Padma Awards 2010

Padma Awards, the country's highest civilian awards, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.  The awards are given in all disciplines/ fields of activities, viz. art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.  'Padma Vibhushan' is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; 'Padma Bhushan' for distinguished service of high order and 'Padma Shri' for distinguished service in any field.  The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

The awards are conferred by the President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan sometime around March/ April.  This year the President has approved 130 awards including 13 in the category of Foreigners/ NRIs/ PIOs. These comprise 6 Padma Vibhushan, 43 Padma Bhushan and 81 Padma Shri awards.  There are 17 ladies among the awardees.

Padma Vibhushan

Sl.No.	Name	Discipline	State/ Domicile
1.	Shri Ebrahim Alkazi	Art	Delhi
2.	Shri Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman	Art	Tamil Nadu
3.	Smt. Zohra Segal	Art	Delhi
4.	Dr. Yaga Venugopal Reddy	Public Affairs	Andhra Pradesh
5.	Dr. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan	Science and Engineering	UK *
6.	Dr. Prathap Chandra Reddy	Trade and Industry	Tamil Nadu

Padma Bhushan

Sl.No.	Name	Discipline	State/ Domicile
1.	Shri  Ilaiyaraaja	Art	Tamil Nadu
2.	Shri Aamir Khan	Art	Maharashtra
3.	Shri Akbar Padamsee	Art	Maharashtra
4.	Shri Allah Rakha Rahman	Art	Tamil Nadu
5.	Pandit Chhannulal Mishra	Art	Uttar Pradesh
6.	Smt. Kumudini Lakhia	Art	Gujarat
7.	Shri Kuzhur Narayana Marar	Art	Kerala
8.	Prof. Madhusudan Amilal Dhaky	Art	Gujarat
9.	Ms. Mallika Sarabhai	Art	Gujarat
10.	Prof. (Dr.) Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana	Art	Andhra Pradesh
11.	Pandit (Dr.) Puttaraj Gavai	Art	Karnataka
12.	Shri Ram Kumar	Art	Delhi
13.	Shri Shrinivas Vinayak Khale	Art	Maharashtra
14.	Ustad Sultan Khan	Art	Maharashtra
15.	Shri B.K. Chaturvedi	Civil Service	Delhi
16.	Shri Moosa Raza	Civil Service	Delhi
17.	Dr. P.R. Dubhashi	Civil Service	Maharashtra
18.	Shri Fareed Zakaria	Journalism	USA *
19.	Shri Anil Bordia	Literature and Education	Rajasthan
20.	Prof. Bipan Chandra	Literature and Education	Delhi
21.	Shri G.P. Chopra	Literature and Education	Delhi
22.	Prof. Mohammad Amin	Literature and Education	Delhi
23.	Prof. Satya Vrat Shastri	Literature and Education	Delhi
24.	Prof. Tan Chung	Literature and Education	USA *
25.	Prof. Belle Monappa Hegde	Medicine	Karnataka
26.	Shri E.T. Narayanan Mooss	Medicine	Kerala
27.	Dr. Noshir M. Shroff	Medicine	Delhi
28.	Dr. Panniyampilly Krishna Warrier	Medicine	Kerala
29.	Dr. Ramakant Madanmohan Panda	Medicine	Maharashtra
30.	Prof.(Dr.) Satya Paul Agarwal	Medicine	Delhi
31.	Prof. Abhijit Sen	Public Affairs	Delhi
32.	Shri Sailesh Kumar Bandyopadhyay	Public Affairs	West Bengal
33.	Shri Sant Singh Chatwal	Public Affairs	USA *
34.	Prof. Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj	Science and Engineering	USA *
35.	Prof. Bikash Chandra Sinha	Science and Engineering	West Bengal
36.	Shri Jagdish Chandra Kapur	Science and Engineering	Delhi
37.	Dr. Balagangadharanatha Swamiji	Social Work	Karnataka
38.	Shri Eknath Rao alias Balasaheb Vikhe Patil	Social Work	Maharashtra
39.	Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair	Trade and Industry	Maharashtra
40.	Dr. Kushal Pal Singh	Trade and Industry	Delhi
41.	Shri Manvinder Singh Banga alias Vindi Banga	Trade and Industry	UK *
42.	Shri Narayanan Vaghul	Trade and Industry	Tamil Nadu
43.	Shri S.P. Oswal	Trade and Industry	Punjab

Padma Shri 

Sl.No.	Name	Discipline	State/ Domicile
1.	Shri Gulam Mohammed Mir	Public Service	Jammu and Kashmir
2.	Ms.  Rekha	Art	Maharashtra
3.	Shri Arjun Prajapati	Art	Rajasthan
4.	Ms. Arundhati Nag	Art	Karnataka
5.	Ms. Carmel Berkson	Art	Maharashtra
6.	Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar	Art	Delhi
7.	Smt. Gul Bardhan	Art	Madhya Pradesh
8.	Smt. Haobam Ongbi Ngangbi Devi	Art	Manipur
9.	Shri Hari Uppal	Art	Bihar
10.	Shri K. Raghavan	Art	Kerala
11.	Guru Mayadhar Raut	Art	Delhi
12.	Shri Mukund Lath	Art	Rajasthan
13.	Shri Nemai Ghosh	Art	West Bengal
14.	Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi	Art	Orissa
15.	Shri Rajkumar Achouba Singh	Art	Manipur
16.	Dr. Ram Dayal Munda	Art	Jharkhand
17.	Shri Resul Pokutty	Art	Kerala
18.	Shri Saif Ali Khan	Art	Maharashtra
19.	Dr. (Smt.) Shobha Raju	Art	Andhra Pradesh
20.	Ms. Sumitra Guha	Art	Delhi
21.	Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar	Art	West Bengal
22.	Shri D.R. Karthikeyan	Civil Service	Delhi
23.	Dr. Ranjit Bhargava	Environment Protection	Uttarakhand
24.	Shri Arun Sarma	Literature and Education	Assam
25.	Prof. Arvind Kumar	Literature and Education	Maharashtra
26.	Ms. Bertha Gyndykes Dkhar	Literature and Education	Meghalaya
27.	Prof. Govind Chandra Pande	Literature and Education	Madhya Pradesh
28.	Prof. Hamidi Kashmiri	Literature and Education	Jammu and Kashmir
29.	Prof. (Dr.) Hermann Kulke	Literature and Education	Germany *
30.	Shri Janaki Ballav Shastri	Literature and Education	Bihar
31.	Dr. Jitendra Udhampuri	Literature and Education	Jammu and Kashmir
32.	Dr. Lal Bahadur Singh Chauhan	Literature and Education	Uttar Pradesh
33.	Shri Lalzuia Colney	Literature and Education	Mizoram
34.	Ms. Maria Aurora Couto	Literature and Education	Goa
35.	Dr.(Smt.) Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy alias Y.G. Parthasarathy	Literature and Education	Tamil Nadu
36.	Prof. Ramaranjan Mukherji	Literature and Education	West Bengal
37.	Dr. Ranganathan Parthasarathy	Literature and Education	Tamil Nadu
38.	Fr. Romuald D'Souza	Literature and Education	Goa
39.	Prof. Sadiq - Ur - Rahman Kidwai	Literature and Education	Delhi
40.	Mr. Sheldon Pollock	Literature and Education	USA *
41.	Dr. Surendra Dubey	Literature and Education	Chhattisgarh
42.	Dr. Anil Kumar Bhalla	Medicine	Delhi
43.	Dr. Arvinder Singh Soin	Medicine	Uttar Pradesh
44.	Dr. B. Ramana Rao	Medicine	Karnataka
45.	Dr. Jalakantapuram Ramaswamy Krishnamoorthy	Medicine	Tamil Nadu
46.	Dr. K.K. Aggarwal	Medicine	Delhi
47.	Prof. Kodaganur S. Gopinath	Medicine	Karnataka
48.	Dr. Laxmi Chand Gupta	Medicine	Delhi
49.	Dr. Philip Augustine	Medicine	Kerala
50.	Dr. Rabindra Narain Singh	Medicine	Bihar
51.	Dr. Vikas Mahatme	Medicine	Maharashtra
52.	Dr. Rafael Iruzubieta Fernandez	Public Affairs	Spain *
53.	Prof. M.R. Satyanarayana Rao	Science and Engineering	Karnataka
54.	Prof. (Dr.) Palpu Pushpangadan	Science and Engineering	Kerala
55.	Prof. Ponisseril Somasundaran	Science and Engineering	USA *
56.	Prof. Pucadyil Ittoop John	Science and Engineering	Gujarat
57.	Dr. Vijay Prasad Dimri	Science and Engineering	Andhra Pradesh
58.	Dr.(Ms.) Vijaylakshmi Ravindranath	Science and Engineering	Karnataka
59.	Ms. Anu Aga	Social Work	Maharashtra
60.	Shri Ayekpam Tomba Meetei	Social Work	Manipur
61.	Shri Deep Joshi	Social Work	Delhi
62.	Dr. J.R. Gangaramani	Social Work	UAE *
63.	Shri Kranti Shah	Social Work	Maharashtra
64.	Dr. Kurian John Melamparambil	Social Work	Kerala
65.	Baba Sewa Singh	Social Work	Punjab
66.	Ms. Sudha Kaul	Social Work	West Bengal
67.	Dr. Sudhir M. Parikh	Social Work	USA *
68.	Shri Ignace Tirkey	Sports	Orissa
69.	Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan	Sports	Tamil Nadu
70.	Shri Ramakant Vithal Achrekar	Sports	Maharashtra
71.	Ms. Saina Nehwal	Sports	Andhra Pradesh
72.	Shri Vijender Singh	Sports	Haryana
73.	Shri Virendra Sehwag	Sports	Delhi
74.	Dr. Alluri Venkata Satyanarayana Raju	Trade and Industry	Andhra Pradesh
75.	Dr. B. Raveendran Pillai	Trade and Industry	Bahrain *
76.	Shri Deepak Puri	Trade and Industry	Delhi
77.	Shri Irshad Mirza	Trade and Industry	Uttar Pradesh
78.	Brig. Dr. Kapil Mohan	Trade and Industry	Himachal Pradesh
79.	Dr. Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel	Trade and Industry	Gujarat
80.	Shri T.N. Manoharan	Trade and Industry	Tamil Nadu
81.	Shri Venu Srinivasan	Trade and Industry	Tamil Nadu

Note: *Denotes awardees in the category of Foreigners/ NRIs/ PIOs.

List of Chief Guests to India from 1990 to 2010

2010: President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea.
There are so many reasons as well for India to extend this year's honour to Lee. South Korea is an influential player in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum where India has a growing stake, because of which New Delhi feels the need for a greater engagement with APEC member countries.

India also signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with South Korea recently to bolster economic ties. CEPA is much more than just a free trade agreement as it includes services in its scope as well. In this scenario New Delhi has given the final environmental clearance to Posco, the South Korean steel giant, to set up a $12-billion steel plant in Orissa as hearty wel come message to the Honored Chief Guest. The project is the single biggest foreign investment in the country.

2009: President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is one of the largest producers of uranium which India was seeking desperately to secure fuel supplies for its nuclear reactors. India signed a civil nuclear deal with Kazakhstan during Nazarbayev's visit and the first uranium consignment was delivered soon after.

2008: President Nicolas Sarkozy of France
The two countries finalized their bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement even as India awaited the conclusion of the Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA.

2007: President Vladimir Putin of Russia
During this visit, Russia formally acknowledged India as a nuclear weapons power and offered to set up four more nuclear reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu and additional ones elsewhere. Russia also promised support for special waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers' Group.

2006: King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud
At a time when engaging with the Muslim world was being seen as necessary from a strategic angle, India chose Saudi Arabia to begin the process of strengthening its presence in that region. Aware that hardly any Arab money was being invested in its markets, New Delhi wanted to correct that.

2005: King Jingme Singye Wangchuk of Bhutan
Bhutan had cracked down on ULFA militants in December 2003, becoming the only country to have demonstrated by action that it would not tolerate any anti-India activity on its soil. This was a thank-you invitation by India.

2004: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil
This visit was indicative of the growing ties between the major emerging economies of the world. The IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) grouping had already taken off and trade with Brazil had crossed $1 billion for the first time. The two countries have been coordinating even more closely ever since, the most recent example of which was on display at the Copenhagen climate change summit.

2003: President Mohammad Khatami of Iran
India and Iran, at that time, were working on the common objective of bringing stability in Afghanistan. Both countries were supporting groups that were fighting the Taliban. India was helping the Northern Alliance led by Ahmad Shah Masood while Iran had been backing the Hazaras. Iran was the one that had offered India access to Afghanistan after Pakistan refused to let Indian foodgrains and other materials to be taken through its territory.

2002: President Cassam Uteem of Mauritius
This was in line with New Delhi's plans to reach out to the African countries. Mauritius has a large number of people of Indian origin, including Cassam Uteem himself. Uteem had been President of the island nation for the previous ten years and India wanted to honour his achievement.

2001: President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria
This visit had more to do with NAM legacy. Bouteflika was a friendly face for India in Africa and the NDA government under Vajpayee also wanted to use him to convey that it did not discriminate against Muslims.

* 2000: President Olusengun Obasanjo of Nigeria
As a young military officer, Obasanjo had come, rather reluctantly, to India for training. Once here, he fell in love with India. He became a military dictator in 1976 but just three years later transferred power to an elected President. He was imprisoned in the early nineties by another military dictatorship. During this time, India honoured him with the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize which his wife received on his behalf. Obasanjo was released only in 1998 and went on to win the Presidency in elections a year later. India wasted no time in inviting him for the Republic Day the following year.

* 1999: King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal
This was in line with New Delhi's policy of a continued engagement with its neighbours. The Gujral doctrine of promoting friendly relations with neighbouring countries was very much still in practice even though the government had changed.

1998: President Jacques Chirac of France
This was a period when India was wooing Western powers for technological and military supplies in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union. The US was not warming up enough and the UK was seen to be toeing the Washington line on major issues. France had a more independent thought process and was more willing to do business quietly. France was the only major power not to have criticised the Indian nuclear tests carried out less than six months later.

1997: Prime Minister Basdeo Panday of Trinidad and Tobago
A PIO, Panday was the Foreign Minister when India's then External Affairs Minister N D Tiwari made a trip to Trinidad and Tobago. They decided to open an Indian cultural centre in Trinidad. But it did not go down well with the local population which accused Panday of letting India colonise their country. The cultural centre was put on hold. Panday himself lost the ministership because of other reasons. But when he returned as Prime Minister in 1995, one of the first things that Panday did was to open the Indian cultural centre.

1996: President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil
This was when the idea of closer cooperation between the emerging economies was still taking shape. Till then India had negligible trade with Latin America. Cardoso was also in favour of greater economic cooperation between the two countries. Trade picked up and India also opened a consul in Sao Paulo.

1995: President Nelson Mandela of South Africa
After 27 years in prison, Mandela had just been elected President of South Africa in its first ever multi-racial elections in 1994. And it was only fitting that India invited him to grace the Republic Day next January.

1994: Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore
India had recently become a dialogue partner of ASEAN. So important was Singapore's role in India's engagement with ASEAN that Manmohan Singh, then the Finance Minister, used to often say that New Delhi must never forget the contribution of Singapore which had held India's hand when no one else did.

1993: Prime Minister John Major of United Kingdom
In the wake of the break-up of Soviet Union, India was trying to warm up to the Western powers for its military and technology supplies and Britain was one of the first ones New Delhi had reached out to.

1992: President Mario Soares of Portugal
In 1992, Portugal was celebrating the 500 years of Vasco da Gama's victory over French pirate ships near its coasts and had invited India to become a part of it. New Delhi had initially agreed but later realised that it could be seen as eulogizing the man who laid the ground for Portuguese rule in India. New Delhi, therefore, politely declined and instead invited the Portuguese President as chief guest.

1991: President Moumoon Abdul Gayoom of Maldives
This invite was to honour a long-time friend of the country in a neighbouring country which is strategically extremely important for India.

1990: Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth of Mauritius
Jugnauth was a PIO, originally from Bihar and spoke fluent Bhojpuri. The invitation was a reflection of changing politics.

Contributed by: Baikuntha Narayan Biswal Source:  UPSC Portal

BASIC countries to meet on January 24

CAG Weekly
(Current Affairs & GK)
By Om Prakash (goldy sir) 

Others

BASIC countries to meet on January 24

• The group of four emerging economies – Brazil, South Africa, India and China – that played a major role in arriving at the Copenhagen Accord – will meet new delhi on January 24 to discuss issues before endorsing the agreement on climate change arrived at in the Danish Capital last month.
• The ministerial level meeting is likely to draft a collective response to a communication from the United Nations Secretary-General asking these countries to work quickly and diligently to get all other Parties of the conference to sign the Accord by January 31.
• Things have picked up pace following a clarification from the U.N. office that the Accord was a political document and could not be considered a legally binding document though those who agree to it would be bound by the commitments they have announced nationally or at the just concluded climate change meet.
• The Copenhagen Accord is being touted as an essential first step in a process leading to a robust international climate change treaty by the UNFCCC.
• China and South Africa have already confirmed their participation for the January 24 meeting while Brazil has also assured of its presence. The meeting will also take stock of the Copenhagen Accord and devise a strategy for the Bonn Ministerial meeting in May.
• Meanwhile, the U.N. Secretary-General was also considering setting up a panel to work on how the start-up financing would be organised so as to ensure the developed countries actually start putting up the $ 30 billion they have promised.

Coral reefs give birth to rich sea life

• Coral reefs give birth to a dazzling number of new species of sea creatures, according to a study that highlights their critical role in marine ecosystems.
• Scientists have found that the reefs not only harbour amazing biodiversity, but are actively involved in the generation of new life forms.
• The study overturns conventional thinking that much of the sea life in coral reefs originated elsewhere.
• Wolfgang Kiessling of the Humboldt University of Berlin, who led the study, said: "We found that coral reefs are very active at generating biodiversity in the oceans, and that they export biodiversity to other ecosystems. This was a surprise because many people had assumed that reefs were ecological attracters — that species go there from other places."

Pause in global warming

• A new study by Prof. Mojib Latif claims that the cyclical changes in ocean currents known as North Atlantic Oscillation could dominate over man-made global warming for the next few decades.
• Latif said the world could be in for a spell of cooler temperatures, rather than hotter conditions, for the next 20 or 30 years as a result of changes in the Arctic conditions which have brought many countries to a standstill over the past week.

1966 Indian Davis Cup team felicitated

• the Davis Cup team of 1966, which was the first Indian team to reach the final of the event, was felicitated in a court-side ceremony.
• Ramanathan Krishnan, Jaideep Mukerjea, S.P. Misra and Ajit Lall (brother of the late Premjit Lall) later engaged in a free-wheeling discussion about their memories of the 1966 Davis Cup season, the changes that the sport has undergone since their run, and the prospects of the current team in the World Group encounter against Russia.

Sriram Jha gets FIDE nod

• The World Chess Federation (FIDE) gave "conditional" clearance to Sriram Jha's Grandmaster title application.
• In its Presidential Board meeting at Bursa, Turkey, the FIDE conferred the title on Jha on the condition the player crosses the stipulated 2500-rating mark. Jha, armed with three GM norms and rated at 2511, becomes the 21st GM in the country.
• The FIDE also cleared IM applications of Debashis Das (rated 2400), Sahaj Grover (2448) and Swapnil Dhopade (2429). Rahul Sangma (2387), conditionally cleared by FIDE, will become an International Master once he touches the 2400-mark.

Courtesy:- Dialogue India and Career Plus

The Power of Positive Talk by Dr. Abdul Kalam

I remember my dad teaching me the power of language at a very young age. Not only did my dad understand that specific words affect our mental pictures, but he understood words are a powerful programming factor in lifelong success.

One particularly interesting event occurred when I was eight. As a kid, I was always climbing trees, poles, and literally hanging around upside down from the rafters of our lake house. So, it came to no surprise for my dad to find me at the top of a 30-foot tree swinging back and forth. My little eight-year-old brain didn't realize the tree could break or I could get hurt. I just thought it was fun to be up so high.

My older cousin, Tammy, was also in the same tree. She was hanging on the first big limb, about ten feet below me. Tammy's mother also noticed us at the exact time my dad did. About that time a huge gust of wind came over the tree. I could hear the leaves start to rattle and the tree begin to sway. I remember my dad's voice over the wind yell, "Bart, Hold on tightly." So I did. The next thing I know, I heard Tammy screaming at the top of her lungs, laying flat on the ground. She had fallen out of the tree.

I scampered down the tree to safety. My dad later told me why she fell and I did not. Apparently, when Tammy's mother felt the gust of wind, she yelled out, "Tammy, don't fall!" And Tammy did. fall.

My dad then explained to me that the mind has a very difficult time processing a negative image. In fact, people who rely on internal pictures cannot see a negative at all. In order for Tammy to process the command of not falling, her nine-year-old brain had to first imagine falling, then try to tell the brain not to do what it just imagined. Whereas, my eight-year-old brain instantly had an internal image of me hanging on tightly. This concept is especially useful when you are attempting to break a habit or set a goal . You can't visualize not doing something. The only way to properly visualize not doing something is to actually find a word for what you want to do and visualize that. For example, when I was thirteen years old, I played for my junior high school football team. I tried so hard to be good, but I just couldn't get it together at that age. I remember hearing the words run through my head as I was running out for a pass, "Don't drop it!" Naturally, I dropped the ball.

My coaches were not skilled enough to teach us proper "self-talk." They just thought some kids could catch and others couldn't. I'll never make it pro, but I'm now a pretty good Sunday afternoon football player, because all my internal dialogue is positive and encourages me to win. I wish my dad had coached me playing football instead of just climbing trees. I might have had a longer football career.

Here is a very easy demonstration to teach your kids and your friends the power of a toxic vocabulary. Ask them to hold a pen or pencil. Hand it to them. Now, follow my instructions carefully. Say to them, "Okay, try to drop the pencil." Observe what they do.

Most people release their hands and watch the pencil hit the floor. You respond, "You weren't paying attention. I said TRY to drop the pencil. Now please do it again." Most people then pick up the pencil and pretend to be in excruciating pain while their hand tries but fails to drop the pencil.

The point is made.
If you tell your brain you will "give it a try," you are actually telling your brain to fail. I have a "no try" rule in my house and with everyone I interact with. Either people will do it or they won't. Either they will be at the party or they won't. I'm brutal when people attempt to lie to me by using the word try. Do they think I don't know they are really telegraphing to the world they have no intention of doing it but they want me to give them brownie points for pretended effort? You will never hear the words "I'll try" come out of my mouth unless I'm teaching this concept in a seminar.

If you "try" and do something, your unconscious mind has permission not to succeed. If I truly can't make a decision I will tell the truth. "Sorry John. I'm not sure if I will be at your party or not. I've got an outstanding commitment. If that falls through, I will be here. Otherwise, I will not. Thanks for the invite."
People respect honesty. So remove the word "try" from your vocabulary.

My dad also told me that psychologists claim it takes seventeen positive statements to offset one negative statement. I have no idea if it is true, but the logic holds true. It might take up to seventeen compliments to offset the emotional damage of one harsh criticism. These are concepts that are especially useful when raising children.

Ask yourself how many compliments you give yourself daily versus how many criticisms. Heck, I know you are talking to yourself all day long. We all have internal voices that give us direction.

So, are you giving yourself the 17:1 ratio or are you shortchanging yourself with toxic self-talk like, " I'm fat. Nobody will like me. I'll try this diet. I'm not good enough. I'm so stupid. I'm broke, etc. etc."

If our parents can set a lifetime of programming with one wrong statement, imagine the kind of programming you are doing on a daily basis with your own internal dialogue.

Here is a list of Toxic Vocabulary words.
Notice when you or other people use them.

• But: Negates any words that are stated before it.
• Try: Presupposes failure.
• If: Presupposes that you may not.
• Might: It does nothing definite. It leaves options for your listener..
• Would Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen.
• Should Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen (and implies guilt.)
• Could Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen but the person tries to take credit as if it did happen.
• Can't/Don't: These words force the listener to focus on exactly the opposite of what you want. This is a classic mistake that parents and coaches make without knowing the damage of this linguistic error.

Examples:
Toxic phrase: "Don't drop the ball!"
Likely result: Drops the ball
Better language: "Catch the ball!"
Toxic phrase: "You shouldn't watch so much television."
Likely result: Watches more television.
Better language: "I read too much television makes people stupid. You might find yourself turning that TV off and picking up one of those books more often!"

Exercise:
Take a moment to write down all the phrases you use on a daily basis or any Toxic self-talk that you have noticed yourself using. Write these phrases down so you will begin to catch yourself as they occur and change them.

My Dear friends. Don't get so nervous be positive, confidant, realistic and energetic in your plan and action. You remember you are going to be top among all others and most capable to handle all odds. So you must have patience and trust on you. Don't ask silly questions on Age, Qualification etc. and Don't get so tense about Revised Pattern of Preliminary. No need to show so much curiosity in this. Just take it easy, leave it to times in his nature and One day it will come. So in this context the advice putted by our popular and peoples president A.P.J Abdul Kalam must work out up to some extent.

So my dear friends wish all of u a most vibrant and fruitful new year in advance, but don't forget to 2009 also because this (2009) year has given you a chance to think up and keep up a hope on CIVIL SERVICE 2010.

I love my INDIA and Proud to be INDIAN.

Source: UPSC Portal

FMCGs hire local talent to boost rural business

When in Rome, do as the Romans do... goes the phrase, which is partially what consumer goods companies are adhering to. They are hiring local talent to target rural sales.

Devendra Dube (name changed), a 25-year-old resident of Gorakhpur, was recruited by Dabur as a sales representative for a Tier-3 city. Said A Sudhakar, head, human resources (HR), Dabur India, "A company like ours needs employees who are fluent in local language, tastes and culture, and have the ability to deal with local stockists to help us boost sales from this region."

Major fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies like Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Marico, Godrej Consumer Products, Dabur and even brewers like Sab Miller have stepped up hiring in small towns and rural India — primarily appointing sales staff to increase visibility and connect, and simultaneously boost sales.

Exact numbers are not known, but it's estimated that over the last 3-4 years the companies have increased hiring of sales staff from small towns and rural areas by over 20 per cent. In 2010, it will only rise.

Consider this: Nearly 50 per cent of Dabur's sales and marketing staff come from Tier 2-3 regions, according to Sudhakar. The company has 800 employees. Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) has nearly 1,000 out of its 1,300 employees from villages of India.

There are a number of reasons for this trend. While managerial positions are mobile, these positions are " usually cosmopolitan". The FMCG companies now want to break the stereotype. They prefer to localise workforce, which means employing locals to further regional business.

A rural strategy is crucial to the success of FMCG companies since the hinterland accounts for 30-50 per cent of their sales. Dabur gets nearly 50 per cent of its topline from rural markets. The company has introduced products like Lal Danth Manjan with local translations of the packaging, like Telugu and Tamil. Marico has Manjal soap and Oil of Malabar coconut oil solely for non–urban consumers.

Analysts say the reason behind small town recruitment is the higher retention level of employees compared to metros. Studies conducted by companies, which did not want to be named, showed that the average retention time for a small town employee was five years and one belonging to a metro or a top B-school was two years.

"Small town youngsters have fire in their belly. They are more than eager to be trained into delivery mode and one notices a considerable rate of retention for these employees in the past few years. They are what is called stable talent," said a senior analyst of an HR firm.

This fact is reflected in the hiring pattern of FMCGs. Dabur has staff in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Kanpur, Mirzapur and other such places, including 10-12 places in the north-east, according to Sudhakar.

GCPL, too, employs from semi-urban areas to establish the "local connect". The company believes it is imperative for rural growth.

Sumit Mitra, executive vice president, GCPL, said, "The policy of rotation is a short-lived model. It cannot be sustained since it will cause a lack of connect between a person from a metro and a remote village in Tamil Nadu (for example), where we may want to expand our business." He said that for a managerial level or a more senior level, "it is still alright to recruit from only the metros, but for front sales force, we believe small town India is the way to go."

The trend appears to have caught on with foreign players, too. Many international players are adopting similar strategies to penetrate India's heartland.

South African brewer Sab Miller, which makers Fosters, Haywards 5000 and Peroni, says that not only its sales force, but also an increasing number of its managers are being employed from these regions.

Sab Miller, which recruits from Orissa, Nagpur, Nasik, Kolhapur and Trichy, believes this strategy is paying dividends.

The company avoids posting employees in their hometowns, which ensures that they are in a constant state of rotation — a model that Sab Miller believes will help it in the long run.

"This strategy is the only way we can brand ourselves in smaller towns, considering we are just five years old in India. It is stable and consistent," said Hari Krishna, head (human resources), Sab Miller India. Krishna added that the company recruited from the prominent B-schools in small towns to tap talent.

Source:BS news, January 11, 2010

Entrepreneurs that changed the face of India

Indian entrepreneurs are making waves all across the world. Indian business firms are making acquisitions abroad and spreading their tentacles in various corners of the world. Indian Entrepreneurs have proved all doomsday prophecies wrong and on the contrary have flourished under globalisation. Here is a brief profile of famous Indian entrepreneurs. The list is long and never-ending. Here are 10 of them (in alphabetical order) whose endeavours have inspired the entire nation:

1. The Great Indian entrepreneurial Spirit:
Entrepreneurship is a critical element of a growth economy, and India is poised to unlock a entrepreneurial boom through the next 10 years. The beginnings are already in place, steps have been taken in the right direction. The License Raj worked very hard for very long to kill the entrepreneurial spirit in India, but historically Indians certainly have been very enterprising. This entrepreneurial streak runs in almost every Indian. The result is before our eyes. We salute this Great Indian entrepreneurial Spirit!

2. Azim Premji:
Chairman of Wipro Technologies; Richest Indian for the past several years; Honored with Padma Bhushan in 2005. Azim Premji is Chairman of Wipro Technologies, one of the largest software companies in India. He is an icon among Indian businessmen and his success story is a source of inspiration to a number of budding entrepreneurs.

3. Dhirubhai Ambani:
Dhiru Bhai Ambani built India's largest private sector company. Created an equity cult in the Indian capital market. Reliance is the first Indian company to feature in Forbes 500 list. Dhirubhai Ambani was the most enterprising Indian entrepreneur. His life journey is reminiscent of the rags to riches story. He is remembered as the one who rewrote Indian corporate history and built a truly global corporate group.

4. JRD Tata:
He had the honor of being India's first pilot; was Chairman of Tata & Sons for 50 years; launched Air India International as India's first international airline; received Bharat Ratna in 1992. JRD Tata was one of the most enterprising Indian entrepreneurs. He was a pioneer aviator and built one of the largest industrial houses of India.

5. M.S. Oberoi:
Founder of the Oberoi Group of Hotels; Honored with Padma Bhushan in 2001, M.S. Oberoi can be aptly termed as the father of the Indian hotel industry. Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi was among the first to recognize the potential of the tourism industry, its ability to contribute to India's economic growth and generate direct and indirect employment. He worked tirelessly to put Indian hotel industry on global tourism map.

6. Dr. Monkombu S. Swaminathan:
He is an outstanding world statesman and visionary in the agricultural and natural resources arena. Trained as a plant breeder and cytogeneticist in India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, he is acclaimed as the "Father of the Green Revolution in Asia." In India they say, "Gandhi gave us freedom, Swaminathan gave us food." He is the recipient of all three of India's civilian honors: high, higher, and highest. Dr. Swaminathan's achievements have led to dramatic increases in crop yields.

7. Narayana Murthy:
One of the founders of Infosys Technologies Limited; Chosen as the World Entrepreneur of the Year - 2003 by Ernst and Young, Narayana Murthy is the Non-Executive Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited. He is a living legend and an epitome of the fact that honesty, transparency, and moral integrity are not at variance with business acumen. He set new standards in corporate governance and morality when he stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Infosys at the age of 60.

8. Rahul Bajaj:
Rahul Bajaj is the Chairman of the Bajaj Group, which ranks among the top 10 business houses in India. The Bajaj Group has diversified interests ranging from automobiles, home appliances, lighting, iron and steel, insurance, travel and finance. Rahul Bajaj is one of India's most distinguished business leaders and internationally respected for his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit.

9. Sunil Mittal:
Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Group, India's largest GSM-based mobile phone service provider; IT Man of the Year Award 2002 from Dataquest and CEO Of the Year, 2002 Award from World HRD Congress. Sunil Mittal can be called as originator of cellular phone revolution in India. He is the founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Group and runs India's largest GSM-based mobile phone service.

10. Verghese Kurien:
Known as the "father of the white revolution" in India; Winner of Ramon Magsaysay Award; Awarded with Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan (1966), and Padma Vibhushan (1999). Dr. Verghese Kurien is better known as the "father of the white revolution" in India. He is also called as the Milkman of India. Dr. Varghese Kurien was the architect behind the success of the largest dairy development program in the world, christened as Operation Flood. He was the chairman of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF) and his name was synonymous with the Amul brand.


--
Malvaniya Prashant
MBA, S V I M, Kadi
http://malvaniyaprashant.wordpress.com

BMW beats Mercedes in luxury stakes

Mercedes sales decline over 10%, but the company expects double-digit growth this year.

BMW India has overtaken Mercedes Benz India as the Number One luxury car major by sales in the domestic market.

For the 12-month period ended December, BMW sold 3,619 units of luxury cars, while the Pune-based Mercedes Benz sold 3,247 units. This is the first time that BMW, which began operations here in 2005, has overtaken its German automobile counterpart, Mercedes Benz, which has been selling cars in the country since the 1950s.

The luxury car market begins from Rs 26 lakh (Mercedes Benz C-Class) and extends up to Rs 5 crore (Mercedes' Maybach). The annual volume sold in the domestic market is around 7,000 units. In the past two years, Mercedes Benz has controlled over 50 per cent of the luxury car market, with BMW close behind, averaging a market share between 35 and 45 per cent. The rest was contributed by the third German car major, Audi, which sells around 1,000 cars a year.

2009 was a turning point for Mercedes Benz. Despite the overall deceleration in passenger vehicle sales in the domestic market, it actually posted a robust growth of 24 per cent, while Mercedes Benz posted a decline of 10.4 per cent.

Mercedes attributes the drop in sales to the insufficient availability of the all-new E-Class car's CKD (completely knocked down) kits. The E-Class was launched in the last quarter of 2009. The company imports these kits and assembles them at its Pune unit.

Mercedes plans to recoup. "We will grow at a very solid, double-digit growth this year," says Wilfried Aulbur, managing director and CEO of Mercedes Benz India. The company fields the C-Class in the executive segment, the E-Class in the premium segment and the S-Class in the luxury segment. It also has its presence in the SUV segment and imported premium coupes.

Among the 3,247 cars sold last year, Mercedes sold around 1,600 C-Class units. "This is our entry model for the domestic market. In the coming years, we would be launching newer variants of the C-Class, appealing to different profiles of the luxury segment," says Debashis Mitra, director (sales & marketing). The company invested Rs 150 crore at its production plant in Pune last year.

The company today unveiled the new S-500 L car, priced at Rs 95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The earlier S-Class cars were imported as completely built units and priced at Rs 1.10 crore. The new S-500 L will be assembled (from CKD kits) at the Pune factory. Mercedes Benz also unveiled its new SUV, the GL 350 CDI, priced at Rs 64.90 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Source: BS Reporter / New Delhi January 5, 2010