Priyanka Chopra (Actor): Appreciation is not a prerogative of the entertainment business alone. Every one of us, irrespective of what we do, will appreciate the appreciation! But there is a catch here – in order to get appreciation, someone has to want to show appreciation. It simply means that if there is something that touches you, it is imperative that you express it. Whether it is a good meal, a nice outfit, a nice gesture, or a great story, anything that is a job well done. Nothing is better than to hear a few words telling you that! It really is that simple. (Motivation)

K. T. Thomas (Former Judge of the Supreme Court of India): It is indeed an agonizing exercise for the security staff of air lines and the security agencies to subject every passenger to pre-embarkation frisking and scrutinizing minutely all baggage. Yet, by and large the security staff does it with dedication because they know they are thus ensuring the safety of the airborne passengers. To exempt some persons from security-checks by categorizing them as VVIPs is but the consequence of a hangover of a feudal and colonial culture. (Security)

Y. C. Deveshwar (Chairman, ITC Limited, India): It is indeed a tragedy that more than half of the global population is still plagued by the worst forms of poverty, hunger and disease. Ten per cent of the richest adults in the world own as much as 85 per cent of the world’s household wealth, while the bottom 50 per cent have to contend with only 1 per cent of household wealth. These widening income inequities are indeed a source of wide apread discontent and social alienation. The specter of social unrest and terrorism threaten every corner of the world today. This divide is of even more concern to developing nations. With large numbers of people living on the edge of despair and insecurity, these disparities make them extremely vulnerable and create unstable societies. (Economics)

Ranna Gill (Fashion Designer): Exercise demands whole lot of comfort and shorts in pastels and sleek cuts can play magic. You might not be happy with your fitness regimen but nice workout attire can boost confidence. Looking smart makes exercise fun. I believe wearing a fashionable workout outfit means you are conscious of fitness and are taking it seriously. (Fashion)

Bill Kirkman (Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, U. K.): The U. K. has never had what could properly be called a transport policy. Rather, successive governments of all complexions have reacted to changing needs, tactically rather than strategically. More people owned cars, and so we needed motorways. Some quickly became congested, so we built more. Greater use of public transport might reduce congestion in towns but with bus services, like train services, privatized it was difficult to ensure that appropriate services were provided. (Transport)

Everyone born in this world is a traveler from day one to the age of plus or minus one hundred years. For some it is a very long travel whereas for others it may be short. The travel is at times terminated on the way by terrible accidents. Generally we take care; still what happens can not be prevented. It is a philosophy, but we have to believe it. Life is a travel, for some it is a pleasure trip whereas for others it is painful. In fact, life is limited by a large number of factors which are sometimes beyond our control. Those who fight out those factors with constant courage and conviction, cross over the limitations. Each one has a different road to travel. The road we travel is not the one we find in foreign countries like America or Europe. The road is the one we find in countries like India or other developing nations. Some distance in the road will be paved with earth or gravel or bitumen or cement. Life is also like that. We need to cross all types of roads before we reach our destination.

The travel of life ends in death beyond which we don’t know what’s there. We are told that there is a heaven and a hell, the soul of good people will go to heaven whereas that of the bad people will end up in hell. It appears that heaven is a comfortable place to live and hell is a miserable place. Still many people believe in the heaven and hell concept. Life after death is a big subject of study. Many books are being written on this subject. Who bother about it when we are struggling to travel the path of life to reach the destination itself? All we need to think of leading a comfortable, peaceful and healthy life with fellow human beings, animals and plants on earth. Let us try to do it and forget about the after death life about which we do not have much knowledge.

Everyone born in this world is a traveler from day one to the age of plus or minus one hundred years. For some it is a very long travel whereas for others it may be short. The travel is at times terminated on the way by terrible accidents. Generally we take care; still what happens can not be prevented. It is a philosophy, but we have to believe it. Life is a travel, for some it is a pleasure trip whereas for others it is painful. In fact, life is limited by a large number of factors which are sometimes beyond our control. Those who fight out those factors with constant courage and conviction, cross over the limitations. Each one has a different road to travel. The road we travel is not the one we find in foreign countries like America or Europe. The road is the one we find in countries like India or other developing nations. Some distance in the road will be paved with earth or gravel or bitumen or cement. Life is also like that. We need to cross all types of roads before we reach our destination.

The travel of life ends in death beyond which we don’t know what’s there. We are told that there is a heaven and a hell, the soul of good people will go to heaven whereas that of the bad people will end up in hell. It appears that heaven is a comfortable place to live and hell is a miserable place. Still many people believe in the heaven and hell concept. Life after death is a big subject of study. Many books are being written on this subject. Who bother about it when we are struggling to travel the path of life to reach the destination itself? All we need to think of leading a comfortable, peaceful and healthy life with fellow human beings, animals and plants on earth. Let us try to do it and forget about the after death life about which we do not have much knowledge.

Drug abuse prevention has two dimensions to it. Supply reduction has to do with dealing with illicit drug trafficking, law enforcement etc. Demand reduction, on the other hand, is in the hands of individuals, families and society. The parenting style today is either too authoritarian or permissive. Parents want to be either the child’s friend or the dictator. Communication is hampered in both cases.

Irritations, exasperations, expression of annoyance, frustrations are all manifestations of anger. In a recession the underlying issue is bound to be insecurity. During layoffs, the actual problem can be fear. And due to reduced staff and increased workload, the worry could be plain stress or performance issues. Rather than blame the employee for his anger outbursts or irritability it is more effective to find the actual problem and tackle it instead.

Once you’ve identified the person with genuine anger or problems it is time to tackle the core issue. One needs to recognize that the person has a problem and let him know that you are emphatic towards him, are willing to listen and find a solution. Often anger results from a feeling of being uncared for.

The antidote of anger is happiness. The best way to tackle negative emotions is by creating positive ones. Encouragement, frequent speeches of motivation in difficult times create courage and determination to go on in tough times. This can be done by circulating group mailers of past achievements, showing appreciation on small tasks done well or simply by smiling more; there is plenty the organization can do to make depressing situation into a courageous, energetic one.

At a time when most sectors of the economy are worried about the future and trying their best to cut costs to see through the current slowdown, there appears to be one “industry” that does not see any meltdown or recession. Academics may not agree with the view that education has become an industry, but many political parties and students complain that the sector especially in the field of higher education, has gone beyond commercialization to become an industry.

Human beings tend to hold on to grievances and hurt feelings, and are unwilling to let go of negative thoughts. Insults, real and imagined linger long in our minds. All of these are forgettable and should be forgotten. It is because our minds are so full of negative thoughts that we cannot think of the more important things in life.

A lot depends on where one works and the people higher up. Formalities and informalities follow the tone bosses set. While one cannot generalize each industry as different sectors, the media, fashion, television, film and the like industries are much more relaxed when it comes to clothing, whereas professions like banking, hospitality and airlines barely give room for fashion to breathe.

Everybody expects the bahu to be perfect. She is often treated like a second-class citizen. One should realise tht the success of a relationship depends on how best one adjusts with one’s partner. The family equilibrium can be maintained only if the problem or a dispute is jointly and amicably solved.

Cross border migration has engaged the attention of our policy makers more than the movement of people within national boundaries. Migrants also qualify for being categorised as internally displaced persons (IDPs) who temporarily relocate on account of conflict or natural disasters. Unlike IDPs, who receiveaid from national and intertnationsl agencies, the migrants are largely ignored by the system as they are unorganised and lack political clout. A national policy to ensure minimum standards of working and living condition for migrants is the need of the hour.

The double standard practised by some of our religious leaders is shocking. They use terms like “unnatural” and “perversion” to describe same sex relationship, without offering a definition for these terms. At the same time, non of these guardians of the ‘rich cultural and ethical traditions” of the “rich cultural and ethical traditions” of our countryutter a squeakof protest at the misuse of religious provisions to divorce a wife, condemn young girls to a life of prostitution or at the sexual abuse of young children.

It is said tht we have politicians who should have retired long ago and are hardly able to walk or talk or are hanging on to get elected or nominated to ‘serve the people’ as MLAs, MPs, ministers and even as Governors.