Systematization of Knowledge

In research we always encounter three classes of works - previous works, recent works and upcoming works. Many of us take plenty of time to understand what others have done, without any solid idea of what we want to do. To avoid such a wasted effort the process of literature survey  is recommended. But there is more than that we should do, that is what I try to convey here.

It is said that to master a field an average human being requires 10,000 hrs ~ 417 days to be spend on that subject. And research is kind of mastery of a small subfield in the vast discipline of your interest. The journey in research mostly starts with a literature review - familiarization with the history of the work done in that field. This often deals with reading, sometime doing experiments, and some other times just skimming. In my experience, literature survey also happens to act as a filter (-I am from a DSP background) for choosing the right problem statement. It also helps in identifying opportunities and finding gaps in existing tree of knowledge. I would like to call this procedure more as a systematization of knowledge (or SoK, I heard this phrase in a talk few days back).  The reason being that, it give much more meaning to the purpose of the activity. In my opinion research work should also balance between theory and practice. I would like to share an analogy to make it clear. Imagine how a one winged bird will fly. The one winged bird cannot fly too long as it will always be changing direction because of the imbalance. Similar is the case with doing research with only theories. Unless the theory is brought into practice, the piece of work flies like a one winged bird.

Happy SoKing

Power of Choice

"You have control over your choices, but not on the consequences of those choices"

In this culture of apps, a plethora of doors opens you to a collection of choices. For instance, if one wants to learn music, he can get access to a large family of application in different musical genres - classical, western, fusion and others. And if you are particular in fitness, there is a whole range of apps to suit your requirement. The good thing about these tiny pieces of code in your device is that it puts you in schedule. In my case scheduling my day in the device calender allows me to be aware of my time. On the other side of the app spectra we have social media which helps us to stay connected. I am literally amazed on how fast the people independent of their generation are accustomed to the online culture. As with many other things, these advancements also brings forth a lot of setbacks. Most of us tend to be more and more tech addicted and driven by its virtual environment. I believe that education of the right kind can will enable them to be better aware of the choices that they take. The process involves a lot of unlearning and establishing an attitude of detachment towards the unreal things.

Thoughts from food : Lessons towards conscious living

" What we eat is what we are " 

Food is what keeps the life going in this planet. Every action we take has a relation to the food that we consume. In fact the food we consume has a direct relation to the very thought process in us. Many of us have forgotten this truth and often come under the grasp of  the culture of fast food and over-consumption.  The indent of this post is to encourage the readers to be consciously aware of  the  food that is part of our everyday life. We peep into a short history of human civilization. In the beginning of civilized living, humans were mainly an agrarian society and were totally dependent on nature. During this early period, the approach was primarily revolving under the cultivating and harvesting to achieve self-sufficiency. Our thoughts and activities were mostly focused on the food culture. With the iron age and the more recent industrial and information oriented societies, there has been a decline of proper food culture and its intake. Most of the present day food culture revolves around the need to satisfy the taste buds rather than the need to develop a healthy body and a healthy spirit.

The earlier generations considered food as the primary source of energy and often worshiped  as a part of their religious process. Many of the festivals that we celebrate even today were associated with the harvest seasons and the solar positional shifts. The kitchen was maintained with utmost cleanliness, and housekeepers were to enter the kitchen only after the morning ablutions.  Our ancestors did not have to purchase any of the household requirements from outside, everything was cultivated in their backyards and the agricultural fields. A natural soil ecosystem existed where the earthworms and other soil creatures helped in replenishing the nutrients and nitrogen fixation. We have hardly heard of any crop damage or use of inorganic pesticides back then. Most of the fertilizers came from cattle dung and other organic sources.

Last week while listening to the TED talk "Poison on our Plate", I was taken aback by the various cases of degradation that our food has gone through in the guise of the modernization of agriculture. The realistic nature of the situation, blows a major threat to the future citizens of this planet. The modern society has lost consciousness on the nutritional requirement of the food, and merely pretending to be on the road towards advancement. The daily consumables like fruits and vegetables heavily comes under the influence of pesticide. The present situation is bleak. Just imagine your responsibility on handing over the goodness of this planet to your children. Wouldn't you be held responsible if this planet is  left in the vicious hands of mans unending plunder of nature? Only a social movement can change our declining food culture.

Biotechnologists and agricultural scientists are sending across the message of replacing chemical fertilizers with organic fertilizers. Crop rotation has been recommended for natural soil nourishing and nitrogen fixation. There has been efforts to set up backyard vegetable gardens, terrace cultivation and other home based agricultural methods. Bio-waste based methods are popularly taken by NGO's. The argument still goes are we doing enough. In our cityscape we might encounter large and small pieces of un-utilized land that can be brought in for one or the other cultivation. Ornamental gardening can be replaced by value bearing cultivation of fruits and vegetables. Variations in food habits to an extend might be helpful, for instance if we turn to other natural abundant food (like jackfruit) our dependence on other products would decline.

Directing Creativity with Education

The system of education and upbringing should be to manifest the underlying creativity in oneself.

Anonymous

 
  Living in a community that gives tremendous importance to education, is it not required on questioning what benefits it brings forth?  On one side, education has given mankind numerous contributions in the form of progress in science, technology, economic development, management, space exploration, and to some extend reality. Reflecting on the present state of our education system, one might even see the entry of women in many fields that was only a dream in the past. In India, any child below 14 years of age is eligible for free primary education.  In a way, our schools have turned out to be laboratories of sprouting creativity. Oh! but what is meant by creativity on the first hand.

The word creativity generates a sense of positive vibes in many of us. Creativity can be best described by its three characteristic features - it is effortless, it happens with a giving attitude, it is ever joyous. Recall, any instant in your daily life, where these three streams congregate. Watch for a day and discover what activates the creative energies in you. Everybody has one, only one has to search it inside and not on the outside. The purpose of education is to formalize (I would like to call it manifest though) the inherent creative energy flow in oneself. This journey of life is to enter into one's inner dimension and bring out that joy of creativity. The touch of pen, or the movement of the vocal chords or the expressions on a face becomes the instrument of this divine energy. It is time we start this journey, and for those who are already in the midst, let you be the light to direct the others.

Turning ones thoughts into creative endeavors

Everyone needs to have a goal to move forth. Set your goal on revealing this inner lamp, so that it might serve many co-passengers with you . Leave out the set backs by smoothening your skill to learn.  Experience the change in you, brought forth by your attitude. Remember, it is the most valuable word in English and also the most valuable tool in ones life.

 A thought leads to an action, an action into a habit, a habit into a character, and character decides your destiny

-Stay Blessed

The Science of Ayurveda

I would like to share a few glimpses which emphasizes that our heritage in medicine is valid in the present times with great relevance. Recently, I had an opportunity to attend a talk by a medical practitioner in Allopathy. She was of the opinion that the so-called western medicine addresses the symptoms  rather than treating the cause. The paradigm followed in the Ayurvedic culture is however different, she explains. Especially in an age where the lifestyle diseases - like diabetes, obesity are on the rise, the community needs a sensitization on the cause treatment. The brief idea is to first identify and treat the lower and deep seated cause of the disease rather than taking a peripheral symptomatic approach. In this context the science of how the traditional medicine works needs to percolate and be incorporated in our medical community.

The three doshas

The ayurvedic approach is to balance the thri-dosas : vata, pitta and kapha. The thri-doshas   are essential parts of the system, which when in excess  or less can cause disease. Thus here the approach is in stabilizing the balance rather than identifying a symptom based approach. Also, traditional ayurvedic medicines have a natural base and is less processed. This in turn contributes to the reduction of the unintended side-effects. From a general observation, it is seen that ayurvedic treatments are holistic - that is there is an equal priority for internal and external medicine. The internal medication may often involve diet restrictions, for proper digestion and sleep. As is often the case physical health needs to be in personal mode, and the practitioner is found to be less involved. One can easily pick this up from books or others who are regular in their daily exercises. The periodicity and the span of treatment are well discussed in ancient texts and are usually made clear by the practitioner.

The rise

It has been observed that the allopathic medicine grew its roots with the advent of the British rule in India. There has been tremendous growth in this domain, even in the post-independent era. Recent years have witnessed, people shifting their focus onto zero-side effect drugs, with the help of ayurveda. This trend has been seen in the consumer and marketing aspects also, with branding being often associated with the captions 'natural', 'zero-sugar', 'zero-cholesterol' etc. Also the western world has taken ayurveda to combat the major lifestyle diseases prevalent  there. Many medical doctors are seen to undertake education in ayurvedic practices under well known 'acharyas' or 'gurus' in the traditional schooling methods. The value of our ancient healthy and traditional culture is  documented in the revered works by Charaka, Susruta and Vaghbata.

Resolve to be New

Novelty is the aspect of human beings that differentiates him from any other creation. So what is actually, so peculiar to the humans in generating the feeling of newness. The aspect of newness is a "feeling". If one can reason out, there are only relative newness and oldness. In fact everything is as old as the universe. The notion of age is limited and restricted to the subjective observer, and for the all pervading Supreme One there is nothing which is new or old. The nature of our reality is essentially ageless. This post was intended for the "New" Year, but it has got delayed for a good. This post is also inspired  by  the world outside which always enquires on "Isn't there anything new?". The question is heard from all corners  starting from when one is a child to even the elderly class. The intension of the article is to enlighten a fire of inquisitive thought process that can drive you to identify the novelty in you.

Novelty is an energy which emanates to evaluate yourself, and measure your own improvement against the past in you. It is a positive change which gives you a push to perform and act differently by overcoming the faults of yesterday. In a way it accelerates growth and helps to bring the best talents in you. In the language of science it is an adaptive exercise, that bring the perfection out of you. As, is oft said novel nature should arise from the inner side of your self, and not from any external factor. Such a innovative idea shall belong to the world forever. So wish you all to a year of newness.