Saturday, March 30, 2013

Blooding - 1

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 ...wiki

"And now, Tom, my boy," said the Squire, "remember you are going, at your own earnest request, to be chucked into this great school, like a young bear, with all your troubles before you—earlier than we should have sent you perhaps. If schools are what they were in my time, you'll see a great many cruel blackguard things done, and hear a deal of foul, bad talk. But never fear. You tell the truth, keep a brave and kind heart, and never listen to or say anything you wouldn't have your mother and sister hear, and you'll never feel ashamed to come home, or we to see you." 

The allusion to his mother made Tom feel rather choky, and he would have liked to have hugged his father well, if it hadn't been for the recent stipulation. 

As it was, he only squeezed his father's hand, and looked bravely up and said, "I'll try, father." 

"I know you will, my boy. Is your money all safe? 

"Yes," said Tom, diving into one pocket to make sure. 

"And your keys?" said the Squire. 

"All right," said Tom, diving into the other pocket. 

"Well, then, good-night. God bless you! I'll tell boots to call you, and be up to see you off." 

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That is the British way of doing things. 

Like some birds, when they think their fledglings are cramming the nest, just push them out. And those young ones that don't drop dead on the ground flutter their winglings while falling, and take off. 

Indian way is a little different. 

They are like falcons. The mother falcon apparently seats her young thing on her back and flies off. Midway, she just dives down leaving her daughter dangling mid-air. If the young one can, it takes off. If it can't, it falls down and her mom again supports her Ishani mid-flight on her back for the next training session.

During my time it was a sight to watch the admission ritual of first years at IIT KGP.  The kid who just cleared his JEE would be escorted by both its parents and a younger brother or cousin (for inspiration).  

The place was a secluded village with no hotels or eateries to sing and dance about. So the IIT administration was hard put to accommodate at least three escorts for each kid. And when I left KGP in 2005 the intake was about 700 students (it must be a thousand or more now). Just imagine feeding and bedding more than 2000 honored guests. But the escorts were very cooperating. Mothers were somehow housed in the Girls Hostels while males happily slept in the corridor and ate whatever crumbs were available...very sporting. 

And the farewell was tearful on both sides. And the kid would look out keenly for his first trip back home during the Durga Pujas. 

After that...forget it...mom would be ringing up every evening and the chappie wouldn't care to answer..."Busy with sessionals tha mummy!"...as true as these blogs.

I am told that it was worse when the chappie passes and gets an admission with schol into one of the US univs. Reports from Cal indicated that from a full month before the flight date on, the bird had to make ceremonial visits to all his mamas and mowsies and dadimas and peesimas and cousins without leaving any one out lest they felt left out and let it out with innuendos and insinuations. 

And do a hundred odd pronams and take blessings. 

And await their return visits while he would be busy packing his pressure cooker and passport.

I have no data about how many would escort the young one to the Dumdum Airport.

But in Hyderabad, the entire extended family of uncles and aunties and didis and dadimas would, I am told, have a free outing in a hired bus...paid for by the parents who were already squeezed dry like a lemon paying for the airfare and foreign exchange and suits and suitcases and gloves and jackets of the goon. It resembles a veritable barat I am told...for many it would be their first visit to an airport and something to sing for the benefit of their neighbors. 

I guess it would be a daunting experience for the airborne to be treated as if it were his last journey.






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Stinking Rich Backgrounds

Activists say that most campuses which earlier had majority of students from effluent backgrounds have an increasing number of students from poor socio-economic backgrounds...

...ToI, Page 2 Friday March 29, 2013


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