Tag: higher education

He Finished His Tea, and Then Held My Hand

He said, “You can go ahead. But I will live till 100 years at least.” He fell ten years short of his own promise. Remembering Dr. D. Y. Patil — Dada — and a photograph he would not allow to be taken until he had finished his tea.

In memory of Dr. D. Y. Patil — “Dada” — 22 October 1935 to 4 August 2026

We lost Dada today.

I met him for the first time on 25 April 2018, the day I joined as the founding Vice Chancellor of D Y Patil International University, Akurdi, Pune. I had gone to him with a request. At the time I was working on digital avatar technology, and I wanted to build a digital avatar of Dada — to preserve his voice, his presence, his way of speaking to young people, for the generations of students who would come long after him.

He listened. Then he smiled and said, “You can go ahead. But I will live till 100 years at least.”

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Your Child Is a Lead: The Trade in Honest Applicants

She filled in the form honestly. Her details were sold before anyone read it. She was called by someone who sounded official and steered somewhere she had not chosen. At no point did her family attempt anything dishonest — and at no point did the system protect them.

In my last piece I wrote about parents who go looking for a shortcut, and about the ecosystem that has grown up to sell them one. There is a fair objection to that piece: most parents never make that call. What about them?

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