Life in IIT Kanpur
Fuck IITK.
This place sucked the juice out of my life.I am no more than a mere skeleton+flesh moving with no grace,with depression and humiliation taking the place of confidence and humility in me.
After seeing a recent article on a IIT Bombay student committing suicide,may be most of the outsiders,or even some insiders are surprised by it,but not me.I can imagine the life of torture and humiliation that nukkala(thats his surname) has been living,since my life in iitk is more or less close to him,if not same.
One senseless,but typical proffessor of IIT was commenting -""Every student making it to IIT is good. So when the best start competing with each other the pressure is bound to increase. Some take it in their stride, while a few succumb to it in some way or the other"
This is the best joke I have had in weeks.LOL. First,about competetion in IIT.Sure,some of the best students come to iitk,but they no more remain so.Competetion is none here.All the students are in search for new ways of getting easy grades and plagiarism and cheating rule the iitian life... I dont mean to say that all the students cheat.Yes,there are some sincere and studious students who give their 200% for a work.But they are 1 in 50.Yes,1 in 50. The remaining students can be broadly categorised into two categories -- One group,which learned the tactics of surviving in the iit system,i.e. successfully accomplishing in their acads(Read as "Not necessarily good at acads"),i.e getting good CPI's(Percentages)-The other group which keeps fighting with mud,who haven't learned how to get good grades.Honest and sincere ppl lie in both groups.I ,for one,am a member of the second group. So,in no way is there a competetion in IITK.Every one(almost) tries to get good grades by mean methods(mean to the heart,not necessarily to the law). Where then is the competetion that the professor talked about?
And yes,when you are a member of the elite! second group,you get shunned by every professor.Some keep their fight ,some resign-resign to the pressure to succeed-resign to the pressure of doing something their heart refuses to do-resign to the pressure of showing off something thats not original(plagiarism). Those that resign to the pressure will more or less succeed-in the iitk terms.Those that put the fight will sooner or later realise that they are fighting a loosing battle.They will eventually realise that its too late for them to change their personality and way of life.They will eventually end up with horrible grades,often getting their degrees extended or getting terminated...
Coming back to the case of Vijay Nukkala,the IITB student who committed suicide,he is not the only one who is dissatisfied with the branch that he got . 70 % of the students here dont get the branches that they want.And around 10% of the students dont choose the right branch,eventhough they have the option.I fall in the later category,as i secured a rank which is eligible for any branch in IIT. And the rest 30% " love the branch they get"- That's the phrase used .I would rather replace that phrase by "study that branch,for they dont know how to love-They dont even know what a feeling is-be it love or liking.They just do what they have to,or what they are trained to.They are the machines of the society without thoughts"
To be continued...........
This place sucked the juice out of my life.I am no more than a mere skeleton+flesh moving with no grace,with depression and humiliation taking the place of confidence and humility in me.
After seeing a recent article on a IIT Bombay student committing suicide,may be most of the outsiders,or even some insiders are surprised by it,but not me.I can imagine the life of torture and humiliation that nukkala(thats his surname) has been living,since my life in iitk is more or less close to him,if not same.
One senseless,but typical proffessor of IIT was commenting -""Every student making it to IIT is good. So when the best start competing with each other the pressure is bound to increase. Some take it in their stride, while a few succumb to it in some way or the other"
This is the best joke I have had in weeks.LOL. First,about competetion in IIT.Sure,some of the best students come to iitk,but they no more remain so.Competetion is none here.All the students are in search for new ways of getting easy grades and plagiarism and cheating rule the iitian life... I dont mean to say that all the students cheat.Yes,there are some sincere and studious students who give their 200% for a work.But they are 1 in 50.Yes,1 in 50. The remaining students can be broadly categorised into two categories -- One group,which learned the tactics of surviving in the iit system,i.e. successfully accomplishing in their acads(Read as "Not necessarily good at acads"),i.e getting good CPI's(Percentages)-The other group which keeps fighting with mud,who haven't learned how to get good grades.Honest and sincere ppl lie in both groups.I ,for one,am a member of the second group. So,in no way is there a competetion in IITK.Every one(almost) tries to get good grades by mean methods(mean to the heart,not necessarily to the law). Where then is the competetion that the professor talked about?
And yes,when you are a member of the elite! second group,you get shunned by every professor.Some keep their fight ,some resign-resign to the pressure to succeed-resign to the pressure of doing something their heart refuses to do-resign to the pressure of showing off something thats not original(plagiarism). Those that resign to the pressure will more or less succeed-in the iitk terms.Those that put the fight will sooner or later realise that they are fighting a loosing battle.They will eventually realise that its too late for them to change their personality and way of life.They will eventually end up with horrible grades,often getting their degrees extended or getting terminated...
Coming back to the case of Vijay Nukkala,the IITB student who committed suicide,he is not the only one who is dissatisfied with the branch that he got . 70 % of the students here dont get the branches that they want.And around 10% of the students dont choose the right branch,eventhough they have the option.I fall in the later category,as i secured a rank which is eligible for any branch in IIT. And the rest 30% " love the branch they get"- That's the phrase used .I would rather replace that phrase by "study that branch,for they dont know how to love-They dont even know what a feeling is-be it love or liking.They just do what they have to,or what they are trained to.They are the machines of the society without thoughts"
To be continued...........
posted by IIT Kanpur | 1:17 AM
22 Comments:
> "To be continued..........."
Yeah you better do and in continuation do provide some reasons as to why do you think IITK is the way you are describing. And in case you were the Diro -- how would you change it. Who do you think is responsible for the scenario you are frustrated about -- is it the students, is it the faculty or administration or anyone else. Do you think this problem is only prevalent in IITK or have you noticed a similar educational structure in your school (pre JEE).
Constructive criticism is what is required else even I can go on and on ranting about anything (especially during exam times :-P).
BTW all the best for your end sems!
Sure,I plan to take this ranting to more than a mere ranting
Then I surely look forward to reading your blog.
Trust me my friend, the part of the life you are living is the one of the best you can have and when time comes you will realise it!
I too used to have some of these thoughts, specially during the exam time (as aayush pointed) - these are the thoughts that provide you excuse for having wasted the whole semester without studying.
But believe me when you are out of the place you realise the worth your iitk and accept that its your fault that you didn't stand up if you had a difference in opinion ... Its you and I who make the system so better stop ranting about it and suggest ways to remove the faults it has (scope for improvement is inevitable).
Remember one thing - "Either shape it or ship out!". Have the guts to do what you think is right and stop ranting.
hey, life at iit kharagpur can be
equally bitch. i sufferred through
repeated depressions during my b.tech
days. it's one hell of an uncaring
system full of mean people (students
included). yes, the iit degree gave
me a cushy job and a good bank balance
, but boy, i don't know if i will
ever exorcise the iit ghost !
I would love to hear more on this. I have a better 'solution' to the JEE. You can read it on my blog. I am trying to piece together the bigger picture. There has to be something here we have missed. There simply have to be ways to improve the current system.
Others might think we are merely frustrated, but well, we are only championing a cause, right? that of building a better IIT.
Suicide... the only solution?
I was just roaming round in the institute after the exams. Suddenly I came to know that the grades of the course Science and Humanism have been displayed. IITs have a system of running a few Humanities and Social Science courses- to keep the students of the institute strong in other fields of life along with their technical studies and also to at least reduce some burden from the heads of the students. The grading system in IIT Delhi involves the systems as given below (as no one in IIT knows the exact procedure of grading):-
1) Students above 80 marks are given an A grade (equivalent to 10/10).
Below 80 marks, so far I knew that it varied according to some rules which say that the variation is done on the basis of the variation of the marks. Means, if there is a large variation of marks, the grades are changed with 10 marks variation and if the variation in marks is low, then grades change in a less variation of marks also.
2) Some people say that the variation of grades is done on the basis of the following strategy:-
72-79 A-
64-71 B
56-63 B-
48-55 C
40-47 C- and below that till failure, are given D grade (which is very rare for the benefit of the students).
3) Some of them say that the institute has the rule which says that A+B = C+D. Means, the students must be given grades such that the sum of As and Bs are equal to the sum of the Cs and Ds.
4)Some say that some professors are so crazy that they give grades randomly according to their convenience and liking of some particular guy.
5) Also that could be heard is that some professors just want to show their high level (of thinking) that how the marks are given and the grades have been displayed. In this case, the students suffer such a huge damage that they get just frustrated with the IIT grading system if the courses done under such types of professors is large, that there is no other way left for them than either compromise with the situation and go on ruining, or find some high buildings in the institute campus to jump from.
So, I was talking about my grades. I walked inside the room. There was a huge crowd of students standing there. Mostly all of them were A- and B persons who dared to show their faces to the professor and argue on some of the questions. Rest all mostly B- , C and C- holders just stood outside the room asking grades of the people coming out of the room. I got inside with my head held high. I had a pre-major total of 40.25 out of 60. So, in any case, in major, if I would have got atleast 20, I would have got a safe B- atleast. And my expectation were very high that out of 40, I can get atleast 25+ to end the course with atleast a B according to the mostly used system number 2 mentioned above. I entered and asked my grade to the Prof. Gir sitting on his chair comfortably ignoring all the doubts of all students. He just turned the pages of the grade sheet, saw my name and said, “You have got a C grade”. I just can’t accept that answer. I asked again, “What?”
“Yes, you have got a C grade... What were you expecting?”
“Atleast B(-)” I said.
“Let’s see how.. You got a Pre major total of 40.25 out of 60.. And you got 22 out of 40 in major. So your total works out to be 62.25 out of 100. And what’s our variation.. 80 and above A, …………..B- closes at 64 ,60-64 is C and ……..” Said Mr.Gir.
I just can’t believe. I never passed through such a situation where inspite of getting 60+ I would have faced a shameful C. It was unimaginable, especially in a course such as Science and Humanism, where all the professors spoke of Humanism and good to all. How can they show such a cruelty to the students?? Variation of grades changing in just 4 marks??? A,A-,B,B- ending in a range of 16 marks!! When the overall variation of the total was from 45 minimum to 80 maximum!!
I then asked Mr.VC, assistant of Mr.Gir about this. He said that he had to make a histogram with the variations of all kinds. So, the grades were varied like this. I then remembered of such another incident when on asking to a madam who took our psychology course that why did she gave extra irrelevant material for studying, her answer was, “We are asked by the institute to vary our students’ grades such that they come under a particular graph which varied like first increasing, then decreasing and then increasing and so on.. So we have to make such types of papers and have to give such type of study material that not all the students get the same grades and there is a large variation in those grades.” Means, the exams and the studies are conducted not to test the ability of the students according to a specified syllabus, but according to the institute rules to vary the grades of the students or if the exams and syllabus is alright, then to distribute the grades in such a way so that the teacher is comfortable and does not have to fight with the institute administration against this system.
Then I explained Prof.Gir about all the other rules with which other teachers distributed grades. He said, “You mean 72+ means A- means 9/10?? Do you know the meaning of 9/10?? How can one expect 90% marks when he scores 72?? I thought a bit (as the thinking process when a teacher speaks something, slows down, especially when the grades are bad enough to keep our mouths shut and there is always a fear of losing some more grades), then replied.. “How can you give then A i.e. 10/10 to those who get just 80+ and a 6/10 to me who got 62.25… is that fair according to your mathematics??”
“A…a…….aa….(looking towards the grade variation sheet)….well, if you can get your marks somehow increased if you think some question is wrongly checked, then you may get a higher grade. There is no question of changing the grading pattern (may be due to the fact that he did not have any answer to the question and changing the grading pattern, thus, an additional load of changing grades of 79 people.. seemed to be a bit difficult task.. or, may be his credibility was at stake due to the changes he would have to make).
So you may now go... What do you say Mr. VC? He may go from here?”
“Yes of course... he may now go... infact, he should now go. We will see his copy once again, and if there are some chances of his marks getting increased, we will try to do so” replied Mr. VC. The grading system now seemed to be as that described in the point 5 above.
I then came out of the room and now for a moment, I remembered of the incidences of suicides in Roorkee, Mumbai and Kanpur and now I understood their feelings who died.. as till now I was just laughing on them. For a moment, I too felt like climbing on the roof of the Multistory and end these happenings for ever. But then I remembered of an incidence of one of my friend who did the same course under Mr.Dhir and got his leg fractured just one month remaining for the exams, and due to which he was not able to attend the classes for the rest of the semester. He was given an F (failing) grade even on producing himself before the professor in that condition and producing the medical certificate before him. He usually got A grades in all the subjects, and was likely to get an A grade in that subject too. But he got an F... by a Professor who taught the course named Science and Humanism… and the same professor gave an F grade to another guy whose attendance was just half an hour short of what was required.
So my mind changed… thinking of the pains of many such guys who were still alive to fight. Why should I die?? I can tell some lie to my family members also.. can give some excuses to them for my bad grade, or can find some other way out to convince them of my result… but dying due to this was not fair.. What will happen afterall with such a grade?? No reputed company that comes to the campus placement considers the people with less than 7.0 CGPA. So, I will have to find some other way out in the next semester to reach again to that mark of 7.0 average. May be I will cheat in the exams, or will become the chelas of some professor and get an A grade from him (kicking him after that), or will copy in all the assignments and practicals and get a good grade without studying for the exams as preparing for the exams is unfruitful. I am not that Humanistic as these professors that I will study just to learn and not thinking of the result. I am a normal man who just wants a good placement after studying from here. I don’t want to be a Sadhu (until and unless forced by such humanistic people).
But I have decided to live… live for myself… Kaise Bhi… Jaise Bhi… IIT system will, however, will, not change with my sacrifice…….
I am from a similar college and have the same problems here! Worthless people are given A grade. We have only two good professors here...And one professor is worshipped like God.
The other professor is hopeless. He chooses a few students - who score high marks in his subjects...and concentrates only on them. He doesn't care about the others. Showing horrible partiality to only his selected students...while the rest of the guys suffer. Some professors are like bastards. They don't know how much damage they can cause to a student by failing them.
Such professors must be castrated and their brains must be chopped...Then their publications must be declared as plagirised and they must be bought to shame... The society must give them F grades. Their wives should give them F grades because they have ruined other innocent student's lives.
The last anonymous comment was really heart-touching...you are such a brave person man...My hat's off to you.
I think this blog is superb and must be bought to the notice of all the F***** professors who ruin student's lives by giving them F grades.
YOU ARE ALL BASTARDS AND WILL ROT IN HELL...
Those professors are screwed bastards
dude, guess what, ill be visiting iitk for their annual fest since Im slated to be performing there. was just researching the place, ma, thanks for hte honesty. I grew up in doon, and doon was equally insane.
take solace that your iit degree should be worth something.
i am a first year student of iit roorkee. going through this blog i felt that i am beginning to get a tint of the problems that all these bloggers have put up. especially of the iit grading system. well i am in hte initial stages of my student life but will continue to contribute to this blog as it provudes a felling of commonness between me and all these bloggers-of course my seniors.
Well there are many problems with each one of our lives but that is no justification to commit suicides and blame specially IIT for it.Instead we should shed off this complaining attitude and fight and learn what the tough culture of IIT has to teach to us
I would like make a few comments about the grading system that is followed (to be frank.... there is no defined grading system in IITK.... your grade in most of the cases depends only on the intutive perception of the instructor about you and your performance.... or losely, in his own 'WISH').... PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING POINTS :
1. The best of the best guys from all over the country join iitk. Now in a comparetive grading system, though the class is consisted of the best guys there must be some guys who will not do as good as the rests... does that mean they are not up to... ?? Assume a class consisting of Einstein, Dirac, Feynman, S N bose , Lagrange.... u put them in a system like this.... some of them are definitely going to get 'F' grade. Do the present grading system .. that mostly measure how much better or how much poorer you are compared to your neighbour in the class... is justified enough??
2. In general... the students in the class who scores around avarege marks are generally awarded 'C' which carries 6 points. Now 6 point is the minimum CPI requirement for degree. how can everyone in a class score >= average marks?? is this mathematically possible??? So i guess, from the very biginning , even before the sem is start, a bunch of guys are finished by default. thanks to the very few courses (like labs) where the grading is a lil liberal that helps some of them to survive.
sometimes I wonder... IS OUR GRADING SYSTEM FAIR ENOUGH.... IS IT SCIENTIFICALLY ACCEPTABLE AT ALL??
i just loved your post iitk...and it inspired me to create a blog, my first blog...check it out and comment...
http://www.flingingintoabyss.blogspot.com
Did u mean IIT KANPUR administration worth a hell?
I agree...and can't agree more !
"They are the machines of the society without thoughts"
awesome ending....u are good !!! very good !!!
dudes .. all iitians are depressed at least for few days in their undergraduate life. Being an iitian i can say that high pressure is common here. Don't further depress them by writing this kind of blogs. Imagine a first year guy reads this blog.. he will be very much influenced by this kind of blogs...
what ur saying is true ,iit profs never understand the students the studies at iit are not in the same way as iit jee its quite easier than that and is full of remembering things which is root of all the problems.
visit my blog
http://so-u-wanna-crack-iit-jee.blogspot.com/
All of u ppl out there , stop making xcuses & take responsibility.You get an F or low grade bcoz u dont study.I know this bcoz i got an F.And also, the grading system is harsh coz u r studyin in the fuckin best institution of india. How the hall can u xpect good jobs if the academics arent hard enough.Plus i personally feel whatever u learned frm the course matters more than d grade.atleast thats my personal opinion. And if u dont like it leave it & do something u like,stop bitchin about it.........
http://theiitians.blogspot.com/
well i read the whole blog and comments .....and what i think is this:
"you try for something(in this case admission to iit) really hard (for almost 2yrs) and once achieve ur goal you are in absolute void...means what to do next or what to do with this success ...even i know some of my friends who did exceptionally well in the engineering entrance examinations and after that they were in complete void what to do with this achievement.....i am NOT saying this is exactly the same situation here but this could be the possible situation......secondly in every institute there exits a chain of students who are the best demoralizing agents on this planet and idiots should be avoided .....the capabilities of a student could be enhanced by the support of his friends and teachers but unfortunately at college level you got very less supportive friends ....so summing up all ultimately a student who have a lot of potential(as he proved that earlier in the entrance exams) gets demotivated due to the people around him...well some students survive this due to their self driven interests and motivations and the other students could survive this by having a some good friends this would help a lot....life is not only studying...there are many other beautiful things in this world enjoy them also this would help you to cope up with your depression very easily............
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