Yashraj Khannah − Profile

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The author’s friend Todd was going for a short stay in Bermuda. Just before his departure, he borrowed a dollar from the author to pay off the taxi.
When Todd wrote a letter to from Bermuda, the author expected a dollar bill in the envelope.
Twelve months go by. Todd has returned from Bermuda but has not bothered to return the one dollar to the author. The lender is too decent to offend his friend by demanding his dollar back. However, the thought that Todd had borrowed the dollar bothered the author, and he made some futile attempts to get back the dollar.
First, he went to the railway station to receive Todd when he returned from Bermuda. He found Todd very cheerful, but at all ashamed that he had not returned his loan of a dollar. Later, during an evening tête-à-tête, the author raised the topic of the American dollar and asked whether it was used in Bermuda too. Todd did not get the hint about the unpaid dollar.
The author met Todd almost daily in the Club; however, Todd did not refer about the due dollar. One day, Todd is disapprovingly observed that Poland had defaulted its debts. The author was very much upset that Todd did not consider his un-paid debt. Annoyed at Todd’s irresponsible attitude, the author wrote off his loaned dollar and added Todd’s name to his list of defaulters of one-dollar loans.
The author, offended and distraught, accepts that forgetting to repay loans was a human frailty. The distressed by the thought that he could have taken such loans and not repaid it. Tormented with guilt, the author desired that his creditors would claim their repayments. Haunted by the disquiet of loan defaults, he wished to initiate a “Back to Honesty’ campaign. He is persuaded that honesty should be the core of all nations seeking greatness.
The author did not desire his ‘forgetful’ friend to know of the agony he had undergone because of the non-payment of the debt and exhorted his readers not to bring the copies of the story to the University Club Montreal patronised by Major Todd.

Penguins left… gorillas right. Excuse me, but what the hell are penguins doing within walking distance of gorillas?! The simple answer is that they’re in a zoo, but the deeper question is one that has troubled me for a while.
I don’t remember a defining point in my childhood where my love of nature began. I do however, remember zoos. Losing my helium-filled animal balloons, beating off the crazed geese in the petting yard, and waiting in vain for big cats to emerge from their concrete lairs. But most of all, I remember the excitement. More than two decades later I stand outside the entrance to the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri, and a slightly altered adult excitement does battle with a looming dread in my mind. I haven’t been to a traditional zoo since very young, and the naivety of childhood is not the dense curtain that it was then. But zoos are not places of quiet to resolve inner conflicts, a current of kids sweeps me through the sliding doors and I’m in.
Zoos are places where people can have wild experiences without leaving their city.
As one does when confronted by an impossible number of options, we try to take in everything, doing a random dance from one exhibit to the next, our direction dictated mainly by the desire to avoid the groups of shrieking children. I’m glad to note that my fascination is still there, and I stare at the weird and wonderful creatures from almost every environment on the planet in incredulity. I’m learning things.
An uncomfortable looking jaguar (left) evokes much excitement among a young group of boys (right).
But there is another very real emotion, deep sadness. A bateleur, the elegant tightrope walker of African skies, confined to a cage. The first of a number of beleaguered looking creatures far from their natural environments. Sure, keepers have made an effort with the artificial environments that support these animals, but I’m not fooled. Not all animals have a trivial “eat, sleep, reproduce” vacuum of a brain, and I would say that behaviour is a fairly accurate gauge of the mental state of a creature. And I see no behaviour that indicates that any of these animals are in a healthy frame of mind. There just isn’t enough space. Sure, many of these creatures were probably born in captivity, but how does that make it a healthier environment for them? I have had the privilege of seeing many of these same animals in the wild, and it is like observing a different species. That to me is evidence enough that much is not right here. And this is one of the top zoos in one of the most developed countries in the world.
Kids press up against the glass, fascinated by the behaviour of chimpanzees (left), while seeing caged gorillas has an impact on me, it is almost like watching caged people (right).
On the flip side, no one can deny that zoos do good, and I don’t believe that there is anything malicious about them. They engage in research, preserve biodiversity (genetic and species) that may be threatened or at times even extinct in the wild, and they provide much needed funding for research and conservation projects across the world. However, in my opinion, all of these should be achievable in other ways. But there is one thing that zoos provide that can’t be easily found elsewhere. Inspiration, and fascination, for kids. As I walk around I can’t help but smile. There are children here, lots of them, and their enthusiasm is infectious. A kid that can barely walk waddles past, I hear him demanding “Lions, I want to see the lions!”. This is it, this is what zoos are about. In my mind there is no doubt that animals live severely compromised and unhealthy lives in zoos across the world. The bigger question is whether this is worth the experience that these kids have. Clearly there is excitement, but is it fleeting or do these kids grow up to have a positive influence on our planet because of what they have seen at a zoo? I can’t answer this, and I don’t know that anyone can. But if it is true, then it’s a very big deal. Kids are falling further and further into lives devoid of contact with nature. Maybe zoos are the only thing that can give them tangible proof that nature does exist out there, and that it is worth protecting. I do hope so, because otherwise it’s an arguably cruel source of human entertainment. And so I find myself at the exit, having carefully avoided the goose pen, with more questions than I arrived with.

Indians are high on the emotional quotient and anything that strikes the emotional chord is an instant hit in India. The success of reality shows in India can be attributed to a great extent to this weakness. The relief that these shows provide from the saas-bahu soaps is another reason for their immense popularity. The rising popularity of the reality shows on Indian television channels has added a new dimension to the production of TV programs. These shows give opportunities to the prodigies residing in the interiors of the country to showcase their talent.
The craze for reality television hit India when channel V came up with Viva, a band of five young singers. When auditions were announced, young dreamers gathered in huge numbers to give their luck a try. They cried when they failed and celebrated when they triumphed. The audience lapped up this overdose of emotions thrown with open hands. The show was a big success and an inspiration for both the shrews’ business minds and also for the young dreamers waiting for their share of fame.
Since then there has been no looking back as reality television proliferated with each passing day. With the registration for each show surpassing the last one and the audience votes pouring in billions, all doubts over the acceptability of these shows by the Indian audience subsided. The real life Bunty and Bablis came forward for the auditions of Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul, India's Best, Roadies, etc. Almost every channel today has an Abhijeet Sawant or a Qazi to boast about.

The potential of reality shows was exploited by various television channels. Kaun Banega Crorepati, India's take on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, catapulted Star TV to the number one position. Similarly, Sony's popularity saw a huge rise after it launched Indian Idol, an adaptation of a hit British reality show. It was reality television that wrote the destiny of television channel Star One. Its two realities shows The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and Nach Baliye brought popularity to the channel.
Reality shows not only changed the destinies of many television channels but also of many ordinary people. People like Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghosal and Debojit are some of the successful finds of reality television. It was only because of these shows that a teashop owner, Sunil Pal, became a laughter champion and Prashant, a sepoy from Darjeeling, became the third Indian Idol.
Celebrity reality shows are another aspect of reality television that has become extremely popular with the audience. Apart from the overwhelming Television Rating Points (TRPs) that these shows command, they also have to their credit revamping images of some celebrities and bringing back to limelight some of the lost stars. Item queen Rakhi Sawant witnessed a change in image after appearing on the reality show Big Boss. Lost names like Rahul Roy and Baba Sehgal rose to limelight again because of shows like these.
Reality television is a win-win situation for everyone, be it contestants, channels or the viewers. For the viewers, they are refreshing change from the somnolent saas-bahu dramas. The biggest gainers, however, are the contestants who get the right platform to showcase their talent. There is a lot of untapped talent in our country and these shows by extending their reach to small cities provide an opportunity to bring out this hidden talent. A chef from Chamba managed to reach the final round in Zee TV SA Re Ga Ma Pa. In Star One's Lakme Fashion

House, 16 aspiring fashion designers strived to create a design to win an assignment with Donatella at the house of Versace—a lifetime opportunity for any beginner. These shows give an instant recognition to the contestants. A chance to showcase their talent on such a big platform and in front of such esteemed judges is something for which any struggler can die. The high TRPs that these shows command explains the advantage they have for television channels.
The fact that the contestants in these shows are ordinary people with whom audiences immediately relate to is the biggest trump card of these shows. The vicarious joy which people get in seeing somebody from amongst them living an almost impossible dream glues people to these shows. However, people do not lap anything and everything that is served to them in the name of reality shows. For example, Sony TV's Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai, for which they roped in cinestar Madhuri Dixit, failed to strike a chord with the viewers. Similarly Kamjor Kadi Kaun, aired on Star and Jeeto Chappar Phad Ke on Zee failed to create magic.
Reality shows have also had their share of criticism. Questions have been raised over the authenticity of the voting system on the basis of which the contestants are voted out. Fingers have been raised over the very method of selecting contestants for these shows. Questions have also been raised on the process of throwing contestants out on the basis of the votes cast by people sitting at home with hardly any knowledge about the technicalities involved in a contest like singing or dancing.
Despite all this, the fact is that such shows enjoy great popularity among the audience. Reality shows are a ray of hope for the ordinary people. These shows not only give them the courage to dream but also the assistance to turn their dreams into reality. Such shows provide them with lifetime opportunity.
Reality shows are important as they create awareness for the channel through media coverage. For instance, Rahul Dulhania Le Jaayega, a reality show on NDTV Imagine, managed to garner a Television Rating Points (TRP) of 5.6 in its concluding episode. Though these shows are high on investments, they have become an important genre in the Hindi entertainment space. A single episode of a reality show, hosted by a celebrity, could cost up to 1.5 Crore while an episode of a fiction show can be produced for about 18-20 lakh. Actor Abhishek Bachchan received approximately one crore per episode of National Bingo Night, while Akshay Kumar charged 1.25 crore per episode for Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 1.
The definition of reality show has changed with the passage of time. Before the hugely popular Kaun Banega Crore pati (KBC), reality shows were limited to quiz programmes, chat shows, music-based countdown shows or game shows. Many of the reality programmes are adapted from tried and tested international formats. While Sach Ka Saamna was accepted from Moment Of Truth, another show is Jungle Se Mujhe Bcachao, which showed several celebrities camping in a jungle, was the Indian version of I'm A Celebrity.
Get Me Out Of Here. India's Got Talent was an adaptation of Britain's Got Talent, while the idea for Rakhi Kui Swayamvar was taken from The Bachelorette. Similarly, Dus Ka Dum, which saw Bollywood star Salman Khan play host, was a copy off Power of 10 and Sarkaar Ki Duniya was modeled on Survivor.
Some original shows like Saanp Seedi, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Antakshari, Tol Mol Ke Bol and Boogie Woogie did surface on the small screen before 2000, but post-KBC producers started lapping up foreign entertainment programmes. Some of the other shows that made their way to Indian television post-KBC are Indian Idol (American Idol), Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa (Dancing With The Stars), Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain (Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader) and Bigg Boss (Big Brother).
On the other hand, made-in-India formats have their own charm. Formats as simple as Antakshari have proved that India has the potential to develop and sustain such formats. Another success has been Sa Re Ga Ma, which also brought talented singers like Shreya Ghosal to the forefront at a very early age. Other formats have been Cinestar Ki Khoj which introduced young talent to the glamorous world of Bollywood, and Business Baazigar, a game that tested the intellectual and entrepreneurial capability of people of different age groups.
The best thing about a reality show is that it is real, interactive and places the viewers on a pedestal which enables them to decide the winners. There have also been shows like Khulja Sim, a remake of the American show, Let's Make A Deal, where the viewer could play and participate in the show. Same was the case with Kismey Kitnaa Hain Dum, a remake of famous British hit, Night Fever.
It featured a karaoke contest where viewers could sing along. The best part about these shows is; that the viewers go through the trials and tribulations of the participants. The ingredients of an ideal reality show are simple. It must appeal to all and the idea should be original and entertaining. Reality shows also offer valuable lessons to be learnt about viewer's tastes and preferences.

Footprints of experienced men, who have achieved great heights and have soared through the limits crossing all hurdles and living in the present have proved their point on earth and have set great examples.

The lives of great men teach us to aim high and work hard to achieve the limits and further continue to leave footprints so any man later who is let down or has no hope can look upon and face hard the problems.

inspite of the danger to his ship ,Antonio is not worried becuase he not invested all his money in the current year trade.Also all his ships are not sailing in one direction

This reveals that Antonio is a clever and wealthy merchant or businessman and therefore he knows how to carry on his business dealings