Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address...one of the famous and inspiring speech in the world...

you tube video link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky ­ I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation – the Macintosh – a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down – that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me ­ I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I retuned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything ­ all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960’s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Steve Jobs, CEO ­ Apple Computer

A Tree that lives for 50 years worth more than 32 lakhs.....

A Tree that lives for 50 years generates....

Rs: 5.3 lakhs worth of oxygen,

recycles Rs: 6.4 lakhs worth of fertility and soil erosion control,

creates Rs: 10.5 lakhs worth of air pollution control and

Rs:5.3 lakhs worth of shelter for birds, animals and insects.

Besides, it provides flowers,fruits and lumber.





when even one tree falls or is felled, the nation loses something worth more than 32 lakhs.

when even one tree is planted or saved, the nation earns something worth more than 32 lakhs.



We should save trees, that is our responsibility…

why go green????

Over decades together, the depletion of ozone layer and its preservation had been the high priority of environmentalists and developed nations and campaigns about educating the masses of the importance of reducing carbon emissions thereby helping the preservation of the ozone layer. Now, there are a lot more issues along with this that has been worrying the environmentalists, one of this being depletion of natural resources and increase in CO2 emissions, pollution, wastage of resources, and so on. With the expected world’s population to explode to around 9 billion by 2050, it has become a great concern that people will only have 25% of the resources that were available in 1950. Already, some of the world’s natural resources have been depleted and with this growing population, it could lead to a major crisis of the natural resources.

It is high time we start saving clean air, fuel sources, water and soil for the future generations along with saving money and assets for them. How many of us agree with this thought? So why throw away things that could be recycled? To read these facts on recycling, it only takes a few seconds and to actually put it in practice would only take a few minutes in a day.

• It is believed that a ton of paper that is recycled saves 7000 gallons of water, 380 gallons of oil and as much electricity to electrify an average household for 6 months.
• One aluminium can recycling can save electricity needed to run a TV for 6 hours.
• Recycling one glass bottle saves as much electricity as to power a 100-watts bulb for 4 hours, so calculate the amount of energy one would save by using an energy saving bulb.

On one hand, the effects of throwing away leads to wastage of energy and resources, and on the other hand, the emission of carbon products into the atmosphere increases global warming. While it is essential for a certain concentration of CO2 and other gases to be present in the atmosphere to retain the radiation that enters Earth without which the whole of the planet would experience freezing temperatures of around -18C, increasing concentration leads to increase in surface temperature of the Earth by about 6 degrees +/- 2 degrees, and this warming will increase with time leading to disastrous consequences. Have a look at what the consequences could be:

• Increase in sea level as a result of melting of ice caps hence making coastal plains uninhabitable.
• Agricultural productivity could be majorly affected due to global warming.
• Depletion of ozone layer
• Change in weather systems could occur due to warmer climate resulting in more droughts and floods and stronger storms and extremes of weather.
• Spread of diseases on a bigger scale due to increasing temperatures which would have otherwise been contained due to cold weather conditions.
• A major change to ecosystem could occur with most organisms moving towards the North and South pole.

It is not a mission impossible to reduce these carbon dioxide emissions. Developed countries have started taking various measures to reduce their emissions at all levels right from schools, universities and colleges to houses, supermarkets, industries, production units etc. Hence remember, even a small effort to reduce household emissions could help the future generations to a great extent.

Try to recycle items that could be recycled so in order to save energy, water and natural resources. Things like batteries and electronic items when thrown away emit dangerous chemicals that leak through the landfill and pollute the groundwater, and also contaminate the soil which is important for our crops which in turn causes health risks to humans.

It is each and every individual’s conscience that should prick when we throw away things. Think about the landfill space that is occupied as well. The more that is sent to the landfill, the more space it occupies and more resources to get rid of them. The less we throw, the greater the benefits and longer will our landfills last. It is high time people start thinking about the community and society in these terms also.

The best place to start the reform should be schools as they serve as a catalyst for the community. It would involve parents, teachers, government, local businesses, administrators and environmentalists to get together to decide and educate themselves and others of what it means to recycle, what best recycling of resources could be done, and practicing them at school, homes, offices, manufacturing units, thus keeping the surroundings neat and healthy to breathe and live.

Government and other officials should spring forward in their efforts to look for ways to expand recycling and bring awareness amongst the masses on waste reduction and its harmful effects. It would be best to encourage and motivate manufacturers and companies to be environmentally compliant and energy efficient.

So what’s the wait for. There are a lot of things that we as a common man can bring changes and reforms. Let’s GO GREEN, let’s get hand in hand, strive to reduce emissions and wastage, encourage recycling and pave way for pure and clean surroundings for our future generations.

How JAMSHEDPUR got that name??????



In 1907 when Sir Frederic Upcott, chief commissioner for railways in India, heard that Tata’s were going to set up a steel plant in India, he replied:



”Do u mean to say that Tata’s proposed to make steel rails to British specification??Why, I will undertake to eat every pound of steel rail they succeed in making”.



Jamsetji had gone to England to bring steel manufacturing technology for a steel plant which he wanted to set up in “Sakchi” in eastern India, but British steel manufacturers had refused to do so. Anyway he brought it from USA and established the plant.



In the next decade Tata’s supplied to the British government for the First World War, 1500 miles of steel rails which made possible the shifting of troops and war materials in Mesopotamia.



In recognition of the contribution of Tata steel, Lord Chelmsford, the Viceroy, came in 1919 to Sakchi and said:

“I can hardly imagine what we should have done during these 4 years of war if the Tata company had not been able to give us steel rails which have been provided for us, not only for Mesopotamia but for Egypt, Palestine and East Africa, and I have come to express my thanks….it is hard to imagine that 10 years ago this place was scrub and jungle; and here, we have now, this place set up with all its foundries and its workshops and its population of 40,000 to 50,000 people. This great enterprise has been due to the prescience, imagination and genius of the late Mr. Jmasetji Tata…

This place will see a change in its name and will no longer be known as Sakchi but be identified with the name of its Founder, bearing down through the ages the name of the late Mr. Jmasetji Tata. Here after this place will be known by the name of JAMSHEDPUR.




It is Jmasetji Tata, who at the beginning of 19th century conceived for India the first Steel Plant, the first Hydro Electric Project and a University of Science (IISC, Bangalore) ‘the like of which England didn’t have at that time’.

about right to education act..in short

Elementary Education is now a fundamental right of Every Child

The passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 marks a historic moment for the children of India.this act says that all children between the ages of 6 and 14 will have the right to free and compulsory elementary education at a neighbourhood school. There is no direct cost (school fees) or indirect cost (uniforms, textbooks, midday meals, transportation, etc) to be borne by the child or the parents to obtain elementary education. The government will provide schooling free of cost until a child’s elementary education is completed.25% of seats in private schools will be reserved for poor children. The Central and State Government will bear all costs

Through this education has become a Fundamental Right in the constitution of India. From 01-04-2010 this Act comes into effect. This can be called as a great milestone in the history of India.

But around 7 million children in India today hang around our homes and our

neighbourhoods instead of going to school.

there is something you could do and should do.!!!!

The maid’s toddler, the kid who tinkers around at the local garage, the boy who delivers the groceries home, the watchman’ s son, the driver ’s daughter, the newspaper boy who’s always running errands for the society, or the bai’s baby.…..most of the time we aren’t even aware if these children go to a school at all. Nor do we ever bother to find out. Even as they’re growing up into illiterate adults in front of our very eyes.

They should not be seen around your home at all. They should be in school.

Studying, like any normal child is supposed to.

They could all be in school, If only you asked them why or showed them how.

However, the Right to Education Act now asks us to do precisely that. ACT. Ask questions, nag parents and pester kids who hang around our streets to hang around a school instead. And find them the easiest way to do it.

So let’s stop pointing fingers at the authorities for once.

And let’s ask ourselves what we can do for our children.

doubts regarding right to education act

Why is the act significant and what does it mean for India?

The passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 marks a historic moment for the children of India. This act serves as a building block to ensure that every child has his or her right (as an entitlement) to get a quality elementary education, and that the State, with the help of families and communities, fulfils this obligation. Few countries in the world have such a national provision to ensure both free and child-centred, child-friendly education.

What is ‘Free and Compulsory Elementary Education’?

All children between the ages of 6 and 14 will have the right to free and compulsory elementary education at a neighbourhood school. There is no direct cost (school fees) or indirect cost (uniforms, textbooks, midday meals, transportation, etc) to be borne by the child or the parents to obtain elementary education. The government will provide schooling free of cost until a child’s elementary education is completed.

What is the role envisaged for the community and parents to ensure RTE?

Schools will constitute School Management Committees (SMCs) comprising local authority officials, parents, guardians and teachers. The SMCs will form School Development Plans and monitor the utilization of government grants and the whole school environment. RTE also mandates the inclusion of 50% women and parents of children from disadvantaged groups in SMCs. Such community participation will be crucial to ensuring a child-friendly “whole school” environment through separate toilet facilities for girls and boys and adequate attention to health, water, sanitation and hygiene issues.

How does RTE promote child-friendly schools?

All schools must comply with infrastructure and teacher norms for an effective learning environment. Two trained teachers will be provided for every 60 students at the primary level. Teachers are required to attend school regularly and punctually, complete curriculum instruction, assess learning abilities and hold regular parent-teacher meetings. The number of teachers will be based on the number of students rather than by grade. The state will ensure adequate support to teachers, leading to improved learning for children. The community and civil society will have an important role to play in collaboration with the SMCs to ensure school quality with equity. The state will provide the policy framework and create an enabling environment to ensure RTE becomes a reality for every child.

How will RTE be financed and implemented in India?

Central and state governments will share financial responsibility for RTE. The central government will prepare estimates of expenditures. State governments will be provided a percentage of these costs. The central government may request the Finance Commission to consider providing additional resources to a state in order to carry out the provisions of RTE. The state government will be responsible for providing the remaining funds needed to implement. There will be a funding gap which needs to be supported by partners from civil society, development agencies, corporate organizations and citizens of the country.

What are the key issues for achieving RTE?

RTE has been notified by the central government on April 1, 2010. Model rules for states have already been finalized while those for the Union territories are in an advanced stage. RTE provides a ripe platform to reach the unreached, with specific provisions for disadvantaged groups, such as child labourers, migrant children, children with special needs, or those who have a “disadvantage owing to social, cultural economic, geographical, linguistic, gender or such other factor.” RTE focuses on the quality of teaching and learning, which requires accelerated efforts and substantial reforms:

* Creative and sustained initiatives are crucial to train more than one million new and untrained teachers in the next five years and to reinforce the skills of in-service teachers to ensure child-friendly education.
* Families and communities also have a large role to play to ensure child-friendly education for each and every one of the estimated 190 million girls and boys in India who should be in elementary school today.
* Disparities must be eliminated to assure quality with equity. Investing in preschool is a key strategy in meeting goals.
* Bringing eight million out-of-school children into classes at the age appropriate level with the support to stay in school and succeed poses a major challenge necessitating flexible, innovative approaches.

What is the mechanism available if RTE is violated?

The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights will review the safeguards for rights provided under this act, investigate complaints and have the powers of a civil court in trying cases. States should constitute a State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) or the Right to Education Protection Authority (REPA) within six months of April 1. Any person wishing to file a grievance must submit a written complaint to the local authority. Appeals will be decided by the SCPCR/REPA. Prosecution of offences requires the sanction of an officer authorized by the appropriate government.

How does RTE translate into action and become a reality?

Substantial efforts are essential to eliminate disparities and ensure quality with equity. Unicef will play an instrumental role in bringing together relevant stakeholders from government, civil society, teachers’ organizations, media and the celebrity world. Unicef will mobilize partners to raise public awareness and provide a call to action. Policy and programme design/implementation will focus on improving the access and quality education based on what works to improve results for children. Unicef will also work with partners to strengthen national and state-level monitoring bodies on RTE.

Right to Education Fact Sheet

INTRODUCTION

The landmark passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 marks a historic moment for the children of India. For the first time in India's history, children will be guaranteed their right to quality elementary education by the state with the help of families and communities. Few countries in the world have such a national provision to ensure child-centered, child-friendly education to help all children develop to their fullest potential. There were an estimated eight million out-of-school children in the age group of 6 to 14 in India out-of-school in 2009. The world cannot reach its goal to have every child complete primary school by 2015 without India.

India's education system over the past few decades has made significant progress. According to India's Education For All Mid-Decade Assessment, in just five years between 2000 and 2005, India increased primary school enrolment overall by 13.7% and by 19.8% for girls, reaching close to universal enrolment in Grade 1. Even with these commendable efforts, one in four children left school before reaching Grade 5 and almost half before reaching Grade 8 in 2005. Learning assessments show that the children who do remain in school are not learning the basics of literacy and numeracy or the additional skills necessary for their overall development.

FAST FACTS

Out-of-School Children: The number of out-of-school children has declined from 25 million in 2003 to 8.1 million in mid-2009. The most significant improvements have been in Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur and Chhattisgarh. The percentage of out-of-school children in highly populated states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar remains a cause of concern.

Access: There has been tremendous progress in improving access with 99% of habitations having a primary school within one kilometre, and 92% with an upper primary school within three kilometres. While access and enrolment to primary schools are good, upper primary access and participation remain challenges.

Social Inclusion: There have been significant improvements in the proportion of children from socially disadvantaged groups enrolled in school. For Scheduled Caste (SC) students, 19.7% were enrolled in 2008-2009, with 11% enrolled for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students. This is greater than their share of the population as a whole (16.2% for SCs and 8.2% for STs). The proportion of ST children at upper primary level is much lower, which indicates that ST children are more vulnerable to dropping out of the school system.

Sanitation: 84 out of 100 schools have drinking water facilities overall in India. But nearly half the schools in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya do not. Sixty-five out of 100 schools have common toilets in India; however only one out of four schools in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Orissa and Rajasthan have this facility. Fifty-four out of 100 schools have separate toilets for girls. On average, only one in nine schools in Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur have separate toilets as have one in four schools in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Orissa.

KEY ISSUES

The RTE Act has come into force from April 1, 2010. Draft Model Rules have been shared with states, which are required to formulate their state rules and have them notified as early as possible. RTE provides a ripe platform to reach the unreached, with specific provisions for disadvantaged groups, such as child labourers, migrant children, children with special needs, or those who have a "disadvantage owing to social, cultural, economic, geographical, linguistic, gender or such other factor". RTE focuses on the quality of teaching and learning, which requires accelerated efforts and substantial reforms.

Creative and sustained initiatives are crucial to train more than one million new and untrained teachers in the next five years and to reinforce the skills of existing teachers to ensure child-friendly education. Bringing eight million out-of-school children into classes at the age appropriate level with the support to stay in school and succeed poses a major challenge. Substantial efforts are essential to eliminate disparities and ensure quality with equity. For example, investing in preschool is a key strategy.

Families and communities also have a large role to play to ensure child-friendly education for each and every one of the estimated 190 million girls and boys in India who should be in elementary school today. School Management Committees, made up of parents, local authorities, teachers and children themselves, will need support to form School Development Plans and monitoring. The inclusion of 50 % women and parents of children from disadvantaged groups in these committees should help overcome past disparities.

UNICEF ACTION

India's past achievements in education indicate it is possible to reach the goals set forth in RTE. Building on the achievements of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Unicef will continue to work with the government and other partners at community, state and national levels to promote child-friendly schools and systems across the country through RTE.

Unicef is committed to ensuring that all children have access to quality education and complete their schooling. Unicef works with its partners to improve children's developmental readiness to start primary school on time, especially for marginalized children. Technical support on education quality, school retention and achievement rates is also given. Unicef is also working to reduce gender and other disparities to increase access and completion of quality basic education. In emergencies, Unicef helps to restore education to affected populations.

the great boss

Scientists at the Rocket launching station in Thumba were in the habit
of working for nearly 12 to 18 hours a day. There were about seventy such scientists working on a project. All the scientists were really frustrated due to the pressure of work and the demands of their boss but everyone was loyal to him and did not think of quitting the job.

One day, one scientist came to his boss and told him - Sir, I have promised to my children that I will take them to the exhibition going on in our township. So I want to leave the office at 5 30 pm. His boss replied - OK.
You are permitted to leave the office early today.
The Scientist started working. He continued his work after lunch. As usual
he got involved to such an extent that he looked at his watch when he felt
he was close to completion. The time was 8.30 PM. Suddenly he remembered
of the promise he had given to his children. He looked for his boss,, he was not there. Having told him in the morning itself, he closed everything
and left for home.

Deep within himself, he was feeling guilty for having disappointed his
children He reached home. Children were not there. His wife alone was
sitting in the hall and reading magazines. The situation was explosive;
any talk would boomerang on him. His wife asked him - Would you like to have
coffee or shall I straight away serve dinner if you are hungry. The man
replied - If you would like to have coffee I too would have; but what about
Children???

Wife replied- you don't know - Your manager came at 5 15 PM and has taken
the children to the exhibition. What had really happened was... The boss who granted him permission was observing him working seriously at 5.00 p.m.
He thought to himself, this person will not leave the work, but if he has
promised his children they should enjoy the visit to exhibition. So he
took the lead in taking them to exhibition the boss does not have to do it
every time. But once it is done, loyalty is established. That is why all the
scientists at Thumb continued to work under their boss even though the
stress was tremendous. By the way, can you hazard a guess as to who the
boss was?????



> > >

He was our Honorable President

Mr. A P J Abdul Kalam
Lets appreciate his commitment to excellency

10 Deadly Sins of Negative Thinking

The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful." - Dalai Lama

Life could be so much better for many people, if they would just spot their negative thinking habits and replace them with positive ones.
Negative thinking, in all its many-splendored forms, has a way of creeping into conversations and our thinking without our noticing them. The key to success, in my humble opinion, is learning to spot these thoughts and squash them like little bugs. Then replace them with positive ones. You'll notice a huge difference in everything you do.
Let's take a look at 10 common ways that negative thinking emerges - get good at spotting these patterns, and practice replacing them with positive thinking patterns. It has made all the difference in the world...

10 Deadly Sins of Negative Thinking

1. I will be happy once I have _____ (or once I earn X).
Problem: If you think you can't be happy until you reach a certain point, or until you reach a certain income, or have a certain type of house or car or computer setup, you'll never be happy. That elusive goal is always just out of reach. Once we reach those goals, we are not satisfied - we want more.
Solution: Learn to be happy with what you have, where you are, and who you are, right at this moment. Happiness doesn't have to be some state that we want to get to eventually - it can be found right now. Learn to count your blessings, and see the positive in your situation. This might sound simplistic, but it works.

2. I wish I were as ____ as (a celebrity, friend, co-worker).
Problem: We'll never be as pretty, as talented, as rich, as sculpted, as cool, as everyone else. There will always be someone better, if you look hard enough. Therefore, if we compare ourselves to others like this, we will always pale, and will always fail, and will always feel bad about ourselves. This is no way to be happy.
Solution: Stop comparing yourself to others, and look instead at yourself - what are your strengths, your accomplishments, your successes, however small? What do you love about yourself? Learn to love who you are, right now, not who you want to become. There is good in each of us, love in each of us, and a wonderful human spirit in every one of us.

3. Seeing others becoming successful makes me jealous and resentful.
Problem: First, this assumes that only a small number of people can be successful. In truth, many, many people can be successful - in different ways.
Solution: Learn to admire the success of others, and learn from it, and be happy for them, by empathizing with them and understanding what it must be like to be them. And then turn away from them, and look at yourself - you can be successful too, in whatever you choose to do. And even more, you already are successful. Look not at those above you in the social ladder, but those below you - there are always millions of people worse off than you, people who couldn't even read this article or afford a computer. In that light, you are a huge success.


4. I am a miserable failure - I can't seem to do anything right.
Problem: Everyone is a failure, if you look at it in certain ways. Everyone has failed, many times, at different things. I have certainly failed so many times I cannot count them - and I continue to fail, daily. However, looking at your failures as failures only makes you feel bad about yourself. By thinking in this way, we will have a negative self-image and never move on from here.
Solution: See your successes and ignore your failures. Look back on your life, in the last month, or year, or 5 years. And try to remember your successes. If you have trouble with this, start documenting them - keep a success journal, either in a notebook or online. Document your success each day, or each week. When you look back at what you've accomplished, over a year, you will be amazed. It's an incredibly positive feeling.

5. I'm going to beat so-and-so no matter what - I'm better than him. And there's no way I'll help him succeed - he might beat me.
Problem: Competitiveness assumes that there is a small amount of gold to be had, and I need to get it before he does. It makes us into greedy, back-stabbing, hurtful people. We try to claw our way over people to get to success, because of our competitive feelings. For example, if a blogger wants to have more subscribers than another blogger, he may never link to or mention that other blogger. However, who is to say that my subscribers can't also be yours? People can read and subscribe to more than one blog.
Solution: Learn to see success as something that can be shared, and learn that if we help each other out, we can each have a better chance to be successful. Two people working towards a common goal are better than two people trying to beat each other up to get to that goal. There is more than enough success to go around. Learn to think in terms of abundance rather than scarcity.

6. Dammit! Why do these bad things always happen to me?
Problem: Bad things happen to everybody. If we dwell on them, they will frustrate us and bring us down.
Solution: See bad things as a part of the ebb and flow of life. Suffering is a part of the human condition - but it passes. All pain goes away, eventually. Meanwhile, don't let it hold you back. Don't dwell on bad things, but look forward towards something good in your future. And learn to take the bad things in stride, and learn from them. Bad things are actually opportunities to grow and learn and get stronger, in disguise.

7. You can't do anything right! Why can't you be like ____ ?
Problem: This can be said to your child or your subordinate or your sibling. The problem? Comparing two people, first of all, is always a fallacy. People are different, with different ways of doing things, different strengths and weaknesses, different human characteristics. If we were all the same, we'd be robots. Second, saying negative things like this to another person never helps the situation. It might make you feel better, and more powerful, but in truth, it hurts your relationship, it will actually make you feel negative, and it will certainly make the other person feel negative and more likely to continue negative behavior. Everyone loses.
Solution: Take the mistakes or bad behavior of others as an opportunity to teach. Show them how to do something. Second, praise them for their positive behavior, and encourage their success. Last, and most important, love them for who they are, and celebrate their differences.

8. Your work sucks. It's super lame. You are a moron and I hope you never reproduce.
Problem: I've actually gotten this comment before. It feels wonderful. However, let's look at it not from the perspective of the person receiving this kind of comment but from the perspective of the person giving it. How does saying something negative like this help you? I guess it might feel good to vent if you feel like your time has been wasted. But really, how much of your time has been wasted? A few minutes? And whose fault is that? The bloggers or yours? In truth, making negative comments just keeps you in a negative mindset. It's also not a good way to make friends.
Solution: Learn to offer constructive solutions, first of all. Instead of telling someone their blog sucks, or that a post is lame, offer some specific suggestions for improvement. Help them get better. If you are going to take the time to make a comment, make it worth your time. Second, learn to interact with people in a more positive way - it makes others feel good and it makes you feel better about yourself. And you can make some great friends this way. That's a good thing.

9. Insulting People Back
Problem: If someone insults you or angers you in some way, insulting them back and continuing your anger only transfers their problem to you. This person was probably having a bad day (or a bad year) and took it out on you for some reason. If you reciprocate, you are now having a bad day too. His problem has become yours. Not only that, but the cycle of insults can get worse and worse until it results in violence or other negative consequences - for both of you.
Solution: Let the insults or negative comments of others slide off you like Teflon. Don't let their problem become yours. In fact, try to understand their problem more - why would someone say something like that? What problems are they going through? Having a little empathy for someone not only makes you understand that their comment is not about you, but it can make you feel and act in a positive manner towards them - and make you feel better about yourself in the process.

10. I don't think I can do this - I don't have enough discipline. Maybe some other time.
Problem: If you don't think you can do something, you probably won't. Especially for the big stuff. Discipline has nothing to do with it - motivation and focus has everything to do with it. And if you put stuff off for "some other time", you'll never get it done. Negative thinking like this inhibits us from accomplishing anything.
Solution: Turn your thinking around: you can do this! You don't need discipline. Find ways to make yourself a success at your goal. If you fail, learn from your mistakes, and try again. Instead of putting a goal off for later, start now. And focus on one goal at a time, putting all of your energy into it, and getting as much help from others as you can. You can really move mountains if you start with positive thinking.

How Indian institute of science (IISC), Bangalore born???

In 1893 a ship was sailing from Japan to USA. There were hundreds of people in that ship including two significant Indian personalities – swami Vivekananda and jamsetji Nusserwnji Tata. Jamsetji was crossing the Atlantic Ocean to bring steel manufacturing technology for a steel plant which he wanted to set up in India. Earlier jamsetji had gone to England for this purpose, but British steel manufacturers had refused and ridiculed him saying that if Indians would make steel, British would eat it!

Swami Vivekananda asked jamsetji the reason for his traveling to the USA. Jamsetji told him that he wanted to bring the steel industry to India. Swami Vivekananda blessed him and said that steel technology has two components

1. Steel science

2. Manufacturing technology

What you can bring to this country is material technology, but you will have to build material science with in the country. This triggered a dream in Jamsetji’s mind.

Jamsetji was successful in bringing steel technology from the USA and the Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) was established in Jamshedpur. A few years later, in 1898, jamsetji wrote a letter to Swami Vivekananda….

23 November 1898

Dear Swami Vivekananda,

I trust you remember me as a fellow-traveler on your voyage from Japan to Chicago. I very much recall at this moment your views on the growth of the ascetic spirit in India, and the duty, not of destroying, but of diverting it into useful channels.

I recall these ideas in connection with my scheme of research institute for science of which you have doubtless heard or read. It seems to me that no better use can be made of the ascetic spirit then the establishment of monasteries or residential halls for men dominated by this spirit, where they should live with ordinary decency, and devote their lives to the cultivation of sciences-natural and humanistic. I am of the opinion that, if such a crusade in favour of an asceticism of this kind were undertaken by a competent leader, it would greatly help asceticism, science, and I know not who would make a more fitting general of such a campaign than Vivekananda. Do u think you would care to apply yourself to the mission of galvanizing into life our traditions in this respect? Perhaps you had better begin with a fiery pamphlet rousing our people in this matter. I should cheerfully defray all the expenses of its publication.

Jamsetji Nusserwnji Tata

A visionary like jamsetji with the blessings of Swami Vivekananda paved the way for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) IN 1909. The IISC, born out of a vision of two great minds, is a world-class institution in areas such as physics, aerospace technology, knowledge products, bio-science and bio-technology.

India 2020: a Vision for the New Millennium

Distinctive Profile of India by 2020:

1. A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line.

2. A Nation where there is an equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water.

3. A Nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony.

4. A Nation where education with value system is not denied to any meritorious candidates because of societal or economic discrimination.

5. A Nation, which is the best destination for the most talented scholars, scientists, and investors.

6. A Nation where the best of health care is available to all.

7. A Nation where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption free.

8. A Nation where poverty has been totally eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes against women and children are absent and none in the society feels alienated.

9. A Nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, devoid of terrorism, peaceful and happy and continues with a sustainable growth path.

10. A Nation that is one of the best places to live in and is proud of its leadership.

In what direction the youngsters should concentrate/contribute to achieve the vision 2020???

you can contribute in 3 ways.....

1) When u r a student, u must excel in your education. If you excel in your education, then whatever is good for the country, whatever you want to achieve, you can achieve in your own profession.

2) You should become employment generators, not employment seekers.

3) You should be a good human being. you can keep your environment clean, you can plant trees, you can educate poor, you can share somebody’s pain…etc.

lets do what india need from us...pawan kumar.gajavalli

plastic bags..too dangerous

According to an estimate more than 100 million tonnes of plastic [around 500 billion (500,000,000,000) plastic bags] is produced every year all over the world.

In India it is 2 million tonnes. In India use of plastic is 2 kg per person per year.

Plastic materials have molecular weight ranging from several thousands to 1, 50,000. Excessive molecular size seems to be mainly responsible for the resistance of these chemicals to biodegradation and their persistence in soil environment for a long time.

Plastic bags are difficult and costly to recycle and most end up on landfill sites where they take around 300 years to photo degrade.

How you can reduce plastic bag use?

Don’t buy more plastic bottled drinks. Carry a plastic bottle with you and refill it.

Refuse plastic bags at the check-out counter:

If a clerk throws your box of soap into a plastic bag, ask him to replace it in one of your bags. Only take a bag at the first shop you visit and use the same bag in subsequent stores.

Donate plastic bags to a good cause:

If you've built up a collection of used plastic bags, consider donating them to a local kirana store, charity shop, library or farmers’ market, where they’ll be put to good use.

Don't throw waste materials with a plastic bag. Most of us, tie up the waste things, particularly food materials and throwing it in dust bin. It also results in the food materials getting degrade and giving a pungent smell.

Make a habit of thinking about what comes with each thing that you buy:

Look for and reward earth-friendly packaging choices. e.g.

• Buy greeting cards in paper boxes instead of clear plastic shells

• Ask your florist for flowers wrapped in paper, not clear film

• Use pens that re-fill instead of land-fill.

Cotton bags are long lasting and come from a renewable source.So Don’t Think of a Plastic Bag

indian black money in swiss banks...

Is India poor, who says? Ask Swiss banks…………

Dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians and corrupt IAS, IRS, IPS officers, cricketers, film actors, illegal sex trade and protected wildlife operators, to name just a few, have deposited in foreign banks in their illegal personal accounts a sum of about $ 1500 billion, which have been misappropriated by them.

Black money in Swiss banks — Swiss Banking Association report, 2006 details bank deposits in the territory of Switzerland by nationals of following countries:

Top five

India—- $1,456 billion(around $1500 billion = Rs.75,00,000 crores)

Russia —$ 470 billion

UK ——-$390 billion

Ukraine - $100 billion

China —–$ 96 billion

Indian money in Swiss banks is more than all the other countries combined !!!! This amount is about 13 times larger than the country’s foreign debt($115 billion). Once this huge amount of black money and property comes back to India , the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt. With this amount 45 crore poor people can get Rs 1,00,000 each. We can have good roads, free education, stable strong economy, and build all basic operations of the nation.

India is not a poor country. Corruption, bad politics, lack of awareness in people made India like this. so fight against corruption n bad politics…………

india ....my mother land

31 States;1618 Languages;6400 Castes;6 Religions;6 Ethnic groups;29 Festivals;1 Country………..tats INDIA

More about INDIA….

India is the largest English speaking nation in the world

India is the world's largest democracy

We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.

We are the first in milk production.

Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India

Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans

The World's first university was established in Takshashila in 700 BC

Varanasi is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today

India was the richest country on earth until the time of British

India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization

The art of Navigation was born in the river Sindhu 6000 years ago

The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra

Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages

India has the second largest pool of Scientists and Engineers in the World

We are the second largest producer of wheat.

We are the second largest producer of rice.

Sushruta who lived in 600 BC is the father of surgery

Origin of Mathematics…….

The decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC

India invented the Number System

Zero was invented by Aryabhatta

Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India

The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana in the 6th century

proud to be an Indian…….

.......................pAwAn kUmAr gAjAvAlLI....