Here Men are afraid of the Light....

"A hot wave is sweeping across the nation....." and just as anxious viewers were waiting all ears to gawk at more statistical figures and charts from the Weather Forecasting Department, the news reporter continued in his passive tone - "The NAMO wave."

Even before the declaration of the  sensational 2014 General Elections , "categorical election news/drama" has been following an average Indian ,trying to sneak into his petite brain wherever he went-office, traffic, maidan, even tea stalls.!

Finally each event came to pass, sounding noisy trumpets one by one...the results, the oath-taking and revamping of key ministries! Just when one thought it is finally safe to rely on newspapers for important national news,here comes another entertainment series titled "The Farcical Qualification issue of the Hon'ble HRD Minister" .In the midst of  scrutinizing tweets and statuses supporting  or ridiculing the minister , all seem to have forgotten another pressing issue concerning the very same ministry.

The month of June in India is special , not just because of the advent of trade winds bringing the monsoon, but also because it marks the beginning of a new academic session- time for scores of Tiny Tots and youth all across the country to go back to their campuses after the scorching summer break.

Traditionally, this time of the year witnesses a farce of a ritual- wherein the efficiency of the "Educational system" gets questioned by intellectuals , springing hot debates and accusations.Nothing solid really comes out of this,but it is a solace to know that the patrol of " THOUGHTPOLICE" has left at least a  few "THOUGHTCRIMINALS" untouched.But this year the ritual got stuck neath the current of other "sensational news."

So I think its high time for someone to bring up the cliched yet pressing question "What is the topmost priority of education?" Achieving higher literacy rates, is it ? Well! Nothing is wrong in that. But given that achieving literacy rates translates to teaching a child/man how to sign his name and not giving functional education, it seems to be far from  the right approach.

Numerous Bills passed, schemes undertaken, measures implemented, omissions and editions taken care of.....yet the end result? !Have the promises of efficiency of any of these policies been kept?The rates of FDI in Indian Education sector and the ever-escalating number of children going abroad for education at an overall annual expense of around 7 billion dollar answers this in a pretty exemplary style.

Education is an instrument for shaping the future .But today , instead of getting spread among the people, it is getting slaughtered in the market place.Here is a piece of advice to all Honb'le educators and ministers...It would do you good to grasp the meaning of what Plato said years ago “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” 

"why ON EARTH does it matter what happened LONG AGO??!!!!!!?????"

"why ON EARTH does it matter what happened LONG AGO??!!!!!!?????"

 All those  who are happily nodding your heads at the statement...Wait a second . Go back and read it again It is not a statement,but a question (You know,one with a question mark and all ) A question which has got a great history. A question that every historian in his/her lifetime had to encounter at least thrice !!!!  All this while this question had it's unrivaled seat in the TOP 100 UNANSWERABLE QUESTIONS.Well now ! I would like to strip it off that status. For this article is an answer to this very question.

For many a people, young or old, male or female, employed or happily jobless.HISTORY is a dead subject.

IT is synonymous with  soul sapping lists of facts and dates and all of these supposed-FORD fans exclaim in unison .."HISTORY IS BUNK" . I would only ask these FORD-ians to check history to find out the fact about this overly-twisted statement of FORD. For the media had effectively swallowed the "to me"'' part which followed .

Now at all those people who think history is only about things that happened ages ago. "Oh! My !! You have got it all wrong.!" Not that eons-old things aint history. But history is not just that.This very minute is history as soon as the seconds needle makes a 360 degree round !!! And still they say "History is bunk"! Huh The Irony...

Just spare it a minute's  thought . Had it not been for those defining moments in your life, the memories of which act as grim reminders of a glorious past,the very concept and worth of TODAY would be pointless.Were you to erase all memories of your past , you would be left with nothing to work on.You would be a walking machine, one devoid of the very essence of life and I can only wonder when they exclaim  "History is bunk "

All those wars fought, all those bombs dropped, all those treaties signed,all those treasures unearthed- have aided in shaping the world we see today. We all  gasp at the memory of  Hiroshima-Nagasaki .Who doesn't shudder at the bare mention of the German holocaust?  And if we are blessed to have not witnessed a third World War, we owe it to history which has taught us more about humanity than any other field of study, and still they cling onto.saying "History is bunk"

COME to think about it.We are all living, walking, talking histories.From the headgear we wear to the shoes that adorn our feet, have got HISstory to narrate .So by crying out that "History is bunk", we are reducing ourselves to rubbish. !

There are people who shoo away history saying "Tomorrow is what matters". It would do them good to realize that "There is no tomorrow, without  yesterday". Without " yesterday" to base your opinions, suspicions and stray doubts on, you cannot be sure of your purpose.You cannot neglect something, simply because it has got wrinkles and scars.Don' t we all smile at random scenes from a long-lost , yet cherished past? Admit it! We have all craved for a REWIND button .And there  lies the greatest irony when people exclaim "History is bunk " but still wait( fingers crossed) for invention of the TIME MAACHINE !! 

WHEN THE KID NEXT DOOR MEANT MORE THAN THE GUY WITH PS4

" You people heard? The kid in 14B .He won some contest and got 50 grand! "

"Isn't he , the one with PS4?"

"You mean the one with GALAXY GRAND ??"

"Oh ! The guy with the goatee !I heard he traded his Grand for iPHONE 5 "

"YEP! He is the one and guess wha t?!  He got invited to Fergusson's RETIREMENT PARTY!!

"WHOA ! MAN!"  ,  they exclaimed in unison.



And there I sat, my head spinning around  GALAXY GRAND's, PS4's and TABS! I couldn't help but push my jaws back to its place from where it had fallen . I sat staring at them, people 4 or may be 5 years younger than me, talking about the kid next door. I was FLABBERGASTED.

My thoughts skipped back to those days when the news of a peer winning a contest or scholarship was greeted with the unfortunate news-bringer getting bombarded with questions like.. "Who? Amala's sister?"   "You mean the girl with those long pig tails? "The one who played badminton with us the other day?"
 Back then, we never knew or even bothered about the brandname of the capri she wore or whether she had a limited edition of IRON MAN-3 watch!!

Those were days when the mention of a kid next door had us happily reciting his/her daily routine. Every Dick, Harry and Tom around the corner were kids with whom we have shared a tea or paav-bhaji at least once.

Today , children barely know their next-door neighbor! They can answer any question on the phone he has or the cafe he frequents, but not his name! They have seen him alright and of course they are facebook friends, anything they want to share is WhatsAPE-ed!(See ,What I just did there?!)  But once they meet, they don't pat each other on the back or give a friendly punch on the stomach . There are no exchanges of "Hey pal' or "Heya bro" .They don't talk about the latest match , simply because they don't know whose side the other one is on! They haven't flown high, drunk with the pleasures of SUNDAY MATCHES and SATURDAY HANG-OUTS in the nearest coffee shop. They have never known the pleasure of pointing to a scar on their BFF's shoulder with a shout of "SEE THAT ONE THERE! HE GOT THAT FOR TRYING TO SAVE MY GOAL!". Now all they can point to is the scratch on their friend's XPERIA Z !

Well!! With this rapidly increasing addiction to gadgets, one need not be surprised to attend marriage between their facebook friend and his beloved Black-Berry!! As for GEN X gadgets define their lives, from womb to tomb!

Hungry for Marks? Ask YOUrself Why!

There she sat , a red rose, in a garden well-kept. She stood up, her ear-ring dotted with teddy bear faces dangling  from side to side as she walked with her beloved barbie doll in her pocket. She kept her Cursive Writing note on the desk stealing shy glances at her teacher.Her rose cheeks turned to a lighter shade of red as she blushed, aware of the dozens of tiny eyes staring at her...And there!! Her teacher rewarded her work with a 10 on 10 and a star with a smiley face.YES! Her day was done!!

Don't we all miss those days when we had studied for the fun of it. Didn't we all sit in anticipation to know what the new lesson was going to be? How many of us sit with the same amazement twinkling in our eyes today?!

Long gone are those days when we studied formulae to shout them at the top of our voices with peers. Long gone are those days when a "good work" from our teacher and a smile on our mother's face were all that were needed to boost us to learn the day's lessons.Now the goals are different. What we want is a good score..We are hungry..for MARKS!

The focus has shifted from "testing your knowledge" to "knowing your score"."BY HOOK OR CROOK" has become the success mantra of many a student. They cheat and bribe to get a good score. HUH! All this for mere figures on paper!!Do you think these scores are the only criteria to measure your caliber?

So why this unsatiated hunger for marks? Where gone are those more intimate feelings of passion and love that once led  human race to their goals?

 The euphoric world of software engineers and hap-tic programmers with heavy paychecks rule our dreams today. 12 years in school, another 5 or 6 in a professional college.... There you come out with a diploma and a job in hand.All Thanks to campus selection! And of the UNFORTUNATE FEW who because of their LOW GPA , couldn't land themselves in some corporate office, the less said the better..Generation after generation of the student populace fall in line and follow what seems to be a routine of BOARD EXAMS , ENTRANCES and INTERVIEWS. Schools are happy enough to breed IITians and Civil servants.Anything less than that is TRASH and Anyone who ain't a TOPPER is a goner. It seems they are quite intent that no artist, musician , dancer or a story teller should ever find their place in the ALUMNI MEET.

International schools and Professional colleges are sprouting like weeds around every corner. They have something called CURRICULUM , resembling a ready-made shirt,which is supposed to fit each one of the student populace who dares walk through the gates . There is no room for alterations . Anybody who doesn't fit in, is shooed away with "HOPELESS" stamped  in shouty caps on their forehead.To those who fit in, promises of a better position and secure careers are made.I just wonder ,' landing yourselves a job ', should that be the motto of our EDUCATION SYSTEM ?  Should that be the dream with which you toil day and night ,spending sleepless hours at home and tuition centers?

Look around you.. There are a lot of fellows with a B.A, M.D or Ph.D. Unfortunately many of them do not have a J.O.B.Of all the people who have a J.O.B, very few have their eyes twinkling with satisfaction. And of the few blessed with satisfaction from what they do, very few have got B.A or Ph.D. What more evidence do we need? The promises of each new REVISION and EDITION made to our curriculum have not been kept.

So what you need is not a good score. These scores do not reflect anything other than the fact that you excel at the art of vomiting what is spoon-fed to you. So study not for the marks you may get, but for the knowledge you are sure to attain.For marks will take you to the road where everything is glitz and glamour.. whereas THE RIGHT KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT YOU LOVE will lead you to the road where bliss and contentment rules !

Take a minute to detach yourself from the world of cut-throat competition.Now ask yourself the one question that matters "IS THIS WHAT I NEED IN LIFE?" If the answer is a definite NO ,spare no time my friend. It's time for  a deep introspection.

SAVING THE PLANET V/S NOT LETTING THE PLANET DESTROY US.......

"How can we be so arrogant? The planet is,was and always will be stronger than us. We can't destroy it; if we overstep the mark, the planet will simply erase us from its surface and carry on existing. Why don't we start talking about not letting the planet destroy us?    Because "Saving Our Planet" gives us a sense of power, action and nobility whereas "Not Letting The Planet Destroy Us " might lead to feelings of despair and impotence and to a realisation of just how very limited our capabilities are!!"

so muses Hamid in Paulo Coelho's " The Winner Stands Alone"

Yes!! NOT LETTING THE PLANET DESTROY US. It sure is a a line of thought to ponder upon.

We look up to the sky thinking..."Sky is the Limit.".There we see a cloudless sky and wonder where the profuse clouds laden with sparkling droplets are?! Raindrops- they fall on the streets deprived of green, only to go down the drain to join the vast blue sea,whose envious color is being eaten away by the garbage on which the drops make their journey whilst in those drains.The sea with its waves and tides pulled in and out by the waltzing moon. Wait a minute! and then we realize with a start 'OH!NO.The waves are missing too."We gaze at a silent sea wishing we had an in-built system to drain all those stray thoughts which are miles away from the glitz and glamour of modern life to the endless,now wave less sea..What pleasure it would have given us to see those stray thoughts being tossed and thrashed by those waves.But ALAS! The waves are gone.But where? May be, they were pulled into another world , through a warp in time , down a rabbit hole with no "Thuds" of  any prophetic end. A gaping hole to another world..That is what we are wishing for. Another world to plunge in. Yet another world waiting with its forests and brooks,where we can build our fly-overs,sky-scrapers..and aqua-theaters..The prospect of continued existence in ANOTHER WORLD.. That's what we are hoping for. A hole to open up and transport us.That is what is stopping us from acting, even as we see death inching closer by the second.

And so we seek refuge in  Shakespeare's words and rest our thoughts in peace...

."So shalt thou feed on death that feeds on man,

 And death, once dead, there's no more dying then."

IS THIS THE FUTURE WE CRAVE??

She kicks it off,for it blocked her way
It's eight already and she is late
It's not right,for a teddy bear
To block her path and make her late!
She rushes out,forgets to lock
Who cares?!Oh No. It's her i-phone
It's in there.She barges in
grabs her soul and kisses it thrice
wipes her lips of the zillion germs
that gotta trip from the pure white screen.

The lift is full,her breakfast shrine
She gulps her juice and pizza too
Throws the can,just missed the trash
Tosses a coin to rag-picker boy
Relief! It showers in at the sight of her car
soon it vaporizes ,as traffic flows
Horns out there and beggars here
"How hard is Life?!!"  muses she!
She turns to her right,hits a car
scolds him though her fault it be

The screen of her P.C flickers to life
She settles down with a snicker treat
types this and that,checks that and this
posts a "HAPPY B'DAY" , "MISS U DARL"
clears her facebook wall of e-clutter
orders a gift for parents back home
Gifts!O! what a waste of time
her first gift,the teddy she kicked
How exited was she to get it then
to see it now a nuisance
The gadget's red wink,outshines the glint
Of her eyes, the balls of which
darts like a rat's to settle on
hot notes fresh from ATM
sparkling gems her rich fiance bought

Life...for her,this it bee....
"GREEN,LUSH,FRESH" all words on screen
"RIVERS AND BROOK" shares on facebook
LIFE....all too mechanical
devoid of joy,devoid of bliss
nothing but a word of four-letter make..!!