PAPPU + FEKU = RAHU+NAMO= RAMO

                                 PAPPU + FEKU = RAHU+NAMO= RAMO

Elections are a year away –maybe less than a year away. The media has now no need for Anna Hazares, Vinod Rais, Ajit Pawars, rapes and scamgates to scream and shout; it has enough  fare  on its table to  initiate studio debates as to who shall rule India. Even before Narender Modi’s phalanx of party managers could blitz out the opposition projecting him here, there and everywhere as the PM material, the media had put on its crystal gaze to identify the two potential PMs and given them the nicknames Namo and Rahu alias Feku and Pappu respectively. The captive clientele sitting before their decorative TV sets in their living rooms is given a daily dose of the two wannabe PMs, though one of the two keeps playing peek-a-boo while the other aggressively thunders: “Mirror, mirror on the wall; I am the fairest of them all”. The two national parties maintain a canny silence as they are not sure of a clear win in the absence of any positive signal as to who shall be their coalition partners.

In a country of 714 million voters as per the 2007 database, it is ironical that the country can throw up only two names,  whose nicknames do not inspire much confidence to anyone irrespective of his/her party affiliation. Feku means ‘a breezy boaster of narcisstic pomposity’ while Pappu is a derogatory Hindi word meaning ‘dumb kid’, ‘a simpleton full of innocence and naivety’. The media blares loudly and sensationally about Feku and Pappu, without ever wondering whether the billion plus Indians do not deserve a better leader than these two. The media is doing injustice to the Indian voter by telling them : “We have for you Feku and Pappu, take your pick.’

Pappu has no experience in governance or administration. He has been true to the cow and calf symbol of the Congress as he is given the mantle of Vice-president of the party of which his mother is the President. In this respect he is true to the ancient Indian tradition of the son worshipping his mother. His claim to the nation’s highest executive seat has no other rationale except that of the law of primogeniture. He has no oratorical skill comparable to Namo’s rasping utterances nor does he possess a resonant voice to match the stentorian thunder of his rival. His naïve understanding of the complexity of Indian politics is far removed from his grandmother’s astute and at times shrewd and diabolical handling of politicians of all hues. He has no understanding of the Chanakya Neeti that his grand mother often displayed-   “gratefulness to grateful,  violence to violent, and evilness to counter evil.” He is no leader nor has he any experience of being a team player. The Congress party is hurtling down to oblivion by foolishly shouting “Pappu pass ho gaya” when Pappu has not even taken his first examination as a skilful parliamentarian.

He is clean, untarnished, polite and seemingly considerate towards the poor, the marginalized and the minorities. His development agenda is rooted to inclusiveness. But he has not been able to implement any of his ideas even in his own constituency, leave aside his failure to garner votes for the Congress in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh that had gone to the polls in the last couple of years.

Namo has tasted power through governance. He is brash, autocratic and a go-getter. He is egotistical who does not fight shy of trumpeting his success in certain parts of Gujarat. In his bombast, he promises to convert his micro success in Gujarat into a macro success for the entire nation. Ramachandra Guha , the eminent historian says that Modi, like Mrs. Gandhi “ seeks to make his party, his government, his administration and his country an extension of his personality … and is like Sanjay Gandhi in his brash, bullying, hyper-masculine style.” He is a dictator and egregiously egoistic while his younger adversary is a democrat and self effacing to the point of not taking responsibility.

Namo’s development model has worked well in certain parts of Gujarat, but cannot be a model for the whole nation with its diverse polity. His model is anything but inclusive. But he is dynamic and strong and is the only man in his  cabinet.

We need neither Pappu nor Feku. We need neither Rahu nor Namo. India needs  Ramo- a bit of both.  Valmiki the composer of Ramayana gave Sri Ram the title ‘ Ramo Vigrahavan Dharmah’- i.e. Ram is the embodiment of dharma. Dharma has four important qualities- truth, compassion, purity, and sacrifice. As a son, student, husband, king, warrior, brother, friend, teacher and enemy Ram has been a model for humanity.

Before we exercise our rightful franchise let us discover a Ramo in our midst who shall not be guided by selfish interests, pleasures or emotions and who has the qualities of devotion, courage, valour and sacrifice to lead the country into Ram Rajya.

An Open Letter to Aam Admi Arvind Kejriwal

                                              An Open Letter to Aam Admi Arvind Kejriwal

Dear Arvind,
When Duryodhan and Yudhishtira were asked by Lord Krishna about the people around them, Duryodhan said he could not find a single good person in the world while Yudhistira claimed that he could not find a single bad person around.
In your zeal to float a party and capture power, you seem to follow the thought process of Duryodhana and not that of Yudhishtira, the uphoder of Dharma. During Independence struggle despite fighting the British Government to get independence, Gandhiji never indulged in character assassination of the British.
Unfortunately you tar every politician with the same brush of corruption as you are convinced that all those who have entered politics prior to your stepping in are corrupt, a bunch of scoundrels. You were a government officer- a class I service officer belonging to Income-tax service. But without continuing there and devoting your time to clean the agean stables of the IT department, you preferred to take on the humungous task of sanitizing the political stable so that you can step in.
Your current hunger strike is in keeping with your oft stated indictment of all who are in power either as Ministers or MPs or MLAs or bureaucrats whose only job-according to you- is to swindle the exchequer. With your milk of kindness overflowing for the aam admi( who are all innocent babes!) you are on fast against Government's collusion with power generating companies and water suppliers in the capital  for inflating the bills. How many of your aam admi are not drawing power illegally and how many of them are not sucking water directly from the mains and depriving fellow citizens of water? Will you go on fast demanding action against these aam admis? I am also an aam admi and I pay my water and power bills in gratitude for getting these amenities without resorting to unethical means. Why should I fight for the aam admis who are greedy to enjoy unethically more of the benefits of uninterrupted power and water and  following your clarion call refuse to pay the bills? I am a law abiding person and I know nothing comes to me gratis and I am happy about that.
If documents are on hand with you, why don't you file a FIR against the Delhi government? Why sit on fast and ask people not to pay the 'inflated' bills. It is in the last 2-3 years Delhi has had uninterrupted power supply even in the hottest months of summer and coldest months of winter. The problem is when development takes place to provide comfort to every citizen of Delhi (that includes aam admi), the price also increases. Power cannot be generated free of cost. If you think the crooks are showing inflated expenditure for power generation, kindly let us know how you can supply power to the aam admi at half the price. Please don’t pull wool over the eyes of aam admi by such fasts. If you are honest, knock at the courts. Don't spread despair, indiscipline and anger among people. The good cause that you started with Anna Hazare is wearing thin because you love to speak only about wrongdoers and there seems to be no one in India except you and your party men who is not a wrong doer.
Civil disobedience movement started by Gandhiji was against the foreign rule. Your civil disobedience movement is against your own government that has been voted to the office. If you and your aam admi party do not like the government, you have the opportunity to throw it out in the coming elections –just a few months away. This is what makes democracy work- we  have the right to ask for something that is good for us , but we should also have the duty to follow rules and laws.Democracy is a bulwark against anarchy because every five years  people have the right to install a new government.
Don't deprive us of our duty by democracy- the only insurance against anarchy. Your time will come in the next few months when you can get elected and bring the promised manna to the parched throats of aam admi. Till then bide your time.

India is a vast nation, difficult to govern and is surrounded by nations that are often inimical to our wellbeing. Aam admi cannot and does not know the nuances of steering the nation in its foreign and domestic problems. My plea to you is not to create mob hysteria and bring chaos to the nation but wait for just a few months to vote out the government and build a new government by aam admi, for aam admi and of aam admi- a government with pristine purity, honesty and dedication, a government of  honest, resourceful aam admis to steer the nation to a glorious era. Jai Hind
An aam admi

Delhi University Under-Graduate Course Reforms

 

                                                               Delhi University Course Reforms

Delhi University has taken the first few steps to open up the study streams at the undergraduate courses. This is a welcome reform though much overdue. The introduction of semester exams to replace the annual had taken place a couple of years back. There are still glitches in its implementation and they have to be sorted out.

The basic principle governing semester system is the wide choice of courses offered to the student during his/her 4-year study at the undergraduate level. It is good that after the introduction of the semester system, DU has gone in for a 4 year degree course offering a bouquet of courses for the student to choose for his Honours degree. S/he can opt for cessation of study at the end of the second year and get an Associate degree or at the end of three years to get a baccalaureate degree. The University has to arrive at new nomenclatures for these intermediate degrees as it intends to do away with the existing degrees like B.A, BSc and B.com. After all a

After all a degree is a degree and as Shakespeare says

What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

The question is how does the new nomenclature enhance the essence or spirit of learning?  What is the rationale in awarding an Associate or a baccalaureate degree unless they form a part of the minimum eligibility criteria to get a job? Just because USA, China, Australia, Brazil and Pakistan have similar models, should we adopt it as well? Has any study been done with reference to job opportunities for students with intermediate degrees? What happens to the existing well structured course like B.El.Ed ? With a deficit of 12 lakh teachers for the RTI to be fully implemented, can the University afford to do away with the present teacher training courses?

As per the new structure, there are to be application courses The University says that a student pursuing Physics and Chemistry for Discipline I and Discipline II courses can opt for Sociology or Literature as application courses. Sounds good, but the question is can Literature and Sociology come under the rubric ‘application course’? Normally we hear about web application courses, computer application course, design application course, Applied Psychology course, Mobile application development course etc- courses that give hands on training and practical skill to make students employable. Literature and Sociology are disciplines that do not subscribe to application courses. If one reads it right, these application courses are only for the first two years –or four semesters. Isn’t the University letting out young men and women with an Associate or a Baccalaureate degree (after six semesters) without any employable skills just as it is doing today with a three year BA/BSc/B.Com programmes? At least in the present case with a three year degree the students can go for post-graduation while the new system limits post-graduation to those who complete a 4-year programme.

The introduction of foundation courses cutting across all disciplines is an excellent idea. This will definitely contribute to a wholesome development of mind and awareness. It is worth considering introduction of one foreign language as a Foundation course. It will be ideal if language courses (incuding English and Modern Indian language) are spread over two years rather than limited to the first year. A minimum of two years is required to get a feel of the language and a feel for the language, leave aside learning vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. The compulsory foundation courses on English and Indian modern language at the university level begs the question with regard to the minimum standard of proficiency among entrants to college. The foundation course in English that exists currently in Delhi University is almost at the elementary level of learning and is way below university standards. Can a premier University bring down the standard to such an abysmally low level?

The list of foundation courses includes an assorted variety such as courses on environment and health, communication skills, mathematical ability, IT, Science and Life etc. What is the mechanism by which the students will be tested in these courses?  Communication skills, IT, mathematical ability are more in the line of application courses raising two fundamental questions as to what defines Foundation course and what learning curves do they trace at the undergraduate level? Foundation course is a bridge course relating to particular Special Course Requirements of the undergraduate degree course that students intend to seek admission in. For example, if students intend to apply for the Bachelor of Engineering course, they would be expected to follow Foundation study-units in Physics and Mathematics.  These study-units will enable students to prepare for the content and level of the degree course in Engineering. The University’s claim that these courses will bring an overall personality development of the student is like wishing horses for courses.

The University states that the classes for UG students are going to be increased as they have 11 Foundation(F) and 5 Applied courses(A) besides 2 discipline courses(DI and DII i.e.16-20 discipline papers in four years) to study. On an average this works out to a minimum of 20 papers per year (11F +3A+3DI+3DII) which will translate into at least 60 classes per week( i.e. if 2 lectures and one tutorial/practical classes per paper constitute the norm). The college works for 6 days for the students and this means every student attends a minimum of 10 classes or 10 hours per day. Is there any time left for the student self study, library work and extra reading?  If Delhi University seeks parity of standard with US Universities, it should allow more time for students to do library work and to assimilate whatever is said in the class. Otherwise the system will make students more like school students with no time for self development. The research papers that are mandatory for a first degree will remain a copy and paste affair from the internet. Even the existing level of learning may become a distant possibility for the students with the overloaded class lectures.

Then comes the most important principle behind semester system which is CBCS- Choice based Credit system. The students through the new combined course are given the opportunity to choose courses for adding to their credits. This means the flexibility to change colleges where courses of one’s choice are offered.  Has Delhi University given the green signal to colleges to offer varied courses? Even if colleges come forward with new courses, the curriculum, structure and course texts have to be approved by the Academic Council before they can be introduced. The other big question is whether colleges have space to accommodate students from other colleges for one or two semesters in addition to their existing strength. The most difficult question is will the colleges accept students from other colleges and what should be the eligibility requirement? Will the elite colleges accept students from non-elite colleges or will they resort to barter whereby the elite colleges will accept a First divisioner from non-elite colleges provided the latter absorbs their second or third divisioners. Overarching all these questions is where are the teachers to be found for these different Foundation courses?

Again if two Disciplines are to be taken for a Honours degree, the student should be permitted to do his/her post graduation in any one of them. Delhi University has limited this option to Discipline I which makes a travesty of pursuing Discipline II. The Associate degree should be dispensed with and the Baccalaureate degree at the end of third year is to be awarded after sufficient skill training is given under the rubric of application courses.

The writer is not against the makeover that Delhi University is attempting.  But sufficient groundwork has not been done. It is essential to train college teachers in inter-disciplinary understanding for at least six months to teach Foundation courses. It will not be a bad idea if an Indian Education Service is established and training is given in a holistic learning atmosphere. Till such time we have a good number of trained teachers in colleges, it would be better to introduce compulsory lectures called “Great Book Series” where scholars from different disciplines will give lectures on seminal works relating to their disciplines to help students understand all the Best that has been said and written in the world. Starting from Kautilya’s Arthasastra to Amartya Sen’s Capability Theory, from the Gita to the Bible to Koran and to other sacred books, from Aryabatta to Einstein to Fritzof Capra, from the Indian epics to the Greek epics to world literature, from Indian history to World History etc, these lectures are to be spread through one whole year and form the basis of Foundation courses. Students can sign for them and attend them in any college as they should be Open lectures and when they are back in their respective colleges , they should choose two books from two different disciplines per semester and make both oral and written presentations on which they will be evaluated . Disciplines I and II can be the students’ choice at the end of the first year’s Foundation study.

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A beginning has been made. A thing well begun is half done. But to have it fully done, a little focused thinking has to be bestowed on three basic questions: (a) the rationale behind introduction of new UG courses  (b) what are its objectives and what benefits will accrue from that change and (c) how to implement the proposed change that would enhance learning while serving as a gateway for employment. Hope Delhi University, the Ministry of HRD and the UGC put their heads together to work on what is going to be a change maker in Indian higher education. The imminent need of the hour is to hasten slowly with the contemplated changes