K-Pop Artists: Idols Or Slaves?

White shining faces, blonde silky hair, slim bodies, and sensational talent……that’s how we know the “idols”.

Yes, K-pop industries’ young-teenage artists are more popularly called “idols”, and adding more to the fact, they often pay a price for that.

We are accustomed to seeing the cheerful, Korean beauties performing and intermingling with everyone in the entertainment industry and people dying to label themselves as their fans and friends because of their alluring physical beauty and attractive personality.

K-Pop industry, however, has many dark alleys which these young talents have to pass through to reach the stage –in front of the world, almost every day. This must have reminded you of some Madhur Bhandarkar Bollywood masala like Heroine or Fashion which shows the dark side of entertainment industry. But let me tell you, what these Korean (and Japanese) pop artists suffer is much more exploitative, unfair, and unfortunate.

Currently, the most famous K-pop band is BTS whose members are as talented as they are cute (and there’s no denying that we fall for their cuteness as much as their talent). Boy-band BTS remind me of One Direction which split two years back and left quite a lot of fans heartbroken.

But be happy because BTS can’t split up even if the members wanted to. The reason is that all K-Pop (and J-pop) artists are bound with contracts which disallow them to leave the producing company or the group on their wish. Would you call this slavery? Just wait, there’s more for you.

K-Pop artists were once held synonymous to “corporate slaves” for the contracts that regulate not only their professional, but personal lives too. These artists are not allowed to marry or even to date someone without the permission of the company. Similar conditions are faced by J-pop idols, that is the pop artists in Japan.

“The "no dating" clause of the contracts has resulted in some idols being sued for breaking it, accused of damaging their reputations. Two years ago Minami Minegishi from popular girl band AKB48 shaved her head and wept in apology, after breaking management firm rules by spending a night with her boyfriend.” Reports BBC.

Usually, we consider artists the most “free” of the professionals, their freedom giving a push to their creativity and talent, but with K-Pop artists, it’s quite contrary. The pop artists are not just regulated and controlled, but they are ghettoized too, to an extent that the surveillance upon them does not even leave their diets or their already negligible free-time.

According to a report, apart from the contracts, K-pop artists are bound with very strict schedules, diet plans, and unusually long work hours, where they work for 19-20 hours a day. The exploitation is not restricted to this only but stretches itself to verbal abuse and dis-allowance of the artists’ parents to interfere between the production company and the artist.

This certainly doesn’t remind me of any celebrity, neither in India nor in the West. It rather reminds me of child labor or slave labor everywhere. The building where these K-pop artists reside are usually very cramped kind of dwellings with very poor working and living conditions.

Neither do these strict schedules and working conditions ensure good money. According to one of the K-Pop artists, Prince Mac, a band gets only 10% of the total earning while the company gets 90% of it. In some cases the ratio is 20-80, which means that each band member gets only 2% of the total earnings.

The unusual diet plans, the racial discrimination that comes in the share of foreign artists (Chinese, Japanese, etc.), and the stress and slave-like environment have forced many artists to commit suicide due to stress and depression which is a constant side-effect of the unprecedented popularity that this Billion-dollar industry of K-Pop ensures.

Those who are strong enough and don’t take their own lives suffer from diet disorders, depression, mental and physical illnesses, and even dangerous fans who can even abduct these artists from the stage!

These K-Pop artists are constantly forced by producers to undergo plastic surgeries and keep enhancing their physical beauty at any cost to increase their career prospects.

The degrees up to which these K-Pop artists face discrimination and exploitation is unimaginable to you and me. It’s a sad reality what an entertainer, an artist face in his/her endeavor to keep giving the audience the perfect product.

Audience’s desires know no bounds and for that, these K-Pop idols are paying a very high price, much, much higher than what a ticket (or all the tickets, for that matter) that are sold out of their concerts may cost.

After all, they are just teenagers, who are being devoid of many things that shape the crucial years of any individual’s life.

Teenage is not meant for this, neither for being an idol, nor for being a slave.

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The Science Of Being Lazy And Successful

Are you also one of those who get up in the morning after several alarms already snoozed up and after getting chided by your mom continuously?

Do you also have the habit of stretching your projects and presentations to the deadlines which have already been postponed for the lazy-heads like you?

And do you also count yourself among the rightful heirs of those two great procrastinators, Hamlet and Prufrock?

If you find all the above situations damn relatable, then you are up for a successful, healthy, productive, and long life, scientifically.  

I know, no moment could be happier than this –when your laziness gets legitimized scientifically.

Psychologists have actually seen a co-relation between being late and being stress-free, which helps you lead a healthy life than those who are more time-bound, and hence stressed.

There are a lot of positive traits that are said to be possessed in a lazy being. According to Diana Delonzor’s Never late again, those who are chronologically laid back, are not only more optimistic, but also more unrealistic.

You’d relate to this and praise yourself (that’s what I’m doing right now). Have you ever woken up in the morning, thought that you have enough time to reach at work, gone to sleep again, and ended up reaching late?

And even after knowing, by experience, that you’d be late, have you tried doing the same amount of work in the less time than it actually needs?

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Yes, my friend, that’s the kind of optimism psychologists talk about when they relate laziness with optimism. You know it’s unrealistic, but you’d still try to do it, thinking of thousand creative ways to do it in lesser time, instead of following the prescribed way and doing the work in the prescribed time.   

This takes us to the next trait that such people possess, that is, being creative. This is what science means when it predicts lazy people to be more successful. The degrees of creativity they possess are so high that they’d always look for more and more innovative ways to do the same task. All they’d want is the way which takes the least effort, and this habit makes them much more efficient as well.

They try to conquer what rules all –time, from a very early age in their life, which keeps them stress free almost all the time. This results in better health conditions than others in later life.

Here’s another incident with which you’d relate if you also fall in this category. Have you ever wanted not to waste time on booking tickets and making prior arrangements for a vacation, and just pack your bag with some stuff and leave for a real adventure?

This saving of formalities and extra efforts make you spontaneous which keeps you playful and cheerful all your life.

Such people think that a lot of things can be incorporated in a certain amount of time and hence end up taking a lot on their hands. Many hobbies, many skills to learn, many places to visit, many people to meet, and so on. Way too multi-tasking!

Other traits that psychologists find in lazy people are indiscipline, high-spirit, a lot of enthusiasm, and disorganization. They keep on delaying and pushing things to the edge, but still are able to save everything from falling apart. Only lazy people have this special capability. They are the ones who are multitasking, and this makes them almost a perfectionist.  

All this stress-free, relaxed, and cheerful outlook towards life and that great conqueror, time, helps in deflecting away a lot of health problems, as per Harvard Medical School. Lower blood pressure, greater cardiovascular health, lower stroke risks, and lower chance of depression are some of the benefits that lazy people have on their side.

So next time your mom chides you for being lazy, or your friend fights you for not reaching on time, don’t forget the benefits of being in your own time zone where your creative, relaxed self has a lot more to do than they can ever think of.  

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Higher Education And Career

Biologically, we are well aware of the fact that survival requires evolution. Adapting ourselves according to the changes in our surroundings is one of the most basic necessities on which all the life forms on Earth depend.

That’s biologically. But what about intellectually? Is our intellectual evolution also necessary, along with our biological evolution when it comes to our social survival? The simple answer is yes, and my answer to this question depends on how we define education.

The most generally accepted definition of education is associated with the degrees and certificates you accumulate in your home. More relevant definitions of education, however, is related not to the accumulation of degrees and certificates but to the accumulation of various types of knowledge and experience.

Also read: Is being self-taught in any skill as good as taking a proper training?

The two different facts that I discussed above, that is, our intellectual evolution and accumulation of knowledge and experience, are not that different from each other actually. It’s the acquiring of knowledge and experience constantly, regardless of our age and status, that helps us evolve intellectually.

The facts put by me so far may seem enough to make out why continuing education matters, but it has a lot more to it.

First of all, graduating and getting a nine-to-five job, just can’t be the goal of any one’s life. People who do so, do so because of many unavoidable reasons and the chances of the reason being their own will is very less, almost none. The fortunate ones without any doubt opt for learning extra.

This extra ranges from higher degrees to extra technical skills and from learning something which they are actually passionate about to just going to libraries and exploring new areas of studies. These people know how much continuing education matters, even when you are stuck in a nine-to-five job.

Secondly, with the new technologies, studies, theories, and researches coming up each passing day, no one would want to stay behind with the education they acquired many years ago. We all know that stagnant water breeds disease, again biology. Education and knowledge has been compared to the river, the ever-flowing water body, by the great minds and that’s how it is. You may have got expertise in one area of your interest but you can’t guarantee of it being always in demand and keep bearing you fruits (and good money) eternally.

Apart from these two points, no employer would want to hire (or even to keep for long) someone who can’t ensure growth. Growth here means the growth of the company, as well as the individual growth of oneself, by enhancing skills and expertise. So obviously, the more you educate yourself, the better.

Growing and changing along with the times have always been the mantra when it comes to better opportunities and variety of options to choose from. Continuing your education, be it in any direction, can help you embrace your long lost passions, or in building connections for yourself. Moreover, the more you get the guidance and learning from those who know better than you, the more you’d be able to give others as an output.

Just keep looking for the opportunities and keep learning one thing or the other all your life. Don’t let your education take the form of yellow pages compiling in your cupboards and degrees filling your lockers. Keeping learning keeps you young all your life. After all, world is your oyster!

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7 (Non-Clichéd) Tips To Rescue Your Falling Career And Finance

It hit hard, didn’t it?

You thought you would graduate out of high school, go to college, have fun, earn a degree, get a job, pile a lot of money and live a comfortable life. But your late 20s had something totally different in the plan for you. 

And now as it stands, you’re in a middle of a big mess with no clue where to head and what to hold as your rescue boat. Your personal finance seems to have taken a wrong, mediocre turn. And your crumbling 9-6 desk job is making you feel even worse. 

You want things to be different but are hung up to the what’s, how’s and when’s! So, every night, you dive into sleep, sluggishly embracing the current life as your fate. 

Believe it or not—a large majority of those in their 20s and 30s have the same story to tell. And it’s incredibly sad to listen so many dreams shattering in pressure into pieces. 

If you’re on the same trail with a lost career track and worsening financial stature, welcome aboard. 

Things are bad this side of the town but you’re in majority at least. And above all, thankfully, there are some quite straightforward ways to get to the other side. Yes, believe it, regardless of your current situation, these ways promise to boat you to the other side successfully—but only if you’re true to them on a daily basis. 

Also Read: What are the career options for a 22 year old male not having any degree?

So, if you’re too struggling, here are 7 non-clichéd tips to rescue your falling career and finance: 

1. Find multiple sources of income 

Here’s something that so many people in the early stage of their career do not understand: your salary won’t make you rich. Period. Do you have any idea of the current cost of living? And can you anticipate where this trend will be in the next 10 and 20 years? 

The salary amount you’re saving in your bank account won’t be adequate to afford a small apartment even 20 years from now. Or it could never afford your dreams to travel around the world! 

In short, stop building your finance solely around your monthly salary. In this day and age, if you are to live a comfortable life, you need multiple sources of income. It’s essential. 

So, get to know about the opportunities in investment and starting a side business. Invest in share market, MF, insurance, startups, and cryptocurrencies. Get together with friends and start a side business for passive income. 

2. Start getting to know the right people 

If you want to get to the top of the ladder, you need a close knitted group of reliable people who would help you in the climb. 

Take any successful people, for example, who has a flourishing career and finance, and you will find they are always surrounded by supportive, equally ambitious and able people. You, too, need to follow their suite. 

Ace your networking game. Get to know more people in your niche, talk to them, befriend those in top positions. The likes of LinkedIn have made this amazingly easier. 

Once you start surrounding yourself with the right people and build a strong network of qualified executives, you would start seeing opportunities pouring in. You would see windows open that you didn’t even know existed. And this will entirely steer your career and finance in the desired direction. 

3. Are you happy with your job?

This is the single most important question to have a successful adult life. Yet so few people actually ask this to themselves. When was the last time you seriously pondered if you’re happy in your job? “Seriously” is the keyword here. 

Do you like what you’re doing for 9 hours every day? Do you like the place where you’re spending a large part of your day every day? Do you think you can do this for the next 30 years of your life? 

These are very important questions that you must ask yourself very often. If the answers are ‘NO’, do what you want, you will ALWAYS struggle in your career and finance. And if it’s a ‘YES’, all you’ve got to do is work hard and be consistent; the rest will follow. 

4. There’s Still Time To Run After Your Dreams 

Did you know Harrison Ford was a carpenter in the early stage of his life? Now he is Hollywood’s all-time-great. Or, did you know Andrea Bocelli was a defense lawyer until the age of 34 when he decided to leave his day job and serenade the world on his tunes? 

There are countless such fine examples that prove you’re never late to chase your dreams. 

So, if you think you’re not happy at your job and this is NOT what you wanted to do, make some drastic changes in your life. And do this as soon as possible. Indeed, it’s going to be difficult. But it’s also essential. 

What was that thing that you always wanted to do? What was the dream that you had for your career in high school and college? Chase your dreams. Even if you stumble and fall, you will at least be satisfied and convinced that you followed your aspirations. 

On an optimistic note though, if you’re really passionate about the dream and are ready to hustle every day, there’s absolutely ZERO PERCENT chance that you will stumble, fall and fail.

Also read: Is there any career which is interesting, unconventional, and pays well?

5. Get your lifestyle sorted 

Yes, if you want to sort your career and personal finance, you just can’t fix the selected ends of your life. You need to shake up the entire thing. And this is why you need to get your lifestyle on the right track. 

This includes focusing on your health, waking up early every day, exercising, meditating, spending time with the family and, overall, striving to be happy. 

If you do these, you will immediately start seeing a positive result on the personal front. And this positive change will cascade into positively affecting your career and finance. 

6. Ask People For Help And Assistance 

Many people avoid asking for help. Perhaps this stems out of ego, self-pride or the awkwardness that might follow. 

But here’s a thing that the mainstream has literally forgotten to highlight these days: the world is a very beautiful people. 95 percent of people around you are some of the finest who care, love and aspire—exactly like you. And believe it, they are more eager to help those who need it than what you may think. 

So, give up whatever reasons you’re holding close and DO NOT hesitate. Get in touch with the right people and ask them for help. Tell them that you need them (the feeling of being needed is incredible). Ask them that you need their help. 

Contact that person who knows the HR where you’re applying for the job. Meet her and see if she can help you get that project of the big company. 

Many people will be more willing to extend their arm for you—all with the least expectation that you, too, would be there for them in case if they need some help. 

7. Draw a very clear career map

Many people in their late 20s and 30s do not understand this but succeeding in your career is quite strategic. And so is improving your finances. 

They just go about without any plan, tackling one day at a time. They are reactive over proactive. They play defensively rather than being at offense. Are you one of them? Do you have a career plan for the next 10 years? 

Winning in your career and life is a long-term game that requires a ridiculous amount of patience, commitment, and persistence. Meaning, you require a very strategic and definite roadmap to move from one phase of the career to another. 

Where do you see yourself 2, 5 and 10 years from now? How much money do you see yourself making after these years? 

Answer such questions and then plan your roadmap accordingly. And then for the rest of the journey, follow that roadmap without failing. The climb to the top would become much comfortable, certain and easy to analyze. And above all, once with a plan, you will stop feeling lost like you do right now. 

These are 7 non-cliched tips/ways to rescue your dying career and finances. Of course, the result won’t be very quick and easy to achieve. But if you’re certain to change things in your present life for a happier and content future, there’s no other way but to work hard and be consistent in your efforts. 

On the endnote: Yes, things may look very difficult and dark right now. And you may even have lost all your hope, willing to embrace the sh%t the world is planning to serve you. But remember to NEVER give up. Just gather all your energy and take one single step ahead. That’s it! And the positive energy around you will ensure you cover the distance of ten steps.

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New Science And Technology Council For PM Modi— Is The Religion Card Failing Him Now?

Hiding communal propaganda under the guise of development did well to BJP, delivering it a mammoth-like victory in 2014. This victory followed a new political recipe, which can put even Sanjeev Kapoor to shame.

As the elections approach, start talking about development. This view is in contrast to the traditional idea of steering talks to the usual religion, caste and class as polls stride closer. Perhaps an evident sign that masses have finally recognized the dogmatic pattern. But, oh, how cunning our politicians are! Just when you thought you found the key, they changed the lock! And this time, hidden under the bulk phrases like GDP, employment, and CPI, it’s even trickier to spot their hatred shenanigans. 

But wait, why do I talk about this now? Because the latest development demands it! 

Also read When will India get its 5G network? Do we even need it?

A New Council formed for Prime Minister Narendra Modi 

The PMO has set up a separate Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) that is to advise Mr. Modi on all matters related to, well, as the name suggests, science, technology, and innovation.  

We all know how big of a science geek our PM is. When thousands of children are still dying across the country due to faltering healthcare infrastructure, let’s not forget his Independence Day speech where he announced that India will launch its first manned space mission by 2022. Yes, less than 4 years from now—the same span in which we can’t evenbuild a functioning underground metro infrastructure in the country. It’s only baffling that such a geek has never been invited to NASA before. But no more now! 

Who Are In The Council (And Who Aren’t) 

The new and personal council of Science, Technology, and Innovation is all set up for Mr. Modi just a few months ahead of General Election 2018. Studded with many recognized faces spanning across spectrums, right from mathematicians to major generals, the 21-members committee will be headed the principal scientific advisor to the government of India, K. Vijay Raghavan. Among many responsibilities, it will ensure the schemes of PM Modi is well implemented, and that his ideas and visions follow scientific suite.  

It could have been a better idea for PMO, though, to ring BJP lawmakers and undertake their advice before stamping on this council. Or, at least, include few of them in the committee.The likes of Shankharbhai Vegad, an MP from Gujarat, would have been an ideal fit. He’s the fellow who believes “cow dung and urine can cure cancer”. Or wait, they could have included another gem that is Vasudev Devnani, the Education Minister in Rajasthan, who believes “cows exhale oxygen”. (Yes, please, read that again!) 

But hey, who am I to suggest anything. Besides, quite expectedly. Mr. Modi will fill gaps in the committee that could have been for these ministers, who himself believes that back in the days it was some surgeons that who planted an elephant head on the body of a human. This marked the origin of Lord Ganesha, and plastic surgery that we know today.  

“We worship Lord Ganesha. There must have been some plastic surgeon at that time who got an elephant’s head on the body of the human being and began the practice of plastic surgery.”— Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. 

A foolery ahead of Elections 

One could only think now what role will PM-STIAC play now as Mr. Modi nears the end of his term. Or, for that matter, what good is now the Ministry of Science and Technology—was it really ineffective all this time that Mr. Modi felt the need to have his own battalion of experts in this niche? 

As Rekha Dixit on TheWeek.in notes, “PM’s vision has encompassed research on the benefits of cow urine”— is this council will now focus on piss and dunks? What new science, tech, and innovative policies has the government brought since formation that this committee is to ensure the implementation of? 

The scope of this development is still a blur. At least for the sane heads. For the rest, in the Godi Media, it’s all-hail to the visionary that is Mr. Modi for this incredible formulation. It could have been fairly better though had the PM vision-ed the need for this personal advisory right at the beginning of his term. Nonetheless.  

Regardless how effective this move turns up to be, one thing is for sure— PM-STIAC will now end up to décor the election campaigns of the Prime Minister and the BJP peeps in the runner-up to the elections in 2019. Setting up this committee alone would add to his portfolio in the science and tech sheet, which will add another layer of shine in his development agendas that is basically a thin blanket to his acrimony and the idea of divided India. 

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