On a different mode

Young tunes

Some rules are meant to be broken. The ban on the use of cell phones by the Vishveswaraya Technological University, which was implemented long back, is one of them.

It’s not surprising to see this rule being broken considering we live in a day and age when cell phones have become a necessity more than an accessory.

‘Not using cell phones openly’ has become a way of life for most students in the engineering colleges which come under VTU.

Metrolife takes a look at how students are tackling this tricky situation. The use of phones is prohibited not just in classrooms but the entire campus and while it is present in all colleges, the terms and conditions on being caught differ.

“The ban is still on and they do seize phones, which you can get back only after paying a fine of Rs 500,” says Basanth Patil, a student of Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology.

Kartick Sooji, a student of SJB Institute of Technology says, “In our college, the fine is actually based on the kind of mobile set it is and varies from Rs 50 to Rs 200.”

Says Apoorva R G, a student of BMS College of Engineering, “We have a new committee this year and we do have constant checks and many mobiles are seized. There is no fine but they keep the phone for a month and sometimes also call the parents.”

But putting a ban has not really solved the problem. “People still carry cell phones. And I feel that the rule should be implemented only inside classrooms when you are studying,” says Basanth.
And if you are smart enough, you can always get away with it.

“The rule is much stricter on the juniors and their mobile phones are confiscated. Otherwise we carry the phone everyday and use it secretly,” says Mahesh M B, a third year student from M S Ramaiah
Institute of Technology.

Knowing the teachers also helps. “If a person is new in the college and doesn’t know the teachers, then he or she is generally caught. But it’s different for the third and fourth year students. Even if they are caught, they are just told to keep the phone inside by the teachers,” says Apoorva.
Students are not the only ones who face problems following the rule.

“The lecturers are also not supposed to carry them during the lectures but sometimes their phones ring in between class,” says Mahesh.

“Lecturers get calls once in a while,” says Nitin Kumar, a student of M V Institute of Technology.
“We actually can carry cell phones but it’s just that we have to switch them off in the classroom. Our management knows that the college is really far off and we need to carry a phone in case of an emergency. That way we are very lucky,” he adds.

Only if all colleges thought the same way!