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Have you always put off that attempt to get back to what you were? Here's a timely reminder.
Have you always put off that attempt to get back to what you were? Here’s a timely reminder.
It was indeed a lazy summer afternoon. My little typhoon of five years fell asleep. It’s a miracle but I don’t know how it happened. It was not a serious attempt for me to put him to sleep though I prayed hard for it. And God listened! So my 10 year old daughter and I engaged in some girlie talk.
‘Maa I would like to become a scientist, but then I love hair dressing too…’ she started playing with her beautiful curly locks. I knew there was more to come… ‘what if I become an army officer like papa?’…I love history and want to become an historian and after that I will become an astronaut.’ She looked at me and wanted the assurance that I was hearing her with enough seriousness.
I nodded and said, “Be good at whatever course or career you choose, we will always be there for you.’’ Well, this egged her to probe more career options for the future. “Best is that I become an artist. I love art and painting. I need to go for art tuition from tomorrow.’’ This was a sudden change of plan and I had to act fast. I said her, “what if I take your art class?’’
She was quiet. I tried to guess her reaction. Finally I said…”well then you are not keen to learn from me?” “Yes I am. Maa, you were a journalist but hardly I see you write. I love to read the stories you wrote, but rarely you hold a pen now. Like my friends boast about their parents, I would also like to tell that my mother is a journalist, or a writer. I miss your unique stories..But…,”she fell quiet. But there was a question in her innocent looks. I was stumped.
Late at night when children went off to sleep, I took out my old diary, moved my fingers on the worn out pages where I once wrote stories. I almost felt the words. I remembered my daughter’s curious and puzzled looks in the afternoon which silently asked me “Why?”….
In the starry and stilly night, I got the answer. My pen moved .. “It was indeed a lazy summer….
First published here.
Image via Pexels
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Children should be taught to aspire to be successful, but success doesn't have to mean an IIT admission only!
Imagine studying for 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 whole years for the JEE exam only to find out that there’s only a very, very slim chance of getting into an IIT. It is a fact widely acknowledged that the IIT-JEE is one of the toughest exams not just in India but in the whole world. Apart from IITs, the NITs and IIITs of India also accept the JEE scores for admission. There are said to be a total of 23 IITs, 31 NITs and 25 IIITs across the country.
Now, let’s first get a few facts about the IITs right. First, according to the NIRF rankings of 2023, only 17 IITs rank in the top 50 engineering colleges of India and only a few (around 5) IITs are in the list of the world’s top 100 engineering colleges. Second, the dropout rate of IIT-qualifying students stands at least at 20%, with reasons being cited ranging from academic pressure and unmanageable workload to caste discrimination and high levels of competition within the IIT.
So, it’s quite clear that the journey of making it through IIT is as challenging as the journey of getting into an IIT. Third and most important of all, the acceptance rate or the odds of getting into an IIT are below 3% which is a lot lower than the acceptance rate of highly and very highly ranked US universities. Four, getting into an IIT of one’s choice doesn’t mean one will also get into a branch of one’s preference at that IIT.
Dr Nalini Parthasarathi, 79, based in Puducherry has dedicated 30 years of her life caring for people suffering from hemophilia.
It is amazing when a person turns personal adversity into a calling, and extends empathy to make a significant impact in the lives of other people. This has been the life’s journey of Dr Nalini Parthasarathi.
April 17 is World Hemophilia Day. Dr Nalini Parthasarathi, 79, based in Puducherry has dedicated 30 years of her life caring for people suffering from hemophilia. She was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
Hemophilia is a condition where one or more clotting factor is absent leading to bleeding. Severe cases can be life-threatening.
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