Students want to stay back, but where are the options?

Sriparna Sarkar, third-year student, Nowrosjee Wadia College
She had to sit at home for a year. She preferred to do so rather than suffer all her life. For Sriparna, the decision was hard to take, but it paid off. "I had taken admission in a college in Kolkata but left it after a month. I could not gel well with the crowd there. Plus, I was wary of student politics.Why do they force students to participate in political activities? I could not relate to the environment there," she sudders.
She took a break for a year and shifted to Pune for graduation. "Coming to Pune helped me define my career path. Syllabi in Pune colleges are concise and pretty much covers everything. It has prepared me for the future. I want to complete my post-graduation in political science and pursue a career in academics in a Pune college. I have left my Kolkata days way behind," she says.
Ria Banerjee, first-year student, Symbiosis
After Ria passed out of Calcutta Girls High School, she had considered the options available to her in Kolkata. "But she heard of the Liberal Arts programme at Symbiosis, I knew I had to take it up. In Kolkata, my academic future would have been determined by the choices I made in school. But here I could spend an entire year dabbling with courses in various fields before I decided which field I wanted to pick as my major," she says.
If it was liberal arts that pushed Ria out of Bengal, for her parents, it was campus politics that led them to send their daughter to Pune. "If I was planning a career in politics, it would have made sense to stay in Kolkata, but for me it made sense to leave. Also, the programme I chose is better suited for pursuing higher studies in the US. If I ever choose to go there, I could transfer my credits," she adds.
"The decision to leave Kolkata was difficult. I will always crib about not getting decent fish in Pune, but I don't regret moving here," was her reply when asked what she likes most about Kolkata.
Jay Saha, 20,MBA student, Nowrosjee Wadia College
Jay is one of those who "had to" leave Bengal as there's "lack of academic exposure". "Career opportunities are less and political violence is rampant. These are definitely deterrents, but I preferred taking admission in a college in Pune because there was no MBA college in Kolkata that I preferred. The number of streams and career options in colleges here are far more than those in Kolkata, which is why I took a liking to Pune," he recounts.
"Also, there are no incidents of ragging in Pune colleges, while I have come across such instances in Kolkata colleges," Jay adds. "I, however, must add that I like Kolkata and would not mind shifting there if I get a good job opportunity."