The reason I was away from this blog, is because I was in Bangalore last week, enjoying myself with friends over beer, coffee and movies. Today I just completed my fresh new proposal with a new research interest - ICT for Development. My previous work was going right through the drain. So hopefully the proposal works and the new university accepts me.

When I was in school I found all the sciences very boring, I liked the social sciences and enjoyed all the classes. I failed many a time in science, but my father realized I was intelligent and more of a free thinker, so he didn't care.(Unusual for Indian parents) So I failed high school because I went to study Maths, Physics and Chemistry only because my friends were in the class. But soon enough I realized that there were Literature, Civics and History classes and here I was totally disinterested in the organic chemistry class. I sat disinterestedly even during the final exams.

In my Bachelors, I took up Literature, Political Science and Psychology, life felt better atleast the arts allowed me to think in my own fiery way, there was room to accomodate atleast part of free thinking on most subjects especially Political Science.

In my Masters I took up "Communications" and here is where my personality was its best - Rebellious, Intelligent, Dodgy, figuring it out always. At University I was treated like an adult for the first time and the subject I chose allowed me to express my views academic or otherwise on anything. So the Masters was next to my ideal academic situation.


At the Ph.D level, it is you and your guide, the freedom to choose what you want to study and offer your own passion for a subject, insight and findings makes it the best academic degree to pursue. You try to develop original thoughts and try to look at the subject form various angles to suit or negate your study. This is what makes it interesting and your in command of your thoughts with a guide only to wade you through the maze of information that is available for choosing.Contrary to my free thinking I am a very disciplined and structured person, so organizing my thoughts is not that difficult. Guess I have the right mix of personality for a Ph.D. Also the time is a lot more than the usual 3 year or 2 year degrees.


I enjoy it!

YES SIR!!!!!

"Saar", "Sirrr", "Saheb". We Indians are a society that gives much emphasis to age,hierarchy and seniority. It is expected of us. Since the British got us under their thumb, we have have been adressing our seniors and bosses as "Sir" - the word that has a colonial connotation.We address senior ladies as "Madam".

Times have changed in corporate offices your corrected for calling a senior as "Sir". Your reminded that "Sir" is passe."I am Jayaram, but you can call me Jerry." So honorifics are no longer the norm. But it gets confusing, because sometimes, we are reminded to call our seniors as "Sir".

For eg: My Mom, once a telephone operator called a Chief Engineer of the Railways as Mr. So and So. He was angry and complained to the office manager, that the lady in the office called him Mr.So and So. My Mom was pulled up and asked to call every one who called in, as a standard "Sir". She resented it.Even today reminds me of how parochial people are, wnating the title "Sir".

My Mom isn't alone, my grandaunt, once asked me "Why do you Sir everybody?". Today one of my friends said at her wing in the office everyone calls each other by first names and in my section of the office it was formal with Sir.She told me how "old fashioned" it sounded. She thinks "Sirring/Madaming" someone means your in a way subjected to be under them. And never be able to meet on equal ground.

In these globalaized times, all of us are comrades, there is a uniform equality that we all aspire for - hence first name basis. But the Indian workplace is still a mixture of the modern and the old. So I feel comfortable titling people from my boss to the cleaner as "Sir". It doesn't hurt to call anyone Sir, and those who don't like being titled tell me so.In the army campus that I live in, it is "Sir", "Mam" all the time, it is protocol. These titles spread a sort of "conformity" among the officers and their wives, which is necessary in military life.

I have observed that "Sir" is a potent word, it makes pople feel respected and powerful. Why destroy that for someone? I am not like my Mom and Grandaunt, they feel "Sirring" is outdated. The politics of colonial culture is to be blamed. The British left us with a lot of their formality. In this day and age we want to give it up, we're/want to be free to call each other by given names. Individuality is retained, or so people think.

But I will never give up adressing people by "Sir/Madam", unless they advice otherwise. It makes me feel more respectful of them and they seem to appreciate it.