Zest

Watching and being involved in student activities has been fun. It definitely keep you on toes because you want to keep them on toes. It is an enriching experience to see some of the young minds undergo change right in front of your eyes. This is true only for a certain portion of the students. There are some who come in and go out without being affected a single bit. Whereas, there are others who make the best use of it. This group is always a minority, it has the zeal to learn. They are enthusiastic about every thing and want to be part all the activities.

Noticeably, they become leaders who stick their necks out to do something. They are willing to shoulder a lot of responsibilities, and will also be in a position to respond to any situation. Those who have been involved in several activities eventually are found to get into very good places to work as well.

But the majority of the group is very limited in enthusiasm. In fact if there are a bit better than the others in communication skills, they tend to get lethargic. With a less academic rigor they opt for the easiest choices not willing to take up any challenge. For them this education is only functional.

Overall, on a scale of one to ten, where one being the lowest, if we place the students' interest and zeal to educate themselves(in my own setting) it would be around 3 and 4. This makes me wonder about the relevance education as students understand it.

The research mindset

As my students are just about to complete my research, I thought that this may just be the time to write about it. As all of us know research is all about confirming old facts, discovering new facts and contributing to the existing body of knowledge. Social Science research needs to be empirical and trust worthy. Research has a purpose of truth telling. It needs to bring out the details that fail to meet the eyes. For this it is important to focus and search for the truth.

Research is a mindset. A researcher will refuse to jump into conclusions without sufficient evidence to substantiate. The burden of evidence compels the researcher to remain focused on the topic and dig deep to unravel the new facts. To get to that level it is important to maintain the rigorous pursuit systematically. Every step taken has to be carefully documented and adhere to the procedures of the methodology.

This is further reflected in the day to day activities of the researcher. A researcher does not make random statements about anybody, does not engage in any loose talk, is constantly looking for rational and pragmatic answers. She refuses to believe anything at its face value. This may sound a bit boring and dull. The research mindset will not allow you to settle down and be complacent. It remains ever fresh and inquisitive without becoming nosy about the happenings.

Life itself becomes a search to understand the nature of how things happen and why they happen.

Ram Lila

It is hard to understand the prominence given to faith over fact. Perhaps because of this position there have been no riots or protests. It surely represents the popular mind set of the people. As Siddarth Varadarajan wrote, it is like calling the school children and dividing a thing over a dispute. It may have kept the country quite given the Common Wealth Games in the scene. But, in the long term it remains as a ticking bomb. What has been justified by this judgment? Are they justifying the claim of the Hindu fundamentalist forces that brought down the Masjid? Are they saying that Look we have won Ayodhya, we will have Kashi and Mathura!

Getting to the facts, Romila Thapar clearly points out that the verdict has depended on the ASI report that is disputed and not agreed by scholars. 12000 pages of the verdict is completely based on the baseless facts. As if it is new for india to demolish religious structures an build new ones by people of other faiths. We all knew that the Buddhist structures gave way for Hindu Temples and Temples in turn to Masjids and the wheel continues to turn.

In all this mess we are not ready to challenge the very existence of Ram. He does not exist just because a billion people believe he existed. When you ask the question when and where there are atleast two dozen stories claiming different facts. When it is disputed by a christian they immediately say, How do Christians believe that Jesus was born in a particular place in Bethlehem? The truth is that the real birth place is still not known but there no dispute over it as yet. The claims that the current place identified as the birth place of Jesus was actually found in a dream that came to Kinng Constantine's Wife. Who went there and identified the place as the birth place.

Now there is an agreement of the site. Though the disputes continue atleast there is a temporary resolution to the crisis on a place sharing basis. Despite the conflict of claims that wrest with the jews, christians and muslims.

In the case of the birth place of Lord Rama's birth place, many right wing hindu scholars term it as the only place that is called as the Rama Janma Bhoomi. Although there are over 30 sites in Ayodhya that are claimed to be the birth place of Lord Ram.

At this juncture one thing is becoming clear, India is being swallowed by popular ideas of superstition and poverty of rationalism. There are very few who think of the need for empirical evidence that supports any claim. This is a dangerous question that will make us inquire the way in which a lord in a legend becomes real. One thing is becoming clear as this is just the beginning of the great Ram Lila!