Protection Mechanism For Whistleblowers – A Positive Development

It was heartening to see some developments that promise at least an apparently secured environment for whistleblowers.

First, the Union Cabinet approved the “Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosure Bill, 2010”, which empowers the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to punish and penalize those who will reveal the identity of a whistleblower and will thus get the latter into troubles. The Bill is aimed at protecting whistleblowers from the Central, State and Public Sector employees, and entrusts the CVC with the responsibility of protecting the identity of those who will bring to the CVC’s notice the instances of misuse of government authority and funds.

Secondly, now there is news that the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is mulling a proposal to make it mandatory to have a whistleblower mechanism in companies, i.e. a mechanism that will shield whistleblowers from victimization. As of now it is only optional for companies to have such a mechanism.

Personally I feel these are very significant developments. It is an open secret that the corporate world is very vulnerable to irregularities of various types, and practices that cannot be called fair. Under such circumstances, whistleblowers are likely to play a very significant role, and it is a must to ensure that they are able to share their findings/doubts without any hesitation.

“New/Social Media” – The Emerging Specialized Field Within The Communications Domain

The “New Media” or “Social Media” tools, such as blog, Internet forums, social networking sites and YouTube have now become parts of the official communication tools practiced by various organizations. Well, this is known to everybody. But what some people may not be knowing is that New Media has started emerging as a specialized field within the Communication domain. Now it has become very common for organizations, both business organizations as well as non-profits, to have at least one dedicated employee (and sometimes a group of employees) in the Communications Department who is exclusively handling New or Social Media Communications. Yes, at the end of the day he is reporting to the overall head of the Communications Department (the VP, the Director or the DGM, or whatever). And it is most of the times the head of the department who takes the final decision on the New Media Communications, as it is in the cases of other P.R./communications activities like Media Relations, Government Relations, etc. But what I am trying to highlight is that now organizations have at least started having dedicated people meant exclusively for New/Social Media Communications.

And this clearly highlights the emergence of New/Social Media Communications as a specialized field within the domain of Public Relations/Communications. Quite naturally, I find many people bagging lucrative jobs with prestigious organizations simply by virtue of their experience in New/Social Media tools, while being virtually rookie in the fields of Media Relations, Government Relations, and other PR/Communications areas.

When I started my career in Public Relations/Communications around 10 years back, that time usually Media Relations was considered to be a specialized field in this domain. One of the first things that we learnt as rookies was how to prepare captivating “Press Releases”, how to “sell” them to the media (i.e. journalists) so that the latter covers those news, how to enthuse the media to attend a press conference or other press events, etc. Another specialized field was Event Management, which entailed the smooth and successful handling of various events (such as corporate events). This in fact led to the birth of a new field, i.e. Event Management, with event management companies raking their moolah by professionally handling corporate and other events of various types and nature, aimed at various sorts of target audiences ranging from tech maniacs to young students.

At the high level of Public Relations there was also the specialized field of Government Relations, which entailed dealing with the bureaucrats, policy makers, etc., usually on behalf of one’s organization. “Lobbying”, the controversial word, was a part of it.

There was also another specialized field. And that was preparation of corporate literatures and other materials, ranging from brochures, corporate websites, case studies, flyers, etc. In fact I eventually got involved with this field.

All these specialized communications fields are still there. But now they have another friend. And that is New/Social Media Communications. And it is increasingly thriving.

Are you a wannabe communications professional? And do you take interest in new/social media activities like blogging, YouTube, social networking sites (like Facebook), podcasting, etc? Well, then you may think of establishing yourself as a New Media Expert. It will be an enjoyable job for you, and most likely to be well-paid as well. And you can use this field to be associated with both business houses as well as non-profits (or for that matter any sort of organization), according to your personal interest and aptitude.

Kalash – The non-Muslim Tribe Of North-Western Pakistan

Just today I came across an interesting Wikipedia piece on the Kalash people, an indigenous community residing in the Hindu Kush mountain range in the Chitral district of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North Western Frontier Province) province of Pakistan.

I loved to read the small piece, which I found both interesting and enjoyable. It contained information about their language (i.e. Kalash language), customs, culture, religion, etc.

It was pretty interesting to read about their religion. First, the Kalash people are non-Muslims. More importantly, they are polytheists, just like the Hindus. And there is also a touch of Animism, as nature holds a significant place in their daily life.

In this context it may be mentioned that at least one Kalash god has a strong similarity with a Hindu god. That Kalash god is named Sajigor or Shura Verin. And the Hindu god with whom it has similarity is Indra, the king of gods in the Hindu Pantheon.

The cultural and religious identity of the Kalash people was facing threat due to forced conversions. But now the Pakistan government has taken measures to ensure that the purity of Kalash identity remains intact and untouched. And those measures are showing results. So let us not forget to say thanks to the Pakistan government for helping such an interesting indigenous community to retain their cultural sanctity.

United Nations Lends Strong Support For Right To Water

It was a genuine pleasure to see United Nations declaring access to clean water and sanitation as a “Human Right”.

Nobody needs to be an expert or exceptionally rational to know how true it is. Potable water and sanitation are two quintessential components of human civilization. And it is extremely painful that even in the 21st century a huge number of people are deprived of these basic amenities. It is terribly unfortunate, shameful and horrifying, all at one go. It is a disgrace for the global civilization, which takes so much pride in its technological advancement.

Now let’s sincerely wish that all relevant organizations – starting from international bodies to local administrative units – will start addressing the issue with utmost sincerity, doing everything that comes within its range of authority and purview.

The Possible Hike In EMI On Bank Loans – My Question For The Indian Banking Fraternity

With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hiking the Repo Rate, there has naturally been a possibility of commercial banks hiking their rates of interest (i.e. EMI) for various categories of loans, including car loan and home loan.

Despite being a layman with little grasp of financial issues, I had no problem in understanding the direct relationship between a hike in Repo Rate and a hike in the rates of interest for the loans provided by banks. In fact it is an issue that anybody will find to be crystal clear.

However, there is something that I will like the banking sector mandarins to take note of.

If RBI has hiked the Repo Rate, then it has also hiked the Reverse Repo Rate, right? Therefore, at the end of the day the matter is back to the square one, with neither a gain nor a loss for banks.

And in that case, the banks should not hike their rates of interest for loans. Because if a hike in the Repo Rate has caused a “compulsion” for them, then at the same time a hike in the Reverse Repo Rate has caused a “dilution” of that “compulsion”.

Yes, am I wrong in my analysis?

I came to know that the hike in the Reverse Repo Rate might result in a hike in the interests offered by banks on fixed deposits. Well, I do not think that will be of much help. Because the income made from the interest on one’s fixed deposits is taxable, and the tax will increase with the increase in that income.

The middle class is more interested in a less taxing EMI. And therefore I will humbly request banks to try to retain the present rates of interest on the loans offered by them.

Yes, they are welcome to change it, if they reduce it (just kidding).

Should Tulu Be Made The Second Official Language Of Karnataka?

I am not a native of Karnataka, and therefore probably do not have the right to make any remark on this issue.

However, on the basis of common sense I feel that the Tulu language should be made the second official language of Karnataka. The state has sizeable Tulu speakers, mainly concentrated in the districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. And one key town of the state where the language has a prominent number of speakers is Mangalore. In a nutshell, the Tulu language does have a strong position in Karnataka. And therefore that position must be duly recognized by giving it the second official language status in the state.

The step will also help the Tuluva people in carving out a separate identity for themselves, in a stark contrast to the present situation where they are often confused with the Kannadigas. And this in turn will also stimulate the thriving and nourishment of the Tuluva culture (which includes the famous Udupi cuisine), which is right now probably a bit overwhelmed by the Kannadiga culture.

Key To Language Survival – Let’s Make One Another Feel Proud Of Our Native Tongues

It is a common knowledge that many languages of the world are now facing existential threat. And the reason for the same is also well known. Actually the young speakers of many languages are now more into speaking English and/or other major languages, for both professional as well as social reasons. And this is naturally resulting in a reduction in the use of their mother languages, eventually resulting in a threat for their existence.

A host of international and national organizations and initiatives have been set up, which are trying their level best to ensure the survival of the “threatened” languages. Many non-profit organizations, groups and associations are also working hard on this issue. Opinion makers like educationists, litterateurs, etc. are also often found to deliver speeches aimed at motivating youths to speak their mother languages.

However, I have a simple formula. I do not know how much effective it will be. Nevertheless I will love to put it forward for the feedback and views of other people.

I suppose (and I know most of you will agree) that the best way to motivate a person to speak his native tongue is to make him feel proud of the same. However, a person might not be that motivated if his language is praised by another person from the same community, as the former might feel that the other guy is praising the language as it is his language as well.

But the picture might be very different if I find that a speaker of a different language is praising my language, and is also showing eagerness to know about the same. For example, I was always proud of my mother language Bengali. But my pride got a huge boost when, after settling down in Delhi, I came across a number of north Indians who kept praising the richness and sweetness of my language.

So my simple formula to make people proud of their mother tongues is – let’s start learning at least a little about other peoples’ languages (of course as many as we can), and then discuss a few words on his language when we meet a speaker of a language which is not exactly a major language. This might make him feel proud of his language, eventually enthusing him to take more interest in the same.

I know that even if the scheme gathers any success, it will remain a very insignificant effort. But even an insignificant effort is an effort all the same. Right?