End of a saga

 Indubitably, Jyoti Basu’s death turned out to be the News of the Day. As the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram described Basu  “….. He strode like a colossus on the Indian political scene for several decades. He was a great patriot, a great democrat. He lived a full life.” I would not dare try to fill  up my blog space unfolding my views on the Left or Right Front .Of course as my little knowledge tells me some principles of Marxism regarding economic or social egalitarianism do deserve accolades. But “a little knowledge” being a “dangerous” thing, I would better keep myself aloof from this squabble or argument. No matter whatever one calls this dispute but Jyoti Basu, one of the greatest Marxist who ever lived in the nation was indeed a prodigious politician. It is not everyone who would unhesitatingly decline to be the Prime Minister of India (In 1996 Basu declined the United Front’s offer to lead the federal government as the PM). One really needs to be beyond the ordinary to govern an Indian  province as the Chief Minister for 23 long years (Basu was the CM of West Bengal from June 1977 to November 2000).

 The death of Basu made our nation lose another illustrious star of modern India.

Agriculture celebrated

It's mid January - the Indian month of Maagha or Magh. As I stay curled up inside my blanket shivering in the biting but mesmerizing cold of Pilani ; far away my home-province wakes up with full verve and enthusiasm to celebrate Bhogali Bihu.

 Bihu - the very word that turns every heart in Assam elated with joy refers to three separate festivals - Bhogali Bihu, Rangali Bihu and Kangali Bihu. Bhogali comes from the Sanskrit word bhog which means eating and enjoyment. Popularly known as Magh Bihu  it marks the ripening of harvests in Assam. The eve of this Bihu is known as uruka. It is celebrated by feasting and merry-making in fields. People stay overnight in temporary huts called bhela ghar relishing the fruits of their hard labor in the fields. The next day commences with the burning of meji - a huge structure made of bamboo and wood and covered with hay. It is followed by the sharing of traditional Assamese food pitha and jalpaan. A serene atmosphere of merry-making and fun prevails in every household.

 Be it Makar Sankranti or Pongal or Lohri or Magh Bihu - these festivals signify the prowess of agriculturists in India. Nature lets her most intelligent creation push the boat out and enjoy the fruits of harvesting in a nation where a vast majority still practice agriculture as the primary profession.

Engineering Idiots ??

  Watching Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots for the second time again compelled the swinging mind within me to contemplate 'Was engineering a right choice for me?' 'Was I made to be an engineer?'. It might sound flabbergasting but it was Chetan Bhagat's Five Point Someone that had once inculcated within me a heavy attraction towards this career - an engineering degree from a top institute.That was years ago when I was a high school student growing up in a small town; already nurturing utopian dreams of being an IITian. No idea why, but reading a book that describes three IITians going wayward intensified my dreams of studying in one of these so-called prestigious institutes. Eventually it was not IIT but I did land up in BITS Pilani - a big dream fulfilled. The heart within me satisfied. It was a success in wars called engineering entrance . JEE, AIEEE, BITSAT etc etc. Wars where a single mark propelled you up and down through some thousand ranks. Given the craze and lure of Indian students for this career,engineering seemed to be something majestic;something that made you a man among men.

But is engineering really so dignified? Does everyone of the thousands of students who win the rat-race of engineering entrances end up  being distinguished or even successful engineers? Why do many engineers switch to management, administration, business,politics etc after grueling their minds with sophisticated theories of physics, chemistry and mathematics all through their student life ? If the aim was to go and work in a bank then why study science and technology ? Is engineering education in our nation so pathetic that students lose interest in it during the course of graduation ? Or the engineering entrances in India do not actually select the deserving students who possess an aptitude for engineering ?

These are questions that cannot be answered or retorted back without extensive research and survey. No one is born an engineer or scientist. It is the propensity and surroundings that make one successful in one's field. I did not take up engineering just because someone asked me to do so. Certain ambitions to work in the field of science and technology drove me to this choice of career. But it is undeniable that social or economic circumstances might not deviate me from pursuing my objective in the years to come. This is how engineers work. Maybe this is how the whole system and process called education works.