Sunday, August 30, 2009

There's something about Monday

The alarm clock rings and you feel like taking the sledgehammer to it.
Why do Mondays have to be day when you have to get up earlier than usual.
People seem to share your opinion- The girl next door has a scowl on her face- She probably had to wake up early too.
Deadlines deadlines deadlines and Friday seems so far away.

There is something draconian about a Monday.
Life seems to be a drag and a fresh start to all our troubles.
The whole world conspires to make your life hell
and you have jerks like this author spreading the cheer.
There is definitely something about a Monday- And no.. not in a good way.

But oh well there is still a Friday to look forward to :)




Friday, August 28, 2009

There's something about friday

There's something about a Friday
Even the alarm clock seems to know it and sings rather cheerfully,
People seem to be happier- the girl next door carries a wide smile,
You go to work and your deadlines seem to melt away with all your other troubles,
Life seems to be a walk in the clouds- Ah its a Friday after all- A temporary end to all our troubles.

Some say Sunday is god's day but then I feel its Friday,
When the whole world conspires to make sure you have a blast
A whistle on your lips and a song on the side
Ah there is definitely something about A Friday.




Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Walls

We supposedly live in a global world without boundaries- Where we treat people equally- Where we have no preconceived notions of people and what they represent. But do we really? Even the ones among us who say we do. And that includes me.

How many times have we judged a person even before we get to know them- How many times have we judged a person based on where they are from, how they look, what religion they follow, what color they are- We all do this in one form or the other. When is it that we can live in a world where we can work towards a common goal without worrying about all this.
Because until then we have failed as a race.

We are one. The only way to make things happen is to realize that. Make the world a better place for us all. Break down the walls. Erase those boundaries. Make an effort, start today. Have a simple philosophy- Don't do to others what you cant tolerate being done to you.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

The indian education hullabaloo

One of my lunch mates these days is an American and the inspiration to pen my thoughts on this topic is a direct result of a conversation I had with him a few days ago.

The Indian guys in the group were explaining how the Indian education system works and it struck me as appalling as to how draconian a system we have. Every time we explained how something works in Indian schools he burst out laughing. And this is a bunch of us coming from the best schools in the country. The idea of learning by rote and the manner of punishments meted out to the so called 'failures' makes the whole concept of schooling irrelevant.

This got me thinking on whats the primary goal of education- UNESCO defines the role of education as follows:
Education should be a means to empower children and adults alike to become active participants in the transformation of their societies. Learning should also focus on the values, attitudes and behaviors which enable individuals to learn to live together in a world characterized by diversity and pluralism.

Does our education system do any of this? We are just hell bent on making stencilled out students confirming to industrial standards with no scope for creative or cultural or social expression. The fact that some have found means to not confirm to these so called rules is a testament to their stubbornness rather than the system through which they have been put through. But what is it that's so really wrong with our system? It lacks one crucial quality - freedom.

Freedom of expression, freedom of choice, freedom to just do what you want to do. We claim to be a free country and in principle we are but in essence we are curbing the freedom of kids. How many kids get to do what they are good at? Especially if what they are good at is not something which is socially or economically acceptable. How many kids have had to abandon their obvious talent on something and join the rat race to compete at something they are not even interested in. The problem is however more deep rooted than we think and is not limited to the education system. Its society at large. The way we look down upon on someone who does not do well within the established set of rules and goals of the system is despicable. He/she is labelled a failure. Who knows of how many extraordinary talents we lost to this kind of attitude. Its about time this came to an end.

There has to be a change. Every single person is different - allow that expression of difference. That will bring the much needed diversity in our world. All we now have are meaningless copies sput out by the system. The change has to first come in terms of attitude of the society at large - we have to accept that not everyone wants to be an engineer or a doctor or whatever it is that's in fashion now. Parents have to realize that their children are not a means to achieve their dreams or the societies dreams . Give them that freedom. Cultivate and nourish their interests. You ll make truly better people out of them. And yes - they will be able to fend for themselves in this so called dog-eat-dog world.
The way I see it these people will not be the also-rans we are, they will be the head of the curve.

This felt more like a rant than my previous post. :)

ps: An organization which has similar views on education and is doing something about it:

Monday, August 3, 2009

A rant

Why can't we just do what we want to do,
say what we want to say,
and just be what we want to be.

Why do we always have to live someone else's life,
doing things the way they are 'meant' to be done,
leading a life of conformance and acceptance.

Is it really that hard?
Why cant we all just Live.