Beginning of the year
2012.Various magazines and points of sale began flashing the bestsellers of
2011. The category of books had a runaway success story. The one loosely based
on the topic du jour - the rampant corruption system in the Indian educational
scenario but more strongly based on the besieged life of a lower than lower
middle class Indian, his IIT ambitions and the love tangle that he gets
involved in. It was not a revolution – definitely not in the spaces of
language, plot and character development and in just about any face that would
vaguely transform a book into a good one.
Written in a ‘functional language’ with a capability of nothing more
than driving the point across, the book managed to wakeup throngs of teenagers
from their slumber. To them, the author is a brand that that they swear by, a
brand that inspires them through a clever story and a young language abundant
with ‘fuck’, ‘suck’, ‘fine’ and ‘whatever’. The author, though guilty is not
the primary culprit.
The genre of music too has one undisputed
emperor. With more than ten million youtube hits and many ‘best song’ awards in
the kitty, this murderous attempt at composition had definitely managed to get
the youngsters hooked to it. But, differentiating a good piece of music from a
bad one is far easier. One’s sensibilities never fail. But then, ‘Herd
Mentality’ too, is not an unproven psychological theory. Driven by insecurity
& the constant desire to be a part of the mob (read cool crowd), populace
seldom acknowledges its real opinions, lest it be called an old fashioned fool.
So India loved it, and shared it, believing strongly that the rest of India
worshipped it too. Few knew that this by itself was a skilfully played
marketing tactic, the story of which can form an interesting case study on
viral marketing dissected expertly by a handful Indians within the four walls
of a classroom. Whatever said and done, ultimately India loved (or) believed
that it adored a composition with a nonsensical ‘spur of the moment’ lyrics, an
average, below than ordinary tune, a rusty, definitely not mellifluous voice
and a package that is unquestionably incapable of stimulating & provoking
the souls within. The composer, singer & even the viral marketing pundits,
though guilty are not the primary culprits.
Where ever one goes, be it the
prestigious universities tutoring Engineering, the lavish cinema halls screening
blockbusters or the hospital down one’s street , quality and standards of both
the physical and more importantly the intellectual infrastructure are much
below the accepted norms. Go back a few years in time and try replaying the
teaching methodologies adopted in your school. I would be surprised if any of
us actually touched and felt an apple & a ball whilst learning the customary
‘A for Apple, B for Ball’ mantra from the books. Forget experimenting with
& bringing to life the more complicated chemical compounds &
mathematical formulae; and the simple
fact that you are accessing internet & reading this blog would put you &
your school in the top 10 percentile of the country. Better not to imagine the
plight of the rest of India. Few protest, quite some regret, but many are
satisfied with all that they get.
Below is a set of illustrations from the World
Bank reports :
 |
| % of GDP Expenditure on Primary Education |
 |
| % of GDP Expenditure on R&D |
 |
| % of Urban Population with access to improved Sanitation |
It can be clearly seen that the percentage of GDP expenditure in some of the basic aspects like education & sanitation are highly incomparable. Though the policy makers at the helm are guilty, they are not the primary culprits.
There is no point in blaming the ministers of education & sanitation, the authors, the film makers or the musicians, for our lack of competency on a global stage & our general incapability to garner awards such as a Nobel Prize in physics, a Booker prize, an
Oscar or a
Grammy.
The problem lies with the
individual & his intentions. The DNA of most Indians have replicated in
such a manner that they tend to be happy & satisfied with any input &
output. In fact, the highest degree of achievement is seen with the
availability of an answer rather than the depth of the same. Inquisitives seems
to be diminishing, wanting to explore & seeking to learn ‘continuously’ are
never on priority. The lack of realization that one cannot master anything
& that learning is a process requiring constant effort having no threshold
is what is allowing Mediocracy to rule the roost.
Constant restlessness in subject
of choice, be it science, art or dance can aid. Constant learning, practicing
could help. The solution does not lie elsewhere; evoking the soul within,
pursuing or rather raising the bar of excellence & chasing perfectness can
bring about a dramatic change.
And when this happens, the quality
of top-sellers would be of a different league altogether.
