Presidency College, Kolkata, one of the finest institutions in India for arts education has been the hub for the Bengali intellect. Set up in 1817 as Hindoo College with an aim to provide world class education and exposure to the Hindu elite in India, it came under government control in 1855 and was made open for all the sections of society.  Being the first western fashioned institute in Asia, It is considered by academics abroad to be the Indian equivalent of Harvard - both by historical significance as well as by academic standards. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine India Today.

The college started with the expressed objective of encouraging boys of landed and aristocratic families of the Bengal Presidency to join it, but has also traditionally attracted extremely meritorious students from district schools and colleges to it since the nineteenth century. It has the distinction of being the college where Academy Award winner Satyajit Ray and the Nobel Laureate ProfessorAmartya Sen studied. Rabindranath Tagore was admitted into the college, but spent only one day there.

Other prominent personalities who have studied in this institution were Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose,  The first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad,  Amartya Sen, eminent intellectuals, such as the scientist, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose

UG Courses Offered

• Honours subjects in Arts (B.A.)

• English
• Bengali
• Hindi
• Philosophy
• History
• Sociology
• Political Science
• Sanskrit
• B.A. General

• Honours subjects in Science (B. Sc.)

• Biochemistry
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Geography
• Economics
• Geology
• Physics
• Mathematics
• Zoology
• Physiology
• Statistics
• B. Sc. General

PG Courses Offered

• M. Sc. (as Constituent College):

• Mathematics

• M. Sc. (Autonomous):

• Botany
• Chemistry
• Physiology
• Applied Economics
• Molecular Biology & Genetics
• Applied Geology
• Physics
• Zoology
• Environmental System Management

• M. A. (Autonomous):

• English
• Hindi
• Geography

• M. A. (as Constituent College):

• Bengali
• Philosophy
• Sociology
• History
• Political Science

 "A young energetic self-starter, with proven analytical, leadership and interpersonal skills" is how Vivek Agarwal describes himself. Meet this guy from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur currently pursuing his degree for a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) in Civil Engineering.

To start with, he had finished in the top 1% of over 300,000 candidates in the highly competitive entrance examination for admission to the elite IIT’s. He has done his schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya, DRDO, Bangalore with 86% and 87% in his two board exams.

Some time ago, Vivek working with his team along with the  Indian Postal Department, developed a pioneer project that aims at harnessing the power of Internet in over six lakh villages across India in a sustainable fashion.  Earlier he had become the recipient of the SPIC MACAY Scholarship and studied Buddhist philosophy under His Holiness Dalai Lama for a period of six weeks. In 2006, Vivek had also interned with Quizmine, to come up with an innovative way of online coaching that focused on one – one interaction and was awarded special recognition for “Going Beyond the Call of Duty”.

So CampusFever asked him where he draws his strengths from? "I guess my knowledge about administration, my ability to convince people and my academic skills are my biggest strengths." says this young lad.

He presides over the  Students’ Gymkhana in his college and has been a Senator in the Students Senate for three years in a row! He has also been a State Coordinator for  Uttar Pradesh for the  Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN). And as a volunteer for  The Art of Living, Vivek has organized several “Youth Empowerment Seminars (YES)” touching over one thousand people on campus.

So far what has been his biggest achievement? "I'd say my work on the project that is set to touch over six lakh villages would be my biggest achievement not just because of its scale... but also because what it will do the to the Indian villages... bring technology to them... and technology I believe is a force of nature..And getting elected as the President here in college... would be a close second..." he adds with a humble smile.

Vivek has represented India at the International Conclave on Renewable Energy, which was organized in Portugal and was awarded Certificate of Merit in Green Olympiad. He is also a proud achiever of  the “Presidents Award” awarded by the  President of India, on successful completion of the Final level in Scouts.

He heads the marketing team of the college's annual hostel magazine and as the head of the student's gymkhana, he has implemented an “Online Account Portal” for greater transparency.

Any role models for this leader? "I don't like the idea of having one.. since that is like drawing a line to ur potential.. but I look up to people like Shashi Tharoor... and more closely it will have to be my elder brother!"

Besides befriending the greens and working for the people, he has other aces up his sleeve too. He was the Literary Captain in school and is the editor of a college magazine. Vivek has also directed and performed in several award winning plays and has attended a professional course on Theatre from Theatre in Education (TiE), Bangalore. He also has a thing for quizzing, having won feliciations in the area too.

While graduating out from school he was adjudged Best Outgoing Student. He relaxes with his knack for cooking, aero modeling, wood carving and  pallmistry among other things! In his light hours, this guy likes playing cricket.

What about future plans? "Hmmm.... 15-20 years from now.. I'd like to see myself into main stream Indian politics... for the short term... administrative services may be...." he declares confidently. Well, our vote shall surely be his!

CampusFever hopes Vivek continues to gather accolades and shapes out be the leader that he promises to be. All the best Vivek!

The CampusFever team caught up with the Director of Welingkar Institute Of Management, Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe, who has been the guiding force in making Welingker a name to reckon with, to let our users have a clear insight into what the new courses for being the new age Business Managers is like.      

Dr. Salunkhe holds degrees in the fields as diverse as Mechanical Engineering and Management in "Operations" and Doctorate in "Turnaround Strategies". A teacher and a lifelong learner Prof. Salunkhe is passionate about turning education into a mush more effective and useful tool. He has had a rich corporate experience of 12 years, which includes his tenure with Mahindra & Mahindra, ISPL and other companies.

What is the uniqueness of  PGDM(e-bizz) specialized courses and what is the duration of the course?

This PGDM(e-bizz) course is a unique blend of MBA curriculum with nearly 20 technology related (conceptual) subjects. The course is aimed at preparing techno-savvy managers who can be effective leaders driving innovative business models and transforming businesses as they embrace and leverage technology. Most industries today such as Banking, Insurance, IT, ITES/BPO, Retail, Pharma, FMCG , Telecom are highly geared on it and need people who can integrate technology with business strategy - The e-Biz programme does precisely this. The course has all the usual specializations such as Marketing/Finance/Operations/HR and now Retail.  What is advantageous is that the student can also select a Industry Segment to focus on. This subject is like a Finishing Course for the student to prepare him thoroughly for that industry. Recruiters are happy about this since the students are focused and well prepared for those industries and it makes it very easy for the recruiter to identify the right talent from the large number who apply. The duration of the course is two years on a fulltime basis.

What is PGDM (Business Design) about?

Since The market today is everchanging, it is essential to question the conventional framework and to 'Design' your own rules of business. It's not about the world of design, it's about the design of the world. The market-driven era is finally giving way to the people centered era. Businesses today are built around humans, not merely as customers of commodities. These days the world is based on creative economy, where 'Design' is the key differentiator for a company's success. And that's what PGDM (Business Design) aim at.

What PGDM Business Design Offer?

In order to weave Design Thinking into the main stream management, a multidisciplinary approach to management education is imperative. The PGPBD is therefore: The only program of its kind which blends Business and Design Nurtures Design Thinkers who can lead innovation in industry and apply design thinking to products, processes, customer experiences and even business models and strategy Nurtures a set of Design Managers for the growing Design Industry - pure design houses, media and advertising industry, content creation houses, IT industry as also corporate who need managers to interface with designers Develops an entrepreneurial / intrapreneurial mindset.

What is the Role of a Business Designers?

There are many roles a Business Designer has to play. Design Strategist / Design Interface Manager Business Analyst / Solution Architect / Information Architect Business & Organizational Architect Client / Account Manager Usability Manager 'Design Thinker' in any conventional roles Innovation Evangelist

What are the new pedagogies Welingkar is using for effective understanding of the courses?

The mode of teaching is equally important along with the content being taught. Teaching the subjects in an integrative manner is given high priority. Methods have been designed to learn by doing - prototyping, hands-on and experiential learning as designers tend to learn through activities. Also,  multiple media is used to present and learn the topics. Apart from this Critical Thinking, which questions every aspect, and Holistic Thinking, a human's centered approach, is looked after. The best way to have a holistic view of business is to have an integrated learning approach that can be effectively imparted using project based learning.

Civil Services aspirants better brush up your English skills fast if you wish to taste success in the changed examination pattern coming into force from next year.

The sample questions released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), experts say, indicate the requirement of a fairly high level of English competency. Though this is not the final indication on the quality of English skills to be tested it is surely a sign of the fact that English language skills might become crucial in separating the successful and the unsuccessful.

“Candidates from rural and semi-urban areas should take extra care in case they are weak in English or have studied throughout in the regional medium,” says V. Gopala Krishna, Director, Brain Tree, a popular Civils coaching centre. He says the sample questions released by the UPSC also indicate that the pattern of questions would not be a replica of the questions that appear in tests like banking recruitment tests or GRE.

As per the new pattern there will be no optional paper from next year and it will be replaced by an aptitude test. Aspirants expect that questions in the aptitude part may be on the lines of other popular examinations like Common Admission Test (CAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE). But Civil Services trainers say questions on comprehension, decision making and reasoning are expected from the arena of government and governance.

The preliminary examination would consist of two papers - Paper-I and Paper-II with 200 marks each. The paper-II will have seven segments including Comprehension, Interpersonal skills including communication skills, Logical reasoning and analytical ability, Decision making and problem solving, General mental ability, Basic numeracy and Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency.

Trainers like Mr. Gopala Krishna say that aspirants who have shifted to ‘Arts' subjects because of a dislike towards ‘Mathematics' in Class 10 should take extra care in preparing for Mathematics.

And the sample questions also reinforce the fact that analytical ability and logical reasoning will be given lot of importance in the preliminary test. “As the scenario is uncertain it is better to focus on building a strong foundation in new subjects so that any question can be tackled with ease,” Mr. Gopala Krishna advices.

“The comfort of non-maths questions in the prelims is totally taken off now,” says a trainer at R.C. Reddy Study Circle.

More and more engineers are getting drawn to civil services and new pattern will help them to a great extent. Candidates from humanities stream are likely to find the prelims tougher than previous years.

However, the new pattern offers several advantages for the aspirants. The changes in the pattern will have a multiplier effect. In the old pattern, an aspirant had to focus full time preparing for the Preliminary as the optional subject demanded ‘in-depth' study. Also, there was the lingering doubt whether the attempt would be a success or will the preparation help me in any other examinations?

“The new pattern is useful for almost all the competitive examinations. It will have the ‘popcorn effect' - it will take time before it yields results. But once you are successful in one exam similar results will follow in other competitive examinations,” Mr. Gopala Krishna feels. Majority of these candidates also appear for several exams for recruitment in Government sector like banks, defence and engineering services and this preparation will help them.

In the earlier system, where the candidate had to take a compulsory optional subject majority used to prefer the “scoring” subjects deviating from what they had studied at graduate or post-graduate level. Expertise in such subjects would not help candidates in other examinations except the Civil Services or Group-I exams conducted for the State cadre officers. But the optional subject carried an advantage with it for candidates who would succeed in prelims as they could have used that expertise in the Mains examination too.

source : the hindu

Thick books, heavy looks, an ever-stretching course list and endless studying hours are what law schools are all about. However, beneath these cliches, there lie some finer nuances which a person can always look back to. CampusFever takes a look at life in one of the leading law colleges of the country, NALSAR, Hyderabad.

"Academics form a core part of law school. There is a strenuous curriculum, and the rigmarole of presentations, the lectures and the moot court activities, is inescapable," says Ashrita Kotha, a 3^rd year student at the college.

And how rich is the student diversity? "Interacting with students from literally the four corners of India (Leh, Nagaland, Trivandrum and Bikaner) and also from other cultures such as Bhutan has been an enriching experience...."

What about events and functions? "We have events like cultural and food festivals, such as the Awadh-Magadh, Telugu, Punjabi, South Indian (Tamilian, Malayalam, Kannad), East Indian (Oriya, Bengali and the North Eastern) Cultural Fests that are hosted by the respective students. During such fests, the student-hosts personally serve the food and the mess is decorated traditionally...."

"Such experiences have helped me appreciate and take pride in the heterogeneous and resilient Indian culture. The urge me to speak in my mother tongue-Telugu and my linguistic identity has been reinforced ever since. Owing to the same, I have become more accepting and accommodating and have been able to overcome some of the notions that I had always clung to." says the girl.

And academics must be really heavy? "Not always... see, it's not just classes that keep us occupied...  we have compulsary projects for all the five subjects that we study every semester... and these projects are like research papers.... apart from that.... we have research papers that we have to compose!...

She adds on, "But its good....you can always like them if you accept them as a helping part of your growth.... I have come to realize that my academic or moot court achievements in the past two years are not things that I treasure most, there are other invaluable experiences and realizations which I will cherish for times to come....."

During the semester vacation of December 2006, she had the occasion of working with Human Rights Law Network, Cochin as a part of her course programme. "At such time I was involved with the legal aid work carried out especially with regard to the disabled. As a part of the same, I was able to speak to some of the disabled at close quarters. Such interaction was an eye-opener." she recalls.

So far so good. But lets talk about hostel life. "Well... every college has its drawbacks and hiccups but that does not mean we don't have any good things either.... The walks in and around campus, gossip sessions, late night movies, long phone calls, nonsensical chats, endless orkutting, midnight maggis, last minute submissions, surprise test tensions, times of sudden loneliness, running for breakfast five minutes before classes, friends for life, shopping sprees along with friends, sleeping during lectures.... it was all fun!" she adds cheerfully.

And as it turns out, life is not all books and lectures in "serious" colleges like NALSAR too. While producing some of the most quick and argumentative minds of the country, the college also manages to give the students a good and memorable experience of their lives as well.

The Central Board of Secondary Education has decided to offer the computer-based testing option for the All India Engineering Entrance Examination, only to one lakh students, on a first come, first served basis in select cities. Considering the fact that there was a huge embarrassment in CAT’09 and 10, they are being extra cautious as the number of students taking the test are much higher. It had 11 lakh students appearing for it in 2009, and if this exam becomes centralised for all colleges the numbers will be mind-boggling (students from all States will then take the exam, making it a number that will run into even a crore). Even in the current format, 11 lakh is too big a number, says an official source. The infrastructure needed to administer an exam like this will be stupendous. Which is why they are limiting the numbers to one lakh to test the waters, and limiting it to testing centres in a few cities.

This examination, which is the qualifying examination for undergraduate courses in engineering, architecture and planning in all the National Institutes of Technology (previously known as Regional Engineering Colleges) and a few other deemed universities and institutions that have an AIEEE quota, turns 10 this year. A notification on the AIEEE website states: “AIEEE will be conducted by Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi on 24th April, 2011 (Sunday) for admission to B.E./B.Tech. and B.Arch./ B.Planning courses. Sale of Information Bulletin will start from 15th December, 2010 from various branches of Banks/Institutions/Regional Offices of the Board.” It adds that candidates can start applying to take the test online from November 23 by logging on to aieee.nic.in.

In its current format, where students can choose between computer-based and ‘paper-and-pencil' format, the MHRD has allowed for both.Academics point out that going digital will give some an unfair advantage. “Unlike the CAT, this examination is given at the graduate level. Its audience is from across the country, including tier-II cities and even rural townships where computers are not as popular. At least, not yet,” says a principal of a Pre-University College.She explains that in two of the three pre-university colleges that she has taught in, students are not computer-literate. Even if they are, it is only to the extent of browsing or checking the e-mail. “To be able to do an exam online, that too at a consistent speed and level of accuracy, requires a fair amount of familiarity with computers. A large section of society is really not there yet, and we must wait for the digital divide to collapse before any such thing is attempted.”

Source : The Hindu

So we all know what life in IIT Delhi is like. We say so presuming most of us have read Chetan Bhagat's account of the same. But what about the life at the other IIT's? What's up in IIT Chennai? Or at IIT Kharagpur? Well.... recently one of our writers got in touch with one of his old friends who had made it through one of the most sought after IIT's.... and here follows his account. Campus Fever covers life at IIT Bombay.

Well, first things first, it is still known as IIT Bombay! And not IIT Mumbai. Read on.

IIT Bombay was the second Indian Institute of Technology to be established in the country. It was opened in 1958 with assistance from UNESCO and with funds contributed by the Soviet Union. The site chosen for the institute was Powai (also its current location), 29 kms. from the city of Bombay ( now Mumbai), with an area of 550 acres (2.2 km²) which was given by the then Bombay State Government. The campus is surrounded by Powai lake and Sanjay Gandhi national park and is in close proximity to the Vihar lake. It is extremely green and free from the city pollution.

Rahul, the student we relied on for the story talks to us passionately about his college. "As a student from the place I would like everybody to know some things....  Ragging is banned throughout India and this is taken very seriously by the IIT Management.  The standards of education are good but students are not expected to study all day and night. There is lots of free time for recreation and other activities. The course load on students has been reduced in recent past and student have more flexibility to take up courses from other departments also."

And what about other activities? "The extra-curricular activities like sports, dance, music, dramatics are done on a very good scale and have a very important place in the lifestyle of IIT."

Hostels are the integral part of the IIT facility. And down the timeline, we have known all the official and the unofficial events occuring (and staged) in the hostels across the country. What's it like there? "Food in the mess is edible, not more not less. However, there are lots of restaurants and food joints nearby the campus." says Rahul with a hearty laugh.

It is one of the most prestigious institutes of the country. Time and again, it has given the country some of the brightest minds. Everything in the college is impressive, be it the facult, the performance, the nurchuring or the facilities.

The hostels are almost always abuzz with activity. The management students share the hostels with the undergraduates. There are a lot of inter-hostel competitions that one can participate in and contribute towards the hostel. These activities span the whole gamut from literary events to sports. The hostels have a reading room, a TV room, a gym and a computer room. Usually, every weekend, movies are shown at the auditorium that helps take one’s mind off after a busy week. Further, one can unwind by playing indoor games like Table Tennis, Chess or Carroms.

The college is also touted to have one of the fastest working e-networks in the country. High-speed LAN internet is available for most of the day. However, the authorities have stepped up measures to restrict internet nd LAN usage to cultivate better interaction among students on a personal scale. Says Rahul, "Student interaction is very good and is one of the major factors for the quality of education in IIT."

In a place like this you have the conglomeration of a number of varied mindsets.... philosophers, thinkers, science-freaks, gold medallists... and what not! We guess it can never bore the laziest of the minds! Of course academics are the reason why the acronym "IIT" is so respected and worshipped in the country; however there is more to these institutions than just books and blackboards.

We are sure that college life is one of the most memorable times of one's life. And in the acknowledgement of the same, we have tried to cover life at one of the colleges in India. It is obvious that we might have ruffled up some old memories of some of our readers. And we invite any comments or incidents or memories that one would like to share about their times at IIT Bombay.