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January 29, 2015

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th Dalai Lama visited Kalindi College on 28th January to grace the occasion of the college auditorium’s foundation stone laying ceremony. The highlight of the ceremony was his talk which was on the bond between compassion and education. The event, which was held at the college’s amphitheatre, saw a large audience with students and teachers from various colleges. The session began with a song that had been written and composed by the college’s music department especially for this occasion. The guests for the event were then felicitated. Following that, the Principal of the college, Dr. Anula Maurya addressed the students and spoke about the Dalai Lama’s life in brief. She mentioned the three values he lives by; fighting for basic human values, promoting inter religious harmony and the preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist monks’ culture. Professor Dinesh Singh, Delhi University’s Vice Chancellor was then invited to welcome His Holiness. “We have been blessed because the Dalai Lama has chosen to be present here”, he said. He asked the students present to pay heed to his words because education, in his opinion, is nothing if it doesn’t create compassion. After Professor Sahu, Chairman of Kalindi College’s Governing Board addressed the crowd, His Holiness took to the podium and began his talk. He spoke about compassion as a basic human being and how we often get caught up with what he called “secondary level of differences” which included factors like gender, nationality and religion. He mentioned that humans can go beyond merely the “biological affection” that is ingrained among all animals, like the bond between mother and child. As humans, we can go further and extend that to those around us—relatives, friends and even complete strangers. He talked about research studies that had shown the importance of affection and love for the development of the human brain, and that those who receive less affection often grow up to be insecure and fearful.

According to His Holiness, ancient Indian knowledge was very advanced and ahead of that of the West. With this rich tradition of knowledge existing in India, he felt that it is strange that the country is obsessed with “modern technology and knowledge”. He then spoke briefly on how education can lead to compassion and commended the college for its work with underprivileged children. He said that intelligent, educated and warm hearted people were often the happiest. He also mentioned the importance of showing respect not only to those from other religions but to atheists and non- believers too. After that, there was a short prize distribution ceremony for a competition held in the college on Good Governance Day last year. Students were then invited to ask His Holiness questions for an interactive session. He was asked about compassion leading to more knowledge, showing compassion to the violent and about his years in exile. The event wrapped up with a Vote of Thanks by the Vice Principal of the college.]]>

The oceans have been a subject of fascination for thousands of years. Scientific study of marine life may have begun as early as 384 BC, since the time of Aristotle, who is regarded as the Father of Marine Biology.  Simply put, marine biology is the study of life in the oceans and other salt water environments such as estuaries and wetlands. All plant-animal life forms are included, from the microscopic plankton to the majestic blue whale, the largest creature in the sea – and for that in the world.

Profession overview:

The task of marine biologists is to study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating methods for industries.  Their official job description is to study the behavior of marine plants and animals and their interactions with the aquatic environment. Sounds pretty vague, doesn’t it? Well, it should. Considering the vast number of opportunities to study the ocean, the jobs can be just as varied.

Institutions Offering Marine Biology:

In India:

1. Annamalai University – Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu.

Courses offered: Master of Philosophy in Marine Biology and oceanography.

Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Biology and Oceanography.

2. Karnataka University – Hubli, Dharwad, Karnataka.

Courses offered: Master of Science in Marine Biology.

You can check out more colleges by clicking on the link below:

http://www.nio.org/index.php?option=com_category&task=show&title=Courses%20in%20oceanography&tid=3&sid=94

Institutes abroad –

1. Boston university – Massachusetts, US.

Courses offered:  Undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD level courses.

2. Duke university – North Carolina, US.

Courses offered:  Bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and PhD level courses.

All courses usually take 2-3 years to complete.

Qualifications required:

In order to pursue a career in marine biology you will first need a solid background in the basic sciences; a bachelor’s degree in marine science or any one of the biology sciences like zoology, ecology or molecular biology. Also, it is necessary to choose a university that offers practical training along with the theoretical know-how.  Additionally, along with good communication and writing skills, prior experience in the field is vastly beneficial.

Scope and Job Prospects:

There are a wide range of career options available for students with a Marine Biology degree. You can specialize in areas such Marine Biotechnology, Molecular Biology or Aquaculture. There are also other non-research jobs like teaching and working as marine engineers with important networks such as National Geography or Discovery. Depending on the type of job and experience, the average marine biologist can earn anything from 360,000 and 780,000. The pay scale gets better as you climb higher up the ladder.

Working conditions for Marine Biologists can be rough. They work in a lot of different places on both land and sea. They may go underwater to monitor whale calls or work as a professor at a university. They might even need to spend days submerged underwater if their project requires so. It really depends what you choose to work on and with.

Marine Biology with its average pay scale and rough working conditions can be an unconventional career option for many. It’s a tough course and an even tougher job in the field. But if you are passionate about it and love all things marine then the rewards are endless. Watching a bicolor angelfish in a tank is one thing but seeing one among the coral in the Great Barrier Reef is another experience altogether. Here’s a career where an open mind and creativity will take you far and where the opportunities are endless.

Syed Zahoor Qasim, Sylvia Alice Earle and Harald Rosenthal are some famous marine biologists of our time and they are some success stories in this field. Want to be one of them? Go for it!

Image source: www.salarycomparison.com

 

According to a recent report, the authorities of Delhi University have decided to organize a special screening of the controversial movie ‘Messenger of God’ for students. The movie starring Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji managed to incite protests in the states of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi and forced the state government of Punjab to take the decision of banning the movie. On the grounds that it is necessary to maintain the peace and harmony prevailing in the state, the Government is hell-bent on making the ban permanent.

But as always, DU has decided to take a step further. The controversial movie which gathered so much attention is set to be screened sometime around next week.

“All this hype over the movie hurting religious sentiments is for nothing. The film is clearly getting unwanted attention. If we talk about freedom of expression, this film should definitely get the green light.” said a DU teacher who wished to remain anonymous.

Promoting miracles and use of unbelievable scenes are nothing new as Bollywood has already done it in the past. “We have been looking at illogical scenes and controversial characters for many years. This is no different,” were the words of another faculty member. Such seems to be the present consensus among the authorities.

The students will be shown the special screening and will be required to submit a written review. Based on it they will be evaluated for internal assessment. Students of the university are very excited for the screening!

DisclaimerBazinga is DU Beat’s weekly column of almost believable fake news!