Friday 28 February 2020

“ नारी ”

सुख दुख के शब्दों से सजी हुई 
एक कविता है
कभी अल्हड़ , कभी शांत , कभी गहरी सी 
एक सरिता है
मस्त फुलों से लदी खुशबू बिखेरती हुई
एक लतिका है हर मुश्किल का सामना करती हुई
वो अपराजिता है
जीवन की हर लड़ाई से लड़ती हुई
वो विजेता है
आंचल में अपार प्रेम लिए मोह से
भरी ममता है
नारी वो है जो हर पीड़ा को झेल जाये
उसमें इतनी क्षमता है। 

 Ujjwal Sharan                    @fly_under_water

Wednesday 26 February 2020

Tribute to all Women...

LET HER TAKE HER TIME !
When she takes her time 
To drink a barely warm cup of tea, let her. She's given her time to cook your meal and serve it to you before she sat to drink her tea.

When she takes time
To select a dish from the menu, let her. Every day, for every meal she has prepared she has given her time to think about what to make, how much, and for whom.

When she takes time
To dress up to go out with you, let her. She has given her time to make sure that your ironed clothes are in their place and knows better than you, where your socks are. She has dressed up her child thoughtfully, to look like the most smartly dressed up child around.

When she takes time
To watch TV mindlessly, let her. She is only half concentrating and has a clock ticking in her head. As soon as it's nearing dinner time, you'll see her disappear to get things ready.

When she takes time
To serve you breakfast, let her. She has kept aside the burnt toast for herself and is taking the time to serve her family the nicest ones she could manage.

When she takes time
After her tea to just sit by the window and stare into nothingness, let her. It's her life, she's given you countless hours of her life..
Let her take a few minutes for herself.

She's rushing through her life, giving chunks of her time whenever needed, wherever needed.
Don't rush her more than she rushes herself.
Don't push her harder than she pushes herself.

  “ She is the  World🌏 ”

Sunday 23 February 2020

Reflections - 20 lesson learned from 2019

Life is incessant but start of the new year still remains the best time to reflect on what's happened, lessons learnt and memories made. As I fly back for my hometown after my papers , I took some time off to reflect what 2019 has taught me and here are a few things I learnt.

  1. Check ten times before ever doubting someone.
  2. The reputation and trust of a thousand years may be determined and destroyed by the conduct of one hour.
  3. If you think you know everything about something, you are misinformed.
  4. Cold words and cold looks cause much more pain than cold nights and cold food.
  5. Chasing abundance and prosperity triumphs chasing wealth and short term pursuits.
  6. We learn less from our happiness and more from our pain. Pain always adds perspective. Reflecting on life when in pain, adds more meaning to it.
  7. Even good swimmers drown. Monkeys fall from their own trees. It's completely okay to fail in things you are good at.
  8. Silent seas never made the best sailors.
  9. If you ask, you will feel shame for one minute, if you do not, you will feel shame all your life.
  10. One kind word can warm someone's day.
  11. The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention.
  12. Obsession is always bad. Whether it is for someone or something.
  13. If you think about it, decide it. If you have decided, do not think about it.
  14. Diet is a refection of who you are. Eat like a rock-star. Self care is very important.
  15. Some days even being able to get yourself out of bed is a big thing. Compliment yourself on those days.
  16. Dennis Kimbro once said: “If you’re the smartest one of your friends, you need new friends.”
  17. Smile more. Sometimes it's easier to act yourself to feel than feel yourself to act.
  18. Regrets are heavy. Try having them less.
  19. There is more to life than retiring rich.
  20. Anything is as deep, as difficult, as enriching, as fun, as loving, as beautiful as you see it to be. It's all in the mindset. The lens of mind can change your viewpoint. Always.

As last year approached us to an end, I wish you all the best, cheers and lot of good spirit for ongoing new year. I have always believed in learning from everyone's experiences and would love to know about things you learnt last year. Cheers to a happy 2020!


Perception- Small is Big


The start of the 2020 brought back the cheerful and optimistic time of making resolutions. We are programmed to set big goals, not achieve them completely, feel guilty for less than planned self-improvement and then wait for a new Monday, new month or a new year to set even bigger goals.

I believe that it is not the big things that make an impact, it's the little ones.

For most of us, small treats underlie the big punishments. Snoozing alarm by 20 min to skip the run plan which you so deliberately planned never hurts one time, but if done fifty times - it makes you unfit. Cheating on being sugar-free by eating a chocolate once, can double your workout time for your next day.

A way to change the way we behave is to make these small failures big. My dad suggested paying him 500 bucks every time I skipped my run. I'm pretty sure that if I lose 500 bucks every time I skipped my run, I'd only do it once in a week perhaps (gulp). The other thing which can be done is to have high awareness about each individual action and do constant course corrections by monitoring our performance - apps which monitor your eating habits, productivity apps for ensuring capped social media time and others.

We under emphasize how small things can make a big impact. Well, here are a few for starters:

1. Eating a chocolate after meal can double your normal workout time.

2. However, saving 10 minutes from lunch and spending it on reading can get you places.

3. Taking out ten minutes from social media and learning 5 new words or knowing about 5 new ideas can add roughly 1800 words or 1800 new ideas to your perspective at year end.

Small is actually big. Start small.

Perfectly imperfect,

Ujjwal

Thursday 21 November 2019

Right to Education in India

India has developed tremendously over the past decade. But the actual growth cannot really be measured through the number of flyovers or shopping malls that have been built. How literate and educated the populace of a country is a sound indicator of the progress it (the country) has made. Education is a significant part of our lives. A society can only grow if people are educated and aware. Therefore, an education system, which is sturdy and robust, goes a long way in ensuring the spread of education in a society.

According to the 7th All India Education Survey, 2002, less than half of India’s children between the age 6 and 14 go to school and a little over one-third of all children who enrol in the 1st grade reach the 8th grade. In spite of various efforts being made to change the education scenario in India, at least 35 million children aged 6 – 14 years still do not attend school and 53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate.

86th Amendment Act, Article 21(A) made Right to Primary Education part of the Right to Freedom. Education was not a fundamental right in India until it was made a fundamental right in the 86th amendment to the Constitution.

The right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 is an endeavour to directly benefit all the children in the 6-14 years age group who are not enrolled in schools. There are millions of children who are still deprived of their rights. It is important for children and their families from economically backward and marginalised areas to become aware of the Right to Education (RTE).
Enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Right to Education has been recognised as a basic human right.

In one of his speeches, Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister of India stated that "We are committed to ensuring that all children, irrespective of gender and social category, have access to education. An education that enables them to acquire the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes necessary to become responsible and active citizens of India."

Even after so many years of attaining independence, people continue to be slaves of their own primitive mindsets and somehow feudal social structure. Children need to become aware of their fundamental rights. As it is rightly said, the future of a nation is its youth. The youth can be empowered only if it’s educated. Right to Education (RTE) is certainly the way forward.

The government is doing its bit but as responsible citizens of this country, it is also our duty to ensure that every individual in the country can access his/her rights. Various non-profit organisations are also working to ensure that people have access to quality education. Ghar_Aangan Orphanage is one such organisation that is running programmes to support the education of the most disadvantaged children of India in different ways like we map out-of-school children and ensure their enrolment into formal schools in age-appropriate classes, in classrooms, we encourage and help children to undertake learning activities in groups and in metro cities, we operate our own learning centres where children coming from the socially-excluded communities are provided learning and/or after-school support.
 
By donating to charities like Ghar_Aangan Orphanage, you can make a long-term impact.

Saturday 16 November 2019

Feminism

Dedicated to Girls

1. Not every girl wants to get married by 23. So before you ASSUME she's of marriageable age, ask her what her views on marriage are. One hint, might save you the drama- just because she does not want to get married now does not mean she never will. She has other plans for herself right now, let her live a little.
2. Just because a girl wishes to do her PhD after Masters does not mean she doesn't want to settle down in life. Give her a break, and respect the fact that she has the confidence to take that up, cos yeah, PhD is no joke. There will come a point when she would happily devote herself to her family, and balance it out with her work life. Her degrees, or lack of them, won't make any difference. Let her study while she wants to, okay?
3. Just because she is 27 and unmarried does not mean she's been rejected by many men. Maybe, being single is a choice she has made.
4.Having a boyfriend does not make her characterless.
5. Just because she has recently gone through a break up doesn't mean she is vulnerable and available.
6. Just because most of her friends are boys, does not mean she is "having a good time" with all of them.
7. Just because she has a drink in her hand does not mean she is an alcoholic.
8. Just because she wore a short skirt to one party does not mean she dresses up that way every day.
9. Just because she is ambitious doesn't mean she isn't a family person.
10. Just because she doesn't discuss her plans doesn't mean she's clueless about life. Give her a chance, alright?
11. Just because she is outspoken doesn't mean she is a rebel.
12. Just because she comes home late from work does not mean she is sleeping around with her colleagues.
13. After a hectic week, give her some time to relax over the weekend. Don't make that one weekend party make her look like a she's a frivolous party-girl without a job.
14. Just because she is out shopping alone does not mean she is depressed or lonely. It's how she relaxes, respect that.
15. Just because she is on a holiday alone does not mean she doesn't have company. Maybe it's a break to get back her lost confidence, or maybe that's how she is. Admire her spirit instead of giving her advice, okay?
16. Just because she is a woman doesn't mean she can't kick ass in military school.
17. Just because she has a tattoo doesn't mean she is attention seeking. Maybe that's her way of expression.
18. Just because she doesn't know how to cook doesn't mean she won't make a good wife. Remember when you were just married and cooked chicken curry which was um, a disaster?
19. Just because she likes everything pink and shiny and fluffy doesn't mean she lives in her own world. She can handle some situations much better than her male counterparts.
20. Just because she is pretty does not mean she is a whore. And just because she is friendly does not mean she is flirting with you.
Yes, they cry,  get emotional; they take things personally, and sometimes over-react to situations. But this does not give any one the right to judge them in the wrong way. Times are changing; don't confine her within those boundaries, no matter how orthodox you are. There are some who might be fighting this losing battle, yet compromising on their decisions and plans, just to please society. Respect & let them fly✈... :))

Sunday 12 May 2019

Internet Safer Day: How Parents can Ensure a Safer Internet Experience for their Children

It’s a digital era. Things have become simpler with the internet. Nowadays, our daily activities are planned using the internet. The Internet provides us with data, information, and knowledge. It depends on us how we choose to use this information that we gather from the internet. Some choose to use it in a productive way and some don’t.



The Internet can be used to send emails, research, download files, follow and become part of various discussion groups, play interactive games, education, friendship and dating, electronic newspapers and magazines, job-hunting, and shopping.



The Internet is a handy tool not only for adults but also for children. Children have come to know that the internet is this magical identity that is capable of replying to ambiguous questions/doubts. It also provides templates of pretty much everything.



It is up to us- the adults, to teach our children how to use the internet safely. Today, children are very techno-savvy and are well acquainted with using computers, laptops, tablets, etc. But children often are not aware of their online safety, viruses, phishing, social networking etiquettes, and many other internet security issues.



The risk of overuse causing speech delays in toddlers, poor quality of sleep, and incidence of depression for teenagers (especially those who use social media consistently) are some of the major concerns parents have regarding children’s internet usage.



Things parents can do to provide their children with a safer internet experience:

1. Discovering the internet together is a good option. Introduce your child to the internet. Develop a positive attitude towards exploring the internet in your child. You can do this by finding fun and exciting websites to learn. Exploring the internet together will make it easy for your child to share both positive and negative experiences with you.

2. It is important for parents and teachers to discuss internet safety with children at an early age because children at this age still use computers under the supervision of their parents or teachers rather than independently. They need to be told that the internet has both safe and unsafe things. As the children start to grow they start using the internet independently. It is then that they need to know what is safe and what is not.

3. The easiest tip you can give to any child for using the internet safely is that if they won’t do something face-to-face, they should definitely not do it online as well. For instance, in real life, you will never walk up to a stranger and start a conversation or be abusive to a friend or stranger. So we should not do it online as well.

4. Tell your children that once they’ve written/put up something on the internet, they can’t delete it. The Internet is wonderful place provided we be careful about what we say and do over there. If you want respect, you have to give it in return. Tell your children that it is not okay to express hate, racism, sexism, and/or violence online as it can hurt someone’s sentiments and can have back-firing consequences.

5. A simple rule for children while using the internet is to be careful when disclosing personal information. Phone number, credit/debit card details, bank account details, etc. should not be shared with anyone on the internet. Children using social networking sites like Facebook should be told to not mention a lot about themselves. Personal information and photos they post online can be accessed by anyone at any point in time. Regardless of privacy settings, once anything is online you can usually no longer control who sees it or how it is used.

6.Teenagers and young adults should also know that many employers and university admissions offices check the candidates’ social media profiles before selecting them. It is important to filter and check what children put on their social media handles like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

7. Discuss with your children and make internet rules for them. For instance, decide how long it is acceptable for your child to use the internet. Tell your child about what type of sites should not be visited. Set an ideal for how to behave with others while gaming, chatting, emailing, or messaging on the internet. You should also follow the same rules and set a benchmark for your child. In case if you are doing something that you have told your child not to do, then explain to your child why the rules are different for adults and children.

8. It is always risky to meet friends online. To avoid any unpleasant experiences, children should not meet any strangers online. If they really wish to meet someone they met on social networking sites like Facebook, then they should not do it without being accompanied by an adult. This is important because if they feel uncomfortable during the meeting they can bail out in the presence of an adult around them.

9. Parents should be more vigilant and should monitor their children’s online activities as much as they can without intruding into their privacy. Parents should also teach their children good Passcode Management and tell their children to use two-factor authentication wherever they can. As a responsible parent, you must set up a google alert about your child and beware about significant cyber-bully signs.

Parents should educate their children early and often. The Safer Internet Day is just around the corner. Are you unsure what to do about it? Well, to start with, you can show the world that you stand up for a better internet. For this, you can add a Twibbon to your social media profile pictures.



As we celebrate the Safer Internet Day, millions of people have united for one common mission i.e. to make the internet, a place where people use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively.