MEETINGS
Meetings are useful means of group communication. The success of a meeting depends on the following points.
1. Clearly define the purpose of the meeting. It helps to take a quick decision without any avoidable loss of time or money.
2. Distribute the agenda among all the members. It makes the participation in the meeting effective.
3. Restrict the number of invitees to make the meeting productive.
Chair person at a meeting:
1. The chairperson has to observe punctuality. It is always good to start a meeting on time and close the meeting in time.
2. The purpose of the meeting should be defined clearly.
3. Meeting should begin with a positive approach. Participants should know that they are present for a specific purpose and they are going to make their distinct contribution.
4. Chairperson should be impartial taking no sides and revealing no prejudices.
5. Contribution should be drawn from all the members.
6. Chairperson should control the meeting in such a way that only one person should speak at a time.
7. The chairperson should ask questions to pull out details and ask members to elaborate certain points.
8. Frequent summaries are essential to check which points have been completely discussed and resolved and which points demand more attention.
9. Before concluding the meeting clear statement should be made about the decisions arrived at.
10. Along with the decisions, disagreements should also be stated clearly.
11. Chairperson should clearly indicate how the decisions at the meeting are to be implemented.
12. The meeting should neither drag on unnecessarily nor come to an abrupt close.
Participants at a meeting:
Participants should attend a meeting with positive contribution. The points that help participants to give a good performance are as follows.
1. Participants should attend the meeting well prepared.
2. They have to study the agenda thoroughly.
3. If participants wish to use any written or visual aids to make contribution effective, they should prepare them well in advance.
4. If the participant is not an experienced shaker, it is advisable to write out full points and practice the speech from notes.
5. Participants are supposed to speak at most appropriate time.
6. They should control negative impulses and always think positive.
7. Participants should try to understand others’ point of view as they expect others to understand them.
8. Care should be taken to avoid; lecturing, patronizing, condemning as they give others the impression hat they are ignorant fools.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Synonyms
Vocabulary
Academic: relating to learning
Bioreserve: an area preserving wildlife
Competence: possession of required skill
Cheerful: in good spirits
Dedication: commitment
Destiny: fate
Epic: a long narrative poem
Heritage: inheritance
Manufactured: produced
Melancholy: expressing sadness
Metropolis: Chief City
Misery: a feeling of intense unhappiness
Miserable: very unhappy
Mournful: filled with sadness
Notion: an odd or fanciful idea
Pledge: a binding commitment
Redeem: fulfill
Rivals: competitors
Ruinous: cause destruction
Seminar: meeting for an exchange of ideas
Solemn: serious
Substantially: to a great extent
Suppressed: to put down by force
Tryst: meeting
Utterance: manner of speech
Unique: the single of its kind
Unorthodox: independent in thought
Zone: region
Academic: relating to learning
Bioreserve: an area preserving wildlife
Competence: possession of required skill
Cheerful: in good spirits
Dedication: commitment
Destiny: fate
Epic: a long narrative poem
Heritage: inheritance
Manufactured: produced
Melancholy: expressing sadness
Metropolis: Chief City
Misery: a feeling of intense unhappiness
Miserable: very unhappy
Mournful: filled with sadness
Notion: an odd or fanciful idea
Pledge: a binding commitment
Redeem: fulfill
Rivals: competitors
Ruinous: cause destruction
Seminar: meeting for an exchange of ideas
Solemn: serious
Substantially: to a great extent
Suppressed: to put down by force
Tryst: meeting
Utterance: manner of speech
Unique: the single of its kind
Unorthodox: independent in thought
Zone: region
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Importance Of English Language
Importance Of English Language
Good Morning to one and all. I am here to present my views about the importance of learning English language which is taught to us right from our birth. English is not just taught at home, at schools and colleges but even at professional colleges and at work places too. English was taught till Intermediate Level at first. Later it was included in professional colleges not only for 1st year but even in 3rd B Tech. In present competitive market to survive we have to develop our communication skills. English is one of the most important languages in the world. English has a special status in India. Apart from having a place in the public institutions of the country, in parliament, the law courts, broadcasting, the press, and the educational system, English has spread in our daily life. India ranks third in the world after USA and the UK to use English as spoken language. After Hindi English is the most commonly spoken language in India.
As we know 21st century is the Education and Knowledge century. A North Carolina state university sponsored study speaking about the importance of communication skills in work place found out that: "Communication skills were considered more important than either technical knowledge...or computer skills."
In any industry almost no exception is made in any job category about the need for good communication skills. The importance of communication skills has spread through the society not as a requirement, but as a necessity. The most surprising aspect is that none of us are taught any kind of communication skills anytime either in school or college. Sometimes we take the most important things in life for granted and do not realize its importance until it is too late. Hence now in professional college we have to learn how to develop our communication skills through various LSRW skills which include listening English News, participating in Group Discussions, Presentation Skills, Role Plays, JAM, reading Comprehension, writing Essays, various types of Letters, Reports etc. All these activities definitely improve our communication skills.
Language remains potentially a communicative medium capable of expressing ideas and concepts as well as moods, feelings and attitudes. Language is learnt through use, through practice. As we know 'the more one is exposed to the use of language, the better one learns'. English is a means not only for international commerce; it has become increasingly essential for inter-state commerce and communication. In India, people going from North to South for education or business mostly communicate in English, which has become a link language. Keeping this in mind, the Parliament has also recognized English as an official language in addition to Hindi. All the facts of history and developments in present day India underline the continued importance of learning English. We must make the best use of English to develop ourselves culturally and materially so that we can compete with the best in the world of mind and matter. English language is our window to the world. Properly used, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy world. Thus, English has become a major international language for worldwide communication. Proficiency in English is a mandatory requirement for any professional working in a global business environment.
There are 7 ways to learn Communicative English. I'm sure, many more rules can be made, but let’s just focus on these as our basic.
Rule#1
Rule number 1: Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Making mistakes is an opportunity for learning.
Rule#2
In rule number two: Learn correct English pronunciation including intonation patterns, stress and rhythm.
Rule#3
Rule Number 3 according to Dr. Min Byung Chul, a prominent figure in Korea on acquiring English as a second language: Don’t just memorize vocabulary words and isolated sentences, but learn complete dialogues.
Rule#4
Rule Number 4 Learn the phrases that WE really need. Most Asians when asked to speak, tend to use a lot of words and phrases that are difficult to understand. Beating around the bush is a prominent habit too, because of the impress the listener however, the message and intent are often buried in obscurity because of the complexity of the words used.
Rule#5
In Rule number five, if we are studying to acquire a second language such as English, We shouldn’t just listen to our English language audio materials; but speak at the same time as the person on the audio materials.
Rule#6
Rule number six tells us to Answer in complete sentences. For example, Would you like to have lunch with me? We normally answer with the following, yeah, yes, Yes, I would. If I would ask you, would you like to have lunch with me? How would you answer? Thank You . With Pleasure is the appropriate answer to give.
Rule#7
Rule number seven Understand the target language’s culture. In the US, there are fifty states and each state have their own peculiar way of talking and expressing.
To wrap up my speech, I hope that I was able to impart valuable information that can help you attain a successful entry into the Global Job Market. Thank you for you time and good luck!
Mohammad Asif Ali
Good Morning to one and all. I am here to present my views about the importance of learning English language which is taught to us right from our birth. English is not just taught at home, at schools and colleges but even at professional colleges and at work places too. English was taught till Intermediate Level at first. Later it was included in professional colleges not only for 1st year but even in 3rd B Tech. In present competitive market to survive we have to develop our communication skills. English is one of the most important languages in the world. English has a special status in India. Apart from having a place in the public institutions of the country, in parliament, the law courts, broadcasting, the press, and the educational system, English has spread in our daily life. India ranks third in the world after USA and the UK to use English as spoken language. After Hindi English is the most commonly spoken language in India.
As we know 21st century is the Education and Knowledge century. A North Carolina state university sponsored study speaking about the importance of communication skills in work place found out that: "Communication skills were considered more important than either technical knowledge...or computer skills."
In any industry almost no exception is made in any job category about the need for good communication skills. The importance of communication skills has spread through the society not as a requirement, but as a necessity. The most surprising aspect is that none of us are taught any kind of communication skills anytime either in school or college. Sometimes we take the most important things in life for granted and do not realize its importance until it is too late. Hence now in professional college we have to learn how to develop our communication skills through various LSRW skills which include listening English News, participating in Group Discussions, Presentation Skills, Role Plays, JAM, reading Comprehension, writing Essays, various types of Letters, Reports etc. All these activities definitely improve our communication skills.
Language remains potentially a communicative medium capable of expressing ideas and concepts as well as moods, feelings and attitudes. Language is learnt through use, through practice. As we know 'the more one is exposed to the use of language, the better one learns'. English is a means not only for international commerce; it has become increasingly essential for inter-state commerce and communication. In India, people going from North to South for education or business mostly communicate in English, which has become a link language. Keeping this in mind, the Parliament has also recognized English as an official language in addition to Hindi. All the facts of history and developments in present day India underline the continued importance of learning English. We must make the best use of English to develop ourselves culturally and materially so that we can compete with the best in the world of mind and matter. English language is our window to the world. Properly used, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy world. Thus, English has become a major international language for worldwide communication. Proficiency in English is a mandatory requirement for any professional working in a global business environment.
There are 7 ways to learn Communicative English. I'm sure, many more rules can be made, but let’s just focus on these as our basic.
Rule#1
Rule number 1: Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Making mistakes is an opportunity for learning.
Rule#2
In rule number two: Learn correct English pronunciation including intonation patterns, stress and rhythm.
Rule#3
Rule Number 3 according to Dr. Min Byung Chul, a prominent figure in Korea on acquiring English as a second language: Don’t just memorize vocabulary words and isolated sentences, but learn complete dialogues.
Rule#4
Rule Number 4 Learn the phrases that WE really need. Most Asians when asked to speak, tend to use a lot of words and phrases that are difficult to understand. Beating around the bush is a prominent habit too, because of the impress the listener however, the message and intent are often buried in obscurity because of the complexity of the words used.
Rule#5
In Rule number five, if we are studying to acquire a second language such as English, We shouldn’t just listen to our English language audio materials; but speak at the same time as the person on the audio materials.
Rule#6
Rule number six tells us to Answer in complete sentences. For example, Would you like to have lunch with me? We normally answer with the following, yeah, yes, Yes, I would. If I would ask you, would you like to have lunch with me? How would you answer? Thank You . With Pleasure is the appropriate answer to give.
Rule#7
Rule number seven Understand the target language’s culture. In the US, there are fifty states and each state have their own peculiar way of talking and expressing.
To wrap up my speech, I hope that I was able to impart valuable information that can help you attain a successful entry into the Global Job Market. Thank you for you time and good luck!
Mohammad Asif Ali
Features of Indian English
Features of Indian English
English has a special status in India. Apart from having a place in the public institutions of the country, in parliament, the law courts, broadcasting, the press and the education system English has spread in our daily life. English plays a key role in professional relationships between foreign and Indian companies. English permeated symbolizes in Indian minds better education, better culture and higher intellect. Actually 4% of Indian use English. Thus India ranks third in the world after USA and the UK to use English as spoken language. Indian English comprises several dialects or varieties of English spoken primarily in India. This dialect evolved due to British colonial rule of India for nearly two hundred years. English is the co-official language of India, which has the world's largest English-speaking population.
After Hindi English is the most commonly spoken language in India. But usually Indians mingle English with Indian languages. Stylistic influence of Indian local languages is a particular feature of Indian literature in English. Indian English speakers often mix Hindi and other languages with English. Indians will often ask, “what is your good name?” which is translation of Hindi “ Apka Shubh naam kya hai?” Shub means auspicious or good, and it is basically used as a polite way of asking someone’s name. similarly Indians say “Today morning” (aaj Subha) or “Yesterday night” (kal raat) to mean this morning last night. Indians use shut up (chup bhait) which is generally used more causally in Hindi but it is offending tern in America. Indians commonly use “you people” when they want to address more than one person. It is a simple translation of “aap log” or “tum log” but they do not realize that it carries with it racial connotation.
Some expressions such as “general mai” (in general) and “ek minute” (one minute) are prevalent in Indian English.
Variations in the pronunciation of several phonemes are affected by the regional tongues. Several idiomatic forms crossing over from Indian literary and vernacular language also have made their way into the English used by the masses. Given India's diversity, however, there is indeed a general homogeneity in syntax and vocabulary that can be found among speakers across South Asia. In upper-class families, English is typically very close to Received Pronunciation, while still retaining hints of a uniquely Indian flavour.
The form of English that Indians are taught in schools is essentially British English,Indian English had established itself as an audibly distinct dialect with its own quirks and specific phrases. However, due to the growing influence of American culture in recent decades, American English has begun challenging traditional British English as the model for English in the Indian subcontinent . The American English is spreading among Indian youth. American English spellings are also widely prevalent in scientific and technical publications while British English spellings are used in other media.
British English or American English is the more practical dialect for emigrating Indians to adopt. It must be stressed, however, that British English retains its hold on the majority of Indians, particularly those of the older generation and the younger generation in smaller cities and towns.
The distinct evolution of regional variations in contemporary usage has led to terms such as Hinglish (Hindi + English) , Tanglish (Tamil + English) and Minglish (Marathi + English).
Indian accents vary greatly from those leaning more towards a purist British to those leaning more towards a more 'vernacular' (Indian language)
• Use of yaar, machaa, abey, arey in an English conversation between Indians, mainly by people of native Hindi-speaking origin; 'da', 'machaa' is more frequently used in the South.
• The progressive tense in stative verbs: I am understanding it. She is knowing the answer.; an influence of traditional Hindi grammar, it is more common in northern states.
• Use of "off it" and "on it" instead of "switch it off" and "switch it on."
• Use of "current went" and "current came" for "The power went out" and "The power came back"
Use of word "wallah" to denote occupation or 'doing of/involvement in doing' something, as in "The taxi-wallah overcharged me.", "
• Use of "Can you drop me?" and "We will drop her first" instead of "Can you drop me off?" and "We will drop her off first"
• "Out of station" to mean "out of town". This phrase has its origins in the posting of army officers to particular 'stations' during the days of the East India Company.
• "Tell me": used when answering the phone, meaning "How can I help you?"
• "order for food" instead of "order food", as in "Let's order for sandwiches".
Titles (of respect; formal)
• Referring to elders, strangers or anyone meriting respect as "'jee'"/"'ji'" (suffix) as in "Please call a taxi for Gupta-ji" (North, West and East India)
• Use of prefixes "Shree"/"Shri" (Mr) or "Shreemati"/"Shrimati" (Ms/Mrs): Shri Ravi Shankar or Shreemati Das Gupta.
• As with Shree/Shreemati, use of suffixes "Saahib/Sāhab" (Mr) and "Begum" (Mrs)(Urdu) as in "Welcome to India, Smith-saahib." or "Begum Sahib would like some tea."
• Use of "Mr" and "Mrs" as common nouns. For example, "Jyoti's Mr stopped by yesterday" or "My Mrs is not feeling well".
• Use of "Ms" with first name. For example, Swathi Ashok Kumar might be addressed as "Ms Swathi" instead of "Ms Kumar". This is logical and perhaps the only possible correct usage in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu, where most people don't use a surname.
• Use of the English words 'uncle' and 'aunty' as suffixes when addressing people such as distant relatives, neighbours, acquaintances, even total strangers (like shopkeepers) who are significantly older than oneself. E.g., "Hello, Swathi aunty!" In fact, in Indian culture, children or teenagers addressing their friend's parents as Mr Patel or Mrs Patel (etc.) is considered unacceptable, perhaps even offensive—a substitution of Sir/Ma'am is also not suitable except for teachers. On the contrary, if a person is really one's uncle or aunt, he/she will usually not be addressed as "uncle"/"auntie", but with the name of the relation in the vernacular Indian language, even while conversing in English. It is interesting to observe that calling one's friends' parents auntie and uncle was also very common in Great Britain in the 1960s and 70s but has is much rarer today. For example, if a woman is one's mother's sister, she would not be addressed (by a Hindi speaker) as "auntie" but as Mausi (Hindi)
• Use of Respected Sir while starting a formal letter instead of Dear Sir. Again, such letters are ended with non-standard greetings, such as "Yours respectfully", or "Yours obediently", rather than the standard "Yours sincerely/faithfully/truly".
• Use of "Baba" (father) while referring to an elderly male, such as "No Baba, just try and understand, I cannot come today".
• Use of interjections Arey! and acchha! to express a wide range of emotions, usually positive though occasionally not, as in "Arey! What a good job you did!", "Accha, so that's your plan." or "Arey, what bad luck, yaar!"
• Use of the word "chal" (Hindi for the verb "walk") to mean the interjection "Ok", as in "Chal, I gotta go now" at the end of a phone call
• Use of T-K in place of O.K. when answering a question, as in "Would you like to come to the movie?" -- "T-K, I'll meet you there later." ("theek hai", literally "fine is", meaning "okay")
• Use of oof! to show distress or frustration, as in "Oof! The baby's crying again!"
• Use of "Wah" to express admiration, especially in musical settings, as in "Wah! Wah! You play the sitar so well!"
• "Paining" used when "hurting" would be more common in Standard American and British: "My head is paining."
These are some of the special features of Indian English which are accepted in India.
English has a special status in India. Apart from having a place in the public institutions of the country, in parliament, the law courts, broadcasting, the press and the education system English has spread in our daily life. English plays a key role in professional relationships between foreign and Indian companies. English permeated symbolizes in Indian minds better education, better culture and higher intellect. Actually 4% of Indian use English. Thus India ranks third in the world after USA and the UK to use English as spoken language. Indian English comprises several dialects or varieties of English spoken primarily in India. This dialect evolved due to British colonial rule of India for nearly two hundred years. English is the co-official language of India, which has the world's largest English-speaking population.
After Hindi English is the most commonly spoken language in India. But usually Indians mingle English with Indian languages. Stylistic influence of Indian local languages is a particular feature of Indian literature in English. Indian English speakers often mix Hindi and other languages with English. Indians will often ask, “what is your good name?” which is translation of Hindi “ Apka Shubh naam kya hai?” Shub means auspicious or good, and it is basically used as a polite way of asking someone’s name. similarly Indians say “Today morning” (aaj Subha) or “Yesterday night” (kal raat) to mean this morning last night. Indians use shut up (chup bhait) which is generally used more causally in Hindi but it is offending tern in America. Indians commonly use “you people” when they want to address more than one person. It is a simple translation of “aap log” or “tum log” but they do not realize that it carries with it racial connotation.
Some expressions such as “general mai” (in general) and “ek minute” (one minute) are prevalent in Indian English.
Variations in the pronunciation of several phonemes are affected by the regional tongues. Several idiomatic forms crossing over from Indian literary and vernacular language also have made their way into the English used by the masses. Given India's diversity, however, there is indeed a general homogeneity in syntax and vocabulary that can be found among speakers across South Asia. In upper-class families, English is typically very close to Received Pronunciation, while still retaining hints of a uniquely Indian flavour.
The form of English that Indians are taught in schools is essentially British English,Indian English had established itself as an audibly distinct dialect with its own quirks and specific phrases. However, due to the growing influence of American culture in recent decades, American English has begun challenging traditional British English as the model for English in the Indian subcontinent . The American English is spreading among Indian youth. American English spellings are also widely prevalent in scientific and technical publications while British English spellings are used in other media.
British English or American English is the more practical dialect for emigrating Indians to adopt. It must be stressed, however, that British English retains its hold on the majority of Indians, particularly those of the older generation and the younger generation in smaller cities and towns.
The distinct evolution of regional variations in contemporary usage has led to terms such as Hinglish (Hindi + English) , Tanglish (Tamil + English) and Minglish (Marathi + English).
Indian accents vary greatly from those leaning more towards a purist British to those leaning more towards a more 'vernacular' (Indian language)
• Use of yaar, machaa, abey, arey in an English conversation between Indians, mainly by people of native Hindi-speaking origin; 'da', 'machaa' is more frequently used in the South.
• The progressive tense in stative verbs: I am understanding it. She is knowing the answer.; an influence of traditional Hindi grammar, it is more common in northern states.
• Use of "off it" and "on it" instead of "switch it off" and "switch it on."
• Use of "current went" and "current came" for "The power went out" and "The power came back"
Use of word "wallah" to denote occupation or 'doing of/involvement in doing' something, as in "The taxi-wallah overcharged me.", "
• Use of "Can you drop me?" and "We will drop her first" instead of "Can you drop me off?" and "We will drop her off first"
• "Out of station" to mean "out of town". This phrase has its origins in the posting of army officers to particular 'stations' during the days of the East India Company.
• "Tell me": used when answering the phone, meaning "How can I help you?"
• "order for food" instead of "order food", as in "Let's order for sandwiches".
Titles (of respect; formal)
• Referring to elders, strangers or anyone meriting respect as "'jee'"/"'ji'" (suffix) as in "Please call a taxi for Gupta-ji" (North, West and East India)
• Use of prefixes "Shree"/"Shri" (Mr) or "Shreemati"/"Shrimati" (Ms/Mrs): Shri Ravi Shankar or Shreemati Das Gupta.
• As with Shree/Shreemati, use of suffixes "Saahib/Sāhab" (Mr) and "Begum" (Mrs)(Urdu) as in "Welcome to India, Smith-saahib." or "Begum Sahib would like some tea."
• Use of "Mr" and "Mrs" as common nouns. For example, "Jyoti's Mr stopped by yesterday" or "My Mrs is not feeling well".
• Use of "Ms" with first name. For example, Swathi Ashok Kumar might be addressed as "Ms Swathi" instead of "Ms Kumar". This is logical and perhaps the only possible correct usage in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu, where most people don't use a surname.
• Use of the English words 'uncle' and 'aunty' as suffixes when addressing people such as distant relatives, neighbours, acquaintances, even total strangers (like shopkeepers) who are significantly older than oneself. E.g., "Hello, Swathi aunty!" In fact, in Indian culture, children or teenagers addressing their friend's parents as Mr Patel or Mrs Patel (etc.) is considered unacceptable, perhaps even offensive—a substitution of Sir/Ma'am is also not suitable except for teachers. On the contrary, if a person is really one's uncle or aunt, he/she will usually not be addressed as "uncle"/"auntie", but with the name of the relation in the vernacular Indian language, even while conversing in English. It is interesting to observe that calling one's friends' parents auntie and uncle was also very common in Great Britain in the 1960s and 70s but has is much rarer today. For example, if a woman is one's mother's sister, she would not be addressed (by a Hindi speaker) as "auntie" but as Mausi (Hindi)
• Use of Respected Sir while starting a formal letter instead of Dear Sir. Again, such letters are ended with non-standard greetings, such as "Yours respectfully", or "Yours obediently", rather than the standard "Yours sincerely/faithfully/truly".
• Use of "Baba" (father) while referring to an elderly male, such as "No Baba, just try and understand, I cannot come today".
• Use of interjections Arey! and acchha! to express a wide range of emotions, usually positive though occasionally not, as in "Arey! What a good job you did!", "Accha, so that's your plan." or "Arey, what bad luck, yaar!"
• Use of the word "chal" (Hindi for the verb "walk") to mean the interjection "Ok", as in "Chal, I gotta go now" at the end of a phone call
• Use of T-K in place of O.K. when answering a question, as in "Would you like to come to the movie?" -- "T-K, I'll meet you there later." ("theek hai", literally "fine is", meaning "okay")
• Use of oof! to show distress or frustration, as in "Oof! The baby's crying again!"
• Use of "Wah" to express admiration, especially in musical settings, as in "Wah! Wah! You play the sitar so well!"
• "Paining" used when "hurting" would be more common in Standard American and British: "My head is paining."
These are some of the special features of Indian English which are accepted in India.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Indian Words in English
Some Indian borrowings are listed below:
Philosophical and Learned Terms
Aryan - A member of the people who spoke the parent language of the Indo-European languages. In Nazism, a Caucasian Gentile, especially Nordic type.
Of or relating to Indo-Iranian languages.
Sanskrit arya - noble
chakra - One of the seven centers of spiritual energy in the human body according to yoga philosophy.
Sanskrit chakram - wheel, circle
dharma - A Buddhist principle and ultimate truth. Social custom and right behavior. Hindu moral law.
Hindi dharma, from Sanskrit
Guru - A teacher and a guide in spiritual and philosophical matters. A mentor. A recognized leader in a field. "Fitness Guru"
Hindi/Punjab - guru (teacher), from Sanskrit guruh -weighty, heavy, grave
Juggernaut - Something, such as a belief or an institution, that elicits blind and destructive devotion or to which people are ruthlessly sacrificed.
An overwhelming, advancing force that crushes or seem to crush everything in its path.
The name of the Hindu deity Krishna - Juggernath
Hindi Jaganath - Lord Krishna, from Sanskrit jaganatha : jagath -moving/the world + nathah - Lord/God
Mandala - Any of various ritualistic geometric designs symbolic of the universe, used in Hinduism and Buddhism, as an aid to meditation.
Tamil mutalai - ball, from Sanskrit mandalam - circle
Nirvana - In Buddhism, the ineffable ultimate in which one has attained disinterested wisdom and compassion. A transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire now sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma. It represents the final goal in Buddhism.
A state of perfect happiness.
From Sanskrit nirvana, nirva -be extinguished + nis -out + va - to blow
Pariah - A social outcast. An Untouchable.
Tamil pariah - caste name which means 'hereditary drummer'. The caste system in India placed pariahs or untouchables very low in society. First recorded in English in 1613.
Pundit - A learned person. A source of opinion. A critic. "a political pundit"
Hindi pandit - a learned man, from Sanskrit panditah - learned scholar, perhaps from Dravidian origin.
Purdah - A curtain or screen, used mainly in India to keep women separated from men or strangers. The Hindu or Muslim system of sex segregation, practiced especially by women in seclusion.
Social seclusion: 'artists living in luxurious purdah'
Urdu/Persian paradah - veil, curtain. pan-around, over + da- to place
Sati (suttee) - the former Hindu practice of a widow immolating herself on her husbands funeral pyre.
Hindi sati, from Sanskrit meaning 'faithful wife'
This practice was banned in India in the early 20th century, when the British ruled over India. However it continues even today, in under developed states and rural villages, such as Bihar (a state in North India)
Sutra - a rule or aphorism in Sanskrit literature or a set of these grammar or Hindu law or philosophy.
In Buddhism - A scriptural narrative, especially a text traditionally regarded as a discourse of the Buddha.
Sanskrit - sutram, tread, string
Kamasutra - A Sanskrit treatise setting forth rules for sexual, sensuous and sensual love, and marriage: in accordance with Hindu law, made popular today by Western marital therapists and psychologists.
Sanskrit - Kamasutram: kamah - love, sutram - thread, string, manual
Swastika - The emblem of the Nazi Germany, officially adopted in 1935. In Buddhism and Hinduism, a religious symbol representing noble qualities and good luck.
An ancient cosmic symbol formed by a Greek cross with ends of the arms bent at right angles either clockwise or a counterclockwise direction.
Sanskrit svastika - sign of good luck: Svast - well being
Yoga - A Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which includes breath control, simple meditation and the adoption of specific body postures widely practiced for relaxation.
Sanskrit, literally meaning 'union', referring to the union of the mind, body and spirit.
Clothes, Clothing and Fashion
Bandana (bandanna) - A large handkerchief usually figured and brightly colored.
Portuguese from, Hindi bandhunu (tie dyeing) and bandhana (to tie): from Sanskrit bhandhana tying.
This word was probably absorbed to Portuguese, when the Portuguese ruled over Goa, Bombay during the early part of the 17th century, and from Portuguese was absorbed to English.
Bindi - A dot marked on the forehead, by Hindu wives, and sometimes men, to adorn or as a sign of the third eye - wisdom or God Shiva.
From Hindi bindi. Made famous in the West by pop music singers.
Bangle - A rigid bracelet or anklet, especially one with no clasp. An ornament that hangs from a bracelet or necklace.
Hindi bungri - glass
Cashmere - Fine downy wool growing in the outer hair of the cashmere goat. A soft fabric made out of this wool or similar fibres. Named after the state of Kashmir in India, where these goats were found in abundance, and famous for woolen clothing during the British Raj.
Chintz - A printed and glazed cotton fabric, usually of bright colors.
Cotton cloth, especially plain white or unbleached.
Hindi chint, from Sanskrit citra - shiny, variegated
Cummerbund - A broad sash, especially one that is pleated lengthwise & worn as an article of formal dress, as with dinner jacket.
Hindi & Urdu - kamarband, from Persian kamar- waist + bandi- band
The sash was formally worn in the Indian subcontinent by domestic workers and low status office workers.
Dhoti - A loincloth worn by Hindu men in India. The cotton fabric used for such loincloths.
From Hindi dhoti
Dungaree - A sturdy, often blue, denim fabric. Trousers or overalls made of sturdy denim fabric.
Hindi dumgri - hard/coarse.
Gunny - A coarse, heavy fabric made of jute or hemp, used especially for bags or sacks.
Hindi ghoni - sack, from Sanskrit gharati-sack
Jute - Either of 2 plants yielding a fiber used for sacking and cordage.
Bengali jhuto, from Sanskrit jutah - twisted hair, probably of Dravidian origin.
Jodhpurs - Long riding breeches, tight from the knee to ankle, named after the ancient city, Jodhpur in the state of Rajasthan in North India. Men in this state wear trousers akin to riding breeches, hence the name 'jodhpurs'.
Khaki - A light olive brown to moderate or light yellowish brown. A sturdy cloth of this color. Khakis - trousers made from this cloth.
Urdu khaki - dusty or dust colored, from Persian khak - dust
Musk- A strong smelling reddish brown substance which is secreted by the male musk-deer for scent making, which is also an important ingredient in perfumery.
From Late Latin miscus, from Persian musk, from Sanskrit muska (scrotum)
Pajamas/pyjama - A lose fitting garment consisting of trousers and a jacket, worn for sleeping or lounging, often used in plural.
Hindi paijama - loose fitting trousers, from Persian pai- leg + jamah - garment
Sari - A garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk elaborately run around the body, worn by women in the Indian subcontinent. It has 6 yards of material, with 1.5 yards hanging from one shoulder down to the ground, intricately woven with bright or contrasting colors.
From Hindi sari
Shampoo - A liquid preparation containing soap for washing hair.
Hindi campoo - press.
Words related to Food
Curry - A heavily spiced sauce or relish made with curry powder and eaten with rice, meat, fish or other food.
A dish seasoned with curry powder - a mixture of various spices.
Tamil - kari
Ginger - Mid E gingiveri from Old E gingifer, from Old French gingivre, from Med Latin-gingiber, from Latin zungiberi, from Greek - zingiberis from Pali singieram, from Dravidian (similar to Tamil) inciver, inci - ginger + ver- root.
Ghee - A clarified, semi-fluid butter used especially in Indian cooking
Hindi ghi, from Sanskrit gharati - sprinkles.
Kebab - Dish of small pieces of meat and/or vegetables, cooked on skewers
Urdu/Persian kabab - roasted meat.
Kedgeree - A dish of rice, fish, hard-boiled eggs, often served for breakfast. In North India kedgeree refers to a mixture of rice cooked with butter and dhal, with spices and shredded onions.
Hindi kedegree - butter rice
Mango - A fleshy yellowish-red tropical fruit, which is eaten ripe or used green for pickels. From Portuguese manga, from Malay manga, from Tamil manaky which means mango tree fruit.
Animal Names
Mongoose - Any of various Old World carnivorous mammals having agile body and a long tail and noted for the ability to seize and kill venomous snakes.
Marathi mangus, of Dravidian origin.
Anaconda - A large non-venomous arboreal snake of tropical South America that kills its prey by suffocating in its coils.
Alteration of Sinhalese henakandaya - whip snake.
Cheetah - A long-legged, swift running wild cat of Africa and Southwest Asia, having black-spotted, tawny fur and non-retractile claws.
The fastest animal on land can run for short distances at about 96kn (60 miles) per hour.
Hindi cita, from Sanskrit citrakaya - tiger/leopard: Citra- variegated + kaya - body
Miscellaneous
Bungalow - A small house or cottage usually having a single story and sometimes as additional attic story. A thatched or tiled one-story house in India surrounded by a wide veranda.
Hindi bangala, Bengali bungalow, Gujarati bangalo
Bazaar - A market consisting of a street lined with shops and stalls especially one in the Middle East. A fair or sale at which miscellaneous articles are sold, often for charitable purposes.
Italian bazaro, and Urdu bazaar, both from Persian.
Catamaran - A boat with two parallel hulls or floats, especially a light sailboat with a mast mounted on a transverse frame joining the hulls: A raft of logs or floats lashed together and propelled by a paddles or sails.
Tamil kattumaram: kattu- to tie + maram- wood flog: tied wood
Cheroot (sheroot) - A cigar with square cut ends
French cheroute, from Tamil curuttu/churuttu/shuruttu - roll of tobacco
This word would have been absorbed into the French language during the early 16th century, when French were trying to get a foot hold in South India (Hyderabad), and from French would have come into English.
Coir - Fiber from the outer husk of the coconut, used in potting compost and for making ropes and matting.
Origin from Malayalam kayaru - cord
Coolie - (coolly) Offensive. An unskilled Asian laborer
Hindi and Telegu: kuli - day laborer, perhaps from kuli - a tribe in Gujarat or Urdu kuli - slave
A person from the Indian subcontinent: a person of Indian descent (Offensive)
Dinghy - A small open boat carried as a tender, lifeboat, or pleasure craft on a larger boat" A small rowboat. An inflatable rubber life raft.
Hindi - dimgi, variant of demgi - float, raft
The 'gh' in English serves to indicate the hard 'g'
Gymkhana - Any of various meets at which contests are held to test the skill of the competitors, as in equestrian ship, gymnastics or sports car racing.
Probably alteration (influenced by gymnastics) fromHindi gend-khana - race court:
gend- ball + khana - house
Indigo - A tropical plant of the pea family, which was formerly widely cultivated as a source of dark blue dye.
The dark blue dye obtained from this plant
A color between blue and violet in the spectrum
From Portuguese indigo, via Latin, from Greek Indikon, from India, the River Iindus
Loot (n) - Valuables pillaged in time of war: spoils
Stolen goods: Goods illicitly obtained as by bribery.
Loot (v) To pillage, spoil
Hindi lut, from Sanskrit loptrum/lotrum - plunder
Palanquin (palankeen) - A covered litter carried on poles on the shoulders of two or four men, formerly used in Eastern Asia.
Portuguese - palanquim, from Javanese pelangki, from Pali pallanko, from Sanskrit paryankah - couch, bed
Polo - A game resembling hockey, played on horse back with a long handled clubs and a wooden ball. An ancient game of the East still played in upper Indus valley (extreme West of the Himalayas). Introduced first at Calcutta and a little later in Punjab and played first in England in 1871.
From Balti language (a Tibeto- Burman language) meaning ball
Teak - hard durable timbre used in shipbuilding and for making furniture. The large deciduous tree native to India and South East Asia, which yields this timber.
From Portuguese teca, from Tamil Tamil/Malayalam tekka
Philosophical and Learned Terms
Aryan - A member of the people who spoke the parent language of the Indo-European languages. In Nazism, a Caucasian Gentile, especially Nordic type.
Of or relating to Indo-Iranian languages.
Sanskrit arya - noble
chakra - One of the seven centers of spiritual energy in the human body according to yoga philosophy.
Sanskrit chakram - wheel, circle
dharma - A Buddhist principle and ultimate truth. Social custom and right behavior. Hindu moral law.
Hindi dharma, from Sanskrit
Guru - A teacher and a guide in spiritual and philosophical matters. A mentor. A recognized leader in a field. "Fitness Guru"
Hindi/Punjab - guru (teacher), from Sanskrit guruh -weighty, heavy, grave
Juggernaut - Something, such as a belief or an institution, that elicits blind and destructive devotion or to which people are ruthlessly sacrificed.
An overwhelming, advancing force that crushes or seem to crush everything in its path.
The name of the Hindu deity Krishna - Juggernath
Hindi Jaganath - Lord Krishna, from Sanskrit jaganatha : jagath -moving/the world + nathah - Lord/God
Mandala - Any of various ritualistic geometric designs symbolic of the universe, used in Hinduism and Buddhism, as an aid to meditation.
Tamil mutalai - ball, from Sanskrit mandalam - circle
Nirvana - In Buddhism, the ineffable ultimate in which one has attained disinterested wisdom and compassion. A transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire now sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma. It represents the final goal in Buddhism.
A state of perfect happiness.
From Sanskrit nirvana, nirva -be extinguished + nis -out + va - to blow
Pariah - A social outcast. An Untouchable.
Tamil pariah - caste name which means 'hereditary drummer'. The caste system in India placed pariahs or untouchables very low in society. First recorded in English in 1613.
Pundit - A learned person. A source of opinion. A critic. "a political pundit"
Hindi pandit - a learned man, from Sanskrit panditah - learned scholar, perhaps from Dravidian origin.
Purdah - A curtain or screen, used mainly in India to keep women separated from men or strangers. The Hindu or Muslim system of sex segregation, practiced especially by women in seclusion.
Social seclusion: 'artists living in luxurious purdah'
Urdu/Persian paradah - veil, curtain. pan-around, over + da- to place
Sati (suttee) - the former Hindu practice of a widow immolating herself on her husbands funeral pyre.
Hindi sati, from Sanskrit meaning 'faithful wife'
This practice was banned in India in the early 20th century, when the British ruled over India. However it continues even today, in under developed states and rural villages, such as Bihar (a state in North India)
Sutra - a rule or aphorism in Sanskrit literature or a set of these grammar or Hindu law or philosophy.
In Buddhism - A scriptural narrative, especially a text traditionally regarded as a discourse of the Buddha.
Sanskrit - sutram, tread, string
Kamasutra - A Sanskrit treatise setting forth rules for sexual, sensuous and sensual love, and marriage: in accordance with Hindu law, made popular today by Western marital therapists and psychologists.
Sanskrit - Kamasutram: kamah - love, sutram - thread, string, manual
Swastika - The emblem of the Nazi Germany, officially adopted in 1935. In Buddhism and Hinduism, a religious symbol representing noble qualities and good luck.
An ancient cosmic symbol formed by a Greek cross with ends of the arms bent at right angles either clockwise or a counterclockwise direction.
Sanskrit svastika - sign of good luck: Svast - well being
Yoga - A Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which includes breath control, simple meditation and the adoption of specific body postures widely practiced for relaxation.
Sanskrit, literally meaning 'union', referring to the union of the mind, body and spirit.
Clothes, Clothing and Fashion
Bandana (bandanna) - A large handkerchief usually figured and brightly colored.
Portuguese from, Hindi bandhunu (tie dyeing) and bandhana (to tie): from Sanskrit bhandhana tying.
This word was probably absorbed to Portuguese, when the Portuguese ruled over Goa, Bombay during the early part of the 17th century, and from Portuguese was absorbed to English.
Bindi - A dot marked on the forehead, by Hindu wives, and sometimes men, to adorn or as a sign of the third eye - wisdom or God Shiva.
From Hindi bindi. Made famous in the West by pop music singers.
Bangle - A rigid bracelet or anklet, especially one with no clasp. An ornament that hangs from a bracelet or necklace.
Hindi bungri - glass
Cashmere - Fine downy wool growing in the outer hair of the cashmere goat. A soft fabric made out of this wool or similar fibres. Named after the state of Kashmir in India, where these goats were found in abundance, and famous for woolen clothing during the British Raj.
Chintz - A printed and glazed cotton fabric, usually of bright colors.
Cotton cloth, especially plain white or unbleached.
Hindi chint, from Sanskrit citra - shiny, variegated
Cummerbund - A broad sash, especially one that is pleated lengthwise & worn as an article of formal dress, as with dinner jacket.
Hindi & Urdu - kamarband, from Persian kamar- waist + bandi- band
The sash was formally worn in the Indian subcontinent by domestic workers and low status office workers.
Dhoti - A loincloth worn by Hindu men in India. The cotton fabric used for such loincloths.
From Hindi dhoti
Dungaree - A sturdy, often blue, denim fabric. Trousers or overalls made of sturdy denim fabric.
Hindi dumgri - hard/coarse.
Gunny - A coarse, heavy fabric made of jute or hemp, used especially for bags or sacks.
Hindi ghoni - sack, from Sanskrit gharati-sack
Jute - Either of 2 plants yielding a fiber used for sacking and cordage.
Bengali jhuto, from Sanskrit jutah - twisted hair, probably of Dravidian origin.
Jodhpurs - Long riding breeches, tight from the knee to ankle, named after the ancient city, Jodhpur in the state of Rajasthan in North India. Men in this state wear trousers akin to riding breeches, hence the name 'jodhpurs'.
Khaki - A light olive brown to moderate or light yellowish brown. A sturdy cloth of this color. Khakis - trousers made from this cloth.
Urdu khaki - dusty or dust colored, from Persian khak - dust
Musk- A strong smelling reddish brown substance which is secreted by the male musk-deer for scent making, which is also an important ingredient in perfumery.
From Late Latin miscus, from Persian musk, from Sanskrit muska (scrotum)
Pajamas/pyjama - A lose fitting garment consisting of trousers and a jacket, worn for sleeping or lounging, often used in plural.
Hindi paijama - loose fitting trousers, from Persian pai- leg + jamah - garment
Sari - A garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk elaborately run around the body, worn by women in the Indian subcontinent. It has 6 yards of material, with 1.5 yards hanging from one shoulder down to the ground, intricately woven with bright or contrasting colors.
From Hindi sari
Shampoo - A liquid preparation containing soap for washing hair.
Hindi campoo - press.
Words related to Food
Curry - A heavily spiced sauce or relish made with curry powder and eaten with rice, meat, fish or other food.
A dish seasoned with curry powder - a mixture of various spices.
Tamil - kari
Ginger - Mid E gingiveri from Old E gingifer, from Old French gingivre, from Med Latin-gingiber, from Latin zungiberi, from Greek - zingiberis from Pali singieram, from Dravidian (similar to Tamil) inciver, inci - ginger + ver- root.
Ghee - A clarified, semi-fluid butter used especially in Indian cooking
Hindi ghi, from Sanskrit gharati - sprinkles.
Kebab - Dish of small pieces of meat and/or vegetables, cooked on skewers
Urdu/Persian kabab - roasted meat.
Kedgeree - A dish of rice, fish, hard-boiled eggs, often served for breakfast. In North India kedgeree refers to a mixture of rice cooked with butter and dhal, with spices and shredded onions.
Hindi kedegree - butter rice
Mango - A fleshy yellowish-red tropical fruit, which is eaten ripe or used green for pickels. From Portuguese manga, from Malay manga, from Tamil manaky which means mango tree fruit.
Animal Names
Mongoose - Any of various Old World carnivorous mammals having agile body and a long tail and noted for the ability to seize and kill venomous snakes.
Marathi mangus, of Dravidian origin.
Anaconda - A large non-venomous arboreal snake of tropical South America that kills its prey by suffocating in its coils.
Alteration of Sinhalese henakandaya - whip snake.
Cheetah - A long-legged, swift running wild cat of Africa and Southwest Asia, having black-spotted, tawny fur and non-retractile claws.
The fastest animal on land can run for short distances at about 96kn (60 miles) per hour.
Hindi cita, from Sanskrit citrakaya - tiger/leopard: Citra- variegated + kaya - body
Miscellaneous
Bungalow - A small house or cottage usually having a single story and sometimes as additional attic story. A thatched or tiled one-story house in India surrounded by a wide veranda.
Hindi bangala, Bengali bungalow, Gujarati bangalo
Bazaar - A market consisting of a street lined with shops and stalls especially one in the Middle East. A fair or sale at which miscellaneous articles are sold, often for charitable purposes.
Italian bazaro, and Urdu bazaar, both from Persian.
Catamaran - A boat with two parallel hulls or floats, especially a light sailboat with a mast mounted on a transverse frame joining the hulls: A raft of logs or floats lashed together and propelled by a paddles or sails.
Tamil kattumaram: kattu- to tie + maram- wood flog: tied wood
Cheroot (sheroot) - A cigar with square cut ends
French cheroute, from Tamil curuttu/churuttu/shuruttu - roll of tobacco
This word would have been absorbed into the French language during the early 16th century, when French were trying to get a foot hold in South India (Hyderabad), and from French would have come into English.
Coir - Fiber from the outer husk of the coconut, used in potting compost and for making ropes and matting.
Origin from Malayalam kayaru - cord
Coolie - (coolly) Offensive. An unskilled Asian laborer
Hindi and Telegu: kuli - day laborer, perhaps from kuli - a tribe in Gujarat or Urdu kuli - slave
A person from the Indian subcontinent: a person of Indian descent (Offensive)
Dinghy - A small open boat carried as a tender, lifeboat, or pleasure craft on a larger boat" A small rowboat. An inflatable rubber life raft.
Hindi - dimgi, variant of demgi - float, raft
The 'gh' in English serves to indicate the hard 'g'
Gymkhana - Any of various meets at which contests are held to test the skill of the competitors, as in equestrian ship, gymnastics or sports car racing.
Probably alteration (influenced by gymnastics) fromHindi gend-khana - race court:
gend- ball + khana - house
Indigo - A tropical plant of the pea family, which was formerly widely cultivated as a source of dark blue dye.
The dark blue dye obtained from this plant
A color between blue and violet in the spectrum
From Portuguese indigo, via Latin, from Greek Indikon, from India, the River Iindus
Loot (n) - Valuables pillaged in time of war: spoils
Stolen goods: Goods illicitly obtained as by bribery.
Loot (v) To pillage, spoil
Hindi lut, from Sanskrit loptrum/lotrum - plunder
Palanquin (palankeen) - A covered litter carried on poles on the shoulders of two or four men, formerly used in Eastern Asia.
Portuguese - palanquim, from Javanese pelangki, from Pali pallanko, from Sanskrit paryankah - couch, bed
Polo - A game resembling hockey, played on horse back with a long handled clubs and a wooden ball. An ancient game of the East still played in upper Indus valley (extreme West of the Himalayas). Introduced first at Calcutta and a little later in Punjab and played first in England in 1871.
From Balti language (a Tibeto- Burman language) meaning ball
Teak - hard durable timbre used in shipbuilding and for making furniture. The large deciduous tree native to India and South East Asia, which yields this timber.
From Portuguese teca, from Tamil Tamil/Malayalam tekka
Thursday, September 2, 2010
LYLATUL QADR
The term Lailatul Qadar is made of two words. In Arabic, Lailat means night and Qadr means honour and dignity. Therefore, the term Lailatul Qadr refers to the night of honour and dignity. It is this night in which the first Divine Revelation came to the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam, when he was in meditation and prayer in the Cave of Hira’. Since this night enjoys the honour of having the first revelation brought to the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam, it has been named Lailatul Qadr.
This is one of the holiest and most blessed nights, which is likely to occur on one of the odd nights on the last ten days of Ramadhaan, most likely to be the 27th. The reward of worship on this night is better than the worship of a thousand months of worship, equivalent to a person’s lifetime. So, on this night one should perform the night prayers, recite the Qura’n, do tasbih, zikr and du’as as much as possible.
This night had already opened its gates of treasures when the angel for the first time had come with the Divine Message in the cave of Hira, but its auspiciousness has continued to be with us permanently. Every year in the month of Ramadhaan, this night is given to the Ummah. Muslims engage in prayers, recitation of Qur’an and praying to Allah. As the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam was reported to have said:
“The person who offered prayers to Allah in the night of Dignity with faith and with hope of reward from Allah, all his past sins have been forgiven.” (reported by Bukhari)
In the Hadith, we have been asked to seek it in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadhaan. A’ishah radhiyallahu anhaa narrates that the Messenger of Allah sallalahu alayhi wasallam has said:
“Seek the night of Dignity in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadhan.” (reported by Bukhari)
This is one of the holiest and most blessed nights, which is likely to occur on one of the odd nights on the last ten days of Ramadhaan, most likely to be the 27th. The reward of worship on this night is better than the worship of a thousand months of worship, equivalent to a person’s lifetime. So, on this night one should perform the night prayers, recite the Qura’n, do tasbih, zikr and du’as as much as possible.
This night had already opened its gates of treasures when the angel for the first time had come with the Divine Message in the cave of Hira, but its auspiciousness has continued to be with us permanently. Every year in the month of Ramadhaan, this night is given to the Ummah. Muslims engage in prayers, recitation of Qur’an and praying to Allah. As the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam was reported to have said:
“The person who offered prayers to Allah in the night of Dignity with faith and with hope of reward from Allah, all his past sins have been forgiven.” (reported by Bukhari)
In the Hadith, we have been asked to seek it in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadhaan. A’ishah radhiyallahu anhaa narrates that the Messenger of Allah sallalahu alayhi wasallam has said:
“Seek the night of Dignity in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadhan.” (reported by Bukhari)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
How To Achieve Success
How To Achieve Success
What does success really mean to you? To many, the words success invokes the idea of dollar signs glinting before their eyes. Some visualize themselves in huge mansions, driving the latest cars, and filling their homes with the latest gadgets. However, the lives of many people have proves that success is more than just materialism and the quest for wealth. True success lies in reaching your goals, defining who you are by what you choose in life. Contrary to a prevalent attitude, you do not need to trample on others in order to reach out to success. The following steps will help you understand what you would need to do in order to be a successful person. Read on to know how to achieve success.
Tips To Be Successful
• Have goals – long-term goals as well as short-term ones. When you set goals, make sure that these are practical. Trying to aim for the moon will only result in failure. Have a list of short-term goals (for the day or for the week) and work towards achieving them. Build your long term goals upon the short term ones.
• Be committed towards your goals. Viewing your goals as a chore will not lead to success.
• Be focused on your goals. There might be a lot of things that come in the way of reaching your goals, which might make you stray off course. However, be like a horse with blinkers and look straight ahead at your goal, without wavering.
• There will definitely be obstacles in your path to success. Steadfastness is required here in order that you do not give up once obstacles come your way.
• Be positive. When you approach your goals to success, your attitude counts a lot. If you have a negative attitude, you will find that the obstacles become more difficult to surmount. If the road to success gets rough, staying positive will help you be more successful in the end.
• Things may not always work out the way you wanted them to. You might have to change your plans or the way that you wanted to work towards a goal. To this end, you would need to be creative as well as flexible. Flexibility is needed in order to allow you to keep yourself open to changes that come along with changed circumstances. Creativity is needed in order to make the best of the changed circumstances, and to turn them around and use them to create a new path to help you reach your goals.
• Goals and the path to success cannot be trodden upon singlehandedly. Therefore, it is essential to communicate well and effectively. This will help you greatly when dealing with others.
• Look after your physical and emotional health. Ensure that you get proper food, good exercise, and adequate sleep. This might seem to be a strange tip, but taking care of your health will ensure that you are in good shape to pursue success.
English in India
Officially English has a status of assistant language, but in fact it is the most important language of India. After Hindi it is the most commonly spoken language in India and probably the most read and written language in India. Indians who know English will always try to show that they know English. English symbolizes in Indians minds, better education, better culture and higher intellect. Indians who know English often mingle it with Indian languages in their conversations. It is also usual among Indians to abruptly move to speak fluent English in the middle of their conversations. English also serves as the communicator among Indians who speak different language. English is very important in some systems – legal, financial, educational, business – in India. Until the beginning of 1990s, foreign movies in India weren’t translated or dubbed in Indian languages, but were broadcast in English and were meant for English speakers only. The reason Indians give such importance to English is related to the fact that India was a British colony (see Europeans in India).
When the British started ruling India, they searched for Indian mediators who could help them to administer India. The British turned to high caste Indians to work for them. Many high caste Indians, especially the Brahmans worked for them. The British policy was to create an Indian class who should think like the British, or as it was said then in Britain “Indians in blood and color but English in taste, in opinions and morals and intellect”. The British also established in India universities based on British models with emphasis on English. These Indians also got their education in British universities. The English Christian missionaries came to India from 1813 and they also built schools at primary level for Indians in which the language of instruction was local language. Later on the missionaries built high schools with English as the language of instruction which obliged the Indians who wanted to study to have a good knowledge of English. The British rulers began building their universities in India from 1857. English became the first language in Indian education. The ‘modern’ leaders of that era in India also supported English language and claimed it to be the main key towards success. Indians who knew good English were seen as the new elite of India. Many new schools were established in which the language of instruction was English. According to the British laws the language of instruction at university level was English and therefore schools that emphasized English were preferred by ambitious Indians. Even after India’s independence, English remained the main language of India. Officially it was given a status of an assistant language and was supposed to terminate officially after 15 years of India’s independence, but it still remains the important language of India.
Even today schools in India that emphasis English are considered better schools and the same is the case at university levels, even though there is a trend towards Indianization. In the 1970s and 1980s about one third of the Indian schools had English as their first language. For most of these students, English is their first language and it is easier for them to communicate, read and write in English than in Indian languages, including their mother tongues.
Just like the Americans, Australians or even the British who have their unique English words and phrases, the Indians also have their own unique English. The Indians and the Indian English language press uses many words derived from Indian languages, especially from Hindi. Other than that, the Indian accent is sometimes difficult for non-Indians to understand. There are some Indian pronunciations that don’t exist in non Indian languages. The British also had problems with that and they caused some changes in Indian words so that they could pronounce them. Even the Indians started using these changed words and made them part of their English. Two examples of such changed words are currey and sari.
Improve Your English Speaking and English Pronunciation Skills
The first rule of speaking English is to speak clearly, concisely and use simple vocabulary. KISS - keep it short and simple.
Remember you probably won't just speak to native speakers. There are roughly 380 million native speakers, but as many as a billion people speak it as a second language. So it's a good idea to avoid idioms and slang (I always say learn it, but don't use it). It might sound clever to say "You're barking up the wrong tree," but if you misuse it or if the other person doesn't understand you, you'll only look silly when you try to explain what you meant to say, or what it actually means.
There's also a saying in English "Have you swallowed a dictionary?" It is applicable to anyone who uses long, complicated words when a shorter word will do. Short sentences are just as good (if not better) than long explanations. The value in what you have to say is what you say, not how clever you look or sound when you say it.
English speaking tips
Get over any fear you might have of making mistakes. You will make mistakes.
Be patient with yourself. Learning any language can be frustrating, but frustration won't help you, so let it go.
Grasp every opportunity you have to speak with people in English.
Talk to friends who are also learning English. Go out together for coffee and only speak English to each other!
Read short stories out loud and try to see, say and hear the words to reinforce your memory. Record yourself and play it back later, how does it sound?
Improve Your English Grammar
Use self-study grammar books.
Practice forming meaningful sentences. Make positive statements negative, turn statements into questions, make active statements passive. Turn past tense sentences into present tense sentences etc. etc.
Learn the different tenses. Learn by heart a simple example sentence using each tense.
Do online exercises. Keep a note of how you did and go back in a few weeks to see how you have improved.
Improve your Learning Skills
Learning is a skill and it can be improved.
Your path to learning effectively is through knowing
• yourself
• your capacity to learn
• processes you have successfully used in the past
• your interest, and knowledge of what you wish to learn
Motivate yourself
If you are not motivated to learn English you will become frustrated and give up. Ask yourself the following questions, and be honest:-
• Why do you need to learn/improve English?
• Where will you need to use English?
• What skills do you need to learn/improve? (Reading/Writing/Listening/Speaking)
• How soon do you need to see results?
• How much time can you afford to devote to learning English.
• How much money can you afford to devote to learning English.
• Do you have a plan or learning strategy?
Set yourself achievable goals
You know how much time you can dedicate to learning English, but a short time each day will produce better, longer-term results than a full day on the weekend and then nothing for two weeks.
Joining a short intensive course could produce better results than joining a course that takes place once a week for six months.
Here are some goals you could set yourself:-
• Join an English course (and attend regularly).
• Do your homework.
• Read a book a month.
• Learn a new word every day.
• Visit an English speaking forum every day.
• Read a news article on the net every day.
• Do 10 minutes listening practice every day.
• Watch an English film at least once a month.
• Follow a soap, comedy or radio or TV drama.
A good way to meet your goals is to establish a system of rewards and punishments.
Decide on a reward you will give yourself for fulfilling your goals for a month.
• A bottle of your favourite drink
• A meal out / or a nice meal at home
• A new outfit
• A manicure or massage
Understanding how you learn best may also help you.
There are different ways to learn. Find out what kind of learner you are in order to better understand how to learn more effectively..
How to improve your soft skills
There are many different soft skills; these are just a few:
Speaking. Verbal communication is highly valued by all professional organizations. Unfortunately, many people lack strong speaking skills. The good news is that you can easily improve with just a little practice.
A great way to improve your speaking skills is to volunteer to give group presentations. Start small (within your team), then graduate to larger presentations. Another great way to enhance your speaking and presenting skills is to join Toastmasters International, which is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills. They are located worldwide, so you should have an easy time locating a local chapter.
Listening. Often, the most important part of effective communication is listening. It is important to not only hear the message you are given, but to actively listen and understand the entire message. Many mistakes are made because people do not take the time to fully comprehend the message or instructions they were given.
To improve your listening skills, pay attention to the speaker’s words and actions. You can learn a lot from body language. Allow the speaker to finish before responding or judging what they have said. Take notes and review them with the speaker to ensure you received the message as it was intended. Providing feedback allows you to mentally process everything you heard.
Writing. Strong written communication skills are paramount to success. It is important to be able to concisely convey your message in multiple formats including reports, letters, e-mail, online work and more.
To improve your writing skills, take the time to proofread what you have written. Small mistakes can often be corrected with a quick review. Utilize the built in spell check and grammar functions found in many productivity software applications. Other tips to improve your written communication skills include having another person proof read documents, submitting white papers to professional publications, and reviewing grammar rules online. A good place for this is Daily Writing Tips.
Leadership. Good leaders are hard to find. Leaders needs to be aware of more than just their role within a team, but how each member in the group contributes to a common goal and how to steer the group toward that goal.
Some people say leaders are born and and they cannot be taught. I disagree. In fact, I think anyone can learn basic leadership skills, and some people may even grow to become great leaders. All it takes is exposure to leadership principles, the desire to lead, opportunity, and practice.
To improve your leadership skills, begin with reading a few books or online articles about leadership. You can also consider taking a course at a local community college or as part of an MBA program. Once you have some leadership principles ingrained, you need to practice, practice, practice. Observe leaders in your workplace, volunteer to lead small groups and team efforts, and take on additional duties if necessary. Finally, do not confuse leadership with authority. You do not have to be the high man on the totem pole to be a leader.
Teamwork. Just as good leaders are essential to accomplish tasks in the corporate environment, so are solid team members. Even if your daily role is primarily one where your work alone, you need to be aware of how your work affects others.
To improve your value as a team member, consider how your actions affect other people who are working on a related task. Do your actions help them or hinder them? Another great way to become a better team member in the workplace is to participate in group sporting events and other social activities.
There are many more soft skills
The soft skills listed above are some of the soft skills most frequently asked about during interviews. However, there are many more soft skills out there and it benefits you to recognize what they are and how to improve them.
You can further break down soft skills into Personal Qualities and Interpersonal Skills:
Personal Qualities are those which are inherent to the way you act on a day to day basis. These include personal responsibility, self-esteem, self-management, integrity, honesty, self-motivation, self-discipline, decision making, and more.
Interpersonal Skills deal with your interactions with others. Some of these include: teaching and instructing, serving client and customer needs, negotiation, persuasion, cultural awareness, conflict resolution, etiquette, and more.
Think about how you perform in the workplace. Your value to your employer is often driven not only by the degrees and certifications you hold, but how well you work and interact with others. Sharpen your soft skills. Improve your professional prospects.
This article originally appeared as a guest post on BripBlap.com, a personal finance and career journal.
Do You Have Perfectionist Beliefs?
Here are a few statements from a Psychology Today quiz.
“Rate the intensity with which you believe each of these statements, with 100 percent indicating complete agreement and 0 percent indicating that you do not believe it at all.”
____ I must be perfect or I will be rejected.
____ If I make a mistake, it will be horrible.
____ If I do it perfectly, then I will be accepted.
____ I must be perfect or I will be embarrassed.
____ If I make a mistake, I will be humiliated.
____ When I get it right, I will finally accept myself.
____ When I achieve perfection, I will find inner peace.
____ If I do it perfectly, then it will be rewarded.
____ If others do not approve of me, then I am not OK.
____ If I make a mistake, then I am worthless.
What does success really mean to you? To many, the words success invokes the idea of dollar signs glinting before their eyes. Some visualize themselves in huge mansions, driving the latest cars, and filling their homes with the latest gadgets. However, the lives of many people have proves that success is more than just materialism and the quest for wealth. True success lies in reaching your goals, defining who you are by what you choose in life. Contrary to a prevalent attitude, you do not need to trample on others in order to reach out to success. The following steps will help you understand what you would need to do in order to be a successful person. Read on to know how to achieve success.
Tips To Be Successful
• Have goals – long-term goals as well as short-term ones. When you set goals, make sure that these are practical. Trying to aim for the moon will only result in failure. Have a list of short-term goals (for the day or for the week) and work towards achieving them. Build your long term goals upon the short term ones.
• Be committed towards your goals. Viewing your goals as a chore will not lead to success.
• Be focused on your goals. There might be a lot of things that come in the way of reaching your goals, which might make you stray off course. However, be like a horse with blinkers and look straight ahead at your goal, without wavering.
• There will definitely be obstacles in your path to success. Steadfastness is required here in order that you do not give up once obstacles come your way.
• Be positive. When you approach your goals to success, your attitude counts a lot. If you have a negative attitude, you will find that the obstacles become more difficult to surmount. If the road to success gets rough, staying positive will help you be more successful in the end.
• Things may not always work out the way you wanted them to. You might have to change your plans or the way that you wanted to work towards a goal. To this end, you would need to be creative as well as flexible. Flexibility is needed in order to allow you to keep yourself open to changes that come along with changed circumstances. Creativity is needed in order to make the best of the changed circumstances, and to turn them around and use them to create a new path to help you reach your goals.
• Goals and the path to success cannot be trodden upon singlehandedly. Therefore, it is essential to communicate well and effectively. This will help you greatly when dealing with others.
• Look after your physical and emotional health. Ensure that you get proper food, good exercise, and adequate sleep. This might seem to be a strange tip, but taking care of your health will ensure that you are in good shape to pursue success.
English in India
Officially English has a status of assistant language, but in fact it is the most important language of India. After Hindi it is the most commonly spoken language in India and probably the most read and written language in India. Indians who know English will always try to show that they know English. English symbolizes in Indians minds, better education, better culture and higher intellect. Indians who know English often mingle it with Indian languages in their conversations. It is also usual among Indians to abruptly move to speak fluent English in the middle of their conversations. English also serves as the communicator among Indians who speak different language. English is very important in some systems – legal, financial, educational, business – in India. Until the beginning of 1990s, foreign movies in India weren’t translated or dubbed in Indian languages, but were broadcast in English and were meant for English speakers only. The reason Indians give such importance to English is related to the fact that India was a British colony (see Europeans in India).
When the British started ruling India, they searched for Indian mediators who could help them to administer India. The British turned to high caste Indians to work for them. Many high caste Indians, especially the Brahmans worked for them. The British policy was to create an Indian class who should think like the British, or as it was said then in Britain “Indians in blood and color but English in taste, in opinions and morals and intellect”. The British also established in India universities based on British models with emphasis on English. These Indians also got their education in British universities. The English Christian missionaries came to India from 1813 and they also built schools at primary level for Indians in which the language of instruction was local language. Later on the missionaries built high schools with English as the language of instruction which obliged the Indians who wanted to study to have a good knowledge of English. The British rulers began building their universities in India from 1857. English became the first language in Indian education. The ‘modern’ leaders of that era in India also supported English language and claimed it to be the main key towards success. Indians who knew good English were seen as the new elite of India. Many new schools were established in which the language of instruction was English. According to the British laws the language of instruction at university level was English and therefore schools that emphasized English were preferred by ambitious Indians. Even after India’s independence, English remained the main language of India. Officially it was given a status of an assistant language and was supposed to terminate officially after 15 years of India’s independence, but it still remains the important language of India.
Even today schools in India that emphasis English are considered better schools and the same is the case at university levels, even though there is a trend towards Indianization. In the 1970s and 1980s about one third of the Indian schools had English as their first language. For most of these students, English is their first language and it is easier for them to communicate, read and write in English than in Indian languages, including their mother tongues.
Just like the Americans, Australians or even the British who have their unique English words and phrases, the Indians also have their own unique English. The Indians and the Indian English language press uses many words derived from Indian languages, especially from Hindi. Other than that, the Indian accent is sometimes difficult for non-Indians to understand. There are some Indian pronunciations that don’t exist in non Indian languages. The British also had problems with that and they caused some changes in Indian words so that they could pronounce them. Even the Indians started using these changed words and made them part of their English. Two examples of such changed words are currey and sari.
Improve Your English Speaking and English Pronunciation Skills
The first rule of speaking English is to speak clearly, concisely and use simple vocabulary. KISS - keep it short and simple.
Remember you probably won't just speak to native speakers. There are roughly 380 million native speakers, but as many as a billion people speak it as a second language. So it's a good idea to avoid idioms and slang (I always say learn it, but don't use it). It might sound clever to say "You're barking up the wrong tree," but if you misuse it or if the other person doesn't understand you, you'll only look silly when you try to explain what you meant to say, or what it actually means.
There's also a saying in English "Have you swallowed a dictionary?" It is applicable to anyone who uses long, complicated words when a shorter word will do. Short sentences are just as good (if not better) than long explanations. The value in what you have to say is what you say, not how clever you look or sound when you say it.
English speaking tips
Get over any fear you might have of making mistakes. You will make mistakes.
Be patient with yourself. Learning any language can be frustrating, but frustration won't help you, so let it go.
Grasp every opportunity you have to speak with people in English.
Talk to friends who are also learning English. Go out together for coffee and only speak English to each other!
Read short stories out loud and try to see, say and hear the words to reinforce your memory. Record yourself and play it back later, how does it sound?
Improve Your English Grammar
Use self-study grammar books.
Practice forming meaningful sentences. Make positive statements negative, turn statements into questions, make active statements passive. Turn past tense sentences into present tense sentences etc. etc.
Learn the different tenses. Learn by heart a simple example sentence using each tense.
Do online exercises. Keep a note of how you did and go back in a few weeks to see how you have improved.
Improve your Learning Skills
Learning is a skill and it can be improved.
Your path to learning effectively is through knowing
• yourself
• your capacity to learn
• processes you have successfully used in the past
• your interest, and knowledge of what you wish to learn
Motivate yourself
If you are not motivated to learn English you will become frustrated and give up. Ask yourself the following questions, and be honest:-
• Why do you need to learn/improve English?
• Where will you need to use English?
• What skills do you need to learn/improve? (Reading/Writing/Listening/Speaking)
• How soon do you need to see results?
• How much time can you afford to devote to learning English.
• How much money can you afford to devote to learning English.
• Do you have a plan or learning strategy?
Set yourself achievable goals
You know how much time you can dedicate to learning English, but a short time each day will produce better, longer-term results than a full day on the weekend and then nothing for two weeks.
Joining a short intensive course could produce better results than joining a course that takes place once a week for six months.
Here are some goals you could set yourself:-
• Join an English course (and attend regularly).
• Do your homework.
• Read a book a month.
• Learn a new word every day.
• Visit an English speaking forum every day.
• Read a news article on the net every day.
• Do 10 minutes listening practice every day.
• Watch an English film at least once a month.
• Follow a soap, comedy or radio or TV drama.
A good way to meet your goals is to establish a system of rewards and punishments.
Decide on a reward you will give yourself for fulfilling your goals for a month.
• A bottle of your favourite drink
• A meal out / or a nice meal at home
• A new outfit
• A manicure or massage
Understanding how you learn best may also help you.
There are different ways to learn. Find out what kind of learner you are in order to better understand how to learn more effectively..
How to improve your soft skills
There are many different soft skills; these are just a few:
Speaking. Verbal communication is highly valued by all professional organizations. Unfortunately, many people lack strong speaking skills. The good news is that you can easily improve with just a little practice.
A great way to improve your speaking skills is to volunteer to give group presentations. Start small (within your team), then graduate to larger presentations. Another great way to enhance your speaking and presenting skills is to join Toastmasters International, which is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills. They are located worldwide, so you should have an easy time locating a local chapter.
Listening. Often, the most important part of effective communication is listening. It is important to not only hear the message you are given, but to actively listen and understand the entire message. Many mistakes are made because people do not take the time to fully comprehend the message or instructions they were given.
To improve your listening skills, pay attention to the speaker’s words and actions. You can learn a lot from body language. Allow the speaker to finish before responding or judging what they have said. Take notes and review them with the speaker to ensure you received the message as it was intended. Providing feedback allows you to mentally process everything you heard.
Writing. Strong written communication skills are paramount to success. It is important to be able to concisely convey your message in multiple formats including reports, letters, e-mail, online work and more.
To improve your writing skills, take the time to proofread what you have written. Small mistakes can often be corrected with a quick review. Utilize the built in spell check and grammar functions found in many productivity software applications. Other tips to improve your written communication skills include having another person proof read documents, submitting white papers to professional publications, and reviewing grammar rules online. A good place for this is Daily Writing Tips.
Leadership. Good leaders are hard to find. Leaders needs to be aware of more than just their role within a team, but how each member in the group contributes to a common goal and how to steer the group toward that goal.
Some people say leaders are born and and they cannot be taught. I disagree. In fact, I think anyone can learn basic leadership skills, and some people may even grow to become great leaders. All it takes is exposure to leadership principles, the desire to lead, opportunity, and practice.
To improve your leadership skills, begin with reading a few books or online articles about leadership. You can also consider taking a course at a local community college or as part of an MBA program. Once you have some leadership principles ingrained, you need to practice, practice, practice. Observe leaders in your workplace, volunteer to lead small groups and team efforts, and take on additional duties if necessary. Finally, do not confuse leadership with authority. You do not have to be the high man on the totem pole to be a leader.
Teamwork. Just as good leaders are essential to accomplish tasks in the corporate environment, so are solid team members. Even if your daily role is primarily one where your work alone, you need to be aware of how your work affects others.
To improve your value as a team member, consider how your actions affect other people who are working on a related task. Do your actions help them or hinder them? Another great way to become a better team member in the workplace is to participate in group sporting events and other social activities.
There are many more soft skills
The soft skills listed above are some of the soft skills most frequently asked about during interviews. However, there are many more soft skills out there and it benefits you to recognize what they are and how to improve them.
You can further break down soft skills into Personal Qualities and Interpersonal Skills:
Personal Qualities are those which are inherent to the way you act on a day to day basis. These include personal responsibility, self-esteem, self-management, integrity, honesty, self-motivation, self-discipline, decision making, and more.
Interpersonal Skills deal with your interactions with others. Some of these include: teaching and instructing, serving client and customer needs, negotiation, persuasion, cultural awareness, conflict resolution, etiquette, and more.
Think about how you perform in the workplace. Your value to your employer is often driven not only by the degrees and certifications you hold, but how well you work and interact with others. Sharpen your soft skills. Improve your professional prospects.
This article originally appeared as a guest post on BripBlap.com, a personal finance and career journal.
Do You Have Perfectionist Beliefs?
Here are a few statements from a Psychology Today quiz.
“Rate the intensity with which you believe each of these statements, with 100 percent indicating complete agreement and 0 percent indicating that you do not believe it at all.”
____ I must be perfect or I will be rejected.
____ If I make a mistake, it will be horrible.
____ If I do it perfectly, then I will be accepted.
____ I must be perfect or I will be embarrassed.
____ If I make a mistake, I will be humiliated.
____ When I get it right, I will finally accept myself.
____ When I achieve perfection, I will find inner peace.
____ If I do it perfectly, then it will be rewarded.
____ If others do not approve of me, then I am not OK.
____ If I make a mistake, then I am worthless.
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