Health is Wealth

HEALTH IS WEALTH

Only a healthy man can be happy. If the body is healthy, the mind will also be healthy. A healthy mind is a happy mind. Id we are cheerful, we can do our work with enthusiasm. We will then be successful in all that we do. Thus good health is the strong foundation on which success and prosperity can be built up. Proverbs like ‘Health is wealth’ and ‘A sound mind in a sound body’ show the importance of health in human life.

Many people think that wealth or money is the most important thing. They try to earn money by sacrificing everything else. They sacrifice their peace of mind and even their health for the sake of money. They overwork and ruin their health. They do not know that an unhealthy man cannot be happy. They suffer much on account of their ill health. But they attribute their sufferings to bad luck. They may sometimes feel that if they earn more money, their sufferings will vanish.

If we have health, we can work hard and earn wealth. But if we lose our health, we cannot get it back by using money. It is true that we can buy medicines and get good treatment if we have money. But a man does not become healthy merely by getting cured of his disease. It is his ill health that makes him susceptible to various diseases. A healthy man can resist the attack of diseases.

If we realize the importance of health; we must take care to preserve our health. The most important thing is proper exercise. We should give proper exercise to every part of the body. We should devote at least half an hour every day to physical exercise. We can do this either in the morning or in the evening. It should become part of our daily routine. We should take breathing exercises also. We must eat balanced diet-food that contains carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals in the right proportion. We should also sleep properly. A healthy man needs six to eight hours of sleep every day. We should keep our body in the right posture. The main part of the body-from buttocks to head-should always be kept in a straight line. We can remain healthy through proper exercise, proper breathing, proper food, proper posture and proper sleep.

(This essay is suitable for 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th std students)


-Surenthiran

CONSERVE ENERGY

ENERGY CONSERVATION IS THE FOUNDATION OF ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

PLEASE SWITCH OFF

Often over-charging the phone, i.e., leaving if plugged in even after the battery is full, leads to a wastage of electricity that nobody seems to take care of. People also sometimes forget to switch off the charger after unplugging the phone.

With 584 million mobile connections in India, one can only imagine the extent of power wastage, all due to a small act of carelessness.

While most phones have a visual reminder for when the battery is full, cell phone manufacturers could perhaps incorporate audio reminders as well.

LAPTOPS AND NETBOOKS

With new and affordable models flooding the market, sale of laptops and net books has touched 200 million units already and is growing exponentially. However, not much is being done to take care of the huge power consumed by them.

Students often leave the laptop switched on, even when they take a break which means that electricity is being consumed anyway.

While switching it off each time may not be feasible, one must practice putting it in sleep mode or in hibernation when not in use. A laptop in sleep mode/hibernation consumes 35 watts per hour used by an active screen.

The same applies to desktops and PCs. An attractive alternative here is virtualization, i.e., the process of running two or more logical computer systems on one set of hardware. Instead of installing a particular application on several computers, one could install it on to one of them and it can be accessed by all other PCs at the time. Thus a lot of power which otherwise would have been wasted is saved. Websites such as www.vmware.com and www.instantfundas.com provide details.

TELEVISION

As compared to the global average of 216 televisions for every 1000 people, India ranks 148 at 59 per 1000 people. Yet, considering our huge population, it translates into a stock of 72 million television sets in India, not a small figure by any stretch of imagination.

The television is the most common source of entertainment and news in use today, but not many think of using it in an energy efficient way.

The way one checks the price and picture quantity of television sets before purchase, one must also make a habit of checking for the energy efficiency. While most electric gadgets now come with a energy star rating, it only indicates the power consumed by a television in standby mode which actually accounts for a small amount of the total power consumed by it.

Some novel television models touted to be launched in 2010 are said to save up to 40 percent of the power consumed by television sets of today and by 2012, there will be sets that save up to 65 percent.

Till then, one can look at reducing the brightness and contrast of the television set which helps reduce power consumption. Interestingly, LCD models are more efficient than their plasma counterparts. An LCD of the same size as a plasma saves power by almost 60 percent.

AIR CONDITIONER

The air conditioner is no longer considered a luxury. At home, in malls, offices and even at college, the youth now find it difficult not to have air-conditioning, without realizing the impact of these cooling devices on the environment.

Most people are unaware of the ideal temperature for cooling that will also consume electricity in the most efficient way -24 degrees Celsius. They also do not clean and change the air filters regularly, thus not realizing the additional time taken for an air conditioner to work more effectively. Electronic devices used near the thermostat heat up the machine slower than its full capacity.

The simple act of switching off an air conditioner when the intended space is sufficiently cool can help save up to 10 percent power, as can installing an air conditioner in the right way, i.e., not exposing it to direct sunlight which wastes five percent more power.

AWARENESS ACCORDS

The most important thing for students to do is to work towards self awareness. An understanding of how much our basic facilities cost will help in knowing what steps to take towards reducing wastage.
Students must try and survey the power consumption of each house in their locality and generate subsequent bills. This will help not only to build awareness of how much power we consume and how expensive it is, but also help develop a shared vision amongst groups of students. Once they are aware of the realities, they can take it upon themselves to spread the message of conservation amongst their parents, siblings, friends, relatives and people in general. This would be the first step towards a ‘switching-off’ culture.

Students can make a difference through simple steps of which building self awareness is the first step.

One tends to think about power consumption and conservation only when they run up huge electricity bills and feel the pinch of paying large sums each. Here too, it is usually the parents who pay and students don’t even bother to know the pattern of electricity consumption within their own homes; an attitude that needs complete overhaul.

There is a famous proverb, ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’. If the youth’s indifference is in the solace that it is only the villages that will have to bear the brunt of unavailability of power, they will soon come to realize the extent of their misconception. The crisis is larger than it seems now and larger than it seems now and if not controlled in the not-so-distant future, it could affect urban areas in the same way.

CONCLUSION

It is better that we, as youth, take steps to conserve power today instead of repenting tomorrow. V S Naipaul once described India as an area of darkness. It might seem funny but the truth is that by switching off our lights regularly, we may actually bring light to a large part of the country. It is not about idealism. It is about securing our own future from falling into an area of darkness in a pragmatic way.


(This article is suitable for the students of 10th, 11th, 12th std and engineering.)

-Surenthiran

Cinema and its uses

CINEMA AND ITS USES

Today no media is more popular than cinema. Every show of cinema hall is seen crowded with men and women, young and old, poor and rich. Cinema has influenced the imagination of every class of people-lower, middle and upper-alike. Children are seen murmuring film songs on the streets, young men talking about film stars and college girls are seen with film magazines in their hands. The existence of a cinema hall in the city is considered as necessary as hospital or school or park. The wide popularity of cinema is due to its manifold advantages. Besides being the most common and cheapest form of entertainment and recreation, cinema has its impact on education also. Its educational value cannot be denied. Cinema can rightly be called a good teacher as it is an effective medium of imparting education. Cinema influences the minds of children. Children’s minds are very sensitive and expression received by them will fix firmly in their minds. Children can be taught subjects like geography, history, botany, zoology, etc., through the medium of film.

Cinema and documentary films serve as a powerful agency for moulding public opinion. They also bring the people of one part of the country in contact with people living in another part and in this way serve as a means of cheap recreation and raising sex sentiments. Profit making has become the sole aim of cinema producers. What is needed is the organization of a ‘purity’ campaign for cinema films, the aim of which should be the eradication of sex, violence, etc., from the films. Production of short films on subjects should be encouraged. It would thus raise the mortal and spiritual value of films which would then be a real friend of ours.


(This article is suitable for 6th, 7th and 8th std students)

-Surenthiran

ATOMIC EXPLOSION OF INDIA

India on Mar 18, 1974 conducted its first nuclear explosion in Pokharan, Rajasthan. After a gap of 24 years India again conducted two atomic explosions on 11th and 13th May, 1998. on May 11th, through explosion, India experimented an atomic-fission device, a low-yield device and a thermo-nuclear device and emerged as the first country conducting these three experiments in one explosion. The second explosion of 13th May, ’98 was mainly intended to collect details for conducting an explosion in the computer simulation method. Both explosions were successful and India emerged as a strong member among the atomic nations.



The atomic explosions conducted by India invited pro and anti reactions from India and abroad. Some people are of opinion that a developing country like India is wasting crores of rupees in the preparations of bombs and atomic weapons. But this argument cannot be accepted. The authorities have clearly indicated that India will use its atomic power only for peaceful purposes and defence.

When our neighbours are not friendly, and when they are accumulation weapons for defence purposes India can not sit idle. We must also be prepared to guard ourselves when danger is threatening us. The explosions made recently can be taken as a warning to those neighbours who are not friendly and co-operative.

India’s aim through the atomic experiments is the formation of a comprehensive atomic system. The three devices such as the fission device, the low yield device and the thermo nuclear device were experimented together and its success is a great leap in the progress of atomic power. India is the only country successfully completing these three devices simultaneously. If the plan of India is to make atom bombs, India should not have conducted these three experiments. To make a bomb similar to that exploded in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, India doesn’t need all the technical know-how which India possesses today. The experiments conducted by India through the explosions clearly show that we are not interested in making crude bombs. We are aiming at a believable atomic weapon system as well as a powerful defence mechanism.

We have developed long range missiles of high quality like Prithvi and Agni. These are better than the bombers for the defence purposes. Now through the success in the experiments conducted by the nuclear explosions, India can equip the latest missiles more safely and successfully. In other words, the result of these atomic explosions will clearly set a strong missile system for the defence purposes. The knowledge gained from these explosions can be used in the other fields of Science and technology too.

In this modern world, where dangers through neighbours cannot be predicted, every nation should guard themselves. For this, use of atomic power and the related technologies cannot be blamed. But it should not be used for attacks or destructive purposes. There are so many peaceful uses of this power. All nations should understand the dangers of atomic power misuse and subsequent disasters. The proposed comprehensive Test Ban Treaty is to aim at this direction. But the provisions adopted in the treaty is beneficial for those countries who have stocked enough atomic weapons already. This is the main objection of India in signing the treaty. An atomic Test Ban Treaty is appreciable for a peaceful life. But that should be prepared as per the satisfaction and approval of all nations concerned.

Any way in a fast developing modern world all countries should take care to see that they are self sufficient in all matters. They should move pace to pace with other countries. The developing countries like India should work hard to attain this goal. In this hectic run, we have to take help form various forces and modern technologies. The help we plan to receive from the atomic experiments must also be considered in that way. This is an important leap to safety and prosperity.


(This essay is suitable for 7th, 8th and 9th std students)

-Surenthiran

television

TELEVISION

Radio enables us to hear what is said at a distant place. But television enables us to see and hear what is happening at a distant place. Thus the impact of the television has replaced the radio in many homes. People now sit before their television set for hours together watching various interesting T.V. programs.

News, songs, dance, plays, films, cricket matches, football matches and various other programs are telecasted, and we can see them sitting in our drawing-room if we have a television set before us. We can see the newsreader reading the news. When there is some important news, we are shown the visuals depicting the actual incidents. When the newsreader says that Yeltsin met the American President Bill Clinton, we can see on the T.V. screen the two leaders meeting and conversing with each world events than those who listen to news bulletins broadcast by radio stations.

T.V. programs provide education as well as entertainment. The entertainment value of the television is equal to that of the cinema. We see pictures on the T.V. screen just as we see pictures on the screen in a cinema theatre. But the television is more convenient because we see everything sitting in our homes. We need not take the trouble of going to the theatre. Scientific programs and quiz programs are very instructive and of great educative value. Songs, dances, plays and films provide a lot of entertainments to T.V. viewers.

As the impact of T.V. programs is equal to that of films, the television can be used for social reforms and for promoting national integration. The harmful effects of social evils like dowry, casteism, smoking, drug-taking, etc., can be shown in T.V. programs in order to educate the people. As television(i.e. Doordarshan) is controlled by the government, they can easily do it if they have the will to do it. Programs for promoting national integration are being shown. A Keralite sings a Tamil song, a Tamilian sings a Marathi song, a Maharashtrian sings a gujarati song, a Gujarati sings a Bengali song, a Bengali sings a Kannada song, and so on. Such programs promote national integration.

Films can be recorded in video tapes and then telecast. Doordarshan telecasts a few films every week. In addition to this, we see any film we like on the T.V. screen, if we have a video cassette of the film and a V.C.P. or V.C.R. Some people think that this has adversely affected the income from films.

Television is very useful. But it is not an unmixed blessing. Television exerts a bad influence on many people. It makes people lazy. People sit for hours watching television and neglect their duties. This danger is greater in the case of students. They sit before the T.V. set watching interesting programs and neglect their studies. The habit of sitting before the television for hours together has become a dangerous addiction in many homes. Students should see only those programs that have educative value. They should realize that their duty is to study.


(This essay is suitable for 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th std students)

-Surenthiran

social work and students

SOCIAL WORK AND STUDENTS

Man is a social animal. Naturally the wants of human society are many. There are several extra-ordinary affairs connected with ordinary people, which can not be managed by the payment of money. In such matters the help of fellow human beings becomes very necessary. Such help is free of cost. This is called social service. For this purpose, several social organization, including social welfare societies, are at work in different corners of the world. Students are quite fit for social service.

Students are specially useful for social service. Educationalists, reformers and others want that students should be associated with social service to greater degree than the common man. Countless people have come out with views, urging upon authorities to make it compulsory for students to do social service too. In China, social service is a education, students can make trips to villages and stay there in order to make the rural people literate. Besides, it is expected of them to give them a sense of civic duty. Cleanliness, disciplined way of life, etc. Students can be of real guidance to those who need light of knowledge.

Students can associate themselves with Roadways and Railways and become very useful passenger guides at important stations and bus points. They can also usefully give hints about do’s and don’ts to pedestrians at busy road crossings in large cities for the safety of people, because many people die form road accidents. In the same way, they can do useful service by guiding patients in hospitals properly.

The importance of social work among students is great. The qualities that they acquire during their education days have a lasting effect, being of use to them throughout their life-time. In a democratic country, it is the service of people which endears an individual to the community. Ideals of humbleness, devotion to duty, giving priority to the interest of people, being prepared for sacrifice for the sake of fellow human being in difficulty, etc. are matters which are extremely essential for success, whether in public service or in private business. Even rich industrialists need these qualities in order to get along well with their workers. For these and certain other allied reasons, it is necessary that students should have a period of training through social service.

When the country is faced with enemy threat students can do a really useful work. The country is now going through a rapid scheme of development with plenty of river-valley projects, industrial enterprises and other development works in progress at present. The roadways are being considerably expanded, the railways are being extended and further developed; co

untless therefore are the nation’s needs for which the young students should do hard work.

Social service can change the nature of students positively. If it is made compulsory, it will be producing a sense of responsibility and humility among the usually stiff-necked educated persons. They will develop a feeling that they are to be of use to fellow human beings. This will be good for both themselves and for the country. The present indifference to manual work or to mixing up with illiterate villagers will gradually disappear. Such students when they happen to hold important civil posts later in life, will continue to have the feeling that they are there to serve the masses, rather than to rule over them. It is, therefore, advisable that social service should be made a part of the ordinary curriculum of a student. The enthusiasm for demanding social service from students, should not go too far. The idea is to include a sense of responsibility among the students. This, however, should be fulfilled without any harm to the student or to his studies.


(This essay is suitable for 7th, 8th and 9th std students)

-Surenthiran

NEWSPAPERS

We read newspapers every morning. We are accustomed to the reading the newspaper, and we cannot live without it. A newspaper gives us news. It satisfies our curiosity by telling us what happened in the world around us during the last twenty-four hours.

We are eager to know what happened in our town, in our country, and in foreign countries. An newspaper keeps us informed of all the important happenings in the world. When we read the newspaper we know what happened at the test match going on in Calcutta, what happened at the political discussions in Delhi and so on. It is therefore necessary that we should read newspapers every day.

We rely on newspapers for our knowledge of what is happening in the world. It is therefore the duty of newspapers to tell us the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. A newspaper should not distort news by suppressing certain facts. It is the duty of every newspapers to find out the facts and to report them faithfully.

Newspapers play a very important role in democracy. Newspapers give not only news but also views. Newspapers form public opinion by the views they express. Newspapers strengthen democracy by making the citizens responsible and well-informed. Newspapers are the watch-dogs of democracy. They should play this role effectively. Newspapers should be fearless. If democracy is to survive, newspapers must not only be fearless but also make the people fearless.


(This essay is suitable for 6th, 7th and 8th std students)


-Surenthiran

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

An essay about the power of Knowledge

Desire for power is inherit in man. Thee love of power comes from the consciousness of man’s mental and moral superiority over other created things. It is instinctive, therefore, that man as superior being must control and dominate others. Again the awareness that all men are created unequal gives birth to the desire to rule and dominate others. The history of the world, so far as man is concerned, is a history of the struggle for power. Thus from the primitive wars of tribes and clans to the ruinous wars of today, there is only one idea behind these wars and that is the thirst for power.

Broadly speaking, power is of two kinds-physical and mental. Physical power is of the lower order as compared to the power of the mind. Primitive men mainly understood one kind of power and that was of the body. In the past the strength of the arms decided things and might alone was right. However, with the growth of civilization and the development of human mind, the mental power has its origin in knowledge.

When man first appeared on the earth he was no better than animals. He was also the beast of prey and was a helpless being, a victim of the wild beast and the hostile forces of nature. But God endowed him with an intelligent mind and ultimately came to his rescue. He discovered fire and learnt its uses and this knowledge of use of fire gave him power. Similarly, knowledge has achieved wonders in the world and given man mastery over many things.

All the great discoveries and inventions on which modern life is based are but the manifestations of the power of knowledge. The conquest of the forces of nature like water and electricity and harnessing of these forces for man’s use, have been made possible by the knowledge of physics. It is the knowledge of mechanics which has lessened distance, broken down the barriers between men and enabled men to realize the affinity of men all over the world. The epoch-making discovery of atomic energy has revolutionized the entire concept of future life of man on the earth. Today completely unheard strides made by man in the field of science are the results of the knowledge and perpetual search of wisdom combined with the hunger of power to rule and dominate.

In fact the development of art, science, culture and civilization, ultimately depends knowledge. Nature has yielded her mysteries to this power. It has made physical power and mental strength to one and the same. But knowledge has not only given man mental strength, it has taught how to utilize his physical strength in a better, surer and more and more disciplined and economic way.

Great ideas make great men and there is no trait more constant in human nature than his habit of pursuing a truth beyond its province. Hence balance is the cardinal virtue of good sense. Great as is the power of knowledge, the tendency to misuse is greater. Knowledge is inclined to fill us with pride and thus stake its real blessings. The need is to translate knowledge into wisdom, for knowledge is proud and wisdom is humble. It is only when we have realized this that we understand the significance of knowledge that is power, and get the desire to acquire that knowledge which enable us to find truth. We must pursue knowledge to its utmost for, ‘Half knowledge is a dangerous thing; Drink deep or taste not the perennial spring’.


This essay is useful for 7th, 8th and 9th std students)

-Surenthiran

HIGH TECH ACCESSORIES FOR MOBILES

• Don’t you receive signal properly?
• Do you have difficulties in charging mobiles during travel
• Do you want to connect mobile phones to TeleVision
• Do you need a charger suitable for all models

Don’t you receive signal properly?

Are you forced to run outside when a call comes due to signal problems? Signal Booster has come to resolve this problem. This is New Jen-X Plus Signal Booster. It is enough to stick a Signal Booster Sticker at the back of your mobile. When you receive a call, it will boost up the signal. Almost it is available for all the modal including Nokia.

Cost: Rs. 129
Available At: Ritchie Street, Chennai

Do you have difficulties in charging mobiles during travel?

Your mobile battery may lose the charge during travel and you may suffer to charge again. A very very useful mobile accessory has come to the market now. It is nothing other than Travel Charger AC-4. The leading mobile company Nokia launched this equipment.
This is suitable for all the Nokia modals.


Cost: Rs. 300
Available At: Univercel and Poorvika shoppes

Do you want to connect mobile phones to TeleVision?

Do you wish to see all the videos, pictures in your TeleVision? An Accessory is available now…

Nokia’s TV-OUT Cable CA-75U. With this, you can connect your mobiles to your television and view the items in the mobiles easily. Not only for Nokia modals, this cable is now available for all the modals.

Cost: Rs. 275
Available At: Univercel, WaveTel

Do you want a charger suitable for all modals?

Usually, Charges are available for a particular modal or three or three particular modals. A charger suitable for one modal will not be suitable for another modal. Here is a charger suitable for all modals. This is TSM UNIVERSAL CHARGER. It consists of Six types of pins and a car charger. Any type of Mobiles can be charged with this charger.

Cost: Rs. 500
Available At: Almost all the mobile shoppes


(For images, please visit www.mobileulagam.com )

-Surenthiran

ADULTERATION

WHAT IS MEANT BY FOOD ADULTERATION?

The contamination of food materials with low quality, cheap, toxic substances is called food adulteration.

What are the ways by which adulteration is affected?

Adulteration is done in the following ways:

a) Addition of inferior substances and poisonous substances
b) Insect infestation
c) Extraction of superior ingredients from the food
d) Addition of coloring matter not permitted by regulations.

What is an Adulterant?
The substance which degrades(or lowers) the quality of a food material is called an adulterant. The adulterants are much cheaper than the concerned foodstuffs. So, selling adulterated food materials can bring a lot of easy money for the dishonest trader, but at the cost of many lives.

Test to detect adulteration in food

Since food adulteration is a serious matter and concerns us all, so we should know how to detect adulteration in the commonly used food items like butter, ghee, edible oil, dals(pulses) and milk. This is discussed below.

1. To detect the presence of vanaspati in ghee or butter

Take 5ml of ghee or butter in a test tube and add 5 ml of conc. HCL and a small amount of sugar. Shake the test tube well. Appearance of a deep red colour in the lower layer shows the presence of vanaspati in ghee.

2. To detect the presence of starch in milk and butter

A small amount of iodine is added to the adulterated sample. The appearance of the colour shows the presence of starch in the sample.

3. To detect the presence of chicory powder in coffee powder

Take equal volumes of conc. HCl and coffee decotion in a test tube and heat for few minutes. Then, add small quantity of seliwonoff reagent. The red colour formed shows the concentration of chicory powder mixed.

4. To detect the presence of argemone oil in edible oil

Take 5 ml of edible oil in a test tube and add some conc. HNO3 to it. Shake the test tube carefully and observe the colour of the lower layer(the acid layer). Appearance of a reddish-brown in the acid layer shows the presence of argemone oil in the edible oil.

5. To detect the presence of metanil yellow in dal

Take about 5 grams of dal in a test tube and then add about 5 ml of water. Shake the test tube well. Then add a few drops of conc. HCl to the test tube. Appearance of a pink colour in the solution shows the presence of metanil yellow in dal.

6. To test the presence of water in milk

VISCOSITY TEST:
When pure milk is adulterated by mixing water, then its viscosity decreasing that is, it becomes very thin and flows easily on a surface. This fact can be used in testing the presence of water in milk, as follows:

Take a drop of the milk sample on a glass plate and hold the glass plate vertically.

a) If the drop if milk either keeps sticking to the glass plate or flows down slowly, leaving behind a white trail, then the milk sample is pure.
b) If the milk drop run down quickly on the glass plate, leaving no white trail, then the milk has been diluted with water.


-Surenthiran