A big thanks to everyone for responding so passionately. Let me reiterate once again - the post was not meant to provoke but highlight the fact that we are celebrating something that we shouldn’t be proud of. The reason why its a lot tougher to get into IIT/IIM than Harvard or MIT is because people there have a wider choice of top schools.
I don’t intend to be prescriptive in any of my posts. I got a lot of responses from people who argued about everything from public policy to pedagogy and legislation. Some of the responses were completely off the mark and argued against current legislations like reservation and other affirmative actions. My personal opinion about this subject (though it may only be tangentially related to the current post) is that no nation can progress without taking the entire nation along - even if it means a couple of generations have to make sacrifices for a greater future, so be it. After all, we’ve been independent for less than 62 years - Americans were hunting each other down 60 years after their declaration of independence. Once again, this is a very contentious subject and I would rather leave it alone.
I request everyone who has sent me mails to post their views on the blog - the comments section is not moderated - so feel free to candidly comment.
Let me add a disclaimer right at the outset: This post is not intended to be provocative and I definitely do not want to be drawn into a lengthy debate.
My earliest brush with the word IIM was in primary school when my father, an employee in a public sector company, spoke about the time he first stood outside the gates of IIM (Bangalore) many years before his marriage. That image got stuck in my mind and there were many nights when I tried visualizing what my father had described - I wanted to feel the same awe. I got my chance not much later when one fine day, sometime during my middle or high school, my father decided to take me to IIM(B) on his 50CC moped. After what seemed like a very long journey, we reached the imposing gates and a huge signage with the words Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. After a quick chat with the security head, we walked in. I don’t remember how many hours we spent walking around the campus but it was late evening by the time we started our ride back. The return journey seemed a lot shorter - I was just not in my senses. It was a kind of high that I’ve experienced very few times after that (the latest when I was getting my married to my wonderful wife). I was hooked - and from that day forward, all I wanted to do was to force my way through those gates.
