CELEBRATING DIVERSITY

Diversity is a concept which encompasses acceptance and respect. It is a concept which explains that each individual is unique, and recognizes their individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age or any other ideologies. Diversity is also the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embrace and celebrate the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual. Diversity may refer to business, dance, politics, index, jurisdiction, scheme, training or any other field. 

Significant technological changes (such as printing press, electricity, the telephone, television, and computers) have increased the mobility of the people all over the planet during past hundred years. The invention of steam driven trains, the automobiles and inexpensive air tickets also contributed significant changes. The spread of democratic government, efflorescence of the middle class, Urbanization, Einstein’s theory of Relativity, change in the role played by women, the relaxation of many of the world’s geographic boundaries and the examples of what has been happening at the very rapid pace all over the world. This benchmark has been achieved because we have learnt to celebrate the diversity across us.

In fact the world seems to be getting smaller every day. Public and private institutions, metropolitan areas, even entire country seems less and less homogeneous. Most countries, in fact, have become transformed from one cultural society into ethnically, religiously or linguistically pluralistic. Our newly possible contact with many cultures or people is seen, more and more is enriching. The operation of Indian youth becoming global icons seems to exemplify the heterogeneity of today’s world. By the end of the nineteenth century, we have started to celebrate diversity and it has become a legitimate part of our social policy.

When we learn how to celebrate diversity, we learn to establish a partnership to develop talent amongst youth and utilize it for the betterment of humanity and nature. Celebrating diversity enables the beauty to enthrall, tradition to speak, culture to echo and diversity itself to delight. It sets a stage for improvisational skills and the latent talent housed in today’s youth. It makes a distinctive allusion to the fact that the only thing constant in this world is ‘change’.

The celebration of diversity makes a riot of colors and a sea of smiles which creates its own mark and leaves the other people flabbergasted and spell bound. It makes chromatic expression of pure energy, laudable talent and extreme exuberance. It makes an attempt to augment the vigor with several kinds of exhilarating features. It also makes an attempt to rediscover the essence of and a way to creatively create the uncreated. The celebration of diversity in the field of work place or in life enables an individual to fly freely and independently in air. 

Today in this era of enlightenment, the celebration of diversity has reached its own benchmark but is still aspiring for more. This has already created some places on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home. Celebration of diversity will always provide a vision of the natural and real way of life. Diversity in every form (May it be cultural, political or anything else) has constantly been celebrated by individuals which had helped them in developing their power of knowledge, caliber and perseverance. That has inspired the youth to be the change that they want to see.

GIRLS IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Blessed are we who found a chance to become mechanical engineer, let us not ask for any other blessings. 

Engineering does not discriminate against women, it actually welcomes them. It is just that most girls don't opt for mechanical engineering, which is why you don't hear of a ton of them. In mechanical engineering, as long as you work hard, and are creative, no one cares what gender you are. Earlier Mechanical engineering was treated as a man's forte as it required lot of physical effort but not anymore. These days with the advent of modern tools and technologies people can’t discriminate on gender, in fact you may be good in designing stuff which is treated as the most important wing of mechanical engineering.
Today in the age of enlightenment, when the world is not gender biased, we still have very few girls in the Mechanical Engineering. This act has been severely taken up by ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineering). ASME has thus signed up an agreement with Girls Scouts of The United States of America with an aim to increase interest in Mechanical Engineering among girls between the age group of 7–17 years.

When we look at some facts and figures, it shows that girls form only 5 to 10% of the total population of Mechanical Engineers around the globe. But it would be unfair on girl’s part if we don’t appreciate their efforts because these are the girls who all have taken a brave decision to deal their life in somewhat a different way than others of their breed. The female Mechanical Engineer’s are the ones who have a firm willingness and determination to dominate the men in the men’s world.
Female Education is something that our country need to still promote and at a much larger scale. And if we promote it by transforming them into mechanical engineers then it will be we who will enjoy the cake with the red cherry on the top. Girls are those creatures of god who all have much more in their bags than just drafters, dreams and documents. They are the ones who have the potential to bring about the change that we want to see.

CHANGE IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM…

If you want to plan for a year, plant rice,

If you want to plan for ten years, plant a tree.

If you want to plan for ten years, change the education system of your country.

The 20th century has been a period of educational revolution. Momentous changes have take place, whereas change in education system in India is knocking at the doors in the 21st century. With the globalization of the Indian market and the erasing of socio-cultural barriers, India is becoming a global village. Moreover, the neo policies of liberalization and privatization of Government of India have given birth to diversified sectors of education system in India.

Since the beginning of time, there has been some form of education occurring. In the early 1700’s in India, when a father taught his son how to build fire using two objects or a mother taught her daughter how to prepare meal over an open pit fire, those were some stereotypic examples of very basic form of education. As the time has progressed, we have created a much more complex education system which involves multiplicity of professionals working with a variety of perplexing learners. Within that context, we find conventions that have existed for more than one hundred years, example – use of desks, one teacher per class, grades, blackboards or whiteboards. Also the basic concept of curriculum has been central to the teaching or learning process and in many ways remains unchanged even with the advent of such tools as the computer and internet.

So when we think of changing educational reforms in the present scenario, we are reminded of the convictions that have remains unaltered. Does the expression,” The more we change, the more we stay the same” apply to the situation? Arta Costa stated,” It seems like in education we go through a reform once in about ten years.” But have such educational reforms meant change in the education system of the country? Not necessarily.

The present education system in India is in flux and full of contradictions. While there are world class institutions of higher education like IIT’s and IIM’s, most other are nothing but degree awarding institutions. In the name of educational equality we have huge educational conglomerates opposite huge slums. The ‘Sarva Siksha Abhiyan’ is good in theory but bad in practice. It is like yet one more government sponsored projects whose progress is measured by the money spent rather than target achieved. The secondary and primary education system is in a real bad shape.

Lot has been talked about value education during the last twenty years. Many expert group meets were held, reports were published and guidelines were issued, but the situation still remains the same as it was in 1947. The changing education reforms has though issued various policies but has failed to develop the personality of our youth to take responsibility as a good citizen, apart from being a good scholar, scientist, engineer, manager, etc. The revolution that has been made in the educational system nowhere talks about the moral education, although we know that moral education is a must for children. Though our Ministry of HRD has taken some steps to reform the education system in the country, but still the real development of our nation is unnoticeable.

Education is a state subject and it is good that it is so, but our dream is 100% literate India. We cannot afford to stop at near 100% literacy. We should upgrade our standard of what constitutes a common man. Let us aim at educating each and every Indian, not only making him literate i.e. pseudo-educated but also he should be able to read, write and understand the environment he has to work for.

She...

Even after closing my eyes, her thoughts and her character has kept remerging and benefiting me in some or the other way in my life. On the corresponding item, it’s my characters that sometimes make her smile and my thoughts make her both personally and professionally more competent. It was on a very special occasion, when I met this little brat. Since then our friendship grew through leaps and bounds. It’s really hard to figure out the way in which we have become so good buddies.

She is one who never uses examination jockeys. She is one who believes that self respect comes from self-reliance. Neither is she Shakespeare’s daughter nor does she dreams of a Nobel Prize for literature but there is something in her which makes her voice and her behavior as sweet as a newly born baby. There is something in this little monster which makes her completely different from others. There is something diverse in her which flows out from her mouth, her kalam and her keyboard and that’s her sweet character which speaks out very politely and humbly.

She is one who always tastes the rain of emotions. It’s always interesting to see what her cerebrum can create. She loves hanging out and has taught me more than infinity ways to chill out. She is one of those Gen-Y people who can pulsate on pop numbers and at same time can be seen feeling for the life forms. If by god’s grace and by the blessing of my elders, I enable myself to become a worthy component of future, then I would certainly tribute and owe my success to her timely helps and the warmth of her friendship. As long as her friendship is around me, I firmly believe that I would not succumb. As far as the power of my brain is concerned, I suppose that she is one who is full of cultural confidence, simplicity and unfussiness. She is adept in the art of living and this gives the evidence of her respectable family background.

She is one of those creations of god who arrays from being a generous doer, a sympathetic lady at heart, an un-understandable creature to a pure and pious soul.  She is one who by her knowledge, character and her conduct in life has left an everlasting impression on my mind. ‘Thinking’ is the job without which she cannot live to tell the tale. This pleasant child is crazy about knowledge, food, games, cell phones and gossiping.  Her pleasing symmetry reveals the hard-nosed competitiveness in her. Her each word and work said and done will be cherished by me forever.

But still the question remains unanswered. Who is she? If you can guess then do let me know.

Who is a Leader..???

A leader is one who knows the way, who shows the way and who goes the way. Warren Bennis, a Ph. D has rightly said,” Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing.” A leader is one who not only do the things right but also takes the responsibility of making others do right things. He is the one who leads the team and ensures that he develops a leader in each individual of his team and makes that individual the son of the soil.

Leadership can be thought of as a capacity to define oneself to others in a way that clarifies and expands a vision of the future. A leader should be one who should make people say about him,” I am a sepoy and will follow the guidance of my leader.” He should be one who must not bring himself to the situation,” I wasted time and now time doth wasted me.” The most important quality expected in a leader should be that his actions must inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. He should not be one who inspires people to believe in him rather he should be one who inspires people to believe in themselves. It’s easy to name some good leaders but it’s difficult to fathom the sacrifice of great leaders. Leadership is the challenge to do something more than average.
  

There's nothing more demoralizing than a leader who cannot clearly articulate why we are doing what we are doing? It’s the responsibility of leaders to speak the truth and expose the lies. A leader takes the people where they don’t want to go but they ought to be. And today our motherland lacks some great leaders. We don’t have those leaders who can take our nation to heights. We don’t have those leaders who can protect the glory of our country. Today the country has been shackled by the evil doings of some of the tainted leaders who are bickering. Yet till today the pathetic and panic stricken facet of Indian cannot be ignored. The oppressed section is still in deep slumber, for they are still instigated by the wrong doers. We have shown our amity when our country has faced natural disasters like tsunami, earthquake, etc. It’s time for us to join our hands and come together to eradicate these leaders from our country who all have destroyed the environment of the country. Let us pledge together that we will provide some good leaders to our homeland and make this country a harmonious place to live….Jai Hind..!!!

आतंकवाद

इतना कला स्याय धुआं कीस्ने उड़ाया है ?
बाबा बता न, मेरा नन्हा सा बसेरा कीस्ने जलाया है?

मेरा साथी भी पता नहीं कीधर खो गया है,

बाबा बता न मेरा भईया भी चुप चाप क्यों सो गया है?

बेटी, नहीं बोलेगा आज वोह अपनी बोली,

कैसे बताऊ तुझे की उसे लगी है आतंकवाद की गोली |

रोज़ तेरे कीतने ही साथी इस तरह खो जाते है,

बेटी, रोज़ तेरे कीतने ही भाई इस तरह सो जाते है |

कीतनी ही बहनों की राखियाँ इस तरह रोती है,

कितनी ही सुहागनों की मांगे रोज़ सुनी हो जाती है |

क्यों नहीं आता जरा भी कीसी को ख्याल,

रोज़ सो जाते है कीतनी ही माओं के लाल |

ए भारत की धरती ! कीतने ही शहीदों ने,

तुझे अपना खून पीला कर आज़ाद करवाया था |

आज तुने यह अपना कैसा रूप दीखाया है?

उसी समय तू कह देती मैं और प्यासी हूँ |

तुझे अपना लहू हम और पीला देते,

जहा इतने शहीद हुए थे वह कुछ और हो जाते |

क्या यह भारत की कल की तस्वीर है?

क्या यह आने वाले कल की तकदीर है?

आओ जागे, हम एक कर दे एडी और चोटी,

थाम ले बापू की लाठी और पहन ले फीर से लंगोटी |

जीसे पहनकर बापू ने अंग्रेजो को भगाया था,

जीस लाठी के  जोर से भारत को आज़ाद करवाया था | |

My India My Dream

“Baharein jaha aa k deti thi sadaein,
Haseen pankhudion ki who mausam adaein.
Jiske seene main the ILM ka khajana,
Sone ki chidiya jise kehta tha jamana..!!”

15^th August or 26^th January has become just an official holiday in the calendar of our nation. These two days inspires us to patriotic fervor that other few days in the year are able to generate. This is the day when every ‘galli, nukkad and mohalla’ chimes to ‘Bharat Mata’, children dressed in saffron, white and green, with paper flags held firmly in hand walk to their school functions, the revered ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is sung. Bhagat Singh and Gandhiji feature on TV screens and newspapers are full of tricolor ink. How else one could celebrate these special days, right? Sixty two years have gone by and India’s Independence story is still a fascinating tale. We are proud of the way we fought for freedom. The constitution makers deemed India a democracy and a secular socialist republic which we are proud to be even today. Or are we?

Look into the streets and you will see parallels that one cannot even comprehend. In the name of constitution equality, we have huge malls opposite huge slums. We have some women walking with huge heels, displaying branded shopping bags and Revlon lipstick while others cannot even afford clothing and they stare at huge AC buildings. India’s stead fast progress in the fields of science and technology has led to industrialization and capital formation yet the pathetic and panic stricken facet of India cannot be ignored. They say,” A good cover doesn’t really ensure a good book”. The truth is we have made a grand cover for our nation but we couldn’t design the content of the book.

Years back when we decided we are free, we chose a democratic system because it had the power to bring about change. Change we surely have brought about, but it has been one, concentrated in small pockets. It’s true that we seldom accept, but we are still a nation of people who don’t know where we are heading. Our problems are ever lasting and each Indian has learnt to put up with it. We don’t mind skipping a signal, paying Rs 100 bribe, jumping queues in the hostel mess; we don’t mind being sophisticated in another country and being careless and insensitive in our own. Neither we mind in just denying a junior child to issue her the book just because a senior student has told to keep the book reserve for him in the library (doesn’t matter this bloody senior turns backs or not). The same Indian, who will never dream of dropping a piece of paper on the streets of London, does not think twice before lowering the window of his Tata Indica and spitting on Gandhi Setu. 

A part of the problem is the people we elected to the parliament. For long the typical Indian Politicians has been above 60 years of age – and is usually a ‘paan’ munching, ‘dhoti ‘wearing man, with no idea whatsoever of his responsibilities except to do his bit for securing the future of his generation. A look at their educational qualification and you figure out why we don’t promote education at all. Why should we, when we choose almost illiterate idiots as leaders. Why then we should educate our kids when we don’t mind electing a man with no inclination whatsoever to bring about a change.

We are the fools that we elect a winner out of a dog race who is supposed to plan for next five years. Don’t they have the vision to look beyond the basics? May be Independence Day and Republic day should be about more than buying paper flags and watching movies with the fairer sex. Can we, as citizens of free India, do a little more? Why settle for whatever we are given? Why not resolve to make this country a harmonious place to live? Why don’t WE be the change that we want to see?