To Speak, To Survive

To speak is to express, to create a firsthand impression of thyself. Speaking is an art, either an inborn skill or an acquired talent. Yet, it’s an art

Respected Staff and dear friends, I will be talking on the topic, To Speak, To Survive.

Have you ever heard a presentation and later realized how attracted you were to the presenter? No, not that kind of attraction. I mean that you felt connected and uplifted while you were listening. You came away feeling happier. The speaker was so eloquent that you were touched in some way.

Even if the presentation was about selling shoes!

That quality you experienced is called charisma. Webster defines charisma as “that special spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people.”

A charismatic speaker leaves an impression on the audience, large or small, that makes them want to come back for more. It’s just what you want if you are trying to sell or influence a customer. Charisma is not just for selling; the best university professors are often charismatic speakers as well.

We associate charisma with preachers, like Billy Graham, or old-time politicians, such as Winston Churchill.

I have been always fascinated at those who have the gift of the gab. Yadda Yadda, Jabber Jabber. I still find it difficult to manage talking in front of a public audience, keeping in mind the way I pose, the way I use my hands, the way I make eye contact, the way I check my stage fear, and still manage to keep the message I wanted to deliver loud and clear. Huge!

Speaking always fascinated me, but never let me take command of it.

Charismatic speakers look good, they have a stage presence.

I’m not suggesting that you do something about the size of your nose. The good appearance that you associate with a charismatic speaker is something different and has inner and outer qualities. From the outside, dress your best, always in conservative, modest clothing

A good speaker doesn’t mean he just knows how to mesmerise the masses, he is a good listener too.

A successful speaker also knows how much information the audience can absorb in one sitting without losing interest. The presentation must be cogent with a logical beginning and an appropriate ending.

The voice is probably the most valuable tool for any speaker. The listeners may have difficulty and feel uncomfortable hearing voices that are too fast, too loud, too soft, etc. A good speaker knows how to modulate his voice without changing the original nature of his voice.

Experienced speakers lower their voice to draw the audience in, and raise their voice to stress a point. A voice that carries fear can frighten the audience, while a voice that sounds humorous can get the audience to smile and remain cheerful.

Your body communicates different impressions to the audience. People not only listen to you, they also watch your body language. Adopting a good posture tells your audience that you know what you are doing and you care deeply about it. Also, a good posture helps you to speak more clearly and effectively

Speaking is like a battery source with double extra reserve. Quickens your day, and to where you land up at the end of it. Mannerisms, speaking not only gets people here or there, it also defines his mannerism, the way he carries himself, the way he keeps his head, etching his status and stand in society, apparently it goes a long way in being important compared to his Rolex, Raymonds or Rolls Royce.

Mark Antony’s speech over Caesar’s death bed is the best I have known so far, the way he captures the attention of the people and the way he instigates them to work his whim is hugeness. The craftiness, play and deliverance. Simply Brilliant.

At the end of a speech, the audience should be able to feel the impact the creator had put upon them, assuring that yes, he did make an impression today. And that is a really good speaker. With the proper pinch of Charisma

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India, 64 years!!

            India has always been a mixture of issues. It is super shiny on one side and super dull on the other. It manages to capture the world’s glance in varied aspects. But, visionaries have been watching it grow under the hands of huge names. And they have been guessing, for a long time her future. And still are. Personally, and a little help from the Goldman Sachs’s paper, here are my list of areas where India should be focusing on, 64 years from independence for the Dream Vision.

Improve Governance

India prides in having the longest and the most detailed constitution of the world. Also, contemplating the various sects seen here, it is sure a huge law book. On the other hand, the government is not up to the norms. The government as in the governing heads. Governance problems stem from the increasing inability of the government and public institutions to deliver public services in the face of rising expectations. India is a huge block with several petite distinct sections. So distinct and immiscible that is. By decentralizing provision of public services, the government can unbundle responsibilities across tiers of government to create checks and balances. The use of greater transparency and information can allow more accountability and increased citizen voice in ensuring good governance. Citizens do not organize to demand better services. Only a cumulative approach can question the massive law that stands desolate.

Improve Infrastructure

Power, Oil, Gas, Aviation, Roads etc form the backbone of Indian development. Or any other country for that matter. The problems of clogged airports, poor roads, inadequate power, delays in ports have been well-recognised as impeding growth. Indian companies on average lose 30 days in obtaining an electricity connection, 15 days in clearing exports through customs, and lose 7% of the value of their sales due to power outages. Currently, only 30% of India is urbanized. To help resolve financing issues, India needs to develop its capital markets. It has become increasingly evident that the government, by itself, will not be able to build the infrastructure. It has therefore moved to models of public-private partnerships. These have yielded some successes in areas such as road-building and ports, apart from the big success story of telecom.

Raise Basic Educational Quality

The Indian oomph factor comes a lot from the brains that have settled abroad. Geeks. But that remains the cream of the Indian layer. When you are asked to turn the incandescent lamps over the gross population of the country, the situation is not worthy to be grinning about.

Despite several bills like the RTE, Indian education system still has to go forth in pulling up the untouched masses. The distribution of government funds is major hindrance to the educational system. According to a recent study, 30% of the total educational funding goes toward higher educational institutions. This is an important factor as the percent of students enrolled in these institutions are much lower. Lack of education has resulted in growth of unemployment, poverty and substantial increase in the growth of population. Without hundreds of millions of Indian citizens receiving a better basic (elementary and secondary) education, it will be virtually impossible for India to achieve its ‘dream’ potential.  On the bright side, initiatives like “Teach India”, whose aim is to provide a platform to educated Indians to provide assistance in basic education to the unprivileged children have been launched. “Teach India” will connect educated individuals with the specialist education providers.

Women Empowerment

The cultural norms in India keep a check on the womanisation of sectors. One of the parameters that denote your family as BPL in Kerala is the presence of a woman run household. They are always regarded as the weaker species irrespective of the post they hold and the authority they command. India needs to focus on the other half of human being. India must adapt to let the mothers, wives, daughters you all know to sketch the path India is taking towards the coming future.  

There are several success stories about women. They are growing up, the modern Indian woman is. Lend them a hand or stay out of their way. Don’t be a hindrance to the wombs that gave birth to you.

Poverty and Population Explosion

It is mandatory for the inclusion of the above titles for any article on Indian Analysis. Poverty remains as the root of many of the high end issues as also being a part of several other issues. Poverty in India is widespread with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 42% of India falls below the international poverty line of `21.6 a day in urban areas and `14.3 in rural areas. There are 421 million poor living in 8 north India states of Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. This number is higher than the 410 million poor living in the 26 poorest African nations.

Population and poverty are like the chicken and the egg question. Which one caused the other? It’s a closed loop. Include malnutrition, unemployment, homelessness and several others too.

Privatization of Sports Sector

Talent is no lacking in a huge country like ours. Being the 7^th largest country of the world with varied ethnicities, India has ripe and rich talent for every sport form. But proper harvest is what is missing. Big time. Recognition and channeling of sportspersons is very weak. With huge focus on big shot games like cricket, others take the sidelines. The reason why Indians find it tough to secure Olympic medals, the reason why Indian sport means only cricket.

One of the initiatives in this aspect was the NBA held in India, where the government had tidied with Mahindra Group for the game.

Health Care Industries

India is a major spot for medical tourism attracting people from around the world. But the status of medical technology is weak. We have been importing almost 90% of our technical equipments from round the world. Kits for very common diseases like malaria are imported from places abroad where the diseases are never heard of. Huge scanning equipments like MRI, CT etc are all brought from foreign dealers. China has a great lead compared to us due to its manufacturing units present. Unless and until we establish ourselves in manufacturing and distribution of medical equipments, the cost of treatment will raise and proper health care would be unaffordable by the already needy masses.

Alternative Fuels

In the power sector alone, India plans to add some 70,000 MW in the next five years. The dominant source of power will be coal, which accounts for some 60% of power generation. Coal is infamous for its significant environmental effects, including gaseous emissions, high ash content, problems with disposal of ash, and its large emissions of carbon-dioxide. As an example, small-scale industries in Kolkata were found to contribute some 44% of overall particulate emissions in the central area as they were using coal-fired boilers. They were encouraged to convert from coal- to oil-fired boilers, and this reduced emissions by 98% from those units that implemented them.

With the raising population and demand for fuels rising everyday along with the depletion of common sources, promoting research for new alternatives must be stressed upon.

Space Technology

India is a world pioneer in space science. But the reach within the local Indian community is obsolete and stagnant. Integration of the extensive advancements of this field with the school going mass is not up to the mark. In order to pick and drop India ahead of all the pioneer countries of this field, awareness must be created in the student community. Space science also is restricted to organizations like the ISRO and so, establishing oneself in this field is very infertile.   

Improve Environment Quality

India’s high population density, extreme climate and economic dependence on its natural resource base make environmental sustainability critical in maintaining its development path. India has a rich and diverse array of plants and animals. Covering major hotspots and being the home to several creatures, India has in itself a notch amongst countries. Urbanization, industrialization and ongoing global climate change will take a heavy toll on India’s environment, if not managed better.

These are just the top ten that came into my mind. These are not the only areas where India must be sticking too. A holistic and complete outlook of issues must be notified and stressed upon. Looking forward for an ape-able India, Happy Independence Day.

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Find Your Own Thing!!

Pitching a subject to highest levels of scrutiny and fame pulls people closer to it. Momentarily. Like the flies buzzing around stale food till it’s crossed the stage of stale-ness. And that’s how markets and stocks are born; fueling the need to need a certain commodity when something else is in its heyday.

Would anyone have ever imagined, betting and scaling a team’s success at football would depend on an animal. Or a mollusk rather. When first heard, it seemed like the piece of news usually seen in a corner in magazines or so. Blimey, little later did the hugeness of Paul Octopus strike. It has been stealing the spotlight ever since the FIFA world cup grew up.

And so, examples varied one can quote. The branching off begins to other fields establishing the essence of the flavor that started stage 1. Unconsciously, people tend to bob their heads towards the stream of flow and find themselves laid away somewhere else like coconuts on a foreign beach.

That’s with the Media and the Mass. Mass Media, as far as history has known never served to serve justice to all class. It was more like a business in a different art form and establishment. And off it thrives, wickedly.

Laying out food to hungry news eaters. And laying it down perfectly and decoratively that they don’t take it as the hook that is going to take away their senses. They float on it. Unquestioningly.

Like playing tune on the Pied Piper’s flute, playing it all along and pulling up rats from every hole. Attention. The whole world gives it away.

Why can’t we be the master’s of our own thought and notion? Letting free the childhood anthems that we used to celebrate and play with. Asking questions and demanding apt answers, answers properly chewable without any hidden pebble. Naught nodding our head to opinions and principles laid down in front of us. Make yourselves one, no matter how aged you might be, cause self respect is the only attribute you can always hold on to.  

And as long as we don’t realize the importance of speaking up for ourselves, the dictators shall grow and the “ourselves” shall perish. 

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Wake Up Child!

The Indian system that we see as such, is apparently well known to build the makers of tomorrow. Comparatively we hold a pretty much decent standard of education here. We are good at grasping things, good at slogging through huge text much faster than anyone. Yet, we have a heavy price to pay. Something we people deny ourselves and move ahead firmly assuming that what needed is accomplished.

Creativity, mother of difference, mother of new life. The Indian system that we have taught ourselves to follow, crushes out every tiny hope of it. The cycle of life, perfects you so well, it makes you automated machines sans any slight possibility of a mistake. Where there lies no mistake, lies no dare to ask for new, or challenge the old.

The bubble every parent holds their child in, is an ardent fort of safety and pamper-ness. Securing him away from all modes of experimentation. In India, children welfare means just the good health and the good food part, a little less maybe but nothing more. And within that, a race is set. The fittest survive and the race is only deprived to certain fields, fields that earn more money. Children are oriented as to achieve a set target and failure to do so, within the specified time would be met with undesirable factors. The government is busy giving us education and healthcare and have no time to look into our most prized asset – innocence and imagination.

It is perhaps that we blatantly try to steal it away from children in the contexts of their educational experiences and their upbringing. Here are common "creativity killers." It is important to note that all of these "killers" are commonplace in our schools and homes.

1.       Surveillance

2.       Evaluation

3.       Rewards

4.       Competition

5.       Restricting choice

6.       Pressure

Children's lives, just like those of adults, should be compartmentalized. And yes, children need to be taught to regulate their behavior according to situational and social needs. But there should be some sense of balance between the times when children have time for creative exploration, experimentation, and innovation, and the times where choices are restricted, where direct instruction is given, and where children are required to obey rules and conform to social norms. Unfortunately, what happens is that there is usually a lack of balance and life becomes an all or nothing proposition. Thus, many children go through childhood learning only about competition, rules, control, and conformity, and little about the joy of exploration, innovation, and discovery as these elements pertain to acts of creation.

And off goes it all, lost in the realms of the dead, each one of us educating our children out of creativity and innocence. Creating no possible surprises in the future except copying propaganda, stigmas and ideas from the West.

Creativity and literacy must be given the same weightage by the nation. Imagination is the stepping stone of experimentation. This leads to innovation which is the doorway to revolution-an ideal gateway for accomplishment.

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Civil Offices

The constitution of India is famed world wide. With its detail and heavy literary content, it proudly is the longest ever. Our proud and rich legacy.

Oh hey!! That stops there. What implied is, umm, somewhere below the ideal model mark. Civil Offices, the interface between the public and the government, are meant to bridge the gap between these two. But lo! Reality differs, and here its way off line. Civil servants, on a general basis, regard these offices as heavily guarded forts.

People at the Collector’s Office, Hospitals, Ration Shops, Regional Transport Office, Police station etc, and from all hierarchy have this airheaded-ness that hovers so strongly above them, you can literally sense it around them. Toying you like small stuff.  

You step into an office and find that you are always one document short, or at the wrong time or sometimes even at the wrong office. And yes, the service is not to be discussed about. You are always sent to room B from room A, who directs you to room C who turns you back to room A, where you finally learn the officer is not available or something you dint want to hear.

It’s the demand and supply issue, people need civil offices and they need it badly cause they have nowhere else to turn to for stuff that concerns the government. And so, the bossiness gets etched very deeply that they fail to function without it.

But sorry, did I mention, that factors only for the lower or the middle class, when you have money or when you have a little influence, things do change. Time comparatively lessens and lesser documents are required. Marvellous wonders money and power can do. Doesn’t matter how old you are, doesn’t matter how long you had waited, all that matters is what can you do for them.   

And also, the article is just about highlighting the black sheep one finds. Pretty common at civil offices. Straight ones live too, and hats off to them.

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Islamic Terrorism

Being a Muslim and also that my dad got the opportunity to work abroad, I was brought up most of my life in a strict country, Saudi Arabia where I could follow my religion uninterrupted in the more undiluted and clear way. When I came down to India, for my higher studies, I was exposed to secularism and freedom of speech. One should actually feel comfortable at that but I could feel the pinch of the effect of so called open-ness of speech. And one of its big fat target was the term Islamic Terrorism in the media. The branded stamped narrow window through which most view this cult is indeed sad. The jests and mockery that even your close friends seem to use, does actually hurt.

Issues like these even extend to the point where a Muslim starts disliking his own religion, starts looking anti towards it. Islam as a religion and ideology is a staunch arch enemy of torture, oppression and terrorism though. The standard structure of the name “Islam” is derived from the Arabic word “Salm” or peace. Islam is best defined as “ Peace obtained by submitting one’s will to god.” What say, there is an entire chapter of the Holy Book Quran dedicated to tolerance as a holistic approach. Adding to its flavor, one can always find oppression towards anyone, regardless of their community seen as a blasphemy to the law of God.

Staining a whole community with the brush of blame, thanks to the media, always portrays a false impression of the religion. The constant linking of the terms “Islam” “Terrorism” “Jihad” is disturbing for a passionate Muslim. As Dr. Zakir Naik may say, there are black sheep in every community, that doesn’t make the community a negative force in the universe. Christianity cant be blamed for people like Hitler or Mussolini who put together had taken off more number of lives than all the Terrorist organizations linked to Islam.

I love my religion. I might not be an orthodox follower but I know the basic ethics that it teaches. I have found it to be clear and free in laying out laws against those presently alleged. I don’t support terrorism, I stand hand in hand with any oppressed, but I want the world to accept this from us. I want them to understand and term us and those anarchists differently. 

Media exposure to negative thoughts, horrifying pictures does create a disastrous image of the issue. It’s always the world “Muslim” that is disliked, religion “Islam” that is hated. Movies like “My Name is Khan” are surely to be applauded for the work done.

I just want to reach out and flatten things while waking the present young Muslim generation to combat terrorism with whatever they can for it’s a duty for us all. 

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Adrenaline Pumper

As I drool through the long rubbery Theory class, the familiar event of the day takes place. This short, dark haired person, somewhere in his late 30s carrying a steel canister places it with a sigh onto the platform outside the class. He dutily taps out some adrenaline pumper, a khakhi brown tainted fluid, with a dash of ginger in it into a paper cup. He then enters the class with a soft knock, standing at the door with immense respect. The Airheaded professor inside the class, mechanically gestures him to place it on the table behind him, without bothering to look at the newcomer. The former then comes in, making sure he doesn't make enough noise to disturb, places the paper cup on the table and leaves, saluting the prof. The prof and the students carry on with the class just as if no one had paid them a visit.

The most monotonous, mechanical human beings ever. People too bothered about life and meeting their ends to introspect at what's happening with them. Yes, the typical Indian Chaaiwaalas. Teaboys. Fancy, the name might sound, something like the Currimbhoys, someplace in Chennai, these people fear dreaming wishing more than they earn. The most integral part of the Indian community.

Tea, one of the widely consumed beverages in India and also around the world, is vital for rejuvenating a famished mind, with the nicotine in it. 

Chaaiwaalas. Teaboys. Fancy the thought of thinking if we ever did something to them. Respect them atleast for the human being
in them.

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Fight AIDS, Not People With AIDS

There was this slogan on a poster promoting AIDS awareness. It was a brilliant poster, with two hands, white and dark in complexion, joined in the form of the AIDS ribbon symbol. The picture expressed elegantly a strong message about the hostility the AIDS victims face from society. It put my internal cog wheels into motion about the secure bubble we teenagers or well off people stay in.

AIDS, one of the greatest killer diseases has undoubtedly one very contagious and piteous symptom feared the most- FEAR. The fear of being associated with someone tested positive for AIDS or even someone who is related to someone else tested positive. The tag one subconsciously puts on an AIDS victim being so destandardised dis-regarding outlook, is very natural of us Indians. Children victims are given the same narrow window of dislike as they are given to adults and sex workers. The society has branded AIDS with a very demeaning tone, something unruly and not worth living if affected by. The contempt people show, immaterial how helpless the victim might be is sad to comprehend.

The society that we make is enriched with awareness programs, processions, demonstrations, informative ads, etc but the common Indian Middle Man outlook has a long way to go. The safe over protective bubble Indian parents exercise on their kids, adds as a hindrance to open sex education at school level. This safe bubble that we keep confined our children in becomes an integral reason of their notions and stigmas when they grow up to be adults. They turn out to express the same hostile and unfriendly relation to the AIDS notion as a whole.

India having Chennai opening the doors to AIDS, now stands at a staggering 2.3 million, of which, an estimated 39% are female and 3.5% are children. Hopefully, data and the success rates preventing the disease target a decline in growth rate in future. Apart from spreading awareness on how to prevent AIDS, we need to acknowledge the social stigma implicated on the ones who already suffer from it.

Stigma is made worse by lack of knowledge about AIDS. The percentage of people who have heard about HIV and AIDS in urban areas is 94% of men and 83% of women as compared to 77% of men and 50% of women living in rural areas.

Albeit we have awareness programs and others promoting information, common superstitions strongly discriminate the victims living in rural and low literacy level areas. The situation in rural areas desperately needs change. These beliefs with no scientific support and certain deep rooted baseless beliefs, blow up already existing hostility. For example, in 2009, NACO carried a certain survey in Nagaland, which showed that 72.8% of people thought that HIV could be transmitted by sharing food with someone. Majority of men and women in rural areas believe that AIDS can be transmitted by mosquito bites. People living with HIV have faced violent attacks, been rejected by families, spouses and communities, been refused medical treatment, and even, in some reported cases, denied the last rites before they die. These problems arise not only in rural areas; it is a very disturbing situation at urban locations too.

Thus being the situation, apparently the life of an AIDS victim is stripped off. Worse, people in marginalized groups - female sex workers, hijras (transgender) and gay men - are often stigmatized not only because of their HIV status, but also because they belong to socially excluded groups.

AIDS victims are not necessarily innocent, save one’s who dint have any hand in it like oppressed women or children. Indulging in unsafe sex, drugs etc could be blamed for, but that should not prevent one from lending a helping hand or here, lending them a broad mind accepting them as a part of the community.

With all the grey and white matter, we might throw a lasso to tame the disease and may eradicate it one day, but the aura that the beast leaves behind, is truly torturous. Its not only the diseases that we must prevent, as a society, as a group, it is the mis-conceptions commonly associated with them which must be completely eradicated in order to grant the deserving rights a common man needs. The right to live with form and dignity.

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