Dassera--the reign of Good over Evil

Dassera Celebrations all across the nation. I wish all our politicians at least imbibe the spirit of Dassera and save this country.  (Pic Courtesy Rediff)

E-Waste A Damocles’ Sword

Consumer electronics like smart phones, e-books, laptops, MP3 players and televisions, game consoles and wireless devices have enhanced the lives of the people. But what do you do when these ‘life-made-easy’ items breakdown or become obsolete? Discard them carelessly!

Of the total e-waste generated in India, one third of it is from mobile phones alone and this is set to rise steeply in the coming years. India’s yearly e-waste generation is growing at the rate of 15 per cent and is expected to cross 800,000 tones or even more in the years to come.

Apart from the e-waste generated within the country, a large junk of e-waste comes to India annually from developed nations under the pretext of reuse. A great percentage of this makes its way to unsafe and unauthorized dumping yards posing grave health and environmental risks. And with fast emerging technology, growing consumerism along with perceived obsolescence and planned obsolescence, managing e-waste will be a herculean task in the coming years.

Have you noticed how some electronic goods die as soon as the warranty ends? Well, this may not be a coincidence but a planned obsolescence to compel us to buy a brand new product as the component to be replaced would be nearly as costly as the new product. If planned obsolescence is the handiwork of companies, perceived obsolescence is purely one’s own making. It is all about our perception of things and styles which makes a product trendy and ‘cool.

When electronics are handled and sorted properly, e-waste is a valuable source of secondary raw materials. It is estimated that out of the 53 million tons of electronic waste generated worldwide in 2009 only about 13 per cent of it was recycled.

As young Indians we need to become continually conscious of the colossal catastrophe that is looming over our environment. If we don’t care for the environment and address the problem today, our planet can become a hazardous and poisonous dumpyard for e-waste. If we don’t check our rush for digital-media frenzy consumerism and if we don’t recognise the connect between our digital media desire and environmental impact, they could undo our very existence one day.

Let us not forget that every time we discard an electronic product on account of it not being trendy or because of our laziness to replace an obsolete part, we are slowly getting under the Damocles’ sword of e-waste. Pull the plug on e-waste before it pulls the plug on us. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN!

Every new form of communication from sign language to spoken language, from written word to painting, from theatre to silver screen, from internet to mobile has a great impact on the way humans communicate, behave and even think. Human beings are cruising ahead in their creativity and innovation in all spheres of life, and games are no exception too. Games which had been part of civilization but limited to space and time have become a global phenomenon in the form of video games. And it is growing at a pace we can never imagine! Even before we can blink our eyes it takes on a new format, genre and dimension making it more engrossing and captivating.

The advent of gaming along with the advancement in digital technology has paved the way for different modes of video games. All this took place within a span of less than three decades! Gaming has flourished from a geek pastime into a multi-million dollar arts and entertainment medium straddling cultures and generations.

Video games are a force to reckon with, be it in academics, economy or leisure. Sure enough, being into gaming has its advantages. It helps to distract people suffering from pain and discomfort, develops social skills, improves motor, language and mathematical skills, boosts self-confidence and inculcates decision-making and creativity.

However, it should be noted that getting addicted to video games can have a long-term palpable effect on one’s life too. It could lead to decreased health, sleep, socialization and academic work, and could create greater tendencies for violence, loss of empathy, social aloofness, etc.

Hence the teens of today need to choose the games they play and choose them well. So long as technologies and inventions are used for one’s good it would be of great help. If not, the same could turn out to be a bane instead of a boon. Don’t let games remote-control you, rather you be in control.

Be a Catalyst for Change

 “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”, says Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States. We need a young generation with determination to steer our nation towards progress. Hardly in any sphere of life or moment can one afford to be lethargic. People who persistently followed their dreams with strong determination have been successful in their lives. Whether it is an individual, an institute or a nation, the passion with which they moved and worked has always influenced the end result. One who persists will emerge a winner, and that has always been the story, be it in studies or careers like music, sports, fashion designing, animation or anything for that matter.

Chandra Sekar Subramanian from Tamil Nadu, at the age of 15 became India’s youngest engineering graduate. The success of Padma Shri Saina Nehwal, is one of grit and passion coupled with hard work. Her efforts have brought laurels to our nation. David Villa of Spain has been a nightmare for his opponents; and he is one of the few players who made ripples in the world of football. Teenage heartthrob Justin Bieber began singing at a very tender age. Today, at 18, he is a teen sensation taking the world of music by storm. Determination and persistence are the driving forces behind the success of these people and many others.

The future of a nation lies in its younger generation. A balanced, determined and dedicated youth can change the course of a nation. The changes that we want to bring in need to start with us. As Theodore Roosevelt says, “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

The Digital Boom

Digital is the new world order. The new digital era has made its indelible mark on all the spectrum of modern living.  Ranging from digital signature to digital imaging, from digital processing to digital banking, no doubt it has made life a lot easier for the modern living. It has changed the way we relate, communicate, travel and do business. The digital era enables us to ignore time and space, to be in contact with people living in other continents as if they live next door, to do business with people in any country, to acquire whole new perspectives on life, to have friends online overnight, to study in any university from other countries and yet live in India, and much more. We use a growing range of digital lifestyle technologies at home, in schools and colleges, work places, on the street, in cars, in trains, and in planes — they have altered every aspect of our daily lives.

The digital bang has been rapid with explosive surge in broadband growth and soaring mobile numbers. One research found that 93 per cent of the urban Indian homes have a mobile phone, placing them ahead of Japanese households with 89 per cent having it. Of these, 63 per cent kids (7 to 14 years of age) use the mobile phone at least once a week. Welcome to the fabulous digital world!

Digital technologies have brought about sweeping changes in the lives of teenagers too. The virtual world has an important role to play for the younger generation. Today, the teenagers far prefer the online computer to TV, radio and magazines. They use it for instant messaging, information, e-mailing and entertainment etc. As a result the youth already reflect global trends with regard to their study, career and relationships.

The major implications brought about by the digital boom cannot and should not be ignored. The teenagers on their part should be on their guard against the misuse of these technologies and formulate plans for their future ensuring good and maximum utility of the digital world. The future of the nation, its ethos and values depend on today’s digital savvy youth. Friends, don’t ever forget that India’s future lies in your hands.

Let your light shine!

Dashrath Manjhi was a poor, illiterate, landless labourer in Gahlore, a backward village in Bihar. In his village there was a hill which blocked the village from the rest of the outside world. The people had to walk along a perilous path over this hill to connect to the rest of the world. One day his wife while passing through this hazardous path tripped and fell on the way and broke her leg. Dashrath was so upset that he sold his goat and purchased a chisel, a hammer and a rope. With these simple tools he began to dig a tunnel, determined to change the face of his village nestled in the rocky hills of Gaya. After 22 years of hard work he completed the passage which is 360 feet long, 25 feet high and 16 feet wide. As a result of this accomplishment a lot of development began to take place in their village as the travel distance had been reduced to eight kilometres from fifty kilometres. The state government rewarded his achievement by allotting him five acres of land. Now Dashrath wanted to build a hospital in those fi ve acres of land because his village lacked medical facilities.

This simple illiterate man from Gaya achieved this feat by his sheer will power, perseverance and faith strong enough to move mountains. Like Gandhiji, Mother Teresa of Kolkata, and many others, the lliterate Dashrath has shown us the way. He is an inspiration for all us.

Soon we will be celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights. Though a Hindu festival, it is celebrated by people of all faiths and all across the nation with much gaiety, enthusiasm and merry making. As the tradition goes, it is the celebration of victory of good over evil, of light over darkness and of knowledge over ignorance. Let this Diwali then, become for us an occasion to light a lamp, a ray of hope in the life of our fellow countrymen.

Dashrath in accomplishing this unique feat through his selfless service and sacrifice has embodied the true spirit of Diwali and become a beacon of hope to the people of his village. Like Dashrath, all of us can become agents of change and transformation and ambassadors of goodwill, by igniting the minds and enlightening the lives of others for which we don’t have to be rich or powerful. Like a lamp or a diya which burns itself out to eliminate the darkness, be a diya and let your light shine!

Wake Up India!

India, the emerging super power seems to be all but a farce. The great Indian democracy appears strong but is all void from within. Unethical practices and indiscipline have made inroads into the political system with a large number of politicians coming from a criminal background. The Parliament and state assemblies are marred with defections and horse trading. Most of those elected seem to be self-serving and money-servants rather than public servants.

India has enough and more resources to meet her needs. However, under utilization and an obvious lack of political will  to do the right thing at the right time leaves us still among the 3^rd world. Take for instance the case of food grains being rotten in our godowns while thousands of people starved to death! The storage losses of food grains in 2009-10 amounted to Rs 228.39 crore and transit losses another Rs 182.46 crore. Surprisingly, some of these loses are engineered by the government machinery who wants to make big money from the rich breweries. To top it all, often there is a tie up with the big time merchants to create artificial shortage of grains in the market which would then fetch higher revenues for the merchants and commissions for the babus. The incredible India!

Indian bureaucratic apathy is a worldwide known phenomenon. Even with over 1.2 billion people around, India cannot find the best team to run its affairs. A recent news about a 40-year-old housemaid who was stranded at the Muscat airport is a case in point.  Though the airport officials informed the Indian embassy, even after five days no one from the embassy came to her rescue and the stress and uncertainty at the Muscat terminal was too much for the poor woman, who died of a heart stroke. 

Of course, politicians and beaurocracts are not the only people at fault here. Sadly, we Indians have never fully embraced the values embodied in our Constitution.  Be the change that you would like to see. On 12 March 1930, at the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, 79 men went for a walk. For 23 days they marched, covering four districts, 48 villages, 400 kilometres. On the way they attracted thousands of other ordinary people, animated by a cause so much bigger than themselves. Then, on 6 April, by the sea at the coastal village of Dandi, Mahatma Gandhi picked up a handful of salty earth and said, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.” The empire shook.

Shake off the callousness and apathy to become a conscientious Indian to build a new and prosperous India. As an unknown saying goes, "A dream is not something that happens when you are sleeping; a dream is something that does not let you sleep!" Wake up India!