Day: June 24, 2021

Why Do So Many Students in India End Their Lives Over Exams?

Prerna, 14, took her own life after she failed two subjects in her Class VIII half-yearly exams. She is one of thousands of Indian students who take their own lives in India every year..

According to a 2014 report from the Indian government, exam-related pressure was the largest cause of suicide in India’s youth. On this podcast you’ll hear from people who work with suicide support groups, doctors, as well as the last words of several students from their suicide notes.

India’s student suicide crisis is no new development. India has consistently reported high suicide rates. A large number of suicides were reported in the 15-29 age group.

Twenty-two students took their own lives in a week in Telangana in April 2019, because they had failed their school’s intermediate exams.

What kind of psychological pressure leads students in school, like 14-year-old Prerna, to take their own lives?

But failure to live up to expectations isn’t the only cause for student suicides. A 17-year-old from Ghaziabad took her own life after she cracked the IIT-JEE entrance examination in 2016.

In her five-page suicide note, she wrote about how she never wanted to study science or be an engineer.

Seventeen-year-old Kriti Tripathi wrote the suicide note before jumping to her death from a five-storey building in Kota on 28 April 2016.

She had scored 144 marks in the JEE Mains 2016 results declared a day before, on 27 April. But she writes….she never wanted to be an engineer. The pressure to succeed eventually leads to everything else in a student’s life being side-lined, like extra-curricular activities and other things that could lead to a more well-rounded, healthy sense of self.

reference-the quint site

On Warren Hastings and His Reforms

The  East India company, in 1765, acquired the diwani rights of three provinces by signing an agreement with the Emperor. These provinces were Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. These provinces were wealthy provinces. Warren Hastings was appointed as the governor general of Bengal. The dual system of government was a failure and Hastings was asked to consolidate the Company’s rule in Bengal. He was also given the task of judicial reformation. 

Warren Hastings and Judicial Reforms

Warren Hastings was an English statesman and the the first Governor of the

Presidency of Fort William (Bengal). He was the head of the  Supreme Council of

Bengal and also the first de facto Governor-General of Bengal. He exercised this position from 1772 to 1785. Hastings is seen as an important reformer who, during his tenure, brought many reforms. He first came to the country in 1772. 

One of his observations was that the though the Company enjoyed the right of Diwani(Since 1765) of the wealthy provinces(Bengal,Bihar and Orissa), it had hit the rock bottom to become financially bankrupt. He also noticed that the Dual Government had failed to succeed. Influenced by these observations, he wanted to correct the administrative system. He is praised and known for laying the foundation of the English administration in India. The Council replaced certain measures introduced by Warren Hastings. This was established by the Regulating Act. Two years post this incident, he was in a position to assert himself and introduce his plans freely. 

 After the acquisition, the concept of Mofussils was beginning to be used. The concept of Mofussils was used to denote the territories surrounding the Presidency towns. There was already a properly established and well established judicial establishment in the Presidential towns like Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras under the appearance of Mayor’s court and court of Governor-in-council. It was clear that a similar set up was urgently needed in these areas called Mofussils(Areas adjoining Presidential towns).These reforms were seen as beneficial. For this reason, it is widely opined that  “Hastings attempted to establish a just judiciary administration in India.” 

During this time, a Supreme Court was also established at the town of Calcutta. This was established after the enactment of the Regulating Act of 1774 by the British Parliament. The jurisdiction of this court and relations with the Sadar Nizamat Adalat and the Sadar Diwani Adalat, however, remained unclear and undefined. The laws followed by this court also remained unclear. As an expected result, this had an adverse impact on the judicial administration in Bengal. These impacts were clearly visible for a period of time. 

 The reforms were to be aimed at correcting the defective system. This was to be advantageous to the Company and save the ryots from oppression in the hands of Zamindaars and other tyrants. Hastings proceeded to reform the administration of justice.  His reforms can be seen as a division of four stages. 

 Hastings understood the relationship between revenue and the administration of justice. The administration of revenue in  these was seen as an important activity and function for the rulers. This was because of the fact that the activity generated a lot money and was a significant contributor to total revenue. As it was necessary to have lands and private property and these could be made prosperous only when there was proper maintenance of peace. Social order was a significant factor for prosperity as it affected the occupational work of people and the quality of the work. Peaceful society was a must to prevent unnecessary distractions affecting economical activities of the people. As the society was mostly agrarian, the need for order became even more important. It was obvious that life security and security of property was essential to bring order in the society. Ensuring peace would act as a boost for economical activities which in turn would generate sufficient revenue. This will enable the people to pay taxes properly. All these scenarios and requirements demanded an effective judicial system which was exactly what the society then lacked. 

Warren Hastings also understood that there was the lack of central authority that exercised power, dispensed justice, and controlled other authorities. The Mughal empire was dissolved at this point of time and the Nawabs were also significantly weakened in the concerned areas. The then existing judicial system was also improper and broken down. This made the system inefficient and ineffective. The appointed candidates were inefficient and lacked in required skills. They started to abuse their power and there was no system in place to check the corrupt activities of the officials. Another prevalent scenario that necessitated judicial reformation was the corruption prevalent in the centres of justice. 

According to the reforms, many courts were introduced. The other type of courts that were introduced was the Mofussil court or district court. These courts were also called as Mofussil Diwani Adalats. Each district got one of these courts. The jurisdiction of these courts extended over the the civil and revenue case. This court also dealt with cases relating to marriages,contracts, property inheritance, disputed accounts, private properties, inheritance, partnership and rent related issues. The pecuniary limit of these courts were capped at five hundred rupees. Composition of this court included Governor as the President and minimum two members of the council who were assisted by Diwan Treasury and Chief Kanungo. The judgements given in this court was the final one in cases of value upto five hundred rupees. This court was presided over by the Collector of the district. The collector worked with the native judicial officers called Kazis and Pundits. The collector or the judge of these courts required the assistance of native law officers as the collector was not versed with the personal laws of the Hindus and the Muslims based on which certain cases were to be handled. The native law officers helped the collector with their knowledge of the personal laws of native communities. 

The other type of courts were known as Mofussil Nizamat Adalat. The other name for these courts was Fauzdari Adalats. Every district got a Fauzdari Adalat. These courts, unlike other courts discussed above, dealt with  criminal cases alone. This court did not have the jurisdiction to try cases that were about capital punishment and issues related to forfeiture of property. These cases were required to be submitted to Sadar Diwani Adalat for judgements. One unique thing to these courts were that these courts were presided over by Muslim law officers alone. The Moulvi was involved involved in the process of expounding the law. Fatwa was given by the Kazi and the Mufti. These officers gave the judgements accordingly. The officers of law and the collectors of the district were allocated with important roles. These officers and the collectors were required to supervise the courts. The supervision job included the checking of witnesses involved in the case and hearing of all witnesses. The other function of this role was to try cases properly and regularly, and to impart justice impartially. 

The other type of courts was called Sadar or Provincial courts. This case acted as the central and apex court for civil cases in the area of the province. This case was empowered with both the appellate and orginal jurisdiction. It exercised this jurisdiction by hearing appeals from Mofussil Diwani Adalat. This court also tried cases that were related to or involved disputes of rupees five hundred. This court had the practice of charging up to five percent as a commission. This commission was charged on the amount involved in the dispute. This commission was charged on each petition or appeal. This court was presided over by the governor and the council. This court was located in the town of Calcutta. The first sitting of this court was held on 17th March of 1773. The next type of court was called as Sadar Nizamat Adalat. Sadar Nizamat Adalat was also the central and apex court for criminal cases within the provincial area. It is similar to Sadar Diwani Adalat in certain ways. This court had the jurisdiction and was empowered to decide issues related to capital punishment and forfeiture of property. In capital punishment cases, this court had the task of preparing death warrant. This warrant had to be signed by the Nawab (the head of the Nizamat). 

 Governor in Council acted as the supervisor and had the functions to supervise the functions of the court. This was similar to Mofussil Nizamat Adalat. The location of the court was moved Murshidabad (the residence of the Nawab). This location shift was due to the fact that his signature was required for all capital punishment cases. The office of Naib Nazim was developed later. Mohammed Reza Khan was appointed to assist instead of the Nawab. 

Several provisions were introduced, as a part of the judicial plan, to promote fair and impartial justice in the area. Open observation was made possible by conducting the judicial process and trials in the open court. This was done to gain the trust of people and ensure transparency. Adalats at district and village level were asked to maintain a register of all the cases. These records had to be sent to the Sadar Adalats. This was a move towards curbing power abuse and checked the activities of the court regularly. As a part of the reforms, already existing and rough civil procedures for civil cases was used. 

According to this procedure, the defendant had to reply after the filing of petition by the petitioner. After the hearing of the defendant, the Adalat and heard the concerned parties and examined the evidence presented. After completing all the these procedures, the court passed the decree. A time period rule was introduced, according to which a case had to be filed within 12 years of the dispute. All the cases exceeding this time limit were considered time barred. Another important feature was the introduction of arbitration for providing assistance to the civil court. When it came to laws and procedures related to crimes, the attention was given to laws and procedures to curb the activities like dacoity and remove mutilation as a method of punishment. 

 Warren Hastings did not believe in mutilation as an effective punishment and the convicted would become a dependent person and increase the burden on the society. However, mutilation as a punishment was not removed the codes of law and was its usage was refrained in practice. This was done lest resistance by the Muslim law officers who were not open to change and adhered to the texts. 

Making certain corrections to the earlier reforms,  collectors were asked to resign and other appropriate people were being searched. The new plan came into effect in January, 1774. The suitable personnel were found in Amils or Diwans. Amils were appointed in each district. Amil was given the role of revenue collector and he had the role of judge of Mofussil Diwani Adalat. The Presidencies of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa were divided into six and headquarters were set up at Calcutta, Murshidabad, Dinajpur, Dacca, and Patna. Each division had several districts under the authority of the headquarters. Provincial councils were set up in each headquarters. Five Covenanted servants were appointed for each council. The function of the provincial councils were supervision of revenue collection. Amils were given the duty of tax and revenue collection. These courts were allotted the function of hearing appeals from Mofussil Diwani Adalat. The appeals of pecuniary value above thousand rupees would go to Sadar Diwani Adalat. These courts became an amalgamation of Mofussil Diwani Adalat and Sadar Diwani Adalat. Now cases of all value and appeals could be heard in the Provincial Council. This became a court of first instance. It was empowered with original jurisdiction. The court heard the cases from the division or headquarters. These cases could be heard directly at these courts. 

If Social Media Makes You Feel Bad, Quit Using It

YOU ARE YOUR BOSS!

Just admit it, you’ve thought about it before. Social media is great and all. But you and I both know that it also sucks.

Does this scenario sound familiar?

  • It’s late at night, you’re in bed, you dread waking up early tomorrow because you have to go to work, so you grab your smartphone, you open up Instagram (or whatever app you’re addicted to).
  • And you start browsing, you go from one picture to the next, you watch some videos, you start feeling bad about your life, because all the other people have fun, and you have to go to work in the morning.

Alright, we’re at a very bad place right now in that scenario. Because now the existentialism creeps in slowly. And finally, you think:

“My life is shitty compared to these other people. They look amazing, have money, travel the world, and they are important too. Who am I? I’m nothing. What have I done? Nothing! FML.”

And what do you do besides feeling like shit? Nothing. You just go on with your life and repeat that whole process the next day. And some days you counter the posts from other people by ‘crafting’ your own cool posts.

Just admit it, this whole thing is not cool. Of course, I’m exaggerating, and social media is not the source of all our problems. Don’t expect that your life will be awesome when you get rid of social media. I don’t believe in fairy tales.

But you get my point. Social media has a negative impact on many of us. Some people love it. If that’s you, there’s no need to read this article. But if you ever thought about quitting social media, keep reading.

Actually, just stop reading, and go on and delete the apps that make you unhappy.

Just follow the example of Louis C.K. When asked about why he quit Twitter in an interview, he said:

“It didn’t make me feel good. It made me feel bad instead. So I stopped doing it.”

That makes it very simple. If something makes you feel bad, stop using it.

It’s the opposite of the scientific approach to quitting social media that Cal Newport took. He makes some good points about why social media is bad for you.

But to me, that’s way too rational. And we’re not rational beings. We’re emotional. That’s why I like the approach of Louis C.K.

Here’s why I got rid of my social media.

I only used it for self-promotion. And I don’t like that. I don’t think that’s fair to people who follow you. So I got rid of my Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. I only have Twitter and LinkedIn (for now). But if I don’t use them, I’ll get rid of them too.

This article is not about convincing you to do the same. Or about getting rid of all your social media profiles. All I’m saying is this: If you ever thought about quitting social media, just do it already.

You’re limiting yourself by not pulling the trigger. Now, you might say: “It’s just social media. Who cares?”

But you’re not getting off that easily. If you want to live a happy and stress-free life, you have to be decisive. When things linger in your head, it’s all dead weight. And you don’t want that.

What’s it going to be? Do you use social media or not? Does it make you happy? Does it improve your life or business?

I know what you’re thinking. “What if I ever need it?”

You don’t need anything for business or your career.

People who have stakes in social media will never tell you to stop using it. Why? Because their career depends on it.

But what did you think people did before social media? It’s all a matter of perspective. Many successful entrepreneurs I know have never used social media.

Is that why they’re doing well? There’s no way to tell. One thing is sure: You can do well in life with and without social media.

It’s up to you to decide. And it comes down to self-awareness. It’s also about simplifying life. Because it’s already complicated enough. Get rid of shit that doesn’t contribute anything to your life.

So what’s your perspective? Have you ever thought about quitting social media? Why did you never pull the trigger? Let me know in the comments.

Kickstarting your career in a startup

“A big business starts small.” – Richard Branson.

Once you have finished college, there might be immense pressure on you from your family, friends, and acquaintances. Some of your classmates/ friends would have been placed on a prominent Multinational company. Deep down your heart needs a job that would let you go with the flow and explore your skills. If you are such a person then kickstarting your career in a startup is the right choice. This choice of yours may leave your family unsatisfied. Let them understand the reasons why you have made this choice.

“Providing Internships changes the whole equation” – Eduardo. J. Pardon

Several startups are open to providing internships for college students and fresh graduates. They trust in the thrust of young minds. The way of approaching the startups is to contact them through emails / by a direct visit with an updated resume in hand. Before approaching them for an opportunity make sure you have a clear idea of what the startup is all about and why you wanted to be in their team. 

The interviews in startups are mostly interactive and informal. So make yourself comfortable which would help in obtaining a mutual understanding. Pay attention to the roles assigned to you after you are selected and ask all the queries regarding the same. Then get to know the internship period, work timings, stipend, and the opportunities offered in the company post completion of the internship. Only when you both have satisfaction at the end of the meeting proceed with accepting the offer. 

Working in a startup you will always be filled up with mixed emotions. The initial phase would be quite difficult to handle. You might be one of the initial team members of the startup and will be in a circumstance to start from scratch. There will be no expertise to guide and assist you in the process. But that’s the starting point where you could identify your strengths, enrich your knowledge, develop the never-give-up attitude. However, the delight of achieving the output you wanted by starting from scratch will remain an unmatched moment in your life. 

Post the intern period begins the phase where you will start to grow with the startup. This might lead you to do multitasking. Some may be able to cope up with multi-tasking and some may feel it as pressure. In case if you are not able to handle the pressure for more than a month then inform the startup regarding the same. Multitasking might seem fascinating, but if it’s not handled properly it might end up as 

    “Jack of All Trades. King of None” – Spanish Proverb.

    You are doing good and you will end up at your destination. All the best for your future endeavors. 

    BATTLE AGAINST PLASTIC

    “It’s just one straw, it’s just one plastic cup, it’s just one plastic bag”

    7.8 billion people

    Do you ever wonder where “away” is when you throw stuff “away”?

    There is no waste that does not degrade in nature. Humans, on the other hand, invented plastic, which, due to its qualities, will always be considered “unnatural” in the ecosystem. Plastic production is low-cost, and the material’s possibilities are limitless. Because of its widespread use, plastic virtually always finds up in the environment, resulting in more plastic pollution. Every day, you come into contact with many sorts of plastic, such as a lunch box or, more commonly, a plastic bag. Plastic pollution has reached every corner of the world. It’s made its way to the depths of our oceans, isolated forest routes, Arctic ice, and island beaches where turtles lay their eggs. And the amount of plastic waste in the oceans is so large that it is referred to as the “7th continent”. By next decade, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish, if current trends continue. We don’t know how long these plastic will take to degrade (or if it will ever degrade), but we do know that once it’s in our soil, rivers, and oceans, it’s impossible to remove. Away from the seas, plastic waste is a major issue, overflowing landfills, clogging rivers, and polluting the environment through open burning or cremation. Some plastics also contain and absorb harmful substances, putting wildlife and humans at risk.

    Now, the first thing which comes to our mind when we think of a solution to this problem is recycling. But truth is only minimal percent of plastic is recycled on a global scale. Even in advanced nations, household plastic recycling rates are frequently less than 50%, with very little of it being transformed back into packaging. The majority of “recycled” packaging waste gets down cycled into lower-value or non-recyclable products, only delaying the plastic’s final trip to the landfill.

    What are our options now? Short-term objectives could include reducing needless packaging that is difficult or impossible to recycle and increasing the use of reusable and refillable methods for carrying and storing goods. We’ll need to adjust our consuming habits in the long run.

    The most effective strategy to combat this problem is to alter our mindsets and habits with these challenging but really useful methods:

    The classroom is an excellent place to begin discussing this problem and possible solutions. Kids may improve their science knowledge and leadership skills while also learning how to make the world a better place. Educators have the power to encourage students to make a difference in the world.

    By volunteering or protesting: Citizen Activists are cleaning up riverbanks, parks, and beaches in their communities, and using these events to identify the polluting firms.

    There are inventive methods to prevent single-use plastics whether you’re arranging a dinner, a picnic, or even a large-scale community event.

    Plastic can pollute the environment if it is not properly managed, yet it also has several benefits, such as resistance. As a result, many plastic things can be reused or adapted to new uses. It is critical to explore how plastic things can be repurposed before discarding them. And support restaurants, food chains, shops that choose to reuse.

    The battle against plastic is long and hard but it’s our battle to fight, so that the generations ahead don’t have to bear the consequences of our mistake.