Some people hold the view that officers who hold decisive positions need to be given a stipulated period of service at a particular location whereas some others opine that such a guarantee of tenure would do more harm than good.

What could be the arguments that make these two views relevant?

Social media, the common man’s Press

By Atma Prakash Nayak, Ciliconindia

Everyone knows that the beetle shops, tea stalls and the coffee houses are the hot seats of political discussions. In some way or the other they are truly the best platform for exercising one’s freedom of speech. These are the places where we Indians are convinced or reassured of the existence of democracy. Sometime in a day with every sip of hot tea/coffee, many hot discussions on the fate of the country or on the meanness of our politicians or on the widespread corruption form the matter of discussion. No doubt, sometimes other issues like cricket, anti-rape propaganda, and terrorism also go in making the most animated talks of a day. These talks may be half-backed, rumour-like or biased or ill-informed but they bear the authentic stamp of a human-being’s real-time sentiments and response. They are not like those deliberately and masterfully tailored news pieces that appear in the print or electronic media.

Most news items in the media distort the truth according to the news makers’ convenience. But the news and opinions served at the tea/coffee houses are the waves of human responses unedited. And the same human sensitivity can presently be found nowhere except in the social networking sites. The social networking sites enable the common man to reach the millions. This advantage can be exploited to counteract the biased media. A vigorous involvement of more and more people in such sites can help lay bare the truth. The day is not far when it would be more wholesome to depend upon social networking sites to know the reality behind a scene.

In short social networking can serve as a common man’s press whose laws and news are not dictated by the corporate tycoons nor the corrupt officials or politicians. And truth prevails everywhere.

Before the child drifts into sleep, he hums and his mother lulls him to sleep. The mother pats the child’s back. The humming of the child gets rhythmical with the pat. And then the humming of the child gradually grows fainter and fainter as his eyes feel heavier and heavier with sleep.

Now the child sleeps. He is a small innocent figure who sleeps contentedly. On the table nearby a half filled feeding bottle stood. The mother put the sleeping child on the bed. All day’s work has made her dog-tired. She now throws herself in her husband’s arms and the husband lovingly holds his tired wife. Both of them close their eyes in deep togetherness. By the time the child also opens his eyes. He finds his mom and father now fast asleep. He slowly climbs over them and joyfully holds both of them and once again sleeps most contentedly with a divinely attractive smile that truly lights up the family.

A CHILD IS TRULY A STRONG BINDER WHO CAN HOLD A WHOLE FAMILY TOGETHER WITH HIS SMALL HANDS.

The village temple stands as a sacred abode of HOPES, DREAMS, PROGRAMMES and IDEALS.

A woman comes with a basket full of flowers, agarbati and coconuts and carries back a heart full of divine solace and verdant hopes. She is contented and is assured of the lord’s blessings. The happiness beaming on her face is born of a sense of great security provided by the all-powerful village deity. The village temple is all hopes for her.

A student comes. He bows his head before the idol and dreams of a good result in the recent examination; he dreams of a good job and imagines his Sanskrit teacher’s daughter in bridal dress. The village temple is the abode of his tender sweet dreams.

The local politician comes and declares a programme of 3 day long Sankirtan for world peace. The temple becomes a ground for mass gathering and the venue for chanting of sacred names through Public Address system. An unknown passerby devotedly bows his head while the programme goes on and the politician smilingly introduces himself as the organizer.

That day the temple was silent. The idol was standing in grave silence. And a woman who was mistreated yesterday by a group of local dadas fell before the idol. Her body bore many bruises. But her soul was more brutally bruised when she was told to keep silent. She fell before the idol helplessly but when she rose up she had garnered enough strength to put the anti-socials behind the bars and she was determined to set a new IDEAL.

KIT tips: The need for reading in IELTS

Reading helps you pick up the art of thinking in English.

Reading, as a matter of fact, is the best way to learn any language.

When you read out things in English, you happen to see

how people who know the language express themselves.

Your constant association with the thought process of educated people

helps you pick up the art of thinking in English.

Thinking in English is not an easy thing because we have been thinking

In our mother tongue for ages and, since there is distinct differences between our

language and a foreign language, we may face problems dealing with

complicated constructions and usages. So thinking in English takes time as it is a slow process that gets you equipped with the very language itself. This ability is a must in clearing ielts with flying colours. The fine line is: there is no compromise on reading when it comes to IELTS.

This has manifold benefits. Firstly, you get information, secondly, you pick up vocabulary, grammar and usage, thirdly, you happen to enjoy variety in expressing yourself, and finally, reading makes you approach the reading module much more confidently and matter-of-factly.

So, where do we stand? We stand at the point where it is important to know that good readers good at English. It is your being good at this language that is going to make the real difference in our life. IELTS is going to take you places only if your score is higher enough. So reading is a way out to find new highs in your scores: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Keep, keep, keep on reading whatever you put your hands on. JAYPEES

Some people are of the view that those who are in political offices need to undergo frequent training sessions on public administration while some others opine that public administration is not something that can be taught, rather it is learnt over experience.

·         Why is there need for training sessions for political office holders?

·         Do you support the argument that public administration cannot be taught?

Political offices and public administration stay intertwined in all polities. Naturally, political office bearers are expected to keep themselves updated on public administration. In my opinion, the view that public administration cannot be taught is premature. Let go in detail.  50 words

That which makes lessons on public administration mandatory for politicians is they have to meet the expectations of great population diaspora. For example, a political office bearer hailing from an urban landscape many not know much about the problems and predicament of the rural folks. Here a couple of sessions on rural public administration will be of great help. Besides this, it makes great sense to believe that people’s aspirations and needs change over time, and the same need to be understood by political office bearers. Obviously, there is need for training sessions off an on.

Coming to the idea that public administration cannot be taught, I believe it can very well be. For example, politicians with strong academic track-record on public administration do much better than others without it. Second thing is that public administration tools relevant in one demographic landscape may not be fit for another. Naturally, depending on the nature of the polity, lessons on public administration are to be framed accordingly. For example, a highly educated polity may expect its politicians to be more proactive, and the latter need to know how to make informed decisions. It forces them to be learning all the time.

Winding it up, I find it right to add that public administration is a discipline of high order, and all the politicians need to know that it can be taught, and they need to get themselves trained of their businesses periodically.

275 words

Ajaypeesdoc. 12.06.2013. 5.05 am

Look at it from an examiner’s angle:

·         Range of vocabulary

·         Cohesion and coherence

·         General grammar and structure

·         Task achievement.

List out those word, phrases, structures and features that go into the making of a score, say 7 plus.