Lesson for humankind

Times have changed. And, this change can be felt by every single person living on this planet. Never had it imagined the proportion of changes to take place at such a fast pace. What was present has really become or intends to become a past soon. How a bacterium, possibly a minuscule thing totally invisible to the world could bring drastic change to the very existence of humankind. Something that happened, happens or likely to happen is either destiny or in every way assumed to be Act of God. Something happening in this world at this moment is not we presume as an Act of God. It is the end-result of what is an Act of Humankind. A lot of things it destroyed is very much payback from humankind itself in the form of ailment and possibly death. What humankind gave to the world to exist and let everyone know of its existence is being reciprocated in the destruction of its very existence slowly and steadily by that minuscule, invisible form of life by taking away life with the slightest touch.

Nature has always been the best and most beautiful creation of God, bestowed with giving the best to humankind to live and enjoy its content to the fullest. However, enjoying the content never meant destruction. It never meant that humans need to kill any other living being for its survival. It never meant to root out innumerable trees to live. It also never meant to venture into a space that was and should always remain private to the very Nature.

How can you imagine the survival of humankind when the course of the river is changed to create enough space for that piece of land which can facilitate flying planes? How can you imagine life to survive when you venture into the area that is private to sea animals and birds by reclaiming and extending the land? How can you imagine the survival of humankind when you venture into the large land pieces of wild animals and birds by destroying forests? All these spaces don’t belong to humankind. It belongs to the river which is flowing to feed humankind since eons without uttering a word. It belongs to the precious sea creatures whose source of survival is being snatched away to create luxuries of humankind. Similarly, it belongs to those mute creatures who were created by Act of God to survive alongside the most blessed creatures on earth – human beings.

Nobody knows how the bacteria came into existence? Was that an Act of humankind or born just like human beings? The fact remains; it has made the world- human beings realize that the planet doesn’t only belong to them. Earth also belongs to many such species that were created along with them. It belongs to every single species that was born during the last several centuries and who has full right to survive in this world just like the humankind. They cannot be ignored, killed, or destroyed only because humans have considered themselves superior to anything and everything. This minuscule, invisible creature has made this materialist world realize that even they can survive without even making the human beings realize how and in what way. And, their survival exists by trying to smash that important organ of the human body – lungs.

Can you really imagine how the bacteria is choosing the human body it needs to destroy? A human body that is not defective externally but internally; a body that is suffering due to some ailment; a body that has very fewer years to survive; a body that is fragile and weak… these are possibly just a few instances. These instances are a lesson to humankind. Still, there is time to get the act together. Time is there to survive if they really wish to survive.

• Don’t beautify your own body by destroying other creatures for survival.
• Don’t act beyond limits even when you have plenty of money to do anything and everything.
• Don’t think you are God and can change the survival of living beings.
• Don’t act as if you have supernatural powers to extend the survival of human beings.

Live and let live. The world is very beautiful, created by the most beautiful Act of God. Let's start preserving the resources, make life simple and easy. Give back to the Nature whatever possible for the generations to remember.

Thank you.

Getting In and Out of Broncho - Part II

And the story starts.....

I am not a great foodie. However, occasionally I have to eat with someone on some or the other occasion. You would be surprised why to talk about food when under the grip of Broncho. Sometimes, there is a need to accommodate a variable and most possibly, a fixed change. I noticed noticeable changes in health when I started having a proper and regular diet of only home-made food. 

In the Indian context, a proper and regular diet usually contains chapatti, spicy oil vegetable recipes, salad, buttermilk, snacks (sometimes) which are followed by dessert. And, frankly, that seems to be wholesome and worthy eating in an Indian environment. However, there lies a catch. Alas, that's how things changed. Diet has a consequent effect on the mind. I believe, if you eat healthy food, you survive healthily. Life is not about tits and bits. Similarly, health is not about tits and bits which you can ignore and overindulge in eating.

The first change was to drink only and ONLY lukewarm water. Thus, mornings and evenings saw water being boiled and stored in warm water flasks. I made sure not to drink in one gulp but at regular intervals of the day. The second change was having meals at least twice a day. I stopped eating in the evenings. There was no breakfast. I decided and scheduled my lunch very much in advance of the day. Laugh it out but, I was done with my first meal in the early hours of dawn. Third, something that helped improve immunity or perhaps helped escape the negative onslaught of medicinal doses was the use of soup in my meals. I started having mixed vegetable soup for the first time and jokes apart, this was my first experiment with my body. I would boil and blend vegetables like carrot, tomato, spinach, and ginger, with a pinch of salt and black pepper; remove the unwanted pulp by straining. It was quite nutritious; in fact, I felt, my blood levels optimized mainly due to the inclusion of mixed vegetable soup in the diet. 

Fourth, salads were made a constant in eating. Variety for each day consisted of cucumber, tomato, carrot and sugar beet which is a rich source of iron. I also made sure to boil and eat sweet potato at least once a week. Next, something that would surprise all is the use of clarified butter and a complete ban on the use of oil while cooking. I found it a bit hard imagining Indian dishes without oil as few can only taste good when prepared in oil.

Surprises are bound to come in every word I write here. I decided that I should not eat junk food. This included my all-time favorite, dry Manchurian. Saying no to outside food was not a difficult decision. I just decided and went ahead. Mornings are really decisive. What I cook might not be liked by my tongue. This is not because cooking will be hampered. The reason could be my tongue might have the hunger to try something else. Next surprise is saying "NO" to snacks in every form. Indian snacks are available in a variety of spices, ingredients, and equally difficult to resist. However, I had to make sure these don’t become part of my meals. 

Next surprise is less believable for all but not for me. I decided to sacrifice my Sweet Tooth (with a catch). I stopped having sugar or sugar-related foodstuff. This means no to sugar in coffee; no sweets, no ice-cream. The catch …. I kept the ground open for jaggery – gud in case it’s really difficult to stop the non-resistant mouth organs. Organic jaggery in solid and liquid form paved its way to my kitchen. I didn’t mind making something sweet as and when required. Let me tell you, I am not diabetic. If I decided not to have sugar, then I also decided to have less salt in meals.

The next best thing I avoided was the use of curd and buttermilk. Curd is not good while suffering from cough and cold, broncho or asthma or any other respiratory problem. Similarly, fruits like banana have a similar impact. At one time, I used to have only bananas. Now, you won’t find on my platter. Other fruits are always present in my diet.

These changes in everyday meals were never drastic or frantically adopted to recuperate. These were intended as an experiment in the initial stage to see how I respond and went on to become an integral part of life as days passed. My cardiologist never advised me to stop eating. He asked me to have everything. This helped me overcome the phobia that I am suffering. I understood the real meaning and logic behind disciplined eating when Broncho decided to stay in my body though I never wished it should. 

Overview:- 

1. Have lukewarm water if possible. 
2. If not possible, have non-cold, non-fridge normal water.
3. If not possible, store water in the earthen pot and drink at regular intervals.
4. Have a proper, wholesome Indian diet. Chapatti is a good option with any vegetable(s) based solid or liquid diet. 
5. Stop having rice if possible. I eat only once a month or not at all, sometimes. 
6. Whether you are diabetic or not, ignore sugar.
7. Refined oil is not good for health. 
8. Eat food at the right time. If opting for 3 meals, make sure to have in the morning, noon and early evening. I have my meals in the mornings and late noon.
9. Have no foodstuff at night. I prefer only liquids – coffee, milk or soup. You might have to sacrifice your parties here. 
10. Eat Salads.
11.  Have a lot of fruits. They are constant suppliers of good nutrition.

 It’s difficult to survive with this schedule. However, what is painful to adopt and make a part of life gives good returns in the form of good health. And, I am a living example. Months have passed ever since I had Broncho. By God’s grace, everything got sorted out and I am least impacted even with the change in climatic conditions.

Thank you for reading.

Getting In and Out of Broncho - Part I

Well, would I be struck by it? I had, perhaps not thought about it. However, I got hell-tangled due to the wrong diagnosis. Here, I am speaking about a common respiratory ailment Bronchitis aka Broncho (as I call it).

I had least imagined its entry in my body and thus, create havoc in daily life. I was in an absolute No Way Out state that started giving me nightmares. I thought about the repercussions it would have on my family and at least me if not someone else. Having a history of respiratory ailments in the family where members suffered until the last breath, I was least interested in building that image for myself. I can’t give my life to Broncho despite it had set its foot inside my body and turned hellish.

Thus, I decided….. I will not give up. I will not give my life to Broncho, come what may. Never thought how much time it takes to recuperate but definitely, I will not give up. I saw my mother giving her life to asthma, heard of stories of my father-in-law and maternal grandmother fighting till the end of life and finally sacrificing their lives to various respiratory ailments. I am not and will not be the next victim. That’s not going to happen. Never…. And it really means NEVER.

After suffering for days due to COLD, and surviving on multiple doses of medicinal drugs of which I really didn’t have an idea, I, finally, decided to visit a cardiologist. Long hours of waiting at the doctor’s clinic finally paid heed to my arrival in his room. He examined thoroughly. However, I was taken aback by the way he checked my breath to understand the ailment. Well, that is what he has gained experience in his life. He tries to follow the breath of his patients. I was advised to go for radiology. I made an effort to ask if the Pulmonary Function Test was viable. And surprisingly, he denied. The evening brought the final results of my lungs which made sure I was in the initial stage of Broncho and was advised not to be SCARED – though I was already having nightmares of being the next family victim of respiratory ailments.

It took almost a month and a half to see the results. The first week seemed medicinal DRUGs were not doing anything. I am not getting better, I felt. But, that’s how things work probably. After 10 days or so, drugs were changed. And every visit brought a change in DRUGs in some or the other way. Initially, I thought my body seemed to have lost the immunity to even respond to these drugs. And, I least imagined there would be any change. However, things started changing after almost a month or so. Not only because of the timely decision to visit a cardiologist to receive treatment but also a change self-initiated in daily diet.

Well, I credit myself to the change in my diet ever since I got impacted by Broncho.

To be continued>>

Is artificial intelligence a feasible solution for functional illiterates and complete illiterates?

Functional illiterates (people suffering from dyslexia or reading impairments) cannot read well. Complete illiterates don't read at all. They either don't know how to read or lack an understanding of the art of reading. Studies have revealed that every fifth human is either low literate or illiterate. Thus, developing countries having low literacy rates could find speech technology an impactful solution.

Psycholinguists have argued that a machine shouldn't replace learning how to read. They believe good readers are good at predicting words. And, relying on artificial intelligence or speech technology could hamper cognitive and recognition skills. Benefits of literacy go far beyond reading and writing.

Contemporary reading and writing habits are different from traditional forms of print media. Social media engagement has changed the way of understanding language. It can give an insight into the vocabulary world, improve general knowledge and, enhance short term memory. However, long term benefits are not visible in all cases.

Readers develop the habit to understand language through physical reading in a better way. A child, learning to understand language is the best example here. Reading and writing the text in several different ways can help understand the use of different parts of speech in a sentence. Studies have also revealed that amongst children, good readers can read 4 million words a year and not-so-good readers only 50,000 words. Good readers know how to create a connection between words. They can read multiple words at a glance, thus, optimizing the reading process.

Over the years, physical reading and writing methods have assured proper language learning. With the use of artificial intelligence-based speech technology, can we see illiteracy getting eliminated to its core?

Take a Walk - Take the Advantage of Meditation

Taking a walk in the garden is often considered a good exercise of mind and body. But, have ever thought that walk could yield benefits of meditation! Meditation is an art, a science that has helped humankind in one way or the other. It brings together the collective potential of  nerves, muscles, tissues and cells in one place to make soul hale and hearty. The article provides a glimpse of how walk plays a fruitful role in life and in fact, helps take advantage of meditation.

Usually, taking a walk in the garden often renders thoughtless thoughts of career, sales targets, family member’s health, falling savings etc. There are plenty of things coming and going out of mind. Sometimes, we are taking walks that aren't healthy walks but perhaps stressful strolls. 

For taking a walk, I believe, it is important to forget self. It simply implies “Keep mind free from bacteria”; the unstoppable flow of negative thoughts, ideas and feelings that take upper hand when things just move out of control. It is not easy to do away with this “bacteria” in one or two walks. But, it is not impossible too.

While taking a walk, start on a positive note. There are several things you can watch and observe when you have to start on a positive note. As soon as you arrive in the garden, look at the green trees. Green color stands for freshness, positivity and wealth. Look at the branches and leaves. Try to look at these trees several times as you take rounds. When you are constantly looking at these trees, you are observing different things. You can find several birds on the trees and their sounds can make you pause for a while. You can find squirrels crossing your path several times. A few are chewing food while others are observing their counterparts’ gallops. Try to understand the behavior of living and non-living objects that you observe while walking.

Meditation is not only keeping focus on a stationary object but moving into a world that is different from your usual surroundings. When you walk, you come across elders enjoying in their laughter club. You are face to face with kids lost in their playful world. You encounter peers who have been served pink slips. There are both positive and negative factors prevailing even while walking in the garden. But here, you have to distinguish your thoughts. Your mind should move in the direction of the trees; the constant sounds of laughter club; the playful mischievousness of kids. These activities allow you to focus on several sweet things of life. The mind has to stay calm and observe these early day activities with patience. The calmness can never enter your mind if you don’t want it to. You have to give yourself time, practice more, and sometimes, toil hard.

If you take walk not with the intention to lose weight or improve fitness but with the purpose to gain positivity and optimism, it will pave way for building inner strength, a strength that develops focus, focus that refines thoughts by removing the unwanted things surrounding you.

Hence, the basic concept of meditation while taking a walk is to clean inner self. This process strengthens the desire of self-improvement when undertaken in the early hours of the day because silence prevails in the goodness of birds’ sounds, kids’ giggles and elders’ laughter and also in the movement of leaves of those several green trees. 

Thank You.

Change is UNAVOIDABLE - 3

30th January, 2014 marked the death anniversary of the Great Mahatma (Mahatma Gandhi). He had inspired thousands through speeches and discourse and his one-line speech that most aptly suits NOW happens to be “Be the change you wish to see in this world”.

These words inspired me to pen one more blog on “Change is Unavoidable”. Gandhi had, in fact, launched a huge movement, encouraged many with such words and brought millions of common Indians under one movement to fight for freedom; for a CHANGE. I can feel the change NOW but sometimes, it’s just indescribable. And then, the same question crops up. Why do I need to change and why I feel change is unavoidable?

Change, I believe, is an idea, a thought that might, perhaps take a virtual form. I think technology as a change has, in fact, immensely influenced everyone across the globe. Here, a small move becomes a massive movement and pulls in everyone. At one time, words were enough to indoctrinate someone but now virtual presence of this inanimate object is playing the role of thought-changing process. It is but obvious that everyone is heading on a path to find something new; desperate to carry out experiments; and consequently, want freedom where minds are not ruled by few but become a part of larger planet. And, that is what is CHANGE.

Re-emphasizing the same quote “Be the change….”; I think, the feel, the very presence of change is viral that initiates channels of distribution created with every move.

Thank You…

Happiness is OMNIPRESENT

We are searching for something pleasant, nice and good every morning and even throughout the day. Watching movie, chatting on messenger or perhaps reading an article of personal interest in the morning gives a kind of different feeling. These activities are part of routine life. However, we miss out understanding the existence of happiness here.

It’s a fact and has remained the same despite changes in life over the years. We never realize that happiness is achieved in these small things we do in our daily life. While watching movie, we might not have liked the casting but captures were innovative, action was mind-blowing and of course, I found my favorite Ferrari running on that highway. Don’t you think this movie uttered happiness inside me?

Just read an article on one of the cricket legends… A great personality, straight-forward and down to earth man sharing his thoughts on how life has started anew for him after retirement. Am I not feeling happy reading those bits just as I’m about to finish breakfast and heading to office?

My friend from Japan has just joined office after a month (paternity leave). As I went online, he started sharing views of being a new father. Isn’t it making me happy? His thoughts have given rise to a kind conversation which I’m unable to resist despite being packed with schedule of the day.

It is difficult to analyse whether these tiny things matter or not each day and every day. But, I feel these just happen in blink of eye and start scattering optimism and healthy feelings around. It is not easy to say how things happen so suddenly and then diminish all of a sudden? But, these things happen and happen every time at unthoughtful times of life.

This is what makes HAPPINESS omnipresent. It gives so much and takes nothing in return. Mere observation of things around us helps in locating its presence. It is here and will remain here. We have to make sure that we take the most of it as it arrives into our so-called insulated zone of life.

Happy Days Ahead!!!

Thank You…