Problems and Concerns

Problems
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
any question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty.
2.
a question proposed for solution or discussion.

Concerns
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
to relate to; be connected with; be of interest or importance to; affect: The water shortage concerns us all.
2.
to interest or engage (used reflexively or in the passive, often fol. by with or in): She concerns herself with every aspect of the business

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Developing societies have problems. Affluent societies have concerns. Those in the middle have overcome the pressing problems and are beginning to have concerns.

Having stated the obvious to now scrtunize it. Developing societies have concerns too! They are concerned about the wastes generated by the affluent societies. Affluent societies have a problem of obesity. Those in the middle have not solved all their problems and cannot pursue all their concerns.

Language often pretends to be like a fishing net cast into the ocean of wisdoms. How does one transcend language? Through the careful orchestration of words that does not add upto verbosity? Through a mediative silence? Must the question be posed as a choice between two? Why do we practice "OR" and not "AND" approaches?

The Colonization of the Mind

It struck me - and nothing that strikes me is short of an epiphany! - that the internet and blogging and reading about a budget airline crashing at Phuket, Thailand last night and all the discussions that are going to follow and how there is no evidence that regular airlines have better safety records and reading about a thousand other obscure and significant happenings in even more obscure corners of the planet does not make me any less lonely. Strange that a connected planet has more and more loneliness!

The only thing that a blog seems to do is to invite the echoing of seemingly wise but largely useless thoughts that ricochet ad infinitum. The internet and the digital world have hit upon the ultimate shield that saves us from human experience. I must stop now and hasten, lest the light falls on pots in some special way is going to change!

Teaching and Learning

It struck me with a ferocious intensity, that the ordinary teacher who year after year mouths the same set of ideas (give or take a few new ones) slowly comes to resemble the chinese room that artificial intelligence speaks about. The chinese room metaphor, visualizes an intelligent machine that replies all questions posed to it in chinese, as though it understood chinese very well. (This thought needs to be expanded).

I shuddered and made a note that I should run away as soon as I could. And if this was impossible, I should create a new hide within which I could shield myself from the onslaught of mediocrity and repetetive inanities. A place in which I could read Larkin and go back to feeling happy about the things that brought me happiness!

Group Seminar: The Arts in India

A single ant is a solitary ant...it is not even an idea! Take a community of ants and then you have something powerful. The writer Lewis Thomas says something to this effect in his essays "The Lives of a Cell". The entire class was given the option of making groups that would choose one article from the Marg Publication, "2000: The Arts of India". The group members photocopied the chosen article, read and discussed it and made a power-point presentation of all that they had digested. In this manner, the class could gain from the efforts of the others. However, the process deserves scrutiny.

While the class does indeed stand to benefit from the efforts of the other groups, it is pertinent to check how many of the ideas are retained. What does such exposure achieve? On one hand such a process enables a quick bird's eye view of diverse ideas and one hopes that such a view can slowly lead to the development of multiple perspectives. Indeed for such perspectives to gain in depth and understanding, further efforts at an individual level would be necessary.

"The Intellectual History of Design"

Prof. M.P. Ranjan was at IDC on the 8th of September to talk about the history of design. Design he believes began 20 million years ago when people first started using fire. It is this that constitutes design and not the theory of combustion and the science that came to be developed over the next million years or so...a statement like that makes me wonder.

What is design? If the use of fire is design, what about matches and friction and safety matchboxes and all of that? Is that not design? It appears that even these are designed. Why then does Prof. Ranjan ask us to view the science of fire as something different from the use of fire?

Raja Mohanty

Visit to the Art Galleries

Visited the NGMA; the Jehangir Art Galleries; the Museum Art Gallery and Bodhi Art. Traffic at Sion was $%$#@#*&*** bad and had to hurry through NGMA. Felt terrible asking those who appeared to connect so well to the paintings that they should see the entire space and come back later for a more leisurely viewing.

The writing is by and large terrible! Most mention the names of galleries and even that incorrectly. Few speak of specific works or artists and a very few speak of movements that they discern within - in response to art. Perhaps the arts beckon those who are looking out of the window that they have opened within themselves; most it appears are asleep - let alone being aware that there are windows within us that need to be opened so that the light and the breeze can come in.

Remember the words of my teacher, who used to say-"There are many who sit on the fence. Your words should pull them into the circle of intimacy and not push them away."