Foreign varsities in India soon

NEW DELHI, March 15: The union cabinet Monday cleared a proposal to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India, a step that is expected to provide quality education in the country and reduce the flow of Indian students abroad.

'This is a milestone, which will enhance choices, increase competition, and benchmark quality,' Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

'(It's) a larger revolution than even (the one) in the telecom sector,' Sibal added.

The bill, which will now be tabled in parliament for its approval, has provisions to regulate the entry and operation of foreign institutions, which will set up campus and offer degrees in India.

Thousands of Indian students go to the US, Britain and Australia among other countries, every year, to study in foreign universities. The effort is part of the central government's continued focus on education reform.

Sibal, who sounded elated Monday, has been pushing for this since he took over the ministry last year. The minister, too, has been in touch with several top universities in the US and Britain about such a move.

Welcoming the move, Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, director, Devi Singh said: 'It is a good move and will help bring internationally reputed education providers to India.'

'However, it is important that the foreign institutions entering India offer the same degrees and diplomas that they are offering back home. This will help ensure that the certification provided by them in India will have the same value internationally as their current qualifications,' Singh added.

This will help ensure Indian students access the same curriculum and quality of education that these institutions provide in their own countries, he added.

Among the foreign universities likely to set up shop in India are Boston University, Harvard and Yale University from the US.

Asia is the most dynamic newspaper market, says N. Ram

CHENNAI, March 12: Traditional news media in India will, in three to five years, be challenged by the “ubiquitous Internet”, believes N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu. However, the media is yet to find a viable revenue model for online content.

Mr. Ram was delivering the keynote address at a two-day seminar, “The Emergence of New Media: Challenges and Opportunities,” organised by the St. Joseph's College here.

Pointing out that an increasing number of people today read their news online, and in real time, he observed that both television and print media were in “inexorable decline” in developed countries or “mature” media markets. The situation, worsened by the recession, had resulted in about 16,000 journalists losing their jobs in the U.S. in 2008 and 2009.

Thus far, however, the developing world is still a growth area for the old media — the press, television and the languishing radio — and, although from a low base, for the new media too. In India, periodicals, dailies and television are still in a growth phase, he said. Asia is the most dynamic newspaper market; and India, China and Japan account for 60 per cent of newspaper circulation worldwide.

While discussing the emerging “centrality of the Internet”, Mr. Ram pointed out that while China had an estimated 385 million Internet users, comprising 27 per cent of its population, India lagged behind with just 82 million users, seven per cent of its population. “Nowhere else is the digital divide, between urban and rural, as stark as it is in our country,” he observed.

The great Indian “media bazaar” has many streams, multiple levels of development and types of market practices; non-uniform standards and discrepant rules of the game, he observed. Exhorting his young audience to uphold journalistic principles of truth-telling, freedom and independence, justice, humaneness and social concern, Mr. Ram said that young journalists must learn to report and write about the deprivation that exists in a large section of “rising India.”

Borrowing an idea from Rector Fr. Terence Farias's talk that likened the media and religion to a candle that could be used to either “enlighten” or destroy, Mr. Ram said: “The media can participate in agenda-building, but it has to be a worthwhile agenda that upholds the best of civilisational values.”

“Is it too much to demand from a socially intelligent media that it must discern in a free and independent way what is right, just, democratic or humane … and avoid the trap that abounds in the professional arena?” he concluded.

UK announces stricter rules for Indian students

LONDON, Feb 10: Announcing details of tighter rules for international students from India and elsewhere, Britain on Wednesday said bogus students will find it difficult to gain entry and work in United Kingdom illegally.

Unveiling details of the points system for those wishing to earn British Citizenship from next year, Home secretary Alan Johnson said genuine students will continue to be welcome in the country.

The details announced on Wednesday comes days after Britain suspended issuing student visas in north India, Bangladesh and Nepal, suspecting large scale irregularities.

Earlier on Sunday, Johnson had announced tightening of the British student visa regime.

The new regulations will ensure that students studying below degree level have a limited ability to work in the UK, and that their dependants cannot work here at all.

Announcing points system, Johnson said, "From 2011, we will put the mechanisms in place that will ensure that people who are allowed to become citizens have earned their right to stay here."

"We will do this using a points test, giving us the ability to take clear, enforceable decisions about who should be allowed to stay permanently, with the flexibility to raise or lower the threshold for citizenship, depending on the current interests of the country and economy, he said.

Immigration is a major issue in the forthcoming general elections as the opposition Conservative party accuse the Labour of failing on the front.

Nursery admission made more humane in India

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Feb 1: Admissions to nursery schools in the Indian Capital are going to be more humane and inclusive as the children and their parents or guardians will not have to undergo the rig molls of having to undergo any screening procedures. With the notification of Right to Education Act, the schools will also have to scrap the discriminatory criteria of points system that gave an edge to the parents’ education and profession and financial background.

Delhi’s Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said “we can not allow a child’s admission based on how much his or her parents have studied or their place of work. This is discriminatory.”

However, the Government’s directive, which has come too close to the deadline of declaring admission lists, has not gone down well with some high-profile schools.

Under the 100-point system, schools have to compulsorily disclose their admission criteria. The factors for the points included alumni, siblings studying in the same school, neighbourhood, girl child or first born and parents’ profession (that carried as many as 40 points).

However, a number of schools had additional criteria such as the parents' proven track record, group discussions, views on education, profession and educational qualifications.

The profession and education criteria adopted by many schools in Delhi have left parents -- especially businessmen, housewives and the lesser qualified – disgruntled as they lost points to professionals.

With the Government’s tough stance of de-recognition, the schools have revised their points system by deleting the profession and education criteria.

Said Dr L V Sehgal, Principal, Bal Bharati Public School, GRH Marg: “The only option it leaves for admission is by drawing of lots.”

“This action has come a little too late. It should have been done when schools were still accepting application forms,” said Sumit Vohra, who runs admissionsnursery.com, a website to guide parents.

“We will comply with what the Directorate of Education has to say. The profession points will be adjusted across other existing factors,” said Abha Sahgal, Principal, Sanskriti Schools, which had earlier set aside 40 points for parents’ profession.

But institutions, which have already closed their admission, might get away this year. Said Arivinder Singh Lovely: “We do not want to cancel admissions of the children who have already been admitted this year.”

There are as many 1,500 schools in the Capital and only 30 to 40 schools are following the discriminatory criteria, said Lovely.

Some of the schools have delayed the announcement of the admission lists to meet the more humane criteria.

However, the new diktat has not got gone down well with many parents who say the change comes at 'the last minute'. They are wondering why the government has reacted now when the schools started distributing their forms with these criteria from December 15 last year.

P. Guha had carefully selected institutions that were giving preference to professionals. But the Delhi governments' move has left her crying foul as she does not score on the sibling or alumni criteria.

"I had selected some schools that fitted my educational profile or those that were giving weightage to my profession. But now after this directive, I don't have any choice but to just pray and bank on my luck," said Guha.

Meenakshi Deep Ghatak, an aggrieved parent, said: "The last-minute directive from the department of education is not only too late in the day but also a knee-jerk reaction under pressure from a powerful non-professional lobby. It will create huge chaos and uncertainty and serve to manipulate results to favour those whose wards would otherwise not find a place in some particular coveted schools."

Many parents say they had carefully selected schools that were giving points for parents' profession and education, besides others favourable factors, as these would give their wards a better chance of securing admission.

"Schools have become the property of sibling and alumni. So a child will experience reservation from its first step into education. The points system should be revised and should be made such that all get equal chance,' felt Ritesh Kumar Agarwal.

Pragya Vohra, another parent expressing her anger on the same website, said: "Parameters like alumni and sibling, it seems really tough getting there. This is totally not fair for parents of a single child."

Nursery admissions in the national capital started on December 15 when schools started selling admission forms and the last date for submission of forms were January 15.

AR Rahman wins two Grammy awards for Slumdog Millionaire

LOS ANGELES, Feb 1: A R Rahman scored a double triumph at the Grammy Awards here, scooping two early honours for his music from the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

Rahman won the first Grammy of the pre-show at the Staples Center in the best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture category before his Jai Ho won in the best motion picture song category moments later.

"This is insane, God is great again," Rahman said as he accepted his second award before a VIP audience.

Rahman's rivals in the soundtrack category included Steve Jordan for "Cadillac Records," Quentin Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds", and the producers of "Twilight" and "True Blood."

In the best song category Rahman's beaten rivals included Bruce Springsteen for his song "The Wrestler", from the Oscar-nominated movie of the same name.

The Grammy success comes after Rahman earned two Oscars for his music in "Slumdog Millionaire" at last year's Academy Awards.

The talented music maestro picked up the best original score statuette before scooping the best song Oscar.

New school grad system to lower stress among students

By Prasana Kumar Das

NEW DELHI: The introduction of the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation system (CCE) in CBSE in which the age old provision of marking system has been replaced by a new grading system in Xth class board examination is a telling leap in welcoming reformation on the face of India’s global aspiration and the discomfiture with the traditional one which puts cumbersome pressure on the shoulders of the students at a level much before they get enough maturity to handle those.

But, the misgivings by the skeptics should be nipped in the bud by the dispensation before those could reach to a seemingly difficult pass to draw flak and threaten to rock the boat.

As the withdrawal of the examination is inversely proportional to the urge to score, the let-up in the efforts to score may pack a punch on some of the language papers in the curriculum. The Sanskrit is a mark-fetching subject and chosen by many to score more, though, they know that it has no utility in higher classes as the subject is not in demand in the market.

Now, scoring more in the subject can not guarantee one to score better as the scores of co-scholastic activities and co-scholastic areas have the say in the making of the final grading.

The grading system does not spur the competitive environment, and, most of the students do not like to take Sanskrit as an optional subject except the few takers who have the special passion for it.

And, when a student realizes that the Xth class mark-sheet does not matter his career in that way, it does not inspire him to do hard work thereby undermining the spirit for scoring high. This may have a seminal effect on the academic demeanor of the students in the subsequent stage.

It is opined that the introduction should have been along with the consideration of the change in the course contents starting from the primary levels in the school. The unchanged curriculum of XIth and XIIth and the preparation for getting into good institutions in a cut-throat competitive scenario may pressurize the students more than before.

One of the most dangerous aspects of the new system is the assessment of the subjective areas by the teachers, who are to experience this for the first time. Given the teacher-student ratio in the sprawling network of CBSE schools across the country, the provision of infrastructure in most of the schools for exploring the skills of co-scholastic activities and co-scholastic areas, and, the conventional mindset of the teachers and parents, it seems a tough task for the centre to bring out any uniform yardstick to assess the subjective parts, let alone the morality of most of the teachers in the backdrop of the sorry state of affairs in the country where the teachers of the higher prestigious institutions had, recently, protested and defied the imposition of the biometric system for accounting their presence.

Also, the schedule of subjects in the co-scholastic activities and co-scholastic areas would give ample room to a tainted teacher to use it as a tool to slide up and down in the grading ladder of the mark sheet of a student irrespective of a student’s mettle to score.

The unethical and unseemly practice would not come in the way if all our teachers are above suspicion. A not-so-very-good private school management, with its greed to do good business, will have the scope to play with lives of the students tantalizing the decoy of a good grading, as the mark sheet could be easily manipulated. There is every possibility of an unwholesome competition among the students and parents to come closer to the teachers for favour.

A strong foothold for the futuristic global citizens is wholeheartedly welcome. We have to take the world head on. During the last three decades, we have witnessed, to match the western standard, how our endeavor to adopt a more heuristic and engaging system in the primary and secondary level involving more practical works (project oriented assignments) for the kids, has had a lingering teething period.

Most schools go overboard to have more such, in a fashionable way, to woo parents, but, a great humor it is, the noble idea puts the parents to task, who prepare those for their kids by burning the midnight oil.
Of course, now, we are hopeful of a turnaround soon with the rapid pace of change around.

Recently, during the briefings to the parents about the new CCE system adopted by CBSE and taking on their quarries, the principal of a leading school in New Delhi remarked that the present batch of IXth class students in CBSE is an unfortunate lot. Of course, she clarified it was a slip of the tongue and was inadvertently committed while addressing a parent’s query.

But, there has been enough space for such type of misgiving in anybody’s mind after the Prime Minister’s statement in this regard.
This misgiving brings in a kind of trepidation for the possibility of the winding up the reformative move and paving a patchy and bumpy path for the present one or two batches, especially, while facing any interview and assessing career mark for any purpose.

Yes, pressure wears down one’s power to think. It augurs well now. The statistics on the literacy template would bring in us a state of complacency by lowering the dropout’s trajectory. It might have taken away the jitters from many students, but, it has stirred the jittery chord in many with multiple of misgivings.

India announces first manned space mission

BANGALORE, Jan 27: India's space agency has said it will launch its first manned mission to space in 2016. A senior official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in Bangalore said that two astronauts would take part.

"We are preparing for the manned space flight," Isro Chairman K Radhakrishnan told reporters.

"We will design and develop the space module for the manned mission in the next four years," he said.

Observers say India is emerging as a major player in the multi-billion dollar space market.

In September it launched seven satellites in a single mission, nearly a month after the country's inaugural Moon mission was aborted.

Isro says that it will soon shortlist two astronauts to train for the space flight.

The manned mission will cost 124 billion rupees ($2,676,740,597).

Delhi has given its approval for the mission, said space officials.

India's space agency is also setting up a full-fledged training facility in Bangalore to train the astronauts.

The country's first unmanned Moon mission, Chandrayaan, was launched last year.

The second unmanned project, Chandrayaan-II, will be launched in the first quarter of 2013 - a prelude to the manned space mission.

India's first Moon mission had to be terminated because of a failure of critical communication components, but Isro officials termed the mission a success because 95% of the scientific objectives were completed.

India also plans a mission to Mars in 2030.

Sports psychologist, Dr Agyajit Singh, conferred 'Life Time Achievement Award'

By Deepak Arora

GWALIOR, Jan 5: Dr Agyajit Singh, retired Head, Department of Psychology, Punjabi University, Patiala and ex-sports Psychologist of Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala was confirmed with the “Life Time Achievement Award” in Sports Psychology for the year 2008-2009 by Sports Psychology Association of India.

The award was given at the International Congress of Sports Psychology held at Lakshmibai National University of Physical Education, Gwalior.

Dr Agyajit Singh was conferred the award for his most outstanding meritorious and extra-ordinary services rendered by him to the profession of Sports Psychology in India as a Teacher, a Sports Psychologist and a scientist of International repute.

Dr Agyajit Singh has written five books in Sports Psychology and published many research papers and articles in the area of Sports psychology in different journals of repute.

Besides his own PhD in Sports Psychology, he has guided 15 PhD theses in this area; out of total 25 PhD theses.

He has attended many national and international conferences, seminars and workshop in sports psychology in India and abroad where he has contributed research papers and presented key note addresses.

He worked as team psychologist with the Indian Athletic Team and Indian Women Hockey Team in 2002 before Busan Asian Games.

Recently, he wrote two books “Athletic Behavior” and “Sports Personology” which are under publication. He is at present the Vice-President of Sports Psychology Association of India.

Manjit Bawa sells for record Rs 1.7cr, Indian art mart looking up

NEW DELHI: An untitled canvas by Manjit Bawa sold for Rs 1.7 crore at a recent online auction which apart from creating a world record for the late artist has also indicated a return of confidence in the Indian art market.

At its winter 2009 auction leading domestic auctioneer Saffronart grossed a total of 20 crores by selling 78 of the 100 lots made available for bidding with 62% of the works exceeded their pre-sale estimates.

"A world record price in auction was achieved for artist Manjit Bawa's 'Untitled' canvas at Rs 1.7 crore against an upper estimate of Rs 90 lakh," reported the auction house.

In his canvass of epic proportions Bawa relies on chiaroscuro and subtle shading to deliver depth. His technique of focusing on perfecting the form by paring it down to its basic essence gives his paintings an arresting luminosity.

Along with Bawa, other modernists like F N Souza, S H Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Tyeb Mehta and Jagdish Swaminathan led the sale with top prices.

Lata conferred with France's highest civilian honour

MUMBAI, Dec 2: Noted singer Lata Mangeshkar was conferred with 'Officier de la Legion d'Honneur', France's highest civilian award at a glittering function in Mumbai on Wednesday night.

The award was presented to the 81-year-old singer by French Ambassador to India Gerome Bonnfont. "I am extremely honoured to receive this award from the French government," Lata Mangeshkar said.

Bollywood personalities like Yash Chopra, Madhur Bhandarkar, Anu Malik and others attended the function.

Victory for India at SIFE World Cup in Berlin

MUMBAI, Oct 12: The SIFE India team from the Alpha Arts & Science College Chennai, has won the second place in the prestigious SIFE World Cup 2009. The two-day event held in Berlin on the 5th and 6th of October 2009, witnessed teams from over 40 countries world-wide competing for top honors. Almost 3000 students and business leaders from all over the world were present for the 2 day event.

The SIFE World Cup is a keenly contested annual business competition organized by SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise), an international organization that encourages students to evolve sustainable economic solutions for the community.

The participants of the SIFE World Cup are National Champions from their respective countries, chosen after two rounds of competition in each country. Teams present their community projects to a jury consisting of established business leaders and are evaluated on a set of seven criteria ranging from market economics to sustainability. Almost 3000 students and business leaders from all over the world were present for the two day event.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Keshav R Murugesh, CEO and President, Syntel Inc. and Chairman, SIFE India said, “SIFE is a powerful programme which provides an opportunity to several young students across India to make a meaningful contribution to various communities; they impart hands on knowledge and change their lifestyles for a better tomorrow. This victory is special not just for the Alpha SIFE team who made a significant contribution to the community but more to the thousands of lives they have impacted through their well-executed projects. ”

The Alpha SIFE team’s high-impact programs on seaweed cultivation for tsunami-hit fisher-folk and tomato pulping for deprived tomato farmers helped create meaningful and sustainable businesses for livelihood in these communities. The immense success of these projects was presented by a team of 5 students from the Alpha Arts & Science College at the SIFE World Cup event, thus earning them the coveted first runners-up place with Egypt being declared winner.

Syntel Inc., a leading global IT and KPO Company has been involved with the creation of SIFE India from the start and Mr. Keshav Murugesh has been Chairman of the Board since the start. A large number of colleges from India are involved in the program that is creating India of the future. SIFE India board members include some of the most well respected industry captains of the Indian corporate world from prestigious companies like Syntel Inc., KPMG India, HSBC India, PwC, Reliance Capital Limited amongst others.

Indian-origin scientist, two others win Nobel chemistry prize

STOCKHOLM, Oct 7: Americans Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz and Israeli Ada Yonath won the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry. India-born Venkatraman Ramakrishnan is a senior scientist at the MRC Laborartory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge.

Born in 1952 in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, Ramakrishnan shares the Nobel prize with Thomas E Steitz (US) and Ada E Yonath (Israel) for their "studies of the structure and function of the ribosome".

Ramakrishnan earned his B.Sc. in Physics (1971) from Baroda University and his Ph.D. in Physics (1976) from Ohio University.

He moved into biology at the University of California, San Diego, where he took a year of classes, then conducted research with Dr Mauricio Montal, a membrane biochemist.

"This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry awards Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A Steitz and Ada E Yonath for having showed what the ribosome looks like and how it functions at the atomic level," the Nobel committee said in its citation.

All three have used a method called X-ray crystallography to map the position for each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of atoms that make up the ribosome, it said.

"This year's three Laureates have all generated 3D models that show how different antibiotics bind to the ribosome. These models are now used by scientists in order to develop new antibiotics, directly assisting the saving of lives and decreasing humanity's suffering," the citation said.

Better known as Venky among friends, Ramakrishnan started out as a theoretical physicist. After graduate school, he designed his own 2-year transition from physics to biology.

As a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University, he worked on a neutron-scattering map of the small ribosomal subunit of E Coli. He has been studying ribosome structure ever since.

Ramakrishnan has authored several important papers in academic journals.

In the August 26, 2000 issue of Nature, Ramakrishnan and his coworkers published the structure of the small ribosomal subunit of Thermus thermophilus, a heat-stable bacterium related to one found in the Yellowstone hot springs.

With this 5.5 Angstrom-resolution structure, Ramakrishnan's group identified key portions of the RNA and, using previously determined structures, positioned seven of the subunit's proteins.

In the September 21, 2000 issue of Nature, Ramakrishnan published two papers. In the first of these, he presents the 3 Angstrom structure of the 30S ribosomal subunit.

His second paper reveals the structures of the 30S subunit in complex with three antibiotics that target different regions of the subunit. In this paper, Ramakrishnan discusses the structural basis for the action of each of these drugs.

After his postdoctoral fellowship, Ramakrishnan joined the staff of Brookhaven National Laboratory in ther US. There, he began his collaboration with Stephen White to clone the genes for several ribosomal proteins and determine their three-dimensional structures.

He was also awarded a Guggenheim fellowship during his tenure there, and he used it to make the transition to X-ray crystallography.

Ramakrishnan moved to the University of Utah in 1995 to become a professor in the Department of Biochemistry. There, he initiated his studies on protein-RNA complexes and the entire 30S subunit.

He since moved to the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, where he is a Senior Scientist and Group Leader in the Structural Studies Division. He joins the list of several Nobel laureates who worked at the laboratory.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said their work has been fundamental to the scientific understanding of life and has helped researchers develop antibiotic cures for various diseases.

Yonath is the fourth woman to win the Nobel chemistry prize and the first since 1964, when Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin of Britain received the prize.

This year's three laureates all generated three-dimensional models that show how different antibiotics bind to ribosomes.

``These models are now used by scientists in order to develop new antibiotics, directly assisting the saving of lives and decreasing humanity's suffering,'' the academy said in its announcement.

``All three have used a method called X-ray crystallography to map the position for each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of atoms that make up the ribosome,'' the academy said.

Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist who invented dynamite, established the Nobel Prizes in his will in 1895. The first awards were handed out six years later.

Each prize comes with a 10 million kronor ($1.4 million) purse, a diploma, a gold medal and an invitation to the prize ceremony in Stockholm on Dec. 10. The Peace Prize is handed out in Oslo.

On Monday, three American scientists shared the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering a key mechanism in the genetic operations of cells, an insight that has inspired new lines of research into cancer.

The physics prize on Tuesday was split between a Hong Kong-based scientist who helped develop fiber-optic cable and two Canadian and American researchers who invented the ``eye'' in digital cameras _ technology that has revolutionized communications and science.

The literature and peace prize winners will be announced later this week and the economics announcement is set for Monday.

Anoushka Shankar complains of blackmail, one arrested

NEW DELHI, Sept 20: Sitar player Anoushka Shankar, daughter of legendary musician Pandit Ravi Shankar, has been allegedly blackmailed by a businessman who has been arrested in Mumbai.

Twenty-nine-year old Junaid allegedly used some of Anoushka's photographs to blackmail her after hacking into her e-mail account, police said on Sunday.

The arrest comes after investigations into a complaint by Ravi Shankar to Delhi Police last month alleging that his 28-year-old daughter was being blackmailed by someone.

Junaid was caught in Mumbai on Wednesday last by the Special Cell of Delhi Police after they allegedly found that he was involved in the case, a senior police official said.

He has been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days after he was produced in a Delhi court.

Official sources said Junaid, a businessman, appeared to have known Anoushka and that he was nursing a grudge against her after the fallout in their friendship.

A senior official said Junaid allegedly hacked into the inbox of Anoushka's e-mail and accessed her photographs. The man allegedly sent at least six e-mails to her demanding money for not making the photographs public. He had even demanded USD one lakh in one e-mail, the official claimed.

A spokesperson for Anoushka said she was not willing to comment as of now as investigation into the case was on.

In his complaint, Ravi Shankar, who lives in the US, is learnt to have told the police that Anoushka had given her laptop to a service centre in south Delhi in February.

Initially, the official said, police thought that the photographs were accessed when it was being repaired by the service centre.

"We think that the material in the laptop was copied by someone. We interrogated the staff at the Apple Services Centre. Later, we zeroed in on the Mumbai-based man and arrested him," a senior police official had said.

Police had last week registered a case under Section 386 of Indian Penal Code which relates to extortion by putting in fear of death or hurt and provides for a maximum punishment of 10 years in jail. Some provisions of IT act will also be invoked against the suspect.

Twitter close to raising $50 m; may become $1 b firm

NEW YORK, Sept 17: Micro-blogging site Twitter is close to raising about $50 million through private equity fundings, that will make it a $1 billion firm. "Fast growing startup Twitter will soon be joining a select group of startups, with private venture round valuations of $1 billion," technology news blog TechCrunch said citing various sources.

The report noted that the company would raise around $50 million, although the final amount is apparently not yet decided.

Twitter's CEO Evan Williams disclosed the news about the funding round to the employees at a recent all hands meeting, according to TechCrunch.

Attributing to a source, the report said that New York- based Insight Venture Partners is understood to be the primary investor in this round.

Earlier this year, Twitter had raised more than $35 million in a round led by Benchmark Capital and Institutional Venture Partners.

However, the company has raised a total of around $55 million to date, and attributing to sources they have about $30 million left in the bank.

Twitter offers micro-blogging, which allows users to send short text messages, among others, on various multimedia platforms.

Exhibition on 'Farewell to Arms'

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Sept 18: The international arms trade is out of control. Two thousand people die every day because of armed violence, and many more are seriously injured. Many of the victims are women and children. The United Nations estimates that 500,000 people are killed each year due to small arms violence.

1,135 companies in 98 countries manufacture arms, ammunitions and components worldwide. 640 million small arms light weapons under circulation, one for every 12 people on the planet.

The arms trade was one of the first to globalise, and yet there are still more regulations on the international trade in music and film industry than on the international trade in arms. If the death, injury and disability resulting from unregulated arms trade were categorised as a disease, we would view it as an epidemic.

Between 10 and 14 billion units of military small arms ammunition are produced every year – that’s roughly two bullets for every man, woman and child on the planet.

In India alone, 12 people die from armed violence every day.

Yet most of us, in our day-to-day lives, still don't have a clear sense of how armed violence really affects the lives of millions. A critical element of an exercise in getting people to wake up to gun violence would be to bridge this information gap. How do we show that the effects of armed violence are real? How do we tell the world about the ways communities all around the world are experiencing them?

With this background, Control Arms Foundation of India & Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network is holding an exhibition of photographs documenting the human cost of arms proliferation. The exhibition is titled, “A Farewell to Arms” and will be inaugurated on September 20 Raghu Rai at at the Convention Centre Foyer, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

The exhibition features entries from photographers from across India including the first time display of images taken from Manipur by Raghu Rai. This exhibition will showcase the works of 12 photographers and agencies from Jammu and Kashmir, the Naxal region and the Northeast India.

Now comic books to help children learn at school

MUMBAI, Sept 15: Axiom Education, an education innovation company —through its brand "IKEN" today announces the launch of ‘iken books’, a revolutionary concept for curriculum based education. ‘iken Books’ are a unique blend of education and entertainment solutions to bring in a fun-learning experience for children at school.

‘iken books’ are interactive comic text books based on the NCERT curriculum that bring scientific concepts alive through colorful and entertaining comics. The books have been designed with fun-loving comic characters indulging in real life adventures and promise to give young minds a thoroughly different experience while imparting education – that of fun and excitement.

Research has shown that with the help of ‘iken books’, students can now cover an entire science chapter in less than 30 minutes while retaining more than 200% as compared to normal textbooks.

This revolutionary approach will allow teachers to build upon an already existing base understanding of every child in the classroom. A student can simply read a chapter from ‘iken books’ before it is covered in the classroom and then co-relate better with the proceedings of the classroom.

Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Saurabh Saxena, Director – Business Development, Axiom Education, said, “We always aimed to do something different and exciting in the filed of education. Our new invention- ‘iken books’ will not only create a learning environment that is synonymous with entertainment but will also generate an eagerness to learn more in a child. I am confident that these books will be happily accepted by children and teachers alike and will provide them a new refreshing experience.”

Very soon, ‘iken books’ will be available in Science for 1st to 5th Std. and Social Studies for 1st to 8th Std. to complete the offering, also in regional languages namely Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Kannada.” Saurabh added.

The stories in ‘iken books’ contain an endearing character popularly known as J.C. who is on a learning curve and is one of the most inquisitive characters in the world of comics. The stories explain the quirks and adventures of J.C.’s life and showcases how the boy becomes smarter and knowledgeable with every experience in his life.

The books comprise an ‘edutaining’ matrix that comprises various direct and indirect teaching methods providing a wide array of ‘explore– it – yourself’ activities.

Presently ‘iken books’ are available in 2 volumes in Science for 6th, 7th and 8th Std. and can be purchased online at www.iken.in. It shall be soon available at all leading book stores across India.

The books are competitively priced at Rs.199 per copy while institutional discounts will be offered to schools and institutions.
‘Axiom’ which means “self evident” provides innovative education solutions through cutting- edge technology. Axiom Education is a global educational venture by the Bilakhia Group. Axiom Education believes that every child is born a genius. Learning is most effective when it is personalized and involves active participation. We achieve this by investing in research and development of products that are a fusion of entertainment with education and instill a deep sense of curiosity, exploration and enjoyment amongst students.

This is achieved with a dedicated team of over 300 professionals, from India’s top institutes like IIT’s, BITS, NID, top Business Schools, experienced Teachers and child psychologists, involved in research & development.

‘www.iken.in’ and ‘iken scientifica’ are several endeavors initiated by the company to introduce ideation and innovation to the students, teachers, schools and parents alike.

The company now plans to extend its reach to entire India with its unique methodology and launch over 200 ‘never-seen-before’ innovative products and several institutional offerings that will completely change the way education is perceived.

Principal (BBPS) L.V.Sehgal bags national award

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Sept 5: Bal Bharati Public School, GRH Marg, added yet another feather to its cap when the Principal, Mr. L V Sehgal, was confered with the coveted "Award to Teachers for the year 2008".

At an impressive national level function held here on Saturday, the Human Resource Development Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal, felicitated the 14 selected awardee teachers from all over India.

They were presented a Certificate of Commendation, cash award of Rs 25,000 and a Shawl each.

The prestigious National Honour was bestowed upon Mr.Sehgal in recognition of his valuable contributions in the field of Secondary Education. His encouraging initiatives in promoting computer-aided learning and inculcating the love of reading by establishing class libraries etc. were also duly acknowledged.

The entire fraternity of Bal Bharati cherishes this moment of glory and hopes that more such laurels would follow in future.

Gaanamani TMS creates ripples in Tollywood

By Deepak Arora

CHENNAI, Aug 27: Gambhira Gaanamani P P Venkat (popularly known as TMS) has entered into the Tollywood as playback singer with a super hit Tamil song for the forthcoming Tamil film "Agam Puram" directed by Thirumalai featuring Shyam and Meenakshi in the lead roles.

Music Director Sundar C Babu has introduced P P Venkat in this film as playback singer with a song "Orumani Rendumani". Lyrics for the song have been penned by film lyricist and a practicing lawyer V. Elango.

The audio release was held here today and was attended by top people from the film industry.

Venkat hopes that this song would be a super hit and would be a stepping stone in his life as a playback singer. He says: "I am open to offers from Tamil film or any other language (as he speaks as many as seven languages with ease) as Music Director."

P P Venkat has released eight devotional albums on various Hindu Gods and has given lot of light music/ devotional songs performances in India and abroad.

His recent album on Lord Vishnu "Emberumanae" was launched by the Tamil Governor, Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, at Raj Bhavan on August 14. Also present at the function were famous Carnatic vocalist Sudha Raghunathan, famous play back singer Dr.P.B.Srinivas, famous carnatic vocalist Neyveli Santhanagopalan and lyricist Elango.

Around 25,000 copies have already been sold.

Top Canadian universities on India tour

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Aug 24: Thirteen of Canada’s elite universities are in India till September 4 to hold information sessions on Canada as a destination for higher education. The delegation is led by Ginette Sanfaçon of HEC Montréal (Business school affiliated with the Université de Montréal) and Michelle Beaton of Ryerson University in Toronto.

The tour is organized by the Canadian Higher Education Committee under the aegis of the Council of International Schools (CIS).The Council’s fifth annual tour to India will begin in Mumbai and continue in Pune, Delhi and Bangalore.

The tour is of special interest to Standard XI and Standard XII students who exhibit strong academic standing, their school guidance counselors as well as to their parents. The schedule includes school visits, information fairs, and an in-depth Canadian university admission workshop for guidance counselors.

“India is a key undergraduate student market for Canadian universities,” said Ginette Sanfaçon of HEC-Montréal and Tour Director.
“Indian students are sought for their academic strength and their rich contribution to student life on Canadian university campuses. In turn, increasing numbers of Indian students are making Canada their first choice for study – as evidenced on this tour. Indian students are drawn to our universities’ common attributes of international reputation for academic excellence, state of the art resources, and safe campuses in welcoming locations,” Sanfaçon said.

Each year, tour organizers strengthen existing relationships with secondary schools in cities they visit and also expand outreach to new regions. For example, guidance counselors from schools in Dehra Dun, Hyderabad, Chennai and Chandigarh as well as Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are receiving invitations to attend the Tour’s counselor workshop in Delhi.

List of participating universities:

The University of British Columbia; Carleton University; Dalhousie University; HEC MONTRÉAL (Business School affiliated with Université de Montréal); Memorial University of Newfoundland; University of Manitoba; University of New Brunswick; Ryerson University; University of Saskatchewan; University of Toronto; Vancouver Island University; University of Waterloo; York University.

Why Canada?

Canadian universities are engaged internationally as leaders in education through teaching, research and partnerships. Undergraduate education in Canada is a hybrid of US and UK styles offering breadth of program options, flexibility in choice and a degree that is ultimately recognized world-wide.

Indian students choose Canada because a strong education and a positive international experience is the foundation for their exciting and successful futures. The quality, affordability and renowned research opportunities are key factors in this decision. University campuses across Canada offer multicultural environments, beautiful spaces and friendly people. As a leader in business, political diplomacy, arts and culture and technology – Canada’s education system is at the core of its success and its graduates are players on the world stage.

Council of International Schools (CIS) tours are a vehicle for Canada’s leading universities to recruit high-quality undergraduate students.
The Council of International Schools is a non-profit, international educational organization that facilitates links between institutions of higher education and secondary schools to increase their visibility with school leavers and the school guidance community. The 40+ CIS Canadian higher education member universities’ interests are supported through the efforts of the eight-person team of member volunteers that comprise the Canadian Higher Education Committee (CHEC). The Committee's goal is to facilitate the exchange of information about Canadian higher education between international schools and the CIS Canadian higher education membership through various activities such as recruitment tours like the 2009 India tour.

Thousands pay tribute to music icon Jackson

LOS ANGELES, July 8: In one of the biggest celebrity send-offs in history, Michael Jackson’s family, friends and fans held a memorial service for the ‘King of Pop’ on Tuesday, as millions of people from around the world tuned in to watch on television and the internet.

The service started out more spiritual than spectacular, opening with a church choir singing as his golden casket was laid in front of the stage and a shaft of light evoking a cross as Lionel Richie gave a gospel-infused performance.

Pastor Lucious W. Smith of the Friendship Baptist Church in Pasadena gave the invocation, followed by Mariah Carey singing the opening performance with a rendition of the Jackson 5 ballad “I’ll Be There,” a duet with Trey Lorenz.

“We come together and we remember the time,” said Smith, riffing off one of Jackson’s lyrics. “As long as we remember him, he will always be there to comfort us.”

The memorial service opened with soul great Smokey Robinson reading letters of condolence from Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela.

Ross, who introduced Jackson and his brothers to the entertainment industry in 1960s, wrote that Jackson was “part of the fabric of my life in a way that I can’t seem to find words to express.”

Mr. Mandela wrote that “Michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry and we mourn with the millions of fans worldwide.”

Then Jackson’s casket was wheeled in as a gospel choir sang.

“In his beautiful and very human heart MJ wanted nothing more than to give to the world and perhaps be loved back in return,” said Jackson family pastor Lucious Smith. “Through his words, his music and his countless good deeds Michael did so much to try to heal our world.”

The public tribute followed a private memorial service at a Hollywood Hills cemetery after which Jackson’s flower-laden casket was loaded into a hearse for the procession to the Staples Centre, where celebrities and fans entered the arena on a wide black carpet.

There were three notable absences at the services: Jackson’s old friend Dame Elizabeth Taylor said, “I love him too much to share my grief with millions of others.” Diana Ross said she preferred to mark his death with silence, while his ex-wife Debbie Rowe, who may launch a legal battle for custody of the two children she had with Jackson, said her attendance “would be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael’s legacy.”

The traffic snarls and logistics nightmares that had been feared by police and city officials had not materialised. The thousands of fans with tickets began filing in early and encountered few problems, and traffic was actually considered by police to be lighter than normal.

“I think people got the message to stay home,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Luevano. “When you have people staying home, it clears up those freeways.”

Deputy Police Chief Sergio Diaz, operations chief for the event, said authorities had expected a crowd of 250,000. Besides reporters and those with tickets to the memorial service, the crowd around the Staples Center perimeter numbered only about 1,000, he said.

It was not clear what will happen to Jackson’s body. The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery is the final resting place for such stars as Bette Davis, Andy Gibb, Freddie Prinze, Liberace and recently deceased David Carradine and Ed McMahon.

But Jackson’s brother Jermaine has expressed a desire to have him buried someday at Neverland, his estate in Southern California.

Jackson died on June 25, aged 50, of heart failure.

Jackson memorial in quotes

A selection of quotes from a memorial service for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles.

PASTOR LUCIOUS SMITH

To millions around the world Michael Jackson was an idol, a hero, even a king. But first and foremost this man before us today was our brother, our son, our father and our friend. Michael Jackson was, and always shall be, a beloved part of the Jackson family and the family of man.

DIANA ROSS

I'm trying to find closure, I want you to know that even though I am not there at the Staples Center I am there in my heart. I've decided to pause and be silent. This feels right for me. Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life in a way that I can't seem to find words to express.

BASKETBALL STAR MAGIC JOHNSON

I want to thank Michael for opening up so many doors for African Americans to be on daytime shows, late night shows. He allowed Kobe [Bryant] and I to have our jerseys in people's homes across the world because he was already there.

QUEEN LATIFAH

I'm here representing millions of fans around the world who grew up listening to Michael, being inspired and loving Michael from a distance. Somehow when Michael Jackson sang and when he danced... we felt he was right there. He made you believe in yourself.

REV AL SHARPTON

It was Michael Jackson that made us sing "We are the world" and feed the hungry long before Live Aid.

Jackson's world fans mourn idol

LONDON, July 8: Fans in Asia stayed up into the wee hours, bars across Europe held Michael Jackson theme nights and television stations from Sydney to Paris cleared their schedules Tuesday to broadcast the King of Pop's star-studded memorial service live from Los Angeles.

Fans mourned — and celebrated the singer's life — like the thousands attending the U.S. event, where entertainers including Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie were paying tribute to the star, who died June 25. Also performing was 12-year-old Welsh schoolboy Shaheen Jafargholi, who wowed TV audiences earlier this year with the Jackson 5 song "Who's Loving You" on "Britain's Got Talent"

In London, dozens of fans sheltered under umbrellas against the rain as they watched the event on a big screen outside the 02 Arena, where Jackson was to have performed 50 comeback shows starting next week. Many more stayed dry at home after the BBC announced it would cancel scheduled programming and show the ceremony live.

"His whole life was a global broadcast in a way, so I suppose it's fitting that his death also is," said barista Robert Anderson, 26, in London.

Fans gathered at Berlin's O2 World arena and at a bar just off Paris' Champs-Elysees, where about 20 people, many dressed in black, Jackson-style hats or white gloves, watched the ceremony.

"I didn't want to experience this moment alone," said Marie-Anne Le Saux, 25, an insurance company employee who helped organize the ceremony.

About 50 fans lit candles and laid flowers in the main square of Stockholm, Sweden, as Jackson hits "Billie Jean" and "Earth Song" poured out of a small stereo.

Hannah Ralme, 14, from Stockholm, said she had been heartbroken by Jackson's death. "It's like a piece of me died," she said. "The music, the way he danced, the way he expressed it showed me how to live my life — to be childlike and think about other people."

At a Pan-African culture festival in Algiers, Algeria, hundreds of singers and dancers from across the continent performed The Jackson 5's "Blame it on the Boogie" as a tribute.

Several hundred Jackson fans gathered at a Hong Kong mall late Tuesday to remember their idol. Holding white candles, Hong Kong singer William Chan and Taiwanese pop star Judy Chou led the audience in observing a 30-second silence. Many fans clutched red roses and wore black; some donned Jackson's trademark fedora hats. They screamed when a big screen showed videos of the late singer's performances.

Chan performed one of his own songs, "Taxi" — but incorporated Jacksonesque dance moves such as grabbing his crotch, kicking his right leg loose and standing on the tips of his shoes.

In Japan, home to some of Jackson's most passionate fans, about 100 people gathered at a Tower Records store in downtown Tokyo to watch his videos on a big screen hours before the Los Angeles memorial. The store, which Jackson visited twice, displayed his hand print in a cement block and large posters celebrating his performances. Several shelves dedicated to the pop star were stacked with his CDs and DVDs.

"I love him," said Namiko Hayakawa, a 31-year-old housewife, one of the first to grab a seat. "He is one of the greatest and most original solo performers. He also has a message about peace. He is such a big star, but he has a message for every little person."

In the Philippines, noontime television variety show "Eat Bulaga" said it would hold a Jackson dance contest Wednesday in honor of the pop icon.

For some, the relentless media coverage of Jackson since his death was too much.

"In Ireland we like a good funeral, so we'll be tuning in. There's no good sports match on tonight anyway," said barman Peadar O Docherty, 24, in the Stag's Head pub in central Dublin.

But, he added, "a lot of the adulation is completely over the top."

End of a thriller (1958-2009)

Jackson feared being killed before comeback concerts

LONDON, June 28: Pop star Michael Jackson was reportedly worried with his mounting debts and was terrified of his comeback concerts. He once stated, "if I don't tour they'll kill me."

The 'King of Pop' was scared of performing at his 50-date concert series, titled 'This Is It' amid perennial health concerns, The Sun online reported.

The report claimed that singer's mental health crumbled in the days before he died. His drug dependency was out of control, as the singer once dubbed 'The Greatest Showman on Earth' started experiencing stage fright.

Although promoters of the shows at the O2, in Greenwich, South-East London, said Jackson had passed a rigorous four-and-half-hour medical test before signing the deal in March, the singer was dogged with bad health reports including skin cancer.

"There were serious concerns for his mental health near the end, so much so that he was seeing a psychiatrist. He said he was being pushed into a corner and had an irrational fear that he would die or be killed if he didn't perform in London. He kept saying that he had to do the concerts because he owed too much money," a source close to the star told the newspaper.

"His body was starting to shut down as he became more and more dependent on drugs. His friends say he signed his death warrant when he put pen to paper for the O2 shows. He wasn't up to it physically or mentally," the source added.

Lisa Marie Presley says MJ feared dying young like her father

LOS ANGELES, June 28: The former wife of Michael Jackson, Lisa Marie Presley, said the pop star feared that he would die young like her legendary father, Elvis Presley.

Lisa, the only child of 'King of Rock N Roll', Elvis Presley, married Jackson in 1994 but their marriage did not last long and they divorced in 1996.

The singer said the pop star had once told her about his fear of dying a sudden death like her legendary father Elvis Presley, who died at the age of 42 of an overdose of prescribed drugs.

"Years ago Michael and I were having a deep conversation about life in general," Ms. Presley wrote on her MySpace blog, titled "He Knew".

"I can't recall the exact subject matter but he may have been questioning me about the circumstances of my father's death," Ms. Presley wrote.

"At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty, 'I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did," she added.

Jackson in his four decade long career as the 'King of Pop' often evoked comparisons to Elvis and amid reports that prescribed drugs may have contributed to his sudden death on Thursday, the pop star's death has triggered comparison to Elvis's death in 1977.

Their two-year-long marriage has always been at the centre of media speculation but the singer hit out at the rumours in her blog.

"I am going to say now what I have never said before because I want the truth out there for once. Our relationship was not 'a sham' as is being reported in the press," Ms. Presley said critising reports that that her marriage to Jackson was a stunt.

"It was an unusual relationship yes, where two unusual people who did not live or know a normal life found a connection, perhaps with some suspect timing on his part.Nonetheless, I do believe he loved me as much as he could love anyone and I loved him very much," Ms. Presley wrote.

"I wanted to save him from the inevitable which is what has just happened," she added.

How to improve your social skills?

By Dr Agyajit Singh

BOSTON: Hardeep (name changed) was a very studious student when I was working as a school teacher at Chandigarh. He was introvert, shy but snobbish in nature. He used to stand first in his class. He completed degree in mechanical engineering and joined an organization as an engineer.

One of his classmates, Sandeep (named changed) was an average student in studies but extrovert, smart and jovial in nature. He did civil engineering but could not find a suitable job. He joined M.B.A. where he sharpened his social skills. After completing his management studies, he was able to find a job as personnel manager in the same organization.

After few years, by the dent of hard work and social qualities, he was made CEO and later on promoted as vice-president of the company where Hardeep was also working. He did not relish being his subordinate as he was quite superior to him in academic matters in the school. He felt frustrated and left the job and joined some other organization as an engineer.

Due to the social skills the later student rose to a good position. Social skills matter a lot to be successful in life and to be effective in one’s professional life.

Social skills are the most important attribute of human personality. Developing the charismatic personality of a human being is one of the main objectives of modern education. Personality is not which appears only overtly but it also involves the inner beauty of a person. What the covert qualities a person possesses cover the basic dimensions of one’s personality.

A well-integrated personality means that a man is physically fit, mentally alert, emotionally matured and socially adjusted. In fact social adjustment is the main prerequisite of one’s personality. Social adjustment depends how a person has developed his social skills.

Social skill is the ability to respond to a given environment in a manner that produces, maintains and enhances positive interpersonal relationships. Social skill is a part of man’s total social competency, which is the overall social functioning. It includes a composite or a multitude of generalized social skills. Social competency can be improved by teaching social behavior or social skills. It is also related with the process of socialization.

Social skills are a group of skills that human beings use to interact and communicate with others. Communication is one of the components of social skills.

Communication may be verbal or nonverbal. Verbal communication includes talk or conversation with others, cracking and sharing jokes with others, sharing views and discussing ideas which may be related to politics, current events, religion, fashion, music, technology, sports or movies etc.

These are the common topics, which are discussed among friends while conversing with others. How much exertive and impactive you are in convincing others to your view points shows your smartness, ingenuity, knowledge, way of expression and also the technique of presenting your ideas to others.

The verbal talk should be in a sequence and in smoothness of delivery i.e. it should avoid stuttering or giving any awkward pauses. Your speech should be audible and comprehensive i.e. neither too loud or harsh or too soft or slow. Your speech should help in getting ideas across i.e. words are designed to grab the attention of the listener.

The non-verbal communication includes how patient listener you are and secondly how your body language works. What are your actions, reactions and responses to others in your movements, gestures, facial expression etc?

Moreover how much confidant you are in your stance i.e. standing up straight, putting your eyes into the eyes of others while conversing. It will enhance your confidence. Your body language should also be attuning to your verbal message.

Good communication helps a person to develop self-expression in speech, which should be fluent, flawless and rhythmic. Self-expression will definitely increase the self-confidence, which will enhance your self-image, self-concept, self-prestige and self-esteem. Hence communication is one aspect of social skills.

The following guidelines are suggested which will help you in increasing and improving your social skills.

-Have a positive attitude towards others. Positive attitude will lead to positive thinking and positive action.

-Be optimistic in life. Never think of the adversities likely to occur.

-Have a pro-social behavior. Develop the feeling of altruism and imbibe a helping attitude to others.

- Consider the good and positive qualities of others and ignore their negative points..

-Express empathy in thoughts by giving accurate picture of the situation.

- Give kind and sympathetic hearing to show that you understand the whole matter.

-Work with smile and show your smiling and pleasing face to others while greeting.

- Show good mannerism while interacting with others.

-Be broad-minded and ignore the trivial matters

-Make peace with the past. Forget the unpleasantness of the past, face the present with reality and think about the future rationally..

-Adopt the policy of forget and forgive.

-Be very objective and don’t criticize others for nothing.

- Don’t give disparaging remarks even if you don’t agree on some arguments.

-Ask for help when you need it

-Participate in the discussion when it is being held in a group of your peer mates.

-Encourage others when it is required and praise others when it is needed.

-Give feedback to your friend when he is wrong and convince him without any rancor.

-Say kind words in the conversation.

-Accept the differences and listen to them patiently.

-Try to resolve conflicts amicably when they occur.

These social skills are very useful in transforming one’s life. They can bring incredible effectiveness in your professional life. They can add new meaning and purpose to your life. They act as motivational tools and energize you to work more and more at your work place. You can win over friends with your pleasant demeanor and lead a happy, harmonious and prosperous social life.

Dr.Agyajit Singh, is former Head of the Department Of Psychology, Punjabi University, Patiala in Punjab (India)

How Smart Are You?

By Dr Agyajit Singh

BOSTON: Everybody wants to look smart covertly and overtly. But how much a person appears smart may be judged from other people perspectives. To be smart is the inner desire of everybody, as it enhances the self-image, self-prestige, self-concept as well as self-esteem.

It is a part of one’s personality. By wearing ornamental and costly clothes does not mean that an individual has become smart. Smartness includes that a person is active, has good mannerism, objective outlook towards life, takes initiative in every walk of life and leads a healthy life style.

He deals with other people in an affectionate and loveable way and he can impress others with his conversation, verbal and non-verbal i.e. with his gestures, manners, movements and gait etc. He may also interact with others nicely, so that others may say that he possess a magnetic and charming personality.

A charming and attractive personality is when a person possesses a well-integrated personality, which means that he is physically fit, mentally alert, emotionally balanced and socially adjusted. It is quite obvious that a well-adjusted person possesses a good personality. Social adjustment depends upon how much a person is emotionally matured and balanced. An emotionally matured person may, quite possibly, be mentally alert and a mentally alert person has good physique and may be physical fit.

Smartness includes both intra-active and interactive relationships. The intra-active relation means a person’s relation with his own self so that he may harmonize with his desires, motives needs and thinking according to his immediate environment.

By intra-personal relation is meant for understanding of self, access to one’s own feelings, emotions as well as understanding of one’s own cognitive strengths, styles and mental functioning. It consists of self-expression, language, music and other forms of expression. Such a person has the tendency for tension reduction, conflict resolution and stress management as early as possible.

By interactive relationship means a person’s relation with other persons in his environment i.e. his parents, family members, friends, peer mates, class fellows, colleagues as well as co-workers. These relations should be harmonious, cordial and desirable. Such a person is said to have high social intelligence.

Social intelligence is a part of one’s personality.

Intelligence is an overall ability-a general mental ability that is complex in character and underlying a great many different functions e.g. (i) the ability to make adjustment or adaptation of the individual to his total environment (ii) the individual’s ability to learn or benefit from experiences and (iii) the ability to carry on abstract thinking. According to this concept; intelligence is of three types (i) abstract,(ii) concrete and (iii) social.

Abstract intelligence is the ability to understand and deal with verbal and mathematical symbols. It consists the ability to solve problems presented in form of symbols, words, numbers, formulae and diagrams etc. Concrete intelligence is the ability to understand and deal with things; as in skilled trades and scientific appliances.

Social intelligence is the ability to understand and deal with persons. It is the ability to adapt or adjust with people. It is the capacity to behave effectively in social situations. The diplomats, salesmen, the ministers, politicians, teachers, psychotherapists and religious leaders must have this type of intelligence.

The socially intelligent person has the knack of getting along well with people, as he is an extraverted man. The extraverted individuals are outgoing, impulsive, uninhibited, involved in-group activities, sociable, friendly, craving for excitement and having many social contacts.

According to a well known psychologist Thorndike of early 20th century who gave the concept of intelligence referred social intelligence to the person’s ability to understand and manage other people and to engage in adaptive social interactions or it can be said that social intelligence refers to the individual’s fund of knowledge about the social world.

He also says that “By social intelligence is meant the ability to understand and manage men and women, boys and girls-act wisely in human relations.” Another psychologist, Wechsler says that it assesses the individual’s ability to comprehend social situations because, according to him, social intelligence is just a general intelligence applied to social situations.

To conclude it may be stated that to look smart or appear smart to others, one must have high social intelligence. Social intelligence can be enhanced through learning, training and education.

A child must be exposed to a good and congenial environment where he may grow, prosper and blossom, where he is able to express himself liberally, think freely and make decisions independently to solve his daily or day-to-day problems amicably. He should be given full freedom with some guided control by elders to work and learn to encounter difficulties in his early life.

For understanding social intelligence how to be smart, an individual should consider the following dimensions:

-Understands people’ thoughts, feelings and intensions well and also accepts others for what they are

-Is good at dealing with people and is sensitive to other people’ needs and desires

-Has extensive knowledge of rules and norms in human relations

-Is good at taking the perspectives of other people

-Adapts well in social situations

-Is open to new experiences, ideas and values as well as displays interest in the world at large

-Thinks before speaking and doing

-Makes fair judgment about others

-Is frank and honest with self and others

-Displays interest in the immediate environment.

Every individual can become smart in his life by increasing his social intelligence.

(Dr. Agya Jit Singh is Retired Head of the Department of Psychology, Punjabi University, Patiala)