Highlighting Events 

This is an extension of my writings. Here I take up subjects highlighting the purpose of some national/international events, and my experiences. Here too, all content is informative.

So we need more schools? 

From the pov of the common man india is still crawling and clawing. But the govenment is so disconnected from the people, they work at 20,000 feet above ground level. The same problem exists between bosses and subordinates. Given that the boss(es) is not an easily accessible person, tough to consider him part of the organization, and subordinates squealing for assistance among themselves, the boss casts a coarse-grained view on the group, and decides that more resources have to be thrown at them. There ends the scene. Boss finds problem, and makes decisions. Whether the scenario improved or broke down the system is like the outcome of a frequent experiment, and is taken in "his stride".

Governments exist to play this "boss" role. Dealing with problems of national importance, like foreign affairs, transport, electricity, (other infrastructure, amenities and resources), defence and peacekeeping, finance, law. The government has only a reactive vantage - it can not take steps to prevent/control something which it can not perceive - at its coarse grained pov.

problems thus have to be localized, and dealt with at grass root level. But is it the job of the government to do it? Does the government exist to just listen to peoples' troubles and find solutions? Or is there a better way?

The most frequent interaction of a normal citizen with his government occurs occasionally, for payment of taxes, and casting votes. Maybe that is all the government needs from you. But is that all the country needs from you?

In each situation, there are three kinds of people - those who make things happen, those who watch the things happen, and the third and most popular - those who wonder what happened.

I believe that I have experienced life in India for a purpose - to do something worthwhile for people, which will make conditions a little better. This drive was instilled in me through seemingly trivial incidences in school and college. The incidences showed me that if something is wrong, it is up to the beholder to fix it. That fixing it is possible or not, is secondary. The important thing is to try - and in doing so, you will earn the support of like minded people, who can collectively make miracles come true.

It is with this spirit that I have begun to post my writings on my website. As typical citizens of India, we undergo schooling (assuredly now education is reaching out to more and more people), and take up employment with an organization. This and other commitments distance us from the interests of the common. The purpose of education becomes to earn money, and make a livelihood for our family. Education should not be viewed as learning a trade and a route to personal income.

Education is an interesting and joyful journey, and it applies a lot of person-to-person communication skills--in expressing ideas, questions and doubts, in making a conscious effort to listen and learn things, and to convey ideas clearly in written and spoken form. Thus education does not end in school or inside the campus of college. Education does not have a starting point, and you can never say you have done with education.

Right in your household, you gain in values and culture - it is a form of education. Reading newspapers and books is a form of education. So is trying out things on your own - like cooking/gardening. And when you have learnt something, the significance of your learning/discovery is amplified when you let others in on your knowledge. This can be - teaching your child an easy way to find square roots that you discovered and used in your school days, or talking about a new recipe that you discovered, a new formulation that kept your garden plants from withering, and there is a nice feeling about it. You have helped enlighten a mind- and maybe fuelled more thought and action in the right direction.

This is the beautiful task of teachers, to spread the knowledge and glory of our predecessors, and to enlighten minds. It also offers ample scope for bringing out ideas, thoughts, and performing. Teachers play a key role in society.

Not only do they share their education, they create an atmosphere where the learning can be easily assimilated and deployed. They can make education like a walk through a fair, and an enjoyable experience, which results in not only picking up new things but also doing.

Education triggers a hunger to try it out, and action produces more knowledge and learning. This makes teaching an active role in learning.

So we definitely need more and more of us to experience the wonders of education. Thinking like a government (coarse-grained), that means we need more schools/educational institutions.

But most of us know that the buildings in which we did our schooling and the college campus are fondly remembered only because of the people involved - the teachers and your fellow students and friends. It is they who made the environment interesting and enjoyable.

Having more schools is then not going to help us. We need more and more teachers. But time/circumstances/commitments pull us away from the chance to become teachers. This is what the society needs - more than tax money or your vote, the society needs teachers.

It is up to us to disentangle our personal lives, so that we can pull up our sleeves and do our bit for the society. Try to volunteer as a support teacher in your local school, try to collect educational material from the internet/books and present them to your friends/children. Try to participate in discussions and forums on subjects of your interest, and try to reach out to more and more people.

This website was initiated with this in mind. I am a programmer, and I apply computers to solve problems. Maybe you can come up with problems/solutions/help me solve a real problem that could make life a little better for our society. If you do, please contact me at ssk.ram@gmail.com. I am ready to get involved.

2005, Sunday September 4