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Cities of joy
Course Chat
Graveyard shift, literally
Office Mantra
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OUR towns and cities continue to grow at a fast pace — new housing settlements, schools, hospitals, markets, roads and highways are coming up in large cities and even smaller towns and rural areas. With the emerging socio-economic and cultural realities, planning, development and management of human settlements is becoming an increasingly complex task. There is a proliferation of urban settlements and conglomerations across the country, some necessary and desirable, others total unplanned and hazardous. With new demands for housing, and additional infrastructural requirements like the stadia for Commonwealth Games and the spread of metropolitan areas to satellite towns like Gurgaon and Noida outside Delhi and Mohali and Panchkula skirting Chandigarh, it is increasingly being felt that apart from metropolitan areas and cities, smaller towns and even villages need planned development.
Challenges ahead
URBAN planning is the art and science of bringing together the various elements that make up a town. An urban planner or regional planner helps a community decide how to best use its land and resources with an eye toward future growth and revitalisation. Urban and regional planners take charge of or assist in planning the location of buildings and public facilities in the development or redevelopment of a city or metropolitan area and other human settlements. They recommend locations for roads, schools and other infrastructure in order to help local officials solve social, economic and environmental problems. In almost all the major cities and towns in India, there are urban development authorities that seek the assistance and advice of urban planners. Urban planning in India is used to offer help to municipalities and their agencies to improve the functioning of cities and towns. Urban planners are trained to plan and design integrated urban infrastructure facilities like urban roads, the metro, parking lots, street lights, bus terminals, water supply and distribution, drainage, solid waste management systems, and sewerage encompassing all the elements of a city or town. They figure out the best way to use the land and report on the best location for houses, markets, hospitals, schools, parks and so on. They study traffic, pollution and power supply and try to solve several problems. They plan where people should drive their cars and where they can park and make sure that people can easily get to a bus or metro or other public transport. Before making plans for a community, planners need to make a thorough study of the settlement and the requirements of the community. They find out how many people use the streets, highways, water, sewers, schools, libraries, museums, and parks. Planners talk to people in the communities. With these and many other facts, they advise community leaders, municipal bodies or government departments the changes that are required – if new schools and roads are needed, how to save trees and protect the environment, where to dispose garbage etc. Urban planners in India can handle a variety of tasks. These include regulation of land use for residential and commercial purposes, planning for economic and social development, construction of roads and bridges, planning for water supply for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes, sewerage, sanitation and solid waste management, protection of environment, and even ensuring proper infrastructural facilities for the disadvantaged members of society. Planners use computers and draw new maps showing changes for the future. Often, there are disagreements or modifications required and urban planners have to go back and develop a plan that most can accept.
Academic planning
TO work as an urban planner or regional planner one generally needs a master’s degree in urban or regional planning. A master’s degree in a related field, for example urban design or geography, may be accepted as well. Most employers seek people who have a master’s degree in city planning or urban design. Courses in urban, town, regional planning are open to B.Arch and B.Planning degree holders. Some courses admit students with a bachelor’s degree in economics, geography and civil engineering. Currently, there are only two institutions that offer a bachelor’s degree course in planning. These are the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, which offers a four-year bachelor of planning (B.Planning) and Guru Ramdas School of Planning at Guru Nanak Dev University, which has a B.Tech (planning) programme of four-year duration. The School of Planning in the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad, offers an 18-month postgraduate diploma in planning with specialisation in urban and regional planning, housing and environmental planning. Guru Ramdas School of Planning offers M.Tech programmes in urban planning, regional planning and housing. In addition, eight institutions offer master’s degrees in urban, town, regional planning courses — Anna University (Chennai), Calcutta University, Jadavpur University (Calcutta), Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (Hyderabad), Mumbai University, Nagpur University, Roorkee University - Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP), Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur - Master of Country Planning (MCP), and Sardar Ballabhbhai Regional College of Engineering (Surat) for ME (town, regional planning). The School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi offers M.Arch course with a specific area of specialisation, such as housing, urban design, and architectural conservation. The courses are open only to B.Arch degree holders. The Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, offers a master of urban planning (MUP) - town planning to candidates who have a B.Arch / B.Planning or equivalent/ B.E. Civil with 60 per cent marks in aggregate (55 per cent for SC/ST) or M.A./M.Sc. geography, economics, sociology or environmental science with 55 per cent marks (50 per cent for SC/ST). Like the architecture course, there is also an alternative route to acquire postgraduate qualification in planning. The Institution of Town Planners, India, conducts an Associateship examination leading to the award of Associate Member of the Institute of Town Planners, India (AMITP), which is indicative of professional excellence in the area, and considered equivalent to the B.Planning degree. Urban planning in India is steadily gaining pace. Most jobs for planners are with government departments, municipal bodies, town and urban planning authorities, large developers and international organisations. The overwhelming growth of towns and cities, bursting at the seams, has resulted in an acute shortage in housing, drinking water supply, sewerage, schools, medical facilities etc. This has further led to increased vehicular traffic, pollution, poverty, and social chaos, thus compromising the main essence of urban life. The role of the urban and town planner has, therefore, increased significantly. Studies show that in the last 40 years there has been more than 350 per cent increase in the urban population, and it is estimated that at this rate, the projection is around over 400 million living in towns and cities by the end of year 2011, and 533 million by the end of year 2021. With this phenomenal growth, the number of jobs for planners is expected to grow even faster. (The writer is a
career expert)
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THE National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM) has introduced its first-ever open one-year executive programme in capital markets (EPCM). The programme — open to all professionals in the financial sector – would be an executive programme and would begin this May.
The programme has been designed in collaboration with the Bombay Stock Exchange with the objective of developing trained professionals capable of occupying positions of responsibility in stock exchanges, commodity exchanges, regulatory bodies market intermediaries, banks, mutual funds and asset management companies and other similar entities. The programme would cover all financial markets — cash equity, equity derivatives, currency derivatives, commodities and foreign exchange. What is sought to be achieved is an ideal blend of useful theoretical knowledge and its application to capital markets. Pedagogy for the programme comprises classroom teaching, case studies, panel discussions, presentations and visit to national and overseas financial centres. “The USPs are its comprehensiveness, its teaching methodology and interactiveness, in which seasoned market professionals undertake key sessions, wide exposure to overseas financial centres and strong applications orientation, besides the fact that BSE is the collaborator for the programme,” said Gupta. “Our focus is not only on creating highly trained professionals who multiply investor wealth but on creating a specialist who is well versed in international laws and helps focus on wealth creation for all, ethically and legally,” he added. The course has been divided into four parts where each part looks after a particular part of the business. The first quadmester will focus on economics for the financial markets. In the second quadmester, after understanding the basic premise of the fundamentals, the emphasis will be on corporate finance, legal framework for business with special emphasis on capital market laws, fixed income securities, foreign exchange market and marketing of financial services. The third quadmester will look at the primary market- IPO regulations and book building, equity trading — fundamental and technical analysis, trading in cash equity — market microstructure and rules of the exchange, equity derivatives — futures and options, hedging and trading strategies, risk management and financial institutions and markets very closely. The final quadmester will emphasize on mutual funds and portfolio management, mergers and acquisitions, commodities market, corporate reporting and disclosure and global capital markets. NIFM, an autonomous institute under the aegis of the finance
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Graveyard shift, literally
LATE-NIGHT shift work may increase the risks of developing cancer, says a new study. According to Tulane University expert Dr David Blask, late-night exposure to light may diminish levels of a natural cancer-fighting hormone.
In the early 1980s, Blask was one of only a handful of scientists studying regulation of breast cancer development and growth by melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland during sleep in the darkness of night. Melatonin modulates many of the body’s natural circadian rhythms, including the sleep/wake cycle, and has been shown to have important anti-cancer properties. He was the first to demonstrate that nighttime doses of melatonin suppress human breast cancer cell growth. Now, in the latest study, using specially designed photoperiodic chambers, which allow precise control over light exposure at night, he and his research team have demonstrated that manipulating light intensity at night, and thus melatonin production, dramatically affects human breast cancers growing in rats. The research team’s experiments show that reduced levels of melatonin coupled with higher levels of light at night boosted human breast cancer tumor growth in rats. —
ANI
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TWENTY-SOMETHING Himanshu Jindal entered the fourth year of engineering with stars in his eyes. The electronic engineering student was waiting eagerly for campus placements. And why not? His seniors had bagged good offers. Most, in fact, had multiple offers that offered a good salary and work profile. Unfortunately, before the recruiters, the meltdown arrived. Himanshu is now uncertain of the future.
Not very long ago, fresh graduates had a number of options in choosing jobs. Employers seemed perpetually short of staff going by advertisements in every possible media and the slew of campus interviews. But the picture is not so rosy in the current scenario as many young job aspirants slog it out in the race for the dream job. Here are some useful tips that will help freshers land a job in the present market scenario: n Keep in mind employers’ requirements: While in boom time, employers were willing to invest heavily on training, but for the time being freshers will have to look out for themselves. Apart from technical knowledge, employers are looking for candidates who can deliver added value, like transferable and people skills. n Spruce up your portfolio: Freshers with minimal or no experience should additionally invest on their professional development. “I would rather upgrade my portfolio before I start applying for jobs,” says Amit Verma, who has signed on for a part-time MBA in addition to taking up a temporary job in a bank. “My contract with the bank will be over in December next year and with an additional degree and skills to add weight to my resume, there is every chance that I can convert this into a permanent position,” he says. n Search websites and referrals: Tap sources such as websites, networks and referrals to land jobs in a tight market. “Family is usually the last on the list when one thinks of touching up contacts for a referral. I never really thought I would need to exercise my family connections to get a job, but I must admit, it has been a great source help,” shares Priyanka Tuli, a chartered accountant who was able to join a reputed partnership straightaway, thanks to a word put in by a friend of her uncle. Waiting for the recession to come down and in improvement in job markets before getting a full-fledged job, you can go in for higher education and specialisations ranging from college degrees and course work to informal learning opportunities that will add value to your resume. n Make adjustments: Keeping in mind the global slowdown, seize opportunities and make adjustments with the difficult time events and unconventional opportunities. Last month, a major software company retrenched thousands of fresh engineering graduates it had recruited in campus interviews to work in its BPO arm instead of software for which they were originally recruited. Although bitterly disappointed that they had to do a job not related to their skill sets and the one which was much less paid, most of the candidates accepted the offer. “At least it offers a chance to break into the market and develop communication, life skills and real-time work experience,” says Vijay, who accepted the offer. “Go compare that with sitting at home with no salary and no experience whatsoever which is an absolute requirement for getting a decent job nowadays. The organisation has promised to accommodate us in the IT sector once the business picks up and signing on now gives us a definite head-start”, he further says. This is a right step because in a recession, any job in hand is worth two in the pipeline. Getting a job in a tight market is no doubt an uphill task. More so for candidates looking for an entry-level job with very little experience. Job seekers need to put in considerable extra, concerted efforts to convince employers to hire them. With the passage of time, the job markets will definitely improve with more jobs and good salaries for the freshers. Till then, keep trying and don’t despair.
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Career Hotline
Q. I want to make my career in modelling, but my height is 5-7’. What qualities should one have for it? What do I have to do to become one?
— Manish Rastogi A. Typically, the minimum height required for becoming a ramp model is 5-10.” However, don’t be disheartened. Fashion modelling is essentially of - Still modelling for print advertisements and catalogues. - Audio-visual modelling for television and the big screen commercials. - Ramp modelling for fashion shows. It also helps to keep abreast of things in general, along with the latest trends in style and fashion to project that ideal mix of brains and brawn. Usually, the age specified for participants is 18-30 years. Typically modelling agencies ask you to send one full-length and one close-up colour picture along with your vital statistics. So the first thing you need to do is get some pictures taken by a professional photographer. For an aspiring model, a well-shot portfolio is the passport to getting noticed. Don’t stint on this one. Rather, consider it an investment. You can also directly contact fashion magazines, ad agencies and perhaps even some top-of-the-line designers or choreographers if you feel your portfolio does you justice. You can do this by simply sending your photographs to the ad agency’s model coordinator, even though the odds are that in the beginning, they may land up in the dustbin. But then, that’s all a part of the initial struggle. The catch lies in not giving up. As the old adage goes — no pain, no gain! Signing up with a reputed modelling agency would help.
Aromatic medicinal plants rock
Q. I come from a family of farmers. I have heard that cultivating aromatic medicinal plants is a very lucrative option. Is this true? Could you please tell me something about this? — Harish Kr Dewan Nearly 90 per cent of plant-based medicines are obtained from nature while 10 per cent are from medicinal plants cultivated on farms. However, owing to growing demands of plant-based medicines, there is urgent need to grow certain medicinal plants on a large scale. Some common spices and condiments are cultivated in farms on a large scale like are black pepper, chillies, coriander, cumin, fennel, garlic, ginger, mustard, mint, onion, and turmeric. India possesses a very rich plant diversity to meet the growing demands of plant based medicines, perfumery and
flavouring. India’s favourable soil and climate plays host to over 320 of the 400 families of flowering medicinal plants in the world. As we have some of the rarest and most needed medicinal plants in India, we can capitalise on this to capture a large share of the growing global trade. Organic farming would go a long way in increasing the acceptability of these plants. Pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers of ayurvedic medicines, herbal cosmetics, health food, perfume industry and nature cure clinics — in India and abroad namely USA,
EU, Japan and Australia constitute the major market for Indian medicinal plants, while many others like New Zealand, Germany and Korea have shown keen interest in. While our domestic market alone is huge, and growing steadily, our herbal exports to the US exceed that of China. The National Medicinal Plants Board, Government of India (www.nmpb.nic.in) expects export of medicinal and value-added products from India to double from the present Rs 900-odd crores by 2011-12. Several states e.g. Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttaranchal offer incentives for plantation of medicinal herbs. The entire Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh, particularly the higher reaches of Chamba, Kullu, Shimla, and Sirmour districts, is home to over 3,500 species of herbs and aromatic plants. Of these, as many as 70 endangered Himalayan herbs with rare medicinal properties are on the verge of extinction. By 2011-12, the government’s new National Mission on Medicinal Plants
(NMMP) expects to bring some 80,000-1,00,000 hectares of land under medicinal plants through direct financial assistance for cultivation, and an almost equal area that will be covered by incentivising farmers who may switch over from traditional crops to medicinal plants. Some 200 nurseries are proposed to be set up, both in the public and private sector, for making available seeds of certified quality. New testing labs are also being created through public-private partnerships.
Studying abroad: Balance is the key
Q. Being an only child, I’m somewhat over-protected at home. Precisely for this reason, I have told my parents that I would like to go abroad for further study, preferably to the US. However, they say that I will not be able to cope with the pressures and system of study there. They also fear that I will become undisciplined because of all the freedom there — unlike our school system where teachers keep a close eye on the students. What do you feel? — Gauri Malhan But don’t worry — you won’t be left completely on you own. Universities have a sophisticated service infrastructure to help you. There are counselling
centres, residence advisors, medical services, placement offices, etc. Sure, the freedom at college can be difficult to get used to. Immense study load with an emphasis on self-study vs. rote learning on one hand and the numerous distractions including a new multi-cultural environment on the other may pull you in opposite directions. One of the most important things you can learn during your first months at university is “balance”.
Call of the forest
— Viren Dubey A.
If you can’t find a distance learning course in B.Sc Forestry, you could look at B.Sc courses in environment science and B.Sc environmental zoology instead. Since you have already done your
B.Sc, you can even opt for M.Sc in environment science.
Armed forces option open
— Raunak Kadian A. The Aeronautical Society of India
(ASI) conducts an associate membership examination. Since Sections A and B of this exam are recognised by the
MHRD, as being at par with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from an Indian university, you stand eligible to apply for the position of an engineer with the armed forces.
This column appears weekly. Please send
in your queries, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete
address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune,
Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers @tribunemail.com
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Fortnightly Quiz-333
1. What amount was pledged to be pumped into the world economy by the end of 2010 through multilateral institutions like the IMF at the end of G20 Summit recently?
2. Name the new state-of-the-art Boeing jets that were recently inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) for carrying VVIPs. 3. Which model of Maruti car that revolutionised personal transport in modern India will be phased out by 2016, when the country is expected to embrace new emission norms? 4. How many years of existence have been completed by the Films Division, the government organisation that has been at the vanguard of the short films’ movement in India? 5. Name the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. 6. What is the range of surface-to-surface Brahmos cruise missile? 7. Which country is the world’s largest producer of opium? 8. What is the full form of technology giant IBM? 9. Name the Indian batsman who recently eclipsed Sunil Gavaskar’s record of scoring most runs after playing 25 Test matches. 10. Name the only New Zealander to be inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame. —
Tarun Sharma
Winners of quiz 332: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Abhinav Rai, class VIII, Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, Yamuna Nagar, Pin Code 135001 Second: Vrinda Kapoor, class XI (non-medical), SD Public School, Jagadhari road, Ambala Cantt, Pin Code 133001 Third: Pushkar Partap Singh Brar, class VIII, Akal Academy, Muktsar, Malout road, Pin Code 152026
Answers to quiz 332: Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary; Air Marshal PardeepVasant Naik; March 22; Pakistan; Mukesh Ambani; Nano; Madan Lal; England, Seven; 33 Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address. Note: Kindly mention the pincode of your place to facilitate the delivery of the prize money. Answers can also be sent Name …………….…………........... Class ...………….......….……........... School address
…….....…............ .........................................................................
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OUR towns and cities continue to grow at a fast pace — new housing settlements, schools, hospitals, markets, roads and highways are coming up in large cities and even smaller towns and rural areas. With the emerging socio-economic and cultural realities, planning, development and management of human settlements is becoming an increasingly complex task. There is a proliferation of urban settlements and conglomerations across the country, some necessary and desirable, others total unplanned and hazardous.
“The uniqueness of the programme lies in its extensive use of market professionals as resource persons for the programme,” said NIFM director G.P. Gupta. “Apart from sound grounding in academic concepts pertaining to the capital markets, the participants will get a chance to interact with senior regulatory officials, executives of exchanges, leading merchant bankers, institutional investors and FIIs.”
“Campus recruitments are still on but the job market is not what it used to be. Fewer companies are recruiting this year. The kind and number of jobs up for grabs have been adversely affected,” says the student of a Punjab college, thoroughly disappointed by the turnout of recruiters for campus interviews this year. “Companies have become extremely selective about the kind of people they are hiring. We can no longer count on multiple job offers, and our professors are advising us to accept the first job that comes along or to go in for further studies, Himanshu says.
If your face speaks volumes (the kind that can launch a new frying pan or a thousand ships!), but your physique holds you back, then the first two options would be ideal. Once you decide upon modelling as a career, ‘professional’ is what you’ll need to be at every step: regular with your workout, your diet and your grooming. Surely, a well-sculpted body or a healthy glowing complexion is not built in a day.
A. Plants have been used medicinally since antiquity. According to the World Health Organisation’s survey, 80 per cent of the world’s population uses plants as medicine for primary health care. Plant-based medicines are used in various systems i.e.
Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Homeopathy, Tibetan and even in allopathy to some extent.
A. Unlike your teachers in school, university professors in the US rarely check attendance or day-to-day homework. You are expected to be responsible for yourself and your obligations as a student (you’ll be treated as an adult and in turn, will be expected to behave as one). 
Q. I have done B.Sc. non-medical and I am employed in the forest department as forest guard. Please tell me if I can do B.Sc in forestry through correspondence? Please guide me.
Q. I am enrolled in the Aeronautical Society of India for doing a course in aeronautical engineering. After completing the course, will I be eligible to apply for the position of an engineer with the armed forces?
