BEAUTY CELEBRITY from Don Bosco -ROBERT NAOREM    -   BOSCONET THOUGHTS

Robert Naorem, 28, is a true celebrity – a top beauty expert of India. His skills are in great demand for films, fashion shows, beauty pageants like Femina Miss India, Cheerleaders of IPL cricket teams, Brand Promotion of various products, artists, models …  

He did his schooling at Don Bosco, Imphal, Manipur. A silent guy, yet very bright, Robert’s taste for beauty developed into skills for creating beauty.  

In 2008 he established the Robert Academy at Bangalore for make-up training. His two dreams are to showcase the beauty of typical Manipur costumes to the outside world and to promote youngsters interested in the fashion industry.

He keeps growing. He is currently doing a PhD course to crown the M.Phil. in Psychology he already has. He lectures part time in CMR College, Bangalore, and in NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology), Bangalore.

Don Bosco is glad to see Robert’s progress. He has reason to be proud. He has made us proud. Congratulations! 

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CHILDREN  GONE  MISSING    -    BOSCONET THOUGHTS

In 2013, a total of 6,494 children were reported as gone missing in the city of New Delhi, an average of 18 per day! 78% of them were traced out. The remaining have never again been seen or heard from till now. 

It is alleged that some are sent to the gulf countries to work as domestic servants, others to in roadside dhabas; some are to be raped, others are forced to get married. At least 1000 per year are gone for ever – from the city of Delhi alone!

The DON BOSCO NATIONAL FORUM FOR THE YOUNG AT RISK (the national network of the services offered by Don Bosco to street children in 87 towns of India) has a tracking system developed with support from UNICEF. 300 partner organisations, including our own centres, enter into this computer software all the information they can get about missing children. Data is fed in also of any ‘found’ children. The software throws up possible matches.

The site now has data of some 3 lakh children gone missing. Our record is of tracing out some 30% of them so far. Some State governments have adopted the system for state-level use. Hopefully, the central government will take it up and use it all over the nation.

EVERY LOST CHILD IN AN UNACCEPTABLE DISASTER !

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BEST  ACTRESS – GEETANJALI  THAPA – Don Bosco STUDENT !

Geetanjali Thapa recently won the National Best Actress Award for her performance in “Liar’s Dice”. She did her studies in Don Bosco School, Malbasey, Sikkim – a product of Don Bosco’s principle, “Give the best to the poorest.” Malbasey is just a small village in a remote corner of East Sikkim.

She is very attached to her alma mater, visits frequently and remains in steady contact with the Salesians and teachers. She passed out from Don Bosco in 2004. Her acting career started in 2010.

Within her short career she has acted several other films such as: White Lies, I.D, Monsoon Shootout, That Day after Everyday”. She has also featured in commercials for L’Oreal, Maggi, Boroplus, and Move. Her films have been screened at the Cannes Film Festival 2013, Sundane Film Festival 2014 and Busan Film Festival 2012.

She also won : Best Actress Award at the New York Indian Film Festival 2014 for her performance inn Liar’s Dice; Best Performance Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival 2013 for I.D; Best Actress Award at the Imagine India International Film Festival at Madrid 2013 for Monsoon Shootout. 

The school is as proud of Geetanjali as she is grateful to the school. It is, indeed, a tremendous achievement both for Geetanjali and for Don Bosco Malbasey that her talents could be nurtured to high levels in such a small, remote village.

Well, THE BEST TO THE POOREST !

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PENNIES  FALLING  FROM  HEAVEN    -   BOSCONET THOUGHTS

“Pennies do not fall from heaven; they have to be earned here on earth,” said Margaret Thatcher. Manmohan said the same in different words, perhaps quoting someone else, “There is no such thing as a a free lunch.” A long way back – 2000 years ago – St. Paul, the apostle put the same thought in his own way, “He who does not work, neither let him eat.” “Give work rather than alms to the poor,” said Tryon Edwards.

Hand-outs and charity that lowers the self-respect of a person and destroys his possibility to use his capacities is no act of love. We should neither expect nor give a hand-out, except to those not in a position to earn anything – little children, the terminally ill, those severely handicapped whether physically or mentally.

A million received for no work, but in charity or through a lottery, is not worth a dollar earned by the sweat of my brow.

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JESUIT  PRIEST  CULTIVATES  RICE !  -  BOSCONET THOUGHTS

We are told that there is a 60% chance of a drought this year. India has 16% of the world’s population and 4% of its fresh water. We have the largest area under rice cultivation, a water-intensive crop. The “System of Rice Intensification” (what a name!) holds out hope. Under SRI a hectare of land could produce 8 tonnes (2.1 is the current national average!).

For SRI we do not need new rice varieties, we use less fertilizers and agrochemicals, and only about half the usual amount of water is required. In ideal conditions, a hectare under SRI has been known to produce even 15 to 20 tonnes of rice!

SRI was first developed 30 years ago in Madagascar. It was introduced – with excellent results – in Tamilnadu in 2000, in Tripura in 2002 and in Bihar in 2007.  If only the technique could be used in all our rice fields all over the country! This is the right year to do so.

Interestingly, SRI is the brain-child of Fr. Henri de Laulanie SJ, a Jesuit priest. What can the Jesuits not do! That reminds me of Bro. Alex Gonzalves of the Bombay Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco. He implemented a watershed project in two districts of Maharashtra which had been declared dry zones by the government. Every dry season owners of even large plots of land would migrate to the towns to do coolie labour to help their family survive. The people of 22 villages now grow up to THREE crops a year on their land! BOSCONET has published a book about Bro. Alex.

What can the Salesians of Don Bosco not do!

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CHANGE,  INNOVATE  OR  DIE !  -  BOSCONET THOUGHTS

Yesterday, Alexander Stubb, the Prime Minister of Finland said Steve Jobs took away all the jobs in his country. He quoted the president of the Swedish bank Nordea who had said, “We had two pillars … the IT industry and the paper industry. The iPhone knocked out Nokia and the iPad knocked out the forestry.”

This reminds of various occasions within the last century when very prominent and successful people saw some innovations as passing fads that would soon be forgotten – innovations like the motor car!

Change is inevitable, and innovation is the need of the hour. It is difficult and even painful for everyone to accept and adapt to some innovations around us. This is much more so for organisations. The better structured and organised they are, the more reluctant they are to change, adapt, innovate and remain relevant.

However, WE CHANGE, ADAPT AND INNOVATE, OR WE SHALL DIE!

MARKETING  HUMANS

“Budget Maids”, “Smart workers”, etc., are shop names in some markets of Singapore. What is available for sale in these shops are the services of young women as housemaids, home nurses, babysitters, etc.

Women from the Philippines are often marketed as “smart” and those from Myanmar as “compliant”. Some of them cradle a baby doll to show how they are skilled in looking after babies. Others push a wheel chair up and down so that customers can see that they can care for the elderly.

Some people see this as human trafficking; others look at is the equivalent of writing up a CV and posting it on a website. Some see little difference between this practice and that of the women in the red-light areas of some cities, displaying their assets and promising hot action. Others think this is a legitimate way to offer oneself for a decent job.

Is it any worse than groups of men congregated at strategic points in so many towns all around the world, waiting for someone to come and hire them for work for the day? On the other hand, are not both these practices demeaning and lowering the self-esteem of those who have no other option to earn their livelihood?

What are we to make of it?