India Today – August 13, 2018

AUGUST 13, 2018 INDIA TODAY 49

very well-regarded IIT had to say a
couple of years ago. “The three-and-a-
half years spent here are an academic
void. This is going to haunt me for the
rest of my life. I will leave in April 2015
with the same or incremental increase
in academic knowledge as when I
entered this institute in July 2011.
The little I learnt while mugging for
exams was erased as soon as the exams
were over.” In an experimental activity
about five years ago, the University of

Delhi invited a leading multinational

firm for a campus placement exercise.

The firm had a few hundred openings

and all they were in search of were

graduates who could communicate

effectively and have basic analyti-

cal skills. The university advertised

widely and shortlisted 1,200 of the best

resumes. The firm conducted blind

interviews (the college and family

background of the applicants were not

disclosed). Only three students were

successful. Read what a student at St

Stephen’s College wrote not too long

ago: “All my fellow exchange students

concurred that the academics at St

Stephen’s was a joke compared to what

we were used to back home. In one

economic history class, the professor

would enter the room, take attendance,

open his notebook and begin read-

ing. He would read his notes word for

word while we, his students, copied

these notes word for word until the bell

sounded. The only questions I heard

asked during my classes were about

whether the material being covered

that day would be in the exam. Re-

member, this is not any regular liberal

arts college—St Stephen’s is regarded

as one of the best colleges—if not the

best—in India.”

Are we then surprised there is so

little to root for in the education scene

in India? Who is to blame for such a

gloomy situation? Perhaps it shall be

pertinent at this stage to mention an

example from the Chandogya Upa-

nishad, which dates back to so many

centuries before the time of the Christ.

When Satyakama, a child of 12, is

admitted to the gurukul of Gautama

Haridrumat, he is asked by the vener-

able guru to proceed to the forest with

cattle and not return until the cattle

have multiplied a certain fold. This

task is nothing but an entrepreneurial

project connected to the real world.

It requires skills of all kinds, such as

ensuring a healthy diet for the cattle,

protecting them from the depredations

of the forest whilst training the cattle

to obey his commands and also tend-

ing to his own needs.

He must also acquire some know-

ledge of the life sciences for the sake of

keeping the cattle free of diseases and

must learn to predict the weather and

recognise the seasons. He must also ac-

quire survival skills and learn to build

shelters. Over time, when Satyakama

returns after successfully completing

his task, Haridrumat discerns enlight-

enment and knowledge on his persona.

The deep insight that stares us in the

face over here is simply this; through

his engagement with executing the

project, Satyakama acquired skills that

led him to knowledge and enlighten-

ment. The one true inference that we

must draw is the recognition of a deep

connection between knowledge and

skills. They go hand in hand.

T

his episode is a manifestation of

the story of India’s knowledge sec-

tor throughout history and is the

reason behind its successes in the

past. It seems we lost our insights and

self-belief somewhere around the end

of the 18th century and have failed to

regain them. We hark back to specific

examples from other parts of the world

throughout history to drive home

our point of the connections between

knowledge and skills and the role of

transdisciplinarity in the knowledge

game. We cite the invention and use

of the rapalgai in enabling navigation

on the high seas. This instrument—in-

vented and used for centuries before

the time of the chronometer—rendered

such service to our seafaring vessels

that India was able to amass enormous

wealth through the successful and

efficient deployment of merchant ships

for distant sea voyages. The rapalgai

was invented as a direct result of a

practical need, but was the product of

know ledge put to practical use. It must

never be forgotten that some of the tall

figures of history, whose teachings led

to the creation of some really great and

new religions of the world, were closely

connected with roles that dealt with

issues like agriculture, carpentry and

shepherding. They have left a profound

message for us; to recognise the role

GUEST COLUMN

A survey of

150,000 engineers

found only 4 per

cent employable

in engineering

start-up roles