My sister and I...One of the rare pics where u'll find her so affectionate...otherwise im always at the receiving end of her kicks and slaps...! :).....P.S. Im going to get a nice beating for this....
Monday, January 5, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Ponder
I’m here all alone,
With nothing to cheer for and everything to fear.
I sit back pondering about what I could have done,
But not thinking about what can be done.
There’s no one but me to blame,
I’m so stubborn, I’m so naïve.
Caught between dreams and reality,
I sit back, but am squirming in anxiety.
So much to do but so little time,
Dozens of people there are to please.
Amazed by my own inefficiency,
I wonder how so many expectations are there of me.
I like to do nothing but ponder, but
I realize now that is a time for choice.
A choice of leading life your own way,
Or, life leading you in its ownway.
And all I’ll do now is ponder……
Exams and Education
The word EXAMS is synonymous to terrorized, panic stricken students who though small in size but have to bear many times their weight in terms of expectations from peers, friends and all people more or less associated with the student in question.
Examinations are meant for testing the progress the student has made in the academic year in understanding the subject. This is, in my view, the purpose of exams. Is understanding the subject Important or is memorizing the text book important? This is one question which remains oblivious to the people in charge! The purpose of exams is not create fear in the minds of the children, but to create a fair idea of the subject and what they are going to have to study if they pursue it as their career. Some things like basic arithmetic are indispensable to us in daily life. We cannot live without simple arithmetic. It forms the core of this world. But similarly things like algebra are of no use in our day-to-day life. Just reflect if FACTORIZATION has ever stood us in good stead(except fetching us good marks). What is the use of learning “by-heart” all the complicated formulas in Chemistry. All Sulphuric acid can do is burn a hole in our hand if we come in direct contact with it. The term learning “by-heart” is absolutely farcical. I can assure that students memorize by all possible methods except “by-heart”. Portions are memorized in a state of hopeless desperation in the heat of the moment and not all due too their own free will and wish. As a famous saying goes,” One can only lead a horse to the water”, similarly, our education system is only forcing the students to mug up a syllabus of gigantic proportions , but is failing miserably in trying to “teach” children.
Subjects like geography need to be taught to a certain extent, after which the student decides if he wants to continue with the subject or not. History is a subject which just cannot be taught forcefully. It is impossible for a student to be made to like history forcefully. Its just one of those things for which you can’t explain your liking. You like it or you don’t. But history can be liked if it is viewed from the point of gaining some quick knowledge. It may not be a nice way to project a subject but its probably the easiest way to put it. It might be interesting if read like a story book, but in turn might be murderous if made to memorize. One thing that goes above my head is the insistence of memorizing dates thoroughly by the different schools. This certainly defies logic. If the aim of the schools is to increase memory power, IQ, concentration etc; then I might as well suggest a much more effective and entertaining way doing the same. All this can be done during outdoor activities and playing games as well. If improving concentration be the main criteria, then playing different memory games are bound to yield much better results than mugging up chapters without reason. There is a gain of knowledge, but as I said, since it is memorized without any reason, the knowledge is temporary. What is the use of studying subjects at a young age to such a depth that a student feels lost in an ocean of information. Instead of the student getting more “knowledgeable”, he is getting confused., For those who haven’t read Holmes, I would like to state a small incident from one of the very first encounters Dr.Watson had with Holmes. Apparently, as Dr. Watson found out, Holmes’ knowledge comprised only, I mean only what he needed to know and nothing apart from that. For example, Holmes’ knowledge was so precise that he did not know anything about the Solar System. When asked about his indifference towards the topic, he answered that since it did not help him in anyway in his work, there was no use cramming useless facts into his head. One need not be that precise in his ways, but at least some measure of focus must be introduced in an individual’s life.
Examinations are meant for testing the progress the student has made in the academic year in understanding the subject. This is, in my view, the purpose of exams. Is understanding the subject Important or is memorizing the text book important? This is one question which remains oblivious to the people in charge! The purpose of exams is not create fear in the minds of the children, but to create a fair idea of the subject and what they are going to have to study if they pursue it as their career. Some things like basic arithmetic are indispensable to us in daily life. We cannot live without simple arithmetic. It forms the core of this world. But similarly things like algebra are of no use in our day-to-day life. Just reflect if FACTORIZATION has ever stood us in good stead(except fetching us good marks). What is the use of learning “by-heart” all the complicated formulas in Chemistry. All Sulphuric acid can do is burn a hole in our hand if we come in direct contact with it. The term learning “by-heart” is absolutely farcical. I can assure that students memorize by all possible methods except “by-heart”. Portions are memorized in a state of hopeless desperation in the heat of the moment and not all due too their own free will and wish. As a famous saying goes,” One can only lead a horse to the water”, similarly, our education system is only forcing the students to mug up a syllabus of gigantic proportions , but is failing miserably in trying to “teach” children.
Subjects like geography need to be taught to a certain extent, after which the student decides if he wants to continue with the subject or not. History is a subject which just cannot be taught forcefully. It is impossible for a student to be made to like history forcefully. Its just one of those things for which you can’t explain your liking. You like it or you don’t. But history can be liked if it is viewed from the point of gaining some quick knowledge. It may not be a nice way to project a subject but its probably the easiest way to put it. It might be interesting if read like a story book, but in turn might be murderous if made to memorize. One thing that goes above my head is the insistence of memorizing dates thoroughly by the different schools. This certainly defies logic. If the aim of the schools is to increase memory power, IQ, concentration etc; then I might as well suggest a much more effective and entertaining way doing the same. All this can be done during outdoor activities and playing games as well. If improving concentration be the main criteria, then playing different memory games are bound to yield much better results than mugging up chapters without reason. There is a gain of knowledge, but as I said, since it is memorized without any reason, the knowledge is temporary. What is the use of studying subjects at a young age to such a depth that a student feels lost in an ocean of information. Instead of the student getting more “knowledgeable”, he is getting confused., For those who haven’t read Holmes, I would like to state a small incident from one of the very first encounters Dr.Watson had with Holmes. Apparently, as Dr. Watson found out, Holmes’ knowledge comprised only, I mean only what he needed to know and nothing apart from that. For example, Holmes’ knowledge was so precise that he did not know anything about the Solar System. When asked about his indifference towards the topic, he answered that since it did not help him in anyway in his work, there was no use cramming useless facts into his head. One need not be that precise in his ways, but at least some measure of focus must be introduced in an individual’s life.
A Tribute to the Nile
Rising from the high mountains, oh great Nile!
You wind through the heart of Africa.
Like a jewel among stones,
You shine all alone,
In the vast barren land,
Without a helping hand.
Releasing people from relentless strife,
Endowing all and sundry with new life.
And finally unloading your burden in the sea,
You head back to the mountains, you’re never free
And the day you shall cease to flow, oh great Nile,
Fashion Today
Let me give an “introduction” on the word ‘fashion’ and its so called indispensability to the modern day society. The word fashion is used as a synonym to glamor and style and a person is considered to be a part of the social circle only if he is “fashionable” i.e. in sync with the prevailing mode of expression of glamor and style. A person is touted as “unfashionable” if he does not go hand-in-hand with the contemporary mode of expression. Fashion does not necessarily mean the clothes you wear. It refers to one’s mode of talking, walking, thought, dress sense, hair style etc. There are a million factors due to which a person can be deemed.fit for mingling with the fashionable society or unfit to mingle with the fashionable society. Well I don’t know if you people have noticed, a caste system has emerged in the society totally different from the one prevalent in the medieval age. Cartelism or in a subtler way, “groupism” is done with reference to the ‘modern fashion’ and not according to the more important things, for example, sensible presentation of oneself rather than stylish presentation of oneself.
This blind manner of distinction among people is most common amongst the youth of this generation, more popularly known as “ THE GENNEXT “ or the “ GENX “. I am not saying I am totally against this, but the problem with us lies in the fact that we follow it as blindly as possible. No doubt this helps us gain a ‘position’ in the society, but don’t you think it’s better if you become a good human being rather than a fashionable human being. One drawback, or rather, should I say one ‘feature’ of being fashionable is, we ‘learn’ to look at down at people ‘below’ you with disdain. What is the difference? Just ‘branded’ attire? One cannot, and should not mock people just because they maybe a bit more shabbily dressed. Try and look at them as human beings, look at their character. Why don’t you put yourselves in their shoes? Hurts to do it doesn’t it?
What wonders a branded product can do to a person is an unsolved mystery till now. These upcoming malls nowadays have shot this practice to new heights. Word goes around everywhere that modernization is a must nowadays to keep in sync with rapidly growing western countries. But I feel development in the aspects mentioned above is totally undesirable. I guess a nation can still progress without being overtly ‘chic and fashionable’. These days originality reaps more awards than copying. But copying, is exactly what we are doing.
Everybody goes around saying,” Fashion is what you feel comfortable doing.” . I’d like to change that a bit though. My statement goes like this,” Fashion is what ‘others’ feel comfortable with what you’re doing.”
If world war 3 is fought with nuclear weapons, then world war 4 will be fought with sticks and stones ---- this is what Einstein had said with respect to the alarming ‘progress’ of the world. Well pretty much the same can be said about fashion too right! Fashion nowadays has “progressed” to torn jeans, unkempt hair etc, so how long would you think it would take before you see the fashionable being proudly striding across the street in dhoti and chappals.
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