Higher Education in XII Plan : Challenges and Imperatives.

                                                                                   

                                                                                    

                                                                       Dr.T.K.Chatterjee

It is now accepted by all that education in general and higher education in particular  is the tool for economic growth and it defines the development map of a nation. Higher education is viewed as the most powerful instrument for bringing economic growth, diversification, distribution, internationalization, integration and   socio-economic welfare in a society. Added to this is the  spread  of higher education from privileged few or elites   to the masses  in view of rapid expansion of elementary and secondary education as well as emergence of a knowledge-based society. Yet another factor emerging in the world of higher education in the 21^st century is the revolution in ICT which  has brought education to the door of learners without barriers of intake capacity and choice of subjects or disciplines endowed with flexibility of learning at any time from anywhere.  ICT reach has also accelerated  large scale  interaction among the stakeholders  as well as  accessing higher education beyond national boundary at small costs.

The national policy in the XII Plan period ( April,2012 – March,2017 ) in higher education is centered around three Es, namely, Expansion, Equity and Excellence. A Mission Mode National Programme called RUSA ( Rashtriya Uccha Siksha Avijan ) will be implemented to create new Universities and Colleges and increase intake capacity of existing institutions by 50%. The GER is proposed to be increased to 27% by March,2017 which will be the largest in our history. Access will be coupled with equity and inclusion by bridging regional imbalances and disparities across disciplines and address spatial, economic, social and technological needs of the country. The initiatives will be capped with enhancing inputs for quality and excellence in all spheres of higher education like student intake, faculty enrichment, curricular reform, revamping governance structures, greater emphasis on research and innovation by creating efficient regulatory framework.

At present, India is still at the elite stage of access of higher education, with 13% GER in 2012 up from 6% in 1991 in the age cohort of 18-24 yrs..The higher system in India is differentiated but this differentiation is neither coherent nor conscious at the management level. The system has grown in response to ever growing demands  of access and equity ( bulk of the learners being from middle classes ) but without planning for creating the access   to serve an expanding economy. The curricular work, therefore, has no relevance with industry or societal need. The responsibility for higher education is divided among several agencies in the central govt., state govts., regulatory bodies and private sector but without effective  co-ordination. What is even alarming, over the years, efforts of reform have  sidestepped the traditional universities and rather have added new institutions alongside them. It is now clearly discernible that emphasis is laid to nurture some elite institutions like IITs, IIMs, Central Universities, IIITs, IISERs, IISc , NIFT, RGIPT, JIPMER, other institutes of National Importance etc. 70% of budgetary support is diverted to these few institutions.  However, the mainstream comprises of  about 500 universities ( including 124  deemed and 94 private universities ) and 31,500 colleges where about 90% of the enrolled students study. This is the Achilles’ Heel of our higher education system. These institutions, apart from a handful   which have received Autonomous College status, are characterized  by endemic underfunding, mismanagement, political interference, corruption in appointments, poor governance, low quality and inadequate facilities and infrastructure. A majority of the private institutions, particularly those in technical and management disciplines, are run ‘for-profit’ motive with rampant commercialization. These mainstream institutions are deprived of financial support and attention from the policy making ministries and departments as well as regulatory bodies. However, these   are accused of  producing graduates, majority of  whom are unemployable,  as reported in recent surveys conducted by AICTE-CII and FICCI-World Bank. The central govt. and MHRD must realize that unless they grapple with problems afflicting the  traditional institutions forming the mainstream  and until these  are reformed and improved, our higher education sector will not be able to excel and languish in the gridlock.

The knowledge society in the 21^st century demands  a thorough overall of governance of the universities and affiliated colleges and exhorts the providers to perform new responsibilities. We must share the wide spread concern that the university system in India requires to develop and adopt appropriate strategies  to perform better   by inducing innovativeness in admission processes, teaching-learning pedagogy, infrastructure and learning resources and in organizational management  bringing  professionalism, quality assurance,  excellence, resource generation,  flexibility, community interface and technology intensiveness of much higher order than at present. In this perspective, some urgent responsibilities to be discharged by the institutions are  (i) providing academic programmes of new models based on flexibility and learner choice (ii) preparing students for information era by developing  ICT skill sets (iii) providing specialized skill-oriented courses of different levels (iv) continuous up gradation of infrastructure (v) continuous updating of curricular work (vi) thrust in maintaining  quality assurance in every aspect of governance (vii) maximising the learner base by correspondence course/distance education/on-line education in job-oriented subjects (viii) providing extension and social outreach (ix) providing consultancy services to industry and other economic functions (x) optimizing the available resources and (xi) innovating the good practices in governance of good institutions ranked A++ by NAAC and others..

In the contemporary society, all  stakeholders of higher education are demanding quality services of global benchmarks  from the higher education institutions (HEIs), namely, the colleges and universities. The student community now aspire to be empowered and endowed with knowledge, skill sets and competencies to meet the needs of human sources in a fast changing  and increasingly global market economy. The HEIs are now mandated to fulfill the urges of the learners and other stakeholders by achieving excellence in every sector of organization, management and governance. This can be achieved if the HEIs are able to adopt suitable strategies to execute the targets as enumerated above  within a time frame with a mission  and  passion.  

            The National Knowledge Commission ( NKC ) has stated in its report that there is, in fact, a quiet crisis in higher education in India that runs deep. It is not yet discernible simply because there are pockets of excellence, an enormous reservoir of talented young people and intense competition in the admission process.  The proportion of our population, in the age group 18-24, that enters the world of higher education is around 13% by March,2012, which is only one half the average for Asia. The opportunities for higher education, in terms of the number of places in universities, are simply not enough in relation to our needs. What is more, the quality of higher education in most of our universities requires substantial improvements. The reality is that we have miles to go.

              The XII Plan document does say that all three segments will have to contribute to facilitate the expansion in enrolment. It states “ All three segments have to be expanded to achieve the enrolment target ---  by creating additional capacity and ensuring equal access opportunities, while being supported to improve the quality of teaching-learning, attain excellence in research and contribute to economic development” ( Vol.3, p.90). It is significant that for the first time, the XII Plan document places emphasis on creating conducive conditions for investment flowing from the private sector which is needed to mobilize the resources of opening new institutions to realize the dramatic growth of GER to 27%. In  March, 2012, the private sector recorded a higher  gross enrolment of 58.9% as against 41.1% of the public sector. In the XI Plan period, enrolment in the private sector expanded from 54.2% to 58.9% with establishment of 98 private state universities, 17 private deemed universities, 7,818 private colleges and 3,581 private diploma institutions. The focus of expansion in access is going to be once again the private sector, the  targeted estimate being set at 18.5 million enrolment by March, 2017.. The private sector so far was treated as untouchable and treated with disdain by the policy makers although statistics vindicate  their role not only in term of increase of GER but in quality of education as well. The best universities and colleges in India are run by the private sector. For the first time, in the XII Plan document, this negative attitude towards the private player in higher education is about to be replaced by pragmatic policy considerations. The Plan document outlines some strategies to encourage the private domain and help to generate resources such as through public offerings of shares and debentures amounting to revision/modification of Section 25 of the Company Act  and according it ( private segment in higher education ) “infrastructure status” with similar financial benefits and tax treatment. It is expected that elaborations will come in these respects  in due course. It is suggested that the “not-for-profit” institutions may be placed at par with public institutions by providing faculty salary grant to some extent, student   stipends and scholarships, research funds, technology support and development grants. The UGC has stated that even private colleges and those  without 12B status will be given development grant. The Plan document has recommended re-examination of “not-for-profit” and “for-profit” approaches in the provision of higher education on reasonable grounds to compensate shortage of public resources and has indicated to allow making profit by the operators subject to regulations so that education does not amount to selling a commodity. This is a paradigm shift but appears to be an imperative in the perspective of our higher education scenario, the challenges and existing constraints of the public sector. However, the regulatory mechanism must be put on a sound track for ensuring good governance in the academic set up, the social ethos of equity, quality and excellence in the processes of  teaching-learning and research.

  

  

             West Bengal needs a policy of non-discrimination in University Governance

Recently, in the sector of higher education in West Bengal at the university level, certain policies have been enforced by the dept. of higher education of the state govt. which are highly discriminatory in favour of the new Presidency University ( PU ), established about two years ago. The university was set up by the LF govt. and it passed the Act. The LF was replaced by TMC soon thereafter. The TMC govt. appointed a "Mentor Committee" with extreme enthusiasm for creating a 'World Class' university having cutting-edge standards of teaching-learning processes, research, extension, consultancy and all other aspects which could be thought about.  It  got the Act amended and took steps to make PU functioning. While envisaging international standards for the infant PU, the policy makers completely ignored a similar future for 155 yr. old CU, situated next door, which is recognised as "potential for excellence" by UGC and honoured with highest grade by NAAC. The  Jadavpur University which also boasts of similar recognitions by UGC and NAAC was also ignored while doling out  additional support to the faculty of PU to boost performance.

PU was got rid of the Court/Senate and administered by only the Executive Council while Court/senate remains the highest policy making authority for other state-universities. The faculty of PU was selected with   selection processes different from those followed in sister universities ignoring the UGC Regulations which are binding on any University recognised under Sec.2(f) of UGC Act,1956. The faculty were given enhanced salary compensations in each of the three category of posts  and sanctioned   liberal research grants, sabbatical leave, study leave, additional increments  and other benefits which are not allowed to the faculty of other state-aided universities of West Bengal. Incidentally, these service benefits like research promotion grant, study leave,  allowances other than D.A. and H.R.A., sabbatical leave etc. are a  part of the UGC Regulations of June,2010 relating to revised pay scales of college & university teachers and terms & conditions for maintenance of standards in higher education instituitions. The Regulations were duly published in the Gezette of India on Sept.18,2010. The constitution mandates that the UGC Regulations are binding to the states as education is included in the Concurrent List. Inspite of this statutory law, the state govt. has not accepted the Regulations  other than the revised pay scales for which 80% of the fund is paid by UGC during the XI Plan period. However, these provisions  have been implemented for only the faculty of PU who have just a few months of service experience in this nascent university. It is found that the UGC Regulations have been violated in respect of search committee for appointment of vice-chancellors, selection committees for recruitment of teachers among others.

It has been asserted on behalf the HE dept.that the scarce resources be better pumped to a heritage institute to uplift it to international benchmarks rather than making it available to other teachers, some of whom have the capability to generate research grants on their own from funding agencies and bring sanction of big projects. This   contention is readily palpable as weak, thin and frail. Presidency College is certainly an institute of heritage but not Presidency University (PU) which is an infant being just about two yrs.old. An elected govt. can not discriminate among its own universities but it should formulate a policy to sustain development of each and provide additional support to generate a growth-momentum. Let the teachers of PU compete with their counterparts in various aspects of teaching  and research   by utilising their academic strength, skills and talents. The least the state govt. can do is to encourage each university to perform better and excel in a  level-playing field. It can accept the UGC Regulations of June 2010 in full if is is indeed serious about quality assurance. It can, as a general policy, ask the executive councils of state-universities to reward the teachers who have adequate research output, publications and other indicators of performance   by granting additional increments to them as well as to appoint Professors with higher emoluments in line with UGC Regulations to promote leadership of academic departments.     

Several senior and eminent academicians  have  reported in the media the deep resentment, anguish and frustration engulfing the teachers serving in the state-aided universities in West Bengal, many of whom have achieved excellent benchmarks at national anfd international levels by means of research publications and research projects. They think of being discriminated against. This discriminatory policy will severly impact  the growth and development of university-education in West Bengal.  

             Globalization of the Local : A Cultural Perspective.

                                                                   

                                                                                         

From a theoretical perspective, globalization in relation to culture is supposed to promote a world view of multiculturalism and diversity through liberal unrestricted inter-country connectivity, exchanges and flow of information. But to some of the critics, globalisation in reality has turned out to be  the spread of capitalism, market economy, hegemonist trade principles, global brands and consumer products of American or Euro-American dispensions. They point out the inherent tendencies in the policies of globalisation to foster  homogenization of life styles, attitudes and outlooks of people across the board through global brands of consumer goods, fast food chains, shopping malls, retail marts, movie, music, language   (American English ), electronic gadgets and so on which have steamrolled and swamped distinctive lifestyles, traditions, language, craft, dress, food, music or in short, local culture of the communities. These scholars say that globalisation has been manifested as  a type of neo-colonialism perpetuated by  the USA and its allies constituting the G-8 group of nations and in the garb of a WTO regime,  the economic principles favouring these nations have been thrust upon all others, particularly the developing countries without any scope of resistance for self-reliance. To them, globalisation in relation to culture is in fact nothing short of  cultural imperialism propagated by Euro-American economic forces and incorporation of their ideological contents into local cultures through manipulation of the mass media.

However, a careful scrutiny of the situation reveals that globalisation manifests itself in dangers as well as in opportunities. The growth and pattern of development of economies across countries will show how the opportunities have been embraced by many countries through appropriate restructure and readjustment of national economies in the WTO era to thwart the inherent dangers of neo-imperialism.  

 The astounding progress in Information & Communication Technology (ICT) is making it clear that the globalised   world has a great potential to nourish diversity and strengthen local cultures to a degree never seen before. This new potential is due to the remarkable developments in internet and the ICT tools which enable people to interact freely, open chat rooms, be on-line,   upload contents of their culture and creative talents for information of anyone living anywhere in  the world at real time. News reports, videos, photographs, encyclopedias, dictionaries, language, craft which constitute cultural attributes, particularity and distinctiveness can be spread in the world by the upload software. One can write own song, create a  podcast version in any language and share it with the world on some podcast web site. One can make own home video with a cheap webcam and Microsoft Movie Maker that comes free with the PC and upload that as well. Its like the muti-coloured fruits and vegetables on the Italian Pizza, the flat-world platform allows different cultures to season and flavour it as they like.  It now seems no longer inevitable that everyone is going to look, speak, sing, dance and think like an American or European because of globalisation. The forces of globalisation has other attributes too which strengthen local cultures and make it global by preventing the trends of homogenization. Our experience shows that  new forms of communication are propelling people to innovation and creativity. We are witnessing   creation of  a global platform for multiple forms of sharing traditions, concepts, ethos, craft, knowledge, entertainment and  empowering of individuals.

Diversity can now  travel to different corners of the world even without the internet. There is more radio today, more TV, more telephone, more cellphone, more travel, more contacts which enable people to respect diversity.  The internet, satellite TV, numerous ICT softwares,  podcasters and ipods enable   globalisation of  local cultures, art forms, styles, recipes, literature, videos, opinions, customs, languages and so on. It’s a new type of cultural revolution  but driven this time from the bottom up.

Globalisation of the local is manifested in the diaspora communities around the world who use the global media networks to cling to their local mores, news, traditions and communities, no matter where they are living. The demand for local news, information and respect for cultural traditions is the driving force for such developments.   The diasporic market means easy access to international newspapers, TV and radio channels which are completely based on local languages. Google Search Engine  is now available is 120 different languages enabling people to inform themselves easily in their own mother tongue. This is just an instance of not only preservation of local languages but its expansion from local to global.  

The flat world in the globalised environment empowers the forces of darkness as well as those of light. It depends on how we prepare ourselves to utilize the opportunities and  which strategies are adopted to empower human  creativity and share the resources with anyone living anywhere  at almost no cost. An amazing situation  of human fraternity is unfolding.

Antioxidant Properties of Tea : Drink More Tea for better Health  

                                                                                     

                                                                  

Introduction

Evidence is increasingly available from research labs highlighting the role antioxidants play in protecting human beings against  heart disease, stroke and cancers. It has been

proposed that the mechanisms leading to these diseases are promoted by free

radicals and that antioxidants  oppose the action of these molecules. In addition

to the well known antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E, there is growing research

demonstrating the potentially beneficial effects of plant-derived antioxidants like

polyphenols which are  found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereals and  in drinks such as tea.

Free Radicals  

Free radicals are unstable molecules that include the hydrogen atom, nitric oxide

(NO) and molecular oxygen (O2). These molecules naturally occur in human body as a result of chemical reactions during normal cellular processes. They can also be formed in response to excess pollution, too much UV sunlight and exposure to cigarette

smoke. In an attempt to stabilise, they attack other molecules in the body potentially

leading to cell damage and triggering the formation of other free radicals resulting

in a chain reaction. Some scientists believe that this type of free radical action has

been implicated in certain chronic and ageing diseases such as cancer, heart

disease, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, cataracts and Alzheimer’s disease.

Role of Antioxidants

Antioxidants are compounds that help to inhibit the many oxidation reactions

caused by free radicals thereby preventing or delaying damage to the cells and

tissues. Their mechanisms of action include:-

·  Scavenging reactive oxygen and nitrogen free radical species.

·  Decreasing the localised oxygen concentration thereby reducing molecular

   oxygen’s oxidation potential.

·  Metabolising lipid peroxides to non-radical products.

·  Chelating metal ions to prevent the generation of free radicals.

The free radicals cause the following  damages :

·  Oxidising Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which may increase

    the risk of atherosclerosis.

·  Promoting platelet adhesion, which can lead to thrombosis thereby

    increasing the risk of heart disease or stroke.

·  Damaging the cell’s DNA, which may lead to cancer.

·  Blocking the normal endothelial cell function and vasodilatation in response

   to nitric oxide, a potential mechanism for heart disease and cancer.

·  Triggering inflammation.

·  Impairing immune function.

Some antioxidants are synthesised within the cells themselves (endogenous) and

others need to be provided externally in the diet. Table 1 gives examples of antioxidants with established   activity in the body :

Table 1

Endogenous Antioxidants	Antioxidants provided in the diet
Polyamines Melatonin Oestrogen Superoxide dismutase Glutathione peroxidase Catalase Lipoic Acid Caeruloplasmin Albumin Lactoferrin Transferrin	Vitamin E Vitamin C Carotenoids Polyphenols Copper

Sources of dietary antioxidants

Traditionally dietary antioxidants were thought of as Vitamin E and C and the

carotenoid - carotene. In recent years there has been particular interest in the

antioxidant activity and health benefits of other phytochemicals. Table 2 lists two

examples of phytochemicals and their food sources :

Table 2

Phytochemical	Categories	Sub-category	Food Sources
Carotenoids	Carotene	alpha--carotene	Carrots, pumpkins, avocados
		beta- carotene	Carrots, red peppers, apricots, spinach
	Lycopene		Tomatoes, pink grapefruit, watermelons
	Lutein		Spinach, kale, brussel sprouts
Polyphenols	Flavonoids	Anthocyanins	Berries, red wine, black grapes
		Flavones	Celery, parsley, olives
		Flavonols; Quercetin, Rutin	Tea, apples, onions, wine, garlic
		Flavonols; Catechins	Tea, wine, pears, apples, chocolate
		Flavanones	Citrus fruit
		Isoflavones	Legumes
	Phenolic Acids	Hydroxybenzoic Acid; Gallic Acid, Ellagic Acid, Salicylic Acid	Berries, Tea, Grapes, Walnuts
	Other Phenolic compounds	Capsaicin	Chillies, Peppers
		Tannins	Tea, red wine, grapes

Tea has one of the highest total flavonoid contents of all plants being about  15% of the leaf by dry weight.

Tea Flavonoids

The types and amounts of flavonoids present in tea will differ depending on the

variety of leaf, growing environment, processing, manufacturing, particle size of

ground tea leaves and infusion preparation.  Typically 93% of total tea phenolic

compounds are flavonoids  Green teas contain more of the simple flavonoids

called catechins, while the oxidation that the leaves undergo to make black tea

converts these simple flavonoids to the more complex varieties called theaflavins (TF)

and thearubigins(TR).  

Tea flavonoids are water-soluble and one study  has shown that a cup of   tea

that has been allowed to brew for 40-60 seconds will typically deliver approximately

140 mg of flavonoids whilst other analysis  gives a figure of

125 mg / 235 ml brew. The longer the tea is left to brew, the higher the

concentration of flavonoids.

Tea flavonoids demonstrate antioxidant activity   and while not a replacement for

fruit and vegetables, the antioxidant activity of tea has been compared to that of

fruit and vegetables in a number of studies. One study concluded that at the typical

  daily consumption of 3 cups a day,  tea has approximately the same antioxidant

power as eating six apples. Another study found that one or two cups of tea has

the same ‘radical scavenging capacity as five portions of fruit and vegetables or

400mg vitamin C equivalents.

Health benefits of tea flavonoids

For many years it has been known that the plant polyphenols are antioxidant in

vitro, in fact many common flavonoids are several times more potent than Vitamin C

or E. This growing interest in the antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds has

led to increased research into their potential health benefits ,as already mentioned above.

The antioxidant activity of tea flavonoids may account for the results of a number of

epidemiological studies suggesting that they may have a protective role in

conditions  as noted below :

-Cardiovascular disease.

-Cancer.

-In vitro studies have demonstrated that the initiation stage of cancer can be

prevented by the action of tea flavonoids.

-Tea polyphenols have been shown to inhibit DNA synthesis of leukaemia

cells and lung carcinoma cells.

-Animal studies have shown that tea and its flavonoids protect against

many types of cancer e.g. skin tumors in mice, lung cancer in mice.

and digestive cancer in mice and rats.

-Antibacterial effects.

-Tea extracts exhibit inhibitory effects against Salmonella typhi.

Campilobacter jejuni, Campilobacter coli, Helicobacter pylori, Shigella,

Clostridium, Pseudomonas, Candida and others.

-Dental Caries

-Green tea and various catechins have exhibited inhibitory effects on the

growth of cariogenic bacteria by preventing the adherence and growth of

bacteria at the tooth surface.

Absorption of tea flavonoids 

Until recently the majority of  research demonstrating the antioxidant activity of

tea flavonoids was either using animal models or laboratory cellular studies.

Emerging evidence is concluding that the body does in fact absorb some of these

Antioxidants, e.g., when green tea extract is consumed by healthy human

volunteers, various catechins are found in the plasma in a dose-dependent

concentration varying between 0.2-2.0% of the ingested amount, with a maximum

concentration being achieved 1.4 to 2.4 hours after consumption. Some studies

have shown that plasma antioxidant activity peaks 30-60 minutes after tea

consumption and returns close to baseline by 90 minutes. Further research is

currently being undertaken on the metabolism, distribution and excretion of tea

flavonoids and its metabolites.

The addition of milk to tea, as enjoyed by the majority of people, does

not appear to affect the bioavailabilty of the tea flavonoids.

Conclusion

It is well known that fruit and vegetables are good sources of antioxidants. However,

what is less well known is the amount of antioxidants present in tea. The major

group of antioxidants in tea are flavonoids that appear to be readily digested, absorbed and metabolised by the body. There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating that tea and

flavonoids exhibit beneficial effects in animal and in vitro studies and provide a

promising area of research.

So as well as eating more fruit and vegetables, antioxidant intake can be topped up

by drinking more tea, helping to promote overall health and well-being.

Acknowledgement  : http://www.teahealth4.com and the references cited therein.

Social  Alienation  Redefined

Gone are the days when parents found their children engaged in ‘adda’ with their peers for long hours and felt anxious  that studies were hampered. The elders of various age groups also used to assemble at a ‘theck’ or ‘rock’ chatting and gossiping for hours. The discussions covered anything on the earth, often far off from the respective domains in daily chores. It can not be denied that these interactions created connectedness, understanding, harmony  and  social bonding among persons having huge diversities.

These  face to face ‘adda’ and ‘theck’ are now replaced by walls and posts  as well as chats on social networking sites like Face book  and  Twitter at the click of a mouse. That in this web-platform  the ‘friends’ never get a scope to meet and groom the friendship over a period of time and to know one another is of no concern to the clients. The ‘Confirm Friendship’ click is enough to complete the process.

The social and cultural implications of  networking sites like Face book and Twitter  are becoming a matter of concern in as much as the clients of the network or ‘Friends’ can interact only virtually,  completely cutoff  from the interconnectedness in the real world. Quite often, these friends know each other but they prefer to get connected not in the face-to face ( F2F ) mode but in the virtual mode.  These so-called  ‘friends’   have no interest  to meet and talk.  The number of ‘friends’ keep multiplying at any rate one may wish.

How one can become a friend without knowing each other at personal levels , exchanging experiences and developing a sense of love, compassion and mutual respect is  hardly a matter of debate to these ‘friends’.   But despite  these  demanding ideas and time-tested traditions  which can not be written off , the huge popularity of social networking sites is a fact of life.

These recent developments appear to be a pitfall of ICT-driven globalization.   People, particularly, the most potential segment of the population or the younger generation, are becoming  more individualist, consumerist, non-political, ignorant of  social dynamics and, therefore, alienated from the larger society in which they have to live and thrive. The sense of fellow-feeling , harmony and bonding, be it  within family, locality or the larger society is declining at a fast pace because the people just do not care to think beyond the self. The family bonding which is a distinctiveness and  a significant hallmark of  Indian culture  is disappearing. The grooming of our children in educational institutions are often responsible for the end result. In the name of ICT- based educational pedagogy, the children are taught to turn towards the virtual world of web    and be more comfortable  there far away from hassles of the real world. The society is becoming fragile being crowded with  individualist and selfish elements. Ultimately, the alienation ,  a product  of the new life styles of the so-called Gen Next, is causing psychological disorders  to them because   no one can live without interdependence and social harmony.

The poor ASWATHAMA of the Mahavarata epic was cursed by  LORD KRISHNA telling that ASWATHAMA will become immortal but will never be able to enter into a human society and   will have to live alone in desolate  terrains. The life of ASWATHAMA was miserable. In the 21^st century , the  countries are becoming more and more populated, yet the curse is that more and more people are becoming introverts, distanced from the neighborhood and  living alone.  A mindset of social alienation affects the younger generation the most even though they live in densely populated localities due to inability and indifference to   draw a line between the real and virtual world and resolve the contradictions.

রামগরুড়ের ছানা হাসতে তাদের মানা  /  হাসির কথা শুনলে বলে  / "হাসবো না না না"