Milte hain Break ke baad

This goes to the small populace that often stumbles upon this page hoping to find updates. I have decided not to write anymore on the blog for the time being. I have had too little work to do and as a consequence too many thoughts on my mind. Several questions I avoided for long are revisiting me now and with greater urgency. I need to sort out a few things before I can do what they say is "ENJOY LIFE".

I am back.

Its not the post I am talking about, its about the real me I have known of. I just deviated from my path for some time. Now I feel that I am much more stronger and determined to overcome the mirage that life is. Life is certainly not a dream which I mistakenly believed it to be. But, I would also not give in to the mundane things it has to offer. I will fight it, though I know its like fighting myself.
Its funny how certain experiences change people forever. Learning from past experiences we are much better off. But, people do get carried away.
The realist ("pessimist" to those who have spent some time with me) I am, I surprised myself as well by falling into the trap of life. I should have known its designs better.
"Do not have any expectations from life" is what I had always followed and that is what comes naturally to me. The seduction of life is what I would be aware of henceforth.
You may call me a cynic but I am one who is easily disappointed to the hilt but not that easily happy with what I get or have.
Will write again when I have something worthwhile to write and I am back to my old writing ways.

Its as delicious as it seems.
Indian food in Germany

EUROTRIP starts

AG IN LEIPZIG

So I start off. This trip has come at a time when I was losing myself. All I needed is this free time with me to rediscover myself. Hey, but what do I find here. This place is made of stuff dreams are made of. Such leisurely lifestyle, all things so orderly, just the right number of people makes this place seem like a heaven. I don’t know whether I am being carried away, which is usually the case with me.

The old world charm is what I always longed for. When I was in my school, the old architecture of the buildings was what I admired the most and all the stuff dished out by the missionary school enchanted me. I had this strange affinity for the western world. I feel lucky to have got a chance to spend some time here all for myself. No one to bother, and more importantly, no one whom I can bother as well.

The campus is also located at a scenic place Just behind the campus there flows a river. By the river runs a forest where one can just walk n walk. All of it seems kind of a dream. The huge pessimist I am, I never thought I could ever visit such a place. Life has been kind to me.

It would seem I am overdoing it but I am really impressed and want to really enjoy this place.
Strangely, I am not at all looking forward to the courses or the people I would meet out here in HHL. I just want to be alone soaking this experience.

Will write more once I get over this feeling.

RANG DE BASANTI

Over the years I have learnt not go to a bollywood movie with expectations. More often than not they tend to disappoint. I went to see Rang De Basanti consciously avoiding the reviews.

Truly the flick rocks!!

I have not seen Rakesh Mehra's earlier movie AKS but now I would. He has made a bold statement with the movie and tried to be different. (I know its cliche but my vocab is limited) It reminds me of YUVA which did not set the box office on fire but was a great statement on the Politics and the youth of India. Rakesh Mehra has just taken the issue of MIG crashes to drive home his point. Truly, its no use bragging that India is the largest democracy in the world if the citizens are putting up with their endless list of woes. The biggest irony is that we all crib about it and do nothing to counter it.

Life is funny sometimes. Yesterday I came to know that a bunch of IITans have started a national political party. You can visit their website to know more about them.

http://www.paritrana.org/

The very next day I happen to watch Rang De Basanti and feel like any of the protagonists of the movie. Is it mere coincidence that these two events happened so closely in time. Is it some sort of a design of nature to convey a message or I am being romantic!!!!!

Thoughts come to my mind that in the real world one should be more practical and all that stuff. I need to fulfill my parents desires and extend their generation and all such crap. Movies like this just make one feel righteous for a short duration of time and then its all routine stuff. Am I not courageous enough?
Waiting for that "something" to happen that would make me a transformed person.

I bet the teaching quality sucked at your last institution !

Over the years I have always pondered how do you assess the quality of a teacher.When in Engineering it was a shocker to see the quality of teachers we had in a premier institute. If you go by the qualifications of the so called profs. the AICTE norms were flouted.It might seem that I am bad-mouthing my alma mater, but recent events have made me feel that, either I am a bad judge of a teacher or wherever I go I find poor teachers.
Do academic qualifications of a teacher make one a good teacher?
Does the teaching methodology or pedagogy matter?Why is it that with every new teacher I face, I expect a better experience, but almost always I am disapponted. Even with persons with unquestionably great credentials the story does not change.I feel its high time we need to redefine the parameters that determine the quality of a good teacher. Especially at a Graduate or PG level when one is capable of reading and asimilating a lot of stuff by himself so the role of teacher should be redefined. Instead of the mundane pedagogy of going thru the syllabus and just repeating what is written in the books one needs a better approach. There are a few teachers who are not finicky about the attendance levels and they feel that at this stage one shud decide for oneself what he feels is important to him. This is an indication of their endorsing of the fact that the compulsory attendance at this stage sucks.
What about a national body that rates teachers on the basis of the feedback give by students who have been taught by the teachers?Just as a student is judged of his abilities with the marks he has been given by the teachers, we can also evaluate the teachers. I don't think teachers shud mind it as well as they are the ones who will be able to know what ails the system. This rating wud become a part of their CV, and just as our acad marks become an organic part of our CV, this rating wud be theirs.
Presently we are going nowhere. I talk with all my friends at various top notch institutes and the answer is invariably same.All said and done nobody wants a change and I might be branded a cynic who tends to find fault with whatever is thrown at him in life.
But atleast I have suggested a solution.

This post is a result of a guest lecture we had on New Product Development today.The faculty gave the example of a creative idea that was implemented.I was moved by the ingenious idea of a Brit MBA student who has created the webpage:

http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/

U really need to be an absolute genius to do such a thing. He has created a webpage where he is selling the pixels on his homepage for a dollar a pixel.
Simple arithmetic : million pixels giving million dollars
Whats more ?He has generated close to half a million dollar in about two months. This just goes to show that if u have an idea better try it out than lose ur hair over its feasibility. In this case the guy had nothing to lose.These kind of examples make one really feel that the internet revolution is something that wud drive the world.
Do visit the page to be a part of this phenomenon in marketing.

More later, time to go to sleep, a hectic day ahead.