Pratik Poddar

A Prof's idea of Happiness (This is a mail an IIT prof sent his class after he taught them the course. It's an amazing read.) Here are some comments on the Happiness assignment. I will begin by describing some of the major issues raised in your essays. I will then describe why I gave this assignment -- why I think more students should relate happiness and academics. Then I will talk about job satisfaction and competition. WHAT YOU WROTE: SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS First, the most important source of happiness reported by many, many people were family ties -- happiness in just being with your parents/siblings as well as enjoying specific family events and get togethers. As it turns out, this also tops the list of what makes me happy. A number of people did say that academics/solving problems gives them a kick and in general makes them happy. Several also said that accomplishment makes them happy. These two are of course different -- you may be happy with accomplishment because it is...

1. What is height of Fashion? A. Dhoti with a zip . 2. What is height of Secrecy? A. Offering blank visiting cards. 3. What is height of Active laziness? A. Asking for a lift to house while on a morning walk. 4. What is height of Craziness? A. Getting a blank paper Xeroxed. 5. What is height of Forgetfulness? A. Seeing the mirror and trying to recollect when you saw him / her last. 6. What is height of Stupidity? A. A man looking through a keyhole of a glass door. 7. What is height of Honesty? A. A pregnant woman taking one and a half ticket. 8. What is height of Suicide? A. A dwarf jumping from the footpath on the road. 9. What is height of De-hydration? A. A cow giving milk powder......

Conversation between GOD and ME God : Hello. Did you call me? Me : Called you? No.. Who is this? God : This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat. Me : I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the midst of something. God : What are you busy at? Ants are busy too. Me : Don’t know. But I cant find free time. Life has become hectic. It’s rush hour all the time. God : Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results. Activity consumes time. Productivity frees it. Me : I understand. But I still can’t figure out. By the way, I was not expecting YOU to buzz me on instant messaging chat. God : Well I wanted to resolve your! Fight for time, by giving you some clarity. In this net era, I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with. Me : Tell me, why has life become complicated now? God : Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated. Me : why are we then constantly unhappy? ...

So, here I am.. its cool...