This is my first attempt at poetry. I hope it comes across as something more than just some disjointed stanzas with rhyming lines. :D
Cheers
That elusive happiness; this pervasive emptiness.
That boundless joy; this sadness, like the tragedy of troy.
Those sacrifices on which love is built,
these fleeting pleasures with the ensuing guilt.
Those days of purpose, ambition and passion,
soon crippled by reality, escapism and inaction
Born with all those dreams,
but torn between these extremes,
Should I change? ,
should I resist?.
Am I here to live or just exist?
Tired of this urge to please,
Sick of this surge to appease.
Why should it matter what the world thinks?
Doesn't it change its opinion in a wink?
It's funny how the mind works,
instantly distancing itself from people who criticize
"What does he know; as if he has got his life sorted out", we scoff
The truth is, in denial we endure but in acceptance we thrive.
But, there are just too many people to care,
some are worth the bother,
others are worth nothing more than an ignore.
We live by conveniences and soon our allies change,
a few sweet words and our hearts melt,
a new found respect for an old foe is felt.
'Cause our ego always fishes for a boost,
flattery therefore, will rule the roost.
But, the sweet words fade when the intentions are bared,
and our hearts go back to the one who really cared.
The world is frivolous, and so are we
Any semblance of stability, can there be?
Who are we? Why are we here?
The locus of our identity may forever remain unclear.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Game of Cat and Mouse
Five days have passed since my return to Delhi after the completion of the much (self) publicized internship.
The completion was marked by wild celebrations and dazzling pyrotechnics. Well No, none of that, the last five days have been slow and sleepy. Not that I regret it, because I think I really needed it.
Anyhow now that I felt (partially) rejuvenated, I turned my attention back to what all was needed to pacify the fat egos back in IIT. That is when I realized the enormity of the task at hand. We were required to make a Daily report diary, containing the work done on a day-to-day basis, signed by the supervisor, at least once a week. Needless to say, we didn't.
We did get the signatures though.
Ok, so now the easy task of just filling out the blank pages; well, you think. But that's when the mind gets messed up.
My employers were more than satisfied with my work; they have already testified that in the form that IIT had asked them to fill. Further more, that form was SEALED in an envelope and sent directly to IIT. But clearly, that's not good enough; a diary just has to be maintained, along with a host of other tasks saddled upon us to ensure that we go about our training with full dedication and honesty.
As Sagar said, "the fat egos will never be satisfied".
Jainesh, another friend of mine, once said "The problem is that they don't trust us".
An ideal academic institution would be one in which the students and the teachers share a cordial relationship marked by respect and trust from both sides.
Unfortunately, what we witness is quite the opposite.
It almost seems like a cat and mouse game, with both sides trying to out-smart each other, the roots of which are embedded in the quick sand of extreme distrust. The authorities make the rules and we, the students almost consider it our duty to find a way around them, "fraud" is what we love calling it.
The professors lament the fact that students have no respect for their tutors. That they are blinded by the easy money available to them via the mba route. And that, they don't take any interest in the subject they had opted for.
The student's argument is a simple but a very subtle one, "If you don't trust and respect us, how on earth do you expect us to do the same". And if we are a de-motivated bunch, surely some part of the problem lies in the way the subject is being taught.
Consequently, rules are made, which not only invoke the ire of the students, but also give them another opportunity to befool the rule-makers.
It's not teaching we are talking about anymore, its policing.
The attendance rule deserves a special mention. The logic behind its induction was that if the students are forced to attend classes, they'll eventually start taking interest in what they are being taught and thereby leading to enhanced academic performance. Well that, as we all know didn't happen, rather it further imperiled the already deteriorating relationship between the two parties. Professors come up with innovative ideas for catching proxies, and the students react with their own counter-measures.
We often mistake the effects for the causes. The drop in attendance, which was the reason behind the attendance rule, was merely an effect; the problem is much more complex. We are trying to control the effects, but what about the causes?
What was that quote again, "prevention is better than...." well anyway.
Agreed, the powers rest with the authorities; they would eventually have the last laugh.
But, at what costs?
What are we trying to achieve?
Are we trying to impart quality education or are we trying to inculcate fear in the minds of students, by making more stringent rules?
When minds are subdued, creativity is subdued.
There ought to be a better way. Discipline, of course has to be there, but if the students feel wronged, it's a price an education system cannot afford to pay.
Have I made the situation look gloomier than it actually is, well maybe, maybe not. After all, IITs still are considered as the pioneers in imparting education in India. They are widely respected abroad, too. But we all know that the problems that I've talked about do exist, and the faster they are resolved, the better.
The solutions I wish to propose are philosophic, even psychological, in nature, the technicalities can be thrashed out later. It revolves around developing mutual trust and respect.
A sincere forum, where the students and the professors can interact is a must. Note that I use the word 'sincere', because we already have one forum, the AIC, but the cancer of hostel politics curbs its powers. There should be active participation of students in the decision making process etc.
Yeah, we have heard all this before.
The question is, do we, the students really want the system to improve, or are we happier with landing a rendezvous or a tryst?
Also, the authorities need to review how they look at students, a responsibility or a burden.
There isn't any standard solution to this problem, but if we want to make any progress, intent is all we need.
The completion was marked by wild celebrations and dazzling pyrotechnics. Well No, none of that, the last five days have been slow and sleepy. Not that I regret it, because I think I really needed it.
Anyhow now that I felt (partially) rejuvenated, I turned my attention back to what all was needed to pacify the fat egos back in IIT. That is when I realized the enormity of the task at hand. We were required to make a Daily report diary, containing the work done on a day-to-day basis, signed by the supervisor, at least once a week. Needless to say, we didn't.
We did get the signatures though.
Ok, so now the easy task of just filling out the blank pages; well, you think. But that's when the mind gets messed up.
My employers were more than satisfied with my work; they have already testified that in the form that IIT had asked them to fill. Further more, that form was SEALED in an envelope and sent directly to IIT. But clearly, that's not good enough; a diary just has to be maintained, along with a host of other tasks saddled upon us to ensure that we go about our training with full dedication and honesty.
As Sagar said, "the fat egos will never be satisfied".
Jainesh, another friend of mine, once said "The problem is that they don't trust us".
An ideal academic institution would be one in which the students and the teachers share a cordial relationship marked by respect and trust from both sides.
Unfortunately, what we witness is quite the opposite.
It almost seems like a cat and mouse game, with both sides trying to out-smart each other, the roots of which are embedded in the quick sand of extreme distrust. The authorities make the rules and we, the students almost consider it our duty to find a way around them, "fraud" is what we love calling it.
The professors lament the fact that students have no respect for their tutors. That they are blinded by the easy money available to them via the mba route. And that, they don't take any interest in the subject they had opted for.
The student's argument is a simple but a very subtle one, "If you don't trust and respect us, how on earth do you expect us to do the same". And if we are a de-motivated bunch, surely some part of the problem lies in the way the subject is being taught.
Consequently, rules are made, which not only invoke the ire of the students, but also give them another opportunity to befool the rule-makers.
It's not teaching we are talking about anymore, its policing.
The attendance rule deserves a special mention. The logic behind its induction was that if the students are forced to attend classes, they'll eventually start taking interest in what they are being taught and thereby leading to enhanced academic performance. Well that, as we all know didn't happen, rather it further imperiled the already deteriorating relationship between the two parties. Professors come up with innovative ideas for catching proxies, and the students react with their own counter-measures.
We often mistake the effects for the causes. The drop in attendance, which was the reason behind the attendance rule, was merely an effect; the problem is much more complex. We are trying to control the effects, but what about the causes?
What was that quote again, "prevention is better than...." well anyway.
Agreed, the powers rest with the authorities; they would eventually have the last laugh.
But, at what costs?
What are we trying to achieve?
Are we trying to impart quality education or are we trying to inculcate fear in the minds of students, by making more stringent rules?
When minds are subdued, creativity is subdued.
There ought to be a better way. Discipline, of course has to be there, but if the students feel wronged, it's a price an education system cannot afford to pay.
Have I made the situation look gloomier than it actually is, well maybe, maybe not. After all, IITs still are considered as the pioneers in imparting education in India. They are widely respected abroad, too. But we all know that the problems that I've talked about do exist, and the faster they are resolved, the better.
The solutions I wish to propose are philosophic, even psychological, in nature, the technicalities can be thrashed out later. It revolves around developing mutual trust and respect.
A sincere forum, where the students and the professors can interact is a must. Note that I use the word 'sincere', because we already have one forum, the AIC, but the cancer of hostel politics curbs its powers. There should be active participation of students in the decision making process etc.
Yeah, we have heard all this before.
The question is, do we, the students really want the system to improve, or are we happier with landing a rendezvous or a tryst?
Also, the authorities need to review how they look at students, a responsibility or a burden.
There isn't any standard solution to this problem, but if we want to make any progress, intent is all we need.
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