Memory - How to learn using it!

I have been reading a lot of textbooks on "Folklore" these days. I find folklores interesting, but textbooks on folklore are anything but folklore. It teaches the concepts used in folklore. So for example, a chapter on Tribes will explain elaborately the definition of tribes and how different anthropologists and sociologist defines it. It also goes on to derive a set of characteristics that will define a "tribe" and also lists a few examples. Folklore strongly relies on storytelling, music and dance but its concepts are pretty boring and passive in that sense. To remember this I make notes. Then I forget. I am especially worried as in future I plan to learn history. And History will have too much of data to remember.

There are two faculties to remembering and reproducing things, as I see it: there is intelligence and there is memory. As we discussed in one of my last blogs on intuitive thinking, the way our memory is structured is both associative and visual. So I wanted to search something for this problem of remembering concepts. Where will I use it? Mostly to blog, and sometimes in exams / assignments.

 

To talk about a topic, we will require both intelligence and memory – Memory to remind you of the topics and its breadth and intelligence to give you a flow to wade through it.

(This might help me in reviewing and analyzing books and movies as well. Mostly the challenge I see with books and movie reviews is to compare (and not in terms of rating) an element of it, say story structure, character arc or cinematography or sound across multiple movies.)

Earlier I had read about concept maps and mind maps. A few days back I saw a client of ours taking notes through mind maps. I think she was the first person I saw using mindmaps for practical purpose. So I started reading a little about mind maps. It is made famous by Tony Buzan (you have a Buzan academy in Pune as well).

It would look like this:

Source :Wikipedia page on Mindmaps

It uses colors, pictures and flow to create visual memory and association. There are many software available for it as well. But I prefer the handwritten way of making it.

Got a book on it as well. It basically tells you how to structure the thoughts and then create a flow through it. I heard concept maps are a good help in defining concepts – mind maps are a derivative of concept maps. If you are using one, please share how helpful it has been. If not find more about it J.

 

Next I heard name of Harry Lorayne. Found out a book that he had written about 20-30 years back, which covers some memory techniques. So started reading that yesterday. Though many of these memory techniques as given in the book sound like gimmicks, I think it might really work. He had given a way to alphabetically remember names of 50 states of United States. I tried that with 28 Indian states and can recall all alphabetically now. It talks of creating links. So for Rajasthan, I might picture a Raja in mind, and for Sikkim – some sikke, and for tamilnadu – a mill. Now if I say “Raja ke sikke Mill mein chupaye” – it can remind me of these 3 states. Substitute a word and form a link.

 

Though not sure how would that kind of thing help, except at times when you need to recall a list.

 

While reading all this, I realized that we had passed on knowledge of Vedas from generation to generation based on memory. How would the recitation and memorization of that work? And that brought me to this page on Wiki, where I realized that they used to read (Path) the shlokas in multiple ways, just to remember it. For example if I want to say, my name is Jay. To memorize it, I can say “My name, name is , is Jay” “My, My name , my name is, My name is jay, Jay is name my, jay is name, Jay is, jay” and they really used such reading techniques to memorize Vedas. It is mind blowing to think of it. I think the practices that we have in Carnatic Classical music also follows the same patterns. For e.g. After learning a raga, you practice the swars for a long time and do many exercises like “Sa Re, Sa Re Ga, Re Ga, Re Ga Ma, Ga Ma, Ga Ma Pa, Ma Pa, Ma Pa Dha ….” And so on. This works in Sanskrit (because meaning is not dependent on order of words), but unfortunately we no longer think in Sanskrit and would help us.

 

So there might be some cases where you want to structure information, you might use a mind map for it. If you want to remember a list – you use the Harry Loryane technique of Loci Method. If you want to remember names / foreign words you use substitute words. The biggest benefit I think that Americans to whom the book is addressed doesn’t have and we have is that we are as a child exposed to atleast 2 and in most cases 3 languages. So our associations in mind are really managed in 3 languages and that really works in making those associative visual memories to remember things. I am sure there are more memory techniques (like memory pegs, style numbers etc.) and I would like to find out a few as and when I go based on the needs.

 

For now, would like to learn how to structure most of my writings. How to analyze most of my readings and how to study by proper note taking.

 

Do share your experiments if you have tried something on these lines.

 

 

Parents Teacher Meeting and An incidence

This weekend I had gone to my son's school for a parent teacher's meeting. My son is four and a half years old.

While we traversed the 10 kms to his school, he constantly kept saying about things on road and how he observes everything everyday. Things like "mere class ka ek ladka is building mein rehta hai" "Mcdonalds junk hota hai" " Ye to meri school ka rasta hai" and so on. He carried his little lego car which he kept driving on my car's dashboard. It is a green and white thing made up of little lego pieces. He is very fond of it.

As soon as we reached the school, we were in his zone. He directed our turns and moves. He told about the dollhouse on the other side of the corridor. And he talked about the stage where they have been rehearsing for "Happy boys and happy girls dance". It was fun to be there. The feel of a school might trigger childhood memories for many. Does not really happen with me.

We were to get the first term assessment of his progress in Jr.KG. Well I wanted to know how he has been, especially as there were issues related to his eating lunch and breakfast , that we had faced in the last term. There was a long queue of parents waiting for their turn. Kids scampered all over the room. As the other kids were not having theri PTM on the same day, they also kept moving back and forth to the adjacent rooms. We saw the projects being displayed on the walls of the class and tried identifying my son's works. He was playing with his car.

"Hey Mimansh", shouted a kid, running to him.

"Ye dekho meri car hai"

"Dikha" and the kid snatched the lego car out of his hands.

Another kid in the meanwhile ran to this new kid, and he started snatching the car from the first kid's hands. The first kid was taller and stronger. The second kid in between the ruckus, asked for help from my son "Mimansh, isko bol na mujhe de"

Mimansh looked at the car helplessly. And then to me.

His mom was watching this all the while and was getting angry. Mimansh could not fight with the two kids. She sternly said Mimansh, "Agar tumhari car ko kuch hua, to I am not going to get it for you. You should know how to keep your things."

I could see the confusion on that little face. He knew not what to do. Good boys dong snatch things. He looked back at me again as I told him,

"Beta, usko bolo, aap khelna chahte ho, wapas karde."

Mimansh went meekly with low voice to him. "mujhe do". The boy looked up at him said "deta hu" and then ran in to the next room. By this time my wife and I were almost having a fight.

"Use apni chizein lena aana chahiye. If he knows to snatch, we can teach him when to snatch. If he doesnt, sab bacche asie hi karenge uske saath hamesha."

Other parents were almost staring at us while we were in that "fight". When we looked back they felt embarrassed as it was thier kids who were fighting with our son.

I remembered a time long ago. On the dusty roads of my town, surendranagar, on a day after playing cricket, two elder kids had picked up a fight with me. I remembered getting dragged by two tyres of an atlas bicycle, while they enacted some movie scene later. I was bruised. I was crying. I could not save my pride. I remembered the day when a few of goons had recently beaten me up for no real fault of mine. I remembered all the bullies that I have been through and all those little times when I had lost a part of my self confidence. All those little defeats that everyone who has got bulllied in his life has gone through. There are worse things, that mind won't like to recall. My heart went to my son.

I called up the other kid. "Yash, beta usko khelna hai. Khelne do. Chhina japti koi nahi karega."

I knew I wouldnot be around everytime. I knew my wife was right that he should fight for his rights. But I could not bring myself to tell him, that he should snatch things from kids. I could not bring myself to say that he should beat up someone, if need be. I fear he will become a bully if I give him that freedom.

It was our turn as we sat in front of teacher. Teacher praised Mimansh a lot- he is obedient, participates in the class, talks to all the kids, loves group activities, is very excited coloring things etc. I told her I have one concern that I did not have before coming here.

"Is he behaving rudely in the class. Does he pick up fight with other kids? has he ever snatched things from others", I asked.

Teacher was surprised that I am asking such a thing. "Ofcourse not. He is the most obedient and understanding kid in the class."

It made me think that if someone fought with him, teacher will scold both and my son would stand there feeling snubbed by both the bully and the teacher. It did not help.

"Ma'm,This is the age when bullies and bullied are defined. I will ensure my son doesnt become a bully. And I want you to ensure no one bullies him in the class. I dont want my son to go through it. Other's might think it is part of becoming "tough" and becoming "practical" in life. I believe that it is our responsibilty that we make the society "practical" and "tough"." She understood and assured me.

I know next time when the bully comes to Mimansh, he would still not fight back. A part of me wishes he does. A part of me wishes, someone who can bully the other kid, explains the other kid bullying is not good.

 

One more vistaar of a Bandish

Just like earlier two requests, got one more in "Charukeshi".

 

Was given the first two lines, wrote the rest.

 

 

कासे कहूँ जियरा मनत नाही,

लाख जतन कर हारी में हारी,

 

सांझ से हूँ, जलती बाति बन,

रात मगर रही कारी ही कारी,

 

अश्रु बहे, मुख स्मित बिखेरे,

याद ये कैसी आई है आई,

 

मृग सी चंचल, काया कस्तूरी,

प्रेम की अग्नि लागी रे लागी,

 

गीत रचे, बीनती कर बहलाया,

जीत वो मन में पाई ना पाई,

 

नभ बरसे, धरती रहे प्यासी,

प्यास तपन की जाई है जाई,

आप मिटे, रह जाए निरंतर,

मीठी नदी बन खारी रे खारी 

Marvels and Flaws of Intutive Thinking

Sometmes when you listen to great thoughts, you are awestruck. Ofcourse you understand what is being said, you dont require special skills to understand it. It is simply put, and still you feel "Why did I not think of it?". It is these kind of ideas that I have started getting fascinated about. And not so surprisingly these ideas are related to cognitive science. Today, I heard a very beautiful lecture by Daniel Kanheman (A Princeton Professor, Author and Nobel Laureate). It was about Intuitive thinking.

 

He described the research he has been doing on the subject. He summarized his 40 years of work in a one hour lecture, and I would try to summarize that one hour lecture in a few lines here. So if you really want to read it all please visit this link and read his books.

 

Coming to the topic, the primary theory was that there are 2 types of thinking we do : Type 1 is the unconscious thinking , as he termed it. And Type 2 is deliberate.

 

The part I loved is, he says, that we see the world in a far more coherent way than the what the world actually is, and that primarily is an outcome of type 1 kind of thinking. He relates Type 1 to perception and says there isn’t a clear sharp line of distinction between intuition and perception. Perception is predictive.

 

Then he gave an example. Read out the following 2 words : Banana                                  Vomit

 

Now what did the words do to you? Within milliseconds of times, the words activates other words, feelings, emotions and thoughts in your mind. Most probably you might have created a causal relationship between the 2 words, i.e. banana caused vomit. And that particular thought / expression does influence your way of thinking or say mood. This he said is “Associative thinking”. Based on our perceptions, our understanding of disjointed facts , our experiences, we co-relate things and create interpretations. Thus he says, reality is different from our interpretation of it, it is far more incoherent. Interpretations are quick and responses are faster especially in case of finding incongruities. For example if I say, “A man got pregnant”, you can immediately identify the issue with the statement. There is a lot of knowledge, and its extraction that goes in to your mind when you identify that anomaly instantly. Think of it, you understand “pregnant”, you understand facts and knowledge around it, and you could judge the validity of the statement, all in a flick. He says – you know a lot more than what you think you do. (Which is pretty much in line with what our Indian scriptures say).

 

An insight I thought here was that language impacts your thinking hugely if this is the case. A few months back I had this discussion with a friend on how language impacts thinking. This was while discussing one of my favorite edge lectures – Encapsulated universe.

 

Now considering both, I think we can derive a few inferences for creative works. This would imply that our understanding of written, visual and audio medium of arts is guided by our intuitive thinking which is natural and fast and then there are films/books that makes subtle inferences that requires deliberate thinking. Works of art evokes emotional as well as intellectual cognitive responses in that sense. And the author / creator of the work, if he understands the cognitive science better he can clearly follow a path to guide his / her audience to a feel or thought he wants to evoke. Language and words and the association people have with it can really play a strong role in it. SO does the visuals.

 

Excellent I sayJ!

 

There is a book that he mentioned in the lecture and I think it might be an interesting read. Joshua Fuer’s “Moonwalking with Einstein” – just in case you are interested.

 

Books and Violence

Have you ever come across a thought about "Power / Powerlessness of writing"? Ofcourse now I understand writing and books better compared to how it was while we were in schools (ironically becasue, I read more now)​, I thought as a child that writing doesnt have the power it generally claims. The whole talk of "Pen being mighter than sword", I thought was fake.

Was hearing a lecture from one of the respected thinkers of today - Steven Pinker, on "History of violence". The lecture makes a case on how we are living currently in one of the most non-violent times that our species has ever seen. It talks about the various facts and figures that goes on to prove it. Post this he delves into the reason and evolution of violence. And also on the reasons on decline for violence.

Now how are books connected to violence? I too never saw both of them connected before this one point which Steven Pinker made, and which I would like to share with you. Firstly , he states that most people thought that violence must be getting reduced due to "affluence". As you earn more, you live better life. As you live better life, you value life more. Then he goes on to negate the point saying that, decline in violence started much earlier, were as affluence was primarily an outcome of industrial revolution.

Over the middle ages, and ofcourse, the data he presents is purely "western" in nature (except their obsession with China), one of the driving forces for violence has been "plunder". Capital punishments were common across all countries. Even offences like "Being seen with Gypsies""Sorcery and witchcraft" etc. were capital offences. He goes on to show that somewhere from the middle of the 18th century to 19th century there was a "humanitarian drive" which reduced violence across world. He gave multiple reasons for this drives. But one of the main he cited was quite interesting.

He said much before the Industrial revolution, there was one form of industry that gained immense effeciency. That of printing. It was during 16th - 19th century that technology of printing and it efficiencies grew many fold. It was then, that more books started getting published. More people read what other's wrote. Writing he said gives you "empathy" or more often "sympathy". You can react in disagreement without really having an option to go violent when you read. Books, he says, created tolerance. Book could transform people. It made people understand other's point of view and appreciate its intricacies. He hence sites this one reason to be one of the major reason for decline in violence.

Books and violence, on a second look, looks quite related !

SO next time you take that pen and start penning down something. Think of it. You might be influencing someone.

 

Like all good dreams - one more for the theme

The alert on the blackberry was blinking red alerting a new mail. Keya noticed it from the kitchen. Milk was boiling on one of the burner while the tiffin made for Riyan was being reheated on the other. Riyan was still asleep; it was already 7:15. To catch the bus at eight, it was time for Riyan to wake up. Keya did not have time to eat anything. She noticed that sink was getting spoiled with the remains of tea that Rohan had made in the morning. Rohan had left before she woke up. She collected the newspaper and kept it on the center table. Below the newspaper , she kept the envelope, she had prepared for paying the newspaper vendor. Rohan should find this easy. The blackberry was still blinking red. It must have been her boss’s mail. It was quarter end and the sales were nowhere near the target. Selling cement to builders is not an easy job. While taking out Riyan’s school dress, she noticed the bag she had prepared the night before. She had already written a note in Riyan’s diary.

Keya went to the bedroom and saw Riyan. He was sleeping over the pillow she had kept for protecting him from falling. Half sprawled over the pillow, with his mouth open; hands flung sideways. He looked like a little statue made by some Italian sculptor. Rohan had always loved Italian movies. Keya remembered how Rohan cried while watching “Life is beautiful” together with her. He used to cry even while watching the silliest of Yash Chopra films. Riyan twitched his nose, as a streak of morning light fell on his face from the slit in between the window curtains. Keya’s motherly affection, brought tears to her eyes. If only she could explain all this to the four year old. Night before, Rohan had told him the story of the shepherd who used to shout “Tiger is here, tiger is here” every day to trouble people. One day tiger actually came and no one believed him. Keya gently kissed him on the cheeks trying to wake him up. He was still dreaming the dreams of the story.

“Baagh aaya momma?” , he asked half asleep. Keya smiled at him. Today was the day of the tiger. Little shepherd did not understand it.

After brushing his teeth, Riyan, had the toast with orange jam. Rohan loved orange Jam as well. In the lunch breaks at the college, Keya remembered Rohan taking out the little bottle of Orange Jam from his bag and using it on the rotis. She remembered noticing that orange Jam bottle on one of their dates as well. He was charming – almost like a dream. Riyan sulked for having to go to school and tried making excuses. Keya smiled, it did not irk her today.

The canal near their college looked beautiful after monsoon. The warm orange light of sun gleamed over the flowing water; she remembered their first kiss there. And she distinctly remembered every little detail of that evening. Memories are so unlike dreams. You hold exact details, of time, of place, of your feelings, of the words being said and words unsaid. You remember the smell of steaming idlis that were shared and the shade of the pink that you wore. Dreams are blurred. They just give you a feeling, more like an intuition.

“Mom, I want to eat a biscuit.”

“No Biscuit, Riyan. It is junk food. You will never eat biscuit every day, you understand me, don’t you?”

Riyan nodded. Keya got him ready and as she closed the door, she saw a scratch on the wooden panel that was made when they got the new dining table. She had been a part of the house, like this furniture, for as long and as well.

Keya started advising Riyan as she picked up him in her arms and started moving towards the school bus stand.

“Look Riyan, don’t trouble your dad. Please eat green vegetables in the dinner. And please no junk food. Take care of your leg when you slide from that stupid slide in the garden. And don’t run too fast on roads.”

Riyan was confused, as he could not understand why mom was telling him all this on the way to the school bus. When the school bus arrived, Keya gave him an unusually big hug. Riyan thought he felt a sob from her mom, while hugging her with his little arms.

“Rohan, I want to be a business woman. One of the best ever.” Dreams are blurred. Best never meant anything.

While she returned from the bus stand, standing alone in the entire house, she looked at the black berry again. It gave the details of the taxi. It was going to arrive in another half an hour.

She started getting her bags out of her cupboard. And as she did it, a small book, with a red ribbon tied around it, fell from behind the suitcase. She remembered it. It was full of memories. It was the diary she wrote when in college. It was full of the dreams that both of them had seen together.

“Today he asked me out. I wish the evening lasts forever”

“His eyelashes are so girlish, long and desirable.”

“If only he would have looked at me a moment longer, I could not have resisted the look.”

There were letter to the diary, Rohan and God in there. One line saying “This is the only wish I will ever want God. Please get my parents ready for this marriage. I dream to die as Rohan’s wife.”

A tear trickled down her cheeks and fell on the diary. She took the red sketch pen of Riyan lying on the table beside and scribbled on the last page.

“Marriage was like all good dreams that come true. When you live it you know it was not what it looked like. You know it will end.”

 

Gadgets : No it is not a technology blog

Finally, without really trying to do it :), I now am a user of gadgets using all the 4 major OS - Ipod Touch (a prize from the client), Lava :) Android Tablet, Blackberry (office) and a windows phone. I got smarter by buying a phone this weekend (Lumia 520), which will phase out my age old treasured, Micromax Ezpad (red coloured QWERT phone :)) after more than 3 years. I still like that phone, just that had to buy something that has better sound quality. This also brings me back to a better "branded" product after a long time. Am a big fan of cheap androids, I still am. I think technology will change the way we consume information - though currently I feel we are lost in technology and it will take some time to find a path.

 

 

Think of it, what do you use your smart phone / gadget for ? I feel sad, when I see 4 people sitting on a restaurant table like a family and all having their heads in their mobiles. I also feel sad when I see that in buses (though I must agree I am no different in buses). Think of it, how our times for our "friends" have reduced in person, and has drastically increased on facebooks and whatsapp? confession : I am afraid of looking at the world with glasses made of social media(you know things like, what a location, this will make a perfect facebook pic). And I am scared of whatsapp, that was one of the reason I was shying away from smart phones. It is as addictive as angry birds and temple runs. I hope I am able to keep as much away from it as I can.

 

 

Will try and compare the 4 OS some other day, currently am happy. The best thing (and it doesnt sound right to pick this one up), that I thought the windows phone adds to my gadgets is a steamable music store :) which earlier ones were lacking. Listening to Dhoop from Ramleela, god bless Sanjay Leela Bhasali. I have loved his films and his kind of music. Now that i have digressed, let me add another update from the weekend. Finished shooting for "Nomen" (refer the blog before the previous one) - Very happy. Watching it on laptop, realized that there are a few shots very clearly amateurish, but that is fine - we are amateurs. And yes, Navratri is going fabulos.