Writing for Accuracy, Brevity, .... !!!

A Management course is one filled with subjects which can be full of learning! And then are some which one feels one would have been better off without. I am loath to criticise anything which goes on here(mostly out of the selfish motive of self-preservation). However, certain incidents force one's hand or rather keyboard. I am not going to rest peacefully till this particular post is done. I guess this like the proverbial tale about buses which never come for ages and then turn up all of a sudden in force(by the way i am referring to my posts on the blog). Those studying with me would guess what I am cribbing about just by the title. For those who are more fortunate, I will just give a gist of the situation before I launch into something totally random which I hope would extinguish my ire. Well, the outline without revealing too much details would be: we have a course, the objective of which is to enable us to do what the title of this post indicates.

While the objective might not be such a bad thing. However I have a problem with it too because it sort of vindicates the other measures which are followed in the course. How the world would be a better place for managers if all are shorn of style and made to write like 1st standard kids with their essay on the Cow, My Best friend, My father, My country, ...(I guess you get the idea). How anyone can judge a proposal for marriage on the basis of brevity is a matter beyond the comprehension of anyone who is not from the 'School for Uniform Blandness and Tastelessness'. To imagine that I had to write a brief proposal to marriage which is going to be evaluated for its brevity still gives me shudders. Some of the arguments against the established patterns of teaching make more sense(as they have always done).
Well here is a sampling of my first two lines:
Love is the basis of marriage. We love each other. ....

To think that I was made to write such banal stuff. Something totally devoid of any character, style and substance is going to be rated above eloquence. I pity the girl who even has to read such a love letter. I am definitely a crusader against lies but there has to be a limit to concise communication. The way people write is an indicator of the way they think. To limit that particular art even when it comes to everyday communication is to take away something substantial from people. To ask one to communicate clearly is one thing but to dictate the style and impose a particularly revolting type of blandness as the model for ideal official communication is definitely one of the symptoms of a professor who hasn't heard of mass-customization.

I can't continue much longer because I am not making much sense but let this just stand as a post in the fight against uniformity! Express yourself and don't be bothered by the word limit!


PS: This post is going to be edited(for better or worse) sooner or later.

A thank you note!!!(even if the first two paras don't read like one)

Just over 10 days ago, I crossed another of those milestones. Gentlemen and the odd lady who has the misfortune of having enough time to read my blog(or even more bad luck to know me pretty well and be coerced by me to read the blog), I am no longer 22. People have had numerous ways of dealing with birthdays which can to a certain extent be modeled as a function of age. Kids love it while those who are actually kids when it comes to the maturity of the mind seem to fret that life is going to end sooner than it was going to(the reference point being the previous birthday). While this is not necessarily a fair picture but then having a go at constructed straw-men is always fun and seems to make the argument easier with those who fail to realise the fallacy being committed.
Well, the purpose for my starting this particular post is much more pleasant than all this bilge you have had to endure.

My birthday happens at such a time that I rarely have been able to celebrate it on the actual day that I was born(for various reasons, of which vacations and examinations will have to fight it out for the position of Mjr.Culprit) . This year, there was additional factor in the mix and that is the fact that there is no blood relative with me at the time of the birthday(I assure you it is a different type of feeling) and then there was the small matter of mid-terms ending on the day. The Mid-terms actually played a crucial role in preventing my butt from having to take a recourse to ice-therapy and I truly thank God for instilling sense in the doctors to take me out from mother's womb at the time that they did and not wait any longer for this procrastinator. I thank God I was not born a week later(one person had the misfortune of having his birthday coincide with IRIS, our festival and something which warrants a post of its own and a lot more).
I did have my 'fair share' of kicks and stuff over the head when clock struck 12 but the situation could have been a lot worse.

Now fast-forward to the evening of November 3rd and welcome to the reason for the post. I wish I could express it more eloquently than I am doing it now but words sort of fail us(notice the us and not me) when we need them the most. I was able to give a treat at this nice place thanks to assurances from friends(they know who they are and this post is dedicated to them if ever such a thing was possible). The effort they took to make me really enjoy the day is one which will keep me going at times when I am down thinking about sadder things in life like broken promises. They truly made up for my not being at home(I wish I could say more but that alone should mean a lot and it does to me)