If you look around you will see that some people are serious about their relationship, they are ready to commit, they are ready to compromise on many things and you also see that some people are frivolous and take their relations lightly. For many, it is like changing gadgets or clothes. I mean, I see the younger people jumping from one relation into other aimlessly. I wonder what they want from relationship; love, passion, stability, serenity, friendship, commitment, or what? They are so confused, they want too many things or they just want to kill time with somebody. Many people are not ready for a serious relationship, and are just after a bit of fun here and there. You see this in so many movies.

Every person who falls in love experiences variety of agonies and pleasures of love. Each person has his/her own character and personality; they have different backgrounds and conditions. So there is no set of rule that applies equally to everyone. Also, whom a person dates is also a matter of personal choice. No one has any right to intrude in anybody’s private affair. Yes the youngsters say, not even their parents.  But, our heart and gut do give us signals about the right or the wrong person. Do we hear to them?

I think if your love does not allow losing sight of pursuing your own personal development, if your love is helping you to expand your life and bring forth your inherent potential with fresh and dynamic vitality then you have found an ideal partner.

People often lose all objectivity when they fall in love. If the relationship you’re in is causing your parents, your well wishers to worry, or making you ignore your studies or engage in negative behavior, then you and the person you’re seeing are only being a negative influence and impediment to each other. Neither of you will be happy if you both just end up hurting each other. If you are neglecting the things you should be doing, forgetting your purpose in life because of the relationship you’re in, then you are not in the right company. A healthy relationship is one in which two people encourage each other to reach their respective goals while sharing each other’s hopes and dreams. A relationship should be a source of inspiration, invigoration and hope. You and your partner must respect each other’s views points, strengths and weaknesses.

Love is a complex matter that is a reflection of each person’s attitude and philosophy toward life. That is the reason people shouldn’t get involved in relationships lightly. The bottom line is that, without respect, no relationship will last for very long, nor will two people be able to bring out the best in each other. When you meet that special someone, you know that you have and that’s when you start to take the relationship more serious.

A relationship needs to be worked at, and if you truly love and care for someone, you will do this with ease. And the most important thing is see what attitude your partner has towards sex because it is the serious step in a relationship that needs to be considered very carefully. It has long and hard consequences of taking that step. After which your relationship will no longer be the same.

Please don’t surrender to the view that love is the be-all and end-all, deluding yourself that as long as you are in love, nothing else matters. Nor, I hope, you will not buy into the misguided concept that falling ever deeper into a painful and destructive relationship is somehow cool. It’s not.

Delhi assembly election 2015 turned out to be historic. The young party (3 years old) AAP, swept away 67 out of 70 seats in the state. AAP’s thunderous winning has proved that an alternate politics is workable; because of Delhi’s prominence as India’s capital and its strength of harnessing ideas, whatever happens in Delhi resounds across the country. For the Congress, this adds to the series of its recent failures; it dint win a single seat in Delhi, a city it ruled for 15 years till 2013. People of Delhi showed their intentions towards Congress candidly.

Anna Hazare wished Kejriwal on his victory and said the election result was in favour of AAP because the “achhe din only came for industrialists” after the NaMo-led government came to power at the Centre eight months back on a promise of great days ahead for all. The verdict will be seen as a major breach in the unshakable electoral armor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who campaigned hard this election in Delhi. His failure to rein in the party’s hardcore Hindutva fringe, which went about making statements that divided the middle class, cost the party dearly. The PM has also seemed in recent months as out of touch with the common man, seen frequently in the company of global leaders or local industrialists. The attention that was lavished on his clothes during US President Barack Obama is but a recent example.

This election shows that the common people of the country have become edgy towards politicians who talk big but do nothing. Arvind Kejriwal must work hard and stick to his promises to empower the common man. Dharnas only will not help; he has to mobilize popular support on subjects of common man’s interest, run a clean government, delegate powers responsibly.

This election is an indication of how Delhi’s voters have assessed Narendra Modi government in eight months tenure. The entire incremental vote the BJP won in May 2014 has been wiped out and the party’s vote share is back to what it was in 2013. Voters clearly showed their disappointment towards Modi’s performance; he has done very little for the common man.

We need to realize a fact that even the smallest amount of power can change a person. We’ve all seen it many times in our life. Someone gets a promotion or a bit of fame and then, suddenly, they’re a little less friendly to the people beneath them. Powerful people are simply too busy. They don’t have the time to fully attend to their less powerful counterparts.

And, if you ask a psychologist, he or she may tell you that in different words. But if you ask Sukhvinder Obhi, a neuroscientist at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, he might give you another explanation: Power fundamentally changes how the brain operates. Power is seductive not only because it is the means by which you can get what you want, but also because it gives you the confidence that goes along with this knowledge. Seduction is often an incremental process. It changes the perception of the person in power. Actions are justified with thoughts such as ‘just this once’ or ‘this is more important’.

Modi has seen many weathers in the Indian politics. Modi rose to power from the ground root level. But, still he underestimated the common man in India. He belongs to a right-wing political party.  Right-wing politicians are activities that view some forms of social hierarchy or social inequality as either inevitable or natural typically justifying this position on the basis of natural law or tradition. AAP, on the other hand, is a modern, urban left-wing political party. Kejriwal a young IRS (Indian Revenue Services) seems raw, yet gutsy in his outlook. There is general feeling that the left-wing politicians are progressive, communists, democratic socialists, secularists, feminists and anti-capitalists. But AAP unlike its doctrine of ‘Left’ does not source its power from industrial unions but is a coalition of the urban underclass, minority groups and left-liberal intellectuals and middle-class people. AAP represents an emerging bipolarity in Indian politics. Delhi 2015 election has showcased a pattern for the politics for the 2020s and 2030s.

People want a change for better, for peace, for safety and for transparency. Delhi showcased urban-centric political geographies which will inevitably find space for an economic left and right and for their contest. As such, this new model of politics is not a war between pro changes or anti change. That is why AAP now in Feb 2015 and the BJP in May 2014 have experienced huge swings from voters. This happened in the society which is bursting with ambition and hope, and is hungry for change and a better life; for jobs and economic betterment, for dignity in the face of authority, and for some answer to everyday corruption. In fact, that is why the voters brought Modi in power in May 2014. The ‘say-do’ ratio of his government has been disturbing people. The disquiet has now percolated to voters. In that sense, this is the BJP’s defeat, but it is also Modi’s defeat. Modi is supposed to assess, look inwardly along with his party workers before it is too late.

The 2015 Delhi Assembly elections show ousting of the historical departure of Indian politics.   The capital of the nation stands critically polarized on socio-economic lines, or if we used Marxist terminology, one can say the general public of Delhi is mainly divided between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’. Conventionally, the term polarization in Indian politics is used in the context of religion, and caste. The British were successful to divide and rule the nation; but today the scene is changed. Those caste based vote banks are vanishing from the scene. In a historical departure, Delhi moved away from such polarizations and went to polls, when the electorate in the city appeared to be vertically divided on socio-economic lines. Delhi is much more cosmopolitan than any other city of the country. In the last 20 years, the entire demography of Delhi has changed. In post liberalization of Indian economy in the early 90s, Delhi witnessed a booming economy and population influx from bankrupt regions in search of better opportunities in the city; since then it is changing every day. Delhi also has an intelligent class of population and they cannot be underestimated.

Globalization has changed the scene in India. The Generation Y wants to surge ahead. They are a bigger vote bank. They are desperate for change. They are impatient and edgy. One doesn’t know if Arvind Kejriwal will be able to change the world or more so Delhi, but he and his small group of men have provided hope to those who worry about basic comforts and future.

]]> https://drvidyahattangadi.com/has-indian-politics-polarized/feed/ 0 https://drvidyahattangadi.com/can-academic-qualifications-help-alone-to-make-it-big-in-life/ https://drvidyahattangadi.com/can-academic-qualifications-help-alone-to-make-it-big-in-life/#respond Thu, 21 Aug 2014 17:13:48 +0000 http://drvidyahattangadi.com/?p=1283 Can academic qualifications help alone to make it big in life?

In our society we are tremendously obsessed with academic qualifications; as a result, we check qualifications of the bride and groom before finalizing matrimony, before giving membership in a club, an association, a forum, in a sports club, while applying for a job, qualifications are checked. A person’s aptitude, ability and skill are judged by his/her academic qualifications. Any bio-data résumé or curriculum vitae are deplorable without the inclusion of education qualifications. Therefore it is an impromptu rule of both the corporate world and the social world that a man’s academic qualification is a key to his entry to a coveted position in society.

Education does help add finesse to life; it helps developing moral, civic values. It prepares us with good manners, proper behavior, hygienic living. Aacademic education gives people an encompassing experience of life, with lots of opportunities to meet people from different walks of life and to consider the importance in life of values and culture. These are necessary for a person’s growth. Educated citizens help in building a civilized nation. It uplifts our morals and ethics by exposing us to the great thinkers of the past. It makes us aware of our rights and liberties, and helps establish a liberal democracy with active citizens and an active media.

But when we spend twelve years of our life in schooling, and several more years of our precious life in college on graduation and often post graduation, and then one fine day it strikes us that our degrees are not required for success; why because Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Dhirubhai Ambani and many other rich people were schools dropouts and they built great fortunes!! Unfortunately the materialistic world has changed the concept of success.

We are also a fixated society about grades in qualifications. We have a wrong notion that grades alone can help getting success in life. If success and opportunities were measured by grades then the corporate world and potential marriage partners would not ask for bio-data, where other credentials are also mentioned. Nor would they interview the candidates in order to find out what they are like as people. Education helps us modify our people skills, our thinking, our character and our inventiveness. It prepares us for life life’s success. IT helps in honing our physical characteristics, personality, and a willingness to work hard. Grades are really irrelevant.

We have somewhere misinterpreted grades/marks in education. We attach so much importance to marks that it has become a rat-race where every student chases grades and therefore the entire perception of success and affluence has changed. Rather than studying to reach one’s full potential, children simply mug up for examinations. Further, they get frustrated when they don’t get jobs. More time is spent in job hunting than in education. Many people find themselves in the wrong profession and lacking job satisfaction. The business atmosphere is highly politicized, favoritism plays key role, and we see wrong people in big positions. In short, our idea of education has got mistaken, our idea of prosperity is mistaken, and our definition of success is changed. With so many years of education finally we misread that if anyone is able to save his/her job then he/she is successful!

If we look at some very successful people in the world, who are doctors, engineers, researchers and IT, professionals, many of them are employed by people like Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Ambani who have built empires devoid of formal educational qualifications.

Does education corrupt minds? I think yes, because by going to schools and college students do rote learning and taking multiple examinations. It forces people to learn and think like millions of other graduates. This spoils chances of some brilliant minds which can come up with the truly mould-breaking insights and “disruptive” ideas on which successful innovations and new business models are built. Our education is not outcome based; today’s students cannot implement and apply what they have learned, they are not capable of putting their knowledge into practice in an increasingly complex and challenging environment. The emphasis, therefore, should be on practical, sensible, workable learning — rather than simply accumulating information which becomes outmoded in shorter span.

And what about those fake degrees sold by thriving illegal rackets in the market? So many dubious agents are selling degrees and people are buying them. Nexus between state universities, education intermediaries and private/public educational institutions are flouting norms, often jeopardizing the careers of students by conferring on them a degree, which may not be legitimate. And, if such students get trapped, he/she loses job, reputation and chances of making a decent living thereafter.

Another question is raised against academic qualification – that is whether it can stop us from becoming a civilization of drunkards, rapists, war-mongers, immoral money launders, criminals, and villains. If you look at countries where the largest numbers of people have higher academic qualifications, they are the ones most affected by social breakdown. Can we call America a successful nation for its wars on Iraq and Afghanistan? Can we call it superior by any chance? Can we call Russia a mighty nation for creating the Crimean crisis? Can we call some fluent Indian and Pakistani politicians wise for not solving the Kashmir issue? Are the “educated” politicians of India and Pakistan solving problems of the innocent Kasmiris?  India and Pakistan have fought at least three wars over Kashmir, but still the problem is not resolved.  Does education teach us to delay and drag important decisions?

Academic qualifications may not be enough on their own to ensure success, but they indicate that their possessor has got courage, daring, moral values to speak out against any kind of injustice. I think it’s high time we bring in changes in our education system. Today’s academic qualifications have no real relevance to the jobs graduates are employed to do. A few decades ago employers in areas such as banking, engineering, management and government service recruited people straight from school at the age of 15 or 16, trained them on the job and promoted them to higher levels of responsibility according to their ability. And, those people contributed to the growth of businesses and society.  Today none of these jobs has changed very much, but all of them require applicants with university degrees. Why has this changed? One reason is that the upper and middle classes are trying to protect their own jobs – demanding new recruits have expensive academic qualifications.

Our nation needs an education system that excites and stimulates children, providing them with the learning they need and be worthy of to accomplish their potential.  This means we need a curriculum of practical and vocational learning alongside theoretical study. This need for change has become more and more critical.  Let’s except a simple fact that the world has changed whereas our education system has not changed. The gap is very big. Indeed, it is largely based on a system developed over a century ago. Our assessment standards need change, our pedagogies need change, and we need to educate teachers first. Let’s not make our schools and colleges mere factories churning out graduates – where children are placed on a learning conveyor belt, then sorted, packaged and labeled with degrees.

And finally please understand this – academic qualifications are futile if they are not helping you to lead a happy and peaceful life.