

There is yet another custom that the sister-in-law beat their brother-in-law with her sari rolled up into a rope in a mock rage as they try to drench them with colors, and in turn, the brothers-in-law bring sweets (Indian Desserts) to her in the night.

Holi is associated with Lord Shiva and God Kamdeva

In South India, on this day people worship lord Shiva and Kamdeva (the god of love and passion). According to a legend, Kamdeva shot his powerful love arrow on Lord Shiva to revoke his interest in the worldly affairs in the interest of the earth. However, Lord Shiva was enraged as he was in deep meditation and opened his third eye which reduced Kamdeva to ashes. Though, later on the request of Rati, Kamdeva's wife, Shiva was pleased to restore him back... Read More

 

Artificial Intelligence has great future in India

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the branch of computer science to develop intelligent machines that can perceives their surroundings and takes steps to maximize its chances of success. These intelligent machines developed on the algorithms that are based on the step-by-step reasoning that humans use while solving puzzles or making any logical deductions.

It has several areas of application which are as follows:

Information technology

Indians can have computers that can understand human language and can even play games. There are computers that can mimic the brain of the human to become capable of self-learning and solving various problems autonomously. For example there is an Expert System Compass which checks error messages in telephone exchange derived from the self test routines, look for open circuits, reduces the time of operation of components etc. To find the cause of a switch problem, it looks at a series of such messages and then uses its expertise to give solutions.

There are humanoids such as Eliza which can identify problems by having conversations with users, and can solve problems within few seconds. The other example is of Mycin which mimics doctor to diagnose medical problems and give solutions accordingly.

Indian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, and Air Force

There is well known imaging company “Tonbo Imaging Pvt. Ltd” which is set up in Bangalore. It builds advanced intelligent electro optical systems for land, naval and air applications. It develops and deploys high-level imaging and sensor systems to sense, understand and control complex environments.

Law and order

AI help in fighting against crime by prognosticating the possibilities of a person committing a crime, based on jail records. IBM India has deployed these analytics for the police departments of New York and Chicago and is now working with an Indian state police agency.

Advertising and Consumer Goods

AI cameras, embedded on digital signboards, automatically analyze a person’s facial expressions, eye gaze, and body language to develop insights about customer behavior.

People can have intelligent AC’s which will adjust cooling according to the weather and number of people, Refrigerator which modify the temperature as per the temperature outside.

Kraft-Cadbury, L'Oreal and P&G have television audience measurement devices. These devices in TV sets can easily analyze the most favorite channels as well as their demographics.

Education

India has developed a lot in the education field but unfortunately after 67 years of independence, there are millions of students remain uneducated because they are unable to attend school may be because of the reason that schools are very far from their area or their financial condition does not permit them to attend school. For them, AI can be a boon as they can use the artificial technology machine, which can recognize their handwriting and also keep recording the steps taken by them to solve their problems, and alerts their tutor when they got stuck.

Agriculture

Nowadays agriculture sector has grown into a highly competitive and globalized industry, where farmers and other associates have to consider large population to feed, limited resources, local climatic geographic and marketing aspects, as well as global ecological and political factors in order to guarantee economical survival and sustainable production. AI has given the sign of relief to the farmers by using Fuzzy logic, mobile & autonomous agents, algorithmic & usability features of location and context specific decision support system for handling uncertainty in agriculture.

Poultry Farms

There are intelligent devices help to enhance longevity of chickens by giving recommendations about the requirements of food, sunlight, water and shelter for the bird. This will drastically help in the growth of poultry business.

BPO

AI helps in analyzing IQ and EQ level for predicting various human responses which will help customer care executive to sense and respond to their client accordingly. This will help to have a better client satisfaction which is very essential for BPO industry.

Shipping companies

Artificial robots that look like cubes are called Butlers in shipping companies. These butlers can help to move shelves stacked with different commodities to a person who scans a bar code to confirm the right price for the right items. The butler then passes the checked goods to the shipping bay where workers seal the packages for final transportation... Read More

Code of Conduct for Interview to grab your Dream Job

Every Jobseeker has intention to stand out in the interview and able to grab your dream job. Here are some important points to prepare you well for an interview:

Initial stage is preparation for the interview

• Read the Jobseeker’s requirements very carefully. Update your CV accordingly.
• Grab the information of the company from their official website. Contact the HR department and try to get to know the details about the role & responsibilities they desire from the perspective candidate.
• Check out the latest interview questions in the relevant field.
• Take proper rest before the interview to look fresh.
• Note address properly and contact the administrative department for the exact time & location of the interview venue if it is not stated clearly.


Next stage is presentation at the time of interview

• Be punctual and reach the interview venue well before the stated time.
• Dress code must be formal.
• Must have all required certificates and documents.
• Put your mobile on vibrator or silent mode.
• Enter the interview room gracefully and greet the interviewer with your beautiful smile. Sit straight and maintain an eye contact with the interviewer.
• Be comfortable and confident in the interview. Listen to the interviewer very carefully and answer in a short and crisp answers rather than big and boring answers. Understand that interviewer has little time and you have to show your potential in that time duration only.
• You must highlight what have achieved in the past, and want to seek in the future. You must also tell that why you want to join a particular organization.
• Many candidates have the habit of exaggerating their skills & experience statements. These false statements which can bring you in trouble for your future endeavors so avoid it.
• It may happen that you have answered any question wrongly and you make the impression that you spoilt your interview. This should not happen you must concentrate on the next question; it might happen that you answer it so beautifully that it really impress the interviewer and he/she happily calls you for the next interview round.
• Avoid nail biting or chewing the gum in an interview.
• End the interview with affirmative note that you look forward to being a part of the particular organization.

Final stage is HR round/negotiation round  

• Never quote an unrealistic figure as your salary expectation.
• Be polite.
• When HR asks for your salary expectations, quote salary higher than what you expect.
• Never show your desperation to anyone and show that you require the job at any cost.
• If you find the salary finally offered by the organization is not meeting your expectations, it is beneficial to leave on a positive note rather than arguing... Raed More

Baisakhi Festival

Baisakhi festival is celebrated on 13-14 April every year according to English calendar and the first day of Vaishakh month according to traditional Punjabi calendar. This festival is associated with Guru Gobind Singh (The tenth spiritual leader of Sikhism).

On this day, Guru Gobind Singh decided that he would be the last preacher and thereafter the holy book of Guru Granth Sahib would be their eternal preacher. Guru Granth sahib is initially known as Adi Granth that was compiled by fifth preacher of Sikhism, Guru Arjun (1563–1606), from hymns of the first five Sikh preachers and 15 other great saints, or followers. This holy book not only includes the sayings from the pious people from their religion but also include sayings from those of the Hindu and Muslim faith. Later Guru Gobind Singh added all 115 of Guru Tegh Bahadur's hymns to the Adi Granth and this second version became known as the Guru Granth Sahib.

On this auspicious day, Guru Gobind Singh baptized Sikhism and given it a new name: Khalsa Panth. He said that all people who would be following Khalsa Panth must possess Five Ks:

1. Kesh – Uncut hair on the face, head, and all parts of the body.
2. Kanga - A wooden comb.
3. Kara - An iron bracelet.
4. Kaccha – A pair of drawers (a particular type of cotton underwear).
5. Kirpan – A dagger or sword.
They have to follow four prohibitions
1. Dishonoring the hair
2. Eating the meat of an animal slaughtered the Muslim way;
3. Cohabiting with a person other than one's spouse;
4. Using tobacco.

They also identified and represented by the ideals of Sikhism, such as honesty, equality, fidelity, meditating on God, and never bow in front of oppressive power that compel to renounce their religion, and always prepared to lay down their lives for helping/protecting weak people.

To mark this special day, every year Sikhs visit their holy place Gurdwara to attend special mass prayers. Most of them strived to visit the revered Golden Temple in Amritsar where the Khalsa Panth was pronounced by Guru Gobind Singh.

In all Gurudwaras, The Granth Sahib is bathed with milk and water, placed on the throne, and read. At the end of ritual Karah Prasad (sacred pudding made from pure ghee, sugar, and flour) is distributed to all people visited there.

In the afternoon, the Granth Sahib is taken out in the procession, accompanied by music, singing, chanting, and performances... Read More

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a man behind the drafting of Constitution of India

Today, 14^th April, 2014, Indians are celebrating Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar or Babaji’s 123rd birth anniversary who had enormously contributed for the people of India especially for the upliftment of women and lower caste people. He was the chairman of the committee accountable for drafting a constitution.
Babaji was born in the year 1891 in the family of untouchables resided in Madhya Pradesh. He was the 14th and last child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal and Bhimabai.

Bhim Rao’s Education 

Bhim Rao‘s father was serving in the Indian Army at the Mhow cantonment. He used his position for his children to study at the government school. Unfortunately, Bhim Rao had to face cruel behavior from his fellow students and teachers except one teacher who had changed his surname from Ambavadekar to his own surname Ambedkar in school register. He was not allowed to sit inside the class. If he needed to drink water, he had to wait for the peon to pour water from a height as he was not allowed to touch either the water or the vessel that contained it and if the peon was not available then he had to go without water. Ambedkar states this situation as "No peon, No Water”. He was required to sit on a gunny sack which he had to get from his home. This was a time when high caste people don’t like to see any untouchable’s face especially in the morning. They had to take a bath if, by mistake, they had been touched by any of the untouchable.

In 1897, Ambedkar's family shifted to Bombay where Ambedkar got the admission to Elphinstone High School. He became the only untouchable to be admitted in that school at that time.

In 1908, he entered Elphinstone College that was affiliated to the University of Bombay. Bhim Rao became first one from the untouchable community to be enrolled in the university. In 1913, he completed his graduation and moved to the United States for postgraduate education at Columbia University in New York City. Later he joined the London School of Economics & obtained a degree of D.Sc. (Economics) & was called to the Bar from Gray's Inn.

In 1922, Dr. Ambedkar was honored as a barrister.

B.R. Ambedkar demonstrated against untouchability 

In 1937, he decided the drive against untouchability. He began with public demonstrations for untouchable community to let them share public drinking water resources and gave them right to enter Hindu temples. He became the undisputed leader of the untouchables. He condemned various Hindus and Muslim customs which depicted backwardness/narrowness of the people following their religion.

 Political Career and major role in drafting Constitution of India

In 1936, Ambedkar was not happy with Congress policies. He started his own Independent Labor Party. In 1937, Central Legislative Assembly elections were held, his party meagerly able to won just 15 seats. Ambedkar tried hard and took his party to the position of national level and named it “All India Scheduled Castes Federation”, although it didn’t able to show any positive results in 1946 Constituent Assembly elections.

Dr. Ambedkar opposed the decision of Congress and Mahatma Gandhi to name the untouchable community as Harijans. He said that untouchable people are same as the other people of the society. Later, he was appointed on the Defence Advisory Committee and the Viceroy's Executive Council as Minister for Labor.

Ambedkar was well known as a scholar and thus undoubtedly be the first choice of Congress to appoint him as a law minister and chairman of the committee accountable for drafting a constitution.

Death

During 1954-55, Ambedkar was suffering from various health problems such as diabetes and weak eyesight... Read More

Solar products are better alternatives for energy conservation

Solar products are better alternatives for energy conservation

Solar energy comprises of electromagnetic radiations that ranges from the infrared (long) to the ultraviolet (short) wavelengths. It can be harnessed using wide range of solar equipments that comprising of ever-evolving technologies.  

Some of the important solar products such as Solar power satellites, Solar Panels, Solar Street Lights, Solar Signal Lights, Solar Water Heater, Solar Cooker, Solar Calculators, Solar Dryers, Solar Water Pumps, and various other Solar Products are coming up as the better alternatives to use the natural energy of the sun and conserve non renewable energy.    

Let’s talk of solar panels that are latest breakthrough given by scientists and i.e. harassing solar energy in captivating Air, Sea, and Space. Today, Solar panels are the first choice for homes, water borne, and air-borne equipments.

If you are in India and interested to solarize your homes, offices, warehouses, storage structures then you must know certain facts:

 1)  Solar Panels have following components:
    • Solar Grid: It is a system of high tension cable by which electrical power is distributed throughout a region.
    • PV modules: They are power house of the Solar panel that converts sunlight top DC current.
    • Junction box: It is to interconnect solar modules. It also has an inbuilt reverse and over current protection.
    • Solar Inverter: It is the brain of the solar panel that covert the DC current to AC current for general use.
    • Solar Battery: It is mandatory part of solar panel to store the solar panel charged energy and can be utilized on cloudy or less sunny days.
    • Distribution box:  It distributes the electricity across various loads.
    • Solar Monitoring tools (Additional): To monitor the solar panel output.
2) You need to have roof or open space of about 100 to 120 square feet to place the panels on metal frames.
3) Centre and state government has not done enough to popularize solar systems. There is a need of installation of proper net meters.
4) Initial cost of solar panels is high but it can save your electricity bill that depends on your region.
5) It is interesting to know manufacturers say the panels are assembled in India, but the circuits are imported from China, Taiwan and also from Japan so it is costly in India.
6) Decrease your carbon footprint.
7) It can cater number of electrical appliances as per the type and solar panel you choose.
8) Not only the cost but variety of other factors that should influence your purchase decision rather than focusing solely on cost.

The other factors are as follows:

• The temperature co-efficient rating is important to determine what the impact heat has on a solar panel’s operation after installation. The lower the percentage per degree Celsius, the better.
• Another important aspect to look at is the embodied energy of the solar panel – that is how energy intensive the production of the panel was and how quickly it will have paid itself back by producing more energy... Read More

Most common lifestyle mistakes that can lead to serious ailments

1. Keep a distance between your mobile and pillow

Eighty percent people keep their cell phones on during the night, with around more than fifty percent are using them to set alarm to wake them on time.

According to sleep therapists, the small gap between their head and a mobile phone could dramatically affect both, quality and quantity of their sleep. They explain the reason behind it that having a mobile close to them and they are waiting for a call, SMS or what’s App. It keeps people awake, and they are unable sleep for long enough. And even short exposure of ‘blue’ light from a mobile screen has an immediate effect on their sensitive retinas, which transmit messages to the brain to be more alert and suppresses the secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin.

Suggestion:
If you belong to the above category then, you should try to keep yourself technology free during the night. Keep your mobiles into a separate room and set alarm in your Alarm Clock. It will give you peaceful sleep and give the rest to your brain. It might be possible that you might be thinking that you might expect emergency call in the night so keeping it in a separate room is not a good option. What best alternative can be possible is that at least keep your mobile 20 cm away from your head. It reduces radiation emissions by 98 percent. It will help you to unwind and prepare for the rest, which is crucial for good-quality sleep.

 2. Ladies keep check on irregularities in your periods

Many ladies don’t keep checking on irregularities in their period. Many times irregularities in the period are associated with pain during intercourse and illnesses including fibroids and Urinary infection and even Bladder Cancer or Urinary Tract Cancer.

Suggestion: It is advisable you should not ignore it, especially if it persists for more than two cycles. You should maintain dairy of your periods so that sudden changes can be spotted early, and doctor can be consulted at right time.

3.  Check the distance between your chair and back

Today, not only old people but youngsters complain of severe back pain. Experts say the main causes of back pain are as follows: 

• Poor posture and gaps in back support when using computers, tablets, and laptops
• Slouching on the sofa
• Sleeping in the wrong position
• Accident
• Experience bumps on the road while travelling
• Lifting heavy object wrongly. 

Many times back pain is associated with neck pain also. Seventy percent of neck pain is often attributed to a gadget abuse and working for eight – nine hours a day.

Suggestion: Experts advise that you can increase the angle between your chest and thigh. It encourages the spine into an upright posture. You have to make sure that your back rest properly on a back of the chair, so you can gain support from the backrest and keep a fist-sized gap between the back of your knee and the chair. Once you are sitting in the correct position, it is important that you support that position with a cushion to avoid muscle fatigue. If you are working on a laptop, you have to keep your laptop on your desk and not on your lap. You make sure that the screen is raised to eye level.

4.  Care for your skin

Nowadays, with cutting down of trees, increase in factories & industries, increase in pollution and various other factors lead to thinning of the ozone layer. This layer is responsible for absorbing harmful Ultra Violet (UV) rays of the Sun. With the thinning of this layer, harmful radiations are entering in the atmosphere. This can cause various diseases such as rashes on the skin, skin cancer, inflamed cornea, tissue growth on the surface of the eye, impaired vision... Read More

Legend and Historical References of Ganesh Chaturthi

One day God Shiva had to leave his abode that is situated at Kailasha for fighting with demons. On that day, Goddess Parvati had to take a bath. She smeared her body with Sandalwood paste and then started scrapping out and gave the shape of the boy.

She then inculcates life in him by her divine power and acknowledged him as her son. She had instructed her to stand as a guard at the door and never let anyone to enter inside. In the meantime, God Shiva returned happy after a glorious victory over demons. God Shiva wanted to share the good news with Goddess Parvati, but he was stopped by young boy who was standing at the entrance.

God Shiva was infuriated and in a fit of rage, he slashed the head of God Ganesha. In the meantime, Goddess Paravti came out after taking her bath and was shocked at the scene. She was annoyed at her husband God Shiva for what had happened and explained him the situation.

God Shiva felt sad that he had killed his son. He assured Goddess Parvati that he would give life to their son. God Shiva ordered his servants to cut off and bring to him the head of any creature that might be sleeping with its head facing north. They brought the head of an elephant, and God Shiva joined it onto the body of God Ganesha. Goddess Parvati and God Shiva blessed their son that devotees offer their first prayers to God Ganesha on the onset of any auspicious occasion.

There is a believe that no one should see the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi if anyone see to it then that the person will be falsely accused. There is a legend behind it.

On Ganesh Chaturthi, Lord Ganesha was returning to his abode on his vehicle, the mouse. He had been fed well by his devotees. Seeing this sight of the huge Lord on a tiny mouse, the moon in the sky began to laugh aloud. He was proud of his splendor and beauty and thus he laughed. Little did he know that his entire splendor was only a reflection of the Sun God. In order to teach the moon a lesson, Lord Ganesha cursed that no light ever fall on him again. Thus, the moon had no light and disappeared from the sky. Moon realized his mistake and went to God Ganesha to sought pardon from him. All the other Gods also pleaded on his behalf of the moon and the Lord accepted. However, once the curse is pronounced, it cannot be taken back, even by God. It can only be modified. Thus, we are advised to be careful about our speech in everyday life. Lord Ganesha modified the curse and said that the moon would undergo regular waxing and waning to remind him to be humble. He also added that anyone seeing him on the 4th day (Chaturthi) of the Bhadrapada month would face blame and unjust criticism.

There is a story of Satrajit and Sri Krishna is given in Puranas to prove the repercussion of the curse.
The reference is like this. Satrajit was a devotee of God Surya. Once Sun God pleased with Satrajit, He presented Jewel to him and explained him that jewel would multiplies the wealth and provide the owner with several measures of gold every day. Sun God further said that the place where that jewel would be placed that place would not harm by famine.

One day, Satrajit visited Krishna’s palace to meet Sri Krishna with the jewel.  Krishna knew the importance of the jewel. He asked Satrajit to give him the Jewel as it would be safe with him, but Satrajit refused to give it to him. After few days, his brother went for hunting and there he was killed by a lion. Later, Jambavan, the devotee of God Rama killed the lion and gave jewel to his child to play.

When Prasena did not return, Satrajit falsely accused Krishna of killing Prasena for the sake of the jewel. Krishna did not like the stain on his reputation. He set out in search of the jewel. He found it in Jambavan 's cave, with his child.

Jambavan attacked Krishna thinking him to be an intruder who had come to take away the jewel. They fought each other for 28 days. Jambavan was terribly weakened from the hammering of Krishna's fists. He finally recognized him as Lord Rama.

Jambavan repented that he had fought with the Lord. He gave the jewel to Krishna. Also he asked Sri Krishna to marry his daughter Jambavati. Krishna returned to Dwaraka with Jambavati and the jewel.
He returned the jewel to Satrajit. In turn, Satrajit repented for his false accusation. He promptly offered to give Krishna the jewel and his daughter Satyabhama in marriage. Krishna accepted Satyabhama as his wife but did not accept the jewel. Satrajit then gave the Jewel to King Ugrasena.

After few days, Sri Krishna was sad, and he was trying to analyze why he had to go into turmoil without any reason. At that moment, Sage Narada came and recited the account of Ganesha and the curse of the Moon. Sri Krishna then remembered that he had seen the reflection of the moon in the pot of milk.

Narada then asked there must be some remedy for the person who made the mistake of seeing the moon on Ganesha Chaturthi day.

Sri Krishna then replied that if someone inadvertently sees the moon on this night, he/she may remedy the situation by listening to (or reciting) the story of the Satrajit’s jewel and Sri Krishna found in the Puranas.
     
Historical reference of Ganesh Chaturthi

Although, it is not known when this festival was first celebrated but according to historical references it was celebrated in the reign of King Shivaji in Pune. It was later encouraged by Peshwas in Pune. With the fall of the Peshwas, the Ganesha Chaturthi festival lost its state support and became a private family affair... Read More

A festival to celebrate birthday of God Ganesha

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by Hindus all over India, as the birthday of the god of wisdom, knowledge, and prosperity, Lord Ganesha.

It is celebrated in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 19 August and 20 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing phase of the moon).

There are many legends and historical references associated with the Ganesh Chaturthi, for that you can visit the hyperlink given below:

http://www.helpmyindia.com/m/articles/view/Legend-and-Historical-References-of-Ganesh-Chaturthi

Celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi:

People begin preparing months before the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi by selecting Ganesha’s idols. They clean and decorate their home for welcoming their beloved God Ganesha.
On this occasion, some people keep fast and then in evening they break their fast and have various delicacies in the evening.

On Ganesh Chaturthi Devotees follow the ritual of bringing home the Ganesha Idol, many of them choose to perform the Ganesh Staphna (Installation of the Idol) by themselves, and others call Hindu priest for that. They pray God Ganesha in the morning and evening with full devotion and offer sweets especially his favorite modaks (sweet made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and which is shaped into a ball), fruits especially his favorite bananas, coconut, flowers, and Druva (grass) is the main part of the prayer. After 10 days, there are small to large possessions carrying idols of Ganesha for performing the Ganesh Visarjan (Immersion of Ganesha idol in the river). Devotees believe that Ganesha takes a journey from there towards his abode, taking along their troubles with him.

On that day, there is giant size pavilions were erected for final prayers before bidding Goodbye to their God Ganesha. The festival is also celebrated with various cultural activities, theater performances, community activities like free medical checkup camps, charity for the poor etc. The Ganesha Chaturthi has become an important economic event. Many industries, businesses, and artists survive on this mega-event as it provides them an excellent stage to present their art to the community... Read More

Alcohol can ruin your life

What is Alcohol?

Alcohol is a colorless volatile flammable liquid which is the intoxicating constituent of Wine, Beer, Vodka and other Hard drinks. It is also constituent of aerated drinks and few medicines. Out of which Hard Drinks have severe effect on our health. However, if we consume aerated drinks and medicines in excess amount it can harm our health.

Why anyone consume Alcohol?

According to various studies, it has summarized some important reasons that are as follows:

• Peer Pressure
• Style to impress people around
• Parties
• Anxiety and stress at home/school/college/office.
• Parents are drinking alcohol (Many father feels proud when his son have his first peg with him and in many cases mothers are also drinking).
• Business Meetings

What are the ill effects of Alcohol

As your first alcoholic drink touched your lips, you might feel elated but as the consumption of drinks changes from occasional usage to monthly, weekly than to daily basis you get addicted to it.

Your central nervous system becomes increasingly impaired and it is associated with stomach upset, impaired vision, burning sensation in the heart, abnormal heart beating, slurry and harsh tone, use of abusive language, difficulty in walking, difficulty in driving, blackout, memory lapse, and difficulty in concentration.

If you are pregnant women then it can affect you as well as your baby.

Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body much easier target for diseases. Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much. Slowly and steadily every single organ of their body is affected. There is an increase in the risk of cancer of the esophagus, tongue, and liver.

Alcohol not only affects the body but also affect your relationships with your parents, spouse, children, and other family members.

You may observe that alcohol is one of the major impetuses of family disputes, violence, and divorce. Not only this it is also one of the major causes of accidents because one may be feeling drowsy and driving vehicle with impaired vision. In many cases people have to quit their jobs because of their abnormal behavior when they consume alcohol.

After going through the ill effects, you want to stop drinking. Here are the few tips that can help you in this regard:

• Positive self talking that drinking alcohol cannot solve your problems instead it can magnify your problems.
• Talk to your family members and ask for their help.
• If you drink to impress then you can easily impress with your dressing style, good behavior and your performance.
• Go to Rehabilitation center, doctors can help you to break the shackles of alcohol.
• Whenever your friend or anyone offers you a drink, you can firmly deny and then, you feel good.
• Try to indulge in some activity when you feel the urge of drinking.
• Whenever you have to attend cocktail parties then you can have fruit bear or fruit juice or any other alternative drink instead of alcohol. Best is if you can pour it in the glass use for drinking alcohol.
• Some new, non-habit forming medications can reduce the desire to drink or lessen the rewarding effect of drinking so it is easier to stop.
• Last but not least you can pray or do meditation to ask God to give you strength to quit your drinking habits. Believe it or not it really works... Read More

India is remembering its Hockey Legend - Dhyan Chand on his birth anniversary

Indian Hockey is indebted to Major Dhyan Chand for his contributions towards the sports. Major Dhyan Chand had unique, charismatic way of playing hockey. So much so, that people started doubting that he used some kind of magnet or glue in his stick to grab hockey ball easily.

Once he was in Holland, his stick was broken to clear their doubt and while he was in France, Adolf Hitler even offered to buy his hockey stick. Not only this, Hitler even wished that he would become colonel in the German Army.

Dhyan Chand’s Biography

Dhyan Chand was born on 29th August, 1905 at Allahabad. His father was in the British Indian army who had influenced his son to join Army at the age of 16.

As soon as Dhyan Chand joined the army, he started playing hockey. His concentrated and calculated way of playing hockey with amazing stick work enforced army to take the decision to allow him to take part in the inter-provincial hockey championship and made an immediate impact on the national hockey scene.

From the very outset, Dhyan Chand became the promissory player and started picking up ranks of the Indian hockey. After that, his name was recommended for the Indian hockey team selected for New Zealand tour.

After that amazing tour, he never looked back, and he had added many feathers in his cap by bringing laurels to the country by playing at national and International level. He rose in international hockey like a meteor and kept shining like the Sun. He won 3 gold medals in three successive Olympics games held in Amsterdam, Los Angles and Berlin in the year 1928, 1932 and 1936 respectively.

After an illustrious career of 30 years, Dhyan Chand had taken retirement from international hockey in 1949. He retired as Major and was also the Chief Hockey Coach at the National Institute of Sports. In 1951, the first ever Asian Games were held In India was named after this great player and at the entrance, houses a giant statue of the legendary player... Read More

A day specially dedicated to teachers

History of Teacher’s Day Celebration

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan served as the first Vice President of India (1952-1962) and the second President of India (1962-1967). He was a great Indian Philosopher, thinker and statesman. He was born in a Telugu Niyogi Brahmin caste family at a village near Thiruttani India, in Tamil Nadu near the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states. His father's name was Sarvepalli Veeraswami, and his mother's name was Sitamma. He was conferred with scholarships throughout his academic life. He was a prominent student of Voorhees College in Vellore from where he had completed his Post Graduation in Philosophy. In April 1909, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan joined Department of Philosophy at the Madras Presidency College. Thereafter, in 1918, he was selected as Professor of Philosophy by the University of Mysore, where he taught at its Maharaja's College, Mysore.

S. Radhakrishnan respect teachers a lot and thus when he became President, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to observe his birthday, 5^th September. He replied that Instead of celebrating his birthday, it would be his proud privilege if 5^th September would be observed as Teacher’s Day. Since then, his birthday has been commiserated as Teacher’s Day in India. 

How Indians celebrate Teacher’s day?

On this day, many schools and colleges make extensive arrangements for the celebrations. The ceremony usually starts with a warm Teacher’s Day speech by the principal paying respect and thanking teachers for their contribution. This is often followed by a range of colorful cultural programs, feast, and other activities which make the event special and unforgettable.

Importance of Teacher in our life

Teacher plays the role of a guide, instructor, motivator, and a friend. While softly motivating 'slow learners' to understand difficult concepts and help them to climb the steep learning curve on one hand and nurturing ‘intelligent minds' to delve deeper into concepts to win over their competitors on the other hand. Teacher has to make efforts so that students find their lessons interesting and exciting.

Teacher is one who not only provides formal education, but taps the fresh mind of young children to plant the seed of the moral values. You can call one teacher best when he/she is able to ignite the spark of imagination in his/her students to touch the unimaginable heights.

Teachers are the most responsible and important members of society because they impart knowledge to enlighten their students in shaping their career. Teachers’ professional & personal efforts thus affect the fate of the nation... Read More

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – The Iron Man Of India

Vallabhbhai Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, born on 31 October 1875.



He was one of the most important  leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of the Republic of India. He participated in major movements  in  India’s independence, be it the Non-Cooperation movement, the Civil Disobedience movement or the Quit India movement. In lieu of participating in these movements, he went into prison several times.

In 1917, Vallabhbhai was elected as the Secretary of the Gujarat Sabha. The next year, when there was a flood in Kaira, the British government insisted on collecting taxes from the poor farmers. Sardar Vallabhbhai was very upset with the decision of the British government and thus led a massive "No Tax campaign". He urged the farmers that they should not pay the tax. The peaceful movement forced the British authority to return the land taken away from the farmers. His efforts to bring together the farmers of his area brought him the title of 'Sardar' to his name.

In 1928, the farmers of Bardoli faced a similar problem of "tax-hike". After prolonged summons, when the farmers refused to pay the extra tax, the government in retaliation seized their lands. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led the agitation for the rights of the farmers. The agitation took for more than six months. After six months the deal was finalized between the government and farmers representatives that the British Government would return the land to the farmers.

In 1930, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was imprisoned for participating in the famous Salt Satyagraha called by Mahatma Gandhi. His inspiring speeches during the "Salt Movement" transformed the lives of numerous people, who later played a major role in making the movement successful. Sardar Patel was sent to prison for participating in the movement and was freed in 1931 following an agreement signed between Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India. The agreement was popularly known as the Gandhi-Irwin pact. The same year, Patel was elected as the president of the Indian National Congress Party for its Karachi session. In the Karachi session, the Indian National Congress Party committed itself to the defense of fundamental rights and human rights and a dream of a secular nation. An agreement regarding this was also sanctioned.
In 1934, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led the all-India election campaign for the Indian National Congress. Though he did not contest a seat for himself, Sardar Patel helped his fellow party mates during the election.
In 1942, Mahatma Gandhi (National  father of India) had given the idea of civil disobedience movement would compel the British to leave the nation. Patel was highly influenced by Gandhi’s idea and extended his support to him. The civil disobedience movement had put lots of pressure on Britishers to leave India.
In 1946, thirteen of the sixteen states proposed Sardar Patel's name for the post. It was a very crucial election, as the elected president of the congress party would be later considered as the first Prime Minister of independent India. Just a few days, before the all important election, Mahatma Gandhi request Sardar Patel to leave the candidacy and support Jawaharlal Nehru. Sardar Patel, without pondering twice, stepped down.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had dreams to make India as a united country. He was known  as the iron man of India for his Iron will and indomitable courage. They brought about the merge of the 565 princely states with the Indian Union and became the architect of the integrity of India.

          
Prime Minister of India, Nerendra Modi is influenced by the ideology of Sardar Patel that he set aside Rs. 200 crores in Budget 2014 for a giant statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat. This statue would be the symbol of the Unity. This statue would be the tallest among other statues in other countries all over the world with a height of 182 mts. This statue would inspire not only this generation but generations to come for iron will power and patriotism for the country... Read More

Asthma can be cured by swallowing live fish

Asthma can be cured by swallowing live Bathini Fish. Though it seems quite surprising but it is true.
The practice of giving live Bathini Fish was started In 1845 by Veeranna Goud. He was staying in Hyderabad, one of the most prominent states of India. Veeranna was a kind hearted person, he always engaged himself in charity work.

Once he met one holy man who had given him the secret formula to cure Asthma. The holy man instructed him that he would cure people free of cost. Holy man, further instructed him that he would not reveal that formula to anyone except his family members. Since that day, Veeranna started curing patients of Asthma by giving Bathini fish that had consumed the Mystical herbal medicine that holy man gave to Veeranna.

Later Veeranna’s family continued that practice, even after 170 years. Each year there are more than ten thousand people visit Hyderabad to cure their asthma. If you think that the medicine is given every day, then you are wrong. Actually, it is given on auspicious day that is decided by the astrologer.

Method of taking medicine:     
   
The mystical herbal medicine is mixed with the well water and then it pushed into the mouth of a live Bathini fish which is around 5-8cm long. The Bathini fish with medicine is then put into the mouth of the patient. The fish is slippery thus it can wiggle its way down the throat of the patient. As fish moves, its fins and tails helps to clear the phlegm. After this, the three extra doses of the mystical herbal mix are given to the patient to be taken at home after initial treatment.

Thereafter, the patient is advised to follow the strict diet for the next 45 days. The patient could only take restrict diet such as rice, spinach, figs, mutton and biscuits.

This treatment must be repeated for three years, and Goud  family assured that if a patient religiously follow all the steps then it will provide a 100% cure.

The Indian Medical Association doubted that there might be the presence of heavy metals or steroids. They tested some samples and found that no harmful ingredients were present... Read More

According to the historian, the Kaaba was originally a Hindu Temple

The eminent historian P.K. Oak has gone through the page 315 of a volume known as ‘Sayar-UL-Okul’ treasured in the Makhtab-e-Sultania library in Istanbul. The same text is found on a gold dish hung inside the Kaaba shrine in Mecca.

According to the inscription, it can be interpreted that king Vikramaditya was the great ruler. He extended the boundaries of India by conquering Arab countries. It was concluded Qutub Minar (in Delhi, India) could well be king Vikramaditya’s tower commemorating his conquest of Arabia.

According to the inscriptions, victorious king Vikramaditya married to the princess of Balhika.This Balhika is none other than the Balkh region in West Asia that was won by King Vikramaditya. There was the treaty between the ruler of Balkh and King Vikramaditya that he would give the hands of her beloved daughter to marry with vikramaditya.

The inscriptions imbibe the belief that Arabs were once followers of the Indian Vedic way of life. The Vikramaditya’s scholars taught by Arab people and help them to overcome the period of darkness of ignorance.

Another point is that Vikramaditya was a devotee of Lord Shiva, as the famous shrine of of Lord Shankara (Siva) was found in Ujjain (India) that was the capital of Vikramaditya.

According to historian, the main shrine in Mecca was enshrined by Vikramaditya. The shrine  housed the shiva lingam known as the Kaaba.

Later, the Kaaba was stormed and captured solely for the newly established faith of Islam. They barred the entry of non-Muslims to prevent its recapture. It is clothed in a black shroud.

When Muslim pilgrim visits towards Mecca, he is asked to cut his hairs and razor his beard require to put on the special sacred attire that consists of two seamless sheets of white cloth. One is to be worn round the waist and the other over the shoulders. You must be aware that both the above rites are an age old Vedic practice of entering Hindu temples with their white sheets that signify the purity.Historians also mention that there were around 360 images and the most revered nine planets that again was the part Vedic prayers.

I want to mention here that Prayer of Shiva is the inseparable River Ganga. You must surprise to know that the sacred fountain of Zam-Zam water is believed to be from the revered water of River Ganga... Read More