Education System in India – A student’s side of story

My parents gave the utmost importance to me and my sister’s education. The importance was so big that they lived separately for 12+ years for our education purpose. My dad works in Maharashtra, in a small town where education is not a big thing. My parents realized that if this is the case then my future will be dull and so we moved to Nizamabad-Hyderabad etc. But today when I see myself, I don’t understand what I have achieved of this.

There are not one or two problems in our education system. The topics raised in recent past were really important and I want to emphasize from the students point of view.

Right from the time I started remembering things, the only thing I heard from my father was “You need to be a Software Engineer”. I didn’t know what Software Engineering was in the first place, but since my dad wants me to be one I will work for it. 3^rd year of my engineering and I read Software Engineering definition, and I think “is this the thing for which I have been struggling all my life?????” if yes then that’s stupidity. Why did I read about Chacha Nehru, why did I read about chemical formulas, why the hell did I break my head on history books when all I need to know is mathematics and little electronics and technology.

Then I finished my engineering, came to US and started doing my Masters. I attended a campus fun program and I saw something unusual. The guys who were sitting beside me in my class were actually talented. There was this guy who was playing a guitar like anything, a girl pianist, a painter etc. I started talking to these guys and came to know not only arts, people have interests in various things apart from just entertainment. A guy who writes blogs on politics, a guy who can tell exactly what and how the sensex will turn only because he was studying it since childhood, etc etc. And all these guys were pursuing software engineering degrees but had a “LIFE”. I felt so small in front of these guys. Little more deep dig into their lives told me that it was their interest and their parents, teachers supported them. Hell, I was interested in cricket but I didn’t had time how did they get time to do these. Believe me they had time. When I was sitting in study hours in my school he was attending painting classes. When I was going through mathematics classes in the classroom, they had MUSIC period. A ‘B’ or ‘B+‘ was good enough for his parents. My parents, teachers, society wanted me to be 90+. Anything less was a shame.

What did I do in my bachelors when I had a lot of time. But, interests can be inculcated only during childhood. Once you are past that age, you are done.

Then after I finished my masters I started a job and we use to have discussions about a lot of social problems and believe me I am the most silent person in that discussion. Somalia war, Iraq issues, civil rights thing, terrorism, Haiti crisis (I didn’t knew Haiti was a country till I was in those discussions), etc etc, I knew none. But, whenever there is a technology related issue I would be the best, but again its not like if I am not there there is no discussion. I asked a colleague of mine how do you know about this and he said “Dude it was a big thing during that period, didn’t you watch news or read newspaper???” and I told myself “No dude I was buried in my S.Chands textbook.”.

Slowly in my life I started realizing that we have very less values and ideologies. I do care for my country, but I don’t know if I will die for it. I am more worried about not getting a citizenship of USA than worrying about me losing Indian citizenship. I am more worried about my company here working fine and I don’t think at all that what I have done for the development of my country. Money, survival, self growth, life are the only important things. My grand father was a big deal in his village, and I don’t know if my own relatives like me or not. My grandfather knew Quran, Gita and Bible. All I know is “C++ by Balaguruswamy”.

Finally from a students point of view

We don’t have right curriculum. Idealogies, Morals, sports, activities, art, culture should be inculcated in curriculum.

Competetion helps in no way. Healthy competition is important. Media should understand that. Stop publishing who is state first. Help students.

Privatization and commercialization of education is wrong.

If we can educate and develop todays kids and if every kid in our country receives the right education, we will have the right leaders and right public tomorrow, hence solving the issue of corruption, crime, dirty politics, and all those illicit things which todays illiterate, uneducated, immoral, cultureless, selfish morons are doing.

We need more sportsmans, artists, speakers, leaders but not doctors, software engineers, Business administrators. We have enough of these guys.

Somethings to think about

Modern technology, day to day problems, the quest to generate bread for the next time he is hungry has made man so busy that he has stopped thinking about anything else. We, as in Indians, live in a very corrupt, populated, most unorganized and highly unethical and enormously irresponsible society. We don't think about other, untill unless he is a friend, max. But its time now, and we need to open up, widen our vision and start doing the simple thing called THINKING.

From our childhood we have been taught only the pretty merry happily ever after stuff about our history. We think India is the best country in the world.The fact is ITS NOT and I don't see it happening in near future. Now the thinking part, why I am more ignorant about the facts of my country than other of their country. Why?

Why was I taught about only the useless things during my childhood. How some chacha loved children and had a rose in his coat instead of teaching how he was responsible for the division of the country into India and Pakistan?

Why how many bullets were shot when a certain prime minister was walking in a park is more important than the emergency declared by her in an inappropriate time caused a major revolution during that period and the fact that she was the reason to impose censorship in newspapers and not letting the people know the truth of government which caused a major issue?

How some great person was responsible for india's independence instead of letting me know that the independence of India was dragged for more than 30 years by following non-violence and that he did not support the great leaders of that time and just let them die just because he didnot agree with their idealogy? Speaking of which, why independence is considered as a virtue earned only by non-violence when its actually earned equally by himsa (violence) and ahimsa (non-violence) vadis?

Why was I only taught about Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Abdul Kalam, Indira Gandhi, but not about Udham Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, Komaram Bheem, Rash Bihari Bose, Surya Sen, Chittaranjan Das, Achhar singh Chinna? Why is my history book had only one chapter about revolutionaries by violence and all the other non-violence white collared people had one chapter each. Why is Godse always shown in a negative shade as an asasin but never showed the reasons behind the assasination and the fact that he was an ardent follower of Gandhi before taking this decision is always hidden?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Is it because of money, power, people? We only see what is shown? Because thinking about what we are seeing will make us spend time, which we don't have. What is the solution for this? How can we build a better India? What is our part in building a better India?

Think!!!!

Think!!!!

The Most Misunderstood 'G'

No I am not speaking about Girls, I am speaking Godse. The man who was always misunderstood, misinterpreted and considered as the biggest villain of India.

Few days before I had a big discussion with a friend of mine on Gandhi and Godse topic. According to him Gandhi was the Hero(because he was Gandhi, the Mahatma) and Godse the villain (just because of the only reason that Godse sacrificed Gandhi). Now its not only him who thinks that way but most of the people in the country. I am not against Gandhi, but I like Godse more than Gandhi. And believe me by liking Godse I am not at all trying to be different nor does it makes me look "COOL", but infact people start thinking that you are a jerk (which I am, neither does it makes any difference to me) and there are a lots of other issues.

Gandhi's believes were good. He was a great person. The way he lived his life was amazing. At the same time Godse is also not a villain. And there are a lot of facts which make Godse, might not be a hero, but a true Indian.

One who does a right thing at the right time is a human being. One who does a wrong thing, to gain people's sympathy is an opportunist. One who supports wrong is also wrong.

I don't believe that Godse killed Gandhi, that is why I always say "Godse sacrificed Gandhi" instead of "Godse killed Gandhi". Yes Godse sacrificed Gandhi for the well being of the country. Now your question may be is "How". There were a lot reasons which I wanna discuss.

Do you know that Godse went ahead, pushed one of the girls supporting Gandhi away, so that she doesn't get hurt, before shooting at Gandhi. Godse had a gun in his hand, and only few 10s of people around (who were all unarmed, even the police) and three rounds of shots still left in his gun with which he would have easily escaped from the scene of action, but instead he dropped his gun, and surrendered to the people who were around and mad in anger. This shows that Godse was not a maniac or a terrorist but an idealistic person who could do no harm to the innocents. Godse was not a violent guy, infact he was an ardent follower of Gandhi at one point of time in his life. Exact similar situation happened around 25 years before this incident when Bhagat Singh threw bombs in the court and surrendered himself to enlighten the people of the country. He is considered a hero only because he succeded in his task and Godse is not because he didn't.

Gandhi and his alliances were majorly responsible for the division. A few maniacs started the issue of Pakistan and muslim country division and started to kill people, and our so called anti-violence leaders lead by Gandhiji helped the division. All Godse wanted was a united India. His last wish was that his ashes should be poured in the Indus river of united India. The whole Godse chapter has been so cleverly manipulated and modified by our so called leaders of the country (ofcourse everybody knows who and why) that he became a villain.

Why is it that there is no statements of Godse available openly? Why is that the Godse case was conducted in closed rooms? Why is that Godse was given death sentence while the punishment for one murder is 14 years imprisonment and a planned murder by a group of people is 7 years each in India? Why is that no letters, no statements, no case files nothing related to Godse is available? One simple reason. If Godse's reasons came out, then the so called greatness of the great people of the country wouldn't have sustained.

For me Godse is not a villain, but he is the person who did the right thing at the right time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40% of the original blog is deleted, for the only reason that my dear friends should not start hating me for what I think about their beloved leaders.

For the people who understand Marathi, can watch this movie "Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy"

Youtube Link : www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJsyiXfHQRQ

The Questions...............

When I was in school my teacher always told me that the school is the only important part "this is your turning point", rest of your life will be easy, so I took the turn. Then I went to do my 10+2 and I heard them saying this is the most important part of your life "10+2 is the turning point", so I turned again. Then I entered engineering and I heard the same story again and I turned again as usual. Now after doing my masters I turned and looked back, all these turns made a big 'O'. Now I finished my Masters, and I still don't know where I am going. I am standing at the same place where I started.

The present biggest issue in my life is 'identity'. What am I? Where do I stand? Am I a good person? A bad person? Or a person with really no existence? What people think about me, is it the truth? Or what I think that people think about me is the truth? Does my existence, in any way, matter to other (apart from my parents) people around me? Do they really want me in their life? Or do I do any good by being in their life? Does the people who behave very well to me, really mean it? Or is it that they just don't want to hurt me by saying the truth? They say everyone is born for a destiny, what is mine? Where will I find it? Do I really have one? Or was I born for nothing? Huff lots lots and lots of questions. But not even a single answer. May be this is the outcome of the frustration that is growing inside me because of unemployment.

Talking about destiny, this word is somewhere related to god, isn't it? I mean its god who decides our destiny, right. But deep down somewhere, I am a hardcore atheist. Is it apt for me to talk about destiny. Atheist don't believe in God, so they shouldn't believe in destiny too, right. But the problem is I believe that for a human being the fellow human being is god. Huff I don't know what I am thinking. I am spending most of my days, finding the answers for these questions. Really, someone said so much right that empty mind is devil's workshop.

I don't know whether anyone will be interested, and even bother to post a comment on this post. But it feels so good and relief after writing this. I want to continue this writing for long. I want to make it interesting too. No matter what the response is.