Sunday, November 8, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
AN INDIAN : FROM AMERICAN POINTOF VIEW
I got this text from one of the group i have joined on on face-book. It's really shocking and sad to read that how people in USA think about us. Literally, it may be someones own point of view but i think most of the common American and most of the people in western world think about us in the same way.what's you're opinion. Below is the text which i am posting just as it is with out any editing. Please read it carefully and comment.
You Know You're Indian When...
1. Everything you eat is savored in garlic, onion and tomatoes.
2. You try and reuse gift wrappers, gift boxes, and of course aluminum foil
3. You are Always standing next to the two largest size suitcases at the Airport.
4. You arrive one or two hours late to a party - and think it's normal.
5. You peel the stamps off letters that the Postal Service missed to stamp
6. You recycle Wedding Gifts , Birthday Gifts and Anniversary Gifts
7. You name your children in rhythms (example, Sita & Gita, Ram & Shyam,
Kamini & Shamini.)
8. All your children have pet names, which sound nowhere close to their
real names.
9. You take Indian snacks anywhere it says "No Food Allowed"
10. You talk for an hour at the front door when leaving someone's house.
11. You load up the family car with as many people as possible.
12. You use plastic to cover anything new in your house whether it's the
remote control, VCR, carpet or new couch.
13. Your parents tell you not to care what your friends think, but they
won't let you do certain things because of what the other "Uncles and Aunties" will think.
14. You buy and display crockery, which is never used , as it is for special occasions, which never happen.
15. You have a vinyl tablecloth on your kitchen table.
16. You use grocery bags to hold garbage.
17. You keep leftover food in your fridge in as many numbers of bowls as possible.
18. Your kitchen shelf is full of jars, varieties of bowls and plastic
utensils (got free with purchase of other stuff )
19. You carry a stash of your own food whenever you travel (and travel
means any car ride longer than 15 minutes).
20. You own a rice cooker or a pressure cooker.
21. You fight over who pays the dinner bill.
22. You live with your parents and you are 40 years old. ( And they prefer
it that way).
23. You don't use measuring cups when cooking.
24. You never learnt how to stand in a queue.
25. You can only travel if there are 5 persons at least to see you off or
receive you whether you are traveling by bus, train or plane.
26. If she is NOT your daughter, you always take interest in knowing whose
daughter has run with whose son and feel proud to spread it at the velocity
of more than the speed of light.
27. You only make long distance calls after 11 p.m.
28. If you don't live at home, when your parents call, they ask if you've
eaten, even if it's midnight .
29. You call an older person you never met before Uncle or Aunty."
30. When your parents meet strangers and talk for a few minutes, you
discover you're talking to a distant cousin.
31. Your parents don't realize phone connections to foreign countries have
improved in the last two decades, and still scream at the top of their
lungs when making foreign calls.
32. You have bed sheets on your sofas so as to keep them from getting
dirty.
33. It's embarrassing if your wedding has less than 600 people.
34. All your Tupperware is stained with food color.
35. You have drinking glasses made of steel.
36. You have mastered the art of bargaining in shopping.
37. When you have Taco Bell sauce stocked up in your glove compartment or pantry, or any other place where you can store sauce.
You Know You're Indian When...
1. Everything you eat is savored in garlic, onion and tomatoes.
2. You try and reuse gift wrappers, gift boxes, and of course aluminum foil
3. You are Always standing next to the two largest size suitcases at the Airport.
4. You arrive one or two hours late to a party - and think it's normal.
5. You peel the stamps off letters that the Postal Service missed to stamp
6. You recycle Wedding Gifts , Birthday Gifts and Anniversary Gifts
7. You name your children in rhythms (example, Sita & Gita, Ram & Shyam,
Kamini & Shamini.)
8. All your children have pet names, which sound nowhere close to their
real names.
9. You take Indian snacks anywhere it says "No Food Allowed"
10. You talk for an hour at the front door when leaving someone's house.
11. You load up the family car with as many people as possible.
12. You use plastic to cover anything new in your house whether it's the
remote control, VCR, carpet or new couch.
13. Your parents tell you not to care what your friends think, but they
won't let you do certain things because of what the other "Uncles and Aunties" will think.
14. You buy and display crockery, which is never used , as it is for special occasions, which never happen.
15. You have a vinyl tablecloth on your kitchen table.
16. You use grocery bags to hold garbage.
17. You keep leftover food in your fridge in as many numbers of bowls as possible.
18. Your kitchen shelf is full of jars, varieties of bowls and plastic
utensils (got free with purchase of other stuff )
19. You carry a stash of your own food whenever you travel (and travel
means any car ride longer than 15 minutes).
20. You own a rice cooker or a pressure cooker.
21. You fight over who pays the dinner bill.
22. You live with your parents and you are 40 years old. ( And they prefer
it that way).
23. You don't use measuring cups when cooking.
24. You never learnt how to stand in a queue.
25. You can only travel if there are 5 persons at least to see you off or
receive you whether you are traveling by bus, train or plane.
26. If she is NOT your daughter, you always take interest in knowing whose
daughter has run with whose son and feel proud to spread it at the velocity
of more than the speed of light.
27. You only make long distance calls after 11 p.m.
28. If you don't live at home, when your parents call, they ask if you've
eaten, even if it's midnight .
29. You call an older person you never met before Uncle or Aunty."
30. When your parents meet strangers and talk for a few minutes, you
discover you're talking to a distant cousin.
31. Your parents don't realize phone connections to foreign countries have
improved in the last two decades, and still scream at the top of their
lungs when making foreign calls.
32. You have bed sheets on your sofas so as to keep them from getting
dirty.
33. It's embarrassing if your wedding has less than 600 people.
34. All your Tupperware is stained with food color.
35. You have drinking glasses made of steel.
36. You have mastered the art of bargaining in shopping.
37. When you have Taco Bell sauce stocked up in your glove compartment or pantry, or any other place where you can store sauce.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
RESERVATION in India-- bad-ugly and worse
Reservation or Quota system is adopted by Government of
It is presumed that a certain section of society (Generally called lower castes) is oppressed and denied opportunities by more powerful upper castes. That’s why, now it is the time according the government, is to provide “equal-opportunities” to such oppressed and under privileged sections of the society. It is still debatable that whether this system is a success or not? With this blog post I am to initialize this debate and your comments are always invited.
Before going into further detailed discussion I want to go into historical background of this caste based system.
During the Vedic-era the Indian society was classified in to four working class- Brahmins, Kshtriyas, Vaishias and Shudras. All these classes were assigned specific tasks for instance-Brahmins were designated to perform religious ceremonies & being considered as spiritual leader and to provide education. Kshtriyas were generally belong to royal families and were designated to protect the nation from internal and external unrest and provide security to masses. Vaishas were basically belonging to business class. Shudras were lowest in this ranking and they have to perform such tasks which were not performed by the upper classes, like rag picking, leather worth, cleaning homes and outdoors etc. However it should be noted that classes were not divided on the basis of birth rather a person entered into a class on the basis of his/her skills in performing a task.
But during past-vedic era this system took a U-tern and used by some powerful people to exploit the poor and marginal masses to realize their greedy means. This ugly turn in this system led to a “caste-based system”. Which designate the caste to a person by their birth.
This led to a continuous discrimination and exploitation of lower castes for centuries. Lower caste were denied access to education, job-opportunities hygienic living conditions and like . On the whole they were denied everything financially, politically, economically and socially.
This condition remained in Indian society till independence in different forms. It should be clear to you that britishers were not so interested in abolition of this system rather they used it to make their rule strong in
That’s why this system become more and more strong in Indian society. After independence laws were made to uplift the lower castes and downtrodden. But it is sad to see that the so-called equality of every Indian is in law only and is not visible in our society at all. Such discrimination is getting stronger as it is more visible in our educational institutes, offices and society at large because by this quota system. Lower castes are now more disseminated and side lined by upper castes. It is amazing and surprising that such discrimination is government sponsored.
Help me and please comment on this post so that I can increase the span of my perception.
In my next post I will continue with this reservation menace. I try to find out why it is happening in
Just comments.
COMPILED BY- MAHESH JAIN
TYPED IN BY - MANISHA JAIN
Monday, June 1, 2009
MODERNISATION- THE REAL MEANING
MODERNISATION
With the fast increasing application of science and technology, the old landmarks and the traditional thinking are being radically replaced by the new norms and nuances with regards to ideologies – political, social, economic and cultural – and aspirations among the nations of the world. Man’s spectacular conquest of time space and distance, disease and labour as well as the use of nuclear energy has changed the complexion of the world. Judged the criteria of the pace and process of change, the world can be divided in to three categories- developed countries, developing countries and underdeveloped or backward countries. Sophisticatedly this pace and process of change is called the process of MODERNISATION.
Essentially, modernization is a process, a movement from traditional and quasi-traditional to certain desired types of technology and the resultant changes in the social structure, values orientations motivations, achievement and aspirations. It means a “value change”, significantly institutional modifications and improvements of standards of performance and achievements. It involves “the substitution of old images and forms with new ones”. It is not a mechanical imitation of some modernized country. One must retain a distinct entity and be not a carbon copy of some other country.
MODERNISATION is not a synonym of westernization, which loosely may mean ‘uncritical imitation’ of the social ways and values prevailing in a western country. MODERNISATION for discriminate selection between what is worthy and what is unsuitable in a particular situation. It doesn’t stand for “superficial acquisition of some isolated traits and elements of an advanced country”.
SEVERAL THEORATICAL TRAITS OR ATTRIBUTES CHARACTERISE THE CONCEPT OF MODERNISATION
In a modernized or modernizing society the attributes of modernity are manifest at two levels- at the level of the individual and the level of the society.
Inherently the individuals of such society have objective and scientific mind and a mobile personality. Their mind is operational and critical. It is free from skepticism, inhibition and complexes and intelligently avoids the pitfalls of superstitions and callous elements of tradition. It has empathy, that is the capacity to see itself in other’s situations and is equipped to make rational, situational and structural choices.
These individuals have mobile personality, which is not parochially attached to any group or religion or to any rigid traditional rules, customs, usages and practices. They have the psychic urge to have more and more enlightenment and higher and higher material amenities and symbolic rewards. Being persons of imagination and understanding they have positive attitude to learn new things and be loyal. They have the sense of identification and holding a balance between rights and duties and follow the right line of thought and action. Their qualities of hard work, integrity, consistency and efficiency are their natural assets. Instead of restricting themselves to participate in a particular sphere they believe in wider participation in a variety of divergent rules. Rationality influences their choices of goals and means. Being achievement- oriented, they learn “faster and work harder, motivated not by over rewards (like recognition and prestige) but by a covert of feeling of self-fulfillment”. As such they develop new perspectives of “wealth, work savings and entrepreneurship, they have immense faith in the desirability and possibility of change, have the realization that social, economic and political discipline is an essential pre-requisite for growth and change process in every sphere of life – political, economic, social and cultural. They have the capability to put off immediate and short run satisfactions and have an eye on higher long – run satisfaction”.
A society composed of such individuals radiates the attributes of modernity in the social milieu and social institutions, which manifest faith in desirable change rather then in traditional stability. Such a society believes in co-existence, co-operation, consensus and compromise rather then in competition and conflicts. This is a reflective society with no notions of traditional rigidity but attuned to adjustment between rich heritage and the accelerated change in the modern world. It adopts science-based technology and rational end means calculations. Believing in the cult of desirable change in conformity with the emerging needs, demands and aspirations of the individuals, it develops new attitude to wealth, work, savings and risk taking but with the rider of maintaining political, economic and social discipline.
I will add my views on this article and my perception of modernity in some later post on this blog.
Disclaimer:
I had read this article in one of my notes during my M.ED. (Masters of Education). Here I am rewriting this article in my blog because it is really very impressive and thought provoking.
My intention is to provide my thoughts to the world by this blog and not to infringe the copyright of the authors of this article. If any one has any objection please write to me on this e-mail ID- Mahesh_jain@fastmail.fm. I will remove it from my blog.
Suggestions and comments are always invited. So please comment and criticize. I will try to improve and write much better.
With the fast increasing application of science and technology, the old landmarks and the traditional thinking are being radically replaced by the new norms and nuances with regards to ideologies – political, social, economic and cultural – and aspirations among the nations of the world. Man’s spectacular conquest of time space and distance, disease and labour as well as the use of nuclear energy has changed the complexion of the world. Judged the criteria of the pace and process of change, the world can be divided in to three categories- developed countries, developing countries and underdeveloped or backward countries. Sophisticatedly this pace and process of change is called the process of MODERNISATION.
Essentially, modernization is a process, a movement from traditional and quasi-traditional to certain desired types of technology and the resultant changes in the social structure, values orientations motivations, achievement and aspirations. It means a “value change”, significantly institutional modifications and improvements of standards of performance and achievements. It involves “the substitution of old images and forms with new ones”. It is not a mechanical imitation of some modernized country. One must retain a distinct entity and be not a carbon copy of some other country.
MODERNISATION is not a synonym of westernization, which loosely may mean ‘uncritical imitation’ of the social ways and values prevailing in a western country. MODERNISATION for discriminate selection between what is worthy and what is unsuitable in a particular situation. It doesn’t stand for “superficial acquisition of some isolated traits and elements of an advanced country”.
SEVERAL THEORATICAL TRAITS OR ATTRIBUTES CHARACTERISE THE CONCEPT OF MODERNISATION
In a modernized or modernizing society the attributes of modernity are manifest at two levels- at the level of the individual and the level of the society.
Inherently the individuals of such society have objective and scientific mind and a mobile personality. Their mind is operational and critical. It is free from skepticism, inhibition and complexes and intelligently avoids the pitfalls of superstitions and callous elements of tradition. It has empathy, that is the capacity to see itself in other’s situations and is equipped to make rational, situational and structural choices.
These individuals have mobile personality, which is not parochially attached to any group or religion or to any rigid traditional rules, customs, usages and practices. They have the psychic urge to have more and more enlightenment and higher and higher material amenities and symbolic rewards. Being persons of imagination and understanding they have positive attitude to learn new things and be loyal. They have the sense of identification and holding a balance between rights and duties and follow the right line of thought and action. Their qualities of hard work, integrity, consistency and efficiency are their natural assets. Instead of restricting themselves to participate in a particular sphere they believe in wider participation in a variety of divergent rules. Rationality influences their choices of goals and means. Being achievement- oriented, they learn “faster and work harder, motivated not by over rewards (like recognition and prestige) but by a covert of feeling of self-fulfillment”. As such they develop new perspectives of “wealth, work savings and entrepreneurship, they have immense faith in the desirability and possibility of change, have the realization that social, economic and political discipline is an essential pre-requisite for growth and change process in every sphere of life – political, economic, social and cultural. They have the capability to put off immediate and short run satisfactions and have an eye on higher long – run satisfaction”.
A society composed of such individuals radiates the attributes of modernity in the social milieu and social institutions, which manifest faith in desirable change rather then in traditional stability. Such a society believes in co-existence, co-operation, consensus and compromise rather then in competition and conflicts. This is a reflective society with no notions of traditional rigidity but attuned to adjustment between rich heritage and the accelerated change in the modern world. It adopts science-based technology and rational end means calculations. Believing in the cult of desirable change in conformity with the emerging needs, demands and aspirations of the individuals, it develops new attitude to wealth, work, savings and risk taking but with the rider of maintaining political, economic and social discipline.
I will add my views on this article and my perception of modernity in some later post on this blog.
Disclaimer:
I had read this article in one of my notes during my M.ED. (Masters of Education). Here I am rewriting this article in my blog because it is really very impressive and thought provoking.
My intention is to provide my thoughts to the world by this blog and not to infringe the copyright of the authors of this article. If any one has any objection please write to me on this e-mail ID- Mahesh_jain@fastmail.fm. I will remove it from my blog.
Suggestions and comments are always invited. So please comment and criticize. I will try to improve and write much better.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Global News coverage -where indian media stands
Global News coverage -where indian media stands
Every time something happens we listen or see and trust BBC, CNN or DW.What is wrong with our media. Unfortunately news coverage in India remains local and for global news we still rely on forigen news agencies and other sources, and we don't care whether such sources are reliable and in parity with our point of view of a particular happening.however few media houses has there own correspondences in various countries but they are limited in numbers and the origin of news is a private source. we have no official(government) media presence in abroad. It means that we have no official line or stand on any event happening in the world.It is evident from various past experiences when government of india was unable to clear it's point on world happenings like Iraq War.
Our news channels are still limited to the metro cities and they hardly report any news from the remote parts of the country even.The reason is simple- commerce. There main stress is on those parts of country which will bring more audience to there channels which will in tune increase there TRPS(Televison Rating Points). And as a result they will will get more advertisement rvenues. So there will always be comromise with the quality journalism.In this situation you can't even think to have a dedicated news channel which will broadcast interneational news from India and they will have international correspondence broadcasting from the site of news.
The goodwill earned by BBC is a good example for us.Enen though BBC is run by the British Govenment funding but it has established it self as free and independent broadcaser.See how British Government is influencing the world view on international politics with the media instruments like BBC.
we have lot to learn and a long way to go....plez comment ... critism alsways honoured.
important links
bbc.co.ukbbcworldservice.comdw-world.desouthasia.devoanews.com
Every time something happens we listen or see and trust BBC, CNN or DW.What is wrong with our media. Unfortunately news coverage in India remains local and for global news we still rely on forigen news agencies and other sources, and we don't care whether such sources are reliable and in parity with our point of view of a particular happening.however few media houses has there own correspondences in various countries but they are limited in numbers and the origin of news is a private source. we have no official(government) media presence in abroad. It means that we have no official line or stand on any event happening in the world.It is evident from various past experiences when government of india was unable to clear it's point on world happenings like Iraq War.
Our news channels are still limited to the metro cities and they hardly report any news from the remote parts of the country even.The reason is simple- commerce. There main stress is on those parts of country which will bring more audience to there channels which will in tune increase there TRPS(Televison Rating Points). And as a result they will will get more advertisement rvenues. So there will always be comromise with the quality journalism.In this situation you can't even think to have a dedicated news channel which will broadcast interneational news from India and they will have international correspondence broadcasting from the site of news.
The goodwill earned by BBC is a good example for us.Enen though BBC is run by the British Govenment funding but it has established it self as free and independent broadcaser.See how British Government is influencing the world view on international politics with the media instruments like BBC.
we have lot to learn and a long way to go....plez comment ... critism alsways honoured.
important links
bbc.co.ukbbcworldservice.comdw-world.desouthasia.devoanews.com
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Gender bias
Whenever you travel by train and buy ticket from a typical Indian railway's ticket counter you will find a awful scene every day.On the same counter there will always be two lines- one of males and another is of females.Every one is tring to get the ticket first.This is an unwritten rule applicable every where that females can buy tickets by breaking the rgular line or making there own line in between.
In buses you will always see female are requesting (or rather i should say ordering) males to vacant their seats so that they may site.And they simply do. why? i can't understand.
This "Pro female" policy is also a part of our Government programs. however it is an irony that our government says that all this is done to bring "equality" for women.This is quite contradictory.The Government and society at large have to decide whether they want to Give some kind of privilage or equal rights to female.
In my opinion the female can improve there situation only when they will be treated equally with male.they are in no way less then men.So why should we give any kind of privilage to them and making them a person who is somewhat weak and need extra care?
think over it and please do comment i am waiting.
In buses you will always see female are requesting (or rather i should say ordering) males to vacant their seats so that they may site.And they simply do. why? i can't understand.
This "Pro female" policy is also a part of our Government programs. however it is an irony that our government says that all this is done to bring "equality" for women.This is quite contradictory.The Government and society at large have to decide whether they want to Give some kind of privilage or equal rights to female.
In my opinion the female can improve there situation only when they will be treated equally with male.they are in no way less then men.So why should we give any kind of privilage to them and making them a person who is somewhat weak and need extra care?
think over it and please do comment i am waiting.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
SEZ- Special Economic Zones OR Special Exploitation zones
A step taken by the government to boost the indusrialisation in india is to set up SEZ or the Special Economic Zones.But these so called SEZs are turning into special exploitation zones and Government is just turning into Land Grabber.there are some issues which i want to raise-
# the land aquisition act in india is still not changed as it is the law created by british government to take control over whole of the india and we are still opting the rules of this act even after the 62 years of independence.under this law government can take over any kind of land from any party by just giving a few days notice.how ever an excuse is given that government is also giving the compensation against this aquisition but it is known that the amount of compensation is not as per the market rates rather it is according to the government rates which is quite less.you can imagine how the people are being cheated by the govenment whose's land is grabbed for the esablishment of SEZs.
# Some government claim that we are not involved in the land aquisition process and every SEZ deveploper has to negotiate with the owner of land by there own. Even a child can understand if the government can use inhumane and other tactics to grab the land then the private parties can use unfair means to grab land which may be far most worse then the government.Giving bribes, using political influnce, showing the land owners day-dreams about the esured job in coming up SEZ and the list is end less.
# People has very less believe in law and system.there are many loopholes in the system.Due to which many developers are able to grab such chunks of land which was furtile and land of double crops. however it is clearly mentioned in the SEZ policy that such lan dcan't be used for creating SEZs.
#Why these SEZ are coming up in or outskirts of the big cities? Why these people don't establish there SEZs in or near small towns and/or villages.Government is allowing them to do so. However Government always claims that these SEZs are allowed to establish to bring Balanced regional growth.I don't think consolidation of these SEZs near big cities and metros will bring any kind of balanced regional growth.
# How much these SEZs will provide industrial units and employment will be generated as a result is also in doubt. Because it is seen that SEZs are started with residential projects rather then industial set ups.how far they can help in industrial growth and employment generation it is quite doubt full.
There are many other countries who established SEZs and we are following the this model of growth without judgeing it on our own context.we should remember that we are dominently a agricultre economy and we should not grab land which is furtile and provide food grains to us.In my opinion the cost(both in terms of financial as well as environmental cost) of setting up these SEZs will be more then the benefit tey will derive.This is the right time to think over it again before it is too late.
What U people think ? Plez comment on it.
# the land aquisition act in india is still not changed as it is the law created by british government to take control over whole of the india and we are still opting the rules of this act even after the 62 years of independence.under this law government can take over any kind of land from any party by just giving a few days notice.how ever an excuse is given that government is also giving the compensation against this aquisition but it is known that the amount of compensation is not as per the market rates rather it is according to the government rates which is quite less.you can imagine how the people are being cheated by the govenment whose's land is grabbed for the esablishment of SEZs.
# Some government claim that we are not involved in the land aquisition process and every SEZ deveploper has to negotiate with the owner of land by there own. Even a child can understand if the government can use inhumane and other tactics to grab the land then the private parties can use unfair means to grab land which may be far most worse then the government.Giving bribes, using political influnce, showing the land owners day-dreams about the esured job in coming up SEZ and the list is end less.
# People has very less believe in law and system.there are many loopholes in the system.Due to which many developers are able to grab such chunks of land which was furtile and land of double crops. however it is clearly mentioned in the SEZ policy that such lan dcan't be used for creating SEZs.
#Why these SEZ are coming up in or outskirts of the big cities? Why these people don't establish there SEZs in or near small towns and/or villages.Government is allowing them to do so. However Government always claims that these SEZs are allowed to establish to bring Balanced regional growth.I don't think consolidation of these SEZs near big cities and metros will bring any kind of balanced regional growth.
# How much these SEZs will provide industrial units and employment will be generated as a result is also in doubt. Because it is seen that SEZs are started with residential projects rather then industial set ups.how far they can help in industrial growth and employment generation it is quite doubt full.
There are many other countries who established SEZs and we are following the this model of growth without judgeing it on our own context.we should remember that we are dominently a agricultre economy and we should not grab land which is furtile and provide food grains to us.In my opinion the cost(both in terms of financial as well as environmental cost) of setting up these SEZs will be more then the benefit tey will derive.This is the right time to think over it again before it is too late.
What U people think ? Plez comment on it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
