Balasaheb

Sunday, 18 November 2012, Shivaji Park, Mumbai

Every drop in the sea of humanity at the Shivaji Park and that outside, was personally bereaved on Sunday. It was a permanent loss of an elderly person. Balasaheb, as I saw him from a distance, was a personality in politics but remained far away from its dirt. Quite uncommon! He touched an emotional chord in everybody's heart. Shivaji Park turned Shiv-Tirtha in the real sense. That sea will never forget this sea.

*

IIT Opposition to "One Nation One Test" is elitist

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD),  Government of India, has announced the decision to merge IIT Joint Entrance Exam (IIT-JEE) with the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) from 2013. The 'one nation, one test' proposal was a unanimous decision of the IIT Council taken in accordance with the IIT Act passed by the Indian Parliament, nearly six decades ago. Some IIT Senates and the Alumni Groups are opposing it. The opposition is unjustified and smacks of elitism. 

It is not understood how it will result in the reduction  of standard of the entrance examination, when the test papers are to be set by the IIT faculty, as done in current IIT-JEE. The consideration for 50% marks obtained in the Board Examination should not bother IITians as major difference will come from the marks obtained in the Advanced Paper (set by IIT faculty) and the results are declared in terms of percentile score.

The One Nation One Test policy will have the following long-term beneficial impacts

(a) It will lead to the improvement in the standard of syllabi and the teaching in higher secondary schools, across the country.

(b) The burden on the students of appearing for multiple tests and the administrative expenses will be reduced.

The HRD Minister must be congratulated for pursuing the progressive policy.

Visit Dr J D Bapat's Website

Read more blogs related to higher education

*

Nigeria makes a strong case for sustainable concrete roads

With only 20 percent of the well over 300,000 kilometres of road in Nigeria paved and in good motorable condition, the state of the roads infrastructure in the country is not only critical but also worrisome. It is critical and worrisome because the importance of roads in any economy cannot be over-emphasised. Asphalt and bitumen have been the dominant construction materials and these materials are not sustainable in the long run.

The cement concrete roads may attract higher initial costs than asphalt pavements, the life cycle cost analysis – which takes into account the initial capital cost of construction and the cost of maintenance and rehabilitation to keep the road in a serviceable state – suggests that in the long-run, cement concrete roads are more sustainable and cost-efficient.

*

Should Sachin retire?

I read Sachin mentioned in one press conference,  "No one told me when to begin, why should people be NOW commenting on whether or not I should retire"

Sachin's argument lacks logic. No one advised him when to begin, because the Master Blaster was not known to the world then. Those who wish Sachin should retire from active cricket, actually love him. They only wish Sachin should not be unceremoniously excluded from the national team or meet Ganguly's fate. Even after retiring from playground, Sachin can still  continue guiding and coaching the players.

I compare Sachin with Savyasaachi Arjun of Mahabharat, who had to ultimately retire from the battleground, as time and tide wait for none (last Parva of the Epic).
 

*

Nuclear reactor safety can never be guaranteed

While debates over the Kudankulam nuclear power plant are raging in Tamil Nadu, , Hans-Peter Duerr, a German Scientist and Nobel Peace laureate has made it clear that it is not possible to substantiate the safety of a nuclear reactor, according to a recent news report.

He stated that despite working out security measures for possible threat scenarios, safe disposal of nuclear waste is still a bigger issue because if it lands in the wrong hands, it could be used to make atom bomb, further added the news report.

Visit Dr J D Bapat's website 

*

A lesson for all lawmakers

Lawmakers in USA yesterday introduced a proposal to make scientific papers funded with taxpayer money available for free on the Internet. The bill adds to a recent flurry of debate about so-called public access policies.

A good lesson for all lawmakers to learn. Let science be without fetters. 

*
Other current content:

To bridge the digital divide, public sector telecom operator BSNL recently launched the extremely low cost tablet bundled with its connection. BSNL tablet, Penta IS701R, is manufactured by Noida based Pantel Technologies, is a Wifi model, and is priced at Rs 3,499.

*
Mamata: Disappointment for West Bengal 


*

First picture of the black hole

Black holes were first suggested by Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Decades of research and observations have provided evidence of their existence, but it has never been possible to directly observe and image one.

Taking a picture of a black hole, an object so gravitationally bound that not even photons of light can escape, sounds like an oxymoron, but astronomers this week will attempt to do just that.

What they're hoping to glimpse is something called the "event horizon" -- the swirl of matter and energy that are visible around the rim of the black hole just before it falls into the abyss.

Image: Computer-generated image of a black hole from above. Light would be visually distorted by the black hole's immense gravity. Credit: Alain Riazuelo/NASA

*