bits herald election 2011 issue

8/4/2019 BITS Herald Election 2011 Issue

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he Department 01Journalism and Media Affairs


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From the editor'sdeskThe beginning of any academic year at BITSis always a colorful affair. Most ofus arrive back with a lot of hope and curiosity, seeking to know what allchanges transpired within the campus during those 2 months of separation.We find the place teeming with wide-eyed, spotty youth who seem to beroaming nervously around in packs, hoping to avoid the predators, affidavit orno affidavit. The registration woes continue, with people, asusual, defeated intheir best laid plans by unhelpful PRnumbers. Academics commence soon aslife in general goes on lazily, until the first election notices are put up.

Ask any informed resident and he/she will let you know, reading last year'selection agendas and looking at all those pompous promises with the benefitof hindsight is a hilarious experience. Surprisingly, however, many of thecandidates this time have appended their usual populist pledges withsomething more ...gastronomic. Indeed, if even half their manifestoes getfulfilled, the campus would look less of a college and more of a restaurantcomplex, complete with a central bus stand if all their fantasies about daily busservices come true. However, in one sense the elections remain aspredictableasever - the Gen Seccandidates have continued to uphold their fine traditionof promising the moon to the general body. In this issue, we bring youno-holds-barred interviews of each of these colorful characters, which wehope will help you make the right choice in choosing your representatives forthe next year.

In other news, the rat race has already begun. BITSiansare busy tripping overthemselves and 30 others asthey battle impromptu assignments, Sunday labsand wicked classtests, guided on by some equally enthusiastic professors. Thedejected among this lot are finding no solace with the Indian Cricket teamquarter a world away, which is actively supporting Anna Hazare's cause byrefusing to win any match till the Lokpal bill ispassed.Back home, our campushas celebrated its first convocation ceremony, a momentous hat-throwingoccasion for the 2006/2007 batch.

The second half of August has been a torrid affair with the crazed frenzy of theelections, the collective miseries inflicted by blown-up transformers andnon-existent LAN speeds, convocation nostalgia and the incessant rains. Wemust but hope that September has something similarly impressive in store forus.


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Changes anyone?It is said that change is the law of nature. Of late BITS-Pilani K.K. Birla Goa campus seems to have taken thischange rather seriously. BITSians stare open mouthed as one change after another comes into practice almostovernight. While some changes are being gladly welcomed by the BITScommunity, others are being outrageous(the ever increasing course fees), and the usefulness of yet some other changes have kept everyone wondering(renaming of campus). One change which everyone is looking forward to, however, is the supposed change inthe academic curriculum and grading system of BITS. And it must be said that this series of changes will foreverremain a reason for the senior batches to envy the newer batches. News has it that the current coarse gradingsystem of 10-8-6 will most definitely be changed to the 10-9-8-7 fine grading system. Only people who havesuffered the trauma of "nearly losing a B" or "borderline C" would realize how great a blessing this is. But in allprobability, the senior BITSians will have to remain content with seeing their slightly younger generation ofBITSians enjoying this 'great' opportunity. Also the academic curriculum has been totally revamped and put intopractice for the 2011 batch. A lot of emphasis has been laid on teaching 'department specific' subjects. The listof electives offered is being enlarged. Various subjects have been struck off the curriculum (CP-1 and CP-2 havebeen combined into a single subject CP), the number of units have been reduced (TRW, E.G., Workshop), andthe relevant people are pondering over the future of the subject MT-2.A word of caution: the changes mentioned above are only tentative. But for once, the changes are at lastmeeting with mass approval.

P.S.I hate youWe were always taught to listen to our elders. Who has ever learnt this the easy way? "Home sweet home", wasthe mantra of all our seniors when it came to choosing the PSstation. Instead I ended up choosing something asfar from home as possible (talk about digging your own grave). There we were struggling and toiling with 800 orso stations, only to see the whole list vanish right in front of our eyes as soon as we clicked on "submit". Why?Well whoever designed the software, conveniently forgot to mention about the time limit. I seem to have lostthe count as to how many times we did the whole exercise, since new stations kept on popping up every otherday. At least people didn't have to look for excuses not to study, this was distraction enough.Accommodation, now that was a biggest pain in the neck. With PSstations closing down just 3 days before thebeginning of the internship, and new ones opening up to make up for them, it was a hard time looking for a placeto stay. As far as my case is concerned, it became an almost permanent job. It all started with finding PGs andhostels, to staying at my mom's friends house, to getting kicked out of the house (not that I did anything mindyou), to again looking for a PG. You would think that it was easy to find an accommodation in a place like Delhi.Saying that my stay was really just a perpetual travelling experience would be the understatement of the year.As if our luck could get any worse, instead of the ultra lite instructor living right next door, we were thrown intothe tender custody of an extra sadist instructor (you know it couldn't go any worse if he's checking even yourspelling mistakes in the diary). The rest of my summer just juggled between travelling in the DTC buses, metros,rickshaws, staring at the laptop screen (for no apparent reason) and yet more travelling.PS: I hate you!


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inter IQ) When (if at all) is the 90 mbps line going to be laid down? If possible, could you explain the reasonsfor the delay?A: We will have additional 45 MBps bandwidth in the month of Sept-2011. Presently, all Indiancampuses (Pilani-Tata, Hyd-Tata & Goa-Reliance) have provided 45 MBps bandwidth to the hostels.We are getting one more line from TATA as MPLS connectivity for the ERP.The delay is for exploringother possibilities which will give a cost effective solution for all 3 Indian campuses.

Q) Who is the operator who is going to provide the service? What is the annual cost of such a service?Is the recent hike in daily hostel charges (to Rs.20 from Rs.16) due to the decision to go for the96mbps line?A: "Reliance", the current service provider will provide the additional service too. Presently we arepaying 24.00 Lakhs per annum for 45 MBps. We expect a good price for 90 MBps. Hike in hostelcharges has no relation with the probable increase in the bandwidth.

Q) Are there some policies (apartfrom the proposed line upgradation) which are being undertaken tomake the existing service more efficient?A: I am getting a satisfactory feedback for the reasonably good bandwidth and download speed.Technically it is a dynamic process. We need to look at it time to time as it depends upon upcomingsoftware, upcoming websites with heavily loaded digital images and so on.Right from the beginning my approach was to involve students (as users) in the networkmanagement. However, I could not get adequate response from them (informal net reps). I alwaysfeel students are mature enough to utilize the resources optimally. This academic year onwards,apart from the informal net reps, I would like to request Hostel Reps to involve themselves innetwork management. Already groups are formed for (a) Policy (b) Repository (WIN + Linux) (c) WiFihot spots (d) DC hub management under Mr. Aditya Cherukuri 4th Yr CS.

Q) There have been a lot of flip-flops in network policies in recent times, especially concerning theblocking-unblocking-blocking of social networking sites. Could you please explain on what basis wasthe last step undertaken (the unblocking offacebook on the existing line)?


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A: Based upon the past experience, FBwas blocked last year. We opened the FB again on students'demand and everyone knows the result. So blocked it again!

Q) If and when the speed upgradation does take place, what will be the status of social networkingsites on the campus? Willthey be unblocked?A: Once we have 90 MBps we will again try to get the social networking sites unblocked. If it worksfine then I am also happy to keep it unblocked forever. If the internet has made the world smallerthen FB has brought friends closer! However, we always need to support primary requirements of anacademic organization.

vThe words 'CEO' and 'BITSian' on the BITSAA poster announcing a guest lecture by Mr. Raju Reddy,former CEO of Sierra Atlantic, managed to attract a reasonably large crowd to the LT on August 8th.For those who don't know, Sierra Atlantic is a California based IT services company operating in theoff shore enterprise applications, founded by Mr Reddy and two others in 1993. With theunderstated sophistication that distinguishes a BITSalumnus (sadly the same cannot be said of a BITSstudent), Mr Reddy began the lecture with a few amusing anecdotes from his days at Sainik Schoolin Vizag and later at BITS, Pilani.Mr Reddy, also the President and Chairman of BITSAA International, stressed on the importance ofnetworking within the BITSian community, especially for budding entrepreneurs. He gave instancesof successful partnerships and collaborations with BITSians over the course of his career. Mr Reddyalso recommended global entrepreneurship networks such as TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) Globalto build meaningful relationships with entrepreneurs worldwide.A Q&A session followed the lecture, which included insightful questions on the recent acquisition ofSierra Atlantic by Hitachi and its effect on Sierra employees as well as some cheeky ones about MrReddy's CGPA at BITS(which he was obliging enough to answer, it was 8 plus in case you werewondering}.Our campus could do with more such interactive sessions with successful people (alumni and others)from different domains. Good job, BITSAAD!


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ELEeTI0NS 20 I II speakgibberish.just like .you,pleasevote for


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In conversation with the

EIt is time to vote the next CSAinto office. As the campaigning process heats up in the hostels and thecandidates are busy promising the moon to the general body, DoJMA caught up with AnubhavAgrawal, Chief Election Commissioner, the man mandated to keep the flow smooth.

Asked about changes in the CG requirement for contesting the elections, the CECsaid that it hadbeen lowered to a CGPA of 5 from the previous high of 6, apparently to give 'incentive' to thosepeople who are unable to 'concentrate' on their academics, to do better in their extra-curricular.Also, for the first time, the Girls' Convener will be chosen from the list of girls' hostel/messrepresentatives, by these reps themselves, unlike in the previous days where the CSA used to selectone such girl arbitrarily. He explains this is because it is quite 'difficult' for a girl to get elected intothe executive council.

As usual, the CEC seems resigned that the EC couldn't do anything much aboutregionalism/anti-campaigning, until provided with solid proof of the same. He admitted that most ofthe votes are 'decided even before the campaigning', but the ECwas helpless in combating suchnefarious activities, as nobody usually stepped forward with any proof. Also, the same doubts overthe entire point of providing the SOP (Statement of Purpose) persist, especially considering they arenever released for public consumption. He clarified that it was just the means by which ECcan holdthe candidates answerable to their conduct throughout the elections. He also added that once theSOP passes scrutiny, the EC couldn't really comment/take action on the basis of the candidate'selection manifesto, even if it reeks of unsustainable populist promises (air fares, say), and it wouldbe unconstitutional for the EC to do so.

When asked about the strategy ECwill adopt for maintaining order in the usual riotous audi debates,he confessed that it's impossible to contain the mob sometimes. But what about the inevitableirrelevant questions those pop up ("when and where do we celebrate?")? Has the EC plannedanything to keep a tab on them? The CECresponds rather strangely by saying that he doesn't wantto limit the 'spontaneity' of the questions by having only 'screened' questions, already vetted by theECbeforehand.

It is evident that in the limited mandate that the Constitution confers upon the CEC, he is doing aswell as he could to keep the elections a calm and efficient affair.


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Manoj Malineni

-24-hour Ice 'n' Spice-Bombay-style food outlet-Revamping sports facilities like SACpool table, tennis grounds-Allotment of Classrooms and LTs

Promises to fulfil most of his agenda within 2 months of getting elected

It is not very often that one comes across such a pleasant delight of an election manifesto. Indeed, ManojMalineni's agenda does seem to be a hybrid of eat & play rather than a typical BITSianpolitician's reformlist. His issuesmostly deal with either revamping the admittedly uninspiring food options in the campus orimproving the sports facilities in and around the SAC.Questioned about the lack of the usual populistmissions in hisagenda, he patiently replies that he would place only those items on hismanifesto, of whichhe could be confident of pulling off. Some serious foresight is evident when he displays the preparatorycontracts that he has already drawn up for implementation. Even more surprising is the deadline forcompletion of his agenda that he has set for himself - he claims that he would be fulfilling most of hispromises within two months of him getting elected. The source of his steadfast confidence in his ability topush things through quickly is clear - his stints with DOFAM, TEDx, and his good relations with CSAmembers of the last year have apparently given him a deep insight into how things actually get done onthe campus. He also seems very sincere in his belief that placing LT/classrooms under the CSApurviewwould make many un-coordinated processes like inductions a more streamlined affair.However, the glaring lack of some pressing issues on his agendasoon dominates the interview. For instance, transparency in thefunctioning of the CSAfinds no mention in his manifesto; neither Bb Cc Dd Ee F+' 6-'3 I - J h Ii Jdoes the much-required matter of better festival management. Tothe first, he replies rather vaguely that he would be commissioninga General Body Meeting 'soon'. Answering the second, he suggestsrather strangely and shockingly that to reduce deficits, he would !onsider scaling down the level of the festival, including those of _ r , ~ ~ ~ ~ = = ~ , _ . . . , _ _the performers, rather than having 'grand festivals running intolosses'. ~5:I:c;1II!2_:Z::;:~iiiiiiii::iiIiII!:~~. - .- . . . . . _ .. - .. - .. . . . _ - .. .. .- - .His agenda, as he himself puts it, is 'down-to-earth'. But for thepoints that do find a place on his agenda, his confidence seems tohave been backed up by some groundwork at the very least.

"I know you were elected class presidentbut that doesn't mean you're in charge."

"A good political speech is not one in which you can prove that the manis telling the truth; it is one where no one else can prove he is lying."


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Shreyas Habbu

-Online messmenu selection and feedback portal-Organization of atleast two CSAGeneral Body Meeting each semester-Online portal for housekeeping complaints-Addition of technical events to Zephyr

If I w ill go about the upgrade in a "step-by-step" manner ... "

Knowing Shreyas Habbu and his past, one can safely assume that his agenda might have something to dowith the mess, one way or the other. And unsurprisingly, one of the first things he talks about is the onlinemess menu selection page, which he claims he has already finished with the help of a few talented friends.Disheswill be prepared in accordance with popular vote and the Mess Committee will also be involved inthe process, he says. Won't these be implemented in the ERPsystem, we ask him. He agrees, but fromwhat he knows, that won't be implemented before December, so he has his solution ready in themeantime. And is there really a need for an online complaint forum? He believes an online forum willreduce delays in repairing work. Moreover, students, especially first yearites, sometimes have problems intalking to their Hostel Assistants - hence a centralized online facility. We ask him about the status of thecomplaint forum, at which he smiles and saysthe "front-end" work is done.We start talking about the planned upgrading of the common room TVs and the oft-promised (anddefaulted) bus ticket stalls. He says he will go about the upgrade in a "step-by-step" manner, which willstart with the subscription of a sports channel. Terming the existing TVsas "outdated", he sayshewill onlystart the long procedure (approvals, tenders and so on) of obtaining better sets. He corrects us about thebus ticket stalls by saying that the failed initiatives were about getting discounts on airfares and railwayfares. He claims to have spoken to operators who are ready to set up stalls for journeys to Mumbai, Pune,Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Is his agenda under-ambitious? The tenure of the VP is very short, about 7 months, he responds, duringwhich he wants to finish all that he started (excluding the TV upgrade, of course). He concludes byexplaining how he has worked backstage during all 3 festivals. "I know about the things that happenbehind the curtain. The main job ofthe VP isto handle all the clubs and departments, and fests, and I knowwhat changes need to be implemented for smooth inter-department work."

IfAt the end of the day, politic ians are people too ... but what about duringthe day?"


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5wapnil5aurav

-Official Placement Statistics release after each semester-UPSC Coaching for guiding students interested in appearing for Civil Service Exams-Career Fest to provide students high-quality career guidelines- Formation of Training Cell under Career Development Cell (CDC)

"S o obviously, it w ill b e implemented ... "Swapnil Saurav's agenda comes across as fairly exhaustive, probably having the most number ofimplementable points compared to any other candidate. Though fairly different from his rival in theelections, he has one thing in common: he too has finished work on his proposed online complaint forum,which also happens to be his COPfor the semester. "So obviously, it will be implemented," he smiles. Onewon't have to register separately for the forum either, as he claims to have linked it to the SWD studentdatabases.

His agenda has much written on the placement scenario. He says the main reason statistics are notreleased is because nobody has taken the initiative till now. What about off-campus placements andstudents absorbed in PSII, we ask him. He is confident that he can get those statistics as well, but doesn'tgive me any specific plan. He is somewhat evasive when quizzed about the "syncing" of PSUorganizations.He promises to approach the Chancellor to get them here for placements. As for the career fest, he informsthat it is simply a series of workshops and other sessions where professionals and people from topinstitutes are called in to help students make choices.

We tell him that Club blogs, UPSCtraining and music classes are all initiatives that were promised earlier,and then failed to take off. He responds by saying that he will make it mandatory for clubs to have a blog,to motivate them to work throughout the year rather than just prior to festivals. He believes there isenough demand for UPSC training (the outgoing VP said it was scrapped because of the lack of demand)and more than enough demand for music lessons, especially for the guitar. We were also a bit skepticalabout the redistribution of bandwidth in the evening. He too wasn't sure if it's possible but says themechanism could be similar to what used to happen in 2009, when internet access was allowed only after5 pm. He also says he has spoken to Prof. DMK who, in turn, directed him to the server room.

Can he do all that he has promised? He takes out his Agenda which he has written on a piece of paper andgoes through every point. He has spoken to ilogo about the t-shirts, he has spoken to an organization(called Kairos, he says it promotes entrepreneurship) which wants to set up an incubation center here, andhe reiterates that everything he has promised is quite possible to implement, expressing confidence thathe will do it if elected.

"Politicians are like diapers; they need to be changed regularly, and for thesame reason ."


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ec. Ven katram Reddy

1/ This time, the bus services will be implemented .../1Onthe face of it, Venkatram ReddyGattla seems like your average BITSGian.However, with the experienceof 5 departments behind him, his confidence in his abilities to rise to the challenges commonly faced instudent welfare isbeyond sky-high. Hebelieves that the last (SA had done exemplary work; even going onto say that their functioning had been as transparent as it could be. His agenda is undoubtedly one veryclose to his heart, as is apparent from his indignation when it is pointed out to him that most of the pointsin his manifesto can be traced back to those of the candidates for the last few (SA elections.

The construction of a regular sized hockey facility in the campus is a point that clearly stands out inVenkatram's agenda. The construction of the facility has been in the pipeline for six years now, he tells us,while promising to get a full-fledged hockey field for us by the end of the academic year. Also, he claims tohave in his possessiona database of lOO-odd students who are interested in playing the sport on a regularbasis- a database which he does not wish to reveal to us.The bus service point, of course, is one that has been tried, tested and has failed over the last couple ofyears. So how does Venkatram propose to do things differently? His predecessors, he claims, had in theirattempts wanted to buy a bus that could be used by the campus for regular movement of students to andfrom select locations. He, on the other hand, has supposedly signed a contract with an independentcontractor, who will provide the bus service on a daily basis.Again, it is not very clear to us how our yet tobe elected candidate has signed a contract on behalf of the campus with precisely nobody's authority. Onhis election, he claims that he would be able to start the bus service within a week.

Other important points in his agenda include the extension of the library timings as well as girls' curfewduring tests and compre. He believes students need the right atmosphere for late night studies, anatmosphere that is only available in the library and is sadly lacking in their rooms.

While most points in his agenda tackle very basic issues faced by the general body, the successfulimplementation of many does seem an uphill task, even for someone who managed to worksimultaneously for five departments in his first year. Venkatram, however, remains confident in hisabilities and promises to deliver on each of them, if given the opportunity.

"P olitic ians must be allow ed to panic. They need activity. Its their sub stitutefor ach ievement."


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ec. Kushal Khandelwal-Declaration of grade cut-offs for each course at the end of the semester-Availability of an 'opt out' option from all meals on weekends-Night Mess delivery system to the girls hostels after 12.30 am-Development of an effective make-up policy to increase participation in off-campus fests

(( I 'll bring transperancy in the grading system .../I

There might be a slight air of redundancy about his agenda, but Kushal feels he will be able to rise to theoccasion.Why do you want to stand for the post of General Secretary?I was part of the Quark committee last year, and as a member, I saw that there was a lack of coordinationbetween the (SA and the student bodies. There was a lack oftransparency and I feel that's something I canchange. I have interacted with the (SA and I feel I will be able to manage the work. As far as experience isconcerned, I was in the mess committee and dealt with the software and the menu part.

Do you think the mess reforms mentioned in your agenda such as opting out of breakfast and opting out ofall meals on weekends are reforms that are feasible?Yes, for sure! I pitched the idea three months ago in a mess committee meeting. It was accepted by thefaculty in charge of the messes as well. We are waiting for a new contract and the mess people want tohike the prices. The price hike was anticipated since last year due to increasing fuel prices, so I think if theyhike prices, they will agree to the reforms.

You have said you would 'increase interaction amongst faculty and interested students for projects' and'set up a platform to promote all BITSian freelancers having prior experience' in your agenda. Could youelaborate?Our faculty is doing a lot of research, but as students, we don't know about it. No compilation of work doneis available and there is a lack of communication between faculty and the students willing to do researchunder them. Most seniors want to share knowledge, but there's no platform for it. Those who have doneprojects or are proficient in a field can build a portfolio. Right now, the (SD is inactive. There are manythings to be done and software to be built by students. We have start-ups such as foodkhoj willing toemploy students and they're waiting for the (SA to initiate something so they can recruit students fromcampus.

Do you think regionalism has a major role to play in the elections?I t hink bits students are smart enough and won't vote based on a regionalist bias. They will go through theagendas and then decide. Last year, while campaigning for a candidate, I felt it was there, but this year, Ispoke to people from different regions and I don't feel it's there. People should exercise the right to voteproperly, and should come for the Audi debate to get a clearer view and then vote.

((A fairy tale can have two beginnings- IOnce upon a time' and I If elected I promise ...' "


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Dr. T.Ramasami, Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Science and Technology, is no novicewhen it comes to convocations, considering that this one is the 157th one he has arrived at to give hisblessings. Himself a recipient of multiple degrees from universities abroad, and now a decades-long advisorto the Government on all matters scientific, he has some rather spectacular insights into the Indian way ofeducation. DolMA catches up with him in a rare moment of rest for the chief guest.

Excerpts:BITSHerald:How important do you think is the convocation in a student's life?Dr. Ramasami: I myself never received my degree at convocation. But after attending so many over the years,I have come to realize that convocation is important for 3 people: the student, the parents and theinstitution. The students feel it is a momentous occasion, and a huge sense of achievement follows. Forparents, it is the arrival of a new hope, as they see you moving from one stage in life to the next. And for theinstitution, it is legacy. Looking back at this day after, say, 20 years, the institute is proud that some of thestudents who graduated that day have now made it big. So, it becomes a valid document for rememberingthe value the institution has created.

BITSHerald:Over the last few years, we have seen a sudden growth of engineering colleges all over India,some offering dubious standards of education. Industry claims that they need to spend loads on making thegraduates 'employable'. Isn't this trend very worrying?Dr. Ramasami: I would look at this in two stages - initially, there were not enough engineering seats to goaround, and that created miserable lack of opportunity for many talented youngsters. Now, at least thesupply-demand gap has been bridged, right into the positive side. Anyway, the industry's claim is a matter ofperception. Education is about creating a learning capability. Education is preparing the unprepared, trainingis preparing the underprepared. Industry talks about the training process, not education itself. So, I reallydon't buy their argument. Of course these expansions in engineering colleges cause dilution in standards, youneed to overcome that, but I feel that the supposed 'cost' of this expansion is far less than the cost of nothaving these graduates in the first place.

BITSHerald: Such expansion would undoubtedly lead to an increase in demand for teachers all over India.How do we ensure that quality of teaching ismaintained even in the most far-off and ruralplaces?Dr. Ramasami: Currently, it must be said that there is strong recognition at all levels of the government. I feelthat more than the shortage, the motivational level of the existing teachers is a bigger issue. There is goingto be a very special program for teachers in the 12th Five-Year plan, for providing them with professionalupdating opportunities. Today, the role of a teacher is more that of a mentor, since there is no dearth ofinformation sources for education. There is a 3-pronged approach that we are developing; the first is tomotivate the teachers, give them more exposure, give them training abroad, create exchange programs etc.The second is a technological push; it is to create e-classrooms for enhancing self-learning opportunities. Andthe third is to create joint appointments, to allow researchers and industry experts, NRls etc. to go and teachat universities and other places.


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BITSHerald:Of course there isno need to tell you about the national agitation against corruption. But can youtell us how difficult it is actually to implement government policies at grass root levels?Dr. Ramasami: There is only one way to defeat corruption - and it is through a social revolution. MahatmaGandhi saidthat if a significant percentage ofthe society deviates from law, legislation can never work. Thereare primarily 3 sources of corruption: The supply-demand gap, the accessto supply and the rate of supply ofitself. None of these can be regulated by law. However, some of these can be defeated - transparency in anyform, be it e-tickets in Railways, online tenders etc. can eliminate graft in certain sectors. India is the firstcountry to bring about a bill like the Right to Information Act. However, to totally wipe-off corruption, eachof us must resolve never to be part of the corruption process. There are four stages: the first one is an error;where the individual deviates from personal principles, the second part is 'illegal', where someone breaks thelaw, third is a 'crime', such a deviation which causes harm to other lives, and the fourth is committing a 'sin',where the crime hurts the entire society. Parents must teach their children that corruption is a sin.

BITSHerald: What issues do you face when implementing your department's policies? Indeed, what are thepolicies that you have pushed through?Dr. Ramasami:There isno opposition to any bill which advocates scientific learning. Iwill give you anexample- the INSPIREprogram (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research),which Iwanted to push throughshortly after taking office. Within 3 days, I met the PM, got his permission. It was a '1980 crore project, so itrequired all sorts of approval. The Planning Commission, the Finance Ministry all quickly approved it withtheir full support. I am developing new schemes for the 12th Plan, and all these institutionalized schemeshave been passed by the Cabinet, so they will continue even when I am gone. Another important thing wasthe budget allocation; there was a 5 hour session in the parliament in which the budget of our departmentwas raised unanimously to '5000 crore. And there are these complaints of animosity between the scientistsand the bureaucrats, which are all unfounded. Bureaucrats just speak a different language; they are notagainst the scientists. All it needs is a communication on a level understandable to everybody. An exampleof this new found enthusiasm in Science is already evident; when I took office, India was 15th on the list ofnations with most scientific papers published; now it is on the 8th spot.

BITSHerald: What do you think is the main difference between Indian universities and the top universitieselsewhere in the world, especially considering that we have such a large talent pool? And what can be theimpetus that can catapult us to the top league?Dr. Ramasami: Inthe whole world, the university which had upheld its level of excellence for the longest timewas Nalanda (1000 years). The way we learn nowadays is different. We inherited our current educationsystem from the British. And if you compare our universities with say, Stanford, MIT etc. it is not a very faircomparison as the latter have educated over 30-35 generations of professionals, while India has processedonly 5-6 generations so far. And in those countries, there could be universities devoted entirely to creatingand nurturing excellence, not bothered about raising the national average. India gave the world the conceptof social equity. Sowe have institutions here which focus more on raising the bar on the national level. Mostof the foreign universities have significant private contributions towards their funds; in India, education at alllevels is largely funded by the public.


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And obviously, the former do not have any social obligations to meet in the education sector unlike us. Thatsaid, there is absolutely no justification about the fact that we are unable to tap into the highly talented poolthat this country possesses.Again, we must keep in mind that what the western countries practice asscienceisdifferent from what we practice asscience. But for the last few decades,we have been busyfollowing theirmethods. There are two kinds of logic: inductive and deductive logic. The latter splits up everything into smallparts, the former looks at everything as a part of the totality. And it is this totality we Indians cherish. It issomething we have all inherited - and never give up that ability of inductive ability. Using that, you can beatthem. But do not get disappointed becauseofthose 'disparities'; for an individual, a lifetime is important, butfor a society, a generation is important for the development of a civilization. And India is not a country, not anation, but a civilization.

A '5waraj' movement in innovation required: Dr. T RamasamiSpeaking at the first ever Convocation Ceremony of BITSPilani K. K. Birla Goa Campus, Dr. T Ramasami,Secretary to the Government, Department of Scienceand Technology (DST),stressed on the importance ofhaving people-focussed innovation systems in India. Invoking the name of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Ramasamiurged the audience to 'think locally' and 'act locally' through a 'Swaraj' movement in innovation. He calledupon the proud 600 graduates of the BITS-Pilani University to direct their education towards building aninnovation-driven India.The University, established in 1964 has borne witness to such a ceremony, three times before from1968-1970. The annual tradition which was then halted on account of the Bangladeshwar revived itself aftera long hiatus of 4 decades. The Goa Campus bore the honour of being the flag-bearer of this re-born custom.The Vice Chancellor of BITS-PilaniUniversity, Professor Bijendra Nath Jain spoke on behalf of the Chancellor(eminent industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla). Paying tribute to G.D Birla (Founder, BITS Pilani), hehighlighted the rich tradition, heritage and culture that BITS-Pilani.He brought to light the unique features ofthe BITSeducation system and spoke of the University's major renewal project- 'Vision 2020, Mission 2012'to firmly establish BITSas a recognized technical institute on a global platform. The V-C then presented areport on the four campuses of BITSPilani, highlighting activities, achievements and future plans.Dr. K.ERaman, Director of the Goa campus, then gave a detailed report of academic and other developmentsat BITScampuses over the last few years, highlighting collaborative projects of industrial importance. Dr.Raman also mentioned Project Samarth- an initiative to provide higher technical education to servicepersonnel through on campus and off campus programmes of BITS.The Chief Guest Dr. T Ramasami then went on to address the gathered crowd. Dr. Ramasami, holds aMasters Degree in Leather Technology from the University of Madras, India and PhD. in Chemistry from theUniversity of Leeds. In his convocation address, he stressed on the importance of individuals and institutionsworking in a competitive and holistic innovation ecosystem striving to solve issuesat the grassroots level.The graduating students were then awarded with their rolls of honour by the Vice Chancellor. The enteringbatch of 2007 received their graduating degrees and the entering batch of 2006 received theirpost-graduation degrees. The batch toppers were further awarded with the prestigious Awards of Medal.Anurag Sharma, Ishan Vishnoi along with Mantri Shruti and Shruti Padmanabha were awarded the Gold,Silver and Bronze honours, respectively.

bits herald election 2011 issue

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