8.8 On Richter Scale

Today I decided to bunk the first lecture, of Mr. Aaaaaa… and decided to sleep till late (I guess it was God’s sign to save me from more humiliation). But my sleep I was busted by the earthquake epicenter-ed at the Academic Block in SIMC. People running haywire saying “Sky is falling and earth swollowing people, but selectively, only those who cannot prove their identity”. I am not joking, “The One Who Must Not be Named” caught hold of people who were late for class and asked for the Identity cards. Those students who didn’t have an identity card were kicked out of the academic block.

Anyways that’s not the point here. The issue is CAN A SYSTEM WHICH IS BEYOND REPAIR, CHALLENGE THE STUDENT AND MAKE THEM BEAR THE BRUNT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND STILL AGAIN. I believe there are a lot of reasons these things happen but are only the students responsible. It’s like saying “Kill the terrorists to finish the terrorism, where as the solution is the other way round”.

In the past less than 3 months of our arrival in the God Forsaken Dungeon, there have been numerous events viz.

One the first day there was clutter of students waiting to get a room allotted.
*A warning letter was given because someone was walking on the grass. What is it for anyway, to see with a telescope from the hill top?
*Warning letter because you took 2 min more to PEEEEE
*All the boys suspended because someone in the boys hostel played a prank.
*Warning letter because you are not creative enough to make a logo for an over-hyped event, FOOTPRINTS 2008
*Students waiting for faculty for the past 62 minutes (12:02 PM), after that there is an announcement that the faculty will come at 12:30 PM, so run have lunch and come back for the class (Note: The food serving at the mess starts at 12:30 PM)
*Guest faculty who gave some material to be read before coming to class never reached us. Another guest faculty asked if we were briefed what the session are all about. NO was our answer because the administration is to busy to tell.
*Almost every guest faculty apologizes after coming late to class, because the pickup provided by the college didn’t reach on time.
*Every other thing happening across the Symbi is made compulsory to attend. Are we garbage cans?
*For some more glimpse go to (http://www.coconaughty.blogspot.com; article: quotable quotes)

These are probably only 40% of the incidents and I am tired to even remembering more. Initially, a lot of efforts when into telling student “sneak out through the rat hole” (in layman language LEAVE THE INSTITUTE, if you cannot bear it, while the fee can be refunded), but still 224 out of the 240 survived.

Having said all this I want to ask is this justified. Please don’t think I am pointing to one member of the faculty, I am talking about the system. There is any amount of hostility amongst the students, the way college is run, the way students are treated, the food in the mess, the bus that goes out to the city etc. Any number of students have been heard saying that coming here was the worst decision of there life.

Now it can be easily said that then all the people who have so so many problems with the institute should leave the college and climb the ladder. But will it be fair on our parent who have paid so much to send us here (some student have take loans to pay the fees). Why should I not ask for what my parents have paid-ed for, 6.5 Lac for 2 years, Rs. 1000 a day?????!!!! We are strong enough to bear the hardships and have enough guts to stand for our right. Today some students did make an effort to tell We Will Not Take This Anymore, a silent and peaceful but powerful method.

“Give to Get” learn from the flagship brand. SIBM had 800 strong alumni (some flying down from places like London etc.) to attend. I needn’t say anything about the SIMC alumni meet. Though, I believe the Alumni Relation Cell worked hard enough but still it could attract less than one tenth the number compared to SIBM. I guess I needn’t say more.

Also, let me say that I am not saying that it’s all wrong on the part of the management. There are a large number of miscreants in the crowd (as there always are). Students come late to class (me included), students sleep in class (me included), students talk amongst themselves while a lecture is going on (me included), a few students might not be self motivate and serious about a lot of things. But then I guess the system is mature than the student and so it’s expected that it should act as one. It should be proactive not reactive. Finally it needs be understood that “It’s respect not fear which lasts longer”.