MY Articles

Helter-Skelter   (hel-ter-skel-ter) Adverb in a haphazard manner; without regard for order More about Helter-Skelter First recorded in 1585–95. Rhyming compound, perhaps based on unattested skelt, Middle English skelten, “to hasten,” (further origin unknown); reduplication with initial h parallel to hubble-bubble, higgledy-piggledy, etc. Examples of Helter-Skelter The toys were left helter-skelter on the floor after the children’s playdate, creating a mess. The sudden downpour sent people running helter-skelter to find cover from the rain. Kafkaesque (kahf-kuh-esk) Adjective marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity More about Kafkaesque First recorded in 1945–50. Formed from Kafka (Franz Kafka) + -esque, suffix indicating style, manner, resemblance, or distinctive character. Aside from the -esque suffix, common words/eponyms formed in this fashion include: Homeric, Platonic, Quixotic, Freudian, Orwellian, and Machiavellian.  Examples of Kafkaesque Th...

Piffle  (pif-uhl) Noun nonsense, as trivial or senseless talk More about Piffle First recorded in 1840–50. Perhaps akin to puff.  Examples of Piffle Stop talking such piffle and focus on the facts! His argument was full of piffle — no one took it seriously. Banish (ban-ish) Verb to expel from a country or place by authoritative decree More about Banish First recorded between 1275–1325. From Middle English banisshen, from Anglo-French, Old French baniss-, (long stem of banir), from unrecorded Frankish bannjan, “to proclaim,” akin to ban1.  Examples of Banish The council voted to banish the rebel leader to a remote island as punishment. The dictator threatened to banish all citizens who spoke out against his regime. Levity (lev-i-tee) Noun lack of appropriate seriousness or earnestness More about Levity First used between 1555–65. From the Latin levitās, “lightness, frivolity,” is equivalent to levi(s). Examples of Levity The professor frowned upon any levity in the classro...

  Brentwood (United Kingdom), 26 August: The next day we went to see Lake Nessi also pronounced as Loch Ness in Sweedish. Loch Ness is a freshwater lake. It extends nearly to 37 kilometres and flows from North to South.  Cryptozoological Loch Ness monster: It is also famous for its claimed sighting of the cryptozoological Loch Ness monster, also known as the Nessie. It is one of a series of interconnected murky bodies of water in Scotland River. Ness leads to the North Sea via Moray Firth.  Not been proven authentically. Loch Ness is also known as the home of the mythical character Loch Ness Monster. Though many claims have been made regarding its existence, due to a lack of proper proof, it has not been proven authentically. The feeling of watching a sea: The Lake looks very huge and at times gives the feeling of watching a sea. We spent some time on the beach and proceeded way back to the Caravan. We came across so many hillocks and all along we could witness waterfa...

  Forsooth (fawr-sooth) Adverb (now used in derision or to express disbelief) in truth; in fact; indeed. More about Forsooth From Middle English forsothe, <Old English forsōth.  The original sense of “in truth, in fact” without an element of derision or irony is obsolete. Examples of Forsooth Here’s an original usage example from Othello, Act 1, Scene 1: Forsooth, a great arithmetician, One Michael Cassio, a FlorentineHere’s a modern-day, humorous example: “Forsooth, I should be so lucky to find a parking spot on a Friday night!” Googol (goo-gawl) Noun a number that is equal to 1 followed by 100 zeros More about Googol First recorded in 1935–40. Introduced by U.S. mathematician Edward Kasner (1878–1955), whose nine-year-old nephew allegedly invented it. Inspiration for the famous Google search engine. Examples of Googol The concept of a googol stretches the limits of human imagination, illustrating the vastness of numbers. She joked that it would take a googol of years to f...

Solidarity (sol-i-dar-i-tee) Noun community of feelings, purposes, interests, or responsibilities More about Solidarity First recorded in 1840–50. From French solidarité, equivalent to solidaire, solidary + ite, ity. Examples of Solidarity In times of crisis, the community came together in solidarity to support one another. They expressed their solidarity with the cause by wearing matching ribbons. Hangry (hang-gree) Adjective feeling irritable or irrationally angry as a result of being hungry More about Hangry First recorded in 1915–20. Formed from h(ungry) + angry. Examples of Hangry After a long day at work, he came home hangry and ready to raid the fridge. I snapped at my friend because I was feeling hangry after skipping lunch. Feckless (fek-lis) Adjective ineffective; incompetent; futile More about Feckless First recorded in 1590–1600. Originally Scots, from feck, shortened from effeck, Scots form of effect + -less.  Examples of Feckless The feckless security measures failed ...

Bengaluru: Vijay Krishna Itnal is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the Vishwakarma Institute of Technology (VIT), University of Pune Maharashtra. For the official record, he remains a faculty of the well-known and one of the oldest Engineering Colleges. But, apart from that he is widely known for his multifaceted persona in acting, singing and mimicry. The Penchant of Engineers: Strange it may appear, however, happens to be a stark reality. Many Engineering graduates have made it big in the Sandalwood industry, Ramesh Arvind is a Mechanical Engineering graduate while Sudeep holds a bachelor's degree in Industrial and Production Engineering. Dhananjaya had even got a job in Infosys. The number of Engineering graduates in state and national politics makes a big list: Arvind Limbavali, Murugesh Nirani, Shivkumar Udasi, Basavaraj Bommai, Akhilesh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal... No big surprise: Going by the peculiar trend it looks like no big a surprise that the Mechanic...

India is currently celebrating its 7th Rashtriya Poshaan Maah, a nationwide campaign to address the issue of malnutrition and anaemia, which continues to be a significant public health concern in the country (Anwar, 2020). Rashtriya Poshan Maah is celebrated every year in September, during which the government gives out a theme to drive the campaign, and this year's theme is "Poshan Jagrukta se Poshan Abhiyaan". The prevalence of anaemia in India is staggeringly high, with more than half of Indian mothers and children being anaemic (Monsang & Singh, 2018). Nutritional anaemia comprises the second most common group of deficiency disorders after protein-energy malnutrition. Anaemia, characterized by a low level of haemoglobin in the blood, is a major public health problem worldwide, particularly among women of reproductive age in developing countries (Monsang & Singh, 2018). As a clinical dietician, I have witnessed many anaemia-related cases ranging from a 10-year-...

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) 05 September: The MPSCON2024 International Conference, held on August 29-30, 2024, at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, successfully concluded, reinforcing the connection between research and practical applications in pharmacology. With over 350 participants, the event focused on "Innovations in Pharmacology: Bridging Research, Industry, and Healthcare," highlighting major advances and providing strategic career guidance for professionals. Jointly organized by the Medical Pharmacologists Society and the Department of Pharmacology at Saveetha Medical College, the conference was inaugurated by Dr. N. M. Veeraiyan, Founder and Chancellor of SIMATS, who emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing pharmacology. Dr Shiva Murthy N, Founder and President of the Medical Pharmacologists Society, delivered the keynote address, announcing plans for new research centres in collaboration with tertiary care hospitals and a de...

  Bengaluru:  The 58th Foundation Day of ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru was celebrated on 05th September 2024, at its institute campus, Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru-89. Dr Rakesh Chandra Agrawal, Deputy Director General, Education Division, ICAR, New Delhi, was Chief Guest, and Dr R. Gopakumar, Director, ICTS- TIFR, Bengaluru was Guest of Honour. Dr Sanjay Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General, Horticultural Sciences, ICAR, New Delhi, presided over the function in the presence of Dr Tusar Kanti Behera, Director, ICAR-IIHR, and Dr Prakash Patil, Project Co-ordinator-Fruits, Bengaluru. The Directors and Regional Heads of ICAR Institutes situated at Bengaluru, staff and students of IIHR, invitee farmers and entrepreneurs attended the programme. At the outset, Director Dr. T.K. Behera welcomed the dignitaries and presented the progress made at the institute in the past year, mentioning that several varieties of the institute are released and notified by agenc...

  Brentwood (United Kingdom), 25 August: On 25th August it was a very cold day. As usual, we four of us got ready for our wonderful adventure of Lake District. Although there was chilling cold weather outside there was no dearth of hot water inside to take a bath.  Very difficult to describe the beauty of nature: Suri and Maruthi were wearing thermals. Me and Chetan just wore jackets on shirts. I thought a jacket would serve the purpose. Chetan drove to heaven-like places. It is very difficult to describe the beauty of nature.  Full of grass in every nook and corner: Since I am not a poet or a writer, I will try to explain whatever I see in my own words. Whichever side you happen to glance it was only green and green and the area was full of grass in every nook and corner. It appeared as if someone had very carefully trimmed the same just for us! Impossible to step in: The forests were so thick that it was impossible for anybody to step into them. I had never seen such ...

Bengaluru: Well, strange it may look to hear also, but Kedarnath Havaldar has made it. He underwent what is termed as "Chilla", a forty-day tabla practice all alone. During this forty-day challenging period, he initially used to meet his guru for some days. But, after the 25th day, he remained all to himself and his favourite musical instrument tabla. Not only that, but while he continued to practice in the basement he never even met his wife staying on the first floor. Forty-day pursuit: Pt Dr Nagaraj Havaldar, father of Kedarnath Havaldar, proudly recalls his son's accomplishments: From July 8th morning to August 16th late evening, my son Kedarnath Havaldar was in solitude and soliloquy with his favourite passion Tabla. This forty-day tabla practice regime is known as Chilla. This forty-day pursuit was completed successfully by the blessings and guidance of his Guru Pandit Samira Chatterjee, Guruma Sanghamitra ji and Gurubhai Dibyarko Chatterjee ... ...The challenge ...