Education Affairs - December 2013

VOL.1 NO. 4

A

PUBLICATION

DECEMBER 2013

sports

A new way of life

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EACHING, TRAINING,edit KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JOB, Editor in chief Bijay Kumar Agarwal Consultant and Managing Editor Pradeep Gooptu Digital Head Kirty Kedia Chief Sub-Editor Ashok Chatterjee Reporter cum Copy-Editor Farah Khatoon Reporter Shaheryar Hossain Overseas Correspondent Snehasish Chakraborty (United Arab Emirates - UAE) Design Shubhodip Das Communication Consultant Sagittarius Communications Pvt. Ltd. Photos Arijit Saha (freelancer) For advertisement, subscription and queries Call: 033-40229000 or mail us at: advt@educationaffairs.in subscribe@educationaffairs.in info@educationaffairs.in

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All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited. Printed and Published by Bijay Kumar Agarwal on behalf of the owner, GPF Trading Pvt Ltd. Printed at Satyajug Employees Co-operative Industrial Society Ltd, 13 & 13/1A, Prafulla Sarkar Street Kolkata – 700072.

Published from 34/1Q Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata – 700019 Ph : (91) 33 – 40229000, Fax : (91) 33 -24755324 Volume 1 Issue 4 for the month of December 2013 DL No- 39 dated 28/02/2013

A new look at Education With winter sweeping across India and the weather luring us to spend more time outdoors than in, we were tempted to go in for a theme that has an outdoorsy feel.

The cover story in this issue is therefore on education and training with a difference. Sports, according to some estimates, is the largest industry in the world today. Prize money, endorsement income, global telecast rights and the glamour of the discipline have made sports the dream profession and career of many of the brightest young minds today.

The advantages are many. It is truly an international discipline. Indian cricketers today find jobs in cricket playing world, be it in the African continent or in northern Europe.

Needless to say, they are training the very talented Bangladeshis and somewhat talented Kenyans too!

Overseas, when David Beckham quits European football to seek his fortune in the United States, or Cuban/ Latin American talents move to the USA to cash in on the US baseball league, you realize how global sports is.

There is no language barrier, and no walls of colour, creed or religion to break down. Automobile racing for example (though not covered in this issue) has placed the Indian brand, and the name of some of the Indian software giants, on the global stage. The challenge is the short life span of player. The good thing is that sports gives participants a second chance: as a coach, or an administrator, or a media specialist and analyst, among others.

In other words, life under the arc lights does not need to end when age overshadows fitness or changed rules rewrite the playing norms. Even injury appears to be somewhat manageable risk with the progress of sports medicine and surgery. All in all, this issue has wide ranging coverage on all things and activities outdoors. We have looked into youth activities like NCC and tried to satisfy bookworms with a quiz that starts with this issue.

Monotony is the greatest challenge in the print media. To combat this, we will continue to experiment with designs and formats that will reflect changes in society at large.

Some of such experiments are visible in this issue.

Finally, as head into the new year, I take this opportunity to wish all our readers, advertisers and well-wishers a happy 2014 in advance. Be prepared for surprises in the new year!

Bijay Kumar Agarwal Editor in chief education affairs 1

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JOB content

4

Sports Checkmate

Tagore and his last speech

28 Foreign school degrees finds quite a few takers

34

readmore

32 NCC benefits attract students I 36 Destination UK simplified I 37 Warm up to study in the US I 38 IT’s raining talent in Bengal I 41-42 Briefs I 43 St John’s offer PhD stipends I 44 Finance careers attract despite risk profileI 46 Automation Technology as classroom enabler I 47-54 Events I 55 Hangouts I 56-58 Book reviews I 59 Quiz I 60 Library I 61 Gadgets I 62 Interview: Deep Dasgupta I 64 Where are we in the global ratings?

2 education affairs

BE WHERE IT MATTERS..

Education Affairs is a platform for eminent educators, practitioners, students and researchers from across the country, with specific focus on Eastern India, to come together and share their knowledge, experiences, innovations and the latest trends in education. It engages with its audience on pressing and relevant issue pertaining to education. If you want to address aspirants and thought leaders in the education fraternity, this is the place to be.

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TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, cover story CAREER, PLACEMENT, JO

Checkmate Why chess is a great career WITH OPPORTUNITIES PROLIFERATING AND INCENTIVES THAT CANNOT BE IGNORED, A CAREER IN CHESS IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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OB, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC Farah Khatoon A battlefield as big as a checkerboard, with battalions divided into black and white, may not let you win kingdoms but will give you a profession that is rewarding in many, many ways.

Kolkata, known as the city of intellectuals, has no dearth of chess enthusiasts and according to experts who swear by the game, rising interest in the game is nurturing the love for this sport once more.

The plus point: this has created a strong base making chess a lucrative career that easily fetches money and fame.

Soumen Majumdar, general secretary of the Alekhine Chess Club, is gaga about the popularity of the game and the benefits that can accrue to a serious and disciplined chess player. He says, “There has been tremendous increase in interest in the game with schools not just including it in their curriculum but also making it compulsory. Parents are valuing the merit of the game more than they did earlier.”

Bengal is one of the leading chess playing state, having six grandmasters. As a country, India is ranked 8th globally with a total of 25 grandmasters and 112 International Masters.

Taking about the game, Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua says, “The concept about the game has changed from what it used to be. It is no longer a game for a selected few, a game which was a matter of pride. Rather one can earn handsomely with good tournaments being held, offering good prize money. There are five to six international open tournaments and many All-India tournaments as well. A good player can earn Rs 10-12 lakhs per annum from these tournaments.”

Barua believes that opportunities for a chess player to have a rewarding career out of the game have multiplied. This has made it easier to move up the ladders and attempt to become a grandmaster.

He believes it is easier now to become a grandmaster. “With increase in private coaching, tournaments, clubs, media attention and sponsorship on one side, and Internet on the other widening the reach, it’s easy to become a grandmaster. But to

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TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JOB become a world class player is tough,” says Barua.

His academy at Ballygunge Place and Salt Lake offers chess classes. Generally, children from the age of five enroll for the classes. He does not accept fresh students who are more than 14 years of age.

However, Chess is a universal game and is played by people of all ages and gender. In fact, Barua stresses the popular belief that the game is intellectually stimulating. This should be a good enough reason for parents to enroll their kids for chess.

At the same time, the game of chess is also beneficent for elders. “It is scientifically proven that chess is helpful in stimulating brain cells. It is a good brain exercise and it helps in controlling Alzheimer’s in the elderly, who should be encouraged to play it.”

He said that enquiries from IT firms had become a regular feature and these organisations seek assistance all the time.

Though chess enthusiasts are many, not everyone makes it to the top of the ladder.

Barua blames this on the preference given to academic performance and examinations by parents and also by most students.

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“Till the secondary level students are generally regular at their game but as the board exams approach they become irregular and most of them choose academics over the game. But after the crucial period in their academic life is over, they try to turn back to chess. But the gap of say three to four years does a lot of damage to their preparation for the top league of the game. All top players have had to compromise with their studies,” explains the grandmaster.

A chess player has an edge in getting employed later and there are many examples of players being offered good jobs in well-known companies. Incentives for a chess player are manifold with the most attractive rewards coming through multiple government schemes.

“Chess players are given preference in government jobs like Railways and others. Mary Anne Gomes and Dibyendu Barua are good examples. No chess player will ever go unemployed,” emphasises Majumdar, who still follows the policy of giving free service to schools.

The game gives more reward to its coaches than to its players.

Talking about the growing opportunities for coaches, Sayan Mukherjee, director of the Dibyendu Barua Academy, says, “With the base growing larger, thanks to rising demand for the game, a good coach can earn up to a lakh a month through full-time or part-time coaching. Online coaching has opened another avenue for coaches, who can earn attractive fees in their leisure time.”

Mukherjee points out that a coach can earn more than a teacher. There are about 100 recognised coaches in Kolkata but they need to get registered, he admits.

An effort in this regard is being made by the Bengal Chess Association because every good player cannot be a good coach.

With schools starting their own chess clubs, the demand for coaches from institutions is rising as fast as demand from households or individual clients. At all levels, the compensation is attractive and rewarding.

B, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC

Hat-trick Coaching set for a growth phase GOOD NEWS FOR ASPIRING FOOTBALL COACHES WHO DON’T HAVE LICENSE TO COACH. IN A BID TO MAKE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA MORE REALISTIC, AND TO SIMPLIFY THE LICENSING SYSTEM FOR FOOTBALL COACHING, WIFA AND AFC HAS INTRODUCED DIFFERENT LICENSED COACHING PROGRAMMES

Shaheryar Hossain Every achievement begins with a small step, and the recent decision to allow freshers to get a starting licence (called a ‘D’ license) is a measure designed to attain that objective.

Why? Because football, especially its coaching aspect, is one of the most interesting career options before fit young players today.

Here are the facts of the case.

As far as salary is concerned, the start up salary for a coach is around Rs 20,000 a month and this increases with experience and performance.

In terms of employment opportunities, the education affairs 7

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JOB picture is quite good. Government sector and private sector entities recruit football coach for their football teams or as part of their organisational and corporate policies.

P Vijay Kumar, senior football coach at Tata Football Academy (TFA), feels that aspiring football coaches will be able to achieve their dream with the help of All India Football Federation (AIFF) ‘D’ License coaching programme “The AIFF ‘D’ License can be considered a modified passport for the prospective football coaches to train college and school teams, as well as those at district and inter-city championships. The main intention of introducing ‘D’ License is to assist those would-be football coaches who do not meet the standards required to obtain ‘C’ License,” said Kumar.

A senior official of Mohun Bagan Atheletic Club (on condition of anonymity) said, “The ‘D’ License is the right catalyst for football players seeking eligibilty as a coach in small academies.”

The course duration is of 6 days.

The AIFF ‘D’ License course is the first step in the process of entry into the professional football coaching system in India. The course involves teaching the bare basics of football coaching to recruit coaches.

The syllabus comprises of modules on both theory and practicals.

The theory segment includes topics such as the role of the coach, warm up, planning coaching session, principles of play, age-specific training, coaching children, nutrition for football, injury prevention and management, health care for footballers, emergency first aid and ensuring safety in the game.

The practicals consists mainly of field work. AIFF ‘D’ License coaching programme is available for anyone who is above 18 years of age. Candidates are required to have playing experience, passion for football, interest in coaching and the motivation to improve skills.

The coaching programme would initially be conducted by West India Football Association (WIFA) in Maharashtra.

The WIFA has a targeted to produce 5,000 AIFF ‘D’License in the next three years.

The fee is Rs 3,500, with the application to be submitted along with cash/DD in favour of West India Football 8 education affairs

Association at the respective district associations.

The forms for the course are available at WIFA, Mumbai District Football Association Ground and Mumbai School Sports Association Ground.

Courses for coaches are also offered by Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Only those having a prior license are allowed to become coaches. There are three categories of coaching licenses — C, B and A. The AFC offers ‘C Coaching Certificate’ course for young coaches above 21 years.

It teaches them how to organise, direct and conduct basic coaching practices, knowledge of the rules of the game and understanding of the theory of contents of football.

The 13-day course includes three practical and two theoretical sessions. The pre-requisites include playing experience with supporting curriculum vitae, physical fitness, medical fitness, literary (reading and writing ability), coaching capacity.

After obtaining the C License, the candidate is eligible to train as a coach in small academies. After two years of completion of the course, the candidate can apply for ‘B’ License. The AFC also offers B Coaching Certificate course which continues till 20 days.

The course is designed to educate coaches in the advanced coaching and develop tactics and mental requirement of the game.

After successful completion of the course, the candidate secures the B License, with the help of which he is eligible to coach in clubs that participate in I-league and second division league.

The ‘A’ Coaching Certificate course offered by AFC is of 27 days. Only ‘C’ and ‘B’ License holders are eligible to apply for the course.

The course is structured to instruct coaches in tactical and advanced technical requirements of team management.

Criteria for participation in AFC ‘A’ Coaching Certificate course include coaching experience of at least one year and valid license.

Other courses offered by AFC are Conditioning Coaching Certificate course, Futsal Coaching Certificate course and Goa Goalkeeping Coaching Certificate course.

B, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC

Football Players can look to a good future THE EVER-POPULAR GAME OF FOOTBALL IS NO MORE JUST A GAME – IT HAS TODAY BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A LUCRATIVE CAREER, SAYS EXPERTS. TRAINING FACILITIES OFFERED BY THE FOOTBALL CLUBS AND ASSOCIATION FOR STUDENTS WHO ASPIRE TO PURSUE A CAREER AS A FOOTBALLER ARE MAPPED OUT BY SHAHERYAR HOSSAIN Mohammedan Sporting Club Sultan Ahmed, President of Mohammedan Sporting Club, is one of the most enthusiastic men you can meet on Kolkata’s Maidan.

He cannot stop talking about football as a career both for football players and football coaches in the Indian context.

Being a footballer is a profession that offers above average pay and perks, but the game is physically quite demanding. He feels that any good footballer will find it is easy to get a job.

While football may look like a lucrative profession, all players have to be able to meet certain standards. During talent hunts or various competitions organised by coaching camps, good performers are spotted and then invited to join football club teams.

“For an aspiring footballer who wants to

join our Club, we see two things - physical fitness and past records. If the candidate fulfils them then he is selected and training of the candidate commences” added Ahmed.

He further explains that a footballer can become a coach. The tradition in our country is such that after playing for two or three seasons, a football player can become coach.

In that case, apart from theoretical experience, practical is important for becoming a football coach. “In my view, the skills required by a manager and a coach are different. While the job of a football coach is to recognise the skill of the players and set their position accordingly, the manager looks after the whole team and supports it,” he added.

Jamshedpur’s Tata Football Academy (TFA) has a different take on the issue.

P Vijay Kumar, senior football coach at TFA, said the way footballers are selected and trained is competitive.

education affairs 9

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JOB

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Jobs for qualified footballers or coaches are available in both the government as well as private sectors

The TFA conducts talent search camps across states in three stages for selecting candidates. In the first level, 400 out of 4,000 footballers are shortlisted.

In the second round, 350 of these 400 are eliminated. In the third and the final round, 20 of the remaining 50 candidates are finally selected who then starts their training at TFA.

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The training is for four years. “In the first two years, we teach the basics of football, tactical skills and check the speed condition. In the third and fourth year, candidates play in major tournaments and take part in various competitions,” said Kumar.

The four-year training involves 4000 hours on the ground, he added.

“As part of their corporate social responsibility, Tata group of companies bear the cost of training, education and nutrition during this four year period. Along with training future footballers, TFA also conducts programme for training former local footballers as coaches so that they can qualify as coach with the help of ‘D’ License,” Kumar further added.

The established eligibility criteria at TFA is that candidates have to be below 15 years of age with a height of not less than 5 feet 6 inches.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) has its

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own programme to promote football. In a bid to spot talent and to provide facilities for nurturing school students, SAI has introduced National Sports Talent Contest Scheme (NSTCS), Sports Hostel Scheme (SHS) and Special Area Games Scheme (SAGS).

Under the NSTCS, SAI conducts football competition for children between 9 and 12 years at tehsils, districts and regional levels.

During tournaments it spots talented children. Then the shortlisted talented children are admitted in schools adopted by SAI. These children are given both education and sports training, borne by SAI. The SHS is for candidates in the age group of 16 and 20 years, who have successfully completed the NSTCS. Under the SHS, candidates are accommodated in SAI hostels and trained to compete effectively at state and national levels.

The SAGS is for spotting talented foot-

ballers among tribals living in rural and forest areas. The shortlisted candidates are then trained at SAI centres.

Employment opportunities Football may not be the gateway to opportunity but in the current Indian context a reasonably good football player or for that matter a properly trained football coach does not face much difficulty in securing a decent job.

Jobs for such qualified footballers or coaches are available in both the government as well as in the private sector.

Some of the large employers in the government fold include the Indian Railways, the Armed Forces, Food Corporation of India and nationalised banks.

Various government departments also have their own sports quota. This apart, many private sector companies also recruit footballers.

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TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JOB

Sixer!

CRICKET IS A RELIGION IN INDIA, AND GODS LIKE SACHIN TENDULKAR ARE WORSHIPPED IN THE COUNTRY. MANY HAVE MADE A CAREER OUT OF THE GAME AND ARE WELL PLACED IN LIFE, ENJOYING THE FRUITS OF THEIR HARD WORK Ashok Chatterjee Cricket academies in India are as hallowed as the “playing fields of Eton” and produce the many talents (and a rare genius) that keep India’s national sporting obsession going.

Successful students shine later when they make it to the top rung of Indian national cricket or the Indian Premier League (IPL) circuit. The training academies are managed and run by well-known retired cricketers, 12 education affairs

who have proved their mettle in the past.

Their guidance is crucial for the next generation.

Young boys work out for hours, honing skills that can establish them in the field and make them worthy enough to earn a Bengal or India cap. With the game being hugely popular and offering attractive cash rewards, many young Indians want to make a career in cricket as the game can deliver both financial and professional security.

Aspiring cricketers and enthusiasts look up to men like M S Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli both for their skills and their

B, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC

Hard work pays rich dividends earnings through endorsements.

But coaches warn that not everyone can become a Sachin or Dhoni, for the path to the top is very steep.

Quite a few players from small towns or from economically weak backgrounds have made it big in cricket and are today names to reckon with.

Sambaran Banerjee, the former national selector and Bengal captain who runs Mainland-Sambaran Cricket Academy, has seen it all. He had played the game at the highest level in his heydays. Today, Banerjee wants to give something back to the game after retirement. And what better way than to take up coaching and take the tradition forward.

The former keeper says he gets two types of students. The first category comes from the suburbs of Kolkata and cricket for them is a matter of life and death.

The second category comprises students from well-to-do city families, for whom cricket is about playing a sport and physical fitness, but only after their studies.

“When some students reach class X, they

take a break from the game and then resume once they are in college. But for the boys of this category, getting back into serious competitive cricket becomes a problem as the gap does more harm than good,” says Banerjee.

He adds, “Sixteen is a crucial age. This is the time when they tend to get distracted.

Their school, friends and family – all make a deep impression on them.”

Banerjee, who has a keen eye for talent, points out that not everyone can become a fine cricketer.

He says, “I can see that there are boys with cricketing intelligence. Some have it in them to make it big. Others, who do not have it, have to practice much harder to get to the top. I have Victoria Sporting Balak Sangha, which is a CAB second division club and there we make our boys play competitive matches”.

As a result, eight boys in the Bengal U-16 and four in Bengal U-19 have been trained in his academy. He admits with a tinge of sadness that not all schools in the city education affairs 13

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JOB encourage their students to play the game.

“We still have to convince schools to let these boys play matches outside their schools,” he adds. He also gives free coaching and equipment to deserving but poor students. He warns though that academies cannot and should not be expected to cure all ills.

Banerjee points out that cricket is a major activity today. “In fact, it is like a small-scale industry. There are so many avenues to explore in cricket. One can be a cricket analyst, coach or even an expert after retirement”, he says.

Devang Gandhi, former India opener and television commentator, is the chief coach at the Balak Sangha School of Cricket. He believes to take up cricket as a career it is imperative to have talent.

In cricket, like in other sports, success is not guaranteed. There has to be a back-up plan in terms of academics.

He asks, “Lot of boys play cricket but how many of them make it to the State team?

There are hardly 500 of them playing for the State team. And of these 500 only very few will make it to the top, playing for India. It looks very rosy from the top. Just as the

rewards are many, so are the risks. Also there is injury one has to guard against.

What if a players is not fit enough to play?”.

Gandhi, who just finished a stint as commentator for the India-West Indies ODI series, adds, “I know it is difficult to manage both cricket and studies simultaneously. But you have examples in Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, K Srikkanth and Arun Lal.” Analysing the situation today, he says, When I started I never had the foresight but now boys are lot focused. Many of them hope to find a job once they play for Bengal, but now jobs are scarce. Boys who think of playing cricket only to land a job are the desperate ones, who are average players and average students in academics. You have to be in the top bracket to get the best of opportunities.”

He is optimistic that today after the advent of IPL new opportunities have opened up for former cricketers. “There are lot more avenues; one can be a coach, commentator, expert or a writer, but most of these jobs are for established cricketers,” he says.

The advice he gives to parents is that they should not interfere with a child’s progress.

Instead, they should have an open mind.

B, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC Parents should send their children to the playing ground and let the child play rather than allow them to be hooked to computer games at home.

Opening a coaching centre is one option, and being a trained coach under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is another.

Ranadeb Bose, former Bengal pacer, is one such example. The lanky bowler, who played cricket along with basketball and hockey for his school team, considers sports a fun activity.

He says, “It was natural that studies would be my priority and everything else came later. By the time I was 17, I started playing club cricket and by 19, I was playing Bengal U-19. That was the time I took cricket seriously and sat with my father, who told me that graduation is a must. I could do whatever I wanted after graduation. I was lucky to get my parents’ support, because at 21 or 22, you don’t think too much and tend to make mistakes. I was lucky that I got a job with WBSEB after I graduated. So I had the cushion that if I failed to make much progress in cricket, I have my job and also my degree which will help me pursue higher

courses. That is why I insist on studies as a cushion.”

Bose cautions that cricket does not necessarily mean rewards.

“In places like Australia and England, a young player has contracts when he is playing at the club level. In India, contracts only happen when you play for India,” he points out.

He admits that he wanted to be a coach to stay connected with the game and so he completed his Level 1 Fresher course while he was still playing. “That helped me take up a coaching assignment in Bangladesh,” he adds.

Reminiscing his playing days, he says, “Whatever I got in life is through hard work.

I still remember when I was playing club cricket, lot of my friends had already given up their studies. They hung around in malls after playing while I rushed back for my tuitions”.

Overall, the picture is a mixed one, but one thing is clear: the ‘gentleman’s game’ once played by amateurs has given way to a game that is played by professionally trained and commercially oriented players, who earn money on and off the field.

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JOB

Shooting star Gen-X hits jackpot in a new sport SHOOTING PROMISES A LUCRATIVE CAREER, PACKED WITH REWARDS, BUT MANY INDIANS LACK AWARENESS ABOUT THE SPORT Ashok Chatterjee Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Vijay Kumar, Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Ronjan Sodhi are big names in their own right in the world of shooting.

Pistol shooter, Heena Sidhu, recently created history by winning a gold medal at International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup finals at Germany.

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There are many other names that have hogged the headlines recently in our sports pages. A relatively new sport in competitive section in India, shooting has a glorious legacy in India. In the past, nawabs, maharajas and zamindars were legendary shooters known all over the world for their skills and their hunts (shikar).

Shooting today is an important sport in India as it has already given the country four Olympic medals, in addition to many medals in the Asian and Commonwealth

B, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC not impressed. People will be interested only if they are involved in the sport. There is no other game more addictive than shooting and it has the highest entertainment quotient. And the funniest part is that after balloon shooting the next step is Olympic shooting. People have no idea what exists in between. I’m trying to fill that gap”.

Karmakar believes that more schools will have to come up with their own shooting ranges. If there is more media coverage, more and more schools will be interested to join in with owned or shared infrastructure.

“Mass involvement is very necessary in making the game popular and for all this we have to create a self -sustaining system,” he adds.

The 50m prone shooter is planning to open two more ranges — one in Salt Lake Stadium and the other in South Dum Dum Municipal range.

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To be a sporting nation, love for the sport has to be instilled slowly but steadily

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Games.

There are very few shooting ranges in India, but Indian shooters have nonetheless overcome all odds to win laurels for the nation.

Kolkata faces the same problem. The city suffers from a dearth of quality shooting ranges. One of the major names in shooting from Kolkata, Joydeep Karmakar, is trying nonetheless to popularise the sport in the state and region.

Karmakar missed the bronze at London Olympics in the 50m prone rifle event by a whisker. Undeterred, he recently held a Corporate Shooting Grand Prix at two different schools in the city.

The sport does not take too many things to get started and boasts of a 14-year old medalist as well as a 72-year old. There are no strict physical requirements as well other than excellent powers of concentration.

Talking about making the sport popular, Karmakar says, “A child while growing up will follow what happens around him. If he hears and sees cricket around him, he will only pick that sport.”

His solution is simple: “If a child is made aware of shooting, he will be much more aware of the sport. We then do not need to goad a child to take up shooting as a sport.

He will automatically take it up.”

He cautions however that it is tough to compete internationally in a sport like shooting as more than 200 countries participate in the discipline.

In comparison, cricket as a sport is played only by 12 to 18 countries.

“To be a sporting nation, love for the sport has to be instilled slowly but steadily. I’m playing my part in this part of the country somebody else is playing his part somewhere else. I have to inspire others who in turn will inspire many more,” says the Olympian.

The Olympic shooter is pained by the fact that his city does not have enough infrastructure to promote his favourite sport. He thinks schools can play a very important role in this regard.

“Schools can play a major part in this.

Right now only two schools in Kolkata have their own shooting ranges. Delhi and Mumbai have many more. The reason why I did the workshop with corporates is to build awareness among them, and I expect this to indirectly guide more people towards this sport,” he says.

According to him, “When viewers see shooters wearing all sorts of gear, they are

No other sport in India can boast of 10 names in top list players in the world.

Considering that, shooting misses the popularity it deserves. There has to be more effort to convey the glamour of the sport to the public at large.

Shimon Sharif, international shooter and promoter of indianshooting.com, is upbeat about the change in the mindset of Indians that followed after the success of Indian shooters in the world arena.

To drive home his point, he says, “Lot of colleges have shooting in their sports quota list for admissions. Companies like ONGC, Indian Railways and Air India are some of the biggest employers of shooters while quite a few corporate houses are happy to sponsor shooting events”.

According to him, India’s top 18 shooters get a salary from Sahara in the range of Rs 10 to 20 lakh per year from category A to C. In addition to this, each national and intereducation affairs 17

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JOB

national medal has a cash prize along with it. Add to this the cash awards and incentives offered by various state governments and sports ministries.

As a result, any Olympic medal winner today earns to the tune of Rs 5-6 crore each year, through appearances and performances. National level shooters get good jobs and posts in the army and state police. So, the rewards of success in this sport cannot be ignored. “It is definitely a good career if not a great one. For many shooting is also a parallel career. Bodies like Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) takes care of all the training needs of the top shooters,” he points out.

Sharif is gung ho about the new found social status of shooters in India, saying, “Their social standing has increased. The social image of a shooter is similar to a polo player since this is an elite sport.”

He says people in general are a lot more aware about the various shooting disciplines today. The shooter broadly classifies students at his range into two groups. “One group comes because they want to be competitive and win medals for the country while the second group comprises, shooters who are into some profession and come to unwind, improve their concentration and train their mind,” he says.

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Comparing the popularity of the game abroad vis-à-vis India, Sharif says, “In Europe, shooting is as popular as cricket is in India. But things are changing. Today, being a coach in shooting is a profitable proposition, unlike before.”

An initiative of London Olympics bronze medalist, Gagan Narang and Indian Shooting team coach Pawan Singh, Gun for Glory is the first international world class shooting academy in India initiated under the aegis of Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation, a non-profit organisation.

The academy is situated at Shiv Chhatrapati Sports complex at Balewadi in Pune.

The complex provides world class infrastructure that is required to prepare a shooter to meet modern day challenges at any international sporting event and venue.

The academy prides itself in providing all tools to build a champion. The courses also offer shooters gun testing facility (testing each barrel and selecting best pellet for particular barrel), peak performance management, a link up with an educational institution and residential facilities.

The ideal age to make a start as a shooter, experts feel, is in the age group of 10 to 12 years. Since this is a mental sport, it also does not require punishing physical fitness.

B, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC

Touchdown!

Rugby produces stars despite neglect INDIA IS A RISING STAR IN THE WORLD OF RUGBY BUT POOR SUPPORT IS THREATENING ITS FUTURE Farah Khatoon At a time when Asia as a continent is falling in love with rugby and the game is challenging soccer in popularity, it is suffering acute neglect in India. Rugby is part of the national games in India and the Indian rugby team has performed well in both Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, it is denied the crucial government support any game needs to attract fresh talent and game.

In India, Kolkata is one of the major centres for Rugby and only Mumbai can be seen as a competitor over the centuries. The game, for the record, was introduced by the British through the East India Company army and soldiers, and was picked up by other communities like Anglo-Indians, Armenians etc.

The situation is quite different now. At

present, 19-20 States play the game and sadly Kolkata is no longer the leading State in India though the interest in the game is rising. According to Nandu Chandavarkar, Regional Development Manager, Indian Rugby-Football Union, Bengal Rugby-Football Union, the game is going through some sort of rebirth.

He says, “Rugby activity in Kolkata has increased considerably over the last 7 years.

Participants play the game to represent schools, clubs, State and thereafter National tournaments to be a part of the Indian Rugby team.”

Calcutta has 10 club teams and around 12 school teams playing rugby, of which three are ladies’ teams.

However, rugby is far from being a hugely popular game. Owing to the national obsession called Cricket which eats into resources available for every other game in India, rugby suffers greatly.

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ON CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEM There are some other issues that trouble the game and inhibits the rise in the glamour of the game. As a result, many sporting enthusiasts stay away from the game in India even as they enthusiastically watch the game overseas.

In response, Chandavarkar says, “To coach players in rugby, there is no specific ground allotted by the State government. Our organisations train players at the Parsee Club, or Rangers Club, or the Bengal Hockey Association grounds, with permission of the club authorities. Sometimes, teams train even at the Victoria maidan.”

Other training takes place at the schools in their respective grounds or at the Parsee club.

Moreover, sponsors are difficult to come by.

20 education affairs

He adds, “Through our associations and connections we do receive sponsors but not enough to invite foreign teams, although we have done so on a small scale in the last three years. We hold tournaments and invite popular Indian sportspersons and actors to attend, time permitting, to generate interest amongst the public and spectators.”

For International matches at tournaments when India is involved in the home series, games are more often than not held in Pune, Goa and Mumbai as the infrastructure there is seen to be superior.

In kolkata, the stadiums concerned still refuse to give permission to hold such matches and there are no alternatives.

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD from the youth is terrific generating interest and spontaneous too not only in Kolkata but all over the Indian States,” informs Chandavarkar. The ideal entry age for the game is 13 years.

The demand for a coach in rugby is huge as well but more financial rewards is needed.

“Indian Rugby-Football Union appoints coaches according to Levels attended and certificate obtained. Full time and part-time coaches, development officers are appointed but scope is limited unless monetary relief comes from the Sports Authority in India (SAI) to cater to innumerable aspiring coaches. The demand for coaches is pretty huge. It is for respective state associations to fulfill the criteria involved like bearing to pay the coaches after having completed the course. Many state association cannot afford and some can,” says Chandvarkar.

(

The only incentives players receive are recognition and certificates to benefit their causes, like admission to schools

“It depends on the individual preparation of the person to become a coach. One needs to focus and gain knowledge if a person is a nonrugby player otherwise it’s easy and yet not so easy,” he adds.

Coaching candidates need to attend the Level 1, 2 and 3 coaching level courses held

by Asian Rugby-Football Union and Indian Rugby-Football Union in India. They need to qualify for these levels to be a coach accordingly.

A person can go online of the principal body, Rugby International Boards website and can also apply in various Asian countries for the courses. There are only three appointed coaches in Bengal who are supervising training and Alam and Chandavarkar are among them. There might not be a public figure to add glamour to the sport and the sport associations might be still hooked to Sachin’s retirement itinerary but for those who believe in the passion of the game, rugby can be the final touchdown to a rising glory. education affairs 21

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“The only incentives players receive are recognition and certificates to benefit their causes, like admission to schools, colleges and various public sector departments where the game of rugby has been in their curriculum.

The Sports Authority of India and States are yet to frame a budget and sanction thereof assuring steady job and monetary offers in the rugby domain”, he points out.

As a result, rugby as a career is not yet as rewarding inside India though it is being increasingly recognised all over the country.

Mukhtar Alam Rugby Development Officer and teacher at Frank Anthony Public School and Asian level Referee, echoes the views expressed by Chandavarkar.

He says, “There is no money in Rugby. It is only the love and passion for the game that is keeping the game alive. Also India lacks that physical built of the players.”

Alam further points out that the longevity of form of a top notch player in the game is short. Besides, as players in the game are prone to injury, it tends to keep away quite a few enthusiasts inside the country.

At the same time, the games fail to attract more viewers as the venues where they are held are far from perfect. Alam points out that though some groups do support the game, more encouragement is needed.

“Indian Rugby Association and CC&FC encourage the game but there is no encouragement from the government’s side. The job opportunities should be more for rugby players also a quota in government jobs and in the private sector. This will draw in more players to this very international game. For example, the game is supported by Kolkata Police and is played by Kolkata’s sergeants while junior boys are part of the green police. But still, more awareness is needed,” says Alam.

The game of rugby entails speed, stamina, power, strength, endurance, creating support and unity, respect to opponents and fellow players, abide strictly to the laws of the game and the referee in power, maintain safety rules strictly, make the game entertaining, maintain behavior to become a leader, maintain proper attitude, show determination and dedication, maintain loyalty and respect and instill enjoyment. It brings out these characteristics of the players from various walks of life.

Chandvarkar emphasises that being a good rugby player doesn’t come easily. “There are no shortcuts to short term gains and instant fame. It takes a couple of years from young age to be a top level player considering the grinding one has to go through. The response

ON CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEM

Game, set and match It’s a winner all the way!

Ashok Chatterjee Any player, who plays tennis, which boasts of current champions like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and the William sisters, must consider himself to be in august company. For Indian players, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna, Somdev Devvarman are all examples to follow. While it might look very rosy to see them playing Grand Slams and winnings fat prize money, what remains unseen is the amount of hard work they put in to reach the top of the table. However, Indian tennis horizon looks bleak with hardly any player(s) to match the best in the world.

tion of tennis, Ali, says, “Earlier sport was not a profession. Now sport is a big business and a lucrative career as well. I remember in 1958, I was paid daily allowance of Rs 10 for a Davis Cup match, whereas when my son, Zeeshan, played Davis Cup he was paid Rs 5 lakh.

During my time in Wimbledon, I was paid £50, while Zeeshan got £10,000. So the money is good.

Former India Davis cupper Jaidip Mukerjea says golf and tennis are considered glamourous. “But how many make it to the top?

Shelf-life is also short. What people see are just the top-rung players. There are so many players who struggle to make ends meet. In this sport only if you are in world top 100, you can expect yourself to be comfortable.”

MONEY IS GOOD:

FULL TIME SPORT:

Akhtar Ali, former Davis Cup coach and captain has had long association with coaching. His famous wards include, Ramesh Krishnan, Vijay and Anand Amritraj and Leander Paes. Someone, who has seen the transforma22 education affairs

With money comes professionalism. It is also like a full-time job. There is hardly any scope for pursuing anything else, simultaneously. “It is difficult for young boys and girls to manage sports and studies at the same time.

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD Though we do not have any scope for sports scholarships in India, in America one can study in universities with sports scholarship.

Thirty of my boys are studying in the US after getting scholarships. The education department needs to think about devising ways to encourage youngsters to take up sport,” says Ali, the veteran coach.

Mukerjea agrees with Ali when he says, “There is hardly any push from the school.

When I was in school, my principal used to encourage me to play tennis and even persuaded my father to go to play junior Wimbledon as it was clashing with my exams. Students, who have played at the national level, should be given grace marks in college during admissions. What is happening now is that most of the students leave the sport by the time they are 14 or 15 years of age. This is a difficult sport.”

PARENTAL SUPPORT: hard in making his son,

Ali, who worked Zeeshan Ali, take up tennis and be a national champion, opines that in tennis, there is no guarantee of success. “Parents from middleclass families are afraid to let their children pursue the sport till the end for this very reason. Earlier tennis was an elite sport, but not anymore. Boys and girls from middle class families come to play tennis. Former captain Naresh Kumar has also given financial support to poor boys, who were good at tennis.” He emphasises the importance of family support when he says, “I ask parents what is their objective when they come to me to train their children as I have seen that in 90% of the cases of successful players, parents’ support has counted the most. A coach can only give a good foundation but to carry it forward the parents have to take a call.

Parents even look out for schools, which are sympathetic to their students playing sports.”

SOCIAL ANGLE: Mukerjea, who feels tennis

Arjuna awardee, serves as a great platform for social interaction. It is an elite sport in the sense that all the top honchos play the game for their recreation and fitness. “The game has been marketed abroad as a social game where you meet the top CEOs and top employees over a game of tennis. So, there is a social angle to it too, which helps in the player’s personality development. I would certainly recommend tennis as a career,” says Mukerjea.

COACHING Ali, who loves coaching young players and honing their skills, says, “Nowadays even a marker earns good money. Coaches definitely make handsome money. Gone are the days when people played the sport for the love of it or for the glory of the country. In India, coaches make more money than a player makes, playing tournaments. But what pains me is that coaches here are not made accountable. Even the foreign coaches, who are training in India, are not the top grade. There are good coaches in India too and there is enough scope for improvement in coaching in India.”

Mukerjea though has a different take on coaches. He adds, “It is a pity that coaches in India are looked down upon except who run their own academy. Most of the coaches come from middle class families just about make enough to survive. Only the top coaches are well off.”

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ON CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEM

A hole in one

Golf is costly as a game, but rewards are good too Pradeep Gooptu Golf has a long and venerated history in our country. Over a century ago, the first golf course outside the western world was launched in Kolkata.

Following the footsteps of the Royal & Ancient golf club in Scotland, the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) opened its doors in the southern suburb of the city, some years later, the Tollygunj Club launched its own golf course, backed by the privileges of a club membership and facilities.

The Indian Army, a dominant presence in golf both before independence and after, has it own chain of excellent courses around the country, and even has a unique and quaint Ladies Golf Course and club in the Kolkata Maidan opposite Fort William. In fact, the gossip is that the post of president of the Delhi Golf Club is the most coveted in India after that of the Indian President!

Jokes apart, golf has seen the highest investment among all sports in the country. Private capital has

24 education affairs

flowed into the sport and it the cynosure of media events and programmes as far as Corporate India is concerned.

Investments in the game A report by a major international consulting firm says that in the Indian environment, golf has progressed the most. The report points out that private sector companies – multinational and domestic – have commercially acquired land, employed the best and most expensive designers in the world, and built up infrastructure that can compare with the best in the world.

The report states (though does not substantiate this in detail) that among all sports disciplines, golf is the only one which can offer world class infrastructure. While the specific figures used could not be confirmed, the report claimed that the percentage of foreign coaches and players (including non-resident Indians holding foreign passports) was the highest in golf, far more than in Indian club football or cricket.

New businesses Analysing data in the field of equipment supply, the report commented that Indian businesses had made the fullest use of the fact a wide range of golf equipment, clubs, balls and sport-related accessories were made within the country and abroad. On the one

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD hand, importers had multiplied and flourished and had improved existing retailing formats besides coming up with new retail formats for golf products and services.

At the employment level, golf harbours staff from the position of assistants on the course (usually termed caddies, a label that is seen as somewhat inappropriate in many societies) to the many, many experts required to execute designed courses, as well as maintain and improve golf courses.

At the top end of this pyramid, there are high profile course designers whose fees are astronomical. The ITC or Jaypee built golf courses in the Indian National Capital Region (NCR) incurred design fees that ran into seven figures.

Such international standard golf courses are served after inauguration by world class coaches and trainers.

Coaching: A case study RCGC, fondly called the Royal, has as established structure for coaching, according to the website of the institution. The formal coaching facility includes qualified coaches who give lessons to beginners & playing members.

Only coaches with valid certification from IGU and registered with RCGC are allowed to give lessons at the Royal. The registered coaches carry Identity Cards issued to them as an authorization to render Golf lessons.

As for the fee structure, coaching is charged on an hourly basis depending on the qualifications and the experience of the coach concerned,Coaches are encouraged to improve themselves and their fees are revised to reflect improvements.

However, gold remains a largely closed community and membership references are essential in the older clubs. At the newer facilities, training opportunities as well as playing and practise opportunities are much more open.

While it is difficult to establish a co-relationship, the institutions with open systems do clearly have a higher success rate in producing new talent if not champions. Needless to say, such observations are stoutly opposed by the older clubs. In the case of RCGC, trainees on completion of lessons sign an authorization

voucher (available with the starter) for the coach to collect the designated fee from the Club Office.

The relevant fee amount is recovered from the member concerned through the usual billing process. Coaches collect their fee from the Club office on production of the voucher.

The fee structure ranges froma couple of hundred rupees to four figure charges per hour.

In keeping with modern trends, RCGC offers video analysis facility of the golf swing on Software at a specified fee. As mentioned before, non-members, or guests, can receive coaching but only through a members’ reference and payment of additional fees for coaching at RCGC.

Earnings The Indian golf tournament circuit has a vast range of sponsors, from leading global luxury product brands to service sector giants. Not surprisingly, golf has many champions who earn tidy sums as prize money and them supplement this income through endorsements and advertising. In 2013, the prize money of topper Rashid Kahna was Rs 40 lakh plus and the fifth ranked player, Angad Cheema reported income of Rs.16.40 lakh. Mind you, these are earnings on the Indian circuit only. Indian golfers are quite popular in the Asian circuit and have good track record. Actual earnings are therefore expected to be higher and that too with a foreign exchange component.

Conclusion In view of the emergence of multiple new clubs in northern india, NCR and as well as western India, training opportunities there are much greater than in eastern India. As a result, quite a few young talents migrate from the east to these other areas to train and take their career to a new level.

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ON CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEM

What’s in a name?

Marketing multiplies returns Ashok Chatterjee In today’s world, good packaging is the key to good consumerism – whether it is a soap or a sports like cricket or football. There is heightened excitement amongst advertisers as they see great scope for visibility through sports. so a rose, when marketed, does smeel twice as sweet Wnat’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet— the immmortal words of the Bard, taught over the generations, today appears to be losing its relevance. the culprit: a new trend called sports marketing.

Sports marketing may be relatively a new phenomenon in India, but it is highly a developed profession abroad. Players in the sector realise the immense market potential in India and are trying their best to tap it. The result is all for us to see – Buddh International Circuit, which has seen F1 races being held in India (unthinkable till a few years ago), Cricket World Cup in 2011, the Hockey World Cup and the arrival of Bayern Munich football team and FC Barcelona to India to play exhibition matches... and the list goes on.

Cashing in on are the sports retailers. Sports equipment, books and entertainment constituted little more than 3% of the total retail market share in 2007-08. The increased number of medals from Indian athletes in Olympics has also led to the immense popularity of sports in India.

India can today boast of a F1 team, world champion in chess, shooting, boxing, tennis and badminton amongst other disciplines. All this has meant that more and more people are interested in sports and sports stars.

Cricket singularly has contributed to the sectors growth in India. Today, MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar can boast of earnings, which no other cricketer in the world can dream to have. Sachin, who just retired from Cricket has been a great example of how a player can be marketed to win more rewards.

Cricket stars may be the biggest beneficiaries of the changed scenario, but footballers too have 26 education affairs

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD

gained a lot. Many more teams are competing in the I-League than before and footballers are getting handsome pay cheques compared to earlier times. All the important leagues and club matches abroad are now beamed live across India.

There has been sizable increase in sponsorship of the matches and demand for television advertising across sports channels, which again goes on to prove that the managers are working aggressively to promote sports in India. The craze amongst Indians for F1 racing has always been there with the live telecast of all the major Grand Prix events, but this year there was hardly an empty seat at the Buddh International Circuit.

Sachin’s last Test match in his home city was the highest rated Test match on TV in India in last eight years, according to TAM data sourced from Star Sports. The match enjoyed average viewership of 1.74 million. There have been many promotional campaigns like ‘cheer for Sachin’ and launch of Sachin Memory Project by starsports.com.

Social media sites too were full of Sachin campaigns, where BCCI gave a personalised picture of Sachin with a note and signature by the legend to all who wrote to BCCI. Sports marketing include sponsorship of events, teams, television advertising and broadcasting of events and marketing of sports events through social media. Another aspect, which has recently come up with as a tool to promote sports is sports tourism. All major sporting events in the world are reasons to promote tourism in that country, since there is lot of interest in people watching the event live in stadiums.

The ICC World Cup, FIFA World Cup, F1 Grand Prix racing, Olympics and the like, are all major events, which sees a great movement of sports tourists. And the travel agents are happy to cash in on the development. They not

only offer exciting packages but also offer many freebies along with tickets to the stadium.

Sachin Tendulkar’s 199th Test match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata was one recent example which meant lot of tourists from abroad and different parts of India came down to the city to witness history being made. This was one good occasion for Kolkata to make up for the loss they had when the India-England was moved out of the city, in 2011 during the cricket World Cup, to Bangalore.

Travel agents in Bengal are wooing sports enthusiasts from the state for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, next year. It has been observed that 90% of Indian travel to Europe and the rest, 10% travel to south East Asian countries and Latin American countries. This time they are promoting Latin American countries through the World Cup. Darshan Maheshwari, country managerIndia, The Travel Corporation talking about some of the packages says South America programmes are generating keen interest from travellers from West Bengal. “Multiple itineraries from Tafalgar include 10-day, 13-day and 16-day packages. The 10-day package starts at Rio Je Janeiro and culminates at Buenos Aires.

After or before these packages, one can also see the World Cup football matches, tickets for which can be arranged through our listed retailers in India,” says Maheshwari.

Tourism Australia too is gearing up too to attract tourists from eastern India for the cricket World Cup in Australia, early next year. They are in talks with local tour agents and operators so that tourists in Australia are offered the best possible deals, when they visit Down Under during the World Cup. There have been plans to take tourists to Bradman museum at Adelaide Oval during their visit.

With such great possibilities, sports marketing, also makes a great career option. education affairs 27

ON CINEMA from HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEM the archive

Tagore on The Spirit of Freedom Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), Nobel Laureate for literature, wrote, composed and painted all his life in search of civilizational model that blended the best values of the East (or Asia) with those of the West (Europe and the Americas). His lasting legacy is VisvaBharati at Shantiniketan, an institution that imparted primary, secondary, college and university education drawing on practices ranging from the Indian ‘gurukul’ to best-in-world practices, cutting across civilisations. He was deeply pained by aggressive nationalism that had led to the 2nd World War. On his birthday on 8th May every year. he delivered a lecture at Visva-Bharati. This, the 1941 lecture, was his last as he died later that year, nursing the hope that humanity would live in peace, respect all cultures and achieve a just and moral world.

Today, I complete eighty years of my life. As I look back on the vast stretch of years that lie behind me and see in clear perspective the history of my early development, I am struck by the change that has taken place both in my own attitude and in the psychology of my countrymen – a change that carries within it, a cause of profound tragedy.

Our direct contract with the larger world of men was linked up with the contemporary history of English people whom we came to know in those earlier days. It was mainly through their mighty lecture that we formed our ideas with regards to these new comers to our Indian shores. In those days the type of learning that was served out to us was neither plentiful nor diverse, nor was the spirit of scientific enquiry very much in evidence. Thus their scope of being strictly limited, the educated of those days had recourse to English language and literature. Their days and nights were eloquent with the stately declamations of Burke, with Macaulay’s long-rolling sentences, discussion centered upon Shakespeare’s drama and Byron’s poetry and above all upon the largehearted liberalism of the nineteenth-century English politics.

At the time though tentative attempts were 28 education affairs

being made to gain our national independence, at heart we had not lost faith in the generosity of the English race. This belief was so firmly rooted in the sentiments of our leaders as to lead them to hope that the victor would of his own grace pave the path of freedom for the vanquished. This belief was based upon the fact that English at the time provided a shelter to all those who had to flee from persecution in their own country. Political martyrs who had suffered for the honour of their people were accorded unreserved welcome at the hands of the English. I was impressed by this evidence of liberal humanity in the character of the English and thus I was led to set them on the pedestal of my highest respect. This generosity in their national character had not yet been vitiated by Imperialist pride. About this time, as a boy in England, I had the opportunity of listening to the speeches of John Bright, both in and outside Parliament. The lager-hearted, radical liberalism of those speeches, overflowing all narrow national bounds, had made so deep an impression on my mind that something of it lingers even today, even in these days of graceless disillusionment.

Certainly that spirit of abject dependence upon the charity of our rulers was no matter for pride. What was remarkable, however, was the wholehearted way in which we gave our recognition to human greatness even when it revealed itself in the foreigner. The best and noblest gifts of humanity cannot be the monopoly of a particular race or country; its scope may not limited nor may it be regarded as the miser’s hoard buried underground. That is why English literature which nourished our minds in the past and does even now convey its deep resonance to the recesses of our heart.

It is difficult to find a suitable Bengali equivalent for the English word ‘civilisation’. That phase of civilization with which we were familiar in this country has been called by Manu ‘Sadachar’ (lit. proper conduct), that is, the conduct prescribed by the tradition of the race.

Narrow in themselves these time-honoured social conventions originated and held good in a

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD

circumscribed geographical area, in that strip of land, Brahmavarta by name, bound on either side by the river Saraswati and Drisadvati.

That is how a pharisaic formalism gradually got the upperhand of free though and the ideal of ‘proper conduct’ which Manu found established in Brahmavarta steadily degenerated into socialised tyranny.

During my boyhood days the attitude of the cultures and educated section of Bengal, nurtured on English learning, was charged with a feeling of revolt against these rigid regulations of society. A perusal of what Rajnarayan Bose has written describing the ways of educated gentry of these days will amply bear out what I have said just now. In place of these set codes of conduct we accepted the ideal of ‘civilisation’ as represented by the English term.

In our own family this change of spirit was welcomed for the sake of its sheer rational and moral force and it’s influence was felt in every

sphere of our life. Born in that atmosphere, which was moreover coloured by our intuitive bias for literature, I naturally set the English on the throne of my heart. Thus passed the first chapter of my life. Then came the parting of ways accompanied with a painful feeling of disillusion when I began increasingly to discover how easily those who accepted the highest truth of civilization disowned them with impunity whenever questions of national selfinterest were involved.

There came a time when perforce I had to snatch myself away from the mere appreciation of literature. As I emerged into the stark light of bear facts, the sight of the dire poverty of Indian masses rent my heart. Rudely shaken out of my dreams, I began to realize that perhaps in no other modern state was there such hopeless dearth of the most elementary needs of existence. And yet it was this country whose resources had fed for so long the wealth and education affairs 29

ON CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEM magnificence of the British people. While I was lost in the contemplation of the great world of civilisation, I could never have remotely imagined that the glaring example of it stares me in the face in the utter and contemptuous indifference of a so-called civilized race of the well-being of crores of Indian people.

The mastery over the machine, by which the British have consolidated their sovereignty over their vast Empire, has been kept a sealed book to while due access has been denied to this helpless country. And all the time before our very eyes Japan has been transforming herself into a mighty and prosperous nation. I have seen with my own eyes the admirable use to which Japan has put in her own country the fruits of its progress. I have also been privileged to witness, while in Moscow, the unsparing energy with which Russia has tried to fight disease and illiteracy, and has succeeded in steadily liquidating ignorance and poverty, wiping off the humiliation from the face of a vast continent. Her civilization is free from all invidious distinction between one class and another, between one sect and another. The rapid and astounding progress, achieved by her made me happy and jealous at the same time. One aspect of the Soviet administration which particularly pleased me was that it provided no scope for unseemly conflict of religious difference nor set one community against another by unbalanced distribution of political favours. That I consider a truly civilized administration which impartially serves the common interests of the people.

While other imperialist powers sacrificed the welfare of the subjects races to their own national greed, in the USSR I found a genuine attempt being made to harmonise the interests of the various nationality that are scattered over its vast area. I saw peoples and tribes, who, only the other day, were nomadic savages being encouraged and indeed trained to avail themselves freely of the benefits of civilization. Enormous sums are being spent on their education to expedite the process. When I see elsewhere some two hundred nationalities – which only a few years ago were at vastly different stages of development – marching ahead in peaceful progress and amity, and when I look about my own country and see a very highly evolved and intellectual people drifting into the disorder of barbarism, I cannot help contrasting the two systems of governments, one based on cooperation, the other on exploitation, which have made such contrary conditions possible.

30 education affairs

I have also seen Iran, newly awakened to a sense of national self-sufficiency, attempting to fulfill her own destiny freed from the deadly grinding stones of two European powers. During my recent visit to that country I discovered to my delight that Zoroastrians who once suffered from the financial hatred of the major community and whose rights had been curtained by the ruling power were now free from this age-long repression, and that civilized life had established itself in the happy land. It is significant that Iran’s good fortune date from the day when she finally disentangled herself from the meshes of European diplomacy. With all my heart I wish Iran well.

Turning to the neighbouring kingdom of Afghanistan I find that though there is much room for improvement in the field of education and social development yet she is fortunate in that she can look forward to unending progress; for none of the European powers boasted of their civilization, has yet succeeded in overwhelming and crushing her possibilities.

Thus while these other countries were marching ahead, India, smothered under the dead weight of British administration, lay static in her utter helplessness. Another great and ancient civilization whose recent tragic history the British cannot disclaim responsibility is China. To serve their own national profit, the British first doped her people with opium and then appropriated a portion of a territory. As the world was about to forget the memory of this outrage we were painfully surprised by another event. While Japan was quietly devouring North China her act of wanton aggression was ignored as a minor incident by the veterans of British diplomacy. We have also witnessed from this distance how actively the British statesman acquiesced in the destruction of Spanish Republic.

On the other hand, we have noted with admiration how a band of valiant Englishmen laid down their life for Spain. Even though the English had not aroused themselves sufficiently to their sense of responsibility towards China in the Far East, in their won immediate neighbourhood they did not hesitate to sacrifice themselves to the cause of freedom. Such acts of heroism reminded me over again of the true English spirit to which in those early days I had given my full faith, and made me wonder how imperialist breed could bring about so ugly a transformation in the character of so great a race.

Such is the tragic tale of gradual loss of faith in the claims of the European nations to civi-

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD lization. In India the misfortune of being governed by a foreign race is daily brought home to us not only in the callous neglect of such minimum necessities of life as adequate provisions for food, clothing, educational and medicinal facilities for the people, but in an even unhappier form in the way the people have been divided among themselves. The pity of it is that the blame is laid at the door of our own society. So frightful a culmination of the history of our people would never have been possible, but for the encouragement it has received from secret influences emanating from high places.

One cannot believe that Indians are in any way inferior to the Japanese in intellectual capacity. The most effective difference between these two eastern peoples is that whereas India lies at the mercy of the British, Japan has been spared the shadow of alien domination. We know what we have been deprived of. That which was truly best in their civilisations, the upholding of the dignity of the human relationship, has no place in the British Administration of this country. If in its place they have an established, in baton in hand, a reign of ‘law and order’, in other words a policeman’s rule, such mockery of civilization can claim no respect from us. It is the mission of civilization to bring unity among people and establish peace and harmony. But in unfortunate India the social fabric is being rent into shreds by unseemly outburst of hooliganism daily growing in intensity, right under the very aegis of ‘law and order’. In India, so long as no personal injury is inflicted upon any member of the ruling race, this barbarism seems to be assured of perpetuity, making us ashamed to live under such an administration.

And yet my good fortune has often brought me into close contact with really large-hearted Englishmen. Without the slightest hesitation I may say the nobility of their character was without parallel – in country or community have I come across such greatness of soul. Such examples would not allow me to wholly lose faith in the race which produced them. I have the rare blessing of having Andrews – a real Englishmen, a real Christian and a true man – for a very close friend. Today in the perspective of death his unselfish and courageous magnanimity shines all the brighter. The whole of India remains indebted to him for innumerable acts of love and devotion. But personally speaking, I am especially beholden to him because he helped me to retain in my old age that feeling of respect for the English race with which in the past I was inspired byt eh litera-

ture and which I was about to lose completely.

I count such Englishmen as Andrews not only as my personal and intimate friends but as friends of the whole human race. To have known them has been a treasured privilege. It is my belief that such Englishmen will save British honour from shipwreck. At any rate if I had not known them, my despair at the prospect of Western civilization would be unrelieved.

In the meanwhile the demon of barbarity has given up all pretense and has emerged with unconcealed fangs, ready to tear up humanity in an orgy of devastation. From one end of the world to the other the poisonous fumes of hatred darken the atmosphere. The spirit of vilence which perhaps lay dormant in the psychology of the West at last roused itself and desecrates the spirit of Man. Today we witness the perils which attend on the insolence of mite; one day shall be borne out of full truth what the sages have proclaimed: ‘by unrighteousness man prospers, gains what appears desirable, conquers enemies, but perishes at the root.’

education affairs 31

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NCC benefits attract students WITH THE SPIRALING NUMBER OF FACILITIES AND PREFERENCE BEING AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS JOINING THE NATIONAL CADET CORPS (NCC), THERE HAS BEEN A BOOST IN THE NUMBER NCC CADETS Shaheryar Hossain According to last year’s estimation, the number of NCC cadets enrolled was 94, 175. However, 600 plus schools and 400 colleges offer NCC training to their students in West Bengal. Still there is a waiting list of 423 schools and colleges yet to get NCC affiliation.

“This year, the number of students joining as NCC cadets shot up by 3, 000,” said Captain Dr B B Singh, public relation officer of NCC Directorate West Bengal and Sikkim.

Singh mentioned that priority and preferences to the NCC cadets in government and private sector jobs instigated the students to join NCC. 32 education affairs

“Last year, out of the 1,000 vacancies in Home Guard Volunteers under Home Guard Organisation (Kolkata), 112 vacancies were filled up by NCC cadets. It is the NCC training that helped them to crack the Home Guard Volunteers interview process. Moreover, multinational companies also recruit NCC cadets,” Singh added.

According to Singh, preference is given to NCC cadets at the time of admission in medical colleges in South Indian states like Karnataka and Maharashtra.

“For aspiring students whose school do not conduct NCC training and want to join NCC, we enroll their name if we find the student fit to join as NCC Cadet”, explained Singh.

In order to get NCC affiliation, there are some terms and conditions which should be

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD

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fulfilled by School or College to get NCC affiliation. Firstly, the School need to provide Associate NCC officer (ANO) from among their teaching staff at the scale of one ANO for one coy of 160 cadets strength of Senior Wing (class XII and above) and one ANO for one troop of 100 cadets of Junior Division (Class VII to X). Secondly, the institution has to provide an undertaking that it can enroll and maintain cadet strength which may be allotted to it. Thirdly, there should be proper accommodation for stores of clothing, equipments, office and training. Fourthly, the institution has to arrange for suitable parade ground. Lastly, School or College must be in a position to supplement from its own fund the financial ground made by state government for the NCC units which may be allotted to it.

An NCC official at Patna, seeking anonymity, also pointed out that now more students are aspiring to obtain NCC certificates to avail various concessions while seeking jobs in different government departments/ private sector.

“There are 26 colleges and 83 schools in Patna. Off late more students are joining NCC in Patna,” added the official.

With an aim to develop character, comradeship and discipline of talented students, NCC selects their cadets from High Schools, Colleges and Universities across India. While the NCC offers Certificate ‘A’ at Junior Division/Wing NCC cadets who successfully complete the training, Certificate ‘B’ & ‘C’ at senior division/ wing NCC is awarded to successfully cadets.

The Training Syllabi of NCC cadets comprises of Military subjects (Map Reading, Field Engineering, Drill, Physical Training, Weapon Training, Firing, Tactics), Adventure Training (Mountaineering, Trekking, Rock Climbing, Rock Climbing, Para Sailing, Sailing Expedition, and Microlite Flying) and Sports (almost all types of Sports events form part of training).

“There are some basis on which the NCC Cadets are selected. These are – he/she has attained the age of 13 years and has not attained 18 years six months for junior division in School and for senior division under the age of 26 years,” said the official.

On one hand, candidates who are NCC ‘C’ certificate holders and have participated in Republic day Parade are exempted from Common Entrance Exam for recruitment into soldier clerk, Store Keeper Tech, Soldier Tech and Soldier Nursing Assistant. On the other

Rs 1 crore is also being disbursed as scholarships per annum to NCC cadets, instituted by the Sahara Group

hand, candidates having NCC ‘C’ certificate are exempted from written exam for Short Service Commission exam.

Moreover, the Cadets Welfare Society grants scholarship of Rs 5,000 to cadets who excel in their academics. This apart, an annual Sahara scholarship scheme of Rs 1 crore is also being disbursed as scholarships per annum to NCC cadets, instituted by the Sahara Group.

In an attempt to make the scholarship avail to the deserving cadets, the Sahara Group of Companies has formulated a scheme for granting annual scholarships to cadets as – Rs 5,000 each for 368 cadets in the Junior Division/ Wing, Rs 15,000 each for 368 cadets in the Senior Division/ Wing and Rs 40,000 each for 66 cadets pursuing higher studies. education affairs 33

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, global view CAREER, PLACEMENT, JO

Foreign school degrees finds quite a few takers FARAH KHATOON TALKS TO SCHOOLS TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE COURSES, AND THE ADVANTAGES THEY OFFER Globalisation has changed many things. One of them certainly is the way Indian education system was run. Schools following international boards are not new in India but they are changing the dynamics of a classroom Kolkata has a number of schools following either the International Baccalaureate or the Cambridge International syllabus. Some of the Kolkata schools are Calcutta International School, Pailan World School, Adamas International School, Bridge International School, South City International School and The Heritage School. These have been following international curriculum.

34 education affairs

Some follow both Indian and international boards while others offer only international boards. Effectively these schools are enhancing the learning process by eliminating the menace of the infamous phenomenon in the Indian education system – rote learning.

Talking about the curriculum, Ranjana Ray, principal of Bridge International School, says, “The syllabus is very scientifically designed and is practical based. Also, unlike Indian boards it is not based on the formula of rote learning. In fact, it is aimed at making the students understand the concept rather than making them learn a definition with all the propositions and conjunctions. In this mode of teaching, one has to understand the concept

B, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC rather than memorise it.”

Agreeing with Ray, John Bagul, principal, South City International School, who also follows the Cambridge University curriculum, says, “It is more application oriented, thus the thinking skills of the students, pursuing the said curriculum, are improved. The mode of study is not text book oriented, making it different from state or central boards.”

The curriculum is also student friendly and gives a lot of freedom to students. No subject has any one prescribed text book and that gives students liberty to refer to different books and view a particular subject from a different angle.

Thus, with their different approach, Cambridge International Examination (CIE) and IB are changing the outlook of a student at ‘OLevel’ — Class X and AS and A2 level — Class XI and XII. The system helps young minds to start research projects at an early age.

The demographic character of such schools is also a factor that needs mention. The international factor of such schools exudes from its classroom which exudes diversity among the students.

The interesting mix of students, from different culture in a single classroom, brings dynamism. Students from across the world – China, Taiwan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thialand and many more form not just a colourful bouquet but also open up a global window for Indian students sharing the same classroom.

The flexibility in the syllabus combined with the standard examination system, makes

it conducive for students to sit for their exams from any centre across the globe.

Also the international curriculum helps a student tremendously who want to go for higher studies abroad.

“The board helps in more than just realising the dream of studying abroad as it helps students to think laterally or out-of-the-box,” adds Bagul.

Everything good comes at a price. So does these international boards. They are much more expensive than any state or central board.

“It is costlier than the regular boards, thus the economic factor plays an important factor for the parents in choosing a board,” Bagul says. Explaining the cost benefit factor, Ray says, “The assessment system which requires the copies to be shipped to them along with other processes, is value for money. Moreover, admission in private schools don’t come cheap any more. Also Indians, with their higher incomes, can afford higher costs of education.”

These IB boards are recognised by many city colleges and universities such as Presidency University.

CIE and IB with their new dynamics is the need of the hour. However, given the fact that the Indian education system is continuously bringing about change in the curriculum and with practical-based learning becoming the hands-on tool for teachers in the Indian classrooms, one can foresee the same dimensions of international curriculum in the Indian classrooms.

education affairs 35

ON CINEMA HEALTHworld BEAUTYview CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEM

Destination UK simplified The Great Britain campaign launched by the British Council at ITC Sonar recently opened the gateway to studying in UK with an exhibition allowing aspiring students to directly speak to the Universities.

Representatives from 33 UK universities interacted with the students directly at ITC, clearing their doubts about the combination of

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“Unpleasant incidents happens everywhere. But we should not let that sporadic incident to cloud our vision for a particular country”

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subjects, cut-off marks, eligibility, procedure, expenses, scholarship, visa and other necessary details.

Some of the participating universities were University of Sussex, Sheffield Hallam University, University College London among others.

Though students from India mostly opt for Management and Engineering, some universities were seen promoting new disciplines, 36 education affairs

which they believe would interest Indian students.

Undergraduate and post graduate degrees in Development Studies was seen as the highlight of University of Sussex. The University (best known for its management studies, social sciences and engineering degrees) houses 150180 students from India ever year. It offers upto 50% scholarships.

University of South Wales, which offers more application and employability related courses, was seen promoting Aeronautical and Aircraft Maintenance, specialized courses on Logistics and Supply Change Management, Lean Management among others.

There are around 4,300 Indian students studying in UK. To encourage Indian students, Great Britain campaign announced around 370 scholarships worth almost 1 million pounds (approx. Rs. 100 million).

The biggest scholarship ever announced can be availed for 260 undergraduate and postgraduate courses in England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland.

Talking about the scholarship programme Sujata Sen, Director, East India, British Council said, “It is the biggest scholarship ever announced. UK is a favourable destination for students who want to study abroad.”

This major scholarship offer is definitely a boost in the face of the price rise. Commenting on the trend Sen said, “There is a slight decrease in the enrollment of Indian students in UK University due to the staggering state of the rupee but, it is a general impact.”

Pointing at the elements that would encourage students to study in UK, Sen said, “There are many factors which make UK an ideal destination for any Indian. First, UK is more costeffective. According to the OECD survey the return and investment factor in the UK is one of the best. Also culturally it is very easy for Indian students to adapt to the country. Moreover, the curriculum helps you with a critical bent of mind and lastly the international milieu of the classroom is also a factor.”

Sen, however, urged not to let reports of violent attacks on students in the UK, that makes headlines often, to blur the vision about UK, as it was very safe.

“Unpleasant incidents happens everywhere and we are safe nowhere. But we should not let that sporadic incident to cloud our vision for a particular country,” she said.

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Warm up to study in the US Farah Khatoon Yale or Princeton? Engineering, Maths or Science? SAT or ACT? These and similar questions were asked, addressed, answered and reanswered at the American Center in course of a programme titled ‘America – Destination for Education Abroad’.

A full guide to studying in US was laid out in different sessions. India sends a huge number of students to the USA, second only to China in terms of number of students studying in USA. However, there is a major difference in the student profiles of India and China. While China sends a large number of undergraduate students to enroll at US universities, Indian candidates usually go in for higher studies.

Again while US gets more students for Business studies globally, Indian are more interested in studying engineering (37 %) followed by science at 22% and Business at 14%.

Why? Experts say that is partially on account of the flexibility that US universities offer in choosing subjects and the opportunity of practical training in the corporate sector.

This attracts students to US universities apart from academic excellence.

Though studying abroad is a becoming expensive, scholarships for meritorious students are still available.

Choosing the right institute Select ten institutes depending upon your priority of subject and location. To search for colleges, log on to collegeeducation@edu.gov.

Check whether the institute is recognized.

Browsing their website properly should be a priority.

To check accreditation to US universities log on to www.chea.org/institutions/search.efm.

Choose wisely between a four year course in a college or university, or a 2-year course through a community college. Community colleges are less expensive.

Application process The application process is a tedious and time consuming one. The timeline to apply is 12-18 months.

Hence it is advisable to start applying for universities when you are in you plus two

level. Also most of the deadlines for applications starts by December so make sure things are planned accordingly so as to clear all the required tests.

Shortlist the preferred institute: From the selected 10 institutes shortlist some more. The application process is also expensive so spend your money wisely.

The next step that follows is sitting for test.

TOEFL and either SAT or ACT is compulsory.

Majority of Indians take ACT followed by SAT. ACT exams are held six times a year.

Candidates must take the test before applying for universities that’s is early November should be the ideal time. Passports are mandatory hence candidates have to make sure they have a passport ready before sitting for the test.

SAT scores are one of the judging factor must aim to do well in the chosen SAT exam – SAT reasoning or SAT subject. Though students can sit for SAT more than once, attempting it more than twice is discouraged.

Once test scores are out, students should be ready to apply for universities finally. Applications have to be based on the best score.

Essay writing forms an important part of the application. For it, students have to make sure that they are clear on the purpose of study.

Also a thorough research on the university is advised and is essential.

Students should refrain from talking about the financial constrain, as it might add negative credits to the profile. education affairs 37

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JO analysis

IT’s raining talent in Bengal WITH RICH ACADEMIC RECORD AND LOW ATTRITION RATES, THE BASIC FORCE OF IT INDUSTRY – HUMAN RESOURCE IS ALL SET TO PROPEL THE STATE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. THERE IS ALSO A NEED TO INTEGRATE ACADEMICS WITH INDUSTRY Ashok Chatterjee One of the success stories of Bengal today is its information technology (IT) industry which has seen tremendous growth over last few years. The state is planning big about this human resource-driven industry. There is enough potential in the industry to strike big in the state.

Most of the IT majors are now operating from Bengal. With Sector-V housing most of the companies, it is the most buzzing hub in Eastern India. The Bengal government is also taking a slew of measures to ensure that it contributes handsomely to the IT development in the state. According to a recent survey by Dataquest, there has been 19% jump in employment in the IT sector in West Bengal. Employment opportunities are likely to increase 38 education affairs

further with the completion of 13 IT hubs and three hardware parks, according to Industry minister, Partha Chatterjee. Quoting a survey

by Dataquest, the minister said the state witnessed a 19% increase in employment opportunity in the IT sector alone. Among the 13 IT hubs, which are supposed to come up in places like Asansol, Durgapur, Barjora, Kalyani, Rajarhat, Siliguri, Kharagpur, Malda, Haldia and Behala. The three hardware parks would come up at Naihati, Falta and at Sonarpur on 157 acres, said the minister. He also said the state's nodal agency WBIDC has distributed plots covering 188 acres among 10 investors for setting up plants for the purpose.

The state is planning to develop another IT hub with private partnership at Behala. At the same time, efforts are on to develop infrastructural facilities in tier II and III cities for the expansion of the sector outside the grater Kolkata area. Areas such as Durgapur, Asansol, Kharagpur, Kalyani, Siliguri are in the

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radar since these cities have well-developed rail, road, and air connectivity. As connectivity increases amongst citizens, it will significantly enhance availability of skilled manpower in the electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) sector. The idea is to become one of the top three states in India by turnover and employment, both in the IT, ITeS and ESDM sectors by 2020. Since Bengal was a late starter in its IT drive, it, according one of the estimates last year, contributes just about 2.6% of India’s software turnover. But according to latest reports the state government has set a target of increasing software exports to 25% from the present three per cent.

Another factor working in the favour of the state is surplus power, as the sector needs 24x7 power backup.

A major shot in the arm for the state has come in the form of central government’s plan to develop two clusters in the state. This may boost the state’s output in the IT industry many fold. Apart from the state’s efforts to take IT exports to the next level, there is a healthy pool of talent which is also propelling this industry in West Bengal. There are a host of premier educational institutes which have been the backbone for the resurgence of talent pool. And the sector has been fortunate to capitalise on the high-quality workforce.

Kushal Banerjee, academic relationship manager – India (East), TCS, an ME in computer science and engineering graduate from JU, believes that the quality of human resource in eastern India is very high. “The quality of

resource is very high. But the recent mushrooming of engineering colleges in the state is much less compared to other stares. On the other side it may also be said that the projects handled by the state is lesser compared to its counterparts,” says Banerjee. So, what does TCS look for in an aspirant? Banerjee explains, “What we are interested in an aspirant is outof-the-box thinking and design perspective (looking through a problem). The person must have innovative ideas. We also judge an aspirant by his attitude. We want people with positive and global mindset since we work in cross-cultures.” But he rues that the manufacturing sector has not progressed just as much as the servicing side in Bengal. “There is a huge potential in that sector too. What I see is that there is a serious void created in the midlevel IT companies in the state,” he adds.

Agrees, IT industry expert and former NASSCOM eastern region head Suparno Moitra. He says, “Another thing which is worth noticing is that are no middle tier organisations in Bengal. The companies which exist in Bengal are either in the top bracket or from the lower rung. This is bit alarming.”

IT offices in Bengal may be getting lesser number of projects compared to its counterparts in other states; they make it up with other factors like the skilled workers and lower real estate rates. West Bengal being the second most densely populated state, with pressure on its scarce land resource, the IT and ITeS industry provides the high employment potential per unit of land utilised. “Most of the education affairs 39

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JO Indian companies are majorly dependent on offshore development since India is a major offshore destination. Real estate plays a big role in this. In Kolkata, real estate prices are much less compared to say Mumbai, Delhi or Chennai. So, Kolkata is one of the favoured destinations for entrepreneurs as well as many multi-national companies,” says a senior consultant to an IT multi-national major, who does not want to be named.

Another aspect which works in the favour of the state is the low attrition rate of the workforce. Many industry insiders believe that works to their favour as employers. “At Bengal there is a tendency that boys want to stick to home state. But, on the contrary, many of the boys are also moving out without any homeland hang ups,” feels Banerjee. A senior consultant, who has worked in Kolkata before moving to Mumbai opines that many of the IT students are now opting for colleges outside the state as they are discouraged by the politics in campus.

But how much are the students ready to get back to academics after passing out of engi-

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Another aspect which works in the favour of the state is the low attrition rate of the workforce

neering colleges? After all, the colleges are the nurseries for churning out future graduates.

Prof Soumya Sen, assistant professor, AK Choudhury School of Information Technology, Calcutta University, believes there is a dearth of good teachers at the engineering colleges.

“The private IT colleges do not have focus on higher education. They are mostly looking at the commercial aspect of their courses. The environment is not so conducive for teachers too. And one of the major factors for the sub-standard faculty is the low salaries being offered to teachers at the colleges. As a result, better or good students are not motivated enough to come back to teaching,” says Prof Sen. Pointing to the other side of the coin, he adds, “Some of the serious students, who are inclined towards their doctorate find the lack of qualified professors to guide them.” Most students have the mindset of venturing into the industry rather than going back to teach40 education affairs

ing or taking up higher studies. For them, starting work means earning and gaining experience at the same time — a combo they can hardly refuse. Most of the industry veterans say privately though that mostly students who do not score very high and have little chance of securing a good job in the corporate sector opt for teaching now. But this scenario is not just specific to IT only.

Bhola Nath Karmakar, principal secretary, faculty of engineering and technology, JU, feels there is lack of interest amongst students to get into teaching. “There has been a decline in interest for IT, be it electronics or computer science but that has now stabilised almost. The student flow is good. The way IT sector has flourished in the last few years, core engineering subjects haven’t. That is one of the reasons why there has been an interest in this sector. At JU, there has been a total intake of 650 students (selected through GATE) at PG level out of the 37 courses. There were close to 20,000 applications. The inclination amongst applicants is IT courses. But, it is true that we are getting few good students who are getting into academics. Students, who do not get good jobs, usually come back to education.”

Karmakar though feels the pay scales have become much better now compared to earlier times, which has helped stop the brain drain amongst the professors at government institutions. “Money is not that bad now. But big difference still lies in the allowances what faculties get at state universities and central institutions. Given a choice, faculties prefer opting for central varsities,” he adds.

IT expert, Suparno Moitra, rues the lack of faculties at engineering colleges. “During global recession in 2007-2008, many students came back to pursue academics, completing their M Tech and PhD. We have a good crop of talent but how well we utilise this resource will determine our success rate. There can be an attitude problem but how we create the ecosystem depends on us. I certainly believe that academia and industry should go hand in hand. Students should do their internship right from the first year of their studies and not in the final semester. Otherwise it will be hard for the students to get jobs,” opines Moitra.

There is also the need to upgrade the courses and align the curriculum with the latest technological advancements which take place in the industry. And there are provisions too in the courses, so that students don’t lag behind.

Prof Sen believes integration of courses with the industry is very important. “I believe that without industry support, one cannot create a proper lab,” he says.

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Dutch University joins hands with Presidency University The University of Groningen and Presidency University have signed an agreement recently.

According to the agreement, students of Presidency University would be allowed to pursue 10-month internship at Netherlands.

Sources confirmed that three science students and one humanities student from the Presidency University have been shortlisted for internship.

Presidency University vice-chancellor Malabika Sarkar told reporters that as of now the number of intern stands at four but the university authority is planning to increase the number to six. This apart, the host university would bear the tuition fees, boarding and other miscellaneous expenses of the students.

She further added that research collaborations and humanities are on the anvil.

WB Primary TET again in 2014 Only 1.07 % of successful students who sat for the West Bengal Primary Teacher Eligibility Test (WBPTET) 2013 have passed the examination.

In response, the West Bengal Primary School Service Commission is all set for a retest for the students.

Out of the total 17, 51,000 candidates appeared for the WBPTET 2013 held in March 31, 2013, only 18, 793 candidates qualified.

According to sources, there are 34, 559 vacant posts of teachers in public and government aided primary schools from class I to V across West Bengal.

Only 18, 793 candidates have been selected through the WBPTET 2013. So, 15, 766 seats are still lying vacant.

State education minister Bratya Basu said that the WBPTET 2013 would be held again again on March 31, 2014. For candidates ap-

pearing in the WBPTET 2013 second time, no fees will be charged by the West Bengal Primary School Service Commission.

He added that counseling for the 18, 793 qualified students will start soon. In response to low pass percentage, Basu pointed out that while 1.07% candidates qualified WBPTET 2013, only 0.7% of the candidates qualified in similar examination conducted at the national level by the National Council of Teacher Education.

The first sign of protest came from the Left front leadership who alleged incorrect evaluation of the answer scripts, Basu replied that those students demanding scrutiny of their answer sheets are allowed to review by using the Right to Information (RTI) Act. education affairs 41

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JO Latest news report confirmed that Primary Board chairman Manik Bhattacharya informed that two panels would be set up. The first would be for trained examinees and the second would be untrained.

The face to face interview date of the successful candidates will be declared in a short while.

Student Union election to resume

mission will allow the aspiring college teacher post applicants, appearing in the forthcoming screening test, to suggest correct answers via mail.

According to reports, the correct answers will be decided on the basis of the feedback from students who appeared for the State Eligibility Test (SET) this year.

The suggestions could be uploaded on www. wbcsc. ac. in. Media reports confirmed that retired college or university teachers could also e-mail their suggestions.

Two day exam for medical and engineering entrance

Student union election in colleges and universities will resume soon. In a bid to eliminate the possibility of violence during student union elections in future, the state education department has made some changes in the election procedure.

According to news reports, state education minister Bratya Basu said that officials of the state education department are preparing a revised set of rules for conducting student union elections.

Basu further added that the new set of rules and norms would be published soon.

The main reason for modifying the rules is to prevent violence during the elections.

In February 2013, Basu declared that all college elections across the state would be postponed for six months due to security reasons. The decision was taken following the murder of policeman during filing of nomination papers of college elections.

The other reasons cited were the rural polls and clashing of university dates of board and university examinations.

Mail answers as suggestions In a bid to make marking more easy and transparent, the Bengal College Service Com42 education affairs

The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations (WBJEE) Board is all set to conduct over a period of two days.

Latest media report confirmed that WBJEE chairman Bhaskar Gupta said that last year the central government conducted only one medical entrance examination which was held all over India.

The WBJEE had the burden of conducting only the engineering exam. But in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling, the WBJEE would conduct both medical and engineering entrance exams.

However, WBJEE Board had decided to revise engineering entrance syllabus. In June 2013, WBJEE authorities planned decided to conduct next year’s engineering exam on April 20, 2013.

The Biology exam would be conducted on April 19, 2014. The remaining exams would be conducted on April 20.

B, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC options

St John’s offers PhD stipends St John’s College, a leading college of the University of Cambridge, have released details of this year’s prestigious ‘Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships’, the programme first launched at the prime minister’s residence in Delhi in 2007. The scholarship programme has been set up exclusively for Indian students who are currently based in India for PhD and MPhil degrees at St John’s College in areas such as science and technology, economics and social sciences.

St John’s College, where Dr Singh studied for a First class in economics in the late 1950s, is seeking to award a £35,000 scholarship to each PhD student for up to three years, with up to three scholarships already planned for the year 2014-15. The scholarship would be based on merit through a special test, in order to ensure maximum effectiveness. Large

Write to glory

Ever felt like telling the world about the largest Indian museum with it’s majestic walls holding on to time? Here is a chance for you to tell the world about a museum and get a chance to feature it in a book.

British Council in association with Sampad Birmingham and Museums Association UK have launched an international writing com-

organisations like BP Foundation and others have agreed to sponsor this scholarship. RollsRoyce India and Tata and Sons have sponsored this scholarship in the past.

This scholarship programme is administered by the British Council which has a proven track record in managing prestigious scholarships like the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, Jubilee Scholarships and others. A selection committee, comprising an appropriate nominee from each sponsor and a panel of academics and others selected by the college will be set up in India to make recommendations to the college regarding the profile of applicants. Applications opened on October 7, this year. The closing date for the Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships is 15 January 2014.

For full details on the Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships 2014-15 and how to apply please visit: www.britishcouncil.in/study-uk/scholarships/dr-manmohan-singh-scholarships

petition Inspired by My Museum. The experience can be written in any form and about anything on the museum. In your own distinctive style, whether in a poetry or a story format you can write about the space, architecture, design, an object or objects (barring collections) in the museum or even the museum/exhibition curator who has inspired you.

All you need to do is write a 400 word piece with an accompanying visual and submit is online latest by 10 February 2014.

The competition is open for ages 16 and above. Shortlisted entries will make it to a book that will be launched in India and UK in May 2014. The competition was recently launched at the Museums Association Conference in Liverpool.

For more details, visit http://www.sampad.org.uk/learning/opportunities/competitions/ or contact Samarjit Guha at Samarjit.guha@britishcouncil.org

education affairs 43

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JO analysis

Finance careers attract despite risk profile SOME OF THE BEST MINDS ARE CHOOSING FINANCE AS A CAREER FOR THE EXCITEMENT, AND RETURNS With the start of the last decade of 19th century, India adopted free market policy with a view to liberalize its economy and since then there has been no looking back.

Equipped with the world’s biggest pool of workforce and as the youngest nation (median age in the country is around 26.2 years, lower than many countries), India is set to become the 3rd largest economy of the world surpassing Japan in terms of GDP measured according to the domestic purchasing power of the rupee, also called Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).

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India is witnessing intense activities from FIIs Career Prospects

Today’s world of finance is very dynamic and demands equally dynamic and vibrant work-force, which can pace-up with the progressive environment of financial services. The growing complexity and innovation of the products along with growing use of debt products require understanding of practical implications of using these products in addition to conceptual framework.

Entry of foreign players and rising competition among existing players has created demand of high-end professionals with specific expertise having global market outlook in their approach. Recognizing this requirement even market regulator SEBI has come up with 44 education affairs

the establishment of National Institute of Securities Market (NISM), a dedicated apex institute for the education in securities market in India.

With the gradually rising awareness among investors and players in the market about availability and use of advance products has indicated the manifold potential of Indian market, which is evident by growing use of options in comparison to futures in the derivatives market. For the learners and explorers, financial services are giving innumerable opportunities by use of various hybrid products; those are catering the need of different people with varying risk appetite.

On account of the positive investment environment and high growth potential, India is witnessing intense activities from FIIs, as convinced about India’s economic progress they are increasingly looking forward for investment options in India. The table in this article shows data of FII investment since liberalization of Indian economy.

FII Investment Details Not only FIIs but household sector savings in India also improved year-on-year and large portion of the savings was invested into financial assets rather than physical assets.

Where after global credit crunch, savings in physical assets was 13.09% of GDP in the year 2008-09 as compared to financial assets savings, which was 10.75% of GDP. In the very much next year 2009-10, financial assets savings stood at 11.78% of the GDP compared to physical assets savings of 11.67% of GDP. Major portion of these investment and savings were infused into the financial markets in India. Broader and deeper financial markets have been crucial for mobilizing and intermediating higher savings efficiently to finance higher investment and growth.

Some key professional profiles in financial domain

B, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC Facts and figures F.Y.

Equity

1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 5,267.00 1998-99 -717.20 1999-00 9,669.50 2000-01 10,206.70 2001-02 8,072.20 (till Oct 31st)

Debt

Total

F.Y.

Equity

Debt

Total ( Rs crores)

691.10 -867 452.60 -273.30 690.40

13.40 5,126.50 4,796.30 6,942.00 8,574.50 5,957.20 -1,584.00 10,122.10 9,933.40 8,762.60

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

2,527.20 39,959.70 44,122.70 48,800.50 25,235.70 53,403.80 -47,706.20 1,10,220.60 1,10,120.80 3,886.70

162.10 5,805.00 1,758.60 -7,333.80 5,604.70 12,775.30 1,895.20 32,437.70 36,317.30 7,880.20

2,689.30 45,764.70 45,881.30 41,466.70 30,840.40 66,179.10 -45,811.00 1,42,658.30 1,46,438.10 11,766.90

The key to witness the saga of growing India has not merely remained with the ring-side seat now; on the contrary, it has stretched to directly experience the role and being catalyst to the growth process.

An overview of financial services Trade and investment flows in financial services have been growing rapidly with the emergence of new and growing markets in developing and transition economies, with modernization, rapid technological change, use of new financial instruments, and financial and trade liberalization. The financial services sector is also quite large and complex and covers a wide range of activities and instruments, including corporate banking, derivatives, factoring, foreign exchange trading, pensions and investment fund management, advisory and consultancy services, insurance broking and underwriting, project finance, securities trading, venture capital, and wholesale and retail banking services.

Given the range of instruments and activities that fall under the purview of the financial services sector, there are also a large number of players involved in financial services activities. These include public and private sector banks, mutual funds, asset management companies, hedge funds, securities dealers and underwriters, Forex dealers, pension funds, brokering agencies, insurance firms and intermediaries, and many other financial and non financial entities.

With increased globalization of economic activities, the need for internationalized intermediation and risk management services has grown, creating significant opportunities for expansion of trade and investment flows in financial services. A wide range of high-end ac-

tivities are involved in such flows, including depository, advisory, underwriting, trading, asset management, and transfer and payment services, wholesale and retail commercial banking, investment banking, wealth management, insurance services, operational services, and financial information and data processing services.

Diversity of players and activities Another major development in the global financial services sector is the emergence of new players and the increased diversity of players and activities in the financial markets. While earlier most financial intermediation was done through banks in the 1970s and 1980s and insurance companies and investment vehicles had well defined roles, today, many different kinds of institutions have emerged as financial intermediaries. These also include non-financial firms that are involved in both wholesale and retail markets, which are playing a growing role in international markets.

This increased diversity is also reflected in financial innovation and the emergence of new financial instruments, including hybrid products such as annuities and derivatives. While reduced market segmentation is in part responsible for such financial innovations, advances in the processing of information and independent pricing of risk factors, which were previously bundled together have also fuelled the emergence of new financial instruments, particularly with reference to hedging and risk management.

(Gaurav Pal is CEO of Intelivisto India Consulting Pvt Ltd. The views expressed are entirely his own and this publication does not necessarily agree with them)

education affairs 45

TEACHING, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, CAREER, PLACEMENT, JO

Automation Technology as Classroom Enabler WITH THE RISE OF TECHNOLOGY, PEOPLE WONDER HOW FAR IT CAN HELP EDUCATION. PARENTS ARE UPBEAT ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT As the rates of technology adoption rise in the Indian education sector, we are posed with the question to what extent technology is helping the education process and at which point does it begin to be a burden.

“For any new technology there is always controversy and there always some fear associated with it. I think that's just the price of being first sometimes.”

— Hugh Grant

(

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Much of the skepticism for automation comes from fear of the unknown

Much of the skepticism around automation comes from the fear of the unknown — in this case — not understanding the technology completely. If we delve in deep and look at automation objectively, it is not difficult to understand that the skepticism is just that – skepticism.

Applane Education, a leading Cloud ERP for education is an example of delivering perfect automation through integrated modules that cover every activity that takes place in the school. Apart from imparting education there are numerous activities that an educational institute has to manage. A bottleneck at one place can affect the core function of imparting quality education. Applane Education takes care of these bottlenecks and streamlines the processes involved.

Addressing the needs of each of the stakeholders is the key to better management of the education sector. For the school management, 46 education affairs

Applane provides high data visibility and tight control through auto-generated notifications, reports, reminders and alerts that can be customised.

For the parents, Applane opens a direct communication channel with the school and teachers. This helps them monitor their wards progress, attendance, health, transport arrangements, etc. Through online fee payment option, the parents can deposit fees from the comfort of their homes. Parents can access all their wards information from their Android phones through a brand new Applane Android App. Applane enables online homework submission and assignment download for the students. Through a dedicated portal the students can access all relevant information that the school authorities put out. They can access the syllabus, course plan, timetable, etc. from anywhere at any hour of the day. Teachers also benefit a great deal from intelligent timetable generation and substitution, ready access to student information repository and automatic report card generation. They can log in for correcting student assignments from anywhere , making the need to stay longer hours obsolete.

The worries about data security and solution stability are taken care of as Applane Education is hosted on Google Cloud. Moreover, Applane enjoys the backing of a one of the very few Indian Google Cloud Service Partners – Daffodil Software. Being a Cloud ERP, Applane can help schools automate their way to superstardom at a fraction of the cost of traditional automation solutions.

“Magic and new technologies have always walked hand in hand - even back in the days of Robert Houdini.”

– David Copperfield Though David Copperfield did not see Applane in action, his analogy fits right for Applane – It’s like magic and the skepticism is perfectly understandable.

By Yogesh Agarwal, President, Applane

events B, BOOKS, GADGETS, GROOMING, SPORTS, FINE ARTS, MUSIC

Awarding model schools

Commemorating Maulana Abdul Kalam’s birthday along with National Education Day, Government of West Bengal felicitated some schools in West Bengal for their effort to promote education in it’s true sense.

Education is not just about academic brilliance but also about the basic knowledge of self-development. And this message was conveyed by many schools who had gathered at Town Hall to get recognised for their effort.

The school education department that has adopted the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WinS) as a tool for RTE compliance, awarded schools with Sishumitra Vidyalaya Puruskar (Child Friendly School award) and Jamini Roy Puruskar for outstanding contributions towards achieving child friendly norms and standard.

Schools receiving the Jamini Roy award were Burdwan Municipal Girls High School, Muraligange High School and Kamarpada High School, each taking away 50 thousand as prize money.

Taking about the award, Education Minister Bratya Basu said, “I am happy that we have started with this award and very soon we would be starting it in every district. A visually beautifully school will be a model school to follow.” Basu also made certain announcement on the auspicious occasion. He said, “We are thinking of making an inclusive school giving importance to vocational training as education in India is related to employment. I

am confident we will be able to achieve it. We have received 97% success in the midday meal scheme and the applicants are increasing. The lacuna of teachers is being addressed and schools are being upgraded. We need to take school education to a different level in the next two and a half years.” It was also announced that from next year onwards three primary schools will be getting the Jamini Roy award.

Present at the occasion was Asadur Rehman, Chief Unicef, West Bengal who stressed on the need to have proper sanitation in schools. “A school is not complete with just good education. Rather proper sanitation, hygiene and a visually beautiful school makes for a model school. And we all should strive learn from the schools who have made an attempt toward this direction,” said Rehman.

education affairs 47

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A step forward with Children’s Day For children of Dhrubashram it was a very special day.

Apart from being a day which celebrates the innocence of childhood on November 14, it was day a when they finally took their maiden step out of their closet to shake a leg with other children.

As part of the Children’s day celebration the Department of Woman and Child Development, Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal took the initiative to bring children-in-conflict residing at Dhrubashram, Ariadaha and others at American Centre to celebrate Children’s in a special way.

An array of dance performances by Kolkata

48 education affairs

Sanved and it’s eight partner organisations – Child In Need Institute, New Light, Dhrubashram, All Bengal Women’s Union, Mukti Rehabilitation Centre, Humari Muskaan, Organisation for Friends, Energies and Resources and Apne Aap Women’s Worldwide, made an attempt to infuse self confidence in children.

“It’s just a beginning and there will not be any looking back. It is significant for such children who at last got an opportunity to come out of their shell. And I am thankful to the entire team who made this possible,” said Bipasha Roy, member Juvenile Justice Board.

Commenting on the opportunity Atanu Sil, Superintendent of Dhrubashram said, “It’s a big moral boost for these children who never got the opportunity to step out of their designated space and meet just a handful of visitor.

Today is a significant day for them and us as well as we have initiated a change that will give these kids their right.”

Commenting on the event US Consel General, Kolkata Helen LaFave said, “It shows the different level of ability, creative instincts and the pool of talents that these kids have.

And today is a very special to celebrate it.”

The celebration also saw the a small film titled, ‘Icche Dana’ (Wings of Desire) which underscored the desire for these to learn and make a netter living for themselves.

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD

The popular notion about the subject History is that it is a calendar full of dates or Traxoline as a student had exasperatedly termed it when she was bombarded with a list of words to mug-up before her next history class. To change this notion Professor Samuel Wineburg, professor of history at Standford University conducted an intriguing session with history teachers of different schools from the city at the American Center.

Adding a little drama to the session Wineburg conducted a live experiment on his audience urging them to infusing critical thinking in students. Wineburg emphasised on challenging the authenticity of facts placed before them to learn in a critical way. ”All it requires is planting a seed and getting the students to ask questions like why do they think it is true.

They need to read like a historian,” said Wineburg who inmformed that he accidently became a history teacher. It was Wineburg’s inquisitiveness to delve deep into what goes on between the ears of students, to find out about the variations in their progress, that made him study psychology of learning.

Wineburg underscored the importance of altering the way of teaching History thereby gifting students a new way of seeing and interpreting the world around them. This approach Wineburg believes will break the popular game in the school – passively nodding to the teacher’s lecture in class.

Many agreed with Wineburg’s approach.

Sutapa Roy of Modern High School was highly impressed with the technique. She said, “This approach will certainly help students to

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Teachers are responsible to discipline young minds and it them who need to draw the limit

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Adapting a critical bent of mind

analyse facts. It is surely difficult to implement because of constraint of time but this approach is essential. And if we can get some help from any organisation which has already done something towards this direction then it would be an excellent teaching tool in the classroom.”

But there were others who disagreed. Aditi Chatterjee, teacher at La Martineire for Boys doubted the execution of such approach in the Indian education system. “It is illogical to give the power to judge something to naïve minds. It will lead to negating the base. Moreover, the indian system of education which is a slave to syllabus and time does not give the scope for it,” said Chatterjee However, Wineburg acknowledges that excess of contradiction will lead to anarchy but points out at the enhanced role of teachers in this regard. “Teachers are responsible to discipline young minds and it is them who need to draw the limit. The basic aim is to help the students look at things from a different perspective,” said Wineburg.

The session was a part of three-day long International Education Week celebrated by American Center.

education affairs 49

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Astronauts inspire young minds A special guest at Delhi Public School Ruby Park, took Siddharth Roy, Debbani Patra and many of their classmates and friends to a visual treat of his astronomical adventures.

William Anthony Oefelein, a former military test pilot instructor, naval officer and NASA astronaut who piloted the Discovery STS-116 Space Shuttle Mission in 2006 which flew Sunita Williams, enchanted the young audience with his tales that fascinated one and all.

A group of students from the school had already made a trip to NASA a few months ago and this interaction with Oefelein and his comrades opened up an opportunity to know about the world of mysticism for many others. Siddharth Roy a student of class IX, who was eager to hear the tales from the special guest gushed, “I am totally smitten by Astrophysics and Cosmetology and knowing about things that you I have so inquisitive about is always exciting. I am looking forward to work at NASA in future.” Debbani Patra was equally 50 education affairs

excited. “Knowledge is endless. And a life experience can give me a lot of knowledge about the subject which is so mystical,” said the class VII student whose favourite subject is Chemistry.

Oefelein interacted with the young audience who had their questions ready. A candid interaction followed a short video clip which gave a glimpse of their adventure in space. While some students asked about the thrill factor others enquired about his experience in building the space shuttle. “My biggest emotion was the sense of joy. We had an international crew onboard which made the journey fun. Going to space with friends is an incredible experience and that was my overriding experience,” said Oefelein who enjoyed mathematics and science in school and studied as an electrical engineer later. Oefelien and his accomplice Khalid Alkabas and Jose Otario underscored the importance of school education, as it forms the basis of any individual. They also emphasised on the advantages of having many feathers on your cap for being an astronaut.

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD

British Council School awards scores perfect 10

British Council brought together over 200 schools across India to Kolkata to give awards under the British Council's Connecting Classrooms programme, a global education programme now running in 57 countries, including India.

In India, as of this year there are 1,000 schools on the programme. The British Council School Awards was held at a city hotel recently. The ceremony, which was attended by teachers, head teachers, educationists and members of the school community saw awards being given away in three categories – International School Award, School Enterprise Challenge and Global Teacher Accreditation. The British Council School Awards is the culmination of outstanding work put in by schools through their participation in Connecting Classrooms projects and activities for preparing young people as competent future global citizens.

The evening started with an address by Rob Lynes, director, British Council India and singing ‘I’ve a dream’ by students of Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy. Kolkata schools such as Birla High School, South City International School, Sushila Birla Girls' School, Heritage School, St Thomas Day School and Adamas International School performed in between the awards distribution. Rob Lynes was proud that the ceremony was celebrating its 10 year. This year also 13 Kolkata schools got the award. education affairs 51

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Creating global citizen in schools

Connecting Classrooms is a British Council and UKaid co-funded programme for schools. The main purpose of the programme is to provide schools with support to nurture global citizenship giving them skills, knowledge, values and aptitude to succeed in global economy.

For a discussion on leading and embedding an international dimension in education, participants from 9 countries, including India, Afghanistan, Taiwan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Palestine territories took part. They discussed how they are currently preparing their students for a place in the global economy and how they might embed the international dimension offered in their schools. The emphasis for the dialogue was also on raising the quality of education in schools so as to increase employability prospects for young people.

After the welcome addresses by Sujata Sen, director British Council, East India, there was an address by Arnab Roy, secretary, school education department, government of West Bengal. He spoke about preparing young minds for the 21st Century: the West Bengal view. Lesley Atkins, international education officer for Glasgow, UK spoke on international dimension in education. After this, delegates broke into small groups for a session where they deliberated on the youngsters who will be beneficiaries of such initiatives and created a tweet of 144 characters.

Breaking into three broad categories – skills, knowledge and behavioral attributes, the 52 education affairs

tweet from Group 1 was made into: An internationally aware global citizen will be good communicator, It enables, compassionate, an innovative problem solver, inclusive in approaches to share connect and act sustainably. Likewise, the other three groups formulated their own tweets. While the tweet sessions were interactive and informative, Rittika C Parruck, assistant director schools, British Council India spoke on the British Council’s experience with International School Awards in India. Priyankar Upadhyaya, UNESCO Chair, Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University spoke about Vasudhav Kutumbhkam and Gandhiji’s Jai Jagat (a borderless world). The UN initiative of education for global citizenship is a work in progress.

Raman Singh, deputy advisor (education), Planning Commission, spoke about global educational scenario and the wide ranging reforms in various other countries. On the following day, over 500 teachers and educators gathered to participate in a conference on Supporting Action Research and Reflective Practice in the Classroom. The conference was to create awareness among school leaders about the challenges schools are likely to encounter as we approach the second quarter of this millennium, and to put forward the idea that reflective practice and action research by skilled teachers is the way forward in keeping schools relevant in a changing world. It showcased some action research projects carried out in the schools involved in Connecting Classrooms and the impact they have had on the quality of teaching and learning.

The conference began with a keynote address on ‘Does Research Really influence and Inform Practice in Schools’ by Peter Hall Jones, Leadership Consultant, British Council.

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD

MCKV students at NASA Discarding text book oriented teaching method and offering a chance to learn practically about technology, the MC Kejriwal Vidyapeeth (MCKV) organised an educational trip to NASA Kennedy Centre in Florida, USA for its students.

“NASA education excursion was like feeding many birds with one spoon. During the NASA trip not only the students gained hands- on experience on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

It also enhanced their others skills like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, etc,” said Neelkantha Gupta, principal of MCKV. Funded by the parents, the NASA Kennedy Centre trip commenced on September 21, 2103 and ended on October 2, 2013. At the NASA Kennedy Centre, the 22 student were cateThe 65th National Cadets Corps (NCC) Day was observed at the SaltLake Stadium on November 17, 2013. The celebration commenced with NCC parade performed by the NCC cadets. Major General Shyam Shrivastav, State Planning Minister Rachhpal Singh and State Civil Defence Minister Javed Khan took salute on the occasion.

“I am proud that NCC cadets are very active during natural calamities, festivals and emergencies. They even assist administration when needed,” said Khan.

Nearly 10,000 NCC cadets from across the state participated. While NCC cadets performed scintillating Chaou Dance, Stilt Dance and Taekwondo, the centre of attraction was aero model display.

gorised into five teams named alpha, bravo, charlie, delta and echo. Each team comprised of four students from classes VII to XII. These teams were given tasks and were judged based on their performance.

“We were given the task of programming, assembling, managing calculating and taking care of logistics. The necessary robotics kits were supplied to us with relevant instruction booklets. With a nominal level of demonstration from the NASA instructor, Jim Christensen and his assistant Magen, the students made robots as a part of the workshop,” said Kishalay Mondal, class XII student of MCKV and participant of the workshop.

The three-day intensive workshop on Robotics provided a firsthand experience of space technology, micro gravity, rocket designing and launching; and learning about the various other aspects of NASA’s space programme.

65th NCC Day

education affairs 53

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Budding Writers Only if American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift could know that she was the reason behind the School of the year award that Simon Wong won.

Also little did Wong, a student of St Stephens Bowbazar, realise that his essay on his favourite singer would make him the star of his class, who all participated in the Young Writer’s Workshop. The workshop that aimed at stimulating creative writing skills among students and to gift them the power of imagination ended with a prize distribution ceremony.

“It is a medium to boost their level of confidence and also their creativity. The workshop is now in it’s third year and we aim to continue our journey ,” said Saco Stephen of the Young Writer’s Workshop.

Md Shoaib and Md Fardeen emerged as the 1st and the 2nd runners up respectively. Present at the event was Malini Bhagat, former principal of Mahadevi Birla HS School, Rahul Sequira, teacher at St Xaviers among others.

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MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD hangout

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The Corner Courtyard Cuisine: Continental and fusion Cost for two: Rs 1500 Address: 92 B Sarat Bose Road, Kolkata 31 Landmark: Last labe before Sarat Bose Road- Hazra Road crossing when travelling south, opposite the petrol pump

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ON CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEM book reviews

Thinking, fast and slow Pradeep Gooptu

and downs of marriages and relationships, the satisfaction levels within spousal relationships Daniel Kahneman won the or how and why divorces happen.

We as human beings hail great minds who Nobel Prize in economics in are great decision makers and communicators, 2002 for research findings developed jointly with Amos for they get things done, win the approval of Tversky on decision making all around them in their mission and stand out in human history. Yet decision making is and uncertainty.

It may therefore surprise the reader to know uncertain and a result of conflicts and battles between “two fictitious characters, two species that Kanheman is trained and two selves”, as the in psychology. His ability book explains. to map the thinking, reaCharacter 1 thinks fast; soning and decision character 2 thinks slow, making process of the controls actions within human mind must have limited resources and greatly influenced the monitors character 1. questions they asked and Species 1 lives in the land the interpretation of the of theory and are called research findings. “econs; species 2 lives in We have as a result a reality (that’s us, humans). very readable book that Self 1 is the ‘experience’ begins with a very canself and lives in the world; did discussion on the self 2 is the ‘remembering’ way and processes in self, which keeps scores which Kahneman and and makes choices.

Tversky interacted with This books takes us each other and the meththrough this journey, aided ods they developed to by the two characters, the come to their conclutwo species and the two sions. selves.

The book’s introducMy recommendation is tion patiently explains to read this book to the way it is structured imbibe, absorb and appreBy Daniel Kahneman including the chapter ciate the work of the one Published by plans and contents. of the most important Allen Lane, an imprint of While this may induce psychologists in human Penguin Books some readers to skip history who will help you UK pound 14.99 parts and only refer to uncover remarkable those sections that apfeatures in your own mind. pear to be of greater inIt will help readers understand how and why terest, the book is readable in its entirety.

Not surprisingly, this is a much acclaimed we make the choice we do make in life and volume. It has been compared to the seminal shape our experience in this world.

All around us are people who are fast, works of men like Adam Smith and Freud for intuitive and emotional, with extraordinary the way it seeks to explain some of the capabilities but also flaws and biases. And processes of social thought.

As expected, it is based on findings and ref- then are those who are more deliberative and erences that would appeal and be familiar to logical, albeit slower. Our thoughts, behaviour a western audience and readership. I can and actions are deeply influenced by intuitive hardly imagine an Indian scholar in social impressions, as this book so convincingly thought, or economics, to devote a very conveys. Do read it if you have not done so entertaining section to understanding the ups already.

56 education affairs

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD

The First Muslim: The story of Muhammad Pradeep Gooptu Prophet Muhammad's life was one of immense historical importance and iconic power.

This intensely dramatic story is beautifully narrated by Lesley Hazleton. Hazleton brings the Prophet to life through early eyewitness stories set against the history, politics, religion and psychology of that time, and follows His rise from insignificance to lasting significance.

As a merchant challenging the established order with a new vision of social justice, first hounded out of Mecca and exiled and then victorious, the Prophet’s life is inspiring and thrilling. He navigated between idealism and pragmatism, faith and politics, nonviolence and violence, rejection and acclaim. Beautifully written, it covers the vast arena in which politics and religion intersect and captures the deep humanity of faith.

Clearly aimed first at the American reader, it has much information about the culture of the times in Arabia and its locations, in a humane narrative of the human experience the Prophet went through. It is fit for a non-academic audience as it contextualizes the realities of that time with a psychologist’s insight and a historian’s detailing.

The challenge behind writing a book of this type is the undeniable fact that events and developments that is over 1400 years old will always have many versions and many possible interpretations. The book tackles this challenge through a writing style that has both empathy and imagination.

Hazleton never loses her scholarly touch for the narrative is hugely informative and yet has all the necessary drama and action in great detail. We are reminded that Muhammad was as much a politician and warrior as a preacher.

Hazleton captures Muhammad's military decisions, such as his expulsion of certain Jewish tribes and execution of certain leaders in Medina but even then, she realistically analyses the significance of the actions in the context of circumstances and the need to achieve certain long-term goals.

My only criticism of the book is Hazleton’s habit of applying 21st century logic. This

pseudo-psychological analysis of history can make it difficult to know when she is recording evidence from historical sources, or giving her opinion of the source, or presenting her creative take on events.

Significance First, this book is a right introduction for those seeking a proper understanding of Islam's message and its messenger in a levelheaded style that respectfully humanizes the Prophet of Islam.

Hazleton portrays a complex soul whose personal trials and triumphs changed the course of history, at a time when the subject is either the subject of pious veneration or political vitriol in today’s world.

Secondly, ‘The First Muslim’ is a great lesson on how to write a biography. It displays rigorous scholarship and research and at the same time demystifies an iconic figure who was behind the birth of Islam. Believers may differ with some

By Lesley Hazleton of the details but will Published by be hard pressed to Atlantic Books condemn the honesty Rs.599 and the sympathy behind it.

Hazleton’s style is likely to see many imitators in the years to come but that would, if anything, improve our understanding of iconic individuals in human history.

The bibliography is admirable. Aspiring and budding authors would do well to go through the book with a fine comb to learn and absorb the techniques that they need to master to write a proper biography.

For the record, Hazleton, now a resident of Seattle, USA, reported on west Asia from Jerusalem for Time, The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, and Harper’s, among other publications. education affairs 57

ON CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEM

Local Monsters Farah Khatoon

story is set in Delhi in a sitcom life where the four extraordinary youths come to make their career but they discover that they have Samit Basu’s latest graphic been deliberately assembled by a scientist novel Local Monsters is an who is also their landlord. The story then action packed story of four later unfolds into another mystery where youth who have extraordievents unfold to reveal that the mad scientist nary powers. This fifty someis hand in glove with the opposing team. thing pager novel is surely a The story starts on a very interesting note, page turner unfolding a new taking a dig on Delhi’s unsafe environment story with each passing chapter. The vivid art for women, and also introducing Latha who work by Ghanshyam Bochgeri, greatly helps screeches at two molesters to make the narrative – Munna Molester and more exciting.

Pappu Pincher, who grope The plot is almost like a at her when she arrives in Hollywood film where the city. people with extraordinary The teaser is the first powers come together at attempt to make yourself one point to face up to the comfortable in your challnges posed by a mad couch. The following scientist. And of course chapters that introduce there is an enemy camp as the others are gripping as well. they unfold a new story in So there is Latha, a every section. 'southern' siren, whose Basu’s overactive imagvoice can blow your ears ination is clearly evident if she yells at the top of with his novel which will her voice. Then there is a take fantasy lover into his vampire called Bela and world and love it too. His not Bella, from the narrative style has a small famous Twilight series. dose of required humour Thankfully there is no to help the work retain the Edward here. Tashi is a attention of his readers. yeti and Indra, from North

By Samit Basu Ghanshyam Bochgeri East, is a happy-go-lucky Graphics: Ghanshyam Bochgeri also deserves credit for guy who is the only Published by complimenting Basu’s 'normal' character Westland Ltd narrative with his graphamongst the others, Rs.495 ics that gives life to all the confused about his characters. Without making the page look powers. cluttered, Bochgeri efficiently gives visual The scientist labels them his monsters and 'voice' to Basu’s narratives not heroes, and so they are his M-Men. The

58 education affairs

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW brain teaser FOOD

Put on your is the world’s first 1Which map? is the Danakil 2Where depression? is the only snake 3Which that builds a nest? is the Indian Vulture 4Where captive breeding centres located?

thinking cap is ‘PASS’ on a fire 10What extinguisher? high is Mt Leibnitz 11How on the moon? is the scale for 12What hardness called? are Immiscible 13What liquids?

When did we Indians 14had come to know that we an emperor called

is the ‘solar 5What challenge’?

Emperor Asoka?

What is the soil of the Indus 6& Ganga plains made up of? 15What is the oldest epic written by human many Asian nations beings?

7How were in the former country is the date of the called USSR? 16What 1st encyclopedia? the nose in a whale a critical 8What’s or dolphin called?

17 Name computer device that’s no longer used. dont we swallow our 9Why tongue? is the first record 18Which of a tsunami?

Answers on page 61

education affairs 59

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Micromax Canvas Magnus A117 Features: Comes with 12megapixel rear camera with LED flash and 2megapixel front facing camera. While the connectivity options include dual-SIM card slots, WiFi and GPS/AGPS, other specification comprises of 1GB RAM, 4GB inbuilt storage and expandable up to 32GB via micro SD card.

Features: The new PIXMA could be linked application for direct printing of Facebook albums and online contents such as JPG and PNG. Wi-Fi Access Point Mode for wireless printing from mobile devices without router.

The Nokia Lumia 2520 Features: The first tablet from Nokia, which comes with a 10.1-inch 1080p ClearBlack display, Snapdragon 800 SoC, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (plus microSD card slot), a 6.7MP camera with Carl Zeiss glass, and an 8000mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro Features: Comes with 5 megapixel rear camera and secondary front facing camera is 0.3 megapixel camera. The primary camera is capable of video recording at 720*480 at 30 frames per second. Auto-focus, geotagging, touch focus and face detection are some unique features of the device.

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Apple iPhone 5s Features: Launched on Diwali, this year has a screen size of 4inches and resolution of 640x1136 pixels. The phone comes with a 16 GB internal storage capacity and supports WiFi A, WiFi B, WiFi G and WiFi N and uses the operating system of iOS 7.

Answers 1. A Mesopotamian clay tablet etched and baked around 2000BC 2. In Ethiopia, avg temp. 3435C 3. King cobra 4. Rajabhatkhawa in WB & Pinjore in Haryana 5. It’s a road race using solar power only across Australia 6. Rock grains eroded from the Himalayas & Karakorum mountains 7. Nine 8. Its called a blowhole 9. Because of Frenulum, a tissue that binds it to the floor of the mouth 10. Pull pin; Aim low;Squeeze/shake lever; Sweep sideways—steps to fight a fire 11. At 29,000 plus ft, as high as everest 12. Friedrich Mohs (1882) scale – diamond is 10, softest is talc(1) 13. Liquids that cannot mix with another 14. In 1915, from scrolls recovered in Sri Lanka, confirmed by scrolls found in China & Asia 15. The Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia (Iran-Iraq region) 16. In 1751-1772; it was published in Europe and had 17 text plus 11 picture volumes, with 4000 sold 17. A Vacuum tube 18. The tidal wave and earthquake marking the end of Dwarka in Krishnapurana; and the epic of Atlantis

education affairs 61

ON CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEM interview

‘I still want to go back to

studies whenever I have time’ DEEP DASGUPTA, FORMER TEAM INDIA PLAYER AND CHAIRMAN OF SELECTORS, BENGAL, EMPHASISES ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION IN A SPORTSMAN’S LIFE Ashok Chatterjee You did your schooling from Delhi before moving to Bengal Yes, I studied in Don Bosco till class VIII and then moved to Sardar Patel Vidyalaya.

After that I graduated in Commerce from Hindu College. By the time I was in my second year of college, I was already playing for Ranji Trophy. I had filled in my forms for CA (chartered accountancy) Foundation courses since everyone in my family is a CA. I was getting ready to sit for my exams in December. But after starting to play Ranji trophy, preparations for CA took a backseat.

Q

How supportive were your parents toward your decision to pursue cricket after graduation?

Though I took the final decision, it was my family who helped me in making up my mind, since at that age you can hardly decide on your own. But, they gave me the freedom to decide. My family was very supportive. The important thing was my parents were based out of Delhi and I was alone in Kolkata. That meant lot of sacrifice from their side. You know how protective Bengali families are toward their children. I was just 17 then.

Q

Q 62 education affairs

Were you nervous in making up your mind for cricket? What if it didn’t

work out?

Sure, there was this apprehension and I’m not going to deny it. But my elder brother had shown me the way. He was a state-level athlete before becoming a CA. Also my sporting career was shaping well. By the time I graduated, I was already playing Ranji Trophy. So, I was ‘there’ in terms of my potential. That helped me in taking my decisions. Also, I was thinking that in case I don’t succeed in cricket, I can always go back to academics. I was also planning to sit for CAT. During those days, after practice, I would go for my tuitions for CAT. But, fortunately for me, in a couple of years’ time, I was picked for Team India.

How important is academics in life?

Academics are very important. Every time I go out and talk to young guys, I always harp on the importance of studies. Knowledge will help think from a different perspective. When you are playing at the highest level, you need to think on your feet all the time and education gives you confidence to face the world. I tell kids that there is no excuse for not studying. Studies also helps you concentrate on your sport better and keeps all the distractions away. I still want to go back to studies whenever I have time.

Q

How difficult is sports as a career?

It is not like any other career. Shelf life of a

Q

MA HEALTH BEAUTY CINEMA COVERSTORY INTERVIEW FOOD

sportsman is very short. That’s where education helps. I retired three years ago but I’m still working and doing things with sports and also outside sports. We retire when most of the guys actually start their career. When I retired, at 34, many started their career. That education will push you after your retirement. Lot of avenues have opened up now like never before.

With so many changes happening in cricket, how important is Science as a subject?

Science is very important. When I was doing Level-2 coaching course, I had people around me who weren’t serious about their studies, when they were growing up. Few of them left studies halfway. There is so much of science in sports now that understanding of subjects like bio-mechanics is so important now. Now that cricket is developing at a rapid pace, one need to be abreast of all the technological changes.

People have problems clearing coaching courses as there is lot of science involved in it and they don’t understand the basics like why does the ball swings or reverses.

Q

Where would you place Sachin Tendulkar, who didn’t go to college?

He is the biggest example. Even though he did not study after class X, but he did not stop educating himself. He went around, read books and did research work and constantly updated himself. You talk to him and you will never come to know that he never finished his schooling.

How much schools and parents encourage sports?

I think there is fair bit of encouragement now.

Four to five years ago there were only a couple of sports which would be encouraged but now you have so many sports like football, tennis, golf, badminton etc. Indians are doing very well in many other sports apart from cricket. And these champions are leading a

Q

Q

good life. So as a parent, it is no more a problem if the child is going the sports way. Lot of parents are open to getting their kids into sports. But surely, education remains the prime priority for every parent I guess. The kids I interact with say that schools are encouraging as well. But the sad part is that lot of these kids are not focusing on their studies. May be at times some parents push their kids too much. In cricket if you look at the senior teams of states, there are lot of school dropouts. That is little sad.

How much have you learnt from the game?

Cricket in itself is a massive educator. When I was playing, I would come across and mingle with boys from various background, which widened my horizon. Cricket teaches you about getting that balance in life – one day you score a century and the next time you score a zero. Also the travelling you do with such greats teaches you a lot. As a result you mature lot faster.

Q

You shared the Indian dressing room with some of the greats.

Players like Sachin, Sourav (Ganguly), Rahul (Dravid), Anil (Kumble) help you become a better human being. Someone like Sachin, by the time he was 19, has had more experience than many others in the team. I was lucky to play with the batch which had such brilliant cricketers apart from being excellent human beings. They were always ready to help you, be it on the field or off it. And they had their own ways of doing it. Someone like Rahul would ask you to go out for a Dire Strait concert, Sachin talking about ups and downs and life in general, how to keep your emotions in check. Anil would talk about his passion for photography and languages. Then of course, there was Dada (Sourav), I haven’t seen such mental toughness in any person before.

Q

education affairs 63

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Where are we in the global ratings?

I attended the convocation of the University of Calcutta recently. During the nearlythree-hour event, the vicechancellor Prof Suranjan Das and the hon’ble chancellor, Mr M K Narayanan (also the governor of our state), gave away the awards and degrees to worthy scholars of the university.

But I was moved by the theme that they both spoke on: the abysmally poor standing of Indian universities which do not feature in the first 500 in the global ranking of universities worldwide according to one listing.

It is time we stood up and made a start to define new paradigms

Emotionally speaking, this appears wrong.

Our friends who joined foreign universities in the 1990’s or our colleagues who went overseas on academic pursuits later, or our students who are going there in the 21st century, are unanimous on one point: their level of knowledge when they join a foreign university is always much higher than that the basic level of wisdom and learning of a student from the USA or Europe.

However, on account of different curricula, American or European students are better briefed on those specific aspects of the syllabus where the college education structure builds straightway on what has been taught in the school system.

But be it basic sciences or social sciences, or humanities or engineering or medicine, the knowledge of a good graduate from say the University of Calcutta is higher than a typical graduate who has received fifteen or sixteen years of education in the West.

So why are Indian universities ranked so

64 education affairs

l

The foreign institution has larger grounds l It has much more student accommodation and related facilities l It boasts of more elaborate academic equipment, machinery, gadgets and labs; and l It offers wonderfully branded and packaged processes, rituals and systems.

Even a fool can understand that physical infrastructure and the clicks-and-mortar framework is sure to be better in a developed nation than in a country like India which emerged from colonial rule less than 70 years ago. While this disadvantage is by no means acceptable, it should serve as an excuse for rating institutions to not dump Indian institutions into the garbage heap. Except the highest echelons of scientific research, our universities are not doing badly.

What is more irksome is the fact that the rating institutions are fully aware of the brain drain from India and the successes of Indian students taking up courses overseas. While they recognise the excellence of the Indian student, they rubbish the contributions of the institutions that educate and train them.

To be fair, most foreign universities are funded by private capital and therefore, to attract fee paying (and research) students, they naturally run down all other institutions which could challenge them in the race to capture students and their intellectual capital.

Their first target is Indian institutions, be it the institutes of technology or social sciences or law. Till such time that we can fight such unfairness and develop a rating system of our own, our country and our universities will have to suffer from the unfair processes driven prejudices and crass commercial concerns of foreign agencies. It is time we stood up and made a start to define new paradigms.

(

(

low, and why do we have to endure this shame?

We have to admit that if we compare a government (state) university in India with a western one, we will see that: