guidance for future: My self … I am a student of B.sc. Medical IInd Year,S.D. College,Ambala Cantt.
Dear members please guide me what course I would opt after B.Sc. so that I can have a bright future. Should I go for M.Sc. or any other course.
My best subject is BOTANY and I want to go in research field.
So please guide me what should I do after B.Sc.


B.sc. medical II year wht is that ? Where you a medical student or simple graduation?


B SC Medical in Haryana means Graduation in Science with Botany Zoology and Chemistry as full subjects with equal weightage in all 3 years of graduation. Environmental studies, Computer Science and English in only first year, hindi or Sanskrit in second year and in final only botany chemistry and zoology


You have lot of avenues open, and you can check up with University to want to try.
In case you are interested to move to Delhi you have lot of good postgraduate courses in PUSA, JNU and DU, depending upon your interest: Biomedical sciences, Genetics, Enrironmental science, Microbiology, Plant Pathology are some that can be explored. It is always good to set for competition tests in a couple of courses and decide on the basis of which ones one is able to qualify.


My great thanks to all for giving me such a valuable information…Please guide me in the future also.
Sorry,but can you all give me some more clear information.


If you are undecided by now….
you are not being pushed in one direction by family or friends or personal ambition based on other’s lives and status . Thats a very good sign… a very good sign..

Joseph Campbell (who was responsible for the ultimate story line and characters of the starwars trilogy of Lucas) was a professor in USA of Mythology and our collective human wisdom and heritage… used to
say : follow your bliss… money and success will follow that… google lucas, star wars and Joseph campbell…or go to wikipedia and get the stories…

to find what is your bliss… (Bliss: = your soul’s propensity, desires, needs, karmic fulfillment etc)
I have found that one can take many roads… one or all at the same time..
1: meditate and pay attention to what god is trying to tell you… do not pray ..to ask… keep quiet so you can hear what the universe or your own higher self is trying to convey to you… takes patience and practice…may take months..but it always works
2: pay attention to what comes out of your own mouth or pen ie what you talk about the most , or write the most
3: read books .. go to library repeatedly and notice which stacks you always end up at
4: take tests.. there are many personality and eneagram like tests that universities give to prospective students… I know Jadavpur University in Kolkata gives one… but I dont have access to their tests…top secret it seems, but I have seen their real life effects.. very good effects… ask around there must be Councillors in your
part of India who can help… One test on the net is meyer briggs …but it costs to get results back… but you can research it … there are books on this test … will classify you into a line in life and then subclassify expertise that your personality is suitable for… I find they are pretty good …
but as to your own soul’s need and desire, only you know… and that you only you can know or find out…
5: take some job… in a field you think you like… see if that gets your imagination and enthusiasm going up..good…. otherwise quit and move to some fresh field… do it while you are young… two or three… jobs in different fields… young age you can be research assistant etc… you are bound to find it
Hope you find your path or two


Soon i will send you a Powerpoint Presentation showing all best opportunities related to you


Yes I agree with … words. Ankush should do what his heart says. When I was studying, I think I am the only one of my whole school batch chose botany. Please remember I am talking about around over 400 students in one batch. But I remember collecting my first orchid when I was may be standard 7 or so. At BSc also I had
opportunities for so called better subjects, but i refused and took botany honors. During MSc every one thought that I will take taxonomy, but by then I had already realised that there was no good taxo teacher
and I was satisfied with my abilities so I took genetics. Then for PhD I worked on taxonomy, ecology, morphological development, flowering phenology, ethnobotany…. I wanted to add more but my respected boss asked me to leave something for others :))…
So the first point is to chose what your heart says
Second point is to put in all your abilities in your work. There certainly will be a day when your work will speak for you and you dont have to speak for your work.


Agree with …, … you have good interest in Botany. During Training in Hisar Your Teacher … also told me about your interest in Subject. You have to work hard to get Admission in a good University for M.Sc. Botany like DU, PU etc and you will also need good percentage at B.Sc. Level. Our best wishes are with you


Thanks everyone for this very interesting thread on ‘education.’

I am currently in Bandhavgarh with … and … and we were just sitting in their tree and bird laden garden having this conversation on “the current problems in Indian Education” when i noticed this thread on ‘how to build a career given the current resources in the “Indian System of Education.”

… last line of advice to … actually for me highlights an important ‘problem’ with Indian Education.

Getting a good percentage in BSc is unfortunately currently based on a student’s rote memorization skills rather than his/her ability to engage emotionally with his/her subject of interest (correct me if i am wrong)?

I wonder what percentage of Indian students who could have done really good research with their critical thinking and discovery based learning abilities are unfortunately sidelined because of our current education system’s fascination with a student’s rote memorization skills which is essential to getting a good percentage?

PS: Also copied in bcc to a few other Indian Educationists to build on this thread if possible. Thanks … for the inspiring lines from Campbell. I am sure some of our medical students from Kolkata ( who i have copied in this email) would love to meet you in Kolkata and learn both medicine and botany from you. … was just relating a very interesting story about a US based Indian physician-surgeon who came to Bandhavgarh and set up a medical camp and to his utter dismay found that 80% of the villagers were just complaining of ‘ body itching’ ( which was not within his area of expertise) and … communicated this to … (a group member here) who promptly suggested that the villagers should rub this herb (‘cassia tora’ if i remember correctly) which is anyway abundantly available in the region. The physician communicated 80% of the villagers to rub this herb for itching and when he came back from US a year later, Satyendra ji took him again to the villagers who thanked the doctor profusely for having suggested the herb as their most important problem (that of itching) had been taken care of. This could be an interesting illustration of how modern day education systems evolving through ‘modern day communication’ can cut across entrenched disciplines and traditions and possibly some day have the power to transform our field of education with a resultant improvement on human quality of life? 🙂


… Thanks for your thought provoking mail

If we discuss the problems with indian system of education, i think that will be like finding a needle in well. 5 years back we started a Society for Promotion of life sciences to raise the issues related with problems of lifescience students (so called Medical stream students in particularly in Haryana). we organised many meetings in different district headquarters of haryana to make people aware about various problems like need of change in nomenclature of degree, combination of subjects, improvement in syllabi, system of evaluation and many more. after 4-5 years we have to go to aikantvas >>>>>.. I think this matter we should discuss via personal mails not in group. interesting members who wish to give their valuable suggestion in general or particulars to strengthen the Biological sciences in India may pls sent to me directly not via group, so that we may prepare a good document on all suggestion. That we will be sharing with all
Thanks and Wish you a Happy new Year to All


I only included you in this because you are an educationist… not to propagandize myself…
am learning botany/taxonomy right now..
anyway that plant used for itching is most likely cassia alata… may not be cassia tora…
however I would not dare contradict mr Oudhia.. I prefer to keep my hide.. :):) ..

I am not surprised the highly specialized physician did not know anything about what to prescribe for skin itching… most villagers are farmers… farmers get many varieties of contact and photo- dermatitis…and small skin parasites.. cassia alata is only grown as an exotic in USA … and not as a herbal plant of wonderful
usage… and one has to go to local bot garden and dig in… but most physicians have no time… poor things…

anyway … I envy you sitting in Bandhavgarh today … may be I’ll come next year…


Thanks …, Yes it would be nice to develop something like a bioscience learning society particularly with involvement of ‘citizen scientists.’ This group Eflora India is itself a good example of how ‘citizen scientists’ from many streams other than a particular professional designated branch of science (in this case botany?) can come together to help develop their and others understanding of the subject.


Thanks …, You must visit Bandhavgarh and stay with … and his family. He has the most interesting variety of trees in his large garden visited by a host of butterflies and birds. He also took us out on his jeep for a ride through the jungle which was one of the best i have ever enjoyed.


As i tell all my students there is scope everywhere, only thing is you have to find it. First do your graduation in the subject you like. Simultaneously think whether you like to study further or whether you will like to start the job.If you want to study by heart then join M.Sc. Dont join further study just because someone tells that there is scope. Because if you are not interested in studies, you will not attend the lectures, study by heart, write proper papers and then you will not get good marks. then what is the use of studying?
One more thing the people on eflora are not all Botanists. Some are docters, some engineeers, some computer engineers, some zologists, some housewives, some photographers. Very few are Botanists and are in teaching profession. So if you are impressed by their work you can understand that liking and passion are two different things. Ofcourse you can make your liking and passion one.
But do what your inner voice says. You will flurish. Go to diff places, see what sort of work people do there, think whether you like it and will like to do it life long. If you feel so accept that as carrier.
I hope I have not bored you. But do what you want to do with your heart.


You made a very important point here, and gave a real live example of “Bliss” = passion… that most eflora members are not botanists… yet look at their contributions…’
that’s passion… which can translate into real life vocation…


Thank you all for responding to my question! You all answered my question plus gave me more information than I ever expected to get. I have gone through everything and you really made me smile today.I am very happy for the volume of leads and suggestions you gave me.It was very thorough and offered extra ideas in addition to grant information. It was thorough and efficient in every way.Take care and thanks again for the information.