Its a question of focus - silly!!

Varun in this post reports an unfortunate suicide at the IIT-B campus. In the same posts he points to apparant apathy of the administration at the IIT regarding the serious incident.

He later wrote an update on the same issue, which in a way clarified some early judgements that he might have suggested which on closer analysis turned out to be incorrect.

He says that despite this case not being the right example - the system at the IIT is tough for some who ends up being the wrong person in the wrong place pursuing the wrong career.

Well if that is the case - then why blame the IIT or its system. A person is going to be stressed, if he is in a place he doesn't want to be in and he is doing what he doesn't want to. Most of us face times when we are in a similar situation and are hence stressed. The stress leads to something as drastic as suicide if the condition persists and one is helpless, unable to address the situation. The case of this IIT boy belongs to this category(his father it seems does not want him to be popularised for what happened - hence no names or links here).

The question to ask is why do people reach such dead ends ??

In nut shell because of peer pressure, fear of failure and burden of expectations. Too heavy? Let me explain

Peer Pressure
One finds umpteen examples of students taking of careers because their friends chose it and/or that career is considered the 'in' thing. Add to this a lack of awareness of alternative careers among students and parents alike. By the time they realise that they married someone they don't like - its too late. Unlike a bad marriage - a dioverce is next to impossible with a career.

Fear of Failure
It is in our environment. We don't accept failures as a part of life. People who failed at a few things are often branded good for nothing. Thus no one wants to fail - atleast not visibly. So they go on - try hard - not to fail, even when a person feels he/she is not into something that appeals to himself/herself.

Burden of Expectations
A typical child in India grows under the load of expectations of parents, friends, teachers and whoever is around. A very large number of Indian students live their parents' dreams - careers that they could not pursue or achieve. I became an engineer because I was good at math and everybody made me believe thats what I should naturally be doing. I thank God that I never hated Engineering as much - but who knows I might be worth more in some other career. (I eventually found one is a different matter)

Opportunity Cost
There is another very important reason - like a incessant vicious spiral - a person first delays his decision to go back on his commitments to a career gradullay increasing the cost of going back. When he finally decides to go back the opportunity cost seems unsurmountable.

I meet many students who decide to pursue management under the influence of one or more of the above reasons - but find it really difficult to cope with the demands that it heaps upon them in terms of preparation for entrance exams. However by the time they would realise it they might have spent a couple of ten thousands on preparation and another similar figure into applying for various exams and to various colleges. This will push them into somehow cruising along to get selected to an institute/course they never dreamt of. Once out of the B-School isn't it foolish to say - well I don't want to become a manager you see.

Finally
Its a question of focus you see. If one is clear about one's objective and does not settle for anything less - he will never commit suicide - even when he fails. Are parents, students and those who blame the system for everything - listening? I hope they do.

selling hope in the classrooms

Rashmi in a rather unusual post and-no-1-cat-coaching-class-is says
"Cosmetics is the business of selling 'hope in a jar'. Coaching is pretty much the same thing, except in an overcrowded little classroom"

Some food for thought - that.

A Look around us and we find every student right from a school going kid to an undergraduate has turned himself into an IIT aspirant, an IIM aspirant, an IAS aspirants, a CA aspirant so on and so forth. And each of this category visits a coaching classe nursing, not necessarily serving, their dreams. So far so good - the bigger question that confronts us - do most of these students know what they are into?

Explosion of Numbers
Not long ago a very small percentage of students aspired for a seat in the IITs, IIMs. The numbers have grown tremendously. CAT-2005 was taken by more than 1,75,000 students. Anywhere between 2 to 3 times that number aspire for & appear in the IIT-JEE. The rise in numbers is particularly sharp in the last three years.

The reasons seems to be a herd mentality among students coupled with superb promotion machinary actuated by increasingly professional coaching classes. Wait..... this post is not yet another haraunge on increasing unethical practices among coaching classes - its about something more serious.

Coaching - an FMCG business?
So aptly put by Rashmi in that single statement - coaching has been transformed from a business of supporting the weaker lot to a business of selling success in competition.

• Like a vanishing cream promising beauty (read fair skin) coaching classes today promise sucess to dreams of students and parents alike.
• Like most cosmetics the claims made by these coaching institutes are highly questionable (if not false outrightly) check the post here for some data.
• Cosmetics companies hire models/celebrities to endorse their products when those celebrities might not themselves be users of the products. Coaching classes today do the same - they pay successful students to endorse their classes.
• Cosmetics companies bundle freebies, discount schemes to boost sale of a product. Coaching classes aggressively do that. A leading coaching institute in Central India openly offered Rs. 1 Lakh Scholarship (yes it was called Scholarship) to students for enrolling with them and finally making it to the IIMs. Another one offered upto 20% discount for enrolling in a group of more than 20. Yet another offers a free trial for first week and so on
• Like most cosmetics companies the fee (price) charged by most coaching classes is bloated beyond comprehemsion. In case of cosmetics they sell at such exbortinant price because they play on the inherent insecurity of a human being about his/her appearance. Similarly coaching classes play on the inherent insecurity of students/parents about their future careers.
• A cosmetic company in its enthusiasm to expand its business do not hesitate promising unrealistic results which obviously never happens. Coaching classes also do the same often getting young vulnerable mind to register for courses which are neither relevant nor usefult to them.

So what?

The problem is that today education has become a commodity and students their clients. As a result conventional marketing thinking is being applied to this business - Questions are asked as to what new 'target segments' exist? How can one 'convert' them to premium ctegory products? How can one create a 'brand' or 'media presence' which will attract larger volumes?

To be fair - this has also improved the quality of service (which might not always be education) and the availability of resources to students. But it has also created a hype about a few careers. Today a student gets committed to a few courses without knowing his/her own fit to the course. This happens most at the behest of 'Academic advisors' of the coaching institutes.

One can increasingly notice two categories of students emerging from this system -

One of those who succeed in the exams - feel they were always great stuff and hence often carry a false sense of superiortiy.

Another who feel shattered after not making it because they got committed to a wrong course(For Eg. a student with a purely hindi medium background in education getting committed to CAT for admissions to the IIMs). This happens because they were shown the great lifestyle of an IIM or the paypackages that they achieved from these careers.

Will something happen to this culture before it takes higher proportion - or that we will eventually become a society full of overconfident low achievers and of nervous havocs.

PS. There is one more thing about the analogy of cosmetics and coaching institutes. Most cosmetics might not achieve the fabulous result they promise - however sustained use do give a user healthier skin (if not faires). Similarly most coaching classes add to the growth of the student although their dreams often get shattered. Probably that is the reason both businesses still thrive.

The Soap - Horror

"I have no interest in married women. However, I don't like even to talk to divorced women" - barked the character in a prime time soap on the number one entertainment channel. In a particularly twisty turn of events when the woman in question signs on her divorce papers in a bid to win over his latest love - the one who barks back at her with those words. My parents with their infinite interest for the family drama that is beamed everyday to millions of homes was glued as always to every dialogue. I felt sick.

The character continued his high intensity delivery suggesting the reason why he doesnot talk to "divorced women" said he something like "I do not consider divorced women to be honest or committed". Is this just a case of poor editing /directing or does this point to a larger question facing us as a society.

The soap was cashing in on an ingrained notion in the nation's psyche - that divorce is bad, a divorcee is worse and a divorced woman is the worst. Do we still believe that divorces happen because the woman in the marriage lacks commitment? Do we still not accept a divorcee single woman as a responsible adult who might have had genuine differences with her spouse and decided to break rather then to compromise?

Tough question. Going by the popularity of the soap & the channel in question the answer is depressingly clear

The Ganguly Saga

Saurav Ganguly is out. And there are critics out there to write his obituary. There are others who are sad because of the way he was thrown out. There is still another section that believes that he is a victim of intense polictics in the BCCI. The truth as always lies somewhere among all these.

He is Out for sure
Does saurav have any chance of coming back if one were to believe his words that he has at least three more years of international cricket in him. Odds are heavily against him currenlty.

He is performing as shoddy as he has been for some time (I was about to write as shoddy as ever) whie team India seem to have been reinvigorated as soon as he went out. Almost as if he were the one who was keeping the team from performing. Unfair as it is the above statement defines the extent odds are against him.

His departure has become a message, even if unwittingly, for the team to shape up or ...... It would be difficult for the selectors or the board to bring him back for the fear of dilution in this message. Moreover the message seems to be working - Individuals are fighting for their place already.

Saurav deserved a better walk out??
Surely. He deserved a glorious walk out - he has been a most successful captain, and was definitely one of the most talented cricketers of the country. His record makes him great.

But wait.... before we blame the media and his baitors for his sorry condition lets for a moment think - how it could have been different?

I think, this could have been different, if dada would have learnt his lessons from Tendulkar. In today's commercial cricket greatness is respected as long as it comes packaged with performance and tact. Performace would vary but tact demands that one listens with his ear to the ground and responds to the call of the times. All that Ganguly was required to do was furnish his resignation as Captain on the first such major hint in the media and he would have been a hero. I bet all those currently writing his obituary would have been training there guns to save his cap. He deserves this because he latched on with his now celeberated stubbornness and did not live up to the call of the time which leaders would.

He victim of Board Politics
Everyone who is a beneficiary of politics will one day be a victim of it. Stay clear of politics if you are not a politician.

Finally
He deserves more respect however he is also a case study in poor public relations and unless he improves that aspect of his performance he has no chance whatever be the number of years of cricket he has left in him.