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

Happiness...

Happiness is one among many things, which do not have a perfect definition..

It changes with every situation and priority..

"Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up, as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it"

This quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky, always gives me a ray of hope during the time of emotional turmoil..

Well.. For a moment it feels good..

I can say 'happiness' is just another word for contentment..

Or a distraction from Human tragedy..

It is always there with us.. You need to find it..

You may not find contentment in everything in the world.. But when you dig into it, there is always some joy.. Its hidden..!!

M.K Gandhi said, "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony"..

This looks complicated and difficult, isn't it.?

In reality, it is not..

Follow it for a day and feel the amount of satisfaction you get..

I'll share a few instances of happiness........

You speak with a friend after a long time..the days you had spend together.. the pranks.. the madness..

For my perverted friends, finding a beautiful girl would be something to be happy about.. I mean the crazy kind of happiness(You know what I mean)..

When you miss someone and they call/text you..

When you are in deep trouble and all of a sudden its solved..

You study only half the syllabus and your question booklet has them..

During your examination, a lenient invigilator comes in(That would be a jackpot for most of us)..

Happiness, according to me is the most sophisticated human emotion..

Which gets more annoying as you grow up..

Little babies, if you've noticed, have only two emotions..

Happiness and sadness..

And the 'sadness' is not because of their extravagance but because of their needs..

They are pure.. Unadulterated lot..

As they grow up, they learn the ways of life.. the luxuries.. Imitating others..

And the contentment is gone.!!!!

This is when the simple pleasures of life mean nothing to them..

Life is short and unpredictable..

Live every bit of it.. Don't worry about the future.. Stop thinking of the events in the past..
Live today.. Live now..

Be happy and make others happy..

Spread joy......!!!

The world would be a better place to live...


"Nobody really cares if you are miserable, so you might as well be happy" ~Cynthia Nelms

Follow @manhardeepsingh

Inevitable end..!!!

Every beginning has an ending..

Life is no different..

A person has to depart some day.. That is the reason, we are called 'mortal'..

"Life & death are two faces of a coin, whose probability cannot be determined.."

It just happens.. You don't have control over it..

It is your destiny..

You are born when you had to.. You die when you have to..

All the incidents are pre-scheduled in the Calender of Life.. You just wait for them to happen.. Good or Bad..

In the journey called life, you come across many people.. Some stay with you, some leave and some are stolen away..

There is no reason for such happenings(at-least I have not found any).. It just happens..

An incident in life changes you so much and you are no longer the same person, you were before..

The same things in life, appear different to you.. The happiness fades away.. And you are left in a gloomy world..

You go into a shell and never want to come out of it..

(All this might sound like a scene from a Bollywood movie to you, but this is how exactly it feels like..)

Your favourite song feels irritating and you begin listening to the music, you once thought boring and for the older generation..

The mind thinks in an unusual way.. You lose the analytic approach to the happenings around..

You are left in despair.. And all you can do, is blame it on your stars.. In short "destiny"..

Your astrologer will give you a better insight into this..

Sometimes, losing a person who was once the most important part of your life, is a reason..

(NO.!! I din't have a break up.. many of you would be thinking this as a reason for writing this blog)..

Sometimes, its your end, that is a reason..

But again, you are reminded of 'destiny'..

It happens when it has to..

You just need to move on.. Or let the others move on.. But in either case, you go through the same amount of emotional suffering..

All the days you spent together appear before your eyes and you can't do anything about it..

You are there every moment watching it.. helpless.!!!

The end is inevitable.. Science has only been able to postpone it by a few days..months..or years..

Every religious scripture has a mention of 'death'.. And its said that, its a way to reach god.!!

Well.. i don't think so..

Its just a way to leave all the lovable people you met on earth.. And who knows after that..

So, take life as it comes..

Don't blame things on others- they were bound to happen, no matter how hard you try to prevent their occurring..

Enjoy every bit of the short span you spend in the 'world of mortals'..

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Luxury...!

"LUXURY"...

People generally associate this word with extravagance..
As per the definition given on a popular website, luxury is a material object, service conducive to sumptuous living,usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity..
But this definition changes from person to person..


Luxury might be an act of buying a Yacht with all the latest technology, to a person who has a Super car..
An act of owning a Super car/bike, to a person who is driving a Maruti 800..
Having a car would be luxury to a person who owns a 2-wheeler.. A bike, for someone who has no vehicle..


Owning a house would be luxury to a person who is homeless or lives in a rented house.. Or a hut..

Luxury just gets bigger with the fulfillment of a previous desire..
And when he purchases a house of his own, that will change into a necessity.. The attitude changes..
In the year 1995, a mobile phone was a toy for the Indian rich.. Today, its a basic requirement..


Necessity to a person is luxury to another..
Well, the journey from luxury to necessity is definitely not easy.. It goes through a series of psychological and financial transformations brought about by the society..


Luxury does not always refer to materialistic stuff..
To someone, spending quality time with their family, would be luxury..
Having friends is a luxury to those who don't have any..(difficult to digest this statement, but ask someone who has faced it)

Getting an undisturbed sleep is luxury to an Insomniac..




I redefine 'luxury' as something which is difficult to get..
That is unattainable.. And achieving it is a challenging job..
You can surely live without it too..

Remembering 9/11...

Its been 10 years since the biggest terror strike on the United States of America..
The day, commonly referred to as "September 11" or "September 11th  brought about a big change in the world..
It was only after this tragedy, that the world got to know the actual terrorism, that resides somewhere in Afghanistan..


I still remember that Tuesday evening(morning in USA), when this happened.. Nothing was known until a passenger jet crashed in the twin towers of the World Trade Center(WTC)..
Later, another jet crashed at the Pentagon..
The visuals shown on TV channels were heart-rendering..
This attack was not just an attack on a country; it was an attack on the entire world community..
World's tallest building had demolished..
The twin-towers no longer stood there..


This was the second terror attack on world trade center..
In 1993, there was a high intensity blast in the building..


This shook the whole world.. The power of terrorism was beyond expectation..
More than 3000 people died and hundreds injured were left under the debris..


No one could have imagined that a group of 19 men would create such havoc..
The untoward incident changed the image of our Muslim brothers, throughout the globe..
Bollywood movie 'My name is Khan' had a good message regarding the same..

Little children became orphans.. Lives were shattered..

This attack on humanity can never be forgotten..

10 years after the attack, there is some sense of satisfaction of having avenged the pain.. The killing of Osama Bin Laden, came in as a big news on 2nd May 2011..

A tribute to 911

Here is a tribute to all the people who lost their lives..

May their souls rest in peace..

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My 1st experiment..!!!

It was pouring cats and dogs..
I was doing my assignment..
The subject I hate the most..
Its not a pleasant experience to do something you do not like, but i had no other option.. Its worth 5 marks.. And our education system has a strange liking towards the number game..
And all of a sudden, there was complete blackout.. Power crisis..!!!!
It was later that i got to know that the transformer had damaged..

The task at hand could not be aborted.. I had to do it at any cost..
Soon i had an emergency light in front of me..the work resumed..
I was not aware of the fact that it was not charged..
I was left in complete darkness, again..!

I started to think of the days, when there were no emergency lights/lamps.. And came to mind the luxury of "CANDLE".!!!
In that situation, calling it a 'luxury' would not be wrong..

And the assignment was soon completed..
The flame danced in front of me.. I wondered what candles were made of..
The chemical composition of wax.. It was something very fascinating, at that instant of time..
I had never thought that a simple thing like a candle could grab my attention.. But it happened.!!!
And a series of Google searches began on my mobile..

Wax, or Paraffin wax was an interesting subject to study..
Wax is insoluble in water.. and non-reactive..
But i had also read an article in some journal on 'wax bombs'..
When wax does not react, how is it used to make a bomb or cause an explosion..??
This question haunted me for almost a week..

Then i decided to carry out the experiment myself..
An explosion meant 'danger'.. But it was a puzzle i had to solve..
I created it.!!

I mixed wax with hot water.. with Sulphuric acid.. Nitric acid..
The king of chemicals failed too..
But I could not digest this defeat..( i'm a bad loser)
I tried reacting wax with 17 different chemicals(including reagents)..
I would not stop this mid-way..

Then i recollected a concept that i had studied in 8th grade chemistry..
Increasing surface area by using the substance in powder form of liquid state..
I preferred the liquid state..
And it worked..!!!

Liquid wax was taken in a test tube.. this involved heating the solid wax at 130-140 degree Fahrenheit..
This was then immediately dipped in freezing water..
And there was the Explosion i was waiting for..
A yellow flame accompanied with white odourless smoke..
The test tube cracked and as water came in contact with the hot wax, a reaction took place.. that led to the blast..

Success really tastes sweet and i could feel it.!!!

This experiment is potentially dangerous.. and all precautions were taken while performing it..
Please do not try it..!!!!

Friends.. foes.. betrayal..

This blog is dedicated to a very special person, who motivated and encouraged me to write this blog.. A wonderful human being..!!

I thank you from the bottom of my heart..

Love...

According to me, a FRIEND has no perfect definition..

You can define it the way you like.. Depending on your experience(I hope you understand the hidden meaning)..

The Oxford dictionary defines a friend as, "a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations..."

I'm sure many of you feel that this definition is a bit too sophisticated to describe your friend..

Lets me rephrase it in a simple way..

"a friend is a person who helps you.. is with you during every thick and thin.. with someone, you can share everything.."

Now, this statement does not apply to a 'friend' on a social-networking site..

You Might have 400 or 500 'friends' on Facebook or Orkut, but do you share every little thing with them.?

I have 430 odd friends on Facebook, but do I tell them everything.?

You know the answer, i guess..

I have made a reference to this on my status updates earlier..

My suggestion: rename the term 'friend' to 'acquaintance'..

But there may be some instances where you met your soul mate/best   friend on the web.. I did.!! (not a soul mate, though)

There are also times when your best buddy turns into a foe..

I experienced this too.. And people, its really hurts..

When all your personal secrets are told to people who are strangers to you..

You know, someone like an informer.. a mediator.. who is working all time to screw your life..

Believe me, they make up a very important part of your life..

Teaches you a very good lesson, indeed..

And yeah, there is an another group of friends, whose company you can't avoid because they had done some favor for you.. Its like, "imposed loyalty"..

And you cannot tell the person that he/she is very irritating..

Its a humorous situation.. May be because I haven't been through it yet..

Now, this category of friends teach you the real meaning of 'patience'and 'tolerance'

Every single person, you meet in your life leaves an impression, good or bad..

Similarly, you too leave a trace on the other person's mind..

Rightly said, ""HAR FRIEND ZAROORI HOTA HAI.!!""

Express Yourself.........

"EXPRESS YOURSELF".. This is more than just Airtel's tagline...
It took me a very long time to understand the real meaning of "express"..
So, coming back to the topic......


What can u actually express.??
Your imagination.. Your thoughts.. Your feelings.. Practically everything....!!!
But the way you do it is different..


For instance, lets take love..
Your partner might call you up, text you all day or personally meet you.. These are not just ways of keeping in touch with you but expressing his/her love for you..
This was about relationship..
Friendship is not so different..
I always feel that, FRIENDSHIP is just a type of relationship with a little less complications..
If your friend always wants to chat with you on Facebook or Yahoo or any IM service, it just means that he/she trusts you and wants to share some part of his/her life with you..
Don't think of it as a problem.. If you are busy, just tell it.. Ignoring the person may create misunderstandings..
But its sad to notice, such incidents are named 'flirting on the web' or 'flirting online'..
I do not dismiss the fact that flirting never happens on social networking sites, but taking it in the general sense would be wrong.. Isn't it.? Think.!!!!


There is an another side to this.. The negative one..
You might have learnt- every action has an equal and opposite reaction.. Every positive has a negative..!!
ok.! Let me not get into atomic physics now.. It is my favorite subject, though..


Sometimes expressing yourself might get you into serious trouble..
I'll give you a personal experience..
Yesterday, my friend uploaded few photographs on Facebook..
I expressed my disliking towards a photo..
I wrote it in the chat box..(I shouldn't have done that, i know)..
I just could not digest a comment posted corresponding to the photo..


Here is another incident..
A friend of mine called me to attend the techno fest..
And all i did was rejected the offer.. Looks pretty rude..
In fact, i should have assured of my presence and then made a good excuse for my absence..


The bottomline: Be a diplomat..!!!


A friend of mine, who also blogs, once told me, "Do not stop the flow of thoughts in your mind.. Just express it.. Stagnant thoughts are of no use.. whenever there is a strong activity(a persistent thought) in your mind, just write it down or share it with someone.."


To sum up: Never be very open about your thoughts..
"Listen to what others say, but do what your mind says..!!!"..
My experience has thought me this..!!

my first blog..

So here i am, blogging for the first time..
I always had a feeling, that writing a blog would be boring.. Blogging has been compared to a test match.. But today this seems to be the best or rather the only way to share my thoughts..
Sharing everything and anything in the virtual world is a good idea or infact the only alternative when you dont have real friends in the real world..


I dont have the habit of maintaining a personal diary..
I started with tweeting my thoughts..
Soon, i got into the number game of getting more followers and made my tweets more commercial.. something like advertising..
I found no one to share my thoughts with..!!


Then came the College life..!!
Life was bound to change- in a good or a bad way, i dint know then..
It was a good feeling to get into a professional course.. A new environment..!
Looked good for a few days, and life went back to square one..
I was all alone here too.. I still am.. :(
(i just realised that smilies dont appear here.. Its not a chat box.. I should get over that habit now)..


So, eventually had to resort to blogging..
Its a way of speaking with myself.. with the world.. with like minded people..