Stagnating Education in India - Can we make it work?

An Education would imply a system that imparts knowledge, skills and habits. These in turn would help an individual with the ability to think abstractly, express new ideas and evolve new habits. Almost every education system I have seen in India involves an autodidact who supervises the entire education process.

In the entire chain shown in the diagram above, the "autodidact" is still present, in a form of propagation of authoritarian education.

2012: A travelogue and last words ...

For those who tried to use calendars from mesoamerican times hoping for catastrophes 2012 has been quite a disappointment. Astronomical phenomena for stargazers were perhaps the most dazzling for the last year in its entirety.

In my personal life, there has been fire, something unquenchable, likening what was encountered at a burning bush long ago by an erstwhile prince of Egypt and a then shepherd. My last travel for the year was on 24-Dec-2012, and I landed between the days of 30-Dec and 31-Dec, perhaps to write this blog entry before it is too late.

The real prey

Recent news in India has the media focusing on a heinous crime, involving sexual assault in the capital city of Delhi inside a bus. The public have raised their voices in protest against the inability of the state machinery to stop the crime while the victim herself is fighting for her life while her own privacy has been threatened. The perpetrators of the crime have been condemned by several people through social media, blogs, newspaper articles and vociferous protests to have acted in the most inhuman manner ever. While the Police have apprehended suspects, the nation is erupting with more and more crimes against women getting reported and being given nation-wide attention.

Discrimination in India, by every name ...

I had just gone to fill a few forms in my company as part of a document audit. I was surprised at the kind of information which was found.

Each form requires one to provide

1. Proof that they were Born to Parents of social standing.
2. The Birth Certificate usually is sufficient for this.
3. Next comes the "community certificate" - at this stage each human belongs to their family with their aspirations to a good future. Furthermore in religious "tolerant" India, they would like to know "Religion" in detail. These definitions are perhaps the first among many mistakes in an extremely connected world. These are the social acceptance criteria laid out for us.

Further, walk into a free forum and find people gravitating, not by interest, but by their lingua. A subconsciously induced interest to limit our interaction with only those whom we are already familiar with.

The Candidate (a masonic poem.)

THE CANDIDATE

by RW Alan R. Heath, Grand Lodge of Maine

It was his dream to become a Mason,
Though he wasn't sure quite why.

So he made an application,
Then waited months for a reply.

No committee came to pay a call,
To meet him and his wife,
No invitation to Mason's hall;
Nor offer of advice.

Finally a postcard in the mail,
Said, "come Monday night at six,
And bring us twenty dollars,
If you want to see our tricks."

He made that solitary journey,
And entered by the door,
But not one hand was offered,
As he slowly crossed the floor.

They fed him beans and hot dogs,
And a piece of apple pie,
Then lead him to a little room,
With no explanation why.

The work was done with care and skill,
No one could argue that.
But, the candidate was forgotten,
As they patted themselves on the back.

He came to the lodge hall two more times,
And was raised to the third degree.
That was the last time they saw him.
What could the trouble be?

They scratched their heads and wondered,
As again they cried and moaned,
"Our time has all been wasted!"
"We should have stayed at home.”

It seems to me that they've missed the point,
But they need to understand.
It’s not just how well you do the work,
It's how you treat the man.

Because you can only be a Mason,
When you're a Mason in your heart;
And along with his jacket seams,
They had burst his dream apart.

So, if you get an application,
Please, call on that man at once.
Invite him and his family,
To tour your hall and share some lunch.

Answer all his questions,
Let him share your pride.
A Mason's work, is honest work;
That's not a secret to hide.

And when it's time to present him,
With the gift of a degree,
Remember, genuine friendship is,
The true gift of masonry.

Pick him up and take him home.
Isn't he worth the trip?
No candidate should come alone.
Please, don't ignore this tip.

All should rush to greet him,
As he enters by your door.
Extend your hand in friendship,
That's what a Mason's grip is for.

Remember your obligation,
As you lead him to the gate.
It's up to you to guide him through,
Not to hurt or humiliate.

Now armed with proper instruction,
Masonry's door will open wide,
Thanks to you, his best example,
Of what a Mason should be inside

And? thank him sincerely for coming.
Invite him back to his new home,
For a brother will not be a brother,
If he feels unwelcome and alone.
 

( reproduced verbatim from facebook.com/freemasonspage - for both the poetry and freemasonry. )