Social Issues are often getting lost

In the present day there is  anoverload of news and information from all fronts. We are bombarded with all kinds of news. Soo much so that at times we are unable to differentiate what is really important. The numerous videos, images, memes, in addition to tons of text being circulated through various media is  almost stifling.  Then there is information through the social media platforms here we are expected to comment, like, love, hate, tweet, retweet, pin, snap! The list is endless.  While we are reading about the drought effected areas, or a massacre in Syria suddenly a funny animal video starts trending and all and one join in to share and comment. It is ludicrous, silly and at times pathetic.

 What bothers me most is when I see the more conscious members of our society jumping into this bandwagon. Trying to participate in all forms of news and information. They are participating   through the generalmagazines online; be it asocial issue magazine, a travel magazine, online women's magazine,  or various social media platforms.   It really doesn't matter when its frivolous news, related to celebrities, fashion, cinema, opening of shops and boutiques, but it really makes a difference when  social issues are at stake and we see anyone and everyone expressing their thoughts and views without even at times understanding the issue at hand.  This is frustrating. 

In the digital world today there are many online social issues magazine, they are publishing quality articles raising pertinent issues and trying to reach out to the conscious mass in the hope of participation in the debate and  to take the  discussion forward.

I think the various online social issue magazines are doing a great job. They are reaching out far and wide to bring us various social issues which we should be aware of. There is a lot of ground reporting, way more extensive and in-depth than ever before. Stories of unsung heroes, stories which do not hog the headlines are brought to us. Young men and women who now have the opening through magazines online are reporting from all over. Earlier this privilege was restricted to a chosen few and therewere  way more restrictions as to what could be or couldn't be published. Things are much easier now, but I feel the reader is somewhat lost and buried within this news dump. Online women's Magazine

I think a conscious reader needs to choose the source of information contentiously. No need to subscribe and follow anything and everything. Look for quality writing and reporting, look for the good writers and the platforms of alternate reading. Remember social issues need our attention, we need to understand to  comment or participate.

Gardening A Stress Buster

I am a thorough city bred, born and brought up in a city of 17 million where real estate price has shot up over the last decade and a half is beyond imagination. So other than small strips of balcony there was not much where one can pot around!

For me growing plants and flowers were restricted to a handful of houses in the city with gardens, the rich farm houses or a the few half dried parks and gardens we had in our city. I am talking of Delhi in the late 70s and 80s.

Once I left India and came to settle in Europe it all changed. Come spring all around us we would see flower laden baskets on balconies, people potting around their little, big or not so big garden patches. Come spring everyone would be making a dash to the huge garden centers which could make any of our poor gardeners back home tipsy. This was almost infectious and I too got drawn into the gardening phenomenon.

It was easy thanks to the various garden related digital magazines and online women’s magazines to decide where to make a start. I started with safe potted plants. Geraniums, Marigold, Dahlia, Aster and Petunia. Choosing the right soil & fertilizers was easy, garden centers were a great source for help and advice. As for taking care again the digital magazines, gardening magazines online were full of practical tips and advices. Slowly this turned into a hobby and a passion. I ventured into the difficult ones, Hortensia, Rose, Buxus, and this time it was planting in the garden, not pots. It was initially difficult and frustrating when the plants didn’t survive, or got infected with disease. But there was help always, thanks to the numerous magazines online dealing with gardening matters.

Gardening as a hobby is a brilliant stress buster, and also a great exercise. When you are out tilling, cutting, cleaning your flower pots and plants it can be back breaking.

Nowadays each season I try out new plants, learn about them and take care. When they bloom and grow it is indeed a great joy. However there are some plants no matter how hard Itry just won’t grow in my house, the beautiful Petunia being one of them. Almost as if they don’t like me.

There is so much to know and do, in gardening. My suggestion would be take it up, start with the simple things, enjoy . Thanks to the digital magazines dealing with gardening you have enough information at hand.You can teach yourself what is the best for you. Whether it is room pants, outdoor flower pots or a garden patch.

Igbo of Nigeria

In an online magazine about travel tips I learned about Igbo tribe that stays in Nigeria and is one of the largest ethnic tribes in this area. They stay in the south eastern part of Nigeria. Thanks to this lucky find on an online magazine I came across this fascinating tribe, based around one god Chineke (Chukwu).

Beliefs /Religions

The Igbo religion is quite different from the western world religion. In the western world we believe we all have our own religion or some of us don't even believe in a religion. The Igbo tribe believes in different gods and one superior god who controls everything, in addition to that they also believe that the spirits of your ancestors watch over you. best Online magazine

Unlike the Christian religion the Igbo people believe that every man has two souls and they also believe in reincarnation. One of the Igbo beliefs are that when someone dies they get reincarnated into their own family. If an elder dies in the Igbo tribe it is considered as a blessing.

Entertainment Igbo style

Igbo entertainment is fascinating. The Igbo tribe are into musical instruments mainly percussion instruments ( Drums , gong , wind instruments and flute). One of the most interesting instruments in their community is the ubawakwala which is a type of guitar.

 In their spare time the Igbo tribe plays these wonderful instruments that for many of us are very foreign. There are also special Igbo dances that connect with the rhythm of the beat, these dances include acrobatic stunts, cartwheels etc.

Art is quite popular in the Igbo tribe but not paintings and drawing, instead the Igbo tribe makes different types of masks and masquerades which symbolize abstract things. In some places Igbo has also made sculptures of legendary ancestors and goddess.

They are a very diverse tribe, with their unique beliefs and forms of entertainment. Their means and material possessions are limited. They use their imagination and they work together as a community to live life their own way.   

People who even in the 21^st century live a life of simplicity and innocence, far away from consumerism, amaze me. I learn a form them and it is thanks to online magazines that I am able to know about them.

It makes me wonder how so little can make them so happy. Though some aspects of modern life has touched them in the recent years; roads, limited electricity and food, they are perfectly fine without it.

These tribes are not just a part of exotic magazines online or travel tips, they are a lesson for all. Live the present with the nature and in nature.

Music the unifier

I feel that culture’s interpretation of a song is important and can have an effect on the song.Songs ina foreign language when translated lose their meaning or have a totally different meaning. I also think if youdo not belong to a culture there are specifics you would not relate to or understand. You can interpret  a song differently if you are not part of the culture. However music is music and it is a transversal that goes beyond language. I feel that all artists tell a story or are trying to express themselves when they create music no matter how it sounds. In online magazines and articles we see how musicians are shaping the world in many ways. 

However I do not think all music can shape the world because in online magazines for instance they only exaggerate on the mainstream music. There is music beyond the mainstream music that is not heard and if some of it was heard it could probably influence the world even more. That being said even though sometimes we forget or we don't notice that music does shape the world and music is everywhere around us. Music is in your car there is music on the radio, advertisement on tv, background music in a movie or even a morning alarm or a ringtone on your phone. Musicians have expressed issues on all kinds of social, environmental, economical and political problems in the world. By expressing themselves they have been able to create awareness to issues that go unheard or ignored.

There are benefit concerts played to raise money for many great causes, there are people standing up to bullying or self harm by music that supports them or helps them overcome their problems. Music related digital magazines and other online magazines have played a huge role in this. Music can make people feel they belong and that they are not alone.  Creating music or listening to music at concerts bring people together, when you are creating music or if you are at a concert nothing else matters but the music.  It doesn't matter who you are, what you do, where you are going or who you are with all that matters is that you are enjoying yourself with the music.

Music has greatly influential and is an exceptional way of expressing our true self. Digital magazines and general magazines online have played abig  role to bringing music closer to us. They have helped us understand and enjoy music from all over the world. Digital world has also given recognition to musicians who would have been lost otherwise.

Scuba Diving a wondrous experience

The  feeling of breathing underwater is a spectacular feeling really unexplainable. Seeing life  underwater and being able to touch and swim through them. The atmosphere of being surrounded by total silence  and communicating through hand signals and motions while floating through the sea is wonderful in itself. The beauty of sea life and the feeling of being in a different part of the environment is hard to explain for those who have not tried.  

The first time I found out about scuba diving is from an online travel magazine, the images in the travel magazine took my breath away.  Scuba diving is one of the most relaxing and destressing sport. It’s great for your health, helps improve your flexibility, strength, blood circulation, agility and generally helps improve you respiratory system. Scuba diving also increases the oxygen intake in your blood.

 Scuba diving has helped in releasing my stress and learning how to properly focus. Scuba divers easily loose calories and also build muscle with the equipment that they carry. When scuba diving you learn how beautiful the underwater world is. You learn to be more aware of what’s going around in the environment and you learn to be dependent on the person you scuba dive with.It teaches you responsibility  for yourself and your buddy. This can help you during stressful times in your daily  life. Diving also helps you meet new people and experience countries in a way not many people can or do.

 It is usually safer to scuba dive with someone or else if there are any problems like running out of oxygen underwater you will be able to get help from your buddy. With this you learn to trust, d cooperate and communicate underwater. You learn to be more calm how before making decisions like where to go underwater to first think through every decision and then communicate it with the person who is scuba diving with you.

In travel tips or travel magazine sites you can get many ideas about where and how to  go about scuba diving and other water sports.Rememberit’s important to be careful and follow the rules. For scuba diving you should go to a PADI certified placeonly.

Through scuba diving Ilearnt  the importance of sea life and got  to experience a wonderful  world  never experienced before.

I suggest for all who have not tried scuba diving to try and experience the wonders of the sea. There is enough information in travel magazine and other magazines online for you to understand and explore water sports, get valuable travel tipsand make the right choice.

Travel Without A Plan

In the recent years we see travel is picking up in a big way in India, especially the foreign destinations. I suppose this a result of the general affluence one sees among the upper middle class or young corporates. Travel is a great way for the family to spend time together especially since today’s work life hardly leaves any spare time for the family to spend together.

An ardent traveler myself, but I have been averse to travels planned by the so called travel agents. I find it suffocating to follow a fixed itinerary. My holiday is my time and I decide what I want to do and see. Travel magazine has always been an attraction for me and in these days online magazines and travel sites are a great source for travel information. I love reading about places off the beaten tracks. Online magazines and other travel sites help us get a glimpse of these lesser known tourist spots. Mostly they are also a get source of travel tips.   Sites like TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet provide some very reliable and brilliant travel tips. Their reviews of tourist spots, hotels restaurants are pretty reliable and I have truly benefitted by many of their reviews.

The usual travel destinations like London, Paris, Rome, New York, Disneyland I understand is high on a tourist’s list especially  when they are  going  abroad for the first few times, but that should  never  be the only thing. Even if these and other similar cities are your destination try to move away from the cities, explore the surrounding areas, countryside, smaller towns.  Get to know the locals, local food local habits, local music and culture. Try not to be a tourist, sit in a roadside café and watch the locals going about their daily business. Yes it is important to see the famed tourist sites, take pictures and share with friends and family Back Home. But it doesn’t matter if you miss out on a site instead take travel tips from local inhabitants travel magazines, websites and make your trip an experience. Get lost and find your way. Bring back stories to share, recipes and flavours to try out, unusual souvenirs and work of a local artisan. Try to understand the country’s lifestyle, talk to locals, hang around in a local eatery, trysomething new.

Travels should be enriching and not simply to satisfy your ego and to show off to friends and family you too have beento  a particular destination. Try to develop these tastes and habits in your children, they will gain immensely if they learn to seek new things, take  part in adventures and appreciate other cultures and society.

Entrepreneurship Tips for Women

While working on setting up a new business venture I thought it will be great to share some of my experiences with others who are bitten by the entrepreneurial bug!

We often hear about the power of ideas.If you do not have the million dollar idea, explore some great minds and rediscover a few ideas of the young entrepreneurs.They help to spark off your grey cells and to understand what’s trending in the world.

Business plan

Though the idea is important, but more important is the execution. To implement your idea the foremost essential is a business plan. Not having a business plan is almost like jumping into the river without knowing how to swim. Business plan enables you to foresee the potential of the idea, take stock of your resources ,understand where are the gaps and what you need to fill the gaps. It also helps you to share your idea with experts who may share some valuable advice and experience. Here, I would like to highlight one component which needs special attention -The Financials. It’s a reality check and something you will be reverting to while in business. I have always used my plan, gone back to it from time to time and revised as we have grown. I believe in being modest with a plan as it’s a great feeling to over perform.However if you are under performing it will immediately set you thinking where and how you are missing the mark.

Team 

Once the plan is in place, the next most important component is your team. It's great working with friends and family, but that should not be your aim especially if that’s a cost saving tactic. Online magazine

Remember the following while building your team;

1. Choose people who are ready to grow with you.

2. Engage with people who have hands on approach and are a team player. 

3. Take on people who are ready to learn and develop their skills.

4. Hire people with relevant experience. 

5. Look towards multitaskers.

One important thing to keep in mind; startups do not need dead weight, they need super productive and effective workforce. A business needs to be led by inspiration, team spirit and motivation. 

Entrepreneurial idea, plan and team in place you are good to go. Here we are not looking into the daily operational part of the business but the important ingredients which are required to set the process in motion. Before ending an entrepreneurship tip for women, I will say, be cautiousand alert of the competition, but NEED NOT follow them. It is ok to take baby steps than a falling flat while taking a huge leap.