Corporate Finance - Brealey/Myers/Allen. Chapter 20 - Options. End of chapter - Summary:
"If you have managed to reach this point, you are probably in need of a rest and a stiff gin and tonic. So, we will summarize what we have learned so far and take up the subject of options again in the next chapter when you are rested (or drunk)."
The authors are obviously very highly regarded in their field. The text-book is a standard for most finance courses taught in business schools the world over. What is even more striking is that these guys have a sense of humor (Actually, its not so striking if you have ever been to the US, and interacted with the brightest and the best professors - the Gods.) A very common feature amongst most of these professors is their humility and sense of humor - something that I can attest to since I had the honor of being taught by Prof. Deiter Schroder (Semiconductor Characterization) and Prof. Douglas Montgomery (Design of Experiments), both stalwarts in their respective fields. Maybe, one of the reasons why they are what they are is because they truly enjoy what they do, and enjoy laughing at themselves once in a while..
I compare the styles of American authors with the text books written by Indian authors. For the most part, the Indian contemporaries are formal, succinct and BOOORING...
(Important Disclaimer: There are some very refreshing and notable exceptions - Concepts in Physics by Prof. HC Verma. If you are into Physics, you wouldn't be able to have enough of him.)
But the point that I am making is that the norm amongst Indian academic authors is that they rarely ever make you laugh. So, why this lack of humor amongst Indian academia. Is it that the academia would always want to be taken very seriously? Is it that the academia scorn at any attempt to belittle them and/or cannot laugh at themselves? Or is it that Indian academia does not always truly enjoy what it does, that it is frustrated and discontent with the resources given to it and this is what comes out in its publishings?
Well, I don't want to play God here, but I do wish that the Indian academic community would cheer up, laugh a little more often, or in simple words, take a chill-pill.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hi Sumant,
It would be better to have a taste of humour in textbooks but one should consider the socio- cultural differences that exist between the west and the Indian subcontinent while comparing them.
An exception
A Blend of humor would certainly awaken interest among the readers. Live case studies, and illustrations supporting various subjects, commonly used in the books written by admired management gurus -cottler, Robin reich, Peter drucker, (which I never ever attempted to read after college :)) have still failed to sustain student’s interest. Boredom never vanish from the classroom. If not much humor would at least put off dozing among the back benchers :)
Post a Comment