Your article Coaching Factories are Dumbing Down the iits (Apr 30) suggests a budget of Rs 2,000 crore for coaching classes. If the government spent this kind of money on basic education, we’d get an army of students with enquiring minds, not mechanical robots trained in coaching factories. There would also then be no need for reservations.
Gajanan Mohite, Sydney
I’ve personally been part of the coaching system for iits and know why iitians end up with such bloated egos. The process starts at the coaching classes itself. Students who do well are praised to such a high extent as ‘potential iitians’ that a mood of self-congratulation sets in even before they get admission. It is also true that the system of rigorous coaching not only saps the brains of fresh young minds of their vitality, but also reduces the potential of any creative thinking, thus hampering the development of an all-round personality required to work efficiently in the industry. That is probably why companies are reluctant to hire fresh iit grads.
K.B., Bangalore
As far as I know, both Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani are from iits, the former from Kanpur and the latter from Bombay. Azim Premji of Wipro is from Stanford. Rono Roy, who started the whole bpo call centre thing (Spectramind in Delhi, bought up by Wipro in ’04), is from Kharagpur. Vinod Khosla and Pramod Haque, two of the top venture capitalists in the US, are from iit Delhi. They have financed most of the electronic design start-ups in Bangalore. How’s that for leadership from iitians?
Dr G., Phoenix, US
One reason why competition levels are so high in iits is because the seats are so limited despite the increasing size and aspirations of the middle class. The entire system of education in India is geared to teach/learn only that which is necessary to pass tests. And the tests are solely designed to narrow down the pool from the huge numbers of applicants. However, merely changing the test won’t change the coaching culture. Today, as in the past, the jee measures knowledge not available in the high school curriculum. And whereas earlier the metros accounted for most of the admitted students (as they alone had access to books from which the tests are drawn), today students from "B-towns"—yes, even "lowly" Kota—manage to figure out the system. The concern over "communication skills and societal awareness" is a euphemism for the new entrants not being from the same urban upper-middle-class background as when the iits had an English test. Why not teach students such skills? Why is it a prerequisite? When did our students at any institution have "societal awareness"? Is it another term for class consciousness? Are the urban upper classes intent on changing the criteria on discovering that admissions have become democratised and their own aren’t getting through?
Ashish K., Cambridge, US
The ‘lack of the spirit of enquiry’ in Indian students is universal, and is ingrained in them from pre-school. This generates the lack of higher education in a real, qualitative sense and the ridiculously low percentage keen on it.
Parthasarathy, Chennai
I’m not surprised at the number of people who have spoken out against hiring from iits. I am surprised it’s taken so long. An alumnus from iit Kharagpur (BTech, ’64, MTech, ’66), I went back to my institute two decades later for hiring. In the interviews I conducted, I was amazed at the large number of students who could not answer basic questions because their "fundamentals" were weak, and hence, their ineptitude at analytical reasoning and working out answers by application. We did find a few who had these capacities. Not amazingly, they were not the toppers. Some had not even made it to first division. We immediately offered them appointment letters. Since one of the professors associated with the interviews was my hallmate in the ’60s, I asked him how this change had come about. He said it was because most of the students were applying to US universities. He asked me not to waste time with the "toppers" and 1st divisioners, as they had admissions abroad anyway. The deterioration really does not begin with the coaching classes but much earlier. At least 6-8 years back, senior alumni of all iits voiced concern over the single-dimensionality of the students graduating then. For a balanced education, there is no substitute for a wide-ranging mix of inputs to make for enriched human beings in whose hands the larger vision of development for India and the world can rest safely.
Tehemtan Dhabhar, on e-mail
As a former iitian, I can appreciate some very general problems in our post-secondary technical education system, and iits are no exception. 1) About 50 per cent of the emphasis in overall education should be on the challenges that India faces. This could be in the form of framing technical problems in the context of Indian industry. There should be several courses on rural engineering, at least one every semester. 2) There should be a significant emphasis on practical training. Students should be encouraged to take a break from their studies and spend time doing something they like: visiting places, trying out a new idea or even a business venture, studying a semester or so at some other place. All such activities should be given credit towards graduation. 3) There should be explicit courses on ethics, sociology, economics, logic and philosophy every semester and must be oriented towards local as well as global contexts.
Anurag Gupta, Corvallis, US
I am a student of iit Delhi, poised to pass out next year. I am glad I secured a poor rank in the jee mains. That meant I get to study civil engineering, the most chilled-out department. This is because my department acknowledges there aren’t many good paying jobs in civil engineering. People in the computer science, mechanical and electronics departments are made to work like donkeys and expected to "match" their superior mental powers with sufficient "amount" of work. They are given 10 assignments (of appropriate difficulty; read as difficult) in a 14-week schedule in a semester other than the course load, along with 2 minor exams and a major exam, not to mention lab demos, 3-4 quizzes. Barring the assignment part, which I as a civil engineer get to do less of (5-6 in a semester), the rest is the same for all. What does one expect with this kind of load? As for coaching institutes, they are of the devil’s own making. Give them their due: cracking jee is not a joke; the papers in my time used to be so tough that the cut-off in maths for jee was below 10 on 60!
Nikhil Gupta, IIT Delhi
Why talk of just the iits, people in Andhra are so obsessed with getting their children to do a BE or a BTech that they put them in an engineering course whether or not their child has the marks. As a result, when these candidates go for jobs, they do not possess the simple ability to communicate. It then becomes the responsibility of the hiring company to train them in all aspects of communication. Unless our system of professional education has an overhaul, we’ll go on producing bulk automatons.
Geeta Nanjundaiah, on e-mail
Yes, you’re not wrong in saying that the quality of iitians has been on the decline. It was evident through the corridor discussions, through the way meetings were conducted in the campus and issues were addressed by our seniors. You aren’t wrong in mentioning the attitude problems either. iitians of the past thought themselves responsible. They needed to prove it to the world that they were really out of the ordinary; that the faith put in their abilities was not unjustified. Today’s generation wants to reap the harvest. And what better time to do that! The age of globalisation and market capitalism has just arrived. The demand for the best has never been returned with better favours. And afraid lest the favours slip from between their fingers, the current breed throws all kinds of tantrums if not treated as the best, though right inside, they themselves aren’t sure. For that, they need Brand iit. And lest Brand iit gets diluted, they do not want any more iits, no increasing of seats, and of course, no reservations either.
Akshaya Kumar, Pune
All this is true also about the iims. Engineers from iit easily make it to the iims because of the system of examination, which puts extreme emphasis on higher mathematics, not really essential for management education. And so iit-qualified engineers after iim are reduced to experts of finance and their knowledge of engineering becomes redundant for the rest of their lives.
Dipak Bose, Calcutta
In high probability, 99 per cent of the 2.5 lakh students who appeared for jee went to coaching classes. Even those who go elsewhere are tutored at coaching classes. So if tisco recruits from other colleges, it will have to find innovative ways to separate students who went to coaching classes from ones who didn’t. Anyway tisco is not a big recruiter at iits (very few of them want a job with them), 80 per cent of those who join tisco leave soon; in 2002, they were paying Rs 8,000 to graduate trainees!
Purushottam Kumar, Salt Lake City, US
The iits have been around all these years but the world around them has changed. Time they realised it.
Rajesh Chandra, Phoenix, US
Maybe Outlook could collect data on the number of Hindu-Muslim marriages, find out how many Hindu boys marry Muslim girls and vice versa (Civil Code, De Facto, Apr 30). The latter figure is going to be disproportionately large.
Vishwanath Rao, Bangalore
The list of 341 Hindu girls marrying Muslims in Bhopal is interesting. Truly a boost for national integration. But what about Muslim girls marrying Hindu boys?
Ravi Verma, New Delhi
Muslims, irrespective of whether it’s boys or girls who marry outside their faith, insist on non-Muslims converting to Islam, and the secular lobby has no problems with this.
Ajit Kankradi, New York
Liberal Muslims have no problem with Muslim girls marrying Hindu men. I will myself bless a Muslim girl marrying a Hindu man if he’s suitable.
Jaleel Khan, Lucknow
Let the mullahs and the Christian priests declare that they will allow Muslim/Christian boys/girls to marry Hindus and convert to Hinduism. They should also stop demonising Hinduism. Only then will secularism prevail.
Sanatan, Leicester, UK
To shut out fundamentalism, there should be a law that inter-religion marriages happen only in courts and with the consent of parents.
Ritesh, by e-mail
I agree with you, Mr Mehta. When a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl elope and Hindu organisations take umbrage, the press highlights it, while it keeps mum otherwise.
Azeem Taqi, Nashville, US
It is sad to see the only Hindu kingdom being erased through Maoist manipulation (Once Upon A King, Apr 30). However, it’s relieving to see democracy being established in Nepal. If only the Maoists don’t stonewall its progress, like the CPI(M) in India.
S. Lakshmi, by e-mail
You never know who’ll be driving Prachanda in his Mercedes next.
Narendra Maganti, Hyderabad
Sheila Dikshit has generated a lot of controversies; and her chief ministership left much to be desired. That said, one has to admire her candour in the interview (‘When I say it, I mean it’, Apr 30).
S. Soundararajan, Portsmouth, UK
There is so much in common between Pakistani and Indian cultures that it will take many General Haqs to sanitise either (The Whole Six Yards, Apr 30). Traditions belong to the land, seldom to religion.
R.J. Khurana, Bhopal
Nothing makes you look more elegant than a sari. Indian women knew it all along. I am glad women in Pakistan too are rediscovering its sensual quotient.
C.K. Subramaniam, Mumbai
Rahul Gandhi’s comment on the creation of Bangladesh is an insult to the people who fought to gain independence from their apathetic rulers in Islamabad (No Child’s Play, Apr 30). It also amounted to denigrating his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, who was then the PM. For, she didn’t mean to punish or divide Pakistan—it was a glorious venture by India to secure freedom for oppressed people across the border.
V. Natarajan, Chennai
You rightly doubt Rahul’s political acumen. His remarks, including the one on the Babri demolition, suggest a worrying disconnect with the target audience. What’s more, a hapless Congress is backing him. His grip over history is poor, maybe it’s better he speaks on economics, education and health.
Dr S.K. Aggarwal, Amritsar
Rahul’s party is hush-hush about his statements because the leaders know that their boss Sonia Gandhi ultimately wants her son to lead the party. See who first acknowledged Rahul’s ‘sagacity’—none other than PM Manmohan Singh!
Salil Gewali, Shillong
Rahul Gandhi seems keen to project himself as a tough leader fit and willing to take on the onus of reviving his party in its one-time pocketborough. The young MP’s remarks on the Congress’ role in dividing Pakistan should be viewed in the light of the ongoing UP elections. These aren’t irresponsible, stray references but a calculated risk to retrieve the traditional Congress vote. He may or may not succeed, but his boldness merits applause.
R.J.K., on e-mail
Of all things about the Congress, what I hate most is the subservient attitude of its leaders towards the Nehru-Gandhi family. Rahul has only proved how endemic this feature is with the party.
M.A. Raipet, Secunderabad
If Rahul boasts of his party’s firmness in breaking up Pakistan, he should as well own up for the Congress’ role in India’s debacle in the 1962 war with China. Or, is it he simply does not know that our PM then was Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, his own great-grandfather? As for Rahul’s subtle criticism of Narasimha Rao in ‘failing’ to stop the Babri demolition, let him not forget who set in the era of economic liberalisation in the country—the fruits of which we all are enjoying now.
H.N. Ramkrishna, Bangalore
The way the cause-and-effect of his controversial utterings are chasing Rahul, it seems the "marathon man" (as you have called him in the caption of a photo) will soon become an also-ran. And that will be a sad end to an illustrious political dynasty. I think Rahul largely missed a solid political upbringing as his father, Rajiv Gandhi, died young.
U.S. Aroon, Mumbai
My chief complaint with your story is that it presupposes some amount of intellect for politicians like Rahul.
K.S.C. Nair, Indianapolis
You say he is "Congress’ hot potato". I fear Rahul is going to be all of India’s hot potato.
Dinesh Kumar, Chandigarh
It wasn’t just a cover you did. It was, in fact, a discover story.
Raj Bharadwaj, New Delhi
My advice: don’t make a tall leader out of a mere member of a political dynasty. He would only fall one day. And irretrievably so. Maybe soon...
B. Bhattacharyya, Morrisville, US
Your report BA in BSE! (Apr 23) on the bizarre idea of listing Bombay University on the stock exchange ends with a quote from Kirit Somaiya, "Why mix Saraswati with Lakshmi?" The sad truth is, in Bombay colleges, Saraswati is a slave of Lakshmi. Education is largely a farce. Students hardly attend lectures in most colleges, and teachers do not teach. The quality of syllabi too is poor.
Vrijendra, by e-mail
In your review of the film Bheja Fry (Glitterati, Apr 30), you mention the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rear Window as being shot exclusively on a single floor/set. I think you mean Rope.
Panini Pratim, Amritsar
We regret the error—Editor
