• A common feature has been the proposal of at least one G.Sec Tech candidate to start a Tech Journal to publicize research in the campus among the students. It was proposed to include summaries of various BTech and Mtech projects too
• Some sort of a better sound system for Netaji Auditorium - Invariably at the end of the year we look back and realize that all the events have been conducted with sound systems from MonaLisa Sounds (Kharagpur)
• An Alternative Career Cell to help students who want to pursue different avenues like IAS, CFA, FRM, Actuarial sciences and the like. This proposal has been around for a while now, and so far, nothing of note has been achieved.
• Comprehensive help for students applying for placements, in the form of Mock Tests, GD and PI sessions. Although something eventually happens towards the fag end of November, it is always a case of too little too late.
• At least one of the candidates for the post of GSec Soc and Cult has a proposal to bring in judges for the inter hall events from outside the institute, given the fact that it is always tough to find professors who are free during the time of the events. Barring events like Quiz, this has never actually taken off. Talk to any person halfway involved in the GC, and you would realize how frustrating it is to see hard work going down the drain because of poor judging.
• A proposal to somehow better the mess system does the rounds during election season as well. We will let the palettes of our readers determine how far this has gotten.

We are sure that our readers would know of more proposals that see the light of day only for two weeks during the election period, and then fade away into ignominy. If you do, please follow the link at the end of this page and leave your addition as a comment.

Also if there are any questions that you would like to put to any of the candidates, we would like to hear them. We will try our best to get you the answers from the candidates themselves.

Despite the primary role that the Gymkhana Constitution and the bodies it institutes play in average KGPian’s life, it is remarkable that its contents are known to few. The Scholars’ Avenue obtained a copy of the Constitution (Download the constitution here) and found what definitely makes for interesting reading.

While most of the Constitution deals with the various Subcommittees, Societies and Fest teams, it is evident that a significant amount of effort has gone into installing a secure democratic ethos in the functioning of the Gymkhana, a truly laudable undertaking. In light of this, it is indeed sad that a majority of the student community knows very little as to what transpires within the Gymkhana.

We, at The Scholars’ Avenue, believe that there needs to be greater transparency in the activities of the Gymkhana office bearers as well as greater knowledge of what the student community is entitled to under the Constitution. Steps that need to be taken in this direction are releasing into public domain

a) The minutes of meetings of the Students’ Senate and other bodies.

b) The Annual Report presented by Gymkhana office bearers at the Annual Farewell function as mandated by the constitution.

c) The Gymkhana Annual Budget and the Annual Audit Report.

The bombshell is that the “Public Relations” Chair (Mr. Anupam Singh for this year) has been setup for the express purpose of publicizing activities of the Gymkhana. Quoting from the Constitution:

“The Public Relations Chair my also take feedback from the students on various issues related to Gymkhana. This includes circulation of minutes of meeting organized by students’ senate, students’ forum, committees, sub committee and students’ forum.”

The Gymkhana Website (http://10.106.10.1/gym/) has seen significant improvements, including a feedback form, decently updated notice board and more but all of it has been below the radar.

We hope that the next crop of office bearers will realize the need and benefits of such transparency and take steps to reflect the same. Below, we have quoted the most pertinent sections of the Constitution for those who’d like a quick primer. (Sections in red indicate items that are either rarely followed or rarely known).

• Official Student Bodies as Constituted by the Gymkhana
• The Office Bearers
• Comment on this report here