5 Things Young Indians Need To Change To Lead A Powerful Life

By Amit Punjabi 

I have been working with the young minds of our great nation for a long time now. But even though these are young minds, most of their views about the developments and events in our country are driven by ancient beliefs and thoughts. We are living in the world's youngest country, with 356 million people between the ages of 10-24. This means that the youth are the future of the country. And a great future starts with great change. Here are five things we must change today to move towards a better future and to live a more powerful life.

1. Focus on life skills, not just education or jobs

It's high time we shift our focus from going to school/college to get a great job to gaining life skills that will help us reach our full potential. It's time we start prioritising who we want to become as people by the end of our student life rather than which position we want to apply for. Are we building enough credibility for our own selves so that we can rely on it to design a great future? It's time for us to realise that education is not just about reading from books and writing tests but about developing skills that will make you a powerful person. These are skills that will help you understand and connect with different kinds of people and develop the right attitude and leadership.

2. Depend on your abilities, not on destiny

Unfortunately, we come from a culture where people very easily say agar naseeb mein likha hai toh zaroor hoga (if it's written in your fate, it will happen). It's time we realised that this statement makes us sound like victims of circumstance or 'destiny'. Let's be very clear, our lives are not like a TV serial plot where everything is scripted. It's more like a game of improv where we need to innovate and utilise everything we've got. The great inventor Chester Carlson, who invented the photocopying machine, was rejected for seven years in a row until finally he was able to get Haloid Company to believe in his great invention. Today it has become synonymous with Xerox. This was not destiny but his ability to be absolutely determined for seven long years. You need to start depending on your own abilities; if you don't have many, work on developing them.

3. Fight for your growth the way you fight for your gadgets and bike

There are a lot of platforms apart from college that are available for youth to get mentored and develop skills that will give them control over their future. Most of our youth say that their parents or their elders don't understand the importance of this exposure and how much value it would generate. Well the truth is that most parents do understand. It's just that these parents have never seen our brilliant youth fight for something really valuable for life the way they fight for their phones, bikes, cars, the New Year trip etc. The issue is that our youth portray the acquisition of the latest objects as investments rather than expenses. But they do not talk about developing their skills the same way. I have seen young people save their pocket money for years to buy that one expensive gadget which honestly is going to be used properly only for two or three years. It's time for us to start viewing the importance of developing our skills with the same attitude and perseverance.

4. Don't just focus on knowing. Focus on doing

I have noticed that when we share some valuable information or insights about skills, development or leadership, many young people respond with this brilliant statement: "I already know that". I'm glad that our youth knows so much, I'm glad that they know enough to verbally respond to questions on their skills and their future. But just knowing is not good enough. It's time to start doing something with what you know. Let's be very honest with ourselves. No one has ever achieved any great results in life by just knowing something. The only way to achieve great results in life is by taking action. So if you already know that, then step up and DO something about it and gain something out of it.

5. Build a network of great minds

Most successful people vouch for the importance of building and sustaining a network. Professionals today spend a lot of money and time on attending events only to network with people. This is mainly because they are not able to network enough at their own work places. What is great about being young today is that most college students see thousands of people every single day from different walks of life. They travel to different colleges for competitions. Again, a great platform to network. So network. Don't just talk about how stupid or great the education system is but talk about what you want for your future and how you are going to make it happen. You will surely end up having a great number of people aligning with your ideas and adding value to them too. It's time for you to make use of your investment in education and move beyond books and marks. Add value to your future by focusing on building a network.

We belong to a young, dynamic and powerful nation. It's time to start living like it.

What Are Tamil Men Afraid Of?

By Sudha G Tilak 

On International Women's Day, while the rest of India debated the validity of a monster problem over a documentary on India's most horrible rape in recent times, patriarchy was flexing its arms elsewhere in Tamil Nadu.

Four men, of the unheard group, Hindu Illaignar Sena (Hindu Youth Army) attackeda television channel's office in Chennai. The reason: the channel had circulated promotional news that on International Women's Day they would telecast a special programme that would discuss the relevance of the thaali (mangalsutra in Tamil). The four hurled crude bombs in a bid to silence the channel.

Why would the men of Tamil Nadu worry about a discussion on the thaali? The thaali is a wedding ornament. The wedding chain washed with auspicious turmeric and gold is tied by the man on his wife's neck signifying their lifelong bond. Many modern Tamil women are increasingly eschewing the ornament; they do not uphold the sacred myths around it -- "a golden band of protection for a woman's chastity."

In a bid to uphold its sanctity the thaali has often been vulgarized and abused in Tamil cinema. Many of us have grown up on Tamil films where a man tied a thaali to the woman after raping her to make her 'honourable'; forcibly tied a thaali to suppress a woman into marriage; or scenes where villains menacingly swung the thaali frightening a hapless heroine, waiting to be rescued by the hero.

Most married Tamil women continue to wear the thaali around their necks despite its rising absence among modern Tamil women at home and elsewhere. It signifies to the world that a woman is taken and belongs to a man. Dravidian activists invoke history of the Rationalist Movement of the 1920s saying the 'self respect' weddings of Dravidian political activists rejected rituals and did not mention the tying of the thaali as necessary by the groom. There is a loud debate about the century the thaali originated and how ancient, culturally it is in Tamil Nadu.

The March 8 thaali incident is the latest in a series of incidents emanating from the state that point to disturbing aspects of rogue patriarchy where casteism and misogyny and sexuality are evident.

• On March 12, a policeman from Madurai, beat and assaulted his daughter on the streets of Bengaluru. His anger was that she had behaved in a 'dishonourable fashion' by hanging out with a boyfriend.

• A fortnight ago came the news that Tamil writer Puliyur Murugesan was attacked and assaulted by a rogue mob in Karur. While the incident was spearheaded by members of a community attacking him for perceived insults to their caste, the reason involved gender. Murugesan's short story, Balachandran Enroru Peyarum Enakku Undu, dealt with alternate sexuality, the illicit sexual coercion a wife is subjected to by her father-in-law, with no protection from her homosexual husband. This is the land whose 2000-year-old Sangam poetry are verses of beauty and power that also deal with sexuality with a self-assuredness its contemporary citizens seems wary of.

• A month before there was Perumal Murugan. A feted writer and academician, he was hounded and threatened to the point of silence following Hindu groups taking offence to his novel. Madhorubagan dealt with the ancient practice, among a community in Western Tamil Nadu, which allows married women to violate marital sexual fidelity for the sake of progeny. The obvious reason for violence against Murugan was he insulted a certain caste. But the simmering aspect of female agency and sexual proclivity outside of marriage that brought dishonour to the community went unsaid.

• Prominent writer B Jeyamohan created a controversy in Tamil literary circles in June 2014, when he claimed that Tamil media was partial to women writers and featured them despite their lack of literary merit, unlike the male writers with their elephantine literary talents. He gruffly agreed to an apology with rising condemnation by many female writers.

• Poet and activist Meena Kandasamy has been trolled for her vocal views on caste and gender. She even received threats of 'acid attacks' and 'gang-rape' on Twitter in 2013. Poet Salma who wrote of the female body and the pressure of marriage and the rigidity of sexuality within marriages, received condemnation from her community elders.

• Since the turn of the 21st century, the infamy of filing 22 cases of cultural denigration filed against actress Khushboo in Chennai in 2005, for her comments that premarital sex for women is not taboo, continues to dog the state.

While most of these cases are held up as instances of free speech being muzzled, or attack on creativity and debate in the state, the worrying aspect is almost all of these acts of violence and protests stem from patriarchal fear. Despite the increase in literacy, the lack of educated and informed minds erupts over clashes with modern ideas of female voices and permissive sexuality.

A culture that worships machismo and fosters a cult of masculinity raises its ugly head despite the many social indices of prosperity and empowerment. The glitzy superhero movies continue to hold up women as symbols of Tamil pride and honour, both of which seek to control female sexuality.

And those who speak of the beauty and universality of Tamil culture today seem to have forgotten the glorious verse of that modern feminist Bharati who said, "Let us reject any dogma that subjugates women."

Top 10 Indian Names That Will Never Go Out of Style

By Aradhana Pandey

Posted: 22/03/2015 08:09 IST Updated: 22/03/2015 08:09 IST

If you are an expectant parent, you must already be sifting through a deluge of books, articles, to-do lists and compilations on being the ideal, new-age parent. There are so many important questions, right from financial planning to stocking up on baby essentials, and most of all, picking a perfect name for your child.

Numerous studies conducted over the years reveal the consequences that an unusual or culturally loaded name can have on a child's future, right from their self-esteem to the job opportunities they get. Nevertheless, many parents are opting for names that are unique and make their child stand out. It's but natural for parents to wonder -- "How offbeat should we go with our baby's name?"

If you don't want to take a risk with your choice of name for your baby but still want to ensure it makes an impact, we've got you covered. Here is a list of top 10 'exotic' yet evergreen Indian names that you can consider for your baby.

For Girls

1. Saisha: Saisha is a Sanskrit word that means a meaningful life or the truth of life. It is also known to be the name of an Indian princess and is often heard in many Hindu religious chants. Saisha has a deep-rooted connect with Indian culture, yet it displays an element of freshness.

Famous personality with the same name: Saisha Beecham, celebrity makeup artist

2. Kalki: Kalki means eternity, or destroyer of filth (derived from the Sanskrit word, kalka which means foulness). Kalki is also known to be one of Lord Vishnu's forms. This gender-neutral name can be used for a boy too.

Famous personality with the same name: Kalki Koechlin, actress

3. Tara: This ancient Indian name has many connotations. In Sanskrit, it means light and according to the Hindu mythology, Tara is the name of one of Lord Shiva's wives. The word tara also means star in Hindi.

Famous personality with the same name: Tara Deshpande, actress/writer

4. Akira: In Japan, this name is gender-neutral and means dawn or bright. It is also a popular Hindu name signifying graceful strength. Akira stands for the traits that describe a modern-day woman -- someone who practices authority with utmost poise.

Famous personality with the same name: Akira Kurosawa, filmmaker

5. Maya: This mystical sounding name is derived from the Sanskrit word maya, meaning illusion and magic. Maya is also the name of Buddha's mother and another name for Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. This name exudes power with a touch of femininity. 

Famous personality with the same name: Maya Angelou, author/poet/actress

For Boys:

1. Aarav: Aarav originates from a Sanskrit word that means peaceful and calm. This name also denotes traits of thoughtfulness and spirituality. According to a BabyCentre report, Aarav was voted as one on the most popular Indian names in the UK last year.

Famous personality with the same name: Not available; maybe your baby one day!

2. Aryan: This Indo-Iranian name is derived from the Sanskrit word, Arya, meaning noble warrior. A western variation of this name is Arian. The name Aryan depicts strength and aristocracy. 

Famous personality with the same name: Aryan Vaid, actor

3. Kanan: This unique name means forest or garden. In numerological parlance, Kanan is considered a lucky name associated with trade and commerce. It is a gender-neutral name. 

Famous personality with the same name: Kanan Gill, Comedian

4. Vivaan: Vivaan comes from a Sanskrit word meaning the first rays of the sun. It is also one of the names of Lord Krishna. The name Vivaan signifies life and new beginnings. Vivaan as a choice of name has gained great popularity over the last four to five years. 

Famous personality with the same name: Vivaan Shah, Actor

5. Palash: Palash is a Hindi word, meaning the blossom of the "flame of the forest" (Butea monosperma) tree. This tree is said to be a manifestation of Agnidev, the god of fire. Palash is a name that depicts love for nature's creations.

Famous personality with the same name: Palash Sen, singer/doctor

Your most important consideration while choosing a name for your baby should be its adaptability. A name that is too complicated or hard to pronounce can backfire on your child. Make sure whatever name you choose is simple yet memorable. Good luck with the name game!