Ignorance Eclipsed!

It was a plan which was not planned much!.I reached Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium at about 11.45am where my friend was already waiting for me.I was amazed to see the view close to the planetarium.Though I had expected to see few people at that place I could now see many cars parked all along the road adjacent to the planetarium...I immediately turned towards the building and was shocked to see a 'jaathre' of people,thats what it looked like to me!I approached closer and heard the enthusiastic noise the huge number of people produced. My friend and I quickly walked towards the large number of people to try and do what they were doing.

During my morning ride in the city bus to my workplace I could sense a significant drop in the number of people who were traveling.There were no morning peak hour traffic jams and buses reached there destinations before there due times.I had thought that the people were all staying home watching the grahana on TV and observing fasts and conducting prayers and offering poojas and things like that.I was wrong, the people were all at the planetarium!

I didnt know what that feeling was which I experienced but that was wonderful.Seeing people appreciate something good was a step forward for our countrys development.Accepting science and logic rather than blind beliefs and false traditions was what I noticed there.I saw people and more people, toddlers, grannys, standing, supine, professionals, amateur photographers, youth and kids... whose faces were brightly coloured with joy and enthsiasm and also painted were spots of relief, of having learnt something new today.Yes, relief, that was what I felt too!

For how long can truth be subdued?For how long can men and women be left unenlightened?When is the time when we accept nature in its true senses? When will education prevail over ignorance and orthodoxy?Logic and science over blind beliefs and false traditions?Not long my friend, not long, and the evidence is right in front of us.The crowd, the number of people at the planetarium is the answer to the questions.

I happily spent about 3 hours at the planetarium and relearned a lot of my high school physics.I watched the eclipse through the no 14 welders glass and also through the glasses I bought at the place, did 'the pin hole effect', saw hundreds of 'pinholes' created by the trees,saw the virtual image on the projected screens,took a lot of photographs of the eclipse,saw my shadow edges go hazy,etc, etc,... which gave me immense joy and satisfaction.But the most important feeling was the relief!

Request to my dear friends.

After having seen people talk about 3 Idiots, I felt my need to say something as well!
Jumping directly into the question(based on the CNN.IBN Face the Nation question): Is the movie 3 Idiots an accurate depiction of the present higher education system in India?....my answer would be:- the question is irrelevent!
Is there a relation between the movie and the education system?... No.
Is ther a relationship between the movie and public entertainment...Yes.
Is this a chance to talk about our depleted education system( elementary to our higher education) (ragardless of what the movie depicts)?...Yes.

3 Idiots according to me is yet another movie which is typically intended to earn money for the producer and entertain the common man.We should not try to glean anything else from it as it provides nothing for the thoughtful people.The credit issue apart, Five point someone was a remarkable book in all senses.Unlike the movie it gives us a feeling of gratefulness towards our esteemed educational institutions and the teachers, also providing us with enough entertainment.We should be thankful for many people who have encouraged such learning systems and processes.

Amir Khan has let down his progressive oriented fans by acting in a movie which does not qualify for his stature.The movie seems to be a complex mixture of Munnabhai, Dil Chahta Hai, Taare Zameen Par and all such movies without their positives!
Chetan Bhagat had had each component(like...emotions, humour, sex, love) of the novel in the right proportions to make it entertaining and thought provoking as well.

Of course our education system needs a revamp....but not through the 'aam aadmi' oriented 3 Idiots,please!

Indians, atleast most of us watch movies purely for entertainment....we like to forget the movie as soon as we come out of the hall. 3 Idiots does not disappoint us in this regard as it provides nothing to carry forward.

As far as I'm concerned I do not want to worry much about the issue whether the movie is inspired or based(or whatever it is called) on the Chetha Bhagat novel.If it is a copy then it is bad that the movie makers have not carried forward the good intentions Chethan intends in the book....and if it was not a copy it is still the same as they have not been able to provide anything for the intellectuals.Vidhu Chopra must be the happiest man on earth now as we fight over a issue which is unconcerned but is all profits to him by all means('bitti' publicity,without any benefits reaching the common man)...probably the common man is paying bucks to Chopra for simply trying to find positives in the movie! The producers might have never thought of this movie as educational at all.

The build up the media is providing regarding this issue is probably not that embarassing as some my think it is, as it is providing us an oppurtunity to go through our education system once again.Though, I'm sure the dust will settle down very soon after everybody has said his say and before anybody has done any good!

My request to my dear friends would be ...why dont we forget the movie and concentrate on moving the education system forward?