Sunday, August 3, 2008

Save ITBHU

"Greetings,
Recently, I read a news in TOI about the 6 new IITs being preferred over IT BHU. Only low rank holders are opting for BHU. Well, that is pretty normal and I would have also opted for one of the IITs if I were to take the admission.

Why?

- I don't know anything about IT BHU that makes it different from other institutes that admit students through JEE.
- The IT BHU section in the JEE brochure talks more about the trivial details than giving information about the IT BHU's vantage points over the the other Institutes that participate in the admission process.
- It doesn't answer all the questions that come to mind of the students when they opt for a college during the JEE counseling.
- It doesn't talk about IT BHU alumni who have made a difference.
- It doesn't talk about the opportunities a student will get if he opts for IT BHU.
- It doesn't talk about the state of the art facilities, a student will get if he/she joints IT. Actually, we have none so the purpose of mentioning this point is self defeated.
- It doesn't talk about how joining IT would give it's students a head start in their career.

In reality we don't have much to talk about except the placements. Students are not motivated; they keep cribbing; they are in low spirits.

The reasons?? Well there are many
- The curriculum is not interesting. Its a lot theoretical, with very little scope of doing simultaneous practical projects. That is the reason why many ITians go to the IITs for summer internship projects.
- There is lack of facilities and funds for the labs.
- There are no collaborations with research labs and universities.

The only reason for the good placements has been that BHU's linkage with JEE. With the coming of the 6 new IITs, only the low rank holders will join BHU.(I assume BHU will now open around rank 3500 ) This change is surely going to affect the reputation of our Institute. It may happen that no big shot companies will come to the college campus for recruiting.

What can be done?
A lot. Believe me, we can bring the change.
- First of all, there should be common platform where representatives of administration, alumni and students can come together and discuss different things. The administration should give an ear to the things being discussed. So, please register @ http://www.itbhuglobal.org/
- Students should come up and speak out if they are facing any difficulty. It can be about lack of funds or lack of any facility or anything.
- The curriculum should be redesigned to introduce more electives so that students have more choices.Also there should be more opportunities of carrying out research projects .
- Take the example of ISB. It has reserved a place among the top B schools in India in no time. It has made so much progress that people have started to prefer ISB to IIM A. The reason behind this trend is that ISB have done so much to maintain the aura of exclusivity of the Institute. If we can do something similar ISB has done, then there is no doubt that we shall be one of the best engineering colleges in India and who knows JEE toppers might want to join IT BHU instead of joining any other IIT. Our alums are at very prestigious positions and we can come together to make our Institute the best in terms of facilities; in terms of benefits; in terms of academics; in terms of anything that comes to the mind of the students when they opt for a college during the JEE counseling.
- We can collaborate with research labs, universities (if not foreign then at least with Indian big shots such as IITs,IISc, TIFR, ISI ).
- We can sponsor students for filing patents or publishing papers.
- We can donate different software, which students can't afford on their own, to the different department labs.
- All the obsolete courses should be removed from the curriculum.
(There is much more to do)

Something is sought after if it is exclusive.
I am ending this article with a hope that next year IT would come up as a strong contender among the choices of Institutes that participate in JEE. I hope we shall do something about it.

This is part of a mail by an alumnus in ITBHU yahoo groups. I am putting this material in general public to aware the ITians who are not part of these group. This message is really a matter of introspection for ITBHU to stand in the race of best engineering colleges in India.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

The Remains of the Day

This post was written in May and saved as draft. I don't want to express my feeling about these beautiful dying moments in words. After a long thinking process, I am publishing about my last days in ITBHU.

A part of me is dying slowly without any whisper.I am not even mourning or thinking about it. Only few days of my precious college life is with me .Clock ticks and a moment is stolen from mine last days in ITBHU.

I feel like a person whose 4 years in ITBHU can reflect on a day's work. Evening is symbolic for last year, when one can look back and assess one's college life. I had never feel so much dejected and sad in 4 years. This moment of separation from beloved college and friends is haunting me. Thought of not coming here in July seems strange to me. Everybody, I shared my best years of life are scattered. We will meet anywhere in future but this chemistry of love and hate will be missing. Fresh air in the morning,Late night outs in semester downloading latest movies from DC++ will be missed by each of us.

The Professional world is coming down to me with a furious pace.Stake of mine survival in professional world of Sharks, piranhas and alligators is very low. I am a lone fish whose only pleasure is his solitude.

I want to make confession on this day. I don't like personally all of the mine colleagues but respect and adore few of them for their brilliance in their area of work. I don't enjoy good relationship with few batch mates but really praise their hard work. I was also saddened by the negative mindset of some people. There is major problem of jealous behavior from most people on others achievement in our college. They make it habit of scrutinizing others hard work under cheap labels. A sense of appreciation of things is missing. I hope that we can mature as a person to enjoy each other success and stand for each other in crisis.

Inspirational Seniors

There were only 3 inspirational seniors for me down these years in ITBHU : Sripati Sah, Varun Grover and Animesh Pathak. Its irony of my fate that they even don't my name. Sripati sir has met with me few times. I talked to Varun sir once on gtalk. I have been encouraged by Animesh sir for one good post on blog. They are more like virtual inspirational source with their qualities in front of me.

Sripati Sah:
I have talked with Sripathi Sah 2 or 3 times during 1st year by giving infeasible idea in model making in Technex-05. After that never, that mighty guy left us for further study to Amherst. I am sure that he cannot even recognize me now. I adore him not for his short attendance (28% excluding B.T.P. in last semester) but for his infinite passion and zeal for ever TAC. Now, I have myself seen all the seasons at ITBHU. Loss of passion and self motivation for improvement is major disease prevailing in this institute. I am also doomed deeply in it. But he was like God between us humans, ever inspiring and full of enthusiasm.

Varun Grover:
Engineering background of an artist always puzzled me. He is role model for me for his literal, theatrical and now cinematic journey. One person perrfectly quoted about him: "He is one of the very few people around me who is so sure of what he wants from life!"
He was the person giving me inspiration to become original and creative. There is a blind race and mob psychology in most of ITians for future career. They do not want to stand alone and make their own way. He has shown me the enlightened way to be original and creative.

Animesh Pathak:
There is no heart more strong than a heart of volunteer. Animesh sir have got that heart. He is very energetic person. To do a commentary as an audience on the problems is always easier than to really get to the ground and solving them. He chooses to solve the problems of his Alma matar. Many of us laments in their whole career about status quo of ITBHU and IIT. None of them volunteer or participate in solving problem at grass root level. He is one of the most easily reached alumni for students. His unending energy gives me inspiration to achieve goals for things we love most.....

This post is not written to drew attention but to pay my respect to seniors whom I admire most.