Rashtriya Prodyogiki Sansthan, Warangal

These words written on a large black colored arch mirroring the Kakatiya Dynasty's architecture, BLARED at me at the main gate when I visited my alma matar for the first time since it got christened to the current name of National Institute of Technology from the Old Regional Engineering College.(REC) . So the first impression was that things are changing. Noticed that the main acadamic building was getting a facelift with a new glass facade much like our corporate offices. Also saw a new "chip Design centre" had come up next our good old classrooms, department Of Met. Engineering was renamed as Department of Met. and Mat. Sci.( we , the batch of 2001/2002 must take the credit for this change) .Both the Chemical and Met. department now boasted a first floor. A hostel block was built right next to our old 4th block.

At the end of my 1 hour physical tour, I was pretty impressed with the changes happening. But one visit to the Met./Chem department and all my impressions were washed away . Here is why .The first floor extension has been done pretty decently but alas are not serving their purpose!! . They were built to facilitate the development of new Material Laboratory and an advanced centre for materials Research. The purpose they are serving now ? Classrooms for the B.Tech 2nd, 3rd and 4th students!! so that all students can stay in the Department( Straight from the mouth of the HOD) Again the state of some of the existing labs especially the Physical Met lab and the FT lab are delibilated to say the least . Also noticed that there was not a single faculty added and the same old teachers were teaching the same old subjects in the same old style. Did hear of some new subjects like Polymer Technology but these are acutally not new as these were elective subjects in our time and now have been made a core course. ( Dint actually sit in a classroom but did notice Dr.C teaching the 3rd year with half the class sleeping exactly the same way we were doing about 5 yrs back) .

Apart from departments, the laidback approach at the Acads/cash section of the administration made me yawn. When I went in to the Office at 10am, I was told to come back at 10:30 am as "saheb nahi aaye hai". And at 11am, the clerks in the acad section were off for coffee !! and Of course like a typical sarkari office nothing moves without paying our "Saarus" some chai -paani. And the pace at which the office works, it was as if the office staff had the whole world under their control . Compare this with the hectic fast pace activity at our city offices with people shouting, papers and ideas moving around and u get the complete picture. Guess some of the staff still believe it is the 1990s.........

At the end of it all, I did notice one positive happening. A graffiti pasted at the acad section on the same day with a group of Students soliciting "revolutionary ideas" from the students to make NIT the happening place. Obviously the students too realize that being among the elite of the Engineering Talent in India, they deserve something more and they indeed need to keep pace with what is happening outside of the NIT walls and not fall into the laidback trap/pattern of the college.

PS: To the Director, NITW. Just changing the name and buildings facade won't do . What needs to change is the attitude of the people hods,profs, clerks and saarus included. That is what a real "change" is and that is why "change Management" is such an important management subject.