|
|
EDITORIAL As Budget session commences today with address by the President to joint sitting of Parliament, there is enough of fodder with the opposition to make it a real stormy session. While last session can be remembered for being rocked on the issue of resignation of three central ministers for their alleged involvement in the demolition of structure at Ayodhya, this time round the same issue is slated to relieve with more belligerence. This is despite the fact that Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has quashed the chargesheet against three cabinet .......more In a surprise move, Reserve Bank of India has announced cut in the bank rate from prevailing 8 per cent to 7.5%. It has simultaneously slashed the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by half percent to be effective in two stages of quarter percent each. These measures on the eve of budget slated to be presented on Feb 28 has been welcomed by the banks as also the industry. Looked from layman's point of view, half percent cut in bank rate ......more |
|
Spoken English
in schools By Gayatri Kotwal By Satyabrata Rai Chowdhuri Smooth
road towards By Yuvraj Mehta By Zeenat Zafar |
 |
||
EDITORIAL As Budget session commences today with address by the President to joint sitting of Parliament, there is enough of fodder with the opposition to make it a real stormy session. While last session can be remembered for being rocked on the issue of resignation of three central ministers for their alleged involvement in the demolition of structure at Ayodhya, this time round the same issue is slated to relieve with more belligerence. This is despite the fact that Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has quashed the chargesheet against three cabinet ministers namely L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharati. This quashing has not provided any respite to beleaguered ministers or the Vajpayee Government. It is so because High Court quashed it on technical grounds rather than absolving the accused of the alleged offence. It has given the option to the State Government (Uttar Pradesh) to reframe it afresh. The Government is thus in Catch-22 situation. If technical grounds on which the Court rejected it are rectified, there will be more sustained demand for their resignation. If Government maintains silence on it and does not pursue it further, it means cornering of the Government by the combined opposition. Either way, there is no solace. The opposition can as well challenge the ruling in High Court's larger bench or appeal to the Apex Court like it did in the Srikrishna Commission report on Bombay riots in which Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray is allegedly involved. This issue thus refuses to die down even after its technical termination by the High Court. The second issue is the mishandling of Kashmir imbroglio. If it extends ceasefire a lot of explaining has to be done asto the benefits that accrued to the people of the State. As things stand Kashmir is on fire despite relative calm on the LoC/IB. There is daily shooting, random attacks on the security forces by the fidayeens and violence that is more than what it prevailed before the announcement of unilateral ceasefire effective from November 28. There is no denying the fact that Kashmir remains on the boil and many questions have been posed by those who matter including BJP Chief Bangaru Laxman who has sought its review. Hopes were generated amongst the people of troubled State of a rosy future but rejetion of ceasefire by all the front-line militant outfits active in Kashmir makes it a one-sided affair. The Government is going to be accused of experimental approach for the Lahore use diplomacy and now the unilateral ceasefire efficacy. The Government will also be cornered for not issuing documents to Hurriyat delegation for visiting Pakistan. The third issue is deterioration in the internal security scenario in the entire country. Killing of Hindi speaking people in Assam, not plugging the borders with Nepal/Bangladesh and virtual free-hand to ISI to wreak havoc on the country provide enough of ammunition to the opposition parties to put the NDA Government on the defensive. Today no place is secure in the country for its citizens as also the political 'protected species'. Fourth issue that is going to rock the Parliament is the Gujarat earthquake for mishandling relief operations. Congress has already shown its penchant for fishing in the troubled waters by accusing the Government of denying relief to the 'minorities' which would of course have ready support from other parties largely dependent on vote pocket culture. True, magnitude of devastation is unprecedented. There could be many delays and even defective policies. But opposition surely is in no mood to bail out the Government for such visible lapses and lack of coordination. Government's economic policies are also going to draw massive flak on multiple counts. Industrial growth has slowed down. FDIs inflows are not as per expectations. Excess production of wheat and rice has posed storage problems leading to distress sale by the farmers in many States. Farm lobby being very strong, the opposition is in no mood to go by the Government line. Instead it is out to exploit the unpreparedness of the Government in mopping up the market surplus and causing acute distress to the farming community. Exports though have logged good increase but corresponding heavy imports continue to burden the economy. Fiscal deficit has not been as per budgetary anticipations. Inflation has increased during the year from around 3% to over 8% largely due to massive hike in administered prices of foodgrains and petro-products. Though forex reserves stand at over 40 billion dollars, it provides no solace to the opposition parties or the people as regards their daily life. In any case opposition is not going to appreciate any good done or achieved by the Government but only reflect the darker sides wherever found. In fact, opposition excels in finding such gaps because it is part of their job in parliamentary democracy. And of course the budget itself provides enough of material to the Opposition parties. It is going to be harsh budget for meeting security needs as also the massive rehabilitation exercise in Gujarat which is slated to cost upward of Rs 25000 core. Budget session by any reckoning is going to be stormy one, more so because assembly elections in four States are to be held in April-May and any issue is good enough to put the treasury benches on the defensive including that favourite charge of 'hidden agenda's which manifested its ugliness on Valentine Day and earlier during New Year revelries. In a surprise move, Reserve Bank of India has announced cut in the bank rate from prevailing 8 per cent to 7.5%. It has simultaneously slashed the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by half percent to be effective in two stages of quarter percent each. These measures on the eve of budget slated to be presented on Feb 28 has been welcomed by the banks as also the industry. Looked from layman's point of view, half percent cut in bank rate facilities cheaper credit for the industry. Translated into rupees, it could mean saving of between 6 to 10 thousand crore for the industry in terms of payment of interest on borrowing because Prime Lending Rate is going to be reduced by all the banks as a follow up of the lowering of bank rate. Viewed from the depositors angle, many banks would reduce the interest rates being paid by them on fixed deposits. There is also a news making the round that soon there will be further reduction in interests payable by the Government in post office deposits to maintain some sort of parity between banks and post office deposits. Obviously, common man and small depositors won't treat it as good news. As regards reduction in Cash Reserve Ratio banks have at their disposal over Rs 4000 crore more for credit, 2000 crore in each stage. It means there will be no dearth of credit for the sagging industry. When additional 4000 crore is pumped in credit mostly for industry it does provide some cheers to the industrial sector. It may be mentioned that US Federal Bank soonafter Bush administration took over has reduced the bank rate by half percent twice in less than a week to check slide in the industrial growth. May be RBI takes a leaf out of what American federal Bank has done for becoming industry-friendly. If inflation rate does not increase and remains around the present level of 8% even after presentation of 'harsh budget', another half percent cut in bank rate is on the anvil with equal reduction in the CRR as well, provided that rupee maintains its present level against the dollar. |
||
|
||
|
By Gayatri Kotwal It can be inferred in the words of F G French - "Anyone who can read English can keep in touch with the world without leaving his own house". True, the reach and extent of English language has effected everyone in each part of the world. It should not have misconstrued as denial of the importance of ones mother tongue. The value of mother tongue has been recognised for long. The present article intends to highlight the growing clout of English language particularly in the modern era of information technology. It is therefore very prudent to master the skills of effective communication in English. English is an important lifespark as a foreign language. When the Britishers left India, it was contemplated that English was a language not for the Indians. But today, everyone has acceded to the fact that English cannot be set aside. Today, it has prevailed upon the Indian vernaculars. We cannot afford to maintain a contemptuous attitude towards this language due to multifarious reasons. English is the only window through which we can see day to day progress made in the scientific, technological, agricultural, cultural and literary fields. Through English we can establish contact with the intellectual world and thus know what is happening elsewhere. It expands the knowledge of mankind. Thus, English language continues to influence the life and profession of majority of educated Indians in every walk of life- to get a job, a good match for marraige, to impress others or to acquire social status. Due to its richness in thought, elegance in style and fo its dignity in use, it holds the key to cultured living. English is a language par excellence. All the literature available in this language covers practically all aspects of life relating to humanity arts, science, philosophies and religions. The whole of commercial correspondance among different countries of the world is carried out in this language. No one can deny that it reports worlds importance events soon after these take place. It knows no distance and flies on the wings of time. English continues to throb in the social life of our country. It has emerged as an effective source of knowledge. More than ever before, greater need to offer specialised course in teaching this language are being felt now. Language teaching institutes have become effective instruments in this case. We cannot do without English. We depend on it for Western thought and culture. It has been rightly said by P B Ballard, "We are liable to forget that language is first and foremost a spoken the thing, not a written thing. Its appeal is to the ear, not to the eye." Thus language starts with the ear. To learn English and its correct pronunciation, one needs to continue working towards its perfection. The child learns to speak before he is capable of holding a pen or of translating written symbols into something he understands. Thousands of years ago men communicated with one another by words of mouth. They talked and listened for ages before there was anything for them to read. The invention of writting is an event of yesterday. No wonder, all language learning starts from speech training which comes first, followed be reading and writting. "Learning to speak a language is always the shortest road to learning to read and write." The child beginning to learn to speak English will speak the language in the same way as he listens to. In this context, it may be said that no two people speak exactly alike and pronunciation of English various a great deal in different geographical areas. We hear about American English or Australian English or African English or Indian English which makes it difficult for us to decide what sort of English is to be used as a model. To avoid confusion it is best to concentrate on standard model i.e. Received Pronunciation (RP). RP is the type of speech used by native speakers in South East England. This is, in fact, the most acquiesced pronunciation as it is widely apprehended in almost al parts of the world. RP has forty four phonetic sounds. In India, we have eighteen recognised languages which inflict their characteristic pull on the speech habits of the learner. However, these have probably evolved a general type of pronunciation which is different from the pronunciation of various areas where English is the mother tongue. Under the given circumstances (like influence of vernacular, some pecularities spoken by the teacher or bad example), the teaching model that is to be accepted for teaching English in Indian Schols should be easily understood, socially accepted and not different. It should not invite a response like ‘beg your pardon’. The following steps may be initiated in the schools to achieve better learning. *Good speech is beautiful and is an effective means of teaching children how to speak. It is class room speech which makes a child a good listner or a speaker. The class room speech should neither be too fast nor too slow. It should be audible with proper pauses, stress and intonation so as to make the speech rhythmic and exquisite. *Good pronunciation is largely learnt through imitation i.e. imitating good models. Good models produce good responses. This summons the teacher to become a good model or provide good models of speech through tape or disc recordings. It is the teacher who can create good speakers. Therefore, the teacher should have mastery of the sound system of the language including the features of stress, intonation and rhythm. *The learner is to master the sound system, to hear distinctive sound features and to be able to produce them. The learner must acquire the knowledge of the arrangement of features that constitute the structure of language. Sufficient vocabulary is required to actually put into use the process of learning the English language. *To learn English, imitation is very important. The learner should be able to recognise and produce sounds. Drills in minimal pairs are very useful like pin-pen, meat-seat, etc. Repetition helps in acquiring confidence and mastery over the language. After this, variations in drills should be introduced to help the child to observe differences in meanings. Lastly, the learner should himself use the language properly in response to proper situations. Pronunciation should be taught as an essential part of English. Thus, this skill can be achieved by learning and over learning. It is the same way as one cannot acquire the skill to cook by merely reading books on cooking. (The writer teaches at DPS Jammu) |
||
|
|
Smooth road towards ERP : Vendor selection By Yuvraj Mehta Some years ago, an MNC embarked on a vendor selection and implementation plan to arrest declining market share and gain competitive edge. It implemented Oracle's Consumer Packaged Goods bundle, Manugistics, Industri-Matematik International, and Indus International. Last year, the company announced dismal financial result and benefits and the reason was production inefficiencies, poor planning, and a host of internal failures. Wasn't the ERP software supposed to avoid those production inefficiencies? There have been innumerable instances in recent times, where in their zeal to jump on the bandwagon of the latest vendor selection process, management professionals, commit grave mistakes costing companies anything between Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore, and anywhere among 10 to 15 months, only to find out that they have not gained any competitive advantages. This has once again stirred rethinking in the management community on vendor selection methodology. They identified the areas of problem as lack of proper evaluation parameter, lack of transparency in the workflow, low involvement of top management and end-users. The lesson from organisations that implemented the programme like ERP, shows that the vendors are being incorporated into their system as ones of their business partners. Both the organisation and the vendors' objective then fall in line. This provides duel benefits full support of the vendors and lots of control to the organization. The organization then have full inbuilt flexibility in the system and can easily incorporate any change as demanded by market. Proper vendor selection calls for integrated team effort. It should have full top management back-up and commitment, clearly spelt evaluation parameters and transparency in the business process. Traditional wisdom assorts vendor selections on two criteria technically fulfilling the required demand and lowest price. Once any vendor satisfies these two criteria they are shortlisted. But in current scenario other areas such as strong financial base and financial stability, future investment capability and strength of support team needs to be carefully scrutinized. Proven and time tested track record, strong customer base, ease in product upgradation and market credibility will also provide cues to vendors' credibility. A major precondition for evaluation of vendor is that, it should be a non-proprietary item having internet-based technology. This technology should be able to adapt with the organizations workflow including integration with the legacy system, that is, with the old systems. Then, one must also look at the level of service the vendors can provide even if the organizations does not form a major customer. Vendors' commitment to develop and regularly upgrade the product also becomes a major area of concern. This is reflected in their current and future investment towards developing and marketing the product, and also, in the amount of investment made towards developing different tools that are required to develop the product. After the technical aspect is over then comes the cost of the package that should be competitive training facilities for the packages, and hardware vendor tie ups. Moving from decentralized to centralised system of operation, organizations have to be careful about the localization of the package; especially issues like taxes, duties etc, which vary in states. Vendors who normally frame their package on international experiences may overlook this finer point. Once the process of vendor selection is over, then comes proper implementation of the process. Any process to be successful calls for full commitment from the top management. Before implementing the project top management should be fully conviced of, and motivated towards, the success of the project. Lots of management funds as ERP go haywire once it does not find support from the top management. They should drive and support the project, become involved in its progress and provide necessary resources. It is their duty to empower people to usher in changes, imbibe trust in the system and resolve policy and resource conflicts. Transparency is another area of concern the lack of which may lead to the collapse of the system at a later stage. It is the organization's responsibility to provide transparent business work to the vendors so that no grey area remains. Organization should look at the need of different departments before implementation. Since packages are IT-oriented, implementation should not be oriented only towards the IT technocrat; instead companies should involve the specialist managers working in cross-functional teams. Inter-linked with this is the chain down the line, involving the end-user. Proper counselling to remove fear or hesitation from end-user plus recharging their confidence will help them handle the shock of change. Simultaneously, end-user should also grow trust in the system having realistic expectations. Since it is the enduser who will be operating the system, they are the ones who need proper training. It also calls for full involvement and high participation from the end-user. Contrary to the general feeling of non-commitment they should participate and provide functional inputs questioning 'long-standing' practices. Then, the implementation partner also plays a major role in the actual implementation process. Their credibility, expertise, proper service and training all needs to be part of boardroom discussion before the implementation process starts. If top management and end-user both get fully involved, then there will be no reason why such programmes will fail. Regular training, awareness programmes and interaction will only add value in streamlining the process. PTI Feature |
|
|
By Zeenat Zafar The sight of two men holding hands is so commonplace on an Indian streets that it took a Swedish friend's comment to make me think about it. Naturally assuming the men in question were gay, he took some convincing before he would believe that this kind of Indian male bonding didn't necessarily have homosexual overtones. A few days later watching the second or third episode of a new serial Siski on a satellite television channel. I realised that there was much more to it than we firest assume. Indian male relationships can't always be pigeonholed conveniently into "Gay" or "Friend" slots as easily as Western ones. In fact, the serial's promos brought home a very powerful aspect of this subject: "Is your life partner more important than your best friend?" the promo asks, tougching upon a problem that's far more ubiquitous than most of us would be willing to admit. Think about it - Indian men seem to bond far more easily with their pals, so much so that the entry of a wife into this "friend triangle" is invariably seen as a "lawful entry"! I can't begin to count the number of men friends who hugely resented my dropping out of touch with them after marriage. Or to describe the glaring difference between the way men behave when they're with the guys and when they're with the Mrs You have to see it to believe it. It's too soon to comment on Neena Gupta's Siski and its effectiveness in dealing with this interesting Indian triptych. But it's a good time to recall the Indian film that more or less exhausted every major angle of this situation. Most of us now recall Sangam as the fulm in which Raj Kapoor hung from the branch of a tree playing the bagpipes and serenading a woman swimming in a river. But the story was a classic homo-erotic love triangle: Two childhood friends Gopal and Sunder are in love with the same woman. Sunder wins the woman, marries her and tries to live happily ever after. But here's where the story takes a twist that seems modern even today. Sunder is plaugued with doubts about his wife's infidelity, and it's even implied that he becomes impotent as a result.A surprisingly large percentage of Indian men would immediately identify with this aspect, I'm sure! Eventually, it's Gopal who reassures him that Radha is completely faithful to him, a point that's been used as critics to confirm the hidden homo-erotic thread running through the story. The end is a predictable solution of love triangles - Gopal commits suicide and removes himself from the path of his friend's happiness forever. There's no doubt that the real love affair is between the two men who are in fact divided by the woman they both love. And RK, a self-admitted sexual-obsessive, underlined the sexual aspect of the situation in any number of different ways. There are obvious physical symbols such as the scene by the lake resort where Vyjantimala comments on how small Sundar's boat is and refuses to sit in it while admiring Gopal's large, expensive motorboat. (Figure out the Freudian implications of that one!) Immediately after this scene, when Sunder tries to kiss her, she resists in a way that clearly shows she's interested in much fatter fish, money-wise. The famous song, Bol Radha bol sangam hoga ke nahi is also a clear reference to Sunder's desire for her, while she deliberately taunts and teases him by splashing around in a swimsuit yet refusing to "join" her river with his! There's also the scene where Radha herself wishes that women were treated better, implying that they should not be considered sex objects alone. And the Rajendra Kumar character's poetic, almost platonic romancing through songs like ye mera prem patra pad kar is a stark contrast to the Raj Kapoor character's adolescent horniness throughout! Then the scene in which Radha tries to arouse Sunder on their honeymoon by behaving like a prostitute and taunts his lack of arousal by singing Main kya karoom ram mujhe budha mil gaya is as close to implying impotence (even if it's temporary and not permanent) as any Hindi film ever came. The strongest message of the film that male friendship is far more important and greater than a man -woman relationship - is itself sexist. What else is it saying except that the pure, honest bond between two male friends is greated than a sexual relationship? The idea that a man and a woman can be as deeply bonded in platonic friendship doesn't even arise in this chauvinistic situation. But finally, Sangam is remembered for its depiction of a great Yaraana. A male bond so great that one friend would rather end his own life rather than be a hurdle in his friend's search for love and happiness. This theme and its climax is uniquely Indian and Sangam was its most sublime presentation. Whether serials like Siski and the numerous other films that mine the same lode of homo-erotic jealousy can outdo that genuine classic remains to be seen. INAV |
|
|
|
