ODE TO A SUPREMO....

Ode to a Supremo….

AMMA…………I am neither your staunch follower nor a direct or indirect beneficiary of your political ransom. I am a simpleton loaded with my own personal burdens, worries, financial and familial constraints. But still a citizen very much puzzled with the unfolding of the APOLLO DRAMA. Shouldn’t I be puzzled on seeing thy 35 long years of political history laid to rest within hours less than a day? I don’t claim to have any knowledge about thy decades-long political career, the rightness and wrongness of your political pursuits, etc.

Dwelling on the baseline that you are one of the most formidable political figures in the frontier of Indian polity, I stand puzzled at the haste at which the climax of your political voyage staged on the sands of Marina yesterday. Never had I seen the swiftness at which the political machinery functioned as it did at the wake of your death drama. You are announced dead at 11.30PM, MLAs assemble in an hour, swearing of new CM takes place roughly in 120 minutes of the announcement with the ministers assigned well with their specific portfolios, the burial ground gets selected over night, the army vehicle gets imported from Delhi over night, the burial ceremony takes place with a premeditated perfection……oh god!!!! Thanks that I now know that the TN Govt or even the Indian Govt can act real swift. But a commoner as me is left with a doubt, were all these arrangements or atleast the instructions for the same well existed even before the announcement?????

To add fuel to our doubt, the tantrum, mayhem and lamentation that the high-profiled exhibited during your short stay at the neighboring state, didn’t reoccur in its meanest form at the wake of your death. This makes me curse myself for blaming you of ill-treating those without the least human dignity in the past. The show yesterday made it very clear that you were absolutely right in treating them the under dogs. Here I wonder, did you take pride in taming them knowing well that these jackals clad in domesticity might show their true color at the very closure of your eye lids for brief seconds? Or were you wrongly magnanimous in cladding a few street dogs into FORT WORTHY pets? I feel a surging anger towards two bitches that stole all limelight with their tantrums and flare up in the past succumbed to the steps under you without even the slightest growl yesterday.

With my limited knowledge of TN politics, I know you were a lioness. In the chess board of politics, you were never subdued by the local pawns, horses and elephants. You emerged always successful as the ship, reported sunk at haste, out of the cruelest tempest. So the final check mate should have surely come from the VERY LION, the king of the corporate jungle. The doubt here is, did the lion play directly on the board or was the checkmate administered to you by the lone family of werewolves that you breastfed? For I could see that a few werewolves that you exorcised with your absolute might sprung back to life and joined the herd at your death.

AMMA…..I know well that thy soul still hovers over the golden sands of Marina. I plead thee, let it whisper the answers for the doubts of this stupid simpleton.

·         the pregnant trucks strayed on the streets, the slaughter near the parallel iron rods, the brutal gifting of electricity to a village scapegoat, thy sudden wanting of H₂O in Sep 22, pinking of Gandhi in Nov, the bi-elections that followed – are all these causally linked or casually scattered events in time?

·         Was your presence in machinery cluster for 75 long days necessary or necessitated?

·         I do long to place a bunch of blooms in thy memorial at the completion of thy death anniversary. AMMA…. Please do tell me the exact date when thy intellect lost the control of thy body?

·         AMMA….did you ever have a last wish??? If so was it in any way related to succession???

AMMA….. I am eager indeed to know the answers just out of the subtle curiosity of a simpleton. As said in your Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, if only you had one good soul that you could completely rely on, a perfect shoulder to lean to, might your life had better chapters than what it did now??.....I am clueless….please do enlighten.

I can very well realize the pangs of leading life thrust upon……May you rest in peace at least in thy life after….I salute thee, the irreplaceable Iron Lady of TamilNadu. 

Education for Tomorrow: Recommendations for a revamped Social Syllabus

The modern trends in education centre on individual development. Today, education is commonly viewed as a tool for individual growth, welfare and prosperity. Educational institutions are generally seen as stables wherein well-groomed students, market ready, are produced. These students, on their advent into job market labor hard focusing purely on their individual dreams, such as, lavish lifestyle, sophisticated living and amazement of wealth. Thus, Education has mostly lost its right of being the end and is rather perceived as a means to the end called ‘Luxurious Living’.

It can never be denied that the current global market is extremely competitive and ‘Survival of the Fittest’ is the only ground reality. But at the same time, it is indeed important that one needs to bear in mind the adage ‘No man is an island’. An individual on his race towards personal progress runs on the field called ‘Society’. Life of one necessarily impacts the life of the other. Despite the differences that prevail in social, economic, cultural and religious spheres, every many is dependent. One man’s rise and fall essentially affects the rise and fall of the other. This inter dependency is an inevitable aspect of human living.

It is easy to argue, I am responsible for my individual life and those of my friends and relatives. Why should I shoulder the responsibility of some others’ life? The answer is simple. For instance, if a man insists on violating the traffic rules, does it prove detrimental only to his safety or to all around him? If the answer is the latter then it is proven that one man’s weirdness has a sure impact on the peace of all around him. Such scenes are very common in morning wee hours on our roads. We may quote various such instances from our day to day living. Being educated, if a man purposely chooses to violate rules, despite knowing its consequences, does it not trigger a question regarding the aims and purposes of education?

A closer survey of modern educational practices causes an alarm. The modern day students are born of one same mould, i.e., ‘Mark Machine’. Incessant coaching, slip tests, revision exams, remedial teaching, etc., completely drain the individuality of students. Students are forced to master Math and Science, regardless of their individual preferences and interests. Excessive emphasis on Math and Science makes students as things on conveyor belt moving towards a cause unknown and non-preferred. The ultimate end in the process becomes mark accumulation and not knowledge accumulation.

Similarly, there is an exaggerated nationwide emphasis on language efficiency. Craze for language, especially English, has resulted in the mushrooming of Language Institutes that cater English on the platter as instantly as fast food. Students frequent these institutes with an aerial aim of mastering a language, a few centuries old, in a few days. Thus, the entire course of education for the modern day students becomes a routine activity, remote to personal interests and intercession.

After all such fuss and race, the modern education system produces products that are completely wielded from the ground reality. It is a common scene that parents often complaint of their children’s inability to rise up to an occasion and respond intuitively. Decision making is a nightmare to most of these mark machines. They are not confident enough even to desire and dream of a future but are completely reliant on their parents to decide for them.

The result of such forced and self-centered education has its reflection in the perils that surround us, such as, Global Warming, Pollution of various forms and intensity, worsening civic awareness, dispersion of anti-social trends and tendencies, etc. Treading the bottom line of Lord Buddha, “Desire is the root cause of all evil’, “Individualist tendency is the root cause of all perils that threaten the peaceful social structure”.

It is high time that we critically analyzed and evaluated the pros and cons of our educational system. Students cannot be blamed at any cause for they move with the current. Hence, we need to channelize the current in the constructive direction. Education definitely requires giving its takers something more than rote facts and figures. Inculcation of ‘Social Consciousness’ in Education is the compelling need of the era. It is high time that we stopped making mark machines and focus on making ‘Thinking, Social Beings’.

A society based curriculum can alone be the rightful step towards the required educational innovation. Any addition to curriculum, we are aware, would bring about mixed responses. The teaching fraternity might think of it an extension of their existing work load; the student community would consider it an additional burden and the parents might consider it an added strain in monitoring their children.

But here the emphasis is not on adding to the existing curriculum rather reconfiguring the existing curriculum. Students do have a subject called Social Science up to secondary education. But it is unfortunate that this subject is historically limited to rote memorizing of facts and figures related to history; soil types, climate changes and topographical features in geography. Though there is a part called ‘Civics’, it is not intense enough to trigger the social humaneness in students. The vision needs to be calibrating this syllabus to make it encompass the rudiments of the art of social living.

The syllabus can include in linear progression from the lower level smaller units of the following Human Sciences:

·         Anthropology

·         Demography

·         Criminology

·         Human Geography

·         Philosophy

·         Political Science

·         Psychology

·         Sociology

Subjects like Criminology and psychology would come handy in handling adolescents, an area the modern teachers find it extremely nerve wrecking. An introduction to psychology at the school level would definitely help the students to have a closer look at his individual self, to meditate on the varying physical and psychological phases that one traverse through and to seek help and guidance at times of emotional turbulence.

Anthropology, Demography and Human Geography will get the students acquainted with the race that they are part of. A wider understanding of human evolution that spans to millions of years will make the students realize how insignificant and meager his/her role in the entire human history. This knowledge would trigger in them achievement motivation, a fire to stamp their presence during their short span of stay on this earth.

Philosophy, Political Science and Sociology will present the students with a panoramic view of the wider social spectrum that encompasses them. Politics Science here indicates giving the students knowledge of the human governance and the existing hierarchical structure in the societies across the world. Sociology can be the efficient tool in making the students aware of the complex social evolution that the human race has been subjected to. Sociology can help students perceive the similarities and differences in the social structures that exist in the world. It is mandatory that the students get familiar with the numerous trials that have moulded the human race to its current sophisticated form.

The recommendation here is not to incorporate these sciences in volumes and extend the burden of school going children. These sciences need not be preached to the students in their theoretical, complex structured form. But the essence of these sciences needs to seep into the lessons that are prescribed for the syllabi that the children study in the tenure of their school education. Just as a drop of milk changes the texture of the black tea, knowledge of these human sciences when blended with the curriculum of the students would surely result in the emergence of a generation that is purely social friendly.

If one of the primary goals of education is to create mature social beings, it is not possible without the inculcation of these sciences in the syllabi. The ultimate intention of education is to create a society; devoid of disparities, free from war, clear of anti-social tendencies, relieved from poverty, devoid of corrupt bureaucracy, etc,. It can become a reality only when education enables man to understand, appreciate, admire and acknowledge the rightful presence of every fellow human being. A curriculum that promotes such a social cordiality can alone meet the social challenges of tomorrow.

A Compelling Need towards a Wider Psychological Spectrum in Student Teacher Relationship

The term ‘Education’ is ever evolving concept, devoid of a standard definition. The term ‘Education’ has given birth to different ideologies at different times primarily based on the socio, economic and cultural situations. Just as the human society enlarged and spread its roots to different domains, the term education became bigger and bigger in its perspectives. There can be no fixed governing principle for global education than the universal principle ‘Change’. An educational system that is afraid of ‘Change’ can never effectively cater to the demands of the society. Hence, the ability of an educational system to be flexible in terms of accommodating the current needs and changes marks its health.

When we talk of an educational system, it is explicit that it is a comprehensive term comprising all those who plan, pool sources, blueprint, edit, propagate and execute. However, there are two key entities that stand out in any discussion on education. They are the teacher and the taught. The entire purpose, meaning and efficiency of any educational pattern revolve around these two entities, as they decide the success of an educational method. At this context, it becomes mandatory that there exists a mutual respect, acceptance, co-ordination and coalition between these two entities in their attempts to explore the educational method in its fullness.

It is here the term “Psychology” plays a vital role. A look at the etymology of the term ‘psychology’ surprises. The word basically means ‘study of the soul or the mind’. So when we talk about teacher and student psychology, its interpretation should necessarily include the need for the teachers to be the best mind readers. A teacher is expected to have the empathy to step deep in to the shoes of the students and comprehend in fullness the ways of his mind. There have been many affluent educational theories that elaborate at length the role of a model teacher. Theories apart, I believe, the relationship between the teacher and taught must completely be based on mind and conscience than on theories and definitions.

The modern educational trend, especially the student teacher relationship as it exists today, is a worthwhile point to ponder. Today the violence against teachers by students and vice versa is all over the dailies. A student’s attempt to stab his teacher made a sensational coverage for our media a few years before. We are accustomed to hear of students being corporally ill-treated by teachers and the teachers being either threatened or dealt with serious injuries by students. Just as any other sensational news that vanishes into thin air over a period of time, these too are forgotten when something more sensational than them pop up.

A teacher - student violence can be customary at any other part of the world but not in my country that boasts to have a rich gurukula tradition. I am neither biased nor an extreme patriot. My concern is the strong twist that our nation has taken within a few decades in terms of student teacher relationship. There seems to be ‘rigidity’ in their dealings that necessitates such havocs in their relationship.

A stroll down our cultural lane would help us understand the evolving differences in student teacher psychology. The gurukula system the hallmark of our educational achievements was necessarily need based. I don’t tend to undermine its glory and I can never be forgiven if I do. My point here is that in a scenario wherein knowledge was primarily limited and the sources to access was relatively scarce, there can be no leeway for the students than to surrender their will to the teacher for the sake of knowledge. Gurukula was completely a teacher based educational system, wherein the teacher remained the only source of knowledge. It was a scenario of absolutism, in which the dependency level on the teacher was complete. In such context, a teacher could command nothing less than perfect submissiveness from students and it happened. As for teachers, they were primarily seen as objects of adoration and reverence. Gurukula, in my humble opinion, was more of absorption of knowledge than assimilation.

Thanks to the different invaders, who made a piecemeal of our educational system, the nation shifted from Gurukula to school education system. It is a major innovation in our educational scenario. It provided a common venue for the teachers and students to assemble together in the name of education. The improvement was not merely in the system but in the psychology as well. Still the dependence on the teacher was left untouched but the rigidity in their relationship got eased up. It is the golden period of education, as portrayed by most of the films. There was a mutual respect for teachers and cordiality in their relationship. The students looked up to their teachers and admired the teachers and their role models. The teachers in turn looked upon the students as the sheep entrusted in their guidance and went out of the way to teach them the nuances of life. The teacher was alpha and omega of the entire educational life of a student to the extent of making the proverb ‘As is the teacher so are the students’ come true. A teacher was generally accepted as a member of students’ family and was consulted for every major life making decisions. The relationship was more of a potter and clay. As the result, there was no room for psychological trauma and tantrum.

Going by the golden proverb, “Change is the one and only unchangeable particle of the universe”, educational system underwent a major change at the advent of technological era. The modern era brought along its own share of troubles with blessings. The advent of technology decentralized knowledge hubs. Knowledge is no more limited to certain precincts. Internet deals a death blow to educational arrogance. Information is just a click away. Anyone and everyone from anywhere and everywhere can have an easy access to information, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. We live in a “Right to Information Era” that makes knowledge accessible and extremely affordable. In such context, dependence on one for the sake of information or education is perfectly meaningless. The modern era does not credit one with the absolute authority on any field. One can be well informed in a field but can never claim to be the sole master. In such a scenario of intellectual independence, we need to surely reframe our norms of teacher student psychology.

An approach to education with a liaison to the outdated terms of educational psychology would surely prove to be devastating. In the modern era, teacher is not a ‘be all and end all’ of education but merely a facilitator of education. The teacher stands as the doorpost for the students to walk through and explore the citadels of knowledge. A rigid door has very few visitors and this is true of teachers too. It is the time for the teaching fraternity to extend their arms to embrace the student community as they are.

The major crevice in the psychology between teachers and students happens because of association or comparison. A teacher attempts to judge a student based on the educational standards of his/her old era. Just as the old wine cannot be poured into new wine skins, the trends of the past cannot be the touching stones to assess the present. The terms ‘good’ and ‘bad’ have relatively similar or vague meaning in the modern trend. We need to remember that the anti-heroes attract more crowds in the modern days than the ‘goody goody heroes’ of the past.

‘Horizon Enhancement’ is the primary need of the hour. We need to widen our purview in our understanding of the modern day students community. Remember we deal with a more mentally turbulent student community than in the past. The sources of distraction were merely limited to televisions sets in the past. But in modern times, the distraction points are unlimited. It is uncommon to see a student without modern day contrivances. A kindergartener knows well the difference between wifi and mobile data. The computer games harbor on their anxiety and bring out the alpha in students. Acute materialism places them under heavy stress. They struggle psychologically with the economic difference that exists between them and their friends or neighbours. Their dreams are purely either materialistic or sensuous. They are perplexed over their anatomy and troubled over their doubts on sexuality. Their queries on religion and caste, when go unanswered, perplex them. They struggle to get into terms with the extreme diversity that prevails in every sphere of our social living. Competitiveness leaves them troubled and a life of ‘survival of the fittest’ exhaust them. They require ‘answers’ for their queries, a pair of ears to listen to their concerns, a kind heart to share their anxieties, a good soul to empathize and a genuine brain to acknowledge their worth.

Can we the modern day teacher reach to out a student and meet out the above stated requirements? It isn’t a hard task but it isn’t an easy one either. It necessarily demands the widening of our psychological spectrum. Our ancestors are geniuses, when they commented ‘Child is the father of the man’. It is true that as teachers we need to learn our lessons on student handling from our day to day life experiences. ‘As is my child so is my student’ – this is the basic realization that every teacher must accept, assimilate and apply in their innovations on education. Unconditional love overhauls every discrepancy in case of our dealings with our children and this should become true of our dealings with students too.

We need not look to tread the path of international and nation greats in our attempt to become a good teacher. We have our role models in the same institution where we work. It is a fact that in every institution, there will surely be one or few educators, who will be extremely popular amidst the student community. It may not be that every one of them is an intellectual stalwart. They may be popular among students because of their simple ways. They may be doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way. In my experience as a student at school and later at college, students do not commonly get bowled over by teachers’ intellectual prowess but by the TLC (Tender Loving Care) they showcase in their dealings with the students. No student would be indifferent on realizing that a teacher cares and he/she is genuinely involved in their overall growth. Information is in the air, hence they do not depend solely on us for knowledge but for guidance and counsel, yes they very much do.

In the modern day guiding a student in the right, socially approved and economically feasible way is an art in itself. It requires update, update and relentless update. Once again it is my humble opinion that the seething tension between teacher student relationship is our inhibition towards update. We commonly dwell on our past glory, our outdated academic achievements and almost rotting medals and laurels that we bagged ages before. It is not enough to be informed of the basics of our field of operation but the need is to be updated of the current, evolving trends in our field. Are we as trendy as our students are? This is the primary question to be pondered upon by every teacher educator.

We need not have an active account on social websites but do we atleast know their do’s and don’ts. Are we computer savvy? Do we know to make the best use of smartphones? Are we aware of the common codes and signs that our students use in our communication? Are we abreast with their fashion trends and fashion statements? Do we have a clue of their heroes and super heroes? Have we got a taste of the emerging trends in mobile and automobile industry? Are we as quick as our students in information gathering and sharing? Have we befriended their likes, desires and ambitions? Do we know for sure the current educational trends? Are we well-informed of the job market? Have we got an ear for recent updates in our field? Can we give relevant and related input to our students well beyond the scope of our textbooks? Are we the right point of approach for career guidance? Do we own a passion for educational innovation? Are we eager to spearhead an eduvation?

These are million dollar questions. You and I commonly downgrade the modern generation in comparison to our generation. If they are fed with the right dreams and apt motivations, why would they run astray from the main stream? If we blame the media for demoralizing them, why have we not emerged as a better source of motivation for the youngsters? If we blame them for being over sensuous and purely materialistic, why have we failed to engage them in educational pursuits or help them channelize their untapped sensuousness towards progress? If we accuse them of lacking in moral, why have we not assumed the roles of moral boosters?

Don’t we long to be a perfect package of all mentioned above to our children? Then why can’t the same be extended to the student community? Let us give rest to our accusing fingers and come forward to empathize with the student community and accept them as they are. Let us be thoroughly aware of our new roles as facilitators and not as mere teachers. The compelling need is to die to our past, ignorance, rigidity, inhibitions and educational ambivalence and rise as phoenix towards educative update and innovation. As said by our Mahatma, “Let us learn to become the change we desire”. 

Pushparaj

BT Asst. English

Govt of Tamilnadu

The Importance of Being Earnest

Does the title ring a bell? Of course it should. How can the literary world forget this farcical comedy that kept the audience of the St. James’ Theatre in London, roaring with laughter? It was indeed Oscar Wilde’s satirical treat to the custom bound society of London on the eve of Valentine’s Day, 1895.

If an SBOAn stops me here to probe, “Hello, we do have all this information online. What have ‘You’ got to say on this title?” I would say I am none to review the work of one of the finest stalwarts of theatre that the English world ever produced. But I do have a point to ponder for the students of this current generation. Hence, with due credit to the genius of Oscar Wilde, I use His title to share a piece of my mind to you my brothers and sisters.

Education today is far different from the education that I underwent. Do not mistake me to be a veteran; I have just crossed the threshold of the generation that you now conquer. But still numerous indeed are the changes that I witness in the relationship between the teacher and the taught. The veterans of the teaching community would surely agree with me that in the yester years education was indeed a serious business, meant to be pursued by students with utmost dedication and devotion. The Gurukula tradition of our country accorded utmost importance to the role of teacher in the life of a student and hence a student was made to go in search of education, i.e., to the place where the guru lived. Education was an equivalent term for sacrifice, as the students were to forego the comforts of their homesteads and undertake with no regrets the errands spelled by the guru to satiate their thirst for knowledge. Knowledge was restricted to the precincts of the guru’s ashram and it remained the “be all and end all” of a student’s search for knowledge.

But today the situation stands reverse. Even the sky is no limit to knowledge. ‘Home Tuition’ brings the teacher to your cozy parlor. The endless pages online, throw before your face, knowledge of both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial. Information is a mouse-click away to any. Virtual Classrooms help the students’ quest for information grow beyond the physical confines. The modern Smart Class infrastructure brings within the four walls the entire universe for the students to explore and experiment. Smartphones have become capable of throwing open numerous windows of knowledge within a display of a few inches. Android, Windows, Apple & Blackberry, when complemented by 3G perform miracles in the way one accesses knowledge.

All have changed and We with all. The means to education are modernized, sophisticated and standardized. The eligibility criterion for the teaching profession is upgraded to meet the modern day challenges. Educative ambiances on the whole are well set and well-maintained. The curriculum is formed with expert guidance, focusing primarily on the ability of education to transform individuals. Educators approach education from a holistic perspective, complementing the knowledge impartation with the teaching of life skills, unearthing of latent talents through co-curricular and extra curricular activities and providing them with opportunities that make the students ‘market ready’.

My mind tells me that despite these colossal changes, something is extremely lacking in the way the modern education stands evolved. “What is lacking?  “Don’t we boast about our impressive school campus in FB?” “Don’t we have as ‘status update’ our recent academic achievements?” “Don’t we broadcast to the whole world the photos of the Golds and the Silvers that we bagged in competitions through ‘Click and Share’ technology?” “Of course, we do.” “Then what else is missing?”

It did not require the ghost of Oscar Wilde to reveal to me the missing element. The truth dawned on me through the words of an illiterate farmer during my recent trip to my hometown. On knowing that I am a teacher he told me “Sir, in our days, information was limited but the thirst for it was unlimited but today the information is unlimited but the thirst for it is poorly limited”.

“Wow!! Here is a simple man pronouncing wisdom with no membership in Social Websites, no knowledge of blog writing and with no affordability towards Galaxy Grands, Apples, Blackberries, HTCs, Canvases, Titaniums and Moto Gs.

Yes. The missing element is “Earnestness” and hence, the title “Importance of Being Earnest”.  If asked, “Have the modern day contrivances created in us a thirst for knowledge or have they mostly helped us waver?”  The answer would be the latter.

In the past, even amidst limited facilities, students approached education with reverence. “Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” – education and moral fear balanced the scales.  The teachers and the taught shared a respectful cordiality. Obedience to teachers was implicit and they were looked upon and looked up to. Places of education were treated equivalent to places of worship. In short, there was perfect seriousness or earnestness in one’s attitude towards education. Education was viewed as the only tool to elevate the life of an individual and was spoken of as the ultimate wealth; the parents can gift the child with.

            Today acute materialism has brought education under its brutal power. Education is viewed merely as a tool to achieve the end, i.e., a decent job, full purse, lavish life style, secured and sophisticated living. Hence, we either ignore or are unmindful of the other eternal values, such as, sharing, team work, friendship, being sensitive towards others needs, self-discipline, obedience, sociability, reverence to authority, etc., that education imparts in us.

            The modern day students, I am neither biased nor wish to generalize but merely express my opinion, are a bit arrogantly proud about their wealth of the parents, their media-savvy lifestyle, the classy gadgets they own and about their fashion statements. The thought ‘I am rich’ in a way blindfolds them to explore school life in its fullness. Many tend to believe that education can be bought with their wealth. But it is not true. A seat in an educational institution might be bought and not education. If intellectual prowess and discipline – the two major complementing constituents of education, can be bought, every State Rank Holder must surely be a millionaire. But history has a different story.

            My dear students, I wish to end by placing before you all a request. “Education for Education Sake” – education is not a means towards anything; it is an end in itself.  It is an end that makes you complete as a human being. Let us not view it as a guarantee card to wealth and prosperity. Further, education does not end with merely rote memorizing the facts and figures in books and vomiting them on the exam papers. It has much more to it. It is a comprehensive package. Being punctual to class, abiding by the rules of the institution, sporting the prescribed uniform, completing the day’s task regularly, being perfect in homework completion and notebook submission, maintaining record notebooks with absolute care, being attentive in class, being studious and meritorious, having due respect for the teachers and those in authority, all add to the joy of education. Every activity has an educational value imbibed in it and education is not complete unless you relish the ‘kick’ in performing to perfection every activity mentioned above and more. Education starts from the very moment you step into the precinct of your institution but ends only when you breathe your last.

              Forget everything as you step in for the day and fix your focus only on the tasks of the day. Let us deal with education day by day and when the year ends you would see that you have stamped your due presence. Remember you are the privileged lot, many in our nation do not savor still the taste of education. “Being Earnest about Education” is the need of the day and if you succeed in carving in your minds a ‘niche of earnestness’ for Education, there is no doubt that none can restrict your jubilation. I wish that every one of you succeed in your educational pursuits and get shaped as the leaders of tomorrow. May the divine be with you all.

Dear Students THINK BEFORE YOU LEAP......

+2 results are out. The long lasted anxiety in the minds of parents and students has begun to drain. The newspapers have begun to make money with advertisements from almost every institution that exists in TamilNadu. On the day of the announcement of results, I happen to switch between a few Tamil Channels that were broadcasting the result statistics and the live coverage of the interviews from the state and district level achievers. There were jubilation, back slaps, distribution of sweets, handshakes, hugs, etc.. A few children were in absolute spotlight and were celebrating to the maximum. But the newspapers and television gave a different view of this, the very next day. Two girls committed suicide for not scoring the expected marks. This has become a common occurrence, because even during my school days we were habituated hearing of such suicides and suicidal attempts immediately after the publication of results. But what affected me badly was the suicide of a father. On 11^th May, the televisions said a father committed suicide because his son got poor marks and he cannot be admitted into a reputed engineering college.

This left me pondering. Where do we go and what are we upto? Why has our educational system shrunk to mere accumulation of marks? Are marks the ultimate end of education? Does distinction in +2 guarantee distinction in college? Are the detainees in +2 doomed throughout their entire life? Is the grading system comprehensive? Does the education take into account the entire personality of an individual? Does the streams in higher education all inclusive of students’ interests and talents?

These were some of the questions that I began pondering over. It is painsome to note even after scoring marks in distinction, the high achievers do not exercise individualism and creativity in deciding the course of their study. There are just two moulds that shape the life of every good student in our nation. The first tailor cut mould is medicine and the second mould is engineering. Our students, almost everyone, are blindfolded and hence are unable to think beyond these two moulds. Literally every student I met in school or on the street wants to appear both for medicine and engineering counseling and take whatever he/she gets. So there is almost no conviction, no farsightedness and no dreams about life. They are at the absolute mercy of time and tide to dictate them their future.

This made me browse a few websites for the growth prospect in these two sectors. My search gave me a picture that both these fields have one thing in common. That is they sport a very dismal future.

Engineering is the most preferred choice of almost all students in Tamilnadu. But statistics say that India produces close to 1.5 million Engineers every year and the number is increasing with the mushrooming of XYZ Engineer colleges in every nook and corner of the state and the nation. But the disturbing fact is that hardly 15% of them get securely placed. Thanks to the global economic recession and the onslaught of Chinese ‘more labour less wages’ strategy on the foreign multinationals, we witness a great drain in the availability of engineering jobs across the nation. So there are already a few hundred million engineers in our nation, who are either extremely under placed with meager wages to manage the daily bread of their families or left jobless and at the mercy of their parents. Many websites allegedly report that there seems to be a wave of frustration amidst engineering graduates and in metropolises many graduates are found to involve in anti-social activities, such as, chain snatching and shop lifting.

Amidst such a scenario, where do the aspiring engineering graduates have a scope for secure and sophisticated career? Even when big fishes in the market are keen on cost cutting and automation, where on earth can we be assured of good job prospect?

The story of medicine is far more dismal. All of us might have been aware of the recent news. A doctor has filed a complaint against an IAS officer. The doctor has poured many lakhs of rupees into the pocket of the IAS officer for a medical seat. An e-article in the online version of The Hindu left me with a clear picture of the trend of “selling of medical seats”. The government medical colleges being very few, the private medical colleges rule the roost. They commonly object to the common entrance test. They dodge the test to keep away from fair admission procedures. Some institutions conduct their own entrance test, of which most of them are mere act of perfunctory or eyewash. So mere educational credit can in no way gain one a seat rather you should have a sound economic background.

The irony here is a meritorious candidate might be wielded away from the field of medicine for lack of money and on the other hand an undeserving candidate may have a blessing of free loitering in the medical campuses not because of his hard work but of the economic reserve of his parent.

The history proves that many meritorious students emerge from middle and lower middle class families. Spending 20 to 30 lakhs and more on a medical seat can be surely nightmarish for them. The parents have to get transformed as ATM machines, throwing up money everyday to help their children fulfill their medicinal dream. On the contrary, the rich can afford it but their dedication towards education is at stake amidst such luxury.

Even if you make the ends meet and graduate out of a medical college, can you be assured of a prosperous career? You need to be necessarily a slave at the beck and call of a multi branch multi-specialty hospital owner, whose education might not even be one third of yours. The hospital will make millions out of your service but will pay you peanuts. Or else, your parents should have an ever burgeoning bank balance to establish a clinic and make you the doctor in chief. Or else, you should be born of doctor couple, who already run a reputed clinic to which you become the caretaker in the future.

The stakes for the last two possibilities are very less. Thus, even 30 lakh medical seat does not guarantee one a full purse career. Then why should there be a heavy rush on engineering and medicine?

Can we think beyond these two streams? Journalism, Fashion Technology, Hotel Management, Catering, Space Technology, Safety Technology, Statistics, Marine Biology, Nutrition, Food Technology, Diary Research, Tourism, Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Services, Indian Police Service, Agricultural Research, Industrial Research, Administrative and clerical jobs in Indian Parliament, Aviation, Media Anchoring, NGO administration are some of the sectors that are viewed by students either with bias and prejudice or neglected. These are areas are hardly explored but they have enough juice to feed a million.

Apart from all these, there is yet another possibility. I at times ponder have I wasted my time and money adding three degrees to my credit for a salary of a few thousand rupees per month?

Should we ever belong to the salaried class? Can’t we upgrade ourselves to the position of the one who gives salary?

I commonly envy the tea shop owners in my city, who generally make a full purse everyday. Same is the case with hoteliers, textile merchants and the owners of road side snack stalls.

In Tamil there is a proverb “Learn a trade of your own and cast your worries behind”. Why can’t we become an entrepreneur, industrialist and an owner of a home made production unit??

Students, My Dear Brothers and Sisters, “THINK BEFORE YOU LEAP”. At my age, having a family to take care it is not feasible for me to take a risk. But your age is the right age to decide your future and taste the savour of a few risks and finally the fruit of success.

May you all be innovative in your thought patterns, break the barriers, walk the untreaded or less treaded path and taste success……..

Mother's Life on 1000 Rupees

Every Indian is proud of our culture and tradition. Just as religion plays a vital role in the lives of Indians, so do emotions, sentiments and superstitions. India has the sole credit of running a multi crore industry, purely based on people's sentiments and superstitions. What I refer here is the millions of soothsayers, astrologers and lucky gems sellers that our nation is proud of. We have distinct sentiments covering different categories. Father sentiment, mother sentiment, sister sentiment, mother-in-law sentiment, Thaali sentiment are to name a few... Every family is entwined by sentiments and emotions. More the members in the family even more are the sentiments and emotions that prevail in it.

Every child, right from its birth, is coached on the traditional views and customs that the family has inherited from the past. Creating in a child an emotional bond with the family members is one of the important tasks of parenting. India tradition is well-known for cocooning a child till the age of 25. Every aspect of life is spoon fed. In fact, a child is tailor made by the parent. A child's ambition, lifestyle, economic welfare, etc are mostly decided by the parents. Settling the child with the right life partner, with the right job and with the right economic prospect is commonly viewed as the completion of parenthood in our tradition bound society. All is well. I don't find fault with all this. But the irony is, India is also the nation, wherein there exists numerous number of old age homes. 

Old age homes in foreign countries is an accepted phenomena. The parents do not attach as much traditional perspectives to parenting abroad. A child on reaching maturity is completely left free to mould their lives, pursue their interests and choose a style of life that fits them. The youth commonly live away from their parents in pursuit of their own goals. But in a country, where the youth mostly are tailor cut by their parents, the increase in old-age homes is a disturbing phenomena. How do these spoonfed organisms that depend on their parents for life's decision arrive at an unanimous decision of deserting their parents? There seems to exist somewhere a great fissure between parents and children in their perspectives and attitude towards life. 

I wish to narrate a real life incident that I grew up hearing numerous times. It is the story of one such tailor made child. A couple had five children, of which only three survive now. The man was a tailor (this might be the reason, why I have used the word tailor many times here) and he found it very difficult to make the ends meet. However, he succeeded in giving all the children the basic education. But the couple imparted enough religious and moral education to the children. However, fate scripted a different story for the family.

The eldest son turned a spendthirft and a gambler. He did nothing to secure the lives of his three female children. The entire family stood on the roots of his wife and later on the earnings of the children. He passed away having caused enough burden to the family.

The second son turned an epitome of selfishness. He would not even part with the sweet, which he bought for his wife, with the other members of the family. Even as a youth, he would not allow his brothers touch his cycle and now he does not allow anyone to use his TVS Excel. He is habituated to thinking for himself and in his world there always existed only three members. His wife, his son and him. I hear at times he does not even take into count his daughter - in - law.

The fourth son was a weakling. His entire life was marred by sicknesses. He was and is jobless. The entire family was on the shoulders of his teacher wife. She shed her blood in bringing up all her three children to good positions. Even today she is the prime root of the family. it is around her the lives of every member of the family revolves.

The fifth son made a wrong choice of life partner. Of course, he was a victim of wrong love and ended his life at an early age, leaving behind a male issue. The lady married again and caused chaos both in her life and the life of his son.

The old man passed away and the old lady was completely dependent on the third son for both economic and moral support. For the third son is the only one, who was cut of a different cloth when compared to his siblings. He got a decent and secured job in finance sector. The hopes of the old lady revolved around him. He was looked up on as a saviour of the family. The old lady, in a way, was very partial in her dealings with this third and loved son. When the other siblings were served vegetables for lunch, the third son would get an egg as special offering as the burden of the family was on him.

Days passed and the day of his marriage arrived and that turned the tables on the entire family. The third son got a wife that no man in the entire world would ever wish to get. She succeeded in ripping the entire family apart with her seductive and arrogant ways. I won't call him henpecked but he is the victim of life situations. Her first target was to wield the son away from his mother and she succeeded in it even at a very early stage of her marriage life.

Now the old lady was tossed by every son. The sons, except the third, were either economically unworthy or did not have the mind to take care of the old lady. She wandered as the pendulum in the clock not finding a permanent place to spend her life's end. Finally, she was given refuge by the wife of her fourth son, who has been jobless throughout his life. Being a teacher, may be the lady had the humaneness which the other daughter-in-laws did not possess. The old lady has been residing in her house for the past 30 years. Now the old lady is no more a refugee there but she is the boss. She makes it a point to make her daughter-in-law run not less than 100 errands for her. The pity is that teacher herself have her own grandchildren but she is still a slave to her mother-in-law.

But at the back of her heart, the old lady, who is nearing her end, longs for the love of her children. In her recent visit to the house of her second son, it was told on her face that they don't want her there. Now she appears a pest to her children. Her third and beloved son never calls her but he sends Rs. 1000 every month. In past, he used to write a few lines  in the message column of the money order. The old lady found comfort in those words. But after his retirement, may be the wife does not give him permission to come out, even the message column is left blank. No calls, no letters, no love, no words of comfort even when the old lady was in and out of her death bed several times in the recent past....

The only instrument that helps the old lady believe that her beloved son is alive is the monthly arrival of that money order. The mother, who cared him much against the wishes of her other children, IS TODAY LEFT TO LIVE ON THOSE 1000 RUPEES notes....

Even if she touches the rupee note thousand times, can she feel in it the love of her son.....???!!! But even now her third son is her best son and she despises her grand children, who speak ill of her third son.

It is just the life of one mother and the nation has numerous tales as this.....

Can we EVERY PAY A PRICE FOR MOTHER'S LOVE?

Tremors of Parenting

I am no veteran to the concept of parenting. On the contrary just a novice. But within a very few months of my initial attempts at parenting, I have quite a lot of agitated occasions, hesitations regarding the right method of streamlining a child and the apt techniques to get hailed as the child-loving parent. I feel extremely compelled to compare the ways and means adapted by my parents in parenting and my inability or rather ineffectiveness of those earlier means on the modern day children. Despite repeated failures in the adoption of those outdated means in my daily instances of parenting, I feel  custom-bound, unwilling to understand and accept the fact that the children today are completely different from the children of the past. 

Hailing from an orthodox and conventional christian background, I have been very much accustomed to the parental monitoring on each and every activity of mine. I have always been forced to look upon my father as a custodian of discipline and morality. His hands and belt have spoken to me more often in my childhood days than him. Chastising has been very common during the days of my childhood. Belonging to a family that was just a thread away from the poverty line, my every dream, wish, desire, materialistic interest has always been either crushed or severely snubbed. I don't blame my parents but unfortunately they were not in the right economic frame to support all my wishes and aspirations. Though constant chastising and snubbing infuriated me in the past but I learned to get on with it as days passed. At this juncture, I should not be mistaken to be very pessimistic and sarcastic over the ways and means adapted by my parents. I do very well realize today that those acts of disciplining in the past have moulded me and made me what I am today. But as a child, it was very very hard for me to digest but was left with no choice. For, I was constantly reminded that speaking against our parents is sin and God would not approve of it. The repeated injection of religious fear made us accept everything that came our way without questioning or refuting. 

But the days have changed, the society has transformed, the technology has undergone drastic revolution, everything has changed and the children with it. As the fanfare for instant coffee and instant remedies have multiplied so is the children's desire for immediate satiation of their needs and desires. The modern day children are bent on bending the means to achieve their needs, desires and aspirations. They give no damn to their parents rather if they want something, they want it and there is no room for compromise. 

I was extremely shocked to hear of an real life incident narrated by my friend and colleague. A teenager was accused of chain snatching and was taken to police custody. On inquiry, the alarming revelation was that he is the son of a college professor, who earns not less than 18 lakhs per annum. The parent was completely ashamed of the incident and did not have the guts to enter the police station. He was completely broken over the indelible shame that his son had cast over the family's repute. On entering the police station, he entered into a verbal dual with his son. But his son, who is no stranger to such anti-social schemes, was not moved. Rather, he accused his father severely of being unmindful of his daily needs and of being stingy. In fact, he is the best father I have heard and would wish to imitate. He was of the habit of handpicking everything for his son. He wanted to give his son the best of everything. But that was not the son needed. His actual need was the freedom to do things in his own style. Practically he needed money and more money to live life in his own style. The pocket money Rs. 500 given by his father was no way closer to his exaggerated materialistic needs. But extreme peer pressure and superimposed foreign life style would not let him compromise. Hence, he decided to break the rules, to bend the means to reach his end. Though his thirst for pleasure landed him in jail, he had absolutely no remorse for his action. Rather, he was keen on intimidating his dad to yield to him and support his lifestyle with money. My friend ended the narration saying the way his father cried bitterly in the police station remains a permanent image before his eyes. 

The narration sent tremors in me. I was immediately reminded of my two sons. Even at the age of 4, I can very well sense that my first son is very adamant with regards to his needs and desires. Extreme frustration and anger commonly accompanies every rejection of his request. At times, it is shocking to see him adapting childish blackmailing techniques to achieve his needs. Corporal punishments, as imposed in our days of childhood, are met with extreme repulsion by the modern day children and they end up with hate speech. Even cajoling does not work. Even after hours of cajoling, my child gets back to the same issue with undiminished adamance and vigour. My only consolation is that it does not happen only with my child. Almost every child, irrespective of the gender that I meet at School, supermarket, cinemas, churches, temples or on the street is adamant and is not very obliging. So the need is arriving at a middle path that is neither aggressive nor submissive. 

The availability of sources of information is only major cause for the sudden increase in the needs of children. Children wish to own every product advertised and react if their request is not well attended to. Cartoon channels are another menace that spoil  and manipulate the unsophisticated minds of children. You all have no idea how much I hate "Chotta Bheem". Thousands of hours are spent before TV watching the series. If my television has a mouth, it would tell you bitter tales. 

Given the current trend, it is not possible to wield children away from television, nor from any other media for that matter. It would be purely illogical to say disconnect your television or child lock your computers. The modern day children will trouble you to the core and make you unlock anything with their persistent troubles. Given the modern trend of single child nuclear families. who would want their only son or daughter to shed tears for hours together? 

What is the way out? In the technological world, it is not possible to attempt making a child sage with occult religious preachings and practices. At the say time, we can not let them travel with the negative current of materialism. On the other end, we can not manhandle them as well. Corporal punishment instigates repulsion and repulsion alone. 

A sage from Himalayas or from any other corner of the world would be welcome to give me a miraculous way out to make my son understand me and viceversa. But may be my mind is too unsophisticated to imagine a fool-proof solution. The only thing I know is that within a few months of parenting, I have a receding hairline and have visible signs of aging on my face. 

May be anyone who reads this blog instruct me on making my son something between a sage and a scientist.....

I have decided to patiently wait for an expert advise.........