CHENNAI REHABILITATION: No more begging bowls

Prof Rajita Chaudhuri follow some off-beat trends like organizing make up sessions

Chennai launches drive to rehabilitate beggars

Chennai has unrolled a visionary programme for the rehabilitation of beggars. From June 6, those begging in common places in the city will be caught and sent to rehabilitation and protection centres with the help of NGOS. Last month Chennai corporation identified some 451 beggars. Out of them 179 persons were mentally challenged. Then they were admitted in hospitals for treatments. Chennai Mayor M. Subramanian is spearheading the campaign.

Commissioner of Chennai corporation Rajesh Lakhoni told TSI that they are identifying beggars in main places of Chennai. 'Till now we have identified thousand beggars. They have been categorised into five groups: old aged, physically challenged, mentally challenged, healthy but socially deprived women and mothers begging with children. They will be rehabilitated soon.' According to the drive, old-age persons will be admitted in government homes for old aged and will be given food and medical help. Those who are healthy will be given employment opportunities. There are plans to give education to children also. The homes run by social welfare department will be used for this purpose.

Some eighteen NGOs are girding up to take part in this programme. Also, Lakhoni said the corporation will rope in police to stop beggary in the city. Of late the city has been swarmed with beggars. Begging rackets were also busted. Cases have been reported of women administering sleeping pills to children. That is why the government this time is serious to address the issue.

Kakkum Karangal, an NGO, that supports the drive of Chennai corporation is ready to help the old aged and women. 'We told the corporation that we will provide food, medicine and housing to old aged and women,' said Gnanaraj, founder of Karangal. John Milton, co-ordinator of Karunalaya, another NGO told TSI that they are also willing to assist the corporation in their drive by giving children education free of cost.

But some members of the civil society are not happy with the corporation's move. A Chennai-based writer and social sceintist, A. Marx, is opposing the move. Marx, who was part of a fact-finding team that studied the conditions of beggars in the city, criticised the corporation for its drive against beggars. 'First, Chennai corporation Mayor talked about a beggar-free city. Then he said that mentally challenged beggars will be rehabilitated. But only professionals can handle them. Is the corporation prepared for it?' he asked.


An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Extreme action zone ahead

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Chris ‘CP’ Pfeiffer is a gladiator on wheels. The World Champion (2003, 2007, 2008, 2009) Stunt Rider plays out on asphalt every leather-loving guy’s wildest bike fantasy. Recently back home in Germany, after an India tour, the ace biker reminisces about the experience, among other things to Indira Parthasarathy...
INDIRA PARTHASARATHY

You had the Indian audience eating out of your hands – and not just when you did the no-hands wheelies... How do you sum up the experience?
The crowd response was amazing! I’ll never forget these shows!

Was that the BMW F800 R Chris Pfeiffer Special Edition bike you were performing on? Which is/are your favourite machine(s) to stunt-ride on?
Yes, it was. And it is also my favourite.

MotoGP legend Wayne Gardner had mentioned something like what you maintain: the “united with the bike” experience. Can you elaborate on the ‘one with the bike’ feeling?
If a bike really fits your riding style, you’ll do best to be united with the bike while riding it on the edge. Difficult to explain… all controls have to be in perfect position and work exactly like you want it. Then you are not just sitting/standing on a bike – you sit/stand on it and feel good because the bike is perfectly controllable.

On a normal traffic jaunt with the bike, how do you resist the temptation to break into stunts?
It is no problem. Riding is riding and stunting is stunting. All in its proper time…

What specialised modifications are required for freestyle biking?
A handbrake for the rear wheel, maybe some mods on the engine to make sure that it gets oil in long wheelies. The rest are details that every rider individually builds.

Which was your toughest Championship win?
The last (Indoor Streetbike Freestyle) World Championship in 2009. I had diarrhoea and felt weak. But somehow I made it.

You are real survivor material, as was evinced by the way you made your comeback after the horrible accident in the 90s during the Guinness Record shoot. How did you fight off the jitters to get back on asphalt after an incident like that?
I was very motivated to get back on the bike, also a bit scared that I’ll lose my trust in brakes because the cause for this accident was a brake problem. But I had no mental problem. I check the brakes very often now.

Bunny hops (long jumps) involve other people. How do you bring yourself around the idea of risking other lives, and how do you prepare for it?
Well, the jump does sound crazy but it (the record long jump without a ramp over 33 people lying next to each other) was safe after all the preparations for more than six months. But still I’d not do it again.

Which stunts are Chris Pfeiffer inventions?
Touch ground wheelie circles, Side stand off, The CP Jump, 360 Ground (360° turning during the ride). Extreme action zone ahead Very briefly, your thoughts on

The underground (illegal) status of drag/street racing: Racing and Freestyle (stunting) has to be done on special areas (tracks)

Cars : Four-wheels move the body, two-wheels move the soul, ha ha!

Motocross (MX), enduro or trials: I love stunting most, second Hard Enduro, third Trial, fourth MX.

Don’t mind riding pillion with : Definitely prefer to ride myself on bikes.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Bright students venture out for higher education

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Brain drain

Assam has been witnessing a considerable rate of brain drain in the last five years. Most of the bright students, who secured good marks in the board exam, are going to other states like Delhi, Bangalore and Maharashtra in pursuit of higher education.

According to some students, the primary reason for this exodus is the scarcity of seats available in local universities, engineering and medical colleges. The state has four universities two of which are Centrally owned, six government institutes of business management, two engineering institutes of national repute and six government institutes of science and technology. But all these have failed to enroll the huge number of higher education aspirants from the state.

Rakesh Dutta, who secured 80 per cent marks in the higher secondary level exam in the science stream this year, told TSI: “I will go to Delhi and take admission in any engineering colleges there. In Assam there are only three engineering colleges. Even if I get admission here, I won’t get the opportunity to prepare for competitive exams. In Delhi I have a better chance. After completing B.E, I will sit for the reputed Indian administrative service”.

Another student Saurabh Jyoti Hazarika, who passed higher secondary in 2010, also wants to go to Delhi for higher studies. “Job opportunity is nil in the state. Even government jobs are difficult to get. Moreover, to get it we have to pay money as bribe. The multinational companies also recruit outsiders. So, I have decided to go to Delhi,’’ he said. Hiranmoy Pathak, a lecturer of a junior college of the state, said: “Greater employment opportunities outside Assam have encouraged students to go outside the state.”

A large number of students are moving out from the state because of the lack of adequate infrastructure. The only way out is that the government spends more money in improving the education system.

Monalisa Gogoi

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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LOCK, STOCK, CLICK AND BUY

eBay made its India foray with the takeover of 5 year old bazee.com in 2005 and has since then relied largely on multimedia advertising on the internet. However, this is the first time that this net giant is charting a completely new route through virgin waters. According to Mohamed Rizwan, Senior Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy, a part of the creative team that worked on the campaign, “The brief was to promote eBay as a shopping destination where you get a wide range of top quality products, great deals and the ease of paying safely through a credit card. The ads communicate this in a funny, over-the-top manner in the form of a DD-esque call-in show ‘The eBay Way’ where callers are told the benefits of shopping on eBay, regardless of their problems.” However, cracking the Indian consumer conundrum won’t be easy. There are a plethora of factors that compound the complexity so evident in a rapidly transitioning Indian consumer space. Firstly, Indians are the best bargainers in the market and getting the best deals on the internet without having a chance to bargain face to face especially for used items might seem deterring to prospective buyers. Secondly, with regards to goods, Indians almost always, ‘touch’ and ‘feel’ and then buy. Though attitudes are changing, it will take a lot of time before consumers can buy high involvement products like mobiles, laptops and household appliances on eBay. As K. J. Singh, co-founder and CEO, Evolve Brands says, “For start, it should get offline as well and should have some availability in the malls where the customers go for shopping. Most of its target segment which is online also shops offline and needs to get a mindshare when offline and therefore the branding in the cluttered market is important also in case there are some offers which could be informed offline and executed offline.”

The third factor critical to the fortunes of eBay will be the variety of choices in the deals it provides to the customers. But on this, Muralikrishan B, Director, Marketing & Product, eBay India, asserts, “One of eBay India’s key advantages is the wide variety of products available – ranging from mobiles to necklaces, digital cameras to salwar kameez, diamond rings to laptops etc. The audience that comes onsite appreciates the variety and we are seeing good traction across categories as a result of this campaign.” Finally, online transactions are still perceived as a fodder for fraud by many Indians and it won’t be easy to break the taboo. Despite the fact that the campaign itself highlights the safety feature in its punch line, the starting point for the company would be to attract more and more hits to the website and slowly create the buzz through more outdoor events, follow-up TVCs and offering attractive pricing for different product categories.

However, leading brand analysts in the country do not seem to be resonating to the company’s tunes. While some have labelled the presence of Dr. Puri and Komal Singh as the uncle and aunty just pushing people to eBay, others are more sceptical of the campaign’s ability to eventually lead the visitor to actually buy from just being a casual visitor. Leading brand analyst Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consultants adds on a harsher note, “I do not believe this current spate of e-bay advertising is going to build anything much for it. I am personally not convinced that the set of retro-creatives do anything to the brand at all. At best, it causes for a perk-up in the awareness scores for the brand. I do not believe the campaign is efficient enough on the counts of building interest in the portal, stoking desire to visit and finally creating action of the actual buy.” However, how joyful will eBay’s India journey be would be clear in the coming months. If it is, it would be a marked shift in the attitudes of Indian consumers. If not, Pierre Omidyar might just realize that there are not many takers in India for broken lazer printers (the first ever product sold on eBay).

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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