Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Shoot Ban the Messenger.

With reference to the Karnataka state government’s ban on mobile phone usage by children under 16, Vani Surendra, headmistress of Jnana Mitra School says “It is good. Nowadays many students are losing interest in studies as they are busy using the mobile.”

Now I’m not in favour of having classes disrupted by shrill ring-tones – it is very annoying, especially when you’re trying to sleep - but I can’t help feeling that this poor, delusional headmistress has completely missed the point. Blaming mobile phones for students’ lack of interest in their studies*, is as daft as blaming them for the increase in under-age sexual activity.

I blame the decadent west! Corrupting our good Indian values like that. Tsk!


*And of course, the hideously outdated curricula with teachers to match, have nothing to do with it at all.

6 comments:

Revealed said...

I blame the West, too. Those cultureless chappies!! Don't even understand the efficacy of a strategically placed sari pallu. Dumbnuts!

Anonymous said...

I guess they could allow mobiles in classrooms provided they are kept on silent mode.

Anonymous said...

Warning: A mixing of metaphors will follow.

Whenever I hear stuff like this, it reinforces the feeling that India is indeed a strange brew. A pousse-cafe of overbearing nanny-state socialism poured over a slavishly feudal substrate.

Often toxic and always heady.

JugHead said...

Thank You M'am.

iz said...

You need to live here man! That's when you get the really juicy bushisms our ministers keep dishing out!

Smokin Joe said...

I think you've missed a point here. THink on the behalf of the headmistress, what better reason could have convinced their parents of doing it? Got any?