Jnana - pure knowledge

This is admission time again. Parents all over are thinking overtime about the school where they will get their children “admitted”. One of my relative who has a child in this age group told me that he is admitting his child to a particular school. Why not St. Anne’s, I asked him. The response was shocking.

His funda is that schools like St. Anne’s promote western values more than any other schools. He did not want to send his child to this “Christian school”. Instead he wanted his son to study in a new school opened by a not-so-famous mutt in our place. The numbers of people who think in this line are increasing.

I object to this line of thinking on two grounds. One is that it is wrong to brand the schools on the lines of religion and second it is a mistake to think that our children should study in a school affiliated to our religion. Rejecting one on the basis of religion and appreciating other for the same reason is puzzling.

What should children learn in school? They may learn anything, but certainly not religion. I mean religion is so very private affair that there should be no reference to religion in schools. Not at least by teachers while referring to students. Religious practices have no place in schools.

Even I have studied in a Christian School. I never thought it to be so. For us it was just a school which had church in its campus. And yes, we were asked to pray when the church bells rang in the afternoon. But it was a harmless prayer with no mention to Christianity. And no, we were not forced to attend the mass on weekends.

There used to be the photo of Jesus in classrooms. Christmas was celebrated in the school. We never thought it was anti-Hindu to do so. On a contrary, we involved enthusiastically in putting up a Christmas-tree in our classrooms. As I remember there used to be some competition regarding this also.

Nuns (sisters as we would call them) were engaging classes for us. I used to find that there were no different from any regular teachers. I may say that they were more dedicated and kind-hearted than others. There was never a hint of influencing us towards their religion.

The morning prayers were also not something straight from church. They were all written by our own teachers and did not reflect any particular religious ethos. On a contrary, students were encouraged to read from all holy texts on important days. Truly, it was a secular environment there in our school.

I do not understand why a school should be doubted after 200 years of its existence. And I fail to understand why our children should study in schools established by “our people”. The quality of education should be the criteria and this is overlooked for trivial issue such as religion!

When there are fights all around the world about the interpretation of secularism in schools, we are witnessing this development where people want their children to study in a school that subscribes to their religion. Nothing can be bad start for a budding life than this.

Public Libraries held a very distinguished place in every town till a few years back. It was a place where people would meet to discuss the developments in the county or comment on the cricket matches played. Library provided a perfect opportunity for children to explore a new world altogether.

Where else could you get a chance to read 10 different newspapers? Library was a place which demonstrated the democratic ethos of our society. Where else could you see people from all backgrounds come to read the latest developments? Regulars would have an advantage over others in solving daily crosswords, though.

Here was a place which gave you access to those books which you had only heard. And the membership charges were (and are still) very cheap. For a mere Rs 10, you could carry your favorite books home. Even if you had problems with paying that, you could read the books free of cost.

Such libraries which shaped countless minds are neglected today. Or should I say we are neglecting it. Just recall when the last time you visited a library was. If you were avid library visitor in your childhood days, you will miss them dearly. We are no longer dependent on libraries.

In small towns, people may still go to libraries but in the world which I know, library is a place where “we used to go”. The inhabitants of this whole new world read newspapers online, download e-books and read them during their spare time and buy book if they want one.

Look at the number of bookshops which have come up in Bangalore in these years. Surely there may be people buying books, why else they will be here? Book shops have also changed their looks. They are more “posh”. This, I think, has also made us move away from libraries.

Recently I read that in USA, the local Governments are establishing Wi-Fi networks in their cities. What is special is that the Internet access through this is given free to all people. The local Govt. gets enough support from people like Google, to give these services free.

I think the future belongs to this kind of development. When we are dependent on Internet to do most of our reading, Govt. can think of diverting some of its library funds in this direction. Digital Libraries are the future and Govt. should think about this.

Recently I had been to the library in my place. I found that most of the titles were the same as it was before a decade. There were very few new titles added to the list. If Govt. cannot do anything, let it think of converting these libraries into “knowledge centers” by providing Computers to these libraries.

There seems to be some positive developments in Kannada TV industry these days. Soon after Udaya came with its second avatar (U2), ETV Kannada has steeped up its innovation. We have hearing that ZEE is launching a Kannada channel. Also heard is the news that own CM Kumarswamy is also planning for one.

ETV Kannada has always remained different from Udaya. It has always been giving far superior programs (intellectually). One can never expect programs related to literature and arts in Udaya. But ETV Kannada has artists like S P Balasubramanyam, C Ashwath and host of others who give programs exclusively to them.

ETV Kannada also hosted some one like Jayanth Kaikini, who was doing a loveable show called “Namaskaara”. He went on to do some of the most important series on Jnanapeeta winners like “Rasarushige Namaskaara”, “Kadala Bhaargavanige Namaskaara” & “Bendre Maastararige Namaskaara”.

Now that program is continued by Chandrashekar Aloor, who is equally sensitive. Only that he has work on his screen presence. Jayanth was lively on screen; Aloor should do something like that. Also, ETV Kannada hosted some important directors of our times.

There was “Grihabanga”, and then “Moodala Mane”. Both of these serials marked the departure from usual tear-jerkers. ETV Kannada also gets the credit of hosting some successful comedy serials like “Paapa Pandu” & “Silli Lalli”. It also hosts the only talent shows in Kannada screen – “Ede Tumbi Haaduvenu”.

But it is serial like “Mukta” which makes ETV Kannada too very special. I had written about this serial sometime back. Everyday I get to listen to a new story about its popularity. The kind of reach it has been able to reach is something incomparable. It is the jewel in the crown for ETV Kannada.

TV watching on Sunday’s was really boring. But this Sunday ETV Kannada changed it all. I do not know the reason how it changed so drastically and so fast. Maybe the management saw the need for the change and introduced new people. Maybe they infused new life into the dull Sunday programs.

The list of programs on show on Sunday was impressive. The “street magic” by Ramesh, “Burude Bavishya” by V Manohar (Chinna Kasargod as anchor) and a la “walk the talk” by Sadashiv Shenoy was really good. The other programs were also given a new looks. The much needed TV news (read info about TV artists) is welcome.

ETV Kannada seems to be far ahead of its competitor UDAYA presently. The later seems to be happy with the same old “Aadarsha Dampatigalu” and “Haadigondu Haadu”. Will someone tell Srinath that these things no more work? Time that they learn a lesson or two from ETV Kannada.

We are analyzing the impact of new changes in the CET system. As mentioned in the earlier post, the two changes that are mooted by Government are - one – considering only the CET marks for awarding ranks and second- limiting the number of seats available to students to few hundreds.

We have seen how the decision of relying only on CET marks will be a huge mistake. The whole point is that the 2 year PU studies will become redundant. And the coaching centers which are already creating tons of money each year will continue to do roaring business.

The other point is about the number of seats available to students through CET. At one point of time, the Government and private management had agreed on 60:40 sharing ratio. As the court cases progressed, this ratio was changing at rapid pace. Today after the recent Supreme Court judgment, the Government seems to have given up all hopes of convincing the private managements on taking students from CET.

The result, as seen in this years CET brochure, is pathetic. The brochure lists 4 Govt. Medical colleges with the total intake of 383 & ONE Dental college which can admit 51 students. In Engineering, the numbers are encouraging. Because even though there are only TWO Govt. colleges, there are at least NINE Aided colleges and ONE University Engg. College. So the total intake here is 4189.

There may at least a lakh students writing the CET exams. Agreed that all may not have the required aptitude to join professional colleges. But the ratio of number of students appearing to CET and seats available is dismissingly low. Come on, the Govt. cannot give medical seats only to 383 students. This is unfair.

But there is something funny here. CET cell seems to think that people will come for counseling despite small number of seats available. It has scheduled counseling dates for even those students who secure ranks between 20,000 & 30,000. Now, frankly how many of them in this rank range have realistic chances of getting a Govt. seat?

Are there no hopes? Should the students write CET, COMED-K, AIEEE, JEE and scores of other entrance tests in order to have a realistic chance of getting a seat in a professional college? I do not think so. Having seen some the fate of some private management colleges in places other than Bangalore, I have some hopes.

But the Govt. is definitely to be blamed in this crisis. It has failed to bring in a legislature which will sing an end to all these confusions. Irrespective of the Government in the ruling party, this problem fails to be resolved. We shall wait and watch what Kumarswamy will do this time.

But as I said earlier, I have some hope. I base my hope on the insecurity facing the private managements in many colleges. They may surrender their seats to CET just for the sake of survival. I will write more on this may be some other day.

There used to be a time when CET in Karnataka was considered to be a role-model for admissions to Professional Colleges. It was being studied by other states to strike a balance between the requests of money-thirsty managements and social demands. For a long time, CET was functioning efficiently.

It was an experience to go through CET procedure. The CET office was somewhere near Central Jail (any special significance!!) and the facilities inside were not great. But the procedure, once you get in, was so streamlined that there was no need to panic. Even the first timers felt “at home” there.

Before CET was introduced, the seat selection was a chaos. The single-window kind of an entry provided by CET provided much needed hope for students and parents. But as the number of private colleges began to rise, there was troubles boiling everywhere.

From the last 2 years, CET has become a great mess. The whole system is plagued by court litigations and endless legislations. Once any legislation is passed, someone will appeal against that in court. This will start one more round of legal battle. No one understands the trauma students have to undergo.

Every year, the problem reaches newer heights and somehow there is a compromise at the last moment. Students of that year are spared but the drama will unfold the next year. It looks like no one bothers about the CET issue unless it reaches the boiling point.

This year’s CET brochure is out. This year’s CET heralds a new era. There are 2 important changes in the CET structure this year. One is that the marks of CET exams alone will be considered for awarding marks. And second only Government & Aided Colleges are listed in the brochure.

Awarding the rank solely on the basis of CET tests raises many questions. The validity of whole 2-year course will be questioned. The simple fact is why should students attend classes for 2 years when they are told that the exams which they attend at the end will not help them?

You could see the repercussions of this development yesterday. There was a news that in Jain College, the management had refused to give admission tickets to over 100 students because they did not have attendance (even CM’s son was one among them). This scene will be more frequent from now on.

The PU Colleges should shut down and start CET Coaching centers. What else can they do? The students will do what is more beneficial. They cannot be blamed if they do not attend classes. The resulting scene will be that the students will be found mugging up all those CET-type questions and not bothering about comprehensive answers. Maybe even the laboratory exercises are also neglected. And these people will later enter professional colleges!!!

The issue of number of seats available through CET this year is equally worrying. That issue will be discussed in next post.

The previous post has set the necessary tone for carrying the important discussion about privatization of water supply. The early signs of state Governments going in this path is really troubling. There are documented evidences on how privatization of water has not helped in other countries.

And really there is no need for us to see statistics to make a point here. It is well known that corporate houses are least bothered about the marginalized community. “Social Responsibility” is a mantra they chant for getting all kinds of exemptions in Income Tax. They are driven by profit and other things hardly matters to them.

The fact that the privatization of water supply will start from metros raise many concerns. One is the availability of water in these mega cities. From Delhi to Bangalore, every major city is very thirsty because of swelling population. They are drawing water from as far as 100 kilometers to quench this thirst.

Now the Governmental agencies may be inefficient but they have a social concern. They cannot pass on the financial burden of drawing water from remote sources directly on customers. But will the private companies do the same thing. No, they will see quick ways of getting their investment back, whatever it means.

The urban poor are often the neglected lot. A lot of Government policies for poor are deviated to small towns and villages. People who live in slums do not possess any documents. Considered by every Government agency as illegal settlers, they are denied all benefits.

It is this section of population which will be the first casualty of privatization of water. The middle class population who don the demography of any city will be the next victims. Can you expect paying some 200% more for water every month? This will happen once water is privatized.

And what about water resources? Will Government sell them too? Maybe, because, if private companies have to supply water, they have to take it from somewhere. Right? Where will they go for that? They have to depend on ground water (aka more bore wells) or draw water from natural water bodies (lakes, rivers etc)

Now here come some disturbing questions which Government has to answer before allowing private players to distribute water. How will Government regulate the usage of ground water by these companies? We have the case of Coke in Kerala where they have over-exploited the ground water resources.

Some state Governments are coming out with “innovative” methods to preserve water resources. See this- the Govt. of Maharastra introduced the “Maharastra Water Resources Regulatory Authority Act, 2005”. Nothing wrong in this, you may say. But consider this.

This act says anyone who has more than 2 children should pay one-and-half times more over his water bill. If you remember that Maharastra has witnessed maximum farmer suicide cases in last 1 year, this seems ridiculous. For one, the farmer there does not have water. And the water that is given to him by Govt. comes at much higher price. Imagine what will happen if he buys it from private players!!

Today is World Water Day. Supported by UNESCO, this event which is now more than a decade old is becoming highly relevant in these years. And continuing its practice of deciding on the theme for each year’s celebrations, it has chosen “Water & Culture” as the theme for this year.

The choice of the theme is apt for several reasons. The resource “water” is closely related with the culture of the land. In India, the revered place given to water is nothing short of a worshipping deity. From birth to death, every occasion which has some rituals uses water in various ways.

In place like Kodagu (Coorg), people just worship the water. For them the only worshiping deity is river Kavery. In Hinduism too, rivers are considered sacred. The place given to river Ganga by people of this country is incomparable. Water was always something revered in this country.

The stories of Kings who built tanks in their places for their subjects are legendary. Even in my town, there is a small tank called “Chatra kere”, which people say was built by King Veeraraajendra for the benefit of travelers. I can remember people keeping drinking water (in earthen pots) in their shops. My grandmother would keep water in coconut shells during evenings and sparrows would come in large numbers to drink and play in that water.

The point that I am trying to make here is simple. Water was never considered to be a private property here. Water was one resource which people never hesitated to share. People expected that others fetch water from the wells they dug. In this land, water was never sold!

In fact if someone told me that water could be sold before a decade, I would laugh at them. Though we knew that water was available in bottles, it was just a laughing stock for us. I remember we used to joke saying that one day even oxygen would be available for money. Now I think even that day is not far.

But it happened. Water is today sold in market. And a liter of water costs same as a liter of milk!!! Somewhere, something has gone wrong. This country which worships water now does a roaring business out of it. And yes, this is the same country where farmers commit suicide because they do not have enough water for irrigation.

The report from UN says 6000 people die everyday in this world because they cannot get proper drinking water. In India there are places where women have to walk for 8 kilometers to get clean water. This is a country where people die in thousands both due to scarcity of water and floods.

Water management has not got its due in policy making. The budget allocation for rural development in this budget has increased. But will it mean people in rural places will get drinking water for free. No, there is a dangerous trend catching up Indian society – privatization of water.

State after state is trying to give primary life supporting resource such as water into the hands of MNC’s. More on this in next post.

The decision of eminent literary figure Dr. U R Anathamurthy (Dr. URA) to contest the Rajya Sabha elections has created quite news these days. Dr. URA is invoking the name of Kannada and pride of Karnataka as the reason why he should be preferred over others. Well, that’s the point we are discussing here.

There are no questions asked about the literary genius that he is. His skills as an eminent story-teller are proved through his wonderfully written works such as “Samskara” and “Ghatashraadha”. Though personally I feel his short story “Clip joint” is more important than any of his other works.

Well, I have not seen the writer in Dr. URA. By the time I began to read him, he had virtually stopped writing. Even today, I do not think he writes much expect for some contributions to newspapers. I am not telling that he is a spent writer, but it should be accepted that he is no more an active writer.

But his legacy fails to die down. He is the person who has given this language one of its seven “Jnanpeeta” awards. He is prominent figure now in all book releases (that’s what I see) and also is consulted to comment regularly on many issues ranging from Gopalkrishna Adiga to Belgaum City Corporation’s controversial decision.

Dr. URA is one literary figure in Kannada, who has maintained his activist’s stand till today. The other names which immediately flash to me in this category are Champa and Baragooru Ramachandrappa. These people speak out their mind irrespective of what you may feel about that.

Dr. URA, who was once famous as an anti-Brahmin writer was facilitated by none other than the Udupi Mutt not long ago. Considering the fact that he came from a traditional Brahmin Agrahaara, his anti-Brahmin image was quite interesting. To add to this, he married his student (who was a Christian).

Recently Dr. URA made news when he associated himself with the “Datta Peeta” controversy in Chickmagalur. Ravi Belagere (of “Hai Bangalore” fame) had recently alleged that Dr. URA managed to get a site from the then Congress Government (during S M Krishna’s rule). I do not know whether this is true.

Overall, Dr. URA has maintained a colorful profile. Though he is no more active in writing these days, he makes his presence felt during important times. That he has affection towards Kannada and its culture is not questionable. What is questioned is his declaration that he is the genuine representative of the land.

What would have been more credible is asking parties to support him based on his own credentials. What Dr. URA is doing, I think, is pure blackmailing. He is threatening the political parties that they either support him or be projected as “anti-Kannada” parties. This is not fare.

Everyone has a right to contest elections in this country. I am not fighting this point. But what I am protesting is the arm-twisting and emotional-blackmailing Dr. URA is engaging to garner votes. I feel he has proved his capabilities as a writer and it will be fitting for him to ask votes on his strengths. He need not bank on emotionalism for getting elected.

When Google did not exist, when Manmohan Singh was just the Finance Minister of India we were celebrating what was known as “Schoolday” or “Annual day”. Of course in PUC, I do not remembering celebrating anything like “College day”. Then here in Bangalore, we only have “fests”.

Well, everyone will have distinct memories of their “school day”. It was one event which gave an opportunity for teachers to display their creative talents. Yes, I have got this one rightly. It was not students who did creative things. They were just puppets in the hands of teachers.

Schooldays were for teachers. At least that’s what I thought in those days. They used to take the whole trouble of deciding what programs students should enact that day on stage. And every time they wanted to do something different but land up doing same dance, parades and skits.

But their innovations were really marvelous. I remember a teacher who took the trouble of dressing us like butterflies with all those giant wings. Remember, we were a small town locked amidst hills and nothing was available there. The teachers used to take all the trouble of preparing the props.

And yes, there used to be parental pressures to see that their wards get due attention. Parents were keen to see that their child be made stand in the front row during group dances and near the microphone in group songs. The teachers must have had tough times satisfying everyone there.

School day, in our town used to be an occasion for celebration for entire town. Now our school was by and far the oldest and only one for long time. So everyone there had the relation with the school. And they made it a point to attend the function even if none of their wards studied in the school.

The items that were presented in the school days were quite standard. A couple of group dances, solo performances if the students is a well known student (a.k.a son of famous person of the town), group songs (this would sound mostly like our church choir) and a skit.

The skits used to be mostly mythological. Now since we were a Christian school and our school days used to be held during Christmas, the skit would be regarding this only. But yes, I remember some other skits like Buddha being played by students. And one more important activity during school day would be prize distribution.

The school day would begin by a nice parade by NCC, scouts & guides, house (pink, blue etc. what was that??), bicycles etc. It used to fun to watch this even though the same was repeated every year. I last heard that this parade is stopped in these years.

Today even my school’s annual day celebrations are dominated by bollywood dance numbers. In cities like Bangalore, many schools do not even have big grounds to hold parades. For them school day is just another function organized in town hall or Ambedkar bhavan.

It is nice to be in campus these days. These are fest days in MSRIT. Fest means lot of hard work, enthusiasm, planning (which will never work completely) and then a sense of relief. Well, we just got over summIT’ 06. Now we had mukthi 6.03 on Friday & Saturday.

mukthi was different from other fests for a single reason that it was a pure technical fest. I do not know whether I can use the word “fest” to describe mukthi. The festivities and celebrations were there, but it was not like any college fests. Here were a bunch of students who loved a technology and they were celebrating it.

Obviously no one would like to celebrate windows. It was Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) which was in limelight for these two days. And yes, people came in large numbers. And they came from as far as Mysore to attend the lecture series. The event was hosted by our own Linux User Group (VRLINUG).

I am immensely pleased to see the enthusiasm of students in celebrating FOSS. Being technical students, they should have a natural inclination to understand and celebrate technology. And Linux thrives on such unconditional love and support from student communities across the globe.

It was nice to see that students attended the event after paying a nominal entry fee. This is important because it goes on to prove that students are interested in Linux and FOSS. VRLINUG should now make increased efforts to tap the growing enthusiasm among student community regarding Linux.

I deeply respect the philosophical foundations of FOSS and support it. For me, FOSS is a natural extension of humanism. Activists who take up the issues like democracy; human rights etc should support FOSS. They will find their sentiments echoed in Stallman’s gospel of FSF.

A documentary titled “Revolutionary OS” was screened on Friday. The movie gave an opportunity for us to listen to people like Linus Trovalds, Stallman, Apache guys and many other pioneers of FOSS movement. It was an amazing experience to watch it in our seminar hall (Can someone take initiation to start movie club in college. The seminar hall is no less than PVR cinema!!!)

The regular faces of FOSS like Atul Chitnis, Biju Chacko & Shanker Balan made it on second day. It is amazing to see how these guys remain passionate in advocating the cause of FOSS. The students may be really inspired by listening to them. Probably they may even think of being loyal to Linux.

I wonder why quiz is such a major draw among students in college like ours. I should write about this “quiz syndrome” sometime in this blog. Personally I think the highlight of mukthi was the announcement of starting 3 focused clubs in our college. This was required for a long time.

I hope the initiations VRLINUG has taken will be carried on well by the students. After seeing guys working tirelessly for mukti, I have no doubts that VRLINUG is in safe hands. I salute the entire VRLINUG team and K G Srinivas (mestru) for making such a meaningful event a grand success.

So the “summIT” has been scaled. For the uninitiated souls, SummIT is the techno-cultural event of VoISE (Voise of ISE) the student community of ISE dept in MSRIT. It is good to note that the fest is growing each year in terms of magnitude and grandeur. The students of the department have made it a mission of thier student life to see that summIT is a roaring success each time it is done.

This year the summIT managed to reach new heights. I was traking the developments from the point of start. I was happy to note that students are trying hard to bring in sponsors. This was something that was missing in previous summIT's. Thier hard work paid off. The fest saw some big names sponsoring the event. This also meant that summIT' 06 had a budget which was unimaginable in all these years.

The effort of students was visible in the way they made the fest posters. One poster which was fixed in the main entrance of our block really set the tone for the entire event. More sponsors meant good prize money. Probably finding such mega sponsors was the greatest achievement of volunteers. The big prize money ensured quality participation from other colleges.

The event which began on Mar 15(Wed) saw some intersting events. The contest like Su-Do-Ku receving more than 100 entries was a great thing. The face-painting contest saw this amazing entry which I thought was the "picture of the day". This spirit of students is what makes fests like this a success. There were other events like the 20Q which was attended well. The surprise element in this fest was the Kannada quiz. It was nice to see that students took the initiative of organizing such diverse events in the current fest.

There was something more special in this summIT. The main auditorium was fixed with special lights (disco lights!!!) and that smoke-emitting machine (which gives the feel of heaven). The crowd pullers such as Indian light music, antakshari and dance were held here under the "effects". And that was great!. One more new thing this time was that we had professional people playing all the instuments for these events.

The events like paper presentation (which was a disaster last time) was a big thing this year. It was nice to see people going back with mp3 players and home theatre system after they won gaming events. Also the participation in the events like OSP and debugging was decent than any previous fests. It was good to see an event like web-designing getting recognition in student fests.

DC, Aircrash and mad-ads are events which truly bring the out the creativity of the students. Usually these events are the most sought out in colleges like ours. Anyone who witnesses this event for the first time may feel surprised at the level of comfort students display in these things.

What you see at the right side is the photo of a dance item titled "Dashavataare". It was enacted by the students of PESIT and was an instant success.

When I saw the photos of students writing their SSLC Exams, I was suddenly rushed with a new enlightenment. Hey! A decade has passed since I wrote my SSLC exams. It was the same month in 1996 I went through this ordeal. And how much has the world changed since.

1996 was also the year when Cricket World Cup was held in India. The matches were held in the months of Jan and Feb. I remember the difficulty we had in following the match while our families forcing us to study. SSLC till today remain a family affair here where all members doing their bit to help the person taking exams.

It was also the year which saw one of the worst electricity crises. The power cuts would go beyond the specified time. And mind you, the regular load-shedding was anywhere between 6-10 hours a day. Add to this was the unannounced power cuts. The whole reading had to be done under lamps.

The exams were not really nerve-cracking because no one really understood the significance of that stage. I am sure none of my mates at that time had a concrete idea of where they would land. I feel exams were looked up as a passport for college where one need not wear uniforms!

Also college meant something at that time. It sounded better than school and definitely carried more respect. SSLC meant nothing more at that point of time. And yes, there was nothing like coaching centers. There were few guys who were giving tuitions which people attended casually.

Exam tension – was the word I don’t remember hearing during those days. Not to say that everyone was relaxed but there was nothing like people committing suicide and all that. Students in places like Virajpet at that time were not exposed to outer world much, which made them feel safe in their own small worlds.

I understood the importance of SSLC in a strange way. When I was shown my birth certificate, I noticed that my birth date was entered wrongly. I had to take great deal of trouble to rectify that error running through Government offices. In India, SSLC marks card is still considered to be a valid proof for birth date.

My experience in SSLC is dominated by the opposition I made to my science teacher. For god’s sake, she had also taught my father and had problems accepting my arguments. I had to face her fire all through the year and that set the tone for all my future rebellious activities.

I can’t stop without referring to the incident which has grown to stamp our batch in St. Anne’s. It involved our classmate slapping one of our teacher in the classroom. The farewell party for us was cancelled and we at that time had strangely felt that it is an achievement.

Below are some photos of St. Anne’s High School where I studied for 14 long years. The church complete its 200’th birthday in 1992.

In the previous post, the analysis of Sharukh’s popularity was undertaken. The reasons given to his popularity was his (intentional) projection as a family freak and romantic hero. Then the question of whether he is the last superhero of Hindi cinema was asked.

There are reasons why this question should be asked. One is that people who were projected to take over SRK failed terribly short. Take Vivek Oberoi, he is nowhere today. Apart from his alleged links with Aishwarya Rai, there is nothing special about him. He has reportedly fallen out of that too.

Hrithik Roshan was another person tipped to become next SRK. But he looks like to be waiting for his father to deliver hits for him. He claiming the coveted position of superhero is out of question. He may be a better dancer and fine actor but a superhero - No.

The old war-horses like Aamir Khan and Salman Khan must give up any realistic hopes of being one. Aamir will go down as one of the greatest performers and Salman will be lover boy number 1, but superhero post eludes them. The reasons why they cannot claim to be one are different.

Well, the absence of heroes is one of the reasons why there will not be any superheroes in future. There are some other reasons also. Important among them is the changing definition of cinema and altered grammar of language of Hindi cinema. The emergence of multiplexes also contributes to this.

With the establishment of multiplexes in all metros, the landscape of cinema has changed forever. Multiplexes have provided space for small budget movies, experimental and alternate movies. The success of films like “Jhankar Beats” and “Iqbal” are pointers for future.

Multiplexes have generated whole lot of new audience for cinema. The audience in multiplexes demands certain quality standards and sophistication in the cinema. And being market friendly, the popular cinema has to respond to the demands of audience. What we see today is exactly this.

Gone are the days where the hero used to smash dozens of goons, deliver chest-thumping dialogues and project a toughie image. Today’s hero knows one thing or more in latest fashion trends leads a posh life and also weeps at times. In a way, he is projected as one among us.

This situation cannot give rise to a superstar. The small, savvy audience can keep the box-office ringing, but they won’t worship any hero. They may appreciate his dress but won’t imitate it blindly. They may applaud the performance but won’t come back and stick his poster at their home.

This audience cannot breed a superstar. The changing demography and grammar of Hindi cinema does not encourage the emergence of one. And more importantly, people seem to keep cinema in its right place and not bother about it unnecessarily. Moreover, they no more need a superstar.

Much before rains lashed Mumbai last year; I had written that Kannada film industry cannot have a superstar. The reasons which I gave for such argument was the limited market of Kannada films and the constraints it poses on production and marketing costs.

The phenomenon of Superstar itself is a strange one. It is not simply the popularity of a hero, nor is it the appreciation of his acting skills. There are numerous instances where some people have defied the traditional definition of superstars but still managed to remain one.

The Hindi cinema industry has its own list of superstars. Depending on who your favorite is, you can come up with your own list of superstars. Personally I have not seen much of Dileep Kumar, Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna , who people say were superstars of their times.

From what I have seen, Amitab Bachhan (AB) and Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) are the two superstars who continue to deliver despite being around for so long. Discussing about AB needs more space, so I will skip it. Lets today focus on SRK and see why he reached where he is.

To say that he is the greatest actor of our times may not be right. There are people like Aamir Khan and host of others who can be the contenders for this. In the looks department, Salman Khan was way ahead of SRK. Then what is that which makes him click?

It is surely the right mix of everything. He reinvented himself after being branded as fit only for obsessed lover. The romantic image he developed stood different from the lover boy image of heroes of his times. And he has, may be consciously, acting in family dramas.

If one observes the films that made him a household name, one can see that they were all set in large families. He has been projected as an obedient son, caring brother, romantic lover, loving husband and adoring father. This family-perfect depiction of his characters has helped a lot in making him a superstar.

But we have to note the inherent differences between hero-worshipping on both sides of Vindhyas. While in south, people spare no efforts in equating their heroes with Gods, Hindi cinema does not witness such euphoria. The superstar is equated with guaranteed collection and saleable commodity.

Seen in this perspective, SRK is truly a superstar. His films come with a minimum guarantee and he sells. The count of products he endorses goes beyond anyone’s imagination. From soaps to computers he sells everything. Whether the products he endorses sells or not, he sells.

SRK may be the superstar today. But who is the next? This question was asked many times in recent times, but we did not find an answer. Few guys looked promising, but SRK is not replaced. That brings one important question – is SRK the last superstar of Hindi cinema? That’s in my next post.

I am surprised by the fact that this blog has not seen even one post on Cricket even after surviving for one long year. I really do not know why I never wrote about Cricket in my 200 odd posts. Anyways, today that stigma will be cleaned. Who can resist the temptation of writing about yesterday’s match- not me!

434 – Is no more a number. It signifies the importance of the phrase “Anything is achievable”. It will continue to haunt Ricky Ponting all through his life. The poor man should be appreciated for his generosity and sportsmanship. When he declined to accept man of the match award, sports was the winner.

Move over Lagaan, we have a more powerful drama to narrate to our next generation. People need not think of adding dramatic elements into this story. The unfolding script had so much excitement in it that a person with a weak heart would die in end moment.

Sports have its share of legends, people who have fought against all odds. I remember a gymnast, who in Olympics, landed gracefully (and won gold medal) despite breaking her bone midway. But the way South Africa managed the show yesterday will make people forget all legendary stories they have heard so far.

Cricket is a game which has its share of anticipation and drama. Hirwani-Miandad episode and “That Six”, Kambli’s tears in Eden Gardens in 1996 world cup, Venkatesh Prasad-Sohail duet in Bangalore – there are numerous dramatic moments etched in my mind. But Boucher’s final blow yesterday will be remembered for a long, long time.

The heat of the match was so high that even Star News began to show the match Live. When people are looking for high-pitched events, matches like this are sure to make headlines. This may be the greatest story of all times; maybe more than England’s victory in recent Ashes.

434 –was also in news for a different reason. It was remembered when Anil Kumble reached 500 test wickets. I remember the euphoria that surrounded Kapil reaching 434. I even have the special edition of Sportstar which was devoted to him. But nothing like that awaits Kumble.

When someone is labeled as “genius” even before proving in all occasions, popularity has strangely eluded Kumble. I fail to understand the reason behind this. He may be a perfect case-study for marketing students. They can sit and analyze why the “brand Kumble” never made its mark.

The only big news about him was how Malayalam heroine Shobana was interested in him. In a way rumors are a measure of one’s popularity. Even the brands which he sponsors can be counted easily. In this world where cricketers do everything apart from cricket, Kumble is truly a gentleman.

I wish we get to see more people like Kumble. Also would like to see more close matches like the one played yesterday. Stories like these are necessary to keep us glued to this game. After all this game is more than religion for majority of Indians. I am not an exception!

The rumor circulating in the tech world is today confirmed in the newspapers. Microsoft has revealed its plans of launching the new device for mobile computing. The news comes at the time when Samsung also announced the release of its own next generation computing device.

There is more to expect this year. Later half of this year is marked for the release of the much expected new operating system again from Microsoft. The product, whose beta release itself was quite news, is supposed to change the nature of computing forever.

It is an accepted fact of our times that technology grows so fast that it is impossible for anyone to keep pace with it. But the impact of these changing technologies is not seriously studied at least in Indian situation. But this study has become very crucial because of India’s continued romance with technology.

Gone are the days where it would take decades for a new technology to reach India. Today India is a huge market which no company can neglect. Simultaneous release of products in India along with big markets is a reality today. But the question is – is India ready for this?

Imagine a situation where the Government starts the computerization drive of its machinery. Now such large scale project will take its own time to be completed. In most cases, the machine and software will be obsolete by the time the project is completed. What next, another round of computerization drive? Can we afford this?

This issue takes a serious turn when we think of computer education. It must be noted that the knowledge of computers implies teaching how to use OS. If the manufacturer thinks he will be releasing new versions every now and then to boost his profits, what can we do?

Can we afford to upgrade the knowledge of mass all of a sudden? In a country like India, where there is growing enthusiasm to learn computers, this provides a huge business opportunity. What results is the spurring of dubious street-corner computer coaching centers which con people.

The same is true with the introduction of new processors. Seriously speaking how many people upgrade their systems because there is a need? Most of the junta can work with Win 98 and simple configuration. But they upgrade because there is so much euphoria around this whole issue.

It is normal for all machinery and technology to become obsolete after few years. But the fast rate in which computer machines and software become outdated is worrying. Its impact in a country like India needs to be analyzed from various angles. Roughly - Government establishments, computer literacy programs and not-so-computer-literate common man are the victims in this mad drive.

This is not to say we should not change with technology. Nor am I sidelining the power new tech brings. But I am just cautioning regarding the mad rush towards embracing any new technology. This, when done without proper thinking, results in sheer waste of money and underutilization (abuse/misuse) of the power technology brings in.

With the introduction of new channel called U2, Kannada viewers have choice on hand. Now they can call this channel most of the times in the day and request the song they want. I have been following this channel from the day it was started. And now, I think the time has come for me to punch down my impressions.

In a city like Bangalore where there are multiple local players in cable segment, the audiences were already treated with many such programs. In a larger scene, channels like SS Music & Sun Music did the same thing. May be after Sun Music tasted success, they repeated that experiment in all languages.

U2 started with a bang. The channel has its advantages. Compared to local cable channels who telecast the videos of poor quality, these guys have an appreciable collection of original videos. And they had the experience in handling logistics associated with such programs.

The great letdown for U2 is its anchors. For a channel which has to survive on good communication skills of anchors, this is a great setback. It looks like they have hasted in selecting the anchors. In fact, the few regular anchors in their sister channel Udaya are far better than these guys.

U2’s counterpart, Sun Music, has some wonderful anchors. Some people like Hema have already received much attention from public. Some anchors are so very knowledgeable about music, its pleasure to listen to them. One guy who was anchoring a show on Sunday with a leading Tamil singer bowled me over through his understanding of music.

It is anchors like this who are badly needed. One does not like to always see a dumb character always. In U2, some anchors are so uninteresting that they ask same set of questions to every caller. It makes the whole experience boring. Many people even do not have proper diction.

It is ok to mix few English words when you are speaking. But some anchors speak in such a way that it looks like they are speaking English and they are just sprinkling few Kannada words in between. This habit should be first shed by the anchors. They should work hard on their diction.

The second thing they should remember is that TV is a visual medium. Unlike a RJ whom audience cannot see, VJ’s should have a visual appeal. I am not saying they have to look like models, but certain minimum standards are necessary. U2 has to go a long way in looks and dress sense departments.

There is one more serious issue regarding U2. If you observe the calling pattern in U2, you will see that all the callers are from North Karnataka. This may not be a coincidence, since this is happening from the day U2 started. I see something fishy in the whole deal. Its time for U2 to wake up and get its act straight.

I think this article should be the last one in this series on teaching. In this article, I want to discuss the topic which I left midway in earlier article. That was the reluctance of teachers to adopt themselves to changing situations. We saw one reason for this for this reluctance i.e. their unwillingness to come out of their comfort zones.

This factor is true for even some seasoned professors. They will be teaching the same subject for so long that feel at home only with that subject. The notes they would have prepared in their initial days comes handy even after long years. They will be unwilling to move out of this and try something different.

Students, on their part, also have a certain comfort zone attending classes. They feel that they get to learn (only) in classrooms. When they enter the door of classroom, they are psychologically prepared to receive instructions from teacher. A sudden shift from this accepted and much practiced path may be difficult for them.

There is also this thing called interaction in classrooms. People who propose that there is nothing parallel to classroom teaching often forward this argument. They say that the students learn not only the content from the teacher but also learn the body language, interaction styles etc.

There is also a great deal attached to how a teacher can get instant feedback by seeing the reaction of his students in the classroom. It is often said that nothing can replace this experience of teaching. Sometimes, I feel this argument concludes by establishing teaching as a performing art.

I think both of these arguments have limitations. It may be true that a student is influenced by the non-verbal behavior of his teacher but powerful content delivery backed with authoritive knowledge can put this issue into background. Teachers who have good knowledge but not so good delivery style gain acceptance because of this.

The thing about teacher gaining a lot through instant feedback from students also falls short. How many teachers can really change their styles depending on the mood of students? Don’t most of the teachers think that teaching is their job and understanding is the sole responsibility of students?

The point which I am trying to make here is that teachers have to start thinking beyond chalkpiece-blackboard-classroom kind of teaching. They should realize that classroom teaching has certain limitations. In my case, I teach to a class of 60 students. Yes, in one course, there are 130 students in ONE classroom (it’s another story that all do not turn up to attend classes)

When a classroom has such huge numbers, there will be no scope for individual attention. So teachers should look into ways of improving their teaching efficiency. As I proposed in last piece, teacher should focus on improving learning experience of all his students.

How can teachers improve themselves? I am not proposing any cookbook solution for this problem. I have just proposed the various issues a teacher should consider while defining a workable solution for this persistent problem. Unless a teacher tries to solve this individually, he cannot make any significant impact on the learning experiences of his students.

This series on teachers seems to be going very well. Till now I have explored some issues regarding the plight of teachers. Today, I want to put down my thoughts regarding teaching. Most of these ideas are influenced by related studies in the field of educational philosophy.

How does a person learn? Perhaps this is one question which a teacher should know an answer for. A teacher should understand the inherent differences people have in learning. Every person has a unique pace, method and style in which he learns things. A teacher firstly should understand this.

This factor is important because teachers always seem to make generalizations regarding learning styles. They will have their own style of course delivery and think all students in class can follow them. They fail to recognize the individuality in the learning styles of their students.

Once they understand this basic difference, they will learn that classroom forms a very small part in the entire learning process. The student has many learning experiences and may be some are better than classroom. So a teacher should try to give him all those learning experiences.

Bur unfortunately, we have been giving too much importance for classroom studies. Not that they are unnecessary, but there are alternatives. A teacher need not have to be in classroom to give lessons to students. There are other alternatives and a teacher should recognize that.

That’s why I feel there should be a paradigm shift in the thinking of teachers. They should stop thinking that teaching is their main goal. Instead they should realize that their main goal is make students learn. This change in attitude has lots of significance in today’s world.

When a teacher starts thinking that his primary job is to make students learn, he will look out for ways in which his students learn better. Then he may find that classroom teaching does not appeal to majority of his students. So he may set up discussions, quizzes, hands-on session or something different to make learning experience better.

This basic thinking has been implemented in primary school teaching. But teachers in professional colleges are not ready to implement these ideas. For them, there is no substitute for classroom teaching. I better dismiss this argument as non-willingness to accept changing scenario.

Another reason why people are not willing to accept this truth is the comfort zone they have created for themselves. Now that they have studied in such environment, they feel secure. Change, in any ways is unacceptable. Even students are mentally oriented towards learning in classrooms.

But things are changing. Learning, today, is not limited to classroom. There is a constant need for everyone to upgrade their skill set regularly. Learning is becoming a life long process. And in these times, teachers have to recognize their changing roles. They have to act more as learning-enablers than being traditional teachers.

When I was writing on the plight of teachers in engineering colleges, I was haunted by a sense of guilt. The guilt which grows the moment I think of the plight of teachers in schools; especially in Government primary schools. I cannot but feel sorry for them after seeing their situation.

The Government employs people in various departments. Mostly Government job is synonym with non-working. At times the various perks that come with the job make it appealing. That’s why one has to pay a lot of money as bribe to get a Government job.

I have heard that even a Lecturer’s job in Government engineering college comes with a price tag of 5 lakhs. The posts in “fat” departments like excise, tax, and police will surely have an astronomical price attached to it. It is ok in these departments because there is a hope of getting it back. But teaching?

Paying to get the job as primary school teacher does not make any sense. Now there is no way any primary teacher may get it back, unlike an excise officer or police inspector. More over the kind of tasks the Government extracts from teachers make them the most exploited species in entire Government workforce.

Consider this. The teachers in primary schools have to teach students in a class which is ill-equipped in all sense of the world. Then these days, they have to overlook the mid-day meals program. They have to prepare their students for all cultural events to entertain politicians visiting the town.

The primary school teachers may the most used (or abused) Government employees. Come on, when other Government servants do not even bother to work from 10-4, these people are forced to do all extra services to the Government. That too all free of cost.

Have you seen anyone apart from teaches undertaking the tedious job of census? No, it is impossible to convince any other Government employee take up this job. Teachers have been the foot soldiers in this important national task. Remember, their job does not end in visiting houses.

They have to consolidate the data collected, create summary reports and complete a lot of other formalities. This, they are expected to do in addition to their teaching load. Add to all these, the trouble of non-payment of salaries and harassment from seniors. Surely, an ordinary primary teacher is the most hard-working Government servant.

I often feel that these primary teachers, majority of whom are women, should be initiated into using Computers. It can really lessen their burden. They can effectively teach their subjects using computers and also it can help them in this record keeping business.

When I hear the word “teacher”, I can only recall the faces of my primary school madams. Their selfless service is very vital for the overall progress of the country. They should not be involved in doing all data-collection. They should be left to do what they are best at – enlighten the young souls with new knowledge and make them enjoy the whole experience of learning.

Till now we have seen how the absence of quality control mechanisms has impaired the right functioning of engineering education system. Here I want to discuss two more issues which I think is important. One is the question of entry barrier and other is the evaluation criteria.

Entry into professional colleges in general has become a huge issue today. Students are particularly feeling the heat of this. In an academic year they have to write as many as 3 different entrance exams in order to gain any reasonable chance of gaining admission into good institute.

It is a normal practice in many countries across the globe that the institute itself admits the students. The admission procedure, which has much bearing in the entire process, is usually the domain of the host college. Or maybe the university decides on this. But here the situation is quite different.

Here the entrance tests are usually conducted by a consortium of colleges or a government agency. This body, usually, does not have any direct relation with the professional education. And it allots the students to colleges. So colleges do not have any say from first step itself.

Entrance tests should never be generic. It should test the aptitude of student for any particular course. But here there is a great deal of generality about the entrance tests. A person takes up an entrance test like CET and then he has the passport to get to many courses like medicine (western, ayurveda, unani, homeopathy etc) and engineering (again many areas) etc.

This is really not a good way to import students into a course. The problems which become visible at a later stage have its roots here. That’s why I consider this as a point of stumbling. So screening of students for different courses should be streamlined.

The second point is the evaluation systems. I have written about this earlier. But now let me put it in a formal way. Benjamin Bloom has given us the taxonomy which can be used in preparing questionnaires. He says the questions should essentially test 6 skills namely – Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis & Evaluation.

But unfortunately, we have been limiting our evaluation to first two categories. Vincenti had categorized Engineering knowledge under 6 categories namely - Fundamental Design Concepts, Criteria and Specification, Theoretical tools, Quantitative data, Practical consideration and Design instrumentalities. This important theory again is not followed by our syllabus framers and evaluators.

I consider the non-recognition of Bloom’s Taxonomy and Vincenti’s principles in engineering education system in India as next stumbling point. If teachers cannot control the first issue discussed here, it is understandable. But the second issue directly is in their control. They should try to at least remove this stumbling block which is preventing the future progressive march of engineering education system.

I am continuing on the topic which started yesterday. In a comment to that post, certain questions were raised. Since I feel it necessary to answer those and clarify some issues, I am continuing on the same subject today.

Yes, I strongly feel that privatization of professional education was a mistake. The step per se was not a mistake but rushing through such important process without proper thinking was. I do not know whether people at that time had foreseen the explosive development in this area.

If they had, surely they had to design a combat mechanism. The problem of today’s Engineering education scenario is that there is no proper quality checking mechanism. The bodies such as AICTE & NBA have failed to control the quality in engineering education.

There is a body called ABET which looks into the accreditation issues of engineering courses in USA. It comes out with certain guidelines which every program should meet in order to get permission. This document called ”Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs – Effective for Evaluations during 2005-2006” is an excellent document.

This document lists outs the skills which a graduate should have in order to receive an engineering degree. It makes interesting reading. Though it is long, I feel it is important to have it here.

Engineering programs must demonstrate that their students attain:

(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering

(b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data

(c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability

(d) an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams

(e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems

(f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility

(g) an ability to communicate effectively

(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context

(i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning

(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues

(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

The point is in India we do not have any such detailed processes to check the relevance of an engineering program. The existing mechanisms are not changed frequently to be in sync with the present day realities. This is where we have stumbled in first place.

The issue of unemployable Engineers is really becoming a huge issue. I had written about this issue here when it was initially reported. Now it seems everyone has forgotten that this comment was made while releasing NASSCOM-McKinley report on status of engineering education in India.

People are attributing this statistic to Narayan Murthy. Anyway, I do not dispute the figure of 25% quoted in the statement. I do not have any facts to present alternative figures. But as a member of this system, I can really answer some of the criticisms we are receiving in recent times.

The first time I heard this statistic being used to comment on the working of Indian teachers was when a University delegation from US came to our college. Today when I was attending a program in IISc, I again came across a Professor (of IISc) who used this to comment on the quality of UG teachers.

Well, it has become fashionable today to look at the private engineering sector in India in lower esteem. But we have to remember that it is this boom which is providing the required manpower for the IT service industry in this country. The IIT’s and IISc’s would not be in a position to fuel the economic growth that we see today.

I know that there are issues of quality that comes in this debate. Being a teacher myself, I know about the failing standards in teaching. But the teachers are not directly responsible for this. There are scores of other issues which play a more dominant role in the whole scene.

Privatization of professional education should not have happened in the first place. Now that is a reality we have to deal with it. The authorities should have taken adequate quality control mechanisms to deal with this sector. Now they have failed to this and the consequences are felt today.

The very concept of having large number of colleges under one university is rubbish. The centralization of various key issues like syllabus creation, valuation scheme formation and the evaluation process is posing lot of stress on the whole system. Scaling vertically without thinking was the first mistake.

Granting autonomy is not the solution because there is always a fear of dilution of quality. But at least the institutes which are resourceful should be granted autonomy. The academic autonomy leads to the empowerment of teaches. Then, they can be made accountable.

In present system when the teacher is not involved in anyway with key issues, he cannot be blamed. Someone creates the course content, someone else valuates the students and the teacher has to just deliver the course. In such a system where teacher is not free to take decisions, he cannot be blamed for poor quality of students.

I am not defending the lethargic quality of teaches. I know they have to improve in these demanding times. But I am not for making them liable for things which they cannot control.

The budget spelled out by Finance Minister yesterday has already received its share of analysis. I try to point out my opinions here. I will limit myself to the allocation done to different sectors and the necessities. Please note that I am not trained as an economist and these are perspectives of a common man.

The first thing that catches my attention is the increase in defense allocation. The increase of 8.9% increase in this sector needs a rethinking according to me. A staggering amount was left unused last year (over Rs.1300 Crores). This is one area where we have to reduce our expenditure.

People may argue that security is something we cannot neglect. But my point is - at this juncture when there is no visible threat; such huge investments are uncalled for. The point is that this comes at the cost of vital areas like social service, education and S&T.

Consider this- Agriculture and allied activities gets Rs. 7385 Crores, Irrigation & Flood control receives Rs. 587 Crores. The important category of Science and Technology receives a mere Rs. 8061 crores. When one considers that most of this is spent on salaries and slips, what is left to actual usage is anyone’s guess.

When one looks that health sector receives a budget allocation of Rs. 12,500 crores, one is left thinking about the status of this sector. The Government seems to have decided that it has to slowly withdraw from health care. The effects of this privatization drive in health care are already felt.

Take elementary education. This area is crucial for the overall national development. Though the benefits cannot be measured in financial terms, good elementary education acts as an enabler for future social reforms. This area gets the budget allocation of Rs. 17000 crores.

Good amount, you may say. But wait. In this amount, Rs. 11,000 crore is given to SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan). This is unbelievable. Not that I doubt the implementation of the program but I worry about the money involved. It is well known that teachers do not get anything extra from SSA. So where does this huge money go?

The important program like Mid-Day meals gets only Rs. 4000 crore when it is said that it needs at least double this amount for the sustenance of the program. Whether the rest will be supplied by the state Government is everyone’s guess. Overall education has not received the due share it deserves.

A farmer in USA gets $ 2,80,000 each year from Government as subsidies. But farmers here have to struggle hard even to get their loans waived off in case of crop failure. It is this nature of our Government policies which is condemnable. On a lighter note, I also did not like the reduction in price of soft drinks.

Wrong prioritization of the immediate and future needs of the country has made the FM allocate huge money to unwanted areas. Making socially relevant sectors suffer because of this is what I hate. That is why I do not cheer for the present budget.