Govind Gujar: entomologist's journey to understand the Society we live in

  12 December 2021 Recent news (9 th Dec 2021) about New Zealand’s reported move to ban smoking for next generation by 2025 was a nice welcome read. It reminded me of my smoking experience in the past. It must have been in early 1960s that I smoked handmade roll containing aswain (caraway) seeds to take care of colds. I did so either because my mother told of benefits of aswain seeds or someone suggesting that smoking aswain seeds will relieve me of colds. I must have been 10-12 years old. Besides, aswain seed eating is supposed to bring in warmth during winter. Many do eat a spoonful of aswain seeds plain or salted limed regularly the same way as they eat aniseeds (fennel or saunf) after meals, as these are supposedly digestive too. Next time I smoked a cigarette was when I was in college in early 1970s and I used to have a company of my college mates during annual educational tours, and was away from praying eyes of my elders at home. Although it was an occasional experience...

  A housewife is not housewife but rightfully she is a homemaker. She works day and night for the members of her family, and this work is largely unrecognised, leave alone being paid any way. She cares for elderlies in the home, as most parents live with their grown-up children. Comfort of family depends up on her labour and sacrifice. Her contribution as a progenitor of next generation and its raising and educating is far greater than anyone, even of her husband. And hence, the Supreme Court of India under the three-member bench headed by Justice N V Ramana recently awarded equal compensation to wife as well as husband in the motor accident case, rejecting the earlier judgement of Delhi High Court that housewife do not work or do not add economic value to the household. It is reported that woman on an average spend 5 hr a day on unpaid domestic services for household members in the country. There are as many as 159.85 million women doing household work as compared to 5.79 million ...