Rotting here

This institute leaves a lot to be desired, and that is just putting it mildly. Here are some data points to support my "hypothesis":

1. We have been charged mammoth fees in the name of facilities and hostel. Facilities such as computer and phone. The document said that there would be a phone in every room. Nada! Nothing at all like that! On top of it, the condition of the hostel is filthy. The paint chips off the walls and ceilings. The lift does not work. In fact the warden and programme director have themselves told us to refrain from using the lift. It is supposed to be replaced and they are aware that it is dangerous. Yet, batches after batches pass out without seeing any real action.
2. The placements are entirely the business of the students. Students must go out, get companies, entertain them without even so much as cooperation from the powers responsible. The director can be caught unawares... wouldn't even know that a process is going on! Unique!
3. The course scheduling is horrible. Perhaps they need to take some lessons from the OR guy on project scheduling. For one course, we were supposed to have only five classes. Can anybody guess when those happen? No, wrong. They take place all in the last week of the term when we have a hundred other submissions lined up and we are actually supposed to wind up everything and study for a couple of days before the exams begin, instead of just sitting in one class, learning alien concepts and analyzing cases, pretending that we have nothing better to do in life.
4. The mess sucks. Unlike all NORMAL places, there is no system of pay-as-you-consume. You have to pay an astronomical amount regardless of whether you eat once a day or once a month. And then you find cockroaches in the food. Of course, the caterer cannot change. There is a tender to be floated and I am sure you can figure out why they like only this one caterer for years and years.
5. The infrastructure is poor, to say the least. There is no place to entertain companies, play sports. There is an area near the canteen that stinks as though there are some remains decomposing there. God help! Maybe we need to call Dr. Brennan to figure out what it is.
6. There will be random guest lectures scheduled. Each person coming and talking about the same thing, sometimes. I understand, sometimes it is needed for networking. But imagine this, some guy coming and telling you how he hasn't fallen ill for 40 years and how you must use his methodology in your life.
   

The only savior of this place are the students perhaps. Perhaps their spirit is breaking as well. Mine certainly is. And to think, what all I gave up to come to this place. Sigh.

Worst Rooms at IIFT

The x7-x8 series of door-less rooms at IIFT are probably the worst ones. Let me explain the architecture of the rooms here in the old hostel. There are two adjacent rooms separated by a gallery that houses a bathroom and a restroom. Usually, each of the two rooms has an independent entrance and a second door that opens into the gallery with the bathroom. This gives a reasonable sense of separation from the washing area and the so-called adjacent room.

However, on each floor the 7-8 pair of rooms are an anomaly. There is only one entrance that goes in via the x8 room. There are no doors between the two rooms and washing area. It is like living in a noisy dormitory with little privacy or peace. Everyone who goes into x7 has to go via x8. The x8 people have to act as doorkeepers all the time. All this becomes much worse when the people in x7 have a proliferating social life and absence of paraphernelia that enables people to speak in a normal human low tone.

Living in x8 is tiring and irritating, especially for someone who needs some quiet time during the day, needs peace to study or sleep. This is extremely testing. Why don't they just put all noisy people in such rooms and let them enjoy each others' company? Why torture peace-loving souls?!

Lastly, exams are around the corner. I hope the noisy events in the adjacent room go down or I might have to resort to some tough talking. I hope it doesn't come to that.