Government schools: Weapons of Mass Instruction

If you get a chance to read a book on relationship between school vis-a-vis children and parents please read only one book, this one was published in 2008 by John Taylor Gatto: Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling.


Read his article about Enemies of Freedom: "Government schooling is the most radical adventure in history. It kills the family by monopolizing the best times of childhood and by teaching disrespect for home and parents."


Also by him How public education cripples our kids, and why

Of the changing of idea of India

From Mr S Gupta's article in today's Indian Express:

• In the Dalit quarter of Kallupuruwa in Rae Bareli, a woman, a mother of two, is severely indignant when asked if she can feed her children properly. “Of course, we feed them, and feed them very well,” she says, “the problem is, we are not left with enough money to send them to a really good English medium school as the fee there is Rs 300 per child. We send them to the one with 120-rupee fee.” And what about government schools? Urmila smiles that smile of vicious disdain, as if to say, you send your children to government schools. Leave mine to me.

A liberal vision for India

Here is our latest piece titled "A liberal vision for India" published in the February Issue of Pragati. See page number 18-20.

India was headed down the road to disaster

 “The Indian elite made pretentious claimsabout idealism, socialism and spirituality that were, to Campbell, humbug. Theobsession with esoteric ritualism — or what Campbell considered esotericritualism — the hierarchy of caste, the grimy and dirty cities, and thepoverty: it was all too much for the author. In his exaggerated andfictionalised account — the book’s protagonist is an American visitor to India— Campbell is guilty of what post facto analysis would term politicalincorrectness and racial stereotyping”.

Of the let-it-go-of-its own order!!

Thanks to Amit Verma for pointing out the article on "Tragic truths about caste" in India by Shikha Dalmia published in The Daily. The main argument of the article is how the market forces spontaneously, help, keep unfolding the practice of caste system in the Indian society. There is nothing new in the arguments. It is good that the State has not put its noose for regulating through any ill-fit law. Of course, there are laws through which the State acts as regulatory to reduce any such "tragic truths" about castes in India. The end results in the past, as it can been seen from history of Indian caste system, always, it is the State which had have promoted caste system as a prime tool for vote motive in and around the election games.

It is well recorded that the Indian economic reforms invariably helped to enlarge the opportunities for dalit community. If you have still not read I mean in the above line. Do read it now. Here are some list:

• The unexpected rise of dalit millionaires
• MARKETS AND MANU: ECONOMIC REFORMS AND ITS IMPACT ON CASTE IN INDIA
• Rethinking Inequality: Dalits in Uttar Pradesh in the Market Reform Era
• Defying Manu: Rise of the Dalit capitalist
• Dalit Inc. ready to show business can beat caste

Of the Dr B R Ambedkar

There is no limit for making mistakes on the life and work of a person if the person has passed away. I have been reading the pathetic mistakes made by the so called academicians in India and abroad on Dr B R Ambedkar. I cannot tolerate anymore. Blast it here for once and all!! The latest case is the classic among the tragedies of wrongly writing about Ambedkar.

Prof Sonalde Desai (socialist and communist!!) writes:

• "B S Ambedkar’s razor-sharp vision of social inequality helped shape the Constitution" 

Similarly, in the article "How Much Should a Person Consume?" Ramachandra Guha writes:

• “The poem spoke reverentially of the great untouchable leader B R Ambedkar (1889-1956), and, especially, of the dark blue suit that Ambedkar invariably wore in the last three decades of his life.”

At times, I feel these so called experts do terrible mistakes which we have been forced to accept as "typing errors"!

Three cheers!!

First, here is our latest piece in Forbes India magazine titled "India should re-wrap Economic Reforms".

Secondly, another friend had a piece in the DNA Newspaper titled "Giving currency to a blatant lie in Gandhi's name".

Thirdly, I read two very interesting books. One is old and second one is new. The first one is "Timeless Inspirator Relieving Gandhi". Second one is "Confessions of a Swadeshi Reformer". Both are interesting in their own way. However, being a student of economics the later one is more interesting because it tells you more lively what had actually happened in the 1990 while Indian economy faced the balance of payment crisis. Second more interesting and is also equally narrated with careful understanding is the fact that who is the original reformers after 1990.

Sabha and Professor B R Shenoy