There is life below 60%

 

 

Damn the result!

Pathikrit payne and kumar anuj explain why marks don’t matter

For Rahul Gupta (name changed) it’s been just another day. But there may not be many like him on a day when the CBSE results are declared. For,the entire nation is in a frenzy. Yes, it’s been the day when the CBSE plus results are out. And Rahul’s son been one of those for whom it’s a day when it would be decided whether they would get a seat among the chosen ones or remain part of the ruck in a nation of a billion plus. Rahul’s son, Ashmit has got 82% and by the benchmarks set in a college-scarce country, he is a sure shot castaway. To get a chance in one of the prestigious colleges is at best a reverie now. So Rahul’s wife Dhriti has become hysteric and has almost given up eating…halfway through to euthanasia as if her son has committed a heinous crime. Well this is not a one-off plot of a television soap opera but is perhaps a bonsai of how a nation behaves every year when these coveted results open the floodgates of demarcation between the masters that be and subordinates, the ones who would forever suffer from superiority complex and the ones from the other type. But Rahul is unperturbed. Then more his wife cried the more he laughed. And why is it so? Because thirty years back he was in a position worse than his son when he scored much less in his exams. He had just about managed a second division and got reviled like anything. While most of his friends went on to study in IITs and then in IIMs, Rahul could not even find a seat in a second runk college for graduation and eventually opted for a correspondence course. As destiny would have it, thirty years down the line, while many of his friends earn six digit salary or even more, Rahul owns a Rs100 crore export company, which he started from the grassroots. Reason? Well, he had one thing which none of his friends superior to him in academics had: conviction and self belief…something which is not judged by our education system nor developed by it. So Rahul went on a lonely journey, a journey of conviction. He had a mission and he knew how to achieve it. He had failures, but he knew how to cope with them. Above all, he had a thirst to carve out a legacy of his own and he knew how to give shape to it. And for all these he did not need a CBSE stamp on his abilities. And Rahul was least bothered about his son’s results. Only the day before he had received a letter from a friend based in the US. One of those who was a topper, didn’t consider Rahul to be of their calibre because of his mediocre results. So what did he write in that letter? Well, he wrote of his intentions to return to India and work in Rahul’s company. Rahul was wondering whether it was his victory or the defeat of India’s education system. But either way… he knew India has come of age. And so he wasn’t perturbed by the results. Because he knew that like him, his son too would shape his own destiny…damn the results. By the end of May every year, just as the news start pouring in of the board exam results and the newspapers go overboard with who scored the highest followed by whom and how much is the cut-off marks for each of the colleges, a related news is carried along like an appendix and something which is often ignored. That news is of hundreds of young boys and girls who suffer mental break down or attempt to commit suicide for not being able to keep up to their parents’ expectations. The pass marks of 35% or so is just for record. By certain standards getting even 85% is as good as failure. All that the nation gets out of this is a few token heroes out of those who have scored some of the highest marks while millions are thrown into the dustbins of our educational system. But in essence, do the hype that we create around these exams worth it? Are the developed nations like USA, UK, France or Germany as hysteric about one examination result? And if they are not, did it make much difference to their development? And how come we, in spite of giving such importance to exams, have in the past sixty odd years barely been able to promote ourselves from a Third World country to a rapidly developing economy while the rest of the world which gives much more importance to creativity rather than academic results have surged far ahead of us? Modern history is dotted with endless examples of college dropouts who defied the established norms, kept aside the proven theories and went on to develop newer ones. While their saner friends went onto acquire more academic degrees, the lesser ones developed their own legacies which has made life easier, digitally bridged the rich-poor divide and brought people together by shrinking the virtual and the real distance of the world. Be it a Bill Gates whose Windows operating system has revolutionised the world or a Michael Dell who metamorphosed the very concept of PC marketing or Charlie Chaplin and even our very own Amir Khan or a Sachin Tendulkar…none of them are per se graduates, forget being from a noted educational institute. But they didn’t need one. For, if education is all about self-awakening and realisation, they were already awakened and self-realised…something which has not been imbibed by our so-called successful graduates. Ironically a country which churns out one of the largest pools of technically qualified people in the world finds it difficult to arm them with the conviction to carry on with their vision and realise their dreams. More often than not they give up and continue with being stuck with mediocrity while many who have been branded outcasts by our education system surge ahead in their chosen field. The biggest irony of this country is that young graduates from premier B-schools and engineering colleges would crave to work for one of the most coveted organisations called Reliance, a true bluechip Fortune-500 company. Ironically, this company was conceived and built by a man who was not even a matriculate. Probably good for him and this country that he was not a top-notch graduate and that’s why perhaps he didn’t have any inhibition, he didn’t have any escape route to USA and he didn’t have any choice. He had to do it in order to survive, he did remarkably well, vindicating that our education system has much to learn from a so-called illiterate like him to make it much more feasible. Stars of the lower brand

TSI digs out genius who couldn’t perform in academics

The sweltering heat of mid May is awaited by the young generation and their parents with bated breath. After all, the results declared by the CBSE and the state examination boards might open for them the bounty of prosperous future or the ignominious doom. Life, then halts or is made to halt for those who can well go on to be the bright prospects for future India.

It’s time when icons that chartered a different course for them are recognised. TSI takes a real, hard look at those that didn’t follow the beaten track. These success stories and role models might have faded into oblivion had they not believed in their inherent qualities. They chose to differ, they were not bogged down by their academic results and eventually made their mark in their chosen field in life.

THOSE WHO CHOSE THEIR OWN PATH

Some success stories are not just fairy tales but the result of sheer hard work. Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel born in 1945 to a poor farmer family at Mehsana, Gujarat didn’t have a great academic credential neither was he a topper of board exams. The man today owns Rs. 2500 crore Nirma Group that employs close to 14,000 persons.

His career started as a lab technician in New Cotton Mills of Arvind Lalbhai Group and having worked in the Mining Dept of Govt. of Gujarat, he started a small side business marketing Nirma, in 1969. He locked horns with detergent MNCs by selling Nirma powder at Rs. 3 per kg by door-to-door selling of the product. His brand became an instant hit and the rest is history.

Pioneer of educational institutes like Nirma Institute of Technology; Karsanbhai is definitely an example for millions of young Indians. Bhairon Singh Sekhawat: Politician

We might like or dislike politicians or abhor them. But probably only in Indian democracy could a person from humble background aspire to hold one of the top most positions of power in the country.

Bhairon Singh Sekhawat, the Vice-president began his political career from an extremely humble background. After completing his high school, he could not study further because of the untimely demise of his father. He worked as a farmer and then as a police constable before joining politics. He has limited academic credentials to boast of but his deft handling of crucial political situations especially his prudence in managing Rajya Sabha has won him accolades from all.

Lessons? Even the topmost position in this country has space for those who might not have topped all the examinations. Llayaraaja: Musician

One of the most prominent musicians of South India, Ilayaraja is a name worth mentioning for two reasons. Firstly, he happens to be a 8th standard drop out and secondly that he was born and brought up in an extremely poor family from Theni district in Tamil Nadu. He started his career at the age of 14 after joining a travelling musical troupe. Working his way up from the lowest imaginable positions, he emerged as one of the most prominent composers of India. His experimentations with western classical music and introduction of string instruments in Tamil music reinvigorated the whole genre.

Ilayaraaja is undoubtedly an icon but more so because he didn’t follow the beaten track. Rather he charted a different course for himself and simply excelled in that. D. Jayakanthan: Writer

Born in 1934 at Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu in a middle class family and a school dropout, is an eminent Tamil writer. His writing skills won a great number of readers and followers. His outstanding literary oeuvre spanning half a century includes 15 novels, 30 novelettes, over 200 short stories and a non-fictional essays. Some of his works reflected the travails of oppressed section and controversial writings challenged the belief systems of the middle class , making him more popular.

He won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1972 and was made a Fellow of the Akademi in 1996, a rare honour. He was bestowed the country’s highest literary award, the Jnanpith in 2002. You name any award, he has got it. Ankit Fadia: Ethical hacker

He is often described as a ‘misguided genius’. Having scraped through his Board examination, he sought to carve out a different niche for himself. Having an excellent knowledge of computers he started counseling for countermeasures to prevent hacking. His clientele? Well, top CEO’s from Fortune 500 companies listened in rapt attention to the man who was lecturing them on ‘ethical hacking’, ways to prevent hacking and computer security. And to think of it, Ankit had once given up hopes after his performance in school. Anand Kumar:Teacher

He still recalls the days when he couldn’t go abroad for pursuing higher studies for dearth of money. But meet the illustrious man who excelled without the aura of an Howard or Cambridge attached to his name. Teaming up with ADG Police, Abhyanand, Anand Kumar started coaching underpriviledged students in Patna for IITs. His illustrious ‘Super 30’ batch mostly consisting of children of rickshaw pullers and slum dwellers yielded amazing results. Mathematics has been an obsession for the man, but more than that it has been his commitment to bring out the best of talents from among the lowest of the low in the social strata that has been praiseworthy. A career worth emulating? Abhijeet Kumar: Entrepreneur Abhijeet Kumar began his struggle for a decent career after facing a near debacle. Having scored 64% in tenth standard, he was already written off for all practical purpose. After securing admission in a college in Jehanabad his intermediate results improved marginally to 66%. Most of the 60 something percentage holders would have given up all hope but not Abhijeet. With grit and determination to excel in life, he cleared the coveted IIT entrance by sheer hard work.

He hasn’t looked back since then. After working as a software professional in Hyderabad, he undertook research in ISB Hyderabad. He is set to start his own company and remarks candidly, “It’s never late in life; it’s the will that matters and certainly not the marks.” Akash Mahajan: IT professional

Akash Mahajan, 26 year old senior software professional from Bangalore, recently represented his company Xalted Solutions at the global internet security solutions held at Colorado. As the youngest representative, Mahajan was lauded for his brilliance at the meet.

The brightest phase in his career came as he was not bogged down by his academic performance. His marks in the 12th exam was mere 53% Never losing hope, he finally emerged victorious. Who says that life belongs only for those who score above 90%? Sagar Ballary: Film Director

The name might not instantly rake your bheja, but the debutant 31 year old director of Bheja Fry has made one and all to sit up and take notice. A graduate from Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata, he assisted Rajat Kapoor in making Raghu Romeo and Mixed Doubles. Both the movies won rave reviews.

The man is getting noticed and importantly he is working for fulfilling his dreams. He will gradually earn name, fame and money all because he can make people laugh. A commendable career chart? Soumitra Sengupta, Global Head BT, MNC

“Life was tough” Saumitra recalls, “working for a measly 5000 a month and supporting family as well, but I have worked extremely hard from those days to a confortable satisfying position in life now”.

Saumitra works with a multinational as a director and Global Head of Business training. Training professionals in Europe and the US, he basks in the glory of corporate gliteratti.

“ I was never a good student ever, scoring 66% in my ICSE, 59% in 12th and 52% in graduation”, Soumitra recallls. He went through that gruelling hotel management days, cleaning everything from deep freezers to toilets”.

Learning humility, hard work and patience, Soumitra worked his way up to occupy the position that he holds now. “I have trained a large number of police personnel from Jammu & Kashmir as also IBM professionals”, Soumitra Sengupta says proudly. “People believed in my abilities and the grit to put in hours of hard labour day in and day out,” Soumitra remembers with a glean in his eyes. Career for the maxima

TSI unveils an array of exciting careers for the ‘average’ student

Remember when you last saw a college student with more than 90 per cent marks, being captain of college football team, winner of inter-college debate contests and having extra-ordinary acting skills? Only a super human can qualify on these parameters. Then, why look only at school grades to judge a person’s intelligence and skills?

“Intelligence is made of memory and learning and in the present education system we only test students’ memory and not learning skills”, says Delhi-based career counselor, Anil Sethi advising people to identify the flashes of brilliance in their wards and explore their proclivity for a particular discipline. They, like any human being, can fail or perform badly in academics. But life does not end at that. Rather it begins from there. The need is only to give them proper direction.

Believing in a bright future for millions of “average” students, TSI explores optional careers for them. So, stop worshipping false Gods, have faith in your child and his abilities, provide him proper guidance and see him blossom and reach the pinnacle of a career of his choice.

Computer applications

With the Indian IT industry slated to breach the $100 billion mark by 2011, opting for a course in computer applications is just one of the safest bets as a career nowadays. Interestingly one does not need to be a rocket scientist nor an IITian for getting into one of the top ten IT companies. With most of the top and middle rung IT companies expected to expand their headcount sharply, a decent degree from even second rung engineering colleges is good enough. And who knows you might end up being an employer like Anjan Lahiri, Subroto Bagchi, and Krishna Kumar who created the now famous Mindtree Consulting. Mass Communication

A media boom offers good opportunity to anyone to try her luck in it. With more than 80 companies having been given uplinking permission from India, television news, print media and offshore content development, a career in media industry could be like hitting a goldmine. The industry not only requires journalists and TV anchors, but a host of other professionals like corporate communicatiors. Of course, none matches the glamour and power of a journalist. Who knows, tomorrow you mind be rubbing shoulders with Barkha Dutt, Prannoy Roy or Rajdeep Sardesai. Biotechnology

As Indian biotech industry nears the $9 billion mark next year and gradually comes out of IT industry’s shadow, companies like Biocon, Shantha Biotech and Astra Zeneca are becoming household names. Biotech is set to be the next big thing in India, creating thousands of jobs for bio technologist. India is increasingly becoming a hub for molecular research, clinical trials and research on Novel Drug Delivery System. Thus, a graduation in biotechnology is more rewarding than a degree course in humanities or social science. This country is waiting for many more of Kiran Mazumdar Shaws - promoter of Biotech for the uninitiated. Tourism

Booming economy is boosting prospects of Indian tourism. With India requiring addition of a minimum of 1,20,000 hotel rooms by 2010 to host Commonwealth Games, a career in tourism and hospitality industry seems quite promising. With the World Travel and Tourism Council estimating an annual footfall of 10 million by 2010, like Lalit Suri (who founded Bharat Hotels), you too can even start your own budget hotel with the right kind of experience and acumen and reap the benefits. After all, few countries can match India’s natural bounty. Enterprise

If you can think out of the box, if you can see tomorrow before others, if you get inspired by the likes of Bill gates and Narayan Murthy, if you have the urge to create a legacy of your own, if you are never satisfied with the present, if you have a deep sense of self belief and finally if you believe in the poem ‘If…’ by Rudyard Kipling, then you should not be bothered with your board results. For they are not meant for you. as every Microsoft, Infosys, Hero Honda(BM Munjal), Reliance happened twice - first in the mind of an iconoclast who later converted it into reality. Civil Aviation

Monopoly of public carriers is a thing of the past. The new age low cost carriers like Air Deccan (owned by Capt P Gopinath) have metamorphosed air travel from a reverie to an affordable necessity for the middle class. A career as a pilot, steward or air hostess or even in ground handling and operations is now more of a norm than exception. A recent CAPA estimate that domestic aviation industry would witness 45 million passengers annually in next three years. That might be the right incentive for you. Animation

Who doesn’t like a Spiderman swinging from one adventure to the other, Tenalirama’s tricks, Hanuman’s antics, joys and agony in Titanic. All these ventures have been mega blockbusters, raking in big moolah for their producers. With generation next getting addicted to video gaming than the real life, the hundred billion dollar plus global animation industry and fifty billion plus gaming industry beckons you. India’s market share being less than one per cent gives it lot of scope to grow. Like software and biotechnology, it is only a matter of time that major animation projects like Spiderman too are outsourced to India. Sales & Marketing

In a trillion dollar economy of a billion plus population, if you can master the art of playing with words, you would never die of hunger. For so long as people wear clothes, eat food, take one bath a day and want to get entertained, you would have ample opportunity to sell just about anything from soaps to sedans (Phanees Murthy) And for that you can have a masters in management even though a bachelor degree itself would be good enough. So long as you are persistent, have a positive attitude and are a go-getter, even not having any degree would not matter. Architecture & Interior Decoration:

The booming housing sector in India will ensure a bright future for millions. Housing and real sector is estimated to grow at an annual rate of 14% with an estimated demand of 80 million units for lower and lower-middle income group. The coming decade is also likely to see an estimated investment of a whopping $670 billion. Gauge the potential and see the opportunity in real estate, architecture (Laurie Baker), interior decoration, low cost housing and consultancy for various needs of housing. Fitness Instructor Modern life and stress has become co-terminous and life will ensure bright future for those that seek a career in sports and fitness. Yoga (Baba Ramdev), for example, is a $ 30 billion industry in US alone. In India as well, the prospect of this ancient art is atttarcting new fans. After all the realization is fast catching up with millions that a healthy living cuts down your medical expenditure. Agriculture

It might not appear lucrative given urban snobbishness but this sector has huge potential. From food processing to floriculture and from pisciculture to sericulture each discipline has a great potential. Broadly careers can be sought in research (MS Swaminathan), agri-business, agro based industry, agriculture engineering and most importantly agricultural management.

After all, India is the third largest rice producer in the world but in productivity it is placed at the bottom of the global hierarchy. That leaves a lot of room for going up. Retail Industry

With organized retail slated to be the next big thing in the making in an already booming Indian economy and with every known corporate house worth the name starting from the Reliance (Mukesh Ambani) to the Tatas to AV Birla along with Bharti jumping into the bandwagon, the next big wave of job opportunities would obviously be coming from this industry. Reliance retail itself creating 5 lakh jobs in next few years, the overall potential of this industry is immense. The great Divide

Vivek Asri explains why students from rural india are unable to keep pace with the rest

While students in top public schools who have scored high marks in the board results have been the toast of the media, their country cousins elsewhere are relatively ignored souls. There is a good reason for that. Students from rural India have simply been unable to keep pace with their urban counterparts, who enjoy all the benefits of a well structured education system. Some statistics are interesting. In Delhi alone, more than 8000 students have secured above 90 percent marks. With not many toppers to boast of, rural India still struggles for a place in the education map of the country. Not surprisingly, there is a distinct difference between government- run and private schools that has been glaring.

In rural India, the semblance of modern education has been elusive. Most schools are without adequate number of teachers and facilities for science and computer education have been non-existent. In 1981, the teacher-student ratio at primary level stood at 26:1000 which has since then slumped further to 21:1000 in 1996.

The difference becomes obvious when facilities in private and government-run schools are compared. At the primary school level, only ten percent students can afford private schools. As a result, the majority of students in India depend on government school. The Seventh Education Survey reports that less than 30 per cent of 90,000 schools in this country are operated by the government. Despite the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan’s mission backing universal primary education, government schools in the country face immense pressure on the resources. Reports have suggested that 10-12 per cent of primary schools in the country are run by single teachers. The concerns on the appalling gap in the quality of education delivered to different section of society has widened with time. The Central Advisory Board for Education, constituted by Government of India in 2004, pointed out the yawning gap in the quality of education available to different strata of society. The report stressed on the need of ‘Common School System’ that had earlier been recommended by the Kothari Commission in 1966 & National Education Policy of 1986.

Says the National Convener of People’s Campaign for Common School System, Ambarish Rai: “In India, children are exposed to different sets of education. Quality education is undoubtedly the right of every child. If there is difference in the quality of education, then it is definitely the failure of our government policy.” Educationist Prof. Ahmed Siddiqui, of Jamia Millia Islamia says that ``this difference is dangerous. This trend is dividing the country into two. Education has almost become a stooge in the hands of those who can afford it.’’ It is a point that educationists would do well to ponder over. Demographics for future suggest that India will have the highest number of young people, much more than China or anywhere else, which the world believes gives Indian an edge. The question is: with such a divide in education, are we ready to reap the benefits?