For your comments :)
Insect side
Close your eyes for a moment and quickly think of an insect.
Done?
Done?
Recently, I watched a 3-D movie at a science museum. When one of the butterflies came fluttering out of the screen towards me, I could only fondly recollect MDK (My Dear Kuttichattan, 1984) I had seen on a big screen more than three decades ago. Some evergreen (3-D) memories: the slipping red cherry from the cup-ice cream that you thought you almost caught, dancing skeleton in the classroom and colourful balloons playing in the sky. Today I can only sit in awe of the vision that the MDK creators had. Those were the times we were coming to terms with the world of mindless masala movies struggling with basic camera tricks, and here was a man with guts and energy to make and release a regional 3-D movie. Vision. Hats off!
Coming to the science museum, though there were some butterflies and attractive flowers, the movie was on, hold your breath.. insects. Title: Bugs. Personally I like insects (I am not an entomaniac, btw) or at least I do not hate them. But as expected, most of the audience twitched and some even conveniently removed the 3-D glasses - when a mantis caught hold of a housefly-type insect and - pulled out its well-formed head with compound eyes et al, and clumsily munched it, while the headless fly-body was still trying to release itself and somehow perform its flight to freedom.
And it was not the only such scene. There was this robust green lizard that caught a grasshopper-type insect with its sticky tongue; there was this group of tens of insect eggs, yellowish in colour, translucent, and (in slo mo and in 3-D) the eggs were getting hatched one by one and a form of larva was coming out of each one of them; the larvae did not fall off; they were holding on to the leaf that had the eggs by a shiny, fine streak of thread made of glue.
Again, many took off their glasses.
Perhaps we are hardwired to hate insects or perhaps it has been taught when we were running around in diapers. Do we fear insects? Or is it just that they are repulsive to look at? Now coming to the question, what did you see when you closed your eyes? Most of us would have seen one of these - mosquito, housefly or cockroach. (Some, bedbugs too.) I too hate these forms, but there are millions of other insect species, that include the 'beautiful' ones like butterfly, honey bee, ladybird, damselfly, pullayar ant, etc.
I think too may things are at work here - our notion of 'beauty', our preference for bright colours and attractive patterns, the first insect that stung the caveman, the locust swarm that ate away our crops, mosquito - the deadly household partner, cockroach - the ruler of the dark nights, and so on. But whatever be the reason, it is better to start liking every scene of Bugs, if not for anything else, at least for the simple reason that - the insects form the majority in our planet. It is said the number of such creatures in just one square mile of the Amazon forests is more than the total number of human heads on our planet. And in a democracy, even a fool would like to be on the winning side.
Recommended viewing:
- Karnan (Tamil, 1964)
- Silence of the Lambs (Eng, 1991)
- Eega (Telugu, 2012)
- The Lord of the Rings 3 (Eng, 2003)
- I (Tamil, 2015)
- Memories of Murder (Korean, 2003)
(PS: On my office desk I have a mummified shiny, green beetle that a good friend had gifted me.)
Ten years a (civil) servant
It all began in Aug 2007. Now I'm in a middle management role which is basically like that of a home maker - no one notices your work, but things could collapse if you weren't around. The peculiarities of the work profile - you do not have much original work to handle, your job is to create an enabling environment to empower your team to deliver extraordinary results within the known limitations of time and resources but you are answerable to many. Basically, others job is your job. I keep exchanging notes with my friends in private organisations, and I draw comfort from the fact that even in those concerns the middle managers are always on the edge.
It has been ten years with the government for me. Number 10 looks nice, and but for the looks there is nothing very special about 10, may be 9 or 11 is equally worthy, equally special. But 10 is ten; it at least deserves a pause, and an intense stare, if not a fully-blown celebration. On this day, exactly ten years back, I got my first government salary. (Btw, before we forget, if you ask any member from the great Indian middle class to pick up between a Nobel and a government pay cheque, they would choose the latter without blinking.) It was Mussourie, and the pay was around Rs.15,000. It was cold and shocking; especially as I had got slightly used to corporate perks and pay by that time. Soon the Sixth CPC (Central Pay Commission) turned its benevolent grace towards us; Out of the Rs.18,060 Crores of CPC arrear pay outflow for the government (2008-09), some money flowed into my account too. There were smiles all over the country, and it lasted for a good 4-5 years.
It has been ten years with the government for me. Number 10 looks nice, and but for the looks there is nothing very special about 10, may be 9 or 11 is equally worthy, equally special. But 10 is ten; it at least deserves a pause, and an intense stare, if not a fully-blown celebration. On this day, exactly ten years back, I got my first government salary. (Btw, before we forget, if you ask any member from the great Indian middle class to pick up between a Nobel and a government pay cheque, they would choose the latter without blinking.) It was Mussourie, and the pay was around Rs.15,000. It was cold and shocking; especially as I had got slightly used to corporate perks and pay by that time. Soon the Sixth CPC (Central Pay Commission) turned its benevolent grace towards us; Out of the Rs.18,060 Crores of CPC arrear pay outflow for the government (2008-09), some money flowed into my account too. There were smiles all over the country, and it lasted for a good 4-5 years.
Mussourie days were like the first-time college hostel life
for many. Amidst the grueling schedule of lectures and more lectures designed
to make you sit at one place for about 70-90 minutes, you had a lot of time for
trekking (between classrooms-hostel-mess), noodles, knotting up your ties, unending
chats, and the sort. Like in any other college, you found your best buddies here too;
and when you chance upon any of them now after a zillion years, the first
mutual opening line is 'You look the same!' another class variant 'You have not
changed in the... since then!'. I think it is one of the basic survival
instincts that is hardcoded in the soft tissue between the ears. No one wants
to hear: 'You look so worn out.' (Variants: Are you having any serious condition?
How could you make such a mess out of your life? What have you been smoking? You
are too bloated to be a non-diabetic., so on.) But the customary mutual line definitely
has so much warmth, genuine care and green memories. You feel you belong.
Though you may have been in touch with only a handful of your buddies over the
past decade, you have a strong feeling that you are never alone - there is an army
(civilian) for you. Thanks to the recent Whatsapp groups, you are really never
alone, in fact, to the point of feeling - Do I belong here? Sadly in one of the
Groups (where I am not the Admin), the unread messages has exceeded 1,100.
Over the decade some of my friends have reached great heights
in their professional lives, and many of them are not very far behind. There
are public service innovators, social media activists, marathoners, PM/CM award
winners, artists, Ivy League educated, treaty negotiators, Page 3
personalities, mavericks, world class sportsmen, TedX regulars, award-winning photographers, unsung heroes, karma yogis, and many more. It is truly kaleidoscopic, and even the geographies come in a
myriad hues. Before getting into this beautiful space, I have not interacted
much with say, someone from Haryana or Manipur. (Though, to reach my grad
college every time I had to cross Haryana border twice.) But now it is very
normal, you don't even feel it. And wherever you go, you have a friend, you
have a place. And I think this is the primary defining feature of my
professional career.
The job takes you to many exotic and glorious destinations,
like Nathu La, Kaziranga, the very heart of Delhi - the Parliament of India, Ghastoli,
and many more. But we also land up in towns like Nagpur. Though the place is
like the nerve centre of India, beyond the walls of the Academy it is a
different planet. Nagpur summers, like the oranges there, are world famous. But
monsoons give a heavenly charm to the place, and also to our Academy campus. If
Mussourie days were a like adolescent crush that is full of bloodred energy and
your heart keeps yearning for more of it, Nagpur is like a mature love which
takes time and you are also sure it is not going to leave you any soon. By the
time the 18-month training gets over, even while walking past a dhobi's bundle thrown
in the hostel corridor, you can casually say which shirt belongs to whom, and
which saree has to go where, and still maintain a purposeful conversation with
the person walking alongside. I mean, it was actually a long stint. It is said
only death and taxes are certain, but how about certain death by taxation? Outside
the classes, and within the walls of the institute, there were wonders like -
swimming pool, auditorium, buzzing sports events, and my lover's room (slightly
outdated word - lover; but it has a magic to it). Academy was also the place
where I travelled deeper into the woods of world cinema. I remember each and
every one of them, and what impressed me the most was Mongol.
Towards the end of the training days, the ready punchline of
our affable faculty was, 'You are no more in the safe zone of a harbour... you are
about to set sailing.. there will be storm, there will be blue whale (sea creature),
deadly torpedoes, ..' (Things like that.) We were no more officer trainees, but
full-fledged officers in 'field'. (... a term that you get to hear very often
in your career.) Soon after the postings, we realise we are indeed in the turbulent ocean.
For every single thing, from accommodation to the daily bread, you have to
plan, design, implement and continuously improve. (May be, it is called life.) You
did not have the luxury of an officers' mess anymore, there was no institute
laundry man, housekeeping people weren't there.. and more importantly hot tea
was not delivered to you in the early mornings. Everything has to be put in
place by yourself. And that demands commitment, focus, and persistence.
Time rolls, and you get used to the 'government culture'. You
are exposed to very innovative methods to waste time. Also, you see the
extraordinary potential and authority you possess to serve others. You get to
know what is important is not exactly what is said or written, but how are you
going to interpret it. Example (real world inspired): 'The oldest member will
light the lamp'. Then you see a young lad coming up. You are surprised. But he
coolly says, 'I am the oldest man (seniority-wise) here', and does what he
wants. But also, you get to know if you have the right attitude to serve, even
within the normal boundaries of narrow thoughts and solidified hierarchy, sky
is the limit.
Suddenly, one fine evening, I find myself selected for a Mid
Career Training Prog. at IIM-L. What? MID-career? MID?? Sleepless nights followed
before I could clearly resolve my internal spatio-temporal conflicts, by way of
suppression. Then I say to myself, you are no more the same person who wandered
in the streets of Old Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi in hawai chappals in search of
a photostat guy who can quickly make a copy of the latest GS notes for you that
is perhaps going to help you clear a very tough three-stage exam. That was more
than ten years back.
Vivegam
The movie ends like this - (this is not a spoiler, please) - AK kills Aryan, his old friend, in a one on one fist fight, previously moments into the fight AK had revealed to us his sculpted muscles with six packs et al., and earlier, just about the start of the stunt Yazhini, AK's pregnant wife whom Aryan had abducted and held in one of those underground caves of Slovenia, starts her high octane Veriyera vidhimaara song to welcome this man, and tell the world, tell us, 'He is the ultimate star'. It is easy to notice the climax checking all the boxes of a Kollywood hero vehicle - family sentiment (including a deep father-foetus sentiment), man as the protector of woman, a charged up grand finale song, exotic locale, a message: never back stab, and above all - a star talking to his fans.
In the preceding two+ hours - well, the movie starts with the single man army extinguishing a 100-member armed syndicate with 3-4 levels of security transacting business in the interiors of an eastern European country, and topping off the action with the now famous never give up punchline. It is enjoyable for a while. Minutes into the movie, you get a feel of watching one of those Tamil-dubbed English action films in KTV; and you hope things will be okay soon. You get used it gradually. But the movie also provides us a peep into the other extreme of the spectrum of visual media. Whenever (&wherever) the couple interact, you are transported to the more familiar neighbourhood world of Tamil mega serials, like Theivam thandha veedu, Chithi, etc. In that sense the movie is a roller coaster ride of emotions and action. On one hand the hero is dealing with the most deadly counter terror agencies of the world (like Interpol, FBI, CIA, Mossad (?), ATS, NOC, SMS, MMS, etc.) and on the other hand, the man is like an affable child helping out his music teacher wife with her restaurant (yes, she is multi, multifaceted) and makes her emotional with his very, very tender dialogues that are too powerful, but sadly are too common to try and recollect. In between, you have a sound track that is just awesome (but perhaps made for some other film) and extended visuals of a counter terror unit's control room, that resembles a cross between Avatar, Minority Report and Unnai pol oruvan (yes, three of them).
The stunts have been made well though not necessarily in a creative way; DOP, Vetri shines throughout. But one man who could be singled out for maximum contribution to the film is - Karunakaran, comedian, who makes us laugh in spite of our predicament; but more importantly he is the only one who gives us a feel of watching a Tamil film. Alas, he has only a small role. Akshara Hassan too has a minor role, though it is made out as a critical part. Editor Ruben excels in stunts, but reminds us of Anthony's Vettai..Vilayadu in the initial technique he had deployed to present various episodes from AK's commando life. Anirudh has given us another rave album; Man, he is talented!
The fault line is in the pedestrian writing (mechanical, auto-pilot screenplay and the obvious lack of any story line. Don't ask me, since when you started expecting a story in AK's films?) matched by poor acting. Vivek Oberoi (Aryan) has a strong presence, but with his improper lip-sync and gestures that remind us of the glorious 80s, he is so plastic. (If Dhanush could cast Kajol, why can't thala use Oberoi? Btw, Thalapthy's Amrish Puri was extraordinary.) So are many supporting actors in the unit's control room; they are confused, angry, surprised, or frenzied; and when they don't have anything else to do, they resume staring at the CCTV footage and tracking GPS coordinates and thermal images trying to match human face patterns with visuospatial data scattered across the mafia networks of the world while simultaneously synchronising their (I stop there). The frequent mobile talk between AK and Aryan, sometime shown together in split screen (like in Yennai arindhaal), is smart at places, but mostly boring. But yes, the writing acquires intelligence towards the final showdown, the episode where AK and Aryan plan their moves and counter-moves. It is interesting, though not new.
A special mention about the English subtitles team. Right from the title translation, Vivegam = Prudence, you guys rock! In fact, in many scenes, the subtitles are much better and nuanced than what is spoken on screen.
During the end credits, the making footage is shown. It is absolutely enthralling! You realise the guys have actually taken up the project seriously, and the star too has endured a lot of pain. The Vivegam team has braved risky locations, fought back merciless weather, and thala too has strained - a lot, a lot. Thoroughly enjoyed these clips.
Return of the king
"Taken" (2008) was a runaway hit. It is an old-timer's revenge story. There is this troubled and talented, out-of-action CIA agent Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson). The man hangs out with old buddies and does some petty security stuff and pulls on with his life the sole purpose of which is - his daughter. She lives lavishly with her mother and stepfather, but the girl adores her daddy. All hell breaks loose when Bryan's daughter gets abducted. His inner ruthless spirit (also his skills) is rekindled. As he tells his girl's nameless, faceless abductor over the phone, '...I will look for you, I will find you, I will kill you', you know the movie has begun, for real. What happens over the next 60+ minutes is F1-style action matched by amazing cuts, that do not let you wink even for a moment. Only with a few elements of intelligence, but loaded with action and some deeply emotional minutes, "Taken" holds you, so much so that there have been two sequels to the film. But "Taken" pales in front of these three films with the same theme: return of the king.
Jonh Wick (2014, Eng, directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch). I love this film. A perfect blend of style and content. Unlike Bryan Mills, who explains at length to the abductor about his action-packed hey days and how easy it was for him to hunt anyone, anywhere in the world, our man John Wick, played tactfully by Keanu Reeves, rarely speaks. Even if he talks, it is not going to be more than 1-2 sentences at a stretch. But, every single man around him constantly talks about him; knows about his past; fears him. The writing is awesome that even before John gets into action, you too think you know everything about this man, and his capability as an A-rated assassin. There are repetitive dialogues about his past, but you don't feel bored. You tighten your seat belts for action, and the movie does not let you down. Early in the film, an intimidating Russian don Viggo calls up a mechanic and asks him why he had struck the don's son. The auto mechanic replies, '...because he stole John Wicks' car sir and.. killed his dog.' You expect Viggo to send armed men to finish him off instantaneously. But to our surprise, the Russian gangster gets shocked by the reply, he just says 'Oh', stares blankly, and hangs the phone; fear oozing out of his eyes; he is terrorised. It is a rare combo of good writing, fine performance, and supreme production values all playing out in harmony to emboss the character in our hearts.
Soon there is a lot of bloodshed and over the next one hour you are just in awe - drawn into the under world that has its own rules of the game, interesting places like The Continental and well-etched players that stay with you for long. Like the Kill Bill-genre of films, blood flow is common but stylised. The beautifully made gun fights stand out. It all ends well for John, but you are left longing for more. There was a sequel.
Baasha (1995, Tamil, Suresh Krissna). With his supreme stardom Rajnikanth (as Baasha) does not need any back story in any of his films. We know that he can do anything on screen; you won't question the character's credibility. That is because you don't see the character on screen, be it "Manithan" or "Thalapathi", we continue to see Rajni, the star, on screen. But Baasha as a character and as a film took Rajni to new heights. Unlike the usual Rajni films that have action within the first 15-20 minutes, in Baasha Rajni does not even raise his voice till about the middle of the film, even well beyond one hour. The first hour is highly dialogue-driven, it is more like a stage drama filled with the usual Kollywood ingredients of mother-sister-brother sentiment, rich-poor stereotypes, rich girl-poor boy love, comedy, intro song, etc. The only exception being the enjoyable, power-packed medical college admission sequence. But just before the interval, we have a glimpse of the man's past. And the show begins.
To save his family's dignity, the docile Manikam turns into the dreaded don Baasha again. The name instills terror. The run up to the 'revelation' is wonderfully supported by composer Deva, the stunt master, editor and sound effects. The whole sequence is extraordinary. There is magic. The second half is loaded with TNT, and every time Manik Baasha utters his now legendary punchline, there is a celebratory blast inside us. Raghuvaran as Mark Anthony gives a splendid, spine-chilling performance. The digitally remastered "Baasha" released recently was running to packed houses. Rajni defines his movies; But Baasha defined Rajni.
Sunflower (2006, Korean, Kang Seok-beom). The animal within is aroused when Tae-sik's near ones are hurt and killed. The film starts with the journey of Tae-sik, a once feared thug who now wishes to be a peaceful, routine person, to his hometown where he is cared for by a motherly lady who runs an eatery. The man is desperately in search of a normal life; he even visits a clinic to get his intimidating full-body tattoo removed. Even when the worst of the lot is ruthless with him, Tae-sik does not respond; he just takes it all. Kim Rae-won as Tae-sik carries the script on his shoulders. He bowls us over with his mature performance - as a repenting man, as a recluse who tries to understand his won feelings, as a sinner who is tormented by his past, and finally as a savage on a prowl to avenge his close ones. The sequence where he presents the mother with a pair of shoes and upon prodding by his sister, tries to give her a hug is truly moving. The man truly longs to turn a new leaf. The sister provides depth as well as lightness to the script.
Tae-sik's backstory of 3-4 minutes is picturised in a refreshingly novel way. There are a lot of well-thought out blocks like the diary Tae-sik maintains, mother's story, the maths teacher and so on that are held together by a commendable display of craft to present us with a compelling product. In the run up to the climax Tae-sik surrenders to the new don of the city, promises to leave the town, and begs him to spare his family. The villain agrees, but on one condition. Such twists ensure you keep wondering what is going to hit you next. Soon, the old thug is reborn, and a violent retribution follows.
And one more man sucked into his brutal past by the love for his dear ones.
------------
* Don = gangster
Jonh Wick (2014, Eng, directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch). I love this film. A perfect blend of style and content. Unlike Bryan Mills, who explains at length to the abductor about his action-packed hey days and how easy it was for him to hunt anyone, anywhere in the world, our man John Wick, played tactfully by Keanu Reeves, rarely speaks. Even if he talks, it is not going to be more than 1-2 sentences at a stretch. But, every single man around him constantly talks about him; knows about his past; fears him. The writing is awesome that even before John gets into action, you too think you know everything about this man, and his capability as an A-rated assassin. There are repetitive dialogues about his past, but you don't feel bored. You tighten your seat belts for action, and the movie does not let you down. Early in the film, an intimidating Russian don Viggo calls up a mechanic and asks him why he had struck the don's son. The auto mechanic replies, '...because he stole John Wicks' car sir and.. killed his dog.' You expect Viggo to send armed men to finish him off instantaneously. But to our surprise, the Russian gangster gets shocked by the reply, he just says 'Oh', stares blankly, and hangs the phone; fear oozing out of his eyes; he is terrorised. It is a rare combo of good writing, fine performance, and supreme production values all playing out in harmony to emboss the character in our hearts.
Baasha (1995, Tamil, Suresh Krissna). With his supreme stardom Rajnikanth (as Baasha) does not need any back story in any of his films. We know that he can do anything on screen; you won't question the character's credibility. That is because you don't see the character on screen, be it "Manithan" or "Thalapathi", we continue to see Rajni, the star, on screen. But Baasha as a character and as a film took Rajni to new heights. Unlike the usual Rajni films that have action within the first 15-20 minutes, in Baasha Rajni does not even raise his voice till about the middle of the film, even well beyond one hour. The first hour is highly dialogue-driven, it is more like a stage drama filled with the usual Kollywood ingredients of mother-sister-brother sentiment, rich-poor stereotypes, rich girl-poor boy love, comedy, intro song, etc. The only exception being the enjoyable, power-packed medical college admission sequence. But just before the interval, we have a glimpse of the man's past. And the show begins.
Sunflower (2006, Korean, Kang Seok-beom). The animal within is aroused when Tae-sik's near ones are hurt and killed. The film starts with the journey of Tae-sik, a once feared thug who now wishes to be a peaceful, routine person, to his hometown where he is cared for by a motherly lady who runs an eatery. The man is desperately in search of a normal life; he even visits a clinic to get his intimidating full-body tattoo removed. Even when the worst of the lot is ruthless with him, Tae-sik does not respond; he just takes it all. Kim Rae-won as Tae-sik carries the script on his shoulders. He bowls us over with his mature performance - as a repenting man, as a recluse who tries to understand his won feelings, as a sinner who is tormented by his past, and finally as a savage on a prowl to avenge his close ones. The sequence where he presents the mother with a pair of shoes and upon prodding by his sister, tries to give her a hug is truly moving. The man truly longs to turn a new leaf. The sister provides depth as well as lightness to the script.
Tae-sik's backstory of 3-4 minutes is picturised in a refreshingly novel way. There are a lot of well-thought out blocks like the diary Tae-sik maintains, mother's story, the maths teacher and so on that are held together by a commendable display of craft to present us with a compelling product. In the run up to the climax Tae-sik surrenders to the new don of the city, promises to leave the town, and begs him to spare his family. The villain agrees, but on one condition. Such twists ensure you keep wondering what is going to hit you next. Soon, the old thug is reborn, and a violent retribution follows.
And one more man sucked into his brutal past by the love for his dear ones.
------------
* Don = gangster
To drive or not to drive
I am not sure if the Waymos and the Teslas of the world got the plot right when they actually pump a lot of money into their driverless car projects. Do we really need driverless cars? I'm sure there are enough takers in India and elsewhere for these jobs behind the wheels in the US. Yes, there are robots serving food in some places in the map; we could have done away with such machines too. But the point is trusting the machine to take you through the streets of Istanbul or a stretch of the B&R Initiative, is not the same as trusting it only to the point of serving you a plate of pongal-vadai without splashing the boiling sambhar on your face.
Traditionally machines were invented to - ease our efforts, reduce the risks, bring down the costs, or to better our lives. I am not sure where the driverless cars fit in. For that matter, I don't even like gearless cars. True, machines are created for fun too. But in this case who exactly is going to have fun? The traveler sitting alone in a car that does not have even a driver? Perhaps, no. As an industry expert, Sivam Sabesan, smartly put, 'Driverless cars are solutions looking for problems'. (He asked me not to quote him.)
Mind you, I'm not talking about the drones and other forms of unmanned vehicles like the Mars rover that can deliver you emergency medicines or pick up some stones from far away places. They are required, as long as they do not carry human beings. People like me keep worrying even when an aircraft goes in the autopilot mode midair. It's dangerous! For that matter, I would definitely think twice before getting into a driverless train. I mean, there is no match for the human brains when it comes to the speed of (right) decision making, especially when there is chaos around. Roads, are not a game of poker. Roads, are a game of life and death - for the humans.
But going by the pace the deep learning thing is progressing, it is said the machines may take over the world in the next few centuries. Yes, centuries. All you have to do to know the progress in AI is to see the Wired video on standup comedy by digital assistants.
But in any case I would rather prefer getting killed by a barrage of boring jokes than by a driverless car.
In the meantime, back at home, my around 4-year old son has invented (discovered?) a new number: feinteen. It comes somewhere between thirteen and twenty. Talk of human brains!
Education of the state
Request: Read PS first.
(Courtesy: The Hindu)
On Teachers:
On Curriculum:
***
Traditionally the education systems
have been designed to impart the 3R’s to the students. Developing the reading,
writing and arithmetic skills were the basic objectives of school education.
With the emergence of “global village”, where the competition is no more
between one city and the other or between one state and the other – but between
nations spread across geographies – it is essential to redesign the pedagogy to
adapt to the changing demands. There is a new need for developing young minds
that will be – ready to compete with anyone in any corner of the world; tap on
the millions of opportunities thrown open by the connected world; free from any
kind of dogmas; and ready to lead the world.
Tamil Nadu has allotted about
Rs.17,000 Crores for education this year. But there are no new schemes. The funds
have mainly been allocated to the existing programs like – Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, providing drinking water supply
and toilet facilities, cash incentives to students in classes 10, 11 and 12, supplying
textbooks, laptops and educational accessories, etc. But there is not talk of
changing the teaching methodology or changing the syllabus to suit the global
requirements. The thinking has been reactive and conservative; rather than
being proactive and progressive. At best, the theme seems to be “status quo”.
Many a survey has repeatedly
highlighted the pathetic quality of education in our country; and the state. In
the Class I-VIII level, it is absolutely shocking to note that the education
quality in Tamil Nadu is worse than even Bihar, a state that is usually
perceived to be very low on developmental benchmarks. Further, it is deplorable
that Tamil Nadu’s performance in education is poorer than the country’s
average. (see graph). Just to draw further
attention to the lamentable state of affairs in the Tamil Nadu, it has been revealed
in the ASER 2012 (Annual Status of Education Report) that about four out of ten
Class VIII students cannot read even a
Class II textbook. Added alarming feature to this is the fact that even the
private schools fare no much better. As
if these failures were not enough, it is also heartbreaking to observe that
there has been practically no improvement in the quality of education – over
the past five years. Such statistics make us wonder if we really have a functional
education system at all in our state. What is happening to the ever-increasing
funds allocated to education? What are we doing with the young minds?
While on one hand the state boasts of
high industrial growth and marked performance in various human development
indicators – the quality of education in the state has been consistently
falling. This is a ticking time bomb. The effects of poor quality of education
will start to show up over the next decade – exactly when more and more
opportunities will be available for the competent youth across the globe. Being
an intensely linked world the opportunities will casually flow to the regions
that offer the right talent pool – just like water flowing from a hilltop to
sea. There is no stopping. We cannot be in a state of denial about our failures
in school education. This is the time to act. The state has to entirely revamp
the existing system of education while bringing out new models to let the
children and youth realise their true potential.
Redesigning the pedagogy:
We do not have the luxury of time to
plug the loopholes in the existing system before moving ahead with a proactive
and progressive system of education. Everything has to be done; and they have
to be done simultaneously. There needs to be a radical shift in the way we see
the objectives of education. It is no more 3R’s. The futuristic education is
about 3C’s – creation, collaboration and communication.
The fertile minds of the children
should be let loose to challenge all limits. Only when the barriers are
demolished – we see something new; we create. The world is in the need of
innovators. Our education system should be tuned up to roll out more and more
of innovators – not just memory machines. The focus should not be on making the
students run behind marks that are usually got by mechanical memory of facts
and opinions. Right from the childhood the ultimate importance should be on
fostering creativity.
There should be special importance on
team work and getting the best results delivered as a group. While individual
thinking is very important, the children should be made aware of the real world
where nothing happens in isolation. Any great success has been a result of
solid team work. This sense of group work and coordination should be a part of
the child’s personality. The world is getting more and more connected with
every passing day. This only increases the need to have a set of competent
youth who are ready to collaborate with anyone sitting in any corner of the
world.
In this world of Facebooks and
Twitters, cloud computing and virtual conferences – where the predominant
communication happens over the internet or the mobile network – steadfast efforts
should be made to develop the communication skills of the youth. Even today
English language is seen as a resource of the elite; it is seen as the
privilege of the convent students; English language proficiency is often
mistaken for wisdom and knowledge. There should be a fundamental shift in this
thinking. The children should be made to realise that language is just a tool
for communication – it is not an end in itself. Once this idea is engrained in
the minds, not only English, the kids should be exposed to even other dominant
languages of the world like Mandarin, French etc.
Any future education system should be oriented to conquer the world, and
the 3C’s should form its bedrock.
Actions for change:
To overhaul the systems the immediate
task at hand is to bring about a change in our mindsets. We should throw away
our obsession with quantity and start looking at the aspects of quality. Merely
making a child sit in a class room is no more enough. What is going to matter
is if she is able to get any long-lasting benefit out of the hours spent in front
of the black board. There should be a paradigm shift – from merely throwing
money into the system and expecting mediocre results to creating a vision for
excellence in education and relentlessly pursuing it; from just focusing on
pass percentages and other statistics to ensuring the quality of what enters
the tender minds.
Another drastic change that is
required is the way we see education. Education, especially at the school
level, is not merely about teaching the children to read and write. It is predominantly
about how do we – identify their talents and make them excel in those areas;
instill in the tender minds the zeal to perform; develop the quest for
knowledge in them; make them global citizens who are ready to take any
challenge head-on.
Following the shift in our thought
processes we should immediately set out to fix the ailments; simultaneously we
should be developing new models to make the students ready for the future. Some
pointers:
- Education department should be directly under the supervision of the chief minister.
- Total focus on quality of primary education. Strong foundation goes a long way.
- Quality of education in the government schools should be better than the private schools. We should bring about to change to such an extent that, at the primary level, a private school will be no match to a government-run school. (In the mean time, RTE should be strictly enforced. Presently, 60% of all students from Class I-V are in private schools.)
On Teachers:
- Numbers: The ideal teacher-pupil ratio has to be maintained in all schools. (Only 50% of the schools meet the norm now.) Lateral entry is to be permitted in the teaching profession. Anyone clearing a basic test of teaching skills should be allowed to teach. This will open up the avenue of thousands of professionals from other fields who will be interested in teaching.
- No to politics: Dismantle all the teachers’ unions. Teaching profession should be treated as an essential service akin to the contribution of doctors and police.
- Fixed tenure: No teacher should be allowed to continue in a school for more than 3 years. Clear-cut policies have to be put in place. The transfers and postings should be non-negotiable.
- Core job: Teachers should be relieved of all the miscellaneous duties like elections, census, flood relief etc. The only goal of teachers should be – to teach.
- Carrot and stick: Serious performance monitoring of teachers has to be carried out. Consistent laggards should not have any place in the system; steady performers have to be rewarded.Quality: Regular trainings should be given to the teachers. International exposure should be given to 1000 teachers every year.
On Curriculum:
- Total revamp: We should go back to the drawing board and completely redevelop the syllabus to meet the demands of future. School education syllabus should be free from politics and populism. There should be a certainty of syllabus and various entrance exams. We should acknowledge that the present state government syllabus has failed to produce impressive results for our students in any national level exam. We are not even making our students competitive at the national level, when there is a real need to equip them to grab the opportunities presented by the opened-up world.
- No single size: Learning should be based on the interest and potential of the students. We should constantly remember that no two individuals are alike. Technology can be leveraged to design programs that will make each student to learn at his or her own pace.
- Holistic: The focus should be on all dimensions of talent and personality – and not just on the conventional understanding of school education.World class: The strengths and weaknesses of the students should be systematically analysed right from the early days of schooling. Necessary assistances and special care should be made available to ensure that no talent is left ignored or untapped for want of funds. Further in these matters the notion of “quality” has to be world-class. For example, if it is noticed that a student shows extraordinary potential in music – the government should take special steps to send her to the best music school in the world or get the brightest tutors to hone her skills.
- P2P: Peer-to-peer learning has to be promoted. Such a model will not only ease out the resource constraints but as well cultivate team work and bonding among the students.
- Real-life: For students till Class VIII at least one field trip should be organised per quarter. Exposure across various sectors like government hospitals, industrial units, ports etc should be given to the students. Rather than using only the textbooks to develop knowledge, the children should be made to learn from real-life experiences.
- Integrated: Many of the students are not able to integrate what they learn separately under various subject heads like Physics, Maths, Chemistry etc. We have to develop superior models where the importance is on learning a concept in its entirety rather than dissecting something into many segments and teaching them individually. Theme-based education is important; subject-based education has to be minimised.
- India first: Patriotism and civic sense should form an important part of the curriculum.
These have to be supplemented with
the other existing programs that increase the affordability, accessibility and
availability of education.
***
(I had written this piece in May 2013; it is seeing the light of the day only now. Over the past four years my writing has slightly improved, though not in the 'articles' and 'prepositions' area. But most of the facts of the article hold good even till date, sadly.)
All views are personal, then and now.
***
Viper - poster
The first look poster of 'Viper', a short film.
And.. btw.. this blog is completing ten years today :)
Terrace garden - 2
If you have an open terrace with a lot of sun light, then Lalbagh is a fantastic place to start. Have a close look at the notice board. Awesome guys there!
You get a host of quality seeds, ready-mix (ready to use mixture of soil and manure), fertilisers and other garden needs like poly bags, tools, etc. The nursery is remarkable. Go for it!
But I am in Kentucky and this Lalbagh is thousands of miles away from my home! That is okay, you could find similar nurseries around your place, or may be even better shops. Need not panic on this. You can check out the online stores too.
But I don't have a terrace!
Well, I am helpless on this. Even I may lose my terrace soon. Have a blast till it lasts! May be we should explore indoor plant options. Or may be there should be a brokerage app for leasing open terraces. Say, this office complex next door has some 5,000 sft of open terrace. They put out their specs in the app, and people like you and me take it on lease and create gardens. The simplest name of the app could be 'Greenterrace'; even 'Greencity' sounds okay.
Do we get to earn, like say by selling the produce and making money? Well, the guys who have been doing this for livelihood are dying in hundreds and thousands. And it is just a 'hobby' here. I feel we got to think in terms of value, and not just cost.
=
But the insects? They are not going let the plants live peacefully. Yes, I guess it is a part of the larger 'cylce of life'. Around 15-20% of what grows is not for us. But with stuff like neem oil, salt spray, etc. we can really bring down the number.
We have had a pretty good run with tomato, brinjal, ladies' finger, lettuce, and cauliflower; and failed miserably with some flowering plants and pumpkin. Now, trials are on with onion and carrot; but not very hopeful though.
Long live the garden.
Caution: Gardening is highly addictive.
Kaatru Veliyidai
1987. Thirty years ago. My dad took me to his friend's house where we watched Nayakan in a VCR (known as dek to us). Now, I just returned from watching Kaatru Veliyidai ('The Wind'). I had taken my son along. 2047. Too far to foresee, for obvious reasons. But two things are for sure - Mani Ratnam would not be making movies (mostly); He would be still reckoned as a legend of Indian cinema, mainly known for Nayakan. It was the movie where the cinema-don no longer wore a safari suit, donned curly wig and dark shades and mouthed loaded dialogs like ' I am a bad man'. But for its premise - set in the intimidating Himalayas and beyond, with a haughty fighter pilot paired with a lady doctor - Kaatru does not offer anything defining that would stay with us for the times to come. Yes, not all movies are made to be treasured.
This is one of the few movies of the director where you do not get to see trains; but don't lose heart - other standard Mani Ratnam devices like - the story taking us to different places, mirror scenes, multi-lingual characters, Bharathiar poems, song sequences set in family functions, rains and a hell lot of rains, and so on are very much there. Dialogs - the master does not fail to surprise you - unpredictable; missing; cheeky; intelligent. That they continue to be.
The hero's family looks contrived; it seems as if it has been created with only one intention - of breaking all stereotypes. But in the process, that by itself gets stereotypical. For that matter the hero's characterisation - perhaps, such tantrums may suit a college lad or a corporate honcho; but for a Squadron Leader serving near the PoK? I am not sure. Be it in the hospital where the whole family is gathered, or be it in the army bar, or just an army hangout place, the hero is bent on humiliating the lady. When people are around, there are not many cherishable moments between them. And when they both are together, there are not many bad moments. This is a story that tries to sincerely track a predefined path; without any flicker. And the movie gets lost in those crevices in the narrative that has been stitched comfortably without any dense sub-plots or fleshed out supporting roles or overwhelming situations.
A R Rahman continues to provide rock solid backup to the director. A wholesome album. Just superb! The hall I viewed claimed it had the recently(?) introduced Dolby-Atmos, a technology that offers even ceiling-mounted speakers. I think that also helped in taking the sound to great heights. I also enjoyed when the truck demolished a Pak border post and the flag pole fell down.
Today, even after a good sixty years, we love Mayabazar (Tamil, 1957). Such movies that span across generations do not present themselves often. Within a few years Kaatru will be forgotten - but go for it now for the breathtaking setting, well-made songs, neat performance and the genuine attempt at taking NEP to a new level.
Now, I ask my kid if he liked the film. Firstly, he wondered what I meant when I said 'film'. I asked if he liked the movie. He said, it was nice. And what was nice about it? He said, planes, and the naughty boy rakshashan who broke the wall and ran, and the truck throwing bottles on army.
Time to sleep, kid.
~
Pudhumai pen - புதுமைப் பெண் - The modern gal!
NEP - Neethaaney En Ponvasantham
This is one of the few movies of the director where you do not get to see trains; but don't lose heart - other standard Mani Ratnam devices like - the story taking us to different places, mirror scenes, multi-lingual characters, Bharathiar poems, song sequences set in family functions, rains and a hell lot of rains, and so on are very much there. Dialogs - the master does not fail to surprise you - unpredictable; missing; cheeky; intelligent. That they continue to be.
Set around the Kargil War, Kaatru is about a love relation between a chauvinistic, arrogant fighter pilot and a pudhumai pen-types doctor. That's all about it. Karthi as the lead man sparkles with his performance. Aditi Rao looks stunning through the lens of Ravi Varman, the DOP. With her nuanced expressions, she has put up a pretty commendable show too. RJ Balaji is there, like Alaipayuthey Vivek. Some of the scenes like - the initial scene where Karthi just walks out of the hospital, the portion where 'Delhi' Ganesh comes to know about the man in his girl's life, the tango sequence, and a few others are staged beautifully; They remind us about the coolness-quotient of the man behind them. Kaatru is novel in the sense that it is among the handful of Indian movies that take us into the world of air force pilots; the last one I remember is Rang De Basanti. In RDB the movie takes life after the pilot's death. But in Kaatru being a pilot seems to be only incidental. This is a weak link. The things do not come together very well.
A R Rahman continues to provide rock solid backup to the director. A wholesome album. Just superb! The hall I viewed claimed it had the recently(?) introduced Dolby-Atmos, a technology that offers even ceiling-mounted speakers. I think that also helped in taking the sound to great heights. I also enjoyed when the truck demolished a Pak border post and the flag pole fell down.
Today, even after a good sixty years, we love Mayabazar (Tamil, 1957). Such movies that span across generations do not present themselves often. Within a few years Kaatru will be forgotten - but go for it now for the breathtaking setting, well-made songs, neat performance and the genuine attempt at taking NEP to a new level.
Now, I ask my kid if he liked the film. Firstly, he wondered what I meant when I said 'film'. I asked if he liked the movie. He said, it was nice. And what was nice about it? He said, planes, and the naughty boy rakshashan who broke the wall and ran, and the truck throwing bottles on army.
Time to sleep, kid.
~
Pudhumai pen - புதுமைப் பெண் - The modern gal!
NEP - Neethaaney En Ponvasantham
A day in Hell
(Wrote this screenplay some time back. Short film.)
நரகத்தில் ஒரு நாள்
'A day in Hell'
FADE IN:
EXT. OPEN TERRACE OF AN APARTMENT - CLOUDY DAY
EXT. OPEN TERRACE OF AN APARTMENT - CLOUDY DAY
A young man VARUN, in early twenties, sitting in a corner of an open terrace, is seen
pondering. Soon, he turns to us and says:
வருண்
என் பேரு வருண். நான் செத்து போயி ஒரு மாசத்துக்கு மேல ஆச்சு.. அது ஒரு road
accident... Adyar bridge கிட்ட...நீங்க கூட படிசிருப்பேங்க. But it was
not my mistake.. Anyway.. செத்து போனது நான் தான்..
Soon he
chokes with grief. Fighting his tears, he continues:
வருண்
okay..வாங்க, என் வீட்டுக்கு போலாம்.
Varun walks across the terrace, and reaches the terrace door. We follow
him. We see semi-dried blood at the back of his head. A portion of his T-shirt is stained with blood.
He opens the door and takes the stairs. He walks down, and reaches a flat (house). We are tracking him all the way. He reaches a house and gestures to us it was the one. And Varun just slips through the door, as if it were made of air. We are still waiting outside. Luckily, the door opens and an elderly man (Varun's father) comes out to pick up the newspaper. Before he gets in and closes the door, we also sneak into house. Varun's father is oblivious to our presence, and also Varun's presence. Varun is seated in the sofa in the living room. He nods at us and gestures us to follow him.
He opens the door and takes the stairs. He walks down, and reaches a flat (house). We are tracking him all the way. He reaches a house and gestures to us it was the one. And Varun just slips through the door, as if it were made of air. We are still waiting outside. Luckily, the door opens and an elderly man (Varun's father) comes out to pick up the newspaper. Before he gets in and closes the door, we also sneak into house. Varun's father is oblivious to our presence, and also Varun's presence. Varun is seated in the sofa in the living room. He nods at us and gestures us to follow him.
வருண்
நான் last one
monthஆ daily இங்க வரேன்..but the same
awful feeling every time..தாங்க முடியல... சரி, வாங்க அம்மாவ பாக்கலாம்..
Varun, takes us inside a bedroom. We see his mother
there. Varun slowly goes and sits near her. She is seated on a chair by the window;
her eyes staring at the gloomy sky.
Looking at us, Varun says:
வருண்
நான் செத்த நாள்ல இருந்து எங்க அம்மா யார் கிட்டேயும் பேசல.. யாரையும் பாக்கறது கூட இல்ல..அப்பா மட்டும் tries to
console her.. but அவங்க ஒரு மாசமா இப்டி தான் இருக்காங்க... நான் சாகருதுக்கு three days முன்னாடி எங்கேயோ நான் தம் அடிக்கரத பண்றத அம்மா பார்துருகாங்க.. வீட்டுக்கு வந்தப்புரம் என்ன உண்டு இல்லன்னு பண்ணிடாங்க.. நிறுத்தவே இல்ல! நானும் ரொம்ப பொறுமய தான் இருந்தேன்...she just
would not stop. என் தப்புதான்! but it was just a சிகரெட்டே .. I did not kill someone.. நான் கத்த, அவங்க கத்த.. ஒரு world war Range-ல சண்ட! அப்றோம் அடுத்த 3 நாளு நானும் அம்மாவும் பேசிக்கவே இல்ல. நான் அவங்கள சரியாய் பாக்க கூட இல்ல. வெளியதான் சாப்டேன். Actually நான் தான் அவங்கள்ட ஒரு sorry சொல்லி matter-அ முடிசுருக்கணும். ஆனா பண்ணல..
He is overcome with emotion, fighting his swelling eyes,
he goes near his mom and says:
வருண்
அம்மா...sorry மா...
(repeats it a few times, every time with a raise in the voice.. and breaks down shouting 'sorry மா')
(repeats it a few times, every time with a raise in the voice.. and breaks down shouting 'sorry மா')
Amma too is not aware of our presence in the room. Soon
Varun's father enters the room, with a cup of tea for Amma. Places it on a side
table. Looks at his wife. Sits on the cot, and remains silent. Varun looks at
him and wipes his tears, and tries to smile too. Turning to us, he says:
வருண்
எல்லா அப்பா மாதிரி எங்க அப்பாவும் சூப்பர் man தான். Cool guy, my first hero! Sounds
silly, but ஒரு சின்ன விஷயம் கூட இப்போ என்னால பண்ணமுடியாது.. ஒன்னும் பெருசா இல்ல, அப்பா என்ன எப்போதும் 'முடிய ஒழுங்கா வாரேன்டா'ன்னு சொல்லுவாரு.. yes.. he asked nothing else from me... nothing else!
Pointing to his head, Varun continues:
என் முடி இப்படி இருந்தாத்தன் அப்பாவுக்கு புடிக்கும்..
Ruffling
his hair, Varun says:
But நான் இப்டி தான் வச்சுருப்பேன். Just to
irritate him! அவரும் அத ரொம்ப பெருசா கண்டுக்க மாட்டாரு.. but he really did not like it. நான் ஒரு நாளைக்காவது அவருக்குபுடிச்ச மாதிரி வச்சுருக்கலாம்... (while setting his hair right, he jokingly asks us) ..இப்டியும் smartஆ தானே இருக்கேன்?
The father moves out of the room. Varun too follows him, but takes a detour to another room. It was his room.
வருண்
நான் என் ரூமா எப்படி விட்டுட்டு போனேனோ, இன்னும் அப்படியே தான் வச்சுருக்காங்க.. எப்படி இவங்கள normal lifeக்கு கொண்டுவரதுன்னு எனக்கு தெரியல.. என்னால முடியாது, அதான் உண்மை! பேரு தான் பேய், பிசாசு..எல்லாம். But உயிரோட இருக்கும் போது தான் நமக்கு power,
strength, ம்ம்... life எல்லாமே! செத்தப்புரம் ஒன்னும் கடையாது! ஒரு மண்ணும் பண்ண முடியாது!
After brooding for a while, Varun
comes out of the room. We follow him till the main door. Varun slips through the door, just the way how he entered. We
are stuck inside the house, puzzled.
Soon Varun comes back and says:
வருண்
Bro,
வாங்க.. போகலாம்!
Again, he passes through the door. And
hesitatingly we try the same thing - and surprisingly succeed -
and cut through the door just like Varun had done. But Varun is not to be seen
outside. We look around for Varun. All of
a sudden, he calls us from right behind.
வருண்
நான் இங்க இருக்கேன்! இது தான் என் life bro,.. இல்ல என் death..ச.. என்..routine-ன்னு வச்சுக்கலாம்.. என்ன மாதிரி தான் எல்லா பேயும்.. life-ல miss பண்ண விஷயத்த நெனச்சு feel பண்ணிட்டே இங்க சுத்தி சுத்தி வருவோம்...வேற ஒண்ணும் பண்ண முடியாது...it's tough... Ok..bye bro!
Varun just disappears.
FADE OUT.
***
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The Queen’s Gambit (Review)
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