Bhojpuri version of nursery rhyme 'Jack and Jill'

jackua aur jillua
geye upar hillua
paniyabharan ke vaaste...
paniyabharan ke vaaste...

jackua girgawa
khopriya phatgawa...

jackua girgawa
khopriya phatgawa...

jillua aayo larkharate'
saare raaste...

(The translated version is conceived by famous comedian Raju Srivastav in one of episodes of Big Boss)

Ohio University research paper quotes an AlooTechie story

In an article titled “How They Beat The 2000-01 Dotcom Bust,” accessed from AlooTechie.com on May 3, 2009, Satrajit Sen interviewed several communication professionals who went through the infamous internet debacle in the first years of the new millennium. Sen (2009) spoke with Mahendra Swarup, a veteran of this stage of the internet business. In the interview, Swarup explained that this “dot-com crisis” was a product of the business community’s poor assessment of what the World Wide Web was capable of in terms of profit (para. 5). Swarup elaborated by saying that the money coming in was much less than the amount created from online “advertisements,” which was the foundation of funding in many cases (Sen, 2009, para. 5). Consequently, many found themselves in the undesirable position of depending on money from only this tactic, which was rendered a moot attempt due to the insignificant amount of people that the ads reached (Sen, 2009).

[Source: An Exploration of Twitter’s Popularity and Usefulness: Effects on the Media Industry, Business World and Beyond -- by Sarah Logar, Ohio University, E. W. Scripps School of Journalism, Journalism 416: Online Journalism Seminar]

Via: Rajesh Barnwal

Retail schools everywhere, but who’s there to teach?

The most talked-about challenge in the business of retail is the availability of ‘trained/skilled manpower’. However, when Indiaretailing dug deeper to discover the root cause, it found that though retail schools are mushrooming across the country, they probably do not have a commensurately well-qualified staff to train the aspiring retail professionals.

Schools either depend on occasional visitors from the corporate retail world or on short-term internship tie-ups with retail companies to get the students trained.

Numerous retail companies have also launched their own retail training institutes, but then, they too need permanent trained staff.

Speaking to Indiaretailing, NP Sinha, dean, Institute of Management Excellence (IME), said: “With the retail boom in the country, various management institutes have introduced numerous courses on retail, but these courses are being taught by general management teachers. These teachers have never gained any practical experience and thus deliver a theoretical overview to the students.”

Calling the present structure ‘biased academics’, Sinha held that the country’s retail education is being driven by textbook knowledge. “This course specifically requires trained industry professionals with experience in retailing on the floors. Textbook knowledge can never guide a student to be a future retailer,” he said.

Citing solutions, Sinha said that the institutes must revive their pay structure to rope in trained retail professionals to teach. Teaching should be made as lucrative as a corporate job. “Corporates, obviously, pay more than the schools; hence, an experienced professional will always prefer working for a retailer than teach retailing.”

Speaking about their faculty, Shankar Sahay, associate professor, Institute of Apparel Management (IAM), said, “We have professionals from the industry as ‘visiting lecturers’; besides, we also have our own extensive team of qualified and experienced teachers.”

The course coordinator at All India Management Association (AIMA) said that their faculty members are from a professional background and have considerable exposure to the subject.

However, none of the institutes could satisfactorily explain how much relevant industry experience their faculty have.

What do retailers say?

Answering Indiaretailing’s queries, it seemed that retailers, as of now, are fine with the training imparted to the aspiring retail professionals.

The spokesperson at Major Brands India Ltd said: “We look forward to these schools as the students have basic knowledge of modern retail. We recruit them for various backend and front-end jobs after the completion of their courses.” However, the person added that they do have to train the recruited students as they lack much practical knowledge.

Pantaloon Retail India Ltd has also been looking forward to these schools for recruiting people in its chains. Rajan Malhotra, CEO, Big Bazaar, said, “We have strategic tie-ups with various institutes, and we recruit students from these schools in our chain. They are already trained and can easily handle the backend jobs.”

At this point, the state and quality of retail education may be said to be going parallel with the growth of the retail industry itself, though it is not necessarily in sync. A close observer might suggest that the critical manpower shortage makes it more urgent than ever that retail education graduate from being a mere ‘academic’ exercise. Perhaps, a more practical solution in the immediate term will be for closer linkages with corporate houses to set up pools of dedicated ‘faculties’.

– Satrajit Sen

Originally published in IndiaRetailing.com

This is History!!

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.

Now it gets really weird.

Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.

Lincoln was shot at the theatre named 'Ford.'
Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln ' made by 'Ford.'

Lincoln was shot in a theatre and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theatre.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here's the kicker...

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.

AlooTechie featured on Economic Times article

Blogs are not just for self-expression

A clutch of entrepreneurs are also making money from blogging and living off it. Nikhil Menon logs in

Thirty-two-year old Amit Agarwal, an IIT-Roorkee grad, quit his software engineering job in 2004 to start blogging full-time. He wanted to showcase his work and lap up freelance assignments that abound on the Net. “I knew that even if the blog did not work, I could still land a good job. So, I decided to take the plunge.” says Agarwal who christened his blog ‘Labnol’ because it was ‘unique and search-friendly’. He pumped in content on software and gadget reviews, personal web applications and tutorials into it. In time, the number of visitors grew and Agarwal added advertising to his blog. He soon realised he was running a full-time ‘business’ and did not need to take up a job. Five years down the line, Agarwal’s gamble seems to have paid off. His site has about 40,000 registered users and he makes around Rs 2 lakh from it a month.

Indeed, what began as weblogging (the term blog has its origin in weblog) in the US as a satisfying mode of self-expression, is already becoming a revenue-grosser for many in India, where the concept was introduced barely five years ago. Now blogs are run as companies; their owners are CEOs.

Most blogs start out as editorial initiatives by individuals who put out regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, and other material like photos, graphics or video. But once the blog has sufficient content, and it attracts a sizeable amount of traffic, there may be opportunities to directly connect with advertisers who bring in the money. Depending on the agreement, the advertiser pays the blogger for clicks, impressions or leads (potential customers) sourced through the blog.

Says popular travel and technology blogger Ajay Jain, “If the traffic on your blog is not very high and does not attract advertisers, it may also be a good idea to join forces with other bloggers and make a joint pitch to prospective advertisers.” The emergence of pixel advertising sites (of which Blogertize is a recent Indian example) have also opened up new avenues of earning for bloggers. Bloggers purchase ad space of varying sizes on these websites and advertisers pick and choose among the blogs on display.

Agarwal says that the monetisation period was around six months. “There are two ways of monetising a blog—indirectly, through showcasing your marketable skills and directly, through advertising,” he explains. Firstly, to monetise a blog, a user must have his or her domain space and allot space on it for ads. Since most beginner bloggers cannot get ads on their own, they opt for Google’s AdSense service. AdSense is a ‘contextual advertising’ tool that tracks users’ blog posts and puts relevant ads on the blog or personal website. The blogger is paid every time a visitor to the blog clicks on the advertisement. However, the revenues from AdSense take a while to accumulate, according to certain bloggers.

Rajesh Barnwal, editor of Alootechie.com, a blog that tracks Indian dotcoms, says, “Apart from advertising we have monetised the site through paid job postings and events. We also send regular newsletters and that has helped us generate readership, which indirectly impacts advertising. Since we have been incubated by Goosefish Media Ventures (GMV), generating revenue is important to us.” Alootechie was started in September 2005 and has about 21,000 registered subscribers. Barnwal runs the blog along with team mate Satrajit Sen.

All said and done, making a mark through blogging is a bit challenging and Agarwal is the first to admit it. “Content is king. What you write has to be original as well as unique. Rehashing existing content is no good and will not attract readers. A blog can be monetised only if you have a strong pool of dedicated subscribers and visitors,” he cautions. Focus in one’s writing and consistency in publishing, are the two main factors that decide a blog’s financial success, according to Barnwal.

But people don’t just blog for the money. The incidental benefits are pretty lucrative too. Over a decade ago, Chennai-based engineer Kiruba Shankar regularly wrote Internet-related articles for popular publications. But when many of his write-ups were rejected because of space constraints, he knew he had to do something. In 1997, blogging was not anywhere near the rage it has become today, but for Kiruba, it was the only way to fully express himself. He subsequently created a basic web page on Angelfire.com and posted some of his technology stories on it. The attention these articles generated proved to be an eye-opener for Shankar. They also helped him get a job as senior executive-portals at Sify (then Satyam Infoway) in 1999. Shankar recalls, “Forget my resume, I didn’t take a single piece of paper for the job interview. I merely asked my interviewees to read my work online and that impressed them so much, they welcomed me on board!” Today, Shankar says he makes anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 40,000 a month from AdSense alone. He also earns between $500 and $800 on every regular advertisement on his blog, Kiruba.com and says that many of his work and teaching assignments have come to him from people who have read and followed his blog.

Jain became a full time blogger from 2005 onwards and today, operates three blogs, TechGazing.com, Kunzum.com and AjayJain.com. He is also an author of two books, a columnist, photographer and consultant. Most famous bloggers, in fact, make money through writing newspaper columns, teaching, etc. It is all part of the package. Jain feels that the slowdown could be a good period to partially augment one’s income through a well-written blog. “One must appreciate that there is no shortcut to blogging Nirvana,” he says, adding, “But you might as well utilise this ‘slow period’ to try your hand at something new. And with a lot of people having spare time too, it might be easier to build your readership.”

The first step to starting a blog is deciding what you want to write about-and if that’s a challenge, here’s help. As a long-time blogger and CEO of Business Blogging, a firm he had started to help corporations leverage social media, Kiruba Shankar knows about making money off blogs. He rattles off the basics, “Bollywood, cricket, gadgets and technology are some of the most widelyread subjects online so blogs on those subjects will find it easier to attract visitors.” He adds, “Bloggers should remember that meta-tagging of the site is important if it is to get a better ranking on a search engine. Users must also update their blogs as regularly as possible.”

Blogs also need some peer-to-peer promotion. Advises Jain, “Promote your blog on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Orkut and even on other blogs. Mention your blog in your visiting cards, letterheads, email signatures and even make bumper stickers. Once the traffic comes, money will follow.”

A blog is not a quick way to make money. Out of thousands of sites, only a handful become significantly rewarding. Most expert bloggers advise individuals to wait and watch the response the blog generates before jumping into blogging fulltime. And hopefully, you’ll have something worth writing about.

A Jamal who was not a millionaire

By Dr. Dipankar Datta

This story is not about another Slum-dog who could neither make it to the hot seat – leave aside the Oscars. So who is this Jamal -- Read on folks:

The early 90s were my early days in Tamil Nadu. I was posted at Theni – a small town at the foot hills of Kodaikannal Kerala. I was then a Bengali bachelor. Brought up with fish and rice, at least twice a day, suddenly I planted myself onto a place where getting rice twice a day was sort of impossible. It was Idli & Dhosai for breakfast and dinner with rice as lunch only in the afternoon.

And being in Tamil Nadu I was battling to come in terms with vegetarian, sour, spicy, hot food; trying every alternate day different hotels. I was in fact searching for a place – any damn place for that matter – which will serve food - that won’t cause spontaneous yelling of tears without emotional upheaval, won’t burn my tummy, won’t cause running nose sans a viral attack.

My frantic search came to an end when a well wisher of mine suggested a place about 15 minutes of walking distance away. “You want good, homely food or food at a good place?” – asked my friend knowing that being a doctor I may a bit fussy about the place being clean. My emphatic “NO--place doesn’t matter. I want good food” – encouraged him to guide me to a small hotel.

It was one of those hotels that dot any small town with regular monotonous interval. It was roughly a 7ft*12 ft room. As I was ushered in, I had to negotiate a repulsive choubachcha (meaning a water tank in Bengali), just short of overflowing with ubiquitous, eco-friendly disposable plates – the banana leaves on my right.

There were only six people (the maximum they could serve on a single go) having their lunch. They were sitting on low bench. The low benches were dry enough no to repulse you from sitting, but the high benches on which their plates were kept, were wet due to repeated wiping with moist cloth and had a peculiar stink of its own.

I was introduced to the owner as a V.I.P customer, the only “eye doctor” of the town and was greeted accordingly. My friend left me under the care of the shop owner who with lot of hesitations told me that I had to wait outside as there were no places to sit. Not only there was no place to sit, but there was no place to stand either, for the narrow aisle between the long benches was being frequented by the owner and “the only helper” serving hungry tummies with utmost care.

In due course my food was served and I was so happy with the food that I decided to keep my eyes and nose shut as long as needed but wouldn’t forego a meal in that place.

There I met Jamal – the server – cum – helper – cum cook – a young chap of around 30, usually clad in colored “Lungi” and a white vest, having a well groomed beard and forehead almost always decorated with “bibhuti” – the holy ash of south India.

Name suggested he was Muslim, forehead suggested he was Hindu, beard suggested he could be anything. But his devout ritual of elaborate worshipping of Gods & Goddesses, a host of them in one multilayered shelf in one of the walls of the eatery, left no doubt in my mind that he was Hindu, the name being an aberration . Days went by me watching Jamal, Jamal serving me being bracketed by pleasantries at the start and end of my meals.

One November I found Jamal absent. I enquired with the owner and he told me that Jamal is on leave. “Why” – I enquired. “Festival in his village” replied the owner.

To the best of my knowledge there was no Hindu festival at that time of the year. So I causally enquired “which festival?” - thinking that it must be a local village festival. To my utter surprise the gentleman said, as a matter of fact “Id”.

I was shocked to discover that Jamal is a Muslim – a Muslim who takes leave to celebrate Id. I was shocked not because a Muslim served me food, not because I misdiagnosed Jamal’s religion. But because of the very fact that illiterate I presumed, taught me what all the learned religious teaches are trying ever hard to preach.

Jamal taught me that, to quote Ramakrishna Paramahamsa “Hindus say Jal, Muslims say Pani, Christians say Water. Yet Jal remains whatever it is.”

For Jamal, putting Bibhuti, performing Hindu ritual of Aarati and celebrating Id, does not change a Homo Sapiens.

We had heard of Hindus sheltering Muslim neighbors during riots and Muslims saving Hindus from being killed. But I suppose that this feeling sprouts from humanity, friendship, fellow feeling but what Jamal does is from within and is a true teaching of all religions. He taught me to be religious by actual practice, and not by preaching.

* The author is the Chief Medical Officer and Reader at Arvind Eye Hospital.

An open letter to the employees

Dear Staff

It has been brought to the CEO's attention that some individuals throughout the organisation have been using foul language during the course of normal conversation with their colleagues.

Due to complaints received from some employees who may be easily offended, this type of language will no longer be tolerated.

We do, however, realise the critical importance of being able to accurately express your feelings when communicating with colleagues.

Therefore, a list of 13 New and Innovative "TRY SAYING" phrases have been provided so that proper exchange of ideas and information can continue in an effective manner.

1. Try Saying: I think you could do with more training
Instead Of: You don't have a fucking clue, do you?

2. Try Saying: She's an aggressive go-getter.
Instead Of: She's a fucking power-crazy bitch

3. Try Saying: Perhaps I can work late
Instead Of: And when the fuck do you expect me to do this?

4. Try Saying: I'm certain that isn't feasible
Instead Of: Fuck off arsehole

5. Try Saying: Really?
Instead Of: Well fuck me backwards with a telegraph pole

6. Try Saying: Perhaps you should check with…
Instead Of: Tell someone who gives a fuck.

7. Try Saying: I wasn't involved in the project.
Instead Of: Not my fucking problem.

8. Try Saying: That's interesting.
Instead Of: What the fuck?

9. Try Saying: I'm not sure this can be implemented within the given timescale.
Instead Of: No fucking chance mate.

10. Try Saying: It will be tight, but I'll try to schedule it in
Instead Of: Why the fuck didn't you tell me that yesterday?

11. Try Saying: He's not familiar with the issues
Instead Of: He's got his head up his fucking arse.

12. Try Saying: Excuse me, sir?
Instead Of: Oi, fuck face.

13. Try Saying: Of course, I was only going to be at home anyway
Instead Of: Yeah, who needs fucking holidays anyway.

A love story!!

A love story!!

10th Grade

As I sat there in English class, 
I stared at the girl next to me. 
She was my so called 'best friend'. 
I stared at her long, silky hair, 
and wished she was mine. 
But she didn't notice me like that, 
and I knew it. 
After class, 
she walked up to me and asked me for
the notes she had missed the day before. 
I handed them to her. She said 'thanks'
and gave me a kiss on the cheek. 
I want to tell her, I want her to know
that I don't want to be just friends, 
I love her but I'm just too shy, 
and I don't know why. 

11th Grade

The phone rang. On the other end, 
it was her. She was in tears, 
mumbling on and on about how
her love had broke her heart. 
She asked me to come over
because she didn't want to be alone, So I did. 
As I sat next to her on the sofa, I stared at her
soft eyes, wishing she was mine. 
After 2 hours, one Drew Barrymore movie, 
and three bags of chips, 
she decided to go home. 
She looked at me, said 'thanks'
and gave me a kiss
on the cheek..I want to tell her, 
I want her to know that
I don't want to be just friends, 
I love her but I'm just too shy, 
and I don't know why. 

Senior Year

One fine day she walked to my locker. 
"My date is sick" she said, 
"he’s not gonna go" well, 
I didn't have a date, and in 7th grade, 
we made a promise that
if neither of us had dates, 
we would go together just as 'best friends'. 
So we did. 
That night, after everything was over, 
I was standing at her front door step. 
I stared at her as She smiled at me
and stared at me with her crystal eyes. 
Then she said- "I had the best time, thanks!" 
and gave me a kiss on the cheek. 
I want to tell her, 
I want her to know
that I don't want to be just friends, 
I love her but I'm just too shy, 
and I don't know why. 

Graduation

A day passed, then a week, then a month. 
Before I could blink, it was graduation day. 
I watched as her perfect body
floated like an angel
up on stage to get her diploma. 
I wanted her to be mine-but
she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it. 
Before everyone went home, 
she came to me in her smock and hat, 
and cried as I hugged her. 
Then she lifted her head from my shoulder
and said- 'you're my best friend, 
thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek. 
I want to tell her, 
I want her to know
that I don't want to be just friends, 
I love her but I'm just too shy, 
and I don't know why. 

Marriage

Now I sit in the pews of the church. 
That girl is getting married now. 
and drive off to her new life, 
married to another man. 
I wanted her to be mine, 
but she didn't see me like that, 
and I knew it. 
But before she drove away, 
she came to me and said 'you came !'. 
She said 'thanks' and kissed me on the cheek. 
I want to tell her, 
I want her to know
that I don't want to be just friends, 
I love her but I'm just too shy, 
and I don't know why. 

Death

Years passed, I looked down at the coffin
Of a girl who used to be my 'best friend'. 
At the service, they read a diary entry
She had written in her high school years. 
This is what it read: 
'I stare at him wishing he was mine, 
but he doesn't notice me like that, 
and I know it. 
I want to tell him, 
I want him to know that
I don't want to be just friends, 
I love him but I'm just too shy, 
and I don't know why. 
I wish he would tell me he loved me! 
.........'I wish I did too...'

Caught between penury and pipe dreams

Despite several laws by the government and steps taken by NGOs, the vicious problem of child labour continues to exist.

Satrajit Sen

Toiling hard from morning till night they are a band of weary-looking, scantily clothed, emaciated yet unyielding boys working in the many roadside eateries of the city. Hawking wares on streets and wooing customers, they are forced to labour monstrously everyday. Aged between 7 and 14, they suffer the purgatorial existence for money that run their families year after year. And this despite the various NGOs crying hoarse against child labour.

Despite various programmes to enlighten children and parents from the rural areas, the problem of child labour seems to grow more vicious everyday. Hundreds of minors come to the city with the dream of working in city shops and earn good money, and a few are even forced to toil hard owing to penury and family pressure. Newsline makes a survey of the situation.

The inside story

Most children working in the city shops are aged between 10 and 14 years. While some volunteer to work for money, others embrace the dogged life owing to family pressure. Brought from distant villages across the state, these kids are taught the tricks of the trade. Though employed as assistants, the children are put to rigorous labour every day. And once you make a mistake or violate a rule, you are in for a good roughing up by your seemingly generous employer.

It is a painful sight to watch the poor children work stoically with drooping shoulders. And they say they are used to the tortures and suffer it without any remonstrance. For any rebellion would lead to expulsion that is a definite blow to their dreams. The stall-owners thus rule the roost and it is the complete monopoly situation that allows them an upper hand over the naive little creatures. And lo! these kids are often paid a paltry for the daily labour. There is no one to stop the injustice taking place and in spire of defying the laws set by the Indian government, the defaulters go scot free.

What does the rule say?
According to the Child Labour Protection Act formed in 1986 by the Government of India, employment of children under 14 years is totally forbidden. According to the rule, children above 14 years who are appointed in laborious jobs should not be put into any hostile situation. And if there is any breach of law, the accused would be subjected to severe punishments.

But despite the laws there are numerous cases of child labour reported from the city and its outskirts every year. And the victims are mostly aged between 8 and 10 years. According to a survey in 1997, 16,046 children in West Bengal were found to work under hostile situations without a proper pay. The number shot up to more than 3 lakh in 2000. But still the government seems blind to the issue.

What the sufferers say
According to most of the children working in the roadside eateries, they have adapted themselves with the situation. Working in hostile situations with a poor pay is no longer an issue to them. Suffering the daily grind, the hapless, little workers are happy with a hassle-free life without drawing the wrath of their employers. No recreation and fun almost a distant dream for these kids, most of them say that they suffer from midnight psychobabbles. At an age when schools should have been their only destination and dream, these children are a part of a gloomy, insipid existence in the dark lanes of the city. They are a group of silent sufferers and it is a fact that they are more sinned against than sinning.

While most wallow in a beleaguered existence, some still manage to keep aglow a faint dream at the dark end of the tunnel. Given a chance, one of the minors working in a road side dhaba would invite the mesmerising Shah rukh Khan to taste delicacies in the eatery he works in. “I wish one day I could invite Shah rukh Khan to savour a plate of Chowmin in our shop,” said Nabin, a teenager working in a stall at the Dalhousie area.

Just like others these children too have dreams of being a footballer, a cricketer, a doctor, a singer or an actor. But pragmatic that they are they have learnt to accept the fact that they are poor labourers and mere dreams won’t fetch them food.

Child labour, today, is a burning issue. And despite the government and various NGOs putting up a fierce fight, the vicious problem seems to show no sign of defeat. Parents should understand the need to educate their children and must be enlightened on concepts like family planning. It is mass education and wide-spread literacy, therefore, that seems to be the only solution to a cancerous disease like child labour.

Originally published in http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=187045