Significance of Personality Development for a Student Free Essays

Recently, a student approached me seeking help to resolve his personal problems. He was finding it difficult to concentrate during classes and scoring even pass marks in the exams had become a herculean task. A casual enquiry revealed that he was almost starving and severely malnutritioned because of his dislike for the hostel mess food. We will write a custom essay sample on Significance of Personality Development for a Student or any similar topic only for you Order Now He would skip breakfast, eat sparingly at night and satisfy his appetite instead at the night canteen with coffee and noodles. This case is not very different from the stories of hundreds of students I have had the opportunity to counsel in the past six years. I have always noticed that most of the students’ academic problems can be traced to imbalances in the personal lifestyle which is often taken for granted. Many parents and teachers fail to make this simple connection and also to impress upon students the need for a balanced lifestyle. Indian society and the education system must veer away from the obsessive focus on marks ranks, if we want to unleash the full potential of our youth and allow them to grow in a more natural way, pursuing their inborn talents and interests. A host of common behavioural problems noticed in kids and adolescents can be prevented or cured if a foundation is laid at an early age towards holistic personality development. Multiple Intelligence In this article, I will make use of the concept of Multiple Intelligence developed by Dr. Howard Gardner[i], Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Gardner talks of different aspects of intelligence possessed by every human being and why it is important to develop each one of them to achieve a balanced personality. I will also attempt to illustrate how Indian tradition has always emphasized on such all round growth of the human being through the knowledge systems like yoga, ayurveda; through schools of philosophy spirituality like the darsanas or vedangas and even through classical art forms like music or dance. Physical Intelligence Lack of regular physical activity and regime is perhaps the biggest epidemic afflicting the students in India today. The rat race for marks and ranks leaves little time or motivation for the average student to go out and spend some time at the gymnasium or in the playground. The university campus where I reside has a massive playground, a well-equipped gym, a basketball court, a tennis court and to top it all, one of the biggest swimming pools in South India. And yet, hardly 500 students come out to play or exercise every day, out of the 5,000 strong student community on this campus. No wonder then that a majority of the students who approach me with problems of poor concentration, motivation in studies are those who belong to the couch potato category. Had Swami Vivekananda been with us today, he would have declared again what he told that group of emasculated youngsters who approached him with a request to learn the Bhagavad Gita under his guidance: â€Å"You will be nearer to heaven through football than by reading the Gita. † But there is a significant positive trend happening in schools and colleges across India. Just as the number of obese and overweight kids is on the rise, so is there a growing interest in systems of yoga. What better proof of this than the fact that the mainstream political class in Tamilnadu which takes pride usually in hating everything that is rooted in Hindu tradition, has been instrumental in making yoga compulsory across all schools in the state! Or consider for example the experience of the Vivekananda Kendra in popularizing Surya Namaskara amongst schools all over India, particularly in Madhya Pradesh. Students who have attended the Yoga Vargas or the Samskara Vargas conducted by the Kendra vouch for the marked transformation in personality that the regular practice Surya Namaskara has effected in them. There is palpable strengthening of will power and confidence in these students. Parents and Schools should therefore reconsider the unhealthy trade off which they ask students to make between the time given to physical activities and studies. Linguistic Intelligence Even a cursory look at the placement scenario in professional colleges makes it amply clear that all corporations today emphasize the need for good communication skills and they prefer recruits with better communication skills in English. Communication skill has a great impact on our interpersonal relationships. A person who can communicate effectively and clearly is less likely to create communication gaps which lead to serious misunderstandings. Good communication skills and proficiency in many languages improves one’s reach amongst peers and enhances one’s social acceptance and prestige. It is an interesting fact that great spiritual leaders like Swami Vivekananda were masters of the art of communication. India’s rich literary and oral heritage is yet another illustration of this point; our forefathers understood the significance of developing linguistic intelligence. Musical Intelligence The study and practice of music was considered as a sacred form of worship in Indian tradition – Naadopasana. Perhaps, music is the most beautiful facet of human civilization. Sri Ramakrishna was particularly fond of Swami Vivekananda’s melodious voice and his soulful singing. Sri Ramakrishna would attain Samadhi on listening to devotional music. I often come across students who are addicted to music. Many of them turn out to be class toppers! They listen to their favourite music even the night before their semester exams! We do not need an expert in music therapy to tell us this obvious fact that music not only relaxes the mind but also brings about far reaching physiological and neurological changes in the body-mind complex over a period of time. Interpersonal Intelligence How do you measure a person’s level of emotional maturity and growth? Primarily by the way he conducts himself in civilized society and the treatment he accords to others. Corporations today emphasize again on relationship skills which are considered critically important for an individual to rise in the hierarchy of the organization. A CEO with poor relationship skills is either a non-existent oxymoron or a disaster for the organization. All religious values are centred on building relationship skills on the basis of a spiritual understanding of what connects one human being to another. â€Å"The essence of religion is to be good and do good to others,† said Swami Vivekananda. The Mahabharata declares Ahimsa to be the greatest dharma because the rishis perceived that all life is interconnected. You cannot harm others without harming yourself. If this profound truth is impressed upon our students from a young age, there will not be much need for all the fuss we hear about value education today. Many social or national evils like corruption or caste discrimination are results of a lifestyle that seeks personal aggrandisement at the cost of and complete indifference to the plight of our fellow human beings. If only our education gives greater weightage to building relationship skills amongst students, the India of our dreams would not have to wait for the year 2020. Intrapersonal Intelligence Conventional psychology would look down upon an introvert as a person with poor relationship skills. Not today. Howard Gardner and new schools of thought have begun to understand the reason why Indians give such respect to Munis and Yogis who withdraw from the world. An introvert who spends much time trying to understand his deeper self will also become capable of understanding others from a compassionate viewpoint. Intrapersonal Intelligence is the new marker developed to give due weightage to this important aspect of our personality development and grooming. A person who runs away from his own self all the while trying to substitute his inner vacuum with external pursuits or superficial relationships is heading for a crisis. The extrovert’s sense of identity and esteem is highly dependent on others’ views of his personality. An introvert is a person who is striving to arrive at a state where he can feel good or be content without having to seek an external confirmation of his well-being. Logical Mathematical Intelligence (IQ) Development of Logical Mathematical Intelligence is often given disproportional weightage in the development of a student’s personality. While IQ does play a significant role in the life of every human being, what was perhaps overlooked till recently was that IQ alone does not make a person complete nor is it the only parameter for measuring a person’s potential for success or happiness in life. A person with a poor IQ may be more than compensated by a high emotional intelligence. This is the reason why we see many school dropouts becoming highly successful entrepreneurs in India where as many IIM graduates disappear into oblivion after getting an MBA degree! Conclusion We know through Swami Vivekananda’s writings that he considered two things to be of great importance in personality development: a) Preference to the ‘Heart’ over the ‘Head’ b) The role of the Guru in shaping a student’s personality and the importance of living in the proximity of the Guru or Gurugrihavasa. Swamiji’s views based on Vedantic wisdom have stood the test of time. All that is destructive in human civilization is a result of a sharp brain with an undeveloped heart. Human civilization suffers from an excess of materialistic IQ devoid of EQ and SQ. And the only place where a student can be systematically trained to nurture his EQ SQ is at the gurukula under the supervision of a wise master. As a teacher, perhaps it would be self-righteous on my part to claim that a teacher plays the most vital role in a student’s personal growth. But, as a student of the school of life, I cannot but reiterate this eternal law – only a spark can ignite another spark, only life can inspire another life. Modern schools of thought like the Multiple Intelligence model discussed here further validate the wisdom that Vedantic knowledge and tradition have bequeathed to us through Atmavidya and the Guru parampara. (The author is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Cultural Education Programme at Amrita University in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu. He is a Trustee of the International Forum for India’s Heritage and Resource Person for the Human Excellence Project of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Coimbatore Kendra. He is also a students’ counsellor for the Samvedna Helpline, a project of the corporate social responsibility wing of Tata Teleservices. ) How to cite Significance of Personality Development for a Student, Papers

Don Juan Analysis Essay Example For Students

Don Juan Analysis Essay A monologue from the play by Moliere NOTE: This monologue is reprinted from The Dramatic Works of Moliere, Vol. II. Ed. Charles Heron Wall. London: George Bell Sons, 1898. SGANARELLE: If you knew the man as I do, you would find it no hard matter to believe. I have no proof as yet. You know that I was ordered to start before him, and we have had no talk together since his arrival; but it is as a kind of warning that I tell you, inter nos, that you see in Don Juan, my master, one of the greatest scoundrels that ever trod the earth; a madman, a dog, a demon, a Turk, a heretic who believes neither in heaven, saints, God, nor devil; who spends his life like a regular brute, an epicurean hog; a true Sardanapalus, who shuts up his ears against all the admonitions that can be made to him, and who laughs at everything we believe in. You say that he has married your mistress; believe me, in order to satisfy his passion, he would have done more, and married along with her not only yourself, but her dog and her cat into the bargain. A marriage is nothing to him: it is the grand snare he makes use of to catch the fair sex. He is a wholesale marriage-monger; gentlew omen, young girls, middle-class women, peasant lasses, nothing is either too hot or too cold for him; and if I were to tell you the names of all those he has married in different places, the chapter would last from now till midnight. You seem surprised, and you grow pale; yet this is but a mere outline of the man, and to make a finished portrait we should require many more vigorous touches. Let it be sufficient that the wrath of Heaven must sooner or later make an end of him. He cannot escape; and it would be better for me to belong to the devil than to him. I am the witness of so much evil that I could wish him to be I dont know where. But if a great lord is also a wicked man, it is a terrible thing. I must be faithful to him, whatever I may think; in me fear takes the place of zeal, curbs my feelings, and often compels me to applaud what I most detest. Here he is, coming for a walk in this palace; let us part. But, listen: I have told you this in all frankness, and it has slipped rather quickly out of my mouth; but, if anything of what I have said should reach his ears, I would stoutly maintain that you have told a lie.

Individual Behaviour Essay Example

Individual Behaviour Essay ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR MSC 42102 Individual Processes Attitude and Values Organizational Behavior Submitted To :Submitted By : Dr. Pramod PathakAjit Vinod Kujur Manwendra Prakash Anshul Rawat Prateek Purty Prateeksha Maurya Individual Processes Individual behavior is how we as individuals behave ourselves. This behavior is subject to many personal traits as well as habits, values, perceptions, and other qualities and features. People make assumptions about those whom they work with, supervise, or spend time with in leisure activities. To some extent, these assumptions influence the person’s behavior towards others. Effective employees understand what affects their own behavior before attempting to influence the behavior of others. Individual behavior is the foundation of organizational performance. Understanding individual behavior, therefore, is crucial for effective management. Each person is a physiological system composed of a number of subsystems- attitudes, perception, personality, needs, values and feelings. Attitude A tendency to feel behave in a particular way towards objects, people or events. Characteristics Remain unchanged for a long period unless influenced by external forces * Evaluative statements favorable or  unfavorable Components * Cognitive the opinions, values or  beliefs of an individual * Affective the feelings of a person towards something * Behavioral the intention of a person to behave in a particular way Sources of  Attitude * Attitudes are acquired by parents, teache rs, peer group members * Individuals are willing to modify their  behavior shape their attitude to match with the opinion leader   * Attitude can be changed by providing feedback We will write a custom essay sample on Individual Behaviour specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Individual Behaviour specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Individual Behaviour specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Types of  Attitude * Job satisfaction * The pleasurable or positive emotional state that results when an individual evaluates his job or job experience. Dimensions * It is an emotional response to a job. * The satisfaction that an individual derives from his  job depends on the extent to which outcomes meet his expectations. * Job satisfaction reflects other attitudes of employee. * 6 dimensions (P. C. Smith, L. M Kendall, C. L. Hulin) i. e. 1) The work 2) The pay 3) Promotion 4) Opportunity 5) Supervision 6) Co-worker 7) Working conditions Job Involvement * The extent to which person identifies himself psychologically with his job, actively participates in it considers that his performance in the job contribute to his self worth * Organizational Commitment * An employee’s satisfaction with a particular  organization its goals OC is affected by a number of * Personal variables – employee’s age, attitude towards job. * Organizational variables job design, leadership style of the superior. John P. Meyer Natalie J. Allen gave 3 component model i. . * Affective commitment – It is concerned with employee’s emotional attachment involvement with the organization * Continuance commitment – It is influenced by the costs that could accrue to the employee if he leaves the org * Normative commitment – It refers to the extent to which an employee feels obliged to continue in the organization. Functions of Attitudes * The adjustment function * People modify their attitudes to adjust to their work environment * When fair treatment is given – positive attitude When treatment is not good – negative attitude * Ego-defensive function * Attitudes help employee to defend their self  image when mistake identified protects their ego * The value expressive function * Values can be expressed through attitudes E. g. if mgr wants employee to work hard may tell company has a tradition of hard work. * The knowle dge function * Attitudes act as a standard of reference which allows people to understand explain their environment. E. g. Union leader’s attitude towards management based on past. Attitudes Consistency * People may change their attitude do not contradict their action * If any discrepancy arises, individuals will try to bridge the discrepancy by developing a rational explanation for  the discrepancy. Cognitive Dissonance Theory – Leon Festinger (1950s) * Cognitive dissonance Incompatibility that an individual may perceive between 2 or more of his attitudes or between his behavior and attitude. * Emotional dissonance Conflict between the emotions an individual experiences emotions he needs to express An individual can deal with dissonance either by * Sticking to his attitude * Give up his attitude * Change the attitude Values Values are enduring beliefs that a specific mode of conduct or end state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end state of existence. Values in the Workplace * Stable, evaluative beliefs that guide our preferences * Define right or wrong, good or bad * Value system hierarchy of values Values and Behavior Habitual behavior usually consistent with values, but conscious behavior less so because values are abstract constructs * Decisions and behavior are linked to values when: * Mindful of our values have logical reasons to apply values in that situation * Situation does not interfere Values Congruence * Used where two or more entities have similar value systems * Problems with incongruence * Incompatible decisions * Lower satisfaction/loyalty * Higher stress and turnover Benefits of incongruence * Bett er decision making (diverse perspectives) * Avoids â€Å"corporate cults† Values across Cultures: Individualism and Collectivism * Degree that people value duty to their group (collectivism) versus independence and person uniqueness (individualism) * Previously considered opposites, but unrelated i. e. possible to value high individualism and high collectivism Ethical Behavior Ethical Behavior means acting in ways consistent with one’s personal values and the commonly held values of the organization and society. Qualities Required for Ethical Decision-making * The competence to identify ethical issues and evaluate the consequences of alternative courses of action. The self-confidence to seek out different opinions about the issue and decide what is right in terms of a situation. * Tough-mindedness the willingness to make decisions when all that needs to be known cannot be known and when the ethical issue has no established, unambiguous solution. Values, Ethics Ethical Behavior * Value Systems systems of beliefs that affect what the individual de fines as right, good, and fair * Ethics reflects the way values are acted out * Ethical behavior actions consistent with one’s values

A Profile of Photographer Zana Briski, Director of Born Into Brothels

A Profile of Photographer Zana Briski, Director of Born Into Brothels In the late 1990s, Zana Briski, a London-born Cambridge University theology student turned photographer, ventured to India to document, as she puts it, the particular hells that women can go through - sex selective abortion, dowry deaths, the treatment of widows, child marriages. It was never her intention, she says, to photograph prostitutes - until, that is, she was introduced to Sonagachi, the red light district of Calcutta. When I entered the red-light district I had a very strong feeling of recognition and I knew that this was why I had come to India, she says in an e-mail interview. I spent two years gaining access - it took me that long to be offered a room in a brothel so I could live there. I photographed the women when conditions allowed and spent day after day just hanging around, watching, listening. Fate took yet another turn when Briski began interacting with the children of the prostitutes. I would play with the children and let them use my camera. They wanted to learn photography - that was their idea not mine. So I bought point-and-shoot film cameras and chose several kids who were most eager and committed and started to teach them in formal classes, she says. From the very first class, she adds, I knew something special was happening and that I needed to film what was going on. I had never picked up a video camera before, but I bought one and started filming as I was teaching the kids and living in the brothel. Eventually Briski persuaded her friend, filmmaker Ross Kauffman, to join her in India. Over the next two years the pair documented Briskis efforts not just to teach the children photography, but to get them into good schools where they might have a chance at a more hopeful future. The result was Born Into Brothels, a gritty and poignant account of Briskis time with the red-light kids of Calcutta, as they came to be known. At turns joyous and heartbreaking, the film focuses on eight of the kids in particular, including Kochi, a painfully shy girl who almost certainly faces a life in prostitution unless she can escape the poverty and despair of Sonagachi and gain admission to a boarding school; and Avijit, the most gifted of Briskis students who nonetheless nearly gives up on photography after his mother is murdered. With the kind of eloquence that comes only from children, Avijit tells an interviewer early in the film, there is nothing called hope in my future. Shot on a shoestring budget, in a setting light years from Hollywood, Brothels might have languished in obscurity. But the film not only garnered raves from critics; it won the 2004 Academy Award for best documentary feature. Meanwhile, a book of the childrens photos was published and Briski set up a foundation, Kids With Cameras, to help pay for their schooling. Sadly, fairy-tale endings are all-too rare. Even with funding and encouragement not all of the red light kids, now young adults, have fared well in the intervening years. Briski confirmed a BBC report that one of the girls featured in the film later became a prostitute. She did so by choice and I respect her choice, Briski says. I dont consider that a failure or a shame. I trust she knows what is best for her. But many of the other children did go on to school in India, some even in the United States. Briski said Kochi studied at a prestigious school in Utah for several years before returning to India to finish her education. And recently Avijit, the child prodigy in Brothels, graduated from NYUs film school. Amazing, Briski says. I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished. Most people, having won an Oscar for their very first film, might be expected to continue on that path. But Briski felt pulled to return to her first love, photography, and a project called Reverence, in which she photographs insects around the world. Asked why she chose not to continue with filmmaking, Briski, 45, says even after winning an Oscar I do not consider myself to be a documentary filmmaker or a journalist. I move through the world in an open way and I respond to what is around me. Born Into Brothels and Kids With Cameras were not planned in any way. They were a response to what I discovered in the world. Photography is my medium, she adds. I am a traditional black-and-white photographer and I still shoot film and work in the darkroom. Reverence, Briski says, came to her through dreams of a praying mantis. The experience was so strong that I had to pay attention. Strange praying mantis coincidences would happen and I began to follow the clues - clues that have taken her to 18 countries to photograph and film mantids and other insects over the past seven years. Currently shes photographing jaguars in Brazil. If all goes as planned, the culmination of Briskis work will be a traveling museum with large-scale photographs, film and music. The project, which Briski hopes to open when she receives enough funding, is about respect of all life forms and changing our point of view. Not so different, she adds, from what I did in the brothels - bringing attention to those who are feared, ignored, abused, from their point of view.

Sexual Reproduction - Gametes and Fertilization

Sexual Reproduction - Gametes and Fertilization Sexual Reproduction Individual organisms come and go, but, to a certain extent, organisms transcend time through producing offspring. Reproduction in animals occurs in two primary ways, through sexual reproduction and through asexual reproduction.  While most animal organisms reproduce by sexual means, some are also capable of reproducing asexually. Advantages and Disadvantages In sexual reproduction, two individuals produce offspring that inherit  genetic characteristics from both parents. Sexual reproduction introduces new gene combinations in a population through genetic recombination.  The influx of new gene combinations allows members of a species to survive adverse or deadly environmental changes and conditions. This is a major advantage that sexually reproducing organisms have over those that reproduce asexually. Sexual reproduction is also advantageous as it is a way to remove harmful gene mutations from a population through recombination. There are some disadvantages to sexual reproduction. Since a male and female of the same species are required to sexually reproduce, a considerable amount of time and energy is often spent in finding the right mate. This is especially important for animals that do not bear many young as the proper mate can increase the chances of survival for the offspring. Another disadvantage is that it takes longer for offspring to grow and develop in sexually reproducing organisms. In mammals, for example, it can take several months for offspring to be born and many more months or years before they become independent. Gametes In animals, sexual reproduction encompasses the fusion of two distinct gametes (sex cells) to form a zygote. Gametes are produced by a type of cell division called meiosis. In humans, gametes are produced in the male and female gonads.  When gametes unite in fertilization, a new individual is formed. Gametes are haploid containing only one set of chromosomes. For example, human gametes contain 23 chromosomes.  After fertilization, a  zygote is  produced from the union of an egg and sperm. The zygote is diploid,  containing two sets of 23 chromosomes for a total of 46 chromosomes. In the case of animals and higher plant species, the male sex cell  is relatively motile and usually has a flagellum. The female gamete is non-motile and relatively large in comparison to the male gamete. Types of Fertilization There are two mechanisms by which fertilization can take place. The first is external (the eggs are fertilized outside of the body) and  the second is internal (the eggs are fertilized within the female reproductive tract).  Ã‚  An egg is fertilized by a single sperm to ensure that the correct  chromosome  numbers are preserved.   In external fertilization, gametes are released into the environment (typically water) and are united at random. This type of fertilization is also referred to as spawning. In internal fertilization, gametes are united within the female. In birds and reptiles, the embryo matures outside of the body and is protected by a shell. In most mammals, the embryo matures within the mother. Patterns and Cycles Reproduction is not a continuous activity and is subject to certain patterns and cycles. Oftentimes these patterns and cycles may be linked to environmental conditions which allow organisms to reproduce effectively. For example, many animals have estrous cycles that occur during certain parts of the year so that offspring can typically be born under favorable conditions. Humans, however, do not undergo estrous cycles but menstrual cycles. Likewise, these cycles and patterns are controlled by hormonal cues. Estrous can also be controlled by other seasonal cues such as rainfall. All of these cycles and patterns allow organisms to manage the relative expenditure of energy for reproduction and maximize the chances of survival for the resulting offspring.

George H.W. Bush Presidency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

George H.W. Bush Presidency - Essay Example ("Like") On the other hand, President Bush had his own shares of defeat. In the 1980 Republican presidential nominations, he was unsuccessful in winning the bid. But in 1981, he served as the country's vice president for eight years under the Reagan administration. And it was only in 1988 when he had finally won the Republican nomination for President, for which he took Dan Quayle as his running mate during the election. ("Bush") Unlike his predecessor, Bush arrived at the presidency with considerable knowledge about the ways of Washington and experience with leading a staff closely similar to the president's own. (Relyea, 1997) On the other hand, there have been several criticisms regarding his governance when people had thought he learned from his predecessors. The book written by Hess clearly shows the abilities of the presidents who assumes the office and their unique personalities towards their responsibilities. Presidents are assumed to have very little knowledge and understanding, as well as very limited skills in running a government. The actual responsibilities of the office are but unclear to them on the onset of the term. However, these abilities, skills and understanding of the responsibilities are often learned in the long run yet they could not escape the part where they will have to undergo a transition of imitation of the previous presidents. Their transition stage is crucial such that this is where the presidents will have to develop their own skills according to their traits and priorities which are vital in the development, performance, and course of the administration. (Borrelli, 2003) In congruence to this statement, Farrar-Myers at the same time notes that "Presidents often are tied to the legacy of the office holders who came before them. Sometimes a president assumes the office upon the death of his predecessor and, therefore, is expected at the start of his presidency to follow the predecessor's agenda until he is able to establish his own course." (Farrar-Myers, 2001) History could not deny this fact such that there had been several vice-presidents who had continued the agenda of their predecessors when they died or take their turns as president. Some of these are John Tyler; Chester Arthur; Harry Truman; and Lyndon Johnson, for example. (Farrar-Myers, 2001) There are also times though wherein presidents purposefully follow the agenda of their predecessors. They come to base their presidency according to an assumption that they will have to continue the same policy since the president before them at the same time followed the policies that the previous president has had before them. It is a choice that some of the presidents like James Madison following Jefferson; Martin Van Buren and James Polk as Jacksonian Democrats; William Taft's campaign (if not actual presidency) to follow in Theodore Roosevelt's progressivism; and, most recently, George Bush's election to carry on the Reagan Revolution. (Farrar-Myers, 2001) Based from Hess's suggestion, it could be derived that President Bush could have at one point imitated the administrative styles of his predecessors before he had gained his own unique style in running his

The Aga Khan Museum and the Ismaili Centre, Toronto Assignment

The Aga Khan Museum and the Ismaili Centre, Toronto - Assignment Example at Toronto is one of the many symbolic centers of the Ismaili community which act as a space of socio-cultural meeting, intellectual involvement, and spiritual reflection. They aim to connect the community, authorities, and the civil society. As such the Aga Khan Museum and the Ismaili center at Toronto is a place of congregation, described as a â€Å"jamatkhana†, a place of communal setting (The Ismaili, n.pag.). The architecture of the museum and the Ismaili center along with the design of the landscape confirms the Islamic heritage which the site promotes. Hence the Aga Khan Museum and the Ismaili Center is a place of social interaction that is situated in the context of the Ismaili culture, more specifically the Islamic identity. The Aga Khan Museum and Ismaili Center at Toronto represents a uniquely designed landmark which has a surrounding that is influenced by Islamic as well as regional cultures. The museum and the center therefore serve the purpose of the Islamic community in the broader context of the Canadian society. The architecture is deeply drawn from Islamic influences with gardens and parks surrounding the location arousing sentiments of friendship, peacefulness, and spirituality. There is a congregational hall in the Ismaili center which is a space for gathering of the community so as to promote mutual understanding and harmony. The design is greatly inspired by Islamic art and architecture with the park and garden being the most notable feature of Islamic art. A garden reflects a place of greenery and as such, symbolically represents a place of peace or reflection. The Aga Khan Museum and Ismaili center has a huge park located around it, which engenders a similar feeling of peace and spiritual ity. The park present near the museum is quite scenic and is a vital aesthetical component of the whole building. The museum and the center mean to represent peace and harmony and the surrounding park helps to consolidate the sense of peacefulness. In terms