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Go read Tubular Belle if you have a few minutes to spare.

Stumble it!

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Hey Richard are you reading it I have lot of ideas for you call me at 009820399481. I call you Baba Branson.

Love to you all
Jagadis

Nice to read a post on Branson.I recommend reading ‘Losing My Virginity’ which is a more detailed account of Branson’s experiences.Branson’s fight against Britih Airways monopoly is a good example of how entrepreneurs can overcome so-called ‘entry barriers’.

Coming to the comments on educational system, I wonder if it is worthwhile revisiting and reinterpreting Gandhian model for India’s educational system.

> The initiation was done by a Guru in his Gurukul and other kinds of learning followed this initiation.

No. The initiation in the upanayanam is done by the father. It is post-upanayanam that the child is sent to the Guru’s residence.

> Sadly, the traditional gurukul system has been replaced by a system where the kid is taught “Baa-Baa black sheep” on day one.

The “Baa-baa black sheep” happens to be the Veda. It’s learning by rote from the Guru (not through books) has existed ever since the Veda was taught.It forms a *very* important part in the pedagogical structure of a Gurukula.

The “B-b b b” is done for only half a year. The other half has to be COMPULSARILY be spent on learning the Vedanga (a choice the student is given : phoentics, grammar, etymology, philosophy etc.). This ensures that the student has a complete grasp of is being taught.

More on the “B-b b b” : There are several important reasons for this – which i shall not get into here in detail (this comment in OT anyway and is getting threateningly long). But the fundamental reason for the survival of the Veda exactly the way it was, say, 3000 years ago is because it is passed on through an exact oral transmission with complicated iterations (vikriti patha) that serve as error correcting codes.

Also,anyone who has learnt the Veda by rote knows that it is essential in quickly connecting different passages (seemingly diconnected) quickly.

The sad part however is that many kids who join Gurukuls hail from very poor families and there is a lot of pressure in starting to work early. So many *choose* to leave early after having learnt only the basic mantras needed to perform common rituals.

Fortunately, in the last 20 years or so, things have improved – many traditional mathAs now provide scholarships to bright students that ensure they stay back to study the system in completeness.

W/o regreting a mistake how can some one not repeat the same mistake?

Regret and Grief over an action for which you were responsible is important.

Its evolutionary important why emotions are a big part of memory.

And We all know that whats in the past is gone, its the now that we can control matters, when future comes contentment/regret will both be there. Just hoping my present choices will put more in the contentment bin.

There’s an Airplane song called “Fat Angel” which brings into perspective the band’s name. It goes :

He’ll bring you happiness
In a pipe
And he’ll ride away
On his silver bike
And apart from that
He’ll be so kind
In consenting to
Blow your mind
Fly Jefferson Airplane
Get you there on time

:)

… and this is probably one of the fundamental guidelines of a meaningful education system …

The interpretation of the words Dharma and Karma Yogi you have given is the most common one. However, here is an interpretation of the word Dharma (by Rishi Prabhakar) that I have liked -

Dharma is any action coming out of a state of meditation; the action is a response to a situation and not the product of thinking. When a person is in a constant meditative state, all his actions are Dharma (even killing). Even righteous acts committed in the state of non-meditation are considered adharma. A Karma Yogi is one whose every action is Dharma (has gone beyond the causal effects of Karma and is in the state of Moksha).

The ancient practice of Upanayanam (the sacred thread ceremony) in India was meant to initiate a child into this practice of meditation; it was believed that a child who learnt mediation early would do dharma and become a Karma Yogi. The initiation was done by a Guru in his Gurukul and other kinds of learning followed this initiation. Sadly, the traditional gurukul system has been replaced by a system where the kid is taught “Baa-Baa black sheep” on day one.

Thanks for your recommendation on his book. I’ll definitely pick it up the next time I’m in a bookstore.