Posts

Cover Letter. Ahem!

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Will this not be a great cover letter? Hi! My name is ____________ & I have to work for a living. If you would like to see me do that, check my CV and call me for interview (rude but straight). We will discuss salary thereafter. Sd/- Me in this desperate state But life is not a bed of roses, is it? I always wondered why writing being an art and of course characterized to be aesthetic at many level is enforced on everybody in the most unlikely situations. All of us were able to write letters but not all of us can or are taught to write a Covering Letter. I am dreaded by the situation even today, after 20+ years of work experience. I mean, I especially can write very long letters and I do not stop typing unless interrupted. I can almost type as I think. But writing for a job has to be crisp and concise. There lies my problem with this supposed  art of mine. I can either never talk or be elaborate, leave alone writing scenario, then how to be crisp & concise; moreover why?...

Why India “may not” win a Nobel in Science ever!

We Indians anyway have EGO in many things, from buying a TV to Car to going for specific schools to calling oneself IITian. Now when we add being a scientist who has contributed n terms of papers under Govt funding, he/she quite often thinks (leaving few exceptions) that he/she is so important that his fellow professionals are lesser souls. So petty thinking on such issues is natural, though you might call irrational; in fact it's being UNREASONABLE. To win a Nobel there has to be lot of other things than Science. I see westerners work in Collaboration from inter-department within a University/Research Institute to across borders. Indian scientists on the other hand might not do it with their neighboring scientist of the same department on the same floor. The only time they come together is during the 4 p.m. tea time, where in the name of scientific reckoning a show off is made of their skills with no absolute base on the discussion; these discussions are more of criticism and ...

Physics is "hot", Physicists are "not"

I had an odd conversation during the lunch-yap (the obligatory conversation during the lunch, somehow we grown-ups cannot eat quietly; neither lunch nor dinner, we have to talk about something while serving hypoglycemia (hunger)) about Physics vs Physicist . My colleague, who has established himself in Physics, academically (unlike me) threw this at me. He said, unlike the era up to 80s, where pursuing Physics meant something, being a Physicist was not only honor but was also more like 'being in demand', today it is not the same for Physicist. Many top IIT-JEE rank holders used to pursue integrated M.Sc. Physics, especially at the christened mecca, IIT Kanpur and the dejected but still in the top 100 or 200 ranks would run pillar-to-post to at least go for BTech in Engineering Physics. The ones who did not go for IITs, would still pursue Physics somewhere. Physics was hot and so were Physicists , back then. Unfortunately, today the situation is not the same. The essence o...

Chasme Buddor!

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The 1981, phenomenal saga tailored by one of the greatest Woman Film Makers of India, Sai Paranjpe... The particular point to be mentioned is, Sai was way ahead of her times & a Woman in a Man's world as compared to today's Farah Khan or Meera Nair or others, where liberalization is second nature bagged by Western influence & technology. No woman in India dared to make movies in those days. Sai Paranjpe for first, never made movies for women. Her stories themed around a collective set of characters irrespective of gender. The fairer sex always had fair share. Amongst Sai's many movies such as, (ref Wikipedia...) The Little Tea Shop (TV 1972) Jadu Ka Shankh (1974) Begaar (1975) Sikander (1976) Dabcherry Milk Project (1976) Captain Laxmi (1977) Freedom From Fear (1978) Sparsh (1980) Chasme Buddoor (1981) Books That Talk (1981) Katha (1983) Ados Pados (TV 1984) Chote Bade (TV 1985) Angootha Chhaap (1988) Disha (1990) Papeeha...

On 'The Lunchbox'

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What is the best way to spend time when you want to get entertained when you want your heart and also mind to get involved(which goes without saying, most entertainment is with no mind... matter rules mind)? I'd say, go with your loved one(s) to watch a subtle romantic movie, recently released, called "The Lunchbox"!  I cannot stop being gaga over Good Romantic Movies, ever. Some of the great English Romantic movies that I vouch for are: Casablanca Gone with the Wind You've got mail...  One fine day Pretty Woman ... and so many... The one from Hindi movies' lot, Bollywood actually rides on numero-uno concept of Love, Romance etc. Dream merchants like Yash Chopra have always snow-ladden as a backdrop of the lead pair. Personally, I never liked this personification or caricaturization of 'Love' , though as glamor it is ultimate. I detest such concepts, since it takes us away from reality. That does not mean, in real life there is no Love/R...

Why we do not respect women?

Why we do not respect women? ('We' means exclusively Indians)! I do not know about western countries and their attitude towards women, but as far as I know, their culture and law are way too different than ours. I mean a man can sue a woman just because she was dressed inappropriately and he got distracted & hence he rammed his car into lamp-post. At the same time, there are cases where women get away with lot of legal support. So, let me not talk about West. India is a country where boys are taught not in regular sessions, but sub-consciously that the fairer sex is to be looked upon. I remember my school days when we used to have Devi Pooja etc, my father used to make me sit next to him to recite the sermons & also explain them. The recitals embodied what Goddess Kali is about or Goddess Durga was about or Saraswati the Goddess of Knowledge was about. In all this, it was Goddess after all, a woman. But I used to see my Mother being subjected to scolding or reprim...

Perils of Gaining Knowledge

I am back in the blogging circle after year and a half. Reasons are not so trivial. There have been many things that happened that I possibly can neither put here in brief nor justify the absence with something substantial. I would like to put the perspective directly. Pardon me for speaking in indirect references or pronouns but diplomacy is what I have learned from this journey. I am on the drive which is 'supposed' to lead me to a Career that encircles Knowledge. But sadly, the experience has been a Real Education. Although it has not been a complete disaster , but the administrators of knowledge, my fellow participants and the system overall have been a Big Disappointment. I would create the caricatures of the participants to narrate the story in brief. The battle is between these three candidates - The Knowledge Keepers, The Fellow Participants & The Administrators, all encompassed in a Sphere of Time. Those who have experienced what I have, will readily identify the c...