Sunday Times of India is always a reader's delight. At least ,I like to start my Sunday with a large cuppa of chai and the newspaper. What generally makes my day is the editorial page wherein ,one comes across the verbose Bachi karkaria, sarcastic Jug Suraiya and of course politically incorrect Shobha De. Well not to forget Shashi Tharoor and Swaminathan Aiyar.I can survive even if I don't get my regular dose of news every day in a week , but missing the Sunday Times makes me feel very guilty.
I wanted to share this article with you guys. You can call me opinionated ,however somehow, I quite agree with Shobha De here. I don't understand why we(Indians) tend to apotheosise every sports men. I believe that this inherent nature of ours somehow contributes to their under performance in later years. No this post isn't a review!
This article is an interesting read and me being me, I couldn't help highlighting few words and giving out their meanings at the end of the article.It is rather the regular dose of your contextual vocabulary.
HAPPY LEARNING..........
POLITICALLY INCORRECT Mera Bharat Kahan?- Shobha De
Little things make us happy. We are a bit too easy to please! One gold medal at the Olympic Games, and we are over the moon. As India enters the 61st year of its independence, it's important to get a few key perspectives in place. I heard about Abhinav Bindra's thrilling win from a bedraggled little girl selling tabloids at the traffic lights. It was raining rather heavily, and she was dressed in rags. Her tiny body and saucer eyes made her resemble the archetypal, romanticized waif — the poster girl for poverty, like the iconic image of the popular musical, Les Miserables. She tapped on the window of my car and lisped, "Madam, madam.... India ko gold medal mil gaya." She was shivering as she sold the damp paper to motorists, most of whom shooed her away.
The irony of the moment was hard to miss. While nobody can take away from crorepati Abhinav Bindra's individual achievement, the image of this emaciated street kid announcing his victory in distant Beijing, was a study in horrifying contrasts. Just a few metres away, i could see the rest of her family huddled under bright blue plastic sheets. The father was sorting out a heap of pirated books, while her mother was stringing jasmine blossoms into gajras... perhaps to adorn the chignons of our Mumbai memsaabs stepping out later for a night on the town. The kid was dancing with impatience, watchful of the traffic light turning green. Her unshod feet were immersed in puddles of filthy rain water. She could not possibly have known what that medal meant... but she did know it would sell more papers that day. And that made her happy! Amazing, how a complete stranger's win touches lives on different levels.
For the little girl, those few extra rupees may have translated into an extra vada pav at dinner. But for our canny politicians, Bindra's medal was an opportunity worth milking for their own glory. Take Maharashtra's chief minister, who magnanimously offered Rs 10 lakh to the gold medalist. Does this rich boy need it? Where does Maharashtra come into it? If the CM had Rs 10 lakh to spare and wished to acknowledge Bindra's victory, why didn't he put that money into a sports scholarship to benefit promising youngsters? Why offer monetary awards to someone who is a millionaire to begin with? Bindra is a particularly privileged sportsman who was born with a silver rifle... er ... spoon, in his mouth. He got to his present position, thanks to the happy fact that his father had the financial clout to support his son's passion. Lucky Bindra. He had what it takes to create a champion — the grit, determination and dough! India merely happens to be the country of his birth and can claim no credit for his impressive win. Bindra rose above and beyond what his country can provide... not only to him, but millions of others. He won despite being an Indian. Isn't that a really sad acknowledgement of this tattered state of ours?
But the waif at the traffic light proclaiming his victory to motorists does not realise this. She will never get to see the inside of a pucca home. For her, the blue plastic sheets will have to suffice. When she is a little older, her life will change. From selling newspapers, she may end up selling her body. Like so many others who survive on Mumbai's mean streets, turning tricks, hustling, peddling drugs. Her bright eyes and cheerful smile will be replaced by a hard, stony expression, a twisted mouth...but chances are she will still be working the same street, ducking into the back seat of an autorickshaw to satisfy customers looking for a monsoon quickie. If her father and mother haven't succumbed to some disease by then, they, too, will be languishing under the plastic sheets, living off her meager earnings. Her line, "India ko gold mil gaya..." in such a depressing context, makes me ask, "Aur aapko — koila? Ya... woh bhi nahi?" Try telling her our Bharat is mahan. She may just punch you!
Hope this article strikes a chord, it definitely touched me. Well now the MEANINGS OF THE HIGHLIGHTED WORDS.
1.bedraggled:(v) To make wet and limp.
2.archetypal:(n)the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.
3.waif:(n)a person, esp. a child, who has no home or friends.
4.emaciated:(v)to make abnormally lean or thin by a gradual wasting away of flesh.
5.huddled:(v)to gather or crowd together in a close mass.
6.chignons:(n)a large, smooth twist, roll, or knot of hair, worn by women at the nape of the neck or the back of the head.
7.unshod:(adj)Not having or wearing shoes or a shoe
8.canny :(adj) shrewd
9.magnanimously:(adv) generously
10.clout:(n)strong influence
11.grit:(n)firmness of character
12.succumbed :(v) to yield,to die
13.languishing :(v) to lose strength or vigour
CONTEXTUAL LEARNING-2
Fine Nuances Between Words
Vocabulary has always been an integral part of every entrance exam.Given below are sentences with a pair of homonyms in each and you are required to pick the correct option according to the contextual usage.
The Houston United has sued its CEO on account of BREECH(A)/BREACH(B) of contract.
The Government is setting up schools in DISCRETE(A)/DISCREET(B) locations across the rural belt to promote preliminary education for the girl child.
Nikita was easily able to SHEAR(A)/SHEER(B) her mind away from all the unpleasant incidents that happened in her life.
Mrs Sharma made sure that she would MILITATE(A)/MITIGATE(B) against the mass deforestation of the Sukhwan locality.
Despite being TORTUROUS(A)/TORTUOUS(B),the movie was a visual delight.
A) ABBAB B)BABBA C)BABAB D)BBABA E)ABBAB
You are welcome to give the meaning of the words.Go ahead hit the Dictionary!!!!Happy hunting!
BIM,TRICHY
BHARATHIDASAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, TIRUCHIRAPPALLI (BIM, Trichy)
BIM-MBA Admission 2009
Eligibility: (1) Bachelor's or Post Graduate degree or its equivalent in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks. (2) Final year degree students may also apply, subject to completion of the degree requirements with minimum 50% marks by July 2009. (3) CAT 2008 scores are used for short-listing candidates who apply for admission to BIM. (4) All applicants to BIM should take CAT 2008.
How to apply: (1) Prospectus and application forms can be obtained by sending a DD for Rs.1400/- (SC/ST Rs.920) along with two self-addressed slips by regular mail to BIM address given below. (2) By online registration at www.bim.edu with an option to pay either by DD or by credit card. For credit card payments, an amount of Rs.1520/- should be paid instead of Rs.1400/- (for SC/ST Rs.1000/- should be paid instead of Rs.920). (3) DD should be drawn in favour of "Bharathidasan Institute of Management" payable at Tiruchirappalli.Bharathidasan Institute of ManagementP.B.No.12, MHD Campus, BHEL Complex, Tiruchirapalli-620014Phone: 0431-2520796, 2520502, Telefax: 2520733, E-mail: admissions@bim.edu
For details see Times of India (Ahmedabad) July 13, 2008 pg.5
TAPMI
T.A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI)
Admissions Open 2009-11: Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM)2 year full time residential program
Last date: Issue of forms: December 1, 2008 / Receipt of completed forms: December 6, 2008
Admission Eligibility and Process: (1) A University degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks. (Final year students may also apply) (2) Scores in CAT (2008)/GMAT (2007, 2008). Short-listed candidates will be invited to participate in the subsequent TAPMI Admission Process (GDPI) at Manipal.Final selection will be based on performance in the admissions process.
TAPMI application forms are available from: (1) Select branches of Axis Bank (from where CAT forms are sold) and State Bank of India (2) Admissions office at TAPMI Manipal and TAPMI CEE, Bangalore (Phone: 080-41501900 (3) Application forms can be downloaded/submitted online at www.tapmi.org .The cost of the application form is Rs.1200.For further details, contact: Admissions OfficeT.A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI)Manipal, Karnataka-576 104Phone: 0820-2571359 (direct), 2571358 ext: 101/102, E-mail: admissions@mail.tapmi.org
For details see Times of India (Mumbai) August 1, 2008 pg.7
IRMA
Institute of Rural Management Anand
Admission Notice: 30th Post Graduate Programme in Rural Management (PRM 2009-2011)and 6th Fellow Programme in Rural Management (FPRM 2009)
Last date for receiving completed application: October 6, 2008
Selection Procedure: A written test, common for PRM and FPRM will be conducted on November 9, 2008 (Sunday: 9.15 am - 12.15 pm) at 27 centres across India.
How to apply: One of the following:
(i) Printed application material (prospectus, application forms etc.) may be obtained from Admissions Coordinator, IRMA, Anand-388001 on payment of Rs 100/-, and an examination fee of Rs.750/- (Rs.500/- for SC/ST/PwD) with the filled-in application form.
(ii) Application material is available with IMS learning centres on cash payment of full fee i.e. Rs.850 (Rs.600 for SC/ST/PwD).
(iii) Fill in the application form online through IRMA website, print it out, and send it to IRMA along with the full fee of Rs.850 (Rs.600 for SC/ST/PwD).
(iv) Download the application form from IRMA website and submit along with the full fee of Rs.850 (Rs.600 for SC/ST/PwD). Payments to IRMA should be in the form of DD favouring 'Institute of Rural Management' payable at Anand.
Completed applications should be sent to: Admissions Coordinator, IRMA, Anand-388001, Gujarat.Each applicant will receive a printed prospectus and sample question paper. For further details, please refer to prospectus or visit IRMA website www.irma.ac.in
For details see The Hindu (Chennai) August 3, 2008 pg.9.
LOGICAL DI CAT 2003
The table above provides certain demographic details of 30 respondents who were part of a survey. The demography characteristics are: gender, number of children, and age of respondents. The first number is each cell is the number of respondents in that group. The minimum and maximum age of respondents in each group is given in brackets. For example, there are 5 female respondents with no children and among these five, the youngest is 34 years old, while the oldest is 49.
Q1. The percentage of respondents aged less than 40 years is at least.
1. 10% 2. 16.67% 3. 20.0% 4. 30%
Q2. Given the information above, the percentage of respondents older than 35 can be at most.
1. 30% 2. 73.33% 3. 76.67% 4. 90%
Q3. The percentage of respondents that fall into the 35 to 40 years age group (both inclusive) is at least
1. 6.67% 2. 10% 3. 13.33% 4. 26.67%