Mind over Madrasa

Which war is the ideal war? – The war that is won without stepping on to the battlefield.

It is very easy to misinterpret the above statement; for modern day “peacekeepers”, the statement is akin to not going to war at all – ever! For fanatic extremists, the statement is an excuse given by the weak. For students of Chanakya, Shivaji and Krishna, it is the principle of minimal casualties. For these students, the statement is all about understanding that the mind is the all-encompassing superlative battlefield made up of tiny zones of conflict – physical and/or emotional - this is modern warfare! The Abrahamics understood this very well and hence you can seen a transition in Christian conquests – from overt Goa inquisition style torture or brutal British subjugation to the silent dagger mechanisms perfected by the Vatican Church, based on the combination of smart economics and emotional appeal executed brilliantly by scores of missionaries particularly along the eastern belt of India. Islam too evolved to understand that wars needn’t be won on the might of the sword alone and hence came the advanced weapon of demographics as explained by Muammar Al Gaddafi - something they have successfully employed in Europe and will deliver them the continent in a few decades. However, does the Hindu understand his own legacy?

Ghost Lines (part III) ....

continued from Ghost Lines (part II) ....

I have already given an outline as to the Governance side solution to the problem to a certain extent in my blog Elixir to Governance Paralysis. Since my focus of this blog series is on the major solution of education, I won't deliberate further on the other one but conclude the series with the education angle today.

The love for the nation and a sense of duty towards its people, the society and its liberty can't be trained but has to be inculcated. It is not a feeling which comes by hammering it in and mugging it up - it is in the form of a burning passion from within; there is always a flame inside every child and keeping that flame burning irrespective of all adversities externally is what the education system must do - if we ensure this today, we can be rest assured that such a child will never forget his roots, his culture and his ultimate duty as he travels through life - becomes a teen, then a man - the pure flame keeps burning day and night - never giving up! This is the crux of the solution I have in mind - Amar Jyot, Amar Vichaar, Ek Amar Desh. So, by making conditions suitable for an eternal burning of this inner flame can we achieve a long term change in the attitude of our nation leading to a recovery from our current injuries. How to do this? Cleanse the system of education !

Ghost Lines (part II) ....

continued from Ghost Lines (part I) ....

I pick up 2 lines from the last part to begin with this one - "The Government is not the problem, the attitude is. By incorporating a Lokpal, will that attitude be resolved?"

Many have succumbed willingly or unwillingly to the lure of money across different political parties, societies and organizations; to the greed born out of selfishness and hence it is not a disease characterized by only one of the parties, but a problem at large. This problem has been bred over the decades and is not out of the blue that we are witnessing it - it was just the case that it was a mere ghost to us till now and many skeletons are dropping out of these cupboards. If there is a problem there has to be a reason for it and only by addressing the reason can it be solved.

Ghost Lines (part I) ....

It has been a week since my exams have ended; from 26^th, it is back to the battlefield amidst the challenging and wonderful MBA subjects which are teaching me so much as I go along. The issue over the Lokpal is the headline news these days; and try as I might of disregarding the entire chaos and uselessness surrounding the issue, it keeps on reminding me of a topic which I have had in my mind since long. It makes me ponder over the connection I have observed between the Lokpal and the Education system of the country (reminded time and again when I see the condition of the 10th/12th kids or the numerous articles I read over the internet where many psychiatrists literally plead with folded hands to the parents and adults at large to protect their children against the rat race); It makes me think over where we are heading and reminds me what I had said in my blog Awakening the Ombudsman - I was unsure about how effective the sole implementation of the Lokpal will be and how those who wield the power would allow it to function; 8 months from that post - and if I was unsure then, I have become downright against it now. Now, I see it as a threat to the sovereign state of the future. Lokpal, whether that of the civil society or the Government is a grave threat for the country. I am going to break this blog into 3 parts :

Part I will contain the answer to why my attitude has changed from "unsure" to "against" highlighting as to why the Lokpal is NOT THE LONG TERM SOLUTION for the system. I was skeptical then about the Lokpal and the developments since then make me doubt the very foundation of the purpose of Lokpal.

The next two parts would deal with what I have not seen anyone tackling as the major solution in the long term. I have seen comments and opinions about the Lokpal, but solutions - I have not; so these parts would be my attempt to do that!

Part II will speak on the "ghost" link - the link between the Lokpal and the Education in India; it will be my attempt to flash a torch light in the dark corridors in a bid that I pass on what I have learnt from my readings and experiences/understanding.

Part III will finish this series culminating into my idea of "the solution" with an outline as to what "we" can do about it in the short as well as long term and manning the lines like dedicated soldiers !!

Part I --

The Education Arms Race....

Obama warns of education arms race with India and China was one of the headlines of today. The President of the USA spoke a few very important lines at the Rose Garden - "Cutting back on education will amount to unilateral disarmament" and "It's about who we are as people" are the two lines which I liked the most.

There is a hell lot of difference between education and graduation - the 2 words which are confused with each other often. Graduation signifies a written document/certificate the world today asks for from every individual while education is the core understanding, knowledge and the desire of excellence in every individual. They definitely imply the same in case of many individuals but it does not necessarily mean that a graduate is educated. The future of the nation is going to be decided by the quality of education imparted today to all of us.