The Statesman
2006-05-23

The problems encircling the education system in India have emanated from the outdated syllabus. More often than not, the syllabi have no connection with students’ interests. At the same time, there is large-scale denial of the real world. Students often feel that knowledge gathered in schools is of little importance in the world outside the classroom where distorted perceptions rule the roost. Critical thinking can hardly germinate in minds which are under pressure to imbibe useless chunks of information. Needless to say, we have become used to following the beaten track. Ironically, students daring to be innovative and different become the butt of ridicule and face the risk of marginalisation. Unless the teaching material is brought on par with a student’s interest, one cannot expect a miraculous change in the education field. Students’ minds should not be converted into dull libraries.

Arvind K Pandey

SETTING ROADBLOCKS

ARVIND K PANDEY

The roadblocks set by Israel in the path of Palestine are proving nightmarish for the Hamas. Instead of proving to be ' friend in need ' , it's leaving no stone unturned to destabilise Palestine government . The strategies used by the Israel are merely indicative of the fact that it has no real intention bringing peace and stability in this volatlie region . Also , it shows that it has scant respect for humane and dignified approach .The UN peace -keeping forces must intervene before the situation goes out of control to undo the achievements gained in last few years. How can a vast section of humanity be allowed to die a slow death out of starvation ?

QUAQE CRISIS

ARVIND K PANDEY

It's pity that rehabilitation works in quaqe affected parts of PoK is moving at snail's pace. However , let's not forget that destruction paves the way for new form of developments .One hopes Pakistan government takes all necessary steps to provide hapless victims of nature's fury a better standard of living as soon as possible . At least , this is an opportunity for both the governments ,India and Pakistan , to take note of patterns of relief -works involved to enable them to remove chink in the armour of their relief measures in times of natural crisis .

IGNORING THE VOICE OF POOR
ARVIND K PANDEY

The tribal people of Orissa are justified in adopting aggressive means as proposed steel plant could prove dangerous to their survival .One of the flaws of globalisation is that it has no place for concerns of weaker sections.The insensitive government machinery like to take it for granted pains of underprivileged , leaving no room for the marginalised but to give way to viloent means . I wonder why industrial set-ups come at cost of those who are devoid of better means of survival.Displacement in such condition means end of their existence .At least ,either the government should come with bettter alternatives or better dare not encroach upon world of people living in the company of nature .

GIVING TALAQ TO TALAQ

ARVND K PANDEY

The Supreme Court's verdict will certainly help the Muslim community to build bridge with reformative attitude within their world dominated by outdated laws . No community should be allowed in this nation to run parallel courts of justice , which subject human beings to inhuman lifestyle. It's really pathetic that likes of Najma and Sheru have to dance on the tunes of Mullahs , who seem to cut off from the mainstream affairs. Hopefully , the judicial activism of the Apex Court is determined to bring light in the world of souls trapped in the net of orthodoxy

DEATH OF SURYANARAYANA

ARVIND K PANDEY

The murder of Suryanarayana must have shattered the belief of the Indian authorities that softer means including the series of round -table-conferences can melt the heart of stone-hearted people . It's really sad that Suryanarayana had to meet the same fate ,which brought an abrupt end to Maniappan's life . Given the way terorists are playing with the lives of innocent workers in terrorism -ridden areas , the government is left with no other opportunity to call them back. Better if they can be provided the same benefits , which lure them to work in foreign country amidst dangerous conditions . One would like to know from Afghanistan what have been the measures taken after the death of Kutty to prevent Indian from falling in the trap of Taliban .At least , the death of Kutty should have made them more coscious about the lives of Indians there .

KING'S EVIL DESIGNS

ARVIND K PANDEY

(Published In FRONTLINE ,MAY 19 ,06)

The cataclysmic consequence of King Gyanendra's dictatorial designs has eventually brought Nepal on the verge of Civil war . At the same time , the bloody maonouevres of Maoists have ensured that the Nepalese people bid adieu to hopes of peace and stability in Nepal . One cannot ignore the fact that India allowed Nepalese people to get trapped in mayhem forever, a combined effect of King's unholy designs and Maoist's deceptive gorilla attacks. India did nothing substantial except adhering to knee-jerk reactions at critical moments when Nepal needed well-concieved strategies to ward off dangers threatening enough to seal the fates of its people . Viewed in perspective , King Gyanendra is bound to make way to democratic regime but India's aggressive stand on the whole issue could have certainly lessened the intensity of pains of Nepalese people

ICY HANDS OF DEATH

ARVIND K PANDEY

(Published In THE TELEGRAPH ,MAY 10,06)

The untimely death of Pramod Mahajan is a setback for the BJP, which wished to use his political acumen to revive its lost fortunes. It was a queer mix of frustration and stigma which provoked Praveen Mahajan to convert his private hell into a public spectacle. However, it was the absence of adequate security at Pramod’s residence that allowed the younger sibling to fulfil his dark desires.

KILLING HINDUS

ARVIND K PANDEY

(Published In THE TELEGRAPH , MAY 08,06)

The killings in Udhampur and Doda raise doubts about the present security measures in Jammu and Kashmir. The confidence-building measures notwithstanding, the Centre has not been able to stop Pakistan from aiding and abetting terrorism on this side of the border. Someone needs to tell Musharraf that he cannot support terror and keep talking about peace at the same time. Perhaps, the government of India needs to work harder to expose Pakistan’s dual approach in front of the international community.

DAMMED RESISTANCE

ARVIND K PANDEY

(Published In THE WEEK , MAY 14,06)

The abrasive exchange of views between dam's supporters and it's opponents does not augur well for development of the nation . After all , ' conflict of interests' should not be allowed to put roadblocks in the progress of the nation by disguising them as questions of life and death ! Again the government must ensure that original inhabitants of the place , who are compelled to shun it due to such projects aren't left at the mercy of fate . Any such project should not be translated into action if it's not accompained by full -proof rehabilitation schemes for the displaced .The middle path is alone the way to set things on right track .And yes, celebrities must keep themselves away from serious issues as their presence lead to distraction and confusion instead of ensuring speedy justice

PRIANKA'S BELATED MEOW ON WORLD LAUGHTER DAY

ARVIND K PANDEY

Suman: What is the difference between man and superman?

PRIYANKA: Man wears his underwear underneath his trousers and superman wears it outside his trousers.

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A loud noise was heard from a house. The police arrived.

Police: Who is the owner of this house?

One of them: That is what we are trying to decide.

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Customer: Give me one kilo mustard oil.

Shopkeeper: Here it is.

Customer: What about the free gift on offer?

Shopkeeper: Sorry, but there are no free gifts.

Customer: Do you think I am a fool? It is clearly written on the label, ‘Cholesterol free’

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Notice in A DTC bus ;" Eve-teasing is an offence .Passengers are requested to cooperate ."

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Outside a Department Store in Cannaught place :"Please note that we shall not be responsible for any rotten stuff unless it bears our label ."

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A store advertising a new brand of cld-cough syrup : "Got a cold ? Try our cough drops .We gurantee you'll never get betterv ."

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Sign outside a liquor vend :" If you drink to forget everthing , kindly pay us in advance."

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On the rear window of a car :" Always drive in such a way that your licence expires before you ."

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A school teacher pointed to the painting of Adam and Eve hung on the wall and asked , " Can you tell me which country they are from ?"

A student replied , " Sir , they are without clothes , without shelter and have only one apple to eat , still they call it paradise .They must be Indians ."

FROM TELEGRAPH'S KIDS CORNER & K.S. JOKE BOOK

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FASHION STATEMENTS OF THE WEEK :

1.Cats are obsessed with CAT examination.

2 . Cat's compartment is the noisiest place on Earth .

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PRIYANKA'S favourite TV Programme: TOM AND JERRY

SONG OF THE WEEK :

CAT AND MOUSE SONG FROM BIG B's SHARABI .

R.K.NARAYAN :THE MASTER STORY-TELLER

ARVIND K PANDEY

The ability of R.K . Narayan to strike a chord with both childeren and adults fascinates us to core . Narayan had the amazing power of using pen to provide unique touch to daily chores of life . Perhaps , what makes Malagudi leave an indelible impression on the minds of readers is its power to evoke sense of belonging . We are able to identify with the charecters as they have been borrowed from the life's great drama . Ironically , the reson why story tellers of present age aren't able to do so lies in their non-association with simple happenings of life . Thanks for briging out the inside-story of Narayan's home .

STARRY STUPIDITY

ARVIND K PANDEY

The image of judiciary in common people's eyes seems to be governed by fallacious interpretation of court's verdict . Now when court has refused to bow down to the star -appeal of Salman Khan , media feels that celebrities are becoming victim of their high -position in the society ! In fact , the court delivered the verdict in light of the evidences brought before it and not on basis of ' who's who ', something you are insisting upon . It seems that even when one works efficiently to ensure speedy justice ,there are always double -edged opinions to sabotage the corageous spirit .

CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF LEFT

The pressure and the checks and balances of present age political needs have brought a perceptible change in the Leftist cadres. In fact , the way Chinese government has struck deep business bonds with America was enough to force Left to realize that rigid political ideoligies cannot go together with global interests unless there exists a certain degree of flexibility in one's political moorings with inclination towards reshaping and redifining poltical interests. One certainly cannot do away with American presence or , for that matter, rope in Cold war mindset to checkmate reasonable policies leading to better Indo-US realtionships . The Left brigade in India has always been too late to imbibe better political undercurrents doing woders in other parts of the globe . One hopes it gets above trade -unionism , absurd chasing of out-of-date policies and proclamation of divisive secularism if it's really interested in strenghthening its roots in India .

CASH-RICH BCCI

ARVIND K PANDEY

The sizeable sum lying in BCCI's coffer need to be used liberally in providing better future to sports people belonging to neglected games . In fact , it's recent proclamation to raise the standard of other games with its money raise the hope better days for dyiong sports . It's no secret that talented players in badminton , chess , etc. fail to excel at International championships , being devoid of better training centres and lack of sponsers to meet their expenses .It's pursuit of establishing ' heritage spots ' to preseve the past of Indian cricket is an excellent idea as that would allow the GenNext to nurture a better vision. In fact , it would act as window , to India 's glorious past in this game , which would motivate the new players to set better standards for themselves .Surprisingly , many present times star players know nothing or little about achievements of former players . The existence of such ' heritage centre ' would certainly prevent from treating ' ignorance as bliss.

HELPING PEOPLE
ARVIND K PANDEY

In our times when unwanted delays ,high cost of litigation ,complex laws and other legal hassles have made legal process nightmarish experience , the initiative of retired judges in form of 'Aini Saba ',a legal forum established in Kolkata, comes as a whiff of fresh air . Contrasting them with the high-profile laweyrs who view the client no better than a goose that lays the golden eggs, they seem to be cut above the rest . Considering the non -availability of high profile lawyers the effort of these retired judges will surely lessen the legal woes of aam aadmi .Needless to say , that undertrials ,often innocent , have to undergo harsh ordeal in absence of quality legal service . Against this background, one hopes the efforts of these legal lumaneries act as beacon of hope for them .

SAY NO TO DOWRY

ARVIND K PANDEY

Though Indians miss no opportunity to boast of their richness, the provincialism and chauvinistic mannerism manage to dictate their perceptions at critical junctures. The future of modern living would certainly get dominated by saga of depression and pains if we don't come to annihilate futile man- made complexities . However , the marriages in India turn out to be testing times for brides's parents even as they leave no stone unturnd to dissipate the whims and fancies of bridegroom's family. To an extent , the bride's parents never hesitate to resort to unfair means to serve the demands of boy's family . No doubt , as per of dictums of law to enter into dowry related deals is a crime , the compulsions of pragmatic approach turn them redundant. This whole tamasha takes place with least resistence from either sides as it's a 'prestige issue ' for both of them . One cannot expect miraculous changes in future unless the newer generation gets determined to checkmate such unholy practices

TOON TIME FOR BAJRANGI

(ARVIND K PANDEY

(Published In BUSINESS WORLD , May 08,06)

V G Samant has allowed Gen X to have a refreshing experience of witnessing mythological characters in their truly modern incarnations.Animation oriented projects are still in its nascent stage in India.Hopefully, Hanumana has carved a way where none existed .India still has to cover a long distance to come out with quality animation movies.Nevertheless, Hanuman is a well concieved movie.Some decades ago Amar Chitra Katha revolutionised the teeenage reading habit by presenting the mythological episodes in comics form .One hopes Hanuman open the can of such projects , which allows the present age teenagers , trapped in masala movie's charm, to have a tete -a- tete with our rich cultural past.

ON MAY DAY

ARVIND K PANDEY

Let's recognize the worth of unsung and
unheard workers . The May Day is the fittest moment to appreciate and realize the potential of people whose efforts get overshadowed by bigwigs' vain tales of success.