Aug 28 2015 : The Economic Times (Delhi) IIT-D Disrupts Idea of Internships Prachi Verma New Delhi   For first time in institute's history, internships are optional; students can instead work on new tech & hobby projects IIT Delhi has taken an unprecedented step this year, encouraged by the ever-increasing success stories of startups. For the first time in its nearly five-and-halfdecade history, the institute has made summer internships optional for its students.From this year, other than summer internship, third-year students can opt for live projects in subjects like robotics and design-based learning, or pick up any other hobby project after consulting the department. Until last year, it was mandatory for everyone to go for a 10-week internship, which often helped students secure job offers. What made one of the oldest IITs in the country to think differently were the stories of youngsters making it big in the world of business with their disruptive ideas, and the government's thrust to promote entrepreneurship. An increasing number of students are pursuing entrepreneurial ambitions now while they are still in college. “Aspirations and interests of the students are changing. Not all students now want to go to the industry for training. Many want to try their hands on entrepreneurship. In addition, a few want to pursue higher studies,“ said IIT Delhi dean -academics Anurag Sharma. While some IITs still insist on summer internships, a few like IITBombay already allow students to choose other engagements as well. IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur continue to stick to internship. “It is compulsory here as we believe that this gives the student experience while being on the job,“ said a faculty at IIT Madras. IITs in Kanpur and Roorkee prefer that their students go for summer internship but due to paucity of good companies around their locations, they have made it optional.According to a faculty member at IIT Kanpur, almost every year there is a debate to make intern ship compulsory . For companies, of fering internship gives a chance to identify and evaluate fresh talent and tap into. For instance, Raj Raghavan, director-human resources, at Amazon India, says it is “a key source for identifying talent, grooming the same and later hiring the into the Amazon fold“. Though more and more students from top institutes are choosing to work on their own products and businesses, companies don't seem to be concerned about any shortage of talent as the number of engineering and technical institutes is growing as well in the country . “If a few IITs decide that they will not encourage internships, we will go to non-IIT institutes,“ a leading oncampus recruiter said. Boston Consulting Group is one of the companies that heavily rely on internship for identifying new talent. “During the summer internship programme, we are able to evaluate the candidate better based on their ability to learn, develop their skills, build relations and make an impact,“ said Suresh Subudhi, partner and head of recruitment at BCG India. IIT Delhi, meanwhile, has renamed its summer internship programme `Design and Practical Experience'. The design and practical experience will now fetch five non-graded points for the students in their third year. To get their degree, students have to earn 15 non-graded points in all. Two p o i n t s c a n b e ear ned through projects such as on robotics, designing, car-race designing and other hobby projects. Starting from this year, IIT Delhi will give non-graded points to language learning, communication skills, ethics and social responsibility. At IIT Kharagpur, an eight-week summer internship is mandatory . “Both at the undergraduate level and the master's level for integrated degree, summer internship is compulsory ,“ said chairman of Career Development Centre SK Barai. This s the route to get the pre-placement offers and hence will not be done away with, he added. IIT Roorkee wants its students oining internship in their third year but it sees a problem. “Not all companies are really keen on teach ng or training our students. They ust take interns for the sake of it and this exercise becomes useless or our students,“ said director Pradipta Banerji. IIT Roorkee encourages its students to join academic research institutes abroad. Nevertheless, Roorkee has intensi ied its engagement with industry to give a platform to the students for practical training. “We are in the process of signing more MoUs for research and development and this will help our students in getting access to live training,“ Banerji said.

Mainstream, VOL LIII No 34 August 15, 2015

MILESTONE IN HISTORY OF INDO-NAGA RELATIONS: NAGA PERSPECTIVE OF THE PEACE ACCORD

On August 3, 2015 the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim or the NSCN (IM) signed an agreement. Although the contents of the Accord have not been made public, it is being hailed as an important milestone in the history of Indo-Naga relations.

The Accord was signed by R.N. Ravi, senior Intelligence officer, on behalf of the Government of India and by Isak Swu and Thuingaleng Muiva on behalf of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN). So, is this Accord going to be, as Prime Minister Modi promised, “a shining example of what we can achieve when we deal with each other in a spirit of equality and respect, trust and confidence; when we seek to understand concerns and try to address aspirations; when we leave the path of dispute and take the high road of dialogue. It is a lesson and an inspiration in our troubled world”?

Thuingaleng Muivah was much more subdued in his speech. He reminded the Indians of the promise made to the Naga delegation by Mahatma Gandhi when they met him on July 19, 1947 to express their aspirations. And the Indian leader assured them:

“Nagas have every right to be independent. We do not want to live under the domination of the British and they are now leaving us. I want you to feel that the Naga Hills are mine just as much as they are yours, but if you say, ‘it is not mine’ then the matter must stop there. I believe in the brotherhood of man, but I do not believe in force or forced unions. If you do not wish to join the Union of India nobody will force you to do that.”

Muivah also remembered the number of people, both Nagas and Indians, who had died in the course of the six-decade-long insurgency. It was a long journey that had brought him to the negotiation table in 1997. He had spent 27 years in the jungles of Myanmar as a revolutionary, a guerilla fighter who had successfully led several groups of Nagas to China, through thick jungles of Burma and on many occasions he had to face the Burmese Army and the Indian Army. There were times they had marched with torn clothes and not eaten for days. He had kept up the spirit of the younger men and become a legend in his own lifetime.

Every year the Naga nationalists celebrate August 14 as their Independence Day. This was the day in 1947 the Naga National Council had declared themselves to be an independent country. By 1952 Angami Zapu Phizo had formed the Naga Federal Government and the Naga Federal Army. Muivah had been active in the NNC from the beginning but in 1975 had felt betrayed when senior members had signed an Accord with the Government of India in Shillong during the Emergency. The Shillong Accord had caused deep divisions within the Naga society and now as he stood to sign the new Accord Muivah must have prayed that the history of this Accord would be different.

This was the question in the minds of many Nagas. Had the Indians taken advantage of the fact that Isak Swu was critically ill and in hospital to put pressure on the NSCN? Both the Nagas and the Indians knew that these were the two leaders who commanded respect among the Nagas. If they did not reach an Accord there would be no one who had their stature. It was the intelligence agencies who had been responsible for creating so many divisions within the Naga underground and now they had realised the need to have one representative organisation with whom they could negotiate.

The NSCN (IM) had made great efforts to understand the legal and constitutional implications of the provisions of the Accord. They had even got a team of international legal experts to help them understand the consequences of each word. But ultimately the problem is political; much will depend on the political vision that informs the final Accord.

The strength of the Naga national movement is its celebration of pluralism and democracy. Each Naga tribe, however small or big, had equal representation in the major Naga organisations, such as the all-powerful Naga Students Federation, Naga Hoho, the body representing the Naga elders, the United Naga Council and the traditional organisations.

Muivah mentioned the fact that the Accord is based on the recognition of the uniqueness of the Nagas. What is the basis of this uniqueness? It is the very rich cultural diversity and also the bio-diversity and abundance of natural resources. Any Accord will have to deal with these two major issues.

The Indian Prime Minister said: “My relationship with the North-East has been deep. I have travelled to Nagaland on many occasions. I have been deeply impressed by the rich and diverse culture and the unique way of life of the Naga people. It makes not only our nation, but also the world a more beautiful place.”

It seemed rather ironic that a Prime Minister, ideologically committed to the promotion of a culturally homogeneous India, was talking of inclusive democracy and hailing the unique culture of the Nagas.

Much of the Naga culture has been destroyed by the evangelising Baptist missionaries who came to the Naga areas during British rule. They destroyed the old institutions and the administrators, anthropologists stole Naga cultural property which can be seen in museums in Western countries.

The Indian education system further helped to erode the Naga culture and destroy the languages; with no place for Naga history in the school textbooks. The effect of this erosion of Naga cultural identity was brought out in a play recently staged at the National School of Drama by a student from Nagaland, Temjenzungba. It was staged on July 11, 2015. The play was called “Land Where Life is Good”. If the play is judged on merits it may not qualify as an exceptional one; it had significance which went far beyond the mere aesthetics.

The small black brochure published for the occasion gives the synopsis of the play:

“The play talks about the various identities that are covered up in the blanket of a single identity called ‘Indian’. It tries to look at the confusion that this exercise of assimilation for nationhood has created in the minds of the present generation, especially in the context of Nagaland. Does there exist a solo identity of a person or are we today the product of many identities? What is authentic—the old or the new? What are the bits of identity that we choose to hold on to and why do we let go of other bits?”

Both the Indian and Nagas have to be equally committed to a vision of society which celebrates cultural diversity and looks upon it as a resource for development, not an obstacle to be destroyed. Modi’s vision of development, which is reflected in the debates around the Land Bill, would spell disaster for the future of the Naga society. However, the growing religious funda-mentalism among the Nagas and the rise of a middle class which has benefited from the globalised world would become an ally in Modi’s plans for corporatising development.

Isak Swu and Muivah have provided an opportunity for the Nagas and Indians to think deeply about these issues. It is up to us to seize it or let the moment pass...

The author, as a lawyer, has represented Nagas in courts in India and abroad. She has written extensively about the Indo-Naga conflict and been involved in the Indo-Naga peace process.

Owning Ambedkar sans his views

The Gujarat government cannot selectively impart the ideas and legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Earlier this month, on August 12, several media outlets reported that the Gujarat government’s Department of Social Justice and Empowerment withdrew four lakh copies of a Gujarati textbook meant for students of classes VI to VIII, titled Rashtriya Mahapurush Bharat Ratna Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. The book, authored by Dalit scholar P.A. Parmar and published by Surya Prakashan, Ahmedabad, was selected and assigned by the same government department to mark the 125th anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar (1891-1956), starting from his birthday on April 14, 2015 and continuing for one year.

According to a statement given to members of the press by K.D. Kapadia, the Director of Scheduled Caste Welfare, “The publisher added some things in the book that were seen as sending a wrong message to the impressionable mind of primary school students… Some matters pertaining to religious conversion that are there in the 22 vows of Dr. Ambedkar were added by the publisher, which were seen as going against the message of national integration. Government’s action will be in the interest of the public.”

The withdrawal of this book — which had been printed in huge numbers and had arrived at various district headquarters for further distribution — raises the obvious issue of the necessity and propriety of book bans in a democratic culture. It also reminds us of the unwarranted interference by government bodies that are, strictly speaking, not meant to be dealing with education policy or implementation, in matters of syllabus creation, textbook content and socio-political “messaging” that targets young students, to use Mr. Kapadia’s language.

Conflict over textbooks

The banning of books and the continuous conflict over school and college textbooks are problems that have come up repeatedly in Indian public life, across States, and political parties, from the Left through the Centre to the Right. These actions are not “in the interest of the public”, although they are invariably sought to be justified on these grounds.

More worrying in this case is the stated reason for the withdrawal of the book. Dr. Ambedkar announced his decision to convert to Buddhism, took a formal diksha from Buddhist monks and, in turn, led the conversion of close to half a million people on October 14, 1956, in Nagpur.

He called the faith Navayana or the New Way, a protestant Buddhism based on his reinterpretation of classical Buddhism, his re-reading of its canonical texts, as well as his reorganisation of its central doctrines, tenets, practices and institutions. In the last year of his life, he wrote a massive work titled The Buddha and His Dhamma, to make the teachings of the Buddha accessible to modern readers. As part of the public ceremony of joining this new religion, followers collectively took 22 vows, written by Babasaheb himself.

In the weeks following the Nagpur initiation, and the months following Dr. Ambedkar’s death on December 6, 1956, close to four million people, mostly Dalits, (predominantly Mahars from Maharashtra), adopted this faith.

The purpose of Ambedkarite Buddhism is to liberate Dalits from untouchability and other forms of social exclusion and humiliation, all of which flow from the low status assigned to them in the orthodox Hindu caste system. Dr. Ambedkar’s vows are meant to both induct converts into a genuinely egalitarian society and enable them to leave behind modes of living, thinking and believing that were hierarchical, violent and humiliating.

It is clear that the vows serve the dual purpose of discarding the old and adopting the new. They help Neo-Buddhists reject the Hindu way of life that had oppressed them for centuries, and, at the same time, assert their adherence to an emancipatory creed.

Dr. Ambedkar’s Buddhism was as much an indictment of Hindu varna dharma as it was a modern statement of equality, intended to deepen the vision of the Constitution while also recalling the original critique of the Buddha against Vedic orthodoxy. When the laws and promises contained in the liberal statute books proved inadequate, he tried to place vulnerable communities on an equal footing by endowing them with a positive identity and a separate programme of action.

Left to himself, Dr. Ambedkar might have preferred a “civic religion”. For him, Buddhism supplemented the new republic’s guarantees of equal citizenship, universal adult franchise, fundamental rights, reservations, freedom of religion and a secular state that he had struggled to establish. But the main difficulties of Dalits stemmed from the very structure of Hindu society, which did not change much despite Independence and the Constitution. As he said in a speech to the Constituent Assembly, the political revolution was not accompanied by a social revolution. He also recognised that ordinary people in India, across castes and communities, drew strength from traditional religious faiths of various kinds. Babasaheb hoped that the Navayana would have the two-pronged effect of addressing both the problem of inequality and the desire for a religion — one that generated self-respect and a distinct identity — among his followers.

Distinct purpose

In arranging the vows in a particular order, Dr. Ambedkar seems to have wanted to first clear the ground, ensuring that ample distance is created between the Hindu faith (and along with it, the outcaste status) that the seeker was born into and the new Dhamma that is going to be embraced. The condemnation of Hinduism is unequivocal, and takes precedence over the utterance of Buddhist vows.

The break amounts to a “rebirth”, as is stated in no uncertain terms in the penultimate vow (Vow 21: “I believe that I am having a re-birth”). The Gujarat government official’s words call this “going against the message of national integration”, but obviously, it’s the rather more forceful refusal of the Ambedkarite Buddhist to remain integrated within the Hindu fold that has caused the discomfort and led to a withdrawal of the textbook in question.

The government in Gujarat and the Centre want to appropriate the legacies of modern historical figures like Sardar Patel and Dr. Ambedkar even though this makes little ideological sense, given the values these stalwarts espoused and their lack of congruence with Hindutva politics. The BJP also has cynical designs on Dr. Ambedkar with the aim of capturing a share of Dalit votes. The government-sponsored celebration of his 125th anniversary — but the inability to actually stomach his critical views on the caste system or on Hindu deities, rituals and beliefs — is an excellent illustration of the hollowness of the Hindu Right’s claims to speak in favour of Dalit rights, national integration or the public interest.

Mr. Parmar, the book’s author, went on to tell journalists that he would rather that the textbook have a few blank pages or contain more photographs of Dr. Ambedkar, than that the publisher, one Dharmesh Kothari, include the vows of his own accord, without consulting with him. Withdrawing the book seems like a defensive ploy on the part of an implicitly Hindu — and Hindu majoritarian — government to shield what Mr. Kapadia called “the impressionable mind” of the student reader just as it is about to encounter the radical force and fiercely anti-assimilationist tendency of the Navayana doctrine.

This is unacceptable. Students in Gujarat and elsewhere must be allowed to learn how Babasaheb sought to make a better, more equitable India. If to achieve this goal, he had to attack the worst aspects of society, religion and politics, whether “Hindu” or Indian, so be it. Our young, the future citizens of this country, have to be made aware of the courage it took Dr. Ambedkar to seek to annihilate caste.

(Ananya Vajpeyi is with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi.)

Keywords: Rashtriya Mahapurush Bharat Ratna Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, 125th anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar

Women live over four years longer than men in India

Biologically, women are considered stronger and their survival tendencies are better than men. But sociologically, women tend to get treated far less than men in India”.

People in India live longer now compared to 1990 as life expectancy has increased by 6.9 years for men between 1990 and 2013 and 10.3 years for women during the same period, notes a study published today in the journal The Lancet.

Increase in life expectancy is more in the case of women than men. In 1990, the life expectance was 57.25 years for men, and 59.19 years for women. This has now increased to 64.16 years for men and 68.48 years for women in 2013. “Biologically, women are considered stronger and their survival tendencies are better than men. But sociologically, women tend to get treated far less than men in India,” said Dr. Nobhojit Roy, surgeon and public health specialist from BARC Hospital, Mumbai

However, healthy life expectancy has increased more slowly with diseases such as ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lower respiratory infections, tuberculosis and neonatal disorders causing the most health loss in India.

The healthy life expectancy has been more for women than men in India. For instance, in the case of men, the healthy life expectancy has increased from 50.07 years in 1990 to 56.52 years in 2013 while in the case of women it has been from 50.15 years in 1990 to 59.11 years in 2013.

In 2013, the top ten causes of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in both sexes in India were from ischemic heart disease, COPD, TB, lower respiratory infections, neonatal preterm birth, neonatal encephalopathy, diarrhoea, stroke, road injuries, and low back and neck pain.

For Indian men, the fastest-growing leading causes of health loss between 1990 and 2013 were self-harm, ischemic heart disease and stroke, which increased at rates of 149.9 per cent, 79.9 per cent, and 59.8 per cent respectively. While self-harm did not figure among India’s top ten causes of health loss in 1990, it is ranked tenth in men in 2013. Iron-deficiency anaemia, which was ranked ninth in 1990 in men, is no longer the cause of health loss in 2013.

In the case of women, the largest increases among the leading causes of disability-adjusted life years occurred for ischemic heart disease (69 per cent), depressive disorders (66.1 per cent), and stroke (36.8 per cent). Only ischemic heart disease was among the 10 leading causes of health loss for women in 1990.

Stroke and depressive disorders are new causes of health loss seen in 2013 but not in 1990 in Indian women. “More awareness of mental health issues and better detection and documentation could be one of the reasons for depressive disorders to show up in the list,” said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

“The big jump in life expectancy is in keeping with the development of the country,” said Roy. “But the downside is that diseases that were not seen in 1990 are seen now. India is transitioning and inheriting some of the diseases seen in the developed countries. Obesity and high blood pressure are the leading risk factors for heart diseases and stroke.”

On TB continuing to be among the top five leading causes of disease burden in India in 2013, Dr. Swaminathan said: “Globally TB has gone down but not in India. India hasn’t been as successful as it should have been in controlling it. We can’t ignore TB and other infectious diseases just because lifestyle diseases are growing.”

To tackle the disease burden in a better way, the ICMR and the Delhi-based Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) along with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare are planning to carry out a disease burden study at the State level. “It will help in better health planning, policy framing and fund allocation,” Dr. Swaminathan said. “We will also look at the risk factors for the diseases in the States. This will help each State to know the major diseases and risk factors.”

Keywords: Life expectancy, survival tendencies of women, 

the speaking tree - Keep Saving In Your Divine Bank Account

Anup Taneja





When Seth Jamnalal Bajaj, the right-hand man of Gandhiji, met with Ma Anandmayee ­ affectionately referred to as Sri Ma ­ at her ashram in Dehradun in August 1941, she advised that in addition to fighting for the country's freedom, it is important that some time is set apart every day for contemplation; no one knows how long one is permitted to live in this world ­ it may be for six months, or it may be six years.Sri Ma taught that the supreme calling of every human being is to make efforts for realising the Self; all other obligations are secondary . She often said: “To find yourself is to find God, and to find God is to find yourself.“
Sri Ma was an ardent votary of the technique of practising `mantra-japa' or repetition of the Divine Name. She suggested that the seeker could choose any name that appeals to her the most and invoke the blessings of the Supreme Being by repeating the chosen name on a regular basis.
Sri Ma would say that just as there is a definite timetable for work at schools, colleges and offices, in the same way, seekers should set apart some time for contemplation every day ­ preferably during early morning hours. One must make a firm resolve that this little time shall be devoted exclusively to the remembrance of the Supreme throughout one's life.During this period no worldly activity should be allowed to encroach upon the contemplation of God. Over a period of time, this spiritual period of time, this spiritual routine will become such an important part of your nature that you will begin to feel restless if some day you are not able to adhere to your practice. Your earthly pension, said Sri Ma, comes to an end after your demise but the Divine pension continues long after you pass away. Just as worldly people amass money and keep it safe in the bank locker, in the same way , seekers on the spiritual path should reserve a corner in their mind for the Almighty and should keep adding to their divine wealth by engaging themselves in repetition of the Divine Name whenever they find the time.
Sri Ma, while silently repeating the Divine Name during med itation, often experienced a state of divine intoxication and unalloyed bliss, losing body-consciousness in the process. Seeing herself engulfed by the dazzling Light of Consciousness, Sri Light of Consciousness, Sri Ma marvelled how a mantra, composed merely of a few letters, could enable the seeker to gain access to the vast expanses of the subtle realm of Consciousness! A wonderful feature of Sri Ma's teachings was that her ideas were not borrowed from books; these were a direct expression of the Truth based on her spiritual realisation through meditation. Also, her realisation was not merely confined to the time when she was in deep meditation; people close to her were amazed to see that Sri Ma would remain naturally absorbed in a permanent state of God-intoxication even while engaged in household work.
Sri Ma's words bear ample testimony to her sublime state of Godconsciousness: “This body has served the husband, so you may call it a wife; it has prepared food for all, so you may call it a cook; it has done all sorts of scrubbing and menial work, so you may call it a servant; but if you look at it from another standpoint you will realise that this body has served none but God.“

India-Australia signs MoU to strengthen education

India and Australia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of education, training and research. The MoU was signed by Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Human Resource Development and Christopher Pyne MP, Minister of Education and Training, Government of Australia after the third meeting of the Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) held in New Delhi.

The MoU will strengthen the partnership between Australia and India in higher education and research, including technical and professional educations, schools, vocational education and training and will open up new and innovative areas of cooperation.

A joint Communiqué was also issued at the end of the AIEC meeting. The Communiqué commended the significant progress made by the Working Groups across the key areas of skills, higher education and research, student mobility and welfare, quality assurance and qualifications recognition, and welcomes the extension of collaborative activity to include engagement in the schools sector. It highlights the development of the credit transfer database, hosted on the Australia India education links website (www.australiaindiaeducation.com ), as a practical way to encourage student mobility between Indian and Australian universities.

The Communiqué emphasises that the Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN), launched by the Government of India, would enable academic interaction to mutual benefit. It further says that GIAN would enable eminent Australian academicians to come to India, to academic institutions and universities and enable an exchange of knowledge and teaching skills, which would help in developing a fruitful relationship between academic communities on both sides for augmenting research capabilities.

Both countries agreed for a total joint financial commitment of up to $1.0 million AUD for various activities under Educational Cooperation. Australian Minister also announced Adam Gilchrist as the Australia-India Education Ambassador, who will help project the quality of Australian education and strengthen the bilateral education, training and research relationships.

The AIEC is a bi-national body established in 2011 as a commitment by the Education Ministers of India and Australia to guide the strategic direction of the education, training and research partnership between the two countries. The AIEC consists of academia, industry and government and meets in conjunction with the annual Australia-India Ministerial Dialogue on Education Cooperation.

Now, students can take loan online

For students who are seeking education loan can now take go to vidyalakshmi.co.in, a website launched by the government recently for the benefit of the students. Five banks IDBI, Bank of India, SBI have integrated their system with the portal.

The portal has been developed and maintained by NSDL e-governance infrastructure limited (NSDL e-Gov) under the guidance of department of financial services, department of higher education, Ministry Of Human Resource Development and India Banks Association. Under the educational loan scheme of Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram (PMVLK), no student will miss out higher education due to lack of funds. The launch of the portal is the first step to achieving the objective. “Vidya Lakshmi portal is the first of its kind portal providing single window for students to access information and make applications for educational loans provided by banks as also government scholarships,” the release issued by the finance ministry said.

The portal will have information on the loan schemes provided by different banks, common educational loan application form for students, facility to apply to multiple banks for educational loans, facility to check the loan processing status, and linkage to National Scholarship Portal for information and application for government scholarships.

Finance ministry has informed that 13 banks have registered 22 educational loan schemes on the portal and five banks have integrated their system with the portal for providing loan processing status to the students.