The juggernaut has rolled by yet again. Results of any nature are looked forward to in the same trepidation as Balaji looks forward to bowling a yorker or Seaman looks forward to guarding a Ronaldinho free kick. But nothing matches the sheer intensity and the nervousness that palls the hapless candidates when the sun finally dawns on the day the JEE results are to be declared. Of course, there is a minority which sees this day as the day of exoneration, when the very qualities that might have led to events of humiliation are turned inside out into a day of celebration. and redemption. I was never one for redemption, so I don't know about that.
All I can remember is that 5 years ago, on May 31, I was forced to visit an internet cafe by my mother at 9 AM, a good hour after the results were out. Call it reluctance or bravado, but all my results were declared on 3 consecutive Wednesdays that summer, and the 2nd one, the AIEEE, didn't bring good news at all. All it brought were images of opportunities lost and time wasted in long chats in the school parking lot that ended up going nowhere. Thankfully the JEE brought some respite and the day ended in one massive celebration (read: going to sleep with no worries about my future). Back then, JEE 2006 had thrown a curve ball at many a candidates due to the late announcement of a tweak in the examination pattern, compounded by the visions of Judgement day (not the sorts that can be miscalculated by a senile godman!) for all those who had been toiling for more than a year after their 12th. Come to think of it, even the number of goats going to the altar was humongous at 320,000. Still, it pales in comparison to the number of applicants for JEE 2011 and AIEEE 2011, which clock at 485,000 and 1,200,000 respectively. Yes, a million candidates now have their fate hanging on a single day of crunching. Wait for another 10 years and it will surpass the population of a large number of medium-sized countries.
How is it that for all documented proof of India's progress, a seat at an IIT (note to the responsible members of the media, IITs are not associated with the place they are seated, so stop calling IIT Bombay IIT Powai and IIT Madras IIT Chennai) or an NIT is still considered the 'be all-end all' of higher education. I will not describe the pains of a candidate preparing to study medicine in this country which has appalling medical facilities, because IIT has softened me to the extent that I cannot share their pain. Back to engineering (and Science)- while IITs have mushroomed all over the country, so have the coaching centres which promise the ultimate reward to any middle class parent who can shell out a hefty sum to these agents of prosperity. I truly believe, especially after gaining the treasured tag of 'been there, done that', that a large number of students in IITs are there only because they were made to believe that IITs are the gateway to a cushy job and a lifestyle akin to Ambanis and Birlas. I am not joking- there are people out there who believe that the minimum salary paid to a fresh graduate is at least in 7 figures, so beware if you know an over-interested neighbor. Even I was one of the believers till I entered my 3rd year, and even now, I can safely say that an IIT tag helps in more ways than one.
So how is it that so many hopes ride on a small number of institutions, which according to the umbrella ministry, don't even figure in the top-150 in the world in research. No matter how stupid the remarks of these honorable ministers are, the answer lies somewhere between complacent faculty and disinterested students. As somebody who has participated in a fare share of research projects in the last 2 years, you cannot force somebody to churn out scientific publications when he only came to this institution to earn a respectable living post graduation. And considering the less than flattering prospects faced by a researcher in India till the time he turns 30, you can hardly blame a student if he wants to make his life comfortable on a less tedious route. There's your answer Mr. Ramesh, and considering that you yourself went on a path of fame and wealth, that makes you a hypocrite for questioning those who are at least putting in some effort.
The facts remain firm. The lack of lucrative front line employment opportunities, coupled with the silos of government funded research institutions, exacerbates the acute shortage of options for any student in India. What we choose to do should remain our prerogative, and all dictum of 'serve your country' should only come from those who have traversed the path themselves. If anything, this shows that the government is willing to throw one of its premier educational institutes under the bus to grab some headlines (and possible divert attention from the larger issues of drift in governance).
PS: A cursory glance at this article brings back some good memories. Kids, a lot will change between now and the time you graduate, and I mean a lot!
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