Teachers Day: Directors of top IITs get nostalgic about their college days

A couple of decades ago, many engineering students studying at various IITs had no inkling that one day they will go on to head the same institutes, in which they once studied. Several IIT directors who did their bachelor's and master's are aware of both the sides of IITs. In the 70s, they were just nationally acknowledged undergraduate institute and there was no maddening craze surrounding it.
Teacher-student relationship
In late 1970s, there were only five IITs, which were located in remote places, away from the cities.This increased the connect between students and faculty members. "In 1974, when I was a BTech student at IIT Kanpur, IITs could hardly accommodate close to 1200 students. There used to be a close-knit relationship because IITs were situated in remote locations and there were only handful of students. It was a common sight to see student -teachers playing a match of tennis," says Uday B Desai, present and founding director of IIT Hyderabad.
With the increasing numbers of IITs, the faculty members have started contributing to other IITs which has reduced their time in the campus. "Now, professors have started travelling to other centres, and students have to make an effort to freely interact with the faculty," Rajiv Shekhar, director of IIT Dhanbad, who studied BTech from IIT Kanpur.
Different aspirations
With the world becoming more competitive and horizon of opportunities expanding, students' goals are also changing. Nowadays, students have huge aspirations and the means to follow them. "Students in 60s-70s did not know the relevance of IITs as the institutions were not well-established, but now, students enter the campus with pre-conceived notions and plans," said Desai.
Speaking about students being more focused now, Shekhar says, "Students at the age of 21 want to be independent; we hardly knew what we wanted to do when we were in college. We just cared about going to classes and have fun."
Teaching technology: Then v/s now
Teaching technology to students who hardly had access to any technology would have been way different than teaching to a generation of iPads and laptops.
"If it is just about lectures it was easier earlier, but now teachers also have to keep learning to match pace with technological advancements," says Timothy Gonsalves, director of IIT Mandi who pursued BTech from IIT Madras in 1976.
Nowadays, students have access to online lectures, reading material and access to study materials from some of the well-known institutions. "Teaching pedagogy has not changed but with introduction of digital boards and PowerPoint presentations, the classroom transaction of instructions has changed. I still feel uncomfortable writing on the white-board," said Shekhar.