The authors of “Feasibility of Implementation of Right to Education Act” (EPW, 20 June 2009) respond to the critique of their argument by Padma M Sarangapani (EPW, 24 October 2009) and Vimala Ramachandran (EPW, 11 July 2009).

This discussion builds on M K Raghavendra’s (EPW, 6 March 2010) critique of the manner in which the hit Bollywood fi lm, 3 Idiots, trivialises higher education by looking at the fi lm from a gender perspective. In this movie, the idea of rape is exploited to create humour, yet it received overwhelming appreciation from all kinds of audience, including women.

आरआरसी के लिए योगेन्द्र दत्त द्वारा मालविका कालेर्कर,वीमेन्स नेचर ऐण्ड दि ऐक्सेस टू ऐजुकेशन,सोशलाइज़ेशन ऐजुकेशन ऐण्ड वीमेन, सं. करुणा चानना, पृष्ठ 129 से 165, ओरिएंट लाँगमैन, 1988, दिल्ली, का अनुवाद जुलाई 2010 में |

This paper presents findings from baseline surveys on student learning achievement, teacher effort and community participation in three states – Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The results indicate low teacher attendance and poor student learning. Parents and school committees are neither aware of their oversight roles nor do they participate in school management. However, there is substantial heterogeneity in outcomes across states. Karnataka has better student and teacher outcomes, as well as higher levels of community awareness and participation than the other two states.

In this paper I attempt to make a case for anarchy in research against the current practice of picking winners in universities at advanced levels of education and research. By considering a paradigmatic example of freedom in speculative intellectual activities leading to unintended consequences of enormous benefit to mankind, I try to substantiate a case for this. The example I consider is the way issues in the foundations of mathematics paved the way for what came to be known as the it revolution.