A recent conversation with an outgoing student left a lasting impression on Professor John Varghese, principal of St. Stephen's College, Delhi. When Varghese asked the student about his future plans, he replied that he was joining IIT Madras to study chemistry. Varghese was happy. But, when he heard what the student wanted to do after going through IITM's renowned chemistry department, he was elated. "Sir, you said during an assembly that though our college had successful alumni, we do not have a Nobel laureate," the student said. "I am going to try to win a Nobel Prize." Moved, the principal responded with a hug. "If the students have such aspirations, they will surely do very well in life," said Varghese.
This is just one example of the students at India's top colleges aiming for the sky. As the country pushes on towards its vision of being a developed nation, today's students will have a key role to play in ushering in a better tomorrow. Viewed in that context, the responsibility on colleges takes on a whole new significance.
Nothing less than excellence will suffice. Colleges also have the vital duty of character building.
Thankfully, India's best colleges have always been aware of their critical task, even if parents, or indeed students, are sometimes guided by more short-term goals. While academic rigour is a given in the country's top colleges, there also seem to be a lot many initiatives afoot that are geared towards the wholeness of developing young minds. And, they stem from clear long-term vision.
You can feel this consciousness in the ambience of St. Stephen's, which has been ranked the best science college and the second best arts college in India by THE WEEK-Hansa Research Best Colleges Survey 2024.
Denne historien er fra June 30, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 30, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
