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Video Information: NIT-Warangal, 30.03.2022, Greater Noida, India

Context:
What is real definition of work?
What is meant by work-life integration?
What is work?
What is real work?
What is the difference between labour and work?

Music Credits: Milind Date
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Category

📚
Learning
Transcript
00:00Namaste Acharya ji. So myself Anil Kumar Singh, I am right now pursuing my master's final
00:09year from National Institute of Technology Warangal. So actually, I will be studying
00:14for a PhD in the United States of America at the University of Minnesota. Just after
00:19four months, I will be starting my PhD. So first thing first, it's a long program. And
00:25I think it could have a social culture impact on my understanding. So coming to the question,
00:31like it is actual for settling abroad. Obviously, I'm going for study, but I'm talking about
00:36actually the settling abroad by like, my motivation for now is to come back to India after completing
00:43my studies. For now, it's my motivation. However, when I tell to my teachers, my parents and
00:49my relatives about it, so they usually tell me that you will definitely stay there. Because
00:54I spoke with one of my teachers the day before yesterday, I spoke with him. And he had returned
00:59from a postdoctoral fellowship from Israel. He is a very experienced guy. So he said that
01:03it is extremely rare for people to return to their country and most students stay there.
01:08So if I conclude my question, like being a nationalist, how can I contribute to my nation,
01:14either by coming back to India or being settled there myself? Like if you see Mahatma Gandhi
01:19studying abroad, coming back to India and helping the nation, then what should be my
01:24motivation to come back to my mother country after completing my studies?
01:28There's too many assumptions, too many definitions in the question. I cannot just admit those
01:46assumptions and definitions and base my answer on that. What is nationalism? What is this love
01:57for mother country you are talking of? So in my respect, like, I am a research
02:03aspirant and I have to do something on anti-cancer drug and something. So for me,
02:08it's like kind of designing something, a product, maybe a pharmaceutical something,
02:12which can be cheaply available and that can afford all the sets of people and can cure any
02:19sort of diseases. So you want to bring those useful technologies to the people of India?
02:28Definitely sir. If I could learn something from there, definitely I would.
02:32Alright. What stops you then? Sir, I think the financial aspects and they
02:41give some all sorts of facilities, especially the research things and economical, mental,
02:47peace and all those things. Work ethics, the culture, work culture I heard of in US and even
02:54when I used to discuss with my relatives and the people who are already experienced and went for
02:59the studies, they usually tell that your mentality will be impacted in the long course of life.
03:04I am not getting it. You want to bring those technologies to the people of India, wonderful.
03:11What stops you? So you go there, you complete the program, right? And that empowers you
03:19and using your knowledge and your resources and your network,
03:24you then bring those benefits to the Indian people. What stops you?
03:28Sir, I think like they say usually in the discussion sort of people, they say that.
03:36I do not know what they say. Thousand people say a thousand things. You tell me what stops you?
03:43Sir, I think their financial aspect and the respect to the research and culture and both.
03:47What do you mean by financial aspect? What do you mean by financial aspect? You have knowledge,
03:52you have a postgraduate degree, rather what a doctorate? Yes. And India is no more a starving
04:03nation. There is enough money here as well. So what do you mean by the financial aspect exactly?
04:13Sir, like if you say about the earning things, I mean respect of the work culture they provide.
04:21No, no, no. Work culture. Work culture will come to, first of all the financial thing.
04:26What do you mean by the financial aspect? Is that what stops you? How?
04:32Sir, I think that might stop me. I am not sure about that because it is a fancy.
04:37How can we just speculate about something without knowing it? What do you mean by a financial
04:46aspect to the blockage? How much money do you need? And will that money not be available in
04:53India? Available sir. So, there can presumably be no financial aspect. Why is this still a concern
05:04with you? If you want to come here, money is hardly a problem. Greed can be a problem. Money
05:12is not a problem. Money and greed are not the same thing. The money that you need is definite.
05:25Greed is obviously indefinite. So, money is taken care of. What next?
05:35I think the research facilities, the facilities they do provide, like the instrumentation
05:40facilities and the research arena, the work culture they do provide for the respect for
05:48resource things and the funding they do provide on the project, we work on that.
05:55I am not sure about that. See, I do not know your field. So, I do not exactly know
06:01the kind of disparity in research avenues in your field between the US and India.
06:11So, I cannot really comment on that. But what I know is that India is fast catching up.
06:20Every five years things are changing. Today things are not what they were like in 2015 or 17.
06:34So, the gap is narrowing. Another five years the gap would be still narrower.
06:42And not only does the gap narrow down on its own, we do require able people to consciously
06:52narrow down the gap. First of all, there are the market forces that bridge the gap
07:02that bridge the gap. And then there are people.
07:07Think of, let us say, somebody like Homi Jehangir Baba.
07:14Think of all the architects of the Indian technological renaissance, post-independence.
07:25India hardly had any facilities, any institutions.
07:30They helped build it up. They did not find facilities, they created facilities.
07:41So, I obviously do not want to put the onerous task of developing an institution on you.
07:51I am just saying that India is in a position where institutions are being created,
07:59institutions are being empowered.
08:05Indians want to be among the best, especially when it comes to science and technology and research.
08:12Why not contribute to the Indian quest?
08:19So, but that is, you see, an individual decision. You can choose between the
08:27comfort and the ready-made facilities that the U.S. offers, or you could choose between the
08:34chaos and the conflict. Go for that. And as you go for that, be a part of the building a process.
08:54It depends on your love. That is why that was the first question I asked you.
09:00What do you mean by love for the mother country, in your own words, and nationalism?
09:10You must be clear about that. What is a nation? Is the nation really a valuable entity?
09:18And if you know about nationalism, if you understand India,
09:27you will also know whether India deserves to be served.
09:37And then the decision would be easier.
09:39And then the decision would be easier.
09:47Right? People don't return because they never belonged in the first place.
09:55It's not as if they went away. They were actually never here.
09:59Just being coincidentally born at a certain place does not make you a native.
10:10To be an Indian is a tough ask.
10:16I do not think of India as having 140 crore Indians.
10:22That's the population of the state. That's not the number of Indians.
10:34You want to have an official stat, you could say, well, demographics 140 crore. That's all right.
10:42You want to have an official stat, you could say, well, demographics 140 crore. That's all right.
10:51Indians really, however, are probably no more than a few hundred alive, maybe a few thousand,
11:03and an equal number dead.
11:07And these Indians are scattered all over the world.
11:13And many of them have never even once come to the geographical position called India.
11:25They are still Indians.
11:33So you have to know India. You have to know India.
11:42Just by being born here, you won't develop love.
11:55You can develop some kind of an attachment to your territory, but that is not love.
12:03An attachment does not have great power. So when America leaves,
12:09its attachment is overpowered, and people fly away and settle in the US.
12:20I repeat, just by being born somewhere in India, you do not become an Indian. You do not really
12:30grow love for India, because love requires understanding.
12:34So towards India is mostly about cheering the Indian cricket team
12:44or sloganeering against rival countries.
12:55That's not what nationalism is.
12:59If you just want to return to the place where you were born,
13:07there is nothing great or sublime in this desire, this intention.
13:13Being territorial is something all animals have.
13:21All animals in existence have a certain feeling for the environment,
13:30for the environment, for the environment, for the environment.
13:34All animals in existence have a certain feeling for their own territory.
13:45So there is nothing great about the desire to return to your birthplace.
13:54If India is just the birthplace of your body to you, then there is nothing great about it.
14:03There is nothing special in India. What is India really? Figure that out and then you will know whether
14:11it is of importance to serve India.
14:22And when you know something is important, then you devise means.
14:27Then you need not necessarily be present within the geographical limits of India.
14:35You probably could be anywhere.
14:40Equally, you need not be at other places for reasons of greed.
14:48A missionary travels across the world.
14:51A missionary travels across the world.
14:57That's very different from somebody migrating to another place
15:04in search of better financial opportunities.
15:09You understand the difference between a missionary and a migrant?
15:15Missionaries too are globe trotters.
15:19They leave their birthplace.
15:29Is it all too abstract?
15:42I am not even attempting to solve it in these 5-10 minutes.
15:46I just want to begin a process for you.
15:54Think on these things.

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