My holiday tour to Leh

The security check at Delhi for the morning flight from Delhi to Leh by Jet Airways was a little bit more serious . The flight took off exactly at scheduled time. The sight of Himalayas aboard the plane was breath taking with snow clad mountains and with barren lands at some places. It was told that Leh is cut off from the main land for a period of six months in a year because of heavy snow.
The snow is cleared only just before the month of may. Even the travel by flight from Delhi to Leh was fantastic and the pilot was good enough to show the beautiful wild nature below by bringing the flight to a lower altitude. At one stage we saw the mountains before the flight and we were afraid that unless the altitude is increased the flight may go and hit the mountains. But the pilot increased the altitude at the right time and we were all above the mountains Even the4 landing of flight at Leh was a pleasant one. The airport hidden among tall mountains all around the and the barren lands without much plantation was really something new to look at. Though it was small airport it still took some time to come out after the4 claiming the baggage. After coming out the agents of the travel agency welcomed us by holding the placards wearing our names. A separate vehicle was arranged for us for transportation to Hotel Bijoo. Thought it is a small town, the roads are congested enough making it a little difficult even for two vehicle4s coming in opposite directions. It is very much necessary at Ladakh to get yourself acclimatized and so the first day of stay in Leh should b spent in the hotel just relaxing and doing nothing. If you feel normal or better by noon you may venture out to the market place. It was told that in Sept 2008,

Trip to Leh

Trip to Leh

These are the photos taken in Ladakh region:

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Leave letters that are funny

This is a collection of leave letters and applications written by people in various places of India ...


1. An employee applied for leave as follows:
Since I have to go to my village to sell my land along with my wife, please sanction me one-week leave.

2.From an employee who was performing the "mundan" ceremony of his 10 year old son: "as I want to shave my son's head, please leave me for two days.."

3. Leave-letter from an employee who was performing his daughter's wedding: "as I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week's leave.."

4. "As my mother-in-law has expired and I am only one responsible for it, please grant me 10 days leave."

5. Another employee applied for half day leave as follows: "Since I've to go to the cremation ground at 10 o-clock and I may not return, please grant me half day casual leave"

6. An incident of a leave letter: "I am suffering from fever, please declare one day holiday."

7. A leave letter to the headmaster: "As I am studying in this school I am suffering from headache. I request you to leave me today"

8. Another leave letter written to the headmaster: "As my headache is paining, please grant me leave for the day."

9. Covering note: "I am enclosed herewith..."

10. Another one: "Dear Sir: with reference to the above, please refer to my below..."

11. Actual letter written for application of leave: "My wife is suffering from sickness and as I am her only husband at home I may be granted leave".

12. Letter writing: "I am in well here and hope you are also in the same well."

13. A candidate's job application: "This has reference to your advertisement calling for a ' Typist and an Accountant - Male or Female'...As I am both (!!) for the past several years and I can handle both with good experience, I am applying for the post.

The importance of tradition and transformation

The importance of tradition and transformation

Tradition means an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom); a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable. Transformation means an act, process, or instance of transforming or being transformed which in turn means to change in composition or structure or to change the outward form or appearance or to change in character or condition.

In today’s world, it is the right time to talk about the importance of tradition and transformation which have a perennial impact on human life. The recent fallout of globalization which saw America had an impact of total transformation where the economy had gone bust and the world renowned banks and financial institutions fell like a pack of cards. Strangely India did not undergo this unwanted transformation only because of the great visionaries sitting in the central bank of the country that is the Reserve Bank of India. This is only because India has followed the golden median of tradition and transformation.

Going by these words, we can find an Indian techie well versed in all the latest languages of the computers having the picture of a god and a goddess as a screensaver on his desktop. But at the same time, we also can see a poor fisherman or a laborer using the mobile phone for the sake of communication. This is a beautiful example of tradition and transformation in India. Indian agriculture over a period of time has followed only a tradition and did not undergo transformation. The reason for this can be discussed at a different forum. But it is true to say that Indian agriculture is undergoing the doldrums only because it did not undergo the transformation needed for its development. Hence we can see still the bullock carts in the villages which have been the backbone of Indian agriculture some hundred years ago. The leaders of the country did not see a vision in development of agriculture and if the same thing continues it may not be a surprise that India may have to import food grains from foreign countries for feeding its huge population. It is for sure if the latest agricultural techniques are implemented in the field of agriculture, we can have another green revolution having its impact for the next hundred years. This is a great example of the importance of the median between the tradition and transformation.

It is said that India lives in its villages. But, the policy makers sitting in the power corridors without understanding the importance of agriculture in Indian economy have of late gone for SEZ (special economic zones) for converting the agricultural lands for establishing industries, the future of which is not definite which has been a cause for social skirmishes and thereby causing unwanted social disturbances. A livid example for this is Nandigram in west Bengal. If there are more Nandigrams like this there will be more skirmishes in the rural areas permanently spoiling the required peace and tranquility in the rural areas.

Even in personal life if somebody follows the tradition and undertakes the transformation that is required for development, he can never be a failure. In Indian tradition, gold is supposed to be the best investment and today you can see even the best financial consultant suggesting you to invest in gold or gold bonds or any other instrument that is laced with gold. The economy may go bust, the stock market may turn bearish, the bubble of sub prime lending may burst, but, the tradition of investing in gold will never make you loose.

More than 70% of India’s population lives in its 6 lakh villages.

चैक ट्रंकेशन

चैक ट्रंकेशन

हम सब जानते हैं कि समय के साथ साथ बैंकिं्रग का स्वरूप भी बदलता जा रहा है। उदारीकरण तथा भूमंडलीकरण ने बैंकिंग के प्रक्रियागत स्वरूप व बैंकिंग संकल्पना को एक नया मोड प्रदान किया और नित्य परिवर्तनशील सूचना व प्रौद्योगिकी ने तो बैंकिंग की मूल अवधारणा, उसकी परंपरागत सोच और उसकी क्रियाविधि में क्रांतिकारी परिवर्तन लाया है।

इसी संदर्भ में चैक ट्रंकेशन प्रणाली बैंकिंग का एक अद्यतन विषय है। निकट भविष्य में भारतीय बैंकिंग उ़द्य़ोग में समाशोधन के संबंध में चैक ट्रंकेशन प्रणाली का बहुत अधिक महत्व होनेवाला है। बैंकिंग के इस नए आयाम के बारे में आम तौर पर यही कहा जा सकता है कि इस प्रणाली का मुख्य उद्देश्य चैक के आहरणकर्ता द्वारा जारी किया गया भौतिक चैक आहरिती शाखा को भेज दिए जाने की प्रक्रिया को समाप्त करना है। इसके कारण चैक का समाशोधन एक ही दिन में संभव होगा। चैको के समाशोधन व निपटान के लिए बैंकों द्वारा कागजी चैक नहीं किंतु उनकी प्रतिकृति ;इमेजद्ध भेजी जाएगी।

चैक ट्रंकेशन एक ऐसी प्रक्रिया होती है, जिस में किसी बैंक में या बैंकों के बीच या बैंकों और समाशोधन गृह के बीच चैकों का भौतिक चलन कम किया जाता है या बंद किया जाता है तथा आगे के संसाधन और प्रसारण के लिए उन्हें उनकी विषयवस्तु को पूर्ण रूप से या आंशिक रूप से प्रतिस्थापित किया जाता है। अतः चैक ट्रंकेशन का मतलब यही है कि चैकों को उनके भुगतान के लिए एक बैंक से दूसरे बैंक में भौतिक रूप से भेजने के बदले अब सिर्फ उनकी प्रतिकृतियां संगत सूचना के साथ भेजी जाएंगी। इससे चैक संसाधन में अपेक्षित समय कम हो जाएगा, जब कि परंपरागत समाशोधन प्रणाली में इसके लिए 2 या 3 दिन लग जाते हैं। कुछ मामलों में तो स्थानीय चैको को छोड कर बाहरी चैको के लिए तो एक सप्ताह या उससे अधिक समय भी लगता है।

उदाहरण के लिए यदि इंडियन बैंक की मैलापूर शाखा में आप का एक बचत बैंक खांता है और आप को अपने दोस्त से केनरा बैंक का एक चैक प्राप्त हुआ है। अपने दोस्त द्वारा दिए गए चैक को आपने इंडियन बैंक की मैलापूर शाखा के अपने खाते में जमा किया है। इंडियन बैंक की मैलापूर शाखा अपनी तरफ से समाशोधन की प्रक्रिया में चैक का ट्रंकेशन करेगी। अपने दोस्त से प्राप्त केनरा बैंक का चैक इंडियन बैंक की मैलापूर शाखा में ही रहेगा। इंडियन बैंक की मैलापूर शाखा आप के चैक की प्रतिकृति लेगा और अपनी सेवा शाखा या समाशोधन गृह के जरिए अन्य संगत विवरण के साथ उसको भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक को भेजेगी। भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक केनरा बैंक से राशि वसूल करेगा और इंडियन बैंक को भेजेगा। अंत में चैक की राशि आपके खाते में जमा की जाएगी।

इससे बैंको के चल निधि समय में कमी तो जरूर होगी, लेकिन बैंको के लिए इससे बहुत फायदे होंगे। बैंको की चैक समाशोधन प्रणाली में काफी दक्षता हासिल की जाएगी व इस से संबंधित कार्य समय कम हो जाएगा। चैक ट्रंकेशन के कारण ग्राहक सेवा में वृद्धि होगी, चैकों की वसूली लागत में कमी होगी,, लेखा समाधान समस्या कम हो जाएगी तथा लाजिस्टिक्स की समस्या दूर होगी,। इस के कारण समाशोधन प्रणाली से संबंधित धोखेबाजी को भी कम किया जा सकता है। सेवा शाखा में या इन क्रियाकलापों को चलाने वाले स्टाफ की अपेक्षित संख्या कम हो जाएगी। इस प्रक्रिया में आटोमेशन या स्वचालन के कारण बैंक के लिए परिचालन लागत भी कम होगी।

भारत में चैक ट्रंकेशन एक अनोखा प्रयोग होगा, क्यों कि यहां चैकों का परिमाण बहुत अधिक होता है। वार्षिक तौर पर देश में 1़ण्2 बिलियन लिखतांे का संसाधन होता है। भविष्य में बडी कंपनियां और सरकारी अभिकरण जो बडी संख्या में चैकों में लेनदेन करते हैं, अपने बैंकों से एक गठबंधन कर सकते हैं तथा भौतिक चैंकों को भजने के बजाए, वे संबंधित शाखा को स्कैन की गई प्रतिकृतियां भेज सकते हैं, जो उन्हें भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक को उनके निपटान के लिए अग्रेषित करेंगे।

इसके अलावा, एटीएमों में भी चैक ट्रंकेशन किया जा सकता है। ग्राहक मशीन में चैक रख कर उसकी प्रतिकृति भेज सकता है। चैक को समाशोधन व निपटान के लिए संबंधित सेवा शाखा को भेज दिया जाएगा और ग्राहक को इसकी रसीद प्राप्त होगी।

भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक ने राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र दिल्ली में पाइलट आधार पर इसे आरंभ किया है। उन्होंने चैक ट्रंकेशन प्रणाली की सफलता को देखते हुए देश के अन्य केन्द्रों में इसका विस्तार करने का निर्णय किया है। वर्तमान के राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र दिल्ली में 70 प्रतिशत चैकों का समाशोधन चैक ट्रंकेशन प्रणाली के जरिए किया जा रहा है। आगे चेन्नै में चैक ट्रंकेशन प्रणाली का कार्यान्वयन आरंभ होनेवाला है।

आशा है कि निकट भविष्य में भारत के सभी स्थानों में चैक ट्रंकेशन प्रणाली का कार्यान्वयन किया जाएगा तथा बैंक व बैंक ग्राहक इसका भरपूर लाभ उठाएंगे।

आज के किसान की स्थिति

आज के किसान की स्थिति

अभी भी हमारे अधिकतर किसान अपेक्षित सिंचाई सुविधा के अभाव में वर्षा पर आधारित रहते हैं। लेकिन इसका नतीजा ऐसा होता है कि वर्षा अधिक होती है तो फसल नष्ट होती है वर्षा कम होती है तो भी फसल कम होती है और वर्षा सामान्य रूप से होती है और फसल काफी मात्रा मे होती है तो भी उसकी स्थिति में कोई फर्क नही पडता क्योंकि बाजार में दर गिरने से उनको अपेक्षित लाभ नहीं होता। इसलिए किसान को हमेंशा कर्ज में ही रहना पडता है।

Check list for Travel

Check list

1. Ticket confirmation Both onward and return and noting the timimgs
2. Ticket copy – Check the ticket details like spelling of name
3. Identity card necessary for e-ticket
4. Identity card necessary for training etc
5. House key
6. Money required
7. Type of suitcase
8. Dresses Formal according to the no. of days of stay
9. Dresses casual including hand kerchiefs
10. Dresses inner clothes
11. Soap and other toiletry
12. Tooth Brush and Paste
13. Towels
14. Food packs for the journey onward and return
15. Water
16. Footwear – Formal and bathroom
17. Confirmation of route map and familiarity with the same
18. Arrangements for pickup at Railway station and drop
19. Material required for the trip like Study material, pen drive if it is for
training
20. Reaching the Railway station or bus stand at least by 30 minutes before
departure
21. Auto or Train and the timings thereof
22. Count the no of luggages being carried
23. Mobile phone and Charger

Tamil Nadu Government Holidays for the year 2011

Saturday the 1st of January New Year’s Day **
Saturday the 15th of January Tamil New Year's Day / Pongal **
Sunday the 16th of January Thiruvalluvar Day **
Monday the 17th of January Uzhavar Thirunal
Wednesday the 26th of January Republic Day
Wednesday the 16th of February Meelad-un-Nabi
Friday the 1st of April Annual Closing of Accounts for Commercial and Co-operative Banks *
Monday the 4th of April Telugu New Year’s Day
Thursday the 14th of April Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's Birthday
Saturday the 16th of April Mahaveer Jayanthi **
Friday the 22nd of April Good Friday
Sunday the 1st of May May Day **
Monday the 15th of August Independence Day
Sunday the 21st of August Krishna Jayanthi **
Wednesday the 31st of August Ramzan
Thursday the 1st of September Vinayakar Chathurthi
Friday the 30th of September Half yearly Closing of Accounts for Commercial and Co-operative Banks *
Sunday the 2nd of October Gandhi Jayanthi **
Wednesday the 5th of October Ayutha Pooja
Thursday the 6th of October Vijaya Dasami
Wednesday the 26th of October Deepavali
Monday the 7th of November Bakrid
Tuesday the 6th of December Muharram
Sunday the 25th of December Christmas **
** Though the New Year's Day (1st January 2011), Tamil New Year's Day and Pongal (15th January 2011), Thiruvalluvar Day (16th January 2011), Mahaveer Jayanthi (16th April 2011), May Day (1st May 2011), Krishna Jayanthi (21st August 2011), Gandhi Jayanthi (2nd October 2011) and Christmas (25th December 2011) fall on Saturdays and Sundays, they have been indicated in the above list for easy reference.
* Applicable only to Commercial Banks including Co-operative Banks in Tamil Nadu

Andhra Pradesh Government Holidays for the year 2011

Andhra Pradesh Government Holidays for the year 2011

1. Bhogi : 14.01.2011 (Friday)
2. Sankranti/Pongal: 15.01.2011 (Saturday)
3. Republic Day: 26.01.2011 (Wednesday)
4. Mild-Un-Nabi : 16.02.2011 (Wednesday)
5. Mahasivaratri: 02.03.2011 (Wednesday)
6. Holi: 19.03.2011(Saturday)
7. Ugadi: 04.04.2011 (Monday)
8. Babu Jagjivan Ram's Jayanthi : 05.04.2011 (Tuesday)
9. Srirama Navami : 12.04.2011 : (Tuesday)
10. Dr. BR Ambedkar's Jayanthi : 14.04.2010 (Thursday)
11. Good Friday: 22.04.2011 (Friday)
12. Independence Day: 15.08.2011 (Monday)
13. Sri Krishna Ashtami : 23.08.2011 (Tuesday)
14. Ramjan : 31.08.2011 (Wednesday)
15. Vinayaka Chavithi : 01.09.2011 (Thursday)
16. Durga Ashtami : 04.10.2011 (Tuesday)
17. Vijaya Dasami (Dasara) : 06.10.2011 (Thursday)
18. Diwali (Deepavali): 26.10.2011 (Wednesday)
19. Bakrid (Id-Ul-Zuha) : 07.11.2010 (Monday)
20. Mohram: 06.12.2011 (Tuesday)

Festivals Occurring On Sundays in 2011:

1. Gandhi Jayanthi: 02.10.2011
2. Christmas: 25.12.2011

List of Optional Holidays in 2011:

1. New Year's Day: 01.01.2011 (Saturday)
2. Arbayeen : 25.01.2011 (Tuesday)
3. Sri Panchami: 08.02.2011 (Tuesday)
4. Yaz Dahum Shareef : 17.03.2011 (Thursday)
5. Mahaveer Jayanthi: 16.04.2010 (Saturday)
6. Syed Mohd. Juvanpuri Medi Ma'ud Jayathi: 20.04.2011 (Wednesday)
7. Basava Jayanthi: 06.05.2011 (Friday)
8. Budda Purnima : 17.05.2010 (Tuesday)
9. Hazrath Ali Birthday: 16.06.2011 ( Thursday)
10. Shab-E-Meraz : 30.06.2010 (Thursday)
11. Varalakshmi Vratam: 12.08.2011 (Friday)
12. Parsi New year : 19.08.2011 (Friday)
13. Jamat-Ul-Vida : 26.08.2011 (Friday)
14. Mahalaya Amavasya : 27.09.2011 (Tuesday)
15. Maha Navami : 05.10.2011 (Wednesday)
16. Kartika Purnima / Gurunanak Jayathi: 10.11.2011 (Thursday)
17. 9th Muharram : 05.12.2011 (Monday)
18. Eid-E-Gadeer : 16.12.2011 (Friday)
19. Christmas Eve: 24.12.2011 (Satruday)
20. Boxing Day: 26.12.2011 (Monday)

Festivals Occurring on Second Saturday and Sundays:

1. Kanuma : 16.01.2011 (Sunday)
2. Rath Yatra: 03.07.2011 (Sunday)
3. Shab-E-Barath : 17.07.2011 (Sunday)
4. Rakhi Purnima : 13.08.2011(Saturday)
5. Shab-E-Qadar : 28.08.2011 (Sunday)

Youth and moral values

Most of the young people are living in the future. Their values, attitudes and behavior are more in line with the way the world will work in future, than the way it works today. Their ideas are changing as we move from an industrial to a modern world. But, the final shape of the future is far from clear.
The generation which is now between the age of 18 and 30 were all born in 1980 or later. Their teens and adult life have occurred since 1980 and as a result their values and attitudes have been shaped and influenced by the events which have occurred since then. They lived in an age of many technological developments and economic changes. As a result, they live in a world which is more complex than at any earlier times.
The world in 1980 was a very different place: we had no PCs, mobile phones, Sony Walkmans, Cd's, satellite TV, or MTV not to mention the Internet. These and other technologies have become commonplace, bringing the world to them.

In the 1980s, assassinations and terrorism became more widespread and this brought violence and a sense of vulnerability and threat to our doorsteps. During the 1980s and 1990s a whole range of issues which cross boundaries between public and private domains, national and international spheres have become part of our daily lives engaging their hearts, minds and activities in new ways.
The youth have grown up with these changes. What is new to the older people is routine for the youth. They are starting from a very different baseline in almost any area of life.
Just as the world they have grown up in is fundamentally different, so are the values they have developed in response to it. We have moved from a world where everything was certain to a world where the unthinkable can happen. Because of all these changes the shift in moral values has taken place.

Young people's behavior, attitudes and approach to life regularly receive a lot of criticism from the elder people. The values gap and the resulting criticism and misunderstandings are the result of the shift in values and priorities from generation to generation, especially in this latest generation. The older generations, the organizations they have developed and the mental models they rely on are anchored in values which have been shaped by a very different world.
The younger generation is more aware of its own individuality. As a result of their own greater emphasis on individuality combined with the apparent failure of many of the traditional institutions of society - Temple, family, politics, the law, the nation state - young people are turning away from convention and finding new ways of expressing and acting on their beliefs and ideals. The result is a change from a society where an agreed single set of norms were adhered to and maintained through the auspices of core institutions, to one where the personal ethics of the individual and the rules of a whole host of smaller communities prevail.
Creativity and self expression are a way of life for this generation and enable them to combine and move between all aspects of their lives in a seamless transition. Music, art, video, film, VR, animation - all provide the opportunity to explore their own identity while also enabling them to be seen and heard. This generation have the confidence and the technology to liberate their creative .
The opportunities to form relationships and the resulting range and nature of those relationships are almost unlimited. Meeting and talking to friends across the world on the Net is rapidly taking over form talking to friends from school. With the new technologies come new possibilities to from a completely new perspective.
Developing new skills, new services and new approaches to old problems will be critical. Relying on tradition to define your life and make decisions requires much less effort than taking control of your own destiny. To make choices and thrive, not just survive, people will need new forms of stability. Stability that comes not from external structures and clearly defined routes forward, but from inner strength and awareness and moral values such as respecting elders, compassion, humanity, empathy, emotional stability.
The teachers should give a greater emphasis on life skills, the ability to form relationships, to communicate effectively, to negotiate and cope with transitions and change. Young people are already very good at these areas of skill. Their disaffection with the education system as it stands may in large part be the clash between old style emphasis on content and control, versus anew values emphasis on emotional intelligence. What we are witnessing is are definition of the knowledge base: a move away from the traditions of formal and explicit knowledge as the primary if not only focus of education, to the inclusion of and increasingly greater emphasis on the intangible in all its guises.
The ability to continue to develop a range of skills continuously is one of the essential characteristics of the future. Life long learning is necessary to maintain employability.
I'll do it my way - This is increasingly the byword of the younger generation. They are more likely to want to work for themselves, have their own company and be their own boss than previous generations. Young people are also more likely to look to their own age group for advice and help than go to conventional institutions. Whereas the older generations are talking about downshifting, the desire to find more time, a greater sense of meaning in their lives, more balance between living and working: the younger generation are doing it, and starting out with that in mind.

Top 10 Reasons to Turn Off Your TV

Top 10 Reasons to Turn Off Your TV
Turning off your television will gain you, on average, about 4 hours per day. Imagine if you took that time to exercise, give your brain a workout and develop strong relationships. Not only would you be adding years to your life, you would become more interesting, energetic, and fun. So take the plunge and try not watching TV for a week. At first it will be strange and awkward, but stick with it and soon you will love all the extra time.
1. Television Eats Your Time
The average U.S. adult watches more than 4 hours of television a day. That's 25 percent of waking time spent every day. Imagine if you suddenly had 25 percent more time -- that's three extra months per year! You could get in all your exercise, cook your meals from scratch and still have time left over to write a novel.
Over a lifetime, an 80-year-old person would have watched 116,800 hours of television, compared to only 98,000 hours of work. As a nation, adults watch 880 million hours of television every day or 321 billion hours per year. Whew! Imagine what could get done if we all just stopped watching TV.
2. Television Makes You Stressed
With the average of four hours a day gone, it's no wonder everyone is feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. We put aside paying bills, finishing projects, making phone calls and cleaning our homes to watch TV. We feel overwhelmed because of all the things we should be doing (exercising, spending time with family, eating right) go undone.
And when we feel overwhelmed, tired, and exhausted we don't have energy to anything but -- you guessed it -- watch TV. It is a dreadful cycle. So take a break from TV for a week and see what happens to your life.
3. Television Makes You Overweight
Eating while distracted limits your ability to assess how much you have consumed. According to Eliot Blass at the University of Massachusetts, people eat between 31 and 74 percent more calories while watching TV.
This could add, on average, about 300 calories extra per TV meal. Now consider that at least 40 percent of families watch TV while eating dinner. It becomes clear that TV is a big part of the obesity epidemic in the country and that TV, in fact, makes you gain weight.
4. Television Makes You Uninteresting
Many people have whole conversations that are recaps of TV programs, sporting events and sitcoms. When asked about their real lives, there is little or nothing to report and no stories to tell (except the TV shows they have watched).
Life is too interesting and wonderful to spend your time either watching TV or recapping television to your friends. Find something interesting to do: volunteer, read, paint -- anything but watch more TV.
5. Television Ruins Your Relationships
A television is turned on an average of 7 hours and 40 minutes per day in many U.S. households. With the TV on that much, there is little time for you and your significant other or children to spend time together, share experiences, and develop deeper relationships.
Sitting together and watching TV does not grow a relationship. Turn that TV off and find something to do together -- cooking, exercising, taking a walk, anything.

6. Television is Not Relaxation
TV is the opposite of exercise. If you are watching TV you are usually sitting, reclining or lying down. You are burning as few calories as possible. All that extra food you eat while watching TV does not get burned off. Your brain goes into a lull.
But you are not relaxing -- your mind is still receiving stimuli from the TV, you are processing information and reacting emotionally. Have you ever found yourself thinking about TV characters? Do you ever dream about TV shows? These are signs that the brain is working hard to process all the TV you have been watching.

7. Television Loses Opportunities
If you are sitting and watching TV, nothing new or exciting is going to happen to you. New opportunities and ideas come from being out in the world, talking to people, and reading interesting things.
Watching TV isolates you. Nothing is going to change in your world if you are watching TV. Turn off the TV, go out into the world, talk to people, and see what happens.
8. Television is Addictive
Television can become addictive. Signs of TV addiction include:
• using the TV to calm down
• not being able to control your viewing
• feeling angry or disappointed in how much TV you watched
• feeling on edge if kept from watching
• feeling a loss of control while watching
If the idea of giving up TV for a week is horrifying, you may be addicted to television. Luckily, TV addiction is a habit and not a physical addiction like smoking. You should be able to control it once you are aware of the problem and make a decision to change.
9. Television Makes You Buy Things
You will be viewing several lakhs of commercials. Your knowledge of products and brands comes from these TV commercials. Your perception of what you need also comes from these commercials. It will tempt you to buy some unwanted things also.Our perception of need is determined by what we see. Need less by watching less TV.
10. Television Costs Money and spoils children's education
You have to pay for a basic cable package and many packages cost much more also.. For that much money you could buy a gym membership, buy a nice bicycle, invest it every year for 10 years at 10 percent interest and have more money.

Lessons from ants

Secret of success: Get the mind-set of an ant!
Sometimes the biggest lessons in life come from the smallest folks around us.
All of us tend to look up to big people for lessons on how to get better. We are keen to learn the secrets of their success. But we forget that sometimes the biggest lessons in life come from the smallest folks around us. Now that’s a good lesson to remember!

Take ants for instance. Would you believe those small creatures can teach us how to live a better life? Jim Rohn - the great motivational guru – developed what he called the ‘Ants Philosophy’.

He identified four key lessons from the behaviour of ants that can help us lead better lives. Jim Rohn is no more – but his messages continue to inspire. Here then, are the four lessons from Rohn’s ‘Ants Philosophy’.

1. Ants never quit. Have you noticed how ants always look for a way around an obstacle? Put your finger in an ant’s path and it will try and go around it, or over it. It will keep looking for a way out. It won’t just stand there and stare. It won’t give up and go back. We should all learn to be like that. There will always be obstacles in our lives. The challenge is to keep trying, keep looking for alternative routes to get to our goals. Winston Churchill probably paraphrased the ant’s mindset when he offered this priceless advice: “Never give up. Never, never give up!”

2. Ants think winter all summer. Remember the old story of the ant and the grasshopper? In the middle of summer, the ant was busy gathering food for the winter ahead – while the grasshopper was out having a good time. Ants know that summer - the good times – won’t last forever. Winters will come. That’s a good lesson to remember. When the going is good, don’t be so arrogant as to believe that a crisis or a setback cannot happen to you. Be good to other people. Save for a rainy day. Look ahead. And remember, good times may not last, but good people do.

3. Ants think summer all winter. As they suffer through the unbearable cold of the winter, ants keep reminding themselves that it won’t last forever, and that summer will soon be here. And with the first rays of the summer sun, the ants come out – ready to work, ready to play. When we are down and seemingly out, when we go through what looks like a never-ending crisis, it’s good to remind ourselves that this too shall pass. Good times will come. It’s important to retain a positive attitude, an attitude that says things will get better. As the old saying goes, tough times don’t last. Tough people do.

4. Ants do all they possibly can. How much food does an ant gather in summer? All that it possibly can! Now that’s a great work ethic to have. Do all you can! One ant doesn’t worry about how much food another ant is collecting. It does not sit back and wonder why it should have to work so hard. Nor does it complain about the poor pay! Ants just do their bit. They gather all the food they can. Success and happiness are usually the result of giving 100% - doing all you possibly can. If you look around you, you’ll find that successful people are those who just do all they possibly can.

Follow the four simple steps of Jim Rohn’s ‘Ant Philosophy’ – and you’ll see the difference. Don’t quit. Look ahead. Stay positive. And do all you can.

And there’s just one more lesson to learn from ants. Did you know that an ant can carry objects up to 20 times their own weight? Maybe we are like that too. We can carry burdens on our shoulders and manage workloads that are far, far heavier than we’d imagine. Next time something’s bothering you and weighing you down, and you feel you just can’t carry on, don’t fret. Think of the little ant. And remember, you too can carry a lot more on your shoulders!

India, the Superpower in the Making

With nearly 1.1 billion inhabitants, India is the second largest country on earth in population, and seventh largest in geographical area, over 1.1 million square miles. This is almost 1,000 people for every square mile of area nationwide—much denser than even China.
Since achieving independence from British rule in 1947, it has seen its share of conflict, struggle and setbacks. Although India still faces many challenges, it is now poised to reach a higher position on the world scene than at any previous time.
The Indian economy has grown an average of around 6% annually over the past decade and 8% per year over the past three years—among the fastest rates in the world. It boasts an emerging middle class and increasing gross domestic product, exports, employment and foreign investment. This is complemented by a roaring stock market (index value up by a third in 2005 and by 200% since 2001), low external debt and large foreign exchange reserves.
Recent visits from leaders and officials from the United States, France, Germany and Russia have spotlighted India’s rise. These wealthier nations see India as a trading partner with enormous potential.
Although it has not yet matched the financial performance of China—currently the fastest-growing economy in the world—according to some analysts, India shows even more long-term potential for rapid growth. Leaders from both nations have discussed the creation of a Chinese-Indian common market based on the European Union model. Although only an idea at present, if realized, it would be the largest economic system in the world, home for about 2.5 billion consumers—almost 40% of the human race (or 3 of every 8 people on earth)!
Foreign investments
India’s growth becomes more impressive in light of the fact that it is driven by a fraction of its population. Much of the nation remains a picture of rural poverty. Nearly all foreign investment in India goes to its six most urban states, with 22 other less developed states virtually ignored. This gap between city and country is keenly felt in places such as Gurgaon, a suburb of the Indian capital New Delhi: “In a land still plagued by deep poverty and backwardness, Gurgaon has become a renowned home of international call centers, business-processing operations, and information-technology firms. There are gleaming, glass-paned high-tech towers, condominium blocks, multiplexes, and shopping malls, where Indians dine at Ruby Tuesday, browse for Samsung electronics, or kick the tires at a Toyota, Ford, or Chevy dealer. If one overlooks the dusty pockets of poverty nearby, a few water buffaloes picking at garbage near shantytowns, the look is more Southern California office park than the India of yore”
Despite the problems seen in India’s underdeveloped countryside—for example, massive unmet infrastructure needs; more illiterate citizens than any other single nation—there are several areas in which the nation excels. These particular specialized talents have allowed a tiny percentage of the populace—perhaps less than 1%—to spearhead its move toward a higher standing in the world order.
Intellectual Capital
India’s economy is divided between agriculture (which accounts for a quarter of the gross national product), manufacturing (constituting another quarter) and the high-tech service sector, which now makes up fully half of the gross national product. Striving to become a “knowledge superpower,” it hopes to skip the intermediate step of industrial development that has preceded other nations’ march into the Information Age.
Scientific and information technology companies from around the world are opening research and development labs in India—more than 100 in the past five years. One mainstay of the new economy is software development, with ever more global firms outsourcing to India the time-intensive work of programming. Businesses worldwide also rely on the country for customer service—phone calls from around the world are directed to call centers in Indian cities such as Bangalore. Other developing markets include pharmaceutical and biotechnology research. Currently, the majority of top American companies send some of their IT work to India, and there is little evidence of a slowdown in this trend.
The business world is also looking in India’s direction. Graduates of the nation’s business programs are in high demand among multinational corporations, with each graduating class commanding a higher average salary than the one before. Those who complete MBA degrees at schools such as the Indian Institute of Management can now expect starting salaries ranging from $75,000 (USD) at Indian firms to over $200,000 outside the country. This is comparable to graduates of top American business schools such as Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth—testimony to the market value of Indian talent in this area of study.
Military Buildup
As its clout has grown, India has placed a high priority on improving its military capabilities as well.
New Delhi has not joined 187 other nations in signing the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), and appeared on the world’s radar screen as a nuclear-armed nation in May 1998, with the detonation of five warheads in the desert near the border of Pakistan. This disturbed many governments around the globe, naturally including that of Pakistan, which responded with nuclear tests of its own.
This stand-off was the turning point that began India’s pursuit of a full-fledged nuclear weapons program. Additional nuclear missile tests occurred in the summer of 2004; since then, the Indian Defense Ministry has earmarked $2 billion annually to build 300 to 400 weapons over the next 5 to 7 years.
India maintains a “no first strike” nuclear policy, and asserts that it only seeks enough nuclear weaponry to effectively deter aggressors. U.S. President George W. Bush, during a March 2006 visit with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, announced cooperation between the two countries on civilian nuclear programs, and had previously called India a “responsible” nuclear nation. These measures drew an American diplomatic line between India and other nations that have nixed participation in the NPT, such as North Korea and Iran.
Whatever its nuclear aspirations, the country has a long military shopping list. Last year, it announced plans to build the first aircraft carrier ever put to sea by a developing nation, and to lease two nuclear submarines from Russia. America has openly discussed the sale of naval vessels, combat aircraft, patrol aircraft and helicopters to India. One former U.S. ambassador to India opined, “Of course we should sell advanced weaponry to India. The million-man Indian army actually fights, unlike the post-modern militaries of many of our European allies”.
A Turning Point in Relations With China?
Many have compared India’s pattern of growth to its neighbor, China. The countries have much in common—physical borders, immense populations, similar challenges, ancient civilizations, and quickly-rising economies. India also measures itself against China, coveting its economic power and international standing, including its permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Though a degree of tension does remain between the two nations, with lingering memories of the brief 1962 war in which China soundly defeated India, the relationship between these two Asian giants is warming up. Trade between them is now increasing at a vigorous pace, and diplomatic relations are at a post-1962 highpoint. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, during a recent visit to New Delhi, hailed cooperation between the two nations as the driving force of a new “Asian Century.” Indian Prime Minister Singh spoke of the potential for India and China to rearrange the world order by working together.
Many have pointed out that their economic strengths seem to be tailor-made for a partnership. India seeks to be a major player in the computer software world in the same way that China is in the area of hardware. Cooperation between Beijing and New Delhi could prove a dominant force in the information technology market.
Both nations have a voracious appetite for natural resources, and a recent energy deal neatly symbolized the new Sino-Indian dynamic: India acquired a 20% share in the development of the largest onshore oil field in Iran. The venture happens to be operated, and 50% owned, by Sinopec—China’s state-run oil company.
However, India could seek to undercut China’s manufacturing prices (as China did with many Southeast Asian countries in the 1990s). But it is more likely to pursue a different segment of the world market by producing higher-quality goods, as well as entirely different products.
Time will tell exactly how the relationship will mix competition and cooperation. These two nations both aspire to “first-world” status—and economic gains could be the incentive for a more tightly allied Asia.
Between East and West
With its newfound power, India faces a dilemma: Should it ultimately pursue closer ties with Western nations, or with other Asian countries?
After India gained independence, its first prime minister spoke of an Asian renaissance, envisioning a tightly bound continent changing the post-World War II landscape. Though premature at the time, the idea is now more feasible than any time since the Cold War era. Along with the improving relations with China, India is also friendly with Russia and Japan. And, as of 2004, the value of India’s trade with other Asian nations surpassed that of exchange with the United States and Western Europe put together.
But the United States—after courting India’s arch-rival Pakistan as an ally in the war on terror after the September 11 attacks—is now distancing itself somewhat from the current Islamabad regime, focusing on India instead. India’s common ground with the U.S. includes liberal democratic government, capitalism and, among the more educated urban residents, the English language.
However, America’s courting of India is viewed by some as a way to limit and contain Chinese influence in Asia. Some Indians resent this perception of their nation as a pawn of the U.S. Though they appreciate the American lifestyle and culture, much of the Indian population still sees this lone superpower as a bully.
While it may be able to dance with both partners alternately for a while, India will eventually be forced to choose. Which way will this nation turn?
In nations such as India, the size of population alone pulls them towards superpower status. Keep watching India’s growth toward superpower status—just one part of the inevitable rise of Asia! The rise of this growing nation will change the balance of power in Asia—and potentially the world.

About Indian 'divorce'

Unprecedented financial independence is empowering young women to value themselves more. Heena may have appeared to have everything that many young Indian women aspire to.She had her own burgeoning career, a marriage and two children. What she also had - albeit largely hidden from public view - was an alcoholic and abusive husband.
For Heena, an interior designer living in Delhi, the time to get rid of that husband was when he started to get violent with their children. "You carry on as long as you have hope ... But the day he turned on my children was the day I said 'enough'," Heena said.

With her own career developing, Heena moved into the ground floor of her parents' house and began the long and arduous task of trying to rebuild her life after 11 years of marriage. But her experience is not unique.

India is a society where great significance has always been attached to marriage, where wedding ceremonies have traditionally been elaborate, lengthy affairs and where divorce was all but unheard of. Indeed, there is no word in Hindi for divorce. (The word that is usually used, talak, is borrowed from Urdu.)

But as parts of Indian society undergo rapid social and economic transformation, increasing numbers of women are deciding to get out of unhappy or abusive marriages and start their lives afresh.

Buoyed by unprecedented financial independence - brought about as a result of India's surging economy and a new sense of empowerment that women's entry to the workplace has brought - countless thousands of younger women are making a decision that their mothers and aunts would hardly have dreamed of. "Part of it is to do with economic independence," said Heena, 42, who has two teenage children and asked that her full name not be used.

"But part of it is that my parents' generation is changing the way it thinks about what is going on. My mother would never have had the financial or emotional support that I did."In her generation to be divorced or thrown out would have been shameful. It would have been thought of in the same way that, sadly, Aids is thought of in India."

Official national statistics are unavailable because divorce proceedings are dealt with at a local level, however studies in some of the country's major cities have indicated a huge rise in the number of couples undertaking divorce proceedings at family courts. A study of recent trends showed that such cases are significantly rising in small towns and semi-urban areas.

Many young couples, particularly women, have been filing petitions for separation, which was unheard of in the 1970s. In Kerala, India's most literate state, the number of such filings has increased 350 per cent in the past 10 years.Even in Punjab and Haryana, traditional agricultural states, divorce proceedings are rising. Some estimates reckon the national divorce rate to be at 6 or 7 per cent.
Women are economically more independent. They have started working. They are also more aware of their rights.

Also families are changing. Earlier, there were joint families with everyone living together and sharing their problems.Though marriage has always been hugely important in India, the institution has traditionally treated women as less than equals.
Historically, dowries were paid by the family of the bride to that of the groom as part of the marriage arrangement - something that was long abused and often resulted in poor families struggling to make payments.

Such was the burden placed on the families of prospective brides, that female feticide - the selective aborting of female babies - has become commonplace. Though dowries have officially been illegal since 1961 and the use of ultrasound machines for prenatal gender testing banned since 1996, both practices remain widespread.
Likewise, the newspapers of the country's largest cities are full of stories of "dowry deaths" in which newly wed brides are either murdered or driven to commit suicide as a result of bullying and harassment for a dowry payment by the groom or his family.

Figures suggest that such incidents - or at least the reporting of such incidents to the police - is increasing. At the same time, in many parts of India there is a gender imbalance that appears to be worsening as a result of this preference for sons over daughters.In 1981, the national ratio of children up to the age of six was measured at 962 girls for every 1000 boys. Twenty years later, the ratio was found to have fallen further, with 927 girls per 1000 boys.

With all the figures suggesting divorce is increasing, some experts caution that getting out of unhappy relationships remains a tough challenge and is an option only usually available to wealthier Indian women.

In most segments of Indian society, divorce is still stigmatised and that even when women felt they were able to file for divorce, the slow pace of the country's judicial system meant that matters of alimony and rights over children were processes drawn out over years. A woman's social membership in society is largely based on her marital status. It is hard for a woman if she is single, even if she is upper class.

"You can get out of the marriage but it does not mean your problems are over."

Gandhiji's advice to the bureaucrats