April 2016 by james paul

FROM EDITOR’S DESK

Choose the right career path What career to choose after class 12th? This is the biggest question that haunts every student after the board exams are over. Parents too continue to have sleepless nights because they worry about the career options for their children. In India, parents spend as much as 70 per cent of their income on their kids’ education. What do you want to be, is no longer a simple question. Each and every one of us is a mixing bowl of potential, filled with individual talents and skills, dreams and desires, goals and an eagerness to accomplish something. But how do we blend all those ingredients together to end up with a career we excel at and enjoy? This question, and the adventure we undertake when we answer it, can arise at any point in a person’s life; but it begins for most when they are entering into high school. It’s a common rite of passage: students facing choices when several post-secondary directions beckon. Which field should you pick? Where do you want to go to college or university? Is going directly to employment after secondary school an option? What about apprenticeship training?

The choice determines your path to the right job, right career and the right environment. Which is why you need to spend time weighing possibilities and seeing where you fit best. Follow your heart is the right answer for these questions. Always try to take the stream, your heart agrees with. In other words, choose a stream you are interested in. Speak to a career counsellor is the best option, if you are confused. They answer these questions every day and are always happy to help someone shape their future. Career counselling makes life easier for all demographics. Take suggestions, but never let others decide for you. It is good to take suggestion always. Always believe in your abilities. When deciding a stream for yourself think what plus points you have and choose accordingly. Never do something because a friend did it. Maybe they are comfortable doing something which you don't find comfortable. You are different and your talents are also different. Select a stream with a vision. Be confident of what you have decided.

MAGAZINE ON EDUCATION VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 11 | APRIL 2016

Managing Editor Dr. Varghese Panthalookaran

Editor James Paul

Columns K. L. Mohanavarma Dr. K. N. Raghavan Dr. Jose Cletus Plackal Jose Panthaplamthottiyil Sajith Malliyoor

Associate Editor Dr. Prasant Palackappilly

Marketing Manager Varghese Kachappilly

Design Sajo Joseph Contact Rajagiri Media, Rajagiri Valley P.O, Kakkanad, Kochi-39. Phone : 0484 2973979 Mobile : +91 9497711010 E-Mail : editor@rajagirimedia.com Web : www.pallikkutam.com

CONTENTS 09

PEDAGOGY

ELECTION 2016

From a teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diary Geetha Jayaraman

20 Vote for four Cs Col GPV Nair

STORIES OF LIFE is expected from the next 23 What Government? PC Cyriac

CAREER OPTIONS

Exam-phobia: Ruins the writer Dr. Jose Cletus Plackal

EXPERT COUNSEL

are the best career 28 What options after 12 ? th

An electoral extravaganza gets underway Dr. K.N. Raghavan

Army : A challenging 30 Indian career Brigadier NV Nair (retd)

APRIL 2016 42

GUEST COLUMN REGULARS NEWS.................................. 06 INSIGHTS........................... 12 INFOTECH.......................... 52 INNOVATIONS.................... 58

Should we not think about Culture?

SPORTS.............................. 62

K. L. Mohana Varma

REFLECTIONS.......................

HEALTH MONITOR Common diseases in summer

RAINBOW.............................

POLICY WATCH A case for private universities in Kerala

SUBSCRIBE NOW TURN TO PAGE 48

Pradipti Jayaram

CARS & BIKES

New Bikes & Scooters at Auto Expo 2016

For online subscription, log on to www.pallikkutam.com

NEWS

Government working on aptitude test for school students

and based on the feedback, the ministry may expand it in conjunction with state governments," a senior official said.

The ministry has formed a task force comprising officials of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), National

In a meeting of senior HRD ministry officials last month, secretary (school education and literacy) SC Khuntia is learned to have reviewed preparations for the aptitude test. The sources said that the exercise is right

he HRD ministry is developing an aptitude test which will help school students assess their areas of interest so that they can choose and pursue the right courses.

Delhi University among world's elite, again

t may have dropped one notch from last year, but Delhi University again ranks among the world's top 20 institutions for development studies. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject, DU occupies the 18th spot in the category of development studies, the highest achieved by an Indian varsity in the sixth edition of the subject-focused listings. The Indian Institutes of Technology, however, continue to be the mostâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;ranked Indian institutions, with IIT-Bombay featuring 14 times in the rankings and seven times among the top 100. The ranking was based on the expert opinion of 76,798 academics and 44,426 employers along with the analysis of 28.5 million research papers and over 113 million citations sourced from the Scopus Elsevier bibliometric database.

Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and psychometric experts for developing a "prototype" of this proposed assessment test, official sources said. At present, the team of experts is working on creating the items and content for a test for Class IX, they said. "Experts from CBSE, NCERT and other bodies are working under the larger umbrella of the HRD ministry to create a prototype of the psychometric test for Class IX exam. Initially, this voluntary test may be carried out in a few areas

now in "preliminary" stages and the general thinking is that this test will be optional in nature and would be an additional tool available to students for making the right choice. The Smriti Irani-led ministry is, however, also examining the possibility of providing certificates to students after the test. When contacted, CBSE spokeswoman Rama Sharma said that CBSE had conducted aptitude assessment exercises in the past. "These tests should only be seen as an indicator to help the students and parents in making an informed choice," she said.

IIT-B is the country's pre-eminent university at the subject level, featuring in 14 subject tables, the most successful among the 21 Indian universities ranked in at least one subject. DU stands at 18 in development studies, while IIT Delhi is in 45th place in the electrical and electronics engineering list. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, weighs in at 47th for materials science. The Indian universities occupy 114 places among them, an increase from the 107 in 2015. However, given QS's decision to continue expanding their rankings and make this year's edition its most inclusive ever, India's share of places as a proportion drops marginally from 1.29% to 1.25%.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

NEWS

Government brings online facility for medical colleges application

s an add-on facility, Union health ministry on Monday introduced an online procedure of receiving application from medical colleges seeking to start postgraduation courses or increase seats in existing ones. After the online submission, applicants will have to upload a scanned copy of the consent of university, demand draft and other documents. As per the revised procedure, an online application has been mandatory. It came into effect on March 15 and the last date for

submission of applications is April 7, 2016. Applicants or colleges desirous of filing an application for purposes of starting of PG courses (broad specialties) or increase of seats in PG courses in an existing medical college are requested to follow these steps. Visit health ministry website and click on the link medicalcollegeappication.gov.in. Candidates are requested to do a 'one time registration' using a valid emailaddress at the 'registration window' provided at the link," an official statement said.

Right to Education Act remarkable achievement: Ansari

he Right to Education Act was a "remarkable achievement" despite its shortcomings, Vice President Hamid Ansari said on Monday, even as he lamented that government financing for education was insufficient. "Despite the shortcomings in its implementation, the Right to Education Act remains a remarkable achievement," Ansari said addressing the National Stocktaking Convention organised by the Right to Education Forum. "While concerns regarding privatisation of education remain, the Act offers a first step towards an educational system in India that provides access, equity and inclusion for all children," he said. He also expressed concern over the decline in state funding of education. "The decline in state funding in the key social sector programmes, including education, is of particular concern. Public services like

Pallikkutam | April 2016

education are the key to nurture participatory growth. Financing for Right to Education remains inadequate," Ansari said. "Total public expenditure for education, at less than 3.5 percent of GDP, is well below the 6 percent commitment made in the National Education Policies," he said. Ansari said that at 52 percent, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) received more than half the money under school education allocation in the latest budget, but over the last five years, the SSA budget has declined by 6 percent, from Rs.23,873 crore ($4.4 billion) in 2012-13 to Rs.22,500 crore ($3.3 billion) for 201617. He also pointed out that large gaps remain in implementing the scheme. Critical appraisal of the functioning of the Right to Education reveals that large gaps exist in its implementation.

Gujarat short of 13,000 primary teachers

mid frequent allegations by Congress about deteriorating quality of education in Gujarat due to lack of teachers, the state government has admitted a shortfall of more than 13,000 teachers in the state-run primary schools. As per the data tabled by the government in the Gujarat assembly recently, a total of 1,67,461 primary school teachers are working against the total sanctioned strength of 1,80,601 teachers across the state. These figures indicate 13,140 posts of primary teachers are still lying vacant in the state. The district-wise data has revealed that remote districts of Kutch and Banaskantha followed by tribal districts of Panchmahal and Dahod are the worst hit in terms of vacant posts of primary teachers. In Kutch, 2,724 posts are lying vacant while 1,741 posts are not filled up in Banaskantha. These districts were followed by Panchmahal, where 935 posts are vacant, and Dahod, where 912 teachers are not recruited yet. As per another set of data tabled in the assembly by the BJP-led state government, there is a shortfall of more than 2,400 teachers of mathematics and science subjects in upper primary schools (6 to 8 standard). The data suggested that the government is yet to recruit 2,413 teachers who can teach maths and science subjects in governmentrun upper primary schools across the state.

NEWS

Govt to fund scholars for postdoc research in India

n a bid to prevent brain drain, the government has embarked upon a scheme to fund pure science scholars, who have completed their PhDs, to enable them continue their post-doctoral research in India.

"There are two reasons behind it. It is difficult to track the students who

"Secondly, neither the Ministry of Home Affairs or the Ministry of External Affairs have maintained data related to this," said a senior ministry official.

According to Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, the scholars would be paid Rs 50,000 per month for the period of three years and would also be given a basic grant of Rs 7 lakhs per year for conducting research. The National Post Doctoral Fellowship was launched a month ago and would fund around 1000 scholars this year. Applications have also been invited for the same, he said. "We have found that the scholars are more vulnerable to go abroad after their PhD degree because this is the time they don't get full-time employment since many institutes ask for a post-doctoral degree. There are many universities and institutes abroad that offer the PhDs graduates with post-doctoral opportunities. This is why we have embarked upon this scheme," Sharma said. "Once they get a post-doctoral fellowship in India for three-years, they can continue with their research and get prepared for a job in Indian institutes and universities. Once they bag a job, the chances of their going abroad is less," he said. Incidentally, the Ministry of Science and Technology does not have a data of how many research scholars have left India and are currently working abroad.

and post-graduate). More importantly, there is also no tracking of students coming back.

leave India for studies at different levels (say, under-graduate, graduate

Sharma said for bagging this fellowship the scholar has to send a research proposal. It is also mandatory that the university/ institute in which he wants to do research has to accept the proposal.

Free online lessons from IIT professors ow, poor students aspiring to join the IITs will get free online lessons from the prestigious institutes' professors.

mathematics. Questions and answers from the IITs' Joint Entrance Examination of the past 50 years will also be uploaded .

The IITs have agreed to a government proposal for professorassisted learning, which will be called IITPAL.

"Most of them (the coaching centres) have the database of questions which we will (also) provide free along with solutions," the senior official said.

"We want to break the stranglehold of coaching centres," a senior government official said. Ashok Misra (Director, former IIT Bombay) has been put in charge of creating the IITPAL portal. The interactive portal will have uploaded lectures by IIT professors on physics, chemistry and

Students can send their queries online to individual professors. Students will also be given assignments. The IITs are also agreeable to the idea of having a mobile app for the portal so that students can read lectures and work on assignments while they are on the move.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

PEDAGOGY

Geetha Jayaraman

From a teacher’s diary

t was the D-day for our class. I was the class teacher of 9A; a class of 41. If one word could bring out the characteristics of the whole class it would be ‘brilliant’. Not that every child performed exceedingly well in academics, but still they were brilliant. Anyway that was my impression about that class. For me it was a treat to be with them. It may not be very civil to say this, but some classes were just punishments for the teachers, including me. It is a mystery how each class acquires its own characteristics. It could be that there are a few in every class who could influence the whole, either positively or negatively; that is my finding. Influence of the teacher cannot be neglected but among the teen agers, peer group comes first and then only the teachers, in the normal case. Coming back to the D-day: our class was going to perform a skit on the stage in the morning assembly. Other than the usual proceedings like prayer, pledge and thought for the

Pallikkutam | April 2016

It is a mystery how each class acquires its own characteristics. It could be that there are a few in every class who could influence the whole, either positively or negatively; that is my finding.

week, we sometimes have a guest’s speech, but this kind of a performance by a whole class was not usual in the assembly. I had to argue my case and get special permission from the principal to have the show of my class. Our timing was right, in the sense, after one week we were going to have guest students from the UK as a part of the student exchange program. The whole school was in a cleaning spree. Our skit was based on cleanliness in the school environment. All the children in the class came a few minutes earlier than usual, had a quick last minute rehearsal and we were ready. The class was divided into two groups of 20 each and they would stand on either sides in a row while one leader Shankar, would stand in the middle near the central microphone and. He would say the opening lines and would lead the chorus throughout the skit. That was how it was planned. When the time came, I went down from back of the stage to be with the rest of the school. I was confident that the

PEDAGOGY

He was looking pathetically at me, at the gathering, at the teachers… he was under a panic attack of stage fear. students would perform with utmost precision and agility.. They were thorough, we had practiced so well. Everyone took their positions with Shankar in the middle. School captain announced the show and requested the primary children to go to the shades so as to make them more comfortable. Then he gave the microphone to Shankar. He held it in his right hand, viewed the whole school assembled in front of him, 1000 and more students and 150 and more teachers. Seconds ticked off. He stood there, dazed, staring blank, not making a sound. Whole campus was silent, waiting. Seconds grew into minutes – 2, 3, 4. Nothing happened! Not a word from Shankar! I don't know when I started sweating, but by the end of those 4 minutes, I was drenched. I could see his hand that held the microphone shivering. He was looking pathetically at me, at the gathering, at the teachers… he was under a panic attack of stage fear. Then, in a decisive moment, he inserted the mike in its stand, turned back and walked out of the stage! After a moment of hesitation, the rest 40 also turned back and followed Shankar! I looked at the principal, our eyes met and I got burn blisters all over me. School captain gave the order for dispersal of the assembly. No explanation or excuses were given. There was nothing to give. I could hear laughter from different sources, collective and individual. I could see jeering faces. I went straight to the principal’s room, apologised profusely and requested to give a second chance. With a lot of hesitation and ‘are you sure’ questions, she agreed. I reached the class with the attendance register to take the morning attendance. Not one head was lifted, not even the usual sing-song ‘good morning’, some didn't even stand up. Some girls had wet red eyes. I didn't have to take attendance since I already knew that all were present. Without the slightest hint of accusation, I said, “ So, children, at noon all of you finish your lunch fast and come to the auditorium. We have practice from 12.45 for 15 minutes. We are going to the stage day after tomorrow.” Suddenly there were screams of ‘No’, and ‘Not Again’….. I waited patiently for the commotion to subside and then as if nothing had happened, looked at Shankar and said “ you are going to be the lead and there won't be any change in it”. He got up from his seat, came near the

Pallikkutam | April 2016

PEDAGOGY

That was a turning point in my life. Ever after that incident I have never felt nervous to face any situation so far teacher’s table and said, “Mam,….I can't do it...I…I let down the whole class, I may do it again, no, I am sure I will do it again….I am…nervous… “Shankar, if you give up now, you won't be able to look at yourself for a longer time than what you think. You will pass out of this school with a lingering sense of failure deep in your heart which may not be explicit to everyone. So there is no choice for you. You are going to do it. My confidence in you has not the least changed. Give all your burden to me, go with a light heart, if you fail , I am responsible, fully….I am saying this because I am so sure you will not fail. He lifted his head , looked into my eyes and I saw it there – a sudden resolution. That was enough. I patted his back without another word and left the class. After 15 years I met Shankar at TDM Hall. We had gone there for a wedding; I for my ex-student’s and he for his ex-classmate’s. The whole ‘9A’ gang was there. We spoke like in olden times. All of them were well placed. Some were married, some were engaged,, we playfully teased each other reminding them of their old mannerisms and spoonerisms. When Shankar said he was a probationary officer with SBI, I asked how was the interview, hinting his old time nervousness. Everybody laughed. He said he topped for interview. I wanted to hug him but didn't. After a few minutes I said good bye and walked to the car park. Shankar came along, leaving others there. He said he wanted to tell me something for a long time but didn't know how to contact me etc. He asked, “Mam, do u remember an incident that took place in our class while we were in 9th std?” Of course I knew what he meant. He said, “That was a turning point in my life. Ever after that incident I have never felt nervous to face any situation so far. You asked me about SBI interview. I did very well and I think I owe it to the way you handled me when I faltered miserably on that day.” Once more I wanted to hug him but didn't. I simply said, “Oh , Shankar, you made my day!” What I wanted to say was you made my teaching career meaningful, but I didn't.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

INSIGHTS

Alcohol in pregnancy affects many generations When a mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy, even a small dose, she can increase the chances that the next three generations may develop alcoholism, according to a new study.

research team led by Nicole Cameron, assistant professor of psychology at Binghamton University, was the first to investigate the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy on alcoholrelated behavior (consumption and sensitivity to the effect of alcohol) on generations that were not directly exposed to alcohol in the uterus during the pregnancy. "Our findings show that in the rat, when a mother consumes the equivalent of one glass of wine four times during the pregnancy, her offspring and grand-offspring, up to the third

generation, show increased alcohol preference and less sensitivity to

alcohol," said Cameron. "Thus, the offspring are more likely to develop

alcoholism. This paper is the first to demonstrate trans-generational effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy on alcohol-related behavior in offspring." To date, no study has shown a transgenerational effect of prenatal ethanol exposure on ethanol consumption in the second or third generation. Other research investigated the effects of alcohol exposure during pregnancy studied the effects only on the fetuses directly exposed or the effects on cellular activity over multiple generations, but never alcohol-related behaviors over multiple generations.

Video games may be good for kids Playing video games may have positive effects on young children.

study by researchers at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and colleagues at Paris Descartes University assessed the association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children's mental health and cognitive and social skills, and found that playing video games may have positive effects on young children. After adjusting for child age, gender, and number of children, the researchers found that video game usage was associated with a 1.75 times the odds of high intellectual functioning and 1.88 times the odds of high overall school competence. There were no significant associations with any

child self-reported or mother- or teacher-reported mental health problems. The researchers also found

that more video game playing was associated with less relationship problems with their peers. Based on

parent reporting, one in five children played video games more than 5 hours per week. Results were based on data from the School Children Mental Health Europe project for children ages 6-11. Parents and teachers assessed their child's mental health in a questionnaire and the children themselves responded to questions through an interactive tool. Teachers evaluated academic success. Factors associated with time spent playing video games included being a boy, being older, and belonging to a medium size family. Having a less educated or single mother decreased time spent playing video games.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

INSIGHTS

Get sleep sorted by age five will help children A child who soothes themselves back to sleep from an early age adjusts to school more easily than those who don't, new research has found.

he Australian study revealed one in three children have escalating problems sleeping across birth to five years which increased their risk of emotional and behavioural issues at school and put them at risk of attention deficit disorders. Dr Kate Williams from QUT's Faculty of Education, School of Early Childhood, said the research involved 2,880 children from the landmark study, Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC).

She analysed the sleep behaviour of children born in 2004 until they reached six-to-seven years. "We now know 70 per cent of children are regulating their own sleep by five years but for the remaining third it may be detrimental to them developmentally over time," Dr Williams said. "The overwhelming finding is it's vital to get children's sleep behaviours right by the time they turn five."

Babies make quick judgments on adults' anger

wo new research studies with hundreds of 15-month-old infants demonstrate that babies form similar generalizations about others and make attempts to appease adults they consider prone to anger. The research, by scientists at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (ILABS), reveal for the first time that 15-month-old babies generalize an adult's angry behavior even if the social context has changed. "Our research suggests that babies will do whatever they can to avoid being the target of anger," said lead author Betty Repacholi, an I-LABS faculty scientist. "At this young of an age, they have already worked out a way to stay safe. It's a smart, adaptive response." In one of the studies,

Food for thought Scientists have shown that diet-induced obesity and diabetes can be epigenetically inherited by the offspring via both the oocytes and the sperm.

or its studies, the team of the Institute of Experimental Genetics (IEG) used mice that had become obese and had developed type 2 diabetes due to a high-fat diet. Their offspring were obtained solely through in vitro fertilization (IVF) from isolated oocytes and sperm, so that changes in the offspring could only be passed on via these cells. The offspring were carried and born by healthy surrogate mothers. This enabled the researchers to rule out additional factors such as the behavior of the parents and influences of the mother during

Pallikkutam | April 2016

pregnancy and lactation. "The results showed that both oocytes and sperm passed on epigenetic information, which particularly in the female offspring led to severe obesity," said Prof. Johannes Beckers, who directed the study. In the male offspring, by contrast, the blood glucose level was more affected than in the female siblings. The data also show that -- like in humans -- the maternal contribution to the change in metabolism in the offspring is greater than the paternal contribution.

Repacholi and co-authors wanted to see how exposing babies to an unfamiliar adult's anger toward another adult would affect the babies' behavior in a new situation. Do the babies assume that the initial negative encounters would happen again? "Our research shows that babies are carefully paying attention to the emotional reactions of adults," said co-author Andrew Meltzoff, codirector of I-LABS. "Babies make snap judgments as to whether an adult is anger-prone. They pigeonhole adults more quickly than we thought," added Meltzoff, who holds the Job and Gertrud Tamaki Endowed Chair at UW.

STORIES OF LIFE

Exam-phobia

Ruins the writer The consequences of phobia are quite destructive; it not only spoils the study and exams but destroys the student him/herself totally. Dr. Jose Cletus Plackal

phobia is an excessive and irrational fear reaction, usually connected to things specific. There are so many people who suffer from one or the other kind of extreme and irrational fear toward something.

For instance, fear of animals such as dogs, snakes, spiders etc., natural events like thunder and lightning, heights, etc., injection, blood, water etc. Research shows that genetic disposition plays a part in the etiology of phobia.

fear experience was so high, its memory impression is locked up, keeps on coming with its negative feeling of fear or phobia. This tendency of the brain to selectively store, recall and refresh the negative feelings, feeds into the phobias.

The genetic factor seems to dispose the individual to a tendency to fear and continue to amplify and maintain the same fear that once happened. However, it is the individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feargenerating experiences at the formative stage of life that turn out to be the strongest predictor of extreme fears and phobias. The human brain stores events with the emotional content, and if the intensity of the

Since this is exam time in schools and colleges, I would like to turn these reflections onto exam-phobia. Most of the phobic students, (and their parents too), know too well that their fear is irrational, but canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do a thing about it. It ruins their study habits, behavior patterns such as eating and sleeping routines, etc. The consequences of phobia are quite destructive; it not only spoils the study and exams but destroys the student him/herself totally. The consequences of phobia are grim as it may be, however, modern psychology provides break-through solutions to free them from the stranglehold of phobias. The good news is that they respond amazingly well to the right kind of treatment. From my clinical experience, I can state

Pallikkutam | April 2016

STORIES OF LIFE

Even a single session of Brain Wave Modulation Therapy can relieve a person of phobia completely. that even a single session of Brain Wave Modulation Therapy can relieve a person of phobia completely. Here is a brief illustration of a student who underwent the emotional rollercoaster ride of fear and shame that not only disrupted his studies and exams but led to a deep depression that almost destroyed his life. Jacob is a 17 year old Plus one student, has a sister in VIII Std, middle income family, has loving parents, good looking, above average in studies, gentle, well behaved, etc. The presenting problem was, “Inability to study, short-fused, decreased appetite, interrupted sleep, fear of exams, lonely and disinterested, tired, sad and moody, can’t face people, doesn’t want to go to school,“ etc. On further probing it was brought to light that the immediate cause of all these depressive symptoms was impending thought of exams. So ‘why was exam so terrifying a thing and

Pallikkutam | April 2016

when did it start,’ was the goal of further investigation. Jacob recalled how the first semester exam turned out to be a fiasco and how, later on, he was humiliated on account of the poor performance, in front of the class. It was a horrifying experience of panic attack that ensued when Jacob realized that he could not answer the first two questions… He began to sweat profusely, his breathing turned fast and shallow, eyes were blurred, and finally memory blanked out on him! It was this panic attack that played a spoil sport with all the following exams. Jacob studied everything but could not recall and write on paper what he had studied due to the heightened anxiety and panic that he experienced before, and during exam time. Unfortunately he could not articulate and share with anyone as to what was going on inside his mind. Panic and phobia have a numbing effect on the affected persons; it

freezes one’s energies and insulates from engaging with the real world. Jacob’s parental history showed some genetic predisposition to fear and anxiety in both parents. Therapeutic intervention consisted in administering therapies to address the initial panic attack and the ensuing memory blocks. BWT were administered and follow up counseling sessions were conducted. Ten days after the first session, follow-up session was held and Jacob was found to be free from exam phobia and was able to focus on learning. His daily routines were back to normal, ate well, sleep was normal, Jacob was ready for the exams. Most important effect of the therapy? In the words of his mother, ”My son started smiling again”! That tells it all…

The author is licensed clinical psychologist (HRT), Jeevas Centre Aluva, Kerala.

EXPERT COUNSEL

An electoral extravaganza gets underway Dr. K.N. Raghavan

o the sports enthusiasts leap years are the years when Olympics take place. For those inclined towards international politics leap years are those years when elections take place to the post of President of United States of America, an event no less spectacular or breathtaking than the happenings in the Olympic stadia. The attention of entire world polity gets focussed on the happenings in USA from end of January, when the first of primaries for selection of candidates for the two major political parties commences till â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Tuesday after the first Mondayâ&#x20AC;? of November, when the polling takes place and the winner is decided. During this ten month period

international media studies the major players, their likes and dislikes, their priorities in policy making, their career, their educational and family background and track record in public service and how the election of each candidate could affect the various countries in the world, all of who have their strategic and economic interests

tied to the policies adopted by the dispensation in Washington. The respective candidates who would have lived out of their suitcases during the entire campaign period when they were under the close scrutiny of media and the public might actually heave a sigh of release when the elections are over. After the results are announced the

For those inclined towards international politics leap years are those years when elections take place to the post of President of United States of America, an event no less spectacular or breathtaking than the happenings in the Olympic stadia. Pallikkutam | April 2016

EXPERT COUNSEL winner gets time till 20 January of the following year when he assumes office to relax and pick his team for taking on the challenges during the next four years, while the loser is consigned to the dustbins of history. The two major parties in USA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Democrats and the Republicans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; go through an elaborate process known as primaries for selecting their respective candidates. The aspirants for the post announce their intention more than a year before the actual elections and start touring the country to meet the voters and to collect the huge amounts required for fighting the elections. The initial response from the voters and, more importantly, from the contributors to the war chest determine whether the prospective suitors should stay in the race or pack up before the actual battles commence. This process ensures that the number of aspirants get narrowed down to less than four by the time the primaries go to polls although more than twice that number would have tested the waters, only to give up later on. The selection of candidates by the two major parties through the system

Pallikkutam | April 2016

of primaries and caucuses is a system that evolved over a period of time. Primaries are elections conducted by the local or state governments while caucuses are organised by the parties themselves. These elections decide the number of delegates that should be sent for the national convention of each party, who, in turn, select the

The first task of the candidate winning the nomination is to announce his/her running mate, who would become the Vice President if he/she wins the elections.

candidate. The delegates who are elected at the primaries and caucuses are in the nature of pledged delegates, committed to vote for a particular candidate. In addition, each party has the provision for a small number of uncommitted delegates who could decide the nomination in case of a close fight. It has been the case that front runners become evident by early March and the nominations are decided much before the National Conventions of the parties, usually held in the month of July/August, where the formal announcement of presidential candidate is made. The first task of the candidate winning the nomination is to announce his/her running mate, who would become the Vice President if he/she wins the elections. This is done based on electoral considerations and the ability of the running mate to bring in votes. The days between the national convention and the polling day are spent by the candidates crisscrossing the country seeking votes. The highlight of the campaign, from the point of view of the lay public, is the debate between the principal challengers that is televised before an international audience. This provides

EXPERT COUNSEL an opportunity for the voters to see and get to know the how the candidates react to challenges thrown at them and to hear their views on contentious issues. The impact of these televised debates was first felt in 1960 when John. F. Kennedy, who was trailing his opponent Richard Nixon till that point surged ahead in popularity stakes as he could use this medium successfully to bowl over the national audience with his charming good looks, youthful energy and clear and positive thinking. The US election laws do not state that candidates for presidential elections should only be from the two major parties. However, the quantum of monetary and other resources that are required for running a campaign invariably preclude independents form mounting a serious challenge. One notable exception has been Ross Perot, the billionaire businessman, who contested the 1992 elections as an independent candidate and secured 19% of the popular vote. The final elections that take place in November is also an indirect one as the winner is not the person who gets more popular vote but the one who gets more votes in the presidential electoral college. Each state is allotted a specific number of electors in the Electoral College equal to the number of senators and Representatives in the US Congress. Most of the states follow the pattern of the candidate getting higher number of votes

winning all the electors from that state. The electoral college meets in December to cast their votes for President and Vice President and after that the winner is formally announced by the incumbent Vice President. The procedure involving meeting of Electoral College and they casting votes for deciding the President and Vice President is largely a formality as electors are expected to vote for the candidate they had pledged to elect. Further, most states have enacted laws to punish faithless electors who could change their stance after getting elected. If no candidate is able to secure a majority in the Electoral College, the President is elected by the House of Representatives and Vice President by the Senate. One disadvantage with this system is that there could be instances where a candidate who gets a higher share of the popular vote across the country might end up with lesser number of electors as it happened to Al Gore in 2000 when George W. Bush was elected as President based on majority

in the Electoral College. Further, the though the elections are held on the same day across the country, they are not conducted by a federal agency but by the individual states and hence there could be divergences in electoral laws and practices which could affect the final outcome. The primaries and caucuses for electing the candidates of the major parties for the election due in November 2016 are presently underway. From the side of Democrats, Hillary Clinton is leading the primaries with Bernie Sanders a distant second. On the Republican side, Donald Trump, who had attracted adverse criticism on account of his intemperate and provocative statements against Muslims, Hispanics and other minorities, leads the fray followed by Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Marco Rubio. In present day world, President of USA is not merely the Chief Executive of that nation; he is also a leader who, by his words and actions, can affect the lives of millions of people, including those living outside USA. The world expects the voters in USA to understand their responsibility to the entire humanity and exercise their franchise with prudence and circumspection to ensure that their next President would be a person who would strive to make the world a better and more peaceful place than it is today.

The author is the Commissioner of Customs in Kochi, Kerala.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

Election 2016

ELECTION 2016

Vote for four Cs Col GPV Nair

Dr Kalam did not totally denounce the party based politics at the time of elections and agreed that this is an unavoidable necessity every democracy around the world has to live with.

erala politics has become so bizarre and murky in recent times that we, millions of Keralites, have had to bow our heads in shame when we assiduously witnessed the disgraceful political farce that was enacted unabashedly in the assembly and outside in the past one year. The unholy alliances that were forged, unprincipled allegations and counter allegations that were thrown at each other by the so-called UDF & LDF have led every selfrespecting Malayalee to a state of bewildered discomfiture. On 16th of May, we will be once again be put to test by the Election Commission, to elect a new Legislative Assembly for Kerala. Time has come

now for all of us to resolve that we will only vote for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;People's candidate' who has Four Cs, Competence, Character, Concern and Commitment essential for a representative of the people in the Assembly- lest we should again be made the laughing stock of the whole world. Before going further, may your attention be drawn to the address of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India on the eve of the Republic Day in 2006. Please recall that in his address to the nation he deliberately coined two terms, Political Politics and Developmental Politics, which have very significant relevance to our democratic processes. The former, he referred to as the game of politics that

politicians play on the common man in an uneven ground where every time the common man bleeds to death to glorify his political idol. Dr Kalam did not totally denounce the party based politics at the time of elections and agreed that this is an unavoidable necessity every democracy around the world has to live with. The second term, Developmental Politics that he coined with lot of passion, sensitivity and sensibility, talks about a subtle operational model of a political system beyond party affiliations and interests, explicitly focusing on the development of the Nation. This new concept that APJ suggested assumes greater significance since this has never been

Pallikkutam | April 2016

ELECTION 2016 COVER STORY preached or practiced by our political pundits before in the Centre or in the States. It points to a convergence of all political parties and their leaders into a workable political model that would have the commitment and earnestness to achieve overall development of the society and the Nation at a faster pace. Incidentally it is a shame that, apart from Doordarshan, none of the TV Channels bothered to telecast the address live and no newspaper, either English or regional, carried the entire text of the address next day, thus denying the very fundamental right of the people to listen to its first citizen on the eve of Republic Day. We still live with it;

enough knowledge about the inherent and mandatory powers of the house in making legislations; about rules, regulations and procedures that are in vogue; earnestness to follow those to preserve the sanctity of the house and practical wisdom to foresee the development needs of the State for the next 20 years. He should also have the resolve to make sure that the legislations that are passed are put into force. Duties of members do not get fulfilled unless they make forwardlooking legislations and ensure that they are brought into effect and executed on ground. A classic example where we failed to make legislations work is worth mentioning here. Does anyone know that Section 30 of Advocates' Act, which gives the right of practicing anywhere in India to

We have to show acute political acumen and courage to elect the 'People's Candidates' who have the four Cs, without caring about their political affiliations, money power and muzzle strength. we are as patient as Mother Earth! If we, the people, are to get such a political framework, as suggested by the former President, after the forthcoming elections, sooner or later, we have to earn it ourselves for no one is going to give it to us on a platter. We have to show acute political acumen and courage to elect the 'People's Candidates' who have the four Cs, without caring about their political affiliations, money power and muzzle strength. Only they can deliver such a variation of Politics, the Developmental Politics, APJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Doosaraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;! Now, you would rightly ask what is competence and how can this be quantified? Competence in our context signifies that the person contesting the election has

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advocates, passed by the parliament and assented by the President way back in 1961, was notified only in 2011? There may be hundreds of legislations yet to be notified because of the callousness of the executive. So the crunch point that emerges here is that you and I need to be wise and vigilant in electing only those who have a certain degree of 'Core Competence' in democratic processes, if I may borrow the term from CK Prahlad. The second prerequisite for an elected member is Character. Character cannot be bought from a shop window at a tagged price and cannot be acquired by experience either. It is inherent and inborn. The character of a person has its roots in his family, his social background, education and most importantly in the company he keeps.

ELECTION 2016 A person with a criminal background cannot represent people in a constitutional organ like Parliament or Legislative Assembly. One's character is manifested in many ways; in conversation, in interpersonal relations, in resilience to take criticisms, in boldness to stand by what he feels right and in determination to ward off temptations that are aplenty around a public person. We boast of ourselves as the greatest democracy in the world and our leaders are hailed internationally as the best practitioners of democracy. At the same time our elected members were caught for accepting bribes even for raising a question in the house, not to speak of graver scandals and scams like the Bofors, Enrons, Fodders, Spectrum. Coalgate etc. Mind you, the character of our elected members are exposed world over by visual media on real time thanks to the IT revolution that shook the world in the last two decades and an Indian working in the most backward country in the dark continent would be forced to snivel in shame many a times. The third, of the four Cs is Concern. Members of Parliament or Assemblies have to be really concerned about the welfare of the people they represent. Concern is an abstract feeling that emerges from combination of competence and character. It happens only when one applies his mind to

learn and understand what is going on around him and how it would affect the common man who wants to live in a harmonious society. Leading ‘jathas’ and ‘hartals’ and speaking eloquently on available platforms for hours are not the hallmarks of concern. Concern can come only when you live with the people and understand their needs,

It needs a very high degree of mental resolve to stick to and fulfill what one feels is right. We often say that delayed justice is no justice. Likewise delayed implementation of projects and programmes that are drawn out by the Parliament if not implemented in time would lead to escalation in cost, slippage in time and deterioration in quality. This is where the commitment of our elected representatives comes to the limelight. The concept of We boast of Developmental Politics that the former ourselves as the President advocated can be brought to greatest democracy success if we elect our representatives who have Competence, Character, in the world and Concern and Commitment irrespective of the parties they belong to. our leaders are Otherwise there is an impending hailed danger that the greatest democracy on earth, which we have cherished so internationally as dearly over the last 68 years will be the best rendered defunct and the Nation will be in peril. We might be dumped as a practitioners of ‘pseudo democracy’ by other nations of the world! And lastly, will our democracy. political pundits spare a few hours of their so-called valuable time to strengths and weaknesses. Leaders brainstorm whether such a political living in glass houses can't understand model could be tried in this country, this. The pity is that we have our politicians of this tiny State of Kerala leaders mostly in glass houses! taking the lead for a change! The fourth C, the most important of all, stands for Commitment-commitment to the Nation and its people. Competence, Character and Concern alone would not bring in Commitment.

The author holds masters degree in Defense Studies from the Madras University and served Indian Army for more than 24 years as a communicator in corps of signals.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

ELECTION 2016 COVER STORY

PC Cyriac

What is expected from the next Government?

As everyone knows Kerala's Infrastructure is very fragile and facing a serious crisis. This crisis has been caused only by the decades of inadequate investments into this sector and by the failure of successive Kerala Governments to maintain whatever was available.

hat is infrastructure? Everyone would agree that Infrastructure refers to the fundamental structures, systems and facilities serving a country or a city or a region. It includes the services and facilities necessary for the region's economy to function efficiently. roads, bridges, tunnels, water supply, sewers, telecommunication

Pallikkutam | April 2016

successive Kerala Governments to maintain whatever was available. The coalition Governments of both the Left and the Right, which have been ruling As everyone knows Kerala's the State in alternative five-year terms, Infrastructure is very fragile and facing during the last 40 years, always fought a serious crisis. This crisis has been shy of taking hard decisions. The caused only by the decades of coalitions had always within them inadequate investments into this components representing the different sector and by the vested interests. And each of these failure of vested interest groups took care to guard their turf aggressively. So the networks, power generating and distributing facilities are all parts of this term.

ELECTION 2016

Governments chose to take the line of least resistance. And so they did not press the land acquisition plans and consequently the land required for widening the National Highways or doubling the Railway tracks remained unacquired.

successive Governments chose to take the line of least resistance. And so they did not press the land acquisition plans and consequently the land required for widening the National Highways or doubling the Railway tracks remained unacquired. The funds

allocated for these Projects, though meager and inadequate, remained unutilized! So, the Central Govt. agencies like the Railways or the National Highway Authority found it convenient to reduce the allotments in subsequent years, diverting them to other States which were more efficient in lapping up the Central funds. So, Kerala's infrastructure got deteriorated. Even the Projects which somehow were more fortunate and had managed

to start the construction work, very often were found languishing for want of committed and efficient Project Management. This sad plight of the ongoing projects often served as a disincentive for the promoters of new ventures. The failure of the Govt to control the local Workers Unions insisting on the Project contractors employing their members in large numbers also contributed to the poor progress of the

Pallikkutam | April 2016

ELECTION 2016 COVER STORY

Improving all our National Waterways and making them busy commercially viable transportation lanes, is a must for Kerala's growth.

Project and the general loss of morale Kerala in the past. The fact that these for the Managers. Again, whenever the Projects really did manage to get off UDF was in power, they used to the Board has given the Kerala Govt., announce the launching of many Projects, which were all opposed by the LDF citing many reasons. Faced with the strong resistance from the Opposition, the UDF invariably used to shy away from implementing the Project. Perhaps they lacked the political will to enforce their decision either because of lack of conviction about the soundness of the Project Proposal or because of the failure to follow transparent procedures in awarding the Project contracts. Fortunately, all this is past. During the last five years of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's UDF regime, many new Infrastructural Projects were launched, with great success. The Cochin Metro Rail Project of KMRL, the Vizhinjam International Deep Sea Project of Adani Group, the Kannur International Airport Project promoted by the Kerala Govt. are some of the success stories which managed to take off without the usual delays seen in

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including the Minsters and the Bureaucrats, a great deal of confidence in their own ability to face opposition and still implement schemes. While no one can accurately predict who the winner will be in the General Election taking place on the 16th of May, if the UDF manages to get back to Power, they will be able to launch many more infrastructural Projects, armed with this confidence. If, on the other hand, the LDF which is making a strong bid to regain control of the Kerala Govt., ultimately wins and gets back to Power, they too will be keen to improve and strengthen Kerala's infrastructure, as their present top leader , Pinarayi Vijayan has a strong reputation for taking aggressive development initiative. I would like to recall what Deng Tsiao Ping, who succeeded Mao Se Dong as China's leader, in 1978 did. It was Deng who declared that he did not care what colour his cat was, so long as it caught the mice. And what happened in China thereafter is history. After throwing out socialism , Deng embraced pragmatism and then followed the double digit growth of China for

ELECTION 2016 the next 30 years. In short, whoever wins the next Kerala elections and takes up the reins of the Government, determined efforts for strengthening the Infrastructure would be there. What are the major infrastructural Projects that Keralites would want their next Govt. to take up. At the top of the Table will be the much delayed and much maligned National Highway widening Project. We have to make available enough land to make six lane National Highway here. Today, the people who enjoy the road frontage will be forced to move out and the people whose lands were lying behind, with no access to the highway hitherto, suddenly will find themselves enjoying the frontage of the widened road! And without any effort or investment on their part! This is the biggest point of objection to land acquisition. Make all the people who lose their lands as beneficiaries of the Project and all opposition to developmental schemes will melt away. If the road is to be made 45 metre wide, acquire land for making it 90 metre wide, so that after making the 45 metre road you are left with

enough land to accommodate all the land owners in good commercially valuable roadside plots on either side of the widened Highway. Pragmatic policies like this should be marketed patiently and land acquisition will become a cakewalk!

quality of life better, it will help improve the capacity utilization of our prestigious LNG terminal which is crying for attention. Making the Trivandrum- Mangalore Rail line a six lane track- three tracks in either direction- should be our aim. Of course, this, along with the installation of new signaling system and complete electrification will solve Kerala's transportation problem. Every half an hour a Train should leave from both Trivandrum and Mangalore. The bus system should mainly serve as feeder system to the different Railway Stations on the way. The development of the Ports and the revamping of the Electricity Generation and Distribution systems are other priorities. Let us hope that the next Govt. in Kerala will usher in a new era of development in Kerala following pragmatic policies and evolving solutions to the problems faced by the people.

Improving all our National Waterways and making them busy commercially viable transportation lanes, is a must for Kerala's growth. distributing cooking gas through pipelines into your kitchen will not only make the

The author is former Addl Chief Secretary of Tamilnadu, former Chairman of Rubber Board, former Chairman of Federal Bank, President of the Farmers Association, Infam and leading Anti Corruption activist.

Let us hope that the next Govt. in Kerala will usher in a new era of development in Kerala following pragmatic policies and evolving solutions to the problems faced by the people.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

Career options

CAREER

What are the best career options after 12th? I

t depends upon the stream in which you completed your Intermediate.

If you are from science stream then you could choose a career in engineering or medicine. If you are from commerce then you could for B.Com similarly if you happened to be from Arts then you might like to go for B.A.

Environmental, Food, Fire, Industrial, Instrumentation, Leather, Marine, Mechanical, Mining & Metallurgical, Nano technology, Printing, Production, Plastic & polymer, Highway, Rubber, Genetic, Telecommunication, Textile Architecture Commercial Pilot Merchant Navy

IT or Information Technology – Application Programmer, Database First we shall look at the career Administrator, Information options for science students. Here we Technologist, Medical need to see for students who have Transcriptionist, Network taken Math and who have not. Administrator, Software Engineer, System Architect, Technology So with math we call it PCM that is Manager, Web Developer, Multimedia physics, chemistry and mathematics Designer and without math is PCB same for P and C for B it is biology. Hardware – Hardware Design And One thing you have to keep in mind Development Engineer, Design and that if you do not have math then Development of Computer Hardware, you cannot go for engineering. You Design And Development of have to choose other fields like Customized Microprocessor, Design pharmacy. and development of networking hardware, Service Maintenance Hence, after matriculation you should Engineers/technician choose your combination carefully. Defense Services – Indian Army, We will talk about best career options Indian Air Force for officers for both PCM students as well as Physical Science – Chemist, PCB students. Mathematician, Astronomy, Forensic PCM Students Science, Geographer, Geologist, Engineering – Aerospace, Nuclear Physicist, Oceanography, Agricultural, Automobile, Operation Research, Astrophysicist, Biochemical, Bio Medical, Physicist, Statistician Biotechnology, Bio Instrumentation, Pharmacy – Clinical Research Bio Informatics, Broad cast PCB Students technician, Ceramic, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Construction, Electrical, Medicine – Doctor – Ophthalmic, Electronic, Engineer Manager, Ophthalmic, Gynecology, Dermatology, For science students

Orthopedics, Orthopedics, Radiology, Electro logy, Endocrinology, Cardiology, Plastic Surgeon, General Surgeons, Neuron Surgeons, Pediatrician, Thoracic Surgeons, Trauma Surgeons, Urologist, Sexologist, Gastroenterology, Oncology, Anesthesiology, Psychiatry, ENT/Ear nose Throat Specialist, Pathologist Homeopathy Ayurvedic Dentist Unani Para Medical – Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy, Audiology, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Medical Lab Technology ,Optometry and Ophthalmic technology, Nutrition And Dietetics Allied Fields – EEG technician, Hospital manager/Administrator, Medical lab technologist, Nuclear medicine technologist, Radiation technology, Pathology technology, Respiratory therapist, Sonographer technician, Operation theatre assistant, Naturopathy, Yoga therapy, Massage therapy, Acupressure, Acupuncture Vetinary Science Biotechnology Biosciences – Agriculturist, Botanist, Zoologist, Microbiologist, Biologist, Horticulturist, Floriculturist, Environmental Science, Pharmacy: Clinical Research Home Science

Pallikkutam | April 2016

CAREER

If you are from science then you could choose a career in engineering or medical. If you are from commerce then you could for B.com similarly if you happened to be from Arts then you might like to go for B.A. Bio Medical Bio Chemist Fishery Science Forestry And Wildlife Marine Biology Food Technologist For commerce students If you have taken commerce after 10th then also you have some great career choices to make. You all know chartered account is a dream of every commerce graduate.

Education management, NGO management, Rural Management, Operation And Logistics Management, Export Management, Family business management, Material management, Financial Management, Business Development Management. Finance: Certified Financial Analyst â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CFA , Certified Financial Planner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CFP. Company Secretary

Computers: Software development, System Architect, Web developers, Multimedia designer, System/IT manager, Database Administrator, Data However, now there are many other processing assistant/ Data entry options that a commerce graduate can operator, Servicing and Maintenance choose. So here are some of the course technician, Technology management that you can go for. Economist Banking : Retail / personal banking, Corporate banking, Merchant banking, For arts students Treasury group, Rural banking, Third stream is arts. Arts students Product management, Loans executive have many options to choose a best Accounts: Chartered Accountant, career them. Unfortunately, arts in Cost And Work Accountant, Certified India are not considered to be a great Financial Analyst, Certified financial career choice. planner But this is not true and you have Insurance: Actuarial Science, plenty of options available. Insurance and Risk management, Psychology: Industrial psychology, Insurance surveyor, Insurance Social psychology, Counseling surveyor, Insurance agent psychology, Clinical psychology, Investments: Equity Research Special education, Learning disability, Analyst, Investment Banker, Mutual Human development, Human fund executive, Stock Broker, Capital resources, Mental retardation market manager, Forex Dealer, Venture Sociology: General Sociology, Capitalist, Real estate Indian Society, Social Work, Sociology Management: Human Resource of health, Science and Technology, Management, Brand Management, Environment, Sociology of religion, Event Management, International Occupational sociology, Cultural business management, Market studies, Social exclusion and Inclusive Research Management, Retail policy, Social anthropology, Sociology Management, Marketing And Sales and Mass media, Gender and Society, Management, Technology Sociological theories, Social management, Disaster management,

Pallikkutam | April 2016

demography, Industrial sociology, Criminology Economics: Agricultural Economics, Business Economics, Quantitative Economics Philosophy Literature: Linguist Law: Company Secretary, Legal writing, Defense writing, Notary, Law process out sourcing, Solicitor, Civil law, Criminal law, Corporate law, Property law, Securities law, Income tax law, International law, Property law, Information technology law History: Heritage Management, Curator Geography: Philosophy in geography, Applied geography, Geographic information science and systems, Geographical cartography, Remote sensing and Geographic information science, Geo informatics Anthropology: Physical or Biological anthropology, Social anthropology, Prehistoric anthropology, Applied anthropology, Linguistic anthropology, Forensic anthropology Archaeology: Medical archeology, Eastern archeology, Marine time archeology, Archeological heritage management, Egyptology, Epigraphy, Numismatics, Landscape archeology, Ethnography Public administration Library Sciences Teaching Therefore, whether you are from science, commerce or arts there are plenty of courses to choose from and make a right for your career.

CAREER

Indian Army Brigadier NV Nair (retd)

had the good fortune of donning the army Olive Green uniform for 37 years. When I look back, I am more than convinced that joining army was in my destiny. Apart from my abstract claim (being a Nair), of the heritage of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nair Pattalamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; / Nair Army of the erstwhile Travancore princely state (my native place Arookutty was part of it), I had no other claim for Army !. Being an agile boy, I was a cadet in Auxiliary Cadet Corps (ACC) in our school & National Cadet Corps (NCC) in my colleges ie Sacred Heart & Maharajas. It was in such an

A challenging career environment that I developed an attraction towards uniform and the Army, knowing very little what it really was. I wanted to join the Army as an officer only. I was lucky to pass the all India UPSC entrance

channelized to other careers in due course. My reflections of army life In my experience, Army is a very fair organisation which goes by only merit

Army as an ideal career for youth. Career in the Army is more than a routine job, it is a way of life. examination for the Indian Military Academy & the next stage of Service Selection Board interviews in the first attempt itself. Otherwise, I might have been

& that is why I, without any background as such, could rise to a flag rank of a Brigadier holding responsible positions in the chain of national security. I proudly recall the occasions, in one, I could brief the then President of India, Smt Pratibha Patil on a

Pallikkutam | April 2016

CAREER strategic weapon system that we were holding and on another occasion, could conduct Shri George Fernandes, the then Defense Minister in the border areas of Rajastan during his visit to troops deployed in border areas. I also fondly recall when I, as a junior Major, holding an Operational staff appointment, was deputed by my commander to meet Shri Nripen Chakravarthy, the then CM of Tripura on his behalf for an operational interaction.

Army is truly a secular organisation and a true representation of India.

the demands of the occasions & delivered. Lives of many soldiers were also martyred during these endeavours. It is heartening to note I have served on all our border areas that public hold army in high esteem & I consider that it is a privilege for any with our neighbouring countries and citizen to serve in the Army. I have was posted in 18 odd cantonments all experienced that Army is truly a over India. Armed forces, of which secular organisation and a true Army is the premier component, are representation of India. It is because of entrusted with the primary and most the 24/7 vigil of the armed forces on important responsibility of ensuring our borders that others are able to lead the safety & integrity of our country. a peaceful life within the country and Army is the ultimate weapon at the disposal of the state. It has been called engage in economic activities. upon to defend the nation many times Army as an ideal career for youth. in the past, may it be in the 1947, 1965, Career in the Army is more than a 1971 and Kargil wars with Pakistan or routine job, it is a way of life. Even the 1962 war with China & numerous after considering the plethora of counter-insurgency operations in choices of careers available to our many states of India. On all these youth in the civic street, I would occasions The Army always rose up to always recommend them to go in for a

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career in the Army, provided they have a genuine affinity for it. Their suitability for service in the army will in any case be determined by the selection boards. I am recommending a career in the army for suitable youth for the following reasons :-

♦

A wonderful balance of work & good quality of life.

♦ Can contribute in the sacred duty of defending our mother land. ♦

Can see real India and also pursue an adventurous life.

♦ Physical fitness is intrinsic in the daily routine. ♦

Command of troops and mutual trust is a bliss to be experienced to understand.

♦

It is a noble job, well respected by the society.

♦

Pay is comparable to other top govt. jobs. I exhort our youth to take up the challenging career of serving in our Army.

The author served the Indian Army for 35 years.

Ad SCENE

New trends in advertising

Alluring Ads Thomson K. George

magine a life without ever sipping your favorite soft drink, hanging out at your choice fast food joint, sporting the trendy sneakers you’re so proud of or donning your preferred pair of jeans… pretty tough, eh? But just think that your parent generation, without having access to any of these modern joys, found their life just as pleasurable as you do today. This makes it evident that these jollies are not needs that are essential for life but mere wants you strongly crave for. Why life isn't delightful enough if you can't enjoy them? The answer is simple – a new age of cultivated wants has dawned and its advertising that does the trick. Put simply, advertising is a form of marketing communication used to promote or sell something, usually a business's product or service. It has to be crafted carefully and should reach the target audience with sufficient intensity to achieve the intended result. It’s creativity that makes an ad stand out from the clutter of numerous other competing ads. In the creation of print ads, a team is usually entrusted with the task. A creative director heads the team which includes copywriters, visualizers and graphic designers. They’re briefed by account executives

who’ve the responsibility of particular brands/clients. Any member of the group can have the spark of a creative idea. When it’s decided to build upon a catchy theme, the copywriter comes up with an arresting caption and suitable descriptive content (called the body copy) for the ad. The imagery of the ad is developed by the visualizer and graphic designers with the aid of software suites like photoshop, corel draw and illustrator. The creative director shall closely oversee the progress with inputs and suggestions of his own. TV commercials also are created through a multistage activity that allows ample interplay between creativity and technology. Earlier, in the golden era of the print media, advertising was mostly print ads or display ads. Then came the television age and lively TV commercials started captivating audiences right away. This duo, print and TV, seemed to hold an eternal sway over the advertising scene with hardly any competition in sight; only to be rudely shaken by the advent of the information age and internet. From the quintessentially traditional print ads to the modern precincts of online advertising, an elemental transition is well underway.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

Ad SCENE

Representing the modern wave in advertising, internet advertising has evolved to be the ultimate marketing machine. Thanks to the power of the internet, advertising is becoming less wasteful and its value more measurable. The new advertising models based on internet are usually interactive in the sense that they make consumers take the initiative to interact with what they find online. For businesses that want to stay ahead of the curve, multiple tools are now available on the internet to reach customers. A few of the new advertising/ marketing strategies are AdWords, QR codes, co-branding, and also content marketing. AdWords As compared to print and television where you can cast a message only blindly in a general direction, online advertising tools like AdWords let an advertiser minimize wasted expenditure and guarantee more quantifiable results. A google product, AdWords works by putting advertising links next to relevant search results and charging only for clicks. QR Codes A QR code, or a “quick response” code can be scanned by consumers to retrieve additional information about a

Pallikkutam | April 2016

product or service. They can be scanned by a smartphone. By using a QR code generator, a company can make a QR code and place the symbol on its business cards, brochures, coupons and even print ads. Co-Branding Co-branding is a joint venture that combines the advertising efforts of two or more brands to create a new consumer product. This elevates the brand awareness of the products and heightens consumer interest in those brands. Content Marketing Content marketing is a term that began gaining popularity with the birth of social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter. Content marketing includes advertorials (newspaper or magazine articles that are written editorially to promote your product), blogs or any other kind of content that is published on the web for promotional purposes. These trends clearly sketch out what modern technology means for brands. Without any doubt, it’s a win-win situation that’s emerging for everybody involved- advertisers, brands and most importantly, consumers.

The author is a Kochi based copywriter and advertising consultant.

PERSONAL

Help me.. I am good for nothing Sajith Malliyoor

Constant self-criticism can drain our energy and confidence and people who criticize themselves harshly are more likely to become depressed, anxious and lonely.

am a young, aspiring writer in my mid-twenties. I have completed my post graduate education and currently preparing for PhD in a social science subject. I was brought up in a conservative religious family background and my parents used to always push me for higher achievements all along my student years. When I think about it now, probably I have internalised my parent’s behaviour towards me; that I am highly critical of myself! I criticise myself very much and can’t forgive me even for minor mistakes. For example, results of a competitive examination which I had appeared for came out in the last week and I failed to clear it. Since then I have been incessantly beating myself for not being good enough. Things don’t have to be so drastic like examinations, even small issues like buying a wrong or damaged item lands me in thoughts like ‘I am not good for anything’. On a typical day, I find myself all drained up and tired towards the evening because of this nonstop critical dialogue. I became aware of what I am doing to myself only very recently and I am

trying to stop this monologue ever since, but nothing seems to help! Could you please help in getting rid of this habit? For all of us, there is a continuous monologue going on in our head, constantly assessing, evaluating, criticising and appreciating our acts and deeds. When the content of this monologue is more towards negative evaluation of ourselves, we call it selfcriticism. Self-criticism is typically experienced as negative internal thoughts about one's self or, more specifically, about one’s behaviours or attributes. The good side of the selfcriticism is that it may often help facilitate the process of learning from one’s mistakes and can also be helpful when one attempts to overcome areas of weakness or unwanted habits. It can be a healthy way to increase selfawareness and achieve personal growth, but it may also prove a barrier to one’s self-esteem and peace of mind. People often assume that such self-critical statements somehow safeguard us against laziness, mistakes and complacency; that they’ll somehow keep us in line and ensure

we achieve our goals. But that is not always true. At times it can also trigger feelings of shame, guilt, sadness, anger, frustration, embarrassment, disappointment and hopelessness. Constant self-criticism can drain our energy and confidence and people who criticize themselves harshly are more likely to become depressed, anxious and lonely. We shall begin by making a distinction between unconstructive self-criticism and constructive self-criticism. Unconstructive criticism is vague, applying broadly rather than on a specific behaviour. Examples include statements like, “I am a failure’, I can’t do anything right”,” I am not good enough’, I will never get better” etc. These statements do not focus on any particular behaviour that can be improved upon. Rather, they apply a negative mind-set in an all-encompassing manner. Therefore, they may be more likely to affect confidence and contribute to the development of both physical and mental health concerns. Constructive criticism, on the other hand, provides specific insight into what went wrong

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PERSONAL and what to do differently next time; it’s considerate and respectful; it focuses on the work, not the person; and it speaks to both strengths and weaknesses. Examples of constructive criticism are statements like, “I shouldn’t have stayed up so late last night.”, “I watched too much TV and didn’t study for my exam. I can’t do that anymore.”, “I scolded my son too harshly. I should remain calm while correcting him in the future.” These statements focus on a particular aspect of behaviour that an individual wishes to improve. They are constructive rather than simply negative. This type of criticism is often more likely to lead to improved behaviour and modifications of perceived shortcomings. Conventional therapeutic approaches towards excessive self-criticism focus on Cognitive Behaviour therapy strategies, which equip the person to identify, challenge and falsify the negative thoughts. But here I am suggesting another strategy adapted from Dr Ruth Baer, who is a prominent Clinical Psychologist and the author of the book, ‘The Practicing Happiness Workbook’. Her approach is based on the Mindfulness Psychology, which is rapidly gaining ground the field of Clinical Psychology. Here I am going to describe some of the strategies suggested by her. Understand your patterns First, it’s important to gain a better grasp of your self-criticism patterns. Pay attention to your self-critical thoughts and write down the following: Day and time of each thought. The situation that triggered the thought and what you were criticizing yourself about. “What was going on? Were other people involved? Was it your behaviour, thoughts, feelings or urges?”

emotions, physical sensations or urges? How did it affect your behaviour? Did you do anything selfdefeating? What would you say to a friend who was in the same situation? Be mindful of your thoughts When we have self-critical thoughts we often assume they’re 100 percent true, an accurate reflection of reality. But the actual reality is that they’re not. Our thoughts aren’t necessarily realistic or even meaningful. And we don’t have to believe them or act on them. By being mindful of our thoughts, we simply observe them, without judging them, believing them or taking them seriously. For instance, “you recognize that I’m so incompetent is just a thought … You observe the emotions that it triggers and the urges that follow. Then you say to yourself, Okay, I made a mistake, and now I’m feeling embarrassed and frustrated and I’m tempted to give up and go home.”Then you can figure out a constructive next step, remembering to treat yourself as you would a good friend in the same situation. Baer suggests labeling self-critical thoughts as thoughts when they arise. Include these phrases in front of those thoughts: “I’m having the thought that…” or “I’m noticing the thought that…” For instance, “I can’t do anything right,” becomes “I’m having

the thought that I can’t do anything right.” If you’re having multiple thoughts, you can say, “I’m noticing a lot of selfcritical thoughts right now.” Experiment with self-criticism If you think that self-criticism is still the best way to lead a fulfilling life, try this two-day experiment. On the first day, criticize yourself like you normally would. On the second day, practice observing your thoughts without judgment (and the exercise above) and give yourself only constructive criticism. For both days, pay attention to how you feel and how you behave. Consider these questions: “How does it compare to a typical day? How motivated are you to pursue your goals? Are you achieving more or less than usual? Is your behaviour constructive and consistent with your goals?” Pay attention to how each day differs. As Baer writes, “There’s a good chance you’ll discover that you’re happier and more effective when you’re kind and constructive with yourself.”

Send queries to malliyoor@outlook.com (Sajith Malliyoor regrets he cannot enter into personal correspondence)

“There’s a good chance you’ll discover that you’re happier and more effective when you’re kind and constructive with yourself.”

The specific self-critical thought. “What were you saying to yourself?” What happened after you criticized yourself? What were your thoughts,

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EDU BIZ

Can technology reshape the future of education?

igital is the buzz word, in this age of technology. The world, as we have known, has transformed in just under a decade, growing and evolving on the wings of revolutionary digital innovations. Mobility and connectivity are the most important advantages of technology. It has brought in a revolution in education sector. We are aware that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;educationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a key enabler for socioeconomic growth, whilst nurturing the youth who could reshape the future of our country. With more than 20 million students enrolled every year, the Indian higher education

system is the third largest, after the US and China, in terms of sheer numbers. The main challenges that plague our higher education system include

grow, thereby attracting increased investments in the sector. There have been several advancements in this area (including the MOOCs) that have

Mobility and connectivity are the most important advantages of technology. It has brought in a revolution in education sector. access, parity and merit. Meeting these challenges is possible with the help of technology. While infrastructural constraints and delivery issues prevail, the dependence on technology for imparting education will continue to

disrupted the way education is delivered, creating a new gold-class industry sector called Educational Technology or Ed-tech. From healthcare to governance to manufacturing to education, there is

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EDU BIZ no domain that is not being powered by technology. Education is one area where new technology will have the greatest transformational impact. India’s schools and higher education system are under great pressure. Lack of infrastructure, poor quality of teaching, teacher absenteeism, high dropout rates of students and a host of other challenges have prevented the country from achieving its goal of 100% literacy. Technology can reverse this situation and play an important role in making education a key pillar of national development. Education can serve as the tool that will help India convert its currently uneducated youth into employable, job-ready resources that can help the country

group by 2025, will only be able to put this high potential manpower to use if the country can educate and train it in the right manner. Here’s where technology can step in. Our education system, especially private sector institutions, has already embraced state-of-the-art methodologies to deliver premier education that conforms to highest global standards. In such schools, whiteboards have replaced blackboards, and tablet computers, projectors, digital cameras and online games have made an appearance.

leverage its much talked about demographic dividend.

locations, thereby enabling teachers to expand their reach. As a result, the overall efficiency of the education system is expected to improve. With the introduction of technology in the classroom, students are likely to take more interest in the curriculum and unleash their creativity. Technology will also bring the fun back into learning. The new academic year will certainly be a showcase of many out-of-the-box ideas that deliver ‘student delight’. We also expect to see greater deployment of the cloud to deliver learning flexibly and conveniently to users. As it has become more secure, the cloud has emerged as a new delivery model and a platform of choice for institutions including colleges, schools and universities. These citadels of learning are expanding their footprint across India (some even across the world), and reaching the unreached without making heavy financial investments. They are leveraging the infrastructure provided by service providers to host their programmes and make available online courses ‘off-the-cloud’. Others, meanwhile, are

Technology-enabled learning provides several advantages. These could be in the form of integrated approach of learning in universities or simply as standalone knowledge modules to enhance or substitute the learning that happens in higher educational institutes. The uniqueness lies in providing the learner an opportunity to access study material anytime, anywhere, on any connected device or platform. Online platforms provide access to quality education from top educators to millions of deserving students in the remotest of regions. Ed-tech is instrumental in addressing the demand-supply gap for quality education. India, which will have 47 million people in the working age

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This trend, of course, has to become widespread. In 2016, therefore, we can expect to see a significant churn in the education vertical - a change that is led by technology innovation. We are sure to see technology, especially e-learning, making a real difference to the school education system sooner rather than later. This will allow high quality education material to reach remote

EDU BIZ setting up their own campuses in the cloud, as a pathway to higher growth. Over the course of the year, we are likely to see more cloud campuses appearing on the landscape and highquality education being accessed by a large number of learners, on a ‘payper-use’ basis. Another trend that is expected to gain momentum is the delivery of video over the cloud - a model that several countries in Africa are successfully deploying to train teachers and make faculty worldclass costeffectively. With mobility proliferating in India, another platform for providing learning, going forward, will be the smartphone/ tablet. Educational institutions will be looking to link their teachers and learners over the mobile platform and use it to offer content, tools, data and services. Finally, social media will be the other big game-changer in the emerging educational landscape. Increasingly, educational institutions are using their social media sites to communicate with their learners, connect them to faculty, create discussion and feedback platforms,

Online platforms provide access to quality education from top educators to millions of deserving students in the remotest of regions.

quality education are major motivations for many students, others cite the ability to pursue and imbibe specific skills online as an advantage. In this digital era, with educational applications and websites available to us at the click of a button, the growth of higher education through technology is a promising one, having a positive impact on the academic and career dreams of students from any part of the country. Further, we can expect collaborative learning to go mainstream. This trend, fuelled by portals such as Moodle - which enables students to share notes and course content, upload assignments, and chat with peers and teachers - will become more visible.

We can also expect to see more and more educational institutions integrate with and leverage social media apps such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to offer content to learners. share content, and scale their learning experience. Recent research has shown It is becoming increasingly apparent that technology will be the tool that that social media platforms, when will draw India’s educational system integrated with student programmes, into the 21st century, making it a can boost student participation and powerful driver of the country’s reduce dropout rates (source: BBC Active). While low-cost, flexibility and economy.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

CREA TIVE LIVING CREATIVE

Put on thinking hats and make sound decisions

The method of Six Thinking Hats has influenced the decision making processes of large number of institutions round the world. Dr. Varghese Panthalookaran

hen it comes to taking a collective decision, the ego of the decision makers sharpens itself. People become overly concerned about personal angularities and shy away from taking suitable decisions. And they fail to make best out of their available possibilities. This applies to families, to institutions and to different decision making bodies. Decisions are caught between the

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horns of parties involved in the decision making. Detractors often succeed in creating lack of interest in those who could have contributed to informed decisions. Partisan interests may promote exclusion of creative people from participating in the decision making processes. How to make the decision making process effective? How could an

institution promote its decision makers to selflessly support the mission of the institution? How to accommodate different aspects of thinking to support decision making? In his book â&#x20AC;&#x153;Six Thinking Hatsâ&#x20AC;? (Little Brown and Company, 1985), Edward de Bono, prominent creative thinking guru of modern times presents a powerful method of managing thought

CREA TIVE LIVING CREATIVE processes that leads to excellent decision making. The method of Six Thinking Hats has influenced the decision making processes of large number of institutions round the world. The six hats: Six shades of thinking The six hats visualized in this method are characterized by distinct colors each symbolizing unique modes of thinking that may assist the decision making process. The six colors are: Blue, White, Red, Black, Yellow and Green. The members of the decision making team are expected to wear the attitudes represented by these hats as they climb different steps in the process.

feelings about the issue. Free flow of emotions is welcome at this stage of discussion. The red color used at this stage represents the vulnerabilities involved in the issue and allows the

institution could be seriously impaired by amateur decisions. The yellow colored hat stands for the optimism of the members of the decision making team. They shall apply logic to see the benefits of a particular decision. When there are multiple solutions against a specific problem, the team must be equipped to visualize them as different aspects of the same solution. They need to identify the unifying thread within different aspects of the solution. The yellow color thus represents a sense of optimism and inner harmony.

Finally, the green colored hat signifies creativeness of the participants, which enables them to The blue colored hat capture innovative represents the solutions to the questions related to given problem. There the organization and is no ready-made management of the solution to a given meeting. Blue hat is Hats of different colors can be seen as problem and hence worn by the team as representing different shades of thinking improvisation is a they deliberate on must. There are no questions like: What or different directions of thinking that beaten paths is the point of the towards a solution, are necessary to reach at decisive discussion? What which is futuristic shall be the targeted enough. Old solutions to the given problem. goals or outcomes of procedures and the deliberation? What shall be the stakeholders to give vent to what solutions may fit well to the problems procedures to arrive at them? moves them at heart. The black colored of olden times. They may guide the The white colored hat represents participants in solving the problem at hat reminds the participants of the provision of necessary background need of discernment. Feasibility of the hand. However, they shall not restrict information of the problem. The solution of a new problem. New suggested solution is thoroughly information availed of shall be chaste, ascertained at this stage. At the end of problems deserve new solutions. In impartial, accurate. It needs to be the day, the discussion team is fact, new problems emerge as the old complete, covering all essential solutions do not fit any more. Hence supposed to posit workable solutions aspects of the problem at hand. The the procedures to reach at new only. Decision makers are expected to white color reminds the participants of be cautious about the impacts of their solutions shall not entirely draw on the dire need of making information those of the past. It shall rather be decisions and to be conservative pure and complete. The red colored hat enough to take calculated risks only. creative and fresh, signified by the is used to encourage people to express Otherwise the sustainability of the green color. their first hand intuitions and gut

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CREA TIVE LIVING CREATIVE Hats of different colors can be seen as representing different shades of thinking or different directions of thinking that are necessary to reach at decisive solutions to the given problem. Such solutions shall not be arbitrary; rather shall be arrived at with a stipulated procedure. They shall not be taken against the facts and realities; rather shall account for all relevant information available. They shall not be insensitive to what moves the hearts of the stakeholders; rather shall take cues from the intuitivist reactions from them. They shall not overstep the rationale; rather shall be taken with due discernment. They shall not mock the positivity of the stakeholders and their optimism; rather shall benefit from their hope of a bright future. They shall not be old and redundant; rather shall be novel and adequately creative. A wholesome solution to a problem shall appropriate all these characteristics. A typical conduct of a six hats meeting The common practice is to start and end the meeting with the blue hat, when the team decides upon the objectives of the meeting as a group and decides upon the procedures of the meeting to arrive at a final decision. The discussion may then move to red hat thinking, when the unbiased first reactions and opinions of the members of the team are explored, which may define the broad framework of the solution sought after. Care must be taken to halve the time allotted for red hat thinking in comparison to that allotted for all other hats. Prolonged use of red hat thinking would essentially lead to judgmental thinking, which is not healthy for a healthy decision. The yellow and green hat thinking shall follow it, which motivates the team to generate alternative ideas and possible exits. This is typically followed by a white hat action, an effort to pool

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all relevant information and facts on the issue. The participants may corroborate the emerging solutions against the available information. Finally, the black hat thinking shall be pursued to radically criticize the final solution and ensure its feasibility, viability and sustainability. Benefits of six hats thinking In usual team thinking, the roles of individual members are generally assumed or pre-determined. There will be leaders who stipulate the goals and modes of discussion (blue hat thinking), members who surprise everybody with their rustic and sporadic reactions (red hat thinking),

The six hat thinking method provides a balanced process of decision making, incorporating different modes of thinking and availing of the different thinking skills of parents and children put together.

those who are devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advocates (black hat thinking), those optimists who reassure the team their positive outlook (yellow hat thinking), those who are equipped to provide creative solutions (green hat thinking) and those who are impregnated with facts and figures related to the problem (white hat thinking). The individual attitudes and preferences of a member fix his/her role in a decision making discussion. Such a branding could restrict the participants from thinking in different modes and thus cause colossal waste of the human resources at the disposal of the team. It inhibits emergence of a holistic solution to the problem at hand. On the other hand, the six hats method provides opportunities to all stakeholders to think differently and makes use of their different thinking skills to solve a given problem. Decision making in a family In a patriarchic or matriarchic set up decision making is supposed to be the function of the head of the family, be it the father or mother. Other members of the family including children are not supposed to be part of the decision making process. However, in many modern families, children are the be all and end all of decision making. They determine the outcomes of any decision made in the family, and hence radically color the decision making process. In all these hierarchical or flat models, collective decision making is impaired due to the lack of exercise of different thinking skills in the process. It converts families into battle fields of self-destructive emotions, where creative decisions are seldom taken. The six hat thinking method provides a balanced process of decision making, incorporating different modes of thinking and availing of the different thinking skills of parents and children put together. However, a concrete six hat thinking strategy for a family is yet to be devised.

GUEST COLUMN

Should we not think about Culture? K. L. Mohana Varma

ecently our Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi wrote to the Prime Minister Narendra Modiji that the prestigious ‘Make in India’ program will prove to be a “big disaster” if child labour laws are not strengthened. If investors are coming from foreign countries to manufacture in India and if your laws are weak in child labour in comparison to international standards then it will become a big disaster. He praised the program as a great move, but it exposed this serious weakness of the country. No progress can be commended as successful if it is

achieved on the toil, miseries and abuses of young children.

I was wondering. Where did we go wrong? Was this part of our culture?

Child labour became a matter of serious concern for the Indian society only after trade and industry made inroads to the pattern of life our society was following from historical times. The best example of such inroads is a tea shop. Anywhere in India we will find boys, human spiders that go crawling in between and under the tables with rags in their hands, crushed humans in crushed uniforms and sluggish, doing their jobs well with honesty, dedication and sincerity.

The novelist Aravind Adiga in his Booker award winning novel The White Tiger said. India, in its days of greatness, when it was the richest nation on earth, was like a zoo. A clean, well kept orderly zoo. Everyone in his place, everyone happy. Goldsmiths here. Cowherds there. Landlords there. The man called Halwai made sweets. The cowherd tended cows. The untouchables cleaned faces. Landlords were kind to the serfs. Women covered their heads with a veil and turned their

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GUEST COLUMN

Child labour became a matter of serious concern for the Indian society only after trade and industry made inroads to the pattern of life our society was following from historical times eyes to the ground when talking to strange men. Then on 15th august 1947, the cages had been left open and the animals had attacked and ripped each other apart and jungle law replaced zoo law. The children from the poor families were the worst affected and were the least cared for. This dilemma is really much more serious than we educated can visualize. It is cutting across the entire conception of our culture. The famed Indian culture. Let us examine it.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

Now I started asking myself. What is Culture? Culture can be described as the net result or manifestation of beliefs and practices, attitudes and behaviors, customs and legends, music and dance, sculpture and architecture, crafts and paintings, attitudes towards animals and nature, husband and wife relationship and innumerable other factors. In India, all these are rooted in and are an integral part of the society, irrespective of religion, caste, sect, language or vocation. The Indian culture is the Indian heritage, which are a blend of the ancient teachings

and the influence of foreigners who came to India over the centuries and settled down here permanently. Indian culture has assimilated what came to her bosom and also accommodated beliefs of tribal people at one end and the abstruse and complex theories and postulates of Brahmanism and Advaitha. The other unique feature of Indian culture, unlike in other civilizations, is that all aspects of life and their relationships, including those with sub-human forms of life and inert matter are beautifully and organically integrated in it. The Indian worships Shakthi, the eternal force and he has

GUEST COLUMN sacred witness of fire in all his activities. He cannot claim to be an Indian unless he respects the trees, rivers and the environment around him. He has a moral duty to help the elderly, sick and the poor. He has to accept the fact that the man, animal and nature are in symbolic relationship and are inter related and mutually dependant and all the three entities have an equal right to live in harmony. The longest journey one has to take in order to reach oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own self is going beyond through the entire world. Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cultural homogeneity was the result of such journeys through the entire civilizations and philosophies around the world from pre-historic times to present times of Mahatma Gandhi. The saga of this

of togetherness of the dating system of the current western society, but also had a great message. The message that the youth must be served, that freedom and happiness are more to be treasured than any material gain, that friendliness and sympathy, hospitality and unity, are of prime importance in social interaction. And please note, this was a society existing more than 5000 years back, much before the religions appeared on the on the scene or the much advanced Mohanjadaro and Harappan civilizations paved the way for Aryans who were still the nomadic tribes in central Asia. The physical sophistication of aesthetics and town planning might not have been to the level of Mohenjadaro and Harappa, but these pre-historic tribal societies

The children from the poor families were the worst affected and were the least cared for. This dilemma is really much more serious than we educated can visualize. It is cutting across the entire conception of our culture. most adventurous, enterprising and thrilling inter action is the Indian History. Though very little physical proof of the earliest civilization in India is available, the last centuryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s archeological discoveries in Bhim Baitak caves in Madhya Pradesh has revealed the existence of a fairly advanced civilization more than 15 thousand years back. Then comes the pre Dravidian Negro asteroid and semi Mongolian tribes, who had almost maintained their cultural identity till now. A fine example is that of the murias of tribal Bastar area whose much-publicized cultural tradition of ghotul system where young adolescents, boys and girls are required to dance and sleep together is well known. Here the sex becomes part of the natural development. It is controlled and the physical expression is beautiful, clean and precious and is typically Indian. It has all the intimacy and expression

were passing on a cultural fine stream of ethics and values, to the latter Dravidian and Aryan settlers. The composite nature of the Indian culture is the outcome of the Indian heritage as distinct from the Hindu religion. India had no religion to call its own. Over a period of time, the Aryan and Dravidian cultures began to merge and along with the already existing tribal culture, a way of life, a new civilization began to surface. Aryan thoughts blended with the philosophy of the older civilizations. A combination of the divisions that existed within the society of these cultures gave rise to a stratified, hierarchical Indian society. The term Hindu, signifying the people of the land of the Indus River, a highly organized civilization that discovered the use of iron and built cities across north India, now applies to a comprehensive Indian culture.

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GUEST COLUMN It is interesting to note that out of 49 civilizations discovered to have existed in various parts of human habitations prior to the first millennium, a great majority has completely perished, few like the all-conquering Greek and Roman have become mere archaeological tourist attractions, and only one, the Indian civilization, still retains its singular and unique position. One of the reasons may be the fact that India was always at the receiving end of foreign powers attacking and conquering the country and India never retaliated militarily and subjugated foreign nations. History records that India had been attacked 69 times in all and most of the parts of the Indian peninsula were under the invaders rule for the last 1000 years. In the west, during the medieval period, the state colluded and conspired with religious institutions leading to many evil consequences and terrible brutalities. Therefore for good reasons the state and religion were deliberately separated. This separation eliminated conflicts

between the temporal life and faith of the citizens. Thus in most of the other countries, religion were deemed to be a private relationship between man and God. In India, the position was different. Every religion got a fertile ground in India. The centuries of passive acceptance of different religions was what happened in India. In every other country, after the invasion and subjugation, the victor re-wrote history. In India, the history rewrote the victor. All religions had their own ethics and morals, which were more or less on the same lines. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon of the mount are the same as that of the teachings of Buddha. But ethics and morals need not necessarily depend on religion, and can stand on their own as humanistic ideas. Religion encompasses ethics and morals; but religion is far more than that India was and still is a deeply spiritual country. Here the human activities and relationships are strongly influenced by the teachings over hundreds of

years by waves of ideas brought by successive invaders, political and religious. They made a permanent home in India and their teachings became an almost indistinguishable part of Indian culture. It has often been said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If there is one place on the face of the earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began to dream of existence, it is India.â&#x20AC;? India is a land of diversities. In religion, color, creed, ethnicity, language, food habits, dress habits, marital systems, social rituals and what not. Still there is a thread of unity, a vibrant receptiveness that overrides all other considerations and gives a distinct character to what can be termed as Indian culture. Are we just skidding away from it with the advent of rampant commercialism and forgetting even our poor children? Should we not do something about it?

The author is a Kochi-based novelist, short story writer and columnist.

Are we just skidding away from it with the advent of rampant commercialism and forgetting even our poor children? Should we not do something about it?

Pallikkutam | April 2016

HEALTH MONITOR

Common diseases in summer If sunburn is common or is further exposed to the UV rays, it may cause skin cancer. To protect yourself from sunburn, apply a sun screen lotion on the exposed areas of your body 20 minutes before heading out in the sun.

ummer is already in and so is the threat of developing summer diseases. While it may be time for people to sit back and enjoy the sunny days, it is important that certain precautions be taken to keep health problems away. Here are some of the most common diseases in summer.

symptoms of heat strokes include difficulty in breathing, rapid pulse, high body temperature, confusion etc. You can control the effects of being less outdoors, especially between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Must you go out in the sun between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., wear clothes that cover your

Sunburn So much for its egregious spell, sunburn can hinder our daily routines. Sunburn refers to the burn caused to a living tissue such as the skin due to overexposure to ultraviolet radiation. Some of the symptoms of sun burn include a red or reddish skin, mild dizziness and fatigue. If sun burn is common or is further exposed to the UV rays, it may cause skin cancer. To protect yourself from sunburn, apply a sun screen lotion on the exposed areas of your body 20 minutes before heading out in the sun. Heat Stroke Heat stroke is another common summer disease, which if left untreated can be fatal. Some of the

body; use a stole or shawl to cover your face. Prickly Heat Prickly heat refers to red rashes that occur due to an excess of humidity and heat. Prickly heat may be caused by clogging of the sweat glands. You can relieve prickly heat by applying cornstarch or prickly heat powder on areas that show signs of prickly heat

or in and around places that are likely to sweat more than the rest of the body. If the symptoms persist despite treatment, consult a doctor immediately. Food Poisoning Owing to excessive heat in summer, the food can spoil quickly. To prevent the risk of food poisoning, put the leftover food inside the refrigerator. Food must be well-cooked to ensure that it doesn’t get spoiled. When purchasing raw vegetables and fruits, ensure that the packaging doesn’t have bubbles on the top of the fruits or vegetables as that is a sign of spoilage. Also, make sure that the food doesn’t smell bad before purchasing. Diarrhea Because food gets spoilt quickly, diarrhea is common in summer. Eating contaminated food and unsafe drinking habits can lead to diarrhea. To keep away from diarrhea, make sure that you drink water only after boiling it and wash vegetables thoroughly before and after slicing them.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

HEALTH MONITOR

How to improve digestion in summer Hydrate Yourself Many people don’t feel like eating much during summer because the digestive problems and heat spoil their mood completely. However, you need to make sure you are getting enough fluids during the hot weather. Keep drinking fluids, especially water, throughout the day. But make sure you don’t gulp glass after glass as it may cause you to swallow air leading to bloating and gas. Just drink sensibly! Eat light meals frequently instead of heavy meals. Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. Avoid spicy and hard foods to improve digestion. Eat more of easy to digest fruits and vegetables. It's common to have digestion related problems in summer. Most people either end up eating less and napping more during summer season or they suffer from problems such as dehydration or diarrhea which makes it even more difficult for them to deal with the summer's heat. Your lifestyle in summer has to say a lot in why you tend to eat less and drink more in summer. Therefore, it’s crucial that you focus more on your diet and how often you eat including the portion size to avoid poor digestion in summer. It's crucial for your health to keep your digestion on the right track. Here are some tips to prevent digestive problems in summer.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

Eat Less Since the digestive system becomes sensitive in summer, one should prevent eating more in summer. You should, however, not reduce your appetite. All you need to do is avoid heavy meals. It is best to eat smaller meals at short intervals as it goes easy on your digestive system and keeps you from feeling hungry as well.

Yogurt Yogurt is packed with protein that satisfies your growling tummy. It gives you probiotics, bacteria that makes your digestive process better. Consumption of yogurt helps solve many stomach problems and provides relief from dysentery. Herbs Certain herbs such as coriander, fennel seeds, cilantro and ginger are considered good for digestion. Try these herbs during summer to improve your digestive capabilities. These herbs absorb gases, reduce stress and help blood flow to the digestive system. Avoid Spicy and Fried Food If want to keep gas problems and indigestion at bay, you need to reduce your intake of spicy and fried foods.

Switch to green vegetables and fresh juicy fruits that are easy to digest. These foods will also help you stay hydrated for long.

Eat more fruits that support digestion Foods such as pineapple and papaya can help you with a troubled digestion in summer.

POLICY WATCH

A case for private universities in Kerala Pradipti Jayaram

“Why are we afraid of privately-run higher educational institutions in Kerala?”

“I feel private universities must be allowed in Kerala,” said TP Sreenivasan, Vice-Chancellor, Kerala Higher Education Council. He was speaking at a panel discussion session recently held in Kochi titled Opening up Higher Education Sector in Kerala: A Way Forward, organised by the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) and the Centre for Economy, Development, and Law (CED&L). The only other person who agreed with him on the panel, despite running an autonomous institution, was Fr Dr Prasanth P, Principal, Sacred Heart College. This view usually doesn't find many takers. And those who most vehemently oppose it, amongst others, are the ones that are at the helm of affairs at government-run institutions of higher education, two of whom were part of this panel discussion: Dr Rajan Varghese, former Pro VC, Mahatma Gandhi University; and Dr N Ramakanthan, Associate Professor, Maharajas College.

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Justifying their stance, Dr Varghese exclaimed: “Private universities are after money. Opening up will only benefit entrepreneurs (who are after profit).” This argument is common to everyone who is against the introduction of private institutions in the education sector.

able to precisely answer was: “Why are we afraid of privately-run institutions?” The aim of this article, hence, is to answer this question, asked by CPPR’s chairman D Dhanuraj, and in doing so I look to make a case for the introduction of privately-run

The positive impact, in terms of improving the quality of both products and systems, owing to globalization, liberalization, and privatization is readily noticeable in the case of Indian Corporates, then what is to say that this wouldn’t be the case when it comes to the education sector. The panel discussed a plethora of issues related to opening up of higher education in Kerala, but a question that stood out the most, and one which none of the panel lists against the introduction of privately-run education institutes in the State were

educational institutions in Kerala, which should exist, as they do elsewhere in India, alongside publiclyrun education institutions. The first argument made by those against introduction of privately-run

POLICY WATCH

The IITs and IIMs are publicly-run institutions. Both are counted as being premier institutes of higher education in the country. institutions in the higher education sector in Kerala is that privately-run institutions will increase existing social and economic inequalities: those who are wealthy will opt for privately-run institutions, and those who can’t afford this will be relegated to poorly-run public institutions. But what they fail to take cognizance of is that ownership: privately-run or publically-run, doesn’t automatically assure quality. For instance, the IITs and IIMs are publicly-run institutions. Both are counted as being premier institutes of higher education in the country. There is no evidence to suggest that the children of the financially well off don’t attend these universities. IITs and IIMs offer quality education; it is clear that the public, rich or poor, doesn’t care if it’s a government-run or privately-run institution, they care

that it offers quality education. And people should be given the opportunity and freedom to choose between a publicly- and privately-run institutions in the State. If we are ready to offer them this freedom when it comes to choosing a cell-phone connection, why not the same in relation to education? The positive impact, in terms of improving the quality of both products and systems, owing to globalization, liberalization, and privatization is readily noticeable in the case of Indian Corporates, then what is to say that this wouldn’t be the case when it comes to the education sector. Likewise, making an example of some institutions that are privately-run in other States, essentially bad eggs, that care about profiteering alone and haven’t been able to keep up the standards in education they had

promised doesn’t mean that publiclyrun institutions, that don’t offer quality education, are any better because they don’t charge you astronomical sums of money. There are both good and bad publicly-run and privately-run institutions, and this simply isn’t a good enough reason to justify why Kerala shouldn’t allow privately-run institutions. Without allowing the entry of privately-run institutions, the status quo attained by public institutions in Kerala will continue to exist. And there has been no announcement of a proposal to close down existing poorly performing publicly-run institutions. This is detrimental to the sector. Worst still because there is no other option. Another argument, inevitably made by those who run publicly-funded institutions, is that of the adverse impact the emergence of privately-run

Pallikkutam | April 2016

POLICY WATCH

institutions will have on the teachers’ unions and their salaries. While it is human to have this concern, what one isn’t able to get one’s head around is how institution-focused, and not student-focused, this view is. In discouraging competition, and compromising on quality, this view looks to incentivise and encourages the creation of inefficient monopolies. The existence of only publicly-run institutions in the sector has led to the creation of a monopoly where opposition to the entry of privately-run institutions stems from the need for protectionism. And monopolies are a threat to quality.

Let the people be the judge and let them choose if they’d like to attend or send their child to a privately- or publicly-run institutions.

A free market, customer-centric approach, where both kinds of institutions exist, will mean both will try to outdo the other in terms of offering the best quality.

other sectors that have seen the introduction of private players in it, this is a good thing. Competition not only means that purveyors would be forced to keep up standards if they want to survive in the market, it will also mean that the consumer will be able to avail of this service at the lowest cost.

The presence of both kinds of institutions will foster competition, and as evidence suggests from all

It is also important to emphasise that the State, from a revenue perspective, isn't capable of meeting the demands

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of the sector most specifically when it comes to opening institutes. This is one of the reasons why private institutions came into being to start with: the supply wasn’t able to keep up with demand. Introducing private players would help in reducing this existing deficit. The success of private institutions evinced in yearon-year increase in gross enrolment ratios in countries such as the US, Japan, and Malaysia, reveals the positive contribution of private players in the higher education sector. Let the people be the judge and let them choose if they’d like to attend or send their child to a privately- or publicly-run institution. It should be the role of the State to enable this by allowing the existence of both. Ultimately, the one who provides the best quality, be it a publicly-run or a privately-run institute, will survive.

The author works in the capacity of Media Coordinator, Centre for Public Policy Research.

INFOTECH

Want to apply for leave? Download app

ogging on to a computer to file a leave application or submit a travel request is so yesterday. Now, an increasing number of companies are letting their employees do all this and more through customized mobile applications.

departments, and not only are HRrelated queries addressed, but also those relating to an employee's functional area such as testing, delivery or even marketing," says Lobo. At Zensar, an RPG group company, mobile app 'ZenVerse' enables direct access to the CEO who

"I can approve travel requests for all my territory sales managers on the go, via my mobile, and this saves me a lot of time," says an IT company GM. Chandrakant Mandrupkar, general manager at KEC International, says he's been using the 'Grow@RPG' app to view and apply for job opportunities across functions and companies within the RPG group. ICICI Bank's app 'Universe on the move', which lets employees update attendance and apply for leave, sees transactions of more than a lakh every month. As smartphones continue to permeate our personal lives, companies are moving towards a mobile HR environment with apps that go beyond back office integration. "Apps have been launched for a range of functions (such as elearning) and these are helping streamline processes," says T K Srirang, Sr GM & HR head at ICICI Bank. Some apps go beyond leave and attendance. For instance, 'iTravelSafe', a mobile app introduced by the bank in January, allows women employees to enter details such as location, destination and time of travel. These inputs are monitored by a centralised control room. An SOS can also be registered via a 'panic button' available on this app. Richard Lobo, SVP & head HR, Infosys, says smartphone access to Yammer, a networking platform, has been enabled for the company's 1.4 lakh employees. "Employees get near-instant responses from various

responds to employee questions within 24 hours. Airtel Mood-oMeter, an app developed in-house, facilitates dipsticks and also gives employees an option to provide

feedback on the go. "Questions such as 'Do I have a clear understanding of what is expected of me?' are used to gauge employee feedback immediately after the KRA (key result areas) setting process has been completed," explains Srikanth Balachandran, global CHRO, Bharti Airtel. With India having crossed one billion mobile subscribers, it isn't surprising that 82% of Indian respondents in Deloitte's Global Human Capital Trends (2016) survey, identified digital HR as a top priority. The benefits are clearly visible. S Venkatesh, president-Group HR, RPG Enterprise, has the data to back it: "Better documentation of queries has resulted in taking the grievance resolution rate to 99%, the number of modules read through mobile phones has reached 77% and hiring time has reduced by 20% using referrals received by employees."

DoT may start spectrum auction by mid-July

epartment of Telecom is looking to commence the auction for spectrum, including in 700Mhz band, around mid-July, which may fetch the government Rs 5.4 lakh crore. "Telecom Commission is meeting on March 28. The DoT is expecting Cabinet approval on spectrum price by mid-May and issue notice for auction in June. Taking into account various processes, spectrum auction should begin around July 15," an official source said. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has suggested a plan for spectrum sale, expected to be held in July, with a

potential to fetch Rs 5.4 lakh crore. It will be the biggest-ever auction in terms of value and is more than double the gross revenue of telecom services industry. Telecom service providers had a gross revenue of Rs 2.5 lakh crore in 2014-15. The source further said apart from spectrum auction the Telecom Commission in its Monday meeting will deliberate upon half a dozen transformative norms for the industry including virtual network operators. Trai had recommended a record high base price of Rs 11,485 crore per Mhz for the 700Mhz band. If all available radio waves under this get sold at the Traisuggested price, it alone will yield Rs 4 lakh crore.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

INFOTECH

Uber plans to invest another $500 million in India

ide-hailing app Uber plans to invest $500 million (Rs 3,300 crore) in India by June - or Rs 1,000 crore a month, on average - as it challenges Ola for leadership in its third-biggest market, two people aware of the matter said. Just nine months ago, the world's most valuable startup committed to invest $1 billion in India, a market the company's founder Travis Kalanick has said could surpass either the US or China for Uber. "We are doubling down our resources for India," said a senior executive at Uber. The person added that the company has not yet utilized all the cash from the first $1 billion commitment. "The plan is to spend each dollar more efficiently than our competitors, and invest in building a team, technology solutions that are India-focussed, and quality," the senior Uber executive said. Uber and Ola are engaged in fierce competition, sometimes bad-tempered, to dominate in India. Uber's business

head for Asia, Eric Alexander, said some 10 days ago that his company would overtake Ola for market leadership in a month. The Indian company, which counts Japan's SoftBank as its biggest investor, responded by claiming that its newly launched service called 'Micro' alone

said an investor in Ola. Both Ola and Uber get more than 70% of their revenue from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi-National Capital Region and Kolkata. Ola has raised a total of about $1.2 billion so far, including $500 million in November from investors including China's biggest taxi aggregator Didi Kuaidi that is building a global alliance against Uber. At the time, Ola was valued at $5 billion. Pitched battles

would overtake Uber, which is estimated to be valued at $62.5 billion, within a month in India. According to industry experts and investors ET spoke with, Ola has a 15-20% lead on Uber. "However, Uber has eaten into Ola's market share in top cities, which Ola is now vigorously defending,"

Uber and Ola are also fighting pitched battles in the Delhi High Court. The Bengaluru-based company has accused Uber of violating rules and operating cabs that use diesel as fuel. Uber has denied the charge. For its part, the US company has sued Ola, accusing it of using a range of dirty tricks, including creating fake bookings. Ola has denied the allegation. Uber will use the cash to invest in government collaborations, business partnerships, strengthen its driver supply initiatives, marketing and expansion, sources said.

Global internet speed rises; India lags at 2.8 Mbps

he global average internet connection speedincreased 23% to 5.6 Mbps in the quarter ended December 2015 compared to the same period of 2014, a report said on Wednesday. The report "Fourth Quarter, 2015, State of the Internet Report" was released by Akamai Technologies Inc, a global leader in content delivery network services. "From a global perspective, the average connection speed increased 8.6% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) and 23% year-over-year (YoY) to 5.6 Mbps, while the global average peak connection speed increased 1% QoQ, and increased 21% YoY to 32.5 Mbps," it said. South Korea had the

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highest average connection speed in across our key metrics shows that, Asia-Pacifi-c region at 26.7 Mbps, while there's still work to be done, while India had the lowest at 2.8 Mbps. more parts of the world are increasingly able to support the "This quarter's (October to December delivery of broadcast-quality video 2015) report shows great YoY growth content online," he added. in average connection speeds and overall broadband adoption," said The report also showed each of the David Belson, editor of the report. top 10 countries/regions saw doubleSouth Korea (95.3 Mbps) and Macao digit growth in 25 Mbps broadband (83.1 Mbps) were the only countries/ adoption except Hong Kong, which regions to post double-digit quarterly posted a 9.8% change quarter-overgains in average peak connection quarter. Norway and Denmark saw the speed at 10% and 13%, respectively. greatest yearly gains, the report cited. "This is particularly important as consumer expectations rise and many high-profile events, like the summer games in Rio, will be streamed this year. "The progress we are seeing

On a global basis, close to 70% of the countries/regions saw a QoQ increase in unique IPv4 address counts in the last three months of 2015, up 10% from the July-September period of 2015.

ASPECTS

Antaryamin: Dr. Augustine Thottakara

f the students say to him: “If in this city of Brahman is contained all this, all beings and all desires, then what is left of it when old age overtakes it or when it perishes?” To them the teacher should say: “The supreme Spirit in the inner akasa doe not age with the aging of the body, it is not killed by the killing of this body. This akasa is the real abode of Brahman, in it are contained the desires. This is the supreme Atman, free from evil, free form old age, free from death, free from sorrow, free from hunger, free from thirst, and whose desire is of the truth, whose resolve is of the truth (Ch Up. VIII.I.4-5).” Thus the inner Spirit or Atman, though it resides in an imperfect and finite human heart, is perfect, infinite, eternal, ageless, deathless and free from all human infirmities and exigencies. This Spirit vivifies and controls the body. Dahara-vidya: the meditation on brahman as the inner akasa

the inner spirit - 2 The older Upanishads contain certain forms of meditations. Traditionally the number of these meditations is said to be thirty-two. They are technically known as vidyas or upasanas. Meditating on God as the inner Spirit is one among them. It is known by the name ‘dahara-vidya’ or ‘dahrakasavidya’. Here the word “dahara” means

This meditation is a so-called pratika meditation, namely, meditation on a symbol of God, the symbol here being the small space within the heart. There are three types of Upanisadic meditations: (i) Nirguna Brahma meditations. Meditation on the attributeless Brahman. This form of meditation is not easily accessible to

This meditation is a so-called pratika meditation, namely, meditation on a symbol of God, the symbol here being the small space within the heart. small, little, subtle, etc. It evidently denotes the small space akasa within the lotus heart. Thus the seekers of liberation are asked to meditate on God as present and active in their own inner being. God is the inner Being of all beings, and therefore they have to see in every being God’s presence.

ordinary people. (ii) Saguna Brahma meditations. Meditation of God with auspicious attributes and qualities. Here God is a person. (iii) Pratika meditations. Meditations on images or symbols of God. Two words are used to denote the meditations of images and symbols; pratima and pratika. In

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ASPECTS the case of the former, the objects of meditations are ordinary material images, or idols; and in the case of the latter, the objects of meditations are symbolic images. Meditations on God as the Inner Space (akasa) is a pratika meditation. This type of meditation is very common and varied in the Upanishads. In fact the Brahma-sutra IV.1.4-5 says precisely this. “Meditation on Brahman (is to be directed also on to the symbols of Brahman), because of the greatness (attributed to symbols by this kind of meditations.)” Commenting on this sutra, K. Narayanasami Aiyer says, “We have not to degrade God to symbols, but to exalt symbols to God. The ideas in the Sutra-bhasya may be put thus: In worldly matters, if we should regard a master as a servant, we degrade him. On the contrary, we elevate the servant by applying to him the name of the master for whom he works.” This meditation helps the seekers to see and worship God in their own inner self, and gives them the awareness that this supreme cosmic Spirit pervades the entire universe, and governs it through his power and presence. The Antaryami-Brahmana of Brahdaranyaka Upanisad

is your Self, the inner Controller, the Immortal.” Yajnavalkya then repeats this description, using the same words, with regard to water, fire, mid-space, air, heaven, sun, the quarters of the universe, moon, stars, space, darkness,

the Knower. There is no seer other than he, there is no hearer other than he, there is no thinker other than he; there is knower other than he. He is your Self, the inner Controller, the Immortal. Everything else besides him is grief-stricken (Br Up. III.7.23).

Meditations on God as the inner Space (akasa) is a pratika meditation. This type of meditation is very common and varied in the Upanishads. light, all beings, vital airs, speech, eye, ear, mind, skin, intellect and semen. At the end of each description, the philosopher adds the same sentence, namely, ‘this supreme cosmic Spirit is your inner controller.’

The Upanishad here states in unambiguous terms that God is the inner Self and inner controller also of inanimate objects of the cosmos. All the entities endowed with life and lifefunctions are included in the allYajnavalkya concludes this long litany inclusive sweeping statement “all beings.” This is followed by the with a beautiful explanation of the enumeration of the faculties, organs, nature of the supreme Spirit: etc., of the sentient beings like vital He is not seen, but is the Seer; breaths, sense organs, mind, He is not heard, but is the etc. Hearer; He is not thought of, but is the Thinker; He is not known, but is

Brahadaranyaka Up., chapter three section seven is known as Antaryamibrahmana, meaning the section that deals with the inner Spirit. In a debate at the court of king Janaka, Uddalaka Aruni, who, according to his own claims, was a knower of Brahman, asked Yajnavalkya, the greatest philosopher of the Upanisadic period: “Yajnavalkya, speak about the inner Controller.” Yajnavalkya then enumerates a long list of beings, sentient and non-sentient, and says that Brahman resides in all the entities of the universe as their inner Spirit and life force, but these beings do not know this, and this same Brahman is the innermost Self of the human person. He starts with the earth: “He who dwells in the earth, yet is different from the earth, whom the earth does not know, whose body is the earth, who controls the earth from within, He

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ASPECTS the macrocosm. Indian thinkers went One thing is very clear here: The second sheath is that of life (pranasupreme Spirit is present not only in maya). All that has life starting from the further and said that each part and each member of human body has a sentient or animate beings, but also in vegetation are included in this. These corresponding entity or reality in the insentient or inanimate entities. The two sheaths are composed of two supreme Spirit is present in the elements, namely, earth and air. The third cosmos. Thus, human breath corresponds to the element wind; the inanimate objects of the world, not sheath is that of senses and mind flesh, bone and marrow corresponds to only through its power and (manomaya). All that has animal life knowledge, but also through real belongs to this sheath. The next sheath the element earth; the blood corresponds to the element water; the presence. This elevates the value and is that of consciousness and eyes to sun and moon; the ears to the merit of the world of matter. According intelligence (viajnna-maya). Human ether; the blood vessels to rivers; the to this view, there are ‘sparks of beings, the apex of creation, belong to divinity’ also in material objects of the this category. God the Supreme Being is hairs on the body to herbs and trees, etc. world. Consequently, we need to deal in the centre of all these as their inner with matter and material elements with Spirit, who is identified here as the The spiritual life of a person consists care and love. The Jains, the greatest supreme pure Bliss (anada-maya). He is in this pilgrimage from materiality to advocates of ahimsa, pure bliss, which even speak about ‘earth is identified as the souls’, ‘water souls’, The human person is the microcosm, and supreme Spirit, ‘fire souls’, etc. Brahman. Using, a harmonious combination of all these Therefore, in our but at the same embodied sojourn and sheaths. A person’s karmic existence, is time transcending spiritual pilgrimage on lower sheaths composed of matter, life, sense, mind and the earth, our relation with of existence, is the and attitude towards the consciousness and self. dynamics of this elemental world and spiritual journey. material objects have to The pilgrimage of be one of respect, love the individual and concern. In Semitic self-back to God traditions, the spiritual is involutionary life of a person is threemovement. The dimensional: the correct soul by spiritual and flawless relation of sadhanas sheds humans with their all the results of Maker, with other karma, and humans, and with consequently its themselves. In the the vivifying Spirit and the inspiring contacts with matter and material oriental religions, it is always fourforce of all these levels of realities. A world. A spiritually mature soul dimensional, namely, subject, other spiritual aspirant has, by force, to use transcends its name and bodily form humans, God and all lives. But in our sheaths in his bodily existence, but for and unites itself with the divine. paradigm here, it is even fivethe sake of the total liberation, he has to The body-soul paradigm: Cosmos as dimensional: subject, humans, God, all transcend the four sheaths and realize the attributive body of the supreme lives, and the world of matter. the absolute Atman as pure Bliss atman. Evidently, this vision of cosmos, and (ananda). We may call it an inclusive God as its Antaryamin, can inspire transcendence. The cosmos, which is The concept that cosmos is the positive and creative ecological made up of matter, life, sense and attributive body of God is developed sensitivity. intelligence is the macrocosm. and philosophically established, by the Visistadvaita school, the founder The inner spirit of the macrocosm and The human person is the microcosm, of which is Sri Ramanuja. Ramanuja’s microcosm as ananda (pure bliss) and a harmonious combination of all greatest contribution to Indian these sheaths. A person’s karmic The Taittiriya Up. chapters two and thought is this specific conception and existence, is composed of matter, life, three explain this four-dimensional vision of the world as God’s attributive sense, mind and consciousness and paradigm in a beautiful metaphoric body and God as the inner self of the self. And in the centre of, in the model. The cosmos, which is the innermost self a person, resides God as universe, and that this awareness and attributive body of God, has four confession and a life suited to this inner Controller (Antaryamin). concentric sheaths (kosas). The awareness is the means for spiritual Therefore, the structure of the human outermost sheath is that of inert, perfection and final liberation. Like the person, the microcosm, corresponds imperfect, changeable and nonAdvaita of Sankara, Ramanuja also exactly to the structure of the cosmos, conscious matter (anna-maya). The

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ASPECTS proposed that Reality is one without a second, the Brahman. But unlike Advaita and against the philosophy of Sankara, Ramanuja declared that this one Reality is qualified. Brahman or God possesses auspicious qualities like omniscience, omnipotence, love, mercy, etc. Further, this school of thought taught that the other two eternal realities, namely, individual selves (cit) and matter (acit) are modes (prakara) of Brahman. These inseparable modes of Brahman are together conceived as the body of Brahman. Although the individual selves and matter are true realities, and not illusory as Advaita advocates, they are absolutely dependent on God for their existence and functions and are constantly controlled by God for his own purpose. These two realities may be conceived logically as separate and independent from God, but existentially and functionally they are totally dependent on and inseparable from the ultimate Being God. It is like the relation between the human body and soul. The body is totally dependent on the soul for its existence as body and for the bodily functions. Without the soul or self, the body is dead and valueless. In the same way, Brahman is the Self and inner Controller of the individual selves and of the world of matter, both of which together form the attributive body of Brahman. This relationship between cosmos and God is known as the ‘body-soul relationship’ (sarira-sariribhava). It would be useful here to recall Ramanuja’s definition of body: “Any substance which a conscious self is capable of controlling and supporting for its own purpose, and which stands to the conscious self in an entirely subordinate relation, is the body of the conscious self.” (Sribhasya II.I.9).

his real body. The real glorified body or Brahman as well as of the liberated selves is made up of suddha-sattva, the eternal, changeless, pure and luminous sattva substance constituted of infinite consciousness (knowledge) and bliss. This real body or form of God is to be explained in terms of transcendence and selfsufficiency. It is this body or divine form that inspires love, admiration and adoration in the hearts of the devotees. It is this form that Arjuna sees in Krsna in Gita chapter XI, which is a symbolic description of the Lord’s body. Ramanuja and other theistic Vaisnava saints are never tired of describing the beauty and

splendour of this divine form. The changes, impurities, etc., of the attributive body never affect or influence the nature and essence of God, just like the changes of the human body in childhood, youth, old age, etc., and the qualities of the body like colour, health, height, etc., never affect the human self. “In the heart of all beings who constitute my body, I am seated as their Self. To be the Self means that I am entirely their supporter, controller and master.” Thus, this doctrine of body-soul relation provides a theological structure, which integrates both the non-dualism of Sankara and the Vedanta of difference.

Could the imperfections, impurities, permutations, limitations and finiteness of this attributive body affect the supreme Atman, who is the inner soul, and who is all perfection, unchangeable, supreme and infinite? They cannot, because the individual selves and matter form only the attributive body of Brahman and not

Pallikkutam | April 2016

INNO VATIONS INNOV

What makes a great leader? The key to a successful, creative leader is confidence, according to a new study. An expert in leadership, took a closer look at the modern workplace and noted that many factors lead to a productive, well-led team.

ccording to a new study by Dina Krasikova, assistant professor of management at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), the key to a successful, creative leader is confidence. Krasikova, an expert in leadership, took a closer look at the modern workplace and noted that many factors lead to a productive, well-led team. "Creativity is valued in many organizations, especially places like Google, which is all about creative products," Dina Krasikova said. "In any type of organization, a leader is meant to come up with useful, novel ideas. Naturally, employees carry that responsibility as well." Her top-tier research on leadership showed that ineffective or abusive leaders will create stressful situations for their employees by humiliating them in front of others, playing favorites or not giving their subordinates proper credit for their work. "When you feel stressed, you feel helpless and your productivity and creativity is diminished," she said. "Many times this originates with the leader. For example, you might come to work unsure of what you're supposed to be doing because you get conflicting expectations from your direct supervisor or your boss. The solution is clear roles and communication." Since her field, academia, is so focused on being creative with research, she and her colleagues Lei Huang of Auburn University and Dong Liu of the Georgia Institute of Technology, decided to explore what makes a creative leader so effective. "When leaders feel confident that they can produce creative outcomes,

their subordinates become more creative," she said. "It's that simple. But how do you create that environment in the first place?" Usually, creative leaders have the proper experience to fuel their ideas. As a result, they're more confident. Also, leaders become more confident in their creativity when it is recognized by upper-level management. But what surprised Krasikova is that a leader's creativity and confidence is contagious.

We actively forget as we learn They say that once you've learned to ride a bicycle, you never forget how to do it. But new research suggests that while learning, the brain is actively trying to forget. "This is the first time that a pathway in the brain has been linked to forgetting, to actively erasing memories," says Cornelius Gross, who led the work at EMBL. At the simplest level, learning involves making associations, and remembering them. Working with mice, Gross and colleagues studied the hippocampus, a region of the brain that's long been known to help form memories. Information enters this part of the brain through three different routes. As memories are cemented, connections between neurons along the 'main' route become stronger. When they blocked this main route, the scientists found that the mice were no longer capable of learning a Pavlovian response -- associating a sound to a consequence, and anticipating that consequence. But if the mice had learned that association before the scientists stopped information flow in that main route, they could still retrieve that memory.

This confirmed that this route is involved in forming memories, but isn't essential for recalling those memories. The latter probably involves the second route into the hippocampus, the scientists surmise. But blocking that main route had an unexpected consequence: the connections along it were weakened, meaning the memory was being erased. "Simply blocking this pathway shouldn't have an effect on its strength," says AgnĂ¨s Gruart from University Pablo Olavide. "When we investigated further, we discovered that activity in one of the other pathways was driving this weakening." Interestingly, this active push for forgetting only happens in learning situations. When the scientists blocked the main route into the hippocampus under other circumstances, the strength of its connections remained unaltered.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

INNO VATIONS INNOV

How music, language shape the brain A researcher has pioneered a way to measure how the brain makes sense of sound, suggesting that the brain's ability to process sound is influenced by everything from playing music and learning a new language to aging, language disorders and hearing loss.

orthwestern University professor Nina Kraus shed light on one of the brain's most complex tasks -making sense of sound - during the recent Falling Walls conference in Berlin. The annual gathering features significant discoveries or "breakthroughs" by 20 of the world's leading scientists and social leaders across a wide range of fields. During her 15-minute talk, Kraus explained how she was able to solve a major problem in the field by devising a new way to measure what happens in the brain when it's processing sound. "The sounds of our lives change our brain," said Kraus, an inventor, amateur musician and director of Northwestern's Auditory Neuroscience Lab in the School of Communication. "In our lab, we investigate how our life in sound changes the brain, and how different forms of enrichment or decline

influence how our brain processes sound." To measure the brain's response to sound, researchers play speech or music directly into the ears of study volunteers. The scientists then measure the electricity created

by the brain as it translates sound through sensors attached to participants' heads. Results from a series of studies involving thousands of participants from birth to age 90 suggest that the brain's ability to process sound is influenced by

everything from playing music and learning a new language to aging, language disorders and hearing loss. Studies indicate that across the lifespan, people who actively play music (as a hobby) can hear better in noise than those who don't play music. Kraus' work also suggests that poverty and a mother's education level can affect a child's ability to process the essential parts of sound. "We're able to look at how the brain processes essential ingredients in sound, which are rooted in pitch and timing and timbre," Kraus said at Falling Walls. "A mixing board is a good analogy. It's very fine tuning." The newfound ability to measure sound processing in the brain has led to other important discoveries in neuroeducation by Kraus and her team. Moving out of the lab, they have conducted studies in schools, community centers and clinics.

Innate teaching skills 'part of human nature' Teaching is part of the human genome, and is a part of human nature, researchers say.

ome 40 years ago, Washington State University anthropologist Barry Hewlett noticed that when the Aka pygmies stopped to rest between hunts, parents would give their infants small axes, digging sticks and knives. To parents living in the developed world, this could be seen as irresponsible. But in all the intervening years, Hewlett has never seen an infant cut him- or herself. He has, however, seen the exercise as part of the Aka way of teaching, an activity that most researchers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from anthropologists to psychologists to biologists â&#x20AC;&#x201C; consider rare or non-existent in such

Pallikkutam | April 2016

small-scale cultures. He has completed a small but novel study of the Aka, concluding that, "teaching is part of the human genome." "It's part of our human nature," said Hewlett, a professor of anthropology at WSU Vancouver. "Obviously, teaching as it exists in formal education is way different than the way it exists in small-scale groups that I work with. The thing is, there does seem to be something going on there." The Aka are among the last of the world's hunter-gatherers, but their way of life accounts for 99 percent of human history. That they teach, and how they teach, offers new insight

into who we are as humans and how we might best learn. Clearly, the Aka are not helicopter parents who would shudder at the thought of giving sharp objects to any children, let alone 1year-olds. Rather, the Aka place a high value on individual autonomy, in addition to sharing and egalitarianism, so they're unlikely to intervene with one another's behavior. "One does not coerce or tell others what to do, including children," Hewlett and co-author Casey Roulette write in Royal Society Open Science, an open-access journal by the world's oldest scientific publisher, The Royal Society of London.

CARS & BIKES

New Bikes & Scooters at Auto Expo 2016 Hero Xtreme 200S Engine Displacement/Type Single-cylinder, 200cc Power

18.6 PS at 8500 rpm

Torque

17.2 Nm at 6000 rpm

Transmission

6-Speed Manual

Mileage

30 kmpl (est.)

Top Speed

155 kmph (est.)

Price

INR 90,000 (est.)

Hero Duet E Engine Displacement/Type Single-cylinder, 125cc

Power

9.1 Bhp

Torque

9.5 Nm

Transmission

CVT Automatic

Mileage

60 kmpl (est.)

Top Speed

90 kmph (est.)

Price

INR 59,000 (est.)

Pallikkutam | April 2016

CARS & BIKES

Honda Navi Air cooled 4 stroke 8 bhp at 7000 rpm 109.1 cc 8.96 Nm @ 5500 rpm AT Self Start Drum Brakes front rear

Yamaha M-Slaz India Debut

here has been widespread speculation regarding the launch of the Yamaha M-Slaz or MT-15 in India. It is essentially the naked street version of the R15 powered by the same engine. The bike was recently launched in Thailand at TBH 89,500 which is around INR 1.66 lacs.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

SPORTS

Virat Kohli is world's best, beyond phenomenal, says Sunil Gavaskar

lown away by Virat Kohli's power-packed knock that took India into the World Twenty20 semi-finals, former captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that the marauding right-hander is currently the world's best batsman and "beyond phenomenal". Kohli's unbeaten 82run effort was the highlight as India chased down 161 in a tense group encounter against Australia in Mohali to enter the last-four stage. "At the moment he is got to be the best limited-overs batsman in the world. There is no

question about it. There is not the slightest doubt about it because he is beyond phenomenal. He is something else," Gavaskar said. "Whatever little hair that I have, my hair was standing at attention watching the young genius. It was just mindblowing stuff," he said. Gavaskar said the brilliance of Kohli lies in the fact that he delivers under pressure and puts the team's interest above everything else. "Look

at his record when India needs runs or chasing runs. He wins the match for them every single time and it's a combination of power and timing. It's a

combination of two hands, very few batsmen have this ability to play with both the top and the bottom hand. When he was driving off the top hand, it was phenomenal," Gavaskar said. "Look at the selflessness of the man. He was quite happy to allow the strike to his skipper (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) because he knew that the skipper would also make a statement. Lot of times when you play such big innings, you want to hit the winning runs. But there is he is, a complete, total team man. Thank god, he is playing for India," he added. The former batsman said that Kohli also should be lauded for keeping his calm in tense situations. "When you see him during fielding, look how animated he is. But with the bat, he is a completely different personality. He is very composed, doesn't let any emotions

Pallikkutam | April 2016

SPORTS come in the way," he pointed out. Apart from Kohli, Gavaskar lauded skipper Dhoni for using his resources well. Dhoni managed to surprise the Australians by bowling Yuvraj Singh, whose part-time left-arm spin got India the crucial wicket of rival captain Steve Smith last night.

The understating of Shane Watson

ven after he announced his international retirement, a "Dhoni reads what the opposition's fleeting period where instant strengths are. He realised that Raina reaction is almost always could be expensive against Australia complimentary for a departing because he doesn't turn the ball much. stalwart, Shane Watson inevitably did This pitch wasn't affording turn. not receive much affection. News of That's why he Australia's hulking all-rounder's brought Yuvraj. So retirement pending the conclusion of reading the the ICC World T20, 2016 hardly opposition's strengths caused a ripple in is what the captains Australia. That can be need to do and Dhoni partly explained by the does it better than announcement most," he said. Also coinciding with the start getting Gavaskar's of the Australian Rules praise was veteran football season, where pacer Ashish Nehra. nearly everything - even Gavaskar felt Nehra has the Australian cricket managed to ensure that team - is overshadowed. India don't bleed runs in Unlike in India, where he the death overs. is loved after "This team has been numerously starring in gelling into a formidable the Indian Premier League (IPL), the outfit. It had all its bases 34-year-old does not evoke similar covered. Earlier, the death sentiments from his compatriots. overs were causing Perhaps the reaction was not quite as problems, India were devastating compared to when he leaking runs and therefore announced his Test retirement last losing their grip on the September, but Watson once again match, that has now been copped a share of ridicule on social stopped. "Generally the last media, a niche almost reserved solely 5-10 overs go for a 100 runs, for him. The gags were some kind of now I think that's been variation of this: 'Watto retires, I brought under control wonder if he will review it?' Of course, because of Nehraji. His this was all entirely predictable. contribution to this team Watson has long been a punching cannot be underestimated," bag. He's probably been the most he said. ridiculed Australian cricketer since the

Pallikkutam | April 2016

boon of social media. He's been a walking punchline who has been a low-picking fruit for all and sundry. Even on the day he announced his retirement from international cricket, exactly 14 years since he made his debut for Australia in an ODI in South Africa, Watson was not really spoken about with praise. It is hard to remember a noteworthy player â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially a former Australian captain (Watson filled-in for an injured Michael Clarke during the Fourth Test in India in 2013) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who wasn't lavished with tributes. Watson will always be remembered as a player who underwhelmed; a maligned and somewhat tragic figure. Now unshackled from these burdens and suffocating expectations, Watson is set for an enjoyable, and highly lucrative, postinternational career on cricket's T20 carnival as an expensive gun for hire. Australian fans may not feel much sadness over Watson's retirement right now. But, certainly for the shorter formats, those sentiments might quickly change because, undeniably, Watson will be a difficult player to replace. You feel, almost ironically, Shane Watson will likely be belatedly appreciated when he is long gone from international cricket.

RAINBOW

Common errors in English USE OF NOUNS Incorrect

The clock has struck five hours.

Correct

The clock has struck five.

Incorrect

There is no place in the hall.

Correct

There is no room in the hall.

Incorrect

Little thing has been done.

Correct

Little has been done.

Incorrect

We have an urgent business.

Correct

We have an urgent piece of business.

Incorrect

He came by the 4:30 o'clock train.

Correct

He came by the 4:30 train.

Incorrect

He left the place with his belonging goods.

Correct

He left the place with his goods. USE OF PRONOUNS

Incorrect

He absented from the school yesterday.

Correct

He absented himself from the school yesterday.

Incorrect

He availed of the opportunity.

Correct

He availed himself of the opportunity.

Incorrect

Don't pride on your victory.

Correct

Don't pride yourself on your victory.

Incorrect

The girl wants to get herself married.

Correct

The girl wants to get married.

Incorrect

The climate of India is hotter than England.

Correct

The climate of India is hotter than that of England.

Incorrect

Everybody will get their share.

Correct

Everybody will get his share.

Pallikkutam | April 2016

RAINBOW

Sudoku 15

Sudoku 14 Answer

Difficulty Level:

Word Search 06 Answer

Word Search 07

ACCOUNTS ARCHAEOLOGY ARCHITECTURE AYURVEDIC BIOSCIENCES BIOTECHNOLOGY Pallikkutam | April 2016

ECONOMIST ENGINEERING GEOGRAPHY HOMEOPATHY INSURANCE LITERATURE

MANAGEMENT MEDICINE PHARMACY PSYCHOLOGY SOCIOLOGY

REFLECTIONS

The best time of our life Jose Panthaplamthottiyil

We face many challenges in our daily life. But the greatest challenge of all is to transform every stage in our life into the best time of our life.

icholas and Joseph were frequent visitors in a gym. But they seldom talked to each other. When they met they only smiled. The smile of Nicholas was always natural while Joseph’s smile was a forced one. The 79-year-old Nicholas always looked more energetic than Joseph who was only 30 years old. One day while Nicholas smiled at Joseph the return smile was not there. “What’s the matter?” Nicholas asked. It was a time Joseph was thinking about his life as he had just celebrated his 30th birthday. When he turned 30 he had a feeling that the best time of his life was over. Joseph didn’t answer Nicholas’s question. Instead he asked a counter question, “When was the best time of your life?” Then with a cheerful grin Nicholas said, “This is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question.” While Joseph was anxiously waiting for the answer Nicholas continued, "When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time of my life. "When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life. "When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life. "When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.

"The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life.

blessings he had the courage and commitment to face his challenges in life positively.

This is the kind of attitude we also should have in our life. No matter where we are in the vicissitudes of "When we came to Canada and started life we must keep our chin up and a family, that was the best time of my work toward our goal. If we happen life. to face with a failure count the many successes we have had in the "When I was a young father, watching past. Moreover, count the my children grow up, that was the best blessings we have in the form of time of my life. having a roof over our head, food "And now, Joe, I am seventy-nine on our table, family and friends to years old. I have my health, I feel good support us, and above all a loving and I am in love with my wife just as I God who looks after us in his was when we first met. This is the best providence. The moment we begin time of my life." to count our blessings with gratitude we will be surprised to see This story is found on the Internet us bounce back. Later when we under the title, The Best Time of My think about it we will see it as one Life. However, we don’t know who the of the best times in our life. author of this story is or whether it is a true story. We also come across at We face many challenges in our least one similar story on the Internet daily life. But the greatest challenge which carries the same message. of all is to transform every stage in our life into the best time of our life. At every stage in our life we face all When we try to do that we will see kinds of challenges. While some of it becoming the best time of our life. them are light many are big which could wreak havoc in our life. That is, unless we also forget our blessings. When Nicholas answered Joseph’s question about the best time of his life he pointed out that each stage in his life was the best time of his life. Why? Because at every stage in his life together with the problems he also saw the blessings. And because he also saw the

Printed and Published by Fr.Varghese Panthalookaran CMI on behalf of Rajagiri Media, Rajagiri Valley P.O, Kakkanad, Kochi-39. Ph: 0484-2973979. Printed at St. Francis Press, Kochi. Editor: James Paul