Recently, Venkatraman Ramkrishnan, a scientist from USA was awarded Nobel for his splendid work in the field of Chemistry. He shared this award with two other scientists - one, another Americal and the one from Israel.
On receiving this information, our media in India went overboard to display it as pride for our country and its people. The leading newspapers and news channels presented this news as if this country has achieved something exceptional. The response of the people was no different from the media. Some called it as great pride of the Nation and some calling it as a milestone for the science in India.
But, i ask you - was it so? Was it a milestone for the science in India? Ok, let me ask you rather less important question - was this award for an Indian born scientist or to a scientist of USA?
Fed-up with uncalled for spilling of his inbox with congratulatory messages from India, Mr. Venkataraman even went so far as to write a piece for an English daily in India asking to stop that non-sense. For him, as we can infer from his write-up, his Indian origin does not hold any significance in his work, for that he received Nobel. Although he accepted contribution of Baroda University in his education, but he clearly distanced himself from giving any credit to his country of birth in his success.
I think that whatever he wrote and said, had a valid point. After all, if a person, say from Kolkata, comes to Delhi to build his career, should he entirely credit W Bengal in his success, if he achieve any significant success in his life living in Delhi? As far as my personal opinion is concerned, i would give credit to the place or state or country where i have achieved success. For me, it is equal to giving credit to your Karm rather than your inheritance. Afterall, one moves from one place to another only when the former doesn't have any opportunity for growth. So, if a place does not offer opportunity for growth, then why give credit to that place?
I do agree that the place where you were brought up plays a significant part in one's overall personality development, but just because of this factor if one denies credit to Karmabhoomi or place of action, will be equal to step-motherly treatment to the one who hold your hands when you needed the most.
This also raises a more widespread problem in this globalized world where people move from one place to another within a country and one country to another country for career. If a person is moving within a country, nobody will make hue and cry as was made out to be in the case of Venky, but what about those people who have moved out to another country for better opportunities? Should they be identified with country of their origin or country of their action?
hi
ReplyDeletepoints raised by u is very important. If one wish not to give any credit to his mother country or to his alma matar, then it is totly his personal opinon. to me, institutions which prepared me to face the challanges of life have also a very important place in my life. They have made my very base, and foundations which altimetly clnverted in my personality. How i could forget the contribution made by my childhod teachers who thaught me the basic alfabets through which i am writing any news.