Ask no questions, hear no lies.

It is said that there is no avoiding war. It can only be postponed to the benefit of our opponent. The question is; have we been able to identify our opponent? Or are we fighting a battle which our opponents are making us fight against our perceived opponents? The confusion and unrest is certainly going on within every mind but very few of us are actually battling out with our real enemies. We are running towards a goal which when we finally achieve might not be victory at all.

It is also said that our greatest opponent will hide in the very last place that we can ever imagine. More often than not, it lies within ourselves. Have we meditated enough to search for it before we began our battles?

The internship period for most of the post-graduates is nearing its end. For some it is already over. It is time now to once again ponder over it, if we have not done it as yet. There are two things that we need understand. One: being aware of what is happening around us. Two: Accepting what is happening in our environment and how it is impacting us.

Most of us have failed in the doing the first and not understood the meaning of the second. We had closed our eyes to the external world or the ‘game’ that was going around us. We became the pawns of the game and let the players decide the moves. We did not realize it then, we probably haven’t realized it yet. This game did not begin when we joined college. It started the day we were born. It is being played since the time man gained controlled over his mind. What is the quality of your game and what is the nature of the game in which you are playing, are questions that should be worrying us now.

There is not much of a change that you can bring into the environment all the time. However, if you accept to be a part of it, you need to be aware of it. You need to be able to see the games that are going all around you and be aware of it as an external agent and not as a participant. A bird’s eye view of the board is what is required rather than watching close-ups of others from within the board on which the game is being played. Have you accepted to be a part of the environment being aware of what is going on around you; is what we need to ask ourselves today?

The second year at college would begin and get over. Another game would be over and a new one would begin from there on. We need to get to a position from where we know if we want to play a game or just be in a game. If we want to make our moves in the game when others attack or if we want to be able to predict the moves of others? Even if we get hurt in the game, we might not get hurt within if we are aware of the game. That is a position where we need to strive and get.

What is disturbing and inspiring is that people do not question. We rarely question rationality and logic. We do not always look beyond what is obvious to explore what lies beneath. We just talk and when we talk in a grammatically correct manner, we start thinking that we are making sense. We start thinking that we are heading somewhere in the war.

Paraphrasing the obvious, should not be considered as deriving logic. Most of us have entered into a war-zone without questioning the reason for our presence there. Our leaders might be chasing a dream which when achieved will not get us anywhere. Then why are we just following instructions without questioning the reason for our presence in any particular game. We are usually fighting a useless war just because we need to keep on doing something as a part of living. Our actual war might have been lost somewhere else. It is extremely disturbing for a race and very promising for a sharp mind. Where do you see yourself amongst the two?

I feel disturbed when people live without thinking enough. We are a waste if we do not utilize our intellect to fight the real battle. A battle which goes beyond running for a degree, beyond looking for a placement, beyond waiting for an increment, beyond taking coaching classes, beyond getting married, beyond partying out, beyond white collar jobs, beyond scenic locations, beyond two square meals and beyond glamour.

The real battle is to be able to exit the game, to be able to watch it if we have to be a part of it.

Let us understand that. Let us understand that getting a job offer is not enough. Let us understand that getting a high score is not everything. Let us understand that getting a good package is not enough. Let us understand that studying what is being taught is not enough. Let us understand that doing what is being asked is not enough. Let us understand what it is to understand and then understand it.

There is infinite scope for a mind that is able to look within itself and then look at the world from outside while being a part of it. The mediocre is waiting to get fashioned into games when you know how to begin one. The mediocre just wants to experience the journey thinking that they are heading towards a victory. We just need to make them fight themselves. Most of them would not believe you even if you told them who their real opponents are. Most of them would not even believe you if you told them that they are fighting themselves.

Most of them would ask you questions and humbly accept all lies. I don’t want anyone to ask me anything. I do not like to lie.

The Thing Is...

January 5th, 2008, eh? Been a very long time since this blog was updated, and it really hasn't said much that was substantial, has it?

Bloody hell.

It's not as if we haven't had much to say, or done much over these past few months. We've done a lot more than you'd think.

It's just, well, how do you describe something that's so complex, and so dysfunctional that it loses its charm the second you put it into words? Essentially, you can't.

You show up, hate it, understand it, and then for the oddest reason, fall in love with it. So experience FLAME for all that it is, and go from there.

You'll show up and whine about things for a while. You'll contemplate leaving for what you think is a better institute, and you'll talk about why FLAME isn't for you. In the end, you'll never leave. For all its crap, FLAME is unique. There is perhaps no place like it in this country, and there never will be.

So enjoy it, because the next year of your life is one that you'll never forget.

Idea A Day

Coffee can do wonders and when it is free of cost, you can’t ask for a better treat. This article is dedicated to those two cups which I wasn’t asked to pay for at the inauguration of “The” Pit Stop yesterday evening, which motivated me to take up this book, which in turn inspired me to scribble these lines.

When Mr. Neeraj Swaroop was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank, India, one of his earliest introduction, was the creation of two email addresses: ihaveanidea@in.standardchartered.com and ihaveanissue@in.standardchartered.com both of which would be directly managed by him and any of the 5000+ employee force in India could write to him. Both of these formed his strongest tools in looking at innovative solutions to business problems and also getting a chance to remove issues at all levels which could otherwise remain unreported, under-reported or incorrectly reported. The improved performance of the bank and higher satisfaction levels in the employees can also be attributed to the above to a certain extent.

Similar to the above is this book called ‘The Big Idea Book’ edited out from the online website ‘idea-a-day.com’, which is an online archive of ideas on varied subjects as thought by the authors and submitted by the readers. This book and the website has ideas collected and visualized by the authors and presented in a copyright and payment free mode for the benefit of anyone and everyone who might be interested in it. While some of the ideas are funny and far stretched from any practical relevance, there are many, which could be converted into viable propositions. The idea behind the project though is not to find out as to how many of their published ideas are actually converted into full scale projects.

This brings me back to one of those things which I purposely avoided this new years eve: resolutions. If there is one that I now wish to make now, it is to generate ideas, insane or relevant they might be, but the process will not be useless ever. This also makes me feel that if this thought is absorbed and worked out by the management, we might be able to see several innovative solutions and great ideas on the campus. I would love to see anything at all being initiated in this direction.

For the moment, I will just leave with the idea which is posted on www.idea-a-day.com today.

“Award honors (like New Year Honors in Australia and the UK) only to individuals voted for by the wider population. The public would be encouraged to submit nominations and, subsequently, to cast a vote for the nominees they would like their nation to reward in this way. A combination of voting methods, including online and phone options, would maximize democratic participation and media interest.

Day 2694 2 January 2008 by Steve Evans”

The archives on the website and the book 'The Big Idea Book', a copy is available with the library are a must read.

I have an idea as well. There should be some free coffee coupons awarded for any good idea submitted to the management.

Prisoner’s Dilemma

I was forced to think deeply over the concept of ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma’ ever since we studied the topic in our economics class the other day. For those who are not aware of it, here is the explanation using an example from Wikipedia for your understanding:

“The classical prisoner's dilemma (PD) is as follows: Two suspects, A and B, are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal: if one testifies for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both stay silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence. Each prisoner must make the choice of whether to betray the other or to remain silent. However, neither prisoner knows for sure what choice the other prisoner will make. So this dilemma poses the question: How should the prisoners act?



In deciding upon this kind of a situation, both the prisoners will try to reduce their risk and also try to predict what the other prisoner will do. If Prisoner A confesses his crime and Prisoner B does not, he would walk free without having to serve any sentence at all and the opposite is also true. If both the prisoners do not confess their crime at all, both of them would walk away with a minor sentence of just 6 months, which seems like a win-win situation for both of them. They are also told that if both of them confess then they will both have to serve a term of 5 years.

In this kind of a scenario, it is usually seen that both the prisoners will not confess and hence serve a term of 5 years each. The paradox of the situation lies in the fact that that both of them will confess no matter what even though they are fully aware that they would be better off had they not confessed. This happens mainly when each of them try to judge how the other prisoner would behave and accordingly try to reduce their own risk.”

When the same is seen in context with various kinds of competitions and the system of relative grading in our college, the results could be startling. In the case of competitions which would provide a chance to individuals to mutually accept a win-win situation for both, they would not normally do so and would defect thus resulting in a lower win for each of the competitors. Even when it comes to relative grading, students could arrive at a common consensus where each would be benefit out of sharing rather than being frightened of their peers and over working or stressing out. However, would this does not normally happen and it leads to a situation where one is not sure about the other and at the same time wants to reduce his chances of losing out leading to a relatively poor result for both.

Research also shows that when Prisoner’s Dilemma is played more than once in succession (with both the players having memory of the previous encounter, then there can be more cooperative outcomes beneficial for both.

Will that be one of the situations that we could encounter on the campus?

There would definitely be many more such scenarios which we would come across in the course of our stay. From inter-house competitions, to individuals working in group projects, to forming groups to negotiate deals from the council or the management, to the placements; these dilemmas would certainly affect most of us. Our reactions would be interesting to study to see if we actually end up mutually co-operating with each other or not.

Things that all future generations at FLAME need to go through:

1. Sleeping with four other people in a room only meant for two.
2. Taking a cold shower at 6:30 AM.
3. Living out of a suitcase for a week.
4. Indira Parikh's Induction Lab.
5. Falling in love with a pre-fabricated cupboard.
6. Learning the true value of salt in food.
7. Sharing ONE toilet among fifteen people at 8:30 AM, when classes are starting at 9AM.
8. Watching Hazel Mehta tell a room full of students that Rajastan is backwards.
9. Watching hot water gush out of a tap after a week of cold showers.
10. The first two weeks at FLAME.

Editor's Note: It has just come to our attention that people believe that this post speaks badly about FLAME. This was not the intention behind this at all. The only way that a person will understand this, and the emotion behind it is to live the way we've lived for the past two weeks. You truly do become closer to people. Among all of this stuff we've gone through, we really have bonded. In the immortal words of Aman, we're now "FLAME-ily".

Most of you that know me from Orkut know that I pretty much disliked all of the PG students on there. Now, if you ask me, I honestly can't see why I disliked them in the first place. I really can't imagine life without Kunal, Miten, Mishal and the rest of them. As I sit at home now, sick, life at FLAME is the only thing going through my mind. That's after just a few weeks like this.

The Hyderabad Blasts

To begin with, I'd just like to tell everyone that as far as I know, no one coming to FLAME from Hyderabad is injured. We're all okay, perhaps a little shaken, but okay nonetheless.

Now, here's what really annoys me about this whole affair. The very object of terrorism, of any kind, is to incite fear. We didn't have Mass Media and Mass Communications in the days yore. Coincidentally, we never had terrorism then either. A person was taken and made an example of, yes, but acts of massive violence intended only to strike fear, never occurred. Every time anyone questioned the way things were done, someone was made into an object of fear, and that was the end of it. I think some of you have heard of a guy by the name of Jesus.

Today, it doesn't make a difference where a terrorist commits his/her act of terror. Between the Media hyping it up, the very atmosphere of fear we live in, and the politicians who turn death into victory, it gets out. In my very honest opinion, it's not the guy that blows up the bomb, drives a plane into a building, or poisons people that's the terrorist. Sure, he's a murderer, but he isn't the instrument of terror. That is more accomplished by the Media. In a frenzy for viewers, these hungry jackals get everyone from useless experts to old stories and spread panic.

A few months ago, we had a blast in the very center of Hyderabad. It was at a very old and valuable mosque. Did any of you outside Hyderabad even hear about it? Was the terror alert at Bombay pushed up? No, because everyone was afraid of riots breaking out. As soon as the Media was shut up, so did everything else. People went back to their lives within a few days. Nothing was closed, there were no ridiculous college students outside protesting. Everything was normal. You see where this is going?

I think all of us at FLAME, especially those in the School of Communication, should take this into account. You guys will be the ones involved in the business in a few years from now, and who knows, with a little luck and some effort you might be leading it. Do you guys really want to be the ones that enable murderers to make the transition to Terrorists? Do you guys want to be the ones that peddle panic and fear? I think those are questions that all of us should consider, all around the nation.

Its time to take the Oath – My Resolutions!

Verghese Kurien, Milkman of India, was called a “bloody fool” by a noted dairyman and director of dairy research, Professor William Riddet of New Zealand when he visited Anand. This was mainly because Kurien was trying to produce milk-powder out of buffalo milk at a time when New Zealand was the primary exporter of milk powder to India and experts were convinced of the view that it could not be produced out of buffalo milk.

Twenty four hours before the inauguration of the Amul factory at Anand on the 31st of October, 1956, the experiment was successful and milk powder was produced for the first time using buffalo’s milk. Pandit Nehru, inaugurated the factory, and told Kurien just before leaving, that he was glad that India had people like him who can get done things that cannot be done. Today, India produces an estimated 1.65 lack tonnes of milk powder annually, much more than what New Zealand produces.


Mr. Rajinder Johar of Delhi was paralyzed below the neck by the shots of three gun men who had broken into his house. He was thrown into a world of negative thoughts and depression for a long time till he decided to fight with life. He thought that people who were well off, had others to take care of them, however, there is nobody to take care of the disabled poor.

He started the Apna Rozgar scheme, for providing self dependence to the physically challenged. His idea was that of providing economic help along with an understanding of managing the business. By rough estimates, there are already around 325 people in Delhi and its nearby suburbs, who have benefited directly from his scheme. It includes Jatinder Kumar, a victim of gunshot in Punjab terrorism, who runs a kirana store; Ashok Kumar of Dabri, a Polio victim, who runs an STD Booth; Mohini Devi of Sultanpuri, a paralysis patient, who owns a small grocery store; among others.

Many of such known as well as not-so-known acts of heroism will show how these great people resolved to fight for their ambition. It tells about how they decided on their target and worked with single minded determination to ensure that they achieve it. It also forces me to think of all the Resolutions which I have made to myself each year and not always kept the promises I made to myself.

We are all on the verge of charting a new course in our lives with FLAME. There would certainly be lots of promises being made to parents, friends, well-wishers and also to one’s own self. It could be a big promise that could change the ways of the world or just a small thought of leading a life of discipline. It could be a desire to learn and also to use the knowledge for shaping a career or it could be a journey where one would want to find a destination for his life.

Let us all look at the dream which was seen by the founders of FLAME and how well have they managed to keep up to their promises. Had they failed, we would not be packing our bags to join them on this mission.

Its time, we did some serious introspection and took our pledges. Its time, we noted them down and shared them with our mentors to seek their help in achieving them and also abstaining from getting deviated.

Do share with us your feelings and stories on Resolutions which you had made and achieved/failed to achieve. There would be several resolutions close to your heart, which others would have made to make sure that you arrive to this stage of your career. Send in your messages to flamepune@gmail.com and we will help you share your thoughts with others.

Hello

Hello everyone, my name is Pranav Patoori and I'm the newest writer/Editor of the FLAME Blog. Rather than telling you about me, which is completely irrelevant anyway, I thought I'd have this post focus more on the direction this blog will take in the coming months.

At the moment, we are days away from the start of the Preparatory Program for PG Students at FLAME. That means we are days away from the opening of FLAME. My fellow Editor, and founder of this blog, Rahul and I spent a few days discussing what direction we should take this blog. The first idea that occurred to us was to report on everything going on at FLAME. It was the natural choice, and it was easy to do. Finding out about anything in FLAME wouldn't be hard, since we are a fairly small class.

Then we started thinking that that would be more along the lines of something a newspaper would do, rather than a blog. Reporting on things tends to leave a rather dry feel, and make for a boring read in the long run. Rahul and I wanted to keep this blog as more of a human thing rather than a newsreel.

So in the coming months, this blog will talk about stuff happening at FLAME. What it will not do is merely be a substitute newspaper. We plan on focusing more on our stories and experiences within FLAME. What we learn through our interactions with the faculty, the visiting faculty, and the Management. The experience of the admissions process, the wait, how the Union Dinner was. It will focus on what is happening behind-the-scenes. We'll talk about everything from the formation of clubs, the newspaper, to the process behind exams.

What we want is for this blog to become a resource for both current FLAME students, and for prospective ones. So if there's an event being planned at FLAME, you'll find out info about it here. You'll get to read about ideas thrown around, who came up with the original plan for it, and what the reaction/opinion to that is.

I, however, do not want this blog to become a random creativity outlet. A lot of you guys are talented at so many things. I could take a girl named Pankti off the top of my head who writes amazing poetry. There are people on the Facebook community who write insanely deep short stories. What I don't want to see is this blog become the publishing place for those. One, it limits the audience that these people might have, and that would be horrid. The second thing is that it detracts from the main value of the blog, and it's focus.

The biggest thing, however, is that this blog remains fluid. We do not want our mandate set in stone, and not grow beyond that. For that, we need your help. Any ideas, questions, concerns, ANYTHING, is always appreciated. If you think you might be a good writer for this blog, or that you know someone who might be, let us know.

We're also looking for people with pictures, mainly ones with students and Faculty rather than buildings. I think we've all accepted that those are more important than buildings.


So until next time, which will probably be this evening, I'm out.

Kut-kut against Orkut

For once let’s not discuss about all the abuses of decency and privacy on the social networking websites and on the internet. There are probably a lot more shades to look at when we talk of the virtual world that most of us are glued to, almost throughout the day.

It’s a well known fact that we usually begin the day by checking our emails and then moving on to social networking websites among other things on the internet. There are times, when we are logged on to these worlds while we are exploring other important things on the internet. According to a recent survey, people spend an average of 186 minutes on each of their sessions on Facebook (a popular social networking website similar to Orkut). There is almost everything available in the virtual world today when compared to a few decades back when we had never even imagined the existence of a separate world away from the real one within our computer screens.

What is usually overlooked in the process of remaining in touch with our network is the fact that so much of useful time is actually being wasted, which otherwise could have led to greater efficiency and output. Psychologists are of the opinion that these websites are extremely addictive and it is extremely difficult for a person to stay away from it once they start using it.

These arguments lead to two pertinent questions when moderated in context to our college. First: what is the extent of internet usage that would be permitted to us on the campus? Second: how do we manage to refrain ourselves from the excessive usage of these websites if we are provided with complete liberty?

As for the first, none of us can really be sure of what is in store for us, in terms of restrictions on campus. I am sure that in a situation where there is no constraint being levied traversing the surreal world, there would be excessive usage of the 24*7 free access. This could lead to loss of concentration from matters which require greater importance and attention, notwithstanding the loss of productive time. We could also see the complete ban being levied on the usage of these web worlds by the college for saving the degenerating young minds.

As for the second, I would love to mention about Mr. Derek Sorenson, owner of a website repair company 50 miles outside of London. He has invented an application which acts as an alarm and reminds you of the amount of time that you have been spending online on something which is not a part of what your work responsibility demands. His invention, “NOTWORKING” is an application, which you can download onto your desktop (www.websiterepairs.net/notworking.php). It will prompt you of all the hours that you have wasted and the amount of money that you could have earned in the same amount of time. A bright yellow box appears on the screen and shows you the number of hours and also the amount of money that you could have earned otherwise had you been working for the same duration (users need to provide their hourly earnings in a currency of their choice). If you do activate the cumulative setting on this application, it will resume calculating your time from every time you last logged-off from the internet.

Those of us, who have been working in the past and enjoyed the privilege to access the internet on their office computers, will vouch that a lot of time is actually wasted with it. It usually begins with the checking of e-mails on several accounts and moves on to searching old friends and replying to messages on the social networking websites not to mention all the other things which form a part of this virtual world. One rarely realizes or calculates the actual loss that he/she has suffered due to the above usage.

It would be some time, till we come to terms with the reality on the campus, but it would definitely be interesting to see the stand which the college takes on this rather issue which could be controversial for many students.

“Our Coffee Shop - Pit Stop” “Karma Kitchen” and “An Experiment in Generosity”

The Pit Stop would probably be one of my most frequently visited locations on the campus (apart from the lake side, golf course and the amphitheatre) Perhaps the need for that extra dose of caffeine once you are a part of any seat of higher education is what draws your mind there. Heated debates and smart discussions along with the relaxed I-have-nothing-to-do-feeling is something acts as to motivator to draw one towards the coffee shop.

I guess that the fate of the Pit Stop will be decided once the sessions begin, however the Karma Kitchen on Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, California, is a place which has already made a name for reasons worth sharing.

Popularly called as ‘experiment in generosity’, this place is much unlike the traditional restaurants where you eat, pay and just walk off. Karma Kitchen, developed by Viral and Pavi Mehta along the lines of Seva Café in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, offers the traditional Indian ‘thali’ every Saturday evening. I agree that there is nothing too unusual in that. What really sets this place apart from the rest is that people from different nationalities, eat together and don’t pay for the food. Karma Kitchen is managed by a group of ten volunteers each week who manage the show and the profile of volunteers includes senior citizens, Harvard graduates, CEO’s and even students from the University of California.

The get-together each week usually ends up with making new friends or helping the volunteers in some way or the other. The donations which this place receives are equally intriguing such as a couple from an Organic Fruit Farm dropping a crate of peaches, an editor of an arts magazine stacking up his books on the activity table, leaving behind a packet of handmade greeting and postcards or even singing a song for the chefs, Vshnuji and Kamalji.

Karma Kitchen is a lot more than just a place to hog. It brings several other memories to my mind including Indian Coffee House at College Street, Kolkata, the several restaurants at the IIT Kharagpur campus named as “Eggies”, “Veggies”, “Cheddis”, etc and many more similar places where a foodie like me would always be present.
I have high hopes from our Pit Stop not in terms of what they would be offering. Just waiting for my first date with that place and I am sure that I would be able to find enough reasons to keep returning to it.

Thank You to all the Bank Managers

Goodness still exists in this world. Though not completely, but to a considerable extent.

Mr. Mahendra Garasia, Sr. Branch Manager at Bank of India in Surat, Gujarat, is one such example. His actions prompted me to write this special note of thanks.

The entire admission process is lengthy and complicated. To make matters even more difficult is the huge cost which education at FLAME involves. Like many other batch mates from the college, the completion of the documentation and securing (almost) a loan from the bank has been a huge task for me.

I belong to a middle class family and lived in many towns and cities in the past; sometimes for education sake and sometimes for work. So have my parents who, by now, are tired of shifting houses. We are presently in Surat where we have been stagnant for some time now.

I have a long list of banks turning down my plea for an education loan. The biggest obstacle being that we don’t have a property or other collaterals such as insurance policies, fixed deposits, etc. People appreciated the merit, congratulated on looking at the past records, got impressed as well, but when it came to going out of the way to help a deserving candidate, they all stepped back.

This is when I met Mr. Garasia who studied every single word of my entire application. He looked at all the academic transcripts and the certificates which I had received while at college and later at my work place. His conclusion was: I will help you in whatever manner possible to ensure that you don’t have to suffer or re-think about education just because of money.

His words are still resounding in my ears just as clear as always when he said that bank managers need to change their paradigms today. When managers provide funds for education to a deserving or needy student and help him/her in making a career, they should look at it as an opportunity.

I salute to your values Mr. Garasia and promise that this lesson which you have taught me today, I would replicate whenever I am capable of.

Though my loan is yet to be approved (I am still stuck with getting two wealthy local guarantors) but this motivation which I got from Mr. Garasia, will help me tackle most of the obstacles in the processing.

I should also thank my friend Pallav from the birth place Raniganj, who got my father’s tax file collected from the Chartered Accountant and sent it across to me in a day’s time. I am obliged to my friends in Kolkata, Shreya and Sumit, who ran from the college to the University to help me get my transfer certificate, apply for migration certificate, etc. I would also like to thank my brother and sister in law who sent me the initial advance fee all the way from Australia without me asking for it.

On this Blog today, I would also like to make an appeal to all the readers that let us thank that special someone, who has helped us in even a small way to help us in reaching where we stand today. There are many occasions in life when people just appear out of nowhere and help you when you least expected them to. Let us thanks each one of them out here.

A few lines of memories, in respect of these people, would not take long to write. Please share your experience with these special people so as to send your homage in a small way. If you have an interesting tale to share, then send it across to flamepune@gmail.com and I would post it for others to see. Let us give these men and women of honor whatever little we possibly can.

The Independence of the Mind

In the year 1928, the British Government increased the land revenue assessment for the taluka by an exorbitant 30 percent. When the peasants of Bardoli in Gujarat approached Sardar Vallabhbhi Patel for help, he told them, “If you oppose the government, your sufferings will multiply. You will lose you lands and houses; the government will do its best to crush you. You will not have a grain of rice or a drop of milk, and the women and children will suffer sheer misery. Consider well. If you are confident you have the grit to face all this, let us fight.” Thus began the Civil Disobedience Movement and journey of Sardar Patel to anchor the people against the British Government.

Here we stand today, 79 years later, to see this small town turned into a city buzzing with malls, apartments, expensive bungalows, et-all. Most of the families have the foreign connection and NRI money flows into the city from all over the world. Getting access to liquor in this alcohol-free-state is not too difficult upon paying a small premium. However, what bothers me the most is the sad state of the Swaraj Ashram which does not receive grants from the government any more and the trustees are forced to lease out a part of the premises for its upkeep and maintenance.

Are the youth of today not able to see this reality or has it become too easy to overlook such matters and live only for oneself?

I strongly support the Discover India initiative which will be a part of the curriculum of the under-graduate students of FLAME. They would be traveling in groups to different parts of the country in groups to gain first hand experience of the rich cultural heritage of India. They will then share their experience using an AV or a visual presentation as a part of the contest.

A similar project had been undertaken a decade back called the Azad Bharat Rail Yatra where a team of 200 participants set out on a 14 day journey stretching over 8000 kilometers to touch the length and breath of the country. The same is being repeated this year with around 400 participants traveling around 7000 kilometers (http://www.jagritiyatra.com/).

These projects, apart from being a great memory, will open the minds of the minds and show the real face of the nation. A nation of more than a billions people, with a rich cultural heritage, with two parts completely different from each others, with a diversity of languages, and a lot more. These projects will specifically be helpful to those city dwellers who have only seen a couple of tourist destinations apart from their usual place of boarding. These projects will not only bring joys and wonder but also show the pains and sorrows of this nation. It will slap the truth on the face of the participants. They will have the choice or either accepting it or taking an oath to work out solutions for it.

As we celebrate the 60 years of Indian Independence today without having much clue about what it truly means, we should take this opportunity to reach out to our gurus in the campus. People like General Mehta, and others, who have know the real meaning of being a true citizen could show us a way to contribute to the well being of our nation in a manner which we are capable of. Let us for once think beyond out daily needs and do something for a nation which has the capability of becoming the strongest in the world. Let of for once make an effort to bring a smile on a persons face. Let us to once act as responsible citizens even if there are thousands around us who don’t behave in this manner. Let us take one step without expecting something in return.
I wish all the readers of this blog a very Happy Independence Day. I also pray that this flame, which has been ignited with a purpose, shines brightly forever in future. Let it make the nation and its people proud.

The first blog for FLAME

What started as a web log around ten years back as a list of websites that a person had visited in a particular day has seen a complete revolution and become a part of everyday life of millions of people across the world. TOI reported on the 12th of August, 2007, that according to Blog-tracker Technorati, there are presently 93.8 millions blogs on the internet and still counting. Wikipedia calls blogs as either a commentary or news on a particular subject and at times it also functions like a personal diary.

This particular website which you are currently viewing, viz: flamepune.blogspot.com is also one such blog in case you were not sure about it. The motive behind creating a blog of such kind when there is already a website in place for the college is simple:

1) What was lacking in the professional and the good looking webpage of the college is a vent out for the feelings of all those related directly or indirectly with FLAME. This blog will make an effort to show the good, the bad and also the ugly face of the college. The concept is similar to the working of the democracy where the opposition keeps a regular check on the working of the ruling majority.

2) On a lighter perspective, this space will offer a platform to all the budding people who form a part of the FLAME family. It includes mainly the present students. However, contributions from the management, administration, faculty as well as outsiders, is welcome at all points in time. This place is open for all those who want to showcase any shade of this institution as long as it is not derogatory or defamatory. A debate is welcome, however, it needs to be within the realms of decency.

3) Any one can contribute to this blog unlike other blogs where it is only the moderator who has the right to post. The ‘Ed’ in this case will only ensure that there is a basic standard of language as well as logic which is maintained in all the postings. “Need Help” is a section to which people can suggest subjects where they require any form of assistance. “Whats Buzzing” will report all the recent happenings in and about the institution from the contributions which it receives. It will also display pictures of the events if they are so submitted to the Ed. “Opinions” will carry debates on burning issues from time to time. Comments on either side of the fence are welcome. If there is any material, article or a subject of discussion which could be useful to the present members or prospective ones in any manner, it needs to be reported under the section called, “Assist Your Friends”. In case there is a great idea, which breaks your slumber at night, to improve the working of the institution or any part of it, then just send it across for reporting under the section called, “Burning Ideas”. If there is something which does not fall in any of these categories and you feel that it is in no context with this institution, yet you cannot wait to get it published, “Just About Anything” is the just the place for you. For contributions to each of these sections, just mention the name of the section in the subject line and send it across to flamepune@gmail.com along with your name and batch details. You can even keep your personal details anonymous if you so desire. The publishing of the same will remain the discretion of the Ed. However, this Ed sitting here is for the purpose of selection and not rejection. So feel free to submit.

4) This blog also aims to be a student platform, which runs parallel to the management of the institution. Its strength will depend on the acceptance which it receives from the students and all others who are related to FLAME directly or indirectly. It is not going to be a rebellion or a union, but it would definitely open the eyes to those things which would otherwise have gone under the wraps.

So, with the spirit of true liberal education and a liberal mind, not the mention the joy of blogging completing ten years, I hereby welcome you all to this small community.

They say that to err is human and I a one of the lesser mortals. So please bear with me if I do err. You can check me and challenge me at any point in time to show me the right direction in which I need to take this journey. I would appreciate a direct challenge on the face rather than a dagger on the back.
Cheers to FLAME and let it shine.

Time Will Prove

One is easily led to believe in something that one wants to. With the young minds who seeking admissions to FLAME and desperately craving for a miracle to happen in their careers, it is not very difficult for them to start building very high hopes from the institution.

I guess, its time we did a reality check ourselves before we took the deep dive into our pockets to shell out that big money for education.

There is no harm in accepting the strength of the values and the philosophy which FLAME proposes. However, to what extent will this turn into a complete reality is something that needs to be judged realistically.

Liberal education is a new concept for this country and imbibing this philosophy into the hearts and the minds of the students will not be an easy task. It is therefore one of the biggest challenges to make the students unlearn the traditional methodology and dogmas which have been engrained into them for so many years and to make them start accepting and adapting to this new system of education.

Time will also show if the efforts of General Mehta and his army of 1400 workers pays off and that they are able to complete the basic infrastructure before the beginning of the three schools on the 9th of September, 2007. The hard work and unmatched efforts are certainly laudable. However, it can only be fully praised if it is able to generate the desired results by meeting the test of time.

A bigger worry to rob the sleep of the final year students will be when they start calculating the return on their investments. It is for sure that they would be getting a lot more than the basic degree and the knowledge of the subjects which they have paid for. However, with the huge cost incurred on undertaking the entire course, it remains a big question mark on the quality as well as the quantity of the placements which are generated at the end of the two years.

One would argue that, it would probably be wrong to judge the strength of the institution on such grounds. However, once the students are out of the college and into the practical world, they would certainly stop at times to ask themselves as to what they have actually got out of the college. If they are happy with the reply then, it would true success for FLAME.

Whether this will happen or not is something that cannot be predicted or planned. It is only time that will reveal the true fruits of all the labor that has gone into this great mission. I personally would love to see its success. Let us all do whatever is capable on our part to take FLAME to its much deserved position.