Institute Of Infinite Tensions
Take a deep breath…
Say IIT…
What comes to your mind?
For a parent, IIT stands for the dream they have seen for their child; for a school student, it stands for that ultimate destination; for a guy who couldn’t get through JEE, it’s the prized achievement that couldn’t be…
But what does an IIT mean to an IITian?
“Institute of Infinite Tensions!!”, screams the graphiti on the front row bench in the Bhatnagar Auditorium, IIT Kharagpur. To an outsider, an IIT seems like the Golden Apple. You work hard, get through the IIT-JEE, and that’s it. It’s said that once you get in, life takes care of you. “Feel good, you are an IITian!!”
Well, that’s what people who are in awe of an IIT think of it. Then why is it that the same students who worked hard for getting in, despise their own dream? What are the infinite tensions these students go through inside an IIT?
“Acads!!” exclaim a group of my friends from IIT Kharagpur. A 3rd Year EC student says, “Our lives here have boiled down to mugging up humongous stuff churned up by the profs and recreating the stuff on the answer sheets.” Chintan adds, “It’s the department rank that finally matters.. It decides what kind of treatment you get, be it summer training, job or applying to foreign universities.” Howeversome of my friends beg to differ and logically say, “Being an IITian brings with itself the assumption that we guys are smart and intelligent. As such, the professors skip the basics, assuming we know a lot. Also, we are taught more than the students at other institutes. The system here expects a lot from us and we students think that everything should be served to us on a platter. In this conflict, we students end up complaining and grudging.” Point Noted.
Let’s get to the root of these problems. Where does it all start? I ask these same IITians whether they were aware of this kind of academic system in IIT, before actually joining in. As expected, the answer is a resounding “NO”. They say that they came to an IIT because they had heard that it’s the best in the country. They just wanted to be here. They had seen some uncle or cousin or that smart guy in the colony and thought that if he could be in an IIT, why can’t they? And then there’s the money and fame factor. “I came here because I wanted a 10 lakh per annum job at the end of it!!” emphasizes another friend. Doesn’t it look awkward that these smarties never even try to know what all the system expects of them, before coming here? Also more than 60 % of the students here are droppers, or second or third attempters who had worked hard for 3-4 years for the JEE in places like Kota, Delhi & Hyderabad. After they get in, they shun all the hard work thinking that they will now enjoy the luxury for which they had toiled so much.
The other factor that leads to frustration has been the non-proximity to urban areas. Except IIT Delhi, all the other IITs are a bit aloof from urban areas. Most of the students come from cities and find themselves alienated in the IIT campus. They feel that the adventure is missing.
The professors here sing a different tune. “The IITs are institutes of great reputation. Our quality is represented by the engineers and scientists we make. But being a good engineer doesn’t mean that you should only have firm concepts of engineering. What the students fail to understand is that IIT doesn’t only stand for academics. The various gymkhana activities and facilities available on campus are there to help in the all-round development of the students.” However, some students here feel that its these extra-curricular activities that lead to more choices and they fail to decide upon what they need to do.. pursue their interests or cram up formulae and notes.
But then, aren’t IITians supposed to be good at anything that they do? There are various 'studs' amongst us too. It’s all about time management. We guys are in a place which always demands that we give our best. Also, being in the company of smart people helps. You get motivated to perform better than your batch mates. One’s attitude matters a lot in this case. The competition here can either boost your confidence or make you completely lose it. There are so many of us who come here & lose faith in ourselves. These guys give up all hope and instead waste their time in unproductive activities like movies, chatting, playing computer games. These are what we can call “Unknown IITians”, no identity, but forever complaining about the system.
We have to realize that we can’t have a Utopian system where everyone is happy and satisfied. The IIT system of teaching isn’t perfect, but it’s a time tested success. There are many issues that need revision like department changes, distribution of credits, continuous evaluation system, increase in the number of seats, etc. But then, instead of complaining and crying foul, it’s the students’ responsibility of seeing to it that the right changes are made.
Don’t care much about what the IIT teaches you………
Care more about what you learn from an IIT.
Say IIT…
What comes to your mind?
For a parent, IIT stands for the dream they have seen for their child; for a school student, it stands for that ultimate destination; for a guy who couldn’t get through JEE, it’s the prized achievement that couldn’t be…
But what does an IIT mean to an IITian?
“Institute of Infinite Tensions!!”, screams the graphiti on the front row bench in the Bhatnagar Auditorium, IIT Kharagpur. To an outsider, an IIT seems like the Golden Apple. You work hard, get through the IIT-JEE, and that’s it. It’s said that once you get in, life takes care of you. “Feel good, you are an IITian!!”
Well, that’s what people who are in awe of an IIT think of it. Then why is it that the same students who worked hard for getting in, despise their own dream? What are the infinite tensions these students go through inside an IIT?
“Acads!!” exclaim a group of my friends from IIT Kharagpur. A 3rd Year EC student says, “Our lives here have boiled down to mugging up humongous stuff churned up by the profs and recreating the stuff on the answer sheets.” Chintan adds, “It’s the department rank that finally matters.. It decides what kind of treatment you get, be it summer training, job or applying to foreign universities.” Howeversome of my friends beg to differ and logically say, “Being an IITian brings with itself the assumption that we guys are smart and intelligent. As such, the professors skip the basics, assuming we know a lot. Also, we are taught more than the students at other institutes. The system here expects a lot from us and we students think that everything should be served to us on a platter. In this conflict, we students end up complaining and grudging.” Point Noted.
Let’s get to the root of these problems. Where does it all start? I ask these same IITians whether they were aware of this kind of academic system in IIT, before actually joining in. As expected, the answer is a resounding “NO”. They say that they came to an IIT because they had heard that it’s the best in the country. They just wanted to be here. They had seen some uncle or cousin or that smart guy in the colony and thought that if he could be in an IIT, why can’t they? And then there’s the money and fame factor. “I came here because I wanted a 10 lakh per annum job at the end of it!!” emphasizes another friend. Doesn’t it look awkward that these smarties never even try to know what all the system expects of them, before coming here? Also more than 60 % of the students here are droppers, or second or third attempters who had worked hard for 3-4 years for the JEE in places like Kota, Delhi & Hyderabad. After they get in, they shun all the hard work thinking that they will now enjoy the luxury for which they had toiled so much.
The other factor that leads to frustration has been the non-proximity to urban areas. Except IIT Delhi, all the other IITs are a bit aloof from urban areas. Most of the students come from cities and find themselves alienated in the IIT campus. They feel that the adventure is missing.
The professors here sing a different tune. “The IITs are institutes of great reputation. Our quality is represented by the engineers and scientists we make. But being a good engineer doesn’t mean that you should only have firm concepts of engineering. What the students fail to understand is that IIT doesn’t only stand for academics. The various gymkhana activities and facilities available on campus are there to help in the all-round development of the students.” However, some students here feel that its these extra-curricular activities that lead to more choices and they fail to decide upon what they need to do.. pursue their interests or cram up formulae and notes.
But then, aren’t IITians supposed to be good at anything that they do? There are various 'studs' amongst us too. It’s all about time management. We guys are in a place which always demands that we give our best. Also, being in the company of smart people helps. You get motivated to perform better than your batch mates. One’s attitude matters a lot in this case. The competition here can either boost your confidence or make you completely lose it. There are so many of us who come here & lose faith in ourselves. These guys give up all hope and instead waste their time in unproductive activities like movies, chatting, playing computer games. These are what we can call “Unknown IITians”, no identity, but forever complaining about the system.
We have to realize that we can’t have a Utopian system where everyone is happy and satisfied. The IIT system of teaching isn’t perfect, but it’s a time tested success. There are many issues that need revision like department changes, distribution of credits, continuous evaluation system, increase in the number of seats, etc. But then, instead of complaining and crying foul, it’s the students’ responsibility of seeing to it that the right changes are made.
Don’t care much about what the IIT teaches you………
Care more about what you learn from an IIT.
~posted by Scube at 8:44 am
1 Comments:
Great insights!!! talk of investigative journalism
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