Download Issue 10.1 Here
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
http://gymkhana.iitb.ac.in/~insight August 31, 2007* *Volume X Issue I Students’ Gymkhana IIT Bombay Internship - Research and Industrial Construction Blues IIT Bombay’s 50th year - A lookback Tale of two internships and a look at the Institute PT The story behind the innumerable and Little known facts about our institute and its 50 Policy which is yet to be finalized. never-ending constructions on campus. years of heritage. Page 2 Page 4 Page 5 oday IIT Bombay is confronting a As a first year M.Tech. Student succinctly Tserious problem in the form of space puts, “We don’t want any luxuries from allocation in its hostels. In the following The Big Crunch this premier institute but we want the most article, we have tried to canvass student InsIghT explores the problem of space shortage in hostels and basic needs of ours to be met: opinion on the same, hoping that the the associated effects on the fresh batch of PG students. 1. A room with a proper bed to sleep. authorities take corrective measures soon. 2. A table to place our computer or to than that of sharing among the UGs. Here rising in the hostels, some students in H1 study. The Case of Hostel 11: is a list of the important ones among them: have even been tripled in the box rooms. 3. A cupboard to keep our belongings They think that it’s not fair on the institute’s safely. The hostel has 186 single rooms, 66 a) Academic Problems - Due to different part to ask them to live this way considering 4. A little bit of space to walk in.” double rooms and 12 triple sharing rooms. curricula for PGs from department to their seniority. On top of that, nobody knows Nonetheless accommodating around 86 department, the room-mates have a when they are going to get single rooms. We hope that the authorities will take new entrants was far from comfortable. completely different time schedule. This is note of this problem, which, given the The options suggested by the authorities primarily due to different lab timings, classes Hope or wishful thinking? possibility of increased intake is only then, were tripling the double rooms or etc. Most are finding the first semester going to exacerbate in the coming years. 0 doubling the single rooms. This ‘solution’ really ‘tough’, taking into consideration With work experience and age, personal Expediting the construction of the new 1 which was implemented in the previous the problems of adjusting to the living spaces expand. Are our hostels sensitive hostels is necessary if at all there is a hope year for a month “not only put pressure on conditions, mess food, academic load etc to these needs? It is predicted that by 2009 of panacea in the coming years for these sharing of common resources like drying (and all this having attended college once this space crunch issue would be resolved. students. rooms, washing machines, mess, toilets, before this). The common refrain is “Can The institute has promised the erection of but also heavily encroached upon the we pursue academic excellence in such an new hostels by 2009. We tried to approach (Ramya and Mallika are second year PG personal space of every individual” say ambience? With personal spaces so much the HCU for the current allocation data and students in the EE Department. Abhinav the students. Post a lot of complaints and encroached upon, are academic pursuits some leads on the future plans. There is is a third year student of the MEMS coercion, the authorities have provided a possible?” so much red-tapism that all our requests Department. Ashwath is a second year relatively spacious accommodation of 18 for information end up being thwarted by student of the Aerospace Department.) faculty quarters, each capable of housing b) LAN – The LAN BAN effectively permits circumlocutions. six inmates. the usage of internet for only 5 hours (considering they spend the mornings in But associated with this facility are classes and labs). In addition, a single LAN problems: sense of belonging to the hostel port per room restricts the access even diminishes over a prolonged period. As further. Most PG students say that they use seen over the last year, participation in the internet for primarily academic purposes hostel and institute level activities declined. and the LAN ban is an unwarranted Also inmates in the faculty quarters face a restriction. commuting problem to H11 or H10 mess. In here, they also face difficulties getting c) Maintenance – In many hostels, room their immediate issues like fixing of electric painting and maintenance work is in problems etc addressed. Vigilant security progress. Students are forced to stay out is lacking: these areas are not perceived of their rooms for a stretch of 4-5 days, and as ladies hostel accommodations. that too after the semester has started. “Shouldn’t the maintenance work be done What the other PGs feel: during the holidays and not during the semester?”, they ask. We spoke to a lot of PG students across different hostels with an attempt to d) Mental Stress – Just 30 days into the understand the nature of the problems institute and the freshers say that they associated with sharing, which are markedly are already suffering from severe mental different and of a more immediate nature stress. With the problem of space crunch n May this year, the Supreme Court of In- seniors are taking an ‘intro’ in his wing. The Idia took a strong stand against ragging, only witnesses in the case are the other based on the recommendations of the Dr. Ragging and Remedy sophomores involved and the seniors who R.K. Raghavan Committee. The Order are under the scanner. The sophomores passed has made it obligatory for academ- Given the new law against ragging, can the student community strike are adamant that nothing untoward has ic institutions to file official FIRs with the lo- a healthy balance across batches? Krishna Ramkumar speaks... happened in the ‘intro’ session. The se- cal police reporting any instance of ragging niors too plead innocent. The sophie under fear or apprehension thereof…. and which long overdue, given the fact that ragging where the victim or his parent/guardian or duress however sticks by his story. Talk has the effect of causing or generating a has exceeded acceptable limits in several the Head of the institution is not satisfied like this seems like it belongs more in a sense of shame or embarrassment so as cases in the past. An equal number though with the institutional arrangement for ac- courtroom than in an academic institute. to adversely affect the psyche of a fresher believe that the Supreme Court has taken tion. And this is what might very well transpire in or junior student.” too extreme a stand on the issue. However, the future, in the case of a ragging incident. there is really no (practical) point in debat- The law states very clearly that if the institu- The Law as it is: The law in its present state unequivocally ing whether it is right or wrong. The law is tion believes that something untoward has condemns ragging of any form. However, at it stands. So where does that leave us? happened, an FIR must be lodged in the Under this law, ‘ragging’ has been defined where it doesn’t do too well is in the very local police station. The authorities hence as “any disorderly conduct, whether by definition of the word ‘ragging’. Terms like Introspection: have no choice but to let such a case un- words spoken or written, or by an act which “annoyance” and “embarrassment” have has the effect of teasing, treating or han- dergo its normal course of investigation un- been tossed around rather loosely, and Picture this. You are the Dean, Student dling with rudeness any student…which der the criminal justice system. this has left the law open to interpreta- Affairs. You receive a call at 2 AM from a cause or are likely to cause annoyance, tion. Many people believe that the law was sophomore who is sobbing because wing hardship or psychological harm or to raise (continued on page 2...) > InsIghT is the students’ newsletter of IIT Bombay. The views expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Students’ Gymkhana, IIT Bombay. Any reproduction of these contents must include proper attribu- tion and a link back to the InsIghT website. 2 August 31, 2007 http://gymkhana.iitb.ac.in/~insight Research Internship reading was left to me, though it was made A Tale of Two Interns abundantly clear that the more I knew, the had done my summer internship at Stan- easier I’d be able to handle successive Iford University, USA. Working in univer- Sudeep Kamath (4th year EE) and Rylan Henriques (4th year EP) describe stages of the project. Once I actually start- sities provides research experience, which their experiences in a research and industrial internship respectively. ed getting my feet wet, there was no more is different from experience obtained by room for just ‘getting by’. Deadlines kept the sheer joy of it. I believe this experience working in the industry. Industrial Internship hitting you everywhere you looked, and the has strongly boosted my confidence and pressure was on! I loved it. The more you motivation to pursue further studies. Applying: I did my practical training with Crompton try to do, the more you seem to be able Greaves (CG), Mumbai- a really huge to do. I was really stimulated by the break- I had gone about applying to professors in company that provides electrical solutions.