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In June 2017, India and China locked their horns over a disputed territory in a remote part of \nthe Himalayas. The trouble began when China made plans of extending the road from Dromo \nCounty of the Tibetan Autonomous Region to further south, into the Doklam Plateau. \nDoklam has a long history of being a land of dispute. Although Bhutan depicts it is an \nintegral part of the country, China says otherwise. The presence of bulldozers and other \nheavy construction equipment prompted an intervention by Indian troops stationed nearby. \nAccording to military sources, both the groups engaged in pushing and shoving but no \nweapons were used. <\/p>"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508743642810","data":"
India claimed that it was acting with regards to the 2007 treaty of friendship with Bhutan. It \nalso claimed that this alleged incursion of China into Doklam was a threat to its own security. \nChina, which is going through rapid industrialization and regional infrastructure drive, \nclaimed that the road was constructed well within its boundaries and India had no right to \ninterfere in its bilateral matters with Bhutan. The perturbed citizens of Bhutan only wanted \nthe two countries to not wage war against each other, fearing the possibility of its annexation \nlike Tibet in 1959. <\/p>
Indian military officials claimed that there was no military build up from both the sides and \njust 300 soldiers were stationed on either side, separated by about 150 yards. China, on the \nother hand, accused India of massing troops and the state media warned India against serious \nrepercussions. <\/p>"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508743672952","data":"
On 28 August, 2017, both the sides mutually agreed on disengagement, bringing an end to \nthe three month standoff. China claimed that it was a \u201ctemporary solution\u201d and the leaders of \nboth the sides are yet to come up with a proper solution. <\/p>
Be a part of discussion at Model United Nations 2017 by MGIT on this October 27, 2017.<\/p>
Book your tickets now!<\/a><\/p>"}]
The good folk over at Sri Amogha Junior College, offer Intermediate education to students, otherwise known as Junior High school education, catering to Class 11 and Class 12 and also Recognized by the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (T.S.B.I.E). Apart from the syllabus prescribed by the board, they offer students competitive courses, with the option to take up a combination of Maths-Physics-Chemistry or Biology-Physics-Chemistry or Maths-Economics-Commerce or Civics-Economics-Commerce. <\/p>
Sri Amogha Junior College believes in creating an environment conducive to learning, with the emphasis on keeping it stress-free. In the current era of education system, they focuses on building an ecosystem where one can explore, dream and achieve. The institute was founded in S R Nagar, Hyderabad in June 2016 with a vision to create an education ecosystem which provides excellent quality education that is affordable and accessible. The man behind this vision, Mr. S V Rao, has been a helping hand to hundreds of students in this 31 years of teaching. The first batch will be graduating in April 2018.<\/p>
Today, the college reachs out for more helping hands to join them in making a child's dreams come true. Currently, they have identified 13 students under this initiative. All of them come from either single parent families or families which rely on the income of a single parent, whose income is less than sufficient to pay for their basic needs of food and shelter. But these students are brave and pushing through, considering this situation temporary and are confident that soon they'll be able to pull up the economic status of their families. Their respect and struggle for education comes from this very idea of giving back and serving to the society through what they\u2019d do. Contributions under this initiative will be utilized to pay the fee of these 13 students who are academically promising and are facing economic difficulties. The students selected for this initiative have already been offered maximum sponsorship and fee concessions by the Society and they need more help from you. <\/p>
If you would like to sponsor a child, please donate to their campaign. If you wish to sponsor the annual fee of a child, you will have the opportunity to interact with the him\/her for a year. Under the supervision of the college representative, you can:<\/p>
- Have a meal with them in the college<\/p>
- Interact with them on Skype<\/p>
- Receive the progress report from college (3 times a year)<\/p>
If you have any questions, ideas, or simply want to chat about the college or this initiative, please feel free to write to the college at info@sriamogha.com. <\/p>"},{"type":"youtube","id":"vid-url-1508574826909","data":"Y4Tr87mnq0Q"}]
In the last few days, #metoo is trending a lot on social media, with many women openly talking about their experiences of being sexually harassed. This is a first, in terms of so many women -especially Indian women- bluntly talking about being harassed and considering the societal perspectives of victim blaming when it comes to sexual harassment. In this context, stuMagz decided to catch up with Swati Lakra, Additional Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad and we spoke to her about her initiative - She Team, that aims to curb sexual harassment in all aspects, in all forms, at all places, providing safety and security to women in the society.<\/p>"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508580412613","data":"
Considering that stuMagz caters to students, for their benefit, we asked her about how She Team functions and to that she said, \"She Team works in two ways. One is that we catch people red handed, with a lot of our personnel in mufti in the areas that we identified as hotspots for sexual harassment in the city. They go on field with cameras and record the perpetrators in act before arresting them. We ensure a 100% conviction rate by having solid evidence before we make a move. And because women don't file complaints most of the time, we take up the cases Suo Moto. As these usually are registered as petty cases, we also call the perpetrators' families as we realised shaming the perpetrators has a major impact. We call the wife\/mother\/father\/sister, etc of the person and we clearly inform them as to what the person has done.<\/p>
Another way She Team works is through complaints. We have a WhatsApp number, we have a mobile app, various social media platforms, email and more. We ensure there is a very quick response.\"<\/p>
An interesting point that we found out through the conversation was that they register cases and take action but they do so only after due enquiry to ensure there is no misuse of these laws. \"We don't want someone to just file a fake case and get someone convicted for revenge or something and that is why we do thorough enquiry,\" she explains.<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508581948176","data":"59eb22af4c91d"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508581330747","data":"
She Team also has a very different approach towards the victims, as compared to the previous scenario, as Swati informs, \"We ensure that the victims are treated properly and are not further victimised. Every person in our team is sensitised well to ensure the victims are comfortable,\" before adding, \"So far, based on independent surveys by various media houses and NGOs, and based on the response that we've gotten, I can say that Hyderabad is safer for women when compared to other cities.\" Also, according to her, any person can just walk in to the She Team office located at Haca Bhavan and register a complaint. \"While Police Stations now are very citizen friendly, She Team are not located in Police Stations. Any victim -regardless of age- can just walk in and file a complaint as we have highly trained people and considering the fact that most of the people who work with She Team are men, we take great care in sensitising them and training them. They know how to talk, what to talk and what not to talk. In fact, we encourage our own team members to talk to women in their families about their personal experiences of being sexually harassed. This gives these men a better understanding of what a woman goes through when she is harassed\" she explains.<\/p>"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508581564052","data":"
In addition to taking legal action on perpetrators, She Team also actively conducts campaigns and workshops for college students. \"We conduct a lot of awareness activities on eve teasing, sexual harassment and more. We also conduct workshops on self defence, workshops on how to avoid becoming victims of cyber crime and general safety in colleges,\" Ms. Swati explains, adding, \"We realised one doesn't need to be a black belt in Karate or something to be able to defend herself. We tied up with a self defence academy and came up with a small booklet of 10 simple techniques that will help a girl get out of a situation. We are now in the process of distributing it to students all over.\"<\/p>"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508581788956","data":"
We at stuMagz, urge every girl, woman, to speak out against sexual harassment and boldly take steps towards fighting it. We also applaud Swati Lakra for this wonderful initiative and hope she succeeds in making Hyderabad the safest city. <\/p>"}]
Everyone in the world may not be perfect in everything but they may be perfect in something. Every person has some talent hidden inside them which will be out some day or the other. Well when it comes to me I can\u2019t say I am perfect but I am good at \u2018Painting and Drawing\u2019<\/p>"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508575943878","data":"
It all started when I was just 2 years old with my dad teaching me how to draw a smiley. But he never thought that the walls our house would be my canvas. I used to draw wherever I want to, whether it may be the living room or the kitchen, I was just unstoppable. Though my dad regretted the idea of teaching me how to draw as he had to get our house painted once in six months but those became beautiful memories which he still talk and laughs about.<\/p>"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508576639252","data":"
Till then I only used crayons and colour pencils to draw but it was my 5th birthday which introduced me to painting with a gift of water colours set from my family.<\/p>"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508576798116","data":"
Here\u2019s my first painting which I did when I was in 1st grade. I have to really thank my parents for keeping all my paintings and drawings safely from my childhood.<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508576925590","data":"59eb0f1115393"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508577365811","data":"
Well from then onwards I did various paintings, drawings, posters, doodles etc and it was my school which gave me plenty of opportunities to learn and improve my painting and drawing skills. I never stopped painting until I was in school but as soon as I got into college I never got a chance to paint, the college schedule was so hectic that I had to leave away my paints to get dried out for 3 years. <\/p>"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508577441040","data":"
Here\u2019s the latest painting which I did that is 3 years ago when I was in 10th grade.<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508577514398","data":"59eb1162abcd9"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508577590503","data":"
But then I realised if you really love something you will definitely find a way to do it. Now I started reviving my drawing skills by spending minimum 2-3 hours a week. Here\u2019s one of my latest sketches which I did. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508577806982","data":"59eb128d8f086"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508577841509","data":"
This is something which makes me happy in doing it and I am gifted with a bit of talent in it So I won\u2019t let it go waste. This is my story and all I want to say is \u2018Do what you love\u2019 and \u2018Don\u2019t let your talent go waste\u2019. If not for others atleast do it for yourself. It will definitely make you happy.<\/p>
<\/p>"}]
Let me be clear about one thing, Bose has ruined every other headphone or earphones brand out there for me with a few notable exceptions, like the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro or a few offerings from the Sennheiser stable, but that is a story for another time. Today, we review the Sony MDR-XB55 In-Ear Earphones, widely available - for some unfathomable reason - across many an electronics store across the city. So if you ever wanted to pick up a pair without ordering online, simply walk into your nearest Reliance Digital. <\/p>
These particular pairs of earphones, also known as Extra bass for their trademark extra base which packs quite a powerful punch even with its relatively small size, are also quite popular due to their ease of availability, but I've never actually tested them to see how they fair in a fair test. So I spent a couple of days with a pair, including taking it for my morning walk and then using it at work, the following are my very short but concise thoughts on a pair of the MDR XB55s<\/p>
<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508578950129","data":"59eb1bf86254a"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508578952305","data":"
Let's begin by talking about the build quality. While there is a certain amount of plastic feeling to the design of the earphones, on closer inspection you find that it is much sturdier than it looks and can withstand a lot of punishment, which makes it ideal to use in the gym should you decide to do so. The connecting wire that finishes with a shiny and tipped 3.5mm jack is not braided or sufficiently protected, however, and feels quite flimsy. <\/p>
The sound quality itself is decent, it gets worse depending on the type of genres you prefer to listen to, it is great for anything with a fantastic bass line in it. which brings us to the main event, the bass itself. <\/p>
I do not know which genius it was to suggest to earphone companies that everyone was into bass these days, was this the result of their extensive market analysis and research where they saw kids today listening to EDM only. Whatever the case, the result of them putting 'extra bass' on the advertisement and cover seems to have worked with people flocking to buy the thing in the first place, but how confident does the resistance feel?<\/p>
For all their show and bravado, the bass is pretty decent and the clears are clear enough to hear the lyrics being sung quite clearly. The base is not great, but it gets the job done. You won't be disturbed in public areas, that is for sure. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508579895945","data":"59eb1c4637966"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508579897958","data":"
Overall, Sony MDR-XB55 is a great pair of earphones that manages to be well rounded while not feeling cheap. Buying this on sale is the smartest thing you can do, but after that, it is open season. There are better earph0nes to get at higher prices if you decided to buy this anyway at its original price of 2.1 thousand change, so wait for a sale. <\/p>
In conclusion, I'd say make this your starting piece in a collection worthy of making everyone jealous. Click here to buy! <\/a><\/p>"}]
I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know who Nain Singh Rawat was until today, when Google made a doodle in his honour and put it on their homepage. <\/p>
Nain Singh Rawat was an Indian explorer born in the 19th century, on this day, October 21, 1830. He would grow up in the foothills of the Himalayas, looking up at the mountains and making friends in the area until one day, when he was 25 years old he would be contracted by German Explorers to map and explore much of the Himalayas, both the foothills and the greater Himalayas above them. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508576340068","data":"59eb0f12a561f"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508576341643","data":"
And explore he did, Rawat is credited with mapping the trade routes between India and Tibet, much of the course of the Brahmaputra, as well as accurately mapping and discovering the co-ordinates of Lhasa, which remains the second most populous city in Tibet to this day. <\/p>
Rawat became good friends with the Tibetans, which in turn allowed him access to their resources and help for when he decided that the mountains were his calling. After working for the two German cartographers at the age of 25, Rawat went on to undertake many more cartography missions for the British government, braving the unforgiving snows, heights and air the greater Himalayas. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508576718481","data":"59eb0f3885333"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508576720267","data":"
I should add, there are no amount of pictures or descriptions that you can see or read to tell you just simply how magnificent the Himalayas are. One has to see it with their own two eyes, one has to be humbled in the face of sheer awe. There are no amount of pictures that will prepare you to see the Himalayas for the very first time, it is one of those very few things in life that will leave you completely awestruck when you actually see it for yourself.<\/p>
And in mountains like these, men like Rawat ran around as if it was their business to map every inch of the mountain ranges. Rawat himself braved insane weather conditions, mortal peril and things worse than death just because he loved the mountains. That is something very inspiring. <\/p>
Read his Wikipedia entry by clicking here,<\/a> lot of interesting information in there. <\/p>"}]
These are some of the places where you can sit peacefully and study and off-course enjoy. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508509283165","data":"59ea0408d03fd"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508509510257","data":"59ea04af8660b"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508510363406","data":"59ea0808ee8ad"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508510392261","data":"59ea082f10bfc"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508510965566","data":"59ea0a6e451ce"}]
I have read this book called 'Gone Girl' this holidays and I have no doubt that in a year's time I'm going to be saying that this is my favorite novel of 2017.\n<\/p>\n","id":"1508513431124","type":"txt"},{"data":"
This man Nick Dunne looses his girl. So, BOOM. GONE GIRL. I am not going to be spoiler because you are going to curse me from depths of your heart if I reveal even a bit of the story. <\/p>\n","id":"1508513431124","type":"txt"},{"data":"59ea104c3359e","id":"1508513431125","type":"img"},{"data":"
So when I started reading it was pretty good but when I was entering the story it was kind of getting boring because of the police cases. The story was kind of slow I felt I was riding a bullock cart. But Gillian Flynn, a brilliantly accomplished psychological crime writer took away my blind folds and made me realize I was never riding a bullock cart but I was riding a super speed roller coaster which was climbing up and now I am on the top of the roller coaster. Aaaaaah!!!!! \n<\/p>\n","id":"1508513431125","type":"txt"},{"data":"59ea114dab183","id":"1508513431125","type":"img"},{"data":"
Excellent. Flynn is a fabulous plotter. You think you are reading a good, conventional thriller and it grows into a fascinating potrait of one averagely mismatched relationship. It does not have many twists but has the perfect ones to keep you reading. Flynn has created a gripping tale and a page-turner. \n<\/p>\n","id":"1508513431125","type":"txt"},{"data":"59ea13ce014e5","id":"1508513431126","type":"img"},{"data":"
You will beg others to read it so you can discuss it with them. I bet it. Read it and stay single. <\/p>\n","id":"1508513431126","type":"txt"},{"data":"59ea150b58d41","id":"1508513431126","type":"img"}]
Is it time to wake up? <\/p>
Why should I wake up? <\/p>
Oh! I look so ugly too.<\/p>
Bling! Oh, Did anyone message me? <\/p>
No, just the group chat meme <\/p>
How about some exercise today? <\/p>
Maybe I'll be thinner someday?<\/p>
I'll sleep again, I don't want to do anything<\/p>
Maybe a YouTube video? Yea<\/p>
Another one? Oh yea <\/p>
Just one more, please. Go ahead <\/p>
What did I do since morning? <\/p>
Oh, I should start studying <\/p>
What should I study? <\/p>
Oh I wish I needn't<\/p>
Only if I got placed earlier<\/p>
Only if I did better<\/p>
Only if I worked harder! <\/p>
Didn't I? Didn't I? <\/p>
I did <\/p>
Then why? Why? Why? <\/p>
Only if I could change the past... But what would I? <\/p>
Shhussh! Enough already!<\/p>
What has been done, has been done. Don't repeat the same mistake, I tell myself. <\/p>
The mind gets it. But does the heart? <\/p>
Poor creature, it only knows how to feel<\/p>
Feel the pain, feel the failure, feel the hardness of the world. <\/p>
Heavy, fallen down, too difficult to get up... <\/p>
<\/p>
It used to be lighter\u2026 happier...<\/p>
Living in the moment, with no future or the past<\/p>
With no should haves or must-dos<\/p>
No regrets no tension <\/p>
It used to fly in the dreams of the unknown land, swim in the oceans of beautiful stories<\/p>
It used to rush in the wind, play in the sky!<\/p>
Oh those days! <\/p>
Those days when laughter was everywhere. On the way to school, in the playground, on the dining table among brothers and sisters! <\/p>
It was easy to find happiness.. in the smallest of things, in the hidden chocolates, crazy drawings, colorful balloons and brown cakes!<\/p>
The heart grew older, but happiness could still be found, in the bike rides, time spent with sisters, first year of college<\/p>
Then why is it so difficult now?<\/p>
Where did it go? <\/p>
Maybe I should call someone and ask? <\/p>
Exams, deadline, party, sleeping..<\/p>
Oh everyone is busy... <\/p>
Anyways how would they know about my lost happiness? <\/p>
I talk to myself, I sing to myself, I repeat stuff to myself. I remind myself to smile. I remind myself to laugh. I remind myself to let go. <\/p>
I keep reminding myself. <\/p>
I keep reminding myself to live. <\/p>
Live the life.<\/p>
Eat! Jog! Run! Read! Laugh!<\/p>
Stay happy<\/p>
Stay smiling. <\/p>
Yes, You can. <\/p>
You can try to be happy. <\/p>
Being happy is not a task. I say.<\/p>
And I finally sleep saying \"That's the first task I'll do tomorrow!\" and repeat the same thing.<\/p>"}]
LEXIS CLUB\n'' A soul without Literature is a room without window '' <\/p>\n
A Fingerling club inaugurated on 14 August 2012, under the umbrella of student activity cell of CMR Technical Campus, is a literary club. One a kind, after which many other clubs started mushrooming, like no other to satisfy the insatiable zeal of young minds who want to grow and learn in the world. \nLexis Club aims to work on the three c’s: Competence, creativity and confidence. With the intent to hone the skills of the students, to develop and inculcate the knowledge of the rules governing English language and its use in communication was the club formed. This endeavour helps to produce able, efficient and confident professionals of tomorrow. Lexis Club has been the arena for many a student to build their persona and confidence, a holistic approach. During its five gratifying years, the club has organized, conducted, and participated in a plethora of events ranging from college fests to national events and competitions.\nDuring its tentative years, the lexians bagged the winner’s trophy at Hindu E-Plus Challenge for two years consecutively. Also every year, the Lexians also conduct the Literary fest of the college. The students also are active participants of the BITS Pilani Hyderabad literary fests and other such literary fest organized by various colleges. The Club also actively coordinates national events like the Sardar Vallabhai’s Birth Anniversary and Republic Day National Level Essay Writing competitions. Also the club organizes several workshops on personality development and character building with the recent being conducted by Mr. David Theobald, Senior Executive at the British Council. This type of hands- on experience is what the club is trying to provide its members, giving them an edge over the populace.<\/p>\n","id":"1505057561924","type":"txt"},{"data":"","id":"1505057561926","type":"txt"},{"data":"59b5593c64e74","id":"1505057561926","type":"img"},{"data":"","id":"1505057561926","type":"txt"},{"data":"59b55942bafc7","id":"1505057561926","type":"img"},{"data":"","id":"1505057561926","type":"txt"},{"data":"59b5594db573d","id":"1505057561926","type":"img"},{"data":"","id":"1505057561926","type":"txt"},{"data":"59b55955845aa","id":"1505057561926","type":"img"}]
Once upon a time, there lived a wise old monk living in a cool and arid cave on the foothills of the Himalayas. The locals in the nearby village thought him ageless, no doubt wise from his decades of meditating and fasting. They went to him with their troubles, often being denied the opportunity to meet the monk due to his meditative cycles, the lucky few who managed to speak with him received boundless wisdom and returned as changed men, the light in their eyes shining brighter than ever before. <\/p>
Then, one day, a man found himself walking the path to the monk's cave. Walking, in this case, is kind of a stretch, considering the man kept stabbing himself repeatedly, so the 'walk' was more of a hobble; it was as if he was both walking on hot coals and dragging his feet and leaving a trail of blood behind him. The locals called him Sir Stabs-A-Lot, his second favourite hobby was complaining about children running away in terror from him, the first one being stabbing himself, of course. <\/p>
Sir Stabs-A-Lot's stars shone particularly bright on this day as he made it to the monk's cave just in time for the monk to stir from his meditative trance. The monk took a deep breath, the metallic tang of blood in the air was unmistakable, a monk knows these things. <\/p>
\"Do you require healing?\", the monk asks, eying our valiant Sir Stabs-A-Lot warily. <\/p>
\"Wha- No! I'm perfectly fine this way,\" he says, nodding towards the freshly made cut on his bicep, \"I actually needed some advice on how to stop people from asking me to stop stabbing myself.\"<\/p>
\"And why do you not want people to tell you not to stab yourself,\" said the man who believed -up until now- that he had infinite patience. <\/p>
\"Because, Oo Learned Monk, my way of life is in danger. Stabbing myself is the best way to ensure my children will one day have great memories of their father bleeding out all over the living room carpet. Isn't that great? They probably won't have enough money to pay for therapy when they get older though,\" begins Stabs-A-Lot earnestly, \"I want to tell these people to back off and mind their own business, who are they to tell me my self-inflicted wounds are harmful to everyone around us? They only remember it when I'm doing it! I know it's harmful and all but nobody tells me what to do! If I am to go down, I'll take everyone with me!\" <\/p>
The monk stares at the man and feels a profound sense of disbelief, \"So you know that stabbing yourself is bad for you, you know you're probably giving your children lifelong health issues, and yet you refuse to stop inflicting wounds upon yourself?\"<\/p>
The man nodded enthusiastically, \"That's absolutely right!\"<\/p>
The monk blinks.<\/p>
\"My god,\" he breathes, \"You're an imbecile.\"<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508486051429","data":"59e9ca107518e"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508486053707","data":"
Captain Planet was my hero. Every time the show aired on Cartoon Network back in the day, I would be sitting in front of the TV, excited and intrigued in what environmental issue he would target in today's episode. It was from here that I learned the importance of preserving nature and reducing our carbon footprints, although I'd be lying if I said I followed them to the letter. <\/p>
Nonetheless, the ideals of preserving the environment were incorporated into me at a very young age, even though I haven't actively participated in environmental activism. If we kept our house clean because we did not want diseases, younger me reasoned with myself, why do we want to dirty our planet, the only one we know can support life?<\/p>
It seems the rest of the country did not get the memo.<\/p>
Breaking The Wrong Records: <\/b><\/p>
The Air Quality Index is a number that is used by agencies around the world to inform the people about the quality of the air in the city they are interested in. Known as AQI in short, it is computed by a specialised device and requires an air pollutant concentration over a specified averaging period. It is measured in three digits because the scientists and engineers that worked on this believed - and I'm speculating here - that our planet wouldn't get so bad that they would require an AQI index with 4 digits to display the output. <\/p>
I'm very proud to announce that India routinely breaks that record. Number 1 in something at last!<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508490024769","data":"59e9bbd0e7455"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508490026715","data":"
But What About...:<\/b><\/p>
I'm sick and tired of hearing the same tripe arguments over and over again. As you can see in the image above, the AQI displays 999 because it is not geared to measure anything beyond it, which is to say it is safe to assume that the actual number is in the thousands. The kind of air that gives health problems and kills people, that's where we at today. The greater tragedy is that if we merely talk about it, speak up about the issue and point out that crackers might not actually be the best of ideas, you are immediately labelled anti-national and there ends the issue. The accusor is unwilling to listen to reason and you are left staring in horror as your throat burns and your eyes sting and you have a throbbing headache thanks to the cracker smoke. <\/p>
It always comes down to Whataboutism, a tactic used by the Soviets in the Cold War era to shut down any kind of discussion without actually answering something inconvenient for them. With the advent of the digital age and the post-truth world we live in, the fallacy is back with full force, employed by people with feeble minds who cannot think beyond them or theirs. <\/p>
A defender of crackers will answer your question with another question that starts with 'But what about', and usually followed by, 'Bakri-Eid? Is that not pollution? Why do you care about it just now?' <\/p>
Yes, animal slaughter does indeed pollute the planet, but the slaughter of the animal leads to multiple people being fed from its meat, it serves a purpose. A firecracker, the noise it makes and the smoke it produces, serves no purpose except give you headaches, sore throat and itchy eyes. That is not my idea of fun and I'd be very concerned if it is yours. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508490806331","data":"59e9ca305bc6c"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508490808282","data":"
Who Will Think Of The Children!: <\/b><\/p>
Another popular argument is that Diwali is for the kids because they deserve to have fun with crackers. I agree, kids deserve to have fun. I see 25 to 30-year-old man-childs playing with kid-sized crackers like the 10000 wala, the Lakshmi Bomb - the fuse of which they set alight while holding it in their hands - and of course who can forget the incredible intelligence of seeing a rocket zoom straight into someone's home and still continuing to set them off because it obviously can't happen again, right?<\/p>
Let me be very clear about this, if you care about children not getting to enjoy Diwali with firecrackers but don't care about kids actually developing health issues due to excessive smoke in an already polluted country, you do not care about children. Kids are just a convenient excuse for you to claim victimisation while the real victims of pollution continue to die every day. <\/p>
They Died For Our Sins:<\/b> <\/p>
I understand if one does not care what happens to the underprivileged in India, after all, we have been trained our whole life to ignore poverty and defend India on Facebook comments as if our lives depended on it. But the fact remains that 9 million people die premature deaths due to pollution every year, and among that 9 million, 92% of them come from low-income countries like ours as well as China. Which further goes on to say that the people who are dying are the poor and the underprivileged, those who cannot own cars and bikes, ACs and crackers, are dying because the privileged - in their gross display of wealth and ego - believe their actions have no consequence on the planet and you are an anti-national for even suggesting that they take responsibility. In short, the underprivileged died because people like me refused to stop polluting until it was too late. They died for my mistakes.<\/p>
While China saw 1.8 million people die due to pollution, India - the perpetual overachievers that we are - saw 2.5 million deaths due to pollution alone. Of course, in the greater scheme of things, like deaths due to road accidents, deaths due to poor infrastructure (which also causes pollution, hey-o!), deaths due to stampedes, deaths due to natural disasters, deaths due to stampede cuz we are too many people, and deaths due to communal violence, these pollution-related deaths might seem insignificant, but they make for a large number of deaths per year, enough to be alarmed and be talking about it actively. So, are we talking about it?<\/p>
Nope.<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508491875007","data":"59e9ca7a39ea1"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508491877605","data":"
What Elephant In The Room?: <\/b> <\/p>
We've gotten exceptionally good at this, haven't we? The Internet has brought people together but it has also given them a license to be stupid quite openly. Nothing wrong with that, except that sometimes stupidity can lead to malice, even though it isn't always fair to attribute malice to stupidity. The refusal to address the actual problem in the room and instead talk about everything else and reducing the discussion into accusations throwing Olympic championship has to end at all costs. No, your opinions are not yours to hold and opinions are subject to change should the logic behind why you hold that opinion is challenged, destroyed and\/or laughed at. <\/p>
Manu Joseph, the brilliant author who hates everyone, wrote in his latest book, 'Miss Laila Armed And Dangerous', that there are certain facial expressions only Indians can make. \"A train on the train tracks\", he writes, \"how!?\" <\/p>
Similarly, we are headed for a future where Indians will gasp for air and wonder, 'Unbreathable air? How?!\", and of course, even then we would be blaming our own sins, choosing instead to attack the next big boogeyman the powers that be point us towards. <\/p>
Don't Save The Planet, Save Yourself: <\/b><\/p>
The privileged can escape to countries with better air to breathe but what about the rest of us peasants? We're stuck here, in a country that is adding 1 million young 18-year-olds to its population every month for the next few years, a country in which people cannot stop self-inflicting wounds and then wonder why their kids are sick. A country that used to be a bastion of peace and harmony between communities but has become increasingly polarised because self-serving interests in various communities still believe theirs is the superior one. We went from being a country that stood side by side in times of great danger, irrespective of caste, creed, religion and stared death in the eye, to a country where we do not even know our neighbours anymore. <\/p>
To that end, I've only got one thing to say, if you want to be selfish, great, you can do your bit to save your own skin from making this planet an even more uninhabitable hellhole than it already is. Make no mistake, as long as humans are around, pollution will never stop, but the idea is to reduce our emissions as much as possible instead of adding to it. <\/p>
The argument that just because someone is already polluting the environment, you will do it too is like saying someone is already in trouble, let's end it by shooting them in the head. The natural response to trouble would be a way to solving it, not to make it worse. So why do people insist of polluting the planet even further, I will never understand. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1508493367020","data":"59e9caa01fc90"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1508493369040","data":"
I'm making a formal request, please try and reduce your carbon footprint as much as you can, if not for anyone else except yours and yourself. It is all our responsibility to leave a planet that is capable of sustaining even further generations of humans and continue to reach for the stars. I'm not even sure if you'll make it all the way here, reading through this incoherent rant but please, for all our sakes, be mindful of your impact on the planet. It's the only one we have left. <\/p>
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