EDITORIAL
Greetings from the Editorial team of Crucibles!!! I take great pleasure to introduce you to the latest issue of E-Zine. Well, there has been a lot of stuff going on at our front. We had the orientation for the new batch that was conducted by Aijaz, Neethu and Ajay. Thanks a lot guys. We also went hunting for prospects who are interested in joining our team. And I am more than happy to let you all know that the response that we received was over-whelming and we are looking forward towards more dynamic and enthusiastic people joining us. We have two new contributors towards this issue of E-Zine- Ms. Satya Nair, HR Executive, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, Mumbai and Kranthi from PGP/WIN/13-15.I want to thank you for your articles and I hope that you will continue with your association with us. We also have a new member Charvee Dubay from PGP/F-FW/12-14 who has joined the Crucibles family. I would like to quote the famous writer Robert Louis Stevenson of Treasure Island fame over here- “Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.� The same holds true for all of us here. We should not be bothered about the results but continue to work hard and surely sooner or later the results will be reaped. Maybe not so good or not as expected in the beginning but soon enough we will reach our goals. All the best to all of you and Happy Reading!!!
Harshita Gardner PGP/F-FW/12-14
INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE
The Indian Premier League was initiated by Lalit Modi. IPL started after an altercation between the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) and the Indian Cricket League (ICL). In 2010, IPL became the first sporting event ever to be broadcast live on YouTube.
IPL is the world‟s richest cricket tournament. The brand value of which is estimated to be around USD 2.99 billion for the last season. In 2012, the naming rights were awarded to Pepsi. Pepsi won over Bharti Airtel with a bid of 396.8 crores. The IPL surprisingly claimed a financial victory in the off season when it announced Pepsico with a title sponsorship deal worth around $ 73.5 million through 2017, or nearly $ 15 million per year. IPL has a great entertainment value. It has given us a chance to watch great players like MS Dhoni and Chris Gayle. It has also absorbed cricketers who have retired from international cricket but display their talent in IPL irrespective of their age like Rahul Dravid and Adam Gilchrist. This year‟s major controversy has been the banning of the Sri Lankan players from Chennai, the home of the Chennai Super Kings because the Chief Minister of the state has said that she cannot guarantee their security in the wake of protests over the treatment of Tamilians in the island. The IPL‟s governing council recently ruled out that out of the 13 Sri Lankan players signed, 10 players in 2013 will be barred from competing in matches held in Chennai. The IPL has brought a unique system of profiteering in the wake. The owners have little knowledge of cricket. The people they choose to run their cricket operations run it as a private enterprise. There are no norms for selections, only some trials. A two or three hour trial leaves so much room for subjectivity that selection becomes a completely arbitrary process in the IPL teams.
IPL, which has taken cricket to greater heights, discovering new talents, has also given rise to gambling. Gambling is banned in India. Does that mean that people do not indulge in betting? They do it with the fullest gusto. Only the money and profits so generated are illegal and go into funding illegal activities.
Mohammed Abdul Gaffar PGP/F-FW/12-14
“Effective Technology Management ” – New Mantra for “Managers & Entrepreneurs”
Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune. - Jim Rohn When an entrepreneur enters the market with a new product or service, the buyer asks. “Why should I buy your product? In what way you are different? What benefits do I get? If at all there is one thing an Entrepreneur is different from a businessman for, that is Innovation. Only an innovative product with a superior technology which is better than existing one, with a utility value to the buyer, gets sold. Let us examine how this can be made to happen. Since 1970, the inundation of data from various sources - University research centers, scientific labs, factories, corporate offices to proliferation of internet & its mind boggling technologieshas given birth to the Information age. This has resulted in a Knowledge economy and Internet era. The eventual outcome has culminated into a Technology revolution. With organizations and nations competing on “Technology models”, it is imperative for them to design an effective Technology management for survival and growth. For Managers, Entrepreneurs & start ups, this is the mantra to breathe easy, survive, gain a competitive edge & grow. How can they do it? Let us understand the terms “Technology” and “Technology Management” in the present day context. The term Technology means different things to different people. There are several definitions of technology & numerous interpretations. An apple falling on the ground from the tree attracted by earth‟s pull is Science – Newton‟s law of gravity. When we convert apple into apple juice, it becomes a technology. Science is organized knowledge. Application of Science is Technology. Static knowledge is not a technology but using that knowledge to produce goods or offer services is a technology. What is Technology? All the knowledge, systems, process, methods , tools , products , services which results in either offering a service or production of goods is “ Technology” eg : lower level technical skills like hair cutting , carpentry, to middle level pharma manufacturing, refrigeration, email, sms, mobile , PC, tablet to higher end technologies like launching a satellite, cloud computing, stem cell research or nuclear fusion - comes under the purview of “ Technology” -- low end to high end. It can be single technology or multiple technologies.
A mobile has 100 technologies, a Santro car has 1000, a Boeing has 10000 & a satellite has over a million. So also we distinguish a village, a town, a city & a metro with the number of technologies. Technology has always been an ally of man and helped his progress for several thousands of years now. From Stone Age to today‟s information age, man has been constantly creating new technologies, pursuing & developing them and exploiting them resulting in continuous technological advancement. This technology always fulfilled a societal need, be it an agricultural implement for farming, making a new drug for AIDS / Cancer or a low cost passenger car like Nano or a cost effective laptop/ tablet from / HP. The question today is not what technology is, but what is not a technology? Technology is a commodity today - It can be created, developed, traded, diffused and delivered but IT CAN NEVER BE STORED OR HOARDED. This is here Entrepreneurs have to exploit the power of Technology & expand their business. It keeps changing and advancing, traversing across organizations, regions, countries. That is inevitable. Technology is not just about IT, Production, Engineering, R & D, technical services, innovations or product development. All these are a part of Technology. In India, technology is synonymous with IT, which is a misconception. If an individual knows the basics of electronics, he can apply it in making a cost effective mobile, or a low cost computing device. That is technology. So also, an entrepreneur can have the knowledge of any field – HR practices, Marketing systems, Financial services, software tools, R & D methodology – any domain. The moment he applies that knowledge & makes products or services, he is into the technology arena. There is less to fear from outside competition then from inside inefficiency, miscalculation, lack of knowledge. Beat your competitors with the knowledge edge! Train your staff! In this information age and technology revolution, the success of any enterprise or organization is closely linked to how best it can leverage technology and its exploitation. This technology can be a product or a process technology or those technologies used in Marketing and Services by the organization. Americans implemented effective technology management in the mid 80”s and became a Superpower. It got back its lost market share for automobiles from Japanese, machinery from Germans, Electronics from Koreans and other nations. . Later, countries like Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have successfully implemented various types of technology management and registered phenomenal growth rates catapulting them into the group of advanced nations. Globally, India & China have become the fastest growing economies with widely prevalent ETM practices in several organizations, Government Departments & institutions. Today, be it a fast food centre, airlines agency, pharma manufacturing, a hospital or a Power Corporation, the need of the hour today is better Technology Management. It means a goof technology forecasting, proper acquisition, effective technology transfer, good absorption and implementation. This will result in an effective technology management. All functional managers have to do better and effective technology management to make an impact in the organization.
Presently, Technology companies and few other sectors are managing their technologies very well. However, there is a theoretical body of knowledge and its applications which is “CRITICAL” for “Managing Technologies Effectively”. With this new “Knowledge”, entrepreneurs can do a far more effective management of technology. Beyond the technology sector, any Organization can immensely benefit with effective technology management. Entrepreneurship has expanded to cover several sectors. Companies in Infrastructure, Power , Steel , Cement , Media , Agro based , Hospitality , Entertainment , Health care sectors , Public sector enterprises, State Government Corporations , educational institutions – all can leverage the various advantages of good technology management. They can establish the base to take their organizations to next level with this new knowledge. . Application of any new concept and knowledge is pivotal in enhancing organizational effectiveness. An Entrepreneur has to be involved in it and can do his or her work in a more organized and structured way. Effective Technology Management or Managing Technologies Effectively – offers a new dimension and different perspective in addressing issues and pain areas related to Technology for any start up or SME sector company. All the above culminates in an organization gaining a competitive advantage by which an Entrepreneur can compete with other industry players & Global companies to retain existing customers or grab new clients. This subject is all encompassing and all pervading. It will also benefit every CEO , Director , Finance professional , Functional Manager , Engineer, Architect , Doctor and other professional managers. In India, what is the scope of Technology Mgt? What are the various types? How can an Entrepreneur do ETM & win today? How is it done? Well – that is the power of ETM. We shall discuss in next columns. "Envision, create, and believe in your own universe, and the universe will form around you" Tony Hsieh (CEO, Zappos.com)
Ramesh Vemuganti CEO, Chanakya Consulting
TIME TO RETHINK, REBUILD AND REINVENT MANAGEMENT FUNDAS
Amidst the fast changing global scenario and world economies, time and again new challenges are thrown in. Management leaders keep abreast with all the unprecedented changes occurring everywhere. Business education is immensely influenced by globalization, liberalization and privatization. The economic prosperity of an individual, family, society or nation depends on the knowledge of good business education. There are complex problems due to rapid modernization and technical development. Management education can lead, guide and produce successful managers. There is a need for trained and qualified managers to control huge financial investments, production, labour etc.
There is no dearth of business schools and management colleges, nor there any dearth of MBAs. The Indian education system is successfully churning out PG students in all disciplines across the nation. Private colleges and B-Schools are mushrooming all over the metro cities yet somewhere the „qualityâ€&#x; is missing! The industry does not need more degrees or grades. It needs people who are capable of taking quick right decisions, who can be trouble-shooters, team players and are self motivated with continuous innovations in technology, increasing competition and complexities in business, one has to constantly upgrade their knowledge. Today, we need smart young people who can think on their feet, who do not slog over work but work smart. They have to be taught relevant interdisciplinary subjects too. They need a thorough exposure to the practical aspects. They must develop effective communication skills and LSRW skills.
The management education therefore, should focus on developing the afore-mentioned skills and produce managers who can lead, who are life long learners and who can adapt anywhere. Industry exposure should be rocketed and soft skills training be seriously imparted. Project work should be given adequate attention. Syllabi also should be upgraded as per industry norms. Faculty with an industry background should be appointed for better results. Latest teaching methods and technology should be used. The entire system should be re-energized!
Dr. Deepika Rupert Gardner MA English, MA Linguistics, LL.B, B.Ed, Ph.d Associate Professor& Head, Dept. of English St. Joseph’s Degree & PG College, Hyderabad
GROCERY SHOPPING: A DIGITAL TRANSITION
In today‟s world where customer satisfaction lies at their figure tips, even grocery shopping is digitalizing itself, breaking through conventional concepts. If we think about it, the world is becoming lazier as the time passes. But there is no one to blame as technology is not considered a bane anymore. Back in 2000, when Hari Menon first tried to introduce online grocery shopping, the people weren‟t lazy enough then, to give it a thought. Hence his notion didn‟t click. But then, no one would have expected that grocery shopping, which had already entered a delivery mode, only through phone call ordering, could enter into this sophisticated online mode.
Hari Menon entered again, but this time with a bang. Bigbasket.com is becoming a very common talk among thousands of people. Amidst the growing physical retailers of grocery outlets, say Rantadeep, More, Spencer‟s and the like, Bigbasket.com claims to have already achieved about 40000 active users. A decade ago who would have even thought about a digital shopping cart. In bigbasket.com we get to see the items that are displayed under various categories like fruits and vegetables, staples, beverages, personal care, households, meat and so on. The digital shopping cart is definitely a boon to the mothers who are just tired of standing in an hour long queues recalling their 15 minutes of shopping. Hari Menon has only focused his establishments in Mumbai, Banglore and Hyderabad. The only tight competition bigbasket.com seems to be facing right now is that of “ekstop.com” which has acquired quite a bit of users but mostly in the Mumbai market. “Satvikshop.com”, another competitor is ruling another market segment by only catering to the needs of „organic product‟ users. Not to mention, a number of other competitors who are entering this market. For obvious reasons, the arrival of a cut throat competition will take a while. The whole point of this concept to be a success is that it saves a lot of energy and time of families where both the spouses are slogging their time in their respective jobs. The thought of
carrying heavy grocery bags, standing in queues, paying for parking are all slowly becoming extinct. The fear of over spending due to impulse purchases in grocery stores has also reduced tremendously. Another wand available with the Bigbasket users is the “time slot� for delivery, where users can fix a date and time according to their presence at delivery point. Where ekstop.com has about 170 orders in a day in Mumbai, bigbasket has about 300 orders per day.
As Banglore is a much faster city than Mumbai and Hyderabad, bigbasket is having almost 1000 orders per day which is nearing the break-even point of 1600 orders per day, soon to make profits. Customer retention and loyalty is far greater in the case of online grocery shopping than the books and clothing segment of the digital shopping says Hari Menon. Leaving aside the laziness aspect and the fact that our fingers have greater chances of getting dislocated, from constantly clicking and picking grocery, the world still has both hands wide open welcoming more advances in this digital era. Reference: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/online-grocers-like-bigbasket-satvikshop-andekstop-all-set-to-make-the-big-leap-home/articleshow/19587722.cms
NeethuUnnikrishnan PGP/F-FW/12-14
MOTHER INDIA
After work, I was just walking by for a cup of tea ,when, in the midst of so many things happening around , the almost monotonous events of the so called life of the roads , the noise, the events which, though happening on a very new day still somehow seem, have been happening around. As I said, the monotonous life cycle of the surroundings, and you happen to live in that considering it to be a new day in the English calendar, still checking the time as though it really makes any difference to the monotony. Still, having been in this vicious circle of weekdays every day, a cup of tea near a tea stall does ease out the mind, and gives you a chance to think, and observe the same „monotonous” surroundings. Well, trust me, things ain‟t monotonous, it‟s just the mind which is telling you “life‟s calling, where‟re you?” A mother happens to stay nearby the road, her son just came from school, still in the uniform – torn out, withered, sort of dirty too. Maybe, that‟s the only cloth he has, maybe his uniform and her saree is all she can afford to wear. Maybe!! The kid was charged up, naughty, and after school, as usual wanted to get out on the field and get dirty , shout out loud , jump up high , run around mad. Unfortunately, for him, the word field does not exist, but he could still manage everything else in that little stretch of road. Mothers, as excited their sons may be her body maybe strong but, her heart can be weak. She is done with her household duties, just cannot avoid the sight of her son. He was happy and so is she to see him happy. A Mother always wants her son to be her hero, to be her destiny. When she observes him, she thinks, she thinks of all the things, he can do, of all the things, he can achieve, of all the things, she could not do. A child is the mother‟s door to her dreams, for most of our women are forced to kill their dreams but, when she gives birth to a child, she has already lost her heart, her mind in the child‟s growth. The
moment the child is born, she has this feeling of giving the child all he wants, all she never could have, for, child becomes her destiny. What he does, what he thinks, becomes very important to her, for she sees happiness in what he does because, on her own front, she has nothing left to do. Her child becomes her biggest treasure anyone could even think of getting. She may not show it, but, it‟s in her all the time and this is precisely what unconditional love means. As for this great mother, she finds, her kid is with one of his friend who happens to be on a bicycle. She doesn‟t know how to ride it, and, she cannot afford one for her son. But, she would not let her son‟s desire die. She would do all she can , that can set things right for that moment because for her , if her son rides it , she would have felt it herself . She walks up to her kid, asks his friend to help him, makes her son to get on that seat and ride the bicycle. The boy is scared for he knows; bicycle is one of the big freedoms a kid can have. It‟s an addiction, for it gives wings, for the fastest speed at which he can feel the breeze is when he is running. Cycling is even faster, it can take him to places much farther. The kid stands scared for the cost of this freedom is not easy, he‟ll get bruised for sure but, still it‟s still his biggest dream to ride, to have one of his own too . Mother knows it, she can‟t help him to have his one too, at this moment, but, at least, she wants him to feel that fast breeze. She is scared, but just doesn‟t want her kid to kill his desire. She now has the bicycle but she wasn‟t sure, when she could have it again. In a humble tone, still carrying the smile, she asks his friend to teach him to ride. With the friend on the back seat, the kid gathered courage, took the handles, and slowly started moving with the wheels. The kid feels this movement as something new, and so does the mother, who gazed on, with a feeling of calmness and a sense of victory. So what if she could not afford a bicycle, at least, she made sure, he rode one. And she gets sure inside, that if he rides one today, he‟ll HAVE one too. She comforts herself feeling proud that her son can also ride, he went to school too. Soon he‟ll fly too. Maybe, that night, she would have been so happy thinking all this. I‟m sure about some nice aroma that night, for, with the cost of her hunger, she would have made sabzi for the first time and her champ would have had roti with sabzi after a long time. She is just one of the billion mothers. A body meant for household work, heart all on her child, for her dreams were killed long before.
Rahul Bomali, IBM
CHANGE WITH CARE!
Change is a subject which is always being contemplated upon, for the reason that it‟s constantly happening. There‟s no escape from it whatsoever. For good or bad, either one‟s going to welcome it with open arms or gets influenced it with the inevitable change being implemented. Whether you like it or not, things have always been changing and will continue to do so. As you know the classic line „Change is inevitable‟. Change is a confusing state too, you see in one situation people resist change. For example, when it comes to new technology and techniques to be adopted in an organization, employees are less than excited. Why? Well the simple reason could be, they do not want to put a little more effort, time and intellect, or sometimes they are so used to the old working style that they do not seem to understand the need to change. Thus, we see that their old monotonous working routineis absolutely fine with them. In the second situation, you are surprised to see individuals change radically in no time. Take for example, the recent Boston Bombing where one wonders how and why someone with a good educational background and a bright future ahead of him morph into a self-trained terrorist? This leads to many questions, like, were they always like that? If that is the case, „change‟ does not stand valid here. The younger brother being a medical student, makes you think otherwise, a doctor saves lives! One simple reason I can think of is, in such situation, people like them just hopped into something without even actually thinking about the consequences. To put things into perspective, the reasons to change can be many because the choice is upto you. This is evident because we do not have the choice most of the time. So when „change‟ is in your hand, it‟s fragile and you got to handle it with care, with probable rippling effects to others around you directly or indirectly. A reason to change should always be logical and rational. To follow a herd blindly makes no sense, but one should question it and get a practical outlook of it. Just because a group of people think alike, it does not make their act right. So one should always be ready for change and to change, to embrace it, else life becomes bland. And the choices, where it comes down to right or wrong, you always have the power to oblige or resist! Well, „Be the change that you wish to see in the world‟.
“When we say things like “people don’t change” it drives scientist crazy because change is literally the only constant in all of science. Energy. Matter. It’s always changing, morphing, merging, growing, dying. It’s the way people try not to change that’s unnatural. The way we cling to what things were instead of letting things be what they are. The way we cling to old memories instead of forming new ones. The way we insist on believing despite every scientific indication that anything in this lifetime is permanent. Change is constant. How we experience change that’s up to us. It can feel like death or it can feel like a second chance at life. If we open our fingers, loosen our grips, go with it, it can feel like pure adrenaline. Like at any moment we can have another chance at life. Like at any moment, we can be born all over again.” – Popular Television Series Grey’s Anatomy.
Moon Moon Mohanty
BRAND WARS
The much awaited “Starbucks” opened with a lot of fanfare and pomp in the bustling city of Mumbai. People thronged this international outlet for a cup of their renowned “coffee”. Now around two months or so after its grand opening, you see youngsters, office goers everyone milling to this “Coffee Paradise”. Situated in a posh locality in South Bombay, one may think it‟s only the upper class that frequents this joint. How wrong indeed we are!! There was an era when “cutting chai” (tea) at the nearest thela (street term for “stall”), was the best chai anyone could get and afford for that matter. Coffee was a “western norm “, which was indulged only once in a while. But then brands like Nestle came into the market, introducing us to this addictive drink. Soon we had Bru, foraying into this territory. The best marketing strategies were rolled out, roping Bollywood stars like Deepika Padukone & Priyanka Chopra respectively. In no time, they had made “coffee lovers” out of us traditional chai patrons.
This paradigm shift though was a gradual one, is something that is very much prevalent in India now. As the standard of living in cities is going up, people want to have more international brands to look at. Names like Chanel, Prada, Gucci, in the clothing sector, are only a few names that have entered our Indian markets and familiarized us with their products. You no longer spot the familiar kirana shop (grocery shop), wherein you could haggle for lowering the prices, and buy stuff on credit basis, just because you know the shopkeeper. The personal touch as one may say, is lost in this, if you want to buy anything, a mall is the “one stop shop”, wherein you would get everything that you want.
But, if you look at the bright side of this, we Indians are moving and adapting with time. But the down fall at the same time is that, this is impacting the lives of many small businessmen, for whom the bread & butter were their shops & their personal rapport their customers. So if you look at it, although we are progressing, we are not addressing the issue of how will the better half of India survive in such situation. Progress is not a single entity; there are other factors that are affected. Hence thinking of more holistic approaches is the only way out of this situation! Making people aware of this situation will help us in thinking of a way out of this, without hampering anyone in the bargain.
Satya Nair HR Executive Thomas Cook (India) Limited, Mumbai
THE MOST ETHICAL COMPANIES IN THE WORLD
Late Latin borrowed it as ethicus, the feminine of which (ethica, for ἠθικήφιλοσοφία "moral philosophy") is the origin of the modern English word ethics. In this world which is “going to the dogs”, we see that ethics is playing a very important role, not just to keep a respectable public image, but also for companies to sometimes remind themselves of abiding to the policies that the company adopted in the first place. This year,The Ethisphere Institute, an international think tank, has just announced its seventh annual list of the World‟s Most Ethical Companies. We see that this survey or report was open to any company around the world to participate in this drive. Around 138 companies were finalised after a comprehensive research was done on various parameters like the tone of the top management towards their subordinates, employee well-being, CSR, compliance and other important areas. The list which can be found in the references section shows the list of companies (no rankings given but are listed alphabetically) are leaders of their respective industries. We further note that this list covered companies across 100 countries across 36 industries/sectors.
Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute is of the notion that companies find ethical behaviour increases their competitiveness in their industry, further proving that this culture of ethics is crucial to sustainable excellence. Out of the 138 companies finalised, we see new companies joining the list like Visa, Sherwin-Williams and 12 other newcomers. Several companies which were listed last year were dropped, due to various circumstances like litigation or ethics violations, etc as Ethisphere follows a very thorough procedure of multiple-choice questions given to the company which defines the company‟s ethics quotient, reviewing codes of ethics and litigation, evaluating investment in innovation and sustainable business practices, etc Fifteen companies have been in the list for the 7 years that this list has been released, with 30 companies making it to the list atleast twice.
For India, its good news because emerging markets, apart from the Latin markets are forming a greater chunk of these ethical companies, such as Tata Steel and SingTel from Singapore, etc. The results of companies getting included in this list is that employees and potential employees want to work with such companies for a long time, thus showing their loyalty, with other obvious reasons of improving their reputation on the public scene. Let us only hope that we have an ever increasing number of Indian and Asian countries in the list in the years to come. References: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/06/the-worlds-most-ethicalcompanies-in-2013/
Benjamin Taylor ISBE/FW/11-13/E
IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN EDUCATION Nowadays gender inequality in education is extreme. Girls are less likely to access schools in the past, to remain in schools or to achieve in education. Education helps women to claim their rights and realize their potential in the economic, social and political arenas. Female education is a catch-all term for a complex of issues and debates surrounding education. (There are few types like primary education, secondary education, tertiary education and health education) in particular for females. It includes areas of gender equality and access to education, IES connection to the alleviation of single-sex education and religious education. In that division of education along gender lines and religious techniques on education, have been traditionally dominant and are still highly relevant in contemporary discussion of female education as a global consideration. While the feminist movement has certainly prompted the importance of the issues attached to female education, discussion is wide-ranging and by no means confirmed to narrow terms of reference. For Example: Universal Education means State should provide primary and secondary education independent of gender is not yet a global norm, even if it assumed in most developed countries. In some western countries women have surpassed men at many levels of education. For instance in United States in 2006, women earned 62% of Associate degrees, 58% of Bachelorâ€&#x;s degrees, 60% of Master degrees and 50% of Doctorates.
Improving girls education levels have been demonstrated to have clear impacts on the health and economic future of young women, which in turn improves the prospects of their community. In the poorest countries of the world 50% of girls do not attend secondary schools. From some of the past researches and present data, we can find a vast difference in their increase of lifetime income by 15% even though they have no access to secondary schooling.
As Mahatma Gandhi says, “Educate one man, you educate one person, but educate a woman and you educate a whole civilization.” In 2011, the literacy rate of women was 65.46%, but there has been an increase in the percentage of women education within two years. In 2013 the literacy rate is 74.04%. It means that there has been 9% increase from 2011. In India if we talk about the state Kerala, it has the highest literacy rate of 93.9% which is the top state in India followed by Lakshadweep and Mizoram at the second and third positions with 92.3% and 91.06% respectively. In Andhra Pradesh there has been a vast change from 2008 till now. In 2008 it was 58.03% and now it is 64.06%. Education plays a predominant role in the society as it is the only means through which we can lift the people out of poverty. Education plays a particular important role as a foundation for a girl‟s development towards adult life. It should be intrinsic part of a strategy to address the gender based discrimination against women and girls. By educating women there will be few changes in the society which will cultivate and inculcate the people of the community: 1. 2. 3. 4.
There will be cultural changes Better health and awareness Poverty reduction Awareness of responsibility and rights
In 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has recognized that everybody has the right to education. These rights have been further elaborated to address issues like quality and equity. The right of girl‟s education is one of the most critical of all rights because education plays an important role in enabling girls and women to secure other rights. Finally they can reach extreme levels in their life.
Kranthi PGP/WIN/13-15
WE ALWAYS LET IT GO A blink would have worked wonders, A word was enough to change the mindset, A touch could have said it all, But we always let it go.......... Our world would have changed, Love would have loved us, Life would have looked more beautiful, But we always let it go.......... This path of life was different from all others. Never thought I would stand this way thinking when and how this happened. My eyes were numb, it was time to part. But, how do I leave those memories that were buried deep inside my heart. I stood there staring at him, he stood the other side. Our sight was freezed, nothing else looked more beautiful than each other. Even though a spark had left a deep mark, we behaved as if our feelings were soiled. We made a promise, an everlasting one, no matter what memories will never fade. It was difficult to say "Bye" but necessary as well. I was losing something, finding it again somewhere else will be a difficult task, may be difficulty was the way of my life. Years after that accident (what I call it now), when I think of those days that laugh still echo's in my ears, I still remember that smell and that picture perfectly clear in my mind. Fate was the magician which showed many game plays. I always questioned myself how did I let it go? but, consoling myself was like another habit that I have adapted, every time I cogent myself "when we cry even a drop of tear doesn't stay with us, how can we expect something to become so permanent in life. Everyone and everything has its own entry and exit. It was time to leave and we let it go."
G P Manisha UGP/FW/ICHE-B/2010-13