Mumbai post 7/11 has certainly emerged stronger and hopefully becomes more wiser in terms of its security which have been thwarted so many times now. One would have to commend the the denizens of Mumbai for having shown an unquavering spirit, but also one cannot ignore the shades of gray which emerged with the blasts.
Despite the city getting back to normalcy within a short span what the blasts also brought to light was insensitive ( if one could say so) coverage of the whole episode by media- primarily the electronic media.
Television reporters in a bid to grab a live feed to gain an advantage in the cat and mouse chase between different news channels overlooked the humane aspect of pain and trauma. The trauma of injurned victims and their aggrieved ones was sidelined for an alibi which could be made into a flash news.
One could say that the city got back to normalcy quickly indeed. But resilience apart it was to an extent the lack of alternatives which made people to resort to the same mode of conveyance the next day in a bid to earn a livelihood. Was there an alternative the commuters and the residents of the city had? Could the students sit at home and not go to school? Could government officials stay away from work? If the city administration was so concerned of the security, why didn’t it declare a day’s leave to assess the security situation? Well, such questions just affirm above statements of the ‘lack’ mentioned above.
Journalism is all about respecting the ‘fine’ lines between ethics and reporting. Providing unadultered facts to people is the primary responsibility but at the same time a certain degree of sensitivity also needs to be adhered to in reporting.
News about the blasts and the resilience of the city dwellers that was portrayed as facts had another dimension to it- that of acceptance and lack of alternatives.
Media arms and informs people. Hence it becomes imperative to maintain a certain degree of sentivity towards coverage of events.
So, do you feel the same..?
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In this competitive world, there are lots of people who are smart and adapt to situations around them but a handful who have the ability to see through a problem and think strategically as well as analytically to come up with a solution to the problem. That is to say, there are lots of smart and intelligent people to be lead but few capable leaders to lead.
So, what makes a leader such a prized possession? If we have a look at some of the major companies which have become leaders, the common string which runs in all of them is their leaders. From Sony, GE, Microsoft to software solutions giants such as Infosys, all these companies have had leaders such as Akio Morita, Jack Welch, Bill Gates and Narayanmurthy, who put their respective companies a step ahead of others in their league.
That leaders are prized possession to a company gives way to the question- What makes a leader or what attributes go into the making of a leader? This is the key question which is known to everybody but tended to by a handful. As a result, only those handful who make an effort show way to the others who know the question by becoming a leader!
A good leader has a clear understanding of his team and the circumstances and situation around him. This means a holistic understanding of the issues within a holistic framework. This indirectly means analytical thinking forms one of the key tenets in finding of a solution to a problem. All effective leaders are blessed with a certain degree of analytical thinking which helps them to view an issue or a problem in a certain ‘light’. This enables them to break the problem down to smaller fragments and deal with each of them easily.
Improvisation is another attribute of a leader. Depending on the need of the hour, they make the necessary changes in their strategies to serve a long term goal. This calls for a great deal of foresight which for some comes with time and others inculcate it in them! Impromptu decision making is one related aspects of improvisation and decision making and requires a certain amount of ‘gut feeling’ coupled with foresight and vision. A classic example of this is Sony’s coming into the market with handheld transistors when the world was using jumbo sets! So improvisation helped Sony establish and make an impact.
An effective leader also steers his vessel and by this sets an example for others. The leadership qualities enable the person to earn the respect of others around him and at the same time be a model to them. Vision and the ability to predict the forthcoming is something that draws a line between leaders and followers in many a cases.
Thus in the present scenario, an effective leader can be made if an individual takes the initiative to lead and makes an effort to stand out in the crowd.
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Sudan has been torn apart by violence for quite some time. The African union forces seem to be finding the going difficult and have faltered in curbing violence which has claimed tens and thousands of lives in the country.
There are two major rebel parties namely the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), which have been involved in the region along with the troops of the African union.
The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 when rebel group began attacking government targets accusing it of oppression of the black Africans and neglect towards the region. Since then the region became a mine field and saw the involvement of Janjaweed who attacked and pillaged towns and villages inhabited by members of the African tribes from which the rebel armies draw their strength in a bid to ethnically cleanse the region of black Africans. Although there are reports that the Janjaweed is getting support from the government of Sudan, the government strongly denies any such links.
The region isin dire straits now. With natural resources such as water becoming a priced commodity, signs of urgent help have become imminent.
UN which has been called ineffective with regard to it s dealing with issues such as Iran and North Korea in the recent past has been asked to pool in with its services.
The international community feels the need for UN troops to be deployed to bolster the peace initiative. Also the intervention of UN would imply better facilities to the survivors of this violence.
So, will UN intervention and its peace keeping forces be an answer of sorts to the Darfur crisis? Will it help towards the emergence of some sort of solution to this predicament which has plagued the country for long now?
Speak out! Post your comment…
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Manchester United Football club seems to be in a fix. First, rumours about Christiano Ronaldo’s switching clubs and now van Nistelrooy’s exit. For sure, the club’s prospects at the English premier league will be jolted with the departure of Ruud van Nistelrooy.
So, who is expected to fill in this ace striker’s bots who has been a prolific goal scorer for the club? Reports are floating around that Fernando Torres will fill in this international striker’s place in the squad. Torres, who plays for Athletico Madrid club, would be certainly looking forward to this opportunity and with such huge responsibility placed on his shoulders, a lot will be expected of him.
So, will van Nistelrooy’s exit dampen the Manchester United forward line? Will it be depleted even with the likes of Ronaldo and Torres?
Make a pick, post your comment..!
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India and the world witnessed a gory act of terror unleashed on Mumbai and its denizens. Again, the city became a soft target to the intentions of terrorists which saw close to 300 hundred innocent people die or suffer serious injuries.
Time and again after 9/11, cities which have a certain bearing on the socio-economic and political dynamics of a country have been targeted as soft targets. London, Cairo and now recently Mumbai shows the ease with which cities like these are rendered vulnerable by such attacks. Mumbai, despite having witnessed similar attacks in 1993, 2002 and 2003 seems to have become an easy prey to the intentions of the terrorists. Partly due to the huge floating population of the city and to a great extent to the operations of terrorists, who operate with great planning before striking a target, the city’s security has come under a scanner. But with Government swinging to action and establishment of anti terrorists squads and boosting of intelligence networks, the alarm bell has been sounded this time.
But, is terror an answer to the problems and causes propagated by various groups around the worlds. Is inflicting pain on innocent people, an answer to the maladies and sufferings of other citizens across the world? Does killing innocent people solve the problem of other such people suffering in other parts of the world?
Speak Out !…post a comment…
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