Nature at its best-Ghatikallu!

Another long, hectic semester ended, with the final exams being one of the most terrible ones I’ve written in a long time. All this made me crave for another trip to Mother Nature, where its grandeur would rejuvenate me, and gear me up for the next semester.

The 4 of us, the intelligent one, the manipulative one and the dumb one, and of course me, felt the need to fulfill the adventure cravings within us. This time, we had another addition to the team, and that person’s label has not been established yet, because labeling him dumber, would be an understatement.

We decided on a place called Ghatikallu, a beautiful hill top.Set in the picturesque surroundings of , an overnight bus journey will get you there. The moment I reached Ghatikallu, I was mesmerized by the sights and sounds of its wonderful surroundings. It was as if god had personally come down, and created that place. The mist, the droplets of water falling from the sky that felt like tiny kisses from heaven, the cute puppies playing in our laps was just too much for two eyes to take.

After a quick wash, we had the most filling, the most delicious breakfast EVER! That’s the best part about eating different food. We get bored of eating the same thing over and over again. And once in a while, there comes a welcome change. Our guide, who by far is the best I’ve ever come across, laid out the plan for the day. We were to ride in a 4X4 to 1500 year old temple, and proceed from there to the trek.

After an awesome ride through the woods, and slushy ‘road’, we reached the temple, which stood majestically in the middle of nowhere. Legend has it that the rocks and carvings were first assembled below the mountain, and then brought up and assembled. When one goes there, one can only think as to how on earth the kings of those times ever manage to bring those huge rocks on top. As soon as I entered the temple, I felt this sense of tranquility and peace, which I never had felt before. I just wanted to sit in that temple and close my eyes, and never get up. I was finally in touch with my soul. After a puja, we headed towards the trek.

Words will not describe my feelings about the trek. The English language has not many adjectives to describe the beauty of the place where we went trekking. We climbed to the second highest peak in Karnataka, and it was simply superb. As we stood at the top, we could see the fog, travelling towards us, to engulf us. It was as if there was a nuclear explosion somewhere and the smoke from the explosion was travelling towards us, only it was not harmful. As soon as the fog hit us, it turned into droplets of water, and yet again, we felt the tiny kisses of heaven. It was one of the best moments of my life, standing atop the second highest peak, with my friends, and all of nature's beauty surrounding us. Our guide told us that right below where we stood, was once a fort. It was really difficult to believe what he was telling us, as it was impossible for us to imagine how on earth the people of those times developed methods to cut though hard rock.

The next day, also our last day, we went to a splendid waterfall, which thanks to the rain, was full of crystal clear water. How we played in the water! It was as though we were little kids again. After that wonderful experience, we came back for what I call the 'feasts of feasts', the best lunch we've had in a long time. After that feast, we went to a coffee and tea estate, but since we were running short of time, we did not explore that place completely. Nevertheless, it was a good walk through the estate.

When the time came for our departure, I was overcome with emotion. I longed to stay, and not leave, for who would want to leave all the nature's loveliness and get back the hectic, polluted life in the city. Maybe thats what made the trip so wonderful. Knowing that we would come back here some day, to escape the city life, to let the fog engulf us, and to feel the little kisses from heaven.

Good soft skills:your ticket to success!

In today's world, for a student, who just graduated, it is very difficult to find a job, based purely on his/her's technical knowledge. Everyone who passes out of a reputed engineering college is bound to have a very strong knowledge base in their respective fields. But what really companies look for is the soft skills that prospective employee possess. It is a now established fact that, having good soft skills will give one the edge needed over his/her peers at the workplace.

Soft skills are basically the skills that are required by one for their personal development. These include team work, attitude, grooming, listening skills, time management, communication skills. First and foremost, communication skills are very important. It is very necessary for one to know how to talk fluently, and effectively. Your peers and your superiors must understand you clearly. Another skill that you need to develop, which is essential at the work place is listening skills. Listening to others, their ideas, is needed at the office, to develop good relations with your colleagues. While on this topic, another skill that comes up is team work. At the workplace, it’s all about team effort, and not individual effort.
Interpersonal skills are skills which keep a healthy relationship between a person and his team mates in the office. With these skills the leader can resolve personal conflicts and personality clashes.
Presentation skills are necessary for people in the corporate side. This may include showing new ideas, products, and reports. In each of these cases, good presentation is necessary. The audience should be able to grasp the idea, or understand the nature of the product.
It is imperative that you should have etiquette at the workplace. You should be well mannered and well behaved. It also includes eating etiquette and the ability to follow procedures in different situations. Being kind and nice is also equally important.
Grooming is one other important skill. You have to make yourself presentable to others. Wearing pressed clothes, a suit, clean polished shoes are signs of good grooming. Having an unshaven face, or unkempt hair, are a big no. People with good grooming are appreciated in all organisations.
Having the right attitude can take you a long way in the organisation. Doing the give task on time, without delays, is appreciated. Having a positive outlook, and good attitude, pushes your chances of being hired.
Time management is also important for a manager. A manager should be a good example to others by setting a high standard on time management. If things are not planned or completed on time, it will have adverse effect on the organisation. In today’s competitive age, everyone is running behind time. It has become a necessity for all companies to work on timely schedules to meet and surpass the competitors.
Another very important skill needed is learning from one's mistakes. It is not possible for an individual to never commit a mistake. He would have done so at one point of his life or another. But the important thing is that he learns from it. He should realise what happened and how he can avoid making such a mistake in the future. Such an individual, will have the edge over his peers at the workplace.

The main question on everybody’s mind is that, ‘can these soft skills, thought to be developed by the individual, be taught to him?’ The answer to that is yes, it can.
Out of the skills listed above, the most difficult to correct are ethics and attitude. Studies show that it takes six to nine months of motivation, extended practice and constant feedback, for ones attitude to change.
Grooming and confidence, on the other hand, are the easiest to alter. Steady practice in small batches of 15-20 students, with people of similar ability carefully chosen and teamed up, giving every individual a chance to speak for 5 to 7 minutes every day brought about tremendous improvement in their confidence. Special workshops conducted by trained grooming instructors, worked too.
Communication skills are not all that easy to change. It takes time, and some special methods have to be followed. In most of the colleges, they employ certain modules of teaching grammar and English. This improved the students’ English, and also sharpened their communication skills.
Also, an everyday reading the newspaper or any other activity like that, could improve the students’ general awareness, and also develop reading habits in them, which is a prerequisite for good communication skills.
Before the students can start working, it is best if they can get a beforehand experience of what their job will be like, probably on a smaller scale. This is where internships come into play. Internships give students firsthand experience of the industry. Colleges also bring in experienced industry experts, who can give advice to students on their careers.

For further information, go to:http://www.deccanherald.com/content/78203/develop-soft-skills-face-career.html

Further to this, after a informative chat with a senior friend of mine from college, these are the few things that I learnt, on developing better skills and also be successful in placements.
-It is very important that I take charge and be proactive. The college, other than imparting education and training me for placements, will not guide me in any other way. Hence, the extra learning, I will have to do on my own.
-Marks are very important. They decide which tests I can write. For a good number of choices in companies, I have to constantly do well in exams.
-Internships are also good exposure. Since the college does not do anything to encourage us to get internships, it is up to me to get one on my own.
-Three skills that were mentioned over and over again were mathematical aptitude, verbal aptitude and also technical skills. These have to be improved on a regular basis, to ensure placement at the end of my college.
-The cut off, normally for any company, is 60% aggregate up to the end of 6th semester. It is necessary for me keep up that score.
-Technical skills can be improved by reading up on topics which are of interest to me. Giving paper presentations will also help (follow up in detail). Taking aptitude tests regularly will help in improving my aptitude. The college also provides training in this regard.
-High salary should not be expected. Given the present situation, I will be lucky if I land a job.
-I have to keep constantly updating myself with the latest information. This can happen through constant reading. Hence developing reading habits is very important.