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Today, social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are teeming with content as diverse as mankind itself, yet that's just a small fraction to become the highly sought-after "viral" content!

Have you ever wondered why a specific post goes viral and spreads like wildfire across the internet? The secret is in the understanding of Psychology that happens in the backend of why we click, share, and scroll until infinity.

Behind each viral content is something incredibly powerful: emotional engagement. This is the truth: we don't just sit there watching content. We react, we empathize, and above all, we share. So why do we share them? To basically connect, hear ourselves, and to transform others in ways that speak to our own emotions. Now let's explore the psychological triggers that get us consistently clicking the share button.

Content that prompts awe, joy, excitement or amusement gets shared because it's just that good. Think about the cute puppies' video, couple romantic love stories of young and old couples, or beautiful vacation spots. All such types of content provoke a sense of happiness and excitement, and our very first instinct is to share the joy with our friends and followers. It is our nature as humans to always want to share the good things and bond with our social networks. In fact, studies even indicate that content evoking high-arousal positive emotions is most likely to go viral. For instance, a video cheering for the lovely scenery of Bali or the bubbly vitality of Paris makes individuals feel proud and happy and share and express their cultural pride.

For most of us, the phrase "final exam" signals the end of a journey, a breath of relief, and the beginning of a new life. But for one remarkable person from Chennai, education is not a destination, but a lifelong journey. His name is Professor Dr. V.N. Parthiban, affectionately known as the “repository of degrees” and the “walking encyclopedia of knowledge.”

A Promise That Changed His Life

Professor Parthiban shares that his extraordinary journey began with a promise to his mother. After barely passing his first degree and disappointing his mother with low marks, that moment became a turning point in his life. He decided not just to pass but to excel and vowed to make his mother proud one day.

Studying Since 1981

That promise to his mother slowly transformed into a passion, a thirst for knowledge that has remained unquenched even after four decades. Since 1981, he has never stopped studying. What began as a goal to perform well in one exam has now become an insatiable hunger for learning.

Over 150 Degrees and Diplomas

His achievements are astonishing. Professor Parthiban has earned over 150 degrees and diplomas so far. His academic journey resembles the entire course catalog of a university. He holds multiple master's degrees in subjects like Economics, Public Administration, Political Science, and Law. He has completed 12 M.Phil. degrees and is currently pursuing his fourth PhD.

Spending 90% of His Salary on Education

Professor Parthiban finances all his studies himself, dedicating nearly 90% of his salary to education, including university fees, books, and study materials.

Eyeing 200 Degrees Now

He says his journey is not over even after acquiring over 150 degrees. His next goal is to achieve more than 200 degrees.

His story is proof that learning has no age limit, and with dedication, education becomes the most beautiful lifelong journey.

This inspiring story shows how passion, commitment, and a promise can fuel endless educational achievements, motivating learners of all ages.

In Srinagar's Syedabad Colony, families have dinner with windows closed firmly. The pungent odor of a rubbish mountain nearby pervades curtains and fans, making daily life a struggle against bad air. The Achan dump, formerly a wetland ecosystem, bordering Anchar lake has, since 1986, become Kashmir's biggest tip — a 123-acre dump that is now home to over a million tonnes of untreated rubbish, swarming with flies, sticky with leachate, and topped by wheeling crows.

Locals remember bygone days. Until the early 1990s, the land was wetlands and farmland with paddy being grown here for centuries. Today, residents of Soura, Nowshahra, Hawal, and Eidgah claim that the smell is intolerable, particularly during summer or after rain when the smell is overpowering. 

“My lungs are damaged,” he says. “My children are never well. Most of our earnings go into buying medicines.” Others echo the same despair. “We have stopped sitting outdoors, and inviting guests, too, has become awkward,” says Fayaz Ahmad. "Most families desire to move out, but nobody is ready to purchase houses within the area." The locals also mention stigma as marriage proposals are turned down as individuals do not want to be identified with "the colony next to the dump".

Toxic leachate endangers Srinagar's wetlands

The Anchan waste management facility processes almost 550 tonnes of Srinagar's waste daily. Landfills are the cheapest and most common form of waste disposal in much of the globe. But in most developing countries, including India, careless disposal causes dangerous leachate — a noxious, foul-smelling fluid — to contaminate soil and water. This is already threatening Anchar lake, Khushal sar, Gil sar, and even the Shallabugh wetland, a Ramsar site intended to be preserved under the global convention.

A National Green Tribunal report reported the treatment plant for leachate at Achan as "non-functional" with poisonous discharge entering Anchar Lake.

A silent health emergency

Research also identifies poor segregation of waste, inadequate and untrained staff, as well as poor equipment for efficient compaction and soil covering as factors in impeding effective management. A study in 2022 validated high methane gas levels at the Achan landfill site, with health experts cautioning that exposure to landfill gases for a long period can have severe health risks.

Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili, a surgeon and health policy analyst, terms Achan landfill a "silent health emergency" and states residents from within a five-kilometre radius are experiencing alarming incidents of asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and respiratory distress at night.

As a member of the Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), Dr. Fazili had made a detailed representation to the J&K Legislative Assembly House Committee on Environment in July. Based on more than 25 papers and expert reports, the GCC pointed out that methane concentrations at Achan are almost 14% of those gases measured at the landfill, and hydrogen sulfide violates 20 parts per million (ppm) — twice the risk threshold. This reflects a significant danger of respiratory disease for nearby residents.

Forty percent of respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions at SMHS Hospital are from those living in the vicinity of Achan," Dr. Fazili further adds. "Children in the area are exhibiting 400% more cases of asthma."  He further states that poisonous fumes from the facility are responsible for increasing cases of cancer, infertility, respiratory disease, and allergies. "The waste pickers and municipal corporation workers are also experiencing skin lesions and chronic lung injury.

India has taken a firm stand to protect children's health as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), puts a ban on the use of the label of ORS on sugary products that are falsely advertised as Oral Rehydration Solutions. This milestone ends years of confusion and risk caused by fake ORS products widely available across the country.

The ORS label was applied to many drinks to seem like dehydration medicine, yet they had extremely high amounts of sugar that might increase sickness, particularly amongst the kids with the condition of diarrhoea. True ORS, which is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), has the right proportion of glucose and salts that are necessary to rehydrate safely.

The prohibition comes after a decade of struggle led by paediatrician Dr. Sivaranjani Santhosh of Hyderabad, who raised awareness about the adverse side effects concealed in the fake ORS products. The October 2025 order of the FSSAI invalidates prior permissions of use of ORS with disclaimers, and it is evident that only WHO-approved forms of ORS would bear this label. may lead to penalties under food safety laws in the food safety legislation.

Soon after the order, Dr. Sivaranjani Santhosh shared an emotional video about how happy she is after the ban, and how much struggle she went through that instantly went viral on social media. 

The implementation of the ban is however at the moment held by the Delhi High Court on legal grounds because of the legal challenge posed by companies which have huge stock of the sweet sugary drinks called ORS. Nevertheless, health experts hail the move as a move that would be crucial towards honesty in marketing and overall safety of the population.

Indian families are advised to use only WHO-approved ORS products. This regulatory measure is a victory to the health of the people, as the marketing of various misleading and sugar-contaminated ORS-like products that put the lives of children in danger are no longer present.

Such a ban on fake ORS drinks in India opens the path to more transparent and safer hydration care practices in India, calling on more attention to misleading product claims.

The peace march was led by environmentalist and scientist Sonam Wangchuk – a vocal advocate for the application of the sixth schedule in Ladakh, which empowers majority tribal constituencies to formulate their own laws on land use, customs, and development. Ending the march on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary was a deliberate choice.

Wangchuk is now in jail under one of India's strictest anti-terror laws after a hunger strike he called turned violent, and the permission to accept foreign funding for his organisation was withdrawn abruptly shortly afterwards. Wangchuk has done things that were "prejudicial to the State and prejudicial to the maintenance of peace," Ladakh administration charged in an announcement. Police used bullets and four demonstrators were shot dead when a BJP office was set on fire by some unknown people on September 24. Wangchuk called off his strike and appealed for peace.

"It is unfortunate that it has gone to this," Ali said, speaking to Mongabay India from Kargil district. "Yes, some protestors had behaved out of desperation, but the police response wasinhuman," he continued. The violence on September 24 is the first violent turn that the long-running protests for statehood have taken in Ladakh.

Extended negotiations

In the background of the demand for statehood and sixth schedule status lies an aspiration to reclaim decision-making powers over natural resources in the region. Ladakh has been under the central government's administrative control since it was made a union territory in 2019, with apprehensions of free flow of development and ecological devastation.

Autonomous Hill Councils of Ladakh are given autonomy to manage infrastructure and formulate some developmental activities, but not legislation and establishment of courts. Statehood and sixth schedule status would grant the people of Ladakh rights of self-governance regarding land, forests, cultural practices, and inheritance.

In 2023, the central government formed a High Powered Committee (HPC) and consented to negotiating with Ladakh leaders on several issues, including granting constitutional safeguards to the region. Apart from sixth schedule status and statehood, some of the other grievances by representatives of union territories were Leh and Kargil (the two districts of Ladakh) getting single seats in Parliament and granting government employment.

Weeks after the latest protests turned violent, the Ministry of Home Affairs – under whose jurisdiction the HPC had been formed – released a statement stating "the dialogue mechanism… has yielded good results." The Ministry enumerated better reservations for the Scheduled Tribes, more women reservations in the Autonomous Hill Development Councils, and the protection of local languages as harvests of the bargaining process. The process of recruitment of 1800 government jobs has already started in UT of Ladakh. We are confident that persistent talks would be productive in near future," the Ministry stated.

Talks, however, remained slow on the two key demands of the protests – sixth schedule and statehood. This issue will not end until our demands are fulfilled," chairman of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) Thupstan Chhewang told the press. 

Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Development Association have both suspended further talks until normalcy returns, Wangchuk is released, and a judicial inquiry is called into why the police allowed events to spiral out of control by firing. A magisterial inquiry into firing was announced on October 2.

Decentralising power over land

Sixth schedule status is now only applied to some parts of northeast India under the constitution. Bringing Ladakh under the sixth schedule would require a constitutional amendment, opined Harihar Bhattarcharaya, a Political Science professor at the University of Burdwan. "The demand is real, as the region fulfills the requirements of the sixth schedule, but it entails great constitutional change," he opined. Maybe the government is not acting in a hurry because it will unleash the Pandora's box of demands from other areas where it will have to be implemented as well."

It has over 90% tribal population, and therefore it was a case that necessitated the implementation of the sixth schedule, Bhattacharya put forth. Ladakh's cold desert high-altitude climate also provides habitat to certain peculiar flora and fauna which have been conserved by pastoralist communities like the Changpas.

The state is keen on bringing industrial investments to this land. This year in February, the industry land allotment policy was notified after revision to make the Autonomous Councils' role in allotting land clear as is. One of the prime reasons for the heightened protests is to be provided more authority over land use legislations. Huge tracts of land have been leased out for solar power schemes, reportedly without conducting public consultations.

"Without constitutional protection, the extraction of resources will take place in the manner and scale that will endanger local livelihoods. In three successive years, the trans-Himalayan region has witnessed enhanced precipitation instead of snow, which can lead to flash floods and other hazards. That necessitates good, reflective governance," Himdhara's Asher explained.

Environmentalists targeted

District authorities, including the director general of police, have suggested Wangchuk's involvement in an international criminal conspiracy to cause strife in India – an accusation many branded as confounding. "There isn't a shred of evidence to demonstrate that Sonam Wangchuk caused violence, that's why the government is spinning conspiracy theories. They've arrested him under a law which doesn't require any evidence," political analyst Yogendra Yadav said.

"Is it a crime to mention climate change, melting glaciers, educational reforms and grassroot innovation? To raise voice for the development of an inarticulate tribal belt, ecologically sensitive, in a Gandhian way of non-violence for the last four years? It cannot even be termed as a threat to national security," she wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister and President on October 1.

It is so easy to get derailed with the immaculately constructed lives of digital creators and influencers every time we browse Instagram or TikTok. It seems like their lives are a continuous photoshoot- seamless, glamorous, and perpetually "on point", picture-perfect! But here's the harsh reality- behind all the super-filtered photos and videos that go viral on every corner of the internet, there is a mental health crisis far from anything we would describe as glamorous. It's high time we finally change the subject to discuss something that falls under the radar of many: mental health issues among digital creators, especially in India, whose influencer industry is booming more rapidly than a viral meme can spread.

Yes, influencers get to experience the "dream" life- having access to freebies, sponsorships, and even thrilling partnerships with top brands. But as influence expands, pressure intensifies. As and when the need for genuine content rises, so does the challenge of remaining true to themselves while at the same time being able to cash in on their fame.

A very recent research highlighted that 80% of Indian influencers care more about remaining true and authentic to their online followers.

But have you ever stopped to consider what happens when the pressure to get sponsorship deals or create the required revenue begins undermining the very idea of authenticity? As per the findings of the same research, approximately 75% of influencers feel extremely under pressure to make compromises on deals that they are not alright with and in doing so compromise their authenticity. Behind all the glitz, influencers usually work for 6-8 hours a day creating content, creating post strategies and keeping themselves updated about the new trends. This relentless grind leaves no space for anyone or anything else.

It shouldn't surprise you that 60% of influencers say that they experience depression or anxiety due to constant work pressure. They are always living in fear of becoming outdated or losing followers and finding themselves in a world where every post is judged, the emotional impact is real. Even as the Indian influencer space is witnessing an explosion in growth- a 25% growth expected from 2023-2028, the real difficulty of converting fame into a viable line of income is not far behind. Statistics indicate that a mere 30% of influencers can have a steady income. This makes it all the more imperative for influencers to diversify their lines of income, beyond merely content creation modes and adopting business acumen. The Dark Side of Digital Stardom: Burnout and Mental Strain  Let's be real- the "dream job" of being an influencer is not as picture-perfect as it seems to you. 

This side of the globe is not just about fan gifts, collaborations and endorsements.

There is always pressure to remain relevant.

Each day you have the constant compulsion of having to produce new, interesting content and this can be like going on a hamster wheel. In addition, creators are supposed to follow trends and create them- which is extremely draining