Mera 'Media' Mahaan

Was just watching the news at 5.30pm on CNN-IBN.

The first headline begins with Harbhajan Singh 'slap' controversy and the last one being ISRO's perfect 10 launch of PSLV-C9, so is the sequence of news details.

Wonder - how a two-day old 'slap' story becomes more important than the hard-work of the scientists who strive to bring India into the R&D scene of space and technology on world-map?

C-R-A-S-H-E-D or C-R-U-S-H-E-D

These are pictures I took few minutes back, location is somewhere opposite the Shamsheer Sports Ground (belonging to Army) in Ghorpuri. When I crossed this area in the morning around 4.30AM towards work, the police were verifying it. After an hour or two of returning home from work, around 12PM - I went to the spot to take snaps, there was one guy in the public who told that he crossed the same area at around 4AM, and nothing of this sort had happened. Seems it has happened between the half an hour time.

This area primarily belongs to the Army, they have been letting out this road to civilians since last few years due to lots of requests from municipal corporation and other companies nearby. They would have never expected that an accident of such intensity would take place!!



There are no details as such so far, the vehicle front view in the snap above, seeing the intensity of the accident - I don't think there are any survivors. It does not seem to be a call center cab, but a tourist vehicle of MH 03 Registration (Mumbai ??). If et all it had been a call center cab, it would have been in the headlines for the next few weeks without fail.

Find more photos at FlickR - http://www.flickr.com/photos/spacejunk/tags/accident/

Market trend - Coaching classes for HSC

The next academic year 2008-09, my cousin K is taking a plunge into the so-called dreaded HSC board exams (popularly known as PUC in South India). The usual drama of attending coaching classes for the same is a trend which began in late 90's in my family started by my elder brother. And as and when opinions were asked by family members which and what and whose class, I suggested him to be enrolled in a class conducted in Pune Camp area by his college's Physics professor. I studied in the same college as K, so got a chance to meet Sir for the second or third time in the past one year's time after Oct 2007.

This discussion happened in the month of Feb 2008, where Sir told me on how the 'current market' of 12th standard coaching is, and why very few professors are into serious teaching than making money.

One of the most renowned private schools in Pune (Hint: A school in Pune which boasts of 100% results for past 25+ years), happened to start a junior college for science and commerce some four years back. For more business - there is some private coaching institute also for science stream by them since last year. Sir was approached by this institute to teach Physics. I am also told, that one of my relatives, a renowned Maths coacher in Pune was approached for teaching Maths at this institute. Both of them denied though. The reason was explained to me by the former.

The person who is running 'coaching business' - is, Baaravi Baadshah - transliterated as 12th King... I forgot his name - hence this nomenclature. His fund-a - take few thousands from each student for enrollment and hire teachers to teach subjects at various locations each week or fortnight as per availability and requirement - call it outsourcing. So the outsourced teacher, will be paid an amount - of about Rs. 300/- per lecture and the actual fees if calculated per lecture from the amount fully paid by student is about Rs. 500/- to Rs. 700/- on an estimate.

What the students will learn from different teachers changing every week or fortnight is definitely an issue to be looked upon, I wonder how the teacher himself or herself would be confused what is the topic they are teaching or supposed to teach the students.

School and economics

During my recent trip to Nasik earlier this month, one late evening while driving back to M’s place in K’s car along with his son - we came across a school off Jail-Road (I would not want to name it). It is not a very well to do ‘amenity-wise’ school according to current standards, I've heard from many that this school has produced lots of toppers in Nasik city for SSC board exams - when I studied in Devlali and later too.

When we crossed this school, K told his son that if he doesn't study well, he will send him to this school next year – where he doesn’t need a uniform, he can go in shorts and vests, and that he will not be treated well by others there – in short giving it a feel and look of corporation or municipal schools.

I was not amused, but shocked to hear this. I think it’s not only the school which plays a role in shaping an individual, but the interests and characteristics of the individual himself or herself. And that most of our parents and grandparents studied in those type of schools, and we are today what we are due to them.

All this was in comparison to the school the little boy was admitted to for the upcoming academic year 2008 at kindergarten level – and the fees is Rs. 30000 annually, apart from other expenses later maybe - and of course the ‘blah blah’ the school will have to offer (like real estate builders these days).

It’s not the comparison of schools or fees which mattered more here. As a father, my cousin might be doing the best to give his son every 'affordable' thing he can, but why give a wrong impression about other schools – and for what reason?? Is it societal strata or ego? Or is it the anger on the ‘reserved class’, here it is the reserved class person or even open category maybe - who really can’t afford to send their little ones to a school where fees is 30k ?

Coming to school economics now -

• My paternal grandfather ran away from his home in Tanjore because his father did not allow him to study 10th standard as the fees was Re. 1/-.
• My mother and her siblings studied in Karur and Trichy (TN), and fees was Rs. 5/- (if run by a NGO) and Rs. 15/- for other schools.
  
• My father and his siblings studied in Pune, fees was Rs. 15/- to Rs. 20/- annually.
• My elder cousins who studied in 70's and 80's - fees would have been about Rs. 700/- to Rs. 900/- annually.
• For me and my brother, parents say it was about Rs. 2000/- annually.
• My younger cousins (very few) studied with fees around Rs. 4000/- to Rs. 5000/- annually in early 2000's.
• Current generation of my nieces and nephews – are studying at Rs. 30000/- and more annually, plus other costs of 'tuitions' and 'coaching classes' - for those who crossed KG level and are in 2nd to 7th grades range now.
• Some 8-10 years down the lane, when mine or my brother's kids will go to school - what could fees range be?

My dear retired banker mother says that in this generation - one has to be sure of being done with repaying of loans like housing, or car, or whatever... before they have kids or send kids to school. Hmmm!

I also wonder, what is the purpose of all this education in any school - if we simply want to end up recognizing and loving or hating others - either by caste, religion, sect or some or the other reason.

Six year old kid's point of view - school and college

An incident narrated by my sister in law ( SIL ) in Chennai who used to teach at MOP Vaishnav College. One of the other professors used to get her six year old kid (daughter)to the college on few Saturdays especially during culturals and stuff, it seems. Once my SIL had a chocolate in her hand, and the conversation goes as:

SIL : "Unnakku school pidikuma illa college pidikuma ?"
(Translation: Do you like school or college? )

Kid : "College".

SIL : "Yen, school yen pidikaadhu?"
(Translation: Why don't you like school?)

Kid : "Ippo enna, school pidichurku nu sonna dhaan andha chocolate aa tharuvela ?? "
(Translation: Now what?? Only if I say I liked school more - are you gonna give me that chocolate ?? )

Dumbfounded with the answer, SIL handed over the chocolate to her

SIL : "Now tell me why do you like college more?"

Kid : There is always some music or dance program going on in college, unlike school where I have to study.