For the last few months, there has been hectic activity (including violence!) on the streets of Delhi as well as Hyderabad and many other cities of Andhra Pradesh. The issue at hand is whether the Telangana 'region' of AP should be made a separate state. Furious arguments are being raised on either side of the divide. In the end, as is the case with most things in India, it all ends up being about politics. Surprisingly however, most intellectuals in this case are found arguing against the creation of a separate state. Their main arguments can be summarized as follows:
1. Creation of a new state might lead to similar demands elsewhere and lead to 'Balkanization' of India.
2. Telangana is a land-locked and economically unviable state.
3. Hyderabad's economy will suffer if it goes to such a state.
4. Unnecessary paperwork and overhead will be involved in creating and maintaining a new state.
5. It divides the Telugu speaking people and areas.
However, having assessed the arguments of the Anti-Telangana forces, it seems to me that the main reason is only the last - that this divides the Telugu speaking regions. It goes against the 'linguistic states' philosophy that India followed originally. I for one, believe that a separate Telangana state MUST be carved out of AP! Here's why:
1. The fact of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of people from the Telangana region want a separate state. This has been the case for a few decades now, and has been reflected in the democratic choices those people have made. With this being the genuine wish of the majority, democratic ethos requires that their wish be respected within the constitution of India and it is only fair to grant them statehood. This applies to many other 'genuine burning demands of the people' elsewhere, especially Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Gorkhaland in West Bengal and Jammu and Ladakh in J&K. This is NOT 'Balkanization' of India as some argue, since, the people of Telangana are patriotic Indians in the end. They are not demanding a separate nationhood! What happened in the Balkans is a totally different story, where a nation broke down into multiple nations. Here, it will simply be a story of a nation federating itself further for the good.
2. By carving out a separate state out from a 'single language' state, the fundamental basis for 'linguistic chauvinism/regionalism' will be defeated, and this will send out a strong signal to every other 'linguistic' state. Linguistic chauvinism has always been one of India's banes, and this act could very well be a ground-breaking precedent to defeating that evil. We have seen a similar situation before in the sub-continent. Pakistan was carved out of India, arguing that different religions means different nations. But, by helping to carve out a Bengali-speaking Bangladesh out of it, India defeated the idea of religious nationalism. This applies not just to AP, but also Marathi-speaking Maharashtra.
3. India has created several so-called 'unviable' states before - the north-eastern states, for example. The problem is not the economic unviability as of the present, it is whether it is possible to make it viable in the future. Given Telangana's cultural and tourist potential, mineral wealth, etc, it is fairly clear that a viable state economy is possible. So this argument doesn't hold much water.
4. Reg the administrative overhead, one more state is no big deal for India. The United States, for example, has 50 states even though their population is only one-third of India's! The European Union is also similar. The Russian Federation is also a nice example of a large (the largest!) country being managed through multiple autonomous units. Anyways, AP as of now is too large for any government to run effectively. By 'shedding-off' Telangana, the new AP (coast + Rayalseema) can be a better administered state!
5. As far as Hyderabad is concerned, I agree it would be too expensive a loss economically for AP. Hence, I think it might be better to make it a Union Territory, and the shared capital of AP and the new Telangana, much like how Chandigarh is shared by Punjab and Haryana. The 'economic spoils' of Hyderabad can be shared by the two states. But this is easier said than done. Hyderabad is essentially 'surrounded' by Telangana (Rangareddy, Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda districts), and it will be tricky to implement such a solution.
6. Some people argue from a sentimental perspective about the 'unity of Telugu-speaking people'. But Telangana would only be made a separate state, not a separate country! And as per India's constitution, all states are equal and every Indian has a right to work/settle in any state. So this is no big deal either. Things are far worse for various other people elsewhere in the world. E.g, the Kurdish people are split between Iraq, Turkey and Iran, and don't have a unified nation to call their own!
Overall, I think India has too many 'elephantine' states, which are run very inefficiently. It might be wiser to split them up into smaller, more manageable, but viable states. But, this should be the case only where there is a real demand, and/or where it makes sense. E.g, UP continues to be a 'black-hole' state of India, and should seriously be split into two or three smaller states. Maharashtra, on the other hand, is a peculiar case. Even though it is India's richest state, the fact that statehood sentiments exist in Vidarbha only shows that the state government seems to have focused too much on Mumbai, Pune and the coast.
Hence, overall, I feel it is only wise to carve out a separate state of Telangana out of AP. But then again, as with most things in India, the decision ultimately is driven by political considerations, not logical/practical ones, even though a reputed former judge has been appointed to look into it!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Prof PJ Returns!
Note: For those who saw the previous incarnation of this post titled 'Proj PJs/Bloopers and Awards', this is an 'anonymized and toned down' version of it. The reason is that a prof from IITM actually emailed me (!) and conveyed his/her displeasure at being quoted (typical 'misrepresented' and 'quoted out of context' kind of stuff that journalists hear often!), asked me to remove these quotes from the Web and advised me to 'respect' teachers, even quoting Bhagavad Gita slokas! Firstly, this means my post had become so famous! Secondly, I didn't realize by quoting profs commenting on other profs, I might put them in trouble! Thirdly, I didn't imagine people could take offence to trivial humorous stuff like this, but nevertheless I guess it is safer to strip out the names and publish only the quotes. I have also removed quotes of profs commenting on other profs, which is what prompted that email! I have classified them at the highest level (US/IITM/JEE Classes) for some context but still, some quotes might be have such an obvious context that the speaker can be identified easily. I can't help it!
Statutory Disclaimer: The following collection of funny quotes (PJs, bloopers, etc) are 'actual' words spoken by profs that I and my friends have seen over the years. But the intention is not to make fun of profs or put them in trouble, but to recollect and have a laugh at some intentional/unintentional funny statements.
US Profs:
"It is so funny that at the beginning of a class, whenever you turn to the board and turn back, there are more students everytime. But it just reverses towards to end of the class!"
(After explaining a new concept) "Is this clear to everyone? Any questions... what does this term mean... what statement is this... what class is this?!"
(After clarifying an ambiguous concept) "Oh, you guys don't feel happy about it? I feel so good about it!"
"You guys didn't understand it? Ok, let me keep explaining it in different ways till either you understand it or I!"
"All that botanists seem to do is sit and classify things!"
"Biology is only about memorizing, there's no figuring out. I mean, how does one figure out what phylum a plant is in?!"
"Schema matching is still a hard and open problem. If you get a good idea to solve it properly, tell me and we'll stop the course and start a company or something! Then, after we get rich, we can resume the class!"
"Mike Stonebraker once said that schema matching is AI-complete, i.e., it will never be solved by AI folks! And if it is solved, then it was not AI after all!"
"More than a decade ago, when I was at Palo Alto, a prof told me about a couple of bright students who had this new search engine based on their new PageRank algorithm. I thought it was a very nice idea and appreciated them! Darn, I should have instead asked if I could invest in their company right then! Then probably, I wouldn't still be here right now!"
"In a study on web search, it was found that the .edu domain is least frequently updated. So crawlers need not visit these webpages often!"
"There was this professor at Berkeley who forgot to set an exam paper. So he told the class, 'Sorry class, I forgot to set the paper for the exam today. So, here's the deal - those of who are very confident about this course and want an impromptu exam, stay back. Others can leave, I'll just generously give you a B.' Two-thirds of the class left, glad to have got a free B! Then he says to those who remained, 'Great! I'll just give you guys an A!'"
"If one cannot keep up, but cannot fall behind either, then the solution is to do a sloppy job!"
(When a student referred to 2002 as 'way back') "I object to your labeling of 2002 as 'way back'. It makes me feel very old!"
"I've realized that faculty life consists of nothing but emails, deadlines, meetings, and being late for those three!"
"Back when I joined grad school, people preferred primarily two fields - theory, which was considered 'manly', or AI, which was considered 'sexy'! Databases was considered even more boring than accounting!"
"If you want to graduate and leave at the earliest, but your advisor will not let you, then a very good option is to get married! Then, you can blame your 'family problems' for leaving grad school and he will no longer stop you!"
"A main lesson you learn in grad school is to speak very confidently about whatever you want to say, even if you are clueless about it!"
"In research, if you are going to tackle a complicated problem, you shouldn't solve it completely at one go and publish it in one paper. First, publish a good solution for a sub problem of it. Then, you will have lots of people trying to extend the solution in various ways, and they will ALL cite your work like crazy!"
"Whenever you are proposing a new solution to a problem, think of a brain-dead baseline solution first. For the former, pick an afternoon and concentrate. For the latter, you can do it in the morning, when you are still half-asleep!"
"Dear Internet, Thank you for making it so easy to find size 11N shoes without leaving home! - Love, Big Foot,"
"I think the early bird should get something more appetizing than a worm!"
"Upon meeting Brian Kernighan, someone says, 'Oh, are you the guy from that Kernighan and Ritchie book?' Brian replies, deadpan, 'Yeah, the Kernighan one, not the Ritchie one.'"
Prof1: "I suspect that reading a dissertation in bed will mean 'lights out' before you know it!"
Prof2: "Did you need 'in bed' in that sentence? :-)"
Prof1: "I had long suspected that tenure is a drug. Thanks to Athina for verifying my suspicion - http://www.ece.uci.edu/~athina/aps.pdf"
Prof2: "I don't think the narcotics warning is right." :D
Prof1: "Grading goes more smoothly with a fine Aussie shiraz (the S2 from Marquis Phillips, to be precise). The wine gets an A!"
Prof2: "There are much faster ways to solve this problem: http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/12/a_guide_to_grad.html"
Prof1: "Caffeine intake is inversely proportional to the time remaining till the paper deadline."
Prof2: "Polyphasic sleep works pretty well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep Unfortunately, it does not always work well for functioning with the rest of the world. :-)"
"To make a start-up grow big very fast, there are two easy ways - steal the code (Huawei) of the established giant (Cisco) in the area, or better still, steal their engineers (Juniper)!"
"Hardware engineers are extremely picky about the restaurants they eat at. They are mortified by 'bugs', in their food, not just their code!"
"Is there anyone who didn't understand what I just explained? Other than me, that is!"
(An MSR guy, not actually prof): "Research in Google? That is an oxymoron!"
IITM Profs:
(Praise for another prof's hand-writing on the board) "Look at these beautiful betas and gammas, I don't feel like erasing the board!"
"Yesterday there was only one guy in the class, I didn't know who he was, he didn't know who I was, and both of us were seeing each other faces!"
"Every day I see a new batch. The batch that came day before yesterday had no similarity what so ever to the eight guys that turned up yesterday, and those guys are no similar to the batch I see today!"
"In the world of computers, if you want to get something you should lose something. Thats why CS also stands for Communist Science!"
"Did you guys understand or not?" When the students sit quietly even then, "Why are you all sitting like Buddhist monks?! At least nod your head folks!"
(While teaching serialization in OS) "A sequential program is like a monkey - hard to debug. A parallel program is a drunken monkey bitten by a scorpion!"
"How can I make it more approximate?"
"There is one other some more stuff is left..."
"In speech, there is no going back, since it is time. There is also no backspace key."
"An unbiased coin will have equal probability of occurrance of all it's faces."
"This is the usual use of Lagrange Multipliers. We use the usual philosophy of using Lagrange Multipliers."
(When proving something...) "Suppose we start with a contradiction..."
(When proving x <= y...) "Assume that x <= y. There is a reason for this assumption, we'll come to this later."
(S is a set of symbols) "In S^n, each s is made up of S x S x S ... n times."
"Huffman is greedy. It forms graphs. A tree is also a graph, without self loops or negative weight edges."
"We will look at all possible paths that are possible."
"He kind of met me and he promised me he'll be coming to class regularly with his parents!"
"I will lose this much stuff if the channel gets erased..."
"It's a completely aside problem, but it's similar in a different context..."
"Will I decide how I decide the symbol."
"Any unit which is more than 1 unit long is a mis-transmission..."
(When contrasting erroneous transmissions to a coin toss) "When I am tossing a coin, it's like how many times I get an error!"
"Average of n numbers converges to their mean..."
(After the lecture) "I've actually referred *hajjar* sources for this!"
more stuff is left..."
"Time is so continuous..."
(When the prof almost fell of the dais) "We're all so great - we slip!"
"By chance if I trip and fall, please help me!"
(Cutting a long proof short) "Do not argue step by step!"
(The prof never says numerator/denominator) "x/(x*y). We can cancel x from upstairs and downstairs."
"I am trying to optimize between theory and problems."
"I write so beautifully that there might be parallax error!"
"You have more pleasures than I have!"
"About the absentees, we crib to the people who are present..."
"Slight parameters are varying for me, so, I might take 10'o clock class."
"People become sensitive very fast. Convergence occurs very fast..."
"If I see a teacher telling, 'Do this, do that...', I will find her mad."
"... for nicer mortals like us ..."
(During a late evening class) "At least some enthu I am showing at my old age!"
"A particle in motion never leaves its trajectory."
"Everybody turn up for the tomorrow's class, there's going to be a surprise test!"
(On probability density functions) "Though it is a probability only, somehow it seems to take values greater than one! That is acceptable. I'll come to it later!"
Explaining the funda of the CS Club) "This is a club - so we can have fun activities like going to a picnic, etc. But it is the CS club - so we should always think of algorithms to reach places faster, etc!"
(Explaining an application of Data Mining) "The results indicate that there is a high correlation between beer buyers and diaper buyers. That doesn't mean one should sell beer and diaper as a combo pack!"
(Some data mining funda) "Larger my size, lesser the depth and its easy to find the spot!"
"What do you know abhout 'sex-fear'? Was 'sex-fear' a nobhalist? Or a poet? Or a dromotist? Or ebherything?"
"Lipids are hydrophobic, but water is hydrophilic."
(On Lovasz and Graph Theory): "Lovasz is a well known name in graph theory. His book is widely used by many. He used to do a lot of good work in this subject." (Turns slightly towards the board, before adding) "But, now he has joined Microsoft."
(Refering to the heat) "See, I am going to melt in a while!"
"O2, which we will must have absolutely..."
"Dharma in Dhermal energy is Dharmodynamics!"
"Let's see what's happening in the atmosphere... photosynthesis is happening..."
"Organisms called herbivores, carnivores, they do the job of consumption."
(A terse statement about the food-chain) "Wood is contained in food!"
"Bcteria can be divided into good and bad bacteria!"
"Venus is a pressure cooker."
"Sleeping is the best thing you can do!"
"There is nothing in this world that cannot wait for 50 minutes!"
(Definition of a plane) "A plane is a three dimensional object of negligible thickness passing through three points."
"Do the test well tomorrow. Everyone should get above class average!"
(Seeing a student coming late to class) "You think this is a ship? That you can come in and go anytime?!"
(Shocked by the attendance sheet full of proxies) "Just 7 of you present here but all 71 are marked present! Oh, I guess each one of you represent your department..."
"If you have any doubts, please don't hesitate to ask the TA. If you ask me, you will only make more mistakes!"
"Why are you sleeping in my class? Do I ever come to your room and sleep?!"
Satyamurthy JEE Classes:
"Nitrogen says - when chhota bachcha Carbon is hybridising, why shouldn't I hybridise?!"
"God said to Nitrogen- thou shall not have 10 electrons!"
"Lone pair becomes a pi bond, pi bond becomes a lone pair."
"Bal Gangadhar Tilak said Swaraj is my birthright! Carbocation said Rearrangement is my birthright!"
"Shorter the bond - stronger the bond. Longer the bond - weaker the bond!"
"F wants electrons; it eats electrons; it gobbles up electrons. It goes about saying, 'I am the most electronegative element! I want electrons!' F can turn nose into nose flouride! Tongue into tongue flouride." Then he points to an unattentive student, Sahil, and says, "Sahil into Sahil flouride! Amar, Akbar or Antony; Ram, Rahim or Robert; Shankar, Salim or Simon, if F comes by, they will bcome Amar Fluoride, Akbar Fluoride and Antony Fluoride; Ram Flouride, Rahim Flouride and Robert Flouride; Shankar Fluoride, Salim Fluoride and Simon Fluoride!"
"Whoseover tried to isolate flourine reached the lotus feet of God!"
"The first borns in each family are always idiosyncratic. The parents are not experienced, and drop them a couple of times. Similarly, the first element in every group is also idiosyncratic!"
(Explaining hyperconjugative resonance) "You like to go and help the next door aunty and not your mother because she has a pretty daughter! But then you find that your elder brother is already there!"
"Every thing in this world is optically active. Except maybe vampires and ghosts! Your hair is optically active, your skin is optically active! Also, every thing has a mirror image. Except maybe vampires and ghosts again!"
"So you think ozone must have a ring structure?! On your birthday! No no no no no, chemistry stands for truth, experimental truth!"
"There is no salvation without solvation!"
"At 2 in the morning, rickshaw-wala Ramaswamy wont get savari! But at 2 in the morning, you can get up and study! Nobody can stop you!"
(Explaining balanced equations) "Al + Cu --> Au + Cl - perfectly balanced equation illaya? Small 'l' and 'u' on the right and the left; big 'C' and 'A' on the right and the left. But will u get gold, gold, gold?! No no no!"
"Did you perform the experiment? Did you shake hands with the molecule?"
(When a student asks how they can memorize so many compound structures) "Useless fellow, you are able to remeber who was Miss Universe and Miss World a decade ago! Why not this?!"
"If you are bored with studying maths, physics and chemistry, try reading physics, chemistry and maths! Or chemistry, maths and physics!"
(Suggesting a way to remember the Periodic table) "You get up in the morning. You fold your hands and say 'Gajananam butha ganadhi sevitham...' Same way, you should also say 'Hydrogen Lithium Sodium Potassium Rubidium Ceasium Francium...'!"
"If you study well, you will go to IIT. Else, you will go to Madha engg college or Pidha engg college..."
"If you want cis-trans configuration, you have to come to chemistry class. If you want tansfiguration, you have to go to Hogwarts school!"
(Pointing to a student's head) "You have millions of neurons here. If you don't use them, you'll all become morons!"
"Potassium chloride and potassium cyanide look the same. If you taste potassium chloride, you will taste it salty. But if you taste potassium cyanide, you will reach the lotus feet of God!"
"It is going to be too tough for you to unlearn these concepts, because they have been taught so well!"
"Yappa, if you can't listen in class, please quit I say! I will give you back your fees, and extra money too!"
(Referring to a student, who attended the class on limits and differentiability but missed the topic in between. He asks with an awesome pun) "Yappa, last row, you only - you attended limits and then you are now attending diffrentiability. Where is the continuity?!"
"Thambi, if you want to clear JEE, 5 hours sleep is a luxury. You have to sleep only for 4 hours!"
"Yappa don't just copy down from the blackboard. In fact even Kasturi(the watchman) can do that.. illiya?!"
(Scolding the PSBB students) "PSBB batch, full of darty rascals... I will dismantle this batch, i say!"
(Lamenting about dropping standards of students in Satyamurthy) "Yappa, there used to be a time when people say, joining Satyamurthy will give you good JEE rank. Nowadays, they say it will give you good AIEEE rank! Very soon, I'm afraid the time will come when they'll say, it will give you good CBSE board marks!"
"If you don't get this, that's all! You miss the bus! You miss the train! You miss the rocket!"
(Explaining the importance of error in titration) "What is the use if you have 5% error! Then you can use buckets and mugs for titration!"
Like I stated before, it is great fun to note down and track these statements by one's teachers :-) I'll continue doing this and put up more of this up here (anonymized of course!) after a few years! Have fun!
PS: Btw, here are some comments (anonymized again!) from the original post. I had deleted the post, rather than edit it, so these comments were gone too.
Blogger Ashish Patro said...
Nice Collection.. Was due to be posted for a long time :)
February 21, 2010 10:02 PM
Blogger A. K. K. said...
@Ashish, thanks :-) have fun!
February 22, 2010 2:43 PM
Blogger kamiya said...
Good job ! :) .. Enjoyed reading it ! :) ..Lolz..
February 22, 2010 2:59 PM
Blogger madthanU said...
WOW ...... thats probably the nicest blog post i enjoyed
February 23, 2010 3:53 PM
Blogger Vijay Chidambaram said...
Nice work da! Good to see work-demon Arun relaxing :P
My favorite was: "Nitrogen says - when chhota bachcha Carbon is hybridising, why shouldn't I hybridise?!""
Lol!
February 26, 2010 8:57 AM
Blogger A. K. K. said...
@Kamiya, Thanu, thanks guys! Glad you enjoyed it :)
@VJ, thanks! But lol, me a work demon huh? That is a nice pj in itself :P
February 26, 2010 12:34 PM
Statutory Disclaimer: The following collection of funny quotes (PJs, bloopers, etc) are 'actual' words spoken by profs that I and my friends have seen over the years. But the intention is not to make fun of profs or put them in trouble, but to recollect and have a laugh at some intentional/unintentional funny statements.
US Profs:
"It is so funny that at the beginning of a class, whenever you turn to the board and turn back, there are more students everytime. But it just reverses towards to end of the class!"
(After explaining a new concept) "Is this clear to everyone? Any questions... what does this term mean... what statement is this... what class is this?!"
(After clarifying an ambiguous concept) "Oh, you guys don't feel happy about it? I feel so good about it!"
"You guys didn't understand it? Ok, let me keep explaining it in different ways till either you understand it or I!"
"All that botanists seem to do is sit and classify things!"
"Biology is only about memorizing, there's no figuring out. I mean, how does one figure out what phylum a plant is in?!"
"Schema matching is still a hard and open problem. If you get a good idea to solve it properly, tell me and we'll stop the course and start a company or something! Then, after we get rich, we can resume the class!"
"Mike Stonebraker once said that schema matching is AI-complete, i.e., it will never be solved by AI folks! And if it is solved, then it was not AI after all!"
"More than a decade ago, when I was at Palo Alto, a prof told me about a couple of bright students who had this new search engine based on their new PageRank algorithm. I thought it was a very nice idea and appreciated them! Darn, I should have instead asked if I could invest in their company right then! Then probably, I wouldn't still be here right now!"
"In a study on web search, it was found that the .edu domain is least frequently updated. So crawlers need not visit these webpages often!"
"There was this professor at Berkeley who forgot to set an exam paper. So he told the class, 'Sorry class, I forgot to set the paper for the exam today. So, here's the deal - those of who are very confident about this course and want an impromptu exam, stay back. Others can leave, I'll just generously give you a B.' Two-thirds of the class left, glad to have got a free B! Then he says to those who remained, 'Great! I'll just give you guys an A!'"
"If one cannot keep up, but cannot fall behind either, then the solution is to do a sloppy job!"
(When a student referred to 2002 as 'way back') "I object to your labeling of 2002 as 'way back'. It makes me feel very old!"
"I've realized that faculty life consists of nothing but emails, deadlines, meetings, and being late for those three!"
"Back when I joined grad school, people preferred primarily two fields - theory, which was considered 'manly', or AI, which was considered 'sexy'! Databases was considered even more boring than accounting!"
"If you want to graduate and leave at the earliest, but your advisor will not let you, then a very good option is to get married! Then, you can blame your 'family problems' for leaving grad school and he will no longer stop you!"
"A main lesson you learn in grad school is to speak very confidently about whatever you want to say, even if you are clueless about it!"
"In research, if you are going to tackle a complicated problem, you shouldn't solve it completely at one go and publish it in one paper. First, publish a good solution for a sub problem of it. Then, you will have lots of people trying to extend the solution in various ways, and they will ALL cite your work like crazy!"
"Whenever you are proposing a new solution to a problem, think of a brain-dead baseline solution first. For the former, pick an afternoon and concentrate. For the latter, you can do it in the morning, when you are still half-asleep!"
"Dear Internet, Thank you for making it so easy to find size 11N shoes without leaving home! - Love, Big Foot,"
"I think the early bird should get something more appetizing than a worm!"
"Upon meeting Brian Kernighan, someone says, 'Oh, are you the guy from that Kernighan and Ritchie book?' Brian replies, deadpan, 'Yeah, the Kernighan one, not the Ritchie one.'"
Prof1: "I suspect that reading a dissertation in bed will mean 'lights out' before you know it!"
Prof2: "Did you need 'in bed' in that sentence? :-)"
Prof1: "I had long suspected that tenure is a drug. Thanks to Athina for verifying my suspicion - http://www.ece.uci.edu/~athina/aps.pdf"
Prof2: "I don't think the narcotics warning is right." :D
Prof1: "Grading goes more smoothly with a fine Aussie shiraz (the S2 from Marquis Phillips, to be precise). The wine gets an A!"
Prof2: "There are much faster ways to solve this problem: http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/12/a_guide_to_grad.html"
Prof1: "Caffeine intake is inversely proportional to the time remaining till the paper deadline."
Prof2: "Polyphasic sleep works pretty well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep Unfortunately, it does not always work well for functioning with the rest of the world. :-)"
"To make a start-up grow big very fast, there are two easy ways - steal the code (Huawei) of the established giant (Cisco) in the area, or better still, steal their engineers (Juniper)!"
"Hardware engineers are extremely picky about the restaurants they eat at. They are mortified by 'bugs', in their food, not just their code!"
"Is there anyone who didn't understand what I just explained? Other than me, that is!"
(An MSR guy, not actually prof): "Research in Google? That is an oxymoron!"
IITM Profs:
(Praise for another prof's hand-writing on the board) "Look at these beautiful betas and gammas, I don't feel like erasing the board!"
"Yesterday there was only one guy in the class, I didn't know who he was, he didn't know who I was, and both of us were seeing each other faces!"
"Every day I see a new batch. The batch that came day before yesterday had no similarity what so ever to the eight guys that turned up yesterday, and those guys are no similar to the batch I see today!"
"In the world of computers, if you want to get something you should lose something. Thats why CS also stands for Communist Science!"
"Did you guys understand or not?" When the students sit quietly even then, "Why are you all sitting like Buddhist monks?! At least nod your head folks!"
(While teaching serialization in OS) "A sequential program is like a monkey - hard to debug. A parallel program is a drunken monkey bitten by a scorpion!"
"How can I make it more approximate?"
"There is one other some more stuff is left..."
"In speech, there is no going back, since it is time. There is also no backspace key."
"An unbiased coin will have equal probability of occurrance of all it's faces."
"This is the usual use of Lagrange Multipliers. We use the usual philosophy of using Lagrange Multipliers."
(When proving something...) "Suppose we start with a contradiction..."
(When proving x <= y...) "Assume that x <= y. There is a reason for this assumption, we'll come to this later."
(S is a set of symbols) "In S^n, each s is made up of S x S x S ... n times."
"Huffman is greedy. It forms graphs. A tree is also a graph, without self loops or negative weight edges."
"We will look at all possible paths that are possible."
"He kind of met me and he promised me he'll be coming to class regularly with his parents!"
"I will lose this much stuff if the channel gets erased..."
"It's a completely aside problem, but it's similar in a different context..."
"Will I decide how I decide the symbol."
"Any unit which is more than 1 unit long is a mis-transmission..."
(When contrasting erroneous transmissions to a coin toss) "When I am tossing a coin, it's like how many times I get an error!"
"Average of n numbers converges to their mean..."
(After the lecture) "I've actually referred *hajjar* sources for this!"
more stuff is left..."
"Time is so continuous..."
(When the prof almost fell of the dais) "We're all so great - we slip!"
"By chance if I trip and fall, please help me!"
(Cutting a long proof short) "Do not argue step by step!"
(The prof never says numerator/denominator) "x/(x*y). We can cancel x from upstairs and downstairs."
"I am trying to optimize between theory and problems."
"I write so beautifully that there might be parallax error!"
"You have more pleasures than I have!"
"About the absentees, we crib to the people who are present..."
"Slight parameters are varying for me, so, I might take 10'o clock class."
"People become sensitive very fast. Convergence occurs very fast..."
"If I see a teacher telling, 'Do this, do that...', I will find her mad."
"... for nicer mortals like us ..."
(During a late evening class) "At least some enthu I am showing at my old age!"
"A particle in motion never leaves its trajectory."
"Everybody turn up for the tomorrow's class, there's going to be a surprise test!"
(On probability density functions) "Though it is a probability only, somehow it seems to take values greater than one! That is acceptable. I'll come to it later!"
Explaining the funda of the CS Club) "This is a club - so we can have fun activities like going to a picnic, etc. But it is the CS club - so we should always think of algorithms to reach places faster, etc!"
(Explaining an application of Data Mining) "The results indicate that there is a high correlation between beer buyers and diaper buyers. That doesn't mean one should sell beer and diaper as a combo pack!"
(Some data mining funda) "Larger my size, lesser the depth and its easy to find the spot!"
"What do you know abhout 'sex-fear'? Was 'sex-fear' a nobhalist? Or a poet? Or a dromotist? Or ebherything?"
"Lipids are hydrophobic, but water is hydrophilic."
(On Lovasz and Graph Theory): "Lovasz is a well known name in graph theory. His book is widely used by many. He used to do a lot of good work in this subject." (Turns slightly towards the board, before adding) "But, now he has joined Microsoft."
(Refering to the heat) "See, I am going to melt in a while!"
"O2, which we will must have absolutely..."
"Dharma in Dhermal energy is Dharmodynamics!"
"Let's see what's happening in the atmosphere... photosynthesis is happening..."
"Organisms called herbivores, carnivores, they do the job of consumption."
(A terse statement about the food-chain) "Wood is contained in food!"
"Bcteria can be divided into good and bad bacteria!"
"Venus is a pressure cooker."
"Sleeping is the best thing you can do!"
"There is nothing in this world that cannot wait for 50 minutes!"
(Definition of a plane) "A plane is a three dimensional object of negligible thickness passing through three points."
"Do the test well tomorrow. Everyone should get above class average!"
(Seeing a student coming late to class) "You think this is a ship? That you can come in and go anytime?!"
(Shocked by the attendance sheet full of proxies) "Just 7 of you present here but all 71 are marked present! Oh, I guess each one of you represent your department..."
"If you have any doubts, please don't hesitate to ask the TA. If you ask me, you will only make more mistakes!"
"Why are you sleeping in my class? Do I ever come to your room and sleep?!"
Satyamurthy JEE Classes:
"Nitrogen says - when chhota bachcha Carbon is hybridising, why shouldn't I hybridise?!"
"God said to Nitrogen- thou shall not have 10 electrons!"
"Lone pair becomes a pi bond, pi bond becomes a lone pair."
"Bal Gangadhar Tilak said Swaraj is my birthright! Carbocation said Rearrangement is my birthright!"
"Shorter the bond - stronger the bond. Longer the bond - weaker the bond!"
"F wants electrons; it eats electrons; it gobbles up electrons. It goes about saying, 'I am the most electronegative element! I want electrons!' F can turn nose into nose flouride! Tongue into tongue flouride." Then he points to an unattentive student, Sahil, and says, "Sahil into Sahil flouride! Amar, Akbar or Antony; Ram, Rahim or Robert; Shankar, Salim or Simon, if F comes by, they will bcome Amar Fluoride, Akbar Fluoride and Antony Fluoride; Ram Flouride, Rahim Flouride and Robert Flouride; Shankar Fluoride, Salim Fluoride and Simon Fluoride!"
"Whoseover tried to isolate flourine reached the lotus feet of God!"
"The first borns in each family are always idiosyncratic. The parents are not experienced, and drop them a couple of times. Similarly, the first element in every group is also idiosyncratic!"
(Explaining hyperconjugative resonance) "You like to go and help the next door aunty and not your mother because she has a pretty daughter! But then you find that your elder brother is already there!"
"Every thing in this world is optically active. Except maybe vampires and ghosts! Your hair is optically active, your skin is optically active! Also, every thing has a mirror image. Except maybe vampires and ghosts again!"
"So you think ozone must have a ring structure?! On your birthday! No no no no no, chemistry stands for truth, experimental truth!"
"There is no salvation without solvation!"
"At 2 in the morning, rickshaw-wala Ramaswamy wont get savari! But at 2 in the morning, you can get up and study! Nobody can stop you!"
(Explaining balanced equations) "Al + Cu --> Au + Cl - perfectly balanced equation illaya? Small 'l' and 'u' on the right and the left; big 'C' and 'A' on the right and the left. But will u get gold, gold, gold?! No no no!"
"Did you perform the experiment? Did you shake hands with the molecule?"
(When a student asks how they can memorize so many compound structures) "Useless fellow, you are able to remeber who was Miss Universe and Miss World a decade ago! Why not this?!"
"If you are bored with studying maths, physics and chemistry, try reading physics, chemistry and maths! Or chemistry, maths and physics!"
(Suggesting a way to remember the Periodic table) "You get up in the morning. You fold your hands and say 'Gajananam butha ganadhi sevitham...' Same way, you should also say 'Hydrogen Lithium Sodium Potassium Rubidium Ceasium Francium...'!"
"If you study well, you will go to IIT. Else, you will go to Madha engg college or Pidha engg college..."
"If you want cis-trans configuration, you have to come to chemistry class. If you want tansfiguration, you have to go to Hogwarts school!"
(Pointing to a student's head) "You have millions of neurons here. If you don't use them, you'll all become morons!"
"Potassium chloride and potassium cyanide look the same. If you taste potassium chloride, you will taste it salty. But if you taste potassium cyanide, you will reach the lotus feet of God!"
"It is going to be too tough for you to unlearn these concepts, because they have been taught so well!"
"Yappa, if you can't listen in class, please quit I say! I will give you back your fees, and extra money too!"
(Referring to a student, who attended the class on limits and differentiability but missed the topic in between. He asks with an awesome pun) "Yappa, last row, you only - you attended limits and then you are now attending diffrentiability. Where is the continuity?!"
"Thambi, if you want to clear JEE, 5 hours sleep is a luxury. You have to sleep only for 4 hours!"
"Yappa don't just copy down from the blackboard. In fact even Kasturi(the watchman) can do that.. illiya?!"
(Scolding the PSBB students) "PSBB batch, full of darty rascals... I will dismantle this batch, i say!"
(Lamenting about dropping standards of students in Satyamurthy) "Yappa, there used to be a time when people say, joining Satyamurthy will give you good JEE rank. Nowadays, they say it will give you good AIEEE rank! Very soon, I'm afraid the time will come when they'll say, it will give you good CBSE board marks!"
"If you don't get this, that's all! You miss the bus! You miss the train! You miss the rocket!"
(Explaining the importance of error in titration) "What is the use if you have 5% error! Then you can use buckets and mugs for titration!"
Like I stated before, it is great fun to note down and track these statements by one's teachers :-) I'll continue doing this and put up more of this up here (anonymized of course!) after a few years! Have fun!
PS: Btw, here are some comments (anonymized again!) from the original post. I had deleted the post, rather than edit it, so these comments were gone too.
Blogger Ashish Patro said...
Nice Collection.. Was due to be posted for a long time :)
February 21, 2010 10:02 PM
Blogger A. K. K. said...
@Ashish, thanks :-) have fun!
February 22, 2010 2:43 PM
Blogger kamiya said...
Good job ! :) .. Enjoyed reading it ! :) ..Lolz..
February 22, 2010 2:59 PM
Blogger madthanU said...
WOW ...... thats probably the nicest blog post i enjoyed
February 23, 2010 3:53 PM
Blogger Vijay Chidambaram said...
Nice work da! Good to see work-demon Arun relaxing :P
My favorite was: "Nitrogen says - when chhota bachcha Carbon is hybridising, why shouldn't I hybridise?!""
Lol!
February 26, 2010 8:57 AM
Blogger A. K. K. said...
@Kamiya, Thanu, thanks guys! Glad you enjoyed it :)
@VJ, thanks! But lol, me a work demon huh? That is a nice pj in itself :P
February 26, 2010 12:34 PM
Friday, February 26, 2010
Life is a Finite State Automaton
Life (at least mine!) can be characterized as a Finite State Automaton (FSA). For the uninitiated, I quote Wikipedia - "A finite state machine (FSM) or finite state automaton (FSA), or simply a state machine, is a model of behavior composed of a finite number of states, transitions between those states, and actions. It is similar to a "flow graph" where we can inspect the way in which the logic runs when certain conditions are met. A finite state machine is an abstract model of a machine with a primitive (sometimes read-only) internal memory."
Oh yes, I think I have only finite memory and finite processing power up in my head! Also, after giving some thought, I've realized that many situations, circumstances or simply levels of existence can be classified as various finite 'states'! My lifetime passes by staying and transitioning between these states. The transitions depend on external stimuli from the world as well as my current state of mind - hence, more specifically, it is a Mealy machine! This is so because there is an 'output' at/before/after every state transition, and this depends on both the state and the stimulus, which is the 'input'. But of course, not always does the stimulus have to be from outside. It could be from 'within' as well, hence it is an 'intelligent' machine that can acts on its own, not a dumb automaton after all!
Nevertheless, I've managed to identify and isolate some of these states of existence. This may not be comprehensive, but I've given examples to make my point clearer. However, I'm sure the list cannot be infinite, since life itself is finite!
1. Chill State:
Oh yeah, my favorite, totally brain-dead existence! This is when I do totally random and arbit things for fun, timepass, etc. This includes facebook (used to be orkut), movies, youtube (used to be tv), web surfing, going out with friends, 'genning' around etc. This is basically to relax and recuperate! Not only is this the most common, it is also the most difficult to get out of. The amount of mental and physical inertia involved in getting out of this state is incredible!
2. Sleep State:
Not much to say here except that it is good and important to get enough sleep! Sometimes, I get dreams (and nightmares!) but most are usually transient and are forgotten after waking up.
3. Creative State:
This is a special state, when I invent good/funny/arbit quotes (quite common), or think of stuff to write/blog about like philosophical/personal/random stuff (e.g, thinking of writing about this article!), do a drawing/painting (very rare), think of poems/pithy couplets (ultra rare!), etc. This state is quite unpredictable and is also difficult to sustain.
4. Scientific State:
This is another special state, when I think of not-as-fancy-as-creative scientific stuff like solutions to the problems that I explore as part of my research, or abstract mathematical stuff, etc. This state is slightly more predictable than creative state, but is equally difficult to sustain!
5. Writing State:
Okay, it might seem weird to have this as a separate state, but it closely tied to creative and scientific states. My head has to transition to this state in order for me to deliver a good piece of writing, like my blog posts, or papers/reports/slides that I write, etc. In this state, I go 'into' the piece of writing mentally and subsist at that level till it is done. Of course, depending on the nature of the writing, I frequently hop between this state and either the creative or the scientific states. Often, when the piece of writing is too large to finish at one go, I transition to the chill state in between! As expected, this is my current state of mind as I write this article.
6. Knowledge Internalization State:
Quite a fancy name I agree, but this is basically the state of mind when I am reading, listening keenly, observing the world, etc. This could be in various forms like studying the course matter for an exam, reading research papers, learning new technical stuff, reading/watching news, listening to good debates, speaking to knowledgeable people like elders or profs (not all of them!), etc. This also includes be situations like facing failures, loss of something, etc., wherein I learn important lessons of life itself (meta-life!). Obviously, this is a very crucial state to grow as a person. This state is many times a precursor to the scientific and creative states. Currently, I believe this to be your current state of mind as you read this article.
7. Knowledge Dissemination State:
This state is closely related to the writing and knowledge internalization states. Basically, here I disseminate my thoughts to the world, in various forms like talking, arguing, discussing, doing, etc. In fact, the writing state can be viewed as a special case of this, but it is so important in itself, that I think of it as a separate state. Once something is written, if I have to speak about it, then I transition to this state. This also involves analysis and answering questions, facing the world, etc. by digesting and recreating whatever knowledge has been internalized, apart from the output of the scientific and creative states. So this includes activities like answering exams, interviews, etc!
8. Philosophical State:
Despite all knowledge flows and vagaries of reality, there are times when I ponder over stuff that are beyond normal human understanding. This primarily includes thinking and concluding about stuff like, what is the purpose of life, what is God, etc. Often, this is the state that I transition to when I get bored or fed up with the other states! And this leads me back to any those, depending on the stimulus. Sometimes, my existence in this state invites ridicule! This state also involves things like introspection of things that are input to me from the knowledge internalization or other states.
9. Null State:
This is very special state when my mind is completely blank - null! This could be because of various reasons, and in this state I feel nothing, think nothing and do nothing! It is almost as I forget the universe and I don't exist at all - I suppose that sounds shady enough! Transition to this state is mostly involuntary. It includes cases when I spend so much time in the philosophical state to realize the futility of life (!), and then move to this state to spend some time in 'emptiness' in order to recuperate. Or it could be things like a sudden cool scientific discovery of my own (huh?), following which I move to this state momentarily. For the most part, this state is highly transient and unstable, and I eventually move to a stable state.
There are a few other minor states, like Chores State, which includes things like eating, bathing, traveling here and there, etc., especially when I have to apply my mind to them, etc., but they are not particularly interesting on their own. Of course, they become interesting when I transition momentarily to other states, e.g., internalizing observations from the world while traveling, new creative/scientific ideas while bathing (eureka moments!), etc.
Many times, I swing between some of these states so fast that it becomes difficult to ascertain what state exactly I am in, but by and large, my mind would be stationary in one state (most often the chill or sleep states!)
Also, there is the question of 'feelings' like happiness, sorrow, anger, etc. I think these feelings are just 'attributes' of the state of existence, they are not states in themselves. E.g., I could write something in anger or out of happiness, I could be happy or sad when I chill out, etc.
So now, all that remains is for me to draw the state transition diagram. Unfortunately (or fortunately), it so happens that the FSA is so complex (or simple) that I could transition from any state to any other state (kind of like a complete graph)! The labels that go on the edges are highly variant, since they depend on external as well as internal stimuli, and the outputs are also highly variant. I can think and categorize them, but they might end up being separate articles themselves!
Ah finally, we've come to the end of this article. I think I've spent enough time in the creative and the writing states for this. Now I think I shall transition to the chill and the sleep states!
Oh yes, I think I have only finite memory and finite processing power up in my head! Also, after giving some thought, I've realized that many situations, circumstances or simply levels of existence can be classified as various finite 'states'! My lifetime passes by staying and transitioning between these states. The transitions depend on external stimuli from the world as well as my current state of mind - hence, more specifically, it is a Mealy machine! This is so because there is an 'output' at/before/after every state transition, and this depends on both the state and the stimulus, which is the 'input'. But of course, not always does the stimulus have to be from outside. It could be from 'within' as well, hence it is an 'intelligent' machine that can acts on its own, not a dumb automaton after all!
Nevertheless, I've managed to identify and isolate some of these states of existence. This may not be comprehensive, but I've given examples to make my point clearer. However, I'm sure the list cannot be infinite, since life itself is finite!
1. Chill State:
Oh yeah, my favorite, totally brain-dead existence! This is when I do totally random and arbit things for fun, timepass, etc. This includes facebook (used to be orkut), movies, youtube (used to be tv), web surfing, going out with friends, 'genning' around etc. This is basically to relax and recuperate! Not only is this the most common, it is also the most difficult to get out of. The amount of mental and physical inertia involved in getting out of this state is incredible!
2. Sleep State:
Not much to say here except that it is good and important to get enough sleep! Sometimes, I get dreams (and nightmares!) but most are usually transient and are forgotten after waking up.
3. Creative State:
This is a special state, when I invent good/funny/arbit quotes (quite common), or think of stuff to write/blog about like philosophical/personal/random stuff (e.g, thinking of writing about this article!), do a drawing/painting (very rare), think of poems/pithy couplets (ultra rare!), etc. This state is quite unpredictable and is also difficult to sustain.
4. Scientific State:
This is another special state, when I think of not-as-fancy-as-creative scientific stuff like solutions to the problems that I explore as part of my research, or abstract mathematical stuff, etc. This state is slightly more predictable than creative state, but is equally difficult to sustain!
5. Writing State:
Okay, it might seem weird to have this as a separate state, but it closely tied to creative and scientific states. My head has to transition to this state in order for me to deliver a good piece of writing, like my blog posts, or papers/reports/slides that I write, etc. In this state, I go 'into' the piece of writing mentally and subsist at that level till it is done. Of course, depending on the nature of the writing, I frequently hop between this state and either the creative or the scientific states. Often, when the piece of writing is too large to finish at one go, I transition to the chill state in between! As expected, this is my current state of mind as I write this article.
6. Knowledge Internalization State:
Quite a fancy name I agree, but this is basically the state of mind when I am reading, listening keenly, observing the world, etc. This could be in various forms like studying the course matter for an exam, reading research papers, learning new technical stuff, reading/watching news, listening to good debates, speaking to knowledgeable people like elders or profs (not all of them!), etc. This also includes be situations like facing failures, loss of something, etc., wherein I learn important lessons of life itself (meta-life!). Obviously, this is a very crucial state to grow as a person. This state is many times a precursor to the scientific and creative states. Currently, I believe this to be your current state of mind as you read this article.
7. Knowledge Dissemination State:
This state is closely related to the writing and knowledge internalization states. Basically, here I disseminate my thoughts to the world, in various forms like talking, arguing, discussing, doing, etc. In fact, the writing state can be viewed as a special case of this, but it is so important in itself, that I think of it as a separate state. Once something is written, if I have to speak about it, then I transition to this state. This also involves analysis and answering questions, facing the world, etc. by digesting and recreating whatever knowledge has been internalized, apart from the output of the scientific and creative states. So this includes activities like answering exams, interviews, etc!
8. Philosophical State:
Despite all knowledge flows and vagaries of reality, there are times when I ponder over stuff that are beyond normal human understanding. This primarily includes thinking and concluding about stuff like, what is the purpose of life, what is God, etc. Often, this is the state that I transition to when I get bored or fed up with the other states! And this leads me back to any those, depending on the stimulus. Sometimes, my existence in this state invites ridicule! This state also involves things like introspection of things that are input to me from the knowledge internalization or other states.
9. Null State:
This is very special state when my mind is completely blank - null! This could be because of various reasons, and in this state I feel nothing, think nothing and do nothing! It is almost as I forget the universe and I don't exist at all - I suppose that sounds shady enough! Transition to this state is mostly involuntary. It includes cases when I spend so much time in the philosophical state to realize the futility of life (!), and then move to this state to spend some time in 'emptiness' in order to recuperate. Or it could be things like a sudden cool scientific discovery of my own (huh?), following which I move to this state momentarily. For the most part, this state is highly transient and unstable, and I eventually move to a stable state.
There are a few other minor states, like Chores State, which includes things like eating, bathing, traveling here and there, etc., especially when I have to apply my mind to them, etc., but they are not particularly interesting on their own. Of course, they become interesting when I transition momentarily to other states, e.g., internalizing observations from the world while traveling, new creative/scientific ideas while bathing (eureka moments!), etc.
Many times, I swing between some of these states so fast that it becomes difficult to ascertain what state exactly I am in, but by and large, my mind would be stationary in one state (most often the chill or sleep states!)
Also, there is the question of 'feelings' like happiness, sorrow, anger, etc. I think these feelings are just 'attributes' of the state of existence, they are not states in themselves. E.g., I could write something in anger or out of happiness, I could be happy or sad when I chill out, etc.
So now, all that remains is for me to draw the state transition diagram. Unfortunately (or fortunately), it so happens that the FSA is so complex (or simple) that I could transition from any state to any other state (kind of like a complete graph)! The labels that go on the edges are highly variant, since they depend on external as well as internal stimuli, and the outputs are also highly variant. I can think and categorize them, but they might end up being separate articles themselves!
Ah finally, we've come to the end of this article. I think I've spent enough time in the creative and the writing states for this. Now I think I shall transition to the chill and the sleep states!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Achieving Against All Odds
Naga Naresh is one of those incredible people who achieve against all odds, and inspire many others along the way. I've seen him myself and have also seen his story on various posts and news articles. I thought it might be good to share his story through this blog as well:
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/28sl1.htm
They say reality is stranger than fiction. I now realize that this is the kind of stuff that classic movies and stories are made of :-)
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/28sl1.htm
They say reality is stranger than fiction. I now realize that this is the kind of stuff that classic movies and stories are made of :-)
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Lamps that Lit My Path
Apart from our family and friends, the people who have a great impact on our lives are our teachers. They guide us and watch us grow, imparting both their knowledge and experience, much like our parents. Here, I recollect some of the teachers who have had a lasting impact on me and who knew me well. By no means is this comprehensive, and the order doesn't imply anything either; and also I'm writing it down, not because I might forget them but because I want to recollect the lessons they taught me and record it for posterity! They might have seen generations of students come and go, and I might have been erased from their memory, but they'll forever remain etched in mine.
Prof. Krishna Sivalingam (IIT Madras, CSE):
I was lucky to have him as my undergraduate advisor. He understood that I wasn't able to work on my project in the seventh semester due to placement work, and was kind enough to be flexible. His guidance and mentoring, introducing me to the world of research is something I'll cherish forever. I'm glad that he believed in me and let me do my work at my own pace, but also checkpointing in between to ensure I'm on the right track. And he always wore a smile, I've never seen him angry! I'm sure that for every student, college life is one of the sharpest points in their life learning curve, and mine was made all the more special thanks to him.
(Late) Prof. Dilip Veeraraghavan (IIT Madras, HSS):
Thinking of this great man brings tears to my eyes. He was one of the best human beings I've ever met. Even though he was visually challenged, his depth and breadth of knowledge as well as wisdom was unbelievable. We got to know each other through his course on constitutions, and we were like good friends. He was a source of philosophical guidance for many, and his own life was a source of inspiration for many. Cruelly, he was snatched away from this world, leaving an everlasting mark on many, including me.
Prof. Kalyana Krishnan (IIT Madras, CSE)
Though initially I feared him to be a tough taskmaster, he turned out to be a caring, grandfatherly figure! He was a very understanding and amiable prof, and cared about every student at the individual level. Asking us to write down progress on the webpage for the computer system design course, and conveying our difficulties and little lessons through that was a nice idea after all. The fact that even at such an old age (he must be way more than 60), he takes the pains to come to college, take classes and guide students shows his passion and commitment. I will forever admire him for these.
Prof. Hema Murthy (IIT Madras, CSE)
Our first interaction was through her course on communications, which I think is one of the best I've ever taken. I learnt a lot from her course, including the basics of linux, gnuplot, socket programming, etc. She emphasized that every student must compare one with one's self, rather than others. That was how she judged us, whether we are growing by actually learning. After that, she was also glad to recommend me for grad school, and gave valuable feedback on my project. Her passion for social causes and advocacy of developing education in India is something that I share and hope to emulate.
Muthulakshmi (KV IITM, Chemistry)
She was one really enthusiastic teacher who made sure that we covered all the concepts and did all the experiments thoroughly. Her soft strictness and ability to handle unruly students with suave was something I admired. Her teaching was one of the reasons why chemistry was my favorite subject in school! I used to have lots of doubts and questions in chemistry class, and it was fun when she struggled to address some of them! But her grasp of the subject was not questionable. And yes, I was her favorite student too! She even knew my brother well. I learnt from juniors that she used to mention about me in class even after I left school!
Prof.TR Subramaniam (Loyola/Satyamurthy classes, Math)
He is one of the most systematic and best teachers I've come across. His knowledge of the subject and his style of teaching were par excellence. I went for JEE coaching classes under him, and I couldn't have asked for a better teacher. He took a personal interest in every student and made sure he remembered everyone by name, as well as whether they attend and participate in class! He even consoled me after a personal loss in the middle of JEE preparations and guided me on focusing on my studies first. I will forever cherish those wonderful classes.
Anuradha (KV IITM, Math)
Like Muthu ma'am, she was also fond of me and I liked her for introducing me to the mathematics beyond textbooks. Her teaching style was quite unique and I used to discuss with her math questions out of portions as well. She also knew my brother well. She encouraged me to participate in math and other olympiads, and I am indebted to her for that. It was because of her that I started liking olympiads and quizzes. Unfortunately, she was transferred from the school after a couple of years. It was a pity that great teachers like her couldn't stay longer.
Vimala Naidu (KV IITM, SST)
She used to be an English teacher, but she took history and economics for us, and did an amazing job of it. It was because of her unique way of teaching that history became a very interesting subject for me at school. She encouraged me to collect extra information about the subject material and maintain a scrap book for it. That became a hobby, and by the end of a year, I had more than 4 full scape notebooks full of such stuff! She even encouraged me to participate in inter school exhibitions and so on, which was an interesting experience. She was also the one who asked me to write the NTS exam, which I eventually cleared!
Unnikrishnan (KV Madurai, Sanskrit)
Unni sir is again one of the best teachers I've ever seen. His passion for Sanskrit and his disciplined life is something that inspired me. Not only did he cover the subject well, he even conducted free spoken Sanskrit classes. Those were some very interesting classes, and I managed to pick up basic conversational Sanskrit, which I still remember! I also loved participating in Sanskrit events and skits because of him. He was the one of the reasons why I began to love and hold in high regard Sanskrit and Indian culture in general.
Smriti (KV Dum Dum Calcutta, English)
She was a very caring teacher who had a special consideration for me, since I was new south Indian in a mostly Bengali class. She encouraged me to go out and speak with people of other languages, including the Hindi and Bengali people in classes and form friendships with them. That laid the foundation for me being friendly with people, irrespective of any barriers. And I still remember how she taught me and a friend of mine a cute little trick for performing well in a speaking contest, which we ended up winning! Unfortunately, I spent less than a year in Calcutta, but it was worth it thanks to teachers like her.
Thangam (KV IITM, Hindi)
This was back when I was in primary school and I barely remember most of it. What I do remember was that she was an elderly, grandmotherly teacher who was very respected in the school and I used to like her way of teaching. One incident that I remember about her was when some of my classmates blamed me for something that I didn't do, she asked for my response. I didn't even know what my classmates were talking about, so I conveyed my innocence, and she was very appreciative of that, saying that I was being honest and innocent. That is a lesson that I always followed, to be honest and forthright in life.
As I see it, life is a dark street, and these people are the some of the brightest lamp posts that have lit my path and showed me the way. Of course, they could not walk with me, nor could I stay with them. But without them, I wouldn't be what I am or where I am. As my journey continues, I'm sure I'll come across more such lamps, and hopefully I'll come back one day to record that too!
Prof. Krishna Sivalingam (IIT Madras, CSE):
I was lucky to have him as my undergraduate advisor. He understood that I wasn't able to work on my project in the seventh semester due to placement work, and was kind enough to be flexible. His guidance and mentoring, introducing me to the world of research is something I'll cherish forever. I'm glad that he believed in me and let me do my work at my own pace, but also checkpointing in between to ensure I'm on the right track. And he always wore a smile, I've never seen him angry! I'm sure that for every student, college life is one of the sharpest points in their life learning curve, and mine was made all the more special thanks to him.
(Late) Prof. Dilip Veeraraghavan (IIT Madras, HSS):
Thinking of this great man brings tears to my eyes. He was one of the best human beings I've ever met. Even though he was visually challenged, his depth and breadth of knowledge as well as wisdom was unbelievable. We got to know each other through his course on constitutions, and we were like good friends. He was a source of philosophical guidance for many, and his own life was a source of inspiration for many. Cruelly, he was snatched away from this world, leaving an everlasting mark on many, including me.
Prof. Kalyana Krishnan (IIT Madras, CSE)
Though initially I feared him to be a tough taskmaster, he turned out to be a caring, grandfatherly figure! He was a very understanding and amiable prof, and cared about every student at the individual level. Asking us to write down progress on the webpage for the computer system design course, and conveying our difficulties and little lessons through that was a nice idea after all. The fact that even at such an old age (he must be way more than 60), he takes the pains to come to college, take classes and guide students shows his passion and commitment. I will forever admire him for these.
Prof. Hema Murthy (IIT Madras, CSE)
Our first interaction was through her course on communications, which I think is one of the best I've ever taken. I learnt a lot from her course, including the basics of linux, gnuplot, socket programming, etc. She emphasized that every student must compare one with one's self, rather than others. That was how she judged us, whether we are growing by actually learning. After that, she was also glad to recommend me for grad school, and gave valuable feedback on my project. Her passion for social causes and advocacy of developing education in India is something that I share and hope to emulate.
Muthulakshmi (KV IITM, Chemistry)
She was one really enthusiastic teacher who made sure that we covered all the concepts and did all the experiments thoroughly. Her soft strictness and ability to handle unruly students with suave was something I admired. Her teaching was one of the reasons why chemistry was my favorite subject in school! I used to have lots of doubts and questions in chemistry class, and it was fun when she struggled to address some of them! But her grasp of the subject was not questionable. And yes, I was her favorite student too! She even knew my brother well. I learnt from juniors that she used to mention about me in class even after I left school!
Prof.TR Subramaniam (Loyola/Satyamurthy classes, Math)
He is one of the most systematic and best teachers I've come across. His knowledge of the subject and his style of teaching were par excellence. I went for JEE coaching classes under him, and I couldn't have asked for a better teacher. He took a personal interest in every student and made sure he remembered everyone by name, as well as whether they attend and participate in class! He even consoled me after a personal loss in the middle of JEE preparations and guided me on focusing on my studies first. I will forever cherish those wonderful classes.
Anuradha (KV IITM, Math)
Like Muthu ma'am, she was also fond of me and I liked her for introducing me to the mathematics beyond textbooks. Her teaching style was quite unique and I used to discuss with her math questions out of portions as well. She also knew my brother well. She encouraged me to participate in math and other olympiads, and I am indebted to her for that. It was because of her that I started liking olympiads and quizzes. Unfortunately, she was transferred from the school after a couple of years. It was a pity that great teachers like her couldn't stay longer.
Vimala Naidu (KV IITM, SST)
She used to be an English teacher, but she took history and economics for us, and did an amazing job of it. It was because of her unique way of teaching that history became a very interesting subject for me at school. She encouraged me to collect extra information about the subject material and maintain a scrap book for it. That became a hobby, and by the end of a year, I had more than 4 full scape notebooks full of such stuff! She even encouraged me to participate in inter school exhibitions and so on, which was an interesting experience. She was also the one who asked me to write the NTS exam, which I eventually cleared!
Unnikrishnan (KV Madurai, Sanskrit)
Unni sir is again one of the best teachers I've ever seen. His passion for Sanskrit and his disciplined life is something that inspired me. Not only did he cover the subject well, he even conducted free spoken Sanskrit classes. Those were some very interesting classes, and I managed to pick up basic conversational Sanskrit, which I still remember! I also loved participating in Sanskrit events and skits because of him. He was the one of the reasons why I began to love and hold in high regard Sanskrit and Indian culture in general.
Smriti (KV Dum Dum Calcutta, English)
She was a very caring teacher who had a special consideration for me, since I was new south Indian in a mostly Bengali class. She encouraged me to go out and speak with people of other languages, including the Hindi and Bengali people in classes and form friendships with them. That laid the foundation for me being friendly with people, irrespective of any barriers. And I still remember how she taught me and a friend of mine a cute little trick for performing well in a speaking contest, which we ended up winning! Unfortunately, I spent less than a year in Calcutta, but it was worth it thanks to teachers like her.
Thangam (KV IITM, Hindi)
This was back when I was in primary school and I barely remember most of it. What I do remember was that she was an elderly, grandmotherly teacher who was very respected in the school and I used to like her way of teaching. One incident that I remember about her was when some of my classmates blamed me for something that I didn't do, she asked for my response. I didn't even know what my classmates were talking about, so I conveyed my innocence, and she was very appreciative of that, saying that I was being honest and innocent. That is a lesson that I always followed, to be honest and forthright in life.
As I see it, life is a dark street, and these people are the some of the brightest lamp posts that have lit my path and showed me the way. Of course, they could not walk with me, nor could I stay with them. But without them, I wouldn't be what I am or where I am. As my journey continues, I'm sure I'll come across more such lamps, and hopefully I'll come back one day to record that too!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
India, you too have blood on your hands!
Week after week, I have been hearing news about the humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding on the north eastern coast of Lanka. Initially, I didn't want to bother too much about what is happening in a foreign land. But recently, the UN described the fighting as a 'bloodbath' and the UNICEF has reported that hundreds of innocent children have been brutally killed by heavy weapon fire.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gVoaDFmbCYS-Usz9ACDRIengj21QD984BUQ80
My blood curdled when I went through the chilling accounts of the civilians who escaped this hell on Earth. It seems there is no limit to the war crimes being committed there. Why has this untold suffering of thousands of innocent civilians not been made a big international human rights issue? Why have world governments not condemned this inhuman massacre in unequivocal terms? How is it that the Lankan army blatantly disregards the civilian cost in their murderous zeal to finish the LTTE?
There is no doubt that a terrorist organization like the LTTE deserves no sympathy. In fact, reports show that they are using the civilians as human shields and are forcing children into fighting. The helpless people who are virtually being held hostage are caught between the devil that is the Lankan army and the deep sea that is the LTTE. Unfortunately, the sad plight of these innocent civilians caught in the crossfire is being politicized across the Palk Strait, here in India. Politicians of all hues are shamelessly milking this human tragedy for the sake of votes. I am distraught with the fact that while western countries like UK and France have been sending their foreign ministers to visit the relief camps, India has shown no action on this. Surely, the general elections cannot be an excuse. This latest battle has been raging for many months now. Cannot Mr. Mukherjee visit the Tamil civilians in the relief camps and reassure them of India's support? Doesn't India have even this little responsibility? Is our country so diplomatically weak that it cannot even exert mild pressure on a small neighbor like Lanka to halt the fighting and rescue the civilians. And we claim to be a future superpower! Who are we kidding here?!
This leads to the natural inference that one of the reasons why Lanka has been able to continue with its offensive non-stop is that it enjoys tacit support from the Indian government. This is a classic case of running with the rabbits and hunting with the hounds! New Delhi has been one of the biggest suppliers of heavy weapons to Colombo. These are the same weapons that are being used against the Tamils now. India, the country that once supported the LTTE, is now playing a dangerous double game in the Indian Ocean. New Delhi has its own economic and geo-political interests in Lanka. It wants to keep the Sinhalese government in good humor so that they don't go into the waiting arms of China. But it has sacrificed the innocent Tamil civilians in its strategic game. The only thing we can see is lip service from the central leaders, political slogans from the state leaders and token aid sent via ships from Chennai.
Surely, New Delhi has considerably more clout in the region than all these. Take the Mukti Bahini example of Bangladesh. India helped the oppressed Bengali people carve their own nation out of Pakistan. Here, the demand of a majority of Tamils is not for a separate Tamil Eelam to be carved out of Lanka. In the short term, it is to bring about an end to this bloodbath. In the long term, it is to ensure that Tamils in Lanka enjoy equal rights as the Sinhalese. One possible solution is a semi-federal set up, similar to India's. But that is a decision to be left to the people of Lanka itself, including the Tamils.
Shame on you India! As a respected democratic power, you were expected to take leadership in this region. Instead you have miserably failed in your responsibility. I am a patriotic Indian, but on this occasion, I feel ashamed that the land of Gandhi has lost its moral high ground. I have felt the same way once before, when India supported the military dictatorship in Myanmar against a popular uprising, which was brutally suppressed. But in Lanka, the problem is still on. Since India has failed in its moral duty to try to prevent the death of innocent civilians, it is tantamount to New Delhi being party to the war crimes being committed in Lanka. That is why I think India has the blood of innocent Lankan Tamils on its hands. To protest against the cheap politicking by all political parties over this crucial issue, I am going to choose Rule 49-O in tomorrow's polls here in my constituency. Anyways, it is not as if any of the major candidates are eminent.
PS: After a discussion with my friends, I realized that 49-O in its current form is toothless. Thus, instead of that, I voted against all the political parties out there who shamelessly sought to extract electoral mileage out of human suffering.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gVoaDFmbCYS-Usz9ACDRIengj21QD984BUQ80
My blood curdled when I went through the chilling accounts of the civilians who escaped this hell on Earth. It seems there is no limit to the war crimes being committed there. Why has this untold suffering of thousands of innocent civilians not been made a big international human rights issue? Why have world governments not condemned this inhuman massacre in unequivocal terms? How is it that the Lankan army blatantly disregards the civilian cost in their murderous zeal to finish the LTTE?
There is no doubt that a terrorist organization like the LTTE deserves no sympathy. In fact, reports show that they are using the civilians as human shields and are forcing children into fighting. The helpless people who are virtually being held hostage are caught between the devil that is the Lankan army and the deep sea that is the LTTE. Unfortunately, the sad plight of these innocent civilians caught in the crossfire is being politicized across the Palk Strait, here in India. Politicians of all hues are shamelessly milking this human tragedy for the sake of votes. I am distraught with the fact that while western countries like UK and France have been sending their foreign ministers to visit the relief camps, India has shown no action on this. Surely, the general elections cannot be an excuse. This latest battle has been raging for many months now. Cannot Mr. Mukherjee visit the Tamil civilians in the relief camps and reassure them of India's support? Doesn't India have even this little responsibility? Is our country so diplomatically weak that it cannot even exert mild pressure on a small neighbor like Lanka to halt the fighting and rescue the civilians. And we claim to be a future superpower! Who are we kidding here?!
This leads to the natural inference that one of the reasons why Lanka has been able to continue with its offensive non-stop is that it enjoys tacit support from the Indian government. This is a classic case of running with the rabbits and hunting with the hounds! New Delhi has been one of the biggest suppliers of heavy weapons to Colombo. These are the same weapons that are being used against the Tamils now. India, the country that once supported the LTTE, is now playing a dangerous double game in the Indian Ocean. New Delhi has its own economic and geo-political interests in Lanka. It wants to keep the Sinhalese government in good humor so that they don't go into the waiting arms of China. But it has sacrificed the innocent Tamil civilians in its strategic game. The only thing we can see is lip service from the central leaders, political slogans from the state leaders and token aid sent via ships from Chennai.
Surely, New Delhi has considerably more clout in the region than all these. Take the Mukti Bahini example of Bangladesh. India helped the oppressed Bengali people carve their own nation out of Pakistan. Here, the demand of a majority of Tamils is not for a separate Tamil Eelam to be carved out of Lanka. In the short term, it is to bring about an end to this bloodbath. In the long term, it is to ensure that Tamils in Lanka enjoy equal rights as the Sinhalese. One possible solution is a semi-federal set up, similar to India's. But that is a decision to be left to the people of Lanka itself, including the Tamils.
Shame on you India! As a respected democratic power, you were expected to take leadership in this region. Instead you have miserably failed in your responsibility. I am a patriotic Indian, but on this occasion, I feel ashamed that the land of Gandhi has lost its moral high ground. I have felt the same way once before, when India supported the military dictatorship in Myanmar against a popular uprising, which was brutally suppressed. But in Lanka, the problem is still on. Since India has failed in its moral duty to try to prevent the death of innocent civilians, it is tantamount to New Delhi being party to the war crimes being committed in Lanka. That is why I think India has the blood of innocent Lankan Tamils on its hands. To protest against the cheap politicking by all political parties over this crucial issue, I am going to choose Rule 49-O in tomorrow's polls here in my constituency. Anyways, it is not as if any of the major candidates are eminent.
PS: After a discussion with my friends, I realized that 49-O in its current form is toothless. Thus, instead of that, I voted against all the political parties out there who shamelessly sought to extract electoral mileage out of human suffering.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Classic, yet contemporary
Recently, in an awe-inspiring short series on the BBC, the historian Michael Wood presented the 'Story of India'. That journey brought him to Madurai, in southern Tamil Nadu. In his episode, he describes Tamil Nadu as the 'last surviving classical civilization on Earth'. Madurai, he says, 'is like ancient Athens existing in the modern world with her deity presiding over her people even today'.
http://www.pbs.org/thestoryofindia/gallery/photos/5.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/india/gal_india_south_03.shtml
Though I am generally skeptical of such assertions about Oriental cultures by Western historians, I was so moved on hearing his statements that I started contemplating on the real greatness of the ancient Tamil civilization and how it fits into this modern world.
With an unbroken heritage of nearly 2500 years, the antiquity of Tamil culture far exceeds any other in present day India, and is comparable to ancient Rome and Greece. Indeed, traders from both the west and the east have been coming to the Tamil land for so many centuries. As Wood points out, Marco Polo described it as the 'most splendid' province on Earth. Though I have basic knowledge of Tamil history, the depth and impact of this ancient civilization had eluded me, until now. So what is this ancient Tamil culture? Am I also an inheritor of the legacy of this 'last surviving classical civilization'? This set me thinking about Tamil Nadu today, the way of life of its people and the changes it has undergone over the ages.
Having been brought up in a big city like Chennai, I always felt that I was out of touch with my cultural roots. But now I realize that this 'ancient culture' doesn't exist in some remote temple town, but in my very own house. I realized that I have to look no further than my own grandmother to get a glimpse of the classical merging with the contemporary! I understood something very important through her. What I found out was not something new; only my perception of it had changed. It is nothing but the way of life of the people themselves and how they fit into this culture.
Let us start with one of the greatest strengths of the Tamil civilization - its literature. The vastness and beauty of Tamil literature can be matched only by fellow classical languages like Sanskrit. From the stunningly succinct couplets of Thirukural, that are filled with universal wisdom, to the amazingly elaborate works of the Tamil Sangam of yore and the famous quasi-devotional lines of Avvaiyar. How are these relevant now? Well, the universality of these works is such that my grandma quotes them even for everyday situations! Surprisingly, even the youngsters use some memorable couplets from these works, only that they are given a modern filmy 'twist' to suit the modern times.
Next, we'll take one of the most famous symbols of Tamil culture - Bharatanatyam. Known as the dance of the Gods, this dance form has become renowned worldwide for its grace and beauty. Following the tenets of the Natyashastra, Bharatanatyam at its best evokes awe from admirers. True, one needs some knowledge about the complicated steps involved to appreciate it fully. My grandma always watches such shows on TV but I used to prefer a BBC or MTV over that. But one day, when I sat with her to see a Bharatanatyam competition, I was impressed with the depth of this dance form. The fact that even today, many little kids and adults worldwide show huge enthusiasm to learn this dance is a testimony to one of the most profound influences of Tamil culture. Not to mention the influence of Bharatanatyam in film choreography!
Then of course, music and song has always been an important part of the Tamil civilization. Amazing instruments like the Veena, with which the Goddess of knowledge, Saraswati is always depicted, and the Mridangam, considered to be Lord Ganesha's instrument, were invented here.
Home to the classical Carnatic music tradition, Tamil Nadu has always been musically rich. Nowadays, the appeal of Carnatic music seems to be back on the increase. Tamil Nadu has produced exponents like M.S. Subbulakshmi, the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna and the only Indian musician to have performed at the United Nations. My grandma doesn't fail to listen to her 'suprabhatham' every morning after waking up, just like millions of other Tamils. Though I have also heard it many times before, seen in this new light, it amazed me. However, I am still yet to grasp the nuances of Carnatic music to fully appreciate it. I would love to do it one day. It should be noted that Tamil music is much more than Carnatic music. And in this modern age, the composers of Chennai are also doing a pretty good job, producing some wonderful music. No wonder then that one Mr. A.R.R won two Oscars, a feat never achieved by any Indian before. Though my grandma still prefers to listen to MS's songs, she doesn't mind listening to these 'less divines' as well.
Any visitor to Tamil Nadu cannot miss the majestic temples of this land. From the soaring gopurams of Madurai to the vast courtyards of Srirangam, from the long corridors of Rameshwaram to the impressive Thanjavur big temple. And not to forget the mysterious monuments of Mahabalipuram. Tamil Nadu is dotted with masterpieces of Dravidian architecture. For a long time, these have been the centers of knowledge and culture and they continue to thrive even today. No matter how modern the Tamils become, they always bow their heads before the Gods, fold their hands and wear vibuthi on their foreheads every morning. Though I stopped wearing such marks on my forehead years ago, my grandma continues to insist that I should do so. And she doesn't miss a single religious occasion on the calendar. This piety will continue to be an integral part of every Tamil, no matter if he is in Beijing or Bangalore, Chicago or Chennai.
Coming to the economics of things, the Tamil land has always been a land of riches. Under the Cholas, international trade and commerce was at its peak with traders coming from as far as Europe and China. All the ancient Tamil kingdoms had sound economic policies that ensured the prosperity of its people. We can see this prosperity continuing even today. Tamil Nadu is the third largest state economy in India and is a top destination for FDI. Not only is it one of the most developed and urbanized states in India, it also has low unemployment and peaceful labor conditions. Unlike many other Indian states, the wealth here is spread out more evenly and is not concentrated in the capital alone. Indeed, even an agricultural town like Pollachi in the west has many millionaires. Moreover, the economy is not dependent on any one sector and is diversified among services, manufacturing and agriculture.
Another aspect that is integral to the Tamil way of life is the emphasis on learning and knowledge. This land has been an intellectual powerhouse of India and has among the highest literacy rates. No wonder then that Jawaharlal Nehru described Mylapore in Chennai as the 'master brain of India'. Tamil Nadu has two Nobel laureates, both being extraordinary physicists. In addition to that distinction, Tamil Nadu has 8 out of 41 Bharat Ratnas, the highest for any state. That is a whopping 20% for a state, which has less than 6% of India's population. It includes academics and scientists par excellence like Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Abdul Kalam. Interestingly, when the Bharat Ratna was instituted by the Indian government in 1954, the 3 recipients that year were all Tamils! This tradition of intellectual excellence continues to this today, with Tamils holding various leadership roles in research, academia and industry in India and around the world. Moreover, Tamil Nadu has 3 colleges in the top 10 in engineering - the IIT Madras, the NIT Trichy and the Anna University. Once again, that is the highest for any state. But how does my grandma fit in all these? Once when I told her that I had scored 99% in science in my CBSE exams, her reaction was, "You should not have missed that 1 mark!" Little wonder then that Chennai almost always tops the CBSE and ICSE results!
There are so many such aspects of this ancient culture that I can keep talking about. Just like Wood, I too am really amazed at how all these blend well into this modern world. Tamils are very unassuming and humble people. Despite the depth of culture behind them, they only look ahead. They merge the ancient and the modern in their own unique way. Outsiders mistakenly assume this for conservatism or hypocrisy. It may or may not be true, but what is true is that, compared to most other cities in India, Chennai retains its classical charm while continuing on the path of becoming a modern cosmopolitan city. It does have the global IT fairs and also the Margazhi cultural festivals. Most Tamils, including my beloved grandma, are at ease equally in both these worlds. After all, this 'last classical civilization' continues to evolve and acquire more contemporary colors to add to its long and glorious heritage.
http://www.pbs.org/thestoryofindia/gallery/photos/5.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/india/gal_india_south_03.shtml
Though I am generally skeptical of such assertions about Oriental cultures by Western historians, I was so moved on hearing his statements that I started contemplating on the real greatness of the ancient Tamil civilization and how it fits into this modern world.
With an unbroken heritage of nearly 2500 years, the antiquity of Tamil culture far exceeds any other in present day India, and is comparable to ancient Rome and Greece. Indeed, traders from both the west and the east have been coming to the Tamil land for so many centuries. As Wood points out, Marco Polo described it as the 'most splendid' province on Earth. Though I have basic knowledge of Tamil history, the depth and impact of this ancient civilization had eluded me, until now. So what is this ancient Tamil culture? Am I also an inheritor of the legacy of this 'last surviving classical civilization'? This set me thinking about Tamil Nadu today, the way of life of its people and the changes it has undergone over the ages.
Having been brought up in a big city like Chennai, I always felt that I was out of touch with my cultural roots. But now I realize that this 'ancient culture' doesn't exist in some remote temple town, but in my very own house. I realized that I have to look no further than my own grandmother to get a glimpse of the classical merging with the contemporary! I understood something very important through her. What I found out was not something new; only my perception of it had changed. It is nothing but the way of life of the people themselves and how they fit into this culture.
Let us start with one of the greatest strengths of the Tamil civilization - its literature. The vastness and beauty of Tamil literature can be matched only by fellow classical languages like Sanskrit. From the stunningly succinct couplets of Thirukural, that are filled with universal wisdom, to the amazingly elaborate works of the Tamil Sangam of yore and the famous quasi-devotional lines of Avvaiyar. How are these relevant now? Well, the universality of these works is such that my grandma quotes them even for everyday situations! Surprisingly, even the youngsters use some memorable couplets from these works, only that they are given a modern filmy 'twist' to suit the modern times.
Next, we'll take one of the most famous symbols of Tamil culture - Bharatanatyam. Known as the dance of the Gods, this dance form has become renowned worldwide for its grace and beauty. Following the tenets of the Natyashastra, Bharatanatyam at its best evokes awe from admirers. True, one needs some knowledge about the complicated steps involved to appreciate it fully. My grandma always watches such shows on TV but I used to prefer a BBC or MTV over that. But one day, when I sat with her to see a Bharatanatyam competition, I was impressed with the depth of this dance form. The fact that even today, many little kids and adults worldwide show huge enthusiasm to learn this dance is a testimony to one of the most profound influences of Tamil culture. Not to mention the influence of Bharatanatyam in film choreography!
Then of course, music and song has always been an important part of the Tamil civilization. Amazing instruments like the Veena, with which the Goddess of knowledge, Saraswati is always depicted, and the Mridangam, considered to be Lord Ganesha's instrument, were invented here.
Home to the classical Carnatic music tradition, Tamil Nadu has always been musically rich. Nowadays, the appeal of Carnatic music seems to be back on the increase. Tamil Nadu has produced exponents like M.S. Subbulakshmi, the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna and the only Indian musician to have performed at the United Nations. My grandma doesn't fail to listen to her 'suprabhatham' every morning after waking up, just like millions of other Tamils. Though I have also heard it many times before, seen in this new light, it amazed me. However, I am still yet to grasp the nuances of Carnatic music to fully appreciate it. I would love to do it one day. It should be noted that Tamil music is much more than Carnatic music. And in this modern age, the composers of Chennai are also doing a pretty good job, producing some wonderful music. No wonder then that one Mr. A.R.R won two Oscars, a feat never achieved by any Indian before. Though my grandma still prefers to listen to MS's songs, she doesn't mind listening to these 'less divines' as well.
Any visitor to Tamil Nadu cannot miss the majestic temples of this land. From the soaring gopurams of Madurai to the vast courtyards of Srirangam, from the long corridors of Rameshwaram to the impressive Thanjavur big temple. And not to forget the mysterious monuments of Mahabalipuram. Tamil Nadu is dotted with masterpieces of Dravidian architecture. For a long time, these have been the centers of knowledge and culture and they continue to thrive even today. No matter how modern the Tamils become, they always bow their heads before the Gods, fold their hands and wear vibuthi on their foreheads every morning. Though I stopped wearing such marks on my forehead years ago, my grandma continues to insist that I should do so. And she doesn't miss a single religious occasion on the calendar. This piety will continue to be an integral part of every Tamil, no matter if he is in Beijing or Bangalore, Chicago or Chennai.
Coming to the economics of things, the Tamil land has always been a land of riches. Under the Cholas, international trade and commerce was at its peak with traders coming from as far as Europe and China. All the ancient Tamil kingdoms had sound economic policies that ensured the prosperity of its people. We can see this prosperity continuing even today. Tamil Nadu is the third largest state economy in India and is a top destination for FDI. Not only is it one of the most developed and urbanized states in India, it also has low unemployment and peaceful labor conditions. Unlike many other Indian states, the wealth here is spread out more evenly and is not concentrated in the capital alone. Indeed, even an agricultural town like Pollachi in the west has many millionaires. Moreover, the economy is not dependent on any one sector and is diversified among services, manufacturing and agriculture.
Another aspect that is integral to the Tamil way of life is the emphasis on learning and knowledge. This land has been an intellectual powerhouse of India and has among the highest literacy rates. No wonder then that Jawaharlal Nehru described Mylapore in Chennai as the 'master brain of India'. Tamil Nadu has two Nobel laureates, both being extraordinary physicists. In addition to that distinction, Tamil Nadu has 8 out of 41 Bharat Ratnas, the highest for any state. That is a whopping 20% for a state, which has less than 6% of India's population. It includes academics and scientists par excellence like Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Abdul Kalam. Interestingly, when the Bharat Ratna was instituted by the Indian government in 1954, the 3 recipients that year were all Tamils! This tradition of intellectual excellence continues to this today, with Tamils holding various leadership roles in research, academia and industry in India and around the world. Moreover, Tamil Nadu has 3 colleges in the top 10 in engineering - the IIT Madras, the NIT Trichy and the Anna University. Once again, that is the highest for any state. But how does my grandma fit in all these? Once when I told her that I had scored 99% in science in my CBSE exams, her reaction was, "You should not have missed that 1 mark!" Little wonder then that Chennai almost always tops the CBSE and ICSE results!
There are so many such aspects of this ancient culture that I can keep talking about. Just like Wood, I too am really amazed at how all these blend well into this modern world. Tamils are very unassuming and humble people. Despite the depth of culture behind them, they only look ahead. They merge the ancient and the modern in their own unique way. Outsiders mistakenly assume this for conservatism or hypocrisy. It may or may not be true, but what is true is that, compared to most other cities in India, Chennai retains its classical charm while continuing on the path of becoming a modern cosmopolitan city. It does have the global IT fairs and also the Margazhi cultural festivals. Most Tamils, including my beloved grandma, are at ease equally in both these worlds. After all, this 'last classical civilization' continues to evolve and acquire more contemporary colors to add to its long and glorious heritage.
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