Bidding time everyone?

Recently, the Indian petroleum ministry took a decision that could signal the corporatization of the oil & gas exploration system. In a bid to lower its dependence on imported fuel & increase production, the Indian Govt. is all set auction 57 of its oil & gas field for exploration. Currently, India is the third largest oil consumer in Asia & imports nearly 70% oil & gas to fuel its demand.

Companies having deepwater exploration experience will have the edge. Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron and BP are rumored to be taking part in this auction. Domestic players Oil India, Cairn India and BG Group are the other companies in fray. Estimated to generate $8 billion INR, the auction has also caught the interest of Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) & Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). The former intends to bid jointly with other domestic or international companies to gain expertise.

Think Big

Think Big?!?
Engineers tend to DO BIG!

BITS Hyderabad Vs ISM Dhanbad – Is the comparison possible?

I recently saw a post on a popular forum which asked a very interesting question…ISM Dhanbad Vs BITS Hyderabad. The question went something like this…which stream is better Mining in ISM or CSE in BITs Hyderabad?

What struck me is not the duality of interest. It’s quite possible to be interested in an offbeat discipline like mining & CSE is by default on everyone’s list as its one of the “safe” options. What intrigued me was the comparison of two completely disparate centers of technical education. Let’s analyze both the institutes.

A new born baby, BITS Hyderabad has no past record of excellence whatsoever. We can only hope that it will continue in the tradition of its alma pater-BITS Pilani. The environment in BITS- P is amazing. It is one of the few institutes in India that allows students sufficient flexibility & leverage in terms of subjects, faculty, and class timing. Pilani pass outs are assured placements and command good packages. But, it’s early days yet to comment on what the Hyderabad campus will offer to its students.

One place where BITS Hyderabad scores brownie points is its location. Its proximity to the new software nerve centre of India is not unintentional. Most IT, software and telecom companies would definitely look to it for recruitment possibilities. And, if looked at from a student’s point of view, I don’t think any kid will complain about spending his/her student life in Hyderabad. I agree that for an engineering student, campus life is where it’s at, but, a cosmopolitan city certainly has its good points. All in all, BITS Hyderabad has certainly drawn first blood as far as brand name and publicity is concerned.

ISM Dhanbad on the other hand is something of a mystery. Established in 1926, its very name – the Indian School of Mines- gives you a good idea about it specialization. Its location at the very heart of the coal belt-Dhanbad- seems to be a very practical decision. Over the years, the ISM has found its place within the top ten engineering institutes of India. But, it’s yet to find its place in the sun in terms of student popularity and media attention. So, what went wrong here???

As far as pedigree is concerned, it doesn’t get any better. Established in the pattern of the Royal school of Mines, the school was inaugurated in 1926. Admissions are done on the basis of the JEE scores. On the basis of stats provided o the ISM site, the top hiring companies include:




Not too great, but not pathetic either. So, what’s holding ISM back?