Arjun Looses Main Battle

Posted on July 19, 2008 by indra

Many years ago in a visit to a machine tool company in Germany, I came across a very sophisticated production line for manufacturing the components of Arjuna tanks. Only the defence could afford those sophistications of CNC flexible manufacturing system with full automation. Over the years, the PSUs under the defence ministry have created huge production capacities with investment running in billions of dollars. However, we hardly come to know of its effective utilization and efficiency. And no management and technical norms can justify that. And the reason of such misappropriation of taxpayers’ money is the ego war of the executives of various establishments and their vested interests.

Time and again, the news about the prestigious main battle tank Arjun that DRDO designed and developed have appeared in media. The latest relates that while DRDO wants the army to order 500 Arjun tanks to stabilise production lines and pave the way for the development of a “futuristic” MBT (Main Battle tank), the Army does not want anything more than the 124 Arjuns already ordered. Army wants to replace all its older through the progressive induction of Russian-origin T-90S tanks.

According to the report, Chennai-based Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) had last year handed over 14 Arjuns to the Army for trials. However, the army returned them listing various defects some related to its defects in its fire control systems, inaccuracy of guns, low speeds in tactical areas such as deserts and inability to operate in temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius. This summer too Army and the DRDO took out Arjuns for trials. But no positive report has come. Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry suspects an effort at “sabotaging” Arjun tanks.

As it appears, the main battle is between the DRDO, CVRDE and army.

Going in the story, it appears to be a typical case of total lack of coordination and accountability. The end user is to participate positively in product development. The designers and manufacturing must take care of all the defects pointed out by the army. For getting the defects solved, the team can take services of all the experts in the technologies from anywhere in the country or even from abroad. Nothing justifies the abandonment of the project that has cost so much for the nation.

However, if the army wishes to keep on importing the tanks and intends to create obstacles in indigenising by raising various quality issues, Arjun can’t get inducted. The product development must be a joint responsibility and carried out by a team with the members from all concerned divisions. The technocrats in army must participate with equal responsibility. Is it so difficult to get the problems of quality of MBT sorted out in a country that is known world over for its innovative skills and talents?

Many doubt the Indian Army’s decision of not to accept any more home-grown Arjun main battle tanks (MBTs) emanating from the pressure of the powerful defence lobbyists and middlemen, who earn huge commissions from importing defence arsenal. It is to keep the middlemen happy and in turn to get the favours from them.

What a mess of a great indigenisation project that the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has been working on the tank for 36 years and the cost for the country of millions of poor men. But for the outdated policies and management practices, the Arjuna MBT project could have generated armies of small and big manufacturing vendors and employment in thousands.

Will Arjuna loose the battle or some Krishna (may be the defense minister or even the prime miinister, known as the most honest politicians) make him win?

Posted in governance, industry, manufacturing | Leave a comment

Hindustan Motors: Ambassadors Still Alive and Going on

Posted on July 17, 2008 by indra


Deserted Hindustan Motors

News about Ambassador kicks some memory cells taking me to the good old days. The pioneering venture of Birlas brought India on map as automakers. It was unfortunate that the business house after the death of the patriarch BM Birla couldn’t keep it going. It is a dying company with no future. Many a times, I wonder why is it running. How can a company producing 1000 cars per month remain viable? The news may be for the consumption of some specific stakeholders. The factory premises look deserted. Most of the land has transferred hand. One day HM may sell all the factory premises at Hind Motor in West Bengal to some warehousing company. The promoter must have some special interest in keeping HM running and ambassador alive. Hardly some know that it is HM that produces Mitsubishi cars such as Lancer and Pazero from its Chennai plant. All non-auto manufacturing facilities have gone to other companies. Perhaps

However, I liked the Hindustan Motors exchange offer that it has launched earlier in West Bengal and now in Tamil Nadu. It will certainly help in pollution control and reduce waste of fuels. In the scheme one drives in any Amby in any condition, with RTO endorsement for scrapping it, Hindustan Motors waives Rs 35,000 on the new Amby. As I was told none of the Ambassador cars registered so far since the beginning of its manufacture in 50s or early sixties has been scrapped in the country. Unfortunately, the states have failed to come out with a uniform legislative act on scrapping of vehicle based on life.

A manufacturing company that ranked in first ten once has thus become a history. And the dreams of thousands of its employees including mine too remain buried somewhere in it.

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Indo-US Nuclear Deal: Fareed Zakaria and Chandan Mitra

Posted on July 17, 2008 by indra

Beside few politicians who are actively associated and involved with Indo-US Nuclear Deal, the journalists and columnists have covered the various issues of the Deal for the readers of the country. They have helped the people to form their opinions in favour or against the Deal. Here are the opinions of the two journalists of Indian origin. While one is having a good reputation in US, the other has a label of BJP with him. It is unfortunate that a biased opinion is influencing even the journalists. Journalists must avoid any political leaning, something like the position of speaker or president of the country, and present the right picture in the interest of the country.Fareed Zakaria, Editor of Newsweek International, has expressed his views in the favour of the Deal.

“If the nuclear deal doesn’t go through, I think it limits India’s ability to play a role as a major power because on a crucial issue, India will be outside the tent and always be outside the tent in a furtive status. The beauty of the nuclear deal is that it brings India into the tent, into the camp of great powers, firmly and irrevocably and that’s why it’s so important for the Government to grasp it, for it to be taken as a national project. There’s obviously enormous economic benefits but I think at the strategic level, this is the single most important reorientation of India in the 21st century.”

Chandan Mitra, Editor of ‘The Pioneer’ while writing in a lead article in ‘The Times of India’ appears to have written to back the interest of the party that has placed him in Rajya Sabha.

“The Indo-US nuclear deal is a three-in-one document comprising a civilian energy cooperation agreement with the US, de facto NPT and de facto CTBT. A discussion on the merits and demerits of the deal would be meaningful only if we begin from this premise instead of deluding ourselves into believing that, possessed by a burning desire to help India, the US wants to hand out a “give-give” agreement with us and that nothing will change as far as our military nuclear programme is concerned.”

I am really shocked with the present performance of the economist as Prime Minister, the opportunity that the destiny provides to just few and for only a short period. However, I can’t doubt his honesty about the Deal. He wouldn’t have gone ahead, if it were not in national interest. Unfortunately, the government has started selling the Deal very late through media, but it’s again a half-hearted one.

I am sold on the Deal. I am for the Deal. In today’s changed global political scenario, NPT and CTBT are irrelevant

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They Are Not Educated From IIMs

Posted on July 16, 2008 by indra

The ‘Economist’ last week published a feature on Mumbai’s dabbawalas. Some of the management schools of US including Harvard Business School have already done some case study on the operational marvels of the dabbawals. The process of dabbawalas evolved over a period and got perfected. The delivery errors confirm to six-sigma standard. And this is an example how a good management practice gets born and matures. It doesn’t require a formal education and conventional training taught in IIMs. Paul Goodman, a professor of organisational psychology at Carnegie Mellon University who has made a documentary on the dabbawalas. Prince Charles facilitated them. Every Indian can feel proud of the dabbawalas (images), who have become reputed enough with their stories researched and published all over the world.

“As the warrior king who defeated the Mughals and founded the Maratha Empire of Western India in the 17th century, Shivaji Bhosle is remembered as a tactical genius as well as a benevolent ruler. The direct descendants of his Malva-caste soldiers are also developing a reputation for organisational excellence. Using an elaborate system of colour-coded boxes to convey over 170,000 meals to their destinations each day, the 5,000-strong dabbawala collective has built up an extraordinary reputation for the speed and accuracy of its deliveries. Word of their legendary efficiency and almost flawless logistics is now spreading through the rarefied world of management consulting. Impressed by the dabbawalas’ “six-sigma” certified error rate-reportedly on the order of one mistake per 6m deliveries-management gurus and bosses are queuing up to find out how they do it.”

Recently I read another story in ‘Business Today’. It related to two brothers with no college education, their enterprise, Suguna Poultry Farm and its business model. It identifies farmers with requisite infrastructure (sheds, water supply and labour), supplies day-old chicks to farmers, provides required feed and medicines, ensures daily visits by company field staff to evaluate the health of the livestock. After six weeks, it weighs and buys the birds, and pays the farmers for growing the birds

Suguna Poultry Farm has spawned about 15,000 rural entrepreneurs across 10 states from whom it sources chicken and eggs. Suguna’s promoter brothers B. Soundararajan (Class 11) and G.B. Sundararajan (Class 12) might not have been to IIMs or for that matter any college, but have mastered the management practices, and know how to convert a crisis into an opportunity, how to benefit of forward and backward integration, and the importance of risk management.
Suguna claims to be the largest player in the Indian broiler market and fourth largest in the world in that segment. Suguna operates 35 hatcheries with an aggregate capacity of 350 million eggs per annum, has 132 “grandparent” and “parent” farms and 15,000 broiler farms*, and sells 8.5 lakh branded eggs a month. By 2013, Sugana foresee a network of 60,000 contract farmers across India and totally integrated facilities from feed mills to ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products.
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* Big poultry players buy ‘grand paren’t stock and breed the parents. The eggs laid by parents are hatched and the day-old chicks are sent to broiler farm for growth and ultimate consumption as chicken meat. Some of the’parent’ farms are owned and rest are contracted. Grand parent farm is owned by the company.

Perhaps, this is the reason that the students from all branches of education, beit humanities or engineering, excel in management. In good days in HM, among the mangers, a gentleman had a Master degree in Sanskrit, and many had not even gone beyond Class X. However, all were excellent managers. And some were masters in problem solving of even technical issues. Education provides some basic knowledge, but one must use it intelligently to mange and innovate consistently to go ahead. Those who keep on learning and using the knowledge, win.

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My Indian like Weakness

Posted on July 12, 2008 by indra

During primaries for selecting the democrats or the next US presidential election, I was with Hillary as the most Indians. Perhaps Indians were with her because of Clinton and his personality. Anand was a supporter of Obama. After the arduous and long drawn process of primaries, when Obama became a clear winner, I shifted side. It became more intense with his possession of Hanuman on body, and his paying tributes to Sam Manekshaw, when Sam’s own country’s leadership failed. But yesterday I read an interview of Obama in Oulook. And I am emotionally with him. His moral support for the Indo-US Nuclear Deal ensures that he will not cause any obstruction expressed in his “reluctance to seek changes”. Moreover, the disclosure that his mother, an anthropologist, did rural development work in India, and his admiration for Mahatma Gandhi was just heartening.

I don’t know if Obama will succeed in meeting the aspirations of Americans who are just fed up with Bush. Americans need real push from Obama to improve American economy for its people to be happy with him and to keep his popularity sustained after getting elected.

I was equally carried away by the extraordinary support that G-8 nations gave to the Deal. “We look forward to working with India, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Nuclear Suppliers Group and other partners to advance India’s non-proliferation commitments and progress so as to facilitate a more robust approach to civil nuclear cooperation with India to help it meet its growing energy needs in a manner that enhances and reinforces the global non-proliferation regime,” the Chair’s Summary released at the end of the G-8 summit said in Toyako.

Perhaps, for India it happened for the first time and is good enough a proof of India arriving on the global scene. It is certainly not due to some extraordinary political push of Indian leaders, but because of the emerging economic strength of India. And India must focus on its growth path more arduously carrying out many pending reforms in time. Let the bogey of global pressure not become the excuse for the slowdown.

Before ending this story, let me quote one more reason for my excitement. It from a report that appeared today in media. “In many European history and art books, oil painting is said to have started in the 15th century in Europe. However, scientists conducting experiments at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), have proved that the paintings in the Bamiyan caves were made of oil, hundreds of years before the technique was “invented” in Europe. Scientists from the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties in Tokyo (Japan), the Centre of Research and Restoration of the French Museums-CNRS (France), the Getty Conservation Institute (United States) and the ESRF recently identified drying oils in some of the samples they studied from the Bamiyan caves. The scientists found that 12 out of the 50 caves were painted with oil painting technique, using perhaps walnut and poppy seed drying oils. Apart from oil-based paint layers, some of the layers were made of natural resins, proteins, gums, and, in some cases, a resinous, varnish-like layer, the report said. The world was shocked when the Talibans, who controlled Kabul at the time, destroyed two ancient colossal Buddha statues in Bamiyan on religious considerations. Behind those statues, there are caves decorated with precious paintings from 5th to 9th century AD.”

Let India get ahead.

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War Against Global Warming: How can we participate?

Posted on July 11, 2008 by indra

Perhaps India will be one of the worst affected countries due to global warning. Instead of waiting for other countries to do their bits, we as Indians must start changing our habits that will help the posterity. With G-8 in Hokkaido, Sapporo in Japan discussing the issue as main topic, I got reminded of my own visit to the place in North Japan where Isuzu Motors had an engine manufacturing plant. It was a small place, but I can never forget the huge frozen lake with a small patch of cold water and those birds that we visited.

Today on my morning walk, suddenly my mind started thinking on the subject of global warming. I find every day, many coming to the park in their huge gas guzzling cars for morning walk from the nearby sectors. I don’t know why in that early morning they use the car when their purpose is to take walk. They can certainly come walking, save the fuel and from its emissions and exercise themselves. Many a times, we can always go to the nearby places by walking instead we use car, unless a question of status interfaces. Can we shun this practice, unless it is absolutely essential such as in a case if one is old enough to walk even a short distance? If we dislike walking, in a family with multiple cars, can’t we keep a cycle, an electric scooter or a Reva or one using LPG for short drive where the status is not at stake? As reported, the Chinese practise this. “Despite China’s leap into modernity, the bicycle is far from dead – its numbers are growing. For many Chinese, pedal power remains a mainstay for commuting, making a living and getting around traffic jams. According to the Earth Policy Institute, a Washington-based environmental think tank, of the 130 million bikes manufactured worldwide last year, China made 90 million, and exported two-thirds of them.” Walking and cycling as practice keeps one physically fit too.

Those with Internet facilities available must try to use e-mails for communication avoiding the use of paper. Even the fraternity must switch over to e-newspapers instead of subscribing to traditional multiple pages newspapers. Some writers are even putting their books on Google that can be freely assessed. We may very soon stop buying hard copy of the books at higher prices and storing them for posterity? After all, most of them will be obsolete by then or be available on line. Let us start giving old time slates instead of papers for rough work to our school going children.

We can certainly use some home made clothe bags and avoid plastic bags offered by the shopkeepers and help in minimizing the menace created by these plastic bags, particularly for cattle, appearing in media quite often.

We can also conserve electricity through disciplining ourselves to put off the switches of TV, PC, or other items when not in use, and different means including using of CFL bulbs, using proper glasses on windowpanes or better window and door sealing for better heat retention for using heating and cooling equipment, buying energy efficient home appliances and accessories such as refrigerator, air conditioner, heater, or ovens whenever we replace them and, if necessary, by taking help of expert energy auditor for related saving potentials in our houses. Similarly, we must conserve every drop of water that we can, using sensor controlled taps or vacuum type toilets, optimum use of washing machines or dishwashers, or by asking some expert to incorporate water-harvesting system.

How many of us consider our rivers as holy and go on dumping the waste in it? I know my wife wishes to dispose off all the remnants of flowers and other materials used in her morning worship in river, and so do we try to immerse the statues of the Gods and Goddesses after the big festivals such Ganesh or Durga Puja. Beside, we as Hindus like to immerse all the remnants after cremation of near and dear ones for mukti in Ganga. Why can’t our religious leaders declare burying of the ashes from the eco-friendly furnaces in a hole dug in mother earth as equally good for mukti? How many of us can get some trees planted? Why don’t we do that to make the mother earth a better place to live and green?

Can we look into the eco-friendly aspect or energy-efficient construction of the dwellings we construct, buy, or hire on rent? Can we start wearing Indian dresses or shorts to reduce the need of air conditioning? Let me assert that Japanese have dropped wearing formal suits to save energy?

We all can help in saving mother earth from global warming and its dangerous consequences for the humanity at large. Let us change our mindset to participate for this real big cause. Nuclear plants will bring some relief in global warming on long term. But we as responsible Indians must do our bit to keep the country green and reduce the forthcoming climate disaster for the posterity that the environmentalists are predicting.
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PS: Greening India will demand personal virtue and industry accountability.

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Farmers Need Lobbying and Support

Posted on July 11, 2008 by indra

I get delighted when I find an industrialist such as Abhay Firodia of Kinetic Engineering writing for the farmers. I come from a farmer family and have some special motive to see farmers getting prosperous. They toil hard. They produce all the food grains and vegetables, fruits and flowers. But they remain poor and perhaps if the condition doesn’t change, they will remain poor, as they hardly get any advantages out of the inflation of their produce. However, the middlemen between the farmers and the consumers at different points of the supply chain keep getting the maximum benefits becoming millionaires, and some even billionaires too by creating artificial scarcity, by hoarding, or simply by their marketing skill. If the Arab sheikhs can keep on increasing the crude oil price and becoming the richest in the world, why can’t the farmers be allowed their right shares out of the money the consumers pay for their produce? Why should the middlemen keep on getting the best from inflation, while the farmers starve, live a miserable life, and quite often resorts to suicides? Firodia also has come out in support of the farmers. “Higher food prices can act as an incentive to farmers leading to increased production. Food prices then automatically come down. The catch is that higher food prices do not always reach the farmers; the middlemen pocket it. The government must create conditions where farmers are able to sell their produce directly to consumers so that both can benefit.” I wish those who matter will listen.

Let us look at the story of the uncontrolled cotton exports and who gets benefited out of the deals? “It is common knowledge that farmers do not export cotton. Our cotton crop starts arriving in the market by October and farmers by February-March sell most of it. A careful examination of the price trends of cotton will show that most of the increase in prices occurs every year after March, when the cotton is already in the hands of ginners and traders. Thus, farmers get only a limited share from the increased cotton prices.” The cotton farmers must get the right share of the price that the produce fetches for the exporters.

It is the same story with all the food grains, be it wheat, paddy, or pulses. The middlemen, traders and the exporters use criminal tactics to get the farmers sell at the minimum. In cases of short life items such as vegetables and fruits, the traders create a condition where the farmers leave the produce in mandi and leave. Farmers being a marginal landholder always in debt can hardly hoard waiting for the right time and market for getting the best price, neither have they the facilities such as warehouses or mills. Instead of giving waivers and subsidies, the government must facilitate in creating sufficient number of the right type of warehouse and refrigerated transportation facilities.

Organized retail sector can certainly come to help the farmers on condition it is genuinely interested in it. At least many such as ITC, Reliance Retail, or Bharati Group have declared their intentions to protect the farmers from the exploitation by the petty traders and middlemen. As reported, Aadhar is becoming the sourcing hub for Future group retail outlets such as Big Bazzar or Food Bazzar. that are today the biggest. Reaching out to 50,000 farmers every month, the company has already employed 300 people to directly access the produce of farmers across 2,000-odd villages in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Other retailers such as Bharati are also taking initiative to involve the farmers directly and that will certainly get them better prices. Some NGOs such as Sevashram are advising the farmers in ways to have better returns with organic farming. It buys the produce that the farmers want to sell. It often pays more than the market price. Naturally, the marginal farmers are in need of such handholdings.

NGOs and the exponentially growing organized retail sector can come out with contracts and direct purchase at the right price or for storing on behalf of the farmers so that they can get the best price.

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Emma Grows to One

Posted on July 9, 2008 by indra
Happy Birthday
Einstein in mind
Mahatma at heart
Monalisa on face
Ashoka with spirit
Be great for me to boast
We raise a sweet toast
This day so bright
For all a delight
Keep coming and coming
Take Blessing and hugging

— Dada and Dadi

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Education- Can India Compete China?

Posted on July 8, 2008 by indra

“Universities in China are coming up faster than hotels in Dubai,” Watson Wyatt says. By 2010, 23 million students will be attending Chinese universities, one million of whom will be highly skilled graduate students. Even Nandan Nilekani of Infosys says, “Having just a few Indian Institutes of Technology or Indian Institutes of Management is no panacea. You need to have hundreds of them, like they have in China.” How is India in comparison to China? What all are happening in the education sector?

When I travel by road, I see a large number of professional colleges that have come up in last few years. Every Monday, I find a special pullout on education in the national newspapers full with features, full-page ads, and career planning. As a routine, Outlook, Business Today, India Today, Business World and some more come out with surveys and rankings of colleges of all over the country at this time of the year. It all says, education sector is booming and people, parents and young generation are eager to know more about the institutions. Private entrepreneurs have invaded the sector. I don’t know how many of the entrepreneurs, particularly the petty ones are genuinely interested in imparting education. As I know from a nearer distance, many don’t have any remote interest in it. The other day, I came across an ad of a so-called Institute of Space Science and Technology at Naiad offering career degrees of graduate and postgraduate level in Avionics, Space Science and Aerospace. I doubt, if the institute can do justice with the students it would admit. I wish the educationists and senior teachers could become the entrepreneurs. However, the big houses such as Ambani, Vedanta and many are also setting up institutes of professional education and also universities. Some unique projects such as Nalanda University are being pursued. India has become a hot destination for the heads of foreign universities and educational institutes too. Many collaborations of different kind from exchange programmes to joint researches are underway, though the politicians have not agreed to allow setting up of educational institutes by foreign countries. Perhaps India is now moving from the darkness of illiteracy to the brightness of knowledge.

Looking in some statistics, the education in India has come a long way. Here are some data.

1.The government plans to set up 30 new central universities, seven IITs and IIMs, 10 National Institutes of Technology, five research institutes to be called Indian Institutes of Science, Education and Research, 20 IIITs, two schools of architecture and 330 colleges in educationally backward districts. India wishes to attract 15% of students passing out of class XII (from the current 10%) into higher education by 2012, and 22% by 2017. Hatyana plans to have 1,00,000 engineers graduated every year. Andhra Pradesh is further adding into its already excessive number of engineering colleges.

2.India has at present 400 universities in the country, up from 240 in 2006. National Knowledge Commission recommended 1500 universities for India.

3.The number of private universities has risen from seven in 2006 to over 50 at present. At the end of the 10th Plan, of the total 101 deemed universities – 63 were private universities.

4.Of 17,625 colleges in the country in 2006 – 7,650 were unaided colleges and 5,750 were private-aided (private colleges receiving government grants).

5.Of 104 lakh students in higher education, over 67 lakh were enrolled in private institutions.

6.The number of engineering colleges rose to 1,478 in 2006 from 669 in 1999-2000 with an estimated 88% as private. In the same period, pharmacy institutions grew from 204 to 629 and the private sector was responsible for 94% of it. In management education, private players enjoyed a share of 64%. And the number is growing more and more every day.

7.In the period between 2000-2006, the overall share of the private sector in the growth of professional higher education institutions was 78%, while the professional education sector itself witnessed a 167% growth.

Looking at the enrolment, it has increased tremendously over the year for all levels of education, though still far behind the developed countries.

School Education: The number of students enrolled in elementary education (classes 1 to 8) is now estimated at over 13 crore, about seven times more. It was about 1.9 crore in 1951. For classes 9 to 12, the enrollment has increased from about 15 lakh in 1951 to over 3.7 crore, an over 25-fold increase.

Higher education: In higher education, there has been a 70-fold increase in enrollment. In 1951 there were only 1.7 lakh students pursuing education beyond class 12. Now the number is touching 1.2 crore.

India’s education system has two drawbacks. While the country must aim to attain universal education for all Indians, the education sector must improve its quality and create socio-economic conditions so that the number of dropouts is reduced. While quality of education will improve employability, the reduction in dropouts will mean better availability even with the present facilities.

Can one day at least 5 crores of those joining the school will have higher education before starting a career for living? Can one day the recruiters from inside the country or abroad certify the quality by declaring at least 70% students out of the higher educational institutes as employable?

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Young India Must Protest Against IIT’s Faculty Quota

Posted on July 7, 2008 by indra

On June 9 last month, the HRD ministry of the government of India that Mr. Arjun Singh heads sent an order to all IITs. According to the order, 15%, 7.5% and 27% teaching positions are to be reserved for SC, ST and OBC categories respectively. And the reservations will be for the posts for lecturers and assistant professors in all subjects of science and technology. In other areas, like management, social sciences and humanities, reservations should be applied up to the professor level, the senior most position.

As reported, a very junior bureaucrat has signed the order. Can he do that on his own? For that matter, how can a bureaucrat in HRD ministry authorized to send such orders to the directors of IITs? It is an insult of the coveted IITs. If he can, there is no pont in calling IITs as institutes of national importance. Is it a way the politician minister in this country humiliates the educationists and technocrats? As the people’s representative can a minister keep on carrying out the malicious mismanagement of the institutes of, so called, national importance? Why is the minister hell-bent on spoiling these institutes that on its own strength are the only among the best of the world?

IITians must protest against this reservation of the faculty appointments in IITs. Parents of present and prospective IITians must join the protest. All young Indians must protest against the decision. How long the country goes on bearing with the silly autocratic decisions and whims of bureaucrats or ministers that are mostly taken to be in news and to please only the vested interest of some few. The people of India, particularly young and educated ones must understand and appreciate the mischievous plan to perpetually divide the Indian society with new nomenclature of ‘varnas’- SC, ST, OBC, and minority. Arjun Singh like BP Mandal and Mayawati wishes to go down in the history of the country as Messiah of the deprived class. Unfortunately, his main objective is to pull down the image of these institutes that has been earned with a lot of sacrifices and hard works of the students, academicians, teachers and statesmen. How can a sane man take such decision?

As reported, in a meeting of the Standing Committee of the IIT Council (SCIC), the directors have raised objections against the HRD ministry’s order that there should be reservations for teaching posts in the IITs. Even a number of alumni of IITs including Nandan Nilekani have spoken against this move of the ministry. However, the alumni from all over the world must make it a point to express their views against the move with an appeal to all the people of India to participate in this protest. They must get pressure exerted from all quarters that they can influence. Even CII, FICII and Assocham must come out more effectively to get the order revoked.

As I understood, the students of IITs are organizing the candlelight protest march. IITians must innovate all ways and means to get this decision revoked and see that such orders are never initiated again. Let them start with ‘Gandhigiri’ to meet the goal, but if necessary they must resort to other democratic means also. IITians must not remain deaf and dumb on this issue at least.

I wish media took it up more seriously that it took many criminal cases to get the right justice. The HRD ministry decision is more criminal and harmful for the country and its younger generation.

I have another request to the minister and the bureaucrats who have initialed the order. If they themselves are not able to understand what IITs mean for an Indian young man today, they must ask the nearest of the relative of theirs who is an alumni of IITs. Why don’t they carry on the administrative tasks so efficiently?

In the country’s education system at least, let only merit be the criteria for the teachers.

I appeal to all the readers to pass on the protest request to all the young men and women with whom they are in communication.
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PS: It is unfortunate that neither media nor students community go to protest a damaging government decision, and even the institutions surrender.

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