Criticism..

Criticism is the judgement of the merits and demerits of someone or something..

But unfortunately, it has got a different meaning in the 21st century..

Technically speaking, to criticize does not necessarily mean to find faults..

Today, the word is taken to mean the simple expression of disapproval..

'Insult' would be a more appropriate word in this context..

Dale Carnegie said, "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain but it takes character and self-control to be understanding".

Books, movies, television shows, automobiles, people..

In-fact, everything is criticized..

In other words, criticism is just a person's perspective about something..

Things start getting ugly when this 'perspective' is adopted by others.. Or rather, publicized in such a creative way that others grasp it..

I feel that every person has a personal opinion on things and that shouldn't be changed..

Let me give an example..

Do you watch a movie which is given low ratings by a critic.?

You would say a 'no' unless you are a die hard fan of the actor/actress..

The funny thing is that people absorb the negative part of the criticism without actually watching the movie..

You could actually like the movie.. But do you give a try.?

Well, the futile human mind takes anything that is fed into it..

Criticism among the members of the same species in nothing new to us..

I refer to humans here as they are they only ones capable of indulging in this pointless activity..

A person speaks, which is misunderstood in a different context by the other and it is then spread like wild fire..

People are not understood, they are assumed..

Thanks to the man's talent of spreading rumours, you are portrayed as a completely different individual to the world..

Completely different from who you are..

It is said that Criticism is a step to success..

Absolutely true..!!

When others are busy assuming who you are, you can do wonders being 'yourself'.. The real 'you'..!!!

Sometimes being different from the crowd or having an 'out of the box' thinking might push you into the web of criticism..

Emmet Fox said, "Criticism is an indirect form of self-boasting".

The problem arises when you start taking this criticism too seriously..

Some go into depression while the over-sensitive lot end up giving their lives..

This is a social issue and everyone has to face it..

India's constitution has given its citizens too much freedom, I believe..

Having a right to speak does not include the right to insult..

I wish, people were more sensible to understand this..

The Indian Education System..

According to a popular website, 'Education' is an act or experience that has a formative effect on mind, character or physical ability of an individual..
Does this apply in India.?


The world respects Albert Einstein, Issac Newton and many scientists because of their out of the box thinking and innovative approach to the simple things in life..
My question is, where exactly is India's Einstein or Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.?
I find it difficult to answer this but I am pretty sure that the problem lies in the system..


The nature of our education system inhibits our attempts at being creative thinkers as it is basically memory oriented..
We have only theory without any context to it..
The process is to memorize our way to glory in the run up to the board exams..
Memory is necessary to survive in the competitive global environment but too much of it blocks the creative urge within our system..


Our education system is so rigid and binding that it pushes us into one narrow path with no way back once we are inside it..
We are fed text from the books with no scope of questioning why and what it is all about..
On the contrary, the American system provides flexibility with the courses unlike the Indian system..
The subjects are forced onto us here..
Why does a Computer Science Engineer have to learn 3D drawing of a solid object.?
Why is C language programming taught to a Mechanical Engineer..?
Why do we have to learn the postulates of a theory that has failed.?


The English system we adopted never changed from the days of British rule in India..
Other nations have made vital amendments looking at the global market..
Are the authorities so lazy or are they scared to bring about a change.? Wish I had an answer..


And in India, we have the world class IITs, but whether they are innovation driven is a different question..
I also find it amusing to know why none of them are world beaters at the innovative game..
According to a survey by "times higher education", India's no. 1 institution IIT bombay ranks 317 on a global level..
There were 5 criteria taken into consideration, namely teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook..


Innovation is producing a new concept and revolutionizing it..
Most of the IItian's are in prominent positions working under some big bosses but not necessarily produce Nobel Prize winning innovations..


Education should be about acquiring and application of skills and not just memorizing formulae and derivations..
The focus should be on skills since it is the key to adapt to various scenarios..
The Indian system has its own advantages in terms of enhancing our mental storage, but that alone does not help in today's world..


Our education system needs to be redefined to focus on the areas of exploration and creativity..!!

The Roadies Experience...

Roadies or more precisely MTV HERO ROADIES..

The television show, Indian youth is crazy about..

Every year thousands participate in the auditions out of which only 18-20 are selected..

The rest, try their luck next year..

This Year(2011), Hyderabad was chosen as an audition city..

And being a fan of this show, I decided to give it a try..

This is the 9th edition of Roadies, which certainly makes it more difficult.. The events get more uncertain..

I never wanted to be a part of the Roadies journey, but something pulled me to the auditions.. I wanted to experience the madness..

Wanted to be a part of it..!!

The form was filled and on the morning of 11th October, I was all set to face it.. I was well aware of the fact that this could change my life.. I could get abused on National television..
But that was secondary.. This act of 'time pass', could backfire.. I had already made up my mind and could not back off at the last moment..


I reached the venue at 8am..
To my surprise, there were only 300-400 participants..
Well.. This is not Delhi or Chandigarh, where participants come to the venue before sunrise.. Now, that is CRAZY.!!!
The atmosphere was electrifying.. The energy was amazing..
People from all over India had come to try their luck..
There were people who had come all the way from Chandigarh and Jammu to give their audition..
There were 2000 participants at the venue by 10:30am..

We were escorted into an auditorium where the proceedings took place..
The trio, Raghu Ram, Rajeev Laxman and Rannvijay Singh would be there soon..
The participants were excited waiting to see the stars on the stage..

Meanwhile, there were dance performances by the participants as the DJ played latest tracks..
The girls took the limelight(as expected)..
The anchor was brilliant.. I never got bored sitting there..
The energy was at an another level, which cannot be explained in words..

Then came the moment, we all were waiting for..
The twins along with Rannvijay came on the stage at 12:45pm..
The crowd swung with joy.. The participants stood on the seats just to get a glimpse.. There were flashes and only flashes..
That moment can never be forgotten..!!!
When people you admire are just 30 odd feet from you..
Amazing feeling...!!

After a brief interaction with the Roadie aspirants, they made an exit..
For the next 5 minutes I could not believe that the person(Rajeev Laxman) I had spoken with on the phone was really on the stage..


Soon, the next group was called for the Group Discussion round..
I was a part of it(Outlaw No. M-1474)..
There were mixed feelings.. I wanted to crack the GD but was scared to face the trio at the personal interview..
I was prepared to speak on several topics.. But as we all know, on Roadies, nothing happens as expected, the topic which the group was given was completely different from what I had anticipated..
Nevertheless, it went well.. Our moderator was quite friendly and  above all, a Punjabi.!!
I was short-listed for the PI.. My video was made by the Roadies Crew, which would be shown to the other moderators and Raghu Ram before making the list of finalists for the Personal Interview..


I was not selected..
Probably because I did not have a large personality as most of the other participants had.. Or they felt that I was not as confident as others..


What ever be the outcome, this day cannot be forgotten for a life time..
The fun I had with friends.. The different people I met.. The way I handled a new topic at the GD..
A whole new experience.!!


And yeah, I'll try again next year.!

Follow @manhardeepsingh