The IIT experience

#26

Sandeep (not Sanjay) Pandey of ASHA.

I bit too political to be altruistic (he gave up his magsasay award money because it was ``tinged`` with US money)

but one must respect a lot of what he has done.

Warrier,

Altruistic reasons! Ditto Sanjay Pandey, an IITian, US-returned and a Magsaysay awardee.

#24
Have a friend who was at IIT Bombay who actually after his BTech worked at Baba Amte`s ashram for quite a while setting up their administration etc. Bit off the beaten track that.

Warrier,

I know of Karmaker of Bell labs and read abt his invetions. Read abt Netravali and George as well.

I also read of one IIT-B guy - a Kerala Catholic who got 800/800 in GRE but didnt go to the USA for masters. These IITians are performers but as u siad, IITs produced thinkers as well.

VRV
There are people like Karmarkar, Netravali, George Varghese etc and quite a few more. I`m only looking at engineers. You might say they are there inspite of or because of the sytem.

Re: # 21

Jang, is it? I dont know.

I met Mr. Gupta as a roommate at a Paris Youth Hostel. Though he came as India`s rep for a seminar in Paris (which makes him eligible to stay at a 5* hotel) he stayed in the Hostel as his daughter also came from another EU country to see him. I really didnt know then that my roommate was Arvind Gupta.

We spoke abt space science and abt my deep interest in astronomy till late midnight. I also told him abt Jayant Narlikar`s articles that inspired me as a kid. We spoke abt Indian science till late midnight. Next morning I saw his bag and baggage to be a collection of garbage from Indian streets. (Though I kept that opinion to myself). I must visit him at IUCAA at Pune, one of the several centres in Indian where study of astronomy is being conducted.

Later when I came back to London I found his name as a person touring Pakistan popularising Science education. Then I googled and I found a lot abt him. Inspite his age he`s the glint of a childish curiosity in simpler things, which he uses as tools to popularise science. He too studied in an IIT but didnt join the rat race for better jobs but stuck in writing books for children in vernaculars for popularising science. Great Soul.

how about praful bidwai?

Re: # 17

>>>>There are a few creative thinkers that they have produced in the 50 net years of their existence. <<<<

I can name Arvind Gupta who is known for popularising science in India in an unconvetional way. Btw, he too toured Pakistan this year.

Re: # 2
Babbu, i thought you would ignore reading the following response that i posted after your argument with tahmed on ``Indian Scholarships for Outstanding Pakistani Students``

Here it comes:

Re: # 140

Indian Scholarships for Outstanding Pakistani Students

I actually agree with both of u. Ballu and tahmed...First off: this longing friendship has to start in immaturity --turst my guys it takes LONG for someone to heartedly accept eachother even if one is at fault. Secondly, if not in immaturity than the mature minds (many times) take too long to learn. The leftover matures who are capable enough to bring about friendship will not make enough movement; thus, no major influence.

:) Hope this settles the argument.

PS. You guys fight like kids here. Let`s act mature hun. Pakistan/India are comparable only in very few terms > gota look at geographics too (Maturity needed to understand :D)

However, considering the current world-wide-muslim state, Pakistan is not doing too poorly as a developing country.

Overall, I certainly would appreciate some common sense being used.

RB

``Five point someone`` succeeds because it`s funny. You can identify with teh lead characters, ``mediocre`` though they be.

This is just a sophomoric essay with no humour, no nostalgia, no sentiment at all. You may well have been writing an essay on ``The Cow`` (The cow has four legs. It eats grass. People everywhere except Hindus eat it, etc.)

BTW, the RECs (not RCEs) are now called NITs (National Insst of Technology)

Nabebendu`s article reads like a power point presentation. -)

Re; Saima Shah , I don`t think the IIT`s were built to solve all the problems of the century. They were built to create a bunch of people who would help industrialise India.

Plus I don`t think the IIT regimen is against thinkers. Pressure cooker situations are there in many good schools in the West too. However to some extent they do not have the same time pressures as most schools in Asia.

You cannot join any professional college in India for a graduate degree beyond a certain age (I think it used to be 21). You also have to clear your courses in a specific degree of time.

I think the biggest problem is the price our society puts on failure. To succeed as a creative thinker one must not be afraid to fail. All that is effectively drummed out of us at a very early age, the penalty for failure is too high.

And that starts very early in life, long before the IIT`s.

Unlike other places there is no social net to catch you if you fail. Your time runs out by the time you are in your early 20s.

The IIT`s are much better than many other colleges. There are a few creative thinkers that they have produced in the 50 net years of their existence.

Three Blind Mice

The piece of chalk caught Rashid on his left shoulder. He immediately turned his head back and faced the front. Dr. Mohanty was glaring, “Would you like to share with the rest of us what’s so funny?!”

Rashid hesitated a bit then finally said: “No, I won’t!”

Dr. Mohanty considered. He felt a low-level surge of anger inside him – he could expel this errant student who was polite but blunt – why couldn’t this guy simply make an excuse or say “sorry”, even a fake “sorry”, so that they could resume with a degree of propriety. There was a bit of impudence that one could associate with this kid.

Yet, a part of him empathized with such troublemakers. This place was a pressure-cooker – it must absolutely be so! After all, just look at the coursework – five full courses every semester plus an afternoon workshop or equivalent lab work every day! Not to mention all those cultural activities – whole night sessions preparing for music concerts, events like the “Spring Festival”, the debate competitions – the you-name-it’s! It was a fine thing that they had to take a few non-technical courses, too – like his. Unfortunately, they seldom took such courses with the seriousness that was due.

Dr. Mohanty gulped. He decided to ignore the infraction.

Rashid felt relieved momentarily. It had been only a routine double-entendre which, in the normal scheme of things, would not have been considered even funny – however, its juxtaposition to some of the individuals now present in the classroom – especially the current lecturer – somehow made it an original and hilariously funny. He had no more power to stifle that giggle than Dr. Mohanty had the ability to make that mole on the tip of his nose vanish.

The mole which was at the epicenter of his current troubles!

For, imaginative as he was, sexual connotations with reference to that anatomical aberration were simply beyond Rashid’s strait-laced imagination – or had been until now! Rashid would never be able to see a mole in the same light ever again!

Dr. Mohanty went back to reading lines of the poem:

“…What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”

“What did I tell you – it is all about symmetry!” the voice from behind was clear to Rashid but nobody else could make them out. Rashid felt unstoppable laughter building up inside him again. He was afraid that he might burst.

Oblivious to the tempest brewing inside that cup of Rashid’s tummy, Dr. Mohanty continued:

“…And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?”

“Fart” came the whisper from behind. An involuntary “phhhttt..” sound escaped Rashid. Dr. Mohanty cast a questioning eye on him.

“Excuse me!” said Rashid – pretending a guilty plea to an offense which had never really occurred there. Dr. Mohanty resumed.

“…What the hammer? What the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?”

A snoring sound came from the student on his left side. Rashid glanced sideways – just as expected, they were all asleep. All except him and the guy behind!

“…Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?”

“If I were a lamb – I too would pee!” came the whisper again. Rashid forcibly bit his tongue to make himself quiet. His face turned red from the effort.

Dr. Mohanty felt there was something going on but could not quite figure it out or do much about it. Rashid, of course had no clue what would come next – and even whether he will be able to last the whole class. And the guy behind had no clue what the next joke would be – he only knew that there was sure to be one – it just came out of nowhere! Every one of the three principals was guided strictly by his instinctive feel for the present.

A minute later, when Dr. Mohanty had his head down again, Rashid turned his head back a bit and whispered, “Beej, I’ll get you for this!”

Some threats are easier made than actually carried out.

Ref jang #13

[so there were three graduates, one from (harimaus) anna engg college....]

Harimau most certainly did NOT attend Anna University (not engg college, its name has been upgraded though not its faculty nor its facilities). Anna University is reserved for those named Masanamuthu, Sangilikkaruppan, Sudalaikkannu, Tamil Mani, Love King (its Tamil equivalent being Anbarasan), etc.

Re: # 13

Jang,

That`s hilarious. LOL.

so there were three graduates, one from (harimaus) anna engg college, one from MIT and one from IIT. they were asked the same question..how do you reverse an AC motor. harimaus school chap says, you have to reverse the widings on one phase. the MIT grad says you will need to invert the state-space matrix. the IIT (under)graduate who is too busy reading bihari pondies (porn) says ``ama yar just look at the motor the other way and close the door behind you``.

#11 by bjkumar on November 25, 2006 4:57am PT

{#4
[The food at RK Hall (the graduate student dormitory) was better than at the undergrad cafeterias.]

Ama yaar, that`s not a grad student dorm, unless they made it so later!}

Oops, RP Hall! My bad!

{What will they do next?!! Start putting in the women there too?!!!}

Women? I believe the general term of reference is ``she-male``.