Flutes - The Nerve of Melody

You might have seen many musical instruments such as Keyboard, Trumpets,Tabla, Drums, Flutes, Piano and Congo, etc. A musical instrument is a melodic framework to produce sounds.

In ancient times, musical instruments were also used by warriors to mark their victory. Some instruments such as Conch Shells, Trumpet and Drums are used in Hindu and Buddhist religious ceremonies. Later, the society developed musical compositions for entertainment purpose also.

Musical instruments can be classified into five categories based upon the five prime elements such as earth, water, air, fire and space. The classification of musical instruments is given below:

1. Gaiaphones: It is based upon earth and these instruments are solid in nature. e.g. Congo, Tabla, Bongos and Piano, etc 

1. Hydraulophone: These instruments are played with the physical contacts of fluids. e.g. Water Flutes.
   

1. Aerophones: Aerophones primarily create sound by vibrating a body. e.g. flutes, trumpet, Bagpiper and saxophone, etc.

1. Plasmaphones: Plasmaphones create sounds in plasma or ionized gas.

1. Quintephones: Quintephones are based upon ideas or informatics. e.g. Keyboard and Electronic Guitar, etc.

However, it is not possible to classify every instrument into the above mentioned classes.

It is difficult to elaborate each category and the instruments that fall into. Therefore, let's discuss about the oldest musical instrument of the world - 'The Flute'. The Flute falls under Aerophones. It is a believed that a simple flute is the oldest musical instrument of the world which came into existence approx 67000 years ago. To begin with, it was a woodwind instrument, which is a sub-category of wind instruments. Ancient flutes were made of wood, grass and reeds. But, now, Flutes are available in glass, tin, copper and bronze, etc. There are two types of flutes i.e. open flutes and closed flutes.

You may be curious to find out how a flute produces sound and how it changes the pitch of that sound. A flute produces sound when we blow air across its hole. It creates vibration of air at the hole. A flute player can direct the pitch of the sound by opening and closing the holes of a flute.                He can also change pitch by varying the air pressure.

An open flute produces sound when we direct a focused stream of air across the sharp edge of the flute. However, in the case of a closed flute, we need to blow air into a duct to produce sound.

What The Child Psychology Is And How It Is Developed

Mind has supreme powers

Human mind works like a computer that has neutral circuits accustomed for solving different kind of problems.  It has specific domains and computing modules to select and organize the specific information that helps to construct knowledge among human being.

Let me describe here what the child psychology is and why a child attracts towards a specific information.  ‘Information means any event or anything (physical or psychological) i.e. available in the surrounding environment of child that he wants to learn.

It is learnt that the child behavior is built genetically and here are many other factors than genetics that are responsible for development of a child psychology.

My mom loves me

A child has attachment behavioural system that is developed stage to stage.  In such system, a child starts to explore a potential care giver, since the age of 6 to 8 weeks, who is able to secure him.  He protests when his caregiver goes far away from him; he greets his return also.  However, he discriminates between the caregivers and displays a range of attachment behaviours to them.   He starts to follow his care giver when he is able to do so, since the age of one year.

Mr. Bronfenbrenner, the renowned scientist, has developed an ecological theory.  He observed that there are five ecological systems that influence the behaviour of a child.  If any change exists in any of these five systems, it will have the corresponding effect on his behaviour. The theory not only determines child behaviour but it determines the behaviour of adults also.

My father teaches me to fly high

1)   Microsystem: A Microsystem is the closest layer to a child where he has direct contact with different structures e.g. mother, father, brother and sister in his home or teacher, a class fellow in his school.

A child is directly influenced by his immediate surrounding environment.  Each Microsystem has different settings; each setting has different values, disciplines and expectations from him in the surrounding environment.  The surrounding environment at a venue helps him to learn and understand the world.

For example, a child is influenced by his parents’ behaviours in his home. Their doings, the way they behave and interact with each other has direct lasting effect on his behavioural traits.  

Father with Teacher of his son

   2)  Mesosystem: When two or more different Microsystems, which have their own settings for a child, interacts with each other, influences a child’s psychology directly.  The child has to transit between different Microsystems in his life.  Such regular transitions to the new systems help him to adapt to the transitions instantly.  A Mesosystem may cause anxiety and stress to a child as he has to change his role in the Mesosystem instantly.  Let’s take an example of a child when he has to interact with his parents, fellow students and teachers simultaneously on any celebration day in his school.   The child behaves differently than he behaves normally in the presence of his parents only, in the presence of his fellow students only or in the presence of his teacher only. He gains experience to deal such immediate transition of a Mesosystem.

3)      Exosystem:  It is a larger social system.  Here child has no role to play, however, when his structure interacts with his/her own Microsystem, it impact a child’s development indirectly.  Here, it is observed that each structure has his/or her own Microsystem that are indirectly linked to his child. 

Work Place of a Father affect the behavior of family

  Parent’s working schedules, their social networks, school and peers and neighbourhood are primarily indirectly linked to a child and impact his development, e.g. the excessive stress at workplace of a father indirectly impacts the entire family. The Exosystem can empower or degrade a child as well. 

People of Assamese culture in India

 4)Macrosystem: Macrosystem is a larger perspective of the theory.  It shows that how customs and laws of a society impact and regulate the behavior of a child.  Every society has some ideology and principles that it expects from everyone in the societal group.  It helps to understand what, where and why the relations stand in the society.  It has a cascading effect on interaction in each closest layer of a child.

5)     Chronosystem: Chronosystem is linked to time that helps a child to learn things of his own accord. The external events, such as timing of parent’s death or internal events, such as psychological changes due to his aging train him how to deal with the different types of situations and stress.

Senescence or Aging can be Stopped

Cell senescence or aging of organs brings old age for the living being; the scientists believe so.  The cells of the human being divide between 40 or 60 times until further division are not possible. Every time a cell splits into another cell, the length of the cell’s DNA gets shorter. The utmost limit of cell division is known as Hayflic Limit. If you manage to stop cell senescence; you can definitely cure the disease of aging.  Scientists are working hard to end the process of cell senescence, so that, he human being can enjoy immortality. 

Fenugreek

One of the scientists concludes that if we intake adequate quantity of vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin B12 through our meal, we can slow down the process of cell senescence. Today let's think about the natural sources of the above vitamins, which can be used in our daily repast.  At the first, wheat sprouts is a natural source of vitamin E, at the second paper lemon (Mexican lemon; widely grown in India), honey and Indian Gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica, or Amla) are natural sources of vitamin C and the last is Fenugreek or Methi seeds, which is a natural source of vitamin B12. 

We can easily make a recipe out of these and use them daily in our food course. To begin with, the wheat and the fenugreek should be washed thoroughly for 4 or 5 times to deplete the effect of pesticides that are used in agriculture products.  Then, 40 g wheat and 10 g Fenugreek should be put into a half glass of water for 24 hours. After 24 hours, tie them into a wet and thick cloth. Further, the tied cloth should be kept in open air for 24 hours to turn them into sprouts.  But in the process, half glass of water should not be thrown away in waste.  Instead of throwing away the water, drops of half lemon and 2 tea spoon of honey and some dry ginger powder should be put into that. In the morning, you should drink that glass of water on empty stomach. You should make a habit of eating the sprouts only in your breakfast. Though the recipe is economical, yet it is a great source of the energy.

Indian Gooseberry or Phyllanthus emblica is the best source of vitamin C.  The character of Indian Gooseberry is that its vitamins do not diminish even if it is cooked or preserved in a dry form. It heals diseases of teeth and gums, high blood pressure, blockage of blood supply into the heart (heart attack), cancer, Jaundice, Tuberculosis, Prostate, diseases of gums and teeth, etc. Indian Gooseberry has anti-oxidant engimes that prevent killing or damaging of cells.  Its healing characteristics are highly acclaimed in Ayurveda. 

Also read health topic: Yoga - Ashtang Yoga

How to Choose a Good Shoe Polish?

We can judge a person’s personality just by looking at him from tip to toe.  Shoes say volumes about their owners, though the behavioral traits of a person determine his personality. Thus, one should choose one’s pair of shoes, which are comfortable in putting on and which can also radiate. Of course, you need a good shoe polish too that can aid in radiating your shoes and that can optimize your personality in a group. But the point is, which shoe polish, shall we choose?

For centuries, we are using shoe polish to soften and to waterproof the leather. The shoe polish; a cream or a wax polish helps in touching on the shine of the leather of shoes or boots, thereby prolonging their life. While cream polish brings back the color, wax polish is water resistant.  Since, it’s rainy season; let’s discuss about wax polish.

Many abrasives are used in wax shoe polish, for example, Emery, Lough, Chalk, Dolomite, Tripoli, Pumice Diatomaceous Earth, Fullers Earth and Silica to smooth the surfaces of the shoes by rubbing or cleaning. Inert gas is used as an aerosol in the shoe polish. We use different type of waxes, e.g., wax mineral, wax animal, wax hard, wax synthetic and wax vegetable; it maintains luster of the shoes.

The quest for a good shoe polish too needs testing. A good shoe polish spreads smoothly on the shoe and its gloss appears on gentle rubbing with a brush or polishing cloth.  However, it shall not crumble or dry too rapidly and shall not have any unpleasant odour.  Further, if it is kept at ordinary temperature i.e. between 21 degree centigrade and 38 degree centigrade, it will not flow. The aqueous extract drawn from 1g of polish shall not have faint coloration, if we stir it with hot water (temperature maintained at 73 to 75 degree centigrade). Its consistency can be checked by keeping it in an unopened polish container at 8 degree centigrade to 10 degree centigrade for two hours.

As a layman, one should check that

1. Shoe polish shall not be expired;
2. Its container shall be clean, dry and rust proof;
3. The container, fitted with a lid, shall not close or open without much difficulty;
4. Its surface shall be covered with a thin aluminum foil or waxed paper. The size of the aluminum foil shall be slightly bigger than the diameter of the container;
5. It shall be soft, homogenous, semi-solid and free from gritty material;
6. It shall be soft and smooth to touch;. 

Your feedback, please !