Eyes Open, Mouth Open, Jaws Hung, Nose Twitched and Ears Stressed

VG Pillai and his two sons go to the local grocery shop and get three ice cream sticks for themselves. They chatter amongst themselves, breaking the peaceful silence of the night and when finished with the sticks, they casually throw them on the road and walk nonchalantly way home!!

Rahul Chatterjee smokes a cigarette (isn't he pleased?) and then flicks the balance butt two footsteps back unconcerned about its destination!!

Raghuvir Sharma likes his Betel Leaf with Tobacco and he beats the cow in terms of extracting the juice and then he opens the door of his posh Lexus and spits out some red paint on the black tar.

Srilatha Subramaniam gets ready early in the morning and goes for work. I can smell her Indian made hair oil 40 minutes later in the elevator!!!

Daisy D'Souza and her family impatiently waits at the Karama Signal with her husband and son. The signal is red but she lashes out at her husband and starts off to cross in spite of the same. Poor Husband follows. I am still waiting for the signal man to turn green!!

Pinky Chauhan visits the garbage room in my block everyday. But she has a fetish. She cannot throw the bag full of garbage down the shute, She leaves them on the room floor for our benefit!! Well, you never know, maybe she expects us other mortals to scavenge through the remains to find a treasure(smelly though)!!

And then I met Vinit Gupta. A pious man, at least that's what he projects. An erstwhile Hindu, a pious man, hears Sankrit Slokas in RAP form - when he drives a car, you would remember Dr. Jekyll and Mr, Hyde. His driving influnces you too pray too!!

And I know lots of other people. Another day, another time!! Sphere: Related Content

Examinations, Schools, India

"One test can decide a person's whole life," runs a popular Chinese saying. All students, regardless of their intended major or career goals, must take the grueling, examinations in schools and beyond, periodically, month after month, year after year. From early years in school, children are told by their parents and teachers to spend their free time studying for examinations that seem to be always round the corner and finally on reaching Class X they would need to sit for a life determining Board examination, not to mention the future endless examinations while pursuing higher studies. I personally refute this practice and not without reason.

In most Indian schools, with minor variations, examinations are held weekly or monthly, term ending and annual. The student finishes school by crossing two hurdles in the form of the 10 plus board examinations and then Plus 2 ISC examinations. Then they would need to clear the Entrance Examinations for higher studies and then the Degree examinations.

Most of us are quite happy to follow existing systems and are quite resistant to change in mind and practice. Therefore whenever we talk about change in this system of examinations in school, scholars would opine to bring in change while the bureaucracy would dither. Rather than examine students, the old school of thought should reexamine their own thinking and here’s why.

The first important reason against the examination system is that the same promotes studying and not learning. Somehow the students are expected to memorise all sorts of data and information and then complete their answer papers. It’s purely a study and forget methodology.
The system does not encourage practical application oriented learning. Real life requirements are ignored and the students when they grow up lack basic common sense in dealing with myriad real time situations and obstacles. The memory system promotes negative thinking and therefore discourages creativity.

Stress and anxiety is a serious problem that the world is facing today while the examination system is introducing the same harmful traits early in life. Majority of students are bogged down with unhealthy competitive pressures, peer pressures, parental pressures and societal pressures. The school world today is quite unreal when compared to the real grown up working world.

While assessment of any student is necessary, the current examination system hardly does that. It does not help in measuring the student’s aptitude. It does not help in identifying specific strengths and weaknesses and somewhere the individuality of the student is lost.
Knowledge in today’s world is constantly evolving and the current system denies the student to expand his horizons beyond text books. The student is compartmentalized in his mind and therefore true understanding and learning does not take place. The learning system needs to imbibe curiosity rather than submission.

The revolutionary teaching methods followed in developed countries are never implemented in the Indian system because of the stereotyped examination system practiced here. Some may argue that India still produces brilliant students but those are exceptions. The masses are the one we should be concerned about and the current system has miserably failed in this perspective.

The reasons above clearly establish the negativity that is being spread consistently and are running deep. There is no denying that assessment and stress should be part of life but not at the cost of hampering learning and at such basic concept levels. We need to develop creativity, analytical abilities and common sense among students. That is possible when assessments are based on application rather than theory. The semester system and case study methods used in higher management courses would be ideal for school students. Physics clearly defines that pointed pressure is more painful than when its spread. Our education governors should learn from this simple natural fact. Sphere: Related Content

Dubai Drivers

I cannot yet drive in Dubai due to my status and other technical reasons but that does not stop me from commenting on the state of the traffic and the people who drive on the roads. Dubai happens to be a melting pot of all types of nationalities but the population is primarily dominated with people from the Indian Sub-Continent. You would also find Americans, Europeans, Egyptians, Lebanese, Moroccans, Africans and of course the local citizens. Coming back to the point, you would accept that due to this diversity, the concoction of driving habits do show up on the road if you are keen to observe that is.

I come from Delhi, and the habit of people there is to trample you on the road. From one signal point to another, it’s a formula one race!! It’s no different in Dubai irrespective of the background.

Instead of being verbose, let me put down my top ten:

1. Most drivers in Dubai use their mobile phones while driving. The majority of them do not use hands free equipment. This is irrespective of background and origin.
2. A few I have seen and also travelled with do not use Seat Belts.
3. Children are carried on laps in the front seat.
4. Switching lanes constantly is a way of life.
5. Given a chance, a driver would cross speed limits. They slow down in areas where cameras have been installed and once they pass it, they would again break the rule.
6. Hardly any zebra crossings for long stretches and no other mode of crossing the road too for pedestrians.
7. Scant regard for fuel economy. People keep car engines running when stationery. The trend is to buy 4WD cars just for status.
8. People willing to fool the cameras, drive on the 3rd lane and then speed, especially on S Zayed Road.
9. The driving lessons are forgotten and people drive like as before and if not caught, people are willing to break the rules.
10. When signal turns green to yellow, drivers speed up instead of actually doing the exact opposite.

There could be more, but between you and me, if these can be taken care of we would have won a war.

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