You are a reader: World Book Day ( April 23, 2022)

World Book Day is created by UNESCO on April 23, 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It is initiated in over 100 countries around the globe. 

World Book Day is a celebration to promote the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on 23 April, celebrations take place all over the world to recognize the scope of books - a link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures. On this occasion, UNESCO and the international organizations representing the three major sectors of the book industry - publishers, booksellers and libraries, select the World Book Capital for a year to maintain, through its own initiatives, the impetus of the Day’s celebrations. 

23 April is a symbolic date in world literature. It is the date on which several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. This date was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to access books.

World Book Day changes lives through a love of books and shared reading. Our mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.

Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income. We want to see more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a life-long habit of reading for pleasure and the improved life chances this brings them.

World Book Day was created by UNESCO on 23rd April 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. 

The first World Book Day in the UK and Ireland took place in 1997 to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading.

Books have long embodied the human capacity to conjure up worlds, both real and imagined, giving voice to the diversity of human experience. They help us share ideas, obtain information, and inspire admiration for different cultures, enabling far-reaching forms of dialogue between people across space and time.

                                   

Handpicked books to enlighten ourselves about our constitution and celebrate Republic Day (Jan 26, 2022)

 

Republic Day is celebrated on January 26 every year to remember the day when the Constitution of India came into effect after India gained independence from the British. Ever since the historic day, January 26 is celebrated with festivities and patriotic fervor all around the country. On Republic Day, flag hoisting ceremonies and parades by armed forces and school children are held in different parts of the country. The grandest and most important of these parades is held at Rajpath in New Delhi, which showcases a multi-hued image of the country's rich cultural heritage and military prowess. 

Today, on the eve of the 73rd Republic Day of India, here is a look at few  books every Indian should read.

                             A Passage to India by E.M.Forster

The book is mainly about prejudice between British people and Indians in the 1920s. Set in pre-Independence India, when India was ruled by the British, the book questions whether a friendship between a British person and an Indian would have been possible in those prejudiced times.

The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru

                     

The book was written during Nehru's four years of confinement in prison and is his way of paying homage to his beloved country and its rich culture. It is a broad view of Indian history, culture, and philosophy, and is considered one of the finest writings on Indian History.

The Argumentative by Amartya Sen

The book brings together an illuminating selection of writings from Sen that outline the need to understand contemporary India in the light of its long argumentative tradition. He argues that the understanding and use of this rich argumentative tradition are critically important for the success of India's democracy, the defense of its secular politics, the removal of inequalities related to class, caste, gender, and community, and the pursuit of sub-continental peace

       A children's History of India by Subhadra Sen Gupta  

A perfect book to make your kids aware about the ancient history of India in a fun way. The book explains the Indian history in a very simple language. The book moves in a very sequential manner thus, keep the kid and the reader well informed and connected. The information in the book is sufficient enough to understand the subject and satisfy the kids’ queries.The book explains the questions like, what was it like living in Mughal times? How did the British, who had come to trade in India, end up ruling the country? How has India changed after Independence? etc

History of Modern India by Bipan Chandra 

 

History of Modern India presents an authoritative overview of the history of what was known as British India. The text is largely based on the author s research on nationalism and colonialism in India and also draws from the works of eminent historians of the period. 

The making and working of Indian Constitution by S K Chaube

The present book argues that the constitution of a country is as much a political document as a legal one and hence its success or otherwise is also dependent on how it is interpreted and implemented politically. A work written from the perspective of a political scientist, it integrally underlines the expectation of permanence' on which a constitution is based and in its analysis lays as much emphasis on the 'making' of the invaluable document called Constitution of India as on its 'working'. A very significant and handy analytical study.

Students need to read these books also for understanding India and its Constitution:

• Our Constitution by Subhash Kashyap NBT
• Our Parliament by NBT
• Our Judiciary by NBT
• The Wonder that was India by A L Basham
• Freedom at Midnight by Lappiere and Collins
• The Indian Constitution (Oxford India Short Introductions Series) by Madhav        Khosla
• The Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution (Oxford Handbooks) by Sujit         Choudhry and Madhav Khosla
• The Indian Constitution: Oxford India Short Introduction by Madhav Khosla
•  The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation  by Granville Austin

As India celebrates its 71st Republic Day, informed minds can be our contribution towards becoming more responsible citizens.

 

Explore DIKSHA ( Digital Infrastructure for School Education)

 

DIKSHA portal serves as National Digital Infrastructure for teachers. All teachers across nation will be equipped with advanced digital technology 

Diksha Portal will enable, accerate and amplify solution in relam of teacher education. It will aid teacher to learn and train themselves for which assessment resources will be available. it will help teachers to create training center, profile, in call resource, assessment aid,news, and announcement and connect with teachers community

What does Diksha Portal provide:

Teacher training courses (example - training on learning outcomes, CCE, etc.)

Teaching resources such as lesson plans, concept videos, worksheets, mapped to curriculum

Assessments for teachers, to find out their strengths and areas of improvement

Teachers will be able to access this material offline on their smartphones, tablets and other devices anytime and anywhere. Material will be contextualized to local languages as well as mapped to the curriculum.

The portal is very user friendly to explore. It provides various filters to provide you resources as per your requirements. You can save your preferences too like Board, medium , class, medium and content type. This enable you to save time in searching and provide precision to your results. You can use this portal as student, teacher, and parent too.

The app of Diksha portal can be accesses through smart phone too.

I will strongly recommend the teachers and students to explore the Diksha portal for teaching and learning.

Explore by clicking on this link: Diksha Portal

www.diksha.gov.in

World Health Day April 07, 2021: Building a fairer, healthier world for everyone

 

April 7 of each year marks the celebration of World Health Day. From its inception at the First Health Assembly in 1948 and since taking effect in 1950, the celebration has aimed to create awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization. Over the past 50 years this has brought to light important health issues such as mental health, maternal and child care, and climate change. The celebration is marked by activities which extend beyond the day itself and serves as an opportunity to focus worldwide attention on these important aspects of global health.

 

This World Health Day, calling for action to eliminate health inequities, as part of a year-long global campaign to bring people together to build a fairer, healthier world. The campaign highlights WHO’s constitutional principle that “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.”

 

The world is still an unequal one. The places where we live, work and play may make it harder for some to reach their full health potential, while others thrive.  Health inequities are not only unjust and unfair, but they also threaten the advances made to date, and have the potential to widen rather than narrow equity gaps.However, health inequities are preventable with strategies that place greater attention to improving health equity, especially for the most vulnerable and marginalized groups. COVID-19 has hit all countries hard, but its impact has been harshest on those communities which were already vulnerable, who are more exposed to the disease, less likely to have access to quality health care services and more likely to experience adverse consequences as a result of measures implemented to contain the pandemic.That’s why WHO calling on leaders to ensure that communities are at the forefront in decision-making processes as we move forward to a new future, and that everyone has living and working conditions that are conducive to good health. At the same time, we urge leaders to monitor health inequities, and to ensure that all people are able to access quality health services depending on their needs and values within their communities.

 

 To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom and keep our mind strong and clear.

 

Book Review: Who moved my cheese?: An A-Mazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life by Spencer, Johnson

 

I wish to share a review of this wonderful book, that i recently read in my library. The book is very captivating to read which makes you think and introspect into one's own life experiences and your attitude towards the same. I too, recalled back my life and compared with the four characters of this book.

The story of Who Moved My Cheese? was created by Dr. Spencer Johnson to help him deal with a difficult change in his life. It showed him how to take his changing situation seriously but not take himself so seriously.

Spencer Johnson, M.D.,is an international bestselling author whose books help millions of people discover simple truths they can use to have healthier lives with more success and less stress.

It is the amusing and enlightening story of four imaginary characters-the mice: "Sniff" and "Scurry" and the Littlepeople: "Hem" and "Haw" who live in a maze and always look for cheese to nourish and make them happy. The Cheese is a metaphor for what you want in life, like good job, lovely relationship, money, health and peace of mind. The maze is like a organisation where you work, your family and community you live in. And last Cheese is the satisfaction and your desires, which keeps on moving and changing. Each of us has our own idea of what cheese is and we pursue it because we believe it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And if we lose it, or it's taken away, it can be traumatic. The whole story revolves around these elements but carries a deep message to the reader of the book.

The reader always introspect himself/herself while reading the book. How do we react to the particular situation of life. Sometimes we may act like Sniff, who sniffs out change early or Scurry, who scurries into action, or Hem who denies and resist change as he fears it will lead to something worse, or Haw who learns to adapt in time when he sees changing can lead to something better!

Whatever parts of us we choose to use, we all share something in common: a need to find our way in the Maze and succeed in changing times.

The book provides the real-life examples from the renowned personalities, for whom the story of cheese is like life changing experience.

The book is evolved in three sections, In the first, A Gathering, former classmates talk at a class reunion about trying to deal with changes happening in their lives. 

The second section is The story of Who Moved My Cheese?, which is core of the book. In the story you will see the two mice do better when they are faced with change because they keep things simple, while the two Littlepeople's complex brains and human emotions complicate things.It has not that mice are smarter. We all know people are more intelligent than mice. 

However,as you watch what the four characters do, and realize both the mice and the littlepeople represent parts of ourselves-the simple and the complex-you can see it would be to our advantage to do the simple things that work when things change.

In the third section, A Discussion, people discuss what the The Story meant to them and how they are going to use it in their work and in their lives.

Everyone knows that not all change is good or even necessary. But in a world that is constantly changing, it is to our advantage to learn how to adapt and enjoy something better.

MOVE WITH THE CHEESE AND ENJOY IT!

DISCOVER THE SECRET FOR YOURSELF AND LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH CHANGE, SO THAT YOU SUFFER LESS AND ENJOY MORE SUCCESS IN YOUR WORK AND LIFE.

I recommend everyone to read this book. You will enjoy and help to know yourself better way.

Overview of National Digital Library of India

                    

National Digital Library of India (NDLI) is a virtual repository of learning resource which is not just a repository with search/browse facility but provide a host of services for the learner community. It is sponsored and maintained by ministry of Education, Government of India, through its national mission on education through information and communication technology.

• All types of resource such as books, audio-books,lectures, video lectures, Lecture presentations/ notes, simulation, question paper, solutions etc. is available.

• Filtered and federated searching is employed to facilitate focused searching so that learners can find the right resource with least effort and in minimum time.

• NDLI provide user group -specific server such as examination preparatory for school and colleges students and job aspirants.

• Services for researcher.
• NDLI is designed to hold content of any language and provide support for all academic level including researcher and life long learner.
• It is developed, operated and maintained from IIT, Kharagpur.
• The App of National Digital Library is also available in google play store for easy access.

Explore and make best use of National Digital library by clicking on the below given link:

https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/

https://youtu.be/LEwAyHGKeLw

Independence Day 2020: Where the mind is without fear( Rabindra Nath Tagore)

India is celebrating its 74th year of independence this time and we as Indians must be proud of our progress in all these years. A country that survived a tempestuous struggle for freedom that lasted for about 90 years from 1857 to 1947, has come a long way to an era where every spirit is free to be themselves. We must, today, unite and celebrate the day together to sound as one voice that is powerful and progressive, and must pledge to protect the integrity of our country.

On this special day, I love to read this poem" Where the mind is without fear"  by Rabindra Nath Tagore, which holds the true meaning of freedom and carries the message to be truthful and focused on the our goal with our head high to achieve success. 

Almost half a century before India attained Independence, Tagore here yearns for the “heaven of freedom.” The verse continues to exhort people—particularly in conflict zones across the world—to seek fearless truth, progressive thoughts and actions, and to stand up and see the world as one, undivided by borders or “narrow domestic walls.” Tagore stood for living life to the full and not for any renunciation of the world.

Freedom in mind, Faith in our heart, Memories in our souls. Let’s salute the Nation on Independence Day!