Blog Archives - Page 2 of 9

Role of youth during Corona

Posted on: 25 May 2020

India is still young as the world is ageing. 63% of India's population is in the age group of 15-59 years. India's population has one of the largest workforce. The average age of Japan will be 47, China-49, Europe-46, US-40. Youth is power. India is the world's most youthful nation. A nation with such youth power cannot dream small. India should dream big and enable the youth to dream big. But besides dreams, the youth has the power to help us stand strong in the times of crisis. They are the driving force in the battle against coronavirus. Youth has played an important role in spreading awareness about the importance of social distancing and hygiene. Many young boys and girls have gone out of their way to move from door…

Celebration of Festivals and COVID19

Posted on: 22 May 2020

COVID 19 is a massive disruption in our lives. It is an interruption in our socio-cultural lives which are enriched by festivals and cultural events in which we mingle with each other and celebrate together. However, Social distancing does not allow collective celebration of life. We have opted for this path because it is the only known path of containing the spread of this deadly virus, even as Lockdown 4.0 will be ending soon. We are willing to put up with the milder disruptions in social, religious and cultural life to avoid a major catastrophe. We are simply living with the situation where we cannot visit places of worship on festival days. We avoid congregations and social gatherings for some time to come. All religious leaders are providing the guidance…

Diversity, Dialogue and Development in times of COVID19

Posted on: 21 May 2020

21 May is the World Day for Cultural Diversity, Dialogue and Development! It celebrates the richness of global cultures & the key role they play in achieving peace and sustainable development. Cultural Diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Cultural Diversity. Cultural diversity is all around us. It is what gives life its colour, its vibrancy, its flavour. We should understand that diversity is not about how we differ, it is about how we embrace each other's uniqueness. Intercultural dialogue is a way to world peace. Cultural diversity is a driving force of development, not only with respect to economic growth, but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. In this…

That Cyclone of 1971

Posted on: 20 May 2020

The horror in the film Night of the Living Dead was a work of fiction, but in 1971 I lived through a night no less harrowing as a six-year-old with my widowed mother and two-year-old sister. Being trapped in our own house in remote Kalarabanka, an obscure village in the then Cuttack district, we were dying every moment while expecting a miraculous escape from the ordeal. Today when I look back, I shudder to think what could have happened to us in what could well be counted as the darkest night of our lives. The thought of that fateful night still runs a shiver down my spine. That night, hunger and poverty with all vengeance seemed to have joined the fury of nature to entrap us, but we overcame because of our…

Cyclone and Corona

Posted on: 19 May 2020

It is the two way battle for Odisha now : Cyclone and Corona. While we are battling with the spike in the cases of infection on one hand, super cyclone Amphan is likely to make landfall along the coast of West Bengal and Odisha. Lakhs of people have been evacuated from the coastal districts of Odisha. The cyclone will bring heavy rainfall, squally winds and storm surges in the coastal districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore in Odisha. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has set a target of ensuring zero casualty. State government has made arrangements for evacuating over 11 lakh people as a precautionary measure. Pregnant women and ailing people will be shifted to hospitals. Several reservoirs have been asked to release water. High velocity winds may damage power infrastructure…

Migration, Reverse Migration and Corona

Posted on: 18 May 2020

In the last few weeks, we have all been witness to harrowing, nerve-wrenching and bone-chilling images of the exodus of these marginal and “invisible” drivers of the informal economy of urban India. Indian highways emptied of most vehicles were lined with bedraggled, poor pedestrians, many carrying all their worldly belongings in bundles on top of their heads walking to their home villages, hundreds or thousands of miles away across states. The tragedy of the migrant workers in India doesn’t seem to come to an end. One is more helpless than the other. The imposition of the lockdown as a measure to contain the exponential progression of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the unskilled and semi-skilled migrant labourers the most. The post-coronavirus recovery of the shattered world of migrants would witness…

Corona and true meaning of Art of Giving

Posted on: 16 May 2020

Come 17 May, the world shall be celebrating the commencement of the campaign of the 'Art Of Giving' philosophy. Every year on May 17 the Art Of Giving campaign is commemorated in over 200 cities and town across the globe and kind-hearted people get together to spread the message of the Art Of Giving which quintessentially says and propagates 'Give from the heart to the needy without expectation of any gratification whatsoever and contribute towards world peace and harmonious living. True giving is self-less giving, and happiness is deeply connected and they both come from the bottom of a compassionate heart. It is a divine gift, and a cultured practice in all religious communities of the world. Needless to say that a gift, no matter how small or large, is…

Family Structure and Coronavirus

Posted on: 15 May 2020

Today is the International Day of Families. There are a host of such observations and celebrations for almost everything conceivable. But there is a reason, it is worth it as they stand as a reminder of our past, awareness in the present and chalks the hope for future. Family is a basic unit of congregation of human beings bound by blood connection and its extension. It is the foundation of living, growing and learning. The familial bonds of unity hold people together with certain values and principles and creates a synergy with other families leading to the formation and functioning of societies. No one can deny the importance of family. Family members are the most important humans in a person’s life and nothing else matters or nothing comes before family…

Nurses are the Coronavirus Heroes

Posted on: 13 May 2020

International Nurses Day, marking the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, is celebrated on May 12 all around the world to highlight the significance of nurses in the healthcare sector and thank them for what they do. Nurses are the bridge between science and human touch. They are the ones who build confidence in the patient to fight back. They constitute the visible immune system aiding in the recovery with their smile. They serve with compassion and competence. Their role is always remembered with gratitude. The Covid-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the vital role nurses play. It has helped the world rediscover the fundamental role of nurses in healthcare. Nurses are the coronavirus heroes. The virus is taking a serious toll on the doctors and nurses risking their lives…

Administrators are Corona Warriors

Posted on: 10 May 2020

Democratic India confers power with the people. The power is exercised through its designated representatives who have the command to manage them for particular period. But they are nothing without civil servants and administrative secretaries. The civil services by quality of its knowledge, experience and understanding of public affairs support the chosen representatives to device effectual policy and have great responsibility to implement these policies for the welfare of society and enhancement of nation and the state of their cadre. Effective and efficient institutions form the strength of an efficacious development and governance process. The administration as the link between the government and the governed assumes more responsive role in times of crisis. In the current Coronavirus pandemic, the administrators are taking big decisions and these crisis response calls affect…