INDIA is getting ready to play. The government’s chief economist says India will soon overtake China as the world’s fastest growing economy. So it would, concurs a Morgan Stanley study, based on the expected demographic dividend as the share of the non-working, dependent population shrinks, boosting not only the share of active workers but also the savings required to finance massive investment. Foreign direct investment inflows of the magnitude that the world envied China for, for much of the last couple of decades, is now flowing into India. Indians themselves are aggressive outward investors, and investment promotion outfits of most advanced countries woo Indian capital.
Yes, there is ugliness in our midst that the opening ceremony spectacle or Shera, the Games mascot’s smile or the colourful screens planted strategically all along the route the foreign athletes would travel cannot conceal. But India is not just chaos and dirt and violence. If there is one thing that suffuses India’s collective consciousness today as never before, it is hope — hope that things would improve, drastically, and for everyone. Without hope for the future, there can be neither joy in the present, nor creative action. But there is, indeed, hope, and joy, and plenty of action. India is indeed prepared to play. Let the games play on!
Cricket world's newest sensation, Sachin Tendulkar, has a minor problem. Yes, literally a minor problem. He is not old enough to put his signature down on a contract, on an agreement between two parties. Therefore, when he is approached by the cricket administrators to sign tour contracts, his father or his brother will have to do it for him.
And then, when they hand out huge bottles of champagne in England or New Zealand for his great batting, he will have to rely on his older teammates to empty the bottles and give them back to him to be retained as souvenirs. What is more, an application from Sachin for a driver's licence is not likely to be entertained.
These are just a few of the several minor problems that India's major cricketing sensation of the day will have to face until April 24, 1991, when he turns 18.
Turning 18 — an important milestone in any young man's life. And an age when most young cricketers still dream of making it to the national under-19 team But, by the time Sachin turns 18, he will have played in at least 11 Test matches.
Really, nobody has done so much at such a young age in the history of Indian cricket. From Imran Khan to Abdul Qadir to Graham Gooch, almost every great cricketer who has watched him play, has sung praises of the most attractive young batsman in the cricket world today.
In the 10 Test matches that Sachin has played so far, the 17-year-old from Bombay has scored 577 runs at an average of 41.21. The record itself may not be phenomenal. But the promise is.
A promise that was evident right from the moment he played for India first and one that was seen in all its glory in Manchester last August when Sachin hit a spectacular unbeaten 119 to save India from defeat against England.
The debate now seems to have narrowed to just one question: Is he the next Sunil Gavaskar or the next Vivian Richards? Actually, he might turn out to be neither. Merely, Sachin Tendulkar. And that is good enough for Indian cricket.
Sachin says both Richards and Gavaskar are his role models. But, then, the charming, curly haired young man's first big idol in the world of sport was not a cricketer.
In 1981, when John McEnroe beat Bjorn Borg to win his first Wimbledon title, the eight-year-old Sachin jumped in joy. He fancied himself a tennis star. But in a city where the conditions were more favourable for cricket, Sachin soon turned his attention to the country's favourite game.
His father, Ramesh Tendulkar, a professor of Marathi literature, helped move his youngest son to his eldest son's house near the Shivaji Park grounds to see that he could practise regularly. The Tendulkars live a long way from Shivaji Park.
When he was playing school matches, there was this joke doing the rounds in Bombay. It seems the rival captains requested the scorer to start from 100 when Sachin came in to bat as it was taken for granted that he would get his century anyway. It made the bowlers' job easier.
Coached by the modest, simple Ramakant Achrekar, Sachin plundered runs by the hundreds and was playing in the Ranji Trophy when only 16, getting a century on his debut .
It was not long before he made it to the national team He stands a little over 150 cms and weighs 64 kg now. But he is still growing. Like every other middle class youngster, he loves pop music and has the superstition of always putting his left pad on first.
A very level-headed young man. Sachin is very confident too in whatever he does. He knows his strengths as well as his few limitations and he is always willing to learn. In Manchester, after saving the match for India, he came back and asked Bishen Bedi. the team manager, if he had done anything wrong.
Really, Sachin is very much the model student who is already a master of the game.
And it is this willingness to learn from his seniors that will take the young man far. It may not be wise to look too far into the future in sport but, all things considered, Sachin should be around doing his bit for India well into the next century.
If what he has achieved so far is nothing short of phenomenal, then the teen prodigy will have to watch out for the crippling symptoms that sooner or later seem to afflict young overachievers in most of the popular international sports.
In tennis, they call it burnout And the world of professional tennis has seen any number of gifted young ones — girls and boys — get tired of the game, both physically and mentally, in their early 20s after performing astounding feats in their teen years.
There may be a pitfall or two to watch out for in the road ahead, but given Sachin's temperament and background there is no reason to fear that the darling of Indian sports fans will lose his way in the years ahead.
If he has dashed in like a sprinter, then he has all the qualities of a classic stayer too.
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The first time this event took place was in 1930. It was then known as the British Empire Games and 11 nations participated. It has been held regularly since then, with just one interruption in 1942, during World War II.
After months spent attempting to scrub the stench of corruption and organisational incompetence off its frame, the 2010 Commonwealth Games is finally upon the capital.
A dengue outbreak, the collapse of a foot overbridge outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the revelation that the Games village was in ‘unlivable' condition two weeks to the start of the event, and heightened security fears following an attack of a tourist bus near the historic Jama Masjid have led to a host of athletes pulling out of the event.
On track :At the CWG village.
A great platform
Even before this, the Games was bereft of some of the world's best sportspersons. Tennis world number four Andy Murray declined a crack at the men's singles gold, preferring instead to focus on the season-ending events of the ATP Tour. Likewise, Jamaica's roster of athletes didn't contain superstars Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, and instead included the unflatteringly-named 200m runner Steve Slowly.
Shorn of big names, the primary focus of the event — at least in India — will concern the performance of the host. In recent times, the Commonwealth Games has given Indian sport its most rewarding platform, and fourth-place finishes in the medals tally of the 2002 and 2006 events.
Invitingly cool :The swimming pool
India won 119 of its 272 medals in the competition's history and 52 of its 102 golds in those two editions.
At Melbourne four years ago, shooter Samaresh Jung won the David Dixon Award as the meet's outstanding performer, with seven medals in total — five gold, one silver and a bronze, and three Games records to boot.
Shooting will again represent India's best medal hopes in the Games. Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Ronjan Sodhi, Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Jung are among the best male shooters in the world, while Tejaswini Sawant, the World 50m rifle prone champion, heads a formidable women's contingent.
Making friends :Shera with team members from the Cook Islands.
Other athletes India will look to with realistic expectations include boxers Vijender Singh and Akhil Kumar, wrestler Sushil Kumar, badminton ace Saina Nehwal and Davis Cup heroes Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna.
Table tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal will look to achieve a repeat of his gold at Melbourne while the squash contingent, led by Saurav Ghosal, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal, will hope it can pull off a couple of upsets against some of the finest racket-wielders from Australia, England and Malaysia to break India's duck in squash.
Members
There are currently 54 members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and 71 teams participate in the Games. The four Home Nations of the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — send separate teams to the Commonwealth Games, and individual teams are also sent from the British Crown dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man (unlike at the Olympic Games, where the combined “Great Britain” team represents all four home nations and the Crown dependencies). Many of the British overseas territories also send their own teams. The Australian external territory of Norfolk Island also sends its own team, as do the Cook Islands and Niue, two states in free association with New Zealand.
A lil' history
Every four years, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations plays host to the Commonwealth Games. This year it is India. It is an international, multi-sport event and athletes from all the Commonwealth of Nations participate.
As well as many Olympic sports, the Games also include some sports that are played mainly in Commonwealth countries, such as lawn bowls, rugby sevens and netball. The Games are overseen by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which also controls the sporting programme and selects the host cities. The host city is selected from across the Commonwealth, with eighteen cities in seven countries having hosted it.
The first CWG was first held in 1930 and was known as the British Empire Games in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It was later renamed as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954, the British Commonwealth Games in 1970. It came to be known as the Commonwealth Games in 1978. Only six teams have attended every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. Australia has been the highest achieving team for ten games, England for seven and Canada for one.
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The two-day carnival organised as part of the ‘Joy of Giving Week' for people suffering from Down's Syndrome, provided them a rare opportunity to take part in various entertaining activities and a chance to interact with each other. People in the age group of 14 to 40 years from across the state took part in the event organised by the Down's Syndrome Association of India (Tamil Nadu chapter) in association with Courtyard by Marriot . The campaign held at the Nehru Indoor Stadium also emphasised the need to change our outlook towards people who are intellectually challenged and to mainstream them.
Around 3000 people from 42 institutions took part in the activities which included aerobics, music, fun games like lemon and spoon race and relay. The smile on their faces as they danced enthusiastically was proof enough that they were having a good time. Those who have been selected to represent the country at the Special Olympics 2011 were given prizes. Archana Jayaram, 25, was selected for cycling while her best friend Aarthi will be participating in swimming.
Some problems
Dr. Rekha Ramachandran, President of the Down‘s Syndrome NGO, said that most people who participated in the event are those with their I.Q level below 7.7. “They need our attention and care,” she said. The event was also an attempt to create awareness among the carers. She said that sometimes the carers may become impatient and resort to scolding or beating. “We should learn to understand them and treat them with love and respect,” she added.
According to Dr. Ramchandran, the problem arises when the carers see this as a ‘paid job'. Many aspects that need regular attention are neglected. An eye-camp conducted for these people revealed a shocking fact that 90 per cent of them were visually impaired. In the same way, ear and dental problems are not detected and treated. The event focused on the health issues and provided all the participants with toiletry kits as many of these children are from economically poor backgrounds. She said that they have a well-equipped medical team that supports this cause and is always ready to render their service to the needy.
Aarthi Madhusoodan, a volunteer with the ‘Joy of Giving Week' initiative said that the idea was to give the participants two days of pure fun.
“The beauty of the campaign is that every aspect of the event is taken care of by sponsors; T-shirts, drinking water, bags... everything was given to all the participants,” she said.
Beauty of Joy...!!
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There is nothing to be proud of India's ranking in the Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index 2009. The country ranked low also in the Bribe Payers Index among emerging economic giants. The use of public funds for private gain is common. The misuse of power, position and privilege is widespread. Corruption seems to be a fact that affects all sections of society.
Misappropriation of public funds and acquisition of ill-gotten wealth are clearly illegal. However, subtler forms of non-material corruption, coupled with abuse of power and misuse of privilege, are equally prevalent but not often debated.
Power corrupts: Lord Acton said: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This aphorism is widely acknowledged as true. William Pitt, the Elder, a British Prime Minister, echoed similar sentiments when he said “unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it.” Both seem to have based their observations on anecdotal evidence rather than formal research. The systematic enquiry and evaluation of evidence in social sciences were not standard in their times.
Corrupts absolutely: Recent research confirms Lord Acton's dictum that power corrupts. Contemporary research has focussed on issues related to power and on the state of powerfulness and powerlessness; on how power affects people's behaviour and thinking. The evidence suggests that people who believe that they deserve their power and position are morally pliable and more prone to abuse their privileges. Studies have documented that power and hypocrisy go hand in hand as the powerful feel a sense of entitlement; their sense of privilege become private law. The culture of entitlement results in double standards, one for themselves, their family and friends, and the other for the general population. Such use of divergent values and principles by the individuals involved results in hypocrisy. One could argue that corruption and hypocrisy are the price society pays for being led by the privileged.
Power attracts: Anecdotal evidence also suggests that power attracts the corruptible. This may be particularly true when systems are steeped in or breed corruption. If organisational structures provide greater and illegitimate influence with the rise in status within institutional hierarchies, then loftier titles and higher ranks mean illicit power. Power will attract those who seek to use and misuse such licence for their own ends.
Power and corruption seem to have a complex and bidirectional relationship. In societies which accept corruption as part of life, power appears to attract the corrupt and those in power encourage corruption. These associations seem to work on the whole, with exceptions proving the rule.
Privilege empowers: Even a cursory analysis of the powerful clearly documents the fact that privilege is almost always the route to power. Privileged education, in private schools, provides the platform for future unassailable confidence, disarming sincerity, captivating charm and understated authority. It also makes for articulate and confident individuals with high self-esteem. The combination of parental aspirations, family resources and excellent education lays a firm foundation for later success. Children's levels of achievement are usually closely linked to their parents' background. The privileged background of many elected representatives also argues that many advantages are inherited rather than inherent.
Spectrum of corruption: Corruption in its broadest sense is not restricted to financial irregularities. The abuse of religion, language, ethnicity, kinship, privilege and position also comes under this rubric. Such misuse is also a form of moral fraud. However, these may be in the form of “softer” violations which, though equally fraudulent, are much more difficult to recognise, quantify, track and document. While moral corruption may be universal, it tends to spread like wildfire when it is accepted as the norm at the top of an organisational hierarchy and within institutions and populations.
Conflicts of interest: It is widely recognised that related and unrelated interests can, directly or indirectly, influence decision-making; specific interests can prejudice appraisals and consequently bias judgments. It is always good policy that interests are declared and conflicts evaluated in people who are entrusted with impartial decision-making. The presence of conflicts of interest is independent of any execution of impropriety. Many organisations now mandate that such financial and other interests be declared prior to appointments to decision-making bodies. Removal, disclosure, recusal and third-party evaluations are different methods of managing them.
Individuals and systems: Power and privilege are usually institutionalised and are part of systems and organisations. Organisational support for unaccountable power often causes individuals who occupy top positions to fail to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate use of such power and privilege. The line between these is often very fine, with many individuals unable to see the difference. Even honest individuals may unquestionably accept their positions and consequent power without realising its impact on their functioning. Their intelligence, diligence, strategic planning and hard work to reach the higher echelons of their organisation may propel them to believe that their position and privilege are well deserved. Such feelings of entitlement often result in double standards and consequent hypocrisy. Even the most scrupulous people can be caught in such situations when they come up with ill-conceived schemes and proposals, or when they want to rigidly maintain status quo, despite evidence of a need for change.
The corruptible actively seek power to enhance their position and privileges, and in pursuit of more unaccountable authority. Systems, which encourage corruption and which have normalised illegitimate power, support such people's sense of entitlement, thus furthering their original aims of acquiring public power for private gain.
Corruption and India: While no society is free from corruption, what is worrying is that such behaviour appears normalised in India. The licence raj of the past did not help. Capitalism, globalisation and liberalisation have also increased the pressure to succeed, achieve targets and acquire wealth quickly. The abuse of public power, office and resources for personal gain is common. A culture, which declares conflicts of interests and institutes systems to assess them, is rare and yet to take hold in India.
No organisation is immune to the abuse of power. The intense desire to leave lasting legacies and to make significant changes in institutional direction and function often result in decision-makers short-circuiting standard procedures. The culture of sycophancy, common in our culture and society, aids and abets in such corruption. Double standards in public life are accepted; hypocrisy is tolerated and is the norm.
The way forward
We need to focus on power and highlight the abuse of privileges. Corruption does not necessarily imply financial fraud. All of us need to examine ourselves as individuals to identify, minimise and eliminate double standards and hypocrisy. We need to audit our systems and institutions to change the culture, which breeds such corruption. The task is to identify power, which comes with position, to recognise conflicts of interest and to detect feelings of entitlement, which turn the privilege of office into private law. The struggle is not a one-time affair in the lives of individuals, systems and communities but a constant quest, a journey. Society should allow for greater social mobility for wider social participation and greater equality.
There is need to re-examine our culture, which has normalised corruption in its many different forms. We in India need to acknowledge the need for introspection on our acceptance of the abuse of power. The “Seven Nolan Principles of Public Life” — selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership by example — should form the standards for holding public office. There should be regular and independent reviews of individual and organisational functioning. The challenge is to inspire and change individuals and to transcend and transform societal norms.
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The conclusions of the United Nations summit on the world's progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) present a gloomy picture. Some goals such as universal primary education, reducing child mortality, and improving maternal health are unlikely to be reached by the 2015 deadline. The world may be on track to meet the target of halving the number of people living under $1 a day, but the numbers suffering from hunger and malnutrition have risen between 2007 and 2009; one in four children in developing countries is still underweight. Employment has declined. Gender equality is elusive. Ditto for environmental sustainability — the rate of deforestation is declining but remains alarmingly high; the 2010 target on biodiversity conservation has been missed. The target of halving the number of people without access to drinking water can be achieved, but not so the number without access to sanitation. The U.N. fears that the progress made in some areas is “fragile” and if the world drops the ball on commitment and funding, even these limited gains may be reversed. Indeed, building a global partnership on development is one of the MDGs, but as the U.N. notes, only five donor countries have allocated the targeted 0.7 per cent of their gross national income for official aid.
Part of the U.N. Millennium Development Declaration in 2000, the eight MDGs were accepted by member-states and 23 international organisations who pledged to improve the lives of the world's most impoverished people. Yet, as the U.N. has noted, inadequate resources, lack of focus and accountability, and insufficient dedication to sustainable development are the main culprits in the unsatisfactory march towards meeting the 21 MDG targets. In India, the government's optimism, reflected in its country report released in June, that many of the MDG targets can be met by 2015, is hard to share. While the report estimates 27.5 per cent of Indians lived below the poverty line in 2004-05, compared to 36 per cent in 1994-95, the methodology for arriving at this figure is disputed. The U.N. differs with India's claims on reducing maternal mortality. The country is nowhere near reducing child mortality to the targeted 42 per 1,000 live births. Nearly half the under-five children are malnourished. Bringing this down to 26.8 per cent in five more years is impossible. India will also clearly miss the deadline for universal primary education. The failures are a reminder of the dismal truth — despite India's impressive economic growth over the last decade since the MDGs were accepted as policy goals, large chunks of the country have yet to benefit from it.
Hypocrisy is an attribute prevalent in all humans. We say something and do quite the opposite, sometimes without even realising it !
We talk of beauty lying beneath the skin and yet we find women — and men — buying ‘beauty' products that promise a lighter skin tone.
Their adverts shamelessly declare that unless you are fairer, everyone will look down upon you. Their makers rely on our insecurity and make a fortune out of it. If these products really worked, racism would never have entered the dictionary.
We put up lights during Christmas but how many of us even acknowledge Eid? The subtle changes in behaviour towards different communities almost always go unnoticed.
This happens despite Islam being the second largest religion of the country. ‘Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai' has been a gimmick since the days of independence. Muslims are yet to get the respect they deserve.
And last but not the least, the eternal saying “men and women are equal in every field”. Really? In every field? How many movies with a woman as their lead has Bollywood shown us? Even if such films are released, they get tagged as ‘offbeat'; something that the normal public doesn't like. All normal public likes are skimpily-clad women seeking protection in a man. It has taken us 60 years to move a woman's bill. In Saudi Arabian courts, a man's statement is worth two women's. America, with more than 200 years of democracy, is yet to have a woman president. How can we still claim that men and women are equal?
These instances and several others show that subconsciously we are still the same narrow-minded fools. Had we really believed in what we preach then the world would have become a far better place to live in.
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They say it’s thinking outside the box,
It’s a shining torch to help you when you are desperately lost.
It’s like the magic wand,
Giving you the instant solution to the problem at hand;
Seems like a very instantaneous process,
Almost a master work of a genius…
In short it’s that elusive term for which we seek to find a definition, without a proper explanation!
Creativity is one of the most misunderstood words… no one knows what it means, how it works! What we only see is a creative person coming up with a solution at the time when all fails, and we think, “Oh, my! What a genius!” missing the fact that there has been a lot of cognitive effort which has been dedicated to.
We must first realize that creativity is not something that you have or not have; it’s only a more organized way of thinking! Just by thinking right you can use creativity to your advantage. All you need is a problem to solve and the dedication to follow the 4
Simple steps to Creativity:
Preparation:
This involves collecting the relevant data or information pertinent to the problem. We often underestimate the importance of this process and want to find solutions to our problems without knowing much about them…this in all possibility leads to disastrous consequences!
Incubation:
Considering that you have taken a lot of pains to gather the relevant facts and figures, you’d know that its’ quite a bulk of information which you have gathered… (If not, check again- you might be missing on something!). This information needs some time to be assimilated and understood carefully, and you need to give it some time, before you can come to any logical conclusion. It is also in this stage, that as you are getting and understanding the information provided to you, the process of finding the effective solution begins, where you explore the different options which can be used, or choose the one which is best suited.
Illumination:
In the previous stage, our mind is working simultaneously on gathering information on the problem as well as finding effective solutions to it; therefore it is obvious that getting a solution would not be as easy as thought, and might take a considerable amount of time. This may be quite frustrating at times, and there may be a moment where you just want to ‘shut off, and take a break’, or simply not think about it. It is at this time, where one has the “Aha-Eureka” experience of getting a solution.
The reason this works is because, when you are consciously shutting yourself from the problem, the process still continues into the undisturbed chambers of your unconscious mind, to give you an effective solution. Our mind has the uncanny ability to process and form connections between pieces of information even without our awareness, encouraged by the structure and the neuronal networks.
Since the revelation is sudden, having a notebook and a pen to note down the solution is advisable
Verification and Implementation:
After having found the appropriate solution, it needs to be tested to see if it satisfactorily solves the problem. Frequently the insight turns out to be unsatisfactory, and the thinker is back at the beginning of the creative process. In other cases, the insight is generally satisfactory but needs some modification for it to be a really “good” idea.
So there you have it!
Four simple steps and you are a creative person, and an effective problem solver. These steps are not mutually exclusive of each other, and neither do they have to follow the same order. They can be repeated in the entire process, and there are no rules how long a particular step should take.
Summing up the entire process; it’s rightly said, “It’s like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” -E. L. Doctorow
Creativity is no longer an elusive term now, and with a little effort, almost everyone can be a genius at it!...
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| In the 1970s and 80s, recruitment in companies and growth in the career were measured in terms of hard skills possessed by a candidate. |
One of the fashionable terms floating around these days is “soft skills.” But what exactly are these soft skills? If we have a term ‘soft skill', does that mean there are also skills which are hard?
‘Skill' as defined by the Oxford Dictionary is “The ability to do something well.” And management gurus relate soft skills to emotional quotient and define soft skills as “a cluster of personality traits.”
During the 1970s and 80s, recruitment in companies and later growth in the career were measured in terms of hard skills (Intelligence Quotient) possessed by a person.
“These included knowledge in a particular field, experience in working on a set of machines, ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical use, logical and analytical reasoning, etc. Most of these skills are generally imparted as a part of the academic curriculum at school and college and therefore an academically successful student was expected to succeed in life and career too.
However, over a period of time, the dynamically changing society, technology and economy have brought about a phenomenal shift in the skills required for a person to succeed in career and life.
“This sea change was precipitated by many developments which inter alia include the macro-economic shift from secondary sector to tertiary sector, the enhanced complexities in work places like the increased emphasis on team work, greater participation of women and the concomitant gender sensitivity and also superior benchmarks of quality and pace,” says Mohammed Abdullah, director of Conduira, a training and placement institution.
Recent studies clearly point out the fact that irrespective of the industry, job type or rank, there are a few traits that high performing individuals possess.
“Typically, soft skills can be defined as the skill that enables an individual to engage and interact effectively with others, obtain acceptance, build consensus and provide assistance, leadership and direction,” says P.V. Rama Sasank of Conduira.
The hard skills are usually easy to observe, quantify and measure and thus easy to train and acquire.
However, soft skills — being more behavioural in nature — are a result of various influences and interactions one has had in his or her life since childhood. These influences have long term implications — both positive and negative.
Hence, most of the individuals, by the time they reach an age of employability, already possess a few soft skills — positive as well as negative — and therefore soft skill training includes a lot of unlearning and re-learning issues.
“Many students confuse the concept of soft skills with English communication skills. This is not really true. Communication skills are very much a part of the soft skills, but only a ‘part'.
Soft skills go much further enabling the individual to discharge his or her responsibilities in the most effective and efficient way possible both at work and at home,”.
What are the soft skills that organisations look for in a candidate who is just entering the workforce? “Primarily the companies look for the ability to learn. In addition, companies today are surmounting geographical barriers and as a result, teams often comprise employees from different cultural and geographical backgrounds.
Being able to appreciate these diverse views and assimilate them is a challenge and recent graduates are expected to adapt to these changes as soon as possible. Further, in a multi-cultural team, an ability to communicate becomes extremely important and fluency in business language English is a must-have requirement rather than just a good-to-have skill. Business meetings over telephone are norm of the day and e-mail has become the standard business communication. Therefore a student is expected to have good written communication skills too — non-ambiguity, conciseness and crispness being the desired parameters.
The biggest challenge, a student faces when he is on board, is the ability to work in a team. “And last but not the least, companies often place good faith in their employees and often give them sizeable responsibilities very early in their career. It is not surprising to find a 25-year-old leading a 30-member team and being responsible for revenues up to Rs. 500 crore. In such a scenario, ethics and integrity become supremely important,”.
The first step in developing good soft skills is to unlearn the negative traits developed and re-learn. Unless they have seen success in applying a new skill or method, they are not convinced that a change is required.
September 5 is Teachers' Day. A look at how some teachers touch the hearts of their students. Just a bit of kindness, a dash of wisdom and a sprinkling of love.Abdul thinks the world of his teacher who doesn't speak English very well. Her voice is not sweet for she has to be really loud in class so that even the sleepiest child is attentive. She is well mannered and gentle but does not accept excuses. Children flock round her table and ask how her Sunday was. They also know that if they hadn't done their homework, they will be made to miss activity period. Abdul, however, has only one thing to say. For all the years he will have to spend in school, he wishes his teacher would be promoted along with him, from one class to the other.
They care
Netra and Surya cannot stop talking about their teacher. “Oh she is so good,” they say. “Good?” I ask. “How do you know she is good?” Summer holidays were longer than usual but when school reopened textbooks weren't ready. Only one book was available and that was with the teacher. But when lessons were taught, the entire class would follow word by word as the teacher read aloud from the book. How? The teacher would, every single day, write down the page to be taught on the blackboard, till textbooks were given to the children ten days later. “Our teacher wanted us to know what she was reading. She made sure we didn't take our eyes off the board. We love her for writing out pages for us,” they say.
Do children really care if their teacher taught them well or not? Of course they do. Every student has an ability to evaluate the teacher. They can quickly identify the teacher who knows the job from the one who doesn't. In fact, behaviour patterns of the students largely depend on the kind of teacher they have.
Ved keeps asking his teacher why she wears more than one ring on her finger. If wedding ring was one, what was the other for? Dayanita likes it when her teacher pleats her saree and pins it to her blouse. She says it makes her look “neat”. Even mannerisms are made much of. The teacher who nods her head with a smile is remembered and spoken fondly of.
It is hard to believe but true. Children seem to appreciate the teacher who bothers to ask why they missed school when they get back after a day's leave. And when the teacher is away for a day, she is enquired of her absence too, the very next day!
Who's a “good teacher”? Taking notes from what children look for in a teacher, it is fair to call a good teacher a gift. The child who gets to learn from such a teacher is gifted. Creative wisdom, beauty of character, a kind heart and knowledge that endures are wished for every teacher today.
Deepti's views sum up the need every child feels for in a teacher. “I am fine in school. My teacher is like a mother. Just one more exam to go and I can do what I want. My teacher said so.” I turn to the teacher. Deepti had been asking her teacher if she could wear nail polish to school. The teacher had said yes, a white polish, after the exams!
A celebration
September 5 is the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. He was a diplomat, scholar, philosopher and the President of India. It is in his memory that this day is celebrated as Teachers' Day.
In 1962, when he was the President some of his students wanted to celebrate his birthday. But Dr. Radhakrishnan said, “instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers' day”. From then on, the day has been observed as Teachers' Day in India.
India today exists in a seriously embattled security environment, more than ever in the last 63 years, with external military threats and the difficult situation in Kashmir, besides the Naxalite movement having acquired dangerously devious contours. Our armed forces have determinedly and innovatively strategised to meet the expanded threats.
Our armed forces have won wars and tackled insurgency and terrorism with effective leadership and sacrifices. The accounts of their bravery and valour are well known. Their morale is high and the men and soldiers are highly motivated to safeguard the nation's sovereignty and integrity.
Though the Army has not fought a full-blown war in the last three decades, it is bogged down in fighting domestic insurgencies, guarding the restive borders, responding to requests for quelling civil riots, tackling insurgency, and terrorism, and rescue operations during natural calamities. These have a put a tremendous stress and strain on the soldiers.
Surprisingly, there has been a sharp rise in suicides in the Army in the past five years. The trend in the third largest and one of the best disciplined armies in the world is a cause for grave concern. Over 100 soldiers have taken their lives in last three years under extreme pressure, mainly poor service conditions leading to frustration or rebellion.
Discipline is also becoming a casualty. The armed forces have held a staggering 6,000 courts martial since 2000. The latest statistics show that the Army alone court-martialled 1,215 soldiers in 2000; 1,034 in 2001; 1,031 in 2002; 945 in 2003; and 872 in 2004. In just the last two years, over 20 rape and 10 murder charges have been levelled against soldiers.
And it is not only the “lower ranks” that have been afflicted. It is true even of officers. Last year, around 30 officers were convicted in court martial proceedings. But, unlike other agencies, the armed forces deal “swiftly and effectively'' with “aberrations and delinquents.”
Of late, even a Lieutenant-General and two other general officers have been in trouble for alleged involvement in West Bengal's Sukna land scam. A retired General has also been court-martialled in a scam over provision of unhygienic food to the troops in Siachen.
What the services need is high quality leadership which can motivate the rank and file in times of challenges. One reason for poor leadership is that the military is the last priority for bright young men due to various factors.
The soldiers' pay and allowances are less than that of a skilled labour in industry. The defence forces are the lowest paid service and in a state of neglect. Our soldiers retire at the age of 34 in the prime of their youth when they face loads of responsibilities. The officers retire at an average age of 52 when they have another 15 productive years.
Then there is no coordination between the Ministries of Home and Defence; otherwise, all the officers could have served up to 60 years through lateral entry. Fourth, the downtrend in the warrant of precedence has brought down the image of the defence services.
Finally, deterioration and corruption in all walks of life — our politicians, educationists, media barons, bureaucrats and even judges are not immune to the ills of filthy lucre and moral turpitude. The armed forces too are no exception.
I watch Miss Universe every year and every year I try to figure out why anyone would combine swimsuit modelling with world peace. It's like adding apples and oranges.
Quite frankly, this is a competition where size zero – or even smaller (is there something like size minus one?) – models from around the globe compete with one another, by walking the ramp with attitude and wearing everything from gowns to bikinis. They have perfect hair, a perfect pair of legs and yet their ultimate goal is to spread peace and save the world from global warming!
They say these women represent girl power. Exactly what power are we talking about? Is it that women are nothing but pretty faces who fight the wrongs in the world (for a whole one year as per contract) and yet look gorgeous as ever? Because most women I know don't have that power. Are these women's passions toward world peace actually real? What's the guarantee that they are not in it just for the fame? I back my doubt with the fact that most participants of our national beauty pageant end up in Bollywood as the lead heroine or some item girl or other. Whatever happened to world peace?
I think it's time they stop telling us that these pageants represent the power of women. It has got nothing to do with woman power and has got everything to do with pretty girls who want to make it big in the fashion/film industry. Please, woman power is not so petty..
The prejudice that women face is still present. Only, it has learnt to hide itself better.
It has been said that we now live in an egalitarian society, with little discrimination between the sexes, if any, and freedom for all. This self-congratulatory attitude, however, is a grave impediment to actually achieving such a thing. Only the blissfully ignorant would be unaware of some of the truths that stare us in the face today — it is still a man's world, despite the general feeling that sexism is nearly extinct. It is true that the blatant disregard for women's rights that was prevalent in the times of Kamala Das and Emma Goldman is no longer such a great issue in many parts of the world. On the other hand, this progress has also allowed the emergence of a new, equally frightening kind of bigotry.
The prejudice that women face is still present. Only it has learnt to hide itself better. It has become something that insinuates itself into our subconscious minds, creeping into every hollow of our lives until we are no more conscious of its presence than we are of breathing. And it reveals itself in the most innocuous of ways, like how in a marriage the wife is expected to leave her life behind and move when her husband is offered a better job elsewhere; how women are portrayed in movies as being servile to men, and in how men and women in the workplace are given subtly different treatment. These assumptions of behaviour that we make are dangerous ones. Ursula Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness is a fascinating look into how a society functions without separate genders.
The “glass ceiling” that is so often talked about in the workplace isn't so much a ceiling as it is a kind of women-specific gravity. Bosses needn't be misogynists, but they can overlook women when it comes to promotions or important assignments. It was easy to give women the right to vote and to education because doing otherwise would involve active oppression. Whereas, trying to overcome the almost instinctive desire of preferring a man to a woman for something when unearned would involve initiative, and overcoming the inertia of bias.
Then there are the bolder, more visible signs that nothing at all has changed. Everyday, there are reports — that read more like horror stories — of women being raped and killed in alleyways, molested by the very people in whom the public is supposed to place its faith, trafficked in inhuman conditions and treated like slaves. The social double-standard is also still firmly in place. In India, any family would prefer a fair-skinned, slim and tall daughter, if they must have one at all. Sons, on the other hand, are welcome in whatever colour, shape or form.
Parents desperate for male children still murder their infant daughters in brutal ways; women on roads and in other public areas are still fair game for people to leer and make passes at, while crowds of passive onlookers look on; wives are still expected to bear the brunt of household chores, duties and taking care of the children even if they have jobs themselves. The disadvantages of being a woman today are not so plain — but like wounds that appear healed when they actually fester underneath — are still present.
People cannot claim to belong to a truly progressive society unless any and all prejudices based on sex and other such ‘differences' are erased. It has taken us several decades to come this far, but it needn't take several more to scrape away the remnants of old habits. Women definitely have more freedom now — socially and economically — than in the past. But that men and women are treated even nearly as equals, is up for solid debate...
Happy Reading..!!
