The headlines-grabbing former chief election commissioner T. N. Seshan, still remembered as the watchdog of political correctness who sent shivers down the collective spine (if any) of politicians during his tenure as CEC, is alive, well and now an educationist in his new avatar as chairman and dean of the MIT School of Government (MITSOG), Pune. Sponsored by the Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune (estb. 1983), the flagship institution of the Maharashtra Academy of Engineering and Education Research, Seshan claims MITSOG is the first institution in Asia to offer formal education in social and political leadership to acquaint aspirants with the perils, pitfalls and trapdoors of Indian politics. The school which commenced classes on August 15 with a first batch of 60 students has roped in the executive director of Pune’s MIT, Rahul Vishwanath Karad as its executive dean and boasts an impressive visiting faculty comprising several hardy perennials. These include L.K Advani, Mani Shankar Iyer and Margaret Alva, and promising young achievers like Rahul Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Milind Deora, Navin Jindal, Sachin Pilot and Akhilesh Yadav. Modelled on the lines of Harvard University‘s John F. Kennedy School of Government, MITSOG’s one-year postgrad residential diploma course is split into three semesters, each of 115 days with nine core compulsory subjects to choose from, including the Constitution of India, the five-tier structure of government, budget and finance, the Indian economy and communication (with special emphasis on public oratory and management). Optional subjects include planning, the legal system and corruption. Not that students will be poring over voluminous texts day after day. According to Seshan the stress is on practical training and national and international study tours, the cost of which is included in the Rs.2.75 lakh per year fee package. However, there’s no campus placement or recruitment. All the institute promises is to churn out knowledge driven leaders of tomorrow whose governance will help professionalise Indian politics. With disciplinarian Seshan having designed the curriculum, there is a possibility of the emergence of a new class of politicians. At least they will lead the public up the garden path with greater finesse and refinement. Departure from tradition Academics in the wild east state of Bihar (pop. 86 million)- India’s most backward province by every known yardstick- are not known for their scholarship. But they are reputed for their innovative skills, especially in matters related to examination scams, fudging mark sheets and treading untrodden ways. This perhaps explains why the underground Ghorasahan University is sited in Bihar’s Champaran district near the Nepal border. Its distinguished alumni have made their mark as far afield as Delhi, Chennai, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The Bihar Police stumbled upon Ghorasahan University earlier this year when they arrested an evidently not-so-successful graduate, one Ganga Sagar Sah in Delhi with a cache of over 100 stolen mobile phones. Preliminary police investigations (which will be heard of no more) indicate that the university has been operational for three years during which 200 students have graduated with degrees in pick pocketing and thievery.…
