Arbit..

Hello..

Have been having this urge to pen down a few words since yesterday, but couldn't come up with a topic and hence kept putting it off. It has become too much now, the urge is in control, and you are witnessing its proof.

A lazy morning has just begun at my end. Exams coming up on Monday, my room mate mugging his ass away to glory, and me unfocused. The best thing about writing is, the moment you get the flow, nothing can stop you from flowing with it. I've also discovered what I wanna write about now.

Most of my entries may look like they are filled only with negativity and it may give you the idea that I'm a whining sycophant, but the truth is far from it. You can share good things and happy moments with everyone around you, but the same cannot be said about things that put you at discomfort or just depress you further as you continue t0 talk about it. Let's get on with it.

These are the few things that has come to my mind as I typed the few words above this - plight of new IITians, profession vs passion and mentality of Indians. The last one, is a never ending discussion. Starting from the first, the Indian Institutes Of Technology (or MHRD of Indian Govt) marvelously struck upon the idea of increasing the number of IITs. It was something of a overnight decision I presume. When I had appeared for JEE in 2008 in April, I was unaware of the development. When the JEE results had come towards the end of May, a few people were aware of the news, vaguely. It wasn't until we appeared for counselling in mid June, was some light shed on it - partly. The new IITs were announced somewhere in May, and had to begin operation in July - nothing short of a Herculean task in this country. And considering the lack of Herculean men in modern world, mixed with Indian Government lethargy you got a semi baked semi burnt start for the 6 new IITs in 2008. Two years since, there has hardly been any commendable progress in this field. 2 more new IITs were established in 2009, who face a similar plight.

I do not know for certain how things work in an IIT. But I do assume that things do not work in certain ways. Such as - a fresh PhD scholar from 2009, being appointed the Head Of Department, a senior Professor being overburdened with the posts of Dean, Warden and Head Of Department simultaneously. Apart from this, there are a plethora of other issues - the professors being appointed are mostly fresh out of college and have no clue on how to conduct a class, having a daily schedule that crams 28 hours a week for 3rd year students, the lack of infrastructure in terms of laboratory which makes the IIT tag redundant, the complete lack and mix up of authority and protocol which ensures that nothing is done on time, insistence on 100% attendance, conditioning of mentality toward research only and on and on. The new IITs make a show of covering up all their faults and just projecting half attractive happenings to the media, the truth is hollow and resonating. On top of it, there are rumors that the IITs are yet to be certified. Sigh.. Placements (if any) shall seal the final verdict.

My advice to you if you are preparing for JEE or know someone who is preparing for the same would be to convey this message to them - DO NOT join a new IIT. Cracking thru JEE takes an effort and I'd hate to see yours get wasted such as mine and the others with me.

I don't say new IITs are a bad move, on the contrary - they are fantastic. But their implementation is screwed up to say it shortly. IIM Shillong was a new IIM set up in 2008 as well. However, they have shown an average placement of 9.9 lacs for their first batch, which is acceptable considering the new institute factor. I'd be happy if the IITs pull of a similar stunt as well.

Profession vs Passion. This comes to my mind as a series of thoughts which are a continuity from the above discussion. My major focus of this discussion shall be the teaching area. Teaching is not everyone's cup of tea. You may possess sound knowledge of the subject, but you may not be skilled enough to pass on the same to others. If you are one of them, you should understand your limitations and not undertake teaching. In today's scenario of cut throat competition, there have emerged another batch of teachers - those for whom it is a job. And this is clearly reflected in their teaching. They are pathetic at passing knowledge, at inspiring interest and motivating students. This is the most pitiable condition for both the teacher and the students. There was a time, when teaching or for that matter, any profession was a passion first and then a profession. But in today's scenario, passion is nowhere to be seen. A lot of things are to be blamed for this. And one of them is the mentality of our fellow countrymen. We are all egoistic maniacs. We all have pride that is taller than our physical selves. And this is the underlying reason why our country inspite of being the the second most populated one is still among the developing nations of the world. Everyone wants a white collar job. It is a rat race out there and everyone is running without knowing where it leads to, why they are running and as to whether they want to run or not in the first place. 1.2 billion people more or less have a common discerning attitude towards everything in our country. And unless this changes, we shall remain a developing nation forever and ever to come.

The entry may look incoherent, that is simply due to the vastness of the topic and my lack of patience to elaborate and my diplomacy which ensured I shan't pile charges against any side in particular. That's all for now folks!

Writer has signed out!