Random thoughts

NET or National Eligibility Test is conducted by the UGC and is a qualifying exam for future lecturers and researchers. With the 6th pay commission the number of candidates appearing has gone up but the number of candidates qualifying the exams has been pretty low. Does this mean that UGC NET is a tough nut to crack? Or are our students not prepared for such exams? well, in most cases the latter seems to be true. Students pursuing their Masters in Universities like JNU, DU clear this exam before completing their Masters. Some at places like BHU take a few more chances. But those at Patna University, Magadh University and other state universities seem to take forever to clear this exam. Where is the problem? Is the syllabus of the state universities not at par with that of the central universities? What are the teachers in the state universities doing in the classroom that the students are left terrified of the NET? What I have observed over the years and specially in the subject of Eng...

Today's newspapers again carry horrifying stories of killings supposedly called 'Honour Killings'. The question is what is honourable about these acts? To a mind like mine they seem to be bringing 'dishonour' upon society. Not delving into specific stories, one would like to focus critically on the reasons behind such gruesome murders. Most of these murders are related to the institution of marriage, specifically inter-caste, inter-religion, same-gotra marriages. And the reasons are sociological. Migration to cities, swallowing up of villages by cities has led to a disintegration of certain customs and traditions which were taken for granted by the earlier generation. Exposure to western culture and changes in life style has brought about a change in the attitude of the younger generation. Working in offices of MNCs one is not bothered with issues of caste or gotra. The choice of a life partner in such cases is governed by emotional and intellectual needs. This is ...

Gender: Female. Age: 20-21. Education: Graduate in History, sociology, Political Science etc. Ambition: Waiting for the best catch in the marriage market. Next year enters Post-Graduation in the subject concerned or a professional degree course but the aim remains the same. reason: marriage didn't materialize. This is the story for most of the girls (very true of the middle class). Higher education is not a matter of choice but from compulsion to get the best person available in the marriage market. Again if someone has been unlucky till this point, she is 'permitted' to work because a working girl is preferred to a non-working one. If she is interested in studies, the next mark is a doctoral degree so that she can take up the teaching profession- generally taken to be a safe one for women and which will not let them neglect their home. What happens if someone's marriage is arranged while completing the doctoral degree? a supportive husband and family will certainly lea...

June 9, 2010 goes into personal history as a very sad day due to the death of a very dear friend, Mr. C who had been with me through the good as well as bad times. I became friends with Mr.C in March 2008 at his Tagore Hill Road residence in Morabadi. He was handsome looking sporting a moustache similar to Poirot's. A stout looking man with a wheatish complexion, he was a gentleman to the core. Well known for his warmth, he was a grand host serving tea at all times. With him was also Mrs. C, an equally loving and warm person who loved wearing sundresses blue in colour with 'I love you' written all over. Once I did ask her the reason for wearing the 'I love you' dresses and she said, "It's for Mr. C, dear. It keeps his mood uplifted and he feels wanted. With age catching up, one never knows when the other person might feel neglected. This is our way of keeping each other happy. We need not depend on others for our happiness." I found this very touching....

We always complain about BSNL's services but this is one occasion where I can proudly say BSNL Jai Ho! And this is to do with 3G services. I had to do a conference call with people in Canada. We thought of doing a test call and fixed up a time which was 10:00 AM IST. Since this is the time to get to office, I decided to take my 3G modem and use it in on the way with my lap top. It was an unbelievable experience. I got unhindered connectivity through the busiest street in town and the person at the other end was surprised at my being connected on the road. In US and Canada, offices, college/university campuses and houses have wi-fi connections. One doesn't find people using the internet on the road. No wonder the person I was talking to found this very 'cool'! And I was able to give the person from the other side of the world a glimpse of Patna! Thank you BSNL!