Decrypting Inter IIT Tech Meet 11.0

An analysis of IIT Kanpur’s performance in the past three editions reveals IITK’s mixed performance across different domains of the problem statements. With a first position in at least one consulting problem statement and full points in EC and SAC problem statements since the last three editions, IITK performs well in consulting and EC & SAC problem statements. However, the performance has consistently not been up to mark in cyber security and quant problem statements. 

In contrast, IIT Kharagpur, the last edition’s overall champion, shows steep improvements in cyber security and quant domains, having achieved the first position in Inter-IIT Tech Meet 11.0 in both the problem statements.

The Inter-IIT Tech Meet 11.0

With six podium finishes in the last eight Tech meets, IIT Kanpur has consistently held a strong position in the technology field. It boasts of a robust Science and Technology (SnT) Council comprising 12 clubs and six teams operating across various domains, a feat few IITs can claim. 

One thing about the last Inter-IIT Tech that can be guaranteed is the unwavering zeal to succeed within every member, including council representatives and students participating in diverse problem statements. The countless sleepless nights spent by students working on different problem statements are a testament to this dedication. For instance, the Game Development PS team member Shashikant Yadav said, “As soon as the PS was released, we started working on it. We worked for about 15 hours daily for the next 5-6 days.”

When faced with the daunting task of completing an exhaustive 85TB storage requirement for the ISRO problem statement, the team initially sought assistance from the supercomputer department, who eventually agreed to help. However, the team ended up tackling the challenge on their own without requiring the supercomputer. 

Even when it came to problem statements based on entirely new concepts, students took it upon themselves to learn and contribute effectively to their respective teams. Efforts by participants materialised as well with PS like GradCapital bagging the first position with a distinguishable margin. Furthermore, the Y19 seniors showed support in certain problem statements.

Prem Bharwani, the current Institute Secretary and former Programming Club Coordinator, emphasizes that our culture has consistently been a valuable asset.He attributes the sincere efforts put by team members to IIT Kanpur’s success

“The culture that we have has always helped us . The folks are skilled in their relevant domains. People were motivated , people did their work.“

~Prem Bharwani

The Concerns

To gauge the reason for the continuous decline in IITK’s performance, Vox talked with those involved in Tech Meet 11.0. When questioned about the selection process, all stakeholders agreed that a proper selection process was followed for the high prep PSs. However, the same could not be replicated for the low prep PSs where club members were taken up who are reliable and prospective of having the required skill as the available time is significantly less.

Regarding work distribution, a former SnT coordinator and PS lead quoted, “Some people were involved in too many PS, which was damaging for our side. Particularly in the case of High Preps, the leads moved their focus to other PS, deteriorating our performance in the particular High prep.” 

On being questioned about work distribution, Som Tambe, ex-General Secretary(GenSec), SnT Council, remarked that though a particular person is involved in 3 PSs, they may play a major role in only 1 or 2 of them.

On the part of the team’s involvement and motivation, Som Tambe pointed out a few vital points. He mentioned the increasing apprehensions in learning a new skill among students, making it difficult to find people with the right skill set. He also commented on the growing POR culture on campus, with people taking PORs just for the sake of it. He also mentioned that there was a tendency in the Y21s in their want to be guided. Though he ensured that none of the above pointers were exhaustive and applied to some team members, these problems are worth noting.

Raj Verma (a two-time Inter-IIT participant) also resonates with the same problem. He says,

“There seems to be a race of making resumes. Previously, SnT was a place to learn your hobby and grow, but post-COVID, the whole outlook has changed. Students become secies assuming they would get to learn, which isn’t true. You are a secy(secretary) to take care of managerial tasks. Now, those who don’t get to be secy think they can’t learn. The culture of learning for interest is no more alive.”

A former coordinator of an SnT club quoted that mid-prep and low-prep PSs were directly allocated to final year students as they were released who then formulated teams with respective club members. On the involvement of final-year students, many of those we talked to mentioned benefiting from them. However, some pointed out that increased involvement of seniors could have been more beneficial, as most of them weren’t as actively involved in the PS as expected by teams. Some problem statements had multiple parts, requiring active participation from fourth year students to ensure coordination between the different subteams.

Talking about funds, the ex-General Secretary said that “ the yearly council funds do not suffice especially when we have to bear the costs of travelling for the entire contingent. Therefore we source it either from the deputy director or alumni funding, both of which were difficult to retrieve in the past few years.”

Inter-IIT 11.0 also had concerns at the management end, with contingent members mentioning a lack of clear work division within the core team, leading to an excessive focus on high-prep PS and little attention to mid and low-prep PS.

In the words of Adit Jain, ex-Astronomy Club coordinator, “It is not possible for the Contingent Leader(CL) to look over all the PS. If he/she is focused on high prep, the DCL should take up the mid and low preps. We can also consider having multiple DCLs (Deputy Contingent Leaders) to ease the management process instead of a single DCL”.

A member of the organising team (an IITK student, as IITK was the organiser for the 11.0 edition) informed that IITK didn’t raise any contention in the Tech board meeting following Inter-IIT. This was strange and disheartening, particularly for teams in PS like Game Development, where IITK was at a loss due to issues at the organisational end.

Future Prospects

Now that we’ve thoroughly examined past shortcomings, it’s time to shift our attention towards the upcoming Inter-IIT tech meet 12.0. 

In conversation with Prem Bharwani we got to know that things are looking up this time.With the tenure being offline, freshers had the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills through various offline sessions and workshops organized by clubs. Additionally, Takneek served as a valuable reality check, teaching individuals how to collaborate effectively in a team.

Furthermore, he mentioned that unlike the previous Inter-IIT event where teams solving the PS operated in a fragmented manner, this time there is an effort to provide collaborative workspaces for the teams. The Multipurpose room and conference room at the student lounge have already been made available for council activities. Notably, the SnT council has also received additional funding from the institute for Inter-IIT tech meet 12.0, which is a promising development.

 “What the council core team is trying to ensure that while operating, the clubs, societies or teams don’t face any logistical/bureaucratic issues and can focus on their work”

~ Prem Bharwani

Adding to the same point, Sujal Harkut, Institute Secretary, SnT Council and the ex-coordinator of the Finance and Analytics club, emphasised that the selection procedure must be rigorous and well-defined. As soon as we receive the problem statements, we should appoint people to the PS according to this process for a fair and structured team formation. This process would ensure we have the best people working on the problem.

Many leaders encountered a shared challenge during the competition: the requirement for guidance and support from the Y19 batch. As a result, a common recommendation, supported even by the current GenSec, Arnav Pandey, is that there should be an increase in the number of Deputy Contingent Leaders. This initiative was implemented this year as 2 DCLs were appointed. This adjustment aims to distribute the burden from a single individual to a group, allowing for a more dedicated effort in assisting the PS leads.

Preparations for the Inter-IIT Tech Meet 12.0 have already started. Preparatory sessions are being held so that people can hone their skills. While they are to provide a platform for to-be participants to develop their skills, the amount of time commitment and manner of preparation by the SnT core team are making some members apprehensive. In a conversation with Raj Verma and Shashikant Yadav, the current GameDev coordinator, they expressed their concerns regarding the sessions.

“You need to understand that academics here are much more difficult than Kharagpur. SnT is putting in effort but in the wrong direction. In the end, you might get hard-working people, but many smart kids would already be out. You can’t load people this much, and when they are motivated by resume making rather than interest in the field, it becomes even more difficult.” 

~Raj Verma

“Statement Retracted”

However, members also approved of the preparation, posing it to be instrumental in skill development and to get a better command over their respective domains. In the words of Programming Club coordinator Rahul Jha,

“Every year the selection process is ad-hoc and we are unable to identify the best people on campus. This training is providing the opportunity to have people in every domain to be taken up when needed. This whole thing is voluntary and to help students learn. Team selection would be on the basis of how much one knows at the time of PS release, irrespective of their involvement in this.”

                                                                                   ~ Rahul Jha

Nevertheless, commencing our preparations early does enhance our prospects for improved performance. With the finances in place, the students armed with knowledge and experience through various offline training session workshops conducted by the clubs throughout the year,we can definitely look forward to a good result. We extend our best wishes to the Inter-IIT contingent as they gear up for the next tech meet at Madras and hope that we continue to further enhance our longstanding legacy!