DMET (the Directorate of Marine Engineering and Training) is the oldest marine engineering college in India. DMET has probably produced some of the most successful people in the shipping industry. How am I connected to this institute? I have grown up listening to stories of DMET from an uncle, only to later marry someone who graduated from the same institute. So, when DMET had an alumni reunion for its 60th anniversary, we just had to be there. Of course, I was excited. I had been there as a kid and later had some of the best times of my life with my husband’s batch-mates.
Visit to One of the Top Engineering Colleges of India
The institute that arouses pride and envy was… a depressing sight. Open drains ran through the center… the stink gave strong competition to the fish markets of Kolkatta… a stray dog had given puppies in one corner inside the hostel… the hostel buildings looked like they were last painted when my grandfather was born. The rest is too painful to describe. To think that some young boys had taken loans to study in DMET… only to come here and be treated worse than animals.
DMET’s Mission Statement reads – Global standards… Latest technology oriented education to produce the best of Marine Engineers. Standing there, the Mission Statement sounded like a cruel joke.
Why Destroy Green Beauty?
Why is it that we destroy everything that is beautiful? Kolkatta used to be a beautiful city. And now every narrow road has at least three men peeing at any given time of day or night. We stayed at a guesthouse built by the British… with high ceilings and a grand wooden staircase… and a lift that you didn’t feel like touching because it had a thick layer of filth.
I visited Hyderabad and was advised to avoid a trip to the Charminar. Why? Too dirty and smelly. Visit a monument in Delhi and you’ll find numerous engravings of “Kishor Loves Radha.”
Are We Not Patriotic Enough?
I love this country. Why are some people so determined to destroy its beauty? How do we stop people from peeing on walls, throwing wrappers out of cars and spitting on the road? I think the missing piece is pride. Would DMET be in this condition if the administration felt as much pride as the alumni does? Maybe not…
You and I,
in this beautiful world….
Green grass, blue sky
in this beautiful world….
Your post reminded me of this song. It is sad indeed how everything beautiful becomes a victim of exploitation by human beings. I see towards the sky and all I can see is smog. Everyday, I see lesser and lesser of greens. Along with pride, I guess there is a need to realize that all of us have an intrinsic relationship with everything that is beautiful. If we respect that relationship, we’ll surely care.
I love this part – “I guess there is a need to realize that all of us have an intrinsic relationship with everything that is beautiful.”
What a touching post !
So many of us feel so strongly about the questions you have raised. The answer as you stated is pride. A majority of people are unable to cultivate that intrinsic relationship and commitment that is required to keep beautiful things intact and preserve it so well.
Some more questions that I can’t help asking too:
1. Why do people spit on other people’s walls?
2. Why do pet owners let their pets shit in lifts?
3. Why do we throw rubbish on the road?
4. Why do we not care enough to make change happen so that people learn to feel more deeply?
Having heard so much about the glorious days of DMET, I truly hope that its deplorable condition can be improved and that the administration wakes up to the need of the hour.
I guess people destroy things because it makes them feel powerful. That’s why people throw stones at street dogs… just to feel a sense of power.
Listen all you good thinkers and voracious readers – the ultimate truth is that men have to mark their territory – so some pee and others inscribe. You can guess which gender has evolved the farthest – would a woman do these things? Don’t women focus on creating and beautifying? Arrey, I can’t leave my mark with my deeds, let me do it with bodily fluids. Hail to the Testosterone.
Romila, I guess I will have to stand up for the equality of men
Jokes apart, I dont agree with your statement about “would a woman do these things?” I do believe in the quote “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Mothers have a great influence on our values. Maybe women focus on beautifying, but it is limited to their house. Enough women throw garbage on the road and destroy public property. The sad part is that most people dont even realize it is something disgusting… It sends a shiver down my spine just to think about it.
I believe kishore and Radha are quite famous
… @Romila :to some extent you are right with the testosterone argument….but I think the larger cause of this problem is illiteracy and a general sense of belonging and responsibility to the environment and to the country,society et. all
thanks for your comments, Rahul. However, I dont agree that it is illiteracy. Maybe it is the lack of true education. I have seen huge cars waiting at traffic lights… a window rolls down and a hand with sleeves of a branded shift sticks out to throw a banana peel or an empty packet of chips. It’s a very common sight in Delhi. I think these people go to fancy schools, but there is definitely a lack of education.
I agree with what you say about responsibility to the country and society.
Very true post and touches the problem that has turned Delhi from a beautiful, regal city to a city that we all feel ashamed of most of the times. And most of the times, people blame and don’t think that somehow somewhere they are responsible too for the mess. @Romila, your comment was very philosophical….maybe touches upon the dearest value of men, domination of everything. However, priya’s remark manages to go to the core of the problem. Wish people who read this post wake up …
Thanks for your comment. You wrote about Delhi – “a city that we all feel ashamed of most of the times” – So sorry that I have to respond to this so strongly. I love this city… “we all” do NOT feel “ashamed” of it. To me it’s not a city, it’s a living entity and a home. So, when you mention the word “ashamed,” it bothers me… apologies for such a strong response…
@Priya, you did not need to apologize. It was a strong response from a person who loves the city as dearly as one would do to his/her home or belonging. But, the point is HOW many people feel so strongly. All around me all i hear is a complaining noise, which is either talking about inefficiency of government or MCD or other people. I have never felt someone reciprocate the feeling of love and belongingness that the city has showered on us. Whenever there is a talk of Delhi, people talk of how dirty and filthy it has become and reminisce about the days when it was not so. No one, even after my pointing so, has ever accepted their fault and their role in keeping the city clean. If people can love their city as much they love blaming others, maybe Delhi (and other cities too) will be much more cleaner. It is all about accepting OUR responsibility towards OUR city.
Priya – did you notice while walking down the road to the new Auditorium we pass the Senior Hostel? Well, if you did, you certainly must have noticed EDISON Sadan there. The spelling was EDISION!! This, in an Engineering College!!! Do they need funds from the Alumni Association to change the spelling?? Its just that the will to do anything is not there. I dont know if you have heard of Mr Mehta from your husband and uncle but frankly, we need 10 Mr Mehtas today to bring about any improvement!!
Mr. Bardhan, thank you so much for reading my write-up and your comments. No, I had not noticed the spelling error and I dont think any amount of funds can buy the pride that all of us associated with DMET in any way feel for that institution.
My objective to write this post was only to express my grief about the death of something beautiful. The story is the same when we think about Kolkata. Being a Bengali, I feel very strongly for Kolkata… but the city of joy brought a lot of sorrow to my heart this time.
Yes, you are absolutely right when you say that all we need is the will to do something. And I am so glad that some DMET alumni members have that will. I wish someday all of us have the energy to improve the institution, city and country that we call our own.
Dear Bardhan Saab,
Though I agree that the spelling error can be fixed by one man with the right will and eye for detail…but the rest of what has happenned here is probably a rot that has gone deeper – not sure whether a root canal can fix it or is extraction the only cure to this tooth ache.
Piyush/Priya,
Some beginning has to be made somewhere by someone. All of us are not blessed with qualities that you have Piyush. And that quality is the leadership quality. Its a boon for us that someone like you has taken the step to resurrect DMET but Priya has a point….DMET is only the smaller picture….look at Kolkata, for that matter look at India. How can we improve if we lack a national character?? Its all very well for celebrities and us to have tears in our eyes when the National Anthem is played…yet we do not hesitate to deface our own country in ways as explained in the mails above.
But as I said…there is always hope….specially with youngsters like you both!!!!
Tasks are a lot easier when the end is clear in the mind. Many a times the VISION is good but the small steps to make a road map is not clear. In these times, any action is mistaken for a good job.
I believe Action is good when it is in the right direction on the right road. We have the VISION but the road is missing. Running on any road might not lead to the destination we desire to reach.
Nevetheless, I admire the admire the Action becauseof the Hope is generates. To Aprreciatethe Action, we need to make the road well.
Cheers!
Hey Amit,
Hoping that you will join up in making the road well.
Piyush.
Priya, why don’t you write an article about Delhi and how you feel about the city? It could be an eye opener of sorts and an informative reference point for people like me who struggle to come to terms with the city’s culture. All my life, I’ve traveled to places and now I’ve been here for about 8 years.
To this city, I owe a lot of my growth, career opportunities and many other things but my heart will never belong here. I am proud about being here in Delhi, the country’s capital where people from all states and religions blend together with a lot of passion. I am married to someone who has always loved Delhi and continues to with a passion that I struggle to understand. The moment my three year old lands in any place other than Delhi, he says, “I want to go back to my Delhi, where is my Delhi?” So you see, I am in the minority:)
I remember Ruskin Bond stating that his heart and soul can be happy only in the hills of Mussoorie. I too would go with a different choice but I’d love to see and appreciate the city a little more through your eyes.
thanks
i was myself thinking of writing on Delhi… though it would be very tough to put all my sentiments about the city in words.
Priya, I appreciate the way you have highlighted one of the most common problems that we are facing today…its pity that even educated people are doing such immodest things…I have actually seen some of my colleagues spitting on the road outside our office … I wish they read your post and feel the need to change