Care and Concern for Environment is Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility is the buzz word of present time. At a time when the developed countries are feeling the heat of financial tsunami, India has come out unscathed, growing at an unprecedented rate of above eight percent.  India Inc. is shining. But, there is huge constrain on the natural resources to sustain this high rate of growth. Companies are increasingly looking for natural resources and they are ready to pay premium for raw materials security. 

In this scenario, it becomes very important to ascertain whether the corporate sector has any obligation towards the environment or not. There is no doubt that protection of environment is primarily a job of the government. But, when so many companies are reaping the dividends of higher growth, it is expected from them to contribute something back to the society. The existence of industry is dependent on the existence of people. Any mad scramble or the bungling of resources will create future problems for the industry. The corporate sector will have to understand this in very clear terms. 

Any development that occurs, keeping concerns for the environment aside, is not sustainable.  In recent times, numerous instances have come into light where the green norms were not followed in setting up a plant. The Vedanta episode is a glaring example of this. The Industry appears to have taken the short sighted approach where there is too much emphasis on profit booking and less on the concern towards the environment. There is little brain storming on ‘how industry will secure raw materials supply for the days ahead’. The unholy nexus between the government and the business houses is a big obstacle in implementing tougher environmental laws. When the whole world is talking about global warming and the need to save mother earth, this kind of approach from India Inc. is very frustrating.

 The corporate social responsibility should not be restricted to donation towards charitable trusts only. Rather, the policy of business houses should be to take an inclusive approach where development occurs not at the cost of environment. The companies engaged in mining, manufacturing and other polluting activities should follow environmental laws strictly and emulate the best practices of their counterparts in other parts of the world.  They can also spend money on development and utilization of green technology. This will reduce pollution and help them in earning carbon credits. The government should think of making corporate social responsibility mandatory for organizations, a certain portion of their revenues or profits to be spent on environment protection. The environmental laws enforcement agencies need to be free from political interferences so that they can take an impartial approach during appraisals of different industrial plants.

 All such efforts will be effective only if the corporate sector sincerely understands its responsibility. If the industry does not show genuine concerns and engages only in cosmetic acts, it will bear the fallout of environment degradation. Remember, the environmental catastrophe is not very far away. The earlier India Inc. understands this, the better they will be equipped to handle its effects on the Industry.    

   

Global Warming: Just a Possibility or a Proven Eventuality

Global warming refers to increase in earth’s temperature due to increase in the concentration of green house gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor etc. in the atmosphere. At present, it is one of the hotly debated topics around the world. Developed and developing countries both are assessing repercussions of this man-made problem. Even among the different societies across the world, there is renewed awareness about its fallouts. Still, from certain quarters, we hear that this problem is not as acute as it is being projected and some predict that it might actually be helpful in agriculture and forestry. Such kinds of assessments are creating doubts in the minds of the people and the governments. There is concern somewhere down the road that global warming might only be a possibility not an eventuality.

It is easier for the people to fall for the fancier arguments which advocate status quo i.e. making no efforts to counter global warming because it saves money and efforts.

Humans have been indiscriminately exploiting natural resources, producing waste in the process. There is a limit up to which the nature can itself repair the damages due to human activities. Unfortunately, we have crossed this threshold. Now, it is our responsibility to protect nature otherwise the future generations will be in danger of extinction.

The biggest obstacle in the expedition of human efforts towards countering global warming is the slowness of changes occurring in the environment. When scientists say that in the next hundred years, the earth’s temperature might increase by 2-6 0C, people don’t understand the implications of such minor change. Besides, the recent controversies surrounding IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), an apex body of U.N. on climate change, have only dent the credibility of efforts towards mitigating climate change. Also, the propaganda of various multinational organizations all over the world which would be hit the most by the implementation of efforts against global warming has created suspicion in people’s minds.

Global warming is for real. There might be arguments about the severity of its harmful effects and the period over which it will be a full-fledged problem, but there shouldn’t be any doubt about it being the worst problem for us and our future generation. Even, at present, the climate change is causing huge devastation to human life and property all over the world. Untimely rainfall, drought, tsunamis, earthquakes, these are indications of an impending danger ahead. Polar ice cap and glaciers are melting fast resulting in increased sea levels. The island cities and countries might drown in the near future.

Different summits have taken place all over the world to discuss global warming, UNFCCC at Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Kyoto, Copenhagen etc. to name a few. Still, nothing concrete has been achieved. Economists have predicted the cost of countering global warming which runs in billions of dollars. This cost might also be a region why countries all over the world are reluctant to take actions. But, it should be clearly understood that life on this planet is more valuable than anything else. It has to be saved at any cost. If we want our future generation to prosper, we have to act now.

CAMPUS SELECTION: WHAT IT TAKES TO BE SUCCESSFUL

Human nature is very unpredictable. No matter how intelligent we have become, we still cannot read human minds. Many intelligent people have tried but failed. So, when engineering students reach final year of their courses, reading recruiters’ minds become the most daunting challenge for them. Different theories go round the hostel regarding campus selection process. While some students assert that sound technical knowledge is the main criterion for selection, for few others better command on communication skills is a must for getting through. But, in truth, no one can firmly stand on his assertion.

In my college, placement season is in full swing and every day I hear news of companies visiting the campus and recruiting students. The excitement is at its peak. Students can be easily seen discussing current events, HR round questions and exchanging technical notes. From my personal experience and whatever I have understood from others’ views, I deem myself qualified enough to express my thoughts over the selection process.

The task of selecting students lies generally in the hands of Technical and HR managers. They are expected to remain impartial and above board during the entire process. But, the recruiters generally carry baggage of their personal experience, good or bad, while visiting campuses and the process fails to remain objective. By personal experience I mean ‘the attributes they think successful people should have’. However, one thing is very clear regarding selection: All companies want people with long term prospects and it is reasonable too. Nobody would like to make an investment whose return is not guaranteed. But, sometimes, during this entire trade off between ‘potential’ and ‘stability’, stability gets the upper hand. This case is mostly evident with small and mid size companies although a few large ones also behave in the same way.

Regarding selection methodology, now-a-days, almost all companies use the same technique i.e. written test followed by GD and personal interview. In some companies, each of these rounds is equally important but in many others different rounds carry different weightings. For students moving into final year, it is always helpful to talk to seniors.

In general, cracking written test is the easiest part in the entire process. Group discussion is where most students falter, few good ones too. This problem is largely related to a student’s upbringing. Most of the students of govt. engineering colleges come from rural background. For them, communicating in English becomes Achilles heel. Personal interview, more or less, varies with the interviewee personality. Interviewers judge him on technical as well as non technical parameters. Mentioning extracurricular activities in CV is always helpful. But, remember, if you have not performed them, in that case, you will be exposed easily. Also, it has been observed that an interviewer frames an opinion about the interviewee initially within few minutes and use rest of the time to justify it in his mind. Therefore, it is always important to perform well right from the start.

Although, this selection process is somewhat flawed, it has generally produced satisfactory results. In present world where so much emphasis is on relationship building, people with better personality are more likely to succeed. Personality includes everything right from appearance and dressing sense to communication skills. Even, the way you behave during the entire selection process can be used to assess you. In short, the entire selection process is more complex than it seems and sometimes the lady luck may also be the reason behind selection.


If you want to know more about the selection process, write to me at: shashank273@gmail.com

OBSCENITY: IS IT IN SOME GODDAMN SERIALS OR IN OUR MINDS?

Big Boss on Colors and Rakhi Ka Insaaf on NDTV Imagine, two of the highly
successful reality shows of winter 2010, are in constant news now-a-days albeit for some bad reasons. They have been accused of presenting vulgar content to the audience including children. It seems that they have stirred the hornet’s nest. The government has directed them to air their shows after eleven PM. But, the real question is: Is this solution appropriate? In the name of protecting the young generation from depravity, are we doing the right thing?

The answer is perhaps a big NO. It seems nice to hear that by censoring contents we can prevent our children from getting access to them. But, the rot lies deeper somewhere and through this action we cannot reach there. The million dollar question today is: Even if we censor content on the television, can we stop our children from gaining access to adult materials through other media such as Internet and magazines or even through their friends? It’s pretty clear that it’s not possible. Some way or the other, children are going to have them. In most of the Indian families, parents do not discuss adult life with their growing children. In those circumstances, friends, cheap books and Internet are children' biggest teachers. This generation of MTV and Facebook is pretty fast in gathering knowledge about sex although the quality always remains doubtful and this is where the problem starts. I remember, I was 15 years old when I watched porn first, quite late by present standards. For someone who had not even watched a B-grade Hindi Movie before, it was a totally different experience. It had a lasting effect on me and it didn’t in any way made me less moral. In fact, I became more aware about my feelings afterward. My parents know nothing about this and I don’t want to tell them too. I smile when my father suggests me to change the bikini girl’s wallpaper of my computer for little he knows that I have seen much more than this.

Then, what is the way forward? Some people suggest that we should revert back to medieval era of keeping everything behind the curtain. For them, I remember what a great man wrote about how his father imparted him sex education. He wrote, “When I was 14 years old, my father took me to a brothel and told me to learn things there.” Although, this might be quite a radical idea for us, a little opening up of society is always better. It should be clearly understood that obscenity is not in the shows that we watch. Rather than, it is in our psyche, in our minds. Rapes happen even in the countries where women cover themselves from top to bottom. Women living in open societies feel safer than those living in closed ones. In open societies, women remain vocal about their rights. If anything wrong happens, they get justice easily and subsequently lead normal lives. On the other hand, in closed societies, cases of women harassment are never registered and the victims never overcome the trauma.

For opening up of society, imparting sex education in schools might be the best possible way. In this way, it won’t be a curious topic among the children. It would also make them aware of their physical needs and protect them from STDs in future. The only thing in this to be taken care of is the method of implementation. We need highly trained teachers who could do this job without compromising their integrity.

Enough we vowed to protect ourselves through abstinence. Now is the time to be more vocal and to have greater exchange of ideas on subjects that have remained taboo so far. Don’t let your child suppress his feelings. It will lead to frustration only. Psychological studies have proved it time and again that sex offenders are mostly people without troubled sex history. It’s in the human nature that whatever he is forbidden to do, he tries to do that. Eve did this and we are no different. Talking sex is not bad. Only when we do it with wrong intentions, it becomes ugly. So, don’t ban serials because it will make matters worse only.

Movies!! Boom.......I want loads of them!!

My friends keep asking why I watch so many movies when I have other important things to do in my life like taking care of study, preparing for the competitions, planning for a bright future and so on. Many people also laugh at me when they see me devoting large part of daily life to movies. Even the HR head of the company where I’ll be working in the next few months asked me, “What is it in the movies that you like when most of them are not real and you claim yourself to be a very practical man?” To all of them who are curious to know why I do this, here is the answer:

I watch movies because they take me to a different world. They tell me that there are sufferings but also the people who have conquered them. They urge me to believe in the self and that even I can change the world. They teach me to be happy, take life as it is and above all love it. I think, whatever makes you happy is always good for you. I don’t care if they are just movies. At least, they give hope and what is better than hope. I know I’m quite pragmatic. But, don’t I have the right to enjoy, get lost in the dreams? I’m too a man made of flesh and blood and I can’t be mechanical. I’m ready to trade a million dollar for a single ray of hope and I feel most of you will do the same. Living life is not an easy job, at least in this cruel world where everyone else is your competitor and there are people out there ready to take your place at your single mistake.

So, watch movies and have fun because there is nothing more beautiful in life than happiness and nothing more valuable than the moments of selfless fun. They will be the real treasures for you.

Do write to me if you think this article in any way has rekindled your passion into movies. I’m available at: shashank273@gmail.com