Formatting fixes

_posts/2016-10-13-in-conversation-with-director-iit-roorkee.md

@@ -8,26 +8,31 @@ category: verbatim
 
 _“A Director walks into a bar …”_
 
-As our Director comes to the end of a successful tenure, we spoke to him regarding a variety of topics ranging from his time at Roorkee, R’s university hangover and the rigidity accompanying change in IITR. In a candid conversation that ensued, Prof. Banerji let loose on how he sees IITR progressing along the years, the lethargy of the student body and his attempts at creating leaders among students.
+_As our Director comes to the end of a successful tenure, we spoke to him regarding a variety of topics ranging from his time at Roorkee, R’s university hangover and the rigidity accompanying change in IITR. In a candid conversation that ensued, Prof. Banerji let loose on how he sees IITR progressing along the years, the lethargy of the student body and his attempts at creating leaders among students._
 
-__What is the biggest regret from your tenure here at IIT Roorkee?__
+### __What is the biggest regret from your tenure here at IIT Roorkee?__  
 
-I tried to create leaders among students, but I failed. I have never said no to anything. I am the only director who has given airfare to students to go for inter IIT. The only thing I have asked them is to bring the general championship, which hasn’t happened in the past 5 years. See you guys are from Watch Out! You should go and hit everyone with your work. That’s what IITs are about. You come here, the world is yours. Every time I interact with students working in Thomso, Cognizance I tell them “Karo, kuch karo”. They have done wonderfully in terms of bringing sponsorship and all. You know when Techfest started, it became international. But Cognizance is still a regional fest. Aspiration is what I want my students to have. Go and become global leaders. Be the best in what you do. Screw the system, yaar. In the system or among students there would always be good people and bad people. At least during my five years here, I haven’t seen anything big coming from Roorkee. I have always been there for everything students want to have. Be it Cognizance, cultural activities, sports, anything. Every time I try to get some good people to come for Cognizance because I feel that if students interact with them, someone might learn and go out and do something big. A major problem here, both with the alumni and the students is that they feel for the institute, but they don’t want to contribute towards the institute’s growth. This is fundamental and it is not because of the university culture. Come on yaar, it has been 15 years, that means a generation’s time. Even after all these years, having had a director who has only been in the IIT system- studied in an IIT system, taught in an IIT system and come here thinking that this was an IIT.
+I tried to create leaders among students, but I failed. I have never said no to anything. I am the only director who has given airfare to students to go for inter IIT. The only thing I have asked them is to bring the general championship, which hasn’t happened in the past 5 years. See you guys are from Watch Out! You should go and hit everyone with your work. That’s what IITs are about. You come here, the world is yours. Every time I interact with students working in Thomso, Cognizance I tell them “Karo, kuch karo”. They have done wonderfully in terms of bringing sponsorship and all. You know when Techfest started, it became international. But Cognizance is still a regional fest. Aspiration is what I want my students to have. Go and become global leaders. Be the best in what you do. Screw the system, yaar. In the system or among students there would always be good people and bad people.
 
-__It has been established that a major reason for Roorkee’s undoing is the student populace. How has the response from the students been?__
+At least during my five years here, I haven’t seen anything big coming from Roorkee. I have always been there for everything students want to have. Be it Cognizance, cultural activities, sports, anything. Every time I try to get some good people to come for Cognizance because I feel that if students interact with them, someone might learn and go out and do something big. A major problem here, both with the alumni and the students is that they feel for the institute, but they don’t want to contribute towards the institute’s growth. This is fundamental and it is not because of the university culture. Come on yaar, it has been 15 years, that means a generation’s time. Even after all these years, having had a director who has only been in the IIT system- studied in an IIT system, taught in an IIT system and come here thinking that this was an IIT.
+
+### __It has been established that a major reason for Roorkee’s undoing is the student populace. How has the response from the students been?__  
+
+We opened a tinkering lab. I thought there will be a mass of students trying to figure out when it is going to open. The tinkering lab at IIT Bombay is completely run by students. I asked the Director, IIT Bombay, “Has the satellite gone up?”. He had no clue and had to call and ask a student to find out the details. People should start taking initiatives. A lot of things have been started by students, but they lack continuity. For example, groups like FSAE, Robocon etc. I had expected that over five years, their race car would start winning after accumulating knowledge over these years. You should be going forward. Similarly with Robocon, the robotics group. The students should start working around their ideas.
 
-We opened a tinkering lab. I thought there will be a mass of students trying to figure out when it is going to open. The tinkering lab at IIT Bombay is completely run by students. I asked the Director, IIT Bombay, “Has the satellite gone up?”. He had no clue and had to call and ask a student to find out the details. People should start taking initiatives. A lot of things have been started by students, but they lack continuity. For example, groups like FSAE, Robocon etc. I had expected that over five years, their race car would start winning after accumulating knowledge over these years. You should be going forward. Similarly with Robocon, the robotics group. The students should start working around their ideas. 
 How many students have even tried to find out what the faculty works on? Would you disagree with me if I say the answer is quite negligible? I have been saying this to the faculty as well when asked the question what the institute does for them. The institute gives you a place to stay, world class research facilities, a salary. Who is stopping you from doing things? The point I am trying to make is, the efforts have to be started from individuals.
+
 How is NSS, NSO, NCC treated here? Look at the sports facilities here. Gen. Vishwambar Singh represented India in Asiad. Air Marshal Athawale represented UP in Ranji Trophy and he was the topper in his class during his time. India’s snooker no 5, who used to play with Geeth Sethi comes from University of Roorkee. Where are such achievements now? Roorkee has the best sports facilities among all IITs as said by external review committees. How many students take advantage of these?
 
 Students are more interested in the bandwidth of the internet here. What is the opportunity you grab here? The speed of the internet. Here people complain about the number of companies visiting the campus. More than 240 companies visited last year which rivals any other IITs. Do you know what recruiters say about IIT Roorkee? They say that they see a remarkable difference between people of IITR and other IITs. Do you know what the problem is? Communication. Because you do not go out of your rooms and speak out.
 
-__IITs are autonomous universities. However we rarely focus on any aspect apart from engineering. With this as the case, how do you see us blossoming as full blown universities as in the west?__
+### __IITs are autonomous universities. However we rarely focus on any aspect apart from engineering. With this as the case, how do you see us blossoming as full blown universities as in the west?__  
+
+We are good at science and technology and we should be the best in that. I have it completely clear in my mind that the universities you are talking about in the west started brilliantly from the beginning. Look at Berkeley where I went, it was the best in Physics. We had ten nobel laureates and there was a Nobel laureate corridor. It was the best in biology. The Haas school of management had 3 Nobel laureates in Economics. They started from the best.
 
-We are good at science and technology and we should be the best in that. I have it completely clear in my mind that the universities you are talking about in the west started brilliantly from the beginning. Look at Berkeley where I went, it was the best in Physics. We had ten nobel laureates and there was a Nobel laureate corridor. It was the best in biology. The Haas school of management had 3 Nobel laureates in Economics. They started from the best. 
 The mandate of the IITs was for technology. Every IIT has a management school. I fundamentally say one thing. Why would a guy who can get into IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta come to IIT Roorkee management school. So what do we have? We have the people who couldn’t get into IIMs. Whereas, the faculty that we have over here, the other IITs would love to have. That’s where we get the best, in science and engineering. Not in social sciences. Look at JNU. JNU was created in that fashion. I still remember when I was a youngster, JNU’s CS department was the best in the world. Today it’s a liberal arts university. Where is science and engineering? Nowhere. I think there’s nothing wrong in being the best in what you are, rather than aping something we couldn’t create.
 
-__Can you complete the joke, “A Director walks into a bar…”?__
+### __Can you complete the joke, “A Director walks into a bar…”?__  
 
 Everybody goes out. A director walks alone. So even if he goes into a bar he’s alone.