To Mr. Raj Thackeray

Dear Mr. Raj Thackeray

Today morning, I read about what the MLAs of your party did in the Maharashtra Assembly on Monday and how they were garlanded by other MLAs of your party after they slapped Mr Abu Azmi for taking oath in Hindi (and not in Marathi), which is an official language of the country. The whole of the country (except for a few supporters of your party and your ideals) is condemning the four honourable MLAs and your party for doing this unconstitutional act.

But Sir, please don’t worry. I have not written this letter to tell you that you or your party members are wrong. I have written this letter to make a small request to you. As I have seen what your party is doing in the recent past, it is quite clear that you don’t want any exchange of ideas, people and culture with the rest of the country in Maharashtra. You are sometimes also violating the freedoms given to a common Indian by the constitution of the country and you say that you are doing this to take care of the sentiments of the Marathi manoos (Marathi people). I would like to request you to ask those Marathi manoos whether they really want to be cut off from the rest of the country and the world. And will they be able to survive this solitude, that too in times when the world is getting flatter every day and it becomes all the more important to connect and interact with others?

Since you think the use of any language except Marathi is against the sentiments of Marathi manoos, I would request you to ban (of course, forcefully) all the activities which are going in any language other than Marathi. And my suggestion would be to start from Bollywood (centred at Mumbai) which produces hundreds of Hindi feature films per year. Think of how beautiful the situation would be if all the films coming out of Bollywood are in Marathi. Though the viewership and revenue would fall and Bollywood would no longer be one of the leading movie industries of the world, but the sentiments of the people in Maharashtra would take a refreshing breath, isn’t it?

You lead the people who beat Biharis and Upwallahs (people from UP) out of Mumbai and Maharashtra citing that they pollute your state and create slums. I am a Bihari and I agree that Biharis are a less sophisticated than the average Indian. And thus can understand your concerns about what might happen when too many Biharis come to the Mayanagri (Mumbai). But Sir, since you are against north Indians and the Hindi speaking people in general, shouldn’t you force the likes of Sunil Mittal and Amitabh Bachchan out of the state as well?

Mumbai is known as the city which sells dreams (and which you are too proud of!!) because of these corporate people and industry giants. And many of these people are non-Marathi. If you really care about the sentiments of the Marathi manoos, try to throw them out. With all due respect Sir, I know you can create a lot of hullabaloo when it comes to politics and the helpless common man but you can’t do anything when the corporate world comes into picture.

But if you don’t do anything as I have mentioned above, it would only make you a hypocrite. And then I would again like to request you stop worrying about the sentiments of the Marathi manoos. After all, the Marathi manoos would not like to see a hypocrite fighting for their sentiments. Don’t you think so, Sir?

Yours sincerely
An Indian.

The Right to ‘Right’ Education

Much has been said about the Right to Education over past few weeks. And I completely agree with the fact that every child in the country should be sent to school up to a certain age. But at the same time is it not necessary that we also take care about what is being taught to our younger generation? Should not education be aimed at teaching values and skills which can help a child to tackle the real life problems in a better way later? Should not education be aimed at creating energetic, lively, curious, and inquisitive individuals rather than producing trained manpower who are limited to their cubicles or cabins?

If the answer to the above questions is yes, then the country is certainly going in the wrong direction and may have to face dire consequences in the time to come. Education, meant to broaden the outlook and perspective of an individual, has reduced to a tool for securing a better job. Forget about those who don’t have access to education, most of those who are pursuing higher education are doing so only in the hope of getting a good job with the degree which they will receive after passing out. The love for the quest of knowledge has been lost somewhere between the glitterati of high paying jobs. The stream in which one wants to pursue one’s higher education is decided by the pay package which one is supposed to receive at the end. And that is why most of the students are running after a degree in engineering or management now-a-days, without having the right aptitude.

There is nothing wrong in choosing a particular degree program because it provides better job opportunities in the market. But the real problem arises when the so called ‘better job opportunities’ don’t cater to the interest of the person. And with the gradual passage of time, the life becomes monotonous and the lucrative looking job previously now seems to be a dull boring activity. Some of the daring people then return to what they actually wanted to do from the very beginning. But in this process, they loose some of the very precious years of their lives, running after the mirage of a rich and happy life.

So, who is at fault in all this? I would say the society as a whole is responsible. And here, by society, I mean everyone right from the family to school to the neighbourhood. Everyone around a high scoring kid sees him/her as a future engineer or MBA. And subjects like social sciences, literature and languages are supposed to be passed only. And when the child sees such hopes and aspirations from everyone around him/her, he/she has no option left other than killing his dreams and ambitions and doing what is expected of him/her.

This trend is not only bad for the younger generation of the country but also very dangerous for the country in the global competitive scenario. As Jerry Rao, the cofounder of MphasiS, the big Indian outsourcing firm puts it (taken from the book ‘The World is Flat’ by Thomas L Friedman): “We have no one going into liberal arts and everyone going into engineering and MBAs.” He adds, “If we don’t have enough people with the humanities, we will loose the next generation of V S Naipauls and Amartya Sen. That is sad and dangerous”

In this scenario, it becomes very important for the parents and the teachers to help the child recognise his interest and encourage him or her to move forward in that field instead of pushing the child in the so called ‘high paying’ fields which don’t interest the child. And then only can the Right to ‘Right’ Education be secured in the true meaning of the words.

Wake Up Sid - 4 Stars

Indian cinema is undergoing transformation for the last couple of years or so. Now, there are less and less films where there is a hero, a heroine and a villain (in the form of social status, caste factor, family disputes carried over from the past, or some relative of the hero or heroine trying to add jahar (poison) in their happy lives). The films made these days are more connected with the realities of the life. A normal human being can relate with the films these days.

With the advancement of science and information technology, today’s youth is more aware about the world and has a variety of options to choose a career. And he is looking for a career which is interesting, challenging, provides some meaning to his life and establishes his own identity. And as a result, he has to wander, after the adolescence years are over, in search of something which would provide him with the true meaning of life. And this period where a person is indulged in looking to find his purpose can be termed as the odyssey years. It is the period after adolescence and before gaining full maturity or adulthood.

Wake Up Sid is one such movie truly depicting the transformation of Indian cinema. It tells the story of two different people in their odyssey years. While Siddharth or Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) has just passed out of the college and is still trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life, Aisha (Konkana Sen Sharma) has moved all the way from Calcutta to Bombay to search for her independence, individuality and most importantly to realise her dream of becoming a writer.  And interestingly, Siddarth is one of those few lucky kids who are born with a silver spoon in the mouth and still, he prefers to find out his own way to lead his life instead of joining his father’s company which makes millions. They meet, become friends, become a support for each other during difficult times and eventually end up falling in love.

A subtle message which the movie gives is that though one can move alone in order to search one’s individuality and reach one’s goal but one always needs someone who can be a mental or moral support in the times of failure or when there are low times. And this mental support doesn’t necessarily need to be a girlfriend or a boyfriend but it can be anyone: a close friend or cousin, a sibling or even a parent. The only thing needed is that person should believe in you and your abilities.  And same is the case in the movie when Siddharth helps Aisha to settle in Bombay or when Aisha allows Siddharth to stay at her place and get a job in her office when he leaves home.

However, there are a few glitches in the movie as well:

• Aisha, who is seems to be a bit conservative girl agrees to go out with Siddharth for a walk during night within very few hours she meets her. And they actually become very close after that first meeting.
  
• She even allows Siddharth to share his flat without any hesitation.
  
• Siddharth and Aisha falling in love was quite unnecessary. (But without emotional masala (spice), how can Indian junta like a movie and how can Karan Johar make one?)
  
• The role of Sonia (Kashmira Shah) looks quite unnecessary and absurd.
  

But apart from these, the movie is refreshing and provides something which the youth can connect to. There is love and there is a very good story but it’s not a love story. And this makes the movie beautiful and interesting. And Ranbir Kapoor has done a lot better this time than his previous appearances as a lover boy. Needless to say, Konkana Sen Sharma is as good as always and has done justice with her role.

A must watch for the ones in their odyssey days.

4 out of 5 stars from my side!!

 

For The Sake of Science

A hundred years after its establishment, Indian Institute of Science has decided to launch an under-graduate programme in science at its Chitradurga Campus. This would not only give smiles to many young students of the country who want to pursue science in college (but are unable to do so because of availability of very few of good colleges teaching pure sciences) but also provide a boon to basic science education, which is, somehow, losing its glow in front of the glitterati of engineering and management courses.

The program, like the institute offering it, would be unique of its kind in the country. Unlike the conventional three year graduate course in science, it would be a four-year duration programme. According to the IISc proposal, the structure would give enough emphasis on research work. The first three years (or six semesters) would be dedicated to the strengthening of basic knowledge of science, mathematics and engineering subjects while the fourth year would be reserved for research work. And here comes the icing on the cake: the Humanities courses would be mandatory. And there would be ample choice of courses from history, sociology, management of science and technology, and others. The structure of the programme would also be kept very flexible. According to an IISc professor in charge of academic affairs:

“An interesting feature of BS is a student specialising in physics can take, say, 70% of physics and combine it with 30% of biology or chemistry and a chemistry student can specialise in 70% of chemistry and opt for 30% physics. The plan is to make BS flexible to give students a lot of options.”

 This is in very much contrast with the under-graduate programmes at the IITs where flexibility in the structure is very rare. And this flexibility would surely increase the interest of the students in the courses they study.

The programme will be geared to create interest in higher studies and research and would be on similar lines with the ones offered at Harvard or California Institute of Technology. Moreover, a four year BS programme would never mean a loss of one year for the students as the students can directly get enrolled for PhD after the completion of four years. And since the programme includes engineering courses as well, a student can opt for engineering courses for masters and higher studies if he/she wants to change the field.

So when do we get to see undergraduate students finally? It depends on government clearance after the academic plan is finalised. Hope our honoured Minister of Human Resource Development is quick in taking a decision here as well!!

Durga Puja & Me

It’s the much awaited Durga Puja (worship) time once again! When I was an 8-9 year old child, this time of the year always filled me with joy and happiness. It was the beginning of the festive season which continued for more than a month. I used to run to the Kali Temple near my house everyday where the idols of Durga and other deities were made. And it gave me immense pleasure to see the gradual development in the process of giving shape to the clay into mesmerising idols.

The idols were open for public worship from the eighth day of the Puja. And curtains were drawn in front of them from the first day till the seventh so that no body from outside could see the idols, as per the tradition. I still remember how I used to look through the gaps in the curtains to get a glimpse of the idols being coloured, and decorated with various accessories (artificial hair, clothes, crown, jewellery etc.).

I still remember how I waited for the seventh day of the Puja from when the schools were closed. I used to get up early on that day so that I could eat the prashad (offering made to Durga) of sweet yellow rice. And after that I used to wait for the evening when the Puja before raising the curtains from the idols started. That night used to be the one which used to be difficult to pass as I waited impatiently for the morning so that I could have a look at the idols in the pandals (tents in which the idols are kept). The memories of the loudspeakers buzzing with devotional songs and enchanting, filling my heart with thrill have not faded till day. (Though today I don’t like the loud noise of loudspeakers no matter what is being played but those were the days when I waited for those loudspeakers to speak.)

And after getting up on the eighth day, the only thing I wanted to do was to eat the bhog (prashad) of Mahaashtami Puja and rush to all the nearby pandals to have a look at the idols. And then the next three days used to be the time when I went to all the pandals (my home town being a small one, so there were not many, only 8 or 9 in fact) again and again with friends.

Vijayadashmi used to be the day when I felt a little sad thinking of the end of Puja. It used to be a difficult task for me to get back to the regular routine of classes, school and homework. Never to mention that I missed the fun of the Puja days like anything.

When I remember all these things today, I think of being a child again who waited for the Puja days from a month. But I know that it’s not possible being more than a thousand kilometres away from home. But the only thing which gives me satisfaction is the fact that I am going home on Saturday to enjoy those lovely three days of the year.

Happy Durga Puja!!

Time is No Healer

Time is no healer?! Then what about the early life lessons we got from our parents and elders that with the passage of time, everything would be all right? Was all that wrong? Or am I trying to develop some new concept over here? Well, neither our childhood lessons about the healing property of time are wrong nor I am trying to give some ‘path-breaking’ insights into the realms of philosophy.

We come across so many things, events and incidents in our lives that it’s impossible for our mind to remember everything very clearly and vividly. In fact, what actually happens is that the most important things or say, the present remains in our active mind and the rest of the events which happened in the past get buried in the memory. So, technically put, our mind has an active area which works like the cache memory of any calculating device. And in this area, all the ongoing events and incidents are processed. The rest of our experiences are there in our memory, which works exactly as the hard disk or the storing space of a computer.

So, as time passes by, the events which happened in near past keep getting stored in our memory and recent events occupy our active mind.  And since we think and act according to what goes on in our active mind, we tend to forget our past memories. But those memories remain with us and give as much sorrow or joy as the original experience once we try to recall them. And this is the reason, looking at our childhood photographs brings smiles on our faces and fills our hearts with joy.

As T S Eliot wrote in ‘The Dry Salvages’ (Third poem of Four Quartets):

You cannot face it steadily, but this thing is sure,
That time is no healer: the patient is no longer here.

We feel the same pain if we try to recall about something bad which happened with us in the past. In our present state of mind, the experience might not cause as much pain as it had caused originally but as we try to go back to the past, the pain lingers.

And perhaps this is the reason that even though we have moved eight years ahead of the 9/11 attacks on the United States today, the pain, the sufferings and the fear which it caused still haunt us.  We still feel horrified thinking of that doomed day.

To those who actually experienced the partition of India in 1947, the memories still send waves of fear down their spine. People of Japan have not forgotten the destruction caused by the atom bombs dropped on the country during World War-II. And even today those memories are very painful. The memories of the Holocaust are no less dreadful for the Jews even today.

Anything which happens in this world leaves a permanent impact on the humankind and it’s impossible to remove that episode either from history or from our memories.

So, next time when we try to console anyone saying ‘Everything will be alright with time’, we must stop and check ourselves whether Time would act as the healer or not!!

Exam se No Exam

The Ministry of Human Resource Development, on Monday, announced that Class 10 examinations of the CBSE would be optional from the academic session 2010-11 while the grading system will be introduced this year itself. This has sent waves of cheer and relief among many students and their parents, who along with their children have to spend many sleepless nights because of the trauma of the Board examinations. 

On a superficial level, this ‘path-breaking’ move might seem to ease the pressure of lakhs of students who appear for the Class 10 boards every year. But looking into the real problem of Indian higher education system, it’s difficult to say whether this would be of much help to the students. If one tries to find out the reason behind the fear created by the Board exams, one would know that it’s not the pressure of the exams but the pressure of admissions into good schools and pre-university colleges/ institutes which leads to the high mental stress among the students. So, just scrapping the Board exams would be of no use if the students have to face the same, if not more, competition after school. And moreover, if one wants to switch schools, he or she would have to give the exam.

For the last two years of my school life (i.e. after Class 10), I studied at Delhi Public School Bokaro Steel City and on the basis of interaction with my classmates and other students over there, I can easily say that the old students who were studying in the school from before Class 10 didn’t actually feel as much pressure about the Board exam as the ones who took admission after Class 10. Clearly, it was not the absence of exams but the security of studying in a good school which eased the pressure off the students.

Similarly, the proposed grading system (to be introduced from this year itself), which is again supposed to take the pressure off the heads of the young students, may actually increase the pressure sometimes. At IIT Roorkee, where I study currently, the grading system is followed which is devised in such a manner that the top few (up to 10% of the total strength to be precise) students with the highest marks get the highest grade. So, what actually happens is that the students end up fighting with the subject teacher to get every extra half mark, even on a subjective answer. And they are very reasonable in doing so owing to the fact that this half mark sometime may help him get a higher grade. For example, the elective course of Group Dynamics, the grading was so done that a student with a score of 81.5 scored an A+ while one with 78.5 could only manage a B+. Thus, an actual difference of 3 marks out of 100 resulted in a difference of 2 grades on a 10-point scale. Is the competition decreasing here? Doesn’t look to me!!  Moreover, the MHRD has proposed ‘continuous, comprehensive evaluation’ of the students for grading purpose. But to be honest, this ‘continuous, comprehensive’ evaluation is difficult to attain even in the best colleges of the country like IITs. So, it is really difficult to say whether this scheme of continuous evaluation would be successful at the school level or not.

And what happens after Class 10, when the student reaches Class 12? He/she has to sit for the Board exams then. And the pressure would increase now as students won’t have any experience of giving Boards before. So, finally, the student is again on the receiving end.

So, instead of dealing with the problem from the outer level, the MHRD should have tried to go a little bit deeper. And instead of scrapping the exams, it should have taken steps to ensure that students get quality education in good institutions after Board exams even if they are not able to perform exceptionally in them. We need more good quality institutes, and not less exams.

Sibalji, I hope you are listening!!