Swachh Bharat, Clean India Campaign 2014

“Cleanliness is not next to godliness. It isn't even in the same neighborhood. No one has ever gotten a religious experience out of removing burned-on cheese from the grill of the toaster oven"-Erma Bombeck

Highlighting the need to ensure cleanliness, beauty and progress in our surroundings and ultimately the whole nation, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi launched the county’s biggest cleanliness drive of the country.

Shudh Bharat or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Campaign Clean India) is a national level campaign by the Government of India covering 4041 statutory towns to clean the streets, roads and infrastructure of the country. This campaign was officially launched on 2 October 2014 at Rajghat, New Delhi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself wielded broom and cleaned a road.

The campaign is India's biggest ever cleanliness drive and 3 million government employees and schools and colleges students of India participated in this event. Also Indian President Pranab Mukherjee asked every Indian to spend 100 hours annually in this drive. This campaign is supported by Border Security Force, India and Indian Air Force.

This mass movement was initiated by the PM on account of Gandhi ji’s birth anniversary, in order to carry on his legacy and in some terms his dream of a clean and a green India. More than 3 million government and non-government employees took part in this movement and included many school and college students as well. This movement aims to accomplish the vision of a ‘clean India’ by 2nd October 2019, 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and is expected to cost over 65000 crore rupees.

It was a big success and was defined as "beyond politics" and "inspired by patriotism". Modi selected some of the significant personalities of the society for this campaign which included Anil Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar, Salman Khan ,Priyanka Chopra, Ramdev, Kamal Hassan, Mary Kom, Nita Ambani, Sania Mirza, Mridula Sinha and many more.

As a society we value personal cleanliness above all else. We are taught as children not to play in the mud. We use tableware to keep our fingers clean. We bathe or shower once or twice daily. We wear freshly washed clothing daily. The sidewalks are paved - not to make it easier to walk, but to keep our boots and pants clean.

We wash our vegetables before cooking them. We wash our own hands before touching the same washed vegetables. Business men keep rigid, clean, tidy suits to wear. Police and Army men keep crisp, tidy uniforms. Shiny clean hair is preferable, and gone to great lengths to achieve. Our world remains filthy because no one wants to get dirty. We don't want to carry garbage around, so we throw it on the ground. We don't want to soil our clean shirts so we pass by the garbage on the ground without a second thought.

Our own personal hygiene is directly affected by the cleanliness of our surroundings; there is no way that one is independent of the other. Basic standards of hygiene are necessary for any society to life long and prosper, and it is vital that each individual plays their part in decreasing the chances and risks of spreading harmful germs and bacteria and so many diseases.

Posted By: Shreya Saraf, Campus brand ambassador Intern at: http://pickyouropinion.com 

Happy New Year 2014 In Box Office, Movie Review

Happy New Year released on October 24th 2014 and in among all festivities and uproar manages to attract a good amount of people. Shah Rukh Khan's magnum opus Happy New Year, is a fun and an entertaining movie, that glues the viewers to the screen laughing every now and then, and at times celebrating the sense of victory with the ‘Indiawaale’ team.

The star cast be it Shahrukh khan, Deepika Padukone, Boman Irani, Abhishek Bachchan or Vivaan Shah each played their extraordinary roles with great perfection. The grand canvas along with the ensemble cast definitely did steal the show. With a huge canvas set for a film of such a stature, each frame is filled with a lot of grandiose and magnificent shots.

The opening shot it self gives you a hint of what can be expected from the film. The entire heist is well tackled and the supporting characters contribute equally to the film. While Boman Irani marvels with his single 50 year old Parsi demeanour, Vivaan Shah comes across as a treasured find to the industry. Sonu Sood flaunts his fab body and makes sure that it's not the only thing about him that catches the eye. But it is definitely Abhishek Bachchan who steals the show with his naughty Nandu, his snake dances and all the exuberance!

Deepika Padukone's excellent comic timing was something to be admired.If 'Eajy lagta hai Mohini ka dance' was something to go by, be sure to be amazed by this actress's earnest performance throughout the film. Yes, she doesn't know how to speak Englis! (that's how she pronounces it) and she might not understand how it is to be ladylike, But you lose your heart to Mohini who only desires to achieve one thing in life - getting ijjat from everyone. From her Maharashtrian twang to her English dialogues, from her emotional scenes to her spectacular dance acts, Ms Padukone has hit the right chord.

Shah Rukh Khan's crackling screen presence was also worth appreciating. Nuanced, inhibited and subtle, SRK sparkles as Charlie. Chiseled body, rock-solid abs, some extremely powerful action sequences and not allowing his starry aura overshadow the other stars, SRK does it in a way, different from all his contemporaries. In an industry where ensemble films are generally edited to benefit a certain superstar in the film, SRK keeps his ground and makes sure HNY comes across as a team effort and not just another SRK-Deepika film! But yet in the ensemble, Shah Rukh manages to blend in effortlessly, putting in a striking performance.

Farah Khan is finally back and how! With a bang, we must admit. Given the risky genre, the inevitable comparisons, there were huge chances of Farah losing the plot. But she stopped herself from going over the board and in turn gifts us with an immensely enjoyable ride. She kept the story simple yet  fills in the run time with some amazingly played out comical as well as action sequences!

While the introduction of the characters are amusing, the fight sequence between Sonu Sood and the goons is hilarious. But undoubtedly, it is Abhishek Bachchan's strip-tease scene that packs in the loudest cheers from the audience! The cameo appearances, especially the Anurag Kashyap-Vishal Dadlani spoof is rip-roaring! While the film scores really high on the comic scenes, the action sequences are equally well shot. The entire heist has been planned well and director Farah Khan deserves the loudest applause for the same!

But it is the heart, soul and morale that ups the fun quotient in the film. In a country where the bhashan dance, the Ganpati dance or the dhunuchi celebrates the happiness of dancing more than the technicalities, Farah Khan uses the platform of her film to bring out a triumphant story of the 'Dil-se wala dance' to the 'technique wala dance'. And surely, each Indiawaale today must be proud for the same.

Posted By: Shreya Saraf, Campus brand ambassador Intern at: http://pickyouropinion.com

Friendship important in real life

“A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.”By Lois Wyse

Friendships are among the most important relationships you’ll have in your life. Friends are an important part of most people’s lives, with research showing that having them increases our chances of being happy. A good friend might be someone who provides support when times are tough, or someone you can rely on to celebrate a special moment with you. 

You might see them every day, once a year, or less. Or you might hardly see them, but keep in touch via telephone, email, or online. Friends might come and go, they might make you laugh and cry, but most importantly of all, they love you for who you are. It doesn’t matter what a person looks like or what kind of clothes they wear, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts and your friends should know that about you.

Many of your favorite memories probably include times you’ve spent with friends. True friendship is perhaps the only relation that survives the trials and tribulations of time and remains unconditional. A unique blend of affection, loyalty, love, respect, trust and loads of fun is perhaps what describes the true meaning of friendship. Similar interests, mutual respect and strong attachment with each other are what friends share between each other. These are just the general traits of a friendship. 

To experience what is friendship, one must have true friends, who are indeed rare treasure. Friendship is a feeling of comfort and emotional safety with a person. It is when you do not have to weigh your thoughts and measure words, before keeping it forth before your friend. It is when someone knows you better than yourself and assures to be your side in every emotional crisis. 

It is when you can sleep fighting and get another morning with a better understanding. Friendship is much beyond roaming together and sharing good moments, it is when someone comes to rescue you from the worst phase of life. Friendship is eternal. 

Different people have different definitions of friendship. For some, it is the trust in an individual that he / she won't hurt you. For others, it is unconditional love. There are some who feel that friendship is companionship. People form definitions based on the kind of experiences they have had. This is one relation that has been nurtured since time immemorial. There are famous stories about friends in mythologies of different religions all over the world. They say a person who has found a faithful friend has found a priceless treasure. 

Psychologically speaking, friendship may be defined as 'a dynamic, mutual relationship between two individuals. As children become friends, they negotiate boundaries within which both partners function'. This helps them to function like healthy individuals in life as they learn to draw a line as and when needed in a relation. This greatly helps in the emotional development of an individual. 

However, any relation needs constant nurturing and development from all the people that are involved in one. Friendship cannot survive if one person makes all the effort to sustain it without any mutual recognition from others. But having friends can be hard work sometimes, when they get on your nerves or when they’re going through a tough time. 

Not knowing what to do or say to help them can be frustrating and emotionally challenging. However, doing your best to make them feel better shows you care about being a good friend.

Of course, there would be some conflicts, but if you have the right friends, you and they will work it out. In course of true friendship, these small conflicts or arguments also turn into memories to be cherished later. True friendship endures, grows, heals thus making life so much better! 

Posted By: Shreya Saraf, Campus brand ambassador Intern at: http://pickyouropinion.com

WORDS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN INDIA

“I am no bird, and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” - Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

 

In the simplest of words women empowerment is basically the creation of an environment where women can make independent decisions on their personal development as well as shine as equals in society.

Inequalities between men and women and discrimination against women have also been age-old issues all over the world. Thus, women’s quest for equality with man is a universal phenomenon. 

It is hard to fathom how slow moving the cultural exchange of the world is when you find out that there are several places across the country where harmful customs of the ancient world coexist with modern appliances and thought.

However that may come as hardly any surprise to anyone who has lived in India – the dichotomy of society is something that can only be explained by a refrain from an old Bollywood song: “It happens only in India!”

Yes, it is only in India that glaring and brutal gang rapes occur frequently in a state that is headed by a woman Chief Minister. Gender discrimination is the least of worries for women in India, known otherwise as the fourth most dangerous country in the world for women. 

Other instances of violence against women has an astonishing and grim variety to it – with acid throwing, domestic violence stemming out of dowry, rape, woman harassment and an assortment of others.

If modern women think that they are empowered, it's a myth for them. 

Empowerment means to inspire women with he courage to break free from the chains of limiting beliefs, patterns and societal or religious conditions that have traditionally kept women suppressed and unable to realize their true beauty and power.

Some qualities to be acquired by women to become truly empowered are awareness about risk prevailing at home, in work place, in traveling and staying outside home. 

They should have political, legal, economic and health awareness. They should have knowledge about support groups and positive attitudes towards life. They should get goals for future and strive to achieve them with courage. 

The best gift parents today can give to their daughters is education. If women choose to be ignorant then all the efforts taken by the Government and women activists will go in vain. 

Even in twenty-fifth century, they will remain backward and will be paying a heavy price for their dependence, So, it is a wake-up call for women to awake from their deep slumber and understand the true meaning of their empowerment.

 In the end I would like to conclude with the following words, "Women as true meaning the motherhood of the nation should be strong, aware and alert".

Posted By: Shreya Saraf, Campus brand ambassador Intern at: http://pickyouropinion.com