Chetan Bhagat's article in TOI on Indian women being stressed out

Chetan Bhagats Article in todays TOI : Specially for Indian Women. Do Read it and share it with all the women in your life
Alright, this is not cool at all. A recent survey by Nielsen has revealed that Indian women are the most stressed out in the world: 87% of our women feel stressed out most of the time. This statistic alone has caused me to stress out. Even in workaholic America, only 53% women feel stressed.
What are we doing to our women? I'm biased, but Indian women are the most beautiful in the world. As mothers, sisters, daughters, colleagues, wives and girlfriends - we love them. Can you imagine life without the ladies? For now, i want to give Indian women five suggestions to reduce their stress levels. One, don't ever think you are without power. Give it back to that mother-in-law. Be who you are, not someone she wished you would be. She doesn't like you? That's her problem. Two, if you are doing a good job at work and your boss doesn't value you - tell him that, or quit. Talented, hard-working people are much in demand. Three, educate yourself, learn skills, network - figure out ways to be economically independent. So next time your husband tells you that you are not a good enough wife, mother or daughter-in-law, you can tell him to take a hike. Four, do not ever feel stressed about having a dual responsibility of family and work. It is difficult, but not impossible. The trick is not to expect an A+ in every aspect of your life. You are not taking an exam, and you frankly can't score cent per cent (unless you are in SRCC, of course). It is okay if you don't make four dishes for lunch, one can fill their stomach with one. It is okay if you don't work until midnight and don't get a promotion. Nobody remembers their job designation on their dying day. Five, most important, don't get competitive with other women. Someone will make a better scrapbook for her school project than you. Another will lose more weight with a better diet. Your neighbour may make a six-dabba tiffin for her husband, you don't - big deal. Do your best, but don't keep looking out for the report card, and definitely don't expect to top the class. There is no ideal woman in this world, and if you strive to become one, there will be only one thing you will achieve for certain - stress. So breathe, chill, relax. Tell yourself you are beautiful, do your best and deserve a peaceful life. Anybody trying to take that away from you is making a mistake, not you. Your purpose of coming to this earth is not to please everyone. Your purpose is to offer what you have to the world, and have a good life in return. The next time this survey comes, i don't want to see Indian women on top of the list. I want them to be the happiest women in the world. Now smile, before your mother-in-law shouts at you for wasting your time reading the newspaper.
Cherish Womanhood.

Nearly Half of World's Child Marriages Occur In India

Nearly Half of World's Child Marriages Occur In India By SiliconIndia | Thursday, 01 March 2012, 16:41 IST |

Bangalore: Contemporary India continues to be plagued by social and health ills like child marriage, early motherhood and domestic violence. More than 40 percent of the world's child marriages still occur in India. More than 60 million women worldwide who are between 20 and 24 years were married before they turned 18. Latest records in the ‘State of the World's Children report 2012’ released by UNICEF revealed that almost 22 percent women in India, who are now aged between 20 and 24 years gave birth to a child before they turned 18.
Almost 45 in every 1,000 births are born to mothers in the age group of 15-19. Around 57 percent of male adolescents (age 15-19) and 53 percent of female adolescents thought a husband was justified in beating up his wife under certain circumstances.
The report revealed that only 35 percent adolescent males (aged 15-19) and 19 percent adolescent females have a comprehensive knowledge of HIV. Almost 33 percent of children under the age of five in urban India and 46 percent in rural India are underweight.
Around two in four people in urban India and one in five in rural India use improved sanitation facilities. India ranks 46 and is among the 50 worst nations with the highest under-five mortality rate.

Violence at Workplace

How to Control Violence at Workplace? By SiliconIndia | Thursday, 01 March 2012, 16:50 IST |

Bangalore: Have you ever experienced violence in your workplace? If yes, then keep in mind that the idea of workplace violence is scaring to almost everyone. In India, workplace violence’s are quite common as several incidents in the past and present have proved the hostility and arrogance of the employees. Violence at workplace can be of different types like mental, emotional or also many a times lead to physical abuse.
According to Debhashish Sengupta of the Hindu, one such tragic example of workplace violence happened when the DGM (operations) of the company Graphite India Powermax Steel division, was killed when some terminated employees staging protest outside the plant at Bolangir (Orissa) stopped his car and allegedly set it on fire.
In September 2009, a similar case happened when the Vice President (HR) of an auto manufacturing corporation was killed by a group of suspended workers in his cabin in the company's unit about 20 km from Coimbatore. Previously, in September 2008, at Greater Noida, the CEO and Managing Director of Cerlikon-Graziano Transmission India was assassinated by a group of provoked employees.

Aasra in the DNA , 3rd March 2012

Aasra in the Times of India, 28th Feb 2012

Mark Greenberg on Nurturing Mindfulness in Families, Schools and Youth

Talk about depression and suicide

Grief, despair and depression were a part of Eric Slocum's life and ultimately a part of his death. The former Seattle news anchor committed suicide. Slocum came into people's homes for years as a KOMO TV reporter and anchor, and later as a news anchor at KOMO Radio. He left KOMO several years ago to write a memoir and poetry. I hadn't talked to him in over a year, and now, looking back at his recent poetry I see a theme of death as he battled many demons. He struggled with alcohol, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and coming out as a gay man. He wanted to lift the stigma attached to depression and other mental illnesses so people who needed help wouldn't be embarassed to ask for it. Ironically, he was in a profession where it's taboo to talk about suicide. Most news organizations have policies, generally an unspoken understanding, that "we don't report suicides." I've never agreed with that philosophy and I continue to defy it. Some say, "It would encourage others to commit suicide" or "It's so common, it happens all the time, it's not news." I've heard both statements in newsrooms I've worked in over the years. We routinely report stabbings, shootings and drunk driving accidents as if those are more newsworthy. Most of us aren't going to be victims of violent crime, but I bet every one of us knows someone who is depressed or suicidal. It's an illness that cuts across every demographic of age, gender, race, ethnicity, profession and economic status. By talking about suicide, the news we don't report, we might begin discussions that save lives. It's the most important story we could report. It's not just media people who are uncomfortable dealing with suicides. Most of us don't know what to do about mental illness. If any of us went over to a friend's house and saw they had a broken arm, we'd rush them to the hospital to get it fixed up. No hesitation. If we discovered a friend had a mental disorder, that's more complicated. How do we get them help? Where do we take them? How do we not make the situation worse? What do we say? National Suicide Prevention Lifeline call 1-800-273-8522 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention And the Poppies Die By Dan-Eric Slocum I know nothing of poppies or any plant, But I have so admired these proud, red perfect ones - my early spring companions - just beyond the window for the last three weeks, if that Startling then, when I descended the stairs this morning, with no peripheral red in the window, none. No standing tall as before, the poppies. The moderate spring rain turned petals to leaden weights; took them to the ground last night. Heartbroken, I am, after only weeks? So silly, just flowers. And the automatic swirl of despair around my heart. Later in the day, I'm told, "They would have died anyway. The growing season is so short." O my life; what to do with these constant, tiny griefs?