lets see what a great start everyone could give to my blogging page.............
Sunday, March 7, 2010
how does it feel to blog?????/
having never blogged before........ i leave dis question to be answered by many a bloggers blogging for quite a while now......
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
What are my questions?!!
What are my questions?
A man once believed that the history of all humankind involved a struggle of classes at every juncture, in every domain, at all levels. It was an astute observation of the then social fabric that brought about a new wave of idealism. His belief has since then brought about a huge transformation in the thoughts and ideals of millions of people, created an unprecedented amount of literature and debate, brought about a massive change in lives and lifestyles of people, across all possible geographical zones, created a new discourse on the ‘problem of order’ and even succeeded in bringing about a couple of revolutions!
I would be dishonest if I said that I was unmoved by the statement or the aftermath of it all. The belief that ‘as long as man existed, struggles existed’ caught my attention. Why was there a struggle in the first place? What for? The struggle would obviously not ensue if we were all equal, for then there would be no play of power, domination and subservience. It is only because there are definite inequalities, that there is struggle. So in turn, it means that as long as man existed inequalities existed!
If inequality then, is as old as Man himself or Woman herself, then my other question is – specifically, what is the one single factor that is instrumental in causing this ‘lack of equality’?
After a lot of reading and deliberation I came to a conclusion that it is actually differences- individual, social, physical, occupational, economic and others that is the epicenter of inequality. However, differences by themselves don’t breed this vice, it is only when these differences instead of being celebrated, are exploited, that it leads to disarray, anguish and conflict followed by struggle. It is this negative view towards differences that create and perpetuate inequalities. Ethnocentrism, parochialism, casteism, racism, chauvinism are some manifestations of this phenomena.
However, a lot of us truly believe that differences should be celebrated; that we are all one, that despite all odds and evens, we belong to human kind and thus, a common vein runs through us all. Isn’t this the sentiment echoed in all our written and unwritten Constitutions, in all our laws and decrees?
If then, we believe in equality for all, what measures have we taken to ensure it? Education and Affirmative Action are some of the responses one might give. Let’s focus on education. After more than 50 years of independence, does the current system of education at all point towards the ideal of equality?
Education is supposed to be a leveler. Then why does it knowingly, consciously and methodically dismiss certain information systems and knowledge content as irrelevant? Why is it then that only certain kinds of knowledge are considered worth teaching and find a place in the curriculum? Why are the indigenous knowledge systems, the indigenous techniques, sciences and languages systematically rejected and dust binned. Why isn’t modern knowledge system integrated with the indigenous and local ones. Why do certain sections of society squirm at the thought of their child’s classmate being a durwan’s daughter or the gardener’s son? Why do dropout of students from upwardly mobile families start the minute a school opens its gates to the more underprivileged sections? Why has education, which set out to bridge divides, ended up acting to create and foster greater inequalities?
We have today not one education system but as many education systems as there are classes in society. The poor and underprivileged children go to government schools, usually discontinue education after primary and upper primary, the lower middle and middle class children go to the scores of private schools and take scores of private tuitions due to the poor quality if teaching learning in the schools, and the upper class children go to elite schools.
From the very beginning differences are grounded- Munipality and Corporation schools, Government, small private schools and big private elite schools, state schools and Central schools are created to schematically generate differences among the children studying there. These crevices are further deepened thorough language barriers. Today the difference created by these different schools in the minds and lives of the children has led to the continuation of inequalities. If equality is what we cherished, why have we allowed a variety of schools to run? Why have the government and the various commissions and schemes not foreseen this eventuality? Was it at all unforeseen or was it deliberately willed?
From the very inception then, a child’s destiny gets written, much like the old Vedic period. We are still as ascriptive as we were, as feudal as were and as colonized as we were. Our birth still determines our fortune, if not the exact occupation, at least it determines the education we would receive and consequently our employment opportunities and status. Is this what the writers of the constitution had in mind? Is class the new caste in modern India?
The man who had made the statement is no more today, but the differences, the inequalities and the struggles continue as much as they did when he was provoked to write. The only difference is that inequality today is far more institutionalized. It is systematically created and perpetuated, and the prime lever for creating this systematic production and reproduction of inequalities is the education system.
Call me a cynical if you will, but I wonder if ideology and consciousness are redundant concepts today? In this light, will making education free and compulsory make any difference in this landscape, or will the vested interest groups find a new innovative ways to ensure further deepening of inequalities?
A man once believed that the history of all humankind involved a struggle of classes at every juncture, in every domain, at all levels. It was an astute observation of the then social fabric that brought about a new wave of idealism. His belief has since then brought about a huge transformation in the thoughts and ideals of millions of people, created an unprecedented amount of literature and debate, brought about a massive change in lives and lifestyles of people, across all possible geographical zones, created a new discourse on the ‘problem of order’ and even succeeded in bringing about a couple of revolutions!
I would be dishonest if I said that I was unmoved by the statement or the aftermath of it all. The belief that ‘as long as man existed, struggles existed’ caught my attention. Why was there a struggle in the first place? What for? The struggle would obviously not ensue if we were all equal, for then there would be no play of power, domination and subservience. It is only because there are definite inequalities, that there is struggle. So in turn, it means that as long as man existed inequalities existed!
If inequality then, is as old as Man himself or Woman herself, then my other question is – specifically, what is the one single factor that is instrumental in causing this ‘lack of equality’?
After a lot of reading and deliberation I came to a conclusion that it is actually differences- individual, social, physical, occupational, economic and others that is the epicenter of inequality. However, differences by themselves don’t breed this vice, it is only when these differences instead of being celebrated, are exploited, that it leads to disarray, anguish and conflict followed by struggle. It is this negative view towards differences that create and perpetuate inequalities. Ethnocentrism, parochialism, casteism, racism, chauvinism are some manifestations of this phenomena.
However, a lot of us truly believe that differences should be celebrated; that we are all one, that despite all odds and evens, we belong to human kind and thus, a common vein runs through us all. Isn’t this the sentiment echoed in all our written and unwritten Constitutions, in all our laws and decrees?
If then, we believe in equality for all, what measures have we taken to ensure it? Education and Affirmative Action are some of the responses one might give. Let’s focus on education. After more than 50 years of independence, does the current system of education at all point towards the ideal of equality?
Education is supposed to be a leveler. Then why does it knowingly, consciously and methodically dismiss certain information systems and knowledge content as irrelevant? Why is it then that only certain kinds of knowledge are considered worth teaching and find a place in the curriculum? Why are the indigenous knowledge systems, the indigenous techniques, sciences and languages systematically rejected and dust binned. Why isn’t modern knowledge system integrated with the indigenous and local ones. Why do certain sections of society squirm at the thought of their child’s classmate being a durwan’s daughter or the gardener’s son? Why do dropout of students from upwardly mobile families start the minute a school opens its gates to the more underprivileged sections? Why has education, which set out to bridge divides, ended up acting to create and foster greater inequalities?
We have today not one education system but as many education systems as there are classes in society. The poor and underprivileged children go to government schools, usually discontinue education after primary and upper primary, the lower middle and middle class children go to the scores of private schools and take scores of private tuitions due to the poor quality if teaching learning in the schools, and the upper class children go to elite schools.
From the very beginning differences are grounded- Munipality and Corporation schools, Government, small private schools and big private elite schools, state schools and Central schools are created to schematically generate differences among the children studying there. These crevices are further deepened thorough language barriers. Today the difference created by these different schools in the minds and lives of the children has led to the continuation of inequalities. If equality is what we cherished, why have we allowed a variety of schools to run? Why have the government and the various commissions and schemes not foreseen this eventuality? Was it at all unforeseen or was it deliberately willed?
From the very inception then, a child’s destiny gets written, much like the old Vedic period. We are still as ascriptive as we were, as feudal as were and as colonized as we were. Our birth still determines our fortune, if not the exact occupation, at least it determines the education we would receive and consequently our employment opportunities and status. Is this what the writers of the constitution had in mind? Is class the new caste in modern India?
The man who had made the statement is no more today, but the differences, the inequalities and the struggles continue as much as they did when he was provoked to write. The only difference is that inequality today is far more institutionalized. It is systematically created and perpetuated, and the prime lever for creating this systematic production and reproduction of inequalities is the education system.
Call me a cynical if you will, but I wonder if ideology and consciousness are redundant concepts today? In this light, will making education free and compulsory make any difference in this landscape, or will the vested interest groups find a new innovative ways to ensure further deepening of inequalities?
Monday, June 29, 2009
Man is a " rational " animal!!???
I realize at times the changes that have taken over me...my own growing insensitivity towards things and events which i once felt very strongly about, the so called much hyped adult rationality that has taken over me ;
Kamala Das once wrote about in some poem of hers which i had read but now forget abt this "adult rationality"...at that time...these were just words for me, something that my English teacher took a lot of pains to explain, giving examples from her own life...she did put in a lot of effort but somehow, none of us quite understood what it really meant, coz we didnt "feel" it ourselves...but today when i turn over the news clipping that shows abject poverty and helplessness, when i see and often overlook begging children on the road and when i walk past a limping animal...wincing just once in my mind maybe, but rationlizing that i couldnt possibly change the world... i realize that i too have been bitten by the bug of rationality.
Yes at these times when i get naked evidence of my hardening heart, the child in me in unable to forgive the adult i now am...
Kamala Das once wrote about in some poem of hers which i had read but now forget abt this "adult rationality"...at that time...these were just words for me, something that my English teacher took a lot of pains to explain, giving examples from her own life...she did put in a lot of effort but somehow, none of us quite understood what it really meant, coz we didnt "feel" it ourselves...but today when i turn over the news clipping that shows abject poverty and helplessness, when i see and often overlook begging children on the road and when i walk past a limping animal...wincing just once in my mind maybe, but rationlizing that i couldnt possibly change the world... i realize that i too have been bitten by the bug of rationality.
Yes at these times when i get naked evidence of my hardening heart, the child in me in unable to forgive the adult i now am...
Sunday, June 28, 2009
when tears get the better of me!!
Tears get the better of me. Each time! They arrive suddenly, without a warning like a sudden flash of rain in the month of April...completely unannounced!! Oh gawd .."NOW!!"..."of all times im getting senti".. "what abt my presentation....!!" "damn this is a meeting !!", "Good Lord im in office... ! " travelling in the bus, i can pretend its dust, you know, and start rubbing my eyes with an inocuous expression on my face...but at home with my parents, amongst friends, among colleagues when there is absolutely no situation or need for tears...why do they suddenly make their presence so devillishly felt!
What triggers it...oh a thousand things... the memory of an old friend, a lost friend, a lost time, an old time,a known smell, a fragrance of yesteryear, a gulli i once visited, the smell of pujas, the colour of the sky, the feeling of security, the warmth of togetherness, the spirited madness of the teenage years...college days, university life, hostel daze, exam nites, niteouts, first day at work, first house,first job... the list is endless
any damn thing causes it!! seek guidance in emotion management right away!
What triggers it...oh a thousand things... the memory of an old friend, a lost friend, a lost time, an old time,a known smell, a fragrance of yesteryear, a gulli i once visited, the smell of pujas, the colour of the sky, the feeling of security, the warmth of togetherness, the spirited madness of the teenage years...college days, university life, hostel daze, exam nites, niteouts, first day at work, first house,first job... the list is endless
any damn thing causes it!! seek guidance in emotion management right away!
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