One type of challenge to overcome is conflict. Many people try to avoid conflict in all situations. This approach is like keeping your head down on a battlefield to avoid being shot. Keeping your head down in battle is not always an effective defensive strategy, because you may not see what the enemy is doing. This strategy is also ineffective as an offensive strategy. It is better to face conflicts and resolve them than to ignore them. Without facinprprosperityg conflicts, many issues may remain unresolved so that a person is tormented inside. This approach does not allow them to bring issues to closure or to learn from conflicts. There are often important lessons to be learned from conflicts. A wise person will learn from conflict, even while being rebuked for mistakes (Proverbs 9:8, 13:1). Scoffers, arrogant people and the poor do not heed rebuke (Proverbs 13:1, 8). The poor man is poor, because he will not be corrected. The truth that poor people do not heed rebuke is particularly relevant for understanding hindrances to prosperity. People who refuse to learn from rebukes and other conflicts remain poor. They often choose to keep doing the same things and remain poor rather than listen to correction. Correction is not pleasant when it happens, but later it yields fruit and peace (Hebrews 12:11). However, correction yields fruit only if the person embraces it. Believers who want the true riches will listen to and heed correction and thereby produce much fruit. In other words, correction brings believers to a position in which they can prosper.

Make a Good Bargain

You want to sell something. You always come across people who bargain with you. If you take Bach Flower Remedy Agrimony, whatever price you ask for, they will pay that.

Proper Property Distribution

You expect a quarrel during property distribution in the family. You do not want any quarrel or face conflicts. If you don’t want any fights, then take Agrimony with you as it is a peacemaker.

Agrimony deserves a Nobel Prize for Peace

Think of Kashmir and spray Agrimony on the map where Kashmir is located. Definitely you will bring in peace there.

You want to know the Mind of Your Partner

An Agrimony person will not reveal and hides her feelings from others. She will always be smiling, hiding the worries inside. If you look at her you can’t figure it out as she hides her inner turmoil. If she takes Agrimony, she will reveal her feelings to you. If she is not willing to take it then you can chant Agrimony visualizing her. She will definitely come out of her shell.

A Sleep Remedy

What’s the behaviour of an Agrimony person? In the night, he can’t go to sleep easily as he will be worrying at that time. When he is alone he will be worrying. He will work overtime as nobody is at home. He will resort to drinking and will say, “I drink to forget my worry and tension”. Agrimony is one of the remedies included in the flower combination for sleeping.

Restless leg syndrome and Hyper Tension

The restless leg syndrome can be healed by Bach Flower Remedies Agrimony and Impatiens. The body is trying to remove the tension by shaking the legs. He is not opening up by discussing the problem and revealing it. Where else it will go? This will turn into hyper tension. When problems are buried inside, it will come out as hyper tension. This is due to expectation of society, which says, ‘whatever problem you have, you have to smile and face it’. On the contrary, we have to show our feelings. This attitude is also expressed in the form of, ‘I don’t want to disturb others’

Hi Ken and all,

I have thought about my response to your interesting discussion here for a long time, and here it is:

Interesting to reflect on what we had learnt about conflicts in CCK08, especially when participants have “strong views” and “distasteful remarks which sound condescending to others”.   If we want to model our conversation for our next  generation, would we be expecting each other to engage in ”fruitful” conversations based on open sharing of views and perceptions, with respect and trust? 

We could each state our reasons, our interpretations or our views.  However in reciprocity, we may need to engage with others with active listening, and acknowledging and valuing each others’ views in an open and constructive manner.  If we don’t understand others’ views, how could we expect others to understand us?  Is empathy important in online conversation?

We could disagree with others on the principles we consider “wrong” or “misleading”.  We could agree to disagree.  That is perfectly fine.

However, I don’t think it is wise to criticise others in an online environment  simply because the other person is holding a different belief from us, or that they do not agree with us.  If we think the person’s belief or the information provided is wrong, a few probing questions may be what is needed to challenge him or her – that requires us to ask the right question, with the “right” tone, and with a “right” sense of respect. 

There may be occasions when an instructor or learner would offer criticisms, but such criticisms or critiques would be based on the idea, principle that don’t seem right, or some provocative or disruptive behaviour exhibited by others.

From an educational point of view, any criticism should be based on the “behaviour” exhibited by others like name calling with an insulting language (the special “alpha” words…), or labelling others inappropriately (sentencing others as trolls or bullies), ”shouting” or “yelling” with condescending commands, in an online environment. 

We could discredit the disruptive behaviour, or neglect those who exhibit such behaviour.  That may be the constraint that we could exercise on “trolls” or “bullies”.  We could also exercise our choice of connections, by avoiding any spammers or trolls.  

So instead of stating what may be an unacceptable behaviour, we could also question each others’ responses or arguments, rather than forcing each others to accept our views.  Would that be the adult-adult communication pattern, rather than the parent-child communication pattern based on command and control?

I think we all like to be respected, especially when engaged in online conversation.  One litmus test would be:”Treat others as you would like to be treated“.   

We could all exercise our autonomy in learning, especially online.  At times, we may sound too polite in the networks, especially with the appreciative inquiry, that may lead to the echo chamber effect or the group think, without any critical thinking behind the ideas.  On the other hand, too harsh pushes on each others’ thoughts and ideas could also hinder innovative ideas from its incubation, and the respect on others’ ideas.

Online conversation is an art that requires great networking and communication skills….

Would that explain why some people find it harder to engage than others in the online world? 

So, imagine if one is immersed in a network, and is not respected by others, would it be important to ask why?  What cause that disrespect?

Now, this marks the end of CCK09.  Thanks George and Stephen for this wonderful CCK09, and I enjoyed the company of many co-learners throughout this CCK09 journey.  Fantastic!

Last Thursday was the quintessential “I don’t want to go to work today” day.

I didn’t feel bad, health’s a-okay but my mind and senses were against going to work. Before bed, I kept telling myself that I am not going and no one can make me. I was only able to calm myself and finally soothed my body to sleep when I concluded that I really won’t. But my darn alarm clock won’t let it go. It buzzed away until I woke up and the chant “I don’t want to go to work today” started playing again.

Alas, even at the shower I was playing those words in my head. I wonder why I was still going against what my head is saying. So I pondered deep. What is really making me feel like this? The work? Naah. My agents? Naah. Oh wait, eureka! I know what’s making me feel like this…

I’m not telling, because everyone has that same reason as I to not want to come to work.

So why the hell did I still go? Well simple, I’m not one to neither be late nor absent save if I’m really sick. Although my will to work is challenged, deep within I know what I should do. I may be hating things at work but I need to be around for my team. They need me and knowing that fuels my motivation to roll with the punches.

So there I was dragging myself to work and not caring if I cut it close to my log in time. Wishing today would be better, that hopefully I unlearn my anger.

Wishing, hoping, praying  … but damn it doesn’t change the fact that I really didn’t want to go to work.

In the Harvard Business Review Grant McCracken writes about Why American Consumers Will Spend Lavishly Again.

The “new normal” — the idea that when income, credit and confidence return, Americans will not return to our free-spending ways — is an idea on the march, recruiting everyone from PIMCO CEO Mohamed El-Erian to Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke. It’s spreading so fast it threatens to become the new orthodoxy.

I believe the argument is flawed. When Mike Duke says, “[P]eople are saving more, consuming less, and being more frugal and thoughtful in their purchases,” he is right in the short term, but wrong in the long term. When income, credit, and confidence return, consumers will party like its 1999.

To me this is one of the most important arguments going on in western society today. Will we return to our spending ways or will we back away from the consumer precipice and make more considered purchases?

What evidence is there that the ‘new normal’ is real and not an aberration from 60 years of consumerism?

I’d love to believe it but it seems thin to me.

If you haven’t been following this case—an interesting story of international justice and the challenges inherent to tribunals–you should.  Previous reportage of accusations against Duch and the Khmer regime are horrifying, fascinating, and will make your soul feel heavy with the “man’s inhumanity to man.“

After admitting his guilt and asking for forgiveness, Duch (pronounced DOIK) seemed on the final day of the trial on Friday to think that he had done enough, asking the court to set him free.

Duch’s plea seemed to contradict a carefully constructed strategy to seek leniency by admitting guilt, apologizing and cooperating with the court. He faces a possible term of life in prison for crimes against humanity and other crimes. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 40 years, taking into account his cooperation and the five years he already spent in a military jail. The judges are expected to announce a verdict early next year.

via News Analysis – Moving Beyond Khmer Rouge’s Ghosts – NYTimes.com.

And Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?  Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water.  And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs (Josh. 15:18-19).  

There are both upper and nether springs.  They are springs, not stagnant pools.  There are joys and blessings that flow from above through the hottest summer and the most desert land of sorrow and trial.   The lands of Achsah were “south lands,” lying under a burning sun and often parched with burning heat.  But from the hills came the unfailing springs, that cooled, refreshed and fertilized all the land.

There are springs that flow in the low places of life, in the hard places, in the desert places, in the lone places, in the common places, and no matter what may be our situation, we can always find these upper springs.

Abraham found them amid the hills of Canaan.  Moses found them among the rocks of Midian.  David found them among the ashes of Ziklag when his property was gone, his family captives and his people talked of stoning him, but “David encouraged himself in the Lord.”

Isaiah found them in the awful days of Sennacherib’s invasion, when the mountains seemed hurled into the midst of the sea, but faith could sing:  “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.  God is in the midst of her: she shall not be moved.”

The martyrs found them amid the flames, and reformers amid their foes and conflicts, and we can find them all the year if we have the Comforter in our hearts and have learned to say with David:  “All my springs are in thee.”

How many and how precious these springs, and how much more there is to be possessed of God’s own fullness!                                                                          A.B. Simpson

I said:  “The desert is so wide!”

I said:  “The desert is so bare!”

What springs to quench my thirst are there?

Whence shall I from the tempest hide?”

I said:  “The desert is so lone!”

Nor gentle voice, nor loving face

Will brighten any smallest space.”

I paused or ere my moan was done!

I heard a flow of hidden springs;

Before me palms rose green and fair;

The birds were singing; all the air

Did shine and stir with angels’ wings!

And One said mildly:  “Why, indeed,

Take over-anxious thought for that

The morrow bringeth!  See you not

The father knoweth what you need?”

                                                                                                                   Selected

Source:  ” The Streams of Desert “   Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

Students who have two exams at the same time or more than two exams on the same calendar day (not just a 24-hour period) as certified by the Registrar, may request an arrangement be made with one of their instructors to take that exam at another mutually available time during the final examination period.

The student should inform the instructors about the situation and inquire if any of them are willing to allow their exam to be taken at an alternate time. Students unable to make suitable arrangements on their own may then contact their Advising Dean to request assistance.

If a professor/instructor needs verification that a student has more than two exams on the same calendar day or two exams at the same time, students should print out their schedule via SSOL as proof, or contact your Advising Dean to verify conflicts via e-mail to the instructor.

Please remember that exams will NOT be rescheduled to accommodate travel plans.

It hasn’t stopped being crazy since last week. I was quite wrong to bitch about being stuck at home with nothing to do two Sunday’s ago. Right now all I wish is to rest.

I think I haven’t worked this hard and frantic since … ever. And mind you, that’s saying a lot specially coming from someone who use to have two full time jobs. The level of difficulty is so high not because the work is hard. I don’t mind the work load, I’m trained and seasoned for that but some other things like emotions thrown by people on all sides are hard to manage.

I’ve never really been good with volatile individuals. It takes a lot for me to manage it; I’m no shrink you know.

I usually flow smoothly doing what I know and adding things in the mix to improve but for the past days at work, it seemed to come in waves of sloppy tangles brought about by frenzied delivery. Truth be told I’m growing unhappy of how things are happening.

When your days are filled with tension and the thought of something is always wrong you grow tired. Irrevocably drained.

If eight days can do this to me, what would become of me after thirty?

Inspired from

http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/nothing-will-ever-be-the-same-again/

Though my post is not gonna talk about 26/11 or any other terrorist attacks or calamities before that….my post is very mean and talks about our very own relationships, wherein we do or say things and move ahead, don’t these small incidences of bitterness change everything? I think they do….think about it… the question is can we avoid this and insulate our relationship from all that we dont wanna hear, from all that will change how we look at each other forever…can we? 

Don’t we just move ahead the next day thinking that “Its Allright” but is that the truth or is it just postponement of whats coming…a change in our perspective, a change in how we look at LIFE, a change in our personalities, a change in our motto to live life fully each day, a change and the biggest one in how we feel for each other. It just changes everything and indeed nothing will ever be the same again….

Add some new research to the volumes that already exist to show torturing prisoners just doesn’t work on any level. Results of research at Harvard University suggest torturing a prisoner predisposes prison guards to think the truth has been found, and, further, that the more a prisoner suffers, the guiltier guards perceive them to be.

“Our research suggests that torture may not uncover guilt so much as lead to its perception,” said the study’s co-author. The study stated torture can be a “self-justifying system” for those who administer the pain.

As the United States begins to phase out Guantanamo Bay, it’s important to remember why it never stood a chance of working in the first place.

Read the full study, Torture and judgments of guilt, here.

The other day, I saw my student’s  wrist has some scratches. I thought it was just some minor scratches, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

But, as I was adjusting her hand (left hand, still struggling with “shifting” on the violin)  I saw the cut more clearly ; it spelled P.S. It must’ve been intentional, how can you get a cut spelled P.S. ? As I try to look at it (I’m trying to look at it without her noticing) it was clearly carved. Not very deep, but surely takes a lot of courage / frustration to have yourself to hold a blade and cut yourself, what  more to carve those words.

It made sense, she is right handed. The cut is on the left wrist. It’s was carved quite badly, the P and S is not rounded, rather edgy. She is 14, you know, the age when the hormones are raging. However, I don’t know her well enough to know whether she has conflict or not. And I didn’t dare to ask about that cut.

Then, it reminded me of myself. Inner conflicts – self doubt, feeling useless, worthless, low self confidence is among what I felt during my teenage years. Does she feel that way? Or is she doing this to prove something -  I’ve heard and read in the news that some is doing something like this, for example, cutting themselves with initials, tattooing,  to prove themselves to be in a group with their peers (Kind of “branding”, I suppose??), to feel “belonging” to something.

I hope I just see wrong. I hope I was just thinking too much. But I will definitely be more alert. Hopefully it was just my over-active imagination.

Has Obama fever met its match in the Middle East conflict?

Five months after Barack Obama went to Cairo and persuaded most of the Arab world, in a ringing declaration of even-handedness, that he would face down Israel in his quest for a Palestinian state, American policy seems to have run into the sand. The American president’s mediating hand is weaker, his charisma damagingly faded. From the Palestinian and Arab point of view, his administration—after grandly setting out to force the Jewish state to stop the building of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land as an early token of good faith, intended to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to negotiation—has meekly capitulated to Israel.

via The flagging peace process: Is Israel too strong for Barack Obama? | The Economist.

Not sure where I got this from, but its great troubleshooting info for SCSI conflicts.

To identify if SCSI reservation conflicts are preventing a LUN from being accessed:
Verify that the LUN is detected by the ESX host at boot time.

For ESX 3.x, run the command:

# cd /vmfs/devices/disks
# ls vmh*

The output appears similar to:

vmhba0:0:0:0
vmhba0:0:43:0
vmhba0:0:52:0

For ESX 4.X, run the command:

# esxcfg-scsidevs -c

The output appears similar to:

Device UID Device Type Console Device Size Plugin Display Name
eui.00000e1100b81bfc Direct-Access /dev/sda 70007MB NMP Local FUJITSU Disk (eui.00000e1100b81bfc)
mpx.vmhba0:C0:T0:L0 CD-ROM /dev/sr0 0MB NMP Local HL-DT-ST CD-ROM (mpx.vmhba0:C0:T0:L0)
mpx.vmhba3:C0:T0:L0 Direct-Access /dev/cciss/c0d0 34727MB NMP Local VMware Disk (mpx.vmhba3:C0:T0:L0)

If the LUN is not listed, rescan the storage. For more information, see Performing a rescan of the storage (1003988).

Check dmesg. Look for lines that may provide some information if the LUN is having an issue:

Vendor: EMC Model: SYMMETRIX Rev: 5771
Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 03
scsi0 (0,0,52) : RESERVATION CONFLICT
scsi0 (0,0,52) : RESERVATION CONFLICT
scsi0 (0,0,52) : RESERVATION CONFLICT
scsi0 (0,0,52) : RESERVATION CONFLICT
scsi0 (0,0,52) : RESERVATION CONFLICT
scsi0 (0,0,52) : RESERVATION CONFLICT
sdh : READ CAPACITY failed.
status = c, message = 00, host = 0, driver = 00
scsi0 (0,0,52) : RESERVATION CONFLICT
scsi0 (0,0,52) : RESERVATION CONFLICT
scsi0 (0,0,52) : RESERVATION CONFLICT
VMWARE: Device that would have been attached as scsi disk sdh at scsi0,
channel 0, id 0, lun 52
Has not been attached because this path could not complete a READ
command eventhough a TUR worked.
result = 0×18 key = 0×0, asc = 0×0, ascq = 0×0
VMWARE: Device that would have been attached as scsi disk sdh at scsi0,
channel 0, id 0, lun 52
Has not been attached because it is a duplicate path or on a passive
path
scan_scsis starting finish
scan_scsis done with finish

In this example, LUN 52 is inaccessible in the ESX host cluster. Since it is listed in the output of step one, it was accessible at some point (a host reserved the LUN and never released it, possibly due to a SAN switch reboot in the middle of the reservation operation).
To resolve this:
For ESX 3.0, examine all hosts for any pending reservations with the command:

# tail -1 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba[0-9]/[0-9]:*

The output appears similar to:

==> /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba0/0:0 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba0/0:43 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba0/0:44 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba0/0:45 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba0/0:46 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba1/0:50 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba1/0:51 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba1/0:52 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba1/0:53 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba1/0:54 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba2/0:0 <==
Active: 0 Queued: 0 Reserved: N Pending Reserves: 0

The ESX host that has Pending Reserves with a value that is larger than 0 is holding the lock.

For ESX 3.5 and 4.0, examine all hosts (also applies to hosts for any pending reservations) with the command:

# esxcfg-info | egrep -B5 “s Reserved|Pending”

The output appears similar to:

Note: Not all of the output is shown.

|—-Console Device…………………./dev/sdd
|—-DevfsPath…………………….. /vmfs/devices/disks
/vml.02000000006001c230d8abfe000ff76c51486715db504552432035
|—-SCSI Level……………………..6
|—-Queue Depth…………………….128
|—-Is Pseudo………………………false
|—-Is Reserved…………………….false
|—-Pending Reservations…………….0
–
|—-Console Device…………………./dev/sda
|—-DevfsPath……………………../vmfs/devices/disks
/vml.02000000006001c230d8abfe000ff76c198ddbc13e504552432035
|—-SCSI Level……………………..6
|—-Queue Depth…………………….128
|—-Is Pseudo………………………false
|—-Is Reserved…………………….false
|—-Pending Reservations……………. 1

The ESX host that has Pending Reserves with a value that is larger than 0 is holding the lock.

Perform a LUN reset to clear the lock.

For ESX 3.x, run the command:

# vmkfstools –lock lunreset /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhba1\:0\:52\:0

For ESX 4.x, run the command:

# vmkfstools –lock lunreset /vmfs/devices/disks/vml.02000000006001c230d8abfe000ff76c198ddbc13e504552432035

Verify that the LUN no longer has any Pending Reserves.

For ESX 3.x, run the command:

# tail -1 /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba1/0\:52

The output appears similar to:

Active: 0 Queued: 0 Reserved: N Pending Reserves: 0

For ESX 3.5, run the command:

# esxcfg-info -s | egrep -B5 “s Reserved|Pending”

For ESX 4.x, run the command:

# esxcfg-info -s | egrep -B16 “s Reserved|Pending”

Note: If the Pending Reserves is not 0 or Is Reserved is not false, the LUN reset did not succeed.

Do a refresh of the storage window on each ESX host.

If the datastore is not mounted, perform a rescan.

News outlets are jumping the gun today about President Obama’s forthcoming announcement that will lay out his Afghanistan strategy. The president will reportedly move to deploy 34,000 additional soldiers to the country.

CNN’s Rick Sanchez anonymously quoted a Pentagon official a couple hours ago as saying the majority of those troops will be deployed in the southern and southeastern portions of Afghanistan, the country’s border with Pakistan. This bit of information, if accurate, is a tell for the basics of Obama’s forthcoming announcement.

In general, the southern portions of Afghanistan contain the vast poppy fields that make the country the most prolific producer of illegal drugs in the world. They account for $3 billion of illicit economic activity within the country, and that number is growing. It’s is roughly in-line with the country’s entire import expenditure, foreign aid notwithstanding. In fact, Afghanistan’s entire nominal gross-domestic product, which does not include the drug trade or other illegal activity, was estimated at just $8 billion in 2006, according to the CIA.

Specifically, the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar produce most of the country’s opium; 46 percent and 8 percent, respectively. The remainder of that production is far less concentrated and, therefore, harder for peace-makers to control, especially given Afghanistan’s unique and hard-to-navigate terrain.

The Taliban is quite active in controlling the country’s drug trafficking, and is thus concentrated in southern Afghanistan. This makes sense – Afghanistan’s drug trade helps funds the Taliban.

My prediction is that Obama will confirm a number close to what’s been reported today, and that those newly deployed troops will be meant to take back control of those two particular regions from the Taliban, destroying the poppy crops in the process. Short of strengthening its border with Pakistan, there’s simply nothing else for them to do in southern Afghanistan.

Further, the Taliban differs significantly from the south to the north. The vast majority of the Taliban in southern Afghanistan – those active in producing and managing the drug trade there – are terrorists not by choice, precisely, but rather by economics. Afghanis are some of the poorest people in the world, and the one enterprise that happens to pay a liveable wage happens to be in the business of terrorism. So many members of the Taliban that U.S. troops will encounter, though certainly dangerous, are incentivized by money, not hate. Persuading these insurgents to give up their fight isn’t impossible, or even unreasonable, when armed with the right weapons: not tanks and guns, but cold cash and economic opportunity. “Flipping the Taliban,” as this strategy has been called, is an important notion that isn’t all that new among international relations academics.

Obviously, this approach requires volumes of knowledge about the religious, social, and interpersonal dynamics that govern both the Afghani people as well as the Taliban’s most influential terrorists. And it’s highly nontraditional. Are American forces equipped to engage in a conflict of this nature? Maybe this is why Obama has taken so long to outline his strategy.

Read the full text (.pdf) of the Share the Sacrifice Act of 2010, which seeks a graduated surtax on individuals and corporations to pay for the Afghanistan war.

This isn’t a tax-the-rich piece of legislation. Under the proposal, middle-class households earning between $30,000 and $150,000 annually would be taxed 1 percent above their current tax liability. Politico has the details.

This bill won’t get too far in the House, for obvious reasons. But if it helps publicizes the actual cost to U.S. taxpayers of the situation in Afghanistan, it’s probably done exactly what the progressive arm of the Democratic Party wants it to do.

(Related: I’m throwing my support behind the Tax Military Contractors’ War Profits Through The Nose Act, which doesn’t seem to have been written quite yet.)

Filling the blanks

Rahul George is into theatre and uses it not only as a tool for personality-building, but also for education. You are surprised when he walks in as he looks more like an executive, than an artiste. “Well, I actually am a blend of both,” he says as he takes his seat.

“You know I started off as an advertising guy. Worked in Mumbai before making Bangalore my home. Continued working but always felt that there was a vacuum,” says this MBA graduate. Then he quit his job, just took “time to realise what I actually wanted to do. That’s when I started meeting people from various walks of life and took to theatre for I always had a passion for it. You know, given a choice, I would have taken to theatre as a vocation in the beginning itself.”

As he got involved in theatre, he discovered that he liked being with people and working with them. “I also realised that people opened up a lot and took very easily to me. And I started counselling them too.”

So to be able to help better, he did a counselling course with Ali Khwaja in 2003. “I did this just to pursue my interest in psychology. It was an extension of my interest in the subject. I could never see myself doing a chalk and talk method. I realised that a combination of theatre and counselling worked wonders for people.”

So he went on to do intensive research on applied theatre and also studied theatre in education at Christ University before starting his own group called Join the Dots.

“The name intrigued me. It is inspired from the games in puzzle books, where you join the dots and the picture becomes clear. It is the same when we work and get people to connect the dots. Things become clear. Most people know the answers themselves,” he observes.

As he was not looking at a typical curriculum, he started reaching out to schools, colleges and corporates and designing workshops for them. His wife, Meenakshi, a teacher, also helps him in his work. And together they have designed various workshops where they have used theatre to teach subjects like history and civics.

“We were called by schools at the point of revision. We took their syllabus and using theatre we elicited dialogues and poetry from the children themselves. We worked for one-and-a half hours with them for 10 days. It refreshed their memory, gave them a fresh understanding of their lessons and also equipped them with a memory hook to write their examinations,” recalls Rahul.

If any establishment wants him to devise a programme for them, he is willing to do it, and adds: “My aim is to train teachers so that they can incorporate theatre in their own individualistic styles into their syllabus.” He says that it is possible to use theatre to even teach subjects like physics!

Besides educational programmes he also conducts regular theatre workshops in Cubbon Park and at the Time Foundation Nalanda. The former is held every Saturday at 2.30 p.m. and is open for those aged between 14 to 65. “It is a paid membership, where the basics of a performance are taught. One is equipped with the various skills s/he needs before going on stage. This is a weekend class and is for those who want to be involved in theatre but lack the time. After every workshop we perform at the Nani Arena. In a year I conduct three to four workshops.”

He does not choose themes with a social message but works with people to overcome their inhibitions and inner conflicts. “The other workshop, at Nalanda, is solely for personal use and development. The classes are also structured in such a way that it helps you understand the self, emotions, dealing with certain fears. This one offers people the space and the time to talk about their conflicts and also confront them. It is amazing how honest people are and how these workshops have helped them. We have had people coming in to us on the verge of quitting a job or a marriage, but have worked it out through these various theatre exercises.”

Theatre is an effective tool that helps build relationships at home or at work, he believes. “Theatre is a tool. It creates an emotion of trust, it can build new ideas, and also creates a sense of acceptance. I have only used it as a facilitating tool. The environment is light and fun. Theatre is an experience where people are able to take back their experience to their life.”

Rahul also organizes couples’ workshops, where he devices exercises to get the couple to connect with each other. “Once things are out in the open they are able to hear different perspectives. This enhances their understanding of the simplicity of the situation. Most of the time the problem just looks big. A simple lesson is that there is more to life than just picking at each other.”

Rahul George can be contacted on 9845014330 or rahul@jointhedots.in

It may not exactly be a news flash if a disgruntled West Virginia client alleges his attorney represented his ex-wife’s interests in a divorce matter since claims like this happen everyday, but the treatment that attorney Trent A. Redman is getting in the West Virginia legal press is a good example of how an attorney accused of malpractice can often feel like the harsh light of the publicity works against them.   The piece dated November 13, 2009 in the West Virginia Record, shows how sometimes simply the allegation that the lawyer was negligent is enough to be newsworthy.  The article covers several allegations in the client’s complaint, generally alleging that attorney Redman, a former family court judge, did not heed the client’s advice throughout the divorce trial and at one point ignored attempts by the client to contact Redman.  Certainly, attorney Redman will have a response to the client’s allegations, but unfortunately, unless the response receives the same level of publicity as the client’s complaint, the general public may never know Redman’s side of the story.  If the negative publicity of a malpractice claim hits the street before a formal answer to the complaint has been filed, the attorney responding to the allegations is often forced to say to a reporter, “No comment while the suit is pending,” when the desire is to defend your good name.