Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from May, 2012

Hot Pan Effect

Alexander of Macedonia conquered a large part of the known world during his life..  After one battle, Alexander ordered his soldiers to stop fighting hold their positions and do nothing to provoke the enemy. Yet a couple of courageous soldiers under cover of nightfall crept to the enemy side and killed several solders as they slept. The stunning news was conveyed to Alexander. He called the two soldiers in front of all his troops and praised them for their courage and then ordered that they to be beheaded immediately. He proclaimed to his troops, "They were praised for their bravery and killed for their indiscipline. Indiscipline can endanger lives of my forces and cost us a battle. This I cannot permit" ________________________ Discipline, a much used and rarely understood word, which means complying with realistic guidelines and laid down systems. A high profile example is road traffic discipline rather indiscipline in India where we have the highe...

I am not a policeman.

It was the first ever lecture by our teacher Professor HVK Rao in 1976.  Professor Rao had barely begun his lecture and his back was turned to the class as he wrote something on the blackboard. Suddenly a piece of chalk flew from the back of the classroom and almost hit the professor's hand. The missile was launched to unnerve Mr. Rao and more importantly determine the balance of power in the class room. Cool Professor Rao remained unfazed and responded; "Gentlemen, I can do two things, I can either teach or be a policeman. I am paid to teach, not police. Most of you have come from afar to get an education. Those of you who are not really interested in these classes but are here because of the pressure of attendance targets, you are free to leave. I  relieve you of the college's demand for attending 80% of the classes and will treat  all of you as having attended my classes irrespective of your actual attendance." About half a dozen trouble makers left the...