Knowing one language is essential human need but learning more than one dialect can bring about new opportunities for any person. Multilingualism not just opens up career opportunities for an individual but also the cognitive benefits of being multilingual are further more than people know. Studies reveal that about 60 to 75 percent of the world population is multilingual. Even certain countries have more than one official language and have made the option to learn a second language mandatory in their school curricula.

Let’s know further the lesser known benefits of multilingualism.

>Sharpens mind

A study at Spain’s Pompeu Fabra University reveals that the effect of a second language acquired later in life can be seen in the growth of brain. While learning a new language sharpens the brain, it also causes the brain to grow and develop proficiency in the first language. Multilinguals have better concentration and observation and analytical skills than monolinguals.

>Improves learning abilities

Memory is a fundamental in learning languages where one gets familiar with not only new vocabulary and rules but also requires the ability to recall the information. The more the use of brain, the better it performs. This enhances one’s learning and memorizing abilities.

>Enhances decision making

Multilingualism leads to flexible and critical thinking and logical reasoning enhancing the decision making ability. Innovative and creative decisions for the betterment of everyone and the society are a part of the improved ability.

>Lessens mental decline in old age

It has been suggested by studies that requirements associated with bilingual or multilingual people act as mental exercise for the brain which may lead to delay in the symptoms of Alzheimer′s disease and other forms of dementia.

>Increases career opportunities

Business companies these days look for individuals of bilingual or multilingual ability considering the diversity of the world. Companies operating in more than one country prefer multilinguistic candidates. Also, tourism and marketing sector provide wide range of opportunities to multi-lingual individuals.

>Failure

The root cause of fearing failure is the underlying embarassment and shame. In our society where a person is judged on the basis of the grades and achievements, failure is not observed as a life lesson but the end of career, opportunities and all good things that could ever happen to you. The fear of failing is accompanied by emotions like unworthiness, inferiority complex, low self esteem and fear of rejection.

>Not being good enough

Psychology says ‘not being good enough’ is rather a thought than fear. It is usually our inner critic which is often doubtful about our survival in the competitive world out there. It is a result of negative thoughts, feeling of low self-esteem, comparing self with others or pressure from peers, family, relatives and society for not having the right job, good relationships, poor lifestyle etc. leading to self doubt.

>Asking for help

Asking for help makes a lot of people uneasy. It is sometimes due to the fear of rejection out of which people end up struggling for it forever. Another cause of it is the dependency factor for which self reliable people are mostly not ready. Also, asking for help might be seen by many as burdening someone else or a burden by the helper themselves.

>Raising hand in class

Not raing hand in the class even being doubtful about something is a prominent issue among many students. It is most probably due to the factor of confronting your weaknesses publicly. Not everybody’s got the courage to stand upto their weaknesses and inabilities as we doubt being made fun of most of the times.

>Being vulnerable

The fear of being vulnerable is a central emotional challenge. It is due failure in relationships, fear of rejection, abandonment or lack of attention from loved ones. It is a state of isolation where giving or receiving positive thoughts becomes difficult leading to discomfort and lonliness.

An introvert is often thought of as a shy, quiet, calm and reserved individual having minimal social interactions. Social engagements and special attention are not what an introvert looks for. Instead, introverts find more comfort in solitude and focusing on inner thoughts and ideas. Investing more of their time in reading, writing, creativity, music and art is what energises them. Social gatherings might not be their interest but alone time is what they prefer most.

Following these traits introverts are often misunderstood.

Misconception no.1: Introverts are shy

Being shy is not the same as being introvert. Introverts enjoy solitude and tend to be reserved and prefer being alone or in small groups. This is often mistaken as being shy.

Misconception no.2: Introverts are rude

Introverts value their privacy and don’t believe much in expressing their emotions publicly. This tends people to dislike them and mistake them for being rude or weird at times.

Misconception no.3: Introverts are boring

Socializing in gatherings and parties and hanging out with peers might not be their kind of thing but that doesn’t make introverts boring. Time spent with inner circle of friends and family in a low key environment is more valuable for them.

Misconception no.4: Introverts can’t make friends

Introverts need their time to open up to new relationship. When it comes to befriending someone, introverts choose to have close friends, though less in number. They prefer smaller circle and high quality relationships.

Misconception no.5: Introverts are underconfident

Our society equates confidence with boldness, strong statements and actions directed externally which come naturally to extroverts. On the other hand, introverts don’t believe in the public display of confidence. Even though they feel confident inside, they don’t show much of it on the outside. Keeping emotions to themselves is natural in introverts.

Misconception no.6: Introverts are emotionless

Keeping emotions to themselves is natural in introverts. They have great control on their emotions and avoid expressing the same publicly. Though introverts might not seem to be emotionally engaged but usually that’s not the case.

Misconception no.7: Introverts wish to be extroverts

Sometimes, introverts might envy the abilities of extroverts to fit quickly and naturally to any social environment. But they do take great joy in being themselves and the delight of being in their own inner world. Being introvert is a gift where one enjoys equally self company and the company of others and wishing to be someone else is not the desire.

Misconception no.8: Introverts can turn into extroverts some day

Introversion is a personality trait which can either degrade or upgrade but never change. It is similar to wine which will only get better with aging but never change into something else i.e. one can grow up to be a mature introvert but not an extrovert.

We live in a fast growing world where chatty behaving individuals are preferred over the quite listeners. Many introverts find it difficult making their way through this scenario. However, introversion must be observed as a gift- a gift of thoughtfulness, compassion and creativity. Introverts are considerate, compassionate, deep thinkers, natural writers, problem solvers, keen observers, good listeners and readers- everything the world needs today.

Content writing is a step wise process of planning, writing and editing. It usually includes content for blogs, articles, speeches, video and podcast script etc. Content writing helps construct a great relationship with the audience and intrigue them in coming back for more. The power of good content should never be underestimated keeping in intellect the sum of difference it can make with just the help of words.

Let’s take a look at some reasons to learn content writing:

>Improves vocabulary

Content writing is one of the good ways to improve vocabulary. It’s not usually about using high level language tending readers to look into the dictionary every minute but using the most appropriate language and words to convey one’s thoughts to the readers in the simplest of the ways.

>Tickles creativity

Content writing covers a range of writing styles from imagination to originality. The purpose is to express thoughts and ideas through literary devices. While learning to create good content, one also learns how to be creative and original at the same time. Content writing gives opportunities to explore various topics and themes with no restrictions giving rise to new ideas and paving way to creativity.

>Helps acquire research skills

Learning content writing also includes researching over a wide variety of topics which helps in creating meaningful content. To provide a genuine and verified content one goes through multiple web searches in order to acquire the most accurate information regarding the respective content.

>Exposure to global knowledge

Content writing is also a good way of learning. It tends one to know about the world and its whereabouts. Exposure to vast knowledge of different fields is one of the many benefits of content writing.

>Boosts confidence

Enrolling oneself in content writing boosts confidence. One gets to learn so many new things which automatically lift up self confidence.

>Path to freelance content writing

Freelance writers are always much in demand and enjoy flexibility and independence. Moreover, freelancing can be done part time as well making it easier to juggle with everyday work. Even in this time of pandemic where almost everyone is losing jobs, content writing still finds a place in the market. Otherwise as well, content writing as career is growing at a fast rate.

Having fair a great degree is not sufficient to guarantee one to have a great work as well in today’s world. Extra capabilities and work experience have presently become a fundamental for a successful career. These are considered as essential as qualifications and degrees. Here comes the need of an internship. Internship is a short-term work experience offered by a company, association or organisation to students or recent graduates for a limited period of time, either paid or unpaid. These are in the form of work experience cum training, volunteership or interning at any company etc. It is more of a learning experience than work which benefits interns by providing entry level exposure to particular fields of industry. Interns spend time working on projects, learning field work, developing soft and hard skills and making industry related connections. Moreover, certain internships do tend to full time job opportunities.

Benefits of internship

>Work experience

The very benefit of any internship is the work experience the interns gain out of it. The sort of experience one gains from internship is something that cannot be obtained through classroom instruction. Interns have the opportunity to make practical use of the skills they acquire and deal with real world challenges.

>Character enhancement and development of skills

While working for an organisation, one learns not only technical skills but also develops soft skills and work ethics. One gets to know about strengths and weaknesses. Internships also provide exposure to real life challenges in work which prove beneficial in future while in full time jobs.

>Gaining confidence

Internships allow interns to put to test the skills and knowledge they acquire in a safe environment that help gain confidence.

> Monetary benefit

Many internships are paid in case of which interns get a chance to earn while learning at the same time.

>Full-time job

Many companies use internships as path of recruitment of skilled freshers. It is more of an easy method wherein the recruiters can train, test and analyse the skills of the interns and later hire them on permanent basis if favourable for the company.

Language has had a solid establishment in our society and been advancing with time. Grammar shapes the basic language structure and helps in maintaining structural composition and readability. Having a language means to have a medium to associate with others in a way to exchange feelings and thoughts in an understandable manner.

Over time, English has ended up becoming one of the most popular languages for communication in the world. Despite that, English is frequently seen as a complex and precarious dialect to a great extent due to its erratic spellings and a parcel of exemptions to its rules of language structure. This tricky to learn grammar makes one prone to grammatical errors more often in written English.

Common Errors in English

>Spelling errors

The most obvious and common mistake in written English is of spellings. It mostly occurs due to: (a) too many rules and exceptions for writing certain words- for e.g. Use of ‘I’ before ‘E’ in case of ‘V’ and vice-versa for ‘C’ is instructed. However, the word ‘SCIENCE’ contradicts the rule (b) homophones- for e.g. rain, reign and rein the pronunciation is the same but written differently.

>Missing or misplaced apostrophe

Apostrophes are used to indicate possession and also used in contracted form of words. If misplaced or missing, it changes the sense of a sentence. For e.g. their (possession) and they’re (contracted form of they are)

>Absence or incorrect use of commas

Commas are the simplest tool to separate the fragment of a sentence. If made in use inappropriately or not used at all, commas can influence clarity of a sentence causing disarray in it.

>Subject verb agreement

It is one of the major errors which occur in written as well as spoken English. To maintain grammatical accuracy it is important to satisfy the verb with respect to subject i.e. if the subject is singular, the verb needs to be plural in form and vice versa. For e.g. birds chirp (plural subject, singular verb) and sun shines (singular subject, plural verb)

>Inappropriate use of tense

We often tend to ignore tense while writing. A sentence has to be accurate with the use of tense to maintain the same sense throughout the sentence.

>Overuse of adverbs

Unnecessary adverbs need to be avoided. Instead of searching for more adverb, one should lookout for a more effective verb or adjective to add more colour to the content.

>Inappropriate use of degree of comparison

Herein, mostly errors are observed in comparative and superlative degree. Use of ‘more’ before the comparative degree of adjective and omitting the use of ‘the’ in superlative degree of adjective while comparison are common mistakes. For e.g.- I am more taller than him.

In recent times the debate over the need for the column for religion and caste in official forms of India has come under the spotlight. From school admission forms to job applications, visas, passports, and forms for competitive exams all have a specific column for religion and caste made mandatory to be filled. Not only educationalists but also politicians and many celebrities have now started questioning the need for the column for religion and caste in official forms. In a country, like India declared secular, the need to specify one’s religion or caste might seem to many as a contradiction to the concept of secularity. However, it becomes a necessity to avoid unequal treatment of various categories in India since it is home to diverse religions and cultures.

Secularity is the state of being neutral to any particular religion and unrelated to any reference of positivity or negativity about the same. India is a secular country distributing equal benefits and opportunities to people of all religions and castes. However, keeping into consideration the diversity of the nation religion becomes an important index to measure the country’s socio-demographic data which further helps the policymakers and government authorities to maintain communal harmony.

Despite being home to many cultures, diversities and religions the country is divided by religions and castes. These are scattered and present in disproportionate portions giving rise to minorities. Certain minorities need to be brought into consideration and provided privileges for equal growth and progress as others. Reservations too are needed for backward sections of the society which is only possible if one specifies the religion and/or caste in official forms.

Moreover, the specification of religion or caste helps in the maintenance of government databases and provides government-aided benefits and equal opportunities to all in the field of education, job etc. This helps to keep a check on the growth and progress rates of different sections of society and assure equal opportunities for all.

However, no one can deny the misuse of the privileges and reservations provided to minority castes and religions. These days the concessions approved for the (so-called) backward sections of the society are certainly not used the way they are intended to. Though to some extent, for people in genuine need, the need for the column of religion and caste still persists. In this context, India might not actually be considered secular but trying to be secular.

We must have heard a common statement that what we are taught in schools is nearly of no practical use in real life. Liberals wishing to bring about changes in the education system are often questioning the productivity of present methodology of education in our country. Certain claims are also made which suggest that the present methods of teaching encourage more of route learning focusing on earning good grades than enabling students to adapt genuine understanding and learning abilities. Here the question arises if the nation is lagging in providing proper and practical education to children. Certainly not. It is just the fact that focus these days is more on achieving good grades and earning as many degrees as possible which would further lead to lucrative career opportunities than inculcating in students good conduct and values, positive attitude and making meaningful use of the education they receive. Herein comes the need of value based education which focuses on making students more sensible, responsible and leading a successful life in a better way where people come together as one.

Value based education is a domain which not only focuses on usual school curriculum but is also capable of developing individuals mentally and emotionally motivating them to serve the true purpose of education. Unlike traditional education where the students are bound to typical subjects and course of study value based education along with regular path of study lays stress on incorporating ethical values, denouncing inhuman behaviour, equal treatment towards everyone, empathy etc in students. Moreover, students learn life skills such as discipline, team work, leadership qualities etc which prove to be beneficial in long run. Skills like these build a strong foundation not only for students but also for a nation as these are stepping stones towards progress and prosperity within.

In a country like India where values, ethics and giving and helping attitude towards others are the major principles of the nation value based education is a step towards enhancement and progress. Since ancient times education in India has aimed to inculcate strong morals and self conduct in the citizens. Indian perspective of education has always been to educate the citizens in such a way that they acquire present day wisdom along with preserving the culture and heritage of the nation. However, we do observe the true purpose of education fading away with passing time. Need of the hour is to explore the scope of value based education in future and analyze various ways of imparting the same.

One of the most powerful inner forces which drives human behaviour is the subconscious mind. The most prominent thing about our subconscious mind is that it is not just responsible for our beliefs, fears and memories but also influences our behavior and attitude and the course of life we are leading. Most of our thoughts, automatic actions and reactions under various circumstances are driven by our subconscious mind without our awareness.

The subconscious mind acts like a data bank to our mind which stores all our memories, thoughts, past experiences, incidents and everything else that ever happened to us. It is basically responsible to store and retrieve information whenever needed. It is more like a guidance system which monitors the information coming to our senses.

90 to 95% of our brain strength comes from the subconscious mind. For example, we might not remember having seen, read or heard about random things that we strangely somehow recognise in our day-to-day life. This is because of our subconscious mind which has the access to all the information that we ever came in contact with. Not all the data in our mind is transmitted to our conscious brain as it might explode out of tonnes of information we receive on daily basis. Much of the information is stored in the subconscious and retreived or transmitted from it to the conscious brain whenever required. This makes the subconscious brain responsible for allowing the relevant information at the relevant time making it million times more powerful than the conscious side of brain.

Subconscious is not something that we can access directly. There are indirect ways to use the subconscious brain and make it count.

>Meditation

The best way to control and synchronize the body and the brain is meditation. It activates our brain cells, helps rejuvenate the body and reprogram our subconscious mind by breaking down the barrier between conscious and subconscious mind and create obstruction free pathways for happiness and success.

>Following your conscience

Conscience is actually a way of communication with the subconscious mind. Following your conscience may help in accessing the subconscious mind.

>Setting Goals

Our brain concentrates on one thought at a time so make it a good one. Focus on positivity. Make yourself a schedule to achieve a set target and work on it on regular basis. Following a fixed pattern can make your brain used to it. Since all the information of past experiences goes straight away to the subconscious brain, it would align with your regular schedule and help in achieving desired goals.

By – Supriya

THANKYOU!

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