Don’t test your child!

The following article was published in THE TIMES OF INDIA, Hyderabad edition on 21 Feb 2010 Sun

Don’t let your child hit the panic button when exams arrive, says Norbert Rego

SEVEN years ago, Mahesh Podar’s 16-year-old daughter scored 82 per cent in the SSC Board exam, with 92 per cent in science and 65 per cent in languages. Despite this, she couldn’t get admission to the college of her choice, which led her to end her life.

Podar believes, “The exam system should be overhauled. Also, parents should not put pressure on children over studies. Sometimes, it’s very difficult to gauge the level of depression that children go through. Hence, they should be taught about mental health.” Today, Podar visits various schools in Mumbai to bring about awareness among children.
Four years ago, Anthony Furtado lost his 17-year-old son to depression during the class 12 exam. He advises parents, “As exams approach, children should be told not to worry or panic, get stressed or depressed.” Furtado shares his experience with friends and strangers. He tells children, “Failure is always a stepping stone for success. Life is short and precious, live it. Life is beautiful, enjoy it.”
Rima Nayak was in class 9 and tense about her exams. Her parents recall, “She found Maths difficult and the school threatened to fail her. One day, she took an overdose of drugs. In her suicide note, she said she hated school.” They are still in a state of shock, despite the incident happening three years ago.
The common thread that runs through these cases is a poor understanding of a person’s strong points. Biologically, a child’s brain is divided into the left and right brain.
Explains Dr Jitender Nagpal, psychiatrist, Vimhans Hospital, New Delhi, “The left brain develops analytical functions and contributes to numerico-mathematical functions with speech, language as also the primary functions. However, a collaborative partnership of the left and right brain is needed for holistic development.” Sharmistha Mukherjee, Kolkata-based clinical psychologist, maintains, “Right brain is responsible for visual and processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous way, looking first at the whole picture, then the details.” Dr R Manoj, Chennai-based clinical psychologist, says, “Experiments have shown that most
children rank high in terms of creativity (right brain) before entering school. The limitations on the functions of right hemisphere comes from our academic approach which give excessive importance to mathematics, logic and language based on memorised information. Because of this, only 10 per cent of these children will rank ‘highly creative’ by age seven and it reduces to only two per cent of the population by the time they are adults.”
Psychiatrists say left brain-dominant people take up professions like medicine, accountancy, engineering and law, while right brain-dominant one often pursue a career in the arts — painting, dance, music and sports. Parents should understand this ‘brain game’ and let their children explore their inherent talent.
Tips to parents
Talk less and smile more. Hug your kid a little longer and a little stronger in distress. Share your feelings with kids, encouraging them to do the same. Encourage laughter in the family. Discuss studies with them and discuss movies and fun too. Help them recall positive memories. When they are excessively quiet, irritable, have low or increased appetite, talk about death or dying, rush them to a counsellor and not to an astrologer. Parents should sleep enough and eat on time.
(Inputs from Dr Harish Shetty, psychiatrist,
Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai)
Tips to children
Study as much as you can. Scan what you know well and read what you are not sure about. Sleep for eight hours and eat well on time. Play for half an hour, it helps memory and confidence. View exams like a party, and answer the best question first. After a paper, do not do a post-mortem. Share your tears and fears with your best teacher, family members or a counsellor. Play happy sentences in your internal iPod (brain) all the time. When down, sad or scared, recall the time when you were at your best and play the memory completely.
(Inputs from Shalet Fernandes,
Mumbai-based clinical psychologist) norbert.rego@timesgroup.com

Ads that sell, but care

The following article was published in THE TIMES OF INDIA, Hyderabad edition on 21 Feb 2010 Sun

Save Tigers! Donate Blood! Save Petrol! As more and more corporates jump onto the social advertising bandwagon, Anuradha Varma does a reality check of how true are their intentions!

AS Stripey, the orphaned tiger cub runs for cover, lost in his misery, the viewer’s heart goes out to him. And as the crescendo builds, with cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni and footballer Baichung Bhutia endorsing the cause in the TV commercial, it’s only the hard-hearted that doesn’t want to save the tiger!

As over a lakh speak up on social networking sites, there is a movement that looks ready, with nowhere to go! Should the ads have focused more clearly on the message? Says adman Prahlad Kakkar, “The commercial tugs at one’s heart, but it’s directionless. Perhaps, the makers never expected an overwhelming response.”
Adds Aamir Jaleel, executive director, Lowe Lintas, part of the team that conceptualised Tata Tea’s effective Jaago Re campaign, “Yes, social service advertising has to give an answer, tell people exactly how they can contribute. It can’t just be about holding a candle to a cause,
which only helps get rid of guilt. The Aircel brand connect seems slapped on. It risks the viewer wondering if they just decided to invest their crores only for publicity. It’s a good cause, but it’s sudden and out of nowhere.”
Says Sivanand Mohanty, creative head, Dentsu Communications, behind the Save Our Tigers commercial, “We needed to approach wildlife conservation from a less expected angle than ‘poachers are killing tigers, let’s save them’. When watching The Lion King, why do our eyes well up when Mufasa dies? Because a father died trying to save his son. This led us to the creative idea, which seeks to make every Indian ‘feel’ for our national animal. A tiger is beautiful, majestic and dangerous, but a six-month-old cub is just another baby that needs his mother to survive.”
Tata Tea’s Jaago Re campaign, which talked about corruption (Ab Se Khilana Band, Pilana Shuru) and voting, which saw 28 lakh registrations on their website, and Idea, that spoke about causes like illiteracy and environment, according to Kakkar, changed the rules of the game. He says, “Suddenly, a social message was part of the main advertising campaign. Earlier, clients would give you Rs 2 lakh and the ad would run in the middle of the night.”
Interestingly, both brands didn’t start out wanting to do a public service campaign, but the social connect helped their brands stand out. Ashwin Jacob Varkey, creative director, Lowe Lintas, “For the Idea ad, where we say that a number can be one’s identity, we could have shown a CEO calling out a name at a meeting, and more than one hand going up, and pointing out how a mobile number is unique. Instead, we brought in a caste system, which had more impact as it stood for social change, and acted as a brand differentiator.” Jaleel echoes, “With coffee shops opening up, tea had become a middle-class, middle-aged drink. To make it as cool as coffee, we had to link it to coffee and the youth. The ad focused attention on the problems we were ignoring.”
The impact is higher
when a brand and social
advertising go seamlessly together. These ads, Jaleel maintains, are different from an Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan speaking up for polio. Some other commercials stand out in this space, like Incredible India’s Atithi Devo Bhava campaign featuring Aamir Khan, sending out a clear message on how to treat visitors to the country, the blood donation ad where a girl sprints to help an elderly man after having donated blood with the tagline proclaiming “Neki ke liye pehlwan nahin insan hona zaruri hai”. Environment is also a key theme, whether it’s the Save Our Tiger campaign or Nokia’s ad talking about recycling.
Say Priya Pardiwalla and Steven Mathias, senior creative directors, JWT,
who worked on the PCRA petrol conservation campaign, where the son tells his father not to keep the car running at a red light, “Children are a fantastic influence. The ad tells you how to save petrol and save money, which has an impact.”
However, is there more method required to
the creative bursts? Admits AA Rao, director, media, Ministry of Environment, “Environment is global concern. However, the efforts need to be more focused.”
As for saving the tiger, Gurdeep Singh, chief operating officer, Aircel India, maintains, “We’re in it for the long haul with World Wildlife Fund-India and NGOs. It’s a start. Consumers are looking beyond a transactional connect with a brand.”
The writing is clear — a social message needs to be followed up with a strong brand connect possibly partnering with NGOs and others to get the message across! anuradha.varma@timesgroup.com

Stripey, the tiger cub in the Save Our Tigers commercial

Aamir Khan, the face of the Atithi Devo Bhava campaign

PCRA’s petrol conservation commercial

SCAR OF WAR:

The following article was published in THE TIMES OF INDIA, Hyderabad edition on 15 Feb 2010 Mon

An expert defuses a World War II bomb discovered on a building site on Sunday in the Normandy city of Caen. Allied planes had dropped 10,000 tonnes of bombs on Caen in mid-1944 after the D-Day landings to retake France from Germans

A nice message

The following article was published in THE TIMES OF INDIA, Hyderabad edition on 15th Feb 2010 Mon

Come To Terms With Multiple Identities

Discourse: Swami Sukhabodhananda

An old man died disappointed in life. He was honest and could not tolerate dishonest people. When he met the Lord in heaven, he asked, ‘If human beings are your creation, then all of them are your children. Why are there so many differences amongst them?’
God replied kindly: “Each person who is born on this earth has a unique message to offer to the world. It is only through these lessons one understands life and godliness.”
When people tell lies, it implies that things are not as they seem. Learn to look behind the facade. When someone dies, it reminds us that nothing is permanent. Life is impermanent. So don’t take life for granted.
When one criticises you, it teaches that no two people are alike. When someone breaks your heart, it teaches you that loving someone does not always mean that love will come back to you the way you want it to. When someone cheats you, it teaches you that the root cause of evil is greed.
Even good deeds offer their own messages. Hence, the world is like a university teaching us in unique ways always. Let your life be one of learning.
Learn to do everything with love and devotion. Be grateful for everything. Then you will receive Divine Grace. This is the law of life.
With devotion, your third eye or intuitive eye opens, and you would see many meaningful coincidences occurring in your life. You will see the hand of God blessing you in mysterious ways.
We might think we are individuals; actually we are a collection of many identities. The one in you who listens to me is different; the one that creates problems is different. I am a father, with reference to my son, a son with reference to my father, and a boss with reference to my employee. Therefore there are several identities in one individual. How to achieve a balance with so many identities? How to transform the negative ones into positive?
Buddha advised his disciples to move around with five seekers, so that their presence would impact the other. One’s purity would empower the other.
Atmasmaranam or self-remembrance is an important aspect in life. We have to remind ourselves of the great teachings of enlightened masters. When we are forgetful, unconsciousness takes over. We have to become conscious and remember that we have to decouple ourselves with the ‘wrong’ self.
The wrong self has its survival games. We have to see them clearly and understand. Observe how the wrong self is a function of the ‘lower self’ and the game of life is to operate from the ‘higher self’. This is not difficult, but one has to practise with joy. Don’t work for joy; instead, work out of joy.
Truth does not disempower. Whatever the truth, one should be able to see it. Truth does not operate in a way to please one. Truth reveals the facts of life. Do you want to be with fact or fiction?
Further, we can unify all the various identities we have at our disposal. That is the alchemy that spirituality invites us to experience. We can do that only if every identity in us is driven by a principle. Be principle-oriented. The foundations of our lives must be based on goodness.
Every identity should be anchored on transformation. Transformation means growth. If all identities are transformed, then we become individuals. Or else, we would be like those seated in a chariot with each horse galloping in different directions. Let all horses run in the same direction.

SIVARATRI

The following article was published in THE TIMES OF INDIA, Hyderabad edition on 12th Feb 2010 Fri

Special Night Of Divine Rest And Wakefulness

Discourse: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Shiva means your very self, the purest Self, your innermost core. Shiva means good or benevolent. The word ratri in Sanskrit means that which relieves you from three types of agony – ethereal, mental and material. At night everything becomes quiet and peaceful. The body gets tired and goes to sleep. ‘Shivaratri’ literally means that night which infuses the Shiva tatva or the transcendental principle to the three instruments: the body, mind and speech.
Shivaratri is a night of deep rest. It is the night that takes you into its lap, comforts you and gives rest. When the mind rests on the lap of the Divine, that’s real rest. Like the mind, memory and intellect, Shiva is also a tatva or principle in us. Shivaratri is when the Shiva tatva and Shakti become one.
The jagran in Shivaratri – staying awake all night – is not just forcing oneself to be awake or sing devotional songs. It is about being consciously aware of the inner rest that sleep brings everyday. When you surpass a certain layer of sleep, samadhi happens. Samadhi is often referred to as Shiva Sayujya, the presence of Shiva, a state of deep rest with alertness, which brings freedom from all identities. Kabir Das calls it koti kalpa vishram – a billion years of rest consolidated in a moment. When you come out of it, you experience certain pleasantness and reduced entropy, which brings an unusual freshness to the mind and senses.
The linga in Shiva temples symbolises identification or sign through which you identify someone as being male, female or neutral. The Divine is beyond the three genders; hence the Divine is called Ekalinga, or unigender. What is that one gender? The Self, the Atma. The Self is beyond body, mind or intellect; it is beyond likes and dislikes. Ekalinga is the Lord of the Self.
On Shivaratri, the Shiva Shakti merges into the whole universe. Shiva has been associated with destruction; but transformation, new beginning for the better, can only happen when something is destroyed. Shiva is the factor of transformation. ‘Sham’ means peace and good and ‘kara’ means one who does that. ‘Shankara’ means one who gives peace and does good.
The whole of Creation is the dance or play of Shiva, the tandav or dance of one consciousness, one seed, which manifested into a million species in the world. The whole world moving in an auspicious rhythm of innocence and intelligence is Shiva. Shiva is the permanent and eternal source of energy – the one and only eternal state of Being.
There is a story related to Shivaratri, about the union of Shiva and Shakti. The primordial and dynamic energy is wedded to the transcendental. Shiva is the silent witness and Shakti is chitti or chidvilasa, the energy that plays and displays in infinite space. Shiva is the formless Being; Shakti is manifestation in the field. This is the recognition of the dual aspect of matter and energy, prakriti and purusha, the dravya and guna – substance and its qualities. Recognising the underlying non-dual nature of Brahmn is Shivaratri.
It is only wakefulness that brings out this knowledge in our consciousness and Shivaratri is the night to celebrate the wakefulness of one universal consciousness without falling into the unconscious sleep state. Breaking the pattern of unconscious sleep gives you a glimpse that you are not a mechanical apparatus but a legend in Creation. To recognise the Shiva tatva, you have to be awake.

A BLOT IN HISTORY Germany rebuffs scholars, says no to Hitler reprint

The following article was published in THE TIMES OF INDIA, Hyderabad edition on 6th Feb 2010 Sat

Munich: In Germany, an author is granted an ironclad copyright for 70 years after his death, apparently even if he is subsequently regarded as one of the greatest mass murderers in history and a dark stain on the national character.
Hitler’s copyright on Mein Kampf, in the hands of the Bavarian government since the end of the Nazi regime, has long been used to keep his inflammatory manifesto off the shelves in Germany. But with the expiration date looming in 2015, there is a developing showdown here over the first German publication of the book since the end of WW II.
Experts at the respected Institute of Contemporary History in Munich say they want to prepare a critical, annotated version of the book for release when the copyright expires 70 years after Hitler’s suicide in his Berlin bunker.
"We hope to prevent neo-Nazi publications by putting out a commented, scholarly edition before that," said Edith Raim, a historian at the institute. Mein Kampf is one of the central texts if you want to explain National Socialism, and it hasnt been available in a commented edition at all in Germany.
But the Bavarian government opposed the idea, citing respect for victims of the Holocaust. In a statement Thursday, the Bavarian Finance Ministry said that permits for reprints would not be issued, at home or abroad. This also applies to a new annotated edition, said the statement, adding that the state would use all means at its disposal to proceed against any violations. There was also disagreement as to whether the book might be banned as Nazi propaganda. The Bavarian govt said that even after expiration of the copyright, the dissemination of Nazi ideologies will remain prohibited and is punishable under the penal code.
But Raim said that diaries by prominent Nazis like Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler were already available. AFP

KEEP IT SAFE! Losing your phone is a very irksome experience, and so...

The following article was published in THE TIMES OF INDIA, Hyderabad edition on 29 Jan 2010 Fri

If you’ve lost one before, you’ll know how losing a cell phone can ruin a perfectly good day in seconds. First, there’s the whole feeling of loss, especially if it’s been gifted or you really liked it or you worked hard to get it. Then there’s the panicked searching, calling the number, maybe even going to the cops, who’ll laugh at you, the cancelling of the SIM, asking for a new one and buying a new, disgustingly cheap phone. Then you realise your entire social life – in the form of all your friends’ numbers – is gone and start mailing everyone asking them for their numbers. Finally, you break down when you realise all those photos, ringtones, and softwares you had so carefully collected over the last few months needs to be collected all over again.
Painful, isn’t it? Follow these tips and you can avoid the ordeal all together.

• Get a belt loop, the kind people use for ID cards. A little kindergarten-ish but a few smirks are better than 35k down the drain, and you get brownie points for innovation.

• Use a screen protector. Not just touch screen phones, but all phones need this – it’s all too easy to put it into a purse /pocket with your house keys or loose change and cry afterwards. On the same note, avoid decorative stuff that hangs off it – it’s very 14-yearold and will scratch the screen and surface as well.

• Get a sachet of silica gel – it’s those little grey packets in the pockets of new jeans, you can keep one in purse /bag. It absorbs moisture and keeps your phone dry.

• Choose the right covers. Too big, it’ll fall out. Too small, you’ll scratch it while struggling to get it out.

• Take it to proper service centres. When there’s a problem – they can check if it’s in warranty period and fix it for free. Local repairmen will not only charge, but also invalidate the warranty so the service centre can’t give you free service next time.

• Don’t buy phones from the grey market. There’s hardly any difference now. Keep the bill. Buy a five-rupee file and file it, shove it in the back of your cupboard. If it lasts, it lasts; but if the phone breaks down, it will hopefully break down within warranty period.

• Don’t accept anonymous bluetooth files. Evil programmers worldwide are dreaming up phone viruses in their spare time, and there’s no protection yet. A bad virus can not only wreck your phone’s software, but can jump to your friends’ phones as well.

• Keep it away from tables where there’s food / drink / coffee. Nothing like a nice dose of hot, greasy butter chicken to, um, add some spice to your phone’s death.

• Buy hands-frees, use the speaker when you can. You save your brain from being microwaved, and especially for people who talk a long time, you avoid cramped arms. Also, your ear sweats after a while, seeping into your phone. Don’t use the phone when you're sweating.

• Sand and dust particles will kill your phone like Uma Thurman killed Bill. It’s the worst thing to happen to slider and swivel phones; if you have one of these, use a cheap backup no-moving-parts spare phone when travelling, going to a seaside resort, outdoor trips – treks, picnics, excursions, etc. If you can’t do that, switch it off and leave it safe in the hotel room. The great beyond is filled with potential phone killers like water, dust, rain, sand, cold, snow, falls, heat, and sweat; leave the good phone at home, avoid it completely.

• Lastly, don’t forget to record your IMEI number. All you need to do is type *#06# into your phone and the serial number that appears is your IMEI number. If you happen to lose your phone, the police will be able to track it down with this number.