Miracle of Finland

Finland is a beautiful Scandinavian country famous all over the world for its natural lakes. The huge count of lakes has earned it the sobriquet of “Land of Thousand Lakes”. However, the country is in news nowadays for another reason – Education. PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is one of the most challenging assessment exams all over the world. It assesses 15-year old children’s capabilities in reading, science and mathematics. From the last decade, Finland has shown top results consistently, while the biggies like US, France and UK have performed average. This has led to studies into the education model of Finland so that some lessons learnt there can be applied elsewhere.

Studies have revealed that the Finns have a very eccentric but effective model. In Finland all the education is state owned and there are no tuition fees for education. Children join the school at a much later stage than the children in other countries and are not assessed till 16 years of age. There is rarely any homework provided to children. But still they are able to sustain top rankings in the assessment.

The seeds of this model of education were laid after the World War II, when Finland emerged from the war economically shattered. The people of Finland quickly came to know that the only resource that they had was their people and they can only take them out of the recession. So, they invested heavily in education. The results were dramatic; the economy of Finland started to recover rapidly. The education revolution has also made the nation a knowledge based economy and it is now one of the most developed countries of the world.

I recently watched a documentary on this “The Finland Phenomenon”. The documentary describes the quest of a professor from Harvard to examine the school system of Finland and what lessons can US learn from this. He travels to various schools and colleges of Finland and is astonished by their way. The teachers are very interested in their job and focus on the children in a major way. They want their children to think how they can solve the problems of future rather than rote learning. I am really impressed by the Finn’s paradigm and hope the world learns something from it as the education model of world needs a revolution. 

A Visit to Chikmagalur

Chikmagalur, a small city nestled in the heart of Western Ghats is famous all over Karnataka for its serene environment and pleasant climate. I had planned to visit it from a long time, but never got the chance to be there. This time my wish came true, when Bindu’s marriage came up. She is my supervisor and a good friend. She invited us all on 21’st October for her marriage in Bangalore, but we couldn't be there, which made here angry. So, we decided to go to Chikmagalur and be there in her wedding reception. But due to project constraints we all couldn't go there. In the end, after a long planning and some tough decisions we four people – Me, Sankara, Swati and Sushma started on Thursday night (25^th October) from Bangalore. We hired a Tata Indica Vista for the trip.

We started around 12 am and reached Chikmagalur around 6:30 am. The morning was really peaceful and cool in Chikmagalur. We went outside and had a brief photo session. From Chikmagalur it took us further one hour to reach her native town Koppa. There we met Bindu; she had arranged our stay in a Forest Guest House. The guest house was situated in the middle of woods. It was a nice place with hot water for bath. We took a bath and explored the nearby area. After a lot of time, I was seeing the perfection of nature; the serenity of morning was embellishing the whole view. It was greenery anywhere eye could see. The trees were laden with the morning dew like they are welcoming us. From there we went to Bindu’s home and had a nice breakfast. She served us the food on banana leaves and we had to eat with hands. I don’t like eating with hands, it makes them messy. But I was little shy to say that, Sushma helped me in this.

After some chit chat with Bindu, we went for some sightseeing nearby. There was home of the famous national poet ‘Kuvempu’ nearby; we went there. It was a nice home placed in the foot of the dense woods. The home was entirely made up of wood and was kept in a good state by the organisation. The home was full of souvenirs of the poet ranging from the daily household items he used to various prizes he earned in his lifetime. I was clearly astounded to see the ‘Padma Vibhushan’. It was the first time I saw that, it was clearly radiating the value of the award. Every year some individuals are honored with this prestigious award by the Government of India to recognize their excellence in their fields. The medal was enclosed in a red box with Padma Vibhushan emboldened on a betel leaf. A one KM walk from there took us to a place on the hill where the poet wrote some of his best poems. It was a quiet place on the hill, but it was too hot that day. So, we quickly came back from there.

After returning to the guest house we got refreshed up and went to the main event – Bindu’s reception. It was arranged in a typical South Indian way; the bride was dressed in traditional attire and the stage was decorated beautifully with flowers. We congratulated them for their wedding and had a tasty lunch there and then we moved on for some more sightseeing. From there went to see some waterfall; the name of which I am unable to recollect. Our filled bellies took over our interest in the sceneries nearby quickly and we all were slumbering in few minutes. I woke up after half an hour; the sharp turns were making me uneasy and I was desperately waiting to reach the destination. Finally, after what seemed ages filled with uneasiness we reached the spot.

I think the name of the waterfall was ‘Srirangana Falls’, but I’m not sure. The waterfall was splendid. The drop was around 18-20 feet. The water was chilly and it was fun to be there. We enjoyed the chilled water of the waterfall and the natural beauty of the place for around half an hour. It was great to watch the water falling on the rocks and then split into countless crystal clear drops. It was a reminder of nature’s ingenuity in spite of its simplicity. It was amazing to see how the simple act of water falling from the rocks was a wonder to the eyes. The world is full of such feats of nature which can never be repeated by any human. Every great artist has found the inspiration from the nature. It is like a bottomless pool of creativity, filled up to brim. Regardless of how much we take from it, it will never dry.

After spending some valuable moments we went off for Chikmagalur. We reached Chikmagalur around 9 PM. There we found ourselves a hotel to spend the night. We had dinner in a nearby restaurant and then went to sleep. As we had traveled so much, we slept quickly and comfortably. Next morning, we woke up early and went to see Mullayanagiri peak, the highest peak in whole of Karnataka. The way to the peak was filled with the vista of Western Ghats, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I took many panoramic shots of the view through my camera. But even my 10-megapixel camera was unable to catch the details that my eyes were able to catch. The overlapping silhouettes of mountains in the distant view were really mesmerizing. Far away nestled in the middle of two mountains I saw a lake which left me spell-bound. I had just seen such views in movies and wallpapers, but seeing these in front of me was like a dream come true.

We reached a base point on the peak, from where we had to climb on foot. The winds were blowing too fast here. I stood on a rock for a pose, and the force of wind was so great that I was being pushed away by it. The cold gale left my whole body shivering. After trekking for about 1 km we finally reached the peak. It was a really great achievement for me as I was feeling like I whole of the Karnataka is below my feet. There was no snow on the peak, but the gale was blowing in such ferocity like it was compensating for it. We spent around half an hour on the peak. Then we climbed down and went to Kemmengudi. The way to Kemmengudi was full of sharp turns and narrow roads. By this time the sun had also risen up high in the sky. The hot weather was contributing to the uneasiness and I felt for some moments that I will have nausea. But fortunately, I overcame that by distracting my thoughts on other topics. We started to play ATLAS and it was fun. The main attraction of Kemmengudi was a famous waterfall ’Hebbe falls’. But after reaching there, we came to know that it has been banned due to an order by Supreme Court order to ban tourism in the wildlife areas. It was really disappointing to miss out the falls after coming such a distance for them. By this time we were hungry also, so we decided to have a quick brunch in a nearby canteen.

After having this brunch, we went to another nearby waterfall that came out to be a fuss. It was a little stream of water falling from 5 feet and a throng of people were bathing there. We decided it was better to go back only. So, we went back to the cab and told him to take us back to Bangalore. After that, we didn't stopped anywhere except some short breaks for rest and tea. Around 9 PM we reached the Bangalore. It was feeling great to be back in Bangalore. It was like this was the place where I will find the comfort I will feel. All I wanted now was to go and relax on my bed and I will be fresh again. I went and got a quickly got asleep. I got a good sleep, actually was enjoying the sleep after many days.

In the end, it was a good trip; we enjoyed the cool weather and the serene environment of Chikmagalur. We badly needed a break from this busy life of Bangalore. But the weekend has ended and I have to go to office tomorrow. I can’t imagine why time flies so fast when we trace it back in past. 

India a Superpower

Few days ago I watched a video of Ramachandra Guha, an acclaimed historian of India. He was in UBC for a lecture on "Ten Reasons why India will not and must not become a superpower". In this lecture he discusses the major ten reasons which are roadblocking  India's path to become a superpower. My cousin recommended me to watch this video. Mr. Guha tells us about the following 10 biggest hurdles in face of India:

• Insurgency 
• Right wing religious parties
• Decline and fall of democratic center and conversion of political parties to family firms. 
• Degradation of public  institutions
• Growing gap b/w poor and rich. 
• Rapid pace of environmental degradation
• Apathy of media
• Political fragmentation 
• Unreconciled borderlands
• Unstable neighborhoods

These are actually some serious problems but I believe India can overcome these, just a strong will to succeed is required. But how can Mr. Guha says "must not" become superpower. The first question that comes to my mind is that Ramachandra Guha is a cynic who does not believes in the potential of India. But as the fogs of patriotism started to clear away, a different reality started to emerge  in my mind. Why is the whole world obsessed with the notion of a country becoming superpower. The Americans are behind this; after the collapse of USSR, US is boasting of its power all over the world. They are responsible for creating a mirage in the minds of the people(especially from the developing world) that being a superpower is the ultimate sophistication.

You pick any newspaper or magazine, it will be filled with news of India-China, US- China or even US-India comparisons; how India is lagging behind China in the superpower race. But I feel is it necessary to become a superpower? Are there no great nations except US in the world to model. I greatly respect US in its achievements in the field of science and economy especially. They have a great lifestyle and have given a lot to the world. But, do we need to model ourselves completely after them? No. Every country is different and it will require different and focused effort to reform it. I personally believe Canada is a better example for us. It is a cool country not just in terms of weather but politically also. Why do you want to stick your nose into others matters? Let them live as they want. What will India achieve after becoming superpower?

A great nation is not a nation who dominates others but where people are happy. A country which is for the people, not for the interest of some top ranking officials. So, I want India to better focus on progressing its people rather than dreaming of world domination by becoming a superpower. The middle ages are far behind. In the future there will be no next UK or USA, but the world will become more stable. I visualize the world collaborating together to solve the problems of future and India should play a greater role in that which can only happen if it becomes more prosperous. So, lets hope India comes out of this mirage and face reality as soon as possible.

Religion

Religion is a powerful thing. The history is the proof of the impact that the religion has caused on this world. It has influenced everyone from the creative artists in renaissance, to the great rulers of the Middle ages. Every civilization on this earth has the marks of being associated with religion. But is there really a supreme entity like God or it is just a myth created by humans for their own prospects. If there is a God, then why he/she is hidden. Why doesn't he comes to the front? Where is he/she? I really don't know which gender to use for him/her. I have heard that according to Bible, there were two brothers God and Devil who created this world and on a personal bet they had a competition who saw that no one will directly interfere but just influence them to see which side they will go. That seems an interesting theory.

While if we see more clearly, sometimes it seems like all of this is fraud. These gods are just a creation of human mind. As our civilized society needs law to function properly like that human mind needs religion to work in moral bounds. The religion could have been created just to contain the humans so that they do not believe themselves as the most superior and commit whatever they want. The presence of god created a fear in minds of people to do what is right, to live morally. In fact, the absence of god would have made this society chaotic. Everywhere there would be dissonance. The strong would have been ruling the weak. Even now, this is the rule of nature, but it would have been more extreme. The crime would be on its highest peak. So, we can say that maybe some visionaries of earlier ages foresaw this and made religion as a solution.

On one side religion is responsible for morality in world; It is under the influence of religion only that people donate a lot especially in India and help the poor. While a little north west of India, we can see what can happen if we interpret religion in wrong way. The terrorism is now considered as one of the major problems of world. The 2002 riots of Gujarat were an example of how religion can influence a man to commit such grave acts. No religion says that kill other person of other faith. I don't know why people are so rigid in their perspective. I have seen people who never consider the other side of equation, they just think they are always correct and the one of the biggest miracle of this world is that they find a lot of idiots who follow these people blindly.

Like all the people in this world, I also don't have a concrete answer for it. Sometimes, I am in this basket, other times i am in other. I am right now sandwiched between traditions and the practicality. One I have got from my family which I cannot leave behind. But the other I discovered while learning which I cannot ignore. I can't say whether it is there or not, but it has impacted the world in a way, no other thing could have.  Religion is a wide topic and I have lots of thoughts regarding it but I will keep them for some other time. Till that time I can say that I am an agnostic Indian.

Make Over

When I crated this blog, I chose an appearance that will deflect a cool look. As our culture. defines hackers with being cool, so I chose a black background with a background of a pic of Earth taken from outer space. It was there to show my interest in space and technology. But, today I realized that the blog also needs a makeover. Something warm, that would instantly make you happy. Moreover, I have now realized that being social is also a required term in case. So, I have changed the appearance of my blog completely today. It has  got a new color and I have also removed the unwanted components in the sidebar. Here, is a cached pic of the old facade.

Some Thoughts

I was thinking from many days to write something, but wasn't getting time for it. One of the best things about IT industry is you have a 5 day week which gives you 2 days full of leisure. I was looking for this day with special anxiety as I had to go to office last Sunday to perform a smoke test. But, now I am having little difficulty to decide what to write. I should have jotted down the topics that were coming to mind earlier. While I was reading 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari', there was one quote of Robin Sharma about our thoughts that I like very much. he says a human mind thinks. We think every time. But, it is just plain redundancy. Most of the things that we think in a day are same what we thought about yesterday. So, basically writing keeps a record and pushes you think more and in new areas. I think everyone should write sometime. I had always wanted to write a diary, so that when I look back into my life after 10-20 years, I have some record. But, I never had  the consistency and the notebooks being tangible are prone to wear and tear so I  shifted to blogs. It is a safe way to preserve your thoughts.

Thoughts are an important part of our life. They represent our consciousness. Like we have a face, we have a consciousness. The ability to think is only developed in humans and that makes us different from other organisms. We should always respect what we are given by the almighty. Moreover, writing if developed can become an art. The things which a good writer can do just by his words are spell-bounding. There is an ancient saying, " A pen is mightier than a sword". When a person writes, he is preserving his thoughts, his abilities, his visions and much more. Every other person who will read it will capture these thoughts and will make them their own. Now, he will start from where the author left. The reader will not have to start from scratch, he will not have to reinvent the wheel. This is one of the ways, knowledge has been passed on from generation to generation.

This earth has had around 108 billion people. The problems we are facing or faced would have been faced by some of them for sure. So, why not gain from their mistakes, why not learn from their experience. This can be only be done by knowing their thoughts(reading), visualizing what they thought, combining all the thoughts to think something new and then passing it to future generations. If we follow this, we can take our race to the levels we can never think of. The amount which is spent on wars and military each year is colossal ($1.74 trillion). Just think if we can put even a fraction of that amount for advancement of humans, we could have been living in a new era.

Pulp Fiction: A Classic

I had heard a lot about the classic movie Pulp Fiction, but didn't got chance to see it until recently. One of the major reasons I downloaded it was its high ratings by critics on 'IMdb'  and 'RottenTomatoes'. The movie is a really good piece of art. It is not having any enthralling story or motive, but still it is the movie which will stay with you for a long time. The lead roles were played very well, especially Vincent by John Travolta. Moreover, I liked Harvey Keitel as Wolf. He was really inspiring with his think fast, talk fast and act fast philosophy. The way he cover ups the whole operation in such a scarce time is astonishing. This movie is one of the rare scenario when I haven't deleted the movie after watching it. The dialogues are clear and spell bounding. In the end, I can only say you should watch it, it clearly depicts the American culture and that era in States when the crime was at its peak and the nation was bound in shackles by drug lords and mafia.