On Saturday I had the opportunity to interact with a few not-so-young first year students (fachas) from IIMB. The interaction was, in general, good, but I came back disappointed. , disappointed that IIMB culture as we knew it was on their way out.
These people hardly use BRacket. Some of them don’t even know what is Arbit. It is reported that they hardly play tsepak nowadays. And it might be a biased sample that I met, but most of them hadn’t attended more than one or two L^2s in their first term (there are usually about five or six L^2s in a term). If people put NED for drunken partying, I dont’ know what they will put enthu for. The list is endless…
The more shocking bit was their absolute ignorance of IIMB lingo. One fachi kept saying “strong da” but that was about it. Great institutions that we had introduced – such as “are”, “K” and “NED” – didn’t seem to find a place in their vocabulary. In fact, when I happened to say K2U to one of them (the same fachi who kept saying “strong da..”) they all gave me strange looks.
In their defence, the fachas claimed that no one had taught them. That no one had taught them to use BRacket, to use IIMB lingo, to play Tsepak, or what arbit is. And I admit this is one problem with a two year course – every batch is a “cut vertex” in the cultural chain. One useless batch and the entire chain which had been painstakingly built up gets broken. And there is only so much that a handful of interested alumni can do. It is the responsibility of the incumbent senior batch to ensure that the essential knowledge is transferred to their juniors.
At a high-level meeting of representatives of batches of 06 and 07 held in Mumbai on Sunday, it ws decided that it is imperative to take urgent steps in order to resurrect the great IIMB culture. A resolution was unanimously passed to condemn certain practices and language followed by the current first year batch. A decision was taken that we need to start an education and training program for the current inhabitants of the institute. How far we will succeed, no one knows.
One last thing. The fact that the fachas didn’t know about K was bad enough. When I looked at the blank look on their faces and proceeded to explain the great concept, one bright fachi (no, not the one who kept saying “strong da…”) interjected “oh it’s just like saying something is ‘gay'”. And the rest of the fachas and fachis enthusiastically agreed.
I agree with this 2-year cutoff thing. Your batch and the ones after it seem as alien to us, as this bunch of juniors seem to you. Especially, at an overall cultural level, individual connections are different.
Things like tsepak and L^2s were far fewer in batches a couple of years back than in our time. I’ve heard that the L^2s aren’t even free and unlimited booze now. Also, no one in my batch knows what Bracket and stuff is.
Time.
i suppose you are right. given that the probability of cutoff is very high given the two year course, the culture of a place like IIMB will not be stationary.
and BRacket happened after you graduated, so fat chance your batch will have much fundaes about it.
Wimpy,
My batch junta play Tsepak daily for hours! And almost everyone uses BRacket! But, fachchas are showing no interest in anything other than mugging. L^2 have become a non-affair due to restriction imposed by IIMB administration!
good ra. your batch are strong then. unfortunately the message i get is that you haven’t ragged your fachas well enough. insti administration is understandable. but you should do your best to make sure that whatever is possible should be done.
Hi skimpy,
I agree to the point that we initially didn’t get the enthu in the fachcha batch for Tsepak. but when we started playing, no one seemed interested to even come and play. Of late, some fachchas have started coming in, but still very few. Exchange students showed more enthu for the same. Hoping TsepaKings turns things around. You can understand the fachcha batch when the Spardha teams are mostly with PGP2s. And same holds for L^2s… Guess they feel mugging helps to do well in this market and are putting max fight.
שלום, רציתי להמליץ לכם על חברה העוסקת בהתקנה ובניה של סוככים. באתר, פרופיל החברה וכן קולקציות סככות נבחרות.