TOI Interviews Khushwant Singh

'I should have started my writing career much earlier'

Nov 2, 2011, 12.00AM IST

He's famously controversial and extraordinarily prolific. Born in 1915 and close to 97 years now, author, humorist and political commentatorKhushwant Singh could be the oldest journalist in the world - but this hasn't sweetened his bite too much. Speaking with Humra Quraishi, Singh discussed childhood memories, contemporary politics and facing death - with a spirit of celebration:

How are you spending your days currently?

By not meeting anyone. In fact, i'm happiest when left alone. I have never ever felt lonely. There are books to give me company. I keep readingall through the day and before going to beda¦my hands have begun to shake but i still somehow manage to write longhanda¦

I wake up even earlier than before now and sit and think about what all has to be written and done during the day. I watch news on the television. Often i brood about my childhood - our ancestral village, Hadali, was in undivided Punjab, now Pakistan. Before Partition, my village had a majority of Muslims - almost 95%. There were only some Hindu and Sikh families and only one gurdwara, but just no communal tension... much after the Partition, on the two occasions i visited my village, they were so emotional. How they welcomed me, putting up banners and what not! It was touching. These days, these memories keep coming back.

Yet, your penchant for contemporary political commentary hasn't gone - broad comments on what's happening in the country today?

We have an honest and able prime minister but there is rampant corruptiona¦I don't believe the likes of Anna Hazare can do a thing about this corruption. Only Mahatma Gandhi would have been able to arouse mass consciousness to halt this corruption spreading all around. Meanwhile, on the other side, it's so obvious that chief minister Narendra Modi is targeting officers in Gujarat who dared to bare the truth.

But going by your long journalistic experience, is such disorder unique to India?

Well, the recent rioting in the UK pained me. The student days i spent there were my happiest. I defend the English today. I blame immigrants for that unrest, for they don't want to integrate. Why go abroad if you don't want to mix? If you don't want to integrate, stay put!

Your age is always a matter of public comment; do you privately think about death?

Yes. I think of death very often. I think of all my friends gone and wonder where they area¦I wonder why we don't discuss death in our homes. It's one of those realities no one can escapea¦I also believe in the Jain philosophy that death ought to be celebrated. Years ago, i'd sit at the cremation grounds. That had a certain effect on me, worked as therapy. And years ago, i'd written my own epitaph: 'Here lies one who spared neither man or God/ Waste not your tears on him, he was a sod/ Writing nasty things he regarded as great fun/ Thank the Lord he is dead, this son of a gun.'

Clearly, you have few regrets; is there anything you wish you could have done differently?

I should have started my writing career much earlier - i wasted several years pursuing the legal profession. The other regret is not to have written more against religious fundamentalists hell-bent on causing divides between communities of this land. They have to be dealt with severely. My worry is over the rise of right-wing fascist parties in the country. We have to save our country from these destructive forces.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/I-should-have-started-my-writing-career-much-earlier/articleshow/10571351.cms

Student suicides up 26% in 4 yrs

Anahita Mukherji TNN 

New Delhi: Heres a compelling argument for education reforms in the country: student suicides increased by 26% from 2006 to 2010,with metros Bangalore,Delhi and Mumbai having most victims,in that order.And this is just the official data.
While 5,857 student suicides were reported in 2006,the figure jumped to 7,379 in 2010,according to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau.In other words,20 students killed themselves every day in 2010,something both academicians and mental health professionals blame on a flawed education system where performance pressure ranks above all else.

http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/getpage.aspx?publabel=TOI&city=Delhi

Attempts to stymie RTI must be resisted

The governments intention to restrict the applicability of the Right to Information (RTI) legislation in certain areas such as sport and nuclear safety is puzzling.If anything,these two areas require greater transparency in light of corruption in last years Commonwealth Games as well as the protests against nuclear power plants in Jaitapur and Kudankulam.Ever since its enactment in 2005,the RTI Act has faced pressure from various government quarters to allow for greater discretion the call for removing file notings from RTI purview has been around for sometime.However,such moves go against the very principle of open governance.Trying to circumvent the RTI law or bring in amendments to increase the scope of exceptions only betrays reluctance on the part of the government to move towards transparent functioning.

There is no denying that RTI has empowered people in a way previously unknown.That RTI activists have used the legislation to shed light on a plethora of scams in recent times bears testimony to the efficacy of the transparency law.In this respect,the increasing number of attacks on RTI activists is a cause for concern.Making disclosure of information automatic in such cases will act as a deterrent.Nonetheless,there is merit in the criticism that the burgeoning number of RTI applications is hampering government functioning.This can be tackled by making declassification of government records a matter of routine.Transparent governance would receive a big boost if non-sensitive government records could simply be published on the Web India can follow international best practices in this regard.In case of more sensitive information,it could be published after a predefined lapse of time.

http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/getpage.aspx?edlabel=CAP&pubLabel=TOI&pageid=20&mydateHid=18-10-2011

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

Yashwant Raj,HT 

October 07, 2011

The screens simply said: Steve Jobs, 1955-2011. The assistant at a Washington suburb Apple store was sure it was not what the screens of displayed devices said when he had last checked. He looked lost fleetingly, and then snapped back. All business, "HoThe company, on Jobs's watch, straddled the widely disparate worlds of business and personal computing. The personal computer was truly personal, topped up with a steady supply of even more personal computing devices.

"He was a perfectionist," said John Sculley, in a television interview, of the man he infamously fired from the company he had founded. Sculley and Jobs never spoke again. Apple's best would follow Jobs's return.

And he became an immensely rich man. Forbes magazine estimated his personal fortune was $8.3 billion (Rs40,670 crore) in 2011, mostly the value of his 5.5 million Apple shares. His annual salary had been $1 (Rs49) since 1997. Jobs leaves behind wife Laurene Powell Jobs and four children, one of whom, Lisa, was born out of wedlock and had an early version of the Macintosh computer named after her. Jobs was a Buddhist and a committed vegan. "It's really the passing of an era," said the Apple store assistant, who refused to give his name, using a cliché to describe a man he couldn't do easily. He struggled and then gave up: "What a great man."w can I help you, sir?"

Steven Paul Jobs, Apple founder, inventor, marketer and visionary, died Wednesday evening. He was 56. His family said in a statement Jobs died peacefully, surrounded by his family.

"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives," said the Apple Inc board, announcing the death. "The world is immeasurably better because of Steve," it added.

Jobs stepped down as Apple CEO late August saying he was unable to carry on. The announcement didn't give reasons, but he was losing the battle against pancreatic cancer, first diagnosed in 2003.

The top job passed on to his deputy Tim Cook, who made his first product launch on Monday: an upgrade of iPhone 4, the iconic device that, as Jobs had once promised, has changed the way people use the phone.

"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being," Cook said in an email to Apple employees.

Jobs was 21 when he founded Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976, working out of that greatest of American launch venues: a garage. That company became the world's most valued company in 2011, beating oil giant Exxon.

Along the way Apple ceased to be merely a computer company as it had started. It was now a company making an entire range of lifestyle products, each more popular than the previous: Mac, iPod, shuffle, iPhone and iPad.

The company, on Jobs's watch, straddled the widely disparate worlds of business and personal computing. The personal computer was truly personal, topped up with a steady supply of even more personal computing devices.

"He was a perfectionist," said John Sculley, in a television interview, of the man he infamously fired from the company he had founded. Sculley and Jobs never spoke again. Apple's best would follow Jobs's return.

And he became an immensely rich man. Forbes magazine estimated his personal fortune was $8.3 billion (Rs40,670 crore) in 2011, mostly the value of his 5.5 million Apple shares. His annual salary had been $1 (Rs49) since 1997. Jobs leaves behind wife Laurene Powell Jobs and four children, one of whom, Lisa, was born out of wedlock and had an early version of the Macintosh computer named after her. Jobs was a Buddhist and a committed vegan. "It's really the passing of an era," said the Apple store assistant, who refused to give his name, using a cliché to describe a man he couldn't do easily. He struggled and then gave up: "What a great man."

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/754406.aspx

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish: Steve Jobs' speech at Stanford

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky - I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/754153.aspx  

Watch the Video Footage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc&feature=player_embedded

How much you will charge to laugh?

Sonal Kalra, HT City, DDun

My deepest sympathies to the family and friends of those who are always `dead' serious

I give you three seconds to recall the last time you laughed out loud. One...two...three, done. All those who remembered the last `LOL' they'd casually typed while chatting on Facebook can take turns to slap each other. And the others, who at least tried to recall their real laughter but could not, listen to me. Kya, problem kya hai? Do people, who have to bear you every day of their lives, not deserve to sometimes see the twinkle in your eyes or the teeth that you claim to religiously brush every morning? Kya aapke toothpaste mein namak hai?
Then what is the matter, people?

Yesterday I observed this man at a friend's get-together. He was there to attend a party, but his face bore an expression as if the host had put a gun to his head and dragged him there. Someone told a joke, everyone laughed, even those who had heard it before. But this one's expression got worse. Not wanting to be judgmental about some constipated poor soul who may have indeed had a hard day, I asked my friend if that guy was unwell or needed help. "Oh no, Harsh is like that only. He's the serious, brooding kinds. He always says this hansi mazaak is juvenile and trivial.' My friend went on and on describing the behaviour but my mind's record got stuck at the first sentence itself. His name was Harsh? Isn't that supposed to mean joy? Or maybe his folks spelt his name as the English word `harsh' as that's what he was being, on himself.

If you are reading this, Harsh, please know that I'm not trying to criticise you. In fact contrary to what your friends told me, I genuinely believe that there may have been valid reasons or worries that forced you to adopt a serious attitude in life. But I'm not sure if you're doing yourself a favour by dismissing the power of laughter in life as a triviality. I have a problem with those who try hard to suppress this very basic trait, and in fact a unique gift to human beings, by analysing and judging the source of humour. Some of us have become so intelligent that most causes of laughter seem silly or stupid to us. Movies seem full of slapstick, comedy shows are dismissed as being vulgar (some of them actually are) -we basically start thinking its beneath us to laugh at most things. `Isme hasne ki kya baat hai', is a reply we give to most of the things that make an attempt to tickle our funny bone. What we forget is that in the search of that so-called evolved humour, we are becoming used to being serious all the time.

As I'd written in one of the previous columns, if someone tells a joke, some people get too busy in either trying to beat him to the punchline, or saying I've heard it before, or, if at all, do the teller a favour by forcing a twitch of the lips that vaguely resembles a smile. Internet, God bless, has made things worse. Now abbreviations like `lol' which is supposed to indicate that one is laughing out loud, is thrown away super casually, even though you may be slapping your child with the other hand or cursing your maid while you type it. Henceforth, friends of Harsh, try and adopt these three rules in your life. It may just change your life.

1 Set up a laughter library of your own: Everyone has a different benchmark, trigger and level of humour. You know your own, and try collecting things -DVDs, jokes, books, cartoon clippings, that could be your very own laugh-lib. Feeling low? Just dig into your laugh-lib and it may just take you away from your worries for a while.

2 Set some kind of a codereminder for yourself.

Something that'll remind you to check for how long have you, even unknowingly, sported a frown on your forehead. It could be a ring that you wear, or something on the office wall in front of your desk. Promise yourself that each time you happen to look at it, you'll take a deep breath, remember something funny and smile. Yeah, your colleagues may call for a psychiatrist thinking you've lost it, but deal with it. They don't know you are adding years to your life.

3 Finally, don't ever be judgmental about someone else's sense of humour. Don't go into an overdrive to tell your loved ones they shouldn't have laughed at something that you thought was silly. Don't give angry glares to your boyfriend if he's chuckling loud like a child while watching a movie, that laughter is way more valuable than your uptight attitude about whether it was funny or whether its causing you embarrassment in the movie hall. And laugh your own guts out, people who turn to look at you are not thinking you are foolish, they are actually jealous because they are still looking for good enough reasons to laugh. You are lucky you found yours.

Sonal Kalra has read somewhere that laughing five times a day makes you lose weight. It's not a joke. She's very, very serious.

Mail your calmness tricks at sonal.kalra@hindustantimes.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/sonalkalra13 Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/sonalkalra.

The Tension-Not calmness trophy this week goes to The girlie gang of Prabhleen Chopra, Gauri Gupta and Ashu Gupta, for bringing their ever so lovable charm to this column's Facebook page; and to Jatin Jamwal for possessing what is perhaps the largest collection of funny jokes and oneliners and sharing it with everyone to spread the joy around.

Loads of calmness your way.

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/PUBLICATIONS/HT/HD/2011/10/02/ArticleHtmls/A-CALMER-YOU-How-much-will-you-charge-02102011112001.shtml?Mode=1

Why so serious?

Vinita Dawra Nangia 

Why are we guilty about giving in to well-deserved fun? It's time to up the fun quotient in our lives!

Each time someone at office asks me for leave, they look hesitant and guilty. I cannot figure out why, because I have never refused anybody leave. I can see no reason for doing so! Even more surprising, almost always the request is accompanied by, "I will do some extra stories before I go on leave…"

That leaves me amused as well as foxed. Why would anyone wish to work extra hard before they leave for fun? Wouldn't they rather unwind and get into the mood for holiday? But then, when it is time for me to take leave, I find myself doing the same! Working extra hard, trying to smooth over creases that haven't appeared yet, stayingconnected not just till the last minute but even in the car or plane on my way out, till I am physically pulled away from the laptop and Blackberry by my family! 

Not only are we guilty about our own holidays, we also grudge others theirs. As soon as a prominent politician or bureaucrat proceeds on a holiday, we start hearing murmurs of how the country is in such a dire strait and all our leaders can do is holiday (that too probably on public exchequer)! No sooner does a Bollywood star travel abroad than we start hearing gossip about who has accompanied him and how he will certainly announce abreak-up with his current partner soon as he returns! 

Fun is somehow just not ingrained into our system, nor is it accorded avalued place in our cultural ethos. Duty and responsibility take precedence over everything else. Enjoyment is an excess we are taught to do without. Our epics extol the virtues of duty. All characters go through hardships and are never shown having fun, almost as if greatness must meet vicissitudes! Watch any television serial. Each one has elders frowning upon youngsters who attempt to step out from within the family fold for a meal outside, to watch a film, or to go off on a holiday. "Aisa toh kabhi nahi hota hamare yahan" is the constant refrain. The entire effort seems to be focused on not letting anyone break away from set moulds and the call of duty, not even for a short while, lest they be enticed away forever! 

Years ago on a visit to Australia, I visited an international magazine office one Friday afternoon only to find it deserted by all except the editor with whom I had an appointment. Seeing my surprise, she smiled and said, "Friday afternoon!" There seemed to be an explanation as well as a slight reproach in her voice. I was told later that I had done the unthinkable by fixing to meet her when I did. 

Later, stepping out, I realised that most of Sydney was already in holiday mode, with shirtless men lounging in the sun outside bars, guzzling beer. So, Aussies, beer and Bermudas was no stereotype, I remember thinking and smiling. Come Friday afternoon and the country breaks into holiday mode! Afriend visiting UK last month, wrote to me with a wistful note, "Everyone here lays down their pens, metaphorically speaking, on Friday afternoons and is out enjoying themselves and celebrating the approaching weekend! Why are we so serious in India?" 

Yes, why are we so serious? We smile where other cultures guffaw; we talk softly and hesitantly, while others express their opinions in loud, confident tones, and we tread carefully where others stride ahead. Back home of course Fridays are always Frydays, when we work extra hard and extra-long hours to make up for the coming weekend. We are all so guilty of claiming our pleasures! 

Blame it on genetic coding or the struggles of a developing nation where nobody can take their status for granted without working for it, but we have never been taught to unwind and relax. In developed countries, people are encouraged to follow their hearts. Add to that our belief in the cycle of birth and rebirth, believing our next life depends on the good karma we garner in this one, and most of us don't want to fritter away that chance of a better next life! 

I believe the art of balance is all in every sphere of life. If we are able to balance the fun quotient in our lives as against duties and responsibilities, how could we go wrong? Of course, we need to understand that the opposite of 'fun' isn't 'work'; it's monotony or boredom! Work could be fun too for many. And, the situation seems to be changing for today's youngsters. A generation that uses peers as role models rather than their elders and epics. Connected as they are through social networks with like-minded people across the world, they are more open about their choices, refusing to be limited by parental pressures and demands. They carve out a time for work and a time for fun, and are clear where the two converge and diverge. A perfect balance between work and fun. Maybe soon we will all start becoming less prissy about our fun quotient?!

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/O-zone  

Lets do more to spread computer literacy TOI Edit 300911

Logging on

Sep 30, 2011, 12.00AM IST

Human resources development minister Kapil Sibal brings good news for Indian consumers, particularly students. Next week, the 'world's cheapest computer' will finally see light of day. The Rs 1,500 computing-cum-access device - a rejoinder to the $100 laptop used in the UNDP-backed global One Laptop Per Child programme - has been over seven years in the making. Those years haven't treated India kindly as far ascomputer literacy goes. The direct correlation between a computer literate workforce and economic productivity has been proved time and time again. In India's case, the IT sector accounts for about $78 billion worth of exports. But it employs only around 11 million people - a minuscule portion of our labour force. Factor in the increasing necessity of computer literacy in both classrooms and industries across the board and the demand is huge. But where is the supply? 

Government initiatives to spread computer literacy have fared poorly. In semi-urban and rural areas especially, there's often lack of basic educational infrastructure even when computers are provided. Lack of electricity, absence of computer literate teachers, inadequate security for equipment - these have all been problems. The new tablet-form in question can sidestep some of those issues: for instance, with availability of solar power, power supply shouldn't be an issue. But there are several hurdles to overcome if we're to bridge the digital divide in this country. Internet access is increasingly a crucial part of computer literacy. We're faced with just a 6.9% internet penetration rate as of 2010 and a serious lack of the infrastructure necessary to increase the user base. 

Much more needs to be done in these areas. Putting affordable computers in the market as a gateway device is an important step. But it's only the first one.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Logging-on/articleshow/10174236.cms?prtpage=1

Learning life’s lessons: Swapan Seth

Ad-man Swapan Seth confesses that writing a book on advertising would have been the natural course of events for him. Instead, the 44-year-old settled on offering his readers gyaan (pearls of wisdom) on a universal subject— life. "I've spent two decades in advertising, but twice as much living life. It (the book) was not something I had planned. The idea came and I just knew I had to write it then. I think there's a story inside each of us that needs to be told," he says.

What started as a gift on his elder son Reyhaan's 13th birthday, ended up being a precious nugget about the life and times of Seth for his two sons. His book, This Is All I Have To Say, says a lot about the author, as well as his roles as a student, father, lover and more.

Wonder years
From a boy who failed class 8 to a 17-year-old college dropout who eventually became India's youngest creative director at 24, Seth's book is peppered with anecdotes capturing life's highs and lows. The quick read features simple free verse interspersed with colourful vignettes on life.

His frank jottings touch upon everything from wisdom, love, passion, failure and many other universal themes. "It's not a kid's book, a self-help book nor an instruction booklet. Rather it's a value-enhancer. Most people leave their kids with material wealth, I wanted to leave them with my life's lesson" he says.

And what did his teenage sons make of it? "They thought it was a tad emotional and sentimental," he laughs. When not writing punchlines for his latest ad campaigns, Seth dishes out a-tip-a-day on his Facebook page, Swapan's Shot. Ask him if he enjoys doling advice out to others and he replies, "The Facebook page is just a suggestion on what to read or listen to or where to eat and shop."

And does he stick by his written word? "I would like to. But I must say it's difficult. On many occasions, I find myself believing in something and acting in another way. Now it's more evident since I have put it all down in words. But I do falter, that's human nature."

Seth Says:

On fatherhood: Are your children your best friends? Can you speak to them about everything? Can they?

On life: Either you lead it. Or it leads you. I prefer the latter.

On writing: Words are just pictures that changed their mind along the way.

On your work: Would you like to be marooned on a lonely island with it? If so, you are doing what makes you happy.

On gratitude: Remember you were your parent's thank you to their God. Be thankful, always.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/747203.aspx

 

Misguided activism TOI Edit, Sep 22, 2011

Energy-hungry India's ambitious plan to raise nuclear capacity to 63,000 MW by 2032 makes sense. But meeting the target won't be easy, going by demonstrations against nuclear power projects countrywide. The latest agitation over Tamil Nadu's Kudankulam plant - agitators there have just ended an 11-day fast - shows yet again how easily passions can be whipped up. Why nuclear energy appears open to mischievous fear-mongering isn't hard to see. These mega-ventures, involving big bucks and foreign collaboration, need to be built and maintained with top-grade safety standards. However rare, when mishaps do occur as in Japan's Fukushima, they serve as fodder for anti-nuclear power lobbies besides provoking knee-jerk local protests.

Sometime ago, Fukushima was used to justify calls to scrap the Jaitapur plant in Maharashtra. Haryana, Andhra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have had their share of troubles while Bengal junked the Haripur project. In Tamil Nadu, NGO-backed protesters now want Kudankulam's atomic power plant closed, citing misgivings over safety and displacement. The chief minister's detailed statement about safety measures in place fell on deaf ears and the Centre - reportedly ready to 'reconsider' the project - seems on the verge of caving in. When people adopt agitation for agitation's sake, goaded by myopic activists with ideological axes to grind, the first casualty is reasoned debate. Yet public awareness can hardly be raised without cool-headed discussion on both the benefits and risks of nuclear energy use.

It is no one's case that public concerns over safety needn't be addressed. If anything, Fukushima torpedoed complacency about nuclear power, driving home that disaster preparedness must plan for even freak accidents. Mishaps, however, can happen as much in a chemical plant, a coalmine or an oilrig as in a nuclear power plant. Managing concerns demands open debate about our nuclear edifice, whose decision-making processes must be more transparent. Periodic reviews of existing plants are in order, along with public education about security assessments and contingency plans. Reinforcing the structural integrity of sites must be top priority. This mandates upgrade in installation design - reactors, control rooms, containment areas, cooling systems, power backups - to help plants better withstand calamities.

The aim, ultimately, is to have our nuclear power programme take off. Fast-developing India can't rest content with Luddite responses to technology, as frequently manifested in misguided activism be it against transgenic crops or nuclear energy. Our power consumption is set to increase by leaps and bounds. Environment-friendly energy use being critical to our high growth path, we require alternatives to polluting fossil fuels. Renewables - coming with their own set of headaches concerning use of land and other resources - can't do the trick alone. We need a diversified energy basket, which includes an emissions-free source like nuclear power generated to benefit people on a mass scale.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-22/edit-page

Grammar and Vocabulary Online Resources

hhttp://www.basic-english-grammar.com/

http://www.englishtenseswithcartoons.com/tenses/future_perfect_cont

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

http://oxforddictionaries.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

http://towson.edu/ows/

GK Quiz September 1-10, 2011

        NP-IQ Knowledge is power r

1.      In which city of India we will soon have a world-class institute that will impart training to people and chalk out strategies to curb the effects of climate change

Delhi will soon have a world-class institute that will impart training to people and chalk out strategies to curb the effects of climate change, CM Sheila Dikshit said.

2.   The Special judge behind Amar Singh's arrest

Sangita Dhingra Sehgal

 Master of Art in Public Administration from Punjab, University;d) LLB from Delhi University

3.   What is the allegation against Mr. Amar Singh

Cash-for-vote scam

4.   Which trophy has moved out of India?

Champions Trophy moves out of India The International Hockey Federation has snatched the annual Champions Trophy tournament from India because of an ongoing tussle over who runs the sport in the country.Regretting the move,the federation said it was the only way to maintain the integrity of our sport

5.   Which water-sharing agreement was to be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs Bangladesh visit to Bangladesh

Teesta pact with Dhaka put off after presuure from the WB government.

6.    Who is the speaker of the Lok Sabha

Ms. Meira Kumar 

7.    Arvind Kejriwal was a part of which branch of the Elite Civil Services?

The Indian Revenue Services

8.     Who has accused Team Anna member Kejriwal of flouting service rules while serving as an Indian Revenue Service officer and collecting lakhs of rupees for his NGO through donations.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh; Kejriwal collected lakhs for NGO as IRS officer 

9.    What does IED stand for?

 improvised explosive device (IED)

10.  THIS MAN USED TO FLY WITH RAJIV GANDHI: He was Killed in the Delhi blast on Wedenesday

Captain Ronald Nagar

 

11.  Which county's sports team was wiped out when their jet crashed leaving 44 dead?

Russian hockey team

Forty-four people were killed when a Russian jet carrying an ice hockey team crashed on take-off.P 22

12. Name the movie with which Big B will make his Hollywood debut; He's playing role of Meyer Wolfshiem with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role

The Great Gatsby Big B to star with Leo in The Great Gatsby 

13.                President Pratibha Devisingh Patil gave away the 58th National Film Awards to emminent film makers and artists at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Friday. Who received the Dada Saheb Phalke Award?

 Veteran Tamil filmmaker K Balachander to receive Dada Saheb Phalke award. the man behind films like 'Iru Kodugal', 'Apoorva Raagangal' and 'Ek Duuje Ke Liye' at Vigyan Bhawan.The award consists of a Swarna Kamal , a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a shawl.

14.               Where is Miss Universe 2011 beauty pageant being held?

São Paulo (Saint Paul; /ˌsaʊ ˈpaʊloʊ/) is thelargest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere, and the world's eighth largest city by population. The city is very similar to New York in terms of culture, economy and population.

 

15. Who was the first High court Judge to be impeached by the Rajya Sabha?

Justice Soumitra Sen

16. What are the allegations against Justice Sen?

He was found guilty of misappropriating Rs 33.23 lakh, which were under his custody as a court-appointed receiver in the capacity as a lawyer and misrepresenting facts before a Calcutta court, had claimed he was being victimised and was made a "sacrificial lamb" to cleanse the judiciary.

17. Who is the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the ICICI Bank?

Chanda Kochar

ICICI Bank to hire 6,000 people this fiscal for biz expansion: Chanda Kochhar

18.  Name the company acquired by the world's number one search engine Google.

 

 Popular dining ratings authority, Zagat; to compete in this market against Yelp and OpenTable.

 

19.  Name the CEO of Tata Motors who resigned on Friday?

 

Carl-Peter Forster,The company said Forster resigned due to "unavoidable personal circumstances

 

20.  India's Bharti Airtel Ltd. has got a license to offer second-generation and third-generation mobile services in which country  taking its operations in Africa to 17 countries.

 

Rwanda

 

21.  In order to showcase its commitment to transparency and accountability, the government is likely to introduce which Bill in the winter session of Parliament. 

 

Companies Bill, 2011                           

 

22.  Which two teams will clash in the finals of the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy on Sunday

 

Arch rivals India and Pakistan

 

23.  What is the venue of the final match of the Asian Champs trophy?

 

Ordos (China),Malaysia beat Japan 3-2 in their last round robin league encounter on Friday to help India set up a clash with Pakistan in the final of the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament here.

 

24.  US Open Which pair from India has made it to the semi-finals of the mens' doubles event of the US Open defeating the British pair of Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins in a gruelling three-setter?

 

Bopanna-Qureshi through to SFs

 

25.  Who lead the revolt over safety at rain-hit US Open?

Rafael Nadal   Rafael Nadal lashed out at US Open organisers on Wednesday, claiming players' safety was being put at risk in a desperate effort to make up for lost time at the rain-ravaged Grand Slam tournament. 

26.  Who is playing 'the brother' in the latest movie release MBKD?

Ali Zafar

27.  Name the painful nerve condition for which Leading Bollywood actor Salman Khan underwent a surgery in the US last week.

Trigeminal Neuralgia, a nerve disorder that causes intense pain in the face, The surgery has been "successful" and he is advised a complete rest for the next fifteen days.

 

Deserve the best!