“Identify the problems”- 15 January 2017

S.J

Q. I am an engineering student in final year and have developed an interest in journalism. Today I read your article about the person who was confused about journalism, and I want to talk to him. I have talked to many journalists but I think this person will give me a better idea of what to do as a story explained by a successful person is good but someone who has gone through the same experience will be able to guide you better. If that person is interested kindly give my email address to him and he can email me. Thanks.

Ans. I’m publishing your request in the column in the hope that the person who wrote the letter in the last column would read your query and write to us. If he shows interest in talking to you we will forward your email address to him. Since all letters received by us are private and confidential in nature we cannot take the liberty of providing email addresses and contact numbers on our own. Your letter is being printed for the simple reason that many such readers like you want to connect to the people who write to us in this column. This is a general norm we follow to maintain confidentiality.

M.K

Q. One of my nieces is quite a good singer. In fact she used to sing in group competitions representing her school, but once she went for a solo competition and she could not perform well. I feel like her confidence has gone down because of that. Now I want to help her get back on stage but she is not ready to yet. I think she is scared. Please help me get her confidence back and get her back on stage too.

Ans.  As you say your niece is a good singer and has taken part in group competitions before, so there shouldn’t be much of a problem if we can just get her confidence back and give her the practice she needs. She is still very young and has a long way to go before she can become a professional singer. It is good in a way that she has already taken part in solo competitions. This will help her know what her mistakes were the previous time and work towards improving herself. In order to help her out you can start by joining her up for classes with a professional singing teacher. They will help her train her voice and give her proper advice as to what to do. But first you need to know if you want her to be a professional singer or just sing at an amateur level. If u want her to be a professional it will take several years of training as no one becomes a professional over night. However if you want her to just learn at an amateur level, then you can just join her up for classes for about a few months or a year. Also make sure that your support for her is always strong through it all.

A.A

Q. I am a CA student but have completed my education from a small town. I don’t have a good command over English. How can I improve myself? Can you help me with some tips please?

Ans. Nowadays there is a big mental block where the “English” language is concerned. English is just like any other language be it Hindi, Marathi, etc. To learn to speak English you first need to get it out of your head that you can’t speak well in English. This is the very first thing you need to do. Now in order to get over your fear of speaking or writing English you should try these tips. Firstly you should buy books on vocabulary development and try to learn at least 5 new words a day. Secondly you should read the newspaper aloud and underline and try to find the meanings of words you do not understand. You could also choose any topic and write a small essay or paragraph on said topic to help improve your English. You could always join English speaking classes as well. This will help you improve your English tremendously.

S.G

Q. I need your help madam. Will you be kind to please listen to my problems?

Ans. Kindly elaborate your problem as I will not be able to give you any advice if I do not know the problem I am dealing with. Sometimes when you are not able to identify and define your own problem then it is advisable to pay a visit. A session of counselling will help identify the nature of your problems and we could provide solutions too. Do not hesitate.