THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION - International Indian

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knowing what you want to create, believing
in your abilities, setting milestone goals and
putting in the hard work.
TII: How do you manage family time with
work pressures and travelling?
It is always a difficult balance between
family life and work. Especially in the early
years when the children were young it was
tough balancing travelling and working
late with spending time with them. People
often talk about spending quality time with
their families but any time spent with them
is certainly quality time. Now with less
pressure even when I am around the children
are often busy with their own interests.
TII: How would you describe your faith in
God?
Irrespective of ones beliefs, our faith
reminds us of matters we often forget in the
world of business, such as family and social
responsibilities.
TII: What are your views on India and its
future, its place in the world arena?
India has come a long way in a very short
Jonathan Jagtiani (right) giving away certificates for long and meritorious service to the staff at the annual get together
time, but the real growth has yet to come. Key
growth has still been only in certain industries
and has not reached to the majority of people.
It will certainly take some time before India
becomes competitive and consistent in areas
such as manufacturing. Although there has
been a lot of new job creation due to new
types of businesses opening, there needs to
be a stronger development of skills levels to
support these new industries.
[ HALL OF FAME ]
“I challenge him to create a pumpkin”
I am a Gandhian and bachelor involved with
education for nearly 56 years. As a student
I was arrested for participating in the Quit
India movement. I did my Ph.D. in nuclear
physics from America and was a professor
there before returning to India. I served
as Bangalore University’s vice chancellor
and founded the Bangalore Science Forum
in 1962 for popularizing science and
inculcating a scientific temperament. Our
organization logo is a question mark because
I think questioning and the spirit of inquiry
is the basis of all progress. We conduct
lectures, quizzes, film shows and summer
schools and organize science festivals.
Unfortunately, science has become only a
means of livelihood and not a way of life.
Our people are going to America and far
off places for higher studies in the sciences
but remain
rooted in
superstitions.
Nearly 25
years ago, I had
an encounter
with the famous
godman Sathya
Sai Baba,
whose devotees
include many
powerful
people of
India. He said
that it is possible to create something out
of nothing. I disagreed as that was against
the laws of science. He is supposed to make
watches and rings appear out of thin air, but
these are small things and can be hidden
anywhere. I challenged him to create a
pumpkin instead. Our farmers, using simple
agriculture, have created thousands of
pumpkins over the years but this godman
is yet to create even one! I do appreciate
the social work he is doing but I believe in
the Gandhian principle – the means are as
important as the ends. There is no question
of my retiring. I will retire only once, which
will be the final retirement.
Dr. H. Narsimhaiah, educationist,
born Hosur, Karnataka, 1920.
TII’s Hall of Fame features India’s elderly
– great, interesting and unusual men and women.
Excerpted from the book ‘Ageless Mind and Spirit’
by Samar and Vijay Jodha
www.agelessmindandspirit.com
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THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN