Belagavi slips to 25 place in SSLC exams

After disappointment in PUC results, Belagavi has has faced huge disappointment in SSLC results too, it has slipped to 25th position from 14th position of last year.

Belagavi which was once in top five in SSLC results has created huge disappointment among parents and educationists. However Chikkodi educational education district has secured third place.

Like every year, girls outperformed boys this year too. The total pass percentage of girls was 77.54% while 68% boys passed the SSLC exams.

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Karnataka Invitational Supercross 2017 at Belagavi

Belgaum Moto Sports Association & Goa Moto Sport Association presents Belagavi’s first Super dirt bike race – “Karnataka Invitational Supercross 2017 – Belagavi”.

For the first time in the history of North Karnataka, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) approved event is taking place in Belagavi. Top National level riders from across India will be participating in the event.

The Magadum SX race track has been designed & executed by the renowned International Track Designer, Mr. Ashley Gomes.

race will be held Behind GIT College, next to Dnyan Prabodhan school, Sammed Nagar Udyambag, Belagavi at 3 pm on 21st May 2017.

The organisers are expecting a crowd of 20,000 people to attend the event.
The event shall have free entry for the general public.

Belgaum Moto Sports Association President Akshay Magadum, along with the team Abhishek Magadum, Aditya Magadum, Shiv Mamadapur, Abhijeet Magadum, Vinay Magale, Suprit Magadum have been working in coordination with Goa Motor Sports association’s President Ashley Gomes over a year to bring this event to Belagavi.

BMA & GMSA plans to launch the “Karnataka Invitational Supercross Championship” in November 2017 in their permanently built race track at the above said location.

Below are listed categories of the races:

• Group A, Sx1 upto 250cc 2 stroke & 450cc 4 stroke.

• Group A, Sx2 upto 250cc 2 stroke & 450cc 4 stroke.

• Group A, Sx3 upto 250cc 2 stroke & 450cc 4 stroke.

• Junior 1, group A/B/C/D upto 125cc 2 stroke & 250cc 4 stroke (under 18 above 15).

• Junior 2, group A/B/C/D upto 85cc 2 stroke & 150cc 4 stroke (under 15 above 12).

• Junior 3, group A/B/C/D upto 65cc 2 stroke (under 12 above 7).

• Group C, upto 250cc (2/4 stroke).

• Group B, upto 250cc (2/4 stroke).

• Enfield Class, upto 500cc.

• Women’s Class, upto 450cc.

This race will be held under the supervision & inspection of FMSCI Scrutineers / Stewards. This event is being under the International sporting code of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) the National Competition rules of FMSCI (NCR), & its appendices and the supplementary regulations.

To register for the event you can log on to www.belgaummotosport.com & email – gomessportsacademy@gmail.com.

For Details Contact:  Akshay Magadum (Belgaum Moto-Sport Association) – 9986513418
Ashley Gomes (Goa Motor Sports Association) – 9822179721
Abhishek Magadum (Belgaum Moto-Sport Association) – 9886136886

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Fighting all odds, Sheela Tops PUC exams

She had lost her parents very early in life, she stays along with her grand mother and her younger brother in Honaga, but she had the will and the desire to learn and excel.

Meet Sheela Keralkar who secured 97.58 % marks in PUC 2 exams in the Science stream. She secured 100 marks in Chemistry, Maths, Physics and 95 in biology.

She stays in a small house in Tanaji Galli in Honaga, he grand mother Sushila who works in kitchens during the marriage season. Sushila has worked hard and educated Sheela and the result is the best gift she could have given her Grand mother for her sacrifices.

She never took any private tuitions or classes but even then she could achieve something very spectacular.

You too could encouraging her to pursue further studies by supporting her Mobile Sheela 8748848042

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He wasnt aware of his marks until the teachers came in searching for him

What will a SSLC student do on the day of the results, mainly pray to the almighty or get glued to the Internet to know the results. Each one is very anxious to see what fruits they have reaped after studying the entire year.

But here is the story of Manthan Anil Kanbarkar, who was really unaware of the results being declared and he was as per his schedule working at a shop at the whole sale vegetable market. The teachers of his Maratha Mandal Central high school came searching for him to his house then the market to find him busy in his work.

The teachers said you have done it, you have scored 97% marks in SSLC and took him away to his home where he was felicitated for the wonderful result.

He secured 117 in Marathi, 99 in English, 95 in Kannada, 96 in Maths, 97 in Science and 96 in Social studies.

His mother is a Anganwadi worker and his father expired a few years ago. So to help his mother he also started to work and help the family. His elder brother also goes for work. Manthan’s sister has also passed SSLC with 76% marks and she too is very happy with her results.

When in 7th standard he worked on his own saved money and took admission to the Maratha Mandal Central high school. His teachers say he is very hard working and his ability to work as well as learn is amazing.

Even now after the results he is back to work.

If anyone of you want to help him in his studies please contact him on 7411276776

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389 voters reside in a single house which does not exist

Anil Benake in a press meet today brought forward the lack luster attitude in which the Voters list are prepared.

He made a special mention of survey no. 2438 of Kasai Galli where 389 voters are registered on the same survey number and in reality there not even a small structure of house on that survey number. The said survey number is now a empty piece of land.

He alleged that Belagavi North constituency has more than 20,000 bogus voters.

Benake also alleged that names of the officers who have been transferred long ago stil their names exist in the electrol rolls like Former IGP Auradkar, DC Ajay Nagbhushan, Ekroop Caur, SP Chandagupta to name a few.

If such discrepancies are not removed from the voters list upto June 1 a strong agitation will be launched Benake said.

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GIT waives off fees of Sheela who secured 97 percent marks

The KLS Gogte Institute of Technology has come forward as a Good Samaritan and has agreed to admit Sheela Keralkar who secured 97.58 % marks in PUC 2 exams in the Science stream. She secured 100 marks in Chemistry, Maths, Physics and 95 in biology.

We had published her story Fighting all odds, Sheela Tops PUC exams

Unfortunately she had not given the CET exams hence GIT has agreed to give her admission under the management quota.

The decision of admitting her free was announced by Chairman of Karnataka Law Society M.R.Kulkarni and Governing council chairman Uday Kalkundrikar in a press meet this morning and also felicitated Sheela and her grand mother Suhisla.

Now her dream to become an Engineer has just begun.

Sheela stays in a small house in Tanaji Galli in Honaga, her grand mother Sushila who works in kitchens during the marriage season. Sushila has worked hard and educated Sheela and the result is the best gift she could have given her Grand mother for her sacrifices. You too could encourage her to pursue further studies by supporting her Mobile Sheela 8748848042

Dr. Sonali Sarnobat’s Niyati Foundation and Kiran Jadhav’s Vimal Foundation have already come forward and helped Sheela.

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Harsh Dalal loves Puzzles solving Rubiks Cube and now also teaches basics

In 1974, a young Professor of architecture in Budapest (Hungary) named Erno Rubik created an object that was not supposed to be possible. His solid cube twisted and turned – and still it did not break or fall apart. The Cube got scrambled and thus emerged the first “Rubik’s Cube”.

Approximately one in seven people alive have played with a Rubik’s Cube.

We have this 15 year old lad Harsh Hemant Dalal who goes to the Kendriya Vidyalaya No.2 in Camp Belagavi and Loves to be in the company of Puzzles and Rubik’s Cube.His father Hemant introduced him the Rubik’s Cube a year ago and now Harsh can solve the cube in 45 seconds.

Speaking to AAB, Harsh said

There are 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 (43 quintillion) ways to scramble a Rubik’s Cube.

If there was one cube scrambled for every permutation and they were laid end to end they would stretch approximately 261 LIGHT YEARS the extra permutations from assembling the cube in an unsolvable state – this number would be 12 times as big.

There are many kinds of Cubes and each cube is a different level in itself. Megaminx, mastermorphics, 3×3, 4×4, 5×5, Pyrainx cube, Windmill cube, Axis cube, Square one cube, Mirror cube and ghost cube exist in his collection as of now, and the Ghost cube is the most difficult one.

He has now started to train others on how to solve the Rubik’s Cube and three of his students are elder than him. Harsh wanted to teach others as he felt he could explore more and gain more knowledge along with spreading the awareness of this excellent game.

The best speed cubers (people who take part in speed cubing – a sport where competitors try and solve the cube as quickly as possible) can solve the cube in under 6 seconds. Every legal permutation of the Rubik’s Cube can be solved in 20 moves or fewer. The Rubik’s Cube was first called the Magic cube but was renamed in 1980 for its global release, to find out more about the History of the Cube

Harsh now aims to solve the cube in less than 30 secs and interestingly his best time so far has been 44 seconds. He is also learning the cube solving being blind folded and he has almost got it there.

Harsh further said while playing with the cube,

The basic funda behind the Rubik’s Cube solution is solving by layers. Always keep patience and go ahead solving layer by layer. For the first time it took me days to solve it, but now I do it in about 45 seconds.Every cube has to have a different approach in solving but the basic of solving by layers stays the same.

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Chota Shakeel Aides Rashid Malbari gang behind Rohan Redekars kidnapping

Rohan Redekar son of a noted businessman had gone missing On February 18, 2015 and the police claim his body has been found near Chorla Ghat after they have apprehended 6 aides of the Rashid Malbari gang.

The act has been committed by Rashid Malbari right hand of Chota Shakeel. 6 persons were staying in Belagavi only have been now taken into custody who were supposed to involved in this kidnapping.

The remains of a body were recovered by the police from Chorla Ghat after the 6 persons arrested agreed to the kidnapping and then killing Rohan and throwing his body there.

The Police will now do a DNA test of the human remains found to ascertain the truth behind whose human remains have been found.

Belagavi police had got a clue in this kidnapping case a fortnight ago and a special team was formed to crack the case. Commissioner of Police denied to confirm but said that a few people have been taken into custody and in a day or two after investigations are over, he will disclose the details.

Police had for long suspected the involvement of the gang in Rohan’s kidnapping case as many of the arrested were involved in kidnapping and extortion cases in Mumbai and some parts of Karnataka including Belagavi.

Sources in the police Malabari was sheltered by some local politicians, including a former Zilla Panchayat president. Police have detained the ZP president and are questioning him. Rashid Malbari who was imprisoned in Hindlaga jail for a while made good relations with locals here and established his base here. Sources say he was staying here with the nick name of Mamu.

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Forum helps with nuptial dreams of people with visual impairment

There are thousands of matrimonial centres who promise to find the best match of any religion, cast and linguistic, but here is one organization which is helping the visually impaired to tie the nuptial knot.

The ‘Samanvay Blind Foundation’ is working as bridge to connect two souls and play key role to make matches by collecting information, counseling the bride, grooms and arranging interaction with them each other.

The foundation calls for registrations, and then each form is scrutinized. The forum then invites the parents of bride and grooms for interactions. A self confidence is developed in Bride and grooms and once the both give a go ahead, wedding will be arranged. They have planned to host wedding ceremonies of at least 9 couples till August this year.

Many to be brides and grooms who were excited about this concept have attended the inaugural function at Maheshwari school for blind on Sunday. About 20 persons have already registered.

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Former ZP president Nadaf mastermind of Rohan Redekars kidnapping along with Malbari gang

The special City Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) has been successful in cracking the 2 year old Rohan Redekar’s kidnapping case. The kidnapping was part of the gang run by notorious ganster Rashid Malbari, an aide of Dubai-based underworld don Chhota Shakeel. 6 people were arrested in this regards on Sunday.

Speaking to the media, City Police Commissioner T G Krishna Bhatta identified the accused as former Zilla Panchayat President Nazir Nadaf, Mujaffar Mohammad Shaikh, Imtiyaz A Dalayat, Jatin Arjun Kadam, Sarfaraz and one more.

Krishna Bhatta further said Malbari was heading the gang which was allegedly supported Nadaf.

He said during the initial police interrogation, Nadaf has admitted that the Malbari gang was responsible for the kidnapping of Rohan Suresh Redekar (23) about 2 years ago. He was allegedly murdered by the gang on the same day and his dead body was thrown in jungles from Chorla Ghat.

The said gang also has many cases against them which include Ashish Rajan murder case of Goa and Ayaz Ahmed murder case of Mumbai apart from kidnapping case of Aslam builder of Mumbai.

Nadaf had kept the gang and Malbari was also staying at the farm house of Nadaf by the name of Mamu near Asundi in Savadatti taluka.
Infact it was Nadaf who told the gang that Redekar has lots of money and if his son is kidnapped they can get a lot of money. It is also said that Nadaf and Redekar wre good friends.

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Ransomware – Could steal all your files!

There has been a lot of talk online about the recent Ransomware attack that has taken the world by storm. For the common public. This is news, but to many in the security industry this was just a matter of time. The story of the WanaCrypt Ransomware fiasco began in January 2017 with a group that calls itself “The Shadow Brokers”, leaked tools claiming to be stolen from the NSA. These tools included zero day exploits in Windows.

We in Belagavi have been seeing ransomware infections as back as October 2016. Some companies have lost data and have taken 6-8 months to recover and come back on track for their business. The Threat is real. There are some companies in our own city affected by this problem. Had these companies followed cyber security best practices and had adequate fallback measures, the risk of data loss could have been mitigated.

It was only a matter of time until cyber criminals utilized the exploit to gain unauthorized access into pirated/non-updated windows computers and thereby install ransomware on them. This has resulted in companies losing access to their own files and in some cases, a complete halt of organizational work flow.

We in the Indian cyberspace are also not immune to these attacks. It has affected the Andhra State Police and the Mumbai Police to some extent. The fact that many users in India use pirated Windows operating systems only makes it worse. Although the actual effects will take time to surface since most corporations will not release this information publicly.

Simply put, ransomware makes use of the vulnerabilities in Windows operating systems, enters your computer, and could practically lock (encrypt) all your files away, and the perpetrators, in most cases, demand hefty sums of money for your files. Recovering from a ransomware attack can be almost impossible unless the ransom is paid.

This is a real threat in an interconnected world and often times, business rivals and competitors could use such means to gain an unfair advantage.

Measures for Safeguarding:

1. Update Windows regularly
2. Install Antivirus and Security Suites and keep them updated.
3. Sensitise USB devices before plugging into critical systems.
4. If you have a network with more than one user, get a firewall system which would filter out such malicious traffic even before it hits your network.

Blog on Ransomware in North Karnataka Posted on October 27, 2016
http://skywall.informantnetworks.com/?p=101

Guide to Internet Safety Posted on March 12, 2017

http://skywall.informantnetworks.com/?p=146

About the Authors:
Hitesh Dharamdasani is a computer security expert and the founder of Informant Networks. A cyber/computer security company based out of Belgaum. He completed his Masters Degree in Computer Security from USA and worked in Silicon Valley for a couple of years before coming back to his hometown.

Anirudh Managoli is a Software Engineer with 6+ years of IT experience in Software Development and Administration.

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Advocate takes on the MRP battle of Bottled water and beverages

It is common experience of consumers, that packaged drinking water is often found selling at 10-20% higher rates at restaurants, Malls, and other locations. But this is an offence under Section 36 of Legal Metrology Act clearly says anyone caught selling, distributing or delivering any pre-packaged commodity that does not conform to the declarations on the package shall be punished with fine up to Rs 25,000 for the first offence. It can increase to Rs 50,000 for second offence and subsequent offences can attract a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh or imprisonment for one year or both.

Local young advocate Harshvardhan Patil resident of Piranwadi has taken up this battle against the hotels and establishments who are charging more than the MRP for bottled water. Most of us ignore and don’t bother about this particular law as we have no time to run around this malpractice.

He has filed police complaints on 13 hotels across Belagavi. Rs.20 MRP mineral water bottle of various brands was being sold for Rs.126, Rs.40, Rs.50 at dozens of hotels across Belagavi.

Almost all the hotels after this complaint are selling the water at MRP he said in a press meet.

One could connect with Harshavardhan on 96111 44479.

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Veer Nari Bina spreading soulful living through Anand Yoga centre

It was a happy life for Bina, wife of Flight Lieutenant Subramaniam Muhilan from Belagavi. Both were happy in their married life and with their son Dhruv. But fate had something else in store for her. Her husband sacrificed his life fighting for the nation.

On 28 May 99, Flt Lt Muhilan was captaining the Mi-17 helicopter during an attack mission against ground positions strongly held by Pakistani infiltrators in the Drass sector. He skillfully maneuvered his Mi-17 helicopter and repeatedly carried out attacks in the face of fierce enemy opposition in the form of ground fire and missiles. Unfortunately his helicopter was downed by a U.S made Stinger SAM(surface to air missile).

It was very tough time for Bina, who lost her husband in just a few years to her marriage. Their son Dhruv, was then the reason in her life and during those hard times she realized that Spiritual seeking would bring true meaning to her life.

Bina’s search for truth began as a very young girl. She was fed up good and bad, right and wrong there was something more than this duality. Her search made her go through Books of Vivekanand, Maharishi Maheshwari Yogi, Vipassana for three years, finally she got her answer from Sirshree, because her inquisitive mind couldn’t do with bhakti without knowledge and knowledge of truth in today’s application what changed the perception. Hence the journey from individual I to universal I began.

Out of gratitude towards her guru and to be part of the motto of TGF (Tej Gyan Foundation) to create highly evolved society she created a place Anand yoga center. Following the new path she found purpose and has embarked on a journey towards self-realization.

She also runs a Anand Yoga centre at her residence on Mandoli Road, Belagavi where she is facilitating sessions of Yoga, ‘Garbha Sanskar’ which literally means ‘education in the womb’. It is traditionally believed that a child’s mental and behavioral development starts as soon as he is conceived.

Nayeem Shaikh (35), a yoga expert who teaches yoga to army men at Maratha Light infantry regimental centre(MLIRC), Shivkumar Rudraxi (36) native of Bagalkote another yoga teacher who have taught Yoga to Thai people in Bangkok for past 9 years and Ayurvedic doctor Dr Jyoti More who gives sessions on Ayurvedic measures to be taken pre-natal pregnancy have joined Bina to conduct all these sessions under one roof. She now runs a Anand yoga center at Mandoli road a place Dedicated for spiritual growth.

Yoga, body massage, foot reflexology and Garbh Sanskar workshops have been planned to create common platform for everyone’s growth where a healthy and calm body mind is crucial to support one’s spiritual journey.

Bina says

We want people to embrace the role of yoga in their daily lives to make them strong for their spiritual journey. In Ayurveda, one can impart the wisdom to the baby before it’s birth like How lord Krishna taught to Abhimanyu in Mahabharata.

Already 150 persons are taking the benefits of these sessions from learned professionals. I look after my business and have been successfully running the petrol pump for years now. Dhruv has also grown up and now I have time for my self to spread some happiness to others in otherwise a very stressful life style.

Nayeem Shaikh, the Yoga teacher said ‘religion never become hurdle to learn the good things. Many Muslim’s have accepted the yoga and practices it in their home. Yoga has become a Universal exercise to lead happy and healthy life he said.

Bina adds,

Anand Yoga centre is an unique vastu for yoga and meditation as it is almost at the fag end of the city and surrounded by greenery. One can can hear birds chirping around you while you do the yoga and this makes the yoga session more blissful, soothing and relaxing.

Anand yoga, Watve estate, Mandoli Road, Tilakwadi, Belagavi.
Contact 9448267440,9008926760

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Shiv Sena Rikshaw sena to charge auto fare as per meter

This is something very good which is happening for the first time in the city of Belagavi, the Shiv Sena Rikshaw sena an affiliate of the Shiv Sena party has now decided that all its members will charge Auto fare as per meter only.

Yesterday after the meeting the Shiv Sena Rikshaw sena pasted special stickers of Shiv Sena so that it will be easy for the citizens to identify them.

Shiv Sena District head Shirolkar said that, auto fares are exorbitantly charged and hence this is our way to support the common man and the district administration in its efforts of implementing the Auto Fares as per meter.

The police has also welcomed this step and also asked other associations to follow this example.

About 200 autos are part of the Shiv Sena Rikshaw sena.

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Malbari gang had at least 11 people on their hit list

With the arrest of 5 people in the Rohan Redekar kidnapping case, police interrogation has revealed startling information from the gangsters.

Nazir Nadaf who was acting as the source of information to these gangsters, he is alleged to provide information on who can be the target, and when he can kidnapped etc.

Rashid Malbari, a close aide of Chota Shakheel, picked up Rohan when they were waiting for his father Suresh. On February 18, 2015, the gang chased Suresh Redekar’s car, which was being driven by Rohan and stopped it near Nisarga Dhaba on the National Highway.

One of the gang members identified the kidnapped man as the son of the businessman. But by then the other members had pushed him into their vehicle. The gang was not sure about their further action and hence decided to kill Rohan.

Infact the plan was to kidnap Suresh Redekar, Rohan’s father but that day they kidnapped Rohan as he had come outside on the information given by Nadaf.

The gang as per the CoP killed him as they felt if they release him, it could be dangerous for them.

They had as many as 11 people on their hit list which included politicians, businessmen and real estate builders.

In fact sources say Rashid Malbari was in Belagavi on the day of Shiv Jayanti and they had planned to kill Shiv sena district president Shirolkar and one MLA as well. But they plan was foiled and that day Malbari fled to Mangluru in the evening.

The fact the Rashid Malbari was himself present in the procession of Shiv Jayanti is very alarming.
Malbari gang had also threatened MLA Sambhaji Patil for ransom.

The police have acted promptly and solved this case to an extent but it needs to now go deep and get to the roots and arrest the absconding Rashid Malbari.

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Did you Know This? Belagavi civil Hospital was opened in 1859

Did you Know This?

Belgaum(now Belagavi) civil hospital was opened in 1859 at a cost of Rs.5377 average inbound patients 25 and OPD were 125.

This serves the people of the district and also the rural people of the bordering villages of the neighbouring state. Currently has specialised services in medicine, surgery, peaditrics, maternity, gynaecology, ENT, skin diseases, optholmology, psychiatry and dentistry.

It is attached to Belagavi institute of Medical sciences.

Source : The Bombay Gazette, Belgaum_1905_Table_15

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3 aides of Malbari gang arrested by Yellapur Police from Belagavi

Three people from Belagavi have been arrested in connection with murder of two persons in Yellapur and Ankola of Karwar district.

Police have arrested Ashphak Khatib, Irgan Momin, Tohid Khaji from Belagavi and are now on the look out for Rashid Malrbari.

Arrests were made in connection the murders of Ayaz Sheikh of Karwar and Ashish Ranjan of Goa.

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St.Pauls school Belagavi now hold World record for Largest school reunion in the world

The largest school reunion is 3,638 former pupils, achieved by St. Paul’s High School (India), in Karnataka, India, on 17 December 2016.

The event was called the “Paulite Rally”.

The Guinness world records has officially put this up on its website today.

St. Paul’s High School Belagavi which was founded in 1856 now holds the World record for the largest school reunion in the world.

As many as 3638 past students and teachers gathered at the St.Paul’s school ground in Camp to create a history of sorts on 17 December 2016.

The event was organised to mark the glorious accomplishment of the school completing 160 years, the alumni have set out to repay its alma-mater by setting a world record for the highest number of ex-students attending a school reunion.

3638 Ex-students (Paulites), old teachers and staff from the batch of 1943 to 2016 of St Paul’s school came together in past students alumni meet and set new Guinness world record of biggest re-union by breaking previous record of 3299 ex-students re-union held by Stadium school of Washington, USA in 2006.

Speaking to AAB, Manoj Michael President of the Paulites of Belgaum Worldwide said,

We are yet to officially get the printed letter from the Guinness world records, but it should arrive in some time, currently its website is updated and we very elated with this news.
Our efforts have paid off, we had to do some meticulous planning for the event and later each and every of the 3638 pupils data was verified which was a daunting task for us. But if there no pain then there is no Gain.
Today it feels so good that our efforts of each of the Paulites have been paid off. The committee takes this opportunity to Thank each and everyone associated with this event for their contribution and support.

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Career-wise – Making Career Choices

by Swatee Jog

Life may have become simple now than ever before, but it has not been easy. Especially so for students at key milestones in life like the 10th, 12th and Degree classes. With these exams almost over, all thought is now on ‘What Next?’ A career choice is a crucial decision that you make, one that impacts your entire life. This column attempts to guide students on different avenues, some known, some lesser known, some surprisingly lucrative, some tough to crack but sweet to enjoy. Your queries would be welcome. However, this is just a guide, not an authoritative document on career counseling. So use some discretion and commonsense, do some introspection, take some advice and make the best decision.

Episode 1: Making Career Choices

The 90’s hero sung away his life with ‘Papa kehte hain bada kaam karega’, but it has never been that smooth sailing for all. A life is a gift, but what to make of that depends on our choices. A choice is always like taking a chance, but when it’s an informed choice, the odds of getting it right far outweigh the contrary. Students at crucial junctures like 10th, 12th and degree ought to seriously think about career choices. The days of ‘let me try science, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll come to Commerce’ kind of thinking are long passé. One must think, and deeply at that, about what will become your career for life. Here are some tips that would help students.

The first important thing is to never decide a career based on the theory of elimination. It can never be like ‘I hate maths, so I’ll choose a career in medicine that has no maths’. You cannot tick off career choices that don’t suit your liking and then make a choice between what’s left at the end. It could be a very narrow option left that way. Choose a career based on what you like and not what you don’t like.

Keep the thought out of your mind that certain careers are glamorous and many others are not. Don’t even think of all those kids of your parents’ friends who’ve done engineering or medicine and are envied in your circles for their foreign jaunts and huge pay packets. If engineering is not your liking, try something else, and excel in it. Every aspect in our life has got something to do with a career stream. Right from food, fashion, travel, wellness to technology or counseling, anything can evolve into a career and be rewarding.

Make a book where you can jot down career related notes. Revisit the book now and then. Look around you, the family, friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, relatives, neighbors, etc. Whose work attracts you the most? It is highly likely that you have dreamt of being a pilot or a fire-man or even the bus conductor in childhood. These are childhood fantasies. However, if you’ve been fascinated by a certain job or work that a known person is doing, note it in your book. Meet that person at an early age and find out what the work involves, the education needed and various opportunities.

Try and understand what you are good at. Some students need very little time and effort to understand certain subjects like maths/ languages/ history or even science. Knowing what comes easily to you helps to focus on that path. If languages interest you, focus on courses that lead to a rewarding career with languages. If you are someone who can hear out others and guide the, make that your focal point. This may not come easily. Ask your friends, speak to parents and siblings. Request them for a frank opinion.

Although easier said than done, try not to carry the baggage of family expectations and family business on your shoulders, unless there is no alternative or a threat for survival for the family business. Not every businessman’s child HAS to study at B-School nor does every doctor’s child ought to struggle for a medical seat. As long as you make an informed decision and excel at your work while making a decent living, any career can be enjoyed.

In the next piece, let us look at how to make use of various resources and zero down on a few career choices. Till then, keep that mind buzzing!

About the Author: Swatee Jog is the Training and Placement Officer at Bharatesh Global Business School ( MBA Program). She has an experience of 6 years in the media and 4 years in academics. She has written extensively in the English and Marathi newspapers on Career, Technology and Management topics. She has spoken at various forums as a resource person and has published several research papers in management journals as well as 2 books. 

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Career-wise Informed decisions matter

by Swatee Jog

Thanks for your responses for this column. It’s been a week now and I’m sure many of you would have started thinking what works for you and what doesn’t, what interests you and what makes you go ‘Wow! How did they do it in their life’. I’ve always believed in that old adage that when you love what you do, you don’t need to work a single day in your life.

When one is at the threshold of a career, you will always hear from everybody you  meet about every career in this world. Don’t try to convince them if you’ve already chosen something. Rarely will you hear ‘Oh! That’s a great choice you’ve done’.  In all probability, you will hear ‘ Why this, why not that?’

Before you arrive at some choice, make sure you have all the information that you can lay your hands on. In an era of information overload, it makes sense to use all possible means to stay adequately informed. The internet is a wonderful source of information. Use it skillfully.

After you’ve shortlisted some career streams ( fields of education, as of now), search for the qualifications that one needs to have, job options for those who have completed such courses, positions where people who’ve completed this course are working, what has been their experience, etc. If you can lay your hands on e-mails of such people, just send them a humble mail. I can tell you from my own experience that unknown people do reply, and help, if you inquire with sincerity. You could even pick up autobiographies of people successful in the field of your choice.

Films, music, technology, education, fashion, banking, there are people who have reached the top and enjoyed every moment of this journey. They have written down their experiences, noted their struggles, frustrations and shared tips on how they overcame odds. If autobiographies are too tough to digest, then surf around for information about these personalities. Books like ‘Go kiss the world’ – Subroto Bagchi, ‘I am Malala’ – Malala Yousufzai, or Profiles of successful people in a series of books by Rashmi Bansal ( Noteworthy: Follow every Rainbow’ and Take me home’ serve as a huge motivator.

Let it be known to you that not all children of those famous and rich families have chosen the career paths of their parents. Kishore Biyani’s ( Of Big Bazaar and Future Group) daughters have had education in Humanities and not business management.  Ashni, the 26-year-old elder daughter and textile design graduate from Parsons The New School for Design in New York has learnt about the business by observing her father. “He understands people’s behaviour… I’ve learnt from him to keenly observe customers… and it’s interesting. It began as a hobby for me to understand consumers,” she says.

Future Ideas is an eight-member team that consists of people who have studied different aspects of Indian behaviour through various avenues. “We have an architect, sociologists, mythologists, anthropologists and so on… Anyone with ideas and an insight into Indian communities and demographics is welcome,” she adds ( Source: Livemint ). No wonder then that the group has appointed Mr. Devdutt Pattanaik as its Chief Belief Officer. Now what is this motley crowd of diverse qualifications doing in a Retail group? Well, business is all about humans. So ideas, experiences and knowledge about humanities are rightly appreciated.

For someone interested in a career in e-commerce, he could be a web designer, a merchandising specialist, a finance maverick, a marketing wiz or even a social media expert. Now these specializations are as disparate as chalk and cheese. But they are all needed for e-commerce companies to function successfully.

Now, do you get the drift?  One can choose a field of career and excel in it only if he / she likes it immensely.

About the Author: Swatee Jog is the Training and Placement Officer at Bharatesh Global Business School ( MBA Program). She has an experience of 6 years in the media and 4 years in academics. She has written extensively in the English and Marathi newspapers on Career, Technology and Management topics. She has spoken at various forums as a resource person and has published several research papers in management journals as well as 2 books. 

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