Remember Chetan Bhagat’s FPS? What’s FPS? Does one need to say Five Point Someone? Check your nearest bookstall, people, still, must be echeloning outside shops to get their hands on a copy of the book.
The cover for the highly publicised Five Point Someone screamed ’The lives of three IITians’ - a paradox in itself, as it’s hard to imagine an IITian having a life apart from quantum physics, applied mechanics and other terms which are even scarier than being caught red-handed while stealing question papers from HoD’s office. However, Five Point Someone is an amazingly realistic account of the life of any collegian.
If you are an IITian, you will probably relate very well to this light-hearted narrative about the life of three average guys at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (And if you are an IITian you would also know what ’average’ in IIT means). If you are not an IITian, you will still enjoy this book like I did (I am not even a techie). Is it sounding like some book review? Oops! Here I have a point to make.
I believe, there is something more to the book that has paved the way for such an overwhelming success. What it could be? Engrossing storyline? Nah! tell me something new. Eloquent narration? True, but doesn’t it look like text version of DCH. Ingenious presentation? You bet on that, but there was something else. Gripping characters? Oh! sure, how could we forget Ryan, do such men exist? Or for that matter Prof Cherian’s flawless daughter Neha! Now, before you abort this in the mid-way and open FPS for the 19th or may be the 20th time, I must unveil the factor that persuaded us the most to read it over and over again. The IITs. Disappointing, but true. We all someway or other love peeping into immortal world of the IITs and the IIMs.
There is something about IITs. Or even IIMs. Any news coming out of any quarter, if it is about any of these coveted institutions, we don’t waste much time to make it a national issue. Probably, after Ganguly-Chappell controversy, IIMs and IITs are the biggest fad among the Indians. If we don’t have the calibre to breach past their entrance wall, (so what?), we need not crack any entrance to sermonise anything and everything about it.
How about fee rise in IIMs? More autonomy? Are they doing enough for the nation? IITs, is it like a cell where you are bumped for four years? What they have that others don’t? Do they need more security cover? How many MNCs are wooing them this year? And latest of them all, should they go global?
Like always, there are two sets of thoughts. One argues, we can’t compete globally without imbibing the globalisation culture and foreign branch of IIMs is one such step. So, let this endeavour march forward and hoist Indian flag very high in foreign lands. While, the other school of thought feels that IIMs has got a lot of things to do within India before it spreads its wings outside. So, let IIMs broaden their vision and look around within India. Fair enough.
May be, they should go global and have their presence felt world over. Much like global banks, IIMs should become ’world’s own institute’. Or may be, they should expand within India first, till they have a seat for every Indian graduate.
Hang on, are we missing the plot here? We are talking about IIMs and IITs. They teach management (and technology). Do they need politicians to manage them? So, let’s start another heated discussion here. Do management gurus need political babus to manage them? Do you want to add something? Guess, as a nation we are talking alot about them. It’s time now to set them free. The sacred words ’Live and let live’ apply to them as well.