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Empathy must be cultivated

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E MPATHY does not develop in a person naturally; rather, it needs to be cultivated, as per Steven Pinker in his book "The Better Angels of Our Nature". Empathy must not be confused with sympathy. One can be sympathetic to people in challenging situations like physically challenged people who beg for money or elderly homeless people or those living in slums, etc. Empathy is an altogether different emotion or act. One of my friends in Cuttack distributes chocolates and storybooks to children living in a slum near his place, feeding stray dogs daily with biscuits bought from a local paan shop, as exemplified by the Principal of Biju Patnaik Institute of Information Technology and Management, (BIITM), Bhubaneswar , Dr. Mihir Ranjan Nayak or another friend of mine who has taken a stray dog as a pet instead of a specific expensive breed in Bangalore. These can be considered acts of empathy. There are numerous examples I have come across. There is a Bhubaneswar-based NGO th...
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Power of choice

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HATE him or love him, you simply can't stop admiring Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT - Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, KISS and KIMS, Bhubaneswar.

He gives people a choice, unlike stodgy institutions like IITs, IIMs and top private MBA institutes ...be it air-conditioned hostels in his University at a higher cost for those whose parents can afford or Superspeciality AC Hospital block at KIMS for patients who can pay for convenience of quick consultation.

If people can afford convenience, he is willing to go the extra mile.

I went to consult a doctor at KIMS today, choices were:

Go to OPD and wait with 40 patients to get free doctor consultation

ALTERNATIVELY

Visit the doctor at Superspeciality Ward by paying a few hundred rupees and get an AC ambience, proper seating and few patients...

I chose the latter as I was short of time as a working pro and could afford Rs 500.

Same principle in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. Pay Rs 350 and get Darshan in 4-5 hours

ALTERNATIVELY

Pay Rs 10K and have Darshan in 30 minutes.

I feel in our capitalist, over-populated democracy, people should have a choice.

Nobody complains about it in the West but in our country hypocrites lambast these choices! They scream commercialization, fleecing common man, inequity, partiality towards the rich, etc.

INSTANCE OF NO CHOICE

A top B School charges Rs 30 lakhs for MBA and does not provide AC hostels.

Next year after some parents complained they are hiking the MBA fee to Rs 35 lakhs and would be providing AC hostel rooms to all the students.

THIS IS NOT A CHOICE!!!

This B School is forcing all students to pay Rs 35 lakhs, there might be parents who wouldn't mind Non-AC hostels due to reasons of affordability!

YOU ARE NOT PROVIDING A CHOICE!!! 

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