If there was a reason good enough to make me break my word, this had to be it.

You must have noticed the page-length ads put up in the major news-dailies such as The Times of India amongst others about the Indian Institute of Planning and Management started by Arindam Chaudhuri. A big controversy regarding this institute has cropped up in cyberspace where JAM a popular online youth magazine, in a stint of real journalism, exposed several fallacies that IIPM counts upon and puts up in ads luring ignorant believer students.

Gaurav Sabnis who writes a personal blog “Vantage Point” where he linked to the Jam article and put forward his own two cents, was attacked verbally through comments on his post by several dubious IIPM sympathizers. He even got a legal notice from IIPM calling for a defamation suit asking for money in crores as compensation! IIPM students even threatened a demonstration of burning all the IBM laptops they possess as bad publicity for Mr. Sabnis’s employers IBM. In wake of this turn of events, Mr. Sabnis, a man of principles, has resigned from his company rather than take back his statements, which only assert his right of speech. Rashmi Bansal, editor of the JAM magazine also had to bear the brunt of displeased people on her blog.

The disgraceful way in which the B-school has responded to the issue reeks of the truth of the accusations made on them. Rather than criticising the articles and proving them false by providing factual information, they resorted to slander and unnecessary slick-throwing. Probably, they are trying to buy time before they come up with forged documents to give themselves some ground to stand upon.

As obvious it is, publicity is the key. I am already sending out e-mails to all those whom I know, for this would be one forward that they morally do have to read. It is also to be crossposted to Orkut, which is a fad amongst the youth and would definitely find many readers.

The IIPM supporters, who seem to think that their “gun to the head” methods are any persuasive, are to be dealt a death-blow.