Phrases You Shouldn’t Say to Your ChildRaising a child puts parents in complex situations and presents them with many challenges. Nowadays there is a greater awareness of the importance of interpersonal communication within the family unit. It often feels like many of the old barriers between parents and their offspring have been torn down, especially when compared to the previous generation. The tone parents use with their kids, as well as what they say requires ongoing sensitivity and awareness. There are times when you think that what you tell your child is exactly what they need to hear, but end up causing damage rather than encouraging them. The following are the ten most commonly used sentences parents say to their kids but shouldn’t. |
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| 1. “Hurry up!”Your son finally learned to tie his shoelaces on his own, but it takes a very long time, your daughter is playing with her breakfast instead of eating it, and both of them are going to be late for school. Being a good parent, you want to make sure they’re not late for school, so you blurt out a “hurry up!”. Instead of getting them to speed up, you’re actually causing them stress. Soften your tone and say “let’s hurry” instead. This tells your child that you’re on the same team rather than making them feel like you’re blaming them. An even better option would be to turn it into a game (“Let’s see who finishes their breakfast fastest!”).
2. “You’re okay.” When your child is in distress and crying, your parental instinct will tell you to reassure them by telling them that it’s okay. The only problem is, that when you tell them they’re okay, the message they get is that you are ignoring their distress. The reason your kid is crying is because they are not ok. What you should do instead is give them a hug and acknowledge their situation (“That was a scary moment”), and then ask them if they want a kiss or a Band-Aid to make it better. |
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| 3. “Practice makes perfect.”The core of the saying is true – the more time you devote to learning a skill, the better you will become at it. However, the message your child is hearing is “what you’re doing is not perfect”. It puts pressure on your child to excel out of fear of disappointing you. Children beat themselves up feeling like they keep practicing, yet they’re still not good enough. The way to encourage your child to improve is by showing them how great improving feels, giving them a sense of pride in their own advancement.
4. “I’m on a diet.” It’s great to stay healthy, but your kid doesn’t need to hear about it. Whether you’re checking your weight every day, calling yourself “fat” or repeating the “I’m on a diet” mantra – your child hears it, and it may lead to them developing an unhealthy body image. You can lead by example and say “I’m eating healthy because I like how it feels” or “It’s a lovely day, I think I’ll go for a run.” Using this type of phrasing will encourage your child to join you in a positive way. 5. “Great job.” You may think that using such generic affirmation phrases helps build your child’s confidence, but research has shown that it actually makes them dependent on your affirmation instead of their own motivation. Congratulate your kid when they earned it and be more specific (“You were really good at sharing today” or “Nice pass, I like how you looked for your teammates”). |
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| 6. “Let me help.”How many times have you seen your kid struggling with a task or a game and rushed to their aid? Even though the intention is good, doing it too soon can undermine your child’s independence and cause them to always look at others for answers. Your best way to help them is to ask guiding questions such as “Do you think that piece should go there? Why do you think that? Okay, let’s try it.”
7. “We can’t afford that.” Every parent had to endure their child begging for something at the store, and often the easiest way out is to state money trouble. The only problem is that your child interprets that as you not being responsible, or that the family unit is in financial danger, which leads to stress. It will also cause anger if you then buy something expensive for the house, making them feel like their needs are unimportant to you. You can tell them that you won’t buy them the toy or candy that they want because you’re “saving money for more important things”. If your child persists in the matter, it can be a great doorway into a conversation about finance and saving. 8. “No dessert until you finish your meal.” This phrase teaches the kid the value of the dessert rather than the meal. It makes the child want the dessert more and feel like the meal is nothing but an obstruction. The correct phrasing is similar but subtly different: “First we eat our meal, then we eat the dessert”. It may sound the same, but it doesn’t make the meal feel like punishment, but rather like a natural step. |
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| 9. “Don’t talk to strangers.”While this is sound advice, it’s difficult for a young child to understand. Children associate “stranger” with a scary or unpleasant person, and might be encouraged to talk to someone who is nice to them. You may also drive your kid away from policemen and other civil servants they don’t know who may be able to help them. Add to that the fact that many child abductions occur by someone the child has previously known, and you have a rule of thumb that isn’t effective. The correct way to protect them, is to ask them “What do you do if a person you don’t know offers you candy and a ride home?” and let them explain to you the proper course of action and correct them if needed. It is also recommended to repeat this safety mantra: “If anyone makes you feel scared, confused, or sad, you need to tell me straight away.”
10. “Be careful.” Using this phrase when you see your child doing something potentially dangerous can distract them and actively cause an accident. The correct course of action is to move quietly and calmly closer to them while keeping an eye on what they’re doing. |
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| H/T: parents.com SOURCE:::: http://www.ba-bamail.com
Natarajan |
Motivational
This Date in Science…. Feb 20…1962…. John Glenn First American To orbit Earth !!!
This date in science: John Glenn first American to orbit Earth
John Glenn and Friendship 7
On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. He made three turns around the planet before returning safely.
February 20, 1962. John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth on this date. He made three turns around the planet before returning safely in his space capsule, which was called Friendship 7. He followed two Russian cosmonauts in making this early orbit of our planet: Yuri Gagarin ( April 1961) and Gherman Titov (August 1961).
While Glenn was in orbit, NASA controllers received an indication that the heat shield on his craft had come loose. They instructed Glenn not to jettison the rockets underneath the heat shield during re-entry, because the rockets might be able to hold the shield in place. Fortunately, the indication turned out to be a false alarm.
Glenn returned to space at age 77 aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1995, making him the oldest person to fly in space. His mission’s primary scientific aim at that time was to study the effects of spaceflight on seniors.
John Glenn climbs into the Friendship 7 spacecraft just before making his first trip into space on February 20, 1962. Photo via NASA
John Glenn and Friendship 7
Here’s What John Glenn saw on February 20, 1962. Just 5 minutes and 44 seconds after launch, Glenn offered his first words about the view from his porthole: “This is Friendship 7. Can see clear back; a big cloud pattern way back across towards the Cape. Beautiful sight.” Three hours later, at the beginning of his third orbit, Glenn photographed this panoramic view of Florida from the Georgia border (right, under clouds) to just north of Cape Canaveral. His American homeland was 162 miles (260 kilometers) below. “I have the Cape in sight down there,” he noted to mission controllers. “It looks real fine from up here. I can see the whole state of Florida just laid out like on a map. Beautiful.” Image via NASA
Here’s what John Glenn saw on February 20, 1962. Just 5 minutes and 44 seconds after launch, Glenn offered his first words about the view from his porthole: “This is Friendship 7. Can see clear back; a big cloud pattern way back across towards the Cape. Beautiful sight.” Three hours later, at the beginning of his third orbit, Glenn photographed this panoramic view of Florida from the Georgia border (right, under clouds) to just north of Cape Canaveral. His American homeland was 162 miles (260 kilometers) below. “I have the Cape in sight down there,” he noted to mission controllers. “It looks real fine from up here. I can see the whole state of Florida just laid out like on a map. Beautiful.” Image via NASA
Bottom line: John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth on February 20, 1962. His space capsule was called Friendship 7.
Bottom line: John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth on February 20, 1962. His space capsule was called Friendship 7.
SOURCE:::: www. earthskynews.org
Natarajan
Do you Know That the Largest Air Evacuation in History was done by India …?
When thousands of Indians were stuck in Kuwait during Gulf war, the Indian government executed the world’s largest air evacuation mission ever. The operation continued for almost two months and managed to airlift over 1,70,000 Indians. Here is all you need to know about the amazing effort!
Air India might be largely known today for delayed flights and poor service. But did you know that the largest air evacuation in the history of mankind was executed by the much aligned national airline of India? In 1990, the Indian government airlifted over 1,70,000 Indians from Kuwait with help of 488 flights in just 59 days. Air India entered into Guinness Book of World Records for the civil airline that had evacuated the most people till date.
Why the evacuation?
During the Gulf war in 1990, when Saddam Hussain invaded Kuwait, the Iraqis took over the city in a few hours leaving the entire country in a state of terror. This included the fairly significant Indian community there as well. While the Kuwaiti royal family escaped to Saudi Arabia, the general population suffered great tragedies and loss. The responsibility came on the Indian government to safely evacuate the Indian community from Kuwait and hence, the largest air evacuation mission took shape.
“We did not use the word ‘condemn’ in our statement [about the Iraqi attack], for two reasons: one, we were concerned about our nationals there; second, we still believed that there was some scope for a negotiated solution to the problem. We were keen to play a role. If we condemned the development openly, it would have been difficult for us to deal with Iraq,” said K.P. Fabian, former Ambassador of India who was head of the Gulf Division of the Ministry of External Affairs during the First Gulf War.
What made it difficult?
Evacuating the Indian community from Kuwait was not an easy task. People were not ready to leave behind everything they had spent their entire lives earning in Kuwait. They underestimated the gravity of the situation and were reluctant to leave their well-settled lives.
Also, many people living there did not have valid travel papers as they had handed them over to their employers who were either missing or dead.
“Meanwhile, another problem was brewing. One set of Air India crew was stranded in Kuwait, having flown in a flight earlier. The Air India pilots and staff threatened that unless we got this crew out, they would ground the flights. The threat was indeed serious. As per Ministry of Overseas Indians (MOIA) annual report 2012-13, there are over 25 million overseas Indians across the globe and whenever need arises, it is the government’s responsibility to bring back the country’s citizens safely. Not only just the evacuation during Gulf war, Indian government has successfully executed many such missions. It was decided that the Foreign Minister should go to Baghdad and Kuwaitand urgently arrange repatriation of our nationals” said Fabian.
Also, Indian people took shelter in various schools and other buildings in various parts of Amman. They had to travel from various places to the Amman airport. It could not be predicted when these people would arrive and due to this, flights got delayed a lot. The crew had to stay on duty for a much longer time than the stipulated duty hours which created a lot of tiffs.
How did they do it?
Indian government officials went to Kuwait to meet Saddam Hussain and get him on board the arranged repatriation of Indian nationals.
“We conveyed our official viewpoint and also our plans to evacuate our nationals. He listened to our views and repeated his known position, and agreed to facilitate the repatriation of our nationals,” said Fabian.
As the help reached on August 14 (12 days after the invasion had taken place), Indian citizens were angry as they were expecting a quicker intervention by the Indian government. But, the then Foreign Minister I.K. Gujral quickly brought the crowd under control and in no time had them shouting “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
Initially, a few military aircrafts were arranged to evacuate the elderly, women and children. But due to a lengthy air space clearance procedure, this did not seem like a feasible solution. So the government turned to Air India for assistance.
“You should have seen us. We were operating out of a hotel room in Amman with very little space and carrying out all our operations from there,” MP Mascarenhas, who organised the operation as the airline’s regional director in the Gulf & Middle East, told Scroll.
The Indian Air Force deployed its IL 76 aircraft for a steady communication link between Kuwait and Delhi government officials. The situation was severe and required immediate help and attention. The Kerala government came forward and dispatched food items for the Indian nationals in Kuwait.
“My suggestion was that we needed to first pick up mothers with babies, other children, women, sick and old people. And also, on the basis of some kind of distributive justice, we needed to select people from every region,” said Fabian.
There were far more people to be evacuated than expected. But, the coordination and team work of the people on the mission managed to evacuate all the Indian nationals out of the country. There was also a Pakistani Airline crew stranded in Kuwait and they wished to be evacuated by Indian aircrafts. On humanitarian grounds, the Indian officials agreed.
The successful operation that started on August 14 1990, continued for almost 2 months and created history, finally coming to an end on October 11.
Other notable achievements
This was not the only successful evacuation and heroic act by the Indian government. “Operation Sukoon” in 2006 by the Indian Navy was another great operation to evacuate Indian, Sri Lankan and Nepalese nationals, as well as Lebanese nationals with Indian spouses, from the conflict zone during the 2006 Lebanon War. Four naval ships – INS Mumbai, INS Betwa and INS Brahmaputra and oil tanker INS Shakti – executed the successful operation.
Another successful evacuation “Operation Blossom” took place in 2011 when mass protests against the military broke out in Libya. Around 8,000 Indians were evacuated with help from Indian Navy’s INS Jalashwa (an amphibious transport dock ship) and a destroyer INS Mysore – both these ships together could carry around 1,200 people at one go – and the fleet tanker the INS Aditya.
The Indian government has time and again proved that it leaves no stone unturned in bringing back its people safely to the country in times of distress anywhere in the world. Kudos to all the heroes who have showed immense courage and humanity in the toughest of times.
– See more at: http://www.thebetterindia.com/15179/heres-need-know-largest-air-evacuation-history-india/#sthash.53OtJbOP.dpuf
SOURCE:::: http://www.the betterindia.com
Natarajan
Message For the Day….” Difference Between Happiness and Bliss…”
Happiness generally relates to bodily comforts and is transient. Such temporary pleasure comes to us for a few moments but very soon plunges us into deep sorrow. But the kind of bliss that one gets through the Soul (Atma) is permanent, pure and selfless. Hence spiritual education (Brahma Vidya)advocates that love must be cultivated for love’s sake only. You must not express love to merely obtain material benefits. If love is showered to win temporary benefits, then it will last for a very short time only. Divine Atmasymbolises eternal truth and is permanent. Therefore Prema attached to Atmawill be true and permanent. This infinite love and eternal truth is present in every being (jīva). If we focus on developing love and truth for its own sake, then we will experience bliss supreme. That is why the Upanishads advocate Selfless Love as ‘Satyasya satyaṃ’ or the Truth of truths.
How an 11 Year old Girl got to Name the Planet Pluto … !!!
An 11-year-old British girl is responsible naming the planet Pluto, the once ninth planet of our solar system, after her grandfather read about the dwarf planet’s discovery at the family breakfast table.
The girl, Venetia Burney, recalled the event in an interview with NASA in 2006,
“I think it was on March the 14th, 1930 and I was having breakfast with my mother and my grandfather. And my grandfather read out at breakfast the great news and said he wondered what it would be called. And for some reason, I after a short pause, said, “Why not call it Pluto?” I did know, I was fairly familiar with Greek and Roman legends from various children’s books that I had read, and of course I did know about the solar system and the names the other planets have. And so I suppose I just thought that this was a name that hadn’t’t been used. And there it was. The rest was entirely my grandfather’s work.”
Burney’s grandfather, Falconer Madan, the ex-head librarian at the Bodleian at Oxford, was so pleased by his granddaughter’s proposed name that he suggested it to Herbert Hall Turner, a retired astronomer who held the title of Astronomer Royal.
Turner immediately wired the idea to American astronomers at Lowell Observatory. The planet was officially named a in May 1930.
Despite many rumors that Burney named the planet Pluto after the Greek god of the underworld or that the first two letter “PL” are in honor of Percival Lowell, the founder of Lowell Observatory, Burney seems to have named the planet Pluto because it sounded good to her. “I just thought it was a name that hadn’t been used so far, and might be an obvious one to have,” Burney told NASA.
There was also a rumor that the planet was named after Pluto the dog because both, the cartoon and the planet, came out in 1930. However, Pluto the dog was originally named Rover in 1930. It wasn’t until 1931 that the beloved cartoon dog took the name Pluto, meaning that the dog took the name of the planet.
This article originally appeared at Modern Notion. Copyright 2015. Follow Modern Notion on Twitter
Read more: http://modernnotion.com/little-girl-named-pluto/#ixzz3SELJkgOQ
SOURCE::::
http://www.businessinsider.com
Natarajan
3 Indian Airports Among the World’s Best….
Three airports from India have bagged the Airports Council International’s Airport Service Quality Awards.
Photograph, courtesy: Ramesh NG/Wikimedia Commons
The Indira Gandhi International Airport has been ranked as the best airport in the world in the 25-40 million passengers per annum category.
The survey rates each airport’s performance in 34 key service areas under eight major categories including access, check-in, security, airport facilities, food and beverage providers.
Seoul’s Incheon airport is ranked as the world’s best airport in the above 40 million passengers’ category.
Two Indian airports won the award in the 25-40 million passengers’ category, while one bagged the third place in the 5-15 million category…
Take a look at the world’s best airports…
Photograph, courtesy: Krokodyl/ Wikimedia Commons
Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi
Rank: 1
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the busiest airport in India.
The airport is managed by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a joint venture between the AAI and GMR Group-led consortium.
“The journey was never easy especially after holding the No 2 mark for last three years. We can now justifiably claim to be the world’s best,” Prabhakara Rao, chief executive, DIAL said in a statement.
With the new Terminal 3, the Delhi international airport has become South Asia’s largest aviation hub.
Photograph, courtesy: Kaichinshih/Wikimedia Commons
Taipei Taoyuan, Taiwan
Rank: 2
One of five airports in the country, Taipei Taoyuan is the largest airport in Taiwan.
Last year also, it bagged the world’s second best airport award from ACI.
“Airports are more than simply points of departure and arrival. At the end of the day, good business acumen comes down to a simple equation: better service, improved traffic and a healthier bottom line,” said Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI World.
Photograph, courtesy: Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, China
Rank: 3
One of the busiest airports in the world, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport has been regularly winning award for its best services.
Photograph, courtesy: Baycrest/ Wikimedia Commons
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, China
Rank: 4
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is a hub for China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Juneyao Airlines and Spring Airlines.
It is one of the busiest airports in China.
Photograph: Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai
Rank: 5
It is the second busiest airport in India, after Delhi airport.
The airport has five operating terminals spread over an operational area of 8 square kilometers.
A world class terminal T2 was recently opened last year for international operations at the Mumbai airport.
The airport is run by Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), a joint venture between the AAI and GVK group-led consortium.
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad
The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad has bagged the third position in the 5-15 million passengers per annum category.
The Hyderabad airport was ranked as the best airport in 2009 and 2010, third-best in 2011, and second-best in 2012.
Message For the Day…” Read Good Books and Practice What You Read…”
Books and facilities for mind-training are available in plenty, and at very cheap prices. The heaps of books that lie around cannot succeed in penetrating the heavy binding and emerge as light in you. For, just as God is hidden by the mountain ranges of lust, anger, envy, and selfishness within, the sun of wisdom is also hidden in the books. Though books and reading habits have spread to all corners of the earth, we can’t say that culture or wisdom has increased; the human is still not far from the ape. An attractive binding, title and beautiful pictures are what the reader seeks; these are transitory pleasures which give momentary contentment. Aimless reading of all and sundry books will confuse you and confer no peace. Hence discriminate, select and read books that contain life histories of saints and sages, and those that aid in the contemplation of the Divine. Practice what you read. Then you will realise truth and enjoy everlasting bliss.
Image of the Day…. ” Selfie with Venus and Mars…” !!!
Selfie with Venus and Mars
The planets Venus and Mars are about to be amazing in the western sky after sunset. Watch for them. Cool selfie from Jean-Baptiste Feldmann in France!
Isn’t this a cool image of the planets Venus (brighter) and Mars (above) in the western twilight sky? French photographer Jean-Baptiste Feldmann posted it at EarthSky Facebookover this past weekend (February 14-15, 2015).
It’s a beauty in and of itself and also because Venus and Mars are about to be amazing in the western sky after sunset. By this coming weekend, these two worlds will be at their closest since 2008. They won’t be this close again until 2017. What’s more, the moon is now coming back to the evening sky, and Venus and Mars and the waxing crescent moon will create some amazing sky scenes in the west after sunset, especially on February 20. Watch for them!
SOURCE:::: http://www.earhskynews.org
Natarajan
Message For the Day…” As the Sacred Heart is present in Everyone, You Must firmly Believe that GOD is in Everyone …”
Today in the world, we see many people who say that they have no faith in God. The one who does not have faith in oneself alone will have no faith in God. Truly speaking, nobody can live even for a moment, without faith in God; it is just impossible! Why? Do not be under the impression that God exists somewhere, having a special form, vested with special powers and so on. That which is contained in your own heart as a clean thought and as supreme consciousness is verily God! This sacred part of one’s heart is present in every being in the Universe. There is no one who does not have such a sacred heart. Hence, God is within you and you do not have to look for Him elsewhere. As this sacred heart is present in everyone, you must firmly believe that God is in everyone at all times.
The Man Behind the Furniture Empire IKEA…. Ingvar Kamprad …
பொதுமக்கள் முதலீடே இல்லாமல், முழுக்க முழுக்க ஒரே குடும்பத்துக்குச் சொந்தமான உலகின் மிகப் பெரிய நிறுவனம் எது தெரியுமா? ஸ்வீடன் நாட்டில் இருக்கும் ஃபர்னிச்சர் கம்பெனி ஐக்கியா!
ஸ்வீடனில் அஹூனியார்ட் (Agunnaryd) எனும் நகரம். இதன் அருகே எல்ம்டார்ட் (Elmtaryd) என்னும் சிறிய பண்ணை இருக்கிறது. இங்கே ஒரு நடுத்தரக் குடும்பத்தில் இங்வார் காம்ப்ராத் (Ingvar Kamprad) பிறந்தார். அவர் பின்புலத்தில் பல சோகங்கள் உண்டு.
பலனில்லா உழைப்பு
இங்வாரின் தாத்தா ஜெர்மனியிலிருந்து பிழைப்பு தேடி ஸ்வீடனுக்குக் குடியேறினார். ஒரு பண்ணையில் வேலை பார்த்தார். அஹூனியார்ட் இருந்த பகுதி நிலம் அத்தனை வளமையானதல்ல. நிலத்தை ஆழமாகத் தோண்டவேண்டும், உரம் போடவேண்டும், நீர் பாய்ச்சவேண்டும், களை எடுக்கவேண்டும், பண்ணையில் பால் தரும் பசுக்கள் உண்டு. இவற்றைப் பராமரிக்கவேண்டும், பால் கறக்கவேண்டும். விளைபொருட்கள், பால் ஆகியவற்றை உள்ளூர்ச் சந்தையில் விற்பனை செய்யவேண்டும். முதுகு உடையும்படி உழைத்தால்தான் வாழ்க்கையை ஓட்ட முடியும், இதனால், அஹூனியார்ட் மக்கள் அனைவருமே கடும் உழைப்பாளிகளாக இருந்தார்கள்.
இங்வாரின் தாத்தாவும் கடுமையாக உழைத்தார். எளிமையான வாழ்க்கை நடத்திப், பணம் சேமித்தார். இதை மூலதனமாகப் போட்டு, வங்கிக் கடன் வாங்கி எல்ம்டார்ட் பண்ணையை வாங்கினார். அவர் கெட்ட காலம், சில வருடங்கள் விவசாயம் பொய்த்தது. வங்கிக் கடனுக்கான வட்டியை அவரால் கட்ட முடியவில்லை. மானம் பெரிதென்று நினைத்த தாத்தா தற்கொலை செய்துகொண்டார்.
வாழ்க்கைப் பாடம்
இங்வாரின் பாட்டி இதைச் சவாலாக ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார். குடும்பத்தோடு இன்னும் கடுமையாக உழைத்தார். குடும்பம் தலை நிமிரத் தொடங்கியது. இந்தப் பின்புலத்தால், பணத்தைவிட மானம் பெரியது, பணத்தைச் சிக்கனமாகச் செலவிடவேண்டும், கடுமையாக உழைக்கவேண்டும், நேர்மையாக நடக்கவேண்டும் என்னும் விலை மதிப்பில்லாத வாழ்க்கைப் பாடங்கள் இங்வார் மனதில் ஆழமாகப் பதிந்தன.
சிறுவயதில் இங்வாருக்குத் தூக்கம் என்றால் மிகவும் பிடிக்கும். அதிகாலையில் அவர் அப்பாவும், அம்மாவும் ஆறு மணிக்கு எழுந்திருப்பார்கள், இங்வாரை எழுப்புவார்கள். அவர் எழுந்திருக்கவே மாட்டார். அம்மாவும், அப்பாவும் “தூங்குமூஞ்சி” என்று தினமும் திட்டுவார்கள். தங்கள் மகன் உதவாக்கரை என்று முடிவு செய்துவிட்டார்கள்.
பரிசு ஏற்படுத்திய மாற்றம்
இப்போது ஒரு ஆச்சரியம் நடந்தது. இங்வாரின் அப்பா மகனின் பிறந்த நாளுக்கு அலாரம் கடிகாரம் வாங்கித் தந்தார். அம்மா, அப்பா ஆறு மணிக்குத்தானே கண் விழிப்பார்கள்? இங்வார் 5.50 – க்கு அலாரம் வைத்தார். எழுந்தார். அம்மா, அப்பாவை எழுப்பிவிட்டார். அவர்களோடு பண்ணைக்குள் போனார். மாடுகளுக்குத் தீனி வைப்பது, பால் கறப்பது, களை பறிப்பது என்று அத்தனை விஷயங்களையும் எட்டு வயதிலேயே தானாகச் செய்யக் கற்றுக்கொண்டுவிட்டார்.
தொழில் முனைவு
சிறுவயதிலேயே இங்வாரிடம் தொழில் முனைப்பு இருந்தது. ஸ்வீடனின் நிலப்பரப்பில் சுமார் 69 சதவிகிதம் காடுகள். ஆகவே, மரங்களைப் பயன்படுத்தி தீக்குச்சிகள், ஃபர்னிச்சர் தயாரிப்பு ஆகியவை முக்கிய தொழில்களாக இருந்தன. இங்வார் தன் பத்து வயதில் முதல் பிசினஸ் தொடங்கினார். தீக்குச்சிகளை மொத்த விலை வியாபாரிகளிடமிருந்து வாங்குவார். உள்ளூர் சில்லறைக் கடைகளுக்கு லாபத்தில் விற்பார்.
ஐக்கியா பிறந்த கதை
தீக்குச்சியில் தொடங்கிய வியாபாரம் நன்றாகப் பற்றிக்கொண்டது. இங்வார் தன் வியாபாரத்தை விரிவுபடுத்தினார். நகைகள், கடிகாரங்கள், உடைகள் எனப் பல பொருட்களை விற்கத் தொடங்கினார். ஆரம்பத்தில், இங்வார் அவரே கடைகளுக்குப் போய் விற்பார். இத்தோடு தபால் மூலமாக விற்கும் மெயில் ஆர்டர் பிசினஸ் தொடங்கினார். தன் கம்பெனிக்கு IKEA கார்ப்பரேஷன் என்று பெயர் வைத்தார். எப்படி இந்தப் பெயர் அவர் மனதில் தோன்றியது? Ingvar Kamprad என்னும் தன் பெயரிலிருந்து IK, தன் வீடு இருந்த பண்ணையான Elmtaryd என்பதிலிருந்து E, Agunnaryd என்னும் சொந்த ஊர்ப் பெயரிலிருந்து A. மொத்தத்தில் IKEA.
புதிது புதிதாக எந்தப் பொருட்களை விற்கலாம், வியாபாரத்தை வளர்க்கலாம் என்று இங்வாருக்குத் துடிப்பு அதிகம். ஸ்வீடன் காடுகள் அடர்ந்த நாடு என்பதால், மரங்கள் கணிசமாக இருக்கும். மர ஃபர்னிச்சர்கள் முக்கிய தொழிலாக இருந்தது. மேசை, நாற்காலிகள், சோபா செட்கள், டைனிங் டேபிள், கட்டில், தொட்டில் போன்ற மர சாமான்களை விற்க ஆரம்பித்தார். பிசினஸ் அமோகமாக வளர்ந்தது.
இங்வார் மிக எளிமையான மனிதர். பணம் கொட்டியபோதிலும், பழைய மாடல் காரைத்தான் பயன்படுத்தினார். விமானத்தில் முதல் வகுப்புப் பயணமே கிடையாது. இப்படி எளிமையில் திருப்தி கண்ட மனிதருக்குத் திருப்தி தராத ஒரே விஷயம் – ஐக்கியாவின் வளர்ச்சி. மர ஃபர்னிச்சர்கள் துறையில் ஐக்கியா உலகத்தின் நம்பர் 1 கம்பெனியாக வேண்டும் என்னும் வெறி அவருக்கு இருந்தது.
என்ன செய்யலாம்?
விற்பனையை அதிகரிக்க ஸ்வீடனில் ஃபர்னிச்சர்கள் விற்பனை ஏன் உச்சம் தொடவில்லை, அதற்கு என்ன செய்யலாம் என்று இங்வார் ஆராய்ந்தார். ஸ்வீடனில் மரம் மலிவாகக் கிடைத்தது. ஆனால், தச்சர்களின் கூலி மிக அதிகம். தச்சர்களுக்கு ஏகக் கிராக்கி. நல்ல மரவேலை செய்பவர்கள் கிடைப்பதே சிரமமாக இருந்தது. சாதாரணமாக மரத் தட்டுமுட்டுச் சாமான்கள் அளவில் பெரியவை. கடைகளிலிருந்து வாங்கினால், வீட்டுக்குக் கொண்டுவரும் போக்குவரத்துச் செலவு, “தேங்காய் கால் பணம், சுமை கூலி முக்கால் பணம்” என்னும் நம் ஊர்ப் பழமொழியை உண்மையாக்குவதாக இருந்தது.இந்தக் காரணங்களால், ஸ்வீடன் நாட்டு மக்கள் மர ஃபர்னிச்சர்கள் வாங்குவதைத் தவிர்த்தார்கள், அல்லது தள்ளிப் போட்டார்கள். விற்பனை மந்தமானது.
இந்தத் தடைக் கற்கள் அத்தனைக்கும் தீர்வு கண்டுவிட்டால் ஃபர்னிச்சர் விற்பனையைப் பல நூறு மடங்கு அதிகரிக்கலாம் என்று இங்வார் மனதில் பொறி தட்டியது. “ஃபர்னிச்சர் என்றால் விலை உயர்ந்த பொருள்” என்று மக்கள் மனங்களில் இருந்த பொசிஷனிங்கை முதலில் மாற்றவேண்டும் என்று முடிவுசெய்தார். தன் கம்பெனி பற்றி அவர் உருவாக்க முடிவு செய்த பொசிஷனிங்: ஐக்கியா,நன்கு டிசைன் செய்யப்பட்ட, எண்ணிலடங்காத வகைகளில் வீட்டு உபயோகப் பொருட்களை, எல்லோருக்கும் கட்டுப்படியாகக்கூடிய மலிவான விலையில் தரும் கடை.
இந்தப் பொசிஷனிங்கை நிஜமாக்க இரண்டு வித நடவடிக்கைகள் தேவை – கச்சிதமான டிசைன், விலைக் குறைப்பு. இவை இரண்டிலும் இங்வார் முழுமூச்சோடு இறங்கினார்.
புதிய உத்தி
இங்வார் மூளையில் ஒரு மின்வெட்டல். Foldable Furniture என்னும் மடக்கு மேசை, நாற்காலி, கட்டில்களை அறிமுகப்படுத்தினார். இவற்றின் கால்கள் போன்ற பல்வேறு பாகங்களைத் தனித் தனியாகக் கழற்றினார். ஒரு பொட்டலமாக்கினார். இவற்றோடு, ஒரு பாக்கெட்டில் பல்வேறு பாகங்களை இணைக்கும் ஸ்க்ரூக்கள், பாகங்களை இணைக்கும் எளிமையான, விலாவாரியான செயல்முறை ஒரு குட்டிப் புத்தகத்தில்.
வாடிக்கையாளர் ஐக்கியா கடைக்கு வருவார். மேசையைப் பொட்டலமாக வாங்குவார். காரில் பாந்தமாக இந்தப் பொட்டலம் உட்காரும். வழியில் எந்த உரசலும் ஏற்படாது. வீட்டுக்கு வந்து சில ஸ்க்ரூக்களை முடுக்குவார். மேசை ரெடி. தச்சருக்குத் தரும் கூலியில் ஏகப்பட்ட மிச்சம், வாடிக்கையாளருக்கு ஏகப்பட்ட சேமிப்பு.
பிற நாடுகளுக்கு
விலைகளைக் குறைக்க இங்வார் இன்னொரு வழியையும் கையாண்டார். கூலி குறைவான சீனா, போலந்து ஆகிய நாடுகளுக்குத் தயாரிப்பை அவுட்சோர்ஸ் செய்தார். இன்று ஐக்கியாவின் 90 சதவிகித விற்பனை அவுட்சோர்ஸ் செய்த உற்பத்திப் பொருட்களிலிருந்து வருகிறது.
பிரம்மாண்ட வளர்ச்சி
ஐக்கியாவுக்கு இன்று 46 நாடுகளில் 351 கடைகள் இருக்கின்றன. இவை ஒவ்வொன்றும் பல லட்சம் சதுர அடிகள் பரப்புள்ள பிரம்மாண்ட விற்பனையகங்கள். 12,000 – துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட ஃபர்னிச்சர் வகைகள் விற்பனையாகின்றன. மொத்த ஆண்டு விற்பனை 28 பில்லியன் டாலர்கள் (சுமார் 1,72,624 கோடி ரூபாய்). விரைவில் இந்தியாவிலும் ஐக்கியா கடைகள் திறக்கும் வாய்ப்புகள் இருக்கின்றன.
இங்வார் காம்ராத் இப்போது என்ன செய்துகொண்டிருக்கிறார்? அவருக்கு இப்போது வயது 89. 2010 – இல், வாரன் பஃபட், பில் கேட்ஸ் இருவரையும் பின்தள்ளி, இங்வார் உலகின் நம்பர் 1 பணக்காரராக இருந்தார். அடுத்த வருடமே, மகனிடம் பிசினஸை ஒப்படைத்தார். தன் சொத்துகளில் பெரும்பகுதியை அறக்கட்டளைகளுக்கு எழுதிவைத்தார்.தான் காணும் கனவுகள் நிஜமாவதைப் பார்க்கும் பாக்கியம் ஒரு சிலருக்கே கிடைக்கும். அந்த அதிர்ஷ்டசாலிகளில் இங்வார் முக்கியமானவர்.
– slvmoorthy@gmail.com
Keywords: பொசிஷனிங், குடும்ப சொத்து, குடும்ப நிறுவனம், ஃபர்னிச்சர் கம்பெனி, ஐக்கியா, IKEA, அஹூனியார்ட், எல்ம்டார்ட், இங்வார் காம்ப்ராத், வியாபார தந்திரம்
SOURCE:::: http://www.tamil.thehindu.com
Natarajan
Take off with Natarajan 