Suicidal Engineering

People say, “When Engineers play, the world sees a revolutionary way”. I concur. Most of you would agree. But how do these Engineers play. A burning question, do they even play?

Like every day as we assemble in the Mausi (read: tea-shop), even today we did. But unlike other days when our center of discussion were ranging in a very narrow bandwidth of Start-ups to internships. Today we had a sad story in store. A dear friend of ours had left us forever. Although none of us had seen him earlier, neither of us could trace who he was. But he was someone within our family our very own NIT family. For the administration, he did commit suicide. And the best here I can do, I mourn for the departed soul. May his soul rest in peace!

Does the story end here? It has been 29 months since I came into engineering and this was the 6^th condolence meeting I was in. I was sobbing while in the condolence. How these suicides and deaths have become the run-of-the-mill for the engineering institutes. After all where is the flaw? The administration obviously can’t evade, it is to be blamed. But is it only the administration which is to be blamed? Aren’t we also responsible to an extent? People jump from the fifth floor just because they failed in love. Can you imagine more stupid reason for a suicide? Agreed, I’m not the right person to comment on love and valentine. But suicide isn’t sublime.

And strikingly, more reputed the institute, more suicide cases buzz. Students are stressed with the curriculum unreasonably. And the ones who attempt suicide are a subset of the union of the two mutually exclusive sets.

Set 1:

Students who aren’t endowed with extra ordinary intelligence. (I personally believe, talent can never be nurtured, it is always god-gifted) This type of students are either in Engineering because, the government treats them as their son-in-law and reserves seats for them or because they couldn’t think of any other career option after class XII and iteratively tried for Engineering exam and made it somehow after ‘n’ number of attempts.

Set 2:

Students who are endowed with intelligence but they don’t have faith in their intelligence. Rather they prefer working hard which brings them among the elite in terms of GPA. Even if you burn the midnight oil in Engineering, you can’t be satisfied being second to any XYZ. And if it becomes repetitive the bad consequences start popping. Had they kept faith on their intelligence and would have done smart work instead of working hard, they would have never been in the elite group but would have done fairly well and been above average.

There is another set of students, the Set 3:

These students are in engineering not because they are super talented but because they are lucky to have affluent fathers. Any engineering college can be their dream alma mater they just need to throw in some cash. This set of students unlike the previous two, doesn’t bother about GPA and so is rarely stressed. But a fair part of this set goes insane, when it comes to love and valentine. And a few cases of suicide do come out of this flock, but the reasons are different, for their father’s would have thought, Engineering was not their cup of tea. These students would have done miracles in the domains they loved.

Fortunately, IITs and NITs are devoid of such set 3 students. Had they been not, maybe I would have attended few more condolence meetings.

WAKE UP PARENTS !

Don’t be so obsessed with Engineering. Stop saying to your children, “ Beta Engineering Entrance me to baith hi jana”. There is no dearth of lucrative career options. Just put yourselves in your children’s shoes and see the world. The world would look better and brighter.

image courtesy: greenbd.info

The Shift . . .

The excerpt that follows may sound a little trendy as you find in autobiographies but is apt sans any exaggeration. I recall the shattered face of that lady who rented me a room in her flat in Kota for two years for my engineering entrance preparation, when i first uttered that I am a Bihari after a fair deal of finalising the room for a couple of thousand bucks a month. She was like, 'oh my god, Bihari !! My goodness , what if you use my ally to shit.' I ain't expecting any cheap laugh at this point. I guess, even she doubted if i would rape her daughter. This was sad but it was moronic on my part that I couldn't blame her for this after my worst possible insult.
If you remember the movie, 'Ye Mera India'. There is a still in which Rajpal Yadav arrives at the Mumbai CST and begs for job to a beggar over there. And even that beggar kicks him saying,

"Go back to Bihar, you Biharis come and pollute Mumbai."

In the same movie, the Mumbai traffic police stops a car walla just because he doubted him to be a Bihari, because his audio player was rhythming at

'Main aayi hun UP Bihar Lootne'.

Though I liked the movie, its very sad for me and the Bihari community (which I never endorse as such) that our conditions have been a source of inspiration for such movies. Aweful ! Yesterday when I was searching for the nearest Subway outlet in Patna on subway locator, you couldn't imagine it was in Durgapur (West Bengal). What is, that made Subway to prefer Durgapur over Patna ? Not a single Subway in entire Bihar. Even, I bet if some one has travelled entire India except one state, that one would be Bihar !

But then, There's a paradigm shift . . .

Today, contrastingly, if any leading firm wishes to expand its span, the first state it travels is Bihar. Untill recently there was not a single Shopping Mall in the state capital, but today there are a plenty of and a dozen under construction. A single man makes up the majority if god is with him.

Imagine the case when thousand men will be having thousand respective gods with them, and thus they will be making up thousands of majorities. Won't they bring about the change thousand times as Bihar had recently. I say, crap the thousand deal, just 28 + 7 of them are enough. But, the question arises, who should they be ? I have laid down three criteria:

1. He should not be even a distant kin of Mr. Karunanidhi.

2. He should not be a PhD holder from any of the Bihar Universities during 1990-2005 (The infamous Lalu Kingdom).The degress were all fake.

3. He should not be an Anti-Hindu Muslim or an Anti-Muslim Hindu.

Just these three criteria make up the things. Apart from this if he happens to be an Engineering student or in a case any graduate from any reputed institute is all enough to flagshipize the Indian Glory. Why did I say engineering student and how do I define a reputed institute ? I will come to it in a while. At this point, I say,the power and the enthusiasm the youth possess is incomparable. You can't expect a septuagenerian Prime Minister with a bye pass surgery done to handle the Onion Price, check the Naxalite attacks, Scrutinize the corrupt cabinet ministers, attend the G-20 summit, fight for the permanent membership in UN security council and to deliver the convocation addresses in Universities all in one stretch. It's is simply impossible.

India now needs people like me and you who has education, who knows the societal set-up of rural India and also has been an intimate denizen of the breeding mall culture. The person who can sip his morning coffee in the Starbucks and while on the way to his uncle's place, can also stop by 'amar dhaba' and can have his Gold Flake. Such a versatile personality is all what Indian politics lacks as on date. The Indian Politics is corrupt. Young people should survey out the society. Their needs should be properly analysed. A proper frame work has to be made. And then youth should launch their campaigns in accordance. The honesty, the dire to work hard, and the thirst to see India developed is at its trough in the 35% young enthusiasts of our nation. Just put the onus on us and see the miracle in a decade.

For God's sake, if I become the cabinet minister then, will drive straight to Kota just after the oath and will kill Mrs. M.L Sharma in my first agenda. And then the drive to flagshipise India will take precedence over even extra marital affairs.

I'm waiting for the day when Bhartiya Janta Party will come to NIT Rourkela for recruitments. Just they need to drop in a mail to the Training and Placement cell. A pick -up to the airport will be sent for sure.

Image Courtesy: http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2011/05/

Do You want to Hear " I QUIT !!! "

Disclaimer: I am writing this disclaimer after I have written the whole post, else I think it would have been little more temper struck. I chilled while I wrote. This post is solely an attempt to make some of my batch mates realize what they are through our eyes. Any type of unsocial word uttered is solely meant for them. I am sorry for those who haven’t seen me in this driven mode. Those who wish to see a well justified post as of my earlier posts then please sign off !!!

Can any one of you imagine an engineering student’s life without any mass bunk. But god bless some of my batch mates here. For them , mass bunk is like an assault for attempt to murder. Huh.

These creepy chaps can never go for a lusty life. I am not saying going for a mass bunk will fetch them a lust in their life. But I’m sure for these fellows, engineering is like getting up in the morning at 6, going for a yoga and then morning 8 to evening 5 classes. First bench rendezvous with the professor in the lectures. No hexagons, No Calories, Neither a minute late in the classes (I remember the way they ran holding their asses as if it would have fallen down of their bicycle seats for Nimaje’s class yesterday after maths lab). Can’t you name them ?? Moreover after the classes they stick to their lappies for “HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER” or they get lost in their world of class notes

Its not just like that, they even suggest to ask the professors for mass bunk as if they are his son in law and are going to marry the professor’s daughter after B.Tech. They more or less swallow the course content and boast of their CGPA as if we are the dumbest chap they have ever seen. God knows, is the CGPA , a justified scale to gauge one’s intellect. The answer as of my perspective is a big ‘NO’. What do you think ?

I don’t want to name a single but still I can make a point forward that there is a chap in our batch who was distressed just because we were not having our Maths lab classes since last 3 weeks. And you know he was the one who called up the HOD (maths) for this cause. And the consequence …….we were queued up infront of the maths lab the same day. How can anyone survive with chaps like this ? Moreover there are numerous cases where they try to win the impression just for a credit. I doubt whether they would even give out their kidneys in barter for marks if professor asks them !!

I ask what do you get in blind following a so called superstar of your GMAT association. Did you not appear for the AIEEE like your super hero did ? Are you lagging in any sense ?? Then where is your conscience ??? Have you lost your own voice ??? or ‘VOICE’ has made you to lose your voice??? I pity on you.

When I called one of those creepers to persuade for the mass bunk none of them were ready to face us, in fact none of them were ready to be the leader of their ‘SAY NO TO BUNKS’ group. God knows from where has the question of a leader arose? I don’t know whether that chap has developed a fascination towards the sole girl of our department or what. May be he attends all the classes just because of her. But Yaar, I even asked that girl to persuade that chap for the mass bunk , still for him when classes are on stake no more affairs.!!! Huh.

You are truly a saint !!

You ought to join ‘Art of Living’ dude.

Its not the question of ,why we could not arrange a mass bunk, we were still in majority. 18 were outside and 12 were inside. But that hardly matters. The question is : how can anyone survive with fellows like these who are more troubled of the course completion than the professor himself.

My dear Friends, ours is a University, and the same professor will set the question paper who teaches and moreover the same professor will correct your answer sheets. So why don’t you take a chill and just enjoy it the fullest. Do you wish to hear somebody’s last word “I QUIT” or what ??

This post is just to remind you that we still have 2 ½ years to go. If it goes like this , I doubt whether there will be 30 in the convocation!!

Friends please try to cooperate with us. Mend your ideologies a little. And enjoy NIT at the max !!!

Good luck !!

Convocation Speech By Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

I am here with my promise. And so here is the link of my institute's weekly e-newsletter 'MONDAY MORNING'. You can go through the full speech Of Kalam sir in that newsletter.

And I urge you all to have patience and reach its end. This one is really fantastic. The best of his all speeches. What a deep perception this man has, for a developed India by 2020. Fabulous ! !

To go to that newsletter click here.

I feel I must quote his full speech over here. This will surely augment the number of readers of this speech a little. And also I ask you all to please forward this to as many 'Indians' as you can.


Here is his Convocation Speech (for my indolent friends) :

(Still I say please go to that link instead of reading it here on my blog. It has a wonderful photo gallery also there in that link. Have a look.)

Entering Into Knowledge Society

I am delighted to participate in the 7th Convocation of NIT Rourkela in this famous steel city. I congratulate all the graduating students for their academic performance and faculty members for shaping their young minds. My greetings to Chairman Board of Governors, Director, Faculty Members, Staff and Students of NIT, Rourkela.

During the last 5 decades, NIT Rourkela has contributed significantly to the techno-economic growth of the country by providing quality human resources who are functioning in the industry in various capacities both in India and abroad. Large numbers of alumni of NIT Rourkela have become entrepreneurs, and thus, employment generators. The government of India has recognized the institute as a premier institute of repute. The modernization of materials and metallurgical Engineering and Computer Science and Electronics department will substantially enhance the research capability of the institute. I congratulate the pioneers both present and past years who have strived hard for laying a robust foundation for technical education in this institute. Today I would like to talk on the topic ”Entering into knowledge society”.

Friends, when I see you all graduating today, I was thinking what thoughts I can share with you. First and foremost, any establishment, any organization you will be joining or you create, your own enterprise becoming an employment generator, always one demand that will come in front of you, that is: the experience of system design, system integration, and system management of the assignment or the task taken by you. I would like to present my experience of learning system design, system integration and system management while I was studying aeronautical engineering in MIT, Chennai, (1954-1957) during the third year of my course.

Learning integrated system design.

I was designed a project to design a low-level attack aircraft together with six other colleagues. I was given the responsibility of system design and system integration by integrating the team members. Also, I was responsible for aerodynamic and structural design of the project. The other five of my team took up the design of propulsion, control, guidance, avionics and instrumentation of the aircraft. My design teacher Prof. Srinivasan the then Director of MIT, was our guide. He reviewed the project and declared my work to be gloomy and disappointing. He didn’t lend an ear to my Difficulties in bringing together data base from multiple designers. I asked for a month’s time to complete the task, since I had to get the inputs from five of my colleagues without which I cannot complete the system design. Prof. Srinivasan told me ”Look, young man, today is Friday afternoon. I give you three days time. If by Monday morning I don’t get the configuration design, your scholarship will be stopped.” I had a jolt in my life, as scholarship was my lifeline, without which I cannot continue with my studies. There was no other way out but to finish the task. My team felt the need for working together round the clock. We didn’t sleep that night, working on the drawing board skipping our dinner. On Saturday, I took just an hour’s break. On Sunday morning, I was near completion when I felt someone’s presence in my laboratory. It was Prof. Srinivasan studying my progress. After looking at my work, he patted and hugged me affectionately. He had words of appreciation: ”I knew I was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline. You have done a great job in system designing.”

Through this review mechanism Prof. Srinivasan really injected the necessity of understanding the value of time by each team member and brought out engineering education has to lead to system design, system integration and system management. I realized that if something is at stake, the human minds get ignited and the working capacity gets enhanced manifold. That’s exactly what happened. This is one of the techniques of building talent. The message is that the young in the organization, whatever is their specialization, be trained to systems approach and projects, which will prepare them for new products, innovation and undertaking higher organizational responsibilities. Friends you should get ready to acquire knowledge in an integrated way for using multiple disciplines towards product development and its management.

The second aspect, I would like to discuss is, what type of India you are going to see in the next ten years. What are the challenges you will undertake and participate? I am going to visualize the type of India in the year 2020, so that you can build the capacities to participate in this movement.

Distinctive Profile of India by 2020
1. A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line.
2. A Nation where there is equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water.
3. A Nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony.
4. A Nation where education with value system is not denied to any meritorious candidates because of societal or economic discrimination.
5. A Nation, which is the best destination for the most talented scholars, scientists and investors.
6. A Nation where the best of health care is available to all.
7. A Nation where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption free.
8. A Nation where poverty has been totally eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes against women and children are absent and none in the society feels alienated.
9. A Nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, devoid of terrorism, peaceful and happy and continues with a sustainable growth path.
10. A Nation that is one of the best places to live in and is proud of its leadership.
Integrated Action for Developed India.

To achieve the distinctive profile of India, we have the mission of transforming India into a developed nation. We have identified five areas where India has a core competence for integrated action:
1. Agriculture and food processing.
2. Education and healthcare
3. Information and Communication Technology
4. Reliable and Quality Electric power, Surface transport and Infrastructure for all parts of the country
5. Self-reliance in critical technologies
These five areas are closely inter-related and if progressed in a co-ordinated way, will lead to food, economic and national security.

I have given you, how to transform yourself to meet the professional challenges as system technologist and contribute in realizing any one or more of the ten pillars, I have described.

Mission in life.
While entering into such type of mission in life, you need unique traits for achieving success in your missions. First of all, you have to have an aim in life. You have to set a goal. Second one, you have to acquire knowledge continuously as a life-long autonomous learner. Third you have to put in honest hard work and fourth is: you have to have perseverance in life. Here I would like to give an example of a visually challenged young boy, who was not deterred by his physical challenge.

I can do it

Friends, when I was the President of India, on 28 Aug 2006, I met the group of tribal students from Lead India 2020 movement. I asked all of them one question: ”What you want to become?” Out of many responses, one visually challenged boy studying IX class got up. His name is Srikanth, he answered me ”I will become visually Challenged first President of India”. I was very happy to see his vision and ambition. Small aim is a crime. Hence, I congratulated him to realize his vision and told him to work for realizing his vision.
There after he worked hard got 90% in Xth class and 96% in intermediate and he set a goal to study Engineering in MIT, Boston USA. His relentless hard work not only secured seat but he got full fee waiver from MIT, Boston. Srikanth’s achievement has brought change agents of Lead India 2020 and inspired to set a high vision for every student who undergoes the training process. Seeing this impact of Lead India 2020 training, GE volunteers have funded Mr. Srikanth for his travel to USA. Today he is pursuing his studies at MIT, Boston. When the GE offered him a job on completion of graduation, he told them that he would certainly come back to GE, if I couldn’t become the President of India. What a confidence that boy has amidst of difficult and the challenges in his life by being visually challenged. What a great transformation that has brought into a visually challenged boy’s life by Lead India 2020 movement through value based education intervention.

Diligent and sincere evaluation

Another important quality is, the ability to work with knowledge acquisition constantly for an aim and convert it into a certain outcome. To achieve this, you will need to constantly practice and evaluate your own actions and ideas at all moments. Only when they pass the most rigorous and honest tests, you can be certain of the outcomes of every action you take. This would require great diligence and sincerity in all your efforts. Let me give an example. When Lockheed introduced the Tristar 1011 plane, the company decided to determine the efficiency and safety of the plane by a process of rigorous tests. These evaluations lasted for 18 months and cost more than $1.5 Billion, putting the various parts of the plane through a simulation stress equivalent to 36,000 flights which is equivalent to almost 100 years of service. It was only when the plane passed all these tests, without a single malfunction, was the aircraft given a seal of approval. Dear students, all of you must derive a lesson from this example- practice and constant evaluation will make your ideas and actions perfect and inject the self confidence in you that ”I can do it”.
Now I would like to share with you the life of two great personalities who would combat all challenges and succeed in their mission through their creativity and passion.

Birth of Creativity in a difficult situation
Mario Capecchi had a difficult and challenging childhood. For nearly four years, Capecchi lived with his mother in a chalet in the Italian Alps. When World War II broke out, his mother, along with other Bohemians, was sent to Dachau as a political prisoner. Anticipating her arrest by the Gestapo, she had sold all her possessions and given the money to friends to help raise her son on their farm. In the farm, he had to grow own wheat, harvest: take it to miller to be ground. Then, the money which his mother left for him ran out and at the age of four and half years, he started sometimes living in the streets, sometimes joining gangs of other homeless children, sometimes living in orphanages and most of the time hungry. He spent the last year in the city of Reggio Emelia, hospitalised for malnutrition where his mother found him on his ninth birthday after a year of searching. Within weeks, the Capecchi and his mother sailed to America to join his uncle and aunt.
He started his 3rd grade schooling afresh over there and started his education, interested in sports, studied political science. But he didn’t find interesting and changed into science, became a mathematics graduate in 1961 with a double major in Physics and Chemistry. Although he really liked Physics, its elegance and simplicity, he switched to molecular biology in graduate school, on the advice of James D Watson, who advised him that he should not be bothered about small things, since such pursuits are likely to produce only small answers.
His objective was to do gene targeting. The experiments started in 1980 and by 1984, Capecchi had clear success. Three years later, he applied the technology to mice. In 1989, he developed the first mice with targeted mutations. The technology created by Doctor Capecchi allows researchers to create specific gene mutations anywhere they choose in the genetic code of a mouse. By manipulating gene sequences in this way, researchers are able to mimic human disease conditions on animal subjects. What the research of Mario Capecchi means for human health is nothing short of amazing, his work with mice could lead to cures for Alzheimer’s disease or even Cancer. The innovations in genetics that Mario Capecchi achieved won him the Nobel Prize in 2007. Noble laureate Capecchi life indeed reveals:-
”When you wish upon a star,
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you.”

A genius well ahead of time: Failure did not deter him

Ramanujan, born and raised in Erode, Tamil Nadu, first encountered formal mathematics at the age of ten. He demonstrated a natural ability at mathematics, and was given books on advanced trigonometry by S. L. Loney. He mastered this book by age thirteen, and even discovered theorems of his own. He demonstrated unusual mathematical skills at school, winning many awards. By the age of seventeen, Ramanujan was conducting his own mathematical research on Bernoulli numbers and the Euler-Mascheroni constant. He received a scholarship to study at Government College in Kumbakonam. He failed his non-mathematical coursework, and lost his scholarship. Srinivasa Ramanujan lived only for 33 years and did not have formal higher education or means of living. Yet, his inexhaustible spirit and love for his subject made him contribute to the treasure houses of mathematical research – some of which are still under serious study and engaging all-available world mathematicians’ efforts to establish formal proofs. Ramanujan was a unique Indian genius who could melt the heart of the most hardened and outstanding Cambridge mathematician Prof G H Hardy. In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that it was Prof. Hardy who discovered Ramanujan for the world. Professor Hardy rated various geniuses on a scale of 100. While most of the mathematicians got a rating of around 30 with rare exceptions reaching to 60, Ramanujan got a rating of 100. There cannot be any better tribute to either Ramanujan or to Indian heritage. His works cover vast areas including Prime Numbers, Hyper geometric series, Modular Functions, Elliptic Functions, Mock Theta Functions, even magic squares, apart from serious side works on geometry of ellipses, squaring the circle etc. One of the tributes to Ramanujan says that, ’every integer is a personal friend of Ramanujan’. He was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society (F R S) in 1918.

Ramanujan used to say ”An equation means nothing to me unless it expresses a thought of God”. For him the understanding of numbers was a process of spiritual revelation and connection. In his investigations into pure mathematics, he drew extraordinary conclusions that mystified his colleagues, but were usually proven, eventually, to be right. He opened a universe of theory that still today is reaping applications. The landscape of the infinite was to Ramanujan a reality of both mathematics of spirit. His love for numbers led Ramanujan to number theory. Despite being affected by chronic health problems, he was breathing Mathematics throughout his short life and his genius was recognized internationally. So friends you saw, how great creative minds, gave problem to the problems to succeed through the instrument of

Dear friends, let me take you to the type of society we are entering and challenges.

The knowledge society in 21st century

The world in the 21st century will be a knowledge based society with multiple opportunities. I was reading a book, ”Empires of the Mind” by Denis Waitley. This book gives, what type of the new world which we are facing now? What was yesterday and what is today. I have modified certain points of the author to suit our conditions. I have also added a third line which relates to action of educational institutes.

It specially says that ”what worked yesterday, won’t work today”.
1. Yesterday – natural resources defined power
Today – knowledge is power
Educational Institutions will be a powerhouse for knowledge

2. Yesterday – Hierarchy was the model
Today – synergy is the mandate
Educational Institutions will be enabler of intersection of multiple faculties towards mission goals

3. Yesterday – leaders commanded and controlled
Today – leaders empower and coach
Potential Leaders will be empowered through exposure to the needs of sustainable development

4. Yesterday – shareholders came first
Today – customers come first
Education should inculcate sensitivity to ”customer” needs

5. Yesterday – employees took order
Today-teams make decision
Educational Institutions can inject team spirit

6. Yesterday-seniority signified status
Today-creativity drive status
Educational Institutions is the breeding environment for creativity

7. Yesterday-production determined availability
Today-Competitiveness is the key
Competitiveness is powered by research and university has to have the motto of ”teaching-research-teaching”

8. Yesterday-value was extra
Today-value is everything
Objective Value judgment to be introduced in education

9. Yesterday-everyone was a competitor
Today-everyone is a customer
Educated customer is also from Educational Institutions

10. Yesterday-profits were earned through expediency
Today-Work with integrity and succeed with integrity
Education with value system is the need of the hour.

I am sure, the curriculum and the method of teaching in the institute has been designed to cater for the needs for 21st knowledge society.

Conclusion

Friends, finally I would like to ask you, what would you like to be remembered for? You have to evolve yourself and shape your life. You should write it on a page. That page may be a very important page in the book of human history. And you will be remembered for creating that one page in the history of the nation – whether that page is the page of invention, the page of innovation or the page of discovery or the page of creating societal change or a page of removing the poverty through development of PURA complexes (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Area) any part of the country or the page of fighting injustice. I will be happy if you could write this page and mail it to me (apj@abdulkalam.com).
With these words, I once again congratulate the graduating students. My best wishes to all the members of NIT Rourkela success in the mission of developing quality technological human resource for the nation.

May God bless you.

P.S : In the first pic Kalam sir is addresing us. In the second pic, Director of our insti. Prof. Sarangi is addressing us and in the third pic, Kalam sir and the Director of our insti. Prof. Sarangi are there. ( I specially mentioned it coz u may get confused by the second pic.)

I won't wash my hands.....

Rather I would like to preserve my hands in POP. One does not get this opportunity everyday to shake hands with personality like Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.. To those who have already listened to his any of the lectures Dr. Kalam is god for sure. And for those who did not get this opportunity yet, I can just say that ‘He is far far more wonderful person than any one of you can assume’.

He was scheduled to visit our campus as the chief guest for the convocation ceremony today. He had to fly from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela but unfortunately his chopper could not fly because of bad weather. And it can’t be anyone other than Dr. Kalam that he decided to travel the 10 hrs overnight journey to Rourkela by train just to meet us. Hats off to you Sir !! Hats off to you !

Moreover we were here overwhelmingly excited to listen to his words and more than that to get his glimpse. We thought we won’t be able to see him (Convocation Hall was already occupied with the degree recipients and their parents, so I could not even dream to get into it ). Still we were waiting for him outside the hall and You can’t imagine how down to earth he is ! Although the security guys opened the door of his car towards the auditorium still he got down the other side just because we (students) were standing there. I also clicked some snaps there to preserve the moment. Although I could not get very good one still its manageable.

Hardly a distance of a meter and I was among a very few lucky chaps to shake hands with him. He waved to us even while walking towards the hall.

Rather I should say Dr. Kalam didn’t miss any opportunity to get a glimpse of the students. I have earlier heard about him that he is fond of students a lot and what today I saw I can just say that he loves us more than his life. Hats off to u sir !!

See in the above pic he isn't in the proper convocation dress and now see the following pic.

One can aptly see in this snap that to which side he got down off his car. In the background you can see the the entrance of our institute's convocation Hall.

Finally coming to the point , his address to the young graduates. An arrangement of the live telecast of the convocation ceremony was made in the lecture gallery so I took my seat there. First and the foremost thing what he observed in the hall was the mission statement of NIT Rourkela.He liked it and said this is what he wishes every Indian to make his mission statement.

Moreover he loved the way the graduates were dressed. Unlike the traditional convocation dress of gown and the cap which according to him was a British Culture, Our graduates wore the Indian attire. Kudos to NIT Rourkela !

He narrated a few wonderful stories of his engineering days at MIT Madras. His rendezvous with Prof. Srinivasan was really inspiring. I will try to upload the .pdf of his lecture by Monday once the institute releases it. It’s really worth going through it. He urged us to join politics and he said ,Indian politics needs the technocrats in today’s scenario. He also narrated the story of a tribal young boy he met at Rashtrapati Bhavan. When Dr.Kalam asked him, “ What you dream to be in your life ? ” He unhesitatingly replied,” I want to be the first Visually impaired President of India.” He asked us to get inspired by his determination.

He asked all of us to say with him,

"I Can do it, We can do it, India can do it."

He also urged us to make live his dream of 2020.

His speech was as usual miraculous. I will try my best to make it available to all of you. Also he laid the foundation stone of the “Centre for Technology Innovation and Industrial Research” in our institute.

Although our institute conferred Dr. Kalam with the honorary degree of D.Sc but for us you are God, Dr. Kalam !

Also to receive the honorary degree today was Prof. Damodar Acharya , director , IIT Kharagpur for being the distinguished alumnus of NIT Rourkela.

Oh Snap ! ISM Dhanbad ! !

Yesterday i was in Hexagon (the food court of NIT Rourkela !) at around 7 PM with some of my friends. And you know ISM Dhanbad has pasted over there a big poster publicizing their annual technical festival of Department of Mining Engineering. My techie friends need no introduction of this Mining Bison. And also if I explain my non techies about what is ISM Dhanbad on this blog then it will be a big question mark on the repute of that institute. This institute has been ranked as the Number 1 institute of mining Engineering in Asia and second only to Stanford University in the world. And also there is a lot more to know about this if you go for wikipedia search.

Coming back to that poster, yes there was an invitation for presenting a paper at ISM Dhanbad during this "RADIANCE 2K10". But unfortunately it is scheduled from 15th to 17th January. And on 16th Jan our institute is having its convocation and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam will be the chief guest and I dont want to miss this opportunity to listen to his words. Even then I thought whats wrong if i just send an abstract Let's see whether its selected or not ?

Last october i had presented a paper at IIT Kharagpur so i had an abstract ready for this. I mailed the same abstract to ISMU Dhanbad ( It's Indian School of Mines University). Fortunately it got selected within 24 hours. And they asked me to fill up the form for accomodation. When I opened the hospitality page of their website see what i found. They were giving us the accomodation but the last line said : "The team of Great Step or IIT Kharagpur shall not be responsible for theft or loss of participants belongings" (IIT Kharagpur is being responsible for the event at ISM. ha ha ha... :) :) :) ) Have a look on that web page ( for the first time i have used the prnt scrn button of my lappy):
Click on these pics to get a better zoomed view.




Also have a look on the chain of mails right from the abstract sending till i urged them to rectify this blunder. I was expecting a reply from them after they change it but no they didn't so it beacme one of the reasons of this blog.


"कहते हैं ना नक़ल में भी अक्ल चाहिए होती है "

I would have given you the link but no they rectified it within 15 mins. I did inform some of my friends studying in ISM who were online at that instant to inform this to the TEAM RADIANCE. So it took no time for them.

ISM ! This was not expected from your institute.. !!!

P.S : My friends at ISM , I'm sorry to you especially Pankaj and Ganapati.
Thanks Ganapati that you informed them immediately after I pointed out this to you.