Friday, May 31, 2013



NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 9

JUNE 2013

NUMBER 6

FINISH 

WHAT YOU 

START


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PART 1
A BOOK BY NARA
264 PAGES, PRICE: Rs. 150/-
If you want a copy, please send a cheque / DD favouring
A. Narayanan, at Coimbatore to:
Prof. A. Narayanan, #19, Phase 5, Maharani Avenue, Vadavalli,

Coimbatore – 641 041 giving your postal address.

MEMO FROM NARA...




Think of the number of schools, colleges and universities around us! It’s amazing. In fact they are not sufficient for the growing population. The problem is global in nature. In every country people feel that educating the people is the only way to have an orderly society and government. So every nation is putting its utmost efforts to develop educational institutions everywhere including rural and urban areas.
Parents are earning to educate their children. It is the dream of parents to see their sons and daughters as some highly paid professionals in future. Most of the elite group of people like to send their children to higher education. Higher education brings in specialization in particular field of study. Therefore higher education is getting importance nowadays. There are renowned educational institutions in every country where we find super speciality in all subjects. Such institutions and the super specialists are not sufficient to satisfy the requirement of the world population. Colleges and Universities are unlikely to keep up the demand for advanced education. These institutions often run under financial constraints because of the ever increasing salaries for specialists and also the cost of infrastructure needed for research purposes. Hence the tuition fees are rocketing year after year. Paying huge amounts of fees for admission in such academic institutions is possible only for certain section of people. People are proud to say that they are Oxford, Cambridge or Harvard educated. But think of the people who do not have the means to join those institutions. They limit their education below the advanced level even though they are good enough to take up such studies. In other words it is only a section of people who are rich can go for advanced higher education.
In a time when knowledge is free and communication is easy and technology is at everyone’s hand, one has to think seriously about the future of higher education. We should not forget that every individual – male or female – has right to education! Keeping this principle in view, is it possible to extend the higher education to all and all over the world?
In fact, educationists experimented the possibilities to out-reach education instead of on-campus teaching. One of the results came out of the study is the Open Universities which run courses, examinations and issue diploma or degree certificates. People can learn at their leisure time in their own places. Such an approach is in operation successfully in many countries including India. Still people say that on-campus studies are better than out-reach programs. If someone is serious in out-reach programs he or she can learn and earn a degree. It is also felt that only small fraction of students have the drive and the perseverance to learn on their own. In general, these students need help to clear their doubts. It is possible that fellow students can help. Interactive studies help to better student learning. Bringing quality education to the people who would never be able to go to Universities like Oxford and Cambridge is essential. Therefore on-line education system is in operation in certain subjects from some universities. Through this system one professor can easily teach 1000 to 50,000 students at a time. It alters the economics of education! Also it provides a ‘freemium’ education not the ‘premium’ education. Stanford University of the USA has come out with global on-line education system successfully.

The future higher education is going to be offered on-line with the help of social networks like ‘You Tube’ and ‘Facebook.’ In 2008 one such teaching program was designed by the American Companies. It is called as Massive Open On-line Courses (MOOCs). It is an internet based teaching program designed to handle thousands of student simultaneously, in part using the tactics of social net-working websites. Thus the future of educations is not going to be the one through which we were educated. The new generation is going to learn on-line and earn degrees on-line. Let us hope that all – rich and poor, men and women – are going to get the benefit as we use the mobile phones today. It was a dream but it is going to be a reality very soon. 

SPONSOR




NARA’S NOTEPAD 
thank
Dr. Y. L. Nene, former International Scientist, ICRISAT and present Chairman, Asian Agri-History Foundation, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh

for sponsoring June, July and August 2013 issues.

NOMOPHOBIA





The present generation’s greatest fear or phobia is being without a mobile phone! ‘Nomophobia’ is the short form of ‘no mobile phobia.’ A ‘nomophobe’ spends sleepless nights worrying about the following things that the phone battery will die soon, that he’ll somehow lose his cell phone, that any moment now, he will be out of cell phone range, etc. The term ‘nomophobia’ was coined in the UK.

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS....



I have all the abilities I need to succeed. I love challenges and learn from every situation in my life. I live everyday with power and passion. I feel strong, excited, passionate, and powerful. I feel tremendous confidence that I can do anything. All of my relationships are based on integrity and respect.
I wake each day feeling healthy and alive with energy. I feel more energized throughout the day. I am bursting with energy, health, and vitality. Every pressure and tension I feel is simply a signal to relax, release and let go.

I am diligent, faithful, and have a spirit of excellence. Whatever I put my hand to will prosper. I am the head and not the tail. I am unique. I can be intimate with myself and others. I can love myself and I can love others. I choose to love everyone with whom I come in contact. Love is patient; therefore, I am patient. Love is kind; therefore, I am kind. Love does not envy; therefore, I am content. Love not rude; therefore I am courteous. Love is provoked; therefore I am forgiving. Love thinks no evil. My thoughts are true, honest, just, pure, loving, and of good report.

DECISION MAKING...




   It is a shame, that so many of us have so little trust in our ability to make the decision that is best for us. Making a big decision is a validation of our free will and the fact that we have a say in our own destiny. When you actually think about it, we make decisions every day, all day long. Many decision or choices are so small and routine that we don't even give them a second thought. However, when it comes to a bigger or more substantial decision, the stakes are a little higher, and we may not proceed with the same assurance, which is why it is important to learn how to be a confident decision-maker.
    Truthfully, a good decision is based on a good evaluation of the decision at hand. It should not be taken lightly or quickly, but rather thought about and considered methodically and seriously. One very helpful and practical decision-making practice I often use is a pros and cons list. Apparently, even Benjamin Franklin used this approach, which makes me feel even better about it, considering the types of decisions he made as one of the founding fathers of the United States. For his method, he divided a piece of paper down the middle and wrote the pros on one side and the cons on the other. He took his time developing his list as thoughts came to him, often over several days. When he felt confident that he had covered the points, he would weigh the options against one another in order to make his decision. Mr Franklin said that he “found great advantage from this kind of equation.” Now I think that is a pretty good recommendation and certainly makes the process worth the try.                                                              - Bethea



JUST TO LAUGH...



Judge: I remember having seen you in this very court for the last twenty five years.
The Accused: It is because you’ve not been given any promotion during the last twenty five years.

My friend’s father was very proud of his family of six children. He frequently referred to his wife as “Mother of Six.” At the end of a party he called out loud enough for everyone to hear, “Ready to go, Mother of Six?” Eager to teach him a lesson, she replied, “Anytime you are, father of four.”


HOW TO DEAL WITH ODDNESS?



1. Accept yourself: Have conviction and faith in your actions.
2. Weigh pros and cons: Don’t be impulsive. Your actions may be different but not necessarily wrong. Chalk out a mental plan to attain your goals.
3. Matter of choice: All of us have made good and bad choices in life. It is a learning process.
4. Be happy: It is good to make others happy, but for that, you have to be happy first.
5. Face the consequences: Your choices will have an impact, so prepare yourself for it.
6. Don’t let others judge you: When others talk about you and make comparisons, smile and ignore. Each person is unique.
7. Handle criticism tactfully: If you are different, people will look at you with apprehensions. Criticism will anyway come your way, so handle it with tact.
8. Create a support system: There will always be someone who understands you .Nurture such relationships.
9.  Be guilt-free: Don’t isolate yourself from your surrounding

10. Focus on strengths: Use your strengths as your USP: be a trendsetter!                                        ­-  Mansi Hassan  

HOW TO TALK BETTER?



v  Listen more than you talk. The trick to a good conversation lies in lending a patient ear.
v  When in group, don’t talk to just one person. Wait for your turn. The need to be heard loud kills conversations.
v  Think before you speak, but not to the extent that you decide to keep your opinions to yourself because you think you know best.
v  Understand silence. They are just as important to develop conversation skills. Silence helps you gather your thoughts and think and reflect better on any subject.

-       Haimanti Mukherjee



Everything happens for a reason!

 Meet you next month - July, 2013

Prof. A. Narayanan, Ph. D., FISPP

Ph : 0422 2423017 Mobile : 098422 42301
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