[Assam] 10 yearold's sage advice/philosophy - recession

[umesh sharma]

Hi,

Today I was quite struck by the matter-of-fact winning approach of a ten-yearold student of mine which I then shared with 3 others sitting at the table. On of them said what can a ten-yearold know better than all of us but the other two concurred with me that as in the hit TV series Are you better than a fifth grader (this student is in fifth grade too) it is possible that fifth graders know more about many things than the vast majority of adults..

I had commented about his "A" in science and social studies and Bs and Ds in some other subjects. He said that he disliked science and social studies and liked the other subjects. And since he disliked science and social studies he did better in them and because he liked math and English he did poorly - in the report card.  Somehow that struck a nerve within me - how I had loved what I studied or learnt at colllege (infact I would call my college experience as a born-again one making me a college student for llife) but my report showed otherwise. I was perhaps the top rankin student (as per high school grades in CBSE exams - in my college batch)  but barely passed with a low second class - from college despite having learn many many life-lessons which are useful even now. In college I was seeking knowledge thru fun-learning alone -disregarding college grading system. It disregarded me. Newton's Law.

Then, having faced reality after college I was determined to focus on grades and rose to be heralded by batchmates as "the student who improved the most" while in the MBA program. I had to give them a treat later - maybe they just wanted a treat - but then it reflected in my grades -came 7th in a class of 44 (many of whom had been college rankers) -having entered it as perhaps the lowest grade guy. The minimum requirement was 50% and I had 50.25%  The  MBA director exclaimed in front of all - you just made it!!! I never forgot that. Never in my life I had felt so humiliated - had always been known for brain stuff. Here I was being treated as a hippy grad of hep Delhi Univ. -- not as one who had been treated as an equal by schoolmates who went to IITs.

The learning during the MBA program was not fun - it was exciting sometimes and a gruel mot of the time - life in rural Sonipat (30 miles from Delhi) was no picnic - but there were no distractions and even the professors were committed - world class - inlcuding Stanford Bus School grad - who came there daily over bumpy roads to teach us. Many had taken leave of absence from renowned MBA programs to teach us - some were guest faculties.

Like the world economy right now India was in turmoil when I was about to graduate - 1996 was the year that India so its first ever economic recession in recorded history (of indpendent India). Life was in a chaos. Noone knew what to do - even ManMohan the architect of Indian reforms.  We sitting in rural Sonipat was losing heart - studies and grades seemed immaterial - we were going to get no jobs anyway. 

However, our professor/director was quixotic - finance whiz - a board member of Delhi Stock Exchange with ties in Singapre and US finance bodies. He was born on April 1 - ha ha. In 2003 while seeking his recommendation letter for US univs - I saw a medal given to him on his birthday by his former students - lying at his home. If we did not put in due diligence he would fail us - despite being a new, unknown institute in the middle of nowhere. Studies seemed useless , grades seemed immaterial - but was a challenge. 

Sometimes problems lead to possibilities. We had nothing better to do. We had already gone to all the major cities in India. I had been to Bangalore and Chennai for the first time in my life - to promote the MBA program. Even got affirmation from Colgate Palmolive's HR in Mumbai chief to visit our institute when he went on campus recruitment to well known programs in Delhi.. We were cooperating wth each other - some finance major was selflessly contacting tech firms for marketing positions for fellow students and vice versa.

Becos life was tough, no hunky-dory sing-song time to gain knowledge for knowledge's sake I did well - as far as grades were concerned. I gained the respect of my professors - just like I had lost it in college. I maintained links with MBA profs well after I graduated  
, whose recommendations (and my grades) landed me at Harvard. 

Thus, when one is not very happy with a subject one might do well academically -- learning is never a very pleasant experience when it is going - only in hindsight it appears so. Learning can be an exciting, excrutiating experience without being a sunny-side up, beach-air, blissfull one. Getting high grades never came through achieving bliss - attaining high grades in not equal to achieving Nirwana. It requires a different set of skills and attitude and different goals. Achieving Nirvana or Mokhsa might make you all knowing but wont get you material benefits - like a higher GPA or school grades or a better job - for that matter.

Ten yearold wisdom is sage advice. You can love something to death - one has to draw line between personal affection and professionalism.

Any comments.

Umesh Sharma



Washington D.C. 



1-202-215-4328 [Cell]



Ed.M. - International Education Policy

Harvard Graduate School of Education,

Harvard University,

Class of 2005



http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)



http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)









www.gse.harvard.edu/iep  (where the above 2 are used )

http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/







http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/