Notes From A Small Room - Ruskin Bond

‘Notes from a Small Room’ is a delightful collection of short essays, personal and anecdotal in nature, capturing the simple things that make life so beautiful. The common thread that runs through all the pieces is an eye for the small pleasures that make life worth living-“the sunshine, the bird-song, the bedside book, the potted geranium, and all the other little things”.

One cannot help but marvel at the way Ruskin Bond captures something as trivial as the transit of an ant across his writing desk. The book gives readers an insight into his “Thoughts on reaching 75”, the days spent with his beloved Siamese cat Suzie (who is later discovered to be a male, much to his disappointment!), his favourite smells, his idea of a perfect window and his philosophy of life (or rather, a lack thereof) among other things. He shares poignant memories of the last day spent with his father and celebrates the humble, but not insignificant, pleasures that life in his sleepy hill town so plentifully presents.

At a time when incomprehensible writing is often interpreted as a sign of intellect, Bond amazes the readers by weaving a childlike simplicity into his sentences to convey equally uncomplicated thoughts. He writes with remarkable ease and candour, transporting the readers into an idyllic world where time moves at a slow pace and, occasionally, even stands still.

As Bond observes-“It’s the simple things in life that keep us from going crazy.”

Marks-The Only Indicator of a Student's Success?

Wrote the following article for a college competition:

“Study hard”. “Get good marks”.

Don’t the words conjure up a familiar feeling?

Only marks, we are led to believe, ultimately spell success. But is it really so?

What marks one receives is less decisive than one’s approach towards learning. More often than not, focusing on how to get the perfect test scores is a myopic approach towards the more significant factor: long-term learning.

Currently, our schools expect children to confirm to the conventional methods of solving a problem. In such a setting, marks are mostly the end product of rote learning - acquisition of facts and committing them to memory. There is little scope or incentive for experimentation and exploration. Marks, at best, only indicate the ability and desire to learn. This is not adequate in today’s world where the focus is increasingly on qualities like innovation, leadership and divergent thinking, to name a few.

Beyond a level, marks cease to be important. The real ingredients of success are a go-getter attitude, perseverance, passion and a burning commitment towards one’s goals. Steve Jobs, Steven Spielberg, George Bernard Shaw, Bill Cosby are all college dropouts who still made it big because of these very traits.

Further, in today’s age, people often switch careers. This renders the marks they received while studying a particular discipline redundant. In creative fields, especially, marks are a poor indicator of capability as they fail to appraise a person’s inherent talent.

In the end, the definition of success itself is elusive. Success can be measured in terms of contentment and personal satisfaction or in terms of public recognition. Marks only spell “academic” success which plays a minuscule role in the grand scheme of things.

As Walker Percy put it - “You can get all A's and still flunk life.”

Rumour Has It....

Rumours have a life of their own. It’s amazing how they have the tendency to be passed on so rapidly and linger on immortally. Every school and college has its own set of fables dutifully handed down by seniors and passed on year after year, nobody having witnessed them first-hand. Then, there are some snippets almost everyone in the right state of mind knows to be false but that are, nevertheless, passed on further to catch that prized look of amazement on the listeners’ face. While these comprise mostly innocuous tales, much needed to add a little spice to the otherwise bland academic life, today we have urban myths widely circulating through specious e-mail forwards.

Recently, I came across this interesting site ( http://www.snopes.com/ ) that attempts to find the origins of the most widespread urban legends and verify whether there is any truth in them. The section on College is especially amusing, considering how schools and colleges are a breeding ground for the most unbelievable legends-some true, some not. There are other equally absorbing pieces, like the one about a man battling a $0.00 charge that won’t go away ( http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/zero.asp )and another about NASA developing a million-dollar astronaut pen which could work in outer space( http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp ), the latter subject being quite popular now, thanks to ‘3 idiots’.

This reminds me of one of my favourite passages from Malgudi Schooldays where Swami gives a lurid account of his teacher’s violence: “When he started caning he would not stop till he saw blood on the boy’s hand, which he made the boy press to his forehead like a vermillion marking…..His cane skinned people’s hands. Swaminathan cast his mind about for an instance of this. There was none within his knowledge. Years and years ago he was reputed to have skinned the knuckles of a boy and made him smear the blood on his face. No one had actually seen it. But year after year the story persisted among the boys…”

As a Chinese proverb goes -“What is told in the ear of a man is often heard 100 miles away”!

The Pleasures of Reading and Re-reading

Reading, being such a personal activity, appeals to a wide assortment of people- each in quest of a different kind of gratification through books.

There are those who experiment with books belonging to diverse genres and authors. Then, there are those who stick to their favourite authors and eagerly await any new books by them to hit the stands. Chetan Bhagat enthusiasts, perhaps, best describe this lot. Also, there are a few who dig a particular genre; for instance, many take a keen interest in self-help books (though I personally find most of them too idealistic, and their claims to have changed the lives of millions seem too far-fetched).

Lately, I have progressed (for want of a better word) to a new level altogether: I experience a new-found pleasure in re-reading the books I haven’t read in years. And, the fact that I’m reading the same book again doesn’t really dampen the novelty factor. Having matured considerably since the last time I read the book, I can appreciate the same things from an entirely new perspective, and almost always discover some finer details that I missed out earlier. Many a times, the old stories conjure a faint feeling of familiarity, if not a complete recall of the plot. Then, there are also times when they do not ring a bell at all, having got jumbled up with a lot of other things. In case of the latter, even old mysteries and suspense thrillers can be visited time and again without any loss of interest since it is still a mystery each time you revisit the book!

Sometimes, it’s not so much about the plot of a story as about escaping to a different world. Reading an old classic transports you to a much simpler world; it is reminiscent of a bygone era - a less hurried time when life moved at a slow pace. Also, it triggers many happy memories of the time last spent with the book.

Occasionally, I read an old favourite and wonder why I found it so gripping back then. On the other hand, a novel that I found just passable years ago seems quite absorbing now, making me realise how preferences change as we grow up.

Monsoon Woes

Increasingly, I’m discovering that the rains are causing more inconvenience than the initial euphoria that marked the arrival of the monsoon. While it is nice to have a light drizzle for hours, heavy incessant rains cause more botheration than relief.

It begins with the sound of raindrops pitter-pattering against the window glass, which is followed by the rush to bring the clothes in from the line. But the rain stops as suddenly as it had begun, rendering the effort pointless. Then there is the tedious exercise of closing all the doors and windows if the rain is accompanied by a storm, which is usually the case these days. Often, the water still seeps in through some opening and spoils the adjoining walls, besides other things placed in proximity.

Further, with the first monsoon showers arrive a swarm of clumsy winged insects, making their way to any light source they find. It is such an ugly sight to have them congregate in large numbers and to have them strewn all over the place subsequently.

And this is just the scene indoors. Outside, the streets get clogged and the dug up roads fill up with water, leaving no choice but to waddle across after several futile attempts of high jumps over the murky pools of water. Add to this the considerable humidity when the sun shines just after a heavy downpour, making the weather muggy and sticky.

How much would I prefer just a light drizzle and a faint breeze laden with the scent of wet earth- an ideal setting for reading a good book sitting by the window!

Do students really have a choice?

With college admission season in full swing, career advice columns in newspapers and counselors unanimously advise students to pursue a course in which their interest lies rather than being influenced by the choices their peers make or by the popularity the course enjoys.

On the face of it, it seems to be an indubitable advice. But unfortunately life is not so simple.

Firstly, a greater number of students do not have a field of interest in mind. For the few who do, the choice is mostly influenced by how much it pays -financially or otherwise- to be in that profession rather than out of natural inclination toward it. There may be some exceptions but this is the general tendency. For most students, the notion of a ‘dream calling’ does not exist, irrespective of what they show in movies.

Moreover, the emphasis on theoretical learning in our schools rarely exposes students to what a career actually encompasses. They are often disillusioned upon discovering that higher studies in a particular subject is anything but what they had made it out to be; there is no feeling of déjà vu to find solace in.

Second, as long as certain professions are regarded more respectable than others and there is substantial difference in pay packages (which is indeed the case and quite understandably so), a student cannot be expected to make a choice of career solely on the basis of interest in a particular field. Ultimately, the actual choice to one is reduced to the few well-paying careers held in high esteem by people at large. More often than not, one has to ‘cultivate’ interest in the field already entered into rather than choosing a field of interest. Career switches usually raise eyebrows and are seen as a sign of indecisiveness.

Third, there are so many fields one may like to pursue as a career but that are best considered mere hobbies in general opinion - photography, painting, music - examples abound.

Pure interest often takes a back seat in the face of other factors like money, prestige and job security.

Constructive criticism, anyone?

From an early age, we are taught-“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”.

Every other day, we come across instances of people getting unduly offended by criticism and others, who are not a party to it, echoing the sentiment.

What is so offensive about one professional critiquing the work or performance of the other? Why is it so often taken as a disapproval of the person himself?

People want to hear good things about their work rather than honest opinions, even if that would help them evolve. More often than not, criticisms of works are taken as personal attacks. Interestingly, such remarks are denounced not only by those toward whom they are directed but also by others.

If a lesser known artist criticises an established one, it is labeled as a sign of envy. If a novice does the same, he is lambasted along the lines of ‘what-does-he-know-about-it’. Likewise, an artist of equal stature is expected to be more complaisant and accepting of the work of his contemporaries. Thus, the general verdict is that open criticism is believed to be harsh, no matter where it is coming from.

When actor Abhishek Bachchan wrote on his Twitter page, "We don't deserve a talent like Mr. Amitabh Bachchan! Don't think we can make movies to fit his talent!”, he was criticised for showering lame praises on his own family. His response- “It’s my twitter page, so I have the freedom to write whatever I want and praise whoever I want. Don't like it? Don't read it!"

What a preposterous justification for not taking kindly to criticism!

With such tendencies, we are heading toward a culture of ostensible displays of mutual admiration, instead of one that is continually evolving as a result of genuine feedback.

India- Rich and Poor

Two years back, fashion magazine Vogue India was severely criticised for its editorial spread displaying the country’s downright poor modelling such luxury goods as a Hermes Birkin bag, a Fendi bib and a Burberry umbrella. While the shoot was certainly distasteful, rather outright offensive, it does epitomise the strange paradox that contemporary India is: home to the uber rich- the kinds who make it to the Forbes list of billionaires -and the poorest of the poor.

In fact, this rich-poor anomaly seems so customary now that we are no more astounded by the sight of people sleeping on the streets just outside the swanky malls housing some of the top international luxury brands.

So why doesn’t the government direct its resources towards addressing the basic needs of its own people rather than endeavouring for enhancing its global image; organising the upcoming Commonwealth Games being a case in point. The most common argument is that it would bring in huge revenues. But its benefits will again accrue to the elite or be used to organize more of such world-class events. Clearly, the trickle-down effect of government policies never seems to take place. As the cliché goes-the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer.

Another argument is that development cannot be initiated at merely one level. Thus, advocating that the government should first ensure basic amenities to all its citizens is akin to saying that we should just have primary schools instead of the IITs and the IIMs. Besides, competing with the developed countries in terms of infrastructure is a much more visible indicator of having “arrived” as a nation, not minding the underlying disparity.

Ultimately, it is for a nation to decide what it wants-a fake recognition as the next superpower or a just and equitable distribution of wealth among all. As someone has said, progress is not giving more money to the already rich but to give enough to the extreme poor.

Earth Hour - Is It Worth the Extensive Publicity?

Frankly, I don’t think Earth Hour is worth the hype around it. It is, at best, a mere gesture with no practical purpose to serve. In fact, the very provision of a separate hour for turning off all the ‘non-essential lights and other electrical appliances’ is contradictory to the conviction of making an endeavour to save power every single day.

The initiative may still hold some relevance in case of the Western world, known for its indulgences; it might make them mindful of the amount of electricity that they use each day. However, in developing nations like India, where several regions experience power cuts for long hours at a stretch and electricity still hasn’t penetrated many regions, an initiative like this makes little sense. In India, barring the Metropolitan cities, we are forced to observe many Earth Hours each day!

Surely, I do not endorse the other extreme stand either - people turning on all the lights and appliances as a mark of protest against Earth Hour – or, for that matter, even the so-called ‘Human Achievement Hour’. What I believe in is a genuine everyday-concern for the planet rather than an hour-long futile exercise in the name of ‘making a change’.

Now, many would argue how Earth Hour is meant to be a symbolic affair to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change. But, this is not the time to make mere gestures; it is the time to act. Combating climate change won't come about from turning out lights but from reducing carbon emissions.

I agree with Michelle Minton of the Competitive Enterprise Institute when she says-“Environmental challenges will not be solved by turning off our lights and symbolically hiding in the dark. We should be looking to technology and innovation to help solve environmental problems.”

The Problem with Old Sayings and Popular Quotes

These days, I cannot help but sneer when someone merely quotes a famous person or a maxim to drive a point home or to justify their actions. Come to think of it, there is an aphorism or a quotation endorsing practically everything under the sun.

So, while we have someone asserting that "modesty is to merit, what shade is to figures in a picture; it gives it strength and makes it stand out", there is another intellectual who believes that "modesty is the lowest of the virtues, and is a confession of the deficiency it indicates; he who undervalues himself is justly overvalued by others".

Likewise, they say “Try, try, until you succeed”; though, we all know how it is sometimes best to let go and move on in life.

The other day, when a fellow student asked the teacher about the ‘long-run’ implication of an economic policy, all she could come up with as a reply was a quote by the great economist, Keynes -“It is only the short-run that matters; in the long run we are all dead.” Now, how insightful is that!

More often than not, old sayings are overly simplifying and just add an element of drama to the given situation, rather than actually resolving one’s dilemma. People need to realise that the world has transformed appreciably since these were conceived and that they no longer hold good.

Popular quotes are not a panacea for all of life’s problems, and certainly not an acceptable excuse for dodging genuine questions by students!