Category: Kharcha paani

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More Americans studying in India

12 per cent increase in numbers of Americans studying in India; however, India sent fewer students to US last year.
by The Diarist | thediarist@themetrognome.in

The numbers of foreign students coming to India and its metros to pursue education are only increasing every year. And while the US still remains the destination of choice for most Indians wishing to pursue a post-graduate degree, a new trend to emerge in recent times is the rise in numbers of American students coming to India for studies.

As per the Open Doors 2012 report for 2011-2012, published by the Institute of International Education, a not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organisation in the US, 273,996 American students studied abroad for academic credit, an increase of one percent from previous years. The report says, “US students studying abroad increased in 17 of the top 25 destination countries. Five per cent more students studied in China and 12 per cent more students studied in India than in the prior year.”

Open Doors further reports that while the United Kingdom was still the top destination for American students , as also Italy, Spain, France and China, an increasing number of Americans were opting to study in “several non-traditional destinations outside Europe, such as Brazil, Costa Rica, India, and South Korea.” The increase in numbers of Americans coming to India in the 2011-2012 academic year has thus made India the 11th leading destination for away studies.

Further, in an effort to increase opportunities to study abroad in priority countries, the “State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs awarded 10 grants to expand capacity of American institutions to send US students abroad, and the capacity of host institutions overseas to receive them.”

Says Adam J Grotsky, Executive Director, United States India Educational Foundation (USIEF), “US universities are making strategic efforts to engage in India, which include comprehensive initiatives on India at their home campuses. US universities and study-abroad consortiums have developed more programmes in India, and I believe more American students are attracted to India because of the efforts made at their home institutions to teach about the economic, strategic and cultural importance of this region of the world.”

But Indians going to US have decreased

As per the report, there were increases in the numbers of students going to the US to study from 12 of the top 25 places of origin such as Brazil, China, France, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Venezuela, and Vietnam. “At the same time, numbers declined from several major sending countries, including India (down by four per cent), South Korea, (down one per cent), and Japan (down six per cent). The factors driving these declines may include global and home country economic factors, growing higher education opportunities at home, and stronger employment opportunities at home after graduation.”

(Picture used for representational purpose only. Picture courtesy www.nvonews.com) 

 

 

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Learn

Illegal Bangladeshis working on infrastructure projects

1,121 illegal Bangladeshis arrested this year; Special I Branch has carried out drives at major Mumbai construction sites and malls.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Where are the necessary security checks when they are needed the most? Though terror attacks keep striking the city with alarming regularity, and even as the Mumbai police and State Government admitting that the illegal entry of Bangladeshi migrants into India poses a major security hazard for the state and country, the police have rounded up Bangladeshi migrants illegally working in the city from – surprise! – two big-ticket infrastructure project sites in Mumbai.

In a special drive conducted by the I Branch of the Mumbai police last week on November 8, the cops raided the monorail project site undertaken by L&T, a site where beams for an MMRDA flyover were being made by the J Kumar company, and a 50-acre project being developed by L&T and Lodha Builders in Wadala. Of the 2,200 workers rounded up and questioned, 48 were found to be illegal Bangladeshi migrants.

The four contractors working on these sites and who had hired these migrants have been arrested. The incident raises concerns about valid security checks that major companies are supposed to undertake before hiring help on their projects – such as issuing ID cards after verifying the workers’ credentials, checking their antecedents, etc. With such lapses occurring on major infra projects, it is little wonder then, that the city’s housing societies are often guilty of not verifying security personnel’s credentials before hiring them.

A question of security

The I Branch had, earlier this year, identified the problem of Bangladeshis entering the country illegally and taking up work on construction sites, factories and malls, and started conducting regular drives from June this year. In the period from June 2012 to November 8, the Branch picked up 734 illegal migrants from various spots in BKC, Ghatkopar, Kurla, Pant Nagar, Byculla, Parel, Dadar, Worli and Vikhroli. Till date, 1,121 such illegal migrants have been arrested in 2012, and 250 more have been deported to Bangladesh.

As per a press release issued by the Branch, “India’s security is at stake with the entry of illegal Bangladeshis. These migrants have also been found to part of several fake currency rackets operating in the country, and in helping terror outfits.” The release adds, “Bangladeshis enter the country via West Bengal, and the contractors over there send them for work purposes to Mumbai. They are paid very little wages, and since they are here illegally, they cannot complain about the low wages they are paid.”

(Picture courtesy www.hollypickett-com.photoshelter.com. Image used for representational purpose only)

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Trends

Looking to set up business? Try Afghanistan

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai says that Indian businesses are investing in his country. But are we game for new territory?
by The Diarist | thediarist@themetrognome.in

The field is set for major Indian investment in Afghanistan. Or so says its President, Hamid Karzai. At a recent business session organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), FICCI and ASSOCHAM in Mumbai, Karzai said that his country “is ripe and ready for investments from India and offers lots of opportunities for Indian industry…You need not worry about your investments. Not only will Afghan law protect you, but also Afghan people will add to your profits.”

Karzai added that Afghanistan’s forex reserves, including gold, had risen to $7 billion now from $180 million in 2002. “Those who came in the past few years like a telecom company with $5 million investment has now become $600-700 million and this applies to other sectors as well.” He spoke about the rich mineral resources in the country and said that already an Indian conglomerate is in talks for an iron ore mine and hoped a contract would be signed shortly.

The bilateral trade between the two countries is estimated to be over $600 million every year. Speaking on the occasion, CII President Adi Godrej said, “Our Government and us in the industry view Afghanistan as a key ally – This is underlined by the government of India’s announcement three days ago of $100 million to support small development projects in Afghanistan.” He outlined a five- point agenda to strengthen the ties between the two nations, suggesting that Afghanistan embrace a frugal innovation approach to help small and micro entrepreneurs and women under the small development projects in Afghanistan. He also suggested setting up an India Afghan business forum to promote economic cooperation.

 

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Learn

Secret key to stop exam paper leaks

Government recommends exam papers be sent online to centres; papers will be encrypted and opened for printing by special passwords.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Come  university exam time, and rising cases of examination paper leaks end up with exams being cancelled or postponed, and students collapsing in a heap of anxiety and frustration. Concerned by a spate of exam paper leaks in Mumbai and the rest of the State this year – some of them pertaining to engineering exams – the Maharashtra State Government decided to draw up a series of recommendations for university exam centres to follow to minimise paper leakages.

A Government Resolution to this effect was passed on July 20, 2012 by the Department of Higher and Technical Education, to ensure that examinations all across the state were undertaken in a secure and fool-proof manner with the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). In accordance with this, an 18-member committee comprising members of the education department, vice chancellors of several Maharashtra universities and knowledge partners was constituted to meet and draw up a set of recommendations for all universities to study and implement as a pilot study prior to final exams in the year 2013.

The recommendations

As per the 207-page report titled ‘Report on reforms in examination system in universities of Maharashtra through use of Technology’, submitted by the Committee to the Governor K Shankarnarayan on November 3, the Committee studied the best practices of over 10 universities (in Maharashtra and outside) that have attempted to minimise or eliminate malpractices and errors in examination practices.

As per the report, “In order to eliminate the threats and challenges faced in distribution and delivery of question papers to the respective institutes, the universities should adopt Information Technology Solution for secure delivery of question papers. The Committee also recommends that each university should implement this system on pilot/experimental basis for exams conducted in first half of 2013. Following this, by 2014, it should become a matter of practice. However, if any university can implement this system fully before the suggested dates, it would be a very welcome step.”

The key suggestion in this regard is: “The question paper once randomly selected/generated from the question paper bank is encrypted and transmitted over a secure channel to the examination centres just one hour before the examination. At the examination centre, it is decrypted with the key/password and printed. This will overcome the leakage of question paper during transportation and printing.”

The Committee hopes that this above objective will be achieved by the all-important ‘secret key’, which “should be generated by the system and delivered securely to the concerned persons before the examination, there should be secret keys for individual papers, there should be a provision to deliver secret keys by email, SMS or using the ITS, and there should be a secret key verification system for printing of question papers. Besides this, there should be a well-defined time duration for question paper upload, secret key delivery and question paper printing.”

There is also a recommendation that by the first half of 2012, “all universities should use OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) and Barcode Technology in cover page of answer booklets of University Examinations on pilot/experiment basis. Following this, by 2014, universities should use this technology for all examinations.” This will curtail such malpractices as dummy candidates taking the exams, or wrong entry of data by the student.

Other recommendations include online registration of students for issuance of hall tickets (details taken will include student’s mobile number as well), question bank or question paper bank generation, digital scanning and onscreen evaluation of answer sheets, online application for re-evaluation and dematting of degrees and certificates etc.

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Become

‘No egos on the set’

Prutha Rajeshirke is a shoot-at-site pro – she handles entire photo shoots and ensures that everything goes as per plan.
By The Diarist | thediarist@themetrognome.in

Prutha Rajeshirke (26) worked at Femina magazine as a photo shoot coordinator till last year, and this year she started her own production company, Madmoth Production, with a partner, Ryan Padbidri. The firm sets up every aspect of a shoot – right from sourcing the right people and space, to ensuring that the shoot goes off without a hitch.

Prutha tells us what it takes to be a production coordinator and what you should do if you want to branch out in the same profession.

Please describe your previous work experience.

I worked for 141 Sercon-BTL event company as an events executive, and with photographer Avinash Gowariker as production manager. Later, I worked at Femina magazine as a photoshoot coordinator.

What prompted you to start Madmoth Production?

I always wanted to start a production company of my own, so thought I should start at an early stage, use my years of experience and fulfil my dream. The name for the company actually occurred to my brother, and I felt it was quite apt for the way we production people flutter around from place to place to meet clients’ needs. Plus, the name is unique.

What is the size of your company?

Ever since the company was established, we two partners, Ryan and myself, handle the work. And we have a crew of 15 members, including our art director and his co-workers and makeup artist, stylists and photographers.

Did your experience at Femina help you in any way?

Yes, it definitely did. Femina is a brand in itself and it makes a lot of difference in the industry to have a name like Femina on your résumé.

Since the time you started your company in August last year, what has the response been like? How do you make your company’s presence known?

The response in the beginning was not very good, but we didn’t even expect it to be good. Any business or company takes at least a year and a half to take off. But this year has been good. Our contacts over the years have helped us get work. Ever since we’ve started, we’ve got in touch with all our contacts, sent emails notifying them about this venture, and once we’d done enough shoots under Madmoth Production’s banner, we started a Facebook page  and a Twitter account. This helps us with the needful publicity.

Which shoots do you handle?

At Madmoth, we handle editorial, commercial (brand related), beauty, jewellery and interior shoots, primarily, apart from others.

Which are the brands or projects you you’ve worked on, till date?

I’ve worked with magazines like Femina, Filmfare, OK, Cosmopolitan, Hello!, FHM, &persand, HT Brunch, Wedding Vows and Cineblitz. Some of the brands I’ve worked with include Force India, Lakmé, Jealous 21,Titan, Samsung, Asian Paints, Sparx, Sach, Jayalaxmi Silks, Cotstyle and Exten.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

To get everyone together on the particular day (of the shoot) is my biggest task. This is difficult to do, since not everyone may be free and available on the day we want to shoot, especially if it’s a celebrity. We have to work months in advance, sometimes, to get their dates, and it’s not just about getting the celebrity or the photographer, either. There are so many other people and factors involved in shoots: models, makeup artistes, hair stylists, photographers, locations, the magazine or brand…and then there are the deadlines we have to meet.

So how do you plan and execute a shoot?

You have to follow a process. First, you get the brief and the concept of the shoot from the client. Second, you organise the necessary people and the set, as per the given brief. Third, it’s all about on- shoot coordination and production, making sure everything is organised as per demand.

What do you do when a shoot does not go as planned?

If a shoot doesn’t go as planned, then we look for alternative options on the basis of the concept, if it’s a matter that concerns the production team. The job of a production person is to set everything right and get organised, so if there is any difference of opinion or a celebrity concern, for instance, then we talk it out and come to a mutual understanding.

How do you deal with egos on the set?

If at all there are any ego clashes on the set, then we make sure we don’t let our own egos come in the way of work. And we sort out the issue with professionalism, as it is nothing personal. But at the end of the day, we want the best results from our shoot. As a production team, we cannot afford to have any ego, because the responsibility on our shoulders is immense.

Why is a company such as yours needed in today’s market?

A production company is always needed in this industry, it isn’t a new concept. There are many companies which are big establishments in this field. There is always an ever-growing need for production companies, especially with increasing demand. It’s a head source for any shoots. Also, there is an increasing competition.

Which are the kinds of shoots you don’t like?

As a production team, every shoot is a challenge, as the work process is the same. Therefore, I can’t categorise shoots into likes and dislikes.

What skills and knowledge must a person possess to start a venture such as yours?

Firstly, you need to know the industry well. Have a database of contacts ready, brush up on your communication skills, and cultivate loads of patience. And most importantly, hone your organisation skills – production is all about organisation. Get production knowledge by joining an event school, and later join an event company or production house which will help you develop your production skills. Also, try and meet as many people as you can to increase the size of your database. What’s more, never think any shoot is too small.

 

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Trends

Of reshuffles and survival instincts

Humra Quraishi writes on Delhi’s recent Cabinet reshuffle, and how the common man has more serious issues to think of.

The recent Cabinet reshuffle in Delhi happened and within minutes, one could hear the rumblings of people reacting to the news of over 20 changes in the old team – wherever you went, you could hear people saying, “BJP , SP, BSP or Congress, there are thieves in each one of them!” The reshuffle doesn’t seem to have impressed anybody here, in fact, it is becoming increasingly difficult for politicians to sway today’s Indian with reshuffles and promises, whether at the Cabinet or the municipality level.

Placements and displacements, shifts in portfolio and power, changes and re-changes, moves and  counter moves…they are no longer good distracting tactics. Those days are gone, dear politicians!

The small screen, together with the likes of constant rabble rouser Arvind Kejriwal are responsible for bringing about a greater awareness about what really goes on in the corridors of power. This awareness is nudging the average Indian to look beyond the obvious, crane his neck to look for what goes on behind the faces and the people at centre stage, occasionally glance at the Right too. And with this increased awareness and greater surveillance by the media, skeletons are rapidly tumbling out of several high-profile closets.

Each time I see Arvind Kejriwal on TV, he looks frailer but more determined to fight the good fight. He  is  diabetic, so it is a sheer wonder that he is managing to take on the accompanying stresses of his campaign – and its invariable offshoots – and still going strong with mini or full-blown revolts.

These recent movements have certainly caused a churning in the political landscape, but its gathering momentum could well be derailed not by being trampled by police boots and brute force,  but simply because the man on the street, who can really drive this momentum, has more important things to do – like fight for his survival. Political shifts and rumblings go on almost parallel to the malnourishment and semi-starvation faced by the common man due to rising inflation. The daily  realities and ongoing struggles for survival are what take centre stage for the common man just now, so to expect him to have some more grit for a larger fight is a bit much.

And though I have never been to Egypt, I’ve keenly followed the unrest there, and seeing the average  Egyptian’s well-built form, I remember thinking that they seemed better fed and structured  than us Indians. Perhaps their good health helped them relentlessly march  towards Tahrir  Square. If we had a similar demonstration here, we would get bullied on the way by thugs, or at the very least, faint in the heat.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon.

 (Picture courtesy PTI)

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