Theory and Practice

I met my friend with his daughter the other day. I knew his daughter was a good dancer. She had recently participated in state level dance competition. So as usual, I was curious to know how she performed in the competition. With a lots of disappointment on her face she said, “First 2 rounds I cleared. Third one they didn't allow me to get through, they are all biased”. To console her, I just said “Participation is important, winning is secondary”. Her response was quick “I guess. In theory. Hope in practice also.”

I cannot forget my first job interview. I went through relevant details about the company - what is the turn over, how many employees, what are their products and services etc etc. I also went through “dos” and “donts” while appearing for an interview –take a deep breath, take seat only once you are asked to do, have a smiling face, greet all while entering the room, look at every member of the panel while speaking, speak slowly and clearly, do not show any haste to get out of the room once the interview is over etc. My time came. There were 12 “grey hair” people sitting in the interview panel. First four steps went as I planned, sat on the chair and greeted all of them. I was waiting for the first question, “how many aircraft our company manufactured this year”, or a similar question like that!

“What is the longest distance you have ever traveled”, this was their first question taking clue from the only hobby that I wrote in my form which was “traveling!” I didn't want to leave any column blank! Totally unexpected, on a back foot, taken aback I could think of only god then. I said “Tirupati”! I could hear the laugh from them which made me forget all the theory I mugged up for preparing for the interview. Interview just went on, I didn't even remember whether if I had used 5% of the tips I picked up from books. And I ran out of the room soon they told me, “It is all over”! I thought it was all over for me, but I got the job !!!

Theory behind is definitely somebody should know. My friend is knowledgeable in all fields. You ask him how planes roll or pitch or yaw he will tell you how it is achieved. You ask him how temperature is maintained in a space shuttle, he will tell you. If you ask him as what is the difference between a petrol engine and a diesel engine, he has the answer. Well read person. I saw him one evening stranded in the parking lot in front of his car. It seems he had kept the head lights on for the whole day and the battery got drained. Obviously the car could not start. I told him “I will push the car, you can push start it”. He replied “Why don’t you do that, I will push the car, I don’t know how to start it sitting inside”. A few practical undocumented tips will be of great help, even if one knows the theory well.

Namboodiri was traveling alone in a boat. Namboodiri asked the boatman whether he knows the funda behind boat, how its shape is arrived, why it is able to float, how it turns left and right as he paddles and so on. Boatman replied, I just learnt rowing seeing my dad doing it. I do not know much about the boat. Namboodiri retorted “fool, when any boat repair comes what will you do ? Will you not be ashamed of depending someone else?” By that time the boat reached in the middle of the river. The boatman asked the Namoodiri, “Sir, do you know swimming?” Namboodiri replied “ I have read as how one can float in water, how one can move forward peddling legs and moving hands, but I never tried it myself,  by the way why are you asking this?”. Boatmen was quick in responding as they both were running out of time “ Then sir you need to be a bit ashamed now. You have to depend on me to reach ashore, the boat is going to sink in 2 minutes !!” . Yes, theory needs to be practiced!

I am sure almost all of you while learning driving a car (not automatic gear shift, but the manual), you would have looked at the speedometer while shifting the gear. Neutral while starting, first as it starts moving, second at 10 KMPH, third at 25 KMPH and fourth at 45 KMPH, the instructor would have told you. Some people would know the theory behind it, someone like me would not know it ! In either case, your focus would be to shift the gear at the right speed forgetting who or what is in front of your car at that moment. But as you drive now so confidently, do you ever look at the speedometer while changing the gear? For that matter do you really bother if somebody is very close to your car from front or at the back ! Practice makes you “over prefect”!

Practice with no theory may not end in desirable results at times.

In a tribal area, they found that all new born babies are totally bald, no hair on their heads. The medical welfare team visited the place and provided the parents with a herbal oil that needs to be applied once in the morning. They had given enough stock for 3 months. To demonstrate how it should be applied, they used a pot and applied oil on its surface. Three months down the line, the team visited again to see the effectiveness of the oil. Not a single kid having a single hair on it head ! But the team found pots all over the place with shining surfaces due to applying oil everyday ! The folks there blindly followed what the medical team had demonstrated with no knowledge of theory behind it.

Some intelligent people may ask me, why that medical team used pot as demo piece, why didn't they use actual head of one of the newborns. Genuine question!. The medical team could not do it because what I told so far was fiction. If you want to know the true story and real reason behind it then please read on!

-          The problem was not baldness, problem was rise in population

-          The demo piece was not pot, the demo piece was bamboo sticks

-          Solution was not using oil, but it was commonly used contraceptive for men

-          They had returned after 10 months, not after 3 months

-          What they saw was not bald heads but many more newborns with curly black hair

-          What they saw was not shining pots, but it was lots of bamboo sticks scattered around wearing those contraceptives !!!!

Enough said. Yes, both theory and practice should go hand in hand and both are equally important.

Have a super Sunday !