A GD is a methodology used by an organization to gauge whether the candidate

has certain personality traits and/or skills that it desires in its members. In this
methodology, the group of candidates is given a topic or a situation, given a few
minutes to think about the same, and then asked to discuss the it among
themselves for 15-20 minutes. Freshersworld.com brings you an elaborate
section for GD as you had ever seen anywhere else.

Some of the personality traits the GD is trying to gauge may include:-

Ability to work in a team

Communication skills
Reasoning ability
Leadership skills
Initiative
Assertiveness
Flexibility
Creativity
Ability to think on ones feet

Why GDs:-

The reason why institutes put you through a Group discussion and an interview,
after testing your technical and conceptual skills in an exam, is to get to know
you as a person and gauge how well you will fit in their institute. The Group
discussion tests how you function as a part of a team. As a manager, you will
always be working in teams, as a member or as a leader. Therefore how you
interact in a team becomes an important criterion for your selection. Managers
have to work in a team and get best results out of teamwork. That is the reason
why management institutes include GD as a component of the selection
procedure.

Company's Perspective:-

Companies conduct group discussion after the written test so as to check on

your interactive skills and how good you are at communicating with other people.
The GD is to check how you behave, participate and contribute in a group, how
much importance do you give to the group objective as well as your own, how
well do you listen to viewpoints of others and how open-minded are you in
accepting views contrary to your own. The aspects which make up a GD are
verbal communication, non-verbal behavior, conformation to norms, decision-
making ability and cooperation. You should try to be as true as possible to these
aspects.

Types of GD

GDs can be topic-based or case-based.

Topic based Gds can be classified into three types :-

1. Factual Topics
2. Controversial Topics
3. Abstract Topics

Factual Topics:-

Factual topics are about practical things, which an ordinary person is aware of in
his day-to-day life. Typically these are about socio-economic topics. These can be
current, i.e. they may have been in the news lately, or could be unbound by time.
A factual topic for discussion gives a candidate a chance to prove that he is
aware of and sensitive to his environment.
E.g. The education policy of India, Tourism in India, State of the aged in the
nation.

Controversial Topics:-
Controversial topics are the ones that are argumentative in nature. They are
meant to generate controversy. In GDs where these topics are given for
discussion, the noise level is usually high, there may be tempers flying. The idea
behind giving a topic like this is to see how much maturity the candidate is
displaying by keeping his temper in check, by rationally and logically arguing his
point of view without getting personal and emotional.
E.g. Reservations should be removed, Women make better managers

Abstract Topics:-
Abstract topics are about intangible things. These topics are not given often for
discussion, but their possibility cannot be ruled out. These topics test your
lateral thinking and creativity.
E.g. A is an alphabet, Twinkle twinkle little star, The number 10

Case-based Gd:-
Another variation is the use of a case instead of a topic.
The case study tries to simulate a real-life situation. Information about the
situation will be given to you and you would be asked as a group to resolve the
situation. In the case study there are no incorrect answers or perfect solutions.
The objective in the case study is to get you to think about the situation from
various angles.
IIM A, IIM Indore and IIT SOM Mumbai have a case-based discussion rather than
topic-based discussion in their selection procedures.

Reasons for having a GD

• It helps you to understand a subject more deeply.

• It improves your ability to think critically.
• It helps in solving a particular problem.
• It helps the group to make a particular decision.
• It gives you the chance to hear other students' ideas.
• It improves your listening skills.
• It increases your confidence in speaking.
• It can change your attitudes.
Strategies for Improving GD Skills for Tutorials & Seminars

Asking questions and joining in discussions are important skills for university
study. If you find it difficult to speak or ask questions in tutorials, try the
following strategies.

Observe

Attend as many seminars and tutorials as possible and notice what other
students do. Ask yourself:

• How do other students make critical comments?

• How do they ask questions?
• How do they disagree with or support arguments?
• What special phrases do they use to show politeness even when they are
voicing disagreement?
• How do they signal to interrupt, ask a question or make a point?

Practice

Start practicing your discussion skills in an informal setting or with a small

group. Start with asking questions of fellow students. Ask them about the course
material. Ask for their opinions. Ask for information or ask for help.

Participate

Take every opportunity to take part in social/informal discussions as well as

more structured/formal discussion. Start by making small contributions to
tutorial discussions; prepare a question to ask, or agree with another speaker's
remarks.

Discussion Etiquette (or minding your manners)

Do

• Speak pleasantly and politely to the group.

• Respect the contribution of every speaker.
• Remember that a discussion is not an argument. Learn to disagree politely.
• Think about your contribution before you speak. How best can you answer
the question/ contribute to the topic?
• Try to stick to the discussion topic. Don't introduce irrelevant information.
• Be aware of your body language when you are speaking.
• Agree with and acknowledge what you find interesting.

Don't

• Lose your temper. A discussion is not an argument.

• Shout. Use a moderate tone and medium pitch.
 • Use too many gestures when you speak. Gestures like finger pointing and
table thumping can appear aggressive.
• Dominate the discussion. Confident speakers should allow quieter
students a chance to contribute.
• Draw too much on personal experience or anecdote. Although some tutors
encourage students to reflect on their own experience, remember not to
generalise too much.
• Interrupt. Wait for a speaker to finish what they are saying before you
speak.

Leading a Discussion

You may be in a seminar group that requires you to lead a group discussion, or
lead a discussion after an oral presentation. You can demonstrate leadership by:

• introducing yourself and the members of the group

• stating the purpose of the discussion
• inviting quiet group members to speak
• being objective
• summarizing the discussion

Chairing a Group Discussion

When chairing a discussion group you must communicate in a positive way to

assist the speakers in accomplishing their objective. There are at least four
leadership skills you can use to influence other people positively and help your
group achieve its purpose. These skills include:

• introducing the topic and purpose of the discussion,

• making sure all members have approximately the same time, (i.e. no one
dominates the discussion by taking too much time)
• thanking group members for their contribution
• being objective in summarizing the group's discussion and achievements.

A group discussion consists of:

1. Communication Skills
2. Knowledge and ideas regarding a given subject
3. Capability to co-ordinate and lead
4. Exchange of thoughts
5. Addressing the group as a whole
6. Thorough preparations
Communication Skills

The first aspect is one's power of expression. In a group discussion, a candidate

has to talk effectively so that he is able to convince others. For convincing, one
has to speak forcefully and at the same time create an impact by his knowledge
of the subject. A candidate who is successful in holding the attention of the
audience creates a positive impact.

It is necessary that you should be precise and clear. As a rule evaluators do not
look for the wordage produced. Your knowledge on a given subject, your
precision and clarity of thought are the things that are evaluated. Irrelevant talks
lead you nowhere. You should speak as much as necessary, neither more nor
less. Group discussions are not debating stages.

Ability to listen is also what evaluators judge. They look for your ability to react
on what other participants say. Hence, it is necessary that you listen carefully to
others and then react or proceed to add some more points. Your behavior in the
group is also put to test to judge whether you are a loner or can work in a group.

You should be able to convey your thoughts satisfactorily and convincingly

before a group of people. Confidence and level headedness in doing so is
necessary. These add value to your presentation. In case you are not good at it,
you might gain by joining an institute that offers specialized courses in public
speaking. For instance, British Council Division's English Language Teaching
Centre offers a wide range of courses like conversation skills, business
communication skills, business writing, negotiation skills and presentation
skills. Mostly people attend these courses to improve their communication skills.
Students here are involved in activities which use communication skills and
teachers provide inputs, monitor and facilitate the classes. The course at the
Centre makes you confident enough to speak before people without any
nervousness.

Knowledge and Ideas Regarding a Given Subject

Knowledge of the subject under discussion and clarity of ideas are important.
Knowledge comes from consistent reading on various topics ranging from science
and technology to politics. In-depth knowledge makes one confident and
enthusiastic and this in turn, makes one sound convincing and confident.

Leadership and Coordinating Capabilities

The basic aim of a group discussion is to judge a candidate's leadership qualities.

The examiner withdraws and becomes a silent spectator once the discussion
starts. A candidate should display tactfulness, skill, understanding and
knowledge on varied topics, enterprise, forcefulness and other leadership
qualities to motivate and influence other candidates who may be almost equally
competent.
Exchange of Thoughts

A group discussion is an exchange of thoughts and ideas among members of a

group. These discussions are held for selecting personnel in organisations where
there is a high level of competition. The number of participants in a group can
vary between 8 and 15. Mostly a topic or a situation is given to group members
who have to discuss it within 10 to 20 minutes.

The purpose is to get an idea about candidates in a short time and make
assessments about their skills, which normally cannot be evaluated in an
interview. These skills may be team membership, leadership skills, listening and
articulation skills.

A note is made of your contributions to the discussion, comprehension of the

main idea, the rapport you strike, patience, assertion, accommodation,
amenability, etc. Body language and eye contact too are important points which
are to be considered. .

Addressing the Group as a Whole

In a group discussion it is not necessary to address anyone by name. Even

otherwise you may not know everyone's names. It better to address the group as
a whole.

Address the person farthest from you. If he can hear you everyone else too can.
Needless to add, as for the interview, attend the group discussion in formal
dress. The language used should also be formal, not the language used in normal
conversations. For instance, words and phrases like "yar", "chalta hai", "CP", "I
dunno", etc. are out. This is not to say you should use a high sounding, pedantic
language. Avoiding both, just use formal, plain and simple language. Hinglish,
(mixture of Hindi and English) should be discarded.

Confidence and coolness while presenting your viewpoint are of help. See that
you do not keep repeating a point. Do not use more words than necessary. Do
not be superfluous. Try to be specific. Do not exaggerate.

Thorough Preparation

Start making preparations for interview and group discussions right away,
without waiting till the eleventh hour, this is, if and when called for them. Then
the time left may not be adequate. It is important to concentrate on subject
knowledge and general awareness. Hence, the prime need for thorough
preparation. Remember, the competition is very tough. Only 460 candidates
make it to the final list from 2.75 lakh civil service aspirants each year.
It may so happen that you are called for interviews and group discussions from
three or four organizations but are not selected by any. The reason obviously
lies in your not being well-prepared.

In a group discussion you may be given a topic and asked to express your views
on it. Or in a case study GD, students have to read a case study and suggest
ways of tackling the problem. For this you should have a good general
knowledge, need to be abreast with current affairs, should regularly read
newspapers and magazines. Your group behaviour and communication skills are
on test, i.e. how you convince the others and how clearly you are able to express
your points of view. You should be articulate, generate ideas, not sound boring,
should allow others to speak, and adopt a stand on a given subject. During the
course of the GD this stand can even be changed, giving the impression that you
are open to accommodate others' viewpoints.

Additional marks may be given for starting or concluding the discussion.

Points to Remember

• Knowledge is strength. A candidate with good reading habits has more

chances of success. In other words, sound knowledge on different topics
like politics, finance, economy, science and technology is helpful.
• Power to convince effectively is another quality that makes you stand out
among others.
• Clarity in speech and expression is yet another essential quality.
• If you are not sure about the topic of discussion, it is better not to initiate.
Lack of knowledge or wrong approach creates a bad impression. Instead,
you might adopt the wait and watch attitude. Listen attentively to others,
may be you would be able to come up with a point or two later.
• A GD is a formal occasion where slang is to avoided.
• A GD is not a debating stage. Participants should confine themselves to
expressing their viewpoints. In the second part of the discussion
candidates can exercise their choice in agreeing, disagreeing or remaining
neutral.
• Language use should be simple, direct and straight forward.
• Don't interrupt a speaker when the session is on. Try to score by
increasing your size, not by cutting others short.
• Maintain rapport with fellow participants. Eye contact plays a major role.
Non-verbal gestures, such as listening intently or nodding while
appreciating someone's viewpoint speak of you positively.
• Communicate with each and every candidate present. While speaking don't
keep looking at a single member. Address the entire group in such a way
that everyone feels you are speaking to him or her.
 GD Tips

1. Initiation Techniques
2. Body of the group discussion
3. Summarization/ Conclusion

Initiation Techniques

• Initiating a GD is a high profit-high loss strategy.

When you initiate a GD, you not only grab the opportunity to speak, you
also grab the attention of the examiner and your fellow candidates.

If you can make a favourable first impression with your content and
communication skills after you initiate a GD, it will help you sail through
the discussion.

But if you initiate a GD and stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong facts and
figures, the damage might be irreparable.

If you initiate a GD impeccably but don't speak much after that, it gives
the impression that you started the GD for the sake of starting it or getting
those initial kitty of points earmarked for an initiator!

When you start a GD, you are responsible for putting it into the right
perspective or framework. So initiate one only if you have in-depth
knowledge about the topic at hand.

Body of the group discussion

• Different techniques to initiate a GD and make a good first
impression:

i. Quotes
ii. Definition
iii. Question
iv. Shock statement
v. Facts, figures and statistics
vi. Short story
vii. General statement

• i. Quotes

Quotes are an effective way of initiating a GD.

If the topic of a GD is: Should the Censor Board be abolished?, you could
start with a quote like, 'Hidden apples are always sweet'.

For a GD topic like, Customer is King, you could quote Sam (Wall-mart)
Walton's famous saying, 'There is only one boss: the customer. And he can
fire everybody in the company -- from the chairman on down, simply by
spending his money somewhere else.'

ii. Definition

Start a GD by defining the topic or an important term in the topic.

For example, if the topic of the GD is Advertising is a Diplomatic Way of

Telling a Lie, why not start the GD by defining advertising as, 'Any paid
form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or
services through mass media like newspapers, magazines, television or
radio by an identified sponsor'?

For a topic like The Malthusian Economic Prophecy is no longer relevant,

you could start by explaining the definition of the Malthusian Economic
Prophecy.

iii. Question

Asking a question is an impact way of starting a GD.

It does not signify asking a question to any of the candidates in a GD so as

to hamper the flow. It implies asking a question, and answering it yourself.

Any question that might hamper the flow of a GD or insult a participant or

play devil's advocate must be discouraged.

Questions that promote a flow of ideas are always appreciated.

 For a topic like, Should India go to war with Pakistan, you could start by
asking, 'What does war bring to the people of a nation? We have had four
clashes with Pakistan. The pertinent question is: what have we achieved?'

• iv. Shock statement

Initiating a GD with a shocking statement is the best way to grab

immediate attention and put forth your point.

If a GD topic is, The Impact of Population on the Indian Economy, you

could start with, 'At the centre of the Indian capital stands a population
clock that ticks away relentlessly. It tracks 33 births a minute, 2,000 an
hour, 48,000 a day. Which calculates to about 12 million every year. That
is roughly the size of Australia. As a current political slogan puts it,
'Nothing's impossible when 1 billion Indians work together'.'

v. Facts, figures and statistics

If you decide to initiate your GD with facts, figure and statistics, make sure
to quote them accurately.

Approximation is allowed in macro level figures, but micro level figures

need to be correct and accurate.

For example, you can say, approximately 70 per cent of the Indian
population stays in rural areas (macro figures, approximation allowed).

But you cannot say 30 states of India instead of 28 (micro figures, no

approximations).

Stating wrong facts works to your disadvantage.

For a GD topic like, China, a Rising Tiger, you could start with, 'In 1983,
when China was still in its initial stages of reform and opening up, China's
real use of Foreign Direct Investment only stood at $636 million. China
actually utilized $60 billion of FID in 2004, which is almost 100 times that
of its 1983 statistics."

vi. Short story

Use a short story in a GD topic like, Attitude is Everything.

This can be initiated with, 'A child once asked a balloon vendor, who was
selling helium gas-filled balloons, whether a blue-colored balloon will go as
high in the sky as a green-colored balloon. The balloon vendor told the
child, it is not the color of the balloon but what is inside it that makes it go
high.'

vii. General statement

Use a general statement to put the GD in proper perspective.

 For example, if the topic is, Should Sonia Gandhi be the prime minister of
India?, you could start by saying, 'Before jumping to conclusions like, 'Yes,
Sonia Gandhi should be', or 'No, Sonia Gandhi should not be', let's first
find out the qualities one needs to be a a good prime minister of India.
Then we can compare these qualities with those that Mrs. Gandhi
possesses. This will help us reach the conclusion in a more objective and
effective manner.'

Summarization/ Conclusion

• Most GD do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where the whole

group decides in favor or against the topic.
• But every GD is summarized. You can summaries what the group has
discussed in the GD in a nutshell.

Keep the following points in mind while summarizing a discussion:

1. Avoid raising new points.

2. Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
3. Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD.
4. Keep it brief and concise.
5. It must incorporate all the important points that came out during the GD.
6. If the examiner asks you to summaries a GD, it means the GD has come to
an end.
7. Do not add anything once the GD has been summarized.

GD Do's

• Do's

1. Be as natural as possible. Do not try and be someone you are not. Be

yourself.
2. A group discussion is your chance to be more vocal. The evaluator wants
to hear you speak.
3. Take time to organize your thoughts. Think of what you are going to say.
4. Seek clarification if you have any doubts regarding the subject.
5. Don't start speaking until you have clearly understood and analyzed the
subject.
 6. Work out various strategies to help you make an entry: initiate the
discussion or agree with someone else's point and then move onto express
your views.
7. Opening the discussion is not the only way of gaining attention and
recognition. If you do not give valuable insights during the discussion, all
your efforts of initiating the discussion will be in vain.
8. Your body language says a lot about you - your gestures and mannerisms
are more likely to reflect your attitude than what you say.
9. Language skills are important only to the effect as to how you get your
points across clearly and fluently.
10. Be assertive not dominating; try to maintain a balanced tone in your
discussion and analysis.
11. Don't lose your cool if anyone says anything you object to. The key is
to stay objective: Don't take the discussion personally.
12. Always be polite: Try to avoid using extreme phrases like: `I strongly object'
or `I disagree'. Instead try phrases like: `I would like to share my views
on�' or `One difference between your point and mine�' or "I beg to differ
with you"
13. Brush up on your leadership skills; motivate the other members of the
team to speak (this surely does not mean that the only thing that you do in
the GD is to say "let us hear what the young lady with the blue scarf has to
say," or "Raghu, let us hear your views" - Essentially be subtle), and listen
to their views. Be receptive to others' opinions and do not be abrasive or
aggressive.
14. If you have a group of like-minded friends, you can have a mock
group discussion where you can learn from each other through giving and
receiving feedback.

GD Preparation

While selection tools and techniques like tests, interviews etc. provide good data
about an individual, they fall short in providing real life data of how an individual
would be performing in a real life situation especially a group situation. Team
work being an integral part of the BPO work profile, it is important to ascertain
group and inter-personal qualities of an individual. Group discussion is a useful
tool to ascertain these qualities and many organizations use GDs as a selection
tool along with Personal Interviews, aptitude tests etc. A GD is an activity where

• Groups of 8-10 candidates are formed into a leaderless group, and are
given a specific situation to analyse and discuss within a given time limit,
which may vary between twenty minutes and forty-five minutes, or
• They may be given a case study and asked to come out with a solution for
a problem
• They may be given a topic and are asked to discuss the same

1. Preparing for a Group Discussion: While GD reflects the inherent qualities of

an individual, appearing for it unprepared may not augur well for you. These tips
would help you prepare for GDs:

Reading: This is the first and the most crucial step in preparation. This is a
never ending process and the more you read, the better you are in your thoughts.
While you may read anything to everything, you must ensure that you are in
good touch with current affairs, the debates and hot topics of discussion and
also with the latest in the IT and ITES industry. Chances are the topics would be
around these. Read both for the thoughts as well as for data. Also read multiple
view points on the same topic and then create your point of view with rationale.
Also create answers for counter arguments for your point of view. The electronic
media also will be of good use here.

Mocks: Create an informal GD group and meet regularly to discuss and

exchange feedback. This is the best way to prepare. This would give you a good
idea about your thoughts and how well can you convince. Remember, it is
important that you are able to express your thoughts well. The better you
perform in these mocks the better would be you chances to perform on the final
day. Also try to interact and participate in other GD groups. This will develop in
you a skill to discuss with unknown people as well.

2. During the Group Discussion:

What do the panelists assess:Some of the qualities assessed in a GD are:

Leadership Skills - Ability to take leadership roles and be able to lead, inspire
and carry the team along to help them achieve the group's objectives.

Communication Skills - Candidates will be assessed in terms of clarity of

thought, expression and aptness of language. One key aspect is listening. It
indicates a willingness to accommodate others views.

Interpersonal Skills - People skills are an important aspect of any job. They are
reflected in the ability to interact with other members of the group in a brief
situation. Emotional maturity and balance promotes good interpersonal
relationships. The person has to be more people centric and less self-centered.

Persuasive Skills - The ability to analyze and persuade others to see the problem
from multiple perspectives.

GD is a test of your ability to think, your analytical capabilities and your ability
to make your point in a team-based environment.

These are some of the sub-skills that also get assessed with the skills mentioned
above:

• Clarity of thought
• Group working skills (especially during a group task of case study
discussion)
• Conflict handling
• Listening and probing skills
• Knowledge about the subject and individual point of view
• Ability to create a consensus
• Openess and flexibility towards new ideas
 • Data based approach to decision making

While, it is not possible to reflect all these qualities in a short time, you would do
well if you are able to show a couple or more qualities and avoid giving negative
evidence on others.

How do I take my chance to speak: Trying to interrupt others while speaking

would only harm your chances. Instead, you may try to maintain an eye-contact
with the speaker. This would show your listening skills also and would help you
gauge from his eye-movement and pitch of voice that he is about to close his
inputs. You can quickly take it from there. Also, try and link your inputs with
what he has spoken whether you are adding to or opposing his arguments. This
would reflect that you are actually being participative rather than just doing a
collective monologue.

• How to I communicate in a GD: Be crisp and to the point. Be fact based

and avoid making individual opinions that do not have a factual base.
Make eye contact with all the members in the group and avoid looking at
the panelists while speaking. The average duration of the group discussion
provides an average of about 2-3 minutes per participant to speak and you
should try to speak about 3-4 times. Hence, you need to be really crisp to
reflect the most in those 30-40 sec. slots.
• How do I convince others and make them agree to my view point: A lot
of candidates make it their mission to make the group reach to a
conclusion on the topic. Do not forget that some of the topics have been
eternal debates and there is no way you can get an agreement in 15 mins.
on them. The objective is not to make others toe your line but to provide
fact based, convincing arguments which create an impact. Stick to this
approach.
• Do leadership skills include moderating the group discussion: This is a
myth and many people do try to impose their order on the GD, ordering
people when to speak and when not to. This only reflects poor leadership.
Leadership in a GD would be reflected by your clarity of thought, ability to
expand the topic in its different dimensions, providing an opportunity to a
silent participant to speak, listening to others and probing them to provide
more information. Hence, work on these areas rather than be a self-
appointed moderator of the group.
• Listening: This is a key quality assessed during the GD about which many
participants forget. Active listening can fetch you credit points and would
also provide you with data to discuss. Also, if you have an average of 2-3
minutes to speak, the rest of the 20-25 minutes is required to spent in
active listening. For this, maintain eye contact with the speakers, attend to
them (like nodding, using acknowledging words like -I see ok, fine, great
etc.). This would also make you be the centre of attraction as you would
appear non-threatening to the speakers.
• Behaviour during the GD: Be patient; don't get upset if anyone says
anything you object to. Stay objective and don't take the discussion
 personally. Also, remember the six C's of communication - Clarity,
Completeness, Conciseness, Confidence, Correctness and Courtesy. Be
appreciative & receptive to ideas from other people and open-minded but
do not let others to change your own viewpoint. Be active and interested
throughout. It is better to participate less if you have no clue of the topic.
You may listen to others and take clues from there and speak. You would
be assessed on a range of different skills and you may think that
leadership is key, you need to be careful that you don't dominate the
discussion.
• Quality Vs Quantity: Often, participants think that success in group
discussions depends on how much and how loudly they speak.
Interestingly, it's the opposite. Also, making your point on the topic, your
views are important and the group needs to know. This will tell you are
knowledgeable and that you participate in groups
• Summarizing: If you have not been able to initiate the discussion, try to
summaries and close it. Good summarizing would get you good reward
points. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favour or against
the topic and most GDs do not have a closure. But every GD can be
summarized by putting forth what the group has discussed in a nutshell.
Keep the following points in mind while summarizing a discussion:
o Avoid raising new points.
o Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
o Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD
o Keep it brief and concise.
o It must include all the important points that came out during the GD
o If you are asked to summarise a GD, it means the GD has come to
an end.
o Do not add anything once the GD has been summarised.

Some Positive Task Roles in a Group Discussion:You may want to play one or
more of them:

• Initiator
• Information seeker
• Information giver
• Procedure facilitator
• Opinion seeker
• Opinion giver
• Clarifier
• Social Supporter
• Harmonizer
 • Tension Reliever
• Energizer
• Compromiser
• Gatekeeper
• Summarizer

Negative Roles to be Avoided

• Disgruntled non-participant
• Attacker
• Dominator
• Patronizer
• Clown

Feedback template: While doing mocks for GD preparation, you would get
benefited by the feedback of others. For the purpose, we are providing a template
for feedback - both quantitative and qualitative. The items described over there
are a suggested list and not a complete one. You may make changes in it
depending upon your need.

GD Mistakes

Here's a list of the most common mistakes made at group discussions:

Emotional outburst

Rashmi was offended when one of the male participants in a group discussion
made a statement on women generally being submissive while explaining his
point of view. When Rashmi finally got an opportunity to speak, instead of
focussing on the topic, she vented her anger by accusing the other candidate for
being a male chauvinist and went on to defend women in general.

What Rashmi essentially did was to

� Deviate from the subject

� Treat the discussion as a forum to air her own views.

� Lose objectivity and make personal attacks.

Her behaviour would have been perceived as immature and demotivating to the
rest of the team.

Quality Vs Quantity

Gautam believed that the more he talked, the more likely he was to get through
the GD. So, he interrupted other people at every opportunity. He did this so often
that the other candidates got together to prevent him from participating in the
rest of the discussion.

� Assessment is not only on your communication skills but also on your ability
to be a team player.

� Evaluation is based on quality, and not on quantity. Your contribution must

be relevant.

� The mantra is "Contributing meaningfully to the team's success." Domination

is frowned upon.

Egotism Showing off

Krishna was happy to have got a group discussion topic he had prepared for. So,
he took pains to project his vast knowledge of the topic. Every other sentence of
his contained statistical data - "20% of companies; 24.27% of parliamentarians
felt that; I recently read in a Jupiter Report that..." and so on so forth. Soon, the
rest of the team either laughed at him or ignored his attempts to enlighten them
as they perceived that he was cooking up the data.

� Exercise restraint in anything. You will end up being frowned upon if you
attempt showing-off your knowledge.

� Facts and figures need not validate all your statements.

� Its your analysis and interpretation that are equally important - not just facts
and figures.

� You might be appreciated for your in-depth knowledge. But you will fail
miserably in your people skills.

Such a behavior indicates how self-centered you are and highlights your inability
to work in an atmosphere where different opinions are expressed.

Get noticed - But for the right reasons

Srikumar knew that everyone would compete to initiate the discussion. So as

soon as the topic - "Discuss the negative effects of India joining the WTO" - was
read out, he began talking. In his anxiety to be the first to start speaking, he did
not hear the word "negative" in the topic. He began discussing the ways in which
the country had benefited by joining WTO, only to be stopped by the evaluator,
who then corrected his mistake.

� False starts are extremely expensive. They cost you your admission. It is very
important to listen and understand the topic before you air your opinions.

� Spending a little time analyzing the topic may provide you with insights which
others may not have thought about. Use a pen and paper to jot down your ideas.

� Listen! It gives you the time to conceptualize and present the information in a
better manner.

Some mistakes are irreparable. Starting off the group discussion with a mistake
is one such mistake, unless you have a great sense of humor.

Managing one's insecurities

Sumati was very nervous. She thought that some of the other candidates were
exceptionally good. Thanks to her insecurity, she contributed little to the
discussion. Even when she was asked to comment on a particular point, she
preferred to remain silent.

� Your personality is also being evaluated. Your verbal and non verbal cues are
being read.

� Remember, you are the participant in the GD; not the evaluator. So, rather
than evaluating others and your performance, participate in the discussion.

� Your confidence level is being evaluated. Decent communication skills with

good confidence is a must to crack the GDs.

Focus on your strengths and do not spend too much time thinking about how
others are superior or inferior to you. It is easy to pick up these cues from your
body language.

Knowledge is strength. A candidate with good reading habits has more chances
of success. In other words, sound knowledge on different topics like politics,
finance, economy, science and technology is helpful.

Power to convince effectively is another quality that makes you stand out among
others.

Clarity in speech and expression is yet another essential quality.

If you are not sure about the topic of discussion, it is better not to initiate. Lack
of knowledge or wrong approach creates a bad impression. Instead, you might
adopt the wait and watch attitude. Listen attentively to others, may be you would
be able to come up with a point or two later.
A GD is a formal occasion where slang is to avoided.

A GD is not a debating stage. Participants should confine themselves to

expressing their viewpoints. In the second part of the discussion candidates can
exercise their choice in agreeing, disagreeing or remaining neutral.

Language use should be simple, direct and straight forward.

Don't interrupt a speaker when the session is on. Try to score by increasing your
size, not by cutting others short.

Maintain rapport with fellow participants. Eye contact plays a major role. Non-
verbal gestures, such as listening intently or nodding while appreciating
someone's viewpoint speak of you positively.

Communicate with each and every candidate present. While speaking don't keep
looking at a single member. Address the entire group in such a way that
everyone feels you are speaking to him or her.

2012 is rumor or reality?

The 2012 phenomenon comprises a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or

transformative events will occur on December 21, 2012,[1][2][3] which is said to be the end-date of a
5,125-year-long cycle in the Mayan Long Count calendar. Various astronomical alignments and
numerological formulae related to this date have been proposed.

A New Age interpretation of this transition posits that during this time Earth and its inhabitants
may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning
of a new era.[4] Others suggest that the 2012 date marks the end of the world or a similar
catastrophe.[citation needed] Scenarios posited for the end of the world include the Earth's collision with a
passing planet (often referred to as "Nibiru") or black hole, or the arrival of the next solar
maximum.

Scholars from various disciplines have dismissed the idea of catastrophe in 2012.
MainstreamMayanist scholars state that predictions of impending doom are not found in any of the
existingclassic Maya accounts, and that the idea that the Long Count calendar "ends" in 2012
misrepresents Maya history.[3][5] The modern Maya do not consider the date significant, and the
classical sources on the subject are scarce and contradictory, suggesting that there was little if any
universal agreement among them about what, if anything, the date might mean.[6]

Additionally, astronomers and other scientists have rejected the apocalyptic forecasts
aspseudoscience, stating that the anticipated events are contradicted by simple astronomical
observations.[7] NASA has compared fears about 2012 to those about the Y2K bug in the late
1990s, suggesting that an adequate analysis should preclude fears of disaster.[7] None of the
proposed alignments or formulas have been accepted by mainstream scholarship.

•
Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
Main article: Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
December 2012 marks the conclusion of a b'ak'tun; a great cycle of years in the Mesoamerican
Long Count calendar, which was used inCentral America prior to the arrival of Europeans. Though
the Long Count was most likely invented by the Olmec,[8] it has become closely associated with
the Maya civilization, whose classic period lasted from 250 to 900 AD.[9] The writing system of the
classic Maya has been substantially deciphered, meaning that a corpus of their written and
inscribed material has survived from before the European conquest.

Unlike the 52-year Calendar Round still used today among the Maya, the Long Count was linear,
rather than cyclical, and kept time roughly in units of 20: 20 days made a uinal, 18 uinals (360
days) made a tun, 20 tuns made a k'atun, and 20 k'atuns (144,000 days) made up a b'ak'tun. Thus,
the Mayan date of 8.3.2.10.15 represents 8 b'ak'tuns, 3 k'atuns, 2 tuns, 10 uinals and 15 days.[10][11]
Apocalypse
See also: Fifth World (Native American mythology)
There is a strong tradition of "world ages" in Maya literature, but unfortunately the record has been
distorted, leaving several possibilities open.[12] According to the Popol Vuh, a book compiling
details of creation accounts known to the K'iche' Maya of the Colonial-era highlands, we are living
in the fourth world.[13] The Popol Vuh describes the first three creations that the gods failed in
making and the creation of the successful fourth world, where men were placed. In the Maya Long
Count, the previous world ended after 13 b'ak'tuns or roughly 5,125 years. The Long Count's "zero
date" was set at a point in the past marking the end of the third world and the beginning of the
current one, which corresponds to either 11 or 13 August 3114 BC in the Proleptic Gregorian
calendar, depending on the formula used.[14][a] This means that the fourth world will also have
reached the end of its thirteenth b'ak'tun, or Mayan date 13.0.0.0.0, on either December 21 or
December 23, 2012.[1][a]

In 1957, Mayanist and astronomer Maud Worcester Makemson wrote that "the completion of a
Great Period of 13 b'ak'tuns would have been of the utmost significance to the Maya".[15] In
1966, Michael D. Coe more ambitiously asserted in The Maya that "there is a suggestion ... that
Armageddon would overtake the degenerate peoples of the world and all creation on the final day
of the thirteenth [b'ak'tun]. Thus ... our present universe [would] be annihilated [in December 2012]
[b]
when the Great Cycle of the Long Count reaches completion."[16]
Objections
Coe's apocalyptic interpretation was repeated by other scholars through the early 1990s.[17] In
contrast, later researchers said that, while the end of the 13th b'ak'tun would perhaps be a cause for
celebration,[3] it did not mark the end of the calendar.[18] "There is nothing in the Maya or Aztec or
ancient Mesoamerican prophecy to suggest that they prophesied a sudden or major change of any
sort in 2012," says Mayanist scholar Mark Van Stone. "The notion of a "Great Cycle" coming to an
end is completely a modern invention."[19] In 1990, Mayanist scholars Linda Schele and David
Freidel argued that the Maya "did not conceive this to be the end of creation, as many have
suggested."[20] Susan Milbrath, curator of Latin American Art and Archaeology at the Florida
Museum of Natural History, stated that "We have no record or knowledge that [the Maya] would
think the world would come to an end" in 2012.[21] "For the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration
to make it to the end of a whole cycle," says Sandra Noble, executive director of the Foundation for
the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies in Crystal River, Florida. To render December 21,
2012, as a doomsday event or moment of cosmic shifting, she says, is "a complete fabrication and a
chance for a lot of people to cash in."[21] "There will be another cycle," says E. Wyllys Andrews V,
director of the Tulane University Middle American Research Institute (MARI). "We know the
Maya thought there was one before this, and that implies they were comfortable with the idea of
another one after this."[22]

Maya inscriptions occasionally reference future predicted events or commemorations that would
occur on dates that lie beyond the completion of the 13th b'ak'tun. Most of these are in the form of
"distance dates" where some Long Count date is given, together with a Distance Number that is to
be added to the Long Count date to arrive at this future date. On the west panel at the Temple of
Inscriptions inPalenque, a section of the text projects into the future to the 80th Calendar Round
anniversary of the Palenque ruler K'inich Janaab' Pakal's accession to the throne (Pakal's accession
occurred on 9.9.2.4.8; equivalent to 27 July 615 CE in the proleptic Gregorian calendar). It does
this by commencing with Pakal's birthdate of 9.8.9.13.0 (24 March 603 CE Gregorian) and adding
to it the Distance Number 10.11.10.5.8.[23] This calculation arrives at the 80th Calendar Round
since his accession, which lies over 4,000 years in the future from Pakal's time—the 21st of
October in the year AD 4772.[19][23][24]

Another example is Stela 1 at Coba, which gives a date with twenty units above the b'ak'tun,
placing it either 4.134105 × 1028 (41 octillion) years in the future,[20] or an equal distance in the
past.[25] Either way, this date is 3 quintillion times the age of the universe, demonstrating that not all
Mayans considered the 5,125-year cycle as the most important.
Mayan references to B'ak'tun 13

The present-day Maya, as a whole, do not attach much significance to b'ak'tun 13. Although the
Calendar Round is still used by some Maya tribes in the Guatemalan highlands, the Long Count
was employed exclusively by the classic Maya, and was only recently rediscovered by
archaeologists.[26] Mayan elder Apolinario Chile Pixtun and Mexican archaeologist Guillermo
Bernal both note that "apocalypse" is a Western concept that has little or nothing to do with Mayan
beliefs. Bernal believes that such ideas have been foisted on the Maya by Westerners because their
own myths are "exhausted".[27][28] Mayan archaeologist Jose Huchm has stated that "If I went to
some Mayan-speaking communities and asked people what is going to happen in 2012, they
wouldn't have any idea. That the world is going to end? They wouldn't believe you. We have real
concerns these days, like rain".[27]

What significance the classic Maya gave the 13th b'ak'tun is uncertain. Most classic Maya
inscriptions are strictly historical and do not make any prophetic declarations.[29] Two items in the
Maya historical corpus, however, may mention the end of the 13th b'ak'tun:Tortuguero Monument
6 and, possibly, the Chilam Balam.
Tortuguero
The Tortuguero site, which lies in southernmost Tabasco, Mexico, dates from the 7th century AD
and consists of a series of inscriptions mostly in honor of the contemporary ruler Bahlam Ajaw.
One inscription, known as Tortuguero Monument 6, is the only inscription to refer to b'ak'tun 13. It
has been partially defaced; Mark Van Stone has given the most complete translation:

Tzuhtz-(a)j-oom u(y)-uxlajuun pik

The Thirteenth [b'ak'tun] will end

(ta) Chan Ajaw ux(-te') Uniiw.

(on) 4 Ajaw, the 3rd of Uniiw [3 K'ank'in].

Uht-oom Ek'-...

Black ...[illegible]...will occur.

Y-em(al)...Bolon Yookte' K'uh ta-chak-ma...

(It will be) the descent(?) of Bolon Yokte' K'uh to the great (or "red"?)...[illegible]...[19]
Very little is known about the god (or gods) Bolon Yokte' K'uh. According to
an article by Mayanists Markus Eberl and Christian Prager inBritish
Anthropological Reports, his name is composed of the elements "nine", 'OK-te'
(the meaning of which is unknown), and "god". Confusion in classical period
inscriptions suggests that the name was already ancient and unfamiliar to
contemporary scribes.[30] He also appears in inscriptions from Palenque,
Usumacinta, and La Mar as a god of war, conflict, and the underworld. In one
stela he is portrayed with a rope tied around his neck, and in another with an
incense bag, together signifying a sacrifice to end a period of time.[31] Despite
all this, Eberl and Prager believe that the reference to Bolon Yokte' K'uh at
Tortuguero is a positive one, because the fragmentary word translated above as
"descent" seems to be the same one used during building dedications.[32]
Chilam Balam
The Chilam Balam are a group of post-conquest Mayan prophetic histories
transcribed in a modified form of the Spanish alphabet. Their authorship is
ascribed to a chilam balam, or jaguar prophet.[33] The Chilam Balam
of Tizimin has been translated four times in the 20th century, with many
disputes over the meaning of its passages. One passage in particular is relevant
to the interpretation of the 13thb'ak'tun:

lic u tal oxlahun bak chem, ti u cenic u (tzan a cen/ba nacom)i (ciac/cha') a ba
yum(il/t)exe

Maud Worcester Makemson, an archaeoastronomer, believed that this line

referred to the "tremendously important event of the arrival of 13.0.0.0.0 4
Ahau 3 Kankin in the not too distant future",[34] Her translation of the line, runs:

Presently B'ak'tun 13 shall come sailing, figuratively speaking, bringing the

ornaments of which I have spoken from your ancestors.

Her version of the text continues, "Then the god will come to visit his little
ones. Perhaps 'After Death' will be the subject of his discourse." Makemson
was still relying on her own dating of 13.0.0.0.0 to 1752 and therefore the "not
too distant future" in her annotations meant a few years after the scribe in
Tizimin recorded his Chilam Balam.[35] The more recent translation of Munro
S. Edmonson does not support this reading; he considers the Long Count
almost entirely absent from the book, since the 360-day tun was supplanted in
the 1750s by a 365-day Christian year, and a 24-round may system was being
implemented.[36] He translates the line as follows:

...like the coming of 13 sail-ships. When the captains dress themselves, your
fathers will be taken.[37]

Other Chilam Balam books contain references to the 13th b'ak'tun, but it is
unclear if these are in the past or future; for example, oxhun bakam u
katunil (thirteen bakam of k'atuns) in the Chilam Balam of Chumayel.[38] Bolon
Yokte' K'uh appears in the Chilam Balam of Chumayel to signify an apparent
battle and victory over Spanish invaders.[39]
New Age beliefs

Many assertions about 2012 are a form of Mayanism,[c] a non-codified

collection of New Age beliefs about ancient Maya wisdom and spirituality. In
1975, the ending of the b'ak'tun cycle became the subject of speculation by
several New Age authors, who believe it will correspond to a global
"consciousness shift". In his book Mexico Mystique: The Coming Sixth Age of
Consciousness, Frank Waters tied Coe's December 24, 2011[b] date to astrology
and the prophecies of the Hopi,[40] while both José Argüelles and Terence
McKenna (in their books The Transformative Vision[41] and The Invisible
Landscape[42][43] respectively) discussed the significance of the year 2012, but
not a specific day. In 1987, the year in which he held the Harmonic
Convergence event, Arguelles settled on the date of December 21 in his
book The Mayan Factor: Path Beyond Technology,[44][45] in which he claimed
on that date the Earth would pass through a great "beam" from the centre of the
Galaxy, and that the Maya aligned their calendar in anticipation of that event.
[46]

In 2006, author Daniel Pinchbeck popularised New Age concepts about this
date in his book 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, linking it to beliefs
about crop circles, alien abduction, and personal revelations based on the use
of entheogens and mediumship.[47][48] Pinchbeck claims to discern a "growing
realization that materialism and the rational, empirical worldview that comes
with it has reached its expiration date...[w]e're on the verge of transitioning to a
dispensation of consciousness that's more intuitive, mystical and shamanic."[49]

In India, the guru Kalki Bhagavan has promoted 2012 as a "deadline" for
human enlightenment since at least 1998.[50][51] In the United States, the
association of December 21, 2012, with a "transformation of consciousness"
has also received popular attention in The Lost Symbol (2009),
a bestseller work of thriller fiction by Dan Brown, in which the date is
associated with references to esoteric beliefs ofFreemasonry and noetic theory.
[52]

Frank Joseph's Atlantis and 2012: The Science of the Lost Civilization and the
Prophecies of the Maya, published in 2010,[53] links supposed Maya prophecies
about December 21, 2012 to mythology about the lost continents
of Atlantis and Lemuria, claiming that knowledge of a past cataclysm was
carried to the ancient Maya and to ancient Egypt. Joseph connects this
knowledge to stories of theArk of the Covenant, which he claims was stolen
from the Great Pyramid by Moses, brought from Jerusalem to the Americas by
theKnights Templar, and now lies hidden in a cave in Illinois, awaiting its
prophesied discovery in 2012. The discovery of the ark and the knowledge it
contains will usher in a New Age.
Archaeoastronomer Anthony Aveni says that while the idea of "balancing the
cosmos" was prominent in ancient Maya literature, and some modern Maya
affirm this idea of an age of coexistence, the 2012 phenomenon does not
present this message in its original form. Instead, it is bound up with American
traditions such as the New Age movement, millenarianism, and the belief
in secret knowledge from distant times and places.[54] Established themes found
in 2012 literature include "suspicion towards mainstream Western culture", the
idea of spiritual evolution, and the possibility of leading the world into the New
Age by individual example or by a group's joined consciousness. The general
intent of this literature is not to warn of impending doom but "to foster counter-
cultural sympathies and eventually socio-political and 'spiritual' activism".
[2]
Aveni, who has studied New Age and SETI communities, describes 2012
narratives as the product of a "disconnected" society: "Unable to find spiritual
answers to life's big questions within ourselves, we turn outward to imagined
entities that lie far off in space or time—entities that just might be in
possession of superior knowledge."[55]
Galactic alignment
In the mid-1990s, esoteric author John Major Jenkins asserted that the ancient
Maya intended to tie the end of their calendar to the wintersolstice in 2012,
which falls on December 21. This date was in line with an idea he terms
the galactic alignment.[56]

In the Solar System, the planets and the Sun share roughly the same plane of
orbit, known as the plane of the ecliptic. From our perspective on Earth, the
ecliptic is the path taken by the Sun across the sky over the course of the year.
The 12 constellations which line the ecliptic are known as the zodiac and,
through the year, the Sun passes through each constellation in turn.
Additionally, over time, the Sun's annual passage appears to recede
counterclockwise by one degree every 72 years. This movement, called
"precession", is attributed to a slight wobble in the Earth's axis as it spins.[57] As
a result, approximately every 2,160 years, the constellation visible on the early
morning of the spring equinox changes. In Western astrological traditions, this
signals the end of one astrological age (currently the Age of Pisces) and the
beginning of another (Age of Aquarius). Over the course of 26,000 years,
precession makes one full circuit around the ecliptic.[57]

Just as the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere is currently in the

constellation of Pisces, so the winter solstice is currently in the constellation
of Sagittarius, which is the zodiacal constellation intersected by the galactic
equator.[58] Every year for the last 1,000 years or so, on the winter solstice, the
Earth, Sun and the galactic equator come into alignment, and every year,
precession pushes the Sun's position a little way further through the Milky
Way's band.

The Milky Way near Cygnus showing the lane of the Dark Rift, which
the Maya called the Xibalba be or "Black Road"
Jenkins suggests that the Maya based their calendar on observations of
the Great Rift, a band of dark dust clouds in the Milky Way, which the Maya
called the Xibalba be or "Black Road."[59] Jenkins claims that the Maya were
aware of where the ecliptic intersected the Black Road and gave this position in
the sky a special significance in their cosmology.[60] According to the
hypothesis, the Sun precisely aligns with this intersection point at the winter
solstice of 2012.[60] Jenkins claimed that the classical Mayans anticipated this
conjunction and celebrated it as the harbinger of a profound spiritual transition
for mankind.[61] New Age proponents of the galactic alignment hypothesis
argue that, just as astrology uses the positions of stars and planets to make
claims of future events, the Mayans plotted their calendars with the objective of
preparing for significant world events.[62]Jenkins attributes the insights of
ancient Maya shamans about the galactic center to their use of psilocybin
mushrooms, psychoactive toads, and other psychedelics.[63] Jenkins also
associates the Xibalba be with a "world tree", drawing on studies of
contemporary (not ancient) Maya cosmology.[64]

Astronomers argue that the galactic equator is an entirely arbitrary line, and can
never be precisely determined because it is impossible to say exactly where the
Milky Way begins or ends. Jenkins claims he drew his conclusions about the
location of the galactic equator from observations taken at above 11,000 feet
(3,400 m), which is higher than any of the Maya lived.[46] Furthermore, the
precessional alignment of the Sun with any single point is not exclusive to a
specific year, but takes place over a 36-year period, corresponding to its
diameter. Jenkins himself notes that, even given his determined location for the
line of the galactic equator, its most precise convergence with the centre of the
Sun already occurred in 1998.[65][66]

There is no clear evidence that the classic Maya were aware of precession.
Some Maya scholars, such as Barbara MacLeod, Michael Grofe, Eva Hunt,
Gordon Brotherston, and Anthony Aveni,[67] have suggested that some Mayan
holy dates were timed to precessional cycles, but scholarly opinion on the
subject remains divided.[19] There is also little evidence, archaeological or
historical, that the Maya placed any importance on solstices or equinoxes.[19]
[68]
It is possible that early Mesoamericans had an emphasis on solstices which
was later forgotten,[69] but this is also a disputed issue among Mayanists.[19]
[68]
The start date of the Long Count is not astronomically significant.[70]
Timewave zero and the I Ching

A screenshot of the Timewave Zerosoftware

"Timewave zero" is a numerological formula that purports to calculate the ebb
and flow of "novelty", defined as increase in the universe's interconnectedness,
or organised complexity,[71]over time. According to Terence McKenna, who
conceived the idea over several years in the early-mid 1970s while
using psilocybin mushrooms and DMT, the universe has a teleologicalattractor
at the end of time that increases interconnectedness, eventually reaching
a singularityof infinite complexity in 2012, at which point anything and
everything imaginable will occur simultaneously.[71]

McKenna expressed "novelty" in a computer program, which purportedly

produces a waveform known as timewave zero or the timewave. Based on
McKenna's interpretation of the King Wen sequence of the I Ching,[42] the
graph appears to show great periods of novelty corresponding with major shifts
in humanity's biological and cultural evolution. He believed the events of any
given time are recursively related to the events of other times, and chose
the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as the basis for calculating his end date in
November 2012. When he later discovered this date's proximity to the end of
the 13th b'ak'tun of the Maya calendar, he revised his hypothesis so that the two
dates matched.[72]

The first edition of The Invisible Landscape refers to 2012 (as the year, not a
specific day) only twice. It was only in 1983, with the publication of Sharer's
revised table of date correlations in the 4th edition of Morley's The Ancient
Maya, that each became convinced that December 21, 2012, had significant
meaning. McKenna subsequently included this specific date throughout the
second edition of The Invisible Landscape, published in 1993.[2]
Doomsday theories

A far more apocalyptic view of the year 2012 has also spread in various media,
describing the end of the world or of human civilization on that date. This view
has been promulgated by many fringe or hoax sites on the internet, particularly
on YouTube,[73] and by the History Channel, with such series as Decoding the
Past (2005–2007), 2012, End of Days (2006), Last Days on
Earth (2006), Seven Signs of the Apocalypse (2007), and Nostradamus
2012 (2008).[74] The Discovery Channel also aired 2012 Apocalypse in 2009,
suggesting that massive solar storms, magnetic pole
reversal, earthquakes, supervolcanoes, and other drastic natural events may
occur in 2012.[75] AuthorGraham Hancock, in his book Fingerprints of the
Gods, interpreted Coe's remarks in Breaking the Maya Code[76] as evidence for
the prophecy of a global cataclysm.[77] In East Asia, followers of I-Kuan
Tao claim that automatic writing confirms a catastrophe will take place in
2012.[78][79]
Other alignments
An apocalyptic reading of Jenkins's hypothesis has that, when the galactic
alignment occurs, it will somehow create a combined gravitational effect
between the Sun and the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy
(known as Sagittarius A*), creating havoc on Earth.[80] Apart from the fact
noted above that the "galactic alignment" predicted by Jenkins already
happened in 1998, the Sun's apparent path through the zodiac as seen from
Earth does not take it near the true galactic center, but rather several degrees
above it.[81]Even if this were not the case, Sagittarius A* is 30,000 light
years from Earth, and would have to be more than 6 million times closer to
cause any gravitational disruption to Earth's Solar System.[82][83] This reading of
Jenkins's theories was included on the History Channel
documentary, Decoding the Past. However, Jenkins has complained of the fact
that a science fiction writer co-authored the documentary, and went on to
characterize it as "45 minutes of unabashed doomsday hype and the worst kind
of inane sensationalism".[84]

Some suggested alternate alignments relate to a very different "galactic

alignment" proposed by some scientists to explain a supposed periodicity
in mass extinctions in the fossil record.[85] The hypothesis supposes that vertical
oscillations made by the Sun as it orbits the galactic center cause it to regularly
pass through the galactic plane. When the Sun's orbit takes it outside the
galactic plane which bisects the galactic disc, the influence of the galactic
tide is weaker; as it re-enters the galactic disc, as it does every 20–25 million
years, it comes under the influence of the far stronger "disc tides", which,
according to mathematical models, increase the flux of Oort cloudcomets into
the Solar System by a factor of 4, leading to a massive increase in the
likelihood of a devastating comet impact.[86] However, this "alignment" takes
place over tens of millions of years, and could never be timed to an exact date.
[87]
Evidence shows that the Sun passed through the plane bisecting the galactic
disc only three million years ago, and is now moving farther above it.[88]
A third suggested alignment is a planetary conjunction on December 21, 2012.
However, there will be no alignment of planets on that date.[89]
Geomagnetic reversal
Another idea involves a geomagnetic reversal (often incorrectly referred to as
a polar shift by proponents of this hypothesis), which could be triggered by a
massive solar flare, one with energy equal to 100 billion atomic bombs.[90] This
belief is supposedly supported by observations that the Earth's magnetic field is
weakening,[91] which indicates an impending reversal of the north and south
magnetic poles. Scientists believe the Earth is overdue for a geomagnetic
reversal, and has been for a long time, even since the time of the Mayans,
because the last reversal was 780,000 years ago.[92] Critics, however, claim
geomagnetic reversals take up to 5,000 years to complete, and do not start on
any particular date. Also, NOAA now predicts that the solar maximum will
peak in 2013, not 2012, and that it will be fairly weak, with a below-average
number of sunspots.[93] In any case, there is no scientific evidence linking a
solar maximum to a geomagnetic reversal.[94] In particular, the planet's
magnetic fields are caused and regulated by the spinning of the solid inner core
inside the molten outer core, and so cannot be changed by something external
to the planet such as a solar flare. A solar maximum would be mostly notable
for its effects on satellite and cellular phone communications.[95] NASA's David
Morrison attributes the rise of the solar storm idea to physicist and science
populariser Michio Kaku, who claimed in an interview with Fox News that a
solar peak in 2012 could be disastrous for orbiting satellites.[73]
Planet X/Nibiru
Main article: Nibiru collision
Some proponents of doomsday in 2012 claim that a planet called Planet X or
Nibiru will collide with or pass by Earth in that year. This idea, which has
appeared in various forms within New Age circles since 1995, initially slated
the event for 2003 but abandoned that date after it passed without incident. It
originated from claims of channeling of alien beings and has been widely
ridiculed.[96][97] Astronomers calculate that such an object so close to Earth
would be visible to anyone looking up at the night sky.[98][99]
Web Bot project
Main article: Web Bot
The Web Bot project is a series of automated bots that search the Internet for
specific keywords, looking for patterns. Its co-creator, George Ure, states that
its study of "web chatter" predicted the September 11 attacks in New York,
though he also suggests that the project can predict natural disasters, such as
earthquakes. He now asserts that the project has predicted that the world will
end on December 21, 2012.[100] Critics of these proposals argue that while the
 collective knowledge of humanity could possibly predict terrorist attacks, stock
market crashes or other human-caused events, there is no way it could predict
something like an earthquake or the end of the world.[100]

Are marriages becoming a business in India?

• Now a days marriages going on tender. It is just like an agreement between two families. If
a lady coming with money when marrying, she treats well. Otherwise she treats badly. She
will meet many problems in her husband's house.

A must topic to be discussed I feel. Yes " Marriages have become a good business" to earn lakhs
and crores even. Today a guy u studies in US demands at least 10 lakhs and the highest limit can be
anything .I feel people prefer to do MS just to make business.

I heard about some people who are not ready even to see the girl, If her parents cannot
afford to give MIN amount, though she is good at attitude studies and good looking as well.

I don’t know what Marriage is to do with the money when both the persons have good
qualifications to settle well in life. Infact the importance must be given to the people who are going
to marry, the decision must be given to them bcoz they are the ones who are going to live together
for the rest of the life.

Daily we see a lot of news about the women being harassed and killed just for the sake of
dowry. What kind of person he is when he is ready to kill his partner for the sake of money. In my
view such persons must be given a death sentence. And government should take severe action on
the persons who accept dowry.

We see many politicians daily giving long speeches against this issue, but what happens
when it comes to his own daughters or sons marriage, God only knows how much they give or
take.

And some parents in the rich families take it as a prestige issue. I think they feel the one whom
takes/gives more money is very great. So I feel this system must be eliminated in rich families first.

Beggars are better than the people who take dowry. Parents should change their attitude towards
taking dowry.

Even I have seen many girls who suggest their brothers to take dowry.

It is a sick attitude. Lot of males playing with female life just because of dowry. We should punish
the people who take dowry.

It’s becoming a dangerous issue in poor class families. It is very sad to know that even
few idiots ready to kill their best half just for dowry. If they give birth to a baby girl they are just
throwing them in dustbin. Think for a while?

These days 80% males want to study in US or want to work in US just to take more dowries. What
a sick attitude? We have to punish these educated idiots. Even I have seen many of friends going to
US or UK just to take more dowries. Yes its 100% purely a business now in India in fact it is a
growing business.

As a guy my suggestion to other guys:

Marry a girl but not money. Money is sick it just come & go in our life but your wife will stay
with you till your final breath. You cannot measure a girl with money. She is more than any
amount of money. It’s our responsibility to protect them If not soon you will see a world with out
these angles

Start changing the attitude of your parents & sisters towards taking dowry.

** Think of our culture once " INDIA is the only place where a female has a lot respect “ But now
wts happening?

• Well, I differ. Business has always a buyer, a seller. Who is who here? As long as
marriage is an institution and parents believe, they shall get a good bride (groom), they pay
a price, Ise. To the extent of dowry one can argue of business. Not the whole process. With
the literacy in women increasing, their % at jobs increasing, current day parent are worried
on Love marriages and related pains like suicide, killing etc. Marriages are business to
Marriage halls, Flower guys, Shamiana guys, caterers etc.
• Marriage is not be seen as a business where the bridegroom is tagged an heavy price n the
bride's parents want it to buy at any cost. Why should the bride's parents give dowry for the
bridegroom n his family members???? This is a burning issue, which needs immediate
attention. It's in our hand to se that the dowry problem gets curbed. Every man must think
in a proper way, so that marriage can regain its lost sanctity.

marriage process is not business, it is to be respected a lot. But many are making it a business for
the sake of dowry.
Why not all of us stop accepting/giving dowry when some people are killing the women for sake of
money. Can’t we give up this system for protecting many more lives? I think life is more important
than money.

Yes parents want to get good brides, but I think money is not the solution for that. Better
understanding about each other’s families is important here. I think there is no need of bringing
money matter here.

This problem begins with where, we have to note down. When the people went to brides home,
first start an arguments (How much dowry) with relatives and parents (especially mothers). So this
will start with ladies only. If we start like this, once again it will create arguments in different way.
So leave it and think. Now a days parents and people are living for society expectations. We have
to live for our self not for neibourhoods.

1. This problem will rectify only future generation. If u gives some suggestion to others can't get.
So if u would like to marry don't get dowry and ur children’s.

2. Give suggestions to ur close relatives others won't get ur suggestion. If they convinced, its ur
power.

We can reduce this business also in future, if we take steps.

marriage is fast becoming a business in India. This is not just the fault with the brides or groom s
family but it is just the problems that link these issues. With unemployment increasing men are
looking to make their life a little safer by indulging in these kinds of activities. Educating people
about this is in no way going to stop the problem because, it is the people who are educated whom r
making these mistakes. Making them know their limitations of accessing money like this and strict
regulations can only stop this by the government. Youths should understand that following such
stupid customs is just stupid. Making rules just wont stop these activities. But curbing people of
having illicit income like these can be

Can we start punishing each n every person.... who does crimes like that? In India where Govt is
ruled by RICH PEOPLE who have money n power well considering all these facts. Some things
can’t be changed. Rather we can bring awareness amongst ALL GROUPS OF PEOPLE,
CHILDREN, and ELDERS AS WELL AS YOUNGSTERS who will get married in future. Well as
keerthi and others has said ... People are not even considering whether the female is good, has got
good capabilities. Rather than asking so many dowries.... what ever might be...? CHANGE SHUD
HAPPEN WITH IN EACH OF US. So that we will be an example for future citizens....

This is what I feel realistically

Marriage become business now a days cause today’s some people don’t think about groom how is
should be generally every parent think about "PARTY DENEWALA HAI KI NAHI".

Second is some people think about as if some family member dot able to study in
Abroad so in that case family member thinks CHALO SHADHI KAR LETE HAI " they don’t
think how girls are and what is qualifications are.

So now a days Marriage is agreement between to party.

Have a look at the effect of dowary offering murder,harasshment,lack of respect to the girls and
reduction of divine aspect of marriage.Is not it a superstition? It has covered with its entierity to us,
So stand up with much courage and enthusiasm and take a step from you,your family to rerst of
your society providing awarness and conserving the purity of marriage. Think in many cases why
people put their girl baby to an end before birth? For the fear of dowary? Just listen her cry.... Cry
of an women being murdered for money? Does comparison of love of a wife,affection of a mother
be compared with money. So ,come forward and say.. "TOGETHER WE CAN"......

nowadays marriage become business but don't you think a girl is also your sister if someone weigh
her in money how you feel off course "GUSSA TO AYEGA HI " PAR KAR BHI KYA
SAKTHEY HAIN LADKA ACCHA HE HAAT SE NIKAL JAYEGA these words you hear lots
of the time ... but don't you think a bride which is more towards money is really better life partner
for you or for your daughter ? marriage means spending love between the two arranging peoples
rather then spending money on them . we all know money is dynamic in nature so is it good to
make its base in marriage ? i think love is static make it a base .... so “Remember that a successful
marriage depends on two things: (1) finding the right person and (2) being the right person” in
terms of love .. what i think Marriage is a wonderful institution.. where we learn lots of think but its
my request to you all make this institution free from money no fee is alloweded here ....and criteria
for addimission in this institute is that bring certificates of love with you and money ....." ARE
YOU AGREE WITH ME " ?

marriages are treating now as bussiness.basically dowry is considering as tradition and

culture.especially the rich people take it as a prestige that how much they has given and howmuch
they give and take.in the earlier days people treat it as a tradition but now as the technology hs
improved a lot and there is so much change in the mindset of people but still they are folowing
these evil culture .and if we think practically now both men and women are treating equally and
women are also studying equly with men so the parents of women should spend the money equally
with men and how can they again afford to give dowry,how do they need dowry if both are well
educated and able to earn for their future.so every body should think like this and try to abolish this
dowry.

Dowry is a part of the age old tradition in India. There is nothing wrong in family of the bride
wanting to dote upon gifts on their daughter. Dowry becomes an evil only when it is asked for..
This brings out the greedy side of the human beings. But who are we to blame?. The Bridesgroom,
his parents or the girl. In todays modern world girls are making progress by leaps and bounds. Be it
any field girls have made their mark. But when it comes to marriages why do they take a back
seat.. May be because they feel that marriage will lead to security and hence let their parents do the
needful.. It is high time that the girls put their foot down on marrying a person on condition of
dowries. Because they are the ones who have to leave their house and stay with the husband's
family. There are many chances that even after taking huge dowry the bridegroom's family may
harras the poor girl for more money. I think women have made a lot of progress and can make
changes happen even in case of dowry.

Are peace & non-violence outdated concepts?

After the end of the cold war in early ’90s, the well-known American sociologist Alvin Toffler
talked of the “Third Wave” or the down of a post-industrial civilizations and envisioned a new and
more humane quality of power based on
Knowledge and information as against the traditional concept of power based on violence and
material wealth. Wishing you all a very good afternoon, this is Nikhil & I opine that peace & non-
violence are more required today than they were ever required in the past.
 With nuclear enabled adversaries like Pakistan, China, India has got no other option but to resort
to age-old concepts of peace & non-violence. Peace & non-violence are completely in.
To quote an example of what war could inflict on the millions of human lives, I would like to
mention America-Iraq war. A war raised in the name of war against terrorism actually landed
millions of innocent peoples in great losses & trouble with almost no success in capturing the real
terrorists.
The irony of the day is that nuclear arsenals created during the Cold War, waged between the
United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) are still in existence & can
destroy the world many a times over. Today to safeguard the hoi polloi of the world, we don’t need
nuclear warheads but nuclear bunkers .There are several other instances where war has waged
nothing but destruction.
Mankind is currently sitting on the nuclear time-bomb, ready to explode any time, & the only
solitude is nothing else, but, peace & non-violence. Wars lead to nothing but mutual destruction as
has happened in the Israel-Palestine case. Such great damage could have been easily averted by
employing the diplomatic weapons.
What world needs today is not war but peace, not competition but co-existence to survive &
prosper.

Gone are the days of Neolithic age, where weapons were the only means of ensuring survival.
Today the benchmark is continuous growth & that requires esprit de corps, the feeling of mutual
respect to each other. What world needs today to ensure this dream is an empowered organization
which can curb the dangerous warheads like Korea, Germany, Japan & of course, US. We, as the
denizens of the most beautiful planet of the solar system, Earth, cannot afford to have one more
world war.

Like most young rebellious teenagers, I have laughed at Gandhi and his ideals of non-violence. I
studied about Gandhi just because it was a part of the course curriculum. To me, Gandhi appeared
to be a person who screwed India’s freedom struggle. There was lot of animosity towards Gandhi
and his idea of non-violence was rated as utter crap and outdated concept. With an extremist
approach, I found Gandhi as a loser and cheered for fighters like Subhash Chandra Bos, Bhagat
Singh and Mangal Panday. I believed in their principles and supported their cause. It was more
heroic than that of Gandhi’s. On top of it, the fact that they gave up their lives added an extra
glamour to their sacrifice. Obviously, the young bloods preferred freedom fighters and I was no
different from the pack. I remember arguing against Gandhi and praising the deeds of the freedom
fighters. The very thought of these rebellious leaders triggered the adrenaline rush within. It felt
good to talk like them and think like them. Somehow I subconsciously accepted Violence as the
symbol of strength and Non-violence as a sign of weakness. As a result, the ‘Tit for Tat’ approach
seemed to be the only smart decision and Forgiveness sounded good only in spiritual anecdotes. I
didn’t realize that I was subconsciously sowing a seed of Violence within me, which grew like a
weed making every cause to fight justifiable. My urge for a fight reflected in my behavior towards
others. My siblings, my friends, my colleagues, whoever it was I always found something to fight
for, with them. Whether it was a friend going overboard bullying me or a sibling not allowing me
to watch my favorite show, the cause always seemed right and I always stood up for a fight. But
this is not just my story. I have heard many people cribbing and bitching about similar issues. This
is the case with everyone. We all are used to Violence. We choose Violence over Peace, simply
because Violence makes us feel powerful and this feeling is what we crave for. We know the
person we are fighting with is a sibling, a friend or for that matter a human like us. Yet to forgive,
we cannot afford. Somewhere it starts raising a doubt within us whether the act of forgiveness is a
sign of weakness. To satisfy ourselves, we fight. We convince ourselves that the cause is strong
enough and justify the fight. Today, we have each gradually grown into a violent person. We don’t
want Peace. But this was not the case. In nature, everything was meant to be at Peace. We too are
part of this peaceful Existence. But our urge to prove ourselves has lured us to violate the Nature’s
law and become violent. However, our violent nature never comes into the limelight. We fight with
a fellow commuter while traveling to office, because we think he pushed us. We fight with our
family or relatives because we think they are exploiting us. We fight with our spouse thinking our
partner is being unfair to us. We fight a lot, but our fights get overlooked. It is not highlighted like
wars between nations. So we think we are normal people and there is nothing wrong with us. We
don’t even realize how violent we have become. I am sure it would crop up in the minds of many
fellow readers that sometimes it becomes a requisite. Some times one has to fight for life. One
would say – “If a person is intending to kill me, I can just say, Please be my guest. I will have to
fight for my life.” I understand this argument, but the idea of non-violence is not meant for one
person. It is for all. If somehow all follow non-violence then there would be no person intending to
kill another human. But to expect that is to ask for Utopia. There will be threat to life and there will
be fight for life from natural calamities and from beasts. That is justifiable. Perhaps, it is justifiable
even when an un-awakened soul is hell-bent on killing you. When you can’t take sense into the
other being, the best option is to stand up and fight for your Life. The focus is not on those extreme
situations in Life but rather on the day-to-day Living. Is a favorite TV show, a favorite attire or any
other belonging, a worthy cause to fight with a sibling? Is getting little pushed over or stepped
over, a worthy a cause to get into fist-fight with an absolute stranger? Is Wealth or Land, a worthy
cause to cut through the bloodline of our ancestors? Is Politics, a worthy cause to pull out a
partition and divide a nation? Is Race, a worthy cause to burn human beings alive? Some may say
Yes and be proud about it. There is absolutely no way to prove them Wrong. But the fact remains,
they have become Violent and in being so they are violating the natural state of Peace. Gandhi’s
non-violence approach may have definitely affected India’s freedom fight, but it has surely saved
Humanity from becoming a Monster. He has, in his own little way delayed the process, which
today seems like inevitable. Today, we fight for Education. Education is supposed to help us
become more mature. Ironically, we have ended up fighting for seat reservations. Today we fight
over Religion, which was devised to help humanity transcend the normal being. Instead of
transcending to higher level, we have stooped further low and have humiliated humanity by our act.
Today, we fight for Love, which just reveals the height of human ignorance. Love the most divine
feeling, the essence of peace being the sole cause of hatred and triggering violence. We can
continue with this madness or we can simply start asking ourselves - is the fight really required?
Can’t we let go of our desire to fight?
Are Reality shows real ??

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted

dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people
instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded.
[1]
The genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television, began in
earnest as a television formula in the 1990s, and exploded as a global phenomenon around 1999-
2000, via series such as Big Brother and Survivor.[1] Programs in the reality television genre are
commonly called "reality shows" and often are produced in series. Documentaries and nonfictional
programming such as news and sports shows are usually not classified as reality shows.

The genre covers a wide range of programming formats, from game or quiz shows which resemble
the frantic, often demeaning shows produced in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s (such as Gaki no
tsukai), to surveillance- or voyeurism-focused productions such as Big Brother.[1]

Reality television frequently portrays a modified and highly influenced form of reality,
utilizing sensationalism to attract viewers and so to generate advertising profits.[2][3][4] Participants
are often placed in exotic locations or abnormal situations,[1] and are sometimes coached to act in
specific scripted ways by off-screen "story editors" or "segment producers," with the portrayal of
events and speech manipulated and contrived to create an illusion of reality through editing and
other post-production techniques.[2][3][4]

In an era of TRPs (Television Rating Points) and SMSs, umpteen number of reality shows are
stealing the limelight. They are high on TRPs and spinning money for their producers – a factor
which motivates many others to join the race.

The one getting popular now is the Indian version of international worldwide hit “Big Brother”.
Called “Big Boss” on Sony TV, it has 13 celebrity participants, though a few of them have been
“evicted” out of the game now. The challenge is to live under constant surveillance by TV cameras
and be popular among participating contestants.

But that is not enough – the ultimate is to survive the ‘SMS poll’. Reality shows like these, which
engage audiences, have been growing. Some that I can remember and have just finished are “Nach
Baliye 2″ and “Jhalak Dhilka Ja”. In all them the major share of voting power via SMS or
telephone calls, which decided the fate of the participant, was with audience.

The format may vary like in the case of “Big Boss” – one who gets more SMSs is evicted out of the
game while in other shows the participant wins.

Stakes for participants are high in these shows – be it the prize money or popularity. Similarly,
the money which spins around in these shows is extremely high. Be it advertisers who peg their
products on the same, the audiences that not only watch the show and gives it higher TRPs, but
also the audience that votes by SMS or telephone calls.

Worth referring here would be an article on rediff.com some time back (February 2006). The
article talked about the money these SMSs provide to the channel and mobile operator. On an
average, a popular reality television show gets about 7 millioncell phone text messages each
episode.

At Rs.4 per SMS, it adds up to Rs.28 million per episode. Over a year (52 weeks), that is an
astounding Rs.1,460 million. On a 50-50 split between the channel and the mobile operator, it
works out to Rs.730 million to the channel. Just one medium (SMS) on one reality show of 52
weeks can give you this much.

Despite these high stakes, many of them show so-called reality but doesn’t look 100 percent real –
they lack total transparency. Hardly any of these reality shows reveal the exact number of votes the
winner or loser gets – something which all of us may like to know.

There have been times when one may question the decisions, but with no answer. Shows like these
would look more real if there is more transparency and they reveal the exact numbers of SMSs
received (not the percentage) and the system followed thereafter.

I am not raising any doubts on the decision or making any allegations but am trying to make a point
that the audience in this case, which spends the money, has all the right to know. For that matter,
the participants who lose or win and advertisers who peg their products on these shows have an
equal right to know.

Interestingly, the recent controversy on “Big Brother”, being telecast on Channel 4 in Britain, has
made it more popular there. Similarly in India too, controversies and celebrities in the show make
them more or less popular. More the controversies, more people get engrossed, reaping double
benefit not only with higher TRPs but higher number of SMSs and more cash!

In the case of “Bigg Boss”, a celebrity was brought back via a wild card entry but … was it based
on the channel’s own business calculations that the celebrity could help bring higher TRPs or by
votes of people? Nobody actually knows and numbers were notshared on the show.

One explanation could be that anyone who helps in increasing TRPs will also get higher number of
SMSs, but that may be an assumption. Viewers tend to get attached to many of these shows and
emotions are raised. Entertainment is there but viewers also spend their money to vote for them and
are motivated to do so.

One may be using the emotions of viewers for the business advantage of channels and in the
process, the viewer does not even know the reality. Reality – as made to be perceived – may or
may not be real.

Media reports have also raised allegations, though very few, of contestants using their networks or
providing SIM cards to vote for a particular person.
Ultimately, the TV channels are in an entertainment business venture and not socialventures, but do
impact social structures. An element of transparency needs to be built into these reality shows,
especially since it impacts the lives of people, engage them emotionally and use their money. It
may be there but needs to be sharedtransparently with people.

In today's world, reality TV shows are popping up everywhere. Over 70 reality shows have been
produced to date according to a popular website. The popularity of these shows and their high
ratings have attracted many people's attention and just about every TV network in America now
airs some kind of reality show.

A reality TV show has real world people instead of paid actors and actresses. These shows are
supposed to portray real life situations and events that affect people's lives. However, participants
of reality TV shows are sometimes willing to go outside of their boundaries and do things that they
would not necessarily do in their normal lives, without the cameras following their every move.

Some reality TV participants eat really disgusting, horrible strange things and perform potentially
life threatening stunts in pursuit of monetary gain. Other participants are put in a house and
expected to live in harmony with total strangers. These participants are usually under a lot of
pressure when their characters clash.

Thousands upon thousands of Americans are watching reality TV shows every day. For some
people, these shows help them realize that their lives are not all that bad after all. It helps them see
that they are not the only ones with problems and dysfunctional lives and families.

Reality TV shows have affected society in many different ways. Some audiences get hooked on
these shows because they help them escape their own real lives. The shows vary in theme and
material and every show is designed to attract the biggest possible audience. The bigger the
audience, the more money the shows make.

Some Reality TV may not be quite as real as we may like to think. Take the case of the hated
apprentice contender Omarosa for example. According to a Time magazine article, she may have
been the victim of reality TV editors. Some reality TV shows are edited to be dramatic and some
quotes may actually be manufactured. Clashes and ugly feuds between the reality stars may be
constructed and some parts of the shows may also be completely edited and cut out so they don't
make the final show that people see on TV. Some critics actually charge that reality TV is not so
real and that these shows may be far more manipulative than we think.

According to a poll by CNN, 57% of 1016 adults believe that Reality TV shows provide a distorted
picture of events while another 23% say the shows are "totally phoney". The amount of pressure
for TV ratings pushes people to make the show more interesting.

When all is said and done, some people on the reality shows say that they were unfairly represented
and the reality taken out of the show therefore making the show pure entertainment. However,
participants of these shows are given warnings and they have to sign extensive and detailed legal
waivers that protect the network from any liability if someone gets hurt on the show.

The increase in demand for these reality TV shows is inevitable and the participants will be pushed
to their limits for the bottom line. This happens to be ratings and entertainment.

Reality television is no more considered as real as it was meant to be and has gone through many
phases. It’s seen as manipulative, unreal and fabricated. Advertisements lampoon the judging
process in talent hunts on television. Editorials argue for government regulation of reality
television. The case being built against it seems watertight. No one can tell what’s real any more or
so it seems. Are fights and walkouts staged? Do people cry on cue? Did Jane Goody know she had
cancer when she arrived in India?

From gyrating, competing kids who behave as the world is at stake if they lose a dance encounter,
watched by weeping parents, to the apparent depression of a singer who was chastised by judges on
a talent hunt show and the sudden demise of Voice of India winner Ishmeet Singh, reality shows
are always in the news and not always for the right reasons.

But. what exactly constitutes this genre. Can everything from a quiz show to a mere talent hunt
contest constitute reality programming? By definition, reality implies ‘unscripted’. In essence there
are two kinds of reality programming. The first is observational. The second constructed. Hospital
on BBC World, almost a decade ago was ‘observational’. It involved life and death stories in
Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Even the filming team did not know what was
going to happen to cases they were following. From a child’s battle with cancer, to a teenagers
search for a perfect cornea match to a new born baby’s struggle for life in the neonatal ICU,
Hospital had more ups and downs than a soap, more real emotion and sometimes unrelenting
suspense. But how ‘real’ was it?

All filmed material needs to be edited into a story, voice over must create context and music
enhances mood. Unadulterated reality

would imply direct streaming of unedited material into our homes, with the viewer as voyeur. Even
if that were to happen, there would still be a catch. The placement of cameras, lighting, art
direction or the absence of it would still be a form of editorialising.

To return to Hospital, there were unwritten rules the team followed. No shoot could occur without
permission from the patient and family. Filming was never to interfere with the work of doctors
and nurses and the dignity of the patient was to be respected at all times. The Limca Book of
Records says Hospital was India’s first reality series and in many senses it was the best of the
genre, so ‘true’ and ‘real’ that TV crew members often broke down, camera people fainted and all
those who worked on the series say they were never the same again. Hospital was followed by
Commando on...

Shows like Jai Jawan and Commando constitute a part of what we call observational reality series.
Commando was based on the training of the Indian Army Commando in Belgaum, Karnataka, over
a 40-day period. By a bizarre coincidence, filming started on the very day the twin towers came
down on 9/11. Camera teams worked 24/7 to follow the incredibly gruelling schedule of Army
Officers. What came through apart from the multi-faceted talents of the soldiers was their
remarkable idealism and innocence. The army suddenly had a human face.

The series itself did what it set out to do, a pointer towards what the best of reality can be, a form
of story telling that lifts the lid on institutions, reveals who the country’s true heroes are and
provides insights that other forms of television cannot. Let’s say it again. Reality does not have to
be only about big stars to...

be successful. That’s a myth that shows like Hospital, Commando, and even Indian Idol have
busted. Truth is, in our deepest hearts we identify most with people who are like us, the boy, or girl
next door, the ‘this could be me’ identification with a contestant on a talent hunt show.

Indian Idol on Sony, Bigg Boss on Sony and Colors, Saare Gama on Zee, Survivor, The Amazing
Race and Temptation Island represent what a ‘constructed’ as opposed to an ‘observational’ reality
show is all about. In this form of reality, the contestants or participants are placed in an ‘artificial’
world with its own rules of engagement and disengagement. On Idol for example, from thousands
of contestants, the numbers of singers are brought down to 28 by the judges after that they are
handed over to the public who vote for their idol. As the series draws to a close, the

numbers of contestants whittle down, the pressure on the remaining singers grows inexorably and
the SMS becomes king.

The marvellous thing about Idol is that it takes fresh talent, from all corners of India, without
godfathers or family connections, and gives them an opportunity to become household names. The
show gives at least the top ten participants a fantastic shot at a new career. Idol is an opportunity.
Those complain the most about the quality of singing on shows like Idol often forget that India’s
best singers sing into a computer a line at a time when they do playback singing.

It’s time we realised that singing is not just about playback. It’s also about concerts, stage shows
and world tours. Its about charisma and connecting with the audience. Prashant Tamang (idol 3)
has no time to put the cheques he receives into his bank. He is constantly on tour. Idol took
Prashant from sepoy duty in Kolkata to the world stage. Few shows do that.

In a country of over a billion people reality television should be constantly creating and nurturing
new stars not recycling the same ones. Reality television can be steady source of new anchors,
singers and actors. But reality shows need safeguards. Counselling of contestants, young or old,
should be mandatory. Parents should be advised against driving their children so hard that they
think winning is a matter of life and death. Reality shows should be an avenue of self-expression,
to become known, and to get a jump-start but certainly not an end in themselves. They are a means
to an end as the reality show Cricket Star showed when it found India a fantastic new prospect who
debuted on the Rajasthan Royal Team in the recently concluded IPL.

Whichever way you look at it, Reality Television is here to stay. It’s a form of story telling like any
other genre on television. It’s a craft that can be used or misused , cursed or maligned. The
audience is not stupid and cannot be taken for a ride as many a producer has found to their cost.
Push contrived scenarios too hard and you lose everything as a producer or broadcaster. Remain
true to the reality you have constructed and you have the audience coming back for more.

Yes reality needs to move beyond singing and dancing, it needs to become more about real people.
Believability is the key. So is freshness, truth and sincerity of story telling. Reality is India has only
touched the tip of the iceberg. You will know we’ve arrived when we start exporting home grown
formats around the world. That day is not far off.

..

Are women As good as Men Or Inferior?

That’s big question. There are people who are not enough free to say their words in public. There
are girls who are afraid to say their real name, for it may cause problems for them by their men
(Dad, brother, Husband, boy friend or simply their society). But moreover and what I wanna
discuss here, is about men.. Those men who introduce themselves as female. Who choose the mask
of being woman to wander the street, and make it more insecure than what it is.

When a person is unknown, he can be more close to his reality so. People have an outer self and an
inner self. That inner self is the real self of every person. Nowadays for being real, the person
doesn’t need a especial place or time. He can right sit on his chair in his house and makes his
wishes come true. It is very dangerous when the heart be sick.

In some societies, relationship between girls and boys have limitations. That’s why more men who
abuse girls in the net are from kind of societies. They are obsessed with what they can not get
easily. So they come and release this obsession as an unknown into an unknown space. The easier
way is to be introduced as a girl. Usually a girl is more close to her gender than opposite one. Girls
have secrets, password protected posts, some girly words, that use just for female commentators
though. That’s a fact. Yet it can happen that a girl talks to a girl for long time and finally decide she
was a “He” not a “She”.

Of course there is much difference when we click on “send” botton and send our foto to a person,
than just showing the fotos to others in real world. There is much difference when we send
something for our friend than saying that for example by phone.

Even when the girl be very careful and chooses her bloggy friends exactly under microscope, again
problems don’t finish.

There are always anonymouse commentators out there, especially in girly blogs. By some men who
maybe enjoy or just release their obsession.

I could not find an answer for it, that why some men enjoy to pretend to be female and leave
comments with female nickname. I really could not decide why a man should write in his blog
under a female nickname. Is there any psycho sickness in his mind? Are men also abused in our
societies? Do they take any joy or passion by this job? Or it has any other reason.

Maybe men in modern world don’t have enough self-confidance to proclaim themselves as a man
to take attention of a girl so pretending to be a girl, the girl gives them attention.
Would be good if they decide, in this unknown space, in this insecure street, maybe those girls be
their wife or sister, that they can not see them talking to other man. Their women who usually are
abused bcs the man wants to show his manly power over them. Yes, kind of men are mostly big
abusers of real world..

A lot of people who say they're not sexist and even anti-sexist make this claim. I have always
disagreed with it to a point of extreme and even sometimes radical ideology.

And before kicking this thread off, I'll repeat a few of my past experiences to get the argument in
this thread going.

Again, I disagree. I think that women's lack of equality with men in the area of sports is cultural. I
have not been shown arguments to believe otherwise, and if I did I would be working against their
cultural memetics culturally no matter what people would be saying of me.
First off, here is the first line of argument being used against me and my claim.
But women ARE physically inferior to men. It's simple biology.

Simple biology? For what reasons? If it's something as "simple" as you say, you should have no
problem giving example.

Because women have a naturally high amount of fat content in their bodies than men, such as
breasts. Also women's bone structure, such as having wider hips than men, is not as naturally
conducive to physical excursion as men. Women also cannot grow muscle like men, which is need
for sport prowess. It also helps men that they are taller than women.

Prove it? I've never been given any studies backing up this claim. But I've seen it a lot. Also, even
if this were true, not all women have large breasts, there are many women in this world with as
naturally low as a aa cup breast size.

I also don't see much evidence that otherwise than breasts women tend to have a naturally higher
fat content than men. In fact, that I remember, most weight averages seem to be pretty evenly
distributed between women and men. And neither do all women have wider hips than men. Neither
are all men taller than women.

And if anyone has seen female body builders and athletes, one would notice that women can
achieve a high amount of muscle through building, and that a high amount of building is not
actually required to excel at sports. Most champion athletes do not have the body of a bodybuilder.
What proof do you have that women and men build differently than men in ways that prevent
women from doing the same physical tasks as men?

But this is how men like women to look. Men, through evolutionary psychology prefer wide, child
bearing hips, large, child feeding breasts, short, unoffending stature, thin, feminine musculature,
and all the qualities that do not make women physically equal to men.

Culture. Memes, not genes. Plenty of variation in this exists to the point that some women are
apparently even having their wide hips considered fat by others(or at least one anecdotal on this
forum claims that), plenty of people on the internet are coming together in groups over flat chest
fandom, which who knows how much it is affecting the memetics in some way, which in polls at
some points has come equal to that of the large breast mentions. One user even commented that the
flat chest fandom was so large and vocal and effecting polls it was "incredibly disturbing, no
offense to flat chested women". It's practically become a culture war on some places on the
internet. Multiple female body builder fandom communities of fandom exist in the world and on
the internet. And women's sports will survive and grow so long as the people who support it
continue to do so and grow. It isn't speeding up as fast as I'd like, and it has a long way to go, but if
you compare it to years behind, we're doing good.

Yeah, we know you and your kind are a freak who like freaky women. You're a beta male and a
failure to selection. And other people who would like the same must be bisexual like you. Alpha
males like women inferior.

I see no need for human society to have "alpha males". And saying alpha males like one thing and
beta males like another thing because one thing is more popular is mere conjecture. Powerful
people don't always support the status quo. Furthermore, I think the ubermensch and will to power
philosophy relies more on bold people who are leaders more than followers. You know, people
who are willing to pioneer something different, like women's sports.
And let me get this straight, evolutionary psychology pushes selection in a direction to keeping
men with strong genes and women with weak genes?

This is because women need to have genes for childbearing. Being physically strong isn't
conducive to this type. Women need wide hips for childbirth, and women been need milk
producing breasts. Athletic women lose fertility.

AA can feed several children just fine. Many thin hipped women have survived pregnancy for
centuries. Women known for having many groups of kids throughout their whole lives have
retained thin, "masculine" hips that could be compared to the size of a guy's. I have never seen any
citation for the claim that women who are athletic lose fertility.

Exactly, think hips and small breasts as masculine. Maybe your claim that not all women naturally
have larger breasts, less muscle ability, and wide hips is true. But these are all male qualities.
People naturally like all these things and women are going to going to continue to naturally have
them and try to do things like get breast surgeries to have them because that's how heterosexuality
works. You're asking everyone to be as homo as you!

There's a lot more to a woman and looking feminine than just breasts and hips. Most women don't
even have the hourglass shape and heterosexuality isn't going to suffer from women being as
physically capable as men. And it's not even been proved that these claims of body type really do
inhibit women from physical capability.

Inequality is not evil, and besides, this freaky homo androgynous society where the world is filled
with freakish hulk beasts of women who are as strong as men is not ever going to happen within
your lifetime. So why are you even fighting for it? You're just a whiny emo pussy who is never
satisfied. This is the way it is. What's wrong with inequality? The world doesn't need equality.

The world does not need equality indeed. The world can survive just fine with the return of slavery,
many more genocides, a world plutocracy, and ect. But the world doesn't need inequality either.
And the fight for equality in any areas is the will to power of the people involved. And even if it
took a change in selection and aesthetics to make this world more equal for men and women in
terms of physical capability would not require an "androgynous society".

And also something does not have to be capable of achieving something within ones lifetime for it
to be a sensible endeavor. Most people work for what they find better within their lifetime.
Purposely working against your own will to power within your lifetime because there is no
guarantee of success is self suppressing and self defeating.

Even hedonistically, even if a person can't expect to make something perfect within their lifetime,
they can still strive for things which will make their own enjoyment and power better. What kind of
"alpha" person gives up their own will to play "follow the leader"?

Do any of you have anything better than this against me? This is the best my experiences have
given me. I have one more argument that I forgot to mention about "male aggression" people tried
to give me, but I've already amassed a wall of text.
 Capital Punishment should be Banned or Allowed?
should be banned. Life is a gift given to us all. We all have been given the right to live our lives,
the way we want to. Taking away someone else's is definitely beyond our authority. However the
crime committed, who are we to take away something we can't restore? And who are we to judge
and determine who is worthy of living and who isn't. If someone is proven guilty of murder or any
other crime, they should be given death? The very statement is a contradiction. By killing them, it
is society that is committing a greater crime. Should society then be given the capital punishment
for murder? An eye for an eye is not authorised...and the main thing is that.."We should kill crime
not criminals."

crime is not related to murder only crime also includes rapists, since you told that we don't have
authority to give capital punishment, does criminals have authority of murder and rap, obviously
not.

The only way to kill the crime is, increase the fear of capital punishment, then only we are able to
kill the crime.

In my opinion - "Kill criminals, produce fear in criminals" crime will automatic eliminated!

Criminals are those people who have already lost fear of being punished. however, in my opinion
capital punishment should not be banned. for example, in case of an international terrorist. If we let
the terrorist live in jail even for a lifetime, the terrorist groups can plan some crime for instance,
plane hijacking and ask the govt. to release the terrorist in life of the innocents.

Criminals have no right to take aways someone's smile n if they are guilty of affecting someone's
life then they are worthy to go through such similar pain. May be the fear of going through the
same might stop them doing something brutal. Relieving them from capital punishment is
alleviating them for going for wrong doings.

Today thousands of people around the world commit crimes. For a society to be civilized, these
people have to be punished. This punishment is meted out in different forms. Isolation from the
society by imprisonment, or taking away some rights from the individual, are some forms of
punishment. For severe crimes, the punishment too is severe, one of the forms being capital
punishment or the death sentence. Whether it is right or wrong remains a big question mark.
Families of victims of murders, rape etc. are absolutely devastated by the crimes and demand
justice. Sometimes the society too, is convinced that these criminals don't deserve to live. Allowing
such criminals to live would only mean that more people follow the path of crime. Therefore giving
them the death sentence would not only be a suitable form of justice, it would also set an example
for other criminals and prevent future crimes from occurring. As the saying goes, "An eye for an
eye and a t

However, Life is a gift given to us all. We all have been given the right to live our lives, the way
we want to. Taking away someone else's is definitely beyond our authority. However ghastly
the crime committed, who are we to take away something we can't restore? And who are we to
judge and determine who is worthy of living and who isn't. If someone is proven guilty of murder
or any other crime, they should be given death? The very statement is a contradiction. By killing
them, it is society that is committing a greater crime. Should society then be given the capital
punishment for murder?

it should be banned. Also people who murder should have shorter sentences in prison. Go through
a rehabilitation program. Then the government should buy them a house in the area where you live.
We should try to be more forgiving. Always give the other fellow a second chance.

No, it shouldn't.

If anything, I think it needs some revisions. I concur with an above poster about making it more
humane. I also think once someone has been sentenced to death, it should be carried out post haste
instead of having that person sit on death row for 10 yrs soaking up my hard earned tax money.

Give people something to fear, rather than going through the revolving door on purpose for free
cable, a gym, a bed, 3 square meals, library access, and computer access. That's more than a lot of
us law-abiding citizens have, imagine that.

Yes : Because if we cannot give life to a dead person, we should not kill a person by the name of
capital punishment.

No : If a person is not awarded a capital punishment for heinous crimes, what else should he be
given ? A rehabilitation package, so that other people also do the crimes ? A peaceful and swifter
death sentence, so that s/he does not feel the pain which s/he may have committed while doing a
crime ? Even if the person is given a life imprisonment, they may spoil the group of people (who
may be inmates).

As such, though I am personally against the death penalty, but keeping in mind the gravity of
situation, a person may be awarded to capital punishment.

think that you should have some of the facts about the death penalty.

The death penalty is not a deterrent. Homicide rates are much higher in states that have the death
penalty than in states that do not.

The death penalty system costs much more than a system that does not have the death penalty.
Much of these extra costs come way before the appeals begin. (In my opinion, some of the extra
money should be spent on victims' services, which are underfunded.)

The death penalty is racially biased, but not in the way you may think. A defendent is twice as
likely to face the death penalty if the victim was white than if the victim was non white.

More and more states have life without parole on the books. It means what it says and is no picnic
to be locked up for 23 of 24 hours a day, with no hope of anything else.

Over 120 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence. After an
execution, the case is closed. If the wrong person was executed the real killer is still out there. It is
human nature to make mistakes and executing an innocent person, killing an innocent person in our
name should be unacceptable in a civilized society.

Speeding up the process will certainly result in the execution of innocent people, some people just
like you, your families and friends. Yes, ordinary, law abiding people have been sentenced to
death, spent years on death rows, and, thankfully, were saved in time.

The death penalty can be very hard on the families of murder victims. As the process goes on they
are forced to relive their ordeal in the courts and in the media. The death penalty revictimizes
families of murder victims. Life without parole is sure and swift and rarely appealed.

People who oppose the death penalty do not condone brutal and depraved acts and do not excuse
the people who commit them.

Co-education -wright or wrong

A Co-education – To be or not to be! has been a much debated issue and very little positive action
has been taken towards its implementation.

Time was when most parents cringed at the thought of sending their children to co-ed schools and
colleges and there are some who do so even today. It is for these parents and educationists that I
write this article.

I have a son and a daughter and therefore my natural choice was a co-ed school so as to avoid
vehicle problems as well as facing with different holiday timings. For years they have gone to
various co-ed schools due to our frequent transfers. However this time round as the children were
in 9th and 11th respectively I had only the board scores in mind and so for the first time placed
them is different schools albeit almost adjacent to each other and under one management.

I have never worried about my children getting involved in delinquent behaviour of the romantic
kind, but as soon as they landed in a girls-only and a boys-only school they have been forced to
ponder over mundane romantic issues due to the schools obsession with it. Children seemed to
whisper more about boyfriends and girlfriends from the neighbouring school, than they had ever
done in the co-ed my children had just left. Teachers were hyper about my daughter being seen
with her brother or even the driver.
Soon I started hearing stories of boys who were so much like girls and of two boys hanging out
together in the remotest corners hand in hand. There were more romantic stories than I have heard
from the previous schools. I am not sure whether I can fully put this down to my son's growing
awareness.

Then one day my daughter comes back to recount an incident. During PE period she was sitting
with her head on a friends lap and the teacher came by. The teacher gave an odd look and
commanded the child to sit properly. In the given scenario, I sometimes wonder whether it would
not have been wiser for the management to have had a co-ed school rather than two separate
schools.

Well life does seem more complicated these days!

In my school days, even though I was in an all-girl's boarding school, no one suspected us of
anything other than friendship even though a pair of friends was seen together for the whole term. I
wonder how difficult it must be for parents and teachers to understand where to draw the line of
caution. I am relieved that at least my children are getting mature enough to think out stuff for
themselves, but I worry for others. And yet I am sure they will cope with emerging social change
as well as generations before them have done.

Co-education means the education of boys and girls in same school,colleges or universities. This is
a modern concept and has brought remarkable change in the sociesties. It was first introduces in
Switzerland, but now it has become popular almost in all Europe and America.
The supporters of this system favour the system mainnly on two grounds,one economical and other
sociological.In first place they says that co-education is an economical measure for poor countries
like India,Pakistan and many others.

It is not possible for poor countries to build seperate colleges for both sexes as it requires a lot of
capital.A lot of money is required to build libraries,labortaries and the whole building of a college
or university.
In second place people claims that when both sexes will study in same class rooms their confidene
level will increase and the relation between both sexes will deepen and strengthen its roots and that
will be benificial for both sexes in their future life.
When the both sexes will study together the environment will be totaly changed, boys will become
less coarse and girls less morbid and that will be benificial for bith sexes.
More over, this type of system will blow the spirit of fight in getting more numbers so,there will be
more competetion and more intellectuals will be produced.
When both sexes will spend time in same class they will be able to understand their natures and
that will be helpful when they will .marry.
To educate both sexes under the same roof will require number of teachers and that will be much
better from the economic point of view.
When both sexes will be teached in same class room the fence of shyness will be removed and will
encourage both sexes to talk and discuss matters freely and confidently.
On the other hands some people have different opinion they claims that this system will bring
vulgarity and obscenity in the society. they claims that youth is blind ,so both sexes should not be
teached under same roof. They says that both sexes in their teen ages when they meet freely , there
are chances that they may become the victims of thier emotions.They claims that this type of
educations will remove the necessary distance between the two sexes and that can be harmfull.
In the end onc can conclude that in some situations this system of education is necessary but in
some situations not.

Advantages of coeducation
First, some children like larger classrooms. These larger classrooms give them more competition
and can even make some students more motivated to work harder. "When there are more children
in a class people may think children can get lost, but some students think of it as something that
pushes them to work harder." (The best of both worlds: co-ordinate model). Although this
statement is the opposite of a single sex school advantage that was listed above this is just further
proof that it all depends on each child and that each child requires a learning environment best for
her/him.

Secondly, "most children are following the tradition of going to a co-educational school because
some people believe that it is more natural for boys and girls to learn together" (The best of both
worlds: co-ordinate model). When they are learning together it will prepare them for the real world
when they have to work with the opposite sex in their jobs. Also, when children are in school with
the opposite sex it can help them with their social skills, and they will become more comfortable
being with the opposite sex. A co-educational environment allows children to socialize with the
opposite sex freely. This socialization and being with each other in the same classes all day starts to
form friendships which help to develop a self-confidence that allows them to talk and be at ease in
a co-ed situation.

Disadvantages
There is a belief that by sending a child to a single sex school they can get away from the gender
stereotypes that are typically seen in a co-educational learning atmosphere. Some of these
stereotypes are placed on the students by society, others by facility, classmates, and themselves.
William Pollack, in his book Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons From the Myths of Boyhood, writes
"In girls' schools, it is plain to see that some girls are poets, some are athletes. Some are historians
or mathematicians, some are scientists or sculptors. Stereotypes about "acceptable" roles simply do
not apply." (What about Boys) By eliminating these gender based stereotypes the students are free
to learn without worrying about the labels being placed on them.

In conclusion the advantages and disadvantages of attending a single sex school or co-educational
school are now being looked into more closely when the decision is being made on which
environment is best for a child to learn. Each school environment has pros and cons to offer the
student. What is important is that the right learning environment is selected based on the one
student and how they learn. When a student is not placed in the right learning environment for
them they can begin to fall behind the rest of the class. It is important to keep in mind that neither
learning environment has yet to show that is the best learning environment for all children to be
taught in. This is why the question "Is a single sex school or a mixed school the best learning
environment for my child?" is been asked more and more recently.a plus

bigger classrooms

Advantages of Co-education

The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, said that Co-education creates a feeling of comradeship. He
advocated teaching of both the male and female sexes in the same institution without showing any
discrimination in imparting education.

'A strong reason for co-education is that separating children for a number of years means they will
not be mixing and learning about each other.' - Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of
Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge and Fellow at Trinity College,
Cambridge.
‘There are no overriding advantages for single-sex schools on educational grounds. Studies all
over the world have failed to detect any major differences.' - Professor Alan Smithers, director of
education and employment research at the University of Buckingham.

‘Boys' boorishness is tamed by the civilising influence of the girls; girls' cattiness is tamed by the
more relaxed approach of the boys. It's a win-win situation.' - Cathedral School parent

It s our experience that friendships develop in a very natural way in co-educational schools. This
happens because there are so many activities, societies and clubs in the school in which girls and
boys take part in a pleasant, well-supervised environment. Friendships develop naturally and
genuinely because the mixing is a by-product of the event. This friendly atmosphere continues into
the classroom allowing young people to express their views openly and assertively.

For both girls and boys co-education provides a more realistic way of training young people to take
their places naturally in the wider community of men and women. It helps to break down the
misconceptions of each sex about the other and provides an excellent foundation for the
development of realistic, meaningful and lasting relationships in later life.

A co-educational school is also very successful in challenging sexist attitudes. Many subjects in
secondary school allow for considerable classroom discussion and debate. In a co-educational
school both the female and male perspectives will be explored in such discussions and this is a very
important learning experience for all. In so doing they learn that 'equality' does not mean 'sameness'
- that men and women often have different perspectives on the same issues and that each approach
has a great deal to offer the other.

In academic terms it should be noted that both boys and girls at the Cathedral School attain the
same distinction in terms of examination results: the percentage of A*/A grades at GCSE here is
equally high for both genders, indicating that neither gender is disadvantaged by the other, in fact
the reverse is true, both are enhanced by the presence of the other.

Advocates of single-sex schooling sometimes make hefty claims about the academic advantages of
such schools, pointing to statistically significant disparities in examination results. In truth such
differences may be due more to the socio-economic background of the pupils at the school or the
selectivity of the intake. In our own situation, the Cathedral School proves that co-education can be
extremely successful academically, and with all the social and personal development advantages
too.

The history of co-education in India has been of mixed kind, In the northern part of our country,
there are a large number of co-educational schools. While in the southern part the number of
unisex schools are more. This is also true for the rural India, where the rural masses upon both the
boys and girls studying together.

However many people who do not favour this system of education are of the opinion that this
system is not good.

They feelthat co-education is an urban phenomenon. They give reasons like the boys
and girls are different from each other. They feel that since men have to earn for the family and
women have to lookafter the household, their education should not be on similar lines. On the
contrary people who favour this system believe it to be good because they feel that both girls and
boys have to face the same situation when they grow up. They have to struggle to fine god jobs.
They have to perform the same functions inside and outside their homes. besides studying
together gives birth to healthy relations. The factor or curiosity and bashfulness. Boys become
more polite and gentle in the presence of girls. While girls become bold and confident in the
company of boys.

Another advantage of a co-educational school is that the expenditure on setting up two sets of
schools. This saves precious resources for other development purposes . Boys and girls more
expressive, progressive and forward in outlook and atitude to life which can be of great advantage
to both sexes.

When one analysis these factors one comes to a conclusion that the advantages of co- education
outweigh their disadvantages. Thus making them unable to function to their ful capacity. Such
young people wil later on prove to be harmful to the national interest that requires both men and
women to work harmoniously and with understanding in many areas of development.

It must however be noted that some reservation are also there and even in a country like
England exclusive schools for girls are now being set- up.

Democracy is hampering India progress

India is attempting a transformation few nations in modern history have successfully managed:
liberalizing the economy within an established democratic order. It is hard to escape the impression
that market interests and democratic principles are uneasily aligned in India today. The two are not
inherently contradictory, but there are tensions between them that India's leaders will have to manage
carefully.

Students of political economy know that market-based policies meant to increase the efficiency of the
aggregate economy frequently generate short-term dislocations and resentment. In a democratic polity,
this resentment often translates at the ballot box into a halt or a reversal of pro-market reforms. In the
West, such tensions have remained moderate for at least three reasons: universal suffrage came to most
Western democracies only after the Industrial Revolution, which meant that the poor got the right to
vote only after those societies had become relatively rich; a welfare state has attended to the needs of
low-income segments of the population; and the educated and the wealthy have tended to vote more
than the poor.

The Indian experience is different on all three counts. India adopted universal suffrage at the time of
independence, long before the transition to a modern industrialized economy began. The country does
not have an extensive welfare system, although it has made a greater effort to create one of late. And,
defying democratic theory, a great participatory upsurge has marked Indian politics, a phenomenon
that is only beginning to be understood by scholars and observers: since the early 1990s, India's
plebeian orders have participated noticeably more in elections than its upper and middle classes. In
fact, the recent wisdom about Indian elections turns standard democratic theory on its head: the lower
the caste, income, and education of an Indian, the greater the odds that he will vote. The ruling United
Progressive Alliance (UPA), a coalition with the Indian National Congress at its core, counts on the
lower social orders as its most important voting bloc.

India's development experience is also likely to be distinct from East Asia's. South Korea and Taiwan
embraced universal-franchise democracy only in the late 1980s and the mid-1990s, two decades after
their economic upturn began. Other economically successful countries in the region, such as China and
Singapore, have yet to become liberal democracies. Periodic renewals of mass mandates through the
ballot box are not necessary in authoritarian countries, but they are in India. Democratic politics partly
explains why, for example, privatization has gone so slowly in India compared to in China. In India,
workers have unions and political parties to protect their interests. In China, labor leaders who resist
job losses due to privatization are tried and jailed for treason and subversion, something entirely
inconceivable in India's democracy.

So far, the reform process of the last 15 years has had positive results: by most conventional standards,
India's economy is booming. After registering a 6 percent average annual growth rate for nearly a
quarter century, the Indian economy has picked up even greater speed. Over the last three years, it has
grown at over 8 percent annually, and forecasts for the next few years promise more of the same.
Investment as a proportion of GDP has been steadily climbing, exceeding 30 percent lately and raising
hopes of an investment boom like that which propelled East Asia's economies. Total foreign direct
investment for the current financial year is likely to exceed $10 billion (compared with $100 million in
1990-91) and is rising. Exports are growing at a fast clip, with India's trade-to-GDP ratio more than
doubling in 2006 from its 1991 level of 15 percent. The manufacturing sector, like the services sector, is
becoming a key engine of the economy, and India's world-class information technology sector
continues to grow exponentially, employing less than 0.5 percent of India's labor force but producing
about 5 percent of the nation's GDP. Corporate dynamism, rarely associated with India in the past, is
fast changing the business map of the country, and India, in turn, is rapidly becoming an important
factor in the global strategies of the world's leading international firms.

But how long will the boom last? That depends on India's democratic politics, where economic growth
has fed pressures for the redistribution of wealth. Mainstream economic theory about markets and
human welfare holds that markets will benefit all in the long run. But long-term perspectives do not
come naturally to democratic politicians, who must focus on winning elections in the short term.
Accordingly, a low-income democracy such as India must nurture the energies of its entrepreneurs
while, in the short run, responding to the reservations and resentments of the masses. How well India's
politicians walk this tightrope will determine the outcome of the country's economic transformation.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

In keeping with the prevailing theories in development planning after World War II, in the 1950s India
opted for a centrally planned economy with a closed trade regime, heavy state intervention, and an
industrial policy that emphasized import substitution. This pro-state and trade-pessimistic
development model was characterized by three sets of controls: internal, external, and those relating to
the special role of the public sector. The internal regulatory regime heavily employed investment and
production controls through an infamous industrial licensing system that regulated aspects of
economic activity as varied as plant capacity, output prices, the quantity of capital, the quantity and
type of inputs, technology, and the sectors or industries that were required to be reserved for small-
scale investors. A host of tariff and quantitative controls were created to protect "infant" domestic
producers from external competition. And the public sector was allowed extraordinary authority over
the commanding heights of the economy, including the steel, power, telecommunications, and heavy
machinery industries.

It was within this thicket of protectionist policies that, in July 1991, reformers in the Congress-led
government began to push hard for economic transformation under the looming prospect of a balance-
of-payments crisis. Some reforms had already been put in place by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the
mid-1980s, but the big thrust came in 1991-92 as a result of that looming crisis. The finance minister at
the time, Manmohan Singh (currently India's prime minister), argued that the macroeconomic
stabilization necessary to stave off a crisis was not enough; it had to be reinforced by reforms to make
the decision-making and operational environment of firms more market-based. Thus began a series of
incremental reforms, which the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) continued after it came to power at the
head of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition in 1998.

In some areas of economic policy, progress has been dramatic; in others, little or no progress has been
made. India's investment regime has undergone the most extensive reform. The industrial licensing
system has been almost completely abolished. Firms are free to make decisions about investment,
pricing, and technology. Only three industries -- rail transport, military aircraft and ships, and atomic
energy generation -- are now reserved for the public sector (instead of 18 in the past), and these, too,
are beginning to welcome collaboration with private industry on some activities. The rules governing
foreign investment have been substantially liberalized. Complete foreign private ownership in a large
number of industries, and majority private ownership in most industries, is allowed, excluding airlines,
insurance companies, and the major retail trade. And since 1992, foreign institutions have been
allowed to buy and sell stocks in Indian firms. Indian companies, in turn, are now free to issue equity in
foreign markets.

A great deal of progress has also been made in reforming India's trade and exchange-rate regimes.
India now has a flexible exchange-rate system. The average tariff on imports has come down from over
100 percent to just under 25 percent today, and all quota restrictions on trade have been lifted.

Progress has been limited, however, in five areas: fiscal policy, privatization, small-scale industry,
agriculture, and labor law. India's fiscal deficits continue to be high. Large agricultural subsidies for
inputs, grain, and power are some of the main contributors to these deficits, and almost every attempt
at lowering the subsidies has been met by political protests on behalf of farmers. A start toward
privatization was made in 2001, but unions and some political parties have vigorously resisted it. To
help millions of small producers, many manufactured products continue to be reserved for "small-scale
investors" (a status that caps investment at $250,000 per industrial unit), although in 2001, garments,
toys, shoes, and auto components were finally removed from the reserved list. No proposal for a
complete dereservation of all industries has yet been seriously entertained, hampering the ability of
many Indian companies to compete with their counterparts in other developing countries, notably
China. And labor laws have not been reformed, meaning that no company operating in India employing
more than 100 workers can fire any without government permission -- and permission is almost never
granted.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

Who has really reaped the benefits of the reforms? India has always had a small number of affluent
individuals, symbolized by its maharajahs and business tycoons. Now the proportion of the population
that is rich has undoubtedly increased, and a substantial middle class has emerged, numbering
anywhere between 200 million and 250 million, depending on the measure used. In what is fast
becoming an emblem of the rising Indian middle class, six million cell phones are bought every month,
making India the fastest-growing market for cell phones in the world. Businesses in the cities are
booming, five-star hotels are fully booked, airports are clogged, and flights are regularly oversold.

At the same time, the begging bowls and emaciated faces of malnourished children, historically the
most visible signs of mass deprivation on the streets of Indian cities, have not appreciably receded.
Poverty has clearly decreased since the reforms began, when roughly a third of the country was below
the poverty line, but close to a fourth of the population still lives on less than $1 a day, much to the
disappointment of many reformers who had expected a faster decline. The nation's growth on the
whole has not been employment-intensive.

Where inequality is concerned, two issues are hotly debated: urban-rural imbalances and the
interpersonal income distribution. Over the last ten years, India's economy as a whole may have grown
at more than 6 percent per annum, but agriculture, which still supports, fully or in part, around 60
percent of the country's population, has grown at a mere 2.2 percent annually. To be sure, growth rates
in agriculture are rarely as high as those in manufacturing and services, but the gap in India has
become noticeably large. It is now widely accepted throughout India that urban-rural inequalities have
grown since the reforms began.

The statistics on interpersonal income distribution are less conclusive, partly because such data tend to
be highly unreliable for developing countries. But opinion polls make it quite clear that a very large
proportion of the population believes the reforms have mostly benefited "the rich," which in the
public's eye includes the middle class in India. The largest-ever sample drawn for election analysis in
India, by the National Election Study (NES) in 2004, showed that those who believed the reforms had
benefited only the affluent outnumbered those who thought the reforms had benefited the whole
nation; the more one climbs down the social ladder, the greater the former belief. Upper-caste
respondents were nearly split on the question, but a wide margin of respondents lower on the
socioeconomic scale -- especially ex-untouchables, Muslims, and other underprivileged groups --
believed the reforms had mainly benefited the rich. The survey results also showed that those who
believed the reforms had benefited the whole country voted in large numbers for the BJP-led NDA,
whereas those who thought the rich were the only beneficiaries voted disproportionately for Congress
and its allies.

These perceptions may not necessarily match reality. It is particularly unclear how the masses interpret
the term "reforms." The NES polls focused on only one side of the economic reforms by asking
questions such as whether the number of employees in government service should be reduced, whether
public-sector businesses should be privatized, and whether foreign companies should be allowed to
freely enter the Indian economy. But other questions, reflecting a fuller view, were not asked: Should
import tariffs be dropped further so as to allow for the greater availability of cheap consumer goods?
Should the rules regulating how banks and post offices function be made easier and more transparent?
Should big companies continue to be protected by the government, or should new and smaller
companies be allowed to emerge and compete with them? Should the government interfere less in
regard to where and at what price to sell grain? Should loss-making government firms be privatized if a
substantial proportion of their proceeds could be reserved for public health and education? It is unclear
how the masses would respond to a complete picture of reforms and, accordingly, whether the
underprivileged segments of society would support deeper reforms.

Whatever better statistics may finally prove, mass perceptions matter in politics. And the overall
picture that emerges from current perceptions of the reform process is one of two Indias: an India of
booming businesses, growing cities, and a vibrant middle class and an India of struggling agriculture,
poor villages, and a large lower class. The rising tide produced by economic liberalization appears to
have lifted many boats, but not all. Too large a segment of the population feels ignored by the new
economic policies. The current Indian government has thus unsurprisingly made two objectives clear
regarding the economy: keep growth strong, but make it more inclusive through public policy. Leaving
markets entirely to themselves is not politically feasible in a low-income democracy such as India.

THE DEMOCRATIC CONSTRAINT

There are two aspects to the challenge reformers face within India's democratic context: perceptions of
the reforms to date and the short-term pain likely to accompany the deeper reforms to come. The
economic reforms undertaken thus far have not been those that would directly affect the lives of India's
poor masses, and this has fed their resentment against the reforms, which they believe have only
benefited the upper and middle classes. The employment effect of the reforms -- while significant in
skill- and capital-intensive sectors -- has not been substantial enough throughout the economy to
ameliorate this resentment. Further pro-market reforms -- the large-scale privatization of public-sector
firms, the implementation of a hire-and-fire employment policy, changes in agricultural policy, radical
changes in small-industry sectors, and the drastic reduction of fiscal deficits -- will undoubtedly have a
direct effect on the lives of the masses, but the long-term benefits of these reforms for India's lower
classes are likely to be accompanied by considerable short-term pain. The electoral consequence of this
likelihood has meant that Indian politicians have proceeded gingerly on these deep reforms, embracing
instead those that directly affect the elite.

It is therefore helpful to think of India's reform politics as following two tracks: what may be termed
elite politics and mass politics. This distinction is absolutely crucial in understanding India's reform
dynamics. In India, the elite consists mainly of English-speaking upper-caste and urban citizens. Elite
politics in India typically takes place in the upper realms of the public sphere: in the interactions
between business and government and in the dealings between New Delhi and foreign governments
and international financial institutions. Outside government, the upper end of the public sphere
includes English-language newspapers and television and the Internet. To the elite, India's economic
future has never looked brighter.

But India's mass politics is dancing to a different tune. It is the plebeian social orders that make up this
political constituency. Streets and the ballot box are the primary sites of the mass politics, and voting,
demonstrations, and riots its major manifestations. Economic reforms are viewed by the poor masses
as a revolution primarily for everyone but them. Economists may recommend a more passionate
embrace of neoliberalism as a solution to India's poverty, but the poor appear to have plenty of
reservations about economic reforms -- and they have voting clout in India's democracy.

One can therefore see why elite-oriented reforms (making investment in real estate easier, deregulating
the stock market, liberalizing civil aviation) have continued under the current government in India,
whereas more radical reforms (changing labor laws, privatizing public enterprises, eliminating
agricultural subsidies) have stalled. The latter have run into what might be called a mass-politics
constraint. As a result, it is now customary to argue that India has a "strong consensus on weak
reforms."
Three factors are typically critical in determining whether any particular policy enters the arena of
mass politics: the number of people affected by the policy, how organized those people are, and
whether the effect is direct and immediate or indirect and over a long time horizon. The more people
affected by a policy choice, the more organized they are, and the more direct the policy's effects, the
more likely it is that a policy will generate mass concern.

By this logic, some economic issues are more likely to arouse mass opposition than others. Inflation, for
example, quickly becomes a contentious matter in mass politics because it affects most segments of the
population. A financial meltdown has a similar effect, because a large number of banks and firms
collapse and millions of people lose their jobs. In comparison, stock markets directly concern mainly
shareholders, whose numbers are not likely to be large or very organized in a poor country such as
India. As a result, short of a financial collapse, stock-market issues rarely, if ever, enter the fray of mass
politics in less developed countries. Ethnocommunal conflicts, not economic issues, have until now
driven mass politics in India. The consequences of ethnic cleavages and ethnically based policies tend
to be obvious to most people, and ethnic groups are either already organized or can organize quickly.

Unlike the economic reforms already implemented, the deeper changes that many economists argue
India needs for long-term growth are, by directly affecting the masses -- and affecting them negatively
to begin with -- likely to arouse the passions of the lower class. In India's highly adversarial democracy,
political leaders will continue to find it extremely difficult to stake their political fortunes on economic
reforms that are expected to cause substantial short-term dislocations and are likely to produce
rewards only in the long term. Meanwhile, identity politics -- especially caste-based affirmative action
and Hindu-Muslim relations -- continue to occupy the center of the political stage, consuming
substantial political attention and determining electoral fortunes. As a result, what is of great
consequence to mainstream economists is of secondary importance to politicians, who prefer
predictability in and control over their political universe.

THE SOURCES OF CONGRESS' CONDUCT

Nonetheless, economic reform has been growing in importance in India's electoral politics over the last
decade. In a survey of mass political attitudes in India conducted in 1996, only 19 percent of the
electorate reported any knowledge of the economic reforms that had been implemented, even though
the reforms had been in existence since 1991. In the countryside, where more than 70 percent of
Indians then lived, only about 14 percent had heard of the reforms (compared with 32 percent of voters
in cities). Nearly 66 percent of college graduates were aware of the dramatic changes in economic
policy, compared with only 7 percent of the illiterate poor. (In contrast, close to 75 percent of the
electorate -- urban and rural, literate and illiterate, rich and poor -- reported knowing of the demolition
of the mosque in Ayodhya in 1992, and 87 percent took a stand on caste-based affirmative action.)
Economic reforms were a nonissue in the 1996 and 1998 parliamentary elections. In the 1999 elections,
the biggest reformers either lost or did not campaign on pro-market platforms.

The 2004 parliamentary elections that returned Congress to power, however, hinted at the rising
importance of economic reforms to India's mass politics. In dramatic contrast to 1996, when a mere 19
percent of voters even knew of the reforms implemented up to that point, in 2004, according to the
NES election survey, over 85 percent expressed clear judgments of them -- and the main verdict was
that the reforms were primarily elite-serving.

To be sure, economic issues were still not the main reason for the NDA's election defeat in 2004. Its
loss had more to do with regional politics and party alliances. Coalition partners in India tend to be
regional parties that are strong only in one or two states (India is made up of 28 states), and national
parliamentary elections consequently depend heavily on how regional parties in the large states
perform. In two significant states, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the regional allies of the BJP did
disastrously. The key issues in these and other states were more regional in nature, rather than related
to national or economic issues. The way coalition arithmetic translates to parliamentary seats further
undermined the NDA. In a first-past-the-post parliamentary system such as India's, parliamentary
seats are not allocated in strict proportionality to ballots won. In the 2004 election, although the BJP-
led NDA trailed the Congress-centered UPA by a mere 0.6 percent of the overall popular vote, the latter
won a 33-seat advantage (222 seats as opposed to 189 for the NDA).
Nevertheless, the 2004 electoral results suggest that the pressure on politicians to make reforms
relevant to the masses is rising, even if it has not yet reached a critical threshold. Resentment of
reforms may well prove decisive in the next election, due by 2009. The increasing mass disaffection
with the economic reforms helps explain the economic policies of the current government. The 2004
election led Congress' strategists to the conclusion that the party needed to focus its program on the
lower and middle echelons of society, which have become the party's main constituency. The Indian
government today has some of the ace reformers of post-1991 India, including Prime Minister Singh,
Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, and the economic planning czar, Montek Singh
Ahluwalia. But two of its biggest initiatives have been distinctly antimarket: the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act and the extension of affirmative action in higher education. The first
measure, passed by Parliament in August 2005, guarantees every unemployed rural household that
each year at least one of its members will get 100 days of work. (The scheme, currently in operation in
200 districts, is slated to be extended to the entire country over the next two years.) The second reform
reserves 27 percent of the spaces in government-aided institutions of higher education, including the
Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Management, for the "other backward
castes."

The UPA is dependent on the left for its parliamentary majority, but this is only part of the story that
explains these antimarket measures. More germane is the character of the constituency that now forms
the main pillar of Congress' support. Until the mid-1980s, Congress was an umbrella party drawing
substantial support from all segments of society, but the BJP and its coalition have since come to
represent the socially privileged, the educated, and high-income groups. The upper segments of society
constitute no more than 25-30 percent of India's population. Given the kind of support they have given
the BJP and its allies over the last ten years, getting them back under the Congress umbrella is not as
electorally promising as consolidating gains in the much larger middle and lower segments -- especially
given the latter's higher rates of voter turnout. It is therefore no surprise that targeted antimarket
interventions on behalf of the lower social orders form the centerpiece of Congress' new political
strategy.

The BJP, although less constrained than Congress, cannot entirely escape these pressures either. If the
BJP is to regain and hold on to power, it will have to resolutely move down the socioeconomic ladder
for support, something it has already begun doing. Even a BJP-led government would therefore be
expected to push a program of targeted state interventions. Unless the upper segments of Indian
society regroup and begin to participate in elections more, they will dwindle as a power in electoral
politics, in spite of their control of the press. And until the middle class becomes a majority of the
population and starts to participate more vigorously in elections, the plebeian pressures will remain in
politics and India's economic reforms will continue to have an ostrich-like character: moving ahead on
policies directly affecting the elite but lagging behind on policies that directly, and negatively, hit the
masses.

A TORTOISE TO CHINA'S HARE?

Although the mass-politics constraint on India's economic reforms is now beginning to emerge, it need
not be a reason for alarm. India's democracy is a short-term constraint but a long-term asset for pro-
market reformers. The stability of Indian democracy is not in question. Whichever coalition of parties
comes to power, reforms on the whole will continue. Since 1991, four coalitions have ruled India, and
none has departed from the path of reforms. The differences have been those of degree and pace, not
direction. There is no going back to the old statist economic regime. A middle class with rising incomes
that boasts 200 million to 250 million people will continue to attract investor attention. The nation's
remarkable human capital at the middle-class level will also draw investors. Moreover, there will
continue to be economic reforms largely impervious to the constraints of mass politics: changes to the
financial sector, greater rationalization of tax structures, further simplification of investment rules, the
liberalization of real estate development, and the modernization of airports.

The mass-politics constraint does mean, however, that reformers in India will have to juggle two
separate tasks in the short to medium term: continuing reforms in the elite-oriented sectors and
responding to mass needs through further antimarket state interventions. And if market-oriented
economic reforms are to be embraced in areas directly relevant to the masses, politicians will have to
answer the following questions: How will the privatization of public enterprises, the reform of labor
laws, and the lifting of agricultural subsidies benefit the masses? And how long will the benefits take to
trickle down? All of these reforms are likely to enhance mass welfare in the long run. Therefore, for
democratic politicians, this problem will effectively mean taking measures such as reserving a
substantial proportion of the proceeds from privatization for public health and primary education,
constructing safety nets for workers as labor laws are reformed, and coming up with a plan for a second
green revolution in agriculture in return for drawing down the current huge agricultural subsidies. The
last one, in particular, will require both opening up agriculture to market forces and greater public
investment in irrigation, agricultural research, and rural infrastructure and education.

But although democratic politics makes life challenging for reformers, it could also turn out to be a
huge benefit in the long run. Consider the counterexample of China. It is hard to believe that the single-
party state in China will not eventually be challenged from within the existing party structure, by the
burgeoning middle class, or by rising peasant and labor unrest. The attendant economic consequences
of a political transition or upheaval in China are uncertain. In contrast, democratic India has a viable
solution to the problem of political transition: the party, or coalition of parties, that wins elections will
run the government. Transition rules are now deeply institutionalized in India, and long-term political
stability is a virtual certainty.

The long-term benefits of India's democracy are enhanced by its rule of law and advanced capital
markets. Firm-level innovation is normally facilitated by copyright laws and the rewards that capital
markets bring to innovative firms. The rule of law continues to evade China, and its capital markets are
heavily government-dominated. Who knows what will happen to China's economic progress when,
faced with competitive pressure from lower-cost producers, it loses its comparative advantage in labor-
intensive mass production. India's innovative firms and skilled labor, on the other hand, are already
beginning to make a mark on the international scene -- a trend that is likely to continue in the coming
years.

• Education in India � burden or opportunity?

Education in India is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from
three levels: federal, state, and local. Child education is compulsory. TheNalanda University was
the oldest university-system of education in the world. Western education became ingrained into
Indian society with the establishment of the British Raj. Education in India falls under the control
of both the Union Government and thestates, with some responsibilities lying with the Union and
the states having autonomy for others. The various articles of the Indian Constitution provide for
education as a fundamental right. Most universities in India are Union or State Government
controlled.

India has made a huge progress in terms of increasing primary education attendance rate and
expanding literacy to approximately two thirds of the population.[2] India's improved education
system is often cited as one of the main contributors to theeconomic rise of India.[3] Much of the
progress in education has been credited to various private institutions.[4] The private education
market in India is estimated to be worth $40 billion in 2008 and will increase to $68 billion by
2012.[4] However, India continues to face stern challenges. Despite growing investment in
education, 35% of its population is still illiterate; only 15% of Indian students reach high school,
and just 7% graduate.[5]. As of 2008, India's post-secondary high schools offer only enough seats
for 7% of India's college-age population, 25% of teaching positions nationwide are vacant, and
57% of college professors lack either a master's or PhD degree.[6] As of 2007, there are 1522
degree-granting engineering colleges in India with an annual student intake of 582,000,[7] plus
1,244 polytechnics with an annual intake of 265,000. However, these institutions face shortage of
faculty and concerns have been raised over the quality of education.[8]

•
]History

Monastic orders of education under the supervision of a guru was a favored form of education for
the nobility in ancient India.[9] The knowledge in these orders was often related to the tasks a
section of the society had to perform.[10] The priest class, the Brahmins, were imparted knowledge
of religion, philosophy, and other ancillary branches while the warrior class, the Kshatriya, were
trained in the various aspects of warfare.[10] The business class, the Vaishya, were taught their trade
and the lowered class of the Shudras was generally deprived of educational advantages.[10] The
book of laws, the Manusmriti, and the treatise on statecraft the Arthashastra were among the
influential works of this era which reflect the outlook and understanding of the world at the time.[10]

Apart from the monastic orders, institutions of higher learning and universities flourished in India
well before the common era, and continued to deliver education into the common era.
[11]
Secular Buddhist institutions cropped up along with monasteries.[10] These institutions imparted
practical education, e.g. medicine.[10] A number of urban learning centres became increasingly
visible from the period between 200 BCE to 400 CE.[12] The important urban centres of learning
were Taxila and Nalanda, among others.[12] These institutions systematically imparted knowledge
and attracted a number of foreign students to study topics such as logic, grammar, medicine,
metaphysics, arts and crafts.[12]
By the time of the visit of the Islamic scholar Alberuni (973-1048 CE), India already had a
sophisticated system of mathematics and science in place, and had made a number of inventions
and discoveries.[13]

With the arrival of the British Raj in India a class of Westernized elite was versed in the Western
system of education which the British had introduced.[14] This system soon became solidified in
India as a number of primary, secondary, and tertiary centres for education cropped up during the
colonial era.[14] Between 1867 and 1941 the British increased the percentage of the population
in Primary andSecondary Education from around 0.6% of the population in 1867 to over 3.5% of
the population in 1941. However this was much lower than the equivalent figures for Europe where
in 1911 between 8 and 18% of the population were in Primary and Secondary education.
[15]
Additionally literacy was also improved. In 1901 the literacy rate in India was only about 5%
though by Independence it was nearly 20%.[16]

Following independence in 1947, Maulana Azad, India's first education minister envisaged strong
central government control over education throughout the country, with a uniform educational
system.[17] However, given the cultural and linguistic diversity of India, it was only the higher
education dealing with science and technology that came under the jurisdiction of the central
government.[17] The government also held powers to make national policies for educational
development and could regulate selected aspects of education throughout India.[18]

The central government of India formulated the National Policy on Education (NPE) in 1986 and
also reinforced the Programme of Action (POA) in 1986.[19] The government initiated several
measures the launching of DPEP (District Primary Education Programme) and SSA (Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan,[20] India's initiative for Education for All) and setting up of Navodaya Vidyalaya and other
selective schools in every district, advances in female education, inter-disciplinary research and
establishment of open universities. India's NPE also contains the National System of Education,
which ensures some uniformity while taking into account regional education needs. The NPE also
stresses on higher spending on education, envisaging a budget of more than 6% of the Gross
Domestic Product.[19] While the need for wider reform in the primary and secondary sectors is
recognized as an issue, the emphasis is also on the development of science and technology
education infrastructure.
[edit]Overview

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is the apex body for
curriculum related matters for school education in India.[21] The NCERT provides support and
technical assistance to a number of schools in India and oversees many aspects of enforcement of
education policies.[22] In India, the various curriculum bodies governing school education system
are:

 The state government boards, in which the majority of Indian children are enrolled.
 The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board.
 The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) board.
 The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) board.
  International schools affiliated to the International Baccalaureate Programme and/or
the Cambridge International Examinations.
 Islamic Madrasah schools, whose boards are controlled by local state governments, or
autonomous, or affiliated with Darul Uloom Deoband.
 Autonomous schools like Woodstock School, Auroville, Patha Bhavan and Ananda Marga
Gurukula.

In addition, NUEPA (National University of Educational Planning and Administration)[23] and

NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education) are responsible for the management of the
education system and teacher accreditation.[24]
Primary education
The Indian government lays emphasis to primary education up to the age of fourteen years
(referred to as Elementary Education in India.[25]) The Indian government has also banned child
labour in order to ensure that the children do not enter unsafe working conditions.[25] However, both
free education and the ban on child labour are difficult to enforce due to economic disparity and
social conditions.[25] 80% of all recognized schools at the Elementary Stage are government run or
supported, making it the largest provider of education in the Country.[26] However, due to shortage
of resources and lack of political will, this system suffers from massive gaps including high pupil
teacher ratios, shortage of infrastructure and poor level of teacher training. Education has also been
made free[25] for children for 6 to 14 years of age or up to class VIII under the Right of Children to
Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009.[27]

There have been several efforts to enhance quality made by the government. The District Primary
Education Programme (DPEP) was launched in 1994 with an aim to universalize primary education
in India by reforming and vitalizing the existing primary education system.[28] 85% of the DPEP
was funded by the central government and the remaining 15 percent was funded by the states.
[28]
The DPEP, which had opened 160000 new schools including 84000 alternative education
schools delivering alternative education to approximately 3.5 million children, was also supported
by UNICEF and other international programmes.[28] This primary education scheme has also shown
a high Gross Enrollment Ratio of 93–95% for the last three years in some states.[28] Significant
improvement in staffing and enrollment of girls has also been made as a part of this scheme.[28] The
current scheme for universalization of Education for All is theSarva Shiksha Abhiyan which is one
of the largest education initiatives in the world. Enrollment has been enhanced, but the levels of
quality remain low.
[edit]Private education
According to current estimates, 80% of all schools are government schools[26] making the
government the major provider of education. However, because of poor quality of public
education, 27% of Indian children are privately educated.[29] According to some research, private
schools often provide superior results at a fraction of the unit cost of government schools.[30][31]
[32]
However, others have suggested that private schools fail to provide education to the poorest
families, a selective being only a fifth of the schools and have in the past ignored Court orders for
their regulation.[33] In their favour, it has been pointed out that private schools cover the entire
curriculum and offer extra-curricular activities such as science fairs, general knowledge, sports,
music and drama.[29] The pupil teacher ratios are much better in private schools (1:31 to 1:37 for
government schools and more teachers in private schools are female.[34] There is some disgreement
over which system has better educated teachers. According to the latest DISE survey, the
percentage of untrained teachers (paratechers) is 54.91% in private, compared to 44.88% in
government schools and only 2.32% teachers in unaided schools receive inservice training
compared to 43.44% for government schools. The competition in the school market is intense, yet
most schools make profit.[29]

Even the poorest often go to private schools despite the fact that government schools are free. A
study found that 65% of schoolchildren in Hyderabad's slums attend private schools.[32]

Private schools are often operating illegally. A 2001 study found that it takes 14 different licenses
from four different authorities to open a private school in New Delhi and could take years if done
legally.[32] However, operation of unrecognized schools has been made illegal under the Right of
Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act[27] which has also significantly simplified the
process of obtaining recognition.
[edit]Homeschooling
Homeschooling is legal in India, though it is the less explored option. The Indian Government's
stance on the issue is that parents are free to teach their children at home, if they wish to and have
the means. HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has stated that despite the RTE Act of 2009, if someone
decides not to send his/her children to school, the government would not interfere.[35]
[edit]Secondary education
The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, has provided for environment awareness, science
and technology education, and introduction of traditional elements such as Yoga into the Indian
secondary school system.[36] Secondary education covers children 14-18 which covers 88.5 million
children according to the Census, 2001. However, enrolment figures show that only 31 million of
these children were attending schools in 2001-02, which means that two-third of the population
remained out of school.[37] A significant feature of India'ssecondary school system is the emphasis
on inclusion of the disadvantaged sections of the society. Professionals from established institutes
are often called to support in vocational training. Another feature of India's secondary school
system is its emphasis on profession based vocational training to help students attain skills for
finding a vocation of his/her choosing.[38] A significant new feature has been the extension of SSA
to secondary education in the form of the Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan[39]

A special Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC) programme was started in 1974 with
a focus on primary education.[21] but which was converted into Inclusive Education at Secondary
Stage[40] Another notable special programme, the Kendriya Vidyalaya project, was started for the
employees of the central government of India, who are distributed throughout the country. The
government started theKendriya Vidyalaya project in 1965 to provide uniform education in
institutions following the same syllabus at the same pace regardless of the location to which the
employee's family has been transferred.[21]
A multilingual web portal on Primary Education is available with rich multimedia content for
children and forums to discuss on the Educational issues. India Development Gateway [41] is a
nation wide initiative that seeks to facilitate rural empowerment through provision of responsive
information, products and services in local languages.
[edit]Higher education
Main article: higher education in India
Our university system is, in many parts, in a state of disrepair...In almost half the districts in the
country, higher education enrollments are abysmally low, almost two-third of our universities and
90 per cent of our colleges are rated as below average on quality parameters... I am concerned that
in many states university appointments, including that of vice-chancellors, have been politicised
and have become subject to caste and communal considerations, there are complaints of
favouritism and corruption.

– Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2007[42]

Indian Institute of Management,Ahmedabad.

India's higher education system is the third largest in the world, after China and the United States.
[43]
The main governing body at the tertiary level is the University Grants Commission (India),
which enforces its standards, advises the government, and helps coordinate between the centre and
the state.[44] Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by 12 autonomous institutions established
by the University Grants Commission.[45]

As of 2009, India has 20 central universities, 215 state universities, 100 deemed universities, 5
institutions established and functioning under the State Act, and 13 institutes which are of national
importance.[44] Other institutions include 16000 colleges, including 1800 exclusive women's
colleges, functioning under these universities and institutions.[44] The emphasis in the tertiary level
of education lies on science and technology.[46] Indian educational institutions by 2004 consisted of
a large number of technology institutes.[47] Distance learning is also a feature of the Indian higher
education system.[47]

Some institutions of India, such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), have been globally
acclaimed for their standard of education.[47] The IITs enroll about 8000 students annually and the
alumni have contributed to both the growth of the private sector and the public sectors of India.
[48]
However, India has failed to produce world class universities like Harvard or Cambridge.[49]

Besides top rated universities which provide highly competitive world class education to their
pupil, India is also home to many universities which have been founded with the sole objective of
making easy money. Regulatory authorities like UGC and AICTE have been trying very hard to
extirpate the menace of private universities which are running courses without any affiliation or
recognition. Students from rural and semi urban background often fall prey to these institutes and
colleges.[50][dead link]

Three Indian universities were listed in the Times Higher Education list of the world’s top 200
universities — Indian Institutes of Technology,Indian Institutes of Management, and Jawaharlal
Nehru University in 2005 and 2006.[51] Six Indian Institutes of Technology and the Birla Institute of
Technology and Science - Pilani were listed among the top 20 science and technology schools in
Asia by Asiaweek.[52] TheIndian School of Business situated in Hyderabad was ranked number 12
in global MBA rankings by the Financial Times of London in 2010[53] while the All India Institute
of Medical Sciences has been recognized as a global leader in medical research and treatment.[54]
[edit]Technical education
From the first Five Year Plan onwards India's emphasis was to develop a pool of scientifically
inclined manpower.[55] India's National Policy on Education (NPE) provisioned for an apex body
for regulation and development of higher technical education, which came into being as the All
India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in 1987 through an act of the Indian parliament.
[56]
At the level of the centre theIndian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of
Information Technology are deemed of national importance.[56] The Indian Institutes of
Management are also among the nation's premier education facilities.[56] Several Regional
Engineering Colleges (REC) have been converted into National Institutes of Technology.[56] The
UGC has inter-university centres at a number of locations throughout India to promote common
research, e.g. the Nuclear Science Centre at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.[57]

In addition to above institutes, efforts towards the enhancement of technical education are
supplemented by a number of recognized Professional Engineering Societies like: (i) the Institution
of Engineers (India); (ii) The Institution of Chemical Engineering (India); (iii) The Institution of
Electronics and Tele-Communication Engineers (India); (iv) The Indian Institute of Metals; (v) The
Institution of Industrial Engineers (India); (vi) The Institute of Town Planners (India); (vii) The
Indian Institute of Architects, etc., who conduct Engineering/Technical Examinations at different
levels(Degree and diploma) for working professionals desirous of improving their technical
qualifications
[edit]Literacy

Main article: Literacy in India

According to the Census of 2001, "every person above the age of 7 years who can read and write in
any language is said to be literate". According to this criterion, the 2001 survey holds the National
Literacy Rate to be around 64.84%.[58] Government statistics of 2001 also hold that the rate of
increase in literacy is more in rural areas than in urban areas.[58] Female literacy was at a national
average of 53.63% whereas the male literacy was 75.26%.[58] Within the Indian states, Kerala has
shown the highest literacy rates of 90.02% whereas Biharaveraged lower than 50% literacy, the
lowest in India.[58] The 2001 statistics also indicated that the total number of 'absolute non-literates'
in the country was 304 million.[58]
[edit]Attainment

World Bank statistics found that fewer than 40 percent of adolescents in India attend secondary
schools.[2] The Economist reports that half of 10-year-old rural children could not read at a basic
level, over 60% were unable to do division, and half dropped out by the age 14.[30]

Only one in ten young people have access to tertiary education.[2] Out of those who receive higher
education, Mercer Consulting estimates that only a quarter of graduates are "employable".[59]

An optimistic estimate is that only one in five job-seekers in India has ever had any sort
of vocational training.[60]
Higher education
As per Report of the Higher education in India, Issues Related to Expansion, Inclusiveness, Quality
and Finance,[61] the access to higher education measured in term of gross enrolment ratio increased
from 0.7% in 1950/51 to 1.4% in 1960-61. By 2006/7 the GER increased to about 11 percent. By
2012, (the end of 11th plan objective) is to increase it to 15%.
[edit]Women's education

Girls in Kalleda Rural School, Andhra Pradesh.

See also: Women in India
Women have much lower literacy rate than men. Far fewer girls are enrolled in the schools, and
many of them drop out.[62] According to a 1998 report by U.S. Department of Commerce, the chief
barrier to female education in India are inadequate school facilities (such as sanitary facilities),
shortage of female teachers and gender bias in curriculum (majority of the female characters being
depicted as weak and helpless).[63] Conservative cultural attitudes, especially among Muslims,
prevents some girls from attending school.[64]

The number of literate women among the female population of India was between 2-6% from the
British Raj onwards to the formation of the Republic of India in 1947.[65] Concerted efforts led to
improvement from 15.3% in 1961 to 28.5% in 1981.[65] By 2001 literacy for women had exceeded
50% of the overall female population, though these statistics were still very low compared to world
standards and even male literacy within India.[66] Recently the Indian government has
launched Saakshar Bharat Mission for Female Literacy. This mission aims to bring down
female illiteracy by half of its present level.

Sita Anantha Raman outlines the progress of women's education in India:

Since 1947 the Indian government has tried to provide incentives for girls’ school attendance
through programs for midday meals, free books, and uniforms. This welfare thrust raised
primary enrollment between 1951 and 1981. In 1986 the National Policy on Education decided
to restructure education in tune with the social framework of each state, and with larger national
goals. It emphasized that education was necessary for democracy, and central to the
improvement of women’s condition. The new policy aimed at social change through revised
texts, curricula, increased funding for schools, expansion in the numbers of schools, and policy
improvements. Emphasis was placed on expanding girls’ occupational centers and primary
education; secondary and higher education; and rural and urban institutions. The report tried to
connect problems like low school attendance with poverty, and the dependence on girls for
housework and sibling day care. The National Literacy Mission also worked through female
tutors in villages. Although the minimum marriage age is now eighteen for girls, many continue
to be married much earlier. Therefore, at the secondary level, female dropout rates are high.[67]

Sita Anantha Raman also maintains that while the educated Indian women workforce maintains
professionalism, the men outnumber them in most fields and, in some cases, receive higher income
for the same positions.[67]
[edit]Rural education

A primary school in a village in Madhya Pradesh.

Following independence, India viewed education as an effective tool for bringing social change
through community development.[68] The administrative control was effectively initiated in the
1950s, when, in 1952, the government grouped villages under a Community Development Block—
an authority under national programme which could control education in up to 100 villages.[68]A
Block Development Officer oversaw a geographical area of 150 square miles (390 km2) which
could contain a population of as many as 70000 people.[68]

Setty and Ross elaborate on the role of such programmes, themselves divided further
intoindividual-based, community based, or the Individual-cum-community-based, in which
microscopic levels of development are overseen at village level by an appointed worker:
 The community development programmes comprise agriculture, animal husbandry, cooperation,
rural industries, rural engineering (consisting of minor irrigation, roads, buildings), health and
sanitation including family welfare, family planning, women welfare, child care and nutrition,
education including adult education, social education and literacy, youth welfare and community
organisation. In each of these areas of development there are several programmes, schemes and
activities which are additive, expanding and tapering off covering the total community, some
segments, or specific target populations such as small and marginal farmers, artisans, women
and in general people below the poverty line.[68]

Despite some setbacks the rural education programmes continued throughout the 1950s, with
support from private institutions.[69] A sizable network of rural education had been established by
the time the Gandhigram Rural Institute was established and 5, 200 Community Development
Blocks were established in India.[70] Nursery schools, elementary schools, secondary school, and
schools for adult education for women were set up.[70] The government continued to view rural
education as an agenda that could be relatively free from bureaucratic backlog and general
stagnation.[70] However, in some cases lack of financing balanced the gains made by rural education
institutes of India.[71] Some ideas failed to find acceptability among India's poor and investments
made by the government sometimes yielded little results.[71] Today, government rural schools
remain poorly funded and understaffed. Several foundations, such as the Rural Development
Foundation (Hyderabad), actively build high-quality rural schools, but the number of students
served is small.
[edit]Issues
[edit]Funding and infrastructure
One study found out that 25% of public sector teachers and 40% of public sector medical workers
were absent during the survey. Among teachers who were paid to teach, absence rates ranged from
15% in Maharashtra to 71% in Bihar. Only 1 in nearly 3000 public school head teachers had ever
dismissed a teacher for repeated absence.[72] A study on teachers by Kremer etc. found that 'only
about half were teaching, during unannounced visits to a nationally representative sample of
government primary schools in India.'.[72]

A study of 188 government-run primary schools found that 59% of the schools had no drinking
water and 89% had no toilets.[73] 2003-04 data by National Institute of Educational Planning and
Administration revealed that only 3.5% of primary schools in Bihar and Chhattisgarhhad toilets for
girls. In Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh,
rates were 12-16%.[74]
[edit]Curriculum issues
Modern education in India is often criticized for being based on rote learning rather than problem
solving. BusinessWeek denigrates the Indian curriculum saying it revolves around rote learning.
[75]
and ExpressIndia suggests that students are focused on cramming.[76]
[edit]Controversy
In January 2010, the Government of India decided to withdraw Deemed university status from as
many as 44 rations were not being kept in mind by the management of these institutions and that
"they were being run as family fiefdoms".[77]

Fake degrees are a problem. One raid in Bihar found 100,000 fake certificates.[78] In February 2009,
the University Grant Commission found 19 fake institutions operating in India.[79]

Only 16% of manufacturers in India offer in-service training to their employees, compared with
over 90% in China.[80]
[edit]Initiatives

Boys seated in school near Baroda, Gujarat.

The madrasah of Jamia Masjid mosque inSrirangapatna.

Following India's independence a number of rules were formulated for the backward Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes of India, and in 1960 a list identifying 405 Scheduled Castes and
225 Scheduled Tribes was published by the central government.[81] An amendment was made to the
list in 1975, which identified 841 Scheduled Castes and 510 Scheduled Tribes.[81]The total
percentage of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes combined was found to be 22.5 percent with
the Scheduled Castes accounting for 17 percent and the Scheduled Tribes accounting for the
remaining 7.5 percent.[81] Following the report many Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
increasingly referred to themselves as Dalit, a Marathi language terminology used by B. R.
Ambedkar which literally means "oppressed".[81]

The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are provided for in many of India's educational
programmes.[82] Special reservations are also provided for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes in India, e.g. a reservation of 15% in Kendriya Vidyalaya for Scheduled Castes and another
reservation of 7.5% in Kendriya Vidyalaya for Scheduled Tribes.[82] Similar reservations are held
by the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in many schemes and educational facilities in India.
[82]
The remote and far-flung regions of North East India are provided for under the Non Lapsible
Central pool of Resources (NLCPR) since 1998-1999.[83]The NLCPR aims to provide funds for
infrastructure development in these remote areas.[83]

The government objective for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), started in 2001, is to provide
education to children between 6–14 years by 2010.[84] The programme focuses specially on girls
and children with challenged social or financial backgrounds.[84] The SSA also aims to provide
practical infrastructure and relevant source material in form of free textbooks to children in remote
areas.[84] The SSA also aims at widening computer education in rural areas.[84] SSA is currently
working with Agastya International Foundation - an educational NGO - to augment its efforts in
making science curriculum current and exciting. However, some objectives of the SSA, e.g.
enrollment of all children under the scheme in schools by 2005 remain unfulfilled.[84] Education
Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education are components of the SSA.[84]

Women from remote, underdeveloped areas or from weaker social groups in Andra
Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala,Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, fall
under the Mahila Samakhya Scheme, initiated in 1989.[85] Apart from provisions for education this
programme also aims to raise awareness by holding meetings and seminars at rural levels.[85] The
government allowed 340 million (US$ 7.7 million) during 2007–08 to carry out this scheme over
83 districts including more than 21, 000 villages.[85]

Currently there are 68 Bal Bhavans and 10 Bal Kendra affiliated to the National Bal Bhavan.
[86]
The scheme involves educational and social activities and recognising children with a marked
talent for a particular educational stream.[86] A number of programmes and activities are held under
this scheme, which also involves cultural exchanges and participation in several international
forums.[86]

India's minorities, especially the ones considered 'educationally backward' by the government, are
provided for in the 1992 amendment of the Indian National Policy on Education (NPE).[87] The
government initiated the Scheme of Area Intensive Programme for Educationally Backward
Minorities and Scheme of Financial Assistance or Modernisation of Madarsa Education as part of
its revised Programme of Action (1992).[87] Both these schemes were started nationwide by 1994.
[87]
In 2004 the Indian parliament allowed an act which enabled minority education establishments
to seek university affiliations if they passed the required norms.[87]
[edit]Central government involvement
[edit]Budget
As a part of the tenth Five year Plan (2002–2007), the central government of India outlined an
expenditure of 65.6% of its total education budget of 438.25 billion (US$ 9.95 billion) i.e.
287.5 billion (US$ 6.53 billion) on elementary education; 9.9% i.e. 43.25 billion (US$ 981.78
million) on secondary education; 2.9% i.e. 12.5 billion (US$ 283.75 million) on adult education;
9.5% i.e. 41.765 billion (US$ 948.07 million) on higher education; 10.7% i.e. 47 billion
(US$ 1.07 billion) on technical education; and the remaining 1.4% i.e. 6.235 billion (US$ 141.53
million) on miscellaneous education schemes.[88]
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
India has the lowest public expenditure on higher education per student in the world.[89]
See also: Education in India Five Year Plan Expenditure
[edit]Public Expenditure on Education in India
In recent times, several major announcements were made for developing the poor state of affairs in
education sector in India, the most notable ones being the National Common Minimum Programme
(NCMP) of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The announcements are; (a) To
progressively increase expenditure on education to around 6 percent of GDP. (b) To support this
increase in expenditure on education, and to increase the quality of education, there would be an
imposition of an education cess over all central government taxes. (c) To ensure that no one is
denied of education due to economic backwardness and poverty. (d) To make right to education a
fundamental right for all children in the age group 6–14 years. (e) To universalize education
through its flagship programmes such as Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and Mid Day Meal.
However, even after five years of implementation of NCMP, not much progress has been done on
these promises or announcements. The public expenditure on education has actually declined from
around 3.23 percent of GDP in 2000-2001 to 2.88 percent in the recent times. As a proportion of
total government expenditure, it has declined from around 11.1 percent in 2000-2001 to around
9.98 percent during UPA rule. A policy brief issued by [Network for Social Accountability (NSA)]
[90]
titled “[NSA Response to Education Sector Interventions in Union Budget: UPA Rule and the
Education Sector][91]” provides significant revelation to this fact. Due to a declining priority of
education in the public policy paradigm in India, there has been an exponential growth in the
private expenditure on education also. [As per the available information, the private out of pocket
expenditure by the working class population for the education of their children in India has
increased by around 1150 percent or around 12.5 times over the last decade].[92]
[edit]Legislative framework
Article 45, of the Constitution of India originally stated:

“ The State shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement
of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete
the age of fourteen years.[17] ”

This article was a directive principle of state policy within India, effectively meaning that it was
within a set of rules that were meant to be followed in spirit and the government could not be held
to court if the actual letter was not followed.[93] However, the enforcement of this directive
principle became a matter of debate since this principle held obvious emotive and practical value,
and was legally the only directive principle within the Indian constitution to have a time limit.[93]

Following initiatives by the Supreme Court of India during the 1990s the Ninety-third amendment
bill suggested three separate amendments to the Indian constitution:[94]

 The constitution of India was amended to include a new article, 21A, which read:
“ The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to
fourteen years in a such manner as the State may, by law, determine.[95] ”

 Article 45 was proposed to be substituted by the article which read:

“ Provision for early childhood care and education to children below the age of six years:
The State shall endeavour to provide early childhood care and education for all children
until they complete the age of sixteen years.[95] ”

 Another article, 51A, was to additionally have the clause:

“ ...a parent or guardian [shall] provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the
case may be, [a] ward between the age of six to fourteen years.[95] ”

The bill was passed unanimously in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, on
November 28, 2001.[96] It was later passed by the upper house—the Rajya Sabha—on May 14,
2002.[96] After being signed by the President of India the Indian constitution was amended formally
for the eighty sixth time and the bill came into effect.[96] Since then those between the age of 6–14
have afundamental right to education.[97]

Article 46 of the Constitution of India holds that:

“ The State shall promote, with special care, the education and economic interests of the
weaker sections of the people, and in particular of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of social exploitation'.[58] ”

Other provisions for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes can be found in Articles 330, 332,
335, 338–342.[58] Both the 5th and the 6th Schedules of the Constitution also make special
provisions for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.[58]
 Educational qualification for Politicians
The minimum qualification to become a politician nowadays is he should complete atleast a
degree.Nowadays our country is growing in all fields and every citizen is growing in his own
way.The countrys development lies in the hand of people in power hence they should be educated
to an minimum degree level.Before two decades such politicians without education were there,but
now the situation changes so on my view educational qualification is "a must"

ndia is a developing country. Politicians make a good job in India's development. But now
Politicians getting seats without education. Education is necessary for Politicians also.

Our country is developing in various fields .Educated one only can do make good projects. Without
minimum qualification of education our country will be lies in still developing country.

Education is necessary because educated politician give a good direction for the development of
our country.The minimum education is master degree in a specified field.
But this is not enough.

Politician are graduated in political science it is not necessary but knowledge of every field of
Indian culture is necessary.In India education system is not so good because many crimes are
available in our education system also.It is also shown that a IAS who join the politics and destroy
the India's democracy.

So it is a doldrum situation for describing the educational qualification.First of all we remember

our past. Bapu, Sardar patel, Shastri, Tagore, Subhash, Sarojani Naidu, Rajendra prasad and then it
is easy to describe the education criteria for politician.

there is some educational qualification for Politicians bcoz If politicians know the rules and
regulations of Politics, they can rule very good and without any incorrectness. They did good
projects for our country. Politicians are main pillars of our nation so they should educationally
perfect. Now so many politicians didn't know the rules and regulations and they did what they
wish.

For development of any country there should be educational politicians minimum of Degree.

I agree with all those people who assert that educational qualification is necessary for the
politicians. Since my childhood I have a very big doubt and till now it is not cleared. I hope
someone will help me with this. My doubt is 'Why for a person to become an IAS it is necessary to
clear the toughest examination and still he works under an unqualified politician. Why there is no
examination to become a politician?'.

Well, I know that to rule a country or state only education will not work. Experience and wisdom
have a lion's share in governing a country. But unfortunately, our leaders lack these qualities.
As our country is still a developing country, we need some young, educated and dynamic leaders to
lead us. At the same time experienced politicians should always be there to give advice and support
the educated leaders. Minimum qualification for a leader should be any degree with distinction.

An educated mother can mould his child into a diamond but an uneducated mother is helpless.

Similarly an educated politician will shape up the country.

India is an democratic country. India is always a developing country but when we are going to say
proudly that my India is developed country. As we all of them aware that politics plays a main role
in our country. Yeah definitely education is important to politician as a simple person is proffering
education in this technical world.
Most of the politicians are entering in to this politics in order to earn money rather than social
service. So my kind request to every politician is that please help the people, understand their
emotions. So that people starts treating them as God by not considering they are educated are not.

Education is very important for a politician. At least he should have completed any degree. India is
Improving in all Fields. For example if a gold medallist student is suppose to take a gold medal or a
certificate from his/her state Minister who is not educated and in fact he doesn't know the value of
that medal then really that student thinks that this is the worst moment in his life. In fact that
minister has no level to give that medal to the student.

So if the captain [who is leading our country/politicians] is educated then the decision of the
captain will be good and powerful which helps in the progress of our country.

there should be a certain criteria in education of politician it may be of 10th or 12th or more and
leader should be honest for their country because our leader should know what's going on country.
Now a days many leader is only consern about only MONEY and MONEY not for
DEVLOPMENT of country but are bocoz they are not EDUCATED and DISHONEST both BUT
few politicin are doing their work well because they are educated and honest both.

At last I want to say, there should be a criteria in education of politician as well as honesty must be
also there.

Only the education can't do any thing.

so many people that a minimum educational qualification is a must for a politician particularly the
social and political knowhow pertaining to our country is needed. Also the most important quality
to be possessed by a person to serve in politics is sincerity and honesty. It is so disheartening to
hear of the scandals and scams exposed by the media very frequently.

It also reflects on the integrity of political people and they are not showing a good direction to the
young minds who will be taking care of our country in future. What is the use of so many policies
for the benefit of the common man and the youth when the basic character is not molded well.
People do not see good model politicians nowadays. There should be immediate steps taken to pass
a rule that fixes a minimum education for those who enter politics and proven record of substantial
real social service for a period of time. Also it should be seen that favoritism and bribery are
completely curbed at all levels and people must realize and follow the rules regarding these
aspects.

Every one was stressing that a masters degree or a degree with distinction is must for a politician.
But the fact is that the one having these degree's are opting for a corporate job.

So youth should come forward to take active part in politics.

Then we can force some educational constraints on politics.

At the same time, there are politicians who are uneducated, but having a good knowledge about all
things.

So, their wisdom too should be considered.

So its not about placing educational constraints on politicians, but we educated people should be
able to decide whether a politician can do any good to the society.

Abstract

Violence is one of the global concerns today in all segments of the world.
Antisocial behaviour in human beings is accepted to be associated to a number of
physiological, psychological, domestic, and cultural aspects. The learning environments
which a child is exposed are also assumed to contribute to the increase of aggressive
behaviour and attitudes. Media violence as one of specific learning condition is believed to
be a potential contributor to the growth of antisocial behaviour in children and youth.
Many studies have been conducted in the area of media violence and its effects on
the young viewers. A major focus has been the relationship between media violence and
aggressive behaviour but, interestingly, research regarding the relationship between media
violence and attitudes about aggression is limited. The purpose of this study, therefore, was
to contribute to the state of the research by predicting and comparing attitudes about
aggression among adolescent boys on the basis of their exposure to violence in movies.
This study used a survey research design. Two hundred and sixteen adolescent boys
aged 13-17 were selected from seven international schools located in Kuala Lumpur. The
data were collected using four instruments: the Demographic Questionnaire, the Media
Viewing Habit Questionnaire, the Affection toward movie violence scale, and the Attitudes
concerning Aggression Scale. The results indicated that adolescent boys spend a significant
amount of time watching movies on TV and DVD/CD as well. In addition, they are
Effects of Watching Violence Movies on the Attitudes Concerning Aggression among Middle
Schoolboys (13-17 years old) at International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 142

exposed to substantial amounts of media violence. At the same time, parental involvement
with their adolescents’ movie viewing is relatively limited.
Further results showed that there is significant difference between heavy and light
viewers of movie violence in any dimension of their attitudes about aggression.
Adolescents with “violent” movies preferred, however, were significantly more supportive
of the attitude that aggression is acceptable and warranted, as compared to those who prefer
movies with little or no violence. Additional results demonstrated that the "aggression-
acceptable" attitude was significantly related to a set of variables. The strongest predictors
of this attitude in adolescent boys were affection toward movies, movie viewing habits, and
the adolescents' movies preferred.
The results obtained in this research are discussed in terms of implications for both
violence-prevention programs and media-awareness programs. Suggestions for future
research are also presented.

Keywords: Film effects, viewing violence, aggressive attitudes, middle schoolboys

1. Introduction
Violence is one of the major worldwide concerns today in all segments of societies. People frequently
read or hear about gang battles, shootings, bombings or actually become victims of such actions. These
events are only the most extreme examples of the aggression that takes place every day. Recent studies
indicate that adolescents are the most victims of violent crime, often involving guns, and that they
experience rape, robbery and assaults at two to three times the rate of adults (Finkelhor & Dziuba-
Leafheiman, 1994). Canadian statistics are not as alarming, although it might be that they reflect only
those situations that come to the attention of law enforcement authorities. Other forms of aggression
and violence, which may take place at home, or in peer confrontations may not make official statistical
counts (Strom-Gottfried & Singer, 1995).
Violent attitudes in humans are recognized to be associated to a number of physiological,
psychological (emotional), domestic, and cultural reasons. The learning environments which the child
is exposed to are also considered to contribute to the increase of antisocial attitudes and feelings
(Berkowitz, 2001). Recently, investigators and professors presented the thought that attitudes toward
real life violence play a mediating role in the translation of aggressive feelings into aggressive behavior
(Velicer, Huckel, & Hanson, 2003). Therefore, attitudes may have a significant influence on behavior,
especially on violent actions (Kraus, 1995).

2. Background
Media violence is recognized as a potential contributor to the increase of antisocial attitudes in children
and adolescents (Ledingham, Ledingham, & Richardson, 1993). Considerations about media violence
go back to the 1920s. At that time the earliest coordinated social scientific research investigation into
the impact of media violence began in the western countries. It was intended at studying the harmful
impacts of media on society.
The development of television as a common mass entertainment and information medium
during the 1950s encountered similar concerns about potential harms, especially in connection with
young audiences (Gunter, 1994).
The most important concern in the debate about media violence has been whether or not it
promotes aggressive behavior among viewers (Van Evra, 1990). The relationship between heavy
exposure to media violence and later aggressive behavior has been studied for more than thirty years. A
large body of experimental and longitudinal research on this question has been evaluated, and it has
143 Md Salleh Bin Hj Hassan, Mohd. Nizam Osman and Zoheir Sabaghpour Azarian

been determined that there is a link between viewing TV violence and aggressive behavior (APA,
1993). There is also research indicating that heavy exposure to screen violence can cause problems in
other domains of social behavior. For example, it can make people become both fearful of the world
around them and more accepting of violence in the real life as displayed by others (Singer & Singer,
1980).
Nowadays, many concerns have been raised about the kinds of values and attitudes that may be
inculcated by exposure to certain kinds of media content, especially violence in movies (Kubey &
Larson, 2005). During the last decade, accusations towards the media have also been made against
violent computer and video games, the popularity of which among adolescents is rising (Scott, 2000).
While social scientists work on determining the major causation of violence, such as social
environments, cultural factors, family instruction, and group membership (Fraser, 1996; Staub, 1996),
parents, teachers, politicians and school administrators continue blaming the media for increases in violence
attitudes among adolescents. For instance, school principals, mothers, and young people were surveyed for
their perceptions of factors influencing violence among youth. The results showed that violent messages in
rap music and violence in the movies are perceived as the factors influencing violence (Kandakai, Price, &
Telljohann, 1999, Pryor, Sard, & Bombyk, 1999). Moreover, the results indicated that media violence was
perceived to be one of the major causes of violence in 47-54% of the questionnaires. Clearly, media
violence is not in itself a sufficient cause of real world violence (Zuckerman, 1996).However, as the
numerous studies show, parents' and school personnels’ concerns about media violence are justified.

2.1. Attitudes Toward Violence

Attitudes toward violence are viewed as having a significant mediating role in the translation of
aggressive feelings into aggressive behaviors (Velicer, Huckel, & Hansen, 2003). Furthermore,
researchers have identified social attitudes that could be responsible for cultural variations in rates of
violence (Cohen & Nisbett, 1994).
It is asserted that attitudes are governed by internal value systems. Person develops his/her
attitudes through a complex and particular evaluative procedure based on cognitive and affective
reactions to life experiences (Eiser & van der Pligt, 1988).
From a social cognitive approach, attitudes are believed to guide individual differences in social
information processing. For instance, beliefs that violence is compulsory to achieve desired results may
lead a person to focus more to aggressive aspects of social cues or anticipate positive outcomes for
violent behavior (Dodge, 1993). It is commonly admited that attitudes have a significant power on
behavior, especially violent behavior (Kxaus, 1995). Relations have been found between specific
attitudes and violent behavior in children and adolescents. Huesmann and Guerra (1997) detected that
through middle childhood, children's beliefs that violence is acceptable.
Another study by Vernberg, Jacobs and Hershberger (1999) investigated attitudes about
violence as a possible influence on the frequency of commonplace aggression toward peers. The results
demonstrated that the relation between attitudes favoring violence and self reported aggression toward
peers was significant in the sample of 1,000 youth. A positive relationship between proviolence
attitudes and actual violent behavior has been also found in a sample of youth from juvenile detention
and school settings (Slaby & Guerra, 1988). It was found that a belief about the acceptability of
aggression was significant and independent predictor of aggressive behavior. Violence related beliefs
were related to self-reported violent behavior in a study of low income African American youth. An
intervention designed to change violence-related beliefs resulted in decreased aggressive behavior in
adolescents incarcerated for violent offences (Guerra & Slaby, 1990). Given that attitudes influence
behavioral predispositions, changing attitudes should contribute to behavioral change (Shapiro,
Dorman, Burkley, Welker, & Clough, 1997). In turn, this means that attitudes are an appropriate target
for violence prevention programs.
Media are believed to be potential contributors to the development of antisocial behavior in
children. The link between exposure to violence on television and aggressive behavior, delinquency
and later criminality has been thoroughly documented (as cited before in Ledingham, Ledingham, &
Effects of Watching Violence Movies on the Attitudes Concerning Aggression among Middle
Schoolboys (13-17 years old) at International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 144

Richardson, 1993). One can identify several ways that media violence could affect social behavior.
First, TV violence could provide the original aggressive scripts which children store in memory.
Secondly, TV violence might affect behavior by changing a person's attitudes or emotional responses
to violence. Thirdly, it may arouse a person, which in a short-term may have serious outcomes, for
example, physical risk-taking (Potts, Doppler, & Hernandez, 1994). Educators and researchers are
especially concerned with children and youth, because their attitudes, beliefs, ideas about the world, as
well as social skills, are beginning to take form. Given the fact that children and youth are often
exposed to media which "glorify" violence, and that the young viewers are still in very active
developmental stages, it is reasonable to argue that there might be a relationship between extensive
exposure to violent media and subsequent development of antisocial behavior.

3. Problem Statement
Although much of the research has focused on exposure to media violence as a factor contributing to
antisocial behavior (Groebel, 1998), some effects of media violence have been examined more
extensively than others. Woodfield (1989), in her review of the literature, asserted that the major
concern has been the causal relationship between TV violence and aggressive attitudes, and there were
fewer studies that focused on the cognitive and affective outcomes of exposure to media violence. The
same notion was stated by Rule and Ferguson (1986), who declared that there seemed to be "sparse
research regarding the relation between media exposure and attitudes toward aggression" (p.39).
Upon reviewing the literature for this study, it has become obvious that research directly
investigating the relation between media violence and attitudes has tended to focus on the acceptance
of violence toward women (Malamuth & Check, 1981; St.Lawrence & Joyner, 1991). Only a few
available studies considered the special effects of exposure to media violence on attitudes toward
violence. Furthermore, outcomes of these studies are mixed. Some researchers found that the greater
the level of exposure to television violence, the more the child was willing to suggest violence as a
solution to conflict, to perceive it as effective, and to become more accepting of violent behavior
displayed by others (Dominick & Greenberg, 2001).
Others did not find any significant support for the hypotheses that high exposure to television
violence caused adolescents to accept violence as a way to solve their problems, and that exposure to
television violence made them more callous in relation to near or distant violence in the world around
them (Woodfield, 1989).
Despite the fact that there is little research evidence to confirm attitudinal changes as a result of
exposure to media violence, it is a pervasive theme throughout the empirical literature that heavy
exposure to violent messages conveyed in the media influences and shapes individual attitudes toward
violence in the real world. For example, it is often encountered that heavy viewers of TV/video
violence tend to accept violence as a solution to conflicts and perceive it as an effective means of
settling disputes (Potter, 1998), that viewers might believe that it is fairly common for people to fight,
and that aggression is proper and acceptable in many different real-life situations (Berkowitz, 2001).
Thus, more research is needed to test the empirical evidence.
It should also be mentioned that the majority of research presented above was experimental,
and it is clear that the results could be different in the natural environment.
In addition, research was conducted mostly with children, which makes it difficult to make
generalizations on other age groups.
Since adolescent boys are the main audience of movies with violent content, and their culture
also includes violent computer and video games, often human-directed (Funk & Buchman, 2002), it is
considered worthwhile to conduct a study exploring adolescents' attitudes toward violence on the basis
of their exposure to screen violence, both passive (movies) and interactive (video/computer games).
145 Md Salleh Bin Hj Hassan, Mohd. Nizam Osman and Zoheir Sabaghpour Azarian

4. Research Questions
The accessibility of electronic media and increased quantity of customer consumption provides
investigators with a suitable chance to conduct further research on how media affects adolescent. In
any research it is important to investigate some special questions. The research questions to be
considered in this study would be:
Q1: What are the habits of schoolboys aged 13-17 in watching films?
Q2: What are the level of affection of schoolboys toward violence movies?
Q3: Are there differences in attitudes on aggression between those who watch” violent" and
those who watch "non-violent" movies?
Q4: Are there differences in attitudes on aggression between those who are heavy viewer and
those who are light viewer?
Q5: Is there a relationship between affection toward violent movie and attitudes concerning
aggression?

5. Research Objectives
The primary objectives of this study are as follow:
1. To identify the pattern of media use among the schoolboys aged 13-17.
2. To determine the level of affection of schoolboys (aged 13-17 years old) to watch violence
movies.
3. To compare differences in attitudes on aggression between those who watch “violent” and those
who watch “non violent” films.
4. To compare differences in attitudes on aggression between those who are heavy viewer and those
who are light viewer.
5. To determine relationship between affection toward violent movie and attitudes concerning
aggression.

6. Methodology
A quantitative approach is felt as the ideal method to be used for this study. This is because the
literature review has clearly shown that this approach is widely used in the field of research on media
and their effects on the society. Furthermore, a quantitative research design is relevant to the purpose
of the present study: to compare and predict violence related attitudes among adolescent boys on the
basis of their exposure to media violence. Specifically, the study uses a survey research design method
that allows the inclusion of a large number of sample (respondents) while considering several
intervening variables. Survey methodology has several strengths that make it more capable to
intercultural studies.
The location of this study was seven international schools in Kuala Lumpur. The seven
international schools selected were The Alice Smith School, Mont’Kiara International School, Utama
International School, Garden International School, Fairview International School, Sayfol International
School, and Global Indian International School. The detail of these International schools has been
obtained from Kuala Lumpur Education Department. According to list there were 10 International
schools in Kuala Lumpur of which three of them are primary schools.
This study used the broadly 4-scale Likert type instrument as the main method of data
collection. Likert is a psychometric scale frequently utilized in questionnaires forms, and is the most
commonly utilized scale in survey study as well. After answering to a Likert questionnaire, researcher
can identify their level of agreement to a subject.
The data were collected using four instruments: the Demographic Questionnaire, the Media
viewing Habits Questionnaire, the affection toward movie violence scale, the Attitudes concerning
Aggression Scale.
Effects of Watching Violence Movies on the Attitudes Concerning Aggression among Middle
Schoolboys (13-17 years old) at International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 146

6.1. Sample
The sample size that has been used for this research is based on the Krejcie, R.V and Morgan D.W
(1970). Therefore, based on Krejcie and Morgan (1970) out of 865 schoolboys in Kuala Lumpur
international schools, the sample was 260. Since the number of students in selected schools was
unequal, distributing the questionnaires was based on the proportion of number of schoolboys in each
school to the total population of students. Therefore, 30 to 45 questionnaires were distributed in
different schools based on the mentioned proportions.
The decision to target males can be described by the fact that adolescent boys are the main
audience of action movies with high levels of violence (Roe, 1995). They are also the most frequent
video movies/computer game players (Griffiths, 1991). In addition, since the previous surveys show,
boys are more likely to choose movies with fantasy and human violence as their favorite (Buchman &
Funk, 2003). As the present study is aimed at assessing youth attitudes toward violence on the basis of
exposure to media violence, this choice of the sample of the study is reasonable.
The sampling method used for this study is systematic sampling method. The main concern in
the employ of systematic sampling with a continual spacing is that the items to be sampled should not
be set in an orderly style which may correspond to the spacing along transect or the grid. (Carter &
Gregorich, 2008) Systematic sampling is commonly used and simple to apply; it consists of taking
every Kth sampling unit after a random start” (Kish 1995).

6.2. Reliability of the Instruments

A number of measures have been employed in this research. They were comprised the media viewing
habits; the media experience part and Attitudes concerning Aggression which all these measures were
created by researcher. Reliabilities test of these instruments were developed by the investigator with
Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha test.
A pilot study has been conducted by researcher for reliability test. The results of the pilot test
revealed that Cronbach's alpha was 0.75 for the Attitude Concerning Aggression and value of alpha for
Affection toward Media Violence was 0.71. The results showed an acceptable rank of internal
consistency for the whole indexes. In conclusion, the results of this research revealed that Attitudes
concerning Aggression part is an internally consistent measure of attitudes in relation to aggression of
schoolboys’' from various demographic environment since it was confirmed by a high Cronbach's
value (.75).

6.3. Data Analysis

The survey was conducted in the classroom location. Before conducting the survey the researcher
introduced himself and informed the boys that their participation is absolutely anonymous, voluntary,
confidential and gave assurance that they could ask questions if they faced with any difficulty.
Out of 265 distributed questionnaire forms, 228 were returned. However, 49 questionnaire
forms were removed from the data analysis because the questionnaires were incomplete. Consequently,
216 questionnaires were used in the analysis. Both the return rate and the effectual response rate were
quite adequate and sufficient: 86% and 81.5% respectively.

7. Results and Discussions

7.1. Respondents’ Profile
Some demographic variables like age, grade in school, nationality, family structure, and parent’s
education level, have been included in the questionnaire. The outcomes presented in table 1.
147 Md Salleh Bin Hj Hassan, Mohd. Nizam Osman and Zoheir Sabaghpour Azarian
Table 1: Demographic Profile of Respondents (n = 216)
Profile Frequency Percentage (%)
Age
13 50 23.1
14 46 21.3
15 49 22.7
16 40 18.5
17 31 14.4
Nationality
Malaysia 17 7.9
Asia and Pacific except Malaysia 119 55.1
Middle East and North Africa 47 21.8
Sub-Saharan Africa 33 15.3
Living Pattern
Both Real Parents 182 84.3
One Real Parent Only 28 13.0
Step-parent 3 1.4
Others 3 1.4
Spending time with
Parents 114 52.8
Old brother(s)/sister(s) 71 32.9
Friends 30 13.9
Others 1 .5

7.2. Movie Viewing

The results revealed that adolescent boys watch from 0 to 7 television movies per week, with an
average value of 2.91. In addition, they watch from 0 to 5 DVD/CD movies per week, with an average
of 3.06.
As it apparent the average of movies watched by schoolboys is difference between TV movies
and DVD/CD movies. The present researcher believes it is, since students have an opportunity to view
violent movies on DVD/CD that are often uncensored and more intense in terms of violence than
highly violent television movies that are often censored and include commercial interruptions as well.
Moreover, 49.5% of adolescent boys report that they go to the movie theatre (cinema) twice a
month, 41.2% of the respondents - once a month, 7.9% - less often, and 1.4% - never. The Weekly
Movie Viewing Index, which gives the estimate of weekly number of movies watched on TV,
DVD/CD, and cinema, varied from 2.25 to 12.5 with an average of 7.2.
These results suggest that watching movies is a popular leisure activity among schoolboys aged
13-17 and this finding is consistent with the results of other studies (Arnett, 2007). Also as stated by
the UNESCO Global Media Violence Study (von & Carlsson, 2000) showed that there is significant
consistency in children’s media viewing habits across 23 countries. In urban or rural areas, 93% of
children who attend school spent more than 50% of their leisure time watching television and movies.
Johnson and Cohen (2002) assert that high exposure to television has been believed to be likely
to direct to high exposure to television violence. Also Nabi and Sullivan (2001) indicated that there is a
significant association between the amount of time spent watching movies during adolescence and
early adulthood and the likelihood of subsequent antisocial behavior, such as threatening aggression,
assault or physical fights resulting in injury, and robbery.
The results show that majority of the participants tend to watch movies with violence contents.
This finding is consistent with the results of the previous studies which indicate that adolescent boys
and young men are the main audience for movies with violent content (Klein et al, 2004).
In addition, less than half of schoolboys (46.8%) indicated they enjoy watching movies with
violent content “very much,” 28.7% enjoy it “much.” 19.4% enjoy it “not much,” and just 5.1% of the
respondents completely dislike watching movies with violent content. The results also demonstrated
that 80% of the participants believe that they watch more movies with violent content, while only 19%,
Effects of Watching Violence Movies on the Attitudes Concerning Aggression among Middle
Schoolboys (13-17 years old) at International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 148

on the contrary, believe that they watch more movies without violent content. These results are an
additional confirmation that many adolescent boys are heavily exposed to movie violence.

7.3. Movies Preferred

Nowadays, users have several media options accessible more than ever. And just as consumers now
expect and demand more and better advantage, also they expect and demand more and better activity
choices (Zillmann, 2000a). Media entertainment is a multifaceted conception that comprises parts of
play, leisure activity and others. Audiences respond in different ways when they are being entertained.
They sigh at a love story and shriek in terror at a monster movie (Kinder, 2000).
In media viewing habit part we had a question regarding movies genres which have allowed the
schoolboys to specify 3 genres (type) of movies that they prefer to watch. The results revealed that
78% of respondent selected “action” movies as first choose. “Animation” was second with 41.2% and
“comedy” was third with 39.8%.
The results of present study supported by the previous research which confirm male adolescents
prefer to watch action movies more than any other types of movies (Arnett, 2007).
By the 1990s, the action movie was the most common and popular genre, which also include
science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comedy. Action is a fundamental element of the movies. Because
of this, for a long time “action movies” were not thought by producers and audiences as a different
genre.
In 1977s, Herman and his colleague Leyens conducted a survey of selective exposure on
adolescents boys. The investigators examined a sample of 200 movies shown on Belgian television
between 1972 and 1975. Herman and Leyens used data from a sample of 2,400 respondents, and
compared viewer’s sizes for movies exposed. They found that movies with action genres had
considerably larger audiences than other types with less violent contents. As stated by the researchers,
their data support the idea of selective exposure to violence. In one word, adolescents chose to watch a
movie because of the promise of violent content.
Slater (2003) analyzed selective exposure in a large scale study of 8th grade students. Over
3,100 students filled out a survey that included three questions about selective exposure to media.
These questions asked how often students watched action movies on videotapes or TV that described
or recommended violence. Slater finding has confirm that adolescents prefer violent movies and
especially with action genres.

7.4. Parental Movie Mediation

In this study respondents were asked some questions concerning parental participation with
schoolboys' movie viewing habits. The summary of the adolescents' responses to the parental movie
mediation questions is presented in table 2.

Table 2: Parental participation with schoolboys' Movie Viewing

Habits

Often Sometimes Not often Never

Watching with parents 31.0 37.0 22.2 9.7
Putting rules 38.0 36.6 20.4 5.1
Discussing about Movie 11.6 35.6 38.4 14.4
Monitoring 17.1 35.2 33.3 14.4

It is frequently say that parents can exert the permanent effects on their chilred. Moreover, it is
assumed that parental mediation is an effective system to reduce the media effects. Parental
participation, such as co-viewing, discussing about movies and monitoring youth's media choices, is
approved to be a successful means for mediating dangerous effects of violent media viewing (Austin,
2007; Horton & Santogrossi, 1978).
149 Md Salleh Bin Hj Hassan, Mohd. Nizam Osman and Zoheir Sabaghpour Azarian

A study by Strasburger & Donenrstein (1999) revealed that most parents do not often monitor
or control the media which the adolescents are exposed to. In addition, the results of this study show
that many parents are not adequately concerned about their children's media viewing habits. It also
showed that 31.0% of the boys report that they often viewing movies with a parent, 37.0% of the
schoolboys indicate that they sometimes watch together, 22.2% "not often," and 9.7% never watch
movies with a parent.
Valerio and his colleagues (1979) found that 45% of parents reported usually or always
watching television with their child, which is consistent with other studies finding that fewer than half
of parents report co-viewing. in addition in the Kaiser (2002) study reporting of television viewing
found that those older than 7 years almost never watch television with their parents and even among
younger children (2–7 years), 81% of the time when children are watching television, their parents
were doing something else.(Rideout, et al.2001)
Even a smaller number of parents are reported to regularly discuss about movies with their
children. The results reveal that only 11.6% of the schoolboys often discuss movies with a parent,
35.6% sometimes discuss, 38.4% discuss "not often," and 14.4% never discuss movies with a parent.
Besides, only 17.1% of the adolescents indicate that their parents “often” monitoring on their
movie watching, 35.2% indicate that “sometimes” their parents monitoring on their media viewing, and
47.7% report that their parents do not monitor or control on their movie watching.
Parental monitoring is very significant point, since the research studies confirm that increasing
control from parents is at least simply reducing media violence. Adolescent can learn negative
behaviour patterns and values from many other experiences such as TV programs and movies. Parental
guidance is therefore needed to help children reform these impacts. Other studies have found that rules
about television viewing were connected with younger children and families from higher
socioeconomic groups. . (Rideout, et al.2001)
Cheng and his colleagues (2003) have found that television monitoring reported by parents
clearly decreased with increasing age of the child. Limitation of violent television viewing was
associated with younger children and female parent but was not associated with socioeconomic status
in regression models. Other factors such as practice setting, gender and number of children, age,
marital status, educational level, race, or religiosity of parents were not found to be important
predictors of television violence monitoring.
In summary, although parental mediation, especially "active" mediation, such as discussing
movies, is confirmed to be effective in reducing media influences, the results of the present study, as
well as the results of the previous studies, show that most parents are not actively involved with their
adolescent boys' movie viewing habits.

7.5. Affection toward Movie Violence

The Affection toward movie violence scale consisted of 9 items with possible item scores from 1 (not
at all) to 4 (very much). Given that 9 items were used in the scale, possible scores ranged from 9 to 36,
with higher scores indicating more affection toward violence movies. The results demonstrated that the
instrument takings a full range of scores, from 9to 36. This range of scores showed obvious variability
in the affection of adolescent boys regarding violence contents toward movies.
The average score for the sample on the Affection toward movies scale was 22.1(SD = 2.6),
with a median value of 22.0. This score corresponds to an average item score of 1.96, which stands
between “Not very much” and “much”.
The results revealed that there is a high level of affection toward watching movies with violent
content. In addition, 46.8% of schoolboys said that they like watching movies with violent contain
“very much”, 28.7% like it “much”, 11.8% like it “not very much”, and just 5.1% dislikes watching
movies with violent content.
The results also demonstrate that 31.0% of the respondents enjoy watching movies with
fighting scenes “very much”, 51.4% enjoy it “much”, 16.7% “not very much” and 0.9% selected “not
Effects of Watching Violence Movies on the Attitudes Concerning Aggression among Middle
Schoolboys (13-17 years old) at International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 150

at all”. Additionally, 2.8% of respondents enjoy seeing a dead body in movies “very much”, 54.2%
enjoy it “much”, 33.3% enjoy it “not very much”, and 9.7% not enjoy at all.
The average score respondents in these results show the high affection toward aggression in
movies. Additionally, this result suggests that an average respondent expresses a high level of affection
with “I like watching movies with violent content” which forty six percent of participants selected
“very much” as their respond. These results are supported by several studies that confirm this finding.
A variety of explanations have been promoted to clarify why media violence is attractive to
adolescents’ boys. One well-known description is that children observe violence on media because it is
arousing, that is, the viewing of violence provokes the child’s affectional arousal. There is a large body
of evidence that the watching of violence or the threat of violence consistently enhance sympathetic
activation, particularly increasing heart rate and blood pressure in viewer (zillmann, 1991).
Zillmann and Bryant (2002) claimed that television’s capability to enhance arousal for viewer’
and particular exposure to television in some conditions. They assert that individuals are provoked by a
hedonically based drive toward excitatory homeostasis. Therefore, for instance people who are tired of
something or think underestimated, supposed to be more open to such programs that make pleasure.
In the study by O’Brien and Huston (1985), for instance both boys and girls were revealed to
prefer playthings that allowed moderate to high activity levels. Possibly one argue that children enjoy
active games is that they believe the arousal that comes with such games as pleasant. Maybe they show
affection to watching violence for the same cause.

Table 3: Affection toward Movie

Violence

Frequency in Percentage (%)

Very not very not at
much Mean
much much all
1. I like watching movies with violent content. 46.8 28.7 19.4 5.1 3.17
2. I enjoy watching movies with fighting scenes. 31.0 51.4 16.7 .9 3.13
3. I enjoy seeing a dead body in movies. 2.8 54.2 33.3 9.7 2.50
4. I am pleased when seeing someonegets shot at the movies. 8.8 40.3 38.9 12.0 2.46
5. I enjoy when watching people being beaten up. 3.2 43.1 45.8 7.9 2.42
6. I like seeing someone gettingkilled in movies. 6.5 34.7 42.6 16.2 2.31
7. I am pleased when seeing someone shots fired at people. 2.8 40.7 37.0 19.4 2.27
8. I like to see somebody threatened to kill someone else. 6.0 28.7 40.3 25.0 2.16
9. I enjoy when see someone get attack with a knife. 2.8 12.0 45.4 39.8 1.78

7.6. Attitudes Concerning Aggression

The Attitudes concerning Aggression Scale consisted of 12 items with possible scores from 1 (strongly
disagree) to 4 (completely agree). Possible scores ranged from 12 to 48, with higher scores indicating
more tendencies toward aggression.
The average score for the sample on the Attitude Concerning Aggression scale was 27.7 (SD
=.30), with a median value of 27.0. This score corresponds to an average item score of 2.08, which
stands close to "agree”.
The results revealed that 40.7% of respondent are strongly agree that “If somebody hits me, I
have to hit him back”, 46.3% “agree”, 10.2% “disagree”, and 2.8% “strongly disagree”. The results
also indicated that 38.4% of schoolboys are strongly agree that “when two students are fighting it is not
acceptable to encourage them”, 46.3% “agree”, 12.0% “disagree”, and 3.2% “strongly disagree”
Additionally, the finings reported that 24.5% of respondent are strongly agree that “It is
acceptable to fight for protecting right”, 41.2% “agree”, 25.5% “disagree”, and 8.8% “strongly
disagree”.
151 Md Salleh Bin Hj Hassan, Mohd. Nizam Osman and Zoheir Sabaghpour Azarian

These results indicate that the average respondent's attitude that aggression is legitimate and acceptable
and aggression brings power and status. Additionally, this result suggests that an average respondent
expresses a high level of agreement with the belief that individuals should not get involved in fights.
Verngerg et al. (1999) obtained the same result for their sample of early adolescents in the
United States. In addition, the present result are also consistent with that of Fatum and Hoyle (1996), in
that many adolescents report fighting and other forms of aggression as a possible way of conflict
resolution. To conclude, the present study, as well as previous studies, confirms adolescents' hands-off
attitude about helping victimized peers.

Table 4: Attitudes Concerning

Aggression

Strongly Strongly
Disagree Agree Mean
disagree agree
1. If somebody hits me, I have to hit him back. 2.8 10.2 46.3 40.7 3.25
2. When two students are fighting, it is not 3.2 12.0 46.3 38.4 3.20
acceptable to encourage them.
3. It is acceptable to fight for protecting right. 8.8 25.5 41.2 24.5 2.81
4. Fighting is a manner of life in this world. 13.9 26.4 38.9 20.8 2.67
5. It is acceptable for students to fight. 15.7 31.5 43.1 9.7 2.47
6. It is enjoyable to be bully because it makes 18.1 39.4 32.4 10.2 2.35
students feel big and tough.
7. It is acceptable that someone with bullies get 22.7 35.2 31.5 10.6 2.30
what he wants from other students.
8. When two students are fighting, it is not fair 22.7 44.4 27.8 5.1 2.15
to stand there and watch them.
9. Shoving a student by other student is not 24.5 43.1 43.1 67.6 2.14
acceptable.
10. Students cannot make other students do 29.2 42.1 20.4 8.3 2.08
what they want by forcing at them.
11. Students cannot obtain what they want by 29.2 40.3 23.6 6.9 2.08
fighting with others.
12. It is right to try to stop a fight between two 26.4 45.8 22.8 5.1 2.06
students.

7.7. Differences in Attitudes between Groups of Viewers

7.7.1. Violent/Non-violent viewer
Respondents have been assigned to one of the following groups: those who watch movies with violent
contents was "violent" and those who watch movies with no violent contents was "non-violent." The
results revealed that 119 adolescent boys willing to watch violent movies that contained high levels of
violence while 97 adolescents prepare movies with no violence or a little. Attitudes concerning
aggression were entered as dependent variables.
The results of t-tests revealed that there are statistically significant differences in attitudes
toward violence between Violent/Non Violent movie viewers. (t =5.06, p=.000)
In conclusion, the results confirmed that those schoolboys who watch movies with violence
content have more tendencies toward aggressive attitudes than those who watch movies with little or
no violence.
Comparatively not much study has investigated effects of violent and nonviolent movies on the
attitudes and behaviour. The literature review for the present study leads to the conclusion that the
general pattern of findings in this field supports that watching violent movies increases the possibility
of consequent violent behaviour, thoughts and feelings (Dill, 2002). It is hypothesized, however, that
attitudes may be affected, resulting in decreased empathy for victims of violence, and in treating
violence as a useful problem solving technique (Anders, 1999).
Effects of Watching Violence Movies on the Attitudes Concerning Aggression among Middle
Schoolboys (13-17 years old) at International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 152

This survey tried to examine the differences in attitudes about aggression between those who
observe high levels of violence and those who observe little or no violence. The results reveal
statistically significant differences on the attitudes concerning aggression scales.
These results suggest that those who watch "violent" movies, as opposed to those who watch
"non-violent" movies, hold a stronger belief that violent problem solving is acceptable and necessary.
This result, therefore, confirms the assumptions that those who watch "violent" movies tend to use
aggression as a problem solving way.

7.7.2. Heavy/ light viewer

On the base of total movie viewing index, individuals have been split in two major groups: heavy
viewer and light viewer. The results showed that 147 adolescent boys willing to watch movies that
contained high levels of violence while 70 adolescents preferred movies with no violence or a little.
A t-test was conducted to determine differences in attitudes toward violence between heavy and
light viewers of movies. Attitudes concerning aggression were entered as dependent variables.
The results demonstrated that there is significant differences were obtained in the analysis of
variance for the two independent variables at the level of .000. Furthermore, there was a considerable
difference between those more and less watching to movie violence.
To conclude, the results confirmed that those schoolboys who watch more movies with
violence content have more tendencies toward aggressive attitudes than those who watch fewer
movies.
The latest media violence researches express that TV programs and movies contain high levels
of violence around the world (Slater, et al. 2003). For instance, the National Television Violence Study
in United state found that about 40% of the violent incidents are started by "good" characters, and
almost 75% of aggressive scenes include no punishment or criticism for violence (Media Scope, 1996).
Since young people are the main user of programs with such acceptable and satisfactory
violence, it is broadly accepted that, to comprehend the connection between media violence and
antisocial behavior in the actual life, intervening variables should be taken into account. These include
the viewer's personalities, program characteristics, and also environmental variables (Arnett, 2007).
The present study examined the interaction of exposure to movie violence with adolescentboys'
attitudes about aggression, contained by schoolboys' movie viewing habits. The results show that
statistically significant differences exist between heavy and light viewers of movie.
The fact that difference in attitudes was found between heavy and light viewers of movie
violence as it was anticipated. Although exposure to media is one of the main variables to judge in the
connection between media violence and attitudes about aggression, exposure alone is rarely crucial in
this relationship, especially in the survey design (Dominick & Greenberg, 1972; Paik & Comstock,
1994).
Gerbner and his colleagues (2002) suggested that heavy exposure to television has a significant
effect on viewers' opinion about social reality. Heavy viewers were more likely to give "television
answers" to opinion and knowledge questions compared to light viewers.
Gerbner and his colleagues have been assigned two groups of children for a study, one selected
as heavy viewers and the second group light viewers. Then the children were asked a set of questions
wanted to measuring aggressiveness. The data that was gathered confirmed that heavy television
viewers responded with more aggressive attitudes than light viewers. Moreover, distrust and isolation
seemed to be obvious manifestations in adolescents who included the heavy viewing group.
153 Md Salleh Bin Hj Hassan, Mohd. Nizam Osman and Zoheir Sabaghpour Azarian

Table 5: T-tests results of Violent/Non-Violent viewer & Heavy/Light Viewer with Attitudes
concerning
Aggression

Variable N M SD t df P_(2-tailed)
Violent 119 29.1 5.2 5.06 214 0.000
Non-violent 97 26.1 2.6
Light 70 26.0 2.8 -3.91 214 0.000
Heavy 146 28.5 4.9

7.8. Relationship between Affection toward Violence and Attitudes Concerning Aggression
A correlation coefficient test was conducted to determine whether a relationship existed between
affection toward movies and attitudes. The result revealed that there was significant positive
correlation between affection toward movies and attitudes concerning aggression. (rs = .405**, p =
.000). Table 18 presents the results of correlation.

Table 6: Results of correlation spearman’s

ro
Attitudes_12 COMPUTE FFECTIVE
Spearman's rho Attitudes_12 Correlation Coefficient 1.000 .405(**)
Sig. (2-tailed) . .000
N 216 216
COMPUTE Correlation Coefficient .405(**) 1.000
AFFECTIVE Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .
N 216 216
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

To conclude, this correlation analysis meant that students in this sample who reported greater
affection toward violence in movies also exhibited to have greater tendency of high attitudes
concerning aggression.
The research in the area of passive media and their effects on antisocial Attitudes reveals that
there is a relationship between experience of violence in media and aggressive attitudes (see APA
Commission on Violence and Youth, 1993). Additionally, several meta-analyses obtained a positive
and significant correlation between watching violence and antisocial behavior. (Paik, & Comstock,
1994).
Hoffner and Levine (2005) conducted a meta-analysis that focused on the enjoyment of media
violence in related to violent attitudes. They realized that enjoyment of violent material was greater for
males; also the results demonstrated that those who enjoy movies with violent contain more tend to be
aggressive than those who do not enjoy such programmes.
The present survey tried to measure the roles of affection in forming the attitudes toward the
aggression and determine whether schoolboys' media entertainment habits predict boys' attitudes about
aggression. As an extension to the research that exists in the field, media entertainment habits included
not only movie viewing habits but also affection toward movies.
The results of correlation spearman’s ro reveal that the set of the predictor variables (affection)
significantly predicted the aggression acceptable attitudes. The relationship between the predictor
variables and the attitude that aggression is reasonable is statistically significant (rs = .405, p < .000).
These results speak strongly in support of the importance of affection toward media violence
and schoolboys' movie viewing habits as a moderating variable in the relationship between exposure to
media violence and later antisocial behavior. (Grodal, 2000; Austin 2007).
A study by ekman et al.(1990) illustrates this point. Children, who watched violent scenes
evidently delighted, later appeared to display the most aggression.
Effects of Watching Violence Movies on the Attitudes Concerning Aggression among Middle
Schoolboys (13-17 years old) at International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 154

8. Conclusions of the Study

The overall pattern of research findings indicates a positive association between movies violence and
aggressive attitudes. The preponderance of evidence from many research studies over two decades
shows that the violence portrayed on media influences the attitudes and behaviour of children who
watch it.
Furthermore, most of the scientific evidence reveals a relationship between media violence and
aggressive behaviour. While few would say that there is absolute proof that watching violence on
media caused aggressive behaviour, the overall cumulative weight of all the studies gives credence to
the position that they are related. Essentially, media violence is one of the things that may lead to
aggressive, antisocial, or criminal attitudes; it does, however, usually work in association with other
factors.

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Family owned business vs professionally run businesses

Study shows that long-term commitment and family values are key

In the latest Family Business Review, Professor Jim Lee of Texas A&M—Corpus Christi,
provides evidence of what many small business owners sense from their own experience: A
family-owned business in which the family remains involved in management will
outperform a company with diverse ownership and salaried management.
Several traits emerge as advantages for family-controlled firms: Families have a longer time
horizon than other investors, because they are building wealth to pass on to succeeding
generations. Family-owned firms are more stable; they’re less likely to make radical
cutbacks in a recession. They tend to have a high level of trust and commitment—both to
employees and to customers—because how the company behaves reflects the family’s
personal integrity.

To make the case, Lee analyzed family-controlled businesses in the Standard & Poor’s 500,
examining their results for a full business cycle, spanning 1992 to 2001. These firms beat
non-family firms both in terms of revenue growth and employment growth; even in the
recession of 2001, family firms managed to expand employment by 3.4 percent on average.
Family firms also generated a higher average net profit over the study period, even as they
plowed more money into capital investment.

While Lee used the S&P companies because comprehensive data were available, he says
that many of these advantages hold true for smaller family-owned businesses. Small
Business Review caught up with Professor Lee via email to ask what our readers can learn
from his work.

SBR: What were you trying to accomplish?

LEE: My study is considered one of the first that looks at the hard data of family
businesses, particularly their efficiency and employment conditions relative to their non-
family counterparts. In fact, the research was prompted by a local Chamber of Commerce,
which was interested in understanding the performance of small businesses. However, data
on individual small businesses are rare. That is the reason why the study is limited to public
companies. Now, I do have plans to study smaller, private companies because the release of
this study has prompted at least one data collection company to offer me access to its
database of private companies. Stay tuned.

SBR: Do you think the findings will hold up when you study smaller firms?

LEE: In principle, most of the findings for larger firms should hold for small businesses.
The common competitive advantages include owners' active management, their focus on
long-term instead of near-term performance, as well as their control over their goals and,
more importantly, their ability to achieve them.

SBR: With all those advantages, why do so many small firms fail?

LEE: Compared to larger firms, small businesses tend to be less established and may face
more challenges in the sense of their competitive advantages: Owners of small businesses,
or their family members, may be less competent to run their business as well as companies
with professional managers. Small businesses are more likely to be at the earlier part of the
learning curve in an industry and they are also less capitalized. But if these businesses can
manage these challenges (perhaps with the aid of the government), they will become
competitive over time. It is important to keep in mind that most large corporations today
started out small, ranging from Microsoft (Bill Gates) to Wal-Mart (Sam Walton) to Ford
Motors (Henry Ford). It is just that we have no way of knowing which coffee shop in the
street today will become a Starbucks tomorrow.

SBR: What is the key factor in your opinion that made firms in your study more successful
over time?
LEE: The owners' active management, long-term vision about the business' destiny, and
altruism are key ingredients for their competitive edge. Altruism is the extension of family
care or love to non-family members, including employees and customers.

SBR: One interesting point you made was that family-owned companies seem to have
better relations with their employees and customers. How does that happen?

LEE: This is the magic of what is commonly called "family values": Family-owned or
managed companies tend to care more for their employees and customers. The managers,
who happen to be owners as well, may see their company as extended family. These
companies tend to have fewer layoffs when employees are considered part of the (extended)
family. Customer relations and satisfaction are important for business success in the long
run. And since owners of family businesses tend to have a longer vision, they have more
incentive to build customer satisfaction as well as employee loyalty.

SBR: What is the downside to family control?

LEE: Keeping everything within the family may not be the best business strategy. Some
studies highlight this problem with such examples as having an owner's children as
managers instead of hiring a more competent non-family member. Furthermore, these
companies might be less capitalized because owners are not willing to lose control.

SBR: Your data indicate that large firms are less stable. Why?

LEE: Compared to smaller firms, larger firms are more sensitive to changes in the business
cycle or the overall economic condition. In a recession, for example, the manager of a small
business, especially a family-run business, might be more able to ride out the overall
business downturn by working fewer hours herself instead of laying off an employee.

SBR: How could your information be used by policymakers?

LEE: An important implication of the findings of the study is that given all the competitive
advantages of large family businesses, government policy should focus on fostering the
development of small businesses; most of them are family owned and operated. The large
failure rate of small (family) businesses (due largely to succession or capital problems)
leads to a waste of societal resources.

SBR: And for business leaders?

LEE: Tomorrow's S&P 500 corporations, in fact, begin as small businesses today. And the
bottom line of the findings in my study applies to both large or small businesses: Among
other things, the success of a business depends on the owners' active involvement in the
day-to-day business of the company as well as the owners' long-term vision about the
destiny of the company. Companies are more successful over time when they take better
care of their employees and customers. On net, there are long-term payoffs to these
strategies. When managers/owners (of founding families) treat their employees and
customers as part of their families, they turn out to be more successful in the long run.

Working with people you love, sharing a long term definition of success, being your own
boss, having flexibility and security, and building a financial legacy for retirement and
future generations are just a few of the benefits that family businesses boast.
"If one person is sick, there is always someone to back you up," says Jennifer Abney, co-
owner of Bellini in Houston with her husband, David. "The other biggest benefits are that
we make all the rules, and all profits stay in the family."

Moreover, these benefits contribute to a successful business identity and reputation. "If
people see you are a family company, they will instinctively trust you more. They will
know that you are in it for the long run and are more likely to put your relationship with
them above a single transaction," says Wayne D. Messick, consultant at the Mediation
Training Institute International in Overland Park, KS.

In addition, family businesses can change and intergrate management and sales practices
without contending with many of the bureaucratic hassles of larger companies. "By their
very nature, family companies are very flexible and quicker to act since the people who
make all the decisions often eat Sunday dinner together," says Messick.

On the other hand, these benefits can generate serious challenges. Since issues that relate to
families also relate to family-owned businesses, any family relationship problem can spill
over into the business arena. And if there are unresolved family issues, says Paul Karofsky,
Executive Director at the Center for Family Business at Northeastern University, "There is
no way your (family) relationships are going to get better by going into business together.
When things aren't going well, dysfunction comes to the fore." Karofsky, who includes
parenting skills publications on the reading list he recommends to family businesses,
strongly advises family members to work on developing open communication early on to
avoid potential problems.

Researchers at Kenesaw State College uncovered three underlying causes for the failure of
family businesses to survive: unresolved conflict, failed leadership, and lack of shared goals
on a personal, family and business level. Some other major sources of conflict in family
businesses tend to be differences over management roles, sibling conflict, money, lack of
long-term company vision and succession issues.But there are ways to manage family
issues so that they do not get in the way of family business success.

Effective communication, identifying clear roles and responsibilities, recognizing official

structures of management, and a commitment to the ideas and the creative input of others
inside and outside the business can help you get or keep your family on track. The key, says
Karofsky, is "not to avoid conflict, but to learn how to manage it."

"It's a Twenty-Four Hour a Day Job"

Maintaining boundaries between work and family is a big challenge. "The saying 'all work
and no play...' is true," says Doug Sprenkle, Ph.D, professor of Marriage and Family
Therapy at Purdue University. "You can't be working all the time...or you have no energy
left over to nourish family relationships."

When both siblings and parents manage the business, they often face the difficult challenge
of negotiating between two disparate value systems: the family that offers unconditional
love, and the business that depends on performance and profits.

Rick Decruz of The Baby Gallery in Elizabeth, NJ, whose father, mother, brother, and first
cousin run their two stores, says, "To me, you can't separate the family from the business. It
is a twenty four hour a day job. It definitely gets interesting. My brother is out of the house,
but I'm with my parents twenty-four hours, seven days a week. It's tough--I'm not going to
lie." However, Decruz is quick to say that this allows them the flexibility of not mincing
words. "As sons to their father, we take more liberty in what we say. To a regular boss...we
would be fired."
For husband-wife teams, relationships can get even more tricky to maintain unless they
agree on some physical and mental boundaries. "It can be trying, but it is actually great. We
separate our duties to keep it as simple and clean as possible," says Sue Hyde, co-owner of
Once Upon a Child. "Fred takes care of the logistics of new products, placing orders,
transferring items to the warehouse, advertising and marketing. I take care of the day- to-
day store management and accounting."

Jennifer Abney agrees with the concept of separating work duties. For example, while her
husband handles the deliveries, customer service and set up, Jennifer is in charge of all
buying, display and in store customer service. They even share the duties of bookkeeping
and accounting. In addition, Jennifer's father, an architect, helps with the design aspect, her
mother-in-law, having been a bookkeeper for 30-40 years, double checks the books, and her
retired father-in-law builds some of the custom-built furniture they sell. Nevertheless,
working together almost daily leaves little time for personal growth. For this reason,
Jennifer and David take one day off separately during the week and agree to save Sundays
as a family day. "It's an unspoken rule," says Jennifer.

Sprenkle takes it a step farther. "Husband-wife teams, especially those who run their
businesses out of their homes, should maintain physical boundaries separating the house
from the business." For instance, the bedroom should not be the place to discuss marketing
strategies for the new line of strollers you just ordered. Try to limit the business aspect of
your life to certain areas of the house or certain times of the day.

Some other day-to-day strategies for keeping communication flowing but not intruding on
your family time include scheduled family meetings, special retreats, or employing the help
of an outside consultant. In fact, family businesses, regardless of their size, might even
consider organizing a board of directors to help with strategic planning. Even if you can
only afford to meet with them a few times a year, hiring specialists to guide you in
marketing, merchandising, technology, or finance can provide you with more objective
guidance to facilitate change or growth.

The Future of Family-Owned Businesses

In the midst of moving to a larger location in Chicago, Lazar's Furniture, run by Victor
Lazar, his son and his daughter, is gearing up for its fourth generation of customers. When
asked why he thinks he continues to be so successful, the elder Lazar answers, "Retail has
always been difficult. But our employees do not work on commission, so they help
customers. They sometimes spend hours with perspective customers. We never force a
sale." In addition, he says, "Its nice to know you have family members around-and loyal
employees who are like family. Balance is important. We take the bad with the good."

Like Lazar, many family businesses are gearing up to pass their businesses on to future
generations. According to Karofsky, six to twelve trillion dollars will pass hands from one
generation to the next as baby boomers exit their businesses in the next 15-20 years.

According to the Center for Family-Owned Business, only 30% of family businesses make
it to second generation, and 10% of family businesses make it to the third generation, but
only 28% of owners have planned for succession. Still, both business owners and family
business professionals are optimistic about the future of family businesses. "With the cost of
technology going down every day, a small nimble family business can look, act like, and
most importantly be perceived as being much bigger by its customers and competitors,"
says Messick.

Indeed, the internet can play an important role in offering family businesses an advantage.
Not only is it affordable for family businesses to have a web site, but technology itself can
allow even the smallest business owner to have employees work from their home. "Jobs can
be done from marketing to bookkeeping and beyond, without someone coming to the store
and taking up space," says Messick.

Where to Turn For Help

With baby boomers better prepared and less resistant to seeking outside advice, analysts
predict a greater rate of survival in the future for family owned businesses. As a result, the
field of business consulting is growing with the expansion and economic strength of family
businesses. "A lot of the family business consulting and research is done irrespective of the
size of the business. "Family business issues are the same if your revenues are $100,000 or
100 million," says Edward C. Wachter, Jr., an attorney and partner at McCann, Garland,
Ridall & Burke in Pittsburgh, PA and business professor at Point Park College. "Multi-
generational businesses are doing better because family business issues are being
addressed."

Family business consultants come in many different packages, and depending on your
needs, they can counsel you on everything from succession planning to arbitrating
differences between sibling partners. Look for an advisor who is experienced in family
business strategies, government issues, and possibly has personal experience in running a
family business. Word of mouth can be helpful, but don't rely solely on references warns
Karofsky. Instead, inquire about the types of projects they have been involved in, interview
two or three, and rely on someone with academic credentials.

Regardless of who you choose, Mendoza warns that family members should have a plan
before they visit any kind of consultant because they know their business better than
anyone. Experts can then coordinate with the family and execute a plan that has come out of
a process of communication among family members knowledgeable about the daily
complexities of running their ownbusiness.

However, many family businesses continue to be successful without outside advice. Victor
Lazar, who has never used an outside counselor even though his family is inundated with
inquiries, is one of them. "They've never been able to tell me anything I haven't learned the
hard way." For some, life experience is the only counselor necessary.

Globalization - Advantages & Disadvantages

 Globalization has many advantages for developing and developed countries. But, this has
lead to a great dissatisfaction among the under developed/developing countries. Though
Liberalization has many impacts on any country's economy, it has increased the per capita
income.

Due to globalization the business market in the world has no boundaries, they can
market their products in any part of the world. This has improved the chances of laying
hands on global markets & technologies, which would definitely increase our Quality of
Living Standards.

But globalization has lead to a major dissatisfaction among under

developed/developing countries where they are cut off from the rest of the world. This has
also increased the chances of inferiority complex among these nations.

The Era of Globalization" is fast becoming the preferred term for describing the current
times. Just as the Depression, the Cold War Era, the Space Age, and the Roaring 20's are
used to describe particular periods of history; globalization describes the political,
economic, and cultural atmosphere of today.

People around the globe are more connected to each other than ever before.
Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one
part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel is
more frequent. International communication is commonplace. This phenomenon has been
titled "globalization." These are major advantages of globalization

While some people think of globalization as primarily a synonym for global business,
it is much more than that. The same forces that allow businesses to operate as if national
borders did not exist also allow social activists, labor organizers, journalists, academics, and
many others to work on a global stage.

There is a fundamental problem with globalization, which will cause international

tension and trade disputes without arresting the process.

The problem is the irrational nature of the global market, coupled with the extreme
vulnerability of the poorest and most marginalized in emerging economies to sudden
changes in exchange, interest rates, or big investment decisions. Globalization therefore
can sometimes be destabilizing.

Everyone sells when the price is already rock-bottom You can have a bizarre
situation where everyone privately thinks that the currency is already too low, but continues
to sell hard only because they are certain that everyone else thinks the currency still has
further to fall. Rates fall through the floor in a mass wave of panic selling, as dealers dump
currency in the near certain knowledge that they can buy it back at a profit in a few minutes,
hours or days.

Well it has got tremendous benefits as well as its own pitfalls

Some Disadvantages

• Increased flow of skilled and non-skilled jobs from developed to developing nations
as corporations seek out the cheapest labor
• Increased likelihood of economic disruptions in one nation affecting all nations
• Corporate influence of nation-states far exceeds that of civil society organizations
and average individuals
 • Threat that control of world media by a handful of corporations will limit cultural
expression
• Greater chance of reactions for globalization being violent in an attempt to preserve
cultural heritage
• Greater risk of diseases being transported unintentionally between nations
• Spread of a materialistic lifestyle and attitude that sees consumption as the path to
prosperity
• International bodies like the World Trade Organization infringe on national and
individual sovereignty
• Increase in the chances of civil war within developing countries and open war
between developing countries as they vie for resources
• Decreases in environmental integrity as polluting corporations take &
advantage of weak regulatory rules in developing countries
• There are major disadvantages with Globalization. We should look into the problem
on the whole. Poor people will be always poor. Illiterate will be neglected. For
Indians it is never good. Let us go with the software industry how people are getting
paid with the globalized standards of indian or any software company. Survival
becomes difficult with pay packages. Commodities will have major problem. Atleast
now we are gaining with exports that won't happen if we have Globalization funda.
Whole market under one roof, then we will fall in pit.
Globalization mean global reach of communication n capital movements.In my pt of view it
concerns with foreign trde n investment.How does this affect the wages,incomes n access to
resources for poorest people in the world.?which is more imp in social science today.....

• Well globalisation has given us the license of 'global citizenship' with wide reach
and accessibility world wide.. In developing economies such as India , it helped us
to channalise our resources to a productive mode, harnessing greater profits and
economic progress. As nothing comes with perfection, gloabalisation too has it
disadvantages. Primarily, interdependance of economies, brain drain, outflow of
foreign exchange and many more make this a term of threat for growing economies.
(refer to SUJI for detailed disadvantages as they are put foward in a very crisp
manner. great job suji.) but the popularity of the trend of globalisation is due to its
advantages. from making a world economy, global communication and capital
movements, global harmony and protection to global trade, it has its influence in a
big way.
• globalisation has both positive as well as negative impact on our economy.. if we
talk abt its positive impact or u can call them as advantages den dre are number of
them.. like globalisation has helped in the expansion of market. it has permitted
indian business to expand its units in the whole world.. now mncs have no national
boundaries.. second positive impact that dre have been a lot of technological
advancements.. globalisation has enabled the inflow of foreign technology.. dre has
been brand development.. not only durable goods are branded bt products like
juices, snacks, foodgrains are also branded.. brand dev has led to quality
development.. den with globalisation we have got reduction in brain drain cz most
mncs have set up dre organisations and r proviiding attractive pay pack with
congenial environment..also dre has been tremendous change in std of living of the
people cz quality products r avlble at reasonable prices.. now talking abt disadvtges
firstly dre has been a high loss to domestic industries.. cz foreingn competion has
risen in indian and indian compnies have to compete with them.. also dre has been
unemployment cz of the fact dat forngn comp use cpital intensive technology, there
has been exploitation of labour, another disadv is dominance of foreign instituions...
How green was my valley..Are we paying the price of nature?

• we are paying the price of nature. When man is so ruthlessly plundering nature's
resources than he has to pay the price for it! The price for it is the greenhouse effect,
global warming, etc. and the various respiratory and other diseases caused by air,
water and land pollution. We are no longer the physically strong bodies of the yester
years. Even today when we ask our elders they boastfully say of their manhood and
how they used to be so strong and daring!!! The present man is more inclined
towards a plastic life with new resources and greater comforts by greedily extracting
the world of its fauna and flora!!!

India is a developing country and to build its industries we need to have land and we go for
deforestation and destruction of land resources. True and Accepted. But, how can we justify
the duties related to this. Why can't we plant the trees that are cut somewhere else? Why
don’t we compensate the deforestation? Who has given us the right to change the balance of
mother Earth? Who would be responsible for the change in climatic conditions? Do the
industries take care of environmental pollution once they are constructed? Indeed they do
add fuel to the fire.

Most of the barren land can be changed to a lively green place with little care and concern.
Every tree cut should be accompanied with plantation of one or two trees. Development and
forest cover are not mutually exclusive and they can co-exist together. We can have self-
sufficient forests by taking precautionary measures. Many animals and birds are getting
extinct within no time and if this trend continues. The extinction of man can be delayed but
will be inevitable. Man is clever and has to care of nature, which has been taking care of us
since the formation of earth. Earth is the only place in the whole universe to have life. It is
in our hands that we can prevent its extinction otherwise in future may be some people from
other stars find earth and could comment "there was life on earth some time back, we just
missed them". It is not a far future when we say to our grandchildren that "there is a village
with greenery in some state and we can visit it in this summer". I urge you all that if we
don’t take necessary action it will be too late.

we r paying the price of nature. Due to deforestation we r destruction the human life by
destroying various natural resources. It can also result in pollution, which affects the human
and also animals in a great percentage.

A depletion of the ozone layer will increase the UV-radiation at ground level.
Increasing doses of UV may cause skin cancer, eye cataracts, damage to the immune system
in animals as well as human beings, and have an adverse impact on plant growth.

So it is in hands of we people to save the nature & save our life

We had a beautiful green natural environment, which is not comparable with other
countries. In the past we were very proud to say about it. But now-a-days all the nations are
trying to show supremacy over one another, and in this process they are unknowingly
destroying the natural environment.

Population is one of the reasons of this destruction, which in directly results in pollution.
This results in the increase of no of industries and other utilities like vehicles, etc. These are
releasing some of the poisonous/toxic gases like Carbon monoxide and sulphurdioxide and
also carbon dioxide.

Carbon monoxide when inhaled by human beings mixes with hemoglobin of blood and
forms carboxy hemoglobin. This oxygen reduces carrying capacity of the hemoglobin.

Sulphurdioxide released into the atmosphere mixes with the rainwater or water vapor in the
atmosphere and forms sulphuric acid and this results in acid rains.

Chloroform carbons, which are released from refrigerators and aero planes, are causing the
destruction of ozone layer.

All of us know that co2 is responsible for greenhouse effect and global warming
which causes the melting of ice at the poles and soon the earth may be submerged.

And due to the industrial effluents, sewage, which is released into the water, are harmful to
the aquatic organisms.

In this way if we start saying there is endless list .So we have to think about the possible
measures to control them.

1. Using solar energy effectively we can control thermal pollution.

2. Water pollution can be reduced by treating the industrial effluents chemically and
biologically before releasing them into the water.

3. Global warming/green house effect can be reduced by deforestation. And by planting as

many trees as possible.

• this is quite indeed true that we are very unfair to nature.the forest have been
concentrated to only few kilometers .tress have been cut down at much faster rates.
as a result we are paying price for itin a form of green houses gases,pollution,soil
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Social Science II 2
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erosion etc. some species have been allready extinct from this world and some are
on verge of it.by destroying forest we destroy their habitat,as a result they comes out

8
into man living area which result in conflict between two. why we don't plant as
many as tree as we cut down to maintain equilibrium,this shows that mankind has
really become selfish for it need.if we require forest resoures then some strategies
should be adopted .
•

POPULATION
AND ECONOMIC
PR O BLEM S

What we have Learnt

z Resource can be classified into two categories-Natural

resource and Human resource.
z By increasing human resource more and better
economic progress can be achieved.
z The human resource required by a country is provided
by its population.
z Birth rate, death rate, life expectancy and literacy are
some of the factors of population.
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People are to be equipped to achieve age-structure of the people, income,

progress in social and economic fields.
For this, all countries give special
significance on human resource
development. The quality and size of
population are two factors that are
emphasised in the development of human
resource. Rapid growth in population will
create many obstacles to economic
progress. Also, it affects the quality of
human resource adversely. In this
background, let us examine in detail the
world population, the Indian population,
growth and its reasons, problems,
population policy etc.
preferences etc. Since there is day-to-day
variation in the population of a country, it
is difficult to calculate the exact population.
Population
Total number of people living in
a country at a given time is called
its population.
Analyse the data given in figure (8.1)
and prepare a table of countries having
population of more than ten crores.
z America - 28.14 crores.
z

What is population? z

The significance of population in the List out the countries having population
production-consumption sector of an of more than hundred crores in the world
economy is very great. The demand for today?
consumer goods depends mainly on the
size
of population, sex ratio, population-
density,

W o rld P o p u la tion a nd
C o u n t r ie s
According to the census 2001, world population is 613.7 crores. Note
the population of some countries given in the figure.

China
Other countries 125.32 crores
246.22 crores India
102.70crores

Crores Crores
Nigeria 11.15 America 28.14
Japan 12.69 Indonesia 21.21
Bangladesh 12.92 Brazil 17.01
Russian Federation 14.69 Pakkistan 15.65

Source: Census India

-2001
India : 2001 Census, America, Japan: 2000 Census, other countries: 1998 World
Population
Prospects (Revision Vol-II United
State)

figure
8.1

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Population in the Annual Life expectancy

mid 2003 Birth Rate Death Rate
Country growth rate
(in crores) (per 1000) (Per 1000)
(Percentage) Male Female

China 131.98 0.7 15.2 6.5 69 73

India 106.85 1.7 23.7 8.5 63 65
Indones 21.99 1.3 20.6 7.3 65 69
ia 15.36 2.4 35.8 9.5 61 61
Pakista 14.32 -0.6 8.6 14.6 61 73
n 13.57 1.9 28.1 8.6 61 62
Russian Federation 12.75 0.1 9.4 7.7 78 85
Source: 2003 ESCAP - Population Data Sheet (Projected)
Table 8.1
Features of population in selected
countries

Based on growth rate, birth rate, death
rate and life expectancy in table 8.1,
analyse the position of India and
note down conclusions.
Significance of the Study of Population
We know that family includes parents
and children. We need better food,
clothing, shelter, health, education and
other facilities. Think how these are related
to the number of members of the family.
In addition to the number of members,
age difference, number of males and
females, their preferences and income also
play an important role in estimating the
quantity of essential commodities and
services required for the family.
The study of population of a country
can be made use of for the following
purposes.
z To assess the availability of human
resource needed for production.
z To estimate the required basic
infrastructure.
z To estimate the requirements of
products and services.
z To understand the social and cultural
structure of a population.
z To compare with the population of
other countries.
z To assess the quality of standard of living.

For your information

z World Population Day was observed for the first time on 11 July, 1987
z The year in which world population reached 100 crores - 1804
z The day on which world population reached 600 crores - 12 October, 1999

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Population of India population of India (1,02,70,15,247) is

The process of calculating population 16.87% of world population. Of this,
is known as census. The first census in 51.73% (53,12,77,078) are males and
India was conducted in 1881. Find out the 48.27% (49,57,38,169) are females.
intervals at which census is taken and Population of Kerala comes to 3.10%
complete the table of census for the post- (3,18,38,619) of the population of India.
independence period of India. Out of this, 48.58% (1,54,68,664) are
males and 51.42% (1,63,69,955) are
z 1951
females. The population of India which
z was 23.83 crores in 1901 increased by
z 78.87 crores within 100 years.

Indian Population reached 100 Every Sixth Person

crores on 11, June 2000. One among every six persons of
world population is an Indian.
Census
Look at the following table showing
Census is the collection,
population growth in India and Kerala
compilation, analysis and
from
publication of different types of 1951 to 2001.
information related to the people
With the help of the table draw a
living in a country in a given
multiple graph representing the population
period.
growth in India and Kerala. Analyse the
India has only 2.4% of the land area table according to the indicators given
of the world. According to the census below and note down the conclusions.
2001, the

India Kerala
Year
Population Decadal Population Decadal
(in crores) growth (in crores) growth
% %
1951 36.10 13.31 1.35 22.82
1961 43.92 21.64 1.69 24.76
1971 54.82 24.80 2.13 26.29
1981 68.63 24.66 2.55 19.24
1991 84.34 23.86 2.91 14.32
2001 102.70 21.34 3.18 9.42
Source-: Census Report 2001. India Series 1 & Series 33 Kerala Provisional
Population Totals.
Table 8.2
Population growth India - Kerala 1951-
2001
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Indicators z Those between the age of 15 and

z The period in which growth rate of 59. z Those who are above the age of
population in Kerala stands above the
60. Age Structure of population in
national growth rate.
India
z The period in which growth rate
stands below the national growth rate. 6.97%
z The period in which growth rate of
population in India and Kerala are
equal. 34.33%
58.70%
The present figures state that in India
29 children are born in every one minute.
Due to the rapid increase of population, 0-14 age group
we have to explore more resources for Between 15 and
economic development. We have 59 above 60
learned about the factors such as birth years
rate, death rate and Figure
immigration which influence the population. (8.2)
Let
us see how the other factors of population Look at figure (8.2). It can be
are related to the economic scenario. understood that only 58.70% of the people
Sex Ratio come under the employed sector. The
remaining 41.30% of people live
The number of females per thousand
depending upon them. Increased rate of
(1000) males in a population is known as
dependency affects economic activities
sex ratio or female to male ratio. On the
adversely.
basis of Census 2001, in India there are
933 females per 1000 males, while in Dependenc y Rate
Kerala it is 1058. Increase in the death
Dependency rate is the percentage
rate of females (female mortality) is the
of people depending on those who
main reason for the low sex ratio at all
are employed (below 15 years and
India level. The reasons for higher sex
ratio in Kerala are better health, literacy, above
better standard of living, economic security 60 years of
etc. More programmes are planned and age.)
carried out in the economic sector to
Occupational Structure of Population
reduce the death rate of females.
It is the distribution of population on
Age Structure
the basis of employment in sectors
On the basis of age, population is like agriculture, industry and services.
classified into three divisions. They are: In
z Children upto the age of 14. developed nations, most people work in
the service sector. But in developing
countries like India, it is the provides employment to more people. This
agricultural sector which is

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because the industrial and service sectors

are not so developed. Employment structure
helps us to know the participation of
population in production sectors.
Literacy
The literacy rate of the population of
a country can be considered as an
indicator of the economic progress
achieved by that country.According to the
census 2001, literacy rate in India is
65.38% and that in Kerala is
90.92%. In literacy, men are at a higher
level than women. In India, 75.85% of
men and
54.16% of women are literates. In Kerala,
they are 94.20% and 87.86% respectively.
Population growth at a higher rate
makes universal education difficult. This
interrupts economic growth.
Life expectancy
You have learned about the relation
between human resource and life
expectancy. On the basis of the Census
-2001, life expectancy of males in India is
63.9 and that of females is 66.9. In Kerala
they are 74.47 and 80.47 respectively.
While life expectancy in Kerala stands
equal to that in developed countries, it is
lower in the other states of India. Life
expectancy can be increased by
providing basic comforts, employment,
improved health care etc.
Do you know?
In 2001:
Country having highest density
of population - Japan
Urban population of India - 28%
State having highest
population
- Uttar Pradesh
State having highest
population density - West Bengal
Population density in India - 324
You have seen the important
characteristics of the population of India.
On the basis of a discussion, prepare note
on how these affect the economic
progress of a country and present it in the
class.
Kerala - 2001
z State having 12th place in
population in India
z State having 3.1% of
Indian population
z State having lowest
population growth rate.
z State having third place in
population density.
z The only state where
females outnumber males.
z State having the longest
life expectancy.
z State having the highest
literacy rate.
Population growth - Reasons
We have seen that the population of
India is growing. It is estimated that the
present population will become double in
36 years. We shall examine the reasons for
population
growth in developing countries like India.

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z Poverty do not get 2100 calories of food in rural

z Superstitions
z Religious beliefs
z Illiteracy and ignorance
z Early marriage
z High fertility
z Increased birth rate
z Decreased death rate
z continues to be the most serious problem.
Economic Problems
Rapid increase in population may give
rise to many economic problems. We shall
look into some important problems.
Poverty and Unemployment
India is an agricultural nation. As
industrial and service sectors do not
develop in proportion to the growth of
population, most people depend on
agriculture. Due to the increase in the cost
of production, agriculture is becoming
unprofitable. Besides, there is no increase
in the employment opportunities in other
sectors and this creates more
unemployment problems.
Unemployment
Unemployment is a situation in
which employment opportunity
is not available to an adult person
who is willing to work.
It is obvious that when there is
decrease in employment and income,
purchase of food stuffs for maintaining
health becomes imposssible. Such
people naturally come
below poverty line. In India, those people
who
areas and 2400 calories of food in urban
areas are considered to be Below Poverty
Line (BPL). As per the estimate of the
year 2000, 26.1% of people are below
poverty line in India. About 40 per cent
of people are poor. Poverty encourages
child labour.
Today in India, unemployment
The reasons might be
z Collapse of agricultural
sector
z Decline of indigenous/traditional
industries.
z Lack of industrial
enterprises
z Inadequate development of service
sector
z Lack of capital
z Lack of entrepreneurship
z Mechanisation
z
Shelter / Housing
Among the basic needs of man, shelter
is very important. As population
increases corresponding increase in the
housing facilities should also be there.
According to the figures available, there
are 103297 households in Kerala that do
not have shelters. The government
extends subsidy relief, income tax relief etc.
through various institutions and agencies
to promote construction of houses. Besides,
the government gives housing finance also.
Find out from news papers, the names
of agencies and institutions which grant
housing finance and complete the table
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z Life Insurance Corporation of India. What particulars can be incorporated

(LIC). in the format?
z General Insurance Corporation of z House name / House No.
India. (GIC).
z Head of the household
z
z Age
Environmental problems
z Occupation
When population increases, there is
z Number of members
an increased and unscientific exploitation
z Male/Female/Total
of resources. This type of exploitation
of resources creates obstacles in z Educational qualification
sustainable development. Shortage of z

shelter paves the way for the growth of Discuss in the class the data collected
slums and insanitation. Pollution of and on the basis of it prepare a project
environment causes different types of on “Features of Population and
communicable diseases. Diseases like Rat economic problems.”
fever and Dengue fever, wide spread in
Population Policy
Kerala now a days, are the outcome of
environmental pollution. This has placed a Now you are aware of the problems
heavy financial commitment on the created by rapid growth of population. To
primary healthcare scenario for the solve these problems and to attain
government and the people. national welfare, a population policy is
essential. In India, it was in 1976 that
The government has to mobilise more
population policy (Population control
funds from time to time for furnishing the
policy) was declared. Many schemes
increasing population with health,
were also implemented for family planning
education, drinking water and other basic
and family welfare.
needs. If population is controlled properly,
these funds can be utilised for other Need for Population
productive developmental activities. In Policy
short, population growth has to be checked We shall see why population policy is
so as to face the challenges raised by essential:
population explosion in the economic field.
z To improve the economy of a
We have seen many factors related to country
population and economic problems. You z To maintain population suitable to the
can visit five houses in your ward and economy.
conduct a survey regarding population z To attain economic and social
and economic problems. The format and progress.
questionnaire shall be prepared in the class z To improve the standard of
with the help of your living. z To improve
teacher. education and health. zTo solve
unemployment problem.
131
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5

National Population Policy 2000- NPP z Popularise preventive measures against

2000
This policy lays emphasis on health
care of the people especially, that of
women and children. Following are the
aims of the new population policy.
z To meet the basic needs in public
health sector.
z To ensure free and compulsory
education to all children upto the age
of 14.
z To reduce infant mortality rate below
30 in every 1000 live births.
the communicable diseases
z To take steps for raising the age at
marriage of women, above 20.
Let us hope that by implementing the
policy, the declared objects can be attained
by the year 2010.
There are commissions at the national
and state levels to monitor and evaluate
the implementation of the policies. You will
collect more details about National
Population Policy
2000 from magazines and various media, won't
you?

SUMMARY

z Population of a country is the total number of people living in that

country at a given time period.

z Demand of consumer items varies in accordance with the size of the

population, sex ratio, population density, age structure, income and
preferences.

z Study of population is essential to know the availability of human

resources required for production, to estimate the basic needs,
commodities and services required, and to make a comparison with
the population of other countries.

z An estimate of population is known as Census. In India, census is

conducted in every ten years.

z Poverty, unemployment, lack of shelter, environmental problems etc.,

are the economic problems arising out of rapid increase in population

z Population policy 2000 emphasises the health care of women and

children and the welfare of the nation.

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QUESTIONS

1. A factor determining the demand for consumer

goods is population density.
What are the other factors?
2. The study of population of a country helps to
estimate the demand for basic needs of the
country. What are the other significant reasons
for the study of population?
3. In India census is conducted in every ten years.
Find out the interval of census in Britain,
America, Japan, Russian Federation and China?
4. Compare the population of Kerala with that of
other states, and find out the peculiarities.
5. How are different factors of population such as
birth rate related to economic progress.
Elucidate?
6. One of the reasons for population growth in India
is increase in birth rate.
What are the other reasons?
7. Prepare a note including your suggestions, on
solutions for the economic problems raised by
population growth.
8. To popularise preventive measures against the
communicable diseases is an aim of the
population policy of 2000. What are the other
aims?
9. Prepare a note on
a. Population and
environmental
problem b.
Population Policy
10. According to the figures of the year 2001,
58.7% of Indian population is between 15 and
59 years of age. How does this peculiar feature
affects
the Indian economy?
 133

Indian villages-our strength or our weakness?

Indian Villages - The name itself brings in a lot of happiness and fun-filled memories. The
place where we can smell the land, we can see all-round greenery and peace far away from the
chaos and hustle life of cities. The calmness and serenity of the atmosphere sends is in itself a
positive outlook.

Village is the place where our daily rice/wheat comes from. It is the place where our daily
commodities like sugar, honey, tea, coffee, milk, oil, wood, etc comes from. The list is endless.
The credit for ecological balance also goes for the villages where the trees take care of the
pollution that we create in cities. The term village itself signifies Strength. It is truly termed as
the backbone of India. A developed India need not abolish its villages. The cities and villages
have to go hand in hand to achieve considerable progress. The GDP growth where other sectors
are scoring more is due to the fact that they have been stressed more and more amount of inputs
are being diverted to these sectors. Consider 1960's where the green revolution has provided
India with enough food stocks that it could even export food. It could be a pathetic stage for a
country like India to import food for its citizens. We still do remember the Bengal's starving
where thousands of people died lack of food. India may grow be leaps and bounds in IT;
Industrial, and other sectors in cities but Villages are going to stay as a major strength for any
developing country like India.

Indian villages are strength rather then weakness, even though our country developing in
sectors like science & technology but

At the same time we have to agree that our economy depends a lot upon agriculture sector,
which is in turn, depends upon village farmers.

Indian villages are existing still b'coz of their great tradition & values, even though there is
lack of infrastructure for the farmer to farm agriculture land still they are growing seeds in their
land due to their great will power which makes feel India to be a proud nation.

• Indian villages are our strength, bcoz they contribute the maximum for our agricultural
sector as pointed out by soumya and sidhu. But I would like to add by saying, most of
our Indian population (more than 70%)lie in the villages.lately, these people are moving
into the cities to find jobs and for a better living and end up in slums. Therefore I feel
the government shud develop the rural areas (other than agriculture) and provide more
job opportunities to them, so that they could be stopped from migrating into the cities
(and eventually end up in slums-which has to be eradicated from he cities). Moreover,
this way they can utilize the population of the villages to develop their own villages and
hence also our economy. It’s high time our villages are developed!!!!

though too small, form the base of a huge structure, the villages are also the backbone of the
economy, politics, and population of a country. And when it comes to a country like India
whose economy even today, largely depends on agriculture we cannot deny the contribution of
the Indian villages. Moreover the small scale industries, handicrafts take an important role in
the growth of the economy.

Event though we have become strong in technology we cannot deny the manpower
which comes from the large population of the villages.

The concentrated population in Indian villages determines largely the fate of Indian politics.

So I must conclude that we should take care to strengthen our this strength by providing proper
education, healthcare, awareness, and required help in other sectors.

• Obviously our villages are our strength. But we are unable to recognize the importance
of our villages. Our villages are the hubs of our nations economy. And our culture and
heritage is our village. But due to some climatic conditions some of our villages are still
poor and economically backward. New technology must be introduced into our villages.
The most serene and beautiful places in our country are only villages not cities.
• Our India has 2nd highest human resources, 70% population lives in villages, they have
agriculture work maximum for 180 days, modern technique is utilization only 6%,
where as in developed nations it is around 66% in order to make our villages as our
strength we have to work in these areas and take out reins from politicians, we have
seen what they have done to our villages.
•
Indian villages-our strength or our weakness?

Indian Villages - The name itself brings in a lot of happiness and fun-filled memories. The
place where we can smell the land, we can see all-round greenery and peace far away from the
chaos and hustle life of cities. The calmness and serenity of the atmosphere sends is in itself a
positive outlook.

Village is the place where our daily rice/wheat comes from. It is the place where our daily
commodities like sugar, honey, tea, coffee, milk, oil, wood, etc comes from. The list is endless.
The credit for ecological balance also goes for the villages where the trees take care of the
pollution that we create in cities. The term village itself signifies Strength. It is truly termed as
the backbone of India. A developed India need not abolish its villages. The cities and villages
have to go hand in hand to achieve considerable progress. The GDP growth where other sectors
are scoring more is due to the fact that they have been stressed more and more amount of inputs
are being diverted to these sectors. Consider 1960's where the green revolution has provided
India with enough food stocks that it could even export food. It could be a pathetic stage for a
country like India to import food for its citizens. We still do remember the Bengal's starving
where thousands of people died lack of food. India may grow be leaps and bounds in IT;
Industrial, and other sectors in cities but Villages are going to stay as a major strength for any
developing country like India.

Indian villages are strength rather then weakness, even though our country developing in
sectors like science & technology but

At the same time we have to agree that our economy depends a lot upon agriculture sector,
which is in turn, depends upon village farmers.

Indian villages are existing still b'coz of their great tradition & values, even though there is
lack of infrastructure for the farmer to farm agriculture land still they are growing seeds in their
land due to their great will power which makes feel India to be a proud nation.

• Indian villages are our strength, bcoz they contribute the maximum for our agricultural
sector as pointed out by soumya and sidhu. But I would like to add by saying, most of
our Indian population (more than 70%)lie in the villages.lately, these people are moving
into the cities to find jobs and for a better living and end up in slums. Therefore I feel
 the government shud develop the rural areas (other than agriculture) and provide more
job opportunities to them, so that they could be stopped from migrating into the cities
(and eventually end up in slums-which has to be eradicated from he cities). Moreover,
this way they can utilize the population of the villages to develop their own villages and
hence also our economy. It’s high time our villages are developed!!!!

though too small, form the base of a huge structure, the villages are also the backbone of the
economy, politics, and population of a country. And when it comes to a country like India
whose economy even today, largely depends on agriculture we cannot deny the contribution of
the Indian villages. Moreover the small scale industries, handicrafts take an important role in
the growth of the economy.

Event though we have become strong in technology we cannot deny the manpower
which comes from the large population of the villages.

The concentrated population in Indian villages determines largely the fate of Indian politics.

So I must conclude that we should take care to strengthen our this strength by providing proper
education, healthcare, awareness, and required help in other sectors.

• Obviously our villages are our strength. But we are unable to recognize the importance
of our villages. Our villages are the hubs of our nations economy. And our culture and
heritage is our village. But due to some climatic conditions some of our villages are still
poor and economically backward. New technology must be introduced into our villages.
The most serene and beautiful places in our country are only villages not cities.
• Our India has 2nd highest human resources, 70% population lives in villages, they have
agriculture work maximum for 180 days, modern technique is utilization only 6%,
where as in developed nations it is around 66% in order to make our villages as our
strength we have to work in these areas and take out reins from politicians, we have
seen what they have done to our villages.
•
Is an MBA necessary to succeed in life?

while successful entrepreneurs say they don’t need it. Reasons to pursue an MBA cover the full
gamut. While some decisions are clear and easy like switching careers, other decisions can get
much more complex. If you’re in the middle of weighing the pros and cons of the degree, we’ll
help you decide if an MBA is necessary for you. We’ll speak to a principal at an established
consulting firm, and we’ll hear what an MBA career services director has to say, and an
innovative entrepreneur gives us his take on pursuing a business degree.

A common time to evaluate your career is the four-to-six-year mark—after finishing undergrad
and being on the job. Perhaps you aren’t looking to make any major changes, but you’re feeling
stagnant, want to take on new responsibilities, or you want to move up the ranks. An MBA
degree could accelerate your plans, but you could reach the same goals without it and without
the cost. Jeff Rice is President of the MBA Career Services Council. He’s also Executive
Director of Career Services at The Fisher College of Business of Ohio State University. He
says when faced with this tough decision; consider both your personal and financial goals. “On
the personal side, it should involve a clear and thoughtful analysis of career interests and
ambitions including taking a close look at industries and job functions and work cultures that
are consistent with ones interests, and values, and I would also say passions. Financially,
pursuing an MBA degree should not be viewed as a credential that will yield immediate
financial gain. Granted—immediate MBA salaries are very good; however, the return on
investment will often take two to five years to achieve given business school costs and the
salary that MBA students are foregoing while being in an MBA program for two years. This is
again why the time spent on assessing career interests and satisfaction prior to accepting MBA
admission is well-advised. So I think that an MBA degree is certainly a credential that will help
develop the qualities for someone to be successful in their career, but the bottom line is MBA
or not, it still rests on the individual and their competencies and how they progress in their
career.”

As Rice says, it’s up to you to mold your path the way you want it. He says the bottom line for
any career professional is performance. What an MBA degree does bring is opportunity. “An
MBA degree can certainly add significant value to an individual’s professional brand and
provide an opportunity for greater consideration by companies selecting new employees as well
as individuals for upper management tracks. There is historically—and it’s well-documented—
an affinity between corporate recruiters and MBA-degree holders. And that’s well-established.
That’s why a majority of the leading corporations in the world invest thousands of dollars in
human capital hours in highly-structured and highly-expected recruiting programs at dozens of
top business schools. Here at The Fisher College of Business this past year, we had nearly 150
corporations that were on our campus in a six-month window of time to recruit our talented
MBA students. Ninety percent of them have a job, and they’re going to be well-paid, and
they’re on a significant career path. So, I think there’s that affinity that allows someone in an
MBA program and obtaining the MBA degree to have that opportunity available to them. But
the ultimate judge—MBA credential or not—of an individual’s hiring and promotion
capabilities is going to be based on past success.”

How much are these kinds of opportunities worth to you? If you’re looking to stay at your
present company, perhaps meeting swarms of recruiters won’t be of much value. But even if
you do want to venture into new territory, Rice says a business degree isn’t necessarily the
winning ticket. “The selection model that a lot of companies use when they recruit on campus
and interview MBA students is a model they call behavioral interviewing. They really try to tap
into that person’s past experience and what they did to achieve success. Because the corollary
there is that if an individual has achieved success in the past—even more importantly, recent
past—they’re going to be able to repeat that work behavior moving forward. And I think the
MBA can help in that brand, but it’s really going to rest on the individual.”

Taylor Milner is a principal at Stroud Consulting. Stroud is a young, growing firm working to
drive operational change for their clients. Milner says, although Stroud hires consultants with
several years experience, they also like to bring in the fresh undergraduates. “We only need to
hire, this year, probably 10 or 12 individuals. So we only go to a couple of universities. But in
that process—a very, very rigorous process of looking at people’s innate horsepower; their
analytical ability—we look at their interpersonal skills; we look at how they interact with
groups and work with groups; we look at how they can solve problems. We also try to look at
how we think they’re going to develop and what their potential is if we can bring them into
Stroud, and then help them develop both their strengths and their weaknesses. So for any
undergrad to join us, it’s a pretty rigorous process. And we take not just undergrads, but we
take our experienced hires through a similar process as well.”

Milner says at Stroud Consulting, an MBA isn’t necessary to succeed or move up into the
higher ranks. He says consultants can learn the qualities for success on the job. “Almost every
person that interviews with us and certainly makes it a long way through our recruiting process
asks the question about: ‘In two or three years, do I need to go back and get an MBA?’ Our
answer has always been we don’t think that you’re going to need it to succeed in your career at
Stroud. You may choose to go get an MBA because you want to significantly change your
career path. And not a single person that’s joined us that’s stayed with us has gone off and
gotten an MBA. We don’t differentiate people with an MBA or without an MBA. Now that
being said, we’ve got probably about ten percent of our workforce that has an MBA. It’s not
that we have a massive amount of MBA’s within our business. But, on the same note, even if
we did, we would be looking at people’s demonstrated ability. We wouldn’t be looking at if
they did or didn’t have an MBA. We’d look at if they were qualified to either be hired or to step
up into the next role that we’re asking them to step up in.”

As Jeff Rice said earlier, the bottom line is performance. Milner echoes his statement. He says
the skill difference between two people is more significant than comparing a person with an
MBA to one without. “We definitely haven’t seen anybody being held back or having a barrier
placed in their career because they didn’t have an MBA. And our sort of feeling on this is the
people who are going to be successful are going to be successful regardless of whether or not
they have an MBA. And an MBA only really comes into play if you’re in an organization that
requires one to take a step forward. And I think more, and more, and more organizations are
becoming true meritocracies where they look at your ability, and your ability to do the next job
and to succeed in their organization. And if you have that ability, they’re not going to require
that you have that MBA.”

An MBA isn’t necessary—not for those learning what it is they need to know on the job. Jeff
Rice says, but an MBA degree can be handy for those wanting to expand their knowledge at a
faster pace. “The pedagogy in curriculum of top schools these days is really all around
leadership, and communication schools, and helping people better manage. The presumption is
that a person entering an MBA program is looking to progress in their career and progression is
often most closely linked with managing people, and managing companies, and managing
processes, and wanting to succeed and progress in their career. So the whole notion of the
curriculum in most business schools is around that concept: How to help a person leverage and
improve their capabilities in those areas. So I think if someone is looking to fast track and
looking to progress in their career, an MBA would be a good choice.”

But Taylor Milner says for him, an MBA wouldn’t be a good move. “I think if I were to go get
an MBA and leave Stroud at this point, I would definitely be taking a step back in my career.
I’m eight years out of my undergrad degree. And at this point, what I’m going to learn—and
the relationships, and the network I’ve built and am building in terms of client relationships,
and my skills in dealing with them, and my ability to help my clients change the way they run
their businesses—and do over the next two years is going to be far greater than if I were to go
get an MBA. I think the only reason I would choose to go get an MBA right now is if I wanted
to make a significant change to my career path—if I wanted to get into marketing, or if I
wanted to get into advertising per say.”

For those who otherwise couldn’t afford to take two years off from work to go for a full-time
MBA, the proliferation of on-line, part-time, and executive programs offer an alternative route
to the degree. Randolph Gray is one person who decided to start the on-line MBA program
through The University of Phoenix. “I served as a mechanical engineer for a long time and
loved the job. I have multiple, multiple patents. I actually bring the product from design all the
way to market. Then that’s where it stops. Once it goes to market, all the business aspects I was
never involved with. At the previous job, I was trying to take on more responsibilities moving
on from a lead engineer going into project management and trying to reach a point of being the
second level manager or even a director of a company. And that’s why I decided I probably
needed to start looking into an MBA.”

Gray says after taking just a few on-line classes, plans for the MBA degree got put on hold
when a new idea for a new product and a new business venture came at an unlikely time. “I was
on vacation sitting on a beach in Hawaii and I was sort of looking around and noticing that
everyone was carrying cell phones or MP3 players and all their beach gear out there. And I
noticed people running around worrying about their batteries running out on their cell phone
and having to run back to the car, or back and forth, or borrow somebody else’s. And I said,
‘Well, here we are just sitting here baking in the sun. Why not use solar power?’”

Inspired by that day in the sun, Gray designed a solar-powered bag that can charge anything
from cell phones to lap tops to digital cameras. As Gray’s business grew, he decided to finish
up the degree he had initially started. “When I started the business, I knew that there are many
issues and many problems that pop up and that I needed to take my education to the next level,
so that not only do I learn just from experience, but I’m able to anticipate what’s going to
happen—because there’s a lot to do. It’s a very taxing endeavor to start a company and to cover
every aspect of it. So I think the MBA has helped me along. Even while I’m taking the classes,
I can apply what I’m learning directly to this business as it’s formulating at such a young stage.
There are quite a few of the classes that are very interesting. The marketing classes were very
enlightening and very timely. It was right at the point where I was formulating a marketing
strategy and a PR campaign for my initial products. It helps a lot. It helps when we’re
discussing any kind of business contract negotiation. There are so many aspects and there’s still
more to come. There are some interesting classes that I’m looking forward to and I think will
fall right in line with what I need.”

Even as a successful entrepreneur, Gray found an MBA program that fit his needs and his
schedule. Jeff Rice says think about where you want to go and what you need to know to get
there. That’s a good place to start when debating if an MBA will be a good choice for you. “An
MBA degree is not necessarily a ticket to career advancement or progression. An individual’s
competencies, and skills, and ability to manage and lead, and achieve sustainable results for a
company, promote themselves—those are the key components of career success and
advancement. Now can an MBA degree assist in developing these qualities and the end results?
Absolutely!”

For more information, advice, and to register for your weekly MBA Podcast visit
mbapodcaster.com. I’m Janet Nakano and this is MBA Podcaster. Thanks for listening. And
stay tuned next time when we delve into the business school ratings and rankings to see what
they really mean to an applicant. This coming week—a week before our regularly-scheduled
show—we’ll be featuring the third part in a special three-part series produced by The Graduate
Management Admission Council. They brought together recruiters from the world’s leading
technology firms to better understand the opportunities that are available to MBA’s in the tech
world. In this upcoming segment, the recruiters will be discussing the hiring state of MBA’s in
the tech industry.

I think the most important thing is to be clear about YOUR personal goals. If they are simply to
"Succeed in the business world" get an MBA.

Ask yourself this question, perhaps: What do you truly want to be an expert in? What value do
you wish to provide to the world. Will an MBA help you?

However, given the choice between an MBA or spending your evenings watching TV, get the
MBA. Just don't choose to do nothing out of uncertainty and 3 years later wonder if you should
go get an MBA.

I believe the number 1 question is not "What do you want," but, "What do you want the
MOST." Make sure your life choices allow you to get that.

Very often we trade our gold priorities away for silver, but it is OK to give up silver to get gold.
So go for the "gold", whatever "gold" is to you.

I think there are two advanced degrees that can be used to serve any enterprise or endeavor, an
MBA and a law degree. So if you decide to save the world, make a lot of money, or do both,
these degrees are a ticket to the higher ranks in any organization. But "necessary"....I would not
think so. It would simply be a major factor in every consideration, but would take up your time
for a few years as well.
Many people think that MBA is necessary to succeed in life and this is the only Post
Graduation course which makes life successful and excellent.
Success in life means many things and many people. If you want to climb and want success in
corporate ladder then MBA is the degree which helps you to climb to the top and you need to
do that from a specific B school (I still don’t understand why do people go to schools after
completing their college ). Many people complete their education and start their own
businesses. Some of these are multi-billion corps of tomorrow.
For example, Bill gates started building computer in his garage and look where he is now. So
what is the point taking an MBA degree only which doesn’t help you to reach to the top. You
should also have the caliber and management skill which helps you to reach the corporate
ladder. Many people have MBA degrees but still they are Jobless.
This shows that just having an MBA degree is not enough. For success in life you should have
interest in a particular field and MBA is not the only career which brings success. Many fields
such as engineering, IT, choreography, acting, interior designing, fashion designing and so on
are also existing for you to be successful in life. It totally depends on how you want to be
successful. Some want job satisfaction, some want money and some want career growth.
So, Grow your power of vision and you will know where you can succeed in life and grow
more in life.
 Is Dependence on Computers a Good Thing?
we can store data in large content. While giving presentations it help us to give a pratical
approch to audience. It shows all the world wherever we are....and the latest updates and we
need not to depend on others.And moreover all the projects and contracts are dealed with PC
and we have lot more advantages

t has it's own positives and negatives. We can use it for anyway but we won't depend for every
thing. We can use it for many purposes like storing data, processing the programs, video
chatting, online services etc..

Now we are living in wireless world. We can simplifie our works,we can communicate, we can
share our data and almost everything using computer and notebooks. So dependance on
computer is not bad. This may be problemistic for those peoples who don't know how to
operate computer

Always dependance on anything is bad. No doubt computers are very useful but dependance is
a bad thing

Yes dependency on computer is good thing in every field for development. Computer is more
help full in education system, medical system etc and its also creating some new environment
where we can learn something more.

With help of Computer system banking System become very easy to access account,also it
provide information in advance which is more use full. one more thing maintaining register is
very big task but with help of computer its become very easy. So my point of view dependency
on computer is good thing..

Computer is a very good friend to the people who knows to operate it. But we should not
completely depend on that. we opt computer whenever we find complexity. As a result, it not
only gives us solutions to various problems , but also entertain us through games etc.

the future world will not be essay without the computer . Because if we don't depend on
computer even for an hour also we will be facing lot more problem.it helps us to save time,man
power etc. It will help us in all the areas like medicine, banking, education, traffic etc. So
depending on computer is not a problem.

The computers, the name which defines that they are capable of solving, computing and
examining the problems easily in a fraction of milliseconds. So,this is the powerful tool that
makes the earth works. It acts like a buffer between the people and the world.

think dependent on computer technology is fully good because every works in today's world
like money transaction though internet banking, sharing information over the world's people, a
million of vast calculation in second, entertaining almost everything, military field, air hostess
and even government and institution areas are done only a thing that is computer.

Well, computers are great but we can't depend on them.

Reason #1 - Our writing skill as the next generation has lost so much. LOL(Laughing Out
Loud) and BRB(Be Right Back) are not words, nor can they be used as words.

Reason #2 - ANYONE can see our information. Once it's on, it on for good. People can use this
against us in the future, like the Canadian government did with some veterans who they
disagreed with.

Reason #3 - Identity theft. It's much easier to do online.

Reason #4 - What happened to real communication? When was the last time you has a REAL
conversation with someone?.

Dependence upon anything is bad, but computer's have the opportunity to ruin our lives in one
simple *SEND* or one *CLICK*.

computer has become a part of our life in 21st century. We cant ignore its importance in our life
as it can do millions of vast calculation in few seconds that makes it a part of banking,
education, and many more things like that. We have to submit that we become dependent on
computer for most of our works. Nd no one can match it.

Now a question arises that man has developed computer own self so why we consider that we
can't do all those things that much fast and efficiently that a computer can do. (many person
asked me). Aaaaah. I would like to tell those guys that rather we invented that but we ourself
know about our ability that. Can we do things in such a manner as a computer usually does? the
answer is simple "NO". According to my view it is now become impossible for us to do
complex things with accuracy and speed like computer.

is women reservation right ??

ALL INDIA Forgotten Women’s Association (AIFWA) and All India Men’s Welfare
Association (AIMWA) are holding this press conference to voice their opposition against
the 85th Constitutional Amendment Bill(Women’s Reservation Bill).
What does the Women’s Reservation Bill propose?

Thirty three per cent of all seats in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies shall be reserved
for women.

This reservation shall apply in case of seats reserved for scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled
tribes (STs) as well (reservation within reservation).

The seats to be reserved in rotation will be determined by draw of lots in such a way that a seat
shall be reserved only once in three consecutive general elections.

Why is the Women’s Reservation Bill necessary when women already have 50 per cent
reservation in local bodies?

Advocates of the Bill say that it is essential for ensuring active political participation of women.
They claim that increased political participation of women in parliament and legislatures will
help them fight the alleged abuse, discrimination and inequality prevalent against women.

They believe that unless reservation is provided, it would not be possible for more women to
join politics in our supposedly ‘male dominated society’.

They tend to see women as a ‘weaker section of the society’ and claim that affirmative action
should be introduced so that women can be empowered.

Why are AIFWA and AIMWA opposing the Women’s Reservation Bill?

We believe that public representatives in a democracy should be those who have everyone’s
welfare in mind and not promoting a specific gender, caste or creed.

Having said that, the proposed Women’s Reservation Bill is not meant to actually empower
women, but it represents the innocuous face of a hidden agenda to make the situation of Indian
men miserable. The Women’s Reservation Bill (which has been pending for the last 12 years)
is a tool of blackmail used by anti-male women to make more and more biased laws, to fuel a
gender war and disrupt harmony in the society.

The Women’s Reservation Bill is not only unjustified in the present circumstances, but it is also
in violation of the basic principles of democracy:

• Passing the Women’ Reservation Bill is undemocratic because male citizens will be
forced to withdraw or prevented from contesting in reserved constituencies solely
because they are male. It takes away the democratic right of about 11 crore men to
contest in the elections. This is against the fundamental rights of 11 crore men. It
violates the right to equality guaranteed under the constitution.
• Passing the Women’ Reservation Bill is undemocratic because women are not an
oppressed class who need their own representatives in the parliament to address their
specific issues. Many laws and provisions have been passed in the last 60 years by the
so-called ‘male-dominated’ parliament.

The following are a few examples of pro-women policies made in the last 60 years due to
Article 15(3) of the Constitution (special provisions for women):
 • Financial privileges: Women are accorded many financial privileges eg, through a
variety of Self-Help Group Schemes; whereas men have to borrow at a high interest and
end up committing suicide when they are unable to repay the loans;

• Health privileges: National level surveys are conducted and funds are allocated for
women’s health and wellness; whereas not a single survey is done or health scheme
implemented, nor single rupee of tax payer money spent on men’s health and wellness.

• Tax rebate/relief: Earnings by women are subject to liberal tax rebates; whereas men,
who perform some of the most difficult and hazardous jobs to support the family and
the society receive no tax rebates on their earnings.

• Anti-male laws: Women have been armed with many laws like Indian Penal Code
Section 498A, Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act, adultery laws,
laws against rape and sexual harassment and family (divorce, maintenance and child
custody) laws, all of which specifically favour women and penalise innocent men and
their families.

It has to be noted that the Ministry of Women and Child Development, in collaboration with the
National Commission for Women, has miserably failed to make policies which truly empower
women and enhance their self-esteem. Instead, they have drafted laws which promote misuse of
protections and privileges granted to women and encourage parasitism, perjury, adultery, and
extortion by women.

Passing the Women’ Reservation Bill will cause bias in the democratic process because of the
following reasons:

• Powerful male members of parties will be tempted to field female relatives to ‘reserve’
the seat for themselves during the following cycle.

• Parties will be forced to field women whether or not the women identify with the
overall party agenda and the rest of the issues concerning all citizens, as opposed to just
women’s issues. There are no provisions to prevent discrimination against men because
of fielding women who are inclined towards women’s issues alone, or, in other words,
biased against men.

• Parties will be forced to field unsuitable female candidates or those of lower calibre just
to fill the seats and treat like them puppets, which will defeat the purpose of increasing
representation of women in the parliament.

• Women capable of earning a position and respect by their own hard work will not be
able to become MPs or chief ministers.

• Passing the Women’ Reservation Bill will create a bias in the minds of voters and cause
them to start voting or stop voting on the basis of gender and not based on publicised
agendas of parties or issues related to all citizens.

• Passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill will take away the democratic right of 33 per
cent of the electorate (22 crore people) to elect their representatives. It restricts the
choice of both men and women in the reserved constituencies. The state has no right to
limit the pool of representatives available to the public to choose from. This is against
all democratic principles of free choice.
In a democracy, there should not be any discrimination between women and men in any area,
including standing for elections. Citizens should be able to choose between candidates based on
their relative calibre and commitment to public issues. Citizens’ rights are violated when their
choice is restricted to a specific gender as calibre or commitment is not gender-specific.
Commonsense dictates that if the representation of women in politics is not sufficient, it is the
fault of political party heads. Advocates of the Women’s Reservation Bill are insisting on
needlessly penalising citizens of a democratic country, instead of taking action against political
parties which are preventing women from or failing to provide opportunities for women to
contest in the elections.

AIFWA and AIMWA demand that the government should not pass the Women’s Reservation
Bill. Instead, the government must take the following measures in the interest of democracy
and for the welfare of all citizens:

• Require political parties to provide 33 per cent tickets to women to contest in the
elections.

• Ensure 33 per cent representation by women in the Rajya Sabha and then increase it to
50 per cent before tampering with the constitution and making reservations to increase
women’s representation in the Lok Sabha.

• Establish National Commission for men for conducting surveys and studies on men’s
issues and for formulating measures, policies and laws for welfare of men;

• Establish Men’s Welfare Ministry with Cabinet rank;

• Amend the People’s Representation Act to include ‘all recognised political parties to
reserve 33 per cent for women with a staggered time frame eg, 33 per cent in year one
to zero in year 30.”

• Amend Article 15(3) by deleting the word women;

• Amend Article 51 (E) to include the word men;

• Implement women’s reservation in judiciary, bureaucracy, defence etc;

• Implement women’s reservation in panchayats and municipality in all the states and
Union Territories.

Rajya Sabha passed women reservation bill which will open way for 33% reservation for
women in Parliament. This is revolutionary step by Indian upper house has given new hopes to
millions of women across India and this step will help in women upleftment in India. Condition
of women in many parts of India has still not improved and we need many such measures for
increasing role of women in administration.

Indian history is full of many women who have given great sacrifices for India and provided
great help in its development. Today by increasing participation of women in law making
mechanism, we can easily provide due rights to half pollution of India. Today’s India is mostly
a man dominated society where man take all major decisions; however, today’s men are also
realising this fact that women participation is important for growth of India and world.

At present it is difficult to say that how much this law will help Indian women however, one
thing is clear that more women leadership will emerge in near future. Today’s women are new
power of world, it is very hard to ignore this power and by passing this bill unanimously Rajya
Sabha has done same thing. Now we can hope that this bill will be soon passed by Loksabha
and all concerned authorities to become a law.

JOB opportunities high in India or foriegn. Why?

No job opportunities are not only more in India but they are also more in other countries like
china, Japan etc.reason is now Chinese. Japanese they are also equally competent to u and us
know why china has seen a drastic change in their development? B’s they work even harder
and smarter than us. Even more people and more opportunities are there in India do u known
that we are also ranking high in unemployment?

 If we consider the opportunities for Indians I think there are more opportunities in India than
in US or any other country abroad as most of the mnc's are opening their branches here.

Now a day’s job opportunity is more than any other country in this world. But problem
is ratio of job opportunities to job seeker in our country is very less compare to US, Europe
countries because of huge population of our country. Because of BPO jobs, it alleviates pain of
lot of job seekers in our country. Major positive ability of our Indian is good in technical
knowledge, fluent in English as well as ready to work for less salary. SO than have been with
standing in this world

job opportunity are more in India. There are so many reasons for this. As India is a developing
country here every body wants to expose his knowledge and here cost is less, people are ready
to work in less price also. So many companies are ready to open their branch in India. And as
compare to other country Indians are more fluent English speaking. One more thing is if we see
other than software, India is full of natural recourses so foreign industrialists want use there
new technology here. So no of mncs are increasing.

job opportunities are not high in India with respect to foreign countries especially Europe and
US. In India there are huge number of unemployed educated person but the employment is very
less. Current operating companies in India can't even sufficient to accommodate the students
who have great educational qualification. But now India's growth rate (sensex crossed 10000) is
on pick, so we can expect here more opportunities in near future....

Job opportunities are increasing in INDIA compare to China, Philippines and other foreign
countries. The reason is quite simple. The MNC's are getting the Quality output at cheaper cost
compare to other countries. And Indians are technically sound. So if you really have the talent
and ready to work hard, there are many opportunities in INDIA compare to other countries.
its a quite easy yet difficult to answer. Opportunity to a job raises many questions such as
which type of job and in which field? Job opportunities in every country depends upon
many factors such as Tourism, technology, business, agriculture. And it also depends upon fast
growing and economically favorable field. And the one and only fast growing field and
economically favorable field is software in India.

yes India is having more job opportunities in particular areas like technology specially in
software field and hardware field and bpo's. And I hope even other fields have equal
opportunities but difficult to get into (like govt jobs, coz there will be many criteria to pass
through). And fortunately in software field there will be not criteria except academic. In my
opinion opportunity of jobs depend upon the particular favorable factors in that
country. For example consider Switzerland, Swiss people concentrate more on tourism
and getting into such jobs people feel it as opportunity there. But in our country we don't
concentrate on tourism much. So job opportunity in tourism is very less compared to other
countries.

Yes job opportunities in tourism r less when compared to others. But we have major
opportunities in software companies and BPO's. And most important is we must feel proud
about our great achievement of the hardware industry, which is going to show its form in about
2 or 3 years in our own capital Hyderabad. And by this there will plenty of opportunities of
even hardware professionals who have comparatively less opportunities till date. So
guys we need not go to any other countries in search of jobs in future. Lets hope other countries
like US will have to come to India in search of jobs.
Love Vs Arrange Marriage

Marriage is a sacred bond between two souls, a relationship in which a male and a female
promise to be companions for a life span after tying the nuptial knot. It brings significant
stability and security in the relationships of human beings, which is otherwise incomplete. It is
not only a union of two human beings but also of two families. Marriage to some extent cannot
be successful without the blessings and consent of the members of the family. It doesn't matter
whether it is a love marriage or an arranged marriage, the success of this relationship is all
that matters.

India has always had a long tradition of arranged marriages where the parents find the right
match for their children. Due to our social structure, arranged marriages are more prevalent in
our society and on the other hand, love marriages are considered as a taboo amongst people.
The main reason behind this act of parents is to get their children married within the same cast,
and also into good families. Honestly, there is nothing wrong with arranged marriages as long
as the children are happy. On the other hand parents must understand their children if they love
someone and want to go for a love marriage. Sometimes the children do not kknow what is
right or wrong for them and in that case parents are forced to take drastic steps. Parents need to
understand their children and children need to understand their parents point of view before any
step is taken. Both love marriage and arranged marriage escorts with their own pros and cons.
Here are some positive and negative points in both types of marriages:-

Arranged Marriages offer security for women since they have their family backup whereas love
marriages provide freedom and more independence. In love marriages, since the boy and the
girl know each other for a long time, they know what to expect from one another, they are
aware of each others weaknesses and strengths before tying the sacred knot. They get time to
explore things related to each other's nature, well before wedding. Hence it makes easier to
develop a decent comfort level after marriage, with ease and thereby helps them to survive
throughout the rocky phases of life. On the other hand, when a marriage is arranged by the
parents, the two people do not know much about each other, they learn about and discover each
other after marriage, sometimes their likes and dislikes might not match but it is too late by
then. If all goes well then a love marriage can turn out to be a blessing else, it can be a disaster
in which mainly the women have to suffer. In a love marriage the boy not only loves but also
respects his partner whereas in most arranged marriages the female is only treated as a
commodity that may be loved bot not necessarily respected.

In the above discussion love marriage has scored more than arranged marriage but here is a
downfall of love marriage. There is one key to making a successful marriage that is probably
one of the hardest things in the world to do. It's called compromise. In case of love marriage,
since they have fallen in love before getting married, the level of expectations is at the higher
end. And if the person expects more from his/her partner, this leads to lesser compromises. On
the other hand, in case of arranged marriages, compromise and adjustments are the two major
foundation pillars, because the married couple does not have any unbending notions from each
other. The compromise factor might work wonders here, while in love marriages, that might
prove to be yet another cause for clash. In a love marriage the boy and the girl have mostly seen
the best of each other and so the expectations are very high from one another but the worst of
each other is yet to come and when it comes, it leads to a disaster. Therefore the rate of divorce
in love marriages has been constantly going up whereas arranged marriages are still being able
to survive and rarely reach the point of divorce.

Due to this factor, people consider arranged marriage as enduring and a cut above love
marriage. This is such a topic, on which the discussion can go boundless. The bottom line is
that be it an arranged marriage or a love marriage, both of the partners should realize that your
spouse is not always going to be perfect. But tell your spouse every day that you love and
appreciate him/her. There is no clear answer about which one is better than the other, it all
depends on your personal circumstances and personality. However, a love marriage turned into
an arranged one is the best thing that can happen. If a love marriage gets the consent of the
family members as well then it can really turn into a beautiful relationship. At the same time
arranged marriages can also be successful if both the girl and the boy are given the freedom to
spend some time together and to decide for themselves if they one to get married to the person
or not, after all, it is them who have to spend their whole lives together. Love, trust, loyalty,
patience, respect, understanding, appreciating are some of the keywords of a successful
marriage, if all this is their in a marriage then be it an arranged marriage or a love marriage, it is
bound to be a happy and a everlasting one.

WHERE LOVE, RESPECT AND APPRECIATION ARE OPENLY EXPRESSED, THAT

HOME IS THE HAPPIEST ONE- SO PLEASE PUT YOUR BEST TO SAVE YOUR
PRECIOUS MARRIAGE.

Machine over man or man over machine?

Over the years, man has come up with countless inventions, each more resourceful than the
last. However, as the computer age continues, mankind is threatened. Ridiculous, some may
say, but I say look around! The computer has already begun to control so many of the vital
functions that man has prided himself upon before. Our lives are now dependent on a computer
and what it tells you. Even now, I type this essay on a computer, trusting that it will produce a
result far superior to what I can do with my own to hands.

It has been commonly said that the computer can never replace the human brain, for it is
humans that created them. Is this a good reason why the computer must be inferior to humans?
Even if we just focus on a single creation of man, say the subject of this essay, the computer,
there are many ways in which the computer has the edge over man. The computer has the
capability to evaluate problems that man can hardly even imagine, let alone approach.
Even if a man can calculate the same problems as a computer, the computer can do it faster
than he can possibly accomplish. Say this man can calculate as fast as a computer, but can he
achieve a 100% rate of accuracy in his calculation? Why do we now go over the human data
entry into a computer when a mistake is noticed instead of checking the computer? It is because
computers now possess the ability to hold no error in its operation, where mankind has not
advanced in this area at all.

Man vs. machine stories are an old standby in journalism.

Think back to John Henry racing a steam drill and forward to Garry Kasparov trying to
outmaneuver IBM's Deep Blue in 1997 to the Onion tweaking the genre with its accountant
battles Excel story.
But the latest twist on the meme takes it to the meta-level by raising the question: in the future,
will you find your man vs. machine story relying on a human-edited source or from an
algorithm?
Standing up for the human intellect, upstart Digg is betting that its formidable legion of users
can find better and more interesting news faster than any algorithm Google -- or a number of
upstart companies -- can code.
"I have to admit when we first started experimenting with this a year ago, the verdict was out
whether (human filtering) was a benefit or a detriment," CEO Jay Adelson said. "We found that
it works, that it works really, really well.... We think people do a better job."
On the machine side, the purest algorithmic news finder is Google News, which made waves in
the media world when it debuted. With Google News, it's code, and not a team of editors, that
decides which stories make it onto the front page.
Today Google News will even tailor the front page to your particular interests as determined by
your news reading habits and search history (so long as you are willing to log in to Google with
a user name).
Likewise, Tailrank, a San Francisco-based startup founded by Kevin Burton, also relies heavily
on smart code to find cool stories -- not just from news outlets, but also from tens of thousands
of blogs.
Burton, who wrote a news-reading application called NewsMonster and co-founded Rojo, an
online news-reading tool, started Tailrank as a way to handle the information overload created
by easy access to blogs and media outlets via RSS.
Now Burton uses Tailrank to read through his 2,000 subscriptions and filter up the most
important entries, based on a secret sauce that includes a method of tracking how often stories
or blog posts are linked to by others.
The site defaults to the top stories linked to around the web, and lets you switch to a filtered
view based on sites you have listed as your favorites. You can set that list either by uploading
from a newsreader or using a feature released last week that scans your browser for blogs you
have recently visited.
"I want Tailrank to be The New York Times of the blogosphere, and it will tell you what's going
on that day in the world and on the internet," Burton said.
But he also sees Tailrank as a way to get better information to the people.
"For me personally the news in this country really needs a correction to get better news and a
better distribution of information," Burton said. "I do believe we need to replace the
mainstream media with better alternatives."
In that quest, Tailrank has plenty of company. Findory, NewsVine, Memeorandum,
and Megite, among others, are also trying to find various ways to trick computers into being
editors.
On the humanity side of the man-machine wars, Digg uses a simpler method to find cool
stories: humans clicking mouse buttons.
Digg users submit technology stories and then others can vote those picks up, down or simply
lame. It's not personalized, but Digg users are fast to find new stories.
So far Digg is limited to technology news, but according to CEO Adelson, the company will be
expanding to other "sections of the newspaper soon" -- and it just might take on Google News
as well.
But currently Digg's list of stories, whether on the homepage or a customized search term, are
highly reflective of Digg's core audience -- seemingly guys aged 15 to 25 who like gadgets and
video games.
And while nobody thinks Digg is going to disappear any time soon, the smart money is on
automated news readers soundly defeating human filters in the years to come.
Not long ago, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves both thought they could categorize the web with
inexpensive or even volunteer human power. Google put paid to those ambitions. But notably,
Google didn't do so with ultra fancy, wickedly intelligent natural language processing. Instead
it married a recursive algorithm to the natural behavior of web users (linking) and created a
search that actually worked.
What Google developed wasn't artificial intelligence, but something closer to what O'Reilly
Mediatech guru Rael Dornfest calls "artificial artificial intelligence".

That's the brand of technology most likely to win this race: not the machines we use, but the
machines that know how to use us.
Take for example Reddit, a news site that combines Digg-style voting with behind-the-scenes
magic.
Reddit already offers a personalized filter on the day's story, using your previous votes to
determine what new things you might like to read, a feature co-founder Alexis Ohanian hopes
will become a much bigger part of the site.
"The 'recommended' page was the thing from day one," Ohanian said. "It was the thing I could
tell friends who were English majors -- that we were working to make a front page of links to
things that you are interested in. We would like to find a nice subtle way to get people the
information they are interested in without making them work to hard for it."
On Wednesday, for example, leaked screenshots of the long rumored Google Calendar were in
the top spot on Tailrank and Memeorandum, but the story was nowhere to be found on Google
News' editorial calendar.
Digg users voted early and often, lodging more than 2,000 "diggs" by 2 p.m., but by then the
story fell to the second page, buried by an article about an iPod vending machine and one about
Digg's CEO making Fast Company's Fast 50 list.
The Google Calendar story could hardly be found on Reddit, which was devoting its space to
some tidbits about a badly translated Chinese menu, overtime costs at startup companies and
aWashington Post story on conservatives who bash Bush.
Mary Hodder is a board member of the nonprofit AttentionTrust. She thinks the new news sites
are great tools, but they make her want even more.
"Digg and Memeorandum are definitely an order of magnitude better than anything we got
from any top-down news organization, but when I look at them, I see all the things that are
missing," said Hodder, CEO of the video aggregation startup Dabble. "Digg and
Memeorandum are catching one slice, and it’s fantastic and a total breath of fresh air, because
it's not The New York Times or the L.A. Times. But it's still only one slice. If you are really
going to nail this, you have to have thousands of slices."
For instance, a Hodder-approved service might know that this writer is interested in a certain
subset of stories about computers and some stories about bicycles, but is very uninterested in
stories about bicycle computers (the kind that tell you your speed, tempo and cardio stats).
Stories about bicycles being used to power computers in developing countries, on the other
hand, would be a banner headline at the top of the page.
That differentiation can't happen, according to Hodder, until a service starts to recognize small
communities of shared interest online.
Hodder also thinks that the simple gesture of voting on a story submitted by a very particular
group of users is just too limiting and that a really good service will need to look at 20 or more
triggers. To that end, AttentionTrust is working to create a way for users to "capture their
attention data" --information detailing what a user has focused on, such as websites visited,
online purchases or RSS feeds monitored. The nonprofit hopes to find ways to allow users to
voluntarily share that data with online services, without those services gaining ownership of the
information.
Dornfest, the program chairman for last week's Emerging Technology Conference, also thinks
the current offerings are only the next step.
"I subscribe to 400 or 500 feeds but read six or seven daily," Dornfest said. "That's what
everyone does, if they admit it or not."
"There's only so much I can read, really, and when I wake up in the morning I decide who my
sources are for deciding what I should read," Dornfest said. "Digg and Reddit, et al, have
opened up that editorial role to the readers and they are trying to do what newsreaders were
supposed to do."
Still, despite his enthusiasm for the startups, Dornfest has yet to see the technology that is
micro-community driven and extremely relevant, and he thinks it's inevitable that the new sites
will soon become primary sources for some other filter.
"They are more of a patch, but at the same time, it’s a really good patch," Dornfest said. "It
moves the attention problem out, but in a really interesting way."
Until software developers figure out the artificial AI problem, plenty of opportunities exist for
tinkering.
Most of these sites offer an RSS feed of the stories they think you should be reading, and you
can take those feeds and shove them into the gears of one of the other sites. Then you can feed
that output into another service.
Repeat as necessary until you've achieved total news consciousness. Which is nice.

I'm not sure if that is going to happen, all I am sure is that nowadays, we depend on computers
as much as they depend on us. We have implemented computers in our everyday lives and we
use them as a means to an end. Computers by themselves are useless right now and there is no
evidence that they will become independent any time soon. Therefore, we have nothing to
worry just about now.

Sure, machines have proven far more efficient unlike humans that have the tendency to get
lazier and lazier. We have become accustomed with the idea that computers can be
programmed to do anything and that there is no task that they can't complete with the proper
programming. So, if programming is all it takes to make a computer take over a human
function, what would happen if we could program a computer to think like we do?

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Probably it would consider us at the bottom of the food chain and use us for slaves. After all, it
would be a lot smarted than us, so, there would be no reason to keep us alive, except for
performing mindless tasks. This could seem like a grim future for the human species, but also
at the same time very likable. There is no telling how a computer with a human like behavior
could react when awaken to the cold reality and having to deal with its existence. All we can do
for the moment, theorize on the mater and hope we will never have to face this problem for as
long as it takes.

Ambani Vs Tata
Dhirubhai Ambani Ratan Tata
Hide All

• Currently 2.59/5 • Currently 4.26/5

• 1 • 1
• 2 • 2
• 3 • 3
• 4 • 4
• 5 • 5

Rating: 2.6/5 (17 votes) Rating: 4.3/5 (19 votes)

business tycoon; Chairman Chairman of Tata Group
Occupation: hide
of Reliance Industries
Religion: Hinduism Zoroastrianism hide
Dhirajlal Hirachand Ratan Naval Tata (born
Ambani, (Sindhi: ‫دھربھائی‬ December 28, 1937, in
‫ )امبانی‬also known as Bombay, Bombay
Dhirubhai, 28 December Presidency, British India)
Introduction (from 1932, - 6 July 2002, was is the present Chairman of
hide
Wikipedia): an Indian rags-to-riches Tata Sons and therefore,
business tycoon who Tata Group, India's largest
founded Reliance conglomerate founded by
Industries in Mumbai with Jamsedji Tata.
his cousin.
Nationality: Indian Indian hide
Date of birth: December 28, 1932 December 28, 1937 hide
Ethnicity: Gujarati Parsi hide
Citizenship: India India hide
Place of birth: Chorwad, Gujarat, India Mumbai, India hide
Not a rich or famous Famous and a prominent
family. Second son to family, belonging to
Hirachand Gordhandhas Mumbai's wealthy Parsi
Ambani and Jamnaben community. First child of
Family Background: Soonoo and Naval hide
Hormusji Tata. Ratan is
the great grandson of Tata
group founder Jamsedji
Tata.
Ambani disliked school Schooling in Mumbai,
lessons and chose to do completed his BSc degree
physical work instead. in architecture with
structural engineering from
Education: Cornell University in hide
1962, and the Advanced
Management Program
from Harvard Business
School in 1975
Mukesh Ambani, Anil
Children: Ambani, Nina Kothari, hide
Deepti Salgaonkar
Dhirubhai Ambani Ratan Tata
Hide All

Spouse(s): Kokilaben Ambani hide

July 6, 2002 (aged 69),
Died: Mumbai, Maharashtra, hide
India
Mumbai, Maharashtra,
Residence: hide
India
Cornell University,
Alma mater: hide
Harvard University

Dhirubhai Ambani and Ratan Tata are among the most prominent business 20th (and early
21st) century business tycoons in India. Interestingly, they were both born on December 28.

Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, popularly known as Dhirubhai was born December 28, 1932. He
was an Indian rags-to-riches business tycoon who founded Reliance Industries in Mumbai with
his cousin. Ambani took his company (Reliance) public in 1977, and by 2007 the combined
fortune of the family was 60 billion dollars, making the Ambani's the second richest family in
the world. Ambani died on July 6, 2002.

Ratan Naval Tata popularly known as Ratan Tata was born on December 28, 1937, is the
present Chairman of Tata Sons and therefore, Tata Group, India's largest conglomerate founded
by Jamsedji Tata and consolidated and expanded by later generations of his family. Ratan Tata
is also best known for the face behind changing India's automotive industry into global climate
change era. Most his holdings are in Tata Sons, the holding company of the group, began as
inherited family shareholding. He was listed among the 25 most powerful people in business
named by Fortune magazine in November 2007.

Contents

[hide]

• 1 Early Life
• 2 Career graph
• 3 Controversies
• 4 Awards
o 4.1 Awards for Dhirubhai Ambani
o 4.2 Awards for Ratan Tata
• 5 Death
• 6 Related Articles

• 7 References

[edit] Early Life

Dhirubhai Ambani moved to Aden, Yemen when he was 16 years old. He worked with A.
Besse & Co. for a salary of Rs.300 (Present Day $6.49). Two years later, A. Besse & Co.
became the distributors for Shell products, and Dhirubhai was promoted to manage the
company's filling station at the port of Aden. He was married to Kokilaben and had 2 sons,
Mukesh, Anil and two daughters, Nina Kothari, Deepti Salgaonkar. He also worked in Dubai
for some time during his early years.

Ratan Tata’s childhood was troubled; with his parents separating in the mid-1940s when he was
a seven year old. He completed his BSc degree in architecture with structural engineering from
Cornell University in 1962, and the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business
School in 1975. He joined the Tata Group in December 1962, after turning down a job with
IBM on the advice of JRD Tata. He was first sent to Jamshedpur to work at Tata Steel. He
worked on the floor along with other blue-collar employees, shoveling limestone and handling
the blast furnaces. He never married.

[edit] Career graph

Dhirubhai Ambani founded Reliance Industries in 1958. After that it was a story of
expansions and success.

• 1958 - Moved to Mumbai to start his own business "Majin" in partnership with
Champaklal Damani, his second cousin, importing polyester yarn and spices made
profit
• 1965 - Champaklal Damani and Dhirubhai Ambani ended their partnership and
Dhirubhai started on his own.
• 1977 - Started his first textile mill at Naroda, in Ahmedabad and the brand "Vimal",
which was named after his elder brother Ramaniklal Ambani's son, Vimal Ambani.
Dhirubhai Ambani is awarded with starting the equity cult in India with Reliance's IPO.
• 1982 - Ambani began the process of backward integration, setting up a plant to
manufacture polyester filament yarn.

He then diversified into chemicals, petrochemicals, plastics, power. The final phase of
Reliance’s diversification occurred in the 1990s when the company turned aggressively towards
petrochemicals and telecommunications.

Ratan Tata was instrumental in ushering in a wide array of reforms. It was under his
stewardship that Tata Consultancy Services went public and Tata Motors was listed in the New
York Stock Exchange.

• 1971 - Ratan was appointed the Director-in-Charge of The National Radio &
Electronics Company Limited (Nelco). Nelco had 2% market share in the consumer
electronics market and a loss margin of 40% of sales when Ratan took over.
• 1975 - Nelco eventually grew to have a market share of 20%, and recovered its losses.
• 1977 - Ratan was entrusted with Empress Mills, a textile mill controlled by the Tatas.
He managed to turn it around from being a sick unit to even declaring a dividend.
• 1981 - Ratan was named director of Tata Industries.
• 1991 - He took over as group chairman from J.R.D. Tata, pushing out the old guard and
ushering in younger managers.
• 2007 - Under the chairmanship of Ratan Tata, Tata Sons successfully acquired Corus
Group, an Anglo-Dutch steel and aluminum producer.
• 2008, Tata Motors, under Ratan Tata, bought Jaguar & Land Rover from Ford Motor
Company.

Ratan Tata's dream was to manufacture a car costing less than 100,000 rupees. He realized his
dream by launching the Tata Nano in New Delhi Auto Expo on January 10, 2008. Currently he
is the chairman of major Tata companies such as Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata
Consultancy Services, Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, The Indian Hotels Company and Tata
Teleservices.

[edit] Controversies

While Dhirubhai was accused of unethical business practices and manipulating government
policies to suit his needs, Ratan Tata has never been involved in any such controversy. Ratan
Tata’s plant for Nano production (the 100,000 rupee car) in Singur, West Bengal, was
obstructed by Mamta Banerjee (leader of the Trinamool Congress and Leader of the Opposition
in the state of West Bengal) on the grounds of forcing people out of their land. He moved it to
project to Sanand near Ahmedabad, The Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi granted him
huge subsidy for building the facility, including free land.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Awards for Dhirubhai Ambani

Dhirubhai did not win any Indian Government awards for civilians.

• November 2000 – Conferred 'Man of the Century' award by Chemtech Foundation and
Chemical Engineering World in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the
growth and development of the chemical industry in India
• June 1998 - Dean's Medal by The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, for
setting an outstanding example of leadership. Dhirubhai Ambani has the rare distinction
of being the first Indian to get Wharton School Dean's Medal.
• August 2001 – Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence for Lifetime
Achievement
• Dhirubhai Ambani was named the Man of 20th Century by the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
• A poll conducted by The Times of India in 2000 voted Him "Greatest Creator of Wealth
In The Centuries". He is the true son of India'

[edit] Awards for Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata has won several awards including the Indian Government civilian awards. He serves
in senior capacities at various organizations in India and he is a member of the Prime Minister's
Council on Trade and Industry.

• On the occasion of India's 50th Republic Day on 26 January 2000, he was honoured
with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest decoration that may be awarded to a civilian.
• On 26 January 2008, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian
decoration.
• On 29 August 2008, the Government of Singapore conferred honorary citizenship on
Ratan Tata, in recognition of his abiding business relationship with the island nation and
his contribution to the growth of high-tech sectors in Singapore. Ratan Tata is the first
Indian to receive this honour.
• In 2009 he was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire.
• He has also been conferred an honorary doctorate in business administration by the
Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in technology by the Asian Institute of
Technology, Bangkok, an honorary doctorate in science by the University of Warwick,
and an honorary fellowship by the London School of Economics. He has recently
received an honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Cambridge.
[edit] Death

Dhirubhai Ambani was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on June 24, 2002
after he suffered a major stroke. This was his second stroke, the first one had occurred in
February 1986 and had kept his right hand paralyzed. He was in a state of coma for more than a
week. He died on July 6, 2002, at around 11:50 P.M. (Indian Standard Time).

Ratan Tata is alive and planning to retire from active business in 2012.

The House of Tata symbolises the spirit of Indian entrepreneurship. And soon after we regained
our freedom from the British rule, the name 'Tata' came to represent, literally and figuratively,
the flights of independent India's hopes and ambitions. The name 'Tata', therefore, evokes in my
mind an irrepressible fervour of patriotism. To carry forward this lofty legacy is a daunting
challenge and an enormous responsibility. Ratan Tata has responded to the challenge with grit
and foresight. He carries his burdens lightly. I share his penchant for spending evenings at the
picturesque lawns of the United Services Club at Colaba in Mumbai. My sons, Akash and
Anant, are happy to play with his pet dog. Especially, Anant appears to have struck a warm
relationship with his pet. I have heard him on issues of concern for the country. Of late, I have
shared with him the deliberations of the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee. He comes
across as an individual with clarity and conviction, a business leader with vision. Ratan Tata
has steered the Tata ship in turbulent times. Of the several significant business initiatives to his
personal credit, I would only mention the Indica car project. His name has come to be identified
with this bold venture. Investments were huge and market risks high. Competition was
daunting. Skeptics, as usual, were in abundance. Above all, at stake was the name of the Tatas.
Ratan Tata accomplished the project with commendable success. He brought to the project an
ideal fusion of courage with conviction. It has done all Indians proud. To renew an existing
institution with long traditions spanning over a century and deeply ingrained work culture
nurtured since the time of Jamshedji, inspiring pioneer of India's economic renaissance
demands creativity and commitment. Ratan Tata has proved that he possesses these qualities in
abundant measure. Development of a new Tata emblem is symbolic of his desire to leave his
personal stamp on the future of the group. With exemplary skill, he has combined continuity
with change. If the exercise generated some tension, Ratan Tata handled it with single-minded
firmness. He has taken the bouquets as well as the brickbats in his stride, befitting someone
who wears the Tata crown. I see Ratan Tata as a bridge between two generations of India's
business leaders and as link between the old economy and the new, extending from steel to
computer software. He has been an outstanding figure in India's transition from a regulated
regime to a liberalised economy. As India marches ahead in a globalised environment,
competition becomes the spirit of times and the consumers become increasingly quality and
price conscious, the country looks up to him to play a role that the legendary JRD would have
played if he were in our midst today. Above all, I have an immense admiration for Ratan Tata,
the man, for his unassuming and warm nature, an outstanding business leader imbued with
social concerns and committed to uphold ethics and values.

Our Culture is Decaying

Yes, our culture is decaying as we are adopting the western culture.

We are also liking the western food like burger, coke etc. Now, some of us dont respect our
parents.
These all are the effect of western culture because what we see and listen, we are liable to do
the same.
I think in one way our culture is being sinked, not only by the west but also by many other
factors. In the other way its taking all the god from many countries & cultures. The usage of
soft drinks may be more but the attraction to the alien products was not discovered now but it
has been from many years. But our culture is not put into jail yet. We still have time to save our
culture.
No our culture is not decaying..its there from 1000s of years ..its rooted..we are just enhancing
it by adopting some features of it..its our approach in which direction we are taking it.
I Think ,culture is a thing which shows our strength about how much potential we have to adopt
a new things. Most of the time change play a very desicive role to one's development. I would
appreciate those things which is good for your development and also as we all know that
western culture is known as a rename of all type of development and large group of people not
only in India as well as the whole world would like to adopt that one and nothing is wrong with
it because one cant stay very long on behalf of his own culture.
To my view, right now definitely our culture is decaying slowly. knowingly or unknowingly we
are shifting from our Indian culture. Our culture possess many unique qualities which can't be
observed in any other cultures.
But western culture is fully a machine oriented one. Its main theme is money. Everything cant
be achieved only through money .we cant see this love and care as observed in our nation.
Respect for elders, sharing time with family and many more qualities are unique endowed
features of our culture. Lets save our culture.
In my point of View, Our Culture is not destroyed by Western culture by means of dress, food
and Behavior. I oppose that because without western culture we can't survive in this world. We
have taken good things from the western culture and put down bad thing apart. Without
Western culture we were unaware about how to compete in this globalizing world.
Significance of Culture
The last fifteen years or so have thrown up many questions. Where do Indians come from?
Why is family such an important part of our social structure? Why are we a non-violent
country? And so on. Unless we have roots in the soil, knowledge about Indian culture, we will
not be able to understand who our people are, why do they behave in a certain way and what
they want. Instead of letting them blossom we will try and impose our ideas on them. Ironically
foreigners find our culture fascinating often asking us questions that compel us to think.
What is Culture?
‘It is the sum total of values expressed through art, religion, literature, social institutions and
behavior, the overt acts of individuals and mass action inspired by collective urges.’ Its first
characteristic is Continuity.
A distinctive culture comes into existence when people develop a continuos way of life. This is
expressed in many ways like common traditions and norms of conduct, common institutions
(marriage, family), common memory of triumphs achieved (Bharata war fought at Kurushetra
between the Pandavas and Kauravas). Example where ever we go in India there are certain
accepted norms of conduct.
The most important characteristic of a vital culture is a common outlook among the people,
who when faced with adversity, difficulty can generate a collective will to action. However,
when the collective will to resist adverse circumstances is weak the culture starts decaying (do
you think it is happening today, since a common will to tackle the country’s problems seems to
be lacking).
You might realize that that this is what is lacking in India today. We have the Hindus who look
up to say Rana Pratap or Guru Gobind Singh for inspiration while Muslims look up to Akbar
and Aurangzeb. How then can there be a collective will to face the problems that India is facing
today unless common heroes bind us together. Nations are formed through amalgamation of
identities and not by harping upon differences continuously.
With the passage of time the environment changes, society-culture come under pressure to
respond. When this happens it is up to the best among the dominant minority to adjust their
outlook, institutions but under inspiration of its Central Idea. When this does not happen the
culture dies and with it the people.
Take the case of a modern Greek or Roman. Both these cultures have been overwhelmed by the
West and are now where near the culture of their ancient civilizations.
The vitality of a culture cannot be passed down from father to son through a Will. Its values
have to be recaptured afresh by every generation and would be subject to constant
reinterpretation. If a culture is living the young would be impacted by it.
Gathering of Elements – The Vedic Aryans
What is important in the study of culture is the way it is approached.
A humble way would be to ask, how did it come into existence? What was the central idea
behind it? Another way would be to look at the conditions of the time in which it is studied.
What changes are to be made in the old forms to adjust with modern times? Another approach
is that of the Modern. If I had been Vyas of 3,000 years ago with the outlook of today, how
would I have shaped this culture?
To get a true feel of Indian culture we need to understand the conditions under which it
evolved, understand how it came into existence and the forces that led to its growth etc.
How did Indian culture come to be founded?
Millions of years ago, the land north of the Aravillis was under sea named the Sea of Tethys.
Gradually, the Himalayas arose out of the sea. As time passed a huge land mass arose with
rivers flowing out of the mountains bringing silt along with them. Thus was created modern
North India. Its immense fertility attracted people from distant lands. The prosperity of N India
is linked to the Himalayas. Today, forest fires coupled with deforestation have lead to lower
rainfall and warmer climate. Unless this trend is reversed, we have a problem on our hands. In
these days of low intensity conflict we must not underestimate the capacity of our enemies to
engineer disasters.
Indians are a combination of various tribes. Negritos came from Africa, Proto-Australoids from
Early Mediterranean, Mongolians, the Later Mediterraneans identified with Dravidians, the
Alpines considered pre-Vedic and Vedic Aryans. U.P. and Bihar were occupied by a race called
CopperHeads. It is believed that the Nagas, Asuras belonged to this stock.
The languages are Kol limited to hill tribes, Sino-Tibetan limited to East India and the Aryan,
Dravidian languages.
Before 2000 B.C. the Aryans entered history and spread over Asia and Europe. Indo-Iranians
entered India through Afghanisthan. Zend Avesta, the sacred book of the Parsis contains
several verses that are found in the Rig Veda. The Vedic Yama is the Zend of Avesta and so on.
According to Bhagwan Dass Gidwani, author of the book “Return of the Aryans,” Aryans were
originally from India and migrated to various parts of the world. Swami Vivekananda too said
that Aryans were from India.
A section of the media and some noted historians ( according to some the British started it )
repeatedly harp on Aryan Dravidian conflict and use it as a tool to divide North and South
Indians into two camps. Even if one were to agree that the Aryans were not more from India,
what these learned men tend to forget that the Hinduism of today is a product of Aryan
Dravidian cultures? At best they belonged to different tribes. But now, is that not the case in
most parts of the world? That cannot be said of the invaders after the tenth century ad who, to
this day, have a culture that is distinctly different from the Aryan Dravidian one.
Aryans are believed to have re - entered India around 1500 b.c. For about the next five
centuries they waged war within themselves and with Dasas, Asuras etc. During this period
there was a intermingling of customs, beliefs and a new harmony evolved.
The Aryans brought with them cultural vitality and influence. Their culture flourished in the
Vedic Ashrams that were situated on the banks of river Saraswati and in the heart of Sapta
Sindhu, the land of seven rivers.
Kula and Yajna, Rita and Tapas as the Central Idea
The Aryans who founded Indian culture had certain basic social institutions like Kula (
family), the Jana ( tribe).The Aryans brought certain important elements with them namely the
Horse ( an imp instrument of warfare ), powerful social institutions and a collective will to
action.
Among the imp social institutions was the Patriarchate. The father was the head of the family,
its members and properties. The departed ancestors were bound in intimate relation with the
family. Grand-fathers, sons and so on were one in spirit, traditions and property.
The family or Kula led to the concept of Gotra or a group of families from common descent. A
federation of gotras made the Jana or tribe. Therefore the father provided the bonding to the
family passing down traditions from one generation to another. The family thus became central
to every person’s existence. It trained members from infancy, inspired by love, sacrifice, pride
of parental action.
Unlike in the West, where family does not function as a support mechanism, here it is a very
important part of our culture. The above also explains why the father is the head of the Indian
family. Another important characteristic of Vedic culture was lifelong unity of husband and
wife. This explains why divorce rate amongst Indian couples is lower as compared to the West.
In fact, a recent survey carried on in England confirms that divorce rate amongst Indians is the
lowest in that country.
Another socio-religious institution was Yagna, the ritual of sacrifice that brought men, their
ancestors and gods into intimate relationship. Behind the yagna was the spirit of sacrifice.
Every human is to offer his precious possessions (greed, fear, anger, hatred, and ego) to the
Cosmic Law releasing creative energy that can be used for productive purposes. If performed in
true spirit it was a means of bringing about the unity of gods and men to secure desired ends,
but was a means to secure lasting creation.
This could be one of the reasons why we Indians have this spirit of sacrifice, desire to give.
Over the years, this has begun to be perceived as a sign of weakness. In international
diplomacy, giving away something without getting anything in return is bad strategy. Chacha
Nehru led the way in his dealings with Pakistan and China and subsequent leaders including
Shri Vajpayee are unable to break away with his legacy.
The ordinances according to the yagna were prescribed by Rita, the Eternal Law, which upheld
the Cosmic Order. Rita was all pervading, omnipresent from whom creation sprang and by
which life was regulated. Everyone, Gods included had to conform to its ordinances. It was
independent of gods and men. The gods were its guardians, they were mighty because of it.
Rita was not merely the source of strength but also of beauty. Ushas the goddess of dawn was
beautiful because she was true to Rita. One could taste immortality only on the lofty heights of
Rita.
Satya was that aspect of Rita that gave conduct the power to yield desired results. It produced
results only when complete accord between thought, word and deed of an individual. When
men prayed to God, their blessings had to be satya ie true to expectations.
Tapas Yagna could be fruitful only if it is performed with the spirit of sacrifice or Tapas. This
meant offering of life through prayer to the gods in order to conform to Rita. Tapas is self-
discipline for attaining purity of mind and body. Scorning human comforts, it gives self control
to man. It transforms weaknesses into strength and inspiration. Sublimation of the ego releases
energy which can be used positively.
Therefore, the central idea underlying Indian culture is Rita, the cosmic order that is one and
indivisible, operating in spiritual and moral fields. It governs and regulates life and its
evolution. It is Divinity represented by a God. The manifestations of Rita have many aspects,
its fundamental values being Satya, Yajna, and Tapas.
It is a tribute to the Rishis of four thousand years ago who saw this Central Idea in all its
universality and through it sought to coordinate all values in life and shaped, vitalized
institutions, norms to fulfill it.
The Vedic Rishi and his Ashram
Rita was translated into life through social institutions, norms of conduct and discipline which
lifted the daily conduct into an act of Yajna. The ashram was the key institution where the
Vedas were learned and practiced. The Rishi lived with his pupils. He taught them the message
of the gods through mantras, how to worship them through sacrifice and inspire men to follow
the ordinances of Rita. Each ashram was a closely knit family and not like the modern,
impersonal schools of today. It rested on the collective support of the community who looked
up to it as a source of inspiration for life well lived.
In Vedic India, the Rishi was a not a priest. He was a teacher whose life was dedicated to the
Gods and Rita. The first step in translating Rita in life was through training in self-disciplined
behavior under an Acharya (a rishi of repute). He was a spiritual guide to the student. At an
early stage of consecration (diksha) a young person had to learn how to conform to the Rita
through vratas or pledges of disciplined behavior. Diksha stood for a life of discipline dedicated
to prayers, to learning and teaching. When an Arya was consecrated he became a Brahmachari.
In succeeding ages our culture maintained its vitality because it depended on this class of
dedicated, self-disciplined students for its creative vigor. A culture flourishes only when its
educational system imparts a sense of mission to the youth and trains them to lead a disciplined
life. If the new generation grows up in self-indulgence, then the system fails to capture the
values of the culture. Consequently, decay follows bringing with it social, moral, cultural
disintegration.
The above para explains two things. Why has the Indian civilization survived inspite of many
foreign invasions that attempted to destroy the Indian way of life? The rishis and students
passed on the knowledge of Rita from generation to generation. Since they were spread through
out the country, even if an invader destroyed 25 ashrams there were thousand others that
survived.
Secondly, what is the reason for the current decay in our society? It is to do with the failure of
the current educational system. I am not authority on education but do feel the mass based
education of today has failed to deliver. It is bookish, impersonal, continuously harps on
acquisition of material objects, does not teach us how to handle life and ignores personality
development. Instead of reading about Indian books, we study European literature in
Shakespeare and Macbeth. This has made a substantial part of the urban population ignorant
about Indian culture. As a recent issue of The Outlook has pointed out, a number of urban
Indians between 20-30 years are using religion / spirituality as a tool to cope with Stress.
Today, some of us turn spiritual after we cross fifty. Are we getting the maximum benefit out of
doing so? The answer is No. After having lived most of our lives in ignorance and suffered
there from, we turn spiritual. Having realized the benefits of spirituality, some of us might be
tempted to ask ourselves, Had I done this thirty years ago would I have lived life differently?
Brahmacharya was during the period of training only. Marriage, children was part of the
tradition. The student of a Rishi, dedicated to Rita was looked up to as a leader and was to play
the role of a dominant minority in society providing insight, judgment to translate values into
life.
The highest function which the Rishi had to perform was to compose, preserve and transmit the
sacred hyms. The divinity of the Vedas became one of the fundamental values of Vedic culture.
In a sense it was a unifying factor and a source of perennial inspiration. Chanting of the Vedas
was not the exclusive privilege of the Brahmins.
The Rishis extended their sphere of influence through out India. In the process Aryan traditions
mixed with Dravidian, tribal traditions to become a single culture. Aryan culture started moving
South/Westwards. One of the rishis Agastya is credited with being the father of Tamil grammar
and poetry (so much for the Aryan-Dravidian divide). The Namboodiri Brahmans of Kerala
claim descent from Parashurama.
There were a number of wars between the Aryans themselves and with the Dravidians like the
Battle of Ten Kings. Such protracted wars appear to have ended the Vedic period.
Aryo-Dravidian Synthesis
The post Vedic period saw the river Saraswati dry up with the centre of Aryan power shifting to
the banks of the Ganga. This period (i.e. around 1200 b.c. to 700 b.c.) saw the synthesis of
Aryan, Dravidian cultures. Modern day Hinduism is a product of these two cultures. The fusion
took place in North India.
The Aryans were virile and aggressive but their material culture was not advanced as the
Dravidians. They readily adopted the good things. Marriages between aryans, dravidians,
asuras and nagas were common. The rishis kept on spreading Aryan values, culture,
institutions, traditions amongst all developing in them a sense of unity, continuity and a
collective action in social and cultural spheres.
Social groups who did not wholly conform to the Aryan way of life were called the Shudras.
The belief that Shudras were wedded to social inferiority is a myth. Untouchability as we know
in recent ages was unknown during this period. The four castes was not a rigid hereditary
institution as is today. Many of the Mahabharata heroes had mixed parentage. Krishna
attributed caste to qualities and action of men and not by birth.
With the end of the Vedic age, the mantras were invested as divinity. Thus the Vedas became
the source of inspiration and direction for future generations. The other institution that can be
traced to Veda Vyas is the Tirth Cult, the magnetic force that attracts people from Kerala or
Kashmir to have a dip in the holy Ganga. The concept of having a holy dip was a tradition that
carried on from generation to generation and served as a great unifying factor amongst all
Indians. To Vyasa we also owe the Mahabharata. There might not be an Indian child who has
not heard of this epic. The T.V. serial only increased its popularity. A number of children who
were born between 1988 and 1990 were named Karan. In a sense the serial reminded us of our
glorious tradition, culture, and became a unifying factor, a sense of triumph as Munshiji put it.
The Bharata war happened around 1200 b.c. The battle of Kurushetra lasted for eighteen days.
The epic has left two lasting memories on the Indian pshcye. Vyasa the learned seer, the savior
of the Vedas and Krishna the warrior and statesmen. One taught Dharma and the other upheld
it.
Now let’s look at Aryan Dravidian syntheses
The Dravidian society was patriarchal like the Dravidian one. Polygamy was accepted as
against monogamy favored by the Aryans. Shiva the Dravidian god was known to the Harappan
culture was first identified with Vedic Rudra. Vedic gods Indra, Varuna, Agni, and Surya took
a subordinate place. Ma, the mother goddess of the early Mediterranean people became the
consort of Shiva assuming the name of Parvati in the process. On the other the Vedic god
Vishnu became popular and shared with Shiva the leadership of the Pantheon.
The Vedic homa got replaced with Dravidian puja, the offering of leaves, flowers to gods.
Spirit of tolerance and non-violence were new values that evolved that as a result of the impact
and the tapas (explained above). The post Vedic period gave a new shape to Rita, Satya, Yajna
and Tapas.
First, the Cosmic Order, Rita, had a new form ie the Supreme- Ishawara or Brahman, pervading
and moving all that and as Reality standing above all that is and that is not. In simple language
it means, from believing that the cosmic order was the mother of all creation, we started
believing that there was a Supreme ie God who was responsible for all that is and that is not.
Secondly, the cosmic order in one of its aspects is the Law of Evolution. By it the supreme self
passes on from lower things to higher things till he reaches realization ie man’s attaining
conscious oneness with it. In human beings it works through three important laws i.e. law of
karma, law of moral causation and yoga.
According to the Law of Karma, the atman or soul passes from birth to birth on its way to
realization. The Law of Causation is an elaboration of the yagna (one of the Aryan socio-
religious institutions) aspect of Rita. Through it is possible for man to reduce the number of
times he is reborn by offering up his ego and by taking vows of non-violence, truth, non-
possession amongst others.
Thirdly, is Yoga, the elaboration of the Tapas aspect from Rita through intensely pursued self-
discipline?
Man is a divine essence with supra physical destiny which he can realize through truth and self-
discipline. Self-realization implies two inter-dependant processes, one is surrender of ego and
the individual self is broadened into a universal self.
When we exercise self-control over our minds and body, energy that would otherwise have
been spent unproductively gets released and brings the individual in touch with the beauty
aspect of the absolute , when is takes the shape of love, bhakti. Faith in this spiritual power
generated by this love energy became one of the fundamental values of Indian culture.
The Absolute descends on earth in human form as an avatar; an aspirant by complete surrender
of ego through love can attain him. In the post – Vedic period, this faith appears to have grown.
Thus at some point Naranya (sage), Vasudeva and Vishnu became Hari, the Supreme Lord. In
ch 11 of the Gita, Arjuna sees in Krishna a god of gods, the protector of dharma, the presiding
deity of the cosmic order etc. At the same time he sees in Krishna, Vasudeva who has taken
birth to re-establish dharma. He is the love aspect of God in whom one can live only through
single minded devotion.
In this way, the realization of the beauty aspect of the Cosmic Order through Love became one
of the fundamental values of Indian culture. Now I understand why my temple pandit says,
devotion to and faith in God are very important if you want to be close to him. In order that
these values revolving around the Central Idea be translated into Life, a whole superstructure of
traditions, norms of conduct was reared. Social, economic, life was so molded in a manner to
find fulfillment by living up to the Central Idea.
This chapter is important for all those politicians and individuals who have created the Aryan
and Dravidian divide. Surely, they fought wars but the product of that synthesis is what modern
day Hinduism is all about. Some western scholars have tried to compare Islamic, Christian
invasions with the Aryan invasion if any. These invasions destroyed our culture and civilization
while the aryan-dravidian helped both the cultures blossom and grow. If there was animosity
why is Lord Shiva worshipped in Kashmir and Lord Vishnu at Tirupati. These are just of a few
of the examples that show how Aryan Dravidian cultures influenced one another.
There was racial fusion between Aryans and non-Aryans. Veda Vyas was the son of a fisher
girl. Balarama, Krishna’s brother married the daughter of Kakudmin, who belonged to a race
from Saurashtra that existed long before the Aryans came.
Importantly, the chapter explains the new shape of Rita, the cosmic order into Supreme Lord,
the Law of Karma and Causation, Yoga, how did Faith become a fundamental value of Indian
culture and the concept of Avatars.
The Concept of Dharma
During the period of the aryo-dravidian synthesis (1200 to 700 b.c) the fundamental values of
the Vedic System became fused, got translated into the concept of Dharma, on which the
structure of the Indian culture was built.
The concept did not emerge from a single seer but was the product of creative thinking of
generations of dedicated men who presided over ashrams. The aim of the rishis, disciples living
in the ashrams was to live according to Rita as preached by the Vedic ages.
India was then a continent of heterogeneous tribes. The ashram was faced with two problems in
the aim of aryanising all. First, was how to bring about some cohesion between the tribes to
bring in them a collective consciousness? Second, was to create a social structure that would
encourage people to sink their differences and live up to the fundamental values of Dharma.
The inmates of the ashrams who underwent this discipline were called Brahmins. They were
bound by their devotion to the Vedas. As the movement radiating from the ashrams grew in
strength, norms of conduct, social institutions, and a way of life evolved with the intent of
facilitating the pursuit of Dharma.
The Vedic culture had as its central idea, Rita, the cosmic order which operated in moral,
spiritual and social planes. From it flows Satya- accord between thought, word, deed that could
translate Rita in life, Yagna – complete dedication of one cherished things to Higher powers to
fulfill Rita, Tapas - is exercising control over body and mind. The Highest Good was to
conform to Rita by pursuit of Satya, Yagna and Tapas.
With the progress of time the three concepts listed above were accepted as parts of Dharma.
The human being who wants to live a truthful life has to develop a spirit of dedication (yagna)
and self-control (tapas). The man who wants to lead a dedicated life cannot do so without
developing truth (satya) and self-control. And so on. That is how each value came to embrace
the contents of all three.
Tapas in its original sense signified self-control but came to comprise truth and non-violence.
The spirit of a non-violent India has originated from this concept. India has never invaded any
other country in its 7,000 yrs plus history. The spirit of Bhakti originated from Tapas. When a
human being exercises self-control over his mind and body, there is a conservation of energy.
When this energy gathers strength it releases love energy.
So Dharma came to symbolize steadfastness, self-mastery, control of sense and anger, absence
of malign and hate charity, learning truth, non-violence, and bhakti.
In its primary sense, Dharma was the Cosmic Order which upheld the whole creation. In its
secondary sense, Dharma meant pursuit of the Highest Good by living in conformity with the
Cosmic Order. Dharma believed that man was not the creature of environments but a meeting
point of hereditary, environmental, moral and spiritual forces operating through a series of
lives. By pursuing Dharma, he could alter the course of his future and current lives.
The Law of Moral Causation, an aspect of the Cosmic Order is universal for eg if truth is
realized lasting achievements will follow ( ie short cuts to success or achieving it by unfair
means is not a passport to long-term success ), if sexual waste is controlled vigor will follow, if
non-violence is realized love will follow and so on.
Another aspect of the Cosmic Order is the Law of Karma which governs the journey of a mans
soul from one life to another. It is not fatalism. By internal change and action a human being
can change his conditions. According to this law, when we are born we bring with us
associations of actions of our previous birth. So also, actions our current birth would affect our
lives in the next birth. Its only acts that are inspired by desires attract consequences. If our acts
are not inspired so, they attract no consequences. The chain of cause and effect is thus broken,
the personality is integrated and the soul finds self-realization.
Let me tell you a short story on how the fatalism, destiny has been accepted blindly by the
weak and ignorant. Devi Lal, a haryana farmer (no offense meant) was told by God that he
would live till the age of eighty. At the age of forty his village got flooded as the Yamuna river
was overflowing. The village had to be evacuated. On days one, two and three the people of the
rescue boat asked Devi Lal to accompany them but he refused on the premise that there was no
way he could die since God had promised him a life of eighty. Due to heavy rains he was
forced to move to the higher floors of his house at the end of each day. On day four, there was
no higher floor for him to go, so he drowned and died. When he reached heaven, he asked God
why he died when he was promised a life of eighty. God said, you fool, I sent three boats to
rescue you but you refused to take them. Surely I could not come down and rescue you.
What this proves that unless a man uses his own intellect, his condition cannot improve.
Manava Dharma
The way of life dominated by Dharma, shortly referred to as Manava Dharma had definite
spiritual aims and purposes, are believed to be framed by Manu, held in great veneration by
many.
Manu Smriti has been the source of inspiration of the later dharma shashtras composed during
the last two thousand years. It has provided a framework within which numerous tribes have,
over the centuries led a cohesive life without losing their autonomy. It has given our society
social and religious life, continuity and vitality enabling most Indians to survive the catastrophe
that foreign invasions brought along. My mind goes back to what Allana Iqbal had to say
“There is something about the entity of our civilization that has defied destruction despite
persistent onslaught by its enemies over centuries.”
The basic concept of Manava Dharma is that if Dharma is pursued earnestly by an individual, it
influences his present and future lives but social and material enviorments as well.
According to Manava Dharma, women as wives and mothers have a respected place as
guardians of the family, the norms of conduct on which the unity and stability of the family
rests. Their role is very important as their fall from grace is a precursor to social chaos and
cultural decadence. It is they, who, in most cases hold the family together, listen to the
outbursts of other members in silence, love their children without expecting anything in return.
I cannot imagine home without mom and so would millions of us. Women are in no way
inferior to men. Having said that, God has blessed with them with certain functions, traits and
capabilities that are applicable to them only. That cannot be changed. Moksha is open to them
as it is to men.
Leadership of the Dedicated Class
Caste System: origins and reasons
In order to reach the Highest Good, the leadership of society had to be a disciplined one. Life
had to be dedicated to the studying and the teaching of the Vedas without any lust for wealth or
power. Such was to be the life of the Brahmin. He was to dedicate his life to society, dharma.
He was respected for his knowledge, spirit of sacrifice, character. A Brahman who did not meet
these qualifications was looked down upon. While he was not subject to an extreme penalty he
lived a life that was worse than others. He was shunned, ex-communicated. It’s like a sick man
who does not die as compared to another who dies and does not have to go through the pain
associated with sickness.
Modern World has been swearing by Equality of Man.
The hard reality that different people are blessed with different intellects, temperaments, men
are not equal. Division of society into groups based on common vocation, interest is common.
Recognizing difference in temperaments, those possessing aspirations were Brahmins, those
possessing energy with the urge to purify were Kshatriyas, those possessing energy without
aspirations were Vaishyas and those possesing inertia were Shudras. The Kshatriyas and
Vaishyas received education in the Brahman’s house but could not do the duties allotted to
Brahmans. A Kshatriya was the protector and the upholder of Dharma. The Vaishya was the
producer and distributor of wealth. A Shudra could serve the Brahman, follow arts and crafts,
enter the army and when in distress follow the vocation of Vaishya. He could not study the
Vedas but could study the Puranas, Epics.
Thus a place was accorded in society to each group according to the duties and functions that it
could perform best. If the west truly believed in the equality of man, what was the need for
Martin Luther King? Inspite of material prosperity, there is racial discrimination in Germany;
the Blacks of America are poor.
The Dalits of today are critical of Manu Smriti, the caste system etc. While I empathize with
their plight and the problems faced by them what prevents them from studying, working harder
(not that do not), and facing up to life to improve their conditions. Do they not see that there are
poor people belonging to the other three castes? Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra,
Manohar Joshi is believed to have come to Mumbai virtually penniless. While some of you
may questions the means, none can deny the hard work that has gone into making him a
prosperous businessmen today. If a member of the backward caste can become a distinguished
member of the country’s foreign service and be its President, cannot others attempt to reach
half way? Are not problems faced by all of us? Are they unique to my dalit brothers? Also read
‘Rediscovering India’ section Dharampal.
When two children of the same parents can have different intellects so also can people of the
same country.
To understand the social philosophy we must try and remove certain ideas that we have been
ingrained into our minds. Manava Dharma ruled out a competitive society because such a
society has a tendency to stimulate egotism, greed, and untruth. On the other hand, by
following the competitive model, there is no equality either. Employment is uncertain and
worry, frustration engulfs you. Insecurity, frustration, tension, heart-attacks, blood-pressure
follow. In a competitive society, the strong will prosper while the poor will be pushed towards
the wall, their minds filled with envy and hatred. Some sociologists believe that the riots in
India are a result of the class conflict between the have be and have nots.
Some of you might argue, that if there is no competition, how do, we decide admission into
medical colleges, employees get increments, we bring out the best in individuals. Competition
is a part of modern society but it is our approach to it that determines our state of mind. If we
were to enter an examination hall worried about how tough the paper would be or start
worrying about the results after appearing we are bound to get stressed. On the other hand if
our approach were to be study hard, give it our best short and leave the rest for the future to
decide we would be much happier.

Manav Dharma takes into account the biological fact that every person is likely to inherit the
traits and aptitudes of his parents. Family association would make more easily available for the
child to uphold family traditions and value. Working with a community spirit leads to greater
degree of cooperation. If one’s duties are clearly laid down the scope for greed, self-indulgence,
a life of egotism is reduced.
Some of you might argue that how system would work in a globalised economy and in mega
corporations like General Electric, Unilever. We must realize that the Manu Smiriti was written
thousand of years of ago. What was relevant then might not be wholly relevant today. But the
concept of joint effort, cooperation, different traits in human beings are as relevant today as
they were thousands of years ago.
Summary
Creation is the outcome of the Cosmic Order. Rita or Dharma upholds and governs all that is. It
operates on all planes, material, ethical, spiritual.
One can live in conformity with th

Position of Women in India compared to other nations

we can approach this topic in many ways

1.reg.societial status now day’s women are given equal status.

2.but from the point of safety its a?

Please friends give some opinions to start with.b's it’s a very good topic that needs immediate
attention.

• Though women are given reservations in many sectors, but we lack in providing safety
measures to women when compared with other countries. The attitude towards women
must be changed. Severe punishment must be given to culprits who indulge in crimes.
This is the main point where we lack when compared with other nations. In Arab
countries if any person commits heinous crime like rape, he is given capital punishment
or severe punishment is given depending upon the crime he has done. In India, we don’t
have any such law. Recently her driver, but what punishment was given to the culprit
murdered a call center women employee????? Either fine will be charged or he will be
put in jail for 3-4 months. Will this fine be the correct punishment for the culprit??? The
law must be changed; punishment must be made severe, so that no other person even
thinks of committing such crimes against women
• The position of woman in India compared to other countries is poor. In some villages
they are considering woman as a kitchen bee. This type of attitude has to be changed.
But compared to the early days, these days’ women are coming out freely and
participating in every field. This is a good sign. Also, as our friend sruya said the law
has to be changed is exactly correct. If the law was changed then these crimes will
reduces.
• If we take the case of Dowry System women r made to suffer a lot in India compared to
other countries. We see daily in the newspapers women setting themselves ablaze bcoz
of this. They r tortured by their husbands and in laws fr getting more and more from
their parents the women should suffer like this. Govt should take necessary measures to
stop Dowry system in our country to prevent the women committing suicides.
• The position of women in India is not good as compared to other nations. They were not
given equal rights as compared to men. Even to get 33% reservation in parliament they
have to struggle a lot. Many women especially illiterate were treated very badly by their
husband.

• we should not forget the positive there always a two face of a coin, yes we still praise
women like GOD we should not forget the famous Hindi quote "YATRA NARINTHE
PUGYENTHE, RAMANTHE THAATRA DEVATHA”. Still in INDIA a women as
her one position that can’t be described she is a mother, wife, sister and daughter.
Frankly telling about the MURDERER of the call center girl the case is till going and
the result very justifying, there are a lot of example of the same scenario...

Position of women now in India is drastically changing.

Women are growing out to be more independent and confident. And they hold an
august post in every field competing with men. Also equally treated. But in some parts of India
due to ignorance we can find the women who illiterate and treated very badly. And I hope this
will also change after some years.

Women in earlier days were also equally intelligent but due to social problems in our
country they were not allowed to see the world in their prospective.

Anywhere in the world women are exploited sexually not only in India. But the punishment,
which we give to the culprit, differs. What one of our friend said is justified?

If you believe are not ours is a sexist nation.

 And the social injustice, which was sowed by our ancestors even, reaps into fruits now.

Even this generation men think in the same way as our ancestors.

First the minds of men should be changed who are male chauvinists.

And women should be provided with utmost safety and security by the govt.

It is not necessary to treat women as goddess but just treat them as fellow human beings if your
soul is filled with humility.

However the scenario is improving a lot now adays.every individual began to think
rationally and behave rationally.

Hope this will improve more and more.

• The position of women in India is in remarkable position, nowadays women’s have

entered in all fields and giving a tough competition to men’s (applicable to certain
position, fields, states only). The most painful accept is that, the political parties are not
supporting to pass the law of 33% allocation to women’s in all fields, until its
recognized by everybody its not possible to achieve the position. But still the women’s
have to pass a long way to achieve their freedom similar to other foreign countries.

It really an odd topic Position of the women in India compared to other nation. Women in India
is really in full fledge they are given Equal rights as men. I don't any weather women in other
nation are Driving Auto's but in India Women are driving Auto, Bus etc.

Its Really a good Change compared to Past 1950's

The best EXAMPLE for the Position of the Women in India is Miss Sonia Gandhi, Jayalitha
etc.,

Women Position in India is Really Remarkable, exciting Wonderful.

India is developing country so don’t compare with developed country in the last 10 years you
see Indian women are rapidly developed in all the flied even though in 33%. Especially in
education always good compare the previous year result. In India all the departments like
politics, sports, education, the entire field 50 of women is there. So my point of view Indian
woman better compare then other countries.

But some drawback is there like Dowry System... but in two or three years it is also
negated.

• In older days the position of Indian women were very poor. But now it has changed.
Women’s are developing everyday. It helps in India's growth in all the fields. But still
the position of women in village side is very poor. This has to be changed. Then only
India will grow more. There is no safety to women in India. Proper laws must come to
give proper safety to women.
We surely agree with all others points stated, but as a women its not the only responsibility of
govt but we the women are most responsible for showing what we are, as the time changes,
people also changes and so the mind of them.

What I want to say is that we should take the initiative and start working. If we see the
other side, some person gives women the great pleasure but only due to few person we cant
blame the whole country. Our country knows the difference between women and men but does
the other country people knows it much clearly.

As God made two type of persons, both are given different post, we should maintain that
and don’t try to change basic. Does giving equal opportunity means that we women are given
priority? , No.

Our country can give numerous name of women like as said Soniya Gandhi, Jaya
Lalitha, P.T usha, Lata Mangeshwar, and so on...

In each and every field we have placed our status and now it up to women’s to maintain...

Position of Women in India compared to other nations

Position of women in INDIA keeps changing according to social status and her
attitude.iam very proud to be women in INDIA where she is treated with huge respect

PRACTICALLY SAYING there are few situations where she is treated as animal in some
situations (when found her alone) and praised as ANGEL (in group) ...but what she expects is
to treat as human not at top or not below...

Lets not confine it to saying but start treating them equal...

• The position of women in India is good. There is no any social fighters given this
position, except economical barriers faces by women in there daily life .so the olden
days are gone, now women’s equally challenges the men. No more days’ topics like this
going to be discussed. The key to this position is literacy and awareness of women is
good to face the challenges in the world compared to olden days.

Women’s now a day govt has given best chance to do any thing, any work she can do as men
so, now a days our women not in position to look backward always she is going forward and in
govt sector given preference to get chance in better jobs also.

So we can say that our women are not less then all other women’s country.

You are seeing Sania Mirza. You can take example of hers
Premarital sex right or wrong

Premarital Sex - Positives and Negatives

"Is it ok to have premarital sex?" That is a common question among teens and engaged couples.
Perhaps you are in a relationship that is progressing in that direction, but you're not sure what to
do. In your mind, you are probably weighing the pros and cons of premarital sex. On the
positive side of the scale, there is acceptance from your peers, hope for pleasure, and the
fulfillment of sexual desires. The negative side of the scale carries the weights of morals, fear
of pregnancy or disease, and guilt. How do these scales balance? What is the right decision?
Let's take a look at some of the facts.

Premarital Sex - Is it Moral?

Morality is a factor for many people when deciding whether or not to have premarital sex. Is it
a factor for you? After all, the messages we receive from most TV shows and movies these
days tells us "everyone is doing it." In light of today's permissive attitude, your peers may think
you're weird to even question it.

But maybe there is something inside you, like a voice in your head, that is making you
uncertain about whether or not sex before marriage is a right or wrong action. Many people
refer to this voice as their conscience. How can you know if your "conscience" is right? People
all around the world look to the Bible as a moral or religious book, so let's see what it says
about premarital sex.

The Bible refers to premarital sex as fornication. That's a word we don't hear much these days,
so what does it mean? Fornication is sexual intercourse between people who are not married to
each other. The only distinction the Bible makes between premarital sex and adultery is that
adultery involves married persons while fornication involves those who are unmarried.
Premarital sex is just as much of a sin as adultery and all other forms of sexual immorality.
They all involve having sexual relations with someone you are not married to.

The Bible explains, "…The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the
Lord for the body" (1 Corinthians 6:13). Verse 18 of this chapter goes on to say, "Flee from
sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually
sins against his own body." Galatians 5:19 speaks the same, "The acts of the sinful nature are
obvious: sexual immorality, impurity…" Ephesians 5:3 says it most plainly, "But among you
there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed,
because these are improper for God's holy people." From these verses, we see that the Bible
promotes complete and total abstinence from premarital sex.
Premarital Sex - Is it Safe Physically and Emotionally?
Another consideration when deciding about premarital sex is safety. Did you know that 50% of
the people who currently have HIV are between the ages of 15 and 24?1 Using a condom only
reduces the risk of contracting HIV by 85%. Condoms do not significantly reduce the risk of
contracting other sexually transmitted diseases.2 Take these statistics into consideration when
making your decision.

Most people don't consider the emotional effects of premarital sex. You see, sex is an
emotional experience and it affects our lives in ways we don't understand. After engaging in
premarital sex, many people express feelings of guilt, embarrassment, distrust, resentment, lack
of respect, tension, and so much more. As you read the next section, consider God's love for
you as a primary reason for sexual purity. God does not want you to experience unnecessary
emotional pain!

Premarital Sex - Recreation or Re-creation?

In discussing premarital sex, we often focus on the "recreation" aspect of it. Yes, sex is
pleasurable. God, our Creator, designed it that way. It may be hard to think of God creating sex,
but He did! In God's plan, sex was designed for married couples to enjoy the pleasure and
excitement of sexual relations. The Bible talks about this in Hebrews 13:4, "Marriage should be
honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the
sexually immoral." God created sex to be fun, exciting, and pleasurable. At the same time,
though, it is clear in the Bible that God restricts sexual activity to married couples.

Why is this? Yes, sex is pleasurable, but in God's view, the primary purpose of sex is not
recreation, but rather re-creation. In other words, sex is for reproduction. God does not limit sex
to married couples to rob pleasure from those who are unmarried. Rather, God commands
against premarital sex in order to protect unmarried people from unwanted pregnancies, from
children born to parents who do not want them, and to protect children from parents who are
not prepared for them. Imagine, for a moment, a world without premarital sex. There would be
no sexually-transmitted diseases, there would be no un-wed mothers, there would be no
unwanted pregnancies, there would be no abortions, etc. According to the Bible, abstinence is
God's only policy when it comes to premarital sex. Abstinence saves lives, protects babies,
gives sexual relations the proper value, and most importantly abstinence honors God.

Premarital Sex - Conclusion

Premarital sex has no moral grounds, it is against God, and it is unsafe physically and
emotionally. Although sex is pleasurable, it is designed by God to be enjoyed by two married
people.

Premarital Sex - Where Should We Draw the Line?

A frequent question in relation to premarital sex is, "If we can't have sex, how far can we go?"
A better question would be "How far should we go?" God's Word does not give us a detailed
"list" of things a couple should or shouldn't do before they are married. Some use this as an
excuse to "push the envelope" as close to premarital sex as possible. However, just because the
Bible does not directly address what a couple should or shouldn't do, that does not give us
license to do everything up to the borderline of premarital sex. By essence, "foreplay" is
designed to be "before sex" and to get a couple ready for sex. Logically then, all forms of
"foreplay" should be restricted to couples who are married. Anything that could be considered
"foreplay" should be avoided until marriage.

So, if sexual activity and all forms of foreplay should be restricted to married couples, what can
a pre-married couple do? This is to some degree up to the couple and their own relationship
with God. It is generally recommended that a couple not go past holding hands, hugging, and
light kissing before marriage. The more a married couple has to share exclusively between
themselves, the more special and unique the sexual relationship becomes.

Premarital Sex - What If It is Already Too Late?

If you have already engaged in premarital sex, you should make a commitment with God, your
boyfriend/girlfriend, and yourself to remain sexually pure from this point on until marriage.
Ask God for help and strength to remain sexually pure until marriage. God will provide the
strength (Philippians 4:13) and grace to overcome the temptation to have sex, as long as you are
willing and careful not to put yourself in a place of temptation. Remember the Lord's Prayer:
"Lead us not into temptation?" That does not mean He will deliver us from the consequences of
our own bad choices. If you fall to temptation, it is not because God led you there.

1 Corinthians 10:13 declares, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.
And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you
are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." It is possible to
fight temptation.

Also, it is important to remember that God can and does forgive the sin of premarital sex. When
a person places his or her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, desiring to turn away from
the old life of sin, all sins are forgiven. That includes past, present, and future, big and small.
Jesus died to pay the penalty for all of our sins, including premarital sex. Once they are
forgiven, they are all forgiven. Colossians 1:13-14 says, "For he has rescued us from the
dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins." What we are to do is confess our sins. 1 John 1:9 says, "If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness."

Religion should not be mixed with politics

The very basic principles of politics and religions are different. According to encyclopedia
politics is defined as "is the process by which groups of people make decisions". It further
describes politics as

the institution "Consists of social relations involving authority or power and refers to the
regulation of a political unit, and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply
policy". Whereas religion is defined as "a set of tenets and practices, often centered upon
specific supernatural and moral claims about reality, the cosmos and human nature, and often
codified as prayer, ritual or religious laws. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural
traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious
experiences".

Politics looks after the well being, welfare and development of the humankind, irrespective of
believes, by virtue of the power entrusted to the political entity by the citizens or residents of a
country. Types and mode of the politics are restricted by the boundary of the country. Vision
and actions pf politics may differ from country to country. In contrast religions are not limited
by the boundary of the country. It strictly based believes and myths of a section of world
population. Religious groups are more focused on well fare, well being and development for
believers of certain religion. So there ares likelihoods that involvement of religious groups in
politics may lead to biased politics and there will be clash of interests.

There are differences of opinion in politics as to how the country should proceed with to deal
with crises and which policies should be good for futures. That is why a country may have
many political parties, but the common aim is the progress and development of the nation, ways
are different.
In religion the very beliefs and rituals are different. Some religious group might opt for a
certain day of weekly holidays for the rituals, which might clashwith other religions. Similarly
some religious group may like

to have a judicial system more on the guide line of the religion and very different. I ma not
trying to establish merit or demerits of the various religious beliefs, but the very differences
that may likely interfere with smooth core operation of the politics resulting from participation
of the religious groups.

Religious groups can still could participate in the welfare of the country by giving good
suggestions to the government without being actively involved in the politics.

INDIA IS all about cultural tolerance. It has survived and prospered, where other more
powerful countries have disappeared and disintegrated. The greatness of this country is that it
allows many different religions to co-exist. It’s a great religious confluence, where various
religions co-habit, just like the many rivers flowing in this country that lose their individual
identity and merge into one.
This greatness can be attributed to the fact that India, through thousand of years, has seen many
rulers. This country has seen Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and Christian rulers and yet it has
remained secular. Religious tolerance doesn’t come easily. India has never been a Hindu or a
Muslim state and it will never be one.
What happened in Gujarat, in February 2002, was shameful and it should have never happened.
With time, India moved ahead and the due process of law took over to see to it that the
perpetrators of the Gujarat carnage are brought before law.
But what has this particular sting operation achieved? They have not come out with anything so
incriminating that it can be termed as path breaking or one that can help the law in giving
justice. Neither have they fished out something that was unknown. Is not Babu Bajrangi a
known Hindu fundamentalist? His name already figures in the list of those who have taken an
active part in the riots. It has long being alleged that it was a state sponsored riot and if some
fundamentalist says that the state machinery was supporting the Hindu mobs than what does
that prove?
What this sting operation has done is only to freshen the wounds that the people of Gujarat
received in February 2002, which had begun to heal, to some extent.
Intelligence agencies have time and again said that the Islamic militant groups have regularly
used the Gujarat riots to breed terrorism in young susceptible minds. The lessons of Jihad that
are taught to the innocent minds draw their reference from what happened in Gujarat. Thanks to
this particular sting operation now every house has heard and seen what happened in Gujarat.
The Tehelka people approached every national channel for airing the tapes. Some of them
refused fearing the authenticity and the possible backlash the airing may generate, and some of
them refused because they were not able to pay the sum desired by Tehelka in exchange for
trading the tapes. Ultimately, it landed in the hands of the Aaj Tak, which aired it. Those who
have seen it will agree that the whole show was more of one-minute of footage and subsequent
discussions, followed by six-minute of advertisements. Aaj Tak thus got more than what it had
paid for the tapes and their TRPs (Television Rating Point) soared. As like in most cases
ultimately, it is all about money and the ‘national interest’ was put on the back burner.
These so called ‘guardians of democracy’ talks about media ethics that dwells on bringing the
truth out. But what about the delicate, religious secular environment of the country, one may
ask? Don’t they find anything unethical in that? Don’t they think that by airing such footages,
they are inciting the religious fundamentalists to destroy the secular fabric of the state?
They could have telecasted the whole thing without using the crude words and graphical
representations and narrations. But that would have meant missing out on the
‘sensationalisation’. Media is a very powerful tool and it can influence minds in no small
manner and this is what the people in this profession should keep in mind.
The election time has arrived and I strongly believe that the general elections should now be
called ‘religious elections’ because this is what the leaders have turned it into. Elections should
be contested on issues of development, but sadly even after 60 years of Independence, we have
not been able to stop ourselves from being influenced by religious and caste rhetoric. Religious
issues will never lead us anywhere though they may pull us back a few steps.
30 per cent of India’s population lives below poverty line; millions are dying from diseases like
malaria and AIDS; forest and natural resources are being depleted and corruption is eating into
our system. All these and many other countless issues have been festering for a long time and
yet we are still shackled by the same Hindu-Muslim debate.
Every politician has his/her own take on local, religious and other petty issues, but not even a
handful of them can independently decide as to how the nuclear deal is going to affect our
country. Most of them have no idea whether to say yes or no to the deal, except the Left. The
Left has decided to say no to the deal, but they themselves are confused on what grounds they
have decided to say so.
This country surely has some confused leaders running the show. Leaders, who have no belief
in themselves, leave alone the whole country having faith in them. But on second thought, if
India has managed to survive for so long then there is no reason why it won’t continue to do so
in the future…Hopefully!
Religion should not be mixed with the politics, religion is one thing which separates people into
some groups. mixing of religions into politics may help the politicians but it causes damage to
countries integrity, so religion should not be mixed with politics.

We all know from our past that whenever religion is mixed with politics it had result in
violence...or badly effected many communities..but in my opinion it can provide a good result
for e. g= if a south Indian politician made a lord shiva 's temple..or be a part of their festival..it
will improve integrity in India..

Politics is only for the purpose of administration of the country and religion is individual belief,
and politicians use this as a tool to get vote bank and finally use and throw once their work is
done, I personally feel that its the responsibility of the individual to know the fact that who is
using them and who is working for them and behave judiciously.

Religion should not be mixed with politics because it creates problem and this problem give
rise to terrorism.
We live in India and we all are Indian. we should not discriminate between ourselves by taking
religion in account.
We should be aware of a saying that "UNITED WE STAND AND DIVIDED WE FALL".

Religion is very sacred thing and it is being used as a source of violence by some political
elements of our country for their own benefit.
The literacy rate of our country is growing year by year but today also people of our country
are becoming fool on the name of religion. Mixing religion with politics leads to a great deal of
activities of violence, terror and aggression.
Today, people in spite of being educated give vote based on the religion of candidate and we
know this is wrong and this is mixing of politics and religion.

I strongly ex cogitate that religion should be mixed with politics (but never be used as an agent
to win elections) because religion (be it islam, hinduism, christianity or any other religion)is
obviously the foremost thing which calls upon us to respect as well as take care of all kinds of
values (and never mandates anyone to get indulged in any kind of violence) of the persons
living in a society, state or country.
But in India what we come across very often is that none of our leaders follow their religion, no
matter whichever religion do they belong to. i conclude, that followers of any particular
religion should always be accused of violence in lieu of religion, because anyone who
wholeheartedly imitates any religion will always want to do good to his people.

Retirement Age for Politicians

There should be a retirement age for the politician.60-65 is the good one for retirement.So that
the youth can also get a chance to explore their leadership qualities.

there should be limited age for politicians.because they can't have their patience and every thing
which they have before.politics means every thing with tense.so, I think it's better to give
retirement age of 60 to the politicians.

Many talented youth leaders miss the oppurtunity to represent us because of this No Retirement
Age clause for politicians. There must be some provision in our Constitution for retirement age
of politicians.

I would like to say there should be a retirement age for politicians. May be they have good
experience to handle certain situvations but it is noy good if they continue to be in a post for a
long time. They may get retire and give way for youth. In some uncertain situvations they may
guide the youth to handle the problem.

it is very benefit to the youth to enter into the politics if there must be the retirement age for the
old politicians. So that there may be a change in our corrupted politics. Along with this, the
inherit politics should be removed. Take an example of the Indian prime Ministers. At first
Jawaharlal Nehru,next his daughter Indira Gandhi, next Indira Gandhi's son Rajiv Gandhi, now
Rajiv's son Rahul Gandhi may be India's prime Minister. After few years, there should be
dynasty in our India, not democracy. So the inheritence in politics must be cleaned up.
Another main concept is, to put the retirement age for politicians. For example, RamVilas
paswan, LJP president has ellected as MP for 7 times consequently. So I would like to support
this issue because I want to be a politician

I genuinely feel that to give your best shot in any field you work. You need to be in good
health. We all are very much aware of the fact that with age our body also starts giving in to
loads of pressure and stress. As a result to work to your best of ability becomes difficult. To
avoid ineffective work in running our country, I feel that there should be an age limit for
politicians also. As we have an age of retirement for other government workers.

But I will also like to make a point here that experience also matters. Which the aged
politicians have in plenty. And it can be of help if they work as consultants to the younger
generation politicians. This will give them and opportunity to work as well as subject the young
politicians to the nuances of the political arena.
 Rules are Meant to be Broken
Rules are not meant to be broken. Some stupid rules should be. Some good rules shouldn
%u2019t be. School uniforms is so that rich and poor students can have the same status. Yes
some rules are meant to be broken%u2026just follow t one which are prominent like,but there
are ly few such.lot of rules are idiotic which dominate t mankind not letting them to safeguard n
survive themselves%u2026so break such kind of rules to advance our societly%u2026we
%u2019re in 21 century now%u2026we cannot be following child marriage,discrimination by
caste,community,money,power etc%u2026ly since our ancestors broke those rules we
%u2019re kind of surviving now%u2026so break t rules which are not necessary.

Rules meant completly broken this sentance is completely wrong because we apply rules only
keep regularity and good arrangement . When rules is broken ,they get punishment which
desire by authorized. We get to take some example.first:we drive vehicle and single is stop.

So we keep to stop our vehicle to signal. If we want to broke rules and we drive our vehicle
without stop our vehicle in single.so ,creating very territy accident. People also died by
acccident.we get loss or profit by broken single. Give me answer. So,rules become by authority
for just public so we obey this ruled.if we do not obey rules we have get lose.

When authority get rules for our authority more and more thinking and research about this rules
before apply this rules. Authority also think about this rules and after this rules apply in public
area. When rules become for broken. Our country don't need to keep police station and public
court.every people do murder any people anytime.

Thieves also steal any thing so he don't get punishment because rules become for broken. More
and more big company keep good time and some rules regulation, dress code. When we do job
in company and we don't obey this company rules so this company give suspend for this job.
So,we keep more rules and regularity keep good arrangement.

Well rules influence me a lot. The real thrill of life is because of the rules in it. well rules are
made by us (people) based on their experience so that unfavourable things dont happen.

If i were to sell my product to any company,& if the opposite person is not in proper time to his
office, how can it be done. can u imagine giving papers in say a set of 1 hr each day instead of
3 hrs in 1 day. We simply blame the system when our flight is delayed for some time. What if
we dont follow traffic rules? rules are a systematic way of living which should be followed for
the betterment of the society..

Rules are not built in a day! They are the outcome of many trail & errors in life. When we dare
to break it we must be ready to pay for it. The rules also depends on time. A rule in 1960's
might be apt for those days. Todays situation may not even have room for that rule. Rules must
be in hand with Time Situation and Fashion.

Well, all rules are not made to break.. As all have said above, rules resembles some sort of
standards that need to followed. Compulsory of uniforms in schools/colleges prevents the
discrimination between rich & poor students. Also traffic rules are very very necessary today in
order to avoid oftenly occurring accidents.

Rules made in colleges such as students should be present in the class before classes begin. I
don't find any fault in this. Entering to the classes after lecturing starts will cause disturbance to
both lecturer as well as students those sitting inside the class.If so it will not be called as a class
it will be just a market!!!

Some rules made in olden days related to cast, community, social events, which are
unnecessary needs to be violated!! In todays era i think all such meaningless rules have already
been removed.
If a student is late for 2 or 5 mins the lectures are not allowing he to enter the class. I cant agree
this rule bacause the person is reaching late is not only due his problem but also due to various
other factors. Most institutions are giving execuses to the students who are coming by the
institution's bus.

My question is that if an institution implement such a rule why they are giving excuses to these
categories only? If the student coming by institution's bus is late, they too are making
disturbances to lectures and other students... So when we implement a rule the authority should
not show any partiality in that.

Rules are Meant to be Broken, I completely disagree with this point. Rules are ethics,
guidelines and principles that are set by the higher authorities. Unless their are no rules in every
field like games, politics, educational societies their will be no progression.

Ya sometimes we break rules either for two reasons, either to achieve something or to take
revenge on somebody. When such things happen it is a serious disaster to the society. We are
showing a negative impact on the society and it definetely has the effect on the young guns
(youngsters) of our country.

So my friends we should set a moral so that the country can progress fruitfully in every
field.Yes this can happen only when we follow the ethics and never break tha rules and create
voilence.

If there are no rules and regulation in our life then there will be no discipline and where no
discipline is there will be no success no management of things, no good planning and no fear. I
mean all are interrelated with each others. Rules are another form of a systematic management.
All respect the army and which is discipline I mean rules.

We know if we cross the red light then will be punished. When we will not eat well we will be
ill. If you don't come office at right time as per the rule then you will have problem in your
official life. So when you go against the rule there is definitely problems. Sometimes people
think that he will be famoused by breaking the rules but it is totally their prediction.

In some cases rules are meant to be broken like college fines I never paid and these rules are
just made to be broken, we want to live a comfortable life so we forget some rules like to turn
off our vehicles during traffic lights, our speed limits in hilly areas etc .

Whereas, everyone obeys traffic rules because we love ourselves more than anyone else on this
earth, Everyone obeys rules meant in churches, temples , gurudwaras because it relates our faith
in religion.

rules are not to be broken. Each rule upkeep the some restrictions behind that has a good
features to our life. But some persons feel what are these rules and they feel restrictions to their
free life and enjoyment but that rules helps to their happiest future.

For example school uniform as said by priya that indicates each and every one are equal in the
school and it avoids poor,rich distinguishes and not only school uniform but also traffic
rules,law&order rules, avoid use of plastic bags and etc....

Science Is A Boon Or Bane

There is a drastic change in the lives we are leading today and that we had 10 years ago.
Science has changed the face of the world with great advancements being made in every field.
But we all know that everything has both pros and cons. The most suitable example that can be
quoted here is that of the traditional light bulbs.

These incandescent light bulbs, though helped the world coming out of darkness but they are
constantly destroying the environment.

After a lot of research, scientists came out with one good alternative option to these traditional
light bulbs. CFL( compact fluorescent light bulbs) are much more energy efficient and do not
have any negative effect on the environment like the traditional bulbs. But in spite of knowing
all the benefits of these CFL's, people are still not limiting the use of those harmful traditional
bulbs.

We all know that lighting plays a very important part in our lives. Around 15% of the total
electricity produced is used to provide sufficient light. And from this 15% a major part is
wasted as it is consumed by the inefficient incandescent bulbs. Since, today there is a great
usage of lighting fixtures everywhere, the increased use of incandescent bulbs is adding to
climatic destruction like global warming.

The major disadvantage of traditional light bulbs is that, they are not at all energy efficient
sources and are also effecting the eco system. In addition to that the light produced is too dim.
So, these reasons should be sufficient for anyone to limit their usage and help protect the
environment as finally we would be the sufferers.

According to a research, an incandescent bulb converts only 5% of the energy consumed into
light wasting the rest of it whereas a CFL, can almost produce the same amount of light as the
energy consumed so saving up to 80% of energy. So, it is clearly evident that CFL is a far
better option than the traditional bulbs.

CFL's apart from being energy efficient sources, live for a longer period than incandescent
bulbs. Their life is almost 8-10 times longer than the traditional bulbs. So, it is a cheaper option
as well.

Moreover, compact fluorescent light bulbs can illuminate your home in a much livelier way,
and yet be really low on power cost. Using a CFL lamp makes the ambiance much more radiant
in its own unique way, with the light being much more on the whiter side. It can work wonders
as accent lighting, with paintings and colored features coming out in their correct contrasts.

Gone is the age of steam. We are now in the age of hydrogen bombs and electricity. The most
fantastic dreams of H.G. Wells in his novel Dream have come true. Thus, in this space age,
where the wonders of science excel the wonders of nature, science affects our day-to-day life.
Science has surpassed the old miracles of mythology and yesterday's faith has proved to be
today's superstition in the crucibles of science.

Yet the problems is whether science is a boon or bane to society. Science is truth, truth is
beauty and beauty is god. Science nurtures intelligence but leaves the will and emotions
uncared for. It is said that knowledge comes but wisdom lingers. Science triumphs in
automating processes but now it reigns over man. Automation is the order of the day. The
spectre of war and destruction haunts the world and nobody is safe. Controlling scientific
knowledge with moral judgment may be a solution to this dilemma. Audiovisual appliances
annihilate times and distances. Science is the handmaid of modernity. But more valuable than
these concrete achievements is the spirit of science. Science means systematised knowledge. It
finds the causes of phenomena and works through observation and experiments. Science is the
torchbearer of civilisations.

Is science really a bane? It is said that science is a good servant but a bad master. As religion is
a matter of faith, science is a matter of fact. Modern warfare is destructive beyond the wildest
dreams of our unscientific predecessors. Machine guns, shells, submarines, the atom and
hydrogen bombs can destroy the world in the twinkling of an eye. Aeroplanes in war act as
engines of mass destruction. Not only in times of war but in times of peace also man lives in
the midst of disease. Though cures are being invented diseases are multiplying too. If the
former is in arithmetic progression, the latter is in geometric progression. That is why peace
lovers blame science as a curse.

It is said that mathematics makes men subtle and history makes men wise. Likewise, science
whets the human intellect. It supplements him with astute knowledge and adds to his comforts.
It should be refined by the philosophy of love, by a desire to tolerate others and then man will
be able to avert the evil effects that may follow from the misuse of science. An integrated
educational pattern, which makes the scientist aware of his social responsibilities may be the
panacea to the present pandemonium.
“Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.” These are the words
quoted by the famous scientist Albert Einstein.

Science is a boon and as well as a bane. It depends upon the person who uses it.

E = MC2. This was discovered by Peace loving Einstein and it leads to many wonderful and
useful discoveries, but it led to the discovery of Atom Bomb also which destroyed so many
lives even in the very early stage of its discovery itself. So I want to say that the science is a
boon and a bane, it depends upon how we use it, just like a simple example in our daily life that
a knife is useful to cut vegetables etc. and also can use to kill a human being. That is why I tell
you that it is in the hands of the user that makes science a blessing and a curse.

The emission of harmful green house gases and destructive activities like deforestation are
today happening under the name of science and development. These are the main causes of the
condition of our earth becoming worse day by day.

Read more in Physics

« How Electricity is Produce?Some Contributors in The Development of Electricity »

These activities are lead to many problems. Some of its ill effects are the rising temperature,
natural calamities, shortage of food, increase in diseases etc. But these could be prevented by
taking some simple measures like wise and judicious use of technology, eco-friendly fuels
could be used and many more steps could make this world a better place.

I just remember a story told by a priest in his homely. There is a type of game among children
that they catch a grass hopper and hold it in their closed fist and ask others that is it dead or
alive? If the opponent tells that it is dead, then that child opens his fist and set the creature free
to prove that it is not dead. But if the opponent says that it is alive, then they will grind the poor
creature to death to prove that it is dead.

When it was asked to the priest, he said “it is in the hands of you that it’s alive or dead.” Yes,
the player could kill it or save it. Just like this world is in our hands and it’s upon us to destroy
it or to save it. I say that think wise, act wise. Let us keep science as a boon
Should gambling in India be legalized?
Beyond the raging controversy over the finances and ownership of IPL teams, there are long-
standing murmurs of betting and match fixing in cricket. Betting is banned in India, but that has
not stopped people from indulging in it. Would it not make sense to legalize it? Prohibition
never stopped people from drinking — it just made some of the alcohol unsafe. In fact, what a
ban does is to drive such activity under ground, with criminal elements, terrorists and the drug
mafia all getting involved. Legalizing betting and other forms of gambling would minimize the
underworld's role by bringing this activity into the open. The government would also be able to
raise revenues through taxation. Some might say the social consequences of gambling -- stories
of men gambling away their family's savings -- make it not worth the risk. But if there are
regulations in place, this possibility too would be minimized. Should betting and gambling,
therefore, be made a legitimate, regulated tax-paying business?

On 26 January 1999, in an article Enlistment of human greed in this slot, Ashok Desai wrote
about the problems of lotteries, the risk that promises might not be upheld, and how such
gambling could become a normal part of our economy.

Should gambling be banned? For many years, of course, the answer to such questions was
simple: gambling was termed as immoral and banned. In recent times, with the greater
acceptance of liberal values in India, it's harder to support a moralistic ban. In any case, the
enforcement capacity against "illegal gambling" is quite miniscule.

I should point out here that I, for one, never gamble. All my training as an economist rebels
against the concept of entering into a contract where, on average, I stand to lose money. The
fact that I suffer uncertainty, in the bargain, adds insult to injury. Gambling is a class of
opportunities where the risk is positive and the return is negative -- it simply does not make
sense to me. Some economists view gambling as being a consumption good -- a person is
entertained by exposing small sums of money to such lotteries. I personally don't understand it.
I would only gamble as part of a project where the odds are somehow altered in my favour.
This is possible in blackjack (where a fast brain can calculate probabilities and win
systematically), and roulette (where computers hidden in shoes can be used to forecast where
the ball will stop). Those interested in this line of thought should look at a fascinating book The
eudaemonic pie by Thomas Bass.

How should gambling work? In a world where gambling was morally wrong and illegal, there
could be no question about regulation and contract enforcement. But if we are to view the sale
of lottery tickets as a legitimate business proposition, then we have to start evaluating the rules
of the game, and their legal enforcement.

How is a customer to be certain that the winning number in a lottery is drawn fairly, that the
lottery--provider is not choosing a number of a co--conspirator? How is a customer to know
that the odds on a roulette wheel are truly symmetric? The question of fairness is particularly
present with lottery tickets. The lottery provider promises a fixed prize (e.g. Rs.1 million) in a
state of ignorance of how many tickets will be sold. If the revenue from the sale of tickets is
smaller than the promised prize, what is the machinery through which the promises will be
upheld? There could be a "capital adequacy" question here, to ensure that the agency has funds
to back the lottery before it embarks on making promises about the prizes that could follow.

In order to obtain a well-functioning market economy, we need to address these questions. This
is regardless of whatever moralistic overtones might be present about gambling. We should
focus upon contracts and their enforcement.

An analogy might perhaps be made with the stock market. Many people and firms like to go up
to the stock market and buy ITC in the hope that it will go up. Unlike the "small amounts of
money" which are applied into roulette or blackjack, the sums of money involved, when UTI
thinks that ITC will go up in the future, are massive. Whether or not this activity is considered
"good" or "right" at a moral level, it is the right of citizens in a free country to do what they like
with their own money.

Fairness in the "rules of the game", here, is about a host of problems. The user of the market
has no right to expect that the stock will go up. But he has a right to not be cheated on the price
that the broker gives him. He has a right to be able to buy brokerage services from a market
which is not a club of brokers. He has a right to demand that prices on the exchange are not
rigged. He has to right to expect that the conversion of money into securities or vice versa
should take place flawlessly, on a reliable time-schedule. If a share truly goes down from 100
to 90, then the ideal market is one in which he loses Rs.10 - and nothing else.

As of 1994, none of these "rights" existed in India. Hence, policy makers in India created SEBI
and NSE. This proved to be one of the most successful interventions in the history of the Indian
economy, and enormous progress has been made in solving these problems. Proceeding by
analogy, does this mean that we now need a Gambling and Betting Board of India, which keeps
tabs upon the entire gambling industry, and a public sector National Gambling Corporation
which offers best-of-the-breed gambling services?

In my opinion, this would be an inappropriate set of initiatives, for two reasons:

• The first is the enormous complexity of building a framework for regulation and
enforcement. In the area of stock exchanges, there are just a few exchanges, and a finite
set of points at which the entire securities industry can be monitored. This is especially
the case if fewer off-exchange trades take place, so that the trading, clearing and
settlement processes are focussed at an exchange, a clearing corporation and a
depository, where they can be monitored. In contrast, gambling takes place everywhere,
just like trading on distributed dealer markets. An enormous and expensive police force
would be required to deal with this. If a large-scale intrusion into the economy of this
scale works improperly, it could lead to harassment and extortion. Avoiding such
abuses would require high quality human inputs, mindshare amongst policy-makers,
and political will.
• This leads to a few concerns. Is this an appropriate expenditure of our scarce regulatory
capacity? What would a healthy gambling industry buy India's economy? In the stock
market, the valuation of securities by the market and the liquidity that the market
provides are central to the functioning of modern capitalism. In contrast, gambling is a
peripheral source of entertainment which is about as important as cricket or football. In
this case, it is hard to justify expending our scarce regulatory capacity on these
problems.

Hence, the appropriate platform that we should adopt towards gambling is that (a) it should be
perfectly legal and unregulated, (b) a complaint by a citizen about fraud in gambling should be
viewed exactly like any other violation of contract, generating investigation and enforcement.
Once gambling is legal, private information providers would publish data for the expected
payoffs associated with alternative gambling providers, thus informing citizens about which
could be preferable. The development of brandnames would work as a vehicle for people to
identify sound providers of gambling as opposed to scamsters. However, this market deepening
would not come about if gambling were simply banned.

should sonia gandhi be made the pm

As the election campaign is drawing to its close (April-May 2004) the issue of Sonia Gandhi
being suitable or not for Prime Minsitership due to her
being a foreigner are coming to fore once again. Here one is not talking of her suitability for
holding the top position in Indian administration but is
restricting to the point whether Indian Citizens, whose place of birth does not happen to be in
India are eligible for such a post or not? Needless to say
this issue is being raked up since Sonia Gandhi first joined the Congress and has been
contender for the top job in the country. Needless to say this also reflects the bankruptcy of the
electoral campaign in a country, which is riddled with infinite problems for the poor masses
irrespective of its being shining for a
miniscule section of the society. It also hides the fact that those raising it can twist the logic the
other way around when it suits their own electoral needs.

The latest argument being put forward is that giving the sensitive posts to such people may be a
security risk. In between the same argument has been extended to other posts apart from the
one of Prime minister. In between the argument was also put forward that the children of such
citizens also are not eligible for the top jobs. For those raising this issue, it is not much of their
concern as to what does constitution says on this. It is not of much concern here that people
have accepted whole-heartedly, such people through the electoral system. Lately, Amma
(Jayalalitha) has come forward to ask that is there not a single Indian capable for such a post,
that we have to look at a foreigner to lead the country? It must be pointed out that two words
are used
interchangeably here, the word foreigner and the word person of foreign origin.

Talking of Sonia Gandhi, she has been the main target of such snipes. Initially it was also said
that the work of conversion being carried on is also drawing
support from her. Her connections with Italy are ridiculed by posing the alternative between
Ram Rajya and Rome Rajya. The mudslinging has no end and bucket full of muck can be
located on this issue. How does a country decide this point in a globalising world?

One recalls that there is a great joy and celebration whenever we hear about the person of
Indian origin holding top jobs in other countries. There are small countries where the people of
Indian origin are and have been holding the top job. Bobby Jindal's surge for the medium level
job was a matter of three or four
cheers in Indian media and psyche. While talking about the people who were born in other parts
of the world but adopted this country for their major commitment one recalls the likes of
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Annie Beasant and Mother Teresa to be the shining examples in
this category. Even the worst of communalist would not have objected to Maulana Azad
holding the post of Indian National Congress or than becoming the education minister just
because he was not born in this part of the land.

Where does one draw the cut off date? A person of Indian origin in the proper sense of the
word is the current dictator of Pakistan, and had been the most hated name just prior to the
cricket series. A person of Pakistani origin happens to hold the post of Deputy Prime minister
in India currently.

Today there are some countries where their constitution says that only person who has been
born in that country can be Prime minister or President. There are also countries where such a
norm does not prevail. Our constitution does not hold any prescription about he place of birth
of the citizen. Citizenship is the criterion for holding the top posts. To begin with those saying
that being born in this land is a must, are saying something, which violates the Indian
constitution. Any way the people of Sangh combine, who began it all, have no respect for this
constitution, as this constitution has emerged from the freedom struggle, due to India becoming
a modern nation state through the anti British struggle, with which they had nothing whatsoever
to do. They are itching with all their might to do away with this and are waiting in the wings to
do so. None other than RSS supreomo K.Sudarshan went on to say the same.

Other politicos, like Sharad Pawar and Amma, those who have picked up the cue initially
thrown in the circuit by RSS progeny, are doing so in a purely opportunistic way. Sharad Pawar
who broke away from the Congress on this ground did come back to ally with the same party
for electoral reasons. Amma and others again are playing the role of holier than thou, lacking
other political issues they are trying to make an issue out of it. It can whip up emotions in
section of society, that's for sure. This politics like the one of Ram temple movement is a sort of
one based on emotional pitch.

Is being a citizen not good enough for holding any post of the people find you fit enough for
that? The transnational movement of people across the countries
is on the rise. Many of those who are of Indian origin are active in the politics in other
countries. Sonia Gandhi or no Sonia Gandhi the guidelines should be derived from the
constitution. We have multitude of examples of Islamic countries, where fundamentalism
prevails, where the concept of citizenship is
modulated according to the whims of the ruling coterie. Taliban in Afhganistan during their
brief tenure did dictate about how people of different religions should wear and behave.

In our own country books of Golwalkar and Savarkar have given the guidelines about the status
and ranking of citizenship according to their religion. Savarkar defines the citizen on the
ground of one's Holy land and Father land. Golwalkar calls Christians and Muslims as Foreign
races. If we keep going back in time the results will be disastrous. Mahatma Jotiba Phule calls
the Arya Bhats as the invaders, and thereby foreigners. In Shrilanka, the dominant Buddhists
called themselves as the first comers and so having a bigger ownership of the country.
Golwalkar also says that the county is in possession of the Hindu race, and the Muslims and
Christians, who as they are foreigners, should have no citizenship rights. When this was being
written large section of Muslims and Christians were participating in the process of building of
India as a nation state through the struggle for freedom, along with the Hindus and people of all
the religions of the country.

Where will the logic of all this takes us is any body's guess. The politics should operate within
the constitutional limits, it should be purged of the
emotive content so that the real issues of the people are to the fore and there by headway can be
made for a more egalitarian society, a society where the concept of human rights is the final
arbiter of social and political norms.

Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister: re-examining the issue

Author:
Publication: The Hindu
Date: September 24, 2002
URL: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/op/2002/09/24/stories/2002092400070200.htm

While the `nativity' as a criterion for eligibility is not a legally sustainable issue, though an
emotional one on which the electorate can be swayed, other issues merit re-examination as they
appear to be germane to a political and legal debate on the eligibility and suitability of Sonia
Gandhi as Prime Minister.

It was in the context of a letter from three Congressmen, Sharad Pawar, Purna Sangma and
Tariq Anwar, in the early months of 1999, that the issue of eligibility and suitability of Sonia
Gandhi for being Prime Minister received public attention. The three Congressmen, two from
the West and one from the East, had argued that "it was not possible that a country of 980
million with a wealth of education, competence and ability can have anyone other than an
Indian, born of Indian soil, to head its government," and that it was "an issue which affects not
just the security, the economic interest, and the international image of India but hits at the core
pride of every Indian."

In an opinion piece "Sonia Gandhi, as Prime Minister... not as yet" (Open Page, May 4, 1999), I
had argued that the foreign birth of Sonia Gandhi, a naturalised citizen, was not a legal or the
most relevant issue since (a) the Indian Constitution does not bar a naturalised citizen from
holding high offices, though the Constitution of the U.S., a land of immigrants, has a provision
that only those born in the U.S. can become the President, Vice President and the Chief Justice;
(b) persons of Indian origin had become Prime Ministers and Presidents of other nations
(Mauritius: Kassam Uteem as President, Anirudh Jagannath and Navinchandra Ramgoolam as
Prime Minister; Trinidad and Tobago: Noor Hassan Ali President, Basdeo Pandey Prime
Minister; British Guyana: Cheddy Jagan Prime Minister; Fiji: Mahendra Chaudhry Prime
Minister; (c) France: Napoleon, a Corsican by birth, became Emperor of France; Germany:
Adolf Hitler, an Austrian, became the Fuehrer.

Even for the Congress presidentship, Indian nativity was not the most relevant issue since Allen
Octavian Hume, Wedderburn, Annie Besant and Nellie Sen Gupta, all foreigners, had served as
presidents of the party.

Political maturity

It was also argued then that one must judge a Prime Ministerial candidate by the personal
qualities and professional qualification and experience and that Sonia Gandhi was neither
politically mature nor administratively experienced enough to be Prime Minister.

It did seem that the issue receded in public mind, but this time, a leader from the South,
Jayalalithaa, has reopened the question with a frontal attack on the credentials of Sonia Gandhi
for the Prime Ministership of India, two years ahead of the next general elections. Congressmen
have counter attacked Jayalalithaa and have organised dharnas in different parts of the country,
provoking Jayalalithaa into promising a countrywide campaign on this issue. One had earlier
suspected that Jayalalithaa's attack was only a riposte to the Congress-TMC merger at Madurai.
Should the whole question of Sonia Gandhi's eligibility and suitability for Prime Ministership
be re- examined?

It seems now, as it seemed then, that Sonia Gandhi's capabilities have to be judged by her
administrative experience and political capability. The nation has not seen her as the head of
even a State Government and one should reserve judgment on her administrative ability. Her
stewardship of the Congress party has not been such as to invite hosannas. The sad but harsh
fact is that even Congressmen are unhappy with the coterie that continues to command her
attention more than the common party worker. Sharad Pawar had argued in 1999 that "People
who cannot win a Lok Sabha poll and convince their own constituents of their relevance, are
now facing cameras and act as party spokespersons." This seems to be so even now. The only
change seen in the Congress is that Arjun Singh who was twice rejected by the electorate and
Pranab Mukherjee, who had not faced any election, are now replaced by the likes of Natwar
Singh and Manmohan Singh who were rejected by the electorate. There are exceptions among
her supporters like Das Munshi and Mani Shankar Aiyar who returned to the Lok Sabha with
electorate's endorsement and have a right to be heard.

The question of Sonia Gandhi's personal political acumen still leaves one groping for a clear
answer. We cannot perhaps ignore even at this point of time her naïve accusation at a public
meeting in Amethi in 1995, that the Government run by her own partymen was tardy in the
investigation and trial of persons accused of assassinating Rajiv Gandhi. She simply did not
know the stage of the trial in the Sriperumbudur court. Again when she claimed the support of
272 MPs, before an indulgent President, when she could not muster more than 233 members, it
was both poor arithmetic and even worse, pathetic political gamesmanship that the nation
witnessed.

Other issues

While Sharad Pawar, Sangma and Anwar, the `Amar, Anthony and Akbar' of the Congress,
raised only the question of nativity and let the nation judge the leadership capability of Sonia
Gandhi, the nation responded by reducing the Congress to its lowest ever Lok Sabha
membership. Jayalalithaa has raised a host of issues, apart from the eligibility and suitability of
Antonia Maino Gandhi � like her lack of love for India evidenced by the 12-year delay in
applying for naturalisation, after she became the bahu of the Prime Minister, her involvement in
`antique smuggling' case, her misuse of proximity to the Prime Minister of the country, to help
Snam Progetti, an Italian firm, in fertilizer and oil sector and the as yet unclosed Bofors case.

While the `nativity' as a criterion for eligibility is not a legally sustainable issue, though an
emotional one on which the electorate can be swayed, the other issues merit re-examination as
they appear to be germane to a political and legal debate on the eligibility and suitability
questions. The core issues in the recent Supreme Court decision and the ordinance on electoral
reforms which are relevant for a cleaner and saner public life and efficient governance appear
pertinent.

Will Sonia Gandhi be found wanting in this regard? It does appear that she is not clear of her
culpability, personal and professional, in some of the questionable aspects of the infamous
deals of the Seventies and the Eighties and she needs to come out of these first, not by delaying
and obstructing the legal process but by participating and getting herself legally cleared of
charges. In the now forgotten Maruti case of influence peddling of the Seventies, it was Sanjay
Gandhi who bore the opprobrium, while Sonia Gandhi, designated as Director (?) in charge of
Technical Services of Maruti, did derive pecuniary benefit but stays clear. Again, Sonia's
proximity to and mutually benefiting association with Ottavio Quattrocchi, head of Italian firm
Snam Progetti's Indian operations, is far too well known for her to outlive them. A whole range
of deals in fertilizer sector that raised questions of Italian connection to the Prime Minister's
residence have gone under the carpet. Adding to the embarrassment are the charges of "antique
smuggling" into Italy. It is also well known that Sonia Gandhi's relatives run some shops in
Italy and all that it needs at the Indian airports is a little bit of leaning by the NSG guards or "a
call from no. 10", as it is known in Delhi, to secure immigration and customs clearance. That
she is not the only politician misusing the privileges, may, at best, be only a weak defence.

Far more damaging in import and consequence is the Bofors bribe case pending for over a
decade. This has several curious threads leading to Sonia Gandhi. Among these are the
suspected involvement of Ottavio Quattrocchi, Italian family friend of Sonia Gandhi, who tried
to cut into the commissions Bofors were paying to their long time agent Win Chaddha and now
an accused hiding in Malaysia. The other is the incontrovertible fact that Sonia's late husband
Rajiv Gandhi's name formally figures as an accused in the chargesheet. The Special Judge
hearing the Bofors case has pointed out the delay of three years before the FIR was registered
in January 1990 and that it was some more years before the first chargesheet was filed in
October 1999 keeping the name of Rajiv Gandhi, now a dead person, in column 2 of the
chargesheet. The Special Judge dealing with the argument of the Hindujas, another accused,
that the CBI chargesheet should be quashed on the ground that there was inordinate delay in the
probe and trial, has observed that "there was a massive cover-up operation at the government
level so that the truth about the pay- offs/bribes is not revealed." The role of Quattrocchi in
delaying the trial is very well known.

Undue influence

Those who are in the know of things have reason to believe that Rajiv Gandhi was personally a
clean person who must have been pressured by his wife into allowing Quattrocchi into the inner
chambers of the Prime Minister's residence and wield undue influence on the commercial deals
of the public sector and even defence deals. Sonia Gandhi has been, in the eyes of many, one of
the main forces behind the relatively innocent Rajiv Gandhi.
Well, if the case for Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister is made on the ground that she is the
rightful inheritor of Rajiv Gandhi's mantle and assets, should she not bear some responsibility
for the unedifying fact of her late husband figuring as an accused in column 2 of the Bofors
chargesheet. Even if she cannot legally inherit that charge, the assets she inherited and the
stacked Congress party funds traceable to this payoff do become attachable. Sonia Gnadhi
needs to come out clean on this if only to redeem the name of her late husband, who sought to
be the Mr. Clean in Indian politics.

Should the public sector be privatized?

• privatization of public sectors leads to some healthy changes in an org. b's when you
take public sectors u can find some slackness (or a little bit) delay in their services. But
in case of private since service is there first and foremost duty they act rapidly.

Privatization of public sector. Lot depends of which sector we are talking about. Let me clarify
few doubts in the primary stage. Can we expect all private hospitals in our cities in our town
which do not have an entry for poor people, can we have only private sector telephone
companies, can we have private companies have complete control on oil reserves, can we have
all transport be provided by private sector and RTC vanishes, can we expect an private sector to
take care of our defense. In the same way we cant expect the government to set up an IT
industry on its own, we cant expect them to handle all the load of flight transport. My point
over here is both are not mutually exclusive. We need to accept the fact that both are here to
stay and we cannot make it without one. They do have their importance and we need to deal
this issue according to the context.

There are some strategic sectors, which need to be under control of Indian government like
oil/gas sector. The subsidy we enjoy will be never provided by a private sector. The
government in this case helps its citizens to a great extent and making them available to its
citizens. The ration card system is a great boon to the poor. Coming to some sectors like steel
and mobile where both are present and a healthy competition among them always benefits the
customers. It is also a point to be noted that Government itself cannot take the complete load
just like it cant take the load of all flight customers where private sector is playing its helping
role. Then there is education sector, which also has good competition with CBSE matching
with any education system of either state syllabus or the schools coming up with their own
syllabus. The public transport sector too is a mix of public and private and here you can see a
striking difference. You can easily differentiate the profit motive of private personal whose
salaries depend on the profit to their owner. In autos you can see some 6-8 people are dumped
then starts the engine. I do accept that some services are best in private sector as they fear their
job loss and their owners do get the best out of them by making them to work more no. Of
hours.

The lazy mindset of some public sector could be taken into account to convert it to a private
sector. I would like to suggest that counseling sessions for these to have a better future by
working for the organization would help it to grow better and be under the public sector
umbrella. We can take some examples by some of our previous strategies, which helped us to
renovate dull companies, which lacked in performance. If a private individual is going to buy
the company and could change its fortunes, why can't the public government do it? It can.
Running away from a trouble is not a solution. Facing it head-on will produce better results.

it depends on which sector we are talking about. And both have a different importance of their
own. Privatization has its own proms and public sector have their own. I think both needs to be
there as far today’s development is concerned. Taking the view it is right that the work at
public sectors is not working the way it should. But if everyone understands the responsibilities
then it can also work the same way as private sectors. Again I think for some sectors it is ok
otherwise it should be done by the respected ones itself...

most of the government units are known for their poor service level, that is why the private
organisations are came in picture and even making huge profits out of the same customer base.
The basic reason behind is the level of understanding, it means the junior level, middle level
and the senior level management are not as much sharp or I should say not as professional as
the private sector's all the level of management. Even the environment of the organisation is
also matters. By this point i just want to say that at each level of an organisation there should be
an educated and highly professional person needs to be there. If we look at the features
responsible for the success of private organisations we came to know that they at every level of
management you will find a highly qualified and professional manager, and they set-up all the
problems at their own level, so it is nothing but the power dilution and even the highest
authority is wholly responsible for all the actions taken at every level of management.

• we take case of india..80% of the population is rural so they will be able to afford to get
operated in private hospitals.We need to improve our public service facilities and all
that is needed is govt. to take a step forword so that we can expect better in future.So
lots of pts needs to be considered before privatising market.
• its depend on which sector to be privatised.Because if we talk about private hospitals a
poor or a middle person cannot afford their medical services.But its true that good
quality of services are provided by private sectors as compared to pubkic sector. Even
some people who are working in public sector use rough language to the customers
which is very bad.And in private sectors customers are treated in a very good manner
and grievances are handled in quickly also.
• Government sector is known for its red tapism and corruption.Dealing withthe govt.
officers will definately bind you to go door to door.but on the other side , private sector
 is dignified for its efficient managment and for making the best use of resources. for
aspiring to be a devloped country , there is neeed for having a effective managment
strategy as we have a sufficient means and human resources like any developed nation
but need to make best use of it. In every budget , a large sum of money is alloted to
government department but because of dormant and unoptimistic attitute of people ,
there is a very little impact on our economy.so if we can transformed this scenrio by
aillance with private sector and if we have to pay a liitle a bit more for this then it does
not matter.
• at present scenario 70% people live in villages and they are not capable enough to spend
huge money.suppose Train ,Hospitals,schools,colleges all become private then where
these 70% people will go.By making all the sector private we just separating the India
into two group i.e rich group and poor group .The thing is that India is still developing
country.All we will need to do is that we have to stay unified and support Government
to provide us best facilities .who make the Government definitely we ,then we have to
faith on it.Once we allow to breed the private sector in full swing then we are
completely in clutch of them and our freedom are lost.On the other hand I am not totally
disagree that private sector is bad.The thing is that we need to have better administrator
who have capability to manage the resource properly.
• we can not privatize all the sectors for getting the best outcome because we have to take
the decisions which are helping to the people of India .Then only our developing India
will become developed one.I feel the better solution is we have to appoint a some
Intelligent private committee for checking the working of Govt sector.Based on those
results we will take appropriate actions.By coming to Hospt sector we have to give
some rankings the Hospitals.Then there is healthy competition in Hospitals like IITs in
Indian Educational System.
• public sector should be privatised..in private sector all things are handled more
efficiently and effectively..more money is earned in case of private setor..hence we can
hope to increase our salary i.e. average salary of the country will markedly
increase..which we can say to an extent that our country will develop at a faster
rate..hospitals if privatised will result in better medical care..even if it is perceived as
more costly as compared to govt. sectors..then let me give you an overview of things
which are managed in hospitals...a patient if is poor is not dealt with utmost care and
attention..is treated like a lowly thing...but had the patient been well off or had
ministerial contacts then he will be given full care with all possible facilities..then wat is
the use of public sector handling various institutions????
• if you are talking about the public sector banks then let me tell they have the poorest
management including SBI, as an evidence we can look at the growth rate, you will find
that the private sector banks are growing at the higher rate then the public sector banks,
and the day is not very far when private bank surpass the public sector banks, if they do
not wake up now.......it will be very late. Even before some days you must have found
the news that SBI is going to recruit 20,000 employees, but let me tell you it is gonna be
a flop idea, cause the people they recruiting are either 12th standard passed or graduate
only, the new era requires people having business intelligence, and believe me you will
find the same thing that i am telling you.
• In the past decade, we can see only the private players in any field would be doing a
good job. but this scenario is changing nowadays. According to fortune india 500
listing, which was published recently, many public sector companies like IOC, ONGC,
BPCL, Hindustan Petroleum made stiff competition with private sectors like TCS ,
Infosys, Reliance etc. On the other side, The one main advantage of private sector
companies is that the kind of administration that is taking place in private sector-
companies becoming more and more flatter and less bueracratic but it need to be
adopted by the Public sectore companies. But you cannot privatise all the public sectors
 bcos public sectors "do good for all", this notion cannot be followed by private
sector.So a better option would be the strategies followed by the private sectors can be
adopted by the public sectors and the sectors which are not performing well based on its
assets, profitability and liabilities can be privatised.(dogs in BCG Matrix)
• I think every sector should be privatized when dealing with India... According to my
idea, India with such a huge population should be completely privatized because the
cost of any thing will be affordable when there is huge costumers for it... Think of the
cost for making a phone calls when there were privatized in the first and had very little
costumers they were sky rocketing... but think of the better service provided now with a
price for even a fisherman can afford daily... So i think privatizing the sector with large
costumers is a must... or this country will face a lot of struggle to become a developed
nation... By the way i don't mean the govt should completely ignore and go out... it
should be just there monitoring all sectors mainly the dangerous sectors like the nuke
power stations and the defense sectors, the private companies develop them rapidly and
the government take care of its corrects functionality....
• privatization will definitely lead to higher growth, economic development and better
facilities but these could even be achieved by government on proper realization of their
duties as they owe to the nation and to the people and both public and private sectors are
mutually active forces in the economy which leads to healthy competition and better
growth perspective.sectoral differentiation is a must for deciding over privatization as a
country like India has a mix of economically differentiated class of people and the poor
accounts for almost 40% of our population which has to be provided which the basic
necessities, ration, housing(public sector), medical care and also the rest of the
population are all not in a condition to afford to the rates of privatization so better
facilities could also be provided by the government if we design a better management at
all levels and hire well educated people, train the existing working staff and reduce the
existing red tapism across the public sectors.The existence of both the sectors in the
economy will efficiently lead to development and growth.
• Privatization of public sector. Lot depends of which sector we are talking about. Let me
clarify few doubts in the primary stage. Can we expect all private hospitals in our cities
in our town which do not have an entry for poor people, can we have only private sector
telephone companies, can we have private companies have complete control on oil
reserves, can we have all transport be provided by private sector and RTC vanishes, can
we expect an private sector to take care of our defense. So as far as I'm concerned we
should prepare a list of the qualities which has made the private sector very effective
and efficient, for example.. 1.private sectors are result orientated 2.employees are highly
professional 3.Management will be really worried about the profit of the company
which is directly related to their survival and profit and other compensation 4.
Accountability and responsibilities... etc.. are few of them what obvious is, when we
privatize all the public sectors chances off prices of going high is very likely.So, why
cant we just say public sectors should be more efficient and result oriented so that we
can ensure that we'll get all the benefits ( good quality services with cheaper price)
which will help underprivileged and middle class people, because after all India has
very less percentage of upper strata or elite class people.... can we say public sectors
should be efficient and effective, and start thing and debating how to do that????!!!

Should there be private universities

Why do we need private universities?

Higher education in India has largely been the preserve of the Government till recently in terms
of both funding and provision of education. But for this to continue, the Government should
continue to be in a position to pour in large sums of money to fund higher education. Today,
the Government is unable to find the funds even to keep up its own commitment of spending
6% of GDP on education. There is also a clamour to spend more of what little funding the
Government has allocated for education, on primary education than on higher education, and
quite rightly so, given that many children don't even get a basic primary and secondary
education today. Thus the Government spending on higher education as a percentage of overall
government spending on education is only likely to decrease further in the coming years.

But the demand for higher education is continuing to increase with more and more students
wanting a higher education today than ever before. How can we bridge the gap between
increasing demand and decreasing government funding for higher education? The only option
is to tap the private sector to participate in the funding and provision of higher education. The
process of increasing private participation in higher education has already begun with a few
states like Chhattisgarh and Uttaranchal having passed legislation to permit the setting up of
private universities in their states. Indeed the private sector has been funding higher education
in India for a long time, albeit on a very limited scale. The Birla Institute of Technology and
Science at Pilani in Rajasthan, which is funded and run by the Birla Group Trust, became an
officially recognised university as far back as 1964. Other institutions like the Manipal Group
in Manipal in Karnataka have been running private colleges since 1953 and the Manipal
Academy of Higher Education became a deemed university in 1993. Many other self-financing
colleges were set up in the early 1990s and a few of them have now become deemed
universities.

Problems arising out of poor regulation of private universities

After the passing of legislation in Chhattisgarh in 2002 (and subsequently in other states like
Uttaranchal), to facilitate the establishment of private Universities with a view to creating
supplementary resources to assist the State Government in providing quality higher education,
there was a spate of private universities that were set up under the Chhattisgarh Act. The
Chhattisgarh legislation was passed in a hurry without much care, leaving many loopholes in
the Act, which were quickly exploited by many organisations that set up private universities,
without a serious commitment to higher education. Many of the private universities set up
under the Chhattisgarh Act did not have either the infrastructure, or a campus, or the funds to
provide quality higher education, and functioned out of one-room tenements. The Chhattisgarh
Act did not provide for proper regulation and maintenance of standards by these universities
and moreover, the Chhattisgarh Government did little to ensure that the private universities did
what they were expected to do according to the legislation. Students who signed up for courses
offered by private universities set up under the Chhattisgarh Act were being taken for a ride by
many private universities who had no capability to offer quality courses.

Prof. Yashpal, former chairman of the University Grants Commission, petitioned the Supreme
Court in 2004 to declare the Chhattisgarh legislation unconstitutional and the Supreme Court
after due deliberation concurred and declared in February 2005 that all the private universities
set up under the Chhattisgarh Act were illegal, putting the careers of all the students who
enrolled in the institutions set up by the private universities in jeopardy. But to protect the
interests of the students, the Supreme Court directed the Chhattisgarh Government to take
appropriate steps to have such institutions affiliated to the already existing State Universities in
Chhattisgarh. It is important to note that the Supreme Court did not state that all private
universities are illegal - it has only stated that the manner in which the Chhattisgarh legislation
allowed the setting up of private universities was illegal. The problem is not with private
participation in higher education, but with the poorly drafted Chhattisgarh legislation and the
lack of proper regulation.

Given the Government's lack of funds for higher education and the increasing demand for
higher education, we simply cannot do without private universities. We have no option but to
tap private funding for higher education. The task before us now is to come up with ways and
means to ensure that private universities are properly regulated, yet autonomous and
independent enough to flourish, and held to high standards to provide quality higher education.

How can we ensure private universities are held to high standards?

We can borrow the model from the corporate sector. Just as all companies are required by law
to publish annual reports providing details of their assets, liabilities, profits and losses, the
profiles of the board of directors and the management and various other financial information,
every educational institution (whether public or private) should publish an annual report with
details of the infrastructure and facilities available, profiles of the trustees and the
administrators, the academic qualifications and experience of the staff, the courses offered, the
number of students, the results of the examinations, the amount of funds available to the
university and the sources of funding etc. In addition, every educational institution must get
itself rated by an independent rating agency like CRISIL, ICRA or CARE and publicly
announce its rating to prospective students to enable the students to choose the institution they
want to enroll in.

At one stroke, this will bring in transparency and ensure that every educational institution,
whether public or private, is accountable not only to those students who are studying in the
institution, but to prospective students and the public at large as well. Public announcements of
the financial and educational records of the institutions as well as their ratings by independent
rating agencies will generate healthy competition between the various private institutions and
will also put pressure on the Government funded institutions to work towards all-round
improvement.

Such a system is already in place for maritime education in India. In 2004, the Directorate
General of Shipping (DGS), which regulates maritime education in India, introduced a system
of rating maritime training institutions in India. In 1996, maritime education was opened to
private sector participation and over 130 private institutions are in operation today. To ensure
that all institutions provide high quality education, the DGS has asked all maritime educational
institutions to get themselves rated by one of the three reputed independent rating agencies in
India – CRISIL, CARE or ICRA. The publicly announced ratings will benefit

• the students, in deciding which institution to enroll in,

• the institutes, in differentiating themselves based on their quality,
• the employers, in assessing the quality of students graduating from the institutes and
• the DGS as well, to non-intrusively regulate the maritime education sector and ensure
high quality of education.

Maritime education institutes, both public and private, are now getting themselves rated by
independent rating agencies and the DGS lists the ratings on its web site.

Introducing a similar model across all other sectors of higher education including engineering,
medicine, arts, sciences etc. will ensure that only those institutions with better facilities, staff
and infrastructure and reputations will thrive. This will go a long way in ensuring the provision
of quality higher education not only in the private sector, but in the public sector as well.
The Centre and the States should pass legislation to make it mandatory for all higher
education institutions to publish a detailed annual report of their financial and
educational status and also be rated by independent rating agencies and publicly
announce their ratings.

The significance of higher studies in our lives need not be ascertained as we already know that
knowledge is the ultimate investment we can make; as no one can steal knowledge from us.
Folks are fast reckoning the significance and need of education; that is why they are
encouraging their youngsters to pursue higher education in the best universities in India.

India is increasingly being seen as an apt education destination because of a plethora of

reasons. The foremost grounds are high quality of education, reasonable pricing structure of
courses, intermingling mates, culture rich environment, awe inspiring infrastructure, qualified
and veteran faculties etc. India is renowned for its stout education structure and the
opportunities it encompasses to erect a successful career ladder. It is for the universities in India
that the corporate sector never suffers from unavailability of industry ready professionals.

The over abundance of universities in India makes it a necessity for populace to refer to
university list India to grasp an apt know how of the standings of various universities. With a
myriad of alternatives in front of him/her any applicant is sure to get swayed while choosing an
appropriate course. It is imperative for students to properly reckon their potency, flaws,
dexterity and knowledge base to find out the best suited subjects and course for them. When it
comes to universities India, there are many a different kinds (mainly being the government
owned and the private ones) of universities like deemed universities, national institutes, open
universities, distance learning ones, etc.

Among these factors, the kind of university that one wants to get admitted to is the most
imperative one. Students should always weigh the pro and cons of getting admitted into a
specific university and make an unprejudiced pronouncement. Universities in India proffer a
plethora of courses such as UG (under graduate) courses, diplomas, degrees, etc. In these
courses, there are assortments of subjects in which one can choose to major. One should choose
the subject very carefully.

The plethora of subjects are journalism, law, engineering, commerce, hospitality, Information
Technology, fashion designing, environmental science, oceanography, mobile communications,
etc. The extensive placement programs conducted by the top universities India also proffer
excellent opportunities for students to grab a position in the top notch corporations. Aspirants
should do a bit of research on the internet before plunging into the all vital decision of
admission.

India, being a vast country, has more than 280 accredited universities in different states. There
are many central government and state recognized universities in India like Anna University,
Annamalai University, Delhi, Bangalore or Punjab University, Karnataka University, etc.

Located in Chennai, Anna University was set up in the year 1978 as one of a kind university. It
has got huge infrastructure that is expanded over 100 hectares of land. Recognized by the UGC
of India, Anna University offers a wide number of B.E., B.Tech., M.E., and M.Tech.
programmes to students all over the country.

Established in the year 1929, Annamalai University is actually a state university located in
Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu. It belongs to the list of top-notch universities that offers
courses under distance learning or open category. You can find a wide array courses in
engineering, arts, science, commerce and management streams in this university.
As the demand for skilled manpower is growing in various industries, India is witnessing the
establishment of many private deemed universities such as Amity University, Symbiosis
International, Sikkim Manipal University, VIT University, SRM, Lovely University and many
more. All these private universities are catering to the requirements of students through world-
class infrastructure, experienced faculties, excellent teaching standards and job-oriented
courses.

Amity University has made rapid strides in imparting high-quality education in almost all
fields. It now boasts more than 60000 students undergoing training across 710 acres of state-of-
the-art campus. Its high-profile faculty consists of renowned educationists from popular
institutions of India and abroad. There are also eminent professionals from the corporate world
who educate students on how to deal with real-life business situations.

For aspirants it is utterly imperative to bear in mind that they should be very clear as to what
they really want to become after they grow up. They should never be swayed by courses in
trend or by opinions of friend, family or so called education experts. The foremost success
mantra is "listen to your heart". They need to comprehend that no one else should decide their
fate and they should personally handle the reins of their career. The university list in India is
quite exhaustive. So, you should choose the best course that suits your career goals perfectly.
The Better Manager - Women or Men
Women are not necessarily better managers than men; nor are men necessarily better than
women. There are many reasons why women are capable of managing people better than a man
can. This doesn't mean that women are better managers, though. Many managers (men) are
lazy, complacent, and unaware. If the implication from the article is that women are better
managers because more of them are attending college, it is sorely misguided. Certainly, tools
for managing more effectively and efficiently are learned there; maybe even honed to some
extent. This is true for men and women though. The notion and realization of better managers is
based upon many things, including perspective, and there is much truth to this.

Women may be getting more opportunities to lead and manage because many more are
educated. (Many were already capable years ago.) That isn't the real reason women are better
managers or even good managers though. Women are finally being appreciated for their
abilities to manage and lead partly due to being more educated, partly due to the appreciation
(beneftis) of, demand for, and legal stipulations of diversification, and partly due to the fact that
they have been pretty solid managers in the past; the ones that reared our children, kept our
households (and us) organized, and had a vision of our family's success in daily "operations"
and future preparedness for most challenges (as teachers and parents). This is by no means the
limit to why they are good managers. Any list would have to be more personalized to the
individual.

To say women are better managers than men is a blanket statement. I have learned much from
women - in many management positions (families to large organizations). I have compared my
abilities to theirs to see how effective I am in their regard. Education, experience, self-actuality,
and appreciation of others abilities are assets that benefit every manager. Being an effective
follower, remaining attentive to individual personality traits, and keeping the organization's
vision in mind are also endearing principles that should be used for every person who desires to
become a good manager. This list is not inclusive, either.

The bottom line here is that women are and have always been good managers. Are they better
managers than men? I am sure some are are and some can be. Are men better managers than
women? I am sure some are and some can be. Either way, the paradigm has shifted and society
is not threatened by women managing or leading. Diversity education, an appreciation for
individual ability, and a decreased feeling of being passed over by women in management and
leadership positions within the workplace are important reasons why this is happening. I think
they are all good and will provide for a more promising future.
While the chromosomes decide the sex of a child, hormones control the physical features
and growth, mental character and maturity, nature and behaviour. Presence of the female
hormone Estrogen, is the reason for the difference in the appearance, behaviour and the way of
thinking of women from men. One of the features special to women by birth is management.
They are good managers by instinct. Women can manage any critical situation in an amicable
manner. The talent of adjustability, inherent in them gives them the capability.

An efficient mother manages her home with available amenities. This unifies and
strengthens the family leading to the strengthening of the society. A woman learns this
management as a child and imparts to the members of her family. A Girl child’s growth is
faster. Understanding and grasping power of girls are more, says medical science. From the
infancy she knows that the house she’s is born and brought up is not her home. Her permanent
abode is elsewhere. Knowing this fact she strives hard for the betterment of that house. The
moment she is married, she adjusts in her new house and new relations to make it her home.
 In Telugu literature, there are many instances that throw light on the managerial capabilities
of a woman. For example:

Tenali Ramakrishna Kavi was a great poet who depicted the women characters as
personification of humanity and explored the different dimensions of their personality. To
establish the managerial capabilities of an Indian housewife, he created the character of Nigama
Sarma Akka who was not given a name. He intended her to be the elder sister to those who go
astray from righteous path.

When she came to know that her brother (Nigama Sharma) was addicted to vices, the first
and foremost thing she did was to visit her parents’ place with her husband and children. This
shows her foresight in anticipation of her extended stay, as she had no clue of the extent of
damage her brother caused to the family and the time needed to set things right. The second
reason being to get help form her husband and children. The third main reason was to show an
example of a happy family to her brother who neglected his wife.

The fundamental necessity for success is to understand the problem, and prepare a plan of
action before starting the work. This basic rule of management is followed by Nigama Sharma
Akka. The second step is executing the plan.

She did not weep when she met her distressed parents. She stayed for a while understanding
the situation completely without jumping into action. The most important part of management
is communication skills. She spoke to them in a caustic and instigating manner to get them out
of their state of distress. She did not hesitate to use a negative approach to get the right results.
When they were back to their normalcy, she balanced things by her pleasant deeds.

They had quite a few servants working for them, who were not monitored properly. She
enquired about· their well-being and delegated the work to each of them. So the house started
running smoothly and regained its grandeur.

She got the details of the principal treasure from her mother and kept it under safe custody,
making sure her brother doesn’t lay hands on it.

The responsibility of Vedic school run by her father and the library, which was in a bad
shape, were entrusted to her husband.

She gave the responsibility of the works that were outside the premises to her sons like the
movable properties that were not known to her brother.

Allotment of work to proper persons reveals the managerial efficiency. Another major and
important part of management is knowing the limitations. Apart from doing and delegating the
work realizing one’s incapability also is part of fine management. She could set right many a
thing, except one major problem i.e. Nigama Sharma’s wife’s misery. If there was something
that could be done for her happiness, her mission would be accomplished.

One fine day, Nigam Sharma came home to devour the leftovers stealthily. She caught him
red-handed, understood his condition, gave her son to her brother to hold him, making sure her
brother would not runaway, showed many incentives to allure him to stay back. As a part of it
his wife came forward to wash his feet with water. For the first time he saw his wife’s beautiful
face. After that things started falling into place as planned – good oil bath, new clothes, and
delicious meal with the entire family. After the meal, when he was relaxing in the porch
chewing betle leaf, his sister came and started combing his hair. Waiting for the right time,
creating congenial atmosphere and steering the conversation according to the situation is an art.
The royal way to victory. She won half the battle by gaining his attention. She was very careful
in selecting the words, accent, tone and actions. She made him experience the happiness of
staying at home with family. She showed him her and her husband’s concern to him. Finally
allured him by promising him anything he wanted.

Indian scriptures state that there are four means of getting work done.

1) Sama – getting work done by talking in a nice manner

2) Dana – offering something in return to get a work done
3) Bheda – creating enmity towards others to get a work done
4) Danda – getting work done by force

She used the first three means. As a result Nigama Sharma stayed back at home for
sometime and behaved in a proper manner.

Nigama Sharma Akka is depicted as a personification of an ideal Indian woman, i.e. a good
daughter, a good sister, a good wife and a good mother in whom managerial efficiency became
an integral part.
*

‘The world turns and the world changes

But one thing does not change
In all my years one thing does not change
However you disguise it, this thing does not change
The perpetual struggle between Good and Evil.’

The impact of MTV on our psyche

MTV is an American network based in new york city that launched on august 1,1981. At one
time MTV had a profound impact on music industry and popular culture. And now it has a
huge impact on young generation. Now MTV has lot of shows which are truly based on
western culture and has nothing new to understand. Shows like roadies, splits villa and so on
are shows that are adventurous and just goes on with internal politics. I don’t think there is
something new to learn in it. It can be seen just for a change or for entertainment.

Our culture is declining as all of them are turning towards western culture. Some may say that
We are just turning expressive by going to parties and dancing clubs and wearing fancy and
expensive dresses but from heart we all are Indians. But do you think that is true in a real
sense…? Because if we see the true India we will definitely say ya we are changing. You tell
me where there were parties, Was there child extortion, was there so much growth in rape
cases, or domestic violence and so on. Its seen that women are much progressive than men but
in the real sense how many men are accepting this fact.. The true Indians used to respect
women and now there are many cases lying showing sexual harassment at companies, at home
and at many places. Now tell aren’t we changing due to the western culture.

Girls used to wear Punjabi dresses and now many girls don’t have Punjabi dress as an option.
Even in ‘pujas’ girls wear modern wear. The women used to wear Saree daily but now we can
see few who wear Saree daily. Even women are changing their lifestyle. I say ok Indians are
exposing globally but exposing your body is it comes in a part to expose globally. Tell me is
money given more importance than relations. Even blood relations are nothing in front of
money. Take an example a brother kills his own brother as he wants all of his property in his
name.
NOW YOU TELL ME WHETHER THERE IS AN INFLUENCE OF WESTERN
CULTURE OR NOT………??????? WAS INDIA LIKE THIS AS NOW WE ARE
SEEING IT…..?????

All these instances somewhat enough to show that there is impact of western culture on our
minds and if talking about MTV yes it has also played a crucious role in affecting our psyche.

MTV is considered a station that supports and perpetuates dangerous stereotypes and
contributes to the dumbing down of 18-24 year olds all over the world. This paper examines
literature and published studies on the subject where the common thread is noted that MTV
contributes to a low level of self esteem, eating disorders, violence and gender stereotypes
among young people.

From the Paper

"The portrayal of women in MTV music videos and commercials made for MTV have been the
subject of controversy for a long time. According to Else, males who watch MTV have a
"greater belief in rape myths, more conservative sex-role stereotyping, greater belief in sex role
stereotyping, greater belief in adversarial relationships between the sexes, more conservative
attitudes towards women, lower ratings of victim injury in a date-rape scenario, and a greater
tendency to classify events in a date rape scenario as forced sex rather than rape" (Else, 1995).

Given the amount of time young men spend watching MTV, is it any surprise that the incidence
of rape is as high as it is in the United States' If this study resembles reality at all, these young
men don't even think they have done anything wrong. MTV is promoting an attitude that is
physically dangerous for young women and dangerous also for the young men, who will be
surprised to find themselves in jail for crimes they did not even know they were committing.
That is, if the female, who has been drained of self-esteem by this very institution has the
courage and the self respect left to press charges against him."

Effects of Music on Human Behavior

As music has changed through out the years, artists have become much more lax with the
message that they send to the public. As laws of censorship change, a separation of the public’s
freedom of speech and the medias has become very significant. As the government cracks
down, many artists fight to keep their freedom. With people blaming their actions on the lyrics
of the music they are exposed to, this is going to be a hard feat for the artists to accomplish.
Although the fight of the musical artists against the government has been going on for the past
20 years, it has become even more emanate now. Are the actions of people to be blamed on the
music? What effect does music have on the social behavior? Should these effects make harder
censorship laws, or is music protected by the Bill of Rights?

Music has become a large part of everyone’s life. Preservation of music is very important to the
preservation of the american culture so these problems cannot be ignored.

The most misunderstood music is Rap. Children as well as teenagers have a hard time
interpreting emotions in music (Weinberger). This misunderstanding is most relevant in rap
music, because it is harder for children to relate to the artist. In cases like these, apparent or
older sibling has to explain the message to the child (Weinberger).

In particular, "gangsta rap" is distinguished by lyrics that often involve references to street
gangs, gunplay, sex, drug use and violence, and has been accused of extolling violent behavior.
Studies have found that exposure to rap music "tends to lead to a higher degree of acceptance
of the use of violence." In addition, several major rap artists have been charged with violent
crimes in real life, and many worry that their actions seemingly condone the violent messages
in their music. Their celebrity status also serves to glamorize their violent behavior
(Mediascope).

Although there is violence, sex, and drug reference in modern rock music, most have a much
deeper message about life. It has been resolved that rock music has had more influence on older
adolesencents then their parents do (Weinberger).

Rock music is much easier for teenagers to relate to with all of their pressures and problems.
“Kids who listen to Heavy Metal and Rap tend not to do as well in school, or it maybe that
troubled students are drawn to these types of music” (Weinberger 99)

The most rebellious music is Punk. Punk spreads the true ideas of the modern teenager through
the media. “When parents look at Punk music they see everything that is wrong with their
children just as their parents did” (Robertson). Parents should pay more attention to the music
that their children listen to. They must also censor the music (American Acad…).

Even with all of the violence, sex, and drug references in music, there are many benefits.
Listening to music keeps the brain in shape. Listening involves learning, memory, and
emotions (Ezarik). Studies of the Mozart Effect have shown that listening

to music can make babies more creative, smarter, healthier, and happier (Ezarik). Some doctors
in ancient Greece even believed that music was just as important as medication in treating
patients (Gregory). Other studies of music, faster music tends to make people work faster
where as music with long, gentle notes tend to relax (Gregory). The effects of music
psychology can be seen in stores in our own community. Many play background music in order
to get shoppers to stay in the store (Gregory).

Music is important in adolescent lives: teenagers spend between four and five hours a day
listening to music and watching music videos and name music listening as their preferred non-
school activity. It is not surprising that government officials, researchers and parents alike are
concerned about the impact of music on teenagers. Disturbed by the amount of violence
portrayed in modern music, adults worry that these messages are contributing to the rise in
violence among kids. Forty-eight percent (48%) of Americans say that violence in popular
music should be more heavily regulated and 59% would like to restrict violence in music.
(Mediascope)

The effects of stimulating and sedating music were determined for heart rate, respiratory rate,
and blood pressure of premature infants in an intensive care nursery. The results indicate that
the calming and stabilizing effect of sedating music might help to reduce the use of sedative
drugs in infants on ventilators and reduce the incidence of respiratory problems (Journal of
Mus…).

The basic rights of freedom of speech are outlined in the Bill of Rights. Do these rights also
cover the freedom of speech in music? Music is a form of media and should be censored, just as
movies and television (American Acad…).

Many performers do see themselves as large role models, but they also believe that parents
should take action. “How much damage can I do with a pen?” (Eminem, Rap Artist) When
parents are not around, who are children supposed to look up too? (American Acad…)

There is really no way that parents can regulate all of the music that their children listen to, but
it is a start for parents just to find out what kind of music their children are exposed to
(American Acad…).

Even with these changes many bands have not received the message to clean up or get out
(Gregory).

How far should the government go in their intervention? Keeping records that should not be
open to the public off the shelves, taking away publishing rights from some artists that go to far
with their music is up to the public to decide.

Many parents look at the music that their children listen to and do not even consider it music,
but porn. With all the reference to sex not only in the music, but also in the music videos shown
on television. Although the government has made a lot of threats to try to intimidate the music
industry; many parents believe that these threats should be carried out in order to end the
violence (American Acad…).

“Music may contribute to the atmosphere of violence that some argue is generated by popular
media. Critics claim that music negatively affects teenagers by repeatedly exposing them to
themes such as Satanism,

substance abuse, murder, suicide and sexual violence, which may be heavily reinforced and
normalized by the frequency of their portrayal. Heavy metal and rap music are especially
criticized for lyrics that many believe glorify violence. Music lyrics have also become
increasingly explicit in the past two decades. Songs commonly make graphic references to sex,
drugs and violence, whereas such sensitive topics were cleverly veiled in the
past.”(Mediascope)

The public, and parents, should be aware of sexually explicit, drug oriented, or violent lyrics on
compact discs, tapes, music videos, and the Internet. The music industry should develop and
apply a system of specific content-labeling of music regarding violence, sex, drugs, or
offensive lyrics. If labeling is not done voluntarily by the music industry, then regulation
should be developed to make it mandatory (American Acad…).

“Forty-seven percent (47%) of mothers with children in public schools believe that violent
messages in rap music contribute "a great deal" to school violence, and 66% of 13- to 17-year-
olds believe violence in music is partly responsible for violent crimes like the 1999 Columbine
High School shootings. However, no studies have documented a cause-and-effect relationship
between violent or sexually explicit lyrics and adverse behavioral effects. Studies show that the
preference for heavy metal music may be a significant indicator for alienation, substance abuse,
psychiatric disorders, suicide risks, sex-role stereotyping, or risk-taking behaviors during
adolescence, but music is not the cause of these behaviors. It is hypothesized that teenagers
already struggling with those issues may be attracted to heavy metal music, because the lyrics
express their own troubled feelings.”(Mediascope)

The music video industry should be encouraged to produce videos and public service messages
with positive themes about relationships, racial harmony, drug avoidance, nonviolence and
conflict, pregnancy prevention, and avoidance of sexually transmitted diseases (American
Acad…).
“Music Television (MTV) redefined music for future generations by creating music videos, and
the unique fusion between rock music and visual images continues to be a hit. A 1996 study
revealed that boys and

girls ages 12 to 19 watch MTV for an average of 6.6 and 6.2 hours each week, respectively. But
despite music videos' popularity among adolescents, many adults criticize the medium as
studies show that music videos often contain violence, sexism, suicide and substance abuse. A
1998-1999 study revealed that music videos were more violent than feature films and
television, averaging four violent scenes each, and a 1997 study reported that 22.4% of MTV
videos contained overt violence and 25% depicted weapon carrying.”(Mediascope)

Pediatricians should counsel parents to become media-literate. This means watching television
with their children and teenagers, discussing the content with them, and initiating the process of
selective viewing at an early age (American Acad…).

What actions has the government taken to get the ball rolling on these problems many people
are wondering? The government has set up a rating system for music. As

with movies, it is separated into age groups that are mature enough to listen to the content of
the album. The government has also required a label to be placed on albums with

explicit content. The label simply states “Parental Advisory Explicit Content” (VH1, 100
most…).

Although the government has taken a few steps, there is much more that could be done. As for
the laws that are involved none are truly enforced out of fear of a lawsuit, or problems
involving the loss of support to pass these laws by the music industry and the artists.

As ideas and times change in the world, the message in music will also change. Looking back
in the past few years the change in music has been very substantial, with the introduction of
new music such as techno. Music may be stepping away form violence by itself.

If music does take this step away, all by itself, there may be no reason for the government to
intervene with censorship.

There is no reason why people should be able to get away with their actions because of
listening to music. Music may have a substantial effect on many people, but everyone knows
the difference between right and wrong, fact and fiction.
The Rush for MBA is really a rush for big money
In India is seeing a gold rush for MBA. In India privatization is making its feet stronger day by
day. In toady’s India there are much more opportunities, as compared to the earlier years.
Especially after 1990’s liberalization policies India has seen a big boom in privatization. That
why MBA which was not much not sot after carrier option in India till 1985, has seen a big
boom in this segment. The number of applicants for IIM’s has increased many folds, knowing
that only one percent of them can make for it. That’s why today there are more than 1000 MBA
colleges in India. About 100 of them are well recognized worldwide.
The rush for the MBA is because of the good status symbol associated with it. For middle class
students this offers a very good opportunity for growth. Only by getting an admission in
leading MBA College, they can land up in big posts. More to this, MBA courses provide big
challenges for young generations. They got lot of challenging assignments in their tenure. The
other reason is obvious the big pay cheques associated with jobs offered to MBA’s. Recent
years there is huge increase in salary offered to average MBA student. Last year one of IIM,
Ahemdabad MBA graduate was offered salary more then 1 core/year. Highest ever offered
salary in India to a MBA. If we compare this with the average Indian earning, most of them are
not even able to earn 1 crore in their whole life.
The main raise in the salary is due to the coming up of MNC’s for recruitment in India. Every
year lot of MNC’s visit Indian campuses and offer attractive packages. This is due to the
success of lot Indian MBA’s abroad. Not only the MNC’s, what the Indian companies are also
offering good salaries. Indian companies have shown significant growth in world today. Also
the liberalization has opened new business opportunities in India. New businesses are coming
up and they require good managers to run their business.
Today MBA is good sot after carrier option in India. More and more student opts for this. The
rush for MBA is clear from the fact that today even doctors, engineers and all field graduate are
opting for MBA. Therefore more and more colleges have started offering MBA courses. If
students doesn’t got seat in big institutes, then they are even opting for foreign countries. In
recent year the number of students going abrosd for MBA has increased many fold.
Its rather unfortunate that in India only MBA degree seems to provide a launching pad to take
one's career to a different orbit. All other professional degrees require a much longer gestation
period. Therefore, every top-grade B-school gets huge number of applications even from
professional degree holders such as Engineers, Software Professionals, Doctors. Chartered
Accountants, Cost Accountants , Lawyers. Hotel Management Graduates etc. The Indian scene
has now started following the global trend where people are coming back to an institution after
working for a few years because pre and post MBA position differentials are significant.

Other than this pre-post difference in terms of money and responsibilities, work experience
soon teaches you that "doing your job" and "getting job done" are two different competencies.
While all other professional degrees teach you only the first, MBA teaches you both, the first
and the second because a Managers job is to get work done.

The moment you become responsible for somebody else's work you need knowledge of
management. For example, a salesman doesn't so much need any knowledge of management;
he can deliver good results on the strength of his product knowledge, persuasive ability; energy,
enthusiasm, intuition and common sense. However, a Sales Manager or Team Leader needs
knowledge of management because he is required to coordinate activities if others and is also
responsible for others performance. Appreciative intelligence, energy, persuasive ability,
intuition and common sense can certainly serve a non-MBA manager well, but a structured
knowledge of MBA does provide the manager a perspective that remains applicable across
situations an people. There are many high performing managers who may not be MBA's as they
have learnt all the nuances of management through their rich experience that cannot be
substituted by anything, however, the MBA learn many of those tricks of the trade faster as
they have a perspective that help them to join all the dots to clarify the picture.

MBA's are also emerging as a community, not yet professional enough to be registered by a
single association with a common code of ethics. This community is highly networked and
reasonably powerful. Currently, the community identity is defined by the institution from
which one graduates, but we notice initiatives where alumni of many institutions are
networking to create a larger MBA community, The rush for MBA is also to join such a
prestigious community.
Unique identification number.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is an agency of the Government of

India responsible for implementing the envisionedMultipurpose National Identity Card or
Unique Identification card (UID Card) project in India. It was established in February 2009,
and will own and operate the Unique Identification Number database.[1] The authority will aim
at providing a unique number to all Indians, but not smart cards.[2] The authority would provide
a database of residents containing very simple data in biometrics.[3]
The agency is headed by a chairman, holds a cabinet rank. The UIDAI is part of the Planning
Commission of India.[1][4] Nandan Nilekani, a former co-chairman of Infosys Technologies, was
appointed as the first Chairman of the authority in June 2009.[5] Ram Sewak Sharma, anIAS
Officer of Jharkhand Government cadre has been appointed as the Director General and
Mission Director of the Authority. He is known for his best effort in e-Governance project for
Jharkhand State and working as an IT secretary he received a number of awards for best
Information Technology Trends State in India.

•
Launch

UIDAI launched AADHAAR program in the tribal village, Tembhli,

in Nandurbar, Maharashtra on 29th September, 2010. The program was inaguated by Prime
Minister, Manmohan Singh along with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.[6] The first resident to
receive an AADHAAR was Rajana Sonawane of Tembhli village.[7]
Coverage, goals and logistics

It is believed that Unique National IDs will help address the rigged state elections, widespread
embezzlement that affects subsidies and poverty alleviation programs such as NREGA.
[8]
Addressingillegal immigration into India and terrorist threats is another goal of the program.
[9]

Most reports suggest that the plan is for each Indian citizen to have a unique identification
number with associated identifying biometric data and photographs by 2011.[10] However, other
reports claim that obtaining a unique number would be voluntary, but those that opt to stay out
of the system "will find it very inconvenient: they will not have access to facilities that require
you to cite your ID number."[2]
Government issued IDs are fragmented by purpose and region in India, which results in
widespread bribery, denial of public services and loss of income, especially afflicting poor
citizens.[11] As the unique identity database comes into existence, the various identity databases
(voter ID, passports, ration cards, licenses, fishing permits, border area id cards) that already
exist in India are planned to be linked to it.[2] The Authority is liaising with various national,
state and local government entities to begin this process. The Union Labor Ministry has offered
its verified Employment Provident Fund (EPFO) database of 42 million citizens as the first
database to be integrated into the unique ID system.[12]

Other UID projects implemented on a smaller scale in India can also facilitate in the
development of the national project. An example is a project developed by Wolf
Frameworks Cloud Computing vendor and Social Education and Development Society (SEDS)
for profiling and generating Unique Identification for more than 40,000 members in the
Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. [13]

The UID will link a person's Passport Number, Driving License, PAN card, Bank Accounts,
Address, Voter ID, etc and all this information will be checked through a database. So, for
example, if someone has different addresses on PAN and driving license, is liable to get caught.
Those who will opt out of this program will have much inconvenience in doing business,
operating bank accounts and other offices which will require a UID.

UIDAI has headquarters in Delhi and a technology centre in Bangalore. It also has 6 regional
offices in Chandigarh, Delhi, Lucknow,Ranchi, Guwahati, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
[14]

Name and logo

UID project is known as AADHAAR meaning 'support' or 'foundation', and its logo is a yellow
sun with a fingerprint embedded in its centre.[15]
Projected costs and business opportunities

One estimate of the cost to completely roll-out National IDs to all Indian residents above the
age of 18 has been placed at 150,000 crore (US$ 34.05 billion).[16] A different estimate puts it
at US$ 6 billion.[17] A sum of 100 crore (US$ 22.7 million) was approved in the 2009-
2010 union budget to fund the agency for its first year of existence.[1] UID has received a huge
boost with Dr Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Finance, allocating Rs 1900 crore to the Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for 2010-11.

Initial estimates project that the initiative will create 1000 new jobs in the country, and business
opportunities worth 6,500 crore (US$ 1.48 billion) in the first phase [10] of implementation.
[]Criticism

There are many potential privacy fallouts of this project, not the least of which is triggered by
the Government's official plan to link the databases together.
Although there is sometimes a tension between individual privacy rights and national security,
international law and India’s domestic law expressly set a standard in tort law and through
constitutional law to protect an individual’s privacy from unlawful invasion. Under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by India, an individual’s
right to privacy is protected from arbitrary or unlawful interference by the state.

The Supreme Court also held the right to privacy to be implicit under article 21 of the Indian
Constitution in Rajgopal v. State of Tamil Nadu. Moreover, India has enacted a number of laws
that provide some protection for privacy. For example the Hindu Marriage Act, the Copyright
Act, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the Code of Criminal
Procedure all place restrictions on the release of personal information. Privacy is a key concern
with respect to the Multipurpose National Identity Card (MNIC) scheme as all of an
individual’s personal information will be stored in one database where the possibility of
corruption and exploitation of data is far greater than when having the information disbursed.

Risks that arise from this centralization include possible errors in the collection of information,
recording of inaccurate data, corruption of data from anonymous sources, and unauthorized
access to or disclosure of personal information.Other countries with national identification
systems have confronted numerous problems with similar risks such as trading and selling of
information, and India, which has no generally established data protection laws such as the U.S.
Federal Privacy Statute or the European Directive on Data Protection, is ill-equipped to deal
with such problems. The centralized nature of data collection inherent in the MNIC proposal
only heightens the risk of misuse of personal information and therefore potentially violates
privacy rights. In consideration of the risks involved in the creation of a centralized database of
personal information, it is imperative that such a programme not be established without the
proper mechanisms to ensure the security of each individual privacy rights. Unfortunately,
India’s proposed MNIC programme lacks any provision for judicial review at the present time.
Without credible and independent oversight, there is a risk of ‘mission creep’ for MNICs; the
government may add features and additional data to the MNIC database bureaucratically and
reflexively, without reevaluating the effects on privacy in each instance.

Unique Identification Number (UID) is a recently finalized initiative by the Government of

India to create and manage a centralized identification system for all the
adult citizens and residents of India, which can be utilized for a variety of identification
purposes. Nandan Nilekani former co-chairman of Infosys has been appointed as the head
of Unique Identification Authority of India and will have a ministerial rank.[1] He has decided to
step down from the board of Infosys Technologies.[2] The authority is notified as an attached
office under the aegis of the planning commission. Formally they announced a new name and
logo for the project called as Aadhaar meaning Support in Hindi.
Format

The ID system is likely to be a large alpha-numeric string in order to accommodate the count of
billion-plus citizens of India and ones that will be born in future. The card is likely to have a
16kb or 64kb storage chip embedded.Adding a photograph and biometric data would be
planned progressively.[3]
Purpose and use

The ID is fundamentally being prepared to identify Indian citizens so that better security can be
provided by identifying illegal immigrants and terrorists. However, the real power of the ID is
in its ability to provide ease of identity establishment to Indian citizens when accessing a
variety of governmental and private-sector services.

The likely benefits of the new ID system to the citizens will be as below: 1) Subsidies on food,
energy, education, etc. to people who are entitled to receive them. 2) Opening bank accounts 3)
Getting new telephone, mobile or internet connections, 4) New light or gas connections 5)
Getting a passport 6) The same card may act as a driving license and store your traffic violation
records 7) It may act as your electoral card 8) Family genealogy may be traced
Funding

The Government had allocated $22.5 million in the interim Budget to startup this project.[1] The
overall cost estimated for the project is likely to be in the range of $2.2 billion to $4.4 billion.
[edit]Implementation

In the first phase, the UID will be issued to people living in the coastal villages of Andhra
Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Kerala, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Orissa.
The Union Territories of Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadar and Nagar Haveli as
well as Lakshadweep shall also be covered in the first phase. The first lot of cards is expected
to be delivered by early 2010.[2]

The Aadhaar (UID) number is expected to roll out by February 2011 and finance ministry
officials hope the mandatory use of the UID for the issue of PAN cards in the future would help
curb the proliferation of duplicate PAN cards.
]Project Launch

The Project Aadhar was launched recently by the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Indian
Prime minister Manmohan Singh, Ashok Chavan, K. Shankarnarayanan and UIDAI chief
Nandan Nilekani in Tembhli village of Maharashtra by providing the Unique ID to 10 adivasis.

UPA Chairperson and Indian Prime Minister spoke about the benefits and positive outcomes of
the Unique ID projects in India.

Four-year-old Hitesh Sonawane became the youngest member to receive the UID card from the
Prime Minister while Ranjana Sonawane became the first Indian to ger UID / Unique ID card
through the Project Aadhar
Was the war in Iraq justified?

Imagine a world where you lived in terror of a brutal dictator, where one complaint from a
classmate or neighbor could land you in jail. Your family would have no idea where you are--or
if you will ever come home. Imagine that dictator has used chemical weapons on a city near
yours--killing thousands of innocent men, women and children.

For Iraqi citizens, that was the harsh reality of life under Saddam Hussein--a violent dictator
who supported terrorism, used weapons of mass murder on his own people and his neighbors,
and defied the demands of the United Nations that he disarm. Today, thanks to American and
allied troops, his regime has been removed--and Iraqis are free.

Why did the President act to remove the brutal regime in Iraq? Because on September 11 we
saw the destruction caused by a terrorist attack on our own soil--3,056 innocent people were
killed. And we vowed to do whatever it takes to stop another attack before it happens.

War is always a last choice, for with war comes the cost of human life and financial sacrifice
for our country. But terror must be stopped before it arrives on our shores, before terrorists
acquire weapons of mass murder that would allow them to kill many more people than they did
on 9/11.

We are living in a dangerous world. We can live in that world as free people. Young people in
Iraq finally have what you have--the opportunity to pursue their dreams in freedom. Much work
remains, but the future is bright.

Six months after President Bush declared major combat operations in Iraq over, American
soldiers are being attacked daily, and millions of Iraqi civilians still lack basic services like
water and electricity. We are witnessing the consequences of a premature decision to go to war.

There is no question that Saddam Hussein was a brutal, corrupt dictator. But President Bush
argued in favor of preemptive action--going to war to prevent war--an approach America has
never taken before in its history. Furthermore, he made the decision to go to war with little
support from our friends across the globe.

The belief that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was a driving force behind the invasion.
But no such weapons have yet been found. Either the White House had bad information or it
exaggerated what it knew. In either case, we now know there was insufficient reason to go to
war.

I am very concerned that some Bush administration officials are now saying that it does not
matter that no weapons of mass destruction have been found. It does matter, If the weapons do
exist, we must find them immediately so that terrorists and hostile nations do not find them
first. If they do not exist, someone needs to explain why we sacrificed the lives of American
soldiers and destroyed America's credibility around the world.
The American people need to be assured that, in the future, a decision to go to war will be
based on reliable information of a credible, imminent threat. No one has proven this to date.

Is US Attack On Iraq – Justified Or Not?

In the winter of 2002 on 12 September, Andrew Card, the White House Chief of Staff,
called for “an action against Iraq” in the United Nations Security Council alleging that the Iraqi
president Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and was assisting
terrorist networks to carry out more terrorist attacks like the one witnessed on 11 September
2001 in the US. This speech was a prelude to what the rest of the world was afraid of.

Leaders of France and Germany immediately argued there was no evidence of any WMDs and
invading Iraq wasn’t justified. The United States (US) kept on with its war preparations
ignoring more than 3,000 war protests which took place before the invasion, including the
largest anti-war rally of three million people in Rome. The Iraqi armed forces were already
decimated in the Gulf War of 1991 and offered little resistance when the US forces – along
with the United Kingdom and Australia – attacked Iraq on 20 March, 2003 (six months after the
Andrew Card’s speech) in the operation named ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’. Since the US forces
set out to free Iraq, close to a million Iraqi souls have been liberated at the cost of
approximately 5,000 ‘liberators’ –the Allied casualties.

Was the US decision to invade Iraq on the pretext of finding and destroying ‘weapons of mass
destruction’ which were never found, justified or not?

The invasion was necessary to safeguard the world

The US didn’t act single-handedly for its own sake; the Security Council had passed many
resolutions prior to the war which clearly stated that the WMDs in the hands of a dictator could
jeopardize world peace.

The Iraqi regime refused to cooperate with the Special Commission on Iraq (UNSCOM), an
inspection team to monitor the existence of WMDs in Iraq, on 16 December 1998. Because of
the previous history of the regime and the absence of any UN inspectors in the country, it was
impossible to believe that the regime had given up its secret weapons program.

The regime of the Iraqi dictator had issued a decree in 1990 which permits men to kill women
relatives in the name of honor and without any fear of being punished. The US intervention has
only saved many women from such a terrible fate.

Documents gathered during the Gulf War reveal how Ali Hassan al-Majid nicknamed Chemical
Ali, the Secretary General of the Northern Bureau of the Ba’ath Party, used chemical weapon
on the ethnic Kurd population of Northern Iraq between 1986 – 1989, decimating over 4,000
villages and killing between 50,000 – 100,000 civilians. Operation Iraqi Freedom has only
disposed of such a cruel dictator.

The majority (60%) of the Iraqi population adheres to the Shia version of Islam but they didn’t
have any say in the politics until Saddam Hussein remained in power. It was only after the Iraqi
invasion of 2003 that a democratically elected government came into power.

The United States intervened in Iraq only after it was established by the intelligence reports that
there was a connection between the Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, a
terrorist organization and that the Iraqis were training al-Qaeda fighters.
The 2003 Iraq War was perfectly legal because in the American Senate, 98% Republicans and
58% Democrats voted in favor of the bill named Authorization for use of Military Force against
Iraq Resolution of 2002. Moreover, the International Criminal Court never issued any decree
against the US invasion; it wasn’t an illegal act to invade Iraq.

Iraq had violated the UN Security Council resolution 1441 and the US attacked Iraq only
maintain international order.

Those who say the US invaded Iraq for oil are missing the point because it is not the US but the
Chinese companies who are reaping the benefits of the US invasion and are securing major
deals with the fragile Iraqi government. The Iraqi government has awarded a dozen contracts to
develop oil fields since 2003 and four (33%) of them have gone to the Chinese companies.

The invasion shows a power drunk superpower

The US invaded a sovereign nation on the pretext of the existence of WMDs; which were never
found. The documents presented by the US government to the world proving the existence of
WMDs in Iraq were forged. Former US president George W. Bush said publicly on 28 January
2003 the British government had learnt that Saddam Hussein sought high quantities of uranium
from [Niger in] Africa. With the cooperation from the Niger government it was clear in March
2002 that the CIA documents concerning the nuclear weapons in Iraq were forged but the Bush
administration continued to use the documents even a year after the war.

According to Eric S. Margolis, a journalist for the Toronto Sun, US government was worried
by the surging economies of India and China. The CIA thought the burgeoning economies of
these nations would cause global shortages by/before 2030 and it’s essential to keep America’s
energy security intact; therefore, the US moved in with all its forces to secure the oil wells in
Iraq. Pulitzer Price winner writer Thomas L Friedman wrote in the New York Times on 6
January 2003 “Any war we launch in Iraq will certainly be – in part – about oil.”

According to a UN estimate about a million people perished while Saddam Hussein was in
power but almost the number innocent civilians killed after the US invasion is almost the same.
Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death after his capture for abusing human rights; but, hasn’t
the US president George Bush done the same?

Why would the traditional allies of the US – France and Germany – back out in case of Iraq
war? Wasn’t Iraq with WMDs a danger to them? The simple answer is, the governments of
those countries knew well back then that there didn’t exist any weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq and it wasn’t worthwhile to put their soldiers in harm’s way and take the lives of innocent
Iraqi civilians.

Conclusion
There is no doubt that the US invasion has freed the people of Iraq from the grips of a
tyrannical dictator but that is not the full story. The US could have intervened when Saddam’s
regime was massacring thousands of innocent Kurds and other minorities but the US decided to
intervene only when its own security was at stake and named the war a ‘humanitarian
intervention’. The war ripped the country apart into factions and brought it on the verge of a
civil war; resulting in the displacement of millions of people within the country. The war also
left some questions unanswered: how is it possible for a country to defy international opinion
and attack a sovereign nation? Whether the new regime brought in by the US brings prosperity
and peace to the people of Iraq or not still remains to be seen.

What shall we do about our ever-increasing Population

The population in India as at 0:00 hours on 1st March 2001 stood at 1,027,015,247
persons. With this, India became only the second country in the world after China to cross the
one billion mark. ( India is the 2nd most populated country in the world)

India's estimated population to be 1,129,866,154, in July 2007.

India's population rose by 21.34 % between 1991 - 2001. The sex ratio (i.e., number of females
per thousand males) of population was 933, rising from 927 as at the 1991 Census. Total
literacy rate in India was returned as 65.38%.

Persons 1,027,015,247
Males 531,277,078
Females 495,738,169

Source: Provisional Population Totals : India . Census of India 2001, Paper 1 of 2001

Structure and Dynamics

Population of India . Although India occupies only 2.4% of the world's land area, it supports
over 15% of the world's population. Only China has a larger population. Almost 40% of
Indians are younger than 15 years of age. About 70% of the people live in more than 550,000
villages, and the remainder in more than 200 towns and cities. Over thousands of years of its
history, India has been invaded from the Iranian plateau, Central Asia, Arabia, Afghanistan,
and the West; Indian people and culture have absorbed and changed these influences to produce
a remarkable racial and cultural synthesis.
Religion, caste, and language are major determinants of social and political organization in
India today. The government has recognized 18 languages as official; Hindi is the most widely
spoken.

Although 83% of the people are Hindu, India also is the home of more than 120 million
Muslims--one of the world's largest Muslim populations. The population also includes
Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis.

The caste system reflects Indian occupational and religiously defined hierarchies. Traditionally,
there are four broad categories of castes (varnas), including a category of outcastes, earlier
called "untouchables" but now commonly referred to as "dalits."

Within these broad categories there are thousands of castes and subcastes , whose relative
status varies from region to region.

Despite economic modernization and laws countering discrimination against the lower end of
the class structure, the caste system remains an important source of social identification for
most

Hindus and a potent factor in the political life of the country.

India Population : The 1991 final census count gave India a total population of 846,302,688.
However, estimates of India's population vary widely. According to the Population Division of
the United Nations Department of International Economic

and Social Affairs, the population had already reached 866 million in 1991. The Population
Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(ESCAP) projected 896.5 million by mid-1993 with a 1.9 percent annual growth rate. The
United States Bureau of the Census, assuming an annual population growth rate of 1.8 percent,
put India's population in July 1995 at 936,545,814. These higher projections merit attention in
light of the fact that the Planning Commission had estimated a figure of 844 million for 1991
while preparing the Eighth Five-Year Plan (FY 1992-96; see Population Projections, this ch.).

India accounts for some 2.4 percent of the world's landmass but is home to about 16 percent of
the global population. The magnitude of the annual increase in population can be seen in the
fact that India adds almost the total population of Australia or Sri Lanka every year. A 1992
study of India's population notes that India has more people than all of Africa and also more
than North America and South America together. Between 1947 and 1991, India's population
more than doubled.

Throughout the twentieth century, India has been in the midst of a demographic transition. At
the beginning of the century, endemic disease, periodic epidemics, and famines kept the death
rate high enough to balance out the high birth rate. Between 1911 and 1920, the birth and death
rates were virtually equal--about forty-eight births and forty-eight deaths per 1,000 population.
The increasing impact of curative and preventive medicine (especially mass inoculations)
brought a steady decline in the death rate. By the mid-1990s, the estimated birth rate had fallen
to twenty-eight per 1,000, and the estimated death rate had fallen to ten per 1,000. Clearly, the
future configuration of India's population (indeed the future of India itself) depends on what
happens to the birth rate (see fig. 8). Even the most optimistic projections do not suggest that
the birth rate could drop below twenty per 1,000 before the year 2000. India's population is
likely to exceed the 1 billion mark before the 2001 census.
The upward population in India spiral began in the 1920s and is reflected in intercensal growth
increments. South Asia's population increased roughly 5 percent between 1901 and 1911 and
actually declined slightly in the next decade. Population increased some 10 percent in the
period from 1921 to 1931 and 13 to 14 percent in the 1930s and 1940s. Between 1951 and
1961, the population rose 21.5 percent. Between 1961 and 1971, the country's population
increased by 24.8 percent. Thereafter a slight slowing of the increase was experienced: from
1971 to 1981, the population increased by 24.7 percent, and from 1981 to 1991, by 23.9 percent
(see table 3, Appendix).

Population in India density has risen concomitantly with the massive increases in population. In
1901 India counted some seventy-seven persons per square kilometer; in 1981 there were 216
persons per square kilometer; by 1991 there were 267 persons per square kilometer--up almost
25 percent from the 1981 population density (see table 4, Appendix). India's average population
density is higher than that of any other nation of comparable size. The highest densities are not
only in heavily urbanized regions but also in areas that are mostly agricultural.

Population of India growth in the years between 1950 and 1970 centered on areas of new
irrigation projects, areas subject to refugee resettlement, and regions of urban expansion. Areas
where population did not increase at a rate approaching the national average were those facing
the most severe economic hardships, overpopulated rural areas, and regions with low levels of
urbanization.

The 1991 census, which was carried out under the direction of the Registrar General and
Census Commissioner of India (part of the Ministry of Home Affairs), in keeping with the
previous two censuses, used the term urban agglomerations . An urban agglomeration forms a
continuous urban spread and consists of a city or town and its urban outgrowth outside the
statutory limits. Or, an urban agglomerate may be two or more adjoining cities or towns and
their outgrowths. A university campus or military base located on the outskirts of a city or
town, which often increases the actual urban area of that city or town, is an example of an
urban agglomeration. In India urban agglomerations with a population of 1 million or more--
there were twenty-four in 1991--are referred to as metropolitan areas. Places with a population
of 100,000 or more are termed "cities" as compared with "towns," which have a population of
less than 100,000. Including the metropolitan areas, there were 299 urban agglomerations with
more than 100,000 population in 1991. These large urban agglomerations are designated as
Class I urban units. There were five other classes of urban agglomerations, towns, and villages
based on the size of their populations: Class II (50,000 to 99,999), Class III (20,000 to 49,999),
Class IV (10,000 to 19,999), Class V (5,000 to 9,999), and Class VI (villages of less than
5,000; see table 5, Appendix).

The results of the 1991 census revealed that around 221 million, or 26.1 percent, of Indian's
population lived in urban areas. Of this total, about 138 million people, or 16 percent, lived in
the 299 urban agglomerations. In 1991 the twenty-four metropolitan cities accounted for 51
percent of India's total population living in Class I urban centers, with Bombay and Calcutta the
largest at 12.6 million and 10.9 million, respectively (see table 6, Appendix).

In the early 1990s, growth was the most dramatic in the cities of central and southern India.
About twenty cities in those two regions experienced a growth rate of more than 100 percent
between 1981 and 1991. Areas subject to an influx of refugees also experienced noticeable
demographic changes. Refugees from Bangladesh, Burma, and Sri Lanka contributed
substantially to population growth in the regions in which they settled. Less dramatic
population increases occurred in areas where Tibetan refugee settlements were founded after
the Chinese annexation of Tibet in the 1950s.
The majority of districts had urban populations ranging on average from 15 to 40 percent in
1991. According to the 1991 census, urban clusters predominated in the upper part of the Indo-
Gangetic Plain; in the Punjab and Haryana plains, and in part of western Uttar Pradesh. The
lower part of the Indo-Gangetic Plain in southeastern Bihar, southern West Bengal, and
northern Orissa also experienced increased urbanization. Similar increases occurred in the
western coastal state of Gujarat and the union territory of Daman and Diu. In the Central
Highlands in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, urbanization was most noticeable in the river
basins and adjacent plateau regions of the Mahanadi, Narmada, and Tapti rivers. The coastal
plains and river deltas of the east and west coasts also showed increased levels of urbanization.

The hilly, inaccessible regions of the Peninsular Plateau, the northeast, and the Himalayas
remain sparsely settled. As a general rule, the lower the population density and the more remote
the region, the more likely it is to count a substantial portion of tribal (see Glossary) people
among its population (see Tribes, ch. 4). Urbanization in some sparsely settled regions is more
developed than would seem warranted at first glance at their limited natural resources. Areas of
western India that were formerly princely states (in Gujarat and the desert regions of Rajasthan)
have substantial urban centers that originated as political-administrative centers and since
independence have continued to exercise hegemony over their hinterlands.

The vast majority of Indians, nearly 625 million, or 73.9 percent, in 1991 lived in what are
called villages of less than 5,000 people or in scattered hamlets and other rural settlements (see
The Village Community, ch. 5). The states with proportionately the greatest rural populations
in 1991 were the states of Assam (88.9 percent), Sikkim (90.9 percent) and Himachal Pradesh
(91.3 percent), and the tiny union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli (91.5 percent). Those
with the smallest rural populations proportionately were the states of Gujarat (65.5 percent),
Maharashtra (61.3 percent), Goa (58.9 percent), and Mizoram (53.9 percent). Most of the other
states and the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were near the national
average.

Two other categories of India's population that are closely scrutinized by the national census
are the Scheduled Castes (see Glossary) and Scheduled Tribes (see Glossary). The greatest
concentrations of Scheduled Caste members in 1991 lived in the states of Andhra Pradesh (10.5
million, or nearly 16 percent of the state's population), Tamil Nadu (10.7 million, or 19
percent), Bihar (12.5 million, or 14 percent), West Bengal (16 million, or 24 percent), and Uttar
Pradesh (29.3 million, or 21 percent). Together, these and other Scheduled Caste members
comprised about 139 million people, or more than 16 percent of the total population of India.
Scheduled Tribe members represented only 8 percent of the total population (about 68 million).
They were found in 1991 in the greatest numbers in Orissa (7 million, or 23 percent of the
state's population), Maharashtra (7.3 million, or 9 percent), and Madhya Pradesh (15.3 million,
or 23 percent). In proportion, however, the populations of states in the northeast had the
greatest concentrations of Scheduled Tribe members. For example, 31 percent of the population
of Tripura, 34 percent of Manipur, 64 percent of Arunachal Pradesh, 86 percent of Meghalaya,
88 percent of Nagaland, and 95 percent of Mizoram were Scheduled Tribe members. Other
heavy concentrations were found in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 79 percent of which was
composed of Scheduled Tribe members, and Lakshadweep, with 94 percent of its population
being Scheduled Tribe members.

The country is in real threat and if this treat is not being taken care of, every thing will be
destroyed.
yes, I am talking about the threatening population problem, which is aggravating by each and
every passing day.
if the trend continues, people should prepare for the worse conditions ever. Our honorable
ministers talk about poverty, unemployment, crimes, shortage of land, water, food. But nobody
talks about this menace which is the root cause of all the problems. You are an honorable
citizen of the society. That’s why I am writing this letter to you so as to stop this threat of
population.
You can raise the voice of the people and I trust you. Everybody should realize in the interest of
this country that population explosion will ruin the country and thousands of more problems
will arise.
Our population is increasing at the rate of 1.5 crore per annum. Just think it seriously, where
would you get the safe drinking water, how would you be able to generate employment for such
a huge proportion of people. Social unreat will turn into riots and will shatter the economy.
Cities will turn into a stinking tank. India would be the biggest slum holder.
Burglary, riots, rapes, eve-teasing-would be the highest in the world. This gloomy picture will
become realty one day and it has already started showing the threat.
There is only one solution for the biggest problem of India which if not controlled, will destroy
the country.
The law of 1 child per family should be strictly followed if the govt. is serious in its efforts.
There should be certain clauses in the law
a) 2nd child should be penalized.
b) If the family goes for third child, they should be debarred for the voting rights, they should
be banned for govt. jobs, there ration cards should be cancelled.
c) Special benefits should be given to the poor families who are having one child.
If the family is having a girl, he should be given permanent govt. job or other financial benefits.
The above law, if implemented will go a long way in curbing the threat of population
explosion.
It has to be done very quickly because time is running out and we don’t have any options at all.
Save this country from complete destruction.

will india become superpower by 2020

SUPPORTING the ongoing reform process, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr N.
Chandrababu Naidu, has said that the country is headed towards becoming a developed nation
and a superpower by the year 2020, where The Hindu, which is celebrating its 125th
anniversary, would continue to play a pivotal role in India's march towards achieving that
major goal.

In his address here today during the celebrations, Mr Naidu said according to Goldman Sachs,
BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, China and India) have been chosen as potential candidates to
get into this brigade of developed nations.

Later speaking about journalism and the newspapers, Mr Naidu said today they have undergone
tremendous changes due to competition and technical progress. Negative reporting,
sensationalism have eroded journalistic ethics. However, it is time for positive thinking, where
objective reporting will replace negative thinking and sensational approach.

Earlier, the leader of Opposition, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, said in the emerging world of
globalisation and consumerism, all those entrusted with the responsibility of keeping up
democracy need to keep our eyes and ears wide open and hear those voices of the quietest and
the anguished. This is important given the issue of reforms not reaching all sections of society.
The reforms have touched only the rich and privileged.
The Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, Mr N. Ram, in his welcome address, said that that it was
time to reconsider some of the Constitutional provisions, to safeguard Article 19 freedoms,
defamation must be de-criminalised and the civil remedies made more effective, and the power
of higher courts to punish for criminal contempt of court must be checked by Parliament.

Tracing the long history of the paper, Mr Ram said that The Hindu re-dedicates itself to its
ideals of Panchsheel of truth telling, freedom and independence, justice, humaneness and
contributing to social good. The mission to serve its informed, enlightened and growing
readership, would continue.

Dr Anji Reddy, Chairman of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, said The Hindu had succeeded in
making the values of science — rationality, accuracy and objectivity — a way of life. "Those
values permeate the pages of The Hindu and all its reporting. And as in science, its opinions
and conclusions are fact based, rather than the espousal of prejudice and dogma," he observed.

"The Hindu exerts a strong influence on the leaders of modern India," he said, hoping that the
tradition would continue and influence the next generation that is now being brought up on the
paper.

Dr Kota Harinarayana, the architect of India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme and
Vice-Chancellor of University of Hyderabad, called for finding ways to "bring back creativity"
in the education system that would help the country achieve a position it really deserved.

India can become the superpower of the world in a matter of 15-20 years if we can elect a good
leadership to lead us and rule us. It is the leadership of the country that moves the country
forward or backward. Indian President Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam in his famous book written in
1998, envisions that India can become a developed country by 2020.

The evils that we see in India today like corruption, public sector inefficiency, religious
tensions, lack of development, poverty, illiteracy, poor infrastructure, and shortages are caused
by corrupt leaderships that place their interests over the interests of the Nation. Corruption is
the root causes of India's backwardness. The damage caused by corruption on the country's
economy and progress is unimaginable.

India has all the human and material resources that are required to become a superpower; it is
only a question of management. The natural ingredients necessary to become a superpower are:
1. Adequate geographical size, 2. Adequate population, having a good level of natural
intelligence, 3. Reasonable level of natural resources, 4. Will of the population to be superior.

PART I: India threatens world order

PART II: India a superpower by 2050? Just impossible

PART III: Forget America, India can also overtake China

PART IV: India vs America: Let the battle begin!

PART V: An unstoppable danger looms over India

People must be ambitious; they must have high desires. India is pretty strong on the first three
requirements and that is why India can become a superpower. Indians are among the most
intelligent people of the world.
India has an immense resource of experienced, high calibre professionals in all spheres of
knowledge and technology. There is no goal that these professionals cannot achieve, if the right
conditions are provided, because they are as good as anyone else in the developed countries.

The achievements of India and Indians worldwide in areas of space technology, nuclear
technology, agricultural research, and software development gives a glimpse of what this
sleeping tiger is capable of. India has economically and industrially advanced to a level from
where further development can be much more accelerated.

India has immense capital that is lying dormant with individuals due to lack of awareness about
investment instruments as well as trustworthy avenues for investments. Gold in the possession
of individual families is an example as well a result of this situation.

The Indian market is very huge and it can support any degree of growth. The country has much
more natural resources in comparison to many other developed countries. Considering these
strengths, if India is ruled well with the right economic and social policies, India has all the
potential to achieve a growth rate of 13% which would take the 1999 per capita income of
$1600 to $34,000 by the year 2025, which would be equal to the UK per capita income in 2025,
assuming that the 1999 UK per capita income of $22,000 grows at 2%. This 2% growth rate is
considered to be a realistic long-term growth rate for a developed country like UK. Empires
rise and fall.

The British Empire where the sun never set does not exist any more. The mighty USSR has
disappeared. There is no historical reason to believe that the richest and the strongest nations of
today will remain like that forever.

India and China are poised to take those positions. Why India has not achieved the goal yet and
what will prevent India from achieving this goal in future? We focus too much on social and
religious matters and too little on economic matters. Non-economic issues like temple-mosque
disputes determine the outcome of national elections in India. This trend is now changing and
focus is turning to economy and that is why India has good prospects to develop economically.
As a result leaders who focus on economy and the country rather than religious and social
issues will rise.

The ascension of Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam and Manmohan Singh as President and Prime
Minister is a clear indication of this welcome phenomenon. I would define developed country
status as follows. Over 90% of the population will be living in modern houses having toilet,
electricity, pipe water, fans, cooking gas, television, telephone, and a fridge. More than 50% of
the population will have a family car. The roads will be of international standards. Buses and
trains will be neat and fast, keeping time. Electricity will not fail and telephones will work
always. Towns and cities will be clean. People will get good and affordable education and
healthcare. Taxes will be reasonable and prices affordable and stable. You will not have to
bribe any one. To achieve all this in a short span of 15-20 years, in a predominantly rural
economy like India, agricultural produces should fetch much higher prices, similar to industrial
products. Therefore farmers will be able to pay high wages to agricultural labour, thus elevating
the masses of India to a higher economic standing. The increased buying power of the rural
sector will boost the industrial and urban sector, thus setting off a chain reaction of economic
development, catapulting India to superpower status.

I think, 2020 is too far from becoming Superpower. I think from given current geo-political
climate, india may gain the superpower status much before.

Tidbits:
Recently, India moved its troops towards China border. This step is taken for the first time
since sino-india border war(1962). I dont think, it is a simple thing from Indian Standpoint.
Also, recently Indian Defence Minister and Finance Minister indirectly quoting that we need to
overtake China in near future.
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14575547
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Army_moves_6000_troops_to_border_with_China/articlesh
ow/2620548.cms
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Emerging_Threats/Briefing/2007/12/14/india_mov
es_troops_to_china_border/9347/

Also following information may help the India's superpower status.

1. Young nation in the world

0-14 years: 31.8%
15-64 years: 63.1%
65 years and over: 5.1%
2. Depression ratio is very low on a comparitive study
3. Coming generations are technology oriented
4. Highest literacy rate (61% - approx 68 billion)
5. GDP - over 9%
6. Attractive Investment Destination

Moreover,
Manpower fit for military service is over 41 billion (age 16-49 both male & female) which is
more than the population of USA and also exceeds most of the countries by population.

Will punch line rule the advertisement world

Advertising is a vehicle through which you try to inform about your product/services to your
consumer/customers and to ultimately attract him towards buying your product.

So there are the following components in advertising:

1. What is the product / Service

2. What is the target segment, customer / consumer
3. Media to connect the product and consumer

Now we have to brainstorm a lot of these points, and break them further. Say target segment
can be broken into age group, income, geographical dispersion, cultural diversity, sex etc.
Now depending upon the product, target segment will be identified. Say for kitchen appliances,
target audience will be mainly homemakers.
Now question arises how to reach the home makers, it can be thorough print, television, radio,
mobile advertisements, hoardings, pamphlets etc. etc.

It can be a combination of media, say print as well television.

Now question arises, whether we should have separate advertisement or a series. Sometimes
you might have noticed that few products are continuously giving advertisement taking
different theme, but same message. It is called campaign.

Now, as a thumb rule, advertiser wants to create a very high recall value in the mind of
consumer. Meaning, you should associate the product with something / should be able to
recognize it fast.

That’s the reason advertiser uses celebrities to endorse their products and uses too much
creativity.

Depending upon the media, advertisement has to be created.

Color, images, messges, animals, ladies, children, gents, nature etc. etc. can be used in
advertisement, depending upon the product, advertising media and the target segment. Say if is
fruit juice, we can use yellow color, can use lion in the background. For ladies apparel we can
use a model. For high end cars, we can use a chauffeur driving the owner to a super seven star
hotel, where he is received by gateman, who comes running… to open the car door and salutes
him , and once he come out, a wonderful charming lady claps to cheer him. So you see, it all
depends.

As you know advertising is one of the most creative professions in the world. It depends upon
the creativity of the copy writer (person who designs the advertisement) how he wants to depict
the product.
Ya, even music, jingles can be also used in the background or directly.

We have to be careful that color, images, animals etc are just a assisting tool to … send the core
message…. to the consumer. They themselves are not the end.

For a week, please consciously view the television /print advertisements, and try to understand,
why they have done the thing in that particular way. You will understand their thought process.
It will be a wonderful exercise.
Hope it helps,

Advertising is fun and exciting and at times, glamorous too.

But behind that is the realization that it is perhaps one of the most potent weapons in a brand’s
arsenal. For something that important, it is crucial that it should be conceived, created,
executed, delivered and monitored flawlessly to ensure the highest RoI for your brand
investments. A few basic pointers would go a long way:

1. Clarity of Objective: What is the reason why you are advertising, what is it that you are out
to achieve – this should be very clear because this is the foundation for the creation of the
advertising campaign. SRS Value Bazaar may like to position itself as the place for the finest
products and prices. Whereas, Exxon may like to reassure people on the eco-friendly approach
of their business.
2. Desired Role of Advertising: Do you want to introduce a new product or service? Do you
want to drive up the imagery of your brand? Do you want the brand to take a leadership role?
Do you want your brand to engage its consumers? Do you wish to drive up trials? Do you wish
to change perceptions? Put your finger on this first so that you can push the right lever.

3. Target Segmentation: Who are the people you wish to speak in a focused manner – it pays to
build in their needs and aspirations, motivators, attitude, outlook into your communication. Am
I looking at youngsters who are looking for a new hip pub, or am I talking a young family man
who is a prime target for my Insurance product?

4. Clarity of Message: clarity also includes crisp single-mindedness of your proposition.

Remember it is the single-mindedness of the proposition, whose building components may be
more than one. The bigger picture in messaging should not be five different things, but instead
about the potent thing that is the result of those five different things.

5. Reason to buy: the reason why you think your target set will find your brand offering
different, relevant, exciting, problem-solving, inviting…

6. Credibility of value-proposition. Crucial, if you don’t want people to flip the page or zap the
channel.

7. Desired consumer action: What is it that you wish him to do as a result of your
communication: feel confident after using your product, think better of you, visit your store,
buy online, ask for a demo…

8. Relatability with the target set’s current mindset. If in today’s scenario people want capital
preservation first, then this would not be the time to peddle a high-risk, high-retun small-cap
mutual fund.

9. Choice of Medium: TV, web, newspapers & magazines, radio… Their attributes and
consumption behavior by consumers define the kind of advertising, sometimes impact it at the
very conceptual stage. The bandwidth offered by the combination audio, video, web and
graphics can be spectacular.

10. Space and need for vivid exaggeration, metaphors, unexpected treatment, starkness.
Nothing plain stands out too much, you need to build in some highpoints.

If you understand this well, all the elements that need to get into you advertising will come to
you naturally. Choice of colors, tone of voice, font style and size, picture area, branding unit,
product shots, response device etc will follow accordingly.

Sometimes you will need a very arresting headline message, sometimes a dramatic picture with
just a few words will work fine and while at others, a long body copy may be a sensible idea.
Remember, after all the analysis and thinking, advertising takes the form of an art.

Trust this helps. Good luck and enjoy your brand building and advertising!

Making of an advert would not come with a cut and dry recipe. However, there is a pattern for
creating advertising. Let’s look at print advertising as a case in point. What doesn’t work now
is long copy advert. These were fashionable in hay days of advertising. Copywriters loved to
write and consumers loved to read! Cut to now. The consumer has limited attention span. So
what works is a piece of creative which catches your attention immediately:
-A headline which is connects squarely to the brand offering and a crisp bodycopy
-A visual which arrests attention (and ofcourse is relevant)
-And a lead into where the reader can get more product info. Something like a website or any
url

Consumers are increasingly getting impatient and brands are multiplying multifold in every
category. The trick lies in grabbing the consumer attention and telling her where to find more
about the brand. In any case consumers do a lot of research these days before making a buying
decision.

Typically what works is a creative which is simple. This is easier said than done because the
greed to say many things about the brand drives people to create adverts which are loaded with
information and hence too busy and a tad bit boring for the consumers to read. I would imagine
layouts which are not run of the mill (you know stuff like, keeping a box for picture, a place
holder for headline. These formats have in built fatigue in them) work harder.

Have a look at the following link:

http://www.bbcworldnews.com/Pages/CurrentAdvertisingCampaigns.aspx (Go to the end of the
page and see the press adverts. These are awesome. Even their internet renditions were equally
fascinating.)

Coming to outdoors, stuff like billboards, etc. Keep very little copy. Remember, people have
just few seconds to see them. One would often see billboards which read like press adverts. No
one would ever read them. See this link below: A simple creative and it tells all about the
brand. http://funny-billboards.blogspot.com/2008/01/mini.html

For same reason the MasterCard ‘priceless’ TV commercial has been one of the best TVCs ever
made: A simple story woven well around the brand.

"HUM, tum or mera Bagpiper". This Bagpiper club soda advertisement, featuring cine
celebrities, is similar to the earlier one for Bagpiper whisky.

The advertisement comes with the same music and punch line as the one for the popular liquor
brand telecast before the ban on liquor advertisements.

This phenomenon, known as "surrogate advertising" (duplicating the brand image of one
product extensively to promote another product of the same brand), has become commonplace.

Surrogate advertisements took off not long ago in the UK, where British housewives protested
strongly against liquor advertisements "luring" away their husbands. The liquor industry found
a way around the ban: Surrogate advertisements for cocktail mixers, fruit juices and soda water
using the brand names of the popular liquors.

In India, the trend of surrogate advertisement gathered momentum with the Cable TV Network
Regulation Act, which prohibits tobacco and liquor advertisements on TV channels. The liquor
industry has intentionally blurred the line between products, advertising `old wine' in a `new
bottle,' only this time with a soft-drink label.

A market survey in 2001 revealed that advertising has a direct influence on the consumption
habits of 431 million people in India and an indirect impact on 275 million `aspirants' from the
lower income group. Considering this and realising that nearly 50 per cent of the television
owners have access to cable channels, there is no doubt that the hidden call for alcohol
consumption behind the surrogate advertisements is not escaping the eyes of viewers in the
world's fourth highest liquor-consuming country. The very purpose of banning liquor
advertisements is defeated by surrogate advertising.

Sociological studies have shown that, in India, a significant share of income of a large section
of the population is spent on liquor, potentially leading to financial distress and health hazards.
According to the International Wine and Spirit Board, a liquor industry publication, there will
be a jump in the number of people reaching the legal drinking age of 25 within the next few
years. The implication is that the problem is going to grow.

The motivations of firms look even more suspect when they advertise products that cannot be
bought. In 2002, for example, Jagatjit Industries, the maker of Aristrocrat Whisky, advertised a
product called `Aristrocrat Apple Juice.' The company reportedly confirmed availability of the
fruit juice in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, yet, no reputed shop in Delhi had ever seen
it, let alone sell it.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has
started to take on the surrogate liquor advertisements. In a recent board meeting, the IBF
decided that Jagatjit Industries and other liquor manufacturing units must get production of the
advertisement approved both at the `storyboard stage' and after the production of the
commercial.

It also ruled that that if liquor companies promote any juice, mineral water or soda, these
should be shown in a proper manner and not as trimmings to liquor advertisement.

These are welcome steps, but the key point lies in enforcement. If, in a free society, producers
have a legitimate right to let consumers know about their products through advertisements,
consumers have the right to information in adverts that are clear and honest.

Surrogate advertisements are not only misleading, but also false and dishonest in many cases.
With surrogate advertising so widespread, this is the moment to tackle the problem head-on.

There should be stringent regulatory measures to curb the practice, such as: i) making
transparent laws banning surrogate advertisements for different products under a single brand
names, by amending the Trade Marks Act, for instance;

ii) providing teeth to the Advertising Standards Council of India to enable it take action against
false and misleading advertisements, and keep a close vigil over clever evasion of the law;

iii) asking the electronic and print media to adhere to the advertisement codes and not
encourage surrogate advertisements;

iv) calling on the ASCI address complaints received from consumers against surrogate
advertisements and take appropriate actions immediately;

v) creating a consumer awareness programme to help people understand the negative impact of
surrogate advertisements;

vi) adopting strict laws to penalise those companies featuring surrogate advertisements without
any real existence of the product; and

vii) requiring advertising agencies to have full knowledge of the products under the same brand
for which they are promoting advertisements, and taking legal actions against those agencies
which design surrogate advertisements.
If one believes that honesty is the best policy and truth ultimately gains, the best policy would
be to stand up strongly to the dishonest practices of surrogate advertising.

should Water Resources nationalized

They underline that the division of responsibilities between federal and state authorities, plus
the private ownership of essential services, is not solving any of these critical issues, and is in
fact holding back the development of Australia as a nation.

The burden of coping with this is thrown onto the people. They battle the fires, endure the
water restrictions, suffer power cuts, lose income when crops fail and animals die, and pay
more and more for the basic essentials of water, electricity and food.

In Victoria, people are threatened with fines and disconnections for watering their gardens at
the wrong time. While older people stagger about with buckets of grey water to keep their vegie
patch alive, the 200 largest industrial water users in that state (whom the government will not
name) can do what they like, along with the host of government departments recently exposed
for exceeding their quotas by up to 25 percent.

Natural disasters
Droughts, floods and bushfires have always been a part of Australia’s natural cycle. Regardless
of how much their frequency or severity has been exacerbated by climate change, they are a
predictable part of the normal pattern of events and have regularly brought hardship and
suffering in their wake.

You would think that a modern technological society would be able to plan and organise much
better to defend itself against such eventualities? You would think that responsible
governments would ensure that there were sufficient trained personnel and modern equipment
available to be moved at short notice to the “hot spots” or crisis areas?

But, no: It is all left up to individual communities to look after themselves, to organise their
own defences against fires and floods with limited assistance from under-funded, overstretched
state authorities. There can be no criticism of the hard-working, dedicated workers and
volunteers who rise to the challenge with heroic efforts year after year, but it clearly is not good
enough.

Surely there is a need for a committed national disaster agency to quickly respond to these
events, to be able to fly in whatever is necessary; heavy equipment, trained personnel, medical
staff, water bombing planes and helicopters, emergency food supplies, etc and to use uniform
procedures with compatible communication networks and radios. It is beyond belief that
different states use different equipment and thereby limit the pooling of resources when they
are called on to help their neighbours. This is even more so when US, Canadian and New
Zealand emergency workers are flown in to boost the numbers.
Instead of such a well-equipped civil defence service, we have a well-equipped army, a good
part of which basically hangs around waiting for the next phone call from George Bush.
Undoubtedly, all care has been taken to ensure that military equipment is fully compatible with
that of the US war machine.

That, of course, is the real answer to the question that many Australians ask, “Why can’t the
army be used in the frontline against natural disasters?” Only when the situation is extremely
desperate will the government allow the army to be distracted from its primary task of stand-by
battalion for US imperialism.

Water, water everywhere

But not where it’s needed. The north western and northern regions of Australia receive good
and consistent rainfall, even now experiencing record downpours. These areas are also the least
populated and least developed parts of Australia.

In contrast, the well developed and populated southern and eastern seaboards are suffering the
worst drought in decades and perhaps even a long-term shift to permanently dryer conditions.

The great river systems are breaking down from insufficient flows due to prolonged drought
conditions, made worse by unsustainable irrigation practices, particularly in areas where rice or
cotton are grown. Drought and falling water levels now threaten to hit hydro power generation
from the vast Snowy scheme and others relying on the Dartmouth and Eildon reservoirs.

This also impacts on the river flows to farmlands and fruit-growing areas, to say nothing of
maintaining the natural health of the river systems. The mouth of the River Murray must be
dredged to keep it open and the iconic Snowy River has again sanded up due to the poor flow.

If thousands of kilometres of pipeline can be built to pump oil from Russia to Europe, then
surely Australia can pipeline water from the northern regions to the river systems feeding the
east and south? It can’t be harder than building a transcontinental railway line and that’s
already been done.

Along the way there is the prospect of building strategic reservoirs to service towns and ensure
environmental flows for the main river systems. A complementary network of pipelines for re-
cycled water could also be included.

This is by no means a new idea; it is a vision held by many Australians over the years, one
version currently being revived by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie.

The main obstacle is the complete absence of national planning and authority. The states,
territories, regional authorities, town councils etc, all have their own planning departments for
their own little bit. In addition there are hundreds of water trading authorities and private
monopolies involved in making money from the supply and sale of water. Then there are all the
special deals with industrial users, irrigators and so on.

Nothing will change until water resources are nationalised and the whole issue is dealt with by
a people’s government committed to serving the needs of the people, not just facilitating the
profiteers.

Howard’s phoney federal takeover falls a long way short of genuine nationalisation. It really
means government control of strategic Murray-Darling water to preserve and maintain the
irrigation ‘rights’ of the big agribusiness monopolies, without guaranteeing access to water for
other users and populations left ‘high and dry’. It deals only with the most valuable water
resources in one part of the country, even there taking little responsibility for critical water
catchments and antiquated infrastructure.

The same situation exists in the electrical power generation and distribution industry where
there is even more privatisation, with foreign multinationals the first snouts in the trough. The
result for most people has been ever-increasing prices, poorer service and a less reliable
electricity supply.

Foreign interests also dominate the coal industry which feeds the power stations, a major source
of greenhouse gases and climate warming and major users of valuable water. While just
touching on this issue, Blind Freddy can see that water resources and power generation are part
of the same issue, and should be treated as national responsibilities, not just carved up and
handed over to greedy companies with no concern for Australia

Are Big Dams Necessary?

DAMS ARE not bombs. This key message of the article by Ms. Gail Omvedt (TheHindu,
August 4-5), written in response to Ms. Arundhati Roy's critique of big dams, is based on two
premises: that big dams are necessary for reaching water to dry areas and that they can be
``decentralised'' to provide benefits to all. In the process, she also criticises the ``anti-
developmental'' stance of movements such as the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA). These
premises and arguments are faulty.

Ms. Omvedt contends that dry areas in India (500 mm. rainfall) need big dams. Is this true? In
Alwar district of Rajasthan, with a rainfall of 600 mm, decentralised water harvesting has met
the drinking water and irrigation needs of over 200 villages. Some 3,000 johads and bandhs
built by local villagers with NGO help have transformed a severely drought-prone area into a
water- surplus one. Farmers can raise two or three crops now. No external canal water is
involved. Such success has also been shown in Palamau in Bihar, Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh
and several other places through a combination of water harvesting and efficient use
alternatives. So why not in the Kutch and Saurashtra and Kalahandi? Indeed, the Saurashtra
Lok Manch has revived three lakh of the region's 7.5 lakh wells by devising a simple technique
of diverting the rainfall into the wells, and aims to irrigate eight lakh acres at a cost of Rs. 200
crores, a fraction of what it would cost through a big dam.

The trouble is even such money is often not available. In Gujarat, most such projects are stalled
for lack of funds because all the State's resources are going into the Sardar Sarovar Project
(SSP)! Ironically, official documents reveal that only 10 per cent of the Kutch and Saurashtra
will be serviced by the SSP canals, and the rest can be given water only through an additional
scheme, costing several thousand crores, for which there is no money.
Ms. Omvedt is way off the mark in alleging that critics of big dams are not genuinely interested
in alternatives. The NBA has consistently demanded alternatives, but when you are fighting a
fire in the house, you cannot simultaneously start designing a fire-proof house. After years of
agitation, now that it has forced the Madhya Pradesh Government to consider alternatives to
other big dams on the Narmada, the NBA is going to actually try them out in a cluster of
villages.

Big dams are not only unnecessary, they have tremendous social, ecological and economic
costs. Such projects always mean either a big displacement of people and/or a big submergence
of forests and other natural ecosystems. Perhaps with the kind of mobilisation that Ms. Omvedt
mentions as having happened in the Krishna Valley, a few thousand people can be properly
resettled. But the ball game is entirely different when the figure mounts to 2,00,000 or 3,00,000
people (the displacement by the SSP.). Where is the land for resettlement? Ms. Omvedt would
say in the command area - take it from the farmers getting irrigation - but is this politically
feasible for a few lakh people? Especially when tens of thousands are being displaced by the
SSP canals in the command area itself? And what of the social and political tensions that may
erupt between the host and newly-resettled people? It is sheer naivete to suggest that at this
scale, the displaced and the host populations can amicably settle matters. In Taloda,
Maharashtra, an Adivasi, defending her customary rights to the land earmarked for the SSP
oustees, was shot dead by police who were trying to clear the area for resettlement. Big dams
like the SSP are socially unviable.

The ecological cost too is huge. In India, large dams have already submerged 1.5 million
hectares of forests and countless other ecosystems, they have endangered several species of fish
and mammals by drowning their homes or blocking their migration, and they have increased
salt-water ingress along the coastline as the outflow of river-borne freshwater has decreased.
Contrary to the popular technocratic perception, rivers do not go waste into the sea; they keep
sea-water at bay, enrich fish spawning grounds with nutrients, and perform a dozen other
functions which we only imperfectly understand. And while a few people can be resettled, a
natural forest can never be replaced and an extinct species can never be recreated. At least in
this sense, big dams, like bombs, are inevitably destructive.

Can these impacts be mitigated? As members of the Government of India's Committee on

Environmental Evaluation of River Valley Projects, we found that in an astounding 89 per cent
of the 300 dams given environmental clearance since 1980, mitigatory measures were being
violated. Compensatory afforestation has not been done, the wildlife has not been restituted,
catchment areas have been left to erode and waterlogged command areas not reclaimed. And
yet, construction has not been halted. In other words, the vast majority of dams have been built
not just in ways that are environmentally incompatible but in violation of the laws of the land!
Given the scale of impact, such violations are inevitable... big dams like SSP are ecologically
unviable.

Ms. Omvedt's conclusion that movements such as the NBA are ``anti-development'' is illogical.
What they assert is that any development project must be able to meet the standards of
ecological sustainability, social equity and self-sufficiency. The current large development
projects, by and large, fail on both these counts, and hence the opposition to them. But this is
not an opposition to development per se.

India's villages are indeed full of severe social and economic exploitation, and it is incorrect to
portray them as idyllic agri-pastoral settlements, as Ms. Arundhati Roy may have implied. It is
a travesty of truth to suggest that such inequities can be solved only by a model of development
which stresses largescale industrialisation and big dams. How can we ignore the evidence,
documented not only by NGOs but even by the United Nations Development Programme in its
Human Development Reports, that such a model, more so in the current phase of liberalisation
and globalisation, has in fact increased inequities?

Indeed, what is most needed is to help the local people regain the capacity to take control over
their own lives. Big dams will hardly help do this. Conversely, alternatives such as those
practised in Alwar, Palamau, Jhabua and hundreds of other sites will. Along with the water
harvesting in Alwar has come major mobilisation by the local people on the issues of forest
conservation, sustainable agricultural development, employment and common property
management. In one entire catchment, they have declared their own parliament, the Arvari
sansad. Caste hierarchies are still strong, but they are beginning to be whittled down as the
whole village unites to make johads and conserve forests. The NBA's own mobilisation is
having this effect... Adivasi and non-Adivasi members, who would have traditionally shunned
each other, are eating together, living together, willing to die together. What stronger force for
fighting against traditional inequities than being part of a long-term struggle together? And
putting into practice alternative modes of even education such as the Jeevan Shalas (``life
schools'') initiated by the NBA in the Narmada Valley? At least in these schools, and in the
rallies and the dharnas of the NBA, ``knowledge, grains and songs'' are shared equally.

Movements like the NBA cannot solve all the ills plaguing society, but they raise critical
questions and point to possible answers. They have failings, like we all do. They must be
offered firm but constructive criticism, criticism that helps them evaluate themselves... just like
we must be able to evaluate ourselves based on questions they are asking. But to denigrate them
as simply the ``voice of eco-romanticists of the world'' and to do so when their Adivasi
members are in the midst of a desperate struggle against drowning amounts to not only being
insensitive but also to playing into the hands of the repressive state which Ms. Omvedt
otherwise so rightly criticises. That is the tragedy of the content and the timing of her articles.

Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy ( The God of Small Things) has become a vocal
critic of the construction of big
dams in India, particularly the Sardar Sarovar dam presently under construction on the
Narmada river. (For a recent sum-
mary of her position see The Cost of Living [HarperCollins, 1999].) In July 1999 Gall Omvedt
published an open letter to
Arundhati Roy in which she claims that Roy is "missing many things" in her efforts defeat the
dams. "Are you so con-
vinced," she asks Roy, "that the thousands of dams built since independence have been an
unmitigated evil? Or that the
goal should not be to restructure and improve them rather than abandon them? Or that the
struggle should not be to unite
all the rural people aspiring to a life of prosperity and achievement in the modern world —
drought-afflicted and dam-af-
flicted — rather than to just take up the cause of the opposition to change?" Roy has not replied
in public to Omvedt's open
letter but other activists have responded in various forums. In this "critique and rejoinder" we
publish one such response:
by Ashish Kothari, an anti-dam activist who drafted the first detailed critique of the Narmada
projects back in 1983 (as a
member of Kalpavriksh, an environmental group). Omvedt replies to Kothari's criticisms of her
position and Kothari re-
sponds in his own defense.
Big dams are plain bad. They flood people out of their homes and off their lands; wipe out
endangered habitats and species; spread water-borne diseases; deprive flood plains of the water
and sediments of life-giving floods (while increasing the damage floods cause to people); ruin
beautiful landscapes and submerge places of great cultural or spiritual importance. And that’s
just a partial charge sheet.

Big dams even cause earthquakes (because of the weight of water in reservoirs), release
greenhouse gases (because of the rotting of flooded vegetation), destroy marine fisheries
(because they disrupt river-borne flows of freshwater and nutrients into oceans) and lead to
coastal erosion (because the sediments that eventually fill reservoirs would previously have
flowed out through estuaries and then been washed back by waves to protect the shoreline).
Occasionally, they collapse and drown people. In the world’s worst dam disaster – a mega-
catastrophe that struck central China in 1975 when two large dams burst – as many as 230,000
people died.

The world’s baddest big dam has to be the gargantuan Three Gorges project in China. It will
cause all of the problems above – on a mind-bending scale. More than half a million people are
scheduled to be moved from their homes along the Yangtze by June 2003 when the first stage
of filling the Three Gorges reservoir begins. By the start of the final phase of reservoir-filling in
2008 – just in time for the Beijing Olympics – a further 700,000 people (according to
government statistics) will have been evicted. Chinese critics claim the final number will reach
nearly two million. For their trouble, these critics have been beaten up, imprisoned and had
their books and articles banned.

Human-rights abuses regularly accompany big dams – not just in China. In the 1980s more than
440 Guatemalans, mainly women and children, were murdered by paramilitaries because of
their refusal to accept the resettlement package offered by the World Bank-funded electricity
utility building the Chixoy dam.

Today, almost everywhere that a big dam is being proposed or built there is a community or a
group of activists organizing against it. In southern Mexico, indigenous communities are
fighting to win reparations for dams built 50 years ago.

While not every big dam causes huge damage, cumulatively the world’s over 45,000 large
dams have done major harm. The World Commission on Dams, a World Bank-sponsored
initiative backed by both dam supporters and critics, estimated that 40 to 80 million people
have been displaced by dams. Sixty per cent of the length of the world’s large river systems are
at least moderately or severely fragmented by dams and related withdrawals of water
for irrigation.

This massive replumbing of the world’s rivers is a major reason for the rapid loss of freshwater
species. Around a third of freshwater fish species are classified as extinct, endangered or
vulnerable. A significant but unknown share of shellfish, amphibians, plants and birds that
depend on freshwater habitats are also extinct or at risk.

But aren’t dams, like dentists’ drills and taxes, just a necessary evil that we must grudgingly
accept for our greater good? Don’t we need to store water to keep us and our crops alive
through dry seasons and dry years? Don’t we need to block floods? Don’t we
need hydroelectricity?

We do need to store water. In large parts of the world rain falls only during one or two wet
seasons, and within those seasons almost all the rain might fall in just one or two storms. And
global warming is going to make rainfall even less dependable.
But the best form of water storage is in the ground, not in huge surface reservoirs created by
damming rivers. Storage in the form of groundwater does not flood homes or habitats, and does
not evaporate as does water in reservoirs.

Aren’t dams, like dentists’ drills and taxes, just a necessary evil that we must grudgingly accept
for our greater good?

Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water for roughly a third of the world’s people
and the great majority of rural dwellers. Land irrigated with groundwater tends to be far more
productive than that watered from huge dam-and-canal irrigation projects. The difference is
mainly because a farmer can control when they use water from their own well – with big dam
irrigation schemes the quantity and timing of water supplied is at the mercy of an often
inefficient and corrupt bureaucracy.

A growing movement, especially in India, but also in many other parts of the world, is now
seeking to revive and update the age-old practice of augmenting the natural recharge of
groundwater by trapping rainfall behind small embankments and dams long enough for it to
soak through into the ground. In Alwar and neighbouring districts of northeast Rajasthan state
alone, around 700,000 people benefit from the improved access to groundwater for household
use, farm animals and crops. Not a single family has been displaced in order to achieve this.
Rainwater harvesting also works in urban areas, where rain can be caught on rooftops and
channelled into tanks.

Another benefit of water harvesting is that by slowing run-off from storms it reduces flood
peaks downstream. Particularly in the US and Europe there has been a sea-change in attitudes
towards floods in recent years. The old and failed approach of attempting to ‘control’ floods
through building dams and embankments has now given way to a realization that it is much
more effective to ‘manage’ floods.

Flood management means recognizing that floods are going to happen but trying to minimize
the damage they cause. This can be done through better watershed management (including
rainwater harvesting, halting deforestation and restoring wetlands) and urban planning, and
early-warning systems to get people out of harm’s way.

While there is no alternative to life-giving water, there are many alternatives to

hydroelectricity. The first is just to use electricity more efficiently. In India, as much as half the
electricity generated is lost before it gets to consumers. The second is to explore new renewable
sources of energy that can go a long way towards meeting needs.

So why have way too many dams have been built on the world’s rivers? There has never been a
fair playing field when dams have been compared with their alternatives. Corruption and the
power of the big-dam lobby, both in government and corporations, has meant that feasibility
studies for new dams have regularly underestimated their costs and exaggerated their benefits.
If assessments of options for water and energy needs were made comprehensive, transparent
and participatory, very few large dams would make the grade. This is no doubt a major factor in
the dam industry’s squeals of protest over the recommendations of the World Commission on
Dams, which include just such assessments.

History shows that trying to dam our way out of our water problems will just make them worse.
It also shows that a better water world is possible.
Is China better than India in software..
Microsoft Corp is less optimistic about China than India or Indonesia, due to the country's lack of progress, in
stamping out software piracy, chief executive officer Steve Ballmer said.

"India is not perfect but the intellectual property protection in India is far, far better than it would be in China," the
head of the world's largest software maker has said in an interview in Hanoi, Vietnam. "China is a less interesting
market to us than India, or Indonesia".

Ballmer's concerns underscore growing dismay among the US companies toward operating in the world's third-
largest economy.

In March, Google Inc moved its Chinese service out of the mainland to avoid censorship rules, and the American
Chamber of Commerce in Beijing said last month its members face an increasingly difficult regulatory
environment.

China has implemented more than 1,000 measures related to the protection of intellectual property and the
government will continue such efforts, said Chen Rongkai, a media officer at the nation's Ministry of Commerce in
Beijing.

"China's effort at strengthening the protection of intellectual property is universally recognised," Chen said.

Lack of progress in protecting intellectual property has led China, which may overtake the US as the world's
biggest personal-computer market in a year, to generate less revenue for Microsoft than India and South Korea,
Ballmer said.

China's gross domestic product is twice the two economies combined.

The value of pirated software in China almost doubled to USD 7.58 billion from 2005 to 2009, the highest increase
in the world, Washington-based Business Software Alliance and market researcher IDC said in a report in May.

While the piracy rate in the country fell to 79 per cent last year, it's higher than in India, the Philippines and
Thailand, according to the report.

Ballmer is right," said Sandeep Aggarwal, an analyst at Caris & Co in San Francisco. "It is not easy to control
piracy in China". He estimates that as much as 95 per cent of the copies of Microsoft's Office software and 80 per
cent of its Windows operating systems are pirated in China.

For Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, billions of dollars in lost revenue from piracy in China, outweigh
the possible benefits of expanding in the country through acquisitions, Ballmer said.

For example, owning Baidu Inc, China's biggest Internet search-engine operator, would only boost Microsoft's
revenue by about one per cent, he said.

Growth begets further growth, which is good news for both China and India. But this column
argues that it is easier to create or improve a market than to build state capacity, which means
that China, with its lagging private sector, is likely to fare better than India, which has
deteriorating institutions.

Can China and India sustain their current growth rates? A traditional answer to this question is
conditional: yes, provided they continue to implement policy reforms. But historical experience
allows a less guarded answer. There are few examples of countries that have grown as strongly
and for such long periods as India and China have – 6% and 10%, respectively, for nearly three
decades – and then suffered a sharp slowdown or collapse. If history is a reliable guide, then
barring major upheavals, economic growth looks likely to continue in both countries until some
threshold level of prosperity is attained.

But why does growth beget more growth? One mechanism is simply that growth signals the
fact of profitable economic opportunities, which encourages investors to rush in, first in
response to these opportunities but then in response to each other – this is growth as a
confidence trick – creating a virtuous circle. If countries are relatively poor, if their markets are
large, and if their policy framework is basically sensible – all of which are true of China and
India – the chances of the growth-begetting-growth dynamic taking hold are high.

But in addition to the signalling effect, growth may itself cause changes which have in turn a
growth-reinforcing effect – a kind of positive feedback loop. A good example is education. For
long, development economists bemoaned the poor levels of educational attainment in India,
directing their critique at the government’s failure to supply better education. But economic
growth changed the education picture dramatically. It increased the returns to, and hence the
demand for, education. And if government supply remained weak, consumers simply turned to
the private sector to meet their demand for education. Improvements in educational attainment
over the last 15 years are attributable in part to more rapid growth.

An important question then is whether India and China can take the positive feedback loop for
granted, especially in relation to two key determinants of long-run growth: state capacity or
effectiveness and the private sector’s entrepreneurial capacity. In other words, is it inevitable
that over time growth will itself improve the quality of private entrepreneurship and public
institutions? Consider each in turn.

Policy reforms have created the conditions for the private sectors in both countries to flourish.
Yasheng Huang of MIT in his new book, Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics, argues that
the Indian private sector, especially the indigenous part, is more efficient and entrepreneurial
than its Chinese counterpart.

One crude measure of relative sophistication or entrepreneurial capability is how much direct
investment (FDI) these countries are exporting, especially to the richer countries and especially
in sophisticated sectors. Based on new data on mergers and acquisitions, Aaditya Mattoo of the
World Bank and I calculated that India’s FDI exports to the OECD countries overall and even
in the manufacturing sector were substantially greater than China’s (measured as a share of
GDP). China is rightly considered the world’s manufacturing powerhouse and export
juggernaut, and yet in the manufacturing sector, Indian entrepreneurial and managerial capital
(in the form of FDI) has been more successful than China’s in taking control of and managing
assets in the sophisticated markets of Europe and the US. So, while both private sectors have
improved, India can claim today that it is ahead of China in fostering entrepreneurial
capitalism.

Turn next to institutions. In the case of China, the focus of the world, and indeed the
disappointment, has been the absence of the positive political feedback loop: growth and the
attendant economic freedoms have not led to greater political development and openness.
Implicitly, there has been less concern about the effect of growth on the state’s economic
capacity. Over the last thirty years, the Chinese state has successfully created physical
infrastructure and delivered essential services.

Contrast that with the Indian experience. While there are many exceptions, and at the
considerable risk of over-generalising, the Indian state despite rapid economic growth has
deteriorated over time. Whether it is providing basic law and order, or ensuring sanctity of
contract, or delivering public services, the stench of decline is hard to ignore. For example, on a
crude measure of government effectiveness on which I compiled data across time, India’s
performance declined sharply: in the early 1960s, India was in the top fifth percentile of
countries in the sample, slipping to the middle of the pack in recent years. The education
example discussed earlier is an exception to the growth-institutions dynamic, made possible
only because of private alternatives to state supply. For the core public sector functions, where
such an alternative does not exist, the growth-institutions dynamic has been weak or non-
existent.

So, growth in India has come with a more entrepreneurial private sector but accompanied by
deteriorating state capacity. China has a vastly superior state capacity but an indigenous private
sector that is still finding its feet. Which combination augurs better for the future?

There is a fundamental asymmetry between state and markets. It is easier to create markets than
it is to create state capacity or to prevent its deterioration. Creating markets is a lot about letting
go, establishing a reasonable policy framework, and allowing the natural hustling instinct to
take over. In other words, hustling is the natural state. Building state capacity, on the other
hand, is quite different. It involves overcoming collective action problems, mediating conflict,
creating accountability mechanisms where outputs are multiple and fuzzy and links between
inputs and outputs murky, and contending with the deep imprints of history. In Weber’s
memorable words, building public institutions is like the “slow boring of hard boards”.

In that light, China’s task of improving its private sector seems easier to accomplish than
India’s task of arresting institutional decline. So, while China and India can probably both
count on more years of high growth, the odds still favour China pulling off that feat than India.
That, and not just the meagre medal tally, should be what India mulls over after the Beijing
Olympics.
SOFTWARE INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE IN INDIA AND CHINA

Abstract

We seek to explain why the Indian software industry has grown rapidly as the world’s
leading exporter while the Chinese software industry that is equally as large and fast
growing is little known outside China. Our empirical analysis depends on new survey
data collected by the International Finance Corporation for this purpose. This paper is
a summary of main findings from multivariate statistical analyses adapted from an
unpublished book manuscript. We suggest that the most important features to explain
the performance of Indian software firms compared to Chinese firms are their (1)
Greater use of more educated professionals and more experienced managers without
incurring higher labor cost, (2) Achievement of quality certifications, (3)
Establishment of non-equity strategic alliances with foreign firms, and (4) Direct
promotion from government.

*****

The Indian software industry is the world’s leading exporter of software services and
among the world’s fastest growing software industries. The Chinese software industry is
equally as large as the Indian industry – maybe larger – and equally fast growing, but it
is mainly oriented to the domestic market. Faced with these similarities and the contrast
in industrial development, we
ask about the performance of the Indian and Chinese software industries:

§ Why has the Indian software industry achieved such great international success
while China’s software industry is scarcely noticed outside China? What were
the specific conditions that led to India’s outpacing the rest of the world in
capturing the new software export market?

We explain which features of the Indian and Chinese software industries account for the
differences between them and we suggest why the Indian software industry is export-
intensive whereas the Chinese industry is not. To accomplish these tasks, we analyze
original survey data from firms, and we make use of previous empirical studies and the
opinions of experts. Some of
1
our answers accord reassuringly with common beliefs, but only partially. Some of our
answers suggest new insights, we believe, into the performance of these two countries’
industries.

SOFTWARE INDUSTRY FEATURES

Size and
Growth
Sales revenue of India’s widely known software industry is not greater than that of the
less internationally prominent Chinese software industry. The Indian industry reached
about $23.4 billion in sales revenue in the Indian fiscal year 2004-05 (NASSCOM
2006). The Chinese industry was $26.5 billion in 2004 (China Software Industry
2
Association 2005). The worldwide software industry size was $1,045 billion in
2004 (International Data Corporation 2005).

1 For recent expert work, see the chapters about India and China in Arora &
Gambardella 2005 and in
Commander 2005.
2 Comparisons between countries must be interpreted with caution. Data
sources are national, from government or private sources, and are not harmonized by
an international agency. Definitions of industries vary with respect to
products or services included.