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EC WITH PROBs Ex.

In this exercise asked the students to make words by using all the letters of the word "P R O B L E M" only once.

Then defined P R O B L E M as an opportunity for:

P: Patience (to think)

R: Reading (the situation carefully)

O: Orientation (of your thoughts, considering negative and positive factors)

B: Being cool, calm and in control.

L: Looking for alternatives at every stage.

E: Ever in control of your ego.

M: Making it a learning adventure for future.

Afterwards asked them to talk about a person-related(interpersonal) problem and how they responded/addressed that issue and tried to save/strengthen the relationship.

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DREAMS vs DOING...DREAMING vs LOVING.

While talking about their dreams most of the participants spoke about becoming college lecturers, govt. employees, working abroad etc. A simple logic to be followed here while following your dreams is to keep your focus on your efforts/steps/actions that you are taking now or going to take, thinking of that dream/direction/vision. Achieving the dream is not that important. More important is focusing on your present moments and being in love with what you are doing now for the realization of that aim/mission/goal. 

For eg., if a person wants to become a singer in life, if that's what is her goal, then her dream  instead of becoming a singer can be to keep improving her abilities and skills as a singer, to be a more versatile singer, to look for opportunities to participate/compete and assess her qualities vis-a-vis other participants etc. Having a goal is important but focusing on the efforts in that direction is more important. More than thinking about your dream/day dreaming one should be enthusiastic/energetic/passionate about the actions required for realizing the vision.

One can even dare to say that "I don't want to be a singer...who cares whether I become a singer or not...But nothing can stop me from being in love with singing. For me it's all about experiencing the pure joy, the moment of self realization, the happiness of reaching out and uniting with the universe and touching the heights of excellence within me by finding the real me. The journey is all inside, not outside. 

Here you are defining your dream, you are in control, you have the power and responsibility, you are in driver's seat. And above all you live every moment, with happiness.

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LAUGHING AT SELF Ex.

In this exercise asked the students to narrate a personal experience which they think is funny or laughable. The experience should be their own experience and they have to make fun of themselves by sharing that experience. This can be a learning process of the audience also. So the speaker should tell about the early days of their entering a college/joining a company/learning a skill/visiting a place etc for the first time  and committing a lot of mistakes.

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LISTENING (with awareness and love) EXERCISE

In this exercise asked the students to first find a listening partner. Then they should stand facing each other. The listener should make their mind-thoughts clear/free of these four things:

1. Biases & Prejudices

2. Assumptions & Limitations

3. Beliefs based on past experiences 

4. Fears and Desires

(Having an awareness of the above four types of thoughts will also help in listening with love)

The time given to the speaker to express their thoughts on a topic : 3 minutes

Topic given for sharing their thoughts: A dream/goal/ambition in my life and the barriers/hurdles I have to overcome to realise that dream/goal/ambition.

The time for the listener to prepare a written summary of the speech: 5 minutes

The time for the speaker to read the speech summary: 2 minutes

The total time for a pair of students: 10 minutes

Message of this exercise: We see things as we are, not as they are.

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EC GRAPHOLOGY

Graphology is the study/analysis of handwriting to assess/understand a person's true nature.

While studying a person's handwriting, the following qualities can  be considered:

Slant: A moderate left slant means the person is shy, inhibited, introvert, choosy, reflective, withdrawn and independent. Depressed, fearful and anxious. Non-communicative. Non-sympathetic, non-compassionate, unaffectionate, insensitive and unfriendly.

Size of letters: Large letters mean that the person is bold and aggressive. Ambitious for name, fame and recognition. Enthusiastic, boastful and extrovert. Sometimes lacks concentration and discipline. Confident, optimistic and strongly motivated, a good leader too.

Letter spacing: Wide spaced means the person is sympathetic, a spendthrift, considerate and extrovert, reasonable, self-confident, non-adventurous, amiable, well balanced.

Pressure: Light Pressure means sensitive, tender, forgiving, adaptable, tolerant, and spiritual.

Physically weak and fragile. Passively indifferent, weak willed, non-committed and lacks vitality.

Connecting strokes: A moderate arcade shows one to be creative, artistic, meditative, gentle, protective, poised, shy, formal, proud and authoritative.

Position of dot of small letter - i : Left of stem indicates that the person is a fast thinker, impulsive and impatient.

Letter-g resembling number 8: Shows that the person is intelligent, altruistic, adaptable and understanding.

Parochial-r: It shows that the person is artistic, musical and suppressed thinking.

Loops: Exaggerated loops suggest that the person is an extrovert, sympathetic, social, intuitive, impulsive and compassionate.

Connected and disconnected: A disconnected handwriting shows the person to be perceptive, intuitive, imaginative, observant, inventive and sensitive. It also show some negative qualities in the person like being aloof, lonely, insecure, moody, selfish, suspicious, shy, restless, inconsistent, illogical and impractical.

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BREAK THE RULES Ex.

In this role play based exercise asked the participants to enact a situation from real life where they obey the social/conventional/traditional rules. In the second round they have to break some rules and enact the same situation. And then there can be a discussion about the possibilities and consequences of changing the long standing rules.

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EC PRO-BLEMS

6A Strategy to feel easy while facing PRO-BLEMs :

1.Accept that the problem exists....(ACCEPTANCE)

2.Analyse the composition of the problem...(ANALYSIS or Break-it-apart)

3.Argue on the factors associated with the problem ie., the root cause.(ARGUMENTS)

4.Agreeing on the best possible steps to solve the problem. (AGREEMENT) 

5.Preparing an action plan. (ACTION PLAN)

6.Acting on the action plan...think and take only one step at a time and always be motivated by your vision of a better tomorrow. (ACTION - VISION)

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COMMON ISSUES AND THE COMMON MAN

What are the common issues before a common man?  Undoubtedly better food, education for children, good jobs, good health facilities, good roads, good transport, law and order, safe living conditions for women and children, care for the elderly, places for social interaction and enjoyment, freedom to worship and having a belief system which one likes, etc.

And we have political parties, government servants and institutions, private companies, NGOs, and other organisations to make all these happen. 

And what is the present situation in our society now? Sometimes it seems that the political parties and the society are not concerned about the real/actual issues affecting common people. 

"Poisonous vegetables" is a big issue here nowadays but what is the government doing in this regard? Stray dogs tormenting people everyday but what is the response from the authorities? Road accidents increasing day-by-day but is any organisation trying to control this? 

In short, real issues that really affect majority of the population (around 80%) are not at all discussed anywhere. That's what it seems, going by the newspaper and media reports. 

All that is actively given a priority are the policies and steps to make big companies sell more and more products by giving them tax exemptions. All that is given a serious thought are the decisions to make the lives of a small minority more comfortable with every passing day. And all that is forgotten are the measures to make the poor, the weak, the socially backward class happier.

For our society to develop collectively, first and foremost our discussions, conversations, thoughts and priorities, ambitions and vision should be about real issues. But what the media, leaders, even we people do is think and talk about things that don't actually matter to most of us at all in the long run. We talk about our luxuries, our comforts but we don't talk about our needs - the universal needs, the needs of the society, ecological needs and those who are voiceless, the unrepresented. 

Let's us hope that there will be more awareness about human issues like nature and environment, health and spirituality, education and employment, better living conditions for the poor, and above all, to have a safer world for children, women and the elderly. Let's be the change we want to see in this world.  

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EC LAUGHTER - The Wonder Drug

Human beings have been gifted with the power to smile and laugh but not everybody can laugh at themselves. Laughing at our own failures, weaknesses, follies, mistakes, drawbacks, shortcomings, defects, limitations is a gift which only a few have. And those who have it are happy and de-stressed because they don't have to appear confident, self-assured, wise and smart always. They can relax, try new things, explore new ways of doing something, think of new possibilities as they don't carry the burden of invincibility upon their shoulders.

Shakespeare says about the human life through the eponymous character of Macbeth :

"Life's nothing but a walking shadow, a poor player strutting and fretting his hour upon the stage. And then is heard no more. It's a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing."

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EC AGRI-THOUGHTS

Subhash Palekar 098 503 52 747

Dayal : 0478 2583289

Suraj: 8547570865

M Kurien 94463 90 839

The manure/fertilizer should have:

Nitrogen(N): For the plants to evolve and green parts to grow.

Phosphorous(P): For the root system to develop and plant quality.

Potassium(K): For bud placement and fruit quality.

• Important things while thinking about agriculture:

1. pH of the soil.

2. Calcium content in the soil: Kummayam/Kakka/Egg Shells/ Calcium Carbonate can be used: Calcium is important for cell strength of plants.

3. Carbon content in the soil: Decayed parts of trees/leaves/stem cane be used.

4. Magnesium content in the soil: Dolomite can be used: Magnesium is important for the Chlorophyll content of plants.

5. Urea in the soil: Cow dung/urine can be used after diluting it ten times.

6. Fat in the soil: Fish manure can be used.

7. Protein in the soil: Kadalapinnak/Kappalandi Pinnnak can be used.

8. Trace elements in the soil: This include Boron, Iodine, Zinc, Phosphorous for giving the plants immunity against diseases.

So the first thing to be done before sowing the seeds is preparing the land for growth and nourishment of the seeds. For this a small pit can be dug and inside it-

Calcium,

Dolomite, Urea,

Protein products,

Trace elements

can be made available.

• For Strawberry farming contact Mr. Johnny Patany from Wayanad at  98 95 66 11 87
• For brinjal farming contact Mr. Munirathan(099 895 09877) from Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh in Kasturikandriga village.

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EC UNCERTAINTY

Living in this world is an art of managing the uncertainty. Uncertainty is a part and parcel of all lives. No life is free from it. To pacify the mind from the fears of uncertainty humans use the power of resources like religion and spirituality, money, scientific knowledge and methods, communication technologies, relationships, social institutions, social capital, political power etc.

A few engaging/empowering/enlightening words to get battle-ready while facing moments of uncertainty in life: 

What have you lost, that you are weeping.?

What have you brought, that you have lost?

What have you made, that has been destroyed?

You brought nothing!

What you have got, you got from here, what was given here.

What you took, you took from this universe.

What you gave, you gave unto this universe.

You have come empty-handed and shall go empty-handed.

What is yours today was somebody else's in the past and will be somebody else's in the future.

You think it is yours and are deeply engrossed in it.

This attachment is the cause of all your sorrows.

Change is the law of life. What you call death is life itself. In a moment you are a millionaire, in the very next you are a poor man. Mine and yours; Small-Big; Ours-Theirs; Remove this from your mind, then everything is yours and you are everybody’s. 

-------------------------------------------From "The Gita"

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