Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child!

Ever wondered what direction India’s education system is heading towards?

It would be good if all Indian parents hear Raghu Raman’s TEDx talk at IIT BHU published on 26^th June 2015 in YouTube. The talk is titled “Order in Chaos”! In one part Raghu categorically states “sweat in peace, sweat in peace, so that you don’t have to bleed in war”. Raghu talks eloquently about our young armed forces – a crop of courageous, brave, intelligent, self-less, die-hard, never compromising men. Compare this to the modern day graduates and under graduates (XII – Standard POF; pass or fail)…do they ever struggle in their 12, 15 or 16 years of their academic career these days?

As parents, we need to take a good percentage of blame for the evolution in upbringing that has slowly creeped in. With the new norm of nuclear families, DIOK – double income one kid we have become over protective to the point of stifling our children’s growth. We want them to have the best of every comfort so that they can live our dreams. Do we ever take a moment and reflect on the child’s likes and strengths and then propel them in a direction of their choice? Hardly! This doesn't in any way mean that all parents are uniformly alike, there are exceptions…and we only wish there were more such kind of parents around as a guide or a mentor. Then there families with no regular sources of income. Not knowing when or where the next family meal would come from, educating their young is never a priority.

In the same breadth, students too must stop blaming their parents for not having done enough. J K Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series in her graduation day speech at Harvard Business School has said this so nicely: “There has to be an expiry date to the blame you pile on your parents.” Wake up boys and girls, stop complaining about the decision your parents took on your behalf and instead, train yourselves hard to face the tough competitive world we live in today. There is no short cut to success!

A quick look at the metamorphosis in educating our young in the last 50 years. Back in my days in 60’s, 70’s and very early 80’s, each academic year used to be broken into three terms and it was made clear at the beginning what portions in each subject would be covered in each term. There was no question in not knowing what was in store during that one academic year. At the end of each week of class studies and associated home studies including homework, we used to have something called as unit test and this used to happen with clockwork regularity, every Friday. Performance in this unit tests would carry a weight-age in each of the three terms scorecard. It just meant that in order for a child to be promoted to the next higher standard, the scoring in the weekly unit tests and the three terms mattered. This was also a very good guide for the teachers to understand which child or student was falling back and what kind of support they required from the teachers. The parent-teachers meet would also be focussed on the score card – it served as a good measuring yardstick to check on the performance and rope in the parents when necessary. Besides the weekly unit tests, there would be surprise tests also – I suspect, teachers used this to get some free time to catch up on their own mounting paper work, not forgetting the time they had to spend on correcting test papers and homework. While they had their hands full, they never hesitated to give a free, frank and honest feedback to the parents regarding an erring child or a student lagging behind the average in the classroom. Some teachers were a terror; there was no hesitation to punish the wrong doers, but to be fair to them, we seldom saw a bias. In general, principals had no patience for complaints coming his or her way from any of their teachers. It would mean a solid rap on the knuckles of both hands or a kneel-down punishment just outside the classroom so that all other students of the school would get to see…you either felt publicly humiliated and became a rebel or learnt to rein in your ego and make corrections to never repeat your mistake.

Fast forward this to the modern day…it is a common sight to see parents lead their children to the front entrance of the schools. Had the principal been a bit lenient, these parents would lead their wards to their classrooms as well, and may be stay back for additional time until the school bell rang. A teachers role as an educator is indeed stressful these days as one cannot scold a child, let alone spank! The teachers cannot take the children to task if they do not complete their homework or project work. The unit tests, term and final exams at the end of each academic year are realms of the past. The grading system that has replaced the score card just does not say anything about the what the child / student has learned or what he / she has not learnt! To make it more liberal, we have done away with making students repeat the academic year for poor performance. With all the so called private schools and colleges charging exorbitant fees, the management I guess feels obligated to the parents donations and the first signs of complaint about a tough no-nonsense teacher, the principal gets rid of these educationists. It is a vicious circle, as all teachers are scared stiff about what they can or can’t do. An easy way out is to tolerate under-performance and just learn to look the other way, while it is time to promote them.

By the way, did I mention that in India, teachers in private schools and the government law enforcers are the most poorly paid? It would be incorrect to make a sweeping generalization, because there are still good and honest teachers around who take their work very seriously and perhaps we can apply the Pareto’s principle to state with some degree of confidence that 20% of our teachers make a positive mark in their student’s lives and we owe the country’s progress to these 20% of the teacher’s population.

The question is, if all are in agreement with the deteriorated education standards and have kind off accepted it as a way of life, then who is complaining? No marks for guessing this correctly!! It is the employment industry; and I am not specifying any one type…it includes just about all! Having spent the last 15 years in the ITES industry in various capacities, I can say this for sure that the quality of graduates who walk in to these organizations is a far cry from what these companies would like to hire, especially now. Could the situation have been different? I would say one hundred percent! It now makes sense to state what Raghu Raman has said in his TEDx talk: “Sweat in peace, sweat in peace, so that you don’t have to bleed in war!” His TEDx talk can be viewed from the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ-IBRGfJyY

Can we go back to our educational institutions and provide them with the right platform and freedom to educate our GenY so that they learn that nothing in life is a cake-walk. Studying and training hard, so hard that employment opportunities would be for their taking and not the other way around. Consider this, for every 100 graduates who walk in for an employment opportunity roughly 5 to 7% succeed and they succeed not because they are way above the rest, but because somewhere someone in these organizations took a decision that these are trainable folks. Companies spend a good 2 to 6 months training these new hires to help them reach a level from where they perhaps can be on their own, albeit with small ongoing support and encouragement. While the organizations can take comfort from the fact they are indirectly helping GenY  and brand this as a CSR activity, our successive governments must become aware that the “Chalega” or “Casual” approach to everything, starting from educational institutions is a retrograde step. A close analogy could be found in our airports in India. From the time a person enters the main terminal of any airport in India, he or she is subjected to 4 or 5 levels of security checks before finally being cleared to board the aeroplane. It is because the first security check at the entry takes it cool thinking that there are four ahead of me and If I miss anything, heavens are not going to fall down – let the others also take their job seriously! This is a sure shot way to mediocrity and pretty much, our education system has also followed on these footsteps. Is it a surprise then that none of India's 700 universities and 35,539 colleges has made it to the top 100 list?

The final question: By being over protective have we made the GenY too soft and sensitive to travel the turbulent roads in work life? I would once again say a one hundred percent! From the day of joining, the question on top of their mind is, “What’s in it for me?” The work environment has to be to their liking, as they come in with big expectations. Not finding those immediately leads to disappointment. God forbid, if one of the monthly feedback discussions goes a bit hard because of under-performance! It wouldn't surprise many in the organization, if this person did not return to work the following morning. Grow up boys and girls – a positive attitude, a willingness to learn new skills and a thirst for knowledge are the fundamentals that will help you flourish in your chosen field.

While we are pushing for “Make in India”, if we do not “Make it right, in India” the hopes of our politicians can at best remain a pipe dream to push growth to double digit figures. Brahmagupta or Aryabhata may have introduced “Zero” in mathematics or the concept of nothingness, on a different context, there is a danger in us being branded as a country of Zeros and not Hero’s!!       

Don't Burn your Bridges!

The phrase “Burning your Bridges” can be traced to military action of burning a bridge you have just crossed to prevent your enemy from crossing it after you. It also meant that it stops you from the thought of retreat and forces you to advance. In businesses today, ‘burning bridges’ could mean that there is no way of going back to the previous ways of doing things. It is a ‘push’ to enforce ‘change’ - a deliberate way to help people concentrate their minds on moving forward.

However and at a personal level, it is probably prudent not to burn your bridges as you progress in your career. Should you do a Google search on ‘Manpower Attrition’, invariably the top reason that comes up is that people don’t leave good organizations, they leave poor managers. The question that immediately pops up in the mind, “How could we not burn bridges, while leaving poor managers?” While there may not be a quick fix solution or a ready-made answer, it would still be wise to look back or reflect on the past incidence or incidences that culminated in the tearing need for a hasty departure.

It wouldn't be incorrect to say that building a relationship, whether at a personal or professional level requires sheer hard work, grit and determination, not discounting the element of investment on time! But for a small percentage, for a majority of entrants as salaried employees, their future is etched on the first job or profession they get into, whatever be their academic background. A Banker always remains a Banker! In the career spanning 30 years, he/she may hop around different banking organizations or choose to navigate within the various departments in a branch or move to other branches of the same banking institution, but this person remains firmly grounded in a bank. Likewise, it is the same for Life or Health Insurance folks, or engineers working in a particular type of Industry viz. Cement, Fertilizer, Steel. The more recent additions to this list would be IT and ITES/BPO with personnel movement being similar to the earlier examples in traditional Industries. Then there are professions which seemingly do not have an alternative – Doctors and Lawyers. So we thought, until the ITES/BPO came along with their need of people from these two professions to cater to the ever increasing need of the outsourcing industry. It is a rarity that folks from a particular industry change over to a completely different one without a compelling reason. I would certainly fall into this odd category since I moved from the engineering industry in air & water pollution control to the ITES/BPO sector – a distant cousin of the IT industry, twice or thrice removed!! Finally, the question all should be asking is, “What connection does the above have with burning bridges?”

While young, and fresh in the work environment, it isn't possible to fathom the 30 year career span ahead of us – it is but natural to take it one day at a time. With a single minded focus on ‘income’ we wait for the salary to be credited to our account at the end of each month and watch it quickly disappear with dismay. In the beginning, the new found financial independence but impatience written all over the DNA, emotions could be mercurial and erratic! What could complicate things further is the foolhardy thought that ‘nothing could be worse than the present situation’ and at the first signs of heated discussion with an immediate senior – ‘Quit’ is the thought that races across the mind. Young and temperamentally immature, the first casualty is ‘reasoning skills’ when your own mind is playing games. Before long you are fighting your way out of the organization and your manager.

Now, didn't I say that “It’s a small world!”

A couple of years later, and after hopping across a few organizations, there is a good chance that you will bump into the same first person you had an argument with and quit. While you can talk your way into this organization because of your added experience and a specific skill or knowledge gathered over time, the chances of building the bridge that you destroyed to say the least, would be uphill task and that too, on a very steep incline. Your situation would be much like the mythological story of the Greek “The myth of Sisyphus” – This King of Ephyra was condemned to an eternity of rolling a bolder uphill then watching it roll back down again. Could your situation have been different? If only you had played your cards smartly and made a smooth exit in an amicable manner, the situation may have been totally different, after all. It is also quite likely that you would have been welcomed at the new organization with open arms and you would have hit the ground running! Perhaps, the future too would have held immense promise.

While at war, it is a fight to finish, it absolutely isn't in professional life…paths between a subordinate and senior will cross multiple times, given the scenario that we tend to remain within the industry vertical we started our career with. A close analogy is Gmail’s tag line: “Why delete messages when you can archive and use later!” It is the emotional maturity that we display at each crossroad that determines each time, whether we make it or lose it! It only makes sense to strengthen your bridges and create for yourselves a lifetime of opportunities. Don’t Burn your Bridges!!

JyothirLinga Temple at Omkar Ashrama

For a few months, my wife and I had been planning to visit the Dwadasha Jyothirlinga’s in Omkar ashrama…and we finally made it yesterday, 29^th March 2015. About 9 KM’s from where we live, this ahsrama is situated on the Uttarahalli – Mysore road (Kengeri - connector). This location is more familiarly known as Srinivasapura.

Situated on a hillock, this temple has been conceptualized and constructed under the directions of Sri Sri Shivapuri Mahaswamiji, who founded the Omkara Ashrama Mahasamsthana in the year 1992 – some 23 years back in Bengaluru! Construction of this temple started in the year 2002 and the consecration was conducted on 16^th February 2011. This temple complex houses a replica of the 12 Jyothirlingas across India. The Jyothiralinga shrines are places where Lord Shiva is believed to have appeared as a fiery column of light. Originally believed to be 64 in number,  12 of them are considered to be the most auspicious and holy. These are at Somnath (Gujarat), Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh, Mahakaleshwara at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwara in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, Bhimashankar in Maharashtra, Vishwanath at Kashi (Varanasi) in Uttar Pradesh, Triyamabakeshwara in Maharashtra, Vaidyanath in Deogharh at Jharkhand, Aundha Naganath in Maharashtra, Rameshwara at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, and Grishneshwara near Aurangabad at Maharashtra. These are listed in the order that they must be visited during pilgrimage.

What is unique about this temple complex:

The gopuram at the main entrance door to the temple complex is built under the traditional Dravadian style. Traditionally the gopurams are a dominant feature of a temple’s outer appearance and even overshadows the temples inner sanctum with its colossal size. Rectangular at its base, a gopuram is geometrically similar to the frustum of a pyramid. Gopurams are exquisitely decorated with sculpture and carvings and painted with a variety of themes from the Hindu mythology. And so is the one at the main entrance to this temple complex. However, the similarity ends here.

The two areas where temple architecture developed most markedly were the Deccan and Orissa style. In the Orissa style the temple tower over the main shrine, also called Vimana, is tall and cylindrical constructed on a square base and is situated right above the Garbha Griha (Gudi), unlike the southern style Gopuram which is a glorified entrance gate. The architect perhaps, wanted to give prominence to the God’s abode over all other buildings in the immediate vicinity and surrounding neighbourhood. The Orissan spire proclaims the presence of God far and wide, from its lofty and imposing structure. It is this style that has been adopted at Bengaluru’s dwadasha Jyothirlinga temple. Taking advantage of the natural elevation at Srinivasapura, this architecture style combined with a cluster of miniature towers gives it a distinct look that catches the eye while travelling on the Uttarahalli road.

Considering that 2 out 12 Jyothir Lingas are in the south, namely Srisaila and Rameshwara, the Vimana Gopurams above these two Garbha Griha (Gudi) is built in the Dravidian style, while the remaining 10 have Vimana Gopurams or spire, built in the Orissan style.

The devotee’s path while inside the temple premises is guided in the same order as the 12 Jyothirlingas across the country and this is what makes it unique. While laying the foundation of each of these 12 replicas, another 1008 smaller size Lingas have been embedded below 11 of the Jyotir Lingas and 2008 under Omkareshwara Linga. This means that one pradakshina of the entire temple followed with a Namaskara would mean that the devotee has the blessings of more than 13,000 Lingas! Sri Sri Shivapuri Swamiji’s grace and benevolence has enabled the common man undertake darshan of the 12 Jyothir Lingas, bask in the auspicious air surrounding them, which brings happiness, peace and harmony. Incidentally, all the Lingas have been carved out of stones obtained from River Narmada, considered to be the most auspicious.

Just behind this recently completed Dwadasha Jyothir Linga temple is a banyan tree and this is at the peak point of the hillock. The area surrounded by this banyan tree is named Sarvadharma Samanvaya Peetha and at the base of the main trunk is the idol of Mother Goddess Vana Durga, which is the Sthana-Devata of Omkara hills. While one corner houses the temple of Sri Matsya Narayana, there are 8 mini shrines to pay respect to other religions and sages/prophets built surrounding the banyan tree. Shrines have been built for Lord Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed, Lord Buddha, Lord Mahavira, Sri Shankaracharya, Sri Madhavacharya and Sri Ramanujacharya. 

Bhagwan Sri Matsya Narayana is the first of the Dashavatar of Lord Vishnu. In this avatar, Lord MahaVishnu takes the form of a fish to protect the creation from great deluge. By worshipping Lord MahaVishnu in his avatar as Sri Matsya Narayana, one could obtain good health, peace, prosperity besides cure from rare skin disorders.

A massive bronze bell weighing 1200 kilograms and a giant tower clock (bigger than the Big Ben of London) are the other attractions at this temple. Do make time to visit this temple and be blessed!!