Editorial
Play a fair game
Penalty shoot-outs are unfair way of deciding football matches since a survey says that the team taking the first kick wins 60 percent of the time. This is because the psychological disadvantage of playing 'catch up' affects the team going second. Instead of penalty shoot-outs, a tennis style tie-break system should be applied where the first team would shoot once, followed by the second team shooting twice, and so on, to level, the playing field. In case of penalty shoot-outs, the team going second is usually more stressed.
Footballers are paid big bucks to perform at the highest level to the utmost of their abilities. That includes dealing with the mental rigours of their sport, along with the physical. So they should get psychological advantage by replacing penalty shoot out system by tie-breaker.
Sport is a mix of luck and talent. Struggle and overcoming adversity are its central themes. This makes football a beautiful game. But penalty shoot-outs is just not a fair way of deciding the result of the match since they are more about luck than skills. The psychological pressure of losing the coin toss and going second is unfair. In an intense game like football, where small percentages can swing a match, leaving so much to chance is unjustifiable.
Psychological factors play a big part in sport. A lot depends on the player's ability and his mental determination to overcome the opposition. Hence a fair-play should be ensured. At present, in a football game, we have a pattern of play where the reaction time for goalkeepers is as little as 0.3 seconds. Next, those going first in penalty shoot-outs have the opportunity to square up the score on their second try if they miss their first attempt. However, those going second don't have this luxury and are forced to play catch-up.
The scoring pattern in tennis is the most fair of all games. Hence this pattern should be used instead of penalty shoot-outs in the game of football so that the result of the match is decided not by lottery but by merit. That'll make football a fair game.
Editorial
Provide proper healthcare to common man
The world's growing riches seem to make little difference to over 100 million people globally as they slide into poverty every year because of healthcare costs. The financial consequences of illness are severe for many in poorer countries.
In India, high spending on health is a major reason for people sliding into poverty. Coming up with viable financing methods, therefore, is an urgent requirement for many countries, including India. The World Health Organization (WHO) has made a timely intervention by calling for reforms in the way nations finance healthcare. Who pays for healthcare? The cost is now borne by individuals in countries that have weak government-paid healthcare systems. In India, there has certainly been an increase in the share of private insurance to meet private health expenditure. But this is no substitute for the state's role in providing basic, affordable healthcare. It is a know fact that 90 percent of the amount spent on healthcare has been spent from the pocket of the patients or their near relatives. The health care has also become costly. Even for small treatments like asthma, a common man has to spend a five or sic figure amount. Then the treatment for major ailments like by-pass surgery, and other related heart surgeries can better be imagined than described. So there is a basic and urgent need for the state to provide affordable health care to its citizens. The government should see that a common man gets good health care at a cheaper rate.
Public healthcare system has to take care of three main requirements: first, access of healthcare facilities to all those who need it; second, medical treatment at a cost which the poor can afford; third, use of all the three 'pathies' Allopathy, Ayurveda and Homeopathy, depending upon the patient's needs to cure the ailments.
In India, not only the poor, even the middle class citizens can ill-afford to avail of primary and preventive healthcare, not to speak of securing specialized medical aid. Many Indians have in their lips a prayer to God that they should be spared of the killer diseases like cancer, heart conditions and the like. If these fatal ailments afflict them, they are found languishing painfully helpless, soliciting death to redeem them from agony and sufferings. It is high time the government owned up the responsibility to provide for healthcare for the ordinary.
Editorial
Health is Wealth
In order to solve the health problems, China and India, which accounts for almost half the world population, have made concerted efforts in imparting the knowledge and importance of a small family norm. But the poorer African countries consider it a taboo to talk or impose a small family norm and this is the reason why you find a big number of people suffering from health problems there.
World Health Organization (WHO) can play a crucial role in promoting healthcare especially in the poorer countries. WHO should devote its energy and attention on finding a balance between population growth and health care in poorer countries.
The government should have a tie up with leading health care hospitals in the country, to allow facilities for the poor and footing the bills, through appropriations in the budget. Is it too much asking the netas for this small help?
In a country like India, which have vast poor population, we should adopt the policy 'Prevention is better than cure'. The state should educate the people and show them the way to lead a healthy life. Health awareness is the key solution to the poor people rather than treatment after illness even though both are important.
Instead of spending lakhs of rupees in treating a patient infected with Hepatitis-B, it is better to prevent this ailment by a simple vaccination at much cheaper price. So what if the state has to bear the expense? After all, the government money is also the public money. Instead of having expensive bypass surgery or angio plasty which only enrich the hospital and doctors, it is better to force the people to lead a better and simple life style to prevent any heart problems.
We have seen the sordid state of health care in our country where poor die without treatment. Our country boasts of having become an economic power but we haven't yet learnt to respect human lives. The government needs to pool more resources and come up with more innovative ideas to make health care cheap and easily accessible to all. It should make our doctors serve some time in villages. It should train health staff for common diseases. It should provide at least the basic preventive health care. After all, health is wealth!
Editorial
India and Pakistan should make PEACE
If peace breaks out between India and Pakistan, it will prove to be a big event in South Asia. The economic downturn in the West provides opportunity to both the countries to enhance their global profile.
India and Pakistan can learn a lot of things from each other. There should be enhanced trade in products and services between the two since this can give tremendous boost to the economies of both the nations. Instead of depending on the third countries in the matter of trade, the two can indulge in direct trading with one another and save on costs incurred through diversion.
It was very kind of Pakistan to have sent onions to India when we were suffering the shortage of them. This is an example of emergency response by our neighbour to an ongoing crisis. If there will be more such kind of trade the relations between the two countries are bound to become more positive.
India and Pakistan should also focus on IT sector and cooperate with each other as far as this field is concerned simply because this field has a lot of potential. India can also learn a lot from the textile sector in Pakistan.
Both the countries should lift all the trade and investment barriers. This move will give tremendous boost to both their economies. Another thing is Jihadi militancy should be controlled by Pakistan since this will result in more foreign investment both in Pakistan as well as India. India too will benefit because she will be free from terror threat.
India and Pakistan should also cooperate with each other in the matter of Afghanistan. India should not mind Pakistan's attempting to strengthen Afghanistan. In fact India should also work with Pakistan to ensure development and stability in Afghanistan since India is bound to benefit by this move.
If both the country show political will they can resolve all the outstanding issues that exist between them. The government of both the countries should directly talk to each other as far as Kashmir is concerned. Besides that, the two should encourage official initiatives, people-to-people contacts as well as cultural and academic exchanges.
Only such positive moves by both India and Pakistan can bring about lasting peaceful relations between the two countries.
Editorial
Socially and ethically responsible celebrities
Sachin Tendulkar had refused to endorse a liquor brand when he was just 16 years old. That proved how socially and ethically responsible he was. It was a Rs 20 crore offer and yet he turned it down. Another person who took such a principled stand was actor Sanjay Dutt. He refused to endorse a cigarette brand. There are other actors and sportsmen who refused to do endorsements for tobacco products, liquor, gutka and the like. These acts on their part have given tremendous boost to their images. They proved that they were capable of taking sensible, responsible decisions. They deserved to be the accomplished professionals in their chosen fields. They deserved to be idolized by the countrymen. They lived up to their larger-than-life images and the status as role models. What these personalities do and say have tremendous influence on large segments of their fans, many of whom might not be old enough to have developed firm perspectives and personal codes. These products which they refused to endorse are of the kinds which can have adverse effects health or otherwise on thief fans. That's a good reason why these celebrities didn't barter their public image to the highest bidder because they knew the implications their wrong acts could have. Peddling harmful products or unethical causes just for money could have affected their brand values. So all these stars did the right thing from staying away from these products since although those products could have fetched them terrific monetary gain, their images would be badly damaged. Had they endorsed these products the public's perception of who they are in their private lives would have got converted from positive to negative. So hat's off to these celebrities!
EditorialLove your neighbour, preach all the religions
World religions have like-minded beliefs. Christianity says: Love thy neighour. Hindus believe that one should never do to others what would pain oneself. Islam says not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. The Sikh faith asks you to treat others as you would like to be treated. Zoroastrians believe that nature is only good when it shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self. Buddhists say, hurt not others with that which pains yourself. Confucius said: Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.
This proves that all the religions preach that you should love your neighbours. There are three things you can do with your neighbour. You can either love, hate or be indifferent to him or her. Loving your neighbour is the most sensible and best thing to do.
If you hate a person, you suffer from negative emotions. Being indifferent is showing apathy. Apathy is as negative as hatred. It is a cold emotion. Hence you are left with just one choice and that is to love your neighbour. Loving a person simply means respecting the person and thinking of his or her needs and desires as much as you would your own. Sometimes loving a neighbour could be irksome. But yet it is worth loving the neighbour. A neighbour is very important for you own peace and happiness. It is compulsory that you love your immediate neighbour so that you can live peacefully and happily. The more neighbours you love it is better for you. By loving more neighbours, the circle of love gets wider and lessens the differences of community, state, nation, continents.
Your heart is so big and so full of love, that its capacity to love is infinite. It's Divine. Your heart's capacity to hate is limited. So avoid hating others. Hatred can shatter you simply because you don't have a limitless capacity to hate like you have to love. Love strengthens you. Hatred kills you. You don't have to be a religious person to love your neighbour. Loving the neigbour is a superb human emotion, not necessarily tied to any creed or religion.
Editorial
Asia has a long way to go
There is good and bad news for Asia. The good news is that women are giving birth to fewer children, babies born in most countries survive to celebrate their first birthday and indeed can expect to live longer than any time in history, and contraceptive use is as comparable as the developed world. With a young population and thus a large number in the productive compared to the dependent ages, Asia is in an ideal position to reap the demographic dividend. Its economic boom is its crowning glory.
But there is bad news too. There are inequities that persist within countries, between regions, between rich and poor, and between men and women. Many parts of Asia have been hardly touched by the economic boom, children continue to be undernourished and poorly educated, women continue to deliver babies in their homes, and when they are teenager. Motherhood continues to be a death trap for many.
Although maternal mortality has fallen impressively, there are cases where poor women resist delivering in hospitals, fearing hidden costs, disrespectful providers and unhygienic conditions. Distance, limited access to blood and supplies, poverty, and physician apathy cost many women their lives.
Also children continue to give birth to children. When girls become pregnant before their bodies and minds are ready to take on the tasks of adulthood, it exposes them and their babies to huge health risks.
What Asia needs is a youth population that is educated, skilled, employed and healthy. Unfortunately, this is not the case in many settings.
The reproductive rights of women and men continue to be violated in many parts of Asia. Child marriage, outlawed by international conventions, persists in South Asia.
The right to information has been repeatedly violated. Sex education is provided in very few countries.
The practice of prenatal sex determination and abortion of female fetuses continues and this has affected the sex ratio of populations of many Asian countries. Women have little say in sexual relations and sexual and physical violence characterizes many relationships. Many women are not allowed to make decisions, control money and even move around.
It is true that Asia has come a long way from the days of widespread poverty, but it has a long way to go as far as human development is concerned.
Editorial
Look forward with hope
At the end of the first decade of the new century, Indians have reason to be angry at the state of affairs they have to endure at home.
Out global image isn't so good right now. It took a beating in 2010. In terms of economic growth, there is a significant reduction of absolute poverty. When we compare our current economic situations with what prevailed 20 years ago or even at the end of the 20th century, we have indeed made some progress. But we haven't developed fast enough. We have the largest mass of poor people living within any single country. There is a mess in large parts of the country. There are far too many people who lack basic amenities to lead a decent life.
Bihar has proved that better governance can steadily reverse falling performance trends. Such type of governance should be applied not only at the national level but also in other states.
There are barriers hindering interstate commerce and investment. These barriers should be removed.
The past year hit our global image because of the ineptitude and alleged corruption on display during the organizing of the Commonwealth Games. The guilty in this case should be forced to pay for the foul-up and we should refrain from staging such international extravaganzas until we are totally sure we have the capacity and infrastructure to organize them. Radia tapes hurt our international image and left us in danger of losing faith in our national self-worth. Even our scrupulously honest prime minister is considered by the world media as a helpless professor failing to manage an unruly and corrupt class of politicians. The world media accuses our judiciary of being snail-like and our police force as being under-staffed, under-trained, under-paid and overly corrupt.
Thus there are plenty that has gone wrong in our country. We should indeed look back with anger. But at the same time, we should look forward, hoping for a better life in a happy new decade.
Editorial Ignore negative and embrace positive
Ravana was a powerful king of Lanka. He was a great warrior. But he had to face his own downfall owing to his extreme arrogance. Duryodhana too was a mighty king of Hastinapur. He too had to perish in the battlefield of Kurukshetra since he had become too greedy and jealous. Both these characters were no ordinary people. But they had to face defeat ultimately since they refused to retract themselves even on repeated good advice.
We find that a child picks up a bad habit more quickly than a good habit and then it is difficult to get rid of it. It is a fact that negativity is present in this world. Normal things have shown the natural tendency to deviate from normalcy. A beautiful palace in course of time gets reduced to a heap of rubble. The system of nature is so programmed that it has the potential to follow the path of negativity that is towards chaos.
Human mind is the most ordered and conscious system in the world. Human mind has the potential to not get affected by the negative side of the nature. If you have a strong mind you can surely stay away from negative things like greed, anger and ego. It is possible to detach yourself from these three negative elements which have the potential to destroy you. A man can keep himself safe by not attaching himself beyond the limit to the material world and by concentrating on building up the spirituality within himself. If every human being follows this practice, mankind can be prevented from getting destroyed and can be made immortal.
There is hope of human beings being able to check regression and continue to evolve to higher states of consciousness. This can be possible if man strengthens the will power and divinity within himself. The guidance of an enlightened guru can do a lot of good to any man. He is the one who can prevent the strong evil characters like Ravana and Duryodhana from getting born once again in this world.
Editorial
China's problem
Peking University is the Chinese capital's finest seat of learning. Its president was a scholar named Cai Yuanpei. Cai was wedded to the idea of a university as a place that provided 'education for a worldview' not just instruction, but a whole new way of seeing and being.
More than nine decades later, the same university is central to the worldview of the Chinese Communist Party. But the party's view is very different from that of Cai Yuanpei. For the party's plan is that universities should be powerhouses in their strategy for China to move from a country that imitates to one that innovates in science and technology. Much of the 'software' is already there. China already graduates some two million engineers and scientists a year.
Authoritarian societies can produce high quality science. In the 1950s, the USSR gave the Americans a real fright when they launched Sputnik, sent the first man into space, and showed that Soviet technology had the potential to beat the West.
Chinese are now at the cutting edge of technology in many areas. Chinese work on solar energy is widely regarded as world-beating. The Chinese space programme has already produced its first astronauts. It won't be surprising if China were to place a man or woman on the moon within the next decade.
Chinese annual spending on research and development in universities and other institutions exceeds that of Japan and is beaten only by the European Union and United States.
Many journals in China have begun to publish in English simply because this is the only significant international scientific language. The question is: will Chinese scientific research forge ahead even while freedom of discussion on political matters remains restricted? It is not possible to create a world-leading scientific culture while maintaining severe restrictions on freedom of speech. The Soviets may have forged ahead in space, but political repression hobbled them.
In China, the historians are prevented from giving the full details of negative historical events in China. To work in an institution which is known for restricting freedom of academic expression will, ultimately, be problematic for a scholar's standing. If China wishes to be the world leader, they will have to open more space for public discussion on change in politics and society, and their public should be fully informed by thinkers who can speak freely about their own country.
EditorialOur IITs should excel on global stage
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) needs to switch from a course-based to a credit-based system of study. This institute is known for churning out quality engineering graduates but it lags behind in cutting-edge research. Hence the future of this prestigious technical institute is at stake.
Our IITs fare poorly in global rankings. IIT Bombay, the highest ranked IIT, ranked a lowly 187 in the 2010 QS World University Rankings.
IITs should be freed up both administratively and financially. These institutes are burdened by bureaucratic red tape. Higher education is a politically sensitive issue. Many are not agreeing to let IITs become autonomous. They like the government-funding-quota system. But it is necessary to make IITs autonomous if it has to emerge as truly world-class institutes. Autonomy will give IIT boards freedom to hire quality faculty from across the world and decide salaries accordingly. But many fear that if these institutes don't depend on government funding it will result in student fee hike. They believe that the government should focus on providing scholarships to those IIT aspirants who come from economically weaker sections of the society.
The thing is that the intense pressure of the curriculum at the IITs has led to students committing suicide in extreme cases. The pressure also prevents in creating an atmosphere of creativity that is crucial for research. A credit-based system of study will ease a lot of the pressure. IITs must promote advanced scientific and technological research since they will serve the needs of Indian industry. Research should be done to suit industrial needs. With autonomy, private sources of funds for research will open up. This will clear all the obstacles that eight new IITs are facing. Autonomy will make them the premier technical institutes and will attract quality faculty. Also they will be able to acquire the infrastructures and funds needed. It's high time that our IITs excelled on the global stage.
Editorial
India is because of its democratic system
Adopting democratic system has done a lot of good to India. It is democracy that led to a growth-oriented, investor-friendly and sustainable climate for doing business. It encourages individual creativity and fostered innovation.
There is a strong connection between economic freedom and political freedom. India inherited the institutions of democracy from the British. This strengthened the country in the years to come. Democracy enabled each citizen to be an active participant in governance. Today, free and fair multiparty elections are routine at all levels, thanks to democracy. We have millions of voters and officials, lacks of polling stations, millions of electronic voting machines, many national political parties and also state recognized parties representing all the ideologies involved in these elections. Across the country, we have several hundred thousand panchayats representing local voters, developing plans for social and economic development, managing funds and undertaking projects. One-third of panchayat members are women and this has empowered one million women.
Apart from elections, India has built up strong institutions that support democracy. Its judicial system allows for rule of law. Courts at all levels hear petitioners and dispense judgments. The media includes a large number of 24-hour news channels and a multitude of newspapers and journals representing each regional language. The media has proved to be the main sentinels of our democratic process.
Then we have National Human Rights Commission to look after Human rights, National Commissions for Minorities to look after the interests of minority groups, Right to Information Act to ensure transparency and accountability in governance process and so on.
With the aid of technology, India is putting in place e-governance systems that have made delivery of public goods and services more efficient and transparent. The Indian governance system has demarcated responsibilities among central and state government. While defence, foreign relations and economic management, among other areas, rest with the central government, crucial sectors such as law and order, education, agricultural and rural development and health are the responsibility of the state government. This allows state government to experiment with novel ideas.
Democratic system does have some drawbacks. In spite of them, it has helped India become a country with a stable government.
Editorial
Science and Religion should join hands
Man aspires for enlightenment and truth. There are two kinds of people. One kind tries to see the truth in religion. The other kind searches for truth in science.
Allure of science is formidable and sometimes irresistible. Many attempts have been made to reconcile religion and science. But the scientists and their institutions were never truly interested in such reconciliation. Scientists strongly believe that science is truth and hence they look down at spiritualists. Science is recognized by them as the supreme religion.
Spirituality and science dwell in two different universes. Science is governed by empirical truths, while spirituality is governed by spiritual truths. Science is about measurable facts while spirituality is about immeasurable like love and bliss.
Times are changing. Many have come to the conclusion that humanity in the future will develop outside the foundations of science and technology, but predominantly on spiritual foundations. Hence science needs to strengthen its foundations. It needs to go deeper into cosmic principles. It should read the laws of the universe with a new depth and imagination. It must base itself on cosmic and not empirical foundations alone, since empirical foundations are flimsy. Science must have the humility to learn from the tradition of spiritual truths. Science must admit that it was spirituality that enabled the human mind to transform the mundane and the vulgar into the transcendent and divine, overcome brutishness in favour of love and share altruistically all the riches of this wonderful universe.
Spiritual traditions too need a renewal at the fundamental level. It also has something to be desired. It is too partial, too self-centered, too isolated. It also needs to look deeper into the principles of the universe. There are still many truths yet to be known. The search for these truths should be done with courage, wisdom and compassion and without competition.
It is necessary for both Science and religion to conduct their search for truths by cooperating and not competing with one another.
EditorialInternet has made the world shrink
Human beings began to get civilized around 12,000 years ago. There were humans in different parts of the planet. They were living apart from each other for many centuries and hence different groups developed different languages and cultures. When these communities came across each other, they either fought wars or traded or did both. As a result, cultures intermingled and evolved. Then the earth witnessed technological developments in means of transport and communications. Organization of societies evolved. Tribal clans became nations and finally United Nations was born somewhere in the middle of the 20th century. These nations got born because of developments in printing technology and the dissemination of printed literature. Printing press gave birth to Renaissance and Enlightenment. It made the masses literate.
Then we had the internet getting born in the last decade of the 20th century. The number of internet users went up from a few million to billions. The internet has given human beings a novel platform to interact in new ways. It has not only accelerated but redefined information generation and dissemination. The internet has brought humanity closer and we have begun to evolve as a planetary society. In the next few years almost everybody on the planet will own a mobile phone with an internet connection. Internet has given a boost to information revolution owing to which the world has drastically changed. Internet has helped to create planetary consciousness in all and given birth to global democracy. In the digital age, our lives are truly global. The internet has made possible a new degree of public involvement in some key global issues such as climate change, financial management, terrorism, pandemics and the like that affect people across the planet.
Thus internet has helped considerably in shrinking the world to a very great extent.
Editorial
Change this prevalent system!
Indian public was promised that a report on the Commonwealth Games investigations will be placed in front of them at the earliest. There is no report yet. And it will not come very soon.
Such type of cases is not something new in our country. If we think that our politicians are here to serve the society and that they are accountable and if in the wrong, will be tried and punished just like an ordinary citizen then we are wrong. Nobody powerful here gets convicted unless there is a stroke of luck or his powerful enemies bring him down.
Our Law is under-resourced or lazy or scared to take on the big guns. Contrast this with China, where the punishment for the corrupt can be death by firing squad. Not only that, the family of the convict gets a bill for the bullets, just to emphasize the point that no one steals the nation's money.
Our leaders roam scot-free despite all their crimes. This is King and Robin Hood system. Our leaders are like kings and they are unaccountable. Once in power they are free to use the kingdom to their advantage. The laws are meant for common people, not for them.
Robin Hood stole from the rich and distributed to the poor. This led him to acquire heroism despite being an outlaw. In the same way, our kings cultivate their constituencies like Robin Hoods. Within their caste or community support base, they are local heroes. They distribute their stolen goods among their people. A voter thinks look at that senior minister, he is from my caste, speaks my language and his village is near my own. I am his fan! With such an emotional bond, even the biggest revelations of corruption become highly irrelevant. Thus Robin Hood continues to enjoy support, steals massive amounts at the top, and keeps criminally pleasing his own people for votes. The looting never stops since the king can easily overpower the weak laws.
We citizens must demand an independent, constitutional authority that can prosecute the kings. This is the number one priority if we have to kill corruption. This requires all the politicians to come together, in a non-partisan manner, and pass new laws that actually reduce their unchecked powers. This can happen if people also demand it, and make it a bigger election issue than, say, religion and caste. India needs few genuine leaders who will put forward the principles and systems of a new, modern India. Otherwise, this old King and Robin Hood system will destroy our country one day.
Editorial
Be friendly with all
Most of us are preoccupied with family members and small circle of friends. We don't want to relate with strangers because we think of strangers as other people with whom you should not relate with.
Actually no one is a stranger to you. Everyone is your potential friend. Behave like a friend or relative with others and you will find that everyone is your friend and no one is alien to you.
It is a fact that all of us have common ancestors. This means that the whole world is a single family. That's the reason why we should treat a stranger too like a family member.
It is only distance that makes you a stranger. Eliminate this distance, and all will be like blood relatives to you.
A good action leads to good reaction. If you are truly a friend to others, then they will also become your friends. If you genuinely love others, they too will return your love in equal measure.
If you are a negative person and radiate hatred, others too are bound to receive these radiations and will ignore or hate you. If you have developed love for others, then you are radiating love and others are bound to receive the radiation of love. This is the law of universe. Positive radiation will fetch positive response. Negative radiation will only get you negative response.
It is better to be selfless rather than be selfish. Positive behaviour combined with selflessness always works. It is selflessness that makes your behaviour ring true. On the contrary, if you are a selfish person, your behaviour will be like that of a salesman. And such behaviour cannot have any positive effects.
Everyone is born as angel but after receiving negative impulses from his environment, he becomes otherwise. So, return to your original nature and you will be acceptable to all.
Editorial
India should emulate America, not China
In one of his speeches, US President Obama urged America to shape up for competition with China and India, which are thundering ahead in growth and development. Indians should be pleased to know that Americans consider us as future competitor.
We are indeed growing impressively, but when it comes to competitiveness, or offering an enabling environment for business, we are still way down in global charts. That's because we have a serious 'governance deficit'.
India should imitate America and not China when it comes to developing ourselves. Training people with a renewed emphasis on education at all levels and intensifying research is America's way forward to meet future challenges from emerging nations. It was in the late 1950s when a Soviet satellite spurred America on to a furious race in science and technology. But training doesn't begin or end with school. How children are raised at home is equally important fro training minds.
A Chinese writer says that America have it all wrong by bringing up their children indulgently. According to her, a Chinese tiger mother is right when she insists on a strict, sometimes harsh, upbringing for her child because all work and no play unless monitored for performance, will make Jack successful. But there is a Chinese-American law professor who holds different views on child-rearing. He pleads not to insult, humiliate or frighten the children into submission.
There are several ambitious parents in India's cities nodding their heads in approval of the tiger mother. According to them kids need discipline.
But are children raised in a near-perfect style essential to the success of a society or nation? Or are free minds and self-confidence more effective in producing pesons who can make society competitive?
It is true that China, with its millions of tiger mothers, have done well of late and shows some potential of becoming the leading nation of the world one day. But America has been the world's leading power since the middle of 20th century despite its supposedly lax style of child-rearing. In the field of knowledge, the US lead may have declined slightly but is still massive.
In a world's leading university, out of the top 20, as many as 17 are American. Nobel prize winners in science are mostly Americans. Just in the last couple of decades, the internet, email, Facebook, Twitter and the iPad all came from America, not China. Tiger mothers did not raise those who introduced such innovations like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg.
So obviously it will prove worthwhile for India to imitate America and not China.
Play a fair game
Penalty shoot-outs are unfair way of deciding football matches since a survey says that the team taking the first kick wins 60 percent of the time. This is because the psychological disadvantage of playing 'catch up' affects the team going second. Instead of penalty shoot-outs, a tennis style tie-break system should be applied where the first team would shoot once, followed by the second team shooting twice, and so on, to level, the playing field. In case of penalty shoot-outs, the team going second is usually more stressed.
Footballers are paid big bucks to perform at the highest level to the utmost of their abilities. That includes dealing with the mental rigours of their sport, along with the physical. So they should get psychological advantage by replacing penalty shoot out system by tie-breaker.
Sport is a mix of luck and talent. Struggle and overcoming adversity are its central themes. This makes football a beautiful game. But penalty shoot-outs is just not a fair way of deciding the result of the match since they are more about luck than skills. The psychological pressure of losing the coin toss and going second is unfair. In an intense game like football, where small percentages can swing a match, leaving so much to chance is unjustifiable.
Psychological factors play a big part in sport. A lot depends on the player's ability and his mental determination to overcome the opposition. Hence a fair-play should be ensured. At present, in a football game, we have a pattern of play where the reaction time for goalkeepers is as little as 0.3 seconds. Next, those going first in penalty shoot-outs have the opportunity to square up the score on their second try if they miss their first attempt. However, those going second don't have this luxury and are forced to play catch-up.
The scoring pattern in tennis is the most fair of all games. Hence this pattern should be used instead of penalty shoot-outs in the game of football so that the result of the match is decided not by lottery but by merit. That'll make football a fair game.
Editorial
Provide proper healthcare to common man
The world's growing riches seem to make little difference to over 100 million people globally as they slide into poverty every year because of healthcare costs. The financial consequences of illness are severe for many in poorer countries.
In India, high spending on health is a major reason for people sliding into poverty. Coming up with viable financing methods, therefore, is an urgent requirement for many countries, including India. The World Health Organization (WHO) has made a timely intervention by calling for reforms in the way nations finance healthcare. Who pays for healthcare? The cost is now borne by individuals in countries that have weak government-paid healthcare systems. In India, there has certainly been an increase in the share of private insurance to meet private health expenditure. But this is no substitute for the state's role in providing basic, affordable healthcare. It is a know fact that 90 percent of the amount spent on healthcare has been spent from the pocket of the patients or their near relatives. The health care has also become costly. Even for small treatments like asthma, a common man has to spend a five or sic figure amount. Then the treatment for major ailments like by-pass surgery, and other related heart surgeries can better be imagined than described. So there is a basic and urgent need for the state to provide affordable health care to its citizens. The government should see that a common man gets good health care at a cheaper rate.
Public healthcare system has to take care of three main requirements: first, access of healthcare facilities to all those who need it; second, medical treatment at a cost which the poor can afford; third, use of all the three 'pathies' Allopathy, Ayurveda and Homeopathy, depending upon the patient's needs to cure the ailments.
In India, not only the poor, even the middle class citizens can ill-afford to avail of primary and preventive healthcare, not to speak of securing specialized medical aid. Many Indians have in their lips a prayer to God that they should be spared of the killer diseases like cancer, heart conditions and the like. If these fatal ailments afflict them, they are found languishing painfully helpless, soliciting death to redeem them from agony and sufferings. It is high time the government owned up the responsibility to provide for healthcare for the ordinary.
Editorial
Health is Wealth
In order to solve the health problems, China and India, which accounts for almost half the world population, have made concerted efforts in imparting the knowledge and importance of a small family norm. But the poorer African countries consider it a taboo to talk or impose a small family norm and this is the reason why you find a big number of people suffering from health problems there.
World Health Organization (WHO) can play a crucial role in promoting healthcare especially in the poorer countries. WHO should devote its energy and attention on finding a balance between population growth and health care in poorer countries.
The government should have a tie up with leading health care hospitals in the country, to allow facilities for the poor and footing the bills, through appropriations in the budget. Is it too much asking the netas for this small help?
In a country like India, which have vast poor population, we should adopt the policy 'Prevention is better than cure'. The state should educate the people and show them the way to lead a healthy life. Health awareness is the key solution to the poor people rather than treatment after illness even though both are important.
Instead of spending lakhs of rupees in treating a patient infected with Hepatitis-B, it is better to prevent this ailment by a simple vaccination at much cheaper price. So what if the state has to bear the expense? After all, the government money is also the public money. Instead of having expensive bypass surgery or angio plasty which only enrich the hospital and doctors, it is better to force the people to lead a better and simple life style to prevent any heart problems.
We have seen the sordid state of health care in our country where poor die without treatment. Our country boasts of having become an economic power but we haven't yet learnt to respect human lives. The government needs to pool more resources and come up with more innovative ideas to make health care cheap and easily accessible to all. It should make our doctors serve some time in villages. It should train health staff for common diseases. It should provide at least the basic preventive health care. After all, health is wealth!
Editorial
India and Pakistan should make PEACE
If peace breaks out between India and Pakistan, it will prove to be a big event in South Asia. The economic downturn in the West provides opportunity to both the countries to enhance their global profile.
India and Pakistan can learn a lot of things from each other. There should be enhanced trade in products and services between the two since this can give tremendous boost to the economies of both the nations. Instead of depending on the third countries in the matter of trade, the two can indulge in direct trading with one another and save on costs incurred through diversion.
It was very kind of Pakistan to have sent onions to India when we were suffering the shortage of them. This is an example of emergency response by our neighbour to an ongoing crisis. If there will be more such kind of trade the relations between the two countries are bound to become more positive.
India and Pakistan should also focus on IT sector and cooperate with each other as far as this field is concerned simply because this field has a lot of potential. India can also learn a lot from the textile sector in Pakistan.
Both the countries should lift all the trade and investment barriers. This move will give tremendous boost to both their economies. Another thing is Jihadi militancy should be controlled by Pakistan since this will result in more foreign investment both in Pakistan as well as India. India too will benefit because she will be free from terror threat.
India and Pakistan should also cooperate with each other in the matter of Afghanistan. India should not mind Pakistan's attempting to strengthen Afghanistan. In fact India should also work with Pakistan to ensure development and stability in Afghanistan since India is bound to benefit by this move.
If both the country show political will they can resolve all the outstanding issues that exist between them. The government of both the countries should directly talk to each other as far as Kashmir is concerned. Besides that, the two should encourage official initiatives, people-to-people contacts as well as cultural and academic exchanges.
Only such positive moves by both India and Pakistan can bring about lasting peaceful relations between the two countries.
Editorial
Socially and ethically responsible celebrities
Sachin Tendulkar had refused to endorse a liquor brand when he was just 16 years old. That proved how socially and ethically responsible he was. It was a Rs 20 crore offer and yet he turned it down. Another person who took such a principled stand was actor Sanjay Dutt. He refused to endorse a cigarette brand. There are other actors and sportsmen who refused to do endorsements for tobacco products, liquor, gutka and the like. These acts on their part have given tremendous boost to their images. They proved that they were capable of taking sensible, responsible decisions. They deserved to be the accomplished professionals in their chosen fields. They deserved to be idolized by the countrymen. They lived up to their larger-than-life images and the status as role models. What these personalities do and say have tremendous influence on large segments of their fans, many of whom might not be old enough to have developed firm perspectives and personal codes. These products which they refused to endorse are of the kinds which can have adverse effects health or otherwise on thief fans. That's a good reason why these celebrities didn't barter their public image to the highest bidder because they knew the implications their wrong acts could have. Peddling harmful products or unethical causes just for money could have affected their brand values. So all these stars did the right thing from staying away from these products since although those products could have fetched them terrific monetary gain, their images would be badly damaged. Had they endorsed these products the public's perception of who they are in their private lives would have got converted from positive to negative. So hat's off to these celebrities!
EditorialLove your neighbour, preach all the religions
World religions have like-minded beliefs. Christianity says: Love thy neighour. Hindus believe that one should never do to others what would pain oneself. Islam says not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. The Sikh faith asks you to treat others as you would like to be treated. Zoroastrians believe that nature is only good when it shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self. Buddhists say, hurt not others with that which pains yourself. Confucius said: Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.
This proves that all the religions preach that you should love your neighbours. There are three things you can do with your neighbour. You can either love, hate or be indifferent to him or her. Loving your neighbour is the most sensible and best thing to do.
If you hate a person, you suffer from negative emotions. Being indifferent is showing apathy. Apathy is as negative as hatred. It is a cold emotion. Hence you are left with just one choice and that is to love your neighbour. Loving a person simply means respecting the person and thinking of his or her needs and desires as much as you would your own. Sometimes loving a neighbour could be irksome. But yet it is worth loving the neighbour. A neighbour is very important for you own peace and happiness. It is compulsory that you love your immediate neighbour so that you can live peacefully and happily. The more neighbours you love it is better for you. By loving more neighbours, the circle of love gets wider and lessens the differences of community, state, nation, continents.
Your heart is so big and so full of love, that its capacity to love is infinite. It's Divine. Your heart's capacity to hate is limited. So avoid hating others. Hatred can shatter you simply because you don't have a limitless capacity to hate like you have to love. Love strengthens you. Hatred kills you. You don't have to be a religious person to love your neighbour. Loving the neigbour is a superb human emotion, not necessarily tied to any creed or religion.
Editorial
Asia has a long way to go
There is good and bad news for Asia. The good news is that women are giving birth to fewer children, babies born in most countries survive to celebrate their first birthday and indeed can expect to live longer than any time in history, and contraceptive use is as comparable as the developed world. With a young population and thus a large number in the productive compared to the dependent ages, Asia is in an ideal position to reap the demographic dividend. Its economic boom is its crowning glory.
But there is bad news too. There are inequities that persist within countries, between regions, between rich and poor, and between men and women. Many parts of Asia have been hardly touched by the economic boom, children continue to be undernourished and poorly educated, women continue to deliver babies in their homes, and when they are teenager. Motherhood continues to be a death trap for many.
Although maternal mortality has fallen impressively, there are cases where poor women resist delivering in hospitals, fearing hidden costs, disrespectful providers and unhygienic conditions. Distance, limited access to blood and supplies, poverty, and physician apathy cost many women their lives.
Also children continue to give birth to children. When girls become pregnant before their bodies and minds are ready to take on the tasks of adulthood, it exposes them and their babies to huge health risks.
What Asia needs is a youth population that is educated, skilled, employed and healthy. Unfortunately, this is not the case in many settings.
The reproductive rights of women and men continue to be violated in many parts of Asia. Child marriage, outlawed by international conventions, persists in South Asia.
The right to information has been repeatedly violated. Sex education is provided in very few countries.
The practice of prenatal sex determination and abortion of female fetuses continues and this has affected the sex ratio of populations of many Asian countries. Women have little say in sexual relations and sexual and physical violence characterizes many relationships. Many women are not allowed to make decisions, control money and even move around.
It is true that Asia has come a long way from the days of widespread poverty, but it has a long way to go as far as human development is concerned.
Editorial
Look forward with hope
At the end of the first decade of the new century, Indians have reason to be angry at the state of affairs they have to endure at home.
Out global image isn't so good right now. It took a beating in 2010. In terms of economic growth, there is a significant reduction of absolute poverty. When we compare our current economic situations with what prevailed 20 years ago or even at the end of the 20th century, we have indeed made some progress. But we haven't developed fast enough. We have the largest mass of poor people living within any single country. There is a mess in large parts of the country. There are far too many people who lack basic amenities to lead a decent life.
Bihar has proved that better governance can steadily reverse falling performance trends. Such type of governance should be applied not only at the national level but also in other states.
There are barriers hindering interstate commerce and investment. These barriers should be removed.
The past year hit our global image because of the ineptitude and alleged corruption on display during the organizing of the Commonwealth Games. The guilty in this case should be forced to pay for the foul-up and we should refrain from staging such international extravaganzas until we are totally sure we have the capacity and infrastructure to organize them. Radia tapes hurt our international image and left us in danger of losing faith in our national self-worth. Even our scrupulously honest prime minister is considered by the world media as a helpless professor failing to manage an unruly and corrupt class of politicians. The world media accuses our judiciary of being snail-like and our police force as being under-staffed, under-trained, under-paid and overly corrupt.
Thus there are plenty that has gone wrong in our country. We should indeed look back with anger. But at the same time, we should look forward, hoping for a better life in a happy new decade.
Editorial Ignore negative and embrace positive
Ravana was a powerful king of Lanka. He was a great warrior. But he had to face his own downfall owing to his extreme arrogance. Duryodhana too was a mighty king of Hastinapur. He too had to perish in the battlefield of Kurukshetra since he had become too greedy and jealous. Both these characters were no ordinary people. But they had to face defeat ultimately since they refused to retract themselves even on repeated good advice.
We find that a child picks up a bad habit more quickly than a good habit and then it is difficult to get rid of it. It is a fact that negativity is present in this world. Normal things have shown the natural tendency to deviate from normalcy. A beautiful palace in course of time gets reduced to a heap of rubble. The system of nature is so programmed that it has the potential to follow the path of negativity that is towards chaos.
Human mind is the most ordered and conscious system in the world. Human mind has the potential to not get affected by the negative side of the nature. If you have a strong mind you can surely stay away from negative things like greed, anger and ego. It is possible to detach yourself from these three negative elements which have the potential to destroy you. A man can keep himself safe by not attaching himself beyond the limit to the material world and by concentrating on building up the spirituality within himself. If every human being follows this practice, mankind can be prevented from getting destroyed and can be made immortal.
There is hope of human beings being able to check regression and continue to evolve to higher states of consciousness. This can be possible if man strengthens the will power and divinity within himself. The guidance of an enlightened guru can do a lot of good to any man. He is the one who can prevent the strong evil characters like Ravana and Duryodhana from getting born once again in this world.
Editorial
China's problem
Peking University is the Chinese capital's finest seat of learning. Its president was a scholar named Cai Yuanpei. Cai was wedded to the idea of a university as a place that provided 'education for a worldview' not just instruction, but a whole new way of seeing and being.
More than nine decades later, the same university is central to the worldview of the Chinese Communist Party. But the party's view is very different from that of Cai Yuanpei. For the party's plan is that universities should be powerhouses in their strategy for China to move from a country that imitates to one that innovates in science and technology. Much of the 'software' is already there. China already graduates some two million engineers and scientists a year.
Authoritarian societies can produce high quality science. In the 1950s, the USSR gave the Americans a real fright when they launched Sputnik, sent the first man into space, and showed that Soviet technology had the potential to beat the West.
Chinese are now at the cutting edge of technology in many areas. Chinese work on solar energy is widely regarded as world-beating. The Chinese space programme has already produced its first astronauts. It won't be surprising if China were to place a man or woman on the moon within the next decade.
Chinese annual spending on research and development in universities and other institutions exceeds that of Japan and is beaten only by the European Union and United States.
Many journals in China have begun to publish in English simply because this is the only significant international scientific language. The question is: will Chinese scientific research forge ahead even while freedom of discussion on political matters remains restricted? It is not possible to create a world-leading scientific culture while maintaining severe restrictions on freedom of speech. The Soviets may have forged ahead in space, but political repression hobbled them.
In China, the historians are prevented from giving the full details of negative historical events in China. To work in an institution which is known for restricting freedom of academic expression will, ultimately, be problematic for a scholar's standing. If China wishes to be the world leader, they will have to open more space for public discussion on change in politics and society, and their public should be fully informed by thinkers who can speak freely about their own country.
EditorialOur IITs should excel on global stage
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) needs to switch from a course-based to a credit-based system of study. This institute is known for churning out quality engineering graduates but it lags behind in cutting-edge research. Hence the future of this prestigious technical institute is at stake.
Our IITs fare poorly in global rankings. IIT Bombay, the highest ranked IIT, ranked a lowly 187 in the 2010 QS World University Rankings.
IITs should be freed up both administratively and financially. These institutes are burdened by bureaucratic red tape. Higher education is a politically sensitive issue. Many are not agreeing to let IITs become autonomous. They like the government-funding-quota system. But it is necessary to make IITs autonomous if it has to emerge as truly world-class institutes. Autonomy will give IIT boards freedom to hire quality faculty from across the world and decide salaries accordingly. But many fear that if these institutes don't depend on government funding it will result in student fee hike. They believe that the government should focus on providing scholarships to those IIT aspirants who come from economically weaker sections of the society.
The thing is that the intense pressure of the curriculum at the IITs has led to students committing suicide in extreme cases. The pressure also prevents in creating an atmosphere of creativity that is crucial for research. A credit-based system of study will ease a lot of the pressure. IITs must promote advanced scientific and technological research since they will serve the needs of Indian industry. Research should be done to suit industrial needs. With autonomy, private sources of funds for research will open up. This will clear all the obstacles that eight new IITs are facing. Autonomy will make them the premier technical institutes and will attract quality faculty. Also they will be able to acquire the infrastructures and funds needed. It's high time that our IITs excelled on the global stage.
Editorial
India is because of its democratic system
Adopting democratic system has done a lot of good to India. It is democracy that led to a growth-oriented, investor-friendly and sustainable climate for doing business. It encourages individual creativity and fostered innovation.
There is a strong connection between economic freedom and political freedom. India inherited the institutions of democracy from the British. This strengthened the country in the years to come. Democracy enabled each citizen to be an active participant in governance. Today, free and fair multiparty elections are routine at all levels, thanks to democracy. We have millions of voters and officials, lacks of polling stations, millions of electronic voting machines, many national political parties and also state recognized parties representing all the ideologies involved in these elections. Across the country, we have several hundred thousand panchayats representing local voters, developing plans for social and economic development, managing funds and undertaking projects. One-third of panchayat members are women and this has empowered one million women.
Apart from elections, India has built up strong institutions that support democracy. Its judicial system allows for rule of law. Courts at all levels hear petitioners and dispense judgments. The media includes a large number of 24-hour news channels and a multitude of newspapers and journals representing each regional language. The media has proved to be the main sentinels of our democratic process.
Then we have National Human Rights Commission to look after Human rights, National Commissions for Minorities to look after the interests of minority groups, Right to Information Act to ensure transparency and accountability in governance process and so on.
With the aid of technology, India is putting in place e-governance systems that have made delivery of public goods and services more efficient and transparent. The Indian governance system has demarcated responsibilities among central and state government. While defence, foreign relations and economic management, among other areas, rest with the central government, crucial sectors such as law and order, education, agricultural and rural development and health are the responsibility of the state government. This allows state government to experiment with novel ideas.
Democratic system does have some drawbacks. In spite of them, it has helped India become a country with a stable government.
Editorial
Science and Religion should join hands
Man aspires for enlightenment and truth. There are two kinds of people. One kind tries to see the truth in religion. The other kind searches for truth in science.
Allure of science is formidable and sometimes irresistible. Many attempts have been made to reconcile religion and science. But the scientists and their institutions were never truly interested in such reconciliation. Scientists strongly believe that science is truth and hence they look down at spiritualists. Science is recognized by them as the supreme religion.
Spirituality and science dwell in two different universes. Science is governed by empirical truths, while spirituality is governed by spiritual truths. Science is about measurable facts while spirituality is about immeasurable like love and bliss.
Times are changing. Many have come to the conclusion that humanity in the future will develop outside the foundations of science and technology, but predominantly on spiritual foundations. Hence science needs to strengthen its foundations. It needs to go deeper into cosmic principles. It should read the laws of the universe with a new depth and imagination. It must base itself on cosmic and not empirical foundations alone, since empirical foundations are flimsy. Science must have the humility to learn from the tradition of spiritual truths. Science must admit that it was spirituality that enabled the human mind to transform the mundane and the vulgar into the transcendent and divine, overcome brutishness in favour of love and share altruistically all the riches of this wonderful universe.
Spiritual traditions too need a renewal at the fundamental level. It also has something to be desired. It is too partial, too self-centered, too isolated. It also needs to look deeper into the principles of the universe. There are still many truths yet to be known. The search for these truths should be done with courage, wisdom and compassion and without competition.
It is necessary for both Science and religion to conduct their search for truths by cooperating and not competing with one another.
EditorialInternet has made the world shrink
Human beings began to get civilized around 12,000 years ago. There were humans in different parts of the planet. They were living apart from each other for many centuries and hence different groups developed different languages and cultures. When these communities came across each other, they either fought wars or traded or did both. As a result, cultures intermingled and evolved. Then the earth witnessed technological developments in means of transport and communications. Organization of societies evolved. Tribal clans became nations and finally United Nations was born somewhere in the middle of the 20th century. These nations got born because of developments in printing technology and the dissemination of printed literature. Printing press gave birth to Renaissance and Enlightenment. It made the masses literate.
Then we had the internet getting born in the last decade of the 20th century. The number of internet users went up from a few million to billions. The internet has given human beings a novel platform to interact in new ways. It has not only accelerated but redefined information generation and dissemination. The internet has brought humanity closer and we have begun to evolve as a planetary society. In the next few years almost everybody on the planet will own a mobile phone with an internet connection. Internet has given a boost to information revolution owing to which the world has drastically changed. Internet has helped to create planetary consciousness in all and given birth to global democracy. In the digital age, our lives are truly global. The internet has made possible a new degree of public involvement in some key global issues such as climate change, financial management, terrorism, pandemics and the like that affect people across the planet.
Thus internet has helped considerably in shrinking the world to a very great extent.
Editorial
Change this prevalent system!
Indian public was promised that a report on the Commonwealth Games investigations will be placed in front of them at the earliest. There is no report yet. And it will not come very soon.
Such type of cases is not something new in our country. If we think that our politicians are here to serve the society and that they are accountable and if in the wrong, will be tried and punished just like an ordinary citizen then we are wrong. Nobody powerful here gets convicted unless there is a stroke of luck or his powerful enemies bring him down.
Our Law is under-resourced or lazy or scared to take on the big guns. Contrast this with China, where the punishment for the corrupt can be death by firing squad. Not only that, the family of the convict gets a bill for the bullets, just to emphasize the point that no one steals the nation's money.
Our leaders roam scot-free despite all their crimes. This is King and Robin Hood system. Our leaders are like kings and they are unaccountable. Once in power they are free to use the kingdom to their advantage. The laws are meant for common people, not for them.
Robin Hood stole from the rich and distributed to the poor. This led him to acquire heroism despite being an outlaw. In the same way, our kings cultivate their constituencies like Robin Hoods. Within their caste or community support base, they are local heroes. They distribute their stolen goods among their people. A voter thinks look at that senior minister, he is from my caste, speaks my language and his village is near my own. I am his fan! With such an emotional bond, even the biggest revelations of corruption become highly irrelevant. Thus Robin Hood continues to enjoy support, steals massive amounts at the top, and keeps criminally pleasing his own people for votes. The looting never stops since the king can easily overpower the weak laws.
We citizens must demand an independent, constitutional authority that can prosecute the kings. This is the number one priority if we have to kill corruption. This requires all the politicians to come together, in a non-partisan manner, and pass new laws that actually reduce their unchecked powers. This can happen if people also demand it, and make it a bigger election issue than, say, religion and caste. India needs few genuine leaders who will put forward the principles and systems of a new, modern India. Otherwise, this old King and Robin Hood system will destroy our country one day.
Editorial
Be friendly with all
Most of us are preoccupied with family members and small circle of friends. We don't want to relate with strangers because we think of strangers as other people with whom you should not relate with.
Actually no one is a stranger to you. Everyone is your potential friend. Behave like a friend or relative with others and you will find that everyone is your friend and no one is alien to you.
It is a fact that all of us have common ancestors. This means that the whole world is a single family. That's the reason why we should treat a stranger too like a family member.
It is only distance that makes you a stranger. Eliminate this distance, and all will be like blood relatives to you.
A good action leads to good reaction. If you are truly a friend to others, then they will also become your friends. If you genuinely love others, they too will return your love in equal measure.
If you are a negative person and radiate hatred, others too are bound to receive these radiations and will ignore or hate you. If you have developed love for others, then you are radiating love and others are bound to receive the radiation of love. This is the law of universe. Positive radiation will fetch positive response. Negative radiation will only get you negative response.
It is better to be selfless rather than be selfish. Positive behaviour combined with selflessness always works. It is selflessness that makes your behaviour ring true. On the contrary, if you are a selfish person, your behaviour will be like that of a salesman. And such behaviour cannot have any positive effects.
Everyone is born as angel but after receiving negative impulses from his environment, he becomes otherwise. So, return to your original nature and you will be acceptable to all.
Editorial
India should emulate America, not China
In one of his speeches, US President Obama urged America to shape up for competition with China and India, which are thundering ahead in growth and development. Indians should be pleased to know that Americans consider us as future competitor.
We are indeed growing impressively, but when it comes to competitiveness, or offering an enabling environment for business, we are still way down in global charts. That's because we have a serious 'governance deficit'.
India should imitate America and not China when it comes to developing ourselves. Training people with a renewed emphasis on education at all levels and intensifying research is America's way forward to meet future challenges from emerging nations. It was in the late 1950s when a Soviet satellite spurred America on to a furious race in science and technology. But training doesn't begin or end with school. How children are raised at home is equally important fro training minds.
A Chinese writer says that America have it all wrong by bringing up their children indulgently. According to her, a Chinese tiger mother is right when she insists on a strict, sometimes harsh, upbringing for her child because all work and no play unless monitored for performance, will make Jack successful. But there is a Chinese-American law professor who holds different views on child-rearing. He pleads not to insult, humiliate or frighten the children into submission.
There are several ambitious parents in India's cities nodding their heads in approval of the tiger mother. According to them kids need discipline.
But are children raised in a near-perfect style essential to the success of a society or nation? Or are free minds and self-confidence more effective in producing pesons who can make society competitive?
It is true that China, with its millions of tiger mothers, have done well of late and shows some potential of becoming the leading nation of the world one day. But America has been the world's leading power since the middle of 20th century despite its supposedly lax style of child-rearing. In the field of knowledge, the US lead may have declined slightly but is still massive.
In a world's leading university, out of the top 20, as many as 17 are American. Nobel prize winners in science are mostly Americans. Just in the last couple of decades, the internet, email, Facebook, Twitter and the iPad all came from America, not China. Tiger mothers did not raise those who introduced such innovations like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg.
So obviously it will prove worthwhile for India to imitate America and not China.
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