tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post239501372744257368..comments2024-03-27T13:58:06.458+05:30Comments on Suvro Chatterjee bemused: Thoughts for Teachers' DaySuvro Chatterjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027202980259279420noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-72840572641891576032016-03-05T17:56:53.689+05:302016-03-05T17:56:53.689+05:30Respected Sir,
Over the past three years, I have ...Respected Sir,<br /><br />Over the past three years, I have read this post well over a dozen times. The more I read it, the more it intrigues me. <br /><br />Towards the end of the fourth paragraph, you have written that India once worshipped those 'truly wise men'. Could you please tell me the period you were hinting at? Did you, sir, refer to the many learned sages('Maharishis') who walked the length and breadth of the land? Besides, whom do we blame for the abysmal fall in our standards? These are the major questions in my mind.<br /><br />Also, I remember that you had once said in class, "As the Dark Ages began to settle upon India, the Renaissance began in Europe." I read your latest blogpost. I would, thus, request for a post that answers the aforementioned questions. <br /><br />Yours faithfully,<br />Abhishek Anand Abhishek Anandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04629986056468999187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-50264171126061859252013-11-01T11:06:41.866+05:302013-11-01T11:06:41.866+05:30Abhishek, it's not an exclusively Indian pheno...Abhishek, it's <i>not</i> an exclusively Indian phenomenon, but certain peculiarities in Indian history have made these things much more commonly and strongly noticeable among Indians, I think, than among the rest of mankind. And I have touched upon that in the post itself.<br /><br />Thank you for reading and thinking. Most 'educated' people these days, even your parents' age, do neither!Suvro Chatterjeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027202980259279420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-70297622171699885892013-10-24T23:09:45.602+05:302013-10-24T23:09:45.602+05:30Respected Sir,
This blogpost is really thought pr...Respected Sir,<br /><br />This blogpost is really thought provoking. It is full of great ideas.<br /><br />It does seem that we Indians confuse pride too easily with conceit. But Sir, does this happen only in India?<br />When I was in eighth standard, we were taught Guy de Maupassant's Necklace. The last paragraph of the story read '..and Mathilde gave a smile which was proud and innocent ant the same time....'. This 'proud and innocent at the same time' made me curious and I asked the teacher what it implied. She answered, "Actually, pride is often associated with guilt. But Mathilde was innocent." It seemed a very rational reply. <br />Then, did Guy de Maupassant think just like most Indians?<br /><br />Yours faithfully,<br />Abhishek Anand Abhishek Anandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04629986056468999187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-59794528102039537862012-03-13T12:48:48.530+05:302012-03-13T12:48:48.530+05:30This is one of my old posts that I want new reader...This is one of my old posts that I want new readers to visit, and others to re-read, ponder over, and comment upon. The subject matter is of universal and permanent validity: unlike pop celebrities, it does not date or fade. See also the post titled 'What is eternal?'Suvro Chatterjeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027202980259279420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-36941052698699758432008-10-30T10:54:00.000+05:302008-10-30T10:54:00.000+05:30Why did the comments stop flowing immediately afte...Why did the comments stop flowing immediately after I pointed out that one particular person was talking about irrelevant things? ... too painful a subject to ponder upon?Suvro Chatterjeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027202980259279420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-2141986172478870842008-09-18T22:14:00.000+05:302008-09-18T22:14:00.000+05:30Just a small comment for now. Subhanjan's college...Just a small comment for now. <BR/><BR/>Subhanjan's college experience bears an uncanny and poignant resemblance with the news item “ Student faces fury of tutor” published in “The Telegraph", Calcutta edition of 17th September 2008 (Calcutta Metro), recounting the horrid ordeal of a student at Belur High School. The story seems to have been lifted straight out of Subhanjan’s entry!! Gosh!!! <BR/><BR/><BR/>Kaushik ChatterjeeKaushik Chatterjeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08712252983920471892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-43715533237625844942008-09-14T15:14:00.000+05:302008-09-14T15:14:00.000+05:30It really seems I should have done my homework muc...It really seems I should have done my homework much more extensively. I apologise.<BR/><BR/>But what about my other two posts? They are much more consequential than the post on Mr. Bose. May be most, except Tanmoyda, are too busy to read Sir's posts and their comments entirely.Subhanjanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13754980269154740990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-15041895147343374042008-09-14T13:32:00.000+05:302008-09-14T13:32:00.000+05:30Subhanjan, As Atri has rightly pointed out, there ...Subhanjan, As Atri has rightly pointed out, there are some factual errors in your comments: you should have done your homework a little more thoroughly.<BR/><BR/>At the same time, Atri may please note that my post was neither about the Higgs boson nor about any particular scientist nor even about science for that matter; I was talking about prestige and dignity and respect, and where we accord it and how we often forget to accord it where it is due. To that extent, Subhanjan's comment was much more relevant than yours. But thanks for commenting anyway.Suvro Chatterjeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027202980259279420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-1231704453837006092008-09-14T07:50:00.000+05:302008-09-14T07:50:00.000+05:30In response to Subhanjan's comment above:I will be...In response to Subhanjan's comment above:<BR/>I will be crisp and to the point, since there is not much use wasting a lot of time responding to your naive impression about the Higgs boson. There is an internet resource called wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org) where you can read about the Higgs boson to understand that except that it is a boson it has absolutely nothing to do with S.N.Bose. S.N.Bose was a celebrated scientist doubtless, but a theoretician he was, and definitely not somebody who "had developed the Higgs-boson theory by experimenting with Higgs". For your information even the fermion is not capitalised; do you want to trace back Fermi's genealogy to verify if he had traces of Indian origin? Please do not try to judge everything in black and white.Atri Bhattacharyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11037152983113667666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-36976631218144811442008-09-12T22:46:00.000+05:302008-09-12T22:46:00.000+05:30‘Dignity’, alas, is also subject to racism. And th...‘Dignity’, alas, is also subject to racism. And this pains me more in recent times for one man of great virtue was never given much importance on a global scale, though it is on the basis of his experiment with the British scientist Peter Higgs that proton beams are now being fired at CERN, Switzerland, launching the most ambitious experiments of recent times. <BR/><BR/>Satyendra Nath Bose, after whom the sub-atomic particle ‘boson’ is named – probably the only noun in English language named after an Indian and therefore never capitalised – had developed the Higgs-boson theory by experimenting with Higgs. The CERN experiment will be the first attempt to actually observe the Higgs boson particle nicknamed the ‘God particle’. Higgs had always been applauded for this theory. But Bose was ever ignored. Two elementary particles to make up an atom are boson and Fermion. Fermi got the Nobel Prize in 1938. Bose never got one. Bose with Einstein brought out the Bose-Einstein phenomenon. But our children hardly hear about Bose or reads about him in their text books. But they all know about Einstein. <BR/><BR/>Why was Bose denied the Nobel? Because he was an Indian? Because he was black? It pains me to realise that such man of excellence was never given much recognition because of racism. Had he been a white born in America, France or Britain, there would have been books on him and he would have been a Nobel laureate too. Racism, after all, is more powerful than any quality or dignity. Sharon Ann Holgate, a British Science writer and broadcaster said, “I certainly do think Bose deserved the Nobel. When I was researching my documentary, I was outraged that this man was so brilliant, yet so overlooked, perhaps because of institutionalised racism. No one gave a damn because he was an Indian.”Subhanjanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13754980269154740990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-36336269704725849922008-09-12T05:16:00.000+05:302008-09-12T05:16:00.000+05:30I am appalled by your narration. I have many frien...I am appalled by your narration. I have many friends who were probably from the same place and they did provide me with some insights but not to such a great extent. Of course, we dislike judging our schools, college, families etc. Thank you for such an insight and I wish situation turn a little better.<BR/><BR/>On your concluding question, my answer is No. In profession, I have always worked with MNCs and trust me I have seen how work culture changes for the worse in India when the managerial baton is passed from a non-Indian to an Indian. Isn't that sad? It is but that is the reality. Currently, I am in a MNC firm and I was working with its peer in India. Somehow I happen to know the Indian consulting landscape very well and some of the so-called "important" people. I am quite known myself especially in Delhi. To my utter surprise, I find here the same firm works in following an absolutely different work culture much more efficiently and people are generally happy (given the fact, anywhere in the world human beings can never like office!). <BR/><BR/>My earlier firm (biggest competitor of my current one) has its office just across the road. I met some of the people working there as seniors too and to my surprise they are quite different in their attitude. <BR/><BR/>It is so difficult to explain how bad the management styles in big offices in India are. It is so difficult to explain and especially to younger people like you - I can just say try to expect least when you go for a job. I am sorry, I may sound demoralising but trust me, if you would have met me in Delhi, you would have met a person who had risen very fast in profession and doing quite good for himself and recognised by many but if you would have known me, I would have let you know how tough it is - not because of competition (as challenges of that nature are always welcome!) but because of unhealthy management styles!<BR/><BR/>I understand most developing countries are facing such situations. At least my friends from other Asian countries and Latin American countries say so.<BR/><BR/>Normally, we say MNCs have made us coolies but it is not true at all. We ourselves want us to become a coolie. It is the Indian senior managers who are spoiling the professional landscape in India. We want to behave as slaves to our foreigner bosses and we do that because we know we have a whole bunch of juniors whom we can over burden. In India, that is surprisingly the mantra and it is spoiling our young professionals. We are yet to realise we are not one of those countries who can work on volume – if we need to do quality work, our professionals need much more time to relax too! We are trying to be “zamindars” in our offices behaving to our juniors like daily labourers, expecting they would not have personal lives of their own.<BR/><BR/>I have seen in offices, whenever I let a peer know that I am going to interview some people for a junior role in my team, they had two or three common questions – whether the person would be beautiful (if the gender is female!) and whether the person would be hardworking (if the gender is male that person is expected to stay on in the office until his death). People used to celebrate the arrival of an interne because they could dump a whole bunch of work on them since like most, they don’t have much choice but to depend on the office.<BR/><BR/>Situation is not at all good even if I am the most patriotic person, I cannot lie or misguide.<BR/><BR/>That is why; I virtually wanted a hiding for myself. Still people in my profession in India with their curious mindset seem to be chasing me - not to wish me well but to talk rubbish behind my back after they have found out my current status!<BR/><BR/>I started fighting this very system by being in it while I was in Delhi. Wherever I had juniors they loved working with me. We made productive teams in offices but then came those evils of envy, politics etc. Thus, a tired me, wanted a break for myself.<BR/><BR/>No doubt even amongst the bad elements I have met a few good professionals but they are really few.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, loads of my personal experiences may bore people. I wish you all good luck and hope you do very well. I wish you have all the practicalities to deal with the adversities too. I would say, master all courage because you would see lot worse as you progress. <BR/><BR/>Regards<BR/><BR/>TanmoyTanmoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10472125805572571597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-65200935827072325672008-09-11T10:25:00.000+05:302008-09-11T10:25:00.000+05:30Let me crack a common myth that organizations, who...Let me crack a common myth that organizations, who have, over the years, earned “dignity”, are completely trustworthy. <BR/><BR/>I am a graduate from a college which belongs to a chain of schools and colleges of a Hindu missionary organization (following the footsteps of a historic spiritual being of unparalleled wisdom) which is ‘highly’ reputed in West Bengal, and also outside the state. I suppose the reader can guess which organization I am talking about. <BR/><BR/>It is a common notion that the schools and colleges belonging to this “renowned” organization are the place to be. Fortunately, and unfortunately as well, I have spent the past three years of my life over there. But having been a witness of the environment inside my campus, I find myself capable of saying that the good name that that this organization has earned by charity and preaching spirituality, has kept us ignorant of how unacceptable the place is. Those who are spending their days over there will know it better than anybody else. However, if enquired by outsiders, invariably, the students will admire it out of fear. Having been a student of this residential college myself, no one knows it better than me. <BR/><BR/>Which authority can be more perturbing than that of this college? It is an authority that does everything loathsome, from trying to alienate the students from their families in order to teach them “spirituality”, to beating up a boy before his Higher Secondary Examination. Yes. I have witnessed a Brahmachari, a monk and superintendent of one of the hostels in the campus; beat up a boy a day before the H.S. Examination because he was browsing through a magazine (Anandalok) to have a few moments off his hectic schedule of studies. With his face stiff with rage and his body towering over the poor boy’s frame, the monk, repeatedly striking him, kept howling coarsely, “You awful brat. This place is not for you. You are not qualified to be a part of this place. If you want, you can get out of here. But, if you wish to stay here, you have to obey to each and every order I give you.” If to torture a boy is the way to correct him, and something that the torturer shall be proud of, I believe, the boy has every right to file a case. That is exactly what should be happening in a civilized country. But the authority in the campus was (as it is even today) so powerful, that none, from a boy in the twelfth standard (they are, however, not pursuing high school education any more and has started postgraduate departments) to a third year student, had the guts to raise his voice. Moreover, if someone at all does so, the monks, whom the world believes to be ‘good’ people; will scold and threaten him that he will be thrown out of the college. If possible, they will actually kick him out of the campus. <BR/><BR/>The vice-principal of this college, a senior monk himself, quite shamelessly, threatens the students that he will not go through any argument, listen to no pledge or reason, but will drive away a student from the college if he wishes to do so. <BR/><BR/>The students over there do not stay at the expense of the monks. Yet the monks behave as if they are the once who have given birth to these boys and have every right to treat them in whatever way they chose to. They not only believe this to be the right kind of conduct on their part, but also love to believe so. The monks are the once whose existence stands solely on the mercy of the families that pour money in the college. Yet, when the boys desire to go home to meet their families, they have to beg a hundred times before their request is finally granted. If someone’s father or mother is ill, and it becomes necessary for the boy to go home, in most of the cases, these monks would outright reject the pledge of the boy, accusing him to be bluffing.<BR/><BR/>One of the many incidents that had shocked me needs to be revealed to the society. It so happened that the Brahmachari, whose contemptuous behavior has already been revealed to the readers in the previous lines; had slapped a student of the twelfth standard so hard, that the back of his ear started to bleed. Our reverent monk, proud of what he had done, and totally unconcerned, left the boy to bleed. A student of third year was passing by when he heard the boy crying. On seeing the boy’s ear bleeding, the senior student took the unfortunate fellow to his room and medicated him. Soon, the incident had spread throughout the campus. To our surprise, the Brahmachari marked that senior student as the worst boy on the campus, and warned the students of his hostel not to meet him. Moreover, the superintendent Maharaj of the hostel belonging to the third year students accused the boy for ‘poking his nose in other people’s businesses.’ It sets us to think whether it was right to heal the wound of a boy who was bleeding (something that should have been done by the Brahmachari himself) or to leave the boy in pain. Moreover, the Brahmachari was proud of what he had done. I have seen him scolding a fat boy and making him bend down and sweep the entire balcony of the first floor of the hostel because the boy was not able to wake up at five in the morning to attend the prayer. A good number of students simply hate these monks. They have nothing to do but to stand and stare helplessly. The monks have the right to enjoy everything, from good food to personal computers, Walkmans and mobile phones. But the boys, both HS and degree students, are strictly prohibited from possessing the above-mentioned accessories. And the most disgraceful and funny part of the story is that they preach us ‘abstinence’. <BR/><BR/>The recent A+ ranking of the college by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) had been a powerful veil to all the immorality in reign of the campus. The NAAC team that paid visit to our campus was overwhelmed by the honour they received from the authority, failing completely to gain real information of what the students actually go through. Bright paint on the walls, clean hostels, on-line catalogue in the library, a beautiful garden, concrete roads, and a warm welcome with parade were things that never existed till a few months before the visit of the NAAC team. They evolved solely to impress the investigators. Not to mention, the online catalogue of the library ceased to operate within the past few months after NAAC left. And nothing was been done to reactivate it. Moreover, strange excuses were given by the authority for their faults. I remember one of my seniors, an ex-student now, to have said me that when one day he and a few of his friends complained the then principal, a very senior monk himself (the present vice-chancellor of a deemed University belonging to this very organization) that in one of their meals they had found a tail of a lizard, an earthworm in another meal, and another insect in some other meal, the Swami quiet shamelessly claimed that such incidents had happened for just three years, and for the rest of the three hundred and sixty-two days of the year, the students have been served excellent food. The truth is that the meals they serve taste pathetic. Moreover, in 2005, more than ninety students suffered from food poisoning. <BR/><BR/>Unless there is a certain degree of restraint imposed by the customers, the sellers tend to let things slide into unfair practices. The student of this college must have some power in their hands. In this college, quite unsurprisingly, the president of the Student’s Body is selected by the authority itself. And the authorities promote that the president is elected by the students. Whereas, the students have never seen any poling being carried out inside the campus. <BR/><BR/>Before anyone ever thinks of seeking admission in this college, I would beg him to think a hundred times before he jumps to any decision. <BR/><BR/>Now I will ask my readers – Are Names associated with ‘dignity’ really trustworthy?Subhanjanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13754980269154740990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-59791564421233692062008-09-11T00:14:00.000+05:302008-09-11T00:14:00.000+05:30Some things about India to make us feel “proud” an...Some things about India to make us feel “proud” and “dignified” of our country:<BR/><BR/>1) “Oh, God, I beg of you, I touch your feet time and again, Next birth don't give me a daughter, Give me Hell instead...” -- An old Folk Song from Uttar Pradesh. <BR/><BR/>2) First it was a girl or two killed on the sly, then man became bolder and bolder till female infanticide must have become the accepted norm. With the laws coming up against female infanticide, more sophisticated techniques are sought after. With the availability of ultrasound technology for determining sex of the fetus, a simple and noninvasive technique, the slogan of many ultrasound sex-determination clinics is: “Spend five hundred rupees now, save five lacks later” (meaning get a female fetus aborted, to later save dowry money). <BR/><BR/>3) Since the advent of ultrasound and detection technique for sex-determination 10 million female foetuses have been aborted in India, according to a study conducted recently in India, the first systematic study on female foeticide by an Indo-Canadian team. A shocking picture emerges - every year, about 50,000 unborn girls (one in every 25), are aborted. As a result, the number of girls has actually gone down drastically in India.<BR/><BR/>4) According to the UNICEF, 40 to 50 million girls have gone missing from Indian population since 1901 as a result of systematic gender discrimination in India.<BR/><BR/>5) Assassination of Indira Gandhi and Godhra Incident: Hindu Muslim communal riots, and an upsurge in Hindu and Sikh fundamentalism and nationalism, resulting in widespread violence and death.<BR/><BR/>6) The American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR) reported recently that as many as 30 million Indians could be infected by 2010. <BR/><BR/>7) According to 2004-05 reports, there are at least 303 million poor in this country. <BR/><BR/>8) The incidence of poverty in China declined by a staggering 45 percentage points in two decades: from 53 percent in 1981 to 8 percent in 2001 (Ravallion and Chen 2004). The incidence of malnutrition in India, however, is four times that of China.<BR/> <BR/>9) According to NFHS-3, 32 percent of households do not have electricity, 58 percent do not have piped drinking water, 55 percent do not have toilet facility, and 59 percent do not live in pucca houses. <BR/><BR/>10) According to NFHS-3 (National Family Health Survey), 46 percent of children under 3 years of age, and 49 percent children under 6 years suffer from malnutrition; and 79 percent of children from Anaemia.<BR/><BR/>These are only a few of the several things that explain our standards. But of course we will carry on with our being “proud” of King Khan, Infosys and Wipro; humbly ignoring what hurts our “prestige” and “dignity” most to think on. Quite ironically, the Infosys Foundation cares for every point that I have mentioned above; not the average IT executive.Subhanjanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13754980269154740990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30819742.post-11354380899241073432008-09-07T06:25:00.000+05:302008-09-07T06:25:00.000+05:30Dear SuvrodaWhy I love to follow your thoughts bec...Dear Suvroda<BR/><BR/>Why I love to follow your thoughts because I feel in my small way I have been thinking on the same lines as you are.<BR/><BR/>This is a tremendous essay that you have written and though I wrote a post yesterday, I may have to write very soon on my site.<BR/><BR/>I shall just touch upon a few issues here. As regards to old people you are right about their loneliness but here I do see old people getting engaged in lot of activities which in India they hardly get chance too. I was surprised to find our building manager (the person and his wife manages the apartment) is an ex-school principal / science teacher and just that he did not want to get bogged down with retirement he chose physical work. So he not only does manage the building but does cleaning etc too. I am stunned because in India we have categorized work with social status only to find excuse for not doing anything.<BR/><BR/>This is so deep-rooted in our culture that it is difficult to change the notion. Most of our generation (the generation younger is much more scary!) is growing up without any hobbies. I wonder what shall they do when they can't play computer games because eyes shall become a bit weak or may be cannot do adventure sport since legs shall start aching. Will they able to have the courage to go back to traditional hobbies? Can they keep themselves occupied with physical work?<BR/><BR/>I guess no country every progressed by shunning their culture. At least even if they have locked that up in some closet they have preserved it. Sadly, we seem to shun it and not preserve it either. <BR/><BR/>I don't understand where did we mess up in Nation building? Were a class / caste / work demarcation the main reason? Was corruption the main reason? I wonder. Here even cleaners get trained in schools for free! Why could not we ensure such trainings to common people back home? Perhaps we would have "kajer-lok" who could have worked / behaved with much more dignity.<BR/><BR/>I wonder at times where did we mess up on development. Perhaps we did not know what path to follow and there were too much individuality in our governance.<BR/><BR/>Post Gandhi, we never really had a leader!<BR/><BR/>I shall read your post yet again after taking a print-out.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for raising such issues. One needs to perhaps find answers in practical ways. <BR/><BR/>Next steps and way forward are required.<BR/><BR/>Regards<BR/>TanmoyTanmoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10472125805572571597noreply@blogger.com