The Scarf Culturalist. In vain have I tried to make sense of the paradoxes that surround me. A courteous smile with a tint of dislike, a genial greeting with a sense of resentment, and a friendly look with a hint of anxiety. I am puzzled by this paradox, but I am more puzzled by the fact that I am its instigator. Is it my head covering, or my code switching? I definitely don’t have an accent and this hesitation is incomprehensible. One day I was walking my dog and a…
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Social Media: Build a Better World. “Social media are a catalyst for the advancement of everyone's rights. It's where we're reminded that we're all human and all equal. It's where people can find and fight for a cause, global or local, popular or specialized, even when there are hundreds of miles between them.” - Queen Rania of Jordan. Social media is catching up aggressively and its significance cannot be underestimated internationally. Individuals and organizations started to depend on this powerful media. Social media played a crucial role during American elections…
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday confirmed that Dhaka is ready to host the next summit of the eight-nation D-8, Developing-8, as the forum’s secretary-general Ambassador Jaafar Ku Shaari called on her, reports BSS. “The Prime Minister mentioned that Dhaka would host the next D-8 summit in the third week of April, 2020”, premier’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim told a media briefing after the meeting at the PMO. During the talks, she proposed sharing of experiences among the eight nations for their further development. “Bangladesh is expected to take over…
Is globalization actually happening? Globalization: Ideological Construction or Evident Reality? No sooner has academician and local commentators seem to argue that globalization was changing everything in today’s world, that it became fashionable to proclaim the ‘end of globalization’ or the ’death of globalization’ post 9/11. However, this debate about globalization remains quite unfathomable and hence above questions unanswered. Globalization, as argued, is a slippery and dangerous yet most important buzzword of our times. It is slippery because it can have multiple meanings and can be used in multiple ways. It…
As the U.S counter-strikes garners greater momentum, ISIS has begun training its militants to fly war planes, considered a major leap forward in combating the U.S forces. The London based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported ISIS to be in possession of three warplanes in Northern Syria. More than over a month since Obama went vocal with his aim to "degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS", the ground situations has worsened, with every passing day drudging even deeper into oblivion. At the base of it, the problem lies not in the…
That night was unusual, the ethereal attribute of the night engulfed Chibok, drowning it’s remnants into an abyss of sorrow and despair. At the stroke of mid-night Chibok, a small town in Borno State lost 300 “protectors of culture” into the hands of the Islamist militant group, Bokoharam. The sectarian violence perpetuated by Bokoharam now seems imperishable, having no scope of reversal. Since 2002 Nigeria has been the victim to huge scale mass killing, abduction, kidnapping at the hands of the Islamist militant group Bokoharam- etymologically “No Western Education”. In…
Core International Labour Organization Convention on the “Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise” 1948 (No. 87) - The Stand of the Government of India and Arguments in favour of its Ratification. Introduction: International Labour Organization (ILO) The International Labour Organization has its origins at the end of the First World War, in 1919 (as part of the Treaty of Versailles) to ensure social justice. It is a unique tripartite system of organization, bringing together governments, employers and workers in its executive bodies. The constitution of the…
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine Traveling is taxing for some people while it is enjoyable for some people. It depends on the mindset of the person. Those who are lazy don’t appreciate traveling. They appreciate staying in one place to enjoy their life. On the other hand, those who appreciate lively life enjoy traveling immensely. Traveling is very good as it helps come out of one's comfort zone; see new places; meet people with diversified languages, cultures,…
"The twin sister to autonomy and freedom is responsibility and accountability. You cannot have one without the other. If someone is given an area of responsibility, not only must they be set free to do it, they must also be held accountable for what they do. Accountability clarifies freedom. In the teams and companies where you see boundary confusion, power struggles, control, over-reaching of one's line of responsibility, you will also see lapses in accountability as well." - Henry Cloud Currently lots of colleges in India are craving for autonomy…
“Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model.” - Abdul Kalam Currently there is a growing indiscipline in Indian educational institutions and it is time we addressed this issue earnestly to shell out quality students who can grow as good citizens. Students are more demanding in terms of knowledge, freedom and facilities. They are becoming rights-oriented rather than duty-oriented without realizing the fact that duties and rights are two sides of the same coin. This is…
While tree planting and forest conservation has been at the centre of the Forestry Department of Malawi since 1976, deforestation seem to have gained more ground within the same period. These noble efforts have been frustrated by the increased bare grounds in the country side, especially on the periphery of the growing towns and cities. Tree planting has been the main driver to rehabilitate the destroyed forest resource in the country. Tree planting and forest conservation efforts have been focused at the village level where communities are at the centre…
“My forest, my life” echoes as the theme for the National Forestry Season for 2013/14 in a Malawi, a country reputed to have the highest deforestation rate and land degradation on the African continent. Illegal charcoal production, wanton cutting down of trees and encroachment in protected forests have destroyed the picture of the once lush miombo forests of the country. Amid all the increased forest destruction that goes on, almost unabated, the government still recognizes the important contribution of forests to the national economy. According to the Economic Valuation of…
"I shall pass this way but once. Therefore any good that I can do, or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now for I shall not pass this way again." — William Penn I have a good friend of mine who is an acclaimed American author and an international speaker. We have friendship for the last five years and we value our relations profoundly. He endorsed some of my authored books and wrote foreword for a book. We regularly exchange our knowledge over e-mails. In one…
"Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire". William Butler Yeats. Inspiring students is more challenging than imparting knowledge. Any educator can read various books, do research, create their own content, develop own teaching tools and techniques to share knowledge with their students. But what is more important and challenging is inspiring students. When a ship is sailing smoothly anybody can be at the helm to sail it smoothly to the shore. It requires mere expertise to sail the ship. But when the ship…
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”. John Quincy Adams. There are mushrooming leadership development programs for students in the developed countries to impart leadership skills and abilities in students. Some prestigious international universities have customized training programs including Harvard Business School offering degrees in the domain of leadership. However, there are no such initiatives and courses in India despite being the second largest populated country in the world with the highest number of young population. In fact,…