10 unpleasant facts about Facebook

1

(websitelikes.org)

        Don’t think that your status updates and posts are reaching everyone in your friends list. It reaches only about 12% of people in your friends list. So don’t worry, if you don’t get ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ from many friends.

2         

     Nothing you update, contribute, comment or like in FB is erased permanently. Even after you deactivate your account, the data remains.

3

(yahoo news)

       Many educational institutions check the facebook history of the students. Most of the employers check the FB before selecting an employee. FB data of yours can tell about how much time you have spent in FB, what are the posts you have put, who are your friends, what ideas you supported, etc. Some diplomatic missions and international agencies also check the FB profile and timeline.

 4

(socialwebnewsdaily.com)

       Many countries have very stringent punishments for offences related to social networking. In India, criminal action can be initiated against you  if your comment or what you post or share in FB, is directly or indirectly

• -          Offensive
• -          Menacing
• -          False
• -          Causing annoyance
• -          Causing inconvenience
• -          Causing danger
• -          Causing obstruction
• -          Causing insult
• -          Causing injury
• -          Causing criminal intimidation
• -          Enmity
• -          Hatred
• -          ill will
• -          sending message to cheat or deceive people 

   Therefore, be careful while liking, commenting, or sharing posts in FB. Also, one should know that FB is the Number 1 platform in the world where lies are spread instantly across the world. If you are not sure of the authenticity avoid sharing, liking or commenting. Think again before pressing the Enter key.

5

        Be very careful about accepting friend requests. A few of them enter with fake gender identity and profile photo. If the request is suspicious, look at their friends lists. You will get a clue about that person. Many dubious businesses thrive (including the oldest one) through FB platform! There are also several cyber criminals and representatives of terror outfits with fake names sending friends requests. Don't just go by list of mutual friends. 

6

(unidentified google image)

  Facebook has absolute ownership of the entire data, photos and everything shared through FB. It is not prevented from using that for any other purpose.

7

(geeksongrand.com)

        Every facebook user should customize the privacy settings including your option to approve the photos posted to your timeline by others before they are visible to others. Exercise your option not to share your ad-likes to third parties. Your FB activity can be accessed by persons other than your friends who can monitor the activity in the ‘happening now’ feeds.

8

(karachicorner.com)

       Keep your private information private, if possible. (What is private, you have to judge yourself). Don’t geo-tag your location in real time.

9

(kumbulagroups.blogspot)

     Many apps shared in FB have malware embedded. Some would have spyware also. Therefore, don’t click on every app requests/utility/game/page popped up in the side bar or shared by others.

10

(gagtics.com)

     You can be creative and re-creative in FB. But Facebook kills the creativity in the real world. Limit the time you spend in FB.

MORAL OF THE STORY

Success germinates outside the walls of facebook.

So get set and jump the Facebook wall and return 

with a glory to post!  

Sibichen K Mathew

For comments, click  COMMENTS  below. You may share this with others by clicking on the FB/Twitter/Mail ikons below

Click below to read my articles on related topic
    
       Leave me alone: Privacy in a snooping world

       No Privacy anymore: A critical look at Google's privacy policy

       Truth shall set us free

My Maruti 800 Story

This December, my Maruti 800 completes 15 long years with me. It travelled along with me all these years to all the places I stayed. But my wife and children are not very amused by my special attachment towards the cute small green car. They tried all these years to cajole, coerce and intimidate me to buy a better car. All the three of them used to show me every new car on the road and narrate the advantages of buying one of them. And I hated any such narration and retorted them with the merits of my Maruti 800. I keep telling them,  ‘as long as this car takes us to our destination without any trouble, I don’t think there is any necessity for a change’. Though its use has come down these days because of the leased vehicle from the organization where I am working, I used to travel hundreds of kilometres in my Maruti on my trips to my native place earlier.

On one of the trips to the hills in 1998 (scanned photo)

My Maruti 800 has never left me stranded on the road all these years. I have never spent any large sum for repairs.  This is in contrast with my first car, a second hand ‘fiat’, bought from my maternal uncle, just before my marriage. That car almost ruined me both emotionally and financially. Imagine, you learn driving in a car that gives you all sorts of mechanical and electrical complaints every now and then.

Unfortunately, all my prime energetic young age was spent in classrooms and university libraries. I never thought of learning even to ride a two wheeler at that time. Main blame for this should go to my mother.  She said ‘Two wheelers are very dangerous. Don’t ever think of riding even a bicycle’. She also used to say: ‘Don’t play, you will get spoiled; Don’t pray, you will become a priest’.  So, my childhood was without any toys or many friends, but a lot of ‘General Knowledge’ books!

(Photo of a fiat car. I used the same model. My blood boils even now)

First few months of valuable family life were spent learning the art of driving and repairing the car. My friends, staff, and many strangers extended their ‘push’ at unexpected times when the battery, wiring or the engine failed. Finally I managed to get a buyer for the car. (And even now, if I see a fiat car on the road my blood boils and my mood spoils. And my wife laughs and tells our children, ‘there goes Appa’s favourite car!’) I decided to buy a car on my own without any help from my doctor wife, rich in-laws or my mother. I approached a relative of mine who is the manager of a scheduled bank. He said, ‘loan can be sanctioned at 16% interest, but bank requires original document of land holdings in your mother’s name’. Ridiculous! Apart from the hypothecation of car to the bank, I have to pledge the agricultural land to the bank! I went to a nationalized bank and they sanctioned the loan in two days for much less rate of interest and without any other collateral security. And thus I possessed my Maruti 800.

Thanks Sajjive for this wonderful creation on this occasion 

I get really furious whenever there is a demand from my children to throw this car. I ask them, 'in our city, whether it is a Maybach Exelero or a Ferrari or a Rolls Royce Phantom or a BMW, all can go only at the same speed as the Maruti 800. Then why do we need a better car?' But I know, I may have to abandon my favourite car one day. My children say, 'send it to the vintage collection of classic cars museum'. I said to my son, 'we will do that only after you get a licence learning driving in this car'. But my daughter is the most scared person since I told her, ‘this Maruti 800 will be our gift to you when you get married, may be after another fifteen years!’

( With my car on  its 16th year)




Thanking God for His protection all along! 

Some public perceptions about honest people

Public perceptions of certain fundamental principles

Honesty is the most likeable quality. 

But honest people are not always likeable. Honest people are fundamentalist, unsophisticated, and rude. They always give unpleasant replies. They are rule bound, bookish and very matter of fact in response. They don’t condone mistakes. They don’t regularize deviations. Even when they are polite, they tend to give sweet injections instead of ‘helping’ the erred ones.

Honesty is said to be the best policy.

But policy of honest men is a real irritant. He is arrogant when he makes it clear in no uncertain terms that certain things are not possible. He is stupid when he denies an offer. He is taught a lesson when he out rightly denies a favour. When he considers a genuine claim, he is grossly unfair.

Honesty is a virtue.

But honest fellows are boring. They fuss when they are given a drink. They are tight lipped. They behave as if others would steal their ideas. They listen to all conversations and chose not to contribute anything. They refuse party invitations. Even if they agree, they put conditions about other invitees.

Honesty comes out of wisdom.

But honest persons are fools. They are impractical. Their life is worthless. What is the use of giving them power?  They fail to make use of the opportunities.

Honesty comes out of brave heart.

But honest persons are cowards.  They are scared to act.

Honesty should be rewarded.

But honest persons should be witch hunted. They should be made answerable for even a small error of judgment. Throw the first stone at the honest man.  Many would love to see him falling.

Honesty is to be taught.

But no one wants to listen to the sermons of an honest man. It is no fun hearing him.

Honesty is respected.

What is there to respect an honest man? He refuses to budge when he is requested to. What nonsense?

Honesty is a rarity.

But it is disgusting to see the honest people who try to swim across the wave. If entire system is dishonest, what is the use of a few raising a red flag?

Honesty leads to enduring success.

But the projects and initiatives of honest people are deserved to be shot down.

Honesty brings good reputation.

But honest men do honest things for gaining good name for them. Dig his cupboard and plant skeletons. Defame him at any cost.

William Shakespeare said: ‘No legacy is as rich as honesty’.

But the honest people will indeed die poor. But smile in his grave and beyond?

Conclusion

People love honesty; but hate honest people

Still I feel it is worth to be honest!  

(inspire.me)

"If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much:

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!"

(Rudyard Kipling)

(Views are personal. You may forward the article by e-mail, FB, or Twitter by clicking the ikons below. Comments are welcome)

Sibichen K Mathew

About the recent trip to Kerala

Many readers ask me to write more articles stemming from personal experiences. Of course, a blog  titled ‘Cyber Diary’ should necessarily contain more personal stuff. I do like to write a lot on my experiences rather than on my views, observations and attitudes that I post more often. But my wish, not to publicise my multiple roles in real life prevented me from narrating personal experiences. May be, once I am out of the Weberian iron cage, I would be able to share with you the real life musings. However, I started realising one thing. As one grows old, one tends to have the propensity to share more of his experiences and less of his views.  Here is a short note on my recent Kerala trip.

I scribble this sitting in the Thiruvananthapuram airport terminal-2 waiting for the much delayed flight to Bangalore. The only flight by the government carrier to Bangalore was an International one, going to Male.  As I was about to write about why they did not inform the passengers about this delay earlier over phone, I get a call from the Bombay call centre that the flight is delayed by more than two hours. I told him that I have already reached the airport and had it been informed an hour before, I could have spent some more productive time in my home state. Though I got annoyed a bit, I continue to have my faith in Air India. (click here to see my article). I hear people say that ‘the business of government is not to do business’. But I always felt that the presence of state is desirable in some sectors for strategic reasons.

But, should State be in the hospitality sector? After my experience in staying in a government luxury hotel for about three days in this city, I feel it is not worth to have mismanaged hotels in the public sector. Though I had an option to stay in posh hotels in the capital city of Kerala, I chose to stay in one of the well-known government-run hotels. But my experience was very bad and I found that the service offered by them was pitiable as compared to the tariff they charged. I had to carry the luggage myself to the room and the room-boy waited just outside my room to pick up the luggage so that he can drop it inside the room and scratch his head.  Complimentary buffet breakfast menu was almost the same every day. The staff is untrained to run the hotel owned by public sector tourism corporation. Flies feasted on the confectioneries, fruits and all those food items which were not covered. Food was insipid and devoid of manifestation of any particular culinary skills for the huge price charged. The flooring of the dining area was designed by someone years back and I found a number of persons tripping as they couldn't make out that some part of the floor is at a slightly higher level.

When many hotels give free wifi access, this hotel charged Rs 100/- per hour without ensuring network in the room. Huge resources and facilities in this hotel in the heart of the city are wasted because of very poor bookings. The dining hall was almost empty, but for the groups of people clad in white attire. The worst thing during my stay was spotting a centipede in the night in my room. While leaving the hotel to the airport, the taxi driver gave me much more information about the hotel as narrated by many guests and I felt why government should waste its resources in the hospitality sector if it can’t ensure quality and efficiency. I am writing this as a concerned citizen and hoping that things will improve so that everyone who is surviving on this establishment get benefited. (You can see some reviews about this hotel here)

During my stay in the city, I was delighted by the dynamism, enthusiasm and sincerity of the staff of two broadcasting companies in the public sector. One was the television channel where I had to give a live telecast and the other was the All India Radio where I had to give an interview. I found some friendly and creative souls who sincerely worked in both places amidst several resource constraints. I am not sure how many persons watch the channels aired by Government corporations and how many advertisers are interested in sponsoring their programs. But these corporations are doing wonderful work by airing valuable programs for the welfare of citizens, when other channels focus on programs that give them big sponsorship.  (I saw a news report that the state government wants to start its own television channel to add to a large number of Malayalam channels vying for advertisements for survival)

During my trip, I had a quick visit to a post graduate college specialized in teaching social sciences and interacted with senior faculty members who had misplaced worries about the future of social sciences as a discipline offering satisfying careers. My suggestion to those who have such fear is to read the article ‘The end of Sociology?’ and also a position paper on the role of social sciences in governance. I gave a talk to a bunch of post graduate students who have been the products of an educational environment that never trained them to think, react and respond.  It is high time they take serious steps to equip themselves to be on the demand list of many employers rather than pinning hopes on the next PSC test.

My indefinite wait for the flight continued. Meanwhile my friend called me and asked how the new Thiruvananthapuram international airport terminal is? I said:  ‘Nothing much to say. Passengers are looking at the air conditioner vent wondering whether the A/C is really switched on.  People are hunting for a proper plug point to charge their laptops. Passengers find it difficult to hear the announcements because of the very loud noise from the televisions sets. Toilet stinks. There is a long queue to collect cold samosa and tea offered by the airline as an excuse for the delayed flight’. (see my related article on Bangalore International Airport).

In spite of all the above experiences, I enjoyed being in the God’s own country!

(Views are personal. You can give your comments by clicking below. You may also forward this by e-mail, FB or Twitter by clicking the ikons below)

Read below my related articles on Kerala and Mallus:

Of Sunanda Pushkar, Mallus and the Sexual Escapades

The Sensual Mallu and the Web Culture

The Festival of Bandh

Keep your cell phone away; go back to your landline!

                                   

  Keep your cell phone away; go back to your landline!

 The cordless phone connected to my landline went out of order. I couldn’t get anyone to get it set right. All of them advised me to throw it in the dustbin. I went to the showrooms. ‘There is hardly any choice these days’, the salesman grinned and directed me to the Diwali display of high end cell phones!

They said no one uses a landline cordless phone in this age of cell phone. Many people have surrendered their landline connections. Senior citizens complain that as the service provider is not prompt in repairing the landline faults, they are also forced to buy cell phones.

In every home, we can hear cell phones ringing from every nook of the house. From the Grandma to the maid, everyone has a mobile, and some have more than one. People can’t live without it even for a minute.

source

By the end of 2011, there were 85.7 mobile phone subscriptions for every 100 persons in the world. It was 77 out of 100, India. China already has 1 billion subscriptions and India is expected to reach 1 billion within a few months. The large prepaid customer base in developing countries like India indicates its popularity as it is affordable for the low income group of the population. While prepaid customers are 70% of the total telephone subscribers in the world, it is more than 87% in the developing countries.

Are cell phones safe?

Some precautionary guidelines have been given recently. Many health organizations also discourage excessive use of mobile phones.

     If you have a choice, use a landline/ land phone, instead of a mobile phone.

·         Limit the length of mobile calls to the minimum. Use it mainly for Text Messages.

·         Hold  the cell phone away from body to the extent possible.

·     Do not press the phone handset on your head. It is said that the Radio Frequency energy is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source.

·     Use the cell phone when the signal is good. If the signal is weak, a mobile phone will increase its transmission power.

·      Avoid movement while calling over mobile. (I used to make my calls while going for walks. This is dangerous if you are walking through a space where there is signal fluctuation. Especially in between buildings, basements, lifts etc.)

·       Where to store your mobile phone while you are out? Better to ask your tailor to stitch a side pocket near your belly. Do not carry it in the pocket near your chest. They say, don’t keep it in your pants pocket also. (Men, beware!)

·      Though there is no scientific study that mobile phone use cause headaches, excessive use will not be healthy.

·      Reduce mobile phone use by children as they would tend to use it for longer hours. (Also lovers and young married couples!)

·         People with medical implants should keep the cell phone at least 15 cm away from the implant.

·       Connect to the call and then bring it near your ear. There will be more radiation at the time of reception. It is said that a mobile phone first makes the communication at higher power and then reduces power to an adequate level.

·        It is a myth that it is safer to use a mobile phone while in a car. There is no scientific evidence to show that car shields you from radiation.

Moral of the story

Go back to your good old landline. Get a cordless phone. But, there are some studies that say cordless phone also to be avoided if possible. Then, best is to have as many parallel instruments or additional landline connections at home or in the offices.

There is one more reason for this. That is the data security. See my article ' Leave me alone: Right to privacy in a snooping world' 

source

I know this is a bad news. But……restrict till we are sure of its safety!

(VIEWS ARE PERSONAL)

(Source for Information: International Telecommunication Union and DoT, Govt of India)

(You can e-mail to others or tag the article to FB by clicking the icons at the end. Click COMMENTS below to give your views)

See my related articles: A true telephonic story

                             

                                   Leave me alone: Right to privacy in a snooping world

Of Sunanda Pushkar, Mallus and the Sexual escapades

The paradoxical malayali mindset and related behavioural aberrations were demonstrated in full media glare recently in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram.  A 19 year old young man made indecent advances to the 50 year old wife of a newly sworn in Union Minister when the jubilant couple were surrounded by hundreds of followers and onlookers. Thankfully, and to the molester’s utter misfortune, the elegant non-Keralite lady managed to make her right hand freed from commotion, to hit at him in rage.

In an interview later to a national TV Channel she said:

  ‘Men feel that in such mob situations they can take advantage of the body of the women and they will grope in unwanted places. In such circumstances, men feel they have a right to abuse or hurt women. Some people told me I shouldn’t have hit him. The ‘politically correct’ thing would have been to smile and grin and bear it. And that’s what our women have been put through for centuries. I forgave him after he profusely apologized for the offence.’

What a shame for  Keralites and  malayali men particularly. Also, what a great lesson she has given to all women who live in and visit Kerala. How many women who travel in public transports have not received such indecent advances from co-passengers or the staff? How many women have not experienced eve teasing on public roads? How many women have the guts to react like Sunanda Pushkar on such deliberate attempts by men? 

High rank in Molestation

Please update your General Knowledge.

 Kerala is on top not just for its highest literacy rate, life expectancy or lowest infant mortality rate, but for many other shameful achievements. 

• Kerala ranked 8 among 35 States and Union Territories in India in the contribution to total crime against women in the country in the year 2011. 
• Kerala is in the 3^rd position in total number of molestation incidents in the country. 
• It has also the ‘credit’ for getting the 3^rd rank for total number of sexual harassment under section 509 of Indian Penal code.
• Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram has all India 5^th position among 88 major cities in the country for total number of molestations reported in 2011.  

(Number of molestation incidents for 2011, Kerala lost third position to Maharashtra for just 38 incidents)

Some more interesting data from the statistics of National Crime Records Bureau.

•  Kerala got 3^rd rank in incest (rape) and first rank in total number of rapes (incest) where victim is below 14 years. 
• There is good performance in the area of molestation year after year. In 2010 it was 2939, and in 2011 there were 3756 molestation cases. Remember, thousands of cases go unreported every year. 
• As per the statistics of Kerala Police, in the year 2012, upto September, there are 715 incidents of rape, 2798 cases of molestation (with capital city topping with 545 cases), 343 cases of eve teasing, out of 9758  total offences against women in Kerala. 

Yes, there is steady growth!

Kerala is one of the few places in the world where women outnumber men. For every 100 men, there are 109 women in Kerala.  Even globally, the sex ratio has been negative for a long time. In 2000, there were only 986 females for every 1,000 males in the world. More number of educated women means more incidents of harassment and molestation? What a paradox!

The incorrigible Mallu

The word ‘Mallu’ (a widely known nickname for a malayali) is a popular internet key word for any sort of sexually explicit literature, images, videos and movies. It is true that Pornography, a world-wide multibillion dollar industry caters to a large number of population since several centuries to fulfil non-intrusively their sexual urges. But what is intriguing is the predominant ‘mallu’ presence in the cyber space (See my article on ‘Mallu Web Culture’). Even movies and videos with erotic overtones are being named as ‘mallu stuff’ irrespective of any other  Indian language in which they are made. This is because of the unique historical background  of Malayalam movies. The directors of many Malayalam movies released in the 1980s and 1990s disseminated new definitions and conceptions for sexuality, eroticism and women. They created a new wave among youth based on misconceived notions about female sexual expectations, misplaced physical attributes of sensuality, and mistaken perception about marital relationships.  This resulted in creating sexual perversions among the youth of those times and impacted their attitude and approaches towards women. This attitudes and behavioural pattern got ingrained in Kerala Society.

The problem got aggravated in due course. In an outwardly conservative society, the double standards and pseudo morality resulted not in reduction of sexual crimes and perversions, but in radical increase in the incidents of molestation, sex scandals, organized sex rackets, sexual harassment etc. Women in Kerala cannot travel alone in public transports or walk alone on the roads after evening hours. Even when they are accompanied by men, they are not spared of the lecherous eyes of men of all ages.

Will giving a vent is a solution?

Noted Malayalam writer Paul Zacharia told once in an interview to my friend  T.S. Sreenivasa Raghavan that ‘a place where one can have healthy sex without fear or anxiety would be welcome’.  It is an absolutely ‘out of the box’ proposition for the conservative Kerala. And morally unacceptable too. But would this be like a ‘placebo’ as believed by Zacharia? Will this save the men suffering from sexual suppression and repression and will curtail the sociopathic behaviour of sex maniacs?   Supporters of the above point towards the licensed service providers in many countries where men go and relieve their urges rather than peeping, leching  and pouncing on hapless ladies. Shall we think of adopting this as a therapeutic approach, without infringing on the moral principles?

Sunanda Pushkar could face it head on. But what about ordinary mortals? We need policy intervention more than the police intervention on this sociological malady. The reason is that, Kerala is more than a State; it is a state of mind!

(views are personal)                                                                                       Sibichen K Mathew

(You can e-mail to others or tag the article to FB by clicking the icons at the end. Click COMMENTS below to see all the comments from readers)

Click here to see related articles in CYBER DIARY:

Sensual Mallu and web culture

Aleph, Paulo Coelho and my Friend   (About child sex abuse)

Inhuman act: But do not write off Air India

I hated Air India earlier. That was when I had the option to travel both by the government carrier as well as by the private airlines. I disliked the way the hospitality crew threw stale sandwiches at me in a fusty demeanour. Instead, I adored the ‘king of good times’ for his much more personable team with stylish red attire and cordiality.  But later, when the organization where I was attached to, put a blanket ban on any travel by the profit making enterprises, I was forced to get back to the Maharaja again.

Air India's new Dreamliner

But it was an amazing experience thereafter on each trip. I found a radical transformation in the attitude of the crew of Air India in the last few years. The personnel started taking very sincere efforts to compete with private operators by enhancing the airline’s overall performance, improving the quality of service, and offering much better hospitality. While the carrier which claims to fly people at a low cost (but the price many times comparable to Air India) would not even give you a glass of water without begging more than once, Air India gives delicious meals on long trips and tasty snacks on short trips. I found the crew of Air India much more natural and genuine in their conduct and response than the artificial grins of the crews of some of private operators.

We found that good times are not permanent if the smiles are not built on strong foundations. Beauty is not skin deep. Colourful empires crumbled and found it difficult to pay for the smiles. One can’t blame these airlines alone. Which airline in the aviation industry has made consistent profits in the world? Not a single one. So the problems are much more deep rooted.

My adoration to Air India suffered a dent a few days back. That was when I saw the news about a few hapless travellers who faced the wrath of certain officials and security men for demonstrating their legitimate protest against the decision of the airline to drop them off at Thiruvananthapuram airport instead of Kochi airport for which they had paid the fare. In fact, about 200 odd passengers spent more than 10 hours in the flight without snacks, drinking water, or air conditioning. It was alleged that one of the police officials told the angry passengers to drink urine, if they were thirsty. And I saw a video footage of some of these passengers manhandled by uniformed men, in one of the television channels. May be, the passengers were wrong if they have prevented the pilot from leaving the aircraft. But Air India should have taken care to prevent such miseries happening to the passengers. In the long run, this would definitely affect the image of the airline which is striving to retain its market share.

Courtsey: Deccan Chronicle

Air India is still the best as compared to many other airlines plying in the domestic sector, though I am not sure of the international sector. I had bitter experiences of getting stranded because of the inefficiency of some private airlines. I have mentioned one such incident in one of my earlier articles ‘Low cost window dressing of life’. I have also experienced how crews of some international airlines discriminate passengers from different countries in their hospitality and approach. Instead of boycotting an Airline for a few unfortunate instances of individual aberrations, there should be systematic demands for effective and long-term solutions for consumer issues. The ball is in the court of the officials. 

(Views are personal)

Sibichen K Mathew

Please click the link below to read other articles on related topic

Can we have an airport for people? Part-I

Can we have an airport for people? Part-II

Low cost window dressing of life

Built on Trust: The living legend who magnified an event called LIFE

-The inspirational life story of Dr P C Thomas 

Life is given on a platter. It comes in all hues. It is for the individual to sketch it the way he wants. Here is a man who envisioned and redesigned his life amidst adversities and built an empire of trust, love and knowledge. I was one of the lucky ones to secure a copy of the book ‘An event called LIFE: Dr P C Thomas in conversation with Shobhana Kumar’ on the day of its release. And I spent the rest of the day reading the inspirational memoir of this extraordinary individual who created wonders out of the ordinary.

Born of a perfectionist mother from an aristocratic family, Thomas was fortunate to get educated in the best academic institutions. The teachers spotted his academic calibre, leadership skills and creative spirit early in his life. He stood unique among his peers because of his innovative thinking, distinctive styles, drive and determination. Cultural and social upbringing greatly influences in shaping the personality of an individual. This is very evident in the case of Dr P C Thomas. The initial chapters of the book contain interesting anecdotes of his life in the ancestral house, cultural and religious exposures, and interaction with several persons who made lasting impressions on him. One such interaction was with C Rajagopalachari, who was the founder of the SwatantraParty and later became the Governor General of India and the Chief Minister of Madras State. After a short interaction with young Thomas, he remarked ‘I am impressed with your attention to detail’.

He was a passionate teacher all along. Though, as a strict disciplinarian he earned the nickname ‘Pinching Commander’, he was (CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE -->)

Paid news: One more reason to get away from all the NEWS!

I was listening to heated conversations over television news channels the other day. The persons in the studio and away from the studio eloquently shared their agonies about the widespread ‘paid news’ phenomena in the Indian media. Who said this? Not any politician or activist. These are told to the public by representatives from the leading media houses, regulatory bodies related to the media, and associations of media men. All of them agreed that money brings or blocks news. We heard of payment seats in educational institutions. Similarly, we have paid news in the media. All along it was an allegation from outside. Now it is official!

This reminds me of one of my articles written a few years back. Let me reproduce it before you. You can read the full text by clicking 'full article' at the end.

My son! Please don't watch the news

(SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2010)   

Like any other child of his age, my son was addicted to TV since he started going to school. He took the control of the remote and I was at his mercy to keep the remote for at least for some time in my hand. He was keener on watching cartoons aired simultaneously by several competing channels. He learned all the theme songs of various animated shows and thoroughly enjoyed watching all of them whenever he is awake at home. Both my wife and me had to quietly allow this obsession as we were left undisturbed during that period. We could hear protracted loud laugh as he watched those shows from the TV room. As he grew bigger and elevated from primary classes to middle school, he was loaded with enormous homework and assignments. His class notes became shabby and he was hardly keen on correcting the notes written by him. He preferred just to listen to the lectures of the teachers and do nothing. That is what he got habituated through the cartoon programmes. Just watch the show and enjoy. Nothing to think and nothing to do. 

Like most of the young parents who live in nuclear families, we also thought that the art of training the children and upbringing them are ‘trial and error’ as no parent qualified a proficiency test in child rearing. My son’s diminishing interest in academics has worried us. And my wife .....Click here for full article

A letter to myself on this birthday!

Dear Sibichen,

Wishing you a very happy birthday!

Congratulations for your journey through the road less travelled. I read ‘Tomorrow is my birthday’ which you wrote two years back and ‘Today is my birthday’, you wrote last year. But already a few days have passed since your birthday, and still you have not posted anything like that this year. Don’t lose your way! You are on the right track. Follow the calling.

You are now confused! Whom you should listen: the freewill or conscience?

Freewill and conscience need not necessarily be in two distant realms where there is no mutual reproach or approach.  I know your question: Whether freewill should be subjected to the dictates of the conscience? Can the conscience issue prescriptions and proscriptions subject to the cultural and structural predispositions, if not biological and emotional predispositions? Freewill cannot be assumed to be a licence to act in response to the cathectic interests. Similarly, even when the inclination to act in a particular manner is guided by cognitive stimulants, it would not be necessarily justified. Thus there is an inherent dissonance between freewill triggered action and reaction and conscience triggered response.

Human, being the superior creation, has been given the power to act according to his freewill, of course within the parameters and boundaries set by immediate kith and kin, social networking circles, and the state. But it is a fact that there are enough areas in one’s life where none of these boundaries put up any restrictions or obstructions. Your thought processes are totally out of bounds for any external regulation, convention, norms, mores, or proscriptions. May be you would argue that ultimately action and behaviour would definitely be characterized by the above thought process and there could be restrictions at that level. It may also be argued that the thought processes triggered by freewill rather than conscience, very subtly influences the outward actions, though the true nature and dimensions of such action may not be very apparent to others. But the truth is that, the intention and character can be very obvious to others, may be almost immediately to those who are more intimate and to others if they are exposed to the person for a fairly long time. I don’t say that this situation is always an embarrassment. It can be an embarrassment only when the freewill and the conscience are positioned at rigidly and mutually exclusive realms without being complementary and supplementary to each other.

By this, I don’t mean that conscience is superior to freewill or vice versa. This depends on

Ordinary person; extraordinary life: A simple real life story for aspiring managers

Sibichen K Mathew

 
   

C.P Shrimali, son of Damodar  Lal Srimali was in Class 6. The chubby boy beamed with joy when his classmate distributed fountain pen to all his close friends on his birthday. He proudly attached the pen to his pocket and ran to the house immediately after the school. He wanted to show the pen to his siblings. The siblings were happy to see Shrimali’s new pen and they took turns to see it. In the night, when the father returned from work after writing the accounts for about seven shops from 7am to 9.30pm, he spotted a new pen with Shrimali.

He asked gently: “Dear son, I see a new pen with you. A very beautiful one. Where did you get it?”

Shrimali said: ‘Raj was celebrating his birthday today and he gave a pen to each of his close friends as a gift.’

“Such an expensive pen?” Shrimali’s father asked.