I just read an old blogpost about how the Leela and other 5 star hotels do not have provision for / do not allow patrons to come in on a bicycle.
Actually, coming in a car would perhaps be the least environment-unfriendly part of staying/eating at a 5 star hotel. So why crib about not being allowed to come on a bicycle?
If you are truly environment conscious should you be patronising the energy-water guzzling establishments in the first place?
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Today, we had a freshers welcome show in our college... that means, in my old age, I have to listen to mediocre or even really bad music amplified through high wattage speakers for 4 hours at a stretch. So I am exhausted.
A few years back, my brother was visiting me. I had to go to my college, so had taken him and my little neice(about 5 yrs old ) along with me. This was because we were having a sort of student activities day. I left my neice in front of the stage to watch a play telling her that it was a funny play(it was supposed to be). When I got back, she was watching it seriously and asked me"When will the funny part come?"
A colleague of mine teaching English used to put up plays in the college. With her sergeant-major tactics, she put up some really high class plays with the same kind of students. On their own, the students cannot even think of putting up a good skit, let alone a play -- and they are all around 20 years of age.
There really is something wrong with how we educate them.
A few years back, my brother was visiting me. I had to go to my college, so had taken him and my little neice(about 5 yrs old ) along with me. This was because we were having a sort of student activities day. I left my neice in front of the stage to watch a play telling her that it was a funny play(it was supposed to be). When I got back, she was watching it seriously and asked me"When will the funny part come?"
A colleague of mine teaching English used to put up plays in the college. With her sergeant-major tactics, she put up some really high class plays with the same kind of students. On their own, the students cannot even think of putting up a good skit, let alone a play -- and they are all around 20 years of age.
There really is something wrong with how we educate them.
Friday, 20 August 2010
training
During my school days, my English teacher tried to convince me to take up Eng Lit in college instead of Chem as I had planned to. She liked the critical work that I did for our poetry and drama classes.
Recently, I was thinking that since anyway I was not doing any research in Chem as I had hoped to, I might have been better off with a BA & MA in English. People teach soft skills or spoken English and make a good living..... a couple of hours a day, and they are paid some exorbitant amount. We slog 39/40 hours a week and inhale noxious fumes and get paid a sad amount.
But my point is this..... the way we are trained is different from the way a person educated in the liberal arts is trained--- you may say "obviously", but it is not just that I am trained in scientific method and they are not...
There is a totally different way of looking at things that I find I lack. A way of reading between the lines ...
I wish I had been trained in liberal arts too.... I was good at it in school, but have not developed that skill since .
I am glad that the IISc is starting an undergrad course with some social sc and lib arts components. The IITs of course always had this, but it was a mere tokenism for most students.... a course to cram at the last moment and pass... hopefully, it may not be so at the IISc.
Recently, I was thinking that since anyway I was not doing any research in Chem as I had hoped to, I might have been better off with a BA & MA in English. People teach soft skills or spoken English and make a good living..... a couple of hours a day, and they are paid some exorbitant amount. We slog 39/40 hours a week and inhale noxious fumes and get paid a sad amount.
But my point is this..... the way we are trained is different from the way a person educated in the liberal arts is trained--- you may say "obviously", but it is not just that I am trained in scientific method and they are not...
There is a totally different way of looking at things that I find I lack. A way of reading between the lines ...
I wish I had been trained in liberal arts too.... I was good at it in school, but have not developed that skill since .
I am glad that the IISc is starting an undergrad course with some social sc and lib arts components. The IITs of course always had this, but it was a mere tokenism for most students.... a course to cram at the last moment and pass... hopefully, it may not be so at the IISc.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
There is a feeling amongst many people that one is casteist if one marries within one's caste.
They ask "will you look for a son-in-law from ---caste?" or"look at the matrimonials" as a clincher in proving you are casteist.
I find that argument spurious. If I were to look for a son-in-law at all, I would definitely look for one in the families and social set up that I am familiar with. That way, I can find some sister-in-law's cousin whose husband is the third cousin of the son-in-law-to-be and then make enquiries about what the said person is like. But if my daughter were to find a person she likes and I, after getting to know him, find that he is a nice person who will make her happy, then I would not even ask about his caste/whatever.
Getting married, or shall I say the post of son-in-law is not an equal opportunity thing. Why will I not look for compatibility in as many ways as I can?
They ask "will you look for a son-in-law from ---caste?" or"look at the matrimonials" as a clincher in proving you are casteist.
I find that argument spurious. If I were to look for a son-in-law at all, I would definitely look for one in the families and social set up that I am familiar with. That way, I can find some sister-in-law's cousin whose husband is the third cousin of the son-in-law-to-be and then make enquiries about what the said person is like. But if my daughter were to find a person she likes and I, after getting to know him, find that he is a nice person who will make her happy, then I would not even ask about his caste/whatever.
Getting married, or shall I say the post of son-in-law is not an equal opportunity thing. Why will I not look for compatibility in as many ways as I can?
Friday, 13 August 2010
Validation again
To revisit the validation theme, for an administrator, say a prime minister, it is dangerous to listen only to yes men....we all know that. That is a sure way to lose the next election.
However, for ordinary mortals, how dangerous is it?
It is comfortable to stay in your own sphere, and maybe essential too, "because our opinions determine what we aspire for, & how we go about trying to achieve it. So, if one has to concede that what one had aspired for all these years was wrong, then next imminent conclusion would be that there was something wrong with about our life."-- to quote a comment by Ketan on my previous post,
But does being unaware of contra opinions make us lose touch with reality? Maybe it does in some cases..... like people who get brainwashed...religious cults....
However, for ordinary mortals, how dangerous is it?
It is comfortable to stay in your own sphere, and maybe essential too, "because our opinions determine what we aspire for, & how we go about trying to achieve it. So, if one has to concede that what one had aspired for all these years was wrong, then next imminent conclusion would be that there was something wrong with about our life."-- to quote a comment by Ketan on my previous post,
But does being unaware of contra opinions make us lose touch with reality? Maybe it does in some cases..... like people who get brainwashed...religious cults....
Thursday, 12 August 2010
TV and comp
I was visiting my brother who has a small kid. My sister-in-law is happy that their TV is not functioning.
It is a dilemma when children are small...it's all very well to say "OK you can watch one hour of TV per day " in a stern voice. It works for about two days. Then it's back to sitting in front of the box like a zombie. That's what happened when we first got cable TV in my house many years ago. My children promised not to watch more than 1 hour per day. .....well guess what happened!
However, they are doing fine with both kids turning out to be quite well-read, and the more avid TV watching daughter doing rather brilliantly in her academics and the son too doing very well for himself. In case parents of TV addicted kids read this blog, this is one piece of data to tell you "don't worry too much"
The same story when we got an internet connection.
I thought "OK with the internet, the kids can read up for projects" --- etc, but they spent much of their online time playing games.
Now, I don't know what they do, but I suspect most of the time is spent on Facebook/Twitter/gtalk/ whatever. So to keep up with the rather tough acad. schedule, it's nightouts most nights.
Would you believe it--I have researched sleep deprivation and sent research paper links to them to persuade them to sleep at regular hours!
The problem with having a PhD mom is that she doesn't just give advice, she supports it with references!
It is a dilemma when children are small...it's all very well to say "OK you can watch one hour of TV per day " in a stern voice. It works for about two days. Then it's back to sitting in front of the box like a zombie. That's what happened when we first got cable TV in my house many years ago. My children promised not to watch more than 1 hour per day. .....well guess what happened!
However, they are doing fine with both kids turning out to be quite well-read, and the more avid TV watching daughter doing rather brilliantly in her academics and the son too doing very well for himself. In case parents of TV addicted kids read this blog, this is one piece of data to tell you "don't worry too much"
The same story when we got an internet connection.
I thought "OK with the internet, the kids can read up for projects" --- etc, but they spent much of their online time playing games.
Now, I don't know what they do, but I suspect most of the time is spent on Facebook/Twitter/gtalk/ whatever. So to keep up with the rather tough acad. schedule, it's nightouts most nights.
Would you believe it--I have researched sleep deprivation and sent research paper links to them to persuade them to sleep at regular hours!
The problem with having a PhD mom is that she doesn't just give advice, she supports it with references!
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Nowadays, one keeps reading/hearing about children committing suicide for the most trivial reasons. Parents refuse to give pocket money, or buy a new cell phone, or reprimand them for not studying, they kill themselves.
Another aspect--a young woman does not reciprocate a young man's advances, he throws acid on her or kills her.
Why is there such a sense of entitlement in the minds of young people? Why do they feel that whatever they desire, must be instantaneously provided to them? Why can they not tolerate any setbacks in the fulfillment of their desires? Is there something wrong in the way they are brought up, or is it something to do with the way society functions now?
Another aspect--a young woman does not reciprocate a young man's advances, he throws acid on her or kills her.
Why is there such a sense of entitlement in the minds of young people? Why do they feel that whatever they desire, must be instantaneously provided to them? Why can they not tolerate any setbacks in the fulfillment of their desires? Is there something wrong in the way they are brought up, or is it something to do with the way society functions now?
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