Will India be a SuperPower?

Education alone can help India become a superpowerAugust 26, 2008 at 3:13 pm · Filed under Education, India, India(2020)

2008 is poised to be another year of high economic growth. As we enter the last quarter of FY 2008, the fourth consecutive fiscal when India has witnessed over 8% growth, we find India’s manpower shortages aggravate even further. Just as growth has been multi-sectoral, so have the manpower deficiencies.

There is scarcity of skilled manpower in every industry, from good carpenters and plumbers to factory workers, doctors and scientists. The banking industry, which employs 900,000 people, is expected to add 600,000 more over the next three to four years.

Similarly, the IT and ITeS industry will need around 850,000 additional skilled manpower by 2010. And, the retail industry will need nearly 2.5 million skilled professionals by 2012. Not only are jobs within India on the rise, the developed world too is facing manpower shortages, which are expected to rise to 40 million by 2020.

This shortfall can be met by India, where both educated unemployment and the number of people joining the workforce are on the rise. In short, the opportunities beforeIndia are huge, provided our education sector gears up to take these on.

The good news is that the government is paying heed to this challenge. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is geared towards achieving useful and relevant elementary education for all children by 2010. This movement is showing results. The number of out-of-school children in the 6-14 years age group has dropped from 13.4 million in 2005 to 7.06 million in March-end 2006. Similarly, the Universities Grant Commission has announced a new budget with promising initiatives and better funds for universities.

While these initiatives are welcome, they are unlikely to solve the sheer magnitude of the problem. Manpower shortages are both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The task is a lot bigger. We need to take a fresh look at the education sector.

It’s time we encourage, engage and motivate both not-for-profit and profit-making institutions to set up educational institutions. Whoever wants to contribute to this sector must be encouraged to do so. There is a role for everyone. There is too much to be done.

In 1991, India opened up several sectors to foreign investment. The liberalisation policy unleashed enormous energy in India’s corporate sector. Since then, several Indian companies have gone global and earned a name in the global marketplace.

We need similar type of ‘policy reforms’ in the education sector. Players in this sector must be given the freedom to enter, operate and exit. India needs more universities. WhileJapan has 4,000 universities for its 127 million people and the US has 3,650 universities for its 301 million, India has only 348 universities for its 1.2 billion people.

India can’t afford to lose more time on debates. In Japan, 75% of all higher education institutions are private. We need to pass the Private Universities Bill that has been pending in Parliament since 1995.

India needs ‘curricular reforms’. In today’s world, where technological knowhow is evolving with each day, educational institutions need to be granted the freedom to engage with the industry and change the curricula as and when required. Educational institutions must teach what the industry needs.

And finally, the education sector also needs ‘financial reforms’, especially in higher education. The government should provide scholarships and loans to those who need it the most, and leave academic fee to be determined by market forces. That’s what will make our Educational institutions relevant and self-sustaining. The need of the hour, therefore, is to rapidly implement this three-pronged reform process, policy reforms, curricular reforms and financial reforms.

A knowledge economy like India runs on the back of its educated workforce. Today, our chances of emerging as a super power squarely rest on our education system and how well it responds to meeting domestic and global requirements for talent. It is an opportunity India just cannot afford to lose.

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RT 95 - HR Report - Tr. R R SriRam

Madras Metro Round Table 95

HR Program at Adventure Zone on August 23rd and 24th, 2008.

Eighteen tablers of MMRT 95 attended a HR Program at Adventure Zone, Madhuranthakam
(http://www.adventurezone.8k.com/) over the weekend on August 23rd and August 24th, 2008.
The HR session was designed as a Boys Night Out for bonding and team building among the tablers.
This was the flow of events: ‐
1. The idea of outdoor HR session had been discussed at many meetings at MMRT 95 after
Chairman Punit attended a similar session last year. After some dicussion and checking the
availability of tablers we blocked the weekend of 23rd and 24th August.
2. Tablers meet at Tr. Nilesh apartment on the ECR at 3:30PM on Saturday August 23rd. Tr.
Nilesh graciously served beer and Guju snacks and the afternoon was off to a great start.
3. We left for the venue by 5PM and stopped at Golden Sun Resort again for some snacks and
to pick up Tr. Vishal Jain. We finally reached the venue at 8:30PM.
4. We were alloted 4 air conditioned tents with 5 tablers to a tent in bunker style beds. So it
was a combo of roughing it out and comfort.
5. After freshening up the tablers were breifed by Major Roy who runs the facility on the
actiivties for the next day. He indicated we would have to be up at 7AM for tea followed by
breakfast. All the activities would start by 9AM sharp.
6. The fellowship then started off in full swing. Chairman Punit proposed that every tabler talk
for 2 mins about “My First Time” – it could be any first time. This was a time tablers could
bare their hearts to others in the group and share their deepest experiences. The
experiences shared varied from funny to life threating to paranormal.
a. A tabler shared shared how he was almost killed by sharks and started at death in
the eye. After much discussion we reached the conclusion that the shark was
probaly scared of the tabler and backed away.
b. A tabler shared a experience of how he was able to communicate to God in a
profound way.
c. Many tablers shared experiences about their first girlfriends
d. Overall it was true male bonding and anything could be discussed and we got much
closer as a group.
e. The 2 min time frame was insufficent for many tablers and many tablers even shared
2 experiences.
f. Dinner and drinks was on as part of this activity and we wound by 4AM for the tents
to get some sleep.
7. Some snaps of the “My First Time”
(Tablers listening to an experience)
(IPC Amit Kalra shares his experience)
8. The next morning we were up by 7AM as the shone right through the tents and it was bright
(no way we could sleep more). We had our tea and breakfast and got ready for the activities
for the day by 9AM.
9. Major Roy briefed us on the first 2 activities – Rappelling and Rock‐climbing. A 51 foot wall
had to be rappelled down and climbed up. We were broken up into 2 teams of nine each.
a. Each team chose their names – one was called “Death Sharks” and the other “Super
Kings”. The “Death Sharks” was named after the sharks we talked about in the
previous night.
b. Each of the activities had a scoring system and the idea was to manage your team
well (resources and time) to score the maximum points. For example in the
Rappelling each team member got 50 points for the first time, 10 for the second
time and 3 points for the third time. So it was imperative for all team members to do
it once and not just the athletic or adventurous ones.
c. Teams also had to coordinate safety ropes, the harness so a lot of teamwork and
planning was required to get the formula right. Here are some snaps of these two
activities.
(Tr. Summet climbs up a 50 foot wall!)
(Tr. Rajesh Sayani rappells down a 50 foot wall).
(Tr. Manikandan and Tr. Arun get the harness on for IPC Amit Kalra – teamwork)
10. In the first session the Death Sharks completed the Rock Climbing and the Super Kings
completed the Rapelling. Major Roy then had a meeting of the teams and had them discuss
as to what worked and what did not. Each time had to describe the problems they faced and
how they overcame them. They also had to advice the other team how to do the task better.
The teams then swapped activities – Death Sharks did rapelling and Super Kings Rock
Climbing.
11. After these two sessions we had one more HR session from Major Roy and introspection on
how we accomplished our goals. At this points the scores were totaled and the Super Kings
were up by a large margin. We took a 30 min break and had some snacks and drinks to get
back into the groove.
12. The next activity was the Obstacle Course which had 9 obstacles. Each team was given 14
mins to complete the obstacles. Each team also had a new 10th member called “Paplu” –
basically a long stick which three members of the team had to carry at all times. “Paplu”
would score an additional 50 pts for a team for navigating obstacle if done correctly. So this
required more planning, coordination and time management as the time of 14 mins was
very short. Here are some snaps of the obstacle course.
(Tr. Nilesh fits into a tyre and is helped by Chairman Punit)
(Tr. Dr. Amit Saiya negotiates the mosquito net and crawls across it).
(Tr. Vishal and Tr. Naresh cross a makeshift bridge).
13. At the end of the obstacle course Major Roy again did an introspection on how the teams
performed. The points were totaled and Death Sharks won the Obstacle course. The overall
winners were the Super Kings.
14. After this we had lunch and took to Pistol Shooting. We then had a shower and returned
home by Sunday evening.
Valuable HR Lessons we picked up
• Teams are more than the sum of the individual abilities. An individual who is part of a team
can perform better than alone (when not part of a team). The team should encourage and
help an individual do more that way they can normally accomplish alone. This can be done
with the right encouragement, resources and time planning. We saw this happen in many
activities. For example Tr.Deepak gave up on the rock climb midway. With the support of his
team members and got use of the safety rope by his team he was able to complete and
garner valuable points for his team.
• Look for intangible assets in your team. A team member can bring intangible assets and you
have to look for them. In the Obstace course the “Paplu” was an intangible asset if used
properly could actually help the team do the obstacle course much faster (the stick could
have been used to make the ladder easier to climb for example). The team which saw him as
a liability did not score many points. The team which used him well would have gained a lot
(in addition to points).
• Always set benchmarks – preferably relative. People function better when there is a
benchmark or standard. Benchmarks should be set by the team leaders – for example in 3
mins we should complete 2 obstacles and the next 15 mins these 3 obstacles. Leaders need
to set benchmarks for the overall team and measure implementation so things go per plan.
A relative benchmark compares the prior period performance to current. An absolute
benchmark sets a target to achieve based on a number the team needs to achieve. Major
Roy pointed out the importance of benchmarks by saying that what does not measured does
not get done.
Overall it was GREAT FUN and an experience all of will cherish.

RT 181's Dance-O-Drama - Tr. H Sampat

BRA our fellowship convener has started covering the dance practice fellowships on camera. Last year we had seventeen of them with almost 20 people everyday. What will happen this time. Will Bravesh Beat SUNIL r will Sunil Maintain His record.
Here some of the pics of yesterdays fellowship and Dance practice.


http://mkrt181.blogspot.com/2008/08/start-of-dance-practice.html

Politics - UN Style

An ingenious example of speech and politics.

Occurred recently in the United Nations Assembly and made the world community smile. A representative from Israel began: 'Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Moses. When he struck the rock and it brought forth water, he thought, 'What a good opportunity to have a bath!'

He removed his clothes, put them aside on the rock and entered the water. When he got out and wanted to dress, his clothes had vanished. A Palestinian had stolen them.'

The Palestinian representative jumped up furiously and shouted, 'What are you talking about? The Palestinians weren't there then.'

The Israeli representative smiled and said 'And now that we have made that clear, I will begin my speech.'

Jai Hind - MMRT 95 - Tr. R R SriRam

Project Title
“JAI HIND”
Project Executed by
MMRT # 95
Project Location
“Perambur Girls School “
Project Date
15thAugust ‘2008
Estimated Project cost
Rs. 24000/‐
Actual Project cost
Rs. 23,850/‐
INDEPENDENCE DAY @ Chennai's LARGEST Girls School 4000 Children
•
Tablers & Circlers present for the project ,
o
Chairman Tr. Punit Sampat
o
Treasurer Tr. Vishal Jain
o
Tr. Raj & Cr. Rashmi & Twinkler Tushar
o
Tr. Govind
o
Tr. Ram
o
Tr. Nilesh Kapadia
o
Prospective Tr. Nahar
o
TOTAL members preset : 09
•
List of Things donated
S.no.
Item Description
Worth in Rs.
1
Indoor Public Address system
􀀹
150 Watts Amplifier
􀀹
6 speakers
􀀹
3 cordless mike
􀀹
Installation
Rs. 22,000/‐
2
Nestle Chocolates ‐ 4000 nos
Rs. 1850/‐
TOTAL Project cost in Rs.
Rs. 23850/‐
•
Summary of Funds
IPC Tr. AMit Kalra
Rs. 11,000/‐
Tr. Deepak Bhatia
Rs. 10,850/‐
Tr. Nilesh Kapadia
Rs. 2000/‐
•
Report
All the tablers reached the school at 0845 hrs , function got over at 1100 hrs . The tablers spent almost 2 hrs with the school children.
It was a huge gathering wherein 70% of the school strength was present, close to 3000 odd students for Independence Day Celebration.
The Chief guest for the event was Mr. Durairaj , Local Councilor
The school had organized various cultural programmes, Road Safety shows in addition to the distribution of dictionary for the school toppers.
All the events were very well organized.
The flag was hoisted by the local Councilor Mr. Durairaj.
Chairman Tr. Punit handed over the Indoor Public Address system to the Head mistress of the school alongwith Chocolates for the all the students.
The Table has also arranged to install the PA system for the school.
Refreshment was offered by the Headmistress for all the Tablers present .
The Head mistress put forward his request for a RO water purification unit for the school . The cost of the equipment was estimated @ Rs. 1,50,000/‐
•
Vote of Thanks
Special Thanks to Donors IPC Tr. Amit Kalra, Tr, Deepak Bhatia and Tr. Nilesh Kapadia for sponsoring the project “ JAI HIND.
I would also like to thank Tr. Govind for referring this project .
Reported by:
Tr. Nilesh Kapadia
XXX Project Convenor
2008‐2009
•
Snipets:

Subsidised Cycles - Cr Anjali Wadhwa - LC 100

From: Dr Sameer Hariani
Subject: Fw: Bicycles at Rs.1000 only for needy women
To: "kajol bhatia" , "Sunil Bhatia Bhatia"
Date: Tuesday, August 19, 2008, 3:58 AM



Dear friends,

Our district has a surplus of 100 bicycles available to needy women at Rs.1000.00 each (regular cost Rs.2800.00 each). This is a part of the matching grant project (Project Streevahini) done during the year 2007-08 under the governorship of Rtn. Rajendra Rai.

Our Rtn. C.N. Kumar has come forward to donate Rs.10,000.00 towards ten bicycles on behalf of Rotary Bangalore Southwest. I commend this fine gesture.

I am reproducing the mail received from the district in this regard for your perusal.

We need to identify ten needy women who can benefit from this benevolence. I request you to recommend the names of suitable beneficiaries to me or Rtn. Vijay Tadimalla before 1st September, 2008.

With regards,
- Vasuki
09341252719

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Dear Rotary Presidents and Community Service Directors,

THERE IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE UP THIS LOW BUDGET PROJECT THIS YEAR ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS.

UNDER THE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT SCHEME IN THE LAST ROTARY YEAR, DG RAI AND CHAIRMAN LATE MAHALINGA BHAT SUCCESSFULLY ARRANGED TO DISTRIBUTE HUNDREDS OF WELL EQUIPED BICYCLES TO THE POOR & NEEDY WOMEN FOLK . THIS WOULD ENABLE THEM TO INDEPENDENTLY PURSUE SOME PETTY TRADES AND EARN THEIR LIVING WITH DIGNITY. FOR OTHERS , IT WOULD BE HANDY TO REACH TO THEIR WORKPLACE S IN TIME.

UNDER THE ABOVE SCHEME, WE ARE LEFT WITH ABOUT 100 BICYCLES MORE.

COST OF THE BICYCLE WITH CARRIER AND EXTRA ATTACHMENT IS RS. 2800/=

CLUBS HAVE TO PAY ONLY RS. 1000.

PROCEEDINGS WILL GO TO ROTARY FOUNDATION KITTY OF THIS ROTARY YEAR.

WISHING YOU A GREAT ROTARY YEAR

MANJUNATH SHETTY

DIST.DIRECTOR- YOUTH SERVICES

Performance Appraisal

India

RT 30 - Fellowship - Tr. Sanjay Goel

30 Twinkler Olympics and Bandanna Night fellowship

15th August a very happy day for India and very proud movement for all of us,at 30 we
decided to celebrate the 61st Year of independence with a big 30 fellowship with all the members of 30 family being a part of it.

Theme was a bandanna night with bit of colour in it, it was a night planned with the
twinkler's to come and have good time. Venue was terrace of my house.,It was a joint
fellowship along with our very own LC 100. We had Cr. Jutika who planned the complete activity for the evening. We totally had 31 twinklers, 18 tablers / hon. tablers and 19 circlers in all for the fellowship.

Evening started at around 730 pm among the first to arrive was LC fellowship convener Cr. Jutika who came in early and set up the place for 30 twinklers Olympics believe me the place was no less than Beijing(Difficult to digest I know). But the planning which she had put in for the games and the way it was executed is to be appreciated.

We totally had 4 games for the Kids


PILLOW GAME
5-9yrs VIDHI ANSH
10-15yrs SHREYA SHIVAY

SUMO WRESTLING 5-9yrs
PRANAY & SAHIL

10-15yrs
ROHAN & AKHIL
SHOOTING
ROHAN & RAJIV
KRITIKA & PRANAV
SHIVAY & KAUSHIK
PRANAY & PRANAV
AKHIL & CHETAN
SIMRAN & VISHAL
PRANAV & SIDDHARTH

OBSTACLE RACE
KAUSHIK & TEAM
MANOJ & TEAM

I guess all the twinkler's had a ball of a time. At the end of the gaming session we had a price distribution for the first and second place which added to the excitement. With kids having a good time , beautiful evening under the moonlight, lots of starters, good friends around that what in 30 we call fellowship.

YIT
Tr.Sanjay-Fellowship Convener –MER3T0

Art Show - RT 1 - Tr. Sethu

Kalam Speak.

Capacity Building
27/Jun/2008 : -
When I visualize the five minds of the future(1. Disciplinary mind, 2. Synthesizing mind, 3. Creative mind, 4. Respectful mind, 5. Ethical mind), I have a message for the all the teachers and students. Nurturing all the five minds is possible, if you build the following five capacities among the youth. What are those five capacities? The five capacities are: research and inquiry, creativity and innovation, use of high technology, entrepreneurial and moral leadership are the five capacities required to be built through the education process.
Research and enquiry: The 21st century is about the management of all the knowledge and information we have generated and the value addition we bring to it. We must give our students the skills with which they find a way through the sea of knowledge that we have created and continue with life long learning. Today, we have the ability, through technology, to really and truly teach ourselves to become the life-long learners. This is required for sustained economic development Creativity and innovation: The management of knowledge in the 21st century is beyond the capacity of a single individual. The amount of information that we have around is overwhelming. The management of knowledge therefore must move out of the realm of the individual and shift into the realm of the networked groups. The students must learn how to manage knowledge collectively. When the information is networked the power and utility of the information grows as square as stated by Metcalfe's law. Information that is static does not grow. In the new digital economy information that is circulated creates innovation and contributes to national wealth.
Capacity to use high technology: Every student in our colleges should learn to know how to use the latest technologies for aiding their learning process. Colleges should equip themselves with adequate computing equipment, laboratory equipment, and Internet facilities and provide an environment for the students to enhance their learning ability. In the midst of all of the technological innovations and revolutions we cannot think that the role of the teachers will be diminished. In fact the teacher will become even more important and the whole world of education will become teacher assisted and would help in “tele-porting” the best teacher to every nook and corner of the country and propagate the knowledge. There is a great opportunity and need for content generation in many fields of education which can be used all over the country.
Entrepreneurship: The aptitude for entrepreneurship should be cultivated right from the beginning and in the University environment. We must teach our students to take calculated risks for the sake of larger gain, but within the ethos of good business. They should also cultivate a disposition to do things right. This capacity will enable them to take up challenging tasks later.
Moral leadership: Moral leadership involves two aspects. First it requires the ability to have compelling and powerful dreams or visions of human betterment. Moral leadership requires a disposition to do the right thing and influence others also to do right things. In sum, inquiry, creativity, technology, entrepreneurial and moral leadership are the five capacities required to be built through the education process. I would suggest, all the educational institutions to consider carving out a six months programme from the overall time available for the graduate and post-graduate programme. In this period the students should be equipped with knowledge on subjects like leadership, finance, marketing, inter-personal relationship, negotiation, entrepreneurship and ethical values. The students should be provided a certificate or a diploma along with the professional degree. This type of education will equip the youth with employable skills needed by the industry and also give the confidence to the youth to take up entrepreneurship as an independent venture.
If we develop in all our students these five capacities, we will produce “Autonomous Learner” a self-directed, self controlled, lifelong learner who will have the capacity to both, respect authority and at the same time is capable of questioning authority, in an appropriate manner. These are the leaders who would work together as a “Self-organizing Network” and transform any nation into a prosperous nation. The most important part of the education is to imbibe the confidence among the student is the spirit of “we can do it”.

RT 181 - Blood Donation Camp

Knights at Fellowship - Tr. H Sampat

Knights

We had a wonderfull time at our fellowship attended by 18 Trs Circlers & Twinklers, at Bar-B-Que Nation today followed up with chill out session at Tr Sam's house. It was quite difficult for some to leave the restaurant as it was unlimited food, so they hogged on till kingdom come. Some people had to be dragged away (read Rahul as he was not hungry till he came there... as usual). Are naughty HT Sanjay & Ham tried quite hard to convert IPC to become a Non-V but alas even Viagara could not persuade him with his armfull tactics...... All those who missed out on this fellowship please make to the next. There will be more exiting things happening around the corner. Hope to see you all.

Regards
Sam & his Bra.
Fellowship Convenors
08-09

RT 181 - Community Service Project - Tr. K Singh

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT - BLOOD DONATION CAMP, GURUNANAK COLLEGE.

A Pan India Initiative of Round Table India in association with Indian Red Cross Society to mark the
“International Day for Youth”
We at Madras Knights Round Table 181 kicked off Project Jiwan, to mark the International Day for Youth, at Gurunanak College Velachery today.
We collected 323 units of blood from 12pm to 5.30pm today with the help of Indian Red Cross Society & GH. 250 units were collected by the Indian Red Cross and 73 units were collected by GH. We had to turn away approximately 150 donors due to lack of storing capacity of the Blood Banks present.
The Event was attended by Area Chairman Tr. Rajesh Gupta, Area Vice Chairman Tr. Shaktivel Raja apart from other tablers from Area 2. We are extremely thankful to Tr. Rajesh Gupta and Tr. Ashish Modi (159) for donating blood on t h i s day and supporting the cause.

Tr. Amit Mehta was the first donor from MKRT 181 to start the blood donation camp.
We w o u l d l i k e t o acknowledge the presence of Cr. Mona Lulla from Ladies Circle 2 representing Ladies Circle India.
As seen in the pictures blood was donated by Our IPC Tr. Rajiv Shah and Treasurer Tr.
Hamir Sampat also. The event was publicized on 106.4 Hello FM on the 11th and 12th and 98.3 Radio Mirchi on the 12th.
The event was covered by Jaya TV and Raj TV also and would be aired on the 12th and
13th of August 08 as per available slots. There was tremendous participation from the NSS of
Gurunanak College headed by their co-ordinators Prof. Sanjeev Babu and Prof. Jaykumar. They helped us organise the camp and also the donors.

THANK YOU
YOUR’S IN TABLING
TR. KAVALPREET SINGH SETHI
SECRETARY 08-09

Dr A P J Abdul Kalam's Speech - Tr. Manoj Bhaiya

DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam 's Speech in Hyderabad . *Why is the media here so negative?Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our Achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success Stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?We are the first in milk production. We are number one in Remote sensing satellites. We are the second largest producer of wheat.We are the second largest producer of rice.Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a Self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements But our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. IWas in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the DayAfter a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. TheHamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of aJewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid And a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The Gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in theNewspaper, buried among other news.In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreignThings? We want foreign T. Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign Technology.Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that Self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this Lecture,When a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal In life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, You and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. IndiaIs not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation. Do you Have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance. Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice isYours.YOU say that our government is inefficient.YOU say that our laws are too old. YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage. YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - YOURS. Give him aFace - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International Best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in The stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of MahimCauseway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking Lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or A shopping mall irrespective of your status identity... In Singapore youDon't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai . YOU would not dare to go out without your head coveredIn Jeddah . YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange In London at 10 pounds ( Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD Calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop,'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell Anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and NewZealand .Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use Examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still Talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system In other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be thesame here in India ?Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay , Mr.Tinaikar , had a point to make. 'Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,' he said. 'And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame theauthorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job.Same in Japan . Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage allover the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food andtoiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related towomen, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego mysons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of ? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and thegovernment. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run toEngland . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a greatdeal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... I am echoing J. F. Kennedy 's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians..... 'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIAAND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY' Lets do what India needs from us.Forward this mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending Jokes or junk mails.Thank you,Dr. Abdul Kalaam

Special Publicity and Social Awareness Drive by MMRT 95 - Tr. R R Sriram

On the 3rd of August, with the support of MMRT 95, ExNoRa International inaugurated its ‘88888 Lights Out’ campaign on Global Warming. The campaign was inaugurated by Mr. M.B.Nirmal,
founder chairman of ExNoRa International in the presence of Actress Devyani and members of
MMRT 95 – Chairman Tr. Punit, Publicity Convener Tr. Ram and coordinator ExNoRa Round Table Tr.Amit Saiya. During the inauguration Mr. M.B.Nirmal released the first poster of ‘88888 Lights Out’ campaign organized by MMRT 95.
On 5th August, ExNoRa International organized a rally participated by ICFAI management college students. Over 150 students participated in this rally and went door to door, canvassed people and distributed the posters organized by MMRT 95 to various business establishments.
Mr. Venkat Krishnamachari of IT ExNoRa had this to say about the posters – “The poster was a super
hit – people have been asking us for more”. He also thanked MMRT 95 for the overwhelming
support.
The campaign by MMRT 95 was then sent to the entire National and Area board. The Area 2
Chairman Tr. Rajesh Gupta adopted this campaign and the National board also extended its support.
Various tables across the country responded to this initiative by MMRT 95 by participating in this
campaign by switching off lights on the 8th of August, 2008 at 8 PM for 8 minutes.
The efforts of MMRT 95 on this campaign was highly appreciated by the National President, NEX
Board and Conveners, Area 2 Chairman and Area 2 Board and Conveners, all chairman of Area 2.
The posters that were designed for this purpose, were distributed amongst the participants for the
campaign and all of them proudly displayed it. The image on Hindu dated 9th August has the image
of the poster designed for the campaign.
The campaign was covered by NDTV, Sun TV, K TV, Headlines Today and other major TV Channels
across India. The signature campaign was also initiated at all the major Malls around India. The
petition was sent to all Tablers all over India and hundreds of Tablers have signed on the online
petition. More than 5000 SMS’s sent by MMRT95 to Tablers and general public to support the
cause. Students formed Human chain across High Traffic routes and explained the cause of Global
Warming to the general public.
For the record, similar campaigns held in Sydney, London and more recently, Mumbai, have proved
effective in lowering power consumption. In fact, if the greenhouse reduction achieved in Sydney
when 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses turned off their lights for an hour was sustained for a
year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road. ‐ The economic Times 8th August
Article in The Hindu on the 88888 Campaign
Days of campaign culminate in eight minutes’ lights‐out, waking people up to global warming
SHEDDING LIGHT: Mayor M. Subramanian and celebrities after eight minutes of silence at 8 a.m. on
Friday in support of the ‘88888 lights‐out campaign’ against global warming. —
CHENNAI: All the 280 houses of Arihant Towers at Koyembedu switched off their lights at 8 p.m. for 8
minutes in the presence of Chief Secretary L.K. Tripathy and Mayor M. Subramanian to signal the
culmination of ‘88888 lights‐out campaign’ against global warming by ExNoRa International on
Friday.
Mr. Tripathy stressed the need for conservation of power in government offices.
Governor Surjit Singh Barnala ordered the lights to be put off in Raj Bhavan at 8 p.m. for 8 minutes to
stress the need for creation of awareness of global warming and its effects. The Governor said that
an awakening should be created among the people of all walks of life on the root cause of Global
Warming. We should contribute towards reduction of carbon emissions, he said.
Earlier in the morning a quiet and still Mahatma Gandhi by the Bay of Bengal at the Marina beach
got emulated for eight minutes at 8 a.m. as Mayor M.Subramanian and other celebrities from the
city silently expressed solidarity with the ‘88888 lights out campaign’ to contain the menace of global
warming. This ‘power of silence campaign’ by celebrities who had proved their vocal power to the
world was a prelude to the grand finale of the ‘88888 lights out campaign’ at 8 p.m. at Arihant
Towers in Koyembedu.
“The corporation of Chennai will continue to work with NGOs in the fight against global warming,”
said Mr.Subramanian.
Many students and IT professionals enthusiastically participated in the campaign by switching off the
lights in their houses.
“My friends and I switched off lights in our houses at 8 p.m.,” said Harry Martins, a student of Class V
of Spartan school Mogappair.
“This is an excellent opportunity for people to contribute towards containing global warming. This
campaign for a social cause will certainly create greater awareness about global warming,” said
Mayor M. Subramaniam.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of around 2500 scientists from many
countries, convened in Paris in February 2007 stressed the gravity of global warming and the
possibility of mass destruction in the world. The IPCC also said that world temperatures may rise by
1.8‐4 degree Celsius and subsequently lead to rise of sea level by 28‐43 cm.
Global warming is said to cause melting of ice caps in Polar Regions and the subsequent inundation
of low lying coastal areas. Increasing frequency of floods and drought may occur due to global
warming, say scientists.
“This is a way of conveying to the world the importance of the small, silent ways of controlling global
warming by every human being,” said Carnatic musician Sudha Raghunathan earlier during the
‘Power of silence campaign’ at 8 a.m.
“The promotion of simple eco‐friendly practices and concepts to reduce carbon foot print and
pollution will help control global warming,” said M.B.Nirmal, founder of ExNoRa International.
The awareness about global warming should be converted into action, said film producer AVM
Saravanan.
“Small actions such as checking air pressure of vehicles by individuals will create huge impact as a
whole. Every action of individuals count in global warming,” said film director Vasanth.
“We want to create total awareness of global warming and school children are the target group,”
said M.Murali proprietor of Sri Krishna Sweets.
After successful completion of the ‘88888’ campaign, Mayor M.Subramanian started the new ‘99999’
wave of campaign by ExNoRa. “This consistent struggle is needed to save our planet,” he said.
© Copyright 2000 ‐ 2008 The Hindu
Post Campaign Pledges
􀂾 Whether it be from your home/ office or car, you can challenge yourself to adopt an
environment friendly lifestyle. The good news is that if you take up these practices for 30
days, they become engrained and a matter of habit. So let us begin this journey together!
􀂾 Circulate stickers for car pledges.
􀂾 circulate better waste managment and ,compost managment.
􀂾 Promote hygenic waste and compost management at Schools thru FTE.
􀂾 manage a better carbon footprint thru school children under the ROUND TABLE EXNORA TIE
up
􀂾 A carbon footprint is a "measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in
terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon
dioxide".[1] It is meant to be useful for individuals, nations and organizations to
conceptualize their personal (or organizational) impact in contributing to global warming.
􀂾 We all contribute to global warming when we do things like heat and cool our homes, drive
our cars, and fly on airplanes. The good news? BeGreen empowers you to take an active role
in neutralizing your carbon emissions and reducing your impact on global warming. Simply
follow our tips to begin decreasing the energy you use each day.
􀂾 our easy‐to‐use carbon calculator and BeGreen Carbon Offsets. Once you do, tell the planet
(or at least a few friends). Together we can make a world of difference, but we need your
help. So go ahead and be green, now

MERT 30 - Publicity Effort

MADRAS ESPLANADE ROUND TABLE 30

Launches its first Publicity

for the year 2008-09.

It was a great kickstart for our fundraising programme for the year. The joint event between Chennai Event Management Services & MMRT-42 was flagged off on Sunday the 3rd August'08 .

The Ceat Mumbai Xpress 2008 flagged off from our very own, St. Georges Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School at 10.30am. The honours were done by Vishal Pawar, Senior Product Manager, CEAT & our Area Chairman, Tr.Rajesh Gupta and also present with us was our Area Vice-Chairman,Tr. Shaktivel, Chairman of MMRT 42, Tr.Sandy & Director of Chennai Event Management Services Mr. Aravind Bremanandam.

This 3 wheeler Auto rickshaw rally had participants from 10 countries. The overall international contestants were 39 in number from Norway, New Zealand, USA, UK, Germany, Hungary, Australia, Canada, Spain etc... Our Area Chairman, Tr. Rajesh Gupta, briefed the participants of the auto rally about RTI, its movement Freedom to Education & about its achievements & how this rally would benefit to the various schools they would be visiting during its bumpy & long ride all over to Mumbai. He said every penny contributed towards RTI goes a long way in helping to build schools for the under priviledged children in India, because if we can make a change in our society then its only by educating our poor & needy children.

The event flagged off and proceeded to our very own RT- 30 VES AGARMEL SCHOOL. This school has been the baby of MERT-30. Here the participants were greeted warmly with garlands & tilak by our little school children, The Correspondent, School Principal who had been waiting since morning for their arrival. This was one of the first schools that this rally visited. They were offered light refreshments & snacks. School was shown around, to each & every participant, school photographs were highlighted, the growth & achievements of the school was spelled by our correspondent. They were really amazed with the fact that from a mere 74 children in the year 2000, today the school has around 439 students & next year the numbers would swell over 600 children & the very fact that every year they pass with 100% results.

They also saw our science lab, Yi-Akshara -the learning centre for kids & enjoyed some lighter moments by playing volleyball with our kids. Hon.Tr.Rajesh Nichani stuck the first poster on the participating vehicle. We had stuck stickers & posters in the front & back of all the 24 participating rickshaws. As such, each participating 3- wheeler carried the message of Freedom through Education, all its way to Mumbai.

Posters and Banners were put up all over the route from flag off venue upto VES by MERT-30. This could all be possible only with the support of all our Tablers, Circlers & Twinklers of MERT-30 present at both the venues. The rally will be covering 2000 km spanning over 12 days making its way through Vellore, Bangalore, Hassan, Mangalore, Bhatkal, Panaji,Tarkali, Ratnagiri, Mahad, & Alibag all the way upto Mumbai conveying our message & inspiring more people to come forward & join hands in this movement

The Ceat Mumbai Xpress 2008 was a fantastic combination of showcasing the Wonders of India to the international based participants. Our focus on Charity & the sheer bonkers of rickshaw racing knotted up very well. Kudos to all our Tablers,Circlers & Twinklers.

YIT

Tr. Satya Rao-Publicity Convener

Tr. Vishal Jindal- Secretary.

MERT 30

Publicity Drive - MMRT 95 - Tr. Punit Sampat

Report on the Special Publicity Drive by MMRT 95
Madras Metro Round Table 95 forged an association with Exnora International. This association helps both MMRT95 and Exnora to leverage each others reach for social service, publicity and other related matters. On 3rd August 2008, Exnora International has inaugurated its ‘88888 Lights Out’ campaign on Global Warming. The purpose of this campaign is to create awareness how everyday human activities can pollute the environment, the land, the air and the water. It also looks to impart a sense of individual responsibility amongst the people towards their surroundings. The campaign urges everyone to switch off the lights at 8:00 PM on August 8th, 2008, for 8 minutes. Hence ‘88888 Lights Out’. The 8888 Lights Out campaign was inaugurated by Mr.M.B.Nirmal, founder chairman of Exnora International, at Spencers Plaza, Chennai, in the presence of Actress Devyani, office bearers of Exnora International, IT Exnora members and members of Madras Metro Round Table 95 – Chairman Tr. Punit Sampat, Publicity Convenor Tr. Ram and coordinator Exnora Round Table Tr. Amit Saiya. The press and media were also present during the inauguration. Mr. Nirmal explained to the crowd of 2000 people the need to arrest global warming by switching off lights on 8th August 2008 at 8:00 PM for 8 minutes. The IT Exnora office bearers collected 2000 petitions on site in support of the campaign. MMRT 95 supports this cause and has organized publicity posters of the same to be displayed at prominent public friendly locations in Chennai, Kolkatta and Pondicherry. This is part of the huge publicity campaign taken by MMRT 95 for this year. It should be noted that for the month of July, MMT 95 took Road Safety as the theme and released posters on the same.
The first publicity poster on ‘8888 Lights Out’ campaign was released by Mr.M.B.Nirmal during the inauguration function.
Madras Metro Round Table 95 also undertook the responsibility of spreading the message of the day through videos, presentations and mails to all 220 tables and 2350 tablers in India in the coming days leading to 88888. Chairman T. Punit promised on behalf of MMRT 95 to support this Global Warming campaign. Tr. Amit Saiya spoke of furthering the cause of Global Warming.
MMRT 95 wishes to circulate the posters and support the cause of Global Warming through RTI and seeks the support and co-operation of its fellow tablers across the country by logging on to the website and sign the online petition at www.petitiononline.com/exnora08/petition.html. MMRT 95 requests the tablers to use the title "Tr." while signing the online petition. MMRT 95 extends its sincere thanks to all the tablers for supporting this cause.
MMRT 95 and Exnora has also arrived at an understanding to utilize the network of these organizations to further promote and publicize the cause of "Freedom Through Education" through the various wings of Exnora International.

181 - Blood Donation Camp

MKRT 181 - Blood Donation Camp - Aug 12 2008

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BLOOD DONATION:

Take light refreshment / food before blood donation (2 hours before
Any healthy person, form the age of 18 years with a weight of 45 kgs. and above can donate blood.
18 years completed person can donate blood.
Women should avoid blood donation during their menstrual bleeding.
Person who had consumed alcohol should avoid giving blood for next 24 hours.
Person who had recent attack of infection like Jaundice, Typhoid, Malria, Rubella etc., should not give blood.
Person who had undergone major surgery should avoid blood donation for 6 months.
Pregnancy, lactating women should avoid blood donation

RT 100 - Classtoom Inauguration