The Profession Where 'One More Chance' Isn't Guaranteed

Dear Friends,

If you miss a sales target in a quarter, at most your boss will scold you and push you harder for the next one.

If you are a teacher and your class doesn’t meet expectations, students may give you negative feedback — and you get a chance to improve.

If you are a lawyer or a doctor and lose a case or make a mistake, there’s still another opportunity to correct it next time.

But now, look at this profession and its challenges:

At the Siachen Glacier, temperatures can drop to as low as -70°C.

Soldiers don’t get proper sleep because of the constant risk of snow bites.

They have to soak their heavily socked feet in buckets of hot water for 15 to 20 minutes just to be able to sleep.

Merely touching the trigger or barrel of a gun with bare hands can lead to severe frostbite, causing the loss of fingers or toes.

There’s only 10% of the oxygen available compared to the plains.

On the western front, in the Thar Desert along the India-Pakistan border, temperatures soar beyond 50°C during the scorching summer months.

Water is precious and extremely limited.

At any moment, with just one hour’s notice, they must be ready to move — even if a parent or child is unwell, they must sacrifice and fulfill their duty.

Every minute is unpredictable. Every moment could be life-changing.

They cannot relax. They cannot casually call loved ones while on duty.

In our professions, even a slight disturbance to our planned leave makes us uncomfortable. We are blessed to have the time and space to share our problems and find comfort among friends and colleagues.

In the past two days, I found it hard to even sit down (cross-legged) continuously for a few hours in an event — they often crawl for hours to reach their targets.

They must remain physically fit before joining, during their service, and until the very last day.

They live in extremes — so that we can live in comfort.

They sacrifice their today — so that we can dream of our tomorrow.

They don't get "one more chance" — they have to be right, every single time.

Let us take a moment to salute these silent warriors,

whose courage, resilience, and sacrifices are beyond what words can express.

A simple "Thank You" will never be enough — but let’s start with it, from the bottom of our hearts.

Jai Hind!
Ravi Saripalle

From Knowledge to Learnability: Rethinking University Education for the 21st Century

Dear Friends,

Exactly 30 years ago, in April 1995, I came to Raipur as a postgraduate aspirant. Due to a few circumstances, I couldn't join the program. But I have no regrets. Today, I’m writing this article from Raipur—this time, as a speaker addressing principals from various schools across Chhattisgarh. The topic of my session was the same as the title of this article: “From Knowledge to Learnability.”

Why is Learnability Critical in Universities?

Is it more important to impart knowledge or to foster learnability? In my view, it’s learnability. Today, students have multiple avenues to acquire knowledge—online platforms, peer learning, AI tools—but far fewer opportunities to develop their learnability index.

Prof. Bharat from Harvard University recently spoke at the India Today Conclave on the theme of AI in classroom settings. He shared compelling insights from his work and experiments at Harvard, particularly in physical science courses taught by highly experienced instructors.

Human vs. Bot Tutors: A Surprising Experiment

In one of the experiments, Prof. Bharat’s team tested the hypothesis:

“Bot tutors may not be as effective in classroom engagement as human tutors.”

The methodology was fascinating. Each week, half of the students were assigned human tutors and the other half AI bot tutors. The groups were flipped weekly, and mastery of that week's content was assessed regularly.

The Unexpected Insight:

To everyone’s surprise, students tutored by AI bots consistently outperformed those taught by human tutors. Even more surprising was that student engagement was higher with the bots. This challenges many of our assumptions about classroom dynamics and suggests new possibilities for redefining the tutor’s role in the age of AI.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Prof. Bharat also emphasized the importance of sensory and emotionally rich experiences—like dance, music, theatre, and art—in keeping the “learnability muscle” alive. He believes that as AI continues to surpass human capabilities in certain domains, learnability will be the key survival skill for the human race.

An MIT Study on AI vs. Human-Driven Search

Another insightful study from MIT compared two groups of students:
• One group used Google Search to research.
• Another group used Generative AI tools.

Both groups were later tested—not just on what they remembered, but on how well they could apply the information in a new context.

The result?

The Google Search group performed better in application-based tasks. The conclusion: Learnability, driven by genuine effort, curiosity, and critical thinking, leads to better learning outcomes.

Learnability Is the New Literacy

As Generative AI and Copilot tools become standard in our classrooms, we must shift our focus from “what to learn” to “how to keep learning.” This must be based on each student's socio-physical and psychological nature, and not just curriculum goals.

The future does not belong to those who know the most, but to those who can learn the fastest, adapt the quickest, and stay curious the longest.

Ravi Saripalle

Does AI Decide Our Fate? It’s Not Artificial Intelligence—Can You Guess What It Really Is?

 Dear Friends,

Yesterday, something unusual and unexpected happened. Just before the Kerala Public Service Commission exam began in Kasaragod, an unbelievable incident took place. An eagle suddenly swooped down and grabbed a candidate’s hall ticket from their hand.

Around 300 people stood there, stunned, as the bird flew up and calmly perched on a window ledge, holding the hall ticket in its beak. Everyone watched in silence, unsure of what would happen next.

Minutes passed. Just before the final cut-off time, the eagle dropped the hall ticket. Thankfully, it was quickly retrieved, and the candidate was able to take the exam.

Imagine! The candidate must have been preparing for this exam for years. And in the most bizarre way, a bird decided the timing.

To succeed in any exam—or in life—so many things need to come together: your health must support you, the weather should cooperate, your parents and mentors need to be there for you, and the questions asked must align with what you’ve studied. If it’s a descriptive exam, even the mood of the evaluator can matter. If we were to list all the conditions required for success, we could write an entire chapter!

We saw the same unpredictability during COVID-19. I personally know families where the father—healthy and the main breadwinner—passed away due to COVID-19, leaving the family financially and emotionally devastated. On the other hand, some individuals with multiple health issues survived and are now living happy lives. How do we make sense of this?

Today, economic instability and automation are also rewriting destinies. Shantanu Deshpande, founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, recently talked about the 40-40 problem—people in their 40s earning ₹40 lakhs annually are more prone to layoffs. He advised professionals to continuously upgrade their skills and cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, or risk being among the first to be let go.

So how do we interpret this? One part—effort and skill—is in your hands. The other part—fate, timing, external events—is completely beyond your control.

This raises a big question: If so much is out of our hands, what’s the point of putting in effort?

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying we should give up or leave everything to fate. Absolutely not.

True effort is about discipline. When you’re skilled at something and can create value with minimal effort, that’s discipline. When you earn and live with that discipline, you can face whatever comes your way—because you’ve done your part sincerely, without shortcuts or blame. And that helps you navigate both success and failure with peace of mind.

Beyond that, we must accept: some things are just not in our control.

Let’s take a cue from the natural world:

• Have you ever seen a bird collecting hundreds of sticks just because they’re available?

• Have you seen a lion hunting when it’s not hungry?

• Have you seen a honeybee stripping flowers bare?

No. They take only what they need. They live with balance and awareness.

That’s Animal Intelligence.

Something Artificial Intelligence cannot replicate.

So, which AI do you think truly shapes our lives?

Yes, my friends—AI doesn’t always mean Artificial Intelligence.

Sometimes, it's Animal Intelligence that teaches us the most profound lessons.

Ravi Saripalle