The deep-seated fault-ridden notion of beauty in society has ensued several stereotypes that are detrimental to one�s self-esteem, feel-good factor, sensuality, accomplishment, and so on. The visuals in beauty products advertisements enhancing the overt attributes of the persona being projected, gave birth to an idealistic image with flawlessness, not necessarily endorsed by a person�s genealogy, upbringing or indigenousness. The influence of advertising on a person�s psychosocial and physiological build is extensive. It contributes majorly to the formation of their sense of fulfilment, social acceptance, and adherence to certain social customs and traditions. Obviously, the construct of beauty varies across places and cultures. Hence it needs thinking and meaning-making for an individual to differentiate between �needs� and �wants� before being blinded by the ostentatious extravaganza of advertisements. The paper adopts a semiotic approach to analyzing select beauty products ad images. The author aims at deducing how images could act as catalysts in making or marring the viewer�s self-confidence by analyzing visual cues and texts present in the images.

This paper aims to understand the role of higher education institutions (especially engineering institutions) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the employability skill sets that are expected from an engineering graduate. The paper overlays the employability skills from the viewpoint of representatives of 98 private engineering institutions as well as 20 human resource managers of IT companies. The paper identifies the employability skill gaps and comments on the current positions of these engineering institutions and also suggests the important measures that these institutions must take to contribute toward attaining the SDGs. This paper enables the administration of higher education institutions, companies, researchers and policy makers to better understand the role of institutions in achieving SDGs through inculcating these skills in their students and how it will have an impact on the integral growth of the nation. This paper provides a discrete and innate perspective of an institution�s contribution towards achieving SDGs.

This paper intends to explore the nuances of skill building and attempts to lay out a path for people interested in building one or more generic or specific skills and expand their current skill set. A skill is any behavior that needs to be learned and improved by practice. This is something any one can learn irrespective of age, education, intelligence, provided that one is willing to put in the necessary effort and practice systematically, consistently and intelligently�20 h is all it takes to get to a good level of proficiency (at many skills). One cannot depend on one�s past achievements and present level of expertise alone, as one�s future depends on one�s ability to keep on learning. Self-awareness is central to learning and so is the knowledge about one�s learning style and a conducive environment. Selecting from the in-demand skills and working on them will increase the market value of the individual. Following two or more techniques for skill building can save time and produce the desired results faster. Acquiring a skill, building the skill, and moving on to mastery require deliberate effort and commitment.

Stress! � a word that haunts almost every single individual today irrespective of whether they are working or not working, young or elderly, male or female, satisfied or dissatisfied. In fact, many claim that though there are a number of courses that offer tips and techniques (Figure 1) to lead a stress-free life, they do not really work and do not have much impact. The reason for the above is, in fact, very simple. The concept of stress-free life is a myth! One that is not possible! All the techniques are not to lead a stress-free life, but to lead a stressful live with happiness and fun!�That even though life gives us stress, we need to look beyond it and what we can do to get ourselves to a state wherein we can continue to live in bliss in spite of the stress. This paper talks about a few simple techniques to manage stress such that it does not engulf one�s life.

With the demographic shift from boomers to Generation X and Y to Generation Z, the entire business conditions are changing. And given the pace at which business is changing, it becomes extremely important that the companies are ready with a bank of individuals who are prepared to take up the ever-mounting challenges. Businesses demand people who can lead from the front and can take charge of key responsibility areas. However, the number of such people in an organization is limited, and it is difficult for organizations to fill in the top leadership spots. One of the main reasons for this gap is that when the students enter the field of work, they are unequipped with the necessary leadership skills. In the present paper, the authors, on the basis of extant literature, have summarized the role of professional educational institutions and work organizations in developing leadership among individuals. They opine that professional colleges will have to work continuously to groom students to become future leaders. Moreover, not just the professional colleges but the organizations where the students get placed, will also have to take the onus of developing future leaders. A united effort, both from the professional colleges and companies, can bridge the gap between the demand and supply of potential leaders.