This blog is devoted to matters that are of concern to the community at the University of Hyderabad, and more generally to anyone interested in higher education matters in India. This is not to say it is purposely limited, it is just that some issues tend to be region specific.
I also prefer not to use this blog to comment on policy or official matters- hence the “unofficial” in the blog title. If there is something that needs to be said on those issues, it will be done so directly…
This is an open blog- comments can be made by anyone (regardless of whether you are from the HCU/UoH community or not) but they will be moderated (mainly for language) regardless of whether you are not from the HCU/UoH community or not…
As of 28 January 2015, there will be no further posts on this site. I’ve moved on and will be writing on a new blog, And then…
A central Central University 
I wanted to share my appreciation for this endeavour. All through my education top administrative officials of the college/ school/ university I attended held themselves at a distance. The blog is a wonderful way for us to see how the leadership is thinking. Given your responsibilities you probably have to make time to write – thanks a lot!
Good evening Sir,
Sir I don’t have the confidence that I have while I started my magazine Prajnja. Readers are there mainly from outside the university.But if I want to go ahead i need articles, I cant write the full articles all the time. As the junior most student I have certain limitations.Yes I have many friends in University. I don’t know what to do. As well as i feel isolated in especially in south campus in SCIS. I started this because i thought that the university will be with me but………. I don’t know what to say. But I will not move back I know that i have blessings from all my teachers in UOH and my school my mother and all other well wishers. I want your blessings sir.
Greeshma.G
Chief Editor of prajnja
http://prajnja.wordpress.com
prajnjaswathanthrachintha@ymail.com
I see that you have ditched the rock(s)! I cannot recognise the new picture.
Rocks are ubiquitous in the campus. Although I cannot identify the particular rock, it was a good brand ambassador for the university of Hyderabad!
Rocks take some very important roles in Hindu culture, e.g., Shiva is most often depicted as a nice rock (not to forget that we live under the Lingampally police station).
Sometime back I joked to a foreign friend that if there was a competition in stone throwing (say in Olympics), Indians (kasmiris can join us) can give a tough time to Palestinians!
Killing by stoning may appear to be outdated, but rocks are still the preferred defense (when it comes to defend the indefensible) for many students in the campus. Of course you know that offense is the best defense.
Murphy said “don’t force it; use a bigger hammer”- mostly you cannot find a bigger hammer but you will always find a bigger rock.
Did you know that there is god of chaos in Egyptian mythology? If my memory serves me right (do not count too much on it, though) it is a nice rock.
Rocks serve so many useful purpose in real life that is impossible to think of a life without rocks. Don’t say I am a stone age man; Einstein once said that in the fourth world war, the most important weapon will be stone axe. In my home town, stones are so rare that they are cherished like (fill up with your own favourite word).
We can all damn American imperialism but they have already conquered the world with rocks!
HCU ROCKS!
Respected Sir,
I would like to bring your notice is that the school of international studies establishment is very important because Hyderabad is emerging metropolitan city in India, with globalization the world come very close but many youngsters in rural background could not understand the international human rights, and other countries culture, and the opportunity to do business. kindly make necessary arrangement.
thanking you.
Just came across this blog.
Good Luck!
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for your fellow academics to move away from being so “politically correct” in their comments.
I believe you place a real challenge in front of your colleagues and students to participate.
http://ktwop.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/an-indian-university-vice-chancellors-blog/
Thanks! I also hope that my colleagues get more into the spirit of things for a freer discussion. You’re welcome to come by and be as critical as you like!
Good evening Sir,
I feel very sad that yesterday some students misunderstood your intention.
Thanks Bheema- I’m glad you wrote.
In our University, frequently the grass is removed by tractor which is a wasted effort. Instead of that, more grass makes the university so beautiful. In BHU every empty spot looks good with grass or with gardens. And one thing, recently a python was seen at the student canteen…
Respected Sir,
Good morning. I came to know with your recent message that you want more M.Tech courses in the 12th five year plan. India big country in South Asia, facing major problems like Terrorism, Religious Extremism and Fast Economic Development with Globalization. India is a democratic country. But its neighbors struggling to maintain the Democracies spirit.
What I would like to bring your notice is that the school of social science have some area studies centers. So kindly focus on the school of international studies. It will cover all area studies. ( South Asia, ASEAN, West Asian Studies, American and African Studies.)
The aim of Higher Education according to Radhakrishnan Commission is to develop the great personalities who can give their contributions in Politics, Administration, Profession, Industry and Commerce.
I believe that the University is last place for a student to learn higher education and moral values.
Our University of Hyderabad is following a lot of rules and regulations to become topmost university of India but why are all the rules and regulations strictly followed only for the students and not for the administration officials? When we have to fill endsem forms, then the Warden is not signing the no dues certificate without paying the mess bill. When we are forced to pay the mess bill at last then our fellowship is coming and that also is getting deducted against our mess bills. Why is nobody responsible for these mistakes? Why is there no transparency for our fellowships so that we should be aware in what condition we will get and in what condition it will be deducted? We are demanding one chair and lights and our chief warden is showing us hand (??) from the beginning of sem. Geysers in bathrooms are showpieces and its not working and nobody is taking any action on it. There are n number of problems related to mess and hostel and administration is not at all aware about this. I have been to my friends are in places like BHU JNU and IISc Bangalore. There the condition is not at all like this. I hope u will take necessary steps for this.
There should be some transparency, especially in fellowships. I remember last semester we were forced to sign one declaration mentioning that we have given all rights to the Chief Warden to deduct our fellowship from the mess bill and university administration has no role in it. The ones who didn’t sign that paper, their mess card was closed. I don’t know whether you are aware from this fact or not, but its just like a dictatorship.
Bharat, the logical connection is not clear. Did the people who did not sign make sure that they paid their mess dues? There is some freeloading going on and the Chief Warden has to take steps- calling it a dictatorship is a bit extreme…
Sir,
No problem with fellowships Sir. It is better if it is deducted from the Mess Bill but make sure that every student should get a hard copy of statement. (soft copy is available in Univ website)
Thanks & regards
Sir,
Here deduction saves our money: If not we will spend it on others.
Thanks & regards
Siddhu
according to that declaration our fellowship will be deducted compulsorily . it doesn’t matter whether we pay or don’t pay the mess bill. there are many students who are not capable enough to pay mess bill in time but then also there students who pay the their bills on time. for them who pay the mess bill in time their money is getting deducted when they are in critical need of it. we should be given a limited period of time. if we don’t pay the bill in that period then only our fellowships should. this will good for all students.
Sir,
I am an alumnus of HCU. I have started following the news related to the University with renewed interest ever since my son joined the university in one of the integrated courses and your blog is a nice way for me to keep in touch with HCU. Thank you very much.
I would like to know if there is any move to open up the information and knowledge generated as a part of the research work at HCU – I mean the raw data as well as the research findings/papers etc. Also is there any open courseware initiative to open up the content of courses/lectures of the university as universities like MIT, Rice University etc. have done?
I have been watching initiatives like National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=80196) and the move by IIT, chennai to open up their reaserc papers ( http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article2893901.ece ) with interest and I am curious how HCU is gearing up for this general trend of openness.
Regards,
Murthy Raju
Dear Sir,
I’ve been having aproblem with the crossing the road in front of the main gate and i am pretty sure its not been easy for other students too. So, i thought i’d write and was wondering if you can find a way around the system and decrease the speed of cars coming towards university, although the road is a national Highway.
The toughest times and riskiest is around 8-10 in the mornings and 5-8 in the evenings, when cars don’t care to slow down at all in front of the gate, despite the Zebra crossings and the yellow lights blinking. To make it more risky, you can’t always see the cars approaching from either side, because on one side there is a slow uphill and on the other there is a Bend pretty close to the gate.
Sir, can you please find a way to make it easier and more importantly safer to get across the road in front of the main gate?
Thank you
Dear Sir,
I suggest, hcu may request the Serilingampally municipal corporation or GHMC to set up a metallic overbridge for walkers. Let us also see how many of us use this to cross the road.
I have seen one at Narayanamma Institute of Science and Technology, near Shaikpet.
Uma
Dear Sir,
The topic of concern that I am bringing up on behalf of several students and nature lovers on campus has to do with the ‘cleaning up’ that is going on at various places on campus. As you know, much of the natural undergrowth is being removed from major spots on campus, in the name of ‘beautification’. Our concern with this has to do with the displacement of animals, snakes in particular, from these regions on campus.
The natural vegetation around Buffalo Lake and around the new chemistry building for example, are prime locations which are inhabited by snakes. Due to the removal of this undergrowth, there have been an increase in the number of snakes entering into the surrounding buildings. Frequently, these sightings end up being disastrous for the snakes. Our campus is the home of a wide variety of snake species, some of which haven’t been reported in Hyderabad. It is therefore essential for us to protect them however we can. Stopping this removal of undergrowth in these mentioned hotspots around campus would be the first step in ensuring their survival.
Instead of spending time and money destroying natural vegetation, we strongly request these efforts to target more important concerns, such as the heaps of trash that litter campus and the open drainage in places like students canteen and hostel messes. Our present goal will only result in a plastic sense of neatness. We sincerely hope you reconsider the renovations that have been ordered, and we would be more than willing to help in any way possible to help restore the actual beauty our campus once had.
Thank you,
Ashwin Miriyala
Ashwin, this is not just plastic beautification- the campus has been used as a dump by generations… Some of the trees need to be
culled, the termite infestation is acute in some parts… I welcome your offer of help. Come by.
Excellent initiative and great choice of theme. Pleasantly surprised to see higher education administrators in India opening up to engage with their students.
Dear Sir,
I am Rohit, I am an alumnus of UoHyd from Bioinformatics, but I still feel I am studying here.
I am writing this to bring to your notice an important issue. Hope there will be some initiative after listening to what I have got to say.
Our beloved friend passed away yesterday due to chronic tuberculosis. Chandra Mouli was a bright student pursuing his PhD. He was known as a guy with a very good heart not only to me but to everyone around. He was there whenever anyone needed help, known and unknown.
He suffered every single day because of late diagnosis of the disease for more than 6 months. His family are grieving a great loss and we tried to console them, but I know that won’t work out much either.
Already they had pain in their heart from the beginning of the disease and to make matters worse the hospital fees were far greater than what any normal family can afford. We tried our best by collecting funds but it could never cover the huge bills. The only people who can afford them are the rich and the upper middle class who are a very small minority in the university.
The medical Insurance of the university for the students was a meagre amount (I thought its one lakh but my friends say its 50000). This cannot even cover the medical expenses for a minor accident where it cost more than 50000 for all the tests. One day in ICU cost anywhere between 50000-100000. So was the insurance for one day.
Why hasn’t there been any effort to increase the medical insurance from several years though the fees and mess bills are increasing at an uncontrollable rate? Why hasn’t any cell or unit been set up to support the fraternity of our very own university?
I may not be knowing about the presence of such units if at all they are present because most of the students don’t have such information.
We lost a gem of a person and the family’s loss is being further aggravated by the expenses which could not be covered by the insurance. I hope that this should never repeat in the university again.
Please take the necessary steps to
1) Increase the medical insurance for the University students and staff.
2) Create a separate unit or cell which is completely transparent in monetary issues that can help to collect funds for people needing financial assistance due to medical emergencies. This must be set up in such a way that anyone can deposit any amount of money into the fund, the depositors must get a signed slip after the deposit or at least an official mail. This fund must be used for no other purpose.
Thank you for taking the time to read all this. We trust you and know you will take the necessary steps.
Thank you.
Congratulations on this blog! While I try to be as transparent as possible and do interact with faculty through group emails on a regular basis, and students can write-in to me and expect replies, this public blog is worth emulating! Thanx.
Savithri
Thanks Savithri! It takes a bit of time, but the change in attitudes that it brings about is worth it-
Hello Sir,
I wanted to write about this since quite sometime now. I belong to a small centre in the university. I specify this because of the lack of interaction that happens therefore beyond the centre. With the university expanding to the south campus, and the departments that have started to function from there accordingly has obviously gotten the distance in terms of accessibility to notice boards.
I’m generally in great appreciation of the university as a student for the myriad departments that exist here. Having said this, I must confess that I’m a curious student as well. I like to learn about things that are relevant to my work and also about things I don’t come across normally in my area of interest as well. The most conducive way to do so comes through attending lectures, talks, seminars, conferences, plays, and other activities of the kind. However, I see that most times I miss out on some of them due to lack of information. Especially annoying is an episode where I would have stumbled upon/realized an event’s scheduled time two or three hours after it took place.
I therefore request you to have an “events” page in the university’s webpage which gets updated everyday for all the things that would be happening throughout the week. It is not enough to have the news of a major talk or event that would take place soon.
I do not wish to elaborate on the pros and cons of having such a page put up in the website. I understand that you would realize the point about how necessary it is to have one.
Thanks and Regards,
Shalini.
We now have whatsupuoh to help spread the word about campus events…
Thanks a lot Sir ….. I will definitely help spread the word !
😀
Hello Sir,
There are so many things to write about. Most times I avoid doing so because I feel it is probably a lose and lose situation because deep down I know there wouldn’ be any change. No one will care. But I need to do this for now, for my personal satisfaction, that I tried doing something about what makes a difference for me instead of being mum and not voicing my opinion.
I have completed a master’s degree here. Tried working on an MPhil degree too but enrolled into a PhD degree before I could finish that. This is to say that I have an understanding of how the system works here. What all I have learnt and tried to let go too.
Every semester we have the semester registration ritual. Every semester I understand that some students fail to pay on time and that the last date gets extended too. Every semester there is a hue and a cry about the same things over and over again. I have been a victim of such issues as well. NO. Not because I failed to pay on time and submit things on time. I try and do my part pretty efficiently, to avoid causing or be at the receiving end of any trouble.
Since the past three semesters, I have been paying fines nevertheless. I quietly tried to not get troubled or angry or mad or develop such negative emotions towards these episodes. However, my patience has crossed its threshold today.
I do not understand how a university that is so advanced on so many levels can be so inefficient when it comes to administrative processes. Or I wonder if the inefficiency is with respect to the people involved in the work.
I paid my semester fees as soon as the first circular was sent out to the department. Within two weeks of time. Here I was sitting and waiting for my semester card, because after having several debacles inspite of doing things on time for the previous semesters, I made sure I was there right from the beginning. Three days ago I checked with our office again for my semester card. They said they already gave it to me, I said no I didn’t get it. They went around searching, it isn’t there. Then I asked at the chief warden’s office, just in case my bad luck brought me back into another bad cycle. They said that my records were cleared long ago. Our office people checked with the administration section again yesterday, they said I did not pay the fee in entirety. Rs. 200 is still due (no, not my mess bill, because god forbid I’m a local student who can only dream of getting a hostel room inspite of staying 32 kms away from the campus when in fact even project students who aren’t registered university students get to stay on campus). Why were those forms still sitting with them till yesterday when the due date is today? Why did they not bother sending them out much before? Why did they wait till our office staff had to call and check with them about it?
Of course, I never see a form returning to any office when we end up paying extra amounts of money. Like for instance I paid hostel rent for a few semesters without realizing that I didn’t have to pay it.
Why is my fees not paid in entirety?
Because, the administration section sent the first circular with the respective fees amount long ago. Some people like me already paid on time. However, the admin chose to change somethings about it. So accordingly, did they send out another circular about the same? NO!!!!!
I’m supposed to sit here with a crystal ball or a mirror on the wall which will predict such events and so I’m expected to act or behave accordingly. It is just something that should come naturally to me!! How dare I not do so!!
Same is the case with getting Chief Warden’s Signature. As a non-boarder of the hostel, I do not see why I need to do it every time. But I just have to. Does anyone mention this to new students? No. Again, seek the crystal ball!!! if not? Get the registration forms far too late but just one day before the last date to submit with fines! If you were somehow unavailable at the university at the time, then just forget about your degree! The trick however is about the dates on each of these letters that are printed. All the dates are just fine, dated much much before and well in advance. What do students get to hear? It is your duty to come to admin, we sent out this letter long ago. When in fact, the letter is still in their hands while the argument is going on.
Whose fault is it in the end? It doesn’t matter for reasons I have typed below.
Ultimately, and pretty consistently, I have seen, heard and felt how people eat their own words to suit themselves. Ultimately, the blame is from the student’s end. Ultimately, the students get reprimanded from the department and the university. Ultimately, students don’t receive their stipends which is a heavily dependent commodity to continue living a life. Ultimately, some students even get expelled. Ultimately, some such episodes can cause so much trouble that ……
I just want to say that, there is no need for a fuss of this sort, if and only if the system has a robust and efficient way of working and most importantly in a TIMELY manner.
Respected Sir,
It is really a wonderful initiative from your end. I Hope that all the members of HCU Family utilize it to spread and share their knowledge with others.
Kasi Eswarappa
Respected Sir
I would like to know whether there is stipend for MA students? It would be better that students are encouraged and provided with stipend.