My Science School

What are the subjects needed to become a librarian? In addition to the school and college libraries, where else can a librarian find employment?

Other than the school and college libraries, there are specialist libraries that meet the need  for  advanced research in subjects as varied as music and medicine. Take the example of the New Delhi-based Lalit Kala Academy library that has a collection on music, dance and theatre traditions of India. Gandhi Darshan, in New Delhi, has a huge library on Gandhian studies, the Capital’s National Museum has a library on history and civilizations. Even college libraries have specialized categories depending on the nature of the institute. So the collection of material at a medical college library will be different from that of an engineering college. Then, of course, there are the public libraries for students and people in general, like the libraries of the British Council and the Indian Council for Historical Research. You can take the plunge after graduating from any stream and by pursuing the one-year bachelor of library science (BLIS). After that, you could pursue on MLIS and even an M.Phil and PhD. Here are some of the universities that offer a degree/PG diploma in library science

• Aligarh Muslim University, Department of Library & Information Science, Aligarh.


• Banaras Hindu University, Department of Library & Information Science, Varanasi.


• Jawaharlal Nehru Library, Department of Library & Information Science, Mumbai.


• University of Delhi, Department of Library & Information Science, Delhi.


• Indira Gandhi National Open School, Department of Library & Information Science, Delhi (through distance mode).

 

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What qualifications should I possess in order to become an airline pilot? What is the career scope of a pilot?

The job of an airline pilot offers a glamorous lifestyle with great salaries and the opportunities to travel. But becoming a pilot is also a very expensive proposition. You have to get a commercial pilot’s license (CPL) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Only those who have done science with PCM at the +2 are eligible to apply.

You have to register 250 flying hours with a flying club like Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy, Rae Bareli; Pinjore Aviation Club, Ambala; and School of Aviation Science and Technology, Safdarjang Airport, New Delhi, and clear a set of exams, before you are given the license. You can get the CPL from abroad too and get it converted to the Indian pilot license. While getting into Air India or Indian Airlines may not be that easy, a number of private and foreign airlines do offer attractive salaries to their pilots-starting from Rs 45,000 for  trainee pilot to Rs 165,000 for confirmed pilots. Initially, you have to work as a co-pilot and it’s only with experience that you are given the command of a flight.

However, the course is very expensive, around Rs five lakh. To check your suitability for the job, ask yourself whether you are capable of quick thinking, can you keep calm during a crisis, whether you have quick reflexes, are you comfortable working with machines, how physically fit are you. It’s an erratic life-you have to report at unearthly hours, be away from home for days on end. so in all likelihood, you will watch Diwali festivities from your cockpit, rather than from the courtyard of your home.

 

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What is the eligibility criteria and procedure for becoming a fighter pilot

aptitude test and why is it a necessary prerequisite for all candidates?

There are two entry levels for the Flying Branch of the Indian Air Force: Straight after completion of your 10+2 with physics, chemistry and mathematics (PCM), with a minimum of 65 percent marks. You can apply to the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, where army and navy recruits receive a three year training. An additional 18-month training will be impaired at the Air Force Academy, Hyderabad; Alternatively, on graduating in mathematics, physics and/or chemistry, you can seek recruitment through the Combined Defence Services examination. Once you clear this examination you will be sent to  service of your choice.

Do remember that irrespective of the entry-level, you need to be at least 5 feet 8 inches in height and have to appear for the pilot aptitude battery test. This test gauges your reflexes-so vital to a life and death situation. Unfortunately, those who fail the pilot aptitude battery test will not be allowed to reappear. There is no second attempt. However, one could still be considered for ground duties.

 

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I want to make a career in acting. I tried to find about a place where I could learn acting, but in vain. Please give me all the information. Also, how good is the scope in acting, or is TV the only option after actors?

Most youngsters today enroll for an acting course because it opens avenues in the TV and the film world. A good grounding in acting is desired for success in TV and films, because an acting school teaches you clarity of language, dictation, body movements and variations in expressions.

Also. Making a living solely out of theatre is very difficult. A better approach is to take up some good productions on TV.

The National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, is the hub of theatre activity in India. It has a three-year course, admission to which is granted after graduation. The list of NSD alumni is the who’s who of acting in India from Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah to Manoj Bajpai and Ashutosh Rana. In fact, the NSD course is equivalent to post-graduation, after which you are eligible to apply for an MPhil and teach in an Indian university. Admission to the three-year post-graduate diploma course is on the basis of a week-long workshop at NBSD.

You can contact the registrar, National School of Drama, Bahawalpur House, Bhagwan Das Road, New Delhi for admission details.

Bharatendu Natya Academy, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow offers a two year diploma course in theatre.

Admission is on the basis of an audition and aptitude test, in June.

Universities like Osmania University in Hyderabad, Madurai Kamraj University, Devi Ahilya University in Indore and Maharaj Sayajirao University in Baroda conduct PG courses.

 

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I have appeared for my standard X boards this year and aspire to become a war journalist for a TV channel. Please tell me which subjects I should opt for the 10+2 level, and in college. Also, which college should I join after 10+2. What qualities should a person have to become a good journalist?

It’s good to see that you are focused and have very clear goals. However, there is no permanent vocation like war journalism. As a TV journalist you will need to cover all kinds of happenings, perhaps war too.

You could either do a general degree course in the sciences or arts, go on to doing a post-graduate diploma in TV journalism, and then take the plunge. Meanwhile, subscribe to defence journals, read books on war history, visit the archives to see TV reportage on war, watch TV shows on wars and stuff the internet on related subjects.

If you are keen to take the plunge right now, join a degree course in journalism, which is offered by a number  of modules in the course, TV module being one of them. While doing your course, you can join a local news media organization to get a hang of how the media works. Since you are based in Nasik, you might have  to think in terns of moving to a metro for better opportunities in TV.

Since you are keen o joining the electronic media, you need to be fluent in a spoken language-Hindi, English or any regional language. You also need to be presentable. You need to have a nose for news. The media is a very competitive place and it’s who gets the story first that matters. Take a cue from Anita Pratap, who has been there right in the heat of the Afghan war, and was the first TV journalist to report from the Siachen Glaciet. The working hours may definitely be odd and that you will need to be daring and gutsy.

 

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Dietetics and nutrition are now stepping-stones to high-profile careers in the government, with foreign agencies, at hospitals, schools, colleges, health centers and even in the media. Dietetics is the study of balanced food and helps in identifying the food value of different items and problems arising out of their deficiency. Meaningful job opportunities exist in the field of research, treatment and cure, and community nutrition.

Government and foreign agencies, and hospitals run research  projects. A host of community-based projects are functioning with the help of government and foreign aid. International agencies like the World Food Programme have operations across the globe and recruit nutritionists for the planning and implementation of their programmes. Multinationals like Kellogs and Nestle require nutritionists for their research and quality control departments. Hospitals require dieticians to plan menus for patients and keep a quality check on the canteen food. Fitness centers in cities also employ dieticians on their panels. Niche publications and newspapers too devote a lot of space to health and nutrition, hence the scope for writing on such themes. Of course, one can also teach the topic at a school or college.

 

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