QUALITY ENGINEER

 It really grinds my gears, that I am student of b-tech in a state with 847 engineering colleges. The chaos of the selection and seat filling process is beyond words. I chose my college  after an extensive search and survey from all sources and I chose my course because it’s  my burning passion ,  but the answer I get for the same question from one of my classmate is,

 “The Chairman is an acquaintance of my uncle  and my dad suggested the course, so I am here “ . I seriously didn’t know how to respond. I tried my best not to frown and questioned him “what do YOU want to do with your life?”

He dully replied “I don’t know man, a dancer may be”. I walked away from that pointless conversation .Agreed it was rude, but I can’t imagine him coming up with an explanation, why an aspiring dancer is spending the next 4 years against a LED screen coding something he is least bothered about.

The point I am trying to make is that,  over time  ,the card “engineering”  crept its way to ,what one may call “safe bet “ .It is a known fact in A.P state that 60% of a high school batch are ending up being engineers after 6 years .For god’s sake ! We have 3.5lakh seats every year .What is the person going to do? .How many 16 year’s would choose their passion over the peer pressure of 3lakh 49,999 people and parental pressures?.

Parents, granted, with best intentions at heart wish their child, success with financial securities, but the catch behind the coin is that, with 3lakh students graduating every year in the same state, what is the guarantee of job placements and if placed, what quality of pay can we expect? .

Sincere requests I want to make, to all the parent out there is; please don’t advice/force engineering as a safety step to pursue the real passion. It doesn’t just ruin’s the 4 years of your Picasso or Michael Jackson, it also kills their passion with all the over-whelming stuff of engineering, which their heart can never be in. Not only he doesn’t get to be what he could, he may end up in a dead-end job with less than appreciable pay.

The sincere request to all the Government authorities and educational experts out there is , to please stop picturing  engineering ,as a safe bet and also stop easing up  entries into colleges ,because one can imagine the attitude of students entering ,in knowledge that they are still a lakh seats to be filled ( That the supply is abundant compared to the demand ) .It is time to realize that every white building with black boards and personal computers  , doesn’t qualify  for an accreditation as an university and it is time to put an end to such white buildings  , it is time to be a  “QUALITY ENGINEER".

- Prashanth akundi

Modernization leading to Westernization of Indian Society

Elegant looks may be a mark of westernization; elegant outlook is the mark of modern life.

Elegant outfits, fashionable hairstyles, pop music and ultramodern amenities have become a common attribute of the modern man. There is a – craze for Western lifestyle, music, food habits, culture-in shortly, anything bearing the epithet of ‘Western’ finds a ready market even in remote areas. In all this humdrum do we ever pause to reflect over the evil effects of adopting an alien lifestyle? We often forget that one man’s meat can be another’s poison.

What constitutes modernization is often confused with westernization. Modernization and Westernization - are often assumed to be synonymous. Understanding the difference is vital. In fact, modernization does not entail Westernization. Whereas modernization entails a change in belief about the way the material world operates, Westernization entails a change in cosmological beliefs about the way that one should live. In present scenario it has been seen that modernization is leading to Westernization effecting the Indian society at large. True that “In order to make any country developed it is very essential for it to be modernized”, but in order to develop at a rate much faster than today’s we should adopt certain good things of western countries by holding our own culture and tradition. Therefore, it is must for India to strive for Modernization, preserving its rich heritage, culture, customs and tradition.

Modernization implies an improvement in the standards of living, marching towards progress and aspiring for the very best in every department of human activity. It means reaching the higher plane in thoughts, words and deeds. Winds of change are sweeping every sphere of activity and have revolutionized the life of man today. One can be modern without necessarily adopting the false values of the western culture. In a truly modern society, material and moral progress go hand in hand.

Charming looks and narrow-minded outlook are not compatible; they lead us nowhere. Modernization consists in shedding the insular beliefs of caste, creed sex, and status. Social evils such as the dowry system, bridge-burning, drug addiction and eve-teasing beckon a segment of our society; but one who truly discards them is modern-in the real sense of the term.

In the West the cup of materialism is full to the brim and overflowing, but the cup of spiritual pleasure is sadly empty. Broken homes, ruined lives and an insecure existence remind us of our failures as human beings as we boast of our conquest over the material world. Children in the West are exposed very’ early to obscenity, vulgarity, drugs and sexual abuse.

This half-baked knowledge proves to be dangerous and youngsters try to fill the void caused by lack of affection and understanding at home by obtaining devious pleasures from dating, drugs and drinks. At the end of the road, frustration stares them in the face and the realization dawns on them that crowd is not company, faces are but a gallery of pictures and lust has taken the place of love. The institution of marriage is no longer respected. Leave aside a marriage of the true minds where “love alters not with the brief hours and weeks”; for them it is a favorite pastime sans meaning, sans sanctity, sans commitment. Western culture does not regard women as companions and helpmates in life; but as means of satisfying only the carnal desires. While the children are engrossed in movies, music, parties and dates, the parents are busy pursuing their materialistic goals.

Where, then, is the time to sit together and discuss or imbibe spiritual values? Emotional void, neurosis, disintegrated personalities are the outcome of the empty cultural values of these people. However, there is no denying-the fact that there is much that is good in the West: there spirit of adventure, the policy of earning while learning, their sense of time, sophisticated technologies and scientific adventure. There is no harm in accepting the good and discarding the evil in the West. Who will deny that Gandhi was a modern man? He lived and died for his lofty ideal and believed in simple living and high thinking.

We must follow in the footprints of such modern men and women, who possess tremendous courage, confidence and strength of character to ring out the old and the false, and bring in new and the noble modes of life.

~ Anilesh Tiwari

INDIA: A largest democracy or a land of rapes?

“A student gang raped in Manipal”, “An American woman raped in Manali”, “Nirbhaya brutally injured and gang raped in a moving bus in Delhi.”

Headlines are not ceasing! Rapes after rapes followed by series of blame games have become a tradition. What are the bases on which we call ourselves independent? Is this the marker of our freedom? Are not women an integral part of the nation and nation building? Are not their rights of independent and dignified living, important?

It is a matter of grave concern when a nation which proudly declares it to be independent does not ensure the safety of its women. India must be labeled as being pseudo-independent country for it still is a land of slavery, slavery of women. Women are in shackles of all kinds. They are bound in every way possible. Restrictions of dressing, limitations of movement and constant fear of vulnerability pull women back at every step they take. Is it independence in the real terms?

Do we really understand the issue? Do we genuinely know the reasons and the solution to this problem? It is high time that we learn to look through things. The latest record available on the number of rape cases in India is of 2011 which states that 24,206 rapes were registered in India in that particular year. This number is of those cases which were reported in the police stations. There are number of rapes which are shoved under the carpets fearing the breach of the honour of the victims’ families. While some women chain their cries under societal pressure, the voices of others are silenced through death threats.

Rapes cannot be homogenized. All women are different as they come from different backgrounds and are raped under different circumstances; this makes it our duty to identify various kinds of rapes. Some women are subjected to marital rapes, some being Dalits are exploited by the “zamindars” on the basis of caste and class while many others become victims of rapes by their own family members.

Recognizing the kinds of sexual abuses is like laying the foundation of the whole process of resolving this issue. It not only informs us of the psychology behind that particular crime but also gives us leads to approach it in a more sensitive manner.

The immediate concern is how to uproot this problem completely. While strict laws and severe punishments are some of the recourses for immediate curtailment of the crimes, they cannot be considered effective enough to target the very soil, where attacks on women seem to be mushrooming.

The deep seated patriarchal mentality is at work in this. It has been ages that India has always looked down upon women as individuals. Women to our surprise are ironically either worshipped as ideal goddesses or are gazed upon as sex objects. Neither of the thinking streams allows a neutral perspective of seeing women as humans, with both flaws and perfections at the same time. Men who bow before the goddesses inside the premises of temples become heinous rapists right at the moment they step outside. 

A revolution in the Indian thinking is the need of the hour! This can be achieved only when a right kind of upbringing is given to every child of the nation. Conditioning with the correct morals can gradually form a society where women will be respected, where ego clashes or frustrations will not be vented out through rapes and where energies of the youth will be channeled in constructive ways.

The government can take steps for creating awareness of the importance of such moral education while every family living in India can do their bits by checking any patriarchal or demeaning attitudes against women within and outside their homes. Instead of creating more and more restrictions for women regarding the places and the time of the day “suitable” for them, people must invest time and energy in molding the perspective of the men of the society.

Such measures can prove to be revolutionary in the long term. Number of rapes can be gradually controlled through this with strict punishments, effective policing, well lit streets and some precautions on part of women being the current recourses.

It is time we all wake up! It is time to act and bring a change. We have had enough years of bondage to horrifying crimes against women! Stop stooping before the appalling animals who cannot respect the basic human rights of the opposite sex. Do not wait for the government to take all the measures. RISE, FIGHT, EDUCATE and BE A CHANGE!

~ Kashish Dua

COMBATING CORRUPTION

“If we cannot make India corruption-free, then the vision of making the nation developed by 2020 would remain as a dream”[1]  – Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

The word corrupt literally means "utterly broken". It is derived from the Latin word corruptus. Corruption is the abuse of power by a public official for private gains. Corruption has progressively increased and is now rampant in our society. 

Corruption is a type of strategic action in which two or more actors undertake an exchange relation by a way of successful transfer of money (material) or power (Political or status) or promoting of gene (genetic), which sidesteps legality or morality or civility to regulate the wrong action.[2] It is a strategic act or an art of non-violent negotiation. As mentioned before, social action is strategic when it is aimed at the successful realization of personality defined goals.

Every affected person comments that he/she does not like corruption and wants to remove the corruption from the society. But society is also corrupt in itself. Demand for dowry, prostitution, illegal constructions in front of houses or shops, illegal possession of someone’s property are such examples. If every man in society (victim of other types of corruption) becomes corrupt, then who will prevent the corruption prevalent in society?

Corruption is no more an issue in Indian society rather it has become a way of life. Be it Diwali or New Year, in general, and birthdays, marriage celebrations and wedding anniversaries in particular, lavish gifts comes one’s way and accepted willingly. These are no more just a token affair but an advance payment to be claimed in future. It is pertinent to narrate an episode which appeared in one of the daily newspapers, The Sunday Tribune. In this episode:

An officer of a state government who was gifted nearly three dozen suit lengths on Diwali eve, asked a leading Cloth merchant to sell them and give him the cash. After few days, the trader gave him a few lac of Rupees with a remark that none of the pieces had been sold but the money was found in the fold of suit lengths along with visiting cards.[3]

Robert Klitgaard through his equation defines corruption as follows: Corruption comes into existence when some authority is in monopoly and people by their discretion gives bribe to these authority holders for specific benefits and in this whole process accountability of authority holder is neglected.

C = M + D - A[4]

Where, C=Corruption, M=Monopoly, D=Discretion, A=Accountability

The players of M (monopoly) and A (accountability) are the public officials and the player of D (discretion) is public. When public by its ability or power to decide responsibly decides to give bribe to someone, and then corruption comes into existence. Media’s role in this whole context is to ensure the accountability of public officials and if they are moving away from their accountability and common people ignores it then media raises the issue of corruption and fulfills its duty as fourth pillar of democracy to ensure the accountability of officer’s.

In this context, we can say that Monopoly arises due to Doctrine of Separation of Powers, Discretion arises due to Independence of Power and Accountability is the outcome of Doctrine of Checks and Balances. So, as per the above equation, it can be commented that more is the separation and independence of power, greater will be the corruption and more are the checks and balances, lesser will be the corruption. Hence, it can be summarised in the words of British Historian, Lord Acton who said:

“All power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”[5]

A complementary scheme, focusing on knowledge and data as a prerequisite for anti-corruption strategies, has been proposed by Kaufmann (1999), who states that:

AC (Anti-corruption Efforts) = KI (Knowledge & Information) + LE (Leadership) + CA (Collective Action[6])

In his words, successful anti-corruption programs (AC) are dependent on knowledge and information (KI) plus leadership (LE) plus collective action (AC). Here again, the importance of information and the involvement of civil society, including the media, is central. 

If we relate this equation with Team Anna, then we see that Knowledge & Information part was held by its Think-Tanks such as KiranBedi, Arvind Kejriwal, etc and Leadership part rested with Anna Hazare and Collective Action was made by thousands and thousands of people marching towards RamlilaMaidaan. So, the Team Anna had all three ingredients of a successful Anti-Corruption Movement.

-Jatin Garg, Executive Director, Alexis Foundation

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[1] J. Venkatesan, Kalam calls for corruption-free society, The hindu, April 27, 2003.

[2]Subhash C. Bansal, Invisible wound, http://www.invisiblewound.com/book.htm (last updated March 28, 2012).

[3] T.K. Ramasamy, Politics and Corruption: Then and Now, The Sunday Tribune, March 18, 2001.

[4] Robert Klitgaard, Strategies against Corruption, http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/clad/clad0035403.pdf (last updated March 28, 2012).

[5] H. A. Macdougall, Lord Acton: A Frustrated Liberal Catholic, http://www.cchahistory.ca/journal/CCHA1964/MacDougall.pdf (last updated March 28, 2012).

[6] Red Batario, The Media and Public Sector Corruption: Role, Challenges and Some Practical Steps Forward, http://www.transparencyreporting.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53:the-media-and-public-sector-corruption-role-challenges-and-some-practical-steps-forward&catid=44:stories&Itemid=79 (last updated March 29, 2012).

The New Indian Marriage

India is undergoing a trajectory of rapid economic growth, manifesting high consumption patterns, new economic opportunities and upward mobility. Marriage and family, pre-eminent institutions in the personal lives of peoples in most societies, also connect closely with the economy and other processes. However, while economic changes are being extensively researched, concurrent social changes in India have not received the scholarly attention they deserve. Demographic trends, intra- and inter-country migration, economic shifts and processes as well as political, particularly gender struggles are altering the marriage landscape in cultures and societies across the globe. 

"A relationship is a partnership, an alliance, not some game with winners and losers. When the interaction in a relationship becomes a power struggle about who is right and who is wrong then there are no winners." – Anonymous.

The Indian subcontinent has historically been home to a wide variety of wedding systems. Some were unique to the region, such as Swayamvara (which was rooted in the historical Vedic religion and had a strong hold in popular culture because it was the procedure used by Rama and Sita). In a swayamvara, the girl's parents broadcast the intent of the girl to marry and invited all interested men to be present in a wedding hall on a specific date and time. The girl, who was also often given some prior knowledge about the men or was aware of their general reputation, would take a round of the hall and indicate her choice by garlanding the man she wanted to marry. Sometimes the father of the bride would arrange for a competition among the suitors, such as a feat of strength, to help in the selection process. Another variant was the Gandharva marriage, which involved simple mutual consent between a man and a woman based on mutual attraction and no rituals or witnesses. The marriage of Dushyanta and Shakuntala was an example of this marriage.

Commonly in urban areas and increasingly in rural parts, parents now arrange for marriage-ready sons and daughters to meet with multiple potential spouses with an accepted right of refusal. These arranged marriages are effectively the result of a wide search by both the girl's family and the boy's family. Child marriages are also in steady decline and deemed unlawful in India (with legal age of marriage at 21 years for men and 18 years for women), so the term marriage now increasingly refers to marriages between consenting adults well past the age of sexual maturity.

It is increasingly common in India for a couple that has met by themselves and are involved romantically to go through the process of an arranged marriage with that specific partner in mind. Since arranged marriages result in a deep meshing and unification of extended families and are believed to contribute to marital stability, many couples orchestrate their marriages with each other through the processes of an arranged marriage. These marriages are often referred to as "self-arranged marriages" or "love-cum-arranged marriages" in India.

- Aditya Singh 

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*Aditya Singh is the Chairman and Managing Director of Alexis Group, a youth-led international conglomerate. He can be reached at aditya@alexis.org.in