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Tuesday, August 02, 2016

A Great Tool For Improving Relationships
Radhanath Swami


Forgiveness has always been helpful in building strong, stable and good relationships. According to great saints of all traditions, a definition of love is the capacity to endlessly forgive.The love of parents is that they forgive their child no matter what he has done.Forgiveness does not necessarily mean that a person should not pay a particular price to learn the lesson. Forgiveness means to be the well-wisher of even our persecutors and to think in terms of their welfare. Inner peace, the Bhagwad Gita teaches, is to change oneself. Inner peace will never come by changing the peace of those who have cheated or hurt us. We cannot succeed unless we change our own attitudes and perceptions.A great thinker has said, “If we do not forgive, we are breaking the bridge that we must cross in order to be forgiven for improper things that we have done.“ We see in the West that the divorce rate is 71% within three years of marriage.We see fighting between brothers, friends, people of the same spiritual mission and among races. The inability to choose to forgive creates pain, suffering and chaos. It can last for generations; even centuries.People cannot forgive what someone had done to their forefathers a thousand years ago ­ they still hate and want revenge. That is the world we live in.
Without forgiveness, no relationship can survive. This is a foundational universal principle of all spiritual teachers in all spiritual paths. teachers in all spiritual paths.
The Supreme is all-forgiving.He has the power to forgive anyone of sins, abuses and blasphemy . Krishna says in the Gita, “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.“
The Supreme Absolute Truth is all-forgiving and we have been given the power to forgive because we are part of the Supreme.
In the New Testament Jesus Christ taught his devotees how to pray: “My Lord, please forgive me as I forgive others who have trespassed me.“ In forgiving, we are forgiven. In forgiving is the bridge that we must cross to be forgiven. We should not burn down that bridge.
When Jesus was on the crucifix after being beaten, tortured and blasphemed, just before he entered into samadhi his last prayer was, “My dear father, please forgive them. They do not know what they do.“ That is a spiritual principle. It is said, “Forgiveness is the I fragrance that a sweet smelling flower like a rose or violet leaves on the heel that has just crushed it.“
The Mahabharata describes how the Pandavas were exiled to the forest by the envious Duryodhana who tried to kill and defame them. He cheated them of all their rightful property and their service to humanity. He took everything away . They were meant to be living in the palace as kings and queens, but they were struggling in the forest.
One day Draupadi said to Yudhisthira in a distressed voice, “You are meant to be king. I can't tolerate that you have to eat wild fruits and are sleeping on grass. You should be on the throne. This is unbearable. We should go and do something to Duryodhana.“ Yudhisthira replied, “If we become envious, then we have caught the contagious disease of Duryodhana. To be forgiving is real victory .“
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Monday, August 01, 2016

Economic and Political Weekly: Table of Contents


Vol. 51, Issue No. 31, 30 Jul, 2016

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IIMs announced Registration for Common Admission Test 2016 (CAT 2016
Bangalore: Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have announced the Registration for Common Admission Test 2016 (CAT 2016). The Advertisement for CAT 2016 has been released in newspapers across the country on 31st July, 2016 (Sunday).
 
In a press release issued today by Prof. Rajendra K. Bandi, Convenor, CAT 2016, IIM Bangalore, the following are the salient features important for CAT 2016 aspirants:
 
·      CAT 2016 will be conducted in two sessions on one day. The exam will be held on 4th December, 2016 (Sunday).
·      The exam will be conducted in 138 cities.
·      Candidates will be given the option to select 4 Test Cities in order of preference.  Test Cities and Centers will be assigned to the candidates only after the last date for CAT 2016 registration and hence candidates need not rush to block slots and sites in the initial days of registration. 
·      We will try our best to assign candidates to their first preferred city.  In case it is not possible, they will be assigned a city following their given order of preference.  In the rare case that a candidate is not allotted any of the preferred cities, he/she will be allotted to an alternate city. However, candidates will not be able to select the session because it will be assigned randomly.
·      Candidates must pay the registration fee through online mode only, including Credit Card, Debit Card, and Net Banking.
·      After submission of Application, candidates will be permitted to download their Admit Card from October 18, 2016 onwards, till the date of examination.
·      The duration of the examination will be 180 minutes. There will be three sections:
o      Section I: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
o      Section II: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
o      Section III: Quantitative Ability

Some questions in each section may not be of multiple choice type.  Instead, direct answers are to be typed on the screen. The tutorials will clearly explain this.  Also, we will allow use of basic on-screen calculator for computation.
·      Candidates will be allotted exactly 60 minutes for answering questions in each section and they cannot switch from one section to another while answering questions in a section.
·      Tutorial to understand the format of the examination will be available on the CAT website from 18th October 2016. Candidates are advised to work on the tutorials, available on the website, well in advance.

 
Candidates are welcome to contact the helpdesk over mail or phone if they have any queries on any matter related to CAT 2016.
 
Important Dates:
 
1.       Online Registration: 8th August to 22nd September 2016, 5:00 p.m.
2.       Download of Admit Card: 18th October 2016, 1:00 p.m. to Exam Day
3.       Test Date: 4th December 2016 (Sunday) (Forenoon & Afternoon Sessions)
4.       Release of Results: Second week of January 2017 (Tentative)

 
 
Contact Information:
 
Website: www.iimcat.ac.in
Help Desk email ID: cathelpdesk@iimcat.ac.in
Help Desk Number: 1-800-266-3549
(Monday to Saturday 09:00 a.m. to 05:30 p.m.; not available on National / Public Holidays)
 
Correspondence Address: CAT Centre 2016
C/O Admissions Office
IIM Bangalore
Bannerghatta Road
Bangalore 560 076
Contact Number: 080-2699 3388

Source: The Hindu, 31-07-2016
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Where creativity meets strategy

Communication and media professionals need to deliver a range of assets beyond just text.

With the proliferation of social media, we are truly operating in ‘real-time’ and thus, our decisions and responses need to be made on a reactive and proactive basis. The power of speech is much more diverse and it is increasingly difficult for media houses to dogmatize information and opinions. Everyone can engage in real-time public debates. This is a great opportunity for the communication industry.
Content has always been king. However, beyond content are the demands of one’s desired audience, as content is shaped to resonate with their values, desires and beliefs. This also means that media and communication professionals need to deliver a range of communication assets beyond text. Delivering with speed is also essential in new media.
One of the most compelling driving forces within the communication remit is the rise, influence and impact of the millennial audience. There is a knowledge gap on part of companies and individuals outside the industry, who are still not au fait with its value and credibility and the power that lies in the communication industry to make, break and elevate brands.
Communication is one of those industries that requires as much hands-on experience as possible — academic leanings of the media industry can help one understand the basics, but it is the day-to-day understanding of a client, their brand and the market they operate in that will help us ensure that we consider the nuances to articulate our thoughts in a communication strategy.
A media and communication industry is the medium where creative thought meets strategy to create a positive impact. It is an influencer and as consumers before professionals, we have all been testaments to its role to empower audiences to shape perceptions, educate, change behaviour and inspire positive action.
When I started my career, it was not common to see highly successful Indian women in the communications sector. Also, the media sector was and still is male-dominated. These factors may seem intimidating for a starter, but they were also my driving forces.
In terms of gender equality in the workplace, strides have been made but even in the Western world, inequalities still exist in terms of there being a limited number of women holding top-tier positions within companies right through to the ongoing issue of gender pay gaps.
Gender equality can only be achieved when everyone, irrespective of being a woman or a man has access and enjoy the same rewards, opportunities and resources. It’s not about special rights but having equal rights. The aim of gender equality should be to achieve the same outcomes for both genders for the same level of work. We need to redefine leadership qualities so that these qualities don’t look gendered any more. Hopefully, this will ensure that we have a more diverse pool of talent across all levels of work.
For those eyeing the communication industry as a future prospect, create a value in what you are doing, otherwise you are bound to feel empty about your career. Do not be put off by the first few years of your work, which usually involve many routine administrative tasks. Admin is the bedrock to any successful campaign. And above all, never forget that you can be a change maker. Work hard. Know your strengths and always surround yourself with a team that brings out the best in you. Never underestimate the power of initiative and innovation. Embrace fully the role of change agents, focus more on the ‘can’ and the ‘why not’ — a positive outlook goes a long way.
Natasha Mudhar, CEO and MD of Sterling Group
Source: The Hindu, 1-08-2016
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Afforestation Bill: A move in the right direction

The approval of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Bill, 2016 in the Rajya Sabha comes as a breath of fresh air into the otherwise stagnant debate over environmental concerns getting short shrift in the face of the development agenda.
The Bill, passed in the Lok Sabha earlier, will create an institutional mechanism to use around Rs 48,000 crore to mitigate the impact of diversion of forest land for non-forest use. The positive thing about this Bill is that 90% of the fund will be spent by the states on afforestation and related work. Odisha will get the maximum amount of funds with Jammu and Kashmir getting the least. The Congress expressed concerns, and justifiably so, about the rights of tribals and forest dwellers, the latter guaranteed under the Forest Rights Act 2006.
There are certain pitfalls that must be guarded against as the government proceeds with squaring development with environmental protection. For example, development projects should not be pushed as far as possible in the middle of protected forest areas as this would result in fragmentation of the forest land. In turn, this could affect the movement of animals and create areas that would be exposed to degradation. The waste from development projects, which invariably in the Indian context means industrial plants, are often dumped in these vulnerable ecosystems with disastrous results. When reforestation is undertaken, it is important to understand that it is best to go in for native species and not ones that either do not flourish in the area or adversely affect the ecosystem. The government must learn from past mistakes. In Karnataka, for example, despite massive investments in afforestation, the area under cover actually went down from 1997 to 2011. Today, 40% of India’s forests are classified as degraded. Now that the Bill has been passed, there is a real chance that India can also go in for natural regeneration of its degraded forests, which in the long run can work out cheaper than creating new plantations. For this, the government needs to study best practices from across the world. Environment minister Anil Madhav Dave must be held to his word that the fund will be spent in a transparent manner.
The management of forests, as things are now, is prone to large-scale corruption, which ranges from shortcuts in identifying and buying saplings to the actual planting and protection work. It is understandable that a developing country cannot put its economic agenda on hold. But environmental security has to be attended to simultaneously to secure the rights of those who depend on the forests for their livelihood and also as an antidote the ill-effects of climate change.
Source: Hindustan Times, 1-08-2016
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Bring more women into the workforce to reap benefits of demographic dividend

India’s young demography is a well-documented global story. However, there is much more to the human capital of a country than a headcount of the workforce. It is also about quality and casting the net wide to make the labour market more gender equitable. In 1990, only 60% of 21-year-old women — the average age for a person joining the queue of job hopefuls — were literate. With men, there was 70% literacy at age 21. This has vastly improved in a quarter century: 85% of women and 90% of men at age 21 are now literate. At this rate, in all likelihood, soon, 100% of the 21-year-olds going into the labour force will be literate.

Indeed, for those with exposure to better opportunities, there are optimistic signs. More and more women are taking over as corporate bosses breaking through the glass ceiling in industries that were earlier considered male-only bastions in India. This mirrors the growing pool of women in C-Suite positions in industries that were mostly led by male executives. About 11% of 240 large companies have women CEOs, according to a study carried out by EMA Partners in 2009. In comparison, only 3% of the Fortune 500 companies have women CEOs. About half of these women CEOs are in the financial services sector, but the manufacturing sector, which traditionally did not attract too many women, is now increasingly appointing lady CEOs.
Yet, women lag behind men in many social indicators like education and employment opportunities. For instance, India ranks among the lowest in the world in female labour force participation, behind even relative low-income countries such as Bhutan and Bangladesh. According to the World Bank, India’s female labour force participation is at 27%, compared to Bhutan’s 67% and Bangladesh’s 58%. Since the beginning of the reforms programme in 1991, India’s female labour force participation has fallen from 35% to 27%, a clear sign that the organised sector has employed fewer women compared to men. If the Indian economy were an aircraft in mid-flight, it is facing the equivalent of a frightful turbulence. The rough patches in a 25-year flight have spooked some passengers more. Major drawbacks in the economy are keeping millions of women from moving up on the “income” ladder and “well-being”. For a country where parents in many pockets still treasure boys over girls, tapping the wealth of women’s talent, which account for half of India’s workforce, is critical for reaping the demographic dividend.

Source: Hindustan Times, 1-08-2016
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The Gift Of Life
FR STEPHEN FERNANDES


God is the author of life and life is God's gift to us. Hence, we need to protect, preserve and promote the gift of human life. When organ transplantation is undertaken, the work of God becomes manifest through those who donate their organs. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), “Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity .“ Hence, organ donation is not only an ethical act but it is to be encouraged. Pope St. John Paul II gave his support for organ donation, calling it a “genuine act of love.... a way of nurturing a genuine culture of life.“Pope Pius XII declared that based on the principle of brotherly love -called fraternal charity -both living and cadaver donations are acceptable to the Catholic Church.He underscored the point that the donor is making a sacrifice of himself for the good of another person.
Do you wish to pledge your organs? Then just go ahead and do so, for you should have no fear in performing such a charitable and heroic act.According to the CCC, organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good that is sought for the recipient. Further, “Autopsies can be morally permitted for legal inquests or scientific research. The free gift of organs after death is legitimate and can be meritorious.“
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