I just read the results of the survey on the impact IITians have had, and it’s fascinating how much education can change. The survey was sponsored by PAN IIT. I am traveling to PAN IIT this month, and the program seems very impressive. They have not one or two star speakers, but a full galaxy. In fact, my company Capillary is doing all the application development for their SMS based services. Some highlights:
1. Every IITian has contributed Rs. 50 against every rupee spent on him
2. IITians have a budgetary responsibility of $885b
3. 54% of the top 500 companies in India have at least one IITian on their board
4. 25% of IITians in R&D
5. 10% of IITians doing social work
6. One in 10 IITian is an entrepreneur
So much for Nehru’s vision!!!!
[See the full results of the survey here]
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5 comments
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December 14, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Dawn Thomas
And I still feel we could all do so much more :)
December 14, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Arvind Iyer
I don’t know about you. But I feel air of smugness whenever people quote this. You’d have also seen this – after the results were put up online, there was this viral trend of using your IIT roll number as a status message. That squashed desire of reminding the world that we are IITians was revived again. If a series of IITian books weren’t enough, now we have financial figures to boast about.
From a country of a billion, a few thousand are picked each year and they experience 4-5 years of quality investment made on them. Of course we’ll be doing well. Like Dawn says, the question is not whether we are contributing back, but rather is this enough ?
I am sure you follow Atanu Dey’s blog. This is entry about a similar topic:http://www.deeshaa.org/2008/10/07/on-iits-paniit-and-the-funding-of-50-new-iits/
December 14, 2008 at 10:00 pm
kpowerinfinity
@dawn: Of course, we can always do more. That keeps the human race alive. But at least, IITians have done something, that few others have been able to achieve. These institutions have been oasis of inspiration in the desert of the failure of administration in India. Some other instances are AIIMS, St. Stephens, Doon School – you can’t undermine their contribution just saying they could have done more. That said, most of the IITians in the hallowed positions are the older alumni who did all the hard work, when the IIT brand name wasn’t as big. It remains to be seen how much the new lot do.
@arvind: Once again, I believe pride is a great thing – since when you are proud of yourself, or your pedigree, or your background, it pushes you to do more. We are proud of our culture in India – at least it leads of a feeling of fraternity. Same with putting your roll number – it’s not just the smugness, more than that I feel it shows that you are proud of your background, and are willing to work hard to live upto it. If we are in general a little more proud, complain a little less about India, and promise to bring India back to the glory days of milk and honey, we would all be a much better people.
January 16, 2009 at 6:31 am
Dawn
I was not undermining the contribution by saying that we could do more. I am of the opinion that contributions or achievements should be looked upon from as much of an objective viewpoint as possible. Also, as you rightly pointed out it remains to be seen what the post 1995? batches would be doing in the next decade.
Regarding pride, I have often been reminded in the past couple of years how one’s dreams, aspirations and even perception of limits is moulded by the place you are in and the people around you. I think the most important contribution of IIT to IITians is a sense of confidence. I feel, clumsily put, that it is this confidence that we/IITians need to give back through our actions.
May 25, 2009 at 10:44 am
venkata poornima sankarapu
i was nervous about my rank.so requested you great people to know my rank.please send it to my e-mail addres.please please please please……………………………………………………………………!