Walls inside walls inside walls...
Another trip to IITK... and the walls are more in number.
To start with IITK did not have a wall around the academic area. Why? Because Prof. Kelkar (the founder director) did not think that academic area and residential area for the students should be separated. It's the same. Openness, freedom to just walk-in, no distinctions between places and areas and corners!
At some unfortunate point in the history, someone did not appreciate this subtle logic and erected a dreaded wall. This must be around 30 years back. We did not see it happening.
But the second phase of wall-erections - we have witnessed. Sometimes actual, sometimes virtual. Actual meaning physical walls around the hostels, buildings etc. Virtual meaning all the "Show I-card", "Sign in before entering" etc. (security measured they are called in technically and politically correct language.)
I do not know how much the securtity needed improvement, nor do I know how much it has improved, but it is slowly killing that something which made IITK, IITK! And what is unfortunate is that the way the mis-fortune of the wall around the academic area was taken as granted by the later generations, even these changes are being taken as granted by the coming generations. It's not their fault if they have not seen any better. Those, who have seens changes coming in, made attempts to stop them and yet with the perseverance and political wit of the other party have slowly seen their strength wane away, are wondering, either having come out of the place or by counting their last days there, as to what will the future be? If the world is progressing, we are moving back.
I feel sorry and sad...
More later...
To start with IITK did not have a wall around the academic area. Why? Because Prof. Kelkar (the founder director) did not think that academic area and residential area for the students should be separated. It's the same. Openness, freedom to just walk-in, no distinctions between places and areas and corners!
At some unfortunate point in the history, someone did not appreciate this subtle logic and erected a dreaded wall. This must be around 30 years back. We did not see it happening.
But the second phase of wall-erections - we have witnessed. Sometimes actual, sometimes virtual. Actual meaning physical walls around the hostels, buildings etc. Virtual meaning all the "Show I-card", "Sign in before entering" etc. (security measured they are called in technically and politically correct language.)
I do not know how much the securtity needed improvement, nor do I know how much it has improved, but it is slowly killing that something which made IITK, IITK! And what is unfortunate is that the way the mis-fortune of the wall around the academic area was taken as granted by the later generations, even these changes are being taken as granted by the coming generations. It's not their fault if they have not seen any better. Those, who have seens changes coming in, made attempts to stop them and yet with the perseverance and political wit of the other party have slowly seen their strength wane away, are wondering, either having come out of the place or by counting their last days there, as to what will the future be? If the world is progressing, we are moving back.
I feel sorry and sad...
More later...
posted by Jaya @ 9:41 AM
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2 Comments:
At Mon Aug 15, 10:19:00 AM 2005,
Anonymous said…
Time to get over IITK hangover....
At Wed May 13, 06:33:00 PM 2009,
Anonymous said…
Dear Jaya
Was going through your blog and jsut couldnot stop myself from making this comment here. I am an IITK alumnus ... off and on I have spent 8+ years of my life all together in this campus ... but its no longer the same campus I can not relate to it any more. When I first came to IIT Kanpur campus I found it to be the most liberal campus at that level .....
a few days back I heard a guy in Hall 1 was fined for jumping over the wall ... and people find nothing absurd about it...they have built walls every where between every possible structure now the nano-technology dept have put up birbed wires to secure its territory inside the academic area ...Its difficult to explain to anyone who has not been here before why the walls hurts ...not only the eyes ... in btw security for the girls is back!!
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