DEMOCRACY @IITBIITB is an educational institute.True.We strive to pursue excellence in academics and research.True!We are here to learn the fundae of engineering to lead India forward in this technological age.True.But that’s not what this article is about. This article is aimed at something deep within the IIT system- something hardly anyone outside the institute has a clue about (except Alums of course):The Democracy that is IITB. IITB Campus. Scratch that! It’s more than that! It’s a town, if not a city by Indian Census Standards.There are more than 5000 students in this town and they live in 14 huge hostels in the campus, study here, play, participate in anything that they enjoy- be it tech, sports or cult and also, organize mega-festivals like MoodIndigo, TechFest, E-Summit!

If you sit back and think for a moment, you’d realize- that for all of this to be possible, the work behind the scene is immense! It would be an understatement to say that it takes a lot to run this place! And so we come to the question- WHO RUNS IT?//Under the guidance of Faculty, IITB is wholly and solely run by its student community! The democracy defining sentence with some modification stands perfectly here-For the Students, Of The Students, By The Students!

There are Hostel Affairs, Sports, Academic Affairs, Cultural Affairs, Technical Activities, Festival Organizing Teams, 14 Hostel Bodies, infinite Clubs, etc etc etc. All run by students!

The system is quite complex from an outsider’s view (sometimes for insiders too) and has enough points to make up a small encyclopedia of its own! But this article is not about how the system is structured or the various posts here- it’s about how our democracy works. At IITB, there are what we call Positions of Responsibility (PORs). You’re either Nominated through gruelling interviews for a POR or you fight an election to win one!

Yes, you read that right. You FIGHT (not just contest) an election.Well, want a POR? Here’s how!

Step 0: Check your eligibility for the post you want. There’s usually a ‘minimum number of semesters completed’ criteria and ‘the no academic backlog’ criteria. If you fulfill both, you’re good to go!Step 1: Infinite groundwork regarding the post you want to get elected to.Step 2: Create a feasible and balanced manifesto.Step 3: Infinite campaigning for your candidature in your electorate- going wing to wing and door to door!Step 4: Face a grueling SOP-Box (Statement of Purpose) where the electorate’s elite question you, your objectives and your actual reason for the POR. (Yes, very similar to what question you, your objectives and your actual reason for the POR. (Yes, very similar to what you see in the Roadies’ Interviews)

Step 5: Wait for election day or your Nomination Interview and then cross your fingers for the results! So, by the grace of your electorate (which is extremely smart, you cant possibly expect to get away with fooling IIT-Bombay students), you either get elected or you dont! And if the tide is in your favour and you do get elected, congratulations!You’re now respected as a person in a Position Of Responsibility! “Seriously? Respect? Yeah right! Election jeet gaya. Ab kya hi hoga? One more year. Again election time and they’ll promise stuff! How many politicians ever fulfill their promises? Power's always misused! IITB-wallahs! What POR and respect?”

Well,if that’s what you’re thinking, you couldn’t be more wrong! Because: Once you get a POR at IITB, you better take it very seriously!

Let me explain. (Say) Person X is a Hostel Maintenance Secretary.The Maint Secy is the one who solves all your daily sanitary, maintenance, electricity, water and energy issues. He makes your hostel look better. He achieves his manifesto objectives. He works with his Maintenance Councillor and Hostel Council to make your hostel a better place.If you have a suggestion to make for a better football field, you go to X. If you feel there’s a job he needs to concentrate on, he better tend to it!That’s his job. And he better do it.

So, yes, once you’re in the system, you’re responsible for everything you do! There’s minimal interference from the professors. But that doesn’t mean you can get away with any crap you wish.Because twice a year, comes the General Body Meeting (GBM). And on this dreaded day, if he cant answer to his electorate, if he cant defend against all his failed promises satisfactorily, he’s OUT! You can actually initiate an impeachment process against him!

And if he loses the confidence motion, well, God bless him because an impeachment means he can never ever stand for any other POR again in his entire remainder of the stay @IITB. And this is applicable to any other POR throughout the institute- be it in an Institute Body or Hostel Body! In short, the day you decide to stand up for a POR in any field, you must be ready to give it your 100%, your best shot! For if you don’t, you might end up losing the little respect you’ve gained and disappointing not only your friends but also your own self!

And as I read what I’ve written, everything sounds terribly scary about a POR. You do work, you get scolded on, you are under scrutiny! Why would you do it?!

It’s because you believe- no scratch that!- you KNOW you can make a difference. You can make this place truly more awesome. Of course, the certificate you're awarded on completing your tenure does make it rewarding but nothing and truly NOTHING can match the respect you earn if you've worked hard and done a good job! You feel good and your tenure may even motivate you to take a step towards serving your county like in the case of

the highly respected Mr.Jairam Ramesh and Mr.Manohar Parrikar. And that’s reason enough for taking up a POR. So that's how POR people in IITB actually serve the Institute and that's how Public Servants should ideally be, isn't it? Of course, this isn’t a utopian world. We do have problems. There are shortcomings in certain areas. But we dont take them for granted! We fight these- because we believe in our system and want to make it PERFECT!

At IITB, we strive closer to that goal of a perfect democratic setup and this (extremely long, I know) article ends here with our hope that truly, one day, we, the products of this IITB System can make a difference not only in the technological sectors of India but also the political setup in the country.

Thank you for your patience!