Religious fanatics sabotaging Kerala's secular culture!

Looks like Kerala is no more the pieceful, secular, God's own country... Recent incidents prompt me to think that way..Early this week, northern Kerala witnessed one of the most criticised religious outrage and narrow mindedness when religious fanatics attacked the sisters of Missionaries of Charity!! They are the ones respected across the world for their outstanding contributions to the upliftment of the downtrodden.. The miscreants alleged that the sisters were trying for religious conversions in their areas of operations, mainly among the poor, for whom even one meal a day is a luxury.. The sister superior refuted the allegation by revealing some statistics.. To say the least, their driver is a Hindu, who has been with them for the last 20 years or so.. Is he a christian now? Did they ever propose a conversion? I would love to believe No.

And a couple days after this gruesome incident, a church in this city was set on fire. The altar was destroyed completely!! All this happening in a 100% literate and secular state.....

It is time to take stock.. What do education (which translates to literacy?) mean to us? Do the educated youth of today grow up to be mature and responsible citizens? Or are they just becoming pawns under those demagogues, the wicked and narrow minded politicians, who play dirty games to win over the opponents!

So, it is time to isolate these religious fanatics.. It is time to think and behave more pragmatically to prevent any further sabotaging of our religious tolerance, harmony and peace! And be it the God's Own Country in the true sense...

so long
roy

Introducing career options to school kids!

Today I wrote a small piece for an NGO involved in educating bonded child workers. They need to introduce different career options to children in the age group 6-13..

Well, here goes my piece!

Kindergarten Teacher

Dealing with kids in the age group of 3-4yrs, those little bundles of joy, is fun indeed! Playing hide and seek with them is seemingly easy. It’s plain simple and straight forward. The kids understand what you are up to, what you are trying to teach them. But teaching a child to sing a song, paint a picture as specified and to write numbers and alphabets is altogether a different game! It requires immense patience, love and a hundred percent dedication to what you do. At times, you need to recite a rhyme a thousand times. The same goes true for action songs etc. And teaching them numbers and alphabets is no child’s play either! While there are prescribed syllabi and textbooks for teaching in higher classes, teaching in KG classes requires creativity and boundless imagination. You need to device new strategies each time a new aspect, which involves some learning, is introduced.

If you love being with kids, this profession is for you. All you need is a Montessori Certificate or a Nursery Teacher’s Diploma, after your Plus-Two! Being with a bunch of kids, all 3-4 year olds is an experience; it is like you are in a beautiful garden with flowers all around! And remember, you are the gardener grooming those lovely flowers!

so long
roy

Careful when you leave a job...

yeah, today i was reading through Janet Murray's article on this topic. this is my second job in life and i had to say quits just once:-, well i didn't make any farewell speach either.. the guys there were pretty cool and professional.. made lots of friends, was active in the clubs, dramatics, literary etc..

as the author puts in, leaving a job in a ceremonious way has its own blessings... you never know when you would end up right back to square one.. hehe.. can't help recollecting a similar incident from my previous organization.. the guy was a senior, in his early forties, kinda famous for his genteel and chivalric manners.. he quit mid-way to join an MNC in the city... the farewell speech he made was inflammatory.. plain insults and bashings galore... well, people were upset by this callous attitude of a guy of his stature! three yrs down the line, recession hit the SW industry.. job cuts rudely threw off thousands across the country.. this gentleman lost his job.. well, much to his chagrin, he was found requesting for a contract position with his earlier firm, which he had bashed in full throats.. humiliating, to say the least!!

so, here goes my two cents, beware, be gentle and nice when you make a farewell speech!

so long..
roy

Random thoughts..

yeah.. been away from blogging for a while.. life has not been that easy going as i wanted to be.. office work, parenting, studies (oh.. yeah, i prepare for CAT this year!!)..

the year ahead is more important for me for reasons more than one.. trying my hands at CAT again, dreaming an IIM education.. i am sensible enough to apply only for the doctoral programme (fellow programme, as it is christened by IIMs) in information systems area, which would give me an opportunity to learn the underlying principles of management and to continue further in an area where i have put in almost 10 yrs. of experience... so, here is a dream.. get into an IIM (A, B or C, doesn't matter where I end up), graduate as a Fellow and opt for a career in teaching and some consultancy.. nothing like it.. u wont really realize the beauty of my dream, however articulate i am, in explaining my career plans..

yeah.. struggling with basic school math for CAT is tough.. even if i manage to tame math, there comes DI... it is just life and death, fight it out with people half my age and win!! i am excited!! God bless me this time...

and the times are yet again crucial for my wife as well. she had to forgo her job as a Research Associate with her alma mater (college of agriculture, trivandrum) a few months ago to take care of our son... nowthat my sis has come down to look after him till december, she has started dreaming again.. applying for bank po posts and preparing hard to get through.. so.. the year ahead is important for the family.. God bless us!

Blame it on ???

he.. true... cant help thinking about the higher education sector in Kerala.. it is in absolute peril... ran outta all adjectives to qualify the state..

u just turn around and ask the auto guy for the nearest engineering college.. throw off rs. 10 (thats the minimum fare), and u are there, in front of a newly built (assembled) engineering collage (yes, i mean it.. collage)... courses galore, specializations galore.. starting with MCA to BTech to MBA.. hehe... believe me, it sucks... u dont really need to crack the state entrance.. a rank of 38000 will get u a BTech in IT (the buzz word today!)... i would say, all idiots clearing +2 in kerala would end up with a seat in an engineering college... but the future doesnt seem to be rosy for most of them.. getting an admit and getting placed are different matters altogether..

the bottom line... the cream of the batch go to the venerable instis in the state.... College of engineering, Trivandrum, TKM Kollam, MACE Kothamangalam, GEC Trichur, NSS Palakkad, GEC Kannur and REC Calicut (present NIT)... others end up in the typical run of the mill types...

PS: i would envisage a plethora of job openings for commerce grads (who are in short supply) compared to the techies... but then who would dare to choose BCom over engineering? blame it on the snobbish parents...