Desperation desperates

The news of giving reservation to Gurjars was not half as shocking and distressing, as the fact that every political party is now trying to take the credit for it. There was not a single voice which condemned these jokers who blocked the highways and damaged public property to pressurize government to accept their demands. We have this tendency to reward the beastly, noisy and lawless hooligans. I can’t forget the scenes that Mayawati supporters created at Bhopal station twelve years ago, now this Bainsla and party finally got what they wanted, by virtually paralyzing the civic life.

Why and how do they get away with anything? The reason is, we are surrounded by people who are willing to compromise. All around us are boneless wonders for whom expediency is the only virtue. An average Indian does not live his life by any principles; convenience is the key to his code of conduct. We leave them, because we know, we can not fall to their level , but when decency is mistaken for weakness it is wise to throw away the glove and use the iron fist. It might be time to leave the ‘shastra (books)’ and pick up the ‘shastras( weapons)’.

Politicians have flourished and survived on lies but what is disappointing is the gross nonchalance of media. It is always “papi pet ka sawal” for most. You throw these papers and channels a piece of bone called advertisement and they will not only lick your feet but also protect you like faithful dogs.

Intellectual integrity is the scarcest commodity that we have today. Why then do we talk about virtues ? If you talk about values than stand up like a rock, come what may.How I wish there were couple of Howard Roark in editors and broadcasters who will be willing to write, talk, publish and air the views of many people like me, who feel a deep anguish against these people who actually take,we the white collared educated Indian and his inaction for granted. To such custodians of media I can only quote lines of Faiz Ahmad Faiz who said

"जिस दम से कोई मकतल में गया वो शान सलामत रहती है

ये जान तो आनी जानी है इस जान की कोई बात नहीं "

Which in English means the pride and majesty with which you walk towards gallows will always be remembered, what is about the life, it had to end one day.

Lastly, my cynicism is my own and if someone doesn’t like it then, they don’t have to.

Music , language of mankind

The indisputable fact about music is its power to evoke emotions buried up within us. Music can keep us awake, put us to sleep, fill us with energy and sometimes makes us sad. Music can make memories flood back and overwhelm us. Music can take us back years to a place,to a period of our life; it can bring the memory of a persons we might not have thought about in years .

Music entertains, soothes and relaxes but good music does not stop there. . True music goes far deeper and touches our very soul and leaves its imprint on us. It may not be possible to explain or describe this reaction in ordinary language. It can only be felt. It is one of those rare experience, which baffle analytical explanation. particular music has an inherent emotion that the artist feels while rendering and the listener while listening to that music in a given emotional state, feels that special emotion again.

Rhythm combined with meaningful lyrics lead to a mystic experience. Old film songs besides Ghazals have been companions of my joys and sorrows for as long as I can rememeber. There has been no enjoyment more impersonal and sublimating than what good music offers. It prepares the very soul for something higher. This world would have been so incomplete if there was no Rafi, Lata ,Roshan , Madan-mohan, SD Burman , sahir and Jagjit . So marvelous was that period of music.

Pure vintage gold……..

Idea of doing away with X boards

Union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal's advocacy for doing away with Class X Board examination and replacing it with internal assessment is the most bizarre idea of recent times.

‘Throwing the baby out with the bath water’ is the phrase that immediately comes to my mind at this dense idea of doing away with board at X level. Such policies have ruined the higher education in past. All these post graduates and doctorates that we produce every year are possible only in this country, where lecturers give twenty important questions and ask fifteen out of them in exam. This frees them from responsibly of teaching and students from pain of studying so, no one minds .We have absolutely no norms for ensuring the quality. People write their thesis from net; Examiners appointed as externals brazenly accept gifts and favors from the host school / college.

I for once will favor that every exam after class fifth be conducted by a neutral body at least at district level to remove the bias of school and teacher. The same paper will ensure that all the schools have complied with syllabus. Mr. Kapil Sibbal should take a look at the mark sheet of any X and XII class students. We do have twenty marks for internal assessment in X and almost everyone gets 16 plus .In class XII every student gets more than 25 out of thirty in practical , while in theory they are barely able to reach even to thirties out of remaining seventy.

They talk about reducing stress, but the performance related stress is always a good thing .A serious student is concerned and under stress even for the class test. How can one take education lightly? People should have the requisite knowledge if they are to be given a pass at the school level. One of the major reason for success of our students world wide is the grill that our students goes through in these four years from IX to XII.

Such ominous policies will make merry for corrupt teachers who brazenly hold whip of practical / internal assessment marks over the head of students and force them to join their privately run institutes which in present times are run in school premises with the help of school management. Who minds the extra buck? We talk of education and our sixteen year old X students does not even know how to talk to an elder.


Regarding the remaining points on the policies they are same wispy- washy statements that sadly await implementation. Who would mind a madrasa teaching the children that kids are not God’s choice but choice or mistake of a man and woman? Who would not want that every child of this country be educated? Only an unbiased exam can test if a person has understood the words taught to him in its true essence and they want to dilute that . Education is not a degree Mr. Sibbal it is development of human mind.

We are amidst the saddest times that a country can face as our educators, our teachers our revered GURUS have become corrupt. Money is the only measure of success and people are willing to fall to any level for that. Populism ruins us as we continue to form a brigade of uneducated degree holders