India’s intense focus on productivity is once again under scrutiny, this time within the hallowed halls of one of its most prestigious academic institutions. A significant uproar has erupted at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru following the introduction of a rigorous new attendance and parking policy by its Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (ESE).
While the department asserts these changes promote “transparency, discipline, and accountability,” students on campus describe them as “oppressive, unrealistic, and detrimental to mental health.” This stark conflict between institutional oversight and academic freedom has sparked a broader national discussion: Is India inadvertently linking dedication with exhaustion?
The Policy Sparking the Storm
Implemented this month, the new regulations stipulate minimum working hours for all personnel, including faculty, staff, and M.Tech and PhD scholars. Department guidelines now mandate permanent and contractual staff to complete 40 working hours weekly, exclusive of lunch breaks.
For students, the requirements are substantially higher. M.Tech and first-year PhD scholars are expected to spend at least 50 hours on campus each week. However, the most controversial aspect applies to senior PhD scholars, who are directed to “match their supervisors’ working hours,” a commitment frequently extending to 70-80 hours per week.
Adding to the pressure, students utilizing central research facilities such as the National Nanofabrication Centre (NNFC), Micro and Nano Characterisation Facility (MNCF), or IISc Microscopy Facility must log their time separately. Any student requesting remote work for medical or personal reasons must provide written documentation and obtain approval.
For the department, this policy aims to standardize workflow and ensure accountability. For the students, it feels like a surveillance system that prioritizes physical presence over actual performance and intellectual contribution.
A Reflection of a Larger Issue
The controversy at IISc reflects a pervasive cultural trend in India’s professional and academic spheres: the glorification of incessant work and the neglect of vital rest. This campus outburst occurred shortly after a Bengaluru start-up founder publicly advocated for young professionals to work “60–80 hours a week” for career success.
What started as a corporate ideology has now seeped into the very institutions designed to foster intellectual exploration. Research, which thrives on curiosity, deep reflection, and the freedom to experiment, risks being reduced to a mere mechanical process of logging hours.
The danger extends beyond just overwork; it threatens the very essence of purpose. When academic excellence becomes tethered to timesheets, creativity suffers. The pursuit of groundbreaking discoveries transforms into a performance, compelling students to quantify their dedication rather than genuinely pursue knowledge.
The True Cost of Relentless Effort
This isn’t merely about longer hours; it’s about a subtle but significant transformation of India’s work ethic. The normalization of exhaustion, whether in the fast-paced start-up world or rigorous scientific research, is cultivating a generation that measures achievement by hours endured rather than by meaningful impact.
For IISc students, the apprehension runs deeper. Beyond physical fatigue, there’s the immense psychological burden of constant oversight. When every hour must be meticulously documented, rest can feel like an act of defiance, and genuine curiosity risks being stifled under overwhelming pressure. The outcome is ironic: a system intended to spur innovation ends up suppressing it.
From Labs to Time Clocks
Academia, by its very nature, was never intended to mimic corporate structures. Research flourishes in open, self-directed environments where innovative ideas, not strict attendance, drive progress. IISc’s new policy threatens to blur this crucial distinction.
The symbolic shift is profound. On a campus renowned for producing revolutionary scientific work, students now find themselves meticulously filling out attendance logs instead of passionately detailing lab notebooks. The laboratory, once a sanctuary for intellectual freedom, risks becoming just another office cubicle, complete with stricter hours and more rigid rules.
A Mirror to Modern India
The outrage at IISc is not an isolated incident; it mirrors the broader anxiety of an entire generation caught in the relentless grip of a “hustle culture.” From corporate offices to university campuses, India’s brightest minds are being told that sheer endurance equates to excellence – a perilous misconception that could deplete the nation’s intellectual and creative potential.
The Lingering Question
Despite the IISc administration’s defense of its policy, student opposition continues to intensify. The resolution of this conflict could establish a critical precedent for how India defines productivity within its academic institutions.
The country’s future innovators, scientists, and entrepreneurs are posing a fundamental, yet challenging, question: Must brilliance invariably come at the expense of burnout?
Until a sincere answer emerges, the “80-hour dream” will remain a tempting mirage, glistening with ambition but swiftly fading under the relentless weight of exhaustion.