Liberal Education

People use every term that they can sell.

One of a victim, of usage of this term - liberal education - has tried his best to express this worries through this.

A Team; a race

“For peace of mind, we need to resign as general manager of the universe.”
- Larry Eisenberg

This quote made me sit back and think for a while of how involved I was with the world around me and how little time I managed to spare for myself.

But the last few words of the quote caught the attention of the curious child in me. And while wondering who and how our universe is managed, I discovered I could look at the world from a totally different perspective.

THE PERSPECTIVE

A business is where the entrepreneur(s) allocate the limited resources available to them as efficiently as possible to get maximum returns.

Now let’s look at human beings as a species – as one entity. We have only one planet (as far as we know). Broadly, this planet – including all that it holds – is our only resource. It may not be apparent, but all the essential resources (except the sunlight) come from the earth. For example: food, minerals, oil, water, etc.

We virtually exercise full control over these resources. And knowingly or unknowingly, we manage these resources.

Also, like in any organization, these resources are not unlimited. They renew themselves but the time-span for renewal of the most essential and indispensable resources like land fertility, minerals, oil, is very high compared to human life. Most of the resources get renewed only after a few generations.

Human beings have to allocate the resources in the most efficient manner in order to get maximum returns which will in turn lead to maximum welfare – the returns.

THE PROBLEM

We, human beings have divided ourselves into groups and work for the betterment of those ‘groups’ which may be regions, religions, nations, blocs, cartels, interest groups and numerous other groups. We differentiate amongst ourselves. We compete.

From a macro point of view, when these groups compete, there is a lot of stress on the overall resources.

This then becomes the classic case where the focus of each department (group) is on their own productivity at the cost of overall organizational productivity.

To cite an example, in 2005, at the G-8 meet, the US tried to pressurize India and China to cut down their carbon emission levels. To that, the Indian Prime-Minister replied saying that you do your best to cut emissions, we will match your standards in terms of per capita emissions. Obviously, owing to the population of India and China, per capita emission standards are already being met. The politics behind this dates back to the industrial revolution. It has been accepted that the developed countries are responsible for the global warming. Therefore, following the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, India maintains that the major responsibility of curbing emission rests with the developed countries, which have accumulated emissions over a long period of time. It may seem very fair on the part of developing countries to say that, as they too have a right to development. But, from the perspective of human beings as a race, it would really be stupid to think of anything like this. Even after knowing its implications, every country is finding excuses to avoid cutting on the emissions. This is creating a lot of stress on the environment which is the most endangered resource right now.

Also, every other resource like land, labor, capital and entrepreneurial innovations are being under-utilized because of our division in groups.

A very simple example of wastage of land is that the concept of ‘no man’s land’ on every country’s border. If there were no divisions, this land could have been used for various purposes – who knows maybe a large oil reserve lies under the Indo-Pak border or a very fertile patch of land lies untouched at some other border.

We have also created barriers on free movement of men. Visa restrictions stop free movement of labor. For example, there is a limited number of Visas that Indians get for USA every year. Now, the result is that there is a huge technically qualified labor force (For example: Doctors) which is being stopped from working there. The result is that there is scarcity in USA leading to people paying more and the same service of a doctor is available at one-fourth the cost in India. This results in an imbalance. But like consumer markets even labor markets tend to move towards equilibrium. So, there is this concept of Medical Tourism. Medical tourism means that the cost of a by-pass surgery in America is more than the combined cost of travel, stay and the surgery in India. Here, one may not find any problem, but from the perspective of an organization (our planet), the material, the surgery equipment and hospital infrastructure required at both the places is the same – in real terms like medicines, injections, blood, manpower time, etc. and not in terms of monetary value that we associate with it. But there is one significant cost to our organization if the surgery takes place in India, viz. consumption of precious oil during travel and the pollution that it would create, the noise that it would generate. From an individual’s point of view, India is economical; from a country’s point of view, Indian labor is a threat; but from the planet’s point of view, all these are resource wastages because each group thinks of itself and not of the organization as a whole.

No example is needed to say that there are various barriers in the flow of capital.

But, surprisingly, even entrepreneurial innovations face barriers. After the industrial revolution USA was the leader in development and application of scientific management. It is an acknowledged fact that the export of this field was very slow from the USA. Similarly, after the World Wars the USA led the development and application of computer applications whereas Japan led the developments in the field of production. Combined, these technologies would have provided tremendous boost to productivity of various resources. But it took a long time before the technologies were exported and adapted.

THE POINT

A 2002 government survey concluded that 48% of children under five years old are malnourished. At the same time, India made a donation of one million tons of wheat to a World Food Program project in Afghanistan.

“There is plenty of supply on hand to meet global demand. Over the past 35 years, the world’s food production has expanded faster than its population. In 2002, according to the United Nations World Food Program, farmers produced enough food to provide every person with 2,800 calories a day. That’s equivalent to the general daily requirement of teen boys and active men, according to the U.S. government’s dietary guidelines. The WFP’s feeding programs aim to provide 2,100 calories a day to their recipients”, says an article by ROGER THUROW and JAY SOLOMON / Wall Street Journal 25^th June, 04.

The point that I want to convey by these examples is that we have all the resources we need to be in a good state of living.

They are just not being “managed” as they should be.

All I say is that there should be no economical or psychological barriers to their trade or free flow.

It is high time we stop romanticizing with the concept of a country, being patriotic, being proud to come from a particular region, religion, etc.

To get a holistic perspective, we could see our planet as an organization that we all are running. We all are working in various departments and we have certain resources. Our goal is to maximize return on those resources on an organizational level (planet level).

We need to think of how we can use American research in computer applications in production with the Japanese techniques of production like Just in time and Total quality management.

One last analogy will explain it all. Let’s imagine we form two teams consisting of the best 22 cricketers in the world – keeping aside our patriotic emotions. Those teams would make the most interesting match of all times!!! Instead of competing amongst ourselves, we could join together and manage this organization as a single body of people – as mankind.

I believe…

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge
That myth is more potent than history.
I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts
That hope always triumphs over experience
And I believe that love is stronger than death.

 

At the place where I am right now, my beliefs have grown stronger than ever before!

Independence Day: Greatest Indian Myth Ever

I’m late for the Independence Day, but I did not want to write a post just for the heck of it. So I was hunting to write something worth the occasion.

I found something that is invaluable.

We’re entering into a new phase and our nation is taking a new shape. We need to learn from the mistakes of our past. And here, I am talking about something that I consider our biggest mistake as a nation - and it’s high time we correct it.

Please read this with an open mind.

This is an excerpt from an article that appeared in Hindustan Times (15th August, 2006) written by Manu Joseph.

Culture is a transaction between well-fed people. Always remember, a Brahmin dance is culture, tribals jumping over shifting bamboos is folk. In most nations, tradition was once the memory of the rich that slowly became the memory of all. Then they began to measure their inheritance against the inheritances of others in other lands. And in this, Indians have always excelled. Ours is the best, biggest, greatest civilization. Others were nomads and whores. Sometimes we behave as though no other country has heritage or morality. Embarrassed by the miseries around it, the notorious Indian elite has for long never let facts interfere with national pride. And that trait has continued till today, fanning such rubbish like India has never invaded another land. And this thing called the Indian brain.
   Kumarmangalam Birla, a victim of the myths his countrymen have spread, said at a summit that Indians occupy more than one third of NASA’s scientific force. It is in line with other favorable fractions claimed by Indians in science. But the truth is different. For example, less than 6% of NASA’s scientists are Asian Americans. Most of India’s three lakh engineering graduates today are not directly employable even here, and in fact there is a crisis of qualified manpower.
   In the list of the great Indian myths given below, a few examples had to be grudgingly omitted because disproving them is a matter of opinion. Like the claim that legendary cricketer Ranjitsingh invented the leg glance. It is this reporter’s contention that a leg glance cannot be invented. Any boy who accepts that a straight bat is a virtue will naturally discover the stroke. Also omitted from the list are obvious urban legends like the Indian rope trick, and that Sourav Ganguly is an all-rounder.

Freedom movement won us freedom    
It is not a state secret that the effects of World War Two and the tremors of revolt in Indian armed forces greatly inspired the English to leave. The freedom movement was the face of an inevitability. It was not the only force that won India freedom.
   In fact, according to Clement Attlee who was Britain’s prime minister at the time of independence, the role of the Quit India Movement was, “minimal”. P. V. Chuckraborty, former chief justice of Calcutta High Court, says in a letter that when he met Attlee in 1956, he had asked, “The Quit India Movement of Gandhi practically died out long before 1947 and there was nothing in the Indian situation at that time which made it necessary for the British to leave India in a hurry. Why then did they do so?” Attlee replied that the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946 and the activities of the Indian National Army were the main factors.
   Even if one takes into account a possibility that history is often colored by prejudices of men who are reluctant to grant Gandhi his place, the role of international politics in India’s freedom is beyond dispute. In the first half of the 20th century, all over the world, the time was up for the British. Without the revolutions of Gandhi and other sepia barristers, Sri Lanka won its freedom in 1948. It is not a coincidence that the tryst with destiny there came around the same time as it did in India. The world was changing and it was in Britain’s interest to shrink.

And we fight over greatness of Gandhi or Bhagat Singh! (And Rajkumar Santoshi benefits from our patriotism even after portraying distorted history). And then there is Shivaji chapter! And so on…

I completely believe in the Freedom Movement Myth explained by Manu Joseph. But, I don’t - in any way - mean to cast any doubt on the greatness of Gandhiji. He was a great man. I don’t admire him as a freedom fighter but as a human being.

Anyway, coming back to the topic, I also don’t believe that freedom movement was not at all important. I just feel that it is not worth the importance that we’re laying on it. Hundreds of films, books and all the history literature filled with freedom movement. We study the whole freedom movement twice in our school; just check out the textbooks. And even if we keep aside the myth of freedom movement, it is very important for us to note and “accept” that there are innumerable myths that fuel our patriotism and create various issues like Western influence. Every culture influences the other when they come in contact. Western culture has influenced our lifestyle while ours has done the same to their lifestyle.

For more reading:

Great Myths of Indian History: Times of India

What is FLAME?

“What are you doing these days?
I’m going to Pune for my MBA.

Ohh! That’s great. Which institute? Symbiosis?
No. It’s called FLAME.

FLAMES? …
FLAME…

OK! FLAME. But never heard of it before.
Yaa…it’s a new institute. We’ll be the first batch.

Why? You did not get admission anywhere else?
No! Actually…

How much do they charge? Fees and all?
Actually, its a bit high…11 lakhs

What? Does this include the donation? Man! Why don’t you try abroad then?
Ohh! No…this is a good institute…faculty and all…

Do they guarantee placements?
Ahh yes! The people behind this institute are big shots in the market dude! They will surely get good contacts!

And you know what, our President is the ex-Dean of IIM-A. And we have 110 acres of campus. We also have cottage apartments…and soccer field, golf course, cricket ground, open-air café, and we are getting Tablet PCs and just have a look at our menu…

Now this seems to be something. But still, 11 lakhs it a bit expensive.

I have had this experience every time I meet or even talk to any of my friends, relatives or even acquaintances. These are the times when, just for the sake of saving my face, I list all the “marketable” reasons for my joining FLAME.

But, there is one reason, which I consider more important than all the above put together, which I do not usually tell. That reason is FLAME’s philosophy, the concept of Liberal Education, and the spirit with which people behind FLAME are working.

I hesitate to explain this to most of the people - just because they come with a different mindset. Also because I doubt my capabilities to explain these concepts and their importance.

So I decided to tell them a story. Yes, the same story that put some “Gyan” into my head and made me realize the true spirit of FLAME. The story that, I believe, would surely provide all the answers for the questions they asked.

People know what we tell them. And by telling them that FLAME is great just because of its faculty or infrastructure will limit FLAME’s identity to that. But finally I won’t have to create “a wrong image” of FLAME. I would be able to portray the FLAME that I am going into. And most probably I won’t ever be able to explain what FLAME really is in a manner better than what this book does.

So I made the book called “Yatra” into a PowerPoint presentation – a presentation which will not only portray FLAME as it is, but also will serve as an answer to most of the questions. And not only can I send it to all my friends who want to know “What is FLAME?”, but also keep it with myself for a lifetime. ”

Yatra Presentation (14 MB) - Download

12 Angry Men in India

“12 Angry Men? It’s a very good movie. It is about leadership, about social behavior.”

I have been hearing things like this for a long time. Initially, I didn’t pay heed. But as the noise grew, my curiosity followed. I tried searching for reviews.

What I could manage to get was an IMDB page, a Wikipedia page and a few Amazon pages. And below that was a clutter of similar pages all filled with the plot and summary.

All I could make out of this was that the film is a classic and very popular even fifty years after it was released. And yes, not to forget, a Tomatometer of 97%.

So, obviously I wanted to get hold of a copy - anyhow!

But, as the nature of the Internet is, all I could find was Amazon.com selling it. But there was a lot of confusion. I would have to pay a lot for a new copy and there was a used one selling at 7 $ approximately. But the chap didn’t want to ship it to India (maybe he had lost his job to the Indian outsourcing industry ;)). Then, I tried going on eBay. But it didn’t click there too. I checked out a couple of video libraries, but the response was ’sorry’.

Then, I got hold of one of my friends who had seen this movie in their MBA program. Through him I got hold of the professor who had rented the DVD from somewhere.

And now, finally, I am a proud owner of my own copy of “12 angry Men”. And so I thought, if any of my countrymen are longing to watch the amazing movie (review later) only because they’re not able to get their copies, I can help. I have a used copy as well as I know a person who can get original DVDs of the classic right here in India.

And if you haven’t heard about the movie yet, go here and read the reviews. I will write my own review after watching it for a few times.

Trailer:

12 Angry Men DVD download India 12 Angry Men DVD download 12 Angry Men DVD download12 Angry Men DVD download12 Angry Men DVD

THE FLAME

I have noticed one thing. In life, at every point of time, I’ve had several complaints, about several things. But as time passed, my complaints started diluting and I moved on…

But there is one complaint that has been with me throughout the 21 years that my heart has been pumping blood – about my education, the education system.

I always had complaints that ‘my school is so boring’, ‘my teachers are very strict’, ‘my subjects so useless’, ‘my uniform so colourless’, from as trivial as ‘my lunch break is so small’ to as serious as ‘my teachers hit students with wooden sticks’. After school I thought these too would dilute away; but they grew.

Now I had a new set of complaints. These ranged from ‘my class looks like an overcrowded Mumbai local train’ to ‘ragging is physical as well as verbal’, from ‘why did I opt for commerce’ to ‘God knows what’s my future’, from ‘why professors favour girls’ to ‘how do I pay to straighten my attendance’, from ‘what do we gain by learning the already outdated syllabus’ to ‘are the marks that I earn by rote learning significant’…

By the end of the three years of graduation, these had increased to a level where I had developed a fresh set of complaints. They were: ‘why cant they leave me alone?’, ‘Is getting a good job the only thing to do in this world?’.

And there was an eternal complaint: Why cant I be free? Free to do what I want, free to explore life, free to learn what I want and when I want, free to take my own decisions, free to be myself, free to lead my life as I want and not as others feel it is right…

But these complaints remained in my heart…and looking back, I started losing hope of leading a life that I desired. I started giving up and reluctantly entered ‘The Rat Race’.

But little did I know, that somewhere in a valley, there were some dreamers, working hard to rescue my hope.

And one day it came. It came in front of my eyes, and I could feel the hope jumping inside my heart. That hope had subsided, but never died. It looked too good to be true. So I had to feel it, touch it and when I took a closer look, I was almost dancing…

Yes, it was a dream that I always had: to go into a Gurukul, that liberated the students, from the programming, from the conventional mind-set, from ‘the rat race’…

And so a FLAME was ignited. For me, that is a FLAME of hope, a FLAME of knowledge, a FLAME of ‘freedom’…