To Sir, With Love
Sidney Poitier and this fantastic movie is more poignant than ever. There is a lot one can crib about the state of education in India but lets also celebrate the islands of excellence in education. The islands are of course our IITs. Certainly a gift to our nation from a great mind….Jawarhal Nehru. What Stanford is to the Silicon Valley, the IITs are to our country`s growth and confidence.
They are also back in a new reincarnation for people who did not have the privilege of attending (or making the cut as one may say) while in their teens and twenties. Am speaking of their Continuing Education Programs. From personal experience their programs in Business Excellence, Steel Casting and the more intensive Human Resource Development and Marketing Programs are treasure troves waiting to be discovered. Not to mention their programs in Mathematics to get minds whirring again after gathering a bit of rust.
These are of course the programs at their vibrant Mumbai campus located around the scenic Powai lake. All are little gems, delivering more than expectation in a typical understated IIT way. Each is a voyage of discovery backed with the resources of IIT, in a live classroom environment comprising of young engineers along with marketers from FMCGs, entrepreneurs and senior professionals. Each participant sharing his or her own experience and learning from the intense interaction.
What you need is just curiosity and ability to share. What you can take back is personal growth, the joy of learning and reinventing yourself and of course life long bonds. So what, if your professors happen to be younger than you!
dtd. 06/04/2010