The razzle and dazzle
Dr Rajiv Lochan

Choreography, fashion design, music, art, advertising, writing and photography are
serious professions which require skills and management both, but, of a different kind.
And they too are money spinners. Examples abound. Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai,
 M F Husain, Shubha Mudgal, Nasiruddin Shah, A R Rahman and Prahlad Kakkar
earned their enviable place in the world, not by clearing CAT


A multi-hued blossom: The study of arts unfolds the
mind and choices in career

IF you like being with people. If you like observing people. If human behavior intrigues you. If you wonder about what makes for the humanity in human beings and why at certain times they behave in such inhuman ways with each other. Then humanities is the area of study for you. It does not matter whether you have studied science or commerce or engineering or medicine previously. Nor does it matter whether you have an analytical bent of mind or have an artistic bent of mind. So long as human beings and their behavior interests you, the humanities would be of value.

Anyone desirous of a systematic knowledge about living human beings and their ongoing society is welcome to a study of humanities. If anything, having a prior knowledge of the sciences and of commerce and other arts helps in understanding the humanities better. After all science and technology today permeate the very existence of human beings therefore a prior knowledge in those areas makes for a richer understanding of society.

Dealing with lived knowledge, however, is what distinguishes the humanities from the natural and other sciences. There used to be this story about the cardiologist who went to get his car serviced. Having cleaned the cylinders and adjusted all the valves and pipes the mechanic looked up to the man and said, look here doctor, we do much the same job as you. To which the good doctor replied: ‘Try doing it with the engine running’. Humanities are much like that. They try to study human beings and their society with the engine running, so to speak.

Loosely speaking these are the subjects that fall under the broad category of ‘Arts’. Their list is large and includes the study of various languages, of philosophy, law, history, political science, sociology, and economics among others. The one common thread running through these subjects is that they deal with human life as it is lived and human society as it exists. That implies studying a kind of complexity that is simply beyond the reach of the more simplistic of sciences. A certain social maturity is essential for the study of humanities. A certain ability to empathise with other human beings is important to be able to draw full value from the study of humanities. Something as simple as Alexander Pope’s poem, Rape of the Lock, remains just so much of a joke till such time that the reader actually experiences some harshness in life and then a few philosophical meanings begin to emerge.

Today we live in a world that is much more complex than it had been previously. Population densities are increasing by the day. People interact much more with each other today than they have ever done in history before. The destructive power of science and technology is so much that it cannot be left under the control of mere technocrats.

Under such circumstances there is increasingly the need for having a professional understanding of what drives human beings, brings them together in diverse groups and also what keeps them away from each other. All this is the everyday subject of study of the humanities, whether it is law or sociology or philosophy or history or the languages. So there is a functional utility of the humanities as well.

In medieval times the Christian Church, in order to have the princes of Europe rule well [after all chaos in a kingdom would be harmful for the church as well], insisted that the princes learn, in the quaint language of the Church how to ‘manage their flock’. This was followed by detailed instructions incorporating what today we presume to be basic knowledge in the humanities. The princes studied humanities the hoi polloi were pushed into practicing artisanal skills. With the democratization of society in the nineteenth century there came a demand for everyone being allowed to study the humanities. The military found use for such knowledge during the Second World War in the name of ‘operational research’. Business schools found use for it in the 1960s in the form of ‘case studies’. Since then we have had a considerable professionalisation of the humanities. The study of humanities today is not based merely on intuition, insight and other intangible skills but also takes considerable help from the sciences.

The attraction of being called a science, however, has been so intense that entire segments of humanist studies have begun to call themselves the ‘social sciences’. Their being a science, however, remains something of a joke since the basic criteria of being ‘scientific’ in the narrow sense—of being able to produce replicable results—still remains far out of reach of the so called social sciences. What remains at their core, however, is their desire and ability to understand human beings as living and collective entities.

(Dr Rajiv Lochan is Professor and Chairman, Department of History, Panjab University, Chandigarh)

The World At Your Feet
Vandana Shukla

A plethora of career options open for students who choose to pursue humanities stream, by offering extremely interesting and stimulating career options.

In a globalised world, the scope of humanities has grown beyond bounds. From history, languages, literature, law, philosophy, religion, performing arts, anthropology, communication, sociology, psychology; any area of study that involves exploration of ideas and creativity opens new doors of opportunities and success in this stream. If you are interested in languages, English alone is not the option. A mastery in any of the foreign languages like French, German, Japanese, Polish, Latin, or Chinese can offer a career as translator, interpreter, teacher, or, as a creative writer.

As entertainment and communication industries continue to grow with advancements in communication technology, the future projection is, they will offer more opportunities and openings. Careers in journalism, advertising, PR agencies, and performing arts will register greater success stories in the future.

Even if you choose to pursue the traditional subjects like history, geography,`A0political science, psychology and sociology, new approaches in these subjects and research opportunities are opening more doors. Practicing psychiatrists and counsellors are in great demand, so are social workers who opt for MSW after studying sociology at under grad level.

Then, there are immense possibilities in a career that involves design concepts and d`E9cor. From fashion design to interiors, to curators of heritage buildings, archaeologists and anthropologists, a mind boggling range of exciting subjects and interests are there to be explored, according to your liking.

Hospitality and tourism industry too is growing phenomenally, generating job with taste of adventure and wander lust. Then, there are opportunities in the field of geology.

Or, you can choose to make a career in an NGO, by getting involved with developmental studies, become a psephologist by pursuing study of political science, study library science if books fascinate you and you love to be surrounded by them, become a research assistant in any of the disciplines. Or, be a teacher and influence many more lives with your innovative thinking.

HOME