Wanderlust: Why You Should Step Outside and Discover

Wanderlust: Why You Should Step Outside and Discover…

Sifting through your office documents, and the only thing that you would absolutely want to wish for right now- A BREAK. Whether the nature of your break may lie in a gamut of “the many different facets of a break,” the fact still remains that you need to be on a not-so formal sabbatical. This desire is pro rata to the desire which is also clearly manifested by students as they surround themselves with mounds of thick tomes of Mathematics, Sciences and Social Sciences. Even if you are a home-maker, chances are that you too are all knackered by the humdrum routine work of yours. You might be anything from a mogul to a frugal, but you would still need that one break. Evenif that one break is required every month. You still need a break.

One such breaks could be to leave your lovely compatriots and just go visit the distant lands of another country or just discover another fragment of your homeland. Obviously, you do not need to be Sascha Grabow and literally go on a quest of travelling the whole world (I mean you could do that too. In today’s world, the workaholics are basically brimming with wanderlust.), but then again travelling is something that I personally believe is one of those things in life that should never be a forlorn fantasy of any individual on this planet earth. Travelling makes you discover an alternative part of the world that you actually belong to.  In a way, travelling can be considered as a latitude to escape from reality, from our busy mundane routine lives. Embrace it. Even if you are a person who likes his or her own space, go for a road trip by yourself discovering the other places in your country. Or hit the road with your family or friends.  If you want to uncover the far off distant lands and natural worlds, go visit a new country and unveil its mesmerizing tokens of pulchritude. 

There is an array of things that visiting new places offers. “Going to new places, meeting new people and exploring new soils could be a habit forming!” 

Travelling could be an act of catharsis. You leave all your worries and problems behind in your homeland, moving forth on a journey of self-discovery. You leave behind the prodigiously huge amount of workload and forget everything about the reality. You just relax, reflect and contemplate. “All the challenges and opportunities travel lays at one’s feet help him or her discover who they are that is only possible on the road.” After a satisfying travel, you are surely going to be filled with a new zeal, gusto and ardour, fuming with happiness and exuberance. And probably a determination for wanting to see the world.

People you meet when you visit a new place become the most treasured names on your contact list. They might have a different outlook towards life, have different answers to the same questions and display a beautiful subjectivity-conduct that helps you frame new perspectives and ideas and ultimately realize that everyone is the same just with different point of views.In fact, your point of view might have some major blinders. “These folks give you a glimpse outside your hometown circle of friends.”

Travelling begets new skills and talents that you might never have known that you had. It is travel that actually makes you realise that and leave you beaming with utter joy,” when you reach the mountain top or cross a couloir or help a villager clean up after a storm , or even when you successful order a meal at a rural Chinese restaurant.”

Being multilingual is one those talents that people literally yearn to learn. Learning new languages makes you realise that the world is full of beautiful dialects that emanate such beauty when spoken in their indigenous intonation. But learning a new language is not an easy-breezy task either. But when you visit new places, you are required to learn to speak at least the basics of that place’s language giving you a covetous approach in grasping in whatever vernacular is uttered in that region.

“Zip-lining over the jungle canopy in Peru, successfully navigating the maze-like streets of Venice, bartering for the best price in the traditional markets of ​Marrakech, taking a speedboat ride in New Zealand, or hopping in a Land Rover and heading out to watch animals grazing in Tanzania: these are adventures worth having. People are hardwired for the excitement of adventure and travel may just be the best way to nap into it.” 

Travelling also makes you informative about the places in the world from a social, cultural, historical and political context. Travelling can make you permissive and see and understand the world through someone else’s eyes by understanding their culture and values. You are not enshrouded by and trapped in that bubble; you get outside of your comfort zone. Such visits apprise the visitors and make them more appreciative of other cultures. Travelling teaches you things that classroom teaching would never be able to offer. 

Let’s face it. Your trips could be a great way to transfer your daily chinwags with your friends or relatives into nostalgic recounts of your last trip and immediately gives your conversations a direction. Thus your trips could make great and captivating stories that could encourage another person to plan a trip as well!

If you are an epicure, travelling is totally for you! Even if you are a person who loves to know the food culture of other places, you should definitely plan a trip. The way people in other lands prepare and cook their food, or just how they eat their preparations will surely surprise you. 

Travel as much as you can throughout your life, to broaden your horizons. Look for what the world has in store for you, and enjoy it, learn from it and pass it on. To those who don’t yet know what it really means to just step outside, to places far, far away and are missing out on one of the most cherished tokens of nature. 

Like they always say, “ We never know what we have until we lose it.” 

So get out there, folks!!

Happy traveling!

Gender Inequality

Gender inequality is when people of all gender do not get equal privileges. It refers to the unequal treatment of people belonging to various genders. The issue of gender equality has been widely discussed in philosophical literature and the mass media sources. Gender can be considered as a biological and physiological concept which defines men and women. Gender equality is a state in which men and women are provided with equal resources and opportunities regardless of their sex. It means that women and men, girls and boys have the same rights and protection. Gender equality has been universally accepted as a serious shift towards sustainable human development. In India, although some progress in women’s development has been made, yet women continue to lag behind which is an outcome of a web of complex forces. The adverse sex ratio, poor educational and nutritional status, inequality in wages and violence against women are prevalent in the Indian society, like many other patriarchal societies of the world, even today, and the gender discrimination certainly continues to be an enormous problem within the Indian society.

Gender equality is a right, not a privilege, a right that must be respected by a community that believes and supports every person and that recognizes that when a person's rights are violated then everyone feels their own rights are violated.

In this patriarchal society, it is considered that women don't belong in leadership. If people have different expectations of the world around them, expectations of equality, society will change.

On a daily basis there are shocking stories in the media about violent crimes committed against women. Yet, we can only imagine how many more crimes there are against women in India that go unreported. This is not an India specific issue though. Not just in India, but since time unknown women have been looked down upon as inanimate objects all over the world. To fight for the equal rights for women, there have been feminist movements around the globe. It had started in France and UK, and gradually spread across the entire world. Modern Western Feminist history is split into three periods or waves. The first-wave feminism of the nineteenth and early twentieth century focuses on overturning legal inequalities. The second wave feminism includes cultural inequalities, gender norms and the role of women in society. The third wave feminism refers to both continuations of the second wave and a response to the perceived failures and it also refers to post-colonialism. While women in the western countries had to fight for the voting rights, women in India had been granted the voting rights by the Constitution of India.

The world has largely been led by patriarchal societies and women have through the years largely remained quite in the face of atrocities rather than speak out against them. Most women remain silent because they are afraid to confront societal norms and have fingers pointed in their own direction, especially when the majority of our society fails to recognize that women are not a weaker sex by any stretch of imagination.

Feminine ethics is an ethical theory that is focused on the feminist approach to ethics. The core principles of this ethical theory are aimed at correcting men’s biases that can be found in other ethical theories. These biases discriminate women, promoting women’s subordination, and disregarding women’s moral experience (Jaggar, 2010). The major principle of this theory is to criticize the actions, behaviors and practices of men who discriminate women, perpetuate women’s subordination. This theory is based on developing “philosophical accounts of the nature of morality and of the central moral concepts that treat women’s moral experience respectfully”

Gender equality should not be something to be strived for. It is a balance that is needed. If we want the world to have a sustainable growth model, then it is very important that women and men are not boxed into different roles.

There are both strengths and weaknesses, which can be identified for each of the ethical theories as applied to the issue of gender equality. In order to identify the ethical theory that provides the most satisfactory moral answer to the issue, it is necessary to refer to the strengths of ethical theories discussed in the previous section of the paper.

To start with, the strengths of utilitarianism include two important characteristics of the theory. First, utilitarianism is “a single principle, an absolute system with a potential answer for every situation” (Pojman, 2004, p. 120). Second, this theory “seems to get to the substance of morality” (Pojman, 2004, p. 120). These strengths are focused on the usefulness of actions.

In addition, virtue ethics has its strengths. The strengths of virtue ethics include the significance of personal integrity. The major strength of virtue ethics is that it provides an opportunity to individuals to make decisions. Moreover, virtue ethics is closely connected with practical ethics, reinforcing the autonomy of individuals (Louden, 2013).

Besides, feminine ethics has its strengths in relation to different issues. The primary principles of feminist ethics include the promotion of the traits and values that are tied to women. The strength of feminine approach to ethics includes the reflection of women’s experiences. This ethical theory is aimed at putting the agenda of independence, liberation and equality in the forefront (Jaggar, 2010).

Thus, it is possible to identify the theory that is better than others in the case of gender equality is feminine theory. This ethical theory helps to explain the necessity of struggle for equal rights in the workplace, at home, and in other public places. This theory promotes the increased role of diversity in human society. Feminist approach is the most satisfactory moral answer to the issue of gender equality because advocates changes in human society based on the interests of women. Women’s rights in different sectors should be equal with men’s rights.

Over the years, it is noticed that region and culture have steadily become more and more unfair towards women. We as a society need to become gender sensitive. Several NGOs have been instrumental in providing opportunities for women. They help to create financial self-help groups and introduce ideas about microfinance allowing women to participate in various activities. They try to generate awareness of the gender discrimination that exists within the Indian society. Although there are women who have already proved that they are at par with men, the others are still struggling for equal rights. Basically, gender equality can come only when there is a transformation of the patriarchal structures and systems that lie at the root of women’s subordination and gender inequality. The prosperity of India depends completely on the condition of women. If there is gender equality, only then can India advance towards progress and prosperity.

GLOBALIZATION: TAKING TOLLS ON RELATIONSHIPS?

GLOBALIZATION: TAKING TOLLS ON RELATIONSHIPS?

While globalization has turned this present world into a ‘la la land’ where the ‘la las’ lie in the sweep of our bourgeoist ideals, it would also be quite safe to say that globalization also has its deterrences. Globalization has pushed the indigenous and the aboriginal businesses into a quagmire of varied problems and have made the ‘happy’ countries even more happier. And the ‘happy ’people living in those ’happy’ countries almost beatific. But at large, it also resonates its so called unhealthy vibrations in our family and community life.

Globalization does not beget global citizenship instinctually. While education is the driving tool for promoting global citizenship for all, one should not ignore the weak and the poor whose lives have basically been tarnished by a series of impediments in their work culture, brought about by this newly found enchantment of the privileged to now feed themselves what they want, rather than what they actually and should need. The economy should not only lie within the purview of being catered by global citizens, but also should be a facet which is within the embrace of every future child.

According to a report, the following are one of the most contentious changes that are affecting family and community life, typically in the Asian countries:

1.   There has been an augmentation in the size of migrant workers and are now estimated to occupy now more that 3% of the world’s population. Many of these have been forced to migrate because of an economic compulsion. They often have fewer rights, lower standards of medical care and less legal protection and sometimes are objected to such social prejudices that are outright breaches of the International Human Rights Law. Family members who are separated for seeking work in the outside cities and towns, often have inevitable strained relationships.

2.   There has been a shoot up in the figures of International and cross-border marriages. And globalization has expedited the rise in the ‘bride trade’ followed by its associated abuses.

3.   In many countries, there is a capacious gap between the rich and the poor.

Global powers such as the United States of America have exacerbated the plunder, underemployment and poverty of poorer countries in Asia and Africa, by vitiating the importance of goods produced by local businessmen and initiating this quotidian shtick of people cribbing over not being able to buy an attire which has an ‘Armani’ label stitched to it. Sad, really.

People who are forced to migrate so as to look for new jobs and opportunities, are also forced to separate from their loved ones, friends and families. They are never able to seek succour in those times and this further leads to broken families and homes. The new atmosphere which they are confronted to often leads to them conforming to those ethics, manners, cultures and lifestyle. For people, especially who belong from the antediluvian lands of their countries, when exposed to such avaricious and brand conscious culture,” take their compatriots as of ‘lower standing.’”

Children who are left by their parents, in their home countries are the most susceptible to an adverse social impact as since they do not really live and grow up their parents, their family values and sense of belonging are usually evanesced. They start believing as there is nobody who is truly theirs, and separation from their parents often breeds low grades in school and social vices such as alcohol consumption, drug abuse, etc. at a very young age.

Japan is the concourse of foreign trainees. Although the Japanese government realizes that  they need foreign trainees for economic development, they fail to implement laws for their security and protection. In fact, many male and female migrants in Japan are working in places associate with debauchery, which are shunned by the Japanese people, typically the younger generation. Nevertheless, “as more and more migrants are residing in Japan and forming relationships (with people from their own country), it has been seen that undocumented workers’ children, and those who are not legitimized by their fathers, have to face problems in being registered with the local government because of their parents’ fear of deportation. Thus, these children are regarded as illegal residents and live under constant stress and many have nowhere to stay or go to school.”

In Singapore, many people, especially men are moving overseas without their families. The sole responsibility of parenting is stressed upon the spouse- in most cases, the wife. Even though now many women have been employed in high paying jobs in Singapore, the immutable ideology that men should be the one to work abroad and their wives to be working full-time at their respective jobs, taking care after the their children and the aged parents. The frequent absence of the father results in children not being able to bond well with their father and an inevitable feeling of not even having a father figure in their lives in the first place. The same principle could be implied to cross-border marriages proliferating in the Hong-Kong and China region, where the children live with one parent in Hong-Kong and one parent has to work in mainland China. In a worst case scenario, both the parents stay in Mainland, and the child would be taken care of by the grandparents.” The absence of parent in the family presents an insecure environment for the children, who consequently suffer because of inadequate care. In 2007, there had been a number of incidents where children of Mainland/Hong Kong cross-border marriages were lost or injured through accidents when they were left alone.”

Even families who maintain communication, due to absence of quality time and family transition, lose important contacts over time.

Adding to the aforementioned, many youngsters are getting married at a later age or deciding to remain bachelors or spinsters for a protracted time period. And the stress from the high cost of living, coupled with stress at work are factors which reason out why many married couples do not want to have children at an earlier stage of their marriage.

Globalisation has also emanated a trend of spendthrift youth, in contrast to their parsimonious ancestors.

To cite one of the most prevalent family issues relating to globalization is that many children today are denigrating their families’ cultural values at the cost of new trends that have been propagating in the society today through the internet and social media websites. Youngsters find subsuming themselves in video gaming for hours and hours, posting their snapchat stories sporadically, ‘celebrating’ “Mothers’/Fathers’ Day” with their mother or father just for the sake of taking one good picture and writing that one huge post Facebook boasting their broadened lexicon of English indicating the synonyms they know of love, watching YouTube videos for a long time, going out to party just to take a hit of that hukkah, being dogmatic in their approach when it comes to prevailing social issues but denouncing every aspect of their own religion, is at pareil of spending quality time with the ones who brought them into this world, for them. All love, internet. Seriously. All love.

Thus it is of cardinal importance to promote a global consciousness about families that involves public and personal concern about the effects of globalization on relationships.

Till then,

Happy family time!

BEING A CHARTERED ACCOUNTANCY STUDENT.

BEING A CHARTERED

ACCOUNTANCY STUDENT.

Confused about your career? Making a better choice would be worth? How long will it take to regard you as a settled person? Will it be easy? Is my decision right or wrong? Will I regret in future? My efforts will pay back?
You are right. All these questions revolve in your mind as soon as you pass your senior secondary examination. Outside different colleges there are plenty of people like you who want to do as many graduation courses like B.com, B.A., etc. There is variety of options around you. Accordingly, to your hobbies or your passion you choose the best alternative. Basically enjoying college life is one’s dream. After school you are pretty excited about it. New friends, new life, exposure, new place and new clothes especially for girls.

WHY CA?
Why a person would end up his college life and will lock himself in a room? Why a person will study for all the 24 hours? Why a person will give all the difficult exams? You haven’t heard from your neighbour that CA is quite difficult? Or from your friends that “BRO IT ISN’T YOUR THING, ARE YOU MAD?” Or from google about the results of CA examinations.

Well, to all the people sitting out there this all is a complete myth. CA is no difficult. Difficulty is in your mind, not in your course. You are courageous enough to do anything in this world. You have that will power inside you. You have the spirit to take this world to a different level. All you need is to follow your heart and trust the process.


About CA:
There are different levels. This is an overview-
1. Pass CPT examination.
2. Pass IPCC examination.
3. Do Articleship training for 3 years.
4. Pass FINAL examination.
This course is basically of 5 years. It may vary depending upon the number of your attempts.

CA is the most respectful course in India. Only 20% of the population is CA. If you are doing CA, feel proud! You are among those 20% people. At present there is need for ten crore job per year and we are able to produce only one lakh. So you are the backbone of your country. The Society needs you. India needs you in order to count itself in well developed nations. You are the need of millions and billions of people. Companies like TATA, WIPRO, RELIANCE, ONGC, INFOSYS need you. I am telling you this thing with surety and experience that if you say you are doing CA. This is enough in order to gain respect in someone eyes.
Do something different, something beyond limits and your life will take you to a place where everything will look small. Everyday you just have to say one thing -“I AM THE GREATEST PERSON EVER BORN ON THIS PLANET. I CAN AND I WILL DO ANYTHING I WANT TO.”

For becoming a successful chartered accountant you do not have to lock yourself in a room with all your books, no need to switch off your mobile phone or television, no need to cut off your every relation. All you need to do “FOCUS.”
All you need is TIME MANAGEMENT. All you need is COURAGE. All you need is REGULARITY. People lack most of these things and that is the main reason why most of them fail.
Now the question is how to overcome these situations?
As a human-being, we tend to have mood-swings. There would be times when you would be happy, sad, frustrated or low. Everyone is.
Sometimes you don’t want to study but you are tensed and stressed about your syllabus that hasn’t been covered yet.  Your syllabus haunts you. It will only haunt you when you take all this as a burden. Take is as an opportunity to learn something new.



HOW TO CONTROL YOUR MOOD?

The basic problem with us is that we don’t know how to sort our problems.

 If we are having a problem at home, we think “Today it is not a good day to study.” If we are having problem in our relationship your mood gets changed. This all is no doubt important. Your family is important and so are your friends. Nothing is wrong. The thing is we shift our mood towards distractions. And that affects our studies. Face reality as it is. Accept what you cannot change. See things as they are. Know your priorities, know your worth. CA is waiting to put itself in front your name. What’s your name? Say, Prateek.  “CA PRATEEK” isn’t that good? It surely is.

Here are some points to have a control on your mood swings:

 * Do not get too much involved in studies.
* Take short breaks.
* Do something that makes you happy.
  For example: poetry, calligraphy, badminton, rides, exploring whatever may be.
*Keep your mind busy.
*Don’t sit idle.
*Don’t be on bed all the time.
*Spend time with your family or friends.
*Sleep at least for 8 hours a day
*Eat healthy and have all your meals on time. Remember a healthy mind lies in a healthy body.
*Stay away from negative thoughts and the people who let you down.
*Stop making excuses.
*Develop your thought process to recognize what’s right and what is wrong.
*Try to make yourself as a multi-tasking person.
*Believe in yourself.


What if a negative thought or some other distractions are letting your confidence down?

Understand this basic fact- “No one knows you better than your own self.”
Everybody has its own opinion and way of taking things seriously in life. God gave you shoes in which you fit well. Maybe it is your time to be serious and not theirs yet. Let your inner worth speak. If somebody is letting you down. Stay silent. Go to your room work even harder than before. Let your success speak. Stay away from all the negative vibes. Surround yourself with positivity. Control your anger. I know it is easy to say but it is not even that hard to apply. So stand up and show everyone. You are no less. Stop telling people what you feel. Rather talk to someone close. Someone who can understand you or is able to walk into your shoes. Someone who would not misguide you. Yes, the best option is talk to your parents about it if you are having any misconception about any concept of life. They will guide you no matter what. All you need is to just stay silent at that moment, figure things out and work on them later. In this cut throat era, no one is here to sit with you and listen to you. The day you will understand this. This game called life will be in your hands. You would be choosing opportunities and not the opportunities choosing you.
You have everything you need inside you. Take it out. Show the world. “YOU CAN”

HOW TO STUDY?

Now as you know about your interest, hobbies and passion. You have decided that you want to become a chartered accountant and you want to see yourself working for or with the best firm in future. So now the question is what to study and how to study?

Make a plan. Without a plan you would never be able to succeed. A plan is needed in order to make a right move at a right time.
Know your subjects. At CPT level there is reduced stress burden as maximum of the things you have already studied in +2. You will now get knowledge about accountancy in depth with a mix of law. Economics and mathematics are complementary. Although you have to give exams of all four of these. But your main focus should be on accounts and law. Because, it is going to be continued in your IPCC exams as well. According to new amendment English is also added at your entrance level. This is easy again. For people who were from Hindi medium. Do not worry. Make up your mind and learn something new. This is no more difficult. It is better to do law early morning as it is a theory subject. Like around 5 am to 6:15 am. It should be followed by accounts till 8 am. Then go to your coaching if any. Read economics around 7 am. Again good time for a theory subject. After your dinner study mathematics. As it’s a practical subject and it won’t make you feel bored.

At IPCC level obviously the level of your study increases you have 9 subjects. Your accounts and law becomes wider. You will now be familiar with the concepts of cost accounting, taxation, auditing, information technology and much more. However if you are giving both groups separately then your stress burden is somehow reduced. As in first group there are 5 subjects and in second group there are 4 subjects. Second group is way easier than the first one. So it is recommended to give both the groups. But if you feel this as a burden better go separately for both the groups.
Studies pattern is same. As on IPCC level the depth of your subject is far more as compared to CPT. Therefore, it is better to practice 2 subjects at a time.
Better mix accountancy with law  because you have practiced that at your CPT level) and taxation with cost and fm.
Do theory early morning and at IPCC level it is very important to complete your work regularly. Otherwise you will regret before your exams. Again theory timings are 5am to 6:15 am and 7pm to 8:30 pm. In between you can choose any practical subject. Whichever you like.
Then at your Articleship training you would be practicing all this book knowledge in a practical process. Trust me it’s a great experience.

After your Articleship, your FINAL LEVEL will be damn easy for sure.


  WORK UPON CONCEPTS AND NOT ON      WHAT’S WRITTEN IN THE BOOK.

Do not intend to gain bookish knowledge instead dive inside the concept. The more you will clear your concepts the more you will be able to your Articleship properly. CA is all about concepts. It has wide variety of concepts. Taxation, law, audit has a wide range of sections. So read them properly. Do not cram things. It is fine to read less. But read with proper understanding of the law. Don’t be in a hurry to wind up your syllabus soon. Instead work hard upon your concepts and then go through a final revision. It will build confidence inside you.



DO’s and DONT’s:

DO’s:
1. Work regularly.
2. Concentrate in your classes.
3. Complete your assignments on time.
4. Eat healthy
5.Get sufficient sleep
6. Just remember your parents have expectations from you.

DONT’s:
1. do not waste your time.
2. Don’t think about negativity.
3. Do not skip theory.
4. Clear your mind. Making money is not everything but to make you a better person is surely the best thing.
5. Avoid your distractions.
6. Do not take long breaks.



In the end I would like to say that this is all about time management. An average student can become a brilliant CA. all you need is focus. You don’t have to be extraordinary. Appreciate little things in life. And you will be having everything soon. The good is about to come. Just don’t pay attention to fears. They are the biggest distraction in your path.  So as I already said, you are the greatest being ever born on this planet. Your parents gave you a name. “Give your name an identity.”
Goodluck.

BY: CA Ishita Choudhry