Election day is independence day!

Mou Chakraborty

NADIA: For the 200 residents of Kullupara village in Nadia district, the elections have a special meaning. On Saturday, after many years, the residents of the village had the right to move in and out of the village at will and that too for the whole day; it was their independence day.

Located at Kulupara check post on India-Bangladesh border, the village is located on the other side of the barbwire fencing the Indian border. Though very much under the jurisdiction of Indian territory, the village is just 150 meters from Bangladesh.

Comprising only 38 houses, the village dominated by Muslim population has 200 residents of which 105 are voters. The only way of livelihood for these people is cultivating the land adjacent to their huts.

“Because of the strange geographical position of our village we have to go inside India by crossing the BSF check post. The gate is not open throughout the day and is shut by 5pm. Even on Eid the gate does not remain open beyond schedule time. We feel like living inside a jail. It is only on the days of elections that the gate remains open all day so that we can cast our vote and we are truly free to go in and out of the village and get into the other side of the fenced Indian territory,” said Bogul Mondol, head of the village.

Majdiya, the nearest town from the village, is 4 km away. Without any public vehicle available villagers have to walk down all the way to get their daily groceries, and get access to schools, colleges and hospital.

The zik-zak Indo-Bangladesh border also means that villagers have to walk through Bangladesh occupied land to reach another house across the same courtyard. Supriya Khatun, originally a resident of Jibanpur in Bangladesh, was married off to this village in India 20 years back. “I am an Indian at heart now. This is where my husband and family lives and like others I too have cast my vote today knowing very well that no political party would solve our problem.”

Goyeshopur in Chuyadanga district of Bangaldesh is nearer than the nearest town in Bengal. “There is no barb wire on the other side guarding the Bangladesh border. Farmers from that side come here to cultivate the lands belonging to Bangladesh. Sometimes we give them food and water. Our agony however starts when troublemakers from Bangladesh come and disturb our harvest and cattle,” said Jahanara Khatun from her mud hut.

Supriya, Jahanara and their whole clan speaks in chaste Bengali but had the accent that people from Khulna district of Bangladesh use. “Life here is very tough. After 5 pm the BSF closes its gate and we are cut off from India and are at mercy of these people from Bangladesh. We have no roads, no electricity; there are only two tube wells in the village. None of the political parties think about us. No one came for campaigning. Some people from both CPI(M) and Trinamool had come in one day and painted some of the huts with their symbols and names of candidates,” said Mithun Mondol, a 19-year-old resident of the village, now earning his living as a construction worker in Tollyganj.

Located in Krishnagangue Assembly constituency, this village comes under Matihari panchayat, which was won by Trinamool. For the Assembly election the village is voting for Mamata Banerjee but its residents have made it clear that they are not swept by the ‘Maa, Maati, Manush’ slogun of Banerjee. “We have understood that Didi would come to power. So we are voting for her party. This will make our life easy, we will be allowed to bring in fertilisers and our daily ration through the check post and take our harvest to the nearest market for auctioning without much hindrance,” said Saidul Mondol, a first time voter of the village.

“We know that no political part or its leaders will ever visit our village and bring in electricity and construct roads here,” he said.

First ever energy audit to power IIT savings

Kolkata, April 21

At a time when Bengal is reeling under a power crisis, IIT-Kharagpur has come up with a full-fledged energy audit. The report, the first of its kind for any IIT, throws light on ways to save power. The suggestions will soon be implemented on the campus.

Forty students of IIT-Kharagpur (IIT-Kgp) started the project at the initiative of AIESEC, the world’s largest student-run organization, and Ecozen Solutions, a startup by IIT-Kgp students. “The audit lasted for four months, from January to April, and is the first independent student-run non-credit energy audit initiative in India,” said Shubhanshu Mishra, a third-year mathematics and computing department student and a member of AIESEC. The students were helped in their endeavour by the electrical department faculty.

It was found that IIT-Kgp runs up an annual electricity bill of Rs 11.18 crore and the institute’s gross annual carbon footprint is equivalent to 25,000 tonnes of CO2. There were various aspects to the audit, ranging from electrical to heating, ventilation and air conditioning and fossil fuel consumption.

Several teams, under the technical supervision of senior Ecozen members, worked to assess the status quo by taking regular meter readings, accessing records and talking to on-site personnel. “It was seen that a lot of energy is being wasted in the institution’s kitchens. Energy is wasted when students do not switch off lights, fans or computers. Lights are left on even in the academic building. As responsible global citizens, we should want to change all this,” Mishra said.

The report suggests several infrastructure and behavioural changes to improve the situation. Technical changes were proposed, as were publicity and awareness drives. A competition among halls of residence, assigning consumption targets to departments and launching an aggressive green campaign were suggested. Changes in lighting systems across the institute were examined and the possibility of saving considerable electricity was discovered. Renovation of outdated cooling systems in the old building and building a biogas plant to utilise kitchen waste and save LPG were also suggested.

“The report took a complete view of the energy balance on the campus and identified areas of wastage and outlined proposals for implementation of corrective measures. Possibility of savings by implementation of these plans are twofold: Reduction in CO₂ emission and cut-down in energy bills,” said Mishra. The plan to replace HPSV street lights by LED lights alone would lead to around 58 per cent savings in energy.

The authorities are happy with the report and will implement most of the suggestions soon. The dean of students, Souvik Bhattacharya, who helped the energy audit team said, “The students have done an excellent job. With 19 hostels and 7,500 students, completing the energy audit was a huge task. Apart from students of IIT-Kgp, two students from Mexico and Chile were also part of the audit team. Some of the suggestions are reasonably inexpensive and we would try to implement them by the beginning of the next semester.”

Power saving plan of IIT-KGP

• Replacement of HPSV street lights by LED lights
• Modernisation of corridor illumination by replacing tubes with CFLs
• Installing motion sensors in low utilisation areas
• Installing master switches in high utilisation areas
• Building biogas plants to treat food waste from kitchen and use it for cooking
• Installation of solar cooker for boiling water
• Renovation of illumination system of central library by reducing the number of lights, installing motion censors and repositioning lights in some places
• Installation of online energy meters for academic complex and hostels
• Web portal to monitor and display energy consumption in real time
• Aggressive GoGreen campaign via posters, presentations, competitions and workshops
• Assigning targets to departments and hostels to reduce energy consumption through inter- hall and inter-departmental contests
• Using spring-loaded doors instead of sliding doors to reduce extra cooling load on AC
• Installation of underground insulated pipes along with pumps to supply chilled water for air-conditioning

Humorous & Feisty Mamata holds court during rail budget

Kolkata, February 24

Kolkata: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Pushed into a corner by opposition MPs who called her regional, a feisty Mamata Banerjee delivered telling counterpunches and humour to ensure that she was the last one standing at the end of her two-hour marathon Railway Budget speech.

If former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s budget speech are remembered because of its entertaining quality then Banerjee’s oratory tickled the funny bone of parliamentarians and general public glued in front of the television sets. Unlike Lalu, Didi was serious yet her speech will be remembered for the liberal use of improvised Hindi and English laced with bits and pieces of her mother tongue - Bengali. Dressed in a white and green sari and her trademark rubber slippers it was her funny pronunciations laced with her seriousness that many found amusing.

The Railway Minister, who has a strong Bengali accent, also apologised to the House for her pronunciation. “My pronunciation will go wrong if I go fast.... I apologise for my pronunciation,” she said. Banerjee, who was interrupted several times during her speech by members alleging that she was ignoring their constituency, was heard shouting back – “Aap shaant ho ke baitho to dega” (if you sit silently, I will give you), “chillao mat” (don’t shout), “jitna marzi chillao” (shout as much as you want) and “mera jaan kha gaya sab” (they have pestered me so much).

While Speaker Meira Kumar asked the MPs to sit down and let Banerjee finish her presentation, the minister did her bit by frequently interrupting her speech to tell MPs to let her complete the job. “I’m also a human,” a frustrated Banerjee said at one point. And then carried on gamely, not even stopping for a sip of water.

As names of various places of West Bengal came up during her budget speech, the opposition attacked her for being Pro-Bengal. Even as Speaker Kumar continued to pacify the MPs saying “Baith jaiye….baith jaiye” (sit down, sit down), Banerjee stopped reading her speech and said “Ke re” (Who is it?) and tried to spot the MPs creating uproar.

Then looking at Lalu, who had criticised her last year for giving a pro-Bengal railway budget, she deliver her clincher. “One of the Karma Bhumi Express trains will go from Darbhanga to Mumbai” and then chuckled “Laluji kahan hai? (Where is Laluji?)

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who is not known to show her emotions much, was enjoying the way Banerjee held fort for nearly two hours. So when Banerjee reprimanded a MP, saying, “If you don’t listen, I will cut it,” (cancel your constituency’s name from the list)”, making Gandhi clap in glee. Banerjee also pleased Rahul Gandhi by announcing setting up of a bottling plant in Amethi, leading to some noises in the House.

The Opposition MPs once again started shouting when Banerjee begun announcing the expansion plan of Kolkata Metro.  The railway minister hit back by saying, “Karte raho…katre raho (Keep shouting).” Before moving on to the next announcement, Banerjee stopped and asked “Kyun chillata hai? (Why are you all shouting?)” Then resorted to colloquial Bengali, “Hath, arre dhat (Shoo! What the hell!).”

She was at her funny best while announcing the state of art skill development centre for railway workers in. Banerjee begun by saying that Beleghata would get one such centre and the house once again became restless. This time the minister tried to pacify the angry MPs and said, “Khaali Bolta Hain…..nahi hain,  pehele thik se suno (You all talk too much. Ok I have not given anything to other states. First you all listen properly there is something for everyone).” She then announced that another Centre would be coming up in Cuttack. “Cuttack kahan hai?....Jabalpur kahan hai? (Where is Cuttack? Where is Jabalpur)?” after announcing trains for these places. And just as the MPs had stopped their murmur, she quickly named Coochbehar and Jalipaiguri as two other places where the centre would come up.

And did we forget to mention that the common man crept up in her speech every now and then as she fondly called them “peepul,” her favorite deviation for the word ‘people’.

Peace prevails outside Basu’s ‘haven’

Mou Chakraborty

January 18, 2010

Kolkata: At 12.30pm on Sunday, Ravi Das set out on an unusual journey from his Halisahar home. The man hit by polio pulled out his hand-driven tri-cycle and kept on paddling until he reached Peace Haven, where Jyoti Basu’s mortal remains have been kept.

The 35-year-old lottery seller cycled all the way alone. “He was the greatest Marxist leader of Bengal. I joined the party 15 years ago inspired by one of his speeches at Brigade Parade ground. The tricycle that helped me to come here was given to me by Jyotibabu,” said Das.

“The moment I heard that he has passed away, I knew that I must see him for one last time at any cost. Immediately, I brought out my cycle and started paddling. Even though there are supporters like me but Jyoti Babu’s death would definitely cost the party dear in the next Assembly election,” Das added.

During the course of his journey, Das survived on peanuts and slept at Sealdah Station all night. But the journey went in vain as police stopped him at the gate of Peace Haven. With moist eyes Das said, “Food and sleep is not important. It is already evening and if I could paddle such long distance, I can wait for one more night to bid farewell to the leader who inspired me to fight in life despite my physical limitations. I will go to the Assembly tomorrow to pay my last respect.”

Not only Das, football Olympian Sailen Manna too turned up at Peace Haven to catch a glimpse of Basu but he too was turned away. “He was a gentleman and the kind of love and respect I got from him cannot be expressed. Whenever I needed a car he used it sent it from Indira Bhavan. The last time I went to meet him he called me in by my name. Today too if he would have been alive and knew I was here to see him he would have called me in,” said 86-year-old Manna with tears in his eyes.

Asit Chatterjee, an official of Mohun Bagan Club who accompanied Manna, said, “From the moment he came to know that Jyoti Basu’s mortal remains have been kept here, he was desperate to come. Now he will have to wait for another day.”

Even though no one was allowed to enter the gates of Peace Haven, 72-year-old Arun Deb, an NRI from Basu’s favorite holiday destination – London, was allowed in. Basu is kept in drawer number 2 in the freezer at Peace Haven while Deb was placed in the one just above him.

If the claim of local resident and CPI(M) supporter Sahil Islam is true, Basu has been kept in the same drawer where his protégé and CPI(M) leader Subhas Chakraborty had been kept after his death last year.

“He came from London with his wife and went to Shillong for a holiday but died on the way due to massive heart attack. They are sharing the same freezer. It is such a strange feeling to know that my father-in-law is sharing the same freezer with the veteran Marxist leader,” said Kaveri Das.

Though there were some emotional moments but the crowd outside Peace Haven comprised mostly locals and showed no sentiments. Only passers-by would stop to find out why the place had such media presence and then walk away.

Now you can become a graduate in six years

Mou Chakraborty

Kolkata: Come 2010, it will be OK for Calcutta University students to take six laidback years to be graduates. The B.A., B.Sc and B.Com courses will still be three-year courses. But a student will have the leeway to clear his subjects at any time of his choice during the six-year period. He might skip or even fail in a given number of subjects, but will be promoted to the next year under a credit system and no-detention policy adopted by the university.

The university’s Undergraduate Council took a decision on Thursday, blessing the above arrangement. “The university had introduced the Part I, Part II and Part III exam at the end of each year with a view to starting a credit system and a semester system. Now we are introducing the credit system and with it a no-detention policy. Under the new arrangement, a student wouldn’t be detained in a class even he fails in a paper or skips it. He will have six years to finish the course,” V-C Suranjan Das said.

A committee headed by pro vice-chancellor (academic) Dhrubajyoti Chottopadhyay will look into the nuances of implementing the system. It will table its report in three weeks. “We have agreed, in principle, to start a credit system and a no-detention policy. Once the committee tables its report, we will change the university statute,” Das said. “A student may pick any year in the six-year period to complete his course. We will declare him “passed” in that particular year and give him a consolidated mark-sheet. But he will have to spend at least three years on the course,” Das added.

The no detention policy and credit system will be applicable for both honors and general course students.

Highlights

*Exams can be spaced out or clubbed according to a student’s convenience

*No matter how well or badly he does, he will promoted to the next year

*He will have to spend a minimum of three years on the course and must complete it in six years

ICSE snubs Sibal on Class X exams, marks

Mou Chakraborty, Hindustan Times

Kolkata, October 27, 2009

Unlike the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board is in no mood to introduce absolute grading for Class X examinations.

The ICSE council also refuses to make Class X exams optional, says its chairman, Neil O’Brien.

In August, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal had declared his intentions of making Class X exams optional.

He also said that those who wanted to write the exams would be awarded grades instead of marks.

Following that directive, the CBSE has already made Class X exams optional and said it would be awarding grades.

But O’Brien disagrees.

“Doing away with marks and awarding only grades won’t be useful,” he said. “If we award just grades, would colleges and universities accept the grades while admitting students?”

His logic: “College and university authorities would look for marks to draw up a merit list. Unless higher education institutions decide to admit students based only on grades and all other school education boards decide on grading, there’s no point in introducing them.”

The ICSE council currently awards grades along with marks.

About 1,600 schools are affiliated to the ICSE and more than 9,000 to the CBSE.

Principals of ICSE schools in the NCR agreed with O’Brien.

“There’s no point in giving grades in Class X and then making marks the basis for college admission,” said Anuradha Chopra, principal of Pragyan School, Greater Noida.

Komal Sood, principal of the Shri Ram School, Moulsari Avenue, Gurgaon, said, “I totally support the ICSE chairman’s views. If change has to be brought, it should happen at all levels. Class XII students should also be graded, and colleges should accept grades while admitting students.”

(With HT inputs from Delhi)

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/default.aspx?ed=264, http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/default.aspx

Gandhi fuels agri, industry debate

Kolkata, December 7
GOVERNOR GOPAL Krishna Gandhi might have fuelled yet another spate of controversy. Gandhi, who has been critical of the Left Front government’s policy of forcible land acquisition for industrialisation, refuted the pro-industry belief of the state government on Friday.
What could be his most scathing criticism of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government, he denied the prevalent thought that industry not agriculture holds the key to the nation’s future. He was talking at a seminar organised by the Indian Society for Soil Sciences at the Indian Glass and Ceramics Research Institute.
“We all know Ramkrishna Paramhansa said ‘taka mati, mati taka’ (wealth is synonymous to land and vice versa). However, we should not misinterpret this and regard soil as fixed deposit, which could be enchased for the use of capital. I am all for industry and capital but industry and capital should not look readily upon soil as an encashable asset, to be put into the profit graph of private capital,” he stated.

According to sources, Gandhi said while soil was very important, the government needed to understand its significance and then decide whether to set up industry or give it away for agricultural purpose. Maintaining his tone, the Governor further said the deciding factor behind converting agricultural land for industrial purposes should be left on the fertility of the soil and not on margin of profit.
“Our natural balance of land should be maintained. Due to topographical reason, North Bengal is prone to landslides. In such a scenario, the plains are important for agricultural,” he said. Gandhi pointed out that it was as bad as trying to irrigate the deserts of Rajasthan for cultivation.
Sources informed that Gandhi also questioned SEZs (Special Economic Zones) and felt that these should not be allowed to come up just anywhere.
Although no media persons were invited for the seminar, contents of the Governor’s speech trickled out. Sources believe the speech is likely to bite the Left Front government hard enough and Gandhi would continue to be an eye sore, both for the administration and CPI(M).
Although the Governor has been critical of the steps taken by the sate government and its industrial policies ever since forcible acquisition of land at Singur, Gandhi gave vent to his angst and desperation in a statement following the police firing on peaceful demonstrators at Nandigram on March 14. Although he did not criticise the state government directly, he has often implied that he did not have faith in Bhattacharjee and his government. Recently, he further proved his lack of confidence in the government and Bhattacharjee when he met Marxist patriarch and former chief minister Jyoti Basu, requesting him to appeal for peace at Nandigram.
letters@hindusantimes.com

State aspirants in a fix over admission in BESU

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 7
Students are confused about the admission process with Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur scheduled to start operating as an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) from the 2008 academic session.
According to talks between the Centre and the state government, 50 per cent seats would be reserved for students from Bengal. But the confusion amongst students from the state is whether admission will be through the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) or the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE).
Neither the university nor the higher education department is fully aware of the arrangement. As per the agreement with the state, BESU was to admit students under the state quota through WBJEE, while the remaining were supposed to be filled through AIEEE.
However, Arjun Singh, minister of human resource development had informed BESU vice-chancellor N.R. Banerjea and a team of MPs and BESU officials on Thursday that he would be sending a letter to state chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb next week stating that BESU would work as an IIEST from the 2008-2009 academic session. He also informed that admission would be through AIEEE, including students from the state.
Afterwards, a BESU official had informed Hindustan Times from Delhi that, “For the time being it seems that MHRD wants admission to be through AIEEE. But we would be sure about it only after the official letter is sent.”
But if BESU has to pull out from WBJEE, the structure as well as the address of the JEE board will have to be changed. Till date the institute has acted as the anchor of the WBJEE board. According to practice, the BESU vice-chancellor is the chairman of WBJEE and its office is also located on BESU campus.
The WBJEE office may have to be shifted to Jadavpur University’s (JU) Salt Lake campus and a new chairman appointed. “We really do not know if such a situation will at all arise. Till date, institutions have joined the WBJEE board but no one has left. Only after the letter arrives from the Central government will the situation become clear,” said Bidyut Bhattacharya, member secretary of JEE board.
Currently the WBJEE application bulletin states that 50 per cent of BESU’s total 360 seats will be filled up through WBJEE and that aspirants will have to submit their domicile certificate with the application form. If BESU has to pull out of WBJEE, the board will put up a notice in this regard in the newspapers and inform candidates, informed Bhattacharya.
This means that it would be wise for candidates wanting admission in BESU in 2008 to fill up both the AIEEE and WBJEE examination forms. The application form for both the exams will be available till January 5, 2008. While WBJEE will be held on April 20, 2008, AIEEE will be held on April 27.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Shibpur BE University at par with IITs

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 6
IT’S OFFICIAL: Bengal Engineering and Science University will become a central university from next year. It will be the first IIEST, or Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, at par with the IITs.
It was perfect birthday gift in the university’s 150th year. The elevation gives BESU a victory in its competition with Jadavpur University, the state’s other pride in terms of engineering education.
The Centre will inform the state of the decision in writing next week. HRD minister Arjun Singh, however, gave the assurance on Thursday, when he met university officials and state MPs in Delhi.
“It was decided to elevate BESU to the status of an Institute of National Importance (INI) from 2008-09. It will be called IIEST-Shibpur,” said V-C N.R. Banerjea.
An amendment to the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Act will introduce a special schedule to enable the elevation. “That doesn’t mean we will become an NIT,” the V-C clarified. Invocation of the NIT Act is a temporary step; an IIEST Act will be set up as more such institutes come up.
The new breed of institutes will serve two purposes. They will not only hold their own against IITs, but also save the government the cost of setting up new IITs. Others lined up for elevation include Osmania University and BHU’s Institute of Technology.
Students will be admitted through an all-India entrance. BESU will reserve half its seats for West Bengal students. Governance will be shared as per an agreement with the state.
Higher education minister Sudarshan Roy Chowdhury welcomed the elevation. “If the Centre has given the state what it sought, we are happy. I only wonder why they delayed it,” he said.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

FACE-OFF

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 6
THIS TOO had to happen in Kolkata. For over five months, Rabindranath Tagore faced a short of identity crisis at the Calcutta University (CU). Though the problem seemed to have ended after the universities authorities dismantled a poorly made bronze statue of the Nobel laureate, it has undoubtedly sparked a major row.
The statue was installed on the poet’s birthday this year by the Bengali department’s alumni association. But the statue looked more like Jharkhand Mukhti Morcha chief Shibu Soren than Tagore. Placed bang opposite the Darbhanga Building on the varsity’s College Street campus, the statue became a centre of discussion for its shocking looks. Following criticism of the statue from various quarters, the university finally dismantled it on December 1.
But Ashok Kundu, general secretary of CU Bengali Department Alumni Association, is angry for the treatment meted out to the statue. “We are shocked to see that the university removed the statue without even bothering to inform us. Tagore had once taught in this university for two years and there was no statue of his here. The manner in which the statue has been uprooted has been an insult to us and Tagore lovers,” he said.
The alumni association alleged that vice-chancellor Ashish Banerjee had refused to explain the move. Talking to Hindustan Times Banerjee, however, clarified: “Many people had complained that the statue did not look like Tagore. Even many syndicate members held the same opinion, so we have removed it. We will soon replace it with another Tagore’s statue.”
But the alumni association is not ready to buy the argument. They say the statue was crafted based on a photograph of Tagore taken during his Nobel prize felicitation lecture at CU. The picture was clicked by Bourne & Shepherd, one of the oldest photo studios in the world, and was published in the special edition of the Kolkata Gazette. Renowned sculptor Sunil Pal had overseen the casting of the statue.
“There cannot be any controversy with the look of the statue. The fibre cast was shown to the vice-chancellor and only after he gave the green signal the statue was cast in bronze,” said Kundu.
“At statue unveiling ceremony, transport minister Subhash Chakraborty was present along with many other luminaries and university officials. No one had found anything wrong with it,” he added.
On December 9 the alumni association will register its protest at its annual meeting. “We will launch a signature campaign. Luminaries like Sankha Ghosh, Samaresh Mazumdar, Amlan Dutta and Mahasweta Devi will write about it and the booklets will be distributed to the public,” Kundu said.
After the eight-feet tall statue was brought down, university officials have placed flowerpots in the area. The statue was made at a cost of Rs 8 lakh, which included funds from various alumni and government.
“We will approach chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who was a student of Bengali, and governor-chancellor Gopal Krishna Gandhi on the issue,” Kundu added.
Writer Sankhya Ghosh feels hurt by the incident. “I personally do not believe that a personality can be respected through statues. But when one was put up in the university it could not have been done with official nod. If the university has dismantled the statue without informing the people behind it, l feel it is wrong.”
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Drama classes to make IIMC students better managers

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 5
Now Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) students will study dramatics to become better managers. It has been incorporated as part of their optional papaer in strategic management curriculum and the B-school has invited famous theatre group Nandikar to conduct classes.
The Dramatics Society of IIMC has already conducted two workshops with Nandikar for theatre enthusiasts on campus but it was hitherto unrelated to their curriculum. It was during the workshops that Prof Shekhar Chaudhuri, director of IIMC, expressed his desire to incorporate the theatre group’s teaching within the curriculum. “We have invited Nandikar to take two sessions of a module on strategic management. If they accept it then we would like them to take the classes in January next year,” said Bishwatosh Saha, faculty of strategic management at IIMC.
Explaining why a theatre group would be asked to conduct management classes, Saha who is a theatre enthusiast himself, said, “Everything cannot be taught with the help of chalk and paper and this is where Nandikar would come in. Among various other things, the skills of a theatre artiste can help a student become a better negotiator.”
The Nandikar group, which boasts of stalwarts such as Rudraprasad Sengupta, Goutam Halder, Debshanker Halder and Swatilekha Sengupta, is ready to accept the proposal. “Yes, we have received the proposal from IIMC and would definitely accept it. We will send them an official reply accepting the offer soon. There are a lot of things that management students can learn from theatre and we would love to be of help,” said Rudraprasad, the front man of Nandikar.
According to IIMC instructors, management is all about understanding people, getting into their heads and then empathising with them to take both the organisation and the individual forward. Expressed thus, one comes to understand why management can find parallels with theatre. The pauses between sentences when one performs on stage are like conversations one has at the workplace.
Communication, that is so vital to employees, is the fulcrum around which theatre revolves. And it isn’t restricted to the spoken word alone. Its about that stare the actor gives his co-actor, similar to what one would get from his boss, if he were to slack off. It is about articulating oneself to perfection, which would define organisational communication to a tee. And it’s also about being bold or even fearless at times, which is what theatre is all about. More critical aspects of theatre like rhythm of speech and body language would teach students on how it influences little things like even the way we walk. “Theatrical skills can be used in the boardroom as well as in life. If everything goes well, we are planning to make it a permanent fixture in the course,” said Anindya Sen, dean of program and research initiative of IIMC.
Though course details will be finalised once IIMC receives confirmation from Nandikar, topics like voice modulation, situational analysis and conflict negotiation will be part of the class Students would understand their own body and how it works synchronously with the brain, to enhance their power of understanding and react to situations in a better way, a must for managers.
Students are already elated with the prospect of Nandikar conducting classes. “We wanted it to be incorporated in our syllabus and even our director was keen. We are happy that it is finally happening,” said Shipra Sinha, head of the dramatics cell.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Quality control course at ISI

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 2
To celebrate its Platinum Jubilee, the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) is introducing a first- of-its-kind course on statistical quality control.
Till date, ISI had largely focused on research and the courses offered were also aimed at producing quality researchers. But for the first time, the institute has come up with a course, which will mainly cater to producing a quality workforce for the industry. “Our objective cannot be only to produce researchers for ourselves. Now science has become globalised and we should reach out to the rest of the world by delivering a workforce in a very important area of statistics, which is quality control. Statistical quality control is equally important for the government as well as industry. The area is vast and manpower is less and the course will look to bridge the gap,” said Sankar K Pal, director of the institute.
Till now, ISI offered a six-month programme, statistical development programme, for MStat students, who were then absorbed by the institute to work on statistical data generated for research. But this new course of two years’ duration will have a wider outlook. Apart from MStat students, those with an MTech degree or MSc in physics or mathematics could also apply. “We are currently designing the course content and will be able to offer the programme from the 2008-09 academic session. Hand-picked students from India and aboard will be able to enrol in the programme,” said Pal.
The institute already offers PhD programmes in statistics, mathematics, quantitative economics and computer science, but for the first time it will offer PhDs in statistical quality control also from the 2008-09 academic session. “We have added statistical quality control to the list because this subject is allied towards engineering and is an emerging area,” the institute director said. Apart from students of statistics and those from basic sciences, engineers will be encouraged to take up the PhD programme.
In an age when basic sciences is a lesser attraction for students compared to engineering, the statistical quality control programme can promise the former a lucrative career. “It is true that students no longer want to plunge into the depths of basic science. But then we cannot blame them, as there are almost no lucrative career options. Hence it is the responsibility of institutions to create interesting courses to make the study of basic sciences more attractive,” added Pal.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Seventh IIM foundation stone to be laid at Shillong

Slug: IIM

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 30

Union Minister of Human Resource Development Arjun Singh will lay the foundation stone of the seventh Indian Institute of Management (IIM) of the country in Shillong on December 1.
This new IIM will be called Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (RG-IIM) and will aim towards imparting quality management education in the North East. It will be the seventh IIM in the country, the other six being at Ahmedabad, Banglore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode.
RG-IIM will start admitting students from 2008-2009 academic session with an annual student intake of 60 in the first year, which will be subsequently increased to 120 in the third year and 180 in the sixth year. RG-IIM will offer Post-graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM), Fellowship Programme in Management (FPM) and Management Development Programmes (MDPs). Besides these RG-IIM also plans to focus on courses like tourism and hospitality management, Management of tele-services and telemedicine, Management of information systems and technology, Subjects of local relevance such as tourism, horticulture and hydel power.
The Government of Meghalaya has provided land of about 120 acres, free of cost for permanent campus of RGIIM at Shillong. Till the permanent campus is constructed, the Institute will function in the temporary accommodation at Mayurbhanj Palace, which has been renovated by the State Government for the purpose.
Rathindra Nath Datta, Chairman of Pricewaterhouse Cooper India, has been appointed the Chairman of the Board of Governors of RG-IIM, Shillong. While the Director is yet to be appointed, Ashok Kumar Dutta, the current director of Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Kolkata is tipped to be the first Director of RG-IIM, Shillong. The mission of RG-IIM will be to create an institution of excellence having a national character while also considering the needs and aspirations of the people of the region.The faculty of RG-IIM will be at per with the other six IIMs in the country. The central government feels that RG-IIM will be yet another milestone in the development of higher and technical education in the region. And by providing impetus to the progress of this beautiful yet backward region of North East, it would help the government to take a step forward towards fulfilling one of its prime agenda of promoting a balanced development in the country.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Varsity defers semester test

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 30
The West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) has deferred its first semester exam until further notice. Though the varsity has not come up with an explanation, sources in the state higher education department pointed out that many private engineering colleges have misused the management quota and admitted students beyond the permissible number. The university however has denied any botch-up.
While the higher education department is likely to ask WBUT vice-chancellor A. R. Thakur the reasons behind deferring the examination, around 25,000 students would be affected. “Due to some unavoidable circumstances we are deferring the exam. Our academic council will convene next week to announce the alternative dates and we will ensure that the exam is conducted at the earliest,” WBUT registrar S.R. Islam said.
This was the first year when the state government had allowed private engineering colleges to admit 10 per cent of its students under management quota directly, instead of taking them through centralised counselling. The rider, however, was that all students taking admission under management quota would have to be in the merit list of the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE).
This year, WBJEE had published a merit list of 45,000 students, all of whom were given rank cards. According to WBUT rules, students applying for registration under the university would also have to submit their rank cards as proof that they featured in the WBJEE merit list.
University sources said there were problems over issuing registration numbers to students due to the unavailability of their rank cards. This resulted in rescheduling of the first semester examination, although the third, fifth and seventh exams would be held as per schedule. According to sources, the problem with registration has cropped up in computer science, information technology and electronics.
Earlier this week, the heads of some private engineering colleges informed the higher education department that they had admitted excess students this year. However, they had requested the government to allow these students to sit for the exams. According to the rule, all private engineering colleges in the state have to send a list of the candidates admitted along with their ranks in WBJEE to the West Bengal University of Technology. Now questions are being raised if the varsity failed to check the admission of illegal candidates.
Even the SFI has been stressing on transparency in the admission process, followed by private engineering colleges. “We have repeatedly urged the university to publish the list of candidates admitted in the private engineering colleges along with their ranks in WBJEE. If that is done then the admission process in the management quota would become clear,” SFI state president Sudip Sengupta said.
While there are allegations that some of the private engineering colleges might have admitted students who did not qualify in WBJEE under the management quota, many students have complained to the student body that these colleges have denied 10 percent of its needy students half fee waiver and five percent students full fee waiver as fixed by the state government, while introducing 10 percent management quota.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Pledge to protect our heritage monuments

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 26
From the next year, students of all schools in Kolkata as well as their counterparts all over India will take an oath on November 19 every year against vandalism of monuments and will pledge to protect them.
The Union ministry of culture has decided to involve school students in the campaign against vandalism of monuments and as a part of this initiative the oath taking ceremony will be organised in schools across India every year. A symbolic beginning was made this year itself with schoolchildren in Delhi taking the oath at Red Fort on November 19. World Heritage Week is celebrated from November 19 to 25, every year to create awareness about the rich cultural heritage of the country.
According to the new plan approved by the minister of tourism and culture Ambika Soni, schools will be requested to administer the oath on its premises and organise at least one visit of their students to a heritage monument during World Heritage Week. In addition, schools would also be asked to organise several outreach events like painting contests, debate, essay contests, cultural programmes on the theme of monuments and our heritage. Besides, talks on preservation of monuments will also be held in schools. Archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India will be instructed by the government to render necessary help to the schools in arranging this oath taking ceremony and also organising student visits to heritage monuments every year.
The state school education minister Partha De has welcomed this initiative. “Though my department has not received any such circular yet, we welcome this step and appreciate the measure. The students need to know the importance of our monuments and this initiative would be a step towards ensuring that,” he said.
The aim of the oath would be to make students realise that scribbling on a national monument is a bad practice and needs to be stopped. It would also prepare them to take all necessary steps to protect the monuments by understanding its heritage value. However, some teachers feel it would not make students realise the importance of a monument. “It is a good gesture but students would consider it routine work and would forget about it. On the contrary, if it is made a part of the curriculum and thus a part of their everyday life it would help. If we can make children realise the importance of monuments, then ten years from now when they grow up they would not vandalise them,” said Dipak Das, general secretary of West Bengal Government School Teachers’ Association.
Some teachers, though, are hopeful that the exercise would help students to understand the importance of monuments. “They are the future guardians of our heritage. It is a wonderful idea and though it may be a very small gesture, somewhere deep down they will carry this information all their life and would never get involved in vandalism of monuments,” said Sharmila Bose, principal of Birla High School for Girls.
Mou.Chakarborty@hindustantimes.com

The oath:
I will not scribble on, deface or encroach upon any monument
I will respect all monuments, which are a part of my country’s heritage
I will render all possible help to conserve and preserve our heritage

Chief Minister appeals for communal harmony

Mou Chakraborty and Rakeeb Hossain
Kolkata, November 26
The Left Front government in West Bengal won’t tolerate anyone trying to destabilise communal harmony in the state. Such people would be thrown out from the state, said chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee amid controversy and criticism over the West Bengal government’s stand on the Taslima issue and the agitations in Kolkata.
He was attending a function organised by West Bengal Minority Development and Finance Corporation (WBMDFC) on Monday. “What we just do not want is trouble over religion and caste here. If that happens, it will be dangerous and will spell doom. This is not the culture in West Bengal. We have stayed together hand in hand and will always stay that way. I ask those who want to create a rift between us to get lost,” said Bhattacharjee, sending a strong signal that his government was in no mood to surrender to communal forces.
The chief minister added, “We want equal rights for minorities and our government wants you (read Muslims) to come forward, get educated and do well in life. We love Rabindranath Tagore not because of he was Bramho but because he was great poet. Similarly, we love Nazrul not because he was Muslim, but because of his great poetry.”
Bhattacharhjee, however, accepted that the condition in general for the average Muslim was not good, but attributed the problem to the madrasa education system.
“We do accept what the Sachar Committee report pointed out. It’s true that the minority community is lagging behind in almost all sectors, including getting government jobs. But that’s largely because of the education system, specially the madrasa education system. We think the madrasa education system needs to be modernised,” said Bhattacharjee. In the same breadth, he, however, added that it would be wrong to think that Muslims are completely deprived in this state.
Referring to the Sachar Committee report, Bhattacharhjee said what the committee members have not noticed is that, in West Bengal, over 83 per cent land is with poor farmers and many of them are Muslims. Moreover, he pointed out that many among the 66,000 primary schoolteachers in the state are Muslims. The same can be said about jobs in municipalities, the health sector and the police, he said.
“But it’s also true that their numbers are not very high. I can see many Muslim IAS and WBCS officers, but in the lower ranks, the numbers are much lower. And the major reason is that the not-so-well-off people of the Muslim community send their kids to madrasas where the education system is not that developed. We are working towards the development and modernisation of madrasas because along with religion, today’s youth needs to learn English and computers too,” added Bhattacharjee, while giving out educational loans to 274 needy but meritorious Muslim students at the function.
He said that in fiscal 2007-08, WBMDFC would give education loan worth Rs 82 crore of which the first installment of Rs 1.75 crore was doled out on Monday. He, however, was not in favour of quota or reservation for Muslims as he felt the fruits of reservation would go to only the creamy layer of the community as has happened with SC/ ST reservation.
letters@hinduatantimes.com

Girls outdo boys, overall CU pass rate dips

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 26
After besting boys in the higher secondary examination, girls have now outperformed boys in Calcutta University’s (CU) BA and BSc exams. But the bad news is that the varsity’s experiment in conducting honours’ exam in Part I itself has not yielded fruitful results.
For the first time in the history of the university, girls have outdone boys in all streams. While the percentage of girls who passed was about 5 to 10 per cent more than boys (see box), in the Part I BSc general course, the difference was almost 20 per cent. “This could be because girls are more studious than boys,” said Onkar Sadhan Adhikari, controller of exam.
While 92.01 per cent students passed the BA Part I honours exam in 2006, this year the figure has gone down to 75.69 per cent. The result is worse in the BSC honours Part I examination. While 83.91 per cent students qualified for honours in 2006, this year only 69.5 per cent have qualified.
This is the second year running that CU is conducting its exams under the 1+1+1 system. In 2006, the university conducted its Part I exam under the new system minus the honours papers. But from this year, students had to take two honours’ papers in the Part I exam. A section of the university feels it is this inclusion of honours exams in Part I, which is responsible for poor results.
Suranjan Das, pro vice-chancellor (academic) did not agree with this line of reasoning. “All universities in the country that follow the 1+1+1 pattern take honours paper exams in its first year. Apart from achieving parity at the national level, the primary reason for taking the honours exams at the end of first year was to make students serious about their attendance and also make them start studying in advance for their honours’ papers.”
However, the university is considering the sharp drop in the pass rate very seriously and would discuss the matter in its under-graduate council meeting. “We will have to find out why this has happened. As of now, we cannot pinpoint at any specific problem area. But we would look into various aspects like examination structure, question pattern, syllabus and the teaching-learning system followed currently. After discussing the matter in our under graduate council we would make the necessary reforms,” Das said.
Some teachers claimed that since the new Part I examination included two honours papers, the pressure proved to be too much on students. Also, after passing the higher secondary exam many students do not have the maturity to grasp honours’ courses in the very first year. Das, however, also disagreed on this account. “While introducing two honours’ papers in Part I exam, the board of studies for each subject upgraded the syllabus so that it could be taught within an year. However, in case of some subjects we may have to do a rethink.”
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com
Exam funda
No of candidates: 1.58 lakh
Last date of submission of review forms: December 17
Comparative pass percentages:
Total Pass % Girls Pass % Boys Pass %
Part I (under 1+1+1 system)
BA honours 75.69 78.69 70.4
BA general 59.2 65.15 52.88
B.Sc honours 69.5 75 64.15
B.Sc general 46.88 60.2 41.57

Part II (under 1+1+1 system)
BA honours 85.24 87.04 81.56
BA general 77.66 80.38 74.26
B.Sc honours 80.52 84.07 76.26
B.Sc general 79.79 86.1 75.82

Rumours force early weekend in schools

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 23

A day of unfounded rumours saw some schools on A.J.C. Bose Road and Park Circus closing early.
Located on Ripon Street and A.J. C. Bose Road Crossing, St Augustine’s Day School declared half day for the morning section students. Though attendance for the day section was 70 per cent, authorities allowed the students to go home from 2 pm, provided their guardians came to collect them. “All kinds of rumour like the possibility of fresh troubles and possibility of another curfew were flying around. Even parents got panicky and wanted to take their child home. Hence we decided to let the children off at 2 pm,” said C. R. Casper, rector and principal.
Heavy police and military presence in the area lead many to believe that there might be a curfew. Shritama Maity rushed to A. H. Academy at Elliot Road where her daughter studies in Class V. “I heard from my neighbours army and police have cordoned off the area and there might be a curfew. So I reached school to collect my child and found that a half-day has been declared,” Maity said. Probir Boshak, working in an office at Entally heard rumours of another rally. “Any procession brings back memories of Wednesday,” he said.
Mahadevi Birla Girls High School too fell a victim of the rumours. “We heard that some sort of rally could be organised and since our school is located in a very sensitive area we declared an early holiday,” said Malini Bhagat, principal. The school would be hosting Bombay Rockers on Sunday and are looking forward to it.
“God knows who are spreading these rumours. The area was peaceful but due to the rumourmongers we did not get much customer in the morning and afternoon,” said Karim Khan, owner of a cloth shop at Park Circus market.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Forced holiday for many schools near Ground Zero

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 22

Following Wednesday’s trouble, many schools on A.J.C. Bose Road and in the Park Circus area remained closed on Thursday. Some schools in nearby areas were open but registered poor attendance.
Pratt Memorial and St James School, both on A.J.C. Bose Road, opened in the morning but closed after roll call because of almost nil attendance. From a combined strength of 2,500, only 100 had turned up at St James and 200 girl students at Pratt Memorial.
Abhirup Murarka, the father of a Class IV student at St James, said, “Yesterday’s violence took place right in front of my son’s school. Their school bus was damaged and the area was under curfew till morning. In such a tense situation we decided against sending him to school.”
Nearby, The Frank Anthony Public School was open but attendance was low and they cancelled tests scheduled for the day. Parents of Talha Khan, a Class VI student, did not send him to school on Thursday as a car was torched in front of the school the day before. They are still undecided on whether to send him on Friday.
Other schools like St. Augustine’s Day School, Auxilium Convent, Ashok Hall, Loyala High and Mahadevi Birla Girls High School did not take any chance and declared a holiday.
“Over 2,500 students were stuck inside the school yesterday. This is a girl’s school; we have to ensure the safety of students as well as teachers. Many parents requested us not to open the school today. Just closing the main gate was no safeguard from a mob, so we asked the girls not to come,” said Malini Bhagat, principal of Mahadevi Birla Girls High School.
Both La Martiniere for Girls and Boys saw poor attendance. Only 60 per cent students turned up at Birla High School on Moira Street. Birla High School for Boys cancelled scheduled class tests. Birla School for Girls principal Sharmila Bose said, “The girls were stuck for a long time yesterday. They were tense. We knew attendance would be low today.”
Attendance was also low at the only college in the troubled zone, Lady Brabourne. “Less than half the students turned up although they had internal exams today. We have rescheduled the exams,” said principal Sanghamitra Mukherjee. On Wednesday a mob had tried to gatecrash into the college. The police had to be called in and the students left with police escort.
Assembly of God’s Church on Mullick Bazar-Park Street crossing saw a better attendance in the day session because of pre-board exams.
DPS Mega City declared a holiday, as it could not have operated buses through the curfew area in the morning. South Points Junior Section, too, did not ply bus number 6 in the morning section.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Session change plan delayed

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 22
The school education minister Partha De’s desire to change the current academic session from May-April to January-December may not happen soon.
According to sources, differences of opinion between the minister and CPI(M)s education cell has not been thrashed out and the matter has been referred to the party’s state secretariat.
The education cell headed by former school education minister Kanti Biswas felt that if the session begins from January students would not stand to benefit. The main argument forwarded by De is that the proposed January-December session would add more days to the academic calendar. Teachers would thus have more time to complete the syllabus.
According to the circular issued by the state all government schools and aided institutions should have 200 teaching days in an academic session. But the present April-May session sees most schools managing 132 to 140 teaching days. This is mainly because the new session begins on May 1, which is a holiday and after 12 days of class the one-month summer vacation begins.
Teachers feel that if students get so many holidays at the beginning of the academic session his zeal for studying suffers. With most of the districts affected by flood during the rainy season classes and studies take a back seat. After few more days of class the Durga Puja vacation begins which is followed by half-yearly exams and pre test. If the session begins in January the school education department feels that most of the schools will be able to conduct classes for 175 to 200 days.
The state had a January-December academic session but it changed to April-May in he late 80’s. Despite De and several non-CPI(M) teachers organisations agreeing to the change, both Biswas and the representatives from ABTA, ABPTA and SFI in the core committee of CPI(M)s education cell too could not agree with the minister.
“We do not think this to be the right way to solve the problem,” said a member of the education cell on condition of anonymity. It may be noted that the five-member expert committee formed by the government for this purpose too could not unanimously agree to De’s view.
The committee is yet to present its report to the government. With the kind of opinion divide between De and his party colleagues it seems that the government will have to take a longer time to take a final decision.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com