വിവാഹം = പറ്റിക്കൽ / വേഷം കെട്ടൽ?

വിവാഹം - സമർപ്പണം = ?

പരമ്പരാഗതമായി സമാധാനത്തിൽ ജീവിക്കുന്ന മനുഷ്യരാണ് മലയാളികൾ. അല്പം പൊങ്ങച്ചവും കുറച്ച് അഹങ്കാരവും സ്വല്പം സ്വാർത്ഥതയും ഒക്കെയായി അങ്ങനെ അങ്ങ് ജീവിക്കുന്നു. സ്വന്തം കാര്യം തന്നെയാണ് മലയാളിക്കും പ്രധാനം- ലോകത്ത് എല്ലായിടത്തും അതങ്ങനെതന്നെയാണ് താനും. വീടും അതിന്റെ മുറ്റവും പറമ്പും (ഉണ്ടെങ്കിൽ) അല്പം കൃഷിയും നനയും മതി ദിവസങ്ങൾ തള്ളിനീക്കാൻ. അടുത്ത വീട് സാധാരണയായി കുറേ  ദൂരെ ആയിരിക്കും- അതാണല്ലോ മലയാളിക്കിഷ്ടവും.  ഞായറാഴ്ചകളിൽ പോത്തുകറിയും മീൻ പൊരിച്ചതും ചിലപ്പോ അല്പം ലഹരിയും കൂടെ ആയാൽ സന്തുഷ്ട കുടുംബത്തിന്റെ എല്ലാ ലക്ഷണവും ആയി.

പക്ഷേ കാലം പോയപ്പോ മലയാളിയുടെ കോലവും മാറി. ജീവിതരീതിയും മാറി. വീടുകൾ അടുത്തു. കൃഷി നിന്നു. പോത്തും മീനും മാറി കോഴികൾ എല്ലാ ദിവസങ്ങളിലും തീന്മേശമേൽ കയറിത്തുടങ്ങി. അതിന്റെ കൂടെ വേറെ കുറെ മാറ്റങ്ങളും ഉണ്ടായിരിക്കുന്നു. മലയാളിയുടെ സദാചാരബോധമാണ് ഇങ്ങനെ ഒത്തിരി മാറിയിരിക്കുന്നത്. ഒരു പക്ഷെ ഇതൊരു മാറ്റം അല്ലായിരിക്കാം. മറ നീക്കി പുറത്തുവന്നതാവാനും മതി.

പണ്ടൊക്കെ വീട്ടിലെ കാർന്നോന്മാർ പിള്ളേരെയും മുതിർന്നവരെയും ഗുണദോഷിച്ചു നിലയ്ക്കുനിർത്തുമായിരുന്നു. പണം ചെലവ് ചെയ്യുന്ന രീതി, സമൂഹത്തിലെ പെരുമാറ്റം, വേഷം, സ്ത്രീ പുരുഷ ബന്ധം, ലൈംഗിക സദാചാരം, അച്ചടക്കം, ഭാഷയിലെ സൗമ്യത തുടങ്ങിയവ ഇത്തരത്തിൽ ഉപദേശിച്ചു നിയന്ത്രിക്കാൻ മലയാളിക്ക് ഒരു പരിധി വരെ പറ്റിയിരുന്നു പണ്ട്. ഇപ്പൊ കാലം മാറിയിരിക്കുന്നു. കാർന്നോന്മാർ ഇല്ലാണ്ടായി. കുടുംബങ്ങൾ അവർക്കിഷ്ടമുള്ള രീതിയിൽ കാര്യങ്ങളെ വ്യാഖ്യാനിച്ച് പ്രവർത്തിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി. എന്റെ പറച്ചിൽ കേട്ടാൽ ഞാനൊരു യാധാസ്തിതികൻ ആണെന്ന് തോന്നും, പക്ഷെ 'ഇങ്ങനെ പോയാൽ എവടെചെന്നവസാനിക്കും' എന്ന ആധി കൊണ്ടാ ഇങ്ങനെ എഴുതുന്നത്!

നമ്മുടെ നാട്ടിൽ  സാധാരണയായി മാന്യത ആർക്കാണ്? അപ്പനും അമ്മയും ആലോചിച്ച ചെറുക്കനെ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ പെണ്ണിനെ കെട്ടി അടങ്ങി ഒതുങ്ങി ജീവിക്കുന്നവർക്ക്. അല്ലേ? അങ്ങനെ ആലോചിച്ചു കെട്ടിയാൽ എല്ലാം തികഞ്ഞോ? വീട്ടിനകത്ത് എന്ത് നടന്നാലും ആലോചിച്ചു കെട്ടിയാൽ മാത്രം മാന്യത ഉണ്ടാവുമോ?
സന്തോഷം ഉള്ളവരല്ലേ മാന്യന്മാർ? സമാധാനം ഉള്ള വീടല്ലേ നല്ല വീട്? അതോ എന്നും അടി കൂടുന്ന, ഒരുമിച്ചുറങ്ങാത്ത, മക്കളെ നോക്കാത്ത, ഒരുമിച്ചു ഭക്ഷണം കഴിക്കാത്ത, അപ്പനേം അമ്മേം അനാഥാലയത്തിൽ അയക്കുന്ന കുടുംബങ്ങളാണോ ഇപ്പോളും മാന്യമായ മലയാളി കുടുംബങ്ങൾ?

പിന്നെ, ഈയിടെയായി വേറെ ചില 'കഴുവേറിത്തരങ്ങൾ' നമ്മുടെ നാട്ടിൽ  അരങ്ങേറുന്നു. ന്യൂ ജെനറേഷൻ ആണെന്നാണ്‌ വെപ്പ്. ഏതെങ്കിലും ഡിഗ്രിയും കൊറച്ചു നല്ല ശമ്പളവും ആയിക്കഴിയുമ്പോ തുടങ്ങും പുതിയ ഏർപ്പാട്. ലിവിംഗ് റ്റുഗതർ എന്നാണു ഈ എർപ്പാടിന്റെ പേര്. കാശും വിദ്യാഭ്യാസവും സ്മാർട്ട് ഫോണും ഉള്ള ഒരു പെണ്ണും ആണും ആയിരിക്കും സാധാരണ ഈ പരിപാടിക്ക് ഇറങ്ങിത്തിരിക്കുന്നത്. എവടെയാണ് ഇത് നടക്കുന്നത്? നാട്ടിൽ  പറ്റില്ല. അടി കിട്ടും. അപ്പനും അമ്മയും അടിക്കും. ചിലപ്പോ സൂക്കേട്‌ കൂടിയ നാട്ടുകാരും അടിചേയ്ക്കും. അടി പേടിച്ചാണോ നാട്ടില പറ്റാത്തത്? നോ നോ നോ. തീർച്ചയായും അല്ല. ഈ ന്യൂ ജെനറേഷൻ പരിപാടി കാണിക്കാൻ ഇറങ്ങിത്തിരിക്കുന്ന തരുണൻമാർക്കും തരുണിമാർക്കും 'മാന്യത' വിട്ടു കളിക്കാൻ താല്പര്യം ഇല്ല. ഏതു മാന്യത? നാട്ടിലെ മാന്യത. കേരളത്തിനു പുറത്ത് എന്ത് കോപ്രായം വേണേലും കാണിക്കാം. പക്ഷെ കേരളത്തില ഡീസന്റ് ആവണം. ഇല്ലെങ്കിലേ, മാന്യമായി നല്ല ചെരുക്കനെ/പെണ്ണിനെ കല്യാണം കഴിച്ചു ജീവിക്കാൻ പറ്റില്ല! ഹഹഹ. അപ്പൊ സ്വയം മരം കേറി കുരങ്ങു കളിച്ചു നടക്കുന്നതിന് കുഴപ്പമില്ല, കെട്ടുന്ന പെണ്ണോ ചെറുക്കനോ മരം കയറാൻ പാടില്ല. ഇത് നല്ല ഏർപ്പാട് തന്നെ.



അവസാനം എന്താ സംഭവിക്കുക? പാവം എന്ന് ഭാവിക്കുന്ന ചെക്കൻ പാവം എന്ന് ഭാവിക്കുന്ന പെണ്ണിനെ കെട്ടി സ്വയം പാവം ആണെന്ന് ഭാവിച്ച്, കെട്ടിയത് ഒരു പാവത്തിനെയാണ് എന്ന് തെറ്റിദ്ധരിപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ട് 'മാന്യമായി' ജീവിക്കാം. അല്ലാ, ഒരുമിച്ചു ജീവിക്കുമ്പോ പരസ്പരം എല്ലാം പറയണ്ടേ? ഹൊ! അതെല്ലാം വല്യ പുലിവാലാകും. ഇവൾ/ഇവൻ എന്റെ രണ്ടാമത്തേതാണെന്നറിഞ്ഞാൽ നാട്ടുകാരെന്തു കരുതും? എന്റെ മാന്യത! പാവമായ അവൾ/അവൻ എന്നെപ്പറ്റി എന്തു വിചാരിക്കും? ഹൊ! എനിക്ക് ആലോചിച്ചിട്ട് വല്യ സന്തോഷം തോന്നുന്നില്ല. ഇല്ലാതതെന്തോ ഉണ്ടെന്ന് ഭാവിച്ച് ഇങ്ങനെ എങ്ങനെ ജീവിക്കുമോ എന്തോ! 

പിന്നെ വേറൊരു കാര്യം ഉണ്ട്. പണ്ട് ആൾക്കാർ പറഞ്ഞതാ. 'പൊട്ടനെ ചെട്ടി ചതിച്ചാൽ ചെട്ടിയെ ദൈവം ചതിക്കും', 'കൊടുത്താൽ കൊല്ലത്തും കിട്ടും' എന്നൊക്കെ.

എല്ലാ ദിവസവും കാണുന്ന, ഒരുമിച്ചു ജീവിക്കുന്ന സ്വന്തം ഭർത്താവിനെയും ഭാര്യയേയും കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങളെയും പറ്റിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് ആരോടായിരിക്കും ആത്മാർഥത? എനിക്കറിയാമ്മേലേ.. മലയാളിയെ ദൈവം കാക്കട്ടെ!

How I met your mom

Dear sweet daughter,

Education. Education is the single-most activity that can transform you!

When I see you my daughter, standing in front of me like a blooming flower, a promise, a covenant from god, a beautiful person, I am amazed at the ways life unfolds. If there wasn't a phrase like 'god's plan', how in world would I have talked about my life? But frankly, your question has thrown me overboard. You are only 9 and you started asking 'how did you meet my mom!' For the background in which I grew up, such a question is a shocker. I want to shout 'SHUT UP'. But after all, it is you who are asking. And apart from you and your mom, I haven't got anything in this world. So I should answer you in patience. You got the right to know my sweetie.

When I desired to enroll for an undergraduate programme in Physics in 2003, I didn't imagine that it would later transform my life. I was naive. Innocent and uneducated in the ways of the world. Then comes a Bachelor's Degree in Physics. Boom- I get married to a classmate. The man has found his woman and the woman, her man. You see, that's why I said- education can transform your life.

Its been so many years now, my sweetie. But, memory will not fail your mom and me when it comes to our days in college. Those were days! Days! We were not in love- now you have to note this point. We were not in love. We were friends. We both used to write poems, reflections and stories. To make the long story short, that's how it happened!

I know it doesn't satisfy your curiosity. I get a bachelor's degree, I lost my bachelorhood. It wasn't that easy. You see, we didn't fall in love and get injured. We slipped into love smoothly. There was no injury. But when we reached the bottom of that pit, we got injured. Inevitable. Now, if you are planning to fall in love and get married to your lover, you need to think of all odds. Once decided, you have to stick to your decision. Once you commit you have to remain committed. Like your mom and me. That's how it should be, because what you look for in a relationship is not the outer glitter and glamour, but the inner qualities. Peace, love, understanding, forgiveness, silence, capacity to endure hard times, a strong hand to support... the list is endless but important.

Like I said, we didn't fall, but slip into love. I mean, it wasn't instant. It took ten years to evolve into what you see. Like I told you in the beginning, phrases like 'god's plan' can be of help here. What else could explain this? My greed? Her selfishness? Those would have separated us. I would have been more successful and famous without your mom. She would have been richer and better employed without me. But you see, we were not looking for money, status or fame. We were looking inside each other. We found that there was genuine need for each other in each others' heart. So we decided to slip. We decided. This part is important because here, my homily on love begins. 'Love is a decision.' End of the homily.

At no stage in our relationship so far (during these 22 years of our togetherness), were we led astray from the path of love. Of course you see us fighting over many things. They are like cashew nuts in the cake your mom makes. They add flavour to the cake. They are sweet distractions. Our focus never was dim. We knew that our life was for you and your future, 4 years before your birth. We decided to live for you before you were even intellectually conceived! That my daughter, is called love. Again, love is a decision you stick to, even through tough times.

For us, the beginnings were difficult. We had no common religion. You know your mom visits temples and I visit churches. Everyone told us that when you come, it would be unjust to you to leave you in the middle. Everyone wanted to define your religion before you were born. But we were firm. Probably selfish about ourselves and you. Rebellious even. In our opinion, religion is an expression of one's faith from within. If someone is forced to accept a religion, there would be no expression. Moreover, conformity to social 'ordinariness' doesn't guarantee right action (see, I haven't forgotten my Philosophy lessons!). Therefore, we both decided to continue in our own faiths. We decided to give you freedom in choosing your faith too. This is very unconventional. People criticized us for what we did. But we believed in what we did. That is was right. You can judge us and decide if we are right or wrong. That's completely upto you. But know that love is a decision and we have decided to love you before you were born. You are the best gift that descended on the earth ever.

Why? Life has to go on. I wasn't to continue on my path, nor was your mom on hers. Life had to take its turns. It had to transform us. Certain decisions of ours transformed us. Then you happened. We are your parents. Thats what happened to us because we slipped. Into love.

There was a plan. God's plan. That's why I met your mom so that you could be born.

My sweetie, you will learn more about life and love as days go by. Your mom and I pray that there be a shade of cool love over you always. For that your mom and I will contribute our lives. Entire lives.

Love,
Dad.
Christmas, 2025.

Poison in my life

There is an inevitable element in my life. I am not able to breathe or live without that element even for a moment.

It is like poison. It is poison. Poison takes over the affected system within seconds. When there is poison, it rules. That way, there is poison in my life.

Quite interestingly, life is better when there is such an element. You ought to be bound around a point. Your life revolves around a point. No disappointments, joys happen outside your sphere of influence. Poison is good!

At times, I freak out. And think that poison is poison. Then I would scream. As if my life is come to an end. But then, I non-freak out. Only to find the poison in me standing in a corner, like children denied of ice cream.

Oh life, I love you- because there is poison in it. Poison is sweet!

At times, poison takes over and I pass out. The world disappears slowly in whirls of colour fumes. Then in black and white fumes. Then there is blankness. Colourles, odourless.. Quality-less. Non-existence. Abhava.

Poison is drug! Helps you reboot.

I wish this poison remains in me for ever. That I may be the man who is perpetually intoxicated. That I can be the same youngster within. That I may grow old gracefully and die loved. That I may remain as a memory sweet at least for the poison itself!

Snake caught from IIIT RK Valley

This snake and its companion were caught on 31st May, 2014 from a building under construction in IIIT RK Valley. They fell into a pit in the building and were unable to climb out. Probably they were mating. Both the snakes were caught and left outside the campus. I was not able to capture the images of the first snake which was even bigger in size than this one.

 

Watch the video here

In the process...

 

Taken to be freed into the wild

Bye

How much time does it take for a bright day to turn dark? A moment. A moment is all it takes for the makeover. There is no intermediate stage. It happens with one overpowering blow. There comes dust, waste and darkness into the day. And it is night eternal.

This is how it happens. One word kindles the fury of emotions and buries all that is good. One word shovels away scattered joy from hearts terrain. Then sets the Sun so that Dark can rise.

Mighty, powerful thumps. Heart breaks- almost. Into the confusion of emotions rush the unwanted fears. Worst of them is insecurity. Still worse is possessiveness. They come as a legion and cover the red carpet laid for love.

Drained of all energy, then one would fall into the coffin to rest. Nothing would be clearer than the end- in both its senses. Death as a means and end. How poetic! How existential! How distantly philosophical!

The image that lingers over then would be of a blank canvas, white in colour with a cross stuck on it. Ready to be buried. Awaiting mud to be poured upon. Expecting decomposition from within. Perfect imagery of mortal life.

This is what I do best. Paint disappointment. The setting is the best when you do it on your own best day. Best portrayal on the best day. Perfect. But then there is this fear- of tomorrow. How will I shake off these dear blood sucking leeches when Sun rises tomorrow?

Hope. That's what I miss. Knowingly miss. Its not there, I know. And I know its not coming. Not a hint of it. So thats it. The promissory note is ready. That things are ending. In pretty much the way expected. From white to gray to dark to black to nothingness. To 'abhaava'. Non-existence. Bye.

Epic to Romance in British Literature: Role of Kingship and the Feminine

Epic to Romance in British Literature: Role of Kingship and the Feminine

(Notes prepared from  Paul Poplawski's English Literature in Context)

Epic is otherwise known as heroic poetry in Old English terminology. Strict definition of heroic poetry says it ended in 1066 with the battle of Hastings. But a loose definition of epic poetry says they are long narrative celebration of military ethos and courageous individuals who risk life and limb for honour of themselves or of others. This longer, loose definition of epic fits well for Middle English Romantic poetry as well. The only difference would be that the scene shifts from chivalry on the battle field to the internal, private, psychological arena. This way Romance is a continuation of OE heroic poetry or they both are similar. But for some they are separate and different. Romance comes from the Old French romans which meant a story told in French. Therefore, the initial difference was in language, not in structure, theme, etc.

Beowulf is considered the best epic poem. Many OE poems are hybrids with religious or elegiac elements in them. They would be short as well sometimes. These examples outside the definition indicate problems and limitations of self contained genres. Over centuries when times change along with language, we have evidences of OE stories changing genre to become Romantic poems during ME.

For Normans and Anglo Saxons heroic poetry was a living tradition. They lived their lives fighting and singing those poems. Warriors dreamt of becoming the characters they celebrated in their songs. They felt they were also making history and songs by being brave in the face of odds.

Place of Women in Epics and Romance

Without elaborating if one wants an answer, this is it: there was no place for women in epics. Heroic poetry was deeply masculinated. The nature of activities described in there excludes women. Comitatus of Tacitus talks about the retinue for fighting elite. There was shared accommodation for them where they delighted in each others' company- all male fighters. If one is an outstanding fighter and proves his mettle, he will be awarded land, home, estate and facilitated marriage. Even after becoming rich and settled such would continue to serve the king whenever the king needs them on a retainer basis. These elite fighters also had their own gang of fighters to keep. All male companies!

Women bore children and brought them up. Nothing else is prominently mentioned in epics. But if we look at Beowulf, one of his main enemies is a woman. Woman's political role becomes evident in marriages which seal pacts between tribes. Women carried physical evidences of pacts in their own bodies. These can be considered exceptions.

Kingship and rulership

Medieval kings were fighters. Royal lineage was strictly kept. The family kept authority and land to themselves strictly. But in Anglo Saxon tradition, kingship was a flexible affair. It depended on need and claims of blood. When there was a need, they could consider men out of the clan to be kings. King was the center of the nation, but king was not the nation itself.

Powerful kings did not limit themselves to their little kingdoms. They ruled trans-tribe. Still their authority had limits. This is evident in Beowulf’s story. Beowulf went to serve Hrothgar of Denmark despite King Hygelac's wish to remain in Geats. King Hygelac did not have the authority to prevent Beowulf from going to Hrothgar. Beowulf was disregarded in Geats. But he built repute through his exploits at Heorot. He represented a nation- like medieval knights of romance. Heroic poetry of Old English is ‘equal’ to chivalric romance of Middle English.

Overlapping

Late heroic poetry, historic chronicle and early English romance overlap. Chronicle was used to fix dates and years to fix movable feasts, etc. But chronicle also gave us heroic poetry, historic commentary, critique and commemorations.

Beowulf, Chronicle and Brut are about kingship between the lines. Brut by Lazamon is between heroic narrative and metrical chronicle. It is also romance in its motif. It was influenced by Insular French. Interaction between Insular French and English brought forth a new identity. This enabled writing about King Arthur. So far such writings were about Romans (Trojans, Alexander, etc.) or about the French (Charlemagne, Roland, etc.). Brut has OE alliterations but also has rhyme, syllabic rhythm and assonance. It lacks presence of distressed damsels like OE heroic poetry.

Treachery has central role in poems like Song of Roland which are influenced by French. Treachery was a cardinal sin and honour was a cardinal chivalric virtue. Honour is celebrated in oath taking on relics. These scenes are picturesquely described in many such poems.

Descriptions of arming scenes, fights, tournaments, etc. show martial rituals of cultural importance. These show the importance of good rulership. King should be as good as best of his men and more. King should be the epitome of justice, administer of law, mediator, peace maker, etc. Such ideal kingship is detailed in short reign of Aurelie who build halls, churches, restored buildings, administered laws, etc. well.

Good rulership is always a concern or theme in this era. It reflects the political circumstances of the period.

Place of the Feminine

All these establish the continuity between heroic poetry and ME Romance. But for romance, at the centre there is a more feminine preoccupation with courtliness, love and marriage unlike epic's masculine interests. These though speaks of love doesn't give up the characteristics of epics like centrality of kingship and courtly integrity. We also find that the line between a saint's life and romance is blurred. Thus romance stories could stand comfortably adjacent to rather than in opposition to religious material. The separation of sacred and secular is slowly beginning to disappear in medieval literature.

Virgin Mary

Feudalism as an economy was so unfriendly to female agency and autonomy. But we see that in Romance, it portrays the lady as pre-eminent and the knight as her vassal. This looks quite strange because of the eroticized and analogized model of feudal homage! Devotion to Mary is at the root of and enhances this portrayal of woman. Historically we see that women were the audience to Romance, apart from providing content to romantic poems (marriage). Narrators identify with women's perspective! Let us put it these way- women were alienated from real political power, but were necessary for the genetic line in order to maintain power and reign. She was therefore offered an alternative world- that of arts and letters where she could reign and be patrons.

By the end of 15th century, romance was not about military function and was fast becoming an icon of social prestige available to whoever could afford it. But before that happened, it was the ultimate expression of chivalry. Though we mentioned the role of women above, we should not hesitate in stating that the owners of English romances were most likely to be men. The class of men who could have it was widened. Lesser knights, provincial men, burghers and the mercantile class could consume romance by 15th century. It was offered to anyone who was free and gentle (Note that free and gentle excluded serfs and commoners!).

Scope of Liberal Arts education in Indian Universities

Scope of Liberal Arts education in Indian Universities

Sajit M Mathews

A recent article in The Hindu (February 10, 2014) made me think of the importance and effects of Liberal Arts education in a country like India.

Liberal arts or artes liberales are those subjects or skills that in classical antiquity were considered essential for a citizen to know in order to take an active part in civic life. Grammar, rhetoric and logic were the core liberal arts subjects. Arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy were also added to the list later. Today's notion categorizes these subjects as literature, languages, philosophy, history, mathematics, psychology, and science. There are many universities that offer undergraduate and post graduate degrees in liberal arts. (Source: www.wikipedia.org)

The idea of learning Liberal Arts is becoming strange to Indian students. It is slowly becoming unheard of in Indian classrooms these days. Indian parents choose ‘job oriented’ courses for their kids at an early stage. This is at the expense of the inclinations and tastes of their children. That is why we see a mushrooming of engineering colleges and other professional colleges even as the industry does not require those many engineers/professionals. This kind of education without a vision in fact spoils our future generation. According to many educationalists, we create a generation that is capable of nothing but despair and deviance. Over-flooding of the market with homogeneous professionals diminish the employability of youngsters and create a generation of idlers who can endanger societal harmony. That is where Liberal Arts has a say.

Liberal Arts as a broad field of study encourages students to have a look at diverse areas of learning without bothering too much about specialization at an early stage. It is like having a foretaste of items on a menu card before deciding what to order. Instead of deciding to specialize in a discipline at a very early stage which stunts the possibilities and scopes of students, Liberal Arts provides students with a world view so wide that they would be able to diversify beyond traditional boundaries. Thus a student might be enabled to consider broader career areas to venture into. It is nothing but an empowering element that trains the students’ minds to think and learn beyond text books. Once a student goes through liberal arts education, he/she can choose area of specialization.

At Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies’ (RGUKT) RK Valley campus, I coordinate the Liberal Arts section. We have many courses ranging from Shakespeare to English Grammar and Big History. These are great courses that wouldn’t be available to engineering students in ordinary Universities. This engineering university gives students an opportunity to graduate with a minor degree in Liberal Arts if they secure sufficient number of credits through their BTech years. Courses like Big History are of international repute and extreme relevance in the development of one’s understanding of the world and everything around. So along with an engineering degree the young professional also has awareness and knowledge of very different fields of learning that could greatly help in his/her future decisions and choices. At present there are only a few courses. If expanded properly with wide variety of subjects RGUKT's curriculum could be a guiding light for other universities to follow suit.

If students at early stage are given an opportunity to explore wide range of options available, they would be at a better position to judge what is compatible with their aptitude. I have often heard my students say that they are here by chance or by compulsion or because of lack of options. This is not the best scenario one can imagine. Universities like RGUKT that educate mass student bodies have to offer Liberal Arts before letting students commit to one particular branch of study. It is not enough that one earns well. It is important that one becomes what one actually desires and what one is fit for.

Indian parents have to learn to consider the choices and aspirations of their children before making decisions about their future careers. Proxy decision making has to take a back seat. Let the youngsters make decisions about their careers. Liberal Arts education would be a great help in enabling them to do so. Let us wish that our universities promote liberal arts education for the good of our young generation.