I am writing to you after a long gap. A sudden unanticipated inflow of work kept me occupied for the last two weeks. Such unexpected change in work schedule is part of scientific research. The work is not yet finished, but now I am getting used to the extra work. It also means that a lot of routine work has piled up — cleaning, organizing, refreshing social contacts, and yes, getting updated with what is going on in the world. So I sat down and browsed through the large pile of newspapers looking for anything interesting that I might have missed. Continue reading

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A Solution To Break Language Barrier — Join Them!

Liron Lavi Turkenich and her script Aravrit. Photo source: typotalks.com.
Which is the biggest problem that you face when traveling to a different city? A problem that you mostly take for granted, but are confronted with as soon as you set your foot on that land? It is language. You don’t have to go that far as China or Russia to appreciate the enormity of this problem. In fact, even within our own country, we face this problem on a routine basis.
Strangely, we give more importance to food and wonder ‘what would we eat there?’ And we pack sattu, khakhara, Maggi, even hot plate for emergency survival purpose. On the other hand, not for a moment do we pay any attention to the language barrier that is eagerly waiting for us. We brush aside all concerns with a ‘Oh, don’t worry, we’d manage’. Continue reading

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सोशल नेटवर्किंग साइटों पर तर्क करने से पहले यह विचार करें
यदि सोशल नेटवर्किंग साइटों पर होने वाले तर्कों को देखें तो लगता है कि हम लोगों के पास किसी भी समस्या का समाधान नहीं है । इससे अधिक बुरी बात यह है कि पुराने मुद्दे सुलझते नहीं, और नए मुद्दे आते जाते हैं । मुझे तो यहाँ तक लगता है कि हममें विचार करने की शक्ति का ही अभाव है । बात अनन्त काल तक तर्क करते रहने और किसी भी नतीजे तक न पहुँचने की नहीं है । बात है तर्कों और विचार-विमर्श की गुणवत्ता की । किसी भी मुद्दे पर समाज की प्रतिक्रिया पढकर अब झल्लाहट ही होती है । फिर राजनेताओं और मंत्रियों की भाषा शैली ! ध्यान से देखें तो पाएँगे कि अधिकतर बातों में अथवा टिप्पणी में कोई संदेश होता ही नहीं है । इस पर प्रश्न उठता है कि यदि हम किसी भी विषय पर तार्किक टिप्पणी ही न कर सकें अथवा दूसरे के तर्क को सुन-समझ ही न सकें तो फिर हमारी 15 वर्षों की शिक्षा का क्या लाभ ? Continue reading 
