[Reader-list] B Grade Engineering College Culture

[Nalin Mathur]

Sarai / Independent Fellow 2007/ Nalin N. Mathur/ Second Posting



Confession Time



Now nobody calls his or her Alma Mater a B – Grade institute, definitely not
in public. It remains a universal fact that one tends to relate with ones
institute, irrespective of its social or educational ranking. Even though I
agreed with this theory, I had to experience it first hand when I broke the
news of receiving a fellowship to study B – Grade Engineering college
culture to my friends. Let me share with you upfront that I was expecting
words of praise and encouragement, which I eventually got, but not before
being subjected to ridicule. Most of my friends were dejected at the
adjective I had used to describe our college. Almost all showered
obscenities. Those few with a sense of history reminded me of Arthur
Wellesley's epic tribute to his Alma Mater mentioning the famous "The battle
of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton " quote (forgetting that
the play ground at our college resembled an over sized cow shed for the
better part of our graduation). Nevertheless, what hit me the most with this
quote was our uncanny resemblance to Wellesley educational and professional
life. Like Wellesley me or my friends never scored well at school. Later in
life he was a highly successful and decorated soldier, something which we
wish to accomplish in our respective field of expertise.



I observed two points, which have become the basis of my study for this
fellowship. One – the utter disregard of ones academic credentials in view
of gaining success in life. The zeal to accomplish and beat the odds has
absolutely nothing to do with ones Alma Mater. The aspiration and attitude
to go for the kill are as independent features from the place of graduating
as rocket science is from the excavations at Harappa. In short, just like a
shrewd Wellesley defeated the mighty Napoleon, graduates from B – Grade
engineering colleges are all pumped up to take on the world.



Two – all said and done, Wellesley was from Eton, among the best schools in
the world with a culture and legacy as enriching as it can get. No matter
how he fared in classes, he must have gained something, the credit for which
can go absolutely and only to his school. A similar scene shapes up for my
study. B – Grade Engineering colleges have a lot to catch up on when
compared with the top tier institutions, engineers from which, irrefutably,
have a major edge, in terms of level of education, exposure and environment.




So here I am, trying to get over this fascination from Duke of Wellington
and his times. And try to study and document as to what goes inside those
worn out walls of a second tier engineering college. What happens to half a
million engineers passing out from such colleges every year in India? What
role do they play in building on a society? What aspirations do they carry?
What is it that makes them believe that they can excel when they would be
competing with peers who are far better equipped? And importantly what kind
of dynamics do they create and live through?



To be honest (and candid) I am skeptical if I would be able to present the
answers in the manner they deserve. Or, in the first place, if I would be
able to find them at all.



If I do, my Orkut profile would read – I am done!



Regards,

Nalin N. Mathur
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20070409/7f546d71/attachment.html