The power of the Nobel...

so a super-senior (from the batch that will receive their degrees tomorrow) was speaking out her mind to me last night...and thus she spake, " I dunno...I am just not feeling upto it for convocation...we were all so excited that Amartya Sen was coming for our convo...but now..it's just some professor from JNU...i mean the last batch had Abdul Kalam coming ( at this point i was thinking, "but Abdul Kalam goes for most occassions that he is invited to around the country..he is like the most accessible president we have ever had...")

and she continues, "...nobody even knows utsa patnaik..why couldn't they get someone else...i mean this is such a 'one-day in our lifetime thingy'...."

I just smiled and went back to my room to sleep...and i couldn't sleep so i was thinking and thus i thought,"so..is it really about having amartya sen over for the convo or is it about having Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen over for the convo? is it about the one guy who changed the way the world rationalised human hunger and deprivation? or is it about having clicked a pic with the Nobel Laureate for your convo, so that the photo dominates your shelf and you can show it off to future generations to come..."

and then i thought about what Amartya Sen himself had to say about winning the Nobel, "It's just a title that overrates my achievements...but it's something that helped me start two trusts in India for education"

and then i fell asleep almost immediately...