Stories from the grassroots | Thoughts on development | Lessons on leadership
This is a talk that i gave sometime ago at the National Teachers Conference that was organized by the Sathya Sai Group of Institutions at Muddenahalli, Karnataka. The theme of the conference was ‘Value Education’.
The talk can be heard from on Youtube on my channel at Talk on Value Education
Balu
My first brush with being made to feel like a South Indian and distinctly different from the person in front of me is something that is strongly etched into my memory now. My father had insisted that all his children learn three languages at school – Kannada, the language of my state of Karnataka, English and Hindi (which he felt was our National language). We grew up with the pride that we could speak all three and did not consider that someday I would be looked down upon for speaking Hindi in a distinct south Indian accent. This incident happened
We live in a world of having a expert for all major human endeavours – from the mason to the medical specialist, from the masseuse to the manager…to the point where we have a special word called a Generalist even. The irony of the situation is that while on one hand the specialist and his role is celebrated, there exists a crisis of confidence in their expertise too. The current COVID crisis has not only challenged the specialist but has also exposed their inadequacies. For more about this, read my article titled, ‘Demystifying the Specialist’ in today’s Deccan Herald.
The problem of pollution is back in Delhi again. The state governments of Arvind Kejriwal and Capt. Amarinder Singh have started blaming each other for the problem, while the Supreme Court has been demanding action from both the Central and State Governments. Whether it is the even-odd arrangement that the Delhi Government tried a few years ago or asking people to switch off their car engines when stopping at a traffic light, different solutions are being attempted. From the burning of the stubble to the challenge of COVID pandemic worsening during polluted times, the common citizens are worried. But everyone
Thank you Sir, I heard you. Wonderful and inspirational talk. with regards, BVK
*BVKulkarni. KAS (Retd)* *Retd Spl Secretary **to Govt of Karnataka,* *Pratham,**1,1st Main,1st Cross,**Dollar’s Layout,* *JP Nagar, 4th Phase, **BENGALURU-560078* *Phones: 080 26585814, **9449009588*
Nice to see your blog, after some gap, though, Balu.