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Mumbai Travel Guide Book

Are you considering visiting Mumbai this year? If yes then I have news for you! I have another travel ebook that will be useful to those considering visiting Mumbai this year. I have been to Mumbai about 4 times and I have to say Mumbai is one hectic place and can be very confusing. Here's my new Mumbai Travel Guide Book and those considering visiting Mumbai should get it. The book is called "Travel Mumbai: Places to Visit in Mumbai: Mumbai Travel Guide" is available on all Amazon stores. It covers an introduction and history of Mumbai with places to visit with maps and photos.
Mumbai Travel Guide Book
Mumbai Travel Guide Book

How To Start A Travel Blog And Make Money eBook

Looks like everyone seem to want a blog these days. The trouble is that not everyone has the technical abilities to start a blog. Even if they do manage to start one, writing blog posts and then promoting them to get traffic is a completely different ball game. What is even harder is, making money from the blog. After a few months of trying their luck, majority of them give up.
How To Start A Travel Blog And Make Money
How To Start A Travel Blog And Make Money
I have therefore published a ebook called, “How To Start ATravel Blog And Make Money” and is now available to buy on Amazon. The book goes through everything for starting a travel blog - from start to finish. It helps you how to register a domain name, getting hosting, setting WordPress up, writing blog posts to making money from the blog.

The trouble with many bloggers is the monetization process. This is where most bloggers fail. Most of the bloggers are hell bent on using Adsense and other contextual advertising which is completely fine but that’s not where the money is. The big money making from travel blogs (and other blogers) is from affiliate marketing and getting advertisers to advertise on your blog. They are the ones who will be paying you. Learn how to start a travel blog and make money from it. You can find the book on all Amazon stores.

Here’s what you will learn in the book: 

Introduction to travel blogging and how to start it
Why everyone should have a travel blog
Things needed to start a travel blog
Registering a domain name
Setting up custom domain with Blogger
How to set up hosting
How to set up WordPress using cpanel
Changing WordPress theme
Installing WordPress plugins
Creating travel content
How to create posts
Search Engine Optimisation for your travel site
Off page SEO
Track your website traffic
Things to do after publishing your post
How to promote your travel blog using social media
Commenting for traffic
Travel sites to join
How to make money from your travel blog
Hot tips
Message from the author

Here’s the list of country specific Amazon stores where the book can be found.

Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B00FDUDIPQ

Raja Yoga By Swami Vivekananda

Since the dawn of history, various extraordinary phenomena have been recorded as happening amongst human beings. Witnesses are not wanting in modern times to attest to the fact of such events, even in societies living under the full blaze of modern science. The vast mass of such evidence is unreliable, as coming from ignorant, superstitious, or fraudulent persons. In many instances the so-called miracles are imitations. But what do they imitate? It is not the sign of a candid and scientific mind to throw overboard anything without proper investigation. Surface scientists, unable to explain the various extraordinary mental phenomena, strive to ignore their very existence. They are, therefore, more culpable than those who think that their prayers are answered by a being, or beings, above the clouds, or than those who believe that their petitions will make such beings change the course of the universe. The latter have the excuse of ignorance, or at least of a defective system of education, which has taught them dependence upon such beings, a dependence which has become a part of their degenerate nature. The former have no such excuse.

Raja Yoga By Swami Vivekananda

For thousands of years such phenomena have been studied, investigated, and generalised, the whole ground of the religious faculties of man has been analysed, and the practical result is the science of Râja-Yoga. Raja-Yoga does not, after the unpardonable manner of some modern scientists, deny the existence of facts which are difficult to explain; on the other hand, it gently yet in no uncertain terms tells the superstitious that miracles, and answers to prayers, and powers of faith, though true as facts, are not rendered comprehensible through the superstitious explanation of attributing them to the agency of a being, or beings, above the clouds. It declares that each man is only a conduit for the infinite ocean of knowledge and power that lies behind mankind. It teaches that desires and wants are in man, that the power of supply is also in man; and that wherever and whenever a desire, a want, a prayer has been fulfilled, it was out of this infinite magazine that the supply came, and not from any supernatural being. The idea of supernatural beings may rouse to a certain extent the power of action in man, but it also brings spiritual decay. It brings dependence; it brings fear; it brings superstition. It degenerates into a horrible belief in the natural weakness of man. There is no supernatural, says the Yogi, but there are in nature gross manifestations and subtle manifestations. The subtle are the causes, the gross the effects. The gross can be easily perceived by the senses; not so the subtle. The practice of Raja-Yoga will lead to the acquisition of the more subtle perceptions.


All the orthodox systems of Indian philosophy have one goal in view, the liberation of the soul through perfection. The method is by Yoga. The word Yoga covers an immense ground, but both the Sânkhya and the Vedanta Schools point to Yoga in some form or other.

The subject of the present book is that form of Yoga known as Raja-Yoga. The aphorisms of Patanjali are the highest authority on Raja-Yoga, and form its textbook. The other philosophers, though occasionally differing from Patanjali in some philosophical points, have, as a rule, acceded to his method of practice a decided consent. The first part of this book comprises several lectures to classes delivered by the present writer in New York. The second part is a rather free translation of the aphorisms (Sutras) of Patanjali, with a running commentary. Effort has been made to avoid technicalities as far as possible, and to keep to the free and easy style of conversation. In the first part some simple and specific directions are given for the student who wants to practice, but all such are especially and earnestly reminded that, with few exceptions, Yoga can only be safely learnt by direct contact with a teacher. If these conversations succeed in awakening a desire for further information on the subject, the teacher will not be wanting.


The system of Patanjali is based upon the system of the Sankhyas, the points of difference being very few. The two most important differences are, first, that Patanjali admits a Personal God in the form of a first teacher, while the only God the Sankhyas admit is a nearly perfected being, temporarily in charge of a cycle of creation. Second, the Yogis hold the mind to be equally all-pervading with the soul, or Purusha, and the Sankhyas do not.

Amazon Fire TV Stick Review on Youtube

Amazon Fire TV Stick connects your HDTV to a world of online entertainment. With a huge selection of movies and TV episodes, voice search that actually works, and exclusive features like ASAP and Prime Music, Fire TV Stick is an easy way to enjoy Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, HBO NOW, low-cost movie rentals, live and on-demand sports, music, photos, games, and more.



Powerful streaming

From the responsive interface to instant search results, everything about Fire TV Stick is fast and fluid. It's thanks to a dual-core processor, a dedicated VideoCore4 GPU, and 8 GB of storage—4x that of Chromecast.

At home or on the go

Whether traveling for business or away at college, never miss an episode of your favorite shows. Simply plug Fire TV Stick into any HDTV and start watching.

Voice search

Know what you want to watch? The Fire TV Remote App lets you find all your favorites by just speaking into your phone. It lets you instantly search TV shows, movies, actors, and genres using just your voice—no more typing with your remote to find what you want.








Understanding Microsoft Windows Server 2012

Understanding Microsoft Windows Server 2012
By Saba Zehra Rizvi


Keeping the data secure with proper backup and making it available for many people was a tedious task in earlier days, especially for the organizations that dealt with a big amount of data. With several issues being faced that led to loss of data and accessibility troubles, it became immensely important to be careful and keep the information safe at some place.

Hence, by focusing on the issue faced by innumerable organizations, the concept of servers was introduced. With the aid of servers, an individual or organization could now store the data and access it anytime & anywhere.

Let's have a better understanding about how a server works, what companies are into this market, who are the users, and what can be the benefits of relying upon servers.

What is a Server?

A server is usually a program or a machine that responds to other machines or programs that request data from it. The central motive of using a server is to share data between clients. This transfer of data from server to the client is known as the client-server architecture. The clients have an option to get connected on the same machine or to different machines connected through a network.

What is Windows Server?

Windows, the product of Microsoft, started its journey long back and with time it became important for computer users, worldwide. Microsoft not only launched Windows, but has made its presence by introducing varied products that have been helping users over decades.

Windows Server, another product introduced by Microsoft, is a group of Operating Systems. It is based on the Windows NT architecture, which is capable of offering server-oriented services like User Management, Messaging, Security and Authorization, Resource Management among Users and Applications, and other Server-dependent Services.

What is Windows Server 2012?

Windows Server 2012, the 6th release, is the present-day version of Microsoft Server. The product was previously named as Windows Server 8. This up-to-date version incorporates the recent concepts of Cloud Computing and follows a better Storage Infrastructure. However, its successor, Windows Server 2012 R2, has also been launched with the introduction of Windows 8.1.

Windows Server 2012 Editions: 

Windows Server 2012 has various editions that were launched by Microsoft depending upon the segment of users. Windows has launched four editions with different combinations that can sound economic to the users depending upon the needs they have.

Every edition has some specific features that make data management easier than before. Explained below are the four editions:

Datacenter - Highly virtualized, with unlimited virtual instance rights

Standard - Little virtualization, with two virtual instances

Essentials - Small Business for simple administration, with no virtualization rights

Foundation - Entry level, general purpose economy server, with no virtualization rights

Features of Windows Server 2012:

New Server Manager: Under this feature, users can create server groups that consist of servers already existing on the user's network. These can be managed via new user experience.

Hyper V-Replication: The feature called Hyper V-replica enables the user to replicate the virtual machine from one location to another, using Hyper V and a network connection.

Storage Spaces: This is also one of the prominent features under which the server takes the storage hardware and converts it into a pool of storage that's further divided into spaces. These spaces are used as regular disks used for storage.

Dynamic Access Control: Under this feature, the access to information can be controlled or restricted. This feature removes the tedious task of selecting the Yes/No permission while giving accessibility rights to other users.

IP Address Management: Windows Server 2012 offers an IPAM suite. Under this suite, users can allocate, group, issue, lease or renew the IP address. Along with this, integration with the in-box DHCP and DNS Servers is also possible. If any device is on the network, it can also be managed with this suite.

Microsoft not only provides the products, instead it offers an opportunity to know more about them. The ones, who are keenly interested in gaining in-depth knowledge about Windows Server 2012, can visit Microsoft's website, and take a look at the various certification options available.

Proper guidance and training before taking up any exam is always a wise choice. If the learners want every inch of information about it, they may visit: http://www.multisoftvirtualacademy.com/mcsa-server-2012-online-training-courses.php


Benefits of keeping a journal or diary

Many scientific studies have shown that writing a journal or diary has numerous benefits. A simple act of putting your thoughts to paper has shown to have both mental and physical health benefits. You do not have to worry about grammar, punctuation, spelling mistakes – all you need to do is just spend 5 to 10 minutes writing what’s on your mind.



Here’s a list of things that journal writing can help in

Benefits of keeping a journal or diary

Help managing anxiety levels. If you suffer from anxious feelings then writing about your fears and concerns can help you cope with anxiety levels.

Help you cope with depression. You are writing your thoughts down on paper hence you are relieving yourself of the burden of carrying your thoughts in your head.

Reduce stress. Many studies have shown that journal writing reduces stress levels.

Help prioritize issues. If you aren't sure what you should be doing then writing it on paper can help you prioritize things.



Help with sleep problems. Sleep studies have shown that those who are writing a journal have better sleep patterns compared to those who don’t write.

Improves mood, increase general psychological well being along with help with other mental conditions.

Improve immune function. This might come as a surprise but a study showed that those who write had a better immune function. 



A Brief History of India's Integration By Rakeysh Kumar

Background

The boundaries of India were never clearly defined. In ancient times, anything beyond Indus was India. Maurya and Gupta dynasties integrated the whole subcontinent into their empire and India arguably was at its peak in art and civilization. The arrival of Moghuls in medieval times meant new heights in culture and refinement at the cost of religious and ethnic intolerance. The fall of Moghuls in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries meant disintegration of the empire into several smaller states. The European traders: Portuguese, French, British, Dutch and Danish seized the opportunities as well as they could. The British prevailed among them all with a handful of port enclaves coming under the possession of French and Portuguese. Dutch and Danish had little or no control around their trade ports and factories and they co-existed along with other traders. By the middle of the nineteenth century, half of the Indian peninsula was under British control and the other half consisted of princely-states. British diplomacy meant that these states were more or less suzerain-states of British Empire. Their loyalties and independence dependent on the treaties they underwent with them. Twentieth century saw a wave against colonialism around the world and struggle for independence in British Empire meant two independent states: India and Pakistan in 1947; divided on the lines of religion. Pakistan consisting of predominantly Muslim populace and India consisting of a majority of Hindu, a large but minority population of Muslims, and Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, Christians and several other ethnic and religious groups as minorities. At the time of independence, there were close to 570 existent princely states; in area as small as Vatican City to as large as France. The British had considerable suzerainty over around 200 of these states. These states were given the choice to either join India or Pakistan, chiefly in accordance with the religious considerations. They could even choose to remain independent of the two, if they desired so.

Chief Architects

Vallabhbhai Patel and his secretary VP Menon (a renowned civil servant) took the task of unification of India for the first time after centuries. It further helped that the nation had somewhat pro-Indian governor: Lord Mountbatten. Mountbatten used his influence on the princely states to coax them into joining India as most of such states would be politically and economically unsustainable due to geographical constraints. He also declared that the British Empire will not get into diplomatic relations with any such states and will not include them in Commonwealth, which meant no political recognization. Some states felt betrayed as they always had always considered the British to be their ally. Winston Churchill lamented Mountbatten and compared the acts of his and Congress to that of the Nazis. In the next two years, Patel and Menon flied all over the country nonstop and used every trick in the book to force the princely states into joining India. It further helped that most of these rulers were infamous for their brutality over their populace and their people saw a merger into India as a brighter promise. Some states voluntarily acceded, some were threatened, some were allowed to have their privy-purses and pensions. Some were provided more autonomy (which India could cease anyway later on). Contrary to Nehruvian philosophy of peaceful negotiations, for Patel, the means did not matter. Only the end did. The integration of India is arguably the finest example of diplomacy seen anywhere in the history of the world. The reason which lead to onset of British Empire in India, also lead to the fall of princely states into India: lack of unity among the states.

Rajputana States

Jinnah was keen to attract the larger border states into Pakistan, chiefly: Jodhpur(Marwar) and Jaisalmer. He reportedly signed a blank white paper and cajoled the Maharaja of Jodhpur to sign accession at any conditions he desired and also promised him better terms of autonomy and lifestyle. Jinnah believed that these two border states could further set way to accession of other Rajputana states and this would compensate him for the loss of Punjab and Bengal. Mounbattern quickly pointed out that joining of majority Hindu states into Pakistan would undermine the existence of two state's theory based on religion. The Maharaja of Jaisalmer further believed that this would be a betrayal to this populace and other Rajputana states will forgo ties with him. The young twenty-two year old Maharaja of Jodhpur, Hanwant Singh, desired his large state to remain autonomous or at least wanted to negotiate better terms so as to lead his lavish lifestyle. Patel made sure that Jodhpur did not become Hyderabad and a diplomatic mission led by Menon and Mountbatten forced Hanwant Singh to sign the treaty of accession. He wanted the imperialists to leave but he was fervently against the dhoti-clad Congressmen. He even tossed with the idea of asking the UN for help. Amid high drama, he signed the accession. The Viceroy left the room and Hanwant Singh was left alone with Menon. Frustrated, he took out his.22 barrel piston, pointed towards Menon and roared, "I refuse to take your dictation." Added some words on his Surya clan ancestry (they claim to be descendants of Lord Ram) and threatened Menon of dire consequences if he ever betrayed his people. Menon, with his cool South Indian bureaucratic head is said to have replied, "If you think killing me or threatening to kill me will abrogate this treaty, you're wrong." Other than his eccentric manners, Hanwant Singh was highly regarded among his people. He personally went and asked all the Muslims in the walled city to stay rather than leave for Pakistan. "It will be my insult if you leave me." he said. With all the atrocities and communal violence during partition, Jodhpur remained calm. He later somewhat audaciously (Nehru threatened to revoke the privy purses if princes entered politics) fought the first general election against the Congress in the state along with thirty-four of his supporters. Thirty one of them won and Congress leaders could hardly save their deposits. He died in a plane crash an eve before he could know of his victory.

States like Bikaner and Jaipur acceded on patriotic grounds voluntarily. Some entered into negotiations. Some like Tonk and Kishangarh were too small to resist. And in the "bulldozering" of Patel, all the close to twenty states of Rajputana acceded to India. Little did they know that reorganization of their states was to be followed. Rajputana was later reorganized as the Indian state of Rajasthan. In a matter of a couple of years, identity of all the Rajputana was lost. Indira Gandhi later in 1971 abolished all the privy-purses and pensions these rulers had negotiated.

Deccan States

Close to thirty small states in the southern presidency of Bombay. The reorganization meant that the southern states of Bombay went to Mysore (later renamed Karnataka). Bombay itself was divided into Maharastra and Gujrat.

Punjab States

Close to forty states in Panjab and Simla Presidency acceded either to India or Pakistan on the lines of religion.

Gwalior

Close to a dozen smaller states of Gwalior presidency had their treaties nullified with British Empire at the stroke of midnight 15Th Aug 1947. These were integrated into the Indians state of Madhya Bharat. (Later Madhya Pradesh) Some were integrated in Uttar Pradesh.

Central States

Chiefly consisting of Indore, Malwa, Bhopal, Bhopawar and others were integrated in the Indian state of Madhya Bharat. Bhopal was one of the larger states wanting to remain independent on the pretext of maintaining its secularity. A little threatening diplomacy did the trick.

Eastern States 

Popular national sentiments meant that provinces in modern day Orrisa and Bihar be merged with India. There were no major hindrances across these provinces.

North Eastern States

The issue of NEFA (North East Frontier Agency) was a complex one. Some of the states had completely different ethnicity and history and did not relate to India et all. Patel knew of the strategic importance of these regions. Modern Day Arunanchal Pradesh became part of British Empire according to Simla Accord 1913 between British, Tibet and China. A McMohan line was drawn along Indo-Sino border by a British Official Henry McMohan. China did not agree to the entire accord and left in between. It was completed between Tibet and British and modern day region of Arunanchal came under British and subsequently Indian control. The entire McMohan line is still a major bone of contention in Indo-Sino relations. China still claims Arunanchal to be part of southern Tibet. Naga tribes pressed for separate state of their own on basis of ethnicity. Army was sent to the region in 1955 and under negotiations, it became a Union Territory with reasonable autonomy. In 1963, it was granted a statehood.

The queen of Tripura under severe political pressure signed the merger on behalf of her teen child.
Manipur, despite establishing democracy, was controversially annexed in 1949.

Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan

Nepal was recognized as an independent state by British Empire and was not merged. Bhutan was a protectorate state of British and a treaty with India meant that it became close to a suzerain state of India "abiding by the advice of India in external affairs". In return, it was provided some of the controversial regions of Bengal.

Sikkim was given full internal autonomy with communications, external affairs and defense coming under India's control (partial merger treaty). A referendum was conducted under Indian Army with 97% of the votes going in favor of integration with India and Sikkim became a state of India. The fairness of the referendum is often debated but it was a significant diplomatic achievement of Indira Gandhi's governance.

Travancore

Travancore pointed out its thorium reserves to international community to gain recognition. But the ruler did not have support of his subjects. An attempt to assassinate his chief forced him to merger with India.


Junagarh

Junagarh in Gujrat was a small port province with a Muslim ruler but majority of Hindi subjects. It chose to accede to Pakistan defying Mountbatten on the grounds that it could be reached Pakistan mainland by sea-link. Patel had ancestral roots at the province. Also, the Hindu deity at Sarnath proved out to be more emotional and less rational reason in the mind of Patel. Forces were sent and the province and port was surrounded by the Indian troops. All supply and communications were annexed. The Nawab fled to Pakistan. A demand for plebiscite was raised in the UN but before the UN could take any diplomatic measures, a plebiscite was help under Indian control and 99% of the voters opted for integration to India. Pakistan accused India of breaking international laws and rigging the elections.

Hyderabad

The fanatic Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to remain independent. In spite of eighty percent of his subjects being Hindu, he resisted merger with India. He even sent diplomatic missions to Europe and got into agreement with Portuguese to either lend or sell port at Goa. He had slightly pro-Pakistan sentiments and donated the Pakistani government Rs 200 crore to overcome the financial crisis it was facing. (He was regarded as the richest person of his times) Patel sent troops to Hyderabad under Operation Polo and Hyderabad was annexed and merged in four days.

Kashmir

Out of all the princely states, Kashmir remains the most contentious region among India and Pakistan. It had a Muslim Majority but a Hindi oppressive king, Maharaja Hari Singh. Pakistan laid claim on Kashmir citing the majority of Muslim subjects. An ideal and peaceful negotiation would have been to divide the state into Kashmir, with majority of Muslim subjects going to Pakistan. Jammu, with majority of Hindu subjects along with Ladakh, with majority of Buddhists going to India. Nehru was a Kashmiri Pandit and his reasons to have Kashmir were slightly emotional. Hari Singh signed standstill agreements with India and Pakistan, and wanted to stay independent. Thus delaying the merger. Shortly after independence, Pathan tribesmen, supported by Pakistan Army crossed the border and rapidly marched towards Srinagar. Hari Singh asked for help and agreed to sign Instrument of Accession. Patel immediately wanted to send troops but was stopped by Nehru who insisted on having the document signed first to abide International Laws. After Hari Singh came to Delhi and signed the merger in presence of Nehru, Patel, and Mountbatten, all the private air carriers were called and troops were airlifted to Srinagar. Till then a major portion of North-West Kashmir (now PoK) was already occupied. India secured Jammu, Srinagar and some portions of valley but winter made sure that further movement was thwarted.

In a diplomatic faux, Nehru declared a ceasefire and took the issue to the UN. The UN recognized the Line of Actual Control and passed a resolution to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir. Both India and Pakistan refused take their troops back and the plebiscite was never held. Pakistan argued that a plebiscite be held solely in India Administered Kashmir. India now argues that subsequent successful elections in state have reinforced Kashmir's integrity to India. Some fractions of Kashmir and Pakistan accuse India of rigging the state elections and employing puppet government in the state. Kashmir today, is one of the most disputed regions in the world.

Lakshadweep

The news of India's independence was yet to reach these islands. Patel realized that Pakistan could lay claim on these islands as majority of its subjects were Muslims. He sent a ship under Indian Navy and Indian flag was raised there.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Some British officials wanted to retain these islands to use them as strategic air-bases. Others wanted to settle Anglo-Indians and Anglo-Burmese populace. Neither did Nehru care much about these inhabitable islands. Mounbattern ensured that these islands are merged as well with India according to the Treaty of Accession. The tribal leader of Nicobar, on request, agreed to sell his land in symbolic exchange of Nehru's jacket to the amusement of all.

French India

The accession of French India was mostly peaceful and diplomatic. A plebiscite was held in Chandernagore in 1949 with majority supporting merger with India. Referendums were held in Yanam, Mahe, Pondicherry and Karikal in 1954 and all the four enclaves were acceded to India finally in year 1962.

Portuguese India

Portuguese did not respond well to diplomatic solutions and wished to maintain the enclaves under their possessions. Dadra and Nagar Haveli witnessed uprising in 1954 were annexed. Portuguese tried to send troops to Daman and Diu but were stopped by Indian Army. Diu had the longest rule of colonialism anywhere in the world for close to 450 years. Portuguese made several failed attempts to justify their possession of Goa at UN and International Court. Although Nehru favored peaceful negotiations, a revolt in 1961 forced the arrival of Indian troops and Goa was merged with India. Portuguese raised the issue in UN Security Council but were vetoed by USSR.

Awaiting Integration?


India claims complete control over Jammu and Kashmir. Present Line of Control divides the region into PoK, Indian Administered Kashmir and Aksai Chin (area acceded by Pakistan to China).

Rakesh Kumar

"I am a citizen, not of Athens or Greece, but of the world." - Aristotle

Voracious reader, writer, poet, thinker, philosopher, day-dreamer, mystic, and an architectural buff who looks stupid while staring at buildings; nomad by nature and suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder to correct others English, and when not free, reads Vikram Seth and watches Shahrukh Khan.

I maintain a blog at: http://irakeysh.blogspot.com


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Dinosaur in Love

  Once upon a time, in a land far away, A dinosaur named Rex had something to say. He walked with a swagger and a mighty great roar, He was ...