On a Model for Learning ( by Prof MCS IIT-B)

By Prof Srisailam  Electrical Engineering Dept , IIT Bombay.

 Both as a student and as a teacher the process of learning fascinated me. As a student I use to wonder if they were easy steps in learning. As a teacher I was always thanking of methods which will help the student in learning more easily a subject. As a teacher I sought to emulate the good teachers I was fortunate to have some across. All these made me to think deeply about the process of learning. The learning could be either self learning or learning under a teacher supervised learning. Learning under a teacher is possible only in the case of communicable knowledge. The communication can be virtual or visual; Virtual communication is possible only if the teacher and taught use the same language sometimes the teacher makes of analogies to help in learning. But sometimes analogies can be misunderstanding if the student mis-interprets the analogies. As regarding 'self learning' though the process is slower it provides the excitement of discovery. Self learning with take longer, but the advantage is it is not restricted communicable knowledge. It can lead to discovery which neither in nor expressible in-terms of current vocabulary. One of the best examples of self -learning is available in the Upanishads in Bhrigu-valli.

Bhrigu, son of Varuna approaches his father to teach him about 'Brahman' (supreme language). Bhrigu instead of telling about asks him to do deep contemplation. After considerable period of contemplation he concludes tool is 'Brahman' as it is sustainer of life. He comes back to his father to verify if he is correct in life. Father sends him back to contemplate further. After further period of deep contemplation he concludes that 'Prana' (life force) is 'Brahman' as that is the very basis on which all living beings exist, He goes back to his father Varun to verify, if he is right. He sends him back to contemplate further. At the end of this round of contemplation he concludes 'mind' is Brahman and goes to his father to verify if he is right, Varun says that you have to considerable further. After a few year of contemplation he concludes that ' knowledge' is Brahman. Once again Varuna sends him to contemplate further. At the end of further contemplate he concludes that, ‘Anada' roughly translated as expirations at the end of momentous discovery a ‘joy’. None of these words can translate the same to his father to verify as he has experienced 'Brahman' or realized; Brahman'. This story of Bhrigu illustrates the process of learning about the universe from physical to metaphysical from concrete to abstract. Physics which deals with our knowledge of the physical world (deals with three fundamental concepts ie, matter, Energy and information). We can obtain knowledge about matter directly through our sensor- Vision, Taste, Touch, Smell, and Hearing. The knowledge about energy often requires to observation of its effect on matter. In that sense it is slightly more abstract than matter, information is allotted an abstract concept. Knowledge of information requires greater maturity on the part of the Individual.

On Prof Srisailam, from a student who was with Prof Srisailam from 1989 to 1994.    “As a young mind and also as a student in IIT-B, I was keen on work with mighty professors and interested in listing to ideas of talented professors. I think, we students (during late 80's and early 90’s) were very fortunate to have so many talented professors (with too much of experience of one side and very young professors with too much of energy to do research at other side) for us to be guide. Lot more innovations and new courses were coming up that period of time. For example, Neural Networks, Fuzzy Logic control are very vibrant courses that popped up in front of us. But all these courses stand on strong foundation laid by experienced professors on fundamentals of Linear Systems and Non linear systems and Adaptive systems etc. Thus, I was fortunate to be in touch with Professor MC Srisailam by being his favourite student in Non linear Systems course and then I had more fortune to interact with Prof Srisailam on my Masters project (un-officially) in which Prof MM Kulkarni and Prof B Bandyopadhyay are my official guides. Interaction with these professors during my Masters had lead to take me as their student in Systems and Control Engineering for Research. Prof Srisailam can get in to any new things in short of period of time. This exceptional talent of Prof Srisailam had resulted on creating wonderful learning in Digital Control (which was very new that  point of time) and provided solid training in Modern computing and its direct application on Real Time control systems or any other real time systems.  Soon I came out of IIT-B and looked at things in industry, I was fortunate to contribute and work with Prof Barry Vercoe (from MIT Media Lab) on design and development of Modern Networked Karaoke Systems which had Machine Learning part to follow a given human being. I was fortunate to put in use those things that I had picked up from my learning from Prof Srisailam on Digital Systems and Adaptive systems. I wish, I can create  Research fund and make a research lab that serves as a foundation for “efficient model of learning” as Prof MC Srisailam had listed in the above article, which was just few days before his departure from us for ever.”   

 About Author: Dr Jayakumar S (Founding member of Epigon Media Technologies Pvt Ltd, PiiTech Systems and Rinanu Semiconductor ) . Above pic include, Prof Srisailam on left side and right side Niranjan Kumar ( my son) in our Farm house in Bangalore.