It was very interesting to see the script of Karan Thapar’s interview with Pamela Mountbatten in today’s Hindu.
The read the following questions and interesting replies. It silenced by brain and emotions for a second. Never judge a book by its cover. It also needs guts and gumption to talk about ones’ family, especially a mother’s relationships in the public.
Love has no reasons or seasons!!
There was no tinge of jealousy or perhaps of hurt emotion?
No, because I think he trusted them both. And also, my mother was so happy with Jawaharlal, she knew she was helping him at a time when it’s very lonely at the pinnacle of power. It really is. And if she could help, and my father knew that it helped her, because a woman can, after a long marriage, and they’d been over twenty five years together, a woman can feel perhaps frustrated, and perhaps neglected if somebody’s working terribly hard. And so if a new affection comes into her life, a new admiration, she blossoms and she’s happy.
But Panditji was a widower, he needed female affection. Your mother was alluring and beautiful. They were so close to each other. It would be natural for the emotional to become sexual.
It could be, and maybe everybody will think I’m being very naive, but the fact that she had had lovers in the past, somehow this was so different, it really was. And the letters, I mean if you were deeply, physically in love, your whole letter would be about the other person and your need of them physically, and it would be that kind of love letter. These letters had an\nopening paragraph of tenderness, and the end would be also tender and romantic and nice like that, but three quarters of the letter was unburdening himself of all his worries and his disappointments or his hopes and all his idealism coming out for the extraordinary time of India at her rebirth in history and it is the history of India as an independent nation.
For more visit the website
http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/18/stories/2007071862131300.htm or scroll down.....
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Never Insult Rats again - They are better than Humans
Have you watched the movie Ratatouille? You just can discount the animation movie to be a fiction anymore.In this world filled with voilence, hate, prejudice and lack of compassion, we have a lesson to be learnt from Rats. Ramayana talks about how squirells and monkey helped Lord Rama to lay the bridge to Lanka. For some this could be a myth, but when you read this article below you can extrapolate the same logic.
Scientist have discovered from experiments that the rats had developed what they call generalized reciprocity — that is, they were generous even with an unknown partner because another rat had just been kind to them.
Here is the extract from NY TIMES - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/10/science/10rat.html
Swiss researchers put pairs of female rats — they were littermates — in a cage, separating them with a wire mesh. In one half of the cage, a rat could pull a lever attached to a baited tray that would deliver food to her sister, but not to herself. Each rat was trained in alternate sessions, first as a recipient of food, then as a provider. The sisters learned to cooperate, and they pulled significantly more often when their littermate was present than when the other half of the cage was empty.
Then the researchers put rats who had recently been assisted by their partners, and rats who had not recently been helped, in with unfamiliar and unrelated rats. Those who had recently been helped were about 21 percent more likely to pull the lever for the new partner.
This was not just ordinary operant conditioning or reinforcement, the researchers maintain, because the rats were never rewarded for their own behavior, only that of others. Because the rats were unfamiliar and unrelated, there was no family interaction involved. The only plausible explanation, they believe, is that the rats had developed what they call generalized reciprocity — that is, they were generous even with an unknown partner because another rat had just been kind to them.
The study’s lead author, Claudia Rutte, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland, warned against drawing conclusions about humans from work with rats. "We’re interested in the evolution of cooperation," she said, "but our research is about animals, really, not people."
Still, the paper, published in the July issue of PLoS Biology, cites previous research showing that humans act the same way — people who have been helped in some way are more likely to help others immediately afterward.
Incidentally, these rats were not the usual cute, pink-eyed white lab rats. They were bred from wild Rattus norvegicus — the brown or gray Norway rat depressingly familiar to residents of many American cities.
Is it time to stop using the word "rat" as an insult? Maybe. Apparently even a nasty-looking rat can be possessed of sterling character.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Research exposes “Conservatives”
Here is the article reported by Deccan Chronicle – Jun 30, 2007
http://www.deccan.com/chennaichronicle/home/homedetails.asp#Net%20‘sexiest’%20in%20Delhi,%20Chennai
The so branded “conservative” ones in the society seem to be freaking out in the online world. Is it because there is no culture vulture or religious police patrolling the cyberspace? Chennai shrouded as a conservative city in the South tops the list in India. Other global cities that top the list always hide under the veil. Pakistan, Egypt and India – cradle of civilization tops the list when it comes to the three letter word.
Remember there is a human under every veil and they have a secret to share. Why masquerade human feelings and animal instincts?
One common observation is that people in oppressed and suppressed society have higher libidos. A clean society emerges after understanding and self-discovery and not from suppression and policing.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
More Dharavis in the make
“Kettum Pattanam Serr” (Beg, borrow or steal, but some how make it to the city, because it is the land of opportunity) was a proverb that was born during my grandfather’s generation. When migration wave hit villages and people got educated and moved to cities rather than raising cattle and ploughing fields. This migration was at a slower rate. But UN report “State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth” says the rate of migration is picking up enormous steam. By 2008, 3.3 billion, more than half of the world population will live in cities and towns for the first time. Urban landscape will change considerably and the very city that once was a land of opportunity will turn into the land of poverty.
Read the article below from NY Times on U.N. prediction on population explosion.
What does it mean to people like us in the cities?
* Poverty, congestion and pollution will paint the city landscape
* More Dharavi’s will emerge – lack sanitation, proper living conditions, breeding ground for crime and violence
* Rich poor divide will be glaringly felt in the cities
* Poor quality of life
* Lack of area will push the city to develop along the Z-axis
* Lack of hygienic living conditions will increase vulnerability to germs and deadly diseases – life expectancy can come down
* Shortage of food - Food production will go down as a result of lack of labor in rural areas until we turn to mass scale mechanized farming. Remember we still need food to survive, because currency notes are not edible
The only people who benefit from this mass exodus from rural areas will be those holding real estate in Cities. Real estate in cities will be priceless – more than gold and diamond mines.
U.N. Predicts Urban Population Explosion
By CELIA W. DUGGER
Published: June 28, 2007
By next year, more than half the world’s population, 3.3 billion people, will for the first time live in towns and cities, and the number is expected to swell to almost five billion by 2030, according to a United Nations Population Fund report released yesterday.
The change is expected to be particularly swift in Africa and Asia, where between 2000 and 2030 “the accumulated urban growth of these two regions during the whole span of history will be duplicated in a single generation,” says the report, “State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth.”
This surge in urban populations, fueled more by natural increase, or births, than the migration of people from the countryside, is unstoppable, George Martine, who wrote the report, said in an interview.
Cities are predicted to edge out rural areas in more than sheer numbers of people. Poverty is increasing more rapidly in urban areas, and governments need to plan for where the poor will live rather than leaving them to settle illegally in shanties without sewerage and other services.
“Now the levels of insecurity and violence are a product of this approach,” said Mr. Martine, a Canadian demographer and sociologist. “People have been left to fend for themselves and have created these enormous slums.”
Rather than just letting slums spring up, governments need to anticipate the expanding ranks of the urban poor and provide them with secure housing, water, sanitation and power, among other services, the report says. With decent housing and basic services, the poor can take advantage of the opportunities offered by city life, it says.
A billion people, about a sixth of the world’s population, already live in slums, 90 percent of them in developing countries. In sub-Saharan Cities are predicted to edge out rural areas in more than sheer numbers of people. Poverty is increasing more rapidly in urban areas, and governments need to plan for where the poor will live rather than leaving them to settle illegally in shanties without sewerage and other services, the United Nations report says.
In Latin America, where urbanization occurred earlier than in other developing regions, many countries and cities ignored or tried unsuccessfully to retard urban growth. “Now the levels of insecurity and violence are a product of this approach,” said Mr. Martine, a Canadian demographer and sociologist. “People have been left to fend for themselves and have created these enormous slums.”
Rather than just letting slums spring up, governments need to anticipate the expanding ranks of the urban poor and provide them with secure housing, water, sanitation and power, among other services, the report says. With decent housing and basic services, the poor can take advantage of the opportunities offered by city life, it says.
In China,the world’s most populous nation, urbanites are expected to outnumber people in rural areas within a decade. China would then have 83 cities with more than 750,000 residents, but only five with a population of more than five million, the report says.
In fact, it predicts that the bulk of the urban population growth will be in smaller cities and towns, not the 20 megacities that dominate the public imagination. The future lies in places like Gabarone, Botswana, where the population is projected to reach 500,000 in 2020, up from 18,000 in 1971, as much as it does in chaotic, sprawling metropolises like Lagos, Nigeria.
Among the megacities with populations of more than 10 million, only Lagos and Dhaka, Bangladesh, are expected to grow at rates exceeding 3 percent over the coming decade. Such supersize cities today contain 9 percent of all urban inhabitants, while cities and towns of fewer than 500,000 account for more than half.
“Many of the world’s largest cities — Buenos Aires, Calcutta, Mexico City, São Paulo and Seoul — actually have more people moving out than in, and few are close to the size that doomsayers predicted for them in the 1970s,”the report says.
The report notes that while rates of urban growth have slowed in most regions of the world, the story now lies in the expected growth in the sheer numbers of people through natural increases and migration from rural areas."Africa, more than 7 in 10 urban dwellers live in a slum, an area lacking services such as water, sanitation or legal rights to housing. The region’s slum population has almost doubled in just 15 years, reaching 200 million in 2005. Its urban population is already as large as North America’s.
The first great wave of urbanization unfurled overtwo centuries, from 1750 to 1950, in Europe and North America, with urban populations rising from 15 million to 423 million. The second wave is happening now in the developing world. There, thenumber of people living in urban areas will have grown from 309 million in 1950to an expected 3.9 billion in 2030. By 2030, developing nations are expected to have 80 percent of the world’s urban population.
If this population growth is helter-skelter, with inadequate services and sprawling slums, it could pollute urban watersheds with untreated sewage and contribute to increases in crime and violence, Mr. Martine said. The result of that approach is apparent in today’s slums.
“The poor settle in the worst living space, on steep hillsides or river banks that will be flooded, where nobody else wantsto live and speculators haven’t taken control of the land,” he said. “They have no water and sanitation, and the housing is terrible. And this situation threatens the environmental quality of the city.”
But cities are also engines of economic growth, the\nreport notes more optimistically. “Cities concentrate poverty,” it said, “but they also represent the best hope of escaping it.”
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Will the buds flower?
An article in The Hindu today “HIV+ students’ future uncertain” triggered my thoughts.
For no fault of theirs the young generation suffers not just at home but even at school. At a tender age when they don’t even understand the condition of their disease the society has ostracized them and taken away the pleasure of youth and growing up. Even educated parents who are informed of HIV object their kids schooling with kids infected with HIV. For the Government to come up with a solution to address this issue is like asking for the Sun. Society and NGOs will have chart a solution amiable to both sides. Can we give an opportunity for these buds to flower rather than wither? Rather than asking NGOs to take care why not teachers pitch in?
What can be done?
Start evening school for kids infected with HIV – use the same infrastructure
Teachers spend their evening tutoring kids infected with HIV
Engage Retired teachers spend their time privately tutoring kids
Thought the above ideas can work in the short term, Government and NGOs must think about long-term solutions to address this issue.
Ponder and share your thoughts.
For no fault of theirs the young generation suffers not just at home but even at school. At a tender age when they don’t even understand the condition of their disease the society has ostracized them and taken away the pleasure of youth and growing up. Even educated parents who are informed of HIV object their kids schooling with kids infected with HIV. For the Government to come up with a solution to address this issue is like asking for the Sun. Society and NGOs will have chart a solution amiable to both sides. Can we give an opportunity for these buds to flower rather than wither? Rather than asking NGOs to take care why not teachers pitch in?
What can be done?
Start evening school for kids infected with HIV – use the same infrastructure
Teachers spend their evening tutoring kids infected with HIV
Engage Retired teachers spend their time privately tutoring kids
Thought the above ideas can work in the short term, Government and NGOs must think about long-term solutions to address this issue.
Ponder and share your thoughts.
Monday, June 11, 2007
City Xposed
Many locals claim the Marina to be one the world's longest, but have we kept the beach and the shore line beautiful?This picture was taken on June 9. 2007 at 6.15 am. I wasn’t prepared for this and I had to use my mobile to Xpose the city.
Look at all those guys squatting on the shoreline. What a shame! What an eyesore!
We immediately need a campaign to save the shore. Hope Culture vultures and Environmentalist will do something to stop the coast line defecation.
Friday, May 18, 2007
“What have I done to make this world a better place?”
An URI Professor ponders on his retirement
Professor Clay Sink, septuagenarian has completed 38 years of service at URI and taught more than 9000 students. Rain or shine this vivacious man has never missed a day off work in his career. His commitment to students and to the academic world is commendable. He is in his office by 8 am to attend to students queuing outside his office for solace and advice. His sensible and sensitive approach has earned him an indelible position in the hearts students. He is actively involved with the local Church increasing his circle of influence and dispelling darkness and in the society. There is more enthusiasm and energy as he inches closer to his retirement day.
Here is the excerpt from an online interview with Dr. Clay Sink.
1. An average American changes 14 jobs in his life time and goes through multiple marriages and you have changed less than 3 jobs in your entire career. How come?
My generation stayed with a position longer than the present generation because it wasn’t as easy to change jobs. Our attitude was “how can I make this job better” whereas the present generation’s attitude is that “I don’t have to put up with this so I’ll go somewhere where they do appreciate me.” Also, I have been blessed to have never had a job where I didn’t find a certain amount of satisfaction. My jobs have always given me opportunities to travel and do things outside the box. Another point that I can make is that I strongly believe that there is a certain amount of correlation between having a satisfactory personal life and happiness on the job. Fortunately I have had both.
2. Did you find what you were looking for when you came to URI? Or did you learn to love what you got?
I did find excitement by the fact that I was at URI as a young Southern person. Everyone made me feel comfortable. I did learn to love the place more and more as years have gone by. Love has to be nurtured for it to continue. I found a nurturing place where I could grow professionally, personally, and spiritually.
3. You have seen URI grow from a small community college to a global University over four decades. How was the journey along this path?
In many ways my journey here at URI has been like the journey our country has experienced. We are now a global village, filled with diversity in feelings, emotions, gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnic background and religion. This experience can explain in part why I have been so happy here.
4. Has the teaching profession changed from the time you were a kid till today when you are ready to retire? If so how and why?
The basics are still the same, but the difference is that there is more of a need to develop the total person. We used to just teach the content, but now we need to teach the content but also address or demonstrate the benefits of knowing the content and how the content can used to make the student or society a better place.
5. You have lived through America moving from being an Industrial power house to a technology power house, were you ever afraid of technology and change?
Yes, I am afraid of technology but I have turned that fear into a learning experience. I accept the fact that technology has changed how we live. I would not be comfortable living in a world without the technology we have today. Technology forces us to let go of some things that we think are comforting, but in essence those things are just things. To use technology makes us think and thinking sometimes causes anxiety and even pain. In my lifetime I have gone from having my teacher in the fifth grade take the class on a field trip to see a television to now being a teacher who uses power-point to enhance the learning in the classroom. The computer/technology can help us be efficient but we have to make sure we are also effective. Efficiency without effectiveness is a classic rule in management education.
6. There was a time when America was plagued with high school drop outs in the 70’s and today people are inundated with student loans by the time they reach their early 20’s. People say that teaching and medical practice are the noblest of all professions and, but today teaching is commercialized, it has become more of a luxury, with increasing tuition high fees and universities are making it a business proposition. Is it justified on the part of those who can’t afford the money? What is your take on this issue?
I have mixed feelings. Of course loans are a hardship on a person but thank heavens we have such things. Education for some may not bring satisfaction or a better standard of living, but I think for the most part education does do these things for a person. I loved getting my formal education. I had loans, scholarships, GI Bill, and assistantships at the graduate level. The University of Rhode Island is a state university and I feel a reasonably priced one and I think a quality school. Yet, we have people who complain about the high cost of education and these are the ones who send their children to private schools. It must be worth it – I don’t think I have ever heard someone say that it was not worth it. I am not sure that anything would be any better if education was free. Remember in the theatre, standing ovations usually come from those in the front first and these are the people who paid the most for their seats. Most students will say they come to college so they can get a better job, but most academic institutions will say that students are there to get an education which includes general education and life-learning skills. I look at it as a developmental and maturity process. It may be expensive but it is worth it.
7. You have traveled overseas and taught at Top notch Universities around the globe. Did you see significantly different learning patterns in students from different nationalities?
Yes, I did not find as much activity-based learning outside the US as there was in the USA classroom. Most were still using the traditional method of lecture. I did find a certain amount of serving the privileged in different parts of the world that I didn’t find in the USA. I did find an eagerness and enthusiasm for education in all parts of the world. People just love to learn. Students in different parts of the world always seemed to have gift of inquiry that makes learning exciting. Students from everywhere, including the USA, are basically the same – give them an opportunity and a meaningful experience and they appreciate it and in turn the professor receives a certain amount of inward satisfaction.
8. Do you think intelligence is an innate quality or can it be bred at the university?
I do think intelligence is innate. I don’t think the university can or should breed intelligence. I do think that learning can always be enhanced by using techniques that will reach students. Every situation is different so the method of teaching has to match the demands of the situation.
9. What are the flaws in the current educational system, at the school and college levels? And what revisions do you suggest?
I do think too many professors give their view of all kinds of things without presenting how others feel. Perhaps many professors appear to be “self-centered” and their priorities come before the student’s. A professor has to foster a climate where all views are heard and the student is the one who decides which view to accept. The difficulty I think for the professor is that he/she is so passionate about something that he/she forgets that there are different sides to an issue. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink unless he is thirsty and the horse himself decides that.
10. Technology is driving and learning metamorphosed from class room to web. What is your view on online education? Don’t you think web learning is incomplete since it takes away most of the human elements?
Yes and No. Online education can take away human elements, but it doesn’t have to. The question has to be asked “Why does a professor want to teach an online course” In fact, lack of face to face contact in some instances may be beneficial. The readings and activity based learning activities should overcome any concern about the human elements being eliminated. In many cases the course is more organized than a traditional class. Students are forced to follow a plan and complete their work in a timely manner.
11. America was never this way and campuses were safe learning institutions. Today Incidents of violence and campus shootings have been a frequent affair in the US. Are campuses safe anymore? Is America doing the right thing by putting guns in the hands of kids?
Incidents of violence and campus shootings are frequent on US campuses, but if we look at all acts of violence and shootings, college campuses are still among the safest of places. Colleges are a reflection of what is going on in the world. Politicians, I feel, use acts of violence and shootings and terrorism for their political gain. Instead of working to find solutions, politicians spend their time screaming and shouting across the table from each other. This doesn’t help a thing. If we can’t disagree with one another without trying to bury one another, we are teaching our youngsters that screaming, shouting, violence and shootings are acceptable activities.
12. What is the yardstick that you use to measure success in life? What makes a successful student and a successful human?
My yardstick is always “Did I give it 100%”? Success is measured in different ways. A good old saying is “What good does it do a person if he/she gains the whole world and yet loses his/her soul.” Am I at peace with myself. Too many people, I feel, look for peace outside themselves. Peace comes from within. Peace comes from forgiveness. Peace comes from the ability to love. My measure of success is “What have I done to make this world a better place? What have I done to help some student who was struggling or needed reassurance or needed a shoulder to cry on?” I know it is necessary to have resources, especially financial, to be able to do many of the things that help others. However, the true measure of success is how do I feel about myself. Right now, I feel pretty good.
13. How does it feel every time when a student remembers and comes back to see you or sends you an email?
There are no words that can describe this feeling. Sometimes I put myself in isolation and shed a few tears. Tears have a way of cleansing the soul. The remarkable thing is that often a student expresses appreciation to me for things I have done -- when in fact, I didn’t do anything special because whatever I did was an expectation of the job. However, it is great to know that I did my job in such a way that it was effective and appreciated.
14. While teachers like all their students, would you want to name a few whom you remember the most and why?
David Buckanavage – he always gives in return for what he received
Michael Jordan – he said some great things about me and I had no idea he ever thought of me as being special.
Matt Roy – looked at me as a collaborator
Matt Paldy – respected and believed in me enough to choose me as his major Ph.D. professor
Virginia Nardone – included me in her family gatherings
Chandra – shared some special things in his life with me and accepted me as I am
I have taught over 9,000 students and they all were special – the thing I hope is that they gained some knowledge, learned and continue to love, appreciate differences, and have a spiritual base that enables them to live and grow in a world that needs people of understanding.
15. Share an embarrassing moment while you were teaching in class.
I was teaching two sections of Organizational Behavior and one section of International Business. I got confused and gave my lecture for International Business in my Organizational Behavior class. I realized it when I got to my office. The amazing thing is that not one student ever told me. In fact, several students told me that they really enjoyed the last class because it was different.
16. This is from one of your emails “There is a saying that goes something like this -- "As we grow older the ones who have been our students become our teachers.” What have you learnt from your students?
Especially in the area of technology, the younger will always be more astute using it. The older can learn so much from them, but because we have such false pride we are afraid to ask. Also, the saying means that through our associations with the young we learn whether or not our beliefs make sense, have feeling, and that when we love truthfully it is reciprocated. The young teach us that we are important because they can build and further develop on the basis of what we have left them. They show us how what we have taught them can be used to make life better for everyone. They are the ones that have the strength to lead and to grow and to develop, and to improve on what we have given them. They take care of us because they love us.
17. Your memorable moments at URI and during your tenure as a teacher?
The opportunity I had to teach in France, India, Russia, and China. The associations I had with colleagues and students.
18. If given an opportunity to redo things in life, what would you like to undo and redo? Would still want to be a professor?
I would not change many things. I probably would have formed a personal relationship with another person if the times had been different, but since they weren’t I am content with how my life has been. Even though I live alone, I am not alone because of all the wonderful students, colleagues, friends, family, and spiritual satisfaction that are in my life. I think I would still be a professor – I have had fun. I did enjoy theatre as a youngster and sometimes can see that there would have been satisfaction there for me. However, now I enjoy the theatre as an audience participant.
19. If you were to teach a course on life and living, what would you teach your students?
It is not the students in my life that make a difference, but it is the life in my students that makes the difference. I would teach respect, even for those with whom we differ, and I would teach that sharing (whether it be food, feelings, or whatever we do) is necessary for a healthy mind.
20. Your advice to people who are planning to get into teaching profession?
The teaching profession is a rewarding profession. It is also a responsible profession. When a teacher is dealing with a young mind or any mind for that matter it is an awesome responsibility. Teachers are shaping the future. Teachers have to be able to accept that those who teach need to be patient, loving, and at times demanding. There are few absolutes, so be flexible.
21. Now that you are exiting publish or perish culture, How do you plan to spend your retired life?
I plan to relax for a few months and then seek out some other opportunities where I can continue teaching but on an informal basis. I want to spend more time at home and more time participating in community activities.
Professor Clay Sink, septuagenarian has completed 38 years of service at URI and taught more than 9000 students. Rain or shine this vivacious man has never missed a day off work in his career. His commitment to students and to the academic world is commendable. He is in his office by 8 am to attend to students queuing outside his office for solace and advice. His sensible and sensitive approach has earned him an indelible position in the hearts students. He is actively involved with the local Church increasing his circle of influence and dispelling darkness and in the society. There is more enthusiasm and energy as he inches closer to his retirement day.
Here is the excerpt from an online interview with Dr. Clay Sink.
1. An average American changes 14 jobs in his life time and goes through multiple marriages and you have changed less than 3 jobs in your entire career. How come?
My generation stayed with a position longer than the present generation because it wasn’t as easy to change jobs. Our attitude was “how can I make this job better” whereas the present generation’s attitude is that “I don’t have to put up with this so I’ll go somewhere where they do appreciate me.” Also, I have been blessed to have never had a job where I didn’t find a certain amount of satisfaction. My jobs have always given me opportunities to travel and do things outside the box. Another point that I can make is that I strongly believe that there is a certain amount of correlation between having a satisfactory personal life and happiness on the job. Fortunately I have had both.
2. Did you find what you were looking for when you came to URI? Or did you learn to love what you got?
I did find excitement by the fact that I was at URI as a young Southern person. Everyone made me feel comfortable. I did learn to love the place more and more as years have gone by. Love has to be nurtured for it to continue. I found a nurturing place where I could grow professionally, personally, and spiritually.
3. You have seen URI grow from a small community college to a global University over four decades. How was the journey along this path?
In many ways my journey here at URI has been like the journey our country has experienced. We are now a global village, filled with diversity in feelings, emotions, gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnic background and religion. This experience can explain in part why I have been so happy here.
4. Has the teaching profession changed from the time you were a kid till today when you are ready to retire? If so how and why?
The basics are still the same, but the difference is that there is more of a need to develop the total person. We used to just teach the content, but now we need to teach the content but also address or demonstrate the benefits of knowing the content and how the content can used to make the student or society a better place.
5. You have lived through America moving from being an Industrial power house to a technology power house, were you ever afraid of technology and change?
Yes, I am afraid of technology but I have turned that fear into a learning experience. I accept the fact that technology has changed how we live. I would not be comfortable living in a world without the technology we have today. Technology forces us to let go of some things that we think are comforting, but in essence those things are just things. To use technology makes us think and thinking sometimes causes anxiety and even pain. In my lifetime I have gone from having my teacher in the fifth grade take the class on a field trip to see a television to now being a teacher who uses power-point to enhance the learning in the classroom. The computer/technology can help us be efficient but we have to make sure we are also effective. Efficiency without effectiveness is a classic rule in management education.
6. There was a time when America was plagued with high school drop outs in the 70’s and today people are inundated with student loans by the time they reach their early 20’s. People say that teaching and medical practice are the noblest of all professions and, but today teaching is commercialized, it has become more of a luxury, with increasing tuition high fees and universities are making it a business proposition. Is it justified on the part of those who can’t afford the money? What is your take on this issue?
I have mixed feelings. Of course loans are a hardship on a person but thank heavens we have such things. Education for some may not bring satisfaction or a better standard of living, but I think for the most part education does do these things for a person. I loved getting my formal education. I had loans, scholarships, GI Bill, and assistantships at the graduate level. The University of Rhode Island is a state university and I feel a reasonably priced one and I think a quality school. Yet, we have people who complain about the high cost of education and these are the ones who send their children to private schools. It must be worth it – I don’t think I have ever heard someone say that it was not worth it. I am not sure that anything would be any better if education was free. Remember in the theatre, standing ovations usually come from those in the front first and these are the people who paid the most for their seats. Most students will say they come to college so they can get a better job, but most academic institutions will say that students are there to get an education which includes general education and life-learning skills. I look at it as a developmental and maturity process. It may be expensive but it is worth it.
7. You have traveled overseas and taught at Top notch Universities around the globe. Did you see significantly different learning patterns in students from different nationalities?
Yes, I did not find as much activity-based learning outside the US as there was in the USA classroom. Most were still using the traditional method of lecture. I did find a certain amount of serving the privileged in different parts of the world that I didn’t find in the USA. I did find an eagerness and enthusiasm for education in all parts of the world. People just love to learn. Students in different parts of the world always seemed to have gift of inquiry that makes learning exciting. Students from everywhere, including the USA, are basically the same – give them an opportunity and a meaningful experience and they appreciate it and in turn the professor receives a certain amount of inward satisfaction.
8. Do you think intelligence is an innate quality or can it be bred at the university?
I do think intelligence is innate. I don’t think the university can or should breed intelligence. I do think that learning can always be enhanced by using techniques that will reach students. Every situation is different so the method of teaching has to match the demands of the situation.
9. What are the flaws in the current educational system, at the school and college levels? And what revisions do you suggest?
I do think too many professors give their view of all kinds of things without presenting how others feel. Perhaps many professors appear to be “self-centered” and their priorities come before the student’s. A professor has to foster a climate where all views are heard and the student is the one who decides which view to accept. The difficulty I think for the professor is that he/she is so passionate about something that he/she forgets that there are different sides to an issue. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink unless he is thirsty and the horse himself decides that.
10. Technology is driving and learning metamorphosed from class room to web. What is your view on online education? Don’t you think web learning is incomplete since it takes away most of the human elements?
Yes and No. Online education can take away human elements, but it doesn’t have to. The question has to be asked “Why does a professor want to teach an online course” In fact, lack of face to face contact in some instances may be beneficial. The readings and activity based learning activities should overcome any concern about the human elements being eliminated. In many cases the course is more organized than a traditional class. Students are forced to follow a plan and complete their work in a timely manner.
11. America was never this way and campuses were safe learning institutions. Today Incidents of violence and campus shootings have been a frequent affair in the US. Are campuses safe anymore? Is America doing the right thing by putting guns in the hands of kids?
Incidents of violence and campus shootings are frequent on US campuses, but if we look at all acts of violence and shootings, college campuses are still among the safest of places. Colleges are a reflection of what is going on in the world. Politicians, I feel, use acts of violence and shootings and terrorism for their political gain. Instead of working to find solutions, politicians spend their time screaming and shouting across the table from each other. This doesn’t help a thing. If we can’t disagree with one another without trying to bury one another, we are teaching our youngsters that screaming, shouting, violence and shootings are acceptable activities.
12. What is the yardstick that you use to measure success in life? What makes a successful student and a successful human?
My yardstick is always “Did I give it 100%”? Success is measured in different ways. A good old saying is “What good does it do a person if he/she gains the whole world and yet loses his/her soul.” Am I at peace with myself. Too many people, I feel, look for peace outside themselves. Peace comes from within. Peace comes from forgiveness. Peace comes from the ability to love. My measure of success is “What have I done to make this world a better place? What have I done to help some student who was struggling or needed reassurance or needed a shoulder to cry on?” I know it is necessary to have resources, especially financial, to be able to do many of the things that help others. However, the true measure of success is how do I feel about myself. Right now, I feel pretty good.
13. How does it feel every time when a student remembers and comes back to see you or sends you an email?
There are no words that can describe this feeling. Sometimes I put myself in isolation and shed a few tears. Tears have a way of cleansing the soul. The remarkable thing is that often a student expresses appreciation to me for things I have done -- when in fact, I didn’t do anything special because whatever I did was an expectation of the job. However, it is great to know that I did my job in such a way that it was effective and appreciated.
14. While teachers like all their students, would you want to name a few whom you remember the most and why?
David Buckanavage – he always gives in return for what he received
Michael Jordan – he said some great things about me and I had no idea he ever thought of me as being special.
Matt Roy – looked at me as a collaborator
Matt Paldy – respected and believed in me enough to choose me as his major Ph.D. professor
Virginia Nardone – included me in her family gatherings
Chandra – shared some special things in his life with me and accepted me as I am
I have taught over 9,000 students and they all were special – the thing I hope is that they gained some knowledge, learned and continue to love, appreciate differences, and have a spiritual base that enables them to live and grow in a world that needs people of understanding.
15. Share an embarrassing moment while you were teaching in class.
I was teaching two sections of Organizational Behavior and one section of International Business. I got confused and gave my lecture for International Business in my Organizational Behavior class. I realized it when I got to my office. The amazing thing is that not one student ever told me. In fact, several students told me that they really enjoyed the last class because it was different.
16. This is from one of your emails “There is a saying that goes something like this -- "As we grow older the ones who have been our students become our teachers.” What have you learnt from your students?
Especially in the area of technology, the younger will always be more astute using it. The older can learn so much from them, but because we have such false pride we are afraid to ask. Also, the saying means that through our associations with the young we learn whether or not our beliefs make sense, have feeling, and that when we love truthfully it is reciprocated. The young teach us that we are important because they can build and further develop on the basis of what we have left them. They show us how what we have taught them can be used to make life better for everyone. They are the ones that have the strength to lead and to grow and to develop, and to improve on what we have given them. They take care of us because they love us.
17. Your memorable moments at URI and during your tenure as a teacher?
The opportunity I had to teach in France, India, Russia, and China. The associations I had with colleagues and students.
18. If given an opportunity to redo things in life, what would you like to undo and redo? Would still want to be a professor?
I would not change many things. I probably would have formed a personal relationship with another person if the times had been different, but since they weren’t I am content with how my life has been. Even though I live alone, I am not alone because of all the wonderful students, colleagues, friends, family, and spiritual satisfaction that are in my life. I think I would still be a professor – I have had fun. I did enjoy theatre as a youngster and sometimes can see that there would have been satisfaction there for me. However, now I enjoy the theatre as an audience participant.
19. If you were to teach a course on life and living, what would you teach your students?
It is not the students in my life that make a difference, but it is the life in my students that makes the difference. I would teach respect, even for those with whom we differ, and I would teach that sharing (whether it be food, feelings, or whatever we do) is necessary for a healthy mind.
20. Your advice to people who are planning to get into teaching profession?
The teaching profession is a rewarding profession. It is also a responsible profession. When a teacher is dealing with a young mind or any mind for that matter it is an awesome responsibility. Teachers are shaping the future. Teachers have to be able to accept that those who teach need to be patient, loving, and at times demanding. There are few absolutes, so be flexible.
21. Now that you are exiting publish or perish culture, How do you plan to spend your retired life?
I plan to relax for a few months and then seek out some other opportunities where I can continue teaching but on an informal basis. I want to spend more time at home and more time participating in community activities.
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