The blank face

Everyone has one, in fact everyone had to had one

When two parallel thoughts run or no thought run by

Some can hide and some had to quite hiding

It may not be an obvious face but a sure face

Nothings written yet still a messenger

It is a question or a warning

Asking why or against why

To express sarcasm and perplex

Of innocence and pertinence 

Of opportunities or pessimist

A face of agreement in disagreement

Unpredictable is when two blank face encounter

Surely everyone owns one, some just deny and some harness it

Epitome of 'I'

‘I am’ a Proclamation

‘I shall’ an Assurance

‘I will’ an Obligation

‘I want’ a Desire

‘I do’ a Subjugation

‘I had’ a Memory

‘I knew’ a Knowledge

‘I can’ a Declaration

‘I’ an Attitude

‘I’ an Ego

‘I’ a Definition

‘I’ an Identity

‘I’ a Question

‘I’ an Answer

‘I’ a Notion
'I' a Concept 

‘I’ a Destiny

The juncture

If I begin from the last breath

If I could steal the last moment

Still it will be insignificant, insignificant

All that has begun shall end

And the end shall be a new beginning

At the snap of second, all gone by

The virtuous nature still continue

But the one who like to thinks owns the nature will be soon gone.

Nature treat’s nothing fair unfairly

Randomity is uniformity for nature

In snap of time wonder architect vanish in vanity

The intertwine juncture between the new and the old

The gay days break down at the exact juncture and continues to fade faint

It matter the most but seemingly mean the least

After all what we have is what we have already destroyed

Make a choice but we still parish at a juncture

The point is, that’s the point.

To be asked

What is that magnify our memoirs?

Whose memocide one should wait?

Which imagination we continue to endure?

Whose horizon expands and contract?

Whose narrative flows forged?

Who’s picturesque is feed in witty design?

Whose felony is the felonious of all?

Whose massager and agency are worth hearing ears?

The walk to the pathless venture of valor.

Valor lost and sacrifice for the wretched cause?

Whose prose brings back my freedom and liberty, Is a rare found?

The considerate and the virtuous shall stand numb?

Let us pen down the answer. But how is that possible?

Because we are still due to catch the right source, the right path and the right calling.

Are you educated?

I just want to ask a very simple question that we as a student community cannot just skip and turn away. Now Education is our birth right with the implementation of RtE (Right to Education) ACT 2009.  All parents strive for their child’s education and want them to become educated individuals. Irony is that the term ‘Education’ and ‘Educated’ has been so rampantly used with the presupposition we know so much about it or it does not need much consideration. The truth is, ‘education’ or ‘educated’ words are not valued neutral but it comes with a baggage of its own normative meanings. So, it compels me to say that we are indulging education like a drug addict indulges in his/her kicks. Let me try a jargon free writing as far as possible to score the point clear and loud.

Are you educated? What it means to be educated? Are student/learners by default educated? These question could be logically answered as we answer questions such as what is education and what are the aims of education which make us educated persons. To decode the term ‘education’ let me echo R.S. Peter’s definition of education- ‘Education means achievement of something worthwhile and desirable (valuable)’. By this count, if you are educated you ought to be a reformed person. Valuable achievement in education is intrinsically valuable, meaning valued in itself and for its own sake. The knowledge and understanding obtained becomes the features of oneself and shapes the outlook of the person. But, treating education as a mere instrument of obtaining a job or attaining certain skills demeans the true aim of education. The critic of highly educated German society during Nazis tyranny could sum up in Wiesel's words on education: ‘It emphasized theories instead of values, concepts rather than human beings, abstraction rather than consciousness, answers instead of questions, ideology and efficiency rather than conscience.’ Introspecting into our present society, I think the barbarity is increasing and will only escalate in days to come. So we hinge in a very crucial position as we would not like our society to go rampage in barbarity. The ferocity of the problems looks like uncontrollable but the solution is yet simple. Has our education empowered us to uphold the fabric of Equality, Liberty and Justice which are at the core of our democratic society? Identifying ourselves as educated person, are we liberated from the dogmas of bigotry? Through education are we becoming a more peaceful and self-actualized individual or more distressed, ever ambitious, self-righteous, self-centered people? Has the education system that aims at making us more Rational, Autonomous and Conscious rather made us capable of manipulating, violent, corrupted, and siphoning public welfare for personal gain? Has our guilt feelings and consciences stopped pricking us for any wrong deed? Not to mention of blind submission to a status or an ideology without any critical analysis. There is nothing such as ‘one day’ or ‘someday’ where we will manifest the quality of being educated but there is ‘today’: we as learners/students should uphold the values in all sphere of our life. 

There is lapse in what we see in our society and what ought to be, where education prevails. Where is the problem? Is something wrong in the way we are educated? Have our school, institution and educators successfully educated us? Has the increment in individual education increased the education of our society? These questions brings us to another criteria of education, the criteria of procedure. Again let me echo R.S. Peter, ‘Education should be brought about in a morally acceptable manner and should not infringe the willingness and voluntariness of the learner’. Let’s introspect and see if we are conditioned, indoctrinated and brainwashed more than being educated? Rote learning of rhymes, national anthem, definitions and theories (without a clue about the concept of the subject) by screaming at the top of the voice has taken the hell out of our childhood. The institutions and teachers which were supposed to bring us up as responsible, peace loving, non-violent individuals were just the opposite for many. For average students it was not less than a slaughter house where our ingenuity and childhood had died every day and fear had ingrained in us since then and our emotional being hijacked. Please don’t acknowledge the beating we received in our school time. Many may credit saying that it is because of those smacking they are here today. Don’t fool yourself and don’t give me that dame naïve explanation because without that you could be a total transcendental person. The truth is, this practice is the mother of all violence in our society. Just look around and see how many of our class-mates have pursued higher education. Consciously or unconsciously we have detested school and teachers somehow.  

When our physic and psychic are forming at best, when an average child smiles more than 100 times (some studies claim 300 times) in a day, when curiosity and wonders struck us every second we suddenly find ourselves cramped into a small room called ‘class room’. Your knees are folded, backbone curved and finger on the lips; we become all time successful passive listener and a ‘blank slate’ to all-knowing figure (teacher). Each one is pushed into ugly competition with the help of examination system. The joy of learning something worthwhile will always be poisoned by the fear of passing the exam. Children are categorized into ‘caste system’ where some are destined to success while others are doomed to remain untouchable forever. How on earth does this education system promise equality in our society?

Call me an alarmist or an extremist but I least care your emotion because even today, thousands of children are dying every day, they are injected with dead facts and information’s in the name of knowledge, and they are cramped in small rooms supervised by fear of teachers with cane stick. Schools have to stop this atrocities, they have to open up a physical and emotional space for children to learn and grow. Learning with joy is possible. Furious teacher and her Cane stick (symbol of oppression) should be replaced by humane facilitator and reasoning and dialogue should be her tool. Teachers and schools should stop behaving like a law giver. Dirty competition should be replaced by healthy co-operation. We should turns towards comprehensive development of children. Consuming indigestible facts and information should be replaced by meaning making and understanding. Activity based learning should replace passive receiving and children should be allowed to construct knowledge. Radical transformation is calling out. We have to pay head to it for heaven sake, our future is at stake. I could only scratch the tip of the revolution required in our education. But, I hope it draws the attention of those who have a heart of conscience and mind of reasoning because for the rest George Gordon Byron  says “Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves.”  

Narrative on an old adage

Miracle they quote but miracle they have hardly seen.

Folks gather to hear it out. Beer sold off as they hear.
The messenger’s reputation among the folks are high.
Words spread put like wild fire.
The cold winter fade unknown and unnoticed as folks cramp close to each other mumbling miraculous story keeping both body and mind warm. Warm coffee are there part as they sip in momentum sync with the high and low of the story. They whisper softly as the night falls deep.
They are the secret society bonded by the soft words of miracle.
The better days, better life and deeper thoughts follows from their deep night whisper.
With glad heart they lay back to sleep someday.
Someday wondering mind won't let them sleep.
Someday distorted and broken heart pulls up so much tears.
The fabric of each miracle stands out.
So, another day it’s another miraculous story and another new beginning.
Call them the far off ignorant country man. But they will thrive in their own pond for, so far they are left alone by the so called civilization. The destitute and more pitied concept of the day.

Introducing myself to Philosophy-II

After a brief introduction of myself to the idea of philosophy I would like to dig deeper in to what it is really composed of and what and choose the component which is our first choice (epistemology). Philosophy is its board sense is divided in to five branches. Logic: also known as sematic which is to do with meaning and concepts. Ethics: also known as moral or political dealing with how we ought to live. Epistemology: which to do what we can be known (knowledge). Metaphysics:  to do with what is ultimately real. Esthetic: to do with what art. This branches are also studied as philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, philosophy of law, and philosophy of art (aesthetics). The term Epistemology which is derive from Greek word episteme epistēmē (“knowledge”) and logos (“reason”), and is also refer to as the theory of knowledge.

Pritchard in his book ‘What is this thing called knowledge?’ begin by talking about types of knowledge as his main interest in the book is on a particular type of knowledge (prepositional knowledge). 

Types of Knowledge:

There are three types of knowledge, Knowledge by Acquaintance, Ability Knowledge, and Propositional Knowledge. Needless to explain with example here as we all seems to be too frequented by it.

But, here the question that came to my mind is can these knowledge exist independently of one another? Can we have prepositional knowledge independently without directly or indirectly having related knowledge of acquaintance or ability knowledge and Vis-versa? Our pursuit in education are mainly focus on prepositional knowledge. What are some major problem this concentrated pursuit creates in our society (if any)? Have our educational endeavor focus too much on prepositional knowledge that we have a highly specialized professionals who have no clue of any co-relation of his action to the larger environmental or societal implication? If aim of education is at all liberating and empowering individual and all ultimately for the larger good of the society. Does the hierarchy we assume (or perceive) divided the society? Look at the disparity in our society? The unequal payment or the returns of different profession? Is it the problem related to this notion of hierarchy or is it something else? If, so what could be that?

Are approaches like CCE which focus on scholastic excellence and co-scholastic (honesty, team spirit, etc.), extra-curricular activities, physical-education practice in our education system sufficient to dealt with this mammoth problem we have (consider this question if you agree to the problem I have highlighted above)? 

Definition of Knowledge:

There are in-built dilemma in knowledge regarding where to begin. That is either to begin by definition of knowledge or criteria of knowledge. This problem is call the problem of criterion. This problem say one can only identify instances of knowledge provided she already know what the criteria for knowledge are. Or one can only know what the criteria for knowledge are provided she is already able to identify instances of knowledge. The Methodism and Particularism are two way out of this dilemma. Methodism proceeds from the criteria for knowledge and Particularism begin from instances of knowledge. I face another problem, if I should begin by defining both ‘knowledge’ and ‘criteria of knowledge’ or ‘the problem of criteria’. For now I begin with the problem but I don’t know how efficient will it be if looked at facilitation point of view.

Prepositional knowledge:  A prepositional knowledge is a knowledge of preposition. A preposition is what is asserted by the sentence which says that something is the case. Like, all husband are married or two plus two is four. But, it is quite obvious possible one can assert on anything. So, if the definition of prepositional knowledge is just asserting that something is the case than everything can go haywire. So the precondition of considering any preposition as prepositional knowledge is that one have to belief on which she is asserting and that assertion should be true. This assertion should in turn be justifiable. Thus, the famous Justified True Belief as the criteria of knowledge. These three criteria’s made the pursuit of knowledge in various field (like science) possible for objective studies and hence its advance. But, where these scope are impossible (like religion) no objective studies is possible and hence its own problem.

The three criteria’s are individually necessary and jointly sufficient to call any preposition a prepositional knowledge.

Before talking in detail about criteria of knowledge I would like to talk about the dilemma related to it in education. What is the difference between knowledge and information? Is it knowledge place in class room in the form of information? Or is it at all possible to place knowledge in the form of information? Is this the problem of Knowledge in our education system? Do we have the luxury of analyzing every knowledge we claim in education via tripartite criteria. Is it because JTB criteria is not applied in acquiring knowledge? Is education system the delivery of the ‘produced knowledge’ where the process of production is not given important but only where the end product is given important?

*Problematization on the definition of knowledge, each criteria of knowledge, and further contents in knowledge would be done in next writings. 

For, of love

In existing cosmos of love stories I plead one more

Because this learned heart of mine won’t let go

Hope this pledge fits your way

For I wish to perish as an old happy man

Yet you are the reason I am still young

Oh thee see the Truth in me, craving for you

Be it simple don’t complicated and make this a possibility

For all this runs down to a point ‘LOVE’
Had emptied myself more than days lived, just to feel you all over again

For this is not just another love song but the love I live

You have transcend all other purpose of my life! Yes you do

Words are liberated and I awaits you for mine

There is more than just crying and praying

A reason which will never invite ‘why’ again

You are my dilemma, yet you still bring clarity

Indoctrinated to love you even in my best consciousness

Be this an epitome of love, inspiring loveless

Looking for positive loop hole?

Some grey zone:

We are trap in the paradox. If problem lies in the system or the people constituting the system? We are also trap strategically by the traditional approach and we are struggling to find the lock and break ourselves free from this maze.

Definitive areas of concerns:

Professional development for teachers is one least invested domain or least functional in our education system. A large scale change would never be realize without addressing these shortcoming. But waiting for the giant to wake up is neither an option we could opt for. So how do, outsider organization like us get imprinted in to the system? There could be three ways of strategic route we have been exploring. First, facilitating efficiently the development program for teachers in the system (like SSA summer training). Second, using available option which are not functional in the system (like block level workshops). Third, establishing complimentary space for teacher’s professional development (like VTF). This way we could capitalized ourselves as a serious player in the system not taken for granted. Bargaining/negotiating/engagement with education functionaries at various level (from nodal, Block, district level, state level) would have to be done to facilitate our engagement.

Now the resources in term of human/knowledge resources or other resources w provide runs at the risks of replacing the non-functioning govt. Edu. System or keeping some unit dormant.  Balancing them and strategically working to strengthen the system should be our sole purpose. Replacement of govt. System or strengthening them has a narrow line of differentiation. So, this should be handle in great concern.  Coherence between our short terms objectives with long term goals should be reflect in every strategy we consider. Now, engaging them is not a life time process though learning and development is. So, where is the idea of sufficiency drawn?

Teachers in govt. education system are teachers who have good or well verse content knowledge. They clearing the teacher eligibility test itself speaks sufficiently. The understanding of where to begin engaging with teachers is very important for they did not come to us as a blank slate. Some of their prior knowledge and experience are to be encourage and facilitated and some to be question and destroyed. Looking at the reality of various universities, college and B.Ed. institute the content knowledge and pedagogy of teachers are still at stake. 

Why do we work with teacher to develop them as teacher’s educators? Assuming that they will one day go ahead and occupy a more responsible post which means it demand more in-depth understanding, qualified or experience teacher’s educator and functionaries.

Another assumption is that education is a dynamic process. Many new approach will come and go. Some may come instantly and some gradually according to the driving policy or need of the time.
When this come teachers with learning attitude would be needed. They would be the load who will make the transition possible. There is no one process or the process of teaching in education. The more the multiple pattern of teaching particular topic the more liberating and empowering it would be for teachers.

However the diversity of education it should directly address the aims of education. Teachers are deprive of so many fundamental elements in education. They are deprive of the knowledge of pedagogy approach and perspective of the subject. Scholastic centric education and total denial of non-scholastic education is the concern of urgent. Their practices are hardly visualized in the light of the larger goal of education. These are the areas where our intervention should focus on.

The idea that about 20% teachers willing to work irrespective of all odds should be ponder further. This figure is not a static figure but a porous classification. One teachers may be not be willing to work someday but become a pioneer someday and vice versa. Thus attracting or pulling maximum load in to this group can be address by large scale intervention and reaching out to the maximum. Engagement in scale and intensity thus is both needed.

There are well-defined monitoring mechanism in the education system. But, banking on it to improve the system is not a choice for us. There are teachers who are not waiting for inspection to present their show to the functionaries. There are teachers who are waiting for genuine assistance, feedback and appreciation on their daily task. Thus, this spell our task of recognizing teachers and acknowledging them of their needs and efforts.

 The kind of class room and children available for teachers in the school is also of a particular case. It is not a class with set of situation or children waiting eagerly waiting wanted to be taught or learn. But children bind to numerous baggage of burden and disadvantages. Thus our component of school practice become very crucial and important in understanding the challenges of the teachers. This could be consider as the fourth strategic route.  

Our credentials required:

We can only justify our presence if we are serious, have in-depth understanding, and authentic in our approach.

Our intervention would only be meaningful if we ourselves could grab the essentiality of the public education and what it’s role in nation or society building.  

We can propel the motivation of teachers if we could approach them empathetically and less suspicion.

The curriculum framework of engaging with should be well design.

The understanding of Andragogy among our team member is also essential.

The tools and resources we used during our engagement should be in reach within the premises or the budget of the school.

Our block level intervention should be in terms with our large scale intervention.

Challenges and risk:

What could we do about modules or content which are not in context with our teachers or are to tough to grab? Do we try to find a middle path? Or are we still going ahead anyway? Example like English new text book.

Most of the teachers who are at primary level and who engage with us in a very meaningful manner often get promoted to secondary level. Creating a void in the primary level. How do we manage this?

Introducing myself to Philosophy-I

 

Philosophy has always been part of human being. It is philosophy or elements of philosophy that made human being evolve as human being from her ancestor (if we were to believe theory of evolution). In early period man would have philosophies things related directly to feeding stomach and survival. But, as civilization flourish and more leisure and free time are available men begin to philosophies regarding various dimension. More abstract and imaginary philosophy begins. Comparing to its existence the name ‘philosophy’ and ‘Greek philosophy’ could be a late development. But surely it was Greek philosophy which has shape the modern contemporary philosophy in great detail.

With the birth of every child a new philosopher is born unto this Earth. Like the historic progress of philosophy, I have evolve through different phase. I was ignorant of the study of philosophy though I might have applied in various part of my daily life. In my childhood I keep wondering if this world is a little landscape stuck in upper parts of giant sleeping snake. Which would make our Earth parish as the snake wake up and moves its way. I also grew wondering that somewhere in the corner of this world someone exactly looking like me and with same name might be living. As I went for hunting with my father a bird narrowly escape with injury from my father’s target. Up above me fly away the bird and that point of time I was thinking that all those birds or animal injured would meet up in a particular place on this world to recover and heal themselves. In my early elementary education I grew up as an orthodox believer that scientist knew everything and are equivalent to God. Now I wonder but in clueless where all those concepts or believes are form in my mind. Have I been wondering about the place where we live, wondering for the meaning of its existence or about the uniqueness or commonality of an individual?

Lately, as my profession encounter the ‘philosophy of education’ I begin to ponder upon the systematic study of philosophy. In the beginning I was overwhelm by the literal meaning of philosophy ‘the love of wisdom’ derive from Greek word “philosophia”. Because my idea of wisdom initially comes from the notion of wisdom in religious text (The Bible). Which means something like the endowment form God to man for obeying Him or younger ones obeying to elders. Something of supernatural or miraculous acts, words or thoughts.  But, this confusion still hardly cease even now for I hardly came across the term used in the systematic study of philosophy. I hope moving on I will be able to clear up this cloud of confusion. Reading the history of philosophers seems to confluence with philosophy. Initially I find it quite awkward but now I find more reasons why it is impossible to divide philosophy and philosophers.

 Before classifying or dissecting the components of philosophy I would like to deal with some general definition of philosophy as well. Some defined philosophy as the pursuit of truth like any other pursue or science. Philosophy is also defined as an activity of working out the right ways of thinking about things. Which makes philosophy a second order activity. I think the idea that philosophy is totally a mind activity is also exaggerated, knowing something (branch of philosophy-epistemology) is possible due to our capacity to receive representation by our senses. This gives us an object which makes possible mind activity to think about the object. Philosophy in contemporary may range from arm chair activity to argument to some complex integrated experiment example Milgram test.  One may come across good philosophy, bad philosophy and non-philosophy which are name on the basis of the road they took in their course. On the other hand some find it meaningless to question what philosophy is. There is nothing philosophical in asking the question. Or will gain any philosophical understanding by answering it. Philosophy is what philosopher do. Let, me try to explain this with an analogy. When someone asked who Guru Prasad Sharma is? I think we will begin by explaining what he is doing, where he belong to, what are admirable qualities about him etc. etc. obviously not by explaining the literal meaning of what Guru, Prasad and Sharma stands for. If I tried to explain the meaning of Guru translated as teacher then it may begin to dissociate from the person himself. For he may not have been a teacher in his life. Therefore, it could be rightly said that philosophy means what philosopher do.

These are some of my dilemma and wonders when it comes to the topic of philosophy. In the next write-up I will go further to explore inquires dissecting the components of philosophy and in particular ‘epistemology’.

Colonial Hangover

The British Raj has left us long back. The old adage should have left us with the aged generation who has experience in the rule of injustice. But, it looks like the Raj have laid a never ending seed of weeds. They have ruled over our authority. Their superiority was expressed in every laws, acts or policy. Those were the days where force occupation had to be done to do unfair business with another country or nation. It is we who cracked our head, twisted our tongue to learn the master language. English has become anonymous with authority and superiority. It’s the master who brags out in English to their hearts content. Indian as meek as we could be are driven timidly by this language. The lower rung laborer or revolutionaries have tasted the bitterness of sledge, rob in the neck or bullets. Equally the educated secretaries and govt. functionaries were wiped with the sledge of English verbatim. They were ordered, disciplined with words in spoken and written.

Turning the page to current scenario I have observed quite a lot that this sense has not left us. As old habits often die hard, we have picked it up in fashion this language of authority and superiority. This stain has evolve and has remain relevance in our present society. Once I was flying in an economy class from Delhi to Bangalore; the occupants in opposite row were middle aged, discussing business in Hindi. Their voice sounded like the replica of worn out generator whose voice sometime roars out loud and sometimes die down which also annoyed the occupant behind them (not to mention the irritation that caused me). The gentlemen (I call gentlemen for no reasonJ) behind them requested them if they could reduce their tape. Initially the lady  (one among the three) responded what was the big deal but then heal broke loose as both the parties started throwing arrow sharp words, double edge knife like words at each other. The gentlemen made a consistence pitch while the other three took turn to pick up sharp words and sentences to hit back to the opinion. The battle started in Hindi and was fought in English in the language battle ground! Though I did not actively participate in the battle, almost dozens of creepy words had crossed my mind, which would have had come out of my mouth had I been involved in the battle. The solution to the situation interestingly was a soft spoken air hostess who meditated meekly in Hindi. Irony is that the flight was almost empty but both parties refused to shift their seat which would have had been possible through discussion or mediation. After all, it’s not about the discomfort it is about chilling out with former master’s words/language. 

Upper middle class, the urbanized class or the educated class of our society has accepted English as a part of everyday life. Sending children to English medium school was a craze even rural India. Though I am not interested in analysing the good or the vice of this phenomenon; I am here interested in understanding how it has played out with respect to the schemes I have expressed above. In malls, trains, cinema halls, at home, children as their nature tend to go wild and explore. So, in a population of millions and always over crowded public spaces, how do parents control their children? I have often heard parents initially explaining how to tame/teach to behave with their wards. Like the revolutionaries of our Independent Nation, children hardly grab their parent’s intention and their curiosities always drive them the test of freedom. That is when parents open their last and all-time powerful weapon which is rise their voce, stress on certain words (like nooooo…. Rahul.. Vicky etc..), enlarge their eyes wide and that’s when most children understand out of fear that their parents actually mean it. It is true, the lovely and always caring relationship between a parent and a child is fully expressed in mother tongue. It is also true children could be confuse how same language or words could be used either to express love and control. Thanks to the colonial power who has left this token to fill the gap and help millions of parents control their children and make millions of children feel that the same parent who scold them in videshi still love them in desi way.

I hope this kind of notion of language and power/authority relationship has open up interesting debate in various platform and will do the same in our institution.