Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Thursday, 12 December 2024

In Every Classroom : Kaun Banega Dhee-pati

 

 

Dhee  =  Sanskrit for “ Intelligent “ ]

 

For many years, on Sony TV, I have been watching ,  “ Kaun Banega Crorepati “ , where host Amitabh Bachhan , asks a contestant a question having one correct answer from among 4 options

Those questions get ever more difficult as a contestant successfully answers each .  This series of questions carry rewards of Rs 1,000 for the first question till Rs 7 Crore for the 16th question

The questions cover a vast variety of topics and are computer generated

I presume that ( without any favour ) , the software picks up a question AT RANDOM from a large database , based on some “ Degree of Difficulty “ for each level .

Amitabh has no control – or any prior knowledge – over what specific question ( from which specific topic ), will pop up next on the computer screen

On the opposite side , the contestant “ accesses “  her brain and “ searches “ a finite / small database of “ Content “ stored in her brain , to come up with an answer

Brain acts as a “ Memory Storage Device “ ( quite like a hard-disc or a memory stick ) and brain has a built-in “ Memory Recall Mechanism



I am reminded of the legend of Swami Paramhans , who was sitting on the banks of a river, when a Siddha-Purush ( a very highly skilled person ) approached the Swami and saying,

“ Swamiji , look at my accomplishment “ ,

-           just walked back and forth on the river water , bare feet

Then he said ,

 “ I have spent 20 years of training to master this skill. I bet you cannot perform this feat “

Without batting an eye, Swamiji said ,

“ My friend , If I want to cross the river, all I need to do, is to give 2 paise to this boatman , who will ferry me across the river. That means your skill is worth just 2 paise .

You should have spent those 20 years, asking yourself questions about your purpose in life


 

In Kaun Banega Crorepati too , contestants claim that they have been busy for many years ( for many hours every day ) , soaking up many books of general knowledge, so that they are able to answer those questions

And for this “ Data Storage / Retrieval Skill “ acquired by them, KBC rewards them handsomely – although , if the sole purpose was to just get the right answer in a huffy from anywhere – and anyhow – then Amitabh could have just posed that question to :


Ø  www.My-Teacher.in  ( " Questions Beyond Syllabus " section  )

 ( - an AI-enabled  Questioning Skill “ , which takes 1 minute to acquire and

     does not cost even 2 paise – it is totally FREE )

    

I have even tried holding my Mobile phone close to the TV Screen , click the mike Icon ( on “ Questions Beyond Syllabus “ page ) , record the question being spoken by Amitabh , click “ Ask Question “ button – and get the RIGHT answer much before the contestant comes up with one ! )


But then , for the TV watchers, I do not think , consulting www.My-Teacher.in , is as much fun as watching those brave-heart contestants perspiring to come up with the right option on KBC


Now, if you start wondering :

“ Instead of poring over thick volumes of General Knowledge books or spending hours online trying to “ Memorize “  huge databases of “ Past Questions Asked on KBC “ , - can aspiring contestants prepare themselves by asking all kinds of questions – and getting right answers , much quicker by consulting www.My-Teacher.in ? “


Then the answer is >  YES


But that would help a few thousand die hard aspirants

I did not launch www.My-Teacher.in ( “ Questions Beyond Syllabus “ section ) , so that those KBC aspirants can do better for a much lesser efforts


I launched it with a hope that crores of School Students use Questions Beyond Syllabus “ page , to ask questions such as follows :

Physics

1.     "If you could control the fundamental forces of nature (gravity, electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force), which one would you choose, and what would you do with it?"

2.     "If the Earth’s gravity suddenly stopped working for 5 seconds, what would happen to everything around us?"

3.     "How would the world change if light could travel slower than sound?"


Chemistry

1.     "Imagine a world where water is not a liquid at room temperature. How would everyday life change?"

2.     "Why does ice float on water, while most solids sink in their liquids?"

3.     "If we could rearrange the atoms in a piece of wood, could we turn it into gold?"


Biology

1.     "If you could design a new species of plant, what unique features would it have and why?"

2.     "If humans could photosynthesize like plants, how would our daily lives change?"

3.     "Why do we need to sleep, but plants do not?"


Mathematics

1.     "What if numbers had personalities? Describe the personality traits of each number from 1 to 10."

2.     "Can we find a pattern or formula to predict when prime numbers will occur?"

3.     "If zero had never been discovered, how would mathematics and our lives be different?"


Geography

1.     "Design an ideal planet. What types of geographical features would it have, and how would they affect the climate and ecosystem there?"


History

1.     "If you could travel back in time and witness any historical event, which one would you choose and why?"


Literature

1.     "Create your own mythical creature that has never been written about before. Describe its powers, weaknesses, habitat, and role in stories."


Environmental Science

1.     "Imagine a technology that completely stops global warming while benefiting all forms of life on Earth. What would this technology look like, and how would it work?"

 

Dear Shri Dharmendra Pradhanji 

( Minister for Education / d.pradhan@sansad.nic.in ) :

 

In our OLD Education Policy , almost entire emphasis was on School Children :

Ø  Developing a HARD DISC type of brain

Ø  Storing a very limited amount of information ( related to Syllabus )

Ø  Acquiring an “ Answering Skill

In your address to the Smart India Hackathon ( SIH ) two days ago , you said :

“ It is students who are the drivers of VIKSIT BHARAT and their innovation and zeal can find solutions to the challenges of the world “

It is heartening to note that the 7th SIH is looking at over 259 problem statements such as :

Ø  Enhancing Images of Darker Regions on the Moon

Ø  Developing a real-time Ganga Water Quality Monitoring System using Satellite Data , IoT and Dynamic Models

Ø  Developing a Smart Yoga Mat integrated with AI

While addressing the students , PM Shri Modi said :

“  "We have introduced a new National Education Policy (NEP) to nurture a scientific mind-set. The government is removing roadblocks in the path of the country's youth by introducing reforms," Modi said during his address to more than 1,300 student teams via video conferencing.

"The future of the world will be driven by innovation and knowledge and India's youth today is developing a feeling of ownership towards finding solutions for the country's challenges," he said, adding that the world of the future is going to be driven by knowledge and innovation and youth were India's hope and aspiration in changing situations.

Stressing the need to think out of the box for every challenge in the country's aspirations in today’s time, Modi said the need to incorporate out-of-the-box thinking in our habits in every sector.

Highlighting the speciality of the Hackathon, the PM said its process is important as well as the product.

Adding that there was a time when only the government used to claim to solve the country's problems. However, today, he said, through such Hackathons, students, teachers and mentors are also being connected to solutions.

Dear Shri Pradhan :


In order to “ Institutionalize “  OUT – OF – BOX thinking , I suggest :

Ø  Under NEP , make it MANDATORY for all of our 15 lakh schools to introduce one period ( 45 minutes ) of free-wheeling ASKING of questions in each STANDARD ( from 5th Standard to 12th Standard ) , once a week

Ø  In this period ( Called “ Kaun Banega Dhee-pati “ ? ), teacher will select by rotation , 5 students , who will pose OUT-OF-BOX questions ( like the ones I have listed earlier )

Ø  Again , by rotation , another 5 students will be selected to offer ANSWERS those questions

Ø  Introduce a system of “ RECOGNITION “ for the BEST question and the BEST answer ( of the week – for each class ) and publish the names of the concerned students on the School Notice Board . Give the title “ Dhee-pati of the Week

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

www.My-Teacher.in  /  www.HemenParekh.ai  /  13  Dec  2024

 

 

   

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