Conference Call for Papers: ‘Rethinking Svaraj’ 15-17 January, 2015, MCPH), Manipal (Karnataka)

Conference Call for Papers: ‘Rethinking Svaraj’ 15-17 January, 2015, MCPH), Manipal (Karnataka)

CONFERENCE CALL FOR PAPERS: ‘RETHINKING SVARAJ’

Date: 15-17 January, 2015.
Organiser/Venue: Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities (MCPH), Manipal, Karnataka INDIA.

In his ‘Svaraj in Ideas’, the philosopher K. C. Bhattacharya discusses the question of intellectual self-determination. (The lecture can be found at http://www.unipune.ac.in/snc/cssh/ipq/english/vol11_4.htm). Taking its point of department from Bhattacharya’s essay, this conference aims to create new philosophical knowledge regarding the concept of svaraj through an ontological rather than a political lens. Topics may include: the Kantian (or German idealist) conception of autonomy and KCB’s notion of self-determination; Bhattacharya on the ‘hybridization’ of ideas, and the contemporary hermeneutical tradition
(for instance, Gadamer); svaraj and the notion of self-creation in the Western philosophical tradition (e.g., Nietzsche); the possibility of decentring Gandhi on svaraj; etc.

Essays must make an original contribution to the topic; and must be explicitly situated within the Western tradition of philosophy. All contemporary philosophical approaches – hermeneutical, phenomenological, deconstructive, psychoanalytical, etc. – are welcome.

Please send essays no longer than 3,000 words (excluding footnotes) to: svaraj.mcph@gmail.com. To ensure blind reviewing, authors’ names and affiliations should not appear in the paper.

Paper presenters will be given 2nd AC train fare and free accommodation. Submissions from PhD scholars are encouraged, but will be evaluated on the same basis as regular contributions.

For a more detailed description of the conference, please visit: barefootphilosophers.wordpress.com.

Please contact Apaar Kumar (apaarkumar.mcph@gmail.com) for additional information.

The last date for submissions is: 15 October, 2014.

Journal of Exclusive Management Science: Call for Papers

Journal of Exclusive Management Science: Call for Papers

(A Monthly International Journal) www.jems.net.in Online: ISSN 2277 – 5684                                                 Print: ISSN 2320-866X CALL FOR PAPERS [October 2014 Issue] Articles are called for publication throughout the year.                  Authors can submit their papers/articles through the e-mail address: jemseditor@gmail.com PUBLICATION POLICY Our policy is to promote and publish quality research articles among teachers, scholars and professionals around the world. Journal of Exclusive Management Science (JEMS) is an international peer blind reviewed journal.  It will be published On-Line and Print Every Month. Authors Guidelines: http://jems.net.in/AuthorGuideline.htm Last date of submission of Articles/Papers: 28th Day of Every Month*. * If accepted after review, authors concerned will be communicated of the month of publication of their Articles/Papers. INDEXED AND LISTED IN

WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?

Reema Gehi TWEETS @ReemaGehi





It's not rocket science. Making money, retaining and doubling it is about changing your mind's blueprint

Flitting between England, Dubai and Mumbai, Arfeen Khan coaches clients in the art of making, retaining and multi plying money. He is a life and financial coach rolled into one, and the author of The Secret Millionaire Blueprint. In the 17 years that he has been a coach, Khan says 80 per cent of people he has encountered have grown up believing either that money is hard to make, or that it is the root of all evil. “These thoughts are rooted deep in our subconscious, and have overtaken our thinking,“ he says, asking, “What's wrong with making money? Stop feeling guilty if you desire to make loads of it.“The workshop he conducted in Mumbai over the weekend saw him address corporates, young professionals, homemakers and students, haring with them the million dollar thinker's blueprint.“If fear, lack of clarity and knowledge are reversed, you are on your way to being a financial genius,“ he promises.
Here's the Khan's blueprint, designed for Mirror readers.
CHASE CLARITY
Nine out of 10 people, says Khan, have no idea what they will do with their lives. “It's always, `I want to make money, enjoy time with family and go on a few holidays a year',“ he shares.Interestingly, every rich and successful person you'll meet will be clear about goals to achieve.The problem, he believes, is linked to confused identity. “When you ask them, `Who are you?' they'll tell you what they do.Very few end up describing their character.“
DEFINE YOUR CIRCLE
People you associate yourself with have a profound impact on how you will think and behave. It's important then to choose your circle of influence judiciously. This doesn't mean you stalk those with an eight-figure bank balance.“Not every successful person has money to show for it,“ argues Khan. “But they are happy, contended, comfortable and good at what they do.“
Your associate could be a storyteller, musician or an artist, not making pots of money, but still very successful. Learn from their skill set, and apply it to your life.
FIND A COMPELLING REASON
Look at the successful Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi. They didn't just have a reason; they had a `compel ling' reason, and it helped them achieve success in whatever they were seeking. “You must wake up in the morning thinking about that compelling reason to motivate you. It's what'll drive you to go to work. It has to be a reason more compelling than, `because it pays my bills',“ he says.
TURN INTO A MONEY MANAGER
All monetarily successful people have great money-managing skills. “But investing money is not enough“, says Khan. “You have to be specific, and have clarity on what you'd like to do with the cash at hand. Rich people know exactly how » PAGE 21

Aug 27 2014 : The Economic Times (Bangalore)

UGC, Don't Stifle Teaching Innovation





Let IITs and private varsities experiment

The University Grants Commission (UGC) is needlessly pushing IITs to scrap their four-year undergraduate programmes (FYUP). Conformity with the UGC's national policy was used as the instrument to end Delhi University's misguided FYUP . Now, the UGC wants to straitjacket that national policy on the Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science and some innovative private universities. This is a grave error. India needs reform in higher education to compete in an increasingly knowledge-intensive economy . Students graduating from our universities should have the ability to think out of the box and to innovate. All this calls for a change in culture including how courses are designed, and how institutions are run. The UGC should not be a stumbling block in nurturing innovation. Rather, its policy framework should not just leave room for but also encourage innovation and experimentation.UGC's fiat infringes on the autonomy of IITs that are governed by a separate Act of Parliament. There is every reason for these institutions to experiment with varied programmes. The UGC and the government must encourage, rather than thwart, innovation in pedagogy . Centres of excellence such as the IITs and the IISc and small, private universi ties are ideal for carrying out such experiments. If found successful, these can then be deployed in larger universities across the country .
An FYUP is a prerequisite for admission to the masters' programme in the US and some other foreign varsities. If some Indian students want to pursue a four-year degree in preparation for a Master's abroad, why should the UGC stand in the way? The DU experiment was illconceived and rushed through without proper consultations with all stakeholders. The extra one year in the DU programme was devoted to 12 compulsory but substandard foundation courses. Not just poor course design. DU also lacked the capacity for additional seats to house the fourth batch of students. A flawed DU experiment should not throttle innovation elsewhere through the UGC.

Aug 27 2014 : The Economic Times (Bangalore)

IITs Propose Internship to Promote NE Integration

Ritika Chopra

New Delhi





To host 2,016 schools students from northeastern states on their campuses during vacation

In a move prompted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for integration of northeastern states, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have now collectively proposed to offer internships and exposure trips meant exclusively for students of this region.The country's premier engineering schools made a presentation to Modi and HRD Minister Smriti Irani last week in which they proposed to host 2,016 schools students from northeastern states on their campuses during vacation and also offer internships to 250 college stu dents for a monthly stipend of Rs 8,000.
According to sources, the programme, tentatively titled `Ishaan Vikaas', has the approval of both Modi and Irani. The presentation was made by director of IIT Guwahati Guatam Biswas.
“There is an imbalance between the educational facilities available in the northeastern states and the rest of the country. Students here not aware of the opportunities in higher education and therefore lack the ambition to succeed. The proposal made on behalf of the IITs is aimed at helping them spend time at the country's best institutes to hone their approach to academics and life,“ said an IIT director, who did not wish to be identified. Integration of northeast states is one of the main thrust areas of the HRD Ministry and the programme has been proposed by the IITs at the behest of Irani. “In June the minister has asked the IITs to come up with a proposal for northeast students.This is a stop gap measure till the government can improve the education standards of the region,“ said a government officer, who did not wish to be identified.
Under Ishaan Vikaas, the 16 IITs and 5 IISERs will host 2,016 students of classes IX and XI selected from 504 schools (63 schools from each of the seven states) in one academic year. Each of the 21 institutions will invite two batches of 32 students each during the summer break and one batch during the winter break.Each batch will have an equal number of class IX and XI students.During their stay, school students will attend lectures, discussions, visit classrooms and laboratories and they will also have senior students as their mentors.
Students from 25 governmentfunded institutions will be invited to intern under the mentorship of the faculty members of IITs.

Aug 27 2014 : The Economic Times (Bangalore)

If You're Thinking Social Innovation, Think Hubli

Pankaj Mishra1

Hubli:





Gururaj Deshpande's sandbox model identifies and incubates ideas and help them scale up

Last Saturday Phanindra Sama, the founder of bus-ticketing portal Redbus, was engrossed in a huddle discussing the challenges of developing services for those living in villages.He had made a small fortune developing a service for the tech-savvy and had come to Hubli in northwestern Karnataka to understand how to spend some of that fortune on stimulating entrepreneurship where it is needed the most.
“I'll not attempt building roads or tanks like the government does.What I can do as an entrepreneur is help people experiment and scale ideas that matter,“ said Sama, who had made a 400-km journey to the Deshpande Foundation, the social innovation hub of India, from Bangalore, the country's technology hub.
Emulating the work of Gururaj `Desh' Deshpande, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur who once was India's richest man, Sama is looking to replicate the `Hubli Sandbox' in his hometown Nizamabad in Telangana. Sama, 33, has teamed up with Raju Reddy , the founder of IT services company Sierra Atlantic, to sponsor the `Kakatiya Sandbox'. Kakatiya Sandbox is named after the progressive dynasty that ruled presentday Telangana between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. In Hubli with Sama and Deshpande that day was Lalitesh Katragadda, the former Google India head of products and the brain behind Google Maps. He had joined a group that was discussing how technology could play a role in solving the problems of ordinary folk in the Hubli region. “A day spent here with the users is equal to a year of research,“ said Katragadda after field trips across Hubli to understand hardships of people in remote villages. At the centre of all this is Deshpande who, over the years, has built the `sandbox' as a space for free thinking, experimentation and innovation to find solutions to real-world problems. “Great ideas don't need to be patentable or the first in the world; they don't make any impact unless directed to a burning problem,“ said Deshpande, the founder of several Silicon Valley communication technology companies and a venture capitalist.
Over the years, Deshpande -he is related by marriage to Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and an adviser on innovation and entrepreneurship to US President Barack Obama ­­ has created a model that identifies and incubates ideas and helps them scale. One example of an idea that scaled thanks to Deshpande's sandbox model is Akshaya Patra, the midday meal scheme that feeds millions of school children everyday. He has been able to attract the finest talents and get them to pool their intellectual resources to incubate entrepreneurial ideas in the social sector. So that is why researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology travel halfway round the world to take up his challenge. And that is also why former minister Jairam Ramesh was attracted to Hubli. “This is entrepreneurship of a different variety. It is about creating pull, not push,“ said Ramesh.
So, where are the next Akshaya Patras? “There are 50 ideas that we now have, all in the process of scaling up. At least three of them could be the next ones,“ said Deshpande, who is in his sixties. For the `Kakatiya Sandbox,' Sama and his team have picked Srikanth Bolla as the first entrepreneur who will receive their help. Bolla, who is visually challenged and received a fellowship from MIT's Public Service Center in 2011, has built a training centre and digital library for the blind. “The Hubli model has been perfected through investments over many years: we could fund it to eternity here,“ said Sama, who sold his company to Ibibo group for about `. 600 crore.
In 2007, when Deshpande started the sandbox along with his wife Jaishree (she is the sister of Sudha Murty, the woman who provided seed capital for Infosys), Hubli offered more problems than he had imagined. But the biggest challenge was that several NGOs and self-help groups were chasing problems with their own versions of solutions.“Great ideas don't need to be patentable or the first in the world; they don't make any impact unless directed to a burning problem,“ he said. Since then, he's been investing about ` . 20 crore annually to fund focussed groups of NGOs, entrepreneurs and students to help create an ecosystem where new ideas could be tried without any fear of failure. It's almost like attempting to build a Silicon Valley for social innovation.
From a brake system for bullock carts that ensures that the animals don't get hurt while stopping to software-enabled machines that help producers automate the entire process of sorting cashewnuts according to their quality, the ideas have been getting incubated at a brisk pace. “We do see failure rates of 80%, but that's natural,“ said Naveen Jha, the CEO of Deshpande Foundation. Like Silicon Valley, Deshpande's sandbox has attracted some influential sponsors such as Ratan Tata. One of the projects adopted by Tata is Manuvikasa ­­ an initiative to build farm ponds for farmers, helping them to avoid installing water pumpsets that consume electricity. By storing rain water, the farmers are now also able to grow multiple crops in a year, save extra water for cattle and household needs, and improve groundwater levels. Another entrepreneur, Sasisekar Krish, a computer chip designer who worked at Wipro for eight years before starting up, found an interesting problem to solve. Many cashewnut producers in the Hubli region were facing a shortage of workers who could grade different varieties of the nuts according to their quality. Krish developed a machine with an embedded software application that helps do the job.So far, he has sold around 40 machines and hopes to earn nearly ` . 10 crore in revenue this year. For Deshpande, entrepreneurship is a subtle yet clear idea. “When somebody else gives you a problem to solve, it's homework. But if you pick a problem yourself to solve, it's an entrepreneurial opportunity.“

Aug 27 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

TREND INC - Cos hire only women if female talent quits

NamrataSingh

Mumbai:





Adopt New Rule To Improve Gender Ratio

Making up for the loss of a woman talent with another woman hire is the new mantra at India Inc, which is going all-out to improve upon its gender diversity ratio at the workplace. Sodexo India, Fluor, an engineering, procurement and construction maintenance firm, and Pitney Bowes, a global technology company , follow such a practice of replacing a woman employee with another woman employee.Gender ratios are currently skewed towards male employees even in some of the most progressive organizations today . There appears to be a sense of urgency with which companies are adopting new practices to improve their gender ratios.
“We have come up with a new practice of replacing a woman with only a woman. If we lose out on a woman employee, we will ensure that she is replaced by another woman employee so that we maintain our gender diversity . We will, however, not compromise on quality ,“ said Rohini Anand, senior VP & global chief diversity officer for Sodexo.
With a focus clearly on recruitment of more women employees, Sodexo India has set atarget to take the total percentage of women employees from the current 16% to 20% by the end of this financial year.
Fluor, according to Shachi Irde, executive director of Catalyst India women's research center, follows the practice of hiring women to fill vacant positions when women employees leave the company or take a break. Another company that Catalyst (a global non-profit organization with an objective to expand opportunities for women and business) works with is Pitney Bowes, which has similar hiring practices for women. “Pitney Bowes identifies job roles and positions exclusively for women across departments and levels, and has job postings that specifically target qualified women for certain roles,“ said Irde. However, there is no reservation of roles or positions for women. Both, Fluor and Pitney Bowes follow the said practice in India as well.
Some companies have adopted a role-based approach to seek out women candidates.“We have identified women friendly roles across AFS (automotive and farm equipment sectors) and, hence, while recruiting we first look for availability of women talent for these roles. Considering the dearth of experienced women candidates -specifically in mechanical/electronics engineering fields -we have initiated hiring of fresh female candidates from the campus as graduate apprentice trainees,“ said Emrana Sheikh, VP (HR, international operations AFS), Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M).
As against the current 5% women employees, the AFS division of M&M plans to further enhance this number over the next three years depending on the business scenario.
Not everyone agrees with the mechanism of replacing a woman's position with another woman. SHRM, a global association focused on human resource management, believes a practice of replacing women employees with women negates the whole idea of diversity .“This practice is a short-term approach to ensure diversity within an organization since it only looks at meeting numbers but not inclusion. If the hired woman candidate does not have the required credentials or skill-set, her team will not be supportive in her role, leading to mediocracy to creep into the system as well as impacting the business and team engagement levels,“ said Dedeepya Ajith John, knowledge and research consultant, SHRM India.
Tarun Katyal, chief human resources & admin officer, MTS India, said, the company does not simply replace a female employee with another female employee unless the role requirements demands so.
“However, if there is any potential female employee who deserves the role then, as leaders, we do promote the replacement and ensure no biases are creeping in to refrain a deserving candidate from getting what they deserve,“ said Katyal.