Thank you, Jagdish.

When the personal attacks and name calling comes as a flood, you know that change is imminent in the insurance industry! An industry and distribution system that has ripped people off for decades.

The promise and peril of Delhi's public spaces. In the wake of a minor girl's rape at Aastha Kunj, a spot check by HT found that Delhi's biggest and most popular parks are poorly lit, unguarded and have few safety mechanisms. @somyalakhani @mullickjamie @sanyamathur29

The first farewell lunch — by the old Mint Money team, the gold standard in personal finance journalism (and some plus-ones).

Reservations at IITs, Delhi’s influencers get singed by SIR, and Coltrane. This week’s newsletter hted.substack.com/p/reluctan…

Yes September end is the best time in Delhi

Ha!

One of the last few good air days of the year in Delhi. But that sky!

Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Coltrane. To mark it we have selected a number of essays and reviews from back issues of The Wire going back over 40 years, all attempting to come to an understanding of the meaning and significance of Coltrane’s life and music.

In my latest substack post, I write about John Coltrane on his birth centenary. About how I have experienced his music over the decades, the connections I see between his style and Indian classical music, and some impossible birthday wishes. srajagopalan.substack.com/p/…

I am disturbed to see Prof. Suryanarayana Doola being vilified over the recent controversy at IIT Bombay. I know Surya personally. He is one of the finest faculty members I have known in the IIT system, and a gentleman of the highest integrity. Whatever concerns have been raised should be examined fairly. A public campaign against an individual serves no one. With over 25 years of experience at IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi, here is my take on the entire controversy and also a solution, which I believe we must look into. The problems we are seeing are all primarily because of the one size fits all approach in IITs. With students coming through an intensive coaching culture, and classrooms bringing together students whose JEE Advanced ranks range from single digits to five digits (in the same class -for example CSE in IIT Delhi), we now have highly heterogeneous classrooms across the IIT system. Language also further adds to the challenge. The question to ask therefore is, with such heterogeneity, can we expect every student to learn at the same pace? There is nothing wrong with opening the doors of our best institutions to students from different backgrounds. The question is whether we have addressed this heterogeneity in our teaching-learning methods. A faculty member cannot pitch every class at several levels at once. Move too slowly, and some students lose interest. Move too quickly, and others are left behind. In my classes, I have also seen students with excellent JEE Adv ranks struggle. Coaching had prepared them to solve familiar types of questions quickly. Many are lost when they see a question which they haven't solved before. This is not a difficulty confined to any admission category. The move from coaching to independent learning can be hard for anyone. Here is a solution. I feel we should consider moving our B.Tech programmes to five years in IITs. Those who meet the credit requirements could complete it in four years, or perhaps three and a half. Others could spread out their courses over five years and receive more academic help, including recorded lectures, online material and support with language where needed. The pace would be decided by performance within the IIT, not by a student’s admission category or entrance rank. Calling it a five year programme for everyone has a psychological advantage. Students who need more time would simply be following the programme as designed, while those who are ready could complete it sooner. No one would be singled out for taking a fifth year. We must uphold academic standards. We must also recognise that students do not all arrive at the same point, or learn at the same pace. Giving them the time and support to meet those standards is a responsibility of the system. @iitbombay #IITs @iitdelhi

#AsianGames #IndianLegends The swimming gold has endured for 75 years. So has the wait for recognition, a battle his son Ashok continues to wage. This is Sachin Nag's incredible story. @ninansusan with a read that is worth your while hindustantimes.com/sports/ot…

You did all the heavy lifting.

Tempus Fugit (in keeping with the title of your column)

Niranjan is the smartest person I’ve ever worked with (and I’ve worked with lots of people over the past three-and-half decades). He is also among the clearest writers I know. This book is going to be so good!

I use it to take notes; most useful. And not distracting at all — unlike the iPad.

I know where we are meeting in Bangalore

I’m sure you have data on number of cars that traverse inner circle every day; number parked there etc. Where would these be parked if inner circle becomes vehicle free — given that CP is designed in a way that the parking is almost equally split between outer and inner circle

It’s been tried in the past; late 1990s I think. What are your learnings from that experiment? I remember it going very badly

Bookstores, to me, should facilitate the serendipitous discovery of relatively unknown minor- and major masterpieces. From that perspective, and based on a few visits, @ChampacaBooks outscores other stores. Reminds me of the Apex Plaza Landmark at its prime. Fewer books, though!