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Of the many young artists spearheading the rapidly-taking-shape scene of Hyderabad music, Pranati Khanna is perhaps the most talented. Not only in music but also art, something which she confesses has been around her all her life. We caught up with the 25-year-old over the phone for a chat about her journey so far and more. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497950558209","data":"5948e9ddc3791"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497950612656","data":"
\"I grew up surrounded by art and music,\" says Pranati, speaking about the start of her journey as an artist and musician, \"growing up in a household that had paintings and surrounded by good music basically ensured that it was passed on to me as I grew up.\" <\/p>
Speaking about her art, she said, \"Art for me has always been something that is emotionally connected to me, something I turn to when I have something to say. My art deals with female issues mostly, the changes we go through in our lives, going from the different parts of our lives and more.\" <\/p>
Pranati's work has also been displayed in multiple exhibitions, the latest one being titled 'Naked', held last year on December 16. She has described her work in 'Naked' as something deeply personal, coming from her struggles with depression. <\/p>"},{"type":"youtube","id":"vid-url-1497951118445","data":"cZWthzWODOw"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497951127250","data":"
After picking up the guitar at the age of 14, Pranati eventually forayed into songwriting. Today, she's the lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist for the band The Ragamuffins (back this July, keep an eye out!). <\/p>
On being asked what was the creative process behind a song being made, Pranati says, \"Usually, if I write the songs, I give it an acoustic tune and then we go to the jam room where the rest of the band adds their tunes to it, and it ends up becoming something nice, and of course there are times when we surprise ourselves during the jam sessions,\" she laughs. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497951666801","data":"5948ee0d7abd6"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497951681469","data":"
Picture courtesy: The Ragamuffins Facebook page. <\/i>Click here to check it out! <\/a><\/i><\/p>When she's not painting, illustrating, designing, songwriting or making music, Pranati likes to kick back and relax with the PlayStation 3, playing games like The Last of Us (which we highly recommend, especially ahead of the sequel dropping next year), the occasional Call of Duty, and hangs out with her pet parrot Tito, pun not intended. <\/p>Speaking about her advice to the up and coming musicians and students of today, she said, \"Network. If you've got a talent, don't let it go to waste, find the right people, work with the right people, and you can't go wrong. Your talent is your resource, use it to the fullest, not for anyone else but for yourself.\"<\/p>If you're in Hyderabad, your life is incomplete if you haven't seen Pranati perform. Her iconic voice will be the first thing you'll remember whenever someone asks you about the Hyderabadi music scene. <\/p>"}]
When she's not painting, illustrating, designing, songwriting or making music, Pranati likes to kick back and relax with the PlayStation 3, playing games like The Last of Us (which we highly recommend, especially ahead of the sequel dropping next year), the occasional Call of Duty, and hangs out with her pet parrot Tito, pun not intended. <\/p>
Speaking about her advice to the up and coming musicians and students of today, she said, \"Network. If you've got a talent, don't let it go to waste, find the right people, work with the right people, and you can't go wrong. Your talent is your resource, use it to the fullest, not for anyone else but for yourself.\"<\/p>
If you're in Hyderabad, your life is incomplete if you haven't seen Pranati perform. Her iconic voice will be the first thing you'll remember whenever someone asks you about the Hyderabadi music scene. <\/p>"}]
The definition of 'Yoga' means : 'it is the art or the state of well being'. We have all learned yoga during some phase of our life let it be school or college. So, we know what the purpose of yoga is such as ; to relax, relieve stress, have a fit mind etc. Every year we have set a date to celebrate this great activity. There are plenty of masters who have earned the title by performing such spiritual outbursts and they impart the knowledge to us 'fledglings'. <\/p>
Our college name has been imparted from the great sage 'Adi Shankara, who used to believe in meditation. His picture and his 'puranas' states that he mastered the act of Yoga. So however, we are taught in college after the college hours. Just to spend some little time on meditation. The master is my classmate cum my best friend. She has been studying it for the past twelve years and decided it was time to teach us. The initial days of training were hard your body has to be entirely flexible to do some 'certain poses'. It requires a great skill of balance as well as concentration. When you perform it, it gives you a huge sigh of relief. She does it with so much of calm that we personally feel that she will move mountains and finally become 'enlightened'. What she suggests is that we spend some time on meditation which will make our concentration level increase and will be able to clear our thoughts and be free of worries and tensions. After several days of being a constant student for Yoga. The way of teaching is entirely different as it is done in the auditorium and she seeks for the comfort of others so that nothing can go wrong. We spend an hour of doing yoga and all the poses. Repeating the same thing over and over again brings you the confidence that you can conquer anything you want to. The person who thought who couldn't perform yoga performs it with such an easy manner. Just because of having a good teacher. There is no actual requirement of mats, as a leveled surface would do. This hasn't stopped and it is still being continued there after.<\/p>
The real reason we were able to perform it so easily was because of the teacher. She is a true master of her own art. She has this way of teaching us and making us understand that nothing is impossible. To master the art of yoga you must be pure and confident and that is lesson number one. She is a true teacher at heart. She wants to see us mentally and physically fit. That's what she aims for. Initially the number of students were less but because of her appreciated gift the student number started to increase. And I must say she is a gift to all of us. She made us what we are today, from all the negativity finally a positive bud bloomed into a beautiful flower of happiness.<\/p>
<\/p>"}]
1. BJP selects Governor of Bihar, Ram Nath Kovind, as its presidential candidate. Kovind, a Dalit leader, is widely respected by all political parties in the country, with political watchers believing the opposition will have a tough time opposing his candidature. <\/b><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497875282758","data":"5947c3a96ef19"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497875288797","data":"
2. As Darjeeling burns, rumours that the Gorkhaland issue is being used by the BJP to fight a proxy war against Mamata Banerjee's TMC spark social media. BJP's Bengal ambitions have been known for a while now, and while the unrest grows more violent by the day, it remains to be seen what the current West Bengal government will do. <\/b><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497875385888","data":"5947c42dc4a20"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497875424531","data":"
3. The alleged witch hunt against AAP continues as AAP today issues statement saying the two accused in the Satyaendra Jain case do not even exist. <\/b><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497875479602","data":"5947c46f02c0c"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497875488842","data":"
4. A minor girl in Bihar was sexually assaulted and thrown out of a moving train. The girl, who due to access to no toilet had to resort to open defecation, was kidnapped by 6 men, taken to a railway station and assaulted on the train, before the assailants threw her out of the moving train. Her condition is said to be critical. The girl was studying in class 10. <\/b><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497875761977","data":"5947c5859acbd"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497875767937","data":"
5. A terrorist attack by a man in a van running over praying Muslims in London has shocked the city. The terrorist, who was reportedly heard shouting that he will 'kill all Muslims', was arrested and will undergo a mental health analysis since he is not brown and not a Muslim himself. <\/b><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497875914114","data":"5947c62214ac5"}]
A few months ago, I had written about the importance of having a good social media presence<\/a>, as over 41% of employers check their potential employees' social media profiles before hiring. Around the same time, there were a lot of memes which were along the lines of \"what brahmin men are usually portrayed as versus what they really are like in real life. I found them extremely cringe worthy and there were many times when scrolling through my Facebook feed made me want to fling my still-on-emi smartphone. Having gotten over them, I just scrolled away and moved on in my life and abandoned these memes as the usual sadness that you come across on social media, till I saw the trailers for the movie Duvvada Jagannadam (spelling?).<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497875592512","data":"5947c4e5e5d3d"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497874493340","data":"Rampant casteism in the Telugu film industry is something that is well known but not accepted much. There have been several instances where many castes were shown in poor light or in a comic way, by being made fun of; while glorification of some other castes happened extensively throughout the ages. While most of these were just ignored or laughed at, sometimes portrayal of certain castes in a not-so-good light actually caused quite a stir.<\/p>In this upcoming movie, Allu Arjun plays an orthodox Brahmin character and the trailer also emphasizes on the caste pride extensively. Brahmin caste is one of the castes that is usually shown in a comic way in most movies, with most comedians playing brahmin roles. The timing of these memes (just a few months before the movie's release), is, in my opinion, a careful strategy by the makers to ensure people's acceptance of the character in an unusual role.<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497875605428","data":"5947c4f3b00d8"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497875557994","data":"This brings me back to why I started writing this blog. These memes, especially the timing and how they were designed to strike a massive chord in a caste-run country, have had a great impact and they make a perfect case study to show the impact something on social media has on people. Whether it is politics or entertainment or something as ridiculous as flat-earth theory, social media is an extremely powerful tool in creating an image.<\/p>It is extremely important for students to realise this and understand the mechanics of having an effective social media presence. I can firmly say just from my personal experience that having a proper (suitable for my profession) social media presence has benefitted me greatly and often brings me a lot of opportunities. For students who just got into fourth year, this is the right time to fix your profile and start sharing the right kind of things, to be perceived by potential employers as a good prospect. <\/p>"}]
Rampant casteism in the Telugu film industry is something that is well known but not accepted much. There have been several instances where many castes were shown in poor light or in a comic way, by being made fun of; while glorification of some other castes happened extensively throughout the ages. While most of these were just ignored or laughed at, sometimes portrayal of certain castes in a not-so-good light actually caused quite a stir.<\/p>
In this upcoming movie, Allu Arjun plays an orthodox Brahmin character and the trailer also emphasizes on the caste pride extensively. Brahmin caste is one of the castes that is usually shown in a comic way in most movies, with most comedians playing brahmin roles. The timing of these memes (just a few months before the movie's release), is, in my opinion, a careful strategy by the makers to ensure people's acceptance of the character in an unusual role.<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497875605428","data":"5947c4f3b00d8"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497875557994","data":"
This brings me back to why I started writing this blog. These memes, especially the timing and how they were designed to strike a massive chord in a caste-run country, have had a great impact and they make a perfect case study to show the impact something on social media has on people. Whether it is politics or entertainment or something as ridiculous as flat-earth theory, social media is an extremely powerful tool in creating an image.<\/p>
It is extremely important for students to realise this and understand the mechanics of having an effective social media presence. I can firmly say just from my personal experience that having a proper (suitable for my profession) social media presence has benefitted me greatly and often brings me a lot of opportunities. For students who just got into fourth year, this is the right time to fix your profile and start sharing the right kind of things, to be perceived by potential employers as a good prospect. <\/p>"}]
While preparing for and writing competitive exams is something every student does at least a couple times in their life, there is a largely ignored\/nich\u00e9 category of exam writers that a lot of us don't think much about; those who use scribes to write their exams.<\/p>
I have been writing for a friend as a scribe for quite some time now, the most recently being to write the UPSC Exams on 18th June, and understand the challenges and fears that come with it. Scribe are allowed for physically handicapped people who, for various reasons, may be unable to write the exams without help. My friend is visually challenged and cannot read the questions or fill in the answers. She requires me to read them out loud for her and either click on or fill in the bubble for the answer she selects.<\/p>
While the organisations hosting the exams are doing their best to equalise the playing field by provisions like allowing extra time for those with a scribe, putting reservations for them into place, etc, there are still some difficulties that hinder those with disabilities. The most prominent among these would be the Quantitative Aptitude section that nearly every competitive exam has. The often have questions like 'Radha sits two seats to the left of Jai, who doesn't sit beside Krishna...' which require you to draw the diagram and modify it according to the information given in the question. Some of the questions like 'There are six people A, B, C, D, E, F who are of six different professions and each wear differently coloured shirt...' which required you to draw complex tables and organise all the information. Expecting a person to be able to do all that in their heads is ridiculous. At the same time, it is really difficult to keep asking the scribe to describe what is drawn there and making changes to it.<\/p>
While I do understand that it would be really difficult to keep the needs of the whole spectrum of the different types of people who make up humanity while setting a question paper, the challenges they face are something that more people should be aware of.<\/p>
The UPSC Exam that I went for had a separate center for those with scribe and had helpful signboards and guides to lead you personally to your examination room. The center had ramps and each candidate and scribe team had an invigilator assigned to them who helped in filling out the details in the OMR sheet. It is heartening to see instances like these in which the administration is sensitive to the needs of the disabled.<\/p>"}]
One of the most censored topics in the Indian community is gender and sexual harassment. To be totally honest, this is a theme that is reflected across the world, in most developing countries as well as developed first world nations. But there are some drastic and evident differences in the way this issue is tackled in the west. Something that India as a country is slowly trying to make positive change in. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act of 2013 was a bill passed by the Indian Government to tackle this very issue of harassment in the workplace and addressing complaints of sexual harassment and for matters coming under the same umbrella. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497860289854","data":"5947891d9fadc"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497860334164","data":"
But the problem isn't all about dealing with a complaint or a violation that has been documented with the police agency, because the law is clear in punishing those who are proven guilty. The real problem is bringing victims to tell about the harassment they were subjected to in the first place. To get them to approach the body or committee in the institution in itself is a rarity or a challenge. It is a challenge because of our society's view on such issues, something which has to be addressed with a stern and progressive worldview. We need to strengthen the internal mechanisms to fight such cases. At the same time gender sensitisation in the police force is also a priority. Or in the case of our educational institutions we need to first establish such bodies or communities to tackle the problem. <\/p>
This is where bodies like GS-CASH play an important role. Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GS-CASH) has a two major functions, Preventive and remedial. Preventive to create a safe working space enduring equality, non-discrimination and gender sensitivity. Remedial to receive and take action on complaints made about sexual harassment at the institution, to conduct enquiries and place findings and recommendations in front of the concerned authorities of the University administration or in even the law enforcement agencies. <\/p>
Universities such as Jawaharlal Nehru University and the University of Hyderabad have set up these bodies to document, tackle and resolve cases of sexual harassment internally, citing very thorough and detailed rules and procedures to make sure no appeal falls on deaf ears or no innocent person falls victim to false allegations. These bodies as mentioned are internal and specific to the university alone. Such similar safeguards need to be set up in all universities in general across all states. Considering the fact that under the State women\u2019s commission, 376 cases were filed by students of various universities in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana during academic years 2014 to 2016. Considering the large number of private colleges that exist in the city of Hyderabad alone, setting up a separate or quasi-independent system to document and solve these issues internally is of great importance. <\/p>
Time is of the essence here, according to a stat in 2014, 848 Indian women are harassed, raped, killed every day. With such numbers haunting the society, we really shouldn't waste any time in helping victims get their deserved justice. <\/p>"}]
Khaled Hosseini has a gift, one which made me seriously considering writing my own book one day, the quality of which I obviously cannot guarantee now considering how beautifully he writes. He weaves tales of the old Afghanistan in such ways that you feel you're there, smelling the smells young Amir does, battling kites and chasing them through the streets. Something which, I'm sure, all of us here in India have memories of. <\/p>
The Kite Runner, perhaps his best work, is the story of a young boy from a powerful caste and a rich family, and his friendship with one who is not so fortunate. But that's just the forefront of the story, a device Hosseini uses to tell the story of a dying Afghanistan, at the brink of war with itself, religious extremism and regression. This story is the story of people being torn apart by forces that make the choices for them, a factor that is magnified tenfold in his next book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. But that is a story for another time. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497863956896","data":"594797787fd24"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497863980544","data":"
Now a major motion picture, The Kite Runner's pacing is like melting butter in a frying pan: smooth, mellow, delicious even at points. Hosseini, who himself grew up in the old Afghanistan, put his heart and soul into writing a tale of boyhood in a country that no longer exists. Perhaps the reason why The Kite Runner is such a moving and often heart wrenching story is that it is Hosseini's love letter to what the country used to be. <\/p>
I've always believed that a story's weakest link are its characters. People think writing a good story is just limited to how the story is structured, and not how its characters deal with the story or the events that are happening around them, so imagine my pleasant surprise when I picked up the book for the firs time and experienced caste struggles in Afghanistan and the crumbling of the old monarchy through the eyes of a child. The gift that we spoke of is Hosseini's way with words when he's describing how Amir reacts to the events and the world around him. It's almost a poem, a moving poem that will leave you with tears in your eyes. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497864509380","data":"594799a2966f1"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497864511624","data":"
On the surface, the book is a simple story between two friends overcoming societal and religious differences and growing up together as equals. In the background, it is a dark tale of how changing political landscapes can often time throw your life out of gear, even if you never expected your life to be affected by politics or societal norms. Nothing exists outside of society, and society deals with politics, after all. <\/p>
Amir and Hassan are characters that you will fondly remember for a long time, maybe even pass them on to the next generation as time rolls by. It's a slice of life of the old Afghanistan, complete with its smells and society, its people and leaders, written by a man who yearns to return to a peaceful country one day, and fondly remembers the bygone years of the country. <\/p>
If only I could write a book as he can. <\/p>
Click here<\/a> to buy The Kite Runner! <\/p>"}]
If cricket was poker, then Pakistan went all in for every strike yesterday only to find that the odds were constantly in their favour. <\/p>
What would we be as a nation without India vs Pakistan cricket matches? If cricket is our religion then India vs Pakistan is our Diwali, Eid and Christmas all rolled into one giant package where all of us are home glued to the TV watching each bowl with the intensity of a hawk. Emotions are high, both the best and the worst of social media is put on display. I won't lie here, I enjoy annoying Pakistani fans on twitter but yesterday I had to eat my words and I was more than happy to do so. <\/p>
Before I'm labelled anti-national for even thinking that Pakistan deserved the win, allow me to explain why. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497856743364","data":"59477b693f6f5"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497856795194","data":"
Pakistan played like they were possessed yesterday. There was no question of slowing down and settling in, the shots ranged from rough and unrefined to master class hits out of the park. One after another, Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali carried the vanguard of our doom, breaking our bowler's morale and the cherry on the top was Hafeez's knock to cover up the gaps his teammates had left. <\/p>
I did ask myself where was this team when we defeated them in the group stages, but watching the highlights of that match post the final, the difference in Pakistan's aggression and attacking is clear. The first time they played against us in this tournament, they played carefully, afraid to make mistakes, trying to avoid screwing up wherever they could against a, and let's be honest, much superior team. <\/p>
For I will still say that the Indian line-up is easily one of the best in cricket right now, the tremendous amount of batting talent combined with our bowlers should have been enough to carry us to victory in a high tension match up like this, but it wasn't enough. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497857439423","data":"59477e6aadd8b"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497857565242","data":"
What worked against us was the pressure to score right from the first ball of the innings, a fact I'm sure the Pakistans hoped would happen and worked in their favour, with Amir dismissing Rohit Sharma immediately. This pressure was also clearly apparent on Yuvraj Singh's face, an excellent player when he's calm and collected, but who often misses shots due to pressure at times, which basically is what happened yesterday. There was some amount of role reversal as well, with India slowing down to play defensive for a while, afraid to make mistakes, which ironically turned into a costly mistake by itself. <\/p>
There was a glimmer of hope in the sea of darkness that had descended on the Indian side when Hardik Pandya stepped up at 5 down. The young man understood what worked for Pakistan and that's what he did, let his pure unchecked aggression into his batting, took insane risks and it paid off. The Pakistani bowling side wilted against the onslaught of Pandya's shots, but it simply wasn't India's day when a miscommunication with his co-batsman Ravindra Jadeja caused him to be run out. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497857989029","data":"594780354490c"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497857992083","data":"
Hardik Pandya: Remember the name! <\/i><\/p>
We failed Pandya yesterday, the rest of the team's performance did not warrant Pandya's impressive knock, but he came out onto the pitch, made it his own and made the bowlers cry until he couldn't anymore. Besides, there's hardly anything a batsman can do with the abysmal score we had until he stepped onto the field at 5 down. <\/p>
Virat Kohli in the post-match press conference appreciated and acknowledged the Pakistani players performance, speaking about the batsmen taking insane risks and paying off, and we can only hope he learns something from this match going forward. The show of sportsmanship from the Indian skipper was a warm fuzzy feeling in times like these, where tensions are high between the two countries.<\/p>
Speaking of tensions, of course, we wouldn't be India if we didn't overreact to losing an India vs Pakistan match (and for that matter overreact even when we win matches). News reports of people breaking TVs, which I had hoped would only be restricted to Pakistan when they lose, were reported from India this time. A game would be boring if only one side won in a high tension match up all the time, and we can safely say that cricket won yesterday. We saw some excellent strokes and knocks, from our next door neighbours and it'll give Kohli some room to learn from his mistakes, as well as the rest of the team. I just hope the rest of the country grows up. <\/p>
I had an amusing epiphany while thinking about this before going to bed last night: we are told to hate Pakistan right from childhood, no reasons are given, all we're given is an enemy we are supposed to hate. The amusing part is that the country we are supposed to hate the most is the most like us, and that is a tragedy of epic proportions because what does that tell you about our own society? <\/p>
It sounded funnier in my head. <\/p>"}]
Everyone knows that mothers are the pillars of forming a child\u2019s individuality, but a father is the support system that brings up that individuality in real world. You know what is the worst thing about growing up? Seeing your parent\u2019s age. I have always seen my father running here and there all day in work so he can do as much as he can for our family. He supports my grandparents, my mother, me and my brother. He works hard day and night to ensure we spend a happy day and sleep well at night. <\/p>
I never attended tuition in my school life. My father is an amazing teacher and has taught me and my brother till 12th std. His super talented skills of easy and comfortable learning made study interesting for us. He would stay up all night when I had exams so I knew someone was there to help all the time. He would never scold me even if I scored less. He always would say, \u201cNext time hum aur mehnat karenge and isse better marks layenge.\u201d He is the reason for all my education achievements. <\/p>
My father never buys clothes and stuff for himself until and unless his current batch of clothes is unwearable. He hardly spends a penny on himself. But when I need something, he won\u2019t even ask a question. He has had a very tough life in order to make ours comfortable. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497770443196","data":"59462a397f594"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497769944018","data":"
We have had tons of fights. I know he is 99.9% times correct but I still argue with him. Even when it came to my career we both wanted different fields for me. He did make me choose what he felt was correct for me and I was mad. I can say NO to any person on this planet but not my father. I opted for engineering just as he wanted me to do so. I personally wanted to do something in designing. He knew I was mad at him but he would always say, \u201cNo matter what you want to do in your life, you should always have a stepping step back up.\u201d He explained that if you want to do designing, take the correct path in designing. Study engineering, learn languages and design for top companies.<\/p>
Now when I think about this it makes me laugh. Because I am happy I agreed to what he wanted me to do. The path I had initially chosen for myself probably would have ended up in a big mess. Taking up engineering has made me go through a path that has changed me as a person and has made me grow much more mature and wise. <\/p>
Nothing of this sort would have been possible without Papa and his constant support and guidance.<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497770094168","data":"59462d699970f"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497769947281","data":"
He recently had a very serious heart attack in January this year which shook the whole family by its roots. It was like the world had fallen apart. This was when I realised, \u201cWhat am I without my father?\u201d I have always been depended on his hard work, money and contacts. Life without him seemed like I had no life within myself. <\/p>
My father is the support system of my family. He was in hospital for 20 days and that brought everyone to their senses. My brother started thinking about his future seriously. I started taking up my studies seriously and began internships. My mother started learning all bank work and accounts and budget and stuff. All this because he was on bed rest for 3 months even after coming home. Life has changed but he still continues to work and earn even in such conditions to contribute a little more for our family. <\/p>
He has spent his whole life slaving for this family, and it\u2019s hard for all of us to see him like this. He is still strong as a horse running and working, and every time someone asks him about how is he still so energetic, all he says is, \u201cIt\u2019s the support of my family. My wife has taken half my burden of work. My kids have become more serious about their future which makes my stress levels in control and my parents sit and talk to me whenever I come back from work. What else does a person need to be energetic and healthy?\u201d<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497771299818","data":"59462dcfaf560"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497769950477","data":"
I can\u2019t thank God enough to give me the privilege of being the daughter of Ishwar Sharma. A man of his principles, a person who\u2019s first and last priority is his family, a person with experience of life in a way which is amazingly unimaginable. I love and respect my father the most. <\/p>
On this father\u2019s day, I have decided not to give him just a father\u2019s day gift but also a promise to be a good child and reach success in my desired field. He wants me to be a successful person. He always says, \u201cBeta toh kaam kar hi lega apna par meri beti toh duniya badalne ki takat rakhti hai\u201d. <\/p>
\nTHANK YOU PAPA FOR BEING MY FATHER, TEACHER AND THE SUPPORT SYSTEM OF MY EXISTENCE.<\/p>"}]
1. Pakistan cricket team, which had faced a humiliating defeat in a previous match up against India, set a strong total score of 338 runs in 50 overs, with India opening its innings with a wicket. The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final is all set to be a chart buster. <\/b><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497793631592","data":"594684d77cca6"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497793679331","data":"
2. Reports suggest CBSE made an error in totalling marks, fate of 10,98,420 now hangs in balance after many students get exponentially better marks post application of reevaluation. <\/b><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497793838028","data":"59468587ada70"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497793840456","data":"
3. The unrest in Darjeeling continues as Gorkha Janamukti Morcha slammed the BJP and Prime Minister Modi for ignoring the unrest. The PM, in the meanwhile, was on twitter tweeting about events in Portugal. <\/b><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497793922136","data":"594685d4cc133"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497793928154","data":"
4. Arun Jaitley earlier today said that the government is willing to allow late filing for two months after the implementation of GST. <\/b><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497793979684","data":"5946860c9a416"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497793983993","data":"
5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States of America is being watched by global experts, meanwhile Trump and Modi are slated to break the ice over dinner. More on this story as it happens. <\/b><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497794029041","data":"5946864be88a4"}]
I can't bring myself to like gaming laptops despite what they offer. I'm a desktop PC gaming elitist, so to speak, I take great pains in maintaining and upgrading my desktop Gaming PC, because one of the cornerstones of the PC gaming experience is the freedom to tweak not only the software, but the hardware as well. So it is no surprise that a laptop, especially a gaming laptop, would fail to impress me. But, and I'm saying that after careful consideration, since this is a review, and I love my job, I'm willing to put my differences with laptop gaming aside to bring you the review of the Asus Republic of Gamers GL552Vx, powered by Geforce GTX 950m.<\/p>
Let me start off by saying this, Asus has done quite a commendable job with their Republic of Gamers line of laptops, bringing to us laptops that are a little expensive, but if a student should so desire, easily available through EMI, and that too without a credit card thanks to Quiklo, but we'll get to that at the end of the review. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497711492538","data":"594543d8664d6"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497711498457","data":"
Specifications: <\/b> <\/p>
For the asking price, this ROG laptop packs quite a punch. This powerhouse comes packaged with a GTX 950m with 4GB of Video RAM, a Intel Core i7 6700HQ, 1TB Harddisk along with a 128GB SSD which is awesome, an 8GB DDR4 RAM which is not that impressive anymore, a 15.6 inch Full HD screen and weighs 2.6KG. Buying it on Amazon (scroll down for the link) will also give you a backpack to carry your little beast around. It also comes prepackaged with Windows 10, a few assorted ROG software and the now rapidly becoming obsolete DVD Drive. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497711882527","data":"5945456d0259d"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497711903889","data":"
Pros: <\/b> <\/p>
This is a very well build laptop that can serve your purpose of filling that insatiable gaming appetite while you're away from home, living in a rented home or hostel. While it cannot run games at it's maximum settings, it can certainly run games from 2016 and some even from 2017 to the best of its abilities at Medium-High, and games like The Witcher 3 at around low-medium, considering the number of polygons that game has and the humungous open world. <\/p>
However, this laptop works best if you are into games like DoTA, CSGO, Overwatch, while also filling the gap of playing some of the latest releases in the market. It achieves a balance, which is difficult to achieve in this day and age. <\/p>
The best part about this laptop, however, is that it is built like a nuclear bunker. It is very sturdy, and it pays the price for being that by being very heavy, but we'll get to that. It's sturdiness is perhaps its biggest advantage, it can and will break someone's head if you hit them with it, so kindly refrain from doing so. It's battery life is nothing special, but considering the majority of 'gaming' laptops in the market, it does a good job in staying powered on for a while longer than the rest. <\/p>
Coming back to gaming, the GPU is the middle of the mid tier of graphic cards, and can both feel super powered for some games and underpowered for others. As someone who has used the GTX 970 for my desktop and moved to a GTX 1070, it did feel frustrating because I was getting a downgrade, but for people used to playing games with terrible framerates, this laptop is nothing short of a blessing. I tested Bethesda's DooM on the laptop, considering it is a very well optimised game, and I was ripping and tearing through demons from hell at a sweet 60 frames per second on high settings without issues. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497712353804","data":"5945476ab7fad"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497712415640","data":"
Cons: <\/b> <\/p>
It is heavy, and I mean seriously heavy. At 2.6KG, this is a very bulky laptop, a tradeoff for being sturdy, but at the same time, the addition of a DVD drive makes it bulkier than it has any business of being. Good luck lugging it around the campus if you plan on taking it to college to get any work done (I've written before that a MacBook Air is perfect for college work, which you can find by clicking here.<\/a>) <\/p>You certainly won't be able to play The Witcher 3 at max settings, but hey, playing the Witcher itself is awesome. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497713431449","data":"59454b80d385c"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497713460252","data":"Final Verdict: <\/b> <\/p>My personal bias aside, this is a very good gaming laptop. Considering prices, it is cheap, it is available on EMI without credit card, and it gets the job done, even though it is heavy. It offsets its heaviness with it's sturdiness, which alone is a major bonus point. If you're looking for a decent gaming laptop, this one is it. <\/p>Click here to buy the laptop from amazon<\/a>! You can also buy the laptop from Quiklo, a company offering EMIs without credit cards exclusively to students. To check out the laptop on Quiklo, click here!<\/a><\/p>"}]
You certainly won't be able to play The Witcher 3 at max settings, but hey, playing the Witcher itself is awesome. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1497713431449","data":"59454b80d385c"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1497713460252","data":"
Final Verdict: <\/b> <\/p>
My personal bias aside, this is a very good gaming laptop. Considering prices, it is cheap, it is available on EMI without credit card, and it gets the job done, even though it is heavy. It offsets its heaviness with it's sturdiness, which alone is a major bonus point. If you're looking for a decent gaming laptop, this one is it. <\/p>
Click here to buy the laptop from amazon<\/a>! You can also buy the laptop from Quiklo, a company offering EMIs without credit cards exclusively to students. To check out the laptop on Quiklo, click here!<\/a><\/p>"}]
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