Reference Books! A Need for Students?

Not only parents but also students nowadays want to have all the study materials like reputed private publishers' books, coaching centers' books, school teachers' assignment books etc. Most of the students, especially 10th & 12th standard students, possess four to five different reference books / materials for all subjects apart from their text-books. Some facts about reference books & strategies for the students to study are here-under:-

Most of the reference books / materials are same but packaged differently in varying sizes and brands. But it should noted and kept in mind, some reputed publishers books, though highly priced, contain large number of questions for the students to practice.


Students will even come across one reference book in which a particular topic has been dealt in a novel way and will be much interested to know how another reference book has dealt with same topic. Although both say the same thing, students get lost and mesmerized in the word web of the books. Rather than making a concept clearer, it helps them in memorizing a concept.


But as far as Maths subject is concerned, reference / practice books will contain different problems which will be very helpful for the students to practice. Here more reference / practice books help the students to practice more & more numerical problems in subjects like Physics & Mathematics and make them confident for the exams.


There is no harm in referring to books. Instead of many books for reference, students could buy only one book to seek clarification. But for practice, it is ideal to have as much as practice books / question banks etc.


Students, before starting to study any topic, should always brush their memory of the same topic which they might have already studied in previous years.


Parents and teachers should allow adequate time to process knowledge to intelligence. This will allow them to answer any HOT (High Order Thinking) questions and develop devotion to studies. As a result, the student will be more confident in how they approach the topic and not take the shorter route to success.

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Raksha Bandhan - Festival of India.

Raksha Bandhan is an ancient festival, and has many myths and historic legends linked to it. Some basic facts about 'Raksha Bandhan':-

'Raksha Bandhan' is a Hindu festival (of India) that celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters; the festival is also popularly used to celebrate any brother-sister relationship between men and women who are relatives or biologically unrelated.[


Raksha Bandhan in Sanskrit literally means "the tie or knot of protection".[12] It is an ancient Hindu festival that ritually celebrates the love and duty between brothers and their sisters.


Days or weeks before Raksha Bandhan, women shop for Rakhi, the ceremonial thread to tie around her brother's (or brother-like friend's) wrist.


There are various legendary stories connected with Raksha Bandhan and highlight the importance and rituals of Raksha Bandhan. The Puranas, Srimad Bhagvatam and the Mahabharata (Vedic sacred writings) contain stories relating to this festival.


Perhaps the most popular of the rakhi stories in our mythology is that of Lord Krishna and Draupadi - the wife of the five Pandavas.


Rakhi festival is celebrated in all parts of India, in various forms and names like Rakhi Purnima, Avani Avittam, Upakarman, Nariyal Purnima, Kajari Purnima & Pavitropana.

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Menopause (for Women) & Its Effects

Menopause is a natural phase of every woman's life. With menopause, menstruation and fertility come to a permanent end. Some other facts about menopause and its effects are as under:-

Generally, the average age when the women reach their menopause is 50.


However, any woman can still stay healthy, energetic and sexually active even after reaching menopause.


Before one reaches menopause, there is a phase of irregular menstrual cycles for a few years, called perimenopausal stage and can last 1-5 years.


Even though periods are irregular, pregnancy is still possible in this phase.


The commonest cause is the naturally declining hormones. This is because the ovaries stop their function and this results in anovulation - a process of not forming any more eggs.


Very few women (hardly 1%) experience premature menopause before the age of 40, generally due to some autoimmune disease or genetic factors.


After any woman reaches menopause, they become more prone to certain medical conditions like cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. One may even experience sudden, strong and frequent urge to urinate, also one could involuntarily pass urine, especially while laughing, coughing or lifting heavy weights.


Women sometimes could experience difficult sexual function during sexual intercourse. This could happen due to decreased moisture production, which causes vaginal dryness and leads to loss of elasticity that might cause slight bleeding and discomfort. There could be decreased desire for sexual activity during this phase.


Due to slow metabolism, quite a lot of women put on a lot of weight during and after the menopausal transition.


It is advisable for the women to go for timely check- ups and take the precautionary measures to sail smoothly through this phase of life.


Symptoms of Menopause: (i) Irregular Periods (ii) Vaginal Dryness (iii) Inability to control the urine (iv) Hot Flashes (v) Night Sweats (vi) Difficulty in falling asleep (vii) Mood changes (viii) Weight gain (ix) Slowed metabolism (x) Thinning of hair and dry skin & (xi) Loss of breast fullness.

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