Engineers make the world! This aphorism did the rounds when the profession was limited to a few talented students. However, I wonder if we can rely upon such engineers who get passed out from universities but not cognizant — most of the passed out engineers do not even get acquainted with the basics of the subject, even after undertaking four long years of regular coaching. It’s fairly common in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Maharashtra that engineers who are out for the count from most of the engineering colleges treasure no market value.
The world’s top fifty universities in engineering and technology in preceding many years do not take in any Indian university or college in India. The recent Higher Education World Reputation Rankings of the top 100 institutions, has its segment from all the BRIC countries, except India. The contravening view might be that we can handily blame it on the bias, or modestly disregard the global ranking. Nevertheless, there is a need to strappingly gawk into the issue. What has been pragmatic in the contemporaneous scenario is — while the government-run institutions have their stake of challenges, the private institutes and universities, perceived to be a ray of hope, seem to be less alarmed in refining eminence.
Near-term to my standpoint, there is no doubt that talent cannot be surpassed by anything — and a brilliant person will make a way for him in any sort of adversity and can establish self, ubiquitously. The problem here is with the people who buy the education. Education is not a diurnal service that can be bought just in the flea market. Nevertheless, the present education has made it feasible. If a person is ready to spend a huge sum, management quota seats are available for sale, mayhap the jobs as well. Just imagine a person getting himself employed with the influence of the same money and getting convoluted him in the engineering works. Isn’t the feeling itself is so trembling?
Engineers like Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya brought laurels to the engineering profession. He was time-honored even with the Indian Republic’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna in 1955. Also, he was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Indian Empire (KCIE) by King George V for his contributions to the public good. Every year, September 15 is celebrated as Engineer’s Day in India in his memory. He is held in high regard as an unsurpassed engineer in India.
I wonder how a person could be captivated in the engineering course — for that matter to any other course — if a student does not have any sort of aptitude for that course. In this locale, I recollect a cartoon from a famous Telugu news daily in which a person tells another that he was not nervous for his youngster getting an engineering seat but worried if he gets a seat in any other graduation course. This cartoon appeared when it was the opening of the mushrooming of engineering colleges in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. At that moment it was a funny cartoon. But, the same turned into reality, nowadays.
If there is no control over such education, surely that day is not far away when akin to engineers being produced from the colleges, we get doctors produced from the medical colleges who are not even aware of the human anatomy after completing the entire course. It’s rather a serious threat to the societies and needs to be addressed timely beforehand a great loss occurs.
Before I bring to a close, I would like to hold forth the famous poem from Vemana Satakam which when literally translated means: a ladleful of a Sacred cow’s milk is enough of what worth is even a pot full of donkey’s milk; even a little food given with respect is sumptuous – beloved of the bounteous, Vema, listen! (“గంగి గోవు పాలుగరిటడైనను చాలు కడివెడైననేమి ఖరము పాలు భక్తి కలుగు కూడు పట్టెడైనను చాలు విశ్వధాభిరామ, వినుర వేమ”)
– Dr. Suman Kumar Kasturi
