Sunder Kaand

 It has been now a good 25 years now of my work life, starting from 1998 and not one day goes by where I am not concerned about what others think about me. One of my very good friend says, "One should be agnostic about what others think about you"! Well she might be right because she lives in her own head and she indeed is ignorant to people's thoughts. I am not like that. Speaking about what people think about you, haven't all been taught like that right from the time we become self aware. My son will be 5 years old this April, 2023 and until last year, he lived a life what my friend said about. Kids can but we do not let them be until they become self-aware in the name of society, education, school, etiquettes and habits. Until last year, my son wore anything, slept anywhere, ate anything, peed anytime, anywhere even in his pants (only we used to make him wear diaper, because we cannot make the bed messy or rather wash the bedsheets...! Grownups!)! I feel he had a l...

The title of this post sounds an encouragement to rebel attitudes but in the last 1 and half year this could really be a system than a rebel provoking world.  A chance chat with one of my friends who is also a concerned parent about today's times where his son is in XI std without appearing for the draconian board exam, has led me to thinking about it... COVID has changed or brought something that will have long term impact in our lives, especially the working class like us. Let me take a short digression about the seed of this post to the 90s or more precisely 1992-1993.  In 1993, I appeared for my X Std Board Exams and by far, the most revered exam of all middle class till date too. Board Exams apparently are so draconian till date too maybe, that many kids before me and also later committed suicide due to the results. I won't blame the Board Exam as such but yes they were game changers.. at least they were thought to be...  Today after 28 years when I look back on...

One of the most famous phrase we heard in school was A friend in need, is a friend indeed . Class monitors or the prefects would write this at least once a year on some blackboard (classroom's or general) as "thought for today". Some of us were emotional on that front too just by reading it. Some really thought their friend in school will remain with them forever only to realize later that once the school is over, the friend has sailed swiftly to some place where we don't tread.  Then came the days of colleges where those who couldn't bond in school had really great bonds from then on. As for some it lasted for a while in school, same it was in College too. For some the friendship lasted life-long; well those are exceptions.  Then came the hormonal imbalances spiced by Bollywood as below... where friendship was given a stage of initiation for love & romance. A girl and boy first become friends and then they (have to) fall in love (typically at first sight or p...

COVID 19, undoubtedly has changed the world's diaspora. For ages, many aspects have changed man's life. From his days of foraging and vagabond lifestyle during the Homo-Sapien growth phase to discovering fire or farming and more. But all changes on man's life (pardon me, today it may sounds sexist, but I am habituated to old English style, so I mean mankind or all the humans) have not only brought a new venom but also a nectar that though, has not made him immortal but has remained with him for as long as possible. Glancing about those history is unwarranted on this post so I'll straight away jump to three major changes in man's life -  The industrial era The technology and service era The post COVID era What I can express is known by many very well, but something exclusive I can share here is, what industrial era brought to man's life is the idea of a job . Robert Kiyosaki, in his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad , which I read somewhere in 1999, has vividly expressed t...

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?...

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 ...

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...