Dr Wikipedia: How he saved millons from flunking in their exams, and popularized Cut, Copy And Paste.


OMG! Wikipedia is gone! I’ll flunks my exams! I really love this quote on the Wikipedia website which is asking people for donations. Somewhere down the line it’s very true that the online encyclopedia has become a cultural phenomenon with CUT/COPY and PASTE. Now, I don’t have a clue how much teachers, lecturers abroad look into the thesis or practical work submitted by the students. But as far as our Indian colleges and schools are concerned, no one is bothered.

First of all, I have failed to understand the value of giving assignments to students in colleges here, as none of the assignments are ever read by the teachers, because they all know that the source from where the student is doing such hard work is the Internet. No wonder, even prestigious universities in India, such as the IITs, and JNU ever feature in the top universities list in the world. The problem does not lie with the student, but with the overall teaching methodology of our Indian Universities, and the way they operate and function. Besides the parameters for judging such things are always confusing. I’m no educationist , but I do feel as a college student, that a certain amount of reform is needed in our education system.

I remember my friend who is doing an engineering course from a prestigious institution in the country telling me that, even at the end of his college he still hasn’t learned much; except mugging and puking on the paper to get marks. Perhaps we do produce quality engineers in our country, but we do lack innovators. People who are taught to look beyond the security of being another brick in the wall instead of trying to carve out their name, and scream, well, I’m gonna have my kicks before this shit goes up in flames.

Though if you see it from another perspective, I totally understand how a guy who comes from a middle class or even upper middle class family would find it difficult to take a plunge for innovation, and go gung-ho about entrepreneurship or creationism. Mind you, there are exceptions everywhere, but exceptions don’t make the rules. Beside I bet all of us deep within do strive to be millionaires or create something, but sometimes, even the dreams are poised with restriction. You say your friend, family, or someone you know plans to do X, Y or Z, which is completely different from you’re trade, a packet full of discouragement will be blasted on you. Reminds me of an episode from Naruto, where the villain quips he has his own dreams, to which the protagonist replies, but to dream you need to have a future, as your future is all used up, perhaps, our future are all used too, but who is the villain and who is the hero in life is intoxicating. Man over society, society over man.

In retrospect, do I really utilize the vast resources and information the internet provides us. Perhaps usage varies from person to person, a subjective terrain, but what happens when all of us are connected and we form a network of subjective opinion, where does the question of objectivity lie? As far as I’m concerned the Internet has been a major source of learning even more than what I learned in school or college. And Wikipedia has been one of the major sources of learning, and not pasting, yet again, it boils down to individual and how they use the highway.

LE GAI SAVIOR LE GAI SAVIOR LE GAI SAVIOR
(If you want to understand what’s written, please learn the language.)

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