Remembering Maqbool Sherwani

Here's an excerpt from a book I'm reading. The author, a Kashmiri Pandit, is recollecting his Maternal uncle's description of the 1947 Pashtun tribal invasion that he experienced first hand in Baramulla.

Here goes:

"When he learnt about the tribal invasion, (Maqbool) Sherwani rode out on his horse, going from village to village, urging people, particularly the Pandits, not to leave. He had been galvanizing people to put up a brave front against the Invaders. His party had coined a slogan to instill confidence among the people.

Hamlawar khabardaar, hum Kashmiri hein tayyar.

O invader beware, we Kashmiris are ready for you.

But when it became clear that the lives of many people were in jeopordy because thousands of tribesmen were approaching, he decided to sabotage their advance. For the invaders, reaching Srinagar was important and they were using local guides to show them the way. Through his network, Sherwani misguided the tribals, causing them to lose crucial time. But eventually, they saw through his trickery and captured him. He was dragged to a hillock where nails were hammered into his hands. ... 'Victory to Hindu-Muslim unity', Sherwani had shouted. A squad of invaders pumped bullets into his body ... "

Everyone needs to absorb the above. Maqbool Sherwani died protecting Kashmiri Pandits. He could have taken the easy way out, saved his own life, and just not cared. But he didn't. He did what was right.

He was a man.

And I'm willing to bet there are many many Maqbool Sherwanis in our midst yet. We need to learn from them. All of us: Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Jews, Atheists, Agnostics, ... We commit ourselves to protecting each other, and we are set. No one will be able to make us kill each other ever again. No one.

Gurukuls

The word Guru is made of two parts: Gu (Darkness) and Ru (Remover of).

Guru *literally* means remover of darkness.

And this country was a land of Gurukuls. At a certain age, parents used to send their children to Gurukuls for their education. And this was not just education in different subjects (which was of course very strong : read the history of ancient India to understand how knowledge thrived here) : the Gurus was entrusted with the task of moulding the very character of their disciples.

Needless to say, Gurus were expected to demonstrate the highest level of mastery in their subjects and impeccable character traits. This is of course everyone's favourite part 😊.

But I've also just used the word disciple. It derives from discipline. Without discipline, the mind is one big mess. You know it already if you've observed your mind. A messy mind can only absorb knowledge messily. And if you've been observant, you also know the truth of this in the society around you. There are very very very few people in society today who have mastery over any subject. Mastery over their minds is a far cry. And this reflects in all aspects of their lives and all decisions they make for themselves or others.

A willingness to be disciplined is the first step in one's quest for knowledge. Without it, mediocrity in one's subjects as well as all aspects of one's life is the only possibility.

Introspect honestly and you will see the truth of this: Times in your life when you've approached your education with a sense of discipline : you've absorbed knowledge. Times when you've not been disciplined : you've just gotten by somehow.

And parents used to know that their attachment to their children will come in the way of disciplining them at home. Hence the concept of "students staying at Gurukuls 24x7". This was the philosophy behind residential campuses. Extreme circumstances aside, parents trusted teachers and did not start jumping up and down every time their children came cribbing and complaining to them. They knew that interfering with how teachers do their job is detrimental to the teacher-student relationship and their children's education.

That's what residential campuses were all about! They were Gurukuls!

And just look at what we have done with them!

The culture of Gurukuls has to arrive back in our country.

Teachers in schools and colleges have to exhibit the stature of a Guru and students have to become disciples.

Our understanding of educational institutions has to go through a dramatic shift. We have to stop thinking of teachers as "service providers". They offer knowledge : the most precious entity in the whole of existence! Vidya-Daanam (the offering of knowledge) was considered higher than even Anna-Daanam (the offering of food). And the Sanskrit translation of student is "Vidyaarthi" : One who finds one's Arth (very sense of purpose) in Vidya (Knowledge). That is the sense of reverence with which knowledge has to be received and the depth of gratitude and respect that one owes his or her teachers, i.e. Gurus.

[I also invite you to read: Strike a Pause: Vidyaarthi (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)]

Vidyaarthi

The word "Student" translates to "Vidyaarthi" in Sanskrit.

Vidyaarthi itself is a composite of two words: Vidya and Arth.

Vidya stands for Knowledge.

Arth for Meaning or Purpose.

That's been the status accorded to students in this part of the world: They who find their very purpose or meaning in knowledge.

Once you have identified your interests and chosen your field of study: Complete immersion in your subjects : body, mind, heart and soul. All the way. Just like being in love. Complete immersion. Complete absorption.

Do you see what I'm saying? Can you feel how elevated the status of students has been in this part of the world? So profound, so sacred.

Our schools, colleges and campuses can become temples of knowledge if we but just reignite these notions in our thoughts.

[I also invite you to read: Strike a Pause: Gurukuls (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)]

Brain over Brawn

If you have time to do both: workout physically as well as engage with finer things in life like pursuing literature or art, playing music, being scientifically curious, by all means, do both.

But push come to shove, say you have limited time and have to choose between working out extensively on the one hand vs spending time with literature, music, art, science, on the other : what would you choose?

I would highly recommend more of the latter :) with a bit of the former :) !

Sure you need to do a little bit to keep the body healthy, keep yourself from piling on the pounds, and your muscles toned - but just as much is needed ought to be enough :) !

Your intellectual, aesthetic and spiritual growth is far more important!

As a friend once remarked: These "gymming shymming dudes" who've never read a book aren't very smart. At the end of it all, they are neither left with their "stud bodies" nor have they grown intellectually or aesthetically! What a waste!

I agree with him 100%.

We keep our bodies fit so that we have the capability of pursuing something higher! We are not just our bodies! "Shaping our bodies" is not an end in itself!

A Strange Apology [Diary Recollection]

This is a diary recollection from an institute I've taught at. The decision to not name the institute is deliberate as I think the issue I try to highlight is more generic and fairly widespread in society today.

----

(Date Removed)

Just had a mighty strange experience...

Went to our canteen to pick up a cup of coffee. There's this small round revolving gate through which one has to pass to enter the canteen area. As I was going through it my foot hit the gate quite hard and I yelped "Aaahhh Ouch!". And I just stopped momentarily to see if I had any cut that I needed to attend to. (Thankfully, not.)

Right at that time there was a student coming in the opposite direction. What would be a normal reaction to expect?

"Oh, Sir, are you alright?". Correct?

Nope. She just stood there with a scoffing expression and body language that seemed like an exercise of patience on her part!

I suppose I picked up the vibe and said "Sorry". Just imagine that! I was feeling pain and came to the point of feeling the need to say sorry for sort of stopping someone's walk for a few seconds!

Burst into laughter when I got back to my office!

This is ridiculous!

I interact with many people every day and often get the impression that our value system has gone totally upside down! This was just one example that made the point a bit emphatically.

I hope people can see that this is unsustainable if we want to maintain a civilized society. I mean what is this going to extrapolate to if we don't correct course now?

Sometimes I wonder, don't parents teach anything at home any more?

----

The Easy Path To Evolution: Foreign Accents

There's a whole range of people in India who speak with a foreign accent:

At one end of the extreme are people who have lived for several years in some foreign country, and it has just so happened that an accent has rubbed off on them over time without them making any explicit attempt at acquiring one.

This is perhaps the one set of people that can be excused from being called pretentious. Although having lived for eleven years straight in the US of A without picking up one myself, I personally don't understand why one would necessarily pick up accents, except for maybe pronouncing a few words here and there differently.

Then there are people who, you know, maybe go for a few weeks to some other country : and when they come back, well, they have to let everyone know, so ...

Then there are people who go to the international terminal of an airport to receive a guest. And that's it. They quite suddenly "evolve".

This is where I used to stop my list some years ago. I have recently added a new category:

TV Show Accent Educated.

To all of you who are going about throwing the weight of your accented English around:

Please, for your own kind sakes, stop 😂. You are *not* coming along as being more intelligent or educated just because you've picked up a pseudo-accent 😁. Quite on the contrary, you come across as being pretentious and "snooty without due cause". It only diminishes your personality.

I wish your friends would tell this to your face, but they are possibly afraid of offending you and losing your friendship. I carry no such fears 😊.

PS: And all those schools in India who've now made an American accent an understood prerequisite to get a job as an English instructor: You should be ashamed of yourselves! You and I both know that you are putting aside perfectly good applications from well educated and well cultured individuals simply because they speak their English without Americanizing it. Please stop encouraging this lack of self respect in our students and society at large.

Shoes Of National Importance

There is Nike, there is Adidas, there is Reebok, there is BATA (not an Indian company by the way), there are, I am sure, more companies in other parts of the world that produce footwear that is superior to any brand sourcing from India.

I'm not talking about exploitation of labour and other such issues at any of these places. I've read news reports on those issues too and am as concerned as anyone else. And yes, I do take all this into account when deciding on the brand I buy.

I'm simply talking about quality of these brands being better than any Indian brand that at least I'm aware of.

Now how do we fix this? Read the below very very carefully:

(No, I'm not suggesting we do the below. I'm being sarcastic about such stuff starting to happen. If you find it difficult to believe, please do feel free to google.)

Apparently by offering Bachelor of Design and Bachelor of Technology courses in Footwear Technology!

Wait, it doesn't stop here.

In 2017 our parliament passed an act: The Footwear Design and Development Institute Act and listed this "Institute" as an Institute Of National Importance. The parliament!

Can it get any more ridiculous?

Burying my head in the pillow right now and punching my bed with muffled screams of No, No, No...

Never Too Late!

Here is a link to an article that's important to read in my opinion:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_bloomer.

To quote from the article:

"Although there is a common perception that intellectual development peaks in a young adult and then slowly declines with increasing age, this may be simplistic. Although the ability to form new memories and concepts may indeed diminish, the older person has the advantage of accumulated knowledge, associations between concepts, and mental techniques that may give them an advantage in some fields."

Puts a question mark on our notions regarding "timelines of success" and the rigidity with which some seem to think of these timelines, doesn't it?

*You*, Yes *you*, If there is something you have been wanting to do, and are getting bogged down with the notion that it might be "too late" to have a go at it, dismiss that notion. Dismiss it. Give yourself a fair shot. You deserve that as much as anyone else.

Knowledge First!

"When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground." -- Old African Proverb.

This is how much knowledge used to be valued 😊!

We kind of miss it nowadays, right 😊? The pleasure of living in a society where we are surrounded by deeply knowledgeable people, where conversations would be enlightening, and "grace" would be in the air.

The fix 😊? Easy 😊:

Step 1: You make sure that *you* are deeply knowledgeable and graceful. Choice of field absolutely yours! Science, arts, philosophy, music, ...

Step 2: The amount of prestige we attach to "being wealthy" : attach it to "being knowledgeable" as well.

In fact, knowledge first - then wealth. Let me explain this by asking a simple question:

Ever met really rich people who are absolutely uneducated and brutish in their behavior? Can't stand them, right?

On the other hand, simple middle class folks who are knowledgeable and graceful. Absolute pleasure to be around, right?

So what's more desirable, more valuable?

First knowledge, then wealth. That's the correct order. Both at an individual as well as societal level. First knowledge, then wealth.

[I also take this opportunity to advocate the setting up of excellent public libraries in each village, town and city in our country. Here is a link that explains this beautiful concept in detail: Public library - Wikipedia. In fact, this is a phenomenon I would love to see spread around the world!]

No Shortcuts Ahead

Every time you come across someone who is better than you (in any sense: physical fitness, intellectual sharpness, material richness, spiritual advancement) you have two options to choose from, and this choice will shape and define your character perhaps more than anything else. The options are:

1) You work on improving yourself: Exercise, study, develop a better economic sense, work harder, meditate more, serve more. Improve yourself and try to become as good as or better than whoever you feel is ahead of you in any sense.

2) Try to trip others or pull them down so that you can get ahead.

If you choose the first option, you are guaranteed to improve (in fact this is the only way you can improve).

If you choose the second option, you will stay weak, mediocre and unevolved. This may seem like a shortcut to success. But all it will lead to is a dead end. You will stay where you are in terms of competence and capability and people you trip will simply get up, brush away the dust, and progress again.

You may be faced with this choice many many times in life. Choose correctly each and every time and just trust yourself and do the best you can. You will live an awesome life!

Humility: The Basis Of Sincerity

The first and foremost condition to live an honest and sincere life is to have the humility to accept when you are wrong or not up to the mark in something and need to work at it and improve : maybe not in the open every time, but certainly within to yourself.

A lot of people associate a sense of embarrassment or shame with the above (this has happened to me too a couple of times!).

And that starts a vicious circle: you don't accept your mistake : you try to cover it up or put up a pretense : maybe you lie : worse, you cook up a justification within and continue with your weakness instead of improving yourself.

I can tell you from personal experience that humility actually makes life simpler. There have been times when I have made a mistake while teaching. And every single time, the minute I accepted it students understood and were cool about it. There have been times when I didn't know the answer to a question asked in class. Again, students have always been cool about it when I simply said : "Hmmm, I don't know the answer right now. Let me get to it in the next class." (Of course, such things cannot happen too often and one has to prepare well for class 😊.)

In music, there are so many things I'm not up to the mark on. And the only way I can actually become better is when I accept where I'm lacking and actually work at it. Else I'll just kid myself into thinking I'm all good and play limited stuff all my life. What's the point 😊?

Just a bit of humility and commitment to becoming better every day, and the journey starts becoming so much more fulfilling 😊.

(Note: The humility I'm talking about above has to go hand in hand with a constant effort to be the best one can be. Otherwise even humility can become pretentious.)

The Power Of Renunciation

Renunciation doesn't just mean wearing the ochre robes, although the institution of Sannyaas is by all means an honourable one if embraced with the right intention (a renunciation of material aspirations to live a life focused on a quest for knowledge and committed to service), with due thought and mental preparation, complete integrity, and under the guidance of a spiritual teacher whose purity of character and depth of spiritual realization is well established.

The spirit of renunciation also signifies a capacity to say "Fine, I don't want this, that and the other" if one is required to conduct oneself in a manner that is not palatable or compromise on one's integrity or self respect to achieve any material goal or attain to any post or status.

At any such juncture, if you can say "In that case, I would rather not have it" and continue to live with a sense of contentment and happiness, then the capacity to do so will give you a poise, dignity and mental strength that nothing else can.

Your greatest strength lies in the power to renounce when required.

Everything Is In Abundance!

There is enough on this planet, much much more than enough, for everyone to eat to their fill, be healthy, live under a good roof, live a good life, and pursue knowledge and their interests.

What more could anyone want?

Everything has already been provided in abundance.

This is already known.

Yet, blood thirst and violence on this planet does not cease.

Why is that?

Again, the answer is already known.

Jammin'. Not Competin'.

That there below is a picture with all the musicians who performed at this competition I judged at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad a couple of years ago. Incredible talent! I'm looking forward to some really cool music coming from these guys in the years to come!

That said, as far as music competitions go (or any kind of art competition for that matter), as promised, here are my remarks:

They don't make any sense at all 😊! Music is not about competing, it's about expressing yourself, finding other people who you vibe with, then expressing collectively. Every musician has his or her own personality, every band has its own personality, and the point is to bring that out to the fullest extent possible and put it out there.

Likewise with theatre competitions, likewise with art competitions, likewise with dance competitions. Why bring the coarseness of comparisons, evaluations and competitiveness in fields that are essentially about expressing humanity? If you love your art, then just work on it with all your heart and soul just for the love of it and put it out there, and make the world a more beautiful place to live in!

Just figure out what you love, find your calling, and pour yourself heart and soul into it. Work hard, work very very hard, but do so for the love of it, to make this world a more beautiful place, a more livable place not to get a first prize in some competition 😊!

As the Hungarian composer Bela Bartok famously remarked: "Competitions are for horses, not artists."

Then when we are old fuddy duddies (as an erstwhile colleague used to remark good humouredly) and hobble about on our walking sticks (my addition 😊), we can tap our sticks on the floor and go "Oh yeah, you bet I've "lived"!".

That's what it's about man 😊! Or at least that's my conviction and that's how I live my life 😊!

It's about Jammin' 😊. Not Competin' 😊!

PS-1: Don't even get me started on those god forsaken personality and beauty competitions 😏! If you are being authentic, are beautiful within and are living with energy and zest and loving people around you, you are beautiful, you have a rocking personality 😊! And that's that 😊!

PS-2: The purpose of this post is to emphasize a thought process. Yet, if you are an artist who needs to compete in order to survive and thrive in today's world, then you need to do that. It's a rough world for art and artists anyway. Don't compromise with your art - but don't harm yourself by not participating either.

Perfection.

I congratulate you
On having lived all your life
Perfectly and flawlessly.
 
No such misfortune here 😊.
 
Each stumble has made me more alert
Each mistake pushed the introspections deeper
Drew out the fire of honesty
The desire to polish my character.

And some wisdom I suppose.

Most of all
The humility
Of having known that I have erred
And so may you too.

This humility makes me
Feel human
And that somehow
Feels beautiful.

I congratulate you
On having lived all your life
Perfectly and flawlessly.

As for me
I wouldn't trade a moment
Of all the follies of my past
For anything flawless

Or perfect 😊.
 
(Have you, by the way? Lived all your life perfectly, flawlessly? And if you stand today, continuously demanding perfection and flawlessness from others at every step, without the empathy to understand, the sympathy to share a bit of pain, and the compassion to forgive others a bit as long as they are trying to improve and evolve, then is that perfection of living on your part? Hmmm?)

Rethinking College Festivals

No 😊, this is not a post against college level cultural, literary and sports festivals. As the title states, its simply a nudge towards rethinking how we go about them 😊!

I started my academic career in India in 2007 at IIT Delhi. Subsequently I've taught at IIT Kanpur, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, IIIT Delhi, IIT Goa and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. Over all these years and across all these institutes I've had an opportunity to observe students closely, critically evaluate how they fared in courses I taught, how much course material they were able to absorb and how well, and try and organize my thoughts vis a vis improvements that can be made at systemic levels to enhance academic standards without foregoing extra curricular interests and pursuits.

First and foremost: Is there a problem with things as they stand today?

One critical observation I've made is that there are many many students who are extremely bright and talented but still display serious gaps in their grasp of concepts in different courses during exams, as well as in an overall sense in their field when its time to graduate and move into the real world. This is, of course, a cause for serious concern! If colleges and universities are sending out graduates who aren't prepared to contribute to society through different professions, they aren't serving the purpose they were established for. And with a dodgy workforce, standards start dipping in different fields - something that is outright staring at us in our faces today.

Now, to try and correct this one often hears arguments against the presence of extra curricular activities in educational institutions. I have never supported such arguments. Quite on the contrary, I'm someone who has benefited from the same in my college days : I learnt how to play the guitar and still pursue this interest very very seriously.

I've also had the opportunity to experience life in some extremely good universities in the US. There too, there is ample presence of extra curricular activities. Pretty much any pursuit you can think of : sports, music, martial arts, dramatics, literary activities, dance, ... : you'll find student clubs with tremendous participation!

However, one difference between universities in the US and India, and I think this is a critically important difference that needs to be pointed out and highlighted, is this:

It is absolutely out of the question that academic activities are suspended even for one day for a cultural/ literary/sports festival when the semester is running. No one misses classes for weeks together because they are involved in "organizing" festivals, going for meetings with sponsors, etc. And no one gets permission to miss classes because they are traveling to participate in cultural festivals elsewhere.

Yes, there is an intense presence of extra curricular activities. But "on your own time please" - not at the expense of academic commitments. Period.

Extra Curricular stays exactly that: "Extra" Curricular.

So does this mean we need to do away with college festivals? No.

An arrangement that could work out beautifully in my opinion is:

A) During academic semesters: Inter Hostel / Inter Department competitions continue as they are.

B) Larger scale "Zonal Festivals" (North / South / East / West) get organized during summer and winter breaks. Students from different institutes in a zone collectively organize their zonal festival while inviting participation from colleges and universities across the country.

This is one possible way to continue to have extra curricular pursuits in educational institutions as well as festivals where the youth from different parts of the country can come together to interact culturally, literally, athletically, etc. - but without "sinks of time" popping up during the semester that disrupt the academic rhythm : which of course needs to stay on a higher priority!

I think this is a shift we need to make. There's just too much wastage of time in our educational institutions during academic sessions/semesters towards "organizing" events or going for festivals in other institutes. Lectures and tutorials are missed during the semester. Students "switch off" academically for weeks together only to somehow scramble to pass exams when they come around. This eventually leads to gaps in knowledge that inevitably lead to poor performance during college years as well as in one's professional life.

The shift suggested above is a reasonable one in my opinion and addresses an academic problem without taking away extra curricular pursuits and joys. Hopefully this post starts off discussions in different academic institutions.

A Case Of Courts Weakening Institutes

This post is regarding a new report that you can read here: IIT Kanpur: HC revokes suspension of IIT-Kanpur students | Allahabad News - Times of India (indiatimes.com)

From whatever I know about why these students were suspended, this decision of the Allahabad HC was an absolute shame. If institutes are not allowed to take firm disciplinary measures when needed and are made to bend like this, they have little hope of maintaining high standards of discipline on their campuses. And without discipline, where is disciple-ship? Without disciple-ship, where education?

I hope IITK takes this to the Supreme Court. Win or lose, it doesn't matter. Worthwhile fights for justice must be fought till the end. Always.

Power And The Act Of Saying No

The easiest way to express or demonstrate power is to say "No". Regardless of whether a request is legitimate or not, and you know that within, if you say "No" you demonstrate power.

This is the easiest way, but it's also the cheapest and most meaningless way 😊. You *think* this brings you respect, but that's not true. It only brings you contempt. People only behave submissively in front of you while your position of power lasts. Behind you they only ridicule you, laugh at you and curse you 😊. Everyone knows this 😊.

The only way to get respect is by being fair. When you have to say no, if the request being made is illegitimate, say no and be firm about it. But whenever you can say yes, whenever you can enable someone's idea or aspiration or desire to do something creative and meaningful, say yes. As long as a request is legitimate and makes sense, use your administrative intelligence to find a way to approve instead of reject.

Such an expression of power will always bring you respect. People working under you will feel a sense of ease, happiness and fulfilment. And this always brings respect.

Do you see what I'm saying?

Character Before Knowledge

In the olden days when education was imparted at Gurukuls (Rough translation: Hermitages), the Guru (Teacher) used to take a decision on who to impart knowledge to, and who not, based on the character of the aspirant. If the Guru felt the student was not ready yet or would misuse the knowledge imparted, the student would need to work on refining his or her character further to the Guru's satisfaction before he or she would get instructed in different subjects.

I think this made sense. A whole lot of the mess we are in today globally is because people with dishonorable intentions have access to knowledge and they misuse it to exploit people and nature simply for selfish gains.

When I finished high school, we were issued character certificates that were needed to secure admission in college. I think we need to increase our emphasis on this modality.

A sound value education in early school years alongside basic instruction in different subjects, observation by teachers regarding how one is responding to different situations and the character being displayed, and an issuance of a character certificate if a student is thought of as someone who will contribute positively to society and is ready to receive more advanced knowledge. Admission in college only if one receives a positive character certificate. Else, the concerned student needs to spend more time in school till he or she is ready to move forward.

If we implement such a scheme sincerely, I think we could start directing our knowledge and resources to better ends than we are today and overall move towards living in a more enlightened and evolved society.

Note:

A student remarked that the above can become a real proposition if we do two things: 1) Dramatically improve the teacher-student ratio in our schools so that students can more get individual attention (this would be a good thing anyway) and 2) Move away from institutions that provide education "for-profit" (this too would be a good thing anyway 😊!).

Conviction Vs Arrogance

To live a life of conviction is a good thing. Going on swaying whichever way the wind blows without being clear about oneself and what one stands for is a sort of mental weakness in my book. So if you are convinced you are right about something, stand your ground no matter who is standing in opposition.

But this same capability of holding on to a conviction can turn into arrogance if one doesn't carry a spirit of humility alongside.

One of the clearest expressions of humility and humanity is to accept when one is wrong (when one realizes so for himself or herself and not just because someone else says so :)!) and change for the better. As soon as we realize we have made a mistake, we simply accept it and correct ourselves. That's it. Plain, simple and gracious. No drama.

With such a mindset, much is possible. There is no limit to how much we can evolve and how fast we can do so. And in the process, we do more good to the world and less harm. It's a win-win situation.

I often come across people who can't do this. It's almost as if they feel that there is some victory to be had in sticking to a stance even after it is clear that they are wrong. There is nothing to be gained with such an attitude. One only delays one's own evolution as well as creates discomfort and stress in one's environment.

This is true for everyone, but I think it's particularly important for people in positions of power to bear this in mind. In fact I think it's critical for people holding positions of power to keep some people nearby who aren't afraid to disagree and voice alternate opinions. At the end of the day you have all the authority to take decisions based on your best understanding anyway. And once you take a decision, sure, stick to it. That brings stability. But going over different viewpoints before taking a decision can be a good thing in my book. It can serve as a very useful check against moving in incorrect directions for long periods of time : ourselves as well as the systems we govern and administer.

Am I making sense here?

Along Your Journey To Success :)

If you have an interest or passion for something and want to make progress in it, here are a couple of tips that might help:

1) Take care of yourself. That's the first thing. If your health suffers, you won't have the energy to pursue your interest.

 2) Work hard. No matter how talented you are, there is an infinite distance to cover ahead. That's the beauty of knowledge in any field. It's endless. There's always a new composition to compose, always a new painting to paint, always a new scientific question to ask. So wherever you are in your journey right now, hard work needs to stay with you right till the end.

3) Stay authentic. Stay real. Everyone figures out when you are fudging :).

4) Stay humble :). No one likes arrogant pricks. No one :).

5) Stay alert. Jealousy is the bane of the human species. When you start to get good at something, don't be surprised if attempts to trip your journey start alongside. Not everyone has the maturity to simply acknowledge that someone else is better and just appreciate him or her (and maybe learn from them and improve oneself :)). It's sad that it's this way but that's just how it is :). So *you* need to stay alert and keep making progress.

6) Keep an open mind to suggestions that come your way but at the end of the day do what you are convinced about. It's *your* life, it's *your* passion you are pursuing, and it's expression needs to be authentically *yours*.

[I also invite you to read the following three posts:

Strike a Pause: Choosing A Career Path After 12th Grade (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)

Strike a Pause: On Changing Career Paths And Academic Directions (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)

Strike a Pause: A Strategy To Address Economic Concerns In Non-Engineering / Non-Medical Careers. (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)]

The Abomination Called Beauty Pageants!

Here's a news article I came across some time ago:

https://beautypageants.indiatimes.com/Urvashi-Rautela-awarded-Youngest-Most-Beautiful-woman-in-the-Universe/eventshow/64031163.cms

As you will see if you follow that link, someone has been judged to be the "youngest most beautiful woman in the universe".

I continue to be confounded by beauty pageants and what they stand for. On the one hand: "Don't objectify women. Don't stereotype beauty." On the other: "This is what we mean by beauty: Just this skin tone and just this breast and waist size, yaadi yaadi yaa..."

Likewise for competitions involving the male gender!

This is plain schizophrenic behaviour man :)! There's beauty all around and to each of us, his or her lover is beautiful/handsome.

Left to me, I would replace beauty pageants with compassion pageants. With no regards to gender, race, religion or colour : recognize and appreciate as many acts of compassion and kindness around the world every year as you can.

We all want a more humane and compassionate society than today, one that is capable of some depth of thought and sentiment. I tell you: shift the spotlight and social thought shall shift. Once thought shifts, actions will follow.

Am I making sense here?

Academic Models Vs Business Models

Academic Models and Business Models differ at a very fundamental level.

The underlying principle of business models is: Money In Money Out.

In academics, the underlying principle is: Money In Knowledge Out.

Knowledge is important in both its aspects: Pure as well as Applied.

"To Know" is important in itself. It's important that we move towards a more knowledgeable and enlightened society.

And when one applies knowledge, the goal once again is to do so through services and products that help mankind. That's the goal. Revenue generation, to whatever extent possible, happens in the process. It's not the goal in itself.

Do you see what I'm saying?

[I also take this opportunity to advocate the setting up of excellent public libraries in each village, town and city in our country. Here is a link that explains this beautiful concept in detail: Public library - Wikipedia. In fact, this is a phenomenon I would love to see spread around the world!]

Three Valuable C's

Three C's that I value deeply:

Curiosity

Creativity

Compassion

Stay curious about who you are and the world you live in, stay creative and bring forth your ideas on how to make this world a more beautiful and better place to be in, and keep sending out waves of compassion in your thoughts, words and actions.

Nurture these three C's within you and you should be fine :).

[And for those who might be inclined towards becoming entrepreneurs at some point in their lives, you could also add:

Compassionate Entrepreneurship: What do I mean by this: Try and hit three targets with one dart : (1) You need to make money, Yes. Try and achieve this while: (2) Creating as many jobs as you can, and (3) Through an enterprise that does something to make this world a more beautiful place. It could be at the level of physical health and fitness through better medical facilities, setting up Yoga parlours and gymnasiums, food products that are rich in nutrition; or it could be at the field of education and knowledge; or art and music; or through products and services that make life a bit more trouble free and convenient.]

"Art Nationalism" Is Stupid

One of the biggest misconceptions that can enter the world of art is that of "nationalism". Let me explain:

You don't choose art your art form(s), your art form(s) choose you.

There are Americans and Europeans learning Indian classical music today and there are jazz and western classical musicians coming from India.

This is absolutely fine. In fact it is an artist's first responsibility to be absolutely innocent about what moves him / her and what finds expression through him / her.

Just be honest and open yourself to art from all parts of the world, including your own. And let the response be completely organic. See what moves you, what you want to do from your heart. Don't come in your own or anyone else's way.

I emphasize: Be honest to the core. You don't have to be Indian or Turkish or Japanese in your art just because you are born in India, Turkey or Japan. There is no such obligation on you at all. At the same time, don't fall in the trap of practicing a foreign art form just because it's "socially cooler" to do so.

And no, there's no requirement to choose just one either. More than one art forms can choose you too! It has happened to me! There are at least four different forms of music that I'm in love with and I incorporate all of them in my practice and playing.

Be absolutely free. Absolutely honest. That's an artist's first responsibility.

And work hard to perfect your art 😊. That's an artist's lifetime commitment 😊.

Why Do Weekly And Daily Planners Work?

Everyone hears about the benefits of planning out a week's tasks and chalking out daily schedules. Here's the reason this works to the best of my understanding:

When you sit down to plan out your week / day, you do so *consciously*. You are mindful of your goals, summon relevant memories, and concentrate your mind. This activates your intelligence, brings clarity of thought, and you will be able to put down plans that will take you towards accomplishing your objectives.

On the other hand, if we go through our life without this kind of planning, it's possible to just drift from day to day, week to week, month to month, in an aimless way, without really accomplishing anything. Life can just get wasted lounging around, being lazy, having meaningless conversations. I call this *unconscious* living and we need to avoid it.

Chalk out the coming week as best as you can every Sunday night. And spend about fifteen minutes every morning to sketch out your day. Then *stick* to these plans. Don't procrastinate! That's the biggest stupidity you can indulge in. Don't say "Let me watch a movie today, I'll do this tomorrow, I'll do that next week". No. Watch a movie when it's time to watch a movie. Schedule that in as well :)! For me, the movie slot is Saturday evenings :)!

Of course, sometimes inspiration strikes! For example, I have a certain amount of daily music practice time slotted in. But sometimes a composition starts forming in the mind and I stretch my music time to make sure I get it down. On the other hand, sometimes I'm working on a research problem and things start clicking. At such times, of course I continue with research beyond the slotted time. Or an emergency situation may arise that requires you to deviate from your plans. Then of course you need to do what you need to do.

The general principle though is discipline. And the idea behind it is to avoid unconscious, meaningless, wastage of time and ensuring that we keep steadily moving towards accomplishing our goals.

Remember always: Your biggest enemy is your own laziness. And this laziness can arise at the physical as well as mental levels. We are most used to physical laziness. But have you noticed that there also times when your body is fully active but you come across a difficult problem and tend to postpone it instead of solving it right then. Or you may be required to do something that you don't enjoy - say cleaning the house when the domestic help doesn't come - but you resist it mentally. This is mental laziness. Start winning over laziness at the physical as well as mental levels and sticking to your plans - you will start accomplishing goals that you thought were beyond your reach. Guaranteed :).

Picasso And You

There can be no competition
In Art.

Even Picasso bows
and touches his forehead
To a three year old's
first crayon painting

Of the tree with the nest.

Picasso knows
That God just drew
To show how to speak
from the heart.

You would too
If you knew how to
See from the heart
Listen from the heart

Be silent now.
Go. Pick up your crayons.
Or that musical instrument.
Or sing.

From the heart. 

Excellence Versus Coming 1st

Note: The post below does not deny that at different stages in life we have to pass through tests whose results depend on how well prepared we are. It only points out that there is a healthier way of approaching life and its examinations than being obsessed with winning competitions all one's life.

Remember that the goal is excellence, not "coming first all the time" 😊. There's a difference between the two 😊. Always stay clear on this.

And how do you achieve excellence?

First things first:

1. Ensure a basic level of fitness in the body. Eat nutritious food. Exercise a bit.

2. Keep the mind light and focused. Meditate a bit. Don't allow your mind to get scattered with aimless spending of time, meaningless conversations, too much socializing - either virtually or in real life. Choose your friends wisely and spend quality time with them.

3. Keep yourself in good spirits. Be happy. This is in your control to a greater extent than you might believe.

Then:

Whatever you do, academic or professional or extra curricular, do it the best you can. Give all aspects of life your very best effort (also read the notes at the bottom of this post). Don't be lazy : physically or mentally. Put in an honest effort from your side in all aspects of your life.

When you come across someone better than you: first and foremost, be honest in acknowledging that they are better. Then, without any jealousy, observe carefully, talk to them if possible, talk to others whose knowledge and judgment you trust, and figure out *why* they are better. Then make the effort to improve yourself to their level.

This is an extremely important point to absorb: You are *not* to accept or believe at any point that you are not capable of being as good as someone else.

If someone is better than you today, you can always raise yourself to their level tomorrow with the right effort. The "best" spot need not be occupied by only one person. Every time you raise yourself to someone else's level, you both are equally good at something. Extend this logic a few steps further: Everyone can be excellent!

This much is in your hands. This much is your responsibility. To put your best efforts in whatever you do and to continuously improve yourself. Do this much honestly.

Then: Let the chips fall as they will.

If you are satisfied with the outcome of your efforts, have a little celebration with your friends and family. But don't lose your mind in success. Many people make this mistake. Not only does that look foolish, it stops you from growing further. Stay humble and gentle with others, maintain a calm and steady mind, and once the celebration is over, get back to work 😊! Set your next target, your next goal, and start progressing towards it.

And sometimes you may not be pleased with the results you obtain. Never mind. Stay firm! Stay confident! Ups and downs are a part and parcel of life. Grit your teeth, pull up your socks, tighten your belt, resolve to keep working hard till you achieve your goals.

There is no ceiling in the journey towards excellence. There is always scope for improvement and further progress. Go back to the start of the post and read till here again. Remind yourself of what you need to do to pursue excellence, and get to it 😊. Keep working hard. Keep moving forward. Keep giving it your best. Don't stop. Keep progressing.

That's it. *This* is excellence. *This* is the midas touch.

It's a way of life 😊. It's a habit 😊. Get it 😊?

Remember: As I remarked in a recent post: It's possible to balance academics and extra curricular activities. If you attend classes, take good notes, do your lab work, and study three hours every day, you will be set academically. Do this much and pursue extra curricular activities that interest you. Keep your weekends flexible: Spend the time necessary for your homework / project work / reading / problem solving. Then feel free to do other things.

Also remember: If you are being lazy and/or not putting in your best effort - and are trying to brush this under the carpet by saying "Oh I'm aspiring for excellence 😁 - not just coming first!" - you are fooling no one 😁. You will see opportunities slip by that you know you could have had if you had stayed true. And time once lost does not come back.

[I also invite you to read the following three posts:

Strike a Pause: Choosing A Career Path After 12th Grade (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)

Strike a Pause: On Changing Career Paths And Academic Directions (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)

Strike a Pause: A Strategy To Address Economic Concerns In Non-Engineering / Non-Medical Careers. (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)]