Rahul Shrivastava's Blog, page 2

Buildings of foreign Missions in India and of Indian Missions abroad

When India became independent, Chanakyapuri, which is the diplomatic enclave of Delhi, was an undeveloped tract of land known as Gurjar village. The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru was also the External Affairs Minister. He took special interest in the development of Chanakyapuri. Countries were given as much land as they demanded. When the question of architecture of the enclave came up, Nehru gave the foreign Embassies the freedom to design their buildings in their own styles. Thus, came into being one of the best diplomatic enclaves of the world - centrally located, well-planned, spacious, close to the Government Ministries and home to wonderful architecture.(Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Chanakyapuri. Photo source: Coffee-Table book “Delhi’s Diplomatic Domains” by Gladys Abankwa-Meir-Klodt)Unlike India, most countries do not have a separate area earmarked as a diplomatic enclave. As a result, Embassies are usually scattered across the city. Indian Embassies in most cities are centrally located largely due to historical reasons and the principle of reciprocity. In many places, Indian Embassies and Embassy Residence (official residence of the Ambassador/High Commissioner) are located in heritage buildings or have been designed by famous architects.[High Commission of India in London (designed by Herbert Baker)]Indian Embassies built in recent times are Indian in design to the extent possible keeping into consideration the local zoning rules.(Embassy of India in Berlin) (Embassy of India in Doha) In foreign capitals, where the land allotted to India is large, residences are located within the same complex as the Chancery (the Embassy building). However, this is the case in only about 10 percent of the foreign capitals. In most capitals, therefore, residences of Indian diplomats are located away from the Chancery. Due to functional reasons, a majority of these residences are at close distances from the Chancery.

A tiny life changing daily habit

Brushing only reaches around 60% of the surface of teeth. Rest 40% can only be covered by flossing. Regular flossing has several advantages from small ones to very significant ones. Here they are:Reduces plaque formation: Flossing ensures that you reach and clean the entire surface of your teeth. This reduces formation of plaque.Less chances of gum disease: Plaque and tartar form on the edges of teeth. Flossing prevents their formation. The gum, too, gets massaged. Hence, lesser changes of getting a gum disease or gingivitis.Reduces chances of diabetes: If the gums are infected or inflamed (periodontitis), the infection can spread to other parts of body, increasing insulin resistance.Lowers risk of heart disease: Inflammation in mouth and gums (periodontitis) can lead to damaged arteries by raising the body’s inflammatory biomarkers. Regular flossing reduces chances of periodontitis. Oral bacteria could also cause blood clots by releasing toxins.

A Painful Lesson I Learned

I completed my Class 10 with very little clarity on what I’d do for my graduation. I wanted to join the Indian Foreign Service ie. become a diplomat. But, that meant clearing the Civil Services Exam of India, which, in turn, required one to have a graduate degree. But, which graduate degree should I get? I spent the better part of my Class 11 trying to get an answer to this question.When I was at the fag end of Class 11, someone suggested to me that I should try to get into one of the IITs, the premier engineering colleges of India. Good idea, I thought. I started preparing for IIT JEE, the exam to get into the IITs. I enrolled myself into a coaching course through correspondence.Unexpectedly, the correspondence course proved too tough for me. I would start a chapter and give up. I would start again and give up again. I bought various reference books that the course recommended. I would jump from one book to another, not able to decide which ones were best suited for me. In addition, whenever I’d hear about a good reference book, I’d get it. In the process, I accumulated a lot of books and reference material but very little knowledge to crack the IIT JEE. I appeared for the IIT JEE and I flunked it.Although I had expected the result, my heart ached when I did not find my roll number in the list of successful candidates. But I learnt a lesson on that day, which served me well in future – Working half-heartedly to achieve your goal is worse than not working at all. I’m not sure if this was the most painful lesson that I’ve learned but surely one of the most painful.

The craziest thing that almost happened

About 75,000 years ago, a super-volcanic eruption known as the Toba super-eruption occurred in Sumatra, Indonesia. It was one of the largest volcanic eruptions ever. A volcanic winter set in. According to some theories, Earth’s temperature went down by several degrees for upto a thousand years. The eruption was so huge that it caused the whole of South Asia to be deposited with ash 15 centimetre high and the entire Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and South China sea was covered with a layer of ash. The Toba eruption resulted in a global ecological disaster, including destruction of vegetation along with severe drought in the tropical and monsoonal regions. The human population is believed to have come down to between 1000 to 10,000 individuals as a result of the event. If the eruption or the volcanic winter had been a little more severe, the entire human population could have been wiped out.(Lake Toba, the crater lake formed by the super-eruption. Image source: indonesiatatler.com)

Most underrated places to visit in Russia

Naryn Kala Citadel of Derbent in Dagestan. Derbent is the oldest city of Russia.Krenitsyn Volcano in Onekotan Island of Sakhalin - It’s a ‘volcano inside a volcano’. It contains a caldera lake.Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka - It has the world’s second largest concentration of geysers.Vyshny Volochyok - A small town in Tver Region between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It has a large number of canals.Stone Forest of Orlov RegionAltai - Home of glaciers in RussiaImage source: rosphoto.com, sputnik.ru. fishki.net

A life-changing book to read

When I joined a university in 1993 to pursue my undergrad studies, I had to live in a hostel. I felt as though I’d been tossed into an open sea since this was my first experience of staying away from home independently. I had come with the dream of cracking the Civil Services Exam and becoming a diplomat. But, I was told every day that it was an impossible task for someone studying in a university like mine.At that time, my father was passing through the worst phase of his professional life and the financial support that I got was minimal, barely enough to scrape through. My sister, who had always been a brilliant student, did not fare well in her final graduation exam and her future was uncertain. Whichever direction I looked at, I saw darkness.It was then, at the lowest moments in my life, that I came across ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. I devoured the book. I promised myself that no matter what happened, I’d remain positive and not let challenges of life break me. I’d often send letters to my sister, quoting from the book to keep her morale high.In a year, my sister managed to get into a university she’d been aspiring to. And a few years later, I cleared the Civil Services Exam. The book helped me stay calm and keep persisting despite adversities.After reading ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’, I had decided that the first book that I write would be a self help book. ‘Why Fail - Your Bestial Way to Success’ was a result of that decision. goo.gl/zoEWWT

Best mistake in history

The D-Day was the first day of the Invasion of Normandy during World War II, which led to the defeat of Hitler. On the D-Day (6 June 1944), Normandy landings (codenamed Operation Neptune) were carried out under the largest seaborne invasion ever - Operation Overlord.Extensive planning was done for several months to carry out Operation Neptune. The Allied forces did a large-scale military exercise to mislead Hitler’s forces regarding the exact date and location of Operation Neptune and to divert their attention.On the D-Day, weather deteriorated. However, it was decided to go ahead with Operation Neptune. When the paratroopers started landing, they got scattered due to the rough wind. This was a mistake. However, this confused Hitler’s forces regarding the number of Allied paratroopers. They seemed to be everywhere. The mistake worked in favour of the Allied forces and became a turning point in World War II.

Best part of my job

Right now, it is proximity to workplace. The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) has accommodation for its employees within the campus. My residence is fifty meters away from my office building.Rush-hour traffic, traffic disruption due to rains, delay in reaching office are some of the things I don’t have to deal with. And I’m able to come home for lunch.Photo: 40kmph.com

What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

Life cannot be judged on the basis of whether you have failed in an exam or got the first rank.Don’t let words hurt you.Those who you regard as your best friends may not appear in your life again.Do not form your opinion about a person straightaway or based on what you have heard about the person. Give yourself at least six months of regular interaction with the person.Do not form your opinion about a person based on what the person says but on the basis of what the person does.The best persons may not be the people who hang around you and keep you happy by talking good things about you.Acquire as many skills as you can – driving, swimming, playing an instrument, cooking, electrical & civil work....You may long to have what you have now. So, enjoy what you have.

What do I do to improve my emotional health?

I try not to dwell on the past (especially negative events on which I had no control).I try to do more active things (such as writing, learning and exercising) than passive things (such as watching TV and spending time on internet) in a day.I tell myself to be grateful for the things that I have and not feel upset about things I don’t.I try not to compare.I try to help others in whichever way I can and not be vengeful.I sometimes practise healing exercises such as Qigong since I believe that emotional and physical well-being depends on how freely your life-energy is flowing through your body.