In an open letter, Agnivesh praises women of Kerala, CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala under Pinarayi Vijayan is becoming a laboratory for the democratic self-assertion of women.

I congratulate the two young women of Kerala – Bindu and Kanaka Durga – who have, in breaking the obscurantist, discriminative custom imposed on Sabarimala by Brahmanical patriarchy, raised the banner for women’s liberation and empowerment for all oppressed women in India. If the women’s wall on the New Year day demonstrated the collective power of women in Kerala, this act of exemplary bravery highlights its very source –the awesome willpower of individual women, who will endure no longer the oppression of obscurantist religious customs and practices.

If Gujarat under Narendra Modi was turned into a Hindutva laboratory, Kerala under Pinarayi Vijayan is becoming the laboratory for the democratic self-assertion of women. It is significant that women are at the forefront of this historic upsurge of resistance. I have no doubt at all that women’s firm resolve and noble courage will stall and beat back the invasion of Kerala by parivar mercenaries and anarchists.

ALSO READ: Sabarimala: SC to hear contempt plea after temple was shut for purification

It is significant that the women who constituted the Navodhana wall of resistance to fascist forces on the New Year day, the longest in history, were predominantly Hindu. They are authentic Hindus, wise enough to know that Hindutva is the greatest danger to Hinduism. While Hinduism respects women, aggressive, male-dominated Hindutva wants to keep them subjugated and degraded. The women of Kerala have declared unequivocally that they will fight these regressive forces to the finish.

I appeal to all Indians to be in solidarity with the people of Kerala, as they negotiate this difficult phase in their history. They are being punished for the sinking fortunes of the BJP in its traditional strongholds. The desperation with which the RSS and the BJP are trying to infiltrate into Kerala is necessitated by their need to compensate for huge erosion in their popularity in north India.

Kerala is paying the price for Modi’s lust for power and the maniacal desire to hang on. I have good reasons to believe that the Sangh parivar will meet it with its Waterloo in ‘God’s own Country’. Ironically, the slap on its face will be dealt not by a decorated military leader, but the discriminated-against women of Kerala, who have gained for themselves a voice and a mission that their counterparts in India need to emulate.

Business Standard

New year, new you: How to crush your habits with the help of science

Make 2019 the year you actually do all the things you want to do. We asked the experts and checked the journals for the most useful tips you can take to heart.

New Year 2019 : Make 2019 the year you actually do all the things you want to do. We asked the experts and checked the journals for the most useful tips you can take to heart.

It’s the shiniest time of year: that hopeful period when we imagine how remarkable — how fit and kind, how fiscally responsible — our future selves could be. And while you may think “new year, new you” is nothing more than a cringey, magazine-cover trope, research supports its legitimacy.

“It’s not like there’s something magical about Dec. 31,” explained Charles Duhigg, the author of “The Power of Habit.” “What is magical is our mind’s capacity to create new narratives for ourselves, and to look for events as an opportunity to change the narrative.”

One such opportunity? January. Since most of us consider it a fresh start, Mr. Duhigg said New Year’s resolutions can be “very, very powerful” — as long as they’re backed by science, patience and planning.

ALSO READ: In Pics: The world welcomes New Year 2019 in style

At the core of every resolution are habits: good ones, bad ones, stop-biting-your-nails ones. So if you want to change yourself, that’s where you need to start. Here are seven science-based strategies for making sure your new habits endure.

Think big

Imagine it’s the next New Year’s Eve. What change are you going to be most grateful you made?

Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist and author of “The Willpower Instinct,” suggested asking yourself this question before making any resolutions. “It’s crazy to me how often people work from the opposite,” she said. “They pick some behavior they’ve heard is good for them, and then they try to force it on themselves and hope it will lead to greater health or happiness.”

Sounds familiar, right? To avoid that trap, Ms. McGonigal recommended reflecting on what changes would make you happiest, then picking a “theme” for your year. That way, even if a particular habit doesn’t stick, your overarching intention will.

Take the theme of reducing stress, for example. You might try meditating and hate it. But, since your goal wasn’t “meditate 10 minutes a day,” you don’t have to abandon the resolution completely. Maybe you try yoga next.

Electing a unifying theme will also stimulate your brain to look for additional opportunities to advance your goal, said Ms. McGonigal, whereas narrowing yourself to a single behavior will cause your brain to “shut off once you check it off the list.”

Business Standard