The Campus - My Teacher

Some of my recent experiences, with regard to visits to colleges and campuses as part of various initiatives, have aided in active engagement with students, and understanding their requirements and views. Let us take a closer view of students from Agricultural Degree background. 

I’m happy to say my experiences have not yet yielded a perfect “bell curve” pattern. Distribution in performances is skewed geographically, and also based on the training, or nurturing provided by their respective institution. Yet what surprised me more, was, uniformity on 2 counts :

(a)   Where they would like to work (State / District Level)

(b)  Girls were more entrepreneurial than Boys

While these observations are backed by statistical records, as is typical of me, for those who know and have worked with me, it was an emerging pattern.

Parrallely, there are various reasons / rationales attributed to the thought process. The main reason being – Language / Food / Culture.  

For many, it may be news, yet district to district within Tamilnadu or for that matter in any state these reasons would fit the bill. Yes, the variance would be different, depending on which is the comparison base.

Many successful ventures across the world have their roots traced to “RISKS” taken by its founders / trend setters. In our field of farm equipment, we, today,  gloat over the adoption of Harvesters. There was a point in time, where it was shunned and considered unviable. Some body in Tamil Nadu and thereafter Andhra took it up and today it flourishes. Just because it was a south trend the East, North or West did not abhor it. They adopted it. In each of these geographies, if you identify the main trend setter, you would invariably find, he would have travelled to either, Punjab, Andhra or Tamil Nadu to learn the nuances. That is industry teaching us the way.  These are by people who never attended any college and set their rules. Many of them employ young students.

Risks are best when taken early. The learning is faster, the absorption is quicker. If we restrict ourselves to areas that we have known for years, we will never learn. No step is ever a mistake in the formative years – Everything is a learning. A Mistake not repeated is learning ! This is exactly how a recruiter would view.

I’m yet to come across one Agri Student, who, even for the sake of presentation / argument, says, "I will go back to assist my family with my knowledge I possess". The thought process has now begun in a few institutions / NGOs, who act like facilitators for a group of students with Agri Lands to pool and take it entrepreneurially. It sustains the families and utilizes the knowledge of the students.  

College life teaches you to learn. Campuses help you to perch yourself.   Take up new geographies / ledges take risks and learn. Come out of your comfort zone. Create new Comfort Zones. It is only we who can will it. Life gives us but one opportunity – Make best use of it. Can we make a difference ?