Team Work - Problem Solving etc...

TEAMWORK

A team is one wherein all team members work towards a common goal. The communication between the team members should be free from any barriers. It should be well channelized and directed towards team building.

A survey on Shine.com indicates that more than 90% people agree that being a part of a team is one of the best things about their work. As Bill Bethel has put it: A successful team is a group of many hands but of one mind. A team is one wherein all team members work towards a common goal, ideally leaving behind their individual interests and preferences.

10 tips to get the best out of a team:

Effective communication: The communication between the team members should be free flowing, well channelized and directed towards achievement of project success. Also, communication between team members and team leaders should be a two way process. 

Strong leadership: The speed of the boss is the speed of the team. It is vital to have an efficient leader who can exhibit exemplary behavior. A good team leader is one who gives importance to team goals over his individual goals and is capable of showing direction and ensuring that the team members remain focused. 

Efficient delegation: Assigning responsibilities is as important as ensuring it is fulfilled perfectly. Therefore, it is essential to assign work as per the capability of team members. 

Conflict management: It is mandatory to resolve conflicts within the team. Even critical issues, when dealt with maturity, can be resolved easily without leaving a scar. Differences in opinion should not come in the way of the team’s performance. 

Trust: A term vital for any relationship also applies to a team-oriented environment. It is important to generate trust within the team. Team secrets, details of new projects or any new development within the team shouldn’t be divulged unless it is in the interest of the organization.

Common goals: A team obviously is made of individuals with diverse opinions, often conflicting. The focus clearly is attainment of common goals. Therefore, it is vital to set aside personal points of view, be aware of organizational goals and work towards achieving targets together.

Respect: To work in coordination, it is essential to understand and respect others in the team. Respect for each other’s competencies, views and actions will minimize conflicts, ensure smooth functioning and enhance productivity. 

Togetherness: A team signifies togetherness. As a unified unit, it should work on a common platform. It is advisable for organizations to take initiatives and organize team building exercises, excursions and monthly team meetings to strengthen team bonding. 

Avoiding negativity: Shun feelings of negativity, jealousy or ill-will. Do not participate in unproductive or unhealthy discussions. 

Setting a good example: Each team member, through his work, should set an example for others to follow. It can be done by outperforming the target, suggesting new ideas for policies and procedures or by participating in activities at the organizational level.

Make teamwork 'work' for you

Participate

Whether it is meetings, brainstorming sessions, conference calls or any other activities, it is important that you participate wholeheartedly. If someone puts forward an idea, ask questions without restraint.

Says Sunita Chauhan (name changed), a developer with a large IT firm, "One of my colleagues had this annoying habit of keeping quiet during meetings, but would pester others later with his doubts and make snide remarks on decisions that had been taken. His productivity and attitude were so poor that he was assigned to another project." Speak your mind freely but, of course, remember to be inoffensive.

Keep the common goal in mind

The formal definition of teamwork is 'cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve a common goal.' The key words here are -- 'cooperative effort' and 'common goal'. Often, individual members of a team seem to venture in their own directions, without considering the overall goal of the project. 

Keep in mind that companies are working on moving towards team-based appraisals. A prominent engineering firm is adopting this approach, in which your appraisal will earn you extra points (or negative ones) depending on how your team has performed.

Be open-minded

Often, you may put forth ideas that will be mulled over by the team as a whole and may eventually be rejected. Be broad-minded and confident enough to accept this. Use this opportunity to get feedback on your ideas such that it helps improve your thinking process for the future. 

Mrinalini, who works in an advertising agency, says, "There were one or two members in my team who believed their ideas were always the best. When those were not accepted, they sulked and landed up adversely affecting the team morale. They even managed to convince some others that the approach being taken was wrong."

Be clear about your role

At the outset itself, the project leader should assign specific responsibilities to people keeping in mind their relevant skills. 

Abhijit Sinha, senior developer in an IT consultancy, says, "When my project started, there were no clear demarcations of roles. Things were going haphazardly, with people just taking up whatever work they liked. As the seniormost person on the team, I landed up doing a large chunk of the work, in addition to guiding youngsters and planning the schedules. I discussed this with the project manager in great detail and he finally sorted out the issue by assigning me the role of team leader and issuing specific tasks to other members."

Help your teammates and your leader

If your peer is stuck with a problem he or she can't resolve alone, assist him in solving the issue by all means. Of course, this doesn't mean you do all his work for him or even that you neglect your own duties completely. 

One of the best ways to help your supervisor is to keep him or her updated at all times about the percentage completion of your work. It may be a short daily e-mail, or even a daily status meeting by which you can do this.

Don't be the dominating one

If one person takes up the floor and tries to steamroll others with his ideas, it can only have a negative effect. The team member who does this is usually the most annoying person, who tries to force his ideas and opinions on everyone. 

Support your leader

All team members must support their project-in-charge whole-heartedly. They need not be yes-men but, once a decision is taken, they must rally behind him or her with complete support. This is especially true if your leader is a woman. 

As a female project leader, I have often noticed a slight tendency on the part of male employees to resent having to report to a lady. They either feel uncomfortable about the idea or are just sceptical of her capabilities.

Don't forget to have fun!

A team should always take the opportunity to meet in a relaxing unofficial environment where there is no talk of a project or its problems, even if it means just going to the office canteen for a cup of coffee. 

And always remember the other popular expansion of TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More.

1. Write a few sentences outlining thoughts on why it is important to cultivate your life

skills. What are the ways in which you can practise and improve your teamwork, problemsolving

and learning skills?

Answer:

Andrew Carnegie says that team work is the ability to work together towards a common vision.

It is the ability to direct individual accomplishments towards organizational objectives. It is the fuel that

allows common people to attain uncommon results.

In today’s world, employees have to work with groups to get desired results. But working with

a team is easy to say but difficult to do it. Many things contribute to the smooth and efficient working

of a team. First, people from different backgrounds and abilities come together for a common purpose

of achieving their targets. The key factor for the success of a team is proper communication. Secondly,

the interaction among individuals creates a sense of togetherness. This helps improve teamwork. This

kind of atmosphere can solve the differences of opinion among them. Everyone in the group works

collectively for their common goal. Above all, everyone gets an opportunity to learn from others and

improve individual performances.

In one of my classes, our English teacher gave us the task of making use of waste materials in

order to come out with a useful thing. We were formed into groups. The work was assigned and the

instructions were given. We took old news papers and cardboard boxes to make decorative pieces.

Initially, we had a problem on how to do it. While we were working on it, we learnt the technique of

solving problems by co-operation and co-ordination of everyone in the team. This resulted in acquiring

learning skills. Finally, we came out with a model. We were appreciated for our collective collaboration.

In another class, we were asked to plan a short class trip. Again, we grouped together and

worked out the logistics involved in it. We pooled up all the ideas and estimated the expenditure for it.

We took everything into account that might go into the trip. All of us were quite excited as we were

progressing on. Finally, we came out with our plan of action. We were all appreciated for our analytical

thinking and adaptability.

In one more class, we were tested on integrity and motivation. We were given an opportunity to

educate the young children in the slum areas. This was entirely a new experience. We took it as a

challenge to transform these uneducated siblings into useful citizens by educating them. One day, we

went to the slums of the city and gathered a few young children. We taught them for a few weeks and

we found great improvement in them. The reason was that these children showed a lot interest in

learning. This gave everyone of us great satisfaction. We have decided to continue such activities for

ever. I honestly believe that we need to give something back to the society as being a part of it. We

have understood that life skills as well as core skills can be inculcated through team work.

Discuss the importance of the ability of problem-solving.

Answer:

In this competitive world, any technical student needs to be good at problem-solving skills.

These skills are acquired easily while working with a group of persons. Working with a team of people

is difficult. A lot of things are involved in it. Communication is an important aspect of it. These skills

have to be acquired from the undergraduate level. The students must develop a habit of working with

a group of friends for a common purpose. This interaction creates among them a sense of togetherness.

In the initial stages, this will help them shed their inhibitions and slowly they start sharing their ideas.

They will also learn certain things from their friends, consult books and meet knowledgeable persons

in that field. The process of learning and applying it will continue till they complete their project. They

will improve their problem-solving skills through learning as they progress. The greatest advantage in

teamwork is that everyone will get an opportunity to learn from others and improve his or her

performance.

While working on a project, the students will realize the importance of teamwork. In a project

work, they will identify problems creeping in. Some students may not be able to solve them. Then, they

will seek the help of other teammates to learn to solve those problems. Gradually their problem-solving

skills along with learning skills will improve by leaps and bounds. All these skills will ultimately come

in handy when they become professionals. Without any doubt, all this expertise will magnify their

talents at workplace.

As a student, I want to share with you one of the learning experiences I had in my class. Our

Maths lecturer gave us a problem and asked us to work on it. We were asked to complete that small

project within a short period of time. We formed into a group and were working together. We also

utilized a lot of resources to solve it. Initially, it was really challenging for us. We tried and tried and

shared whatever the ideas we got. We consulted books and finally, one day before the submission we

solved it. We neatly typed it and handed over it to our lecturer. He did not expect that we could solve the problem. In this way, we learnt the technique of solving problems with cooperation and coordination.

We developed analytical thinking. We did many such projects which were really challenging

to us but our collective efforts proved to be useful in getting over difficulties and obtaining success.

Debate

Debate 

Debate or debating is a method of interactive argument. Though a debate is basically an argument, it is not an undisciplined shouting match between parties (individuals/teams) who hold a particular point of view. 

Debate is different from Group Discussion: 

 Debate differs from group discussion in several ways. Debate is basically an argument where participants take a particular stand on a given topic and stick to it as they speak on it. Group discussion is a cooperative process in which members discuss a topic with a view to reach group consensus. You need to be very flexible in a group discussion. That is you consider others' points of view also. However, you need to have just one particular view point in a debate. In a debate the number of participants could be from 2 to 20 or more whereas in a GD usually between 5 and 15. 

Conduct of Debate: 

 A topic is given for debating for individuals or teams. The team could consist of minimum two debaters and a maximum of 20 or more. A debate can be conducted depending on the number of participants in a debate. If there are more than 20 students in a class, the class can be divided into two teams. 

 It is possible to have a monitor who gives the topic and asks the teams to take a stand and argue for it. For instance, if a debate topic is "That the soft drinks be banned", one team would say YES and the other team would say NO. After the teams have taken a stand on the topic, the team that agrees with the topic may be called the affirmative and the team that disagrees with the topic may be called the negative. 

 The teams should arrive at a possible definition of the topic. The job of defining begins with the affirmative. The first speaker of the affirmative must explain in clear terms what they believe the topic means, explaining the meaning of the whole topic rather than each separate word. The negative team may agree with or choose to challenge the definition presented. If the negative team chooses to challenge the definition it should be done by the first speaker who should clearly outline why the negative is challenging and then propose a better definition. 

 If the number of debaters is large in a debate the monitor controls the debate by laying down certain guidelines like how much person should one person speak, what forms of behaviour is appropriate or in appropriate etc and intervenes when there is a chaos. If the number debaters is small in a debate the monitor's role is minimal. The monitor can give or ask the debaters to pick a topic they wish to debate on and then give the teams time to prepare for debating. Then the members of each team can specify for themselves the roles that they may wish to carry. Given below is a possible procedure in terms of roles if there are three members in each team. 

1st affirmative should: 

• define the topic 
• present the affirmative's team line (the point of view/stand) 
• outline briefly what the other two in their team will talk about 
• present the first half of the affirmative argument 

1st negative should: 

1. accept or reject the definition 
2. present the negative team line (the point of view/stand) 
3. outline briefly what other two will say 
4. rebut a few of the main points of the first affirmative speaker 
5. present the first half of the negative team's argument 

2nd affirmative should: 

• reaffirm the affirmative's team line 
• rebut the main points presented by the 1st negative 
• present the second half of the affirmative's argument 

2nd negative should: 

• reaffirm the negative's team line 
• rebut some of the main points of the affirmative's argument 
• present the second half of the negative's argument 

3rd affirmative should: 

• reaffirm the affirmative's team line 
• rebut all the remaining points of the negative's argument 
• present a summary of the affirmative's argument 
• round off the debate for the affirmative 

3rd negative should: 

1. reaffirm the negative's team line 
2. rebut all the remaining points of the affirmative's argument 
3. present a summary of the negative's argument 
4. round off the debate for the negative 

Rebuttal: When you are rebutting you voice your views countering the arguments put forth by your opponents. Criticizing your opponents' arguments is called rebuttal. Here are a few things to remember about rebuttal. 

Have logic: To say that the other side is wrong is not enough. You have to prove why the other side is wrong by countering each of the arguments of your opponents. If you don't have logic in what you say you will not be able to prove that the points presented by your opponents do not really make sense. 

Concentrate on major arguments: 

Rebut only the major arguments of the opponents. Listen carefully to detect loopholes/inconsistencies in their arguments. By picking on major points you could render your opponents' stand weak easily and also this helps you to save time and stay focused. 

Essentials of a debate 

Spare the debater: 

 Do not criticize the individual speakers, criticize what they say. Do not call people names. It is an art to prove people wrong without offending them. Remember that a debate is a battle of ideas, but not a clash of personalities. 

Essentials of a debate: Presented below are a few essentials you should concentrate on as you take part in a debate. They are content, structure and delivery. 

Content: Content is what you say. In other words it is the subject matter of your speech. To present your content effectively keep the following in mind: 

Use examples: You should divide your matter into arguments and examples. An argument is a statement. An example is a fact or piece of evidence which supports an argument. For the topic "That the soft drinks should be banned", if your argument is: "that the soft drinks should be banned because they contain harmful substances" then an example might be: "if you take one glass of a soft drink (specify the brand name) the pesticide content is this much (specify quantity)". 

Have unity: A good debating team ensures unity in their debate. Unity is created by all members being aware of the definition, what the other speakers have said and what the team line is. Each member of the team needs to reinforce the team line and be consistent with what has already been said and what will be said by the other members of their team. 

Structure: Structure refers to how you organize your content. Structuring your arguments properly will make your ideas clear. Have a clear idea of your own arguments and which examples you will be using to support those arguments. As you speak, make a clear division between arguments and let the opponents know when you are moving from one argument to the next. This is called sign posting and is a very important debating tool. 

Delivery: 

 Delivery is how you present what you say. There are various aspects of delivery that you need to be aware of like eye contact, voice, body and enunciation. 

Eye contact: Look in the eyes of your opponents as you present your view point. This helps you to hold their attention. 

Voice: There are many things you can do with your voice to make it effective. Use volume, pitch and speed to emphasize important points in your speech. A sudden loud burst will grab your audience's attention while a period of quiet speaking can draw your audience in and make them listen carefully. 

Body: 

 Your body is a tool for you to use. Make hand gestures deliberately and with confidence. If you are going to stand still, stand with confidence. Don't let your body apologize for your presence by appearing nervous. Use your whole person to effect and to persuade the audience. 

Enunciation: Speak clearly, carefully and slowly so that the impact is good. Learn to differentiate the pronunciation of some words like 'personal' and 'personnel'. 

The outcome of a debate: The outcome of a debate may be decided by voting, by judges, by monitor or by a combination of any of these. Sometimes debates are conducted just to have fun. Individuals can obtain feedback informally from monitor or judges or a teacher or any evaluator.

Challenges and Opportunities for Engg. Students

Challenges and Opportunities for Engg. Students

With globalization and economic development during the past two decades India has opened up very promising openings and opportunities to the students in general and engineering students in particular. India and China are emerging as leaders and are considered to be potential major economic players of the world in the coming decades.

Young India:

Added to this, around 50% of the Indian population ranges between the age group of 18 to 35 and this trend is expected to continue till 2050 in contrast to western countries which have predominantly older population. This means that India is young and will be one of the major producers of human resource along with China. In this context we should remember that unless this vast human resource is harnessed as skilled manpower, it is going to be counterproductive. Thus we have two challenges ahead, namely, producing sufficient skilled manpower by establishing good institutions and providing opportunities to them by developing the right kind of infrastructure. If the former is not attended to, our country will miss a golden opportunity and countries like China will take over. Already China has realized this and is pursuing this activity aggressively. If the potential of youth is not tapped in a proper direction, it may lead to unhealthy activities like terrorism.

Shortage of Skills:

As per the report of the National Knowledge Commission headed by Sri Syam Pitroda, there are about 350 universities and 18,000 colleges offering higher education in the country to about 10% of the relevant age group. This is extremely inadequate for a country where the demographic dividend by way of a population is about 550 million youth. If we are to achieve a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 15% and above by 2015, we need to substantially increase the number of higher education institutes in the country. It further points that there must be 1500 institutions in the country providing higher education to cater to the needs of the fast growing industrial and economic needs of the country. Here the challenge is not just the quantity but the quality as well. Every industry is facing an acute shortage of highly skilled and technical manpower. Presently, there are around 1500 colleges offering engineering education producing 6 lakh engineers every year. However, unfortunately only 15% of them are employable, according to a report. This means that we are not concerned about the quality of the engineers and thus creating a gap between the academics and the industry needs.

Plenty of Jobs:

In this context it is apt to say that there are plenty of jobs and opportunities for the engineering graduates. This year TCS announced that it requires 50,000 engineers, Infosys, Wipro, Accenture and Cognizent announced 30,000 each. Many other companies have also quoted similar figures. This implies that there are people and there are jobs, but the candidates do not have the requisite skills. It is the responsibility of academicians to make our students employable. The objective of this article is to provide some tips to the students and the academia in general to address this problem.

 It is estimated, by 2020, that 56 crores of technical manpower is required, of which India will be able to produce nearly 40-45 crores. However, all of them may not be employable unless we concentrate on the quality of the engineers who meet global standards. To solve this problem National Knowledge Commission suggested that the curricula be revised to be in tune with changing technological and industrial trends and creation of a national knowledge network. This requires three things.. 

• Improving soft and communication skills 
• Good knowledge of fundamentals and relating them to the environment and real life situations 
• New Ideas 

It is expected that the competition between India and China is with respect to innovation. Till now, India is known for its software services all over the world. Unless we get into finding new ideas it may not be possible for us to survive with this growth. Hence, it is necessary to inculcate a critical thinking and problem solving process among students. Any small innovation or value addition should be recognized and encouraged. The students must be made aware of the intellectual property rights on what ever innovation they make. When an MNC invited innovative ideas from the students which can be implemented, they received nearly 1,70,000 entries. Many of them are very much useful and can be implemented with low cost. Four simple ideas are mentioned here. 

• Detachable tooth brush 
• A foldable bicycle 
• A ring with a GPS support and 
• Clay cups 

Detachable tooth brush

We all know that, when we brush our teeth only the head part of the tooth brush is being used, while the other part, namely, the handle is only to hold the tooth brush. If we have a mechanism to replace only the worn out head of the brush, a lot of material is saved and the usage of plastic comes down drastically in tooth brushes.

Foldable Bicycle:

Imagine a situation where a bicycle is folded and carried in a suitcase like our clothes. We can open the bicycle and coolly we can pedal out. This idea is already been implemented and being used. It should be made as light as possible while being sturdy, yet affordable.

A ring with a GPS support:

We are all aware of the deaths due to heart attacks. Accidents are on the rise. It is also noted that if these people get medical aid within half an hour of the episode, the chances of survival is very high. A student has come out with an idea to design a ring in which there is a small chip which can store some important mobile numbers with GPS support. With one press on the ring, they all will be activated by sending SMSs to them informing the place where he/she is with the help of GPS.

Clay cups:

Use of plastic is becoming a big problem for us. If we can reduce the usage by any amount, is good. Using clay cup is not a new phenomenon, and the practice is existing in states like UP and Bihar for taking beverages. If a layer can be coated on them with plastic like glazy paper then these can be used in place of plastic cups. A small coating will be a value addition to this clay cups giving employment to many rural folk.

 The industry is looking forward to students with such innovative ideas. It is not necessary that the student should know every thing he/she studies in his/her four years of engineering. It is expected that he/she should have the following. 

• Good communication skills 
• Good at fundamentals 
• Ability to work in a group 
• Aptitude to learn new concepts 
• Adaptability to the changing technological trends 

Students need to be clear about their goals and pursue them with vigour. They need to be proactive and improve their soft skills by participating in group discussions/ seminars etc. and utilize their time effectively. It is advised that they should nurture his/her passion or hobby like sports/ music/dance etc.

Skills Required: 

Good communication skills 

Good at fundamentals 

Ability to work in a team 

Aptitude to learn new concepts 

Adaptability to the changing technological trends 

Innovation

How to write an effective resume?

 How to write an effective resume?

A resume is a marketing document. It is an advertisement and you are the product. Its sole purpose is "to sell" your skills, knowledge, accomplishments, and experience to a prospective employer so that you can get an interview.

 The goal of a resume is to get you to the interview.

What should a resume contain? 

 It is a brief account of your professional skills, education, experience, achievements, strengths, and activities that would be relevant to an employer. 

Characteristics of an impressive resume:

 Interview guaranteeing resumes invariably have the following characteristics.

 Visual appeal, easy to read layout, and high quality reproduction 

 Organized, 

 Present the most important information first, 

 Feature only relevant information,

 Highlight key skills and strengths - link them to employer's needs 

 Very brief; do not exceed one or two page(s)

 Totally free from any errors: spelling, typographical, punctuation, or grammatical 

As a fresh engineering college graduate, how should I structure my resume?

Organizing the information on your resume into appropriate sections is crucial for developing a strong resume. An entry level engineering job seeker's resume typically has the below eight important sections. 

Your name in large and bold font, at the top:

 It tells to whom the resume belongs. 

Contact section at the top, below your name: 

 It tells how you can be reached via email, post, landline and cell phone. 

 Objective statement: It tells your career goal.

Examples: "Entry level job in structural engineering",

 "First job in software development or testing", etc. 

Academic record: This section provides your qualifications, starting with the highest degree first. Qualification is followed by name of the college, University, location of the University, aggregate percentage, and year graduated. 

Software / Technical skill set: List here all the technical and software skills you have acquired to date. 

Academic Projects: Provide here brief descriptions of the projects you have done as part of your 4-year degree and/or your masters' degree. 

Professional activities / achievements: 

 Mention your publications and awards at professional contents.

Example: "Stood first at the national level Structural Design Contest at IIIT-H, Hyderabad held ABC 2010" If you have very significant academic or professional accomplishments that directly meet your employer's needs, you can place this section near the top of the resume, after the career goal or education. 

Extra-curricular (optional): Write the important contests or tournaments where you won a prize. 

 Example: "Stood first at IIIT-H, Hyderabad held AP state level Table Tennis Tournament in 2010"

Personal information: Mention on a single line your age, gender, marital status, native place (including the name of the state if your native place is not well known).

Example: 20 years, female, single, native of Chegunta (Medak District, AP).

 This section should come at the end.

Do's:

Be concise: It is a professional summary of your skills, education, and experience. A recruiter will only spend around 15 seconds scanning your resume before deciding to review further or put it aside. Be brief. 

Design resume carefully: Appearance makes an immediately favorable impression. So ensure that the layout is inviting to read and looks professional. 

Stay relevant: What you mention on the resume should be relevant to the job and prospective employer. In other words, an effective resume demonstrates a match between what you have to offer (= skills, knowledge and experience) and the employer's requirements.

Highlight key strengths: Use bold, italic, or underline to make your accomplishments, experience and skills stand out. But use these sparingly; only to highlight important statements or words. 

Check and re-check: Resumes with misspelled words and poor grammar reflect poorly against you. Use the spell and grammar check feature on your word processor. 

Don’ts: 

• Avoid the same words or phrases on the same page. Introduce variety in vocabulary to make your resume lively. 
• Don't use the first person. A resume should always be written in the second person. So never use "I" or "we". 
• Don't write philosophical statements for career objective. Keep the career goal statement short, simple, and direct. 
• Do not include a picture of yourself. 
• Don't use double-line spacing. The norm is single line space. That way the resume looks compact and neat. 
• Don't use multiple fonts. Use only one font - whether Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Times New Roman, or Tahoma - through out the resume. 
• Don't change font size. Except for your name at the top, which can be in larger font, all text, including sub-headings, should be in one single font size. 
• Don't use passive verbs. In stead of saying, "Analysis and design of the structure were performed", write "Performed analysis and design of the structure". 
• Don't include information of your parents' names, religion, caste, family, or hobbies. 
• Don't write lengthy resumes. Let resume not exceed one or two pages. 
• Don't dump information. Use bulleted points to make your resume look neat and readable. 
• Don't include a declaratory statement to confirm the truthfulness of what you mentioned in the resume. CV is not an application form. 
• Don't cram the resume with text. Ensure that there is adequate white space on the resume by giving enough margins. It makes the resume readable. 
• Don't include two sets of addresses - permanent and current. Either will do. 
• Don't use multiple colors. Use only black for font color throughout the resume. 
• Don't write sentences or terms using all capitals. Use of capitals should be limited to only abbreviations. 
• Don't use informal style and terms. A resume is a formal document.

Effective Communication Skills

Effective Communication Skills

Today, India is one of the fast growing economies. As a result of this, job market is expanding. Unfortunately, not many engineering graduates are grabbing the job opportunities as their proficiency level of English is not up to the mark. Engineering students should not be satisfied with just mathematics, thermodynamics, alkali, chips and transistors. They must work on enhancing their English language skills, communication skills, and soft skills. The engineers must focus on improving their command over grammar, comprehension, report writing, seminar presentations, GD and interview techniques etc. Effective English communication skills are vital to engineering students to enhance their academic performance, employability and personal effectiveness. Today's job market wants candidates who have good communication skills and a dynamic personality. Organizations look for people who can work in teams and who can get along with their colleagues comfortably. Employers are keen on recruiting only those students who possess a right mix of technical skills and soft skills. Hence, it is high time students realized that communication skills in English and soft skills play a pivotal role in their personal as well as professional lives. 

Identify your problems: 

 Many students find it difficult to overcome their English language problems as they lack proper awareness and exposure. Some of their language and communication problems are... 

• Incorrect pronunciation. 
• Incorrect grammar. 
• Inability to use the right word in the right context. 
• Inability to adjust their pace, pitch and tone depending on different situations. 
• Inability to speak clearly and audibly. 
• Inability to comprehend quickly while reading. 
• Inability to write effective reports. 
• Inability to give seminar presentations impressively. 
• Inability to face interviews confidently. 

Use of the Right Approach: 

 Learn some useful tips for all skills/sub skills 

 Get tips from experts and various books on improving the four language skills, viz., listening, speaking, reading and writing and the sub skills, viz., pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and spelling. And you must realize that you need to be equally good at all the skills and sub skills. Grab opportunities for practicing all skills/sub skills. You must take responsibility for your own learning. You must get opportunities to practice various skills in various situations. You must be very active and get involved in discussions and debates on various topics. It is also a good idea to recall and talk about the language learning techniques and strategies. Also, you must check which of them are effective and which of them are not so effective. You must use the 'good' strategies more often. You must try new styles of learning and apply what you learn in various situations. 

How to improve? 

 You should improve your oral communication by grabbing opportunities to practice conversations, JAM sessions, speechmaking, group discussions, debates, seminar presentations, telephoning, interviewing and role-playing. Written communication can be improved by way of keeping diary entries, letter writing, essay writing, summarizing, report writing, chatting on the net, ‘emailing’ and 'smsing'.] 

Tips for proficiency: 

1. Learn words in context. 
2. Listen to Radio and watch as many English programmes on T.V. as possible and try to repeat the dialogues of the characters by imitating them. 
3. Do not hesitate to speak to your friends or classmates in English. 
4. Listen to music in English and repeat lyrics later even though you do not understand everything that is being sung. 
5. Play as many grammar games/ language games as possible. 
6. Use CDs with listening activities and practice listening exercises using headphones. 
7. Try to speak on telephone enquiring about a product/ service. 
8. Maintain vocabulary notes. New vocabulary can be learnt from newspapers, books, dictionaries, thesaurus etc. Try to learn at least twenty new English words every day. 
9. Use all the new words you have learnt in real life situations. 

 Follow the above mentioned tips diligently so that you can improve your communication skills in English and become more employable. Students of engineering can also learn and practice the above at the University Training Centers. Try to follow the above mentioned tips and practice the exercises diligently so that you can become proficient in English. Try to read the books recommended below and also make an attempt to browse the websites mentioned below. They will remain as a constant resource for updating your communication skills in English.

Why Good Communication Skills?
Within a few months after Vijay passed his BTech with a distinction, his ordeals began. He knows all his subjects thoroughly well, but unfortunately his English is not good. All his attempts to get a good job have been going in vain and he now has several sleepless nights. He regrets his negligence while at the university towards improving his communicative abilities and has now realized that unless he improves his English, he has no chance of getting a job in a good company.

 This is the story of not Vijay alone, but thousands of engineering graduates. While on campus, they did not recognize and appreciate the need for improving their proficiency in English language and their communicative abilities. They did not improve their English language skills, soft skills and interview techniques.

 The need for good communication skills, a good command over English language and proficiency with soft skills cannot be ignored. Today, the ever expanding industry is craving for youth with vibrant personality and first-rate communication skills. Often we hear in the recruitment corridors, particularly in the multinational companies, that innumerable jobs remain vacant for want of suitable candidates equipped with good communication skills. Effective communicative abilities not only decide whether one gets a job or not; but when one does get a job, they decide what kind of responsibilities one can be assigned and how attractive the pay packet is. So, possessing effective communication skills is not only the golden key to getting a good job, but also the fabulous route to go up the ladder in any organization.

Syllabus and Strategy:
 Keeping the need for well groomed engineering graduates in mind and in view of the increasing demand for English as a tool for global communication, universities such as Osmania University, Hyderabad and JNT University, Hyderabad and Anantapur have redesigned their English curricula recently. These universities and several such others have been continuously revising their English syllabus with the objective of developing the communicative competence of students and also to cater to the needs of the industry.

 Osmania University offers a course in Engineering English with components in interpersonal communication; listening and speaking skills; writing paragraphs, reports, resumes and letters; vocabulary enrichment techniques; remedial language with special emphasis on common errors and reading strategies and techniques in the first semester. In the second semester, the syllabus includes soft skills such as presentation skills, PowerPoint presentations, role plays, group discussions, interview skills and public speaking skills. The entire course is taught in a student centered method with lots of opportunity for activity and interaction, using pair work, group work and language games. In both the semesters, students get ample opportunity to use the English Language Laboratory for practicing English sounds and speech and to improve their listening and speaking skills. The two prescribed textbooks ‘Communicative English’ and ‘A Handbook for English Language Laboratories’ help the students achieve the objective of improving their English proficiency and communicative competence.

 The JNTU also has similar components in its English syllabus with stress on skills development and practice of language skills. The course includes listening & speaking skills, reading & writing skills, remedial grammar, vocabulary building with plentiful opportunity for classroom discussion and interaction. The two prescribed textbooks ‘Enjoying Everyday English’ and ‘Inspiring Speeches and Lives’ serve as tools to achieve the objective of improving the English proficiency of the students. The syllabus also includes the English Language Lab with focus on production and practice of English sounds with emphasis on use of English in everyday situations and contexts.

Facing Interviews

Facing Interviews

Interviews are a source of dread for many people! With careful preparation and planning, you can turn the situation to your advantage and actually start to enjoy and exploit interview situations. Let us look at a number of different areas that will help you when you attend your interview. 

An interview is a formal meeting wherein a group of persons meet a person for evaluating him or her. The appraisal could be for appointment to a new job or for an assignment or for promotion. Though the purposes vary, the procedure is more or less similar -- The group asks questions and the person answers them. The purpose of an interview is to find out the candidate’s views, subject knowledge, ideas and attitudes and above all communicative skills. 

Why Interviews? 

 For the purpose of jobs, candidates are called for interview in a ratio to the vacancies available, which is usually 1:3 or 4. Therefore, the interviewee should be well prepared for the interview lest he should be one of the those found unsuitable. It is an extension of written test (if there is one) and the main purpose to assess the applicant’s suitability - general behaviour, personality, and ability to communicate effectively, his/her sensitivity to the society and contemporary social issues and genial attitude. Some candidates stammer, some have bad or wrong manners, some have very unintelligible pronunciation, some take undue pauses while speaking and above all, some are not able to express themselves and fail to convey what they mean or want to say. All such shortcomings can be detected during the interviews. The way a candidate moves, walks, dresses, goes a long way to help to have an idea about the "the woman/ man in him/her". In other words, the viva voce examination helps the screening authorities to select a proper candidate for a particular job. A candidate may be a first class holder all through his academic career, but may not be able to do well at the interview. Hence is not selected. On the other hand, an average candidate can do very well at the interview and get selected. Therefore, interviews play a pivotal role in the selection process. Therefore, anyone seeking a job should realise that interview is very crucial and a useful medium for the total selection process. It is therefore, essential for the candidates to prepare well for the interviews. 

Firstly, we'll take a reflective look of what the interviewer is looking for. We will also look into more details at things you should and should not be doing during the course of your interview. Things you should and should not say. 

We will also look in more detail at body language and its effect at an interview and how you can use it to your advantage. 

The key characteristics that the interview board members look for are -- Problem Solving Ability, Communications Skills, Motivation and Self Analysis. 

Personal Interviews 

Good Preparation is half done

Unless you are confident you will not be able to take the interview confidently. For the confidence to grow, you need preparation. 

Find out about the company 

Normally the company’s website gives most of the information. If you are being interviewed for a senior position, you should try to get more information even about the company’s performance and market analysis. Keep these facts ready with you while you take the interview. If you are going to attend interviews in marketing or financial companies you may focus on the following areas: 

• Products and services 
• Customers 
• Competitors 
• Past performance record 
• Recent news about expansion, mergers, performance and share price movements 
• Outline of the company, current projects. 
• Annual reports 

Magazines such as The Economic Times, The Business Week, Business Today, The Financial Times, Dalal Street Journal could be consulted. These will help you to answer questions like:

What do you know about our company? 

Why do you want to work for us? 

Keep a copy of your portfolio ready

Keeping a portfolio of yours is a good technique. It contains evidence to back up your claim. A well-maintained portfolio gives a good impression of yourself for the systematic work done by you. Some people go through such things and even ask questions on certain items in the portfolio. Neat lightweight folders with transparent folios are available in plenty. 

You could put your 

• Updated cv at the beginning. 
• Copies of your degrees and diplomas and certifications. 
• Copies of your passport, PAN card, driving license. 
• Your previous employers in a chronological order (latest first) 
• The projects you have done, your achievements (Keep CDs/DVDs if you wish) 
• Seminars attended, honours bestowed on you, testimonials for your good work etc. 
• Your personal vision statement and career and professional growth which you have achieved. 

Overcoming Nervousness 

It is quite natural to be nervous and tense before the interview. In fact, experts say that if you are slightly tense, it sharpens your performances and enhances your reflexes. Too much of tension spoils even advance preparation. 

You should remember that you will be interviewed in the area you are specialized in. Normally, there will be nothing very new to you. All that required is to make a good presentation of what is known to you and impress the interviewers of your capability and knowledge in the area. 

Take deep breathes just before interview. Close your eyes and imagine a pleasant scene. Do not try to mumble prayers. That will cause more tension. Instead, close your eyes, think of your favourite God.

 Please remember that you always have another chance if you can’t succeed in one. Only the fallen can rise!

Your Body Language 

Body language gives out one’s sub-conscience. It gives vital signals to the other person(s), even if you do not utter a single word. The board can form an opinion from how you enter the interview room, how you greet them, how you dress yourself, how you sit (posture), how confident your eyes are, how disinterested you are, how honest you are etc etc. Unless you feel what you say, your body language gives you out. 

The interviewers can make a judgement on you, based on these visual signals. It is true that most of the times; you will be assessed in the first two minutes of your meeting. It’s called the ‘halo’ effect. 

Dressing for the Interview 

Wearing decent clothes means showing respect for the board. Casual dressing reflects casual attitude towards the interview. Dress well. Personal grooming and hygiene are important. You should be immaculate. Your mannerisms will supplement your physical grooming. Do not smoke before the interview. In spite of mints, you still would reek of tobacco. Some people smoke to ward off tension. Please avoid this. No chewing gum please during the interviews. Do not use any caps. They are very casual. 

Attire for Men 

For executive positions, a full-sleeve shirt with a tie is enough. Needless to say that the shirt to be tucked and the sleeves should not be rolled up. A dark pant and a light coloured shirt or a checked (small checks) shirt serves the purpose. A silk tie that is stripped or one with small dots would be fine. No patterned or designed ties should be used as they look gaudy. Polished, laced, black shoes will be ideal, though brown shoes can pass off. Well-ironed and clean shirt, neatly knotted tie, shining shoes and well kempt hair will be the ideal attire. Jeans and T shirts are not accepted as formal dress. Do not try to use gels and give spiked style to your hair. Whatever is the season, wear a vest. A clean white vest will brighten the colour of your shirt besides absorbing the sweat. No strong smelling deodorants or sprays should be used. Please note that expensive clothes are not a prerequisite nor is modest attire. Wear something that is not fanciful. Collarless shirts, half sleeve shirts, unbuttoned shirts¬ especially the top two buttons, faded shirts, bathroom slippers, chappals, unpolished shoes, unshaven face, uncombed hair, greasy hair - all are contributors for negative impression at the time of interview. Don’t show off with rings and bracelets. 

Attire for Women 

Women usually dress in a sari or salwar kameez. The guiding principle is to wear clothes that are not dazzling as are used for an evening party. Neat silks with a good blouse with conservative neckline will be ideal. Younger candidates may however prefer salwar kameezs. Whatever is worn it should look elegant but not showy. People should focus on your performance rather than your attire. Light make-up with pleasant lipstick is quite acceptable. On no account jeans should be worn for interviews. No heavy jewellery and clinking bangles, especially for software people. They keep making noise as they key in. One ring and one thin and plain chain is just the expected jewellery. Make a distinction between attending a wedding party and an interview. 

Reach well before the time! 

Allow yourself plenty of time to get to the interview, especially if you have a long journey. It is worth remembering that your late arrival could upset the carefully planned timetable. If you arrive late, you may well be mentally and physically restless and this will not help you to give your best efforts during the interview itself.

Preparation

Preparation is the key to interview success. Getting an interview call is not easy and once you have secured one, it is important to make the most of it. Prior to attending an interview it is important to have a clear understanding of what the job is, how and why you would be suitable for the job, what the company does, who its competitors are etc.

 Many graduates frequently forget under pressure that an interview is a two way process. An interview is a chance for the employer to find out more about you and your suitability for the role and for you to find out more about them, the suitability of the role for you. In order to take adv-antage of this opportunity it is advisable to have a set of questions that you would like to ask. Questions could be about the company culture and how they might think that you would fit in, what would be expected of you in the first 6 -12 mon-ths, possible career paths available etc.

Preparing for Common Interview Questions
 While you'll never be able to anticipate every question you might be asked in an interview, you can get a head start by developing strong, concise answers to commonly asked questions. Most interviewers ask similar questions like these to gain knowledge about a candidate's abilities and qualifications and compatibility with the job and the company. Let us look at few typical questions which needs good preparation.

Tell me about yourself. 
This is often the opening question in an interview. It's also one of the most difficult if you're not prepared. Remember, the interviewer does not want to hear about the football team you support or your unusual hobbies. This question calls for your one-minute advert that summarises your profile, experience, skills and your personality in the context of the job for which you are being interviewed. Get to the point and sell your professional self. Develop a few brief sentences that demonstrate you have what it takes to do the job. Sumarising briefly about one's project/ internship / job experience with examples of proven results and desire to contribute is recommended.

Why should we recruit you? 
The key to answering any question about you versus your competition is using specifics. Everybody is going to speak in generalities, so you need something that will make you stand out a bit. Give real examples that show them you are best-suited for the job. Point out to your achievements and accomplishments that are relevant to the open position, as well as experience in dealing with different types of situations. Pinpoint the qualities you have that are truly valuable to the company.

Why do you want to work here? What do you know about our company?
Use this opportunity to show off what you know about the company and, more importantly, how you would fit in. Address issues and challenges in the company to demonstrate the depth of your knowledge. Talk about revenue, numbers of employees, and also challenges in their type of business.

What are your weaknesses?
The secret to answering this question is using your weaknesses to your advantage. Turn your weaknesses into strengths. For example your weaknesses include lack of patience then state that because of this, you have learnt to take special measures to ensure that you remain calm and attentive. Just make sure that you do give a real answer to this question. None of us is without faults, so don't pretend that you do not have weaknesses.

What did you dislike about your last job? Why did you leave your last job?
Candidates with experience need to be cautious about these kinds of questions and make sure you do not end up sounding bitter. Never criticise your former company, the boss, or former colleagues. You need to have a good understanding about the job for which you're applying to turn this question into a positive one. It may be best to say that you really enjoyed many aspects of your job, then focus on how this new job will give you the opportunity to contribute more in a particular area that is key to the position.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
An interviewer does not want to hear that your five-year aspiration is to climb Mt. Everest in the Himalayas or working in a different industry. You need to talk about goals you have that relate to the job. This will demonstrate that you understand the industry, the company and are motivated to succeed there. Keep the answer specific to your field.

 Preparation is the key to answering any question with poise and confidence. Always keep in mind - whatever the question is - the interviewer is trying to find out if you are a good fit and can make a positive contribution in the job.

Things to remember at the Location of Interview
A job interview can provoke anxiety. Here are some practical things you can do to make your interviews run smoothly. Going to a job interview can be stressful. Be prepared by practicing responses to sample questions. Have patience when you are waiting for your turn near the interview venue. Sit in the waiting place in a relaxed mode. It is preferable that you are quiet and calm. Mentally rehearse how you would answer the question " tell us about yourself". Be prepared to pick 1-2 subjects of your interest in your domain when asked by the Interviewers. Do not allow other friends or candidates who are along with you to continuously engage you with some useless talk. Unnecessarily, other candidates attending the interview may pass on their tension to you. Also, the candidates who have come out of the interview room may volunteer to give away loads of information about how their interview went off. They may also disclose what questions were asked and how they answered. Listen to them only to get a brief overview of the kind of interview you may face. But, do not indulge in continuous talk with them as it would make you more anxious.

 While attending an interview, one should remember a few important etiquette points. When you are called into the interview room, before entering the interview room, tell yourself that you are going to meet new elderly friends and whatever they ask, you are ready to take the questions confidently with a smile on your face. Ask for permission before entering the room and take the seat very elegantly without making much noise. 80% chances are that the first question that you will be asked is "Tell me about yourself". And you must feel fortunate on getting that question, as it will give you the best opportunity to present yourself to the interviewers.

 Use a forceful voice and talk with good clarity. There is no need to answer all the questions. If you surely do not know the answer to the question, politely tell the interviewer that you really do not know the answer so that they can move on to another question. Always answer to the point. Do not beat around the bush. For 'yes' or 'no' type questions, justify why you say 'yes' or 'no'. Do not try and pretend that you know the answers for all questions. There will be some questions for which even the interviewer also does not know the answers. Do not try to justify your wrong answers and never argue with the interviewers. Use good body postures and always make eye contact with the members of the interview board. Pan your eyes at all of the interviewers from time to time while interacting with them during the interview. Plus, if they make a joke and you don't "get it" just laugh anyway, if you don't they'll think either you are stupid or that you think they are.

Modern Interview Skills

Before applying/choosing any job, job analysis is a basic exercise which can help us to find a suitable job. Following are some of the aspects that are to be looked into:
The job interview is a common and effective system practiced by organizations to identify qualified and efficient candidates.

• The job interview is the only time in the entire process where candidate has the opportunity to prove personal and professional capabilities. 
• By preparing in advance for interview you will be in command of situation. If your answers are well planned, you will be much more at ease. 
• Be relaxed and comfortable, the interview is bound to be better. 
• Prepare for an interview by going over the details of the job requirements from the sources, developing a clear idea of your professional goals, and know your own strengths and gaps. 
• Be calm, alert and polite, groom appropriately for the interview, express enthusiasm for the job responsibilities and your role in them. 
• Always be a positive speaker - about previous experiences(if any), about yo-ur own competency, maintain good po-sture and hygiene (avoid nervousness and avoid smoking or chewing gum). 
• Interviewer either asks a series of questions and answers to get certain information or ask you to talk about yourself and your skills in a less structured manner. If you have prepared well yourself as suggested, you may not face difficulty with any of the approaches. 
• When looking for a job, gather some basic knowledge on interviewing. The following points will give you some idea when taking interview for the new position. 

The first impression you make in the interview is the key to whether you will get job offer.
 Some of these points will help you.

Interview etiquette:
Arriving too early for your interview will make the interviewer will be under pressure to see you at that moment, when they are not ready. Arriving so early also projects you as too eager, even desperate.

Pushing the Interviewer:
If the interviewer says they will be making a decision and let you know in the next few weeks, you should say "I'll check back." If you have another offer, tell them but don't try to push them into making a decision.

Follow-up without fail:
The interview is concluded by interviewer saying that they'll get back to you in a few weeks, but you haven't heard from them. Call them. Let them know that you are still interested in the job and that this is something that you want to take up.

Communication etiquette:
Talking too much or too little does not impress the interviewers; the interviewer will not like this at all. Let them put all their questions. Follow, rather than lead the interviewer. This will help the interview to go on smoothly.

Answering:
Answer appropriately for questions asked, listen well before answering. You should not do more than half the talking; you may come across with person with no listening skills. If asked a question for which you may not be able to answer, politely and frankly say "I don't know, but it will not be a problem, I will pick it up", rather than beating round the bush and answering incorrectly. Talk slowly, distinctly and to the point (especially if it is a telephonic interview). Give information only when asked and it should be precise and convincing.

Grooming & Hygiene:
Always be formal in grooming and maintain hygiene. Organization atmosphere may be informal, but job aspirants are still expected to dress and behave formally. That will show respect to the interviewer(s).

Researching the organization:
It is very difficult to know every aspect of a company that you are attending for interview, but if you are attending interview with a mobile company, you should at least know that their primary business is telecommunications. Try to do some basic research on the company. It will show your interest in the firm and your keenness in joining it.

Asking package and benefits: 
Interviewer will provide you with an opportunity to ask questions. When you are asked if you have any questions at an interview, do not ask about salary and benefits until you smell that there has been a tentative decision that you are selected for the job.

Sending a covering letter with work samples:
If you are asked to send some samples of your work, make sure that you include a covering letter. This will remind the interviewer who you are and for what position you have applied. This is a key to building a relationship with a prospective employer.

 Hope this will help to prepare for interview and present you with confidence.

Topics for Debate

EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN INDIA


India, our country, is well known for its cultural heritage, civilisation, religion and its geographical features. Moreover,India is also popularly dubbed as a malechauvinistic nation. We proudly portray our nation as “Bharat-Mata” and raise slogans in praise of our unity, integrity and dignity. While doing so, we fail to realise that “Bharat-Mata” means mother to every Indian. Even after six and a half decades of Independence, women in our country continue to be helpless victims of male chauvinism and highhandedness in almost every walk of life. Conventionally, women were compelled to play the second fiddle in every sphere, family or public life. But today, women have distinguished themselves and have made their identity and presence in all spheres of life. Woman, today, are not only confined to domestic chores like upbringing of children but they also form an integral part of the society and make a significant contribution to the development of the nation

This essay attempts to focus on various contentious issues. Are all the women empowered in the county? Whether the progress made by women in India is an all-encompassing factor or is it limited to a few stray cases? Has the benefit of the various welfare measures trickled down to every section and class of the society?

Women empowerment has been a matter of debate for long and a meeting point of contradicting themes. Over theyears, the governments have been emphasising women empowerment in true spirit. Even though, some sections of women have benefited from this empowerment, the vast majority of them in rural segments have remained untouched. Women in rural areas are still considered inferior to men in every sphere of life. In reality, women perform half of the work and men ultimately cash in on their goodwill and take all the credit. Much needs to be done for the majority of the women in rural areas. Paradoxically, the country is being ruled by the UPA Government with Ms. Sonia Gandhi as its Chairperson. Other examples are that of Ms. Mamata Banerjee of Trinamool Congress, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj as a powerful Opposition leader, Ms. Tessy Thomas as a missile scientist of India, Ms. Meira Kumar as the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha, etc. Besides politics, women have distinguished themselves in the fields of administration,business, medicines, engineering, music, astronomy, information technology, sports, judiciary, banking, etc.

It is a well-known proverb that the destiny of a child is always the work of the mother. Then, how can we ever neglect the importance of a woman who, as a mother rears and develops a worthy child turning into great persons like Guru Gobind Singh, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, etc. Likewise, women like the late Indira Gandhi, the late Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Mother Teresa, Ms. Kiran Bedi, Ms. Lata Mangeshkar, Ms. Chanda Kochhar, the late Kalpana Chawla, Justice Fathima Beevi, Ms. Saina Nehwal and their ilk have scripted stories of success in history. The question that arises here is: Has the overall progress of women been achieved at desired levels in the country? One would desolately admit here: No, it has not.

Women empowerment refers to providing women with equal opportunities in all fields. It is presently the need of the hour. If equality of opportunities can be brought about in India, empowerment could be easily done. Empowerment will enable Indian women to hold the same position in any field and be treated on a par with men. Unfortunately, it is still a dream in India. It is pertinent to note here that only a certain class of women have benefited from the thrust of empowerment. In India, majority of the rural women continue to be living in the shackles of medieval orthodoxy with their male counterparts playing a dominant role in almost everything that matters.

Gender equality plays a pivotal role in the uplift of women. Inequality needs to be scrapped. Article 15 of the Constitution prohibits gender discrimination. Furthermore, Article 15(3) permits the state to positively discriminate in favour of women to make special provision, to deliver them social, economic and political justice and accords them parity. Gender-based discrimination and disparity are witnessed in numerous cases of sexual harassment and dowry deaths that are very common in India even in the age of revolutionary technological advancements. In some cases, women are still restricted from entering temple premises.

Women must be encouraged to prove their mettle in every sphere. The Government must open doors for them to prove that they are equal to men. As per the latest report, the contribution of women in various sectors is as follows: Financial & Insurance (60%), Media and Entertainment (42%), Professional Services (56%). The following sectors show engagement of lowest percentage of women: Agriculture and Mining (18%) and Automotive (21%). In Indian Parliament and Assemblies, women have never represented more than 10%. Most of the women workers in India are outside the organised sector.

The Importance Of Physical Fitness

As far as the dictionary meaning is concerned, physical fitness is a general state of good physical health. Obtaining and maintaining physical fitness is a result of physical activity, proper diet and nutrition and, of course, of proper rest for physical recovery. In its simplest terms, physical fitness is to the human body what fine-tuning is to an engine. It enables people to perform up to their potential. Regardless of age, fitness can be described as a condition that helps individuals look, feel and do their best. Thus, physical fitness trainers describe it as the ability to perform daily tasks vigorously and alertly, with leftover energy to enjoy leisure-time activities and meet emergency demands. Specifically true for senior citizens, physical fitness is the ability to endure, bear up, withstand stress and carry on in circumstances where an unfit person could not continue.

For anybody in order to be considered physically fit, the heart, the lungs, and muscles have to perform at a certain level. In other words, all the parts of the body have to act properly so that the individual continues feeling capable of performing an activity. At the same time, since what humans do with their bodies directly affects the state of mind, fitness influences to some degree qualities such as mental alertness and emotional expression.

Physical fitness is often divided into the following categories in order that people may be able to examine its components or parameters. Particularly, physical fitness is judged by:

1. Cardiovascular endurance : This is the ability of the body to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues and to remove wastes over sustained periods of time.

2. Muscular strength and endurance : Strength deals with the ability of the muscle to exert force for a brief time period, while endurance is the ability of a muscle, or group of muscles, to sustain repeated contractions or to continue to apply force against an inert object.

3. Flexibility : This denotes the ability to move joints and use muscles through their full range of motion.

4. Body composition : Considered as one of the components of fitness, composition refers to the body in terms of lean mass (muscle, bone, vital tissue, and organs) and fat mass. Actually, the optimal ratio of fat to lean mass is an indication of fitness. Performing the right set of exercises can help people get rid of body fat and increase or maintain muscle mass.

J.F. Kennedy has rightly said, “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” This statement clearly shows us the importance of physical fitness. But what is physical fitness? Well, it is a state or condition in which both your body and your mind are healthy and physically sound (by taking in proper nutrition and maintaining a good workout schedule). It is not necessary for a person who is physically fit to have a lean body, that can be achieved by maximum calories burned. Rather, one should have strong body endurance, along with good muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness. It is also important to remember that a physically fit body is generally accompanied by a happy and satisfied state of mind.

Today’s world is very competitive and nobody can escape hectic schedule of life. Earlier, people’s lifespan used to be longer than present lifespan. Because earlier people lived in different lifestyle and different working style. But today’s people are working under stressful condition and as a result, they are suffering from many diseases. Physical fitness is very essential for good health to live and lead a happy life. To achieve physical fitness we need to have minimal diet habits, regular exercise and good sleep. These three basic things are very essential in every individual’s life. Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of death in both developing and developed countries, responsible for an estimated 22-23% of CHID, 16-17% of colon cancer, 15% of diabetes, 12-13% of strokes and 11% of breast cancer. Physical activity is associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).

A survey has found that urban people are more prone to health problems than rural people. Women are facing many more health problems than men do. As you start ageing, you will lose 20 percent of your body’s water content, 60 percent of your ability to taste, 35 percent of your ability to pump blood from the heart, about 3 inches in height. Therefore, we need to know the importance of physical fitness.

The Role Of Media In Our Society

In todays world, media has made a very special place for itself in our lives. It would be no exaggeration to say that it governs a very important aspect of our living. In the words of Malcolm X, the famous American black militant leader who articulated the concepts of race pride and Black nationalism in the 1960s. The medias the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and thats power. Because they control the minds of the masses. The world of media is irrespective of age and  outlook as well as regardless of nationality and creed. Media has always been a very huge part of the society, where it represents the society as a whole and acts as a mirror to the society, reflecting each and everything about it. Its major duty is to educate,inform and entertain people, providing all the news that is required by a layman for his survival. In a democratic country like India, media gives the citizens the power to express themselves boldly against the unjust policies of the Government, and even raise their voices against the corrupt politicians. Media may be of different kinds such as tele-media which includes television and online media, or print media such as newspapers and magazines. Radio FMs and AMs are also popular means of mass communication these days.The print media helps provide vital information to the people. Newspapers have become an integral part of our day-to-day lives, catering to the tastes of readers of all age groups and interests. Besides being an important source of information about the everyday world happenings, newspapers and magazines have become a tool for entertainment as well. There is news from the world of sports, there are job vacancies, advertisements, cartoon strips, astrology, matrimonials and various other columns and pages, which are a real feast to the reading minds. People eagerly await the arrival of the newspapers everyday and spend the early hours of the morning reading the news. Coming to tele-media, television has become an inseparable part of our lives these days. The emergence of the television has become the backbone of the global commercial development. Television contains the ability to produce multimedia content and thus has the immense power to change an individuals perception of reality. It is one of the most powerful of the many types of media that are available. It has got a lot of educative and informative channels, which we can use as a tool to groom the child. Let us now consider the Internet. The Internet or the web media is one of the newest and largest forms of mass communication given that it has no precincts; it is available uniformly throughout the world. As it offers literally everything under the sun from online banking to shopping to chatting and business networking. we have more and more people using the Internet than ever before. Facebook, Orkut and Twitter have occupied such special place in our lives that if we are not a part of it, then there is something really important that we are missing. With the advent of high speed Internet, it is possible to connect to our dear ones, who are miles away in another country altogether, in just a few seconds through media tools such as Skype and chat. Another example of an extremely powerful form of media is the cinema. The movies mirror the society and, besides providing entertainment, sometimes, convey serious and meaningful messages to the people. Films on the lives of great people can change someones life for better, forever. Take, for example, our very own Father of the Nation, Gandhiji. It is said that he was spurred on by a play on Raja Harishchandra which led to him take the stand of righteousness for the rest of his life. This started his journey towards becoming the Mahatma. Thus, if we just look around, we would find that there  is no aspect of our life which is not touched or affected by media. However, we must not forget that there are always two sides of a coin. Media has its own advantages and disadvantages. Today, people accuse media of a number of malpractices and regard it as an agent of misinformation.

Media is charged with laying too much emphasis on sensationalising the public. Today, television channels and  newspapers are making fast money by cashing in on the news in the wrong sense and the wrong way. People complain that the television channels are just airing programmes that give them high TRP ratings, and they accuse every channel of being a mouthpiece of some political party or other.

The present generation and the next generation are highly in use of and are addicted to the Internet.

My Best Friend

 There is a notion that companionship and solitude are the two dichotomous states, concomitantly inextricable constituents of human life. Added to it is the incontrovertible fact that the one who finds positive and earnest friend is among the very few lucky ones. All joys, rewards and wealth are fleeting and transitory when put to test in a competition with the eternal and heavenly mirth. The merriment, bliss and blessedness of the everlasting bond of true friendship, is contemporaneously describable as inexplicable and inextricable. Compared to friendship, gold is dirt. William Roster once put this ethereal emotion into his words. How  rare is that flash of moment when we realise we have discovered a friend. Truly, without an iota of doubt, cultivating true and great friendship in life (that eventually withstands even the toughest and the most hostile test of time) multiplies the good and divides the evils. Devoid of friends, it is like life on a deserted island. As one philosopher wrote many  centuries ago, There is nothing in the world more valuable than friendship. Those who banish it from their lives  remove as it were the sun from the earth, because of all natures gifts, it is the most beautiful and the most pleasing. To find a real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing. To my mind, Robin Sharma puts it more aptly and appropriately, A person with three great friends is a rich person indeed.

Or for that matter, consider the famed aphorism of Samuel Johnson, True happiness consists not in the multitude of friends, but in their worth and choice. It is, however, a matter of sheer coincidence that I have three friends, whom I hold so dear to my heart that words would forever remain inadequate to describe their indispensability in my life. A true friend is like a four-leaf clover: hard to find but lucky to have. Aristotle golden words go like this Friendship is a single soul dwelling- in two bodies. And rightly so, my soul or my life, dwells in these three friends of mine.

Technology—Bane or Boon

The overt observation of some knowledgeable persons who passionately feel concerned for the welfare of humanity, in the wake of scientific strides and technological triumphs, laments that “technology creates more problems than it solves”. Their concern echoes the similar sentiments of thinkers like J.G.Ballard for whom, “technology dictates the languages in which we speak and think. Either we use those languages or we remain mute”, and for Omar Bradley “our technology has already outstripped our ability to control it”. Despite these jarring notes, technology has acquired a halo that is almost impossible to shake off.

 Who can deny the robust role and range of technology that we experience in our every day life. If we care to look at the scintillating side of technology, we find space technology and its applications provide useful data for natural disaster monitoring, solving environment problems, improve telecommunications and provide other basic services. Through fax, e-Mail and the Internet, information technology has outstripped all barriers that time and space had placed in man’s search for instant information. Though electronic information is hard to control, yet the individual newsgatherer is visible and vulnerable. The latest in the success story is the likely boom that bio-technology promises to unfold in the years to come. Rightly, biotechnology  is being seen by scientists and entrepreneurs alike as the next big thing with the potential to revolutionise the fields of agriculture, health and medicine. The promises are many: disease-resistant and high-yield crops that could solve the world’s food problems; new medicines and drug delivery systems to cure diseases and prevent genetically inherited disorders; and new enzymes that make industrial production more efficient and cost-effective.

 For ages the axiom, nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so, was the golden rule that moulded human perceptions and concrete actions. With the advent of science and technology, and their subsequent sway over human ideas, intuitions and ideologies, it is now ‘the use or abuse’ of technology that renders it either a blessing or a bane for humanity that lives and survives on the ever- spreading tentacles of technology. In short, it is the technology that rules the roost now and keeps its ambience alive all the time in various manifestations. With the frontiers of technology influencing all aspects of life, both in terms of time and space, it is anybody’s guess as to what the future holds in store for humanity, that has become so enamoured of technology.

 If the past is any guide, one can learn a lot from the happenings of the 20th century, that used and abused scientific and technological achievements for increasing physical comforts and living standards, as also for fighting the two world wars, resorting to nuclear bombing and land mines and other means of mass deaths and destruction, dislocation of millions resulting in untold misery and suffering. In the face of so much good that we expect from science and technology, scientist warn that if we do not change our ways, our civilisation is not likely to survive.

 Man’s greed, aided and abetted by science and technology, has already over-exploited and abused the earth’s material resources and destroyed its ecosystems. Forests are vanishing and there is increased desertification, the seas and oceans are stained with death because of the poisons that we have poured into them. We have even polluted the rain with poisonous smoke from our industrial chimneys. We have not only raped the soil and denigrated the ecosystems, but also lost touch with our inner self.

 There is no denying that our cares and concerns are being controlled by technology, in its various forms and facets. Whether in company or in solitude, technology has come to occupy a pivotal place in our day to day life. If the despots use it to perpetuate their repressive rule, the terrorists have employed it to explode symbols of progress. With no end to man’s rapacious nature in sight, technology has become a hand-maiden of unscrupulous exploiters of natural resources and immoral traders of wild life species.

 Technology as it reigns supreme over our intellect and imagination, is redefining human relations. In a bid to hit the jackpot, or make a quick buck, the individual has lost his identity and, in the bargain, has fallen an easy prey to alienation and estrangement. Smarting under physical fatigue and mental stress, he has become a victim of the phenomenon of being an “outsider” among his own people. Despite a host of benefits that technology has conferred on us in varying degrees, the onslaught of anger and angst is very much conspicuous. If today we are scared of some impending disaster, it is because technology has given such powers to individuals and groups which even the demons or deities of mythology did not enjoy.

 We are standing at the threshold where technology as a source of boon or brazenness is staring in our face. In moments of introspection, we must bear in mind what Aldous Huxley had said: “technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards”.

Ideology or Technology

The choice is not as baffling as Hamlet’s predicament: “to be or not to be.” If ideology means a set of ideas that form the basis of an economic or political theory, or that are held by a particular group or community, technology stands for scientific study and use of mechanical arts and applied sciences. Over a period of time, both ideology and technology have acquired a strong gravitational force that has rendered them more as combatants than as comrades-in-arm. To the unsuspecting or uncritical, progressive ideology may appear seriously dealing with issues like poverty, social inequality, deprivation, exploitation, et al and technology too may seem trying to grapple with human problems that hinder faster economic development, better means of communication and transport, improving quality of life and living conditions, updating the frontiers of knowledge, et al. If their aims are meant for human welfare, why is technology being preferred over ideology in the present world? The question is equally rigorous and relevant and calls for cool consideration and discreet discussion.

 In concept and complexion, ideology tends to become inflexible if new inputs are not allowed to revitalise and rejuvenate its contents and contours. Technology, though flexible and forward-looking, is also subject to becoming a terrible tool of death and destruction in the hands of evil. Since technology has managed to occupy the centre stage of the world, and rightly so, any conflict or competition between ideology and technology is not only untimely but also untenable. There is no denying the fact that technology has acquired the power and potential to turn and twist our senses and sensibilities. It is the practical application of technology that determines its pivotal place in our concerns and calculations. Although humankind desperately needs the three paramount pillars of Gandhian thought and practice—Truth, Ahimsa and Goodness— yet it is the fast tempo of life, coupled with worldly success and a candid control over time and space, that stands out as something tangible and telling as compared to abstractions.

 The question that needs to stir our conscience should be: Can we afford to abandon our concern for socio-political causes and commitments to human values that lend meaning, motive and mission to our perceptions and practices? Has ideology become irrelevant and irrational in the deluge that science and technology has unleashed? No doubt, technology is on the march to attain more and more milestones. But technology devoid of political philosophy, economic egalitarianism and social justice for all is fraught with dangerous dimensions. A world where only technology matters is likely to become as perilous as a single track mind obsessed with fantasies bordering on phantoms.

 There is near unanimity on the view held the world over that technology unites people, irrespective of their colour or creed, whereas ideology divides them and puts them in water-tight compartments. The memories of ‘Concentration Camps’, ‘Gas Chambers’ and other forms of genocide associated with ideologies like Fascism, Nazism, Marxism and the like are too chilling and blood curdling to be easily erased from mental screens. Equally unnerving and unsettling are the events and their consequences that were the direct outcome or fallout of the holocaust let loose by nuclear technology mindlessly employed during the closing years of World War II (1945). The division of the world in two power blocs, and the traumas of Cold War —all in the name of ideology—is too fresh an irritant that none in his/her senses would ever wish their repetition.

 Technology is indispensable in whatever age we may be living. Equally important is the place of socio-economic/political system that assures the benefits of progress reaching  the last person under the sun. Generally, when we talk of ideology, we seem to discuss some philosophy that is retrograde, but when we eulogise technology, we appear to swim with the current. If technology promises the best now, ideology holds the promise of the best to be in future. In fact, technology has been called a great social leveller. What ideology fails to achieve and fulfil, technology does without much pride and prejudice.

 With the spread of liberal education, and cross migration of people from one region to the other, it has become literally impossible for the die-hards to resist the vibrant influences that technology has imprinted on human psyche. For the paradigms of ideology, that purport to promote social services like education, health care, potable water, houses, employment, etc for all, it better join hands with the ever expanding horizons of technology and thus play the role of an interlocutor. Instead of being at loggerheads, both humane ideology and towering technology can work hand in glove with each other.

Burnout

Daily living is becoming a war of nerves and each one of us is called upon to work out strategies to cope with daily challenges of our existence. Gone are the laid back days when work was a pleasure that set the rhythm of life. We now live in an age of anxiety and competition and willy-nilly are caught in the ongoing rat race. Right from our first days in school to the last days of our career we are constantly reminded of competing or how to get ahead of the next guy or keep abreast of him/her.

 Every one these days is complaining of stress—at home, in office, on the road, anywhere and everywhere. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown is a proverb that is in need of immediate modification. Now even the common man is seldom at ease and kings either have disappeared or no longer wear crowns. Life is full of stress for every one, young or old, and when constant stress has you suddenly down you feel physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. Well, you may be suffering from burnout!

 When you are burned out, you find yourself in maize of insurmountable problems. It is blank and bleak and you cannot even think what has happened to you. Utter desolation surrounds you all the time. Energy? Where has it all gone? There is not whiff of it left and you do not know what will support and sustain you! Will you ever come out of this blackness or blankness or both mixed up together to get you sucked up into a darkening world!

 Humans, however, are not without reserves and resilience. You will come back and feel the sanity returning; better prepared for the next time because the war of nerves continues. Next time, hopefully, you will know what is coming in time. You will understand the signs and symptoms of the impending burnout. It might not be all that difficult to prevent it then. Effective burnout-busting is within your grasp.  The strategy involves taking hold of yourself emotionally and physically and seek out others who might be of help when you need it most. Psychiatrists suggest that one must stay connected to others and this, in itself, is a reliable safeguard against burnouts.

 Burnout happens gradually, though once in its middle you feel awful and unwilling to fight it. Therefore, one must be always on guard and must recognise the signs of burnout and meet it head on, and most likely, one would succeed in heading it off. Burnout is usually rooted in stress. And stress has a way of telling you when it is getting on and over you. So recognise the symptoms of stress and overcome them. If you are vigilant, you stand a good chance to avoid burnout even before it sets in.

 We have been stressing the role of STRESS so far but mark that though extreme stress leads to burnout, burnout and stress are not the same thing. An overstressed person is quite capable of imagining that if she/he could just get organised, everything would be under control and okay. But burnout empties out all motivation. A burned-out person sees no positive change happening. Excessive stress is like floating in a sea of tasks and responsibilities; burnout is a total drowning.

 While one is aware of being overstressed, one does not know anything once one is in the grip of burnout. The process of burnout is seldom sudden. Long periods of hopelessness, the cynicism, and the detachment from others bring about symptoms of burnout slowly and one loses one’s capability of recognising the symptoms. It remains for others to notice that you are passing into burnout but will you listen to the other, your friend or colleague or any well-wisher?

 Workplace is a natural setting for burnouts but one or more bad workdays cannot be called a job burnout. An effective way to head off job burnout is to just give up what one is doing and take up something else in its place. Going on a vacation can also do the trick—change of scene, as they say. Change of scene helps one recharge one’s batteries and return to oneself with a new perspective.

 Besides reading books, you can join a support group, know your limits, accept your feelings, confide in others and, most importantly, build or maintain a foundation of good physical health. Be sure to eat right, get enough sleep, and make workout part of your daily routine. Know your own needs and find ways to meet them. And because burnout is related to stress, many of the methods for countering stress can also help prevent burnout. Smile at life’s little ironies and that will keep burnouts off limits!

Children on Crossroads

According to researchers at Stanford University and the University of California-Santa Barbara, stories about crime and violence make up 40 per cent of the child-related newspaper coverage. Though we do not have similar statistics and research-based analysis on Indian children, situation is alarming in India also.

 University of California also found “a general lack of public policy coverage” related to children in the sources studied. In this behalf, the Indian situation is worse because our  television and newspaper presentations on children’s issues hardly mention, much less focus on policy issues that affect children.

 Nor are the age groups clearly marked in the newsier articles and television discussions. It is the adolescents mostly who get the media attention.

 In news coverage of children the emphasis is on reports of crime, with children portrayed as both victims and perpetrators of violence. Such an emphasis diminishes the public’s perception of the relative importance of other child-related concerns.

 A child who experiences any kind of maltreatment—neglect, physical or sexual abuse—is likely to get involved with the juvenile justice system.

 It’s not clear how many youths under 18 are tried in adult criminal courts in this country. Cases of three-year old charged with rape and murder have been reported in newspapers.

 It is no consolation that brutalisation of children is a world wide phenomenon. In India, situation is as bad as anywhere else but cases of child abuse do not get reported.

 Peculiar  to India is  female foeticide or selective abortion based on the foetus gender or sex selection of child. This is a crime perpetrated against the yet-to-be born girl child. Often, parents themselves are responsible for committing this crime. Besides, domestic  violence too affects children badly. Children get physically abused or hurt at home or get mentally damaged while witnessing violent fights between parents and among relatives. Children some times intervene to protect the adult victim, endangering themselves. Children also copy the violent adult behaviour they witness at home and elsewhere and they, thus, expose themselves to stress-related problems. They lose self-confidence or develop guilt complex blaming themselves for the violence at home, especially between parents.

 Unlike the laws of many other countries, Indian Penal Code makes no distinction between child sexual abuse from rape or molestation or other kind of crime. In fact, the laws against child sexual abuse are only in their developing stage. Some parts of the law applicable to sexual abuse of a child are related to sale, hire, distribution, or circulation of obscene objects of literature to children.

 Several movements have been started to initiate amendments to the penal code, adding specific crimes for sexual abuse. But, in an increasingly violent society, laws are no succour  to the innocent victims of  crime and violence.

 In sum, rape and sexual abuse of children in India is a large problem not easy of solution.  India’s corrupt and weak legal system renders  the problem even larger.

 However, the situation can be improved by appropriately educating children and adults on crime and violence, and educating the police, law officers and judges to be more sensitive toward social issues.

What ails engineering education

Engineering education in Tamil Nadu, which is the best in the nation, produces brilliant students but does not necessarily produce path-breaking research in the country that can cause global difference.

The reasons are deep and fundamental in nature. The crux lies in the structure, the syllabi, and the attitude of the entire system.

Starting from the top, the structure needs a change. Engineering colleges in the State come under one major university. Essentially what happens is that there is hefty lobbying for the pristine post of Vice-Chancellor and, as a result, numerous obligations are present for the man at the top post; as such, objectivity in policy-making is almost non-existent.

The man at the helm is given a mere three years and while a three-year term is a good barometer of one's performance, there does not seem to exist structured processes which check the level of performance, the level of corruption, if any, and the level of personal gains from any of the policies undertaken. If the committee to choose the top post is monitored by the Supreme Court (since such a huge set of colleges are under it), then there would be more transparency within the system. Furthermore, more continuity and independence should be given to the VC's so that he/she can implement policies without hindrance. The engineering syllabus barring the IIT is outdated and needs a revamp. For example, there is a course called professional ethics. This is crucial but if you ask any engineering student, he will laugh at what goes on in this class. The person teaching the subject is clueless and would be reading a bunch of rhetorical monologues from a book throughout the course. On the contrary, the coursework should be more interactive, and not just theoretical in nature, aiming at showing the student how much he/she could relate it to his or her future profession. The emphasis should be not on how much you memorise, but on how much you apply what you memorise. Courses should be based on industry-student interactions and have a broader outlook on life, not the narrow mindset of passing an exam. One of the major changes that can be done is to bring young professors in the university on the review committee for syllabus change. A perfect amalgamation of the young and the old would help revamp the syllabi in such a way that it fits into the youthful dynamics of today and yet retains the wisdom of the stalwarts of yesteryear.

Attitude needs a change everywhere. One of the major drawbacks with government colleges is that they have a sloppy administration. Professionalism and accountability need to be brought in in the form of having a private organisation monitor the administration till it reaches a certain level of efficiency. One of the ways to inculcate professionalism and make the staff accountable is to pay them more.

Fortunately, after the Sixth Pay Commission the professor earns a creditable Rs. 80,000 a month and this would help change the attitude of some faculty who are grudging the lack of a decent salary. Their grudge is justified considering the disparity in pay with graduated students profitably employed in the private sectors. Having said this, if this grudge gets translated into being lethargic at work and grading students with a personal vendetta, this trend can get dangerous. An increase in pay also results in more quality faculty coming into the system within the engineering colleges and thus following the law of cyclic reactions, the knowledge imparted to the students also increases.

Female Infanticide in India

Five million girls were eliminated between 1986 and 2001 because of foetal sex determination done by unethical medical professionals. The rate of extermination continues to increase after census 2001.Sex determination and sex selective abortion was traced to an Amritsar clinic in 1979 and has now grown into an Rs.1000 -crore country wide industry.

 In recent years the misuse of ultrasound has reached remote tribal areas of Rajasthan, Bundelkhand and emerged even in parts of India where women were better treated such as Assam, Kerala and the Kashmir valley. China as of 2000 census was eliminating one million girls annually but present trends suggest that India is likely to overtake China in less than a decade. Son preference has become daughter hatred in India in the recent decades due to the widespread legitimization of this form of violence against women.

In 1994 Parliament responded to the misuse of prenatal diagnostic techniques by enacting PNDT Act. However it was not implemented. The Supreme Court directed the government to implement the PNDT Act in May 2001.Later it was amended to make it more stringent. The health ministry has to be more proactive to stop female foeticide.The ministry surrendered one crore rupees of the meagre funds allocated to the PNDT cell in this budget year. In 2005 the health ministry released full-page advertisements calling female foeticide a sin. 

Converting crimes into sins is dangerous as it will only fuel further decline in sex-ratios. There are attempts by some politicians to limit abortion as a means to stop female foeticide. Such anti-women actions would endanger women's health though it may be acceptable to religious fundamentalists.

 Efforts of the media have certainly contributed to the increased public discourse on this issue over the years. Today reports of female fetuses found in drains or dug from dry wells or floating in lakes or eaten by dogs are headline news. There have been stories on the consequences like trafficking of women for marriage and emergence of polyandry.

 The government of India should set a target date by which the country will have balanced sex-ratios at birth. The coming plan needs to give a fair deal to women by abandoning fertility targets and replacing it with solid commitments to restore sex-ratio at birth. There has to be official recognition that small families are increasingly achieved by eliminating girls.

Essay on Gender Bias

Gender bias is commonly considered to be discrimination and/or hatred towards people based on their gender rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all systemic differentiations based on the gender of the individuals.

Gender bias can refer to subtly different beliefs or attitudes:

1. The belief that one gender or sex is inferior to or more valuable than the other which is Female or male chauvinism.

2. The attitude of misogyny (hatred of females) or misandry (hatred of males); as well as the attitude of imposing a limited and/or false notion of masculinity on males and a limited and/or false notion of femininity on females, or vice versa.

3. A feeling of distrust towards the opposite or same sex as a whole.

Gender bassist's beliefs, as a part of essentialism, holds that individuals can be understood or judged based solely on the characteristics of the group to which they belong-in this case, their gender group, as males or females. Certain forms of gender discrimination are illegal in many countries, but nearly all countries have laws that give special rights, privileges, or responsibilities to one sex or two sexes.

The view that men are superior to women is one form of gender bias. This form is often called male chauvinism, chauvinism in a broader sense referring to any extreme and unreasonable partisanship that is accompanied by malice and hatred towards a rival group. A similar term is gynophobia, which refers to fears of females or feminity. Historically, in many patriarchal societies, females have been and are viewed as the "weaker sex". Women's lower status can be seen in cases in which females were not even recognized as persons under the law of the land.

The feminist movement promotes women's rights to end sexism against females by addressing issues such as equality under the law, political representation of females, access to education and employment, female victims of domestic violence. The view that women are superior to men is also a form of gender bias. Sexism against males has been referred to as "reverse sexism".

But as such worldwide, especially in 3rd world countries gender bias is used to describe discrimination against women. However countries like India are making huge efforts in combating this evil by passing and implementing new laws, and giving certain privileges to women. But if this evil has to be eliminated from society, men will have to make efforts from their side also, so that women can live in an equally paced world.

GENDER EQUALITY AND SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN

India

Since Independence, the government of India has promulgated many laws to protect women’s rights. In general, application of these laws is weak. An international study by Rhoodie goes so far as to state that India “is a good example of a country with an abyssal gap between policy and practice.” India’s legal framework has less influence on women’s rights than do the nation’s religions. Some 80 per cent of the population lives according to Hinduism and its customs and laws; the Muslim population follows the Islamic Sharia law. It is important to bear in mind the number of women subjected to the following discriminations: India is home to some 500 million women.

Family Code:

Indian women hold a moderate level of authority and status in relation to family matters. The Indian authorities have fought against early marriage since the 19th century and have continually raised the legal age of marriage – from 12 in 1891, to 14 in 1929, 15 in 1955 and finally to 18 in 1976. But the high percentage of women married before the age of 20 shows a lack of respect for the marriage law. A 2004 United Nations estimated that 30 per cent of girls between 15 and 19 years of age are married, divorced or widowed. A study by Morrisson suggest that in rural areas of northern India, more than 50 per cent of women are believed to be married before the age of 15.

 Polygamy is legal for Muslims, who are allowed to take up to four wives. It also exists to a lesser extent amongst Hindus, particularly in cases where the first wife has not given birth to any sons. Divorce by mutual consent is the legal practice but women who initiate divorce are usually condemned by public opinion. As a result, divorce remains very rare. Repudiation, the simple act of pronouncing a marriage to be over without pursuing legal divorce, is allowed for Muslim men.

 Fathers alone have parental authority in both Hindu and Muslim families. If divorce does occur, the law assures some equality with regard to child custody, but any advantages granted to the mother are often disregarded.

 Hindu traditions privilege men in matters of inheritance, as only sons are able to inherit from their parents. In theory, these traditions were abolished by law after Independence but many women, especially in northern India, are still deprived of inheritance. Contrary to national laws passed by the Indian Union, several local states allow the exclusion of widows and daughters in land inheritance. The situation is more favourable for women in the south, where the national laws carry more weight. The Muslim population follows strict inheritance guidelines set out in Sharia, which are also discriminatory: daughters, for example, inherit half as much as sons. This is commonly justified by the argument that women have no financial responsibility towards their husbands and children.

Physical Integrity:

Indian legislation protecting women’s physical integrity is strong but its application is lacking. Violence against women is frequent: in half of the Indian states, the statistics for battered women range between 10 per cent and 20 per cent. The practice of dowry has been maintained, and thousands of women are murdered each year by their husbands because the dowry is too low. Official figures state that some 6 000 women are killed over dowry disputes each year, but even this number is believed to underestimate reality, since the majority of the murders remain unregistered.

 Female genital mutilation is not practised in India. However, there is strong evidence to suggest that India is a country of high concern in relation to missing women. Census data from a study by Hudson show that almost 40 million Indian women were missing in 2001. In reality, this is not new, but is linked to a centuries-old tradition of killing young girls. In 1870, the authorities forbade this practice and imposed the registration of all births but girl killings continued in many small villages. Today, technological advances make it much easier to perform sex-selective abortions in villages and in cities. In addition, when children are ill, Indian fathers are more likely to pay for treatment for sons than for daughters.

Ownership Rights:

Indian legislation supports the financial independence for women to a moderate degree. Several laws guarantee women’s access to land and access to property other than land, but these laws are often ignored in the north, as are those pertaining to women’s access to bank loans. The case is different in the south: recent surveys report that 70 per cent to 80 per cent of women in the south have equal access to land, property, and loans and credit.

Civil Liberties:

Women’s civil liberty in India is relatively low, but largely because of traditions and customs. Women’s freedom of movement is limited, particularly in village communities. The Muslim tradition of “purdah”, which demands segregation of the sexes and forces women to remain in the home, prevails amongst both Muslim and Hindu communities in the north, where 80 per cent to 85 per cent of women have virtually no freedom of movement. The practice was adopted by Hindus during a time of Muslim rule, largely out of fear. In the south, where Muslim rule was briefer, purdah conditions are imposed on less than half the female population. In both regions, the practice is more evident in villages than in larger cities.

 Women’s freedom of dress is similarly influenced by religion. Villages in northern India impose the veil in accordance with purdah; southern villages are less strict about this custom. In general, women in larger towns and cities have much greater freedom of dress.

MERCY KILLING

Euthanasia: where angels fear to tread…

How does an individual come to the conclusion that an unconscious patient would prefer death to “suffering”? How could one kill him/her mercifully (mercilessly)? Until these vexing questions are answered, man should not be authorised to kill another of his species — the “so-called” mercy killing.

“There is no right way to do wrong” — Anon.

Mankind seems to be at the crossroads on euthanasia, mercy killings. As in any other area where man wants to usurp the power to put an end to another life legally, logically there will be, and should be, other equally powerful opinions against such heinous crime. While we legalise abortions for population control, we condemn foeticide as a crime. For those who do not want female kids, foeticide could look innocuous. The debate is influenced by our narrow selfish motives. Man, whether in the palace or pad, castle or cottage, is governed by the same passions and emotions, basically selfishness and greed. Just because one is a doctor, jurist or lawmaker one does not become a saint. Even a man on the top of the mountain still sits on his haunches.

Society looks up to the medical profession for its considered opinion as society considers doctors knowledgeable, well-intentioned, and scientific in their opinions. Leaving the first two qualities to the imagination of the reader, let us critically look at the science of modern medicine. Is there a science of man? The answer clearly is an unequivocal “NO” says Dr. Alexis Carrel, a Nobel Laureate scientist. Medicine only follows a statistical science, says another great scientist, the late Professor Rustum Roy. Statistics is defined as a science without sense by a noted American statistician-epidemiologist, Steven Milloy. That the science of medicine has serious limitations is the considered opinion of another Nobel Laureate biologist, Peter Medawar. David Eddy, a professor of cardiac surgery at Stanford, almost stopped practising his art as he was convinced that there is no scientific basis for medicine. He went on to explore a new non-linear model for medical science — archimedesmodel.com. I couldn't agree more.

Man is not a machine run by electro-biochemistry like any other machine which could be set right by repairing or replacing damaged organs. We have been using the linear laws of the inanimate sciences of physics and chemistry on an animate but conscious human being, a square peg in a round hole. Even physics now has come to realise that energy is the other name for matter; rightly called a-duality (advaita). Man, thus, becomes a bundle of energy with her/his own consciousness. No two human beings are alike as we do not have even identical fingerprints. Our idea of one-size-fits-all does not work in man. Even a comatose patient has his/her own consciousness. A child could remember the lullabies of the mother she said when it was in the womb. Perinatal consciousness imprints itself on the child for the rest of its life. Head injury patients have their own awareness. Patients under anaesthesia on the operating table could recount the conversation of the nurses and doctors.

Intercessory prayers could alter patient outcome even in intensive care units! Bio-photon pictures of Fritz-Albert Popp, a physicist, could show us how body cells could communicate with one another and with other cells in the vicinity. Nature works in its own mysterious ways. How then does science give us an indication that an unconscious patient is in pain and needs to be sent forthwith to meet her/his maker in heaven? Maybe, some of our rationalists and NGOs have a better insight into human nature! In fact, Pearl Buck wrote long ago that euthanasia is a long, smooth-sounding word, and it conceals its danger as long and smooth words do, but the danger is there, nevertheless. A couple of real life examples will emphasise my points about the unconscious consciousness. Jill Bolte Taylor is a celebrated neuroscientist at Harvard. At the age of 48, one fine morning, she is struck down in her bathtub with a massive haemorrhage damaging her left brain completely. After a complicated surgery and 10 years of rehabilitation she is back at her job. Talking about her experience at the time the haemorrhage began to destroy her left brain, she graphically describes how her right brain took charge with its altruistic nature. She felt one with the whole world and had such happiness, the like of which she had never ever experienced before or after that. With hindsight, she calls it as “NIRVANA” and now encourages people to practise praanaayaama to stimulate their right brains to enjoy happiness and reduce their misery of the left brain dominance causing hatred, greed, jealousy, anger and frustrations.

Similar was the experience of Dr. Johnston, a noted zoologist and specialist in lions. While he was photographing a lioness during her parturition, a slight noise from his camera shutters made the animal jump on him and crush him. Of course, forest guard eventually killed the lioness and took a badly mauled Johnston, in a deep coma, to hospital intensive care. After many years and a multitude of operations, he is alive and kicking. His autobiography describes that wonderful state of happiness when he was being crushed by the lioness and his subsequent misery during the many surgical operations that he had to undergo under deep anaesthesia.

Where is the human mind? What is the human mind? How does an individual come to the conclusion that an unconscious patient would prefer death to “suffering”? How could one kill him/her mercifully (mercilessly)? Until these vexing questions are answered, man should not be authorised to kill another of his species — the “so-called” mercy killing. I have not even touched upon the possibility of this being misused by the profession, noble once but greedy now. Elizabeth Butler and Ruth Richardson, journalist historians, feel that the modern medical profession has become “a corporate monstrosity.” One would do well to read that wonderful satire The Doctors Dilemma — a play by George Bernard Shaw, before coming to any conclusions about a doctor's capacities. I have no such opinion, though. Money and power could sway things in any direction.

“Man is an intellectual giant but a moral dwarf.” — Idjave Edewor

Science : A Blessing Or A Curse

Technology... is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other.”

The way a new invention is used makes it good or bad. The same is the case with Science. Science plays a very important and useful role in our life and can be a friend or a foe according to the way it is used.

Much of the progress that mankind has made in different fields right from the Stone Age to the Modern Age is due to the progress made in the field of Science. Not only material progress but also the mental outlook of man has been influenced by it. It has made man’s life happier and more comfortable.

Science is at the root of all progress. It tries to explain the principles behind natural phenomena, and scientists for long have been harnessing this knowledge for the benefit of the society as a whole. The application of scientific researches has proved to be a blessing in more ways than one, because we have reaped rewards in almost all fields of life. Great inventions of scientists have made the over-all living easier and more comfortable.

Agriculture, business, transport, communication and medicine, to name but a few, are all highly indebted to the wonders Science has produced. Today, the world has undergone a tremendous change because of the rapid strides made by Science and Technology. Medical Science has made great strides and today, we can hope for a longer and healthier life. New inventions and discoveries have not only helped in eradicating dreaded diseases like smallpox, T.B., yellow fever, etc., from the face of the earth, but also increased life expectancy of humans.

Science has been used very effectively in improving agricultural production. The food production levels and quality have improved by multiple factors such as soil analysis, hybrid varieties of crops giving higher yield, fertilisers, pesticides, advanced tools and machinery, etc. Today, we have scores of meteorological satellites in outer space sending data, pictures to earth stations helping agriculture scientists find and analyse soil patterns and thus increase crop yield.

Electricity is one of the greatest wonders of modern Science. It has brought revolutionary changes in the way people used to live. Moreover, the discovery and development of a large number of energy sources—coal, petroleum, natural gas, electricity, etc., have enabled humanity to conquer the barriers of nature. All this has facilitated the growth of fast modes of transport and communication, which in turn has changed the world into a global village.

FDI (Foreign Direct Investment)

What is FDI?

Foreign Direct Investment is the investment which is done in productive assets and participation in the management of the company as the stake holders by a company which is based in one country, into a company based in another country. Recently the cabinet said OK for 51% FDI in multi-brand retail sector & 100% FDI in single brand. Foreign Investment in India is governed by the FDI policy announced by the Government of India and the provision of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999. RBI also issues notifications which contains the Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or issue of security by a person resident outside India) Regulations, 2000 and had been amended many times. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India is the nodal agency for motoring and reviewing the FDI policy on continued basis.

Ways of investment?

The investing company may make its overseas investment in a number of ways - Joint Ventures, merger, Franchising, Sourcing of Supplies from small-scale sector, Cash and Carry whole sale trading, Non-Store Formats, Strategic Licensing Agreements, either by setting up a subsidiary or associate company in the foreign country, by acquiring shares of an overseas company.

 The foreign retail chains will need to make very expensive real estate investments which may or may not be feasible in the long run.

Who are the target group for FDI?

 The people who prefer going to shopping malls instead of kirana shops constitute not a sizable percentage and who belong to affluent, upper middle and middle class. As such there is no immediate threat to the kirana shops or small venders, as they have their own share of customers with whom they share a special relationship.

Why only India?

India has a population of nearly 1.2 billion, and many countries feel it as most alluring and thriving retail destination. Liberalization of trade policy and loosening of barriers and restrictions to the foreign investment in the retail sector of India, have made the FDI in retail sector quite easy and smooth. India being a signatory to World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Trade in Services, which include wholesale and retailing services, had to open up the retail trade sector to foreign investment. In 1997, FDI in cash and carry (wholesale) with 100 percent ownership was allowed under the Government approval route. It was brought under the automatic route in 2006. 51 percent investment in a single brand retail outlet was also permitted in 2006. India being an open economy with skilled workforces and good growth prospects tend to attract larger amounts of foreign direct investment among other growing and emerging markets.

Advantages of FDI:

There would be increase in revenue to the state exchequer in the form of taxes

Counties which have shortage of funds for developmental activities would find it beneficial if they go for FDI thereby improving the country's "shunned sectors" -- infrastructure and logistics. So in order to grow faster and compete with the other countries foreign investment would turn out to be very fruitful.

There would be increase in employment opportunities

All multi brand products are available under one roof and there would be greater range and variety of products for sale and increased consumer choice

Competitive spirit and good managerial skills would be introduced in the country

Festival discounts would be available to the people

Many under developed and developing countries will be benefited with the introduction of FDI.

Best corporate and management practices would be introduced in the country

Better usage and utilization of natural resources

Helps in bridging infrastructural gaps (especially rural infrastructure) and technological hiccups.

Services at large would be benefited to people belonging to urban and semi urban areas

There would be improvement in the quality standards

Acceptance of credit, debit and Sodexo cards also encourage the purchases in big shopping malls

Permitting foreign investment in food-based retailing is likely to increase the capital flow into the country.

Usage of latest technologies in the farming sector can improve farmer’s income (by reducing wastage of agricultural produce, enabling them to get better prices) & agricultural growth thereby lowering consumer prices inflation.

By selling their goods directly to the foreign players would help the farmers in getting remunerative prices by their produce therefore reducing the long chain of intermediaries or middlemen.

Disadvantages to FDI:

Multi national companies require high investment, infrastructure facilities, packaging costs, advanced security system, high maintenance costs and very high variable cost of operation. And may be in the long run incurring huge losses.

Many fear that a time would come when these MNC’s making direct investments start dictating terms over the company into which the investment is made may influence the political system in the country. And many politicians felt allowing FDI in retail will push the country towards economic slavery

Small vendors and hawkers feel that these big giants would badly affect the domestic industry, thereby affecting their livelihood.

The items which these Multinational companies introduce in the market are beyond the competitive capacity of the small venders.

Multi National Companies (MNC)s could generate meager employment opportunities that is to for selected professional people. Farmers would be affected due to monopolization of the MNCs, competition, loss of entrepreneurial opportunities and self employed indigenous retailers who provide employment to many will be forced to close down their shops as they unable to face the highly unhealthy competition from the MNCs

Due to increase in multi brand products and increased purchasing power people are introduced to a new kind of lifestyle which they are not used to may force to change their lifestyle which may affect their future economically.

Unlike in America where the shopping malls are in the outskirts of the city and the family shops for a month and it is considered as a family activity. Whereas in India food items are purchased in small quantities as many do not have adequate money to buy for a month nor do they have massive storage facilities at home. Unlike Americans, Indians do not drive miles and do bulk purchasing.

In what way FDI is beneficial to farmers?

The Indian Farmer and Industrial Alliance (IFIA), a joint venture of the Consortium of Indian Farmers Associations (CIFA), recognized the potential benefits of eliminating middlemen and has expressed its support for opening the retail sector to foreign investment.

Views against the FDI :

Small traders feel they will not be able to withstand the competition. self employed indigenous retailers who provide employment to many will be forced to close down their shops, unable to face the highly unhealthy competition from the MNCs

Some felt that the government should impose a blanket ban on foreign retailers from entering into retail trade