15th June, English language & Gujarati Students!

Come 15th June and the parents are going mad with the preparations for their school going children. Worst off are those who seek first time admissions for their tiny tots.

Selecting a school, interviews, influencing admission process, donations, and often getting fleeced in the process. In a large city near my town, a residential school is charging almost Rs.1,000 PER DAY for kids who are primary section, a whooping Rs.3,50,000 from NRI parents!

Today, the  mad rush is for English medium schools. Those in other schools go to various outlets for learning spoken Dozens of self-help books are available which even housewives religiously read. Some DTH service providers like Tata Sky provide online help to learners, if I remember their advt correctly. Students prepare for TOEFL as a part of their plans to study abroad.


English is becoming more proficient in this universal foreign language that holds key to the future of this new generations aspiring students.Perhaps, their parents and elders who studied in 1960s and 70s in schools of Gujarat were not so fortunate. They were rather very unforunate.


Mr V Gangadhar came to Ahmedabad in Gujarat in  mid-1958 and started working in the local textile (Little younger to him , I was in  class VI at that time. He has written candidly  about the lack of foresight of the politicians in teaching English to Gujarati students from early age. (http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jan/31gang.htm) : " 

For the first ten years of my life in the city, I witnessed the furious battle between the 'Eighth standard camp' and the 'Fifth Standard camp', the former insisting it was adequate if English teaching began from Std VIII while the latter demanded it should start from Standard V. 

The first group had firm political support from Morarji Desai and his stooges in Gujarat. So, the average Gujarati graduate ended up knowing very little English. 

Most college professors and post graduates would read only Gujarat Samachar or other local dailies, and not The Times of India. As for reading English books,forget it!"

I vividly recall that :

•  Both groups had one Mr Thakorebhai in their camp and to differentiate them for one another, the local news papers jocularly named them Thakore Panchma  (V) & Thakore Aathma (VIII) based on their ideology.
• Also, there was one education minister who was anti-English - Mr. Maganbhai and he propagated  college studies with Gujarati as the medium of instruction. Students were greatly frustrated and named course as Magan-medium' after him!

Elsewhere also,  Mr Gangadhar writes about pitiable English in Gujarat 
( http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/01/14/stories/13140619.htm) :" "For over 40 years, anti-English politicians have used subtle propaganda to brainwash the people into believing that English was "foreign" and was not needed for an "ideal" kind of education taught at institutions like Gujarat Vidyapith.The lobby functioned under the leadership of Gandhian politicians like Morarji Desai ....... Such a fiasco was possible only in a State like Gujarat where people were not academically inclined. The Gujarati middle class which ought to be concerned with the state of education, was satisfied if boys and girls somehow acquired a degree and got jobs within the state......As a result of this lopsided policy on English teaching, boys and girls, who had learnt practically nothing beyond the English alphabet faced problems when they reached the college classes. During the 1960s, when I taught English at an Ahmedabad college, it was difficult to interpret the poems of Shelley, Keats or Tennyson or the essays of Lamb, Chesterton or Addison to students who had little background in the language. The local English teachers solved the problem by "teaching" English in Gujarati. "


So much about the 1960s.


If you are curious why I picked up this topic today, the reason is simple. I stumbled upon yesterday one newspaper cutting dated 19th June 1974 which was published in a renowned Gujarati newspaper " Gujarat Samachar"  (Vadodara edition). One English medium school in a nearby town was recruiting Teachers and the secretary of the school placed the following advt ! (Identity purposefully  masked in the copy below, as I do not intend any disrespect). 


It is placed below  only to reflect the rot that was created by the policymakers few decades ago and was visible in 1974.


No prizes for finding out less than one dozen mistakes !

How about asking a car company to give your daughter's name to it! ( The Mercedes story )

In 1901,

The darling daughter

of a loyal customer.

Today,

the darling of all car lovers.

This endearing tale is in quick succession to yesterday’s blog post on Buick of USA.

Year: 1901. Venue: Europe

Just three characters. (Can I be brief to give the  short and sweet lingering effect like a Haiku?)

One, Daimler Car Co of Germany.

Two. A rich Austrian banker. Emile Jellinik (1853-1918). Fond of owning quality cars and also racing. Somewhat shy? May be. Because he participated in car races under a shadow or alias name Monsieur Mercedes! But demanding. He was a Jew. Father was a Rabbi. Would not properly study. Got a job as railway clerk when 17 yrs but was sacked two years later – for running train races in the night.

Orders cars with engines in front! Ever heard of it? No. But his logic was that the horse carriages also had the horses in front. So custom build the car fro me. Easy for him to dictate his terms. Because he was just not wealthy but a big dealer Daimler car company. He made the Daimler cars so successful in Europe that manpower strength at Daimler factory increased seven times in four years!

Imagine who designed the car for him?

Two gentlemen : Maybach & Daimler ! ( One Maybach car that Mukesh Ambani uses cost him Rs.5.25 crores in 2006)

Also I want the car to be uniquely named, just for me. After my 11 year old darling daughter.

Three. Adrienne Manuela Ramona Jellinik. Daddy’ darling. Sweet name. Daddy called her Mercédès, the name Mercédès meaning "gifts" or "favors" in Spanish. He found her to be lucky for him & named all his properties also Mercedes. He was also a car dealer, selling 140 cars a year in 1897 and called all of them Mercedes!

Reading about Daimler car  Co in newspaper, Jellinik traveled in 1896 to visit it. He was a wealthy Austrian businessman and later became a director on Daimler Car co’s Board. , In 1900, he wanted a car to be specially built for him engine in front , an unusual placement at the time, because “that was where the horse used to be.” He was a visionary and asked  Daimler to remember : "I don't want a car for today or tomorrow, it will be the car of the day after tomorrow". 

The car was to be  named for Jellinik’s 11-year old daughter, Mercedes Adrienne Manuela Ramona Jellinik.

The story ended sadly on all fronts: 

• In 1908 his dealership was cancelled by Daimler, fed up by his temperament. He would call them “ donkeys”, incompetent”, & what not.
• Emile Jellinik would die in 1926  in prison in World War I, accused of being an Austrian spy. 
• Mercedes Jellinik also died in 1929 at the age of 40 , impoverished after two failed, scandalous marriages.

But is it not better to remember the trio fondly for whatever nice had happened? For example:

1.      After 1903 her father was better known as 

Emile Jellinik-Mercedes 

& signed as E.J Mercedes

2.      In 1902- Daimler adopted Mercedes Benz 

as its own brand name.

Daddy Jellinik’s famous quote (Oct 1900) should inspire us even after a century : 

"Miracles are expected from those who are capable of making them."

  (Sorrrry folks, the haiku got stretched!!)

Not 'Rags to Riches' but "from Riches to Ruin" story - for a change.

An inspirational saga 

of a different kind: 

David Dunbar Buick (1854-1929)

Rags to Riches stories have always inspired us. Thrilled us.  Given us a boost to struggle harder.We salute such heroes.

But what about some indomitable souls, highly creative, with uncrushable penchant for innovation, passionate to the extent of insanity about their dream, unaware of the worldly ways of business, art of negotiations & selling, and that is why easy prey for the sharks and shylocks. They got cheated but never cheated anyone.

The name might live on for a hundred years after them but they died in penury, died pauper, penniless but nevertheless, graciously, without any grudge against those who tricked them, or against the hardships they underwent! 

I feel their stories will inspire us equally if not more, drive us to be different like them, no matter what.

We may salute today David  Buick (son of Scottish immigrants. Arrived in US at the age of two and lost his father at the age of five. Mother worked hard to raise him.

Temperamental by nature. Poor in business skills. Creative and innovative to the highest degree, defying the handicap of limited schooling.

He went to build a motor car company, gave it his name. World’s largest motor car company, General Motors was built over his Buick Motor Car Co. He developed car engine design that is virtually used by all car manufacturers today.

He created the second oldest US car company (next only to Cadillac). More than 25-30 million cars have so far carried his name BUICK, although he made only first 120 of them.

Yet he died a poor man, working as a receptionist in a polytechnic school, not able to afford even a telephone.

Buick Left school at the age of 15 and started to work for a plumbing materials company. Later on he, at the     age of 28 and his partner bought it.

Cast iron bath tubs were the luxury item in those years. He invented the novel process to use vitreous enamel and make the bathtubs white. His technique made him a pioneer in his business. Remember the’ lawn sprinkler’? He gave it to us.

Tangently thinking, he started toying with car engine design in 1890s. He was devoting more time on car engines than plumbing business. He was so engrossed in creative pursuits that the partner pressed him either to get down to business or get out. The partnership was dissolved and plumbing business was sold out. for $100,000 in 1899 (quite a handsome amount at that time).

Not giving up, he started Buick Auto Vim & Power Co. It was planned to market engines for agricultural purposes but he would now think of a full-fledged car only.

His innovation was terrific but he was always short of cash because his capital was not resulting in any sales. Just R&D! He gets an investor. He sold his first car for $225 as he was always in need of money to run the show. Closes down the venture.

In 1902, he starts Buick Mfg Co. but runs out of money very soon. Borrows money under such terms that would spell his ruin and haunt him for ever.

In 1903, he starts Buick Motor Co. And this was also to mark birth of a great empire called General Motors Corp!

He borrows $3500 from one investor, Benjamin Briscoe. They create the company capital of $100,00 of which Briscoe allots shares worth $99,700 to himself and passes on remaining, worth $300to Buick, and that too with a condition: Briscoe will forfeit Buick’s share I the business and his right if he fails to repay his loan in four months time! Briscoe was only after his loan recovery and Buick was a helpless victim of this cruel reality.

Just prior to Briscoe’s deadline, in 1903, Buick sold away his business to a wealthy businessman William C Durant, who had a carriage manufacturing business ( Flint Wagon Works) & later on, who came to be known as the founder of General Motors. 

Durant had been using a car made by Buick for several months. He realized more and more that it was better than any other car in the market and would handle the slopes of the hills and the mud in rough terrain better.  This bargain with Durant was to prove even worse for David Buick.

Durant shifted the factory to another location and Buick was made Secretary of the company. Buick was allotted 1500 shares by Durant but they were not to be transferred in his name until Buick repaid his personal debts to Durant.

In 1904 David Buick was made GM when Durant re-organized Buick Motor Co. There was a clash of ideology between the two and onwards Buick’s role in the company operations started to decline very fast. Durant took away his title as a manager. 

By 1906, Durant unceremoniously gave to Buick the pink slip. Buick was so disgusted with the state of affairs that – two years later, in 1908- he sold away his shareholding to Durant for $100,000.

This was another great blunder because in no time that value would grow more than 100-115 times, had Buick the business wisdom to hold on to it!

He put the money in some oil venture, some land business which was not his cup of tea. He obviously was plagued by losses one more time.

Not to be outdone, his passion for cars once again created an urge in him to design carburetors with his son. In 1923, h designed a car too. But all was destined to doom.

He got a job in Detroit School of Trades as an Instructor. An automobile wizard teaching junior students in what was known as the automobile capital of USA! It is said that from this post he was demoted as a receptionist!

When 1928, a young journalist interviewed him, he was a “thin bent, little man of 74” working behind the information desk  of Detroit School of Trade, so much ruined financially that he could not even afford the luxury of having a telephone connection in his name!

Yet, David Buick was very frank about his life’s journey, had no regrets for his ups and down and , best of all, showed no grudge against Durant, who had shunted him out of Buick Motor Company. The world knew that Buick business had given Durant the credibility and courage and cash to acquire other leading brands and create GM as a great juggernaut.

(This was a great moment – this interview between the young and the old – because the interviewer was none other than Bruce Catton who became a great reporter & several years later won the Pulitzer prize).

In 1937, after years of neglect, GM decided to adopt the Buick logo on the cars which David Buick had created in early years. 

Thus ends the story of David Dunbar  Buick, who deserved fame and fortune and our gratitude for his innovations that have made our life simpler and the value he created through his technical prowess, with little formal schooling and his magnanimity towards those who were not so kind to him!

When a few years ago Buick division of GM celebrated its 100 years, the restless, innovative soul of  David Dunbar Buick must have had a great joy !!

Cheating - thy name is Sports !!

We used to say: 

Be sporting or sportsman-like. 

It means “gentlemanly, generous, considerate, fair, just, honourable, decent. But that was rather long ago.

Now, is it still so? We will have more than one opinion!

Poor sportspersons! They also have to cheat.

We have read enough about this. Cheating wives, girlfriends, match-fixing, etc. The list can go on.

These days, India’s bad luck, there are more skeletons than cupboards. Rather the politicians and sports organizers are hiding in the cupboards and throwing the skeletons out! Some one wrote: “The Good, Bad & Lalit Modi” Only the time will tell who is who.

Some say our national pastime is cricket. Some in Eastern India say it is football. Elsewhere in the world, it is baseball, basketball, soccer, rugby, and hockey, whatever.

But when it comes to sports, mankind’s favorite pastime is lying, cheating, pulling pranks, and spreading hoaxes! Not counting sportspersons cheating their fiancé, wife and so on (and making their self-mockery public)

History is replete with instances, when some times a footballer overstates his injury or a Formula One race driver hits a wall with his car or a rugby player chews a blood capsule to pretend that he is injured.

Kirti Azad, former cricketer and presently MP said on a TV channel 3-4 days ago that while entire team can not bought, few players can always be. They will, in return, get out, drop a catch or will not take wicket!

1. In a recent post, we read how Rosie Ruiz cheated in Boston Marathon, by joining it in the last mile! Cricket season has just been over and this is the time to take a glance about this favourite passion of the sportspersons – i.e. to cheat. Let us see some more.
2. “Monster Bat” was used in a game of cricket in 1771 in England. The teams were Surrey Vs Hampshire (of today). The prize money was a mere fifty pound sterling (equivalent to 70,000 pounds in today’s terms).

It was to be a 2-day match and one player brought a bat so broad that it covered all the stumps. It was certainly not against the laws of the game as they stood then, but it was certainly against the spirit. The trick did not work and the opponent team won by one run!

But, within next two days, the influential Hampshire team declared “the breadth of the bat will be restricted to 4¼ inches” Three years later, the LBW law was devised, to bring some method in the madness to win name & fame and money.

3. Money often speaks louder than one’s conscience. If it was a matter of 50 pounds in 1771 in the UK, it was a question of $100,000 in the US in 1919. One of its greatest baseball teams, Chicago White Sox – lost the World Series because its one player had ties with the underworld. Two gamblers, backed by one gangster bribed its eight players $100,000 to lose the match! 

The scandal came to the light very late in next season. All the players were banned for life from the game of baseball.

4. In 1976 Olympics games, Onishchenko rigged the electronic scoring system in such a way that machine would score a point for him even when he has not touched his opponent in a fencing event!

5. In 2000 Paralympic games (for the physically challenged), Spanish basketball team was declared the winner.  However, it was revealed that as many as ten of their players were not having the required ‘disabilities’ and they were forced to return their medals.

6. Tour de France is considered one of the most renowned cycling events in the world but it became notoriously well known for its scandals. A favourite contestant had to be dismissed from the race after he tested positive for transfusion of his own blood (preserved a few weeks before for this purpose), a practice not approved under the rules. The 2007 winner’s victory was called the greatest swindle in sporting history, because the winner Alberto Contador of Spain had used drugs!

7. In 1993, Monica Seles, the tennis pro was stabbed by a German in the back so that the no.1 ranking is not snatched away from his compatriot Stefi Graff. And he did achieve his goal also. Today, Serena, Hingis, Kournikova and Seles  all have their personal bodyguards around them. ( We saw other day that even Lalit Modi has them – for beating the journalists).

8. Who does not know Hanse Cronje, cricketing captain of S Africa.  In his confession for match-fixing, he indicated that Mohd. Azharuddin had introduced him to two bookies. The CBI report in this case reads that : “ it is clear that Azhar contributed substantially towards expanding bookies/players nexus in Indian cricket….he received large sums of money from the betting syndicates to fix matches…. He roped in other players also to fix matches….the underworld approached Azhar to fix matches for them..”

Azhar also admitted fixing three ODI matches. BCCI banned him in 2000 for life from the game of cricket. He claimed that he was targeted because he was from a minority community. This statement so much backfired that he was forced to give a public apology and withdraw his words.

On 19-2-2009, he joined Congress party and is now a MP from Muradabad, UP. Less said is better.

Others who have been banned for match fixing were Ajay Sharma ( for life) and Manoj Prabhakar and Ajay Jadeja ( for some time).

9. Can the glamourous and thrilling Formula One grand prix lag behind in the matters of swindling and scheming?

The unworthy son of a three time world car racing champion, named Nelson Piquet Jr. did something weird and unbelievable in Singapore Grand Prix in 2008!

He was asked by the team owners ING Renault to help his other team member Alonso to win. For this,  ‘all’ that Piquet will have to do was to hit the wall when the race is in full swing. If he does, perhaps his contract could be extended. He was threatened 15 minutes before the qualifying finals that he can be replaced by another driver if not agreeable to the orders.

Pequin Jr. obediently hit the wall at turn 17 in lap 12-13, very close to the spectators watching the race. He risked his own life and the lives of the sports fans and the marshals also.

No body suspected him initially. His confession came eleven months later!

Coming to a close now in somewhat lighter vein, if all this has been a painful commentary of the state of affair of sports and games ( ever since they were developed centuries ago).

10. Sports Illustrated (SI) is a world renowned sports magazine from US. It has a weekly circulation of 3 million copies and a readership of 23 million ! It is well-known for its stunning photography as well.

At least on two major occasions, it carried articles which fooled its readers.

In 2002, it ran a five page article, profiling Simonya Popova, a female tennis sensation from Uzbekistan who mad beautiful Anna Kournikova like the old aunt Billy Jean King. No such person existed because it was a fiction! Her image was computer generated and her name was chosen from a film SimOne, the theme of which was a computer generated actress who becomes a superstar.

Readers were shocked to learn later that it was a hoax, because the article carried the interviews of three real tennis pros, which gave it unintended credibility.  But the SI team said that they had ended the five page article with a sigh: ‘ if she only existed” ! But who reads a five page article till the closing line?

SI did something similar in April 1985 also. It wrote about an incredible baseball player being trained in Florida, named Sid Finch, who had a 165 mph fastball , almost 50% faster than the existing best speed! His name was shortened from Siddharth. He was raised in  an English orphanage. He was trained in yogic powers for mind-body mastery by some lamas in Tibet.

SI received more than 2,000 responses to this article, which went on to become one of their most famous stories ever.

SI admitted, after 15 days,  on 15^th April that it was a hoax.

The sub-heading of the article was :

“ He’s a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style. Sidd’s deciding about yoga – and his future in baseball”

The first letter of each of these words, taken together spells 

“H-a-p-p-y-A-p-r-i-l-F-o-o-l-s D-a-y”.