The Most Indebted Anna University!!
As you traverse down the line to the South of India, and if you move a little Eastwards, You will find the most awesome state of Tamil Nadu and the Populous city of Chennai. More than anything, people here venerate Education. They also instill the beliefs of becoming an Engineer and nurture them in the little minds right from the moment they are born. Indeed, few people even started naming their sons with the initials "B.E" so that whenever they read their name, they will be motivated to become one!
A cousin of mine has just visited the earth few weeks back, a not more than 14 day old baby, and i thought every one would be partying the addition of the recent smart one in the family, but to my astonishment, all in the hospital were exchanging thoughts of what he would be in the future. The little fellow who is yet to even open his eyes steadily, has been straight away made to take position in the olympic race for engineering with a feeding bottle in his pocket. That's what life today is - You don't even know to walk, but you are expected to run!
A relative comes near him and stares him with a wild smile which gave the debutante an idea of how a Ghost on earth would look like, As he lends his ears to her mouth to listen something for the first time - she says "Thambi papa, we belong to FC, General Category, 100 eduthaa thaan Seat kidaikkum in Anna Univ, So you have to work hard and prepare well, Life is a tough competition ok??" - Then, the discussions stopped completely and it was again ignited by the arrival of another guest, as they started to discuss about the fellows who attended counselling now, Who are going to the US for higher studies, who got placed blah blah blah .. I tell you, The most sinned babies are the ones born in India, Specifically in the South during the period May to August! I was banging my head with my hand with a mind voice "Oruthanukku Endhichi nadakkave vakku illayaam, andha pullaya 9 degree vaaanga solreeenga" and my mind voice was supported by another mind voice from the room "Dai, En da ungalukku indha kolaveri???" - the kinginee manginee little fellow's mind voice, poor fellow, might be this is the first phrase he formed on earth!
This is what happening here. And i'm no exception of it. I can recall an old joke i read in a paper before -
Univ of Texas at Dallas- Hey dude, I'm the best in the world, I'm graduating around 18,000 worthy engineers a year!
Univ of Berkeley, California - Dude I'm only great, I'm graduating around 25,000 Engineers a year!
Anna University - Bitch Please! , I graduate 2,00,000 engineers a year!
Yeah, so true, they sell engineering, indeed like a supermarket. Of course, the city has few great colleges like the IIT Madras, College of Engineering, etc, but those form just 1% of the total students graduating. A thought that runs in the mind of every student attending counselling - I must do a lot of good deeds in this life, so that i can be a SC next year" - Yeah, the bloody Caste System add flavours to it!
I was nurtured with stratospheric dreams and was prepared for this race and finally managed to clinch a seat in one of the 564 engineering colleges housed by Anna University and became one of the 2,00,000 so called "successful" engineering students of the State.
As i entered my college, the feeling was "Hell Yeah, I'm an Engineer" with all the pride of Engineering, with the thoughts of the Research Laboratories seen in Hollywood movies, the HONDA's new Bot series promo videos, etc as i chose the Electrical Stream and suddenly a tap at my back - How dare you dream in the Machines Lab??, Be ready for the attendance! - That was when i was awake to reality and again with the pride of an engineer, i was looking around the Machines Lab with the feel "Hell Yeah, this is going to be my play ground for 4 years" and i was teeth broken to see few dusted rusted motors on ground, left unpainted, yeah, that's the machines lab! ---It was like having a free fall from the top of the Eiffel Tower leaving your bones fractured! - I started to laugh hardly bursting my stomach, a friend of mine was into Mechanical Engineering with dreams of "Daimler Chrysler" and "BMW", i was just pitying the level of his Free Fall. My friend tells me "Naa Appave Sonnen idhu ellaaam velaikku aaagaaadhu" - I console him, don't worry, Anna Univ is the best, we will enjoy Engineering with lot of confidence. The very next hour was the theory hour and i could hardly find the staffs teaching without seeing the book and an Electrical Engineering Professor writes the Ohm's law as VI=R, and there came my Free Fall II with my friend saying "Naaa Appaaave sonnenn", but this time, it was chorus with my voice too.
For getting the HOD approval for presentations outside and for various reasons,must wait for a minimum queuing period of 4 hours - Learnt what patience is, Did a mini project with friends and submitted for college approval to be sent for scholarship, but was rejected by the staffs and HOD as they wanted the block diagrams to be in black colour (i have put them white), and font size of 12 (i had 14) and i submitted 2 days before and they told me 1 hr before the deadline given - Learnt what disappointment is. A friend of mine taught the entire class what Data Structures is and everyone passed except him in the exam, he failed in reval too - Learnt what failure in life is, Another friend of mine wrote the same paper only for 15 marks and he was passed with good grades - Learnt what luck in Life is. Another friend designed an ebike completely himself and waited for the HOD's applause and response to it, I tell you the best feel is when you're applauded for your hardwork - the HOD checked the bike horn and says "Horn ellaam adikidheyy, paravaa illaye" - Learnt what Respect and Mockery is. It was not 4 years of Engineering, But it was 4 years of seeing what life is.
Final Year arrived and Placements came and this time we were all mature enough not to dream about ABB, SIEMENS, IBM, etc, as we dint want to have any more Free Falls. It was like people guess the company we got placed even before we say them. But worst part is about 3/4th of the colleges doesn't even have one. Engineering has become like investing in a finance company, which after 4 years bids you bye.
If you could remember, i told my friend at the beginning"you would enjoy engineering", but let me introduce a preposition into that line "Yeah, We enjoyed IN engineering, but not engineering". Used to scold my friends who are going abroad for their higher studies to UK and US. Might be lately now i realize, all these 4 years they learnt what life is, at least now may them learn what "Engineering" is!
