Author Archives: Purnendu Ghosh

We forget when we are unable to retrieve a memory. When we create new memory, old memory begins to fade and disappear. We forget because of the competition between stored memories; similar information causes greater competition. Often an old memory makes it more difficult to remember a new memory. It also happens that our previouslyContinue reading “FORGET ME NOT”

We do many things unknowingly. We often undertake journeys without any purpose. We take such journeys in the hope of solving problems independently of previously acquired knowledge. This complex human ability, referred to as ‘fluid intelligence’, is considered one of the important factors in learning. The proposition Mackenzie made more than two centuries ago wasContinue reading “ABSOLUTE IGNORANCE TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE”

If your child wants attendance in school without attending classes, he or she will get it. Some schools are run only for this purpose. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to follow traffic rules. The protectors of traffic rules will protect you. If you want to visit a busy temple, and you don’tContinue reading “IN A PRICE-TAG SOCIETY”

Caregiving makes us more humane. By building humanity the caregiver humanises the world. But caregiving is not easy. It takes a largely unrecognized psychological toll. Still we care to give it, because it is a fulfilling activity. The expectations and responsibilities of caregiving are very demanding. Patience, tact, diplomacy and compassion are essential elements ofContinue reading “CAREGIVING”

The Blind Age When the dark age comes The world gets covered With the clouds of despair and terror Blind hatred and blind love rules the world Both, the winner and the loser, get defeated Disturbs the peace of the world The earth gets damaged With every age, comes along a blind age In everyContinue reading “The Blind Age”

Andha Yug, Dharamvir Bharati’s landmark book, set in the last days of the Mahabharata war, was written in the years following the partition of India. It speaks about destruction, not only of human lives, but also of ethical values. In Mahabharata, both the victor and the vanquished loose eventually. HG Wells tells the story ofContinue reading “IN THE BLIND AGE”

Expert is a person who is capable of making mistakes even in his narrow field of expertise. An expert knows more about the future of others than their past or their present. An expert knows all the answers – if you ask the right questions. The members of the expert committee possess different expertise, butContinue reading “EXPERT”

People who are eager to tell too much about themselves, also have similar eagerness to know about others. All professors seem to believe in the logic Oscar Wilde propounded, “I like to do all the talking myself. It saves time, and prevents arguments.” One likes to talk to beautiful minds. The beholder sees the beautyContinue reading “ART OF CONVERSATION”

It is not always right to believe that work is virtuous. Bertrand Russell tells the story of Naples  beggars. The laziest beggar who did not even care to pick the coin thrown at him got the coin. And we all know that a workaholic is not necessarily a valued employee. It seems wherever there isContinue reading “IN PRAISE OF IDLENESS”

There comes a time when in twilight hours one likes to retrace the trail of footprints from the edge of today to the precinct of yesterday. I did so after 50 years of my journey in academic and professional world. I revisited the thoughts that guided me, recalled the events that changed the course ofContinue reading “NOSTALGIC IMPRINT”