Campus Happenings: Potpourri of Activity

It’s been a while since my last post, and after all the Finnish stuff, it is time to get back to ground reality in India. Even though it may not possible to compress a semester’s worth into a single post, a few keywords have essentially looped throughout the last few months in bhaat sessions – Apping, placements, BTP, grades, HHSS Ravi Shankar, SOS (Sociology of Science!) blah blah blah …

The most exciting event however, has been the arrival of a new carrom board to our wing (with much ado and fanfare)! Yayy! Fervent battles have been fought, delicate shots have been played, “Jacuzzi shots” have been invented and State District level players have been toppled – all in the last few weeks.

JAcuZZi shot., /jəˈko͞ozē SHät/ 2011, CTE (name of wing) proprietary phrase, originating from “a random carrom shot hit by Jazz that cuts across the board and pockets at least two coins in at least 50% of the attempts”. Now a general term for any shot that works on the probability principle (higher the coins on board and higher the power into the shot, higher the probability of pocketing) and gives an aura of a “Rube Goldberg shot”.

This brings me to another interesting point that I wanted to make – I don’t approach placements in the same way I approach carrom. Although most people here approach it in the “JAcuZZi way” consciously or unconsciously (a discussion on this isn’t something I intend here), I’ve been making a deliberate effort to be somewhat narrow and focussed this time around.

This is possibly because of two interesting events that have really stood out – visit of HHSS Ravi Shankar to our campus lately, and a fantastic book that I read - “Code Name God”. It is about the saga of a man of Physics (from IIT Kharagpur, and that does strike a chord somewhere) who became blasé with all the worldly pleasures and found respite in the ancient art of meditation and Yoga. In the process, he also attempts to unify science and spiritually. Quite a read!!

Pandit Ravi Shankar was a revelation. Far from the preaching Sadhu that I expected, he was very modern and talked in fairly simple terms avoiding complex Sanskrit shlokas and references. Some have been really useful, and I’ve been implementing them (with somewhat limited success). For instance, I’ve started being more alert (awake 70% of the lecture) in classes by “being mindful” of my thoughts and breath.

Of course, all of this doesn’t mean I’ve become all spiritual. It is just a new perspective that I’ve found and an interesting topic to read up upon! That’s all for now! More after placement season. Cheers!!

One Night + Day @ Kgp

OK. That was one of the dumbest post titles that I have come up with lately. But you cannot expect more out of a title a la Chetan Bhagat. Nonetheless, my luck hasn’t be half as good as his.

Last night as I went to the canteen for some midnight refreshment, I stumbled upon “Country” who after staring at me for some time finally commented, “Are you staying back for the VLSI course?”. “Yes.” “Lots of girls from outside?”. “Not really, it is the same scenario. Nothing different”. “Oh! (Lot of stress on the oh!) Your bad. People in our time judged the scenario in the first two or three days. If the scene was good, they stayed back. Else, swoosh back home.” (It really sounded like those conditionals constructs in C when he was saying it!).

Anyway, I did land up at a Professor’s home a few days back. But there I said. Life isn’t fiction. The nearest I came to “the man on what not to do at IIT” was flipping across some of his books @ Professor’s residence. “Sir, have you read his books?” “Oh yeah! read it after seeing the movie. Interesting. Contrary point of view.”

Vodka at Insti top? The closest I came to the insti-top was a padlocked door that stood between me and history/Chetan Bhagat, closed allegedly for security reasons. Smuggling question papers out of the Professor’s office? “You can copy if you want to, but do not talk” was how our Maths Professor put it when we were taking a test.

OK. So does Chetan Bhagat represent the picture of an IIT which is extinct and only exists in his dreams? Not really. It is difficult to imagine Chetan Bhagat conjure up such novels out of thin air if not for the vibrant campus life at IIT (That reminds me. Signets! Oh, my Signets!). But it is also equally difficult to equate campus life at IIT with 5ps/imagination of Chetan Bhagat.

It is really interesting how novels capture the imagination of the masses. How one might think of the real world and the imaginary world as running in parallel. One drawing the other along but never meeting each other.

Disclaimer (in the end as opposed to Mr. CB): This post isn’t meant to help you choose which college to join. This is just about: what not to read before you get into IIT.

1/2 Engineer

1/2 Engineer /noun/ An engineering student who has successfully completed his sophomore year at college.

OK. That wasn’t from the Merriam Webster. But there had to some way to commemorate 2 years in IIT Kharagpur. To tell the world, there you are: I am (half) ready.

From … To

For me, it has been quiet a journey. From the first day in Bhatnagar Auditorium where we attentively listened to our Maths Professor blurting out a 50 OKs/minute to the Signets exam when I discovered that taking Electrical Engineering was possibly the worst decision of my life. From the day when I used to crib about grades to the day when I had to fight for grades. From being a freshman in MMM hall to a sophomore in Nehru hall (The much dreaded PAN loop!). From the euphoria of student activity in IITKgp to disillusionment of the poltu in Kharagpur.

Mr. 1/2 Engineer, how is it like to be a 1/2 engineer? 

And now as I enter my third year in college, a strange feeling creeps in me. A kind of responsibility shoved into my hands. The feeling that we are going to be the ones our juniors will look up to. That we were no longer going to be the ones seeking for advice but the ones giving advice. (Frankly, I don’t believe much in this advice/funda business. But nonetheless, I can feel a change). And although I cannot claim to know the A of Instrumentation after 2 years of engineering, I can proudly tell anyone: look, I am 1/2 engineer. You don’t know what that means, do you?

d/dx (e^x) = e^x

But some things never change. Sleeping in the class?! Copying assignments? Or sneaking into the class when half of the class was already dozing off! Or messaging your friend: 08XY1234. Proxy Please. These have stood the test of time! What 3rd year beckons, nobody knows. What it has in store is a mystery. But all that matters is we are 1/2 engineers. Here is some food for thought for you before I sign off.

DCE => DTU => IIT. How Justified?

I was a DCEite once. That was 2 years ago before I cleared JEE and made my way to IIT. That was when DCE was the college where nothing ever happened. Except mass bunks. You could graduate out of DCE and yet you wouldn’t know that you had an engineering degree under your belt. It was all calm out there. But then this happened some time back. DCE got converted into DTU: Delhi Technology University.

Small Fish in A Big Pond

It didn’t sound very good. But well, I thought: it must be for the better. If not, it was possibly a publicity gimmick before the Commonwealth Games. That is all. After all, Indians have an affliction towards changing names. Bombay –> Mumbai, Calcutta –> Kolkata, Madras –> Chennai… the list goes on. If this could be the fate of 3 of the 4 metro cities of India (and that of DIT NSIT too!), then I guess DCE is just a small fish in a big pond. And how did it matter anyway?

A Reason To Protest

There was a catch though. When DCE got upgraded(?) to DTU, the fees got hiked and the student intake increased. Now, disturbing as it may sound, I am sure this wasn’t the only reason for the disturbance. Such events always build up. I could draw an analogy with the Rohit Kumar case. Although everyone at IIT knew of the poor state of affairs of B.C. Roy, nobody really cared as much till the incident. The incident gave them a reason to protest.

The Events

What followed (in fact what generally follows) is a string of protests in support of their cause: candlelight marches, rallies, exam-bunks (as a mark of protest!) and the demands. As an outsider now, all of this seemed a little irrational to me. Why did they want themselves to upgraded to IITs? Didn’t we have 14 IITs already which were struggling to cope up with the existing infrastructure. (Ever tried sharing a room meant for a single person?) If they thought becoming IITs would alleviate their condition, couldn’t they be more mistaken. (And yeah, IITs have proposed a fee hike to Rs 4 lakh a year. Beat that.)

A Pattern

You could protest against the administration in DCE/DTU. Try that in IIT. And IIT without JEE? It may sound very romantic. But let me tell you my dear friends, JEE exists for a reason. And CGPA? Hah! as if it is going to really make a difference. Why decorate the demands with all these when all you want is better infrastructure? Oh, this might also be a nice chance to settle a few personal scores: The Director, the Sports Director and the rest of them. Didn’t we do that in Kgp as well? Who is the present Director of IITKgp now?

Coming to a Consensus

I could really see frightening parallels. This was how students protested the world over. And this was how the administration reacted: almost always. It is almost a pattern. And yet those protesting failed to see it.

I have been a part of DCE. And possibly a part of me is still in DCE yearning for the college life that I had there. But possibly my experience at IIT has made me look at things from a slightly different perspective. And as I write this post, I wonder if the protests could serve their purpose without drowning in the irrational? Could there be a genuine attempt to come to a consensus rather than just being a part of the mob? Could DCEites display a certain amount of maturity in dealing with such matters. After all, they consider themselves the crown in the crown of Delhi.

P.S.1: I am aware that this post might draw some sharp reactions from certain corners. However, I would ask you to ponder on what I have written above before jumping to conclusions.

P.S.2: I changed over from DCE to IIT. Mixed feelings. DCE becomes IIT. Feels a little strange.

The Physics of Weightlifting

After months of practise, hard work (typical ain’t it?) has yielded results. The medal at open IIT Powerlifting reaffirmed some of my beliefs of the alchemical process

1. Mentors play a very significant if not pivotal role.
2. One has to be inebriated by hope and leave the rest to chance. (I am not much of a believer of a greater Force, but I do believe in the chance mechanism)
3. Independent thought is necessary in any endeavour.

Although some of my readers may argue that all you need to do for weightlifting is eat eggs and lift weights, I am afraid that your view of weightlifting is at best naive. For the IITian, it is always doing with understanding.

A Question of Torque

Any layman could tell you that you have to balance the weights if you can hope to lift any significant weight. If the weights aren’t balanced you are going to have a tough time. If we assume the rod to have homogenous density, then the length of the rod should be equal on both sides.

Minimizing the work done

Why is a bench press done with an arched back? To minimize the distance travelled and hence the work done (W = Fs). As elementary as that.

Components of Force

A deadlift is always done with the shoulders and the arms in the vertical plane. What does it ensure? You get the entire force of your arms to be working against the gravity. The moment there is an angle, the horizontal component of force comes in and energy is wasted.

Yin and Yang

The grip for a deadlift is always complementary. If one hand  grips the bar with an open palm, the other with a closed palm. As you can see in the diagram below, this way the horizontal component of the force gets cancelled and the bar remains in firm grip.

Ok, so that is how an IITian would lift weights. I hope I have changed the viewpoint of many who believed that weightlifting was all brawn and no brains.

Batti Department - Part 1

Exams. That time of the year when you wish there wasn't any light. No Batti. No Batti Department.

Going by Batti Department's reputation though, you could have exams even if there wasn't anything to test.

Technically speaking, Instrumentation Engineering is a subset of Electrical Engineering. Some say it has the best of both Electrical and Electronics. One could argue that the placement chart of Instrumentation Engineering almost eclipses all other departments. So you need to slog as much. They say the grass is always greener on the other side.

Here is a question to my fellow mates not from the Batti Department. Could you in 4 years of your stay in Kgp connect a circuit which even vaguely resembles the one below?

On first glance, it would appear that we were hatching plans to blow off Batti department. But I can assure you, cunning as we may be - we too have a heart. This is a DAC and an ADC converter encapsulated into one single assembly. We had to assemble that in a span of 2 hours or face the prospect of spending 2 hours in the library which IITKgp proudly proclaims as being the largest of its kind in Asia.

That is Batti Department for you.

Before I sign off on Part - 1, let me leave you with Batti Department's Profile on Orkut.

Batti Department

about me:	I am the most feared department in Kgp. That should do.
age:	Although I am 59 years old, the average age of Professors in my department is more than 60 years.
birthday:	Officially, it is May 1950, but I like to celebrate it during the end-sem exams.
location:	In a naxal hit area called Kgp, though even the militants are somewhat scared of me.

Rest of the profile isn't that important. In case you are interested, you can search "Batti Department" on Orkut and read the rest of the story.

Cheers!

PS: I am assuming that there will be a sequel to this some time in the future, though I cannot really promise one at this point of time.

Suicide at IITKgp

Manoj Kumar, a first year student of Naval Architecture Department has committed suicide.

These incidents do not surprise me any longer. Many may consider it my (moral?) responsibility as a blogger to write about the latest incident in Kharagpur.

Just Another Incident

Three deaths in three months. Just another figure.

Kgp no longer astonishes me. I have started looking at such incidents with a passive indifference. As if it didn't matter.

Drug cases. Theft cases. Accidental deaths and now suicides.

There was a time when Kgp excited me. But that period is over. The honeymoon is over.

Death: An end in itself

Can anything but death justify suicide?

This must have been the same Manoj Kumar who had taken part in the candlelight vigil on 23rd March. The same Manoj Kumar who stood for life less than 3 months back. The same Manoj Kumar who like all Kgpians wanted a well equipped hospital.

IITians: Are they rational?

What makes IITians take such an extreme step? IITians, who are selected on their ability to reason - because of their rational mind.

A suicide is not a rational act - it cannot be.

Poor grades, personal problems? Did the suicide solve the problem? His suicide has made life difficult not only for his family but also for fellow Kgpians.

The flip side of the coin

I do not wish to sensationalise the issue.

This is the flip side of life at IIT.

Things won't always go right. Expectations may be high. Peers may be doing well. Things may go horribly wrong. Frustration and anger may build up.

But a human life is too precious to give away.

Welcome to Kgp

Results of various competitive exams have started trickling in and the fortunate few who would have been selected in IITJEE would have started weighing their options.

This video was first screened on the opening day of the Spring Fest 09 at Netaji Auditorium & gives a bird's eye view of Kgp campus. A must watch for any IIT aspirant/IITian.

Played the video?

Noticed the guy in orange T-shirt in the Badminton Court. Second from left.

That happens to be Mainak Jas.

Didn't notice? Try playing it again :)

Suggestions: Reforms in the CGPA System

In my previous post, I listed down some of the demerits of the CGPA system. While most agree to it that the CGPA system has its drawbacks, they feel that this is the best system available.

Here are some of their arguments

• You cannot distinguish between someone who has secured 91 and someone who has secured 93. So you give them the same grade
• Suppose you miss a grade in a 4 credit course, your CGPA drops by (1x4)/200 = 0.02 only.
• The likelihood of missing a grade in a subject is 5/100 ( You are among the 5 unfortunate people who missed the higher grade in a class size size of 100), i.e. 1 in 20.
• Rash commented: The Indian Education System is so fake that it is best to ignore it. The marks awarded are so shallow that you don't feel pushing for changes is really worth all the trouble. 

My reactions?

• If you cannot distinguish between 91 and 93, why segregate 89 and 91?
• You get 0.02 when you average the grade-loss over 8 semesters. Suppose, someone misses a grade in the first semester, the grade loss would be 0.02x8=0.16 in the first semester which is more than sufficient for someone to miss his department change.
• Your probability holds only when the event is unbiased.
• @Rash: All I can say is - If it isn't worth all the trouble, why do we have examinations at all? Couldn't we just have projects/actual work? 

However, as Rash suggested, I am presenting my suggestions. You are free to brainstorm/critically analyze the suggestions.

Centralise

Centralise the grading system. Give two people getting the same marks the same grade. This way, students in 'high performing sections' will not lose out. The grade will be purely based on merit.

Uniformity

There has to be a parameter which should decide the cutoff marks for the subject. Do not leave it to the Professor. Further, apply the criterion uniformly to all subjects.

Feedback

The students should be given a proper feedback on their performance. And the students should know why/where they lost their marks. I am sure IITs can provide feedback sheets having critical data such as class average, class highest and the weak areas of the students - say analytical abilities, calculation errors or weak concepts.

Time Bonus

A student who completes his exam well before time definitely has clearer concepts than someone who takes the complete 3 hours to complete the exam.

One could award 10% of the marks secured by the student as bonus per hour. So, if I get 90 and I finish half an hour early, my final marks should be 90 + (10% of 90)/2, i.e. 94.5

This way, plagiarism would reduce. A student finishing half an hour early would realise that returning the answer scripts is a better option than trading answers in the surplus time.

Cluster Grading

It doesn't make sense in having multiples of 5 and 10 as cut-offs. 

Give grades in clusters. Say, there are 9 to 10 students in and around 90. Give the same grade to all of them (the cluster). Further, the cluster size may not be greater than 3 to 4 marks. If there are 10 clusters, give 10 grades on a scale of 5 to 10 - 5.0, 5.5 and so on till 10. 

Opinion: Inconsistencies in the CGPA System

What is CGPA?

CGPA stands for Cumulative Grade Point Average. IITs use it to evaluate the performance of IITians in the examinations.

How is the CGPA calculated?

Students are given a grade as per their performance in the examinations. Each grade has a numerical equivalent - 'a point'.

IITKgp has the following point system

Ex	A	B	C	D	P
10	9	8	7	6	5

Each subject has a credit - the weight the subject carries. To calculate the SGPA (Semester Grade Point Average), the weighted mean of the grades is calculated.

Let us consider an example.
Suppose a student - say Jug gets the following grades.

Subject	Marks	Credit	Grade	Point
A	79	4	B	8
B	98	4	Ex	10
C	89	2	A	9
D	97	1	Ex	10

The SGPA would be calculated as

(8x4 + 10x4 + 9x2 + 10x1)/11 = 9.09

The CGPA is the weighted mean of the SGPAs. His percentage would be

(79x4 + 98x4 + 89x2 +97x1)/11 = 89.36%

The CGPA and Percentage are incompatible

Now consider the grades of Mug.

Subject	Marks	Credit	Grade	Point
A	81	4	A	9
B	91	4	Ex	10
C	91	2	Ex	10
D	91	1	Ex	10

His SGPA would be calculated as

(9x4 + 10x4 + 10x2 + 10x1)/11 = 9.63

And his percentage would be

(81x4 + 91x4 + 91x2 + 91x1)/11 = 87.36%

(Assuming 90 to be the cutoff for Ex, 80 for A and 70 for B)

I have considered 11 credits here. You can imagine the discrepancy that would arise if we were to do this for 25 credits and then average it over 8 semesters. (i.e. close to 200 credits)

Clearly the CGPA system and the percentage system are incompatible. One has to choose between the two.

Inconsistencies in the CGPA System

In the previous examples, I assumed the cutoffs as 70, 80 and 90 for B, A and Ex respectively. The cutoffs could very well be different. If the class performs poorly/question paper was tough, then the cut off may be relaxed to an extent if the Professor so wishes.

The cutoff depends on the Professor's whims and wishes.

So for the same question paper, different Professors may set different cutoffs.

Some institutes use the distribution curve to decide the cutoffs. Aid of statistical tools is taken to decide the cutoffs. Sounds really hi-tech, doesn't it?

Think again.

Suppose, Jug is in a batch that has all the 'high performing' students. His grade would be lower than Mug who has the same marks but is in a batch that has 'normal students'.

So Jugs grade not only depends on the Professor but also on his batchmates.

IITKgp has 6 different sections and 6 different Professors teaching the same course in the 1st year. You can imagine the range of SGPA that the same set of marks may create.

There are courses that have 'Centralised Grade Calculation' but there are also courses that do not have this.

Mind you, do not mistake the CGPA to be the Percentile system. Nor is it the Percentage system. It is a hotch-potch of something in between.

Some subjects have relative grading. Others have absolute. The subjects that are 'scoring' are absolutely graded - for example, Maths or Programming. Subjects like English or Manufacturing Process have relative grading.

So if Jug happens to be good at Maths, he gets an A. Mug who is weak at it gets a D. Mug though is good at English. So he manages an A in it. Jug is pathetic at English but still manages a B because not just Jug - the whole batch is bad at English. So Mug loses out even though Jug and Mug have the same aggregate in the two subjects.

The CGPA system need a serious re-look. With the present system it is only encouraging unfair practices. The system is not transparent. At times, the grades that are given defy all logic.

To keep the students in a motivated frame of mind, IITs need to evaluate the students in a fair manner. And this means a review of the CGPA system.

Either it needs to be replaced with a better system. Or it needs to be made more consistent.

What system does your institute follow? Do let me know your opinions on it.

Kgp Elections: A Relook

It is now two weeks since the demise of Rohit Kumar.

Nobody wishes to recall the events of the previous fortnight any more. The focus has shifted to more exciting events in the campus. The 'Student Body Elections' have become the talking point of all Bhaat/Adda sessions.

It has been a week of anticipation. Who is going to be the new VP (Vice President)? What are the proposals that the candidates have presented? Who has better credentials? What kind of fellow is (s)he?

Emotions have been flying high. Even the seemingly insignificant rumour has spread like wild fire in the campus. Every hall has been backing their candidates furiously - tooth and nail. In such a situation, it is the 1st year hall - MMM which has become the deciding factor. The hall that could make it or break it.

Everything has been rehearsed over and over again. Nothing has been left to chance. The SOP (Statement of Purpose) box is very harsh. The candidates have to get their facts right. There is no choice.

There is a model code of conduct to be followed during campaigning. Whoever breaks it faces action.

The polling takes place in the common room of the respective halls. Election officers are present to ensure that the election process is free, fair and smooth.

It was my first opportunity to elect representatives of my own. I decided to be a responsible voter. I set aside a few criteria which would decide a candidate's 'deservability' for a post.

Credibility

Credibility as the dictionary defines it is 'to be believable'. To be believable, one has to stick to the truth. When I mean truth - I mean the COMPLETE TRUTH. I do not wish to have a representative who is not credible. If (s)he isn't credible, (s)he would not command authority. Without authority, it would be very difficult to get even the simplest of tasks done.

Reachability

Is the candidate open to new ideas? Does his/her agenda encompass only a minority of the student population or is it for the benefit of the average Kgpian? Does (s)he fly high or is (s)he friendly to talk to? And does the candidate have a forum where (s)he can be contacted conveniently?

Ground Work

Everybody finds candidates who can speak well and present themselves very impressive. It has come to become the only criterion for many. Even IITians are swayed by superfluous oratory! Never had I imagined that IITians who are chosen on account of their ability to reason and apply themselves would vote a candidate based on their speech (which incidentally has been rehearsed umpteen number of time over the past few months). Everything else being equal, I would go by this.

I would rather look at the kind of ground work that the candidate has done. Has (s)he taken the initiative to bring about any changes. And is the candidate willing to work for the betterment of the student community?

Credentials

This factor is quiet tricky. Candidates who stand have impeccable credentials. And their record is immaculate. It becomes very difficult for the voter to decide. For instance, two Core Team member of Kshitij may be standing head to head for the post of General Secretary Technology. Who do you vote then? This is when voters start going by the performance at the SOP box. When the tangible credentials are equal, one HAS to go by the intangible ones - and this is where the randomness and the beauty of elections come in.

The results should be the last of our concerns. Luck plays a big role. Whoever is elected will HAVE TO work hard. Let us a raise to toast to the success of the mini-democracy that we have created within our campus.

[For the latest updates on the result, visit The Scholars' Avenue]

Centre of Excellence Unlimited

It has been a week since tragedy struck IITKgp. Things are returning to normal. Students have stopped questioning the attitude of the administration. Only a select few are taking an active interest in being a part of the change.

There has to be change - no question about that. The events that unfolded last week suggest that IITKgp is far from being a 'Centre of Excellence'. A 'Centre of Excellence' like IIT cannot survive solely on the strength of its students. There needs to be change - and for the better.

B.C. Roy Hospital

That an IIT could have such an ill-equipped hospital - I had never imagined. Despite several cases of negligence coming to the fore, nothing has been done about it.

Why does the administration not realise that a hospital with state-of-art facilities will not just serve the students but also the staff and the faculty?

The students here will stay for 4 years and then move on. In that short span, they can bring about only a few changes. A large part of the initiative has to come from the Junta who have been staying in Kgp for some time.

Transport Facilities

The impression I had formed of Kharagpur in Delhi was far from accurate. In Delhi, I had taken the transport system for granted. The 781 Blueline bus and the Metro was so convenient for my daily 'up-down' to DCE that I couldn't think of something as bad as the Kgp transport system. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that I would have to hire a Rikshaw to go to the Railway Station.

Why IITKgp does not have a bus service in the campus till date escapes me. That Rohit Kumar had to be taken to the Hospital in a Rikshaw is a real shame. It baffles me why the institute does not have an hourly bus service covering the important landmarks in the campus.

Why - won't it serve the interests of all - students, faculty and the staff?

Food

Every now and then, Professors at IITKgp talk of the standard of students degrading by the day. They blame it on the 'Coaching Centres' and the increasing intake into the IITs. Never do they realise that a student's performance reflects his/her mental and physical well being.

How can someone concentrate in the class when the food being served at the hostel is repeated every 7 days - as it is. Can we not have a regular review by an expert/nutritionist on the quality of food? Am I asking for too much? But don't the IIT Professors expect a lot out of us? Surely, we deserve better quality food.

Rohit Kumar's headaches might have been a direct consequence of the quality of food at the hostel. I am speculating here but we don't wish to have more incidents - do we?

Then why not improve the quality of food at the hostel?

Faculty - Student Interaction

A lot can change if the students learn to interact with the Professors. How can that happen? And when can that happen? It can happen only when we have a better faculty : student ratio. I don't see any point in going to classes if I cannot interact with the Professor. I might as well watch the video lectures. And how am I supposed to interact when we have one lecturer for 180 students?

And to make matters worse - there are rumours floating of 'Biometric Attendance' being brought into play. Why can't the faculty look at improving the basic amenities in the camps rather than concentrating their energies on 'disciplining' the students? The trust between the students and the faculty has vanished.

When it is a well-known fact that the doctors at B.C. Roy are irresponsible, why didn't any Professor take Rohit Kumar to Kolkata in his own car? Or if that wasn't possible, why didn't someone get the process of taking the ambulance out of the campus expedited. Why was no responsible person accompanying the students? Was a head injury the sole responsibility of two friends?

I shall be looking for answers.

We all should be.

Tragedy Strikes at IITKgp

I cannot provide the complete story.
I can only provide an angle.
To have the complete picture, the reader MUST go through the following links:

The Scholars' Avenue

http://209.97.214.175/~scholars/wordpress/

News Article From The Telegraph

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090323/jsp/frontpage/story_10710225.jsp

Teary Farewell From Friends

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090324/jsp/bengal/story_10715166.jsp

Blog Posts

http://grassonfire.blogspot.com/2009/03/rohit-kumar-will-be-remembered.html
http://anurag-priyam.blogspot.com/2009/03/students-death-at-iit-kharagpur.html
http://artagnon.com/2009/03/iitdeath-the-day-that-was/

22nd March, 1315 hrs:

Hot afternoon in Kharagpur.
Feeling unwell after a bout of vomiting last night.
Sore throat and fever accentuate the pain.
Decide on having a nap.

1715 hrs:

Wake up from my longest siesta in Kgp.
Feeling groggy.
Decide to go to B.C. Roy to have myself checked up.
Wingmate informs me of the decease of a fellow Kgpian.
Hall: LLR
Cause: Negligence at B.C. Roy Hospital
Details not known.
Confused.
Proceed to B.C. Roy nevertheless.
Calm at B.C. Roy. Everything seems normal.
Doctor at B.C. Roy prescribes medicines.
No thermometer used to check fever.
Diagnosis as per my description of the ailment.
Full dose of medicine given.
[Why? Because some of the medicines were nearing expiry date]

1730 hrs:

Back to Hall.
Friend persuades me to take him 'doubles' to Tech Market.
Learnt about protests at Director's Residence.

1740 hrs:

Proceed to Director's Residence
Park the cycle at a reasonable distance

1745 hrs:

Inside Director's Residence after hopping the fence.
Learn about damage already done:

Windows of Innova smashed.
Car turned upside down.
Lamps in the garden damaged.
Windows of bunglow damaged.
Students crowded at the porch of the Director's Residence - demanding his resignation.

Director allegedly passed spurious remarks which sparked the backlash:

(smiling) Who are you to ask for my resignation?
I can give my resignation only to the President of India.
Student mar gaya hai tho mai kya karoon? [What can I do if a student dies?]
Chutti chahiye kya? [Do you want a holiday?]

1800 hrs:

Call my parents informing them of the tragedy.
They urge me to be cautious as such situations can turn ugly.
Pick up a packet of biscuits being supplied.
Students taking photographs. Ready with videocameras.

1815 hrs:

Director emerges.
Announces his resignation.
Flash of cameras all around.

1830 hrs:

Getting dark.
Decide on returning to my room.
Rumours doing the round that student was caught with videocam at Puri Gate
Call from parents - News is out in Bengali News Channel - Star Anondo.

1900 hrs:

Learn that internet & LAN not working in Kgp.

2115 hrs:

Back at Director's Residence.
Learn of a 'just concluded' meeting.
Informed of Open House at 2200 hrs in Netaji Auditorium.
5th years present some points they wish to raise at Netaji.

2200 hrs:

Seated in Netaji.
Request by Student Representatives to refrain from unruly behaviour.
Learn that a very poor picture of Kgp students had been potrayed in the media.

2205 hrs:

Venue Shifted to Tagore Open Air Theatre (TOAT) due to space constraints.
TOAT jam-packed with 4000 students.

2215 hrs:

1 minute of mourning.
Minutes of the meeting presented.
5th year students present their problems.
Interspersed by angry shouting from the crowd.

2230 hrs:

Junta informed by students that this is not the only case of negligence.
Another student is admitted in the ICU at Apollo in Delhi because the Doctors at B.C. Roy could not diagnose Malaria.
Students demand resignation of Dean of Students Affairs (DOSA) and Deputy Director (DD).

2300 hrs:

Friends of Rohit - Vidya Bhushan & P.R.K Singh narrate their tale of injustice.
They had volunteered to help him after his head injury.

2330 hrs:

DOSA and DD announce resignation.
Junta disperses.

23rd March:

Complete boycott of classes as a mark of protest.

1800 hrs:

Candlelight march from Gymkhana to Vidhan Chowk.
Students wear black as a mark of protest.

Rohit Kumar was a 3rd year student of the department of the department of Electrical Engineering. He was a Kshitij Core Team Head and resided in the Lala Lajpat Rai Hall of Residence.

May his soul rest in peace.

Gults, Bongs & Madus

Again a piece on IIT!!!

I really can't help it. Living in an isolated campus 24x7 has kind of re-tuned my thinking - it is IIT & Kgp - that is all that revolves in my upper storey. I really wished to switch topics but I guess fate had it this way. To accentuate matters, I have been reading a lot of stuff on IITians - '5 point Someone' & 'The IITians'. And I plan to read 'Above Average' as soon as possible

You might find some mention of a similar idea in the book 'Joker in the Pack' - again a book on IIMs. When I read the book first, I did not think much of it. But the more I have thought about it, the more I have developed conflicting opinions on this very complex issue.

For the benefit of those who are not very well acquainted with Kgp lingo - Gults refers to those from Andhra Pradesh, Bongs to the Bengalis and Madus the Madwadis. (You get Gult if you read the word Telugu reverse). These are the students who constitute majority of Kharagpur's Junta. The rest - to put it mildly - are a minority.

So what are the implications of such a composition of the student community? What I have gathered from my sort stay here at Kgp is that these communities even after 7 months or so at the campus find it difficult to gel well. The same problems that we see in our nation reproduce themselves in the campus on a smaller scale.

The Gults aka 'Yentara people' like to roam about in 'gangs'. They like to sleep together, eat together and do this and that together. The CATC brought out this feature in a pronounced manner wth the Gults sleeping in a single file and the non-Gults in another file.(Incidentally, they sweeped the student body election's in our Hall of Residence)

The Bengalis, the Madus & the rest I would say is on the other side of the fence. Again, they mingle among themselves and do not risk getting into an Andhra 'gang'. They consider themselves 'cultured' people & dream of capturing important portfolios in the Student Bodies - they forget that the compostition of students this year is very different from that of years that have gone by.

This has really put me to think. Is Kharagpur really proud of its cosmopolitan environment?

When I was filling up my admission form and was consulting my friends already in IITs, their opinion was something like this

IITD=IITB>IITM>IITK>IITKgp

I have not been able to figure out till date why their order reflects a proximity to a city when it is very clear that one would be spending most of his/her time in the campus. So the only logical conclusion I can draw is that not only the Gults but the non-Gults are equally culpable for drawing the barrier. They have divided the IITs on regionalist lines. What is it that now separates an IIT from a Regional Engineering College. What is it that the IITs can be so proud of - a 6 lakh per annum placement? Some people are evn talking of having the rooms allotted on regionalist lines as it had been done previously.

When do we all mature?
When do we learn that IITKgp's beauty lies in the multicultural environment that it has. That it is only logical and reasonable to learn and share our experiences with each other. When will we see the Bong community, the Madus, the Gults and the others sharing and living not as members of their community but as proud IITians(or should I say Indians?)? I hope some day we get out of our shells and learn to interact with people from other cultures.

After all, Kharagpur is considered the 'Mecca of Engineering Education in India'!!

Follow Through

Spring Fest’s 50th Edition came to a (grand) conclusion at 2200 hrs on 25th January 09. I would not exactly describe it as grand – because the finishing of SF was a complete mess.

Aficionados of any sport would know the importance of a follow through in the perfect execution of a shot. If the follow through is not there – the shot is a mess. The SF organizers need to learn a lesson or two from the sporting domain. The 2nd & 3rd days saw the event at its peak with the like of KK and India Jazz Suites gracing the stage. By the final day, however, SF seemed to have run out of steam. All the enthusiasm and tempo had died down.

SF Team needs to sit down, look back and analyze the four days of the festival. Their job is not yet completed. Again the question of follow through. They need to ask themselves hard questions – why some things went wrong when they shouldn’t have. Why were events not conducted on time? Why were timings changed so frequently? Why did the crowd go out of control at times? Did they require 170 odd volunteers – could they have done a better job with smaller team of more dedicated volunteers – and given them something more than just a (worthless) certi(ficate)? Which events saw enthusiastic participation and which ones saw only scanty participation? Could they have had the events in a better order? They need to brainstorm now, ask their batchmates for suggestions and pass on not only what they already knew but also what they learned to the junior batch.

Let us not look at making SF bigger and bigger in numbers. Let us try to bring in some more quality into it – do the necessary trimming wherever required and look at making brand SF even bigger.

Looking forward to an even (bigger) better Spring Fest in 09.

Let the Spirit of Youth Triumph!!

Why no Mass Bunks?

One of the major differences that has come from changing my college is that I have had to attend more classes in IIT than I used to in DCE.

Have I become more sincere?
Or is it mere coincindence that I attend more classes in IIT.

I thought about it and concluded that the difference was due to the absence of mass bunks in Kgp.

Isn't that a good thing?

Good or bad - atleast I do not like the complete absence of mass bunks in Kgp. Although, one can always bunk classes as an individual, the fun factor goes away. Moreover one would lose his/her attendance for the class.

Probably I am being a bit nostalgic, but I really miss the mass bunks that we used to have in DCE. Mass bunks are a part and parcel of college life in Delhi University. You may consider it to be a subset of the jugad culture that exists there. The absence of such a culture as well as the stringent IIT system has made it almost impossible for mass bunks to happen. College Festivals would have been a reason for mass bunks in DCE. In IIT, the festivals have been made to coincide with weekends. Again, we would bunk when we disliked a particular professor. But here, almost all professors are so well qualified that a guilty feeling creeps whenever we think of mass bunking. Tutorials which we always bunked at Delhi are almost never bunked here in Kgp because we are marked during the Tutorial classes. Plus the over-competitive environment has made it very difficult for the students to work as a team towards a common goal.

Oh! how I wish, the IIT system would be a little considerate of the students! Or the students who wish to attend classes a little considerate of their fellow students! However, kintu, parantu, all hope is not lost. I appeal to all Kgpians to join hands in reviving (if it was ever there) or atleast bringing some hint of a mass bunk culture in the IIT system. Some human element in the very stringent IIT system!!

Virtual Reality Kgp

I must confess that time and again I am and will be regressing back to IIT, Kgp, JEE and related topics. This is because these have formed a major part of my life in the past 3 years and continue to be so.

So what is it that I call 'Virtual Reality Kgp'?

Or to be more precise, why do I use the adjectives 'Virtual' & 'Reality' to describe Kgp?

What is 'Virtual' in Kharagpur?
Kharagpur does exist, doesn't it?

Well, Kharagpur does exist. More specifically, an IIT exists in Kharagpur. But in the eyes of the Kgpians, the world does not exist.

Nonsense??

I do not know. Whatever little I have been able to gather from my little experience in Kharagpur, what I have realise is this - Kharagpur does not (want to) know the real world outside. They have created a virtual world governed by tempo, fundas and tradition. They seem to be unaware of the fact the the government is spending crores on IITs which could well have been used for the welfare of the poor & backward.

Kya Bakwas kar raha hai?

You might feel that I am a pessimist, a sceptic, but the truth is IITians not just in Kgp are wasting away the resources that they have at their disposal. A large chunk of IITians are ending up in non-technical professions because hamne tho classes attend ki nahi thi. Hamein tho apna CV banana hai. Even if I am a 6 pointer, I will end up in a good job because 5 point someone says so.

My dear IITian, I don't think any software giant is going to recruit you because you are a good dramatist or a guitarist. Or for that matter an electronics recruiter is going to take you because you were an inter-IIT participant

No, no, no - you are getting it all wrong. I will be my own boss. I will have a start up of my own and earn crores. Very well then. How are you going to have a product without any technical skills?

I do not know why but (most) IITians have a very narrow outlook. That is why you rarely find an IITian reaching the levels that many engineers abroad do. And a big culprit here is the JEE.

Scrap the JEE

What? Why? How? Isn't it a time tested means of getting the best analytical brains in the country? Moreover, how else do you select good candidates?

Rubbish.

All JEE has done is churn out JEE problem solvers who cannot think in a straightforward and simple manner. My suggestion would be to bring in the time-tested and good old Board Exams to select the candidates. You will get more complete individuals with less people precipitating into drug addicts and alchoholics. But they won't have those analytical skills that a JEE cracker has, would they? Ask a 9 ptr or a 10 ptr in IIT what analytical skills has he used to get his grades? Hard work and smart work. Those two skills even a 95%er possesses. Moreover, the problem of the skewed gender ratio would be solved to a great extent.

Radical views?

I do not know. Most successful engineers in India are non-IITians.

Why is it so?

Because the IITs and the IITians are in a dream world of their own which I would call 'Virtual Reality'