UUNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION AACADEMIC SSTAFF CCOLLEGE RESOURCE MATERIAL ON ORIENTATION PROGRAMME Volume – I Dr. A. Singaravel Editor BHARATHIDASAN UNIVERSITY KHAJAMALAI CAMPUS TIRUCHIRAPPALLI-620 023 5 Editor : Dr. A. Singaravel, Director, in charge UGC Academic Staff College, Bharathidasan University, Trichy - 23. Copy right : Bharathidasan University, Trichy - 23. First Edition : 2011 Paper used : 80 GSM TNPL Size : 1 X 8 Demmy Font Size : 12 Points Times New Roman` No. of Pages : No. of Copies : 100 ISBN No. : 978 – 81 – 922810 – 2 - 5 Printed at : Sree Venkateshwara Power Printers, Trichy - 10. Cover page design & Page Making : Ms. R. Sangeetha Computer Assistant, UGC-ASC MESSAGE When I asked Dr.Singaravel, the Director i/c of the Academic Staff College to compile the learning materials used by Resource Persons, he readily agreed to do it. The result is the book you hold in your hands. I am happy to record that the Director has brought these volumes which could be used by participants of Orientation Programmes as Resource Materials. I take this opportunity to congratulate the Director for his proactive initiatives and carry out the vision of Bharathidasan University to be innovative. I thank the University Grants Commission for its fullest support for the progress of the Academic Staff College of Bharathidasan University. I also congratulate Dr.A.Singaravel, Director In-charge of the Academic Staff College and his team for this innovative practice of converting the lecture notes and selected seminar papers of participants, into Resource Materials. I wish the Academic Staff College all success in its endeavors. (Dr.(Mrs.)K.MEENA) From the Director’s Desk The UGC Academic Staff College (ASC), Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, has been conducting three types of specially designed training programmes like Orientation Programmes (OP), Refresher Courses (RC) and Short-Term Courses (ST) for the benefit of the College and University Teachers across the country to empower and enhance their academic excellence consistently so as to impart updated subject knowledge to the students of Higher Education for the past quarter century. The ASC also organised Short Term Workshop even for the benefit of the Ph.D Scholars and Administrative Staff to empower and enhance the academic and administrative skill respectively. In addition to this, the ASC has been publishing Resource Materials on various disciplines for the benefit of the stakeholders who attend these programmes. The ASC publishes this "Orientation Course Resource Material Volume-I", to benefit the Teacher Participants, with ISBN facility. This book was compiled from the lectures delivered by the resource persons as well as the seminar papers presented by the participants for the Programmes. In this endeavour, I sincerely thank the UGC for its continued support and co-operation. I thank the most respected Vice-Chancellor and the Management of Bharathidasan University for their academic and administrative support and encouragement to run the courses and bring out the resource material without hassle. I thank all the Resource Persons, who have contributed and extended their fullest support and encouragement towards this endeavor. The Resource Persons/Teacher Participants are totally responsible for their articles and lecture notes presented in this volume and the UGC- ASC can not be held responsible for any criticism or comments from the readers. Finally, I thank Sree Venkateshwara Off Set Printers, Ariyamangalam, Tiruchirappalli, for bringing out this book neatly, within a short span of time. With regards, Director. CONTENTS S.No Particulars Page.No 1. Indian Culture 2. Professional Ethics and Teachers 3. Quality Articles and Impact Factor 4. The Role of Youth in Nation Building 5. Pollution Awareness for Sustainable Development 6. Applying Knowledge Management Practices in Curriculum Design 7. Management of Women Educational Institutions: Challenges and Responsibilities 8. Relevance of Educational Technology in English Language Teaching 9. The Art of Writing Quality Articles 10. Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Urban Land Use in Ward 72 of Madurai City 11. Economic Issues - Obstacles for Rural Development Methods and Materials of Teaching English As 12. A Second Language 13. Role of Multimedia in Teaching 14. Pre Disaster Preparedness-An Insight Study INDIAN CULTURE E. Dhanalakshmi Introduction India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food and customs differ from place to place within the country, but nevertheless they possess a commonality. The Culture of India is an amalgamation of these diverse sub-cultures spread all over the Indian Subcontinent. Regarded by some historians as the "oldest living civilization of Earth", the Indian Tradition dates back to 8000 BC and has a continuous recorded history since the time of the Vedas for over 5,500 years. Several elements of India's diverse culture such as Indian religions, yoga and Indian cuisine have had a profound impact across the world. Religions and Spirituality India is the birth place of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, collectively known as Indian Religions. Indian Religions, also known as Dharmic Religions, are a major form of world religions, along with Abrahamic Ones (Christianity and Islam). Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third and fourth largest religions respectively, with over 2 billion followers altogether, and possibly as many as 2.5 or 2.6 billion followers. India is also the birthplace of the Lingayat and Ahmadiyya Faiths. The statue depicting Maitreya at the Thikse Monastery in Ladakh, India. India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with some of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. Religion still plays a central and definitive role in the life of many of its people. The religion of 80% of the people is Hinduism. Islam is practiced by around 13% of all Indians. Sikhism, Jainism and especially Buddhism, are influential not only in India but across the world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Bahá'í Faith are also influential but their Lecturer in Mathematics, Sri Bharathi Arts & Science College for Women, Pudukkottai. numbers are smaller. Despite the strong role of religion in Indian life, atheism and agnostics also have visible influence, along with a self-ascribed tolerance to other people. According to Eugene M. Makar, a respected Industry Consultant, traditional Indian Culture is defined by a relatively strict social hierarchy. He also mentions that from an early age, children are reminded of their role and place in society. This is reinforced by the fact that many believe that gods and spirits have an integral and functional role in determining their life. Several differences such as religion, divide the culture. However, a far more powerful division is the traditional Hindu bifurcation into non-polluting and polluting occupations. Strict social taboos have governed these groups for thousands of years. In recent years, particularly in cities, some of these lines have blurred and sometimes even disappeared. Important family relations extend as far as ‗gotra‘ and the mainly patrilinear lineage or clan is assigned to a Hindu at birth. In rural areas and sometimes in urban areas as well, it is common that three or four generations of the family live under the same roof. The Patriarch often resolves family issues. Family Family plays a significant role in the Indian Culture. For generations, India has had a tradition of the Joint Family System. It is a system under which extended members of a family – parents, children, the children‘s spouses and their offspring, etc. – live together. Usually, the eldest male member is the head in the Joint Indian Family System. He makes all important decisions and rules, and other family members abide by them. Marriage For centuries, Arranged Marriages have been the tradition in the Indian Society. Even today, the vast majority of Indians have their marriages planned by their parents and other respected family-members, with the consent of the bride and groom. They also demand dowry, which has been outlawed by the Indian Government, but Indian society and culture still promotes and maintains the Dowry System. They get around the prohibition by not letting the authorities know. Arranged Matches are made after taking into account factors such as age, height, personal values and tastes, the background of their families (wealth, social standing), their castes and the astrological compatibility of the couples‘ horoscopes. In India, the marriage is arranged for life, and the divorce rate is extremely low at 1.1% compared with about 50% in the United States. The Arranged Marriages generally have a much lower divorce rate, although divorce rates for love marriage have risen significantly in recent years at 3.5 percent. Opinion is divided over what the phenomenon signifies traditionalists, the rising numbers portend the breakdown of society while modernists consider it as a healthy new empowerment for women. Namaste Namaste, Namaskar or Namaskara or Namaskaram, Vanakkam (Tamil) or Asssalamu alaikum (Urdu / Persian), Sat Shri Akal (Punjabi) is a common spoken greeting or salutation in the Indian Subcontinent. Namaskar is considered a slightly more formal version than Namaste but both express deep respect. It is commonly used in India and Nepal by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs, and many continue to use this outside the Indian Subcontinent. In Indian and Nepali Culture, the word is spoken