SUICIDE - MENTAL HEALTH !

As Mental Health Professional,who has been reading the various cases of suicide and attempted suicide, i was urged to put out my two bit for the benefit of all those who care to read and know.

This is not a Bible.

It is neither a textbook of Psychology.

It is simply put an attempt in bringing out the seriousness of the issue and providing people with an opportunity to know better than they previously did.

It is an attempt in helping people to understand others or try to understand other fellow human beings .

It is an attempt for those who read to share who others and society at large that Suicide is not an Act of Crime or intention to Commit a Crime.

Suicide is a Serious Mental Health Issue that needs to be addressed
with T.L.C.---> Tender Loving Care.

SUICIDE WARNING -- Depression carries a high risk of suicide. Anybody who expresses suicidal thoughts or intentions should be taken very seriously.

The best way to minimize the risk of suicide is to know the risk factors and to recognize the warning signs of suicide.

Take these signs seriously. Know how to respond to them. It could save someone's life.

Suicide in simple terms is, “The action of killing oneself intentionally”-

Suicide is the process of purposely ending one's own life.

The way societies view suicide varies widely according to culture and religion. For example, many Western cultures, as well as mainstream Judaism, Islam, and Christianity tend to view killing oneself as quite negative.

One myth about suicide that may be the result of this view is considering suicide to always be the result of a mental illness.
Some societies also treat a suicide attempt as if it were a crime.

In India , “Suicide is treated as a crime”.

In some countries like Japan; however, suicides are sometimes seen as understandable or even honourable in certain circumstances, such as in protest to persecution (for example, hunger strike), as part of battle or resistance (for example, suicide pilots of World War II; suicide bombers) or as a way of preserving the honour of a dishonoured person (for example, killing oneself to preserve the honour or safety of family members).

Are There Warning Signs of Suicide?

A Suicidal Always Talks / Calls. [

It maybe a Subtle Call / Talk. Avoid Ignoring it or Taking / Treating It Lightly]


Warning signs that someone may be thinking about or planning to commit suicide include:-

Always talking or thinking about death

Clinical depression -- deep sadness, loss of interest, trouble sleeping and eating -- that gets worse

Having a "death wish," tempting fate by taking risks that could lead to death, such as driving fast or running red lights

Losing interest in things one used to care about

Making comments about being hopeless, helpless, or worthless.

Putting affairs in order, tying up loose ends, changing a will

Saying things like "it would be better if I wasn't here" or "I want out"

Sudden, unexpected switch from being very sad to being very calm or appearing to be happy

Talking about suicide or killing one's self.

Visiting or calling people to say goodbye.

Be especially concerned if a person is exhibiting any of these warning signs and has attempted suicide in the past , between 20% and 50% of people who commit suicide have had a previous attempt

What Should I Do if Someone I Know Shows Warning Signs of Suicide?

First, if someone you know appears to be depressed and is contemplating suicide, take that person seriously.
Listen to what he or she is saying.

Take the initiative to ask that person what he or she is planning.

But don't attempt to argue him or her out of committing suicide.
Rather, let the person know that you care and understand and are listening.

Avoid statements like: "You have so much to live for."

If someone you know appears to be depressed and talks about suicide, makes a suicidal gesture, or attempts suicide, take it as a serious emergency.

Listen to the person, but don't try to argue with him or her. Seek immediate help from a health care professional.

Depressed people are often suicidal. It is a key symptom of the disease.

Some studies show that the neurotransmitter serotonin plays a central role in the neurobiology of suicide. Researchers have found lower levels of serotonin in the brainstem and cerebrospinal fluid of suicidal individuals.

In addition, suicidal behavior may sometimes runs in families.

Remember, any talk of suicide is always an emergency.

Have the person talk with a health care professional immediately.

Where Can I Get Help for Suicide and Depression?

Encourage a suicidal or depressed person to seek the help of a mental health professional. Because the person feel so hopeless that they may not think it's possible to be helped, you'll probably have to be persistent and go with that person.

If your loved one appears to be in imminent danger of committing suicide, do not leave him or her alone.

Remove any weapons or drugs he or she could use.

Accompany him or her to the nearest medical emergency facility.

During treatment, be supportive.

Help the person remember to take antidepressants or other prescribed medications and to continue any other therapy that's been prescribed.

What are the effects of suicide?

The effects of suicidal behaviour or completed suicide on friends and family members are often devastating. Individuals who lose a loved one to suicide (suicide survivors) are more at risk for becoming preoccupied with the reason for the suicide while wanting to deny or hide the cause of death, wondering if they could have prevented it, feeling blamed for the problems that preceded the suicide, feeling rejected by their loved one, and stigmatized by others. Survivors may experience a great range of conflicting emotions about the deceased, feeling everything from intense emotional pain and sadness about the loss, helpless to prevent it, longing for the person they lost, and anger at the deceased for taking their own life to relief if the suicide took place after years of physical or mental illness in their loved one. This is quite understandable given that the person they are grieving is at the same time the victim and the perpetrator of the fatal act.
Individuals left behind by the suicide of a loved one tend to experience complicated grief in reaction to that loss. Symptoms of grief that may be experienced by suicide survivors include intense emotion and longings for the deceased, severely intrusive thoughts about the lost loved one, extreme feelings of isolation and emptiness, avoiding doing things that bring back memories of the departed, new or worsened sleeping problems, and having no interest in activities that the sufferer used to enjoy.

What are some possible causes of suicide?

Although the reasons why people commit suicide are multifaceted and complex, life circumstances that may immediately precede someone committing suicide include the time period of at least a week after discharge from a psychiatric hospital or a sudden change in how the person appears to feel (for example, much worse or much better). Examples of possible triggers (precipitants) for suicide are real or imagined losses, like the breakup of a romantic relationship, moving, loss (especially if by suicide) of a friend, loss of freedom, or loss of other privileges.
In most countries, women continue to attempt suicide more often, but men tend to complete suicide more often. Although the frequency of suicides for young adults has been increasing in recent years, elderly males continue to have the highest suicide rate. Other risk factors for taking one's life include single marital status, unemployment, low income, mental illness, a history of being physically or sexually abused, a personal history of suicidal thoughts, threats or behaviors, or a family history of attempting suicide.

Data regarding mental illnesses as risk factors indicate that depression, manic depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, eating disorders, and severe anxiety increase the probability of suicide attempts and completions.

Nine out of 10 people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental-health problem and up to three out of four individuals who take their own life had a physical illness when they committed suicide.

Behaviors that tend to be linked with suicide attempts and completions include violence against others and self-mutilation, like slitting one's wrists or other body parts, or burning oneself.

Risk factors for adults who commit murder-suicide include male gender, older caregiver, access to firearms, separation or divorce, depression, and substance abuse.

In children and adolescents, bullying and being bullied seem to be associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviors.

Specifically regarding male teens who ultimately commit murder-suicide by school shootings, being bullied may play a significant role in putting them at risk for this outcome.

Another risk factor which renders children and teens more at risk for suicide compared to adults is that of having someone they know commit suicide, which is called contagion or cluster formation.

Generally, the absence of mental illness and substance abuse, as well as the presence of a strong social support system, decrease the likelihood that a person will kill him- or herself.

Having children who are younger than 18 years of age also tends to be a protective factor against mothers committing suicide

Celebrity Deaths May Trigger Suicide;- Big-time celebrities affect our lives in intimate ways. Today, through television and the Internet, the lives of luminaries like Leno and Letterman, Cher and Madonna, can become interwoven with our own. And if a celebrity who matters to us suddenly dies, we care.

A Celebrity’s death adds to existing feelings of sadness and distress in some people. For them, this public tragedy was a final, private burden that pushed some of them over the edge.

Psychologists recognize this; "We know there is a 'contagion factor' in suicide," "We know when a teenager commits suicide, there's increased danger someone else in the same school may also commit suicide.

Most often, suicide is an impulsive act. In the case of Princess Diana's death, there may have been people who already felt suicidal. When they heard the news, it heightened their own preoccupation with death."


Closer home in India, in some of the southern states; a death of a celebrity either political or a cine star has also taken in its train the lives of some common people who indulged in suicide and thus taking their own lives.

Not just the loss of a celebrity, but the loss of a friend or family member may also plunge someone into a painful re-examination of their life. Even a holiday or birthday can do it, These are times when people reflect on their lives and ask whether they've gotten where they wanted to.

A person who is feeling depressed should seek care.
"If you feel down in the dumps -- not just for one day but for many days -- this should be viewed as a medical symptom, like a cough,
"See your doctor, and request a complete physical exam. Keep in mind that depression may be a sign of physical illness. A health care professional should review all your medications, since some medications may lead to depression."

In addition to your primary care physician, advice from a mental health professional can be very helpful.

However, if & when someone is really feeling suicidal, waiting for a professional appointment, even just for a day or two, may feel like a very long time, or may be just too late. In that Situation, Reach out to Someone -- a friend or family member -- for help.

"Suicide is very much an impulse of the moment, so anything you can do to create some postponement, some thinking process, will be helpful,"

"What will work can vary from person to person, but anything that puts some pause between initial impulse and the action is a good idea.

If you feel you are in real danger of harming yourself, go to a hospital emergency room."

What are the signs and symptoms for suicide?

Warning signs that an individual is imminently planning to kill themselves may include;
the person making a will,
getting his or her affairs in order,
suddenly visiting friends or family members (one last time),
buying instruments of suicide like a gun, hose, rope, pills or other forms of medications,
a sudden and significant decline or improvement in mood,
or writing a suicide note.

Contrary to popular belief, many people who complete suicide do not tell their therapist or any other mental-health professional they plan to kill themselves in the months before they do so.

If they communicate their plan to anyone, it is more likely to be someone with whom they are personally close, like a friend or family member.

Individuals who take their lives tend to suffer from severe anxiety or depression, symptoms of which may include moderate alcohol abuse, insomnia, severe agitation, loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy (anhedonia), hopelessnessof situuations, and persistent thoughts about the possibility of something bad happening.

As suicidal behaviors are often quite impulsive, removing guns, medications, knives, and other instruments people often use to kill themselves from the immediate environment can allow the individual time to think more clearly and perhaps choose a more rational way of coping with their pain.

Thoughts & Behaviour Assessment

The risk assessment for suicidal thoughts and behaviors performed by mental-health professionals often involves an evaluation of the presence, severity, and duration of suicidal feelings in the individuals they treat as part of a comprehensive evaluation of the person's mental health.

Therefore, in addition to asking questions about family mental-health history and about the symptoms of a variety of emotional problems (for example, anxiety, depression, mood swings, bizarre thoughts, substance abuse, eating disorders, and any history of being traumatized), practitioners will frequently ask the people they evaluate about any past or present suicidal thoughts, dreams, intent, and plans.

If the individual has ever attempted suicide, information about the circumstances surrounding the attempt, as well as the level of dangerousness of the method and the outcome of the attempt, can and may be explored. Any other history of violent behavior might be evaluated.

The person's current circumstances, like recent stressors (for example, end of a relationship, family problems), sources of support, and accessibility of weapons are often probed.

What treatment the person may be receiving and how he or she has responded to treatment recently and in the past, are other issues mental-health professionals tend to explore during an evaluation.

How can people cope with suicidal thoughts?

In the effort to cope with suicidal thoughts, silence is the worst enemy.
Suggestions for helping people survive suicidal thinking includes:-
Engaging the help of a doctor or other health professional, a spiritual advisor, or,

by immediately calling a suicide hotline ,or,

going to the closest emergency room or mental-health crisis center.

In order to prevent acting on thoughts of suicide, it is often suggested that individuals who have experienced suicidal thinking keep a written or mental list of people to call in the event that suicidal thoughts come back.

Other strategies include;

having someone hold all medications to prevent overdose,

Removing knives, guns, and other weapons from the home,

Scheduling stress-relieving activities every day,

Getting together with others to prevent isolation,

Writing down feelings, Including positive ones, and

Avoiding the use of alcohol or other drugs.

How can people cope with the suicide of a loved one?

Grief that is associated with the death of a loved one from suicide presents intense and unique challenges. In addition to the already significant pain endured by anyone who loses a loved one, suicide survivors may feel guilty about having not been able to prevent their loved one from killing themselves and the myriad conflicting emotions already discussed.

Friends and family may be more likely to experience regret about whatever conflicts or other problems they had in their relationship with the deceased, and they may even feel guilty about living while their loved one is not.

Therefore, individuals who lose a loved one from suicide are more at risk for becoming preoccupied with the reason for the suicide while perhaps wanting to deny or hide the cause of death, wondering if they could have prevented it, feeling blamed for the problems that preceded the suicide, feeling rejected by their loved one and stigmatized by others.

Some self-help techniques for coping with the suicide of a loved one include avoiding isolation by staying involved with others, sharing the experience by joining a support group or keeping a journal, thinking of ways to handle it when other life experiences trigger painful memories about the loss, understanding that getting better involves feeling better some days and worse on other days, resisting pressure to get over the loss, and the suicide survivor's doing what is right for them in their efforts to recover.

Many people, particularly parents of children who commit suicide, take some comfort in being able to use this terrible experience as a way to establish a memorial to their loved one. That can take the form of everything from planting a tree or painting a mural in honor of the departed to establishing a scholarship fund in their loved one's name to teaching others about surviving child suicide.

Generally, coping tips for grieving a death through suicide are nearly as different and numerous as there are bereaved individuals. The bereaved person's caring for him- or herself through continuing nutritious and regular eating habits and getting extra, although not excessive, rest can help strengthen their ability to endure this very difficult event.

To help children and adolescents cope emotionally with the suicide of a friend or family member, it is important to ensure they receive consistent caretaking and frequent interaction with supportive adults.

All children and teens can benefit from being reassured they did not cause their loved one to kill themselves, going a long way toward lessening the developmentally appropriate tendency children and adolescents have for blaming themselves and any angry feelings they may have harbored against their lost loved one for the suicide.

For school-aged and older children, appropriate participation in school, social, and extracurricular activities is necessary to a successful resolution of grief.

For adolescents, maintaining positive relationships with peers becomes important in helping teens figure out how to deal with a loved one's suicide.

Depending on the adolescent, they even may find interactions with peers and family more helpful than formal sources of support like their school counselor.

What is the treatment for suicidal thoughts and behaviors?

Those who treat people who attempt suicide tend to adapt immediate treatment to the person's individual needs.

Those who have a responsive and intact family, good friendships, generally good social supports, and who have a history of being hopeful and have a desire to resolve conflicts may need only a brief crisis-oriented intervention.

However, those who have made previous suicide attempts, have shown a high degree of intent to kill themselves, seem to be suffering from either severe depression or other mental illness, are abusing alcohol or other drugs, have trouble controlling their impulses, or have families who are unwilling to commit to counseling are at higher risk and may need psychiatric hospitalization and long-term outpatient mental-health services.

Suicide-prevention measures that are put in place following a psychiatric hospitalization usually involve mental-health professionals trying to implement a comprehensive outpatient treatment plan prior to the individual being discharged.

This is all the more important since many people fail to comply with outpatient therapy after leaving the hospital.

It is often recommended that all firearms and other weapons be removed from the home, because the individual may still find access to guns and other dangerous objects stored in their home, even if locked.

It is further often recommended that sharp objects and potentially lethal medications be locked up as a result of the attempt.

Vigorous treatment of the underlying psychiatric disorder is important in decreasing short-term and long-term risk.

Contracting with the person against suicide has not been shown to be especially effective in preventing suicidal behavior, but the technique may still be helpful in assessing risk, since refusal to agree to refrain from harming oneself or to fail to agree to tell a specified person may indicate an intent to harm oneself.

Contracting might also help the individual identify sources of support he or she can call upon in the event that suicidal thoughts recur.

Talk therapy that focuses on helping the person understand how their thoughts and behaviors affect each other (cognitive behavioral therapy) has been found to be an effective treatment for many people who struggle with thoughts of harming themselves.

School intervention programs in which teens are given support and educated about the risk factors, symptoms, and ways to manage suicidal thoughts in themselves and how to engage adults when they or a peer expresses suicidal thinking have been found to decrease the number of times adolescents report attempting suicide.

I have consciously avoided going into citing medications for the same as that is beyond the scope and purview of this note.

The Indian Scenario:-

Four of India's southern states — Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnakata and Kerala — that together constitute 22% of the country's population recorded 42% of suicide deaths in men and 40% of self-inflicted fatalities in women in 2010.
Maharashtra and West Bengal together accounted for an additional 15% of suicide deaths.
Delhi recorded the lowest suicide rate in the country. In absolute numbers, the most suicide deaths in individuals, aged 15 years or older, were in AP (28,000), Tamil Nadu (24,000) and Maharashtra (19,000).
The first national study of deaths in India, published in the British Medical journal The Lancet, says that suicide has become the second-leading cause of death among the young in India.

Methods of Suicide

A study of the methods of suicide reveals that individuals choose from a variety of acts to end their lives.

The choice of a method for suicide or attempted suicide is related to the person's culture and tradition, and depends upon the intent, seriousness, situation (time and presence of family members), motive and availability of means.
A distinct difference is noticed;
Self-poisoning with a variety of substances ranging from pesticides to commonly available household products is the commonest method, also show a high incidence of self-poisoning.

Hanging is the other frequently adopted method,

Self-burning (immolation) is a method commonly adopted.

Jumping off high rises is yet another form.

Jumping off bridges near sea fronts or across rivers is another way of committing suicide..

This pattern in the methods of committing suicide is also likely to change over a period of time depending on the availability of methods to people, indicating the need for constant surveillance.

Urban/rural differences

An increase in the number of suicides has been noticed in urban areas, suggesting that it may be linked to urbanization, industrialization, migration and changing socioeconomic patterns. Though detailed urban/rural comparisons are not available, in India, nearly 50-60% of suicides still occur in rural areas. This variation may not reflect the exact picture of urban / rural differences due to differential reporting in rural vs urban areas. Many factors, such as societal and family pressures, limited access to health care, and education and employment determinants, may play a role in these variations.

Age variations
There is also a distinct difference in the occurrence of suicides among various age groups.

In India, the highest rates of suicide (30-60%) are seen between 15-29 years, followed by 30-44 years. Of the total deaths by suicide in individuals aged 15 years or older, about 40% suicide deaths in men and about 56% in women occurred in individuals aged 15-29 years.

Suicide deaths occurred at younger ages in women (average age 25 years) than in men (average age 34 years).

Educated persons were at greater risk of completing a suicide.

This indicates, suicide is on the increase among the youth, leading to loss of lives in the most productive years.

Gender differences

It seems that a greater number of men committed suicide though an almost equal ratio of 1.2:1 exists in India, for men and women, respectively.

Attempted suicides

Attempted suicides are on the increase in the country. The magnitude of attempted suicides (parasuicides) is not clearly known for no single reporting agency compiles this type of data.

For every completed suicide, nearly 10-20 persons attempt suicide.

Nearly 10-30% of registrations in hospital emergency departments are due to attempted suicides. Patients who attempt suicide are provided care in government or private health care institutions. Many cases exist where families hush-up and conceal such cases or attempts on account of the social stigma involved.

Data on attempted suicide may be underreported because attempting suicide is a crime in many countries, and this information may be suppressed by families or health care providers at the request of the person's family.

Some studies report the presence of suicidal thoughts among 5-10% of the population in India.

Suicidal thoughts are higher among women in the reproductive age group, according to a recent study in Bangalore.

Such thoughts are related to age, gender, situation and ongoing crises in different walks of life.

Those living in socially underprivileged environments and suffering from mental health problems, such as depression and alcohol abuse, are more prone to such thoughts.

During the economic crisis, it was found that 58% of respondents reported suicidal thoughts.

Clear differences exist in the nature, pattern and intent of attempted suicides and completed suicides, though they are events or steps of the same process.

Stressors are frequently immediate family and interpersonal conflicts Stressors are generally varied and include terminal illness and socioeconomic factors.

Professor Vikram Patel of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in his studies told TOI that;

1.87 lakh people committed suicide in India in 2010.

Overall, more Indian men commit suicide than women, but the male to female ratio for suicides is smaller in India than in many Western countries, in particular among youth.
Studies have suggested that social factors such as violence and depression are key determinants of suicide in women."
Prof Patel pointed out to lack of national strategy for suicide prevention in India.
He said, "Suicides can be prevented through interventions like banning the most toxic pesticides and teaching rural communities on safe storage of pesticides.

India should also start mental health promotion for young people through schools and colleges and introduce crisis counseling services and services for treatment of depression and alcohol addiction."

"Compared to most other countries, suicide rates are especially high in young adults and, in particular, young women for whom suicide rates in India are four to six times higher than in developed countries.

The suicide rates vary 10-fold between states with the highest rates in the southern states of India,"

Suicide deaths among men were almost 11-times higher in Maharashtra as compared to Delhi. When it came to women, it was four times higher in Maharashtra than Delhi.

"The large variations we observed between states clearly point to the role of as yet poorly understood social factors in influencing the risk of suicide in India.

We recorded a reduced risk of suicide versus other causes of death in women who were widowed, divorced or separated, compared with married women and men," Prof Patel said.

The study says, suicide claims twice as many lives in India as HIV-AIDS and almost as many as maternal deaths in young women.

Suicide kills nearly as many Indian men aged 15-29 as transportation accidents.

Studies have shown that the most common contributors to suicide are a combination of social problems, such as interpersonal and family problems and financial difficulties, and pre-existing mental illness.

"The large variations we observed between states clearly point to the role of as yet poorly understood social factors in influencing the risk of suicide in India.

We recorded a reduced risk of suicide versus other causes of death in women who were widowed, divorced or separated, compared with married women and men," Prof Patel said.

The study says, suicide claims twice as many lives in India as HIV-AIDS and almost as many as maternal deaths in young women.

Suicide kills nearly as many Indian men aged 15-29 as transportation accidents.

Studies have shown that the most common contributors to suicide are a combination of social problems, such as interpersonal and family problems and financial difficulties, and pre-existing mental illness.

My interactions with some acquaintances reveals the following;

**Some of this material below has appeared in the various media.

* Failure in Love is another cause for committing suicide by teenagers and amongst youth.
But at first we must understand what Love is . Love means your wishes of best life for your partner . If he or she thinks that he or she will be happy with another person , you must admit and respect it , as you respect your love . " Failure does not mean God has abandoned you , it does mean God has better plan for You " Love means sacrifices if you think only of yourself , then you only love yourself . " If you like the Tajmahal it does not mean it should in your garden . We all live in the same world , and if you truly love someone he or she may live at another place , but your heart always feel connected . Do not think of your loss or gain all the time , try to share or give someone what you can , at least a smile or you time.

When cinema came to India, devotional laden music scores used to be the rule, until the early 1990s, and they depicted love between man and woman in its chaste form which did not hurt Indian cultural values. The case of separation between lovers yearning for reunion. Or just frolicking, flirting in good taste. Today all these values of chastity, waiting for reunion, etc, are questioned and efforts are made also to use through films and T.V. serials that suicide and murder as almost vital elements.

With better social commitment to help people mould good taste through the media, it is not difficult to reverse the trend of their largely corruptive influence on young men and women both educated and uneduated.

Parents should be more affectionate to the children , they must not always worry or be obsessed about the future of their children .

If children get love and comfortable peaceful childhood then they can face any problem positively in future . If the children are used to prayer than they can also feel how grateful is God to give us an opportunity to live in this beautiful world . The beauty of the panaromic nature in all her splendour and majesty is here alongwith the whole world for you .

Avoid thinking only about your position in the society or bank balance .

You can be the happiest person in the world if you just share and learn to share in an atmosphere and environment of give and take of your thoughts & feelings with your friends or dear ones besides listening to their problems also .

Thank GOD for being blessed with what you have.

Avoid lamenting always for what you do not have.

People can opt to learn Yoga / Sudarshan Kriya / Deep Breathing Exercises.



Best,

Prasad.

,"Do Away with Annual Reviews",

Dear Reader,
Following my last post on,"Appraisal",i got a mail on,"Do Away with Annual Reviews",which has been reproduced here below.

To have it reflected here, i have taken the permission of the person who originally sent the mail, which is clearly seen in the transcripts copied here.

As my grey cells are collating further thoughts on the same to be posted here, enjoy the read and drop me your thoughts.
Best,
Prasad.

On Sun, Jun 17, 2012 at 6:45 PM, Harvinderjit Kaur wrote:
Sure. Please go ahead.
Have a good and blessed weekend ahead.
Kind regards,
Harvinder
--- On Sun, 6/17/12, prasad agali wrote:
From: prasad agali
Subject: Re: PLS READ -Re: [Trainers Forum] Q&A: Do Away with Annual Reviews
To: "Harvinderjit Kaur"
Date: Sunday, June 17, 2012, 7:50 PM
Greetings of the day Harvinder,
Just to know if i can reproduce your mail in it's enitrety on my blog.[link is below].
wishing you a nice weekend
Thanks,
best,
Prasad.


From: prasad agali
Subject: PLS READ -Re: [Trainers Forum] Q&A: Do Away with Annual Reviews
To: "Harvinderjit Kaur"
Date: Saturday, June 16, 2012, 10:51 PM
Greetings of the day Harvinder,
Congrats and Bravo,
With your latest article as shared below, you have once again hit the nail on the right head .
This very thought was in my brain for a long time.
Guess this inpsires me to take the ideas out of my [box] - brain and spill them out.
It's a matter of perspective after all and till the world understands , accepts and applies, let them be the ones asleep, while the few march on.
Thanks,
Best
Prasad.

On Sat, Jun 16, 2012 at 8:13 PM, Harvinderjit Kaur wrote:

Should We Dispatch With Annual Performance Reviews?
[Workforce Management | May 17, 2012]

Q: What are the alternatives if we scrap the annual performance review?

- Torn in HR, warehouse/distribution, Virginia Beach, Virginia

A: The issue is not your performance-review system. It's probably a deficiency in coaching skills among your managers.

Keep the annual review, but add the following elements:

a) Launch a recurring training program to help managers develop coaching skills. If you don't do this, none of your other efforts really matter.

b) Work with your senior leaders to implement a system whereby managers are held accountable for ''one-on-one check-ins'' with all the employees they directly supervise. These sessions should occur at least once a month. Implementing this requirement forces your managers to practice and hone their own coaching skills.

c) Be prepared to serve as a coach to the coaches. They are going to need your help.

Coaching is the replacement for the annual performance review. In fact, the lack of coaching skill is the No. 1 reason for performance reviews. The one-on-one sessions should truly be of a check-in nature - no rating scales or other formal assessment measures. The manager schedules time for employees to discuss their own list of items.

Your managers are there to knock down barriers for employees as much as possible. Once each employee is done with his list, the manager uses the coaching skills to talk about which things are going well and refocus the employee's attention on potential areas for improvement.
[Source: Kris Dunn, HR Capitalist, Birmingham, Alabama]
Regards,
Harvinder
Google+: https://plus.google.com/104651233239917243747/posts?hl=en
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/harvinderjit

Appraisal

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day.

My brain has been swirling with the thought of,"when will organizations move towards regular or monthly appraisals of their employees?"

Today's, "Times of India" Mumbai edition, carried an article,"Every Six Months Companies would carry out Appraisals to motivate their employees".

This is a point that has been playing in my brain for a long time.

What is an Appraisal?

Is it merely a tool to ascertain how is the employee functioning?

Is it good enough to be used only annually or every six months to know how the employee is delivering and in the process try to motivate or weed out!

Ha! Indeed what an irony !

An appraisal needs to be conducted regularly.

This is not to monitor or keep tabs on the employees.

A regular appraisal done once a month or atleast once in every quarter would be of great help to employees and organizations.

How?

Employees Fear of Appraisal Would be removed.
This is a big time point.
When done annually it instills a fear in the employees brain as to what is going to happen? what would be the end result? and many other Q's that could cross the brain.

Employees Begin to Trust in Superiors and Organization.
When done regularly, employees would know what is in the offing.
Employees would then be comfortable.
Levels of Trust would increase.

Employees have Confidence in the System.
When done regularly employees would actually start looking forward to it.
This creates confidence in the system.

Employees Would Understand better when done regularly.
The employee would begin to understand the process better and ensure that his deliveries / output is better.
This creates and ensues better productivity at higher levels and also reduce the margin of mistakes , errors of commision and ommision.

Organization benefits
The organization benefits with the least amount of disgruntled or dissatisfied employees.
The spinoffs are; less attrition rates, allround motivation , bonding and solidarity within the organization, retention and enrichment of existing Knowledge-base.

Now there is a Q here?

What is that one significant gain here with regular , monthly or quarterly appraisals?

Every Appraiser and Appraisee has a tremendous and most splendid opportunity to develop their relationship, improve levels of communication between themselves,ensue better bonding, be more approchable with respect to one another, network better, understand work related issues, synchronize working.

It is a huge gain for employees and organizations.

Organizations have taken years to come to biannual appraisal .

It may now take them decades if not eons to move towards monthly or quarterly appraisals.

It need not be said that a superior who is in regular contact and communciation with his reportees, would find that regular or monthly appraisal is much easier to accomplish and time saving, than one who is hardly communicating or is in touch.

Communicating or being in touch hardly means a curtsy originated,"Hi, bye".

It means being open , available any time the reportee needs to interact , being able to provide stimulating points for employees to think differently, arrive at solutions and sometimes being the untitled coach or mentor.

In my humble opinion and belief these few points as ensivaged above, are big spurs in themselves towards employee motivation.

I dare anyone to draw a leaf or a line from this and make the change !?

The change would be a paradigm shift in itself.

Best,

Prasad.

Dear Reader,

Greetings of the day !

I have been closely following the dimension of leadership.

What intrigues one is that leadership is a dimension everyone talks about, most have an opinion on it, still some think and practice it and are good at it, and just about four or five are excellent leaders.

In the Indian scenario,the leaders worth citing are:

Military: Field Marshal Cariaappa,Field Marshal Sam Bahadur Maneckshaw.

Politically: M.K. Gandhi,J. Nehru,Vijaya Laxmi Pandit,L.B. Shastri,
Indira Gandhi & Rajiv Gandhi.

Industry / Business: Rahul Bajaj,Narayan Murthy,Azim Premji,Jayateerth.Rao,Dr.Reddy[Apollo Group].

Spiritual / Religious: Sri Adi Shankracharya,Sri Guru Swami Madhwacharya,
Sri Guru Swami Vyasaratheertharu, Sri Guru Swami Raghavendrateertharu, Swami Ramakrishna Parmahansa, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Guru Nanak Dev,
Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi and a few more could be listed.

Women Leaders:Dr.Kiran Bedi,Naina Lal Kidwai,Kiran.Mazumdar.Shaw,

Now this is just on the Indian scenario.

Have a look at the international scenario.

Scan the eyes of your brain to see what you find and you come across more names in any of the above fields.

The fact exists that as a nation we are poor leaders in ourselves.

This is regardless of what our genetical make-up is,or from the family,environmental background we have had.

The world at large is facing a severe crisis of excellent leaders.

India in particular is starved of excellent leaders.

To continue with a diatribe on this is easy.

Let me pause here and invite you to read this article as extracted below.

It is titled,"A Sad Lesson In Collaborative Innovation by Ron Hadner".

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/05/a_sad_lesson_in_collaborative_innovation.html

Enjoy the read! and let your grey cells work themselves out to enable you be better and perhaps merit a lesson in learning from it.

Best,

Prasad.

Dear Reader,
AAAAHHHH!!!!, it's been quiet sometime that i have been blogging - well anyways here goes .


How Do We Keep People Motivated Following Layoffs?
[Workforce Management | April 01, 2010]

Your primary goal should be to get the workforce focused and united behind the premise that their productivity and innovation are the key drivers of organizational stability. This requires lots of work and targeted discussions with remaining employees.

Q: We just had mass layoffs. What is my greatest challenge in keeping the surviving employees engaged? And how do I effectively do it?

- Gloom and Doom, services, Waltham, Massachusetts

A: The most significant challenges faced by an organization following layoffs are managing a distracted workforce, coping with increased stress caused by expanding workloads, and turnover among top talent, who have options regardless of economic conditions.

Your primary goal should be to get the workforce focused and united behind the premise that their productivity and innovation are the key drivers of organizational stability. Do some quick interviews or a survey of workers to identify their issues and concerns.

Next, focus on improving communications and transparency. If they don't get fast, frequent and accurate information from management, employees will rely on rumors or assume the worst.

Third, solicit their help in prioritizing the work. If you don't identify low-priority things that employees can stop doing, your remaining workers will likely be overburdened.

Next, ask each worker and team to help you make a list of the "barriers to increasing productivity," and then commit your time and resources to eliminating those barriers.

Finally, talk individually to top performers and key employees and work with their managers to minimize any issues that may cause them to consider leaving during this critical time.


[Source: Dr. John Sullivan, San Francisco State University, March 10, 2010]

CHANGING EDUCATION THROUGH CHANGING THE WAY WE INTERACT.

CHANGING EDUCATION THROUGH CHANGING THE WAY WE INTERACT- A PARADIGM SHIFT

If individuals, families, societies, nations have to move forward and become a global village the paradigm must shift.

If we are to continue with educating the future citizens of tomorrow, the way we have been educated we would make them most unfit and ill-equipped for their tomorrow.

So what do we need to do?

Throw out the age old patterns, systems of education.
Change the way we look at things.

Bring about a transformation through a revolution if necessary.

Let us stop labelling. Let us get out and away from banding labels as a fashion.

Let us go back to our children, sit down with them, ask them meaningful and open questions like,
what they want to know, learn,

how would they like to learn,

what would they like to do by learning it in a particular way,

how does or how would it help them

and what do they want to do by learning a particular topic, subject- matter in a particular way.

Let us know from them what they have visualized as a result or what they seek from their preferred style, way, manner of learning.

Do we have the courage to do so?

For this we must get rid of the old and embrace the new.

First step should be to, Get Rid of the Negativity.

Can we as parents and all responsible stakeholders stop using negatives in our lives?

Can we stop saying, “Don’t run on the road”.

Can we try saying more often, “Walk on the pavement than running on the road”.

Can we stop saying, “Don’t forget to bring your lunch box home, Don’t forget to write what the teacher writes on the board.

Can we start trying to say, “My dear Remember to bring your lunch box back, Remember to write down what the teacher writes on the board”.

Can we begin using more positive strokes and positive reinforcing acts in speech and behaviour.

The result of this if practiced by all consciously would be far reaching and have deep impact on all human beings.

It is said that an average person receives about 4000 negative strokes or words or acts of behaviour, against an average of only 200 positive strokes or words or acts of behaviour on an average day.

Very simple, each one is invited to see and recall for oneself how many positive strokes have they received on any given day.

It is always the negative strokes are higher than the positive strokes.

This in turn gets reinforced in children who are forever receiving negative strokes and more than positive strokes.

These results in fear, mistrust or distrust uncertainty and even possibly tense moments for a child.

This continues and gets reinforced in school through disciplining and penal acts, regardless of how mild they are construed to be.

Imagine this manifesting itself in an adult and what do you have?

Do we have adult children who are positive, open and explorative by nature?

To the contrary and naturally we have adult children, who have behavioural issues, are tense, have speech concerns like stammering, and even on the verge of negative thinking.

So what should be done?

Shall we continue with the old tried and tested or opt out for a change as in a paradigm shift of being consciously interacting in and with positive ways and manners.

It is time we shed the old and embrace the new.

Let each one of us as responsible and caring stakeholders in the future of our children, start by addressing matters positively than negatively.

Let us encourage them to go out and seek on their own.

Yet let us always be there as their moment of support only for short spells, than firmly holding their hand and directing them where we want them to go.

What would be the outcome?

This will result in children who are free from, “Fear, Forthwith, Open, Trusting, Dynamic, Filled with Joy and Positive by themselves and in nature.

This would be the signal start to a better and new world.

This would mean education institutions and educators would be positive, open, dynamic, constantly thinking of doing better than continuing with the old and stale.

Let us awake!

Let us go forth!

Best,
Prasad.

DEATH.

dehino ‘smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati'.

As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth, and then to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” (Bhagavad-gita 2.13)

I believe that, Death is the single Largest Life Changing Agent.When you become aware of Impending Death regardless of the cause or grounds that lead to it, comes the realization that One should Avoid Wasting Life.

Living Someone Else’s Choices.

Avoid letting the Clutter and Clamour of Other People’s Opinions, Thoughts, Words from drowning Out Your Own Inner Voice. Have and Keep Up the Courage, even in the Most Last Trying and Emotionally Disturbing Moments to follow Your Heart and Intuition.

Death is not the End.

It is the mere change of one form of energy into Another Form. If one subscribes to theory of Reincarnation it could be accepted that Death is the passing over or Migration of the Soul or Energy in the present form or body into form or Body.So Shed Your Grief, Rejoice in the Passage of the Energy from the present Known Form or Body into that of another Form or Body.Yes Perform your Ritual acts and Ceremonies that you Subscribe to as per your religious calling.However remember Spirituality has hardly any space for Rituals and Ceremonies.Take Joy and Relish the Memories of the Physical Frame that is left behind. Cherish the Good and Happy times spent with the one who has moved on.Remember it is now only a Dead Lifeless Body or Physical Frame that is left behind to be either cremated or buried and thereby ensuring the return of even that physical frame to Nature.Thus Death leaves nothing behind.

Krishna explains in the Bhagawad Gita that “as an embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death” (2.13).

In each lifetime, each one does what he has to do, and if he does it selflessly, in love of me, without regard for gain or loss, he may come finally to rest in my perfection and be free of the cycles of action and death - Krishna to Arjuna in the Bhagawad Gita.

Even science says; energy cannot be destroyed, it is just transformed; then how can the most energetic creature of the creation be finished to nothing at the time of death? It is simply not logical; we are born again and again and again. Only the form, shape may differ.

However the rebirths are also dependent on our karmas or actions, deeds and thoughts.

Life is Beautiful,
Pain is Beautiful,
Sorrow is Beautiful,
Death is Beautiful.

Om Sri Sri Sri Krishna ArpanaMasthu.

For some more reading, you may like to visit the following links, http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_death.asp

The Four Incarnations of sri Guru Swami Raghavendra Tirthangalu:

The spiritual energy in the land of Bharat is palpable, as saints reside throughout the length and width of the county. The spiritual power acquired by their austerities is utilized for the benefit of mankind.

Shankukarna of Brahma Lok, was born as Prahlad in Krita Yuga. Prahlad was devotion personified. Towards the end of Dwapara Yuga, Prahald was born as Bhalhika Raja, a king. In Kali yuga, he was reborn as saint Vyasarajja.

About four centuries ago, he incarnated himself as Sri Raghavendra - the benevolent Saint of Mantralaya, and entered into the Brindavan alive there. Thus, the Brindavan at Mantralaya is the Moola Brindavan of Sri Raghavendra. Mantralaya is situated on the banks of river Tungabhadra in Andhra Pradesh.

Please refer to the links provided , as this could help you to get an understanding of the time frames and the Yugas http://indiaheritage.org/rendez/article1.htm"
http://indiaheritage.org/rendez/article1.htm/

Shankhukarna

Brahma was assisted in his daily worship of Sri Maha Vishnu by Shankhukarna. Once Shankhukarna was late in getting flowers for worship. An enraged Brahma Cursed him to take birth in bhuloka amidst demons.

Shankhukarna prayed to Vayu Deva, who appeared before him, consoled and blessed him. Vayu Deva said that by divine will, Shankhukarna would take various incarnations in different yugas, to establish morality and righteousness. Shankhhukarna was reassured.

Prahlad

Hiranayakashipu was a powerful demon king in krita yuga. He wanted complete control over the universe. He would not accept the supremacy of Maha Vishnu. He did intense tapasya[penance]to Brahma in order to gain powers and immortality.

The devas were perplexed and requested Brahma to hasten his intervention. Brahma appeared before Hirannyakashipu and asked him to seek a boon. When Hiranyakashipu asked for immortality it was declared impossible by Brahma. Then Hiranyakashipu desired that he be killed neither by man nor by animal, neither weapon nor missile, neither inside nor outside, neither during daytime nor at night, neither by a terrestrial creature nor aquatic creature, neither by devata nnor by gandharva, neither on land nor in the air. The boon was granted. Upon securing this peculiar boon form Brahma, Hiranyakashipu began committing atrocities, and created havoc in the universe.

The devatas appealed to Lord Vishnu for protection form Hiranyakashipu. The Lord desired that Shankhukarna be born as the son of Hiranyakashipu. Thus the great devotee Prahlad was born to Kayadu and Hiranyakashipu.

Answering the prayers of Prahlad, Lord Vishnu appeared as Sri Narasimha from one of the pillars in the court hall of Hiranyakashipu, to protect first Prahalad & his devotees from evil forces.

Lord Narsimha - half man half lion - leapt out of a pillar straight at Hiranyakashipu and killed him, thus ending the evil deeds by the latter. If we surrender to the Lord with total faith and devotion, no force can harm us. This is the lesson learnt from the life and Prahlad.

Bhalhika Raja

Prahlad, in Dwapara Yuga, was reborn as Bhalhika Raja, in the Kuru Dyansty, and the elder bother of Shantnau - the father of Bhishma. Bhalhika had acquired extraordinary strength by the grace of Vayu Deva, and his personality was unique. Due to the cumulative merits acquired in his previous incarnation as Prahlad, Bhalhika lived a luxurious life.

Although Bhalhika was devout and pious, he was compelled to fight on the side of the Kauravas in the Mahabharata war, due to his birth as Shantanu's elder brother.

Bhalhika was aware that victory was reserved for the Pandavas, as Dharma and Sri Krishna were on their side. The purpose of his present incarnation was neither to acquire power, nor to fight for it, He was content to take darshhan of Sri Krishna. Bhalhika yearned to reach the Lotus Feet of the Lord in heaven. He was desirous of ending his life at the hands of Bhimsen, an amsha[incarnation]of Vayu, in the Mahabharata War. His wish was fulfilled, as he died at the hands of Bhima.

Sri Vyasaraja

Prahalad was born in Kali Yuga as Vyasa Theertha, to uphold the Vaishnava Dharma, which he reached to its zenith.

Vyasaraja was the raja guru of King Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagar Empire. He prevented the onslaught of enemies over the empire. With his spiritual power, the saint warded off the danger of the evil Kuhu Yoga which afflicted the king, and prevented disaster.

The saint worshipped Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupathi with devotion for 12 years and attained His grace.

Vyasaraja established the Vidya Peeth at Vijayanagar, and was its head for 71 years. Contemporary saints Sri Vadiraja and Sri Vijayeendra and enlightened men Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Dasa sought Sri Vyasaraja's blessings. They benefited form his knowledge of many rare subjects. He encouraged Dasa Sahitya in Karnataka, himself a great poet.

Sri Vyasaraja has authored three important treatises in Dwaita Philosophy entitled "Tharka Thandava", "Nyayamrita", and "Chandrika", besides several others. He installed the idols of Anjaneya at 732 places during his lifetime.
At the age of seven Sri Vyasaraja became a Sanyasi and remained so for 85 years. He attained Mukthi at the age of 92 at Navabrindavan near Hampi, on the 8th March, 1529.

Sri Raghavendra Swami

Prahlad incarnated as the son of Thimanna Bhatta and Gopikamba and was born at Bhuvangiri in Chidambaram Disteict, Tammilnadu. The child was born by the grace of Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati and thus was named Venkatanatha.

Thimanna Bhhatta suddenly died, leaving Little Venkatanatha in the care of his elder son Gururaj. Venkatnatha's initial education was under the tutelage of his brother-in-law Sri Lakshminarasimhachar, at Madhurai. The young lad was a student par excellence. He was blessed by the Pontiffs Sri Vijayeendra Theertha and Sri Sudhindra Theertha at Kumbhakonam. The boy later became the student of Sri Sudheendra Thirtha.

Venkatanatha was later married to Saraswathi. They suffered due to poverty but Venkatanatha accepted life as God's will. In due course, the couple moved to Sri Sudindra Theertha's Math at Kumbhakonam, where Venkatanatha persued higher studies under his Guru's tutelage.

Due to old age, Sri Sudheendra Thirtha was weary of shouldering the responsibilities connected with the Peetha. Venkatanatha was brilliant and capable, therefore the appropriate person to take charge of the Peetha, the seer felt. Sri Sudheendra Theertha decided to initiate Venkatanatha into Sanyasa at Tanjore and approached the king Raghunatha Bhupal, who offered his palace for the function.

The "Ratnabhiskeka" of Venkatanatha was performed in the royal mantap amidst the chanting of Veda Mantras. Sri Sudheendra Theertha handed the saffron robes to Venkatanathha and consecrated him a monk. After the "Mantropadesha", Venakatanatha was given the monastic name "Sri Raghavendra Theertha". The ancient idols of Moola Rama, Digvijaya Rama and Jayarama with the Vyasamushti, were handed over, coupled with the administration of the Math to Sri Raghavendra Theertha.

Venkatanatha and Saraswathi were living a happy married life. Unable to bear the separation form her husband, Saraswathi committed suicide by jumping into a well. She was liberated form the cycle of births and deaths by Sri Raghavendra Theertha.

Sri Raghavendra Swami was constantly on the move form one place to another, propagating Bhakthi (devotion) and Harisarvothamatwa (Supremacy of the Lord) He stayed in Udupi for more than a year in the Math established by Sri Vijayendra Theertha. While at Udupi, Sri Guru Raghavendra Swami wrote the treatises "Chandrika Prakashika", "Tantra Deepika", "Nyayamukthavali" and "Sudha Parimala", which He dedicated to Udupi Sri Krishna.

Sri Swami during one of his travels came across an illiterate Brahmin boy - Venkanna, grazing cattle. The lad was an orphan suffering at the hands of his maternal uncle. Upon seeing Sri Swamiji, Venkanna ran to him and unburdened his woes to the saint. The compassionate Swami told the lad to think of him while in trouble.

Once Venkanna was forced to read to a message from the Sultan of Bijapur by the officer Siddi Masood Khan. The illiterate Venkanna prayed to Sri Raghavendra Swami. A miracle! The boy began to read! The letter was the promotion order for Siddi Masood Khan as Nawab. Elated the Nawab instantly appointed Venkanna as theh Diwan of Adoni Samsthan.

Nawab Siddi Masood Khan in due course, met Sri Raghavendra Swami at the instance of Diwan Venkanna. The Nawab offered to gift Sri Guru Raghvaendra Swami a few villages. Swamiji declined and asked only for Manchala, a village on the banks of Rivers Tungabhadra. Accordingly, the Nawab officially gifted the village to Sri Raghavendra Swami.

The saint would visit Ganadalam, a place approximately 5 miles in the north of Manchala, on the other side of River Tungabhadra. The place is scattered with rocks and has a natural cave formation. Swamiji would meditate in this cave for days together. His visits to this place before entering the Brindavan became frequent. A natural formation of Panchamukhi Anjaneya has occurred in this cave, on a rock adjacent to Sri Swami's place of meditation. Panchamukhi Anjaneya appeared before Raghavendra Swami and blessed him.

Sri Raghavendra Swami occupied Manchala on an auspicious day. The saint instructed Diwan Venkanna to arrange for a particular spot to be dug. Upon digging, a Bali Peetha was found. Raghavendra Swami asserted that as Prahlad in Krita Yuga, he had performed Yaga at this spot. The characteristic of that particular spot was such that success was certain. Desires would be fulfilled and peace would prevail. The Swami was desirous of having his Brindavan constructed on that holy spot.

The ruling diety of Manchalam Goddess Manchalamma, invited Guru Swami Shri Raghavendraya to establish his ashram and vrindavan at Manchalam.
In his reply Shri Guru Swami Raghavendraya is said to have accepted and expressed his being honoured in being asked to do so.
Then Manchalamma teased him by saying that one he establishes his ashram and his vrindavam , people would forget her and stop worshipping her.
To this Guru Swami Shri Raghavendraya assured her that if anyone visited his vrindavan without first visiting her and offering their prayers to her , he would ignore them. On hearing this, Goddess Manachalmma, was satisfied and blessed him.

Raghavendra Swami propitiated Manchalamma the presiding diety of the village, and invoked her blessings for contructing his Brindavan. According to her wish, the saint got a replica of goat's head erected before his Brinndavan. Sri Swami instructed divan Venkanna to get his Brindavan constructed only out of a particular block of stone.

According to instructions, Venkanna procured the stone block from Madhawaram village. Raghavendra identified this stone block as the one on which Sri Ram had sat for a while and relaxed. Employing expert sculptors, Venkanna got the Brindavan constructed.

At dawn, after worshipping Sri Moola Rama, Manchalamma,Sri Venkateshwara and after blessing all the devotees gathered, Sri Raghavendra entered the Brindavan on Sali Vahana Shaka (1593) 1671 A.D. Virodhi Krita in Shravana Masa during Drishna Paksha on Dwitiya, a Thursday. Shri Guru Raghavendra Swami declared that he would be alive for 700 years in the Brindavan, from the year 1671, which is the day of his taking his seat in the vrindavan, blessing one and all. 340 years have elapsed since Sri Guru Swamy Raghavendra Tirthangalu entered the Brindavan alive.

Miracles continue to occur with devotees at Mantralaya and in their houses in far-off lands.

All he seeks is Total Devotion , Surrender and mediatation of Sri Krishna.

Have Devotion to the Lord, however be free of Blind Faith.

Let Your Devotion be full of Bhakthi and Shraddha.

Manchala once a foresaken village, is today Mantralaya - a self contained town - forever bustling with activity.

HARE SREENIVASA
HARI SARVOTHAMA!!
VAYOO JEVOTHAMA!!
MOOLA RAMO VIJAYATHE!!
GURURAJO VIJAYATHE!!
OM SRI RAGHAVENDRAYA NAMAHA!

Sri Sri Sri Krishna ArpanaMasthu.

ASK AND RECEIVE

“IF THERE IS SOMETHING TO GAIN AND NOTHING TO LOSE BY ASKING, BY ALL MEANS ASK."
W. Clement Stone.

Ananda is eleven years old, and loves music.
He is exceptionally talented on soprano saxophone
and also likes to compose.

One day, maybe he'll play in a famous philharmonic orchestra and eventually become the conductor. Awesome!

For now, Ananda's biggest goal is to earn enough money
to buy a new saxophone and a keyboard to compose on.

When you're eleven it's hard to find a good- paying job,
especially when school takes up most of the week.

Ananda, however, is determined. He really wants the new instruments.
Every Saturday he goes down to the local mall
and stands near the doors of the main entrance.

He sets up a music stand and takes a clarinet from an old case.
In front of him he places a hand-written sign, and then he starts to play.

His sign reads:

MY NAME IS Ananda
I'M ELEVEN YEARS OLD.
I'M EARNING MONEY TO BUY A SOPRANO SAXOPHONE AND A KEYBOARD.
WOULD YOU PLEASE LIKE TO HELP?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Beside the sign is a plastic container and the above personal request's list.

Ananda has Discovered a Magic Formula. It's called Asking.
He's doing what most People Need To Do - He's Taking Action.

As Ananda skillfully plays a selection of well-known tunes the money rolls in.
A dollar from a passing businessman, fifty cents from a young girl, five dollars
from a well-dressed grandmother.
At this rate it won't be long before Ananda's goal becomes a reality.

By using a little creativity and summoning up the courage to ask for help,
he's found a unique way to get what he wants.

With this type of gutsy determination, who would bet on him not achieving his greater musical ambitions?
Not Me, that's for sure.

It's been around for a long, long time, this Gift called Asking.
In fact, one of life's Fundamental Truth's states,

Ask and You shall receive.
Its that Simple! Of course,
Yes it is.

And kids are the masters.

Their formula is usually to Ask until they Get what they Want.

As Adults, We seem to Lose Our Ability to Ask.
We Come up with all sorts of Excuses and Reasons
to Avoid any Possibility of Rejection.

Children are not Programmed like that.
They Really Believe They Can Have Anything they ask for.
Whether it's a fifty-foot swimming pool or a chocolate ice cream cone.

Here's what You Need to Understand;
The World Responds to Those who Ask.

If You are not moving closer to What You Want,
You probably aren't Doing Enough Asking.

Remember the old song;

Ask and You Shall be Given,
Seek and You Shall Recieve,
Knock and Doors Shall Open,
Stretch Out Your Hand and You Shall be Reached.


Fortunately, to create Future Abundance there are many ways to ask.

Here are useful acronyms to remind you about asking:

ATTITUDE SKILLS KNOWLEDGE = A S K

It is Your Attitude with the Skills You Consciosuly Choose
to Employ with the right Knowledge, that Delivers Success.

ALWAYS SEEKING KNOWLEDGE

Majority of the People say Knowledge is Power.
This is far from the truth!

The Correct Usage of Knowledge is Power.

That's something to imprint in Your Brain Forever.

When You Ask, You Can Receive all sorts of information,
ideas, strategies, names of people with influence and,
yes, even money.

There are many good reasons to ask and the rewards are substantial.

BUILDING EXCELLENT RELATIONSHIPS

"SOME PEOPLE ENTER OUR LIVES AND LEAVE ALMOST INSTANTLY.

OTHERS STAY, AND FORGE SUCH AN IMPRESSION ON OUR HEART AND SOUL,
WE ARE CHANGED FOREVER."

Make a Decision Today to Build a Fortress around You.
Select Only the Best People. There are Many to Choose from.

Remember, Life is all about Building and Enjoying Great Relationships.

You deserve Your Fair Share!

It takes Confidence to Assert Yourself and Seek Out Excellent People.

PROSPERITY IN LIFE IS DERIVED MORE FROM WHO YOU KNOW, NOT WHAT YOU KNOW.

SUCCESS & GOALS ARE REACHED QUICKER DEPENDING ON WHO KNOWS YOU,
THAN JUST WHOM YOU KNOW.

Go Ahead and Ask for What You Want,
From Whom You Want and there are 99 % chances that

YOU WILL RECEIVE and if not "Experience is What You Will Get When You Don't Get What You want".

Dealing with Anger
Here is a simple article of mine that shows how we deal with anger .

It also shows how most of the times we unknowingly go through, "contagion".

This is a state wherein we mix our reactions arising out of an incident that disturbs us to an extent that we often allow our rationality to be irrationality.

The simple examples serve as good illustrators and indicate how we often behave.
I have an Aunty,
My aunty loves eating brinjal,
I hate eating brinjal,
So I hate my Aunty.

What I did is I mixed my aunty with brinjal.
I must understand that my aunty is not brinjal. (lol --> Lesson of Learning)

Similarly,
Ganpat is my peon,
Ganpat comes late to office,
I do not like people coming late,
I do not like Ganpat.
I have mixed Ganpat as a person with his -ve quality.

My boss is nagging,
I do not like nagging,
I hate my boss.
I hate all naggers.

Everytime i see a nagger or a person nagging the picture of my nagging boss comes before the eyes of my brain.
Friends, what we do is confuse ourselves and mix people and their -ve qualities.
We must learn to Seperate people from their qualities and love people unconditionally.

Lets work on dealing with the -ve quality.

We need to understand, that by you getting angry, -ve, qualities in aperson may not always improve or a person may not be cured of them.
Instaed by getting angry we are only giving ourselves ulcers.
Why people get angry is because they have high expectations from others.

These could be high standards of performance and when this does not match, they flare up.

Let me ask you one simple question,

By you getting angry, "CAN A DONKEY BECOME A HORSE?"
Its sheer IMPOSSIBLE, that a donkey become a horse, yes, your blood pressure
may rise, and you may develop ulcers in the process.

Although you can not make a Donkey a Horse, but you can always make a Donkey a Better Donkey.

Infact, if you just look at the good and +ve quality of the donkey, and acknowledge it, there are many chances that the donkey could well be a "better donkey".

Lets see how we can manage anger, now: Some tips..... Stop REACTING .....! Instead; PAUSE - THINK & then ACT (PROACTIVE)
Try this out for yourself now and see where you stand.
List down five things which make you angry, be specific, then rank them from 1 to 5, using 1 for the one which angers you most.

Next to each one write down the main reason why it makes
you angry. (People, Situations, Events which we are basically the Trigger)
Finally, write down next to each one what you do when you are angry in such a situation.
Include your physical responses as well as what you do and discuss your list with your partner.
Now find a near and dear one with whom you may sit and work to see if you can think of an alternative assertive response to each situation, or when ever the, Trigger is pulled.. what can you do instead..

Your journey towards a Better You has begun.

May your day be filled with inspiration and passion!

What Do Teachers Make?

What do teachers make?
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.
He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his/her best option in life was to become a teacher?'

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those
who can't, teach.'

To stress his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Vidha. Be honest. What do you make?'
Vicky, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then, began...).
'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make an A grade feel like Bharat Ratna.

I make kids sit through 90 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and looked at every person at the table).

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write.

Keyboarding isn't everything.
I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the Democratic Republic of India.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life. (Vicky, paused one last time and then continued.)

'Then,when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything,
I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant....
You want to know what I make.
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?' His jaw dropped, he went
silent.

The resounding stacatto of silence was then punctured by a huge applause from the audience who rose in unison.

The Future as i Visualize it

The future as i visualize

Telecom:-

Let the nations of the world give up their hold and control on the telecommunications services.

Let this fall under the purview of the global body, the U.N. Let the U.N. allot service providers per nation, per region, per capacity and capability.

Let the UN unilaterally bring in the same levels in the telecommunication filed across nation for each nation.

Let the cost of the same be borne by the nations individually with the people of the world contributing. Let organizations and corporates come forward to take up major portions of the sponsorship or underwriting of the installation costs.

After all they are the ones who benefit the most from spreading their tentacles.

Let the spirit of Competitive Best prevail.

How does this help and in what way to what extent.

Nations across the world will have free, flow of communication facilities for the people living in them. This is more so critical even in today’s times when there are plenty of nations that are still developing or under developed.

Apart from economically speaking , even nations where a free , fair , legit govt of people is absent , it is a necessity for the communications to be free , fair and flowing for people at all times.

Individual whims, fancies and despotic brains will be kept out of the control / regulation factor of telecom services.

Users across nations can experience economical pricing.

Service providers will be able to compete for larger slices or pies of market share.

Competitive prices will also bring in its train competitive services.

This would mean a tremendous improvement in the overall quality of services all-round.

Elimination of wannabe service providers as players.

Creation of more jobs as the market spread will be bigger.

Hopefully this would be small steps of governments and forward thinking people in governance, though ultimately it would be a giant leap for mankind.

SANYASA.
Here is an opportunity to understand the concept of Sanyasa in the modern world.

‘Sanyasa’ is the most revered stage of life in Indian culture and glorified by the Holy Vedas.

In fact there are atleast 16 Upanishads (called Sanyasa Upanishads) that directly speak on sanyasa. In the Indian tradition, renunciation is considered to be the ideal.

Hence heroes in Indian culture are those who have renounced or sacrificed.
The word sanyasa comes from the Sanskrit word 'samnyasa': This is derived from two roots: ‘sam’ meaning complete or total and ‘nyasa’ meaning 'renunciation’.
So a sanyasi is understood as one who has renounced everything i.e. all egocentric actions and turned towards a higher life of austerity and asceticism.

The Holy Geeta defines sanyasa as “kamyanam karmanam nyasam sannyasam kavayo viduh”, meaning, “The Sages understand that Sanyasa is to be ‘the renunciation of desire prompting actions’".
The sanyasi’s resolve is to transcend the rigmarole of fleeting pleasures to achieve a permanent state of unbroken happiness (Godhood). The sanyasi’s oath in the Vedic tradition therefore renounces the pleasures of this world, and even pleasures of the astral world and of the heavens - all the three worlds.
So sanyasis don’t have any possessions and relinquish all material wealth as they have outgrown worldly pleasures out of right thinking. That’s what a Siddharta Gautama did to become a Gautam Buddha and influence millions across the globe.

That’s what a young Shankara did to become the great Acharya Adi Shankara. History tells us that the Vedic Rishis, the Buddha, Acharya Shankara, the exalted Thirthankar Mahaveer championed the path of renunciation over other paths.
But the sanyasa heritage in India has seen both extremes from the most austere to the opulent – from Mahaveer and Ramana Maharishi to the affluent Osho Rajneesh to the present day Baba Ramdev's and the Sri Sri's.

While some sanyasis lived a quiet teaching life in a remote place, others got dynamic in social life. In many ways, the ancient order of sanyasa was influenced by great Gurus, saints who were also reformers.
Swami Krishnananda of the Divine Life Society observes “Swami Vivekananda brought in a new atmosphere into the Sanyasa order by introducing a greater social sense...Monks who were originally spiritually oriented also became socially oriented on account of a need of the times that was felt.”
So what is the role of renunciates in this modern age? Though sanyasis have an educative role and a strict code of conduct, this may depend on their Guru, lineage and also their personal level of spiritual attainment.
But sanyasis in India have played a huge part in social life, when times demanded. A quick review of the Indian spiritual and religious organizations shows that we have had many active monks. It is also interesting, and often neglected, that many of the sanyasis created incredibly large
organizations, with much resources and follower base.
Historically it is well known that a learned Chanakya was responsible for the creation of the mighty Mauryan Empire. Swami Ramdas had Shivaji Maharaj’s patronage. Swami Vivekananda and Shri Aurobindo though they were sanyasis did not always wear orange robe and influenced great thinkers from political circles. Also many illustrious Gurus were renunciates (sanyasis) like Parahamsa Yogananda, Swami Rama, Swami Sahajanand, Swami Shivanand, Swami Niranjananand, Swami Satyanand among others who supported social upliftment.
In the not so distant past India has had larger than life social-reformer-saints like Sree Narayanguru (Kerala), Swami Keshwanand (Rajashtan), Jai Jalaram Bapa (Gujarat), Swami Dayanand Saraswati (Gujarat), Sathya Sai Baba (Andhra Pradesh) among others. In ancient times Gurus like Vashisht, Agastya and Vishwamitra advised the rulers. This heritage shows that
Gurus were not just showing the society the way to God but also got involved in
political and social issues. In fact people who are detached to material things are better able to do good to society.
Now have a momentary pause as to what is the connection between Yoga and life , society, govenance.

The most fundamental text of Yoga is the ‘Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika’, a classic written by Swami Swatmarama in the 5th Century C.E.

This textbook mentions (in Ch-1, v12) that yoga should be practiced in a country where justice is properly administered, where good people live a good life ,where women are honoured and respected for their wishes inside and outside their houses , where love flows freely,where food is not sought as in begged yet can be obtained easily and plentifully, where man smiles as a greeting at another on the street, where music pervades harmonious living, where tempatation of any kind ceases to exist, where thieves , robbers hardly exist and where rule of the law is absence of policemen and policing either lawful, legal or moral, where morals are not the dictates of a handful few who are despotic, driven by a fanatic zealot.

Is India one such country? May be that’s the India the social-reformer-Gurus want!!!

Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabo.

As its title implies, Love in the Time of Cholera is a creative amalgam of two starkly contrasting elements: the sacredness of love, and love’s embodiment in everyday experience. Ultimately, the transcendental power of love emerges as the beautifully rendered theme of this evocative and paradoxical masterwork.
Throughout his oeuvre, Marquez has displayed courage in his willingness to explore a variegated stylistic repertoire.
While Love in the Time of Cholera has formal similarities to his other great works–One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Autumn of the Patriarch–it avoids relying exclusively on the stunning, hallucinatory quality of the former or the lush density of the latter.
Maintaining a folklore quality and grounded with the feel of everyday gossip, it incorporates images of love that hover between an otherworld beauty and a netherworld terror.
The historical setting of the novel is an “in between” time: from the end of the nineteenth- to the first decades of the twentieth century.
The location is an unnamed Caribbean seaport: one resembling Cartagena. Florentino Ariza–who, with his long frock coat and melancholy air, resembles a “rabbi in disgrace”–is overwhelmed by his love for Fermina Daza, a comely girl whose “doe’s gait” makes her “seem immune to gravity.”
Florentino’s antiquated attire and excessive sentimentality symbolize the romanticism of the last century, which is parodied and caricatured here and extended, like the frock, beyond manageable proportions. Indeed, he cannot even compose a business letter without incorporating lyrical flourishes. Love is his raison d’être, yet he reeks of it rather than shines, following always in its shadow, never seeming to grasp its essential light.
Florentino is placed in a precarious position when Fermina suddenly rejects him (after returning from an exile imposed by her father, who disapproves of Florentino for reasons of class). Her years of travel have so broadened her vision of the world that one quick glance at Florentino is enough to blot out every trace of her former passion and dreamy-eyed innocence. She simply tells him to “forget it,” demands he return her letters and gifts, and promptly decides to forget he ever existed.
Fermina embarks upon “a marriage of convenience” to the esteemed Dr. Juvenal Urbino, who in many ways serves as a counterpoint to Florentino’s overblown romanticism.
After completing a “course of specialized studies in France,” Urbino becomes “known in his county for the drastic new methods he used to ward off the last cholera epidemic suffered by the province.” He founds the Medical Society and organizes the construction of the first aqueduct and the first sewer system. He serves as president of two academies and is conferred with honorary titles from various organizations.
In one of the most powerful passages in the book, he and Fermina fly in the carriage of an “aerostatic balloon that on its inaugural flight carried a letter to San Juan de la Cienaga, long before anyone had thought of airmail as a rational possibility.”
Thus, he personifies a logical, pragmatic approach to life. Therefore it comes as no surprise that, when they marry, they do so in the absence of love. Even after they consummate their marriage, Urbino is “aware that he did not love her,” yet he’s “sure there would be no obstacle to their inventing true love”–like any other rational invention.
Love in the Time of Cholera is an “anatomy” of love. One of its most ingenious portrayals (in an anatomical and a visionary sense) is the growth of love out of the profane environs of “convenience.” All the meaningless details of everyday life shared by two people bound together (all the unpleasant smells, degrading tasks, and dulling routines; all the unspoken bitterness and rancor; all the sullenness and gloom engendered by unlived possibilities) are unmercifully catalogued.
Love’s power to grow in such dark interstices–and to transcend life’s profanity and to remain unscathed–is one of the more skillfully rendered themes of this work.
Just as love may transcend the limits of hyperrationalism, it may also transcend physical passion. Florentino’s nostalgia is eventually transformed into an awareness of the reality of love as it must be lived, in the present. While Dr. Urbino’s studies in France include his tutelage under the “most outstanding epidemiologist of his time,” one “professor Adrien Proust, father of the famous novelist,” Florentino is fated to live in the haze of a Proustian nightmare: one that evokes a bloated nostalgia for Fermina at his every turn.
While much of his time is spent traveling from one to the other of his 622 erotic assignations, through it all he still considers himself a virgin–untouched by anything other than his unrequited love for her.
After waiting half a century for Urbino to die, Florentino ends his self-imposed emotional exile (of fifty-one years, nine months, and four days) of unrequited love. He declares his “vow of eternal fidelity and everlasting love” to Fermina–while she’s attending to her husband’s funeral. Outraged by his poor timing, Fermina forbids him to return. Yet, through a series of letters that are meditative and philosophical rather than flowery and romantic, he persists. And then the final courtship of Love in the Time of Cholera commences.
Culminating in a steamboat voyage up the Magdalena River, the various themes of the novel coalesce into a symbolically complex and emotionally compelling adventure.
Throughout this final chapter, Marquez deftly evokes the higher aspects of love while maintaining a dark earthy humor:
He looked at her and saw her naked to her waist, just as he had imagined her. Her shoulders were wrinkled, her breasts sagged, her ribs were covered by a flabby skin as pale and cold as a frog’s.

On the riverboat, Florentino considers a quote: “Love becomes greater and nobler in calamity.” Later, as they paddle along and pass the sorrowful stretches of denuded forests, the “nauseating stench of corpses floating down the river,” the “bogs of ashes,” and the “vast silence of a ravaged land,” the quote calls into question the survival of higher values in the midst of such decay.
Florentino’s meditations also mark the inception of a new era: one that is as stripped of natural beauty as it is profaned in matters of the soul. Just as mankind was ravaged by the cholera plague, now the first signs of a humanly induced ecological devastation appear. Thus the voyage bears witness to certain historical developments. Along with personal signs of decay that reflect the aging process, we simultaneously witness the aging of Latin America and the world-at-large. The passengers are unnerved by such horrific images and are sadly haunted by all that is forever lost:
the alligators ate the last butterfly and the maternal manatees were gone, the parrots, the monkeys, the villages were gone: everything was gone.

The imagery of finality is counterpointed by a human drama of “love eternal,” comprising both the fanciful flight of uncaring youth and the inevitable conclusion of death.

My Dear Reader,

If you are of the type who can beasily scandalized or ashamed , then please skip the read here and below. Gabo writes beautifully and in his writings base of human nature is seen.

The reproduction below is of a favourite author of mine, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Those who wish to obtain a beautiful ppt of his during his last years may please leave their e-id's with a brief on their profile here in the comments section.

Enjoy Gabo.

Best,

A.P.

Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez

The year I turned 90, I wanted to give myself the gift of wild love with an adolescent virgin. I thought of Rosa Cabarcas, the brothel owner. "You ask the impossible, my mad scholar," she said. But I implored her and she promised to ring back within the hour.

I'm ugly, shy and anachronistic, and I live alone in the house where my parents lived, scraping by on a meagre pension from my mediocre career as a journalist. And I have never been to bed with a woman without paying. In short, I am without merit or brilliance.

On the morning of my 90th birthday, I awoke, as always, at five in the morning. My only obligation was to write my signed column for Sunday's paper, for which, as usual, I would not be paid. I had my usual aches and pains - my asshole burned - but my heart lifted when Rosa rang to say I was in luck. I gazed at the phosphorescent sweat on the naked body of the 14-year-old virgin asleep on the bed, and admired the brilliance of my language. "She was nervous," Rosa informed me, "so I gave her some Valerian."
She did not stir. "Let me call you Delgadina," I whispered, for like most solipsists

I preferred to invent my own names. I may have slept myself and a tiger may have written on the bathroom mirror - we magical realists can never be too sure of anything - and when I left her snoring in the morning she was still as pure as the night before.

"You fool," spat Rosa. "She will be insulted you did not care enough about her to abuse her." But I did not care: I had detected the fragrance of Delgadina's soul and had realised that Sex Was The Consolation We Receive For The Absence of Love.

I had planned to tender my resignation at the paper, but I was so moved at being given a voucher to adopt a stray cat that shat and pissed at will, that I resolved to continue.

And my fame grew. Every evening I would go to Rosa's house and spend the night admiring the sleeping Delgadina - whose body was filling out agreeably - while reading out loud the great works of literature; and by day people would read out loud the tacky sentimentality of my columns.
Late into the year, Rosa interrupted my reveries. "A client has been murdered," she shouted. "Help me move him."
I returned night after night, but Rosa's house was locked up. I pined for Delgadina. I sensed my cat might lead me to her, but like my own writing, he led me up a cul-de-sac.
At last, Rosa returned.

"Whore," I said. "You have sold Delgadina to secure your freedom."
"How wrong you are," she cried. "Others may consider you a sordid, delusional old man, but Delgadina loves you. She kept her distance because she wanted to save herself for you."

My heart soared. I was not a perv. I was a 91-year-old man with so much love to give and so much life to live. I will survive.

Curriculum Ideates

My Ideates on Curriculum are;

• In today’s world the academic institutions need to be revamped in as much as is feasibly possible.
• Towards this the institutions must be prepared to undergo a change
• The change that is being sought is one that spans across the institution.
• Every change must have a beginning whose end is the beginning of another change.

Towards this one must have the necessary vision besides the compatibility, capability in inducing the change.

The Department of Management Studies needs to be a scientific community established for education and research on administration, management, strategic thinking and marketing and present day H.R.
The subjects offered in the Department needs to span the spectrums of Administrative Science, Marketing, and Management and Organisation. The Department also must provide facilitation in security management, and in management and finance in higher education. Facilitation and research must address both public and corporate expertise.
What are the pre-requisites?

A Mission statement of its own – This must individually dove-tail into the corporate or university’s mission statement.

A Vision statement that drives the department towards all the levels of the stake holders in the community at large is the need of the hour.

Flexibility: - In terms of the ability of being able to realign itself with the sweepingly changing winds of business trends and scenario in the global village. It must be able to raise the bar for industry to deliver. Challenges set by the industry and global incidents must be addressed in its laboratories.

Be SMART: - Be / Have; Smart Achievable Realistic Tangible.
Build / Create its own Brand Image:-
Build / Create its own Brand Equity:-

Towards this it must have the courage and the capability to be choosey enough to screen its potential future stakeholders who come as students.
It must be able to showcase its achievements from the first year.
It must be able to attract talented resources from a pool that is fast diminishing.


The secrets of success:-

 Warm local culture and global class profile making, “the University”, the top pick among students.
 One-year program may be intense, but the international student body will make it worthwhile.
 Is as seen in small size and team-oriented high achievers who make for a nurturing environment.
 Innovative curriculum that makes for a rigorous experience and a strong alumni base which helps in the job hunt.
 The international diversity and desirable location make it a top choice for the globally minded.
 Individual and group coaches give the program a personal touch.
 Sterling reputation and strong faculty.
 A small size offers flexibility and sense of community in a globally diverse student network.
 Students applaud liberal arts focus and ability to take classes throughout the university.
 Teamwork is at the school's core, and the yearlong format makes for a great value.

To be able to successfully do so, it must be more pro-active than it has been.

It must have the ability to move swiftly by bringing in changes in its curriculum without going back and forth.

It must be lean and composed of faculty who have the ability to multi task.

Multi tasking must mean beyond conducting a few traditional events which all b-schools do.

It goes beyond evaluations and the traditional and accepted span of chores that any reputed management studies and department would discharge.

The team must be dynamic and driven as in their commitment towards delivering.

However there are two crying needs that need to be addressed.

They are:-

The need for a continuous faculty development programme is a must whose importance and value cannot be underscored.

A qualifying bench mark in terms of the faculty being self - driven to, “excel”, at all times in everything.



Academics:

Academic Calendar:-
The academic calendar needs to be well laid out through a semester based system.
However there must be adequate tests and assignments to ensure the students are toughened and their quality is sharper. This will also ensure that the students start addressing their tenure in the institute more seriously than as is seen now.
Giving of notes must be done away with.
The faculty must approach and deliver in a manner to facilitate the learning process and encourage the student to search for information and knowledge in relation to the practical world and real-life experiences from the corporate arena.

“When the Student is Ready, the Master Appears”, is an old saying which needs no explanation.

Most institutions have pride in the different and varied student bodies and clubs that adorn their academia.
Some of the suggestions here are;

Placement Cell: - A pro-active 24X7 proactive cell is of utmost importance.
This would ensue that the students needs for being suitably placed is met.
The earlier it is begun the later it is.

Toast masters Club: - This would ensue and enable the students get an opportunity to hone their vocabulary skills besides enabling them to rid themselves of their stage fright which is prevalent in many students given their backgrounds and upbringing.

The Activities Club: - An activities club provides opportunities for students needs like theatre, writing competitions, seminars and guest speakers being called to address the students is taken care of.

Sports Club: “The world wars were won on the play fields of Eton”, is by now a famous adage.
The importance of sports can hardly be underscored.
There needs to be a dedicated sports body or club with a coach and executive / manager wherein and with whom students can register themselves in terms of the sports / games they would like to pursue during their pursuit of academics.
After all a, “Healthy Mind that Exists in a Healthy Body”, is one of the keys to a successful human being.

Counselling Cell:- Given today’s world where stressors and their levels are besides being rampant, also fatal on a young brain of a young and budding human being, the need for a proper and well laid down counselling cell can hardly be diminished.

Such a counselling cell must be well established and staffed with qualified psychologists and counsellors. It would be but natural to have members of both genders present as psychologists and counsellors. They must have the ability and latitude to be present when the call comes, besides realizing that given the Indian scenario a counselee or a caller will never walk into a counsellor. Crisis never knocks; it just lands on your doorstep irrespective of age and gender.

The traumas that can ensue from an unattended or ill-attended case are too huge to be depicted here. Even a classroom driven student faculty interaction can plunge the student into a need for the immediate attention of a counsellor or a psychologist.
Whilst accepting the fact that times are different today and the attitude of many amongst the population has undergone a change, it stills call for a respectably adequate amount of discretion to be ensured in favour of both the caller and the counsellor.

Alumni Networking Club:- This is important as it helps the alumni to stay in touch with their alma mater as well with their colleagues. This needs a database to be maintained very vigorously and efficiently.

Alumni Clubs in Different Cities:-These are the brand ambassadors who could be talking on our behalf in the cities that they are based out of on account of their vocation.

Programs:
Under Graduate Programme:

Objectives: - To ensure that the graduating students are well equipped and mettle enough for taking their place in the corporate world.

Curriculum: - Must include a subject / paper on;

Critical and Analytical Thinking :-> CAT.
A programme on soft skills for students in all the years with an OBL for students of every academic year
A course / subject / couple of modules on;

 Etiquettes and Manners in the Corporate World,
 Inter Cultural relations - Surprises and Shocks.
 Psychological tests
Grooming and Self Presentation.
Besides this a real industrial visit across organizations in foreign locations is a necessity.

Eligibility: Minimum 5o % cut off as passing mark.

Career Opportunities: They range from entry – level executives positions to understudies in organizations.
Spanning across the entire spectrum of the industry, opportunities are available for the deserving and persevering students.
However a well placed management department can render effective student placement with the corporate world making a bee-line for the institute’s students.

Post graduate programmes:-

Objectives: - To ensure that the graduating students are well equipped and mettle enough for taking their place in the corporate world.

Curriculum: Subject / Modules on CAT, Soft Skills, Psychological Tests, are the crying need of the hour.

Eligibility: Graduates of any discipline with minimum 60 % marks and clearance of Entrance exam / Screening test with minimum 60 %.

Career Opportunities: - Range from Management Trainees to candidates already in jobs being considered by their respective organization s for a promotion [subject to their doing well in their respective organizations].

Certificate Programmes ( If any):

Management Education Programs.

Building Strategic Partnerships for Social Responsibility:- Building Strategic

Partnerships for Social Responsibility ,or,
Building and leveraging partnerships with non-profit organizations.
Attendees / Target Audience:-
General Managers who are seeking to enhance their company’s investment in social responsibility

SR managers or CSR committee members

Senior marketing managers

Public relations managers

Public policy officials.

Participant’s Benefits:-

Understand the role of social responsibility in forging a corporate or brand image

Choose the right non-profit partner.

Establish open and effective communication with non-profit organizations

Clearly define objectives and strategy for your partnerships.

Organizational Benefits:-
Demonstrate a sense of social purpose for your corporation
Build corporate or brand equity through socially responsible initiatives
Maximize the business and financial outcomes of strategic partnerships.

Curriculum: Case Studies and Classroom Discussions;

The strategic purpose of CSR

Developing the business case for social responsibility and partnerships with non-profit organizations

Guidelines for authentic social responsibility initiatives

Establishing objectives and measuring the value of your non-profit partnership

Understanding the people, priorities, decision-making processes and culture of non-profit organizations

Choosing a social-community issue that is appropriate and meaningful to your employees and external stake-holders

Crafting a partnership plan including identifying and negotiating with potential partners.

Designing strategies for effective execution

Positioning and communicating partnership programs to maximize impact and authenticity while minimizing the risk of being seen as opportunistic.

Engaging internal and external stake-holders through the process of partnering.



• Developing Your Leadership Presence
• Finance for the Non-Financial Manager
• Governance
• Human Resources
• IT Management
• Leadership
• Planning For Economic Recovery
• Marketing
• Operations Leadership
• Project Leadership
• Sales Management
• Strategy
• Strategic Analytics
• Tackling Challenging Conversations .

Senior Executive Programme: - For senior leaders who are one or two levels from CEO, Regional Director or Country Manager of their organisation. Participants typically bring more than fifteen years' management expertise and have responsibility for determining the future direction of their organisations, managing complexity, transforming their organisations and inspiring the individuals with whom they work.

Accelerated Development Programme:- Designed for those who have recently made, or are about to make, the transition from technical or functional specialist to a broader, more general management role. Participants typically have 10-15 years' relevant management experience. The ADP has a strong international flavour, with participants drawn from a diverse range of industries around the world.

NEW Tomorrow’s Economy: Opportunities and Pitfalls:- This programme looks at the impact of the financial crisis on the economy, financial markets and organisations in the immediate future and to the years beyond. It examines possible recovery patterns and equips participants with a practical tool-kit to minimise risk and maximise opportunities for their businesses in tomorrow's economy.

Corporate Governance: Managing the Board of Directors:- This two-day programme will provide you with an increased understanding of the legal, economic, managerial and behavioural decision making processes associated with corporate governance in times of calm and crisis.

NEW Changeability:- This can be a two day programme that is designed to give insights into companies that have successfully responded to change and the techniques used by their leaders. It also equips you with an action plan which can be immediately implemented to manage through adversity and give you a winning edge.
Training Programmes for the Corporate world: - In Classroom setting or in an OutBound Learning Mode.