Children and Technology – a childhood lost?

July 21, 2014

Author – Gayatri Devulapalli

Any parent belonging to the current generation will agree that technology is playing a major role in a child’s upbringing. To think that till 1980s (early 1990s too), there was practically nothing else a child could do except playing out with friends or going out to a movie with family. Only other entertainment was of course comic books and teenage books (like Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys). Coming to the current Millennial generation, what options do our kids have? If we start listing them we can easily fill out a book.

Technology has sort of opened up lots of ways in which children can ‘entertain’ themselves. Now, every other child over three years knows what an iPad or a Smartphone is. A child of five understands that he/she can search his/her keywords via a search engine on the internet! How about games? We all know how children love their PlayStations, Xboxes, Nintendo Wiis.

Children and technology have become inseparable and to add this collection is the idiot box! Adults have no choice but to give in to their children demand for TV and gadgets, because they have become a part of their lives as well. (what with most of them being software engineers!) . Where is all this leading to?

Past times of childhood

The children of an older generation had very few options. How many of us remember finishing our homework and going out to play with friends… Be it cricket, volleyball, carom, or any new game, or those get-togethers in the park. The television entered our lives in the 1980s, but with a single channel – Doordarshan! Cartoon programmes came just on Sunday mornings and we as children waited eagerly for this hour of entertainment and cherish it till the next Sunday. Even other children programmes (like Vikram-Betaal or Malgudi Days) were telecasted only once a week. No wonder none of us have forgotten even one episode of those programmes. They were like the few pearls found in a vast ocean, which had to be cherished. And indeed it is still being cherished.

Nancy Drew was like a buddy to everybody even though none of us had met her! Amar Chitra Katha, Tinkle comics and Diamond Comics led from the front in entertaining the child. Characters like Chacha Chaudhary, Shikari Shambu, Suppandi are etched in our hearts like the carving on a stone. The shelf life of these comics was that strong. They were not only entertaining, but also added to the child’s knowledge bank. A friend states about how he learnt the whole Puranas by reading Amar Chitra Katha alone! So there you have it – occasional TV, books and lot of friends. Quite enough wasn’t it? But things changed drastically right?

Continue reading part 2: Is technology affecting our children?

The Economy of ‘Change’

Venkataraman L.N.

July 7, 2014

Author – L N Venkataraman

Indian coins — Indian Coins Via commons.wikimedia.org

The only thing permanent in life is change. This veritable fact is omnipresent except in the wallets of people and cash boxes of shop vendors in India! I am talking of none other than the ‘loose change’ or the seemingly vanishing government minted metallic discs of our currency called ‘coins’. It is a loss almost every Indian consumer bears each day, which has now been accepted as a way of life. Similar to our prevalent bribe-fed bureaucracy, a unique Indian culture of vanishing loose change has laid its roots in our blood.

Ask any kirana store to return your remaining change and the familiar reply would be, “Sir, khulla nahi hai”; and thus goes the invisible change into the shopkeeper’s pocket as though a wireless transaction deposited it by that three-word verdict! Consumers unconsciously suffer this ‘minor loss’ everyday.

I fail to understand the depleting nature of coins and their destiny in our inflation. Shopkeepers don’t seem to have them and we don’t have an option but to allow the price of commodities virtually rise by a few rupees. It appears to be a universal phenomenon across India that adds to the woes of its citizens. Even if I hold a bag of fresh coins from a bank and use it to tender exact change at the shop, it does not help. A day soon comes when I run out of coins and I am back to the conundrum of the vanishing change. I cannot be visiting the bank every time as it costs time and money for each visit. I am left to wonder why we face this situation everyday and is there a black hole in our economy where the coins disappear into?

During my recent visit to Germany, I was amazed to see the bountiful “akshaya patras” in grocery shops, which were always full of coins. No matter how small the change was, the shopkeeper would return exactly the required money to the cent. Even 1 cent coin is prevalent and used to its utmost capacity with due respect to its position in the economy!

India has already abolished the lower denomination coins (25 paise and below) due to their increasing cost of production. Of course, I cannot draw a comparison between the two vastly different countries, but look at the impressive sense of respect and accuracy conferred to the value of money. Every hard-earned cent or paisa has some value attached to it, but sadly in India we are devaluing the lower denominations (even rupee coins) from our own pocket.

As per current estimate of the Indian population of 127 crore, around 66% are in the productive age group of 15 to 64 years. Since there are some irreversible movements of coins to beggars and temples in India, we can assume a lower percentage of consumers. Even if we consider only 30% of this age group as consumers, having one transaction with a vendor per day i.e.25.146crore of population, there is a loss of Rs.25.146crore per day if each consumer loses an understated 1 rupee per day!

Even if my theory of loss appears overstated and the lack of correct tender by shopkeepers is not always true, you would agree that we do suffer a loss at a mammoth scale of at least few crore per day, not to mention the loss due to “tips” and the “Sir, chai paanika…” public toilets and other innumerable places in India that are now left mandatory to bribe!

At such a magnitude of loss, the new age “coin” economy becomes a force to reckon with, making its presence felt in every common man’s life. Money is certainly being siphoned away from the pockets of consumers. Where is the money going? Is someone hoarding coins at home or are they melting them to extract the metal for trading?

Money of such magnitude if collectively saved could perhaps be well spent on the needy or to lay better roads or better healthcare and education to the deprived. At the least, families like mine would have bought those expensive onions in the recent past – essential for everyday cooking! Just as every drop of blood matters, so that every currency coin in our bleeding inflationary economy.

Factfile –
http://www.thehindu.com
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Pleaseasure of Restoring Old Machines Back to Life

Caleidoscope

July 4, 2014

Guest Author – Dean Ronnie

Today, we live in a technology-driven society where new gadgets and machines are created everyday; in fact every minute. At the same time, older technologies are forced to die a premature death due to obsolescence. While we are all nostalgic about some good old machines that we grew up with, we rarely bother about reviving them.

Restoring old machines can be a wonderful thing, since it allows you to bring back items from the past right into the future. Sometimes vintage design cannot be bettered; there are many machines from the past that just haven’t been replicated. For those seeking to bring an old machine back to life, there are two options: bringing a machine back to its full working glory; or restoring it aesthetically and use it as a showpiece. Here we take a look at a few examples of machines from the past that can make wonderful restoration projects:

Old Radios

Vintage Radio

Whether it has been passed down the generations or you just spotted it in a second hand sale for a good price, an old radio makes for a wonderful restoration project. Taking you back to the golden age of broadcasting before TVs, video games and the internet, a vintage radio such as Murphy, Bush, Philips features superb vintage appeal. It is up to you whether or not you restore it back to working condition or not, but even if you don’t, restoring the outer of a vintage radio makes for a great antique to be displayed in your home.

If you do choose to restore the radio electronically, there are a number of things to look out for. These include replacing tolerance resistors, repairing any ripped speaker cones, cleaning and lubricating any mechanisms. While this all may sound daunting, there are hundreds of guides and videos available on the internet for your assistance.

Vintage Sewing Machines

Singer Sewing Machine-Odin’s_raven

Although modern sewing machines are easily available and are much more effective, there is just something about a vintage sewing machine. Whether you want to restore a vintage one to put it to use or you just want to use it as a showpiece, there many options available.

If you don’t have one already, the best place to find a vintage sewing machine is by asking friends and relatives; they might have one hidden away in their garage or attic. If not, there are plenty to be found among newspaper classified ads, the neighbourhood scrap dealer and of course, the internet. Major sewing machine manufacturers to look out for include Usha, Nagpal, Singer and also imported ones like Jones & Frister and Rossmann & Bradbury.

If you are purchasing a sewing machine, don’t rush into buying a machine that shows signs of a hard life. Check the underside and look inside the covers and doors. Any chips to the paint, rust or missing parts are all signs that the sewing machine will need a lot of work to get it back to its best. If you plan to use it, you may have extra work on your hands to get it moving again that will involve dismantling it, removing the rust from the parts and then giving it a thorough clean. Never use common lubricants such as WD-40 as these will harden over time and will collect dust and lint, and can also gum up the metal gear driven parts.

Motorcycles

Yezdi Classic | Sandeep K Ram

There is nothing quite like riding a classic! Once you are astride a vintage motorbike from the past such as Yezdi Roadking, Royal Enfield Bullet, or Triumph, you will be immersing yourself in history. A large part of the fun with riding a classic motorbike is taking something that has fallen into disrepair and resurrecting it. For many like me, working on a restoration project is as much fun as actually riding the bike itself.

Even if you don’t plan to ride the bike, if you have the room, a vintage bike can make an excellent addition to your garage as a showpiece. Of course if you do plan to ride it, restoring the bike to roadworthy condition will be no overnight process, as you find yourself taking the bike apart piece by piece. As part of the restoration process, you will need to fully inspect every inch of your bike. Check for cracks, holes, rusting parts; check every fixture and fitting, and be sure to test all electrical components. Serious attention to detail is needed as one loose bolt could cause a breakdown.

While spare parts for vintage motorcycles can be hard to come by, advances in technology mean they can be reproduced in certain cases. Using processes such as rotary swaging, specialist engineering companies have recreated parts for motorbikes from as far back as the 1920s.

Push Lawnmowers

Lawnmower | CubaGallery

The basic design of hand-push lawnmowers has changed very little since they were first invented in 1830. With a gear wheel connected to a rear roller featuring a cylinder of sharp cutting blades, the design of these machines is incredibly simple. Using a scissor like action, the blades cut against a bottom blade for a very precise cut.

As they were built to last a lifetime and were often engineered using high grade materials, these lawnmowers can be repaired and brought back to working order. Once refurbished, a push lawnmower will require little maintenance aside from little greasing, cleaning and blade adjustment. Since they are entirely manual, they are harmless to the environment, save you money on electricity and are also great exercise. Even if you don’t actually plan to cut your grass with these lawnmowers, refurbishing them can give you a great showpiece for your garden, which taps into the trend of upcycling.

Factfile –
flickr.com/sandeepkram
flickr.com/odins_raven/
flickr.com/cubagallery

I, Me, My Selfie Generation!

Eshaa Patnaik

June 30, 2014

Author – Eshaa Patnaik

Intense dialectic between exclusion and self-empowerment?

Are you selfie ready? The new Pond’s “#PondsSelfieReady” TV ad campaign uses this punch line to attract more youngsters to participate in their contest. My first reaction as any young self-respecting and media savvy person was that I should try it out and post my first selfie on Facebook at least. Most brands have tried to leverage the word to their advantage. So much so that in the recent 16th Lok Sabha elections, our prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi used it to his fullest advantage. Modi took selfies at numerous occasions and connected with the emerging crowd of “net generation Indians”. Our youth are imbued with sophisticated technical skills and to connect with them or use their language, one would require being media savvy.

For those who came in late, a selfie is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken either with a camera held at arm’s length or in a mirror. The popularity of the word “selfie” can also be gauged from the fact that Oxford Dictionaries announced it as the “word of the year” for 2013. This year there may not be something as popular. To be honest, it definitely captures a snapshot of our social-media-obsessed moment. Social media was earlier accused of feeding the voyeuristic urges of people, but now it’s taken on an entirely new meaning.

Our social media has one defining feature now. It’s absurd stress on self-absorption… Gone are the days of looking at oneself in the mirror and being happy at your reflection. Now we need nothing short of at least 20 comments on our selfie posted on Facebook to make us happy. I got many responses when I asked around about the so called “selfie generation” or category. Some felt that it was a sheer waste of time, some felt it was something that only teens engaged in; but the most interesting comment that I received was that the selfie helped in self-realization.

It satisfied the urge to announce that “they had arrived” and most importantly to use their space in social media as a personal memorial. The trend has caught on very recently of being individualistic and different. And nothing better than using the internet and social media to announce it to the world. The narcissist culture on cyberspace has firmly established itself.

Are we talking about a trend here or have the youth always been a confused and self-absorbed lot? Is it something to do with the present one, the Millennial Generation (starting from the mid-teens to 30), or it something like a fad and caught the fancy of all for some time? In a research study done at the University of Michigan, psychologist Jean Twenge has labeled the current generation of young people the “iGeneration,” or “Generation Me“.

In her books, Jean Twenge describes how young people today “take it for granted that the self comes first”, and has labeled this time a “narcissism epidemic”, stating that we are “living in the age of entitlement”. Sara Konrath, another researcher at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research calls the current generation “one of the most self-centered, narcissistic, competitive, confident and individualistic in recent history. It’s not surprising that this growing emphasis on the self is accompanied by a corresponding devaluing of others”.

Although going to the extent of “devaluing of others” may not always be very appropriate when we talk of selfies, but a generation gap wider than the normal gap seems to be the case here.

This brings me to my first question – Selfie? Intense dialectic between exclusion and self-empowerment? Without going too deep into sociology to explain away the selfie, it definitely poses us a question. Are we not either involved in empowering ourselves with exclusivity or excluding all others from our world? It definitely is a fad for now, but the popularity of this trend makes me believe it’s something that’s going to stay on.

Factfile –
http://www.narcissismepidemic.com
http://www.generationme.org
http://time.com

Old Indian Brands that Faded Away – Bhule Bisre Brands

Levine Lawrence

June 27, 2014

The other day I was watching the Hindi movie ‘Barfi’ and I felt that the hero’s name rhymes with Murphy. Later I realised that the hero’s deaf character is actually named after Murphy Radio! That triggered something in me and truck loads of nostalgic memories tumbled out of my mind. Today, in a billion people market like India, numerous brands jostle in the market to get a foothold into consumer’s mind. Back in those good old days of pre-liberalised India, there were a handful of brands in any industry category. When we look back, we find many of those brands faded away into oblivion along with their outdated technology. Here is an ode to the old Indian brands which ruled the Indian market:

Murphy

The recent Anurag Basu movie ‘Barfi’ not only touched us with its heart-warming charm, but also made us sentimental about the bygone days. Set in the 1970s, the film depicts the story of Murphy “Barfi” Johnson who was named after the radio that was bought on the same day he was born. Back in the 1960s-70s, when radio was the only form of entertainment and information, Murphy Radio was the most powerful brand in India. Every household, actually every wealthy household had a Murphy radio or a Bush radio set, which was triode valve radio fitted inside a large wooden cabinet. The names of medium wave or short wave radio stations were labelled on the dial panel with two huge knobs for volume and tuning.

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Those were the glory days of BBC, Voice of America, Radio Moscow and our own All India Radio. Vividhbharati, the colourful movie songs and trivia programme was transmitted by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation due to a ban of film songs on Akashvani! Today, it is hard to find these radios even in junkyards! I got to know that the happening star of yesteryears Mandakini’s husband Kagyur Tulku Rinpoche was the cute face of Murphy brand. Yeh kahaani toh poora filmi hai!
http://www.hindustantimes.com

Premier Padmini

Which city in India is synonymous for its local trains and taxis? Of course, amchi Mumbai! While things transform fast in this ever changing maximum metropolis, one thing that has not changed is the black & yellow iconic taxi. Premier Padmini, the name that unfolds a flurry of nostalgic memories from the good old days is alive and kicking in Mumbai. Originally named ‘Fiat 1100 Delight’, this cute and compact automobile was manufactured in India from 1964 to 2000 by Premier Automobiles Limited, under license from Fiat.
In the pre-liberalised era where its only competitor was the bulky Hindustan Ambassador, Premier Padmini flourished due to rising popularity among youngsters and women. As compared to the Ambassador, the car looked more modern in appearance, more fuel-efficient and was easy to drive. However, Premier Padmini was only available in petrol version and so was limited to the upper middle class. With the arrival of cheaper and more fuel-efficient cars from Maruti Suzuki in late 1980s, it was twilight life for the grand old lady of Indian automotive scene. But Premier Padmini found a second life when jugaadu Indian taxidrivers began refitting its engines with a gas kit to run on LPG or CNG!
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.livemint.com

Dyanora

Dayanora TV via www.withinandwithout.com

Do the names Crown, Orson, Dyanora, Weston ring a bell in your mind… oh! My! Then you have serious case of Nostalgiphilia and you need to get treated soon! These were the brands that once ruled the Indian consumer durable market, particularly the television market. Leading among them was the Dyanora TV which had a bigger market share in South India. Launched in 1975, the brand belonged to the Dynavision Company, which was joint venture between Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation and an entrepreneur Obul Reddy. Dyanora benefitted from the limited competition in the market due to severe restrictions on manufacturing of TVs during the Licence Raj era.

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The Dyanora TV was large solid sized cabinet enclosing a cathode ray tube and electronic circuit board. The front panel had space for speakers, buttons for volume tuning and channels. There were 8-10 buttons for TV channels, but there was only one channel – DD National! With the arrival of Japanese and Korean brands, Dyanora had to bid aideu from our lives. Onida is the only brand from that era that has survived the foreign brand onslaught!
http://marketingpractice.blogspot.in
http://ajithprasad.com

Konica

When was the last time you went a nearby studio to process your film roll? Before the digital era dawned on us, how did we preserve old memories? Photographs on negative film and printed photos! What seemed like a normal activity for us today, it has become such a rarity. Konica and Kodak were the standard names, which had their branded colour labs ubiquitous in every Indian town. Although Kodak is known as the pioneer in photographic films and cameras, Konica has an equally ancient history tracing back in 1890s.
Konica entered India in the early 1980s and began selling its 35mm colour film rolls at Rs.120, while Kodak’s rolls were costlier. That was the era when it cost Rs.250 to get a set of 36 photos printed on a postcard size! Professional photographers used to mint money during weddings, festivals, religious ceremonies, charging a sizable sum for a photo session! By early 2000s, the decline of film photography had begun and in 2003, Konica merged with Minolta to form ‘Konica Minolta’. Soon in 2006, Konica Minolta exited the photography business completely and Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
http://indiaphotoculture.blogspot.in

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Booming Brands – Inspiring Journeys of 11 “Made In India” Brands

Great Indian Brands That Faded Away

Levine Lawrence

June 23, 2014

These days news doesn’t shock me. What with all the breaking news and sting operations, I am a little blinded and deafened by the razzle dazzle. Yet, a recent news update managed to shook me – our good old Amby will be no more! Just as I recovered from this shock, another news struck me – the Campa Cola compound will be demolished. What a tragic end to such an endearing brand!
The monsoon rains came in just in time to drench me into a serious melancholic state and with that, truck loads of nostalgic memories tumbled out of my mind. How will I recover from this bout of Nostalgiphilia?

Today, in a billion+ people market like India, numerous brands jostle to get a foothold into consumer’s mind. Back in the good old days of pre-liberalised India, there were a handful of brands in any industry category. When we look back, we find many of those old Indian brands faded away into oblivion along with their outdated technology. Here is an ode to those forgotten trademarks that once ruled the Indian market:

HM Ambassador

Indian Brands - Ambassador car — Ambassador car

It is termed as the “grand old lady of Indian roads”, but I would dispute that title since it is more apt for Premier Padmini! Our good old Amby was rather the “grand old uncle of Indian roads”. If there was a car that represented powerful presence on the Indian roads, it has to be HM Ambassador. It’s a different matter that there were not many vehicles on the road those days anyway! In fact, the erstwhile great Indian socialist republic should take pride in the fact that powerful politicians, senior government officials, taxi operators, middle class Indians all travelled by one car, which is actually a reincarnation of a British car, Morris Oxford III.

Indian Brands - Ambassador car mark II | Team BHP — Ambassador car mark II | Team BHP

I remember my first Amby car journey across south India right across Bangalore, Madras, Coimbatore and Palghat and back. The car deftly dealt with road bumps, pot holes, unruly truck drivers, speeding autorickshaws and all. Repairs were easy since any truck spare part fitted into this tough all-terrain vehicle. The filmsy looking Maruti couldn’t match the road presence or the safety of the good old Amby. But we filmsy Indians who had no concern about quality and nostalgia went wholeheartedly for Maruti and ditched the pride of the nation!

Campa Cola

Hope you know the Campa Cola compound controversy in Mumbai. But have you heard of the real Campa Cola that was produced by Pure Drinks Group way back in the 1970s? If you haven’t, please don’t read further and spoil our fond memories by asking stupid questions like why it looks like a duplicate of Coca Cola!
Campa Cola was a completely original cola soft drink that had monopolized the entire Indian market in the absence of any foreign competition before 1990s. It had a strong taste of cola and was extremely fizzy, much like our Thums Up, which Coca Cola tried to kill it and revived after it sensed we Indians like our drink strong!

Faded brends of India — Gold Spot-ad | Buzzoop

However, Campa Cola could not stand the onslaught of the ugly American MNC brands that have killed such great Indian brands like Gold Spot, Limca, Double 7, Thrill, Double Cola, etc. Do you remember the “Gold Spot, the zing thing” ad on Doordarshan? If you don’t, you need study your history properly about a bygone era that was pre-liberalised India!

Godrej Storwel

Do you remember where your granny kept all the valuables at home? If you are from rural Bharat, the other India, most probably, your mother keeps all the valuables in a particular all steel almirah, which is otherwise known as ‘Godrej almirah’. In the bygone era, all Indian households had a steel cupboard that was locally made but called Godrej almirah. The Godrej Storwel almirah was the rock solid protection against all internal burglars. When external thieves broke in, we used to simply surrender the keys rather than harm the family treasure!

As observed in many Saas-Bahu TV serials, when the mother-in-law of the house handed over the charge to the eldest daughter-in-law, she always hands over the keys of a Godrej almirah. This heavy duty steel cupboard held all the valuables in the house including sola singhar, sindhoor, family jewels and dowry. Almost always the colour was a smoky grey with a full-size mirror fitted on top. Sadly, with the passing of age, this ageless wonder has ceased to be the quintessential element of an Indian household.
http://www.livemint.com
http://www.godrejinterio.com

HMT Watches

Indian Brands - HMT Watch | Watchuseek — HMT Watch | Watchuseek

In the heydays of Swaraj after India’s independence, the government aspired to build a self-reliant country that produces all the goods needed for its citizens. In this endeavour, Hindustan Machine Tools Ltd set up a watch manufacturing unit in collaboration with Citizen Watch Co., Japan in 1961. As the first manufacturer of wrist watches in the country, HMT Watches popularised the hand wound watches, which might have been the only the second technological gadget at home apart from a radio.

The 17-jewel manual wind mechanical movements were quite something for a generation that was not exposed to any technological gadget. HMT’s Pilot and Janata watch brands were quite affordable at around Rs.500-1,000 and represented the working man’s watch during the 1970s and 1980s. But soon Japanese watches like Seiko, Citizen invaded the Indian market. Further, the homegrown Titan Watches grew rapidly took grab the market share from HMT Watches, which soon faded away from consumer’s memory. Now, there has been a revival in interest among young watch lovers who love the idea of owning these vintage watches.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

———-

Here is a book that talks about the inspiring journey of booming brands that are proudly Made in India.

Great-Book-on-Booming-Brands-in-India — Get the Book

Experience The Power of Music Therapy

Amrutha Girish

June 20, 2014

Music is an abstract part of life that awakens a subtle feeling of bliss within all. Be it is H.W. Longfellow saying “Music is the universal language of mankind”, or George Eliot uttering, “Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music”, everyone nods in agreement to the fact that music is truly a powerful source of feelings and entertainment.

A cousin of mine plays retro music to his father who is an avid music lover to either pacify him or bring down his temper and it really works! Some individuals work more efficiently with soft music playing in the background. Some students do their homework only when hard rock is blaring out of their speakers. I start my day on a harmonious note with an instrumental track that helps me get through in solace.

We, at some point in our lives experience a sense of pleasure when our favorite tracks are played on the stereo or when melodious music notes reach our ears through headphones. Although we don’t need researches to prove to us the benefits of music, some findings by well known health institutes provide confirmation of the pleasant influence of music on our health.

In a recent study, neurologists have discovered that listening to music engenders the release of the neurotransmitter Dopamine – a vital signaling molecule in the brain. When pleasurable music is heard, Dopamine is released in the striatum, which is artificially targeted by intoxicating drugs and which is known to respond to the pleasure state linked with biological acts like eating and sexual activity.

Music Therapy - Projects Abroad — Music Therapy – Projects Abroad

Music has remained an integral element of human society, having some bearing on both personalities and emotions. As early as 400 B.C, Hippocrates in Greece made use of music therapy for his patients. Much later in the 18th and 19th Century, numerous scientific studies were conducted to show that music could influence mood and speech, prolong attention span, relieve stress, stimulate imagination, and induce creativity. Overall, it is a great stress buster and emotional strength booster.

Music therapy has now becoming a rapidly growing trend in the west. Similarly, the ancient Indian society was well advanced in this realm. Nada Yoga is an ancient Indian science of sound vibrations, which explores sub-consciousness through sacred music that originated in the Vedic times.

Indian classical music traditions were quite evolved under the Hindustani and Carnatic music styles. Rãgas like Darbari, Kaanada, Kamaj, Thodi, Hansadhwani, and Pooriya are found to help in defusing mental tensions. Music therapists resort to the personal preferences of patients. Albeit personal penchant differs, it is suggested that the most natural tempo for a musical piece is 80 beats per minute – about the same rhythm as the average human heart rate, which is the music of life!

Music Therapy india — Music Therapy Trust

Listening to some classical music, both Indian and Western (especially Mozart) improves the ability to learn poetry and foreign languages. You don’t necessarily need classics; sitting by a rushing brook with birds chirping around or the sound of waves hitting the shore could have a similar effect. If you don’t live in the countryside or in coastal areas, I suggest downloading an app that has soothing nature sounds to relax.

From infancy to senility, music is a constant comforter right from a mother’s womb. Music therapy has proved invaluable in treatment of many disorders, including schizophrenia, amnesia, dementia and Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, mood disorders such as depression, aphasia, among others. It helps diseased people to recover faster from strokes and also helps them to cope during the surgeries. Musical compositions stabilize irregular heart rate as well, easing the flow of blood in the veins. Researcher Dr. Thaut says, “The brain that engages in music is changed by engaging in music”.

Better than listening to music is playing music. You become so engrossed in singing or playing an instrument that it transports your conscious to a whole new world. However, a word of caution here – extreme dependency on music provokes people to constantly wear headphones that could cause chronic hearing loss or internal damage to the eardrum.

This immense love for music probably explains why folk music developed across regions of the world to serve mankind as a loyal companion in success and sorrow. Music is the glue that binds cultures; it is the very spirit of love and nationalism. From planting crops to wedding, all festivities are incomplete without music. Plato’s words rightly bring out the essence of music: ‘Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to imagination and life to everything’.

Temple of singing bowls

So this World Music Day, bring some harmony into your chaotic lifestyle by listening to soothing music!

Here is a great Infographic on Music Therapy by clarityway.com

Factfile –
http://www.knowyourraga.com
http://www.themusictherapytrust.com
https://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com
http://www.projects-abroad.co.uk
FB TempleOfSingingBowls
bejoyfulatyourheart.blogspot.in

Restoring the Ecology of Uttarakhand

Caleidoscope

June 16, 2014

Author – Kavya Devarapalli

Kedarnath after the floods | Bharat Baswani

Mountains… those mist clad peaks were my first crush. Totally blown away by their beauty and magnanimity, over the years my passion has just increased. Every time I got a few days off, I packed off to Uttarakhand to fall in love with them all over again. I was born in Uttarakhand, spent my greater part of childhood there, but later had to shift to Lucknow for higher education. However, I always missed those mountains, trees, rivers, cold winds like hell and the love of Pahadi people. But over the years, I noticed a steady decline in the tree cover, vegetation and river flow in the places familiar to me. I could sense that we are fiddling around with nature in the name of development.

The last time when I visited Uttarakhand after a gap of three years, I was flabbergasted to notice the drastic change. Phenomenal amount of deforestation had taken place and the green luscious cover was replaced by barren lands labelled with ‘UNDER CONSTRUCTION’ signboards. The big stretch of river flow was reduced to trickling streams, courtesy, the vast number of dams built upstream. It was painful to see such a dire state of my region, which I had always remembered as green and prosperous since my childhood. It appeared as if someone had stolen the life out of this region. After I came back from my depressing visit to Uttarakhand, numerous questions were hovering in my mind. Why is my birth place in such a sorry state? What brought about such a radical change? What was the government up to? They forced me to search for answers, which led to this bitter reality.

Uttarakhand floods | CSE Pictures

Uttarakhand’s ecology has been seriously harmed in the name of development. There has been extensive deforestation of mountain tracts, clearing forests for human activities like agriculture, settlements and urbanization. Massive infrastructure development such as hydro power projects and roads was happening at an alarming rate. The contribution of hydroelectric dams to the destabilization of Uttarakhand’s ecosystem far exceeds than any other factor. Huge tunnels were drilled in the hills by blasting rocks , forests were cut to build water channels, road, townships etc. Building material was extracted from river beds, and huge quantities of debris were dumped in rivers.

Around 70 dams were already in operation, including 23 mega projects generating 100 MW or more, and according to the Dehradun-based NGO People’s Science Institute, another 680 dams are under construction. Just imagine the immense burden built on these sacred rivers. The completed 70 dams had interfered with 640 km of river water flow, equivalent to half the length of the state’s major rivers. This was bound to have serious repercussions on the geology of this region, since Uttarakhand is nestled in the Himalayas, the youngest mountains of the world, which have a fragile ecosystem. The repercussions were going to amplify manifold. Much of this hilly state lies in the seismically most active Zones IV & V, with high tectonic activities that can change the topography of the land as well as the course of the rivers, which can increase the disaster’s potential.

Uttarakhand | Oxfam

Another major cause of this environmental degradation was the cancer of tourism that had spread across Uttarakhand. The tourism industry was promoted to such an extent that tourist arrival reached 25 millions, which is almost two and a half times of entire population of the state. The ecological imbalance had reached its peak and it was quite evident that either we had to take some drastic measures to restore nature’s balance or nature will find its own way. I often heard Uttarakhand Pahadi people predicting a catastrophe in near future, not because they are psychic but because they know their mountains and rivers. They used to say…

“Aaj nadi pahad rouna chanh, Bhawaa huaman roune” [Today rivers and mountains are crying, Tomorrow it will be our turn to cry!]

That is exactly what happened during 2013 Uttarakhand Floods. The balance was finally restored but at the cost of thousands of lives and massive property destruction. This manmade catastrophe finally brought the much needed attention to the growing imbalance in ecology of Uttarakhand. No doubt, infrastructure development is our prime need today, but when it turns into greed, the result is going to be devastating.

Uttarakhand-Pahadi | Christian Aid

An expert committee of the Environment Ministry was sought for a complete overhaul of the environmental clearance mechanism for proposed projects. The committee submitted its report to the Supreme Court, strongly suggesting the enactment of legislation for protecting small rivers and designating “eco-sensitive zones” for all rivers in the state. It also sought the immediate notification of a “river regulation zone” by the ministry. The panel concluded that the 24 proposed power projects would have significant biodiversity impact and sought the cancellation of projects inside protected areas like national parks, sanctuaries and the Gangotri eco-sensitive zone.

The major recommendations given by the expert committee are:

Mandatory environmental clearance for all projects of above 2 Megawatts that entail tunnelling, barrages and reservoir construction
Ensure that the mountain terrain above 2,200 metres be free from hydropower activity to prevent harm to Uttarakhand’s glacial sensitivity
Maintain minimum flow of water required in a river to sustain aquatic health and livelihood of local communities of around 50% flow in the lean season and 30% during the non-monsoon period
Bring back forest cover to the original level through reforestation schemes

I can only hope that these positive changes will restore the Ecology of Uttarakhand soon.
If rivers are there, trees will be there;
If trees are there, mountains will be intact;
If mountains (Pahad) are there, hill people (Pahadi) will have their existence”

So God give me (a Pahadi) existence; give me my mountains, my rivers, my trees, my love…

Factfile –

http://livingpoets.wordpress.com
http://www.rediff.com
http://zeenews.india.com
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com
http://indiatoday.intoday.in
https://www.flickr.com

Inviting Entries for Ecoideaz Innovation Contest

Caleidoscope

June 13, 2014

Hey Folks,

Have you heard of an innovative green idea that’s a great product and saves the environment as well?
Have you created an innovation that is eco-friendly and is made in India?
Have you heard of a poor farmer who has created a Jugaad innovation that needs recognition?

If yes, then here is a contest that provides the right platform for such eco-friendly innovations. Ecoideaz presents the Ecoideaz Innovation Contest that showcases India’s best innovations that can help save the environment.

So go ahead, nominate a green idea that you feel is India’s best innovation. Each nomination will be judged by our panel of experts and both the winning idea and its nominator will be given exciting prizes!

You could check out our last year’s entries here

– https://caleidoscope.in/eco-ideaz/eco-friendly-ideas-from-india

– Click here to nominate –

http://www.ecoideaz.com/contests/ecoideaz-innovation-contest

Recycling Ideas for Home Decor

Caleidoscope

June 13, 2014

Reuse and recycle is a mantra that most people are now becoming aware of and integrating into their lifestyles. Home décor is perhaps the perfect place to reuse and recycle. Look around your home. There are plenty of things which are going to end up in your trash and consequently in the landfill. The shame does not lie in the fact that there are so many things which are going to wind up waste. The shame lies in the fact that not many of use consider recycling and reusing them in order to make our own home décor.

With an enterprising attitude and a bit of creativity, you could use anything from cereal boxes, corks, milk cartons and even plastic bottles to create pieces of home décor which will rival even your best dinner sets in terms of allure. Below are a few different recycling ideas on how you can use common objects of waste in order to create truly remarkable pieces of home décor.

The Pringles Planter

All of us love our Pringles chips. They’re delicious and they’re taste never gets old. However, the shape of the Pringles box or can is more recognizable than the taste of the chips itself. It is a cylindrical container about a foot in length and it is perfect for use as a planter. In order to make the planter aesthetically viable, take some twine or some rope and wrap it around the cylinder. You can then use sequins or other decorative items to spruce up its looks. When you’re done, you will have interesting looking planter which is compact enough to be placed anywhere and deep enough to hold a plant properly.

Paint Planters

Taking a cue from the Pringles idea, we can also use unused paint cans and reuse them as planters. They are a lot bigger than Pringles cans hence their use is in the outdoor garden. Get a bunch of tape, colors and stencils and make quirky designs on the cans in order to make them look attractive.

Cereal Box Decorations

Cereal Boxes get thrown out in the trash or get torn apart by restless children. However, if you can keep your son from tearing it apart and avoid throwing it in the garbage, you can make a few interesting shapes using a cereal box. Perhaps the most attractive of them is the three dimensional star. Visit Guidecentral in order to view the instructions to creating a star out of your cereal box. After you’ve made the star, you can color it any color you want and you are left with a very adorable looking home décor piece.

Plastic Bottle Stands

Plastic bottles are looked at as menaces to the environment. They do not decompose and they’re consumption in the modern world is quite unbelievable. However, if you’re smart, you can use them to make some great looking stands. Collect a few plastic bottles, you must have a few of them at home, and cut out their bases. Next, you need to fashion a stand. You can do this using a piece of metal or wood and a base. Glue the piece of metal or wood to the base and make sure that the base and the metal are perpendicular to each other. Next, make a hole in the center of the plastic bottle bases that you had cut out and place them on the metal one after the other. You can use chewing gum or sealant to keep the bases stable. With some peppy coloring, you can have a jewelry stand for you to keep your accessories in or even use it as a kitchen stand, storing small packets of spices and other things. In fact, you could co-ordinate the color of the stand with your favorite dinner set in order to create an even better and smoother décor.

Author Bio – Jim Deacon is an interior designer who also works as a freelance writer. Jim is famous for his creative and innovative ideas regarding recycling common commodity items into fashionable home décor. Contact Jim for advice regarding anything ranging from dinner sets to using toilet paper rolls to create wall art. www.makemyhome.com

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