After all those ten months of anxiety and anticipation, your young master has finally arrived and you seem to be getting tantrums all over again about raising the little one.
If you are a first time parent ,this kind of an anxiety is common and normal. Most of the time we are left wondering ,how parents of yester years could manage as many as a dozen children easily and conveniently, while we are found going to parenting classes and doing a lot of internet surfing right from the time of conception.
A few things, if borne in mind could make the entire process of raising a child interesting and simple.
The most common question raised is:
How do I know for what could he be crying for? Could something be wrong with him?
Crying is just a means of communication that your child needs attention.A whinning child is something which most first time parents find alarming. As most parents you would be wondering whether something is really wrong. Here are a few reasons as to what is it that needs attention.
Mom I am hungry…….
The main reason would be hunger.Ensure that the little one is fed periodically and adequately .Remember, only if his stomach is full will he sleep adequately. Your doctor might advice you to breast feed right from the day one.
However,some women may not secrete milk during the first few days.In such cases, you can always go for bottle feeding after consulting your paediatrician. Commonly recommended brands include Lactogen and Dexolac. Ensure that you administer first time formula milk as dilute as possible .
If he fails to pass out ,do not panic.If you are feeding formulated milk, it is quite common to cause slight constipation.Once you are able to breast feed,you may carry on with the same. He may take time to adapt , so keep trying until you both get accustomed to each other.
During the initial few months, you may have to sacrifice a few hours of sleep at night to get up and feed him if he cries.Do not hesitate to do the same, as a loss of few hours of sleep to you would mean more immunity to him.You may feel bottle feeding might make him sleep longer but formulated milk will not provide him with all the antibodies he requires for immunity.
As a mother you will have to get accustomed to sleep when he sleeps and remain up when he is awake.Also remember,if he continues to sleep without feeding it is not necessary that you wake him up to feed him. He would demand you to be fed when needed.
An important note: if he fails to suck immediately,do not conclude that he doesn;t like to be breast fed. You may also try to using a nipple shield. Keep trying till you get him to breast feed.
My nappy seems wet:
A wet nappy could annoy him and prevent him from having a peaceful sleep.Make sure you periodically change his nappy.If you reside in places with a warm climate ,a cloth diaper is far advisable than a disposable one.Though disposable ones may seem convenient, your little one;s skin is still tender and a disposable nappy tends to make his skin all the dry.
Ensure that the clothes you use for him are washed separately and preferably sun dried.Avoid using too much of detegents as this may cause irritation to the skin.Alternatively, you may use detergents meant for baby clothes.
I need sleep:
Most babies,require a physical presence beside them as a reminder of some kind of secuirty. During the initial few days ensure that you have your baby beside you while sleeping .A soft cuddle or a lullaby would go a long way to make your baby sleep well and tight.Some babies prefer to be breast fed to sleep ,while some would like you to walk and put them to sleep.
So try out a variety of these things and determine what is it that he likes and go by the same to get him to sleep.
If you prefer to put him in a cradle, make sure you place a soft bed underneath him.A pillow may not be required in the first few days.Ensure that his cradle is free from any kind of small insects,bugs and mosquitoes.
I am cold:
Most babies prefer to be warm during the intial days as your womb has been keeping him warm when he was inside. Hence,make sure that he is wearing soft and warm clothing. Avoid clothes which have a lot of frills or buttons as these maybe irritating on the skin.Clothes which can be knotted at the back are quite right.
I need to pee:
“My baby cries all the time he pees could something be wrong” .This is quite a normal scenario and there is no need to panic as some babies,find this whole process of secreting something to be a new sensation.Just ensure that you change his nappy immediately as he might catch a cold if he left this way for too long.
Time to call the doctor:
However, if you child continues to keep whinning even after being fed fully and you really feel that something is definitely wrong, do not hesitate to contact the doctor. Remember, a mother can always perceive when something is wrong her little one and there is nothing wrong in Crying Wolf.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
A New Year's Resolution to Protect Your Data & Business
Bidding adieu to 2009, the old year and a brand new 2010 is at the doorsteps.
It is again that time of the year when we would reflect on the past and make some resolutions hoping to do better in all spheres. On the personal front, we have several resolutions to make - right from the most popular lose weight---save money---maintain a diary---quit smoking/drinking to properly managing time, the list is endless.
On the professional front, what resolution can we make? Before finding one, it is pertinent to answer a more fundamental question: How important is your company's data? What impact a possible identity theft or security breach will have on your business?
The answer is obvious.
The growing list of cyber-criminal activities across the globe have assumed such grave proportions that all enterprises - big and small, are exposed to security breaches and identity thefts of various kinds. Many acts of sabotage were found to have been caused by the insiders of the enterprises, either disgruntled staff or greedy techies or sacked employees.
Lack of well-defined internal controls and access restrictions generally pave the way for security incidents. Particularly, as stolen identities seem to have served as the ‘hacking channel’ for many cyber-crimes, improper management of the administrative passwords is believed to be at the root of a good number of security threats.
One of the effective ways to achieve internal controls is to deploy a Privileged Password Management Solution that could replace manual processes and help achieve highest level of security for the data.
Will it not be a great resolution this new year to strive for information security? Go ahead and deploy ManageEngine Password Manager Pro and safeguard your enterprise data.
Wishing you a wonderful new year,
Bala
It is again that time of the year when we would reflect on the past and make some resolutions hoping to do better in all spheres. On the personal front, we have several resolutions to make - right from the most popular lose weight---save money---maintain a diary---quit smoking/drinking to properly managing time, the list is endless.
On the professional front, what resolution can we make? Before finding one, it is pertinent to answer a more fundamental question: How important is your company's data? What impact a possible identity theft or security breach will have on your business?
The answer is obvious.
The growing list of cyber-criminal activities across the globe have assumed such grave proportions that all enterprises - big and small, are exposed to security breaches and identity thefts of various kinds. Many acts of sabotage were found to have been caused by the insiders of the enterprises, either disgruntled staff or greedy techies or sacked employees.
Lack of well-defined internal controls and access restrictions generally pave the way for security incidents. Particularly, as stolen identities seem to have served as the ‘hacking channel’ for many cyber-crimes, improper management of the administrative passwords is believed to be at the root of a good number of security threats.
One of the effective ways to achieve internal controls is to deploy a Privileged Password Management Solution that could replace manual processes and help achieve highest level of security for the data.
Will it not be a great resolution this new year to strive for information security? Go ahead and deploy ManageEngine Password Manager Pro and safeguard your enterprise data.
Wishing you a wonderful new year,
Bala
Saturday, December 26, 2009
TSUNAMI: CHILLING REMINISCENCES OF DEC 26, 2004
26 Dec 2004 ... it dawned as a normal day. I was at my native place Porayar, a small town in Nagapattinam district located barely a couple of km away from the shores of the Bay of Bengal at Tarangambadi. Since that happened to be the holy Margazhi, the misty month in Tamil Calendar, people got up early and were saying their prayers. So did I and was chatting with my father about the plight of Kanchi Sankaracharya who had been arrested a month-and-half earlier.
When I turned the TV on, a news flash reported that Chennai experienced mild tremors early that morning. While hearing the news about the tremors at Chennai, I remained more like the French King Louis XV, who lived only for himself and did not care whether his people survived or not and I was thinking like him "After me the Deluge". But, I was not aware that I was going to witness a massive tragedy within a few minutes. The deluge had actually been waiting to come that moment!
The clock ticked 9:30 am. I heard screaming voices outside my street. Power suddenly went off. Telephones went dead. Cell phone lines remained clogged. A friend of mine rushed in and cried "sea is surging ahead". I laughed at him as this statement is quite common in our area on full-moon days. That fateful day being a full-moon day, I thought he was referring to the raging waves. (Sea used to remain agitated on full-moon days).
But soon, I saw people running helter-skelter. I came out of my house and went eastward. Alas! a horrifying sight! Seawater had come up hundreds of metres away from the shore. When I reached the spot, water, two feet high, had been showing signs of raising and lowering. Anxious onlookers started talking about the plight of the people of eight small hamlets (Tarangambadi, Manickapangu, Kuttiyandiyur, Chandrapadi, Chinnangudi, Chinnamedu, Veppanchery and Perumalpettai) around our town who lived right at the seafront. Suddenly, I saw hundreds of people running towards us. We did not have any clue as to what was happening.
About 100 people, men, women and little children reached our town. They were fully wet, their bodies were shivering, they could not speak a word. Their eyes told horror stories. We helped them take shelter inside the Government Hospital compound, located nearby. Within a few minutes, hundreds of others followed them. All of them told in one voice: "sea has swept away our hamlets. Huge tides, black in colour, looking like a moving mountain came in, pulled everything. The back flow current was so strong that no one could swim against it". There was chaos and commotion. By 10:15 AM, water showed signs of receding.
These three photos sum up the magnitude of damage (at Tarangambadi and Vailankanni respectively):
At Tarangambadi, I saw this young man crying aloud - his two little children and wife had succumbed right in front of his eyes. Sankar, a friend captured this distressing moment. Heart-rending scenes like this, which I saw that day keep haunting me often, even now..
In the meantime, hundreds of youths from our place rushed to the coastal hamlets - Tarangambadi, Manickapangu, Kuttiyandiyur, Chandrapadi, Chinnangudi, Chinnamedu, Veppanchery and Perumalpettai. By 11:30 AM, these young men were rushing injured children, babies, women and aged in two-wheelers to the Porayar GH. Some were dead and others were dying. Though doctors were not present, the nursing assistants acted swiftly and gave timely first-aid to the injured. They saved a few lives, but certainly more could have been saved, had doctors been present and if the GH had had facilities like Oxygen cylinders. The hospital had an ambulance, but no driver. I cursed my fate, perhaps for the first time in my life that I was living in a useless place. [Of course, the situation in the hospital has improved now a lot, two doctors are on duty round-the-clock].
By 12:00 noon, the hospital compound was filled with hundreds of people - dead and dying. People were crying inconsolably. When I went into Tarangambadi, I witnessed the most dreadful scene in my life. More than 70 persons - children and aged, had lost their lives. Dead bodies were strewn across the streets. Boats had been thrashed on top of houses. The place where I used to see huts, had become a field of debris. Hundreds of cattle were seen floating on water. A huge sea turtle had been thrown into the land. Big fish species were found dead on streets. Several venomous creatures - snakes, scorpions and several new species were freely floating on water.
In the midst of all these, few people were seen sitting or hanging on tree branches. Most of them remained unconscious. Youths from neighbouring places rescued them and took them to the nearby helpless GH. The nursing assistants could not cope with the situation. A private lady doctor residing at Porayar, came to the hospital on her own accord. She saved a few lives. But the hospital was overcrowded. Tarangambadi Tahsildar had sent a few Government buses to the Porayar GH to carry the people for 'further treatment' in Mayiladuthurai GH. People literally pushed the dead and the dying into Government buses. Human life seemed to have very little value!
In the meantime, those who survived the attack were trembling as the seawater had turned their bodies wet. The cold weather that prevailed on that day, added insult to the injury. Most of the people wanted something 'hot' to take in. We thought it was important to serve the living at that moment than recovering the dead bodies. We, a group of friends, decided to supply Tea to the people to mitigate shivering. We went into the town to get milk. Most of the shops remained closed. After wandering through the streets, we could gather just 77 litres of milk. Milk Powder was not available. With the help of the women of our area, we started preparing Tea. We added 150 litres of water to the 77 litres of milk. The tea was ready by 2:30 PM. But, by then, more than 5000 people had taken shelter in a school in my town. We had just 2000 cups of Tea. The most painful moment in my life! We felt helpless and cursed ourselves for the inability to provide tea to all the people!
By 5 PM, the magnitude of devastation in our area came to light. The GH was full of dead bodies. People were searching for their loved ones. When dead bodies were brought to the GH, people were seen praying, "God, my son's body should not be there". Heart-rending scenes everywhere. Until then, I was thinking the devastation had happened only in my district. But, power supply was restored in select areas and we understood that entire South East Asia had come under that attack. In Nagapattinam district, more than 3000 bodies had been recovered by the evening (final toll in the district crossed 6000). In my town, people were discussing that the death toll in Tarangambadi alone would have exceeded 1000.
Streets were full of volunteers to help those who had escaped the attack. I could see only Humanists, humanists and humanists. People willingly contributed for preparing food for the victims. Young men and women gathered up to prepare food for a mammoth 5000 victims at a single place. Calamity united people of all religions and people of all classes. Even rich were running errands for the victims. The victims wanted water, but water packets and bottles were in short supply in the area. Local people brought drinking water in cans, drums and many other big utensils.
By 8 PM, I was back again at the GH. Death toll had gone up to 256. We spent our night in a school with those unfortunate people who lost everything in their life in a moment. Victims were shell-shocked and they could not properly speak. People were grief-stricken and were crying and that night passed off without a bit of sleep.
[My father, a senior journalist with PTI and the Indian Express had to tour all the affected areas and file spot stories. He was being constantly contacted by fellow journalists representing various print and electronic media organizations across the country for inputs. As Vailankanni bore the brunt of the attack, anxious relatives of pilgrims from Goa, Mangalore, Mumbai and Kerala kept calling my father (by getting his contact details through PTI) for information about their relatives. My father rushed to Vailankanni that day, but could not get any information, as the streets of the holy town contained just dead bodies. Wherever he traveled, my father had heard only death cries. Yet, he felt that it was his duty to objectively report the enormity of the calamity immediately to PTI, a very powerful news agency that could disseminate the info worldwide in minutes, so that survivors could get assistance. He dedicated himself to tsunami reporting for several months thereafter...].
The next morning was still more painful. There were just six toilets in the local high school where more than 5000 people had taken shelter. Women found it difficult to complete their morning ablutions. They did not have extra clothes to wear. A horrible experience indeed! The Government machinery was in utter confusion unable to cope with the devastation. Almost all the 80 hamlets in the 147-km long coastline of Nagapattinam district had suffered unprecedented damage. In the morning, the GH was full of dead bodies and after the formal identification process, they had to be disposed off. There was no machinery, no man- power to execute that. The Tahsildar ran here and there and brought a few persons. They dug the sand, 30 feet long and 15 feet deep and three such pits. Nearly 200 bodies were buried en-masse amidst heart-rending cries. Similar scenes followed during the subsequent days...
From Dec 28 onwards, help started pouring in from various quarters... The attention of the International Civil Society turned on our district. The Government also streamlined the relief works. Official figures put death toll in Tarangambadi area alone as 517 and 220 missing. For those who have seen this devastation only in the TV, this tragedy might have become a sad memory, but for the victims it is an ongoing nightmare.. the Government and the NGOs have done a lot to rebuild their lives, but the tragic memories of Dec 26 would haunt them for ever!
When I turned the TV on, a news flash reported that Chennai experienced mild tremors early that morning. While hearing the news about the tremors at Chennai, I remained more like the French King Louis XV, who lived only for himself and did not care whether his people survived or not and I was thinking like him "After me the Deluge". But, I was not aware that I was going to witness a massive tragedy within a few minutes. The deluge had actually been waiting to come that moment!
The clock ticked 9:30 am. I heard screaming voices outside my street. Power suddenly went off. Telephones went dead. Cell phone lines remained clogged. A friend of mine rushed in and cried "sea is surging ahead". I laughed at him as this statement is quite common in our area on full-moon days. That fateful day being a full-moon day, I thought he was referring to the raging waves. (Sea used to remain agitated on full-moon days).
But soon, I saw people running helter-skelter. I came out of my house and went eastward. Alas! a horrifying sight! Seawater had come up hundreds of metres away from the shore. When I reached the spot, water, two feet high, had been showing signs of raising and lowering. Anxious onlookers started talking about the plight of the people of eight small hamlets (Tarangambadi, Manickapangu, Kuttiyandiyur, Chandrapadi, Chinnangudi, Chinnamedu, Veppanchery and Perumalpettai) around our town who lived right at the seafront. Suddenly, I saw hundreds of people running towards us. We did not have any clue as to what was happening.
About 100 people, men, women and little children reached our town. They were fully wet, their bodies were shivering, they could not speak a word. Their eyes told horror stories. We helped them take shelter inside the Government Hospital compound, located nearby. Within a few minutes, hundreds of others followed them. All of them told in one voice: "sea has swept away our hamlets. Huge tides, black in colour, looking like a moving mountain came in, pulled everything. The back flow current was so strong that no one could swim against it". There was chaos and commotion. By 10:15 AM, water showed signs of receding.
These three photos sum up the magnitude of damage (at Tarangambadi and Vailankanni respectively):
At Tarangambadi, I saw this young man crying aloud - his two little children and wife had succumbed right in front of his eyes. Sankar, a friend captured this distressing moment. Heart-rending scenes like this, which I saw that day keep haunting me often, even now..
In the meantime, hundreds of youths from our place rushed to the coastal hamlets - Tarangambadi, Manickapangu, Kuttiyandiyur, Chandrapadi, Chinnangudi, Chinnamedu, Veppanchery and Perumalpettai. By 11:30 AM, these young men were rushing injured children, babies, women and aged in two-wheelers to the Porayar GH. Some were dead and others were dying. Though doctors were not present, the nursing assistants acted swiftly and gave timely first-aid to the injured. They saved a few lives, but certainly more could have been saved, had doctors been present and if the GH had had facilities like Oxygen cylinders. The hospital had an ambulance, but no driver. I cursed my fate, perhaps for the first time in my life that I was living in a useless place. [Of course, the situation in the hospital has improved now a lot, two doctors are on duty round-the-clock].
By 12:00 noon, the hospital compound was filled with hundreds of people - dead and dying. People were crying inconsolably. When I went into Tarangambadi, I witnessed the most dreadful scene in my life. More than 70 persons - children and aged, had lost their lives. Dead bodies were strewn across the streets. Boats had been thrashed on top of houses. The place where I used to see huts, had become a field of debris. Hundreds of cattle were seen floating on water. A huge sea turtle had been thrown into the land. Big fish species were found dead on streets. Several venomous creatures - snakes, scorpions and several new species were freely floating on water.
In the midst of all these, few people were seen sitting or hanging on tree branches. Most of them remained unconscious. Youths from neighbouring places rescued them and took them to the nearby helpless GH. The nursing assistants could not cope with the situation. A private lady doctor residing at Porayar, came to the hospital on her own accord. She saved a few lives. But the hospital was overcrowded. Tarangambadi Tahsildar had sent a few Government buses to the Porayar GH to carry the people for 'further treatment' in Mayiladuthurai GH. People literally pushed the dead and the dying into Government buses. Human life seemed to have very little value!
In the meantime, those who survived the attack were trembling as the seawater had turned their bodies wet. The cold weather that prevailed on that day, added insult to the injury. Most of the people wanted something 'hot' to take in. We thought it was important to serve the living at that moment than recovering the dead bodies. We, a group of friends, decided to supply Tea to the people to mitigate shivering. We went into the town to get milk. Most of the shops remained closed. After wandering through the streets, we could gather just 77 litres of milk. Milk Powder was not available. With the help of the women of our area, we started preparing Tea. We added 150 litres of water to the 77 litres of milk. The tea was ready by 2:30 PM. But, by then, more than 5000 people had taken shelter in a school in my town. We had just 2000 cups of Tea. The most painful moment in my life! We felt helpless and cursed ourselves for the inability to provide tea to all the people!
By 5 PM, the magnitude of devastation in our area came to light. The GH was full of dead bodies. People were searching for their loved ones. When dead bodies were brought to the GH, people were seen praying, "God, my son's body should not be there". Heart-rending scenes everywhere. Until then, I was thinking the devastation had happened only in my district. But, power supply was restored in select areas and we understood that entire South East Asia had come under that attack. In Nagapattinam district, more than 3000 bodies had been recovered by the evening (final toll in the district crossed 6000). In my town, people were discussing that the death toll in Tarangambadi alone would have exceeded 1000.
Streets were full of volunteers to help those who had escaped the attack. I could see only Humanists, humanists and humanists. People willingly contributed for preparing food for the victims. Young men and women gathered up to prepare food for a mammoth 5000 victims at a single place. Calamity united people of all religions and people of all classes. Even rich were running errands for the victims. The victims wanted water, but water packets and bottles were in short supply in the area. Local people brought drinking water in cans, drums and many other big utensils.
By 8 PM, I was back again at the GH. Death toll had gone up to 256. We spent our night in a school with those unfortunate people who lost everything in their life in a moment. Victims were shell-shocked and they could not properly speak. People were grief-stricken and were crying and that night passed off without a bit of sleep.
[My father, a senior journalist with PTI and the Indian Express had to tour all the affected areas and file spot stories. He was being constantly contacted by fellow journalists representing various print and electronic media organizations across the country for inputs. As Vailankanni bore the brunt of the attack, anxious relatives of pilgrims from Goa, Mangalore, Mumbai and Kerala kept calling my father (by getting his contact details through PTI) for information about their relatives. My father rushed to Vailankanni that day, but could not get any information, as the streets of the holy town contained just dead bodies. Wherever he traveled, my father had heard only death cries. Yet, he felt that it was his duty to objectively report the enormity of the calamity immediately to PTI, a very powerful news agency that could disseminate the info worldwide in minutes, so that survivors could get assistance. He dedicated himself to tsunami reporting for several months thereafter...].
The next morning was still more painful. There were just six toilets in the local high school where more than 5000 people had taken shelter. Women found it difficult to complete their morning ablutions. They did not have extra clothes to wear. A horrible experience indeed! The Government machinery was in utter confusion unable to cope with the devastation. Almost all the 80 hamlets in the 147-km long coastline of Nagapattinam district had suffered unprecedented damage. In the morning, the GH was full of dead bodies and after the formal identification process, they had to be disposed off. There was no machinery, no man- power to execute that. The Tahsildar ran here and there and brought a few persons. They dug the sand, 30 feet long and 15 feet deep and three such pits. Nearly 200 bodies were buried en-masse amidst heart-rending cries. Similar scenes followed during the subsequent days...
From Dec 28 onwards, help started pouring in from various quarters... The attention of the International Civil Society turned on our district. The Government also streamlined the relief works. Official figures put death toll in Tarangambadi area alone as 517 and 220 missing. For those who have seen this devastation only in the TV, this tragedy might have become a sad memory, but for the victims it is an ongoing nightmare.. the Government and the NGOs have done a lot to rebuild their lives, but the tragic memories of Dec 26 would haunt them for ever!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Nobel Laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: Oh, what a man!
When Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry this year, his bio-data as released by a British News Agency read that he was from the temple town Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu. Soon after, my father, a senior reporter with a leading English daily, was directed by the Editor to see if he could gather any information about Dr Venky's boyhood days at Chidambaram.
My father had contacted my uncle, a celebrated Professor at Annamalai University. As my uncle had been staying at Chidambaram for over four decades, he had made some enquiries and had conveyed that nothing was known about Dr Venky. My father was quite disappointed that he was not able to file a story at that moment.
However, he somehow got the contact of someone at Dr Venky's workplace. When my father expressed his wish to contact the Nobel Laureate, he had got a surprising reply: "Venky is not a man who would go after the press giving interviews on winning the Nobel. He is a symbol of simplicity and humility and NOT AT ALL excited about winning Nobel. He stays calm and concentrates on work as usual". My father's efforts to contact Dr Venky ended there.
However, I got curious to know more about him. The more I read about Dr Venky, the more I got interested. And, after reading news reports about his visit to the Madras University, my respects for this man have increased several fold.
After reaching the top of the world, this man says: "Dont judge people by the awards they have won. Just because I have won Nobel prize, I dont consider myself smarter than greats like G Ramachandran".
He is totally devoid of egos and does not pay any heed to flattery. And, above all, after having accomplished a great deal, he remains totally calm. Fame has not changed his attitude a single bit.
We could see the same kind of greatness in some other persons who have achieved the pinnacle of success in their respective fields like Music Wizard AR Rahman, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.... All these people are devoid of egos; hate flattery; appreciate the work of others; accept success with all humility; Really great men!
In contrast, for a minute I imagined what will happen if a Tamil Nadu politician had received a Nobel prize. News paper advertisements, posters, cut-outs, hoardings, felicitation functions, processions, television interviews ... OMG!! I am afraid to think more! These people 'create' awards and 'give' it to themselves! Small men, big egos!
My father had contacted my uncle, a celebrated Professor at Annamalai University. As my uncle had been staying at Chidambaram for over four decades, he had made some enquiries and had conveyed that nothing was known about Dr Venky. My father was quite disappointed that he was not able to file a story at that moment.
However, he somehow got the contact of someone at Dr Venky's workplace. When my father expressed his wish to contact the Nobel Laureate, he had got a surprising reply: "Venky is not a man who would go after the press giving interviews on winning the Nobel. He is a symbol of simplicity and humility and NOT AT ALL excited about winning Nobel. He stays calm and concentrates on work as usual". My father's efforts to contact Dr Venky ended there.
However, I got curious to know more about him. The more I read about Dr Venky, the more I got interested. And, after reading news reports about his visit to the Madras University, my respects for this man have increased several fold.
After reaching the top of the world, this man says: "Dont judge people by the awards they have won. Just because I have won Nobel prize, I dont consider myself smarter than greats like G Ramachandran".
He is totally devoid of egos and does not pay any heed to flattery. And, above all, after having accomplished a great deal, he remains totally calm. Fame has not changed his attitude a single bit.
We could see the same kind of greatness in some other persons who have achieved the pinnacle of success in their respective fields like Music Wizard AR Rahman, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.... All these people are devoid of egos; hate flattery; appreciate the work of others; accept success with all humility; Really great men!
In contrast, for a minute I imagined what will happen if a Tamil Nadu politician had received a Nobel prize. News paper advertisements, posters, cut-outs, hoardings, felicitation functions, processions, television interviews ... OMG!! I am afraid to think more! These people 'create' awards and 'give' it to themselves! Small men, big egos!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Standard Chartered Bank - Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Cheating - An Update
This is in continuation to my previous post on Standard Chartered Bank - Balaj Allianz Life Insurance fraud.
Just now I got a call from Standard Chartered Bank, Hyderabad. One gentleman introduced himself as 'Team Leader' and rolled out an "excellent" offer:
"Based on your excellent track record with us, I am giving you an exclusive offer. We have a collaboration with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance and I am allocating some units ..."
Mere mention of the word Bajaj Allianz made me go wild. This is the same call three years ago landed me in financial loss. I was so gullible that time and accepted the offer.
I explained him my ordeal in which the Rs 30,000 I had invested got reduced to Rs 23,000 due to fraudulent allocation of units. He simply told: "You would not not have invested via Standard Chartered". I replied back with the name of the cheat L Jhansi who made false promises and enrolled me to a wrong policy.
He the asked: "Do you understand the benefits of Life Insurance? Even if you have invested with any other insurance company, it would have got reduced"
I shot back: "Because of your bank, I have lost my money. Can you give the money back?"
He said: "Definitely Not".
I asked: "Then why do you call me again? You have cheated me once. Do you want me to invest again"
He said: "Thank You"
I started telling Aaniye Pudunga Vendaam. But, before that he snapped the connection!
Just now I got a call from Standard Chartered Bank, Hyderabad. One gentleman introduced himself as 'Team Leader' and rolled out an "excellent" offer:
"Based on your excellent track record with us, I am giving you an exclusive offer. We have a collaboration with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance and I am allocating some units ..."
Mere mention of the word Bajaj Allianz made me go wild. This is the same call three years ago landed me in financial loss. I was so gullible that time and accepted the offer.
I explained him my ordeal in which the Rs 30,000 I had invested got reduced to Rs 23,000 due to fraudulent allocation of units. He simply told: "You would not not have invested via Standard Chartered". I replied back with the name of the cheat L Jhansi who made false promises and enrolled me to a wrong policy.
He the asked: "Do you understand the benefits of Life Insurance? Even if you have invested with any other insurance company, it would have got reduced"
I shot back: "Because of your bank, I have lost my money. Can you give the money back?"
He said: "Definitely Not".
I asked: "Then why do you call me again? You have cheated me once. Do you want me to invest again"
He said: "Thank You"
I started telling Aaniye Pudunga Vendaam. But, before that he snapped the connection!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Are you planning to invest with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance- think twice!
When I happen to view the television advertisement "Dad, have you planned for my future" by Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, my blood virtually boils.
During 2006, a fraudulent agent of the company got my number from Standard Chartered Bank Cards division and approached me over phone. She explained about a product named "New Secure First", a collaboration between Bajaj Allianz and Standard Chartered Bank. The Bajaj Allianz people were poaching the gullible card users of SCB.
At that time, as I was looking to invest from a tax planning perspective, I succumbed to the false promises of the agent by name L. Jhansi. She told me that by investing Rs 10,000 per year for three years, I could get a minimum of Rs 45,000 in return during the fourth year. I asked how it was possible and she explained about the share market dynamics, talked about Equity Growth Funds and a lot of other things.
Finally, I took the policy and paid the premium for three years. When I wanted to surrender the policy last Saturday (Dec 5), the Bajaj Allianz people said that the fund value had reduced to Rs 26,415 and I had to pay 10% of that amount as surrender charges. So, after investing Rs 30,000 and waiting for three years, I was getting back 23,770. Bajaj Allianz has swallowed nearly Rs 7000 on the principle itself.
One may think that the amount had got reduced because of the sharemarket meltdowns. But, it is not the case. The reason is that the agent had proposed my money for the useless scheme "New Secure First - Silver", but explained to me the returns that one would get as per another policy named "New Secure First - Gold". This is fraud number one.
Another aspect is that out of the Rs 10,000 I had paid during 2006 (first premium), Rs 7000 had remained as unallocated premium and only Rs 3000 had gone on investments. I noticed this after receiving the policy statement and called up Bajaj Allianz. They explained that Unallocated premium referred to premium which had been received but not allocated to any of the risks. And when I asked about the returns, they said that it will be very good and I was not losing anything. This is fraud number two.
Now, on last Saturday, when I asked them for the reason, the Bajaj Allianz people at Chennai said that I had been cheated during the first year itself as the allotment was only Rs 3000 and the rest of the amount (Rs 7000) had gone on administrative charges. I wonder how a company could take 70 per cent of the premium amount on administrative charges. What 'administration' they do, God only knows!
When I asked about L Jhansi, the agent who rolled out false promises and enrolled me to a policy that fetched her maximum commission, they said they had no records about that person. They also said that I should have carefully verified the policy document within 15 days and I should have surrendered it at that point itself.
I have not yet surrendered the policy. I am going to lost Rs 7000 of my hard earned money. I could have very well paid Income Tax rather than seeking rebate and losing out to these fraudulent people.
So, if you are planning to invest with Bajaj Allianze Life Insurance, think many times and ascertain all facts. Otherwise, if you plan to invest for your child's future, Bajaj Allianz will very well give you a begging bowl at the time of maturity. Your child may ask now "Dad, what you have planned for my future"; if you go with Bajaj Allianz, he will accuse you "Dad, all that you have given me is a begging bowl". Your blood will boil ....
During 2006, a fraudulent agent of the company got my number from Standard Chartered Bank Cards division and approached me over phone. She explained about a product named "New Secure First", a collaboration between Bajaj Allianz and Standard Chartered Bank. The Bajaj Allianz people were poaching the gullible card users of SCB.
At that time, as I was looking to invest from a tax planning perspective, I succumbed to the false promises of the agent by name L. Jhansi. She told me that by investing Rs 10,000 per year for three years, I could get a minimum of Rs 45,000 in return during the fourth year. I asked how it was possible and she explained about the share market dynamics, talked about Equity Growth Funds and a lot of other things.
Finally, I took the policy and paid the premium for three years. When I wanted to surrender the policy last Saturday (Dec 5), the Bajaj Allianz people said that the fund value had reduced to Rs 26,415 and I had to pay 10% of that amount as surrender charges. So, after investing Rs 30,000 and waiting for three years, I was getting back 23,770. Bajaj Allianz has swallowed nearly Rs 7000 on the principle itself.
One may think that the amount had got reduced because of the sharemarket meltdowns. But, it is not the case. The reason is that the agent had proposed my money for the useless scheme "New Secure First - Silver", but explained to me the returns that one would get as per another policy named "New Secure First - Gold". This is fraud number one.
Another aspect is that out of the Rs 10,000 I had paid during 2006 (first premium), Rs 7000 had remained as unallocated premium and only Rs 3000 had gone on investments. I noticed this after receiving the policy statement and called up Bajaj Allianz. They explained that Unallocated premium referred to premium which had been received but not allocated to any of the risks. And when I asked about the returns, they said that it will be very good and I was not losing anything. This is fraud number two.
Now, on last Saturday, when I asked them for the reason, the Bajaj Allianz people at Chennai said that I had been cheated during the first year itself as the allotment was only Rs 3000 and the rest of the amount (Rs 7000) had gone on administrative charges. I wonder how a company could take 70 per cent of the premium amount on administrative charges. What 'administration' they do, God only knows!
When I asked about L Jhansi, the agent who rolled out false promises and enrolled me to a policy that fetched her maximum commission, they said they had no records about that person. They also said that I should have carefully verified the policy document within 15 days and I should have surrendered it at that point itself.
I have not yet surrendered the policy. I am going to lost Rs 7000 of my hard earned money. I could have very well paid Income Tax rather than seeking rebate and losing out to these fraudulent people.
So, if you are planning to invest with Bajaj Allianze Life Insurance, think many times and ascertain all facts. Otherwise, if you plan to invest for your child's future, Bajaj Allianz will very well give you a begging bowl at the time of maturity. Your child may ask now "Dad, what you have planned for my future"; if you go with Bajaj Allianz, he will accuse you "Dad, all that you have given me is a begging bowl". Your blood will boil ....
Sunday, November 22, 2009
YOU CAN WIN - The Bible for Civil Services Aspirants
As I had been stressing repeatedly, the Civil Services battle is won and lost in mind. Self-confidence and mental strength are the most important ingredients for success in IAS exam.
Reading Shiv Kera's 'You Can Win' is the surest way to keep your morale always up. You should read and reflect on each page in the book.
The book can simply guide you in the right direction. If you are spending time unproductively, the book will turn you around.
Just a single line in the book - 'Time wasted is life wasted' made me sleepless during the days in which I were preparing for the exam.
I would say 'You can win' is the bible for civil services aspirants. And the best way to show your gratitude to Shiv Kera for giving the wonderful thoughts, is by buying the original copy of the book. Pirated version of the book is freely available in the market. But, it is cruel to derive benefits illegally.
Bala
Reading Shiv Kera's 'You Can Win' is the surest way to keep your morale always up. You should read and reflect on each page in the book.
The book can simply guide you in the right direction. If you are spending time unproductively, the book will turn you around.
Just a single line in the book - 'Time wasted is life wasted' made me sleepless during the days in which I were preparing for the exam.
I would say 'You can win' is the bible for civil services aspirants. And the best way to show your gratitude to Shiv Kera for giving the wonderful thoughts, is by buying the original copy of the book. Pirated version of the book is freely available in the market. But, it is cruel to derive benefits illegally.
Bala
How to combat increasing cyber security threats?
Of late, cyber-criminal activities across the globe have assumed such grave proportions that all enterprises - big and small, are exposed to security breaches and identity thefts of various kinds. Many sabotage were found to have been caused by the insiders of the enterprises - either disgruntled staff or greedy techies or sacked employees.
Lack of well-defined internal controls and access restrictions generally pave the way for security incidents. Particularly, as stolen identities seem to have served as the ‘hacking channel’ for many cyber-crimes, improper management of the administrative passwords is believed to be at the root of a good number of security threats.
Security experts strongly believe that many security incidents (though not all) are actually avoidable by placing access restrictions and well-defined password policies.
How can we combat the threats?
Read my article on 'Combating Cyber Security Threats' in Express Computer (Nov 23rd issue):
http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20091123/technology04.shtml
Bala
Lack of well-defined internal controls and access restrictions generally pave the way for security incidents. Particularly, as stolen identities seem to have served as the ‘hacking channel’ for many cyber-crimes, improper management of the administrative passwords is believed to be at the root of a good number of security threats.
Security experts strongly believe that many security incidents (though not all) are actually avoidable by placing access restrictions and well-defined password policies.
How can we combat the threats?
Read my article on 'Combating Cyber Security Threats' in Express Computer (Nov 23rd issue):
http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20091123/technology04.shtml
Bala
Thursday, November 19, 2009
What it takes to succeed in civil services exam?
In my first blog on Civil Services, I had stated about a close friend of mine who was awaiting his results. I thought I could post a case study on him so that it becomes beneficial to other aspirants following this blog:
The story of E Harikrishnan, now serving as IRTS officer is indeed inspiring. His journey towards civil services started twelve years ago when we were studying B.E in Annamalai University, Chidambaram. In fact, three of us started preparing for civil services with IAS/IPS as goal, and he alone made it to the coveted service in 2008.
You might have noticed the year 2008 - yes, he started preparing in 1997 and finally made it in 2008 in his seventh attempt. His is a story of diligence, self-confidence and hard work. I often used to reflect on what went wrong in my case and what went right for him.
First, he had single-minded determination, which I did not possess. He wanted civil services and nothing else. Whereas, after two unsuccessful attempts, my mental strength vanished, fears about future gripped my mind and took up a job in a software firm.
Second, he very strongly believed that he would succeed one day. He visualized himself as a civil servant and finally achieved that. On the contrary, I had several doubts in my mind!
Third, six consecutive failed attempts could not deter his self-confidence. When people made fun of him, he did not mind them. Some persons even advised him to seek a job and be of help to the family. He did not mind such comments at all.
Fourth, he kept working very hard towards his goal. Referred to all possible source material.
Fifth, despite the not-so-sound financial background, his family stood behind him like a rock. His parents supported all his ventures wholeheartedly. (Of course, in my case too, I had the total support of my family and in fact, my father wanted me to prepare full-time and opposed my decision to take up the job. My father was ready to spend all his financial resources for my preparation).
Sixth, he kept constant touch with fellow aspirants to keep abreast of the happenings. He learnt valuable lessons from his own mistakes and from the mistakes of others. He was not lured by anything.
All these things together enabled him succeed in the civil services. All aspirants should possess these qualities to succeed.
The story of E Harikrishnan, now serving as IRTS officer is indeed inspiring. His journey towards civil services started twelve years ago when we were studying B.E in Annamalai University, Chidambaram. In fact, three of us started preparing for civil services with IAS/IPS as goal, and he alone made it to the coveted service in 2008.
You might have noticed the year 2008 - yes, he started preparing in 1997 and finally made it in 2008 in his seventh attempt. His is a story of diligence, self-confidence and hard work. I often used to reflect on what went wrong in my case and what went right for him.
First, he had single-minded determination, which I did not possess. He wanted civil services and nothing else. Whereas, after two unsuccessful attempts, my mental strength vanished, fears about future gripped my mind and took up a job in a software firm.
Second, he very strongly believed that he would succeed one day. He visualized himself as a civil servant and finally achieved that. On the contrary, I had several doubts in my mind!
Third, six consecutive failed attempts could not deter his self-confidence. When people made fun of him, he did not mind them. Some persons even advised him to seek a job and be of help to the family. He did not mind such comments at all.
Fourth, he kept working very hard towards his goal. Referred to all possible source material.
Fifth, despite the not-so-sound financial background, his family stood behind him like a rock. His parents supported all his ventures wholeheartedly. (Of course, in my case too, I had the total support of my family and in fact, my father wanted me to prepare full-time and opposed my decision to take up the job. My father was ready to spend all his financial resources for my preparation).
Sixth, he kept constant touch with fellow aspirants to keep abreast of the happenings. He learnt valuable lessons from his own mistakes and from the mistakes of others. He was not lured by anything.
All these things together enabled him succeed in the civil services. All aspirants should possess these qualities to succeed.
How do you manage website passwords?
Nowadays, even for personal needs, we are largely dependent on online services. At the enterprise level, it becomes much more complex.
Just reflect on the following questions:
Just reflect on the following questions:
- Do you face problems in remembering the credentials of website login accounts?
- Do you have a large number of web accounts and wish to automatically login to the sites without manually entering the user name and password?
If the answer to the above questions are 'yes', you must take the services of a password manager. ManageEngine Password Manager Pro is there to help you!
By simply storing the URL of the web page and the login credentials, you can launch direct connection to the required website from Password Manager Pro. That is, the URL of the website would be visible in Password Manager Pro and upon clicking that you will be logged in to the website directly.
There is a step-by-step tutorial on how to implement this feature. Along with the textual explanation, the tutorial contains a two-minute video presentation at the end. Don’t forget to check that out too!
Bala
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Have you ever revealed your administrative passwords to your colleagues?
Have you ever revealed the administrative password of an enterprise resource to your colleague? And do you strongly believe that your passwords remain secure even after telling others? If so, you must read this interesting survey done by SecurEnvoy.
The survey results reveal that 75% of UK employees have admitted that they have told at least two other colleagues their corporate passwords.
SecurEnvoy states that while workers are trusting of their colleagues, it may not be a great idea to share passwords so easily since it can compromise one’s entire work life.
The concern raised in the survey is well-founded. Enterprises - big and small, face security issues and outages quite often. After all, mis-management of administrative passwords lies at the root of all security issues.
It is always good to avoid sharing of administrative passwords. But, what if your business needs demand that you seletively share passwords with others and yet ensure high levels of security? Caught in a catch-22 situation, right?
But take heart, you have ManageEngine Password Manager Pro for your rescue. Using this Enterprise Password Management Solution, you can store thousands of administrative passwords in a centralized repository and selectively share the passwords with others. You can have the trail of 'who', 'what' and 'when' of password access. The passwords are shared, yet remain highly secure. Exactly what you want!
To know more, visit ManageEngine Password Manager Pro
Bala
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
VERY GLAD THAT BJP IS DYING A SLOW DEATH!
I am not a psychopath to celebrate the suffering of others. But, day after day, when I hear news about the downfall of BJP and its leaders, unconsciously, I get great joy!
This is not without reason:
My childhood ambition to get into the IAS was spoiled by the anti-youth policies of the BJP Government. The moment Vajpayee came to power, the Government announced down-sizing measures and recruitment to the civil services got a severe beating.
The normal vacancy range of 800 was brought down to 300 or so. For 'Open Competition' category to which i belong, only 50 per cent of the 300-odd were available. As the selection to civil services is based on the number of vacancies every year, I lost despite scoring reasonably good marks.
Now, the Congress Government has restored the number of vacancies to 800+ and those who had secured far less than I did in 2001, have become proud civil servants. Until I exhausted my maximum limit of four attempts, BJP was in power and my ambitions were buried.
Had the Government achieved anything worthwhile for the Nation through the downsizing policy, I would not have felt sorry on losing the appointment to Civil Services. This policy did not help shape the economy anyway; nor did the BJP prevent the lavish spending on other heads and accounts. Their actions were far from austerity - not even the level of austerity "practiced" by the present UPA Ministry. They just spoiled the career of thousands like me.
Not only me, but thousands of aspirants belonging to all communities had to suffer due to BJP's policies. Only if the Congress tries to make up for the wrongs committed by the BJP (by increasing the number of attempts to different categories (OC from 4 to 9, BC from 7 to 9 and SC/ST no limit) and age-limit (OC from 30 to 35, BC from 33 to 38, SC/ST from 35 to 40)), we will get justice. But, I know, this is a wild dream!!
So, when I hear the news about the fall of BJP, my mind becomes happy. Cruel, it may sound, but I cant help. The party is dying a slow-death and I wish to see it disappearing from National Scene soon!
This is not without reason:
My childhood ambition to get into the IAS was spoiled by the anti-youth policies of the BJP Government. The moment Vajpayee came to power, the Government announced down-sizing measures and recruitment to the civil services got a severe beating.
The normal vacancy range of 800 was brought down to 300 or so. For 'Open Competition' category to which i belong, only 50 per cent of the 300-odd were available. As the selection to civil services is based on the number of vacancies every year, I lost despite scoring reasonably good marks.
Now, the Congress Government has restored the number of vacancies to 800+ and those who had secured far less than I did in 2001, have become proud civil servants. Until I exhausted my maximum limit of four attempts, BJP was in power and my ambitions were buried.
Had the Government achieved anything worthwhile for the Nation through the downsizing policy, I would not have felt sorry on losing the appointment to Civil Services. This policy did not help shape the economy anyway; nor did the BJP prevent the lavish spending on other heads and accounts. Their actions were far from austerity - not even the level of austerity "practiced" by the present UPA Ministry. They just spoiled the career of thousands like me.
Not only me, but thousands of aspirants belonging to all communities had to suffer due to BJP's policies. Only if the Congress tries to make up for the wrongs committed by the BJP (by increasing the number of attempts to different categories (OC from 4 to 9, BC from 7 to 9 and SC/ST no limit) and age-limit (OC from 30 to 35, BC from 33 to 38, SC/ST from 35 to 40)), we will get justice. But, I know, this is a wild dream!!
So, when I hear the news about the fall of BJP, my mind becomes happy. Cruel, it may sound, but I cant help. The party is dying a slow-death and I wish to see it disappearing from National Scene soon!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Salute to a great teacher - 'BV Sir' of Porayar
A slight deviation from the theme of this blog series: this post is no way connected to Civil Services preparation.
Today being the Teacher's Day, I thought I must write about a great teacher at my native place, whose expertise in Mathematics lies solidly behind the phenomenal success of scores of youths of Porayar and surrounding areas in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu.
If one browses through the grade sheets of a hundred +2 students in the area, the marks obtained by them in Mathematics would be very high compared to other subjects. Even mediocre students would have got a ton in Maths. And this fact stands testimony to the greatness of Mr. B Venkataraman, popularly known as 'BV' in the area.
Ask any student of +1, +2, Engineering or Science branches in colleges, they will gratefully acknowledge the magic of BV. They will tell how BV had made Maths learning a fun!
During the past 20 years of his dedicated service, this man has produced many a centurians in +2 Maths. Many rank holders of TBML College, Porayar in the Bharathidasan University Examinations are products of BV.
It is no exaggeration if I say, BV, who is in his forties, has totally dediacted himself for the service of the student community. He tirelessly spends his entire day in teaching Maths for all higher classes for no significant monetary gains. It is total dedication, nothing less!
Today, hundreds of his students occupy high positions in the United States and in the software firms in India. Solely because of the high marks in Maths, they were able to become what they are today. More than his teaching, the best part of BV's magic is his close rapport with the students. Whenever his students happen to visit Porayar, most of them never forget to call on the great teacher as a mark of gratitude.
All along, this man has remained like the 'true ladder'. He has helped his students achieve the pinnacles of success, but he remains the same at the same place. But, this is indeed what teaching profession is all about!
One among the beneficiaries of his wisdom, I salute 'BV Sir' on behalf of hundreds of disciples.
Today being the Teacher's Day, I thought I must write about a great teacher at my native place, whose expertise in Mathematics lies solidly behind the phenomenal success of scores of youths of Porayar and surrounding areas in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu.
If one browses through the grade sheets of a hundred +2 students in the area, the marks obtained by them in Mathematics would be very high compared to other subjects. Even mediocre students would have got a ton in Maths. And this fact stands testimony to the greatness of Mr. B Venkataraman, popularly known as 'BV' in the area.
Ask any student of +1, +2, Engineering or Science branches in colleges, they will gratefully acknowledge the magic of BV. They will tell how BV had made Maths learning a fun!
During the past 20 years of his dedicated service, this man has produced many a centurians in +2 Maths. Many rank holders of TBML College, Porayar in the Bharathidasan University Examinations are products of BV.
It is no exaggeration if I say, BV, who is in his forties, has totally dediacted himself for the service of the student community. He tirelessly spends his entire day in teaching Maths for all higher classes for no significant monetary gains. It is total dedication, nothing less!
Today, hundreds of his students occupy high positions in the United States and in the software firms in India. Solely because of the high marks in Maths, they were able to become what they are today. More than his teaching, the best part of BV's magic is his close rapport with the students. Whenever his students happen to visit Porayar, most of them never forget to call on the great teacher as a mark of gratitude.
All along, this man has remained like the 'true ladder'. He has helped his students achieve the pinnacles of success, but he remains the same at the same place. But, this is indeed what teaching profession is all about!
One among the beneficiaries of his wisdom, I salute 'BV Sir' on behalf of hundreds of disciples.
Monday, August 24, 2009
My first recording
Standing with a microphone ,adorning a head set over one;s ears in a recording theatre would be a vision for many aspiring play back singers.Beyond the benefit of doubt, I was also one and my reverie did come true one day.It was at Prasad Studio,Chennai.The movie was Mercury pookkal and 'THE PERSON' who decided to put my voice to trial was Karthik Raja son of Maestro Ilaiyaraja.He had actually seen me perform during a cultural programme and offerred me a chance.
This was 'the moment' I was dreaming for ever since I was a child and eversince the time I discovered my talent and aptitude in music.However,I lost all my confidence on entering the studio and decided maybe I should back off and call off the whole thing .This was because 'Mr Virus' had recently carved a niche in my throat and my voice was not at its best.I felt like I was about to have a nervous breakdown and the last thing I wanted to do was display my talent as a singer.I felt too stupid to ask him for extra time till my voice was at its best and I decided to give it a shot.
Since,I had never been to a recording studio earlier the presence of the entire crew comprising of the director as well made me feel all the more stupid.I was asked to wait for more than an hour to meet Karthik sir and he handed over me the lyrics and asked me to listen to the song first.The tune was beautiful and I really really wished I could prove my best.But my voice simply wouldn't give way.
One good thing that happened was, Karthik sir had to go out urgently and left me alone with the sound engineer stating that he would return soon.So we began at 1:00PM in the afternoon.My voice wouldn;t co-operate.I could not give the neccessary feel and depth required.I made a hell lot of mistakes and felt like throwing away everything and running off from the whole thing.ALAS! I did complete the whole thing by 4:00PM after drinking litres of hot water.Yes it was over because of the sound engineer who had the patience of a saint.The output was good but not the best.
Karthik Sir did give me call after listening to it.He said the voice sounded good but was lacking in energy and said he wanted to record it once more in his presence.Somehow, he never ended up calling me later on and I was too ashamed to ask him once again because he had given me a chance but I blew it.I couldn;t bring up the courage to ask for a chance once again.
From then till now,I haven;t dared to step into a studio again.Till date I really wished I had asked for a day or two extra and gone for the recording when my voice was as good as ever.
This was 'the moment' I was dreaming for ever since I was a child and eversince the time I discovered my talent and aptitude in music.However,I lost all my confidence on entering the studio and decided maybe I should back off and call off the whole thing .This was because 'Mr Virus' had recently carved a niche in my throat and my voice was not at its best.I felt like I was about to have a nervous breakdown and the last thing I wanted to do was display my talent as a singer.I felt too stupid to ask him for extra time till my voice was at its best and I decided to give it a shot.
Since,I had never been to a recording studio earlier the presence of the entire crew comprising of the director as well made me feel all the more stupid.I was asked to wait for more than an hour to meet Karthik sir and he handed over me the lyrics and asked me to listen to the song first.The tune was beautiful and I really really wished I could prove my best.But my voice simply wouldn't give way.
One good thing that happened was, Karthik sir had to go out urgently and left me alone with the sound engineer stating that he would return soon.So we began at 1:00PM in the afternoon.My voice wouldn;t co-operate.I could not give the neccessary feel and depth required.I made a hell lot of mistakes and felt like throwing away everything and running off from the whole thing.ALAS! I did complete the whole thing by 4:00PM after drinking litres of hot water.Yes it was over because of the sound engineer who had the patience of a saint.The output was good but not the best.
Karthik Sir did give me call after listening to it.He said the voice sounded good but was lacking in energy and said he wanted to record it once more in his presence.Somehow, he never ended up calling me later on and I was too ashamed to ask him once again because he had given me a chance but I blew it.I couldn;t bring up the courage to ask for a chance once again.
From then till now,I haven;t dared to step into a studio again.Till date I really wished I had asked for a day or two extra and gone for the recording when my voice was as good as ever.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Civil Services Preparation, a Mind Game!
If you are preparing for Civil Services Examination, you should have three essential qualities:
During the preparation stage, there are quite a lot of distractions that could carry you away from your cherished goal. Mentally you must be very strong and stay focused on your goal.
The examination process is quite long; many things will happen in your family or surroundings letting your morale down. But, mentally you must remain very strong to tide over that.
Even casual comments by friends or relatives could mar your self-confidence. You must remain strong.
Since the UPSC is not revealing the cut-off marks, scaling criteria and other vital details, aspirants are not able to gauge their performance. Lot of stories doing the rounds in friends circle could dislodge your confidence. But, you must be mentally strong to overcome such negative propaganda.
So, here comes my third point on the list of DONTs:
Never let your confidence level go down. Develop highest level of mental strength and remain focused. Remember, no can make you feel let down without your mind's cooperation.
- A strong belief in your capabilities - "I Can" attitude
- No fear to face failures and humiliations
- Willingness to work very hard
During the preparation stage, there are quite a lot of distractions that could carry you away from your cherished goal. Mentally you must be very strong and stay focused on your goal.
The examination process is quite long; many things will happen in your family or surroundings letting your morale down. But, mentally you must remain very strong to tide over that.
Even casual comments by friends or relatives could mar your self-confidence. You must remain strong.
Since the UPSC is not revealing the cut-off marks, scaling criteria and other vital details, aspirants are not able to gauge their performance. Lot of stories doing the rounds in friends circle could dislodge your confidence. But, you must be mentally strong to overcome such negative propaganda.
So, here comes my third point on the list of DONTs:
Never let your confidence level go down. Develop highest level of mental strength and remain focused. Remember, no can make you feel let down without your mind's cooperation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)