anitalobo’s posterous

[latest] Busting a few stereotypes, early

Girl/ 5 y.o.: I want to be an astronaut

Boy/ 8 y.o.: Girls are not astronauts, only boys go to space.

Girl: I want to play football

Boy: Girls don’t play football, only boys do

Overhearing this a few months ago sent up a huge red flag with me, on how early stereotypes are set.

Probably much earlier than 5, as kids watch cartoons where mummy is always making stuff in the kitchen; girls are always dolled up in pink; and boys are always super-heroes or doing cool stuff.

Turning off the TV isn’t enough of a solution.

At playgrounds, girls get shepherded to ‘safe’ games like swinging and skipping and not kicking around a football.

Well I don’t know what the big solution is, or if there is any escaping gender stereotypes at all?

So what I did was showing evidence that busted stereotypes. Simple stuff really.

Using pictures from the daily paper:

Men who are chefs and women pilots. Women who play basketball; men who figure skate. Male models and women car rallyists!

Proof that women & men can take on any role they want. I have never been more appreciative of the power of photographs!

Mythology is a great source:

Stories are powerful tools. Indian mythology is replete with stories of Kali, Parvati, Durga, Lakshmi – women goddesses who are revered. Their stories exemplify that women are powerful too!

What mom does everyday, matters most!

‘What mom does’ exerts a very big influence on a child’s notions of stereotype – both male and female.

When a child watches their mother work [home/office] and be independent, they’re far more likely to understand male-female equality in their heart as much as their mind.

A big moment for the 8 year old boy was proudly telling his friends, ‘my mom drives a car’.

A big moment for the 5 year old girl was playing football with mom and all the neighbourhood kids. And flat-out races for girls and boys together!

We all know that stereotypes set artificial limits on both girls and boys.

Limits that need to be done away with quickly, gently, firmly and early before they settle in.

The two kids are my children – and this story is yours too.

I’d love to know how you bust stereotypes.

[new post] What’s your reward?

What do we reward?

Invasive treatments, rather than preventive lifestyles [insurance companies love this]

Earning degrees, rather than an all-round education with art, music and sports [colleges love this]

Copying someone’s business idea, rather than creating a new system [business consultants love this]

Becoming someone else’s idea of success, instead of being ourselves [life coaches love this]

Talking about poverty, rather than helping one person change their life [bloated bureaucracies, now you know why]

So what’s your reward?

Heart attacks, hypertension and diabetes

Degrees that don’t build careers or prepare you for the world

A million spin-offs, no originals

Borrowed success and a fake identity

People dying of hunger and preventable diseases, everyday

Choose your reward or someone else’s version shall be thrust upon you.

playin' with words

Picks up the most common words on your blog to create this word-grid
Do you know of any other tools that do it better?

Source: http://www.wordle.net/

Are we chasing a better life or a better lifestyle?

It’s easy to get caught in the rat-race,

For a better, bigger, swankier, limited edition,

Newest version of what we have.

Keep up or you’re a loser, is an explicit dictum.

Who do you think goads, feeds and profits from this fear?

Marketers selling us goods we don’t need.

Employers using the fear of losing income,

As a stick of ‘control’

It is fear that makes both these systems work,

Creating a shifting goalpost that’s unreachable by definition!

When we’re torn between enticing choices,

Do we choose instant gratification, or future success?

Are the choices aligned with our goals, or an escape from growth pains?

A better life isn’t a natural corollary of a better lifestyle.

It is an achievable and liveable goal.  Yes, that’s right!

We reward ourselves in this lifetime,

By dreaming, working and living a better life.

A better life isn’t an easy one,

For the path may be lonely and difficult.

It certainly is the more rewarding of the two.

Have sport-led triggers harmed Australia’s business interests in India?

Ponting’s restrained comments before the India-Australia ODI series had seasoned journalists smiling. Many good-humouredly rued the lack of pre-match aggro!

For some it was a welcome relief to closely focus aggression onto the playing field, and not have it overflow into the wider India-Australia environment.

A series of triggers, sport-specific as well as off-the-field, have sent a negative signal about Australia in India over the past year.

Some of these triggers are:

Australia's Commonwealth Games chief Perry Crosswhite aggressively and repeatedly raising doubts about the security measures in New Delhi, stating that athletes would have to decide themselves whether to compete or pull out.

Persistent rumours that Australia was on stand-by as Plan B host, if India wasn’t prepared in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games

[Non-sport, but highest public impact] A spate of attacks that have dented Australia’s image as a country that welcomes Indians.

Impact on Australia’s image:

Country perceptions are formed in a cauldron of fact, first-hand experience and news.

At this nebulous frontier, basic questions matter: Do you feel welcomed – as an individual and a business entity. Are India/ Indians liked? What are the cultural/ social barriers to doing business?

On these counts, Australia’s image of being a tolerant & welcoming country has taken a beating.

This impedes new business initiatives with prospective Indian partners.

Let’s look back at why?

Rumours that Australia is geared up to host the Games should preparations for Delhi 2010 falter, was the first major negative signal that shot across the public graph a year ago.

When that subsided, reports of Indians, especially students being attacked started pouring in with alarming frequency. There are over Indian 90,000 students in Australia.

While the Indian media went overboard and sensationalized developments, the Australian media took a defensive-aggressive stance – neither of which helped.

Who loses out?

Mid-sized and small businesses from both countries have found it more difficult to establish partnerships. Uncertainty thrives in a negative environment, making it more difficult to trust.

While established business relationships may weather this tough patch more successfully, the current spell of uncertainty ‘might impact those who are thinking about doing business. In this case, perception is powerful and it would be good if that perception was universally positive, affirms Steve Manallack.

Statements such as, “Australia wants to benefit from India’s growing economy, but doesn’t like India [ns]” are not an exception in private business circles. Mid-sized businesses that are active at Indo-Australian business forums have found the going tough over the past few months.  

In Australia, concerted efforts are being made by organisations such as Australia India Business Council which is deeply involved in working towards reduction in violence against Indian students, according to Steve Manallack, Vice President of the Council.

“Some of our sporting clubs are coming forward to work on a ‘buddy’ system which would link Indian students with local families. We feel this is a good idea for the long term’, adds Manallack.

Curbing triggers, strengthening trust

The attacks on Indians have thankfully tapered off and the local police are actively tracking this now.

However, the Commonwealth Games will continue to be a thorn in our sides, until the Games are done & over with.

The recent visit of Stephen Smith, Australia’s foreign minister was too little, too late in the day. Showing the ‘inspection of venues by Australia’s Foreign minister’ may have unwittingly strengthened negative perceptions, as media reports quote Smith reiterating ‘any decision to boycott the Games on safety grounds would have to be made by Australia's sporting federations’.

While the triggers in this case, are difficult to curb, I hope both India and Australia learn from the challenges of the past year and our bond, as a people and as tolerant, multi-cultural nations, are strengthened.

So besides gagging Perry Crosswhite, offering more [than three] hockey scholarships and praying that India wins some cricket matches against Australia during the upcoming series - what do you think Australia should do, to strengthen the country’s image in India?

Musical roller-coaster!

'My kind of music' reveals a lot about who we really are, in a way that that goes beyond vanity.

Does sound affects us in more ways than we know?

A] 4 ways sound affects us:

Do open-plan offices reduce productivity; does noise repel customers?

Why are marching bands popular in schools/ colleges before sports meets? Why are we calmed by the sounds of waves lapping or birds chirping?

Why does silence make people uncomfortable after some time?

Don't we instinctively choose music to turn-on a date or drown out irksome people.

Can sound be used by individuals and businesses to create a more conducive environment?

A fascinating TED talk by @juliantreasure explores the many ways sounds enhances productivity and destroys calm.

What I find particularly interesting is that we often work with irritating sounds, masking them with louder music, but our senses detect the conflict even when we don't  recognise it.

What's your favourite mood-altering music?

B] 'How to lead'

Lets play a small game: Imagine yourself conducting an orchestra, before you watch this video.

Itay Talgam shares footage of 6 great orchestra conductors and how they lead with non-verbal signals - with amusing, and more often spectacular results.

This amusing and thought provoking talk is a surprising exploration of leadership styles.

The 'business' question it left me with: Do we treat employees as instruments or partners in growth?

These talks also brought home vividly that we can't mask what makes us all human - the ability to laugh and to choose, being happy.

Start-ups and the Indian innovation conundrum

Discussions about innovation and start-ups in India's technology sector often lament the lack of breakthrough products that capture the global market. Where’s the next Google, Facebook, Twitter or Posterous from India?

The dissonance is striking considering many successful Silicon Valley start-ups have atleast one Indian core team member. So clearly we’re not short on ideas that work! And the innovation conundrum pervades far beyond just the technology sector.

So why aren’t Indians equally innovative while working in India?

Besides the usual suspects – lack of funding, weak support structures, absence of mentors, red-tapism, inadequate rewards, etc – who’s the elusive robber that slips in unnoticed, but leaves a decisive impact?

Let’s look at it another way:

Have you hired someone whose first attempt at setting up a business didn’t work out?

Do you know a small business owner who had to seek employment with the ‘corporate sector’?

And what hurts them most while transitioning?

Was it being made to feel their whole life is a failure, not just that particular business?

Or that the experience of running a business doesn’t really count, because they didn’t succeed

Or a sense of causing deep personal and family embarrassment that pervades social interactions.

We all know people and families who’ve been through this.

It’s still very difficult to wipe the slate clean and get a fresh start in India. For instance, the year[s] spent running the business are eyed warily & questioned repeatedly as ‘gaps in employment’. And salaries – should they be computed against last job held or income as a business owner – lower/ higher? Designations become another sticky point. KRA’s a never-ending cycle of obfuscation! The process wearies the heart and drains the mind.

Our ecosystem doesn’t accept failure as a part of success –for people and for businesses – as yet.

When the personal and social risk of failure is so great, isn’t risk-taking and therefore innovation deterred?

“Its a mistake to define good work by awards”: Celebrating trophy Indians

News that India-born Venkatraman Ramakrishnan’s among the three researchers who’ve won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry spread across India with amazing rapidity yesterday.

Social networks were abuzz with congratulatory messages from Indians, with many an amused observations from the rest of world because ‘Venki’ is an American citizen, who happens to be of Indian origin! It was the Sunita Williams story all over again!

While I respect Venkatraman Ramakrishnan who must have worked incredibly hard all these years to be awarded the Nobel Prize; I was appalled at how quickly we claim, as one of our own, an American/ British national who has some remote Indian-sounding connect, but isn’t a citizen!  

The only condition being they should have won a significant ‘prize’ – a Nobel/ Booker/ Oscar: anything that’s recognised in the US and UK! And then we descend into this public orgasmic fawn – according huge media play and even state honours when they visit a long-forgotten home in India.

While raging about our inability to encourage fundamental scientific research and recognise good work in India, two separate instances questioned my cynical view.

The first was a random interaction with a group of college students and young executives starting their first job. I was amused by their innocent enthusiasm about an ‘Indian Nobel Winner’ but their reasons blew me away:

“It just proves that we can dare to chase our dreams! Even if we have to work out of India, Ramakrishnan’s success proves that we can succeed. He is a better role model, than all the corrupt people we read about! And when we succeed, we want to bring about change in India.”

In this simple statement was a tacit recognition that the dreams of young Indians are not bound by country, or corruption, or the absence of a supportive ecosystem. This is young India recognising that corruption must be dealt with, by stripping it of respectability and new followers.

The second was Ramakrishnan’s forthright response in an interview:

“I think it’s a mistake to define good work by awards. This is a typical mistake that the public or even the press make. None of you called me about my work two days ago. I think people have to do what interests them and then pursue it — that’s the way to do important work. Whether these prizes come your way or not it’s really not so important. There are lots of very good scientists in India but I notice the press is hung up about these Western prizes like the Nobel Prize, instead of appreciating that they are doing excellent work within the context of India.”

[Complete interview here: http://bit.ly/19z9n6]

Sunita Williams and now Venkatraman Ramakrishnan are no longer defined by their citizenship. They are now symbols of something bigger – of dreams achieved with persistence and courage – and proof that you don’t have to be corrupt to succeed.

Their accomplishments inspire young Indians – and for me, this is reason enough to celebrate trophy Indians!

What did you discover at school today?

Have you felt that strange surprise at the first ‘nothing much’ reply?

As parents we can either live with this response or get worried enough to meet the teacher. Then what?

Schools and parents focus on ‘academic excellence is the passport to a better future’, especially in India. There is a huge disconnect between what’s taught at schools and the life-skills children need in a rapidly changing world.

Worse, the sense of wonder and discovery which makes childhood a lifetime memory fades pretty quickly under the demands of school work!

So I’ve put together a wish list of the ‘discovery opportunities’ we could bring to our children during school life. Please do add your wish-list and share this with friends.

MUSIC / ART

Music lessons twice a week – different instruments every year

Art appreciation

Theatre

Dance: Modern and traditional/ folk dances

SPORT

At least one hour of sport every day for all kids, not just the athletic ones

This could fun stuff such as flying kites and even traditional sport such as the Indian kalaripayattu which is the oldest martial art form.

EXPERIMENT

Fridays devoted to ‘practical’s i.e. doing experiments about stuff that’s studied over the week

Understanding science by experimenting

Spending a night outdoors under the stars to understand astronomy & the interconnectedness of all things

INSPIRE

Interactive sessions [guest lectures] from alumni who have ‘made it’ in different fields

Children studying in private schools ‘friend’ an underprivileged child

Reward inspiring teachers –all this won’t be possible without inspiring teachers

WONDER

Field trips to local wildlife sanctuaries/ animal rescue centres

Watching a match – cricket/ hockey/ football

Magic tricks

Now, I’d like your views on:

Will these activities over-burden the child?

I don’t advocate over-programming a child’s life, over-burdening teachers or pushing children to ‘perform’ at these activities! Exploring a forest or making sand-castles on a beach are exciting too!

Should these activities be evaluated in some way?

Can these be tests? How can you measure curiosity? Or the charming memories a child carries into adulthood.

Classmates or parents: what’s better?

While many of these activities take place outside schools, my personal view is that children find the whole experience more exciting when its with classmates, when they’re more likely to act independently and not expect to be ‘babied’ as they would with parents! What do you think?

Who’s responsible?

These activities can be done over a calendar year, if they are planned together by the school, teachers and parents. As parents, it’s convenient for us to think it’s the school’s responsibility to organise everything. The truth is, no school, however well-endowed can do this alone. Parents have to respond and collaborate with schools, for the magic to unfold!

In case you’re wondering, what’s bothering me?

As a parent I am concerned. Our children are at risk of losing a sense of wonder, while negotiating the rigors of modern education. It is the urge to discover things that I seek to foster by making available varied opportunity. A fertile mind, I believe, is better prepared to explore life’s challenges with confidence.

This post came about after several conversations with friends who have school-going kids and share this concern. The immediate trigger was reading Leo Babauta’s ‘Education Needs to Be Turned on Its Head’ http://bit.ly/xHido [do check out the post and reader comments].

These thoughts are still evolving. I am taking a bit of a risk here by sharing a construct that’s a work-in-progress, which I hope will grow and sharpen in dialogue with you.

I intend to share this with as many school principals, teachers and educators – everyone who is willing to listen and help create change!

For small changes often herald big movements.

A rag swing

A swing of rags

Fluttering, torn, colourful pieces

Tied roughly, with a loving hand, maybe.

The young boy, street-dirty urchin

Dressed in rags, swings with his baby sister

To a lullaby of breeze and honks.

From their roadside perch, under a scrawny tree

Watching the world drive by, unaffected

By their simple joy; ignoring their presence.