Ejukkayshun

Education is a noble activity. The mere act of gaining knowledge inherently is free from evil. It is what we intend to do with the knowledge that leads to immorality. A member of the bomb disposal squad ought to understand the internal mechanism of a bomb. Only when he has acquired sufficient amount of required knowledge can he be excellent and faithful at his job.

Roger Schank Blog

Lectures are not effective for teaching and learning. Education begins with curiosity. We learn through conversations that are dialogues in nature not monologues. In other words, a good teacher talks with the students and not to the students.

Do Schools Kill Creativity is a popular TED talk. Children are born free-thinkers --- have lots of questions, want to know everything, and are not afraid of making mistakes. However the modern education system is a factory to produce corporate slaves and brain-dead people.

“So, my advice. Know what matters to you. Learn that. Temporarily memorize nonsense if you want to graduate but have a proper perspective on it. Nothing you learn in high school will matter in your future life.” --- Roger Schank

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”―Benjamin Franklin

“Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.” ―John Dewey

ADHD, autism, dyslexia, introverts

Pedagogy

1. learning by teaching - learn by teaching fellow students in the class
2. flipped classroom - (not an intuitive term) interactive learning; discussion; real-time problem solving; watch video lectures together; the lecturer or teacher is no longer primary focus in the classroom; project-based learning
3. Jigsaw - students learn from each other; cooperative learning
4. Education 3.0 - the marriage of technology and learning; personalised learning
5. MOOC (massive open online course) - mass learning; e.g. Udemy, Coursera, MIT OCW
6. homeschooling 

ഒരിക്കലും അവസാനിക്കാത്ത ഒരു പ്രക്രിയയാണ് വിദ്യാഭാസം. ജീവിതകാലം മുഴുവൻ ഒരുവൻ വിദ്യാർത്ഥി ആയിരിക്കും. ഒരു യഥാർഥ വിദ്യാർഥി എന്നും എളിമയുള്ളവനായിരിക്കും.

എന്താണ് വിദ്യാഭ്യാസത്തിന്റെ ഉദ്ദേശ്യം?  (1) അറിവ് - അറിവിലൂടെ ലോകത്തെപ്പറ്റിയും, സമൂഹത്തെപ്പറ്റിയും പ്രയോഗികജ്ഞാനം ലഭിക്കുന്നു; (2) നെറിവ് - ശരിയും  തെറ്റും തമ്മിൽ വേർതിരിച്ചറിയാൻ  ഉതകുന്നത് നെറിവു; (3) തിരിച്ചറിവ് - തെറ്റ് മനസ്സിലാക്കി  നന്മയുടെ പാതയിൽ നേർവഴി നടക്കാൻ തിരിച്ചറിവ് സഹായിക്കും. 

അറിവ് (information), ജ്ഞാനം (knowledge), വിവേകം (wisdom)

എന്താണ് അറിവ്? (1) വസ്തുതകൾ (facts), (2) വ്യാഖ്യാനം (interpretation), (3) വ്യവഹാരം (critique), (4) ലാവണ്യം (aesthetics, elegance)

2020: Full Throttle

What the year 2020 has offered so far?

1. Economy
• massive drop in GDP in nations across the world
• blue-collar jobs, manual labor vs. white-collar jobs
• job losses; fear of losing job or contract
• companies going bankrupt
• uncertainty 
2. Mental health
   • rise in suicide rate;
3. Students
   • graduating students; job hunting
   • virtual classrooms are not as engaging as in-person classrooms
   • lack of facilities (Internet connection, laptop) to attend virtual classroom
4. Senior citizen
   • risk of contracting the virus
   • vulnerable age group
5.  Healthcare
   • adequate healthcare for all
   • diligence and strength to deal with fatigue and workload
6. Youngsters - may they have wisdom and patience to deal with the crisis
7.  Government
   • prudent crisis management
8. Conspiracy theories, fake news
   • biological warfare;
9.  Environment
   • fire in Amazon rainforests
   • wildfire in California
   • wildfire in Australia
10. Riots and protests
    • anti-abortion (Poland)
    • Black Lives Matter, racism (US)
    • anti-lockdown (Berlin)
    • Samuel Paty, terrorism (France)
    • ease in tension between Israel and the Middle East (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia)
    • rise in tension between US and China
     

Is it time to quit?

Is the collapse fast-approaching?

Post-pandemic World

(Originally written on 25th April 2020, during the first lockdown in Europe)

The world is on the verge of a collapse. We are witnessing a transition. The world as we know it might soon be a thing of the past. The world reeks of social injustice and prejudice in the form of casteism, sectarianism, racism and nationalism. Even the developed countries are struggling to control the situation from going haywire by slipping into looting and violence.

The collapse is ecological, economic, social and cultural. The superpowers have locked horns. A 16 year old boy was hacked to death by his friends. The world is on the verge of another recession. Unemployment is on the rise. The current crisis demonstrated the extend of pollution in air and water bodies.

How should a Christian respond in these trying circumstances? The teachings of Christ has now become more relevant than ever. Instead of losing hope and giving up on life, let us inspire ourselves and pray for each other, just like iron sharpens iron. Jesus Christ did not lose hope on us. 

Can we use this time to expand the goal of our lives? Instead of worrying about our lives, family and career, can we take a step back, and look around to have an introspection. 

The classic movie 'Shawshank Redemption' portrays the power of determination, perseverance and hope. The protagonist of the story 'The Pilgrim’s Progress' faces trials and temptations throughout his journey to the Celestial Kingdom.

As I observe the chaos and uncertainty all around, I understand the spiritual nature of the world. Many things do not make sense. Let us learn to find joy in the simple things of life, the ones that we tend to take for granted---the air we breathe, the physical companionship of our friends and family. The world around us paints a picture of life that is at odds with the one in the Bible. As a Christian, it has always been challenging for me to strike the right balance between the two. 

Academia: Stay Clear of Predators

Today I was searching for a scientific article ("Entity Linking with a Knowledge Base: Issues, Techniques, and Solutions") on Google scholar and the results caught me by surprise. There were only two results. The article  I was searching for has been published in IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering, which is a reputed journal. This one was the first hit, and the right one. 

However the second hit was an article with the same title but published in a predatory journal. This bogus article is rife with grammatical errors. From a cursory scan of the paper, the content seems to be ruthlessly lifted from the original TKDE paper. The rogue authors did not even bother to 'copy-paste' the footnotes correctly. This is outright plagiarism --- unethical and punishable. I am ashamed of the fact that the authors of this paper are also from India. It is well-known that low-tier and middle-tier colleges in India publish in such journals either due to ignorance or to cheat, a quick and dirty way to increase your publication count. That the second author is himself a PhD indicates that the the act was not one out of ignorance but a deliberate act of fraud.

The predatory journal is called International Journal of Advanced Technology and Innovative Research. The name of  any reputed journal or conference is very specific about the targeted special interest group, e.g. Association of Computational Linguistics or Knowledge Capture. Predatory journals are too vague about their areas of interest. So this is a simple heuristic to identify predatory journals. Reputed journals always publish articles after thorough peer-review process. In addition, reputed journals do not solicit any fees to publish articles. 

This behavior also demonstrates the pathetic state of scientific research in the country. A majority of academics are unaware of the value of ethics in scientific research. Since only a certain elite can even comprehend or question the nuances of the research conducted on a topic, it is very easy to keep everyone in the dark on the details of a research project. Predatory journals can thrive in such an atmosphere. This practice penalizes honest academics and incentivizes rogue academics.

To the ignorant academic: you  may use these two websites to decide for yourself before you decide to send your manuscript to a journal for 'peer-review':

1. https://predatoryjournals.com/journals/

2. https://beallslist.net/

Stay clear of predatory journals. Uphold the virtues of science, research methodology and communication.

Save Congress!

General Election 2014 results were declared last week. Though not even BJP had expected that they would win with such a clear majority, the poll debacle for the UPA was sure to come. UPA-II has failed the people of India. The scams, 'gates', policy paralysis, 'mute' MMS, RSVP gang all contributed immensely to this excruciating defeat. Modi was successful in creating his own space in minds of the people, such that even stalwarts like Nitish Kumar had to face the ire of the people, for breaking away from the NDA. While, some shrewd politicians, like Chandrababu Naidu, took advantage of the Modi wave by contriving an alliance with the NDA at the last minute, which ultimately put him back into the political equation in Andra Pradesh.

With a person like Rahul Gandhi at the helm, Congress has touched new low. Everybody knows it, but I am just saying it. RaGa has to resign. He may be the great-grandson/grandson/son of previous Prime Ministers of India. But that does not make him capable enough to lead the Grand Old Party, founded by the our freedom-fighters, which led India to the Independence and has seen India through each and every milestone in the history of Independent India. But now, Congress has dwindled to a party even without a National Party status.

RaGa needs an introspection. He needs to understand his place and space. I wonder why there is nobody in Congress to talk boldly against him. Till now, the allegations have only reached Rahul Gandhi's 'advisers' and has successfully avoided him. Who were these advisers? Would somebody in the Congress party care to name at least a few of them? Praful Patel even went to the extend of blaming MMS, the Accidental Prime Minister.

Assembly elections in states like Delhi, Maharashtra are fast approaching and another string of defeats is looming over the party. 'It's now or never' situation for the Congress. The solution? Let Priyanka Gandhi step in, as being clamoured by some Congressmen. Her credentials? Well, for one, she is the great-granddaughter/granddaughter/daughter of previous Prime Ministers of India. She even looks like Indira Gandhi. As for me, the only potential I found in her is that she is at least better than her 'chotta bhai'. While RaGa always talks nonsense, Priyanka talks some sense sometimes. Let Pappu roam around with chocolates in his mouth, clutching the hands of his mother.

Nitish Kumar took responsibility for the defeat of JD(U) in Bihar and resigned his post the next day. Let this be an inspiration to RaGa, and may he leave the control of Congress party to someone with good credentials, experience and passion.

A funny message I received in Watsapp says, ' Forget Tigers, Save Congress, Only 44 of them left.' Yes, it is time to save Congress.

Save Congress!

General Elections 2014

This was an election where social media played a greater role. All the candidates used all forms of social media like Twitter, Facebook, Google Hangouts, for connecting with the constituency. This was more than necessary because a reasonable portion of the electorate were under 25 years of age. 

Developments and policies took front in this election kicking aside all caste equations, thanks to the AAP effect. No wonder why Modi won with 'Bha-Ja-Pa' getting a clear majority in the Parliament. Policy paralysis, scams of UPA-II, ineffective top leadership of the Congress, Gujarat model all created the 'Modi wave' in the country. It was painful to see even successful ministers Nitish Kumar saw the wrath of the people for splitting from the NDA, leading to his resignation as Bihar CM.

The people of India were fed up with the UPA rule and Modi could successfully create a hope in the minds of the people for a better tomorrow. He reiterated the same in Twitter after the election results were declared, which within minutes became the most retweeted message. The Gujarat model was the perfect testimony to his ability and strength as a leader, which unfortunately was absent in 'The Accidental Prime Minister'. MMS is the best economist India has ever seen, thanks to abolishment of the License Raj and opening the Indian economy for foreign investments catapulting growth of India in the early 1990s. But he was a not good leader, and was mute on many occasions, when he was expected to speak out his mind. 

The attacks on the BJP, by Raga and party, as being detrimental to the communal harmony of India failed to create any edge in the elections. The Grand Old Party failed to understand the needs of the people. What India needs now is good business, jobs, growth, zero inflation and world-class education facilities. Modi was careful in being mum of issues related to RSS, Hindutva and 2002 riots and set his focus of policies and developments plans in his speeches.

Research Sector in India

Research sector in India needs a boost. We have top-class research institutes, like the IIT's, ISRO, DRDO, TIFR, but research in India lags behind that of many developed and developing nations. For example, BARC, which has some of the best researchers and scientists of India, produces only 3% of the power in India. This shows how much room exists for growth and improvement in research sector. With the burgeoning requirements of power, technology, communication, transport, trade and commerce sectors, research industry is of utmost importance.

The Government needs to formulate policies towards this front. After all, what the Government can do is set up a favourable environment for research. It can divert more funds for research projects.

The technical education sector in India is in a dilapidated condition. Apart from few top institutes like IIT's, IIIT's, all other educational institutions are under-performing. It is heart-breaking to see millions of students waste their precious time every year, without any glimmer of an idea as what to do with their life. To some extent, there is no motivation and inspiration for the students from the part of the faculty and peer groups. No wonder, 90% of them end up in some IT or marketing company, only to realize a few years later that the road-side workers and hawkers get more job satisfaction than they do. But, this realization dawns upon the poor guy at a time when he has reached a point of no return.

More students should be encouraged into joining academics and research. I think this is very much relevant in the current scenario. More students writing GATE, JEST, UGC(NET) and trying to get into top-class institutes, than previous years, shows that it is proceeding in a positive direction. A concern here is that the student assistantship is very less. I have seen many students who are really interested in India, but had to back off just because of the meagre stipend or institute assistantship they get every month. For an average M. Tech student, 8000 rupees is his only monthly earning for the next two or three years. Had he joined some corporate company, his earnings would easily have had jumped to millions in a few years time. So, it is important that students should engage in research without expecting only monetary gains.

It is a common misconception that you need to be extraordinarily brilliant and intelligent to do research. Fortunately this is not the case. It's the desire and passion to do original and relevant contribution which should drive you forward. Let me quote Harsha Bhogle, the famous cricket commentator, who once spoke, "Beyond a point, ability or talent is the most useless virtue to possess. It's what you do with that talent that really counts." He goes on to illustrate the point with an example of Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kamble, who displayed extreme dichotomy in their attitude towards cricket. Both of them started their careers under the same coach and were in the same team till they parted ways. While one of them went on to become a cricket legend world has ever seen, the other fell out of the race midway at the young age of 22 years. In short, attitude and passion should be the USP of a research scholar.

A country can never aspire to be self-sufficient without the aid of cutting-edge research. All developed nations set apart a significant portion of their budget for research and related activities. Research attracts investments and as for India, it can help in eradicating brain drain, which has been paralysing our economy the past decades, while other countries reap benefits. It is fact that a more than 30% doctors, engineers and successful entrepreneurs in US are of Indian origin. Why can't we bring them back? This is a question to be debated upon. To some extend, I blame the cheap politics, bureaucracy and unfavourable attitude here towards research, which is the reason why many academicians have left India for greener pastures in the West.

My vision about India is that India should become a breeding ground, more or like a mother hen, for the top-class research scholars in the world. Let us hope that this becomes a reality very soon. Let us all strive towards it.

My Concerns about India

We have reached a stage where nothing can be said about the Indian politics without a word on the AAP factor. Arvind Kejriwal, along with Yogendra Yadav, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan shifted the entire equation of politics in India. No one really cared about AAP until they pulled off the Delhi Assembly elections with 29 seats. Sadly, they could not continue for long, with only the external support of the INC. It is true that they will come out with a clear majority in Delhi if re-polling is carried out, putting an end to the Presidential rule. The AAP effect may be seen only in the metro cities. But what AAP could do was that the other parties started talking about development and policies. AAP is not supported by people with vested interests, like corporates, business magnets etc. 

India needs to strengthen its manufacturing sector. At present, a significant percentage of materials in defence sector, aviation sector, etc. are imported from outside. India has to be self-sufficient in these sectors.  FDI will have a positive impact on the Indian economy. Globalisation has only helped India in the process of becoming a significant world power.

India’s development all along the history – colonial state, independent, republic, socialist, liberal, strong world power. The tremendous growth was apparently triggered during the early 1990’s. The way India progressed after the liberalisation was implemented in the country, through the abolishment of the ‘License Raj’. Growth is better compared to EU and USA. But compared to other nations in BRICS, India is not performing well since the past couple of years, as it used to in the beginning of 21st century. 

Corruption within bureaucracy, red-tapism in government offices, under-performing public sector, corrupt politicians, and inefficient media are some of the problems the nation is currently plodding with. Accepting bribes has become nothing less than something ordinary for the babus. Various projects and plan gets stalled due to careless politicians who eye only the public funds to steal from. When compared to private sector which performs at par with MNC standards, public sector in the Indian economy has always been under-performing. 

MNREGA is a not a good scheme in terms of ensuring productive growth. In rural areas, people get paid even for wandering around MNREGA work sites. Unavailability of sufficient labour force for farming and agriculture activities is a problem created by MNREGA. India needs to get rid of caste politics. Representatives should not be elected based on their religion or family (e.g. Rahul Gandhi) or parents(e.g. Akhilesh Yadav). But, it should be done purely on the basis of one's drive to serve the nation. In fact, it is better to have availability, rather than ability.

Confessions of a Dreamer

(Originally titled:  Confessions of a Dreamer @ 'The City of Dreams')

 

Mumbai, the financial and business capital of India. The heavy cosmopolitan population, from different parts of the country, adds to her beauty. Mumbai presents to the world a perfect example of 'Unity in Diversity'. The past-faced lifestyle has always attracted the teens and youngsters. No wonder why the terrorists always hit Mumbai as Mumbai represents India itself.

But, Mumbai is also referred to as 'The City of Dreams'. Mumbaikars are always striving to make their dreams come true. People never sit idle here. People come here with many dreams. I came to this city to be part of the vibrant lifestyle in the city. What struct me the most were not parties or malls or night-life, but how the people around me fight against all the odds in their lives to make a living.

People here complain less as compared to others as they have seen the worst and learned the hard lessons about life. Life is not simply sitting before the TV or laptop or hanging out in malls or restaurants. Obviously, there is  a class of people who do this. But I am not talking about such people. Rather the "low class" people or the working class. They are not at all "low class". In fact, it is this kind of people who taught many things about life.

Millions of money are sent by the people working here to their villages for their parents, families, spouses, children etc. People don't just "make" money here but they "earn" money here. Not a single paisa should be accepted which you have not earned. I noticed many people here. The waiters working in restaurants, people selling vegetables, milk, fruits, barbers, rikshawallas, bus conductors, traffic policemen etc. It is not what you get, but what you can give.

Life becomes meaningful when you understand what you can give to the society with whatever you have learned and are learning. It is this realization which made some people "great people". People don't become great by birth. You have to earn it. Otherwise you can simply live your life and nobody is going to give a damn when you die.

The rich tradition of Mumbai has always attracted me - what has made this small landmass to hold the dreams of 150 millions of people (and still counting) and give her best to each one of them. Mumbai is like an open text book for me. Do not just live your life. But "LIVE" your life.

Get Set...Po!