Varun Aggarwala
Varun Aggarwala

@Varun_Research

6 Tweets 4 reads Jun 28, 2023
Partially true, but the bigger problem is that none of our IIT/IIM/IISER/AIIMS have elite patronage.
Our elites send their kids to B-grade US/UK univs bcoz we do not allow them to buy a seat at our elite institutions.
As a result no one cares about research issues in India.
Things in IIT/IISC/AIIMS would be 100x smoother & output driven, if the kids of IAS secretaries, industrialists, judges were allowed a direct entry under some elite quota.
There would be real skin in the game.
Right now, no one cares (not even the alumni).
And yes merit is overrated.
Harvard/Stanford does just fine with 50% of seats for the alumni & global elites.
Obama/Bush/Clinton family have a direct entry at these institutions.
Scores matter for the remainder (& only till a limit).
Elites are not interested in research & high tech, but buying prestige.
If they were IIT/IIM/IISER alumni & also their kids were guaranteed admission in some course (business intelligence, MBA, fintech) they would move mountains to fundraise/solve research pipeline in India.
My working hypothesis is that the rich kids will ensure that their parents/contacts will ensure a continuous stream of research funds & seamless access to the best problem solvers (no more gulags masquerading as hostels at IITB & broken facilities).
The elites are genuinely smart & this cannot be measured by the irrelevant JEE exam.
I would much rather study with Murthy/Ambani Jr, teenage entrepreneurs, dalits from working neighborhoods, than 100% of nerds with no vision or desire beyond cracking exams (I was one of them).

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