Philosophy: the currently ignored subject in India

Philosophy: the currently ignored subject in India

In India right now we don't find any encouragement for the subject philosophy. Yeah it is there as a subject in the field of higher studies but not included in the primary syllabus till the high school level.  The departments of the universities are having a vacant leisurely look, the activity part is almost nil. People in the educational profession itself have already considered the subject obscure. With an image of insignificance which has got nothing to do with the modern flow of life, philosophy as a subject is waving its hand to say goodbye from the mainstream courses of education in India.

The subjects taught right from the beginning abruptly start from nowhere, there is no room for general curiosity, quest, reasoning and logic in the system that is prevalent in the current scenario of education, perceived in India. So a fresh mind of a child which we love to call a "tabula rasa" (empty slate) in philosophy is suddenly thrown into a world of unintelligible codes divided under the still unknown categories of science, humanities and commerce. Why on earth one has to study these three things and why not others, the little minds are never given any explanation. They are strictly told not to question, not to talk, not to defy and not to wonder. And all these natural activities of a child's mind is shut up and thrown away with that obscure subject, which was named at times as "philosophy" which means "the way of life".

I know grudges are too many in the list for the government of India to be sorted out. And positive solutions are very few. Even I was doing the same in the above lines, but now I change my mind. Can we rethink and reintroduce philosophy at the grass root level of education? Can we allow our kids to question us, question the entire system, prove them wrong, defy us and go ahead with a fresh line of thought? I am sure an array of problems can be solved if we do this.

In recent days philosophy has marched ahead with the study of consciousness and cognitive science. so, there is huge scope of carrier brighter and happier than many hackneyed jobs we are looking for. It doesn't only pay up bills, it regenerates your own self which is going to be there even if you are not drawing pension.

Today, our world of education has incorporated several subjects, which lead to a profession, and many of them are directly professional courses, which trains the students to develop a certain skill. But we are forgetting one fact that in every stream of education, the basic skill that is required is the thinking capability and better understanding of the acquired knowledge. A particular subject teaches a particular aspect of life, but the overall contribution of that subject in our life is taught by Philosophy. Philosophy makes us think, it reassures us, that the passing thoughts we experience everyday are also worth it. There are many aspects of life, which we ignore, and that makes us suffer the consequences at many points of time. Philosophy teaches us, the way we should think, the thought procedure that will reach a logical conclusion. Once we know the proper ways to think, our life get an inner support within ourselves and we don't feel that helpless any more. We would have the answers to those questions which left us restless in many sleepless nights.

Before we start studying a subject we all need to know, why that subject is existing at all, and what contribution it has and what are its implications. That will never be understood, unless, we know the Philosophy behind it. And once we know it, each of us can find new ways and means to contribute something new to that subject. Nevertheless, we will enjoy studying the subject with its essence.

So, its time that the education system of India realizes the worth of Philosophy as a subject and start introducing it at the very basic level. At the elementary level, the mind of each learner is in its most receptive state, and that is the time, when we need to teach him the basic knowledge of life, encourage him to question the world, answer their relentless questions and quench their thirst for knowledge. And all these can be done only through Philosophy, the currently ignored subject.

Why Indian Writers Are Not Paid Enough

Why Indian Writers Are Not Paid Enough

“Ask and thou shall get.” Is it true? The possible answer may be, “yes, if one knows the art of asking”. On the other side of the coin, to get what one asks for, one has to be deserving enough. This applies to the field of Freelance Writing as well. In India, Freelance Writing hasn't picked up that stature which alone can make a comfortable living. The reason is obvious,  in India, freelance writers are treated more like a wedge earner than an independent contributor in the intelligentsia.

In comparison to the Western countries, where Freelance writers are equally established as any other white collar job holders, Indian freelance writers have to struggle through a bitter journey, and success come to a very few, which isn't worth counting. If we delve deep inside, there may be some reasons which pop up on the surface level and some lurking behind the apparent scene.

Apparently, it has been found that Freelance Writers in India share a few common thoughts which might be one of the reasons behind the not so bright scenario:

1.       It is better to get less than nothing at all.

It has been a very common thought process which has been observed within most Indian Freelance Writers (leaving successful exceptional cases aside) that they think they would lose the chance of signing up an assignment, if they quote higher price. It is their low quote which will bring them opportunities. If they don't agree, they would return empty handed.
But that is the first wrong way of thinking. And once we step on this wrong stone, it will sweep us down the wrong path and a return journey will take away indefinite period of time with an unsure result. Once we set our value for less than we actually deserve, our customers take us for granted and we enter a low grade market by degrading our self-worth. On the contrary if we don’t get an assignment that pays us well, it will save us time and energy to upgrade ourselves and look for better opportunities.

2.      I can’t afford to say no.

In most of the cases, our economic condition forces us to accept an assignment at low pay rather than rejecting it. In reality, this way an author kills his scope to grow and finally keeps himself confined in the struggling state with little chance to improve his standard of living. On the other hand, refusing to an offer which does not feel lucrative has a manifold benefit.

i.                     The writer will save time and energy from working on a non-profit assignment and save himself from cascading losses. 

ii.                   It will be a good chance to establish one's rights and correct value.

iii.                  The one who is looking for exploiting intellectual property will not be encouraged.

iv.                 On the bargain, the writer can have a chance to win by getting his desired pay cheque.

v.                   It will be a satisfying deal for the author if he says “no” to the offered rate, as he isn’t turning down the assignment by doing so, but just establishing the fact that he can’t afford to say “yes” on the same.

But why do Indian writers have to think on these lines at all? There may be countless reasons, starting from the economic condition of our country, the social scenario, literacy rate, readership count and so on. These are known to all, but few things which I found worth mentioning here, are:

Reputation in the International Market:

In the international market, Indian labour is known for its low cost. We are sincerely following the grade of a “third world country” and are happy to sell ourselves that way. That is there in the attitude of every Indian and we freelance writers are no exception.

Lack of exposure:
Writing is only a way of expression. Expression is the outcome of experiences. Experience evolves from exposure. We Indians have less opportunities to get exposed in the open world. When we compare our write-ups with those of Western Countries, what falls short in our court, is ample exposure and dynamic experiences. A common writer in India is associated with a small group of friends with a "jhola" on his shoulders, (some may carry a camera in it by chance), hanging out in a few known places and half known cafeterias. He has very less chances to have a world tour, explore the world and gain experience. And this lack of exposure gets caught up in his writing.

Language:

If we are talking about writing in English, as a second language, the expressions come out as a translation rather than an original writing. It may happen because we think in our vernacular language first and translate them before putting down on paper.

Credibility issues:

If we search the internet, there are many pages which contain lengthy list of grievances against Indian writers for not following the terms and conditions of an agreement. Many of them have played foul with the punctuality, originality, authenticity and many other criteria that count behind building up a credible standing in the market. Unfortunately because of some unethical crap, the credibility has crushed down and the basic trust on Indians both in the domestic and International markets is under a doubtful condition.

Besides these, there may be even more vital issues which are causing this demoralizing circumstance for the Indian Freelance Writers, but the solution to the problem will come out only when we change our attitude towards ourselves and remember that now we are citizens of a Free India, and we are Free to choose our own value and contribute in the intellectual growth of mankind across the world. To bring that freedom in our profession, we have to have a freedom of thought.