Power drunk nation

While it is regretful that a publicly-elected legislator is man-handled inside the premises of the democratic facility of India, the legislative assembly due to taking his oath in the national language, a more shocking incident which came to light on the same day was the misuse of power by a wealthy accused serving a life imprisonment term in a murder case. Mr. A was convicted after a long-drawn legal battle which saw so much drama befitting a Bollywood blockbuster (actually elements of it were included in a popular blockbuster Rang De Basanti while several filmmakers have expressed their interest in bringing the victim's plight on the silver screen). Coming from a wealthy politician's family known for its clout over the politics of our capital, New Delhi, the victim and co-accused did whatever was possible in order to wash of the conviction during the trial stage, including threatening witnesses to tampering evidence. Finally after vehement public protests and interference by the court, he was brought to the book and was deservedly punished for one of the heinous crimes ever committed in the history of India, the murder of a super model in a posh Delhi hotel.

Cut to 2009, the victim pledges his presence to tend to his ailing mother and support the family business, and a committee consisting of the police machinery and representatives of the state government grants him parole for a month, which is later extended by the chief minster's permission for another 30 days. While the reason given was grave health problems to the convicts mother, the victim was seen drowning his sorrow and tension in a night club in Delhi. Well, he was probably concerned about his mother's health and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. So his friends decide to throw him a late-night party, which he enjoys with full vigor comes out rejuvenated to face his mother's shortcomings. By God's grace, the mother is healed within a span of 24 hours and is healthy and cheerful enough to hold a press conference announcing the details of the national under-19 women's cricket tournament. What a miracle and what a show of our progressive society! Go girl power....

Wait, there is flaw in this whole argument. Do miracles really happen? Does the police fail to see an obvious fact blinded by the political machinery which yield it? NO and YES. Sadly, this is indeed the state of our country 52 years post-independence. One thing stands above every citizen's right, the politics which runs this country and is questionably not doing a very good job with it. While parole is indeed a right of every convict, why is it so that it is often granted to the politically accessible and not those who indeed repent their past deeds? Possibly what good behaviour can be expected by a politician's son who mercilessly hot a girl from point-blank range for not serving him alcohol, used his father's coterie in destroying serious evidence and even paid off the witnesses to turn hostile? Our law is often said to be blind, but I believe it is also dumb! Dumb to the extent that it fails to see any common-sense and is run by texts which often do not mirror the reality.
God save our country, at least he should save me and you.

Peace!

The Red Venom!

To all those who support naxalism:

1. An economically backward area in West Bengal, Lalgarh was declared to be free of Indian government's control for a week or so. All essential supplies were cut-off, people were tortured if they tried to escape and all kinds of relief efforts on part of the state government were prevented by the maoists. Who gave an organization the right to seize power and make the lives of others miserable, when they are clearly not in a position to feed those people?

2. It has long been speculated that these naxalites serve as agents for the Chinese secret service? It has also been reported that the ultimate aim is to surrender the captured areas to China and set up a grave challenge to India's existence. Why should the government be soft on these traitors?

3. Any activity that hampers the growth of a human being mentally and physically in considered unlawful by the Indian constitution. Since the naxalite attacks result in blockades leading to poor health facilities and zero employment opportunities, why should these anti-Indians be protected from the Indian penal code?

-A citizen of India!

The curiously shocking case of Sushil Kumar

"Sushil Kumar who?", " I think I have heard his name?", " Is he a politician?", etc. This is the first reaction of a majority of the common man upon hearing this name. For your information, he is an ace Indian freestyle wrestler who won a Bronze medal in 66-kg category at the Beijing Olympic games and formed the trio of individual medalists at the Olympics for the first time in Indian sport history. Of course you know the other two very well, Abhinav Bindra ( Gold, 10 m air rifle) and Vijender Singh ( Bronze, boxing). But it seems as if he has all but been erased from common memory. While Bindra secured numerous awards and sponsors post-Beijing for his historic feat ( Mittal trust scholarship, Samsung endorsement), Vijender is currently a well-featured celebrity on page 3 and television alike. Not only that, he has recently signed a Rs. 7 crore contract with Percept sports. What about Sushil? A Rs. 50 lakh award from the Delhi govt., few monetary awards from other such bodies and recently the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. He has no lucrative sponsors, still travels on SAI money and works as a Chief ticket inspector for the Indian Railways. I remember Prahlad Kakkar saying in a post-Beijing interview that Vijender has the maximum chance of staying in public memory because of his rags-to-riches story and good looks, while Abhinav (son of a wealthy industrialist) is more of a gentleman who lives in recluse and comes out and shines on the big stage. Sushil has a difficult road ahead because he lacks the 'endorsement' looks and plies his trade in Kushti, a mainstay of Indian sport which has been replaced by Cricket mania in the last 100 years. No one wants their son to become a pehelwaan, hell, few kids are tough these days in order to qualify for a training in the legendary akhadas. Everybody sees them in the light of a few bollywood movies like Khosla Ka Ghosla which portray them as goons who can use their muscle to do your job. Wrestling at a time was a highly respected and practised sport in our country and still is in some arts of the country. It accomplishes two important tasks at the same time, physical workout and adrenaline rush which one expects while playing a sport. Sadly though, the sport has been in a terribly neglected state for the last 50 years. Wrestlers in India still wrestle on mud and rely on the Guru Hanuman regime to success, while their counter-parts in Kazakhistan and Greece have the modern technology at their beck and call. No wonder it took 50 odd years for Sushil to replicate the feat of Kashaba Jadhav. The sad part is, Jadhav died as a broken farmer in large debt, and one can only pray that Sushil gets the recognition he deserves which is necessary to carry on the legacy of Kushti.

'The old Pueblo' trail!

From http://insightiitb.org/internships/ Check it out for more stories by interns from IITB!

I am doing my research internship at The University of Arizona, commonly referred as UoA. Since this blog has to serve as a guideline to prospective students, let me describe the logistics involved.

I have a particular interest in Medicinal Chemistry even before I came to IITB. So I started applying for research internships during my second year for the following summer, and that is when I contacted this Prof. here at UoA. I should throw this out right now: Current state of research funding in the states is horrible. Universities are closing down departments and cutting on graduate intakes rapidly, so be prepared if you receive a lot of negative replies. So I got a similar reply ( this was in Nov,2007), but the Prof. encouraged me to apply next year and if he had funding he would take me in. Finally, I ended up joining the Nucleic Acid Chemistry research group at IITB last summer, which turned out to be the best decision I ever made. This is my advice to anyone who is serious about going into research, join groups here and try to gain some experience. The internship should serve the purpose of consolidation, ultimately leading to a graduate school where you will have an advantage of knowing the field well and coming up with interesting projects. Back to the discussion, so I applied again last December and this time luck favored me. I was accepted with full funding and a variety of projects to choose from.

I was basically accepted into a big collaboration, which spanned from UoA to Moffitt research center in Florida and has some 6 investigators working on it. The field is called ‘Peptidomimetics’ which is essentially synthetic peptides mimicking the function of naturally occurring proteins. These can be used as drugs to target a variety of ailments, in my case the group works on Cancer as the target. The current work proposes a new route to target a variety of cancer receptors in tumor cells and the grant is around $800,000. Medicinal chemistry is definitely a growing field and provides attractive career options both in India and abroad. If you have an understanding of biomolecules, this may very well be what you are looking for.

The biggest hurdle I faced was time, I had to be here on May 18 and my papers arrived from US on May 6. It was due to a variety of factors: you are asked to submit a number of documents to the host in order to process the DS-2019 application and in my case, the final acceptance came in April. I had a backup option in Bremen,Germany in case this hadn’t worked out, so keep applying because you never know when things go wrong. Also, keep soft copies of your passport, proof of parental income, transcript and medical insurance ready so that you can cut down the delays. Getting a US visa is time-consuming but not hard, you should be prepared to answer any questions the interviewer may have and you’ll be set. I got my Visa on May 14, and four days later landed in the land of opportunity:USA.

The A-mountain in Tucson. This is also the official logo of UoA.

Tucson is the second largest city in Arizona after Phoenix, which is of course a mammoth in comparison. The Us-Mexican border is 100 km away, so the area has a pronounced hispanic population and culture, which is actually good for Indians as the Mexican culture is quite similar to ours, whether it’s family dynamics or culinary experiences. Only exception, they put beef in everything, so be prepared to spend a bit more on food if you respect the cow like me! Other than that, you have a chance to experience the excellent work the Indian exports are doing here. I am working with an Indian post-doc here and have seen countless Indians handling some of the most sophisticated projects. It is indeed inspirational to see the amount of success Indians have achieved through hard work and dedication and the world salutes us for it. Everyone here is aware of the IITs and the grindstone we call ‘JEE’. I am reaching towards the conclusion of my project and my internship, but this experience has all but re-assured me that I stand to learn and enjoy as a researcher in the future. If you are uncertain about how you’ll end up after doing a Ph.D., it will be a very full-filling experience from what I have seen. Hope this has been an interesting read and do post comments if you wish to.

Later!

The third world chronicle!

It's been 22 days now since I arrived in the US and it is only fitting that I share my experiences while I have time to spare between setting up a reaction. After a hectic week of getting my Visa done, I took of to possibly the the adventure of my life. The first in my long family tree to be travelling abroad, there was a sense of excitement as well as anxiety. To top it all, the knowledge of maniacal US immigration officers and the racial divide which still exists here to a certain degree.

Atlanta: Wow, an airport or a five-star hotel? At a time when Indian airports are crammed for runways and airspace, I saw a whole fleet of runways. And then, stepping inside the shuttle was an acknowledgement of stepping into a developed country. Americans are lucky to some extent, there economy, though in tatters, is well-settled and they can only expand now. This brings with itself a stable lifestyle and emphasis on making it a better place to live.

Tucson: By this point, I had a mild shock. Everyone told me when I was leaving that my phone won't work here. Not only was it working, it was miraculously receiving AT&T signals too! My to-be-roommates had arrived there without a plan to identify there new Indian friend! I'm from the sub-continent, it's not hard to spot me out. A hectic day of me moving in and Dwanna moving out on the same day led me feeling exhausted. Didn't I just come on a 23 hr flight?

Surprisingly,I was feeling rejuvenated the next morning, partially due to the excitement of seeing the cutting-edge research I was going to do and mostly due to the delicious breakfast of 'cactus' cooked by Cris, who according to reliable sources, had never even cooked for his girlfriend. But then again, we are both straight and I am likeable! Walked upto Bio5 in 10 minutes which was almost routine owing to the luxury of walking I have back at IITB. yep, no motorised vehicles allowed over a 550 sq. km. campus. The details of my project will turn you off, so let's just say I was pleased to find my workplace overlooking a beautiful mountain and that I was working on a $800,000 grant project! Money anybody?

What followed what a good settling in-period which often had me passing out at 8 in the evening and then waking up at 3 in the night. That's screwed, try converting it into Indian standard time and you'll find out the lifestyle we're accustomed to at IIT. There was no place for boredom though with Cris, Sara and Cory giving good company and I had 3 cool American friends in no time. Sorry for skipping a crucial part, my eating adventures! I cannot cook to save my life, and here I was in a foreign country with 14 packets of ready-to-eat Indian food and lot of Maggi. From then, I am only proud that I can cook rice efficiently now and manage pretty well even if there is no one to take me out. Not having a car in the US is a bitch, Edgar is a prime example of it. :P

And it's time to setup the next reaction. I'll follow this up pretty soon, only problem is what followed in the subsequent weekends is scandalous and I'll censor it to my comfort. It's my blog guys, I'll write whatever I want to.:P

And as Americans say for sending off- 'Later'!

'Tutoring the future'

There is a city in India which is one of its kind! I mean because of its transition from a village to a city happened in a short span of 20 years. Normally, this should not grab attention as most parts of India have grown up in similar time-frames to become mini-metros. The paradigm shift was brought about either by an industrial boom in the vicinity or the influence of a powerful politician.But 'Kota' is unique- it is a city that survives on an industry which requires the intellectual power of half the country, the great coaching tamasha.
Coaching was never an alien concept in India. It probably started pre-independence when English slowly gained acceptance amongst India's urban class. Being short-handed, most parents would call tutors to teach their wards enough grammar in order to pass the SSC exam. But there was no corporatization present, most of the tutors were Intermediate passed jobless men who made a dime for their family through coaching. On the other hand, there were known names too in cities like Allahabad and Delhi, which admitted student to prepare for perhaps the most prestigious examination in India to date-Indian Civil Services. It was considered a privilege of the elite, as preparation went on for an average of 3-4 years after graduation and the selection rate was peanuts compared to the number of applicants.Underneath the development of India as an economic and intellectual power was a wave of higher education which would assumer mammoth proportions in years to come, the IITs.
If we go towards the beginning of the first known coaching in India, the Bansal Classes, Kota was just like any other ordinary town in Rajasthan. Lack of electricity & water, a high rate of unemployment due to the bludgeoning of a nearby cement factory by the worsening credit crisis prevalent in the 80's. The 'Joint Entrance Examination' or the JEE was still considered the epitome of hard work and sharp brain. No one cared to even attempt it if he wasn't among the top of his class. But IITs were bringing fame to India from all corners of the world due to the good performance of its alumni and there popularity as growing throughout India. The economic conditions only favored the stiff competiton- our economy was bust and the number of jobless outnumbered those with a PSU job. IITs were considered a safe bet compared to universities or art colleges as they promised a future for anyone who managed to complete his stay there.Perhaps it was sharp business acumen, perhaps it was the will of an academian, but
Mr. V.K.Bansal decided to start a revolution-establishing the first coaching class for JEE at Kota in 1985. It was a unique step if you consider the logistics involved. Kota was no where near the perfect city a parent would send his child to stay and prepare for 2,3,4 or even 5 years. It was tucked away in the hot and arid Rajasthan, with the only claim to fame being a Nuclear energy power plant nearby. Bansal turned each question on the validity of his location to his advantage. Kota was away from the noise of a city, so students can focus solely on cracking the 'toughest' exam in the world without worrying about a visit from home or television. Bansal Classes started a trend which led to the establishment of numerous other coachings within 5 years. Retired IIT profs and young graduates shifted base to Kota and established competitors like Resonance and Narayana. Soon an hierachy was established and Bansal was still the place to be if you wanted to have the best chance of cracking the JEE. The city itself metamorphosed into a student republic. Every house had rooms rented to students, there were messing facilities in every corner of the city and even businesses like stationary and laundry adapted themselves according to the students, who would flock into the city in tunes of tens of thousands to achieve every middle-class family's dream.
When Kota got saturated, new centres came up: Hyderabad,Kanpur,Mumbai, Patna,etc. Soon, every district in India had a coaching class devoted to JEE preparation. The bigger players hired IIT graduates and professors, the lesser ones opted for teachers fired from the notable centres to make a name in their locality. In 25 years, JEE coaching has turned into a 10,000 crore industry in India according to ASSOCHAM. This figure may be inflated, but in my opinion, the exact aount may be higher than this. An average student spends Rs.1 lakh per annum in Kota while those preparing from their hometown spend anything close to Rs. 40k-50k per annum. Therefore, if we draw a rough estimate for the 4 lakh candidates who appeared in JEE 2009 , the figure would cross the amount easily. And this doesn't even include Medical and AIEEE coaching.
Coaching has had a deep effect on the psyche of an avergae Indian family. It is a symbol of prestige and spending power as much as it is a symbol of exhibitioning one's ward. Parents spend half of their annual income, take loans from banks or relatives to finance a trip to the magic land of numbers, without caring for the inclination of their child or his wish to pursue engineering or not. This has resulted in a win-win situation for these classes. An average student who wouldn't dream to get into IIT now hopes so and walks into a coaching class to push him towards the ultimate gratification of clearing the JEE. Little do they realize that the failure rate stacks up the odds against them and they are just not made for engineering. I have known friends who wasted 2-3 precious years trying to get through and ultimately realized they are not made for this. All are happy pursuing their interests right now. This is also a reflection of our rigid education system, which streamlines students into Maths and Biology post 10th standard and then forces them to slog it out for the limited opportunities available. A doctor is respected in India, an arts student is not. Only medicine or engineering can make lives of the coming generations prosperous! No one cares about the interest of a child, what he actually wants to do and how he wants to do it. This is a great moment for the Indian middle-class to reflect upon it's postion in the 21st century and decide how it wants the future of this country to be. Will aptitude gain victory over convention? We'll have to wait and see.

Till then, the great coaching candy will contue to lure helpless students towards it!