One more Idiot
In India, the approach to 'studying' has many flaws. I will elucidate a few that 3 idiots points to:
Flaw number 1: Children are told that they must study well to earn well in future
Actually, what the child needs to be told is that we all study because it is the most fun thing to do - you learn about new things and studying increases your chances of getting what you want out of life.
Flaw number 2: In schools, teachers do often insist on following textbooks - blindly. They even "cut marks" if you miss out a word here or there or break the sequence etc thereby destroying creative and out of the box thinking
Flaw number 3: The whole learning process is restrained by schedules and discipline.
Flaw number 4: When they call it "extra co curricular activities" they mean extra. Singing, painting, acting, sports etc are strictly discouraged from becoming your mainstream activity.
Flaw number 5: Engineering, medicine and more recently an MBA are the ONLY way to prove your intelligence and general worth in society.
Flaw number 6: Students with the ability to learn things by heart have a sure-shot chance at being in the topper list, but this can't be said about a student who cares to understand things rather than learn them by heart.
Students should be tested on the ability to apply what they learn. Teachers should teach via applications and 'demos'
Flaw number 7: The more complicated it sounds, the more intelligent it is deemed to be. So, by default, everybody strives to keep things complex. those who crack the simplicity behind the complexity hide it for fear of diluting the "bigness" of the concept.
Corrective measures need to be taken and I applaud 3 Idiots for initiating the discussions.
However, unfortunately some aspects pull the movie down and deviate from the main subject:
1)The boys hostel humour was overdone to the extent of non-enjoyment. (There is only so much obnoxious back-sides one can watch in a single movie! And trying to mix this with an emotional scene, I think, was a bad idea)
2)The attempt to create another 'jaadu ki jappi' out of the 'aal izz well' line didn't work thanks to the overkill with the baby-kicking episode. (made me exclaim - "oh puhleeease!!!" out loud)
I loved the casting. Madhavan once again put up a good act, just like he did in Guru and Rang De Basanti. Sharman was adorable-funny as always. Aamir khan, enough is being said about him. The entire cast did justice to the film and I think the guy who played 'chatur' deserves a bravery award for agreeing to take on all the on-screen lampooning. :D
And so spoke the fourth idiot. :)
Flaw number 1: Children are told that they must study well to earn well in future
Actually, what the child needs to be told is that we all study because it is the most fun thing to do - you learn about new things and studying increases your chances of getting what you want out of life.
Flaw number 2: In schools, teachers do often insist on following textbooks - blindly. They even "cut marks" if you miss out a word here or there or break the sequence etc thereby destroying creative and out of the box thinking
Flaw number 3: The whole learning process is restrained by schedules and discipline.
Flaw number 4: When they call it "extra co curricular activities" they mean extra. Singing, painting, acting, sports etc are strictly discouraged from becoming your mainstream activity.
Flaw number 5: Engineering, medicine and more recently an MBA are the ONLY way to prove your intelligence and general worth in society.
Flaw number 6: Students with the ability to learn things by heart have a sure-shot chance at being in the topper list, but this can't be said about a student who cares to understand things rather than learn them by heart.
Students should be tested on the ability to apply what they learn. Teachers should teach via applications and 'demos'
Flaw number 7: The more complicated it sounds, the more intelligent it is deemed to be. So, by default, everybody strives to keep things complex. those who crack the simplicity behind the complexity hide it for fear of diluting the "bigness" of the concept.
Corrective measures need to be taken and I applaud 3 Idiots for initiating the discussions.
However, unfortunately some aspects pull the movie down and deviate from the main subject:
1)The boys hostel humour was overdone to the extent of non-enjoyment. (There is only so much obnoxious back-sides one can watch in a single movie! And trying to mix this with an emotional scene, I think, was a bad idea)
2)The attempt to create another 'jaadu ki jappi' out of the 'aal izz well' line didn't work thanks to the overkill with the baby-kicking episode. (made me exclaim - "oh puhleeease!!!" out loud)
I loved the casting. Madhavan once again put up a good act, just like he did in Guru and Rang De Basanti. Sharman was adorable-funny as always. Aamir khan, enough is being said about him. The entire cast did justice to the film and I think the guy who played 'chatur' deserves a bravery award for agreeing to take on all the on-screen lampooning. :D
And so spoke the fourth idiot. :)
Comments
@confessions...: i think it was a black shirt!!! :p (i hope i am wrong. else it would mean i am completely nuts! :D)
1. obsession with box office
2.obsession with amir. he is given too much centrality .
regarding your views about our edcn system, i agree. had to flow along in this system and look on sadly at the immense untapped potential on account of the exam and job pressure.
good post.
@anonymous, i am not sure whether to take that as a compliment...i quite love some of my earlier posts..:P
@Bhaskar, so many good bollywood flicks have been rolling out this last decade...am surprised u are yet to be floored..:)
@bhaskar, the traditional emphasis on the "profesional" courses is still very much a reality in a large part of india. it still is. sigh. but sure, it is on its way out...
@KPJ, thank you. I know what you mean.
although boys hostels are worse than portrayed ...and was the only realistic part....
"all is well" sucked big time...i guess concept ws good but treatment was overdone and din click that "well" ;)....
don't quit and also keep posting for the simple reason that it simply just good worth to read it.
impatient to look into much of your current stories, stunning day!
I have no arguments wrt your thoughts about the movie, but, i definelty have an opinion about your very intersting seven points of the Indian education system....
Flaw no- 1 and why are children told that? two reasons ; Money, is a measure of success ( not fun or even satisfaction) second - Past performance is an indicator of future performance..all that the grown up have seen is all the "well" studied have been "successful" ( read money ).... and I guess everybody wants their child to be successful..
Flaw - 2 , I am a vicitm of this flaw, but guess what... all the ones who studied "well" ( ref flaw number 1) have become engineers or doc or MBA's ( because they want to make more money) guess who is left behind... I guess either the ones who did not study well or the ones having fun.....
( I am not being cheeky, but, actually pointing out what the social construct looks like , of course, in my two paise opinion...)
Flaw number 3 - come-on , have you seen the size of the classes...it is almost impossible to "churn out" so many students if you did not have a schedule and discipline... even the best institutes in the world..even in the feild of arts or sports have schedules and discilipne...
Flaw - 4 - You make a very vaild point, but unfortunately, the effort to reward ratio in music , sports, painting are so much lesser..and for the majority to be successful the system focusses on where the potential reward would be greater...it is a huge flaw, agreed, but, ......
Flaw number 6 - Again, based on history ( when i say history i mean in the limited memories of one or two generations) whatever seems like a success formula ( success again defined as wealth), is what one is asked to run after...it was Govt jobs, then IAS, IPS, then Engineering, Medicine, then Comp science, then MBA, Y2k, ERP, art collection, Mutual funds, Beetles, Nirvana, boybands, lady gaga... and Beetle remixs again..if you get my drift...
Flaw number 6 ; I guess what the system tries to capture, in mugging up items or finishing the cat successfully or passing AIIMS or getting a seat in NID is..a sense of discipline and not intellect... you can find so many ultra smart guys and girls, but unfortunaltey they are not as successful as the hard working ones.. why ? because the society, you, me , we would rather have someone who is discilpined and reliable than an flash in the pan genius....
Flaw - 7 Iam sure you've heard the stroy of the wet paint and the number of stars in the sky...we always tent to beleive , as "supposed" intel the ability to prove, if it can be, i will cross check...so if you told me the bench has wet paint...i will touch to seek confirmation, if you told me there are 8 billion stars in the sky, i will beleive you cos, i cannot prove it...
Thanks for reading this far..these are only my two paisa worht comments..forgive my spellings and grammar, i never check for those... and forgive my intrusion on your blog...
cheers
Dominic