Original momentun isn't enough to keep you moving forward

Today, my table calendar reads:

"Progress in life, business, or any project comes through taking initiative and continuing to press on with new strategies, concepts and plans. The original momentun isn't enough to keep you moving forward. Your progress will grind to a halt unless you refill your engine of inspiration with the fuel of fresh ideas."

How true and inspiring !! Quotes like these are also the '"fuel" to continue to be motivated and keep going. The original moment to good to start something, but to sustain, retain, keep growing and moving forward, fresh new ideas, motivations and inspiration is always required.

In a world of negativity, I think that although sometimes it IS difficult, yet it is very important to continue to be self-motivated with things like positive thinking, speaking, listening and reading and most importantly positive self-talk (I think it works amazingly).

Overcoming Writer's Block ?

Today morning while I was driving to office, I was thinking about my current status in terms of an artist, a witer, a teacher, a blogger, etc. Too many profiles.. ? Maybe yes, but they all have to go hand in hand, simultaneously.

When I had joined IAM as Assistant Professor, I had thought I would get a lot of time to read and write and I would also be able to update my blog regularly. Contrary to that I have hardly been able to update my blog in the last one year or more. Not that I have not been able to read and write. I have read a lot, and written a lot of lectures and prepared presentations for my lectures for Apparel Merchandising, Fashion Forecasting and Product Development, Fabric Knowledge of Knits and even Design Drawing and Illustration. I have learned a lot in the process and also enjoyed while learning.

However, my writing and updating for my blog has been quite limited, rather quite negligible. Had the 'Writer's Block' effected me or I had just been too busy with other roles and responsibilities ? Whatever the cause may be, today I decided to start writing and updating my blog regularly. Whatever topic may be, I have to just be active and find time to continue writing even in my busy schedule... and instead of procastinating, I am starting today itself :)

Industry Programmes and Workshops at IAM

Institute of Apparel Management (IAM) has announced a series of industry focused workshops for professionals working in the fashion and apparel industry who wish to upgrade themselves by acquiring skills and knowledge necessary for their career progression. These workshops are focused on different streams like management and merchandising, design, retail and technology.

Institute of Apparel Management (IAM) promoted by AEPC Society for Human Resource Development under the aegis of Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) is an industry driven institution offering professional programmes with sector specific and industry driven careers in the fast growing apparel industry. The college was established to meet the industry requirement for trained managers and design professionals, with a broad base of applied and management skills typical of the apparel business.

The workshops have been developed keeping in mind the following :

1. There is need for effective and focused training and development in a dynamic business environment.
2. Regeneration and up-gradation of management and design skills is required to meet changing business and market needs.
3. With the expansion of different sectors of the consumer goods and lifestyle products industry there is a need for professionals with in-depth and broad base of knowledge.
4. Shorter shelf life of lifestyle products requires innovative, pre-emptive and pro-active management styles to maximize business potential.
5. To be at par globally with international developments, businesses or the managers in fashion trade today need to continuously improve themselves through workshops and training programmes for their employees.

Industry Programmes and Workshops being offered by IAM is structured to address the current and emerging need of the industry to upgrade and train professionals who are already a part of the industry, working at different levels.

These workshops are for short duration. The participants shall be awarded a certificate from IAM on completion of the workshop.

One of the recent workshops in which I am teaching as Co-faculty is 002-Fashion Figure Drawing & Fashion Illustration

More information is available on www.iamindia.in or e-mail: industryprograms@iamindia.in

Surajkund Crafts Mela

Surajkund Crafts Mela, near Delhi, is a gathering of skilled craftsmen and artisans. The beautiful and coulourful sights are worth capturing.

This year I visited this fair as a Faculty along with the students of IAM and got to take a lot of photographs. Here are some of them.. for a glimpse of the fair.

Mela also celebrates the rhythms of folk theatre.

A rural ambience s created for the urban audience. Cuisine, culture and crafs combine to make the fair a colourful and memorble one.

A View of water at Sariska, Rajasthan

Photographs by : Seema Kumar

Crow on the Sea Beach

Photos by Seema Kumar

Motivational Quotes that motivated me

Today I recalled some of the old quotations.. from my school days and wanted to put them here .. like the thought for the day, and to remain here to read:

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Do not be too moral.
You may cheat yourself out of much life.
Aim above morality.

Be not simply good; be good for something.

- Henry David Thoreau

[US Transcendentalist author (1817 - 1862)]

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Aim at the sun, and you may not reach it; but your arrow will fly far higher than if aimed at an object on a level with yourself.

- Joel Hawes

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All things are difficult before they are easy.

- Dr. Thomas Fuller,

Gnomologia, 1732British physician (1654 - 1734)

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On World Environment Day

Today, une 5, on World Environment Day, my expressions come in the form of a few digital photographs ... of the flowers from one of my cherished plants.

And some more photograps are here, taken by my uncle, of our native village - which I have always loved because of its natural beauty and natural surroundings.

Photos: Seema Kumar

Shikha Lal clears the Civil Services Examinations conducted by the UPSC

It has been a long awaited day. Like most IAS aspirants for whom it becomes a passion, my younger sister Shikha Lal has also been putting in a lot of effort in the preparation for the the Civil Services Eximaniation. Finally 16th May brought the good news of her success and final selection.

She has a unique combination of subjects, looking at her academic background. She has been meritorious throuout.

She used to be class topper in school. In +2 she studied Bio Science. After +2, she joined All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and did four years' B.Sc. (Honours) in Nursing. She was the topper in her batch who joined AIIMS, and she also received scholarships while studying there. She was also meritorious while studying there.

She then decided to explore the Fashion and apparel industry, when I was already studying in NIFT. She joined National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), and did Post Graduate Diploma in Garment Manufacturing Technology (GMT). Here again, she received Gold Medal for 'Best All Round Performance' for NIFT-Mumbai centre (one person from one centre, including all courses, got this award).

She also worked in a export house for more than a year. But then her childhood aspiration to get into Civil Services came alive again. Parents supported her when she decided to attempt for it. And finally she did make it. Personally I do find it brilliant that she could do it even with her diverse academic background, and the subjects she chose for this exam was Psychology and Public Administration. Only she can tell us the secret :)

She is a very special person and everyone who knows her will agree to me on this. She is a wonderful soul, and I am sure if more people like her come into the Civil Services, they will certainly build a better India, a better world.

All the best to you, Shikha. Go ahead and fulfil your dreams. We are proud of you :)

**More than 300000 candidates appear for this exam and the final selection this year was for 734 candidates. Shikha ranked 456 in the final list.

Fron UPSC Website: A total number of 734 candidates recommended for appointment include 286 General (including 12 Physically challenged candidates), 266 Other Backward Classes (including 5 Physically challenged candidates), 128 Scheduled Castes (including 5 Physically challenged candidate) and 54 Scheduled Tribes candidates.

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