College fests. Yay or nay?

For students of an uncompromising 8 semester course, a reprieve is much needed at the end/beginning of every semesters. A means to socialize with like minded individuals, a means to awaken their dormant artistic sides. Not all of our kind are engineers by choice. A few of us don't even know why we are doing it. In fact, most of the 4 year period is spent contemplating on the same. A college fest helps us free our minds from the monotony of having to go home, write assignments/experiments and go to bed dreading the same banausic web we have woven for ourselves. For once we get to be..ourselves. Cultural fests help us to discover that the shy guy on the second last bench in the last row is an incredibly gifted sketcher or that the awkward girl on the 2nd bench with 100% attendance looks really hot with her hair open. As overrated as they are, everyone enjoys treasure hunts, battle of the bands etc. Bob Marley said that one good thing about music is that when it hits you, you feel no pain unless of course a bathroom singer decides to take center stage and belt out a raucous sounding song. That of course is why most major festivals have auditions. These fests serve as huge platforms for upcoming talent. IIT B is home to Asia's largest cultural fest Mood Indigo. Its meticulous management, colourful themes and flawless execution attract famous artists from all over the world. And for those who have a knack for building things, there's the technical fest. In most MU colleges, 7 out of 10 entries for technical festivals are usually for LAN gaming. Why? Because everyone games, you get to go to your friends' college and the entry is cheap. I was the Marketing head for my college's technical festival. There, I observed that 10 people registered for a section of the LAN gaming event, out which only 3 turned up. So, to our disappointment and to the particpants' joy, the first round was in fact the final. During my time as Marketing Head, I had to really stick it to my sub-ordinates on occasion, something which I didn't enjoy but someone had to do it and also learnt a lot about how companies and enterprises manage and invest their money. I learnt a lot about people, in general. Leadership and micromanagement are the cornerstones of any successful festival. Here are a few things one can observe/learn from fests: - The core committee is always accused of scandalous money laundering activities, colloquially termed jhol. - Pre fest nights (reserved for putting up banners and other last minute preparations) are spent with a pint (or more) of your favourite drink. - Bunking lectures for 'fest meetings'. - Howling for attendance at the end of the fest. - Finally having a conversation of more than 2 sentences with seniors. - To Juniors "Abe, tu jaanta hai main is college mein X saalon se hu?" Lastly and most importantly, - Seeing your classmates, professors and seniors in ways you've never seen before. Other than IVs, fests are the only opportunity to actually know your classmates on a personal basis, do not miss the chance. After all you'll need that memorable fest story to look back and laugh about when you glance at your class photo a few years down the line.

The Chalk and the Blackboard

Legend tells us how Eklavya, an aspiring student of the great Dronacharya gets rejected by the latter on account of his caste. Eklavya, thereafter, goes on to achieve a level of skill superior to that of Arjuna, who was Drona's favorite and most accomplished student merely by using Drona's clay image as a means of inspiration, a catalyst to drive his enthusiasm and sheer dedication towards archery and martial arts. Most Engineering students like Eklavya seek such a guide to help mould their talents and guide them onto success, not only in terms of marks but also knowledge. With the advent of amazing technologies to aid students to grasp the most complex of concepts, teaching has become much convenient if not easier. A strong need has been felt for teachers to shy away from the conventional chalk and board culture. A picture can convey a thousand words. A well made power point presentation can interest even the most fickle minded of students. Khan Academy is a pioneer in online education and defies conventional teaching by educating thousands of students all around the world and not using a single piece of paper or a single drop of ink. Microprocessors and microcontrollers are widely considered by Engineers to be a huge monkey on the back. Prof. Bharat Acharya's avant grade teaching methodologies are unbelievably industry oriented and at the same time successfully fulfilling the average student's need of wanting to clear the subject. Power point presentations are a boon but when done in the wrong way can be exceptionally boring; even more boring than your everyday blackboard lecture where you at least have a minute or two to chit chat while the professor writes on the board. Teaching is NOT reading straight off a PPT presentation, nor is it translating the words on the slide into broken Hindi in a clearly stupid effort to 'teach' students who cluelessly stare into your deluded face. Many such professors were students not long ago and take up teaching in a bid to support their own education. I have nothing against them and neither do I doubt their intentions or their, but what I doubt is their ability to teach and sometimes their knowledge. A lecture is one where the first half raises a number of doubts and in the second half it all starts to make sense, like an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Teaching is an art. Much like sketching, where a few are blessed with the steadiest of fingers, a professor may hone his teaching skills over a few years but will still lack the flair that a certain natural educator possesses. Professors often make vain efforts to use pop culture as a means to reach out to their students. Lets face it, it becomes very awkward when such situations happen. Just like a bad singer won't accept the fact that his/her singing may be cringeworthy, a bad professor may find it extremely tough and upsetting to embrace the truth about his mediocre methodologies. A few us are blessed with an innate ability to memorize the full textbook a day before the exam, but for those of us who can't we need professors who can install a textbook in our brains to refer to in the exams.It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. That, readers, is the essence of teaching.

Sports and the student

In a country obsessed with Cricket, there is absolutely no dearth of sports fanatics in India. Some of them have had a childhood which the day started with watching an India-Australia cricket match and ended trying to emulate Sachin’s straight drive or Dravid’s square cut. The rebellious anti-cricket kids usually switched on their TVs late evening to catch a glimpse of their favourite EPL teams playing club football. A rare few cherished both. In today’s day, where the homework given to an average student is so much that at the end of the day (if there is one) leaves barely any time for a YouTube video. For us 90s kids, PT periods meant dodgeball or kho-kho for 2 hours and maybe trying to catch the eye of a girl or two from the class. If yours was a boy’s school, it was well..maybe just a question of proving yourself. Schools are the breeding grounds for future sports star and it is a must to encourage enthusiastic students to tap their talents. Colleges should also endeavour to recreate such an environment. Why? Because sportsmen earn 5 times more than your 9-5 average Joe. A-list cricketers earn a crore an year in addition to the 5 lakh match salary. This, and the endorsements coupled give them enough money to build a 1-storey house made entirely of currency notes. And as far as footballers are concerned, it’s unreal. Apart from the money aspect, they combat obesity. A sedentary lifestyle once acquired is tough to let go off. Playing Halo and Call of Duty on your couch, munching on pringles isn’t going to give you six pack abs. By college, most if not all athletically inclined guys find their calling and decide on their career path. Colleges, in India at least, mostly give you a platform to obtain a degree while a sportsperson can do what they love most. M.S Dhoni, the World Cup-winning captain got enrolled for Bachelor of Business Office Management and Secretariat Practice at St Xavier's in 2008 but he never attended the classes or appeared for examinations. But the irony is Dhoni was awarded an honorary doctorate by De Montfort University after the conclusion of a Twenty20 practice match against Leicestershire. In my school days I’ve heard rumours of overage students sneaking their way into the Under 15 squads. Nepotism and regionalism even at school levels has literally been quite the spoilsport for talented youngsters who have been left out on the bench just because the coach’s or the trustee’s son wants to get a taste of the action. Only if colleges granted marks for students for outstanding achievements in sports instead of simply side-lining them as extra-curricular activities. Engineers make great cricketers (read Anil Kumble, R. Ashwin). Shaquille O’Neal is an arts major with a PhD and Michael Jordan is a geography grad. Another problem which hinders the development of budding sportspeople is when kids are told from a young age that hockey and all other sports, other than cricket have no future value whatsoever. And by the looks of it, the status quo isn’t going to change any time soon. Silly School playground conversations: Me (with a team of classmates): I want to bat first today! Team-mate: No way, last PT period, you broke first in carom. You can bowl first though. After a long argument, I gave in and let my team mate have his way. He smacks the very first ball over the school fence sparking a debate on whether that’s a six or he has to be given out for hitting the ball out of bounds. Team-mate: Now who’s gonna ask sir for a new ball? Opponent (Walking away): Don’t bother about it. If you’re counting that as a six, I’m not playing. Team-mate : Arre yaar, chal na. Dead ball, bas?!

Online Learning

From the beginning of time, the common man encountered many problems in his day to day life. The methods of solving these solutions have been passed down, generation to generation, usually by word of mouth or some written documentation. As citizens of the 21st century, we have had the luxury of accessing the largest database in the world on the tips of our fingers – the internet. From online tutorials to e-books, the internet has all the information any person would need. The fact that you’re probably reading this article off the internet exemplifies this fact. The internet has become indispensable to us. Bunked today’s class to catch the latest 3D movie? Worried that your nasty professor is going to quiz you next lecture? No problem, most of just ask our friends to whatsapp the whiteboard picture. Cross platform softwares like Whatsapp have not only helped in bridging the gap between different forms of technologies but have also helped revolutionize the way in which we share content, be it audio, video or information such as GPS positions while videoconferencing enables us to interact with people all across the globe. It would be stupid to keep ranting about the various things the Internet has to offer as I’m sure all of us would be pretty well versed with all its facets. An inherent characteristic of the human being is to crave for more information. That explains why keep checking our Facebook or Twitter. Although it fails as a substitute to classroom teaching, online learning is starting to gain preference over live classroom sessions as many professionals do not have the time or the patience to sit through a lecture. It would be difficult for a 20-something individual to sit still in a classroom. Online learning is very professional and there is absolutely no room for rascality. One can get the best of education while one sits at home in the comfort of his knickers. Pre-recorded MIT lectures are easily accessible on YouTube wherein the best of the best enlighten interested students in their field of expertise. Education has slowly and gradually become a business. Online learning is no different. Various institutes have come up with correspondence degrees to suit people who want to obtain a degree in a considerably short span of time. It is worth noting that many of these ‘Degree programs’ are simply certificate courses and seldom hold any value in the industry. And there are many career consultancies luring students to take up educational opportunities abroad at ridiculously low prices compared to other institutes overseas, in addition to offering mouth-watering offers like green card benefits (A permit allowing a foreign national to live and work permanently in US/Canada) and attractive salaries. Legitimacy isn’t the issue here. One has to understand that the whole point of distance education is to aid knowledge-hungry human beings in their endeavour to gather as much as possible. So, the best we can do as the citizens of a developing country is to learn from the outside world and make our country a better place to live.

Engineering - the new B.com?

In recent decades, there has been a steady rise in the number of Engineering colleges, owing to the large number of students clearing entrance examinations and also, due to the increasing population here in India. Consequently, the past few years have seen a sea of engineering grads from colleges across India, rural and urban areas alike. The bright and ever glittering lights of the metros beckon young rural talents to start a new career path in an already crowded intersection of everyday life-Metropolitan life. And a new question has sprung up among the corporate grapevine. Is Engineering the new B.com? As a budding engineer, I have to make an honest confession before I answer the above question. We engineers have considerable ego and may have been forced to think this way, thanks to the hype surrounding this course. I, like many other engineers have had a meltdown or two during my seemingly unwinnable war against Mumbai University, which I first waged back in 2011. The sight of a 3 feet pile of books and sheets is sure to drive most of us into feeling absolutely helpless. Thus, it would be safe to say that, engineering isn’t the easiest way to spend 4 years of your life. But through struggle comes strength, progress and the ability to deal with even bigger situations you’ll face in the future. Engineering isn’t as tough if you like the field you’re going to graduate in. For instance, students of Aerospace Engineering who have always been fascinated with planes and rockets, have it easy. This soul-mate like connection of course happens very rarely. Engineering, in fact is just a path for us to discover our calling. My Mumbai University colleagues would agree with the fact that scoring anything above 80% while studying at an MU college is quite an achievement, and from what has been said about engineering universities down South, especially the ones based outside of urban areas, scoring an 80 isn’t as tough. These degrees serve as their passport to big cities like Mumbai. So, here’s the situation. You’re an average student from MU with an aggregate of say, 65%and sitting alongside you is a student from one of the southern universities with an aggregate of 80%. This may not necessarily mean that you aren’t as smart as him/her. Here’s the catch, there is only one job vacancy left. Companies having an idea about MU’s strict standards would bother to look straight through the 15% disparity. Sadly, it’s the marks which talk at the end of the day in most cases. You may lose the job, but ultimately, the future has something good in store for everyone. Just as most of us believe that there is a certain someone out there specially for us, I believe there is a certain job waiting for each one of us. The focus is to channel our efforts into getting there. Back to the topic; a 2013 head-hunter wouldn’t have a B.com grad in mind unless the latter has a good 30 years behind him and everyone from the employer to the candidate knows it. Just when people thought, a BE degree was good enough to stand out in a crowd, it in turn attracted more and more people towards it. While the old adage states that too many cooks spoil the broth, in this case, it would be apt to say that ‘Too many patrons leave no broth for the others’. In an ever expanding market of the 21st century, opportunities are endless and it’s up to us to grab every passing one with both hands. Clerical jobs which were once reserved for only Arts or Commerce graduates have been taken up by Engineers! And the ones who think its menial nature hurts their ego find a way to land another job. The corporate ladder is called so, because it has and will always be hierarchal, there is no way you can see yourself at the top unless you ascend it from the bottom and work your way through the top, with or without having to step on the ones below you. Just when many of us thought engineering would be a great way to get that extra boost to start from half way mark, the huge influx of the supposedly rare breed of students spoiled the party for engineers. We may be more knowledgeable and practical, but what an employer looks for someone with a hunger to learn more, on and off the job, and enough dedication to take the company into places where it has never seen before. Thus, Engineering, in my opinion, can be called ‘the rich man’s B.com’.

XIE student, to be or not to be?

“Engineering, the course where you learn to bullshit your way through 8 semesters” My father once remarked, “College can be highly addictive, learn to embrace it.” in an effort to make sure that I do not skip college after having appeared in the blacklist back in the second semester. I’d like to rephrase that quote – College can be highly addictive, avoid it. For students of Xavier Institute of Engineering it is quite the opposite. Many of them prefer to skip college whenever they can during Second Year. This is because the First year classes contain a bunch of random students across different streams, probably because the college is too lazy to organize the classes thanks to late admissions. When students enter the second year, most of them end up being in a class different from that of the friends they made in FE. Eventually though, you will meet likeable people in your class and 3 years will fly by. Food: XIE’s canteen is rumoured to serve the nastiest food known to Mumbaikars. The taste may not be as pathetic as one can imagine, but what makes it that way probably, are the appetizing cockroaches and spiders found in these preparations. Andy’s, as the canteen is known to most students, for a brief period served Lemonade in small glass bottles. It was an instant hit until a student found a spider in his drink. My sympathy goes out to the arachnid’s kith and kin. He must have died a terrible death in that toxic nimbu pani which has given diarrhoea or at least a bout of stomach ache to a good 40% of its drinkers. Also the word around the college is that a B.E student found lizards and cockroaches in the water cooler while it was being cleaned and that he brings 4 bottles of drinking water from home. Students therefore prefer to eat from the friendly aunty in the lane opposite to the college or one of the idli shops scattered in the same lane. Tasty vada pavs, samosas etc are available outside the campus too. Although the canteen has recently undergone a revamp, but that by any means did not change how the students feel about the food they serve. In conclusion I’d like to quote Vince McMahon (see picture) ‘I bet prison food tastes better’. Clothing: Mahim, being well connected to the town and the suburbs, sees a mix of both the hep and the not-so-happening crowd. But, all in all, most people wear decent clothes. No goths, no flashy Lady Gaga-esque degenerates or hipsters sporting green trousers and crocs. Thumbs up! Shelter: The campus is vast enough to house all of the students comfortably and encourage all of them to play a sport or two. Labs are decent and classrooms are a liiiiitle dingy but very well ventilated. What annoys the students of XIE though is walking into the campus while continuously attempting to dodge the wedding paraphernalia left over from the previous night. If you want to get married, I'm pretty sure the principal will let you have the ground, because some Tom, Dick or Harry seems to have his wedding on the college ground every other day. This happens at least twice every week. The area is very noisy too. Brass bands play ugly sounding music while students struggle to remember the mnemonic they made 10 minutes before the exam started. Writing an exam is not fun in general, these awful sounding bands and loudspeakers make it a real struggle. This college is not the best way to spend your 4 (or more) Engineering years, but not bad enough for you to quit college all together. The cons are many and the pros are few, and even 5 years from now there will be nothing new. The fact about life in XIE and all colleges in general, is that students bond over bitching about their college. And honestly, XIE isn’t bad at all and a few years from now, me and my classmates will be doing just fine (hopefully).