The Hindu Business Line : Knowledge's sake

National Knowledge Commission Chairman Sam Pitroda was at the Indian Merchants' Chamber (IMC) urging business leaders to do their bit in persuading policymakers in New Delhi to accept the Commission's suggestions submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently. The NKC has recommended the creation of knowledge networks that would link universities, National Laboratories and National Research Centres. Pitroda trashed policymakers "who have no clue of modern education, and those who have, are not policymakers," he said.

The University of Mumbai with 800 affiliate colleges, was "too large and did not make sense. We need to divest it of functions, which gobble up all its time and resources; colleges could be left free to do the teaching. We have 350 flabby universities, when we need 1,500 — but leaner, more focussed, and efficient".

He also wanted to know why chief ministers should select the Vice-Chancellors. And why should the government be involved in running local schools, he asked.

The Columbia family

What do Adi Godrej, Deepak Parekh, Professors Akeel Bilgrami and Nicolas Dirks, Gul Iqbal (ex-IBM), Sanjaya Saran (XLO), Bharat Saraiya and journalist Naresh Fernandes have in common? They are all members of the Columbia University family, which tries to meet as often as possible, and when it does, weighty matters are discussed after the wine and cheese.

At a meeting convened earlier this month by the Columbia University Club of India, in collaboration with the Asia Society - India Centre, the Family and friends cogitated over the challenges to infrastructure, urban development and natural resource conservation in an era of astonishing change. Parekh and Godrej opined that reclamation or an increase in the floor space index could alleviate the city's housing problems.

"The public has a choice to buy," observed Godrej whose company has diversified from soaps and almirahs into the construction business. "Today, people can choose to purchase a flat for Rs 10-15 lakh in Kalyan or a pricey apartment on Malabar Hill." Companies like Parekh's HDFC help the public with generous loans in a heated market of first-world real estate prices and third-world wages.

Bouquets for some, bullying for others!

We like lounging with a mug of steaming black chai to put us in a jolly mood before the morning papers give us a reality check. And Mumbaikars, right now, are in a tizzy over the serial murders of seven vagrants by a rich gay psychopath. Not to speak of the impact from afar of racist taunts hurled at Bollywood's Shilpa Shetty on a British TV show. Intriguingly, Yorkshire cricketer Geoff Boycott who admires Shilpa hasn't sprung to her defence.

But Arshad Warsi's going to lob some Gandhigiri by satellite and that's as cheering as the heartfelt song by Hirbaibehn Lobi, an African-Indian activist who bagged the 14th IMC Ladies' Wing Jankidevi Bajaj Puraskar 2006 for Rural Women Entrepreneurship.

At the event, lensmen jostled for better shots, blocking the view of the IMC women who were not amused and provoking some schoolmarmish hectoring from the chief guest, actress and Rajya Sabha member Jaya Bachchan (whose father was a journalist in Vidarbha).

Such was the Hirbaibehn effect on Jaya that she said, "Ladies and some gentlemen.... Hirbaibehn has inspired me so much I have begun dreaming that I should try to get this award myself some day..."