Opinionated Indian

I have been watching Naruto (Anime) for some time now. I rediscovered my childhood love for characters. Many characters stand out in the anime but not many are as memorable as Yuukimaru and Guren. The possibility of Guren's death and the anguish of finding a home after his mother gets killed drives Yuukimaru crazy. These thoughts are beautifully captured. This episode reminded me of a certain neighbour.

Death is a reminder for our mortality. Literally. Not really.

A huge hefty man, S, in his late 50s may be even early 60s was a new resident in the house bordering ours. With his family. Wife. Two daughters and a son. I thought he bloated so big after eating a lot. A lot. I figured later that he was obese.

First my parents introduced themselves to S uncle. It wasn't until some time later that I met him as I wasn't comfortable talking to new people. I spotted him on the verandah adjoining our houses whenever possible. S uncle and my father built it for our evening meetups. S uncle got me snacks for these gossip sessions. We talked about the daily chores. He loved sweets but didn't indulge in them as he had sugar. He liked good food and snacks but ate only little because he was obese.

One evening, I saw huge crowd in the street after returning from the school. I heard slokas from Bhagawad Gita. My grandmother asked me not to touch any clothes in the other bedroom where we store our clothes in the closet. We had to observe a 3-day maila of not using the clothes in that room.

I asked her 'what's going on?'.

'S uncle passed away'.

I wasn't sure how to react but was sad about it. Tears rolled later in the evening. I didn't go to his place for a last visit as I was scared of dead people. I hesitated to visit the verandah and never did after that day.

Death is a reminder for our mortality. Literally. Not really. Memories are a strange thing. They keep the dead alive.

If you have missed reading Part 1 of the series where we discussed the teaching methods in Andhra Pradesh schools, please read.

A hard working student just doesn't happen by-chance. Raghu's mother went on to speak about the lack of facilities in schools and I quote

"How does a student become a student? He becomes one by studying, playing, interacting with teachers and other students. Ground is the place where students interact. When they play a game, they learn from each other. If a student fails at a skill in a game, his friends teach him how they learnt that skill. This is collaborative and co-operative learning. They develop skills that aren't taught in a classroom. These days schools hardly have grounds. Where is the chance for a student to develop his extra-curricular skills?"

This whole perspective just blew me off as it came from a principal of a school. All this while, I thought only PET instructors understood the importance of sports for a student. I could totally relate to the views she shared. When I was in my high school, not too long ago - 10 years, our school ground was reduced to 1/4th of what it was when I was in 5th grade. Earlier, we had a huge football ground where we grabbed the opportunity to play Cricket and Football even in a 15-min short interval. We all looked forward to the lunch break as it was for 50 mins (50 mins of non-stop play. Imagine!).

She went on to talk about her niece who's doing her undergraduation in Tamil Nadu. Students in her college are apparently allowed to call home (mobile phones are banned) in the permitted one hour time 8-9 pm. Yes, if you're lucky enough to get a chance to call, you'll talk to your parents otherwise just sulk. This kind of restriction might not seem strange to many students in India as we're used to it from the childhood.

If we're to develop children as able-students, extra-curricular activities must be allowed for all-round development of the students.

I met Raghu's mother who flew to Richmond from Hyderabad few days back. After some introductions, we discussed the state of education system in Andhra Pradesh, my home state.

She's serving as a principal at a school back home. With years of experience behind her, she spoke how they train B.Ed. teachers. One such trainee teacher was apparently asked in her class by a student

'Why do birds fly and why don't we?'
'That's how it is. Don't think too much', the trainee teacher responded.

Raghu's mother explained the issues behind this approach. First, a student's curiosity is snapped in front of other curious students. The real danger is that these students might not ask similar questions that interest them. Second, if a teacher is ill-prepared herself how can she train future scientists? It was an example that I could relate to. I remember how I asked my lecturer about structures in a Data Structures course in 2005. I wasn't given a good explanation and I figured out I scored less than what I expected. I then hated structures in programming and it was not till recently that I understood the reason behind structures in C language. 

She went on to quote a few other examples. A student is taught that 1+1=2, 2+2=4 but not the reasoning behind it. No wonder then we produce students who can only memorize but unfit for applied fields. She said that parents, students rather, aren't that interested to learn. I said that a student is as interested as her student. She disagreed. She explained her reasoning. If students are taught concepts and example-based learning, if a student scores less in the exam where questions from the end of the chapter are asked, parents question principal and concerned teachers blaming them for unable to educate their children even after paying thousands of money. As a result, the student is taught questions at the end of the chapter. If a student fails to do a question, he is made to repeat the solution ten times. He eventually knows how to solve that particular question but hasn't exactly learnt anything.

 The situation is dire enough to care for the strategies to be changed.

P. S.  The part 2 of this post will focus on the facilities, or the lack of, in school that help a student develop.

I wanted to visit this lake for a long time and managed to visit the swan lake last Friday. I spent just about an hour in the lake. Here are some of the pictures

 

 

Date: 6th April 2012

Location: Swan Lake, Richmond.

Dear Delhi,

I have long known you as a vibrant city that is rich of culture, food and politics.

I am appalled at the crimes on girls in your city. Sneering men are now a thing of past. Rapist men are the in-thing now. Looks like the male pride operates in groups these days. Relative, acquaintance, teacher, father. Everyone wants to exploit.her. Each day I come across a news report on raped girl. Noida, Delhi, Gurgaon. 5-yr old, 15-yr old, 50-yr old. Place doesn't really matter nor does the age of the girl.

With statements like "girls should not wear provocative clothing to attract stranger eyes", I guess the administration isn't of much help. Pity them. No. We must pity ourselves for electing them.

Every city has its way of working.  I only hope you find your voice and crush the crimes on girls, for I think it is the most heinous crime on par with child abuse.

Yours,
A concerned Indian.

 

P.S: Drafted 15th March, 2012.

'How is she doing Doctor?'
'Okay.'
'How long does she have?'
'Two years. Mostly.'

What does death mean to you? That, 'everyone has to die some day'? What if the person dying is your mother? Words stumble, future seems like there's none, daily chores no longer seem appealing, food tastes bland, life loses meaning, everything seems lost.

I don't think any pain is more than watching your mother suffer. The one who was perfectly alright an year ago is struggling to maintain her body weight. That body has already absorbed millions of rays hoping to kill the cells. The one who managed the entire household for years together, now requires a person to take care of her dedicatedly. Round the clock. Isn't death more easy than watching her suffer?

Death puts many things in perspective. We tend to realize what we left behind and what left us behind. Be it the well-spent childhood or your mother's pat on your back when you failed or a friend's presence that is history now.

No matter what others will say, the loss of a loved one is the most painful emotion a human can go through.

Another death. Another condemnation. Yet life goes on India. The dead can be a woman or a child or even an IPS officer. We have become immune to the deaths by illegal deeds.

Mr. Narendra Kumar is a young, 30 years, IPS officer. He must have worked really hard to become an IPS officer. He must have been an honest officer, I assume. Hence, the murder. He was run over by a tractor. BJP has termed his death unforunate. His death is not unfortunate but yes, it is unfortunate that you were elected by us. Yes, it is unfortunate that you rule us not as leaders but as politicians. Yes, it is unfortunate that you do nothing to stop these atrocities.

Last month a journalist, Chandrika Rai, and his family (wife, son and daughter) were murdered allegedly by mining mafia. He wrote extensively on illegal mining in Madhya Pradesh. The Hindu reports of three different angles including a land dispute case. I doubt it though. What does the mafia think? Silence the pen and the words stop? I believe more must have been killed but might not have been reported. Last week it has been reported that the case has been solved and Mr. Rai's driver murdered the whole family for money. How convenient! Police have claimed other solutions too.

The truth is the death of Chandrika Rai and his family has been covered up. A colorful mask has been given to the murders. There is a good chance that Mr. Kumar's death will be hushed up. P Sainath in his book, Everybody loves a good drought, wrote that we have reduced the deaths of farmers to mere events when they are really an outcome of government policies. I think we can add the deaths of honest officers and journalists to this list. Journalists have been silenced by threats and murders. Sincere officers have been blackmailed or murdered. Of what freedom and work ethic are we discussing in India? It might not be out of context to recollect what Rabindrath Tagore wrote.

Where head is held high and mind is without fear... Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, lead my country.

If only he envisioned mining mafia, insensitive leaders politicians, greedy media and corrupt bureaucrats before penning it.

Late Mr. Kumar's wife is pregnant. I only hope she has enough strength to cope with the immense loss. I suppose this is Madhya Pradesh government's gift to her on Women's day. Thank you for your services Mr. Kumar. May your honest deeds speak for you.

Image Credit: http://iastoppersstory.blogspot.com/2012/03/young-ips-officer-narendra-kumar-singh.html

Dr. Kecman in last Thursday's class described a situation in jungle.

Sick of its slave life, Rabbit decided to be the king of jungle. It asked everyone about the procedure to become a king. None except the Fox offered him any advice. The fox then spoke

become a bear. Then you will be the king of jungle

Rabbit--happy with the advice--left the Fox only to return few days later.

but how do I become a bear?

Fox replied - I have given you the big picture, don't bother me with details

The same evening, my advisor explained us his brand new idea and a colleague asked him but how do we it? His reply wasn't any different, I gave you the big picture. Do you want me to explain the details?

The story though short throws light on our thought process to decide something. For me, it offered a whole new dimension to my thinking.

Has this story offered you anything?

This post is happy to be out of drafts. Duration -> 3 months!

Everyone has an opinion on god. So do I.

I have been praying to god right from my childhood. I was told that there are many gods and that I can pray to any god I liked. I was taught some mantras to chant after bathing every morning. I continued reciting them until very recently. I had my upanayanam** done in Feb 2006. I was taught the gayatri mantra to be recited every day for 108 times for my own good. I did not know the power of the mantra then. I visited hanuman temple everyday with friends. Some days for the love of god and other for the love of prashad. Prayers then became discrete. I used to pray for most part of the week but missed some days. Then, visits to temple happened only on Tuesdays. Days turned weeks. Visits to temple stopped totally. All the while, I thought why do people believe in god? What is the need to bow your head before someone else? No answers. Yet.

I cherished the visits to temples especially Tirupati. No temple could give me the kind of peace the abode of Lord Venkateswara at Tirupati gave me. 'May be god exists'. Back to Hyderabad and after couple of weeks, arose the question 'does god exist?' Such questions arose, may be, when I was in 9th standard. I then wondered why do people put on their best dress when they go to temple? What's the fuss about Muslims, Hindus and Christians? Why can't there be just one religion? Somewhere around that time, I watched an ANR movie in which he starts a school for children where they didn't know what their religion was. They grow well without disputes until the day they are aware of their group. I liked the idea.

I began to look for answers. I am no great sage. Not even a devoted pilgrim. From what I understand, god is a man created myth to ensure men and women fear something. Why? To ensure peace, may be. To reduce violence, may be. To increase the reach of their beliefs, may be. May be to spread fear (I don't think this way though). If god is not real, then who are Rama and Krishna? From what I understand, they are ordinary men but are gifted just as how Einstein, Bohr, Feynman, Hawking (in Science), Ramanujan (in Mathematics) are. Rama and Krishna might have foreseen what others have failed to. They might have done what others might not even comprehend. They might have been gifted like no other man in this world at that time was. They must have had honed their skills over time and fought wars to prove their worth. May be greatness was imposed on them to inspire future generations. May be they were recreated as gods to ensure world peace.

For example, consider how greatness is imposed on a human. Consider Sachin Tendulkar. He was hailed as a child prodigy when he scored huge number of runs at a young age. He was termed a 'Icon'. Soon, he gathered all skills in the game. He was termed a 'Master', then 'Maestro'. He then achieved what none others in the game have. He was then hailed as a 'God'. We all know Sachin is no god (by usual definitions of God even by loose standards). I am not at all suggesting here that Sachin Tendulkar is a god. Rather, it cannot be denied that legend is created over time. Myth becomes reality. A fact that none can dare to question. Tales will be created of how great they were! And so on.

In the meanwhile, I read about the life of Buddha and his teachings. It is interesting and surprising to know that he forgave everything he had (a lovely marriage life and kingdom) to become a monk. Buddha's life is a must read for all religion followers. Then I heard Kamal Hassan say 'religion never helped people in the last 2000 years' after reading riot news in Godhra. I agreed with him. RGV doesn't even care about God. My mother says '...they might have given a supernatural force a name'. May be she is right. May be none is right.

Now, I am not sure which god I pray to. But I like Krishna and Venkateswara. Krishna because of the mystic surrounding him and Venkateswara because of the spiritual experience in Tirupati. I am reading different versions of Mahabharata to create my own opinion on Krishna. All I know is that chantings give me peace. They calm me down. I practice Gayatri Mantra. It helps me focus and reassess my priorities.

In between my search for God, a meaning for life, reasons for religion and caste, listening fairy tales, reading epics, observing fortune and poverty, and riots, I have lost faith in religion and caste. I developed compassion.

** For those who do not know what upanayanam is, it is a ritual apparently more powerful than marriage itself. It is not difficult to see why as it helped me grow as a person.

I am able to generate pdf from pdflatex but the issue of embedded fonts wouldn't be solved. So I used command line operations to fix this.

Source:

http://www.grassbook.org/neteler/highres_pdf.html