Mr. Dinar Bhatkar completed his B. Tech from IIT Bombay in 1976. He received the Distinguished Service Award by IIT Bombay in 2001 and has also been the first Goan member in the Board of Governors at IIT Bombay.
He started the session by answering VPD sir’s question on the IIT system and what makes them stand apart from other institutes in the country. He quoted IITs as an ocean of pearls, where the best students of the country, after being selected rigorously are groomed with experienced professors and provided plush facilities. According to him, there exists reciprocity of respect and recognition between the teachers and students which makes them stand tall globally. He continued on how his experience at the IIT hostel shed his shyness and aided in his all-round growth.
Mr. Dinar then threw light on the grading system of IIT and how the assessment procedure varied from person to person, sharing hilarious anecdotes and his experience with the professors at IITB.
Following, he guided us on choosing a branch and according to him one should not be glued to any precursor notions, rather should follow his/her passion. He added that nowadays, all courses offered are interdisciplinary and what truly matters is your understanding and sincerity and not your branch, owing to the flexibility offered at IITs on changing branches. He also added that one should not differentiate between old and new IITs and passing out from any IIT comes with equal recognition.
After that, he enthusiastically answered our questions leaving no stone unturned. VPD sir’s mentor at IIT Bombay Prof. R.K. Pant then shared his views on the subject.
To conclude, he said that we should choose what we are passionate about, beyond borders of gender or anything of that sort.
-Prepared by
Kris Pereira (XI Reg)