Badminton and A Hospital Emergency [Diary Recollection]

(June 2021)

Had a rather unnerving experience yesterday.

Someone in our building required an ambulance rush to the hospital yesterday. When the ambulance arrived and the gentleman was being lifted in on a stretcher, there was a badminton game going on right alongside. (That in itself is a bit of an issue because the chaps don't wear masks, but this post is about something else.)

What is the bare minimum one would expect? That the game stop for a few minutes and the players ask if any help might be required? From a distance if need be since there is an emphasis on distancing presently? Fair enough?

Nope. The game didn't skip a beat. They even kept up with keeping the score. 8-5, 6-8, 9-6, ... Right next to a person from their own residential building being stretchered into an ambulance!

It was as if the people playing just didn't care!

Me and my sister happened to hear the ambulance come in, so we went down to help the best we could. Fortunately, the patient stabilized nicely over the night and is doing fine now.

Our family struggled to find context for this kind of impersonal coldness. We have lived in different parts of the country. I have lived outside the country for a while as well. This was unheard of just about a decade ago!

Isn't this tendency of "It's all about me!" growing over the last 8-10 years?

Why is that?

Are parents not imparting even basic values at home anymore? And schools? Are they imparting a value based education? Or is it just Physics, Chemistry, Maths, History and Geography?

If me or my sister behaved like this when we were growing up, we would been put through some days of community service at the very least before we saw any pocket money again 😁. Now these are Covid times: so I wouldn't suggest taking any risks right now. But I guess the general point I'm making is clear?

We have to sort this out.

We are losing basic community spirit, people are living more and more as isolated islands, there are many scenarios in which even family members aren't "there" for each other.

This isn't movement in the right direction.

Capability and Knowledge

Have 100% belief in your capability. You have the capacity and power to pursue any goal you wish to aspire for. There is nothing, no subject, no objective, out of your reach.

This is called confidence.

On the other hand, when it comes to what you know, leave some space for the possibility that you might be wrong. Every subject under the sun has corrected itself over the course of history.

This brings humility, protects you from getting arrogant, keeps you open minded to other points of view, and creates space for improvement.

Most people have exactly the opposite attitude: They doubt their capabilities, their potential, they lack self confidence in their abilities, while they are cocky and arrogant about whatever little they know.

Are you seeing what I'm saying?

Education Before Politics

At some point we *must* bring about this shift: We *must* insist on a certain level of education to enter politics.

I mean it just doesn't make sense: Lawmakers don't need to be educated while one needs education to practice law?

Plus there needs to be clarity that getting elected in an election means you represent your constituency in the legislative assembly / parliament. This much itself is a huge job if one does it sincerely. How did we start giving portfolios also just on the basis of getting elected?

Portfolios like Economy, Education, Healthcare, Law and Order, Defense, Energy, Foreign Policy, ... need to be handled by specialists. These are extremely big challenges! Domain specialists need to be recruited to manage these portfolios. If there are no such people amongst the elected representatives, then select from the working population, ensure that their employers give them leave, and appoint them on five year contracts.

This is the only rational way to go about things as far as I can see them.

At an even deeper level, maybe we need to think of paradigms beyond political leadership simply being about the masses electing leaders every five years. Let me try and explain:

Leading a country needs to become a job that one studies for, one is tested for, one is interviewed for, one is periodically evaluated on. More so than leading a company as the stakes are so much higher. So for all political posts at all levels.

Democracy, at least as practiced in India, is set up for failure as staying in power necessarily involves appeasing someone or the other all the time. That's our inertia. That's our dishonesty. That's what erodes us from within.

Making Conversations Matter!

Once in a while all of us need to "talk heart", share our restlessness, our nervousness, our successes, our joys, our downs, our griefs.

But that aside:

One tip I would give students (actually people in general) is: Make sure that most of your conversations are about subjects you are studying (or subjects that matter to you even if you're no longer a student).

If you are a science / technology student, then talk science / technology with your friends. And not airy fairy stuff 😏 : be hardcore! Discuss equations, concepts, solve problems together, take a piece of theory and come up with applications, detail it out, calculate quantities of interest, take your designs to the end.

If you are a liberal arts / humanities / arts / music student, then have most of your conversations about them. Get technical, detailed, rigorous.

If you have serious extracurricular interests, then have serious in-depth conversations about them.

And get interdisciplinary! Engineers: Go hang out with sociologists! Without their inputs, you only create more trouble! Mathematicians: Go have coffee with musicians! And pardon the cheekiness 😄, but *listen* 😁!

As of today, most of our conversations are just nonsensical: He said this, she did that, how could they be this way, I feel this way, you must feel that way 🙄 ... Just end this 😑!

Shift to meaningful conversations about subjects you are studying or serious extracurricular interests : I tell you, before you know it, these subjects will start becoming easy, you will start enjoying them, you will start seeing that they are for real. Right now most of us treat our subjects like ghosts we have to somehow handle 😁! This will change.

It's very enjoyable once you get into rhythm!

Remember: Make most of your conversations technical. Not just once or twice. Almost all conversations need to be meaningful.

And sometimes, talk about your favorite ice creams. Occasionally, that too can be quite meaningful 😁!

Accents and Correctness

It's pretty funny. Schools in India are now beginning to focus on speaking English with a correct American accent. 🤦.

I love the American people as much as I love everyone else 🙂, but look here, let me ask you a question:

A knowledge of English certainly helps in communicating with the world at large today and I'm quite happy with it being the medium of instruction in schools and colleges in our country. But: Have you ever noticed that each culture, each part of the world, just accents words their own way? Stephen Hawking from the UK, Bob Marley from Jamaica, Janis Joplin from the USA, Eloisa M Rodriguez from Honduras, and that Sikh fauji from Punjab all have different accents. And they're all cool. This has nothing to do with correctness of the English language itself. [The French have, of course, established a whole different league altogether 😁.]

There is no "one correct English accent". Just speak the language correctly. There's a difference. Understand this.

And all those schools who are not hiring English teachers with an excellent knowledge of the language just because they don't speak the American way: This is not ok! This is India, not America. You cannot discriminate on the basis of accents. This is outright unethical. We can't bring up the next generation trying to mold itself after another society all the way down to how we talk! And we can't hurt someone's livelihood just because they don't speak like foreigners. What are we? Idiots?

Cancel This "Cancel Culture"!

Some of my most interesting, most memorable, interactions have been with people with completely different viewpoints than mine. Because my mind and intellect got pushed, got tested, I learnt, I stayed fresh, alert, alive. This multiplicity of opinions is what makes discussions interesting, parties fun, outlooks fascinating, travels memorable.

More than any other place, such an atmosphere of diverse viewpoints and opinions needs to stay deeply respected, and fiercely protected, in academic institutions. Because these are temples of truth. There is no place for personal egoes, there can be no insistence to conform, to be quiet. The courage to express oneself truthfully, while staying open and humble in the face of the same courage from others, seeking nothing but deeper understandings, no comfort zones, just an unceasing, uncompromising aspiration for truth.

But look what's happening all around! There's a "cancel culture" in place :)!

Leftists are busy cancelling the right, and the right is trying its best to stamp out the left. The moderns hound out every sign of tradition, and traditionalists are stuck in a time lock somewhere! Every single person advocating for social change is convinced beyond conviction that only and only the theories they subscribe to are valid and sound.

Heck, even North Indian and South Indian classical music forms squabble about who is supreme (instead of playing together 🤦)!

And don't even get me started on fights over whose God is the real God and which path is the only path 🤦!

These are all signs of very degraded, unenlightened and uneducated minds and intellects. This will lead to only pain and misery.

We have to open up, breathe, let others breathe, buy each other coffees and ice creams, and talk and listen sincerely. Sincerely. No bullshit.

We are, and must stay, secondary to truth.

Are you getting what I'm saying?

Keep Your Emotional Self Intact!

Have you heard this one by Janis Joplin: Janis Joplin - Ball & Chain - Monterey Pop - YouTube

I don't think singers like her come around too often :). I believe she just put every ounce of emotion inside her out there :).

Although I must add that I think people allow themselves to get too hurt emotionally over breakups. There are several possible scenarios:

If one feels that one has been conned from the start, then obviously there's anger. So express that anger, let the other person know how you feel. But don't allow yourself to get emotionally devastated. It's not worth it. Move on in your life.

But sometimes, well, relationships fall apart despite all sincerity, things just don't work out despite both people giving it their best. There can be severe personality differences, extremely different viewpoints on some matters that are centrally important to both of you. This can happen sometimes. If it does, again, let each other go in peace, with goodwill. Preserve your friendship if you can. And again, protect yourself emotionally :). I can't emphasize this enough. Don't allow yourself to get emotionally broken. It's not worth it. Move on. Move on.

I also invite you to see the movie "The Bridges of Madison County".

This is a very thought provoking movie about love, marriage and relationships.

My thoughts: Many internal conflicts, both depicted in the movie and in our lives, would cease to exist if we understand that just as there is something called falling in love, there is also the possibility of falling out of love. With time we grow, we change, and sometimes what felt right at some point in the past may not feel right now or at some time in the future. Growing up ourselves, and raising our children, with this honesty is far more true, far more real, in my book than the notions of love and marriage we are stuck to today.

Religion, Temples and Philosophy

I came across this very interesting quote by Dalai Lama:

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” -- Dalai Lama

My thoughts:

The subject of philosophy has its use if studied for enlightenment, with a clear understanding that ultimately enlightenment is a matter of direct realization and experience, and not just for intellectual jugglery. But kindness is your starting point 🙂. Without that, you may well burn all books of philosophy in the world, it won't matter 🙂.

Likewise for temples: Going to a serene, peaceful, temple and spending some time in quiet introspection and meditation is cool 🙂 - but temples becoming businesses and going to them to bribe God, or believing that God resides only in temples, or going just as a formality, or out of fear that you will be punished if you don't go, is all utter foolishness 🙂.

If you like going to temples, then by all means go for the right reasons.

But making your own brain and heart a temple is the first step 🙂. If these are corrupt, unkind, harsh, bereft of love and compassion, then just forget about temples 🙂. They will be of no use to you and God has no interest in you whatsoever 🙂.

The Leftist Grip!

So here's an example of how hard a grip the left has on some minds:

I went for a Guthrie Govan concert at Hard Rock Cafe in New Delhi a few years ago. I'd become aware of this guitar player only recently and was quite excited about checking him out live.

There were a couple of different ticket prices available and I took the one priced at Rs. 500/-. Among other things it allowed me a speedier entry into the venue through a separate line that took me to a set of seats set aside for this ticket price. I happily took this advantage with zero guilt : I've studied for 12 years after 12th grade and then worked for another 14-15. So earning enough to be able to afford these indulgences isn't an issue at all as far as I'm concerned 😊.

But as the staff at HRC is guiding me in, a guy standing in the slower line scowls and lets out a "No man...!" howl protesting at what he probably feels is a "preferred treatment" of another guest over him.

Now the chap actually seemed like a nice student. No hints of rowdiness whatsoever.

The only thing that explains this behavior in my mind is that he has seen movies and read literature that has convinced him that everyone at every stage of life must get exactly the same from life. I know that this mindset has taken root in some minds. But it's a silly mindset.

I emphasize again: This is a silly mindset. We can, and must, argue for equal opportunities. We can, and must, argue for the economically struggling to get state support for education and healthcare.

But it's also true that each of us plays a role in how well we do in our lives. That has to be acknowledged and respected too 😊. And most certainly, the longer you've worked, the higher the probability that you've earned those Rs. 500/- 😊.

I keep saying: The left and the right have to find a balance point. Either extreme will not sort stuff out.

Here to Love. Here to Bless.

Everyday, when you wake up, let your first thought be:

I'm here to love. To bless.

Use all your talents, all your creativity, to make this world a more beautiful, a more loving, a more empathetic, a more compassionate, a more blessed place.

Alongside, be absolutely fearless! Be courageous to the core! Always stand up for what's right, what's fair, and if and when the need arises (hopefully not too often 😁), be willing to fight a good fight. Develop the strength and capacity to protect yourself and defend others.

When it's time to go, and one day all of us will, we should be able to look back and say: "Yeah, I did my bit, I gave of myself, I tried to make a difference!"

That would be a life well lived!

Sure, we have all the right to take what's fairly due to us as well. But that's very different from this "Me, me, me, ..." shit that seems to have taken such a grip on society!

Are you seeing what I'm saying?

There are parts of society and the world at large that are struggling with a level of poverty that most of us can't even comprehend. If you can, do your bit.

May this song move you as much as it moves me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt2mbGP6vFI

Guided by Social Media :)?

I think a lot of people pay excessive attention to how folks react to their posts on social media. How many likes, how many frowns, how many hearts, how many retweets, etc.

Sure its quite normal to feel appreciated, consider feedback, etc.

But taken to an extreme, one can start getting guided by social media in how one thinks, what one says (or doesn't say), what's normal, what's success, what's failure, ...

This is dangerous.

Ask any good artist and he/she will tell you that they create what feels beautiful to them. Then they put it out there. Sometimes appreciation comes, sometimes doesn't. It doesn't matter. Likewise with philosophers: Can't imagine Plato or Shankaracharya worrying too much about folks in their audience nodding or shaking their heads.

As I said above, feeling appreciated, considering feedback, etc. is all ok : but at the end of the day respect your own sense of reason, intelligence and intuition. Stay yourself. This is extremely important.

Learning From Native Americans

There's much to learn from ancient cultures such as the Native Americans. Here's an example:

When it comes to food, each of us has our own philosophy, our own value system - and there's a place for all of us. Some of us are vegetarians, some extend that to being vegans, and some are meat eaters. Personally, I respect all these viewpoints and don't get caught in this Vegetarian - Non Vegetarian debate.

Yet, I emphasize repeatedly: Take from nature only as much as you need.

Consider the Native Americans:

The Native Americans hunted for food. They ate meat. Yet, they treated the animal world with the highest of respect! A prayer ceremony was conducted before every hunting expedition seeking permission from nature to hunt for food, forgiveness for the injury that was about to be caused, and taking a vow to hunt only as much as was needed for the tribe to satiate its hunger.

How did they achieve this balance?

Underlying their meat eating was a deep respect for nature and a clear understanding that only that much ought to be taken from it as one needs. Completely different from today's way of life that simply treats nature as a resource for exploitation and consumption.

We need to learn something here:

If you consume dairy products, then only as much milk as you truly believe you need for health. No more. My own grandparents had cows at home - and there was simply never any question of any of us getting any milk till the calf had its fill first!

Likewise with meat. If you are a meat eater, kill only as much as you absolutely believe you need to for your health. No more.

Likewise with eggs. Only as many as you truly believe you need for health. No more. Hens don't lay eggs simply as a resource for our consumption! There's a whole process of nature happening with that species just as with us.

Are you getting what I'm saying? There's a place for all viewpoints as long as we stay true to ourselves and respect nature. But if you depart from this principle, you create imbalance. Imbalance is never ok. Never.

And what we have today is a complete imbalance. A complete exploitation. Meat, Poultry and Dairy in most cases are deeply exploitative and inhumane industries today (you will find much information about this on the internet if you spend some time). We need to change this. We need to restore balance. It can be done. It can be done without forsaking meat, poultry and dairy altogether. It's just a matter of balance. And it starts with me and you.

[Just compare the sensitivity of the Native Americans to people speaking rubbish like "what's the difference between cutting plants in a rice plantation and killing animals - both are living"! Humbling, isn't it?]

Consider also:

I find it unbelievable that there are applied mathematicians who actually use their knowledge of mathematics to increase fish catch.

I mean why would you do that? Fishes have actually started reducing in oceans because we have been massively overconsuming! Let fishing be a normal process wherein fishermen go and catch a normal amount in a normal manner and people eat only as much fish as they believe they need for health. No more.

We over-consume, by a very very large margin, meat, fish, poultry and dairy. We have brought such a massive imbalance in the animal kingdom - it's unbelievable! We have to take from nature only as much as we believe we need for health. No more. Otherwise we harm our own ecology. This is basic commonsense and we have lost sight of it.

I also invite you to read: Strike a Pause: Hunting With Respect (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)

[Meanwhile, be assured that there are far far better applications of mathematics possible! For example, there's a whole range of applications in healthcare and biomedical engineering. Always apply knowledge wisely!]

A Strange Challenge Facing Undergraduate Education

I don't know if this is also true in other parts of the world but one challenge undergraduate education in India faces in my opinion is that many of the students coming in just don't seem to have matured to their stated age.

Students are around 17-18 years old when they take admission in their undergraduate programs. That's basically the stage when one enters adulthood. Accordingly, one would expect to see a certain level of psychological and emotional maturity by this age. I can understand that one could still take a semester or so to transition to college life, living away from home in a dormitory, etc. But one often sees very childish behaviors even till their 2nd (Sophomore), and sometimes 3rd (Junior), years.

One sees a persistence of high school level chitter chatter in classrooms, kiddish attempts at "somehow getting marks" in exams, childish shirking of tasks and deadlines in assignments and projects, etc. that wastes precious time and keeps academic interactions relatively shallow. This delays the setting in of a core professional engagement where faculty members and students can have focused subject discussions at advanced levels.

In addition, while faculty members are certainly open to providing counsel and advice when needed, they are primarily there to impart subject knowledge. I have seen this understanding and clarity getting lost at times and expectations set in that faculty members also be Moms and Dads for students who are now adults. Such an expectation might be alright in primary school. But for 18 year old adults, or their parents, to expect this during college life is just immature. Of course on a residential campus faculty members are always available for any help and provide an overall protective atmosphere. But at the same time, each and every student is expected to conduct himself / herself as a responsible adult. This is often missing.

This needs to change. And I think high school teachers and parents can play a role. After about 10th class, students/sons/daughters ought to be gradually treated more and more like responsible adults - alongside an increased expectation of responsible adult like behavior from them. I think this will help them grow psychologically and emotionally.

PS: There's a difference between being *childlike* and *childish*. Being *childlike* is welcome for your entire life! It indicates an innocence of heart and mind which is quite beautiful! Being *childish*, on the other hand, is just plain immaturity and shirking one's responsibility of growing up into a sensible member of society.

Each Of Us An Ambassador!

Everything you say and how you say it, everything you do and how you do it, how you carry yourself, how you sit, how you stand, how you walk, absolutely everything is a statement about yourself. And you are 100% responsible for the statement you make.

Live consciously. Your words, actions, how you carry yourself : make the best case for yourself in every situation.

How rich or poor you are comes much much later, if at all :). It's unimportant :).

Very poor students in my classes who could only afford one or two pairs of clothes, in worn-out sandals, sometimes their mouths would smell when they asked a question because they probably ran out of toothpaste - have earned my respect with their conduct, with their dignity.

And there have been rich students in my classes who I could easily, very easily, see myself giving a few tight slaps without any regrets.

Real life, social networks, wherever : speak and behave in a manner that earns you respect.

Each of us is an ambassador of ourselves. We need to make our presence count.

Naming Institutions After Good Folks

I'm a firm believer in the concept of multi cultural, multi religious, societies. I also believe that we need to develop the maturity of moving on from the past. There have been religious conflicts and wars all over the world since time immemorial, but that cannot be our future. We are more educated today, more enlightened today, and this education and enlightenment needs to show in the way we think and live.

At the same time, we can't be glorifying questionable people from the past - any religion, any culture.

One example is Francis Xavier, regarded as a Saint by the Christians. From whatever I know, he was involved with inquisitions in Goa. Pretty much everyone is aware of what these were, but here's a link to an article shedding light on them nevertheless:

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

Today the Christian community is one of the most disciplined, law abiding, peaceful and friendly community you'll find. Christmas actually happens to be a festival very dear to me personally. I went to a Christian school for three years - Cardinal Gracias High School, Bandra (E), Mumbai - and to date visit the school and meet folks who taught me.

But institutions named after Francis Xavier are just wrongly named - period. There's probably a St. Xavier's school / college in every city today. These, and institutions named after any other personality associated with events as violent and disgraceful as the inquisitions, need to be renamed. We can, and should, still name them after Christian saints. But only those who have been ambassadors of love and peace.

I emphasize again: I have nothing against either Christians or Christianity. The inquisitions don't define them as a whole. Just as casteism doesn't define Hindus as a whole.

I'm only arguing for renaming institutions after better folks.

When You Need Help: Ask :)!

One personality trait that can help keep you away from lots of unnecessary trouble in life is simply this:

If you feel you need help with something, do not hesitate to ask.

Of course, this is different from schmoozing (look up the meaning) or expecting that others will just do things for you without you having to make any effort.

And of course, when you seek help, do so from those you trust.

This much is understood.

But I see people who don't ask for help because they feel that would make their weakness visible to others. This is not ok. Asking for help when you need it is as much a part of friendship and a sense of belonging with others as is giving help to others when needed.

This goes along with accepting a weakness in ourselves when we spot it. Coming through school: Maths and Physics came easy to me, Organic Chemistry gave me nightmares. So what? I used to grapple with it myself as far as I could, but when I hit walls (there were several of them), I very coolly bugged teachers and friends with my doubts.

Likewise with sports : I'm pretty alright with dribbling a football, but I suck with long kicks. So whenever I can, I seek advice and help from those better than me.

Can extend this to other aspects of life as well: You are going through an emotionally difficult time : talk to a friend whose judgment / advice you would trust and try to sort your thoughts out. If that doesn't help, seek a good counselor. You find yourself in a financial crunch due to some medical emergency, sudden loss of money due to some reason, etc. : see if some friends can help. In turn you be ready to help others when needed. (Of course, be honest about how you use such help - don't blow up others' money on unnecessary expenditure - this is understood.)

No point making "ego issues" about things. Just accept yourself exactly as you are right now, take the steps that are necessary to improve, and whenever there is an authentic need : seek help from friends and folks you trust. This is the quickest and most effective way to being the best you can be.

Medical Facilities On Residential Educational Campuses

I came across the following article a few years ago and the very strongly positive impression it made on my mind has not diminished with time.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/alumnus-offers-rs-350-crore-for-hospital-at-iiest/articleshow/49927575.cms

There is not an iota of doubt in my mind that every single residential campus that houses students, staff and faculty members needs to have medial facilities that (a) assure the campus residents of the best possible response and care in emergency scenarios such as trauma, heart failure, strokes, snake/animal bites, etc., (b) have regular consultation hours with good doctors, (c) carry enough diagnostic equipment to be able to identify most diseases / medical conditions and (d) have enough number of beds to admit patients for short to medium term treatments and recovery.

Not a single life, not one, should be lost because either the required equipment and essentials are not available on campus or the doctors and nurses on duty are not qualified / trained well enough.

I look forward to alumni from other institutes coming forward with similar gestures to upscale the medical facilities in their alma maters. And for institutes that are relatively new and without a significant alumni base yet, I look forward to this happening through government grants, corporate investments, etc. 

Blah! New Vs Old. East Vs West. Blah!

Funny stuff this.

Group A: Everything new must necessarily be better. Why? Because we are "making advancements".

Group B: Everything old must be gold. Why? Because them were the times man...! Now we are losing touch with all that was good.

WHAT?

Whatever happened to the scientific spirit in us?

I mean: LOOK, Just LOOK at FACTS as they present themselves on a case to case basis, and call it as it is. Sometimes the old will win and we must recover lost ground. And at other times the new will win and we must let go of the old and embrace change.

Likewise with this east vs west debate:

Wherever we need to learn from other parts of the world, we learn with humility and say thank you. Wherever we believe we have something to teach or showcase, we make our knowledge available with confidence and leave it to the rest of the world to decide whether it wants to absorb and assimilate what we have to offer or not : we keep moving forward with confidence regardless.

And that's that. Where's the conflict? None exists. Then why manufacture it and tie ourselves up in knots?

Everyone Wants To Be A Guru!

Too much "Guru Bhava" (desire to show others the "light"!) on the planet today, and not enough "Shishya Bhava" (willingness and humility to learn!)

Everybody wants to be a Guru here! Everyone carries a supreme confidence that they are right about everything! That they "know"!

Hardly a few want to be disciples! This is upside down!

A little bit of humility probably won't hurt. Take an honest look at yourself and what (and how much) you actually know. Then be willing to think, read, listen, and think a bit more, before you opine on something, or worse, "try to show someone "the way"".

What is the difficulty in this? It's only commonsensical to be this way!

And guess what: If you start being this way, you are for real! This whole burden of continuously projecting yourself as "all knowing" gets cast aside. You can just be normal and live a bit easy. And anyone worth his or her salt actually respects such an attitude.

The Utter Lunacy Of "Tomorrow"

Here's something worth imbibing very very deeply in the mind. Write it down, frame it, and put it up on your wall. This one phrase will perhaps propel you forward more than many others put together:

"Yesterday at least exists in our memory. Tomorrow, not even that :).

Procrastination is the biggest stupidity one can indulge in.

Actually, not merely stupidity. Procrastination is sheer lunacy!

The shortest path to failure."

In Hindi:

बीता हुआ कल कम से कम हमारी स्मृति में तो है, आने वाला कल वहां भी नहीं।

आलस्य, टाल मटोल, और आज का काम कल पे टालना, ज़िन्दगी की सबसे बड़ी मूर्खता है।

सिर्फ मूर्खता ही नहीं, शायद घोर पागलपन कहना ज़्यादा सही होगा।

असफलता की ओर ले जाने वाला सबसे छोटा रास्ता।

Vidyaarthi: Arth (Purpose) In Vidya (Knowledge)

By all means, choose a field of study that interests you. You have all the right to do this. There is also ample time and space for extracurricular activities.

But at the same time, consider these words and their meanings:

Student: One committed to studies.

Disciple: One willing to be disciplined.

Vidyaarthi: This is the sanskrit word for student. It is made of two parts: Vidya (Knowledge) + Arth (Meaning / Purpose). One who finds his meaning or purpose in Knowledge.

Just look at the above words! And take a look at our educational institutions!

It's a joke! What's going on in the name of education in our schools and colleges is a joke :)!

There are actually folks out there actively pushing the idea that while professors are obligated to be in their classes on time, students can come if they feel like it and need not come if they don't feel like it :)!

The sheer idiocy of the argument :) ! The sheer idiocy :) ! It's mind numbing :) !

And parents are not to be left far behind! So many teachers and professors have stories to tell today of parents coming and objecting to even basic classroom discipline and penal actions taken for dishonesty.

And the effect is there for everyone to see in society. The sheer lack of discipline in society, the sheer lack of civic sense and responsibility, the sheer lack of honesty and integrity.

People enter society around the age of 21-22 after imbibing values imparted to them at home and in schools and colleges. And these are the places where things need to change if we are to see a better society in the future.

Note: The above does not argue against the presence of extra curricular activities on school and college campuses. There's a time and place for everything, and as long as one keeps the balance and avoids frittering away time meaninglessly, its all good.

Improving IITs Will Need An Honest Look

As per the following article, Over 50% of IIT Professors are said to be performing below par and steps are being planned to "pinpoint" under-performers.

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/over-50-of-iit-professors-said-to-be-performing-below-par-11570038720428.html

My response:

Yes, professors who don't take their job seriously have to be penalized.

But solving this problem more completely will take a deeper analysis. Here are a few remarks / suggestions:

1) In a typical university in the west, a professor's role is clearly marked out : come to the department, teach, guide theses / projects, do research, go. No professor becomes a hostel warden and worries about the food being served in messes, trouble shoots hostel indiscipline, etc. They have dorm managers who are hired separately and expected to focus exclusively on dorm management.

We don't have this clarity. Our professors are expected to participate in too many non academic tasks. This needs to change.

2) Way too much time and energy is wasted on "managing students". Important Note: I just said "managing students", not "educating students" : the education part is just fine. What do I mean by this? Here:

I'm an alumnus from IIT Bombay and have also taught at several IITs: IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, IIT Goa and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. Here's a suggestion based on my experience as a student as well as a faculty member:

Carry out sting operations to bring out hostel life at IITs in public view. You will likely find an abundance of drugs, alcohol, possibly a supply of women, students lounging around all day in hostels instead of going to classes, ... Start with IITs and then extend to all centrally and state funded educational institutes and universities. Carry out sting operations regularly and bring things into public view.

And who has to end up addressing and managing these situations? Of course, the professors! No professor in any reputed university the world over has to deal with these things. They teach, guide theses / projects and do research. Every effort is made for them to stay focused on academics. And the results show in time.

That's what needs to happen in our country too. Hostel managers need to be hired separately and a large part of their job mandate needs to be ensuring hostel discipline.

Professors need to be left alone to teach, guide theses / projects and do research. That's it.

3) Go one step further: Put in an RTI for documents such as B. Tech. Project Reports and put them on the web for all to see. Overnight, the myth of "Illustrious Brilliant IIT Undergraduates" will disappear. It will be over. Overnight. And that will be the best thing to happen for long term corrective action to start.

I know I know: Quite immediately, there will be voices : "Oh, these students are doing low quality projects because they aren't being guided properly by their professors.". Do three things: 1) Read Paragraph 3 of Point 2 above again and do what I'm asking you to do. 2) Dig a bit deeper and get data on how many times students executing low quality projects met their professors. 3) Get class attendance data for students and correlate with poor academic performance.

Most people possibly have very little idea of how much time and energy is wasted in responding to these factors.

4) Once the above is sorted out : Compare things like funding, research space, quality of PhD students (yes, I know there are exceptions - and maybe you are one! I'm only talking about overall trends) and availability of post docs  with excellent universities globally. A lot of "research productivity" is linked to these factors.

As I said at the start of the post, yes : professors who don't take their job seriously need to be penalized. But solving the problem more completely will need a deeper analysis.

Do the above four and I anticipate that a lot else that also needs to be corrected will start becoming clear.

Negotiating Fair Salaries

I think we need to have workshops / discussions on figuring out fair salaries on college campuses. This is not as easy or straightforward a topic as it might sound.

Here are some thoughts from my end. Read completely :). There may be some unexpected inputs :).

1. The first thing to figure out is *where* you want to work:

Say you want to go be a college professor in Burundi, the poorest country in the world. Now, this kind of a venture is not unheard of. Some people are driven to go and work towards uplifting peoples that are struggling. The question is: How do you estimate what ought to be a fair remuneration for your services?

If you expect to be paid in USDs and have a New York city experience in Burundi, you are being unrealistic and perhaps need to re-evaluate how strongly you are motivated - or to what extent your life situation allows you - to work in underdeveloped countries.

Yet, even here, there are going to be salary differentials in society. You will need to do the homework on (a) what would be a typical college professor salary range for your level of education and experience and (b) what are typical salaries in other professions in society. Once you have this information, I recommend applying the following principle:

**Avoid greed and a desire to live a life so plush that an overall struggling society wouldn't be able to understand or respect you. Yet, don't allow yourself to get exploited! Be mindful. For example, there are schools in India that pay teachers lesser than what auto rickshaw drivers make. This has to be unacceptable and I would be quite happy to see teachers putting their foot down for a fair compensation. Likewise for professors. If they are being paid lesser than bureaucrats and politicians and being given the "be idealistic" pitch, I would smell exploitation!**

The same principle applies in India and other developing countries that are far better off than Burundi and Mozambique, but yet not first world still.

So, first figure out *where* you want to work and apply the above. If your decision to work somewhere overrides all other considerations, then that's that. If not, as long as you are clear about avoiding greed as well as exploitation, you have all the right to negotiate a fair salary.

2. The second thing to look at is the nature of responsibilities you would undertake:

For example, there are colleges in India that might pay me as high as Rs. 2.5L per month but might be by and large focused on UG education. On the other hand, I might get paid lesser at some other institutions but have a better teaching-research balance and access to better research funding, infrastructure, etc.

Where to put oneself in such a range is a decision one has to make to make consciously!

3. Firmly avoid all notions of everyone in society being paid the same amount! Even hard core communists ought to be more realistic and pragmatic than this :)! At the same time, stop thinking of money as the most important consideration in life. We all need money, we have all the right to earn a honest living and live a good life. But if you keep going pay package, pay package, pay package, you are being pretty boring :)! Be interested in something :)! Think about what you want to do, where you want to work, then figure out what would be the right salary to ask for, and proceed :)!

Respect Your Conscience!

Here's a principle that I have used to guide my life and it has stood the test of time:

I do not, at any time, do anything that goes against my conscience.

Even if a Guru or teacher or some religious book were to ask me to do something that my conscience doesn't agree with, I would just say No.

This is my way and I gladly recommend it to anyone. Learn to listen to your conscience. Do not violate it. Do the right thing in any circumstance. It's not always easy. Sometimes life can get a bit difficult if you refuse to compromise. Don't worry about it. All these difficulties are only external. Inside you, you will stay straight, clean, clear, pure. That's the real deal. External circumstances can go up and down. But inside you need to stay awesome. Never lose this focus. Never.

Illegitimate Children?

A conversation yesterday reminded me of a concept I have long questioned:

What exactly does an "illegitimate child" mean? What is "illegitimate" about being a child?

Children are an expression of the divine.

One hopes that a woman doesn't get pregnant without ensuring that proper support mechanisms are in place.

But if she does, or if she is betrayed, then I think it's absolutely ghastly and inhumane of the society to condemn her, and worse, condemn the child by branding it as "illegitimate".

Let's be crystal clear about one thing: A child is first and foremost its Mother's. The Mother gives birth to it. And if a woman wants to give birth and takes up the responsibility of raising the child, everything is legit about it. In fact we as a society should be willing to help in such situations instead of condemning.

Who cooked up these rubbish notions?

"The Fewer Fences To Climb, The Better"

An excerpt from "Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music" in conversation with Nasreen Munni Kabir:

NMK: Are you a religious person?

ZH: What is a religious person? I am a Muslim; my wife, Toni, is a Catholic; my daughters, Anisa and Isabella, were baptized; Taufiq's wife, Geetika Varde, is a Konkan Maharashtrian; Fazal's wife, Birwa, is a Gujarati from Ahmedabad - our family is a beautiful mix of universal oneness.

The fewer fences there are to climb, the better. I believe in the universality of humanity and that we are all one. None of the prophets, the Zoroastrians, Buddha, Mahavir or Guru Nanak have said anything different. They have all spoken of loving one another and striving for peace.

Some Gems From The Dhammapada

I just love the following three quotes from the Dhammapada by Gautam Buddha:

Verse 328: If one finds a sagacious friend, who is a virtuous and steadfast companion, one should live with him joyfully and mindfully, overcoming all dangers.

Verse 329: If one cannot find a sagacious friend, who is a virtuous and steadfast companion, one should live alone like the king who gave up and left the country he had won, and like the elephant Matanga roaming alone in the forest.

Verse 330: It is better to live alone; there is no fellowship with a fool. So one should live alone, do no evil, and be carefree like the elephant Matanga roaming alone in the forest.

Balance! Balance Balance Balance!

Once Gautam Buddha, after a long period of austerities and meditation, was just walking alongside a river when he heard very beautiful music floating towards him from a grove of trees nearby. Curious, he walked that way to find out who was playing. There, sitting quietly in the shade of a tree, was a simple villager playing the Ektara (a one stringed instrument played by plucking). Fatigued, in need of rest, and feeling as if the music was touching his very soul, Buddha decided to sit there for a while.

After some time the ektara seemed to go out of tune a bit. The musician stopped and tightened the string. He played a few notes to check if the instrument was in tune now. Turned out he had tightened the string a little too much. So he slackened it a little bit. After a few such attempts at tightening and loosening the string, the notes again sounded just right.

The musician started playing again, turned to Buddha, and said with a smile: The string has to be tightened just right for the music to sound beautiful.

It is said that these simple words spoken by a simple villager were like a flash of lightning in Buddha's mind! That moment he realized that much of life works on the same principle!

You need leisure to know yourself, to contemplate, to be with loved ones, laugh a bit, love a lot. But too much leisure, and you become lazy! This laziness prevents you from working hard and keeping yourself in good form in your studies and work.

There is competition in life. But if you get too competitive, you lose the spirit of cooperation, of taking others along. This takes away your humanity. You dry up inside and there is no joy, no bliss in life. But if you help before ensuring that others have put in their best effort, you make them irresponsible and prone to looking for shortcuts.

You sleep too little, there's a problem. You sleep too much, problem! Sleep just right, and you feel refreshed and energetic.

Ditto with food! Eat too much: problem. Eat too little: problem. Eat just right, all ok!

Eat just for taste without paying heed to nutrition, problem. All nutrition, no taste: Ugh! Find the balance: all good.

Relationships: Balance, Balance, Balance.

Balance. Balance. Balance.

Musicians and music, I'm telling you, that's where the hope is :) !

Looking For Love!

Each one of us is looking for love.

Yet, how many of us would willingly work towards establishing a society that's based on cooperation and not competition.

Do you see the underlying conflict?

We don't have to be "cut throat" to excel :) ! We can excel in different spheres of life just for the love and joy of it :) . And in the process we can love each other, take care of each other.

Do you get what I'm saying? We have created and sustained a society that's not based on love. And we want love.

Aise kaise hoga :) ? How is this possible :) ?

[PS: The above is not an excuse to get lazy 😅! Or to take undue advantage of friends by not working hard ourselves and leaning on them in the name of cooperation 😅!]