It is difficult and troublesome thing for a soul not to
understand itself or to find none who understand it.
-- St. John of the Cross
Having "caught the humor of a vagabond soul" when the French mystic
Jean-Joseph Surin hurled himself out the window of his room, falling on the banks of the
Garonne River, the gesture spoke for the extreme spiritual isolation of individuals set
apart from the society due to the strangeness of their experiences or the recognition of
the intervention of the "divine" in their personal history. Here, we may recall a
different kind of isolationisolation within and among racial groups due to racism.
The need for a dialoguea listener who 'understands'is what any writer
strives for. The desire to be heard and understood lies at the root of all creative
writing. Holocaust narratives and other narratives of trauma come down to us
transformed through the compassionate vision of the suffering artist. History transformed
speaks powerfully in these records. The hidden meaning in such narratives is
located elsewhere. And it is to reach that meaning that all 'reading' and 're-reading'
strives for. Because "The historian and the artist both fabricate discourses whose meaning
is located less in the semantics of speech or grammar than in obsessive knots of
half-signs that are grasped syntactically, by interlocutors' distraction or by sudden
shifts in perspective or attention." If we have read the signs rightly we can rest
assured that we are closer to the message that the artist intended.
Emerson considered travelling a fool's paradise; seeing educated Americans of
the day idolizing Italy, England, Egypt, he had every reason to believe so.
But even he had no objection to the "circumnavigation of the globe for the
purposes of art, of study, and benevolence" If not always physically, artist and
creative writers certainly do need to 'travel' for linking up diverse worlds. It is hard to
think of a creative writer working in isolation. The 'voyage out' and the
'coming home' is as important to the writer as the framing of new words to communicate
his/her unique vision. And the outcome of such sojourns quite often goes
beyond 'knowing men's manners and seeing many cities'. Hence the significance of
travel writing not only as historical records but also as creative expressions of the
interaction between civilizations.
Whatever commonalities one comes to discern among civilizations separated
by space and time is after all a product of travel and cultural exchange. And it thus
that at some point the artist realizes that someone else from some other civilization
might understand or perhaps be better qualified to understand the significance of
his/her words. Let us then listen for a while to 'voices that
mould and make human'.
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs): The Changing Face of Banking in India
Bank Management
Information and communication technology has changed the way in which banks provide services to its customers. These days the customers are able to perform their routine banking transactions without even entering the bank premises. ATM is one such development in recent years, which provides remote banking services all over the world, including India. This paper analyzes the development of this self-service banking in India based on the secondary data.
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is playing a very important role in the progress and advancement in almost all walks of life. The deregulated environment has provided an opportunity to restructure the means and methods of delivery of services in many areas, including the banking sector. The ICT has been a focused issue in the past two decades in Indian banking. In fact, ICTs are enabling the banks to change the way in which they are functioning. Improved customer service has become very important for the very survival and growth of banking sector in the reforms era. The technological advancements, deregulations, and intense competition due to the entry of private sector and foreign banks have altered the face of banking from one of mere intermediation to one of provider of quick, efficient and customer-friendly services. With the introduction and adoption of ICT in the banking sector, the customers are fast moving away from the traditional branch banking system to the convenient and comfort of virtual banking. The most important virtual banking services are phone banking, mobile banking, Internet banking and ATM banking. These electronic channels have enhanced the delivery of banking services accurately and efficiently to the customers. The ATMs are an important part of a bank’s alternative channel to reach the customers, to showcase products and services and to create brand awareness. This is reflected in the increase in the number of ATMs all over the world. ATM is one of the most widely used remote banking services all over the world, including India. This paper analyzes the growth of ATMs of different bank groups in India.
International Scenario
If ATMs are largely available over geographically dispersed areas, the benefit from using an ATM will increase as customers will be able to access their bank accounts from any geographic location. This would imply that the value of an ATM network increases with the number of available ATM locations, and the value of a bank network to a customer will be determined in part by the final network size of the banking system. The statistical information on the growth of branches and ATM network in select countries.
Indian Scenario
The financial services industry in India has witnessed a phenomenal growth, diversification and specialization since the initiation of financial sector reforms in 1991. Greater customer orientation is the only way to retain customer loyalty and withstand competition in the liberalized world. In a market-driven strategy of development, customer preference is of paramount importance in any economy. Gone are the days when customers used to come to the doorsteps of banks. Now the banks are required to chase the customers; only those banks which are customercentric and extremely focused on the needs of their clients can succeed in their business today.
