Do you wear trousers or pants?

 

  



Big Ben, London

  
YS Team

 I HAD written only three paragraphs in two hours. It was a pleasant autumn morning and I couldn’t resist going for a walk. I stuck my unfinished writing on the idea board with a drawing pin, changed from my dressing gown   into a pair of trousers and left the house. Walking along the pavement, I entered a chemist’s shop near the crossing and bought some aspirin, paid the bill and stepped off the pavement into a taxi.

This paragraph is in UK English

 
 
 
 

  If I was an American the paragraph would read:  





 



Statue of Liberty

 I had written only three paragraphs in  two hours. It was a pleasant fall morning and I couldn’t resist going for a walk. I stuck my unfinished article on the idea board with a thumb tack, changed from my bathrobe into my pants and left. Walking along the sidewalk, I entered a druggist’s shop near the crossroads and bought some headache pills, paid the check and stepped off the sidewalk into a cab.



 The italics are US equivalents of the English words and there are nine in this one small para.

 Today, most of us write and talk a mix of UK and US English and if we had not italicized the US words, you would never have noticed. Very few people in India speak pure English today. In times past all of us talked the King’s English (that’s Queen’s English now). But today we commonly use words that are American in origin. When travelling by car (US automobile) we put our luggage in the dickey. In the UK they’d say boot. And when we pull the antenna out of our mobile, we’re again in the USA. In England it’s aerial. But we always say railway (UK) and not railroad (US). As also petrol,flyover, ground floor. The American equivalents are gasoline, overpass and first floor.

Crossings, UK

Is it wrong to use American words when speaking or writing? Depends on who you are interacting with. Among friends and younger family members US English is permitted. In fact, some words have become standard in college. How else would guys impress the ‘chicks?’ But if you are talking to an elder or to a foreigner whose  nationality you do not know, it is advisable to restrict yourself to UK English as some US words could be offensive to foreign ears. Thus, you should say ‘donkey’ and not ‘ass’ as the latter connotes the human posterior in US English.  And never ask an American woman tourist roaming around your town in rubber chappals whether she likes wearing ‘thongs.’ To an American it could mean female underwear!



Taxi, UK



US English is sometimes ‘in your face’ (US for aggressive) but usually more pungent and picturesque than the UK equivalent and lends emphasis to what you’re saying. On the other hand, when going on a picnic with an American, avoid saying you’re carrying a hamper for lunch; in the US that means a basket of dirty clothes! And when it comes to writing, it will be safe to stick to the Queen’s English, especially in formal

addresses, messages and office correspondence generally.



Cab, USA



 You can use US English when writing to friends or people you know well. Avoid it in social networking, as people may think you are showing off. Also, when talking to women avoid US English altogether.



Crossroads, USA



Some more English words with their US equivalents 

UK	USA
Full stop	Period
Currency note	Bill
Tick	Check
Dressing gown	Bathrobe
Ladies hand bag	Purse
Muslin	Cheesecloth
Car	Automobile
Bonnet	Hood
Windscreen	Windshield
Single ticket	One way ticket
Biscuit	Cookie
Chips	French fries
Insect Draughts	Bug Checkers
Seesaw	Teeter-totter





 

Things only girls Understand

YS Team

 

10. Why is it good to have five pairs of black shoes.

9. The difference between cream, ivory and off-white.

8. Crying can be fun.

7. Foreverness has nothing to do with diamonds.

6. A salad, diet drink, and a hot fudge sundae make a balanced lunch.

5. Discovering a designer dress on the    clearance rack can be considered a  peak  experience.

4. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made.

3. A good man might be hard to find, but a good hairdresser is next to impossible.

2. Why a phone call between two gals never lasts under ten  minutes.

And the number one thing only women understand:

1. Other girls

Musical path to spirituality



Sufi Concert



Sandeep Dwivedy

SUFI MUSIC is the devotional music of the Sufis inspired by the works of Sufi poets like ‘Rumi’, ‘Hafez’, ‘Bulle Shah’ and ‘KhwajaGhulam Farid’.

Qawwali is the most well-known form of Sufi music, common in India and Pakistan. However, music is also central to the Sema ceremonyof the whirling dervishes, which is set to a form of music called Ayin, a vocal and instrumental piece featuring Turkish classical instruments such as the ‘Ney’ (a reed flute). The West African ‘gnawa’ is another form, and Sufis from Indonesia, Afghanistan and Morocco have made music central to their practices.

Sufi love songs are often performed as ghazals and Kafi, which are  accompanied by percussion and harmonium. Sufi music is catching the attention of everyone, whether it is youth or the older generation. A Sufi song is said to be a collection of poems which were composed by Islam’s greatest saints from the very beginning of Sufism.

Sufism believes in the harmony of all the religions. It believes that hurting the sentiments of people of different religions is a sinful deed and is punishable by God. Hence, Sufi songs are sung in praise of both Ram and Allah.  For Sufism it is human beings, instead of Hindus and Muslims.

Some notable contemporary Sufi singers are Abida Parveen, Bibi Nooran, Barkat Sidhu, Iqbal Bahu, Miraj Khan, Ustad Juman, Allan Fakir, Swam Noora, Sultan Khan, Shahram Nazeri, Kailash Kher, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rabbi Shergill, Shubha Mudgal, Ghulam Ali, Wadali Brothers, Pathanay Khan and many more.

These singers are some of the most famous Sufi singers the world has ever seen. Their compositions are superb, simply spiritual and it seems that their songs are the path that will lead one to the all powerful, the divine. They and their work are valuable. They are giving the world an easy path towards spirituality.

Sufi music has also entered Bollywood. The song ‘Kun Faaya Kun’ from the yet to be released movie ‘Rockstar’ is already topping the charts. The song ‘Khwaja Mere

Khwaja’ from the movie ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ was a soulful number. The video shows the whirling dervishes lost in trance and dancing in a manner which is unique to the art

form.

Life is not 'virtual'

Abhishek Pandey

A 21-year-old girl studying in IIM-Bangalore committed suicide after she was dumped by her boy friend on Facebook. A 36-year-old man Benito Apolinar from Texas, assaulted his wife for failing to ‘Like’ a status update he posted to FB.

These are disturbing news item and show how dangerous social networking websites are. The websites were designed to bring people closer. And they have done so.

All of us access social networking websites for different  reasons. Some of us are connected with friends whom we never met after we left school or college. Many of us become more acquainted online with people we might have never grown close to offline. The status updates from friends tell us how they are doing in life.

We can get to know about their whereabouts; especially of those who change their job and city very often.
All things have two sides. So do social networking websites. If we are not careful, then our online conversation can have a detrimental effect on our real-life relations. The girl mentioned above committed suicide after seeing her boyfriend’s status update “'Feeling super cool today. Dumped my new exgirlfriend.
Happy Independence Day.” It became difficult for the girl to bear humiliation and disrespect shown to her by her boyfriend.

Many lawyers in developed countries have accepted that Facebook is affecting relationships. They say that when a boy starts chatting with a girl who was with him in school and becomes emotional, the conversation is bound to affect existing relationships.

I would like to share with you an experience of one of my friends.Arjun (name changed) updated his promotion on Facebook and his assignments with big companies. His jealous ex-boss did not like the update and removed him from his friend list.

A college graduate, Aditya Panda, says, “It is very common. Jealousy is a basic human trait. Friends get
jealous when you don’t invite them for a party and enjoy with others whom they don’t like and update pictures and videos online.

“The sites not only affect relationships between lovers but also affect friendships and other relationships if not dealt with carefully.”

Smriti Kaur, a college student, says, “The social networking websites prolong the period of getting over

someone. Whether you want to or not you can see happenings in their life through their status updates. One of my friends broke up with her boyfriend after six years of courtship.The boy decided to marry another girl.

“It was heartbreaking for her to see updates of her boyfriend’s wedding and honeymoon photos and other updates. It became miserable when she found that her ex-boyfriend had blocked her from accessing his profile.”

There are some remedies.When you do not want to converse with the people then these social networking websites provide you with numerous options. You can ‘un-friend’ the person or start ‘unfollowing’ him or her. You can also personalize your content by not allowing certain people to see your profile and updates. It will not only save you from unwanted trouble but also give you peace of mind online.

People should change their behaviour online. They should rethink their conduct to avoid harming people’s emotions or getting harmed. They must send personal messages when they are sensitive and can hurt someone, rather than posting them on walls as updates. Online users should reward friends with ‘like’ and comments when they like their status and should ignore when something obnoxious is posted because commenting anything will always stir up a war of words and hurt feelings and affect relations.

Be cautious online to be in peace offline.

Winners get prizes at Mother's Public School

YS and Sambad Plus winners get their prizes at Mother's Public School, Bhubaneswar

Young readers reading YS at Mother's Public School, Bhubaneswar

Do’s and don’ts for Diwali

YS Team

Diwali, once the epitome of fun and frolic, has today become a cause of concern, bringing with it pain, anguish and injuries.

Remember not to contribute to the accident graph, on this day. It is not, at all, difficult. All you have to do is—avoid carelessness, negligence and ignorance. If you are planning to burst fireworks at home this year, please take a few minutes to read these lines.

Do’s

·    Store your fireworks in a closed box somewhere in a cool and dry place, out of reach of children and animals.

·    Pets get frightened by fireworks. Always keep your pet indoors  when fireworks displays take place.

·    To ensure a safe and fun-filled Diwali, keep children under a watchful eye while playing with crackers.

·    Hold lighted sparklers away from the body.

·    Flying fireworks should be lit in open grounds.

·    Buy only legally manufactured fireworks and follow the warning and caution labels on their packings.

·    Keep a bucket of water handy— lest the untoward happens, and also to put used sparklers.

·    Read and follow the instructions given on each firework, carefully.

Don’ts

·         Never light fireworks inside the house.

·         Fire crackers and bombs should not be lighted while holding them with hands.

·         Never try to reignite fireworks that do not light at once.

·         Do not pocket fireworks.

·         Do not engage in dangerous pranks such as throwing lighted crackers at one

          another.

·         Never wear loose or flowing garments.

·         Never make an attempt to make your own fireworks.

·         Never throw left-over fireworks in a bonfire.

·         Do not light flying fireworks if there is a strong wind.

·         Enjoy yourself during Diwali season, by playing safe.