Pollution at dangerous levels!

 The alarm bells are ringing! A grave situation for the next generation.

This isn't just any winter fog. This is smog (smoke + fog). This is the extent of the pollution in the capital of India. This is affecting brand India, big time!

This situation is not new for Delhiites, but what is appalling is that nothing major seems to be done over the years to bring about a positive change in the situation.

Let us begin by understanding what is AQI...

AQI stands for the Air Quality Index.  

These quality standards differ from region to region. In India, the NAMP (National Air Monitoring Programme) is operated by the Central Pollution Control Board. There are six AQI categories 

[Source: National Air Quality Index (cpcb.gov.in) ]

The schools shall remain closed for some days as a measure to reduce the impact of the pollution. The schools/educational institutions can conduct their classes online. 

The government of Delhi is also planning to implement its 'odd-even' policy, but the apex court - The Supreme Court has questioned whether this policy was effective in reality or just for the optics.

So this 'odd-even ' policy means that vehicles with licence plate numbers ending in even digits are allowed to operate on even dates, while those ending in odd digits can ply on odd dates.

The government may also consider a stay on the construction work in and around Delhi. 

How this is affecting India's image?

1. The players of the Cricket World Cup 2023 have gone on to cancel their practice sessions. Some of those have been seen practicing with their masks on. [In future the other sportspersons will follow suit]

[Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh - before their match in Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium]

2. According to studies the average life expectancy reduces by up to 10 years if you reside in a severely polluted area.

3. In the long run, this may affect the decisions of corporations and investors. 

Mumbai hasn't yet reached the low levels as Delhi, but the pollution levels are rising at a rapid pace.

Let us hope that the leaders are able to muster the courage to make the right decisions. After all, what is required is strong political willpower to transform the situation.

Let us hope for a positive change soon.

What measures can you suggest? 

'Where there is a will, there is a way!'

When an example proves the proverbial...!

Today let us salute the efforts of Sheetal Devi - the armless archer from India who has made us proud by winning a silver medal followed by two gold medals at the Asian Para Games 2022 in Hangzhou (China).

She was born in 2007 with a condition known as Phocomelia which results in the ill development of a limb. The journey of the hero begins when the others perceive it as a dead-end. 

Her talent was first brought to the world by the army.

The Indian Army's Rashtriya Rifles unit first spotted her talent, and after participating in an event organized by the army, coaches Abhilasha Chaudhary and Kuldeep Wadhwan decided to train her.  

Unfortunately, the doctors ruled out the possibility of prosthetics, but that did not deter Sheetal Devi. 

Very similar to this is the case of an American archer Matthew Stutzman (Paralympics - Silver medalist 2012). 

Sheetal Devi was determined and with the guidance of her coaches made ALL her dreams come true.

One day after a ride in a car she put her feet on the steering at proclaimed that one day she too would drive a car....!

These are real-life heroes who have the power to motivate us all. As a wonderful gesture Mr. Anand Mahindra, Chairman (Mahindra Group), in his X account offered her any car of her choice that they would customise for Sheetal Devi.

She is just sixteen years old (DOB: Jan 10,2007), and this is just the start. 

Wish her all the very best, and hope that the readers will draw a lot of motivation from her example.

Cheers!

Chinese rocket falls in the Indian Ocean-Long March 5B rocket- [Hindi][N...

'Shree Ram Navami' - "श्रीराम नवमी"!

 

   "श्रीराम नवमी"!  

दिनविशेष ... 

आज चैत्र शुद्ध नवमी म्हणजे "श्रीराम नवमी"! 

 तुम्हा सर्वांना हार्दिक शुभेच्छा !! 

 आज प्रभू रामचंद्र ह्यांचा जन्मदिवस. भगवान विष्णू ह्यांचा हा सातवा अवतार. 

रामायण हा इतिहास आहे.... काल्पनिक कथा नव्हे ... 

शिकण्यासारखे बरेच काही ... 

रामायणाचा कितीही अभ्यास केला तरी कमीच आहे परंतु तो आपल्या हिंदुस्थानाचा भव्य इतिहास आहे. [fiction नाही] महत्वाचे असे खूप काही आहे पण त्यातल्या विशेष विचार करण्यासारख्या गोष्टी इथे पाहू ...

१. रामायणात विमानाचा उल्लेख आहे ... विशेष म्हणजे ती पाऱ्यावर (Hg - Mercury) कार्य करणारी प्रणाली होती. 

२. राम-सेतू हा तर समुद्रावर बांधलेला सेतू ! civil engineering at its best ! 

३. रामायण आपणास हे सुध्दा शिकविते की युद्ध, शत्रूच्या भूमीवर उत्तम ... त्यामुळे आपल्या भूमीचे, लोकांचे हाल होत नाहीत. 

४. कर्तव्य ते कर्तव्य - आजही आपण 'राम-राज्य' हवे असे म्हणतो.

५. युद्ध हे योग्य रणनीतीने जिंकता येते. फक्त मोठं सैन्य असून पर्याप्त नसते. 

६. प्रभू रामचंद्र आपल्या शत्रूंचा वेळीच वध करायचे. (वेळ वाया दवडला तर शत्रू बलाढ्य होतो व अधिक क्लेश होतात)

७. अहिंसा स्वकीयांसाठी असते - शत्रूसाठी नव्हे ! योग्य वेळी धनुष्य-बाण वापरलाच पाहिजे. (पुढे, श्री कृष्णाने हीच शिकवण दिली आहे ...स्वकीयांसाठी बासरी, पण शत्रूसाठी मात्र सुदर्शनचक्रच) 

म्हणून ... 

एक शिक्षक म्हणून मला नेहमी वाटतं की हा तेजस्वी इतिहास मुलांना शिकविलाच पाहिजे. Our history books should showcase our rich culture and history. 

ज्याने खून करून, लूट करून राज्य बळकाविले त्यांच्याविषयी खूप आहे, पण थोरल्या भावाचे राज्य आहे, असे म्हणून सिंहासन ग्रहण न करणाऱ्याविषयी काही नाही ...?! 

'रामायण' ह्या विषयावर, पुण्यातील ब्रह्मर्षी  डॉ. प. वि. वर्तक (वेद विज्ञान मंडळ) ह्यांनी उत्तम संशोधन करून 'वास्तव रामायण' हे पुस्तक लिहिले आहे. अतिशय छान अभ्यासपूर्ण असे हे लेखन आहे व अपसमज दूर होऊन सत्य समोर ठेवल्यामुळे पुस्तकाचे शीर्षक अगदी योग्य असे आहे. 

अवश्य वाचन करा ... 

Astro-mathematics चा उपयोग करून रामायणातील महत्वाचे दिवस समोर आले आहेत 

संपूर्ण पृथ्वीवर हिंदुस्थानसारखा देश नाही ज्याचा इतका वैभवशाली इतिहास आहे!

There is no country on the face of this planet with such great legacy...

शेवटी एकच ... 
आरंभ "राम-राम" ने, तर अंत "राम-नाम" ने ... !!

Match the expressions with their meanings

Match the expressions with their meanings

Matching exercise

  

Choose the correct option from the drop-down menu

Principle	??? words cited from a speech/text of a famous person a popular well-known truth a lesson derived from a story or experience a rule to govern one's behaviour generally accepted, evident, truth a short witty remark stating truth a short striking message for the public the words do not convey the exact literal meaning
Quotation	??? words cited from a speech/text of a famous person a popular well-known truth a lesson derived from a story or experience a rule to govern one's behaviour generally accepted, evident, truth a short witty remark stating truth a short striking message for the public the words do not convey the exact literal meaning
Moral	??? words cited from a speech/text of a famous person a popular well-known truth a lesson derived from a story or experience a rule to govern one's behaviour generally accepted, evident, truth a short witty remark stating truth a short striking message for the public the words do not convey the exact literal meaning
Idioms	??? words cited from a speech/text of a famous person a popular well-known truth a lesson derived from a story or experience a rule to govern one's behaviour generally accepted, evident, truth a short witty remark stating truth a short striking message for the public the words do not convey the exact literal meaning
Slogans	??? words cited from a speech/text of a famous person a popular well-known truth a lesson derived from a story or experience a rule to govern one's behaviour generally accepted, evident, truth a short witty remark stating truth a short striking message for the public the words do not convey the exact literal meaning
One-liners	??? words cited from a speech/text of a famous person a popular well-known truth a lesson derived from a story or experience a rule to govern one's behaviour generally accepted, evident, truth a short witty remark stating truth a short striking message for the public the words do not convey the exact literal meaning
Maxims	??? words cited from a speech/text of a famous person a popular well-known truth a lesson derived from a story or experience a rule to govern one's behaviour generally accepted, evident, truth a short witty remark stating truth a short striking message for the public the words do not convey the exact literal meaning
Proverb	??? words cited from a speech/text of a famous person a popular well-known truth a lesson derived from a story or experience a rule to govern one's behaviour generally accepted, evident, truth a short witty remark stating truth a short striking message for the public the words do not convey the exact literal meaning

Subject - Verb agreement [Grammar test] Concept clarity

Fill in the blanks using the correct option: [Subject - Verb agreement]

Gap-fill exercise

  

This exercise will test your understanding. You have a minute to do this. When you're done, press "Check" to check your answers. All the best!

1. He reached the venue on time. [has/have]
2. Food and water the main requirements at the moment. [is/are]
3. The customers waiting outside the shop. [was/were]
4. Trees us with our basic necessities. [provide/provides]
5. I all the videos on this channel regularly. [watch/watches]
6. You'll get a prize if you all the questions correctly. [answer/answers]
7. The scientists done a lot of research on this topic. [has/have]
8. I the monitor of this class. [is/am/are]
9. The police arrested the culprit. [has/have]
10. All the vehicles to be serviced on time. [need/needs]

What is 'Breaking News'? Is it really 'Breaking'? Is every news 'Breaking' news?

What is 'Breaking news'? Is it really 'breaking'?

Is every news 'Breaking' news?

Well the words ‘Breaking news’ are important! But let us understand the word ‘Breaking’ that precedes the word ‘news’.

Breaking news is the news (or a part of it) reported about a significant event/incident as it unfolds, or is happening at that moment.

It is not ‘breaking’ to report something after an event has already happened, and it is over.

Some news channels, just to keep up the TRP, use the word ‘Breaking’ before every ‘news’!

(BTW, TRP stands for Television Rating Point)

Thus the word ‘Breaking’ has become a cliché.

Also the time factor is important. Normal standards in journalism state that the news should not be more than an hour old. Also what is 'breaking' changes from region to region.

So let us understand when should the word ‘Breaking’ actually follow the word ‘News’.

Suppose it is the World Cup Cricket final match at the Wankhede (Mumbai).

India is chasing a target to win the trophy, and become a World Champion.

Now, this event is unfolding, and is happening (in progress). So now if at a crucial stage India loses a wicket, and the news channels show it as a ‘Breaking News’ (more like a latest update!) it is acceptable.

Conclusion:

Understand that ‘Breaking’ is bringing the latest about an incident which is currently (and that stage) developing or happening.

Cheers!