#23 Strange Time....It will pass

As the world is gripped into the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of active cases around the globe reached more than 7 lacs and the death toll rises to 35000. The world has previously seen different types of epidemics but this is the first of its kind which spread across the globe. The coronavirus which originated from Wuhan province of China has now brought the world to its knees. Our generation has not seen any war but the situation is far more dangerous than the war.

I also work under the essential services sector, so on the way to the office during the lockdown period gave me some feelings about this hard time which I want to share. The deserted streets everywhere look terrible. Closed shops, empty petrol pumps look unusual. Society compounds, malls, and markets are devoid of people. There is a different sort of atmosphere spread everywhere. It feels like different sort of wind is blowing. Time seems to have stopped. It's a very strange time we have ever seen. Office with less staff and no clients offer less work to do but this does not give happiness at all. Lots of people are staying away from there family and home. Many are suffering as they are unable to earn daily wages. Lots of people will not get their salaries. And many are walking toward their villages on foot. Many people are dying in hospitals without their family members near them. Silence is not always good, this one which is everywhere right now is definitely not. We are definitely the most advanced generation but suddenly we have realized that nature can dismantle anything which we humans think is great. Even the strongest countries on the planet failed to contain this virus spread till now. Nature is a wise and profound teacher. This is the time when we all must learn a lesson that whatever we think we are, still nature will rule. 

Every time the human race has fought and set examples when dealing with any crisis. No doubt that this pandemic has brought life to a standstill across but the world will win this war against the coronavirus by being together. Life will flourish again.

During the lockdown, frontline workers are still going out. Doctors and medical staff are risking their lives to win this war. Police and security forces are working hard to enforce the lockdown. All other essential service providers are also doing their great work for all of us. It's a massive task to keep billion-plus people under lockdown, still, our central and state governments doing far better to contain the spread. United Nations and WHO also praises India's effort against this pandemic. Government, Administration, and Regulators are doing their best possible for the people of India. Now 1.3 billion people of this country must understand their responsibility. 


- Prateek Dixit

#22 Battle against Corona Virus....We Shall Win

Right now the whole world is facing a dangerous pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Coronavirus infections ticked above 3 lacs and deaths more than 13000 globally. Every country in the world is racing to contain the spread of coronavirus. Different Countries are taking different types of measures to Stop the Spread. Somewhere Public gatherings have been banned and freedom of movement sharply restricted. All sporting events in the country have been suspended. Schools and colleges have been closed and crews of cleaners have been working to disinfect trains, buses and gathering places. Various trains and flights are canceled. A whole lot of people are asked to stay at home.

India is doing a fine job of restricting the novel coronavirus outbreak. But India’s population density increases the risk of local transmission. Our government is taking all necessary steps to ensure that we are prepared well to face the challenge. They also have so far evacuated more than 900 people from COVID-19 affected countries, including Iran, China, and Japan. But these efforts will be successful only when all people will take precautionary measures and follow advisory by govt.

We all have read about several cases where people underestimating the threat and doing immature things that cause the spread of the virus. Some people do not understand the simple guidelines to follow and risking the life of themselves as well as the others. The life of millions at risk because of this outbreak. We must follow the basic instructions which will be helpful to stop this virus transmission. 

 This generation never faced such kind of situation in their lifetimes. This is a hard time, like a war. There are fear and panic in people's mind. The daily increase in the number of infected people making everyone sad and scared. Our Prime Minister requested people to be part of 'Janta Curfew' to make the fight against coronavirus. We people made this successful. But this is just a start. We have a long way to go. On request of our PM, people displayed gratitude to millions of frontline warriors working relentlessly to stop this virus spread. The clapping certainly is not the solution to this disease. It’s for expressing gratitude. The only thing we get from the sound of clapping, the sound of "Shankhnad" is the positive vibes. Suddenly the negative energy went away and positive energy came back. It gave hope that we all will come together to defeat this danger. Today what India accomplished is that we accepted that we are united and will fight against this situation and will be victorious.

I request all of you to follow the guidelines and take the necessary precautions. Stay Safe.

- Prateek Dixit

A GOODBYE..

When I moved to Pune and joined my first job in the IndusInd bank, it was a difficult time for me. Though I was learning and grasping things at a faster pace still the survival here seemed a little harsh. After about 6 months, I thought I should look for an alternative job. In Jan 2017 when you joined this branch that was the time my perception started changing about the organization.

The way you give space for work to all employees is simply amazing as it makes people dedicated toward the work. This is what I felt here working in the last two years with you and people who worked in the branch.

"A man can be judged by listening to other people behind his back". And you earned a lot of respect among the subordinates. This shows that you are an appropriate man for the leadership position. I learned a lot from you and I'll miss you always. More than a boss you are a leader who not only thinks about your own benefits but also the upliftment of the subordinates. Your one of the best qualities is people management which makes you a smart person and I always adore this.

My reactions and expressions rarely show what I feel so I chose to write. I just want to thank you for everything and I am lucky that I worked with you. There are some moments came when I felt a disconnect but I know that was pretty natural and professional. I never had any negative feelings about that. I also want to say sorry If I hurt you or disappointed you in any way

Your passion and dedication towards work are incredible, which still making people difficult to believe that you are leaving the bank. I am sure everyone in the branch will miss you and the environment in the branch which is set by you.

Wish you "Fair Winds and Following Seas, Sir"

- Prateek Dixit

#21 Dying Humanity "Detrimental IS"

Two days ago, photograph of a 3 year old toddler Aylan Kurdi laid on the seashore without soul in his body got viral and shocked the world. It was trending on Twitter, Facebook and the whole media. The big nations suddenly started discussions of great magnitude on the refugee crisis and seriousness of IS(Islamic state) caliphate. The photo is heartbreaking and the whole world seems to be united to solve the horrific problem. "Humanity died today" is the caption we can see everywhere on media and on the International forums. It is definitely a sad day. The world lost thousands of lives in last few years and losing everyday. But the humanity didn't died when that innocent toddler lost his life but humanity is dying everyday. Humanity died when IS beheaded hundreds of people. Humanity burnt with the Jordanian pilot who was brutally burnt alive in a cage by inhumane militants. Humanity killed when small girls and women forced to become the sex slaves of devil terrorists and when thousand died of hunger and thirst. Humanity killed everyday in Syria and Iraq since the starting of Syrian crisis in 2011. 

The refugee crisis is the outcome of destabilized Syria and Iraq which are almost destroyed by flagitious acts of Islamist militant group that has seized a chunk of land stretching from northern Syria to central Iraq. Most important reason of this crisis are the inefficient measures taken by egoistic and selfish UNSC (United nations security council) to tackle this problem. They are responsible for giving enough time to IS by not eradicating them, during this period IS becomes the most powerful militant organisation in the world. The veto power of the UN security council is totally unfair. It harms other country because it is always opted in the favor of themselves not for the world.

Syrians are moving in large numbers for European countries and Europe is also not prepared for this crisis but still they are supporting the unfortunate crowd. But one important event which hurts is, why the rich Arabian countries are not supporting them despite the people of Syria and Iraq belongs to same religion and region? They banned the entry of refugees into their nations. Humanity is dying in this way too. Why the powerful nations and UN took so much time to understand the crisis and not acted upon it? Why they were waiting for this shocking event to occur? Are the lives of miserable people of Syria and Iraq has no importance for the Intentional community? Thousands of children died in last 4 years in Syria and Iraq but was not recognized like Aylan . The international community should treat this as a window of opportunity to act and put serious efforts to stabilize the Middle east. People do not want to see again the innocent lives washed away....

--Prateek Dixit

#20 "Some thing which I'm feeling" It happens....

Life is a road and has many blind curves and one end. We walk, we run and sometimes we take a break. Every individual has its own belief system and life enable individuals to examine and revise their own belief systems. On the way, it is must for every person to have an aim in life. And everyone has different aims and goals at different phases and levels of life. And sometimes they change with the situation and according to our own convenience. But the ultimate aim of the life is to be happy.

We grow up seeing the love of parents and precious care they do. We all have some special friends who are part of our lives and one special person. We always seek love from everyone in every relationship and we love them all. Going through all this we also faced the time when the situation and life tests us. It hurt us. May be to make us stronger than what we were. When we are wrong and we give bad to our people, than we have no right to expect good in return. So I'm talking about when we are not wrong at our own side. Of course in this case when we don't get what we expected and what we deserve, hurts. We should not blame the people because "People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost". When we get hurt because of any reason it's not the evidence which show life is not good. In reality, life is beautiful and should be.

It is a well known quote that 'Happiness depends upon ourselves'. But this is something takes time to achieve in life. Commonly we have some expectations from others too. At least from those to whom we love and respect. And when we don't get happiness and our dreams shattered to get same what we give others, hurt us a lot. People do not change, situations change them and "We must applaud people for what they were, and we must respect them for what they are."

If we are true and right, whatever the present situation is, we must not lose faith in our beliefs and our good deeds. When we do not receive what we gave, don't lose hope because it help us to understand the wide variety of experiences. "Journey is to be undertaken alone and at our own pace". Wisdom is to accept what comes our way and this is the reality of life. Don't allow current sad situation to dominate our belief system, do not regret , do not change if you are right and do not stop walking on the road of life because we never did wrong. And after all no road is adventurous if it has no blind curves. But yes journey will end for sure......

- My Heart

#19 YOGA...."A nonreligious practice"

21st June, we all know this day as a longest day in the northern hemisphere, will now be celebrated as the International Yoga Day (IYD). Yes! India will lead 191 nations to mark the 1st 'International Yoga Day' on June 21, 2015. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on 11th Dec, 2014 declared 21st June as the International Yoga Day. The resolution was proposed by Hon'ble PM Narendra Modi and More than 177 countries  have supported this move. There were several initiative taken to declare the IYD, but the historic visit of PM to USA made it possible. It had the "highest number of co-sponsors ever for any UNGA Resolution of such kind".

Yoga is an ancient art of development for the body, mind, and spirit will lead us to a sense of peace and well-being, and also a feeling of being at one with their environment. The yoga makes the body strong and flexible, it also improves the functioning of our organs like the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and hormonal systems. Yoga brings about emotional stability and clarity of mind. This is simple definition. It's origin dates back to ancient Vedic sculptures. Various methods and practices were mentioned in so many ancient literature of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism. And the way Namaz is performed by Muslims has also contains some steps similar to Yoga. In 19th century, Yoga moved to west and in Europe and became the global practice to keep body and mind fit.  The whole world practices yoga as a form of exercise and not an religious ritual.

On one hand people around the globe, across the continent, creed, caste and religion, perform yoga, on the other hand we Indians who gave precious yoga to the world, entangled it  in the web of religion. With the govt. decision to mark the IYD, some minority groups are starting to oppose it. Government had asked schools to devise programs to celebrate the day which is not acceptable to some minorities group. Yoga includes Surya Namaskar which is against the Muslim faith. Amid opposition govt. decided not to include Surya Namaskar despite Yoga has nothing to do with the religion. Additionally, the Prime Minister will lead 35,000 people participating in events on the Rajpath on June 21 in a bid to enter Guinness book of world records. Opposition party Indian National Congress made fun of the mega event, which, in my opinion, is very immature response. Central government clarified that participation in the International Yoga Day events will be voluntary,which is welcoming decision. Despite of this, some political leaders and parties putting all their efforts to politicize the event and and giving it a communal color.

The fact is 47 of 177 nations supported Yoga resolution were Muslim-majority countries including Algeria, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia. This fact itself is an answer to those who are leaving no stone unturned to spreading religious hatred. But the truth is if they think about it without any touch of politics, they will understand without any effort. Opposing Yoga, which is performed by various nations and people belonging to various religion, is illogical. The world is suffering from various diseases, hatred and terrorism. And Yoga is key to unite the whole world, to spread awareness of healthy lifestyle and to be fit. Everyone should perform yoga and accept it because it is not religious ritual but a form of meditation and exercise.

#18 "War leads to.....?

War leads to ........? Destruction? Poverty? Extinction? But if I say war leads to development, then I think you would disagree with me until you read the my article.


“All war is murder, robbery, trickery, and no nation ever escaped losses of men, prosperity and virility. War knows no victor” - David Starr Jordan

‘War’ - Hardly anyone would disagree that the word itself gives off a gross negative feeling, for it reminds us of brutality of humanity, massive casualties,destruction and the gruesome consequences that follow. If we try to think about what would have started humans to take lives of other human beings, the credit would go the instinct of survival; that is to say that if a human perceives other human as a threat to him, be it for food, shelter, land, offspring, mate, etc., the survival mode would program him to fight off the other. But in modern world where there is no more scarcity of means of survival, why can’t we live in peace? Till around 18th century too, the reasons to fight were simpler and were mainly to establish supremacy over the other. The ideological and political differences made them use of forceful intervention in others life. But in 21st century, the reasons for war have diversified even more- ranging from strategic reasons to national security, increasing economical capabilities and to become super power. The more the country will be strategically strong, more they will be dominating and will have a better say in the global affairs. The aim to be supreme among all is still the same. But as the saying goes, every coin has two sides; that is every negative thing also has something positive coming out of it. How the events of war changed the world, how it made human life more conformable and safe... How war and military events lead the world from path of total destruction towards development...

Artificial satellites play a very important role to shape the today's world. Weather satellites help scientists study weather patterns and forecast the weather. Navigation satellites enable operators of aircraft, ships, and land vehicles anywhere on Earth to determine their locations. Satellites enable smooth Internet access, better television and radio signals and what not. There are hardly any fields which are not getting help from advanced space technologies. But all these are the result of a competition that was started between USA and USSR to reach space during cold war which is popularly termed as Space race. When Nazi Germany built ballistic missiles to attack allied forces in World war 2, USA and USSR both acquired this pioneer technology and started building deadly weapons. This space race benefited mankind with the first artificial satellite in the orbit of the Earth and the science which was used to kill people during war was later used in Apollo program which sent a man on the Moon. The GPS service which we use today was originally created for the United States Air Force for helping in navigation.

Stainless steel with which we are very familiar, is used for utensils in our kitchens; is a building material for buildings, bridges; finds its role in built of vehicles, air crafts; even medical instruments are built from steel due to its multiple qualities. The evolution of stainless steel dates back to the time of World War I, when military wanted a better metal to be used in guns, as other metals that were available that time, were not durable enough and were distorted after little use. Harry Brearley invented stainless steel for military purpose, which later became a useful metal to be employed in many ways.

Friend moving to U.S.? No problem, get in touch through Skype on weekends. Moving to a new city? Get information about people, food, exotic places just by ‘facebooking’ any person residing in that city. Need any information? Just ‘Google it’ and obtain answer in just few seconds. Sounds so simple! But it has all become possible with computer networking and the Internet; and the phrases themselves show that how Internet has become an integral part of our world. The Internet has evolved in stages but it’s foundation was laid when US army used it as a tool of war. Initially the network connected only four computers and was used by scientists and experts to share military and secret data. The aim of developing such a system was to establish a communication system which could be an alternative to telephone system and could be used in case of hostile attack. This network was called ARPAnet was created by Advanced Research Projects Agency (a branch of US military).

In war, if the surprise element is on your side; the situation becomes better for you. And thus, if there is some means by which you can protect the sensitive information and still can communicate information to the soldiers in spite of the enemy eavesdropping on you, nothing can’t be better. This technique is termed as Cryptography. In earliest form, the military sent information in letters in such a way that only their soldiers understood and not the enemy. Cryptography plays an extensive role in today's commutation system to protect our data on Internet like passwords, bank and credit card information, etc.

Microwave which can cook food for us has an interesting history of evolution for civilian purpose. The RADAR transmitter used by the USA army during 1940s used to release so much heat in the form of microwaves. Scientists realized that this heat is enough to cook food. And within next 2 years first microwave oven developed.

Well, cargo pants are quite a hit among the public but it also has past related to military purpose. British soldiers began sporting cargo pants in the 1930s. Because it could be used to carry many instruments and other important things in battlefield. Other military too adopted it later on.

The life expectancy has increased now a days because of tremendous development in the field of health care and medicine. Penicillin is the best example of it. It was developed earlier but its usefulness was not considered until the beginning of the Second World War. After the war, the antibiotics became a common part of medicine; which earlier used to cure wounded soldiers, to prevent and curb the infections, which until then was a common cause for the death of soldiers. The technique to store blood and preserved for later use, called Blood banking was rapidly developed during the World War I. Military related events can clearly be seen as triggers to the development of these medical inventions.

During World War I, Fritz Haber and Karl Bosch invented a large scale process to cause the direct combination of Hydrogen and Nitrogen gases to chemically synthesize ammonia, thus providing a replacement of sodium nitrate in the manufacture of explosives. The ammonia was later used for making of fertilizers.

Science has proved itself to be an evil genius during the time of war; but there is no denying that eventually the scientific inventions have proved to be a boon to the humanity. In addition to the above mentioned inventions, jeep, duct tape, drones, air traffic control, parachutes, Aviator sunglasses, ambulance services, safety razors, packed food and super glue are few more examples that were invented as a result of the advancement of military capabilities. All these discoveries are useful for non military purposes as well and are making lives of humans easy and comforting. It is very interesting that although unintentionally, but war and battles benefits people in the long run. The world has changed a lot. The warfare techniques, strategies changed but the counties are continuously preparing for future wars and are continually working for the up-gradations in military. Directly there is no relation between war and development but indirectly the wars, the fear of destruction and preparation of war act as a striving force that force man to keep inventing things. In this way, "war and it’s preparation leads to betterment and development of modern world."

- By Prateek and Rusheel