Thursday, March 11, 2021
I want to be a changepreneur”
Kartikeya Goel’s mission to give back to society has resulted in three platforms that help empower the underprivileged and youth
“It’s important to have big dreams but it’s also very important to work hard,” says Delhi-based Kartikeya Goel. “Just having a passion is not enough.”
Eighteen-year-old Kartikeya has founded three organisations: Assist that gives underprivileged kids the opportunity to play basketball; an e-commerce platform Karfa to help artisans; the National Youth Parliament Organisation that gives young people a voice.
Excerpts from a chat with the changepreneur, as he calls himself:
What made you start Assist?
In 2016, while playing at a stadium, I saw many underprivileged kids watching us. When I wondered why they weren’t participating, my coach said, ‘because they don’t have the equipment to play.’ He also pointed out that they could only give a few subsidised rates.
At home, I had a small basketball court on the terrace. So I started training the children of our domestic help. Over two months, there was a major change in their lifestyle, behaviour and discipline. That’s what sports does to you.
Then, in 2018, I went to the IMG Academy to train and my coach asked me to start a project through which I could help the community. So I came up with Assist. Just because they belong to a certain section in society, their basic right to play sports or enjoy their life shouldn’t be denied.
You have been vocal about your journey with ADHD. How has it impacted your life?
In India, mental health is a huge problem. People don’t want to talk about it. I was diagnosed when I was young and, for me, to study in school was always a problem. My situation has improved because of playing sports, which really helps.
What was the reason to start Karfa?
I have always liked fashion and preferred to read Vogue over my school books. I also noticed that the prices of artisanal products differed at, say, a Santiniketan mela or Suraj Niketan mela and when sold commercially in a store. So I thought, why not create an e-commerce platform where the products can be sold without middle-men. The idea was to create a free and fair market for artisans.
Your most recent project is NYPO, through which you are holding the Budget Dialogues 2021. Why are the youth’s opinions important?
In Budget Dialogues, we have children from across India participating. We will compile all the budgets presented by children for various ministries and send them to various parliamentarians and to the PMO.
The youth makes up about 30% of the country but we don’t participate in the budgeting decisions even though we are affected by it. Talking about the government’s various acts or bills is not enough. I think it is important to take the youth’s opinions on board.
What are your plans for the future?
I will be attending Babson College in Boston, the U.S. and all my projects can be carried forward. I would like to start an Assist collaboration with the college and take Karfa to the Lewis Institute of Social Innovation to get it incubated. I also hope to take NYPO to the US as it is a political organisation. Small steps in the future and I hope we can do good things.
Source: The Hindu, 21/01/21
IGNOU launches MA in folklore and culture studies through ODL mode
The candidates with a minimum bachelor's degree can apply for the programme. Interested candidates can apply for till March 15
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) today launched a post graduate (MA) programme in folklore and culture studies from January 2021 academic session. The course is being offered by School of Inter-Disciplinary and Trans-Disciplinary Studies at IGNOU through open distance learning (ODL) mode.
According to IGNOU, the programme aims to find out the relation between folk culture and context through various frameworks borrowed from disciplines such as literature, history, sociology, anthropology, folklore studies and emerging disciplines such as culture studies.
The course will focus on time, geography, space and literature of the folklore and culture of the world in general, and of country in particular. The programme coordinator is professor Nandini Sahu.
The candidates with a minimum bachelor’s degree can apply for the programme. Interested candidates can apply for till March 15.
Source: Indian Express, 11/03/21
UPSC Prelims 2021: Top preparation tips for history
The UPSC Prelims are scheduled for 27th June. Here is how to strategise your history preparation for the exams.Let’s face it: History isn’t a very popular subject among students, thanks to its vastness. However, it is a very important subject while it comes to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Prelim and Main exams. In fact, almost 15 percent of the questions in the 1st paper (General Studies) of UPSC Prelims, are from history, art and culture.
A civil service aspirant is going to be one of the top administrators of the country and a sound knowledge of national and world history is a must for taking critical administerial decision. That is precisely the reason behind the importance of this subject in civil services exams. So, whether you like it or not, you have to study history thoroughly if you want to come out with flying colours in the UPSC exams. In these exams, the syllabus for this subject is divided into three segments: Ancient India, Medieval India and Modern India. As the date for UPSC Prelims comes closer (27th June), you need to put your act together and brace up for a lot of hard work to ace the exam. As you burn the midnight oil to become the best administrator, follow our history preparation plan to boost your UPSC score.
Ancient India: What to focus on
The 8th Century AD marks the end of ancient period and it includes eras like Stone Age, Palaeolithic Age, Mesolithic Age, Neolithic Age and Chalcolithic Age, Indus Valley Civilisation, Vedic Period. Here is what you need to concentrate on:
• Stone Age, Palaeolithic Age, Mesolithic Age, Neolithic Age and Chalcolithic Age: Important incidents
• Indus Valley Civilisation: Socio-economic cultural aspects, scripts, art and construction
• Vedic Period: Religion, politics, economics, literature and philosophy
Medieval India: What to focus on
Medieval Indian History spans from 8th to 18th century AD. The UPSC exam papers don’t pay much importance to this segment. However, you can’t skip it altogether. Limit your preparation to the following areas:
• Socio-economic and political regimen during the Sultanate, Mughal and Vijayanagar Empire
• Sufi and Bhakti religious movements, their sequence and socio-economic impact
• Art and culture of the period
Modern India: What to focus on
This segment covers the time period from the rise of foreign power in India to the country’s struggle for freedom. Majority of the history questions in UPSC prelims come from this section. While studying modern Indian history, organise the topics chronologically and unit-wise. Special emphasis should be laid on:
• The rise of East India Company
• Surrender of Indian provinces to the British and the country’s reactions against it
• Economic policies adopted by the British administration
• Key incidents of the Indian freedom struggle
• Socio-cultural effects of the freedom struggle
• Political and administrative policies of the British administration: Permanent settlement, acts, reports, and committees set up during this time.
Refer to the right books
This is crucial for your success in the UPSC prelims exams. These suggestions will be helpful for you.
Ancient India
• NCERT Class VI: Ancient India (Old Version)
• NCERT Class XI: Ancient India (Old Version)
Medieval India
• NCERT Class VII, XI: Medieval India (Old)
• NCERT Class IX: Story of Civilization Part-I (old edition)
• NCERT Class X: Story of Civilization Part-II (old edition)
Modern India
• India’s Ancient Past: R.D. Sharma
• Indian Art and Culture: Nitin Singhania
• India’s Struggle for Independence: Bipan Chandra
Learn to memorise the facts and dates
Make short notes of the facts, names, places and dates that you struggle to remember. Go through the notes time and again. This will enhance your recall capacity.
Make history interesting
As a civil service aspirant, you always run against time. But taking short breaks can improve your productivity if use them judiciously. Once in a while, make time for watching a periodic movie based on any topic included in your UPSC history syllabus, or read a historical fiction. Browsing through the biographies of historical personalities is also a good idea. All these can go a long way in helping you grasp history as a subject.
Source:Hindustan Times, 10/03/21
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Quote of the Day March 10, 2021
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all”
Dale Carnegie
“दुनिया की महत्त्वपूर्ण वस्तुओं में से ज्यादातर उन व्यक्तियों द्वारा प्राप्त की गई हैं जिन्होंने बिलकुल आशा नहीं होते हुए भी प्रयास करना नहीं बंद किया।”
डेल कार्नेगी
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