Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Unconvincing

This refers to the article "Eviscerating a holy cow" (Open Page, May 7). IITs are the benchmark for high-quality technological education. Therefore, the argument that the author — himself a student of IIT — is developing into a `techno-clerk' fails to convince. How does he explain the brand name created by the alumni of the institute? The atmosphere in IITs is what gives the IITians their tag. Students going into them should be worthy of it. Which is why the stress is on merit as the sole criterion for admission. Finally, one cannot expect everything to be taught in classrooms. It is surprising that the author feels his intellectual horizon has been restricted.

M.V. Srisha Rao,
Udyogamandal, Kerala

The article reflects a remarkable concern for social equity though it overshadows the analysis of the reservation issue. If, as the author says, grinding (coaching) is the only thing that has churned out success in the IITs, albeit at a cost, why does he not develop the argument to provide that facility to the deprived class? One must think of plans to support the backward sections up to a point instead of providing arbitrary reservation.

R. Agastya,
Hyderabad

The author deserves praise for his openness. A student of IIT speaking about IITs is indeed significant. The mention about reservation in the army is uncalled for, though the spirit behind the comparison is noteworthy.

U. Muralikrishna,
Visakhapatnam, A.P.

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