Recognize Yourself

We were fortunate, we were humans. We were young, we followed everyone. We were a sport, we played a lot. We were eager, we learned a lot. We were loved, we loved. We were indulged in community, we were indulged in comfort. We enjoyed ourselves, we enjoyed companies. We loved self, we loved others. We thought we were great, we thought we thought big. We loved food, we loved life. The more we had the more we wanted. Now we are adults, we don't follow anybody, we are learned, and we are capable. We have a choice. We are still fortunate, we have resources. But we are doing the same we have been doing since our birth – struggling to rise above others.

We have cleared bachelor’s and we have cleared master’s and even we cleared doctor’s, and what we learned was life was about degrees and clearing. We accumulated nothing, we grabbed nothing, we retained nothing, and we swept clear everything that was to be held. We ran for degrees, we ran for numbers, we ran for grades and we forgot to learn. And we developed out of ourselves the breed that understands nothing but logic. And we have become so rational in our approach that we have forgotten imagination. We have forgotten life and have learned “imagination is such a waste of time”.

We have duplicated our own selves everywhere. Individualism is the thing of the past. Everywhere we look we find our replicas. We think the same, we read the same, we listen the same, we look the same. Yes this is globalization: Globalization of humans, where the differences are like the color of skin, hair and clothes; the kind of gadgets we possess, the kind of social community we have joined. Knowledge is dead and so is intellect.

Look at the things surrounding you. What are you reading? Gossip, fake news: where is wisdom? What are you discussing? What are you connecting for? Chats, sharing your routine; Do you believe in change? Do you think things should change?

A change is on the horizon, the individualism is back. The intellect is back.

Let you know yourself again. Let you imagine what have not been imagined, let you once again identify the objectives; let you diversify what you learn.

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Why do we Wear Uniform in School?

My dear little ones, I know you are all rebels and you just don’t accept certain things in your schools and at your homes. You just hate some things. You love your jeans, shorts, jackets, belts, shirts, tops, skirts and all other accessories and you look great wearing them. Why would you wear the boring and common uniform at school? Some of you innovate your way to be different even with the common uniform. You fold your sleeves; some of you loosen your ties and such other things.

When I see you, I remember my childhood. I used to be the same. I used to question a lot – why? And I also questioned about the uniform. We were punished for not wearing the complete uniform. Though the methods of our teachers to make us wear the uniform were not right, the motive behind wearing a uniform is right.

So why do we have to wear uniform in schools? We wear uniform so that everybody looks, feels and be seen as the same. In a learning institution, we should be ready to learn and not show our social status or power. There are no rich, no poor, no beautiful or “un-beautiful” children. All are just students. To create this uniformity, a common dress code is given. A uniform also gives us an identity and relatedness to the entity or group we belong to. It inculcates a sense of unity and oneness in the individuals. We should feel proud to be students, to be learners. And uniform gives that identity to us.

SO WEAR FULL UNIFORM, TAKE PRIDE IN WEARING IT AND JUST ENJOY THE ONENESS DESPITE HAVING INDIVIDUAL IDENTITIES.

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Why this Kolaveri ?

Kolaveri di is a cult today, they sing it with pride and laughter gay.

They consider it to be the story of their life,

They feel that song is an anthem for their lonely lives.

They play it in their cars and keep the volume high,

They think themselves to be the kings of the road but you
are left to sigh.

They can do whatever they want,

They can sing it loud and look at you with a murderous
glance.

They honk at you when you are walking on the road,

This earns them respect among the kinsmen and a better
abode.

They are the shining stars and consider household chores a
menial job,

But they cry when depressed and escape to drugs when they
sob.

They are so gullible that they simply follow the trend,

Be it kolaveri, corruption or Mr. Sibal, they say it without
a stand.

Do they know that the female who cleans their dishes is a
victim of domestic violence?

Have they ever noticed that their counterparts in villages
are so silent?

Do they know the plight of the women abandoned by their
families?

Have they ever seen the life existing under the flyover or
child living next to the tree?

Why are they so insensitive and why can’t they stand for the
less privileged?

Why do they need someone to tell them when they can see it
through our own aged eyes?

These questions pinch me everyday,

They tear me apart when I talk to the women in the village.

I stand next to them with my head held high,

I can feel the bruises on their body which they get everyday
from their guy.

This guy is the owner and he possesses their body form top to
bottom,

He is the one who writes her destiny and is no less than a
phantom.

He can leave her, beat her and at times she earns to feed
him,

But he has no respect for her and is neither afraid of her
kith nor kin.

When she tells me her story,

Only this line strikes me “Hand la glass, glass la scotch,
eyes-u full-aa tear-u”

She doesn’t know the
meaning of the song but it suits her,

It is meant for her and now it seems more meaningful to me.

Swinder

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Sukumar Azhikode passes away

Sukumar Azhikode, veteran Malayalam writer, orator, scholar, Gandhian, former pro-vice-chancellor of Calicut University and ex-chairman of the National Book Trust, died at a private hospital here on Tuesday.

He was 85. The end came around 6-35 a.m.

He was shifted to the hospital on December 9 from another where he had been admitted on December 7 following complications from a fall in sodium level in blood. According to doctors, he suffered from cancer of the right lower alveolus.

“He sought treatment for paraplegia (an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities). And was diagnosed with extensive bone and skull metastasis (spread of cancer to other parts of the body),” said Sreekumar Pillai, a member of the team of doctors that treated him.

A major presence in the State’s cultural world for more than six decades, Azhikode was an intellectual giant who was passionate about all aspects of life, literature, philosophy, politics, governance and civic responsibility.

Azhikode's most famous work is 'Tatvamasi' (1984, Malayalam), an authoritative book on Indian Philosophy, Vedas and Upanishads.

‘Tathvamasi’ has won 12 awards including the Indian Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahithya Akademi Award, Vayalar Award and the Rajaji Award. In Jan 2007, he refused to accept the Padma Shri conferred on him stating that such honours were against the Constitution.

He was the founder and president of Navabharathavedi – a socio-cultural organisation. He has also worked in several newspapers including ‘Varthamanam’, ‘Dinabandhu’, ‘Malayala Harijan’, ‘Desamitram’, ‘Navayugam’ and ‘Dinaprabha’. He was chairman of the National Book Trust between 1993 and 1996.

His major works include ‘Aasante Seetakavyam’, ‘Ramananum Malayalakavitayum’, ‘Mahatmavinte Margam’, ‘Purogamanasahityavum Mattum’, ‘Malayala Sahityavimarsanam’, ‘Vayanayute Swargathil’, ‘Malayala Sahitya Patanangal’, ‘Tatvavum Manushyanum’, ‘Khandanavum Mandanavum’, ‘Entinu Bharatadare’, ‘Azhikodinte Prabhashanangal’, ‘Azhikodinte Phalitangal’, ‘Guruvinte Dukham’, ‘Aakasam Nashtapetunna India’, ‘Pathakal Kazhchakal’ and ‘Mahakavi Ulloor’.

Sukumar Azhikode graduated in Commerce in 1946. He then completed a course in training, a post-graduate course in Malayalam and Sanskrit, and a doctoral degree in Malayalam.

His dissertation, ‘Malayala sahitya vimarsanam’ (Literary criticism in Malayalam language), is well-known.

He was a teacher at Rajas High School, Chirackal, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore and Devagiri College, Kozhikode and later a principal at SNM Training College, Moottakunnam, and a professor and

Pro-Vice Chancellor at Calicut University. He retired in 1986. After his retirement, he settled in Thrissur.

Thrissur plunges into grief

Thrissur plunged into sorrow after hearing the news of writer Sukumar Azhikode’s death.

Azhikode had made Thrissur his home after retirement. He initially lived at Viyyur and later relocated to Eravimangalam.

The body was taken around 8:30 a.m. from a private hospital, where he died, to his home at Eravimangalam.

Cooperation Minister C. N. Balakrishnan, Therambil Ramakrishnan, M. P. Vincent, MLAs, and Collector P. M. Francis were among those who arrived at the hospital to pay their last respects.


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Will to choose a Life, and not just a Lifestyle

In today’s world, are we just keeping ourselves busy
without really finding a life. Purposeful living is the
answer. One of the human endowments is the Free Will ,
the capacity to think and act unencumbered .The power
of independent action and choice. In the words of Henry
David Thoreau , ‘I went to the woods because I wished to
live deliberately--- and not , when I came to die , discover
that I had not lived’. Lifestyle purveyors abound .The
market place is filled with those things that give you a
makeover and a personality, if you call it so. From cars
to designer homes and holidays abroad , there is much in
waiting for the discerning and the well heeled . Be all you
can be, an inward orientation that brings out the best in
you . Not just to respond to situations & circumstances
based on the resources . But in discovering yourself ,
the uniqueness that is you . We may have to look away
from the market place though . Life’s biggest joys are the
simplest, simple triumphs of everyday living, in trying to
excel in the tasks at hand.

Differentiation and Integration are two processes that
underlie the capacity to achieve a happy and meaningful
life. It’s a paradoxical proposition, nevertheless the two
aspects are compatible . Differentiation involves

realizing that we are unique individuals , responsible for
our own survival and well being , who are willing to
develop this uniqueness wherever it leads. Integration
involves the realization that
however unique we are we are also completely enmeshed
in relationships with other human beings with culture and
the environment . As one former CEO had observed
“My definition of being successful is contributing
something to the world around and being happy doing it’.
To be successful you have to enjoy doing your best at the
same time contributing to something beyond yourself .
If a leader can make a convincing case that working for
the organisation can provide relevance , that it will take
the workers out of the shell of their mortal frames , that it
will connect them with something more meaningful, then
his vision will generate power and people will naturally be
attracted to working for such a company.

Few people who are Entrepreneurs , Artists , Writers,
Sportspersons, all have the benefit of pursuing careers
that are challenging yet fulfilling as it is well matched to
their skills and talents. You are living your vocation. It is
worth remembering that the organization you are working
will shape your entire identity. It will either enable you to
grow or stunt you . It will strengthen your values or make
you cynical. Many enter their first job still unsure of what
they want to be and of their skills and it is their experience

at work during this period that is likely to
determine
the direction in which they will go professionally . If

the first job doesn’t work it is
better you continue your search than stick it out in a dead
end situation. Look for your passion, go towards
companies you really admire where your God given talents
will be best used . Your values and skills should find
expression. A lifetime career is not what you should seek
instead a job where you can study and grow.

Work should not be everything in life although it gives
you that identity. All work and no play makes ----------- .
One should also have interests outside work , if one has to
balance Work and Life . Setting Performance goals
and high standards for oneself , no matter how
uninteresting the tasks may be can help achieve flow in the
job. When the challenge encountered is matched with the
skills, the outcome can be greatly satisfying . There is
absolute control over their activity and the feedback
gives the one who performs the ability to modify and adapt
to the needs . Striving for excellence does not necessarily
demand that one become the best in one’s field. For many
it means simply to do one’s personal best. Ultimately what
makes a result excellent is that it goes beyond what you
would have expected given the available resources . That
way you end up surprising yourself .

-Bijoy Joseph

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Versions 20.12

2012 hasn't even begun, and yet we've already got a number of reasons to look forward to the coming year. Let's take a look at some technology coming our way the next year

Operating systems

As far as operating systems go, 2012 looks set to be a bumper year. With a slate of Windows 8 tablets expected to release, we'll finally get a proper look at Microsoft's vision of the future of Windows. Not to mention Windows Phone 8, which also should make an appearance before the year is out.

On the Google side of things, Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich) has been heralded as the best version of Android yet; and devices running Google's latest should start making their way to our shores in early 2012. The long-rumoured Google Tablet appears set to become a reality next summer.

As always, huge things are expected from Apple's next OS updates, iOS 6 and Mac OS X 10.8; as of now, though, little is known of either. Similarly, BlackBerry fans will have to wait until the end of the year for a glimpse of Blackberry 10.

Gaming consoles

We can't wait to finally see Nintendo's Wii U in action. The original Wii revolutionised motion-control in gaming and became the most popular console in the world; but it's since faded a little due to dated hardware and a dearth of quality third-party titles.

The Wii U represents Nintendo's answer to those criticisms — with HD graphics on par with the current competition, a stellar legacy of innovation and Nintendo's formidable stable of games, the Wii U is easily one of the most anticipated 2012 launches in gaming.

Right up there with the Wii U, though, is the PlayStation Vita. Going by its powerful specifications alone, the Vita is quite exciting; when you also consider that it claims to deliver PS3-level graphics and a full array of control options in a hand-held device, it becomes positively drool-worthy. As always, rumours abound about the next generation of Microsoft's and Sony's consoles.

Will 2012 see the release of the PlayStation 4 or Xbox 720 or whatever else they might be called? It's unlikely; however, given all the evidence pointing to something big coming our way at the end of next year, an announcement or two doesn't seem outside the bounds of possibility.

Truly smart

Meanwhile, ASUS is keeping the flag flying with its sheer out-of-left-field designs. The company that gave us the excellent Transformer Prime tablet — which turned into a capable net-book with the addition of a keyboard dock — is once again pushing the boundaries with the ASUS Padfone.

The Padfone is a 4.3-inch smartphone (reportedly running Android 4.0 at launch) that integrates with a 10.1-inch display dock, effectively enabling it to serve as either a phone or a tablet. And if that wasn't enough to pique your interest, the Padfone will also be running on a quad-core Tegra 3 chip; thus making it one of the most powerful smartphones around.

Say cheese!

In terms of sheer potential, the gadget we're most intrigued is from the field of photography. We're not alone in having such high hopes for the Lytro Light Field Camera; it's been described as the biggest thing to happen to photography since it went digital.

What's all the fuss about? Well, the Lytro camera uses light-field technology to capture all the light information from a given scene comprehensively enough to create what the company calls ‘living pictures'. You can adjust the focus of these living pictures at your own leisure, or even convert them into 3D images.

While it does have its limitations right now, the “shoot now, focus later” USP that Lytro is going with is undeniably exciting, and provides a solid platform to build on. The technology used in the camera isn't new; however, until now, it's solely been the province of those with research labs and supercomputers.

Arjun Sukumaran

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The Industrial Downturn

In an announcement that shocked both the government and the markets, the CSO declared recently that the month-on-month annual growth rate of industrial production had turned negative in October 2011. The government quickly played down the evidence, seeking to talk up the markets. In this it was aided by the fact that the decline was driven to some extent by an unusual 25.5 per cent annualised decline in production in the capital goods sector. The Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council argued that the fall in capital goods output was possibly due to statistical underreporting. The message was that the numbers are likely to be corrected when the figures are revised, and therefore should give no cause for alarm.

But as the accompanying Chart displaying month-on-month annualised growth rates suggests, medium term developments are such that there still is cause for concern. To start with, the decline in month-on-month growth rates is a trend rather than a one-time phenomenon, though October is the first occasion in recent times when the figure turned negative. The ‘V-shaped’ recovery from the 2009 recession seems to have peaked and reversed itself as far back as February 2010. That was disappointing enough because the recovery had established India as one among the countries that had quickly put the effects of the global crisis behind it. To boot, since then industrial growth has slipped, stabilised for a while, and then registered the recent sharp downturn.

Secondly, while suspicions have been expressed about the veracity of the figures because of the surprisingly large 25.5 decline in the production of the capital goods sector, the October figures point to a negative rate of growth in all industrial groups in the “use-based” classification. Even consumer goods, with a weightage in the index of industrial production that is more than three times as much as for capital goods, registered a decline, even if of a much smaller 0.83 per cent. The trend, if not the magnitude, is general.

A third feature coming out of these growth figures is that, if the October figures prove to be statistically acceptable, the month-on-month growth rate is at a trough that is close to its worst performance during the 2009 crisis. If the 2009 recession was a downturn worth taking note of, so is this.

With figures as striking as these, it is difficult for both government and industry to dispute the decline, even if doubt is expressed about the magnitude of the fall. So what has followed is an attempt to dilute the significance of the downturn by attributing it largely to the effects of the Reserve Bank of India’s attempt to raise interest rates to combat inflation. In fact the RBI has even been criticised on the grounds that its response to the inflation was overdone, and yielded less in terms of inflation control than growth deceleration.

There are many advantages to this position. First, it makes the downturn and possible recession an engineered rather than a systemic phenomenon. This provides the argument for those who would not like a proactive response to the recession on the part of the government. Second, it strips the whole gamut of other policies of the government, including those referred to as the “economic reform”, of any role in precipitating either the inflation or the industrial volatility that underlie the current downturn. Third, it ignores the role played by the high growth in services, or outside the productive sectors, in creating the basis for inflation in recent years. More income and less commodity production normally implies high inflation, more imports or both. Accepting that link would amount to accepting that within the current trajectory high growth would lead to high inflation. And, fourth, since inflation divested of its relationship with growth is expected to moderate in due course, the RBI is expected to respond in reverse by reducing interest rates and easing monetary policy. This makes the recovery from the downturn seem inevitable.

There are two important relationships that arguments of this kind ignore. The first is that the inflation, the response to which is supposed to have triggered the downturn, is not an accidental occurrence. There are strong direct and indirect cost-push effects that the recent economic policies of the government have had that are substantially responsible for the inflation. To that extent, policies other than the responsive hike in interest have had an important role to play, even if the role of the latter in driving the downturn is accepted.

Second, the effects of the interest rate must work through some mechanism. Normally, it works through a dampening of demand, which reduces the degree to which the system is overheated. That is, the mechanism is one that seeks to alter the supply-demand balance by squeezing demand, in order to reduce prices. Its success is, therefore, predicated on a decline in demand and growth. Relying on the interest rate implies accepting the link between growth and inflation.

Conventionally, the perception has been that the effects of the interest rate on demand works through its dampening effect on investment. This reduces investment demand in the first instance, and by limiting the income generated through new investment curtails growth in consumption demand as well. The efficacy of the measure depends, therefore, on the responsiveness of investment to interest rate increases. This has in the past been ambiguous, and is more so now given the option of borrowing from abroad for the big corporates.

This questions the argument that interest changes have generated the recent sharp downturn. However, in more recent times, credit has financed not only productive investment by firms and farms, but a substantial volume of housing investment and consumption by households. Interest rate increases discourage such investment and consumption more than they adversely affect productive investment, making the effects of such hikes on demand much more potent.

It is for this reason that interest rate increases are likely to have had strong adverse effects on growth. The question remains as to why they have been less effective in combating inflation. If cost-push factors play an important role in explaining inflation, the dampening effects of rate increases on the price rise are bound to be lagged and limited. That seems to be the case in India today.

C.P Chandrashekhar

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