Researching on ‘What not to say!’
I came across this educational institute called ISI Bangalore.
I have never heard of it. All through my years of stay and growing up in Bangalore, I haven’t heard of this. Okay, this college, specialises in Math courses and it has a Bachelor’s program regarding the same.
Now, when I ask myself, what is the use of Math in real life, when I was in 10th, I wouldn’t be able to say much. But now you ask me, the financial models, the new form of currency, that is, crypto currency and the security features that the currency comes with! All of these relate to Math and the importance of the subjects in the Finance world.
So talking about the economic benefit of carrying out any business activity is to have this Math skill, which will largely benefit the individual. When I say research, I talk of the things that one could do in future. ‘Research’ as a word can be used to that as well. Intensive research brings out information and ideas which the larger human population wouldn’t be even thinking of. ISI Bangalore, you’re doing a good job in churning out the math wizards, right in the city of Bangalore and I didn’t even know about this.
Wait, did the institute leadership decide not to publicise the bachelor or the masters program and just keep mum. Evidently, there are hardly 40 students in the first year of Bachelors course and there are, on average 5–6 repeaters every year. So the academic rigour is very high.
But there is another side of researching as well. We get so much involved in the research work, that communicating the same idea to the external world and having a sense of detachment from the research world and seeing from another human’s perspective, if all the work that is done academically has some relevance or not. ‘Relevancy’ in this day and age is very important, because there is so much of data and with lots of data comes noise.
Technically, the noise to sound ratio is what should be kept in mind. When this ratio is very high, that is when a lot of good data gets processed in the system.
So ‘Research’ I say, is essential and also a sense of detachment, every now and then from the intensive research work is also needed to check for relevancy, by collecting opinions of other and trying to understand the ‘why they think, they way they think’
Dwelling too much into ISI Bangalore’s Math research, leads to students and other careers research, spend time on subjects which might not be important to mankind, in terms of business, employment or giving them money or even making their lives comfortable.
“Science should be about seeking, without any end” — Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
I necessary don’t believe in this line of thought, as whatever activity that I do, should be of some benefit to the academic circle or the people I’m interacting with. So I get labeled as a person who sees the benefits, not necessarily financial, in every activity that I do in a day, be it studying to gain knowledge and share, research and find a new path — debarring the existing ones, talk to a friend and gain/spread a sense of emotional, cultural and bonding value et cetra.
Finally, yes, research is good and an intensive one at that. Similarly a detachment from the intense work is also important to feel what one is doing is relevant or not.
This is all coming out from me, who studied Philosophy (religious, economic, political, diplomatic, country specific — China and Middle East)for close to a decade from 2005 to 2015, I started out when I was 8/9 years old and decided that the intensive studying of philosophy at the age of 19 and published my research work in Philosophy, when I was 20 at Indian Council for Philosophical Research (ICPR), Lucknow, India and got tagged as a “Young Scholar” for life.
I see life, as being useful to the population around. Probably ask them to pay few pennies for the services offered and lead a materialistically comfortable life. I’m all for the idea of studying science and philosophy, with no specific aim, but that will only work, when I alone or when I plan to go live in the jungle. When among people, be useful to them.
Research, yes but never to bullshit away in life!
