Actress Achala Sachdev Passes Away

Veteran actress Achala Sachdev passed away on Monday following a prolonged illness in Pune. She was 91. She was much appreciated for her memorable role as a wife of Balraj Sahni in the film 'Waqt'.

Achala was bed-ridden for the past seven months at Poona Hospital and Research Centre (PHRC) in Pune. She was undergoing treatment after she broke her left leg six months ago. She was also suffering age related problems.

The yesteryear actress had gained much popularity for role in 'Waqt' (1965). The song "Yeh meri Zohra Jabi" portrayed by Balraj Sahni and Achala was excellent. She also played Kajol's grandmother in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995).

Born on May 3, 1920, in Peshawar, Achala made her film debut with 'Fashionable Wife' (1938). She has acted in over 130 Hindi films. She has also worked for All India Radio, Lahore, before partition and then in Delhi All India Radio.

SC bans Use of Tinted Glass on Vehicles

The Supreme Court on Friday banned the use of tinted glasses on car windows beyond permissible limit, which was fixed under the Central Motor Vehicles Act.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia passed its order on a plea seeking complete ban on use of dark films on car windows including the vehicles used by VVIPs that the tinted glasses cannot be used in vehicles.

However, the court made it clear that the tinted glass can be used in government vehicles for security purposes. The bench asked the state governments to follow the fresh guidelines.

According to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, the glasses of windscreen and rear windows of vehicles should have a visual light transmission of 70 percent and for side windows it should be at least 50 percent.

The plea filed by Avishek Goenka alleged that many crimes including sexual assault on women are committed by people using such cars with tinted windows.

APJ Abdul Kalam as next President of India?

The political rumours are running high for race to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Several reports said that veteran scientist APJ Abdul Kalam may return as the next President of India.

The race to the Rashtrapati Bhawan is hotting up the politics. The chance for Kalam as the next president was clear after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar opined that there should be a non-political leader for the post of President of India. Even the Samajwadi Party backed him.

Kalam has reportedly received support from several political leaders like SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and AIADMK head J Jayalalithaa.

While, the ruling UPA is batting for Vice President Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, the BJP prefers the Missile man Kalam to get a second term as the President.

The TMC, SP and AIADMK are likely to give their consents for Kalam as the 13th President of India. However, the UPA is in dilemma. On the other hand, the opposition BJP wants the President to be a candidate with a clean record.

The NCP, which is a key ally of UPA, its chief Sharad Pawar said that there must be dialogue between both the NDA and the UPA on the issue. Union Agriculture Minister stressed that a non-political person would be an ideal choice for Presidential post.

With less than 3-month to go for the Presidential elections, other names have also been suggested. Veteran leaders  like Pranab Mukherjee, Mulayam Singh, Gopal Gandhi and Sushil Kumar Shinde are likely to come up in the race to the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Child Care: Stop Pampering Your Kids

Most of the time we the parents, pamper our children ahead of any limits, we go out of our way to do things for them, our heart plainly bleeds if our child has to do some work.

There are mothers who won’t allow their sons to even fetch a glass of water. Usually the boys are pampered a lot in our society than the girls.

Pampering your kids means giving those things which are not required for their mental or physical being. Just to fulfill the wishes of your kid, you give them certain things which are waste for them.

Overindulgence of gifts as a sign of love is not required because then kids get spoiled. Over-pampering can also mean fulfilling all the desires of children even if it is not a necessity.

A child who is pampered in his growing up days, whose all whims and fancies are gratified to, who is used to having his own way, who is made to feel special by his parents may become an adult who is an egoistic, attentions seeking and difficult to adjust with situation types.

The parents who pamper their kids usually spoil them because then the kids tend to take parents love for granted. Working mothers or parents who do not have time for their kids tend to compensate by gifts.

Usually parents pamper kids to express love which in turn leads to spoiled kids. Kids who are excessively pampered by their parents tend to get very dominating. They become very aggressive and retaliate against anything spoken to them.

Pampering your kids is not wrong, going overboard is not correct. The parents should teach those words like adjustments, compromise and giving in. They can also teach them that they are not right always; there are others who could be better than them.

Husband and Wife - Two Sides of a Coin

A husband and wife cannot live entirely independently of one another without paying an abrupt price for it. It makes them incomplete and deficient.

As both of them are physically, mentally and chemically different but tied in a same bond of marriage, so it is not wrong to say that husband and wife are ‘two sides of a coin.’

In the wife-husband relationship, the difference in problem solving can itself be a problem. He might think that she’s talking and sharing things when she should be trying to figure it out herself.

And, she might think he’s not even worried about something because he’s not talking about it .When in reality, it’s on his mind all the time and he’s just not pointing it out and women solve problems when they talk about them. They explore all the angles of the issue and how they feel about it, and often in doing so a solution appears.

One of the keys to understanding the wife husband relationship is to realize just how different men and women really are. Aside from the obvious physical differences, the sexes are different emotionally and mentally, too. But in a common relationship they have to think for their partner being opposite to each other.

Of course, not every wife husband relationship will happen exactly like above. Some men will talk out a problem and some women will be tight-lipped about it. But in general, the sexes can be expected to follow these typically patterns as the sides of a coin. Wife is perfect according to her and so is the husband.

In marriage, both of them come together regardless of differences, by the law of nature to physically propagate, chemically share emotions & sensitivities and thus mentally enjoy each other company till death does them apart. In spite of differences, they stick together almost like "two sides of a coin" sharing a common fortune through hot and cold weathering all depths and highs.

Dont' Cry Wolf

If you claim that every project or task is critical, your employees will soon ignore your sense of urgency and do things at their own pace (which is likely too slow for you). If everything is important or urgent, then nothing truly is. Use relativity to convey when a project is really critical to your organization or unit. Be selective about when you apply pressure or claim that something has high impact on your goals. The less often you raise alarm, the more likely your team is to respond how you want it to.

Participate in Their Stories

Motivating employees to higher levels of performance is a challenge most leaders. Often people are motivated to do things simply because it feeds into the story they tell themselves. For example, your star performer regularly exceeds your expectations because she tells herself that she is the kind of person who impresses others, or a team member triple - checks a document because he is the kind of person who doesn't make mistakes. 

You can fuel internal motivation by understanding and supporting these stories. First take notice of what kind of person your employees wants to be. Then articulate how what you need done fits into or even enhances that image.

Identify Hidden Talents

Finding external talent to fill your company's needs isn't always possible. Nor is it always necessary. By paying attention and asking the right questions, you will likely discover a myriad of hidden talents among your existing employees:

- Turn a compliment into an interview: When congratulating an employee on a job well done, ask exactly what helped her succeed. By better understanding her process, you may uncover an unseen strength.

- Ask why employees prefer certain tasks or projects: Preferences can be view into someone's talents. An employee might enjoy a project because it involves a product she cares about or  because it gave her a chance to design surveys. By learning which, you will possibly uncover talents.

- Inquire about dreams: Ask your employees what they would do if they had their career to do over again. People's dreams often include an aspect of themselves they don't regularly share.

EMPOWER YOUR EMPLOYEES

Successful leaders empower their people to make decisions, share information, and take risks. Here are three ways to get out of your people's way and let them take ownership:

- Give responsibility and autonomy: Let those who demonstrate the capacity to handle responsibility take on new levels of accountability and have autonomy for their tasks and resources.

- Focus on Growth: Create an environment where people have the opportunity to expand their skills and are rewarded for doing so.

- Don't second-guess: Unless absolutely necessary, don't doubt the decisions of others. This undermines their confidence and encourages them to hold back when they have ideas.

Land Scam: Vilasrao Deshmukh indicted in CAG Report

Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh landed in a fresh trouble after he was indicted in the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on irregularities in land allotments in Maharashtra.

After Adarsh scam, the former Maharashtra chief minister was indicted in another land scam. The CAG report, which is yet to be officially released, named five senior politicians including Deshmukh.

Along with Deshmukh, Maharashtra cabinet ministers Narayan Rane, Chhagan Bhujbal, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Patangrao Kadam have also been indicted in the report for allotting land at subsidised rates.

Following the leaked report, the leaders from the Left Front and the opposition BJP demanded a probe into the latest scam. They asked the government to take strong action against the Congress leaders names in the CAG report.

Give Better Feedback

Feedback is essential to your development as a professional. So why is it so painful to give and receive? Here are three tips to help you give constructive feedback that works: 

1. Focus on Business Outcomes: Explain what the company needs - talent development, sales growth, improved service - and frame your feedback as a way to reach those outcomes.

2. Give it often: When feedback is reserved for semiannual reviews, people rarely receive it well. Give feedback regularly. You will be more practiced, and your people will be more accustomed to hearing it.

3. Be Specific: Identify the specific behavior that a person needs to change. State clearly what you want her to do differently. Use illustrative examples that help the receiver understand exactly what you mean.

Depression linked to Sleep Apnea: Study

A recent study has found that sleep apnea and frequent snoring during sleep may be related to major depression. The findings of the study were published in the journal ‘SLEEP’.

In the experiment Researcher Anne G. Wheaton, Ph.D., of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and his colleagues analyzed data of around 9,714 adult participants.

The researchers found that 6.0 percent of the patients reported physician-diagnosed sleep apnea, which confirmed that there was a significant link between sleep apnea and probable major depression.

It was also observed during the study that those who snorted at least five nights in a week, compared to never, had increased likelihood of probable major depression.

Hence from the findings of the study the researchers confirmed that snorting, gasping or stopping breathing while asleep was associated with nearly all depression symptoms, including feeling of hopelessness and frustration.

Develop a Culture of Trust

Leadership should not be a solitary act. Leaders need to surround themselves with people who will challenge their ideas, point out their shortcomings, and tell it like it is. To be an effective manager, you need to ensure that honest opinions and information reach you. Get your people to bother you by bothering them. Open-door policies are well intentioned, but you need to go further. Develop a culture of trust and openness. Show your people that you reward candor and that the more they bother you, the better.

Have Your Employees's Back

In tough times, people feel more vulnerable, and their sense of safety and confidence can easily evaporate. Never has it been more important to watch out for your employees. A boss who supports her people provides emotional and material relief. Don't assume that your employees know that you'd go above and beyond for them. Clearly tell them that you have their backs. And, since actions always speak louder than words, take every opportunity to demonstrate your unwavering support and avoid creating situations in which it seems everyone is for him-or-herself.