Tuesday, January 4, 2011

CAREER IN PUBLIC RELATIONS By — Shailendra Kumar



As science gives us greater control over matter, machines and methods, we must learn to deal with people with increasing effectiveness. Public Relations as a means of influencing attitudes can greatly expedite the social adaptations required for our material advancement by influencing public opinion. The revolution in communication that we referred to earlier is more than an accelerator of change. It has created a whole new pattern of human dynamics. Changes are being felt in various spheres of the society, particularly in the life styles and attitudes, for the current changes in society are basically because of shifts in public attitudes whether they are in, business, education, science or technology. It is because of this that Public Relations are rapidly gaining attention worldwide.
      The new leadership in all organizations, government or private, has become aware of the importance of public attitudes. Some are either aware of Public Relations or are receptive when it comes to their attention. As they gradually replace the old guard, the significance and the dynamics of the concept of Public Relations is likely to increase in scope and effect: The changes will create a climate in which all organisations must exist. Understanding and coping with the human climate is as vital for an organisation as dealing with the weather is for a farmer.
        Public Relation is synonymous with a management job, and encompasses activities like monitoring, evaluating and maintaining mutual relations and creating an understanding between an organization and the public that it corresponds to. Now, in such cases, ‘Public’ does not mean the masses, rather it includes shareholders, consumers, media and even the employees of the organization. Its objective is to improve channels of communication and establish methods of setting up a road for flow of information and understanding. The media plays a key role in PR processes when it comes to popular organizations. After all, the media always has the ‘power’ to make or break. It, therefore, becomes mandatory to build and maintain a good relationship with the media.
The Job
      Maintaining a public image is one of the stepping stones to success. How the public perceives you or your organization is an important factor for one’s market standing and this precisely is the job of a Public Relations Officer. PROs play a crucial role in creating and maintaining relationships within as well as outside the organization. Within the organization they organize management-employee meets, inform employees about organizational policies etc. They also have to maintain a liaison with government departments, trade unions, the press etc. whose cooperation is imperative for the smooth functioning of the organization.
      A crisis situation is the ultimate test for a PRO. Handling affairs in an appropriate way scores the PRO good points. As a PR person you may face a situation when you have to put your foot down and save the face of the organization. How well you do this, will reflect on your credentials. A new aspect of this career involves brining about the passage of laws favourable to the special interest group a PRO represents. It is a strategy used to raise public consciousness and influence policy makers with regards to environmental, human rights as well as educational concerns.
      Another important field of work is creating public identity of your clientele which may include public figures like political parties/leaders, models and film stars. This includes advising your clients on various aspects like dressing right, behaving in a certain manner and addressing the public and the media.
Placement
      In terms of career opportunities PR involves product publicity, corporate publicity, improvement of relations with government, publishing corporate publications like newsletters, bulletins, magazines for employees etc. PROs are employed in the corporate sector, public sector, government agencies, tourist agencies, hotels, banks and other financial institutions and private consultancy firms. They are also employed with individuals like political figures, models and film stars who want their pictures, profiles and interviews published in magazines and need agents who can create and maintain a desired image. They cultivate and maintain contacts with journalists, set up speaking engagements, write executive speeches and annual reports, respond to inquiries and speak directly to the press on behalf of their client. They must keep lines of communication open between the many groups affected by a company’s product and policies: consumers, shareholders, employees and the managing body. Public Relations people also write press releases and may be involved in producing sales or marketing material. With growing competition in every field, the demand for PR executives is bound to increase.
Skill
      For a successful career in PR, you must possess certain qualities like excellent communication skills which greatly help in clearly expressing one’s thoughts. A good personality and the ability to get along with people, both in and outside an organization is also important. Being polite and calm even while working under pressure is an additional qualification. Confidence, far-sightedness, event-management and the ability to handle crises are other key traits of a successful PRO. Analytical skills are required to interpret research information and plan activities. An alert mind, resilience, good sense of humour and diplomacy are assets for PR professionals.
Education and Training
Many institutes offer post graduate diploma and certificate courses in Public Relations. The cost of pursuing such a course may approximately be between Rs.20, 000/- and Rs.25, 000/- An individual who is a graduate in any discipline is eligible to apply for a PR course. Most training programmes in advertising also include the subject of Public Relations for study.
Institute Indicators
  1. University of Lucknow
  2. Banaras Hindu University
  3. Jammia Millia University
  4. Indian Institute of Mass Communication
  5. Mudra Institute of Communication
  6. Symbiosis Institute of journalism and communication
  7. Indira Gaandhi National Open University
  8. Osmania University
  9. Aligarh Muslim University
  10. Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies

(The list is indicative only)
(Shailendra Kumar is a freelance Journalist.  Email ID: - shailendra_lu@yahoo.co.in, Shailendr.lu@gmail.com.)

Thursday, December 23, 2010

CAREER IN HUMAN RIGHTS By - Dr. Kamlesh Kumar

The experience of past two decades has demonstrated the crucial importance of human rights. Traditionally, the human rights violation occurred due to State or its actors, however, the contemporary time has witnessed human rights violations by individuals, institutions and at societal levels. Over the years, the National Human Rights Commissions of India has been recording and reporting a number of human rights violations including civil, political, social and economic rights. These violations and victimizations are with regard to the issues concerning right to food, right to health, right to education, rights of women against violence and exploitation, rights of Children against abuse and exploitation, rights of migrants and their violation based on caste, creed, region and region.
Nature of Job
The human rights field has huge potential and need for multiple professionals. Work in human rights can be challenging and intense. Organizations use a variety of disciplines in their approach to Social Justice, Juvenile Justice, Gender Justice, Custodial Justice, and now emerging area of Climate Justice including direct service, monitoring & evaluation, lobbying and networking, advocacy, policy development, documenting and research. Activities include research focusing on preventing and ending human rights abuses in all regions of the world, monitoring human rights development, conducting on-site fact finding and investigations, writing case studies and reports on human rights conditions, engaging in advocacy to publicize and curtail human rights violations, litigation, lobbying, and promoting human rights practices in social and political structures. In addition, human rights professionals provide advisory and educational services, refugee assistance, victim’s rehabilitation, policy analysis for national and international institutions, assistance in institution building and project development and management in the field of human rights based civil society organizations.
    
The human rights based job includes;
1.  Human rights activist,
2.  Human rights defender,
3.  Human rights analyst,
4.  Human rights professional,
5.  Human rights researcher,
6.  Human rights programmer,
7.  Human rights advocate,
8.  Human rights worker,
9.  Human rights teacher,
10. Human rights consultant,
11. Human rights campaigner,
12. Human right fundraiser
13. Human rights manager.
Skills required
  1. Writing skills
  2. Management skills
  3. Legal skills
  4. Communication Skills
  5. Reporting skills
  6. Research Skills
  7. Interviewing skills
  8. Language skill
  9. Inter-personal communication skills
  10. Documenting skills
  11. Fundraising skills
  12. Crisis Response Skills
  13. Advocacy Skills
  14. Active Listening and questioning Skills
  15. Teamwork skills
  16. Analytical and critical thinking skills
  17. Negotiating and Mediating Skills
  18. Conflict Resolution Skills
  19. Networking Skills
Organizations working in Human Rights
     Having a Degree or Diploma or Certificate in Human Rights, one can work in the human rights field with a broad spectrum. There are governmental (National and State Human Rights Bodies), intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations (Amnesty International, CRY, Oxfam, Human Rights Watch, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiatives, Asian Centre for Human Rights, South Asian Human Rights Documentation Centre, PUCL and PUDR etc). Besides, a number of UN agencies working on the human rights issues might be useful for human rights, based employments in India and overseas as UNDP ((United Nations Development Programme), UNDESA (UN Department of Economic & Social Affairs), World Bank,  UNICEF (UN Children Fund), UNEP( UN Environment Programme), UNFPA (UN Population Fund), WHO (World Health Organization), IMF (International Monetary Fund), UN- HABITAT (UN Human Settlements Programme), FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization),  IFAD  (International Fund for Agricultural Development), ILO(International Labour Organization), ITU(International Telecom Union), UNAIDS (Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS), UNCTAD (UN Conference on Trade and Development), UNDG (UN Development Group), UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ), UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency), UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organization),  UNIFEM (UN Development Fund for Women), OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ), UNRWA(UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East ), WFP (World Food Programme).
Remuneration
     The salary in the field of human rights depend upon the nature of job such as permanent, temporary, ad-hoc and project based assignments. However, the higher remuneration and various other benefits depend upon which sector one is working like government, non-government organization, corporate houses or International Organization and even whether person is working in India or abroad.
Where to Study and Eligibility
     Most of the University Departments offering a Post-Graduate or Under-Graduate programs have Human Rights as one of their main subjects. Some Universities, Colleges, Institutions and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) also offer Diploma and Certificate.  The Eligibility to take admission in these courses is generally a Bachelor’s degree in any stream having some understanding of human rights issues.
ACADEMIC COURSES IN HUMAN RIGHTS
     A number of Universities/Institutes offer certificate, diploma and degree courses in Human Rights.
1.  DEGREE COURSE
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam
Cochin University of Science & Technology, Kochi
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
M.S. University of Baroda,Vadodara
Sri Venkatesswara University, Tirupati
M.D. University, Rohtak     
Berhampur University, Berhampur
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

2.      DIPLOMA COURSE
University of Mumbai, Mumbai
Nagpur University, Nagpur
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
Saurashtra University, Rajkot
University of Madras, Chennai
University of Jammu, Jammu Tawi
Pondicherry University, Pondicherry
University of Mysore, Mysore
J.N. Vyas University, Jodhpur
Mohanlal Sukhadia, Udaipur
University of Kalyani, Kolhapur
Madurai Kamraj University, Maduari
H.P. University, Simla
University of Kashmir, Srinagar
Indian Law Institute, New Delhi
Indian Institute of Human Rights, New Delhi
3.      CERTIFICATE COURSE
Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore
National Law School of India University, Bangalore
Berhampur University, Berhampur
S.N.D.T. Womens University, Mumbai
Arunachal University
Manipur University
Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded
Lamka Govt. College, Manipur
Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi
(The above lists are indicative only)
(Concluded)
(The Author is Research Officer Centre for Socio-Legal Studies              and Human Rights, School of            Social Sciences, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai-400088 : e-mail  : kamleshkumar73@gmail.com)
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN BOTANICAL GARDENS
By
 
— Dr. Surender Kumar Bhardwaj
A botanical garden is a centre of collection of living plants maintained for both pure and applied research. In the beginning, botanical gardens were established mainly for the training of medical students and for the study of drug yielding plants. During the 18th century a few of the drug gardens cultivated not only medicinal herbs but also many other types of flowering plants. The original concept included the cultivation of flowers for beauty and delight. In the period of 19th century, botanical gardens in the tropics became the centre of extensive botanical research, resulting in a number of useful plants which became known or better known for their usefulness to mankind. Just to mention a few, para rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), quinine (Cinchona officinalis), coffee (Coffea Arabica) and tea (Camellia sinensis) are widely used and well known plants which have been studied in detail for their economic, therapeutic and industrial aspects.
ORIGIN OF BOTANICAL GARDENS
It was the landmark in the history when the idea of development of botanical gardens was originated in the human’s mind. As the knowledge about plants became progressively scientific, many pleasure gardens were converted into botanical gardens, which not only became the centre of advanced learning but also began to play a vital role in the economic and aesthetic needs of various nations. The Bogar (Buitenzorg) Botanical Garden, Java, gave impetus to the cultivation of cinchona, rubber and coffee to the Economic Gardens of the Dutch cultivated of spices and Oxford Botanical Garden, England introduced of some of the parents of modern asters, chrysanthemums, dahlias, fuchsias, irises, narcissi and roses. In the fundamental research, it may be recalled, that the Laws of genetics were worked out by Mendel in monastic garden in Austria. The research problems being studied by the present day gardens vary from the development of the drought-resistant varieties of the plants and weed control. However, behind the apparent diversity in various lines of work lies the common function which all botanical gardens share, namely the collection, display of and research on plants of medicinal, horticultural and other economic interests.
STATUS OF BOTANICAL GARDEN IN WORLD
More than 1800 Botanical Gardens and arboreta are situated in about 148 countries, which together keep up more than 4 million living plants belonging to more than 80,000 species of vascular plants. Thus, the Botanic Gardens and other plants conservation centres in the world play a very crucial role as centers for rescue, recovery and rehabilitation of rare, endangered and extinction prone species of plants and other valuable plant genetic resources. The Botanical Gardens also play an important role in education and as a centres of training in areas such as horticulture, gardening, landscaping, ex-situ conservation and environmental awareness.
STATUS OF BOTANICAL GARDENS IN INDIA
India is among the biodiversity rich countries in the world. There are about 140 Botanical gardens in India, out of which about 75 Indian Botanical Gardens are enlisted in the Botanical Survey of India. Apart from Government and University botanic gardens there are many gardens of public and academic interest in India.           
Botanical Survey of India (BSI) was established in 1890 with the basic objective of carrying out floristic surveys, supported by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, manages botanic gardens throughout India and is actively engaged in the ex-situ conservation through its chain of Botanic gardens established in different regional circles. The Directorate of the Survey is at the Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah, and there are thirteen Regional Circles/ Field Stations in different parts of the country, eleven of which have experimental gardens as shown in Table:
S. No. Name Location Area
1. Indian Botanic Garden Howrah 212 ha
2. Botanic Garden of Indian Noida 80 ha
3. Experimental Botanic Garden Andaman & Nicobar Circle Dhanikheri 30 ha
4 Experimental Botanic Garden Arunachal Field Station Sankie View 48 ha
5. Experimental Botanic Garden Arid Zone Circle Jodhpur 4 ha
6. Experimental Botanic Garden Central Circle Allahabad 3 ha
7. Experimental Botanic Garden Eastern Circle (Shillong) Barapani 10.4 ha
8. Experimental Botanic Garden Northern Circle Pauri 14 ha
9. Experimental Botanic Garden Northern Circle Khirsu 8 ha
10. Experimental Botanic Garden Northern Circle Dehradun 2 ha
11. Experimental Botanic Garden Sikkim Himalayan Circle Gangtok 1.5 ha
12. Experimental Botanic Garden Southern Circle Yercaud 18.6 ha
13. Experimental Botanic Garden Western Circle Mundhwa (Pune) 17.8 ha
ACADEMICS
In the world, some botanical gardens have made the necessary shift in focus that underpins scientific research and conservation of plants, making them an essential component of the global conservation goals. Therefore, such gardens, which provide the necessary expertise for replication at regional or local levels, could be termed as ‘Lead gardens’ or models. Lead gardens should serve the present day need of conservation and education vis-à-vis the obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation ( GSPC) as well as in context of the present WTO regime and the Country’s National Environmental Policy, 2006 which encompasses Conservation Policy. Several Lead Gardens in the world have initiated various biotechnological and bio-prospecting programmes, based on their valuable plant collection and knowledge base. National Botanic Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow and Tropical Botanic Garden & Research Institute (TBGRI) Trivandrum, in India are examples of those Botanic Gardens involved in active research in biotechnology and bio prospecting.
Various Botanical Gardens are providing professional training and most comprehensive ranges of courses for anyone looking to develop their career in botany, horticulture, garden design or botanical illustration. Various courses such as, Practical Certificates, Diplomas & Degrees (B.Sc., M.Sc. & Ph.D.) are being offered by many botanical gardens. Among these Botanical Gardens, some are Indian Botanical Gardens, Shibpur, Kolkata, National Botanical Garden, Lucknow, India, Llyod Botanic Garden, Darjeeling, India, Muzaffarpur Botanical Research Institute, India.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
With certificate, diplomas, under graduate and post graduate degree in botany, horticulture, medicinal and aromatic plants, one can easily enter into any research and teaching institution as botanical assistant, scientific assistant, preservation assistant, research assistant, field man, herbarium keeper, or related jobs. One can take up research/ teaching as a career with M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree in botany, horticulture or equivalent qualifications. Depending upon qualification and experience, one can serve as Curator, Superintendent, Botanist, Taxonomist or Scientist in botanical gardens, research institutions, experimental/ field stations including Botanical Survey of India and other related organizations.
(The author is Superintendent Botanical Garden), M.D. University, Rohtak-124001, Haryana e-mail: skbmdu66@gmail.com: skb_mdu@hotmail.com)