The Future of Mankind

Prologue: the Year 1034 AE (AE - After the End, roughly 5047 AD based on old reckoning): 

Science and mankind were able to cross all barriers and technological development reached its zenith. But along with development also came more and more weapons of mass destruction. The 4th World War almost completely obliterated mankind. The earth which had earlier lost its atmosphere(from the 3rd World War) also lost its entire Lithosphere and a substantial part of its Asthenosphere. Most of us remaining survivors stay in isolated pockets of habitable environments made artificially deep inside of the Earth's surface surviving on synthetic supplements. We realised that Earth won't be able to last much longer and 15 space expeditions were sent to look for Earth-like planets.

None returned!!!

First sighting 
I am Derek and I am part of the 25 member crew who started on the 16th space expedition 25 years earlier. We have been looking at various solar systems in the Milky Way; one by one selecting planets which had earlier been suspected of having an Earth-like environment. But so many time we have had our hopes crushed that we are now only driven by habits. This time we are nearing Amadeus XIV, the Sixth planet in Sirius B solar system from which an Earth-like atmosphere has been detected. Our spaceship has total 25 occupants including all crew and technicians. We have been chosen from various fields so that we can be completely self-sufficient. 25 occupants also comprise of 5 women who are essential for propagating human life and are nowadays one of the rarest commodities on earth. I am the Group's Material scientist and also double up as part of the security team. Although being a scientist makes me irreplaceable; the power and command structure has always been dominated by the Security chiefs. Hence summoned by the Flight commander I move towards the Main Control Room. The Commander informs us all that Amadeus XIV is now within viewing distance and all should line up on the viewing platform except for the scientists who should get to work immediately on analysing the various Atmospheric and Elemental data from the planet. Most of us have now repeated this drill numerous times without any positive result and don't have much hope about this one too. We work out of habit as the scopes and detectors of our Space Vehicle are focused on the planet expecting to hear the same old message of LIFE SUSTAINABILITY 0 % to pop up. It took 20 minutes this time which was abnormally longer for such kind of analysis and suddenly the screen lights up with the visual of Amadeus XIV and a bold Green sign is shown LIFE SUSTAINABILITY 100 %. We are all shocked to inactivity for one full minute and then all hell breaks loose. Everyone is shouting and clapping out of excitement. The atmospheric composition is almost identical to that of the earth so I check the results from the spectroscopic analysis of the planet structure. After running through the data through various elemental analysis algorithms, what I find completely blows my mind. I saw that although the primary structure of the elements was different from Earth their physical and chemical properties were eerily similar. I turn my head towards my colleagues and share my ideas with the others. Then in unison we all turn towards the Commander and say to him the magic words:

Yes, Amadeus XIV can sustain human life!!!

The landing
There is complete chaos everywhere; we have already crossed through the thick atmosphere of Amadeus XIV and are now descending fast towards the land surface. We have a flawless landing and on the commander's order line up to move out. The air composition seems similar to earth but the Commander doesn't want to take chances and chooses one of his security personas guinea pig for going out first. We watch with rapt attention as the soldier moves out and after a few faltering steps looks towards us and gives the ok signal. It surprised and happy he got used to the atmosphere so fast which meant the atmosphere was not rejecting our bodies meaning we could move around freely without the need of space suits. Suddenly we hear the click of guns and shouts commanding us to kneel down with hands raised. While we were unaware it seems a group of local inhabitants infiltrated our ship through the emergency back door. I find it surprising how easily our attackers could find the hidden back door. But we are surrounded and do what we are told. The faces of these attackers are humane which is even more surprising. The leader names himself Han. His face for some reason looks extremely familiar to me. We are instructed to walk outside and follow their lead. Our commander shouts defiance and asks the leader of the group about who they were and where they were taking us. The leader calmly turns towards him and with a smile said:

Welcome to Utopia !!!

The Society
What was the most astonishing in the behaviour of the captors was their deference to the five women in our group? The polite way in which they talked with them and the kind/respectful way they handled them was shocking to most of us. These were behaviour similar to the myths and legends of old days on earth which our commanders scoffed as uncivilized behaviour. On earth, as technology grew the society had become more and more patriarchal or male-dominated. The feminist movements were all crushed and women were secluded only for breeding and satisfying the needs of the high commanders of the society. There were a few exceptions who treated women with kindness, but those were shunned and punished as heretics. While I had been thinking along these lines we had reached what looked from afar as a village. When we neared the village I realised there was no boundary and no walls anywhere. All houses were single storey buildings and had beautiful gardens filled with flowers and lands planted with crops. As we moved into the village we saw little children playing around everywhere. there was no fear in their eyes and everybody looked completely content and happy. What was even more shocking were the number of women visible everywhere. Their number was at least equal if not more then the men and surprisingly even the men seemed to take orders from women in certain cases. We crossed many such outlandish scenes and finally neared a huge dome-shaped building placed at what I was guessing at the centre of the building. As soon as we entered the women were taken into the dome and the men were led to an area separated from the main dome. Our captors led us to massive bathing units which were surprisingly similar to what we had only read and seen in old Earth videos. There we were roughly scrubbed up and washed until all the grime and dirt from our bodies were removed. I felt almost raw after this treatment as bathing while wasting so much precious water was simply sacrilege for us from Earth. This entire process took almost 3-4 hours and then we were forced into white dresses made of cotton type materials. From a door at the side I saw their leader Han enter again and announce:

The Elders are ready to see you!!

The Utopia - A dream fulfilled
One by one we were taken away by Han taking 20 minutes for each. We were being taken into the dome through a side door separate from where the women were taken in and none of the guys leaving returned which was making me extremely afraid. my turn came and Han led me into the dome. I entered into a huge room flanked by an array of doors on either side. He took me through one such door on the right which led to another hallway with numerous doors. This sequence was repeated so many times that began to wonder how anyone could remember anything in this maze of rooms. Just when I was able to ask Han how long he led me into a massive room which was of so magnificent height that it could only have been directly below the dome. In the centre of the room was a massive circle with 10 huge pillars rising looking towards the centre. On these pillars were 10 thrones on which sat 10 oldest people I had ever seen - 5 women and 5 men. I was instructed to stand in the centre among them. All of the elders were looking towards me in a kind way. One of them asked how Berek was. I was completely taken aback at this question. How could he know about my great-grandfather? He noticed my surprise and apologised and introduced himself as Hador. and that Han whom I just met was from his family. I couldn't believe what I was hearing Hador was a colleague of my great-grandfather who was a legendary scientist and I had only seen his pictures as Decorated members of the 15th Mission send From Earth similar to ours about 200 years earlier. If he was still alive now that would make him roughly 230-250 years old. This also explained why Han looked vaguely familiar to me as he was almost an identical copy to Hador. He started smiling at my baffled expression and explained all the inhabitants I saw on this planet were from the various space expeditions send from Earth since the past 2000 years. I ask why then none of them returned or contacted back to Earth their motherland. To this he answered that they didn't want Amadeus to become another Earth; once so green so beautiful and completed destroyed by selfish mankind. He told how some among the earliest explorers realised this and revolting against their military commanders built a society which was a beautiful union of scientific advancements without harming the natural balance. The believed how the patriarchal society on earth was failing because of the destruction of balance between male and female and hence built a society where Man and Woman have equal rights equal rights. They explained how violence is completely deplored and all conflicts are resolved by democratically chosen elders peacefully. After explaining the various details of the society he brought the topic back to that of judgements and with it, the mood inside the hall changed completely. With an expression which was at the same time sad and grave Hador pronounced my sentence.

'' Derek, a scientist from Earth your nature has been observed and your sensible personality and scientific know-how count in your favour. However, on the topic of your social behaviour, you fail. Earth has degraded the lives of the women who are the very genesis of life to such a deplorable ratio now that only 5 women could be afforded on this mission!!! It is a shame on us all humans. from the 5 women who accompanied you, we have come to know that although you were never personally cruel to them as the majority of others with you; you also never even once stood up for their rights. You always thought to follow the safer options and allowed all atrocities happening around you.

Because of this crime, you are sentenced to a peaceful death for 100 years!!! ''

The Sentence
Immediately after the sentence, I was taken to isolated government facilities. While passing through the various cell doors I realised a lot of agonising screams coming out of some of the cells. I could especially hear hair-raising screams of our Commander. I was so shocked and confused with the verdict that I had gone completely numb. I was thankfully being taken to a separate facility and while passing through the various buildings I caught a small glimpse of a courtyard where all 16 expedition Space Ships were placed. I was taken into a room which smelled like restorative chemicals. There Han un-cuffed me and asked me to lay down. A few doctors started strapping me up to various intravenous fluids. My body started going numb. All that was left were my senses. Then Han walked to me and looking at my confused and fearful face explained my sentence to me. My crime was not standing for our women but I didn't commit those crimes hence I was forced to lay in a comatose sleep where I would be alive but with only my mental capacity intact. After completing 100 years I would rejoin the community. Human life was treasured on Utopia and the death penalty was seldom given. He further said people who committed atrocities like our commander were subjected to 100 years of unimaginable pain.  Even he would be kept alive in spite of the pain and could rejoin if he regretted his actions. I realise this was the secret behind Hador's long age. I thank Han again for this favour and tell him I regret my mistakes and am ready for my punishment. On Han's commands, a final fluid flow is activated and my body is placed into a cocoon completely filled with cryogenic fluid mixed with restorative/preservative fluid and I am shelved into a huge room filled with hundreds of cocoons same as mine.

As the fluid starts taking effect all my senses stop one by one and as I plunge into 100 years of nothingness I finally realise that after a long time I am really at peace. In spite of the paralyzed state a tear form in my eyes which immediately freezes into a drop of dew. This single tear signified the happiness of knowing there is still a future for mankind; the fall of which would herald a new beginning for me 100 years from now! With this sobering thought, I drifted into unconsciousness while everyone else was grieving!

Image Sources: 
Prologue- http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso9845d/
First Sighting-http://www.hdwallpaperstop.com/space-wallpapers-hd/
The Society- http://wallfive.com/beautiful-village-wallpaper.html
The Utopia- http://hd4desktop.com/20972-spaceship-earth-planet-landing-zone-stormy-clouds-fantasy-artwork-hd-wallpaper/
The Sentence- http://www.wattpad.com/2616500-love-again#.UjsWHJyAouM

Do you know about Tiffin box? Ever wondered what and how Tiffin came into being

Recently, I was having a conversation with a colleague about what I want to cook in the evening. As the discussion continued, I mentioned that I was going out for dinner and will not be able to make my tiffin for the next day. She appeared confused and asked me what a tiffin box was. That got me thinking, where did the word tiffin come from? Growing up in India I remember taking tiffin boxes to school but I never knew why it was called ‘tiffin’.

Tiffin as a word meaning for a type of meal. When the English were occupying India they had a custom of having tea late in the afternoon. On the contrary, the Indians liked to have a light meal or snacks at that hour. It appears the English started liking to have a snack as well and they coined the term ‘tiffin’ to describe that meal. The word ‘tiffin’ actually is derived from the colloquial or slag English word ‘tiffing’ which means to take a little drink. The word tiffin became part of anglo-indian customs since 1867.

Today in south India and Nepal, tiffin refers to a snack between meals, while in other parts of India tiffin refers to packed lunches.

In Mumbai, tiffin boxes are usually delivered by the famous dabbawalas (a topic into itself for later). In Odisha, when I was growing up taking tiffin boxes to School and sharing with friends was a memory I still fondly cherish.
Let me know if you too have heard about tiffin so I can add more to this topic! :)

30 Common Medical Myths that you thought were true!

(This topic is on request from my fellow blogger Nina Dumitrescu. Please visit her blog and youtube channel. Also, Check out my website un-riddle.com!)

In our day to day lives, there are many medical facts we believe in faith and never have eve thought of questioning. These can be traditions handed down from elders, or common practices discussed within peers. But not all these facts are truths and while researching this topic I myself was shocked at a few which I also believed were true. I am sure you will enjoy going through the list:

1. Shaved hair grows back faster, coarser and darker

This is something I truly believe until I read that it's actually a myth. This is so strongly held that even many doctors believe it to be true. Many pieces of research conducted into this field prove that this simply is not the case. Saved hair grows the same way as un-saved ones. So all my dear friends caught by the latest bearded trend, it's alright to buy a cheap razor and go cleanly shaven.

2. You need to stay awake if you've had a concussion

Many times we have seen in movies, people having head injuries encouraged to stay awake during cases of concussion. This is a misconception arising from patients from a particular type of head injury, which include bleeding in the brain, dropping from unconsciousness into a coma and finally death. When you have banged your head and suspect concussion it's the best advice to not disturb the patient until medical help arrives and not slapping the life out of them

3. Vitamin supplements always make you healthier

Every day, especially in developed countries we observe many people taking vitamin supplements to stay healthy. In most cases, these are overdone and taken without a doctor's prescription. Actually, these supplements can not only be useless but also cause harm and induce worse health condition due to long-term use. Eating a pill or capsule is not the way to stay healthy, rather focus on natural and wholesome diet.

4. We use only 10 per cent of our brains

How many times, in hushed tones, we have hypothesized how we are only using 10 per cent of our brain's potential. This then leads one to even more fantastic stories about how Einstein was able to use 15 per cent of his brain! Well, this is all a myth as studies have shown that there are no dark regions of untapped potential in our brain. We would like to believe that there is still some untapped potential which we can discover and achieve great success. But sadly that's not the case, the only way to success is through hard work and dedication.

5. Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years

There are many myths associated with chewing gum and this is one of the funniest ones that I myself encountered while growing up. It's true that some ingredients that go into the making of chewing gum are indigestible by our body but that doesn't mean it will stick and stay within our body for 7 years. It naturally is excreted by our body, there is a system already in our body to handle such indigestible things. Please, believe in it or otherwise consult a doctor immediately!

6. Reading in the dark or sitting too close to the TV ruins your eyesight

How many times, have you been scolded by your parents to sit farther away from the TV as it may ruin your eyesight. Well, bad luck for us all, as we have all been duped. SOme early TV sets could potentially emit a high amount of radiations but that problem is long solved and the recent TVs are relatively safe. However, this myth has been handed down from generation to generation as a fact. Watching a lot of television or working a long time on laptops and smartphones may cause irritation in the eye due to dryness but it's nothing that a standard eye drop can't heal. There is no medical evidence on long-term eye damage from watching too much TV, so my tiny soldiers rise, rise up in revolution against your parents!

7. Sugar turns kids into little monsters

A very common parenting misconception. Sugar items have no correlation with unruliness among kids. Parents would like to believe there is a way to diagnose and cure the mischievousness within their kids, but sadly that is impossible. Only advice to them is to let the kids be kids, be patient and brave it through! It was your choice to have them after all! Unlike many people in developing and conservative societies believe, children are not from the grace of God, both parents contributed to their making!

8. Vaccines can cause the flu (and autism)

Vaccines are in essence dead viruses that we inject into our bodies. Our body when encountering these foreign species develops antigens which are basically the 'fight squad' which stay active in our bodies for a period and prevent an attack from similar viruses. A common misconception is that these vaccines actually cause harm to our bodies. Well feeling a bit feverish after vaccination is common but that is the maximum extent as, in essence, these dead viruses are exactly what the name states 'DEAD'. Any other attributed side effects are just a myth.

9. You should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day

I remember hearing this statement as a fact when I used to talk with friends in school. I never questioned it and in fact, increased my intake of water. I myself have been, to a lot of current shame, asking my wife to take in more water daily. But during researching this topic I found out that our body only required on an average 2.5 litres of water, which often is already part of our regular diet. So, I am sorry Tina, I hope you will forgive me! :)

10. Fingernails and hair continue to grow after death

Well, this creepy rumour exists because of our skin and muscles withering away after death and the Fingernails and hair looking long as a result of longer. So, you can go ahead and cancel your Hair Salon, Manicure, Pedicure appointments after you are dead. You don't have to worry about continuing them after.....

11. You should wait an hour after eating before you do exercise/swimming

This is a common misconception arising out of cramps that you feel when you do heavy exercise after a full meal. Well, first of all, you should avoid stuffing yourself so much that you are unable to move as it's extremely unhealthy in the first place. And if you have then it's good to do some exercise to start burning those calories. First eating a lot and then not exercising citing you have to wait an hour is a recipe for health disaster!

12. Ulcers are caused by spicy food and stress

Don't blame your friendly Indian neighbours' spicy curry for your stomach ulcers, or the stress from your boss. Ulcers are caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Feel free to enjoy as much spicy food as you want and regarding work-related stress try to get a better work-life balance!

13. A woman can't get pregnant during her period

Even if it's unlikely, but it's still possible that the sperm stays alive inside a woman's body for up to a week, and the ovulation occurring soon after the 'bleeding' phase of the menstrual cycle. This makes it possible for a woman to get pregnant if she has sex either during her period or shortly after it ends. So please stay protected.

14. You lose most of your body heat through your head

Remember us always keeping our head covered in winters to conserve heat. It appears that the amount of heat loss from the head is proportional to the amount of skin, i.e. 7 to 10 per cent of the entire body.  So consider using an ear-cap if you are frustrated at what those headscarves are doing to your hair! It's fully alright Thermodynamically speaking! ;)

15. You can catch a cold by being cold

This is another one that I believed to be a fact. Remember us trying to use higher temperatures in hair dryers to quickly remove moisture from our hair before starting out from home in winters. Well, it appears you can leave outside without worrying about wet hair making you sick. We usually get cold in winters because the rhinoviruses (viruses causing the common cold) replicate by diminishing the body's antiviral immune responses making use of the cold weather.

16. Deaths by suicide increase over the holidays

Has it happened to you that you are taking a train in Holland and the schedules are completed changed due to some unfortunate soul jumping in front of a train? It has happened so often to me that I actually believe this rumour. But now that I think of it I am observing these incidents during the holidays because that is also only the time that I am travelling. And recent data accumulated shows the same that the frequency of suicides stay consistent across the year and is not concentrated during the holidays.

17. Chicken noodle soup cures … everything

Well, trust me in some cultures (don't ask me which :P ) chicken soup is held sacred! It's the panacea that mankind has been looking for since times immemorial. Books and Legends have been created looking for the cure-all and there it has been lying as a regular dish on all our plates all along. Well, need I say more? This is obviously a myth! But if having a hot soup is helping you by giving comfort during your sick times please continue. In the end, what matters is that we get better right!

18. Eating at night makes you fat

Eating late is pretty common for us back home in India, but my fellow German and Dutch colleagues often get shocked at this. One of the arguments that I have heard is that eating late snacks makes you fat. We research has shown that late eating habits have some association with obesity but it doesn't directly lead to obesity. It' s not when you eat that counts, what is more, important is what you eat and how much you eat.

19. Psychiatric and emergency room visits increase during the full moon.

How many of you harbour fantasies of encountering a werewolf who bites you and grants you superpowers, with one side-effect of you turning into a wolf on the full moon. Well, my friends that appears to be a myth. Data has shown that the number of Psychiatric and emergency room visits don't increase during the full moon.  But I say keep fantasizing, as I personally love the creative writers in this field and enjoy Netflix shows like Vampire Diaries, Originals, True Blood, Teenage Wolf, etc.

20. Taking probiotics helps prevent colds

The probiotics commonly guzzled by many in the hope to prevent cold, sadly may not be true. It's however not harmful to in any way so if it's bringing some sense of security (albeit false) from a cold for many I say more power to them!

21. Babies get fevers when they are teething

A very common misconception among parents and this could be potentially dangerous. Don't neglect your baby's high fever by incorrectly associating it to teething. This will put your baby at risk. Please also spread the word.

22. Pregnancy lasts nine months

I was really surprised when I read this as it's such a commonly known fact that I never even though about questioning it. Pregnancy on an average actually lasts nine and a half months. Doctors associate 40 weeks with pregnancy, which includes technically 2 more weeks prior to conception as well. Does this put a wrench on your existing plans as just to confuse the matter, even more, researchers have found that the amount of time a healthy pregnancy lasts can vary by as much as five weeks.

23. Cracking your joints can lead to arthritis

I remember the times I was admonished by elders for cracking my bones. People who crack their bones have the same level of risks as their counterparts who don't crack. Another myth busted!

 24. Truth Serum

There is until now no known truth serum that medically exists. At least that which has been published in the literature. There are alcohols and drugs which may induce hallucinations or reduce your natural inhibitions leading you to speak what you are thinking in your mind without filters. But unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on one's point of view)  there exists no actual truth serum.

25. Natural Blondes Are Going Extinct

I have many theories explaining this as a fact. With Blondeness being part of a recessive gene doomed to exit the gene pool over time. Genes for blonde hair have always been recessive and there's been no measurable decline in blondes so far. So a message to all my dear friends bawling in sorrow over the decline in natural blondes - No fear mate! Their disappearance is not tied to recessive gene pool but could from your own lecherous behaviours maybe!!

26. Coffee Dehydrates you

Caffeine induces alertness by narrowing of blood vessels and increasing the blood flow to your brain. This can increase your heart rate and make you expend more water. But Coffee as its consumed is mostly water so to reach a concentration of caffeine that actually dehydrates is extremely improbable. So go on enjoy your double espresso without fear of withering away to a husk owing to dehydration!

27. Handling frogs or toads will get you warts

Coming from a tropical country I was always warned about this. Apparently, the secretion on the skin of frogs and toads could cause warts. The Amphibian warts are not contagious. They are very unclean though and cause other skin infections from the bacteria that resides on frogs and toads. SO if you handle a lot of frogs and toads in your day to day life please consider washing your hands regularly. In hindsight, always wash your hands to maintain good hygiene!

28. You can catch an STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) from a Toilet Seat or Bus Seat

STD cannot get transmitted from toilet seats. Venereal diseases cannot live long outside of the body, and especially not on a cold hard toilet seat or bus seat. So you are quite safe but similar case to above about handling frogs it's always good to clean your hands as soon as you get again to civilization e.g. Home.

29. Men Don't Get Breast Cancer

This is again a very dangerous misconception. Although 100 times less in probability compared to women, men can also get breast cancer as they too have mammary glands. SO if you find suspicious lumps appearing around your armpits or chest please consult a doctor just to be safe.

30. Men think about sex every 7 seconds

This was a funny myth I found but which many of our females believe in. It's probably tied to the low view of male psychology that many females have.  This probably stems from a study done which showed women think about sex up to 140 times per day, compared to men, who think about sex up to 388 times daily. However, this survey had many inaccuracies as it was based on 18-25-year-olds based in Ohio State. Extrapolating from this to Men thinking about sex every 7 seconds is a wild exaggeration. It could although be said that men focus on the same thing for longer times, and along those lines think about sex for longer and more distinct in their visualization compared to women. In any case, who am I to advise anyone. Please feel free to believe what you want.

There are many many more myths that we believe to be true in our life but are not based on facts. Please post below if you have encountered some so I can further add to my list. Thank you if you survived reading so far. Writing this post helped me discover many new things and I am hopeful you will also take some knowledge out of reading this post.

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Sari - Origin, Wearing Styles and Types

Do you know what a sari is? You may have seen this garment worn by women from the Indian subcontinent and wondered about it. I, coming from India, grew up surrounded by my mom and relatives wearing saris am habituated to it. But having started this edublog recently, I thought “Sari” might be a very interesting topic to write about.  I discussed this with wife (the model in the attached pictures) and her enthusiasm for this topic sealed the deal for me.

The origins of sari could be traced back to the 2800-1800 BC Indus Valley Civilization centered around the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. It is a very long strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine meters in length, and can be draped in various styles. The most common style is wrapping a saree at the waist and draping the rest over the shoulder. Other garments like viel, stoles, shawls etc have also been derived from sari.
Saris are made by weaving one plain end and two long decorative borders running the length of the sari. Then there is about one to three foot long section, which also have very elaborate decoration at the end; this is part that is draped over the shoulder and is called pallu. Saris were commonly made from silk or cotton, but nowadays other cheaper alternatives made from terrycloth (commonly called “terecot”) and polyester ( also called “kela-silk”, remember Bollywood movie Guru based on Dhirubhai Ambani?) are also available. Warp and weft threads are sometimes tie-dyed and then woven, creating ikat patterns (threads of different colors) which are adapted into numerous designs. More extensive and elaborate patterning made from woven gold and silver (zari work), embroidery, pearls and precious stones can further raise the pricing of saris.
The styles of draping can be as varied as types of saris with modern fashion designers further evolving new variations to wearing this traditional garments. However, generally speaking the styles of wearing a sari can be broadly categorized into the following ways:

• North India: Sometimes described as the “Modern Style” is the most common way of wearing a sari. The sari is circled once around the waist, pleated and makes one more half circle, with the loose end or “pallu” going over the left shoulder. This style is worn in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.
• Nivi (sari drape): This is a style worn in Tamil Nadu where the pleats are passed through the legs and tucked into the waist at the back ( a bit like ‘dhoti’)
• Gujarati: This style differs in how the loose end is draped. It’s draped around the right shoulder, unlike the standard left, and is done back-to-front rather than the other way around.
• Maharashtrian/Kache: This drape is very similar to make Maharashtrian dhoti. And is primarily worn by Brahmin women of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
• Mundum neryathum: is a two piece variation worn in Kerela. This is usually made of unbleached cotton and decorated with gold or colored stripes/borders.

There are also other styles of wearing saris, namely Dravidian, Madisaara, Kodagu, Gond and many tribal variations.
Depending upon how it’s made there are following broad types of saris available:

• Kantha from West Bengal
• Northern styles
• Chikan from Lucknow
• Banarasi from Varanasi – this subsequently have various sub variations like Tant, Jamdani, Tanchoi and Shalu
• Eastern Styles
  • Baluchari from West Bengal
  • Ikat from Odisha
  • Jamdani, Rajashahi Silk, Tangail Tanter Sari and Katan Sari and Dhakai Benarosi from Bangladesh
• Western Styles
  • Pathani and Lugade from Maharashtra
  • Bandhani from Gujarat and Rajasthan
  • Kota doria from Rajasthan
• Central Styles
  • Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh
• Southern Styles
  • Venkatagiri, Guntur, Mangalagiri from Andhra Pradesh
  • Pochampally, Gadwal, Narayanpet from Telangana
  • Coimbatore, Kanchipuram (also called Kanjivaram), Kandagi from Tamil Nadu
  • Mysore Silk and IIkal saree from Karnataka
  • Mundum neryathum from Kerela

Whichever the style or type of sari one speaks about, the elegance and grace of a sari stays unparalleled in the world of garments. I hope you got inspired as well and try out a sari too in the future too.

Please follow my blog more such interesting topics! :)

Foldable Smartphones - a dream close to realization!

(This is a re-post from a new website I have created called un-riddle.com. My focus is to post on current and relevant interesting topics that I come across. )

Remember sci-fi movies and thriller novels with communication devices accessible on armbands or wrists. How about stuffed or crumpled messages into small confined spaces and hidden compartments.

Well according to recent news reports from the Wall Street Journal, this dream may soon be a reality next year. Internally called 'Winner' within Samsun's R&D and rumoured externally as the next Samsung Galaxy X or the new Galaxy F, this launch may be the next disruptive innovation in the fast-growing consumer electronics market. If other smartphone providers are not fast enough, then this might do the same to smartphones as they had done to the Blackberrys.

Samsung CEO Koh hinted at a launch soon and reports suggest to an end of 2018 unveiling. Electronics enthusiasts, it's the time to start saving!

What is a Moka pot?

(This is a re-post from a new website I have created called un-riddle.com. My focus is to post on current and relevant interesting topics that I come across. )

I was visiting my friend from Italy, as the day progressed the conversation shifted towards coffee. Having recently acquired a great appreciation for this intense beverage in the Netherlands, I said “Ja! Alstublieft” ( on second thought maybe I should have said “Si! Grazie!”). In any case, my need was understood and my friend moved ahead to pull out this strange looking apparatus to prepare coffee.

It was so new to me, I simply had to have it on my blog. The apparatus is the topic for this week for me and is called a “Moka Pot”. The name Moka comes from the Yemeni city of “Mocha” which is pivotal in the earlier discovery and marketing coffee.
A Moka pot is an electric coffee maker that brews by percolating pressurized steam that has passed through ground coffee beans. It was invented by Luigi De Ponti and was patented for the first time by Italian engineer Alfonso Bialetti in 1933. Interestingly, Bialetti is still the most popular coffee maker and also sells Moka pots under their tradename “Moka Express”.
The pot I saw at my friend’s place is in fact a “Brikka” which is a modified manufactured pot that incorporates a weighted value as pressure regulator on the top of the nozzle, allowing pressure to build up inside the water tank in a manner similar to a typical Indian pressure cooker ( This will be a topic for later). The animation below describes the principle.

If you want to delve more into the details of Moka pot please refer to the following Wikipedia link. Moka Pot. I can assure you're the quality of the coffee is on a different level and as my Italian friend explained to my ignorant self, this was how “real” coffee tasted like! Ciao!

What is a Blog?

(This is a re-post from a new website I have created called un-riddle.com. My focus is to post on current and relevant interesting topics that I come across. )

The word “weblog”, first used by Jorn Barger in 1997 to describe a web-‘log’ or web diary/notebook. The word “blog” originated from a joke Peter Merholz who used wordplay and broke the word web-log into we-blog in his private blog Peterme.com. Soon after, it was picked up by others and started owning its own meaning as a word describing a private logbook on the web. ‘blog’ can be used as a noun or as a verb. Blogs are mostly textual but recently there are other variations emerging based on their focus area – art blogs, photoblogs, video blogs or “vlogs”, MP3 blogs, podcasts. There are also educational blogs, or edublogs, like this one from me.

How does one create a blog?

Choose the area of focus

It’s very important for you to first determine what the blog will focus upon. It could be anything from environmental conservation, scientific discovery, political, religious, art, architecture, and the list goes on.

Choose a blogging platform

There are various blogging platforms both free and paid. Following is a list of various options for you:
WordPress ( For example check out my blog A Rendezvous with Words and my wife's blog Well of Wishes)
Blogger ( For example check out my blog Frozen Dews of Time)
Medium ( Yes, I have a blog here too to show you an example, Link)

Choose a good domain name and internet site host

For example, here it took me a week to narrow down from the various possibilities and selecting the one I wanted to go for. A domain name is a blog's identity so choose very wisely. It should represent what the focus of your blog is going to be.
Once you have chosen a domain name, you can start using one of the above blogging platforms or choose your own internet site host. Having your own site gives you more freedom to design and monetize the content you publish. There are thousands of site that sell internet space, but I have narrowed down to the final three and would recommend for you:
Bluehost ( This is the one that I finally chose)
DreamHost
SiteGround

Blogger’s Code of Conduct

One final thing before you jump into the world of blogging. The space of blogging is a continuously evolving world with all kind of interactions taking place. Like a society, it became necessary to have some ground rules or decency of being a blogger. O'Reilly and others came up with a list of seven proposed ideas:

• Take responsibility not just for your own words, but for the comments you allow on your blog.
• Label your tolerance level for abusive comments.
• Consider eliminating anonymous comments.
• Ignore the trolls.
• Take the conversation offline, and talk directly, or find an intermediary who can do so.
• If you know someone who is behaving badly, tell them so.
• Don't say anything online that you wouldn't say in person.

Ready, Steady, Go!

Of course, the role of blogging is for you to get an outlet to express your views, exactly how you want and when you want, without any censorship or interference. This is a great power that is for you to use as you desire and as is said - with great power comes great responsibility! I hoped you got the information that you came looking for. I wish you all the best in making your own blog!