IIT and SBI don't gel well?

[D K Jain]

पुरानी पोस्ट है। A repeat ..

Ever since I have joined SBI in 1972 , this question I have had tossed at me umpteen number of times. Regularly, frequently and without cessation. Within SBI, in friends' circle and even from relatives. Inlaws and outlaws (in SBI. They wished to embarass me by asking it ? Hoping to puncture my ego, self esteem ) too. Just as I finished answering it for the n th time yesterday, I thought of saving the text for future use. 

It is not as if it is important to me or that I am tired of answering it. I don't mind it either but perhaps the question being asked repeatedly fans my ego needlessly. That would be bad for me in this old age that I have almost reached leading soon to infirmity, fading memories and ultimately a state of utter helplessness. Let us see how it goes.

Having dealt with the preamble to the subject, let me get back to the honestly and truthfully replying the query. 

IIT is a good place to do Engg. No doubt. One of the best educational institution in the country it was, And I am grateful for that. There were 3-4 reasons for my straying into SBI, as it were.

One, being good in maths,I was pushed into Engg as per the trend in mid sixties. Of course, I did manage to barely qualify for IIT through the JEE etc. So I didn't get the place of choice and had to settle for Kharagpur. IIT Kharagpur had almost 12 different branches, departments to offer, more than all others.

No, I now know that it is one of the best. Having reached there, it took me a while to slowly realise that I was not as good at Engg subjects as I was at the humanities* ones. Perhaps it was aptitude or the lack of application (hard work) on my part. Faculty in some of the subjects I was not very good at, were actually quite good. So the problem was with me alone.

*(First director of the first IIT was an eminent scientist, Sir JC Ghosh, Jnan ज्ञान Ghosh, chosen personally by Nehruji (or Bidhan Roy) . He had a keen desire to 'produce' gentleman engineers. So he got a very learned man, Dr Chaudhuri to introduce us to a number of humane subjects, such as literature, economics, history, psychology, pol science, philosophy etc.)

This was obvious to me, lack of aptitude for Engg, by the time I reached 5th year. My father was keen on me pursuing higher studies and given that I chose the IIM entrance exams to escape being a second grade engineer. You may not have it in you, but I did want to be the best. Calcutta put me on the wait list but Ahmedabad was a better place anyday.

Further I was not the only one from IITs to opt for SBI. I know about 2-3 dozen of them.

Some Very good. The driving factor were two. Lack of good jobs for engineers during that era (one must thank mrs gandhi and her policies for that?), and a good package offered by SBI. Very few private sector coy offered that kind of remuneration, only some did. Box wallas.

Well, that is not a complete answer, but it is as close to the truth as it can be.

DK Jain AGE/66/280.