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Showing posts from July, 2017

Seeing the bigger picture - there is more than beef ban!

I know I am stepping into a minefield by just saying beef ban but still, the controversy around the issue is something that I have been giving thought recently. As an ardent reader, the news is something I don’t miss as much as possible. All through it, I see columns that talk about how the beef ban is disruptive, hurtful but is there anything more to this subject than what we can see to the naked eye? Can we not have something laid out clearly be treated straight forward. Let us see the same topic in a different light. Simply put, the human mind always grasps the negative connotation much faster than the positive one. The usage of beef ban implies that the government is stopping people from eating beef when the larger stress should be given to the protection of the cows. Yes, not consuming beef is a part of the protection of cows but that is not the only section involved in the process. The emphasis put on only one part of the whole leads to a misunderstanding of what needs to be

The hope for me

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When I first heard the death of Chester Bennington and the idea that it might be a suicide, it got me thinking like everybody on what pushed him over the edge. I will never know the actual reason why but only remind myself that I am blessed to have a support group, lucky to be looking forward to something in the future. As crazy as it sounds, I maybe to an extent, envision what growing old would be. Watching an old couple amble along for a walk can give us #goals. Then if the couple is cycling together or running a marathon, all sorts of hashtags fly around. So this tech savvy generation I belong to, does it only cook up miles of online content and retweets? Is there something beyond that point and thought that makes us feel this way? Every time I see my grandmother (who loves to be busy and on her feet), I am amazed by her grit and liveliness. She can take a walk and name every single plant growing in the wild. She cooks in the kitchen with four kittens tangling around her legs an

Danish Diaries- Farvel Danmark!

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https://www.mangalorean.com/danish-diaries-farvel-denmark/ It is still hard to believe that it has been six months in Denmark. I’m back into a comfortable routine in India and at times my brain does not register the fact that I was in Denmark the week before. Yes, I missed the spices, the warmth, humidity and so much more but there are things that Denmark will always stand for in my heart and soul. BEING DANISH RED AND WHITE EVERYWHERE  A Danish Table (Source- Internet)  I love the fact that the Danes take pride in the fact that they are Danish. It is a fierce pride and love that manifests in various ways. It does not go hand in hand with a nationalistic arrogance thereby making it a spirit you also want to join along. Danish flags in front of homes is a common place. You will also know if it is Dane’s birthday if you see the red and white colours in the party decorations down to tissues and tiny flag toothpicks. It was a first for me to see a national flag in a birthda

Danish Diaries – Danes Away!

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https://www.mangalorean.com/danish-diaries-danes-away/ In all the writing about Denmark and the various things that I have come to learn about, I realised that there are many Danes who have contributed to the world in different ways. It can be surprising to know that few of the people that I want to talk about are well-known names to many. Their contributions are so many that I cannot list them all but here are a few of them. Niels Bohr Einar Wegene and Lili Elbe Niels Henrik David Bohr who lived from 7 October 1885 to 18 November 1962, was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding the atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr developed the Bohr model of the atom. The Bohr model shows the atom as a small, positively charged nucleus surrounded by orbiting electrons. Bohr was the first to discover that electrons travel in separate orbits around the nucleus and that the number of electro

Danish Diaries – Move Along!

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https://www.mangalorean.com/danish-diaries-move-along/ Living in Denmark is a pleasure once you get used to the cold (only for the ones used to the warm weather!). Along with that, I have had the pleasure of travelling within the country too. The beauty of travel is not only when you go outside the borders of a country but also within. The wealth of knowledge and experience is always worth it. Given the freedom of the Schengen visa, it is a common practice to travel around Europe (which I took the advantage of too!) but Denmark has a lot to offer as a student traveller or a seasoned one. Map of Denmark The Schengen Area is an area comprising 26 European states that have officially abolished passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. The area mostly functions as a single country for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy. The area is named after the Schengen Agreement. States in the Schengen Area have eliminated border controls

Danish Diaries – The Left and the Right

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https://www.mangalorean.com/danish-diaries-the-left-and-the-right/ I have been explaining my experiences in Denmark through various avenues, and something that I am interested in learning when I go to a new place is the working of that location. It is a common mistake a lot of us make in thinking that learning about the local economy and its politics. The royal family of Denmark Additionally, as an exchange student, it easily becomes an interesting conversation starter with the knowledge of the policy of a place is an important thing to know. A discussion can lead to a lot of questions on to Indian politics, and this has kept me on my toes on that subject. Danes, in general, have a sound understanding of their politics with regular debates on burning issues put across on television channels. Newspapers cover in-depth analysis of matters that are relevant and related to the field of politics. The political system of Denmark is that of a multi-party structure, where several