Poor Voter Turnout

In the just concluded BBMP Election for and in the Bangalore City, a very poor voter turn out is reported and all the three major contesting Parties are furious about it and have in fact blamed the Bangaloreans as lazy, unwilling to come out of their Sunday sojourns, would not care for democracy and democratic process, used to get what they want without voting or caring for People's Representatives, the affluent and the educated  do not need politicians and so on. I think they a have missed other vital reasons for not coming out to vote.

Firstly, these city bred educated lot have seen through it all. People's representatives, after they get elected, have looked after only themselves and their kit and kin and never bother for the good of the people and their locality. Hence, they say, why we should elect them to help make amass wealth for themselves. Yet, somebody do get elected however small a voting percentage may be and who knows the worse would have been elected which absentees participation in voting would have avoided such candidate. They have an answer for this too and that is the second point.

Where is the choice? All parties including the three major ones - BJP, Congress and JD(S) - are the same: corrupt, greedy, self seeking at the cost of good of the people and hence, whosoever we vote by going to the booths, it will be vote for worse candidate only. Even there is any minuscule exception, exception never make rules!

Surely, those reasons can not be valid excuses of an enlightened citizenry and yet the seventy years, especially of recent decade, of the way politics is shaped and moving, the enlightened citizenry is totally ignored and marginalized by the political goons nurturing goons!

Incidentally. I have voted, leaving home in the morning to the nearby booth where my name is listed and the mark is visible long and wide on the back of my right forefinger.

DO WE NEED FOREIGN AND PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN INDIA

PRIVATE AND FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES FOR INDIA

The Indian Government is planning to allow Private and Foreign Universities in Higher education. The discussion on it is going on the in the Media. There is a greater need to discuss the pros and cons of it by our Educationists and Universities as well.

India is one of the countries which have the lowest enrolment ratio for Higher education in the world. USA has more than 81 percent who go to college from their school education, Canada’s percentage in this is 87, Australia, 80, Finland, 74,  New Zealand, 63, Norway, 62, Belgium, 56,  UK,52, France, 51, China, 15 and in our country it is just around 10% who come to Universities from the schools. World average is about 15% (UNESCO). India, also, is one of the lowest in terms of number of universities per population. USA’s population is about 28 crores and they have nearly 2500 universities, Germany’s 8+ crores people has 350 universities, UK’s 6 crores population has 125 universities, Japan’s 13 crores population has 730 universities, Indonesia’s population is 22 crores, they have 1770 universities, Philippines’s 8 crores people have 1500 universities, China, with a population of 131 crores, have 2000 universities and India with 110 crores of population has just 350+ universities.  Several experts in the field estimate that we must have at least one thousand universities more and the higher education enrolment ratio to be increased by 20 percent in the next ten years, to meet the challenges of country’s development. Can the government do it?

The government’s efforts and achievement of the past 70 years in Higher education in the country is dismal to say the least, with the exception of only some ten percent of the institutions making some mark of excellence. The government’s grant to the universities is not sufficient to meet even the salary demands, let alone developmental expenditure. More than fifty percent of the sanctioned posts have remained unfilled for want of funds. Many institutions lack minimum infrastructure in terms of staff, place, building, laboratory, library, hostels, sports and cultural facilities. No wonder that the quality of education in ninety percent of our institution of higher learning is very poor. A bad education is worse than no education! Under these prevailing realities, how can we expect the government to take up the responsibility of providing 1000 more universities and enhance enrolment ratio by 10 percent in next ten years? The track record clearly establishes that it is well neigh impossible! Yet, there is an urgent need to provide quality education at an affordable cost to vast majority of our students seeking higher education. It appears inevitable to make room for nongovernmental agencies – Private and Foreign Universities – to shoulder this responsibility while, at the same time, increasing the government’s   efforts to strengthen and empower the existing universities. Earnest efforts also to be made to ensure that the private and foreign universities granted serve the interest of quality education to the largest majority towards the ends of enhancing the enrolment ratio in a manner most appropriate to our country.

We must reckon with, at this juncture, the recent fiasco in the grant of deemed university status to private institutions some of whom cater worst quality of education and exploit students. However, such a state of affairs is more due to the grant being given to some undeserving without considering the track regard of the institutions in providing quality education over a long period than private sector per say. Such institutions are run by dynastic rule with sole purpose of making it a profiting business and who have obtained the deemed university status by nonacademic, non-educational consideration such as political clout, political appeasement or corruption. Governments in those states are in fact an accomplice in such loot.

 Grant can be given to such institutions so arbitrarily (or by abusing rules) under the present dispensation – prevailing Acts and Statutes – governing Higher education makes it even more a sordid affair! Higher Education in the country is controlled more by non-educationist than academics. The decisions of the academic bodies such as Board of Studies, Faculty, Academic Council and Syndicate of the University need final approval of the Government. Even the highest decision making and advisory body such as Inter University Board and Council for Higher education is headed by the minister in charge of Higher Education as Chairman and its members consists in quite a sizable number bureaucrats  from the government and people of political lineage. The Government of Karnataka has also stepped into such misadventure of granting private university status to some undeserving without any regulation and independent academic assessment, is equally dangerous to the future of higher education in the State. It gets recommendation by ‘experts’ who toe their line or from those experts who are in subordinate position,to grant the status. It is extremely difficult to achieve quality and excellence in education in such a centralized nonacademic authority and no government is willing to forego it. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!

There is a need to install separate regulations to the grant of the private and foreign universities that takes into consideration with clarity and transparent procedures the academic criteria to merit the status including consideration of local realities such as social justice and economic support to the needy. An independent and autonomous authority consisting of eminent educationists who are known for their integrity must assess the merit of each applicant in the light of the regulation and their decision must be strictly adhered to. It must be totally free from political, governmental and bureaucratic interference.  

Psychology in Ancient Indian Thought

PSYCHOLOGY IN ANCIENT INDIAN THOUGHT - power point presentation.

1. INTRODUCTION

Personal Initiation: Professional Necessity.

Studies on Meditation: Optimization of Human Potential.

2.MIND IN INDIAN THOUGHT

IMPORTANCE:

manayeva manushyanam karanam bandha mokshayo,

bandhaya vishayasanghe mokshai nirvishayam manaha (AB Upanishad).

Mind is the cause for both bondage and freedom/bondage is mental attachment to object of senses, freedom is absence of such objects.

3.MIND IN INDIAN THOUGHT

NATURE:

bhumir apo nalo vayu kham mano buddhirevaca

ahankara itiyamme binna prakritir ashtadha (BG. 7.4).

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego – altogether these eight constitute My separate material nature.

chancnalam hi manah krishna pramathi balavad drdham

tasyaham nigraham manye vayor iva su-dushkaram.(BG.6.34)

The mind verily is, O Krishna, restless, turbulent, strong and obstinate. I deem it as hard to control as the wind.

asamshayam mahabaho mano durnigraham chalam

abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagyena cha grhyate(BG. 6,35)

Doubtless, O mighty-armed, the mind is restless and hard to control; but by practice and non-attachment, O son of Kunti, it can be controlled. 

4.SELF AND PERSONALITY

PANCHAKOSHAS:

annamaya kosha: Body sheath.

pranamaya kosha: Breath sheath

manomaya kosha: Mind sheath

vijnanamaya kosha: Intellect sheath

anandamaya kosha: Bilss sheath.

5.CONSCIOUSNESS

LEVELS/STATES :

jagrat Waking State

swapna Dreaming State

nidra Sleeping State

turiya Fourth State

6.MOTIVATION

Purusharthas – GOALS/SEEKINGS OF LIFE:

dharma Duty/Order/Law

artha Success/Wealth

kama Desire

moksha Liberation

Contrast with West’s Psychoanalytical, Behavioral, Humanistic, Phenomenological and Existential Psychology

7.MENTAL ILL HEALTH

ANGUISH AND ANXIETY:

drstvemam svajanam krsna yuyutsum samupasthitam, sidanti mama gatrani mukham ca parishusyati (BG.1.28)

Seeing these my kinsmen, collected here prompted by war, my limbs fail me, O Krishna, and my mouth is parched up

8.MENTAL ILL HEALTH

ANXIETY SYMPTOMS:

vepathush ca sharire me romaharshah ca jayate, gandivam sramsate hastat tvak chaiva paridahyate (BG.1.29)

My whole body is trembling, my hair is standing on end, my bow gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.

na ca shaknomy avasthatum bramativa ca me manah, nimittani ca pashyami viparitani keshava (BG. 1.30)

I am unable to stand; my mind whirls as it were; and keshava, I see adverse omens.

9.MENTAL ILL HEALTH

COGNITION:

kutas tva kashmalam idam vishame samupasthitam, anarya jushtam asvargyam akirtikaram arjuna (BG.2.2)

When has this unmanly, heaven-barring and shameful dejection come upon you, at this juncture, O Arjuna.

klaibyam ma sma gamah partha naitat tvayy upapadyate, kshudram hrdayadaurbalyam tyktvottishtha parantapa (BG.2.3)

Yield not, O Partha, to feebleness. It does not befit you. Cast off this petty faint-heartedness. Wake up, O vanquisher of foes.

10.MENTAL ILL HEALTH

MECHANISM:

dyayato vishayan pumsah sangas teshupajayate sangat sanjayate kamah kamat krodhobijayate

krodhad bhavati sammohah sammohat smrti-vibhramah/ smriti-bhramsad buddhi-nasho buddhi-nashat pranashyati ( BG. 2.62-63).

Brooding on the objects of senses, person develops attachment to them; from attachment comes desire; from desire anger sprouts forth; from anger proceeds delusion; from delusion confused memory; from confused memory the ruin of reason; due to the ruin of reason person perishes.

11.MENTAL HEALTH

TOWARDS HEALTH:

YOGA

yogastha kuru karmani (BG. 2.48)

Perform your action in the state of Union

yogah karmashu kaushalam (BG. 2.50)

yoga is skill in action

Yogahchittavritti nirodhah (YS. 1.2)

yoga is cessation of movements in the consciousness, of mental activities.

tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam (YS 1.3)

Then the seer is established in his nature.

12.MENTAL HEALTH: TECHNIQUES.

PATANJALI YOGA:

yama niyama asana pranayama pratyahara dharana dhyana samadhiyo ashtavangani.

Codes, Conduct, Posture, Breath regulation, Withdrawal of senses from external object(elimination of external distractions), Focusing(elimination of internal/mental distractions, Meditation and Pure Consciousness are the eight limbs of yoga,

Yoga is Psychology of Perception.

13.MENTAL HEALTH: TECHNIQUES

DHYANA/MEDITATION – BUDDHA

kayanu paschana observe the body

vedananu paschana observe the sensation

chittanu paschana observe the mind

dammanu paschana observe the Order

14.MODEL FOR MENTAL HEALTH: SERVICE

Fight ( Western ) / Flow ( Eastern )

Self gratification / Self sacrifice

yo vy bhooma tatsukham,nalpe

sukhamasti (Rg.Veda)

Those connected to the Whole/Big is happy, not the petty.

ayam nijah paro veti ganana laghu cetasam,udara charitanasu vasudaiva kutumbakam (Hitopadesha)

Those who think ‘he is mine’, ‘he is not’ are petty minded, those who are large-hearted regard the world as one family.

15.MODEL FOR MENTAL HEALTH: SERVICE cont….

Yo mam sarvesuhutesu santam atmanam isvaram,hitvarcha bajate maudyad bhasmani eva juhoti saha ( Bhagavata )

Anyone who does not care for the people who are in need of care, and simply taken to worship of God, his effort is wasted.

Paropakarah punyaya papaya parapidanam (Veda Vyasa)

Helping others is virtue, hurting other is sin

16.BEING MENTALLY HEALTHY

Goal : Total Being / Fully Functioning.

Open access to Spiritual(para) dimension

View problem from the transpersonal point

Discover / Develop the uniqueness

Relate uniqueness to culture and society

16.HEALTHY INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOUR

Be Silent.Thought prevent access to spiritual.

Be Present.Not filled with demands and expectations, past and future.

Be Recognizing others as they are, give them space.

Self Satisfaction through self sacrifice.

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IDIOTS AND AVATAR !

I saw the movie 3Idiots(Hindi) and Avatar(English 3D) both in the last week after nearly three decades of not watching cinema in theaters, having seen every week a film in the three decades prior to that gap! Idiots titillated to strike a message that I have been sharing in different platform since decades: each one is unique, discover it, develop it and be it, relating with it to life and living, that is the way for peace, love and prosperity, the way for good of self and(along with) others.

Avatar is an awesome and stunning movie, striking fiercely at the imperialism, greed and rape of Nature and Culture, bringing in its wake a poignant portrayal of what it feels like living in tune with Nature, being connected to all that exist - living and non living - in relation with animals and plants, communing and cooperating with them in living. Film is a technological marvel of movie making, more brilliant than his ( J. Cameron ) Titanic. A breathtaking view of war and peace in space, of living roofless, in commune without walls!

If 3Idiots depicts in lovely humor the essence that sustains and enlivens life at the microcosm, Avatar evokes the same at the macrocosm. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them, thanks to my friend and their family who arranged and made me a part of them.

FARMERS ALIENATED

Over the years our farmers are slowly but surely alienated from their land and the crop, production and the produce, yields and its pricing, its sales and marketing, from its consumer and the corporate, thanks mainly to the greedy and unethical middlemen who have sapped the farmer's very existence and their symbiotic relationship with the Nature - all in the name of, to boot, science and technology.

The soil is corrupted by the chemical manure they are asked to use and what is worse, they know nothing about the stuff they use, they are made to depend on the supplier and when the supply were scarce as it happened some time ago, it was reported that the shortage because of stoppage of import from abroad due to non payment. The dependency of the farmers are unending. They have to depend on others for the supply of seeds. They have to depend on yet another for the pesticide. They can not directly reach the consumer with their produce, it has to be given to a so called regulated market, they have no say in its pricing and returns. Their dependency and unfamiliarity in the forming process, allegedly to enhance the yield and to prevent pests, has thoroughly and totally alienated them from their own elements that shaped and nurtured their existence since time immemorial. To make the matter worse, now the genetically modified foods/seeds are being thrust upon the farmers. The study with a few variables alone, even they are related to food and crops, can not be a sufficient proof to advocate for its use as nothing exist in isolation in nature and each is interlinked and interdependent such as crop with soil, soil with forest, forest with rain, rain with Sun and so on and any genetic modification of any single entity would have repercussion on all that exist - sarvamidam protam sutre manigana iva / everything exist like pearl strung on thread says Krishna in Bhagavadgita. Hence, just because a modification of a single or a group of genes resulting in better yields and pest resistance has no meaning because it would eventually produce havoc in all it related links such as human body, plants and trees, water and soil, air and atmosphere, none of those variables and their impact on ecological balance are included in their study of genetic modifications. How can that be truly scientific studies? Does it not amount to yet another fooling of our farmers and exploitation of their ignorance that further alienates them from the true understanding , grip and power on what they are doing in the field? No wonder farmers are committing suicide or leaving their land and village to towns for their - though degrading and humiliating - livelihood in the cities.

There were times when the land is in total bonding and control of the farmers. They used to raise cattle and the layers of dung and leaves used to form manures. Organically nurtured soil and crop in an unpolluted environment/atmosphere that had ecological balance were a natural resistant to crop pests. Farmers were autonomous, they carried and sold their own goods and they were in full control and responsibility for what they do. Theirs was an honorable existence full of dignity and usefulness. All that has been robbed to day by the middlemen under the label of science to quench their selfish and merely self seeking greed.

It is time that we restore our farmers their dignity of life and stop their eternal dependence and alienation caused by non farming middlemen under the guise of helping farmers. We must help farmers to be independent, self regulating, autonomous and with all such things that empowers them to be skillful and efficient rather than borrowing them from aliens! Let us all - scientist and technologist, businessmen and traders, politicians global players - help farmers to be self reliant and self sufficient for the good them as well as of us as we consume what they produce, helping them is helping ourselves too. We must all come forward and take initiative to protect and nurture all that is connected to our living in health and peace. Life is more of interdependence than independence and dependence, we are all intextricably connected to all that exist.

BU DISGRACED

Corruption in Indian Higher education

Vice Chancellor of Bangalore University states, as reported in this morning News papers, that BU is short of funds and it may not be able even to pay salary after two months. However, it is denied by its own Registrar, Whatever the tragic feud between the two, the financial health of the University appears in bad condition. BU, not long ago was in a very robust health financially and in fact it was the richest University among General Education providers in Karnataka, what with Rs. 50 crores in reserve in addition to a fully adequate Pension Fund.This was made possible in spite of huge infrastructural development activities such as construction of more than ten custom made building for several department of studies, guest house, hostels and so on. It is a pity that not only no further development has taken place but also even the tailor made department structures are being used for the purpose other than what it is meant for, thereby disregarding the unanimous decision of the earlier Syndicate, Academic Council, Finance Committee, Works Committee and the aspiration of academicians to provide quality education to the students in the new and relevant space. No wonder that such autocratic, authoritarian, nonacademic insensitive and inhuman dispensations have resulted in such a state of affairs to day. It is time that the higher authorities take stock of the situation, call for accountability and stem the rot in the bud itself at once

2010 Wishlist for Education

EDUCATION 2010 +

As I look forward to the year ahead I am acutely aware of how backward the situation is in reaching my wish list. Yet, the show must go on. Let me begin with the scenario.

As a citizen I am saddened by the enormity of corruption in our public life and environmental degradation that we are all contributing to. There was a time when I thought it is the need that breeds these two evils and once the poverty is overcome we will be free of it. How naive I was. It is the greed that is breeding them with immorality as its feed. We do talk of morality in public but in private we stay put with a conviction that it is impracticable. Education, Health and Judiciary are the field that must brook no corruption as it causes incalculable damage if we do to generations of people and tears their moral fabric that hold society together. As with any problems in society we look for Education as salvation to these evils too but without realizing that Education cannot remain independent of the prevailing social ethos.

We have seen great revolution taking place in our country since the Independence that launched us on the growth plane. Social revolution ushered in by Ambedkar, Industrial revolution of the Nehruvian era, Green revolution of Punjab, White revolution of Gujarat, Economic revolution ushered in by Manmohan Singh, Information revolution of Karnataka are the cases in point. However, there is virtually no revolutionary changes that has taken place in the field of Education, however much needed they are. Surely, there were several Committee Reports in this direction – like the recent ones by M. R. Srinivasan’s in Karnataka and Yashpal’s in the Centre – but they are either not implemented or implemented with such mutilation, to serve the vested interest, causing no serious change in the prevailing system.

Our Education System is too much syllabus centred, examination centred, system centred than student centred. Academic consideration and teachers stature is overridden by non-academic political and bureaucratic considerations in all aspects including choice of the leaders, approving curriculum, running administration and serving students. The uniformity bug has bitten the system hard, we want uniform calendar, uniform syllabus, uniform examination and so on and all are camouflaged as student interest which in actuality serves the System’s interest. Uniformity bodes death knell to individual initiatives, individual responsibility, accountability and innovation. Creativity thrives on variety, divergence, autonomy and unfettered exploration.

Education need to be holistic aiming at developing Head, Heart, Hand and Soul together simultaneously by introducing along with subject curriculum, the Performing Arts, Physical Education and Spirituality to all students. The System need to be more student centric that aids student self exploration to uncover the unique talents within and the courses tailor made to harness it. Our heritage has a highly evolved methodology for self discovery that could be profitably employed here too. As self discovery is a continuous and changing process there must be freedom of choices to opt for different or additional or parallel courses in the same campus. Choice based credit system offers such a possibility. Student must be able to take examination at his pace and confidence and by going to his teacher when he is ready, the teacher drawing up the required difficulty level of questions from the Question Bank stored in advance Online , student answering them Online and the result announced an hour after the examination of the subject. Application of modern technology to the speed, transparency and bias and corruption free academic process is an urgent necessity. That it is not being done in spite of its possibility adds to the poignancy. Teacher must be at the very centre of heralding all such academic process, he must be trained continuously in the subject as well as in the art and science of reaching out to the students with his unique best to help student reach out with student’s unique best. The system must recognize, reward and fully support excellence in teachers and students immediately. A system in which academic consideration overrides all other consideration, has autonomy and is empowered to rise the resources to provide quality education at the affordable cost to the vast majority of students with least interference from government and bureaucracy must be put in place. A dedicated group of leaders within the system who can stand above the vested interest can achieve the stated wish under such circumstances.