Posts

Showing posts from August, 2015

Film festivals – Advantages and Disadvantages

A film festival is held in a single city to screen films from different areas at one screening venue. Film festivals in India attract a lot of people, including the foreigners. In case of an international film festival, films from different countries are screened. It promotes the idea of film making and culture of each country. India organizes a number of film festivals each year. Recently, the 45th International Film Festival of India was held in Goa. Last month, The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy also organized the 19th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala. Film festivals do have its own advantages and disadvantages. Let us take a look at them. Advantages of film festivals. 1.   Source of information   – Film festivals provide a lot of information about the movies from different states or nations. The ideas and culture of a place are conveyed easily through films. At times, a movie may also depict the current situation of a nation. 2.   Source of enterta

Should Clinical Trials with Stem Cells be banned?

Clinical trials define the research that is carried out to find about the new medical formulation work in people. Each research ends with an answer to certain scientific question. It tries to find out the better ways to prevent or treat a disease. Every clinical trial come with a set of protocol to conduct the experiment. Before discussing the pros and cons, you should know what are stem cells? It is a class of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialized cell types, as required. There are two sources for the stem cells: 1. Embryonic placental blood. 2. Blood in case of adults. The stem cells are considered to be very powerful for their ability to differentiate into the type of cells they are required to be. Stem Cells have the ability to repair or replace any other tissue in the body. This makes them capable of treating many life threatening diseases. The debate regarding the ban of clinical trials with the stem cell came into limelight wh

Should cleanliness drives be incentive to encourage people?

The Central Government of India launched the “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”- a cleanliness drive program. The BJP-led government took the initiative to make India a cleaner and a better place to live in.   The concept of a clean India was started by Mahatma Gandhi. Today, the government is trying to bring it back to our society. Today, the whole nation is taking part in this cleanliness drive and is contributing in keeping our country clean. But should these cleanliness drives be incentivized to encourage people? Let's have a look. Yes – Cleanliness drives should be incentivized. 1.   As a policy   – The habit of cleanliness is inculcated within each one of us since childhood. If the government initiates such policies, like giving incentives, it will make the public act more readily. 2.   Removes diseases   – A lot of diseases caused by uncleanliness are invading the lives of people. A proper cleanliness drive with incentives to people can chase away such diseases from our s

Clean India - Attitude change is more important than the movement

Prime Minister Modi has laid a lot of emphasis on cleanliness. In this direction, he launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. This movement envisages a clean India through participation of every Indian. A lot of suspicion prevails over the success of this campaign, as many are arguing that until the attitude and mentality of people changes no campaign can clean India. So, should government have launched a mass awareness mission to change the mentality prior to Swach Bharat Abhiyan? Yes: -There will be no expected participation unless people’s attitude towards cleanliness and its importance changes. - Indians generally cares very less about hygiene. Most of them even spit where ever they want, as they are unaware of the health implications. Their habit will not change unless they are aware. -Workers indulge in cleaning jobs hardly gets any respect within the society. Most of them are from Scheduled casts. Unless the mentality towards these workers and their job changes, we cannot

Should Hindi be the official language of India?

As per the Constitution, India is a multi-lingual nation. It has 22 languages. But people in India give their first preference to English language. It is used as a medium of communication in most of the schools and offices. There has been a massive uproar by the Modi government asking the ministers and officials to use the Hindi language everywhere. Mr. Modi gave his speech in Hindi at the Bhutanese parliament during his first official overseas trip. All the government offices in India will have a Hindi software installed in their systems. According to the new government, all the officials and employees should be well-versed in Hindi. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is all set to promote Hindi as the official language. The National Language status for Hindi is a long debated subject across the nation today. Yes – Hindi should be the official language. 1.   Indian Constitution   – The Indian Constitution states that Hindi should be the official language of India. It s

Should the word “Adhinayak” be dropped from the national anthem?

Rajasthan Governor, Kalyan Singh made a controversial statement during the 26th convocation ceremony of Rajasthan University. He stated that the word “adhinayak” should be dropped from the Indian national anthem. Jana Gana Mana, the national anthem of India was written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore. The lyrics have been involved in controversies since 1950s as most of the people believed that it was written in praise of the British monarchy, whereas others believed that it failed to reflect the races and regions of India. The anthem was first sung on 28 December, 1911 at the Congress session in Kolkata. But is the recent controversy regarding the exclusion of the word “adhinayak” justifiable? Let's have a look. Yes – The word “adhinayak” should be removed.   1.   Loads of praise   – The word “adhinayak” from the national anthem should be removed as it praises the British rule that existed in India. According to Kalyan Singh, the existence of the word “adhinayak” i

T20 is killing the real cricket!

Image
The T 20, also known as World Twenty 20 is a cricket league which is organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). There is a four year gap between the existing and next scheduled tournament of T 20. Cricket has always been the most popular game. Recently, IPL (Indian Premiere League) has also been an important part of the T 20 concept.   The T 20 of 2016 took place in India whereas, the tournament of 2020 is scheduled to take place in Australia. But many people claim that T20 kills the actual spirit of cricket. It is just a money game. Do you believe so? No – T 20 is not killing the real cricket. -   Entertaining game   – We are all aware of the fact that T 20 is a more interesting game than the normal cricket. The viewers in the gallery are extremely supportive and enthusiastic. The game begins with the dance and huge pomp and show. T 20 is a complete entertainment package. -   Attracts the interest   – Earlier the cricket games were played for 50 overs. T 2

Is MBA necessary to be a successful in business?

Education is not a key to success all the time but great ideas are. Having great ideas can separate people from rest of the world. Management education is an academic discipline by which students are taught to be great business leaders, managers etc in business education. In present scenario, with every student planning to get into MBA, people have started believing that MBA is necessary to succeed in business. But is it necessary to have a MBA background to be a success in business? Yes – MBA is necessary.   1.   Management of two P's   – MBA is important because every successful business man in the country should manage both the product and people in an efficient manner. People those who do not possess any managerial skills, should take up MBA course to improve the knowledge of management. 2.   Essential ingredient   – Management education is necessary because management is considered to be the backbone of a business. To generate a creative idea, managerial skills are

MBA by engineers – Wastage of resources?

Today, the concept of pursing an MBA degree after completing the engineering course has become a common trend among the Indian students. Students who have pursued a degree in Computer Engineering, Non IT specializations and who are already in business oriented roles are the ones who usually take up an MBA degree after BE. The main reasons to earn a management degree are – to enter into a new field, increase the networking and to learn and apply new skills to grow in the career. It depends on the personal and the professional goals of an individual to choose his career path. Let's take a look at whether MBA by engineers is a wastage of resources when they already possess one professional degree. Can these seats be better utitilised by some general graduates struggling to do better in life? Yes – MBA by engineers has become a wastage of resources due to: -   Wastage of technical knowledge   – MBA has nothing to do with engineering as both are two different fields. The techn

Parliamentary or Presidential - Which form of government is better?

The parliamentary form of government is democratic in nature. The head of the state and the head of the government are held by different people. The executive and the legislative branches are linked to each other and Prime Minister is the head of the government. Countries that have a parliamentary form of government are India, Pakistan, Canada, Denmark and Bangladesh. In the presidential form of government, the head of the government and the head of the state is the same person and he leads an executive branch which is separate from the legislative branch. The executive is often known as President. Countries that have a presidential form of government are US, Afghanistan, Brazil, Maldives and Nigeria. Now, let's see which form of government is a better one? Parliamentary form of government is better. 1.   Symbol of unity   - The parliamentary form of government is a symbol of unity as it binds all the people together. People from different religions or various walks of li

Are newspapers still relevant in this era of SMS and Internet?

Image
Newspaper is a traditional way to spread information far and wide. It was better known as the “mirror of the society”. Ever-changing technology has become an indispensable part of our society in the last few years. A few years back, SMS (Short Message Service) dominated the social interaction between people. Technology kept moving on. Internet gained a lot of importance. Social networking sites and applications like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp made interaction all the more easy. They are also being used as platforms to provide information and news. Newspapers do exist in this era of SMS and Internet. Let us see whether newspapers still are the mirrors of the society or not? Yes – Newspapers are relevant even now. 1.   Information   – Newspapers still continue to provide in-depth information about the happenings around the world. It informs people even about the small, local and regional day to day happenings of the society. 2.   Regular habit   – Habits are hard to die. T

What should decide when to retire? - Age or Talent

Retirement is a point when a person stops his employment completely. There is a term “semi retirement” wherein the employee reduces the hours of his/her work. The concept of retirement started during the 19th and 20th century. It was first used in Germany. This year the Punjab and Haryana HC gave its verdict on the controversy of reducing the retirement age from 60 to 58 years. The retirement age for IAS officers, officers of the judiciary and teachers of government schools is still 60 years. As per the decision from the Central government, the retirement age would remain 60 years and no changes have been made to it. Now, let us come to the point of discussion. Should the retirement of an employee be based on his/her age or the talent that they showcase? Age should be the criteria for retirement. 1.   Benefits   – If you retire at the proper age you will be entitled to the benefits for the rest of your life. You will get a small monthly benefit amount but for a long period.

Ban co-education – why and why not?

Co-education means providing education to both the male and female students in the same institute. In spite of the establishment of co-educational schools and colleges there are parents who send their sons and daughters only to boys' and girls' institutes respectively. Establishing a system of co-education is a sign of a country's development too. During the time of the admissions there is huge rush in convent the schools than the co-educational schools. Today, whether their kids should be sent to co-educational institutes is a common debate among the parents. Some parents are even of the opinion that co-educational system should be banned. Now, let us discuss whether the co-educational schools should be banned or not? Co-education makes the children sexually attracted 1.   Not easily adopted   – In India, there has always been gender segregation. For a long time women were not allowed to work or study with men. It is still prevalent in many parts of the country.

Class room coaching – would you prefer it over e – learning?

Classroom coaching is associated with the long term skill development of an individual. Coaches are those people who offer inspiration and guidance and heighten the abilities of others through motivation and support. The Socratic philosophy of teaching has set the stage of coaching over 2400 years ago. Eduction plays an important role in the overall development of an individual especially in a country like India. The Indian Education System is growing tremendously and the Indian Coaching system is its integral part. A report entitled, “Indian Classroom Coaching Industry: Trends and Opportunities (2015 – 2019)” provides a penetration into the classroom coaching market of India and it focus on the preparation for various entrance exams. Yes – Class room coaching should be preferred over e – learning. 1. Exchange of ideas   – Classroom training is an interactive session and provides a platform for exchange of ideas. Students can raise questions and exchange ideas with one anothe

Yoga – Torchbearer of a religion or a provider of health benefits?

Image
Yoga got a strong identity on the global platform when Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, called for observing an International Yoga day. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the celebration of International Yoga Day on June 21 at Rajpath in Delhi. Though, the program has been put under a lot of controversies, more than 30,000 people are going to be a part of this grand celebration.   The All India Personal Muslim Law Board protested against the practice of Surya Namaskar, which would be held during the Yoga day celebrations. They also demanded that yoga should not be made compulsory in schools or colleges. The Muslim community urged that the Modi government should not force people to participate in this celebration. Yoga is a religion 1. Concept of Surya Namaskar   – Surya Namaskar is an important concept which is followed in Hinduism. People belonging from Hindu community consider Sun as their supreme God and worshiping sun is their main custom. T

Exempting the Non AC restaurants from service tax - Is it fair?

Service tax is the tax which is levied by the government on the service providers, on certain transactions but is actually borne by the customers. Recently, the finance ministry of India exempted the Non AC restaurants from paying the service tax. The service tax which is imposed on the heated and AC restaurants of the country have increased from 12.36% to 14%. Now, let's take a look on whether it is fair to exempt the non Ac restaurants from the service tax or not? Yes – It is fair   1.   Not Expensive   – Non AC restaurants are not much expensive when compared to the Ac restaurants. The food items are charged a high rate in the AC restaurants. Most of the Ac restaurants also provide a peaceful and attractive ambience. Thus, service tax should be levied on these restaurants rather than non ac. 2.   Impossible mission   – There are numerous non ac restaurants in India and it is impossible for the tax officials to keep a track about all the restaurants. It may turn out t

Is Air Asia responsible for its own loss? (This is one of my oldest article)

Image
                                 AirAsia is a low cost Malaysian airline. The headquarters of AirAsia are at Kuala Lampur, the capital. 2014 was an unpleasant year for the Malaysian aviation industry as they faced quite a few major flight mishaps. One Malaysian flight went missing early this March and another was shot down in Ukraine in July. Now, a third incident is added to the count. Flight QZ8501, an AirAsia Indonesia aircraft, lost its contact with the base and went missing with around 162 people on board. A long investigation followed the missing of the plane. On the third day officials confirmed that the missing flight has crashed into the sea as they recovered 40 bodies and some debris of the aircraft. The AirAsia Indonesia plane started flying in 2008. It had flown 13600 times and had completed 23000 hours. It had undergone its last maintenance work in November, 2014. Now, let us take a look on whether AirAsia should be held responsible for the missing flight. Ye