Reflections on the Kolkata Stay

 Since it has been around 10 months now, I feel entitled to a few reflections.

One, the cost of living is lower than in many other large cities.

But coupled with this, the salary levels are low in many sectors. 

Shared autos have 5-6 people in addition to the driver (I presume legally) in them.

The Totos or electric ricks are unmetered. So they quote whatever they want.

Buses are quite cheap, and if not crowded, doable if you are physically fit.

Metro trains are overcrowded, and have few coaches. They don't stick to the schedule.

Growth opportunities in the city are limited, so ambitious people have to move out.

People are generally self-absorbed, and know very little about the rest of India. 

Food quality is good, in general, especially non veg. and noodles. But the biryani has a potato in it 😊

Reflections

This is a composite pic made from two different ones- the one on the right is from Vignana Jyoti Institute of Management at Hyderabad, where I worked from 1992-1995. The one on the left is from IMT Nagpur, where I was between 2009-2013.

The journey to this point is full of learnings. I have found that I like the cosy small classes better than the industrial, large ones. Not much one can do about it, though.

I have also found that learning mostly happens by doing, much more so than by listening to someone talk, though  a combination might work. This, one can do something about.

Projects which take you into the field are almost guaranteed to teach you something new.

Exams should make a student think-not a professor, about how he will grade them on time.

Bureaucracy is stifling-wherever it exists, and is probably the single biggest reason that creativity gets stifled anywhere- a country, an organisation.

Selection processes are critical in maintaining quality, both of students and teachers.

Diary From a Hospital

I am sitting in a hospital with an arm in a sling that needs surgery to get it back to normal, the result of a mishap on the road. It is a new place to be writing from, and not one I want to be in often. But while here, it is an irresistible urge to write-and since one arm is still available, I am using it. I bet you have heard of a one-eyed monster, now you have a one-armed one!

My first fear of hospitals is the non-medical processes, which can kill- not literally, but you may die of boredom waiting, for anything- from admissions onwards. The clinical processes are usually good at a decent hospital, though expensive. I have no major complaints so far though, as the processes here involved only a minor delay. The place is also reasonably quiet, and conducive for reflection. On life in general, and many other things specifically. So I shall continue to reflect, about arms in a sling and more..