27th September 2008: Seminar on Pre-marital and Post-marital Issues with a spotlight on people connected with the IT Industry
In a fast changing social setup, the stress levels and work pressures are high among working professionals which in turn are affecting marital relationships and the situation of those working in the IT industry seems to be no different. Many IT professionals are looking at the institution of marriage as a contract or just an arrangement that can be altered according to one's convenience. To address this much discussed and important topic, a one day seminar was organized by the Rotary Club of Pune Gandhibhavan on pre-marital and post-marital issues with a special spotlight on people connected with the IT industry. The Club has organized many such seminars in the last four years with many significant social issues brought into perspective. A major focus at this seminar was on the social, legal and economic perspectives of pre-marital and post-marital issues and guest speakers were invited to guide the participants to maintain healthy relationships with their spouses which in turn will lead to a happy, healthy and balanced society.
Infobridge Solutions was one of the participating IT companies with full spirit. The seminar being on a Sunday and the venue a little away from the workplace meant that it was difficult for many to attend. However, those who did attend were enriched by the seminar and by many of the speakers that were invited.
One of the speakers that really created an impact was the Guest of Honor Minocher Patel. He is an inspiring motivational speaker and corporate trainer of international repute. He has conducted training programs for the Corporate Sector and Student Community all over India and abroad. His talk on "Happy Attitude for Better Relationships" was truly enlightening and applauded by all.
An interesting aspect Mr. Patel spoke about was the theory of three factories: The ice factory in the mind, the chocolate factory in the mouth and the butter factory in the heart which are vital in employing the two main purposes of life: To be happy and to spread happiness. This thought remained in our minds long after the seminar came to a close and is a constructive attitude that we can carry throughout our lives.
Debates on topics like: Is a live-in relationship an alternative? were conducted. Discussions and interviews with legal experts were held and a skit about post-marital problems was also put up by the advocates of the Family Court, Pune. Many of the legal experts like Advocate Abhay Apte and Honorable Judge Faraswani spoke about how the instance of divorce was on the rise due to the fast paced life of those in the IT sector and that earning money was the top priority that overshadowed their family life leading to countless problems.
The seminar placed an emphasis on guiding the participants towards seeing how necessary and important it is to keep a steady equilibrium between both work and family and that it was vital that a healthy interaction between employees in a company took place in order to reduce stress at work. It was a positive, practical and useful seminar for us. We left the place with a better understanding about how to balance work with family and that even though the stress at work may be overwhelming at times, it is always important to have an optimistic and cheerful attitude and spread happiness to those around us, be it at work or in our families.
