Abstraction

Well, what is abstraction? Put simply, I'd say it is looking at only the important details of something to keep the overall picture in mind and make decision making easier and quicker. But what many of us fail to realize is that we use abstraction in our daily lives more often than we think! Technically speaking if we try to dig deep into the trivialities of every insignificant matter, there would be no end to asking why... And while looking for reason is good, once the truth or a course of action has been established, it shouldn't be dwelled upon time and again. In other words, once the logic behind something is figured out, we should act instinctively whenever a similar situation crops up, as the luxury of time might not always be on our side!

But when we do look into the minutia of an issue for the first time, we are faced with the paradox of 'right and wrong', the two sides of the same coin... Right and wrong are highly subjective and relative terms, meaning what might be right for you, may be wrong for me and vice-versa! Instead I think one's logic must be based on one's goals and what one deserves, which form a much more absolute basis for judgement.

Now, if you need an example of abstraction, I'll probably be able to furnish an experience that I'm sure is very familiar to us all. Consider the case where someone provokes you, let's say by insulting your family without grievance... What is your first reaction? Do you lose your temper and come out swinging? What incites such a dramatic response? Is it love? Well it might as well be, but love is just an abstraction for the noesis that if we simply ignore any such act or comment, it would display a rather doormat-like attitude, thereby increasing the chances of something more severe but along the same lines happening again. So it is all about making a statement! This is what emotions like revenge are borne out of... I guess we can say that love is a chemical process that helps us make the appropriate choices at a moment's notice, without which life would become totally mechanical, boring, laborious, and quite frankly a drag. 

So you see abstraction is much more than just a concept with a textbook definition. All of us live and breathe abstraction at every single step, and I believe that this has partially helped disprove the well known saying 'think before you leap'! This also finds an unlikely ally in Darwin's theory of evolution! The philosophy of 'survival of the fittest' has laid down a lot of pre-programmed rules deep within our psyche for our own benefit. Do we think before we taste our favorite victuals? No, we don't! Doing things spontaneously or using abstraction, makes our lives a lot easier, so that we reserve a greater fraction of our thinking capacity for concerns that actually demand greater cognition. All this makes the key role of abstraction in our lives plainly visible, so much so that I'd dare to say that without abstraction we would all be zombies fumbling in the dark!

Self Ridicule!

I must say that I thought twice before writing this article, because in it I'll be delving into one of the most sensitive and highly debated topics in modern day India i.e. the caste system. Come to think of it, the word 'modern' doesn't really match up to the term 'caste', right? In today's individualistic choice-driven world, doesn't a hereditary social structure mean almost nothing? I guess to wrap our heads around this issue, we must first peer back into the past...

Looking way back to the pre-independence period, the people of India were divided into different classes according to their various professions. As a result, those that were more highly valued received better pay and occupied the highest rung of the social ladder. This resulted in a strict hierarchy of classes starting with the Brahmins (priests), followed by the Kshatriyas (warriors) and the Kayasthas (business men), and then by the Shudras (workers or servants). In due course of time, this distinction combined with baseless superstitions and social stigma gave rise to a vicious cycle of injustice and grief!

Hence, after India gained independence, the government tried to rectify the situation by giving folks hailing from the so-called lower strata benefits in every walk of life, to uphold the principle of equality. Fast forward to India today and surprisingly not much has changed since then. Although measures like reservations, etc. balanced out the scales back in the day, such practices have become totally illogical in current times. The tables have been turned and now many of the poverty stricken families of the 1950's are much better off than the average Indian household, and don't need any special arrays for survival. The absence of a time limit on both the medieval policies of the government and the caste system as a whole has resulted in mass unfairness and open lies.

We see it happening every day... A deserving candidate's seat in a premier educational institution snatched away by someone who had it easy and might not contribute as much to the society in the long run, government Global Fortune 500 companies half-filled with a cesspool of ingrates retarding the work efficiency created by hard working people with a vision. I'm not trying to sound biased here... All I'm trying to say is that whatever an individual accomplishes in his or her life, may it be personal or professional, is the individual's responsibility, irrespective of his or her background. If help does need to be provided it should only be in the form of financial aid and only on the basis of current economic circumstances and not some ancient mambo-jumbo!

India is the only country where such a self-ridiculing social structure still exists and that too backed by the equally laughable primitive ideas of the state! No one knows when sanity will prevail, but quite frankly that might be a long way off considering that vote-bank politics and other such nonsense dominates decision making and overshadows development these days. Let's see if the newly elected Modi government is any different from the outgoing one...

Infinite Possibilities!

Have you ever wondered about the infinite possibilities of how you truly want to spend your lifetime? I'm sure you have... But the myriad of professions you can engage yourself in and the endless number of things you can achieve while you are here, is truly vast! When we're young we dream of becoming something flashy or exotic, may be an astronaut or an actor or may be a world renowned business tycoon! But as we grow older we discover our own unique knacks and interests and try choosing something our talents are best suited to.

As for me, my five year journey through IIT and especially the fifth year, has opened my eyes wide and clear, but has also raised many unsettling doubts in my mind... During our on-campus placement season I tried out for a lot of companies offering a variety of  profiles including software, management, core engineering, etc. I got shortlisted for quite a few and finally got placed in e-commerce giant Flipkart. Along the way, I also happened to receive a few IIM calls and secured AIR-15 in GATE as well, which would open the doors to a variety of PSUs and government R&D organizations like IOCL and BARC respectively. Furthermore, I was informed about a vacancy in the University of Utah for a Ph.D. in computational sciences, for which I was told I'd get a recommendation without too much fuss.

Therein lies the eternal confusion that plagues students my age... How do we decide what to do? Do we listen to the one track, and often prejudiced minds of our forefathers trying to enforce what they think is right upon us or do we listen to our colleagues many of whom prefer something more daring and funky, with security and peace of mind being the sacrifice?! It is an extremely difficult choice to make, faced with so many options and with so little to go on.

I'd say it ultimately boils down to what you yourself want to do, what your preferences are and how far you are willing to go to achieve success. As for me, I like the independence of thought embodied in the quote on Flipkart's t-shirt that reads "You have the right to remain silent or join a company that lets you speak your mind!" I prefer the performance oriented work culture in a private firm, but along with the perks and long term security offered by a PSU, that are very much needed under practical circumstances! However, we all know that it is next to impossible, at least in present day India, to get both! I guess whatever choice is made can only be validated in due course of time with perseverance and dedication to the set goal. But, as for now, I hope everyone succeeds in whatever they have decided for themselves, because a win-win situation can make the world a much better place to live in.

Generation Gap

The term 'generation gap' is thrown around a lot these days, but few experience what it conveys as brutally as I have. Now, I don't claim to be a perfect example of the current generation nor my parents to be the ideal role models for the previous one, but I'd rather relate the conclusions drawn from my personal experiences than give third party observations!

Well, first and foremost, a random word of advice for the young ones... Do not ever speak even justifiable smack about any piece of colorful clay or plastic that even closely resembles the silhouette of any deity or idol or anything that an old timer might worship or attach any importance to, or else they'll go nuts and completely freak out! Don't believe me? Try it!

Secondly, any opinion that you might have about the whole process of one generation raising the next for the sole purpose of survival of one's species and self, with love acting as a mere catalyst to make it more bearable or even enjoyable, is treated with an enormous amount of contempt and may even be considered taboo!

Furthermore, I've unfortunately had the honor of hearing the phrase "no one should be taken for granted" one time too many coming from higher-ups within family circles! My question to all these know-it-all folks, sitting on their high horses, is that if you cannot unconditionally trust and count on your own family, then whom do you trust? Oh! May be distant random outsiders who couldn't care less... Now, I know it is rather difficult for everyone to always be on the same page, but trying to understand each other even partially, is much better than being a bunch of world class jerks! 

The problem (if there indeed is one) with my generation is objectivity. As the new generation becomes smarter using a strict chain of logic and reason, they outgrow and break through the shells created by the older generations. As a result, the former is more adaptable and perceptive to a paradigm shift in perspective if necessary, while the latter refrains from any such change, requesting that the dream world created by them within the tiny confines of their orthodox brains, borne out of naivety and weakness, be respected.

So, the million-dollar question is, what do we of the new era do about such a foolhardy attitude retarding us? I used to argue and curse in vain but I have finally understood that the only responsibility we have towards our predecessors is to honor what they have done for us, and help bolster their fag end as long as they are there for us, while picking up some of their legit competence, instead of wasting our time and energy trying to nitpick each and every one of their silly beliefs, to which they cling on with their hearts and souls by hook or by crook! It is elegantly simple... Let them revel in their fantasy universe as a reward for the stuff they once did, while we take challenges by the horns and find our way solving real world problems.