Begin with the `A' right — the right attitude.

A liberty walk

IT IS WHEN shackles of oppression loom large, and when the clear stream of reason is lost in despotic decisions, that one thinks of freedom. EastWest Books (ewb@vsnl.com) has brought out a `unique book', titled Freedom of India by M. S. Ram.

It tells the long tale "in the words of its architects" such as Besant and Bharathi, Tagore and Tilak, Gokhale and Gandhiji, Rajaji and Radhakrishnan, Jinnah and Jawaharlal, Andrews and Ambedkar, Bose and Bankim Chandra, Das and Dyer.

A few snapshots:

They have begun to hope, and to feel that they are a part of the great National Movement, and that for them also, a better day is dawning. (Dr Annie Besant)

A free India will be judged by the way in which it will serve the interests of the common man. (`As the clock strikes twelve', Dr S. Radhakrishnan)

A book to relive the history with.

What do you want to be?

A COMMON assignment in schools is to get students write about what they want to become. Likewise, a topic for oratorical competitions used to be:

"If I were... " Usha Albuquerque reminds us in her book Careers from Puffin (www.penguinbooksindia.com) that it is never too early to start planning for the rest of your life.

"We all have dreams about what we would like to do with our lives," reads the back-cover. "But often we do not know how to translate these into concrete career possibilities." Read on:

You cannot make a career choice based on what your mother, your father, your uncle in the US or your friend at school thinks you should be doing. They can give you directions and help you with the decision-making process.

But you are the only one with the direct line to your desires. Only you can make that decision. There are thousands of jobs that you have never even heard of before, and one of them might be perfect for you.

A talent is an ability that is inherent in you — you're born with it, and it usually doesn't go away. A skill is an ability that is learned, and can get better through practice and application.

Naturally, you will like to develop skills linked to the talents you possess. Knowing your abilities and developing the necessary skills to be able to use them can open up a whole new world of opportunities. You can then begin to build your career path on a solid base.

The kind of person you are, and the personality you were born with determines your choice for working with things, information, peoples or ideas. If you always enjoy interacting with people, you cannot be happy working by yourself or with test tubes in a laboratory.

A person who enjoys working outdoors with animals cannot get used to sitting at a desk in an office all day long.

Find out as much as you can about the careers you have in mind. Don't be afraid of asking questions, getting advice and speaking to people already in the field of your choice.

Most people are happy to talk about their work, especially when they have a passion for it. They can tell you about the benefits and the drawbacks of the work they are doing.

Bridges, skyscrapers, medicine, movies, music — there are talented people making all these things happen. Teach children to appreciate the work of others by noticing and talking about it.

This type of activity will get them thinking past the `engineer-doctor-lawyer' career options and make them aware of all it takes to make the world go round.

Read it before your first job, and also between jobs.

Tailpiece

"One thing I don't understand in cricket is... "

"Why they keep running between the wickets, when there is so much space in the field?"

"Not that. Everybody keeps track only of runs and balls, wides and wickets, and not jumps and grins, nor yells and falls. Why?"

ReadingRoom@TheHindu.co.in

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