एक बूँद सहसा उछल जाती है, और रुके हुए पानी में गतिमान तरंग बनती हैं.. एक ऐसा ही प्रयास है यह....
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Vichaar Shoonya - 4
1- Indian Higher Education Reform: From Half- Baked Socialism to Half-Baked Capitalism : - Devesh Kapur, University of Pennsylvania and Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Centre for Policy Research
2-The meaning of network culture: - by Kazys Varnelis, is director of Network Architecture Lab at Columbia University and editorial board member of Kulturos barai.
3- The Bread And Butter Papers: Tehelka survey finds that Indians read books not for pleasure but for self-advancement. Given our writers, can we blame them, asks Gaurav Jain.
4- A commitment to modernity is one of the distinguishing features of the Internet generation: - by Vir Sanghvi, Indian print and television journalist .
5- I share Chidambaram’s contempt for those who seek to profit from education: - by Vir Sanghvi, Indian print and television journalist.
6- New class of civil servants: - by, S. Narayan, former finance secretary and economic adviser to the prime minister.
Food for thought: The triumph of heroes is that they rise above everything, even our cynical destruction of the very ideal that sustains them. We are more comfortable today with celebrities than with heroes for they are patently the product of the attention we have chosen, sometimes, inexplicably to shower on them. Fall of heroism to celebrity culture and rise of business tycoons without any ethics are dark side of our post economic liberation era. Really, are we becoming less idealistic and more practical day by day ?
Thought on the republic day: "To work for people you don’t need to have a position but if you have a position it is easier for the people to access you”.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Caste and Education
1- 26th January is approaching near, still a question arises in my mind. Why eminent persons like Dr. Ambedkar, Sardar Patel and Ram Manohar Lohia are reduced and viewed as caste representative leaders in political circles ? 'Blowin' in the Hind' is an article exploring about Dr. Ambedkar on the eve of the Great Indian Republic day.
2- A special report from the 2nd day of Jaipur Literature Festival :
The session on Dalit literature, titled, Outcaste: The Search for Public Conscience was the most provocative of the festival so far, with the panel of Dalit writers, Kancha Illaiah, OP Valmiki and P Sivakami making a passionate case for why the caste system will not go unless Hinduism goes.
“The reason most Hindus don't get worked up enough about atrocities against Dalits is that their conscience is not a public conscience but a caste conscience, imbued with values derived from caste,” said P Sivakami, the Tamil novelist.
Kancha Illaiah, author of Why I am Not A Hindu, turned up the heat further, by stating, “Hinduism is spiritual fascism.”
3- I love my Alma mater very much. But, often it comes in negative light unconsciously.
Now , Banaras Hindu University has picked K.P. Singh as director of its engineering wing. He is accused by the Uttar Pradesh government in a 2007 state medical examination scam , which is set to become India’s newest IIT. As this archival news item show:
Bahujan Samaj Party Government on Thursday recommended the dismissal of the Vice Chancellor of Vir Bahadur Singh Poorvanchal University, Jaunpur, K.P. Singh. The examinations were conducted by Poorvanchal University and Prof. Singh was the Chairman of UPCPMT, 2007.
The Government’s decision to sack Prof. Singh was based on the findings of the nine-member high-power committee. The panel was constituted by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati, on June 15 following large-scale violence by students in the aftermath of the results announced on June 14.
Few days ago, The Telegraph breaks out the news that caste is given priority over merit in the picking of the director of IT-BHU.
BHU vice-chancellor D.P. Singh insisted that all norms had been followed in the selection. He told The Telegraph: “The executive council has picked K.P. Singh on my recommendation because he presents us with the best balance between seniority and time left before retirement. I don’t pick people on the basis of their caste.”
Traditionally, BHU picks the senior-most available faculty member to head its institutes. Critics of K.P. Singh’s selection say civil engineer and dean Virendra Singh, senior-most after outgoing IT-BHU director Upadhyay, was ignored.
K.P. Singh and D.P. Singh are both Thakurs, as are six of the 10 BHU executive council members, the critics said. Upadhyay, who has a year before retirement, is a Brahmin.
Still, I have doubt on Mayawati's honest stance of sacking K. P. Singh in 2007 due to her sheer corruption prone nature and dictator style governance. Charu Sudan Kasturi has covered this story in an honest way. But, we are at the peak moment of conversion of ITBHU to IIT. I don't know the truth but caste, corruption and education are intermingled with each other to deepest fathom in our Indian society.
Footnotes: Subhas Chandra Bose, only leader hailed as 'Netaji' (no other leader was called with respect by this title in our Indian history) born today on 23rd Jan; was a leader in the Indian independence movement. Its sad but ours has great history of forgotten heroes...
Sunday, January 17, 2010
3 Idiots and ITBHU Days
Like other good Engineering College in India, I was surrounded by guys discussing Playboy, Deboniar and even Mallu cinema in classroom. Illegal download has flooded pornography, movies, documentaries, TV serials, cartoons, LAN games, software and even study material. That the world of college and sharing, basically was ours utopia.
Our Bakchodi starts through lengthy discussions on pending state of ITBHU conversion to IIT. Add to that the amazing series of sessions, we went through about Share Market, Cinema and Cricket with ripping apart both fiction and non fiction literature. Swades, Matrix Triology, change in Indian Cricket under Ganguly leadership,etc. Few even know about the foreign language movies, and lots of it.
The campus did give me a tremendous dose of education in each and every aspect of my life in every conceivable way. It taught me to respect, to fear, to understand, to empathize, to look up to not only to great but also too good students, alumnus and teachers. Few times, I feel guilty about me not being one of them.
I was a bad student in academics. Somewhat, I doubt that I did not deserve to be a part of that campus as I failed to grab spirit of engineering in me. I ended up in IT company with mechanical background and interest in development issues.
I began to wonder now on the laws designed by me years back for college days. Much has changed since college to corporate and I have to revise all of them to settle in corporate environment. Probably this is what they call change, the laws that were so instrumental years back then are obsolete now. Still, I have kept my passion alive for out of course studies and get me driven...
I hereby declare in full awareness that I detest my job from bottom of the heart. So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life. (rip off from a movie, but true !!!)
I am still in the process of figuring out what I want to do with career/ life etc. I always think on the humiliations of living a life you don’t want, regret for the unlived life, and the empowering potency of being shown you can choose otherwise. I guess that my friends who are in different parts of the world and each of them in a different phase of life can understand my feelings. I always assume that once you realise that it’s your job and happiness inherent is unleashed. If, it is your dream to be an actor, you automatically start performing with the best of your abilities, not really worrying about who you are working with. Currently, I am happy with my present transient state as I am also an Idiot; 'Idiot' really means 'I did it on my own terms'. Cheers for 3 Idiots!!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Vichaar Shoonya +4
Few web links in mumbo-jumbo post for reading....
Copenhagen Diary : A report on Climate change by Sunita Narain.
A Celebration of Difference: Science and Democracy in India by Shiv Visvanathan
It's The Comedy, Idiots by Shiv Visvanathan
Every child learns differently by Hyderabad-based educator James Tooley
Internet Growth - Key Learning's in India
Internet rules and laws: the top 10, from Godwin to Poe
The Joy of Science and Excitement of Discovery (in the history of modern quantum mechanics)
Friday, November 27, 2009
Vichaar Shoonya +3
1- The disgraceful Armed Forces Special Powers Act allows the army the right to, among other things, shoot to kill based on mere suspicion that it is necessary to do so in order to "maintain the public order". For more details please read this article. This law is applicable in Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland. Interestingly the residents of these states don't find it exciting to sacrifice their fundamental rights for the rest of us. I see their point.
2- The Ready-made Garment Industry: Global Chain Of Imperialist Exploitation : A revolt of ready-made garment workers have broken out in the last two years in different so-called ‘developing’ countries. A report by Debabrata Mondal.
3- Anjumans deprive Muslim women of microcredit by S A Aiyar, Economist.
4- How the Servant Became a Predator: Finance's Five Fatal Flaws by William K. Black, Univ. of Missouri: What exactly is the function of the financial sector in our society? Simply this: Its sole function is supplying capital efficiently to aid the real economy. The financial sector is a tool to help those that make real tools, not an end in itself. But five fatal flaws in the financial sector's current structure have created a monster that drains the real economy, promotes fraud and corruption, threatens democracy, and causes recurrent, intensifying crises.
5- ‘India is prospering, but Indians are not’ by Mani Shankar Aiyar : The same people who are brushing under the carpet that our relative position on the HDI has not increased are the very same people who are boasting again in comparative terms that ours is the second highest rate of growth. So, obviously, the high GDP growth is not translating itself into commensurate high HDI growth, with the consequence India is prospering, but Indians are not.
6- 'Indian democracy in a state of emergency' : Arundhati roy talking to Karan Thapar
7- Business Of Knowledge- Article on Higer Education.
8- Ten Simple Rules for Choosing between Industry and Academia. --- Journal from Computational Biology.
9- Lessons for life, in black and white. - On power of books.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Questioning the Axioms
2- As any environmentalist or social scientist will tell you disapprovingly, the world simply can’t afford another America. It will simply collapse. But even though no one can quite match America’s excess, the world aspires to it. We see it as Development, Growth, Progress.
3- There is mass sell of public property, land and companies to private enterprise in the name of development. This type of developmental policy is antithesis of real human advance. It is promoted both internally and externally as a way to help the poor. In reality social and monetary capital flows only in one direction. Large companies stake claim to people’s lands and resources, profiteering themselves, offering in return only a fraction of what they take and destroying carefully nurtured and ancient environment. Population driven from rural areas to urban areas are exploited in the name of cheap labour. Developed world is guarding its boundaries and only allowing MNC in the name of free not fair trade. Quite a paradox we live in, where economic hubs are cities and majority of voters in rural sector.
Personal Example:
Sustainability and Development are key words forming a paradox with each other. Sustainable Living is associated with consuming less – being satisfied with a simple and frugal life. Development is associated with never ending desires – always wanting more. Sustainable lifestyle requires Constancy, Sameness and Repetition. Development is associated with Change, New and Transience.
Planned development upheld the principle of 'service before profit', unlike 'What is in it for me? ' principle of companies. Development work is considered intellectually inferior, unlike engineering, industry or diplomacy. I want to prove that it is both a challenging and a noble choice. When I will not associate my identity within social and cultural fabric of their country, nothing is going to change. A person should not be bounded by school of thought but should focus on the need of hour and future. I choose the less traveled path. I see myself as a person who who is practical and makes choices to choose from, instead of choosing the only available choice.
"The Philosophers have interpreted the world in various ways, but the point is to - Change it!" -- Karl Marx
Why preparing for IRMA?
Answer lies in the Approach towards problem:
There are mainly 2 types of approach taken for development in any economy. Top -Bottom approach and vice versa. Its always the bottom up approach has gone successful by proper implemention. The reason of failure of this approach is not that it is flawed, but because it is not supported by those who are able to invest in it. The example of Orissa and West Bengal can be given, where government is encouraging industrialization at large pace, but not able to develop people at the same pace. The result is the improper usage of resources [Economics deals with optimal usage of resources] and there are no rules or regulations in the state. If people are not ready and they are not able to use the resources the industries are generating, what is the use of industrialization. At the later stage the economy will be in a chaos and government will not be able to implement any regulations. People are already opposing such practices. Because they are not ready, or they don't know that it will be beneficial. In such case first Bottom should be developed and not the top.
Past changes in India today were brought about by common people from the masses rather than a top down reform from the top. (While top-down reform was done, it usually followed some courageous and path breaking demands from the masses). Any change is best when organic—rising from the bottom rather than imposed from the top—the odds of assimilation improve dramatically. Urbanization of the rural sector is the way of current development with very limited powers in the hand of people affected by it. IIM or any top notch B school is top to bottom approach and IRMA is like bottom to top approach. In former, connections are made at upper level, money raised and then idea is implemented. Here, an idea is implemented at ground level and thereby driving people into co-operative like structure. No idea how good an idea is, unless people understand it, embrace it as their own and help in implementing them. This is called inclusive development in my dictionary. If the more people's life standard is enriched by it, that is integrated development. The education given in top notch colleges of management mostly makes you isolated from the rest of the country in an ivory tower, more connected to share markets or investment firms of Europe or United States than to the obvious needs of industry, agriculture, and education in our own Bharat.
Currently, I have made "Questioning the axioms " mantra as my tool in doing analysis of any problem. This 'trial and error' thinking tool is given by Srikant Singh citing work of Bernhard Riemann on non euclidean geometry. I was impressed 7 inspired at that moment but implementing this first time. It is helping me lot, will publish some original results soon on the blog...
'If the entire world wants to go left and, you feel like going right, go right. You don't have to make a big deal about it. Just go. Its very easy.' -Sotiri, Yanni's father.
Friday, October 2, 2009
I Write What I Like.
Caste: The ongoing session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva looks set to recognize caste- based discrimination as a human rights violation. This is done, despite India's opposition and following Nepal's breaking stand in support on the culturally sensitive issue. Hence, ours dream of caste annihilation is finally getting solid paper work. ( TOI report & Official version in pdf). Thanks Anu for bringing it to my notice.
Rewriting History: Some new studies done on the basis of genome project and anthropology are focusing evolution and human migration at India in new light. Soon our history will be changed with the backing up of more scientific evidence.
1- Most modern Indians descended from South Asians, not invading Central Asian steppe dwellers, a new genetic study reports.
"The finding disputes a long-held theory that a large invasion of central Asians, traveling through a northwest Indian corridor, shaped the language, culture, and gene pool of many modern Indians within the past 10,000 years"
2- Modern humans migrated out of Africa and into India much earlier than once believed, driving older hominids in present-day India to extinction and creating some of the earliest art and architecture, a new study suggests :-
"University of Cambridge researchers Michael Petraglia and Hannah James argue that similar events took place in India when modern humans arrived there about 70,000 years ago."
Attendance Issue: The bureaucrat's way of ensuring accountability is: Make sure people are physically present in the office, whether they work or not. Babushahi pretend to work and show off as they are busy. In most of our colleges only, we apply the bureaucrat's way of ensuring accountability of student by attendance: Make sure students are physically present in the classroom, whether they study or not. I may be wrong in my argument, but the need of min. percentage (75%) of attendance by students is same as new rule of min. 40 hours of work per week by teacher. [Even, Animesh Sir supported my observation]. And the funny point is that most of the teachers ensuring students attendance with tour de force are opposing this rule. Life hits hard, you never know........
Quote of the Day: Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, Mark Twain said, it is time to pause and reflect.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Dumpimg Ideas & Weblinks
“Intellectual property, to me, is important because I benefit from it when sometimes, author’s rights are paid to me. However, I doubt it from the moral point of view that intellectual property should ever be protected. I want to be popular and I want my work to be accessible to anybody who wants to read it.
When I saw pirated cassettes of my films in Russia I wanted to embrace the seller because they bhad taken pains to make it accessible. I found pirated DVDs of my films in China and was proud. I probably lost some money, but what a joy. There is a contradiction between my desire to be accessible to anybody who is interested in my work and my greed to be paid for it. I was paid for making the film.
In fact any intellectual who is defending his property has already been paid for it, and now we want something extra. I am not in a position to find a solution to this issue. I have participated in a number of sessions about author’s rights and I have seen pressure being mounted on poor countries like Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan. Steven Spielberg feels victimized because his author’s rights have not been respected in these countries.
I do not feel emotionally towards the law. I am for the people who want to see these films free. They have been deprived of money and Spielberg is very well off anyway. So my sense of justice and my sense of law are in collision. As an artist, I have the right to point out this problem.”
I have seen much of the good works of American and world cinema through torrents. The huge amount of download culture in college has helped me a lot in making collection of pirated dvd gems. I oppose intellectual piracy of the bollywood copy cats, still watch cinema with the help of piracy. As an artist, I have the right to point out this dilemna. I need suggesation in this case from the blog readers (if any) as it is hypocrite in practice. And funny thing is that, I am currently doing a distance learning course on IP rights. Where I stand in this ethical fight of copyright and copyleft (this terminology exist) ? Few noteworthy reading weblinks
1- Rethinking handloom -A look at cotton handloom industry of India. Weavers are children of a lesser god in India.
2- Why Arabs lose wars? - A look from the POV of retired U.S. Army colonel.
3- The return of history and the end of dreams - It emphazises that history repeats itself by looking at current world power order.
4- Unto This Last (1860): Four Essays On The First Principles Of Political Economy by John Ruskin. It is said to have influenced Mahatma Gandhi on his views on economics and society.
5- A take on Sach ka Samna by Santosh Desai.
6- The other side of education and Education's five fault lines .
This weblinks are motivated by line - 'Empty yourself totally, Become a Nothingness, Only then you would feel a sense of Completeness'.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
My views in yours words
Education-- Tell me about yourself: a brief introduction, talk about your skills relevant to the position, experience are transferable to position available and career objective. It is the sort of basic questions faced by us. For me, a college degree shows not that its holder has learned something but rather that he is the kind of person who could learn something. Today, a hybrid talk on education.
Schools or Universities are places where most young people come together crossing the old boundaries of religion and caste. It is here where the new nation is being constructed in the minds of coming generation.
Work environment of the place can make any job or academics interesting or boring. Choosing a field and being adamant about it is just restricting yourself unnecessarily. Interest is not something which a profile can develop, it depends more of on the work environment you nurture your mind in. When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.
Cinema--
The majority of people retain better things that are visually impressed. Hence, cinema can be consider as more effective tool than literature for spreading awareness. The idea is to engage an audience and uplift them in some way and take them into an experience which is emotional at many levels. Cinema no more reflects the society because we no more live in a society. Today we live in a market. And like all other products the market forces also control cinema. In the words of Sudhir Mishra - A great film is a film where you lose the distinction between how a tale is told and the tale itself; where there is an investigation into the truth but simultaneously the idea of being wrong is also present. You want to know the truth but when you reach it you also have an idea that maybe that’s not it. A genuinely vibrant cinema that does not necessarily have to be realistic or naturalistic. All we have to do is not to succumb to those who force to mimic or imitate in the name of 'inspiration'.
Cricket--
A wise team does not depend on recoveries. Cricket is a simple game that can be made to sound very complicated. The people who do the simple things well are the people who are most successful. Simple is repeatable and repeatable is successful. Cricket is execution not a game. Cricket is an isolating and yet public game. Soccer players suffer when they miss a penalty. Cricketers risk that collapse every time they go out to bat. It is not a sport at all, it's an execution. --- Peter Roebuck
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Facts about Higher Education
What a pity! 18% of the worlds population (Indians) call third rate colleges as world class and continue to delude themselves. Not only that, they fight tooth and nail to fight to get into universities which are trash by any standard. To add icing to the cake, these 3rd rate institutions say that they are better than Harvard (factoring in just the exclusivity factor) or say that they are "world class". Its better that they these institutes recognize the garbage they are in and first come out of the trash can, before trying to make any claims to delusionary greatness.
Thats one reason why our colleges never look beyond national rankings. Every year, one sees different magazines coming up with headline breaking news, that some IIT has overtaken the other as the top college or that one of IIM's A/ B/ C has been ranked above the other. And the gullible Indians lap up this trash being doled out to them. Never mind that they learn nothing from such rankings because its the same trash being served in different ways year after year. And everyone is happy, the public with the hope that these institutions would help them get the "world class" status and "world class" opportunities, and the media because it sells a record number of copies of their magazines.
I don't completely agree or disagree with his views. Still, they are worth looking for introspection.
Recently, In the latest issue of Current Science, the director of NISCAIR, Dr. Gangan Prathap has written an article, Ranking of Indian engineering and technological institutes for their research performance during 1999–2008. Three esteemed bloggers has done their work of evaluation on this matter: Prof T Abi of IISc, Prof Giridhar of IITM & Cogito Ergo Sum.
I would like to present a view of my friend who wants to remain anonymous [Highly Credible Source].
Prathap's paper about the 10 years research progress at IITs/BHU/ISM/IISC. He didn't consider a few things like IITs/BHU/ISM are indeed technical institutions which specific mode towards engineering education and they should only compare that component with IISC or Jadvapur. Recently, US NEWS has done that. The rankings should be passed to as many people can be, so that the old faculty of India which is on a constant urge to nullify the best technical commodity to the entire world. ---- World's Best Colleges and Universities
A take on Old Indian faculty problem with reasons:
1: They they are nationalistic by holding PHDs of students from 6.5 to 8 years in fundamental sciences in India. They blame it to the equipments but I don't know how equipments play a role in Theoretical Physics.
2. They don't want any free transaction of knowledge in between you and the collaborator which hinders a lot of insight about the problem. Guys who really solve the problem never get to be on the committees which are meant for having discussion on the problems.
3. Most of the Indian PHD professors have anti-Btech emotions especially at IIT M/K and B. I dont know about your institute. They think Btechs leave India for their own good, but think about it, a PHD student gets a salary of 10-15K in India on a MHRD project worth 25 lacs and I have seen professors billing 1 lacs Rupees on Miscellaneous items, and Believe me he is one of the most famous Professors from India. They will never accept that a good sum of money is going to their individual pockets and they dont spend that money paying the students or buying new equipments.
4. For an equipment, they will write another grant and as usual that will get accepted. A student will be employed to set it up obviously on a low enough salary and expected to do the bullwork. Again Miscellaneous.
5. Newest of the faculty cribs: We should get higher salaries. Okay agreed. Tell me what is the quality of your publication and why should I buy your research when it doesn't solve any problem in industry, only meant for making publications at the cost of hapless students.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
No rain drop blames itself for the flood
Currently, there is the alienation of students from the ground realities of India. In the race to become technologically advanced, we have given no attention to social science and the rural sector. See, everyone knows and has seen the fact that if the rich sell a gun, the poor use it to destroy them. As long as the idea of 'potential resource' is equated to power and control, development will always be about money. Never about people or real social development perhaps. Deep Joshi, Magsaysay prize winner in 2009 points out the fact that "Development work is considered intellectually inferior, unlike high science, industry or diplomacy. We want to prove that it is both a challenging and a noble choice."
The lack of social scientists is hurting the growth of India. There is a lack of serious study of economics and social science in India. Read Fractured Social Sciences for a detailed view.
There is a huge lack of awareness among youths about our own country. I once commented in desperation " When youth do not associate their identity with the social and cultural fabric of their country, nothing is going to change. People from UP do not know about Vijay Tendulkar and people from Tamilnadu do not know about Amrita Preetam. A whole English medium-oriented generation has no idea of the ‘Samporan Kranti’ movement by Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia. They will die to see MTV Roadies or Splitsvilla but do not have heard names of Carnatic or Hindustani classic music."
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Value of College Education
But the education kids are rewarded for may not be the same education their parents think they are paying for. Economists would say that a college degree is partly a “signaling” device — it shows not that its holder has learned something but rather that he is the kind of person who could learn something. Colleges sort as much as they teach. Even when they don’t increase a worker’s productivity, they help employers find the most productive workers
In recent decades, the biggest rewards have gone to those whose intelligence is deployable in new directions on short notice, not to those who are locked into a single marketable skill, however thoroughly learned and accredited.
2- College Education and The Placebo Effect:
The placebo effect is scientifically established, well-known effect in medicine. Basically, when doctors prescribe a sugar pill (a placebo), a good percentage of patients do get better. Note that while a placebo is just a sugar pill, the effect on the patient is very much real - patients do get better, not just imagine that they get better, so there is no quackery involved. The human mind and the human body have powerful self-healing mechanisms, and these seem to be triggered by the placebo.
3- Education Unbound:
IIT Bombay has a budget of Rs 120 crore a year, of which Rs 100 crore comes from the central government. With 5,000 students, this means a subsidy of Rs 2 lakh per student per year. This is not sustainable and is the key reason why the government system has not expanded. The private sector has to step in, and it has.
When you turn degrees into commodities and anyone can buy one from somewhere, you're going to lower the overall level of education in the population - while those with the pieces of paper hold them up as proof that they are educated. They FEEL educated. The universities are charging for their human capital as much as their teaching prowess. Yes, it is partially selling certification and there is no doubt that many schools engage in this. The value of this certification fades over time, though. The chance to be around so many people who are driven and creative and resourceful at an important time in life does not though, it pays dividends through the years.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Vichaar Shoonya + 1
Q: Can you give me an example to differentiate between knowledge, intelligence, genius and wisdom?
Ans: Knowledge is to know that a snake contains poison; intelligence is to figure out what the poison contains and how it can kill you. Genius is to create an anti venom. Wisdom is to know all this but yet not to fuck around with the snake just in case the first three go wrong.
Capital gains : A vivid, wide-ranging (and very scary) portrait of unbridled consumerism in the post-liberalisation years. [Thanks to Jai Arjun Singh]
Infamous List: To clarify, the people in these lists are/were good, honorable people. What is unpleasant/infamous about the lists are the circumstances in which these people found themselves.
Rabindranath Tagore in Conversation with H. G. Wells
Gapminder: Unveiling the beauty of statistics for a fact based world view.
Free Hindi Ebooks Download.
Mentor Yourself: Five core strategies for developing a more satisfying and successful academic career.
Monday, July 27, 2009
End of an Argument. How ?
* The circular argument, in which theory and proof support each other.
* The regressive argument, in which each proof requires a further proof.
* The axiomatic argument, which rests on accepted precepts.
This Trilemma is just for giving you an idea about types of arguments and little bit of creating impression about me (:P).
We came across several heated debates on the online community, forums and blogs about any topic. In a typical argument, each person tries to prove themselves right and the other person wrong. Instead of synthesis or refining of ideas, our focus shifts to stick to our owns idea as prime and supreme one. In the end, each person only ends up either more entrenched in their views or influenced by dominant juggling of words, regardless of who seems to deliver the most rational argument. Arguments are done for the sake of progress than victory. An argument can't be won by resistance. It will only increase the stubbornness of others and a little communication of importance will be achieved. Trying to prove yourself right and the other person wrong is like making a frontal assault on an entrenched enemy position. The goal of your argument is attempting to raise the other person’s awareness while maintaining your own sense of inner peace and identity with the idea.
I wanted to know why so brilliant individuals can't agree on a small point for evolving into next level of discussion. Its major reason which I can catch was that our education system fosters competitive excellence rather than intellectual curiosity or cooperation . Also, I want to know how to conclude these arguments as per seen similar situations in much popular fish market like Group discussions (GD). Any suggestions ??????????????
For good reading purpose,
1- Tagore and his India --- Amartya Sen.
2- Leszek Kołakowski (1927- 2009)
3- Who killed the Indian University ?
4- An interview with Fatima Bhutto.
5- Recession: How Risk Models Failed Wall St. and Washington?
Friday, January 23, 2009
College versus Education
This altered statement of Mark Twain is self-realized guideline in mine learning throughout past years.
I am giving you a little disoriented but true thought of my mind on this jolly topic. My idea of education is to unsettle the minds of the young and inflame their intellects. There is only one Education, and it has only one goal: the freedom of the mind. I felt that more you give attention to the academics ,greater will be the intellectual property loss. Academics in India (Partialy IITs &IIMs) is like Wahhabi Islam. You have to submit to teacher with blind faith(closure of mind) and complete loss of scientific temper. Most of the teachers do not change with time and makes education boring. They ensure that more emphasis on written work than learning concepts. They bring same yellow pages of notes to dictate lectures over years.
Student feel academics as:''The sad mechanic exercise, Like dull narcotics, numbing pain.'
The age of innovative thinking and curiosity is dumped down in classes. Securing threshold attendance has became primary objective of the student community. The learning curve will follow a negative slope reaching nearly to zero. From the word "go" in college life, the motto of most student is just to pass and get the degree of freedom.Commitment for studies become zero in coming years. Loss of passion and self motivation for improvement is major disease prevailing in most of the colleges. Its not loss of reason or logic but loss of enthusiasm that bring pessimism inside you. An anger is agglomerated inside student against unjust and inefficient system. A sincere and logical student behaves as irrational in mob or group due to this frustration.The lament of teachers on lack of discipline is correct but no other way is possible. You cannot expect reformation of religion from the priestly class. Similarly, the administrators do not want to evolve with changing times.
So what are the choices remaining for the students in this passive environment?
Student politics damage more career of the student than college property destruction in universities. All of the student submit to the will of management in professional courses.But this is not the way to have inefficient people upper edge to you. I personally stands against the system. No system is perfect, we can not make it perfect also. We have to try for excellence with limited resources.
No man who worships education has got the best out of education.... Without a gentle contempt for education no man's education is complete. ~G.K. Chesterton
Both the student administration have to cooperate with each other with. Questioning on authority should not be taken in negative percepts by administration. Transparency in both economic & administrative decisions should be there with involvement of alumni, students and teachers, not just few self proclaimed youth leaders. If neither of us stand up against minor unfairness, nor we will have enough courage to stand against bigger crimes.
India vs U.S. education system: Sabeer Bhatia view here---
The Indian system of education is “knowledge-based”, while in the U.S. it is “inquiry-based”. The former encourages rote memorization, whereas in the latter students are encouraged to ask questions. In a fast-changing world, where knowledge is becoming obsolete every few months, it is more important to have “thinking” individuals who ask questions and create new products/ processes than individuals with a lot of knowledge. The other aspect of U.S. education is that educational institutions attract the best and brightest from all over the world. So, you get a very competitive environment, which brings out the best in one. The mantra of “meritocracy” extends beyond education. As a result, you have great companies where merit and ability are more important than seniority. Institutions in India tend to value experience and seniority over intellectual ability and creativity.
Bottomline: The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men. ~Bill Beattie
Previous brilliant articles by author about teacher and student relationship--Young Minds & Teachers and Movies for Teachers. For more quotes about education, read this;
Monday, January 5, 2009
G 9 at ITBHU
This is not an urban legend traveling in the lanes of ITBHU. G9 is not any mythical term coined by me. It consist of 9 distinguished teachers grouped together for greater good of majority. G9 had been constituted by 9 people who are still living legends in their own backyard of BHU. But, it is a taboo to speak about them in the department. I was astonished by the fact that even blogs and social networking websites (orkut, facebook or Linkedin) do not have any mention of them. It was their charm or horrifying Deja-vu.
I am not mocking at them through public blog. They are well respected gentle and elder men. I RESPECT them for their concerns about degrading morals and academically uninterested students. I just want to give "Jhaadu ke Jhappe" to group G9. They really need a big hug from all of the IT students. I am not sure of the instant reaction but they will behave different after 1000 hugs. There is a dashing line in the movie 'The Dark Knight': You die as a hero or live long to see yourself becoming villain. It can be molded for them as : You live at a place for short time like a hero or live long there to see yourself becoming villain in the eyes of the coming generation. Cafeteria table reserved in student section by a privileged group of teacher is living example of this quotation.
PCU is (now retired) the prominent name in this pseudo group. Either, I do not know the names of other persons or (even if know) I will not reveal in the blog land. Discipline is their weapon of mass destruction of moral of uneducated (non learning technical engineering student). Solution to the problem of unwillingness of students to study as geek was devised by screwing them with grades and compulsory attendance. Fakka is also used by them for breaking heart of a rebel student. This solution can achieve short term focus on study with uni focal on theoretical (no tutorials) subject. But long term loss is immense. With that mode of teaching, student moves away from the learning and shifted its focus on shortcut route of success. He/she consider these well wishers as their enemy.
An environment of fear clumping discipline is made in the department. Lack of conversation and feedback from each other creates a communication gap between student and teachers. Knowledge can only pass through bridge between them; Questioning of authority by students is taken as negative perceptive in this group. For your update, Disciplinary committee (DISCO) constitute of majority of members from this G9.
Point to Note: Discipline cannot be imposed on anyone against his/her will, especially on adults. Discipline is a self applied phenomenon. Disraeli had quoted ''You cannot make men virtuous by acts of parliaments''. A student should fear from administration only on violation of rules. Nothing less than this should be accepted. Respecting teachers is important virtue of the student. Few teachers tend to demand it from students. Respect can only be earned by command not demand. Command comes from knowledge and compassion, not from the whip.
An Engineering student tends to enjoy the personal life and do not pay attention to the academics. A sincere student spoiled his one year in the rough IT culture. He meets several asshole suggesting minimum studies and maximum enjoyment is mantra for success. The seniors (in majority) misguide the fresher about relation in academics and extra curricular activities. But, it is also necessary for nerds to learn few tricks for development in personality (mainly presentation and communication skills).
In second year, some unfortunates enter into mechanical department. Wase bhi, Mechanical department is more cussed fore lesser grades and strict professors than any other department irrespective of engineering college. It is really hard now on to move with shrewdness in studies. Wisdom and Silence hatches more grades in department. The wit and smartness will gain unnecessary attention and doom you into on 3 year (for lucky ones) of failures and frustration.
"People related to Education often complain - at least, professors do -- that young people do not read anymore. But that is not true. They read all the time but they do not read books or long texts. For the most part, presses and journals as they now exist do not serve the interests of intellectual or cultural development. To the contrary, their proliferation is symptomatic of increasing hyper-specialization in which there is more and more about less and less."
My wish: We really need role models and guidance by lenient means for career growth in engineering days. Enter into the Mechanical engineering department and name of heroes like Ravi Kalsaria and Sripati Sah must spring in the young minds. Only those can give more inspiration and push students to dream and achieve big in their life and career.
This line is written on the old Identity card of BHU;Dedicated by me for those teachers who impose discipline rather than guiding young souls for self discipline.- "The most reliant and self governing person is always under discipline:and the more perfect the discipline,the higher will be his/her moral conditions.-M.M.M."
No hard feelings....
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Eight Point Someone
Hi,I want you to take a look at: ITBHUGlobal.org: The Chronicle: Eight Point Someone (by Praharsh Sharma, B.Tech. Part-III Electronics Engineering student) .I am a 6 pointer but really admire this post for honest and hilarious opinion on serious matter of grades.
I was deeply influenced by paragraph below taken from the given article.These lines are gospel truth for me and hope it will be same for you.
In the course of our four years at IT BHU, we engineering undergraduates should be proud of one thing to which I am sure, all of us agree unanimously. The ability that gets perhaps, best incorporated in us during these quadruple of years, is to manage anything (that is desperately needed) out of nothing, as and when required. We all manage to learn and exercise this well in due course of our time and efforts here. In the sort of situation we are made to live, the most beautiful part is undoubtedly that, this life teaches us how to keep our cool on, when we are right about to fall into the middle of nowhere but hell. This is only because, just when we are living on the last edge and are about to be busted, life subjects us to an experience where in, a pseudo helping hand just saves us from falling into the hell. Thus, when we are in any situation of almost death, we always assume that there would be a way out and this illogical confidence is the best thing, which engineering undergraduates learn to have during their four years. We here call it the engineering preamble, truly stated by someone –
“We, the unwilling, lead by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much for so long, with so little knowledge that we will one day qualify to do anything with knowing nothing..."
Saturday, November 22, 2008
For Future Generation
And yeah, this is motivational bullshit but you know what, the idea that an entrance exam or two at age 17 can make or break your future is horse manure. Use it - to fertilize your imagination!
Take a bit of a creative leap in your Life!!!
College is just a platform to move in a particular field. Use this time for recreation and climbing on the learning curve. The one-dimensional growth in grades can be good with academics but for long term benefits curricular activities must be done.One time failure cannot stop anyone from climbing the ladders of success.
Whether you join the ‘ultimate’ branch or merely the ‘ultimate’ college after beating neck to neck competition…
Whether you got your dream job on first attempt…
Whether you marry the girl of your dreams or the one your family dreamt of...
All that matters in the long run is how true you were to yourself.
As Oscar Wilde once said,"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry…"
Honest Advice: Find yourself. Be yourself. Love yourself. Everything else will fall into place.
Software Industry and Engineers
I decided in 1s year two things: To get a software job and to excel in any field except academics. I completed this resolution successfully.
Apart from my story, the creation of over 250,000 white collar jobs is something to celebrate. For the first time in recent Indian history, the 'ordinary' graduate is in demand. If it took outsourcing to create this demand - so be it. But remember software industry is not about creating new things. Its all about client giving you work. Work that their IT team is NOT interested in doing.
Well, here’s the deal. Practically every engineer – and not just from IIT but the top 200 colleges in India – can become a software engineer in a TCS, Wipro or Infosys. Regardless of what branch of engineering we study, you can get into them.
But, there is an elite corps which is recruited by global corporations for R & D jobs. And these are the jobs that even IITians die for: To work for a Google, Microsoft, Adobe or Yahoo on new and emerging technologies. To be part of a team creating new products and not merely fixing, maintaining or coding.
But if you’re the square peg who fits their round hole, more power to you!!!
I always remember this line:"Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements."(ref)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Suggestions for improvement of ITBHU
Suggestions for improvement of our institute
Note: The following article is written by Himanshu Rai (Mechanical 2008), who feels there is a need to make improvement in the various fields for our institute in particular and for IT-BHU community (students, alumni, faculty, administration) in general. Particularly, it discusses about the issues of conversion to IIT, foreign collaborations, industrial linkage, campus life, curriculum, websites, branding of institute, steps needed for improvement, etc.
He has collected and compiled the information from wide range of sources, including from online discussion groups and by talking to different people. All views expressed are his own, and they are stated in a positive way. He can be contacted at: himanshurai.mec08itbhu@gmail.com)
Below is the excerpt from his article. To view his full article, click:Suggestions_for_improvement_of_our_institute.pdf