The 159th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore was celebrated without fanfare this year amid the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, with netizens taking to social media to mark the day with live discussions and cultural performances.

Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee quoted the lyrics of one of Tagores songs (Rabindrasangeet) to pay tribute to him.

Chironutaner dilo daak, pochise boisakh (this dawn invokes the new, marks new beginning). Homage to Kobiguru Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary, she tweeted.

The Creative Arts, a performing arts group, hosted an online programme on Facebook for children.

Visual designer and graphic artist Aniket Mitra shared an illustration of Tagore on social media, where the bard is shown discussing his ideas with other literary figures, including Shakti Chattopadhyay, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Nabanita Dev Sen, Bangladeshi writer Humayun Ahmed, at the iconic Coffee House on College Street.

Children from different countries, including US, England, Canada and Australia, recited Tagores Bharat Tirtho in a video presented by elocutionist-actor-presenter Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee.

Various cultural organisations hosted online events on Zoom, Skype and similar other platforms on the occasion.

At Rabindra Bharati Universitys Jorasanko campus, the ancestral home of the Tagore family, the usual crowd and flurry of activities were missing on Friday. Vice Chancellor Sabyasachi Basu Ray Choudhury paid floral tributes to the bust of the poet in a brief ceremony.

The scene was similar at Santiniketans Visva Bharati University, founded by Tagore, with Vice Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty, accompanied by a few ashramites (ashram members), gathering at the prayer hall, Rabindra Bhavan and Chhatimtala to fondly remember the Nobel laureate and his contributions.

The SFI unit of Visva Bharati posted a video of song- recitals by the students of the varsity on YouTube.

A short programme has been organised at Rabindra Sadan-Nandan area here later in the day, which will be conducted maintaining social distancing norms, sources in the information and cultural affairs department said.

You have reached your limit for free articles this month.

Register to The Hindu for free and get unlimited access for 30 days.

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

Not convinced? Know why you should pay for news.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Read more:

Netizens mark birth anniversary of Tagore with online performances - The Hindu

Image for representation.

An 83-year-old hotelier, Ashok Kumar, running a prominent hotel chain in Rajasthan and many educational institutes in Haryana, UP and Punjab, has used the lean period of lockdown to find out the itinerary of Lord Ram during his exile period in the atlas of present times.

Speaking to IANS, he said, "We have found 195 places which still have the memorials connected to the events narrated in the Ramayana which directly relate to the life of Ram and Sita. These include Tamsa Tal (Mandah in UP), Shringverpur (Singraur in UP), Bhardwaj Ashram (located near Allahabad), Atri Ashram, Markandaya Ashram (Markundi in UP), Chitrakoot, Pamakuti (on banks of the Godavari), Panchvati, Sita Sarovar, Ram Kund in Triambakeshwar near Nasik, Shabari Ashram, Kishkindha (village Annagorai in Karnataka), Dhanushkoti and Rameshwar temple (in Tamil Nadu) and many others.

"Today, when people watch the Ramayana serial which is smashing many TRP records, they often ask if it is a myth or a reality that Ram went for Vanvaas for 14 years", says Kumar.

"His travel itinerary is clearly seen on today's atlas. Lord Ram started from Ayodhya (still exists) to Janakpur (Nepal), returned through Bihar to go south via Chhattisgarh (Bastar region), Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and finally through Tamil Nadu, reached a non-descript place where he established a Shiva-lingam which was finally called as Rameshwaram. Nearby was the stone-bridge he created to walk up to Jaffna region in today's Sri Lanka," says Kumar.

In Ramayan, it is mentioned that Ram's army constructed a bridge over the sea between Rameshwaram and Lanka. After crossing this bridge, Ram's army defeated the demon king Ravana.

Recently, NASA had put out pictures on the Internet of a bridge, the ruins of which are lying submerged in Palk Strait between Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka, he says.

"The Ashok Vatika or Sita Vatika exists in Sri Lanka even today and has been maintained as a popular tourist destination. It is over the highest hills in south of that country. They call it Sita Eliya. One has to first go to Lanka's hill station named as Nuwara Eliya. From there, people drive further up and reach Sita Eliya," says Kumar.

So Sri Lanka has maintained Sita's place "even 7,078 years after a historical incident" when Ram had to fight against Ravana to bring back his wife, Sita who was abducted by Ravana, Kumar says, adding that he followed Tulsidas Ramayan to track his itinerary.

He says the geography has naturally undergone a change over so many centuries. So to revive the same grandeur may be out of question. "But something may always be better than nothing", he says.

Running many prominent educational institutions in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, he has also asked a few professors to conduct a research on Ramayana, Mahabharat and Chanakya period to evaluate what kind of world existed in those years and how those times were different from today's.

"We are trying to bring out four maps of the four different periods to know how the world has changed," he says.

"I am also conducting a research on the period somewhere around 1200 years ago before the Mughal invasion of India", he says.

Ashok Kumar is the chairman of Seth Mukund Lal Memorial Institutions which have some 23,000 students. With around Rs 85-crore turnover, he runs his hotel chains -- Mansingh Hotels in Rajasthan.

Read this article:

83-Year-Old Hotelier Maps Lord Ram's Exile Itinerary on Atlas to Pass Time in Lockdown - News18

ON Monday, April 27, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared that the country had won the battle against the coronavirus.

With cases trending downward to the point that the New Zealand health care system can handle any new infections, Ardern is confident that they had successfully flattened the curve and are ready to reopen some businesses.

Continue reading below

The day after, a coalition of three fitness groups the Exercise Association of New Zealand, the NZ Register of Fitness Professionals, and Yoga New Zealand sent a document to gyms and fitness studios around the country.

The document, Key Items to Consider When Considering Physical Re-opening, posed a set of questions to gym owners about things they should consider to avoid COVID-19 cases from flaring up again because of their operations.

Continue reading below

Recommended Videos

How will your facility limit the number of people to comply with social distancing requirements?

How will you enforce social distancing?

How will you deal with equipment shared between members?

What are your new cleaning protocols?

Will you continue to offer virtual classes?

In the Philippines, gyms will still remain closed, even after the enhanced community quarantine eases into a more relaxed general community quarantine. (However, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ao has said that this might change, pending further discussion.)

Continue reading below

To talk about how gyms will transition to the new normal, SPIN Life talked to two different studios.

The first, Evolution Wellness Philippines, might not be immediately familiar, but its one of the biggest players in the local fitness industry. It runs both Fitness First and Celebrity Fitness in the Philippines, and is one of the biggest gym chains in the nation, with about 30,000 members.

Meanwhile, Urban Ashram is an independent yoga studio founded in 2011, with two branches around Metro Manila.

Heres how both gyms will transition to a new normal in fitness.

COVID-19 has not been kind to Evolution Wellness.

This is understatement at a massive scale. The pandemic has not been beneficial to business, period. But gyms, which by definition operate on a face-to-face model where members show up to have a good sweat, have been hit particularly hard by shelter-in-place orders.

Continue reading below

A lobby at one of Fitness First's branches. PHOTO: Courtesy of Fitness First Philippines

Our business model is built on monthly membership dues as a source of revenue, explained Mark Ellis, country manager. Since the ECQ was imposed, we have not been billing our members and have therefore not been able to generate any income since March.

Continue reading below

Thats two months with no money. It employs hundreds of team members as the company calls its staff in multiple locations across the country. Full-time rank-and-filers can still continue to receive financial assistance, but senior executives have volunteered to take a pay cut over the next few months.

Like most of the fitness industry, Fitness First and Celebrity Fitness also had to make the tire-screeching swerve into an all-digital business. They were better prepared than most, as they were the local arm of a regional brand. Both gyms tapped into their Asia-Pacific network for online classes and content yoga lessons streamed from Malaysia, for example, or a lower body workout with a Singaporean coach.

To date, we have made available more than 200 classes, generating more than 5 million views, said Ellis. Some of these classes have even been opened to the public via their social media pages.

Continue reading below

But, he continued, We recognize that nothing can replace the experience of working out inside the gym.

In the early days of the virus, Fitness First was among the first gyms to publish a public advisory on the safety measures they were taking against COVID-19. Perhaps, at the time, they were only playing it safe who knew, then, that enhanced community quarantine would happen? But when their gyms finally reopen, members can expect a new level of stringent safety measures beyond temperature checks and barbell wipedowns.

Continue reading below

Contactless seems to be Evolution Wellnesss new watchword in the post-pandemic new normal. Personal trainers will have a no-contact policy, and some equipment will be rearranged and isolated. Numerous signs, both actual and on social media, will remind members, over and over, to maintain physical distance. It is even developing apps for both Fitness First and Celebrity Fitness for members to pre-book floor space and slots in group classes making it easier for club managers to make sure sessions remain at socially distanced levels.

Even as the final reopening date of gyms is still up in the air in the Philippines, Ellis is hopeful that demand will come roaring back.

The coronavirus scare has affected the attitude of Filipinos positively towards health as they became more concerned about keeping fit, he told SPIN Life. We expect this to translate to an increase in the number of individuals wanting to join a gym to sustain their physical and mental wellness.

Continue reading below

Of course, the reopening of gyms is a matter of "when" and not "if." In the meantime, as their gyms lie empty, doors chained and padlocked, some Fitness First team members are practicing a new way of improving community health: by donating food packs and household goods.

Continue reading below

The Taal eruption in January already feels so long ago. But it was that event an ashy foreshadowing of things to come that already sounded the alarm bells for Maricar Holopainen, who operates Urban Ashram.

News of infections at the tail end of Lunar New Year further convinced Holopainen that the situation would change rapidly.

A class at Urban Ashram, pre-COVID-19. PHOTO: @urbanashramyoga | Instagram

Continue reading below

Fearing that a health scare would kill a face-to-face business like Urban Ashram, We started recording our classes late February and provided online recorded classes to our community as early as mid-March, she said to SPIN Life.

And then the hammer dropped. Enhanced community quarantine closed down Urban Ashram, as well as many other gyms and businesses all deemed dispensable as the number of COVID-19 cases began its deadly upward climb.

In this time of pandemic, Holopainen credits the studios close, tight-knit community for keeping the bonds strong, even outside the four walls of the studio.

Because of the strong ties our team have with our student base, we were able to shift our loyal students to our virtual platform seamlessly, she said.

She continued: Members of our front line staff have been with us for at least three to five years. So they know our students well, and we have a very active social media and newsletter campaign that has allowed us to reach out to as many members as we can to bring them together.

Continue reading below

The virtual world is nothing new to Maricar. She and her husband Lasse a Finnish-Filipino who grew up in Cebu founded Urban Ashram back in 2011, but moved to New Zealand in 2017 in search of better opportunities. However, they still run the studio remotely; a challenging task that, nevertheless, prepared the studio for what was to come.

Continue reading below

[We had] to make the business as automated as possible: reports, transactions, finance and accounting and operations, she said, and yet keep the human connection by ensuring that we made the digital communication as personal as possible.

They now offer three to four online sessions a day. By April 15, Urban Ashram was confident enough in its offerings that it began to offer paid classes by April 15.

Maricar said, We continue to keep our staff doing the same work online that they did in the studios welcoming the students in class, taking attendance, answering their questions, and just checking in on them.

In these classes, trainers and instructors are still paid the same, even on an online platform. The studio is also looking into offering corporate and public yoga classes, funded by companies and other large groups.

For the foreseeable future, Holopainen believes that Urban Ashram will continue online.

Continue reading below

We most likely will be one of the last studios to reopen, to ensure that guidelines for the health and safety of our team are all effective, she admitted to SPIN Life. As such, we are prepared to stay virtual for the near term.

Its been a difficult, painful 2020 for Urban Ashram. When we asked how the coronavirus has affected the financial side of the business, Holopainen could only answer: Terribly.

Continue reading below

But she sees hope in a new virtual platform a new kind of fitness community that transcends the physical. Whether in face-to-face classes or through the glass of a devices screen, Urban Ashrams mission will remain the same.

The new normal is for us to even heighten our programs to help and heal more so now in these extraordinary times, she said.

Spin fans unite at Spin Viber Community! Join the growing community now! Complete the experience by subscribing in the Spin Chatbot and download the Spin Game Sticker Pack.

See the article here:

How will the 'new normal' look like for two gyms? - Sports Interactive Network Philippines

Prasar Bharati will be telecasting the play The Prophet and The Poet on May 7 at 10 pm, the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. Designed and directed by Vijay Padaki, a Founder-Trustee of Bangalore Little Theatre Foundation, The Prophet and The Poet is an internationally acclaimed play developed by Bangalore Little Theatre (BLT). It is based on the exchange of letters and articles between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore over 25 years, against the backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle. The exchanges reveal how the two personalities differed significantly on many matters, including the form and content of the freedom movement. The differences widened over the years. However, they maintained genuine respect and love for each other in spite of the deep differences. It was the political maturity that prevailed in those times in India.

BLT was invited to stage the opening shows of the play at the places frequented by Gandhi and Tagore in their lifetime Sabarmati Ashram, Santiniketan (Visva Bharati) and Thakurbadi-Jorasanko (Rabindra Bharati). The play had a command performance for the President of India.

There have been over 108 performances of the play since its opening all over India and abroad. The play has had productions outside India as well. In 2014 Prasar Bharati commissioned a tele-film of the play. The film was telecast several times over Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti.

Read the original post:

Prasar Bharati to telecast Bengaluru play - The Hindu

Ash immersion rituals resume in Haridwar at Brahma Kund Har-Ki-Pauri on Friday(HTPhoto)

After over a month-long hiatus, ash immersion rituals have resumed at Haridwar from Friday onwards.

People were seen carrying urns of ashes from the wee hours on Friday to the sanctum sanctorum of Brahma Kund at Har-Ki-Pauri Ganga Ghat. Local priests, too, resumed work and conducted the ash-immersion rituals.

According to priests, normally in Haridwar, about 2000 to 5000 people arrive daily for ash-immersion rituals, post-cremation rituals and Pitra Karmakand (forefathers soul-related rites) which had been disrupted due to the nationwide lockdown affecting their livelihood.

Har-Ki-Pauri is considered to be an ancient place with religious significance. It is believed that nectar of the gods had fallen here after a tug-of-war between deities and demons, as per Hindu mythology.

Haridwar district administration, however, has specified that only two persons and a driver are allowed to accompany an urn to be immersed at Har-Ki-Pauri Ganga Ghat.

Cabinet spokesperson Madan Kaushik said that adherence to the guidelines issued by the local administration and health department regarding Covid-19 preventive measures like wearing of face masks, social distancing and time-bound return to their respective home destinations was a must for carrying out the rituals.

Terming the decision as a step in the right direction, office bearers of Ganga Sabha, the main managing body of Har-Ki-Pauri Ganga Ghat, said ash immersion should have been allowed a fortnight ago.

Ash immersion rituals are part of ancient tradition and customs which help in providing salvation (moksha) to the departed soul. Its quite sad that after funeral rites people had to keep urns of the deceased for quite some time, but now the government has taken the right decision to allow it again, said Pradeep Jha, president Ganga Sabha.

Haridwar priests, who had last week submitted a memorandum to the state government demanding the lifting of the prohibition at Har-Ki-Pauri, were quite busy as people with urns turned up at the Ghats from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR region, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and even beyond.

Akhil Bharatiya Yuva Teerth Purohit president Ujjwal Pundit said the lockdown has severely affected their livelihood as they primarily depend on last rites related rituals and special prayers for the deceased.

There are nearly 2000 priests in Haridwar involved in ash immersion rituals for several generations.

Meanwhile, the ashram and dharamshala owners have demanded the opening of some eateries and tea stalls at Har-Ki-Pauri for people coming from other states.

We have been waiting for more than a week to get the permission, finally Uttarakhand government has granted the same. We have been traveling for the past seven hours. We have reached Haridwar and it is overwhelming that finally, we will be able to immerse the ashes in the Ganga, said Vijay Singh from Haryana.

The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19

Originally posted here:

Ash immersion in Haridwar begins after govts nod to rituals for the dead - Hindustan Times

In 1920, Rabindranath Tagore received a brief but poignant letter from Susan Owen, mother of the English poet and soldier Wilfred Owen. The latter was killed in action in France in November 1918. In her letter his mother wrote that on the day of his final departure from home, Owen had recited one of Tagores poems.

Her account of that moment is worth quoting ~ It is nearly two years ago, that my dear eldest son went out to the War for the last time and the day he said goodbye to me ~ we were looking together across the sun-glorified sea ~ looking towards France with breaking hearts when he, my poet son, said those wonderful words of yours, beginning at When I go from hence, let this be my parting word This letter from a grieving mother of a victim of World War I reveals how a poem written by an Indian poet touched the sensibility of a young English poet and soldier at a moment of crisis.

A part of the English Gitanjali (1912), this prose poem defines life as a beautiful spiritual experience. The voice speaking through it ecstatically declares that what he has seen is unsurpassable. This world is a play house of infinite forms where he has caught sight of him that is formless. Tagores songs, poems and prose offer a heavily nuanced perspective on the paradoxes and ambiguities of life. They celebrate the grandeur of life and, at the same time, acknowledge that suffering is a fundamental human reality.

In fact, his writings inspire us to have faith in the human capacity for resilience, resistance and transcendence. His insistence on the importance of faith and hope has acquired new relevance in todays world where lives and livelihoods are being destroyed by a pandemic. Tagores idea of the power of hope and faith is prominently present in several of his songs. One of these is the song Nibira ghana andharey (1903) which focuses on a metaphorical journey.

The poet assures himself that even in deep darkness the guiding star is shining brightly. The lone traveller must not lose his way in the vast ocean or let his songs cease. Instead of giving in to fear or despair, he must hold on to hope and have faith in life and in love. He must gracefully walk through the joys and sorrows of life. Not surprisingly, for numerous individuals Tagores writings have been a source of emotional solace and strength.

A French translation of The Post Office,the English version of his play Dakghar (1912), was broadcast on the French radio in June 1940 on the eve of the German invasion of Paris. It was a bold attempt to defy fear at a critical moment in the nations history.

In July 1942 the Polish-Jewish educator Janusz Korczak staged the play at an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto. In the process, Korczak, the founder of the orphanage, flouted Nazi orders forbidding Jews to perform literary works by Aryan authors. In the play, Dakghar the protagonist is Amal, an ailing boy confined to his room and desperately yearning for emancipation. In a letter the playwright explained that Amals eventual death brings him awakening in the world of spiritual freedom. It is wellknown that death plagued Tagore persistently throughout his life.

It was not easy for him to endure the loss of several members of his family, friends and close associates. He grieved but refused to be overpowered by the burden of grief. In Biswa-shok, a poem written after the death of his grandson Nitindranath in 1932, the poet says that being obsessed with personal grief is shameful. We transcend grief once we begin to see ourselves as a part of a world where suffering is pervasive. Tagores life spanned a socially and politically turbulent era that witnessed many calamities including two World Wars and the Holocaust.

It is true that the poet underwent spells of deep depression. Each time his spirituality and his faith in humanity sustained him and helped him recover. During one such bout of depression he described it in a series of letters to his English friend, C F Andrews. In May 1914, in a letter to Andrews he spoke of it through densely metaphorical language ~ I am struggling on my way through the wildernessWearied, I lie down upon the dust and cry and call upon His name.

In another letter he wrote that he was trying to discover his own soul through the intense glow of the fire of suffering.

The letters he wrote during this phase demonstrate a conscious effort to attain spiritual renewal. The idea that suffering can lead to creativity and spiritual renewal is encapsulated in the song Aguner Parashmani (1914).

Within the thematic framework of this song, fire becomes a powerfully evocative metaphor for suffering.

The voice articulating the song hopes that the fire will enlighten him, purify his life and give voice to his songs. In an age of uncertainties and doubts Rabindranath Tagore, struggled to retain his faith in spiritual ideals. In his essay My School (1917) he proclaims that faith ~ I believe in a spiritual world ~ not as anything separate from this world ~ but as its innermost truth. With the breath we draw we must always feel this truth, that we are living in God. Born in this great world, full of the mystery of the infinite, we cannot accept our existence as a momentary outburst of chance, drifting on the current of matter towards an eternal nowhere.

Tagores distinctive spirituality was grounded in his personal interpretation of the Upanishadic conception of the divine being that is immanent in the entire cosmos. Each being is a part of this eternal and all-encompassing entity.

What this spiritual vision offers is emancipation from the narrow self and from emotions such as fear, despair and grief. It formed the spiritual basis of Tagores strong faith in humanity and human potentialities.

The song Bipadey morey raksha karo e nahey mor prarthana (1906) rejects passive dependence on divine benevolence ~ I do not pray that you shield me from danger. This radically unconventional prayer emphasizes that the human individual must have the strength to face adversities on his own.

Tagore was a firm believer in ideals. A few years before his death, he urged the inmates of his ashram to reject cynicism ~ We must build upon faith and not upon the quicksand of skepticism and the spirit of negation Not to believe in things, to be cynical and to wag ones head to a constant no may seem up-to date and fashionable. But it cannot go on indefinitely. Today, it has become necessary for us to rediscover Rabindranath Tagores idea of inner strength and hope.

The Covid-19 pandemic is transforming countless lives throughout the world. The psychological, social and economic ramifications of this cataclysmic phenomenon are no less significant than the death toll. Because of the pandemic and the resultant lockdown we have become lonelier and susceptible to an uncanny sense of uncertainty. In these bleak times Tagores writings remind us that no one is alone and that we are a collectivity. His writings can inspire us to believe that through hope and through faith in ourselves we can face and overcome this global calamity.

The writer is a Tagore Researcher and Assistant Professor of English, Gushkara College in West Bengal.

Here is the original post:

Poet and the Pandemic - The Statesman

Indias rural-to-urban migrant population is estimated at 120 million. Photograph: Noah Seelam/AFP

The highways connecting Indias overcrowded cities to the villages had not seen anything like it since the time of partition 73 years ago. Hundreds of thousands of workers were on the move, walking back to their villages with their possessions bundled on their heads.

On 24 March, Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide 21-day lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic. States sealed their borders, and transport came to a halt. With no trains or buses to take them home, Indias rural-to-urban migrant population, estimated at a staggering 120 million, took to the roads. On 5 April a statement from the home ministry said 1.25 million people moving between states had been put up in camps and shelters.

The rest started walking. With their jobs in cities lost overnight, and no clear social welfare package, hunger is a more real threat to these millions of people than a pandemic.

Everyone is talking about migrants those who started walking back to their villages, said Anshu Gupta, founder of Goonj, a Delhi-based charity. There are also people who reached their villages, people who were stuck in the cities, and the millions already living in the villages. They are all in distress.

The lockdown was announced without a clear plan for the consequences and Indian civil society stepped in immediately.

With 92 partner NGOs, Goonj started work in 18 states. By 20 April, field teams had delivered rations to 17,700 families, and 16,600kg of rice, flour, lentils, potatoes and oil and 77,800 ready-to-eat meals to community kitchens. They had also produced 42,800 face masks and 24,900 sanitary pads.

Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram-Ekta Parishad is doing the same in 39 districts across 10 states. In Madhya Pradesh alone, they say, 99,225 migrants have returned home, comprising daily wage workers, landless farmers and tribals. Thousands of workers and volunteers are feeding migrant labourers and maintaining community kitchens, as well as distributing masks and soap and protective equipment for frontline health workers.

An India Today analysis established that in 13 states and union territories, NGOs are outperforming state governments in feeding people. It found that in states like Kerala, which has been praised for its response to Covid-19, and Telangana, all meals were exclusively provided by NGOs during the lockdown, while in states such as Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Mizoram, NGOs provided 92.8%, 91.7% and 88.5% of all the meals, respectively.

Days after the lockdown was imposed, the finance ministry announced a relief package of Rs 1.7 lakh crore (18bn). This included food, grains and cooking gas, but there was no roadmap for how this aid would reach people. Cash transfers of Rs 500 a month were announced for women with bank accounts under the governments Jan Dhan scheme.

An itemised analysis by IndiaSpend concluded that the financial package announced by the central government is not all additional funding for Covid-19, but a reallocation and often, reiteration, of existing budgets.

Some state governments announced cash transfers, while Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh announced money for destitute women.

But the chances of people ever seeing the money or provisions allocated to them are remote.

Even if the money has come into their bank account in the city, how do they access that now, in the village? asks Gupta.

The inadequacy of the states preparedness to tackle this crisis has led to local and central governments scrambling to build relations with civil society to deliver relief, a relationship that has been compromised over the past five years.

Between 2014 and 2020, the Indian government cancelled the licenses of over 20,000 NGOs to receive foreign funds under the Foreign Contributions Regulatory Act.

NGOs have been demonised, especially those working on human rights issues. Their bank accounts have been frozen, their staff have been harassed, and their intent has been questioned. Now, as the state grapples with a response to Covid-19, the government think-tank NITI Aayog has requested that more than 92,000 NGOs help the government fight the pandemic.

Gupta is unequivocal: Civil society NGOs and ordinary Indians are fully taking care of the hunger problem.

The sooner this government starts to see civil society as allies in fair and foul weather, the better particularly for Indias poorest and most vulnerable people over the next few, very difficult months.

Bharati Ramachandran runs Barapani, a communications agency based in Bangalore, India that works with NGOs across South Asia and Africa

Read the rest here:

Where Indias government has failed in the pandemic, its people have stepped in - The Guardian

Even if coronavirus concerns are keeping us at home, we can still explore the beauty of the Oregon landscape, revisit jaw-droppingly strange-but-true history, and remember when locals got their noses out of joint over a comedy series that spoofed politically correct Portlanders. Whether you crave a virtual trip to the outdoors or are feeling nostalgic, streaming services provide a binge-worthy batch of Oregon-related movies and TV shows.

So, sit back, keep up your social distancing, and bring a little Oregon to your living room with our list of notable comedies, dramas, documentaries and animated features.

MOVIES FOR FAMILIES

The Goonies: Viewers who were kids when they first saw this 1985 adventure have shared it with their own children, which is why the Goonies nostalgia train just keeps running. As Josh Gads recent YouTube reunion of the original cast demonstrates, theres truth to the catchphrase, Goonies never say die. The story of Oregon Coast kids who use a treasure map to search for riches that may save their family homes keeps viewers coming back, and draws tourists each year to Astoria, where much of the movie filmed. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video)

Stand By Me: Stephen Kings novella, The Body, inspired this 1986 classic, about four boys who come from different backgrounds, but form a bond as they search for a missing teen in the Willamette Valley. Stars Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry OConnell will make you laugh, make you cry, then make you laugh again. Locations include Brownsville. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video)

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made: Adapted from the bestselling book by Stephan Pastis, this Disney Plus movie tells the whimsical story of an 11-year-old boy whose imagination sends him around Portland investigating cases for his supposed detective agency, with his polar bear partner in tow. The Portland locations are down-to-earth glimpses of the city, and the cast, including Winslow Fegley as Timmy, is sympathetic and likable. (Stream on Disney Plus)

Free Willy: A 1993 family film about a boy (Jason James Richter) who makes friends with a captive orca whale, and hatches a plot to let the whale escape. Keiko, the real orca in the movie, was a crowd-pleasing attraction at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, in Newport for a few years. Locations include Portland, Astoria and the Hammond Marina, where, in the film, Willy jumps to his freedom. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video; stream on Hulu)

Twilight: It seems like 100 years ago that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson starred in the first chapter of the saga about romance between a human high school student, Bella Swan, and the much older, but young-looking vampire, Edward Cullen. While the Twilight movies got sillier the longer the saga went on, this 2008 effort had the benefit of Northwest flavor. Stephenie Meyers novel was set in Forks, Washington, but Oregon was used for many of the movie locations, with scenes filmed in St. Helens, Portland, the Columbia River Gorge, and more. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video)

Kindergarten Cop: Another movie not exactly made to dazzle critics, this 1990 comedy stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a Los Angeles Police Detective who, on the trail of a drug dealer, goes to Astoria, where he winds up working undercover as a kindergarten teacher. Sounds plausible, right? Locations include Astoria, the movie star of the Oregon Coast. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video; stream on Hulu)

Mr. Hollands Opus: This 1995 tearjerker is a salute to Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss), an aspiring composer who winds up teaching music at a fictional Portland high school. Its corny, but the movie was filmed on location in Northeast Portlands Grant High School, so students can get a virtual campus feeling even if they cant physically attend school. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video; stream on Hulu)

MOVIES FOR ADULTS

Wild: Portland-based writer Cheryl Strayeds bestselling memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail amid personal turmoil remains a perpetual favorite with readers. The 2014 movie adaptation of Strayeds book is well-made and heartfelt, with fine performances by Reese Witherspoon as Strayed, and Laura Dern as the authors late mother. Locations include Bend, Ashland, Cascade Locks and Portland. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video)

Leave No Trace: After The Oregonian reported on the case of a teenage girl and her father, who were found living in Forest Park, writer Peter Rock wrote My Abandonment, a novel inspired by the true story. This tale of a father and daughter living off the grid was adapted into a touching 2018 movie, directed by Debra Granik (Winters Bone), and starring Thomasin McKenzie and Ben Foster. Locations include the Portland area, Estacada and Newberg. (Free on Amazon Prime Video for Prime customers)

Lean On Pete: British filmmaker Andrew Haigh (Looking) wrote and directed this 2018 adaptation of Oregon writer and musician Willy Vlautins novel. Charlie Plummer stars as Charley, a 15-year-old who comes to Portland with his father, Ray (Travis Fimmel). When trouble arises at home, Charley spends time at a racetrack, where he helps cares for an aging horse named Lean On Pete. Locations include the old Portland Meadows in North Portland, and Harney County. (Free on Amazon Prime Video for Prime customers)

Wendy and Lucy: Portland-based writer Jonathan Raymond and director Kelly Reichardt have collaborated on a number of projects, most recently the quiet, but deeply affecting First Cow. The 2008 movie, Wendy and Lucy, is a characteristically minimalistic work, but one that becomes increasingly poignant as it goes on. Michelle Williams stars. Locations include Portland, Salem and Woodburn. (Free on Amazon Prime Video for Prime customers)

Related: Director Kelly Reichardt on First Cow, and why she makes films in Oregon

Night Moves: Another low-key, tense collaboration from writer Jonathan Raymond and director Kelly Reichardt. The 2013 movie tells the story of a trio of environmental activists who plan to blow up a dam. Its subtle, but gripping, and features striking work by Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard. Locations include Roseburg, Medford and Ashland. (Free on Amazon Prime Video for Prime customers)

Meeks Cutoff: Kelly Reichardt and writer Jonathan Raymond again worked together on this 2011 Western loosely inspired by a historic event, in 1845. The film features a guide named Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood), whos leading a group of settlers across the Oregon high desert. But the settlers begin to suspect Meek isnt all he claims to be. Michelle Williams stars. Locations include Burns and other Harney County areas. (Free on Amazon Prime Video for Prime customers; stream on Hulu)

I Dont Feel at Home in This World Anymore: Melanie Lynskey stars as Ruth, a nursing assistant whos already feeling down, and then finds out that her house has been burglarized. When the police dont seem interested in doing anything about the crime, Ruth, along with an unstable-looking neighbor (Elijah Wood), set out on a quest to find the thieves. Macon Blair wrote and directed the 2017 dark comedy-thriller. Locations include Portland, Wilsonville and Lake Oswego. (Stream on Netflix)

Drugstore Cowboy: Director Gus Van Sant lived for several years in Portland, and this 1989 movie is, among its other qualities, a postcard of the way the Rose City used to look. Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch star in a 70s-set story about drug addicts who rob pharmacies to pay for their habit. Van Sant made other features in Portland, including My Own Private Idaho, Elephant and Paranoid Park, but Drugstore Cowboy remains one of his best. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video)

The Shining: You could get all technical about it, and point out that the 1980 thriller, starring Jack Nicholson, did very little filming in Oregon. Yes, the exterior shots of Timberline Lodge are supposed to be the Overlook Hotel, where lots of bad things happen. But since were likely not getting to Mount Hood anytime soon, well take what we can get. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video)

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest: The late Ken Kesey wrote the novel that inspired the multi-Oscar-winning movie, starring Jack Nicholson in one of his best roles. Set in a mental hospital, the film focuses on the rebellious Randle McMurphy (Nicholson), and his clashes with authoritarian Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). The 1975 movie has elements that may feel offensive to todays viewers, but there are classic moments. Locations include the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, and the central Oregon Coast. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video)

Animal House: For nostalgic Oregonians, this 1978 rowdy comedy (sometimes known by its full name, National Lampoons Animal House) summons memories of toga parties, the outrageous antics of John Belushis Bluto Blutarsky, food fights, and blow-out blasts at the fictional Faber College and Delta house fraternity. More sensitive souls may find the 70s humor has dated, but its a kick to see circa-70s locations in Eugene, Cottage Grove, the University of Oregon, and more. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video; stream on Hulu, with the addition of Starz)

Paint Your Wagon: If youre truly desperate for something to watch, this 1969 musical Western offers more Oregon scenery. Thats the good part. Less great is the fact that Lee Marvin sings -- or tries to. Costar Clint Eastwood also lends his pipes to the tune, I Talk to the Trees. Critics mostly blew raspberries at this supposed blockbuster. The stories about what went on during the filming near Baker City, in Eastern Oregon, makes things sound pretty wild (hippie extras!). As for the movie, its hokey (sample song title: Hand Me Down That Can o Beans), but harmless. And did we mention the gorgeous Oregon scenery? (Free on Amazon Prime Video for Prime customers)

Related: Paint Your Wagon, The Goonies, Grimm and more: The Oregon film and TV office turns 50

ANIMATED MOVIES

Laika features: The Hillsboro animation studio is known for the painstaking care lavished on its stop-motion animated features. Examples include the Golden Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated Missing Link (2019), about a Sasquatch living in a Pacific Northwest forest who joins forces with an explorer for globe-trotting adventures in the 1800s. (Rent on Amazon Prime Video; stream on Hulu.)

Other Laika features include 2016s Kubo and the Two Strings(YouTube Movies); 2014s The Boxtrolls (YouTube Movies); 2012s ParaNorman (iTunes); and 2009s Coraline (stream on Hulu).

TV

Portlandia: Remember the good old days, when locals worried about what message a comedy sketch show was sending, instead of panicking about a pandemic and economic catastrophe? Return with us now to the balmy past, when the IFC series co-created by and costarring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein made Portland look like the world capital of political correctness. Even if youre sick to death of hearing about the feminist bookstore, and Colin the chicken, watching Portlandia -- which aired from 2011 to 2018 -- feels like a trip back to another, less stressed-out era. (Streaming on Netflix; and fuboTV)

Related: Saying goodbye to Portlandia, and the citys love/hate relationship with the show

Grimm: The premise was far-fetched, but the NBC drama about a Portland Police homicide detective who had the power to see the supernatural creatures lurking below the surface of seemingly ordinary folks developed a devoted following. In its 2011-2017 run, Grimm made Portland look like the scene of a dark fantasy you know, like Grimms fairy tales. (Free on Amazon Prime Video for Prime customers)

Related: Grimm may be ending, but its impact on Portland remains

Shrill: In its first two seasons of the Portland-filmed comedy, weve watched as Annie (played by Aidy Bryant, of Saturday Night Live fame) has struggled to deal with her own ambitions to be a writer, her lack of confidence, her messy relationships and a few other neuroses. Bryant is a fine lead, and shes joined by a terrific supporting cast. Catch up now, because the series has been renewed for a third season. (Stream on Hulu)

Leverage: The 2008-2012 series about a group of reformed crooks who took on jobs where they could stick it to fat cats and win justice for everyday people moved its production to the Portland area for Season 2. A rebooted revival is in the works for IMDb TV, with Noah Wyle starring (in place of Timothy Hutton) and other original cast members returning. (Stream previous seasons on the IMDb TV channel, which is available to Amazon Prime Video customers)

The Librarians: A spinoff of a series of TV movies made for TNT, the fantasy-adventure followed a group of gifted eccentrics who used their skills to solve mysteries and, sometimes, save the world. Like Leverage, the series filmed in and around the Portland area. It aired from 2014 to 2018. (Stream on Hulu)

Everything Sucks!: The series about a group of high school kids in Boring, Oregon in the 1990s had a good heart, and cast a compassionate eye on the travails and triumphs of the mostly misfit characters. Unfortunately, it only lasted one season. (Stream on Netflix)

Trinkets: Another moody/sensitive series about high school students struggling to find themselves, Trinkets tells the story of Elodie (Brianna Hildebrand), an unwilling transplant to Portland, who forms surprising friendships with schoolmates, Moe (Kiana Madeira), and Tabitha (Quintessa Swindell). The series will return for a second season, but that will be the last one. (Stream on Netflix)

DOCUMENTARIES

Wild Wild Country: Oregonians who have lived here for a while already know about the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Ma Anand Sheela, and the followers who descended on Central Oregon in the early 1980s. But everyone else apparently first learned about this bizarre-but-true saga thanks to Chapman Way and Maclain Ways six-part 2018 documentary series. (Stream on Netflix)

Related: Netflix documentary on Rajneeshees in Oregon revisits an amazing, enraging true story

The Battered Bastards of Baseball: Before they dug into Oregon Rajneeshee history, filmmakers Chapman Way and Maclain Way made this entertaining 2014 documentary about the Portland Mavericks baseball team. (Stream on Netflix)

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.

Read more here:
29 Oregon-filmed movies and TV shows to watch when youre home because of coronavirus - OregonLive

CARLSBAD, Calif., May 7, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --Zen Health Technologies today announced that its EverStrong App is now available for iOS and Android. EverStrong is a new mobile app to help users improve emotional intelligence and self-awareness through clinically-chosen mental fitness exercises. EverStrong is now available for an extended free trial through June 16, 2020.

EverStrong combines science with ancient mindfulness training to strengthen emotional intelligence. After selecting specific goals such as "Ease Stress" or "Stay Focused," users complete 30-second mental exercises to help them reach those objectives. Unlike breathing and meditation apps, EverStrong develops mind muscles, emotional strength, and self-awareness.

"Everyone is stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed right now, and the simple exercises available through the EverStrong app immediately relieve stress and help you feel better," said Sibyl Badugu, Founder and CEO of Zen Health Technologies. "EverStrong brings focus and balance back into people's lives. By strengthening individual emotions, we can help uplift our families, friends, and communities during this very stressful time."

EverStrong offers easy, timed exercises by Zen Health Technologies' health and therapy clinical team. When stress and feelings of burnout hit, users can open EverStrong and complete a 30- to 60-second exercise to handle anxiety and manage emotions. The app also includes a quick exercise to get grounded in the "Break Time" section and a tracker to monitor their progress. EverStrong is now available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play store.

ABOUT ZEN HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES Founded in 2015, Zen Health Technologies provides mobile apps, websites, and other technology to help individuals build emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and empowerment. Its flagship product is EverStrong, an app that strengthens emotional intelligence and improves mindfulness. The company continues to develop new, advanced solutions to relieve stress, prevent burnout, and bring balance to people's lives. For more, please visit: https://zenhealthtech.com/

SOURCE Zen Health Technologies

Follow this link:
Strengthen Emotional Intelligence and Improve Mindfulness with EverStrong App - Benzinga

Video conferencing software has been a runaway success during the coronavirus pandemic, topping download charts, becoming the lynchpin of business communication, and being hailed as the defining technology of the lockdown.

But a new phenomenon is emerging alongside this rise video call fatigue.

It describes the feeling of being worn out by endless virtual meetings, chats and quizzes, borne witness to by widespread complaints on social media. And academics say the reasons behind it include having to perform for the camera and missing real people.

But wellness experts say video chats can have great benefits, too, helping people stay connected in isolation.

The popularity of Zoom has soared during the coronavirus pandemic.

Image: Prioridata/Statista

So why are some people finding video conferencing so tiring?

Psychologist Dr Linda Kaye from the UKs Edge Hill University says in large part it is because we see ourselves on screen, and naturally want to present a good image to friends and colleagues.

It's likely that this is enhancing our self-awareness to a greater level than usual, and therefore resulting in us making additional self-presentational efforts than in face-to-face interactions in the real world, she explains.

And then, of course, it could simply be a volume issue. We may be over-scheduling ourselves simply based on the fact we have more time available.

Gianpiero Petriglieri, an expert on workplace learning at INSEAD business school, tells the BBC that another key factor is the extra effort needed to process non-verbal cues such as body language.

Our minds are together when our bodies feel we're not. That dissonance, which causes people to have conflicting feelings, is exhausting. You cannot relax into the conversation naturally.

A new strain of Coronavirus, COVID 19, is spreading around the world, causing deaths and major disruption to the global economy.

Responding to this crisis requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forums mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

The Forum has created the COVID Action Platform, a global platform to convene the business community for collective action, protect peoples livelihoods and facilitate business continuity, and mobilize support for the COVID-19 response. The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.

As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.

Another factor explored by researchers at University College London is gaze duration. While people are happy to stare at people they feel comfortable with for longer periods, gazes of more than 3 seconds can feel uncomfortable in less relaxed situations.

The BBC cites a German study published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies that finds speech transmission delays of little over a second can cause participants to perceive those on the video call as less attentive, extraverted and conscientious".

There is also the problem, Gianpiero Petriglieri explains, of self-complexity. In simple terms, human beings like variety, but now many aspects of our lives are coming together in one place video calls.

Coronavirus has been tough for many Americans.

Image: Gallup

The growing frustration with video conferencing may also be related to the wider well-being challenge the lockdown is posing.

A recent survey by US pollster Gallup found almost 60% of Americans feel worried up 20% on last summer while 45% told the Kaiser Family Foundation the coronavirus crisis was harming their mental health.

The good news is there are plenty of ways to reduce video chat fatigue.

The benefits of face-to-face

But many are singing the praises of video chats.

Yale Professor Laurie Santos whose popular lessons on wellness have made her an influential voice on mental health issues during the pandemic says face-to-face communication can help with lockdown isolation.

The research suggests that the act of hanging out with folks in real time - in other words, things like Zoom or FaceTime - can be a really powerful way to connect with people.

You see their facial expressions, hear the emotion in their voice, you're really able to connect with them.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Original post:
Why 'video call fatigue' might be making you tired during lockdown - and how to beat it - World Economic Forum