Need for a second Green Revolution

Need for a second Green Revolution

G. K. Nair

India needs a paradigm shift in its agricultural policy

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India needs a paradigm shift in its farm policy to overcome the "fatigue in the green revolution due to increasing cost of production, dwindling natural resources and climate."

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The Food Agriculture Organisation Director-General, Mr Jacques Diouf, while addressing a meeting of the World Affairs Council of Northern California in San Francisco, recently, said: "In the next few decades, a major international effort is needed to feed the world when the population soars from six to nine billion. We might call it a second Green Revolution." The original Green Revolution of the 1950s/1960s doubled world food production by bringing the power of science to agriculture, but "relied on the lavish use of inputs such as water, fertiliser and pesticides," he said.

In the Indian context, with reports of farmers committing suicides in several States such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, the need for a second green revolution becomes imperative. The predicament in agriculture speaks of serious flaws in the country's farm policies.

Appreciable progress

It is true that the nation has made appreciable progress in this sector during the past over five decades. The foodgrains production has made a quantum leap from 51 million tonnes in 1950 to 108 million tonnes in 1970-71, 172 million tonnes in 1989-90, and crossed 200 million tonne last fiscal. Production of rice, wheat and other coarse grains have improved significantly. But this is not enough to cater to the needs of a population growing briskly. The population growth rate for 2005-06 is projected at 2.3 per cent against the projected overall GDP growth rate of 8.1 per cent. The lacklustre performance of the agricultural sector can be attributed to policy flaws.

Rise in population

Significantly, the population, which was 350 million in 1951, shot up to 850 million in 1991 and to an estimated 1,085 million in 2004. Of the population of 1,025 million in 2001, about 740 million were in agriculture. The total economically active population is only 451 million, of which those active in agriculture is estimated at 267 million.

Much more concentration is needed on improving output and area under coarse cereals. Production of pulses continued to dwindle between 11 million tonnes and 14 millions tonnes for decades. As a result, their per capita consumption, which was 69 gram per day in 1971, fell to 35.9 gram/day in 2004. The sharp decline in the consumption of pulses is a cause of serious concern. India has been importing pulses in large quantities to meet the domestic requirement.

Inequitable distribution of the means of production, especially land, could be one of the major reasons for this predicament.

Hence, the land reforms should result in increased agricultural production, in general, and food output, in particular; rational use of scarce land resources;re-distribution of land to the landless class; preventing the exploitation of tillers; use of improved methods of cultivation, and increased per man acre and per unit input productivity.

Agricultural packages

The agriculture packages, announced regularly, which include fertilisers, seeds, irrigation, water and credit, in practice, are invariably siphoned off by influential landowners. They miss out the most precious input — the farmer. He instead has become the passive recipient of inputs, imposed by the superior technology of extension workers.

Even credit becomes useless as a stimulus to innovation without motivation. A vigorous local self-government would have changed all this in favour of the small farmer, but how could articulation of the masses happen when elected bodies are captured by the rural elite?

Besides, new strategies for irrigation and water management need to be implemented. Since water is a scarce resource, it is necessary that emphasis be shifted on its more efficient use. According to the FAO chief, in many regions, water for irrigation is being pumped out of the ground faster than it can be replenished. In Tamil Nadu , over-pumping has lowered the water level in wells by 25-30 metre in a decade.

Focus on small farmer

Given this scenario, deliberate introduction of agrarian development towards the small farmer, that is, what he and his family can do and want to do with their knowledge and labour, be it in developing new techniques, seed varieties, extension service, distribution of inputs, improved farm practices, is the need of the hour. The aim should be to increase his productivity and income.

The economic capacity of the small farm may be restricted, but economic capacities can be socially determined and the Government must encourage the formation of voluntary multi-purpose cooperatives for joint farming, pooling of inputs, marketing to eliminate the middlemen, and involve the small farmer actively in what he does.

Credit institutions also need to be streamlined to support the extremely small and scattered clientele.

Agricultural prices need to be remunerative and incentive-based to make production reasonably safer for the small farmer who is continually sustaining losses; it is not industry alone that needs incentives to promote a healthy investment climate. And its support prices are remunerative and government procurements are well timed lest farmers' over-dues accumulate.

At the recent Congress Chief Ministers' conclave, Mr N. D. Tewari, Uttaranchal Chief Minister, said that India needs a paradigm shift in its agricultural policy to overcome the "fatigue in the green revolution due to increasing cost of production, dwindling natural resources and climate".

 

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Pitfalls of the second green revolution By Devinder Sharma

A wide range of policies—and the second 'Green Revolution'—that the government is introducing in conjunction with Indian corporate houses, American agribusinesses and food multinationals, will have a catastrophic impact on Indian farmers, on sustainability and on food security. The effects are already evident in states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

Forty years after the first Green Revolution, Indian agriculture is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. Unmindful of the destruction caused by the technology used for the 'revolution', the impact of which is being felt all over the country – drastically declining yields, soil gasping for breath – India is preparing to introduce a second Green Revolution that will push farmers out of agriculture altogether.

Some years ago, a former vice-president of the World Bank and the then chairman of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Dr Ismail Serageldin, made a presentation at a conference in Chennai. What he revealed did not come as a shock. Quoting a 1995 World Bank study, he said that the number of people migrating from rural areas to urban centres in India by the year 2010 would be twice the combined population of UK, France and Germany—that is, close to 200 million.

In other words, 400 million people are expected to be taking—now and in the near future—the distress migration route, migrating from rural areas in search of menial jobs in the sprawling urban conglomerates. It has been estimated that by 2020, India could have the world's largest number of megacities, with populations of over 10 million each. Seventy per cent of Tamil Nadu, for example, will live in these urban centres.

Numerous national policies are being recast at a frantic pace and are facilitating this distress. The underlying objective is clear in policies related to seed, water, biodiversity, adivasis, the environment, biotechnology, trade, food safety and agriculture, amongst others – make way for the big agro-industries

With the support of a political system cutting across party colours, Indian industry and business are upbeat about the potential of agriculture. A slew of FIICI-sponsored 'reforms' for raising farm incomes plans to pump large amounts of public money into an industry-driven agriculture, while the farmer survives on the margins. The 'reforms' are clearly not aimed at resurrecting agriculture but at bringing profits for the owners of the industries.

Policies that encourage contract farming, future trading in agricultural commodities, leasing of land, the formation of land-sharing companies, allotment of homestead-garden plots, direct procurement of farm commodities and the setting up of special purchase centres, will all drive a majority of India's 60 crore farmers out of agriculture.

The process has already begun. The agricultural reforms that are being introduced in the name of increasing food production and minimising the price risks that farmers continue to face are actually destroying the land's capacity to produce and further marginalising farming communities.

Industry-driven agriculture will aggravate the existing agrarian crisis. The new technology that the multinationals, as well as the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), plan to introduce, will keep a majority of farmers outside its ambit. 'Precision farming' is one such technology that is getting the government's budgetary support. Other 'reforms', such as removing the bottlenecks in the commodity supply chain by amending the APMC Act and enlarging the scope of future trading are also aimed at helping agribusinesses.

In pursuit of this World Bank model of agriculture, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh invested huge amounts into industry-driven agriculture. This led to an environmental catastrophe and destroyed millions of rural livelihoods. The rate of farmer suicides in both states has been increasing.

Both states have made it smoother for big agri-industry (backed by foreign financial insitutions and international banks) to move into the rural areas. Andhra Pradesh's Vision 2020 document talked of reducing the number of farmers in the state to 40% of the population, but did not have any significant programme to rehabilitate the 30% of the farming population that would be driven off the land.

The Rs 1,000-crore Indo-US Knowledge Initiative in Agricultural Research and Education, launched by American President George Bush in Hyderabad on March 3, is expected to bring Indian agriculture under the direct control of US corporate groups. If the first Green Revolution was facilitated by the introduction of the land grant system of agricultural research and education, the second Green Revolution is being tailored to the needs of American corporate interests.

In 2005, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bush signed a farm technology agreement. Addressing a joint session of the US Congress, the PM said, "The Green Revolution lifted countless millions above poverty.... I am very happy to say that US President George Bush and I have decided to launch a second generation of India-US collaboration in agriculture."

The agreement was prepared without transparency and its details have been kept confidential. Two multinational giants—supermarket leader Wal-Mart and the seed multinational Monsanto—are part of this Indo-US initiative. The two multinationals have already said they are not interested in research and development but in the increased trading opportunities that India offers.

One implicit objective of such agreements is a transfer of the unwanted and risk-laden technology of genetic engineering of plant and animal species. The US sees India as an easy dumping ground and has used the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to ask India why it is curtailing the import of genetically modified food. The process is being put in place without first ascertaining the reasons for the terrible agrarian crisis, which in part is due to the imposition of an alien and damaging technology.

This 'knowledge initiative' is, however, a boost for the cash-starved ICAR, the umbrella organisation for agricultural research and education in India. It will give plant scientists an opportunity to justify the huge public sector investment in the monolithic and gasping research insitution. The ICAR has clearly shifted its goalpost – from subsistence to commercial farming.

Even in America, the entry of retail chains in the agricultural sector has transferred the profits to a clutch of middlemen—retailers, processors, certification agencies, quality controllers and others. Farmers earn only 4% from whatever they sell. In 1990, farmers could earn as much as 70% from their sales. In Canada, the National Farmers Union has shown in a study how the combined profits of 70 retail and agribusiness firms have multiplied while the farmers' losess have mounted. The same model is now being shifted to India.

Nowhere in the world has big agribusines worked in real cooperation with farmers. In North America and Europe, agribusiness companies have pushed farmers out of agriculture. Only 900,000 farming families are left on the farms in the US. In 15 countries of the European Union, the number of farmers has dwindled to less than 7 million. The underlying message is crystal clear: farmers should get out of agriculture. A similar process will lead to a catastrophe in India, worsening food insecurity and multiplying hunger.

As part of the process, the Economic Survey 2005-06 categorically talks of dismantling the minimum support price (MSP) and the procurement-based food subsidy system in India. This will enable the food retailers to directly purchase from farmers. In other words, Indian farmers will have to face not only the vagaries of the monsoon but also of the market. The Economic Advisory Council to the prime minister has prepared a report that calls for a shift in price policy – leaving the farmers at the mercy of the market forces.

In a country where land holdings are meagre, the big challenge lies in making agriculture more sustainable for the small and marginal farmers. In the former Green Revolution areas of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, parts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, agriculture faces a severe crisis of sustainability. Punjab and Haryana are fast heading towards desertification – a process that renders the land unable to sustain the production levels achieved during the 'revolution'.

The answer does not lie in allowing private corporations to take over through contract farming. Private businesses enter agriculture with the specific objective of garnering more profits from the same piece of land. Contract farming has already done irreparable damage to agriculture in countries like the Philippines, Zimbabwe, Argentina and Mexico.

The private corporations, as experiences in other countries show, bank on intensified farming practices, drain the soil of nutrients, suck groundwater in a few years and leave the once-fertile lands almost barren after four or five years. They are then likely to hand back the barren and unproductive land to the farmers who leased it to them and move to another fertile piece of land.

This is already happening in many parts of India. Contract farming accentuates the crisis of sustainability by destroying whatever remains of the land's production capacity. The monoculture methods of contract corporate farming destroy biodiversity in the region, which further affects long-term sustainability. Contract farming is the modern version of 'slash and burn' agriculture.

It took decades to realise that the technology promoted by the USAID and unthinkingly followed by national agricultural research systems in developing countries, was disastrous. This realisation came about after the technology had already inflicted irreparable damage on human health and the environment. It would be dangerous to believe that the second Green Revolution promoted by the United States, that is being allowed through open doors into India by the government, will not leave behind still more damaging consequences.

We must ask several pertinent questions—how will the second Green Revolution aggravate the existing agrarian crisis? Will it push farmers out of agriculture and allow agribusinesses to take possession of the farm land and then destroy its production capacity? Will it not disable and drive out farmers and create an enabling environment only for agro-industries? With what untold consequences will the vital power to produce food be shifted into the profiteering hands of multinational food giants?

(Devinder Sharma is a Delhi-based agricultural scientist, researcher and policy analyst who specialises in issues related to global food and agriculture. He was invited to address six Parliaments in Europe in 2004-05.) Devinder Sharma can be emailed at: dsharma@ndf.vsnl.net.in)

 

 

Society And Suicide


By Amit Chamaria

22 September, 2006
Countercurrents.org

Certainly, a significant attention specially the PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh's attention towards Vidarbha district of Maharashtra is a welcome sign but of the consequences of unpleasant incidents. Obviously, not only the farmers of Maharashtra but the farmers of all states of India are under distress. But the problem of farmer suicides in Maharashtra has acquired the greater length. The number of suicides particularly, in Maharashtra has risen from1083 in 1995 to 4,147 in 2004.However recent announcement of relief package worth of rupees 3750 corers by the Prime Minister to solving the egregious condition of farmers has compelled to do a comprehensive debate by raising the question that-"Is this relief package a satisfactory solution of the problem of farmer suicide?"

Now, it is essential to understand the social analysis of suicide as a social problem. In this situation the significant work of Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist can't be forgotten. As per Durkheim's view simply, 'suicide' means 'self destruction'. But it reveals something lots. At least after the serial suicidal death of Vidarbha's farmers, it didn't remain confine to merely 'self destruction'-the simple means of suicide. If we go by Durkheim, suicide is a social fact and not simply an individual act but a product of social forces external to the individual. In fact, He rejects the various extra social factors such as heredity, climate, mental alienation, racial characteristics and imitation as the cause of suicide. Even 'Poverty' - the most general cause of suicide, as presented by media and politicians behind the every case of suicide, has been utterly rebutted by him. He, for simple understanding, argues that the greater the integration of individuals within the social group the less likely they are to commit suicide.

Apparently, one thing must be raised in our mind that why Durkheim negates poverty as one of the causes of suicide. If we believe at least some amount on a survey report conducted by the agency of the Govt. of India that reveals most developed states have more suicide rate as compared to the most backward states. In 2001, Maharashtra (14618), Karnataka (11881), Tamil Nadu (11290), Andhra Pradesh (10522) have highest suicide rates respectively. On the other hand all tribal dominated states like Arunachal Pradesh (111), Manipur (41), Mizorum (54), Sikkim (94), and the most backward states like Bihar (603) and Jharkand (250) have very less suicide rate. The place Kalahandi in Orissa at one time was the center of attention in media only because of serial deaths of persons and children due to hungry and malnutrition respectively. But it is quiet surprising that no suicide case was reported from Kalahandi at that time.

In addition to this, as per the ' Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers' conducted by National Sample Survey Organisation in 2003, the average monthly income (excluding rent, interest, dividend etc.) from all sources per farmer household ranged from Rs.1, 062.00 in the state of Orissa to Rs. 5,488.00 in the state of Jammu and Kashmir during the agriculture year of 2002 -03 and the all India average are Rs.2, 115.00.

To compare the average monthly income of per farmer household in Maharashtra (Rs.2, 463.00) and Gujarat (Rs.2, 684.00) from backward states like Bihar (Rs.1, 810.00), Orissa (1,062), Rajasthan (Rs. 1,498) and Madhya Pradesh (1,430.00), it can be easily revealed that lower monthly income is not a causative factor of suicide. By analyzing these statements it can be said that Durkheim is very close to the truth.

Then, what are the causes of farmer suicides?

According to him, this kind of suicide falls within the purview of 'Anomic Suicide' - one of the classifications of suicide. In fact, anomic suicide results from normlessness or deregulation in society. Although this kind of suicide occurs during industrial and financial crises, it is not because they cause poverty, since crises of prosperity have the same result but because they are crises of the collective order. If poverty and starvation are really the adequate causes of suicide then the suicide rate in all backward and northeastern states should have been high but it is not. Further he says that poverty protects against suicide because it is a restraint itself. The less one has the less he is tempted to extend the range of his needs. Sociologically, the incident of farmer suicides in Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra due to indebtedness is actually the result of the combined effect of 'Relative deprivation' and 'Sudden crises', which came in the category of anomic suicide. Significantly, the feelings of relative deprivation are the outcome of the first green revolution and these feelings has been augmented by the present market policy of Globalization. And it is one of the major drawbacks of the first green revolution. One thing that is essentially noticeable that mainly middle class peasants have committed suicide in that the effect of relative deprivation has fallen greater on them. The big achievement of the first green revolution was the enhancement of crops only by quantitatively not qualitatively.

Now, what should be the solutions of this menace? There are certain measures that should be adopted while formulating the new agriculture policy. Firstly, it is essential to provide better irrigation system and adequate rural infrastructure. So for better farming, farmers should be self-dependent and it can be achieved by maximizing the expenditure on irrigation and other basic facilities. Ironically, India has yet only one rural management institute IRMA after the 57 years of independence though major part of GDP depends on agriculture. Secondly, the causes should be found out that compel the farmers to taking debt either from moneylender or private and govt. banks. Essentially, farmers take debt mainly for boring well and for purchasing seeds and fertilizers.

So govt. should provide adequate irrigation system without disturbing the ecological cycle and a training camp must be organized in various places to provide the knowledge of rain harvesting system. And a comprehensive seed policy should be formulated but not under the pressure of WTO so that farmers could easily get seeds from their own product. The role of moneylender should be the least and in this place co-operative bank come should forward. One thing that is the most vital solution to the distress of farmers is to provide a better market without the intervention of mediators. A policy-"farmer's approach to market directly" should be adopted. But market should not be under the control of MNCs and some big business elites. The concept of market must be based on co-operative principle. Apparently the cotton cultivators committed suicide due to lack of proper market. Undoubtedly agriculture is the biggest source of employment generation. But the employment in agriculture is reducing gradually in accompanying with green revolution and increase in agricultural technology. Significantly the rate of development of employment in agriculture sector has reduced to 0.18 in 1994 from 2.17 in 1988, according to national sample survey report. The people are leaving off the practice of cultivation day by day. The situation of our agriculture will be improved only and only when people come forward for farming with their own pleasure but not as perfunctory. If the second green revolution would be the offshoot of the first green revolution then there is no need of second green revolution because we all have seen the aftermaths of first green revolution. Now it is time to frame a comprehensive policy for the development of sustainable agriculture with considering the every pros and cons in Indian perspective. A policy should be for "Aam Kisan" in that they are the real cultivators.

Amit Chamaria is a freelance journalist.He has done PG in Sociology >From PU.
Address:
Amit Chamaria
C-251, Sector-19
Rohini; Delhi-85
Ph: - 9868457198

Make teamwork 'work' for you

Make teamwork 'work' for you

Abhishek Kumar

why Japanese companies were outperforming their counterparts in the West. The studies, while identifying numerous socioeconomic and geopolitical factors, identified two intangible traits which gave an edge to the Japanese -- Quality and Teamwork.

Let us try and understand some basic attitudes that would help you become a more effective team member:

What's bigger -- your ego or the team goal?

It seems like an easy call, but many people find it amazingly tough. Teamwork, more than anything else, is a mindset. And it is extremely difficult for us to change our focus from ourselves as individuals to what the team is trying to do.

Most of the time, we are so focused on our own experience and feelings that we tend to ignore what the team is trying to do. If you can shift the limelight from yourself to the task at hand, your contribution and value in the team would increase tremendously. Ironically, when you shift your focus to the team's goal, your ego's needs are almost always automatically met.

The best way to get something...

As a team member, what do you want?

Do you want recognition? Give recognition.

Do you want help? Give help.

Depending upon your world view, you might have an opinion about how 'realistic' this insight really is. Here is a suggestion though, try it. When you 'fight' for recognition or trust or resources, you reaffirm to yourself that there isn't enough of it to go around, leading to a deficient experience.

When you give what you want freely, you tell yourself there is enough of it and manifest that in your team as well.

Your team members really want...

In an organisational context, team members usually have two needs. The first is a need for motivation. The second is the need for competence. Any team member would contribute their best if they want to contribute (motivation) and if they can contribute (competence).

For example: in a game of cricket, I will perform best if I can play the game well (competence) and if I am motivated to perform (motivation). A good team member would identify my immediate need and try to fulfill it. When you interact with other team members, identify what their main need is and try to fulfill it.

If they need competence, coach them, teach them and guide them. If they need motivation, talk to them, listen to them, empathise with them and understand them. If you give a co-worker what they need, when they need it, you will build yourself a fan following.

Be comfortable with yourself

What does this have to do with teamwork? Everything. Can you imagine yourself implementing the insights mentioned above without confidence or self-awareness?

All of us instinctively dislike pretentious people. This is because we know they are trying to be somebody else. The strong message that sends to us is that they don't really like who they actually are. We tend to pretend or try and be somebody else because we are scared, we want acceptance and we want to be liked. Unfortunately, pretending never works in the long run and it usually doesn't work in the short run either.

The millions of verbal and non-verbal signals that you send will reveal the truth anyway, irrespective of what you project. The only alternative is to really like yourself and be okay with who you are. People who win approval and acceptance are ironically, people who do not care much for it.

If you try to adopt the mindsets described in the article you will enhance the effectiveness of your role as a team-member. You will also become a valued resource and feel more comfortable in team settings.

Abhishek Kumar is a corporate trainer.

10 important parenting resolutions

10 important parenting resolutions-----Kanchan Maslekar


http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2006/dec/26pres.htm

Set an example

Most of us do not realise the degree of influence we have over our children. This is why we should walk the talk when it comes to them. Have a healthy diet, don't jump traffic signals, don't smoke, don't eat in front of the television... If you do, you will most likely pass on these bad habits to your children.

Some of the other things you might want to add to the list include learning to control your temper, not making any racist/ sexist remarks, showing sensitivity towards people working for you and teaching kids how to share.

Resolve to teach them compassion and gratitude, which are as important as good marks, if not more, by practising it yourself.

Effective discipline

There should be no compromise in effectively disciplining your child. However, don't forget discipline and punishment are not the same thing. It's most likely that, if you hit your child, your child will hit someone else.

Most importantly, when your child gets in trouble, stay calm. Avoid physical punishment. Use the 'Time Out' technique and talk to her about her behaviour. Teach your child what is 'done' and what is 'not done', from an early age.

Bring nutrition to the table

Remove/ reduce junk food in the house and concentrate on healthy meals for the entire family. Bring nutrition to the table and involve your child in your resolutions by talking about them.

Says Meenaxi Dasgupta (33), homemaker and mother to Aniket (10) and Saurabh (5), "Though we concentrate on healthy diet, junk food has slowly started creeping in to our meals. Hence, we have resolved to limit junk food to Sundays, provided the boys finish all their veggies during the week."

Provide healthy choices, including fruits, vegetables. Add variations and innovations in dishes like adding sprouts to pav bhaji, replacing pav with brown bread or using wheat pizza base instead of the regular pizza base.

Regular physical activity

Make fitness a family affair. The increasing rate of obesity among children is scary. Start regular physical activity early. Encourage older children to have at least one hour of outdoor physical activity everyday.

Limit television time and video and computer games. Instead, join your child in some evening activity like cycling, walking, jogging, swimming or simply playing ball.

Communicate and be fair

Start when your child is a baby and talk to her. Your child must be sure you are willing to listen to her and that you will be fair. Whenever your child throws a tantrum, is happy, sad or angry, encourage her to talk about it.

How many times have we yelled at our child and then realised we are just passing on our frustration?. Resolve that you will be fair to your little one. If you've had a bad day in office or don't approve of your in-laws' or spouse's behaviour, don't let it affect your attitude towards your child.

Teach your child something new

Resolve to teach your child a new skill this year. It could include making paper designs, a sport, dance, singing, etc -- anything she loves.

The best way to start any activity is to give your child a choice at the outset. Once she has made her choice, encourage her to stick with it. It is most likely that she may want to drop out after a few sessions. Encourage her to continue. Teach her to be responsible for the decisions she makes.

Read to her

Make it a point to read at least one story to your child. Apart from adding to the child's vocabulary and language skills, it is also a great bonding exercise. You will spend some real quality time with your child before she retires for the day. Reading to your child is relaxing for her and for you -- try it!

Make her independent

Give her small tasks and ask her to help you around the house. This will not only keep her involved but also teach her to be independent.

Asking your child to help you does not mean you love her less. A parent who does not teach his child to perform small tasks, like keeping the shoes in the shoe rack, or the toys and books, in place is overpampering her. Such a child is likely to grow up and be dependent on others for every small activity.

Get the father involved

Says Rashmi Vallabhajosyula (31), founder, Metrics Media, and a marketing consultant, "Whenever my kids need anything, the first word out of their mouth is 'mummy'; my resolution is that it should change to 'daddy'."

"I see to it that my husband gets equally involved with parenting, so he also enjoys watching his kids grow. Besides, by involving him, I can get some free time as well. He is a good parent. I don't have to drive him to do things for the kids, but I would like them to grow up and relate to both parents equally well. I don't want a typical Indian father-child relation where the mom is always in the middle," adds Rashmi, mother of Pradyumna (3) and Samyukta (2).

Spend time together as a family

Family time is on the decline. Make it a point to have meals together. Once a week, go for small outings. Switch off your mobile phone and make these bonding time. Encourage your children to spend time with their grandparents.

Finally, in 2007, let's not...

Yell at our kids so much
Act/ React in anger
Pass on stress or strain onto our children
Watch too much television
Use "Not now..." as often as we do
Be overprotective about our children
Get so involved in parenting that we forget ourselves

Five things every entrepreneur must know

Five things every entrepreneur must know----Dalbir Bains


launching a business is a very serious issue and one that you should consider for a long time before you take the plunge. Here are five key learnings from my experience in setting up a business. These should be part of the checklist for any new business.



Research



It may sound obvious but many businesses fail because they have a concept that has not been properly researched. Make sure your business proposition is viable and that you have researched the business concept thoroughly.



Detail



If you focus on the small details, the big things will look after themselves. Never let go of the fine business details until you feel you have covered every angle.



Networking



In a country as populated as India, you need to spread the word as best you can to your particular audience. You will be surprised at how many people do not get to hear about your business. Advertising can be a very expensive in the first year of any business. Identify your target and try as many inexpensive options as possible.



Never give up



Most businesses take at least 18 months to get established. This is what is referred to as the gestation period. You will always come across many people telling you your idea is not viable. This tends to happen before you start your business or when you are going through teething troubles. At this time, it is important to stay focused and strong. Don't let anyone challenge your vision.



The customer is always right



In any service-led business, you will always have consumers who will be happy and unhappy with your service. You have to adopt a service level that keeps your customers happy and loyal to you. This requires maturity and vision and, often, a fair amount of concessions on your part. Until you become established, you need your customers more than they need you.



I will elaborate on all of this in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, as all my business contacts say in Mumbai, I'll be back in two minutes...



Dalbir Bains' store, Boudoir London, is located in Mumbai.

http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2006/dec/20bains.htm

national institute of homeopathy

http://www.nih.nic.in/

how to start your own lil venture with me...

Respected Sir,

As salamu alaikum.

First ,let me wish you and your family a happy Eid.

sir, i am looking for persons or companies who is interested to become my franchisee. Sir, the most right thing will be if you form a company yourself with or without partners. Partners are required when the investment is big.But in a scope of work like us, you need not have too much cash in hand.

kindly read my blog for ideas
What is a franchise http://saleemindia.blogspot.com/2006/12/what-is-franchise-written-by-rajeev.html

now thinking that you will start a company of your own and market the products of envo, how will you market these products without incurring too much expenditure...

this is a to do list for marketing...

1) Contact pollution control board .Give them your company profile(ENVO PROFILE) , your personal biodata personally.You will have to meet them personally.
2) Contact bussiness houses directly by sending Envo Profile through Post or email.Use yellow pages to find out addresses of Industries.
3)Contact Builder groups, Architects,Plumbing Firms by sending Envo Profile through e-mail or Post or personal visit.
4) Activate your own contacts, friends, relatives .

So, the first thing you need for marketing
1) Your visting Card
2) Envo Company Profile (Which is attached alongwith this letter)
3)Initial investement for Posting letters and email.
4)Mobile phone bill

I hope I have given you a fair Idea how to start your own lil venture with me...

Lemme know how can I help you further.

Yours truely

Saleem asraf

How to get money to fund your idea

How to get money to fund your idea

Barkha Shah | June 09, 2005


The TiE-ISB Connect participation fee is Rs 500. To participate, contact: TiE Hyderabad, B-Block, 3rd Floor, Kanthi Sikhara Building, Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500082. Tel: 91-40-23416603/05 Fax: 91-40-23416601 www.tiehyderabad.org. Or, ISB, Gachibowli, Hyderabad - 500019. Tel: 91-40-23187008 Fax: 91-40-23007046 www.isb.edu Registration form can be downloaded from both these sites.

An innovator's dos & don'ts

Manuel Torres, a pioneering Spanish designer, has spent 30 years solving manufacturing problems for the aeronautics industry, but his latest brainchild is his proudest achievement yet: a desalination plant, powered by wind energy, capable of providing clean water without polluting the environment. He reveals his mantras to Leslie Crawford of Financial Times:

Do invent -- don't copy
Own your technology
Do diversify by adapting the technologies that you have mastered to new industries in order to reduce dependence on just one sector
Don't consider entering a business that is being done well. Look for industries in crisis: they are prime targets for companies that can offer innovative solutions. Remember that renaissance always follows a period of decline
Don't be intimidated by "experts" in an industry. Experts often cannot see the wood for the trees. Success breeds complacency and "closed professional niches", both of which are bad for business. An outsider often sees more clearly what is not working and what can be improved

Lessons from successful entrepreneurs

Lessons from successful entrepreneurs

Manu AB in Mumbai

Must haves for entrepreneurs:

Great idea
Leadership
Vision
Good team
Determination to succeed
A good mentor
Accept failure as the stepping stone to success
Belief in oneself
Passion and commitment

What is a franchise? Written By Rajeev Mathur

What is a franchise?
During the Great Depression, Colonel Harland Sanders started selling fried chicken in the little town of Corbin, Kentucky, on the road to Florida. He is said to have used 11 herbs and spices in a secret recipe that gave the chicken its distinctive taste. Sanders' fare gained fame and Corbin was a routine stop en route to Florida till a new highway bypassed it. That's when the colonel shut shop and tried selling his chicken to restaurant owners.
In 1952, Pete Harman of South Salt Lake, Utah, signed an agreement to sell Sanders' chicken and pay him five cents for each piece sold. The eatery was called Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was the world's first franchise. While Sanders was sharing proprietory knowledge and reputation with Harman for a fee, the latter was running the business on Sanders' behalf. And that is the essence of a franchise even today.
Why a franchise?
The simple answer is to mitigate risk. "The franchiser can expand its reach by investing almost no money and capital, while the franchisee is almost sure of success as he is working in a tested area," says C Y Pal, president, Franchising Association of India, an industry body.
MONEY RETURNS:
A US Department of Commerce study conducted during 1971 to 1997 showed that less than five per cent of franchises closed down each year. In contrast, a study by the US Small Business Administration found that from 1978 to 1998, 62 per cent of non-franchised businesses could not make it past the sixth year.
But remember that a franchise will never give the returns that a successful own business will.
Some franchises could give you annual returns of 70 per cent, but most will be in the 20-40 per cent range.
FREE BACKUP:
On 27 November 2006, retail giant Wal-Mart, with a turnover of $316 billion, announced that it would franchise its Indian operations to Sunil Mittal's Bharti Enterprises. The latter would own and run Wal-Mart retail stores in India. Wal-Mart would also set up a joint venture with Bharti for the supply chain. Thus, systems honed over 46 years would be Bharti's from Day One.
SCOPE FOR BUSSINESS:
India is now the world's largest franchise market after North America and is growing at about 30 per cent a year, says Tony White, managing director, White Connections, which advises franchise companies.
A cheaper option is a service franchise. Instead of the local guy, more people are getting specialists to, say, find a match, or clean a water tank. For a money-spinner education franchise, "in most cases all you need is a room and the course material", Marya adds.
Which franchise?
While buying a franchise, you have to consider several issues.

Abilities. This is the time for brutal self-assessment. Rule of thumb: stay off what does not interest you. If you are indifferent to food, stay off restaurants. If kids exasperate you, avoid play schools. But don't lose heart. Your passion for travelling may make you one of the best equipped to plan holidays. Go for that. "I had already done a few beauty courses," says Jaya Patodia, 34, who runs a Lakme Beauty Salon in Delhi.

More likely than not, a good franchiser will check out whether you fit the bill. Shahnaz Hussain, for instance, looks for people who are "passionate about beauty care". Most franchisers will look for specific skills apart from "entrepreneurial attitude and open mind".
Institute of Computer & Finance Executives asks for no less then a chartered accountant, and Spykar Jeans wants a year's experience in franchising.
Since this will be a new business, it will need a lot of hard work to get it running. "The initial one year is very important as this is when you build up a customer base," says Hema Malini, 36, who, along with Ambika Viswanath, 24, run a Ferns 'N' Petals franchise in Chennai.
Most franchisers want the franchisee to be involved personally. Ratan Jalan, CEO, The Apollo Clinic, says: "We need a person who is himself going to run the franchise." But some may let you hire a manager and work at the franchise part-time. Remember, the monthly expense estimate franchisers give you assume that you will work full time.
Costs & finances. The big question is: how much can you invest in a franchise? Some service franchises could cost as little as Rs 20,000. You would need just a room, a table, a couple of chairs and a telephone connection. At the other end are beauty parlours, fine dining restaurants, or retail jewellery outlets. Here, investments could go to a crore or higher.

Now add on recurring costs - royalty (usually a percentage of sales to be paid every week or month). In some cases, Ferns 'N' Petals and Angeos Academy, it is the higher of percentage of net sales or a lumpsum.

There would also be working capital, which would include salary of staff, power bills, rent, and some fixed overheads like ad fees. When a franchiser talks about working capital needs, ask whether it includes rent. If not, this could be a chunky add-on. Check how much you can borrow from banks and at what rate and decide whether you want to do so (see Money Matters).

The amount of capital you can raise will partly determine how long you can wait for the business to pay back. Some franchisers will say that you can start making profits from the first month itself, but it is always wise to give yourself a cushion of at least a few months.

Your reserves or savings will decide how critical immediate cash flow is. Also, ask yourself how much money you can afford to lose. It would be smart to have a contingency fund.

Goals. What do you want your franchise to do for you? Will it be the primary or a supplementary source of income? Are you looking to make any specific amount every year? What is the return you want on your investment? Develop a three-tier strategy for investing, a long-term strategy and an exit strategy.

Ask where you see yourself five to 10 years down the line. Do you intend to make money and shut shop, or do you want to set up more outlets later? Remember, buying a very successful franchise for a high fee makes no sense until your outlet gives returns.

After you apply these filters, your list should get down to at most four or five franchises. But you still need to zero in on one.

SUCCESS STORY OF A VERY SIMPLE CONCEPT.

CASE STUDY:


http://tanclean.com/index.php


History: Established in 2001 By Mr Sunil Uplap.Has more than 150 Franchisees spread across 10 states of India. Amazing thing is they have three franchise in the city of Guwahati,Assam

Concept: Scientific cleaning and disinfection of drinking water tanks promoted as brand.

USP: Complete technical and marketing training provided along with tailor made software to manage the total business.

Franchising Facts:

 Investment Required: Rs. 250,000/-
 Area Required: 5 X 5 Sq. Ft. (Only storage space)
 ROI: 76% (minimum)
 Target Cities: Any City/Town/Village across India
 Location Specification: Any Place having drinking water storage tanks
Franchisor Support
 Total technical training
 Total Marketing Training
 Corporate Marketing and Advertising.
 Marketing kit.
 Advertisement worth Rs. 50,000/- to be done by the company in the franchisee area.
 Website support
Benefits of Joining
 A business opportunity that pays every day from day one.
 Service Industry- the current trend.
 Strong Brand Identity
 Additional Business Opportunities for promoting other drinking water related products
 Brand recognition and Brand image.
 Various certifications from reputed Govt and Private Institutions
 Credibility of a reputed Brand.
 National presence.

TREATMENT OF MOTHER LIQUOR DAIRY WASTE WATER

TREATMENT OF MOTHER LIQUOR

Pollution prevention and treatment of mother liquor http://www.p2pays.org/





http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:LaVFYnxqtoYJ:www.p2pays.org/ref/33/32214.pdf+mother+liquor+dairy&hl=en&gl=in&ct=clnk&cd=7

WHEY FERMENTATION
=============================================

In lactose production the remaining product after separation of the lactose crystals, usually by decanting (see page 279), is called mother liquor. As it usually contains 1/3 protein, 1/3 lactose solution/crystals, and 1/3 salts, it is difficult to dry, as the salts and lactose make it very hygroscopic, and deposits in the chamber are therefore normally seen.
It is, however, possible to apply the same technique as earlier described, introducing warm air at 60ºC tangentially into the drying chamber, whereby the mentioned problems can be minimized. The integrated fluid bed dryers will also be advantageous for this product. Fats of various types can also be added to the mother liquor prior to the drying. Cooling of the powder is then performed in a Vibro-Fluidizer into which cold air is applied. Dried mother liquor is used as stock food and is specially suited for animals that cannot utilize the lactose such as poultry.
Special attention should however be paid to the high salt content, which may lead to troublesome digestion for some animals. Another thing is the absence of the aminoacid Methionine which is only present in whey proteins in a limited amount. Synthetic Methionine (or fishmeal or soy proteins) should be added.
http://www.niro.com/ndk_website/niro/cmsdoc.nsf/WebDoc/ndkw5y8gmhLibrary

HERBAL REMEDIES FOR LIFE STYLE AILMENTS

THE SIX HERBS WILL CATER TO ANY PRESENT DAY LIFE STYLE AILMENTS high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Heart Problem,SLEEP DISORDER

1.Arjuna (Terminalia Arjuna)
2.Garlic (Allium sativum)
3.Ashwagandha(WITHANIA SOMNIFERA)
4. Gugglu (commiphora mukul)
5.Sarpagandha (Rauwolfia serpentina)
6. Jatamansi ( Nardostachys jatamansi)

PATENTED MEDICINE : (Stress Guard) ----Dose: one capsule, twice daily, with milk / water.





How to reduce heart problem

Arjuna is the drug of choice for the treatment of this disease. This is a big tree and its bark is used as medicine. The powder or decoction of its bark is given to the patient during and even after the attack. The powder is given to the patient in a dose of 1 gm., four times a day. If the heart disease is of vatika type, it is mixed with ghee. If it is of paittika type, then milk is used. In kaphaja type of heart disease it is mixed with honey or pippali powder.

An Entrepreneur’s Attributes: rajesh jain

An Entrepreneur’s Attributes: http://www.emergic.org/collections/tech_talk_an_entrepreneurs_attributes.html
Inspiration – Motivating the Team

The entrepreneur is the number one reason for the team members to join. It is the force of personality, the depth of vision and the belief that one is on a mission to change the world that motivates the team. Individually, everyone may be ordinary, but as a collective, they are capable of doing extraordinary feats – and the entrepreneur is the secret sauce which makes all of this possible. The entrepreneur is the chief inspirer-and-motivator. The passion and commitment of the entrepreneur is what will bring out the best in the team. The team, in effect, will mirror the entrepreneur’s highs and lows. It is therefore very important for the entrepreneur’s enthusiasm to never flag – whatever be the situations. The team sees the entrepreneur as some kind of a superhuman, one with limitless energy – it is something that the entrepreneur must always maintain, whatever be the inner issues that may be going on.

Networking – Meeting Others

It is very important for the entrepreneur to build a network of contacts in the industry. It is not something that comes naturally to everyone, and yet, it is something that has to be done. The entrepreneur is the face of the organisation. As such, it becomes necessary for the entrepreneur to speak at conferences, and in general make presentations whenever the opportunity arises. This helps in getting the message out about the venture to more people. The entrepreneur is in effect the best advertisement that a new venture has.

One thing I have realised over the years is that meetings never do harm. Yes, there is a time investment, but there is always some good that comes out of meeting others. At times, the good may take a long time. It is like a spray-gun approach – one never knows which meetings will hit the target. But as long as one good idea or contact can emerge from a meeting, I feel it has been worth it. And even more to the point, it is upto the entrepreneur to get that value.

Faith In God – A Must

This may seem like a strange attribute in today’s day and age. But I have gone through enough scenarios in my entrepreneurial life to believe that there is a force that guides one along. There have been times when I have found myself caught in situations from where there is seemingly no escape, and yet, I have not only emerged, but done so stronger. There are events which may seem to have little bearing on the venture, but they are like the butterfly which causes the tornado – small things which can make a big difference, amplified by the hidden hand of God. All I can say is that I have learnt to believe that there is always some good which comes out of everything, and it is for us to see that good. It may be hard to see that good when one is going through a difficult patch, but as long as one has faith in God, one will see the light soon enough.

Knowledge, along with Passion, must become the entrepreneur’s greatest strength. Because of the entrepreneur’s personal involvement with customers and most aspects of the business, few will know the business as well as the entrepreneur does. This must show up in meetings and interactions with outsiders – they should realise that the entrepreneur’s knowledge will keep them ahead of the curve if they choose to do business with the entrepreneur’s firm. Knowledge – wide and deep – is the magical key to open up new doors constantly. What the entrepreneur needs to do is to ensure that this is sustained even as the venture grows. This prevents the organisation becoming blind-sided by trends or developments that may not have been foreseen.
The entrepreneur must be able to convince others that the future can be created. The beliefs must be based on a series of logical arguments, and not just a fancy dream.

Having a reasonably clear perspective on where one is headed over the long-term is very important. At the same time, it is not that important to know the detailed roadmap – that will evolve over time. More often than not, people get it wrong – they focus too much on the near-term and not enough on the long-term rationale of why they are in the business.
he must be an experimenter, constantly trying out different things and exploring alternate avenues. Many of the experiments may fail, but out of these will arise learnings. Experimentation is what leads to innovation.



Multitasking is at the heart of an entrepreneur’s day and life. The phone rings and needs to be answered, an urgent email needs a reply, a team member needs a map of the way forward, a customer is unhappy, a sales call needs to be made – all pretty much at the same time. In this scenario, one can throw one’s hands up – or smile, and jump right into it. In doing so, an entrepreneur needs the ability to switch from one context to another rapidly.

This is not as easy as it sounds. An entrepreneur is always in doubt – is this the right thing to do, can there be alternate paths, will this lead in the direction of where one intends to go. At the same time, thinking for too long is also a problem because it can lead to a paralysis of action. The entrepreneur needs to be move – and be able to self-correct if the action doesn’t seem right.

Those working with the entrepreneur may find a confused mind. That is not the case. It is just that an entrepreneur’s mind works faster than things can be done. As a result, even as actions are being done, there is fine-tuning taking place. The thinking is happening online. For those not used to a dynamic environment of action, this can be quite disconcerting!

My Life as an Entrepreneur---- rajesh jain

My Life as an Entrepreneur: Part 1 http://www.emergic.org/collections/tech_talk_my_life_as_an_entrepreneur.html

Based on my experiences, there are three things that I’d like to tell people starting their own businesses:


Dream Big: I think vision is very important. More than anything else, it is the Vision Thing that drives an entrepreneur. Passion comes from the Vision – the ability to see a future that is different from today. It is this future that the entrepreneur seeks to create. This is the higher-level purpose that an entrepreneur has – to build something that does not exist, to explore horizons that others have not. Never be afraid to dream big, but then also take steps to make that dream a reality.


Use Failure as a Teacher: An entrepreneur must be prepared to experience and learn from failure. As an entrepreneur, there will be more “down” days than “up” days. These days and periods test the entrepreneur’s patience. There are times when one may feel like just giving up. But one must persevere. Failure and success are two sides of the same coin. One will come with the other. Success hides the problems, failures magnify them. It is failure that teaches us how to do things right – provided we are prepared to accept failure and learn from it.


Combine Optimism with Realism: Even as entrepreneurs are the ultimate optimists (and they have to be), that has to be tempered with the ability to also confront reality. A balance is needed. In the early stages of a venture, it is only the optimism of the entrepreneur that will help tide over the challenges. But as time goes on, it is also necessary to do course correction based on the reality of the situation. Entrepreneurs have to be careful not to be blind-sided by developments, and for this it is necessary to expose themselves to alternate viewpoints.


What is the hardest part about running a small business?

I think the hardest part about running a small business is the need for constant watchfulness and alertness. In a small business, even a small mistake can prove fatal. So, even as when has to consider many aspects of the situation when making a decision, there is a realisation that not everything can be controlled. As in every business, the entrepreneur has to manage both the short-term and the long-term, and at times making the switch can be difficult.

I currently manage a team of 50 in Netcore. While we are past the early start-up phase, the challenge for us is execution. For me, the hard part now is understanding that I have to work with others to ensure that we can make the dream of Emergic of reality. In IndiaWorld, I was very much hands-on with my wife, since we were a very small team (less than twenty people). But now, to make Emergic happen, it will be a much larger team. Already, this is the biggest group that I am managing in my career – and it will only get bigger!

So, for me, there is a need to shift focus from vision to execution. I like the strategy and envisioning part, but the need of the hour now is to get the priorities right, get the right people in the right process, and ensure that we can manage the operations right. It is very different from what I have done before. I want to lay the foundation of an organization that is “built to last.” Managing operations and people is not something I have done a lot of in the past. This is going to have to change. And for this, I will have to personally change. So, at this point of time, perhaps the hardest thing for me in my business is the realisation that in order to build the dream business, I will have to transform myself from the manager of a small business to thinking like a CEO of an organisation that is going to transform computing.

Personal Change is perhaps the hardest – I can think of at least twice in my life that I have gone through it. In 1984, when I went to IIT, I underwent a change from a very academically oriented person to one who actively participated in a broad range of cultural activities. Ten years later in 1994, I had to put the failure of my initial venture behind me, and think ahead – building a business by envisioning and placing a bet on what tomorrow would be. Now, I have to go past the vision thing, and put in place people, systems and processes to ensure we can execute on our vision. In 1994, I had to prove that I could be a success. Now, in 2004, I have to prove not to the world but to myself that I can build a great organisation and make a deep impact on the world around.

Let's Build a Business: 1. Healthcare

Let's Build a Business---rajesh jain :

1. Healthcare
From time to time, we get ideas. Ideas to build new businesses, new worlds. Ideas to create breakthrough technologies. Ideas to build tomorrow's blockbusters. In this week's Tech Talk, I will outline a few such ideas that I have been thinking with friends and colleagues, and where we'd like to see entrepreneurial-minded people step up and pick up the gauntlet to build these businesses.

For each of these ideas described, the seed capital to get the business started is available. What we are looking for are people to lead the venture and be part of the senior management team. We believe that each of these ventures has the ability to not only grow big in the years to come, but also transform India. So, if you are interested in any of these ventures, email me at rajesh-at-netcore.co.in or fill out this feedback form with a brief profile of yourself, your thoughts on the ideas presented, and your thinking about the role that you'd like to play in the venture.

The ideas for the healthcare venture are from Dr. Aniruddha Malpani.

The healthcare industry is ailing.

The commonest complaints patients have today are:


Doctors are too busy – they make me wait too long

I don’t understand what they say – they don’t have time to explain their jargon

They don’t share information or respect my preferences

Care is fragmented amongst specialists

Doctors are not transparent or accountable

How do I know his advise is reliable and trustworthy ?

Doctors are unhappy too.


They are stressed out, because of the large number of patients they need to see, and feel that patients expect too much from them.

The feel that patients unfairly blame doctors for all bad outcomes.

They also feel that many patients waste their valuable time by asking stupid and irrelevant questions; because they are too disorganized; and don’t bother to educate themselves or do their homework.

Today’s problems in healthcare are because:

Everything is doctor-centric - the doctor is the center of the medical care system

Healthcare is therefore fragmented and disorganised

Too many specialists , most of whom have tunnel vision

We need to reform the healthcare ecosystem by putting patients at the center – “ patients are the largest untapped healthcare resource “ !

Patients ( or their relatives and friends) are intelligent and capable; and because they have a lot at stake , they are motivated to get good health care, and will be willing to invest time and energy if given the right tools to ensure a good outcome.

We need to provide the tools directly to patients !

Patient centered healthcare involves:


Self-care

Personalization

Transparency

Quality

Control

To the Tax Department, you are your tax return. For the Bank, you are your bank statement. For the Healthcare system, you are your medical record .

At present, this is on paper, fragmented , all over the place (in hospitals and clinics) and incomplete. Today, the modern version is the EMR or electronic medical record). The medical record is a representation of the patient’s story – as seen from a medical perspective. (This is a fallback of the old-fashioned biomedical viewpoint of the medical establishment, which treated all patients as “cases”).

However, ideally the health record should be the patient’s story – from the patient’s point of view! A patient-owned health record. The PHR (Patient Health Record), which includes the patient’s personal views and social background as well, can enable a true partnership and collaboration between patient and doctor.

Unfortunately, for most of us, our financial records are in better shape than our health records! This is a sad state of affairs, and we can correct this by using technology intelligently to help patients to store their medical records on their personal website.

PHR = organised medical information = improved medical care.

Information is shared amongst all the specialists who participate in your care; instantly available on your mobile, wherever you are; available during emergencies; available to your spouse; and always updated. In addition, it ensures you don’t forget allergies and drug reactions; and also provides automated reminders (for example, for checkups ).

Patients will own this information. Part can be secure, private, and confidential; part can be public; and by allowing varying levels of access , portions can be shared with whomever they choose. This will allow patient-to-patient networking, so they can provide support and help to each other.

Interested in leading or being part of this venture? Email me at rajesh-at-netcore.co.in or fill out this feedback form with a brief profile of yourself, your thoughts on the ideas presented, and your thinking about the role that you'd like to play in the venture.

Entrepreneurship: Envision the Future

http://www.samachar.com/tech/archives/techtalk15.html

Entrepreneurship: Envision the Future ----rajesh jain
The last year has seen a wave of entrepreneurship unleashed in India. This was fuelled partly by the dotcom frenzy and partly by the dramatic increase in venture capital money available in India (investments up 7 fold to USD 700 million in 2000, expected to at least double this year). Yet, knowledge-driven entrepreneurship is relatively new in India and in its first wave. It is not something may have been through, and there aren't many associations (formal or informal) one can turn to.
Entrepreneurship is a lot more than just getting an idea and starting a company. It is the tougher choice, not the easier one. It requires a great deal of sacrifice. The odds of failure are incredibly high (9 out of 10 startups will fail within the first two years). To succeed, one needs an incredible amount of dedication and a generous degree of luck. But this is one journey where the joy is as much in the ride as in reaching the destination.

In this week's series of TechTalks, I will draw upon my experiences in having been an entrepreneur (more failures than successes!) and present some of my learnings. What is presented here is applicable not just if you are starting or running your own company but also where you are working, so you can make the project you are doing more entrepreneurial to be benefit of yourself and your employer.

Perhaps the most important aspect of being an entrepreneur is developing a vision for the future. You need to build an understanding of the business you are in, a mental map of the players, the companies and the trends in the marketplace. This is not something which will happen overnight, but requires an immense amount of reading and thinking.

Very few people actually take the trouble of understanding the industry they are part of. You need to develop this thinking as if your life depends on it (doesn't it?) so you can place developments as they happen in this map, and even anticipate what is going to happen. This envisioning of the future also lets you paint a picture of tomorrow's world to your employees and customers, and enables you to see trends in the industry faster. Write CK Prahalad and Gary Hamel in "Competing for the Future":

Competition for the future is competition to create and dominate emerging opportunities - to stake out new competitive space. Creating the future is more challenging than playing catch up, in that you have to create your own road map. The goal isto develop an independent point of view about tomorrow's opportunities and how to exploit them. Pathbreaking is a lot more rewarding than benchmarking. One doesn't get to the future first by letting someone else blaze the trail.
There is not one future but hundreds. Getting to the future first is not just about outrunning competitors bent on reaching the same prize. It is also about having one's view of what the prize is. There can be as many prizes as runners; imagination is the only limiting factor.In business, as in art, what distinguishes leaders from laggards, and greatness from mediocrity, is the ability to uniquely imagine what could be.


Other people and companies may have more resources, more money, more everything, but what you have as an entrepreneur is your vision, your imagination, your passion. Define what will be, define tomorrow, envision the future. And then make others play according to the rules you set.

'I have an Idea!'
Once you have a vision of tomorrow's world, the next step is to build a plan to create that future. In doing so, Ideas form a very important part. Ideas are like Lego blocks - they can be assembled in many different ways. At the same time, Ideas are not everything. We get Ideas all the time. The problem is that we all get too fascinated with Ideas. In fact, it should be just the other way around. All Ideas are in general good. Its what you make of these Ideas that separates winners from losers, leaders from laggards.
I tend to view Ideas as commodities, to be shared with everyone. Only if you share will you get new inputs, fresh insights from others who may have a different perspective. This is how Ideas get refined. But too many of us tend to keep our Ideas to ourselves, thinking they are the Ultimate Things. Only if you discuss your Ideas with others, only if you present your Ideas to people different from yourself, will you get viewpoints which can add depth to your thinking and provide varying ways of getting to that future. It is important also to expose yourself to various situations which can stimulate thinking - it could be reading different books, meeting people you've never met before, visiting trade shows and conferences, and just reflecting in a different environment on what you've been thinking.

As you sample through different Ideas, what plays an important role in prioritising Ideas, along with your vision for the future, is your Gut. Many times, it is very hard to explain why you feel in a certain way about something. It's a topic on which little is known, but a recent article in the Harvard Business Review by Alden Hayashi sheds some light:

Over the years, management studies have found that executives routinely rely on their intuitions to solve complex problems when logical methods simply won't do. In fact, the consensus is that the higher up on the corporate ladder people climb, the more they'll need well-honed business instincts. In other words, intuition is one of the X factors separating the men from the boys.
Our emotions and feelings might not only be important in our intuitive ability to make good decisions but may actually be essentialTruly inspired decisions seem to require an ability to see similar patterns across disparate fields. A CEO who possesses that ability can craft a perfect strategy by detecting patterns that others either overlook or mistake for random noise.


When you think about Ideas, do not think in the short-term. Keep a time horizon of a few years in mind. You are not trying to get into a 100-metre race, you are running a marathon. (This is what many of the dotcom entrepreneurs forgot as money was spent freely, businesses had no differentiators and the only goal was to cash out in a few months.) In fact, the lesser the money that you have available, the harder you will think about being different from the others, and the more innovative you will actually be.
Ideas need to get converted into two tangibles: Target Markets/Customers and Products/Services.


Target Markets and Customers
Vision of the Future and Ideas are good. But at some stage, we need to convert that into customers who will pay us money. This constitutes the target market. Two excellent references for thinking about high-tech markets are Geoffrey Moore's "Crossing the Chasm" and "Inside the Tornado."
Let's first begin with Moore's definition of what constitutes a market:


a set of actual or potential customers
for a given set of products or services
who have a common set of needs or wants, and
who reference each other when making a buying decision
The last point above is very important and something we tend to forget. Customers (individuals and corporates) tend to talk to others before making a buying decision. This word-of-mouth element is very critical. It is what helped us at IndiaWorld build the readership for Samachar without ever advertising it! Create something that people like, and they will tell others about it. Advertising can only get people once to a website, it is the quality of the site itself and its attractiveness which will get them back again - and again.

More talks about the Technology Adoption Life Cycle, and the different market segments which exist: Innovators (Tech Enthusiasts), Early Adopters (Visionaries), Early Majority (Pragmatists), Late Majority (Conservatives) and Laggards (Skeptics).

The strategies to be followed to target each of these segments is quite different, and in some cases, the opposite of what was used to target the previous group.
Opportunities and markets do not go away, so it is not critical to necessarily be the first to target specific segments. What is important is to do it right. It is very important to understand the mindset of the customer. Many times, we create things and imagine markets where none exist - because we fall in love with our Idea or technology. One has to be realistic. Inertia is one of the single biggest challenges that you will ever encounter - and it can work both ways: for you if you are the incumbent, and against you if you are trying to wean people away or change their habits.

In the case of IndiaWorld, what made a big difference in our early days was my experience of having been in the US. I had lived as an NRI for 4 years, and NRIs were our initial target market. When I had to make the choice between creating a narrow service (say, focused on business) or a broader news, information and entertainment service, I chose the latter despite advice to the contrary from many people I met. My thinking was that a "thali" approach would work well with NRIs who had no more than 5-minutes for India everyday and we wanted to maximise the portion of that time that was spent with us. Only later did we specialise into verticals.

Products and Services
The make-or-break for an entrepreneur is the actual product/service offering. Here again, the package of offerings and the sequence has to be just right. One way to think about products and services is the disruption they can cause. If there is one word which should define what you do, it is Innovation. A good source for thinking about disruptive technologies is Clayton Christensen's "The Innovator's Dilemma".
Christensen discusses disruptive technologies and their impact on markets and companies. Disruptive technologies are "innovations that result in worse product performance, at least in the near-term, and bring to the market a very different value proposition than had been available previously." He goes on:


First, disruptive technologies are simpler and cheaper; they generally promise lower margins, not greater profits. Second, disruptive technologies typically are first commercialized in emerging or insignificant markets. And third, leading firms' most profitable customers generally don't want, and indeed initially, can't use, products based on disruptive technologies. By and large, a disruptive technology is initially embraced by the least profitable customers in a market.

Innovation and Disruptive technology are what you as an entrepreneur must be thinking of. How can you be innovative in what you are doing: how can you 10-10-10 the market: 10x cheaper, 10x faster and 10x more reliable that whatever exists today.
How can you also work on the fringe markets initially so that you can build a credible customer base to allow you to attack the mass-market? To do so, there has to be something disruptive about your technology; incremental enhancements are what the existing players will be doing anyways so you do not stand a chance against them.
Another important point when thinking abourt products and services is to think of, in the words of Geoffrey Moore, is the "Whole Product." Early adopters may go with part solutions because they want the latest and newest gizmo, but the mass market wants to improve productivity, it wants a complete solution. The whole product is defined as "the minimum set of products and services necessary to ensure that the target customer will achieve his or her compelling reason to buy." This also means that the product must satisfy all the requirements of at least one niche market segment, rather than have everything for nobody.

Going back to our IndiaWorld example, when we launched Khel.com as a cricket site in 1997, we made sure it had everything that a cricket fan(atic) would ever want: daily news, live coverage of matches, statistics, scorecards of all Tests and one-day matches, records, interactive queries, and a plethora of cross-links. It ensured that the site was a complete package, a "whole product" - enough to ensure that the visitor would came back for more!


Money and Other Matters
This column is a collection of some random thoughts related to entrepreneurship.
One of the things uppermost in the mind of an entrepreneur is how to raise capital. Luckily, in India today, there is no shortage of capital. The best way to raise capital for your business is by being profitable. Having less money can make you think harder - not just about using the available resources better, but also coming up with out-of-the-box ideas and focusing hard on the things that matter. Also, control your costs from day one. Even if you have raised capital from outside, treat it as if your own hard-earned cash.

As an entrepreneur, what can be your biggest strength (especially in selling) is your "infectious enthusiasm." People need to see your passion for the business: that is what can help you stand apart, and bring it in that extra element of luck which a business needs. For entrepreneurs, there is no separation of personal and business lives. Life is business, and vice-versa. That is the kind of commitment which will needed from you and your team to make the venture successful.

When you are building a business, do not think of exits. You should only be building a business if you believe enough in it to run it for the rest of your life. If an opportunity for an exit comes, "think from the head, and not from the heart." Making money has to be an important objective, but if you run after money, it will not come. Build the business as a labour of love. Make it the best thing you've ever done. No half-measures, no short-cuts. Your passion must reflect in every aspect of the business. And then, leave the rest to God.

What the Nasdaq and BSE Sensex do is irrelevant to your business. Technology makes it so much easy for us to be aware of what is happening worldwide. Awareness is good, and in fact important. But do not become obsessed with the markets. Focus on your business. Even if you want to list on the public markets, it is an event which is likely to three or more years away, and what the market will be then you do not know (or care about) at this point of time.

Make sure you have good legal advice from the start. You will need to sign agreements, do partnerships, and so on. Some of the things you do in the early stages of your business may come back to haunt you at a later point of time. So, be careful and seek good advice at every stage. The investment will be well worth it. In the same vein, stay away from "marriages of convenience" - have confidence in your own abilities: if you cannot make it happen, no one else can.
Take some time off periodically - not necessarily vacation, but some time when you can think on what you are doing. A typical day in the life of an entrepreneur is very reactive: there are so many unplanned things which happen, so many fires to be fought daily. It does not give much time to think about what you are doing. That is why it is important to, firstly, have a deep understanding of the market space in which you are operating so you can make decisions quickly, and, secondly, to take time once in a while to reflect on the changes which are taking place. You can also use this time to expose yourself to different situations, so there is new learning which takes place. Remember: you are the eyes and ears of your company, so everyone looks at you for the vision and direction.

You also need to accept that you cannot do everything. This means being open to ideas and suggestions from others. Listen to people and then make up your mind. Also, make sure you manage the relationships with your employees, customers, partners and vendors well. Being a small company gives you the advantage of adding in that personal touch - which can make all the difference.

In taking risks (and entrepreneurship is about making bets), you should be prepared to fail. Failure is the best teacher, as long as you can learn. Imagine and be aware of the worst case scenario. Know when to call it quits. No one creates a business to fail, but in the event that your business does fail, get ready to start all over again: make a clean break from the past, and focus on the future. There is always some good which comes out of everything.

In today's India, ideas and capital are not in short supply. If there is a shortage of anything, it is innovative, disruptive technologies from people who understand the marketplace and are willing to think deeply about the future. Best of Luck!






India News (Samachar.com) - Tech Samachar

Refuse-Derived Fuel Processing

Waste to Energy Facilities
Solid Waste Incinerators, Refuse-Derived Fuel Processing and Solid Waste Pyrolysis Units


http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dshm/sldwaste/facilities/wte.htm

25 coolest websites of 2006

http://www.time.com/time/2006/50coolest/index.html

1.apple movie trailers---movie trailers, requires broadband internet connection
2.blogger--blog
3.craiglist---classified ads
4.drudge report----current news
5.factcheck.org--- political
6.flickr---photo online
7.howstuffworks---how things works like hybrid cars, human kidneys
8.lifehacker---computer tips
9.museum of modern art
10.netflix---online DVD titles
11.national public radio
12.rotten tomatoes---movie reviews
13.shopzilla---best comparision shopping site
14. the onion---humour
15. technorati---blogfinder
16.television without pity---funny tv
17.the smoking gun
18.internet movie database---movie encyclopedia online
19.wikipedia---encyclopedia online
20.zappos.com---shop for shoes online
21.gizmodo
22.slashdot.org
23.movies.com
24.become.com
25.ebay

only today i have gauged the popularity of my blog which has attracted more than 20,000 visits

after receiving a note from Mr.Roxy this morning i have changed the Blog description to---"SALEEM INDIA BLOG
THIS IS SALEEM FROM DELHI INDIA. PROFESSIONALLY CONSULTANT FOR WATER TREATMENT, WASTE WATER TREATMENT,POLLUTION CONTROL & ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES . I have collected Articles i found interesting here so that i can read them at my leisure. 90% of the posts are not written by me .i can chat with you if you add me as buddy saleemasraf@yahoo.com"

so that people dont think that i am a very learned person and i am writting all these beautiful things myself.

in this blog i am collecting these informations only for my own personal use in future.


only today i have gauged the popularity of my blog which has attracted more than 20,000 visits from around the world.
VISITS TO THE BLOG "SALEEM INDIA BLOG"

Total 21,044
Average Per Day 71
Average Visit Length 1:16
Last Hour 3
Today 48
This Week 497

PAGE VIEWS

Total 26,691
Average Per Day 106
Average Per Visit 1.5
Last Hour 3
Today 79
This Week 744

LAST VISITOR

124.125.111.# Mumbai, Maharashtra 3:17:57 pm 1 0:00

Domain Name (Unknown)
IP Address 124.125.111.# (Reliance Infocom Ltd)
ISP Reliance Infocom Ltd
Location Continent : Asia
Country : India (Facts)
State/Region : Maharashtra
City : Mumbai
Lat/Long : 18.975, 72.8258 (Map)
Distance : 364 miles (local visitor)

Language English (United States)
en-us
Operating System Microsoft WinXP
Browser Internet Explorer 6.0
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)
Javascript version 1.3
Monitor Resolution : 1024 x 768
Color Depth : 32 bits

Time of Visit Nov 27 2006 3:17:57 pm
Last Page View Nov 27 2006 3:17:57 pm
Visit Length 0 seconds
Page Views 1
Referring URL http://www.google.co...ia&btnG=Search&meta=
Search Engine google.co.in
Search Words new eshtablished companies in india
Visit Entry Page http://saleemindia.b...5_10_01_archive.html
Visit Exit Page http://saleemindia.b...5_10_01_archive.html
Out Click
Time Zone UTC+6:00
Visitor's Time Nov 27 2006 4:47:57 pm
Visit Number 21,044

Wonder fuel of the future (and ancient past): charcoal

Wonder fuel of the future (and ancient past): charcoal
Posted by John McGrath at 9:09 PM on 26 Nov 2006
I'm shamelessly spreading this link around, because it's one of the most interesting pieces I've read in a while: Engineer-Poet at his blog The Ergosphere has a detailed and fascinating exploration of the possibility of using charcoal (derived from biomass and wastes) to fuel America, with many, many charts and numbers for the wonkishly inclined.

The short version is: If we're smart about it, we can generate enough electricity and liquid fuels from biomass in the United States to replace all fossil fuels and then some, plus rejuvenate long-suffering American soils, plus sequester billions of tons of CO2.

http://ergosphere.blogspot.com/2006/11/sustainability-energy-independence-and.html

PLEASE INCLUDE THE AUTHOR'S NAME IN ALL FUTURE POSTINGS AS WELL, SO THAT THEY GET DUE CREDIT

----- Original Message -----
From: Roxy
To: saleemasraf@gmail.com
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2006 11:46 AM
Subject: [SALEEM INDIA BLOG] New comment on It's because he stealsarticles.


Roxy has left a new comment on your post "It's because he steals articles":

THANKS FOR RECTIFYING YOUR MISTAKE AND WRITING THE AUTHOR'S NAME FOR THE "LEADERSHIP: DO YOU HAVE IT IN YOU?" ARTICLE. PLEASE DO THE SAME IMMEDIATELY FOR THE "SEVEN TECHNIQUES TO HELP YOU RELAX" ARTICLE BY WRITING THE AUTHOR'S NAME IN THAT ONE TOO. PLEASE INCLUDE THE AUTHOR'S NAME IN ALL FUTURE POSTINGS AS WELL, SO THAT THEY GET DUE CREDIT. THANK YOU.

It's because he steals articles

sir,
your comments alongwith the clarifications are published in the blog and i have corrected myself and taken care of your views.thanx for pointing out the mistake on my part which i have done unknowingly. and again thanx for reading my blog. AND KINDLY NOTE THE URL OF ALL ARTICLES WRITTEN BY OTHERS ARE GIVEN IN THE LINK FIELD.you have missed to notice that.anyway i will always keep ur point in mind from now on .
regards.

----- Original Message -----
From: Roxy
To: saleemasraf@gmail.com
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2006 10:20 AM
Subject: [SALEEM INDIA BLOG] New comment on Seven techniques to helpyou relax.


Roxy has left a new comment on your post "Seven techniques to help you relax":

How does he manage to write such "wonderful" blogs? It's because he steals articles from various websites without even giving the writer due credit...it's in fact a matter of copyright infringement. This is a very popular article written by a writer of Rediff. If you don't believe me, google the article and you will see. He should rectify this immediately. I am extremely surprised to find this article here with this blogger pretending that it is his own work.

always indicate the source---by Mr.Roxy

Sir,
The url of the artcle is given in the title itself.u have missed to notice.anyway thanx, bcoz i have a lot to learn. in all the articles that i find interesting and paste in the blog i always indicate the source by showing the url .

Do spare your valuable time to visit our blog at http://saleemindia.blogspot.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Roxy
To: saleemasraf@gmail.com
Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2006 10:19 PM
Subject: [SALEEM INDIA BLOG] New comment on Leadership: Do you have itin you?.


Roxy has left a new comment on your post "Leadership: Do you have it in you?":

PLEASE WRITE THE AUTHOR'S NAME FOR THIS ARTICLE WHICH IS TITLED "LEADERSHIP: DO YOU HAVE IT IN YOU?" IMMEDIATELY. THE WRITERS NAME SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN THE SAME POSTING

CAMERA PHONE COMPARE NOKIA N71 VS SONY ERICSSON K750i

Best Mobile Imaging Device: Sony Ericsson K750i





Sony Ericsson K750i is a high class mobile phone. It will be useful for business, but its entertaining functions are also very good - 2 MP camera, MP3 player and radio. Even that the size of the phone is basically the same as the K700, I find it more compact. The display looks really good; it has the well known resolution of 176x220 pixels, but now it displays 262K colors. Sony Ericsson K750i is a very nice phone. It adds some very useful improvements to the older model K700: a memory card, much better camera and some other features. Data Sheet General Networks GSM Tri Band 900/1800/1900 Weight (g) 99 Dimensions 100 x 46 x 20.5 mm Colour(s) Silver, Black Display Display Type TFT, 256K colors Display Size 176 x 220 pixels Connectivity Browser WAP 2.0 Connection GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), Bluetooth, Infrared + USB port Data speed GPRS: 32 - 48 kbps Multimedia Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging Camera 2 MP, 1632x1224 pixels, autofocus, video, flash Features Software Java, MP3/AAC/Video player, Image viewer, Picture editor, SyncML Input T9 Sound Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3, FM radio with RDS Organizer supports all major PIM functions Phonebook 500 entries, Caller ID, 30 received, dialed and missed calls Memory 38 MB, Memory Stick Pro Duo card slot (up to 1 GB), 64 MB card included Batterie Li-Ion 900 mAh, Talk time: 9 h / Standby: 400 h

Leadership: Do you have it in you?

Nothing succeeds like success, they say. We all want to be successful in our careers, be it in our roles as individuals, team players or team leaders. Taking responsibility for one's actions is a key component of success as an individual. And taking responsibilty for what your team does is a key component of leadership. When one doesn't do that, failure is just around the corner.

At your workplace, you will often hear people passing the buck when something goes wrong. These people are definitely not going very high up the ladder. You will find most of them projecting the same pattern in their reasoning and approach to life, as well -- that nothing was their fault, including the incidents that happen in their personal lives as well.

Blame and excuses: hallmarks of an unsuccessful leader

Avoiding responsibility in one's personal life carries over into one's professional life, and vice versa. Excuses for failure and the choices you make at workplace fuel dysfunctional thinking and, subsequently, undesirable behaviour and actions. "Making excuses, rather than taking 100 per cent responsibility for your actions, decisions, and their outcomes, is the hallmark of future failures," feels Anjali Singh, a 27-year old manager with a finance company in Delhi.

This is why taking responsibility is so powerfully important and is the essence of what can make or break a leader.

Take responsibility at workplace

Taking responsibility is the underlying factor behind success at work. If someone in your team makes a mistake, you must be able to admit it, take the necessary action and then proceed. This is something that many do not understand. No leader can be successful without being accountable for his/her own actions.

Being responsible ensures that even when events outside your control go awry, you can at least determine how you will react to the situation. You can make the situation a disaster or you can use it as an opportunity to learn and to grow.

"My friend is a manager in a new startup venture. Every time we meet, I am taken aback by her failure to take responsibility for what's going on in her work and life. Everything is always someone else's fault. She explains away each problem with reasons about why she can't influence the outcome," says Anjali.

"We are continuously confronted with external pressures at work that affect us greatly. It is how we react to these pressures that largely determine what we accomplish in our career. Those who take responsibility and recognise their own weakness in the way it relates to the problem are the ones who grow and accomplish. Those who blame others or ignore their roles, stagnate and achieve less," says Rishi Gupta, 29, a manager in a telecom company.

Why people don't admit their mistakes

"Mistakes bring about a feeling of tension and anxiety within the individual. At such times, the mind seeks rational ways of escaping the situation. A range of defence mechanisms can be triggered. These defence mechanisms are subconsciously employed to protect the ego and they tend to distort, transform, or otherwise falsify reality. One uses these 'deceptions' to avoid facing issues of guilt, failure, fear, emotional pain, or embarrassment. In distorting reality, there is a change in perception which helps to lessen anxiety," says psychologist Dr. Kanchan Misra. There are many defence mechanisms. Some examples are:

Denial: Claiming/believing what is true to be false
Projection: Attributing uncomfortable feelings to others
Displacement: Redirecting emotions to a substitute target
Rationalisation: Creating false but credible justifications
Reaction formation: Overeacting in an opposite way to the fear
Intellectualisation: Taking an objective viewpoint in order to ignore the emotional aspect
Regression: Going back to acting like a child
Repression: Pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the subconscious
Sublimation: Redirecting 'wrong' urges into socially acceptable actions
"Some defence mechanisms are healthy. However, we sometimes either use them at the wrong time or overuse them, which can be destructive," says Dr Misra. For example, a leader whose team keeps failing, may misuse defence mechanisms such as rationalisation, projection, or denial, often.

Common defensive expressions used at the workplace

"It was not my fault." (blaming others without accepting personal responsibility)
"It wasn't all that important." (belittling the act)
"It happened a long time ago." (implying it doesn't matter anymore)
"They made me do it." (blaming others for a personal wrong act)
"There was no other way out." (justification of wrong)
"It only happened once." (rationalisation)
"Everyone does it." (rationalisation)
"I am only human." (indirectly blaming god)
"Well, no one is perfect." (general comparison to shift the guilt)
"The contract we lost was not a good one anyway." (a case of 'sour grapes' -- another defense mechanism)
How to take responsibility as a leader

"You have to be emotionally mature enough to see your decisions through and deal with the outcomes, whether positive or negative," says Rishi. Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind:

Acknowledge that your work is your responsibility

No matter how much you try to blame others for the events at work, each event is the outcome of choices you made and are making. Demonstrate accountability.

Make no excuses

Listen to the little voice inside your head. "The next time you catch yourself making an excuse, whether for a missed deadline or an unmet goal, gently remind yourself -- no excuses," says Anjali. Excuses fuel failure.

Listen to yourself when you speak

"Observe yourself talking with colleagues and friends. In your conversation, do you hear yourself blaming others for things that aren't going exactly as you wish? If you can sense your blaming patterns, you can stop them," says Dr Misra.

Take feedback seriously

If someone gives you feedback that you make excuses and blame others for your troubles, control your defensive reaction, explore examples and deepen your understanding of the situation.

Thus, when events at the workplace exert pressure on you, you can respond positively or negatively. Those who respond positively and take responsibility rather than blame others or be indifferent are the ones who grow as leaders. Consequently, they develop the foundation for great positive responses, great achievement, and great success in leadership.

So, are you ready to take responsibility for your actions?

---richa pant

when you are the leader,do not control everything

The golden rules are..
1.Talk to your people and listen to them
2.you should make your subordinates feel as if they run the show.They are responsible
3.You should not just dream about profits,you should care and listen.
4.Dont impose huge workloads upon yourself and your subordinates around you.It will cause burnouts.
5.when you are the leader,do not control everything or try to indulge in micro-management.never assume you know it all.Truth, simplicity and sacrifice will take you up in the long run.

Entrepreneurship: What it takes

The entrepreneur's advice


According to Raghav, if you have a passion for something, follow it. All you need to do is prioritise your ideas and work hard.

Clarity of thinking and a drive to excel is a must; you may have great ideas, but what is elementary to success is the drive to excel. Don't be afraid to make mistakes because you are bound to make them. Mistakes are integral to success.



If one start-up has failed, it doesn't mean you will lose again; it is a great learning experience that one has to go through to emerge successful.



The venture capitalist's tips



According to Sandeep, an entrepreneur must have a passion for what he is doing. The important thing to remember is that he will hit lows during the process that will make him question his decision. Belief in the idea is important though, and your passion will keep you going.



You need to have domain expertise, for which you need not have years of experience. Expertise is relative. If you are specialising in something no one else has done before, you are the expert.



You should be able to build a competitive edge in the business. It could be in technological processes, marketing relationships or solutions you offer customers.



You should be able to build the business and manage its growth -- as the company grows, the number of people will increase.



You should be able to hire the right kind of people and establish a good work culture. You should be able to manage change, retain people and scale with the business. And yes, a handful of luck helps too!