rohitj's domain

So, in IITK we get net access through LAN. LAN not only gives us access to internet but also supports our LAN activities like file sharing, gaming etc. No doubt internet has decreased human interaction and is making people introvert/weaker. IITK is facing a similar problem. Some frequent suicides in past 2 years brought the issue that interaction between students should increase. And interaction between senior and junior students should increase as well. And authority came up with the rule that for first 3 semesters students should not be allowed LAN or personal computers. For computing purpose they should use Computer Center or Hall Computer Center. They claimed that reason for decreasing student interaction is computers. Students tend to spend most of their time in front of computer rather than with other students. To some extend its not wrong. If I consider myself, I spend most of my time in front of computer, and because of computers only, I spend most of my free time on computer rather than with friends. But being an extrovert guys ( I am pretty much extrovert, right?) I interact with friends as well. But its not same with others. Those who are not active in different activities inside campus tend to become more introvert.

But the question was, is LAN Ban going to help? Actually NO. Because its not computers that is contributing more, but its lack of activity in student community that is making students introvert. Gossips between students can not make students truely strong. We need to increase student co-curricular activities. Kanpur being a sort of village place where IIT students have no life outside IIT Campus, we need to create opportunities for students so that they come out of their rooms, rather than sitting in front of computer. Computer is just filling their free time. If you want that this free time should be spent outside students room then we have to increase social activities, which can be sports, festivals or anything. Let us talk logic here, how many of us play any game here? How many students do physical exercise? If I consider my wing of 24 students. No one does any physical activity. games, dance, jogging, gym, nothing. We do not have that good infrastructure for physical activities. How many of us participate in some club activity or something? Except from 2-3 guys, no one else does that. Why?

I guess there are 2 main reasons :

1. First is that academics load is a bit extra and irregular. We tend to work really hard for 2-3 days and then we relax for 2 days. Such irregularity doesn’t let us do anything other than acads and then sitting in room. For example, I want to play Lawn Tennis or Table Tennis, but I need a partner. The academic system doesn’t allow a student to be remain regular in schedule. So, I can not have a fixed partner, and hence I can not play either game regularly, and soon I stop playing that game. I have tried it a lot of time, and every time after 2-3 days, I got an assignment or my partner got an assignment and we stopped playing. But they wouldn’t decrease academic pressure.
2. Lack of infrastructure for student co-curricular activities : no of Table Tennis tables in each Hall of Residence of 500 students is just 1. For the whole IITK of 10,000 population only 2 Lawn Tennis courts are there. Squash? no. Bad-minton? no. Swimming? limited service. Volley Ball? just 1 court which has lights. Basket Ball? just 2 courts (though its probably enough). Gym? limited service. pool/billiards? no.

And more it. LAN Ban meant snatching freedom from students. Those who want to learn about computers, will not be able to have their own computer and hence wouldn’t be able to experiments. I remember I learned about Linux in my 3rd semester. LAN/Computer ban for 3 semesters will mean that a computer science student will remain away from computer for 3/8th time of his degree. What an irony. Those who want to partipate in programming contest, those who want to work on their projects, have to dependent upon Computer Centers, ah common thats so inconvenient. And anyways, as we got feedback from new batch which is affected by this ban, this ban is not helping students interact with seniors. Probably same batch student interaction would have increased.

So, considering this new batch’s response, Student Senate has said NO to LAN Ban. IITK has been a place which has given full freedom to students. This freedom has given us rights that we can say NO to decisions taken by authority which affects students. I hope now when even Student Senate has said no to this, authority will take back their decision.

I invite comment/suggestions regarding the two point I raised.