B E N N E T T, C O L E M A N & C O. LT D. | E S TA B LI S H E D 183 8 | T I M E S O F I N D I A . C O M | N E W D E L H I
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STUDENT EDITION
WEB EDITION
FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2020
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India sails through UNSCI
ndia was elected as anon-permanent mem-ber of the powerful UNSecurity Council for a
two-year term (January 2021-December2022) on Wednes-day, winning 184 votes in the193-member General As-sembly. Along with India, Ire-land, Mexico and Norwayalso won the Security Coun-cil elections. There were 192Member States present forvoting, and the 2/3 requiredmajority was 128. India gar-nered 184 votes. Canada lostthe elections.
THE QUOTA: The UNSC con-sists of 15 members: 10 non-permanent and five perma-nent members — China,France, Russia, the UK andUS. Each year the GeneralAssembly elects five non-per-
manent members (out of 10in total) for a two-year term.The 10 non-permanent seatsare distributed on a region-al basis: five for African andAsian States; one for East-ern European States; two forthe Latin American andCaribbean States and two for
Western European and other States.
PM REACTS: PM NarendraModi said, India will workwith all member countriesto promote global peace, security, resilience and equity.
NOT A FIRST: India, one of the founding members ofthe world body, has been elected as a non-perma-nent member of the Council, seven times in the pastfor the year, 1950–1951, 1967–1968, 1972–1973,1977–1978, 1984–1985, 1991–1992 and 2011–2012
The 2021–22 term willbe critical for India.New Delhi has beenpushing efforts toreform the SecurityCouncil and seek per-manent membership ofthe Council. Support forIndia has been increas-ing, with a number ofcountries advocatingthat the current UNSCdoes not represent thegeo-political realities ofthe 21st Century
THE SIGNIFICANCE
India’s deepest solar eclipse on SundayI
ndia will witness its“deepest” annular solareclipse of this centurythis Sunday (June 21),
with the sun appearing as anecklace of pearls for around30 seconds, during the maxi-mum phase, along a narrowcorridor running through Ra-jasthan, Haryana and Ut-tarakhand. The eclipse willbe partial in the rest of thecountry. With the next eclipse(visible from the country) 11years away in 2031, this is a bigastronomical event for India.
➤ An annular solar eclipse occurs when theapparent size of the Moon is slightly lessthan that of the sun. It leaves the outer rimof the latter uncovered, giving the appear-ance of a “ring of fire”. ➤ During thiseclipse, that ring is expected to be very thinas the Moon will cover up to 98.8% of thesolar disc, making it the “deepest” annulareclipse of the century in India, according toexperts. ➤There’s a possibility that the sun’scorona, an ethereal white halo around thesolar disc, will be visible during this eclipse.
CELESTIAL EVENT
☛ The eclipsed sun should not beviewed with the naked eye, evenfor a very short time. It will causepermanent damage to the eyes,leading to blindness ☛Observethe solar eclipse either by using aproper filter, like aluminised Mylar,black polymer, welding glass ofshade number 14, or by makingprojection of sun’s image on awhiteboard by telescope
DOS & DONT'S
HALF OF EARTH'S LAND CAN STILL BESAVED FROM HUMAN DAMAGE JUNETEENTH
WHAT: Juneteenth,an annual hol-
iday commemorating theend of slavery in the Unit-ed States, has been cele-brated by African-Ameri-cans, since the late 1800s. Inrecent years, and particu-larly following nationwideprotests over police brutal-ity and the deaths ofGeorge Floyd, Breonna Tay-lor, Ahmaud Arbery andother African-Americans
this year, there is a renewedinterest in the day that cele-brates freedom.
WHEN: On June 19, 1865,enslaved Afri-
can-Americans in Galveston,Texas were informed of theirfreedom and that the Civil War
had ended. The holiday receivedits name by combining June and19. The day is also sometimescalled ‘Juneteenth IndependenceDay,’ “Freedom Day” or “Eman-cipation Day.”
HOW: Initially, the day wascelebrated by praying
and bringing families together. Insome celebrations on this day, menand women who had been en-slaved, and their descendants,made an annual pilgrimage backto Galveston. Celebrations reachednew heights in 1872, when a groupof African-American ministersand businessmen in Houston pur-chased 10 acres of land and creat-ed Emancipation Park.
According to alatest study,about half of
Earth's ice-free land re-mains unaltered by hu-mans and can still beprotected with swiftconservation meas-ures. This was re-vealed after US re-searchers comparedfour recent globalmaps showing theconversion of naturallands to 'anthro-pogenic land' — landthat has been exploit-ed by humans. Theyconcluded that be-tween 48 to 56 per centof the world's land thatis not covered with iceshows 'low' influenceof humans.
CLICKHERE FORMOREBRIEFNEWS
IN
➤ According to ‘Daily Mail’,the researchers claimed thatintact natural lands can helppurify air and water, recyclenutrients, enhance soil fertili-ty and retention, pollinateplants and break down waste –services worth trillions of dol-lars annually
➤ Approximately, 15 per cent ofthe Earth’s land surface and 10per cent of the oceans are cur-rently protected in some form.
THE SIGNIFICANCE
ENVIRONMENT
X-PLAINED
'JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION' TO RESUMEPRODUCTION IN THE UK NEXT MONTH
The production of the UK schedule of'Jurassic World: Dominion' will re-sume in July, making the Chris Pratt-
Bryce Dallas Howard starrer, one of thefirst major studio titles, to start filming inthe country. The production of ‘Dominion’was suspended in mid-March due to thecoronavirus pandemic. Production of Warn-er Bros's Matt Reeve-directed ‘The Batman'and the third part of ‘Fantastic Beasts andWhere to Find Them’, Disney's, ‘The LittleMermaid’ were other big studio titles toshut down in the UK in March.
As per UK govern-ment rules, anyoneflying into the coun-try to restart workon the film, includingPratt and Howard,will be forced toundergo a two-weekquarantine
ENTERTAINMENT
The untimely death of actorSushant Singh Rajput, whowas fighting depression, cou-pled with the rising cases ofanxiety during these lockdowntimes, have triggered a con-
versation on mental health. Expertssay yoga helps in reducing our body'sstress level. On this yoga day, let ustake a pledge to utilise this an-cient Indian science’s bene-fits to gain psychologicaland emotional well-being...
Yoga is great for students
1 Start yoga early in yourlife; this discipline will have posi-tive effects on your physical and
mental health all your life. A studypublished in the ‘Journal of Develop-mental and Behavioral Pediatrics’ stat-ed that yoga classes have positive psy-chological effects for high-school stu-dents. Since mental health disordersusually develop in teenage years, yogamay serve as a preventive method forthe adolescent mind, it added.
2Many studies haveshown that yoga asanashelp in reducing the se-
cretion of cortisol – thestress hormone – and thiscreates balance in our body
and mind, and regulates ourmood and behaviour. “Stu-dents will benefit and im-prove their happiness levels,if they do yoga for 20-30 min-utes daily,” suggests yoga ex-
pert Gunjan Kochhar. “Yogaalso helps in releasing neg-ativity that wards off men-tal health problems, like de-pression, anxiety, persistentsadness and anger issues,”she adds.
Yoga is a mood booster
Deep breathing helps cope with stress
3 “Yoga has simple breathing exercises thatcan be easily mastered even by primaryschool students,” says Kochhar. In fact, in
this competitive world, deep breathing yogaexercises can help in coping with stress. Im-proved breathing can also help in buildingendurance, increase academic and workperformance, and keep lungs healthy, just
what we need during this pandemic.
For mind-body connection
4Yoga engages both the body and mind, unlikeother physical exercises that keep you in goodshape but may not work deeply on your mind.
By doing yoga, our mind connectswith our body, thereby impact-ing our psychological health,which in turn empower usemotionally too.
HOW ABOUT TRYING SOME LAUGHTERYOGA EXERCISES WITH YOUR FAMILY
FAVOURITE ANIMAL LAUGHTER: Laugh and behave theway your favourite animal or pet would behave if it was veryhappy to see you
CHICKEN LAUGHTER: Imagine you are a chicken.First lay 3 eggs in 3 laughs, then laugh with lots
of excitement in your voice as you go out tellthe world about it
LAUGHTER VOWELS: Start with ‘A’ asin ‘hat:.. Aaaaa ha ha ha ha ha". Next is‘E’ as in ‘hen’:.. Eeeee he he he he he.
Then comes, ‘I’ as in ‘hiccup’: Iiiii hihi hi hi hi. Follow it up with ‘O’ as in‘Otto’: Ooooo ho ho ho ho ho. Last
is ‘U’ as in ‘soup’: Uuuuu hu hu hu.
GRADIENT LAUGHTER: Fake asmile; giggle, then laugh slowly, andthen increase in tempo and volume.
HEARTY LAUGHTER: Spreadyour arms up, look up and
laugh; direct your laughterto come straight fromyour heart.
NEW BOOKS ON YOGA
OM THE YOGA DOG BYIRA TRIVEDIAimed at tiny tots (and their adults),this fun book teaches yoga asanaswith the help of adorable step-by-step illustrations so that children candevelop flexibility, strength, innerpeace and mindfulness. Most importantly, the bookwill help in the bonding of the guardian and child asthey undertake these activities together.
PEPPA PIG: PEPPA LOVES YOGA From the BAFTA award-winningpreschool animation series, PeppaPig, comes a brand new story,‘Peppa Loves Yoga’! It helps chil-dren learn about yoga and practiseit as a tool for mindfulness. It is filled withendearing illustrations of Peppa and her friendshaving fun, while learning yoga positions.
➤June 21, the summer solstice (thelongest day of the year in the NorthenHemisphere), has a special significancefrom the perspective of yoga.➤ It is believed that it was on the day ofthe summer solstice that Lord Shiva began imparting theknowledge of yoga to the world and became the AdiGuru of yoga
WHY JUNE 21 WAS SELECTED AS THEINTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY
JUNE 21
FATHER'S
DAY
SHOW YOUR APPRECIATIONTell your father how much hemeans to you in a handwritten let-ter. To make it really personal, usea plain piece of paper, rather thana card. The key is to recall specificmoments where he made a lastingimpact on you. Jot down instanceswhen you truly connected.
KNOW YOUR FATHERTake a moment to ask your fatherall sorts of questions about hislife. For a more playful approach,rope in the whole family and getto know your father through trivia.Have him team with a family mem-ber to create a quiz about his life.(The questions should be difficult,otherwise you won’t learn much.)Bring out some snacks and make agame night out of it.
SPEND QUALITY TIMEWITH HIMSpend quality time with your dad, even if it’s virtual. Bond with him over his favouritehobby — be it exercising, cooking or bird-watching.
GETCREATIVE TOCELEBRATE
DAD
➤ For more: Check Page 2
“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.”GÉRARD DE NERVAL, FRENCH WRITER AND POET DOUBLE CELEBRATION02
What is it? Mind-fulness is “the basic human abil-ity to be fully pres-ent, aware of
where we are and what we’re doing,and not be overly reactive or over-whelmed by what’s going on aroundus. We know that mindfulness is agreat tool for adults to be more re-laxed, beat stress, and improve theiroverall quality of life; but does thishold true for children as well?
Mindfulness for KidsMindfulness expert David Gellesdefines it as “the simple practiceof bringing a gentle, accepting at-titude to the present moment”Children should find it easy to un-derstand what mindfulness isbased on this definition, but youmight need to discuss it with themto make sure they have a goodgrasp on it—especially if they arevery young.
Breathing exercises are a greatway to introduce yourself tomindfulness practice. Giveone or all of these
three breathing exercises a try...
1. Breathe with aPinwheelFirst, grab two pinwheels—one for yourself and one foryour child. Next, follow thesefive steps:● Sit with your backsstraight and your bodiesrelaxed.● Blow on your pinwheelstogether using long, deep
breaths. Notice how you feel—calm andrelaxed? Having trouble sitting still?
● Next, blow on your pinwheelswith short, quick breaths. Noticehow you feel again.● Blow on the pinwheels as you
normally would. Again, notice howyou feel.● Think about the different types
of breathing you are engaged in;discuss how it made you feel.
2. Square BreathA square breath is abreath that is even on
all sides, and it can be use-ful as a mindfulness exercise for
both you and your child.
Here’s what to do:● Breathe in, to the count offour. ● Hold the breath for fourseconds. ● Breathe out to thecount of four.● To help keep track, draw asquare in the air with your finger,taking four seconds on each side
3. Darth Vader Breath● Breathe in through your nose.● Keep your mouth closed andexhale from the back of your throat,making a ‘Darth Vader’ style noise asyou do.● This will help you focus on yourbreath and stay fully anchored in thepresent!
Excited about Father’s Day on June 21,Sunday? Here are a few posters andgreeting card cut-outs that youcould gift your dad! Take a print, cut offthe edges, fill it with colour and glitter... weare good to go! Also did you know... author AA Milne createdWinnie the Pooh for his son, ChristopherRobin. Pooh was based on Robin’s teddy bear,Edward, a gift Christopher had received forhis first birthday... Tell us how you celebrated with dadon [email protected]
Be Mindful...Try these
1. JENGAHave you ever played Jenga? Ifso, you know that it can be a lotof fun but that it also requiresconcentrated attention andawareness. Take advantage ofthis fact and use Jenga to buildyour mindfulness.
2. PLAY A PENNY GAMEThis game is good for children 3 and up and can beplayed one-on-one or with a group. All you’ll needto play is a penny for each player and a basket.
Here’s how to play:➤ Give everyone a pennyand allow them one minuteto study it, focusing on thedetails.➤ Put all the pennies inthe basket.➤ Have each player picktheir penny from thebasket.
➤ Once a player chooses their penny from thebasket, have them explain how they knew it wastheir penny.➤ The penny game can be played with otherobjects too; the important part is that the childrenplaying are able to focus on something and payattention to detail.
Rather than focusing on what hashappened or what might happen,mindfulness teaches us to respond towhatever shows up in ourpresentexperience, beit good or bad
HappyFather’s Day
This
Let’s CelebrateMindfulness
How Can We BestTeach Mindfulness?As is the case for most traits, habits, andskills, the best way to instil mindfulness is tostart early. Mindful children grow to be mind-ful teenagers, mindful adolescents, and mind-ful adults. In addition to getting started early,it’s important to note that the best way toteach mindfulness to your children is to practice it yourself and model it for them.
What are the Benefits?➤ Improving physical health.➤ Improving mental health (e.g. helping toaddress stress, anxiety, and depression, andimproving sleep).➤ Enhancing important social and emo-tional skills (e.g. the ability to feel incontrol, to make and maintainmeaningful relationships, toaccept reality, to manage diffi-cult feelings, and to be calmer,more resilient, more compassion-ate, and more empathetic).➤ Increasing intellect.➤ Improved cognitive outcomes (e.g. betterattention and focus, higher grades).➤ Improved social-emotional skills (e.g.emotion regulation, better behaviour inschool, higher empathy and perspective-taking, and better social skills).➤ Greater well-being (e.g. lower test anxiety,lower stress, fewer post-traumatic symptoms,and reduced depression).
M I N D F U L N E S S A C T I V I T I E S
This book teaches asanas with thehelp of step-by-step illustrations sothat you can develop flexibility,strength and mindfulness. Try AnulomVilom with Prana (the frog) and YogaNidra with Moksha (elephant) here...
For more activities and cut outs log in to https://www.penguin.co.uk
OM THE YOGA DOG...COMING SOON
https://www.amazon.in/Om-Yoga-Dog-Asanas-Happy/dp/0143448293Find the book here:
