IIT’s Make a Person’s Life, Not Destroy It

I have done my graduation from IIT Bombay in Chemical Engineering. I thank God that I was blessed with such a good institution to study. I made great friends, who are no less than achievers in their respective fields. I find it a matter of prestige when I talk about my college life to someone.

Despite of these great things which affect almost every student in the institute, the media portrays it like a dungeon of frustrated intellectuals who are pressurized so much so that some of them commit suicide. This is something I completely disagree to. There have been incidences of suicide, I agree, where the students write notes regretting their decision to give JEE examination. So that is their personal choice, or in some cases, a choice which might have been imposed upon them by their parents or circumstances. Why blame the IIT for it? If the examination has been a tough one, it is tough for a reason. A person, who is meant to be a researcher or an engineer has to develop many skills like analyzing a problem in a short time, deriving correct conclusions and discovering its application to solve real-life problems. He needs to be vigilant enough to point out the pros and cons and even the minutest discrepancies while stating a theory or a phenomena which is yet unproven, all this in the stipulated time provided . Moreover, he needs to multi-task, manage his personal and professional life, even while doing rigorous analysis.

All these things take effort on part of the individual, who has to work it out as patiently and consistently as is needed. And if one thinks that he cannot handle this much, he must not do it at all. Why get bound to something which does not interest us ? If someone gives a reasoning related to circumstances, that means that somehow those circumstances have self-evolved. It is just a matter of changing perspectives and goals rather than considering it the end of the world. Many students find their interest in business after graduating as an engineer. There is nothing wrong with it, since an interested businessman is a much better option than a frustrated engineer.

In my personal opinion, a college is not just a place to get graduated from. It gives us an opportunity to find out where our real interest lies and how we can shape our future based on our ground rules. Media must understand that a premiere institute as IIT is made to put India on an international platform, map its inttelectual capability to match the world. Therefore, their portrayal as ‘triggers’ for suicidal activities will simply defame it, if nothing more. Remember all prospective IIT students, IIT’s make a person’s life, not destroy it.

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