letz talk abt music....... m not here to preach you or for sum lecture n ol......m here to tell u wat i thnk abt music... Well when I think ‘What youngsters like’, I guess they mostly prefer rock, heavy metal and pop. When we look closely, we realize that all these songs have got very high tempo and high beats too. The fact that we youngsters react very fast has got a psychological side also. We lose our temper very fast, hmm, might be just to bring out our hidden emotions . Now I think they need a source n music is always our language of emotions. So no wonder it’s made to bring our temper down and in a way in these beats, we express all that……….In the same way if u ever notice while you are walking in a Levis store, they always play slow english songs which may be for 2 reasons-1 Youngsters are more into Hollywood, it’s a sort of fad for them.. 2 Slow songs make u calm down, they make u feel good about everything and u get into a nice mood and u shop more coz your mood swings affect even your shopping also. In fact some brands prefer rock music also because the young fleshy blood gets involved in music n in that funny and excited mood customers will shop a lot. I don’t know whether you guys noticed or not but music affects your life so much n even reflects your personality ……. I know may be on few points you guys might think that, m just a little gal, but plz guys try to notice the effect of your personality or surrounding on the kind of music you wanna tune to……..so open your eyes n ears ….. Because music is part of your personality……Dat was about music Ohk thatz it ……. It was kind of bookish thing, letz talk practically about your daily life.But still I got a question why u guys don’t listen to Hindi songs? I mean its kinda strange that we don’t listen to hindi songs though v r Indians.I will tell u an incident…….a fest was organized in my college, a young guy came on the stage, he was like correcting mistakes of people in English which he noticed in whole day, sort of pronunciation problem ……. In the end he said sorry guys I don’t know Hindi that much…….. nd the same thing happened in antakshri. People were like, ask English songs -we are not so much into bollywood……….Now I got a question why……? Why we do it, in fact in abroad you can find Punjabi music in pubs and all…… thats kind of strange…. It’s like common guys give me the answer…….. I know it would be like I am also a youngster why I am pointing finger on you…… so here is your answer I don’t believe in carpeting whole world, instead of that I will prefer covering ma feet…… today Hindi n Hindi songs are like shameful thing for us….. Tell me guys how many people got ultra modern parents like wen ur mom wore jeans n mini and your father talked about your girl friends…… I guess answer is literally 20% or 40%. Still our parents wake up in morning take bath n bow their head in front of god and worship….. Still when u borrow new car, we make that swastika sign on it …….. Am I correct…….. That it also very orthodox thing ……. But we never thought of keeping your parents out of your life I mean when you are 18 have you ever thought about leaving your parents n walking out alone on your own just because u feel ashamed because your mom wears sari and your dad don’t ask you “hey dude how is life how many lecture you bunked yesterday…….?” Answer is no never. Why don’t we think ……… so guys tell me how can you ignore your mother language or feel ashamed about it…… at least don’t b partial with songs. I accept that in studies you r under pressure coz u gotta find a job and people with good communication in English are alwz sought after…….. But no one asks about music ………. Now u don got any excuse….atlst give it a try yaar..... listen sumhindi songs....... atlst step up.......start from music ........itz not bad ...... but itz jst dat u alrdy got dis in mind dat hindi music is bad n rsn is itz in hindi.......... but u knw what music don got ny language..... it got ur emotion datz it..........so give it a try.........
Barkha Jhirwal (19 years)
About me- believe in reality, helping others and keep smiling
Crazy about- Punjab, MA MOM and ma friends
Likes- books, outing, adventures, partying n spl spending time with frandz.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Ministry of Labour recently issued a notification
The Ministry of Labour recently issued a notification banning children below 14 from working in residences and the hospitality sector. After agriculture, these areas are where children are employed in the highest numbers, and it is hoped that prohibiting their employment in homes and at waiting tables will address a large lacuna in the current laws against employing children. The prohibition was brought into force by adding these areas in the list of hazardous occupations, where child labour is already prohibited. The ban has been imposed under the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 and will be effective from 10th October 2006.
The national child rights organisation Child Rights and You (CRY) has welcomed the Ministry's recent notification but feels it is an insufficient response. Many gaps still remain in the legal provisions against child labour, and even the ones already in existance cannot be effective without proper enforcement and rehabilitation provisions. Moreover, the group has pointed out that while this notification has been necessary, it is at best another in a long line of piecemeal efforts. For real change to occur the root causes of child labour have to be addressed – causes like the lack of a coherent education policy, insufficient schools, poverty, marginalization, migration etc - situations that force children into work.
In our press release, we observed that 27 years of CRY's work with 2,500 marginalised communities across 20 states across India has shown that the piece-meal, scheme-based, relief-oriented approach adopted by both governmental and NGOs has limited impact and practically no sustainability. This is because they fail to address the underlying causes of deprivation. Causes related to gender, caste, ethnicity, religion and class keep over 100 million Indian children hungry, unschooled and vulnerable to the worst forms of abuse and exploitation imaginable. Instead, irreversible change is only possible when children, parents, community groups and local government come together to identify, address and resolve the issues that constrain children.This broader demand apart, even within the notification's limited ambit, CRY has noted significant gaps:
The prohibition is restricted to servants at home, hotels, dhabas and other recreation centres. It is not clear whether this applies to the household manufacturing sector, where a vast number of children are employed in similar working conditions.
The conviction rate for the already existing Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 is abysmally low - so low, in fact, that it is hardly a deterrent for employers. Without strengthening both enforcement mechanisms and provisions for rehabilitation, making additions to the list of prohibited employments for children has little meaning.
The notification is premised on the belief that that child labour needs to be prohibited in hazardous occupations only, but does not take a clear view of what children ought to be doing in their childhood - learning in safe and meaningful schools. An insular notofication of this sort totally ignores children's right to safe and facilitating environment for development, including health, nutrition and education needs.
It is also noteworthy that the government's notification is incongruent with another related issue pending before it - namely, ensuring the fundamental right to education. Legislation enabling this right to education is yet to be passed in Parliament, which raises the question - if children are to be stopped from working so that they may attend schools instead, why is there such a lack of poitical will in securing the right to education?
CRY believes, for this reason, that the notification on child labour has to be seen in this light - more than protecting children from hazardous employment, the government may be trying to ward off a Supreme Court decision banning all forms of child labour. The Court has already asked the States for their views on why child labour should not be entirely abolished. Its query to the state governments may have prompted this limited response from the executive.
Clearly, the journey is far from complete. The National Sample Survey 2000, reported 16.4 million Indian children aged 5-14 years were 'engaged in economic activities and domestic or non-remunerative work'. Another 46 million children of school-going age are unaccounted for, neither enrolled in school nor officially working. Giving India at least one reason to be #1 — home to the largest number of child labourers on the plane
Educated youth: The change agent in Indian politics
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The kind of fractious political environment that our disputatious leadership has created over the years in itself has become the biggest deterrent for any educated and equitably honest youth to take politics up as a scrupulously dignified career. In fact, over the years, the entire trenchant political environment has been constructed in such a discordant manner that it has managed to keep young, potently dedicated and benevolent youth away from it. If that is not the case, then how does one justify that almost 25 per cent of our Parliamentarians have criminal backgrounds!
Historically, though, this was not the case. Not that it was any better ever, but in the 1950s, the average age of Rajya Sabha members was around 50, which shot up to 59 by the turn of the century. And I’m sure by 2009 it would have gone up by a few more months. Similarly, the average age of the 13th Lok Sabha has been around 55 years! Here again, the average age has been on a constant rise. The average age during the first Lok Sabha was 46 years. The matter of fact is that Indian democracy has invariably posed a classical dichotomy with respect to Indian demographics. A nation wherein more than 70 per cent of the population is less than 40 years has a Parliament which houses 80 per cent of its politicians over the age of 70! Probably no other nation reflects such a stark irony – for example in the United Kingdom, there were only two Prime Ministers (Winston Churchill and James Callaghan) who crossed 70 while holding their office! But then it would be wrong to state that Indian Parliament is completely bereft of youth. In the 14th Lok Sabha, some 36 young debutant MPs got elected and bettered the average age factor for the Lok Sabha.
Had these 36 young MPs not been elected this time, I’m sure Lok Sabha would have been declared dead, statistically, as the average mortality rate of Indians is 64. But then, other than lowering the average age of the Lok Sabha, the young MPs did hardly anything to bring in any noteworthy political change for the people of this nation. And this ought to happen, for most of the young MPs who made it through had a political legacy behind them. And that is the reason, as per a PRS India report, that young MPs hardly participated in the Lok Sabha proceedings. Whereas on the other extreme, MPs above 70 years, accounting for 10 per cent of the House, participated in 10 per cent of total debates. The report also states that the average attendance of MPs in the 25-40 years age group, which was at 70 per cent, was the lowest. What’s even more unfortunate is that during the Budget Session, which lasts for 28 days and is of national imperative, the average attendance of the very same young MPs was a mere 62 per cent.
Though as a nation we might have succeeded in electing a few youths in the Parliament, it has been an act of mere tokenism. For neither do they seem to possess any zealously rousing vision, nor do they presumably poss any precipitously striking leadership skills, which is pretty evident from their spiritless attendance and incurious participation.
In fact, with the election having been declared and with almost all political parties creating all kind of noise about educated youth getting into mainstream politics, particularly post 26/11, I do not contemplate much to happen. At best, a few political parties might succeed in getting a few youth elected; but then that’s it. The delinquent problem lies in the fact that it is prohibitively impossible for any educated and erudite youth with the right vision and leadership skills to contest an election independently. For not only does it require considerable money, but on top of that, if someone has to get any closer to winning, then one has to necessarily be a part of existing political ideologies.
The real catalytic change can happen only when political parties in power have a pre-potently dynamic youth oriented perspective. They need to not just invigoratingly encourage educated youth to participate but they need to have a systematic selection and funding process. It is only then that there would be a true vitalising transformation in the political system that would pave a path for a fundamentally strong and prosperously efficacious democracy.
The kind of fractious political environment that our disputatious leadership has created over the years in itself has become the biggest deterrent for any educated and equitably honest youth to take politics up as a scrupulously dignified career. In fact, over the years, the entire trenchant political environment has been constructed in such a discordant manner that it has managed to keep young, potently dedicated and benevolent youth away from it. If that is not the case, then how does one justify that almost 25 per cent of our Parliamentarians have criminal backgrounds!
Historically, though, this was not the case. Not that it was any better ever, but in the 1950s, the average age of Rajya Sabha members was around 50, which shot up to 59 by the turn of the century. And I’m sure by 2009 it would have gone up by a few more months. Similarly, the average age of the 13th Lok Sabha has been around 55 years! Here again, the average age has been on a constant rise. The average age during the first Lok Sabha was 46 years. The matter of fact is that Indian democracy has invariably posed a classical dichotomy with respect to Indian demographics. A nation wherein more than 70 per cent of the population is less than 40 years has a Parliament which houses 80 per cent of its politicians over the age of 70! Probably no other nation reflects such a stark irony – for example in the United Kingdom, there were only two Prime Ministers (Winston Churchill and James Callaghan) who crossed 70 while holding their office! But then it would be wrong to state that Indian Parliament is completely bereft of youth. In the 14th Lok Sabha, some 36 young debutant MPs got elected and bettered the average age factor for the Lok Sabha.
Had these 36 young MPs not been elected this time, I’m sure Lok Sabha would have been declared dead, statistically, as the average mortality rate of Indians is 64. But then, other than lowering the average age of the Lok Sabha, the young MPs did hardly anything to bring in any noteworthy political change for the people of this nation. And this ought to happen, for most of the young MPs who made it through had a political legacy behind them. And that is the reason, as per a PRS India report, that young MPs hardly participated in the Lok Sabha proceedings. Whereas on the other extreme, MPs above 70 years, accounting for 10 per cent of the House, participated in 10 per cent of total debates. The report also states that the average attendance of MPs in the 25-40 years age group, which was at 70 per cent, was the lowest. What’s even more unfortunate is that during the Budget Session, which lasts for 28 days and is of national imperative, the average attendance of the very same young MPs was a mere 62 per cent.
Though as a nation we might have succeeded in electing a few youths in the Parliament, it has been an act of mere tokenism. For neither do they seem to possess any zealously rousing vision, nor do they presumably poss any precipitously striking leadership skills, which is pretty evident from their spiritless attendance and incurious participation.
In fact, with the election having been declared and with almost all political parties creating all kind of noise about educated youth getting into mainstream politics, particularly post 26/11, I do not contemplate much to happen. At best, a few political parties might succeed in getting a few youth elected; but then that’s it. The delinquent problem lies in the fact that it is prohibitively impossible for any educated and erudite youth with the right vision and leadership skills to contest an election independently. For not only does it require considerable money, but on top of that, if someone has to get any closer to winning, then one has to necessarily be a part of existing political ideologies.
The real catalytic change can happen only when political parties in power have a pre-potently dynamic youth oriented perspective. They need to not just invigoratingly encourage educated youth to participate but they need to have a systematic selection and funding process. It is only then that there would be a true vitalising transformation in the political system that would pave a path for a fundamentally strong and prosperously efficacious democracy.
Monday, April 19, 2010
How the youth will shape India
The condition of our children and the values our youth will conduct their lives by, as they aspire to have more and get ahead, will determine what shape our country will be in 25 years
MOTHERS matter. And children matter. Because they create our future. Therefore the recent report on the ‘State of the World’s Mothers’ by Save the Children, the international organisation, should concern those envisioning India’s future. India is 66th out of 71 developing countries in the Mothers’ Index ranking — a composite of healthcare, education, and economic status of mothers in these countries. And with over 53% of children in India under five years without basic healthcare facilities, the country also ranks very low, alongside Ghana and Eritrea, in childcare. Indians aspire for their country to be a large, rapidly growing economy, and also to be respected as a great nation. Therefore these numbers should be of immense concern because the condition of mothers and children is fundamental to realising those aspirations.
India, according to several economic forecasters, is on its way to becoming the third largest economy in the world by 2040. Recently a few Indians began to appear in the lists of the richest people in the world. Now Forbes, the international business magazine, projects that by 2017 India will have the most billionaires in the world! These could be signs that the economy is on its way to achieve its forecasted size. However, one wonders whether such spurts within the country’s economy are sustainable amidst the poverty around.
In India, 480 million are less than 19 years old. Economic forecasters have calculated the ‘demographic dividend’ for India’s economy — the boost it will receive from these young people’s incomes and savings in the next decades. In their math, well-fed and well-educated and under-nourished and uneducated children are the same. The math does not distinguish the girl with a baby in her arms begging at the street corner from the two kids driving by in an air-conditioned sedan oblivious of the other two in the heat and dust. These add up to four Indian children in economists’ estimates of the demographic dividend.
India has 20% of the world’s children: but it also has 40% of the world’s malnourished children. Since 45% of Indian children (a number higher than most African countries) are malnourished and likely to grow up with health issues later in life, and since over 50% of Indian children do not have an adequate education, a large proportion of Indian children are unlikely to be the productive assets they are presumed to be in those estimates.
According to several international commentators (amongst them Kishore Mahbubani in The New Asian Hemisphere and Bill Emmott in Rivals) India’s future greatness will arise not merely from its large economy, but mainly from the moral leadership that India, with its diversity and democracy, can provide. The world needs a new model in which relentless economic growth does not destroy the planet, and that also is more equitable and inclusive. They expect India’s path to be different to China’s and hope it will be a good example.
While singling out India as a potential role model for a great society, these observers invariably point to the values that Mahatma Gandhi lived by. Gandhi had asserted that the best test of any major decision is the benefit it would give to the poorest person one could think of. And he insisted that the ends never justify the means. Bad means, he said, would corrupt society. He was a great role model.
FOR example, though passionately committed to his goal to free India, he would not allow any violence to achieve it and even suspended the freedom movement when some of his followers turned violent. Moreover, amidst increasing concern with the impact China’s and India’s economic progress will have on the environment as they adopt the patterns of the west, Gandhi’s observation that nature has enough for all our needs but not enough for our greed has become prescient.
The type of society we want to be and the values we will live by must be essential facets of our vision for India. The size of our GDP, the numbers of billionaires we will produce, and the number of Indian MNCs in the Fortune100 list will not be enough. “Greed is good. Greed makes the economy grow”, said Gorton Gecko in the movie Wall Street. He tells an aspiring apprentice that the ends are what matters: get rich quick, no matter how, and no matter whom you hurt.
The young in India are aspiring to get ahead and make more money. Their drive will push the economy to grow. But, do they have compassion for those left behind? And cynically accepting corruption as a way of life, do they care about what rules they break in their drive to succeed? Gandhi, Gecko, and Guru — the hero of the Indian movie with that eponymous title — were all great achievers. And none of them made any bones about their values. Like Gecko, Guru also defended his corrupt practices at a shareholders meeting, because they produced wealth.
Who is the role model that Indian youth admire most — Gandhi, Guru, or Gecko? Whose values are they emulating? The answer to this question will deeply affect the type of society we will become in the next 25 years. Unlike health and education, statistics about our youth’s values are not available. Non-violent ‘Gandhigiri’ a la Munnabhai was merely a passing fashion. Whereas anecdotal evidence of increase in violence by young people against women and old people, of road rage, and other violent actions to get whatever they want is alarming. The values our youth will conduct their lives by, as they aspire to have more and get ahead, will determine what shape our country will be in 25 years.
Mother India is not in good shape. Nor are millions of young Indians. While the mantle of leadership into the future must pass on to youth, older citizens cannot abdicate responsibility for nurturing the bodies, minds, and especially values of children. Children are not merely resources for an economic machine. Saving children, especially girls, is saving humanity. It must be central to the agenda for the development of India in the next ten years.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Indian youth get their knowledge of sex mostly from friends, porno films and “self-reading”
Plenty of discussion has been generated on whether sex education is necessary in schools or not, and it appears as if the majority of state governments are against it. Well, this Kamasutra sex survey which was undertaken as recently as 2005 says that the majority of youth today acquire their knowledge about sex “primarily through ‘Self reading’, ‘Friends’ and ‘Blue films’ rather than through parents, qualified sex educators and professional help.”
And worse, as many as 26 per cent of the respondents admitted that they rarely or never use condoms. Their preferred use of contraception was “pills” or “partner’s sterilization.” In many cases then the onus of preventing pregnancy lies with the female.
These are the kind of statistics that our “moral police” (who are none other than hard line political parties) should look at. They have a constituency after all. They should know that the majority (75%) of the respondents felt that “formal sex education should be given in school,” and about half of them felt that sex education should also be provided by “a parent of the same sex.”
This survey was essentially an urban one, and the majority of the respondents belong to Delhi, Mumbai & Bangalore. These are people who are ostensibly more educated and I guess not the kind of group that political parties are interested in.
All these respondents were young, mostly in the age group of ‘18 – 30’. Approximately half were unmarried and were from nuclear families. About a quarter of the respondents earned between ‘Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh’ per annum.
Some interesting statistics on attitudes towards pre-marital sex:
1. About a third of the respondents in the age group of ‘above 31 years’ had had pre – marital sex with their spouse.
2. 27 per cent of marrieds had had pre-marital sex with more than 5 individuals.
3. 77 percent of all respondents agreed that “Pre-marital sex causes Guilt/emotional disturbance, if one does not ultimately have the same life partner”.
4. 66 per cent of respondents agreed that ‘These days pre-marital sex is acceptable “
5. 29 per cent of respondents did not think that “films and TV encourages pre-marital sex.”
About Marriage, it was ironic that while most respondents believed in “trust and sexual integrity” as being essential in a marraige, a good 35 per cent of the marrieds admitted that were currently involved with someone else!
Clearly, we are not as prudish a society as we would like to imagine. Everything happens, but it only happens behind closed doors. That is perhaps why the moral police makes such a big deal about everything. It would be interesting to delve into their personal lives to see how “pure” a life they lead.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Boy Scout Moms
Not a Den Mother but a Scout Leader
In the 1970s, women were slowly gaining recognition, training and representation on the Cub Scouting level. In 1974, Catherine N. Pollard of Connecticut filed a state level discrimination complaint against the BSA, because they refused to let her register as Scoutmaster for her troop, a leadership position she had filled for three years. Female Scoutmasters are still in the minority, but ever more women hold positions on the committees that run scouting. Merit Badge Counselors, Treasurers and Advancement chairpersons are frequently female. Females are teaching training sessions, running the monthly Scouter meetings called Roundtables and doing a variety of other important jobs for BSA.
There was a time when females could not earn Scouting’s highest awards or hold jobs as Scout Executives. Those days are a faint memory now. Scout Executives are full time employees of BSA who administer the daily business of the national, regional, council and district levels of the organization“Boys will be boys” is an old saying and one frequently heard in Scouting circles. Men understand in ways that women can’t what it means to be a boy and to survive the process of becoming a man. It is important for boys to have that experience and to have men as role models. It is less certain, but anecdotally true, that women in the neighborhood of boys being boys will bring a different point of view.
A case in point: where there are rocks on the ground, boys will pick them up and throw them. This is a universal truth that every mother knows and watches for. A group of men with a troop camping out found themselves dealing with a boy who needed stitches after the universal truth came to pass. There were no female leaders on said campout.
No one can prove it wouldn’t have happened if a female leader had been present. The point is this, at the next committee meeting, the discussion was not about what could be done to prevent the recurrence; it was about boys being boys. Female Scouters present in the room were appalled.
The real world contains not just males, but also females. It behooves young men to learn to deal with the different world view of women. It is no longer true that their future boss will definitely be a male. It is no longer true that all their college professors will be male. It is still true that most of them will date or marry a female and interaction with females on a daily basis is an absolute certainty.
The oldest of male Scouters still see the advent of women in the Scout troops as unnecessary, even intrusive. Discrimination against women in the BSA has gone underground and it is not generally a public topic of discussion. Female Scouters find varying degrees of acceptance depending on the troop or even the area of the country in which they find themselves.
It would be difficult to run the BSA without women now. Camping and hiking are not activities that only men enjoy, but women frequently know as much as or more than their male counterparts. Modern families often have no male in residence at a home. Families with two parents with both working struggle to find the time to volunteer with the Scouts.
It is difficult enough to fill the volunteer needs of the organization without eliminating 51% of the available adults. Women add a new dimension to Scouting. Now if only the sisters and daughters could participate, the whole organization might find itself in the twenty-first century.
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