About Entrance and Exit Exams………..

After about a year of uncertainity (at last !!) the Honable High Court of Madras has given an historic judgement that Entrance in Mandatory for Entry into Professional Courses.

Though there is no doubt as to the importance of Entrance , there exists a myth regarding the process. I will try to clarify them

WHY ENTRANCE and NOT EXIT.

Remember that the 12th Exam is an EXIT exam. You are tested whether you have done your 12th very well. It is primarily an qualifying exam and not a ranking exam. The entire question paper is designed to check whether YOU KNOW or DO NOT KNOW and not to test WHAT YOU KNOW and WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW. For that we need an entrance test.

Will you accept a new law which makes the person who scores first mark in MA English in the district as the District COllector. (he has already written and exam and so why another exam blah blah balh..... !!!)

WHY WE NEED A COMMON EXAM

Only a COMMON EXAM will offer LEVEL PLAY GROUND for all the students. In other words, you want to choose between two cars Car A and Car B. Car A gives 20 kilometres per litre and Car B gives 18 kilometres per litre. Which do you think is the better of both. Will you jump into conclusion that Car A is better because it gives 20 kilometres without knowing that Car A runs on petrol and Car B runs on Diesel.

As we have seen, without a COMMON DENOMINATOR, we are not able to come to the conclusion.

How can you then compare two students, Student A who has scored 90 % in CBSE and 100% in Entrance (if conducted exclusively for CBSE) and Student B who has scored in 95 % in State Board

Now come to another scenario. Ramu has scored 98 % of marks in 12th Stateboard in 2006. Unfortunately, due to a family financial problem , he is not able to pay fees. Will he be permitted to join Medical College in 2007. (If NO, then YOU are doing gross injustice to Ramu). If YES, then how will you compare Ramu who has got 98 % in a very easy 2006 paper (where the first mark was 100) compared to Somu who has scored 96 in 2007 (where the first mark is 97). Who is better

If you have an COMMON Entrance Exam in 2007 and if you ask both Ramu and Somu to write that, you can easily decide who is better

WHY WE NEED AN OBJECTIVE EXAM.

Now that you are convinced that there should be a COMMON Exam, let us see why that should be objective and not theory.

Theory papers are corrected by Humans, where as MCQs are corrected by computers and there for error proof. Of course, the only problem with an MCQ is the preparation of a correct key. On the other hand, you can be rest assured that the paper is valued correctly for all.

On the other hand, in a theory paper

1. Mr. X will give 195 for a paper where as Mr.Y will 196
2. Mr.X will give 195 in the morning, where as the same Mr.X will give more or less marks if the paper is the last one for the day and he has to rush to catch his bus
3. Mr.X will give less marks to a paper today if he quarreled with the bus conductor or his wife or both, where as if he hears that his name is in the panel, his mood will be different

You all know that the medical seat is gained or lost in a matter of 0.01 marks. Why should we leave that chance to HUMAN VARIATION.

Is it not gross injustice to a candidate that his life is affected because of an HUMAN Error.

TO SUM UP

1. Objective test alone can value all the students with the same scale
2. A Common test, Common for ALL BOARDS and COMMON for ALL YEARS is needed to give uniformity.

One more question : Which is the better way to value a student : MCQ Paper or Theory Paper.
The answer is Theory Paper. Then why am I saying that the Entrance exam should be of objective type. Wait …..

Though Theory is Better, The BEST WAY is by INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY THE SAME PANEL.

If you need to choose few, Interview is the best
If you are valuing hundreds, Theory paper is best
If you are valuing thousands, Objective is the only way to ensure equality

Since lakhs of candidates appear in 12th Exam, OBJECTIVE questions are obviously the best option to guage them with the same scale

What are the Myths associated with Entrance

1. Entrance is against Rural Students : This is easily the most idiotic statement I have heard for a long time. It is true that Rural Students are not able to get more seats in Medical College. But, is the reason entrance. Definitely NOT. This myth stems from the fact that Kuppan from village has scored 195 out of 200 in theory. That is 97.5 % . On the other hand his entrance mark is just 40 (80 %). He does not get a medical seat. At the same time, we have suppan who has joined medical college and his entrance mark is 48.
What every one (his parents) think is that THIS VILLAGE CHAP HAS NOT GOT THE SEAT BECAUSE OF HIS POOR MARKS IN ENTRANCE. So when Entrance is abolished, he will be getting the seat.


What every one misses is the fact that Suppan from Chennai has scored 200 out of 200 or 199 out of 200 in the THEORY. Even if Kuppan from village scored 48 in entrance, he will not be getting medical seat with a theory mark of 195.

Let us move to the next myth

2. To prepare for Entrance you need money. This is fully correct. But again, you all have missed another point. TO PREPARE FOR THEORY EXAM ALSO YOU NEED MONEY.

Every one thinks that the Rs 4000 to Rs 5000 spend on entrance coaching in one month to get 48 out of 50 is what that differentiates the village kid from the city kid. Yes that is true. But you all forget the Rs 25000 spend for 3 (or 4) different tuitions FOR THEORY FOR THE WHOLE YEAR.

City students outshine Village students. True. City students have good facilities than village students. True. CITY STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO GET 200 Marks in THEORY WHERE AS VILLAGE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO GET ONLY 195. This is the MOST IMPORTANT FACT.

RICH STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO SCORE MORE MARKS THAN VILLAGE STUDENTS

STUDENTS WHOSE PARENTS ARE TEACHERS OR GRADUATES SCORE MORE THAN STUDENTS WHOSE PARENTS ARE ILLITERATES.

STUDENTS FROM FORWARD CASTES SCORE MORE MARKS THAN STUDENTS FROM BACKWARD CLASS

In short we have 4 gross divisions
1. City vs Village
2. Poor vs Rich
3. Educated Parents vs Illiterate Parents
4. Forward Caste vs Backward Caste

In all 4 divisions, you can see that there is IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IN BOTH THEORY AS WELL AS ENTRANCE

Now come to the most important point.

Which is more difficult
1. TO train to student to get 48 out of 50 in entrance
2. TO train a student to get 200 out of 200 in theory


Well…. I do not know what you will answer, but from my personal experience, my marks in Entrance was 49.17 out of 50 where as my theory mark was 196.

The BITTER Truth is that getting 48 out of 50 in Entrance is MUCH EASIER than getting 200 out of 200 in Theory.

If you cannot train village students to get 48 out of 50 in entrance and therefore want to abolish the entrance, how are you going to make them get 200 out of 200.

Remember that there are about 1000 candidates (out of which 998 will be from Chennai, Tirunelveli and namakkal ) with centum in theory.

If there are NO entrances, obviously, they alone will be getting ALL THE MEDICAL SEATS, because the intense coaching, training, 5-tests-every-week-schedule are possible only in cities and “special schools” and not in village schools.

Village students, inspite of their hard word DO NOT USUALLY GET CENTUM because of poor handwriting and poor presentation – factors which play havoc in theory where as these are not needed in entrance.

Those having doubts about my opinion, please take a look at the “centum list” of 12th Standard State Board and see how many city students and how many (or less) village students in the 4 Main Subjects.

How many VILLAGE Students have not got medical seats because of their entrance marks INSPITE OF HIGHER THEORY MARKS than their city counterparts. (ie a student has not got seat inspite of scoring MORE marks in theory).

Village students / Poor students are not getting entry into professional courses because of their poor performance (relative to the city ) in their THEORY

Court prefers entrance rather than Exit

From Chennai Online http://www.chennaionline.com and The Hindu http://www.hindu.com

High Court quashes Tamil Nadu Government's new admission policy

By A.Subramani

Chennai, Feb. 17: The Madras High Court on Monday struck down the Tamil Nadu Government's new admission policy for professional courses, and alsodirected the Government to commence the process for conducting commonentrance test for the coming academic year.

The First Bench comprising Chief Justice A.P. Shah and Justice PrabhaSridevan, passing orders on a batch of writ petitions, filed both in favourof and against the new policy dispensing with the CET for State Board students alone, said the State did not have legislative competence to pass the impugned legislation. The Bench said it also violated the fundamental right to equality as enshrined in the Constitution.

It sought to distinguish State Board students from non-State board candidates, and that while the former was exempted from writing the "burdensome" CET the latter was expected to write their qualifying examination and then sit for the CET. It was a twin burden as the CET was designed on the basis of the syllabus of the State Board students, it pointed out.

The State lacked legal competence to come out with the impugned Act as regulating procedure and laying down guidelines for admission to professional courses was a field occupied by the Centre, the Bench said, adding that such matters were clearly governed by the Medical Council and All India Council for Technical Education Regulations, it reiterated.

The Tamil Nadu Government also failed to furnish the scientific data based on which it came to the conclusion that dispensing with the CET would result in improving the academic prospects of students from rural areas, the Bench said.

It also pointed out that the available statistical data proved that the CBSE and ICSE students never stood between the rural students and their chances to obtain admission in professional courses. The legislation must have addressed the real issue of the urban matriculate versus the rural matriculate within the State Board stream, it said, and added that the legislation would only result in enabling the urban matriculate to steal a march over their rural counterparts.

When the State Advocate-General pleaded for a leave of the court to prefer a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court, the Bench rejected the plea and instead directed the Government to start the process for holding the CET in Tamil Nadu without any further delay.

The Madras High Court today struck down the Tamil Nadu government legislation abolishing Common Entrance Test (CET) for admissions to professional courses for state board students.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice Prabha Sridevan held that the state government had no powers to enact the legislation abolishing CET for state board students and that the Act was void and unenforceable.

Allowing a batch of petitions from students challenging the Act, the Chief Justice, who dictated the order on behalf of the Bench, held the Act had no nexus to the objects to be achieved by the recent 93rd Constitutional amendment.

The Bench observed that under the recent amendment, Article 15(5) of the Constitution empowered the state governments to bring forward laws for the benefit of socially and educationally weaker sections.

Holding that the state Legislature was not competent to bring out the Act, the Bench said it also violated the principle of equality enshrined under Article 14 of the Constitution.

The impugned legislation, the Bench said, was against the regulations of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

"It is difficult to accept the state government stand that if the CET was abolished it would help rural students," the Bench said.

The court directed the state to commence the process for holding the CET in accordance with the MCI and AICTE regulations for the academic year 2006-07 for students of all educational boards.

The Bench had on February 24 reserved orders for today after hearing arguments by petitioners' counsel and advocates representing the state government, including Supreme Court lawyer Mukul Rohtagi and state Advocate General N R Chandran.

The impugned Tamil Nadu Regulation of Admission to Professional Courses Act, 2006 was passed by the state Assembly on January 27.

The petitioners contended that the Act violated the fundamental right of equality as guaranteed under the Constitution by proposing different examinations and valuations for different boards for admissions to the same professional courses.

The Act, while exempting students of state board curriculum from taking entrance examinations for admission to professional courses in the state, had made CET mandatory for students from other boards.

The state government had abolished the common entrance test last year itself through an executive order, but it was struck down by the High Court. (Our Correspondent)

Duckworth and Lewis

Few good links about this

http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ABOUT_CRICKET/RAIN_RULES/DUCKWORTH_LEWIS_1999.html
http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ABOUT_CRICKET/RAIN_RULES/DUCKWORTH_LEWIS_2001.html
http://web.mid-day.com/columns/Harsha_Bhogle/2001/August/14406.htm

Muslims in Army

Second, there is disturbing evidence that certain Indian security and intelligence-related agencies simply don't recruit Muslims. These include the Research & Analysis Wing, Intelligence Bureau and National Security Guard. This is totally unacceptable and unworthy of a plural society that aspires to a degree of equity. Even the CIA would be embarrassed if it were to exclude African-Americans. The PMHC should thoroughly probe such institutions. Exclusion, and attitudes that rationalise it in the name of 'security', are the surest recipe for alienation of our own citizens. We cannot afford this if we want a minimally decent and self-confident India.

The above para is taken from http://rediff.com/news/2006/feb/27bidwai.htm

Read the rediff article for more information

A Special Day full of events

Today is a special Day, becuase of two reasons

1. It is Daddy's 60th Birthday
2. I am completing 2 years of Government Service and have completed my probationary period. For the past two years, I have CONTINOUSLY worked without any leave. I managed with CL and CoL for my marriage. Since I have already passed my Accounts Test and Exam in Medical Code, My Service Regularisation and Declaration of Probation is only a formality

The day started with a trip to the Church for the Morning Mass and then I spend the morning in finalising the script of my next book "PrePG Medicine Handbook". The work is almost over and I will be sending the CD on Monday.

Broadband was not working for the past two days. I called the Telephone exchange and they tried to trouble shoot over phone. With my little computer knowledge I was able to find that there is some problem with the modem.

I took the modem to the exchange, and it was a matter of minutes before the JTO detected a configuration problem and it has been now fixed and everything is fine.

Went to a movie Kalvanin Kadali (Starring S.J.Suryaah and Nayan Thara) with my wife. Click the link for the post related to the movie


Evening was spent in the sofa watching
Kannathil Mutthamittal and could not, but marvel at the genius of the director. More about the movie at the link.

Kannathil Mutthamittal

An excellent movie by Manirathnam

Kalvanin Kadali 36-28-36

After a long time, I saw a movie today. In fact, it has been years since I have seen a “matney” show. The last matney show I remember is an English Movie I saw in April 1999 immediately after completing our II Path and II Micro Practicals.

More about the Entrance Saga

From http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/24/stories/2006022417470600.htm
http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/23/stories/2006022308320100.htm
http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/23/stories/2006022316920800.htm

New admission policy to achieve `commonness,' High Court told

Special Correspondent

Impugned Act violative of right to equality: counsel





CHENNAI : The Tamil Nadu Government's new admission policy of dispensing with the Common Entrance Test (CET) for the State Board students seeks to achieve "commonness" on the basis of one syllabus, one question paper and uniform evaluation, Additional Advocate-General A.L. Somayaji told the Madras High Court on Thursday.

Continuing his arguments, countering averments made in a batch of petitions against the constitutional validity of the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Admission in Professional Courses Act 2006, Mr. Somayaji said Central Regulations governing Medical and Dental Councils administration did not say that a CET was a must under all circumstances. "It only requires you to have a common evaluation scheme to equalise different standards, so that inter se merit could be protected," he added.

As regards the objective the legislation sought to achieve, the Additional Advocate-General said students from rural areas were at a disadvantage and that many of them could not afford coaching facilities. He said the impugned legislation would definitely uplift the rural students from social and educational backwardness.

Written submissions filed by advocate K. Balu on behalf of a student wing leader of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) said the stipulations contained in the MCI Regulations on the necessity to hold a CET must be considered overruled by the Supreme Court. According to him, the CET was just one of the methods to assess the inter se merit and admit students to professional courses. Whatever be the method, admission must be merit-based and must satisfy the parameters laid down by the apex court.

Senior counsel K.M. Vijayan, in his written submissions, said the impugned Act was violative of the fundamental right to equality, as it proposed to conduct two different examinations and valuation for two different Boards for the same admission process.

Limited purpose


Describing as "fallacious and irrational" the State's averment that Article 15(5) of the Constitution empowered it to bring about the impugned legislation, Mr. Vijayan said "the provision enables the State Government to pass a law relating to reservation in admission in professional colleges. The Article is only for the limited purpose of providing reservation in private educational institutions and not for abolishing the CET... The language of Article 15(5) by no stretch of imagination can be construed as a source of legislative competence to regulate the admission and abolishing the CET inconsistent with the Central Act," he submitted.

The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice A.P. Shah and Justice Prabha Sridevan, then adjourned the matter to Friday for further hearing.

New admission policy off the mark: High Court

Special Correspondent

"Abolishing common entrance test for State Board students alone is no solution" "Abolishing CET for State Board students alone is no solution"








Will their agitation succeed? — File Photo

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government's new admission policy for professional courses "is completely off the mark" if it was supposed to protect the prospects of rural students from the dominance of non-State Board students, the Madras High Court has observed.

During arguments on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Tamil Nadu Regulation of Admission in Professional Courses Act 2006 on Wednesday, the First Bench said not even one Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) student was allotted a medical seat last year. "If the statistics is correct then you are completely off the mark. The CBSE and other Board students never adversely affected those from the rural areas. It is actually the urban versus the rural, among the State Board students themselves," it said.

As the impugned legislation was not confined to the socially and educationally backward areas, it would serve no purpose, the Bench said, adding that even if admissions were done on the basis of marks in qualifying examinations, rural students would remain disadvantaged. "If you take into account the qualifying marks alone, then again you will land in the same situation."

Clarifying that the court had no powers to frame a scheme, the First Bench said, "We are only pointing out that abolishing the CET for the State Board students alone is not the solution."

When Additional Advocate-General A.L. Somayaji submitted that the CET would be held in the Plus Two examination pattern, and not in objective-type pattern, it suggested that the examination be held for the State Board students and others simultaneously.

There would not be any disparity and injustice as the syllabus, test pattern and evaluation would be the same, it said. The CBSE students too could not complain as they had been writing the CET based on the State Board syllabus all these years, the Bench said.

To this, senior counsel Nalini Chidambaram and K.M. Vijayan said they had certain legal and practical opposition to the proposal.

"What is a qualifying examination for the State Board student is not the qualifying examination for their CBSE counterparts," Mr. Vijayan said. Mr. Somayaji said he would communicate the court's suggestion to the Government.

Earlier, Advocate-General N.R. Chandran said the legislation was an attempt to bring the non-State Board students on a par with the State Board students.

Arguments will continue on Thursday.

Common entrance test is a misnomer: Nalini Chidambaram

Special Correspondent

Under impugned legislation, not a method for uniform evaluation





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

State legislation cannot prevail over the Central law
State Government not justified in bringing legislation at end of academic year
Impugned legislation to "only befit urban matriculates"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Regulation of Admission in Professional Courses Act 2006 does not contemplate any uniform evaluation and hence the expression "Common Entrance Test" is a misnomer, senior counsel Nalini Chidambaram has said.

In her written submission before the First Bench of the Madras High Court, which is seized of a batch of petitions challenging the legislative competence and the constitutional validity of the Act, she said, "the CET contemplated under the impugned legislation is not a method for uniform evaluation of the State Board students and other Board students. Hence it is repugnant to the law made by Parliament and the Regulations framed thereunder. Having not received the assent of the President, the State legislation cannot prevail over the Central law."

Ms. Chidambaram further submitted that the State Government was not justified in bringing the legislation at the fag end of the academic year, thereby belying the legitimate expectation of the student community. "The Government did not deem it necessary to announce its policy decision and introduce any legislation at the beginning of the academic year so that students will know the policy as far as the CET and admission norms are concerned."

The statement and objects of the Act states that the CET was burdensome to the majority of the students, who at the tender age, should not be further burdened, she said, pointing out that only a passing reference had been made about the condition of the rural students.

She said the impugned legislation would "only befit the urban matriculates." The non-State Board students have to compete only with the urban matriculate students and hence there is no level playing field insofar as the former are being asked to take the "burdensome" CET.

"Classification on the basis of the board exam should be based on scientific study and not on broad generalisation, artificial differentiation and irrelevant assumptions," Ms. Chidambaram further said.

Statement on the Status of Tamil as a Classical Language

Statement on the Status of Tamil as a Classical Language

From Tamil - Classical Language

Professor Maraimalai has asked me to write regarding the position of Tamil as a classical language, and I am delighted to respond to his request.

I have been a Professor of Tamil at the University of California, Berkeley, since 1975 and am currently holder of the Tamil Chair at that institution. My degree, which I received in 1970, is in Sanskrit, from Harvard, and my first employment was as a Sanskrit professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1969. Besides Tamil and Sanskrit, I know the classical languages of Latin and Greek and have read extensively in their literatures in the original. I am also well-acquainted with comparative linguistics and the literatures of modern Europe (I know Russian, German, and French and have read extensively in those languages) as well as the literatures of modern India, which, with the exception of Tamil and some Malayalam, I have read in translation. I have spent much time discussing Telugu literature and its tradition with V. Narayanarao, one of the greatest living Telugu scholars, and so I know that tradition especially well. As a long-standing member of a South Asian Studies department, I have also been exposed to the richness of both Hindi literature, and I have read in detail about Mahadevi Varma, Tulsi, and Kabir.

I have spent many years -- most of my life (since 1963) -- studying Sanskrit. I have read in the original all of Kalidasa, Magha, and parts of Bharavi and Sri Harsa. I have also read in the original the fifth book of the Rig Veda as well as many other sections, many of the Upanisads, most of the Mahabharata, the Kathasaritsagara, Adi Sankara’s works, and many other works in Sanskrit.

I say this not because I wish to show my erudition, but rather to establish my fitness for judging whether a literature is classical. Let me state unequivocally that, by any criteria one may choose, Tamil is one of the great classical literatures and traditions of the world.

The reasons for this are many; let me consider them one by one.

First, Tamil is of considerable antiquity. It predates the literatures of other modern Indian languages by more than a thousand years. Its oldest work, the Tolkappiyam,, contains parts that, judging from the earliest Tamil inscriptions, date back to about 200 BCE. The greatest works of ancient Tamil, the Sangam anthologies and the Pattuppattu, date to the first two centuries of the current era. They are the first great secular body of poetry written in India, predating Kalidasa's works by two hundred years.

Second, Tamil constitutes the only literary tradition indigenous to India that is not derived from Sanskrit. Indeed, its literature arose before the influence of Sanskrit in the South became strong and so is qualitatively different from anything we have in Sanskrit or other Indian languages. It has its own poetic theory, its own grammatical tradition, its own esthetics, and, above all, a large body of literature that is quite unique. It shows a sort of Indian sensibility that is quite different from anything in Sanskrit or other Indian languages, and it contains its own extremely rich and vast intellectual tradition.

Third, the quality of classical Tamil literature is such that it is fit to stand beside the great literatures of Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Persian and Arabic. The subtlety and profundity of its works, their varied scope (Tamil is the only premodern Indian literature to treat the subaltern extensively), and their universality qualify Tamil to stand as one of the great classical traditions and literatures of the world. Everyone knows the Tirukkural, one of the world's greatest works on ethics; but this is merely one of a myriad of major and extremely varied works that comprise the Tamil classical tradition. There is not a facet of human existence that is not explored and illuminated by this great literature.

Finally, Tamil is one of the primary independent sources of modern Indian culture and tradition. I have written extensively on the influence of a Southern tradition on the Sanskrit poetic tradition. But equally important, the great sacred works of Tamil Hinduism, beginning with the Sangam Anthologies, have undergirded the development of modern Hinduism. Their ideas were taken into the Bhagavata Purana and other texts (in Telugu and Kannada as well as Sanskrit), whence they spread all over India. Tamil has its own works that are considered to be as sacred as the Vedas and that are recited alongside Vedic mantras in the great Vaisnava temples of South India (such as Tirupati). And just as Sanskrit is the source of the modern Indo-Aryan languages, classical Tamil is the source language of modern Tamil and Malayalam. As Sanskrit is the most conservative and least changed of the Indo-Aryan languages, Tamil is the most conservative of the Dravidian languages, the touchstone that linguists must consult to understand the nature and development of Dravidian.

In trying to discern why Tamil has not been recognized as a classical language, I can see only a political reason: there is a fear that if Tamil is selected as a classical language, other Indian languages may claim similar status. This is an unnecessary worry. I am well aware of the richness of the modern Indian languages -- I know that they are among the most fecund and productive languages on earth, each having begotten a modern (and often medieval) literature that can stand with any of the major literatures of the world. Yet none of them is a classical language. Like English and the other modern languages of Europe (with the exception of Greek), they rose on preexisting traditions rather late and developed in the second millennium. The fact that Greek is universally recognized as a classical language in Europe does not lead the French or the English to claim classical status for their languages.

To qualify as a classical tradition, a language must fit several criteria: it should be ancient, it should be an independent tradition that arose mostly on its own not as an offshoot of another tradition, and it must have a large and extremely rich body of ancient literature. Unlike the other modern languages of India, Tamil meets each of these requirements. It is extremely old (as old as Latin and older than Arabic); it arose as an entirely independent tradition, with almost no influence from Sanskrit or other languages; and its ancient literature is indescribably vast and rich.

It seems strange to me that I should have to write an essay such as this claiming that Tamil is a classical literature -- it is akin to claiming that India is a great country or Hinduism is one of the world's great religions. The status of Tamil as one of the great classical languages of the world is something that is patently obvious to anyone who knows the subject. To deny that Tamil is a classical language is to deny a vital and central part of the greatness and richness of Indian culture.


(Signed:)
George L. Hart
Professor of Tamil
Chair in Tamil Studies

At 6:09 PM, Satish said…

I am a literary enthusiast and interested in knowing more
about classical languages. I stumbled upon this when searching on the internet. In order for me to completely understand the context of your article I need
references for the following:
1)"Its oldest work, the Tolkappiyam,, contains parts that,
judging from the earliest Tamil inscriptions, date back to
about 200 BCE."

2) "I have written extensively on the influence of a Southern tradition on the Sanskrit poetic tradition. But equally important, the great sacred works of Tamil
Hinduism, beginning with the Sangam Anthologies, have
undergirded the development of modern Hinduism. Their
ideas were taken into the Bhagavata Purana and other texts
(in Telugu and Kannada as well as Sanskrit), whence they
spread all over India."

3) "It is extremely old (as old as Latin and older than
Arabic); it arose as an entirely independent tradition,
with almost no influence from Sanskrit or other languages;
and its ancient literature is indescribably vast and rich."

Unless I see things in blank and white I don't agree with Dr. Hart's letter without any references.

Regards,
nimmava

At 5:16 AM, Doctor Bruno said…

Please pay a visit to the Tanjore Library for th ereferences.

Unchanged Policies

Read an interesting post at http://thamizhsasi.blogspot.com/2005/11/1.html

Tamil and Maths

Dondo writes in http://dondu.blogspot.com/2006/02/italics.html

நானும் அப்படித்தான். கூட்டல்களைத் தமிழில்தான் செய்வேன். நம் தமிழ் பசங்கள் தமிழைப் படிக்காது கூட்டல்களை ஆங்கிலத்தில் போடும்போது மிக வருத்தமாக உள்ளது. இவ்வாறு செய்யும் பலர் தமிழ் படிக்க இயலாதவர்கள். ஆங்கில அறிவும் அப்படி ஒன்றும் சொல்லிகொள்வது போல இல்லை. அரசனை நம்பிப் புருஷனை விட்டக் கதையாகத்தான் எனக்கு இது படுகிறது.

I very much second his point that the present day youth do not know how to write a page of good english. Dressing like a foreigner with Jeans and speaking rapid "hiya", "what ya" alone is not development.

Aravaanan and Abimanyu

Aravaanan and Abimanyu are compared in http://kuzhali.blogspot.com/2006/02/blog-post_11.html

Thought provoking !!!!

Malarum NinaivugaL

Hope you all know about the Program "Malarum NinaivugaL" telecast by Chennai Doordharshan. Thennavan gives an interesting definition to that

Malarum NinaivugaL (interviews with film personalities without the aim of promoting their latest released movie or movie-in-progress

)


Note the words "without the aim of promoting their latest released movie or movie-in-progress"

Ponting uses Illegal ways to score Runs

As per Rediff in http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2006/feb/17bats.htm

The International Cricket Council on Thursday said the graphite-reinforced bat, used by Australia captain Ricky Ponting, was illegal.

The ICC said the Marylebone Cricket Club had told it that the graphite-reinforced bat contravened one of its laws and "in the MCC's view was illegal".

Ricky Ponting with the Kookaburra batThe Australian bat manufacturer Kookaburra has agreed to the immediate voluntary withdrawal of its graphite reinforced bat from international cricket.

The offer was made after the ICC informed Kookaburra that it had received an opinion from the guardian of the Laws of Cricket, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), that the bat contravened Law 6 and, in the MCC's view, was illegal.

"With several players in the world currently or soon to participate in international cricket matches, Kookaburra has undertaken to re-supply all international cricketers with alternate bats as soon as possible," the ICC said.

The MCC investigated the bat's design in April to see if it complied with laws regarding the composition of the blade, the thickness of any covering material, and the damage it does to the ball.

The ICC approved the bat the following month, despite the MCC's concerns that the thin film of carbon graphite gave the user an unfair power advantage.

Billu asks in http://mboard.rediff.com/board/board.php?action=m&boardid=cricket2006feb17bats&messageid=402736152#402736152

With these bats having being called illlegal it would be only fair to delete all the scores from players who had scored runs out of it as they were aware that it was giving them undue advantage of power when these bats were used.They are to blame as they should have first of all got permission from the ICC if they are legal.What was ICC doing when these players were using them.Long time ago there was a guy and I think it was Denis Lillie who walked in to bat with an aluminium bat and he was not permited. Why did the umpires permit the new Kookaburra?
A public interest petition ought to be filed some where soonest.
rgds

Saji asks

Well, if the bat is illegal, then what about the recent centuries that Ponting made - should they not be invalid as well?? He has made runs using illegal means.

Venkatesh asks

Does his recent centuries are from this kind of bat?

What will the Umpires do if I go with an Aluminium Bat to bat in a match ???

What will the Australian public chant when Ricky bats next... If Muralidharan is a chucker, then Ponting is a fraud....

If ICC bans a bowler for bending his arms few degrees (That is illegal, I am not supporting throwing), will the ICC ban a batsman for using a Illegal means to score Runs...

What if Anil Kumble uses a bat that is 1 feet wide and scores 5 consecutive centuries... Will ICC value that scores or will those be deleted

Why is that Asian cricketers are targeted for small mistakes, while the Australians always use fraudulent means and get away ??

Irresponsible...Again

The Results of "ALL INDIA ENTRANCE EXAMINATION FOR ADMISSION TO MD/MS/PG DIPLOMA AND MDS COURSES - 2006" conducted by AIIMS has been released at http://www.aiims.ac.in/aiims/events/result/MDMS06-RSL.pdf

This is a part of the notification

The following is the list of candidates who have qualified for MD/MS/PG Diploma and MDS courses for admission to various Medical/Dental Colleges/Institutions in India against 50% open merit seats on the basis of All India Entrance Examination held on Sunday, the 8th January, 2006. The list is roll number-wise and the position in order of merit is given in parenthesis against each roll number. The list is subject to verification of eligibility criteria & original documents as given in the Prospectus. The Institute is not responsible for any printing error. The allocation of subject and Medical College will be done by the Directorate General of Health Services as per counselling schedule given at the bottom. Individual intimation in this respect is being sent separately. Result is displayed on the notice board of Examination Section, AIIMS, New Delhi and will be available on web sites www.aiims.ac.in and www.aiims.edu

I can understand that the list is subject to verification and also that the individual call letters are being sent seperately. What I am at loss to comprehend is the following line given in the result notification "The Institute is not responsible for any printing error." If the results are published in a news paper, then we can understand that the institute is not responsible for printing errors. But how can an authority conducting examination shun out from their responsibility of maintaining reliability and validity of a result published in their notice board

Can't the AIIMS people follow a simple procedure of verifying the result AFTER it has been printed. After all they are dealing with careers of doctors (each of them going to treat thousands of patients) and save innumerable patients.

Can a student say that he is not responsible for errors in his paper. Can an artist say that he is not responsible for the mixed up colours of his work. Of course mistakes can creep in. But is it not the duty of the authorities to check for mistakes and correct them. Does the AIIMS notification mean that we have bear with the mistakes. If they are not competent enough to check the validity of something they publish, what is the fun in conducting an exam. Why can't they give the responsibility of conducting the exam to some one else

Who then is responsible for the missing questions in few question papers and missing ranks ? Who is going to bell the cat ??

The efficiency of "India Post" !!!

As per the latest news at http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2006/feb/08post.htm

If the government has its way, letters weighing below 500 gms will be carried exclusively by Department of Posts as the over-a-century-old Indian Postal Act 1898 is set to be amended most likely in the Budget session.

This will facilitate DoP getting this lucrative segment, which has been cornered by private courier industry now. If implemented this new Act will deliver a body blow to India's courier industry.

"The present 1898 Indian Postal Act exclusively gives the right to Department of Posts to carry letters. . . it does not allow private couriers to carry letters, it only allows them to carry documents. But these private companies are carrying letters in the name of documents which is in anyway a violation of the Act," Shakeel Ahmad, Minister of State for IT and Telecom said.

"So we are trying to plug-in the loopholes by proposing changes in the Act," he said.

The proposed changes in the Act will allow private players to carry letters above 500 gms and thereby, will offer a level playing field to the private players, the minister said, adding the existing Act totally bars them from carrying any letters.

"The proposed amendment will also set differentiation on a letter and document even for below 500 gms of weight so that the private sector does not take advantage of the lack of it.

"The final draft will be ready soon in consultation with law ministry and we will very soon send it for Cabinet approval and if all goes well, it will be preferably introduced in the Budget session," he said.

I use all forms of communications and I am very concerned with this and I am sure that this is a bad news for me...... bad in a sense not as you would imagine, but something else......

Let me tell you my roles

1. Individual - communicate with friends and relatives
2. Author - Send manuscripts and receive books
3. Send and receive books.
4. Send and receive agreements and payments
5. PHC Medical Officer - Send and receive letters from Superiors, Subordinates as well as other departments.

In all my capacities, I can safely proclaim that the MOST COST EFFECTIVE MODE OF SENDING A LETTER OR A DOCUMENT was through the department of Posts, Govt of India. Period.

Many of you would be cursing the postal department. If you are thinking that their service is poor, then you have not obviously used post office for the past couple of years.

I can very well tell you that for the last couple of years the postal department is very efficient. On an average

1. My letter to Hyderabad or Delhi(with a five rupee stamp) reaches them on the second day from tuticorin or at the worst scenario, the third day. Even with courier (Except DTDC), thoothukudi to hyderabad takes 2 days.

2. Letters within the district reach the next day.

Now this will come as a surprise to you, but this is THE REALITY.

I will tell you why and how

Way back in 1980, the postal department was efficient.
Then in the 1990s, their efficiency dipped as the load was more. They had a lot of letters and documents and their speed was affected
In the late 1990s, thanks to the "JOB CUT" (or ban on recruitment), they lost their staff and the performance dipped to a Very Low level. A letter from Chennai took 5 days (or even more) to reach Thoothukudi
And at this time, the courier services blossomed. Banks, Publishers, Shipping Companies and all other private concerns, started sending their letters through couriers. (In 1996 I was surprised to receive my allotment letters from Anna University (for BE Comp Science as well as for Industrial Biotech course) by professional courier. My dad could not believe that a GOVERNMENT university has sent a allotment letter by Private Courier.

And at this time, the postal department went a step further. They raised all cost. Remember that a book post that cost 50 paise was raised to Rs 4 within a short period of time.

And the same time, around 1996 to 1997, we were able to get a telephone after 1 month of booking. After 15th Aug 1998, STD rates started dropping. (I remember the date very well. I was in hospital following a fracture clavicle at that time. When I was admitted, I used to give a 100 rupee note to the telephone STD booth following few calls. When I was discharged, I gave just a 100 rupee note and got back 80 rupees and change. To my surprise, the man at the booth showed me the paper cuttings)

With phones at household and cheaper STD rates, there were no need of any letters to the near and dear . The very statement we used to tell some one while giving them a send off (I am avoiding the phrase "seeing them off", because my blog is read my many people whose mother tongue is not english) at the railway station or busstand was "Send a letter after reaching (ooruku poi kaduthasi podu)" It gradually changed into "Call me after reaching home" (Of course it has further changed to "send a SMS" and now the lastest fashion is "give a missed call") I have written in my another post here and here about how we used to send letters to parents during our "first anatomy" days and how that was changed into calling by mobile at our intern period.

In short during the period from 1995 to 1998 (middle of the last decade), regular official communication were diverted to courier and during the last few years of the decade, "INLAND" letters were replaced by the telephone.

So what happened........ The LOAD for the postal department became lighter. In the early years of this decade (for examply in 2001 to 2003) the city post offices in cities handled less than 10 % of the "traffic" they handled in 1993. At this time, their staff strength was nevertheless reduced by 50 % .

Yet their efficiency was increased, because they had nothing to deliver except lawyer notices, memos from banks for defaulters, notices from co-operative societies and chit funds, marriage invitation send to distant relatives and distant friends.

It is for this reason why a letter I send on Monday to a publisher in Hyderabad or Delhi reaches him on Wednesday.

So Why am I worried....... With the new govt initiative, they are going to increase the NUMBER OF LETTERS. I am 100 percent sure that they are not going to increase the staff strength or other infrastructure. In short, my letter sent on Monday is going to reach Hyderabad on Saturday.

Do I have reason to be worried ?? You please tell

Entrance of Exit ???

According to the latest hearing in Chennai High Court, http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/14/stories/2006021418140100.htm

The Madras High Court has made it clear that the fact that the Bill on common entrance test (CET) in Tamil Nadu is yet to be notified does not "preclude the court from deciding the merit and validity" of the legislation.

Hearing a public interest litigation petition from Nishanth Ramesh, a Plus II student, challenging Tamil Nadu Regulation of Admission in Professional Courses Act 2006 on Monday, the First Bench observed that without undue delay students must know whether they must write the CET or not in the coming academic year. "At this stage, students must know their fate one way or the other."

The Bench comprising Chief Justice A.P. Shah and Justice Prabha Sridevan then posted the matter to February 21 for further proceedings.

Earlier, Advocate-General N.R. Chandran and Additional Advocate-General A.L. Somayaji submitted that though the Governor had given his assent to the legislation, rules were yet to be framed. "The legislation has not been brought into force," he said, and added that the PIL was not maintainable.

To this, Mr. Justice Shah said: "That it has not been brought into force will not preclude the court from deciding its validity... We make it clear that interests of the student community are most important. Students cannot be kept in suspense."

This is a very odd argument. The Govt has argued that since the regulation has not been notified, the court cannot stay. If they do not plan to notify, then why waste the time of legislature, governor and precious paper (Paper is precious because we loose forests to get paper. in other words we loose rain to get paper). Any how better sense has prevaile

K.M. Vijayan, senior counsel for the petitioner, said notifying the Bill was only an administrative action and the Government might prolong it and keep people guessing. "They may prolong it till March and make the writ petition infructuous." He said a common entrance test could not be held for only a section of students.

When Mr. Vijayan prayed for an interim injunction restraining the Government from issuing a notification, the Chief Justice wondered if courts could restrain Governments from issuing notifications. He, however, added, "If the Act is brought into force, courts can stay it."

In his petition, Mr. Nishanth Ramesh contended that despite clear legal decisions, the State Government had passed the impugned legislation, "brushing aside the requirement of constitutional mandate to conduct the CET for all those who are equally placed and violating the principle of equality." Maintaining that the State could not have admission rules inconsistent with the Centre's regulations, he pointed out that Central councils regulating medical, dental, agricultural education and other professional studies mandated a CET.

He said the impugned legislation was directly in conflict with the Central legislation as well as the Supreme Court judgments.

The basic problem behind this is because many people do not know the difference between an entrance test and an exit test. An entrance test is know whether a person is suitable for a job or course. An exit test is to know how he has done his course.

The exam we write after Class XII are "exit" tests. They just tell you how you have learnt what is taught.

It entrance exam is a "waste of time" will govt abolish Civil Services Exam and nominate the person who has scored the first mark in BA/B.Com/BE in that district as the district collector and who has scored state first as the Chief Secretary.

Definition of Success

One of the beautiful definitions for Success has been given by Kennedi at
http://www.askenni.com/archives/2006/01/education_for_m.html#more

Q4) How would you define success?

A4) Success is an individual search and is in doing something your inner voice tells you is right. Success cannot be measured against the amount of money or fame an individual has gathered. It is all about living your life in perfect harmony with nature, and doing things that isn’t against the divine will.