The ultimate respite - maps
Posted On Wednesday, February 28, 2007 at at 02:02 by rk rishikesh sinha
Can you remember when you last time took the map of India or to say map of a city and absorbed yourself jotting down the names of the places and the roads. There is no point in guessing that we fail to remember.
Usually, we have seen domestic and international tourist carrying maps in their hand. But, there is another breed of people, presently, which in the search of jobs, attending an interview, visiting their friends or relatives lands in a new place.
With the kismat (fate) written somewhere else, many youngsters head towards the metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai for studies or jobs. You might have noticed, generally these travelers flocking towards cities do not carry map of the destined city and even do not bother paying attention to the trouble-free tools.
The reason not carrying city maps could be cited from the fact that people were earlier more localized in their respective area. They had a limited area. They end-up their life at the most in a 50 kilometer radius.
And now with the supply (tier II cities) and demand (in metros) factor burgeoning with the distance and with easily accessible transport system, getting into a city has become more or less trouble-free affair. But, trouble starts popping up when you physically lands in the area. You start asking array of questions despite knowing the fact that the person to whom you are asking may, possibly, be a naïve like you.
As India being an advice-free country, fortunately asking a question is generously welcomed. And somehow, ultimately without any trouble you get to your place or house of accommodation safely and securely.
Another daunting task starts when the very next day you have to go to another place within the city say for attending an interview. You come to a bus stop and you find most of the co-passengers are like you and perhaps uncooperative. You start accusing your fate and become perplexed with the mere thought to attend the interview on time.
At this moment, a city map comes handy and it leases a new life to your shattered confidence. The city map can reprieve you from such confusing and tumultuous time. Just looking at the map, you could come to know the next possible place which is nearer to your venue of interview. Moreover, after running a cursory glance on the map the question you will be asking would be knowledgeable and not vague. You will start seeing your travel three dimensionally.
In addition to it, by doing so – reading the map, you will not only be clear about those places whose names are repetitive and confusing like Ambedkar Nagar in Delhi, but you will be saving yourself from falling prey to these names. In Delhi, there are three names by the name Ambedkar Nagar.
Having a map becomes more enriching and exciting when after you wind up your interview, you come out and see on the map; Shiddhi Vinayak temple is nearer from the venue of the interview say in Worli Seaface. You pay your obeisance and you succeed, definitely the credit goes to the map from where you referred and located the temple.
A case in point, if one finds himself at Maligaon in Assam, visit Kamakhaya Temple, it is nearer; at Cannaught Place in Delhi, visit the tourist places like India Gate, Palika Bazaar and Jantar Mantar. You will never regret.
So, next time you travel, don’t forget to carry a map neatly mentioning about hotels, hospitals, cinema halls, roads, police station and information centre.
Usually, we have seen domestic and international tourist carrying maps in their hand. But, there is another breed of people, presently, which in the search of jobs, attending an interview, visiting their friends or relatives lands in a new place.
With the kismat (fate) written somewhere else, many youngsters head towards the metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai for studies or jobs. You might have noticed, generally these travelers flocking towards cities do not carry map of the destined city and even do not bother paying attention to the trouble-free tools.
The reason not carrying city maps could be cited from the fact that people were earlier more localized in their respective area. They had a limited area. They end-up their life at the most in a 50 kilometer radius.
And now with the supply (tier II cities) and demand (in metros) factor burgeoning with the distance and with easily accessible transport system, getting into a city has become more or less trouble-free affair. But, trouble starts popping up when you physically lands in the area. You start asking array of questions despite knowing the fact that the person to whom you are asking may, possibly, be a naïve like you.
As India being an advice-free country, fortunately asking a question is generously welcomed. And somehow, ultimately without any trouble you get to your place or house of accommodation safely and securely.
Another daunting task starts when the very next day you have to go to another place within the city say for attending an interview. You come to a bus stop and you find most of the co-passengers are like you and perhaps uncooperative. You start accusing your fate and become perplexed with the mere thought to attend the interview on time.
At this moment, a city map comes handy and it leases a new life to your shattered confidence. The city map can reprieve you from such confusing and tumultuous time. Just looking at the map, you could come to know the next possible place which is nearer to your venue of interview. Moreover, after running a cursory glance on the map the question you will be asking would be knowledgeable and not vague. You will start seeing your travel three dimensionally.
In addition to it, by doing so – reading the map, you will not only be clear about those places whose names are repetitive and confusing like Ambedkar Nagar in Delhi, but you will be saving yourself from falling prey to these names. In Delhi, there are three names by the name Ambedkar Nagar.
Having a map becomes more enriching and exciting when after you wind up your interview, you come out and see on the map; Shiddhi Vinayak temple is nearer from the venue of the interview say in Worli Seaface. You pay your obeisance and you succeed, definitely the credit goes to the map from where you referred and located the temple.
A case in point, if one finds himself at Maligaon in Assam, visit Kamakhaya Temple, it is nearer; at Cannaught Place in Delhi, visit the tourist places like India Gate, Palika Bazaar and Jantar Mantar. You will never regret.
So, next time you travel, don’t forget to carry a map neatly mentioning about hotels, hospitals, cinema halls, roads, police station and information centre.
Will Brain Drain continue from North East?
Posted On Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at at 18:03 by rk rishikesh sinha
The history of human civilization is splurged with exodus of people settling in known or unknown land. Earlier it was in the search to stretch kingdom and in the colonialism days it was pure business driving it. It was in this period that people in mass settled in alien nations driven by the lure of higher income or employment. Countries like Fizi, Trinidard and Tobago, where people of Indian origin make sizeable population, are amongst few countries which witnessed emigration in hordes.
In the early 70’s and 80’s people from India went to countries like USA and Canada for higher studies and later settled there. And now, they represent Indian values and culture and does PR service for India as was evident in the Indo- US nuke deal.
Economics and mathematics of the emigrated people to foreign nations or within countries generate soothing results but at the same time it evokes disturbing trends. The money that emigrated people send to their parents makes up state exchequer soar. In opposite to it, some say and perhaps it is that they nourish the host nations with the expertise that they acquired in their homeland, in return not getting anything financially or with their expertise. Simply, the question arose more questions then it answers.
That was all about brain drain crossing international borders. Now, let me come to brain drain from North East. Again, the issue opens up a Pandora box.
First, the word ‘brain drain’ cannot be related to North East in general and Assam in particular since constitutionally this region is still a part of India. Using the word, it seems, would be inappropriate and illogical. OK, let us not go deep and creep into the word’s etymologically and its usage to the North East.
Before one answer the intriguing question whether brain drain will continue from the North East, it is necessary to answer many questions. At first, why people migrate to cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore – the newly found destination amongst students and professional? Why national media, print or television doesn’t report exclusively on North East? But we find special city edition and exclusive channels for these metro cities.
About the present mess, we can say and I believe you will agree with me with the fact that North East doesn’t come under the radar of development which had swayed these metro cities and even to the tier – II cities like Jaipur, Faislabad, Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Karnal. Mind-blowing development generating employment drove in hordes highly qualified jobless professional to head towards these cities.
Employment is the key factor and driving force, people like me many more to take, leaving behind comfort zones in home. No doubt, I started my professional career from Guwahati but after leaving it, I became the one more person everyday flipping the second page of The Assam Tribune so to find a job, it doesn’t matter whether I was eligible or not.
Now coming to here in Delhi, whenever my phone rings I expect a call to appear for an interview thus opening up an opportunity for me to get my foot in the interviewee table. I am bombarded with offers and interviews and so is the story with every guy coming from Assam or North East. Don’t you think coming here has given me an opportunity not to waste my youth in the search for jobs.
Besides employability, the newly acquired home gives you to work in avenues like internet, real estate, construction, PR, hotel and Below The Line Marketing (BTL) companies, which are unknown in the North East. The add-on facilities which one get working in these companies are that the work culture and the technology on which they work is latest and of highest standards.
Our experienced hand in such sectors will help in near future when such businesses come to North East. A case in point, most of the people working in studios in Guwahati had taken training in Mumbai or Delhi. These people have undoubtedly come to their native place when such avenues came up in Guwahati.
This was all about employment. Another benefit taking place under the shadow of brain drain is that it helps to expand and propagate culture, language and mitigate myths about Assam or North East. It truly works as a PR service taken by the state. The people project our enriched culture by becoming ambassadors. And for this simple looking fact we know countries or states cough up crores of rupees building cultural centres.
And about media not valuing north east, it is because the region is not a secondary or primary market for them. They do not get a penny by running an operation in the area.
To make the long story short, we people from north east must sail in the wave of globalization especially now when market is bullish and new definition are being coined, and every time it is being redefined. So become the brain and drain into the pinnacle of success.
Brain drain will continue to take place unless and until the region maintains the equilibrium in the scale of development in regards to employment generation with the rest of the region. We must beset an example like Punjabis and English has been doing- conquer.