3 THINGS…

Today, I am going to introspect and talk about how things have influenced my life based on certain parameters :

FEAR

1. ABANDONMENT

Since childhood, I have always felt the need to stick to people, whether they be friends or a special one. And I constantly need assurance from them. Many people have abandoned me in my journey of life till now and each incident has pierced my heart and affected me deeply. I always fear that people will leave me and so I constantly keep on pushing them away to try and detach myself or fight with them to see whether they stick around or not.

2. MATHEMATICS

I still get nightmares about Maths. I got a lot of thrashing from my mom when i was young with respect to this subject and maybe that is where I started fearing it. I see numbers and I become numb and shut myself out because my childhood flashbacks keep coming where my mom hit me when I did one sum wrong or when my maths teacher at school threatened me, humiliated me and made fun of me in front of the entire class. And this fear has build inside me for years and even now I am unable to get rid of it.

3. SNAKES

This tremendous fear of snakes to the extent that I fall sick started at the age of 3 when my mom used to scare me with toy snakes whenever I was upto some mischief. And now the fear has gone to such extent that I feel physically sick even if I see a picture of any snake.

LIKE

1. TRAVELLING

Being a bengali, it is a must for me to travel once a year at least. Though this ritual stopped a long time back due to busy schedule of my parents, I still like travelling to places, especially to off-beat places,exploring the culture there. It helps me grow as an individual. And travelling makes me more responsible in life.

2. MEETING NEW PEOPLE

I like meeting new people, talking to them. It helps me to understand people, their beliefs( even though it might not be the same as mine), thoughts and ideology. It intrigues and excites me how diverse people exist and co-live under the sun. This is helped me especially while sitting for interviews because I try to understand the other person and tackle conflicts in general.

3. READING

I like reading since childhood. It transfers me to my world of fantasy and opens a window to the outside world. Reading has helped me in making my writing skills better.

LOVE

1. PARENTS

My mother is my best friend, my shield, my everything and I love her the most. Wherever I am and whatever I have achieved so far is because of her. She is my role model and my inspiration in life and I hope to become like her one day.

A special mention should also go to my father for always supporting me through my thick and thin and going out of his way to provide me with a comfortable life.

This I have realised after moving to Bangalore

2. POSTO

Posto, my pet dog, is my life and my sunshine. He taught me a lot of things in life and I learnt how to love someone unconditionally because of him. He is the mosthappy thing in my life.

3. KOLKATA

Kolkata, my city of birth, is extremely close to my birth. I won’t be able to point out the things that I love about the city of joy. I love everything about it- the atmosphere, the smell of “bhaarer chaa” ( earthern cup tea) , street food, Park Street, College Street. The city has helped in my growth as a person and I will forever be grateful to it.

HATE

1. BETRAYAL

I have been back-stabbed or betrayed by many of my friends in life and everytime someone betrays me, the person takes a part of me with him/her. I cannot stand betrayal and I hate it with the innermost core of my heart. But betrayal has also taught me to be strong and not give up.

2. IMPOSITION

Since childhood, I have been a good kid and I have done whatever I was asked to by my elders. One thing which I cannot take is imposition. I feel suffocated and feel like rebelling everytime someone imposes something on me. Imposition doesn’t work with me.

3. SHOUTING

As stated earlier, perks of being a good kid and a sincere student, I received very less shouting. I did all the work many times, just to avoid shouting. As soon as someone shouts at me to make do something, I stop listening to the person. Someone can tell me the same thing and make me understand and I will perform the task with utmost sincerity but shouting makes me bitter.

AGREE

1. DISCIPLINE

Studying at a convent college, I have thoroughly understood the significance of discipline. Discipline has made me a hard working girl and I have improved a lot as a person in college due to the disciplined environment. It has pushed me to do better in all my work.

2. ENCOURAGEMENT

I believe that everybody should be encouraged in doing the right things or follow their dreams. As a child, I had received very less encouragement which somewhat played a key factor in my lack of self-esteem and confidence.

3. KINDNESS

I believe and agree that kindness is very important and everyone should ne taught how to be kind. Kindness is crucial, especially in this world.

DISAGREE

1. WAR

War has only led to destruction and brought sadness. And I believe everything can be solved or at least a compromise can be reached.

2. PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ABUSE

I disgaree on any form of physcial and mental abuse as it can absolutely ruin a person and can be fatal in many cases. It only brings pain, suffering, and negativity.

3. EXPLOITATION TOWARDS ANIMALS

Animals are living beings too and to be honest, much better than the human species now. Exploting animals is a thing which I do not support and agree at all and that includes ill-treatment towards them as well. If you do not like any creature then move away or shoo them in a pleasant way, not bully them or hurl abuses at them.

WANT IMMEDIATELY

1. RELAXATION

With this extremely busy schedule, a little time for relaxation would be nice. Relaxation makes me feel refreshed and more prepared for work.

2. HOME FOOD

One of the cons of staying away from home is not being able to eat home food. If I had genie, the first thing I would ask for is home-made chicken stew and rice.

3. BREAK

Due to work pressure, I have hardly gone out to places in Bangalore. I would want a break now to chill for a bit from work. It would be a nice change and I would feel refreshed.

WISH YOU HAD

1. KNOWLEDGE

As History was my honours subject at my undergraduate level, this course is very new to me. I struggle to understand the concepts in marketing or management and it makes me wish that I had some background in these subjects. Nontheless, I am a quick learner and this gap has made a hard working student.

2. EXPERIENCE

Work experience is very crucial and I have hardly worked anywhere before. While applying for internships, I learnt how important previous work experience is and it made me wish that I had some, especially when majority of the interviews asked me about it.

3. MONEY.

I understood the value of money after moving to Bangalore at a time when my family went through a financial crisis. It pained me to see my ailing mother still working hard just to provide my education and stay here. During such times, I wished I had money to solve this problem.

WOULD NEVER WANT

1. FAKE FRIENDS

They are the worst enemies. I have had experiences where people have pretended to be my friends and have pulled me down in my professional and personal life and backstabbed me. I would never want such people in my life.

2. MONEY EARNED BY UNFAIR MEANS OR BY TAKING AWAY SOMEBODY ELSE’S

One thing that my parents have taught me and I will never do in my life is cheating on somebody with respect to money. Even during my tough times,I will never do something like this or want to earn money by engaging in some wrongdoing.

3. NEGATIVITY

It is natural to attract negative energy when one is bogged down with loads of work. And one can find abundant people who are always negative and bitter. I would never want to bring negative people or negativity in my life.

BELIEVE IN

1. FAITH

I believe in faith, unwavering faith. It has the power to change things in your favour and experiences in my life had proved this. I had broken down when I was stuck in Calcutta Univeristy for my post graduation and I hated every day of it. But I didn’t lose faith. I knew I can change things and one year later my life changed when I moved to Bangalore. I was shattered when my mother was diagnosed with cancer but I had faith and that faith helped me in maintaining my calm and conviction that she will fight it and emerge victorious.

2. HELPING THE UNDER PRIVILEGED

I always believe in helping those who are in need. Since childhood, I have helped and contributed to to make the underprivileged people smile and worked for their betterment and I will continue to do so.

3. PASSION

I belive in being passionate. Because without passion,I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything.

ETHICS

What is Ethics?

Ethics is simply a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right or wrong conduct.

However, ethics is subjective. What is ethical to you might be unethical for another person.

From the viewpoint of business , business ethics (also known as corporate ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics, that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment. Ethical behaviour and corporate social responsibility can bring benefits to an organisation

However, ethics is subjective. What is ethical to you/ one organisation might be unethical for another person/ organisation.

I feel that competition has killed ethics in business today.

let me site two instances where the CEOs of two renowned companies comprised their ethics for competition and failed

Kenneth Lay – Enron 

Enron’s downfall, and the imprisonment of several of its leadership group, was one of the most shocking and widely reported ethics violations of all time. It not only bankrupted the company but also destroyed Arthur Andersen, one of the largest audit firms in the world.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced in 2001 that it was investigating the accounting practices of Enron after several years of questions raised by analysts and shareholders. The resulting disclosures and write-downs by the company reduced investor confidence and the company’s credit rating, leading to thebankruptcy in December 2001. The SEC announced that it would pursue charges against Lay, former CEO Jeffrey Skilling, CFO Andrew Fastow and other high-ranking employees.

The charges related to knowingly manipulating accounting rules and masking the enormous losses and liabilities of the company. Lay and Skilling were tried together on 46 counts, including money laundering, bank fraud, insider trading and conspiracy. Skilling was convicted on 19 counts and sentenced to over 24 years in prison.

Lay was convicted on six counts of fraud and faced up to 45 years in jail. Lay died in 2006, three months prior to his sentencing hearing. The resulting investigation of the Enron scandal resulted in Congress passing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to improve corporate accountability.

 

Bernard Ebbers – Worldcom 

As the SEC was conducting its investigation of Enron, an even larger CEO ethics violation was brewing. Worldcom, which at the time was the United States‘ second-largest long-distance telecommunications company, entered into merger discussions with Sprint. The merger was ultimately dashed by the Department of Justice over concerns about it creating a virtual monopoly. The situation took its toll on the company’s stock price.

CEO Bernard Ebbers owned hundreds of millions of dollars in Worldcom stock, which he margined to invest in other business ventures. As the stock price dropped, banks began demanding that Ebbers cover more than $400 million in margin calls. Ebbers convinced the board to lend him the money so that he would not have to sell substantial blocks of stock. He also began an aggressive campaign to prop up the stock price by creating outright fraudulent accounting entries. The fraud was ultimately discovered by Worldcom’s internal audit department, and the audit committee was informed. The resulting SEC investigation resulted in the company’s bankruptcy filing in 2002 and the conviction of Ebbers on fraud, conspiracy and filing false documents charges. Ebbers began a 25-year sentence in federal prison in 2006.

Even Ray Kroc compromised on his ethics after he conspired and took Mc Donald’s under his name.

 

In my personal life, there has been three instances where I had to choose between ethics and work.

The first incident occurred when I was in school. I used to study in Garden High School but half of the days, my carpool failed to collect me from school and as both my parents have work, there used to be a lot of problem. My mother is a teacher of The Future Foundation School. One day, when I got back home from school, my mother informed me that I would be joining her school from Monday. Even though I was sad about leaving my friends in my old school, I was more upset about the fact that I was joining my mom’s school without even taking any exam or interview only because I was a teacher’s daughter. I was too young to protest but this incident still makes me think about my morals.

Another incident occurred when I had just passed out from school and was applying to colleges. One of my relatives was holding an important administrative position at Jadavpur University, a prestigious university in Kolkata, and he assured my father that he would take care of my admission. I did not want to get admitted in any institution without going through the normal procedure along with the other candidates. I protested and turned out the offer. I gave an interview at Loreto College, a renowned undergraduate college in India and got admitted there based on my merit.

The third incident occurred when I was in college. I was a freelance model and used to do a lot of photo shoots for magazines and brands. One day, a guy called me and asked me to do a photo shoot for a well-known magazine in Kolkata. The amount of money for that shoot was nice and he promised me future offers that would have helped me progress in this field. But, he wanted a compromise. I chose my ethics and turned it down.

In my life, I would always choose ethics over work or money as I won’t be able to enjoy the position or the money if I got it by any other means.

TRIBUS: The Power of Three

Today, I am going to talk about my friends, my team.

Let me start with explaining the term “team”

It means a group of people coming together to achieve a common goal(s).

In my college, we have a number of group assignments where we are divided into teams of two or three. Likewise, even I am a part of one. This team was selected through chits and none of the students, including me had a say. When I found out who my team members were, I was a bit reluctant and unsure to be honest. I had barely interacted with them and was definitely outside my comfort zone.

I was blank after our teacher gave us the first group assignment. the initial discussions were a bit awkward. However, as our assignment progressed, we all started hanging out and the ice broke between us. we even cracked jokes and the boring assignments turned interesting and fun in their company.

Every member in a team has his/her own strengths and weaknesses. We too had them.

For example, my strengths include creativity, ideation, time management, being friendly and cooperative and I am competitive. Temper, nervousness, lack of self – confidence, taking time to open up with people fall under my weaknesses.Likewise, Debarati”s strengths include implementing ideas, drafting the presentations, taking initiative, and being reliable and her weaknesses include last minute work, bossy attitude, and stubbornness. Debitama is a fun and cheerful girl and is extremely good at researching and can adjust really well. She is one of the most entertaining people I have ever come across. She can be lazy, and casual and lacks self confidence like me.

In spite of being so different from each other and with our own personal beliefs and differences, we work together as a team really well and always manage to secure a position in the top 3 teams in our class. This is because we do not let our differences come in between our assignments.

We had realised our strengths and weaknesses very soon and adopted a strategy to use our strengths and overcome each other’s weaknesses.We have adopted the strategy of dividing the work after chalking out the divisions and parts of an assignment. For example, I give the ideas and develop strategies while Debitama researches on the topic. Debarati starts drafting the presentation right away and searches for facts to support our strategies. In this way, none of the team members take the majority of the workload on themselves and can thus enjoy working on the assignment. the three of us then sit together and start making the presentation. After the presentation is complete, we sit down with it, go through all the slides and explain each other’s portions to the other team members so that everybody is well prepared to present. We set an earlier deadline to complete the presentation so that we get ample time to understand and prepare everything. We also help each other by preparing and also writing scripts for the other person to make things easier.

Thus, we function almost perfectly and professionally and have our share of fun too. The name of our group,”Tribus: The Power of Three” aptly suits us,as we combine our strengths in different aspects and cover up each other’s weak points to develop and execute top class work.

Leadership Skills Portrayed in Chak De India and Remember the Titans

John C Maxwell defines leadership, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

And Coach Kabir Khan in Chak De India and Coach Boone in Remember the Titans were exemplary leaders who were visionaries making supreme personal sacrifices to build a team that finally achieved its goal. The process was not easy but the leaders overcame all odds by sheer resilience and perseverance and an unwavering commitment and passion for hockey and soccer( in the respective films) for their goal.

In fact, to be effective, a leader requires confidence, honesty, integrity and accountability. A leader inspires his team when he leads by setting an example. Yes, he needs to be assertive so that he can gain the respect of his subordinates but it must be tempered with empathy and the willingness to listen to his team members. Unfortunately many a times leaders tend to be dictatorial and hence the lose the connection with their followers.

“The ability to lead through influence, rather than authority, is the most important quality of a great leader. Influence requires strong coaching, emotional intelligence, effective communication, negotiation and consensus building skills. For a leader must take his team along with him. To do this a leader needs to maintain transparency. That is, he shouldn’t just ask (or tell) his team mates to do something without explaining how this task or function integrates within the larger businesses initiative. When they are able to see the connection, they often feel much more empowered and motivated to do a better job.” This can happen only when the leader is capable of communicating with clarity. Only a good communicator can be a good leader. Coach Kabir Khan and Coach Boone, through their words and actions, were extremely direct with their messages and believed in being transparent. this is can be seen in Remember The Titans when Coach Boone clearly states that the skin colour of a person won’t determine the entry to the soccer team.

This brings us to the issue of ‘accountability’. When their decisions turn out poorly successful leaders should be willing to admit it immediately. Moreover, when the going gets tough, the team members look up to a leader and see how he reacts to the situation. A leader needs to stay calm under pressure and keep the motivation level up. Both the coaches in the films motivated the team members throughout the movies.

 

What is it that separates a leader from a follower? According to Steve Jobs, the greatest visionary of our time answers this question this way, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” In order to get ahead in today’s fast-paced world, a leader must be creative and innovative at the same time. Creative thinking and constant innovation is what makes you and your team stand out from the crowd.

An excellent leader knows how to guide the group and transform the member so they come out a tight knit group/team.In fact, good leadership is defined good because at the pinnacle of the leader’s journey is not glory, honor, and authority to oneself but the success of the team as is seen in Chak De India or Remember the Titans.

In a team conflict arises due to a number of factors like lack of information or misunderstanding of roles and responsibilities; dependency on team members for completion of work; conflict of interest between team members; disagreement about strategy for achieving team goals; disagreement about execution: of strategy for achieving team goals; lack of focus; poor planning ;blame culture (blame others in case of missed deadlines, missed goals) ;self-centered attitude ;seeking individual recognition ;fear of failure ( For example not acting for fear of failing, blaming others for one’s own failures, hiding errors and so on.) and lack of team responsibility: self-centered attitude, not feeling a part of team success and failures.

Conflicts cannot be eliminated, but their negative impact can be minimized through positive action and negotiation. When managed effectively, conflicts can be constructive by shaking up systems and structures, as is seen in Chak De India, where initially, none of the team members were friendly with each other and did not even want to stay together or put the team’s interests over individual fame. However, as the movie progressed, we saw how Coach Kabir Khan taught the players to act and perform like a team resulting in their victory.

The role of leadership in today’s world is not just to define a vision and motivate others to implement it, but to create a workplace that fosters willingness to innovate. Leaders can draw out slices of genius in each individual and assemble them into innovations that represent collective genius.

 In this global economy, leaders must be able to resolve conflicts created by confrontations between innovative teams to spark new ideas and creative thinking. A different kind of leadership is required for innovation.

Innovation occurs when diverse teams collaborate and when there is a passionate disagreement.  A successful team brings together a diverse set of people with experiences and expertise to uncover new solutions. In both the movies, the teams has diverse people with different ideologies, thoughts, beliefs, and personalities. However, all these conflicting ideologies or backgrounds were no longer an obstacle for them later on in the movies.

The more effective the team is in using unique perspectives, the more successful the team. Herein lies, the importance of leadership.

To me, a good leader is a “servant” leader – one who mentors, coaches and helps people around him/her succeed and grow in their careers and otherwise. He/she helps people to do their best and be their best, and personally demonstrates the values and actions required to do and be that. Kabir Khan and Boone are examples of leaders in the truest sense of the term and did the best to their ability to deliver favourable results, which impacted the professional as well as personal life of students, colleagues and team members.

 

‘Manage your strength and that of others’.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

 

‘Leadership is the process of inspiring individuals of a group to give their best to achieve a desired result’

Leaders are visionaries who motivate people. Their lives never fail to inspire people. India has been the motherland of many great leaders and heroes since time immemorial. In this great galaxy  of Indian leaders, I find the life of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to be outstanding as a leader and great freedom fighter who fearlessly inspired the Indian youth  and dedicated his life to secure India’s freedom from British imperialism.

His leadership attitude was expressed from his college life. In an incident where Bose beat up his professor (Otten) for his racist remarks, brought him notoriety as a rebel.His father wanted Subhas to become a civil servant and therefore, sent him to England to appear for the Indian Civil Service Examination. He was placed fourth with highest marks in English, but on hearing about the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre he left his Civil Services apprenticeship midway to return back to India in April, 1921 and joined the freedom movement. Subhas was young and energetic leader highly influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda. He was deeply committed to the youth movement.

He had become the President of Indian National Congress in 1938 and was re-elected again in 1939. But he resigned from the Congress Chairmanship as there was a difference in opinion with the senior leadership in the party. He did not lose heart .Being a staunch believer in the ideology of Socialism, Bose then formed the Forward Bloc(1939), a Left Wing party that would work within the Congress for the liberation of India.

Soon Bose became the Enemy Number one for the British government. He was arrested in July 1940 and kept under house arrest but he outwitted the British and escaped in a disguise. He then travelled to Russia through Afghanistan and from there he flew to Berlin. His motto was ‘ My Enemy’s Enemy is my friend. So he sought the assistance of the Axis powers to remove the British from India. Using the newspapers and the radio (Azad Hind Radio) in Berlin he began a deadly propaganda against British Imperialism .

As the WWII progressed, the Japanese overran South East Asia and defeated the British several times. Many Indian soldiers fell prisoners into their hands. General Mohan Singh and an old revolutionary Rashbehari Bose formed the Indian Independence League  under which the INA or Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauz)was formed in 1942. Bose was invited to lead the INA as its Supreme Commander and was titled ‘Netaji’ for his leadership qualities.

In 1943, Netaji formed the Provisional Government of Free India and declared wars on the Allies such was his fearlessness and determination. His war-cry of “You give me blood, I’ll give you Freedom” is still a popular booster for the troops today. The INA under Netaji had advanced up to the very frontier of India and besieged Kohima and Imphal and planted the Tricolour there. But Japan’s surrender sealed the fate of INA in 1945. Netaji, it is believed , was on his way to Tokyo but died in a plane crash.

“One individual may die for an idea, but that idea will, after his death, incarnate itself in a thousand lives.”

Netaji faced legal action, numerous arrests, and even exile for the sake of protecting his nation. He faced ridicule and animosity from various Congress members but Netaji had unwavering faith in his idea of Swaraj and was willing to sacrifice his life for the cause. Only a  true leader will dedicate his last breath to an idea he or she strongly believes in and this is what fascinates me.

Bose was a born charismatic leader. His life is a great example of leadership from which we all can learn many lessons. He was enthusiastic, disciplined, selfless and an inspiring leader who worked tirelessly for the development of a dedicated team. He had a strong command, extreme coolness of mind, correct judgment and also demonstrated his clear vision, strong responsibility, and high risk-taking capability.

 

 

 

 

ONLINE PRIVACY

The Internet is a huge bank of data and valuable information that we need to access each day.  In fact, the Internet is our go-to medium for anything and everything, be it some research related information or our personal e-mails.  In other words, the Internet is an powerhouse of information and visual content that we need for varied purposes. The ability of individuals to interact online without sacrificing their personal privacy is a vital part of the Internet’s value. Privacy stands for the ability to disclose data consensually.

Networks facilitate instant global dissemination of information. so, in today’s world the privacy implications represent a significant and growing concern. Whenever we download an app, visit a website or use a social media platform, chances are that company is collecting data on us. And people are doing so much more online through their computers and mobile devices nowadays. We make purchases, , look up medical conditions, arrange vacations, and interact with friends and relatives and so on. With these actions, people are inadvertently creating a huge digital paper trail of data about themselves. While it may not be PII (Personally Identifiable Information) these companies still track down what we do on the web. There are now companies known as “data brokers” that collect and maintain data on millions of people, which they analyze, package, and sell without the user’s knowledge or permission.

PII includes data such as a social security number, driver’s licence number, financial accounts, e-mail addresses, login credentials, phone numbers, birth date and this information is our unique identifier that connects us to every facet of our life. Naturally, this information is very valuable for thieves who use it for their advantage. Once our personal information is compromised, it is extremely difficult to fix the problems created. Again, using Public WiFi leaves data transmissions unsecured and easy for a hacker to infiltrate. Thieves also take advantage of websites without security to steal data and it can result in the following:

• Unsolicited mail
• Files and information attacks
• Viruses and worms
• Stolen credit card information
• Computer hackers have access to personal information
• Customers feel threatened and will refuse to access or use your website
• Annoying messages
• Spam messages

This brings us to the question of regulating the Internet. Regulating the Internet can be advantageous in the following ways:

• Regulating the Internet would mean putting a stop to content and activities linked to social unrest, terrorism, racial hatred and human trafficking.
• Child pornography is an industry that is booming in the porn genre. the Internet has material all over the place, where the authorities have been able to trace/ban these websites from public viewing. ( But the problem is that it can still be viewed through streaming porn websites)
• Fraud and defamatory activities spread like wildfire throughout the Internet, where businesses and individuals would be protected against such viciousness if regulating policies were passed.
• Banning or restricting websites that indulge in privacy would steer consumers towards actually buying services and products, as opposed to getting these for free.
• E-mail spamming would be put to a stop and it would also curb fraudulent acts like stealing personal information like bank account numbers and so forth.
• Plagiarizing copyright material would be put to a stop since many companies that run their work over the Internet have illegal portals copying their content, without giving due credit to the writer/ expert/ website they obtained the information from.

The way in which the Internet allows data to be produced, collected,  combined, shared, stored and analysed is constantly changing and re-defining personal data and what type of protections personal data deserves and can be given.

In fact, the Indian Courts have yet to deal directly with the question of social media content being public or private information. Moreover, the border-less nature of information flows over  the Internet complicates online privacy, as individual’s data is subjected to different levels of protection depending on which jurisdiction it is residing in. Thus, for example, an Indian using Gmail will be subject to the laws of the United States.

India’s most comprehensive data protection standards are found in the ITA and are known as the Information Technology “Reasonable security practices a d procedures and sensitive personal data or information”Rules 2011.

The extent to which the Government of India lawfully intercepts communications is not entirely clear. Moreover, the implementation of the Central Monitoring System by the Indian Government is another example of the Government seeking greater access to communications. The system will allow security agencies to bypass service providers and directly intercept communications.

In October 2012, the Report of the Group of Experts on Privacy was published by a committee of experts chaired by Justice A.P. Shah. The report creates a set of recommendations for a privacy framework and legislation in India. Most importantly, the report recognizes privacy as a fundamental right and defines nine National Privacy Principles that would apply to all data controllers both in the private and the public sector. this would work to ensure that businesses and governments are held accountable to protecting privacy and that legislation and practices found across sectors, states/governments, organizations, and governmental bodies are harmonized. The privacy principles are in line with global standards including the EU, OECD, and APEC principles on privacy, and include : notice, choice and consent, collection limitation, purpose limitation, access and correction accountability, openness, disclosure of information, security.

Clearly, privacy is an emerging and increasingly important field in India’s internet society. And the first step towards this is the enactment of a comprehensive privacy legislation recognizing privacy as a fundamental right.

 

Art as an effective tool of communication

Expression is the fuel that drives people to create art. In fact, behind everything we do, there is a desire to connect with others and communicate our feelings. Our intention of connecting with the outside world and expressing a message to others effectively is an art in itself.

“Painting is literally,the primal impulse to mark. It’s such a clear way of formulating what’s inside one’s head,it’s the most direct way of communication”,Anna Bialroboda aptly remarks. While, Paul Butzi says,

” Art is about communication.”

Yes, communication may not necessarily be art but all art is communication – a specialised communication.

This urge to express oneself through visual art can be traced back to the prehistoric period as is evident from ancient cave paintings in Bhimbetka. They not only depict man’s struggle for survival in harsh environment,but also scenes of childbirth,communal dancing and drinking, religious rites and burials,etc. Thus,we agree after Stormy Bailey that, ” Painting is a way of communicating vision and experience so that it reaches beyond a simple moment in time. What fills our heart and spills over must be shared. ”

People communicate verbally or through writing but sometimes, visual images are more effective; as the old saying goes ” a picture is worth a thousand words”. In fact,visual impact is tremendous, for people seem to respond more to visual imagery than words. Moreover,art allows freedom of imagination- it allows us to experience the world in different ways.

Using visual art as a tool of expression is undoubtedly one of the most unique forms of communication. It can help us to express feelings that would have otherwise been diffiult to reveal. In fact, using art as a therapeutic tool can be cathartic. This is particularly true for those who are introverts(like me) or who lack the ability to express themselves verbally. It is a potent tool to increase one’s self esteem too. This,I happened to realise when I joined painting classes. It was as if I was given a new platform to express my innermost feelings of ecstacy, grief or anger. It helped me overcome my shyness,to some extent. The appreciation helped increase my self-worth. As Pablo Picasso said, ” Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

The visit to this art exhibition, by Charita Dasappa was extremely enriching, particularly for me, for not only her concepts and use of colour mesmerised me but the captions( like ‘mind over matter’, ‘microcosm’, ‘ cosmic proportions’, ‘ ‘om’ ni present’, ‘ surreal surprises’ and so on) of her paintings made my imagination run riot. After talking to her,I found out that she was a mass communication student and a self-leart artist. She told me that she uses her paintings to convey a message. Each one of her paintings appeared to be a step in the journey of life and each of the works had the flavour of surrealism and mysticism.

One painting which really struck me was captioned- Infinite Search for Infinity. I had a small conversation with her, regarding this particular painting.She told me that she wanted to portray how people keep on searching for something- be it hope, faith, person,belief for eternity. This search starts from the day a person comes to this world and continues till the time he/she lives and even beyond that. Another painting which really stood out for me was captioned – The Offer. she used metaphors( apple- the tale of forbidden fruit, knife and a snake)to show how people are so attracted to certain things,and has such a strong desire to have it, even if it’s dangerous, sometimes fatal, for that person.

All the paintings were so mind-numbing,and at the same time,opened the door of innumerable thoughts and percetions towards life. They were soothing to the eye, and the same time, depicted such strong and unconventional truths of life and belief.

In way of conclusion,I would like to mention a saying by Elizabeth Azzolina, ” As communicators, artists should not just portray a subject. Their work should be a window to the thoughts and workings of their artist lives and minds.”

Future wars will be on water

I am going to talk about the possibility of wars over water in near future. So let me begin with a brief introduction, importance of water history, causes and effects of water scarcity and the debate and I am going to also talk about Syria.

Introduction:

Water,the elixir of life, is the most essential requisite that nature provides to sustain life on earth. It covers about 71% of the Earth’s surface but 96.5% of the planet’s crust water is found in seas and oceans 1.7% in groundwater,1.7% in the glaciers and the polar ice caps, a small fraction in other water bodies and 0.001% in the air as water vapour,clouds and precipitation. However,2.5% of this water is freshwater.

Importance of Water:

World Water Day,on 22nd Marcg every year,reminds us of the action that needs to be taken to tackle the water crisis. It focuses on the importance of freshwater and advocates ways for sustainable management of freshwater resources. Cut to present,more than 663 million people live without safe water supply close to home. They spend hours queuing or commuting to distant places to collect portable water. They have to cope with health impacts of using contaminated water.

The importance of water for its use in providing irrigation facilities,catering to domestic needs,industrial use, navigation,fisheries and its ability to produce hydro power can hardly be belittled.

Water has also been and still considered a purifier in most religions- Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity,Islam and Judaism.

A History

There has not been a speck of doubt that human history has been shaped by the presence or absence of this incredible resource. While the ancient civilisations like the Egyptian civilisation, Chinese civilisation has hugely flourished due to it’s close proximity to water while civilisations like Mayan and Akkadian civilisations had perished due to drought and scarcity of water.

Causes of Water Scarcity

1. Overuse of water.

2. Pollution of water.

3. Conflict.

4. Distance.

5. Drought.

6. Governmental access.

Effects of Water Scarcity

1. Lack if access to drinking water.

2. Hunger.

3. Lack of education.

4. Diseases.

5. Sanitation issues.

6. Poverty.

Will the World’s Next Wars be fought over water ?

In 2015,NASA’s satellite data revealed that 21 or the world’s 27 large aquifers are severely water-stressed. With the growing populations and increased demand from agriculture and industry researchers indicater that this crisis is only likely to worsen. Many of these correlate with conflict regions or areas of high tension,such as the border between India and China, or Bhutan where the Ganges- Brahmaputra Basin is currently mapped as “severely overstressed.”

California’s ongoing drought is one sign that we have entered into some uncharted and uncomfortable territory. Of the fears that have risen alongside a warming planet,perhaps none have attracted more attention than the “water wars”hypothesis.

This hypothesis says that increased water shortages around the world will lead to wars between states.

The “water wars” hypothesis expresses the deepest anxieties about a drought-laden future,wherein desperately thirsty societies take up arms against one another.

As evocative as this hypothesis is,the track record also shows that water wars are overblown.

Exhaustive research by Aaron Wolf,a geographer at Oregon State Univeristy,has documented the surprising fact that there have been no inter-state wars fought directly over water for thousands of years.

However,the absence of a historical record of interstate wars over water doesn’t mean that we have no reason for concern.

On the contrary,there are two good reasons why we should intensify our efforts to understand how water intersects with conflict:

1. The future is not going to look exactly like any past.

2. The second reason why we should remain concerned about the potential water-based conflict is the overly narrow frame we use to understand the relationship in the first place.

The smart frame is to think about how water can either contribute to peace and stability or,conversely,help destabilise vulnerable countries and regions around the world.

Under extreme conditions,society can begin to break down and conflict becomes inevitable.

Case study :Syria

The current Syrian tragedy provides a study of what happens to a society under severe stress. Between 2007 and 2011, Syria experienced one of the worst important case droughts in recorded history.

When the “Arab Spring” began in 2011, Syria was an especially vulnerable society. The effects of the drought combined with long-standing grievances against the Assad regime created conditions for violence.

Once the conflict began, rebel groups found willing recruits from those regions most affected by drought. Since the onset of the civil war, combatants have ” weaponised water” meaning that have turned water into an instrument of war. The Syrian case provides one reason why the water- security nexus has been receiving attention from the foreign and security policy communities in Washington and elsewhere around the world.

An important moment occurred occurred in 2012, when the US government’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI,conducted an assessment of global security.

It listed water- driven destablisation leading to state failure, negative impacts of water scarcity on food production,and the risk that terrorists might weaponise water as items of concern for American policy makers. It also considered the risk of a water war to be low between states at least through 2022.

ODNI’s assessment spurred activity within the rest of the US government. Hillary Clinton, the then Secretary of State, who pushed ODNI to conduct its assessment,was the most visible figure to use these findings andacall for greater action on global water challenges.

Though American organisations ( public, private,non-profit, etc)had come up with planning on solving this issue, America’s approach to water has remained a hodgepodge of largely uncoordinated activity.

I would like to conclude by saying that there is no adequate treaties when it comes to water and there is a high possibility that word war III might be due to water.

An Idea That Can Change The World

“The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach. Being a dreamer who believes in doing , I always felt that the world can become a much better place to live in if we can bring about a basic change in its political structure. In this age where we are talking about globalization, internationalism, international peace and security, universal brotherhood, why not take the concept a little further and develop the idea of a world without any political borders?

This idea dawned on me when in the School Assembly we recited the prayer-offering composed by Rabindranath Tagore,

“Where the mind is without fear and

the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken into fragments

By narrow domestic walls…….”

As a keen and passionate lover of Social Science , I have observed that man loves diversity and variety and dislikes monotony in everyday life. He thrives in displaying how unique and different he is from the others. Yet he is out to get at people who are different ; different in faith, in race, in colour , in creed, in fact , any ground is good enough . Human history is fraught with examples of violence unleashed by man on man. Be it the Crusades or the World Wars or wars in the name of racial cleansing ; the list is ever increasing and never ending . J. Krishnamurthi aptly says, “ when you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent…..Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality,, by tradition, it breeds violence……”

So if we envision a world with no political boundaries there would be no racism, no communal violence, no discrimination. Harmony and peace would reign. Yes it seems to be an utopia but it isn’t impossible. Now let us dwell on the advantages of a world without political boundaries. We have already agreed that humanity has witnessed great conflict and destruction – most of which has been triggered off by some kind of a disagreement or conflict between two or more countries. Some of the worst incidents in human history : the World Wars, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Iraq War, the 9/11 attacks, and other countless conflicts all have occurred or are taking place due to conflicts between nations. Countless soldiers and civilians have lost their lives in these wars and conflicts, hundreds of thousands have been maimed or rendered homeless or were orphaned. The vanquished suffered innumerable losses and so did the victors. Only this new world order would put an end to such agony.

Secondly, the huge amount of money that a country spends or keeps aside for military preparedness and nuclear weapons can now be used to bring about progress and development for all. Thus there would be optimal use of world’s resources to bring benefit to all. Advancements in technology and medicine would benefit everyone and not a small group of people.

Thirdly, this would also unleash a huge economic potential on a global scale. Economists estimate that world GDP could be increased substantially – possibly even doubled – this way. Poverty could be combated on a truly global level for the first time. This would be a bold program for social equity. Resources like food and energy would be a lot better distributed.

Fourthly, if there is one global entity there will be an uniform set of laws .Thus cases of criminals fleeing the country and seeking asylum in other countries to evade punishment will also end. Justice and equality in true sense of the term will prevail.

Fifthly, this new order will help in solving refugee problem and forced migration and the trauma faced by these hapless , homeless people. Again open borders will encourage more temporary and circular migration. Many prospective migrants do not plan to stay in their destination country forever. In absence of borders it becomes easier for them to move back and forth. The option to return anytime will counter the potential “brain drain”.

How do we bring about this New World Order? Mobility without borders is already a reality, the European Union being a prime example. A World Government or global government can be formed by peaceful and voluntary union of all nations. This government will have sub-units in different regions to enforce uniform laws and regulations. A world Constitution incorporating the good features of the existing constitutions of various nations will enshrine the powers and functions of this World Government.

After reading “ Passport to Freedom: A Guide for World Citizens” by Garry Davis , the idea of a United World became more deeply embedded in me. He writes “… we are also born into a divided world, a world of separate entities called nations. We regard each other as friends and yet we are s eparated by wide artificially created barriers.” During WWII Davis was a bomber pilot but later he repented his action and was ready to renounce his American citizenship. In fact , he considered himself a citizen of the world. He had even announced the formation of World Government of World citizens and had created a World passport. He attributed a quote to U Thant, former UN Secretary General saying that from the moon when one sees our planet , one can see no borders, no nations, no races, no ideologies, and no political systems. Only vast oceans and seas, a few great land masses and precious atmosphere of air and clouds can be seen , without which there would be no life on earth. This is how the earth ought to look from inside too, he felt. And this is my idea too. Though Davis was ridiculed by his opponents, I would like to point out that if war takes place due to conflict between nations , then erasing nations can erase wars. I would like to end with the words of Albert Einstein a letter to World Federalists in 1949, “ As long as there are sovereign states possessing great power, war is inevitable. There is no salvation for civilization or even the human race other than the creation of a world government.”

Importance of digital media

The birth of social media snowballed into a gigantic invention that catapulted our lives and set the wheels of affair in motion. Scientists have heralded this invention as probably the greatest creation of modern man, with as many variant origin stories as The Big Bang Theory. The twentieth century saw rapid change in technology. With the advent of the first super computers in the decade of the 1940s, scientists and specialists attempted to develop ways to create and form networks between those computers that later gave rise to the Internet.

The first recognisable social media site, Six Degrees,was created in 1997. It allowed users to upload a profile and become friends with other users. In 1999,the first blogging sites became popular, creating a social media sensation that is still profoundly popular today. In fact,a lot of people’s lives today are largely centred on the blogging details of their lives that include both explicit and implicit purfunctionary details. Sites like MySpace and LinkedIn entered in the early 2000s, and sites like Photobucket and Flickr made online photo sharing an easy task. YouTube came out in 2005, creating an entirely novel way for people to communicate and share music with each other across great distances. Unlike the innate barriers faced by people conversing in different languages, music does not come with the impediment of comprehension. By 2006,Facebook and Twitter both became available to people throughout the world. These sites remain some of the most popular social networks on the Internet. Other sites like Tumblr,Spotify, Foursquare and Pinterest began popping up to fill specific social networking niches. As people become more and more accustomed to the Internet, they began to create new milieus for themselves on social media.

Today people’s lives are primarily focused on social networking sites, such as the ones formerly mentioned. They have not only become essential and oft used means of communication, hence affecting the lives of individuals and their inter-personal relationships, but have also had a significant impact on human society when taken as a whole. They have become crucial platforms for the wide circulation of ideas, acting as forums for the airing of diverse viewpoints and the epicentre of countless debates and arguments. The phrases social transformation and social justice have acquired a new meaning with the advent and popular use of social media sites. This can easily be demonstrated with the help of several examples of social movements which have impacted human society and have covered varies political and social issues.
The #Metoo movement was originally meant to connect people, primarily women who had been victims of sexual harassment in some form of the other. As more women came forward to share their traumatic experiences, this simple symbol and the words attached took on a deeper meaning, forming a sense of solidarity and allowing those who dared to share their stories on such a wide public forum, that of social media sites, the sense that they were not alone. The movement, born out of and sustained primarily by sites such as Facebook, has come under criticism and has assumed a controversial nature because of reports of false accusations and the consequent repercussions which have been as dire as suicide. However, one cannot doubt the movement’s original purpose which was to enable and encourage women to come forward and speak out against harassment nor its significance because it allowed countless women to do just that.
Further, in the Indian, the recent Supreme Court verdict which revoked Section 377 and thus acknowledged the existence of the LGBTQ community and decriminalized sexual relations between members of the same, may not have been brought about entirely due to social networking sites but do owe gratitude to them for providing a space for people both from and outside the community to talk about the importance of LGBTQ rights. Moreover, the virtual celebrations post the declaration of the verdict also allowed several individuals the strength to come out and proudly proclaime their true sexual orientation, showing how important a role social media plays in bringing about social transformation by sometimes transforming the lives of certain sections of human society.
The Black Lives Matter movement, particularly in the American landscape, draws enormous strength and tremendous social following from social networks platforms. Any reports on the violation of the rights of members of the Black community is followed by immediate backslashes from the supporters that the movement has online. This is done through regular updates on racial discrimination, instances of police brutality against individuals of the community, the arrangement of walks and protests against the same in real life, and so on.