Campus Beat Magazine | May 2020

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campus beat INDEPENDENT STUDENT MAGAZINE

IT IS IN YOUR HANDS

STEP INSIDE MY HEAD

Students and education institutes are contributing to fight corona through finance and innovation

How to combat the increasing mental health crisis during the lockdown

W W W . C A M P U S B E A T . I N

campus beat Managing Editor Sefali Rani

Co-Founder Brand and Communication Youth Outreach Operations Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Social Media Lead Social Media Executive Social Media Executive Social Media Executive Social Media Executive Social Media Executive Social Media Executive Social Media Executive

Madhu Priya Sahay Uddeshya Harsh Astha Priya Gurleen Kaur Paprja Apurvam Apurva Roy Harshita Kumari Hritik Singh Riya Singh Anuradha Priya Paul Shrutika Srivastava Raj Roshni Shashank Pandey Vivian Micheal Sanjana Srivastava Nishita Khalkho Kumar Priyanshu Ritika Kishore Aditya Misra

EDITORIAL OFFICE Noida Extension West, UP campusbeat.in | news@campusbeat.in Campus Beat is an independent student news club run and managed by the Wake Up India Foundation. www.campusbeat.in

MAY 2020

editor's note We’re surfing through an unprecedented time.

India has already crossed the 50,000 mark.

Educational institutions have shifted to the digital world to conduct online classes. As Charles Dickens said, ‘It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.’

The pandemic has united the student community as never. We have started to understand the family values more, use technology judiciously, and connect with our long-lost friends. Time and patience are the two key virtues we have learned. In this edition, we have covered stories of educational institutions and individuals who joined this fight through innovation.

One of the downsides of the lockdown has been the impact on the mental health of individuals.

There has been a significant rise. In this edition, we have covered the challenges of mental health patients and the steps to stay healthy.

The Civil Services Preliminary Exam is near. To motivate the students and keep them on track, we have included an article in the Exam Watch section. As always, the magazine is filled with tons of knowledge and resources shared by students from different states. Happy Reading!

Learning is an ongoing process and we rely heavily on your feedback to improve ourselves.

Please do drop in your feedback and suggestion.

Sefali Rani MANAGING EDITOR

Procedures for Self-Quarantine under Covid-19

Self-quarantine is recommended for individuals who have been directly exposed to the new Coronavirus or have history of travel in infected or heavily populated areas.

Stay at home.

Wash your hands.

Limit all your nonessential travels.

Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol or hand sanitizer.

Unless you're going out for food, medicines or other essentials.

Check your temperature.

Stay in a specific room.

Check your temperature at least two times a day.

If you're sick or suspect yourself to be sick, it's best to stay in a designated room or area away from others.

Watch for other symptoms.

If possible, have a designated toilet and bathroom as well.

Aside from fever, Covid-19 symptoms include cough, difficulty breathing, and fatigue.

Practice social distancing.

If you need to go out, maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance from others.

Call your doctor or hospital before visiting.

If you need to seek medical attention whether for viral symptoms or other medical care reasons, contact your doctor or hospital ahead of time so they can prepare and take precautions for your arrival.

Source• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov)

EXAM WATCH

MITTALI SETHI IAS Mittali Sethi, IAS, cracked the civil service examination while working.

She got All India Rank 56 and has been serving the society since then.

Mittali posts on her blog about her journey as a Civil Servant and as a aspirant. You can follow her on Facebook.

Exam and the Social Media: What Lies Beyond the Internet?

I want to start by showing – with the use of words – how most of us study now-a-days. And just to give my readers a relatable example, I used to be at least almost this same person five years back.

Let’s call this gentleman Mr. X. X wakes up in the morning and the first thing he reaches out to, is his phone. Facebook, check.

WhatsApp, check. Telegram,

check. E-mails, check. And if X is a civil services aspirant, his day thus begins with a distraction.

Finally, when he does sit for studying, he writes an answer on Insights Secure, but wait.

Someone commented something on Disqus for his previous comment. That needs to be checked and replied to.

Then two hours later, boring study feeling creeps in.

He opens the discussion at Forum IAS. Someone made a joke about something, and he laughs.

His clever, witty mind thinks of an answer, and so he types it there. If he is a “real dude”, maybe he takes out time to check his Instagram and Twitter accounts too. Back to studies. But, now, what would people be thinking about what he wrote? Did they at least understand it? Idiots, they don’t get a joke, he thinks. Open Forum again. Someone said something again, he laughs or doesn’t laugh at it. Who cares!

Nobody cares. That’s the whole point of it all.

There is only one thing that actually suffers in all of this : the book of X that has been lying in front of him like unrequited love, asking for some attention. Somehow, X manages to find time to study for the next two hours. But while he is studying the Aadhaar Bill, his mind is thinking about his secret crush on Facebook who just uploaded a picture. Now, he thinks about all the time wasted and to compensate for that guilt, opens a topper’s video. Aah, that motivation and that peak that will go down the drain the very next day!If you are the male or female version of X, and you are thinking why is it that even after studying for hours, you cannot actually write well – think again. Read back up, and think again.

Five years back, Facebook used to be my companion. My phone became a reminder and a symbol of the virtual world for me. This happens with a lot of people who are holed up inside their houses or workplaces not only physically, but emotionally too. I would look at my friends having fun, some of them fulfilling their childhood dreams while I had no idea whether or not I even had one. My friends were getting married, having children, Facebook was celebrating all of that, while I was sitting, studying for an exam that seemed impossible to crack. I did not want to see all of those photos, but it was a bad habit that slowly turned into an addiction. Every two hours, my hands would automatically move towards that blue coloured “f” on my phone or towards the green phone symbol representing WhatsApp. Failing in Prelims did not help either.

Of course, if you look at it, my friends were in a different phase of life, and all of them weren’t necessarily happy. Pretentiousness is not happiness.

Facebook, obviously wasn’t celebrating anything, it was just trying to make its business grow. I gave myself multiple excuses. And I have still seen people giving all these excuses to themselves. Facebook is for information, they would say. You know, the news comes on Facebook, first? Twitter allows you to to be in touch with the government.

Look, a celebrity replied to a tweet. And social media might actually reduce my stress – stress that is coming from (not) studying!

And then, one day, it all stopped. I got real with myself. I told myself that Facebook is neither for information nor knowledge, period.

I downgraded from app to browser and then, one fine day, deactivated my account.Then, I suddenly realised how I became much more focused with my studies and I took it a step forward. I withdrew from all WhatsApp groups – I said no to ALL forward messages. I downloaded an app that would allow me to lock my phone for 4 hours – 8 hours straight. I would keep my phone in the other room so that it doesn’t interfere with my studies. It took me a split second decision to turn around what I think is the most crucial part of the exam – Focus.

Since then, my mind could think of nothing else but the exam. From the time I entered in the bathroom to the time I slept at night, I could think of only the exam. If I was walking, I was thinking about democracy, and not my friend’s shoes. You know how? Because I didn’t feed my brain unwanted information. If you cannot stop yourself from eating the potato chips, don’t buy them, it is that simple. You must remember that for most of us, preparation for Civil Services is a time when we are already feeling inadequate.

We are fighting our lives, our dreams and each day, it takes a lot of courage to tell ourselves that we are strong enough. In this scenario, ten minutes of seeing a “seemingly” successful person will spoil your whole day. That means that you don’t only waste time while you are browsing social media, but beyond that too.

What good does that bring? And more importantly, why would you want to do that to yourself?To make my point entirely clear, here is the word for this post: Delayed gratification.

Internet was the greatest boon to mankind, don’t convert it into a bane. Have the courage to plug off. Silence is good, so is a little loneliness, if you are fighting the most important battle of your life. If you want to talk, talk to someone you really love and with whom, your insecurities vanish in thin air.

Introspect. Ultimately, life is going to boil down only to what you have accomplished. This moment, next 3 days, and next one year will not matter after 20 years of your life. What will matter is the kind of person you have become over all these years. Choose to become the focused one, no matter what job you land up in.

Choose to delay your gratifications.

While experts had been discussing the effect of prolonged lockdown on mental health for some time, there have been several surveys that seems to confirm their fears.

Based on these surveys, people from all walks of life are being a victim of mental health issues.

While depression and other mental health issues affect an individual’s daily functioning, a spike in these cases amid the ongoing pandemic might go beyond personal harm — it could prove dangerous for an already strained public health infrastructure.

It’s like a vicious circle. People who are suffering from depression can behave hazardously. It can lead to suspension of self-care. This becomes alarming, given the fact that they can put themselves and others at risk of catching the coronavirus infection.

Bleak future

STEP INSIDE MY HEAD HOW TO COMBAT THE INCREASING CASES OF MENTAL HEALTH

An increase in isolation, loneliness, and the uncertainty of the lockdown, are weighing on many people. The looming threat of pay cuts and job losses are only adding to the pressure.

The prolonged lockdown has led to high instances of anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal tendencies. You are already seeing such cases — the suicide of a health care worker is one example.

India still has a long way to go in terms of mental health care services with a deep-rooted stigma.

Nothing is more important than life returning to normalcy. In this section, we have covered articles and interviews from expert on how to combat mental health issues triggered due to lockdown.

STEP INSIDE MY HEAD

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW FOR OUR STEP INSIDE MY HEAD SERIES

OUR MIND IS POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURES: RIA We talked to Ria Tayal, who is a social worker and life coach. With her passion to train young girls all across globe, she has been at the forefront to create awareness around menstrual hygiene and mental health issues. She has worked with organisations like Google, Amazon, BSNL to name a few and has conducted workshops and seminars in about 30+ colleges in 8 different states.

India reported a 40% increase in mental health issues due to COVID lockdown in April 2020. Why do you think the cases are increasing?

The mind tends to wander in the future. It ponders on irrelevant issues like, what will happen to my job, my business, children’s education, etc.

The lockdown, the isolation – we are not used to this life. Naturally, our mind suffers from the ‘illusion of control’. We want to control everything thing that’s happening in the universe, but the universe has its own ways.

This has led to an increase in the number of mental health cases.

Yes, solitude is depressing at times, but only if you allow it to be.

Lockdown is weighing down on students. They’re being overwhelmed by household work, online classes, and regular assignments. How do you suggest they stay focused and maintain their wellbeing?

In the beginning, we all created a bucket list – things like cooking, painting, learning a new language, etc. But as said earlier, the universe has its own ways. In my view, this is the best time for well-being (the state of being happy and comfortable). It’s best to spend time with your family and distance yourself from all the digital distractions like TV and smartphones. Nature is bouncing back, enjoy it and be grateful to mother Earth.

A good time spent with the family such as playing indoor games, cooking or even reminiscing old memories can boost one’s mental well-being.

How do you keep yourself motivated and focused on the task at hand?

I wake up early. My mornings start with spending time with my plants, which is followed

by Yoga and Pranayam practice. I also read and cook to relax. Meditation twice a day with His Holiness Shri Shri Ravi Shankar Ji online is something I can’t miss. I am also learning French – not easy, but definitely fun. .

Above Ria conducting a session for girls at a school

I tell you, deep inside you is a fountain of bliss, a fountain of joy. Deep inside your center core is truth, light, love, there is no guilt there, there is no fear there. If you can win over your mind, you can win over the whole world.

Shri Shri Ravi Shankar

STEP INSIDE MY HEAD FEATURE

I’m taking online meditation workshops for youths across the globe and it keeps me inspired and focused all day long.

You have conducted training sessions across the globe as a Yoga Teacher. What’s the one thing that you would like to take home as a learning point from these interactions?

The energy and happiness I receive from these sessions are tremendous. Never let that vibe die.

Spread happiness always.

Advice to people who are struggling with mental health issues?

Reduce digital distraction as much as you can – stop watching too much news, minimize social media usages. Freeing up your day from work or social obligations gives you plenty of time to obsess, and if you have a tendency to consult Google for every itch and sneeze, you may be overresearching the pandemic as well. Choosing only certain credible news sourse or website for a limited amount of time each day.

RIA TAYAL Social Woker, Life and Corporate Coach, Public Speaker

EDUCATION Gold Medalist from Delhi University in Bachelor of Arts (Psychology). Post Graduate in Good Governance and Public Policy from Sri Sri University

WELFARE PROJECTS Lead the Pavitra Project and traveled to more than 50 villages in North Earst, Chattisgarh and Karnataka to conduct menstrual hygiene awareness session for 5000+ girls. Other projects include river rejuvenation, education, women welfare, and health care c amps for people with disability

WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS Conducted workshops in states including Delhi, Maharashtra, Bhopal, Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, Chhatisgarh.

CONTACT: RIATAYAL@GMAIL.COM

Also, boost your immune system by taking proper diet and regular meditations.

With all the uncertainly happening outside your home, keep the inside organized, predictable and clean. Setting up mental zones for daily activities can be helpful to organize your day. For example, try not to eat in bed or work on the sofa.

Loosening these boundaries can make the day feel very long.

Additionally, a cluttered home can cause you to become uneasy and claustrophobic of your environment- so keep it tidy.

STEP INSIDE MY HEAD

T H E

Y O G A

W A Y

AYUSHI ARYA SHARES HOW PRACTICING YOGA DAILY CAN IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH

In this day and age, most people are aware of the benefits that yoga offers. Physiologically, repeated practice of yoga poses improves blood flow and increases levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells in the body. This allows for more oxygen to reach the body cells and enhances their function.

Practicing yoga regularly will also increase your endurance, lower your resting heart rate, and thin your blood, decreasing your overall risk of heart attack and stroke. When you take a deeper look into how yoga improves health apart from the obvious physical benefits, you will find that practicing with a nurturing attitude toward your body will greatly benefit you spiritually and mentally.

It is important to know that yoga is a mind-body practice, meaning it combines physical poses with controlled breathing and meditation. Simply put, yoga helps you access your inner strength which helps you face the sometimes overwhelming challenges, fears, and frustrations of daily life. While we are all at home social distancing in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, yoga poses and flows are a great way to stay active, stretch, and de-stress. The virus takes a toll on society’s mental health, and these poses can help deal with some of the pent up anxiety we are all holding onto during this time:

Bhastrika Pranayam: Inhale and exhale quickly ten times.

When you practise this Pranayama a hissing sound is produced.

Four Yogasana that you can follow daily are: Surya Namaskar (steps covered on the next page) Bhasktrika Pranaym Bhramari Pranayam Bharamari Pranayam: Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out, close your eyes and ears as shown. Breath out while making a loud humming sound like a bee.

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SHRUTIKA SRIVASTAVA Humans are social animals. Even the most introverted human needs to socialise and stay connected. In the present times, when the whole world is locked-down in their homes, people need to put in that extra effort in whatever they do. This pressure is leaving them feeling particularly uncreative and unmotivated. People often complain about triggers of anxiety and lack of energy staying so many days locked at home.

These are difficult times indeed, but we really need to stay motivated throughout. In the times when motivation can falter easily, here are some ways that might help you get through it.

Stay connected Feeling of loneliness is as harmful to your body as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Lockdown can make you feel lonely a lot of times. No matter how tempting it seems, do not shut yourself away.

Know that its okay to not feel okay sometimes.

Reach out to your family and friends who are far away, using digital platforms. Stay connected always. This will give you real motivation to carry on with whatever you have planned for yourself.

Challenge Yourself Give yourself a specific challenge. It could anything. Be it, clicking a photograph daily or maybe loosing 5 kg weight in 20 days. The important thing is to set a target and push yourself to achieve it. This will help you stay motivated throughout.

Give Time for Self-Care You have got an ample amount of time to take care of yourself. This is something you craved for, before lockdown, in the hustle and bustle of life.

Use this time to take care of your skin, workout to get in shape and meditate daily. You can also use this time to binge-watch movies and series and also read books that you could not due to a busy schedule.

Focus on the Future This is the perfect time to gain new skills that will be helpful in future. There is a sea of opportunities out there, all over the internet. Take up a few online courses. Use this time to create more value for yourself and add those extra know-hows in your CV. Make Small Goals Plan your targets in small manageable chunks of tasks. Huge targets often prove to be overwhelming and lead to lack of motivation.

Distance Yourself From Media We hear so many sad news every day. We also come across a lot of posts shared over the social media which is quite disturbing. Try not to obsess over things. Switch off the streams and try to focus on the positives. No matter how dark the tunnel seems to be, it is very important to see a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. Just stay home, stay safe and try to stay positive.

STEP INSIDE MY HEAD

9 WAYS TO STAY MOTIVATED DURING THE LOCKDOWN

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Try a New Hobby There is always something new that you can take up as a hobby. Try to find something that you can enjoy doing. You can take up an online art class, brush up on your cooking skills, try a hand at calligraphy, learn a new language, or make a blog to share your poems and short stories.

Choose something that motivates you to stay positive and helps you sail through this tough situation.

Take in Some Fresh Air Taking in the fresh air can refresh your mind in a great way. The current situation will not allow you to stroll on the streets or in a park.

But you can always go to your garden or terrace and take a walk.

Take Proper Sleep Sleeping properly helps you stay alert throughout the day. According to a research, sleeping also boosts your immunity, which is very crucial in the existing condition. Thus, sleep 6-7 hours a day to stay healthy, motivated and creative the entire day.

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather Always bring your own sunshine The times are difficult, but this too shall pass. The lockdown is being extended for our benefit only. Let us use this time to the fullest. Spend time with your family, and capture hapiness from every moment in the present. Till the lockdown ends, stay home, stay safe and stay motivated.

MISRI MAWA CHOCO GULKAND

RASOI DESI BY CHEF HARSH APURVA Dessert is a course that concludes a main meal.

The course usually consists of sweet foods and beverages, such as dessert wine or liqueurs, but may include coffee, cheeses, nuts, or other savory items. In this lock-down season, treat yourself with the misri mawa choco gulkand.

DESSERT RECIPE

"PERFECT FOR PARTIES AND CELEBRATIONS"

Ingredients Fresh Paneer-200g Amul Mithai Mate-4 tbsp Amul Milk Powder-1/2cup Amul Dark Chocolate- 1 block Whipped cream for garnish Amul Ghee -1 tbsp Ingredients for Ring: A P flour -200gms Oil - to fry Water-1/2 cup For Garnishing Mint leaves Chopped dry fruits Strawberry jam Fresh fruits Strawberry, Rrasberry, etc. according to your choice.

Method: Mash the paneer finely Take a frying pan, put Amul Ghee and add mashed paneer to it Sauté it for 2 mins so that paneer gets soften.

And now add Amul Mithai Mate, and Amul Powdered Milk.

Mix it well, cook until it combines.

Set the paneer mixture into a square tray and put it into freezer for 2 hours.

When the mixture is set cut it with a ring shaped cutter, now give that ring a half moon shape.

Make a sandwich filled with gulkand.

Melt the dark chocolate into double boiler and dip the kala / gul kand into it.

For Ring: Make a tight dough of AP flour using oil -1 tsp and water.

Make a very fine sheet of the dough and cover the ring cutter with the sheet.

Take oil into a pan for frying the ring.

When the sheet leaves the ring, take out the ring cutter and fry the ring till it changes color to golden on a slow flame.

IT IS IN YOUR HANDS STAFF WRITER

The world is going through some unprecedented times as the normal has been upended by the arrival of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. People across the world are battling Covid-19 with more 3,483,000 positive cases across the globe while more than 246,000 people have lost their lives.

But hope can always help pull people out of the most difficult of times. It is a powerful powerful force and can prove to be a source of reassurance. Many who are locked at home, others who are working to help and prevent the virus, also need the reassurance and the hope that this too shall pass.

The tipping point of the virus crescendoed over the past couple of weeks, consequently exposing the

precariousness of the global economy, the crags in our healthcare system, and the fallibility of human nature in a time of a crisis. In these trying times it’s become so important that we redirect our focus toward the acts of kindness, scientific progress, and forward movement happening in pockets all over the world — if not for your mental health, but the collective optimism of your community.

We invited articles from different colleges on how the student community and educational institutions have contributed their bit through research and innovation in the fight against COVID-19. Read these inspiring stories of individuals and institutes who still stand strong in these troubled times, providing help and guidance to others.

IT IS IN YOUR HANDS

HOW COLLEGES AND INDIVIDUALS ARE FIGHTING AGAINST COVID-19

IIM Amritsar Donates 30k

Surface Sanitizer

Sankalp- the CSR club of IIM Amritsar, encouraged the students to contribute to the PM CARES and help the government in fighting this pandemic.

Responding to the call of the PM that encouraged people to contribute any amount of money, the students of IIM Amritsar have collected a small amount of Rs. 30,000 from their batch and will contribute it to PM cares. Besides this, the faculty of the institute will also contribute one day's salary to the fund.

IIT Bhubaneswar has designed a safe and multi-surface sanitiser using UVC light for the disinfection of devices. "You can place an infected object into the chamber and once it gets exposed to ultraviolet light, the device would be disinfected within 15 minutes," said Prof RV Raja Kumar, Director, IIT, Bhubaneswar, speaking about the device.

Multiple Sensors Two students of the Jadavpur University have developed an intelligent device which will analyse if a coughing person is a Covid-19 carrier. The students of the Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering have developed the device which has embedded image and sound sensors, will work even if the person is away from the device and can even identify multiple coughing persons at the same time.

The device can be used as a firstlevel screening system to identify the Covid-19 carrier with available data and thus help in containing the spread of the disease.

IIM Kashipur: Leap of Faith IIM Kashipur conducted trimester exams of its firstyear students online during the lockdown. The administration accommodated enough gaps between the exams taken for individual subjects than the usual pen and paper timetable and the exams were conducted during evening hours to ensure minimal interruptions as the students are pursuing their summer internships. As described by Prof. Vaibhav Bhamoriya, MBA chairperson “IIM Kashipur is ready to take a leap of faith and usher in a new era of internetbased technology interventions.’’

IT IS IN YOUR HANDS

HOW COLLEGES AND INDIVIDUALS ARE FIGHTING AGAINST COVID-19

Happy Stories From The Hilltop Things had been going just fine on the hilltop – where SIBM Pune comfortably nestles, away from city bustle in the midst of nature.

Folks were busy preparing for their final exams and summer internships. That the world was transitioning into a state of complete lockdown, was a fact that not many would have fathomed back then. This was the first week of March 2020.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, the university decided to let the students go to their ‘safer’ abodes, the ones with their families. But things were not better back at home either. It was evident from the news that glared on our television screens each day, the world was succumbing to a pandemic, the COVID-19. But as much as terrified we were, there were a few warriors who came out and attempted to alleviate the damages caused by the onslaught, in their own special ways. The following few paragraphs highlight some of these attempts made by our very own warriors, the members of the SIBM Pune family.

Learn From Home series Having the course interrupted right towards the end of the semester, and the deferring of summer internships for most students, the Students’ Council of SIBM Pune was quick to respond. They put together a series of live webinars called “Learn From Home”. They collaborated with a multitude of industry leaders for this. This series was well received by everyone and was covered by several news publications. Soon, a lot of colleges emulated this initiative.

Free online courses opened for students

The college management also collaborated with Coursera so that students could choose and pursue any number of courses from the learning portal for free! Quarantine or no quarantine, learning never stops for students of hilltop!

Pet Care startup comes to the rescue of pet owners in Pune

With the lockdown in place, finding animal food became difficult for pet owners. This is when several Pet care startups began offering home delivery and online vet consultation services. One such startup is the PawshBox co-founded by Vartika Tripathi, a student at SIBM Pune. Vartika had anticipated a supply shock before the lockdown was announced because of which she was prepared for the war. Today, she is supplying pet feed to many new customers who turned to her during these difficult times.

LOW

COST VENTILATORS Built by SIBM Pune Alumni

Rohit Chavan, an alumnus from the Batch of 2017 and the co-founder of Royoch, created a low-cost ventilator as a solution to the rising needs for ventilators for COVID19 preparedness. Rohit along with his partner Anand Pandey is participating in the Government of India’s COVID19 Challenge competition. They will also be able to produce 150 ventilators every day at a minimal cost of Rs. 2000.

In these testing times, we are fortunate to be surrounded by some heart-touching stories.

Here’s to hoping for a better tomorrow, as someone wise once said - “Life is a circle of happiness, sadness, hard times and good times. If you are going through hard times, have faith that good times are on the way”.

What is a Ventilator?

Simply put, a ventilator takes over the body's breathing process when disease has caused the lungs to fail. In severe COVID cases, the virus causes damage to the lungs, causing the body's oxygen levels to drop and making it harder to breathe. To alleviate this, a ventilator is used to push air, with increased levels of oxygen, into the lungs.

IT IS IN YOUR HANDS

HOW COLLEGES AND INDIVIDUALS ARE FIGHTING AGAINST COVID-19

Smart Dustbin System

Corona Killer Box Students at the IIT-K have come up with a corona killer box that will sanitize all essential commodities that are brought into homes from outside. Vegetables, fruits, sugar, milk, pulses, mobiles, rupees, and keys, etc. can be sanitized in the box within minutes.

The ultraviolet rays released from this can kill the bacteria and viruses in objects within minutes.

An IIT Madras-incubated start-up has developed a 'smart bin system' to prevent the spread of Covid-19 through waste generated at hospitals, clinics, public places, and quarantine zones. Called 'AirBin', the system developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras enables remote monitoring of waste accumulation levels through a smartphone. The system can be retrofitted on to existing garbage bins on nearby poles, walls, or the bin lids. The digital waste management system can generate alerts to sanitation teams at regular intervals on fill levels and on-demand clearance requests from end-users for faster disposal of contagious waste.

Med Inventory

In the context of monitoring medical supplies using data, IIT Bombay helped in the release of COVID-19 Med Inventory – a district-level short-term forecast of medical inventory for COVID-19.

This includes inventory for intensive, acute supportive care requirements. Forecasts are based on an adaptive algorithm that computes trends based on current data.

Forecasts of diseased individuals are used to build a requirement of ICUs and accompanying medical inventory needs.

This can help administrators and MSMEs meet the demand at the grassroots level.

IIT Delhi's Test Kits The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has developed a Covid-19 test kit, which has got the approval of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It is a swab testing kit and testing will be cheaper than all existing devices. The device is affordable for commercial production. The assay has been validated at the ICMR with a sensitivity and specificity of 100 per cent. This makes IIT-Delhi the first academic institute to have obtained ICMR approval for a real-time PCR-based diagnostic assay

Summer Outfit Ideas by Megha The secret to deciding what to wear for Summer season is the same rule my tenthgrade writing teacher used to preach: keep it simple, stupid! When we have to dress for warmer temperatures, the tender sentiments of layering in cozy sweaters just aren’t there.

Summer is one of the most anticipated seasons, but somehow has a bad rep when it comes to getting dressed. Megha Chouhan from Jammu shared a few outfit ideas with the Campus Beat Team. Use these trendy outfits and make your closet feel fresh and alive again.

@CHOUHAN_MEGHA5

As we're limited to wearing one layer, make it as interesting as possible. I often choose tops that have an interesting design detail.

Look out for an interesting drape, asymmetrical detail or pattern. All you need is a good basic bottom like some nice white trousers or skirt and you will look, modern, polished yet remain cool.

Listen to What They Say

As our godforsaken race calibrates itself with the new “normal”, a gargantuan event of horrific realizations has dawned upon us. I don’t belong to the pseudo-Nostradamus section of idiots who take pride in instilling fear in our vulnerable minds. However, Mother Nature symbolically notified our place on this planet. So, it’s imperative that we roll up our sleeves and sanitize our psyche of all the vile sedimented in all these years.

Being a celluloid addict, I keep analyzing some not-so-popular and popular movie experiences.

Drawing parallels with certain characters and sequences with our current situation was an inevitable curse I had to absorb.

In morbid situations like these, our rational minds (if at all we possess it) tend to find answers in some of the most menacing characters on silver screen. JOKER is one such character that can easily outsmart human mind’s fragile and pre-conceived notions. I would like to lure in your attention to three Hollywood masterpieces that have portrayed this scathingly honest character.

SIDDHARTHA CHAKRABORTY

First up, Zack Snyder’s vigilante flick, Watchmen. I won’t digress by sparking a debate between Marvel and DC fans. As a matter of fact, DC’s dark universe did create some initial jolts in the ‘anti-hero’ discourse.

Before the world was swept by MARVEL’s AVENGERS,

The Watchmen Zack Snyder created his alternative superhero universe that was filled with treachery, betrayal, and nemesis. The character of Edward Blake or The Comedian, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, exhibited the pinching nuances of the JOKER. However, The Comedian was not a menacing anti-hero. Snyder did not paint him with a sick yet practical mindset. The Comedian reflected the hollow philosophy that governed the American Dream.

Yes, he was living the dream, but he also did not shy away from baring out the painful truth in front of his fellow vigilante friends. The Comedian himself was a fickle-minded and chauvinistic ‘masked vigilante’ who met a fitting culmination to his existence. His character sparks the obvious existential question to all of us – Is humanity a greater enemy to the world?a

The Dark Knight Next, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Most of us were smitten by Heath Ledger’s earth-shattering performance as THE JOKER in this DC classic. All those stories corresponding to his prep for this iconic role culminates with a befitting conclusion about one of the greatest performances in Hollywood. For every single frame Ledger was put into, he ensured the audience got uncomfortable and started questioning their societal confirmations. Whether it’s “If you’re good at something, never do it for free” or “Guns are too quick” or “Why so serious?”,

every time you listen to these lines, they offer a different kind of psychic kick each time. When THE JOKER burns a stockpile of cash, he sets the premise for an unconventional approach towards disarming his opponent. Even when Batman starts overpowering him, he speaks about facts that unfolds the ugly and apocalyptic traits of human nature. The fact that he was a spontaneous and shrewd anti-hero, made the entire experience of watching and absorbing Nolan’s masterpiece worth the time and money.

JOKER We all agreed that Heath Ledger’s JOKER was to stay with us for long, until Joaquin Phoenix dropped the bomb with Todd Phillips’ JOKER. Arthur Fleck aka JOKER is an embodiment of contemporary vulnerability born out of societal pressure and greed. Filmmakers taking the onus of portraying the story of a criminal walk on thin ice. It’s a tricky business to balance sanity with injustice. Criminal Psychology enthusiasts wouldn’t have a second thought in understanding the reason behind a criminal’s life story. However, for people who consider crime to be a blot on the human society, Arthur Fleck aka JOKER might just provide them with the right education. the human society, Arthur Fleck aka JOKER might just provide them with the right education. The film follows a simple story of a clown,

looked down upon by city slicks and urban populace of Gotham. As he realizes the bitter truth of his existence, decides to give it back to the society.

This is a general premise for revenge that has been used by filmmakers worldwide for a gazillion times. But, Joaquin Phoenix’s stellar performance makes you empathize with his actions.

Most of us must have felt his vulnerability when he tries his luck as a stand-up comic. A special mention needs to be made for the sequence that makes him say “For my whole life, I didn’t know if I even really existed. But I do, and people are starting to notice.”

The human mind’s elation after achieving the unthinkable and the impossible is what Phoenix’s performance draws us into!

JOURNEY TO WAKE UP INDIA The youth of today doesn’t shy away from expressing his or her views firmly on the table, be it political, economic or social.

This is undoubtedly an era of youth awareness. We often take social media as a tool putting it as our tweets, stories or posts. We are there observing, analyzing and expressing everything we believe in.

There is very often a question about the youth and real action, the one on ground zero. And yes my dear friends we are present there as well, be it the questions we ask though our fierce slam poetries or the awareness we try to bring through our Nukkad Natak or when we devotee our time and efforts, volunteering for a cause.

These steps that we take as a part of a club, NGO or society or just a group of friends, has a very positive impact on the ourselves as well as the society and I can say that with affirmation because I myself have lived it for three years of my college days.

The Wake India Foundation, Ranchi Chapter it was where working as the spokesperson I explored and learned so many things that are now a part of my being. Obviously at the beginning it was tough to wake up at seven on a Saturday morning and push yourself to get ready for a meeting or to travel all the way to outskirts of the city but eventually it was extremely rewarding that, in a little while you actually start looking forward to it. Each project made me more grateful towards life as well as adding to my skills and personality. I cannot express how fulfilling it was to teach the kids of the orphanages and the special schools about the issue such as hygiene, healthcare and conducting different competitions or simply playing with then. Our Diwali was brighter laughing and singing with abandoned yet amazing souls at the old age home and our Christmas gained a whole new meaning when we celebrated it at a special hospital for the specially-able kids.

The wake up India foundation was founded by four simple BBA students BIT Mesra in 2010. Over a decade along with

OJUSWI FORMER SPOKESPERSON WAKE UP INDIA FOUNDATION

these regular visits has taken up many projects the first flash mob in Ranchi with a massage against eve-teasing. Our efforts during the Kerala flood were appreciated by the District Commissioner of the city.

Wake up India foundation is about identifying, connecting and engaging the youth. I had chance to interact with so many like minded students and opportunity to be guided by some amazing seniors. Our Founder President Suyash Varma would often fly down from Delhi each time our Ranchi chapter needed any support or guidance and same with other four chapters.

Now I have moved out for my further education and so have many others but still we all intact often and I know we are there for each other. It feels like a family, it feels like home. It taught me to take the lead, to find hope in diaper. During a visit to one of a very normal shabby looking orphanage I remember an extra-ordinary room whose walls were filled with so many beautiful paintings.

Just beside an amazing portrait of Virat Kohli there was an incomplete, unclear portrait of a young man and a woman. I asked the fourteen years old artist Sonu when he was planning to finish this one, “It is complete.

Maa and Baba, they died working in a coal mine I was six then, this is the image I have of them in my memory not vivid but I love them here.”

Rules of Life

By Paprja Apurvam We all have spent most of our time trying to figure out the rules of life, theories for why things happened, why people behaved as they did, what made them change and many more. I am not denying that we know all rules and we follow them, maybe some do but not everyone is strict with following all the rules. Most people never manage

to learn them — they choose to do the same things over and over again but expect different results.

take a step back from your core strength, and consider building a broader combination of them.

Life is not just for winning We all know that life is no less than a competition. If we on’t go after what we want we will never have it. In truth, you should compete with yourself — to get better or become a great version of yourself.

Being in competition with yourself is the healthiest competition. Nobody needs to lose for you to win.

Strategy This is important to utilise your time in shaping your life and future. it’s never too late to apply the rules as your life depends on them because it does.

Grasp Multiple Skillsets Being satisfied with limited information is not enough.

Learn new skills, often unrelated, and then combine them to make yourself more efficient, or valuable. If you want to raise your value,

Waiting for help will never work How we spend our days is how we spend our lives, as the adage goes. The habit of taking even mild pleasure in small things is life-changing.

Depending on others to create and bring happiness in their own life will always lead to disappointment. In reality, you are the one who decides what matters and whatnot.

Hritik Singh

BE RATIONAL, LESS EMOTIONAL

We all have times when we go through setbacks, disappointments, heart breaks, losses and failures that turn us down. In all those heavy moments nothing feels alright.

All these things become one of our reasons to be sad, anxious and depressed. A person betrayed you, the medical report didn’t seem right, the loan didn’t go through, everything was right in a moment and the next moment things started to fall apart. All these difficult times cause a great damage and it takes time to go through.

Sometime its alright to not be fine. Its okay to feel sad, to be depressed, to be anxious and to have negative thoughts. It all happens under the process of overthinking. Thinking too much on anything is like facing your inner demons, its not going to make you feel weak instead it will make you feel stronger. The only purpose of thinking too much is to let the thoughts die instead of you dying.

There are things happening inside our brain when we are depressed or we don’t feel happy about the things we do. Our dopamine level naturally decreases when we are anxious or depressed.

If we try thinking on the core there is a person inside us who is constantly stopping us to do things we naturally want to perform.

The original preconception about the reality is there is an enemy that’s inside us who stops us from working hard and keeps us in our comfort zone, stops us from waking up early in the morning and stops us from being happy. Whenever you are ready to stand the enemy inside you is ready you to pull you down.

That enemy controls the major part of your life and is responsible for your peace and happiness. There are things which we as humans should do to trick our brain into happiness. The trick is to be more rational and less emotional.

Accepting the Reality Are you bitter over the things that happened in the past, are you still holding on the person who left you, still holding to a loss, holding on to a distant memory or are you at peace with everything that has happened?When you think of your past you feed on to an energy that is constantly pulling you back and making you feel miserable. Everything that has happened in the past is not ordained for your future.

When you are relentlessly optimistic about a future which is filled with positivity you naturally see yourself moving forward with time.

The events that have already happened in that timeline is not going to affect your parallel future. Accept it.

Let go As we move forward in time what are the things that should move with us and what are things that we should let go as if they were dead wood?

Don’t hesitate to offer an ultimate sacrifice to have a future with more potential.

You are holding something that is weak about you. Life is hard and it hurts people but its definitely going to hurt less once you let go of something that is still pulling down.When people voluntarily face what they are afraid of the naturally grow stronger. Expose yourself to the harsh reality and manifest it.

“Don’t cast pearls before swine” Do not cast your pearls before swine. Do not waste good things on bad people who will not appreciate them. The proverb adapted from a saying of Jesus from the Gospels. In other words if you are offering something valuable and it’s not taken then you stop offering. If you are offering your love, your energy, your emotions, your time and it’s not taken then you should stop offering. You move on from the lives of such people and then you go on to have your own life.

I AM THE MUSIC How listening to different genres of music effects our daily lives, writes Apurva Roy

The most inexpensive form of relaxation and therapy is Music. I don’t think there exists a single human on this earth who doesn’t like music, however, all of us have our different genres. Music is said to be effective even in animals. When happy, sad, anxious, nervous, angry or tensed; take shelter in music and it will never disappoint you.

Classical music It includes all the fundamentals. If you are to begin something in your life then definitely give some time to relax and listen to some classical music. There are many ustads, pandits and singers who have dedicated their lives towards Indian classical music.

Jazz It is all about improvisations. A beautiful Sunday evening when you want to help and energise yourself for beating the Monday blues.

Jazz works the best for you and works wonders in bringing new innovative ideas in your mind.

Rock Rock is all about power and timing. When you want to have a bang in your life or party hard or head towards something which needs immense energy then dedicate yourself to rock music and trust me, you’ll be just rocking!!!

Blues Its speaks rhythms. Its a mixture of modern and

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WITHOUT MUSIC, LIFE WOULD BE A MISTAKE

folk music. On a busy Monday morning, listen to some blues and it would definitely calm you down! If you are a person who has a thing for modern folk music, blues is just made for you. It would be your perfect partner.

Some other benefits of music are as follows: Therapeutic benefits of music: Music is actually used in treatment. It has been proved that a patient recovers faster when exposed to sound music. Florence Nightingale used this therapy to treat the soldiers after giving them required medical treatments.

Vibrational music: Vibrational music helps in reducing stress, anxiety and hypertension. In this a bowl and a stick made up of a special type of alloy is filled with water and the stick is rotated on the outer edges making a calming sound.

Physiotherapy: Physiotherapy includes various positions and postures. A piece of soothing music works very well in concentration and maintenance of the posture and helps in faster recovery.

Photographer of the Month Harshit Raj (@harshit_raj_05)

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