How to separate learning myths from reality

There are some misconceptions about the brain which are embedded in corporate training programs and could be sabotaging their effectiveness. Over the years there has been much research in the area of brain science and you may have probably read how the brain works and the secret of maximizing your mental capacity. In the process, you may have read that after a critical period in childhood there is no hope for significant learning, that half of your brain is inactive at any given time, or that you’re capable of learning properly only in your preferred style. Each of these claims is what we call a “neuromyth,” a misconception based on incorrect interpretations of neuroscientific research. Bridging the gap between popular neuromyths and the scientific insights gathered in the past few decades is a growing challenge. Unless such misconceptions are eliminated, they will continue to undermine both personal- and organizational-learning efforts. Therefore companies should reevaluate their training programs in light of the latest scientific insights. This article is adapted from an article by Artin Atabaki, Stacey Dietsch, and Julia M. Sperling in McKinsey Quarterly issue of July 2015.

Myth #1: The critical window of childhood
Most of us have heard about critical learning periods—the first years of life, when the vast majority of the brain’s development is thought to occur. After this period, or so the assumption too often goes, the trajectory of human development is deemed to be more or less fixed. That, however, is an exaggeration. Recent neuroscientific research indicates that experience can change both the brain’s physical structure and its functional organization—a phenomenon described as neuroplasticity.

Researchers studying the plasticity of the brain are increasingly interested in mindfulness. Practicing simple meditation techniques, such as concentrated breathing, helps build denser gray matter in parts of the brain associated with learning and memory, controlling emotions, and compassion. A team led by Harvard scientists has shown that just eight weeks of mindful meditation can produce structural brain changes significant enough to be picked up by MRI scanners.

Organizations such as General Mills, Facebook and Google are increasingly giving their employees opportunities to benefit from mindfulness and meditation. Most such programs have garnered enthusiastic support from employees, who often see a marked improvement in their mindsets and job performance.

Myth #2: The idle-brain theory
A recent European survey discovered that nearly 50 percent of teachers surveyed in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands believed that the idle-brain theory has been proved scientifically. This misunderstanding originally stemmed from inaccurate interpretations of activation of hot spots in brain-imaging studies. By now, more carefully interpreted functional brain scans have shown that, irrespective of what a person is doing, the entire brain is generally active and that, depending on the task, some areas are more active than others. People can always learn new ideas and new skills, not by tapping into some unused part of the brain, but by forming new or stronger connections between nerve cells.

This insight into the brain’s capacity becomes particularly relevant for the environment and context in which learning typically occurs. Everybody knows about the habit of quickly checking e-mails or planning for the next meeting in the middle of a training session. The problem is that such multitasking engages large parts of the brain’s working memory. Without freeing that up, we cannot successfully memorize and learn new information. In short, multitasking and learning cannot occur effectively at the same time.

Some organizations, recognizing this problem, are working to build immersive learning environments where distractions are eliminated. At McKinsey, they have created a model factory that participants can walk through to see operating conditions in action. But first, everyone is asked to place their phones and other distractive belongings in a locker, so they can fully concentrate on the learning exercise at hand. At many companies, removing the temptation of using mobile devices during learning sessions is becoming commonplace.

Myth #3: Learning styles and the left/right brain hypothesis
Almost everyone has encountered the theory that most people are either dominantly analytical (and left brained) or more creative (and right brained). However, this either/or dichotomy is false. The two hemispheres of the brain are linked and communicate extensively together; they do not work in isolation. The simplistic notion of a false binary has led to the misconception that each one of us has a strictly preferred learning style and channel. Recent studies have flatly disproved this idea, suggesting instead that engaging all the senses in a variety of ways (for instance, audiovisual and tactile) can help employees retain new content.

One organization that puts this idea into practice is KFC, which uses multiple forms of learning in customer-service training. Sessions begin with an after-hours board game placing the entire team of a store in the role of the customer. This is followed up by “gamified” learning that fits into roughly 15-minute windows during shifts. These video game–like modules put the employees behind the cash register to handle a number of typical customer experiences, including responding to audio and visual cues of satisfaction. At the end of the online modules, employees physically reconvene at the front of the store to hear feedback, report on what they’ve learned, and receive live coaching as reinforcement.

Although significant progress has been made, much remains to be done to eradicate neuromyths from the philosophy of corporate-training programs. Neuroscience research has confirmed some of the approaches that learning professionals already use, such as on-the-job reinforcement and engagement without distractions. Companies should draw on the newly substantiated insights and may need to rethink their training programs accordingly. At the very least, they need to improve their dialogue with, and understanding of, the scientific community.

Natural fats vs artificial substitutes

We are always caught up in the debate of which type of fat is better: natural fat or artificial substitutes? To get to know this with proper understanding, below is the excerpt from the book, "The Complete Book of Chinese Health and Healing-- Guarding the three treasures" by Daniel Reid:

Medical myths about fats have steered millions of Western people into self-destructive dietary folly in recent years. Natural unadulterated fats are not only highly nutritious, gram for gram they contain far more energy than any other type of food on earth, which makes them the most efficient fuel for essence-to-energy food alchemy. Natural fats contain nutrients which are absolutely essential for proper functioning of the brain, heart, and immune system, but despite this fact, the Western medical establishment, along with the media and processed-food industry, have condemned natural fats as killers and suggest instead that we all switch over to 'low-fat' or 'no-fat' products in which natural fats have been replaced by hydrogenated vegetable oils.

First, let's discuss why the body requires fats and how it uses them, then take a look at the artificial substitutes.

Natural fats such as butter, nut oils, and fish oils contain important nutrients called 'essential fatty acids', which are required for many metabolic processes and vital functions. Among other things, fatty acids are required to build and repair cellular membranes, especially in brain, nerve, and white blood cells, and to keep blood vessels clean and well lubricated. Two of them--linoleic and linolenic acid-- cannot be synthesized in the body and must therefore be obtained from dietary sources. According to Dr Cass Igram, one of America's leading nutritional scientists, virtually all Americans are deficient in essential fatty acids.

Fats are about twice as efficient in producing energy as any other type of food, including complex carbohydrates and natural sugars. The essence-to-energy conversion of fats takes place in tiny power plants within each cell, called mitochondria, which prefer fat over all other fuels. But the fat must be natural and unadulterated in order to yield viable cellular energy. That means butter, meat, fish, nuts, seeds, and and cold-pressed oils. The traditional Eskimo diet included mounds of raw fat from whales, seals, and fish, but Eskimos never experienced problems with arteriosclerosis and heart disease until they switched from natural fats to processed American foods made with hydrogenated vegetable oils, sugar, and starch. The Japanese also eat a lot of natural raw fish oils in the form of sashimi and sushi, which contain abundant supplies of essential fatty acids. Cold-pressed olive oil has been a mainstay in Mediterranean diets for thousands of years, and these countries are known for their relatively low incidence of cancer and heart disease. In China, people traditionally used cold-pressed sesame and peanut oil for cooking and making condiments, and in India, essential fatty acids are obtained by abundant use of clarified butter called ghee.

During World War II, when butter became scarce, American chemists fiddled around with vegetable oils to produce a butter substitute and came up with margarine and 'shortening'. They did this by heating various vegetable oils to over 500 degrees F, then pumping hydrogen through it and adding nickel as a catalyst to harden it. The result of this is a solid fat substitute with a molecular structure very similar to plastic.

When natural fats are eliminated from the diet in favour of hydrogenated-oil substitutes, the body is forced to use these denatured fat molecules in place of the natural fatty acids missing from the diet. White blood cells, which are pillars of the immune system, are particularly dependent on essential fatty acids. Here's how Dr Igram describes what happens to white cells when hydrogenated oils replace natural fats in the diet, excerpted from his book 'Eat Right or Die Young':
These cells incorporate the hydrogenated fats you eat into their membranes. When this happens, the white cells become sluggish in function, and their membranes actually become stiff! Such white blood cells are poor defenders against infection. This leaves the body wide open to all sorts of derangements of the immune system. Cancer, or infections by yeasts, bacteria and viruses can more easily take a foothold...In fact, one of the quickest way to paralyze your immune system is to eat, on a daily basis, significant quantities of deep-fried foods, or fats such as margarine...No wonder that a high consumption of margarine, shortening, and other hydrogenated fats is associated with a greater incidence of a variety of cancers.

Besides cancer, regular consumption of hydrogenated-oil products, including non-dairy creamers and toppings and virtually all processed and packaged foods, is closely associated with an increased risk of arteriosclerosis, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, candidiasis, and high blood pressure.

The heart is particularly fond of natural fats as fuel, and heart cells specialize in the conversion of fats into energy. In order to do this, however, a nutrient called 'carnitine' is required to deliver fats into the cells for combustion. 'Fats cannot be properly combusted without adequate amounts of carnitine,' writes Dr Igram. Carnitine is an amino acid synthesized in the liver from two other amino acids-- lysine and methionine-- both of which must be obtained from dietary sources. If you have sufficient supplies of carnitine, you can eat all the natural fats you want, because carnitine helps burn fat, especially in the heart, which never rests.

The richest dietary sources of carnitine are fish, avocado and wheat germ. The best sources of essential fatty acids are deep-water ocean fish such as tuna and salmon, avocados, almonds, pecans, and pumpkin, pine, and sunflower seeds. The best choices in cooking oils are cold-pressed olive, corn, sunflower, sesame, and safflower oils. Clarified butter or ghee is better than ordinary butter for cooking because it can withstand higher temperatures without damage. Avoid all products made with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, including commercial mayonnaise, bottled salad dressings, margarine, shortening, and virtually all processed foods.

Is milk good for us?

After reading a lot of articles on the pros and cons of drinking milk, I stopped drinking milk about six years ago. Occasionally I would have milk or cottage cheese or some milk sweets, but soon I started seeing the results of not having the dairy products in my diet-- lesser joint pain, clearer skin, etc. Recently one of my Chinese friends, who practices TCM, gave me a book to read titled "The Complete Book of Chinese Health and Healing--Guarding the three treasures" by Daniel Reid. When I read the pages on 'Dairy', it resonated with what I had read earlier. Below is the excerpt from this book on dairy:

Cow's milk is meant for calves, and babies are meant to drink mother's milk until weaned from it. Nature has designed both types of milk and digestive systems accordingly. It is a scientifically documented fact that calves fed on pasteurized milk from their own mother cows usually die within six weeks, so it stands to reason that pasteurized cow's milk is not a wholesome, life-sustaining food for calves, much less for humans. Yet not only do adult humans feed this denatured animal secretion to their own infants, they also consume it themselves.

Cow's milk has four times the protein and only half the carbohydrate content of human milk; pasteurization destroys the natural enzyme in cow's milk required to digest its heavy protein content. This excess milk protein therefore putrefies in the human digestive tract, clogging the intestines with sticky sludge, some of which seeps into the bloodstream. As this putrid sludge accumulates from daily consumption of dairy products, the body forces some of it out through the skin (acne, blemishes) and lungs (catarrh), while the rest of it festers inside, forms mucus that breeds infections, causes allergic reactions, and stiffens joints with calcium deposits. Many cases of chronic asthma, allergies, ear infections, and acne have been totally cured simply by eliminating all dairy products from the diet.

Cow's milk products are particularly harmful to women. Milk is supposed to flow out of, not into, women's bodies. The debilitating effects of pasteurized cow's milk on women is further aggravated by the synthetic hormones cows are injected with to increase milk production. These chemicals play havoc with the delicately balanced female endocrine system. In 'Food and Healing', the food therapist Annemarie Colbin describes the dairy disaster for women as follows:
"The consumption of dairy products, including milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, appears to be strongly linked to various disorders of the female reproductive system, including ovarian tumors and cysts, vaginal discharges, and infections. I see this link confirmed time and again by the countless women I know who report these problems diminishing or disappearing altogether after they have stopped consuming dairy food. I hear of fibroid tumors being passed or dissolved, cervical cancer arrested, menstrual irregularities straightened out...."

Many women, as well as men, consume dairy products because their doctors tell them it's a good source of calcium. This is fallacious advice. True, cow's milk contains 118 mg of calcium in every 100 g, compared to 33 mg/100 g in human milk. But cow's milk also contains 97 mg phosphorus/ 100 g, compared to only 18 mg in human milk. Phosphorus combines with calcium in the digestive tract and actually blocks its assimilation. Dr Frank Oski, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the State University of New York's Medical Center, states: "Only foods with a calcium-to-phosphorus-ratio of two-to-one or better should be used as a primary source of calcium." The ratio in human milk is 2.35 to one, in cow's milk is only 1.27 to one. Cow's milk also contains 50 mg sodium/100 g, compared with only 16 mg in human milk, so dairy products are probably one of the most common sources of excess sodium in the modern Western diet.

Besides, cow's milk is not nearly as good a source of calcium as other far more digestible and wholesome foods. Compare the 118 mg calcium/100 g cow's milk with 100 g of the following foods: almonds (254 mg), broccoli (130 mg), kale (187 mg), sesame seeds (1,160 mg), kelp (1,093 mg), and sardines (400 mg).

As for osteoporosis, it is caused not so much by the calcium deficiency in the diet as it is by dietary factors which leach calcium from bones and teeth, especially sugar. Sugar, meat, refined starch, and alcohol all cause a constant state of acidosis in the bloodstream, and acid blood is known to dissolve calcium from bones. The best way to correct osteoporosis is to consume the non-dairy calcium-rich foods mentioned above, while simultaneously cutting down or eliminating acidifying calcium robbers from the diet. A daily supplement of 3 mg of the mineral boron also seems to help bones assimilate and retain calcium.

From the traditional Chinese medical point of view, milk is a form of 'sexual essence'. For the human species to drink the sexual essence of another species can only lead to trouble, especially for females, because the hormones it contains will upset the sensitive balance of the human endocrine system.

If you insist on consuming dairy products, your best bet is goat's milk, which approximates the nutritional composition and balance of human milk. The only safe products made from cow's milk are fresh butter, which is a digestible fat, and fresh live-culture yogurt, which is predigested for you by lactobacteria, but even these should be consumed in moderation and preferably prepared from raw unpasteurized milk.

Lecture me, really.

I resumed my teaching three weeks ago after the autumn break, and while trying to explain something to a group of students, I asked for paper and pen. None of the people in that group had those, and when I asked in the class, only two students had paper and pen with them. Their reason was that since they do everything on laptop, they don't see a need to bring paper and pen in the classroom. I then announced to the whole class that from next week each one of them was required to bring paper and pen, and take down notes when I go through the lecture!

Perhaps my request of pen and paper was unusual. Isn't the old-fashioned lecture on the way out?

A 2014 study showed test scores in Science and Maths improved after professors replaced lecture time with "active learning" methods like group work, prompting Harvard physicist Eric Mazur, who has long campaigned against the lecture format, to declare that "it's almost unethical to be lecturing". In many quarters, the active learning craze is only the latest development in a long tradition of complaining about boring professors.

Today's fad for active learning is nothing new. In 1852, John Henry Newman wrote in The Idea Of A University that true learning "consists not merely in the passive reception into the mind of a number of ideas hitherto unknown to it, but in the mind's energetic and simultaneous action upon and towards and among those new ideas." So a good lecture class does just what Newman said: It keeps students' minds in energetic and simultaneous action. And it teaches a rare skill in our smartphone-app-addled culture: the art of attention, the crucial first step in the "critical thinking" that educationists prize.

Those who want to abolish the lecture course do not understand what a lecture is. A lecture is not the recitation of an encyclopedia article or facts on a whole topic. Rather, a lecture places a premium on the connections between individual facts. Absorbing a long, complex concept or argument is hard work, requiring students to synthesize, organise and react as they listen. In today's time, when any reading assignment longer than a Facebook post seems difficult, students have little experience doing this.

But if we abandon the lecture format because students may find it difficult, we do them a disservice. Moreover, we capitulate to the worst features of the customer-service mentality that has seeped into the educational institutes from the business world. The solution, instead, is to teach those students how to gain all a great lecture course has to give them.

Many many times I see my students drifting away, either on laptop or mobile phones when I am in the midst of explaining something complex and crucial for their learning; and then I realize that I first need to start by teaching them how to create space in their inner world, so they could take on that concept on a clean slate-- basically how to listen. The art of listening helps the students learn to clear their minds and improve focus. This ability to concentrate is not just a study skill. Think in a larger perspective--- "Can they listen to a political candidate with an analytical ear? Can they go and listen to their minister with an attentive mind? Can they listen to one another? One of the things a lecture does is build that habit of listening.

Listening continuously and taking notes for an hour is an unusual cognitive experience for most young people. Professors should embrace lecture courses as an exercise in mindfulness and attention building, a mental workout that counteracts the junk food of non-stop social media. I usually ask my students to stop 'staring' at their laptops and write down their notes on paper as I explain the topic. Initially there is some resistance, but soon, they start liking it. I think the students value a break from their multitasking lives. The classroom is an unusual space for them to be in: Here's a person talking about complicated formulas and pathways, challenging their pre-conceived notions, and trying not to dumb them down, not playing for laughs, requiring 60 minutes of focused attention.

Holding students' attention is not easy. I lecture from detailed notes, which I assimilate before each class until I know the script well. I move around the class, wave my arms and ask questions to which I expect an answer. When the hour is done, I am exhausted but happy! A good lecturer is "someone who conveys that there's something at stake in what you are talking about". Good lecturers communicate the emotional vitality of the intellectual discourse. ("The way she lectured always made me make connections to my own body systems and previous topics," wrote one of my students in online feedback.)

But we also must persuade students to value that aspect of a lecture course often regarded as drudgery: note-taking. Note-taking is important partly for the record it creates, but the real power of good notes lies in how they shape the mind. Learning to take attentive and analytical notes can greatly help in presenting their power point slides clearly as well as defending their answers in front of the class. However technology can sabotage note-taking. Studies suggest that taking notes by hand helps students master material better than typing notes on a laptop, probably because most find it impossible to take verbatim notes with pen and paper. Verbatim transcription of the lecture is never the goal: Students should synthesize their own points as they listen.

Lecturing in classroom is not a "passive" learning experience, and it cannot be replicated by asking students to watch videotaped lectures online: The temptations of the Internet, the safeguard of the rewind button and the comforts of 'own' room are deadly to the attention span. A lecture course teaches students that listening is not the same thing as thinking about what you plan to say next--- and that critical thinking depends on mastery of facts, not knee-jerk opinions.

In conclusion, lectures are essential for teaching the students most basic skills: comprehension and reasoning, skills whose value extends beyond the classroom to the essential demands of working life and citizenship. Such a student learns "when to speak and when to be silent", Newman wrote. "He is able to converse, he is able to listen."

The simplicity movement

In a world of rampant materialism and manifold opportunities, many people these days are apparently learning who they are, by choosing what they can do without. I had just finished  Diwali-cleaning of my home, and then I happened to read something on simplicity and its virtues. Being 'cleanliness-minded' myself, I decided to write some of these thoughts here.

We are usually told to try new things and explore the life's possibilities. As Oliver Wendell Holmes put it:"The chief work of civilisation is just that it makes the means of living more complex. Because more complex and intense intellectual efforts mean a fuller and richer life. That means more life. Life is an end to itself and the only question as to whether it is worth living is whether you have enough of it."

This striving for fullness and variety has always sparked a controversy towards simplicity and naturalness. Many great thinkers and conventional groups have always favoured ascetic living and high thinking as a way to clear out those material things that might distract them from humility and grace, compassion and prayer, the soul and the God.

Today's simplicity movements are different from what they were in the past. Today's most obvious simplicity impulse is the movement to declutter the home. Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, now ranks No.2 on Amazon among the best-selling books of 2015. Magazines and websites are stuffed with tips on how to declutter our living areas--- everything that can be folded should be folded! Open the mail while standing over the recycling bin, etc. Cleaning out the closets and paring down the wardrobe have become a religious ritual for many--- a search for serenity, and a blow against stress.

The second big tendency in today's simplicity movement involves mental hygiene: techniques to clean out the email folder and reduce the incoming flow. For example, Mailwise is a mobile email product that cleans out repetitive phrases so we can read our email more quickly. So there's a mass movement to combat mental harriedness, the epidemic of attention deficit disorder all around. Of course, there's a struggle to regain control of our own attention, to set priorities about what we will think about, to see fewer things but to see them more deeply.

One of the troublesome things about today's simplicity movements is that they are often just alternative forms of consumption. Some magazines advise us to strip away our stuff so we can buy new, simpler stuff! So simplification is not really spiritual or anti-materialism; just a more refined and morally status-building form of materialism.

Today's simplicity movements are not as philosophically explicit as older ones. Still, there's clearly some process of discovery here. Early in life we choose our identity by getting things. But later in an affluent life we discover or update our identity by throwing away what is no longer useful, true and beautiful. One simplicity expert advised people to take all their books off their shelves and throw them on the floor. Put back only the books that you truly value.

That's an exercise in identity discovery, an exercise in realizing and then prioritizing our current tastes and beliefs. People who do that may instinctively be seeking higher forms of pruning: being impeccable with our words, strong with our commitments, disciplined about our time, selective about our friendships, hence moving from fragmentation towards unity of purpose. There's an enviable emotional tranquility at the end of that road.

Read between the lines

Our landscape in imparting knowledge, be it at any level, is changing rapidly and traditional lines are blurring. The idea of learning spaces without classrooms and unconventional teaching approaches are being experimented widely, with a view to incorporate them as the possible ways in future education. Besides the need to work in teams and connect with people from other cultures, students need to learn to read between the lines.

Almost every time I face this challenge in my class--- how to coax or inspire my students to listen so attentively and 'deeply' that they are able to ask 'why'? Of course, there are a few exceptions who look for the reason why a particular process happens in that way in our body (I teach Human Anatomy and Physiology at the undergraduate level), and these are the ones who score very well in the module and of course, are the reason for my continuing to teach even after thirty two years!

Often, it is easier for students to take what is taught in class at face value. To raise challenges and ask questions to know more are seen as taboo and irrelevant by majority of them. This type of attitude results in memory work and regurgitation which is not a surprise, because in order to understand knowledge truly and internalise skills, students need to learn the basis and rationale behind what they are learning. As a result, many times students perform very badly when asked unconventional or application-type of questions though these still belong to the prescribed syllabus.

Students need to be encouraged to be "cheeky" learners, ready to question and challenge, eager to understand the basis behind what is being taught. This will inevitably lead to a teacher levelling up also to ensure that he/she "knows his/her stuff". Essentially, both teacher and student will level up together as co-learners. Based on my teaching experience, it's sheer joy for me to be in a class of inquisitive and enthusiastic students where frequent constructive exchanges happen among us!

The Ministry of Education in Singapore has emphasized that for young people to go further in their chosen careers, classroom learning must be combined with deep skills and on-the-job experience. One of these deep skills is social-emotional processing, which empowers students to understand and manage their emotions, show empathy for others and solve problems constructively. This is lacking in our students. 

Making out the meaning of circumstances is not just a cognitive process. It requires an awareness of one's own attitudes and conviction, and also how others are feeling. Students are writing essays lacking conviction, and penning narratives lacking emotion. Our education system needs to put emphasis on helping students find convictions and understand emotions. Essentially, learning to read between the lines is not just about success; it is about finding greater meaning and purpose in life. In the present world, it is becoming imperative to be responsive to the changing needs, and hence hone our social-emotional skills.

Can we become smarter?

You can increase the size of your muscles by pumping iron and improve your stamina with aerobic training. Can you get smarter by exercising-- or altering-- your brain?

This is an imortant question, considering that cognitive decline is a nearly universal feature of ageing. According to Richard A. Friedman, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, US, starting at age 55, our hippocampus, a brain region critical to memory, shrinks 1 to 2 percent every year, and 1 in 9 people aged 65 and older has Alzheimer's disease. The number afflicted is expected to grow rapidly as the baby boom generation ages. Given these grim statistics, we are so keen to try supposed smart drugs and supplements to brain training, that promise to boost normal mental functioning or stem its all-too-common decline.

The very notion of cognitive enhancement is seductive and possible. After all, the brain is capable of change and learning at all ages. Our brain has remarkable neuroplasticity; that is, it can remodel and change itself in response to various experiences and injuries. So can it be trained to enhance its own cognitive prowess? The multi-billion-dollar brain training industry certainly thinks so and claims that you can increase your memory, attention and reasoning just by playing various mental games.

A few years back, a joint study by BBC and Cambridge University neuroscientists put brain training to the test involving reasoning, problem-solving, short-term memory and attention span. All subjects took a benchmark cognitive test, a kind of modified IQ test, at the beginning and at the end of the study. Although improvements were observed in every cognitive task that was practiced, there was no evidence that brain training made people smarter. There was , however, a glimmer of hope for subjects aged 60 and above. Unlike the younger participants, older subjects showed a significant improvement in verbal reasoning which suggests that brain exercise might delay some of the effects of ageing on the brain.

There are also easy and powerful ways to enhance learning in young people. For example, there is growing evidence that the attitude that young people have about their own intelligence---and what their teachers believe---can have a big impact on how well they learn. Prof Carol Dweck, a Psychology professor at Stanford University, has shown that kids who think that their intelligence is malleable perform better and are more motivated to learn than those who believe that their intelligence is fixed and unchangeable.

In one experiment, Prof Dweck and her colleagues gave a group of low-achieving seventh graders a seminar on how the brain works and put the students at random into two groups. The experimental group was told that learning changes the brain and that students are in charge of this process. The control group received a lesson on memory, but was not instructed to think of intelligence as malleable. At the end of eight weeks, students who had been encouraged to view their intelligence as changeable scored significantly better (85%) than those in the control group (54%) on a test of the material they learnt in the seminar.

These findings appear to have profound implications for educating young people because they suggest that a relatively simple intervention--- teachers encouraging their students to think of their own cognitive capacity as a quality that they can improve--- can have a powerful effect enhancing learning and motivation. The adolescent brain is more malleable than the adult brain, so whether Prof Dweck's findings might hold for adult learning is still an open question! Perhaps it is not the same as increasing innate intelligence, but helping young people hit their intellectual potential is critically valuable--- and apparently not so difficult to do.

So we can clearly enhance learning; there is still more you can do for your brain. It turns out that physical exercise can also improve cognitive function and promote the growth and creation of neurons. For example, mice that are allowed to run on a wheel for just 45 days had more neurons in their hippocampus, a brain region critical for memory formation, than sedentary mice. Also, another study found that women who did weight training twice a year had less brain shrinkage than those who trained once a week or did stretching exercises, though the cognitive significance of this effect is not clear yet.

How might exercise exert these effects? Intriguingly, exercise in humans and animals increases the level of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, in the blood and brain. BDNF promotes the growth and formation of new neurons, and it may be responsible for a remarkable effect of exercise on the brain: an increase in the size of the hippocampus that is linked with improved memory. Conversely, adverse experiences like major depression can lower BDNF levels and are associated with hippocampal shrinkage, a phenomenon that helps explain some of the cognitive impairments that are hallmark of depression. Aside from making people feel better, antidepressants can block the depression-induced drop in BDNF, so these drugs are, in a sense, neuroprotective.

Now the question is whether there is a smart pill, like Adderall or Ritalin, that will do the same work as exercise? We know that these stimulants increase focus and make the world feel more interesting by releasing dopamine in key brain circuits. But when it comes to their effects on memory and learning, the data is mixed. The only consistent cognitive benefit of stimulants is their effect on the consolidation of long-term memory, meaning that they strengthen the ability to recall previously learnt information. There is no evidence that any prescription drug or supplement or smart drink is going to raise your IQ!

But there is one thing that doesn't require a prescription that seems to help preserve cognitive fitness: other people. There is strong evidence that people with richer social networks and engagement have a reduced rate of cognitive decline as they age. Prof Lisa F. Berkman, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, and other colleagues examined data from the Health and Retirement Study, which followed a nationally representative sample of nearly 17,000 subjects aged 50 and older from 1998 to 2004. Subjects were cognitively assessed with a simple word-recall test at baseline and then at two-year-old intervals, and social integration was gauged by contact with family, friends and other social activities.

The results showed that people with the highest level of social integration had less than half the decline in cognitive function of the least socially active subjects. Also, the cognitive protective effects of socializing were greatest among those with fewer than 12 years of education. In conclusion, you can't exceed your innate intelligence. But that seems less important than the fact that there is much that you can do to reach your cognitive potential and to keep it. Forget the smart drugs and supplements; put on your shoes and go exercise or consider brain training. And better still, do it all with your friends!

The Core of the Teachings of J. Krishnamurti

Of late, I have been reading the works and talks of J. Krishnamurti who is regarded globally as one of the greatest thinkers and religious teachers of all time. He did not expound any philosophy or religion, but rather talked of the things that concern all of us in our everyday lives, of the problems of living in modern society with its violence and corruption, of the individual's search for security and happiness, and the need for mankind to free itself from inner burdens of fear, anger, hurt, and sorrow. He explained with great precision the subtle workings of the human mind, and pointed to the need for bringing to our daily life a deeply meditative and spiritual quality.

Krishnamurti belonged to no religious organization, sect or country, nor did he subscribe to any school of political or ideological thought. On the contrary, he maintained that these are the very factors that divide human beings and bring about conflict and war. He asked that we tread lightly on this earth without destroying ourselves or the environment. He communicated to his listeners a deep sense of respect for nature. His teaching, besides being relevant to the modern age, is timeless and universal.

Krishnamurti’s work is permeated by what may be called the essence of the scientific approach, when this is considered in its very highest and purest form. Thus, he begins from a fact like the nature of our thought processes. This fact is established through close attention, involving careful listening to the process of consciousness, and observing it assiduously. In this, one is constantly learning, and out of this learning comes insight into the overall or general nature of the process of thought. This insight is then tested. First, one sees whether it holds together in a rational order. And then one sees whether it leads to order and coherence in what flows out of it in life as a whole.

The core of Krishnamurti’s teaching is contained in the statement he made in 1929 when he said, “Truth is a pathless land”. Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection.

Man has built in himself images as a fence of security—religious, political, personal. These manifest as symbols, ideas, beliefs. The burden of these images dominates man’s thinking, his relationships, and his daily life. These images are the causes of our problems for they divide man from man. His perception of life is shaped by the concepts already established in his mind. The content of his consciousness is his entire existence. The individuality is the name, the form and superficial culture he acquires from tradition and environment. The uniqueness of man does not lie in the superficial but in complete freedom from the content of his consciousness, which is common to all humanity. So he is not an individual.

Freedom is not a reaction; freedom is not choice. It is man’s pretence that because he has choice he is free. Freedom is pure observation without direction, without fear of punishment and reward. Freedom is without motive; freedom is not at the end of the evolution of man but lies in the first step of his existence. In observation one begins to discover the lack of freedom. Freedom is found in the choiceless awareness of our daily existence and activity.

Thought is time. Thought is born of experience and knowledge, which are inseparable from time and the past. Time is the psychological enemy of man. Our action is based on knowledge and therefore time, so man is always a slave to the past. Thought is ever limited and so we live in constant conflict and struggle. There is no psychological evolution. When man becomes aware of the movement of his own thoughts, he will see the division between the thinker and thought, the observer and the observed, the experiencer and the experience. He will discover that this division is an illusion. Then only is there pure observation which is insight without any shadow of the past or of time. This timeless insight brings about a deep, radical mutation in the mind.

Total negation is the essence of the positive. When there is negation of all those things that thought has brought about psychologically, only then is there love, which is compassion and intelligence.

Gratitude letter from a daughter

When one is feeling very happy, that is a reminder to be grateful to all those people who have been instrumental in one's happiness and fulfillment. So I penned down (and then typed out!) some of my feelings for my mother.

Dearest mummy,

I think so many times to express my love and gratitude to you, but don't seem
to say as much as I would like to. You can call it my laziness, or inertia, or too
caught up in routine work of teaching and taking care of Prem and children,
but these are excuses after all. So here are some of my feelings which I
strongly feel about you.

You have been a pillar of strength and support throughout my life, whether it
was in my studies, taking part in extra-curricular activities, pestering you to
allow me to join 'extra' hobbies like batik painting, learning shorthand and
typing, etc. I always feel so happy when people commend me for my cooking
which is due to your patient guidance in teaching me the finer points. You have
been my role model and mentor, more so after I got married. Whenever I was
clueless on what should I do in a certain situation, you guided me quietly and
subtly, without taking any credit. Even after more than thirty years of marriage,
when I am in a difficult situation, I always think of you, "What you would have
done in such situation".

Whenever I start planning to visit you in Delhi, first thing I am reminded of is
your caring nature. Starting from making my favourite dishes, to taking care of
all the needs, big and small, you don't seem to get tired! Your diligence is
evident in all the activities, and I can't express my gratitude enough for all the
times, when you took care of even minor details when both our daughters were
born. I am always so relaxed when I am with you because I know that all the
things will be taken care! I have realized that you have foresightedness and strong intuitive power because of which you have been guiding me all along, steering clear of difficult situations.


You have often emphasized about the importance of strong and good relationships to me, and I have witnessed how you have built and nurtured close relationships with all our aunts and uncles. As a result, when I look at my relationships with my in-laws, my siblings, friends and now my children and their in-laws, I feel happy and fulfilled, and it's all due to you. You have guided me and corrected my behaviour when needed, which has made me a likable person. I am truly blessed and privileged to be born as your daughter, and I deeply admire you and love you for all the things!

Your loving daughter,
Alka

Comparison of face-to-face vs online teaching

I use laptops and IT applications in classroom teaching every day; in conducting the lesson, as well as my students doing research and assignments online and uploading their PPT slides for presentation . Even exams are conducted online. In fact, if a student doesn't bring laptop to the classroom, he/she is not allowed to sit and do his work (there is a resource centre from where he can borrow one). During the semester we also teach online for one week where students do not come to the college; rather they learn from their homes( just to prepare ourselves of any emergencies!). Today I wish to discuss about these two modes of teaching.

There are some basic differences between face-to-face (F2F) and online teaching. Let us look into some characteristics of these two.

F2F teaching is in real time, dynamic and highly interactive. We as teachers are able to see our students, look at their body language while they respond to us, and notice their emotional state, and gauge their level of understanding. Accordingly, we can adjust our responses. One of the main issues of today’s highly wired students is how to engage them, away from their distractions, and increase their attention span on the lesson. This may be better monitored and guided in F2F lesson, as a measure of their focused effort (by introducing some activities related to the lesson). Also honing their skills in teamwork, active participation in class discussion and debates, and the opportunity of on-the-spot clarification of doubts with us are more realistic in F2F teaching than online.

On the other hand, online teaching provides more flexibility in terms of time and place as students need not come to the college. This aspect becomes very important if classes can’t be conducted in college due to some emergencies like MERS, etc. So students can choose to look into the lesson while having dinner at the coffee shop, and respond to the discussion forum at midnight (assuming that it is asynchronous mode of online teaching). Since no one is looking, some of the less-responsive or shy students can now express themselves more freely in discussion forum, without getting intimidated by ‘loud ones’. They can write their ideas or opinions or answer the questions posed by us without getting anxious, and taking their own sweet time!

In summary, each type of teaching has its own strengths and weaknesses. Depending on the situation, availability of resources in the college, as well as ease of accessibility of these resources to the students outside the college, either of these can be used. While online teaching provides more flexibility (in time and place) to the students as well as to the teachers, it requires different set of methods to conduct the lesson, gauge students’ progress and give them feedback. So we as teachers need to learn newer ways to engage them meaningfully, know them without meeting F2F, and respond to their queries any time of the day! As for F2F teaching, we have to be mindful of our verbal language, body language and emotions so as not to hurt any students’ sentiments in classroom, chances of which are lower in online lessons. Also F2F lessons become mandatory for those subjects where labs or some sort of demonstrations are required.

Value of Grit and Deliberate Practice

Some of my students seem to take easy way for their learning in the classroom, when they don't take down notes, and may not be fully attentive as they have 'false security' of relying on online resources. To make the matters worse, many of them become sulky and indifferent when asked to practice some concepts a few times. They feel that they have read once, and they have downloaded some material from the Web, it is enough! They prepare their Power point presentation, and upload it; slides look fine. But the problem starts when they start presenting their slides. They tend to read the text, and when asked to explain in their words, they stumble. When asked a question related to the projected slide, even then also, they have difficulty in giving a satisfactory answer. The root cause of this problem is lack of clear understanding or grasp on the concepts which can be attributed to their lack of grit and enough practice. This reminds me of my own experience as a student when I was returned one assignment to do it again.

I was in the first year of my honors degree in Life Sciences(somewhere in 1976), and the module was Human Embryology. My professor was very strict, with both the submission time of the assignments as well as its quality. I had been a conscientious student, and hence submitted my assignment before time, and had done my best. However, Prof called me in the next class and returned my assignment, where he had crossed it and written, "Do again". This was the first time, and may be the last time, that I had such a remark. I was totally shocked. Later when I asked my Prof what I needed to do to make it OK, he pointed some mistakes in the drawings of embryos. These were some very fine details, which I had missed as I didn't know their significance. He asked me to redraw, though he mentioned that my explanations were fine.

That reminds me of grit and deliberate practice which Dr Angela Duckworth talks about in her research papers on character development. Although drawing those finer details about the embryos looked rather tedious at that time, and I had to do that a couple of times, before it was approved, I could see the significance of that later. Those details conveyed how the development of the embryo was progressing, and what types of cells were involved in that. So it was not just a mere drawing, but an important part of the answer. That experience made me more aware of deliberate practice, and feedback from Prof was very important to make sure practice was leading to the right outcome. In that sense, I honed grit as my character strength and continued doing practice till mistakes became lesser and lesser, and I got the mastery over the concepts. In fact, by the end of the semester, I was guiding my classmates on how to draw properly!

In short, grit means determination to improve or doing better next time, which is very important character strength for learning. But without deliberate practice, grit is of not much use. We need to practice again and again, with a view to improve and come up to the expected outcome. Then we will have sense of achievement and satisfaction!

Bill Gates' advice to students

I came across a speech which Bill Gates gave at a High School in U.S. which was very apt for the students, so I shared it with my class today. In this he talks about eleven things students do not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

I strongly feel that this should be posted in every school so that kids all over the world can read and digest these wise words. Love him or hate him , Bill Gates sure hits the nail on the head with this!

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: They called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were: So before you save the rain-forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. *This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. (Do that on your own time.)

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you can read this...thank a Teacher.
And for life and everything else you have...thank God!

So above 11 rules quite sum up the philosophy of life in clear words!

The Power of Gratitude

Today is my husband's birthday, and to celebrate the occasion, my daughter had booked a table in a very nice restaurant. We just returned home after having a lovely dinner, having spent almost two hours enjoying the company of our dear ones. As I write this, I am filled with gratitude, for all the wonderful people I have around me, and for all the wonderful things they do!

I have devised my own methods of increasing gratitude in my life, to be thankful for what all I have. One simple way is to spend a few minutes quietly with myself, usually in the evening, and think of a few things I am thankful for, and also think about a few people(may be one or many) I am thankful to have in my life. I try to do this every day, and instead of repeating the same persons, I try to think of more people and things to be grateful for, thus expanding my arena.

After recognizing the people to whom I am grateful in my life, I try somehow to convey my feelings to them. Whether it is through a short note, or verbal compliment, or cooking something of their choice, I express my thankfulness to them. This makes their lives happier, and as their faces light up with a smile I also feel happier. This may sound too simple, but it can have a big impact on someone's day, week or even life!

While recognizing other people's efforts and expressing our gratitude to them, we often forget ourselves. We are also important and valuable! So during quiet reflection, I also reflect on things that I can be thankful for about myself. It could be that I finally got done with that boring or difficult task I had been procrastinating on, or I lent a listening ear to my daughter's hard day at work. Self-gratitude does not have to be about big achievements only. I could simply be thankful for my good sense of humor, or volunteering my time and efforts, or even doing my exercise regularly.

So power of gratitude is huge, and its effects are far-reaching. We just have to start feeling it, and then express it as often as we can. You will be amazed by the results!

We decide to get angry

All of us get angry, and some of us get angry more often than others. We usually blame it on other people's behavior or the situation. But is it truly so? Let's see how we get angry.

Just reflect on who we get angry with! Most of the times we get angry with someone younger to us in age like our children or siblings, or someone working for us like our helpers, employees, etc. What about our boss or seniors in the office, or elders at home? We usually don't get angry at them or rather, I should say, we can't afford to get angry with them, otherwise consequences will be serious. So even though we may be unhappy with them, we repress our feelings. Same goes with strangers-- our irritation or frustration with strangers is for much shorter than with known people. So it looks like that the closer we are to a person, more angry we tend to get with that person. That may also explain why at times we 'explode' at our parents than our teachers-- we take them for granted, but are afraid of the teachers.

So next time when you get angry, don't say that it just happened, and you couldn't control it. It is actually in our hands to get angry or not, with somebody. Of course, it is very difficult to control our anger, or minimize it. But if we become aware of our responses, and act after considering all the consequences of our actions, then incidences of outbursts will surely reduce.

Today is my sister's birthday

Today is my sister's birthday. I have one sister, Deepa, who is two years younger to me. My sister and I are very close. We completely trust and help each other. I can talk any thing with her and know it is just between us. I can share my innermost thoughts with her, and know that she is not going to laugh or criticize me for it. We share a very strong bond and she is my best friend.

In my times of need, she is always there, even before I ask her for help. When my daughters were small, they were very much loved and cared for, by her. So is still the case; her affection and care and concern has multiplied over time, though they are grown-up and working now.

In her own life, she has a successful career, besides having raised a caring and wonderful son. She is a woman of strong determination, grit and empathy, and has overcome whatever difficulties came in her life, with a smiling face and perseverance. I am blessed to have such a sister. Below are some lines I 'stole' from some unknown author which truly depict what I feel about her.

I just want to let you know
You mean the world to me
Only a heart as dear as yours
Would give so unselfishly

The many things you've done
All the times that you were there
Help me know deep down inside
How much you really care

Even though I might not say
I appreciate all you do
Richly blessed is how I feel
Having a sister just like you, Deepa!

It's all about your attitude

Whenever my students bring their problems to me, I find that there are some common issues which need to be addressed. Whether they are confused over which modules to choose for the next semester, or what they wish to do after they graduate, or even some personal problems, their main problem is related to their attitude. Let us see why I say so.

Many times my students complain about the course being not their first choice, or a particular module being very difficult, so they wish to change it. But I suggest,"Before you change your course or module, you need to address your attitude. You see, if you don't work on changing it now, when you move to another course or college, you will also be bringing your attitudinal baggage. In other words, if you think life is terrible where you are, it will be terrible wherever you go because life is what you make of it."

It's all about attitude. Irving Berlin(1888-1989) expressed this idea well when he wrote," Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it." In other words, life is ten percent what happens to us and ninety percent how we respond to it. So, it is not our current position that counts, but our current disposition that matters, as attitude is everything. We need to set our priorities right.

What exactly do I mean by a good attitude? It means that when one takes pride in oneself, and resolves that no matter what he does, he will always do it to the best of his ability, and do it with pride. Enthusiasm is a natural byproduct of a commitment to excellence. In case of my students, I ask them to become the best students they can possibly become. If they are doing their best, how can they be bored or uninterested? I ask them to change their attitude so that they stop whining and start winning.

Another characteristic of people with good attitude is that they always look for and find the good, rather than looking for what is 'bad' about their situation. If we cannot appreciate what we have now, how can we appreciate what we will have in future? Yet another attribute of positive thinkers is their empowering language. For example, instead of saying," I HAVE TO study so much for this module,"(which makes one feel like a victim), they would say,"I CHOOSE TO work hard on this module to achieve better grades,"(which makes one feel in control of life). As we develop a positive attitude, it will sustain us under all circumstances, and we will finally realize what happiness is all about.

A common mistake we often commit is to live in the future, fantasizing about a better life. By all means, we should set goals and make plans; but once we have taken the necessary steps to reach our goals, we need to live in the present. As the saying goes, nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

In short, a great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds. It seems to magically connect us to all sorts of fascinating opportunities that were somehow absent before the attitudinal change!

Resume virtues vs eulogy virtues

All of us seem to have many virtues like honesty, kindness, curiosity, being responsible, hard working, etc. We may have some virtues more than others, but still majority of us don't look happy! You will find very few people around you who seem to radiate an inner light. Such people make you feel happy and valued. You can see them looking after other people and as they do so, their laughter is infectious and their manner is infused with gratitude.They are not thinking about what wonderful work they are doing. In fact, they are not thinking about themselves at all. When you meet such a person it brightens your whole day. Do you wish to be such a person?

Let's see how we can become such a person who seems deeply good and listens well, and has generosity of spirit. Actually, virtues can be divided into two types, the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues. The resume virtues are the skills you bring to the workplace like leadership, teamwork, diligence, etc. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral — whether you were kind, brave, honest or faithful, or were you capable of deep love?

Now we all know that the eulogy virtues are more important than the resume ones. But our culture and our educational systems spend so much time on teaching the skills and strategies we need for career success that we are hardly left with any time to imbibe the qualities we need to radiate that sort of inner light. Most of us are clearer on how to build an external career than on how to build an inner character.

But if we live for external achievements, years pass and the deepest parts of us go unexplored and unstructured. It becomes easy to slip into a self-satisfying moral mediocrity. We start grading ourselves on a forgiving curve. We start thinking as long as we are not obviously hurting anybody and people seem to like us, we must be O.K. But we are living with an unconscious boredom, separated from the deepest meaning of life and the highest moral joys. Gradually, a humiliating gap opens between our actual self and our desired self, between us and those shining souls we sometimes meet.

So if we want to be a bit more like those people, we will have to work harder to save our own soul. We will have to have the sort of moral adventures that produce that kind of goodness. We will have to be better at balancing our lives. We will have to increase the role of eulogy virtues in daily interactions, while still maintaining the resume virtues we learnt in school and colleges! Then we will also be able to radiate that inner light which comforts everyone whosoever it shines on!

Effects of cupcakes on brain

The other day when I entered the classroom in the morning, I noticed a big box of cupcakes on one of the tables(usually I see McDonald's breakfast meals with some students). When I asked about that box, I was told that it was to celebrate one student's birthday(which I also joined later on!). While eating that cupcake, I was reminded of a news item which had appeared about two years ago in the newspaper. That covered the research done on how eating cupcakes or cake in general affects the brain.

Cupcakes are cute, quaint and colourful – and have become the trendy treat for most of us with a sweet tooth. But they may not be quite as harmless as they appear. The butter and the sugar in the fluffy sponges make them as addictive as cocaine or nicotine, research suggests. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the U.S., said: ‘We are finding tremendous overlap between drugs in the brain and food in the brain.’

Scientists in U.S. found that when obese people and compulsive eaters were shown pictures of their favourite sugary and fatty foods, a decision-making area of the brain called the orbital frontal cortex experiences a surge of dopamine. The same area is activated when cocaine addicts are shown a bag of white power. In another research, allowing rats to binge on bacon, sausage, icing and chocolate also caused ‘very, very striking’ changes to the brain as evident from its scan(EEG), similar to those seen with cocaine and heroin.

The research suggests that symptoms like delirious hallucinations, fuzzy thinking, shorter attention span and forgetfulness attributed to hard drug use are also becoming apparent in people addicted to sugary and fatty foods. However major corporations of processed foods that could be implicated by such research findings say that there is nothing wrong with their processed food and drink products if consumed in moderation!

Now we have to make the choice: whether we add to the profits of these big manufacturers of processed foods and slowly become addicted to their products similar to hard drugs' addiction, and live through the consequences, or wean ourselves from these unhealthy products, and start enjoying a healthier and longer life!

Life in the 1500s

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn’t just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married!

Baths in 1500s consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children, last of all the babies.

Sounds strange, but it was like this back then!

Taking Risk

Success is a by-product of vision supplemented with courage wrapped with powerful beliefs. We need to replace our fears with courage and risks with securities, so that we are able to face various changes and challenges of life. I came across some lines on taking risk:

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.

To weep is to risk being called sentimental.

To reach out to another is to risk involvement.

To expose feelings is to risk showing your true self.

To place your ideas and your dreams before them is to risk being called naïve.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.

To live is to risk dying.

To hope is to risk despair, and to try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person, who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live. He is a slave as he has forfeited his freedom.

Only the person who risks is truly free, as J. Krishnamurti says!

The Diet Myth

Many of us may have suspected that calorie-controlled diets don't work. And now Professor Tim Spector, a leading Genetics expert at King's College, London has found compelling evidence why this is so, as written in his new book The Diet Myth (2015). He believes that with the right regimen of diet and exercise, we can be happy, healthy – and lean – and keep the pounds off for life.

What’s more, Prof Spector is offering a new theory about what really makes us fat — which could revolutionize our approach to weight loss. As one of the scientists leading worldwide research into the trillions of bacteria living in our stomachs, Prof Spector believes they hold an amazing power over our health and moods — and that our modern diet may be having a negative effect on them.

Prof Spector has found that the type and variety of our gut bacteria have an astonishing influence on many aspects of our health. He says that microbes not only help in digestion of our food, but they also control the calories we absorb and provide vital enzymes and vitamins, as well as keep our immune system healthy. Our gut microbes are also linked to cardiovascular health, risk of diabetes and mental well-being.

Prof Spector argues that, with the right regimen of diet and exercise, we can change our personal mix of gut bacteria to become one that keeps us happy, healthy and lean. He believes bacteria are likely to be responsible for much of our obesity epidemic. The root of the problem, he says, may be our modern diet and its effect on our gut bugs.

Compared with our ancestors, we have only a fraction of the diversity of microbial species living in our guts. Fifteen thousand years ago, man regularly ate around 150 ingredients in a week. Nowadays, most people consume fewer than 20 separate food items, and many of these are artificially refined. The increasing promotion and use of calorie-restrictive diets that depend on just a few ingredients will inevitably lead to a further reduction in microbe diversity and, eventually, to ill-health.

So, how does exercise affect the gut bacteria? One way in which it affects is by stimulating the immune system, which, in turn, sends stimulating chemical signals to the microbes in our guts, according to a 2011 study in the journal Immunology Investigations. Exercise also benefits our balance of gut bugs directly, according to a 2008 report in the journal Bio-science, Biotechnology and Biochemistry.

Another finding is that artificial sweeteners should be avoided. Tests on mice by Israeli researchers suggested that artificial sweeteners can alter the balance of gut bacteria, so that the bacteria, in turn, release chemicals that, ironically, raise blood sugar levels, increasing the risk of weight gain and diabetes. And this particularly harms the health-enhancing microbes, according to a 2008 study in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health.

The diversity of microbes in our bodies is 30 percent lower than fifty years ago. Microbes in our gut affect our brain and mental health, and contribute to autism and depression and even the urge to eat more. A diet of junk food can dramatically reduce healthy gut microbes in only two days. Olive oil and nuts are ultimate health foods that nourish our microbes.

In conclusion, the type of food we eat and amount of exercise we do, are more important than just counting the calories, if we wish to reduce our weight or maintain good health.

Be Nice--It is good for your business

We all know that negativity is harmful. But did you know it costs the US economy an estimated $300 billions a year? And this is just one country; if we add all the countries, then the cost will be astronomically high!

We all have momentary interactions with people every day. These interactions can be positive, negative or neutral. Dr Daniel Kahneman, winner of the 2002 Nobel prize in Economics, suggests that there are approximately 20,000 moments in a given day, and each one lasts about 3 seconds. Those 3-seconds interactions are rarely neutral; they are almost always positive or negative. And we can deliberately choose to make them positive or negative.

Dr Donald O. Clifton, often called as the grandfather of Positive Psychology has done a lot of research on effects of positivity on people and organizations. He created the "Theory of the Dipper and the Bucket" more than a decade ago. To put this theory in simple words, we all have a metaphorical bucket. The bucket is filled by positive interactions and emptied by negative ones.

We feel great when our buckets are full, and rotten when they are are not. We also have a metaphorical dipper that we can use to empty or fill other people's buckets; but when we fill others' buckets, we also fill our own. Thus an organization populated by people with "full buckets" would have much more positive energy than one of people with "empty buckets", and would be more productive and profitable.

So what does this theory have to do with our relationships, whether at work or home?
Our relationships with people are formed by small moments, and they are crucial both in business and in personal lives. Dr Clifton and Tom Rath have discovered a 3:1 ratio; when a work team has more than three positive interactions for every one negative interaction, it is significantly more likely to be productive. When the positive interactions are lower than that, team is significantly less productive.

However wanting a more positive environment isn't enough. We need to do something, but not overwhelm people with positive emotions by cutting out negative emotions completely. Ignoring negative things that need to be changed is destructive! Instead, we should focus on the way we are treating other people in our brief interactions with them. For example, managers who start the conversation by focusing on a few good things that the employee has accomplished, then moving on to areas that need improvement, set up a more positive framework for discussion.

Therefore in conclusion, let us all aim to fill our buckets with positive interactions as much as possible for more fulfilling relationships.

Getting old vs Being old

You must have noticed that some people are worn down by hard work, while others thrive on it. The difference lies in complex social and psychological factors to which our bodies are constantly responding. Getting old and being old are two different things. Growing old happens in the mind; it is therefore uniquely variable in humans. After 20 years, any dog is an old dog; after 3 years, any mouse is an old mouse; after 100 years, any blue whale is a very old blue whale. In all these creatures, biological age is the only number that counts, yet everyone knows people who are young at 80 and others who seem old at 25 years. The great Renaissance man Sir Francis Bacon held a caustic opinion of old people-- "who object too much, consult too long, adventure too little, and repent too soon". This is the kind of old age everyone wants to avoid. Fortunately, nothing in our physical makeup forces it upon us. If we don't want to grow old, we can choose not to.

Psychologist Bernice Neugarten from the University of Chicago has given five factors, governing life satisfaction which in turn influence our 'getting old'. These are:
1. The person derives pleasure from daily activities.
2. The person regards his life as meaningful.
3. The person feels he has achieved his major goals.
4. The person holds a positive self-image and regards himself as worthwhile.
5. The person is optimistic.

Studies have shown that early aging is slowed down by good mental health and accelerated by poor mental health. Aging process is learned. People with good mental health teach their bodies to age well. Increased stress is often observed in the lives of those who become chronically ill and die young, but stress doesn't make people sick; giving up their inner adaptability to stress does.

The greatest threat to life and health is losing our spontaneity and sense of wonder. Children display tremendous vitality and rush at each day with open arms. This is natural to them and remains natural until they learn the dulling habits and attitudes that kill their spontaneous curiosity and wonder. As we grow older or mature, we start spending too much time in planning things. As a result, child-like innocence, creativity and pleasure are lost!

You are only as old as you think you are!

There is a famous saying, "You are only as old as you think (or feel) you are", and this relates to our psychological age. We can change our psychological age by interweaving personal and social factors. Among the major factors are our regular daily and work routine, job satisfaction, satisfying long-term relationships and feeling of personal happiness, love and compassion.

A psychologist from University of California, Larry Scherwitz, did an interesting study. He taped the conversations of nearly 600 men, a third of whom were suffering from heart disease, and the rest of whom were healthy. Listening to the tapes, he counted how often each men used the words I, me and mine. Comparing his results with the frequency of heart disease, Scherwitz found that men who used the first-person pronoun most often had the higher risk of heart trouble. In addition, by following his subjects for several years, he found that the more a man habitually talked about himself, the greater the chance he would actually have a coronary disease.

Counting the times a person said "I" was an ingenious way to quantify self-absorption. This means the less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers. The antidote for this is to be more giving, as Scherwitz concluded:

Listen with regard when others talk; 

Give your time and energy to others; 

Let others have their way; and

Do things for reasons other than furthering your own needs.

Now, tell me how old are you?

Three Ages of Man

How old are you? Before you rush to reply, consider that there are three distinct and separate ways to measure someone's age:
Chronological age-- how old are you by the calendar.
Biological age-- how old your body is in terms of critical life signs and cellular processes.
Psychological age-- how old you feel you are.

Only the first of these, the chronological age is fixed, and this is also the most unreliable of the three. One 50-year old may be nearly as healthy as he was at 25, while another person of the same age may already have the body of a 60- or 70- year old. To really know how old you are, the second measure, biological age comes into play; it tells us how time has affected your organs and tissues compared to other people of same chronological age.

Biological age also has its limits as a measurement tool. Biological age is known to be changeable. The arrow of time can move forward quickly or slowly, stop in its tracks, or even turn around. Your body becomes younger or older biologically depending on how you treat it.

The determining factor is psychological age, which is the most personal and mysterious of the measurements but also the one that holds the most promise for reversing the aging process. Like biological age, psychological age is completely personal--- no two people have exactly the same psychological age because no two people have exactly the same experiences. How old you feel you are has no boundaries and can reverse in a split second. An old woman recalling her first love can suddenly look and sound as if she has turned 18 again.

Instead of coming up with a fixed number to answer the question "How old are you?", we need to arrive at a sliding scale that shows how fast our three ages are moving in relation to one another. For example, take the case of two 50-year old men:
A, who has lots of family problems, suffers from depression, with a history of heart disease, and overweight.
B, who is happily married, healthy, optimistic, and satisfied with his job.

Although A and B are both chronologically 50 years old, A is under so many negative influences that his body is 10 years older biologically and is aging quickly. The picture is very different for B. His good physical and mental health indicate that he is aging slowly biologically and is actually getting younger psychologically.

Although we can't change our chronological age, we can very well alter the other two ages, more so the psychological age. How to do that, we shall explore in the next blog!

What is beauty?

Does your partner look as beautiful to you today as five years ago, or last year or yesterday?

Now, what is beauty? Who is beautiful? If we go by the definitions of beauty projected by the numerous advertisements in the daily newspapers, a woman is beautiful only if she is as "endowed" in that area as the model in the ad.

As a woman myself, I fail to understand the typical definition of sexiness, attractiveness and the other --- "nesses" linked to one's body's form. Or how losing hair or that male pattern baldness makes a man less attractive or sexy?

A study published in July, 2004 issue of scientific journal Evolution and Human Behavior shows that our idea of our lover being beautiful depends on what we have learnt about him or her over time.We all start perceiving physical attractiveness or beauty differently after a while. Scientists have found that those people who we find initially physically appealing would not look that good if negative traits start piling up. On the other hand, a person will look even better if positive attributes add up, even as age takes its wrinkly toll.

So if you believe in love at first sight, keep in mind that the person who makes you swoon now, might not after a few weeks, months or years. The desirability of a possible mate depends as much on the "non-physical" traits like whether they are cooperative, dependable, brave. hardworking, intelligent and so on--- as on physical factors like smooth skin and symmetrical features. It is not smart to discount potential partners on looks alone, because many less-than-pretty folks have plenty of beautiful traits.

The worth and value of a woman are not and should not be measured by the her vital statistics or shape of her features. A woman has much beauty to celebrate: her life and identity, the vital role she plays in the domestic setting and the workplace, the contributions she has made in various arenas through the years, her creative energies manifested in her writing, and the power in her voice which can still both a crying baby and a raging sea, among others.

Therefore, every woman is beautiful and worthy, with or without her perfect body or features. The bottom line is -- Beauty remains an ethereal thing, becoming brighter or duller over time depending on the person who perceives it. Someone has rightly said-- Everyone has beauty but not everyone sees it!

Life and Nation-- an economist's view

An economist's hypothesis: When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

An economics professor proposed above mentioned hypothesis in his class but his students didn't agree to it. However a few months later, the professor made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. Here it is how: 

His class was insisting that Socialism for a country would work well since no one would be poor and no one would be rich, thus providing a great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on the Socialist plan".... All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars/money - something closer to students and more readily understood by all).

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they likewise studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one was motivated to study for the benefit of anyone else.

To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward (and risk) is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will work really hard to succeed.
Could not be any simpler than that.

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

So the proposed hypothesis was proved correct!

Are you a Carrot, an Egg, or the Coffee Bean?

For one of my speeches for Toastmasters Club, I prepared the following speech with a strong message (original author unknown):

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life, and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it, and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as if when one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first pot, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked,"Tell me what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She then asked her to take the eggs and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to smell and sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she smelled and tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked,"What's the point, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity-- boiling water-- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water. She asked her daughter,"Which are you? When trials and adversity knock on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a passive heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside, am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or, am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the colour and flavour. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you become better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity? Like the Carrot, the Egg, or the Coffee Bean?

Toxic Stress--High anxiety lowers learning ability

Professor Jack Shonkoff, Director of the Center of the Developing Child at Harvard University, and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, has been talking about the profound effects parents have on their young children when he mentions the "Still Face Experiment". Done by developmental psychologist Edward Tronick, who teaches at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, the tests illustrate how a parent's interactions with his or her child can have a powerful effect.

In one of the YouTube videos on Still Face Experiment viewed by millions, a mother is seen cooing, talking and laughing with her one-year-old child. But when the mother suddenly stops responding, the child immediately registers something is amiss and with increasing desperation tries to win back the mother's attention. When all else fails, the baby collapses in tears.

Professor Shonkoff refers to these experiments to explain "toxic stress"--- a term he famously coined in the last decade to describe the chronic stress suffered by children who face various adversities in childhood. Just like in the earlier part of the video, when the interactions between a mother and child are positive, it helps fuel an explosion of neural circuits in the infant, linking disparate parts of the brain and growing stronger as learning and experiences reinforce connections.

The child's interactions with her parents--- being fed, hugged, cooed at, sung to--- send electrical impulses shooting through the developing circuits of her brain, strengthening pathways and inciting new synapses to grow. At its peak, the cerebral cortex region of an infant's brain can produce two millions new synapses every second. All this develops the child's capacity to think, learn and process emotions. A whole host of problems arise when interactions between parent and child are poor, or worse, non-existent.

Referring to the second part of the video, when the child is stressed by the mother's sudden unresponsiveness, Prof Shonkoff says: when a young child's stress response systems are activated within an environment of supportive relationships with adults, these psychological effects are buffered and brought back down to baseline. The result is the development of healthy stress response systems. But in situations of chronic neglect or abuse, where there is no adult presence to comfort and calm the child, her stress response can stay elevated. And, over some time, this turns into toxic stress, which research has shown can impair a child's capacity to learn, and even her physical and mental health. The effect can last a lifetime! Just as a weak foundation compromises the quality and strength of a house, adverse experiences early in life can impair brain architecture, with negative effects lasting into adulthood (reference: The Adverse Childhood Experiences, ACE, Study in US, 2014).

Prof Shonkoff says toxic stress affects the learning capacity of children, which subsequently leads to under-performance in school, and stunts growth in parts of the brain. It affects the prefrontal cortex. the area of the brain most closely associated with "executive function" skills, which are not the same as intelligence but encompass abilities crucial to learning, such as paying attention and following directions. Neuroscience has shown that emotional experiences, the quality of relationships that children have with the important people in their lives and the interactions and feelings that go with those relationships actually influence learning.

Fortunately, there is a silver lining. Research has found there are ways to lessen toxic stress. The best and most effective way is to reduce the chances of young children being exposed to extremely stressful conditions, such as recurrent abuse, chronic neglect and violence at home. It is also critical to intervene early, in the crucial window when the brain is developing. There's a lot of research that suggests that we must start early, even before a child is born. That means telling about-to-be mothers about the dangers of drug use, alcohol and tobacco.

Studies have found that mothers rated as being particularly responsive and nurturing had babies whose cortisol patterns were much more likely to be normal, regardless of whether they lived in poverty or chaos. Having a nurturing mother almost completely mitigated the developmental damage that, in other children, correlated with stress. However, it is not required for mothers to respond to their children 100 per cent of the time or be constantly "in sync" with their children, responding to their every move, as they say. Moving in and out of sync with their babies is not only normal, but can also be a positive learning experience for both parent and child.

Therefore, parents of young children or parents-to-be should be aware of the toxic stress and its detrimental consequences on the brain development and learning process, to enable their children to grow into emotionally and socially stable individuals.

The Club 99

Another enlightening story showing one of the possible causes of our present day stress and the evolution of our mental state!

Long long ago, much before our time, there lived a king in southern province of India, his name was Raja. He had strong army, and all the riches and luxuries. he had the attention of everyone wherever he went. He would wine and dine every night. Raja had a huge palace of 300 rooms, gardens, lakes and streams, and he bought all the luxuries that he could imagine. He had a council of ministers which was headed by Prime Minister; a wise man named Vajir. Raja had very little to do as all his work of kingdom was shouldered by the Vajir.

Despite all this, Raja was never happy. Though he had so much of wealth, enjoyed all the luxuries and respect and had very little to do, he was always searching for new luxuries, demanding more from his people and wanting to build even stronger army. He wanted to build his palace even bigger and grander than the palaces of the other kings. He would sleep late and get up late in the day.

One day, the king was very disturbed and despite all the wine he had he could not sleep. In the early hours of morning he heard a soothing song. He got up to see where this voice was coming from. He found that one of his servants, Ramu, had come for work and was cleaning the palace, and was singing while doing his work. The song was very pleasant and he was doing his work happily. King watched for a while but Ramu was busy with his work and never noticed that king had been watching him. King was puzzled and could not understand why this man was so happy despite working very hard. That day he went to his darbar and summoned his Vajir.

After Vajir came in, Raja narrated what he had observed and asked him about that servant, how much he was paid, was he taking any bribe to make extra money, etc. He ordered Vajir to find out how he was so happy? Vajir went on to collect this information and returned in half an hour. Raja was quite restless and was waiting for the report eagerly.

Vajir told Raja that the servant's name was Ramu, he was serving in palace for the last 20 years, and was paid a salary of 10 copper coins every month. He was very sincere in his work and there was no evidence of his taking any bribe. Raja asked how much salary increase he had gotten in last 20 years, and Vajir told him, from 8 copper coins to 10 now. Raja asked who all were there in his family. Vajir replied that he lived with his wife and two children.

Raja was not convinced with this information and asked Vajir to summon Ramu. Next day Ramu was brought to darbar, and he looked very scared. Raja asked him how he lived happily in 10 copper coins. Ramu explained with full respect that his wife cooked for the family and took care of the children and he worked sincerely at the palace. In the evening the whole family spent time together and he was very happy. Raja was not convinced how Ramu could be so happy in 10 copper coins while with all his riches he was not. He ordered Vajir to find out the true reason in next 10 days.

Vajir was now very worried as he knew that it was not easy to convince Raja. He kept thinking and thinking, and being a wise person as he was, at last on 9th day he was struck with an idea. On the 10th day, Raja asked Vajir for his explanation in darbar. Vajir told him that Ramu was happy as he had not joined the Club 99. Once he did that he would not be happy. Raja was not satisfied with his explanation and asked what was this Club 99. Vajir replied that he needed another 10 days and 100 gold coins to demonstrate that. Raja warned him that his head would be chopped off if he could not prove his point. Vajir had no choice but to accept the challenge. He collected 100 gold coins from the treasury. He put 99 coins in a bag and left at the doorstep of Ramu late in the night.

Ramu was just stepping out of his house in the morning when he saw a bag at his doorstep. Wondering about its contents, he took it into his house and opened it. When he opened the bag, he let out a big shout of joy-- gold coins-- so many of them. He could hardly believe it. He called his wife to show her the coins and emptied the bag on the table. He began counting them and realized that there were 99 coins. He thought it was an odd number so he counted again, and again and again, but they were still 99. He began to wonder what could have happened to that last one coin? For no one would leave 99 coins.He began to search his entire house, looked around his backyard for hours, not wanting to lose out on that one coin. Before leaving his house for work, he ordered his wife and children to search for the missing coin during the day.

The next day Raja was curious to know what Vajir was up to and got up early, but he did not hear Ramu's song. He noticed that Ramu sneaked in late for work that day and looked tired and exhausted in the morning itself. He was not singing and was trying to rush through his work. In fact, Ramu was thinking about the missing coin the whole day so he had no interest in work in the palace. He left at sharp 5 PM and rushed back home. On reaching home he asked his wife and children about the missing coin, and scolded them for not doing proper search. They all searched together till late in the night. He did not eat the dinner properly. He could not sleep, and was thinking how to get the 100th coin. A few days passed like this; he was still searching the missing coin, exhausted, not eating and sleeping properly, and scolding his family. Finally on 5th day he struck with the idea that he should ask his wife also to work and save enough copper and silver coins to get a gold coin. He mustered courage and went to goldsmith shop and was told that one needed 100 silver coins to get one gold coin and for one silver coin he needed 100 copper coins.

Though exhausted, he decided that he was going to work harder than ever to make up for that one gold coin to make his entire collection an even 100 gold coins. Ramu was then planning to get a part time job, pushing his wife to acquire new skills so that she could also work, and was always shouting at children for doing nothing. He was always rushing in and out of palace, leaving at sharp 5 PM, and even got his first warning for being late by his supervisor.

On the 7th day, Raja noticed that Ramu was then a different person, who had lost interest in his work and was not singing at all. His face was pulled down, and he looked exhausted and worried. Raja was puzzled and called for Vajir for an explanation for the change in Ramu. Vajir told Raja that he had joined the Club 99 and he narrated the whole story. Raja was very impressed by the Vajir and the way he demonstrated the whole concept. He praised him, but asked where was the missing coin. Vajir promptly put his hand in his pocket and returned the 100th coin to the king!