Engineeritis – The Indian Infection

Paul’s Crash Course on Real World Definitions (Thanks Wikipedia!):

1. Engineer

An engineer is a person professionally engaged in a field of engineering. Engineers are concerned with developing economical and safe solutions to practical problems, by applying mathematics and scientific knowledge while considering technical constraints.

2. Engineering

Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying technical and scientific knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes that safely realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria.

Paul’s Crash Course on Indian Definitions:

1. Engineer

A person who knows a lot of stuff. A person to be admired for all that ‘stuff-knowing’. A person who might get a better chance in the world of Indian-arranged marriages and like such. A person who will certainly inherit a great career; ending their money-linked little niggles and not to forget, accomplish his/her dreams and aspirations in life.

2. Engineering

Something which some people in the country prepare real hard for, in high school to secure a chance to study. (By enormous contrast) Something which the majority of this “elite” herd of indiviuals own up large wads of ‘Gandhi paper’ to take up the usually family-forced opportunity.

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Enough with the crash courses.

Whatever debate we might come out of, the hard-line and absolute truth is this – There’s too many bloomin’ engineers running around the busy Indian fields, meadows, ghalli’s; you name it. They are quite simply everywhere just like – foul air, rude auto-rickshaw drivers and Hindustan Unilever-Pureit salesmen.

Enough with the comparisons.

Together with its medical counterpart, the respected Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS); resound in the mind, bellow from the tongue and tingle the heart of the military-like and fiendishly stereotypical parent of the Indian child.

Enough with the stereotypes.

What I am trying to “quietly” point out in this post, is the unfortunately polarized spectacles – the general Indian public use, to view the ancient and sacred art that is engineering.

It has built nations, established economies, raised societies, helped individuals and allowed man establish himself to where he is; in this insanely fast-paced, meticulously connected and 21^st century planet.

Enough with the achievements.

Most engineering grads and grad-to-be’s live in a state of why-did-i-take-this-up and always have had more fulfilling and alternate career ideas in their cram-before-exam craniums. It’s real depressing to be honest. Living something you didn’t want. You’ll get used to it “they say”. But, they don’t understand it’s a person’s life they are ignorantly commenting about.

Enough with the sentimental stuff.

In the long run, it’s the industry, universities and the whole ‘engineering heritage/legacy’ which suffer. You’ve typically got sub-standard, uninterested and quite simply, bored people hypocritically flaunting their degrees.

Enough with the suffering.

The very source of this problem is – the fact that Indians generally (not all) are very play-safe and conformist people. History books filled with stories of British torment and enslavement lay down reason for this fact.

Science demonstrates that we humans – need that vibrant, emotional, creative and social side of ours to complement and act as ballast to the intellectual, logical and reasoning half. [BBC ARTICLE]

Enough with the science and history.

It’s simple. We need less Indians parents denying future carpenters, hairdressers, comedians, ballet dancers, painters, musicians, potters, wine-makers, chefs, athletes, fashion designers, writers, hoteliers, game-designers, NGO activists, economists, public servants, etc. the opportunity to chase down their ambitions and break the devilish conformity.

What we need as a nation and a people on a whole; is the downright exorcism of this plague from our souls. Send the damn thing to hell.

Enough with the Engineeritis already.

Disclaimer : The author does not put forth derogatory notions in this post or possess any kind of hatred against Engineering itself or the engineer who works his/her heart out in the pursuit of science and technology.

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