The Deemed University Menace. JIIT, Noida not yet de-recognized.

You realize the fact of how media un-proportionally blows up on a certain issue only when you are directly connected to it. What makes me get to this is that recently my college Jaypee Institute of Information Technology (JIIT), Noida was unfortunately black listed in the universities to be de-recognized by the Union Grants Commission (UGC), Government of India.

Speaking about the current status of my college, is has got the 'Status Quo' by the Honbl' Supreme Court of India. That's a different part of the story though. The more important point is how the information presented to the people by the media has not only dented the reputation of the black listed colleges but also of the students studying there. Most of the news channels and the newspapers quoted comments from the Government representatives or education experts but there was no feedback from the university authorities. Shouldn't the news we read in the newspapers give us a more complete picture.

What this has led to is that most people know JIIT Noida or any of the listed college for that matter has been listed is being de-recognized. They have no idea of the previous reputations of the colleges or their education facilities. Simply because they didn't read about that in the newspaper or heard about that in the news!

The more direct impact on the students has been that whenever there is a discussion about the college they are studying in there is always that unsaid negative image that is formed about the institute. So travelling in the metro or going to college fests I have heard people saying "See these guys are from JIIT. The college that has been recently de-recognized".

I am not getting into the defense for my college, but trying to bring forward to you a more broader outlook of what actually the situation is. What most newspaper reports read was that the colleges lacked infrastructure. I can't be commenting about the other colleges, but anybody who has visited JIIT Noida Sec-62 campus could tell you if at all the campus lacks infrastructure. As for the misconception that the university lacks courses in Mechanical or Civil Engineering etc. , the university has been declared as an IT University. An institute that can be called a university even if it doesn't have these courses. And all the courses are accredited by the apex authority All India Council for Technical Council (AICTE). The education quality is also at par with the most private institutions of the country.

What's has happened is that despite proper education environment (according to the previous reports by the same authority about 6 months back) the institute has been black listed. There has been no elaborate report in the limelight on what it is actually wrong. Is it fair enough, to eliminate deemed universities just because their number abruptly grown in the country?

Again, not questioning the credibility of the decision made by the Government Authorities but just putting forward a simple logic point, shouldn't the decision that involves the future of over 2 Lac students be dealt more delicately?

If there is any truth to the reports against the colleges, it is yet to be brought out.

I don't intend to advertise or speak highly about my institute, but to put the message that let's stop making judgments and form opinions be it on any issue with just bits and pieces of information we have.

Take a break. Listen to some 'LIVE MUSIC'

If you haven't yet attended any LIVE Music Show, I recommend you must. Real stress buster. Doing that is quite simple and also quite cheap. Keep a check on websites like '
www.bookmyshow.com' or simply keep a track of college fests going around in your city. If you wish I can inform you about that.

I had always wanted to listen Live music. I had previews of some of it school, with some societies doing live shows at school. But the real opportunity came in when I joined college. I realized the reason why most college students (including me) were excited about their college fest was the Star Nights or Pro Nights or whatever specific names are given to these 'special' night events. What happens at these 'special night' events is renowned singers and bands perform especially for the college students. Just as they would do on for any concerts they may have organised in your city previously.

The first Live music I attended was at IIT Delhi by Mohit Chauhan and Faridkot*. What was more fascinating was that I gained entry even with out a pass. Thanks to my friends Arjun and Arpit. Since then I have been a Mohit Chauhan Fan. So why a live music show? You could always listen to some good music at your really capable music system. But apart from the great music, it's the atmosphere. The ambiance , the enthusiasm of the people present there and the fun being with your friends leaves you thrilled. There seems to be a seamless connection between you and the singer. The performances are such crafted that you feel the singers are exclusively performing for you!

The performances refresh you to the core. Hearing it LIVE is nothing like it.

So getting back to the point of where and how do you get the info about the concerts. If you are a college student, this is simple as I mentioned earlier. Just flash your college ID card at a college fest and get a pass which would either be free or cost at most around 300 bucks. Many would include that in the Registration Fees which you paid for participation (if you did) in the events. Another way could be to find friends like mine who could get you entry through "other" means.

If you are not a college student, simply keep a check on websites like bookmyshow.com or kyazoonga.com. Many concerts that are held in your city provide tickets through these websites. Doesn't mean you could not attend the performances at college fest which are definitely cheaper. All you have to do, is arrange for passes through a college student or get VIP passes through the organizers considering the fact that many 'grown ups' wouldn't like to be in the hustle bustle of college students.

Believe me the experience is truly refreshing. But make sure that you have somebody to accompany you to the show, going alone could be quite be boring. I have tried that. Share your experiences with me, write back to me at muditbhargava09@gmail.com or just a drop your comments here.

*Faridkot are the runners up of Channel [V] Launch Pad. You can check www.faridkotonline.in /

A not so good quality video of the IIT Delhi event. You can find more of them at You Tube.

Treasure Hunt Questions and Solutions

Thanks for your overwhelming response. Here is the question sheet and the answers for the elimination round of Treasure Hunt.

Click here to get the questions.

Ans. 1 :Debit Card, The Eyes , A decimal point, Dormitory, Eleven plus two,Countryside
Ans 2. Despair, Encircle, Tennis, Blackberry Smart Phone
Ans 3: Penleope Cruz
Ans 4: Post
Ans 5: 'e'.

Results:
1. Navashree Bhardwaj and Akshita - 95 points
2. Aman Gupta and Prateek Thawani - 60 points

You can check out for the other results with me later. Twelve teams have been selected.