Academic Excellence

An academic year comes to an end for the school going and almost for the under-graduate students. Some try to get through while some get a backlog or two, and some pass with flying colors. It’s in our country that a system of academic “year” is followed, whereas in western countries a system of “seasons” is followed in universities and colleges. When we study for our examinations, be it BE, B.Tech or MBBS, we see – if we observe and take a note – that most of the books are written by foreign authors. We always prefer foreign, especially European or American authors over Indian in most cases. Why is it that there are very few Indian authors of such caliber and recognition in the academic field?

In India if we take an observatory average, we can see that hardly 10% of the students are such who really study for the love of study and knowledge and wisdom. The remaining, if we do a survey, study only because either everyone else study or to earn and make a better career, following a kind of tradition in academics, and then jump into a multi-national corporation or run abroad for a job. Few also go to foreign countries to do their masters, but again with the view that studying in foreign countries will somehow add to their prestige and make them more “valuable” in the market, more demanding. This is the general mindset of not just a majority of students in our country but also the elders; it has become a kind of culture that knowledge (whatever we get from schooling and graduation) is only for getting more figures in bank accounts. It can’t be denied that education gives us an edge in our careers over the uneducated, and also get us more money. Nor can the importance of money in our lives be denied. The problem is that money is becoming or has become the central focal point of lives for many.

Gaining knowledge and wisdom is in fact so joyful that a person would immerse himself/herself in it and forget the world around him/her for some time. It sets our minds free from worries, ethos, and prejudices, and lets us explore the world around and in one self. What our country lacks is discipline and the kind of students who would love to remain students throughout their life even while they are earning; the students who would not just stop at graduation or post-graduation, but would move ahead in their respective fields towards research. History is a witness that no nation succeeds without the citizens who make it up contributing to the various fields of knowledge and sciences. In recorded history, first, the leaders were the Egyptians, and then came the Greeks, followed by Romans and Persians, then the golden era of Islamic civilization; and eventually Europeans became the torch bearers, and ruled the world for some centuries. They still lead the world. The thing that was common among these civilizations was the R&D. They led because each of them contributed to the wisdom of human, and those who could not do so became subservient and followed the leaders.

It is the need of the hour that Indian students step up and give up a little of their wishes and desires in the favor of research & development. It will add to the real prestige and honor of both the nation and the students themselves and their families. Knowledge is power!