The T Stands for Technology

IITD, the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, stands as one of the most prestigious engineering colleges in India. It's renowned as a centre of excellence and innovation, where students are expected to demonstrate enthusiasm and proficiency in technology. Yet, our recent performance at the 13th Inter-IIT Tech Meet at IIT Bombay and the lukewarm reception of the new TECH-GC initiative tell a different story.  IIT Delhi ranked 17th out of 23 IITs in the tech meet, despite being one of the older IITs and having much higher NIRF and QS rankings than other IITs. The fact that IIT Delhi had missed 12 previous tech meets before finally participating this year speaks volumes. But unlike the administration acknowledging inter-iit sports and cultural meets, and announcing their results on the webmail, very few people knew about our performance in inter-iit tech meet. While this academic year marks our institute's entry into this intellectual competition, our performance and level of participation raise serious concerns that warrant thoughtful analysis.

For those unfamiliar with the format, the Inter-IIT Tech Meet is an annual event bringing together students from various IITs. This year's event comprised 16 problem statements categorised as high-prep (4), mid-prep (4), low-prep (3), and no-prep (3), with team sizes of 8, 6, 4, and 2 members respectively. The preparation periods ranged from 40 days for high-prep to on-the-spot challenges for no-prep statements.

The most glaring issue was the stark lack of student participation from IIT Delhi. Conversations with contingents from other IITs revealed that they had 16-20 dedicated students contributing to each problem statement. In contrast, at IIT Delhi, assembling even the minimum required 8 students for a high-prep problem proved challenging. Many talented students seemingly decided that collaborative real-world projects weren't worth their time and effort. When approached for participation, common responses ranged from "I have an internship interview coming up" to "This won't help my CPI" or simply "What's the point?" This prevailing attitude reflects a concerning prioritisation of individual achievements over collaborative technical growth.

This phenomenon reflects a deeper issue: the tech culture at IIT Delhi is virtually non-existent. More troublingly, in several social circles, being tech-oriented is actively looked down upon. Students who dedicate time to technical projects or competitions are often perceived as "too nerdy" or "wasting time doing projects." This cultural deficit was painfully evident during the recent Tech-GC. Despite CAIC's considerable efforts to organise and promote the event, student turnout was dismal, with some hostels failing to submit any entries whatsoever. The contrast with our enthusiastic participation in cultural and sports events is striking and reveals our collective priorities. For an institution with "Technology" in its name, this apathy toward technical engagement signals a concerning disconnect from our identity.

What's particularly puzzling is that many of these same students who avoid technical competitions are some of the brightest students on our campus, and when confronted, the most common response was "CG me pharak nai padta" (It does not affect my CG). This perspective reveals a troubling disconnect between academic achievement and practical skill development. Somehow, we've created an environment where building actual technical skills through hands-on projects is considered an unnecessary activity, valuable only if it translates to grade point increments. Other IITs have robust technical clubs, regular hackathons, and a culture where students proudly showcase their personal projects. At IITD, such activities remain peripheral to campus life, confined to a small subset of genuinely passionate individuals who often work in isolation rather than as part of a thriving community.

The administration and CAIC need to take deliberate steps to foster a vibrant tech culture. Technical competitions aren't merely extracurricular activities—they often spark innovative research projects and provide practical applications for classroom knowledge. Without institutional support and incentives for participation, we risk continuing this cycle of technical disengagement.

Even for the dedicated teams who invested considerable time and effort, success remained frustratingly elusive. Podium finishes were missed by narrow margins, often due to preventable issues. Many teams approached their projects as routine assignments rather than research endeavours, leading to poorly framed reports, inconsistent formatting, and insufficient testing metrics. Our collective inexperience with such competitions became evident in our execution.

Despite these challenges, CAIC's efforts to streamline the planning process deserve recognition. Their attempts to organise and optimise our participation, even with limited student engagement, were truly commendable. They provided a foundation upon which future contingents could build.

As we move forward, we must acknowledge this reality: the 'T' in IIT Delhi currently stands more as an aspiration than a reflection of our campus culture. Reversing this trend will require concerted effort from students and administration alike—a challenge we must address if we are to live up to our institution's name and reputation. Note: The views expressed in this opinion article solely belong to the author and do not constitute the views of BSP.