Something compelled me to write this post.May be needed right forum to share my view. So let me set the context before I share my views over it.
Context ( what I could gather from Facebook page) : Gujarat is dry state so boozing is not allowed as per law of the land.My so called prestigious college was raided by local police and caught 11 students red handed for indulging in boozing.This caught attention of local media TV and print media.Students were arrested and FIR was lodged in this matter against boys and girls involved in the act.College management suspended those involved 11 students for one year.Solidarity is shown by current batch by writing open letter to college management and by seeking support from college alumni of the college.Alumni is standing in support of those suspended students and demanding management to reconsider the decision.
Few snippets of argument posted by Alumni:
Fellow IRMANS/Alumni/People who have had IRMA influence in their lives…..“As regular people, we may all have broken the law (any law) at one point or the other – such is life! I too am guilty of the same as much as the next person. However, we did not get caught, publicly shamed and our careers were not affected by our indiscretions!”
“I am doing the same in my own batch – PRM 14 and I would request all other batches to throw their weight behind this!”
Facts:
a) I do not drink.
b) I do not support suppression of rights or freedom.
c) I am dormant alumni of the institute.
d) Drinking parties are not new phenomenon to the campus.
e) Students who were caught red handed are not minors.
So what is my argument ? Do I support alumni stand to pressurise management to pardon students.
I do not support alumni stand to rescue students from management or legal wrath.First of all alumni should not interfere in day to day administration unless asked officially by college management.Managing college is a full time job and for that matter chairman,director,faculty,batch coordinators i.e. entire system is appointed full time to take care of it.Also alumni must refrain themselves from indulging in selective social armchair activism from across the globe over Facebook ( in context to institute philosphy).These incidents are mere symptoms that such checks and balances are not institutionalised after Kurien departure ( which was more of “one man show” for decades).Compliances to existing processes and procedure is mere indicator of success of institutionalization of systemic codes, processes or procedures. I think Alumni is more responsible for all this mess today.Every year, outgoing batch introduce new batch with the inherited legacy.The new batch inherits it and further improve the records to pass the baton on to new batch.Somewhere something has gone too wrong and rather than admitting it few people are making clown statements like “first bring all batches to justice who drank at campus”. Are you serious Sir ?? Amitabh Bachan heroic logic in 70s may not be relevant or funny today in 2015.Try something new from your closet,
Secondly it is not about future of students who consciously chose to violate first state law and then institute charter but it is more about institute and its future.One must also take into cognisance that these defectors are not fresh school pass out as it is post graduate diploma course whose minimum qualification is graduation.So innocence should have been last excuse.Arguments like “youthful indiscretion” is shocking as these arguments has strong resemblance to Mulayam Singh Yadav ideology.Do we really want our graduating young managers from the institute to be responsible managers tomorrow sitting in boardroom exhibiting high standards of integrity or seeking excuse after excuse for other irresponsible behaviour ? They need to be trained and prepared to exhibit high standards of ethics and integrity which only could only be done at institute during these formative years.If we as a institute will fail to prepare our young graduating managers to face tough ruthless world where integrity is tested every other day,then we will fail as a society too.So onus is largely on our administration or management and we must support them to take some tough decision rather pleading for cover up.
Other common excuse is the case of future career of these students.If they were so serious about their career they must have abstained from such celebrations which is nothing but gross violation of state law.Now it is altogether different debate draconian existing state law.Drinking alcohol is not a crime and I m nobody to preach so but violating state law is crime and educated adult must behave as responsible citizen.Then only you could be considered for other roles in society or in business.
We make lot of noise as a society when a Bollywood superstar gets bails in less than three hours and then we also do lot of intellectual masturbation on discussing what’s wrong with our society or judiciary.I think this specific case of ” putting all the weight behind to stop conviction” is tragedy of our modern day society. We stand today as society of hypocrites. Politicians, judges/advocates or administrative officer/executive are not foreigners but people raised in similar ecosystem here in India.These individuals are nothing but product of society so the outcome would largely depend on the inputs i.e. Values,morals during formative years.
Solidarity is funny word in our society.You will always find many people out there to showcase solidarity ( due to one reason or the another) for Yakub Memon,Salman Khan,Sanjay Dutt,or for Asaram Bapu.But where is the sanity and rationality behind such solidarity ? These are more symbolic in nature.Few professors enjoys supporting students like Ram Jethmalani to show case the muscularity in campus corridors during such incidents.Students and their bodies run every time to such professors when crises falls.I think it is cardinal sin as indirectly it is like laying weaker foundation of future for both student and drilling into pillars of the institute.Don’t expect to harvest great managers in future from the campus with such poor leadership.Thats why I believe that it is difficult time for institute rather than for those accused children as administration failed to engage these students into meaningful activity. Some introspection is required here.
Someone told me an interesting incident about why student use to abstain from using leisure facility at campus when Kurien used to be at helm of affairs.When Kurien was managing affairs of IRMA, he has one strange habit of having breakfast at student mess on Sundays.One day he found two students watching TV after breakfast and he walked up to them to know the reason for enjoying spare time on Sunday morning at campus.He also went to the room of these students to see the quality of assignment and rest is history.Next day entire faculty was in his chamber to do the explaining.He envisioned residential course so that students could utilise each and every resource from library to faculty.Such was his administration but he failed to institutionalise these concepts.
These managers are your brand ambassadors so choose them cautiously and groom them vigorously so that they could face this ruthless world.Integrity and ethics cannot be compromised and should be the guiding mantra which gives distinctivenes to Indian management.
May be I need to stop here.Please don’t judge me as if I am taking too idealistic route. Also it is not that I haven’t broken any rule at campus during those two years (only after understanding the future consequences) and if I did I have faced it alone.
May be I am suffering from something what joker says to batman ” Misplaced sense of self- righteousness “
my splendid sins 