7 most creative campaigns that killed the Internet!

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Social Media is a powerful tool when it comes to raging the best of the campaigns to the world. The more user-centric the campaign and creative, the more the talk.

There are about 3.8 billion social media users worldwide with 84% of users lying in the 18-29 age group.

Whether it’s to connect with your friends and family, find a movie, or develop a business, social networks are the hub to build connectivity.

Studies show that worldwide spending on social media advertising is expected to shoot up to $50 billion by 2021. Social media campaigns are the stepping ladder of your marketing strategy: a storyboarding way of building brand reputation, community and scaling business.

Here are some creative Campaigns that made an impression and impact around the globe!

1. Burger King

Campaign: #BurnThatAd

Burger King’s competitors McDonalds ad allowed its customers to turn an ad into coupons. They used Burger King App with Augmented Reality as functionality to turn McDonald’s ads into coupons in Brazil. 

Here’s how the fire began!

Key takeaways:

Burn that ad, enabled people to get a free Whooper for burning the ad. The AR technology was a step to tackle the competition’s presence of billboards, magazine ads, discount coupons and others.

Source: Google

Burger King gave the power of control to the consumers, thereby increasing the reach. The experience of flames burning away leaving the screen with free whooper gave the experience of truly winning a whopper!

The campaign was exclusive to the users who owned the app, which turned a blind to users not owning one. The AR could’ve been extended globally via burger King websites leaving the users the hassle of downloading the app.

2. Nike

Campaign: Dream Further

Nike is the god when it comes to social media. Nike kicked off a campaign for the Women’s football team in 2019 releasing empowering vide. Ahead of the Fifa Women’s World Cup, Nike released a campaign that features a girl lining up with some of the women footballers.

England and Arsenal player Alex Scott is showcased as the first women’s coach of Barcelona The video, which ends with the message: “Don’t change your dream. Change the world” brings out a strong message to the game.

“This team wins. Everyone wins”

Key Takeaways:


The campaign showcases shattering ceiling glass with its last ad, has been hailed on social media with more than 82,000 retweets, garnered praise from fans.

The support for the Women’s football team achieved new records of fan following and making headlines on the mainstream media. Nike finally gave the women’s soccer team the groundbreaking ad it deserves. has been hailed on social media.

3. Cadbury Silk

Campaign: #SayitwithSilk

Valentine’s is that time of the year, where brands focus on sharing stories infused with love. Cadbury Silk was focusing a lot more on personalisation through our products and communication. From the limited edition products, to the little heart flap chocolate packets- the love story saga began!

Key Takeaways:

People starting sharing content to get their hands on limited edition. The campaigns creatives themselves tell a story, the valentine day struck a cupid with this campaign. With people sharing their stories of proposing, sharing a Silk with. their partner, chocolate gift baskets, gift bouquets. All were

Source: Pinterest

People did pop their hearts out!

With its popular product ‘Dairy Milk’, Cadbury paints a picture of nostalgia, love and happiness in our minds.

MY VIEWS:

The product communication is revolved around young love, the missing angle with these campaigns are the old age couples, the eternal love that never withers!

4. Chipotle

Campaign: Chipotle for real

Chipotle drives with the story of food with integrity. With an innovative new Instagram account, highlighting all the ingredients they use throughout their products.

Chipotle celebrated its true identity with featuring all of its ingredients prominently.

Chipotle introduces new ‘For Real’ campaign placing its real ingredients in the spotlight with this print advertisement.

“Chipotle’s new For Real tagline and mission brings us back to our roots and reflects the principles we were founded on 25 years ago,” said Chris Brandt, chief marketing officer at Chipotle.

“Chipotle has always emphasised food prepared fresh daily in all of our restaurants and we wanted this campaign to highlight that, reflecting our real principles and ‘real’ as a way of acting in the world. While often long and complicated ingredient lists are common in today’s food industry, we like to say the only ingredient that’s hard to pronounce at Chipotle is ‘Chipotle’.”

Key Takeaways:

Chipotle stayed true to it’s brand and highlighted the raw roots- their identity. The core idea of how their food taste, and the key secret ingredients behind their yummy dishes. Chipotle standing for real food signifies the food industry’s core value with real base ingredients.

With no flashy photoshoots, minimal idea & greaty impact makes this campaign stnd out from the crowd and give its own uniqueness.

The ad encouraged us—consumers and restaurants and farmers—that “cultivating a better world” is within reach

5. Netflix India

Campaign: ‘What a Shot’

Netflix was founded in 1997, and it came to India in 2016. With the demand for content on digital platform surged, Netflix India kicked in bringing Rick & Morty to FRIENDS, soon it became a whole entertainment on one platform. The youngster’s TV: Netflix.

The rise in OTT platforms diversified content options and expanded categories with Sports, Events, Stand-up, Reality shows & others. When it was time for IPL to take over, Disney+Hotstar usage spiked and Netflix saw a downfall.

Key takeaways:

To tackle the reality and not fighting too hard. Netflix released a campaign addressing what their platform provides for entertainment, but missed on Sports! A subtle way of communicating, we are here for the Entertainment & we’ll see you soon!

Addressed to cricket fans, this campaign resonated with users who would ditch a house party for a Netflix binge-watch night!

MY NOTES:

What missed was, highlighting what one is waiting for on Netflix:
“We’ll see you soon for the F.R.I.E.N.D.S Reunion” would have bought the curiosity!

6. Spotify

Campaign: There’s A Playlist For That’

Spotify smartly used the meme and short videos culture to cultivate a kick-ass campaign. With the core value of music lovers and occasional boredom music users, Spotify conceptualised the concept of “Music for Everyone and every mood”

Spotify was trying to have a chill conversation with the audience, what better than taking over the meme culture?! The campaign is targeted to their strong millennial market with formats ranging from conversation and dropping the truth bombs!

Key Takeaways:


Spotify targeted the ads on billboards, digital giving an overhaul to the building meme culture. Fitting right through the culture, demographics & humour the campaign soon got viral. With the help of data science and AI, the ads were more personalised and regionally specific.

Better? They killed it at every shot!

How would I frame it:

The advertisement could be more appealing. The ad was one-way and did not introduce the 2-way communication for the consumers to engage. The missing hashtag would have bought the engagement on Social media and stories.

Annoyed of being taken for granted as the middle child?
There’s a playlist for that! 😁
#mymoodplaylist

7. Deadpool: Digital DVD Release Campaign

Deadpool as the character was build with crass jokes and features differing from other super-hero movies.  When Deadpool was releasing the DVD/Bluray of the movie, they owned social with the creative set of campaigns.

Against all odds, deadpool successes came out blazing guns and flaring appreciation. The adverts resonated as though deadpool was in the room while building the social media strategy.

Key Takeaways:

With showcasing the out of the box and unique personality into storyboarding the campaign, stood out with its tone and style across multiple social channels. Deadpool is humorous, witty, sassy and sharp with its dialogues, resonating more with the audience naturally!

What can we follow from this campaign?

Define the voice and tone of your brand. Research what type of communication you want to send and keep it consistent across every piece of the story you publish and interact with your audience. Most important, personalise and curate creative responses to the followers.

Key things to understand when you blast campaign on Social:

  1. Understand the tone of voice from your Target Audience
  2. Give Exclusivity to your followers. Build Advocacy from them
  3. Build CRM Social on all your platforms
  4. Optimise your SEO content
  5. Showcase your hero products on Instagram Shop
  6. Pull YT audience to Social Media
  7. Promote company culture
  8. Introduce more engaging handles on new engaging platforms like: Instagram, Snapchat.
    1. . If you are an ed-tech company: Have more Content driven channels that students can use as a notes for a quick revision.
    2. Glorify your teachers and build a teacher’s brand
    3. Teach with a story: Illustration, Doodles
    4. Integrate Technology: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality
    5. Invest on Video content: Short Reels/ Hack

Structure your campaigns with clear goals. Ideate. Resonate & Craft! đŸŒ»

Pressured to be beautiful? Here’s what you need to know about skin positivity!

Skincare has evolved this decade and transformed the definition of beauty. Skin positivity movement since it started has given the message of loving your skin. To be comfortable in your own skin, living with it and expressing it in your own way. Beauty products have evolved this decade giving a positive outlook to how women


by storiesbynida

Dark, bold and beautiful!

A woman is more than her colour. To this date, women across the world are judged upon their colour, body and labelled according to their appearance. Where fair complexion means beautiful and duskier shade is a black beauty. What is this black beauty? Isn’t she just beautiful. There’s no need to add a suffix like


by storiesbynida

Pressured to be beautiful? Here’s what you need to know about skin positivity!

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feminism

That
flawless skin!

Definition of beauty has evolved to focus on appearance and perfect skin

Skincare has evolved this decade and transformed the definition of beauty.

Skin positivity movement since it started has given the message of loving your skin. To be comfortable in your own skin, living with it and expressing it in your own way. Beauty products have evolved this decade giving a positive outlook to how women look. The pivotal change has helped gain confidence in women and see them from a new angle.

What does skin positivity highlight?

Skin positivity in a crux is all about skin love. It’s the way you see your skin. The social movement started on Social Media on why the way we look at our skin needs a positive outlook. The idea is to stop feeling insecure about the way we look and not be ashamed of it.

A few years ago, a video about a baby went viral on Instagram where she says “Mommy, I’m ugly” and cries out. The notion of perfect skin lies deep-rooted from the millennials, Gen Z & the old aged.

Source: Pexels

We all love skincare, which is part of our daily routine, day and night. But the makeup musings on how to look perfect is portrayed wrong, changing your identity doesn’t make you perfect. It makes us question, who we really are?!

Why do women prefer beauty products?

Looking good or glamorizing oneself is to not to change their look or gain attention or spike the male gaze. The idea about looking good & using beauty products is matched with dressing up for the feel-good factor. A cherry on a cake.

You’re beautiful, the makeup is just a stylist. You are the real art!

Next time you see women advocating for themselves, don’t ask why women wear makeup if they want to be comfortable in their own skin?!

We are comfy. We are just styling it a notch up!

Normalising the dusky skin look

The Brown skin – described for Indians as the brown-skinned person. Often the term sparks racism when hatred loops in. But, the brown skin has now become a fashion statement, the dusky skin look- the natural colour. Given the positivity, the beauty industry embraced with brown skin, the idea of self-love grew.

5 million women in India have been categorised under various shades, but globally we are termed as “brown-skinned girls”. Brown colour, which is based purely on the colour and often told in a fantasised way. It became a fashion statement worldwide.

How ironic, when the world sees brown-skin beautiful, but we consider it ugly?!



“I don’t think there is anything wrong with being fair, but it has become such an obsession in our country that it is all we look for in beauty. There are so many stunning people who are dark-skinned and it should be celebrated. I would love to have a product that makes me darker.”

-Kalki Koechlin

Definition of beauty throughout ages:

How makeup was marketed in the 90s “breakthrough, so new and so sheer” and today the social media and a YT video is way more compelling. These beauty vlogs people follow gives a new image of how people are changing their lifestyle with positivity.

Today, consumers who are well informed of neutralizing the beauty culture- have more control over what constitutes beauty.

To down track the idea of how one looks and how one should look according to the beauty standards created across the industry, we are losing the individual identity of staying true to ourselves. To gel into the mass definition of beauty is costing women their space and their mind to the idea of where they fit in.

In 2019, study from the University of Copenhagen and other universities , according to the group of computational scientists deployed machine learning to analyse 3.5 million books. The books were in English between 1900 to 2008. The books include a mix of fiction and non-fiction literature.

And the results showed ” the words used for women refer much more to their appearances than the words used to describe men”

‘Beautiful’ and ‘sexy’ are two of the adjectives most frequently used to describe women. Commonly used descriptors for men include ‘righteous’, ‘rational’ and ‘brave

University of Copenhagen

I look at people like I look at art, a thoughtful idea, a strong character. A story.

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5 self care ways to treat yourself to if you’re bored in lockdown

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Well hello there! Feeling lousy and blank to go through the day. Wish to have that chai or a coffee break as long as you wish? 

Well, the pandemic has made us groove into that mood. I do not call it unproductive, We are just confused, annoyed and bored of the mundane. Things that we used to do, to get the fatigue out is no longer an option, but a hazard! 

So we are on the 2nd term of the lockdown, the same time that of lockdown 2020, where we all packed our bags for a week or two. And we were borrowing our siblings’ clothes or digging our parent’s wardrobe for those pyjamas. 

Here’s are 10 things that you could do, to break the day off:

  1. Start Gardening: 

    The fresh muller earth is therapeutic to your mental health and also you feel a sense of gratification. Start with daily watering the plants. Move on to plucking the weeds, trimming the shrubs. You could start repotting the old earthen pots that have broken or leaky.

    Maybe, build your garden someday, you could plant fresh tomatoes, fenugreek and berries. A smoothie fresh from your garden!  
Source: Pexel
  1. Join a dance class

Well, it’s time to shake those potato couch attitude up! Low-key we all want to grove on Suit Suit Karda song whenever or wherever/wherever it plays. Burn those calories without panting. All you need is a good playlist, headphones on.

Start letting thins go- there’s no one to judge your bad moves. You could just be bad-ass in your grooves!  

Don’t sweat a second thought on this though.
 

  1. Read up unread books

    We all have a shelf that is reserved for the books. In those shelves lie your books to read. One’s that you planned to start as a new year resolution. Counting on the best books, you already have a list in your head, if you don’t here are some to pick
Source: Pinterest
  1.  A man called Ove: Imagine that dear uncle in your area- who nags a lot? Fights with the bureaucrats for the righteous things. Ove reminds me of that innocent yet grumpy man who points at people he dislikes. Behind the odd behaviour, there is a story and a sadness.

    This one falls under the must read books. If this lockdown is wearing you down- grab this one for a good read!

    My Favourite Quote:

    “We always think there’s enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding on to words like ‘if’”

    Genre: Fiction
  2. The Kite Runner: “About friendship of 2 little boys in a war-torn country of Afghanistan.

   My Favourite Quote:

“For you a thousand times over”

Genre: Historical Fiction
Watch on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/in/title/70065118 

  1. Perks of being a wallflower: Heard about how are extroverts adopting introverts as their best friends? Well this book gives you a journey of a teenager and his struggles with his past
    As he goes through this with his new friends in high school.

    Also, there’s a movie on this, a cherry on top? Emma Watson’s the starter.
    Head over to this link to watch on Netflix.

    My Favourite quote: 

    “We accept the love we think we deserve.”

    Genre: Non-Fiction
    Watch on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/in/title/70243461
  1. 30 Women in Power: Their Voices, Their Stories: Stories from 30 impeccable women across the country who broke the glass ceiling with their voices! A commendable one penned down by Naina Lal Kidwai.


    My Favourite Quote:

    “The simple truth is that there is nothing like a good challenge to get the adrenalin going.”

    Genre: Non-Fiction
  2. Rabindranath Tagore – Short Stories (Master’s Collections)
    A great collection of tales from Bengal and full of refined stories, written gloriously with powerful artistry.

           My Favourite Quote:
       
          “Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom”

          Genre: Poetry

4. Paint that wall

The first thing you see when you are up to is your wall. Well, when you’re stuck and nowhere to go. Staring at a wall is our favourite time pass. Go mad for that wall painting. You will find a dozen of wall painting designs online. Start with choosing a theme and set a colour.

It’s preferred to pick up a bright colour, I would recommend, “Yellow”. A psychological experience, that affects moods and energy, Yellow captures the joy of sunshine. It represents happiness, optimism, inspiration and summer.

Source: Pinterest

If you’ve been staring at that wall for too long. So why not make that wall worth staring at? 

5.  Take that ME-time on a weekday

With the same routine every day and expected thought of how the day rolls on – is an eye-rolling moment.  To save yourself from- I’ll work the week and rest the weekend. Give yourself a moment of unexpected joy- take a break on a weekday.

You’ll be amazed by the new way and maybe learn how to relax on a low-light day of work. 

Source: Pinterest

The purpose of finding a thing that you can connect with is not just to kill time or pass on your boredom, but every little step towards self-care can build your lifestyle. We often spiral into thoughts of our own that can be counterproductive in many ways. Instead, pick up one thing to do from the above and break the mundane.

Finally, remind yourself of your true value at the end of the day of what you are worth! 🙂 

International Women’s Day!

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There is a wall of silence about violence against women and girls, and every time a woman speaks out it breaks a crack in the wall


– Marai Larasi

Source: Pinterest

The history of how women’s day rolled out is quite an incredible story in itself.
Standing for their side for better work condition, In 1908 women garment workers marched in NewYork City demanding economic, political rights and improved working conditions.They honoured a similar march by their forebears in 1857, when garment workers rallied for equal rights and a 10-hour day on that date.

Inspired by this, in 1909 The Socialist Party of United States of America designated this day as first National Women’s day in honour of the 1908 protests.

German socialist Clara Zetkin had agitated for several years for a special day to mark working women’s global solidarity. Further inclined by the New York women workers’ struggles and the strong role of women socialists, Zetkin proposed designating International Women’s Day at an International Socialist Congress in Copenhagen in 1910.

2017, bought some movements bringing real changes opening up loopholes in our society. Movements #metoo #timesup saw immense voices coming out against sexual harassment and calling for change. Though these set out a strong platform for impending reforms to come, there is a lot to be done.

  •  On January 21, 2017, thousands of individuals committed to equality and human rights took to the streets in cities around the world for a Women’s March in a major global moment. Folks mobilised to raise their voices on the issues most important to them including anti-discrimination, LGBTQI rights, reproductive rights, religious freedoms, refugee rights, and more.
  • Following the takedown of Hollywood producer and sexual predator Harvey Weinstein, the #metoo movement went viral after a tweet from Alyssa Milano. Taking over every social media platform available, women across the world shared their personal stories of sexual assault to expose the global epidemic.Coined by Burke, the simplicity of saying “me too” proved the power of women banding together and speaking up.

Some of the data shared by #Timesup shows:

  • Reports say, 1 in 3 women ages 18-34 have been sexually harassed at work. 71% of those women said they didn’t report it. For too long, women have been facing this, the fear of coming out as “unnecessary victims”
  • More than one-third of the world’s countries do not have any laws prohibiting sexual harassment at work-leaving nearly 235 million working women vulnerable in the workplace
  • Nearly half of men think women are well represented in leadership roles and one-third of women think women are well represented in leadership roles. The ground reality when seen is, only 1 in 10 senior leaders are women
  • In the last 10 years, only 4% of top-grossing directors were female. Only 7 of these directors were women of colour.Are we better off today? Though these set out a strong platform for impending reforms to come, there is a lot to be done

Whenever there’s a movement like such, men and women stand in solidarity with support giving strong stance towards the stepping change to eradicating sexual violence and abuse. Standing in support can bring confidence and bring wonders in a movement.

Not only it assuages the initial fear to reveal the trauma one has faced but also eliminates the doubt of self-blaming for facing any sort of abuse. So, it’s not for the sake of “attention” that people come out in support, but for equity and parity across all sections.

quote-i-m-a-feminist-i-ve-been-a-female-for-a-long-time-now-it-d-be-stupid-not-to-be-on-my-maya-angelou-59-75-31.jpg

To all the ladies out there, realise your worth. Do not let your unwavering strength, passion and resilience go in vain. Mould it, Gather that will to be seen, to speak up, to keep going, to be your powerful self.  Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them


Happy Women’s Day â™„

China : Polity and Military…(Part-2)

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In 1949, there was a civil war in China and the government (ROC) lost control which established the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Since then, PRC is commonly known as China and the ROC as Taiwan. China has a mutual understanding with its neighbouring countries, they have good relations with the countries who recognise PRC as China. If a country is found to have ongoing relations with Taiwan, China refrains its relations with that particular country.

China’s borders have changed many times over the centuries and relations with neighbours is a complex narrative of the historical development of China. It was only in the nineteenth century that China’s borders were fixed and the concept of China as a nation-state was developed, previously the Chinese considered themselves rulers of ‘all under heaven’. neighbours.jpg

China-North Korea:

China’s support for North Korea dates back to the Korean War (1950–1953). Since the war, China has lent political and economic backing to North Korea’s leaders.
After North Korea’s most recent nuclear test in September 2017, China called on North Korea “to stop taking wrong actions that exacerbate the situation. But Beijing continues to have significant economic ties with Pyongyang.
China provides North Korea with most of its food and energy supplies and accounts for more than 90 percent of North Korea’s total trade volume. China’s strategy to re-establish its hegemony over North Korea has two main components.

  •  The first component is reminding North Korean regime officials of their country’s dependency on China.
  •  Secondly, to raise the costs of aggression that undermines China’s strategic interests.

China – South Korea:

A democratic country has seen for its super fast growth in the Global economy. These are archrival to the Chinese, as China supported NK for a long time in the past.

Relations between the two countries hit a low in March after Seoul refused to halt the deployment of the anti-missile system, known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), which Beijing deems a threat to its national security.

China is South Korea’s largest trading partner, and it used this economic clout to punish Korean businesses when the antimissile system was deployed. Trips by Chinese tour groups to South Korea were suspended, with the number of Chinese visitors dropping 60 percent.

China-Japan:

1931 when the Japanese invaded Manchuria and later in In 1937, Japan invaded the city of Mankind, killed and looted China. Plunder of this known as “Rape of Nanking”. This past act from Japan still effects their relation with China.
In 1937, Japan invaded the city of Mankind, killed and looted China. Plunder of this known as “Rape of Nanking”. This past act from Japan still effects their relation with China.
Yasukuni shrine in Japan is built in memory of soldiers.

 

 

China-Mongolia :

Second largest landlord country by area.
A predominantly Buddhist country, they invited ‘The Dalai Lama’ – the leader of People of Tiger. This angered the Chinese coz he doesn’t believe in unification of China.

China-Kazakhstan:

Uranium mining in Kazakhstan is of considerable importance to the national economy. Kazakhstan exports 40 percent of the world’s total raw uranium
Kazakhstan has enriched uranium with Russia and is now cooperating with China. Once the uranium factory is completed, the country will supply uranium to China’s five nuclear power plants.

India-China:

McMahon line which draws boundaries between China and India & Myanmar.

China accepts this boundary with Myanmar but not with India. because McMahon line, which was drawn in 1914 Simla convention because China believes that it

was not a party to Simla Convention so it is not bound to accept
the boundary demarcated by Simla convention.

Tawang in Andhra Pradesh, India: Chinese map show Arunachal Pradesh as its territory occupied by India. It claims 90,000 square kilometres of territory held by India in Arunachal Pradesh.China claims King of Tawang paid tribute to China as it’s a part of China.

India claims 43,180 squares Kilometers of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by China including 5180 square kilometres cede to China by Pakistan under a 1963 China-Pakistan boundary Agreement.

Shenyang in China: A Muslim province in China, where its citizens are deprived to follow Islamic rules. They aren’t allowed to fast, no Hijab. A citizen is deprived of the right to Education- if his name includes “Mohammed” ( Holy Prophet of Islam). East-Turkistan movement in Sheyong was observed where Muslims in Sheyong vis, Uighur demanded to move to the state of Turkistan

Political Ideology in China:

China follows Communism, where only single political party rules: One Party system.
The single party is the state and Government, it makes all political decisions.

After Deng Xiaoping started experimenting the free market reform in the early 1980’s, China went on to launch a big bang reform every 4-5 years and each new opening – First to private farming, then to private businesses, then to foreign businesses set off a new spurt of growth. The resultant followed; FDI started, businesses were set and employment increased.
He started the 1 child policy in 1979, which was later abolished in 2015.
In 1978, he décollectivised the norm, stating the farmer could own part of the share of land. The production would go more to farmers and less to the states, thus production also increased during his period.

China’s rise as an export-manufacturing power has not slowed the long-term decline of global manufacturing; it has consumed more and more quickly into the share of steel, TVs, cars, and other goods manufactured in the West. China doesn’t hesitate to invest in construction. Today, it has 20,000km (12,500 miles) of high-speed rail lines, more than the rest of the world combined. It is planning to lay another 15,000km by 2025
South-to-North Water Diversion Project: in China is the largest of its kind ever undertaken. The project involves drawing water from southern rivers and supplying it to the dry north. Planned to completion in 2050.
in 1999-Atal Bihari Vajpayee proposed we should link our N-S rivers, the then cost was accounted to be around 5.65lakh crore.

West-East Gas Pipeline: Oil and gas pipelines are branching out, as more and more countries rely on imports for their energy supplies.

This Project was carried out in 3 stages, First in 2002. In October 2012 the third West-East pipeline, which will span more than 5,000 km starting from the northwestern border in Xinjiang to Fujian province in the southeast, will have a capacity to transport 30 billion cubic metres (ccm) per year. The pipeline will be supplied from Central Asia–China gas pipeline.

 

How Communism started in China?

In 1949, Chiang Kai-shek  Nationalist party was defeated by Mao Zedong of Communist Party. Losing this civil war, Chiang flew to Taiwan.

Mao Zedong was often called as Father of MOdern China(1949-1976)

He never took a path, some of his plans were:

  • The Great leap forward: The economic vision Mao had focused on increasing agriculture & industrialization. Steel production was more than Britain. He forced people to produce steel, which saw a decline in agriculture and food production. IN 1958-1961, it was estimated that about 30 million people died due to starvation.
  • Polit Bureau: Highest decision-making by Communist Party.
    In 1966, Mao came up with Cultural Revolution, an attempt to root out elements seen as Anti-Communist.
    China’s culture was built on ideas of Confucius

    • Jen is a sense of the dignity of human life–a feeling of humanity towards others and self-esteem for yourself.
    • Concrete guide to human relationships and the general principle of social order or the general ordering of life.
  • Mao was against this, He started The Cultural Revolution: Where he urged people to destroy the “four olds” – old ideas, old customs, old habits and old culture. Gangs of students and Red Guards attacked people wearing “bourgeois clothes” on the street, “imperialist” signs were torn down and intellectuals and party officials were murdered or driven to suicide
    • The Cultural Revolution’s official handbook was the Little Red Book, a pocket-sized collection of quotations from Mao that offered a design for Red Guard life.
    • “Be resolute, fear no sacrifice, and surmount every difficulty to win the victory!” read one famous counsel.During the 1960s, the Little Red Book is said to have been the most printed book on earth, with more than a billion copies printed.

Military:

Air-Force: The 398,000 strong People’s Liberation Army Air Force is organised into five Theater Command Air Forces (TCAF) and 24 air divisions. The largest operational units within the Aviation Corps is the air division, which has 2 to 3 aviation regiments, each with 20 to 36 aircraft

Navy: Until the early 1990s, the navy performed a subordinate role to the PLA Land Forces. Since then it has undergone rapid modernisation. The 255,000 strong People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is organised into three major fleets.

The navy includes a 10,000 strong Marine Corps (organised into two brigades), a 26,000 strong Naval Air Force operating several hundred helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, plus a 25,000 strong Coastal Defense Force

Rocket- Force: The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force is the main strategic missile force of the PLA. It controls China’s nuclear and conventional strategic missiles. China’s total nuclear arsenal size is estimated to be between 100 and 400 nuclear weapons. The PLARF has approximately 100,000 personnel and six ballistic missile divisions (missile corps bases). The six divisions are independently deployed in different theatre commands and have a total of 15 to 20 missile brigades.

 

Dark, bold and beautiful!

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A woman is more than her colour.

To this date, women across the world are judged upon their colour, body and labelled according to their appearance. Where fair complexion means beautiful and duskier shade is a black beauty. What is this black beauty? Isn’t she just beautiful. There’s no need to add a suffix like that.

colourism in India

Quote: Nandita Das

There’s a subtle reminder to us everywhere that fairness brings you success. Cosmetics called Fair and Lovely has recently been supplemented by a product aimed at men called Fair and Handsome. What? and Why? They are handsome and lovely the way they are dark, warm, cold and every shade. There is already a disgrace around marrying a dark-skinned woman in India. One has to only look at the matrimonial ads seeking “fair” brides, in addition to which our Indian cinematic songs and advertisements play a supporting role in such nefarious practices.

This isn’t racism, per se: it’s colourism, a vice prejudice.

In this era where we are striving hard to get our stand, acquiring education, research and yet, we are running backwards with our ethos. Women and men of colour are looked down on in disdain as though a lighter complexion brings good fortune. What we need to understand is the craze about good looks has corroded our brains. Judging someone on these criteria is utterly shameful and an act of vice.

With education at its prime level, yet our mindset is at rock bottom. There’s a huge change that we ought to acquire.

Maybe, it is time to educate our mid-age parents who still have such thoughts. If you see your parents, aunt, uncle, grandparents, neighbours or relatives talk about someone’s appearance, It’s time for you to step ahead and make them understand that good looks aren’t even a quality to mark check-list.

For the pious ones who claim to be divine followers of their religion and yet indulge in colourism, here are some facts you should look upon:

  • In Hindu mythology, even Krishna and Vishnu are described as dark-skinned gods in the scriptures, which are often entitled as fair. And then there is the elephant-headed Ganesha, even though there are no white elephants in India.
  • One of the messengers of the Prophet: Hazrat Bilaal, was assigned to call Adhan (call for prayer). He became the first Muslim to perform Adhan (call to prayer) and to quote he was dark-skinned as well. And when our very own deities and prophets were dark-skinned, with what authority and vocal consciousness do we discriminate people with colour? Have we ever thought about this?

Do we have more power than the almighty that we treat people unjustly? When the Supreme deity bears no bias for his disciples, then who are we look down upon them?

Constant reminder:

The way we look is not important than our values and character.

Our skin colour doesn’t matter.

It’s just gross to ask someone how fair the girl is, or how much she weighs. To judge someone’s appearance and concluding is a human’s most common attribute. Having passed comments on looks, they don’t realize the horror they are causing towards the girl and her family. They begin to apprehend that there’s something wrong with their upbringing. The girl herself starts reflecting if she was living in this imaginary bubble, where she is merely a puppet, whose whole life is a lie!

I loathe the category of folks indulging in such practices, and I do not have a reason not to do so.

Cookie Pointers for the one reading this:

  • Educate your Parents and Family on this issue. Many a time you are caught up seeing your mother handing over fairness creams to your sisters ‘Kaali’ (Black in Hindi, which she grows listening to). Or most of the times when your sister’s/daughter’s wedding is halted because the guy wanted a fair girl for himself or the mother-in-law wanted a whole new version of a shade of fairness for her ‘lalla’ (kid)
  • Isn’t this the time we, who have the power, energy, rage, and resources spark to change this mindset and voice against such daily dramas? It’s time to correct mother, father, uncle, aunt, guardian, and neighbours of their wrongdoings.
  • Ask, are we even CIVIL with our mentality? With our utmost wanting of outer beauty or should I say the altered beauty. The next time you hear or come across such spoonful hate or disgust for the women/men of colour, ask them how would they feel if the same had been said about their sons/daughters. It’s not just the hate, but it’s the realization that it’s wrong.
  • Remind yourself about the potential you owe.

If you’re feeling like this, I have an advice:

You are beautiful, just the way you’re

The acne on your face shouldn’t be your ache

The dusky skin ushers the same boldness

as the waves against the sea-shore

To conclude, let’s look at some things not to say or ask:

  • Is the girl/boy fair enough for my son/daughter?
  • I want a beautiful and fair wife/husband
  • Like seriously, get a life, Dorks!
  • Your classmates will tease you about your colour
  • No boy will marry you if you’re this dark. Apply those masks
  • Girls have to look pretty and be beautiful
  • If I switch off the light, I won’t be able to see you. (It’s so not funny)
  • Makeup artists make a note: Make them look like who they are and not brighten their ‘shade’ for no reason
  • Also when at Sephora or a beauty shop, if the person asks you to buy a lighter shade foundation than your skin stone, whack them right there
  • Eat these, eat that, it’ll give a nice colour to the baby
  • She had nice skin before. What happened now? Here, take these fairness creams. To conclude, learn to be comfortable in your skin. Voice your thoughts, and defend time and again until and unless people stop labelling us ‘dusky’, ‘wheatish’ or what I call “camel coloured.” Yeah, I’m camel coloured and I like it that way

Upcoming 365’s…

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These 365 days.

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As you grow, you realize that New year is just another day.

A swap towards a new calendar.

Or a change of ‘201y’ to the dd/mm/yyyy

A periodical change to the timeline. The real change musters with Perspectives.

Perspectives that change.

The ones that begin to taper the way you reflect upon.

Promise your soul to be more considerate towards the human race, living beings.

Acknowledge their grief, sorrows, joy.

Be with them in the time of triumph and numb.

Kindness and empathy towards one another, Build that.

This year.

To not let people down.

Put that on your list,

Not as a resolution

But as a to-do-list.

List for your soul, list for you.

Towards the wilderness and thoughts you owe, may these 365 bring us the strength to manage ourselves.

Strength to put yourself on the top priority.

To build selflessness minus selfishness.

Owe yourself that!

Laden with humanity, peace and patience.