Our classroom in Mumbai.

Hello,

I am Apoorv. I am a Teach for India teacher. I teach in a school where kids from low income families come to study. I am writing this blog to raise funds for my kids.

Who are my kids?

They are 49 students of 7th standard in Divine Child High School in Malad (East), Mumbai. They are the most amazing bunch of students I have ever met in my life. They are inquisitive, joyful, eager and have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. They come from families who are completely invested in wanting to improve their child's life. They are kids who have achieved a lot over the past few years but are still just warming up. They are kids who don't get confused when they see a new word. They find out its meaning and then try to use it in day to day conversations. They are kids who can ask you uncomfortable questions about your field of expertise.They are kids who are can surprise you with their answers and their level of critical thinking. They are kids who know that understanding everything is more important than just remembering it. They are kids who work harder and smarter than most kids their age and they do it under trying circumstances.They are kids who are always ready for a challenge. They are my kids.

But we need your help.

There are various ways in which you can help us:

• Volunteer: Come teach the class. Give the students a different perspective about a topic of your choice. They have not had a lot of exposure with the latest happenings around the world so getting to know more people would be wonderful for them.
• Send us books! : If you have old books which are in good condition then we would love to have them as well. You could buy new books and send them to me. You can choose any book which you think a school going kid should read. :)
• Sponsor our field trips : There are SO many places in and around Mumbai which my kids haven't seen yet. We do not have the resources to take them around in a bus. If you fund one of our trips, we promise to send you photos. :)
• Scholarship for the students: Our's is a private school and so the kids do have to pay fees. Our monthly fee is Rs 550/- and apart from that we also have a lot of other misc expenses which add up to a lot. A lot of my kids struggle with the fee payment. Scholarships are a great motivator and have proven to work amazingly well for students. 
• Buy us stuff : We have a perpetual need for stationary. We need a projector and preferably a small screen too. We need board games and a few sports equipment.  

This is just a suggested list. If there is anything else that you would want to do for the students then please feel free to contact me.

How to contribute?

If you wish to contribute in any of the above mentioned ways please send me an email on apoorv.shah2013[at] teachforindia.org or call me on +91 9925027956 any time after 2pm. You can also leave your contact details as comments on this blog and I will get back to you in a day. 

You can wire transfer the money or send us a cheque. More details will be given when you send me the email. :)

If you want, you can go to this link on the Teach for India website and choose me 'Apoorv' in the "donate to specific fellow" tab. Here's the link: http://www.teachforindia.org/donate/give-instantly 

All your contributions will be judiciously used. Highest level of accountability and transparency will be maintained. We will see to it that your contribution is optimally utilized. 

If you have any queries, please direct them the email id. 

You can also get regular updates about the happenings in class on my twitter handle @apoorv3E

Now to end with some amazing news.

I had posted on my facebook account about a similar request and was overwhelmed when I got 5 people willing to sponsor the students. I received scholarship money from one of the donors a couple of days back and received a book from another today.

Here's the photo of the book. 

Me and my students hope that this is just the beginning. :)

If you are in the area, please do come visit. :) 

Thanks

A

Update: I received 3 more books and close to 10,000 Rs in scholarship donation money after this post. Thank you to everyone. We have made a good start but there is a long way to go. :) 

Medical students going to USA have to promise to return

In one of the most inexplicable moves ever made by the Union Health Minister, Indians who want to go to USA for higher medical studies will have to sign a bond with the Ministry of Health and honour the document by returning home after finishing their courses. 

USA has, for reasons that I don't know of right now, made it mandatory for students to get a NOC (No Objection Certificate) from the Government to enroll in an American Institute. I'll update the blog when I find out the reason. 

Government says that if the students don't come back then they will write to the American government and bar that person from getting a license to practice there. Also it is not clear for how many years the government wants to students to stay in India after they force them back post studies. This apparently is going to stop Brain Drain. 

First of all I don't believe that brain drain is a problem. India has become such a power to reckon with because of the impression that Indians have created and the work Indians have done in foreign countries. It is how we have created out soft power. Also, Indians send a lot of money home. It's almost enviable. There are so many villages in India which have developed only because of the money their erstwhile residents have sent from their foreign locations. 

AIIMS has come out with a stat that is costs around 1.7 crore to produce a single MBBS student. It includes all the expenses and subsidies that the government spends on them. So this move is to apparently get all that money back through taxes. 

India has one doctor for every 1700 citizens. This ratio is very low compared to a lot of other countries. A recent Planning Commission report said that India is short of 6 lakh doctors, 10 lakh nurses and 2 lakh dental surgeons. I agree that India needs medical professionals but that does not mean you put reins on anyone and everyone you can get your hands on. 

If its just a matter of getting back subsidies so that they can be used to benefit others, then I have a solution to it. Remove the subsidies. Make everyone pay full amount. If the student works in a government hospital (urban or rural) for 10 years, then reimburse the fees. Although the government will have to improve the accountability system in government hospitals for this to be meaningful. 

A relatively easier solution is to allow and incentivise private universities to come up. Stop holding on to the 'noble profession' tag. Private individuals will not be ready to invest if there is no profit motive. If the government can't do its work properly then it should atleast let the private sector give it a try. Checking the quality of teaching in private institutions will be a cause of worry but then government colleges are not in very good shape themselves. 

The government declared the National Rural Health Mission without thinking about where they will get the manpower from and now they are looking for slaves. Disgusting. 

Dear Government,

You are not supposed to control. You are supposed to regulate. Stop coming up with random schemes and messing with development which is going on inspite of you rather than because of you. 

Sincerely,

Frustrated Student

Update: Read - Swaminomics: The Fundamental Right to Migrate 

Right to Education: Reservation in Private Unaided Schools

The Right to Education (RTE) Act of 2009 is being portrayed as a landmark legislation in the history of the country. I had the privilege of interning with the Principal Secretary of Education for Gujarat. It was around this time that the office was working on Rules to implement RTE in Gujarat. I got the chance to read those Rules before they were actually published for the whole world to see. 

I dislike quite a few things about the RTE Act. Although one such stipulations takes the cake. It is according to me, the most damaging provision in the Act. 

From June 2012, every primary school in Gujarat will have to compulsorily admit 25% students who are from “economically and socially backward” strata of the society. By every primary school, they actually mean ALL of them. Yes, even the private schools which don't take any grant from the government. This will, according to the government, integrate poor students into the main stream. Nobel thought but bad implementation.

The Government will pay fees for these 25% kids. The schools will be reimbursed by the government to the extent of the expenditure incurred by a child in the government school. It means, if the government's per student expenditure per year is Rs 5000/- but the private schools fee is Rs 20,000/- per year, the private school will be paid only Rs 5000/- by the government. Consequently, private schools will recover the difference amount from the remaining 75% of the students! 

Consequently, everyone will try to widen the definition of "economically and socially backward" strata just to abuse the economic benefits attached to it. For, the policy that is “pro-poor” will, like all policies which are “pro-” something; increases that something.

Also, due to the shortage of quality schools in the country, a lot of corporate are opening up schools by themselves. They want to enter into the education sector for the long run. It is both, a service to the society and a money spinner. But with reservations being brought in like this, corporate will be discouraged to enter. Considering India’s need for schools, the government will in no way be able to start and manage the requisite number. Government needs private schools to flourish. In the Education sector, like in any other sector, setting the market free is the key to development.

Instead of trying to bridge the economic divide, government should try and reduce the hurdles which come in the way of setting up new schools. Reduction in red tape, loans and encouragement are the only things required. Government does not need to manage the education sector. It just needs to regulate it.

Education is one sector that was left behind in the 1991 reforms. We have delayed it long enough. The time; is now.

P.S. - For all Acts, Rules, Amendments, Bills, Notifications and Guidelines on the RTE, check this.  

Subsidies are injurious to health

Contrary to popular opinion, subsidies do more harm than good.

This is even more true in a country like India where corruption is commonplace and inefficiency is a major problem in the government. Our government gives subsidies for all the wrong reasons. These subsidies do everything other than helping the target group. I should make it clear that by subsidies I don't mean just monetary let offs. I also mean 'welfare' schemes of the government. Giving free housing, loan waivers, subsidized electricity and reservations in educational institutes is all a part of subsidies. 

The government is so busy trying to redistribute income that it has almost forgotten about generating income in the first place. 

Take NREGA for example. It is called a 'You dig, I fill' scheme. The government pays people to dig up an area and then pays a few other people to fill it up. This is their way of giving away money while showing that they are working towards improving rural infrastructure. 

The problem is, this is all manual labour. They don't teach skills. Workers who get 100 days of employment are still sitting idle for the rest of the 200 days. There is no improvement in their ability. These people get jobs because they are entitled to a job and not because they deserve a job. 

The point being, if government gave training instead of subsidies, it would be much more useful to these people. We all know that its better to teach a man fishing than giving him a fish. Leave the creating jobs part to the private sector. If the government can make the unemployed people employable then that will be a big feat in itself. 

The world thinks that India has cheap labour. You can get people to do household chores and stuff for a fraction of a price that you have had to pay in foreign countries. This is infact a myth. Our labour class is almost as expensive as any other country. It's just that we pay for it in two ways. First, we pay them their salary which is direct income for them and then we pay taxes which are used to literally give away money to these people. So in the end, government is just a middleman. A middleman who has a huge opportunity to be corrupt and who has used this opportunity to its full extent. The problem is not expensive labour. The problem is that, due to this government interference, citizens have to pay more taxes but the money doesn't reach the labour class. Hence, both sides are unhappy and this leads to a problem of high taxes and poverty at the same time. 

So why not remove subsidies all together?

Let the citizens pay a high price for labour but reduce their tax burden. This way, the labour class can lead a better life and money can be effectively utilised. Ofcourse, corruption goes down as well. It's a win win situation. 

Unfortunately, the corrupt government workers are the only ones that don't win. Politians won't be able to use it as a 'vote gathering' activity. People responsible for distributing these subsidies won't be able to get their share. 

So, the next time you hear about a subsidy being dolled out, remember the fact that its your money they are giving away. You are going to pay for it in one way or another. Don't vote for the guy who gave the maximum number of subsidies. Vote for the guy who makes subsidies redundant. 

Cheers

What does 51% FDI in multi-brand retail mean?

       

What happened: 

Government has decided to allow 51% FDI in Multi-brand retails. 

What are the pre-conditions: 

• Minimum investment of $100 million.
• 50% of the investment is to be in backend infrastructure development.  
• 30% of all raw material has be procured from small and medium industries. [Not completely sure]
• Permission to set up malls only in cities with a minimum population of 10 lakh.
• Government has the first right to procure material from the farmers.
• Products should be sold under the same brand internationally.
• Foreign investor should be the owner of the brand.

Present Condition:

• Farmers get only 10 to 15% of the price we pay. 
• 3-4 middlemen in between farmers and customers.
• Huge post produce losses for farmers due to inadequate facilities.
• A poorly managed food supply infrastructure.

Why do we need it:

• We are the second highest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world but still we are not able to utilise is properly because of inadequate infrastructure facilities. 
• It will reduce pre-harvest wastage/losses and thus help control food inflation. 
• It will create 1.5 million more jobs in 5 years. Apart from the huge number of indirect employment. 
• It will increase competition which is always beneficial for the customer.
• It will remove the middleman from the equation. It will reduce costs which in turn will reduce prices. 

What about the problems:

There will be no problems.

We already have local players like Reliance Fresh and Big Bazaar. They have done wonderfully well. Local traders are still trading as they were. Why not allow foreign players? They will bring with them human/monetary/knowledge capital which are very important for a developing country like India. Just bringing proper storage places will go a long way in solving the wastage problem. 

China, Brazil, Argentina, Singapore, Chile, Thailand, Russia and Indonesia all allow 100% and their economies have benefited from this move. India is only allowing 51% and that too with a lot of checks. 

We don't have to worry about monopoly because the Competition Commission of India can handle all anti competitive practices including predatory pricing. 

In India, cities with population of more than 10 lakh are just 53 in number. This means that any negative impact will not have huge repercussions. Kirana store walas in majority of other cities cities will be totally unaffected. It's a small but steady step on the path of liberalization. 

It will decrease unorganized labour sector and bring them all under organised labour. This will it will be easier to enforce labour laws and also check its implementation. 

A lot of jobs will be created. Ofcourse a few will be lost as well but that number will not be very high. There will be a reorganization of the job structure rather than a reduction. 

It is true that the government can also provide all the infrastructure facilities that the companies will provide but  true governance means less government role and more freedom to the society. Why should it be a problem if companies improve infrastructure facilities in return of a gain? 

Thus we can see that the FDI rule is for the greater good of the society. Oppose it at your own risk. 

"I can't afford an internship." : A take on Unpaid Internships in India

Internships.

Arguably the most important part of a student's CV. 

Internships in India are hard to get in spite of there being so many law firms, companies, NGOs, LPOs and other such organisations. An internship at a 'reputed' place is like a star on the CV. If you have 5 or more stars then you either have a CGPA worth killing for or are an awesome jugaadu. 

Whatever be the reason, I can safely say that internships are very very important. Not just from the CV point of view. Also from the experience of the practical experience of a specific field. 

In India, majority of the internships are unpaid. 

So, students get: cut throat competition, shady PGs to stay in, work during vacations, time away from parents and home city, rigorous office hours and NO PAY. 

Organisations get: FREE labor, temporary clerks/secretaries and no responsibility. 

A majority of the students are not from the metros but most of the internship places are in metros. It means, students have to spend money on travelling to the city, accommodation, food, travelling to the office and other misc expenses. All this and what do we get in return? Experience? Knowledge? Chance to get coffee for the boss? Chance to pass around files? Old cases to read? 

Just because interns are not 'workers' and do not have a union of sorts, organisations feel that they can exploit them. Interns are not given enough importance. They are students who are facing a lot of difficulty and trying to learn and sustain themselves. The least organisations can do is dedicate an hour a day to actually teach them something and pay them something which can offset their expenses for that time duration. 

LegallyIndia pays its interns Rs. 10k/month. It is seen as a very 'handsome' amount. Considering what other organisations in India pay (or don't pay), yes but not quite handsome when you consider the expenses of staying in Bombay for a month. It just covers all expenses which in the present Indian scenario is a very big thing. 

I have heard interns being paid Rs. 2k for a 6 week internship in Delhi. Yea, 2k might just cover food expenses for that time. So effectively, the intern is spending money to do free work.

I can understand non-profits not paying their interns. Although its not completely alright, but its understandable. They have their own fund raising problems. But firms/companies who work for profit should pay their interns. 

It doesn't matter if you get work done from the intern or not. You are calling him/her to your office and he/she is incurring expenses because of you. You have all the right to get work done from them. Make them do substantial work so that they can actually learn and contribute and rightfully earn their stipend. 

There are always things that interns can do. Maybe not a first year or a second year student but definitely from third year onwards students are well trained and can surely reduce some work load of the employees. They deserve to be paid. 

Unfortunately, interns fall into the unorganised category of the free labour sector. 

A lot needs to change. Some organisations are starting to understand this. A lot more are still not sensitive enough to understand this problem. Not paying interns is not illegal but in my view, it is unethical. 

Dear organisations,

There are so many brilliant students out there who are willing to work for 12 hours a day but are unable to do so because they cannot afford an internship. Pay your interns. Make them work. They'll contribute to your organisation in a small way. They will spread the word if you treat them well. 

Sincerely,

A student looking for an internship in Delhi for May-June2012. 

Laws in India to tackle corruption

So you thought India had no laws for tackling corruption? Well, surprise surprise. There are a lot of them. Here's a list. 

Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988

The Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 (POCA) was enacted to consolidate different anti-corruption provisions from various pieces of legislation under one umbrella and to make them more effective. The Corruption Act, inter alia, widened the scope of the definition of a “public servant”; enhanced penalties provided for offences in earlier laws; incorporated the provisions of freezing of suspected property during trial; mandated trial on a day-to-day basis, prohibited the grant of stay on trial; etc. The Corruption Act is the main law for dealing with offences pertaining to corruption in India, however many avenues of corruption cannot be dealt with under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC)

India has welcomed the UNCAC, which provides for international co-operation and mutual legal assistance in investigating cases of corruption and recovery of assets. India signed the UNCAC in December 2005. By signing the Convention India has reiterated its resolve to strengthen international co-operation as envisaged in the Convention. It has now even ratified it. The Convention will boost India’s effort and commitment to fight corruption at both domestic and international level.

The Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002

Many public servants are able to hold their ill-gotten wealth in foreign countries, which they subsequently transfer to their homeland through money laundering, disguising them as funds, apparently from a legal source. This Act empowers the Directorate of Enforcement, India, and Financial Intelligence Unit, India, both agencies of the Government of India, to investigate and prosecute such persons under the said Act.

The Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999

Middlemen or touts, who take huge commissions for brokering deals pertaining to purchases from foreign suppliers, often transfer such money in foreign currencies, claiming it to be the proceeds of some business abroad. This Act empowers the Directorate of Enforcement, India to investigate and prosecute such persons under the said act.

The Right to Information Act, 2005

It is a well-known fact that too much secrecy in public administration breeds corruption. The Right to Information Act aims at ensuring efficiency, transparency and accountability in public life. This Act requires all public authorities, except the ones that handle work relating to national security, to publish all information about their functioning at regular intervals through various means of communication, including the Internet. Now any person can seek any information from the concerned public authority just by filing an application at almost at no cost. The public authority has to reply to the application compulsorily within 30 days. If the information sought is denied, the applicant has a right to agitate further before the appellate authorities under this Act. This can indeed be described as a revolutionary step towards the eradication of corruption from public life.

Central Vigilance Commission

The Central Vigilance Commission is a statutory body which monitors corruption in governmental departments. It supervises the work of Chief Vigilance Officers of all the departments of government and issues guidelines to them. The CVC also receives complaints from the general public about corruption. It refers such complaints to the CBI for verification and investigation if found to contain verifiable allegations. The CVOs are in-house supervisors of government departments who monitor the conduct of personnel and enquire into complaints against them pertaining to corruption. If upon enquiry they conclude that a criminal case under the Corruption Act appears to have been made out, they refer the case to the CBI for investigation.

Use of telephonic/Electronic surveillance

The legal provisions relating to telephonic or electronic surveillance under the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 are effectively used by the CBI to gather accurate information about corrupt activities of the public servants. After ascertaining details about various phone numbers and email identifications used by the public servant, permission of the competent authority is taken to put the same under surveillance. Information gathered during such surveillance has been successfully used in exposing big scams.

Freezing, Seizure and Confiscation of Properties - The Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 1944 (Article 31 of UNCAC)

This is an important law on freezing, seizure and confiscation of properties which are proceeds of crime, including offences under the Corruption Act. Such properties identified during investigation can be frozen under this law. Properties can remain frozen till disposal of the case by the court after completion of the investigation. If the alleged offence is proved in the court of law and the property is proved to be the proceeds of crime, the court will order its confiscation.

Criminal Procedure Code 1973 together with Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLAT) in Criminal Matters and Extradition Treaties

Sec. 166 A and 166 B of the above code empower the crime investigation agencies of India to make requests to other countries as well as to entertain requests from other countries to render assistance in the investigation of crime registered in the respective countries. Such letters of request are popularly known as Letters Rogatory. Such Letters Rogatory are executed on the basis of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties and Extradition Treaties India has signed with other countries. To date India has Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties in Criminal Matters with 20 countries and Extradition Treaties with 25 countries. The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties invariably have a chapter on asset recovery and sharing the same. With other countries, international co-operation is sought on the basis of guarantee of reciprocity

Also we have the Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code. Also with the Whistle Blower Bill in the pipeline, do we really need a new law?  Stop going to stupid candle light rallies and start implementing anti corruption habits in your day to day life. Oh and next time you say we don't have laws, think about this post. 

P.S.- The list of laws and the information related to it is taken from this blog. Do check it out. It has a complete analysis of corruption in India. 

I am on a fast until...

I am going the Anna Hazare way. Shh. I shouldn't say that. I am fighting for my rights. For our rights. Since the past two decades or so we have suffered enough. By we I mean bloggers. We have written millions of articles. Researched for a lot of them. Emailed it to so many friends that we ended up in their spam lists. We worked hard so that people would have quality blogs to read. We put effort into each blog.

What do we get in return?

2-3 'nice post' comments. An occasional interesting comment. Sometimes not even that. The blog gets lost in the online universe. Never to be seen again. Add to this the fact that research has shown that only 5% of the people who read online blogs actually write one. So for every 20 people in the online world, there is just one person who writes and the rest just read stuff! Sometimes we even go to the extent of pasting random emails as blogs. It takes effort. 

We have remained quite for a long time now. I have finally decided to get inspired by Anna and fast for our rights. 

Fight for our 'Right to be Appreciated'. 

I am going on a fast right after dinner and I will not end it as long as all my demands are met. I am pretty serious. I am even wearing a gandhi topi and white clothes. 

We have the following demands:

1. Google should rank my blog as the best among all blogs from India. my page rank should be highest. 

2. Everyone should compulsorily read my blog and comment on it or like it or tweet about it or +1 it. 

3. Everyone who comes online has to be compulsorily directed to my blog. 

4. My blog should be even more important than the president's and the prime minister's blog. 

5. The views expressed in my blog should be be like Caesar's wife. Above suspicion. 

6. My blog's link should the first link to come up whenever anyone searches anything online.
7. This particular blog post should get 500+ facebook likes and 200 +1's and should be RT-ed by 1000 people. 

I am not ready to compromise on any of these demands. It's been a long time since I have been writing to Google about the importance of my blog but I have not received any reply. This is just preposterous. 

I will be sitting online on Gtalk with my 4 trusted followers. I am sure we will get the support of thousands of bloggers who we will portray as lakhs. Let the google guys come and talk to us directly. We will suggest a 'Right to Bullshit' Amendment in their publishing rules and hence make our reign supreme. 

Our timing is perfect, EPL has not warmed up yet and Indian team has lost to England. Everything is planned. See on Gtalk. 

P.S. - Please do not call me by my real name. Nick names are cooler. Henceforth, refer to me as Napster Baba. My core team should be called the Nappies. #likeaboss

Yes I have taken this photos from somewhere else. No, I will not tell you from where. Sue me, bitch!

Don't be a Pappu

Let's call the Indian, Pappu. He lives in:

401, Super Apartments,
Link Road, Sector 21,
Delhi.

What will Pappu say in different situation?
Pappu to an American: "Asia is way better than all other continents. We have..."

Pappu to an Thai: "BRIC countries FTW!"

Pappu to a Brazilian: "India man, that's the place to be."

Pappu to a Bihari: "Metro cities are the heart and soul of the country."

Pappu to a Mumbaiker: "Delhi is waaay better."

Pappu to a resident of Sector 15: "Sector 21 is the poshest area dude."

Pappu to a resident of MG Road in Sector 21: "Link Road has everything. Its the best."

Pappu to a resident of Duper Apartment, Link road, Sector 21: "Our apartment is more organised and classy then yours."

Pappu to his neighbor: "We have an amazing view of the garden from our balcony."

I am guessing you got the drift.

This happens all the time. Pappu doesn't change. He just says different things when he is with different people. We Indian will be competitive about anything and everything. Albeit it does not motivate us to improve things, we just argue a lot.

Next time someone tells you something like this, remember the Pappu example.

P.S. - Pappu being from Delhi is just an example. Pappu can be anyone from anywhere.

The Employment Dilemma

India might be one of the very few countries which have the unique problem of coexistence of Unemployment and lack of man power, at the same time. It's ironic.

On one side we have a very large portion of our country's population which is looking for a job and on the other side we have companies and other institutions claiming that they are not able to get enough people to fill in their vacancies.

How can this happen?

Some people say that it is because the unemployed youth is not skilled and the demand is only for skilled people. Okay. I accept. But then why are there not many training institutes which can transform these unskilled but willing people to skilled, employable people?

NIIT has training institutes which are a huge success. They have contributed more to the Indian economy than a lot of established universities. They have created employable youth. There is no bigger service to society.

Although, my reason for writing this post is different. I recently read some stuff about jobs offered to students to National Law Schools. Students are made to believe that they have a higher chance of getting a job if they go to a certain university. I would like to change the statement, ' They have a higher chance of getting a better job if they go to a certain university'. I believe that students from all universities will get jobs. It's just a matter of persistence.

India is growing. Professionals are in demand and will be in demand for a long long time. We don't just need more lawyers. We need more professionals in general. We need efficient and more doctors, engineers, plumbers, carpenters, drivers etc. Everyone has a scope to get a job. 

Okay, this might seem a bit too optimistic but I am not bluffing. I have talked to a lot of HR managers in companies and they have all told me that there is always a demand for good professionals. They have to take under qualified or not so good professionals just because there are not many available. 

So don't choose a profession if you don't like it just because the job prospects are good. Job prospects will always be good. You just have to be efficient. 

You might have to relocate and you might not get the salary that 'you think you deserve' but I am pretty sure you'll get a job. 

All the unskilled people out there can become drivers, traffic policemen, courier guys, work for fast food chains and other such jobs. No offence to any of these professions. No job is small. Everyone has to learn dignity of labor. It's better to have a small job rather than be unemployed. 

So well, do what you want to but do it well. If you do your part then you will definitely find means to survive. Everyone who knows how to work, will find a job. The only people who don't get jobs are the ones who don't want one. Sometimes, all you need to do is keep trying. You'll get it.

P.S. - No offence to anyone. Just my view. Nothing personal. :) Also, I am a bit tired right now so this might not be my best work on this topic but yes, this is my view. If you disagree then post your view in the comments section. I will be happy to 'talk it out'. :) 

Compulsory Attendance: Thou Art Not Needed

Compulsory attendance seems to be the ‘must have’ for colleges. It seems that nowadays colleges are concentrating more on keeping the students inside the classroom rather than on imparting quality education. The reason given for this is that if the student is inside the classroom he/she will be forced to listen to the lecturer and hence will definitely learn something. Sounds great, doesn’t it?!

The attendance rules are very strictly implemented. Students are sometimes not allowed to give exams because of lack of attendance. If not that then internal marks are affected. Parents support this wholeheartedly because there is a preconceived notion that quality of a child’s education is directly proportional to the number of classes he/she attends. Also, they believe that once they’ve paid for the classes the students should attend as many as he can so as to get maximum benefit.

The problem arises when you see the actual consequence of this rule. Students do attend more classes but only because of fear. The actual passion for studying in class is lost. Anything which is forced upon someone will lose its charm. Students don’t come to college because they want to; they come to college because they have to. They are only physically present. They are mentally somewhere else. What is the use of un-interested students in a classroom? This is not education.

The main reason for that is the scarcity of quality teachers in colleges these days. If a faculty is not good, no one will pay attention even if all the students are forced to attend all the lectures. On the other hand, if a faculty is good then all the students will voluntarily come to the class even if it’s an extra lecture or an optional paper. Contrary to popular opinion, students like to study. They want to learn new things. Students are curious.

When a student is forced to attend a lecture which is given by an incompetent or even a boring lecturer, then the curiosity in him dies. The college does not have to force a student to do something he/she likes. It just has to facilitate it. A decent classroom, a competent faculty and the faculty’s ability to teach are the only things required to get students to the classroom.

Colleges in the Western part of the world do not have compulsory attendance, yet because of the quality of the classes, students attend them voluntarily. The classes are interactive. Students are given freedom to choose their subjects and sometimes even given options in the method of evaluation.

Compulsory attendance rules kill the student within the child. It breeds incompetence as faculties are not worried about the number of students attending their class. They can teach in whatever manner they want to and get away with it. The mark of a good teacher is to attract students to the class and keeping them engaged for the entire duration of the lecture. Students pay a lot for tuition fees. They don’t need draconian rules. They just need a congenial environment to study. 

Pakistan Explains

How to survive the 'Indian Education System'

This is in relation to a Facebook note by Asmita Mishra.

We have all heard and read a lot about how the Indian Education system, well, for the lack of a better word, sucks.

Everyone has different views on how we can improve it. A lot of good ideas have come up. We have even advocated copying the American System. All this because it’s more practical. 3 Idiots highlighted that fact. F.A.L.T.U. did the same. Hell, even our parents thought so when they were young. However, somehow something changes when people grow up. Our parents are now staunch supporters of everything that helps in getting good marks. Extra classes, tuitions, a plethora of tests and even compulsory attendance. Good marks are supposed to be directly proportional to success in a person’s life.

So, all the people who are studying, agree that we need to change the system. Absolutely. I agree. The problem with that is that there have been no major reforms in the way students are taught. We have failed to make changes. So what do we do now? Well, if you can’t beat them, then join them. But what about your views you say? You don’t have to let them go. Keep them. How?

Why can’t we be both, the student who works hard to get marks and the student who works hard to learn and understand?

I try to do it. Here’s how.

We know that parents have expectations from their children. They have like a level of marks that they expect from them. Try to achieve that level. Keep them satisfied. It will be difficult but try to stay at a level where they are not ecstatic about your marks but neither are they disappointed. It’s a thin line. I know. Still make sure you keep spare time to do the actually learning.

Now to the part which matter. Read as much as you can. Implement it in real life. Relate it to things you do. That’s how you learn things. Don’t restrict yourself. Learn whatever you want. It’s okay as long as you like it. Try to include the real learning stuff into the syllabus. Choose project topics wisely. Choose internships accordingly.

It’s not that tough. You just have to learn how to juggle between the two. It will become simpler as time passes.

When the frustration with the education system reduces it will make you happier, smarter and more curious. It will make the wait for the reforms more bearable. Try it.

Cheers

Window Seat

Before you start reading this post, keep one thing in your mind: I. Love. Trains. I love travelling in them. I even like to just stand in one place and watch the railway station do its thing. 

I had to go to Baroda [Vadodara] yesterday for some work. It was a one day trip. Train to Baroda in the morning and train back to Ahmedabad in the evening. 

I woke up at 5am. I usually don't get up early easily but then it was for a train journey, I was not complaining. Armed with a backpack, Kane and Able- Jeffery Archer, a packet of chips and a bottle of water I left home. The level of energy at the railway station so early in the morning is always inspiring. The feeling that you are a very small part of the world and that very few things will be affected by your actions and/or living/dying might be scary to others but I like it. It reassures me that I can do whatever I want to without worrying about the consequences it will have to the world. It's a liberating feeling.

Yea so I sat in my train. Gujarat Express. Summer vacations are on so the train was jam packed. I had a reserved seat but while I was going to my compartment I saw that even at 7am, lots of people had already picked up small fights with people around them. Uncles fighting, Aunties arguing and children jumping here and there. Ah, India! 

I had taken Kane and Able with me. It turned out to be a great idea. The sight of fields, the breeze and the book turned out to be the perfect combination. My journey to Baroda lasted for 2 hours. The day had started well. I had reached Baroda by 9am. The beauty of a relatively smaller city is that the mornings are more peaceful. The city had still not woken up. 

I completed my work by 5pm and then headed back to the railway station for my return journey. Inter-city. Yes that what the train was called. I had to outrun a kid to get the window seat. Yes I am bit obsessive about a window seat. Call me a kid but I should tell you, its worth it and hence it is a big deal. If you ever want to enjoy a sunset, you should either be on a beach or in a train's window seat. Music in my ears, wind blowing on my face and the sunset, I calmed down after a long day's work. It's the best feeling in the world. 

Another kid sitting opposite to me was looking down when the train stopped at the station. He saw black mucky water below in the drain and asked his mom,"Is that petrol? If they waste so much then the prices are bound to go up." Kids sometimes say the most amazing things. 

I finally gave the first kid my window seat. Yes it was only because my station had come. Is there any other why you give away a perfectly good window seat? So instead of Ahmedabad Jn. I got off at Maninagar. BRTS bus service zindabad!  It was going to take me within walking distance of my house. I was famished. I cold close my eyes and see mom's pulav. 

So I got into a HUGE line for the BRTS bus. People don't understand simple things. If two buses going to the same destination come together then all you have to do is let the mad crowd get into the first bus and then enjoy the extra space in the second bus. Dinner was postponed by 5 minutes but atleast I got a place to sit. Yes, window seat one more time. 

The bus started getting crowded really quickly. I offered my seat to a relatively elderly uncle. He asked me to give the seat to the 'ladies'. Who says Chivalry is dead? An old grandmother was unanimously chosen for the seat by the people around my seat. She smiled after sitting. The entrance was choc-a-block. This was when I decided that I needed to start moving towards the exit gate 3-4 stops before my stop to have any realistic chance of getting out. It was madness. People kept pushing. I pity girls who got sandwiched between guys. The guys had no intention. It was the effect of the brute force exerted by the people who wanted to get in. I somehow managed to squeeze out at my station. A small walk and I was home. Exhausted but smiling. It was 9pm. I had a bath, had pulav and decided to sleep early. 

As I lay on my bed. I thought about the day I had just experienced. It made me think about India as a country. We are good people. We are fun people. We fight. We quarrel. We care. We travel. We live. 

I never thought a to and fro train journey could make me feel patriotic. 

Feelings sometimes are inexplicable. It's their best feature. 

Keep Smiling :)

Whistle Blowers Bill

Hello everyone,

I am taking part in a blogging competition organised by a website called Mightylaws.in. They have a prize for the post which gets the most number of facebook 'likes'. I want to win the prize and hence I am asking for help. 

Kindly go to the article. Scroll down. There is a box which says 'press the like button to vote for this post'. Just click on it.

That's it.

Here's the link   http://www.mightylaws.in/567/whistleblower-bill

It would be a great help if you could do it. 

If you really like the article then you can share this note with your friends. 

I can use all the help that I can get. 

Just let me know once you've voted. :) 

Thanks

Apoorv 

Keep Smiling. :) 

What does Osama's death mean to Me!

Well, to be very very straightforward, nothing.

Before anything, we have to start with an assumption that Osama Bin Laden is actually dead. It's a big thing to assume considering we have no evidence. All we have is Barack Obama's word for it. Now we know how reliable that is, don't we? :)

So we assume he is dead.

So what?

How does it change things around us?

I read a tweet by a journalist which said  something like this 'The joys of journalism. I thought it would be slow Monday but woke up to Osama's death.'  The media has found something they can go on and on about. Good for them.

It's a win for the fight against terrorism you say? Well, you killed just 20 odd people. Some of them innocent. That'll solve everything now, won't it?

Osama was not even the operational head of the Al Qaeda. He was just a name which people had learnt because it was easy to pronounce for people of all accents. How many people can  say Mahmood Ahmadinejad? He's the President of Iran and was in the eye of the storm till very recently. I am telling you, its all in the name.

Indian government is very happy now. They said that now they can put even more pressure on Pakistan. Pakistan was under pressure? From India? Are you sure you are not talking about the World Cup 2011 Semi-final?

Obama is happy. He'll be re-elected. All his speeches will now end with the line, '...we killed Osama Bin Laden.' and the votes will keep tumbling in, just like the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.

Get ready for a lot of Osama jokes from people. This one's going to last a month atleast.

On a more serious note:

Just killing one terrorist isn't enough. It's just a start. We have to continue our anti-terrorist activities. Terrorists are not limited to Al Qaeda. Although, the US government will want you to believe otherwise.

So well, basically, its the same old world for people like me. We live. Just like the pre-osam-ic times.

Facebook Page.

Cheers

My experience during the India v Australia match of World Cup 2011

There were more than 5000 people in and around the stadium 5 hours before the match started. All roads led to the stadium. Everyone that knew anyone was asking for tickets. The security people were all over the place. Everyone was running around to see to it that everything is in place or maybe because they wanted to complete their work before the players came out to practice. I had a stadium pass. 

I was at the entrance gate a lot before the match started. The enthusiam of the spectators coming in and shouting "India India" was infectious. I sometimes got overwhelmed. It looked as if the entire country was coming in. People of all shapes, sizes and costumes. Everyone was happy. Everyone was excited. They were not spectators. They were followers of a religion. Cricket. 

Personalized T-shirts, funny caps, fundo hairdo, posters and variotions in their chants. All this and more 2 hours before the match. A cricket match is possibily the only place where people come in before time. They come in and stare at even the roller rolling the feild. All eyes go towards the pavilion, Just to see if they can catch a glimpse of a Dhoni or a Harbhajan. Sachin waving or even smiling at a section of a crowd would send the entire block into a frenzy. I don't think Sachin is God because there are a few people who don't believe in God but with Sachin, no one is an exception. He is worshipped. He is....beyond words.

The match. Australia to bat. All dots balls were cheered. All near chances Ah-ed. Pointing was the center of hatred. Maybe because of his previous comments or maybe because he is someone everyone loves to hate. 260 was a competitive score. The match hung in the balance at the break. The 40 minute break flew by. 

Sachin who was welcomed to crease with the cheer that only he can recieve, crashed his first ball to be boundary and the crowd went high. Chanting, dancing, swearing (a lot) and at the edge of their seat. People started standing up as soon as the bolwer began his run up. It was as if the spectators were facing the devilery and not the batsmen. Every boundary was greeted with thunderous noise. Everytime the DJ on the field played Chak De , everyone stood up and sung as if it was the National Anthem.

Good bolwing, fielding was appreciated. Sledging was boo-ed. It actually gave the crowd extra strength. Some of the words spoken would put a roadside mawali to shame. 

The 2nd innigings had more twists and turns then an Monaco racing track. Dhoni caught by a high flying Clarke and then the DJ playing Thunderstruck was just plain ironic. 

The ending was the most emphatic moment of them all. Yuvraj's expression after hitting the boundary was priceless, to say the least. The swing of the bat and the roar will be etched in the minds of cricket fans for years to come. He showed how much this win meant for him and the rest of the country. The crowd went out of control. There was a very loud combined cheer of a YEAAAH!! from the entire stadium. People were jumping. Couples were hugging. Music was playing. Crowd was swaying. It took about 5 minutes for the feeling to sink in and for people to stop shouting and jumping over one another. Spectators bowed dow to Yuvraj. It was hesteric. The feeling cannot be described. It is something that only people in the stadium can feel can understand. 

It seemed as if, for a moment in time, we were all connected. Just for that instance, nothing mattered. There were no worries, no problems. The legs which were tired could not stop jumping. The soar throat got new life. The guy in the neighbouring seat who gave his own commentary all throughout the match was the one you gave high-fives to. Congratulatory messages were sent to everyone and anyone we knew. It showed that it was not just a team victory. It was India who had won and we being Indias deserved to be congratulated. Spectators don't just watch cricket. They feel it. They are a part of the action. They are emotional about it. Spectotors held the flag close as if it was their dearest and the most precious posession. INDIA INDIA chants were all that could be heard. The roads were filled with people who could not make it to the stadium. Everyone would have slept with a smile on their face. Arguably, the best day of my life. :) 

Cricket is not a religion. It is something that makes people forget that there are different religions. It is not just a sport. It is a movement that has a billion followers in the country. 

Now, 30th March. National Holiday anyone? 

Pakistan, here we come.

P.S. - As we all know, India later on went on to beat Pakistan and later on won the World Cup. India, champions of cricket 2011. Indian and proud.