IT'S the toughest job,

Info: Nuagarh is a small village in Puri, one of the coastal districts of Orissa. Almost every year Nuagarh gets affected by devastating floods.

After returning from the day long tour of Nuagarh, I was tired enough to retire to my bed. Though I was hungry, I did not want to have dinner that night. Even I was not in a mood to talk to my friends who asked me ‘n’ number of questions about the trip the moment I stepped into the hostel. I was completely exhausted. Still I believe I was lucky to be one of the very few who got this opportunity to actually see and feel the kind of situation the people of Nuagarh and other such villages of our state face due to the violent waters and harsh winds.

 As a part of hostel life, we are regularly irregular in our habbits. We go to bed never before 2 O’clock in the night and same is the case when we get up. Never before 9, unless there is a class at 8. After finishing an assignment, chatting with friends on g-talk and watching a movie, finally when I decided to sleep, it was almost 3 am. While trying to get some sleep I could not realise how quickly time passsed and I heard my fone ringing. It was the alarm at 6 and I knew I have to get up. That day, it was quite a pain to get up at 6 and get ready by 7. Taking bath with cold water and not getting anything to eat was even worse. I was hungry and not feeling well, I was somehow able to carry myself to the main gate where the bus was waiting. After seeing all my friends I got a feeling that we are all set for an outing. A picnic probably??? Felt a bit better now. And it actually was a picnic as all the while we were in the bus, there was a lot of fun and singing and dancing untill the moment we reached Nuagarh. Just by looking at the shelter built by Red Cross, I could realise the amount of seriousness that was involved in the tour. I had seen a similar structure before. In my own village, in Jagatsinghpur. I can’t forget the 2002 floods when all my family members along with half of the village survived the massive floods because of a similar kind of structure. I just imagine, when I could not even resist a bath in a cold winter morning, how these people survived the floods for days, that too without having enough to eat and without having a roof over the head. I wish no body ever walks in their shoes. I can only imagine what the people of Nuagarh have gone through during those tough times. When men succumb to the violent waters, the shelter stands firm as a life saver. It saved lives during the super cyclone, year after year it has been saving lives during floods and it will continue to do so as long as it stands firm. Why not build similar shelters at all vulnerable places?

It was nothing less than an eye opener to visit Nuagarh and see the way Red Cross Society is helping people to face natural disasters. The self less service that the volunteers are providing is beyond any praise. They said, they are not paid and still they are working with an unmatched degree of dedication and comittment which I think is simply great. We saw various demonstrations on disaster mitigation techniques on which the villagers are being trained by the task force members. Tools like the manual siren, fast aid facility and techniques like artificial respiration are vital in saving lives during times of natural disaster. All of us were divided into 5 groups, each led by a guide who escorted the groups around the village and gave information on various points of interest. I along with my group members visited the river side and also got a chance to enjoy a boat ride. Our guide explained how the villagers worked head and shoulders with the government to build a stone embankment which stops the saline waters from entering the farm land. Upon talking to the person who allowed us to his boat, we came to know that he is a fisherman whose sole earning source is fish from Devi Nadi. He talked about the miserable condition of his family during the floods. His family was pennyless and had nothing to eat as he could not manage a catch due to the bad weather.

I also interacted with a bunch of young and enthusiastic boys and girls who were curious to know about us and the purpose of our visit. As rightly told by Partho sir, they were highly inspirited and encouraged to see us appreciating the disaster management initiatives they had taken. They asked questions about KIIT and about the educational opportunities available in Bhubaneshwar. Some of them took my mobile number to contact me regarding whatever career related information I can provide them with. They are smart, intelligent and bright enough to compete with any student who is born and brought in a city like ours but the only difference is that they are deprived of the right kind of resources and opportunities. With the limited amount of resources that I have at my disposal, I will be more than happy to be of any kind of assistance to them.

After taking a tour of the village and interacting with the locals, we returned to our base at the Red Cross shelter at around 4 pm. All through the day our guide who happens to be a Red Cross activist and also a clerk in the local high school accompanied us to all the places of our interest, and gave us necessary inputs. Together we had our lunch  at the shelter. I and a very few took veg while most others preferred chicken and rice. After a very satisfying meal, we packed our bags and moved to the bus which was parked at a near by petrol pump which had ceased operating. We started from Nuagarh at 5.30 and reached bhubaneshwar at 8 o’clock in the evening. Overall, the trip was an outstanding learning experience for the young managers of KIIT School of Management. We will cherish the memories of  the Disaster Management trip of 11^th January 2009 for a very long time. Thanks to the Red Cross Society of India and our very own Partho sir. (Prof. Partha Sengupta, KIIT School Of Management, Bhubaneswar )

INDIA is one of the democratic countries of the world. the democracy is based on freedom of speech, thought and expression. the most important function of a newspaper in a democratic government is to spread political awareness among the public.the success of democracy is depends upon the judicious of one's vote, which is impossible without political education and a newspaper is the most effective source available to us for this type of education. In cities, morning tea cannot be enjoyed without a newspaper. Clubs, coffee-houses, restaurants, tea-stalls and hotels cannot go without discussions or chit-chats on the news of the day.

The Importance of the Press: the news paper keep us in touch with the events of our country and that of the world. it is a very good agency of information and education. Articles appear on all subject- science, culture, literature, politics, commerce and education, etc. in periodicals and newspapers. these article increase out knowledge and broaden our outlook. the newspapers given the current of ideas and control the course of social and political life. Businessmen come to know the market situation and prices of various things,such as gold, silver, etc. The worried parents get information about brides and bridegrooms for their sons and daughters. the press brings employment to the jobless. employees to the employers and buyers to the sellers etc. as agent of propaganda, it can create war today and make peace tomorrow. The press performs a very important role as guide, educator and check to the public and to the government. It keeps our knowledge of current affairs up-to-date.

Views of some Greatmen about the power of the Press: Napoleon said that he was more afraid of the newspaper than of hundred thousand bayonets. It has been said 'Mightiest of the mighty is the Press.' Roosevelt once said, "Freedom of conscience of education, of speech of assembly are among the fundamentals of  democracy, and all of them would be nullified if freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged." Burke once said that there were three Estates in the parliament but 'press' was the fourth Estate, more powerful than all the other estates. the influence of the press on the people in no less than on the government. It tries to create a healthy public opinion by exposing the shortcomings.

Press is not Free from Flaws: The Press is monopolised by big businessmen or political parties. they use it in their own interests. sometimes the Press-reports misrepresents facts and figures,wilful perversion and distortion of facts, prejudice against caste and creed and malicious propaganda cause much harm to nation and a serious set-back to democracy. the papers patronised by capitalists suppress truth, inflame passions and misguide the innocent public. They oppose or misrepresent the government policies. Sometimes they mislead the public by inserting in their columns domestic scandal, spicy stories of crimes, obscence jokes and curde love stories.

Freedom of the Press: The Press, eversince independence, has been enjoying full freedom. The freedom of press is suppressed in dictatorship, during the emergency period in our country, the press freedom of the press was restricted and only those items of news which served the interests of the dictators, were published in the newspapers. The Defence of India rules and the Maintenance of Internal security act were misused by the government. The fall of congress Government was consequent upon the fact that is denied full freedom to the press, The Janata Government removed all restriction. with a view to freeing the press from the slavery of the capitalist and the government, it is necessary to establish the working class and popular press.

Press in our country needs to be reformed: The Central Government is proposing to make a legislation to cure the press of its ills. The bill includes diffusion of ownership, representation of employees in the management, protection of small papers and pricing of papers according to the page. It is fact, that the press needs to be reformed in our country. but the government should do it without robbing the press of its freedom.

The Press in benefactor of mankind. it is a social reformer, a champion of freedom and democracy, a teacher of common man and an importance critic of public. It is a very good source of entertainment. hence the press owes responsibility towards citizens and the government. The editor has to discharge his duties with utmost care and sincerity. The pen of an editor is mighter than the sword of Napoleon.

Sitla Estate is located 8 kms below Mukteswar in the Uttranchal region and is an excellent home away from home.The estate is built on 33 acres of land which has many fruits trees and offers amazing views of Nanda Devi peak & its neighboring peaks, like Trishul, Nanda Kot, Hathi Parvat, Panchuli etc. etc. An ideal place to unwind far away from the hustle and bustle of the humdrum life of the cities. One can take hikes in the neighboring forests and hills or just laze around with a book. Even though the per night stay cost is high it still is worth looking into if one is longing for a weekend break with family and friends.

• If we want to know how old are you. We look at the birth certificate.
• If we want o know how clever you are, we have to look at progress card.
• If we want to know how heavy you are, we find out your weight.

*But if we want to know how wise you are, we cannot measures it in inches, in kg or in years. This we have to find out from many small things you do.

Ability to wait

• People who are wise know how to look for bigger and greater happiness than the small ones. They will pass the fun that they can have now in order to get bigger happiness afterwards.

For example

a) Swetha continued her studies after school rather than taking up a job in a factory.

b) She thought that if she worked in a factory she will be able to earn at once.

c) She would be able to buy new clothes.

*But she also knew that if she continued her education properly she would have something better for the rest of her life. Children want everything at once. People who have grown up are willing to wait. They have patience.

Decisive

• Some children change their mind very fast. They are not able to decide anything or to stick to any decision. People who are wise are able to think are able to think clearly, to decide well, and to stick to their decision.

Stable

• Wise children are not satisfied by just doing a work. They like to do their work well. Ramu would rather aim high and miss, than to aim low and make it. A grown-up wise person does constantly change jobs, friends, or anything he has. Such a person sticks to his job and ensures that it is finished. This he will do despite the difficulties and problems he encounters. A weak child instead gives up at the first sign of any difficulty. Such a child can hardly be trusted as to whether he would have the same friends or the same work tomorrow.

Dependable

• A matured or a wise person is dependable, reliable and does what is expected of him. He always keeps his word. He means what he says and says what he means. When Savita went to the market to buy cabbages, on the way she forget what she had to buy and how much she had to buy. When she reached the market, instead of buying cabbages she bought onions. She got a good scolding for it. Ranga was asked by his mother to post a letter. After one week when mother washed his clothes she found a letter in his pocket. He had posted the letter in his pocket. Ranga and Savita were unreliable people. They were still very childish in their ways.

Admit your mistakes

• Grown up people never hesitate to admit if they have done any wrong. When they make a mistake they take the blame on themselves and say, ``I am sorry’’. Children, who are not wise, often do not admit that they have done something wrong. When something goes wrong the blame everything and everybody else rather than themselves.

Large heartedness

• Babita knows that her friend Sravani is clever than she is. Instead of trying to be as clever as her friend, Babita is jealous of her. She tells everyone that Sravani is using unfair means to be the best in the class. The next time Babita stands in front of the mirror, she should look in her eyes to see if the green-eyed monster of jealousy is within her. Everyone is jealous at sometime or the other. But, if we do not check on ourselves, this jealousy will make us dislike others and finally it will make us dislike our self.

Ability to share

• Ram had a friend his name is Sham. He shared all his troubles with him. He also shared his mischief with him. He shared all the gossip he heard, with him. But when Ram had something good to tell, he went to elsewhere with his other friends. Ram is hardly a reliable friend. Do you share both your happy and sad times with your friend?

*As you grow, more and more decisions will be yours to make independently

*Decide to be the best person you want to be and then work on it.

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