Monthly Archives: September 2012

BRAINS VIS A VIS INTELLIGENCE

QUOTABLE QUOTES               BRAINS DEMYSTIFIED

1 BE SURE YOUR BRAIN IS ENGAGED BEFORE PUTTING YOUR MOUTH IN GEAR.

2 NOWADAYS MOST BRAINS ARE SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC UNEMPLOYMENT.

3 THE HUMAN BRAIN IS THE APPARATUS WITH WHICH WE THINK, WE THINK.

4 MOST FOLKS WOULD BENEFIT IF THEY WOULD SYNCHRONIZE THEIR TONGUES WITH THEIR BRAIN.

5 IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT RUSTING BRAINS DON’T SQUEAK.

6 REMEMBER THAT A MAN IS NOT REWARDED FOR HAVING BRAINS BUT USING THEM.

7 IF THERE IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR BRAINS, IT IS SILENCE.

8 IF A PERSON HAS NO EDUCATION, HE IS FORCED TO USE HIS BRAINS.

9 AS THE CHEST SWELLS, THE BRAIN AND THE HEAD SHRINK.

10 THERE ARE MORE IDLE BRAINS THAN IDLE HANDS.

11 YOUR BRAIN BECOMES A MIND WHEN IT IS FORTIFIED WITH KNOWLEDGE.

12 SOME PEOPLE HAVE OPEN MINDS; OTHERS JUST DON’T HAVE ANYTHING BETWEEN THEIR EARS.

13 MENTAL INDIGESTION IS RARE AS BRAIN IS SELDOM OVERWORKED.

14 SOME PEOPLE HAVE MORE MONEY THAN BRAINS – BUT NOT FOR LONG.

15 NATURE OFTEN MAKES UP FOR A NUGGET SIZED BRAIN WITH A BUCKET SIZED MOUTH.

16 GOD GAVE ELOQUENCE TO SOME, BRAINS TO OTHERS.

17 PROFANITY IS AN EVIDENCE OF THE LACK OF A SUFFICIENT VOCABULARY – AND BRAINS

18 BIG MOUTHS DO NOT ADVERTISE BIG BRAINS.

19 TONGUE IS A FEW INCHES AWAY FROM BRAIN BUT IN SOME PEOPLE IT APPEARS MILES APART.

20 WHEN YOU ARE UP TO YOUR EARS IN TROUBLE, TRY USING THE PART THAT ISN’T SUBMERGED.

INTELLIGENCE

1 CURIOSITY IS NOTHING MORE THAN FREEWHEELING INTELLIGENCE.

2 AN INTELLECTUAL IS SO SMART, HE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THE OBVIOUS.

3 ENTHUSIASM IS A GOOD ENGINE, BUT IT NEEDS INTELLIGENCE AS A DRIVER.

4 HISTORY IS A RECORD OF MAN’S INTELLIGENCE – OR LACK OF IT.

5 THERE IS NOTHING SO IRRITATING AS SOMEBODY WITH LESS INTELLIGENCE AND MORE SENSE THAN WE HAVE.

6 HUMAN INTELLIGENCE IS THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD, BUT IT DOESN’T SEEM TO ACT HIS AGE.

7 INTELLIGENCE IS LIKE A RIVER, THE DEEPER IT RUNS THE LESS NOISE IT MAKES.

8 THERE IS NO LIMIT TO INTELLIGENCE AND IGNORANCE.

9 A SCIENTIST ANNOUNCED THAT INTELLIGENT LIFE IS POSSIBLE ON SEVERAL PLANETS INCLUDING EARTH.

10 ITS INCREDIBLE HOW MUCH INTELLIGENCE IS USED IN THIS WORLD TO PROVE A LOT OF NONSENSE.

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Values- Devalued/ Wrong Values of CBSE

Did you know that one could be marked for respect for constitution, patriotism,respect for freedom struggle, attitude towards differently abled and forty such categories? This can only be made possible by CBSE. How can one even begin to measure such abstract feelings, no psychologist, only our omnipotent CBSE.        I respect my national flag 4, my national song 5 and my attitude towards differently abled is 3. Does this make any sense? It only reiterates the fact that some touched people make such touching policies, which barely touch any chord.

Do we go about breast beating, mouthing jingoistic phrases and singing patriotic songs to notch those marks being dangled about by our very own CBSE? How can a hapless teacher fairly mark such eminently unmeasurable concept? Do not forget that parents will be well within their rights, if they demand to see under what criterion you dared to allot such marks. I would love to exhort all parents to do exactly that. We do deserve to cut a sorry figure.

The parameters defined by CBSE for grading such things are the latest in the series of goof ups that it is famed for committing. It has again left the schools in a quandary but has hotted up the scene for comedians to create spoofs on it.

Govt. has gone on an overdrive to teach values to students – but it has lost the plot. They don’t feel the need to discuss it on any public forums but are in an unseemly haste to implement it. In the process they have lost the sight of what really needs to be done,which is to  clean their own act.

They are entirely responsible for the current dismal scenario. The oft blamed youth are not even remotely responsible for the world handed out to them by the so-called educationists and parents. If you had been good, things would have not been at this nadir.The children are rather the victims of the policies which backfired.

It’s time the education boards got their act together and led by example.Adding a spew of misguided criteria, under the guise of improving the values don’t hold water. Presenting a correct model and ideal to uphold could go a long way rather than passing the buck to schools and in turn creating stress for young minds whom they had ironically aimed to destress.

meera unplugged

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PAPA CJ AT Nu QBA

This was my second visit to QBA to watch PAPA CJ live. Two things happened as expected. He did not fail to impress, exuded charm and was gallant. The second was again the lack of preparedness by the QBA management. But I would like to devote more space to CJ as he deserves every bit of attention that he garners.

I could visibly see the energy and effort that he put into promoting fresh talent, his personal charm put to use on their behalf and how he lifted the spirit of both the participant and the audience. When any performance needed a lift, he put himself out to lavish praise on them and coaxed audience into applauding.

He played the host to the hilt and as usual rose to the occasion. On entering the premises, I was assailed by noise and confusion. I deliberated between fleeing and resigning to two hours of standing, the latter won owing to the charisma of CJ. When he stepped out, in his characteristic manner, in the most affable manner, he offered his reserved seats to my family and opted to stand.

It was an endearing gesture as I could see that he was resting himself on his haunches, I felt guilty as hell, this sure did win the hearts of the rest of my family who are not regulars. Do keep up the tempo, we do need people who could help people let their hair down and unwind.

The upcoming stand up artists could take a leaf out of his book and learn the art from the likes of him. Hoping to see you again soon.

Now for the QBA, they could be a bit more supportive by trying to provide more chairs if not tables or makeshift spreads etc. The entire experience could be taken to the next level by working on the comfort and  ambience of the place. Look after the guests well and you have their loyalty. The last response to my blog from the management was positive, hope for better viewing next time.

Waiting to see more of you CJ

Best Wishes

meera unplugged

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Misguided CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Educattion)

 

English Shoved Down The Throat in the most ham handed way by the CBSE ,speaks of its high handedness and ignorance as usual. After implementing CCE in the most undignified haste in mid session, they have moved on to next blunder. Usually their intentions are not wrong but they sure do lack the necessary intelligence and wisdom in implementation. They not only fail to identify the areas requiring reforms, but also compound the problem by finding unsuitable solutions to it and further add insult to injury by forcible implementation.

What happened to the good old times when we convinced people logically rather than ordering them and then stifle their voice by blanketing out any voice of dissent. The noise raised from CCE failure, parents and students disgruntled voices has not settled down, yet in an unseemly haste another reform has been thrown our way. The new monster has been christened as ‘ PRACTICALS IN ENGLISH IN BOARD CLASSES AND ADDITION OF READING TEXTS IN CLASSES IX TO XI)’

What is wrong with this policy can be seen by everyone except CBSE. Are they not aware of the sham Science practicals are? It’s common knowledge that schools mark liberally, there’s no parity between the potential of the student and allotted marks. The charade goes on year after year, wasting time money and effort of lakhs. Do they wish to create a similar situation for English?

As it is, noses are thumbed at students scoring above 90% in it, they are only paving the way for 100% score to be possible in it and later lamenting at the outcome. Blame games would begin and all will be piping about rising scores and falling standards in English.Who will be responsible? None other than CBSE, the great churner of impractical ideas.

Who will conduct it, what would be the content, its level and the standard of the tester? Judging listening and speaking in such artificially contrived situation  will vary greatly,depending upon the examiner selected. It will be highly subjective and eventually pan out to be a farce where ultimately the regular teacher would come to the rescue. Did you need to dilute English more  and make a farce out of it?

The next issue that has been rankling is the hasty imposition of long reading concept. Nobody can oppose the thought in principle but they have gone wrong again in ensuring it. The dismal record of several schools is adequate reflection of the malaise, which is ” not knowing even the basic sentence formation at class tenth level” The effort should be directed at imparting the basics first.

The policy makers should be forced to correct the answer scripts of govt. school children first and then be allowed to select suitable reading texts for them. They in their wildest dreams wouldn’t be able to read unabridged texts of Gulliver Travels, which I did at graduation level or tackle archaic English of Jerome in ” Three Men in a Boat”. They could have done better than ” Up From Slavery ” for class eleventh.

What could be the intention of CBSE in doing this? Is it perhaps to cash on new money-making enterprises. More guides will be published, ready-made answers to these novels would be available and some of the very same decision makers would edit them and rake moolah. They don’t seem to be nobly intended.

It is more advisable to supply a suitable reading list, recommend inculcating reading habits, and let the schools do the rest, which they most often do better without the benign presence and interference of CBSE.

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WORKSHOP CULTURE

Of late I’m feeling’ workshop exhausted’. Holding and conducting workshops has become a business in itself. It is an activity to flaunt, mention on resume, socialize, have lunch or tea breaks, fill feedback forms, ink praises in it, have a day off from routine, reach home sans any new idea or wisdom.

Most of the times, its old wine in new bottles. They have become an instrument of torture to some and a source of income for some others. It’s like a fad which everyone wants to partake of. They are held for N number of reasons, which are usually overlapping. A refresher, reminder, supposedly new methodology, system or just ice breakers with childish games thrown in, in which they ensure participation albeit unwillingly.

Playing games, activities, making people act, break into groups and several new jarring methods  are devised everyday, by people who take pride in calling themselves ‘Resource Persons’. They assault relentlessly  in various sessions, smile inanely at everyone there or pontificate from a moral high ground or pretend humility, which is hard to fake.

It has given rise to a new genre of women, sari clad, manicured and pedicured, English savvy, a beatific smile replete with arched brows and matching ethnic jewellery. They feel their appearance qualifies them to go anywhere and speak gibberish and be tolerated by others and to top it, be thanked for delivering nothing. After enough air kissing and hugs, the session is declared over with dreaded promise of a follow up.

Men in this profession are a slight variation. They are hyper active, all over the place, full of movement and using physical energy to a greater extent than their female counterparts. Companies at many places resort to the concept of’ ‘off site’ bonding and socializing programs. They are planned at length, lakhs spent over it, people transported to fancy locales, but ultimately the aim is the same.

They ie the Resource Persons, at the end of the day looking at the payment that might come their way, the contacts they might build, future sessions fixed and a glorified resume boasting of the number of workshops conducted.

Many institutes are under pressure to record a required number of workshops/ seminars. Govt. as usual goes overboard and links it to promotions and grades, creating a scramble for attending anything dished out to them, only to tick the attendance column.

I wish more profound thinking is put into such endeavours before assembling several busy adults and  wasting so many man hours and hard-earned money. This burgeoning industry is no less irritating than coaching centres, the philosophy is the same.

A workshop jargon has got created, etiquettes pertinent to it have been drilled. Hapless victims like us get carried from one similar workshop to another, and get exhausted.

This brings me to the heading of my write up. We have come across exhaustion originating from a holiday trip which is meant to relax, similarly, a workshop which is meant to rejuvenate,  to the contrary leads to exhaustion so friends I do feel ‘ Workshop Exhausted”

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