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When communication crashes
Attitude makes the difference Campus Notes
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When communication crashes NEVER has the word ‘communication’ generated as much public interest as it does now. With the growth of technology, a new facet of communication has emerged with a blinding force for the ‘Internet generation’. Presently, the most-widely-used term ‘communication’ has assumed a complex and interesting entity. It offers grist to the regularly produced crash course books with titles like Self-Development and Communication and Communication: Miscommunication, etc. In the Oxford Dictionary, ‘communication’ is seen as “the activity or process of expressing ideas and feelings or of giving people information”, which implies a striking notion of an inherent and closely intrinsic relationship with the language. In the present scenario, communication entails primarily its close and natural relationship with the English language. The debate concerning the correlation between English literature and English language is old, and an intensely contested issue built on the premise that pursuing the Master’s in English Literature enhances the proficiency in the English language. This proposition is no longer acceptable. This conclusion has been drawn by various studies, which had focused on the contentious issue after scrutinising the expertise of the language of the students who studied English Literature at the postgraduate level. Having moved out of rigid parameters, the English language has acquired a most flexible and commanding status in today’s global world. Now, from the center, the English language has moved sideways, percolating to the mushrooming of English-speaking courses in small towns, primarily to cater to the ‘Internet generation’. The package is attractive, as the course guarantees to show positive results. Advertisements for marketing the course rely on effective marketing tools which lead to the chain of consumers, consumption and means of employment. These tools are innovative, persuasive and competitive. In fact, such endeavours generate a spirit of ‘competitive marketing’. The entire exercise initiated with gusto began with the call centre culture, which initiated the trainees to mimic the English accent pandering to the consumers’ arrogance. The English language offers fairly a large scope for varied interpretations. For a student of literature, the word ‘liability’ has different connotations. In legal jurisprudence, as is evident in Hohfield’s concept of ‘jural relations’, the word ‘liability’ implies “correlative of power and denotes a person whose legal condition can be so altered”. The difference is palpable. This dissimilarity is supplemented by Lesikar and Flatelty, with the most cited illustration in underlining the ever-growing connection and fascination with the ‘technical language.’ It is “when an ordinary person wants to give someone an orange, he or she would merely say, ‘I give you this orange’. But when a lawyer does it, his words are something like this, ‘Know all persons by these present that I hereby give, grant, bargain, sell, release, convey, transfer, and quitclaim all my right, title, interest, benefit, and use whatever in, of, and concerning this chattel, otherwise known as an orange, or citrus orantium, together with its skin, pulp, pip, rind, seed, and juice, to have and to hold the said orange together with its skin, pulp, pip, rind, seeds, and juices, for his own use and behalf, to himself and his heirs, in free simple forever, free from all liens, encumbrances, easements, limitations, restraints, or conditions whatsoever ...’ ” The variations in the English language broadly underline its suppleness which has filtered through its porous enclosure. Nowadays, communication—‘legal parlance’, ‘business communication’, ‘corporate language’, ‘verbal’, ‘non-verbal’, ‘body language’, etc.—form a curious package. The interdisciplinary and overlapping subjects in various syllabi have given a different nomenclature and character to the language. In this context, one of the most recent subjects, which has emerged in India highlighting the relationship between the language and law, is ‘information technology and cyber law’. The elasticity of the English language also provides an opportunity to make a subject-wise course curriculum adorned with fashionable terms and idioms. The off-campus burgeoning shops provide a cluster of fancy rooms, furniture, audio and video paraphernalia and offer instant proficiency, where the short and then advanced courses promise to address the problem of communication with the personality development programmes, along with the schedule of instilling oodles of confidence in students. But often the results are quite dismal and the exorbitant amount spent on is wasted. What needs to be looked into is whether these fancy terms, idioms or the course material provide any help for upgrading the communication skills of students, or whether it is the alien language that needs so much of vigorous efforts and excessive marketing. Thus, the question to be addressed is: Are students pursuing the primary and higher education capable of writing correctly and precisely in their own mother tongue? It is precisely the latter part which needs to be dealt with. It is the clarity in ideas and thoughts along with the practice in writing which would sharpen their writing and communication skills. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to ensure that the students at the primary and higher level are engaged in improving their communication skills. The course curriculum is to be devised in such a manner that basic grammar becomes an intrinsic part of the syllabi, be it the mother tongue or English language. Hence, it is no use offering crash courses to cram a few sentences in a jarring accent or doing a few written exercises while probing a legal problem without distinguishing the past or present or future tense. One finds numerous written assignments where the students write judgments, resume or memos in jumbled up tenses. Hence, it emphasises the traditional belief that ‘grammar’ is an intrinsic part of the language. It must be emphasised that without a solid foundation of the ‘basic structure’, the ‘grammar’ and then clarity of ideas, the fanciful catchword ‘communication’ has no meaning. |
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Attitude makes the difference SMALL opportunities are often the beginnings of great enterprises. With the globalisation of education, students tend to study overseas in great numbers. India ranks second among the world’s “largest sending countries” for tertiary students after China. The absolute number of Indian students abroad tripled from about 51,000 in 1999 to over 1,53,000 in 2007, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. The cost of education overseas is high. Students studying there are under enormous financial pressure from parents, sponsors, etc., who have to provide large sums of money for their education. However, students in India are not weighed down by any such burden, as the tertiary education here is comparatively affordable. The cost of higher education of most students in India is usually taken care of by their parents, whereas the college expense of students overseas sometimes even goes out of their own pocket. Thus, they value the money being spent on their education and want to make the most out of it. There are many students on scholarships, which can be taken away if they do not meet the required academic performance. This initiates seriousness towards their education. Besides, the majority of students studying overseas do not face any parental pressures in terms of pursuing professions of their parents’ choice. They usually take up courses of their own choice and thus work with passion, self-interest and enthusiasm. As the students are seeking their own goals, education for them is enjoyable rather than being an ordeal. After high school, all overseas students do not necessarily feel the need to go in for higher education. It is optional and the majority goes in for vocational training. Only those with higher educational acumen join universities. Unlike here in India, where the majority feels graduation is mandatory, though aimless. Furthermore, overseas students being in a more flexible system of education benefit from the freedom of switching subjects during the course of their graduation. The difference in attitude thus seen in students in India to those overseas is itself created by the circumstances and environment in which the student dwells. Rajit Gilhotra, an Indian student, notices that his education in Australia has “stimulated my desire to work with culturally different people and the cross-cultural skills I have learnt have really helped me in my education.” Global education consists of an individualistic attitude. The students work on the basis of their own identity. Respect is given to an individual on their personal grounds, irrespective of what family background they come from and what important connections they have. Everybody works with an equal attitude and there is no sense of dependence that exists in the minds of students in regard to their education. Each student knows self-effort will be the only means to achievement; unlike some of our Indian students who get backed by requests, bribes and contacts which carry them through their education. The difference in attitude generated from the two contrasting worlds affects their whole perspective of life. Arashdeep Singh, a student at DAV College, Chandigarh, feels that the attitude difference amongst students here and overseas has a lot to do with the two distinct education systems. “I manage to clear exams at college by studying in the last two months before the finals”, says Arash complacently. This kind of attitude does not work for a student in a foreign university. In order to survive in the latter, daily hard work and full commitment are required. There are plenty of students in India who do not fall under this stereotype attitude. Instead, they are extremely hard working and keep up with the pressure of high capacity constraints in Indian institutes. We all have goals, dreams and ambitions that we would like to one day successfully bring to physical reality. The attitude we have towards life determines life’s attitude towards us. Thus, it plays a fundamental role in our lives. Jimmy Dean has rightly said: “I can’t change the direction of the wind but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination”. |
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Campus Notes GURU Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology has received 'Green Campus of the Year' award, while the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Devender Dayal Singh Sandhu, has been conferred with 'Best Administrator of the Year' award by the World Management Congress. The awards were given by Irina A. Orolbaeva, Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to India. The awards have been instituted jointly by the International Association of Educators for World Peace, Global Open University, Nagaland, Confederation of Indian Universities and World Institute Building Programme.
PU win inter-varsity tennis tourney The North Zone Inter-University Tennis (Men) Championship was organised at Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology recently. Panjab University, Chandigarh bagged first position defeating Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, while Delhi University got third place by defeating Punjabi University, Patiala. These victorious teams have ensured their entry from the north zone in Inter-Zonal Inter-University Tennis (Men) Championship. The Vice-Chancellor of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, K.S. Khokhar, gave away the trophy to the winning team. On this occasion, he urged youth to participate in sports activities as it would play a big role in developing their personality as well as ensure good health in life. Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh; Jammu University, Jammu; Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak; Kumaun University, Nanital; Thapar University, Patiala; Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, and Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, teams also participated in the tournament.
8 students shortlisted for interviews Eight students of the Printing Technology Department of the university have been shortlisted for the final interviews by two reputed printing ink manufacturing companies which conducted campus interviews recently. They have been offered packages of Rs 2 to 2.65 lakh per annum. The department's alumni are in demand in the printing and packaging industry.
Software gifted Print Media Academy, Heidelberg, Germany, has gifted an ultra-modern software 'Prinact' worth Rs 80 lakh to the Department of Printing Technology of the university. The department is second in the country to get this software. — Contributed by Raman Mohan
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ADMISSION DEADLINE Staff Selection Commission, CGO Complex, Block No 12, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110504 http://ssc.nic.in Combined Graduate Level
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