Tips to freshers: Students

BANGALORE ZOMI FRESHERS DAY 2011

28^th July 2011 | Lianthansiam Valte

A. Purpose

Amasapen in laisim dia om ihi chih manghilh keini. Lohchin iut taktak leh thildang teng sang a i laisim priority piak ngai ahi. I laisim hunluah theidi lungluthuai thil dangdang tampi; social, relationships, hobbies, etc. a om sek a, himahleh laisim masak ngai ahi.

B. Goals

I Purpose toh kituak tup-le-ngim neih ding ahi. Tup-le-ngim ei context in class examinations a hoihtaka pass di ahimaithei. Competitive examinations pete ading lohchinna muh khong le ahi di. Mun tuamtuam a om I Zomi unau te un UPSC All India Rank sangtakte ana muhtheih uleh Bangalore a Zomi tenle bang ziaka mulo tuan di? Asang zawlam tung theidin pan lathak ni. Thupil khat in ‘If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there” ana chi a. Goal neilo a mawk om in deihthusam hon tun louh ding ahi.

Goal setting chiang in I siamna leh pilna te hon challenge thei bawl ding ahi. I muhsa hiam a awlsamlua bang tup a ineih leh masawnna taktak omlo ding, i potential tunglo ding ihi.

C. Plan of Action

“In life or in sports, you need to visualize how to reach for your Goals, where will you make your next move and based on the target work backwards towards how you reach that goal.” Hiai atung a kigelh, hostel ka omlai a French tennis coach khat hon gen ahi. Target/ Goal I neih nung a, I target tung nang lampi hoihtaka zuih ngai ahi. Hiai toh kiton point bangzah hiam I gen ding:

1.      Interest

Subject a lunglut huailo omlo ahi; History, Political Science, Accountancy, Physics, etc. Na thil simten bang gen taktak hiam chih theihsiam sawmin dotna kibawl lete lunglutna hong piang thei ding ahi. Class sung ah leng participation neih theihna punna leh chim loh na ahi. Lawmte toh discussion in lunglutna behlap sakthei hi. I theihlouh te heutute leh senior te kiang dot zel ding ahi.

2.      Environment

Mun thoveng leh bengsenglou a laisim ding ahi. I lungsim hon lathei di omna mun a lekhasim phatuam lou ahih ziakin thilging, meivak salhna leh gimhat omna khong ah lekhasim louh ahoih. Himahleh, deihthusam tak om gigelo ahia, iki adjust theih zel ngai ahi. Tutna leh posture leng lekhasimna toh kituak di neih hoih ahi.

3.      Regularity

Lekhasim ichih zankhat thu a zoh ding hilo ahi. Exam ma a ihmulo zen a sim sangin niteng a tam loulou a sim ahoih zaw. Mi khenkhatte zing a simin a theibaih zaw ua, akhente nitak a sim nuam asa zaw ua. Apoimoh pen ahih leh niteng a time table hoihtak zuih a sim ahi.

4.      Attendance

Damlouhna hiam buana dang om ahihkeileh class kai gige ahoih. Aziak omlo a class miss a attendance kimlouh ziaka examination pe theilo a om lohsapna kipatna ahi.

5.      Notes

Laisim topic tengteng summary notes bawl ahoih. Diagram gelh bang theihsiam na ding in phatuam mahmah hi. Heutute hon piak omkei leh leng mahni a notes kibawl mai ding ahi. Examination ma a revise bawl nang in leh phatuam mahmah ahi.

6.      Group studies

Mahni kia a sim sang in, lawmte toh simkhawm in tampi ki theih beh hi. Amau theihsiamdan ana tuam deuh a, hoihpen zuih theih mah. Heutute leh Senior te kiang ah leng I theih louhte dong peih le phatuam mahmah hi.

7.      Health

Lekhasimna ah damtheihna poimoh mahmah a ihmut, nek leh dawn leh taksa hoihnang exercise te pilvang taka neih ding ahi. Moderation a thilhih ahoih a, a tamlua hiam tawm lua hiam ahih chiang in damna hon sesak thei hi.

8.      Extracurricular activities

Hun neih tengteng a lehkhasim gige thil hitheilo ahi. Lekhasim louh hun a lungsim leh taksa adia hoih thil tuamtuam hih theih hi. Lunglut na ineih deuh sports, music, drama, writing, painting, cooking, public speaking, photography, environment club, etc te ah kihel le all-round personality development nadin hon panpih ding ahi.

9.      Support

Sungkuan, nu-le-pa te leh u zawte toh relationship hoihtak neih ding ahi. Amau kiang a I kipahna leh haksatna te kikum a emotional support neih poimoh mahmah ahi. Ei theihlouh tampi a tuahsa om di a, I hoihnang a hon advise thei ding uhi. Thumna leh laisiangthou sim gige in hon panpih leh hon hihhat mahmah ahi.

10.  Persistence

Laisim a om tengteng a lohching gige kei ua. Bangziak hiam a lohsapna I tuah in leng lungke mai lo a I thil tuah te omden louding ahi chih theini. Mi thupi leh lohching tele tamveipi lohsam a pang teitei te ana hi uhi chih phok ni. Athak a panla a sim zelzel le khatvei tei vualzohna kimu ding ahi.

11.  Fun

Atawpna ding in, I laisim hun, haksa leh khamhuai kia din ngaihtuah kei ni. Hinkhua adia hun manpha, manghilh nawnlouh ding ahia. I tuailai hun, thahat lai, pil lai leh melhoih lai pen hun anuam theipen in pilvang takin zat sawm chiatni.

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

Mahatma Gandhi said "There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed". I do not know if there is sufficient food, shelter and clothing for everyone in the world for now and for the future. (Looking at daily news it seems like quite a lot of people lack basic amenities.) So, it is worthy and noble to at least try and conserve our natural resources as much as possible.

In the meanwhile, humankind can come up with ingenious alternatives to sustain life. Our next generation of cars could run on H2O or Nuclear. And every home energy requirement could be powered by sunlight or biomass. Who knows, Mars may very well be our new homeland. (Homeland reminds me of the constant struggle we hear of between various ethnic groups and communities for identity and political self-determination. But that is another topic in itself) Maybe this is the right time to start buying real estate on Mars, because 50 years from now, price would have appreciated greatly :)

Looking at the irresponsible ways natural resources are depleted by us humans, it seems that we would run out of oil, forest, drinking water or even clean air within our lifetimes. I have read in my science textbooks in school that the world’s oil reserves would run dry in 50 years. Don’t know what will happen to Saudi Arabia’s economy by then?

You man have heard of a few experimental towns and communities which try to become green and conserve every bit of energy. Also they try to be self sufficient and produce their own green energy from sunlight, wind, flowing water, hot springs and bio mass. Kudos to them and hope that a million more models spring up in other parts of the world.

Many Countries & Private companies are trying to be environmentally friendly; knowing that it is the right thing to do. Governments around the world hold debates and negotiations on the lines of KYOTO protocol, reducing carbon footprint and cutting down green house gas emissions. However, it seems that the already rich and developed countries find it easier to comply with while the developing and under developed countries find it difficult to adopt such policies obviously for economic reasons. Companies too try to become green - though they say it makes monetary sense, i am not quite convinced if that is true - if it is then well and good. However, i guess the majority of them want to create a good brand image by being known as a green, environmentally clean company.

There is a price to be paid for green energy and conserving the environment. Electric cars do not run as fast and cost much more than the oil guzzling versions. While the leaders of the world fight it out and the corporates brainstorm in their meeting rooms my immediate concern is: What can I contribute to a greener and healthier world?

In our own small ways, we can play our part:

• Walk or cycle instead of driving
• Switch off any unused energy consuming devices
• Keep all documents in electronic formats
• Use less amount of water for washing or cleaning
• Don't use disposable plastic/paper cups; Use glass/ steel instead
• Avoid napkins if you have clean water to wash
• Avoid plastic bags while shopping; carry you own jute/paper bag
• As much as possible Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

IQ Test...

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Cycle rally & Great June Uprising

I'm sorry the pic above is not related to me. I was Googling for a suitable image and this came up from e-pao, an online news portal from Manipur. But 'the pic' is of a Manipuri actress Bala who's on a cycle rally to save Loktak lake.

Now, getting back to where I was supposed to start... I don't remember the exact date, but I know that my whole body cramped and I suffered the worst sun burns of my life on this day.

I remember it was a cycle-rally within Imphal. Actually, it was covering a bit more than that. Me and some of my friends from Lamphel joined the Cycle-rally that was organized to safeguard the territorial integrity of Manipur. A show of support and reaffirmation that we were opposed to the state of Manipur being broken up and... being part of different geographic colors on the map.

In 2001, Imphal valley was burning, the issue at that time was the territorial integrity of Manipur. NSCN-IM, the mother of all insurgency operations in the North-East of India had an ongoing cease-fire agreement with the Government of India and they had recently extended the cease-fire to outside of Nagaland, including Manipur.

Geographically Manipur is a valley surrounded by hills on all sides. The Valley which comprises 1/10th the total size is the most populous and is home mostly to the Meiteis who are the majority community. The hills are majorly inhabited by different tribes of which Tankhul-Naga happen to be a sizable chunk.

Extending the cease-fire to Manipur was seen by many as essentially a step towards integrating the Naga dominated areas in Manipur with the Greater-Nagaland agenda. And this move was opposed tooth-and-nail by all.

So, as advised by our local YPA (Young Paite Association) me and my friends took out our cycles wearing our traditional scarfs and rode for practically the whole day, not knowing when the stop will come. Leikai(Village) after Leikai, we were met with people who provided us drinking water and shouts of support. In fact I stopped over a pharmacy and asked for Glucon-D and the shopkeeper was happy to give it for free. I even met an old school mate Mahesh who was a bit shocked to see me on the cycle, but happily supporting the movement. Eventually, towards evening, we reached the Polo Ground right in the heart of Imphal where there was some formal program organized. We were completely drained and after deliberating for sometime, we decided to go back home. It was time for rest, bath and relating our experiences to others.

The other events that came out of the unrest in Manipur is too well documented in media. But it was one scary time to be in Imphal. I remember the war like situation with smoke bellowing and buildings burning all around Imphal city. The local cable TV was streaming live the whole turmoil as it unfolds. Protestors fighting with police, tear gas and lathi charge, government establishments being burnt - including the MLA building, ministers quarters attacked, roads blocked, vehicles damaged, curfew all over.... It ended with 13 young lives killed in police shooting as they were trying to scale the main gate of the Chief Minister's Quarter.

These events happened on 18th June 2001. And post that there were continued disturbances and curfews in and around Imphal. End result - the territorial integrity of Manipur continues to stand to this day. The day is now know as the Great June Uprising and every year it would be a day of remembering those who died and the sacrifices they made.

One lazy sunday afternoon

I know, posting pictures helps fill up your blog... but like they say, a picture speaks a thousand words... so, there are like 13,000 words below :) anyway had captured these at home one Sunday afternoon in march 2011...

Se7en & Sins of Advertising

The movie Se7en is one of my all time favorites. Rated 8.7/10 on imdb,which means its one of the movies you cannot afford to miss. Its about two detectives (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) hunting down a serial killer (Kevin Spacey). The psychotic killer believes that he is ridding the world of bad people, by killing those who have committed the Seven Sins (Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, etc).

I enjoyed this movie not only because of the gripping storyline, great acting and the suspense that holds you till the last minute, but also because I find some relationship to modern day advertising and human nature. Let me try to explain.

Back in 2007, my hostel buddy Akhil and I had a discussion on how advertising/marketing tried to actually exploit human nature. You see, many of these products sold in the market cater to one or the other of human wants and desires, not necessary human needs.

You will understand what I mean if you recall the "Neighbors envy, owners pride" ads by Onida some years back. The Devil himself was selling you the TV/VCR, saying that it will bring you pride(satisfaction) and to your neighbor, envy(jealousy). Nothing can be so much more tempting to buy. Don't you think?

Sex sells. From chewing-gum to cement to cars, you will find that a barely clad woman/ man is posing next to or promoting the product. Its flabbergasting sometimes to see what was the connection between pencils and a lady in hot-pants? Lust in all its deceptive charms.

Food, glorious food is being paraded in front of our eyes in all its mouthwatering form. If you actually go to buy them then you will be sorely dissapointed. Because the food they have shown you on TV/Print-ads looks way much better than the real one which is served to you. Also, when you eat it, it does not feel as yummy as it is claimed to be. Every bite stimulating the instinct of Gluttony.

Based on these ads I have seen, and its effects, it seems to me that advertisers will find more innovative ways of appealing to our wants and desires. They have the primitive instincts of lust, gluttony, envy, pride, etc to play around with. And it seems that they never fails, at least most of the time.

So, here I am planning to include a study on how advertising can exploit the Seven Sins. Maybe put it up as a course in Consumer Behavior. And if you happen to do that, don't forget to acknowledge the source of the idea - yours truly ;)

Enjoy watching Se7en.

All good things must come to an end

Feeling nostalgic while driving back home last Sunday evening... It was just after the ZCF B office bearers portfolio allocation... After two consecutive years of being the Chairman, i have now moved to a less prominent role as a member and frankly, I'm relieved :)

For those who do not know, ZCF stands for Zomi Christian Fellowship. All major cities in India and some cities in US and other parts of the world, have their own ZCF. The Bangalore Zomi Christian Fellowship was started in 1993 and has been catering to the religious and social needs of Zomis' in Bangalore. It is an excellent platform where different communities come together and share...

The past 2 years ZCF experiences has been "bittersweet" and the memories will stick with me for the rest of my days... Organizing freshers day, Christmas, sports-meet, raising funds, meeting new people, taking care of the sick and condoling the dead, dealing with various organizations, being a mediator in disputes, standing in front of a crowd and delivering speeches, meetings on weekends - just a few of the diverse hats I had an opportunity to wear...

Sometimes have been tough and some have been happier times... but all of them have taught me new things about life and I'm grateful for the learnings... it feels good to be able to participate and contribute something for your community... Though it was tiring and involved making efforts and sacrifices, I do not regret it... In fact while trying to write down the negative points, I could not proceed beyond a couple of them... However, the positive points kept on increasing and it made me realize that I had a very good time...

One of my former boss in office told us that leaders, when they survive tough times, gain valuable experiences... and they end up writing books about it and sharing them... Neither do I have that much of experiences to share nor do I write too well...

But, I have seen that learning by doing is the most effective and also that one should never let go of an opportunity to do the right thing, even if its not the easiest, you will not regret in the long run...

So much for my thoughts now... till then, take care!

12th April 2011
Siam