WORDS OF WISDOM & MISCELLANY: A Collection

Transcription

1 WORDS OF WISDOM & MISCELLANY: A Coection HARKISHAN SINGH ASSOCIATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL TEACHERS OF INDIA H.Q.: Rajajinagar, Bengauru Secretariat/Communication Address: Secretary, APTI: Krupanidhi Coege of Pharmacy Chikkabeandur, Carmearam Post, Varthur Hobi, Bengauru Emai: aptienquiry@gmai.com, apti.headquarters@gmai.com Home page:

2 BOOK REVIEW Book Tite: Words of Wisdom & Misceany: A Coection Author: Professor Harkishan Singh Year: 2017 Pages: 771 Pubisher: Association of Pharmaceutica Teachers of India, Bengauru

3 Prof. (Dr.) S. K. Jain Words of Wisdom and misceany: A coection written by Dr. Harkishan Singh is a magnificent compiation of various proverbs, anecdotes, proverbs, description of wise advice, concise pieces of sagacity written by eoquent and prominent writers and poets across the word. It is an incredibe piece of writing as far as the content is concerned; it has been perfecty compied together in a singe book. Numerous motivationa, scientific quotes have been jotted down with a perfect bend of Urdu poetry (both inspirationa and amenting) and misceaneous. The author has described thoughts by various eminent Urdu poets ike Mirza Ghaib, Mohammad Iqba, Kaifi Azmi, Ustad Daman, Hafeez Jaandhari, Ahmad Faraz etc. in the form of quotes. A short biography of these poets has aso been portrayed in the book. After each section, few important questions aong with their answers have been provided incuding significant matters ike goba warming, stem ce banking etc. The author has very we discussed about the various persuasive writers ike Munshi Premchand, Kushwant Singh, Nobe aureates ike Ernest Rutherford, Rabindranath Tagore, Mother Teresa. This book is a wonderfu compiation of proverbia expressions, anecdotes and various misceaneous items which may entertain and motivate the readers to incucate wisdom. Reviewed by Prof. (Dr.) S. K. Jain Dean Dr. Harisingh Gour Centra University, Sagar, M.P

4 Dr. N.K. Jain This engthy book dedicated to another egendy scientist and researcher, Dr. Nityanand represents a massive coection of anecdotes, poetic notes, proverbia expressions, and misceaneous items, etc over neary haf a century by the ony Padma Shri awardee Pharmacist, Prof. Harkishan Singh; a renowned and esteemed teacher, scientist, researcher and a down to earth human being. I have been fortunate enough to have interacted severa times. We often think imagine about the hobbies, personaity traits, phiosophica and even spiritua preferences of our roe modes but such information is rarey avaiabe directy from the source. Everybody is carried/governed /infuenced by the 'words of wisdom' in his own right. Words of Wisdom and Misceany: A Coection is not a biography of a great man but provides a dep journey which the author might have traversed in shaping his personaity and character. Severa quotations from wiser and infuentia peope in a waks of ife, not ony science; cippings from papers, magazines and scientific journas; inspiring stories, sher-o-shairy; history, poitics and much more comprising the misceany (covering Engish, Hindi and Urdu ); are the brief assortment the author has seectivey incuded in the book. Coecting usefu information and jotting it down untiringy over few decades is an arduous task which ony a person of the caiber of Prof. Singh can perform. Overa the book provides an interesting reading materia different from author's other scientific and research pubications and might inspire the younger generations in aiming, shaping and achieving their destiny. Readers shoud eagery ook forward to future pubications from the same author entited "My Seective Readings". Reviewed by Dr. N.K. Jain Emeritus Feow (U.G.C.) Schoo of Pharmaceutica Sciences Rajiv Gandhi Technica University Airport Bypass Road, Gandhi Nagar, M.P.

5 Dr. Ramesh K. Goya If some great personaity is asked about the secret of his success', One may say 'wife' 'some women cose to him', oving mentor', 'popuar poitician' or bureaucrat or a particuar book or an incidence in ife that was a ife changer or so on. But a these may be an impusive answer refecting some emotions. To get the answer from an accompished personaity ike the first Padma Shree of Pharmacy, a great scientist, a popuar teacher, a personaity with human heart, a oving famiy member, a person who oved equay more a profession and on the top of that one and the ony true historian and history writer in pharmacy" in India ike Prof. Harkishan Singh; it is not at a easy. We after reading twice the atest book "Words of wisdom & Misceany: A coection" by Prof. Harkishan Singh, I can probaby answer the question of secrecy of his success. Let me te honesty, I did not read twice, because I was just attracted to see the book but I ost my notes made after I read the book in fight. So I had to read it again because my friend Prof. Raman Dang insisted to send the review. I vividy remember, my first notes. I found this book refecting mutifarious personaity of Prof. Harkishan Singh; something other than a Pharmacy teacher with a passion for science and for research and interest th in iterature; poems and jokes from writing of Confucious of BC and 18 century to Mirza Gaib, Kushwant Singh of 20th century. He aso used the writings of different anguages ike Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Engish ike Wiiam Shakespeare, Herbert Shofied, Robert Frost. He incuded poets or writers of not ony India and Pakistan ike Qatee Shifai, but aso of other countries. There are writings of Giani Zai Singh, Wans Shah of Punjabi in addition to those from Scotand Perssian. Famous personaities ike Rabinra Nath Tagore were aso there. Prof. Harkishan Singh incuded profusey the writings of Mirza Ghaib, but aso of ess popuar writers ike King Bahadur ShahZafar, Mr. Tag, Mr. Sundarshan Fakir, Iqba, Amrita Pritam, Jigar Jaandhar, Bhagwan Singh, Qadin, Soha Hashmi, Akbar Iahabadi, Kaifi Azmi Sufi., Buney Shah Sahir Ludhians and the ist goes on. I aso remember from my first time reading muti-subject coverage in the Words of wisdom'.this is not ony coection of iterature of inguistics but aso commerce, management, environment, sports poitics, socioogy and practicay from a discipines of sciences ike mathematics, physics, geography, geoogy, bioogy, chemistry, engineering and ist goes on. Foowing subjects can be seen in the book: Some of the interesting writings, rarey avaiabe can be seen for Human Rights (p233), Traffic rues basis for car

6 distance(p 281), Engish Grammar with confusing Engish words(p:329), Biotechnoogy(p ), Nobe aureares ike H. S. Khorana, Mother Terresa; Sports (p:394, 426,579), Geographica names (p401,459,488), Mathematics (p 408), Heathy food (p489), Environment(p 497), Botany (p 527,600,734), Language spoken(p 670), Reigion (p719), Women power (p540, 552), Einsten (p541) and Heritage (p646). However, after reading the book for second time, I got a together a different understanding and this was nothing but a secret of success and secret of Prof. Harkishan Singh being so accompished. If someone asks me why a teacher athough knows much more than an industriaist, he/she cannot earn more money but an industriaist. The reason is a teacher possess a the weath of knowedge ideas but coud not impement in practice however an industriaist impements may be a very few ideas but earns money. One can not underestimate the importance of a teacher. On page 4 quotation from a Chinese poet Kuan-tzy speaks at this book voumes concept of significance of a teacher. " If you give a man a fish, he wi have a singe mea If you teach him how to fish, he wi eat a his ife First 80 pages of this book ceary refect that Prof. Harkishan Singhthoroughy practiced principes of pedagogy in his ife through reading and coecting quotes or words of vision. Some of my picks of quotes from this book are as foows: Bessed are they who hunger and thirst after knowedge' by EE Reid (Chemist John Hopkins University, USA) Essence of ife is the earning of facts, but the asking of questions, not memorizing, but wondering not being tod but trying to find out. By Eizabeth A Wood. Knowedge required must be transmitted or it dies knowedge required and transmitted must be used or it becomes sterie and inert. The three missions of the university: Acquisition, transmission and use of knowedge are as organicay reated as are three aspects of knowedge. Water S Guthmann. Science is buit up with facts, as have is stones but a coection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones in a house. By Jues Henn Peincare. Design of seective drugs are not seethe the imitations of arsenic chemistry but by ignorance of ce bioogy. It is characteristic of science and progress that they continuay open new fieds to our vision' by Louis Pasteur. I personay fee and rather restrict mysef bring concusion to the review, by saying that ten more books can be written if "Words of wisdom" coected are anayzed. It is ike "Veda" or "Upanishad" which are to be read again and again. My concusion is that Prof. Harkishan Singh has been "The Chief" of

7 th Pharmacy profession in word in 20 century because he possesses a characteristics of "chief" as mentioned in this book on page 39. THE CHIEF'S BASIC RULES Rue 1: The Chief is right. Rue 2: In the impossibe hypothesis that a subordinate may be right, rie operative. becomes immediatey Rue 3: the Chief does not seep; he rests. Rue 4: The Chief is never ate; he is deayed esewhere. Rue 5: The Chief never eaves his work; his presence is required esewhere. Rue 6: The Chief never reads the paper in his office; he studies. Rue 7: The Chief never takes iberties with his secretary; he educates her. Rue 8: whoever may enter the Chief's office with an idea of his own must eave the office with his Chief's ideas. Rue 9: The Chief is aways Chief even in bathing togs. Reviewed by Dr. Ramesh K. Goya Vice Chanceor Dehi pharmaceutica Sciences & Research University, Dehi

8 A surprise over surprise. The reason for the new surprise has been that just a few months back, I wrote a review on a treatise from his pen tited 'Views and Reviews 3' (pubished by APTI Bengauru), and ast week again I get a gift copy of a much arger voume (771 pages) tited 'Words of Wisdom & Misceany: A Coection', which is aso pubished by APTI. It is from the pen of a iving egend, who is the ony pharmacist Padma awardee ti date, a person who is competing 90 years of his ife next year, and the one who has history coection that woud keep him writing for next 10 years, is on his writing desk with office ike precision from morning ti evening daiy, 365 days. For me, it seems he is sienty watching his body get frai, and perhaps understands that he has to finish up the pending 10-year agenda in as many breaths as woud be gifted to him by the God amighty. Somewhere in his mind he is rea passionate about the essence in the foowing: Mein to nahin rahunga Mere geet rahenge (My songs sha ive even though I sha perish) - Surjit Patar (p. 106) Zindagi mein apna kirdar aise nibhao ki parda girne ke baad bhi taaiyaan bajti rahen. (p. 566) Dr. Saranjit Singh.Remember the words of Abraham Lincon: 'It is not the years in your ife that count, it is the ife in your years, (p. 602) To the extent, Professor Harkishan Singh is committed to his zea, so I am, in continuing taking peasure in reading every page of his new writings, and share with readers my enjoyment in few pieces. The content of this voume is very different, it is not about history of pharmacy, the uminaries of pharmacy profession, or his persona views and reviews, but it is a coection of anecdotes, poetic notes (hindi, punjabi and urdu), proverbia expressions, historica accounts in brief and misceaneous items; which he has been immacuatey jotting down from various sources in his notebooks in the ast 50 years, and aso from the paper cuttings he has preserved for an equa ong period. Difficut to apprehend how a scientist, who has been entrenched into experimenta research and pubications for most part of the ife,

9 and being inventor of Chandonium iodide, the first drug from a University set-up, coud take out time to pursue such a eisure pursuit. How bessed and fortunate we are, to be connected to this genius. In none other than this book, one wi find together the wisdoms of Bernard Shaw, Shakespeare, Einstein, Roosevet, Lincon, Reid, Ghaib, Iqba, Waris Shah, Kabir, Tagore, Gandhi, Khuswant Singh and innumerabe other Internationa and Nationa egends. The foowing is just a very sma gimpse: The rea dates of history are those of scientific discoveries, not the accession of kings or the outbreak of revoutions. E. E. Reid (p. 2) If a professor thinks what matters most Is to have gained an academic post Where he can earn a iveihood, and then Negect research, et controversy rest, He's but a petty tradesman at the best, Seing retai the work of other men. Kaidasa (p.11) Wisdom is a weapon to ward off destruction; It is an inner fortress which enemies cannot destroy. - Thirukkura 421 (200 BC) (p. 328)

10 I am reminded of twefth century Jewish phiosopher Maimonides who said, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a ifetime' (p. 612). When I showed this new tome by my Guru to my wife, she gave a roya order that it is from this moment hers, and I have to oan it when needed. Righty quoted in the present voume is Bacon's advice on judicious reading: Some books are to be tasted, others to be swaowed and some few to be chewed and digested (p. 734). I am sure, not ony me and my wife, but everyone of you wi aso vie to taste this wonderfu digest. Hope that APTI is abe to meet the demand for this immensey readabe hardcover. ******** Reviewed by Dr. Saranjit Singh NIPER, SAS Nagar