Hectic days are a part and parcel of a UGC visit to confirm the autonomy status and today, the visit of the six UGC panel members was the most hectic of them all. Add to it, the college is swarming with outsiders in connection with the counting to be taken up. 

The expert panel interacted with the HODs, faculty, admin staff and the students to assess our preparedness for autonomy. Questions flew in from all directions from them and at some point of time, you feel like throwing down the gauntlet and saying Que Sera Sera. But, then the hard work that's gone in to prepare for the visit, the Commissioner's support for the effort and the fear of going back to a University set up impel one to go on through the day, following the gruelling sessions, because one realises that the intention of the panel is to find out how prepared we are to receive autonomy and whether we are mature and experienced enough for the process of examination. If you ask me why autonomy is needed, I'd say, the fact that the End Semester Examination has been rescheduled for a particular day, because a company is visiting for campus recruitment, something which one cannot dream of,  if it had been a University examination, is proof of the pudding. 


JSW CEO, Shri Ravichandran and Prof.P M Kavimani, Addl.Director were there to support the instituion in their meeting with the committee.

Well, we shall know in a day or two. 

In the meantime, one can give up all claim to the college, since we are going to be the outsiders for the next two days. It's tough to see that one's workplace is taken over by another body. 

What's really enthused me through the last few days has been the sight of policepersons on duty, vigilant and alert or of them sleeping in narrow, anywhere available kinda spaces, in between their shifts. At times like these, one cannot but be intensely proud of the manner in which the institution called democracy respects the individual and gives each one a space to express themselves. I'm proud of you, my country, your constitution, your respect for the will of the people and the immense care that the Election Commission takes to ensure that every common man is given the opportunity and ambience to vote. I Love My India. 

Makeover for the Admin block - a number of small touches , like attractive new display and name boards for all departments and  laying of tiles in laboratories are giving a sparkling new look to it. 

The Digital Library is becoming a lucky place - Bharat Forge has taken in 3 of the 8 shortlisted. I'm so glad for the students who are placed. These three and one more were in my personal selection list...however, the five not slected  are the toppers in the class and will surely find their opportunities elsewhere. The Digital Library is being utilised by the Placement Cell for online tests, interviews, group discussions and presentations. All facilities needed for this have been provided by the Principal and sometimes, it appears to me that like the genie in the lamp, students have to make a wish and voila, he fulfills it for them, if it is possible. They ask for the moon and manage to get the stars. 

UGC Panel is visiting the institution for confirming the autonomy status...everything's ready and we are keeping our fingers crossed. What with the college becoming a QIP centre for AICTE and this, we stand a good chance of getting the second phase of TEQIP funding. 

College is also gearing up for the local body elections. The district authorities are already fencing the perimeter of the admin block and it looks like we are going to be shut away from it till the counting. 

Third year lab exams are over and the English Practicals went off - with the usual bugs in the online test, set right after a lot of sweating and huffing and puffing. The lab was our home these four days and I don't think there were more hectic days than these. 


There should be some peace and silence in one's life after two weeks; I look forward to just classes and classes. Aahh, that seems a divine blessing. 


I wonder if the annual edition of the newsletter can be brought out in time. Keeping my fingers crossed.

The printed version of the newsletter looks awesome. But the hardwork that went into its production is something that Navneeth and I discovered. 

TCS was coming the next day and we had decided that hardcopies of the newsletter would be placed on HR tables along with the newspapers. None of the newsletter team was on hand and only Navneeth and I battled it out. Lucky joined us in the last few hours.

We met at two in the afternoon on a Sunday, ready for the task. Navneeth and I learnt the nitty gritty of the new printer - the eleven items that had to be checked before the print order could be given. I'm glad we wasted just about three to four sheets in trial. We had to take prints on A3 sheets, get the odd pages on the left and the even pages on the right side of the sheets. We made out pages for 10 booklets each, a total of 900 odd pages. They had to be arranged in page order and then taken to the binders. It was seven when we finished the task and then Navneeth went to the binders and got it done. 

It was with great pride that the two of us saw the two booklets - handsome, charming and just the best newsletter anywhere in the world. To our delight, two of the HRs asked to take back the newsletters. Loathe as we were to let go of the two copies, we couldn't but grin in pride. A week later, I watched again with gladness, as the Commissioner of DOTE, requested for the copy and took it along with him. 

Navneeth, I knew, but now reconfirmed my faith that he is going to be one of the best recruits for any company. Painstaking, perfect to the last detail, ready to innovate, dream and visualise and work towards what he visualises - this boy is among the best on the team of students editors. I wonder if there's any one who can take his place in the team.

Once again, as the annual edition is getting ready, I am sure that none of this would've been possible, or possible, but at great expense ( printing outside was estimated at around Rs.50,000/ and we spent just a ream of A3 sheets, spent  ink in the colour printer and a whole Sunday afternoon, but what the heck, all in a day's work!), without the Principal's encouragement.
 

More than anything else, I felt, students are having a good experience collecting information and writing and learning how to bring out a newsletter. There's even a workshop on 'Adobe Photoshop'  to be given by Navneeth.