दृष्टिकोण – Indra's Viewpoint

Two recent media reports about the performances of the students and the teachers of Indian school systems were nothing but shocking.

Let us start with the performances of the teachers. In a recent teachers’ eligibility test, conducted by the Tamil Nadu Recruitment Board, as many as 42,000 out of 6.5 lakh teachers who took the test did not know how to fill the application forms and committed a variety of mistakes, including omission to fill their names in the allotted column. Even if this could be excused, when the answer sheets were evaluated, only 2,448 could be declared to have passed.

According to the Central Board of Secondary Education, last year, 795,000 candidates took the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET). More than 99% of these candidates failed to pass the test. CTET certification is mandatory to become a teacher for grades one to eight in central government schools.

It is unfortunate that the teachers, quite a large percentage of them, besides being poorly qualified are also not motivated and focused enough to improve their own performance and, in turns, that of their students. It is they who are, without any excuses, to find the ways and means for their students to learn rather than passing examinations. By self study and a little devotion to the task, all the employed teachers can improve their knowledge to teach better. If necessary, they themselves can take tuition from the senior and dedicated teachers. There might have been certain erosion in the values regarding the traditional respectability for the teachers’ community, but it is for them to build it up. Teaching must be apolitical profession and the teachers must be kept out of the extra-academic assignments for the election or census.

The second report is about the deteriorating standards of learning in the primary schools as per the latest one by Pratham, a Mumbai-based NGO, ASER 2012:

“According to the report, around 13% of children in grades one to five could not read at all and around 11% were not able recognize numbers from one to nine. Only 46.8% of all children in grade five were able to read a grade two level text. This number, in fact, has been declining over the past two years from 53.7% in 2010 and 48.2% in 2011. In mathematics, too, there has been a significant drop. In 2010, 70.9% of the children enrolled in grade five were able to solve simple two-digit subtraction problems with borrowing. This proportion declined to 61% in 2011 and 53.5% in 2012.”

It is shameful for the teachers’ community. However, as the majority of the teachers are teaching only up to class V in a primary school and that can be improved only if the teachers work hard and honestly with a mission, if necessary for extra hours of teaching. Only the respective teachers can innovate the ways and means to get over all the problems. Teachers must impress on the children the need of education and success that it brings. Teachers must be made accountable and the black sheep must be weeded out, if they do not show interest in taking their responsibility on their own.

I shall like to give some tips below for the teachers working for the children of deprived class in the country.

1. Use motivating stories, be it of Arjuna about the need of focusing on the task, or of Eklavya emphasizing the importance of self-study, or of Bopdev for the need of practising again and again.
2. Create and activity centres with locally available materials and cheap equipment such screw drivers, pliers, mud, bricks, and whatever, you get. Reserve few hours of the week to allow the children to show their creativity. Allocate an hour or less every day for sports, music and games.
3. Set up a library with donation and fix a library hour for every child. Encourage the child to report or at least talk about what he learns by reading. Have multiple copies of books such as Bharat ke Baigyanik, History of scientists of ancient India.
4. Call the parents of the child and appeal them to learn from their wards as that can further the learning of the child.
5. Encourage the children to form informal groups and learn collectively while helping each other.
6. Convince them with stories that they can get over all the hurdles if they sincerely try to find a way out, and sky is the limit of attaining what they aspire and if they work hard without any godfather or wealth of the parents.

I wish the educationists would have agreed for the change in curricula for up to secondary class VIII as suggested below:
A. Teach the vernacular and English together. Emphasise on increasing the vocabulary of the, grammar, writing, speaking and reading. Abandon the Traditional way of teaching a lesson and expect the children to answer question on the subject by rote learning. Drop all subjects such as history, geography, hygiene, science as separate subject and incorporate the stories in the content of the language gradually. Ensure that after eight years of teaching of the vernacular, every child attains the proficiency in writing and speaking the languages well. Use digital aids both audio and video for the language.

B. The second subject must be mathematics starting with arithmetic and tables, where the learning must based on real life applications.

The government and the private entrepreneurs entering education sector must focus on the primary schools, more so in rural India. The quality education at the primary level will only ensure the quality at all level of higher education.

Even today with improved enrolment in schools, there are around 4 percent children out of the schools and that is huge number in absolute sense.

One more suggestion from my side is for the government. As there is hardly any supervision on the working of the rural schools and their working, every panchayat must elect a member specifically for education. This member preferable may be a retired senior teacher, or some from defence forces or someone really interested and committed about improving the education of the community.

The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) declared the sixth accused a minor on the basis of school certificate provided by a government school in Badaun, and his case will be heard by the board. As per the media report, the juvenile was the one who allured the couple to come in the bus for their destination that was a total lie, and he was the one who assaulted her brutally. And he will be one who will be the state’s guest in a reform house and get out of it soon.

Can the school certificate be believed? Has it not been procured on a payment just to get the criminal out or to save the son of the soil by placing him in juvenile age from the many years of imprisonment for the heinous rape crime? Had the school recorded the date of birth on the basis of any document? Was the date or age recorded by the school clerk or the concerned teacher on their own estimate at the time of admission? As reported, ‘the mother of the juvenile accused was not sure about the exact date and time of birth of her son. Besides, the natives of the accused’s village too seemed unclear about his birth date.’

It is but understandable. In my whole village, my grandfather had only recorded the birth dates of our family members. Neither my mother nor my wife or any one in their family knew their exact birth dates. So the birth certificate from the school can’t be a proof of his being juvenile.

I don’t know how the upper age of a juvenile has been fixed at eighteen. As per Indian scriptures, the age is to be sixteen, if not lower now. At least Chanakya, the pioneer on the knowledge of statecraft writes: “Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends.
”लालयेत् पंच वर्षाणि दश वर्षाणि ताडयेत् ।
प्राप्ते तु षोडशे वर्षे पुत्रं मित्रवदाचरेत् ॥
Laalayet pancha varshaani dasha varshaani taadayet
Praapte tu shodashe varshe putram mitravadaacharet

So the maximum age of a juvenile would have been sixteen years.

However, my logic is different. A juvenile such as one involved in Delhi gang case doesn’t belong to that category that may alright for a developed country. In our country for 60 percent or more of the population, a boy gets married at around the age of ten. He starts discussing sexual pleasures of all kinds with his friends and getting into the act of sex with his wife. When such a person goes for the act of rape and particularly in a group, he is as good as or as bad as adults. There can’t be any reason for treating such a person differently and certainly not excused for being juvenile. Further, as the fellow looked like a juvenile, the rest of the adults used the fellow for advancing their cause.

Considering the brutality of the case, the juvenile board would not have allowed the criminal as juvenile. I doubt that in our country we are having reform houses where the reformation takes place. At least I have not heard of any. Interestingly, the government is still thinking of reducing the age.

स्‍कूल के दिनों की एक याद है ख़ाना बनाने से सम्बधित ।उन दिनों मैं और मुक्तेश्वर चाचा थे बिरलापुर में ।चाचाजी मुझसे तीन साल आगे थे स्‍कूल में ।वे १९५२ में स्कूल फाइनल दिये, मैं १९५५ में । अच्छा खाना बना लेते थे। एक दिन सबेरे चाचाजी सब्‍जी, दाल बना मुझे चावल जो चूल्हे पर था उसे ठीक दस मिनट बाद उतार देने को समझा अपने ट्यूशन के लिये चले गये ।उस समय मैं पढ़ रहा था, पता नहीं कैसे मुझे अपनी ज़िम्मेवारी का जरा भी ख़्याल नहीं रहा । अलम्युनियम का पतिला पूरी तरह गल गया, पानी निकाल चूल्हा बुझ गया और चावल भी राख हो गया, पर मुझे पता नहीं चला ।जब घंटे बाद याद आइ तो देखकर बहुत क्षोभ हुआ ।चाचाजी लौटने पर देखे, पर कुछ नहीं कहे ।दादाजी को बहुत दिनों बाद यह कहानी बताया गया ।

हिंदमोटर्स में भी एकबार बच्चों के लिये रसोइ में कुछ प्रयोग करना पड़ा था, क्योंकि यमुना गांव गयी थीं और नौकर अचानक गायब हो गया था ।और उस खाने के स्वाद की बाद में भी चर्चा होती रही थी ।

अगस्त २०१२ में अमरीका से लौटने के बाद से मेरी रुचि खाना बनाने में हो गयी है । और अब मुझे इसमें आनंद आने लगा है । यमुना बार बार मुझे इससे हटाना चाहतीं हैं, पर मैं नहीं चाहता । मै सभी सब्जियाँ, दाल बना लेता हूँ । चावल तो राइस कुकर में बन जाता है । पिछले चार महीनों में कोइ गलती नहीं हुइ हैं और रोज़ मेरा आत्म बिशवास बढ़ता जा रहा है ।हां, रोटी नही बना पाता हूँ ।यद्यपि मैं देर से सीखा, पर इस बिधा की जानकारी बहुत जरूरी है जिंदगी सुचारू रूप से चलाने के लिये ।

स्‍कूल के दिनों में जरूरत नहीं पड़ा । नौकरी में बराबर नौकर रहे । पर आज अच्छा नौकर मिलना बड़े भाग्य की बात है ।पर मै निश्चित रूप से कह सकता हू अपनी जानकारी हर रूप में लाभदायक ही होगी । मैं तो रसोइ में काम करते हुए उसमें प्रबंधन और प्राद्योगिकि के सिधान्‍तों के उपयोग के बारे में सोचता रहता हूँ । बहुत नयी बिधा से समय और श्रम कम किया जा सकता है ।पर भारतीय रसोइ में कुछ कार्य बहुत तकलीफ देनेवाले होते हैं और इसके लिये कुछ नये उपकरणों का इजाद करना जरूरी है ।प्याज, लहसुन को छिलना एक दुस्तर कार्य है । इसीतरह सब्‍जी बनाने का एक राइस कुकर की तरह उपकरण होना चाहिये । आज से कुछ बर्षों बाद नौकर शायद ही मिले, उचित और बहुउपयोगी उपकरण इस समस्या का हाल बन सकते हैं ।कुछ आदतें भी बदलने से खाना बनाना समस्या न हो, एक मनोरंजन का साधन बन सकता है ।

आज परिबार छोटा होता जा रहा है और सदस्यों की संख्या दो जो फिर एक बहूत जल्दी ही हो जाती है । स्वत: ही खाना बनाना हर दृष्टि से फायेदे की चीज है ।

हां, एक चीज और । घर की महिलाएं, बिशेष कर भारतीय, कभी नहीं चाहती पुरूषों का रसोइघर पर अधिकार, अत: सावधानी से काम करना जरूरी है ।

I don’t know if I should believe the claim of the faculty of Amity University being the only university of the country filing 400 patents. On the channels of NDTV, an advertisement comes quite regularly with this content. Last year it was advertising with its strength of 100 PhDs in its faculty busy in research work. I wish it to be correct and be example for other private and state universities. Are these advertisements for attracting aspiring students passing class XII from different education boards of the country or for convincing the regulatory authorities about its infrastructure? However, it is certainly a good marketing of the educational institute.

Indian universities have lagged behind in focusing on R&D. I still don’t know if it is because of the inferior quality of the faculty in the universities or the scarcity of fund for the necessary infrastructure. Unfortunately, more than anything else, it is lack of zeal required for research work and innovation and deteriorating dedication in the profession that was a very respectable one once.

I came across a good programme on two private B-Schools of the country on CNN-IBN recently. However, there is difference in claims in ads and the reports that the channel prepares and transmits for the information of the general public. I wonder these are not the paid ones sponsored by the institutes for its publicity. Many of these institutes are claiming today about its research programme.

However, the serious most for good education for any country is its primary education system that lays the foundation of the knowledge society.

India has perhaps the largest student community in the world. However, the primary schooling, particularly in rural India, is of very poor quality and this is the challenge that India must face with all its resources including the assistance from India Inc, and its mandatory CSR. As per the recent reports the country has seen a tremendous rise in enrolment going up to 96 percent, but the number of dropouts between primary school and higher institutes are extremely high and certainly unacceptable, as it means poor productivity of the teaching system.

India has already got successful models of schools in Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalayas and many in private sector. And some of the leading business houses such as Ambanis, Tatas, Birlas, and many willing ones must adopt 100 rural schools each to take education of the right quality to the remote villages in next five years.

It is the need of the day and was clear in the emphasis that President Pranab Mukherji in his Republic Day Address: “Education is the ladder that can help those at the bottom to rise to the pinnacles of professional and social status. Education is the mantra that can transform our economic fortunes and eliminate the gaps that have made our society unequal. So far education has not reached, to the extent desired, to those most in need of this ladder. India can double its growth rate by turning today’s disadvantaged into multiple engines of economic development.”

The government departments must save from its expenditure and spend in setting up hundreds of schools of proven models, one in every panchayat of the country. Let us look at the tremendous potentials of the country through these numbers: The number of school children is 226.7 million school students as per the most recent 8th All India Education Survey (AIES) and as many as 1.3 million schools, which means that on the average there was a school for every 173 students. What will be the potential impact of the schooling system if there are no dropouts and each child in school system could go for the higher education or certain employable skill training?

We keep on hearing the news of closing down of private colleges of management and engineering because of the lack of the students not coming for the entrance. School education, particularly in rural India, must get the maximum attention of all, be it government, be it India Inc. or NGOs and philanthropists.

A question always haunts me. Can the prescriptions from ancient India help it to get over the present problems that one sees almost every day through the prism of media both print as well as digital? Given below are some from one of the pioneer of statecraft from the period Chandragupta Maurya, CHANAKYA also known as , Kautilya and Vishnugupta.

“Learn from the mistakes of others… you can’t live long enough to make them all yourselves!!”

“A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.”

“Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.”

“There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.”

“Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions – Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead.”

“As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it.”

“The world’s biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman.” Is the later on sexist?

“Once you start working on something, don’t be afraid of failure and don’t abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.”

“The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction.”

“God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple.”

“A man is great by deeds, not by birth.”

“Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness.”

“Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends.”

“Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person.”

“Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth.”

I wish the government, India Inc., NGOs, focus on education with its right definition. Without sufficient education and universal skilling, the country can’t become an economic or knowledge super power/ It may be difficult to compete with China in many fields, but India must compete with China by imparting of good education to all.

आज भी मेरे गांव में या पूरी पंचायत में कोइँ योग्यता प्राप्त डाक्टर नहीं है ।बचपन में थोड़े दूर के गांव सोनाडिह के पंडितजी आते थे या बुलाये जाते थे ।शायद वे होमोपैथी या आयुर्वेदिक गोलियां देते थे, पर उनकी घोड़ी एवं उनकी सफेद मिर्जइ हमें बड़ी प्रभावित करती थीं । मुझे उनके इलाज की कभी जरूरत नहीं पड़ी । थोडा बड़े होने पर एक मौला नाम कें होमियोपैथ आने लगे । और फिर तो हमारे पड़ोस के श्री भगवानजी दवाइयां देने लगे, कहाँ पढ़े मालूम नहीं ।मुझे हरदम इन डॉक्टरों से डर लगा रहता है ।मैं हर बार जब इनसे मिलता हूँ, इनसे अनुरोध करता हूँ, कोइ कडी अनजान दवा न दें ।पर हम सब रास भरोसे जिंदा हैं ।मैं खुद जब गावंं या ननिहाल जाता था अपने छोटे बच्चों के साथ, कभी कभी ऐसे ही डॉक्टरों से इलाज कराना पड़ता था और मैं हरदम डरा रहता था । आज देश की आजादी के ६६ साल बाधित भी मेरे गावं, ननिहाल, और वहाँ के चारो और के गांंवों में वैसी ही हालात है ।

डॉक्टरी का पेशा महत्वपूर्ण और मानवियता का है, और समाज में सदा सम्मानपूर्ण रहा है ।साधारणत: १२ वी कक्षा के बाद लड़के या लड़कियां मेडिकल शिक्षा के लिये जाते हैं । मेरे बड़े लड़के के दो साथी डाक्टर बने । एक के पिता तो डाक्टर थे हमारी कम्पनी के अस्पताल में, पर दूसरे के पिता फ़ैक्टरी के बिभाग में अफसर थे, मां भी सरकारी कर्मचारी थीं ।फिर अपने चचेरे भाइै, निर्मल के साले अखिलेश को डाक्टर बनते देखा । मैंने अपने दूसरे लड़के राजेश की शादी के लिये एक डॉक्टरी पढ़ती लड़की का चुनाव किया । हमारी धारणा थी अधिकाँश डॉक्टरों के लड़के डाक्टर बनना चाहते हैं ।हिंदमोटर में डा०मलय राय चोोधरी का लड़का डाक्टर बना, डॉ० बर्मन के तीन लड़कों में एक डाक्टर बना पाया । पर नयी पीढ़ी इस में बदलाव ला रही है । कल अपने पड़ोसी जो मिंया बीबी दोनों डाक्टर हैं के पिताजी मिल गये थे, समाचार पूछने पर बताये, डाक्टर दम्पति अमरीका गये हैं अपने बेटों के पास, दोनों में किसी ने डाक्टर बनना नहीं चाहा । मेरे अपने संम्बंधियों में न डॉ० कृष्णा के बच्चे, न अखिलेश के डाक्टर बने ।सबने यही कहा कि बच्चे डॉक्टरी पढ़ाइ और पेशे की तकलीफ को देखते हुए इस क्षेत्र में जाने से कतराते हैं ।फिर कंहा से आयेगें डॉक्टरी पढ़ने वाले ? डॉक्टरी की पढ़ाइ बहुत महंगी हो गयी है । प्राइवेट कॉलेज २०-२५ लाख लेते हैं । पूरे देश में ३३५ मेडिकल कालेज हैं जंहा केवल ४२,०००० के करीब छात्र लिये जा सकते हैं ।हर दो हजार की जनसंख्या पर औसतां एक डाक्टर है । सरकार २०२१-२२ तक प्रति १००० ब्यक्ति पर एक डाक्टर कर देने का बिचार रखती है मेडिकल कॉलेजों में ८०,००० सीटों की ब्यवस्था कर ।पर क्या देश के ८ लाख डाक्टर अपनी उत्पादकता बढ़ा लोगों को अच्छी सेवाएँ नहीं मुहया कर सकते ।

जनवरी ८ को मैक्स हॉस्पिटल में यमुना को डॉ० नीरू गेरा से दिखाना था ।आश्चर्य हुआ जब फीस के रकम के लिये सात सौ रुपये देने पड़े, दो साल पहले यह रकम चार सौ हुआ करता था । डाक्टर की फीस पर कोइ नियंत्रण नहीं है इस देश ।न कोइ तरीका है पता लगाने का कि कौन डाक्टर कितना योग्य है, जिसका जो चल जाये । ऊपर से कइ महंगे टेस्ट और महंगी दवाइयां ।किसी डाक्टर पर भरोसा ही नहीं आता । बचपन में सुनता था डाक्टर भगवान की तरह है, वह जिंदगी देता है ।

क्या डाक्टर बदलेंगे अपनी सोच ? पर वे भी क्या करें, जब उन पर ६ साल की पढाइ का लाखों के क़र्ज़े का भार हो ।

It was sometime in 1963 or so that I happened to attend the marriage of my very close friend Late RPDhingra, whom I still miss, in Allahabad. Late KKMangal had accompanied me. That was the time when I got a chance to take a dip at the sangam of the three rivers-Ganga, Yamuna and nonexistent Saraswati. There were hardly anyone. We had taken a boat from the fort side to reach Sangam. I still remember the clearly different colour of the water of the two rivers at the confluence.

Whenever the year of Kumbh have come, I wished like visiting the mela and mix with the unique gatherings of all sorts of sects of Hindus. But I have not been able to do that though I am now 73 plus. I keep on seeing the crowd on the screen of our TV and get a feel of awe and appreciation. We can’t make it any more at this age and perhaps we will not get salvation. I can hardly dare to get into that crowd of millions and the cold water.

Maha Kumbh Mela at Allahabad is billed as the biggest single religious gathering in the world. The mela (fair) will go on from Makar Sankranti on January 14, 2013 till February 25, 2013.

This year Kumbh has attracted the attention of Harvard University. The faculty and students of six of its departments are collaborating to understand the Kumbh Mela phenomenon under a project ‘Mapping India’s Kumbh Mela’: The Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health have come with both undergraduate and graduate students to Allahabad to engage with this “pop-up mega-city.”and to prepare a project report as a part of their academic assignment for one semester.

The website of South Asia Institute has a description of the arrangement of the mela that has attracted the Americans: As an infrastructures for the mela, “a temporary city is laid out on a grid, constructed and deconstructed within a matter of weeks; within the grid, multiple aspects of contemporary urbanism come to fruition, including spatial zoning, an electricity grid, food and water distribution, physical infrastructure construction, mass vaccinations, public gathering spaces, and nighttime social events.”

I don’t know if Indian institutes have already done similar studies about Kumbh Mela. However, to me Kumbh is one such occasion where the people from all parts of India come to get all the sins done knowingly or unknowingly cleaned with a dip in the water at the Sangam (confluence) and to obtain salvation. It certainly provides a rare opportunity. The ancient Hindu scriptures have given importance of these visits. Perhaps that was one way to make the people see the different parts of the country and to meet with the people from allowed the country.It kept the integrity of the country in tact.

The Kumbh at Prayag the other name of Allahabad reminds me of one of the legendary characters of Indian history, Harshbardhan. As the story goes, he used to go to all the Kumbh with everything in his treasure and give away to ‘Brahmans, Buddhist monks, poor and orphans’. At the end, he would give away the royal clothe that used to have on his body and ask his sister Rajyashree for a small clothe to cover his body and with the same he used to return to his capital.

I wish still to visit the mela once before it ends with Yamuna.
—-
PS: Why a Harvard Finance Instructor Went to the the Kumbh Mela

Published: January 25, 2013
Author: John D. Macomber

“Six months ago this land was under 30 feet of water. Three weeks from now this will become the largest city on earth, the largest single-purpose gathering of humanity in history. Every 12 years, when the moon and stars are aligned, this becomes the most auspicious spot in Hinduism, and there is a six-week-long festival, or mela, for the millions of pilgrims. The Maha Kumbh Mela is happening right now. It’s expected to draw close to 200 million people over almost eight weeks, and as many as 30 million in a single day. The Harvard team is here to learn about why and how.”

I have a hobby of my own. I keep on looking for the outstanding Indian scientists, technocrats, and managers in news reports in domestic as well as foreign media. In my opinion, the media doesn’t cover this community well. We know so much about the politicians, the cricketers and the movie actors only because of the media. Some of the business magazines keep on publishing the special issues on best educational institutes of the country. Why shouldn’t it also publish some special issues at least once in year or in two years about the 100 best teachers or scientists and their work in various institutes? It will be interesting if a special issue is focused on the 100 best technocrats or professional managers in India’s private and public sectors. On the similar lines, the country must also know some 20 best historians or literary giants or 15 best management thinkers.

From the press release of Infosys Prize 2012 I could dig some names from the juries and prize winners that I am giving here. The prize value of Rs.50 lakh is pretty lucrative. However, I feel this prize would have been only for the scientists working in Indian labs. I wish some of these scientists become one day Nobel laureates too.

The jury chairs for technology and sciences were: Prof. Shrinivas Kulkarni for Physical Sciences; Prof. Pradeep K. Khosla for Engineering & Computer Science; Prof. Srinivasa S. R. Varadhan for Mathematics; and Prof. Inder Verma for Life Sciences.

1.Prof. Shrinivas Kulkarni
Shrinivas Kulkarni, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), USA
Prof. Kulkarni’ s primary interests are the study of compact objects (neutron stars and gamma-ray bursts) and the search for extra-solar planets through interferometric and adaptive techniques.

2. Prof. Pradeep K. Khosla, Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego, and Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Khosla’s research interests encompass the areas of internet-enabled collaborative design, collaborating autonomous systems, agent-based architectures for distributed design and embedded control, software composition and reconfigurable software for real-time embedded systems, reconfigurable and distributed robotic systems, integrated design-assembly planning systems and distributed information systems.

3. Prof. Srinivasa S. R. Varadhan, Professor of Mathematics and Frank J. Gould Professor of Science at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, USA

4. Inder M. Verma, a professor in the Laboratory of Genetics and American Cancer Society Professor of Molecular Biology, is one of the world’s leading authorities on the development of viruses for gene therapy vectors. Dr. Verma uses genetically engineered viruses to insert new genes into cells that can then be returned to the body, where they produce the essential protein whose absence causes disease.

Below are the winners of this year’s prizes

1.Engineering and Computer Science
Dr. Ashish Lele, Scientist, National Chemical Laboratories (NCL), Pune, India. Dr. Lele was selected for his work on smart gels which is based on the notion of connecting molecular properties to microscopic properties. This has potential impact in areas including soft actuators, smart drug delivery devices and stitch-less wound healing.

2. Life Sciences
Dr. Satyajit Mayor, Professor of Cellular Organization and Signaling at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, India.
Dr. Mayor was recognized for his breakthrough contributions that provide new insights into regulated cell surface organization and membrane dynamics. His work has helped in understanding the state of the cell – healthy or diseased conditions, and also the cell’s function of being able to control and remodel the processes that happen inside it. This is fundamental to any understanding of the cell – medical or biotechnological.

3.Mathematical Sciences
Prof. Manjul Bhargava, Professor of Mathematics, Princeton University, Princeton, U.S.A. Prof. Bhargava was recognized for his extraordinarily original work in algebraic number theory. His work has revolutionized the way in which various fundamental arithmetic objects, such as elliptic curves are understood. Number Theory as a field finds application in cryptography, coding theory, internet transmissions and credit card security.

4. Physical Sciences
Dr. Ayyappanpillai Ajayaghosh, Senior Scientist, National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Thiruvananthapuram, India.
Dr. Ajayaghosh was rewarded for his pioneering development of methods for the construction of supramolecular functional materials. These materials can be used for sensing other molecules and also for imaging certain biological molecules that may be responsible for diseases; and can therefore be used for detecting diseases in their early stages. These materials may also be used as a security label for documents and for currency.

The news about the scientists will certainly inspire the students deciding to go for the higher education and joining teaching and R&D as profession.The industry must recognize these highly educated persons and use them with sufficient enough remunerations.

मेरे शब्द कम पड गये हैं
मुझे अपने पर, अपने देश पर
शर्म आने लगी है ।
अपने देश के पुरूषों पर भी
मर्दानगी दिखाने के
घिनौनेपन पर भी 
पुरुष के पशुवत
आचरण पर भी ।
लड़ी पर हार गई
और सबको झकझोर गयी
सड़कों पर उतरी भीड़
दिल्ली की सर्दी में
दिन में रात में
मोमबत्ती हाथ में 
गले में लटकाये पोस्टर
और मुंह से बरसते
अंगारें ।
निर्भया शायद मर
कर अमर बनी
वह सब दे गयी
उन सबको जो शायद
जी कर न दे पाती ।

दिसम्बर २३ से लगता था मौसम कोहरा आच्छन सबेरे का आ गया । दिल के बीमार ब्यक्ति को ऐसे मौसम में घूमने की सलाह नहीं दी जाती है । पर एक बार घर से न निकलने पर घुटन सी महशुश होती है । फिर घर की कुछ आवश्यक चीजें भी लानी होती हैं, जैसे दूध, सब्‍जी । याद आती हैं पुरानी बातें और यादें, घने से घने कोहरे में भी काम पर जाना पड़ता था ।हमारे देश में घर से काम करने का चलन तब तो एकदम ही नहीं था, शायद आज भी बहुत लोकप्रिय नहीं हुआ है, नहीं तो बहुत समस्यायों का समाधान हो जाता । सड़कों पर वाहनों की संख्या कम हो जाती । दुर्घटनाएं कम होती ।भयंकर ट्राफिक में कमी आती। अगर e-shopping लोकप्रिय हो जाता जैसा अमरीका, यूरोप और यहाँ तक की चीन में है और हमारे यहाँ भी हो रहा है, सड़कों की भीड़ भी कम हो जाती। पर शायद यहाँ के कर्मचारियों पर उनके मालिक बिशवास नहीं करते । हम कामचोर जाति के हैं ।हम एक दूसरे की ईमानदारी पर भरोसा नहीं रखते । उद्योग क्षेत्र हो या शिक्षा का केंद्र, सभी जगह एक ही हाल है ।

सर्दी के मौसम की एक और खासियत है, खाने की चीजें – विशेषत: सब्‍जी, फल की बत होती हैः और सस्ती भी मिलतीं हैं कुछ खास को छोड़ । आलू, गोभी, गाजर, मूली, शलगम, मटर, सेव, केनु, नारंगी और पता नईं क्या, क्या । एक लड़की यमुना की सहायिका अभी है, अत: कभी पकौड़ा, कभी गाजर का हलवा, कभी हरे ताजे मटर की दाल या बिहार स्पेशल मटर का भभरा बना जाता है ।गांव की याद आती है बचपन की- सर्दी के मौसम में गांव में नाश्ते के लिये बहुत सारी चीजें बनती थी- तिलवा, हल्दी और मेथी लड्डू, या सबेरे में लिटी-चौखा और दोपहर में खेतोंं में मटर या चने का होरहा । जीभ कंहा उम्र की मजबूरी को समझ पाती है ?

सर्दी के मौसम के कपड़े भी ज़्यादा आकर्षक होते है । कुछ लोग तो रोज़ ही अपना स्वेटर तक बदलते रहते हैं ।पर तुलसीदास जी सर्दी को दुखदायक मानते हुए लिखते हैं- ‘सीता सीत निशा सम आई’, मंदोदरी रावण से कहती है सुंदरकांड में और उन्हे श्रीराम को लौटा दे।

असल बात यह है कि सर्दी में गर्मी की अच्छाइयों का ध्यान आता है, और गर्मी में सर्दी अच्छी बन जाती है ।हम वर्तमान में संतोष करना सीखते ही नहीं । पर इस साल सर्दी भयानक पड रही है । पारा १.५ ०C तक आ गया है दिल्ली में, नोयडा में ज़्यादा ही कम होगा । घर से बाहर निकलना मुश्किल है । घर में भी संगमरमर के कारण सर्दी असह्य हो रही है । हमारी दुनिया केवल अपने गर्म बेड रूम में सिमट कर रह गयी है । क्या यह मौसम का परिवर्तन है ? अतिसभ्य और सम्पन्न देश इसके कारण हैं ।

और इस सर्दी में एक ख़्याल और आता है, उन पांच लाख लोगों का । कैसे समय काटते होंगे दिल्ली की सड़कों पर खुले आसमान के नीचे? देश उन्हे एक रैन बसेरा भी नहीं दे सकता रात बिताने के लिये । और रैन बसेरा बनाने का करोड़ों कुछ भद्र कहानेवाले खा पी कर हजम कर जाते हैं ।