IIT-B faculty turns to Gandhigiri

Following a "raw" deal by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), which issued a notification on September 16 that deprived them of an immediate pay rise and ignored other demands for enhanced allowances, faculty of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have decided to express its dissatisfication with the Centre in a novel way.

Instead of holding protests, taking casual leave or going on a strike again, the staff has decided to draw inspiration from the movie Munnabhai MBBS and send a mail to the HRD ministry every day, outlining the work it does, including research, teaching and industry work. Occasional videos will also be part of this exercise.

"We have decided not to accept the latest amendments. We are asking for small things which are minimum for an education institution. We will write again to the HRD ministy to reiterate our needs," said M Thenmozhi, president, IIT-M Faculty Association. She added that once other institutes held their internal discussions, a joint meeting comprising IITs, IIMs and other institutes would be held over the next few days to decide the course of action.

"We have to establish the fact that the faculty has exemplary capabilities," said B K Chakravarthy, professor at IIT-Bombay, adding that there is a communication gap between the institutes and the HRD ministry which needs to be bridged to reach a consensus. "We are, in all of our intellectual capabilities, ahead of most scientists in the country. And the HRD ministry does not realise that the faculty at these institututions does not just teach, but also does work on a variety of platforms, including research and other avenues," said Chakravarthy.

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