Odisha HRD

22 Writeup

• 1. Sanjoy Das  |  March 5th, 2011 at 10:20 am

  Unfortunately, these are not faculty from particularly reputed institutions. It does not bode too well for the future of IIT, BBS. IIT faculy should have Ph.D.s from other IITs, IISc, TIFR, ISI in India, or reputed North American or European institutions. What research are the expected to conduct? How will they design post-graduate curricula?As an example, compare this with, say IIT Bombay/Mumbai or Delhi whose Computer Science & Engineering departments compare fairly well with top 50 schools in the US.

• 2. Sanjoy Das  |  March 5th, 2011 at 10:22 am

  Typo: IIT -> IIIT

• 3. Purna Mishra  |  March 6th, 2011 at 5:26 am

  A strong leader brings in strong players. A weak leader keeps weak followers. The faculties at IIIT Bhubaneswar with their qualification and back ground are guaranteed to keep IIIT Bhubaneswar at the bottom of all IIITs.

  In Odisha no one understands the difference between IT, ITeS, Software, Product, Services, SME, and all nuances of software industry. The only mantra they have is give land at 25 lakh an acre and that would bring software industries in thousands. The same short sighted vision directed Odisha’s first IIIT.

  I had a discussion with one of the highest honcho of Odisha’s administration on IIIT back in 2005/06. All I heard from him how MindTree will do this for IIIT and that for IIIT.

  These are a few suggestions to build a better IIIT:

  1. Let the director and the senior professor go.

  2. Bring in a senior industry person (real industry guy rather than one of those IIM or IAS) to head IIIT.

  3. IIIT are not IIT and do not build IIIT as a researchy place. The level of research in CS in India is primitive at best.

  4. Ask the new director to produce a IT vision for Odisha. Debate it and discuss it and let Odisha produce a vision for Odisha to be the leading IT/ITes/ Software Tier-II city by 2020.

  5. Let this leader produce a vision for another 2 leading centers for IT industry in Odisha in addition to Bhubaneswar (my preference Rourkela and Sambalpur). I am reasonably OK with Professor Pujari and his aim to build a good Computer Science/IT department at Sambalpur university. He is the best chancellor among all chancellors back in Odisha. I have confidence he is capable of building a good IT industry around the university if he gets support.

  6. Let this leader produce a work plan for building the IIIT and how it would be the the main catalyst forTier-II IT dominance of Odisha.

  I went to this head honcho to discuss this back in 2005 and got a lecture on Mind Tree and ran away.

  I have never been more disappointed with our leadership and their lack of vision for building an IT industry back in Odisha. Remove Infosys, Odisha is not even a Tier-VI IT state in India.

  Just my 2 cents and i am sure others might have better vision and a good discussion is what we need.

  — Purna

• 4. Sudarshan Panigrahi  |  March 6th, 2011 at 4:22 pm

  Hi Guys!

  I am one of the parent and my student is studying in IIIT Bhubaneswar. The issues you have raised are not that important i think. The thing which matter is, the courses being taught properly or not? Are the students gaining some knowledge or not? Are they completing their courses in time or not?

  From my experience, I think IIIT Bhubaneswar is doing great! Being under BPUT they have tried to cope up very well. The institute has already begun many initiative which are out of scope of BPUT. They have very much tried to cope up with other national Institutes.

  My student has scored very well in the very first year of his engineering. He has scored 9.11 CGPA in the first year.

  So, I think instead of trying to point out the weakness if we find out the strong points will be good! We should encourage them to fare well.

  Thanks.

• 5. Chitta Baral  |  March 6th, 2011 at 9:22 pm

  Following are links to faculty at some of the other IIITs.

  IIIT Hyderabad — Its the best and its CS faculty is better than some of the IITs. See http://www.iiit.ac.in/people/faculty

  IIIT Bangalore: http://www.iiitb.ac.in/faculty/

  IIIT Delhi: http://www.iiitd.ac.in/people.php

  IIIT Allahabad: http://www.iiita.ac.in/inner.php?conf=fac

  IIIT Gwalior http://www.iiitm.ac.in/?q=faculties.jsp

  IIIT Jabalpur http://www.iiitdmj.ac.in/People/CSE.html

  IIIT Kanchipuram http://www.iiitdm.ac.in/faculty.html

  Some of the above IIITs have really high quality faculty and give some of the IITs a run for their money. Those are the ones in Hyderabad, Delhi and Bangalore.

  IIIT Allahabad: Total faculty size 52; CS/IT 33. 19 of the 52 are pursuing Ph.Ds. Established 1999.

  IIIT Gwalior has a faculty of 27 with 14-17 in CS+IT areas. (all but 1 visiting faculty with PhDs). Established 1997.

  IIIT Allahabad and Gwalior are ok but considering that they have been in existence for some time now, they are not uncatchable. I can envision IIIT Bhubaneswar catching up to them, provided they hire well. It is a positive sign that most of the Computer Science faculty of IIIT Bhubaneswar either have PhDs or are pursuing PhDs.

  IIIT Bhubaneswar has a better CS faculty than IIIT Jabalpur. IIIT Jabalpur has only 4 CS faculty (3 with PhDs). IIIT Jabalpur was established in 2005.

  IIIT Kanchipuram, established in 2007, is still in its initial stage with 3 CS faculty, all Ph.D from IIT Madras. Its overall faculty quality is very good.

  IIIT Bhubaneswar was established in 2007.

• 6. Purna Mishra  |  March 6th, 2011 at 11:11 pm

  Chitta babu,

  As you are fully aware IIIT at Kanchipuram and Jabalpur are inter disciplinary IIIts like IIIT Bhubaneswar. Please do not compare IIIT Jabalpur CS faculty only. Compare their overall faculties and compare them against IIIT Bhubaneswar for Mechanical and Electrical also.

  If you must go back to India and assume for a minute you are not from Odisha and the only two institutes interested in you are from Bhubaneswar and Jabalpur, where would you go?

  Bhubaneswar is far ahead of Jabalpur if you compare their livability index as cities to live.

  IIIT Kanchipuram and IIIT Bhubaneswar pretty much started at the same time and ask anyone among your faculty friends where would they go IIIT Bhubaneswar or IIIT Kanchipuram?

  Getting a Ph. D. in CS from Utkal University is like getting a degree in CS from a community college in USA.

  Regards,

  — Purna

• 7. Chitta Baral  |  March 7th, 2011 at 12:47 am

  I would not make such a blanket statement about Utkal University. Let me give you a related pointer. http://www1.i2r.a-star.edu.sg/~pkmeher/cv.html used to be the HOD in Utkal CS some years back. When I met him, I have to admit, I did not realize how good he was. When I look at his CV and publications now, I am extremely impressed. He is not a Ph.D from Utkal, but close. Also, if someone did a PhD with him, I will not discount him/her.

  I do wish IIIT Bhubaneswar was and becomes much better than it is now. But it is not as bad as you make it sound.

• 8. Purna Mishra  |  March 7th, 2011 at 1:23 am

  Chitta babu,

  You in fact did not answer any of my points that I raised. Your last two lines says it all.

  I could very well say Bhubaneswar is not doing as bad as I say as a Tier-II IT/IReS city either. If our goal in life is to be not as bad as then no doubt why we stayed at the bottom of each statistics in India.

  — purna

• 9. Chitta Baral  |  March 7th, 2011 at 1:26 am

  The reason I focused on the CS/IT faculty is because IIIT Bhubaneswar used to have only M.Tech CS until two years back. They started their B.Tech program (in CS and other disciplines) only two years back.

• 10. Purna Mishra  |  March 7th, 2011 at 1:49 am

  Stanford University is the key to Sillicon Valley. IIIT Hyderabad is key to make Hyderabad the leading Tier-I IT/ITeS city in India. IIIT Bhubaneswar should not be looked from the narrow prospective of offering BS or MS. That is is the reason why I said you did not answer my questions.

  Please check the governing body of IIIT Hyderabad against IIIT Bhubaneswar.

  http://www.iiit.ac.in/institute/governing_council
  http://www.iiit-bh.ac.in/home/governing-body

  This will give you the prospective why I am raising the issue of what IIIT Bhubaneswar is going to be. This will tell you the caliber of people advising where IIIT Hyderabad will go vs where IIIT Bhubaneswar will be 10 years from now. If IIIT Bhubaneswar is destined to be another Engineering College in Bhubaneswar then we are comparing an apple vs a pumpkin.

  IIIT Bhubaneswar should not be just another engineering college. The destiny of Odisha as a IT/ITeS state is tied to how IIIT Bhubaneswar will bring the quality of IT/ITeS development to Odisha.

  — Purna

• 11. Chitta Baral  |  March 7th, 2011 at 2:26 am

  I don’t think IIIT Bhubaneswar will reach the level of IIIT Hyderabad, Delhi or Bangalore in 10-20 years. It will be a middle-tier IIIT among the various existing and the proposed 20 IIITs.

  IIT and NISER will have Computer Science programs in 3-4 years (when they move to their own campus) and they will have better computer science faculty and programs. But that won’t be enough.

  What can fundamentally change the situation in the greater Bhubaneswar area (Puri included), is Vedanta University; if it happens the way it is envisioned.

• 12. Purna Mishra  |  March 7th, 2011 at 3:10 am

  Chitta babu,

  Why can’t you answer my questions? Now let me give you additional details so that you might finally answer.

  What is the difference between REC Rourkela and RIT Jamshedpur? 100 miles apart, similar cities where some one could argue Jamshedpur is slightly ahead of Rourkela, similar sized finding, and why NIT Rourkela is far ahead of NIT Jamshedpur?

  Your answer to this question is the issue I have been raising here. I do not agree IIIT Bhubaneswar could not reach IIIT Hyderabad or IIIT Delhi. It could. A building that last long is built on a good foundation. You do not build a top tier IIIT based on a bottom tier leadership and faculty.

  in 1961 both Odisha and Andhra had the same poverty level. Where Andhra and Odisha are today? We do not compete because we have this “I can’t be” attitude. 10 years back Odisha had a bigger share of IT/ITeS than Kerala. Look where Kerala and Odisha are today? We suffer because our leaders lack vision, leadership, and guts. I am disappointed with your answers.

  I agree Vedanta could be a game changer. But a monkey does not look good with a pearl necklace around the neck. A monkey looks good when the monkey realizes that he/she has a jewel around the neck. With our mindset, Vedanta will make us look like monkeys without any understanding of the value around our neck.

  We have people, money, and talent. Where we suffer is assigning right people, at the right place and at the right time. The advisory board and leadership behind IIIT Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar prove my point.

  — Purna

  — Purna

• 13. Birendra  |  March 7th, 2011 at 3:08 pm

  IIIT Bhubaneswar is just like another private engineering college at Bhubaneswar. Most of the faculties of IIIT,Bhubaneswar have done M.Tech through QIP. Hardly any one of the have done M.Tech through GATE or any national level competetion. They have to think about the faculty selection process, if they want to make IIIT-Bh a top class institute.

• 14. Purna Mishra  |  March 9th, 2011 at 9:46 am

  Let us look at the IIIT Bangalore Governing body. Here is the link:

  http://www.iiitb.ac.in/pages/governing-body/

  I had sent the link that of IIIT Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad before. No other IIIT is dominated by 6 IAS officers who does not know the difference between IT/ITeS/BPO/CS/Software. It looks like the state, administration, and the parents are all happy by building another private engineering college where they can put their “Yes Boss” people to make a monkey out of IIIT.

  It is unfortunate that I am writing this note around Biju Babu’s anniversary. That tower of the man had guts to hire Professor Bhubaneswar Behera to build the REC Rourkela. Unfortunately his son hired a director with an equally competent governing body and faculties to build a mediocre private engineering college and call it unfortunately IIIT Bhubaneswar.

  IIIT Bhubaneswar is the prime example why we are genetically pre disposed against building something great, some thing out standing.

  Let us chant the glory of mediocracy as our ancestors threw sword and spear to chant “Hare Krishna Hare Ram, Bolo Nitai Goud Radhe Shyam”.

  I am sad mediocrity is the basis of our conduct.

  — Purna

• 15. Avishek Anand  |  March 9th, 2011 at 1:20 pm

  I think the debate/discussion is on different perceptions.

  @Purna babu: Thanks for pointing to the comparison between the advisory boards, and its obvious to see where the disparities start from. Every institute can reach a level of every other *top class* institute with the right vision, leadership, faculty etc. I dont think even Chitta babu would disagree to this.

  But what Chitta babu was attempting to do is to foresee was the fate of IIIT-B given prior knowledge of state of educational institutes in Orissa and elsewhere. Building a class institute is also about reconciling different interests I think its a matter of a bit of introspection and a bit of experience that Chitta babu speaks from. And I agree to that.

• 16. Chitta Baral  |  March 9th, 2011 at 8:23 pm

  It is illuminating to read http://jalote.wordpress.com/ , the blog of the director of IIIT Delhi. After reading it I feel that IIIT Delhi will soon be better than most IITs in the field of Computer Science.

  I was told that when IIIT Bhubaneswar director search was going on the Odisha team approached Prof. Jalote, but he politely declined.

  However, it is easy to fault others, but nothing stops us from going ahead and be an active part of the solution. Since we are not doing that, I try to avoid (but some times fail) arm chair criticism from thousands of miles away.

  Nevertheless, I hope the authorities will look at the pointers in this debate and use them to make IIIT as well as other institutions/universities in Odisha better.

• 17. Purna Mishra  |  March 10th, 2011 at 12:51 am

  Avishek Babu,

  No disagreement. However we must not turned our eye to the positives where one of the best in India was and is built right in Odisha. I will give four examples:

  1. REC/NIT Rourkela
  2. Institute of Physics under Professor Trilochan Pradhan
  3. NISER under Prof. Chandrasekhar
  4. Mathematical Institute under Prof Swadhin Parida

  I believe Prof. Pujari is also steering Sambalpur University in the right direction and the meager resources he has is cutting his effectiveness.

  Chitta Babu,

  If you believe my criticism is not positive and I am doing an arm chair analysis while staying comfortable in my chair, then we disagree on the definition of constructive criticism.

  — Purna

• 18. Chitta Baral  |  March 10th, 2011 at 1:19 am

  I am just saying why I am not being more critical. I am not being more critical because I could have offered to join IIIT Bhubaneswar and help it become something like IIIT Hyderabad/Delhi. Since I did not I don’t think I can be too critical. I can only offer pointers.

• 19. Chitta Baral  |  March 10th, 2011 at 2:09 am

  With respect to the following 4:

  1. REC/NIT Rourkela
  2. Institute of Physics under Professor Trilochan Pradhan
  3. NISER under Prof. Chandrasekhar
  4. Mathematical Institute under Prof Swadhin Patnaik

  NIT Rourkela is one of the best NITs in the country.

  IOP was very good in the beginning but not so great now (based on student preference to get into DAE research institutions) – but it may get a positive impetus because of NISER.

  NISER is having a great beginning.

  IMA has finally hired some full-time research faculty (a couple of them look very good) but has a long way to go before it can become a Chennai Mathematical Inst or Inst of Mathematical Sc Chennai. IMA has done a lot for Odisha in promoting maths at the school level and a positive payback is expected. Apparently, a significant number of Math PhDs from Odisha have been some way or other mentored by Swadhin babu.

• 20. Purna Mishra  |  March 10th, 2011 at 7:00 am

  Chitta Babu,

  I believe based on the facts out there IOPB is one of the key research institutions under DOE and in India. Even the NISER director just said that the student quality needs to go up. Unfortunately in India, the best and brightest are not going in science stream and no matter which branch they opt for, they land up doing IT jobs. We could not hold it against either NISER or IOPB. Another reason was IOPB degree was from Utkal University. With Homi Bhaba University and IOPB degree coming from Home Bhaba I am sure IOPB has a better future. Let’s be cognizant that IOPB started as a Government of Orissa Research institute and landed up under DOE in few years and a lot of that credit goes to Professor Pradhan and the faculties he hired.

  Same way Professor Parida has a tiny peanut sized budget and yet with that tiny money he has developed a great environment to popularize Mathematics and Math Olympiad. I believe the course he started on Econometrics (or some name like that) is a very smart move.

  I expect the same from IIIT Bhubaneswar. Please go back and read my first email on this topics (the email strand #3) and I proposed a few moves and one being IIIT being the incubator for IT business for the state.

  India is becoming the service provider for the western world. IT/ITeS is going to grow ten fold over the next 10 years. TCS is already crowing about the positive signs they see in the market. I am sure we all want Odisha to be a leading IT/ITeS state and that you can’t make with our sole IIIT working like a private engineering college.

  — Purna

• 21. Purna Mishra  |  March 10th, 2011 at 9:18 pm

  Over the last few notes I have clearly positioned

  1. The need for a right director and faculty for a leading institution

  2. The needs for a right governing body to steer an institute to grow the right way. I will also ask the readers to check the governing body of NISER and Institute of Physics. See why they are exactly similar in structure to that of IIIT Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.

  3. IIIT to be the core around which Odiha’s dominance in IT/ITeS needs to be envisioned and be built.

  4. With the growing IT/ITeS in the next 10 years, how we should steer the course.

  5. IIIT Bhubaneswar is not a state or private engineering college to cater to Odisha’s students need for a degree in IT or CS.

  Over the next 10 years IT/ITeS will not be what it is today. More middle level jobs like Supply Chain execution, accounting, legal, and every aspect of corporate job will be moved to off shore. World has become one big market.

  Let me ask you guys a simple question? In USA an iPhone/iTouch/iPad cost around $400 average. How much of that money really goes to China where it is manufactured? If the supply chain management of that moves to India (I believe Infosys works on that for Apple), who do you think get a bigger share of that $400? India or China?

  All our private engineering colleges have 50% seats open now because the students see a lull in hiring. These engineering colleges are no different than the others. Except a few there is no strong branding or innovations. Let me give you another simple example with my apology for Prof. Swadhin Patnaik for calling him Prof Parida. He has introduced a very innovative course on econometrics that he calls Financial Math or something like that. Give me one engineering college back in Odisha that has started a specialization on anything innovative.

  IIIT Bhubaneswar should not become another engineering college. It should have a brand recognition. Odisha should plan how it will be the leading Tier-II state for attracting IT/ITeS jobs. The growth will be in Tier II and Tier III cities as Tier-I cities have maxed out infrastructure to attract additional jobs. We have lost our position to Delhi, Kerala, Chandigarh. We should not loose now to Jharkhand, Assam, and Chhattisgarh. Visakhapatnam came from no where and has a bigger IT action plan than Bhubaneswar. STP in Odisha is another joke and I feel pity that we have a STP at Rourkela.

  The time has come we need to start looking beyond our narrow perspectives and see what could be done that would make Odisha a happening state. We should not be just another state between Andhra and West Bengal.

  We could build a plan to grow Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Berhampur, and Rayagada to attract significant shares of new business. We need a good plan, an equally good execution plan and leaders to execute the plan. Remember you want a tiger to lead an army of lambs rather than a lamb to lead an army of tigers.

  — Purna

• 22. Udai Shanker  |  April 10th, 2011 at 4:18 pm

  The selection process is mot fair. It is biased towards regionalism