Date:01/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/01/stories/2006090121910300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Students told to face uncertain changes

Staff Reporter

Business Leadership Forum inaugurated

Bangalore: R. Natarajan, former Chairman of the All India Council tor Technical Education (AICTE), on Thursday said, "Change is the character of the millennium."

He was delivering a lecture on "Preparing for success in work and life" after inaugurating the Business Leadership Forum of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's M.P. Birla Institute of Management here.

Mr. Natarajan said future was unpredictable and students had to prepare themselves to face uncertain changes.

Emotional quotient

Emotional intelligence was more important for youngsters than IQ and students should develop it.

Innovation and commercialisation would help in achieving success in international trade, added.

Speaking on life skills, he said students should emulate eminent personalities such as Bill Gates, Stephen Hawkins and Azim Premji.

He asked young executives to set an agenda or a target for their future and work towards achieving it.

Role of parents

All parents wanted their children to succeed in life and preparing for it was difficult. Parents had to be the role models to their children, he said.

He advised students not to follow shortcuts to prosper in life. Teachers should adapt themselves to technological changes, he said.

Mr. Natarajan said students had the responsibility of finding solutions to problems such as increasing population, erosion of values, violence, and digital divide.