Post on 15-Nov-2014
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Students’ Union 2008-09
Sitting (from left to right)
Hostel General Secretary P.K. Pradeep
Students’ Union Secretary M. Chellapriyadharshini
Administrative Officer Dr. S. Shanmugam
Vice Principal Dr. V. Selladurai
Principal Dr. R. Prabhakar
Students’ Union Staff Advisor Dr. N. Murugan
Students’ Union Chairperson A.S. Nirmaladevi
Chief Editor Srishti S. Vignesh
Standing First Row (from left to right)
YRC S. Gowdhaman
Literary Club Paul A. Emmanuel
Quiz Club G. Chocklingam
Dramatix Joint Secretary R. Aravindh
Dramatix Secretary R. Arvindh
Associate Editor Srishti R. Amshuman
Placement Secretary G. Aravind
Arts Club S. Anand
Students’ Union 2008-09
Standing Second row (from left to right)
Film Club R. Vijay Sivanesan
Music Club R. Nandhakumar
Karate Club M. Sivarajan
NCC R. Sankaranarayanan
Ilamparavai Editor N. Purushothaman
Muthamil Mandram R. Sudhakar
Associate Editor Srishti V. Sylvester Pious
Standing Third row (from left to right)
Photography Club S. Sridhar
NSS R. SathishS. VijayakumarS.M. DheebanChakkaravarthy
Nature Club S. Vignesh
Sports Club S. Arunkumar
NSS C. Deepa Sarojini
Girls’ Hostel General Secretary K. Saranya
Members not in the photograph
Space Club T. Ragland Navamani
YHAI G. Sakthivel
C o n t e n t s
56
44
54
A Taste of CITThe best days of my life
A tribute to Prof. P.R. Ramakrishnan
From CIT to Townhall
Into the Night
Spinning the YarnGod plays dice
It started with a Five star
The Girl inside the glass paperweight
Yet another beginning
Campus Walk Association Activities
Placement Report
Interface and Technovation 2009
Quest ’09
Brahma ’09
Writer’s Workshop
Alumni Watch
13
46
74
98
26
28
86
99
34
37
48
53
60
61
69
92
70
72
10
21
42
I think, therefore I amRelics of Religion
The Girl, the Dog and the Umbrella
India shining
Caste based society
Freedom – My Perspective
Just in Time
The Golden PageWhy Atheism is not necessarily a solution
18
22
66
80
88
94
72
Visual TreatsThe Emerald Isles
Frames of Mind
Painting
Pencil Sketching
Altitude of AttitudeA glimpse of Indian fashion
The Economic Cycle
One India
Media Matters
Team work
Chandni Chowk to China
Destiny (re)written
GenNext
21
24
51
52
10
16
30
58
76
32
62
78
Book ReviewWhite Tiger96
Fun TimeEditorial’s choice
Crushed
Tarot Tarun
My Birthday Nightmare
SpotlightsChandrayaan
Mumbai Attack
The Great Recession 2008
It’s a Black Day for America
Face to FaceInterview with V.B.Chandrasekhar
25
64
70
90
42
44
54
56
40
Poet’s CornerThe love of my dream
Way beyond the world
Hall of Reckoning
Slipping Sand
12
20
84
92
From the Correspondent
MESSAGE
Srishti ‘09 is an excellent piece of publication that
demonstrates the literary, art, wit and imaginative skills of
our students. Congratulations to the entire team for
keeping the tradition high and raising the bar of
presentation skills.
Dr. S.R.K. Prasad
From the Principal
MESSAGE
Srishti ‘09 is a wonderful blend of knowledge, information,
titbits, poems, literary work and graphics to make the issue
interesting and coveted. I congratulate the staff advisor and
the student editorial team of Srishti ‘09 for their brilliant
and original efforts.
(Dr. R. Prabhakar)
From the Vice-Principal
MESSAGE
Srishti 2009 is an innovative piece, which showcases the hard
work put in by the editorial board. I congratulate the team and
the students who have contributed articles and helped in the
creation of the magazine. I wish them all success for their
future endeavor.
(Dr. V. Selladurai)
From the
Students’ Union Staff Advisor
MESSAGE
I am glad to know that the Literary Club of CIT is bringing
out Srishti 2009 with enhanced quality. Our students’
creative capabilities and talents will be revealed through
this magazine and well recognized by all. I congratulate all
members of the organising committee of Srishti for their
untiring efforts to bring out a master piece in Srishti 2009. I
also congratulate all students who have contributed with
great care to incorporate even very minute details for
improving the overall quality of Srishti.
(Dr. N. Murugan)
From the
Staff Advisor
MESSAGE
Srishti 2009 exhibits the magnificent artistic splendour of the
creative minds. The innovative ideas unleashed with chosen
words have made the literary articles fascinating. Each article
is an exquisite literary piece which perfectly blends eloquent
expressions and ideas. The aspirations, perspectives and
cherished ideas expressed in an elegant language bring to lime-
light the vision and expertise of the students. I extol the
tremendous work done by the editorial board which worked
with all zest and zeal, relentlessly to bring out this outstanding
literary magazine Srishti 2009.
(Mrs. P. Shanthi)
Message from the
Associate Editor
Message from the
Associate Editor
Message from the Secretary
MESSAGE
Srishti, is one of the best things that has happened to the Literary Club of
CIT. This year’s edition stands out to reveal those investigative journalists,
poets, creative writers and thinkers that CIT houses. The enthusiasm that
we received as soon as the announcements were made regarding the
submission of articles has been something that has kept us going
throughout. I can vouch that working towards bringing out this magazine
was a pleasure in every way. The editorial team has done a commendable
job in bringing out this year’s edition. Creativity would be too ordinary a word
to describe what Srishti ’09 is all about. To know more, ‘Read On!’
(Paul A. Emmanuel)
I cannot, in one line express the
effort and pain that has gone into
this magazine and thus my only
request to you is that you read
Srishti from start to the end and
justify the efforts.
(R. Amshuman)
We have an abundance of information. It can be found in newspapers,
magazine, on the internet and in many more places. With each person
having different views and ideas, most of the information is more or
less biased. It is difficult to see through all this and get to the truth.
This magazine is one such collection of ideas and perspectives on
different issues. I hope your own research and opinions add value to
what you read in this year's Srishti. We had a great time putting
together this magazine. I would like to thank all those who made it
possible. Hope you too have a great time reading this magazine
(Sylvester Pious. V)
Fashion is a sort of
communal art through
which a culture examines
its idea of beauty and
goodness. Fashion is
usually a synonym for
glamour, beauty and style.
Talking about India, our
motherland has her own
unique native costumes
and traditional attire. While
traditional clothes are still
worn in most of rural India, urban India is changing
rapidly with international fashion trends. It is much
reflected by the young and the glamorous in the
cosmopolitan metros of India. The Fashion
industry is a booming one where glamorous
models display new styles every day. The face of
Indian fashion has totally changed from a weaver
in olden days to today’s fashion designer who is
celebrated for his or her creativity. The fusion of
Indian and western styles is seen in the streets
and on the ramps of fashionable cities. Indian
Fashion has also made its mark in the
international market after being worn by some of
the fashion icons like the pop star Madonna in
recent years.
Indian fashion designers like Manish
Malhotra, Ritu Beri, Ritu Kumar,
S a t y a P a u l , e t c . , h a v e
contributed greatly to the
i n te rna t i ona l marke t .
Fashion in India covers a
whole range of clothing
from the benarasi saree
Chandni BhagtaniII year, ECE
A glimpse of
I N D I A N
f a s h o nin the north, the
Punjab to the Kanchipuram saree of the south.
In my opinion, the first true Indian designer was
Mahatma Gandhi when he urged the people of
India to wear khadi garments. It was not only a call
to create self-reliance but a call to wear something
that could prove the unity of India. Therefore,
khadi became not only a symbol of revolution and
resistance but part of an Indian society.
The year 1947 not only marked the partition of
India but also the division of cultures, traditions,
dress codes and lifestyle.
After the partition, the
saree became the
most popular dress
of Indian women and
the salwar kameez
for Pakistan. The
S a l w a r K a m e e z
gained popularity
i n I n d i a ,
changing the
whole fashion
colorful turbans of Rajasthan and
Srishti ‘09 11A Glimpse of Indian Fashion
scenario here. Today, it stands as the second
most popular dress in most parts of India.
Varying from the ethnic touch to the cocktail
look, the salwar kameez has come to suit all
occasions.
The bindi is also the most enduring part of our
cultural inheritance. The popularity that the
bindi is currently enjoying in Indian fashion
cannot be matched by any other cosmetic. A
majority of the female population whether
young or old, modern or traditional wears
either the traditional blood red bindi or
colored ones to match their outfit.
Saree, the most popular attire worn by
millions of Indian women is, by far, the most
elegant. More than the grace and glamour,
the saree symbolizes the continuity of an age
old tradition of the Indian way of life. Every
rustle of this unique garment has an ancient
culture. Cool baggy jeans from Pepe, a loose t-
shirt from Levis with the photo of a devil or a
funny caption on it, a cloth belt from Armani,
junk jewellery, a wrist band and a hand bag
from Gucci. All these are the “identifiers” of
typical Indian youth! The professional male
group of India is confined to linen shirts, a 3-
piece suit as worn by superstar Aamir Khan in
“GHAJINI”, a leather belt, trousers and formal
shirts from Allen Solly, Van Heusen,
Raymonds, etc. Indian cinema has a very wide
influence in the changing trends of Indian
fashion. The youngsters tend to copy the filmy
looks of the actors and it becomes the trend of
the season. From the boy next door John
Abraham’s “DHOOM” looks to the
Anarkali salwars of “MUGHAL
E-AZAM”, each movie an
star creates a new mar
ever changing fashion i
The Lakme India fash
week, Wills lifestyle wee
and Indian fashion week
showcase the Indian
designers’ work across
India. These events
have also influenced
the fashion industry
worldwide. The foreign
desig-ners thus hav
a n o p p o r t u n i t y o
collaborating with th
Indian designers an
launching their fashion
trends. Viewing the
diverse Indian styles and
varied trends we can
surely be regarded one
of the most fashionable
people on the planet.
Srishti ‘0912
The Love of my
DREAMS
T. Ragland NavamaniIV year EEE
All my life, I had a dre
Which always made me beam.
The simple thought of seeing you smile,
Brings one to my lips, and stays there for a long while.
The thought of kissing your tender little cheek,
Makes me show between mine, every single teeth.
Oh yes, the thought of the scary pain,
But does it matter, I had you to gain.
Feathers behind an arrow, that didn't give a breeze,
But stung me like a swarm of flaming bees.
So special you are, that He wanted you, my little baby,
All for Himself, as His crown jewel, a priceless red ruby.
– Mother of a stillborn child
am,
The thought of my hands around you,
Evokes images of a flower, tender, lovely and new.
The joy of teaching you something new,
Always makes my cheeks turn a bright red hue.
The plain thought of just looking at you,
Brings a joy that could be understood only by a select few.
Or so I thought, but God had a plan
That unfolded, like the feathers of a fan.
He loved you more than I did,
So I am forced, and to you, farewell I bid.
And here I am, with the memory of a distant dream,
It brings a tear down my cheek, but, it used to make me beam. The bes
dayo
f my
lie
t
s
f
hen I sat to write, one last
time for SRISHTI, I was Wpretty sure of what to
write. I went through myriad
experiences of these 3 ½ years,
comprising of moments of pleasure,
moments of pain, humbled-by-friend-
occasions (numerous actually), gloomy
days when I was hurt hard, incredibly
exciting events, moments when I was
jubilated etc. Finally at the end of my
stay here, I realized that life has been
fine at all these times. And this is what I
am writing about. These pages will
tell how your dear writer experienced
CIT…
It all started in the Audi during the
orientation programme. From there,
Palani block took care of my first year.
My room in the second floor, with two
G. ChockalingamIV year, Civil The Best Days
of my Life
The bes
da
fy
lie
tys o
m
f
roommates in the always busy wing corridor, provided fun and fervor. GS meetings, 9.00 O'clock restrictions,
Open TV room, ED charts and Chairman Tutor were the watch words in first year. Never would one forget the
drill run during P.T hour (which I attended only once), where almost every boy ran straight to the hostel. The
first class-bunk, gave immense joy.
The best thing about First year remains in the simple fact that the section-wise split up for common subjects
and department-wise for electives made everyone know guys from the other departments. A six day per week
workload didn't deter our enjoyment at the hostel. Since computers were forbidden in the first year hostel,
Suryan FM was a big hit. Fitting workshop & the messy mess were dreaded most. Floor cricket, puerile chats
and the eagerness-to-explore-Coimbatore, were the hot happenings. Constant rumours about ragging and first
semester results still flicker in some distant corner of my mind.
Second year or more professionally - sophomore year, is easy to define with this word - FR-EE-EE-EE-DO-OO-
OO-MM. One of my friends would sound similar to Braveheart's Mel Gibson in hooting the same word. The
hostels were changed and so were the sections paving way for the official entry into respective departments.
Complete freedom at the Maradumalai hostel turned many into mavericks. As it is always, the senior tag
aroused some to rag juniors. Meanwhile, everyone on planet CIT was given a new watchword-M3. As it is said,
for some it was really MI3. Here, every sophomore had his own story to share, own flirts to pursue and every
senior had a word of caution for his junior. Computers were welcomed into every floor with at least one movie a
day, running NFS Underground and most importantly having excellent video-song collections. Frivolous
fights went on between the main and the annexe blocks. To enjoy fresh air, many including your writer
practiced sleeping on the annexe roof. The Hostel day matches were welcomed with funny & creative names.
2nd year saw most of the people joining clubs and earning member tags. Second year meant a lot personally.
One was instilled with virtues like team work & responsibility in the club events. Academically, all the basics
were taught but it depended upon each and every individual, whether he/she learnt it.
Pre-final year…
The hostels were changed for the final settlement-Tirumalai block. An activity filled year, where you were
forced to show responsibility to conduct national level symposiums. Hoping for the best to come, 5th semester
and 6th semester were open to any career option. Dreams of CAT, GATE and GRE ran through many eyes.
Night labs of any department turned into a gaming arena where C.O.D, A.O.E, Counterstrike, Trackmania
were competed in LAN until the security came and said "thambi; time aachu". In the mandatory IPT, when we
observe anything that could match characteristics in the remote part of our brain, on what we learnt, a fear of
future starts to haunt one indefinitely.
At this point of time, many, including your writer, developed certain pre-final year characteristics."
a) You are irritated when someone pretends to be an under-performer.
b) You are against any senior who advices you.
c) Placements appear as a pipe dream for many 7 pointers.
d) Mid-Sems become a routine. Attending 50th mid-semester exam during the 5th semester would be a
personal milestone for everyone. Well, the mid-sem arrival can be easily figured out by the number of
vehicles at the hostel premises.
Srishti ‘09 15The best days of my life
e) You blame the education
system every week. You
come out of lab-viva,
wondering whether the
viva questions were in
Arabic or Greek. "
Towards the end of the pre-
final year one started hearing
words like Mock, GD, and most importantly R.S.Agarwal on a regular basis. The vacation was spent
encountering numerous rumours of TCS, CTS, IBM, Infy & Accenture being the Day 1 Company. Some even
spread panic saying, "I got TCS sample paper! Haven't you!!" like everybody one wished to get an offer in the
placement week itself.
Come final year, placements became the buzzword. Hostel notice boards overflowed, displaying criteria and
process details. Happening topics like- IPL, Inflation & Nuclear Testing were exchanged as ideas for the group
discussion and questions from the previous candidate were rehearsed at the door of every interview panel.
90% of CITians opt for the placements as if they are entitled only to that. Only few start preparing for M.Tech,
MS, or a bunch of competitive exams. For some, until they aren't placed, only their friends give hope and it is
relished when he/she finally cracks it.
Mandatory Final Year Characteristics to be exhibited:
a) Mess food becomes unpalatable even once a week and KB, restaurants at Hopes, etc.. are too distant to
walk. Try to get a bike from someone for these long distances.
b) You visit the gym for the first time in your life.
c) You give your mandatory attendance at the tennis court, after entering the college premises at 9.00 pm.
d) Many develop contempt for marks, even when the C.G.P.A goes down as low as our sensex of today and you
console yourself saying, "It is my lowest, I'll cheer up. At least my name figured in the success list".
Snaps with friends all through CIT became mandatory. Sentiments ran high once the final days were
numbered. Short trips were organized once a month in a quest to create memories to cherish forever.
You might have encountered true friendship, care from all when you were weak, broken love, words that
consoled, words that comforted, places where you went wrong and certainly no matter whether you are a
guy/girl, living at C.I.T with your friends would have been the most joyous, memorable and sensible moments
in your life.
Life here at C.I.T is wonderful. It
makes the gradual transition from
adolescence to adulthood more
meaningful.
Surely, these are the best days of my
life.
At the end of all continuous assessments and amazing doubts
like, "Machan arrear vacha mid-semester thiruppi eludhanuma?”...
Srishti ‘0916
The
Just like the cycle of life with i t s v a r i o u s s t a g e s , economics also has its own
cycle, which includes growth, inflation, recession, etc. Let’s start with growth. In a well governed economy, there are many factors which fuel growth. In the case of developing countries such as India and China, reform is the key factor. However, in general the major factors are demand exceeding or equaling supply, reduction in taxes and interest rates which boosts liquidity in the market, greater government spending, a good supply of large (skilled) working force, a stable government, securi ty from internal and external threats, friendly government policies, etc. E c o n o m i c g r o w t h i s a combination of the above mentioned factors. So how do we s e n s e t h i s g r o w t h ? I t i s characterized by a boost in income and spending power, rising standards of living, increased employment generation and so on. As we can see, the results of growth themselves, become the contributors of growth. As income and spending power rise, more products are consumed starting from vegetables to consumer durables (TV’s, computers, fridges etc.). Also the taxed amount increases due to more transactions resulting in lesser tax rates and increased government spending in infrastructure and development activities, leading to rise in living standards and more security and stability resulting in further growth. Thus, growth in itself is a continuous cycle.
But if this is the case, then why do we have recession at all? To answer this, first we must discuss about inflation. Inflation is the phenomenon of a general increase in prices of commonly
KarthickIV year EEE
CycleEconomic
inflation is born. Just like growth, inflation is also a continuous cycle in itself. As income increases, the buyer spends more, hiking demand, resulting in a rise in prices and more profit for the seller, who in-turn has to pay a higher price for the goods that he is buying. So we can safely state
that inflation follows growth. Inflation in itself will not affect
traded commodities like food, fuel, steel etc. There are many reasons for its occurrence. In a well governed state, the main culprit for recession is growth. The populace indulges in more spending due to its increased disposable income which results in a demand-supply mismatch with a higher demand for goods ranging from vegetables to vehicles. In such a scenario, the seller will opt only for those who pay more and in-turn everyone is forced to pay more even if they do not have the means to do so. The buyer will adjust to this by hiking h i s i n c o m e b y increasing the price of his services or the profit margin in his g o o d s . T h u s
The Economic Cycle Srishti ‘09 17
as instability, internal or external threat, tightening of liquidity, supp ly-demand mismatch , inflation, unfriendly government policies to name a few. The major cause of the current global recession is the recession in America which in turn is due to the
economic mismanagement of those in control of liquidity flow, namely the investment bankers and f lawed, shor t - s ighted economic po l i c ies o f the government. Other factors include the mismanagement in the top echelons of the sectors such as the automotive industry and the aviation industry to cite a few. Another major cause of recession is globalization. Even though the fundamentals of growth are intact in many countries such as China, they are facing recession due to America’s recession; since the latter is their major trading partner and they are dependent on her for their growth. One more reason is the government policies. As in the case of India, the government resorts to tightening liquidity by increasing the interest rates and taking the money out of the system in order to control inflation (which is an election threat) and in the process has strangled growth. Similar to growth and inflation, recession is also a continuous
cycle. But unlike the former, recession is universally hated by the government and all sections of the society. Hence, they act quickly to solve the problem of recession and in the process re-introduce growth. This is achieved by preventing recession from spreading from one sector or region to another, by introducing economic stimulus packages, increasing the liquidity in the market, etc.
Finally, we come to the case of (economic) depression. It is the phenomenon of a long and severe slump in economy and market. The worst depression in the history of the planet is that of 1929-33. It started in America and its impact was felt all over the world. It was a major cause of Hitler’s rise and eventually led to the Second World War. But depressions are rare. Actually, the most severe recession is termed as a depression. A recession becomes a depression when it spreads across all sectors and affects everyone and brings the economy to a s t ands t i l l . Depression is a vicious cycle and the on l y so lu t i on i s t he combination of all the methods used to fight recession and to allow time to cure.
As we can see, growth, inflation and recession follow in a cycle one after the other with depression jumping once in a while. Growth results in inflation and recession, and the solution to recession results in growth again and the cycle continues. The general case is that when people experience a long period of growth, they become complacent and over-confident resulting in decrease in efficiency and their willingness to take more risks assuming that growth will last forever, forgetting the previous recession.
growth as long as it is less than growth. So, if inflation is a natural successor of growth, what is the problem? The problem is that growth is not distributed equally among the populace while inflation affects everyone equally. As we can see from the case of India, only some sections of the populace accrue the benefits of growth while others, especially the economical ly weaker sections are left out. If left unchecked, this situation will result in social unrest and destabilize the country. Hence, the government steps in and takes corrective measures to ensure the equal distribution of growth to reduce the sufferings of those left out and rescue them from the clutches of inflation. This is done through various measures such as regulating, subsidizing and rationing the price of essential commodities such as rice, wheat, sugar and fuels. Another renowned method is to control and reduce inflation by tightening the liquidity in the market through increase in interest rates. But the efficacy of this method is questionable, for whether it controls inflation or not, it will surely dent growth as liquidity is a main criterion for continuing growth. Another measure is to generate more employment for the left out section through schemes like NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, India), or to dole out an unemployment salary (welfare states), etc.
Coming back to the question on recession; ‘It is the phenomenon of a temporary (a year or two) economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced’. Recession is the opposite of growth and some of its causes and consequences are also the opposite of the causes and consequences of growth. The causes of recession are varied such
• In a well governed state,
the main culprit for
recession is growth.
• Growth results in inflation
and recession, and the
solution to recession results in growth again and the cycle continues.
SiddarthanII year Chemical
Relics
Religionof
rom the macrocosms of the universe, the galaxies, the stars F and the planets to the miniscule of
the atoms, the bacteria and the virus, everything we know is governed by a supreme power, a power which can only be felt rather than be seen, a power whose existence can be seen in the changes in our backyard but is beyond our wildest imaginations. What is this power that governs us? What is it that is responsible for all the changes happening around us? What is this supreme power?
When man first thought of these and when he realized he could not get certain things under his belt he started to respect t he se power s . Th i s respect marked the beginning of worship, the origin of the word RELIGION and hence the term GOD. Religionists of the ancient world worshipped every aspect of nature as God. This was the reason that a majority of the ancient
civilizations like Egyptian, Greek , Aztec , Mayan , Norse , Indus valley all had Gods in the name of nature and natural phenomena with Pagan being the oldest and the purest form of nature worship.
As the sands of time passed, religion turned over a new leaf. A human factor entered the citadel of nature worship. This marked the beginning of humanoid forms as Gods or even prominent humans as Gods. Religion evolved to meet the
changes in society but this evolution stopped all of a sudden, a millennium ago, when people failed to u n d e r s t a n d t h e t r u e meaning of religion and started following religion blindly as a faith, a belief, rather than as a means of guidance or an external
conscience.
The trend has carried on till now. Several things that are done have no real meaning, and when people are asked the reason behind such practices, the immediate and the most common
answer we get is that the religious practice is a tradition which we have to follow, failing which we would incur the wrath of God. The true reason, however, for such religious practices, lies beneath the surface.
It is in the nature of humans to do what others ask them not to. So in order to make people follow certain regulations for the betterment of the society, phi lanthropis ts took advantage of God as a fear factor. They made these rules compulsory
Srishti ‘0918
The true reason, however, for such religious practices, lies beneath the surface
“I love religion but I hate religionists”.
religious practices so that people dare not disobey them. When we dig deep into such practices we will find that all of t h e m h a v e a m o r a l background, a proper reason behind every practice.
In Hinduism people are expected to light a lamp at six in the evening. The reason behind this practice is that this was introduced when there was no electricity and it would become dark by six in the evening. So, to light up the house people used to light lamps. But today every house is lit up by more than a dozen lights but still people have the practice of lighting an oil lamp.
Similarly, people buy new clothes during festivals. Until two hundred years ago, people bought new clothes only once or twice a year and to make them special, they used to buy them on festival days. But today, though people buy new clothes everyday, they still have the practice of buying new clothes on festival days with tradition as a lame reason.
People, especially those in south India, have the practice of drawing beautiful designs, using rice flour in front of their houses every morning, called the ‘Kolam’. This practice was derived from Buddhism and Jainism where people
believed even the smallest of creatures like an ant should be cared for. But today people use coloured sand instead of flour which does not serve the real purpose of this practice. Yet it is being followed in the name of tradition.
In Islam the most commonly misunderstood word is ‘Jihad’. It means war against anti-social elements that tend to destroy innocent people and the roots of Islam. But in the name of Jihad, terrorists around the world kill thousands of innocent civilians, which completely contradicts the real meaning of jihad. Moreover it is against the rules of Islam which respects even the smallest creature on earth.
These practices give a clear view of religion being misinterpreted by the masses, where faith has blinded the inner eye of people, restricting the power of common sense which distinguishes them from the rest of the living world.
“COMMON SENSE IS THE ONLY THING IN THE WORLD WHICH IS NOT SO COMMON”
Gandhiji once said,
“I love Christianity but I hate Christians”
But I believe in a broader view “I love religion but I hate religionists”. People of the world should start finding out the real roots of every religious practice, eliminate those which are irrelevant to the modern society and follow only those which have certain uses, faithfully. Moreover people should open their inner eye and start thinking freely and make religion an accelerator for the betterment of the human society rather than having it as a speed breaker.
Srishti ‘09 19Relics of Religion
Srishti ‘0920 S. VigneshIV year Chem
Way beyond the
W rldDwindling raindrops never touch the soil for no greens grew
Nowhere seen are the towering trees piercing the blanketing blue
Vanishing down the ravines are sinuous rambling rivers without a clue
The scorching sun squeezing out the chest, till the bitter end
Short of lush fields, high and dry are the countryside
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness are nowhere beside
Remain standstill the dark clouds, for no rain drops reside
Cracks and fissures embellishing earth is the foregone conclusion
Gone are the days when humane in human flourished
No signs of harmony and peace that could be nourished
Only the damn outlook seems cute with noble thoughts cherished
Hard as a boulder the soul is poisoned with flowing blue blood.
Every single pebble falls to rack and ruin except the futile law
Innocent Flesh and blood, the victims here, true hearts thaw
Still breathing are the heartless beasts, falling upon the rest tooth and claw
Benevolence and munificence vanishing into thin air
In every phase blunders are done, yet no steps to rectify
But still open is the arena, before the weeds could nullify
See not through the eyes, but through the heart for relationships to fortify
Life is beyond worldly stuff, realize, and the day is yours.
a
d
Andamn & N
icobar Is
lans
The Eme ald Is e ..
r
l s .
Jaya Mary DivyaI year Chemical
The summer of
2004 wil l remain forever as one of the most
beautiful paintings in my memory canvas, etched with the exotic, wonderful & colorful hues of the emerald islands - Andaman, nature's gift, pride of the Bay of Bengal, a traveler's haven.
The first glimpse of these enchanting islands, with gently swaying palm trees on white sandy beaches, teeming with an infinite variety of flora & fauna, is indeed majestic. It
showcases nature in all her glory.
As I hovered some 30,000ft above the sea, I saw nature spreading her luscious green wings across the blue tranquil waters beckoning me to come and play on her lap.
Stepping down on this seakissed land, I was drawn to the unspoiled beaches offering a panoramic view of the seaside. Nature tussled with me, frightening me with her mighty waves, which towered over me in
Havelock Island.
There can be no better way to begin a day than a refreshing bath in nature's own spa, slapped by waves and tickled by the soft white sand at the Rangat Beach. For a day which had so beautifully begun, the conclusion could be nothing short of a perfect sunset. As
the sun receded from the skyline in Chidiyatappu, nature changed coats and the sky turned into a gorgeous shade of orange-yellow.
A trip to Andaman is incomplete without exploring her greatest treasure- the coral reefs of Jolly buoy. The breath-taking view of the bewitching corals through the glass bottomed boats would make one marvel at the Almighty's artistry. Nature with its crafty fingers seemed to be
painting a live, colorful & strikingly beautiful masterpiece. Mounds & mounds of multi hued, different sized corals, sparkle under the rays of the sun which pierce through the crystal clear blue blanket; warming the gorgeous fishes swimming through the coral cliffs, the open-
mouthed sponges & the tentacle dangling anemones hitched into the crevices in the underwater glitterati, were indeed a marvel to behold.
The long ride, under an arch of entwined mangrove branches, over cool and calm waters en route to the limestone caves of Middle Andaman is a unique experience.
Long rides in boats are part and parcel of Andaman's tour itinerary. But these long rides are neither boring nor eventless, because you are kept company by shoals of fishes, jumping just over the waterline. (Catch a glimpse of a group of
dolphins, merrily playing in the cool waters of the Redskin Isles). When nature dances in all her beauty in these emerald isles, man does not fail to miss the treat for the eyes. As the day draws to a close, the Port Blair harbour is
a glorious sight to behold. As the boat draws near the shoreline, the harbour looms ahead; spreading her luminous arms & shines like a million candles set against a deep blue starry sheet.
For an island of such spellbinding beauty, it has a sad and gruesome tale, flavored with patriotic fervor, to tell. The walls and beams of the notorious Cellular jail scream out the painful and heart rending story of
the men who won our nation's freedom.
Man's ingenuity interlaced with the Master's handwork is boldly splashed with history, culture & adventure in this island's sea kissed soil. Andaman makes you fall in love with the green earth.
Nature melts you with her subdued sunlight that shines with innocence and mystery through the clear blue waters.
Lose yourself in nature, in these emerald islands and find peace and tranquility, which is so rare a commodity in the concrete jungles we live in.
Srivatsan.VIII year EEESrishti ‘0922
“Every author really wants to have letters printed in the paper. Unable to make the grade, he drops down a rung of the ladder and writes novels.”
-P.G.Wodehouse
The Girl, the Dog
and the Umbrella
Life is said to contain, among other things, a
certain number of ‘ups’ (semester holidays,
IVs, passing lab tests) and ‘downs’ (days
before exams, failing lab tests, IVs getting
cancelled). While the actual number of ups
and downs in a person’s life changes with the
subject under question, the numbers are more
or less equal to each other. I find that very
disturbing. For, like any normal person, I wish
to have ‘ups’ all the time. But the ‘downs’,
especially the nasty ones, have this annoying
nature of being inevitable. So how does one
deal with ‘downs’? Everyone has his or her
own method. Some take a break and go watch
a comedy, some talk to their friends and find
comfort, some sleep it over and I settle down
with a Wodehouse, the man who put
words together in the funniest ways
possible.
Now to the story of my own
association with the man and the
books he wrote:
I had just matured out of my Enid Blytons (I
love them even today, though. Who doesn’t?),
and was into my Jeffrey Archers and Sidney
Sheldons when the Wodehouse thing
happened. For a novice to the habit of
reading, a Wodehouse book can be quite a
..*yawn*. You get the point. The first time I
laid my hands on a Wodehouse novel (on a
friend’s recommendation), I slept halfway
through the first page, and it took me a week to
reach the second. The book, in one word, was
boring. It was filled with sentences so long that
by the time I reached the next full stop, I forgot
when I had seen the previous one. My brain
was not able to process the initially intolerable
and complex paragraphs that seemed to have
words which I couldn’t dream of pronouncing.
Project Wodehouse came very close to being
abandoned after that first disaster. And it
would have been had I not had the sense to try
another Wodehouse. To be truthful, I skipped
a lot of those longwinded paragraphs in
between, because they were too boring; the
language was way higher than anything I had
ever read before. For example, am quoting
Wodehouse:
“I was sauntering on the river bank with a girl
named something that has slipped my mind,
when there was a sound of barking and a large
hefty dog came galloping up, full of beans and
buck and obviously intent on mayhem. And I
The Girl, the Dog and the Umbrella Srishti ‘09 23
was just commending my
soul to God and feeling that
this was where the old
flannel trousers got about
thirty bobs worth of value
bitten out of them, when
the girl, waiting till she saw
the whites of its eyes, with
extraordinary presence of
mind opened a coloured
J a p a n e s e u m b r e l l a
in the animal’s face. Upon
which it did three back
somersaults and retired into
private life”.
This translates to, in plain English:
“I was walking along a river bank with a girl
whose name I’d forgotten. There was this dog
that suddenly came running towards me to
bite my leg. The girl had the presence of mind
to use the umbrella she was carrying to scare
the dog away”.
Get my point?
But after a couple of more books, the fact
dawned on me that while the plot and the
characters were no doubt funny by
themselves, the real laughs were hidden
inside those seemingly long drawn-and-
incredibly-boring paragraphs, that I didn’t
have the patience to go through earlier.
It took a lot of time and persistence before I
was able to truly appreciate the magic of
Wodehouse, which lay in his ability to
perceive the world very differently from other
“normal” people. Things that mattered big in
a normal person’s world, like education,
career, love, marriage, divorce and things
like laws, taxes and even
death did not matter as much
in Wodehouse’s world, are
regarded at the most as
annoying nuisances or given
e x t r e m e l y c o m i c
in te rpre ta t ions in the
wodehouse world. The
things that mattered big in
Wodehouse’s world were
(non-Wodehouse readers
might find this strange) pigs,
newts, and silver cow-
creamers and yes, chef
Anatole’s cooking. And his
description of these drew us into his world
where we laughed when the people in his world
laughed; we laughed even more when they
cried (the few times they did), for that was
funny too!
In spite of the times in which Wodehouse wrote
(there was an economic depression
sandwiched in between two world-wars and
the invention of weapons of mass destruction),
what deeply bothered Lord Emsworth (a
recurring character in Wodehouse novels) was
the lack of proper nutrition for his porcine pet (a
pig, in simpler terms). And who can blame
Wodehouse for being detached from reality,
when people read his books to escape the
tedium and darkness of the real world?
The man preferred to touch people’s hearts
with humour and innocence rather than reality
and depression. Wodehouse brought hope and
happiness to my world, and to that of countless
others. Who knows, the light at the end of the
dark tunnel might be the place where someone
tells you the story of a girl who used her
umbrella to save a man from a dog’s bite.
Things that mattered big in a normal person’s world, like education, career, love, marriage, divorce and things like laws, taxes and even death did not matter as much in Wodehouse’s world...
Photograph by Majeed
Photograph by Bharathi
ha
rath
Photograph by Majeed
F ames rof M
i dn
eciE od hit Co r si ’al
Schindler's List - An all time awesome movie, which brought alive the horrors of holocaust. A biopic of Oscar Schindler and how he protected the 'Schindler Jews' makes this movie a classic. The girl in the red sweater, red being the only colour we see in this black and white movie, stands out distinctly, showcasing the pathos of the characters.
Jodhaa Akbar - This Ashutosh Gowarikar's portrayal, of a romance between a Rajput Princess Jodhaa and the mighty Akbar, kicked up a lot of controversies. Aishwarya Rai Bachan shining with cool and royal poise and Hrithik Roshan with steel cold eyes and ramrod straight back royalty bring the Mughal times alive. If you want to melt along with characters on screen, do watch this movie.
Batman, The Dark Knight - Needless to say, this was one of the best hits 2008.Heath Ledger's brilliant portrayal as ‘The Joker’ won him an Oscar for the best supporting actor in 2008. It was a tragedy, that Ledger was not alive to receive it. Also to be mentioned is the excellent adaptation of the comic book series by Christopher Nolan.
Shawshank Redemption - This movie based on a Stephen King's novel is a story of a single man's determination to fight against all odds. It is a must watch movie for people who love to see the power of human will in action and all those who watch it will probably draw a parallel with their own lives.
Juno - A movie with very crisp, sarcastic dialogues make the audience sit up and cheer for the undying spirit of the adventurous Juno. The movie starts with hip hop, rhyming music that underlines the spirit of the movie. Watch it if you want to remember the movie next day, with a faint grin tugging at your lips.
Anbe Sivam - A movie that brings out the concept of finding God in Man is the best from
Kamal Haasan ever. Two contrasting characters with the common quest of finding happiness, come together and take us along in a journey filled with amazing incidents and characters who tell us what their interpretation of God is. At the end of the movie one realises, that a person's very existence is to make the life of another person meaningful. Thus folks, Love is God.
Mumbai Meri Jaan - The lives of five common citizens of Mumbai change forever after the suburban bomb blasts. Their beliefs are shaken and they undergo an emotional turmoil, ultimately realising that whatever happens one should never give up his/her spirit.
Kung-Fu-Panda - Laugh till you cry, at the adorable and affable Panda whole resilience transforms it from a soup chef to a legendary dragon warrior. Our editorial board's unanimous choice makes this movie, a must watch animation flick.
Khuda ke Liye - This Pakistani film by Shoaib Mansoor, is a 'once in a life time' effort that rises above the mediocrity of Lollywood. It gives you a new vision about life in Pakistan where people are not very different from us or from any others, anywhere else. Islam as such is portrayed in an entirely new manner giving glimpses of its power, beauty and mystique. It is about social reform & protest with music at its core.
Vedam Pudhidu - A gripping perspective on caste and class discrimination is brilliantly portrayed in this revolutionary Tamil movie by a then 'in experienced' director, Bharathiraja with a skeleton cast. Sathyaraj his career best role with panache. The movie won several accolades and is still looked upon by new directors as a benchmark that each strives to achieve. This would be part of any must watch list.
SRISHTI AWARDS
Srishti ‘0926
10th September 2008, Geneva
The master brains of CERN had finally built it - the Large Hadron Collider - the invention of the eon. After triggering a few protons into this giant ring of a particle accelerator, they are going to break the silent secrets of the universe which have been untouched for ages. Nature's secrets are hard to explore, since nature is fabricated in such a complicated way. But challenging nature and God-who has woven the threads of the universe, the humans have got the key to God's treasury and in a couple of months they'll ransack everything.
Same date, Heaven
God was silently watching these experiments, but he could not tolerate the invention of LHC. It was the biggest ever invention that had happened during the 3 billion years of human civilization. If they do switch on the LHC and get the results of their mega project, then for certain the humans would get to know about the spark which made the Big Bang during the formation of the universe. It meant that they could go on to find Him.
3 billion years ago, same place
During the creation of the universe God had passed a bill in the Council of Lesser Gods and Fairies that, if the humans tend to invent something big, that could solve the puzzle of the universe, they had to be stopped.
God had done this many times when the situation arose. When the technocratic people of the Indus valley had invented a communication system to connect to God, he feared that they might find him and so he made the whole valley disappear. He made the great mathematics prodigy Ramanujan die young, since the mathematical theorems he obtained were far more advanced and helped solve the complex mechanisms of the universe. Also He was the one, who terminated the Columbia expedition.
But His counterpart Prometheus, a Greek God and a Titan always wanted to help humankind. He was the one who stole fire from the Lesser Gods and gave it to mankind; God punished
him by chaining him to a rock where an eagle gnawed at his liver until Hercules rescued him.
On seeing the stupendous inborn talent of Thomas Alva Edison, God had made him deaf to prevent him from getting school education. But it was
Prometheus who helped him by paving a smooth way to invent some thousand devices. God's hand worked on Stephen Hawking also. He
had cursed him with a muscle-wasting motor neuron disease. But Prometheus was there to make him the master brain behind the LHC.
God has now started to think what should be done to fend off humans from seeing the results of the LHC experiment. He
has now decided to stop this kind of rise of humans to the next level; to stop this forever.
He felt a pang in his heart since he was going to put an end to earth. He made up his mind to use the most powerful weapon to destroy the whole world so that there would not be any nuisance from the humans
G P Dod lays ice
Vinoth BalajiIII year, Chem
HEA ENV
HELL
Srishti ‘09 27
anymore. Lots and lots of weapons bloomed in his mind; ideas like collision of giant meteors, a strong sun storm, tossing the globe out of the orbit etc. But one weapon was simple in operation and more effective and that was switching the Gravity control panel off. Even though he had not used it yet, he knew the catastrophic effects it would render.
Even if gravity was switched off for a
microsecond, the effect would be so disastrous, that
the entire world would die. As the earth rotates at a
speed of over a thousand miles per hour at the
equator alone, when the gravity goes off, every free
body would accelerate by a thousand miles per hour from east to west. Inside the buildings, people
would bump and crash into the ceiling. The earth's atmosphere and hydrosphere would also float off
into space for the same reason. But only a few things like trees and buildings would stand rooted to the
earth. The earth itself would most likely break into chunks and float off into space, since it is also held
together by gravity!
This should not happen. But the Creator decided that it should. He even fixed the date for the
catastrophe: 2nd January 2009, few days before the result analysis. He indeed had a soft corner, for
he wanted the humans to enjoy the new year day; their last day.
31st December, 2008
Just two more days to go. Somehow Prometheus got to know
about this and he desperately wanted to deter God’s plan. He
knew how to do it. He just had to enter the disaster control room of
God and damage the Gravity control panel. Once it was done the
people would be saved, since the rule prohibits God from revising
the plan a second time.
But he knew it was as difficult as cleaning the Aegian stables
since the control room was protected by the lock engineered by God himself during the creation of the
universe. Prometheus loved the humans so much that he wanted to do this. Light came in the form of
Aiyannar, one of the Gods in the Lesser Gods council. He owed so much to the people of his hamlet,
since they offered him every year, a feast, without fail. Even though his territory was restricted to a few
villages, he wanted to save the entire world.
He gave his most powerful 'Veecharuval'-the holy, long blade, more powerful than even Thor's
Hammer. It could destroy anything with a single stroke. Prometheus broke the lock with the
Veecharuval. He was dumbstruck on seeing the control room. There were umpteen number of gadgets
and devices showing the present happenings of the world - The hurricanometer displayed a typhoon
over the mid-Atlantic, a quakogram showing a tremor in Turkey and a flood-o-meter detailed on the
floods in Chile.
He found the Gravity gauge in the left corner of the room. With all his power, reminding himself
about God making him a prey to the eagles, he slid the blade into the gauge. It exploded like a bomb.
Same date, Earth
The whole world is celebrating the New Year as usual- sweets, beer, temple, friends, movies,
orphanage visits, etc. the world is getting ready for another bright and cheerful day - 2nd January.
God plays dice
“He gave his most powerful 'Veecharuval'-
the holy, long blade, more powerful than even Thor's Hammer. It could destroy anything with a
single stroke”.
Joan Mary. DIII year CSESrishti ‘0928
I was just nine years old when my parents took me to my first circus. It was luckily before circuses were forced to stop using animals for performances. While I do appreciate the concerns of animal lovers, I still have cherished memories of my first circus.
Seated next to me was a gentleman in his early forties, wearing the traditional silk dhoti and shirt. His family sat next to him engrossed in the performance. He seemed to be more interested in my restless antics than the antics of the clown. My parents had long ago given up on my endless curiosity; so they remained stoically silent even when I asked them why the clowns had to have paint on their faces.
"Because they want to make little kids like you laugh", the gentleman sitting next to me said good humouredly.
"It makes them look scary", I shrugged, "They could do the things they are doing without the paint and still make us laugh."
My mother glared at me, but the gentleman laughed saying, "Ma'am, you have a little bundle of energy here!"
"A big bundle of explosive energy", my mother muttered.
"Now, would you like a Five Star?" he took one from his wife's handbag.
"I cannot take chocolates from strangers", I scowled at my mother, "But if you tell me your name, you won't be a stranger. Then I can take the Five Star."
"An excellent point", he smiled looking at my mother who sighed, "My name is Shashi Tharoor."
"What do you do?" I asked him even as I nibbled on the Five Star.
"I am a…", he seemed to be trying to find the right word, "A writer and a traveller."
"I will become a writer and a traveller too when I get bigger", I promised even as my mother handed me a handkerchief for my messy fingers.
H
I was walking home from school in the rain clutching my umbrella. Though it was only four in the evening, the skies were dark and the roads deserted. I shivered as the cold wind blew, literally rattling my bones. I had to get home as soon as possible.
A cycle veered past me, splashing muddy water from the roadside onto my white school uniform. I cursed loudly in Malayalam. If there was something that my mother hated more than muddy feet in her house, it was muddy clothes. Removing the mud stains was a tough affair.
The cyclist stopped and waited up for me, probably thinking that I had been hurt.
"YOU SPLASHED MUD ONTO MY SHIRT!" I ended my very vocal sentence with another curse which if my father had heard, would have earned me a long lecture.
"I'm sorry", the tall cyclist stooped down a bit and peeped under my umbrella, to face a very angry twelve year old girl.
"It's you, Five Star", he chuckled lightly as he pulled his raincap away, "I should have suspected that the little bundle of energy would have grown into a perky girl by now!"
I smiled helplessly as a slightly older Shashi Tharoor ruffled my hair.
"Why are you cycling?" I asked interestedly as we walked together along the narrow road.
"I am visiting my ancestral home in Palakkad. Whenever I come here, I cycle or walk through the fields. It's something I like doing", he smiled, "And what are you upto, Five Star? Still wondering why clowns have painted faces?"
"No", I scowled, "I am bigger now. When I become older, I am going to become a writer.
“I told you then!" after a few moments, I asked again, "You are still a writer, right?"
"Sort of", he grinned, "But I will stop writing when you start, promise! And I will ask you for a special story."
HHHHH
It was Republic Day. I impatiently waited with my fellow members of the school parliament, for the chief guest. I hated coming to school on holidays. But since the principal had threatened to roast anyone who absented themselves for the occasion, I had managed to drag myself out of a pleasant sleep and come to school.
HHHH
Five–starIt started with a
It started with a Five-star Srishti ‘09 29
With the usual band, thaalapoli (flower ceremony) and red carpet, the guests were welcomed. I was practically replaying one of the old movies in my mind all through the long, boring speeches regarding patriotism and sacrifice. As if any of them would fight in Kargil with the enthusiasm they showed on stage!
Finally, the chief guest began to speak. As soon as I heard his voice, I looked up. It was my old Five Star cyclist, Dr.Shashi Tharoor, who worked in the United Nations Secretariat as a diplomat. And he did not mention patriotism. He talked of great people, of their lives, of their sorrows and failures. It was inspiring.
As the chief guest came to meet the members of the parliament, he spotted me and smiled. I was very nervous. If he joked about our cycling episode to the principal, I was sure that I would get the long overdue T.C.
"Five Star", he shook my hand cheerfully, "We meet at the most interesting times. So, you are now in your tenth standard? And the Editor of the school magazine?"
"Yes, sir", I smiled nervously.
"Where is that famous scowl of yours?" he teased me, "Or did you suddenly turn into a Buddhist in three years?"
"Your speech was good. I liked it", I said quietly, "Especially as you didn't ask us to do anything you wouldn't have done yourself."
"Frank as ever", he laughed, his eyes darkened as he continued, "I did read your story in the magazine."
"Did you like it?" I asked hopefully, eyes wide and anxious.
"Mmm…", he frowned as if in thought, "Ask me when we meet next, Five Star."
I scowled. He laughed and went to join the principal and the other dignitaries.
HHHHH
I joined another school in a different state after my tenth. It was a time of uncertainties.
New language, new customs, new faces…..I virtually forgot about Shashi Tharoor and my childhood dreams as I plunged into the new routine.
I heard of his failed attempt in the United Nations Presidential race and I grieved for his lost opportunity. I have always believed him to be a capable man.
The Onam after I joined college, I was at Palakkad. Though, by rule, I am a late riser, the day after Onam, I rose early and went out to the fields. It was a beautiful day, with the fields freshly reaped and the lands awash with rains. I made my way to the large pond behind the fields and settled down for the day. My family rarely stirred out of the house on days after celebrations and I was sure that I would be disturbing them if I stayed in the house.
Around five in the evening, I heard a tuneless humming. A few seconds later, Shashi Tharoor strode through the surrounding trees, towards the pond, clad in traditional Kerala style. He looked older and wearier.
"Hello!" he smiled as he saw me, "I always seem to be running into you, Five Star!
Though it has been a long time since we last met and you look older."
"I am older", I pointed out testily even as I smiled and got up to shake his hand enthusiastically, "I wish you had won."
He smiled, but there was a slightly bitter quality to his smile now. He said quietly, "I am sure that the better man won! Now, since you say you are older, what about the story you promised to write for me?"
"I will write it", I promised eagerly, "What should it have? Politics?"
"No", he rolled his eyes, "A bit of everything", he paused, "Tragedy, Romance, War, Jealousy, Politics, Death, all in a new way", he smiled wryly, "I ask for too much, Five Star."
"I am not a good writer", I said sincerely, "But I will try for your sake, Someday I will write a story with all that you want”.
"Good", he smiled as we watched the sun sinking down under the trees, "I have always found sunsets to be the most beautiful wonder of nature."
I smiled, "You are right, sir. But I wish you had won."
"Happiness doesn't lie in winning, Five Star", he smiled softly, "It lies in the will to appreciate the world and those who live in it. I can say that I am happy with what I am."
“Maybe one day", I murmured, "I will be able to say the same words; that I am happy with what I am."
HHHHH
Happiness doesn't lie in winning, Five-Star", he smiled softly, "It lies in the will to appreciate the world...
Mother India is a truly magnificent nation on the face of this ravaged earth. A nation, home to incredible excellence in all fields known to man, be it nuclear or space or any other technology. The exquisite words used by the poets fail to convey the greatness that is India.
A country may be an economic super power, a wealthy one or a militarily strong nation, a nation with a lot of achievements to its name. All this does not match the prosperity of a culturally strong nation. Our nation is a stronghold which will stand even while all others fall. It's easy to draw a picture with no color. Painting the picture is what takes real skill.
The modern era is the age of the nuclear family. We live in times when unity is not seen even in families. Joint families are fast becoming things of the past. At such a time, the Indian army managed to bring together the entire nation in a small village at Pataudi, Haryana. It was at the National Integration Camp (NIC) that Cadets from all the states of India came together to carry the spirit of the Nation.
Cadets eagerly awaited the sun rise which would bring them together in the parade ground and then it would be India that shone. Smiling is a simple action, everyone can do it. But bringing a smile to another's face is something difficult. Unforgettable and memorable were the moments when we basked in the glory of smiles of the cadets from Maharashtra to Bengal and Kerala to Haryana.
Game periods simulated the war field, but it didn't matter who scored the points, India triumphed. For any target, competition is necessary. Integrating a nation must not shackle the effort to attain the pinnacle. Bharath Matha's various children displayed their strength in different disciplines such as tent pitching, traditional dance and singing competitions with vigour and a will to win.
The tent pitching competition brought a view of "Nation building", where tents were pitched side by side by the
ONE
R. Sankara NarayananIV year, Mechanical
1I d an i
competing states and Uttar Pradesh conveyed that they construct strong buildings for India by clinching the title.
We as Indians should be proud of
our seven north Eastern States.
Their unique talents, rare as uncut
diamonds, were showcased. Gujarati
Dandia dance , Bhangda of Punjabi , Kerala's Kalari
fight , Delhi's fashion, Buddhism in Bihar, Silambam
from Tamil Nadu etc are a few examples which
added essence to the camp. This goes on to show
the diversity of tradition, the richness of culture and
the wealth of talents in our great nation.
We were then shown around Delhi. The capital of
India simply astonished us with its planning,
magnificence and its bustling traffic. We were also
taken in by India's most powerful addresses
(10 Janpath, Sonia Gandhi's residence, Akbar
Marg….). The Delhi metro showed us how an
immensely populated city commutes so easily and
efficiently. The silent preparations for the Common
Wealth Games made us truly proud. India gate
silently exulted as a mother would, at a visit by her
children. Saluting the Amar Jawan Jyothi marked
the zenith of our trip to Delhi.
It is a sight that no Indian
must miss.
The National Integration Camp
was an experience that showed
each cadet a glimpse of what
we stand to gain if we stand
united. It also showed us that
differences in culture, language
or tradition are never barriers in
friendship.
INDIA
Chandni Chowk to China
Srishti ‘0932
“Survival of the fittest" is nature's law. Fighting is more ancient than man himself. This struggle to subdue one another in combat, unarmed or armed is possibly a legacy handed down to us from our ancestors. This desire for domination sowed the seeds for martial arts. Anyone who has ever seen a Bruce Lee, Jet Li or Jackie Chan movie would have been amazed by the jawdropping action sequences. The last ten years has seen a tremendous rise of interest among Indians, for the East Asian martial art forms especially Kung fu and Karate, as a means of self defence and maintaining fitness. But not many people know that India has had something to contribute to most forms of martial arts practised around the world. India has probably the most number of martial art forms practised in a single country. Almost every state has a history of its own. The importance of martial arts in Indian culture is visible in many ancient Hindu temples which have statues of deities and warriors in various combat postures. In fact, the Vishnu Purana describes Dhanurveda (from dhanus and veda in Sanskrit meaning bow and knowledge respectively) as one of the traditional eighteen branches of knowledge.
One of the widely known martial art form, which is also gaining popularity in the West nowadays, is Kalaripayattu. Kalaripayattu literally means "the way of the battlefield." This martial art originated in the kingdom of Cheras, in present day Kerala. However, Kalari was just one of many martial arts that evolved from the ancient martial art of Vajramukti, or "Thunder Fist." Kshatriya Vajramukti is mentioned in the great Ramayan. Indrajit, the son of Ravana, was mentioned to be highly proficient in its use. Vajramukti branched out into various Indian martial arts Simhanta, Kalaripayattu, and Nata being the most famous. Kalaripayattu continued to evolve through many years. The Sushruta Samhita (dating back to 4th century) identifies 107 vital points on the human body of which 64 were classified as being lethal if properly struck with a fist or stick. Sushruta's work formed the basis of the medical discipline ayurveda which was taught alongside various Indian martial arts, especially those that had an emphasis on vital points such as Varma Kalai (which was made famous by Kamal Hassan in the movie, Indian).
We would have not seen Shaolin Kung fu had it not been for the Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma. It is believed that Bodhidharma was born a prince of the Pallava dynasty in their capital of Kanchipuram, and was an exponent of kalari. Wong Kiew Kit, 4th generation successor of the Southern Shaolin Monastery in a television interview to The Discovery Channel said "The Venerable Bodhidharma came
from India to China to spread Buddhism. In 527 AD, he settled down in the Shaolin monastery in Henan province, and inspired the development of Shaolin Kung fu. This marked a watershed in the history of Kung fu, because it led to a change of course, as Kung fu became institutionalized. Before this, martial arts were known only in general sense." The Chinese school of martial arts agrees with the South Indian School on the principle of 107 pressure points. Even today, wall paintings and murals at the Honan Shaolin Temple in North East China show ethnic Indian Monks sparring and training in boxing skills with Chinese Monks.
Elements from Indian mythology, like the Naga, Rakshasa, and the fierce Yaksha were modified and converted into the protectors of Dharma; these mythical figures from the Dharmic religions family figure prominently in Shaolin boxing, Chang boxing and Stave fighting. A teacher of Kung fu traditionally commands deep respect of students and a lesson always starts with a bow from the students to the teacher. The teacher here is not looked upon only as a coach as in western martial arts like boxing and fencing. He is looked upon as a mentor and guide who helps to pave a path for the student's life. This relationship between a teacher and student could have its roots in the Guru Shishya tradition of India. Around the 3rd century BC, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali taught students how to meditate single mindedly on points located inside one's body, which was later used in martial arts, while various mudra finger movements were taught in Yogacara Buddhism. Various Kung fu forms contain positions identical to these mudras. The theories behind yoga, ayurveda and tantra, such as kundalini (coiled energy), prana (life energy), nadi (meridians), chakra (energy points) and marmam (pressure points), are present in Indian fighting systems, which form the basis of another chinese art form "Tai Chi".
The state of Tamil Nadu is considered to be the cradle of modern and scientific staff fencing, popularly known in Tamil as Silambam. The Pandya kings of Tamil Nadu promoted Silambam, as did their Chola and Chera counterparts. Silapathikaram, a Tamil literary work dating back to 2nd century A.D., refers to the sale of silamabam staves, swords, pearls and armour to foreign traders. The ancient trading centre at Madurai city, renowned globally, was said to be thronged by Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians among others who had regular sea trade with the ancient Dravidian kings. The Silambam staff was one of the weapons that was in
Syed Shahid Imdadulla
IV year EEE
Srishti ‘09 33
Chandni Chowk to China
great demand with the visitors. The Akananuru and Purananuru describe the martial arts of ancient Tamil Nadu including forms of one to one combat, and the use of spears, swords, shields, bows and Silambam. Some records trace the origin of this art to a divine source Lord Muruga, and within the Tamil mythological framework, sage Agasthya is also credited with the genesis of Silambam. The ancient Tamil kingdoms were instrumental in spreading Silambam throughout Southeast Asia. During the 18th and the 19th centuries Silambam was much more prevalent in Southeast Asia than in India, where it was banned by the British government. It is still practiced by the South Indian communities of Malaysia, where it is now a popular recreational sport and also a means of self defence.
Thang Ta (The art of the sword and the spear) is a popular term for the ancient Manipuri Martial Art known as Huyen Lallong. The art was developed from the war environment of the tiny state of Manipur in Northeast India. It played an important role in the geopolitical environment of medieval times between India and China with many independent states at war with each other. Constant life and death struggles between clans, tribes and states resulted in the devising of ways and means of safeguarding the lives of the citizens and at the same time developing an inner attitude to problems of life, death and afterlife. Thang Ta thus became an expressive art form which however retained its fighting character at the secret home schools of individual teachers or Gurus, after being prohibited during the period of the colonial raj (1891 1947). It survived during the period of the state's integration with the Indian Union in 1949, since when the art has been shown in festivals.
Tibet has the most striking evidence that the oriental martial arts of today have their roots in India. For in Tibet, survives the ancient Indian martial art of Simhanta (Lion's Roar!) in its relatively unchanged form. Simhanta is one of the most ancient Indian martial arts, one of the first styles to evolve from Vajramukti. Tibetan Simhanta, sometimes called Tibetan Kung fu, is Indian in every aspect. From the Sanskrit names, to the Hindu mantras, to the techniques, which are drawn from Vajramukti and Kalari. The major mantra of Tibetan Simhanta, which all practitioners recite, is "Om Ah Hum Vajra Simhanada Sangha Hum," which praises Narasimha, and is in the Sanskrit language. The other major symbolic animal in Simhanta is the ape. A further point of note concerning a pre Tibetan 'Ape' as Totem animal in the original Hindu SimhanadaVajramushti, is the importance of the God Hanuman.
After a series of victories, the Muslim conquerer Babur established Mughal rule in North India during the
16th century. The Mughals, Persians of Mongol descent, practiced martial techniques such as wrestling and mounted archery. By combining indigenous mallayuddha with Turkic and Mongolian wrestling, they created the grappling style pehlwani which has remained popular until today, particularly in the states of Haryana and Punjab in North India. The Indian wrestling form of pehlwani became prominent in western catch wrestling tournaments and Karl Istaz applied the training methods of Indian pehlwans to shoot wrestling. The wresting form used in modern Olympic games is Roman Wrestling, which shares many
of its moves and tactics with its Indian form. In addition, modern styles such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu credit India as a founding influence on their fighting principles.
The practice of the Indian club swinging was first introduced to England by British soldiers who had studied the discipline while stationed in India during the 19th
century. The Indian clubs were used by military cadets and appeared as a gymnastic event in the 1904 Olympics. Russian officials travelled to India, under the employ of NKVD physical training centre, "Dinamo", to observe its native martial arts. V.A.Spiridinov was assigned to Mongolia, China and India to research the Mongol Vedic martial arts. The collection of techniques from martial arts of various countries including India formed the basis of the Russian martial art Sambo.
India has also influenced various other Asian martial arts, particularly in Southeast Asia. Examples include Indo Malay Silat, Burmese Naban and Bando, Filipino Escrima and Kali, Thai Krabi Krabong and Cambodian Bokator. Indian martial arts also influenced the various forms of Indochinese kickboxing, namely Muay Thai from Thailand, Tomoi from Malaysia, Muay Lao from Laos, Pradal Serey from Cambodia and Lethwei from Myanmar. Contrary to its name, Muay Thai actually originated not in Thailand, but in Khmer. For much of its history, Khmer was Hindu, and it was the Nayar, the Khmer Kshatriyas (warrior caste) that developed it. Indian influence is predominant in Khmer. Frescos on the Angkor Wat depict scenes from the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, showing Kshatriyas engaged in martial arts. Most likely it was the Indian influence through Sri Lanka that led to the development of Khmer martial arts.
This is probably just the tip of the iceberg. Though a handful of martial arts are still practised in our country, the internal system of meditative practices and its essentially spiritual character has been lost through lack of knowledge and commitment by the further generations. There are many Indian martial art forms which became extinct with the foreign invasion, but continue to live in the wall painting and statues in ancient temples. The study of Indian martial arts is a vast territory which is yet to be explored completely.
- Kalari was just one of many martial arts that evolved from the ancient martial art of Vajramukti.
- The oriental martial arts of today have their roots in India.
Srishti ‘0934 Srishti ‘09 35
The Departmental Associations in our
college act as the liaison between the IIPC (Industrial
Institute Partnership Cell) and the students. This helps the students acquire
the much needed information about the state of art industrial facilities and in turn add value to their employability and entrepreneurship skills. It also acts a platform to hone the organisational skills of the students through various inter and intra-collegiate events conducted in partnership with industries.
The primary functioning of the association happens in weekly hours allocated as a part of the curricular time-table. Apart from these regular meetings, Associations also conduct seminars, workshops and other co-curricular activities. It also hosts mock placements and other placement related training activities. The staff advisor and the final year office bearers organise these events for the juniors with help from the final year students. Given below is a brief description of the various international conferences and activities conducted by the Associations of each department. A National Level Technical Workshop on C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R O D U C T D ATA MANAGEMENT (CPDM) was organized in association with EMPOWER CONSULTANCY PRIVATE LIMITED, Chennai, on 12th September, 2008. The Chief Guest was Mr.Balaji Dagupati, the Managing Director of Empower Consultancy Private Limited. He spoke on the need of database management system and its role in product design and development. Ms.Riddhi Vijay, the Manager, Academic Initiatives from Siemens India Limited, spoke on the possibility of establishing a Centre of Excellence in the CIT campus for the benefit of undergraduate and postgraduate students enabling them to take up projects in collaboration with SIEMENS INDIA Ltd. About 40 delegates from industries, 20 delegates from academic institutions and research institutions and 15 students, research scholars and practicing engineers participated in the workshop. The programme was wel l appreciated by all the participants.
In today's modern digital age, software based systems are becoming the core infrastructure of effective and efficient activities of everyday life. During the historical development of industry, human society has experienced many industrial revolutions. Currently, the world is undergoing a hi-tech industrial revolution with information technologies, with digitization, computer network, and artificial intelligence as its main features. Digitization is a natural stage in the evolutionary process of modern engineering design. The role and future of the digital factory in various engineering fields is full of potential and bright possibilities when it is used with quality software.
THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIGITAL FACTORY (ICDF) 2008 was jointly organized by BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH CENTRE (BIRC), Charlton College of Business, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, USA and supported by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, European University of Lefke, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The valuable support received from all categories of sponsors were gratefully acknowledged. The conference started with the inaugural address delivered by Dr. M.P. Chandrasekharan, Dean -Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore. Dr. Angappa Gunasekaran fel ici tated the conference. The conference closed on 13th August 2008 with a valedictory given by Cdr. A. Thakur, Deputy Director, Naval Research Board, New Delhi.
THE INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON SENSORS, SECURITY, AND INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS (ISSSIS) 2009 was jointly organized by the Coimbatore Institute of Technology and the Oklahoma State University, Oklahama,USA. Our correspondent Dr.S.R.K.Prasad delivered the Presidential Address. Dr.Karl N. Reid, Dean, Oklahoma State University inaugurated the conference. Prof M.Devaraju, Head of the Department ,Computer Technology, CIT, with the help of the students and staff members organized all the events with great dedication and zeal.
Activity Summary
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION
CIVIL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION
Staff Advisor Dr. M. Thirumarimurugan
Secretary Mr. K. Sudarshan
Seminars/Workshops Personality Development Programme by Mr. Madhu Namboothri, Director, Time.
A Lecture On Process Equipment Design and Drawing By Mr. A. Pitchiah, Industrial Consultant, Krishna Industrial Corporation.
Intra Department Event Technofest, Quintessence
Magazines Synergy
Staff Advisor Mr. M.P. Muthuraj
Secretary Mr. S. Ananda Uvanesh
Seminars/Workshops Guest Lecture on Environmental Facts by Mr. Elongavan.
A Seminar on Software Packages by Arris Cadd and Cadd Centre
Magazines Edifice
Staff Advisor Mrs. P. Chitra
Secretary Mr. S.K. Raja
Seminars/Workshops A Seminar on PLC by Mr. Kumar from Arris Cadd, Coimbatore
A Seminar on 'Current Status of it Industries' by Mr. Sathish from CTS, Chennai
A Seminar on "Embedded Software" from Arris Cadd, Coimbatore
A Seminar on 'Cadd Stimulation Software' by Mr. R. Santhosh Kumar From Cadd Centre Training Service
Intra Department Event Emissions
Magazines Resonance
At
ssociat on Activi ies
A
i
Association Activities
Srishti ‘0934 Srishti ‘09 35
The Departmental Associations in our
college act as the liaison between the IIPC (Industrial
Institute Partnership Cell) and the students. This helps the students acquire
the much needed information about the state of art industrial facilities and in turn add value to their employability and entrepreneurship skills. It also acts a platform to hone the organisational skills of the students through various inter and intra-collegiate events conducted in partnership with industries.
The primary functioning of the association happens in weekly hours allocated as a part of the curricular time-table. Apart from these regular meetings, Associations also conduct seminars, workshops and other co-curricular activities. It also hosts mock placements and other placement related training activities. The staff advisor and the final year office bearers organise these events for the juniors with help from the final year students. Given below is a brief description of the various international conferences and activities conducted by the Associations of each department. A National Level Technical Workshop on C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R O D U C T D ATA MANAGEMENT (CPDM) was organized in association with EMPOWER CONSULTANCY PRIVATE LIMITED, Chennai, on 12th September, 2008. The Chief Guest was Mr.Balaji Dagupati, the Managing Director of Empower Consultancy Private Limited. He spoke on the need of database management system and its role in product design and development. Ms.Riddhi Vijay, the Manager, Academic Initiatives from Siemens India Limited, spoke on the possibility of establishing a Centre of Excellence in the CIT campus for the benefit of undergraduate and postgraduate students enabling them to take up projects in collaboration with SIEMENS INDIA Ltd. About 40 delegates from industries, 20 delegates from academic institutions and research institutions and 15 students, research scholars and practicing engineers participated in the workshop. The programme was wel l appreciated by all the participants.
In today's modern digital age, software based systems are becoming the core infrastructure of effective and efficient activities of everyday life. During the historical development of industry, human society has experienced many industrial revolutions. Currently, the world is undergoing a hi-tech industrial revolution with information technologies, with digitization, computer network, and artificial intelligence as its main features. Digitization is a natural stage in the evolutionary process of modern engineering design. The role and future of the digital factory in various engineering fields is full of potential and bright possibilities when it is used with quality software.
THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIGITAL FACTORY (ICDF) 2008 was jointly organized by BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH CENTRE (BIRC), Charlton College of Business, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, USA and supported by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, European University of Lefke, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The valuable support received from all categories of sponsors were gratefully acknowledged. The conference started with the inaugural address delivered by Dr. M.P. Chandrasekharan, Dean -Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore. Dr. Angappa Gunasekaran fel ici tated the conference. The conference closed on 13th August 2008 with a valedictory given by Cdr. A. Thakur, Deputy Director, Naval Research Board, New Delhi.
THE INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON SENSORS, SECURITY, AND INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS (ISSSIS) 2009 was jointly organized by the Coimbatore Institute of Technology and the Oklahoma State University, Oklahama,USA. Our correspondent Dr.S.R.K.Prasad delivered the Presidential Address. Dr.Karl N. Reid, Dean, Oklahoma State University inaugurated the conference. Prof M.Devaraju, Head of the Department ,Computer Technology, CIT, with the help of the students and staff members organized all the events with great dedication and zeal.
Activity Summary
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION
CIVIL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION
Staff Advisor Dr. M. Thirumarimurugan
Secretary Mr. K. Sudarshan
Seminars/Workshops Personality Development Programme by Mr. Madhu Namboothri, Director, Time.
A Lecture On Process Equipment Design and Drawing By Mr. A. Pitchiah, Industrial Consultant, Krishna Industrial Corporation.
Intra Department Event Technofest, Quintessence
Magazines Synergy
Staff Advisor Mr. M.P. Muthuraj
Secretary Mr. S. Ananda Uvanesh
Seminars/Workshops Guest Lecture on Environmental Facts by Mr. Elongavan.
A Seminar on Software Packages by Arris Cadd and Cadd Centre
Magazines Edifice
Staff Advisor Mrs. P. Chitra
Secretary Mr. S.K. Raja
Seminars/Workshops A Seminar on PLC by Mr. Kumar from Arris Cadd, Coimbatore
A Seminar on 'Current Status of it Industries' by Mr. Sathish from CTS, Chennai
A Seminar on "Embedded Software" from Arris Cadd, Coimbatore
A Seminar on 'Cadd Stimulation Software' by Mr. R. Santhosh Kumar From Cadd Centre Training Service
Intra Department Event Emissions
Magazines Resonance
Associat o c i it e
A
i n At v i s
Association Activities
Srishti ‘0936
The year 2008 has been a very forgettable year
for students as well as professionals across the
globe. Plagued with a global recession similar to
the dot com crash back in 2001, most colleges in
the state have struggled to place their students in
reputable firms. CIT's standing as a favourite
among recruiters, has helped the majority of our
students find lucrative employment. Around 500
students getting placed in a total of 67
companies that visited our campus this year,
stands proof for the students' rich domain
knowledge combined in right proportions with
worldly know-how. Star recruiters include global
players like Volvo, SP Constructions, Oracle,
Areva, Verizon, Motorola etc. Even in this current
economic scenario where companies are
looking at downsizing, we manage to provide
opportunities for deserving students to get
recruited in more than one company.
The placement Cell under the guidance of our
Placement Officer Dr.K.Subramanian and
Additional Placement Officer Dr.V.Selladurai has
done an exceedingly good job in not only getting
the students placed, but also creating
awareness among them about entrepreneurship
and higher education. The office bearers of the
placement team include 27 students from UG
and 16 students from PG courses.
Two placement secretaries are chosen, one
each from the circuit side and non-circuit side to
lead the team. Three placement co-ordinators
are chosen from each branch of study to assist
them. The Placement Cell, which is entirely run
by the students, stands proof of the managerial
skills of CITians. Right from inviting the
companies to our campus, driving the students
to prepare for the placements and making the
HR’s feel at home, the members of the
Placement Cell have exhibited their prowess.
We, CITians feel proud to say that we have
achieved yet another pinnacle, where CIT is
currently ranked 25th among top engineering
colleges in India by the "Outlook" magazine. CIT
is also ranked among the top five engineering
colleges (excluding IIT) in TamilNadu by a Tamil
daily. Thanks to our management, alumni,
recruiters and above all the students for helping
us achieve these and for making sure that we are
well positioned for further glory.
PLACEMENT REPORT
Srishti ‘09 37
ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION OF CSE AND IT
Staff Advisor Mr. S.J. Sugumar
Secretary Mr. S. Manivannan
Seminars/Workshops Guest Lecture on Carrier Options by Mr. Mathu Namboothri.
A Seminar on PLC by Arris Cadd
A Seminar on 'Expectations from Today's Individuals' by Mr. Muralikrishnan
Intra Department Event Electro
Magazines GridNetworks
Staff Advisor Dr. V. Senthil
Secretary Mr. R. Rajesh
Seminars/Workshops Cad/Cam Seminar by1. Arris Institute Coimbatore, 2.Rhizome Institute Coimbatore, 3. PSG Institute Coimbatore
A Seminar on "Stress Corrosion Analysis on Aerospace" by Dr. Bobby Kannan (Australia)
A Seminar on 'Graduate Marine Training' by GE Institute Pune
Intra Department Event Glimpses and Spark
Magazines MomentumBrain Drive
Staff Advisor Mrs. R. Renuga
Secretary Mr. A. Raghav - CSE, Mr. P. Manikandan - IT
Seminars/Workshops T.I.M.E Workshop on "Career Options"
ACM Seminar on "Software Testing"
TCS Workshop on "Challenges in Applications Development"
Intra Department Event Syllogism
Magazines Online
Association Activities
Srishti ‘0936
The year 2008 has been a very forgettable year
for students as well as professionals across the
globe. Plagued with a global recession similar to
the dot com crash back in 2001, most colleges in
the state have struggled to place their students in
reputable firms. CIT's standing as a favourite
among recruiters, has helped the majority of our
students find lucrative employment. Around 500
students getting placed in a total of 67
companies that visited our campus this year,
stands proof for the students' rich domain
knowledge combined in right proportions with
worldly know-how. Star recruiters include global
players like Volvo, SP Constructions, Oracle,
Areva, Verizon, Motorola etc. Even in this current
economic scenario where companies are
looking at downsizing, we manage to provide
opportunities for deserving students to get
recruited in more than one company.
The placement Cell under the guidance of our
Placement Officer Dr.K.Subramanian and
Additional Placement Officer Dr.V.Selladurai has
done an exceedingly good job in not only getting
the students placed, but also creating
awareness among them about entrepreneurship
and higher education. The office bearers of the
placement team include 27 students from UG
and 16 students from PG courses.
Two placement secretaries are chosen, one
each from the circuit side and non-circuit side to
lead the team. Three placement co-ordinators
are chosen from each branch of study to assist
them. The Placement Cell, which is entirely run
by the students, stands proof of the managerial
skills of CITians. Right from inviting the
companies to our campus, driving the students
to prepare for the placements and making the
HR’s feel at home, the members of the
Placement Cell have exhibited their prowess.
We, CITians feel proud to say that we have
achieved yet another pinnacle, where CIT is
currently ranked 25th among top engineering
colleges in India by the "Outlook" magazine. CIT
is also ranked among the top five engineering
colleges (excluding IIT) in TamilNadu by a Tamil
daily. Thanks to our management, alumni,
recruiters and above all the students for helping
us achieve these and for making sure that we are
well positioned for further glory.
PLACEMENT REPORT
Srishti ‘09 37
ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION OF CSE AND IT
Staff Advisor Mr. S.J. Sugumar
Secretary Mr. S. Manivannan
Seminars/Workshops Guest Lecture on Carrier Options by Mr. Mathu Namboothri.
A Seminar on PLC by Arris Cadd
A Seminar on 'Expectations from Today's Individuals' by Mr. Muralikrishnan
Intra Department Event Electro
Magazines GridNetworks
Staff Advisor Dr. V. Senthil
Secretary Mr. R. Rajesh
Seminars/Workshops Cad/Cam Seminar by1. Arris Institute Coimbatore, 2.Rhizome Institute Coimbatore, 3. PSG Institute Coimbatore
A Seminar on "Stress Corrosion Analysis on Aerospace" by Dr. Bobby Kannan (Australia)
A Seminar on 'Graduate Marine Training' by GE Institute Pune
Intra Department Event Glimpses and Spark
Magazines MomentumBrain Drive
Staff Advisor Mrs. R. Renuga
Secretary Mr. A. Raghav - CSE, Mr. P. Manikandan - IT
Seminars/Workshops T.I.M.E Workshop on "Career Options"
ACM Seminar on "Software Testing"
TCS Workshop on "Challenges in Applications Development"
Intra Department Event Syllogism
Magazines Online
Association Activities
List of IT Companies
List of Non-IT Companies
Star Companies to watch out for
1. Accenture
2. Adaptec
3. Aditi
4. Aricent
5. AIG
6. Carevoyant
7. Cordys
8. Commvault
9. CSC
10. D.E.Shaw
11. Fidelity
12. HCL
1. IOCL
2. SUNDARAM CLAYTON
3. GAMMON INDIA
4. DELPHI - TVS
5. SANMAR
6. GODREJ
7. AREVA
8. ESSAR GROUPS
9. ADITYA BIRLA(TANFAC)
10. ASHOK LEYLAND
11. SUNDARAM FASTENERS
13. Informatica
14. Infosys
15. I Gates
16. I Flex
17. Manhattan Associates
18. Misys
19. Motorola
20. Mu Sigma
21. National Instruments
22. Nokia-Siemens Network
23. Nortel
24. Oracle
25. Sutherland
26. Target
27. TataElsxi
28. TCS
29. Tesco
30. Thoughtworks
31. Toshiba
32. Verisign
33. Verizon
34. Wipro
35. Yahoo
12. PRICOL
13. HCC
14. STERLITE
15. ABB
16. TVS TYRES
17. L & T
18. SP CONSTRUCTIONS
19. CCCL
20. BRAKES INDIA
21. TVS TYRES
22. GODREJ & BOYCE
23. ITC LTD
24. VA TECH WABAG
25. SYNERGY
26. EMAS
27. MAYTAS
28. TATA CHEMICALS
29. HCC
30. JOHNSON TILES
31. FLSMDITH
32. TCE
Srishti ‘0938 Srishti ‘09 39
PLACEMENT POLLS
LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVES
'Economic slowdown', 'recession', 'fiscal crises- these seem to be some of the buzzwords that are making the rounds throughout the world. The subprime crisis that originated in the U.S. of A, the previous year has taken its toll on companies irrespective of their domain and this in turn has led to a lull in campus placements. People are eagerly anticipating the re-emergence of the market which according to financial experts may not be experienced until May 2009 or even after. Under such trying circumstances, when a large majority of companies would only look at cutting costs and labor, maintaining a successful placement record would only seem a distant dream to universities. The need of the hour, hence, is to sincerely look out for other alternatives that enable us to counter the turbulent market conditions. 'The Placement and Entrepreneurship Cell' (PEC) of CIT is entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the successful coordination and management of placement and entrepreneurship activities every academic year and it has been doing it successfully all these years without compromising on the quality of placements and the all important 'student to job ratio'. But to be frank, there has been a dearth in promoting entrepreneurship and other related activities by the PEC over the past two-three years and thereby the response of the students towards such initiatives has been lukewarm. It was an area of imminent concern, according to us the placement coordinators, to address these issues, given the sorry state of the market at present. To ensure that the current placement year (2008 - 2009) ends on a positive note without having to face the dejection of many students, we decided to channelize our efforts in educating them about higher education opportunities in India and abroad. We are therefore currently involved in preparing a list of prospective institutes that offer good educational and placement opportunities in countries like the UK, the USA, Australia, Germany etc. Information is also being gathered on the possible scholarship and endowment prizes that students could avail, since pursuing higher education in a foreign country does take a heavy toll on one's pocket. Also, a lot of initiatives are being taken to conduct seminars and workshops that focus on entrepreneurship and on the importance of higher education. We are putting in our best efforts to ensure that placements, entrepreneurship and initiatives to promote higher education go hand in hand, without compromising each other on any aspect. With the blessings of the Almighty and the constant support of our staff and well wishers, we are confident of ending the current academic year on a happy and positive note.
FromThe Placement Team,CIT
Placement Report Placement Report
List of IT Companies
List of Non-IT Companies
Star Companies to watch out for
1. Accenture
2. Adaptec
3. Aditi
4. Aricent
5. AIG
6. Carevoyant
7. Cordys
8. Commvault
9. CSC
10. D.E.Shaw
11. Fidelity
12. HCL
1. IOCL
2. SUNDARAM CLAYTON
3. GAMMON INDIA
4. DELPHI - TVS
5. SANMAR
6. GODREJ
7. AREVA
8. ESSAR GROUPS
9. ADITYA BIRLA(TANFAC)
10. ASHOK LEYLAND
11. SUNDARAM FASTENERS
13. Informatica
14. Infosys
15. I Gates
16. I Flex
17. Manhattan Associates
18. Misys
19. Motorola
20. Mu Sigma
21. National Instruments
22. Nokia-Siemens Network
23. Nortel
24. Oracle
25. Sutherland
26. Target
27. TataElsxi
28. TCS
29. Tesco
30. Thoughtworks
31. Toshiba
32. Verisign
33. Verizon
34. Wipro
35. Yahoo
12. PRICOL
13. HCC
14. STERLITE
15. ABB
16. TVS TYRES
17. L & T
18. SP CONSTRUCTIONS
19. CCCL
20. BRAKES INDIA
21. TVS TYRES
22. GODREJ & BOYCE
23. ITC LTD
24. VA TECH WABAG
25. SYNERGY
26. EMAS
27. MAYTAS
28. TATA CHEMICALS
29. HCC
30. JOHNSON TILES
31. FLSMDITH
32. TCE
Srishti ‘0938 Srishti ‘09 39
PLACEMENT POLLS
LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVES
'Economic slowdown', 'recession', 'fiscal crises- these seem to be some of the buzzwords that are making the rounds throughout the world. The subprime crisis that originated in the U.S. of A, the previous year has taken its toll on companies irrespective of their domain and this in turn has led to a lull in campus placements. People are eagerly anticipating the re-emergence of the market which according to financial experts may not be experienced until May 2009 or even after. Under such trying circumstances, when a large majority of companies would only look at cutting costs and labor, maintaining a successful placement record would only seem a distant dream to universities. The need of the hour, hence, is to sincerely look out for other alternatives that enable us to counter the turbulent market conditions. 'The Placement and Entrepreneurship Cell' (PEC) of CIT is entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the successful coordination and management of placement and entrepreneurship activities every academic year and it has been doing it successfully all these years without compromising on the quality of placements and the all important 'student to job ratio'. But to be frank, there has been a dearth in promoting entrepreneurship and other related activities by the PEC over the past two-three years and thereby the response of the students towards such initiatives has been lukewarm. It was an area of imminent concern, according to us the placement coordinators, to address these issues, given the sorry state of the market at present. To ensure that the current placement year (2008 - 2009) ends on a positive note without having to face the dejection of many students, we decided to channelize our efforts in educating them about higher education opportunities in India and abroad. We are therefore currently involved in preparing a list of prospective institutes that offer good educational and placement opportunities in countries like the UK, the USA, Australia, Germany etc. Information is also being gathered on the possible scholarship and endowment prizes that students could avail, since pursuing higher education in a foreign country does take a heavy toll on one's pocket. Also, a lot of initiatives are being taken to conduct seminars and workshops that focus on entrepreneurship and on the importance of higher education. We are putting in our best efforts to ensure that placements, entrepreneurship and initiatives to promote higher education go hand in hand, without compromising each other on any aspect. With the blessings of the Almighty and the constant support of our staff and well wishers, we are confident of ending the current academic year on a happy and positive note.
FromThe Placement Team,CIT
Placement Report Placement Report
V.B. CHANDRASEKHARHere is a brief introduction to this "Chennai Super King".
Mr.V.B.Chandrashekar (Known popularly as VB)-director of "Chennai Superkings" (Indian Premier League), is a distinguished alumnus of CIT. His father was a famous lawyer. VB is the youngest among his brothers and sisters. Since his elder brother and sister were software engineers, under pressure from the family he had to opt for engineering. He did mechanical engineering in CIT after he had completed his B.Sc in mathematics. As with any educationally forward middle-class family, there was a pressure on him to do well academically. But subsequently, the results he showed in cricket, earned him the support and confidence of his parents and well-wishers to continue in that path. After completing his engineering he decided to concentrate more on cricket and played in the Ranji Trophy for Karnataka and then got the opportunity to play One Day Internationals (ODIs) for our country.
Even after leaving the field he continues to associate himself with cricket and he is currently the chief selector of the "Chennai super kings". Since Chennai super kings were the runners-up in the IPL, his job has become even more crucial to choose the right players within the given price limit, not to show the same result this time but to better it and clinch the IPL trophy.
It was a great opportunity for me (Vignesh) and Ramaseshan (Ram) - our cricket team Captain to meet him in person and interview him. We fixed an
Interview with V.B. Chandrasekhar Srishti ‘09 41
together. In fact cricket was the unifying factor and I had a number of fans even at that time.
How did you manage both your academic studies and cricket?
Who said I managed both? I managed only cricket and my friends were there to help me out with my academics. In fact most of my record works and laboratory works were done by my friends and they really motivated me to concentrate more on cricket. At the same time I was a no nonsense guy in my academics and managed to score average marks and obtained my degree without the slightest of hiccups.
Sir, can you tell us about your cricketing experience in CIT?
(smiling) Wah! It was a great experience and I have a lot to tell you. I was very enthusiastic about cricket at college. I spent almost all my time in the cricket field during my stay here. I devoted a lot of time to practice. I didn't mind paying the markers that extra bit to make them work on holidays. Our cricket team had a healthy rivalry at that time with the PSG arts college team. Whenever we both met head to head, it was almost like an India-Pakistan match.
Which do you think is the most unforgettable experience in your life?
There was one instance when the captain picked me in the playing 11 without my knowledge, and the semester examinations were going on. It was a match between CIT and PSG (local India-Pakistan). The very same day I was writing my Engineering Chemistry exam. Since I was in the main eleven I was updated with the score and was called several times to bat as the team was in a very bad position. The score board read 80/8. I received paper slips notifying the required runs and wickets left, at least 10 times in the exam hall some way or the other. The last of which read "need 120 runs, 2 wickets left, enough of your chemistry paper, come out". This time I realized that I should no longer wait and came out halfway through my exam. As I was coming, I was watching my friend getting out and returning to the pavilion. I didn't even have time to pad myself. I went in at 82 for 8, scored a century and remained unbeaten. We won the match for CIT against PSG arts. (Chuckling) The funniest part of it was
Ram :
VB :
Vignesh :
VB :
Ram :
VB :
that I passed my chemistry exam by a narrow margin. Then I was elected the captain of CIT cricket team for the next three years. Also I got the opportunity to captain Bharathiar University for 3 consecutive years. And not once during my stay did I have an attendance% that permitted me to write my exams. Every time I had to meet the professors to seek permission to write my semester exams.
Vignesh : How do you see yourself as the chief selector now?
VB : (with a deep sigh) Well…. It's a job constantly under pressure. It's a task of selecting the right players for the team, the sort who can win you matches . It's twenty-twenty and the players have to be good hitters of the ball making the opponents go for a leather hunt.
Ram : How did you manage to select Manpreet Goni to the side?
VB : (thought running across his mind) Goni played well in the Ranji, and I thought he would be a better player to be on the side. It is actually a big story the way Goni entered the squad. He was punctual and made sure of his presence whenever we called him. Also he has exceptional talents and is strongly improving as well.
Vignesh : We are really elated to spend time with you. Finally, what's the message you would like to leave for us?
VB : CITians have all the potentials. It's up to you students to bring out your hidden talents. If you feel that you could shine well in the area of your interest, then just go ahead, no matter what others say. Get the suggestions from people around you but arrive at a decision that is not influenced by peer pressure. Be confident and make sure that you are up to it. Building castles in the air does not help. My best wishes to you all.
That was VB exclusively for you .....
S. VigneshIV year Chemical
Interview with
a p p o i n t m e n t with him at 5 p.m. in Jenney's Club for his interview.
Here is engraved that fantastic 30 minute face-to-face interaction.
Vignesh : How was your stay at CIT?
VB : I always cherish the memories of m y c o l l e g e life. Before I joined CIT I already had a b a c h e l o r ' s d e g r e e i n mathematics. And may be, I g u e s s t h a t could be the reason why I associated myself more with the guys of my age rather than being with my classmates. But this was until the first year and later vanished as we all mingled
V.RamaseshanCaptain,
CIT Cricket Team
V.B. CHANDRASEKHARHere is a brief introduction to this "Chennai Super King".
Mr.V.B.Chandrashekar (Known popularly as VB)-director of "Chennai Superkings" (Indian Premier League), is a distinguished alumnus of CIT. His father was a famous lawyer. VB is the youngest among his brothers and sisters. Since his elder brother and sister were software engineers, under pressure from the family he had to opt for engineering. He did mechanical engineering in CIT after he had completed his B.Sc in mathematics. As with any educationally forward middle-class family, there was a pressure on him to do well academically. But subsequently, the results he showed in cricket, earned him the support and confidence of his parents and well-wishers to continue in that path. After completing his engineering he decided to concentrate more on cricket and played in the Ranji Trophy for Karnataka and then got the opportunity to play One Day Internationals (ODIs) for our country.
Even after leaving the field he continues to associate himself with cricket and he is currently the chief selector of the "Chennai super kings". Since Chennai super kings were the runners-up in the IPL, his job has become even more crucial to choose the right players within the given price limit, not to show the same result this time but to better it and clinch the IPL trophy.
It was a great opportunity for me (Vignesh) and Ramaseshan (Ram) - our cricket team Captain to meet him in person and interview him. We fixed an
Interview with V.B. Chandrasekhar Srishti ‘09 41
together. In fact cricket was the unifying factor and I had a number of fans even at that time.
How did you manage both your academic studies and cricket?
Who said I managed both? I managed only cricket and my friends were there to help me out with my academics. In fact most of my record works and laboratory works were done by my friends and they really motivated me to concentrate more on cricket. At the same time I was a no nonsense guy in my academics and managed to score average marks and obtained my degree without the slightest of hiccups.
Sir, can you tell us about your cricketing experience in CIT?
(smiling) Wah! It was a great experience and I have a lot to tell you. I was very enthusiastic about cricket at college. I spent almost all my time in the cricket field during my stay here. I devoted a lot of time to practice. I didn't mind paying the markers that extra bit to make them work on holidays. Our cricket team had a healthy rivalry at that time with the PSG arts college team. Whenever we both met head to head, it was almost like an India-Pakistan match.
Which do you think is the most unforgettable experience in your life?
There was one instance when the captain picked me in the playing 11 without my knowledge, and the semester examinations were going on. It was a match between CIT and PSG (local India-Pakistan). The very same day I was writing my Engineering Chemistry exam. Since I was in the main eleven I was updated with the score and was called several times to bat as the team was in a very bad position. The score board read 80/8. I received paper slips notifying the required runs and wickets left, at least 10 times in the exam hall some way or the other. The last of which read "need 120 runs, 2 wickets left, enough of your chemistry paper, come out". This time I realized that I should no longer wait and came out halfway through my exam. As I was coming, I was watching my friend getting out and returning to the pavilion. I didn't even have time to pad myself. I went in at 82 for 8, scored a century and remained unbeaten. We won the match for CIT against PSG arts. (Chuckling) The funniest part of it was
Ram :
VB :
Vignesh :
VB :
Ram :
VB :
that I passed my chemistry exam by a narrow margin. Then I was elected the captain of CIT cricket team for the next three years. Also I got the opportunity to captain Bharathiar University for 3 consecutive years. And not once during my stay did I have an attendance% that permitted me to write my exams. Every time I had to meet the professors to seek permission to write my semester exams.
Vignesh : How do you see yourself as the chief selector now?
VB : (with a deep sigh) Well…. It's a job constantly under pressure. It's a task of selecting the right players for the team, the sort who can win you matches . It's twenty-twenty and the players have to be good hitters of the ball making the opponents go for a leather hunt.
Ram : How did you manage to select Manpreet Goni to the side?
VB : (thought running across his mind) Goni played well in the Ranji, and I thought he would be a better player to be on the side. It is actually a big story the way Goni entered the squad. He was punctual and made sure of his presence whenever we called him. Also he has exceptional talents and is strongly improving as well.
Vignesh : We are really elated to spend time with you. Finally, what's the message you would like to leave for us?
VB : CITians have all the potentials. It's up to you students to bring out your hidden talents. If you feel that you could shine well in the area of your interest, then just go ahead, no matter what others say. Get the suggestions from people around you but arrive at a decision that is not influenced by peer pressure. Be confident and make sure that you are up to it. Building castles in the air does not help. My best wishes to you all.
That was VB exclusively for you .....
S. VigneshIV year Chemical
Inter iew wv
ith
a p p o i n t m e n t with him at 5 p.m. in Jenney's Club for his interview.
Here is engraved that fantastic 30 minute face-to-face interaction.
Vignesh : How was your stay at CIT?
VB : I always cherish the memories of m y c o l l e g e life. Before I joined CIT I already had a b a c h e l o r ' s d e g r e e i n mathematics. And may be, I g u e s s t h a t could be the reason why I associated myself more with the guys of my age rather than being with my classmates. But this was until the first year and later vanished as we all mingled
V.RamaseshanCaptain,
CIT Cricket Team
Srishti ‘09 43Chandrayaan
Bino. KIII year Mech.
November 14, 2008, 8:06pm- The instructions from ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network
(ISTRAC), separated the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) from the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. The spin up-rockets were fired after achieving a safe distance of separation from Chandrayaan-1. The final 25 minutes count down started…
November 14, 2008- MIP’s onboard video imaging system, the radar altimeter and the m a s s s p e c t r o m e t e r g o t a c t i v a t e d . Chandrayaan-1 started receiving information from these instruments as the MIP continued its descent. The mass spectrometer began examining the extremely thin lunar atmosphere.
The history of Indian rocketry dates back to 1750, when this science was perfected by the then Sultans of Mysore, Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, for military purposes. The Jourks (rocket men) of Tipu’s army won many wars against the British colonial armies with these weapons. Finally the British forces won the Battle of Seringapatam and captured Tipu’s war rockets. Then followed a period of 150 years during which rocket science in India remained dormant.
Indian rocketry was reborn, af ter independence, thanks to the technological vision of Prime Minster Jawahar Lal Nehru. Prof Vikram Sarabhai took the challenge of realizing this dream. That was a time when there was acute food shortage in India, and these men took the bold decision of making rockets and satellites. Very few took the space program seriously. But Sarabhai was determined to make his vision come true. He
hand picked experts in every field of space s c i e n c e a n d persuaded them to work for India’s space program. On seeing his charisma, who cou ld s t op getting attracted to him! His visionary space program used to sound like science fiction to people those days . The space program started with a message to the world:
“There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society.”
- Vikram Sarabhai
The name of the hamlet- Thumba got registered in the world catalogue when India successfully launched its first rocket on November 21, 1963. For the western world it was a matter of astonishment that so much was achieved with so little. I remember a mail from my friend which had the photo of a person carrying the cone of Nike Apache rocket to the launch pad on a bicycle.
N o v e m b e r 1 4 , 2008- The onboard retro rockets began firing to slow down the MIP.
People questioned the viability of the I n d i a n s p a c e program. Sarabhai and his band of young scientists
proved them wrong but it was a painstaking process, beginning with simple sounding rockets, which could go only up to a height of 100 km and were used to study a phenomenon called the equatorial jet. They had a large number of failures during the development stage. But these were the stepping stones for the ultimate dream of developing a Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV).
Then the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) came into existence which had higher load carrying capacity followed by the development of the Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) which gave India the capability to park satellites in the geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36000km. The next big feat was the development of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Space missions that travel beyond a distance of 100,000 km from the earth are usually termed deep space missions. With all these achievements India entered an elite group of nations which had the capability to send satellites into deep space.
ISRO’s next big dream- India’s first deep space mission, sprung up. They called it mission- Chandrayaan. On October 22, 2008, ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C11, successfully launched the 1380 kg Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft into the transfer orbit from Sathish Dhawan Space
Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. Chandrayaan-1 aims to further expand our knowledge about
Earth’s only natural satellite – the moon. It would also perform remote sensing of our nearest celestial neighbor using its 11 onboard scientific instruments. It was Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam who gave the idea of incorporating a device which could land on the moon, which later turned out to be the Moon Impact Probe (MIP). The mission was planned to land it near a spot called the Shackleton crater close to the lunar South Pole.
November 14, 2008, 8:31 pm- It was children’s day. The video of the descent went blank. MIP successfully hit the lunar surface.
“The moon was favorable to us. We have travelled all the way to the moon. We have given the moon to India”, announced ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair after the successful landing.
Unlike other space agencies, ISRO never enjoyed big budgets for R&D and space programs. But thanks to the dedication and skill of several scientists, the space program is one of the outstanding successes of the country. All thanks to the great minds who had the vision of linking space technology with the development of a backward nation. We shall forever be indebted to them.
People questioned the viability of the Indian space program. Sarabhai and his band of young scientists proved them wrong but it was a painstaking process...
We have given the moon to India”, announced ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair.
C.I.T
. TA
LK
S
Srishti ‘09 43Chandrayaan
Bino. KIII year Mech.
November 14, 2008, 8:06pm- The instructions from ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network
(ISTRAC), separated the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) from the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. The spin up-rockets were fired after achieving a safe distance of separation from Chandrayaan-1. The final 25 minutes count down started…
November 14, 2008- MIP’s onboard video imaging system, the radar altimeter and the m a s s s p e c t r o m e t e r g o t a c t i v a t e d . Chandrayaan-1 started receiving information from these instruments as the MIP continued its descent. The mass spectrometer began examining the extremely thin lunar atmosphere.
The history of Indian rocketry dates back to 1750, when this science was perfected by the then Sultans of Mysore, Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, for military purposes. The Jourks (rocket men) of Tipu’s army won many wars against the British colonial armies with these weapons. Finally the British forces won the Battle of Seringapatam and captured Tipu’s war rockets. Then followed a period of 150 years during which rocket science in India remained dormant.
Indian rocketry was reborn, af ter independence, thanks to the technological vision of Prime Minster Jawahar Lal Nehru. Prof Vikram Sarabhai took the challenge of realizing this dream. That was a time when there was acute food shortage in India, and these men took the bold decision of making rockets and satellites. Very few took the space program seriously. But Sarabhai was determined to make his vision come true. He
hand picked experts in every field of space s c i e n c e a n d persuaded them to work for India’s space program. On seeing his charisma, who cou ld s t op getting attracted to him! His visionary space program used to sound like science fiction to people those days . The space program started with a message to the world:
“There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society.”
- Vikram Sarabhai
The name of the hamlet- Thumba got registered in the world catalogue when India successfully launched its first rocket on November 21, 1963. For the western world it was a matter of astonishment that so much was achieved with so little. I remember a mail from my friend which had the photo of a person carrying the cone of Nike Apache rocket to the launch pad on a bicycle.
N o v e m b e r 1 4 , 2008- The onboard retro rockets began firing to slow down the MIP.
People questioned the viability of the I n d i a n s p a c e program. Sarabhai and his band of young scientists
proved them wrong but it was a painstaking process, beginning with simple sounding rockets, which could go only up to a height of 100 km and were used to study a phenomenon called the equatorial jet. They had a large number of failures during the development stage. But these were the stepping stones for the ultimate dream of developing a Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV).
Then the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) came into existence which had higher load carrying capacity followed by the development of the Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) which gave India the capability to park satellites in the geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36000km. The next big feat was the development of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Space missions that travel beyond a distance of 100,000 km from the earth are usually termed deep space missions. With all these achievements India entered an elite group of nations which had the capability to send satellites into deep space.
ISRO’s next big dream- India’s first deep space mission, sprung up. They called it mission- Chandrayaan. On October 22, 2008, ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C11, successfully launched the 1380 kg Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft into the transfer orbit from Sathish Dhawan Space
Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. Chandrayaan-1 aims to further expand our knowledge about
Earth’s only natural satellite – the moon. It would also perform remote sensing of our nearest celestial neighbor using its 11 onboard scientific instruments. It was Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam who gave the idea of incorporating a device which could land on the moon, which later turned out to be the Moon Impact Probe (MIP). The mission was planned to land it near a spot called the Shackleton crater close to the lunar South Pole.
November 14, 2008, 8:31 pm- It was children’s day. The video of the descent went blank. MIP successfully hit the lunar surface.
“The moon was favorable to us. We have travelled all the way to the moon. We have given the moon to India”, announced ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair after the successful landing.
Unlike other space agencies, ISRO never enjoyed big budgets for R&D and space programs. But thanks to the dedication and skill of several scientists, the space program is one of the outstanding successes of the country. All thanks to the great minds who had the vision of linking space technology with the development of a backward nation. We shall forever be indebted to them.
People questioned the viability of the Indian space program. Sarabhai and his band of young scientists proved them wrong but it was a painstaking process...
We have given the moon to India”, announced ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair.
C.I.T
. TA
LK
S
Mumbai
ChandrasekarIII year EEE
e have been through a very eventful year. 2008
was the year when India joined the Nuclear
Elite after the 123 Nuclear Agreement was Wokayed by both the US and Indian legislatures. It was also
the year when India won its first individual gold in the
Olympics. India clinched the Border – Gavaskar trophy
from Australia in cricket. When the whole world thought
that all was well, the economic recession set in. Towards
the end of the year, the rupee started weakening. There
was political turmoil in the disputed state of Jammu and
Kashmir.
But we Indians will never forget 2008 and not just for the
above reasons. This was the year when India faced its
worst terror attack ever. The incidents of terror that took
place between 26th and 29th shook the entire nation. The
country had never witnessed a terrorist attack of such
magnitude in the past. It proved to the nation that even
the establishments frequented by the rich and the
famous were open to terror attacks, and it was more than
just a pointer to the extent of sophistication involved in
training terrorists and planning such dastardly acts.
Prior to the Mumbai attacks, there were bomb blasts in
major Indian cities namely Jaipur, Ahmedabad,
Guwahati, Bangalore and Delhi. These attacks were a
continuation of the series of attacks that started in 2007.
But sadly, we never did learn from the past and most
state governments chose to ignore the specific
intelligence inputs that were given to them. The Mumbai
attacks eventually made the government act. However,
the opinion that had we been more vigilant, one or more
of these attacks could have been prevented will prevail
for sometime to come.
The Mumbai attacks are certainly India’s 9/11 in more
than one way. Firstly, people from all walks of life
suffered losses. Till the 26/11 attacks, mostly the poor
This is not surprising, for the organization
is headed by a man who lost 36 members
of his family during Partition and is
strongly anti-India. Unfortunately for
India, there are a number of people who
subscribe to this ideology in Pakistan. To
compound our problems, much of
Pakistan’s poor populace sends its
children to madrassas for education,
where students are taught religious
subjects in addition to science and
mathematics. But the madrassa education
system in Pakistan has remained
unregulated leading to accusations that
these institutes preach rel igious
fundamentalism. Western powers like
America firmly believe that madrassas
serve as training grounds for terror
organizations.
India has been persuading Pakistan to act
against terror groups which operate from
its soil. Pakistan on the other hand has
been reluctant to act against them and has
often been dismissive of allegations of
terrorism against it. The democratic
government in that country is very young
and a wrong step against popular opinion
may see the government being toppled by
the real power centers namely the Army
and the ISI (Inter Service Intelligence).
The ISI is a covert organization that has
allegedly been funding, training and
encouraging terrorist groups operating
from the country to orchestrate terror
attacks in different parts of India. So, if the
government were to act against the two
organizations mentioned above, it could
well spell doom for democracy in
Pakistan.
The Indian government cannot squarely
blame Pakistan based outfits for all the
attacks which have taken place in 2008.
The name “Indian Mujahideen” has
repeatedly surfaced during investigations.
This group, investigative agencies
suspect, is the handiwork of the Lashkar.
The LeT has long attempted to establish a
pan India jihadi organization for close to a
decade. The Indian Mujahideen could well
be a manifestation of the LeT’s ideas. To
add to India’s woes, most Indian
Mujahideen members who have been
killed or arrested seem to be educated
young men who have been successfully
indoctrinated by their mentors in
Pakistan.
The terror attacks have in some ways
taught Indians to live with terror. People in
and the downtrodden suffered because of
terrorist attacks. The urban educated elite,
who thought that they were insulated from
being attacked, were rudely awakened.
The educated youth of the country who
have so far been hesitant to be a part of the
political set up, started protesting against
the people in power. The slogan “Enough
is enough” acquired a lot of significance in
the aftermath of the attacks. There were
protest marches throughout the country
which made the government sit up and
take notice. Much of the action that the
government has taken today can be
attributed to these protests.
Fingers were pointed at Pakistan based
terror organization Lashkar–e–Taiba
(LeT) after the Mumbai attacks. This
organization’s main ideology is to wage
jihad (holy war) against India and to make
it a part of Islamic Pakistan. Obviously,
this ideology is dangerous and extremist.
Even if there is a terror attack, people continue to work and shops make it a
point not to down shutters so as to send a message to the perpetrators of the attacks.
India are learning quickly to put up with
terror attacks. Even if there is a terror
attack, people continue to work and shops
make it a point not to down shutters so as
to send a message to the perpetrators of
the attacks. This is to be expected as India
features on the list of five countries on
which the impact of terrorism has been
most damaging.
T h e h o l e s i n I n d i a ’s s e c u r i t y
establishments stood exposed at the end
of every terror attack. India’s police force
is so badly armed and trained; in the
aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, it was
shown that our Police constables use
rifles which were used during the Second
World War. Our Coastguard was not even
aware that a bunch of terrorists were able
to take control of a fishing vessel and
reach Mumbai without any hassles.
Monitoring every minor action taking
place along a 7000 km long coastline is as
good as an impossible task but it is
imperative that we maintain stricter vigil
on our western coast and also the
southern coast where we face a threat
from the LTTE.
In the wake of the Mumbai attack, the
Central Government has passed a new anti
terror law and a bill for establishing a new
National Investigating Agency (NIA). It will
be interesting to see how successful the
NIA is, in India’s fight against terror. In
addition to these measures, many of the
state governments are contemplating to
have an NSG like commando force in their
reserve Police force. This again is a very
good step in the right direction. At the end
of it, it is clearly seen that India’s action
against terrorism has been reactive and
not active. It is time that this attitude
changed. Not very often does one get to
read articles in successive editions of
Srishti on the same issue. Let us sincerely
support our Government in its fight
against terror so that we do not have to
read an article on terrorism in Srishti’10
also!
C.I
.T.
TA
LK
S
Mumbai
ChandrasekarIII year EEE
e have been through a very eventful year. 2008
was the year when India joined the Nuclear
Elite after the 123 Nuclear Agreement was Wokayed by both the US and Indian legislatures. It was also
the year when India won its first individual gold in the
Olympics. India clinched the Border – Gavaskar trophy
from Australia in cricket. When the whole world thought
that all was well, the economic recession set in. Towards
the end of the year, the rupee started weakening. There
was political turmoil in the disputed state of Jammu and
Kashmir.
But we Indians will never forget 2008 and not just for the
above reasons. This was the year when India faced its
worst terror attack ever. The incidents of terror that took
place between 26th and 29th shook the entire nation. The
country had never witnessed a terrorist attack of such
magnitude in the past. It proved to the nation that even
the establishments frequented by the rich and the
famous were open to terror attacks, and it was more than
just a pointer to the extent of sophistication involved in
training terrorists and planning such dastardly acts.
Prior to the Mumbai attacks, there were bomb blasts in
major Indian cities namely Jaipur, Ahmedabad,
Guwahati, Bangalore and Delhi. These attacks were a
continuation of the series of attacks that started in 2007.
But sadly, we never did learn from the past and most
state governments chose to ignore the specific
intelligence inputs that were given to them. The Mumbai
attacks eventually made the government act. However,
the opinion that had we been more vigilant, one or more
of these attacks could have been prevented will prevail
for sometime to come.
The Mumbai attacks are certainly India’s 9/11 in more
than one way. Firstly, people from all walks of life
suffered losses. Till the 26/11 attacks, mostly the poor
This is not surprising, for the organization
is headed by a man who lost 36 members
of his family during Partition and is
strongly anti-India. Unfortunately for
India, there are a number of people who
subscribe to this ideology in Pakistan. To
compound our problems, much of
Pakistan’s poor populace sends its
children to madrassas for education,
where students are taught religious
subjects in addition to science and
mathematics. But the madrassa education
system in Pakistan has remained
unregulated leading to accusations that
these institutes preach rel igious
fundamentalism. Western powers like
America firmly believe that madrassas
serve as training grounds for terror
organizations.
India has been persuading Pakistan to act
against terror groups which operate from
its soil. Pakistan on the other hand has
been reluctant to act against them and has
often been dismissive of allegations of
terrorism against it. The democratic
government in that country is very young
and a wrong step against popular opinion
may see the government being toppled by
the real power centers namely the Army
and the ISI (Inter Service Intelligence).
The ISI is a covert organization that has
allegedly been funding, training and
encouraging terrorist groups operating
from the country to orchestrate terror
attacks in different parts of India. So, if the
government were to act against the two
organizations mentioned above, it could
well spell doom for democracy in
Pakistan.
The Indian government cannot squarely
blame Pakistan based outfits for all the
attacks which have taken place in 2008.
The name “Indian Mujahideen” has
repeatedly surfaced during investigations.
This group, investigative agencies
suspect, is the handiwork of the Lashkar.
The LeT has long attempted to establish a
pan India jihadi organization for close to a
decade. The Indian Mujahideen could well
be a manifestation of the LeT’s ideas. To
add to India’s woes, most Indian
Mujahideen members who have been
killed or arrested seem to be educated
young men who have been successfully
indoctrinated by their mentors in
Pakistan.
The terror attacks have in some ways
taught Indians to live with terror. People in
and the downtrodden suffered because of
terrorist attacks. The urban educated elite,
who thought that they were insulated from
being attacked, were rudely awakened.
The educated youth of the country who
have so far been hesitant to be a part of the
political set up, started protesting against
the people in power. The slogan “Enough
is enough” acquired a lot of significance in
the aftermath of the attacks. There were
protest marches throughout the country
which made the government sit up and
take notice. Much of the action that the
government has taken today can be
attributed to these protests.
Fingers were pointed at Pakistan based
terror organization Lashkar–e–Taiba
(LeT) after the Mumbai attacks. This
organization’s main ideology is to wage
jihad (holy war) against India and to make
it a part of Islamic Pakistan. Obviously,
this ideology is dangerous and extremist.
Even if there is a terror attack, people continue to work and shops make it a
point not to down shutters so as to send a message to the perpetrators of the attacks.
India are learning quickly to put up with
terror attacks. Even if there is a terror
attack, people continue to work and shops
make it a point not to down shutters so as
to send a message to the perpetrators of
the attacks. This is to be expected as India
features on the list of five countries on
which the impact of terrorism has been
most damaging.
T h e h o l e s i n I n d i a ’s s e c u r i t y
establishments stood exposed at the end
of every terror attack. India’s police force
is so badly armed and trained; in the
aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, it was
shown that our Police constables use
rifles which were used during the Second
World War. Our Coastguard was not even
aware that a bunch of terrorists were able
to take control of a fishing vessel and
reach Mumbai without any hassles.
Monitoring every minor action taking
place along a 7000 km long coastline is as
good as an impossible task but it is
imperative that we maintain stricter vigil
on our western coast and also the
southern coast where we face a threat
from the LTTE.
In the wake of the Mumbai attack, the
Central Government has passed a new anti
terror law and a bill for establishing a new
National Investigating Agency (NIA). It will
be interesting to see how successful the
NIA is, in India’s fight against terror. In
addition to these measures, many of the
state governments are contemplating to
have an NSG like commando force in their
reserve Police force. This again is a very
good step in the right direction. At the end
of it, it is clearly seen that India’s action
against terrorism has been reactive and
not active. It is time that this attitude
changed. Not very often does one get to
read articles in successive editions of
Srishti on the same issue. Let us sincerely
support our Government in its fight
against terror so that we do not have to
read an article on terrorism in Srishti’10
also!
C.I
.T.
TA
LK
S
Srishti ‘0946 A tribute to Prof. P.R. Ramakrishnan Srishti ‘09 47Radhika. MIV year IT
Vaishnavee. K.BIV year IT
Prof. P.R. Ramakrishnan
J e y p o r e S u g a r C o m p a n y L i m i t e d .
Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan, obtained an M.B.A.
degree in the year 1952 from the Sloan School of
Management at MIT and had the distinction of
being the first Indian Sloan Fellow.
He was blessed with three sons. The eldest son
is Thiru.R.Prabhu, Ex-minister of fertilizers in the
Rajiv Gandhi Government and currently
Member of Parliament in the Congress party.
The youngest son, Dr.S.R.K.Prasad, is
currently the Managing Director of
Krishna Industrial Corporation and
Correspodent, Coimbatore Institute of
Technology.
Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan realized that
the only way this nation could
h a v e a n a l l r o u n d
development was by
imparting high quality
technical education to
students. His vision was
to provide education and
training for all with freedom of thought. Prof. P.R.
Ramakrishnan felt Universities are not built by
mortars and bricks alone but are built by a man's
hard work and intellect. With this motto in mind,
way back in 1950, he conceptualized the
idea of Coimbatore Institute of Technology.
Prof. P.R. Ramakrishnan after his return to
India had a vision to start an Engineering
College on the lines of MIT. Along with his
father Sri.V.Rangaswamy Naidu and brother
Sr i .R.Venkataswamy Naidu, Prof .P.R.
Ramakrishnan started Coimbatore Institute of
Technology in 1956.
Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan managed the affairs of the college as Principal for 25 years till he stepped
down from office in 1981. The college had grown from strength to strength and attained the status as
one of the Premier Engineering Colleges in India under his guidance. He was also a promoter of many
industries in Coimbatore. Among all his activities the closest to his heart was the running of this
educational institution.
Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan started a Tamil Daily "Nava India" and served as its Managing Editor. He was
elected as Member of Parliament for two terms, representing Pollachi Constituency from 1957 to 1962
and Coimbatore Constituency from 1962 to 1967. He had served as the Treasurer of Tamilnadu
Congress Committee in the Indira Gandhi Govt. He was the Managing Director of Ramakrishna
Industrial Corporation Limited, involved in the manufacture of Textile Ring Frames, with Japanese
collaboration. He served as the Managing Director of Madras Aluminium Company Limited. He had
served as Coimbatore District Rotary Governor. He was also the President of Operational Research
Society of India. Before he left us he was the Chairman of the Jeypore Sugar Company Limited,
Chennai, Krishna Industrial Corporation, Chennai, Managing Trustee of V.Rangaswamy Naidu
Educational Trust and the Correspondent of Coimbatore Institute of Technology.
Though he is not with us anymore, he still occupies an eminent part in the hearts of CITians. His
mission and vision will be our motivation, thereby invigorating our desire to succeed and to serve the
society and the country at large.
e was a man with a vision. A vision
which has helped us all realise our Hdreams. He was a man who crossed
boundaries in his quest for quality education.
Nothing stopped him, not even the Second
World War. Reformer, leader and entrepreneur
are all synonymous with his person. Popularly
known as PRR, Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan was
born on February 12th, 1916 as the second son
of Thiru. V.Rangaswamy Naidu and Tmt.
Chinnammal.
He did his schooling in Sarvajana
H igh Schoo l , Pee lamedu ,
Coimbatore fo l lowed by a
Bachelor's degree in Mathematics
in Presidency College, Chennai. He
then went to United Kingdom to
p u r s u e h i s h i g h e r
studies. When the
Second World War
broke out, he left the
UK and traveled to the
USA and joined the
world famous Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) for his B.Sc. and M.Sc.
degrees in Electrical Engineering.
He served in the General Electric Company,
USA, for a period of seven years. He then
married Madam Rajeswari, daughter of an
eminent industrialist and former bureaucrat
Sri.V.Ramakrishna, I.C.S. It is a fact that,
Madam Rajeswari Ramakrishnan is one of the
earliest lady entrepreneurs in our country.
Currently she is the Managing Director of the
A TRIBUTE TO
Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan realized that the only way this nation could have an all round development was by impatring high quality technical education to students.
The college had grown from strength to strength and attained the status as one of the Premier Engineering Colleges in India under his guidance.
Srishti ‘0946 A tribute to Prof. P.R. Ramakrishnan Srishti ‘09 47Radhika. MIV year IT
Vaishnavee. K.BIV year IT
Prof. P.R. Ramakrishnan
J e y p o r e S u g a r C o m p a n y L i m i t e d .
Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan, obtained an M.B.A.
degree in the year 1952 from the Sloan School of
Management at MIT and had the distinction of
being the first Indian Sloan Fellow.
He was blessed with three sons. The eldest son
is Thiru.R.Prabhu, Ex-minister of fertilizers in the
Rajiv Gandhi Government and currently
Member of Parliament in the Congress party.
The youngest son, Dr.S.R.K.Prasad, is
currently the Managing Director of
Krishna Industrial Corporation and
Correspodent, Coimbatore Institute of
Technology.
Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan realized that
the only way this nation could
h a v e a n a l l r o u n d
development was by
imparting high quality
technical education to
students. His vision was
to provide education and
training for all with freedom of thought. Prof. P.R.
Ramakrishnan felt Universities are not built by
mortars and bricks alone but are built by a man's
hard work and intellect. With this motto in mind,
way back in 1950, he conceptualized the
idea of Coimbatore Institute of Technology.
Prof. P.R. Ramakrishnan after his return to
India had a vision to start an Engineering
College on the lines of MIT. Along with his
father Sri.V.Rangaswamy Naidu and brother
Sr i .R.Venkataswamy Naidu, Prof .P.R.
Ramakrishnan started Coimbatore Institute of
Technology in 1956.
Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan managed the affairs of the college as Principal for 25 years till he stepped
down from office in 1981. The college had grown from strength to strength and attained the status as
one of the Premier Engineering Colleges in India under his guidance. He was also a promoter of many
industries in Coimbatore. Among all his activities the closest to his heart was the running of this
educational institution.
Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan started a Tamil Daily "Nava India" and served as its Managing Editor. He was
elected as Member of Parliament for two terms, representing Pollachi Constituency from 1957 to 1962
and Coimbatore Constituency from 1962 to 1967. He had served as the Treasurer of Tamilnadu
Congress Committee in the Indira Gandhi Govt. He was the Managing Director of Ramakrishna
Industrial Corporation Limited, involved in the manufacture of Textile Ring Frames, with Japanese
collaboration. He served as the Managing Director of Madras Aluminium Company Limited. He had
served as Coimbatore District Rotary Governor. He was also the President of Operational Research
Society of India. Before he left us he was the Chairman of the Jeypore Sugar Company Limited,
Chennai, Krishna Industrial Corporation, Chennai, Managing Trustee of V.Rangaswamy Naidu
Educational Trust and the Correspondent of Coimbatore Institute of Technology.
Though he is not with us anymore, he still occupies an eminent part in the hearts of CITians. His
mission and vision will be our motivation, thereby invigorating our desire to succeed and to serve the
society and the country at large.
e was a man with a vision. A vision
which has helped us all realise our Hdreams. He was a man who crossed
boundaries in his quest for quality education.
Nothing stopped him, not even the Second
World War. Reformer, leader and entrepreneur
are all synonymous with his person. Popularly
known as PRR, Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan was
born on February 12th, 1916 as the second son
of Thiru. V.Rangaswamy Naidu and Tmt.
Chinnammal.
He did his schooling in Sarvajana
H igh Schoo l , Pee lamedu ,
Coimbatore fo l lowed by a
Bachelor's degree in Mathematics
in Presidency College, Chennai. He
then went to United Kingdom to
p u r s u e h i s h i g h e r
studies. When the
Second World War
broke out, he left the
UK and traveled to the
USA and joined the
world famous Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) for his B.Sc. and M.Sc.
degrees in Electrical Engineering.
He served in the General Electric Company,
USA, for a period of seven years. He then
married Madam Rajeswari, daughter of an
eminent industrialist and former bureaucrat
Sri.V.Ramakrishna, I.C.S. It is a fact that,
Madam Rajeswari Ramakrishnan is one of the
earliest lady entrepreneurs in our country.
Currently she is the Managing Director of the
A TRIBUTE TO
Prof.P.R.Ramakrishnan realized that the only way this nation could have an all round development was by impatring high quality technical education to students.
The college had grown from strength to strength and attained the status as one of the Premier Engineering Colleges in India under his guidance.
Srishti ‘0948
Interface 2009 was held on February 13 & 14 of 2009 and Technovation on 14th & 15th of the same month. The student organisers did a marvellous job during those three days. Financial backing by corporate and
non-corporate sponsors continued to be as generous as ever despite the economic recession. The organizers were able to conduct the events despite the one-week government holiday that came out of the blue, barely six days before the scheduled days for the symposiums. All this speaks volumes about the expertise and confidence of the students to manage such a large-scale endeavour in a remarkably short time. The participants came from all over Tamil Nadu in droves! This year's Interface and Technovation certainly held up the 'Brand CIT' with pride.
The setting of the pitch
Events in CIT belong to a class of their own because of the long-held policy of letting the students organise them with guidance from the management. Interface and Technovation 2009 were no different in this regard. The office-bearers were chosen from the various departments and the quest for sponsors was launched. Students simultaneously worked on the event websites namely, http://www.interface09.com and http://www.technovation 2009.com. The websites helped the organisers to take advertising to an entirely new level. No stones were left unturned; invitations were sent to nearly 300 colleges in the country. Students had fun choosing the slogans for the symposiums. They came up with intriguing, yet,
simple lines. It was 'Where Brains Count More', for Interface and 'Inclination towards Infinity' for Technovation. IOCL, SBI, Clariant, Black Thunder were a few among the many sponsors enjoyed by Interface and Technovation this time. The generosity of the sponsors helped the organisers to take the exciting events to an entirely new level of perfection. CITians should be proud that, even in such tough times, the corporate world continues to have 100% belief in the efforts of the students to organize such a symposium. This truly highlights the enviable position of CIT on the corporate world rankings.
And The Games Began!
There was a thrill of suppressed excitement that hung in the air on the morning of February 13th 2009. The Chief Guest, Dr.Manmohan Thampi, lit the kuthuvilakku to signal the launch of Interface 2009. The Chief Guest for Technovation was Mr.C.Murugesan, SM Aqua-Sub Engg Works. And things were off to a flying start.
With more than 75 events held over the three days, the participants had a wide range to choose from. The exciting events scheduled were all the more attractive with the substantial prize money adding sheen to them. The technical symposiums underlined the adventurous and hard-working spirits of the student community at CIT. But, the crowning factor was that the events highlighted the deep unity of the students and the administrative staff once again. All in all, the three days enlivened up the college with the perfect concoction- hardworking and brilliant organizers, enthusiastic participants, willing sponsors and the generous administrative support.
INTERFACE & TECHNOVATION 2009 literary
e
spac
Phtog
raphy
o Srishti
Ill
amparavai
quiz
rats
kara
te
NSS
CN C
YAHI
Dr
at
am
ix
YRC
S
t
por
s
Nature
Fil
mu
Msi
c
Mutamil Mandram
QUEST ‘09
S. SridharIV year, EEE
Snehal JainII year, IT
Srishti ‘0948
Interface 2009 was held on February 13 & 14 of 2009 and Technovation on 14th & 15th of the same month. The student organisers did a marvellous job during those three days. Financial backing by corporate and
non-corporate sponsors continued to be as generous as ever despite the economic recession. The organizers were able to conduct the events despite the one-week government holiday that came out of the blue, barely six days before the scheduled days for the symposiums. All this speaks volumes about the expertise and confidence of the students to manage such a large-scale endeavour in a remarkably short time. The participants came from all over Tamil Nadu in droves! This year's Interface and Technovation certainly held up the 'Brand CIT' with pride.
The setting of the pitch
Events in CIT belong to a class of their own because of the long-held policy of letting the students organise them with guidance from the management. Interface and Technovation 2009 were no different in this regard. The office-bearers were chosen from the various departments and the quest for sponsors was launched. Students simultaneously worked on the event websites namely, http://www.interface09.com and http://www.technovation 2009.com. The websites helped the organisers to take advertising to an entirely new level. No stones were left unturned; invitations were sent to nearly 300 colleges in the country. Students had fun choosing the slogans for the symposiums. They came up with intriguing, yet,
simple lines. It was 'Where Brains Count More', for Interface and 'Inclination towards Infinity' for Technovation. IOCL, SBI, Clariant, Black Thunder were a few among the many sponsors enjoyed by Interface and Technovation this time. The generosity of the sponsors helped the organisers to take the exciting events to an entirely new level of perfection. CITians should be proud that, even in such tough times, the corporate world continues to have 100% belief in the efforts of the students to organize such a symposium. This truly highlights the enviable position of CIT on the corporate world rankings.
And The Games Began!
There was a thrill of suppressed excitement that hung in the air on the morning of February 13th 2009. The Chief Guest, Dr.Manmohan Thampi, lit the kuthuvilakku to signal the launch of Interface 2009. The Chief Guest for Technovation was Mr.C.Murugesan, SM Aqua-Sub Engg Works. And things were off to a flying start.
With more than 75 events held over the three days, the participants had a wide range to choose from. The exciting events scheduled were all the more attractive with the substantial prize money adding sheen to them. The technical symposiums underlined the adventurous and hard-working spirits of the student community at CIT. But, the crowning factor was that the events highlighted the deep unity of the students and the administrative staff once again. All in all, the three days enlivened up the college with the perfect concoction- hardworking and brilliant organizers, enthusiastic participants, willing sponsors and the generous administrative support.
INTERFACE & TECHNOVATION 2009 literary
e
spac
Phtog
aphy
or
Sr shiti
Iarava
llamp
i
quiz
arts
kate
ra
NSS
CN C
YAI
H
Dram
atix
YRC
Sport
s
Nature
Fil
mMusi
c
t l M nd aMu ami a r m
QUEST ‘09
he financial crisis which broke out in the year 2008
is one of the worst in modern history. There are Tseveral reasons for the sub-prime mortgage crisis
and the financial crisis which followed it, the main reasons
being excessive debt, global trade imbalances,
weakness in the manufacturing sector of American
economy, high oil price and high inflation. The Americans
relied heavily on debt to finance their high style of living,
Americans with little or no income borrowed from
American banks. These loans were high risk, asset
backed loans. Millions of loans were dispatched to poor
people who clearly didn’t have the capacity to repay those
loans from their income. By giving easy credit, investment
banks gave the people an opportunity to purchase
houses beyond their capability. The demand for new
housing increased and so did the price. Housing prices
rose rapidly. As housing prices increased people began to
borrow more from the banks (i.e.) their mortgage value
increased. Many of them made money from increasing
housing prices.
In 2007 inflation and oil price all over the world surged to
historic levels. Rise in asset prices and increased liquidity
(money supply) resulted in a massive rise in demand.
Real estate and asset values increased in many countries
mainly due to easy availability of credit. Demand for all
goods and commodities increased. Developing countries
grew at a tremendous pace as they were sources of
cheap goods and services to the developed world. The
increase in demand resulted in a massive increase in
prices, especially oil. Several industries were affected,
especially the manufacturing and the airline industry.
SrinathIV year EEE
Srishti ‘09 55The Great Recession 2008
The Great
2008Recession
recess
ionInflation was taking its
toll on the lives of the
common man. In an
a t t emp t t o t ame
inflation and squeeze
the availability of
credit, central banks
all over the world
increased interest
rates and took several
other measures to
squeeze the money
supply. This even-
tually led to a slow
down in the later part of 2007.
Due to these measures, housing prices in the US
didn’t rise as expected and there was a small drop
in prices. This had a catastrophic effect. The
increased interest rates and lowered housing
prices meant that people couldn’t repay their loans.
Mortgage loan became
greater than the market
value of assets. These
assets are known as toxic
assets. Nearly 6% of the
hous ing loans fa i led
(people could not repay those
loans) in the early part of 2008.
Massive number of houses and
assets were put up for sale and
banks refused to lend any more sub-prime loans.
The housing demand fell and prices fell by nearly
40% in the first half of 2008. Suddenly, assets
were valued lower and people felt they were not
so rich. Many had debts greater than their asset
values and they were not capable of repaying
their debt. As prices in other sectors reduced,
more assets became toxic and defaults (failure to
make payment) and foreclosures increased. This
was the subprime mortgage crisis.
Gradually even good assets turned toxic and banks were taking heavy losses. Unable to meet their obligations to their depositors Lehman Brothers (One of Americas biggest investment banks) declared bankruptcy. A long list of banks turned to the government for help. The government now stepped in to prevent a collapse of the American financial system. They purchased massive amounts of toxic assets to stem the fall in prices and protect the banks. The government also gave some money to banks and financial institutions so that they could resume lending to good business and industries. This plan caused the government trillions of dollars.
The financial crisis hit the economy hard and led to a sharp recession (negative economic growth). By the end of 2008, most of the major economies entered into a recession. Banks refused to lend thereby leading to a credit crisis. Most industries depend on credit to carry out their usual activities. The lack of credit meant that industries could not function properly and even good companies were in trouble. The steps taken earlier to reduce inflation had a negative impact on the global economy. The shortage of credit affected the entire chain of businesses all over the world. Fall in demand, credit crisis and job losses threaten the entire global economy.
From 1997 onwards, many countries (emerging
economies like China, Brazil, Russia, South
Korea etc) became highly export oriented.
They exported cheap goods and services to the
American people. Now America’s and Western
Europe’s home grown industries were unable to
compete with the emerging economies owing to
their low cost. Gradually American and
European companies shifted to China, India and
other emerging economies where land, labor
and other costs were cheaper. As a result, the
US manufacturing industry weakened even
during the boom. The weak manufacturing
sector has suffered losses and unemployment.
Some of the big stalwarts of the American
economy like GM, Ford and Motorola are in big
trouble. Job losses in US are leading to a steep
fall in consumer demand, investor confidence
and asset prices.
India’s banks and finance institutions are safe
but its economy is exposed. India runs a trade
deficit of approximately 4% of GDP (it went up to
7% in 2008) and relies on foreign investments to
finance these deficits. Pull-out by foreign
investors and capital is India’s major problem.
Fall in IT and other exports would have a bad
impact on the Indian economy. However the
nation has good domestic consumer demand. A
good economic stimulus package and low
interest rates could quickly put Indian economy
back on high growth rate. India’s strong financial
institutions are a great advantage when
compared to the rest of the world.
The American government has now resorted to
the last ditch effort of printing money and
spending. What we are witnessing now is an
unwinding of the events that took place for a
quarter century. Money was created out of
nothing and that money is now disappearing.
The governments are trying to make up for this.
Only when asset prices stabilize, finance
institutions become stronger and resume
lending, can the economy recover. When the
economy recovers, trillions of dollars given in
bail-outs will begin to surface, causing massive
inflation. Taxes will reach historic levels and
recovery will be slow and painful. We must
endure this so that corrections can be made and
financial markets are well regulated.
“
”
“
”
Inflation was taking its toll on the lives of the common man.
Money was created out of nothing and that money is now disappearing.
C.I.T. TALKS
he financial crisis which broke out in the year 2008
is one of the worst in modern history. There are Tseveral reasons for the sub-prime mortgage crisis
and the financial crisis which followed it, the main reasons
being excessive debt, global trade imbalances,
weakness in the manufacturing sector of American
economy, high oil price and high inflation. The Americans
relied heavily on debt to finance their high style of living,
Americans with little or no income borrowed from
American banks. These loans were high risk, asset
backed loans. Millions of loans were dispatched to poor
people who clearly didn’t have the capacity to repay those
loans from their income. By giving easy credit, investment
banks gave the people an opportunity to purchase
houses beyond their capability. The demand for new
housing increased and so did the price. Housing prices
rose rapidly. As housing prices increased people began to
borrow more from the banks (i.e.) their mortgage value
increased. Many of them made money from increasing
housing prices.
In 2007 inflation and oil price all over the world surged to
historic levels. Rise in asset prices and increased liquidity
(money supply) resulted in a massive rise in demand.
Real estate and asset values increased in many countries
mainly due to easy availability of credit. Demand for all
goods and commodities increased. Developing countries
grew at a tremendous pace as they were sources of
cheap goods and services to the developed world. The
increase in demand resulted in a massive increase in
prices, especially oil. Several industries were affected,
especially the manufacturing and the airline industry.
SrinathIV year EEE
Srishti ‘09 55The Great Recession 2008
The Great
2008Recession
recess
ionInflation was taking its
toll on the lives of the
common man. In an
a t t emp t t o t ame
inflation and squeeze
the availability of
credit, central banks
all over the world
increased interest
rates and took several
other measures to
squeeze the money
supply. This even-
tually led to a slow
down in the later part of 2007.
Due to these measures, housing prices in the US
didn’t rise as expected and there was a small drop
in prices. This had a catastrophic effect. The
increased interest rates and lowered housing
prices meant that people couldn’t repay their loans.
Mortgage loan became
greater than the market
value of assets. These
assets are known as toxic
assets. Nearly 6% of the
hous ing loans fa i led
(people could not repay those
loans) in the early part of 2008.
Massive number of houses and
assets were put up for sale and
banks refused to lend any more sub-prime loans.
The housing demand fell and prices fell by nearly
40% in the first half of 2008. Suddenly, assets
were valued lower and people felt they were not
so rich. Many had debts greater than their asset
values and they were not capable of repaying
their debt. As prices in other sectors reduced,
more assets became toxic and defaults (failure to
make payment) and foreclosures increased. This
was the subprime mortgage crisis.
Gradually even good assets turned toxic and banks were taking heavy losses. Unable to meet their obligations to their depositors Lehman Brothers (One of Americas biggest investment banks) declared bankruptcy. A long list of banks turned to the government for help. The government now stepped in to prevent a collapse of the American financial system. They purchased massive amounts of toxic assets to stem the fall in prices and protect the banks. The government also gave some money to banks and financial institutions so that they could resume lending to good business and industries. This plan caused the government trillions of dollars.
The financial crisis hit the economy hard and led to a sharp recession (negative economic growth). By the end of 2008, most of the major economies entered into a recession. Banks refused to lend thereby leading to a credit crisis. Most industries depend on credit to carry out their usual activities. The lack of credit meant that industries could not function properly and even good companies were in trouble. The steps taken earlier to reduce inflation had a negative impact on the global economy. The shortage of credit affected the entire chain of businesses all over the world. Fall in demand, credit crisis and job losses threaten the entire global economy.
From 1997 onwards, many countries (emerging
economies like China, Brazil, Russia, South
Korea etc) became highly export oriented.
They exported cheap goods and services to the
American people. Now America’s and Western
Europe’s home grown industries were unable to
compete with the emerging economies owing to
their low cost. Gradually American and
European companies shifted to China, India and
other emerging economies where land, labor
and other costs were cheaper. As a result, the
US manufacturing industry weakened even
during the boom. The weak manufacturing
sector has suffered losses and unemployment.
Some of the big stalwarts of the American
economy like GM, Ford and Motorola are in big
trouble. Job losses in US are leading to a steep
fall in consumer demand, investor confidence
and asset prices.
India’s banks and finance institutions are safe
but its economy is exposed. India runs a trade
deficit of approximately 4% of GDP (it went up to
7% in 2008) and relies on foreign investments to
finance these deficits. Pull-out by foreign
investors and capital is India’s major problem.
Fall in IT and other exports would have a bad
impact on the Indian economy. However the
nation has good domestic consumer demand. A
good economic stimulus package and low
interest rates could quickly put Indian economy
back on high growth rate. India’s strong financial
institutions are a great advantage when
compared to the rest of the world.
The American government has now resorted to
the last ditch effort of printing money and
spending. What we are witnessing now is an
unwinding of the events that took place for a
quarter century. Money was created out of
nothing and that money is now disappearing.
The governments are trying to make up for this.
Only when asset prices stabilize, finance
institutions become stronger and resume
lending, can the economy recover. When the
economy recovers, trillions of dollars given in
bail-outs will begin to surface, causing massive
inflation. Taxes will reach historic levels and
recovery will be slow and painful. We must
endure this so that corrections can be made and
financial markets are well regulated.
“
”
“
”
Inflation was taking its toll on the lives of the common man.
Money was created out of nothing and that money is now disappearing.
C.I.T. TALKS
for
A m e r i c aBlack Day It's a
Indeed! and America has changed. Change. Writing on such a huge personality was daunting, I kept falling into a quick sand, a quagmire of failed expectations and standards until I reminded myself of this journey of change. A journey of change, that had brought a onetime self confessed drug abuser, a confused youth all the way from Hawaii to Washington D.C. , to the highest office in his country and arguably the world.
They would have been proud today.
In heaping praise and accolades onto Barack we perhaps forget that this journey did not start at Hawaii nor did it start in the recent past, a mere 50 years past. This is a story of more than 200 years, of the journey another president made, of a war he fought , of the right he defended
and of another man, a man of immense stature, one who set his claims and refused to budge until he got them. Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King would have been proud today. But by what one knows of them, they would have believed that this is but the beginning in a sea of change.
I want you to know the real Obama.
We imagine that the great men we adore were always the men they are now. We never see them as the awkward kid, the confused youth, the angry son raised by a single mother or a boring executive in an accounts company. I wanted to know this Obama, warts and all. What made him tick? Why is he the man he is? And I want you to know.
A lifetime of change.
Barack Hossein Obama was from Kenya. With a scholarship he came to Hawaii and there met his wife. To them was born his namesake Obama Jr. (but always known without the Jr.). He was raised by his single white mother when his father left them for Harvard and then back to Kenya. The father had left but had left behind an image that his son would look up to for the next 25 years. Barry (as he was
primary, in the fight to be the democratic candidate for President. My only thoughts about him, as of others, were about his relationship with Osama. I never believed then that he could win the Democratic primary let alone the White House, not with a name like that. Seems a long time back.. But I did hear his name a lot more from then on, each time spoken with a higher tone until it was almost deafening. Now I know that a firm foundation had been laid in service in Chicago and that he was the most likely winner at any point, in hindsight. IN HINDSIGHT. But then all I thought was, what the hell? But his campaign of change caught on and his speeches became immortal and were even aired on TV… and all through those three words were a recurring theme.
YES WE CAN!!
"Yes, We Can!" "Yes, We Can!" When the crowd began to chant I wanted to join in. Tears came unbidden to thousands of eyes irrespective of color, age or nationality. The change had occurred and irrespective of what followed America had achieved. That such a man won, was not the miracle, that he won in spite of his background was. Not since Lincoln, had a President come from a more ordinary background and not since Kennedy had a President come in with such a massive popularity vote. The change was here and what a change. He had given hope where only dirt resided before. He replaced corruption, incompetence and plain stupidity with his own inspiring image.
The President of the United States of America
What stands out throughout this journey, this journey of change, this journey of hope, is that basic honesty, the exuding warmth of that smile that seems to include everybody and his constant need to help. Another change that occurred was the huge number of students and youngsters involved in Obama's campaign. Perhaps they could feel the hope pulling them there, the hope of real change happening. But he is still a black man in a white man's world, some say. While others claim that the blacks should not claim him for their own as he is half white. But the truth is, that Obama is on the pedestal of scrutiny and he is definitely more black than white. For he will fall, he is only human and when he falls he will be a black man falling. But maybe we should stop this nonsense and as he himself would say- accept the fact that he is not the President of the Black states of America or the White states of America but of the United States of America.
known) then followed a confused path to the Occidental University and then to the Columbia State University, New York. Throughout he was plagued by self doubt and confusion about the hate between the white and the black. His search for answers took him to Chicago, Illinois where he joined the Developing Communities Project (DCP), an NGO of sorts.
There he found himself.
This was probably the most formative period of his life. The answers to my questions of 'what make him tick?' probably lie here. His time with the DCP saw some major successes and some dismal failures. He was involved in cleaning up a very depressing black community and installing a school program for the kids there. He went there as a confused young man not knowing what he wanted from life, confused about the whole white-black issue. Though he had been teased and tortured quite a few times over his color, he could not forget the love of his white mother or his grandparents. But he found that black people were still treated like scum and that a lot of them, themselves did not feel that they deserved any better. Thus he found himself in organizing, organizing the public against the Govt., for the public.
He then went onto Harvard to study law because he felt that it would help him help people better. The rest of the story, as they say is history. He became a senator, first of the state of Illinois and then representing Illinois at the U.S. Congress. And today, he is at the oval office.
Is he related to Osama?
When I first heard about Obama, it was way back when he announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party
• 44th President• Electoral margin -
365 to 173• 52.9% - Popular vote• The first African
American president of the Harvard Law ReviewQ
uic
k F
act
s
TI . . T. AC LKS
for
A m e r i c aBlack Day It's a
Indeed! and America has changed. Change. Writing on such a huge personality was daunting, I kept falling into a quick sand, a quagmire of failed expectations and standards until I reminded myself of this journey of change. A journey of change, that had brought a onetime self confessed drug abuser, a confused youth all the way from Hawaii to Washington D.C. , to the highest office in his country and arguably the world.
They would have been proud today.
In heaping praise and accolades onto Barack we perhaps forget that this journey did not start at Hawaii nor did it start in the recent past, a mere 50 years past. This is a story of more than 200 years, of the journey another president made, of a war he fought , of the right he defended
and of another man, a man of immense stature, one who set his claims and refused to budge until he got them. Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King would have been proud today. But by what one knows of them, they would have believed that this is but the beginning in a sea of change.
I want you to know the real Obama.
We imagine that the great men we adore were always the men they are now. We never see them as the awkward kid, the confused youth, the angry son raised by a single mother or a boring executive in an accounts company. I wanted to know this Obama, warts and all. What made him tick? Why is he the man he is? And I want you to know.
A lifetime of change.
Barack Hossein Obama was from Kenya. With a scholarship he came to Hawaii and there met his wife. To them was born his namesake Obama Jr. (but always known without the Jr.). He was raised by his single white mother when his father left them for Harvard and then back to Kenya. The father had left but had left behind an image that his son would look up to for the next 25 years. Barry (as he was
primary, in the fight to be the democratic candidate for President. My only thoughts about him, as of others, were about his relationship with Osama. I never believed then that he could win the Democratic primary let alone the White House, not with a name like that. Seems a long time back.. But I did hear his name a lot more from then on, each time spoken with a higher tone until it was almost deafening. Now I know that a firm foundation had been laid in service in Chicago and that he was the most likely winner at any point, in hindsight. IN HINDSIGHT. But then all I thought was, what the hell? But his campaign of change caught on and his speeches became immortal and were even aired on TV… and all through those three words were a recurring theme.
YES WE CAN!!
"Yes, We Can!" "Yes, We Can!" When the crowd began to chant I wanted to join in. Tears came unbidden to thousands of eyes irrespective of color, age or nationality. The change had occurred and irrespective of what followed America had achieved. That such a man won, was not the miracle, that he won in spite of his background was. Not since Lincoln, had a President come from a more ordinary background and not since Kennedy had a President come in with such a massive popularity vote. The change was here and what a change. He had given hope where only dirt resided before. He replaced corruption, incompetence and plain stupidity with his own inspiring image.
The President of the United States of America
What stands out throughout this journey, this journey of change, this journey of hope, is that basic honesty, the exuding warmth of that smile that seems to include everybody and his constant need to help. Another change that occurred was the huge number of students and youngsters involved in Obama's campaign. Perhaps they could feel the hope pulling them there, the hope of real change happening. But he is still a black man in a white man's world, some say. While others claim that the blacks should not claim him for their own as he is half white. But the truth is, that Obama is on the pedestal of scrutiny and he is definitely more black than white. For he will fall, he is only human and when he falls he will be a black man falling. But maybe we should stop this nonsense and as he himself would say- accept the fact that he is not the President of the Black states of America or the White states of America but of the United States of America.
known) then followed a confused path to the Occidental University and then to the Columbia State University, New York. Throughout he was plagued by self doubt and confusion about the hate between the white and the black. His search for answers took him to Chicago, Illinois where he joined the Developing Communities Project (DCP), an NGO of sorts.
There he found himself.
This was probably the most formative period of his life. The answers to my questions of 'what make him tick?' probably lie here. His time with the DCP saw some major successes and some dismal failures. He was involved in cleaning up a very depressing black community and installing a school program for the kids there. He went there as a confused young man not knowing what he wanted from life, confused about the whole white-black issue. Though he had been teased and tortured quite a few times over his color, he could not forget the love of his white mother or his grandparents. But he found that black people were still treated like scum and that a lot of them, themselves did not feel that they deserved any better. Thus he found himself in organizing, organizing the public against the Govt., for the public.
He then went onto Harvard to study law because he felt that it would help him help people better. The rest of the story, as they say is history. He became a senator, first of the state of Illinois and then representing Illinois at the U.S. Congress. And today, he is at the oval office.
Is he related to Osama?
When I first heard about Obama, it was way back when he announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party
• 44th President• Electoral margin -
365 to 173• 52.9% - Popular vote• The first African
American president of the Harvard Law ReviewQ
uic
k F
act
s
TI .T. A.C LKS
Srishti ‘0958 Srishti ‘09 59
Media Matters<< media matters
During the recent terror attacks in Mumbai, people in the rest of the nation were made to
believe that the media was giving them information-like the number of policemen surrounding
the Taj, or, the possible entrance/exit routes in there-which they were supposed to listen, and
give their opinion on, to show their care for the country. And this was done despite the National
Security Guards' persistent warnings about the terrorists gaining crucial information from this
news.
For another example, consider the pub attacks in Mangalore. The media did a good job of
opposing the so-called moral police. But, most of it was done by showcasing upon ridiculous
demonstrations and protests such as "Pub Bharo", and asking every woman to join; as a mark
of solidarity. Also, the protesters such as "Sri Ram Sene" and "Maharashtra Navanirman
Sene" have gained such notorious fame all across the country just because the media chose
to interview hooligans and offered them a chance to make their propaganda via national
television rather than snubbing them by giving them no spotlight.
And also to be noted is the mute participation of the camera men and the crew during such
atrocities. For example, a small girl in Haryana was found guilty of theft of a paltry sum and
was reported accused by her employers. The police constable who was in-charge beat the girl
mercilessly despite her cries. A news channel was onsite and reported it live, but, the crew took
no steps to stop the cruelty. Same was the case of the Mangalore pub incident. The media
claims to be the guardian of justice and yet, does not take the necessary steps to justify its
claim.
On another note, the media also exploits people and diverts them towards glitz and glamour,
even during grief. Like in the case of asking celebrities, their opinions on the terrorist attacks-
Mr. Ram Gopal Verma-for his association to films on underworld mafia or, it could be Mr.
Prahlad Kakkar-"for his association with Deepika Padukone, et al"(That's how he is known in
MTv!).
At the same time, the farmers' suicide bear no place in the media and no coverage is given to
the information that the government has announced loan waivers and subsidies for them. The
farmers are not the centre of attraction and they are left to suffer, because the media is busy
telecasting a condolence meet conducted inside an air-conditioned hall, attended by cine-
stars wearing Armani suits/gowns with Versace glasses.
During panic, people tend to lack clarity of thought and align themselves to the most quickly
possible external line of thinking which comes in a structured manner. The public craves for
details and statistics. It waits for analysis and comparisons, or a parallel being drawn between
any other known situation. The media takes advantage of this instinct and by providing facts
and figures-even though it is of the costs of the Armani suits-makes people think that they have
a guiding hand which shall help them cross the path of danger.
This trend needs to be corrected and that can be emphasised only by us-the viewers, by
making the choice of listening to information only when it is valuable and authentic. Or else, we
stand affected by the media and let our minds be governed by it.
R. SoorajIV year Mech.
Media Matters
The public craves for details and statistics. The media takes advantage of this instinct and by providing facts and figures making people think that they have a guiding hand which shall help them cross the path of danger.
The media must have complete freedom to speak, but, its voice should be neutral, clear,
and pertain to make people aware of the situation; not be wary of it. But, in the present
era of communication advancement, 'sensational news' seems to be the buzzword
attributed to all information. We are engulfed by a media which claims that each bit of news is
worth a fortune and of immense value to everybody's day-to-day activity.
Each news item broadcasted, is associated with either a higher amount of fear and chaos, or a
glossier amount of luxury and societal status. The news is made to be associated with some
cause and people are made to adhere to, or even appreciate the cause.
Nowadays, there seems to be an unwritten law that news
has to be provided incessantly and as soon as possible. A
deliberate rush to be ahead of the competing channel
develops an attitude of blowing up even commonplace
incidents, creating hype about them and with use of
sensational coverage, the public is made to react
emotionally rather than be provided the exact knowledge of
the situation.
In any given situation, the media tends to react with an
impulse which it calls as swiftness and quickness in passing on
information to the general public. Incidents are captured on camera and broadcasted at a
break-neck speed. If one channel or, a media arrives at the place of the incident, then there is a
tendency to dominate the situation and disseminate the information in its own individual
fashion, which, more often than not, is biased or incomplete.
There is also a degree of insensitivity and imperviousness among the journalists to any
situation they report. Though it is claimed that these are
maintained for unbiased coverage, it is often used as a
tool for exploiting the grief by giving a comparison
between the journalist-who is unaffected by the incident
and the victim, who is portrayed as completely shattered
by it.
For example, consider the Tsunami, when each channel
had sent a journalist to the spot where he/she was
standing poised with a microphone in hand and asking a
victim about how her husband was killed, or how her child
was lost. Moreover, the victim would be given close-up shots in the T.V. frame while he/she
was crying and the public would be made to feel insecure. And this could be seen as the same
pattern of reporting any other tragedy.
H
Srishti ‘0958 Srishti ‘09 59
Media Matters<< media matters
During the recent terror attacks in Mumbai, people in the rest of the nation were made to
believe that the media was giving them information-like the number of policemen surrounding
the Taj, or, the possible entrance/exit routes in there-which they were supposed to listen, and
give their opinion on, to show their care for the country. And this was done despite the National
Security Guards' persistent warnings about the terrorists gaining crucial information from this
news.
For another example, consider the pub attacks in Mangalore. The media did a good job of
opposing the so-called moral police. But, most of it was done by showcasing upon ridiculous
demonstrations and protests such as "Pub Bharo", and asking every woman to join; as a mark
of solidarity. Also, the protesters such as "Sri Ram Sene" and "Maharashtra Navanirman
Sene" have gained such notorious fame all across the country just because the media chose
to interview hooligans and offered them a chance to make their propaganda via national
television rather than snubbing them by giving them no spotlight.
And also to be noted is the mute participation of the camera men and the crew during such
atrocities. For example, a small girl in Haryana was found guilty of theft of a paltry sum and
was reported accused by her employers. The police constable who was in-charge beat the girl
mercilessly despite her cries. A news channel was onsite and reported it live, but, the crew took
no steps to stop the cruelty. Same was the case of the Mangalore pub incident. The media
claims to be the guardian of justice and yet, does not take the necessary steps to justify its
claim.
On another note, the media also exploits people and diverts them towards glitz and glamour,
even during grief. Like in the case of asking celebrities, their opinions on the terrorist attacks-
Mr. Ram Gopal Verma-for his association to films on underworld mafia or, it could be Mr.
Prahlad Kakkar-"for his association with Deepika Padukone, et al"(That's how he is known in
MTv!).
At the same time, the farmers' suicide bear no place in the media and no coverage is given to
the information that the government has announced loan waivers and subsidies for them. The
farmers are not the centre of attraction and they are left to suffer, because the media is busy
telecasting a condolence meet conducted inside an air-conditioned hall, attended by cine-
stars wearing Armani suits/gowns with Versace glasses.
During panic, people tend to lack clarity of thought and align themselves to the most quickly
possible external line of thinking which comes in a structured manner. The public craves for
details and statistics. It waits for analysis and comparisons, or a parallel being drawn between
any other known situation. The media takes advantage of this instinct and by providing facts
and figures-even though it is of the costs of the Armani suits-makes people think that they have
a guiding hand which shall help them cross the path of danger.
This trend needs to be corrected and that can be emphasised only by us-the viewers, by
making the choice of listening to information only when it is valuable and authentic. Or else, we
stand affected by the media and let our minds be governed by it.
R. SoorajIV year Mech.
Media Matters
The public craves for details and statistics. The media takes advantage of this instinct and by providing facts and figures making people think that they have a guiding hand which shall help them cross the path of danger.
The media must have complete freedom to speak, but, its voice should be neutral, clear,
and pertain to make people aware of the situation; not be wary of it. But, in the present
era of communication advancement, 'sensational news' seems to be the buzzword
attributed to all information. We are engulfed by a media which claims that each bit of news is
worth a fortune and of immense value to everybody's day-to-day activity.
Each news item broadcasted, is associated with either a higher amount of fear and chaos, or a
glossier amount of luxury and societal status. The news is made to be associated with some
cause and people are made to adhere to, or even appreciate the cause.
Nowadays, there seems to be an unwritten law that news
has to be provided incessantly and as soon as possible. A
deliberate rush to be ahead of the competing channel
develops an attitude of blowing up even commonplace
incidents, creating hype about them and with use of
sensational coverage, the public is made to react
emotionally rather than be provided the exact knowledge of
the situation.
In any given situation, the media tends to react with an
impulse which it calls as swiftness and quickness in passing on
information to the general public. Incidents are captured on camera and broadcasted at a
break-neck speed. If one channel or, a media arrives at the place of the incident, then there is a
tendency to dominate the situation and disseminate the information in its own individual
fashion, which, more often than not, is biased or incomplete.
There is also a degree of insensitivity and imperviousness among the journalists to any
situation they report. Though it is claimed that these are
maintained for unbiased coverage, it is often used as a
tool for exploiting the grief by giving a comparison
between the journalist-who is unaffected by the incident
and the victim, who is portrayed as completely shattered
by it.
For example, consider the Tsunami, when each channel
had sent a journalist to the spot where he/she was
standing poised with a microphone in hand and asking a
victim about how her husband was killed, or how her child
was lost. Moreover, the victim would be given close-up shots in the T.V. frame while he/she
was crying and the public would be made to feel insecure. And this could be seen as the same
pattern of reporting any other tragedy.
H
b r a h m a
2 0 0 8
Srishti ‘09 61
Writers’ WorkshopA bunch of pens, quires of paper and the brains of 40 heads were all in action with the expertise of the top notches in the field of journalism to create yet another Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Frost in the back breaking effort of the Literary Club. The workshop, the first of its kind in CIT took place from 5th – 7th September ‘08. Creativity took centre stage at the Writers’ Workshop 2008, marking the inauguration of the Literary Club on the 5th of September. The workshop started with “free writing” by Mr. M.Santhosh Kumar (UESI), stressing on the writer’s block. Dr. Babu Verghese (MAI) followed, narrating the life of a journalist, giving students an insight to the world of mass media and pointing out the power of the pen over the gun.
The second day kicked off with an inspirational speech by Mrs.Seline Augustine, Associate Editor, The Hindu, quoting on ‘the art of editing’. The workshop continued peeping into short stories with Mr. Timothy Peace, encouraging and instilling skills into young minds. ”Put all your thoughts on paper and ride them like a horse until you have poetry”- Robert Frost, was brought into practise by Mr.Santhosh Kumar, generating poems from thin air.
The final day had many interesting sessions in store for the participants. Mr. John Tilak from Thomson Reuters briefed on the basics of writing – ‘what to write and what not to write’. Other sessions included “How to interview a VIP” and “Reporting an incident”.
Though the three day workshop came to an end bidding adieu to the guest speakers, it was the beginning of a new chapter for many budding writers who attended the workshop.
Your turn to answer the God...
he third edition of CIT's annual quiz,
'Brahma' was held on the 24th of TAugust 2008. This year's edition was
an Open Quiz, which attracted participants
from all over the city. There were also
participants from cities like Chennai,
Cochin, Bangalore and Calicut. Brahma is
fast becoming one of the better-known
quizzes in the region not just for the quality
of quizzing but also the prize money.
Brahma has special significance because it
is the only quiz in the state, which is
conducted in the odd semester. The quiz,
(Chennai), IIM-K, Indian Quizzing League
(Chennai), a school team from SBOA
(Coimbatore) and a college team from PSG
TECH, Coimbatore fighting it out. The
finals consisted of 5 rounds and it turned out
to be an engrossing two and half hours of
quizzing.
The Chief Guest was Prof Rangarajan from
PSG CAS who is a prominent quizmaster in
Coimbatore. The Guest of Honor was Mr.
Senthil from Infosys, Mauritius, who is an
alumnus of CIT. The quizmaster for the day,
R.Amshuman lived up to the demands of a
this year did not disappoint the 300 people
who had turned up that day for it was an
opportunity for the audience to learn a lot of
new things apart from trying to give the
established quizzers a run for their money.The prelims stood out for its innovative and
novel idea of having all the answers starting
from each letter of the alphabet in order (A
to Z). The finals had teams from QFI
state level quiz, entertaining the audience
and quizzers with interesting info-bits and
CIT TrophiesThe second edition of the CIT basketball trophy took place on the 15th & the 16th of March, 2009. It was an inter-engineering state level tournament with 14 teams competing for glory at CIT. The finals was between the host (CIT) and Kumaraguru College of Technology, (KCT) in which KCT won by a slender margin after a hard tussle with our college.
Captains: CIT- Arunkumar.S ; KCT - Shyam
At about the same time a similar contest was taking place nearby. The CIT cricketing trophy’s inaugural edition happened between the 15th and the 19th of March 2009. The arena was set and on the 19th the two gladiators, the host(CIT) and Banariamman Institute of Technology (BIT) fought it out blow for blow to establish supremacy but luck favoured BIT or maybe we were just being good hosts as they won by as small a margin as one wicket.
Captains : CIT - V. Ramaseshan ; BIT - R. Gowtham
Batsman of the series: R. Gowtham (BIT)
Bowler of the series: A. Karthik (CIT)
b r a h m a
2 0 0 8
Srishti ‘09 61
Writers’ WorkshopA bunch of pens, quires of paper and the brains of 40 heads were all in action with the expertise of the top notches in the field of journalism to create yet another Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Frost in the back breaking effort of the Literary Club. The workshop, the first of its kind in CIT took place from 5th – 7th September ‘08. Creativity took centre stage at the Writers’ Workshop 2008, marking the inauguration of the Literary Club on the 5th of September. The workshop started with “free writing” by Mr. M.Santhosh Kumar (UESI), stressing on the writer’s block. Dr. Babu Verghese (MAI) followed, narrating the life of a journalist, giving students an insight to the world of mass media and pointing out the power of the pen over the gun.
The second day kicked off with an inspirational speech by Mrs.Seline Augustine, Associate Editor, The Hindu, quoting on ‘the art of editing’. The workshop continued peeping into short stories with Mr. Timothy Peace, encouraging and instilling skills into young minds. ”Put all your thoughts on paper and ride them like a horse until you have poetry”- Robert Frost, was brought into practise by Mr.Santhosh Kumar, generating poems from thin air.
The final day had many interesting sessions in store for the participants. Mr. John Tilak from Thomson Reuters briefed on the basics of writing – ‘what to write and what not to write’. Other sessions included “How to interview a VIP” and “Reporting an incident”.
Though the three day workshop came to an end bidding adieu to the guest speakers, it was the beginning of a new chapter for many budding writers who attended the workshop.
Your turn to answer the God...
he third edition of CIT's annual quiz,
'Brahma' was held on the 24th of TAugust 2008. This year's edition was
an Open Quiz, which attracted participants
from all over the city. There were also
participants from cities like Chennai,
Cochin, Bangalore and Calicut. Brahma is
fast becoming one of the better-known
quizzes in the region not just for the quality
of quizzing but also the prize money.
Brahma has special significance because it
is the only quiz in the state, which is
conducted in the odd semester. The quiz,
(Chennai), IIM-K, Indian Quizzing League
(Chennai), a school team from SBOA
(Coimbatore) and a college team from PSG
TECH, Coimbatore fighting it out. The
finals consisted of 5 rounds and it turned out
to be an engrossing two and half hours of
quizzing.
The Chief Guest was Prof Rangarajan from
PSG CAS who is a prominent quizmaster in
Coimbatore. The Guest of Honor was Mr.
Senthil from Infosys, Mauritius, who is an
alumnus of CIT. The quizmaster for the day,
R.Amshuman lived up to the demands of a
this year did not disappoint the 300 people
who had turned up that day for it was an
opportunity for the audience to learn a lot of
new things apart from trying to give the
established quizzers a run for their money.The prelims stood out for its innovative and
novel idea of having all the answers starting
from each letter of the alphabet in order (A
to Z). The finals had teams from QFI
state level quiz, entertaining the audience
and quizzers with interesting info-bits and
CIT TrophiesThe second edition of the CIT basketball trophy took place on the 15th & the 16th of March, 2009. It was an inter-engineering state level tournament with 14 teams competing for glory at CIT. The finals was between the host (CIT) and Kumaraguru College of Technology, (KCT) in which KCT won by a slender margin after a hard tussle with our college.
Captains: CIT- Arunkumar.S ; KCT - Shyam
At about the same time a similar contest was taking place nearby. The CIT cricketing trophy’s inaugural edition happened between the 15th and the 19th of March 2009. The arena was set and on the 19th the two gladiators, the host(CIT) and Banariamman Institute of Technology (BIT) fought it out blow for blow to establish supremacy but luck favoured BIT or maybe we were just being good hosts as they won by as small a margin as one wicket.
Captains : CIT - V. Ramaseshan ; BIT - R. Gowtham
Batsman of the series: R. Gowtham (BIT)
Bowler of the series: A. Karthik (CIT)
Srishti ‘0962
Destiny (re)written !!!
Inquisitiveness is intrinsic in human beings. One
who is really skeptical about facts and seeks to
supplement what ever he hears with reasoning,
stands to attain true knowledge. And the ones
who make it to the pinnacle of glory are always
connoisseurs of the art of reasoning.
In this multifarious world of hustle and bustle,
people hardly find time to be themselves, leave
alone to reason out things. Thus in course of
time, they tend to slowly lose the innate power
of reasoning, and start to take things as they are.
On the contrary, the fittest are those who survive
by making the correct use of the opportunities
that knock on their doors. They try to reason out
every single thing they come across. This doesn't
mean they are always correct. They still do err,
but the decisions they make are whole hearted
ones. As Albert Einstein rightly said, "Anyone
who has never made a mistake has never tried
anything new". By mastering the art of
reasoning, they have become seasoned in the art
of decision-making. They never regret the road
they have
c h o s e n .
They walk
the path to
s u c c e s s , a s
they welcome
the right sort of
change by rolling out
the red carpet, no matter
what risk it necessitates. It's
these sorts of risks that are
accepted by those who succeed,
reluctantly accepted by those who fear to
succeed and totally avoided by some for fear of a
big fiasco.
Take for example, the instance that lead to the
birth of the electronic watches. The story goes
back to Japan's greatest economic meltdown. A
scientist from Japan, during one of his research
experiments, came up with a miraculous result -
the methodology required for making electronic
watches. Being steadfast and patriotic, he
informed all the major Japanese firms that, he
was ready to offer the copyright of his invention
for reasonable compensation. Rather than
accepting his offer, one of the Japanese firms did
a great mistake by not only failing to recognize
the significance of his invention, but also
satirically ridiculing him and his invention in
the media. This incident gave birth to the awe-
inspiring digital Swiss watches, after a Swiss
major, realising the great potential the invention
had, acquired the copyright for lump sum. The
Swiss major then grew by leaps and bounds. Do
you now realise the importance of making a
shift at the right time?
Another success story comes from the banking
sector. Two decades ago, a hugely popular
bank in America, appointed a technical
committee to look into the posibility of
modernising the bank. Within a fortnight or
two, this committee came up with a report on
various developments, feasible in the
forthcoming fiscal quarters. One among those
was to automate the bank with computers and
banking devices like ATMs, thereby
connecting every nook and corner of the world
through networking- the idea behind core
banking solutions. The then CEO of the bank
adjudged that, though the introduction of the
new scenario would bulge their profit bag, it
would show the door for many employees. Out
of sympathy for his employees, he asked for a
survey to be conducted among them on the
issue. As expected, the employees voted "Nay"
without raising too many quibbles about the
proposition of the committee. The deal went
futile in a slapdash fashion. The CEO, who was
encumbered with the power of deciding, again,
failed to read the business paradigm that states
"One man's loss is another's gain". His
successor, though, took the risk and paved the
way for core banking - the first step towards
'Globalisation'.
The phantoms of fear are more fearsome than
reality. If any Indian entrepreneur can claim to
have understood this fact, it would be none other
than Mr.Narayanamoorthy, the founder of the
leading India-based software firm, Infosys. His
resolve and voracious appetite to succeed made
him mortgage his wife's jewels for US$250,
though he and his family were in a state of
penury. He wrestled the fear of risk and failure,
overcame it, and now, stands successful till date.
Had he not had the courage to make the shift, he
would have renounced his business unborn and
stood without fulfilling his dream.
A change, for the purpose of changing, or an
ostentatious change, or a tentative change
decided by a capricious person often backfires.
But to savour the taste of success, a premeditated
change or a shift in paradigm, decided at the right
time, by a right person, that might yield fruitful
consequences, is a welcome one.
Once you overcome your fear of risks and failure,
you succeed. Does some kind of fear haunt your
mind still? Then, you shall never realise your
dreams. The very purpose of life is to live a life of
purpose. So, Think! Act! Succeed! Better late than
never!
Srishti ‘09 63Destiny (re)written!!!
AarthiIV year IT
Srishti ‘0962
Destiny (re)written !!!
Inquisitiveness is intrinsic in human beings. One
who is really skeptical about facts and seeks to
supplement what ever he hears with reasoning,
stands to attain true knowledge. And the ones
who make it to the pinnacle of glory are always
connoisseurs of the art of reasoning.
In this multifarious world of hustle and bustle,
people hardly find time to be themselves, leave
alone to reason out things. Thus in course of
time, they tend to slowly lose the innate power
of reasoning, and start to take things as they are.
On the contrary, the fittest are those who survive
by making the correct use of the opportunities
that knock on their doors. They try to reason out
every single thing they come across. This doesn't
mean they are always correct. They still do err,
but the decisions they make are whole hearted
ones. As Albert Einstein rightly said, "Anyone
who has never made a mistake has never tried
anything new". By mastering the art of
reasoning, they have become seasoned in the art
of decision-making. They never regret the road
they have
c h o s e n .
They walk
the path to
s u c c e s s , a s
they welcome
the right sort of
change by rolling out
the red carpet, no matter
what risk it necessitates. It's
these sorts of risks that are
accepted by those who succeed,
reluctantly accepted by those who fear to
succeed and totally avoided by some for fear of a
big fiasco.
Take for example, the instance that lead to the
birth of the electronic watches. The story goes
back to Japan's greatest economic meltdown. A
scientist from Japan, during one of his research
experiments, came up with a miraculous result -
the methodology required for making electronic
watches. Being steadfast and patriotic, he
informed all the major Japanese firms that, he
was ready to offer the copyright of his invention
for reasonable compensation. Rather than
accepting his offer, one of the Japanese firms did
a great mistake by not only failing to recognize
the significance of his invention, but also
satirically ridiculing him and his invention in
the media. This incident gave birth to the awe-
inspiring digital Swiss watches, after a Swiss
major, realising the great potential the invention
had, acquired the copyright for lump sum. The
Swiss major then grew by leaps and bounds. Do
you now realise the importance of making a
shift at the right time?
Another success story comes from the banking
sector. Two decades ago, a hugely popular
bank in America, appointed a technical
committee to look into the posibility of
modernising the bank. Within a fortnight or
two, this committee came up with a report on
various developments, feasible in the
forthcoming fiscal quarters. One among those
was to automate the bank with computers and
banking devices like ATMs, thereby
connecting every nook and corner of the world
through networking- the idea behind core
banking solutions. The then CEO of the bank
adjudged that, though the introduction of the
new scenario would bulge their profit bag, it
would show the door for many employees. Out
of sympathy for his employees, he asked for a
survey to be conducted among them on the
issue. As expected, the employees voted "Nay"
without raising too many quibbles about the
proposition of the committee. The deal went
futile in a slapdash fashion. The CEO, who was
encumbered with the power of deciding, again,
failed to read the business paradigm that states
"One man's loss is another's gain". His
successor, though, took the risk and paved the
way for core banking - the first step towards
'Globalisation'.
The phantoms of fear are more fearsome than
reality. If any Indian entrepreneur can claim to
have understood this fact, it would be none other
than Mr.Narayanamoorthy, the founder of the
leading India-based software firm, Infosys. His
resolve and voracious appetite to succeed made
him mortgage his wife's jewels for US$250,
though he and his family were in a state of
penury. He wrestled the fear of risk and failure,
overcame it, and now, stands successful till date.
Had he not had the courage to make the shift, he
would have renounced his business unborn and
stood without fulfilling his dream.
A change, for the purpose of changing, or an
ostentatious change, or a tentative change
decided by a capricious person often backfires.
But to savour the taste of success, a premeditated
change or a shift in paradigm, decided at the right
time, by a right person, that might yield fruitful
consequences, is a welcome one.
Once you overcome your fear of risks and failure,
you succeed. Does some kind of fear haunt your
mind still? Then, you shall never realise your
dreams. The very purpose of life is to live a life of
purpose. So, Think! Act! Succeed! Better late than
never!
Srishti ‘09 63Destiny (re)written!!!
AarthiIV year IT
Having a crush is like walking through life
wearing rose-tinted glasses. Everything
a r o u n d s e e m s s o s i m p l e , s o
uncomplicated. As many may already know, there
is a very distinct difference between having a crush
and falling in love. In the case of the latter, it is
understood that when you make efforts to build a
relationship, you expect the same in return. But
when you have a crush, the most beautiful part is
that it doesn’t matter if your crush does not have
crush on you too. You still end up having fun all the
way through. You practically live on cloud nine
everyday. Now I don’t know much about falling in
love, because fortunately or unfortunately, It never
did happen. But for a crush, I think I have enough
‘work’ experience to bring out this article. Many of
you may have your own experiences. Since I had
the opportunity, I just thought I’d put out my
perspective.
Personally, I feel that the experience of having a
crush can be divided into three phases. The first
phase is Impressions, the second phase is Bliss,
and the third stage is Failure (or maybe not).
Now I believe that the first
stage is the best and most
fulfilling. This is when you
realize you actually have a
crush on someone. That
person, who seemed so
normal until then, suddenly
starts looking extraordinarily
beautiful. You don’t know
how it happened or when it
happened. But at that
moment, all else will matter
little or nothing to you. From
the very next day, you start
going about every day of
your otherwise ordinary life
with your crush in mind. You
start listening to tacky love songs all of a sudden.
You choose your clothes with the intention of
impressing her(/him). You walk past her classes,
even though they’re a mile away from yours, just to
Srishti ‘0964 Srishti ‘09 65Crushed
catch a glimpse of her. And when you do see her
outside class, you can feel your heart jump all the
way to your head giving you such a high that
everything around blacks out - Except her. Looking
at your crush is like looking at the sun. You look at
her for a second, and then you look away. But in
that time, you would’ve seen enough to keep you
going for the rest of the day. You involuntarily
become another person, and start looking for ways
to impress her, or in some cases, atleast let her
know you exist. Some of the sure-shot ways of
finding out if your friend has a crush on someone
are if:
1) They talk really loud in English (which they’d
never do otherwise) when that person around.
2) They dress up really well, girls behaving
excessively girly and guys a little too macho when
that special someone is around.
3) The guy will deliberately try to bring up that girl’s
name in the conversation (or vice versa), just to see
if he can learn something new about her.
4) He just blurts it out unintentionally. Trust me, I did
it once.
Regardless of how many efforts you put in, or how
much time it takes, when she finally looks at you for
the first time, you feel this simple sense of
satisfaction, something you’d never feel even if you
unintentionally aced your mid semester. Once this
task has somehow been accomplished, you’ll want
more. Maybe a smile, a wave, or just a simple ‘Hi’.
Any of these, and you are set for phase two.
Now there are a few people who just aren’t that
greedy (or maybe they just don’t have the guts) to
work for that sign. They are just happy the first
phase worked out and aren’t bothered where
phase two is heading. In six years of ‘work’
experience, I too found myself being content a
couple of times. And due to various personal
reasons, reasons my fellow students may
understand, my relationship somersaulted to
phase three. But when you do make it phase two,
it’s pure bliss.
Crushed << JUST ANOTHER CRUSH >>
What you do in phase two is of little or no
consequence in phase three. You talk about the
most trivial issues as if they’re matters of national
importance. She tells you the dumbest of jokes
and you find yourself laughing like a retard, and
loving it at the same time. You try cracking the
same joke amongst your peers, and still feel like a
retard. Only this time, you realize that maybe you
are one. All those unending phone calls through
the night, hundreds of messages in the inbox,
pointless conversations in the lunch hour, and
stupid arguments make this phase both silly and
divine at the same time.
Somewhere through phase two,
you find that there is something
missing in the relationship. It is not
going the way you wanted it to.
Maybe you are not doing the right
things, maybe the right things don’t
matter, or maybe it was just not
meant to be. Whatever the reason,
you gradually realize that the spark
that once fueled the crush was
slowly fading away. This is when you slowly slip
into, or sometimes crash into phase three.
This phase, in my opinion, is the most confusing
and bittersweet of all the three. It is also the most
memorable. This is when the guy or girl learns
lessons (often the hard way) about heartbreak. It
is bitter for a various reasons. Sometimes, at the
end of phase two, some may find themselves
unintentionally, yet gleefully sitting in the ‘Friends’
zone, or even worse, the ‘Brother’ zone. Both the
former and latter may come as such a rude shock
that before they realize what hit them, they’re
already knocked out cold.
Rakshabandhan is absolute doomsday for these
hapless creatures. They literally suffer a heart
attack when they see their crush walking toward
them with a rakhi in her hand. Even though a
million voices in their head are urging them to turn
around and bolt, they just stand there, nailed to
the ground, wondering how this could be
happening to them. And before they complete that
thought, they are forced to come to terms with the
fact that it is the end of yet another crush. Believe
me, If it was me, I’d run like my life depended on it.
To this day, every time I pray, I thank god for not
letting that happen to me, and I thank my few
crushes, wherever you are, for not putting me in that
situation.
There are others who may find themselves being
mercilessly jilted, wherein their crush will confess
his/her love for some other jerk. And a few of these
poor souls will be forced into the torture of listening to
their crush yapping about her love for this ‘other’ guy
(@#!*).
Though you can be really angry for your former
crush for all or any of the above
reasons, I still say the last phase is
sweet in its own way. Why? At the end,
none of this matters! That’s exactly
what I said in the first place. Even
though you’ve hit rock bottom, you
can still climb all the way up, dust
yourself off, and get ready for the next
ride. In the case of a crush, there is
always light at the end of the tunnel.
Always.
So people, I just want to say that having a crush is
one of the best things that can happen in your teen or
early adult life. You’ll feel like it’s everything you’ve
ever wanted and it’s all that you need to keep you
going. Whether you take it to the next level or not is
up to you. If you do, I wish you all the best. And if you
don’t, better luck next time! And remember, for a
crush, there is always a next time. Just like an
extremely clichéd, yet ever-famous movie tagline
goes:
“Someone Somewhere is waiting for You” ;-)
C. Sakthi SwaroopIV year ECE
CRUSHED
“ Looking at your crush is like
looking at the sun. You look at her for a second, and then you look away. ”
Having a crush is like walking through life
wearing rose-tinted glasses. Everything
a r o u n d s e e m s s o s i m p l e , s o
uncomplicated. As many may already know, there
is a very distinct difference between having a crush
and falling in love. In the case of the latter, it is
understood that when you make efforts to build a
relationship, you expect the same in return. But
when you have a crush, the most beautiful part is
that it doesn’t matter if your crush does not have
crush on you too. You still end up having fun all the
way through. You practically live on cloud nine
everyday. Now I don’t know much about falling in
love, because fortunately or unfortunately, It never
did happen. But for a crush, I think I have enough
‘work’ experience to bring out this article. Many of
you may have your own experiences. Since I had
the opportunity, I just thought I’d put out my
perspective.
Personally, I feel that the experience of having a
crush can be divided into three phases. The first
phase is Impressions, the second phase is Bliss,
and the third stage is Failure (or maybe not).
Now I believe that the first
stage is the best and most
fulfilling. This is when you
realize you actually have a
crush on someone. That
person, who seemed so
normal until then, suddenly
starts looking extraordinarily
beautiful. You don’t know
how it happened or when it
happened. But at that
moment, all else will matter
little or nothing to you. From
the very next day, you start
going about every day of
your otherwise ordinary life
with your crush in mind. You
start listening to tacky love songs all of a sudden.
You choose your clothes with the intention of
impressing her(/him). You walk past her classes,
even though they’re a mile away from yours, just to
Srishti ‘0964 Srishti ‘09 65Crushed
catch a glimpse of her. And when you do see her
outside class, you can feel your heart jump all the
way to your head giving you such a high that
everything around blacks out - Except her. Looking
at your crush is like looking at the sun. You look at
her for a second, and then you look away. But in
that time, you would’ve seen enough to keep you
going for the rest of the day. You involuntarily
become another person, and start looking for ways
to impress her, or in some cases, atleast let her
know you exist. Some of the sure-shot ways of
finding out if your friend has a crush on someone
are if:
1) They talk really loud in English (which they’d
never do otherwise) when that person around.
2) They dress up really well, girls behaving
excessively girly and guys a little too macho when
that special someone is around.
3) The guy will deliberately try to bring up that girl’s
name in the conversation (or vice versa), just to see
if he can learn something new about her.
4) He just blurts it out unintentionally. Trust me, I did
it once.
Regardless of how many efforts you put in, or how
much time it takes, when she finally looks at you for
the first time, you feel this simple sense of
satisfaction, something you’d never feel even if you
unintentionally aced your mid semester. Once this
task has somehow been accomplished, you’ll want
more. Maybe a smile, a wave, or just a simple ‘Hi’.
Any of these, and you are set for phase two.
Now there are a few people who just aren’t that
greedy (or maybe they just don’t have the guts) to
work for that sign. They are just happy the first
phase worked out and aren’t bothered where
phase two is heading. In six years of ‘work’
experience, I too found myself being content a
couple of times. And due to various personal
reasons, reasons my fellow students may
understand, my relationship somersaulted to
phase three. But when you do make it phase two,
it’s pure bliss.
Crushed << JUST ANOTHER CRUSH >>
What you do in phase two is of little or no
consequence in phase three. You talk about the
most trivial issues as if they’re matters of national
importance. She tells you the dumbest of jokes
and you find yourself laughing like a retard, and
loving it at the same time. You try cracking the
same joke amongst your peers, and still feel like a
retard. Only this time, you realize that maybe you
are one. All those unending phone calls through
the night, hundreds of messages in the inbox,
pointless conversations in the lunch hour, and
stupid arguments make this phase both silly and
divine at the same time.
Somewhere through phase two,
you find that there is something
missing in the relationship. It is not
going the way you wanted it to.
Maybe you are not doing the right
things, maybe the right things don’t
matter, or maybe it was just not
meant to be. Whatever the reason,
you gradually realize that the spark
that once fueled the crush was
slowly fading away. This is when you slowly slip
into, or sometimes crash into phase three.
This phase, in my opinion, is the most confusing
and bittersweet of all the three. It is also the most
memorable. This is when the guy or girl learns
lessons (often the hard way) about heartbreak. It
is bitter for a various reasons. Sometimes, at the
end of phase two, some may find themselves
unintentionally, yet gleefully sitting in the ‘Friends’
zone, or even worse, the ‘Brother’ zone. Both the
former and latter may come as such a rude shock
that before they realize what hit them, they’re
already knocked out cold.
Rakshabandhan is absolute doomsday for these
hapless creatures. They literally suffer a heart
attack when they see their crush walking toward
them with a rakhi in her hand. Even though a
million voices in their head are urging them to turn
around and bolt, they just stand there, nailed to
the ground, wondering how this could be
happening to them. And before they complete that
thought, they are forced to come to terms with the
fact that it is the end of yet another crush. Believe
me, If it was me, I’d run like my life depended on it.
To this day, every time I pray, I thank god for not
letting that happen to me, and I thank my few
crushes, wherever you are, for not putting me in that
situation.
There are others who may find themselves being
mercilessly jilted, wherein their crush will confess
his/her love for some other jerk. And a few of these
poor souls will be forced into the torture of listening to
their crush yapping about her love for this ‘other’ guy
(@#!*).
Though you can be really angry for your former
crush for all or any of the above
reasons, I still say the last phase is
sweet in its own way. Why? At the end,
none of this matters! That’s exactly
what I said in the first place. Even
though you’ve hit rock bottom, you
can still climb all the way up, dust
yourself off, and get ready for the next
ride. In the case of a crush, there is
always light at the end of the tunnel.
Always.
So people, I just want to say that having a crush is
one of the best things that can happen in your teen or
early adult life. You’ll feel like it’s everything you’ve
ever wanted and it’s all that you need to keep you
going. Whether you take it to the next level or not is
up to you. If you do, I wish you all the best. And if you
don’t, better luck next time! And remember, for a
crush, there is always a next time. Just like an
extremely clichéd, yet ever-famous movie tagline
goes:
“Someone Somewhere is waiting for You” ;-)
C. Sakthi SwaroopIV year ECE
CRUSHED
“ Looking at your crush is like
looking at the sun. You look at her for a second, and then you look away. ”
Aravind. G.IV year, CSEndia
Shiningi – oh really?
I
LOOKING AT BOTH FACES OF THE COIN:
ndia Shining was a political slogan that was popularised by the then-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2004 Indian General
Elections. Though it didn’t win the election for them, it did its part in promoting India internationally. And since then, for quite a while, we have been associating these terms to any successful endeavour of which India is a part. Hence it’s no surprise that we find these words repeated time and again.
We are now entering into our 62nd year of Indian Independence. India has developed a peculiar attitude - one in which tradition refuses to bid adieu and modernity fiercely pushes its way forward. There are numerous fronts on which we have emerged triumphant after all these years of hard toil. The media as a whole seems to be trumpeting the rise of India as a world superpower. While it would be foolhardy to list out all these here, as the list is innumerable, a few definitely deserve mention. These include the Right to
Information Act (RTI) - a real boon for the citizens provided it’s made use of properly, Chandrayaan I – India’s first mission to the moon, the burgeoning rate at which Urban areas are developing, the IT boom, a reasonable decline in poverty levels, our emergence as one of the fastest growing economies in the world etc to name a few. While these help in depicting India as an up-and-coming prosperous Nation, I do basically feel that they represent only one side of the coin. Let us be fair, though.
Most of the India Shining claims are true only for ten percent of the population. The other side of the coin deserves to be mentioned. The poor seem to be as poor as before. Prices are rising rapidly. The middle class has risen, and the wealthy have become more visible than ever before. Weekly news magazines like India Today, The Week, send out glossy supplements filled with very expensive gadgets, and I wonder how many of its readers can afford them. Anyway, all this grandeurs doesn’t seem conducive to a peaceful mind.
How do they bear it, the vast majority who can’t even dream of possessing any of it? Maybe, the press was too busy gawking at what celebrities wear, what they do, how Team India is currently performing; I reckon these issues took a back seat.
The Sensex might have taken a tumble now, but it was on a dream run earlier with the markets booming and the investors thrilled. But it is worth recalling that this happens in a country where 65% of households do not have a bank account. And where tens of millions of farmers live and die-in debt. It can be reckoned that the fastest growing sector in India is not IT or software, textiles or automobiles, but inequality. This has grown faster than one could have anticipated over the past decade.
India’s horrendous ranking:
It is also in these past few years, that India slipped from rank 124 to 127 in the Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme. That is an index measuring average achievement in terms of “a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living.” And it shows that you are better off being poor in Botswana, El Salvador, Guatemala or the Occupied Territories of the Palestine - than in India. Ours is a country which accounts for the largest number of malnourished children in the world, which is still home to about half the planet’s hungry people, where nearly nine out of 10 pregnant women aged between 15 and 49 years suffer from malnutrition and anemia, and where about half of all children under f i ve su f f er modera te or severe malnourishment or stunting, with most of them being girls. To complicate matters further, in at least three states, no mid-day meal scheme was in place till 2003. That is, a year after the Supreme Court made it mandatory for them to have one. The planned destruction of agriculture in the name of development has pushed millions into mass
migrations. That in turn, has seen more children drop out of schools and even colleges in large numbers. Dalit and Adivasi students are the worst-affected. Studies from crisis districts clearly show that. For too many, there is no work to be found. And quality employment is unavailable for a major portion of our populance.
Other Issues under the scanner:
In the villages, the collapse of communities has destroyed social bonds and broken up families. The debt owed to moneylenders has mounted as farmers are denied credit by banks. (It is simpler today to get low-interest loans to buy a Mercedes Benz than it is to raise one for agricultural purposes.) As what little remains of the public health system deteriorates, people are at the mercy of private providers. Health expenditure is now the second fastest growing component of rural family debt.
Last May saw problems in water supply in the slums of Mumbai. Thousands of women queued up for water in the slums each morning for hours. In and around the same Mumbai, others had no such problems. There were 24 amusement and water parks using 50 billion
litres of water a day for the entertainment of the rich. In Rajasthan, plagued by water scarcity for five years, we plan more water parks and golf courses. A single golf course takes 1.8 to 2.3 million litres of water a day through the season. On that amount of water, one lakh villagers in that State could have all their water needs met right through summer. This unfolds in a country that wants to spend what equals roughly a fourth of its GDP on linking tens of rivers.
In the mindset inequality has bred amongst us, one aspect that stands out as perhaps the
saddest, is the absence of outrage over the farmers’ suicides across the country. Too many academics, researchers and journalists have looked away. And nowhere in media was exclusive coverage given to this issue.
Globalisation – or re-colonisation perhaps?
Globalisation has contributed to ever widening circles of prosperity and we in India have benefited from it. But its benefits have not been equitably distributed. Ensuring inclusive growth within nations, and inclusive globalisation across nations, is a central challenge that faces us. The development gains that many countries have made are today threatened by a possible food crisis, a global energy crisis and most recently, unprecedented upheavals in international financial markets. The net impact of these problems is that both the industrialised economies and the developing economies face inflation and a slowdown in growth after several years of robust expansion. Industrialised countries can afford periods of slow growth.
India Shining - oh really? Srishti ‘09 67
It can be reckoned that the fastest growing sector in India is not IT or software, textiles or automobiles, but inequality.
Aravind. G.IV year, CSEndia
Shiningi – oh really?
I
LOOKING AT BOTH FACES OF THE COIN:
ndia Shining was a political slogan that was popularised by the then-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2004 Indian General
Elections. Though it didn’t win the election for them, it did its part in promoting India internationally. And since then, for quite a while, we have been associating these terms to any successful endeavour of which India is a part. Hence it’s no surprise that we find these words repeated time and again.
We are now entering into our 62nd year of Indian Independence. India has developed a peculiar attitude - one in which tradition refuses to bid adieu and modernity fiercely pushes its way forward. There are numerous fronts on which we have emerged triumphant after all these years of hard toil. The media as a whole seems to be trumpeting the rise of India as a world superpower. While it would be foolhardy to list out all these here, as the list is innumerable, a few definitely deserve mention. These include the Right to
Information Act (RTI) - a real boon for the citizens provided it’s made use of properly, Chandrayaan I – India’s first mission to the moon, the burgeoning rate at which Urban areas are developing, the IT boom, a reasonable decline in poverty levels, our emergence as one of the fastest growing economies in the world etc to name a few. While these help in depicting India as an up-and-coming prosperous Nation, I do basically feel that they represent only one side of the coin. Let us be fair, though.
Most of the India Shining claims are true only for ten percent of the population. The other side of the coin deserves to be mentioned. The poor seem to be as poor as before. Prices are rising rapidly. The middle class has risen, and the wealthy have become more visible than ever before. Weekly news magazines like India Today, The Week, send out glossy supplements filled with very expensive gadgets, and I wonder how many of its readers can afford them. Anyway, all this grandeurs doesn’t seem conducive to a peaceful mind.
How do they bear it, the vast majority who can’t even dream of possessing any of it? Maybe, the press was too busy gawking at what celebrities wear, what they do, how Team India is currently performing; I reckon these issues took a back seat.
The Sensex might have taken a tumble now, but it was on a dream run earlier with the markets booming and the investors thrilled. But it is worth recalling that this happens in a country where 65% of households do not have a bank account. And where tens of millions of farmers live and die-in debt. It can be reckoned that the fastest growing sector in India is not IT or software, textiles or automobiles, but inequality. This has grown faster than one could have anticipated over the past decade.
India’s horrendous ranking:
It is also in these past few years, that India slipped from rank 124 to 127 in the Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme. That is an index measuring average achievement in terms of “a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living.” And it shows that you are better off being poor in Botswana, El Salvador, Guatemala or the Occupied Territories of the Palestine - than in India. Ours is a country which accounts for the largest number of malnourished children in the world, which is still home to about half the planet’s hungry people, where nearly nine out of 10 pregnant women aged between 15 and 49 years suffer from malnutrition and anemia, and where about half of all children under f i ve su f f er modera te or severe malnourishment or stunting, with most of them being girls. To complicate matters further, in at least three states, no mid-day meal scheme was in place till 2003. That is, a year after the Supreme Court made it mandatory for them to have one. The planned destruction of agriculture in the name of development has pushed millions into mass
migrations. That in turn, has seen more children drop out of schools and even colleges in large numbers. Dalit and Adivasi students are the worst-affected. Studies from crisis districts clearly show that. For too many, there is no work to be found. And quality employment is unavailable for a major portion of our populance.
Other Issues under the scanner:
In the villages, the collapse of communities has destroyed social bonds and broken up families. The debt owed to moneylenders has mounted as farmers are denied credit by banks. (It is simpler today to get low-interest loans to buy a Mercedes Benz than it is to raise one for agricultural purposes.) As what little remains of the public health system deteriorates, people are at the mercy of private providers. Health expenditure is now the second fastest growing component of rural family debt.
Last May saw problems in water supply in the slums of Mumbai. Thousands of women queued up for water in the slums each morning for hours. In and around the same Mumbai, others had no such problems. There were 24 amusement and water parks using 50 billion
litres of water a day for the entertainment of the rich. In Rajasthan, plagued by water scarcity for five years, we plan more water parks and golf courses. A single golf course takes 1.8 to 2.3 million litres of water a day through the season. On that amount of water, one lakh villagers in that State could have all their water needs met right through summer. This unfolds in a country that wants to spend what equals roughly a fourth of its GDP on linking tens of rivers.
In the mindset inequality has bred amongst us, one aspect that stands out as perhaps the
saddest, is the absence of outrage over the farmers’ suicides across the country. Too many academics, researchers and journalists have looked away. And nowhere in media was exclusive coverage given to this issue.
Globalisation – or re-colonisation perhaps?
Globalisation has contributed to ever widening circles of prosperity and we in India have benefited from it. But its benefits have not been equitably distributed. Ensuring inclusive growth within nations, and inclusive globalisation across nations, is a central challenge that faces us. The development gains that many countries have made are today threatened by a possible food crisis, a global energy crisis and most recently, unprecedented upheavals in international financial markets. The net impact of these problems is that both the industrialised economies and the developing economies face inflation and a slowdown in growth after several years of robust expansion. Industrialised countries can afford periods of slow growth.
India Shining - oh really? Srishti ‘09 67
It can be reckoned that the fastest growing sector in India is not IT or software, textiles or automobiles, but inequality.
Srishti ‘0968
revenue to the country, one thing that has to be sacrificed is their valuable services to our motherland. In that sense, one may find that Bollywood actors may hold India more beloved than any other (and you know why). No harm intended and regrets if readers find this comment rude.
How about participating?
There are many NGO and Government Initiatives out there that have been setup for the betterment of the Nation and it is only required that we actively participate with emancipation of the various ills of society plaguing the rural and urban areas alike, not equally though, like poverty, illiteracy being the sole aim. Also it can be assuredly said that such things will not just be of immense benefit to us, but also one that will be able to provide such immense satisfaction and everlasting happiness without draining our physical and monetary resources.
IS ’REAL’ INDIA SHINING?
We can say that India is a country where ‘The old think old, and the new think new’. An India where feminism and women power are being shouted from the rooftops, while in some remote corner, a helpless female dies in the name of dowry. India is an India of fashion shows and models. But India is also an India of beggars and the underprivileged. And this is a reality we cannot ignore. Is India, then, shining? To those born with silver spoons in their mouth, life is a merry circus-a kaleidoscope of color and mirth. They don’t fear a fall; there are velvet cushions to hold them up. Monetary concerns don’t haunt them-money flows in without their turning a hair. Power, wealth, influence, they have it all. India for them is the grandeur of its `modernity’ - the shopping malls, the gadgets that make their lives simpler, the new cars that roll out every year, and the expensive parties that they attend. Life for them is an easy journey, to nowhere in particular. To them, India shines-and will always do so. Is this the real India? And is India shining?
WITH RURAL INDIA SHINING, INDIA WILL SHINE!
Developing countries certainly cannot. The explosion of financial innovation, unaccompanied by credible systemic regulation, has made the financial system vulnerable. The resulting crisis of confidence threatens global prosperity in the increasingly interdependent world, in which we live. The world food crisis is the cumulative consequence of the neglect of agriculture in the developing world, aided by agricultural subsidies in the developed world.
Possible corrective measures – How about ‘Indianisation’!
While there are several issues to be addressed, there are a few things that we as Indians can definitely do right now. We need new technologies, new institutional responses and above all a global compact to ensure food and livelihood security. Also we could resort to using Indian Products, while not completely isolating foreign goods. (Hi! I am not being insane, it definitely makes sense). There are quite a few Indian brands that one can be proud of and these include Bajaj, Rexona, Hindustan Lever, Tata Motors, Wipro etc. with products catering to all necessities that one can ask for. There are multiple surveys that point out how much of a fad India has for foreign goods (do I have to mention Coke or Pepsi). As a result of this, quite a lot of money has been siphoned out of the country (Rs. 4000 crore during the financial year 2006-2007) while the same could have been utilised not just for the betterments of Indian brands but for the people as well in numerous ways. Another suggestion that I would like to put forth may not go down well with most people but still worth giving a thought. The Government is spending whopping amounts of money on our education and to make it more affordable to the masses (Would you really believe if I bring to your notice that the average amount spent by the government on a student during an academic year is around 15000-20000 an year and this figures are definitely bound to rise over the years). With all such efforts from their end, does it really make sense when some of the brightest minds invest their valuable time and efforts in developed countries like the US, Australia etc. While this would bring in a lot of foreign
India Shining - oh really?
The day was indeed a special occasion for the old students of CIT as they got together with their family in the campus. The groundwork for this Silver Jubilee Reunion was started well before January 2007, since it involved the hectic work of collecting the contacts of 195 people. The job was made easier by launching a website for the 1983 batch. Meanwhile meetings were arranged in Chennai, Coimbatore, Erode and Neyveli to know the updates and to boost the momentum of the process.
Thanks to the organizing committee, untiring efforts had paid-off. Everybody came with their family and rejoiced their good old days walking around the refurbished campus. Taking their sons and daughters to their hostels, they remembered their gleeful hostel life and they could not resist visiting their rooms where they had once stayed. As arranged earlier they had a splendid dinner at the Jenny club with an entertaining magic show. As the second day was allotted for snaps, there were a lot of 'clicks' around the campus, with their family and their peers. The melodious musical performance made the pleasant December morning even more special. The blissful reunion ended with everyone yearning for another get-together as they became emotional and sentimental. The day had ended but the nostalgic feeling of the reunion will be ever-green.
Srishti ‘09 69
A REPORT ON THE CIT 1983 BATCH SILVER JUBILEE REUNION
27th and 28th December, 2008 and
ALUMNI DAY14th March, 2009
Srishti ‘0968
revenue to the country, one thing that has to be sacrificed is their valuable services to our motherland. In that sense, one may find that Bollywood actors may hold India more beloved than any other (and you know why). No harm intended and regrets if readers find this comment rude.
How about participating?
There are many NGO and Government Initiatives out there that have been setup for the betterment of the Nation and it is only required that we actively participate with emancipation of the various ills of society plaguing the rural and urban areas alike, not equally though, like poverty, illiteracy being the sole aim. Also it can be assuredly said that such things will not just be of immense benefit to us, but also one that will be able to provide such immense satisfaction and everlasting happiness without draining our physical and monetary resources.
IS ’REAL’ INDIA SHINING?
We can say that India is a country where ‘The old think old, and the new think new’. An India where feminism and women power are being shouted from the rooftops, while in some remote corner, a helpless female dies in the name of dowry. India is an India of fashion shows and models. But India is also an India of beggars and the underprivileged. And this is a reality we cannot ignore. Is India, then, shining? To those born with silver spoons in their mouth, life is a merry circus-a kaleidoscope of color and mirth. They don’t fear a fall; there are velvet cushions to hold them up. Monetary concerns don’t haunt them-money flows in without their turning a hair. Power, wealth, influence, they have it all. India for them is the grandeur of its `modernity’ - the shopping malls, the gadgets that make their lives simpler, the new cars that roll out every year, and the expensive parties that they attend. Life for them is an easy journey, to nowhere in particular. To them, India shines-and will always do so. Is this the real India? And is India shining?
WITH RURAL INDIA SHINING, INDIA WILL SHINE!
Developing countries certainly cannot. The explosion of financial innovation, unaccompanied by credible systemic regulation, has made the financial system vulnerable. The resulting crisis of confidence threatens global prosperity in the increasingly interdependent world, in which we live. The world food crisis is the cumulative consequence of the neglect of agriculture in the developing world, aided by agricultural subsidies in the developed world.
Possible corrective measures – How about ‘Indianisation’!
While there are several issues to be addressed, there are a few things that we as Indians can definitely do right now. We need new technologies, new institutional responses and above all a global compact to ensure food and livelihood security. Also we could resort to using Indian Products, while not completely isolating foreign goods. (Hi! I am not being insane, it definitely makes sense). There are quite a few Indian brands that one can be proud of and these include Bajaj, Rexona, Hindustan Lever, Tata Motors, Wipro etc. with products catering to all necessities that one can ask for. There are multiple surveys that point out how much of a fad India has for foreign goods (do I have to mention Coke or Pepsi). As a result of this, quite a lot of money has been siphoned out of the country (Rs. 4000 crore during the financial year 2006-2007) while the same could have been utilised not just for the betterments of Indian brands but for the people as well in numerous ways. Another suggestion that I would like to put forth may not go down well with most people but still worth giving a thought. The Government is spending whopping amounts of money on our education and to make it more affordable to the masses (Would you really believe if I bring to your notice that the average amount spent by the government on a student during an academic year is around 15000-20000 an year and this figures are definitely bound to rise over the years). With all such efforts from their end, does it really make sense when some of the brightest minds invest their valuable time and efforts in developed countries like the US, Australia etc. While this would bring in a lot of foreign
India Shining - oh really?
The day was indeed a special occasion for the old students of CIT as they got together with their family in the campus. The groundwork for this Silver Jubilee Reunion was started well before January 2007, since it involved the hectic work of collecting the contacts of 195 people. The job was made easier by launching a website for the 1983 batch. Meanwhile meetings were arranged in Chennai, Coimbatore, Erode and Neyveli to know the updates and to boost the momentum of the process.
Thanks to the organizing committee, untiring efforts had paid-off. Everybody came with their family and rejoiced their good old days walking around the refurbished campus. Taking their sons and daughters to their hostels, they remembered their gleeful hostel life and they could not resist visiting their rooms where they had once stayed. As arranged earlier they had a splendid dinner at the Jenny club with an entertaining magic show. As the second day was allotted for snaps, there were a lot of 'clicks' around the campus, with their family and their peers. The melodious musical performance made the pleasant December morning even more special. The blissful reunion ended with everyone yearning for another get-together as they became emotional and sentimental. The day had ended but the nostalgic feeling of the reunion will be ever-green.
Srishti ‘09 69
A REPORT ON THE CIT 1983 BATCH SILVER JUBILEE REUNION
27th and 28th December, 2008 and
ALUMNI DAY14th March, 2009
arot Tarun
Delhi Daredevils
You are always content to sit high and dry. Nobody is going to be fooled by your name. Your field of action no longer suits you. Join the Lalu Prasad Yadav School of Business. TT with his infinite wisdom has found out that students should give four cows and two goats as donation. Pig donors earn extra points.
Mumbai Indians
Your lucky stars are all missing. Your only way to avoid misfortune is to go on a long medical leave and seek them. Make sure you come back only after all the drama is over. This
way no one can blame you if any misfortune befalls in your absence. Worried about attendance lag-Run to Sachin for advice.
Deccan Chargers
You are totally out of charge this season. A tea from the college mess will charge you up. The greater the size of the organism found
floating in your tea, the greater the charge. By the way your bottle of V.V.S coconut oil has already expired. Time to replace it.
Kolkata Knight Riders
You will impress everyone with your clothes and style but that is about all that you can do. Your gang’s poster boy can do nothing but flaunt his six pack abs. Yet the sun will shine on you. You will not have any financial problem. Generous contribution to the TT trust will solve all your problems.
Royal Challengers
You will be ravaged by internal conflicts. Even TT who commands unbelievable power and influence can do nothing to save you from your never-ending list of problems. Your only consolation is that there will be no dearth of Royal Challenge to revive
you when you are depressed.
If you guys are not the supporters of any of t h e a b o v e
teams, you will be happy to know
that you share your fate with those of the cheer girls. No
matter what you do or don’t do, what you do(n’t) wear, you will find yourself to be the center of attraction.
Tarot Tarun
In the line of Om Kapoor, Zeishar, Himes Bhai comes Kilijoshi Kanan in his new avatar Tarot Tarun. The reincarnated KK now TT has lost none of his lollu or the wisdom with which he predicts your fortunes. We have dealt you the cards. Let’s see what you end up with.
Rajasthan Royals
You might be the underdogs, but who knows every mistake may turn out to be a hair in a bald pate. Fear not of shame, for you have Shane. Your fairy godmother is a close friend of Sarah Palin and she can exert her influence.
Chennai Super Kings
You might be ferocious lions at the start but you will
be reduced to pathetic meows i n by the end. But all is not lost. On
the coming full moon, what you lost t i ll now will reach you in unexpected wrong turns. Yeah, you are right, you share the same fate as Dhoni, our new Ad Film sensation.
Kings XI Punjab
Your Kismat cross connection will lead you to be slapped around by all your so called bhais. Don’t fret because you will
be offered promising roles in all mega serials for your skill in shedding tons of tears at short notice.
ARCHANA Asokan SNEHAL Jain HARINI Ragothaman II year, IT
arot Tarun
Delhi Daredevils
You are always content to sit high and dry. Nobody is going to be fooled by your name. Your field of action no longer suits you. Join the Lalu Prasad Yadav School of Business. TT with his infinite wisdom has found out that students should give four cows and two goats as donation. Pig donors earn extra points.
Mumbai Indians
Your lucky stars are all missing. Your only way to avoid misfortune is to go on a long medical leave and seek them. Make sure you come back only after all the drama is over. This
way no one can blame you if any misfortune befalls in your absence. Worried about attendance lag-Run to Sachin for advice.
Deccan Chargers
You are totally out of charge this season. A tea from the college mess will charge you up. The greater the size of the organism found
floating in your tea, the greater the charge. By the way your bottle of V.V.S coconut oil has already expired. Time to replace it.
Kolkata Knight Riders
You will impress everyone with your clothes and style but that is about all that you can do. Your gang’s poster boy can do nothing but flaunt his six pack abs. Yet the sun will shine on you. You will not have any financial problem. Generous contribution to the TT trust will solve all your problems.
Royal Challengers
You will be ravaged by internal conflicts. Even TT who commands unbelievable power and influence can do nothing to save you from your never-ending list of problems. Your only consolation is that there will be no dearth of Royal Challenge to revive
you when you are depressed.
If you guys are not the supporters of any of t h e a b o v e
teams, you will be happy to know
that you share your fate with those of the cheer girls. No
matter what you do or don’t do, what you do(n’t) wear, you will find yourself to be the center of attraction.
Tarot Tarun
In the line of Om Kapoor, Zeishar, Himes Bhai comes Kilijoshi Kanan in his new avatar Tarot Tarun. The reincarnated KK now TT has lost none of his lollu or the wisdom with which he predicts your fortunes. We have dealt you the cards. Let’s see what you end up with.
Rajasthan Royals
You might be the underdogs, but who knows every mistake may turn out to be a hair in a bald pate. Fear not of shame, for you have Shane. Your fairy godmother is a close friend of Sarah Palin and she can exert her influence.
Chennai Super Kings
You might be ferocious lions at the start but you will
be reduced to pathetic meows i n by the end. But all is not lost. On
the coming full moon, what you lost t i ll now will reach you in unexpected wrong turns. Yeah, you are right, you share the same fate as Dhoni, our new Ad Film sensation.
Kings XI Punjab
Your Kismat cross connection will lead you to be slapped around by all your so called bhais. Don’t fret because you will
be offered promising roles in all mega serials for your skill in shedding tons of tears at short notice.
ARCHANA Asokan SNEHAL Jain HARINI Ragothaman II year, IT
Srishti ‘09 73Why Atheism is not necessarily a solution
“ There's probably no God. So stop worrying and enjoy your Life. ”
theismWhy
is not necessarily a solution
theism
K. SandeepII year, EEE
gol
n p
g
dea
e
If you have been reading the papers recently or if you have been to London of-late, you would have
probably noticed this, This is the newest avatar of the atheist campaign that is gaining popularity globally. The
fact that the campaign was able to raise £140,000, £135,000 more than what its founders originally intended,
while human welfare organizations are struggling for funds speaks for itself.
Some of the recent events that have taken place in the name of religion and God are
certainly very disturbing and undermine the very aim of faith. These events lend credit
to the claim that the path of religion leads to destruction of self, as well as society.
This raises a big question. Is atheism the only solution? Will atheism show us the way
to end this madness? Perhaps not! Instead of trying to prove why religion is the best, I'll
demonstrate why atheism is not exactly the best solution.
Religion has been the founding stone of civilization. It sets the basis on which man
could congregate and build empires that would not vanish at the touch of the hat. In fact, religion was initially no
more than a set of beliefs and rules strung together. It kept communities from disintegrating and provided a
platform to settle internal disputes and to maintain order in the community. Ancient Egypt or Rome could be cited
as good illustrations to the role that religion played in shaping them as powerful civilizations.
Religion has been the cornerstone of civilization and it still is. We might have come a long way
from hunting in the wild, but Man's instincts have largely remained the same and it takes
little time for him to return to his ancient unsavory ways. As the world embraces
atheism more, it has also been taking a step back in terms of
morals. Of course, it might be purely co-incidental. But then again,
it might not.
The main reason that we have been able
to come so far through all the hard
times is religion. Think of a
guiding hand or religion to choose the right
path, but the majority, without an external
stimulus might choose the wrong path, a path
of corruption, lies and deceit. Of course, I might
be wrong, but then there is a bright chance that
this might happen.
Atheists might say that 'atheism' is simply the
non-belief in the existence of God but for all
practical considerations, when there is no form
of higher authority to answer, the individual will
be lax in following. There is a good chance that
thoughts like, "I'm not responsible to anyone,
so why should I care?" will crop up. When
combined with the thought, "I'll circumvent my
rule this one time. After all it is a rule I set for
myself",it forms a deadly duo
that is likely to pull the person
down.
Religion also provides the
necessary incentive for the
individual to be considerate
and helpful, without any
reason. It may just be the fear
that drives it, but the end result is desirable. But
of-course, the person need not be religious to
be ‘good' to others.
Moreover, without a consensus on the rules to
be followed, atheism falls short in bringing a
peaceful and progressive society. As an added
bonus, man can fall back to the bastion of
religion when he feels isolated. It is one of the
most soothing forms of escapism that helps an
individual to get back on his feet.
Let me come back to the first line of this article,
the quote on the London's buses. A society
being devoid of rules develops chaos and
unrest, which atheism seems to point to.
Simply put, atheism does not have the faculty
to manage the complications arising out of the
clash of individual agendas in a society without
a unified code of conduct. Religion is nowhere
close to being the foolproof method of
preserving order in a society, whereas,
Atheism is just as good at being a solution as it
is to being the source of troubles.
world, where religion as a concept, did not
exist. In that world, mankind would have
destroyed itself a hundred times over by now
chaos would have reigned supreme.
Proponents of atheism argue that religion has
been and still is the root cause of many a
bloody conflict. They quote from the Crusades
to the recent terrorist attacks. However,
religion in itself is rarely the cause for violence.
The politics behind it is the culprit. People in
power abuse their ability to reach out to the
masses, use religion as a tool and bend the
public to do their bidding, all for selfish gains.
The Babri Masjid problem, despite its religious
roots, did not flare up just because of religion. It
was more of an attention-
seeking effort by politicians.
Now, the next question would
be about the necessity of such
a practice which perpetrates
violence. But, religion is just
one of the tools used by
politicians. All major religions in
the world are built on ethics,
which enumerate ways for the betterment of
the self and the society as a whole. All religions
openly condemn acts of mal-intent to fellow
human beings.
The laws of today's political administration
have been adopted from religious codes.
However, the reach of religion is more
pronounced than the law. 'Crime cannot be
controlled unless the criminal decides to forgo',
is another popular saying. This shows that the
change must be effected from within the
person. No matter how it is framed, law has
been and will always be seen by the public as
an external agent meant to govern them and it
is a common mentality to feel rebellious
towards any external force that directs us.
While the law reaches out to the analytical
mind, religion has the power to reach the
person's emotional core.
What would happen if the world shuns
religion? There are people who do not need the
The laws of today's political administration have been adopted from religious codes. However, the reach o f r e l i g i o n i s m o r e pronounced than the law.
Srishti ‘09 73Why Atheism is not necessarily a solution
“ There's probably no God. So stop worrying and enjoy your Life. ”
theismWhy
is not necessarily a solution
theism
K. SandeepII year, EEE
gold
n p
ge
ae
If you have been reading the papers recently or if you have been to London of-late, you would have
probably noticed this, This is the newest avatar of the atheist campaign that is gaining popularity globally. The
fact that the campaign was able to raise £140,000, £135,000 more than what its founders originally intended,
while human welfare organizations are struggling for funds speaks for itself.
Some of the recent events that have taken place in the name of religion and God are
certainly very disturbing and undermine the very aim of faith. These events lend credit
to the claim that the path of religion leads to destruction of self, as well as society.
This raises a big question. Is atheism the only solution? Will atheism show us the way
to end this madness? Perhaps not! Instead of trying to prove why religion is the best, I'll
demonstrate why atheism is not exactly the best solution.
Religion has been the founding stone of civilization. It sets the basis on which man
could congregate and build empires that would not vanish at the touch of the hat. In fact, religion was initially no
more than a set of beliefs and rules strung together. It kept communities from disintegrating and provided a
platform to settle internal disputes and to maintain order in the community. Ancient Egypt or Rome could be cited
as good illustrations to the role that religion played in shaping them as powerful civilizations.
Religion has been the cornerstone of civilization and it still is. We might have come a long way
from hunting in the wild, but Man's instincts have largely remained the same and it takes
little time for him to return to his ancient unsavory ways. As the world embraces
atheism more, it has also been taking a step back in terms of
morals. Of course, it might be purely co-incidental. But then again,
it might not.
The main reason that we have been able
to come so far through all the hard
times is religion. Think of a
guiding hand or religion to choose the right
path, but the majority, without an external
stimulus might choose the wrong path, a path
of corruption, lies and deceit. Of course, I might
be wrong, but then there is a bright chance that
this might happen.
Atheists might say that 'atheism' is simply the
non-belief in the existence of God but for all
practical considerations, when there is no form
of higher authority to answer, the individual will
be lax in following. There is a good chance that
thoughts like, "I'm not responsible to anyone,
so why should I care?" will crop up. When
combined with the thought, "I'll circumvent my
rule this one time. After all it is a rule I set for
myself",it forms a deadly duo
that is likely to pull the person
down.
Religion also provides the
necessary incentive for the
individual to be considerate
and helpful, without any
reason. It may just be the fear
that drives it, but the end result is desirable. But
of-course, the person need not be religious to
be ‘good' to others.
Moreover, without a consensus on the rules to
be followed, atheism falls short in bringing a
peaceful and progressive society. As an added
bonus, man can fall back to the bastion of
religion when he feels isolated. It is one of the
most soothing forms of escapism that helps an
individual to get back on his feet.
Let me come back to the first line of this article,
the quote on the London's buses. A society
being devoid of rules develops chaos and
unrest, which atheism seems to point to.
Simply put, atheism does not have the faculty
to manage the complications arising out of the
clash of individual agendas in a society without
a unified code of conduct. Religion is nowhere
close to being the foolproof method of
preserving order in a society, whereas,
Atheism is just as good at being a solution as it
is to being the source of troubles.
world, where religion as a concept, did not
exist. In that world, mankind would have
destroyed itself a hundred times over by now
chaos would have reigned supreme.
Proponents of atheism argue that religion has
been and still is the root cause of many a
bloody conflict. They quote from the Crusades
to the recent terrorist attacks. However,
religion in itself is rarely the cause for violence.
The politics behind it is the culprit. People in
power abuse their ability to reach out to the
masses, use religion as a tool and bend the
public to do their bidding, all for selfish gains.
The Babri Masjid problem, despite its religious
roots, did not flare up just because of religion. It
was more of an attention-
seeking effort by politicians.
Now, the next question would
be about the necessity of such
a practice which perpetrates
violence. But, religion is just
one of the tools used by
politicians. All major religions in
the world are built on ethics,
which enumerate ways for the betterment of
the self and the society as a whole. All religions
openly condemn acts of mal-intent to fellow
human beings.
The laws of today's political administration
have been adopted from religious codes.
However, the reach of religion is more
pronounced than the law. 'Crime cannot be
controlled unless the criminal decides to forgo',
is another popular saying. This shows that the
change must be effected from within the
person. No matter how it is framed, law has
been and will always be seen by the public as
an external agent meant to govern them and it
is a common mentality to feel rebellious
towards any external force that directs us.
While the law reaches out to the analytical
mind, religion has the power to reach the
person's emotional core.
What would happen if the world shuns
religion? There are people who do not need the
The laws of today's political administration have been adopted from religious codes. However, the reach o f r e l i g i o n i s m o r e pronounced than the law.
If you don't have the exact change, you are
doomed. You might not be able to open your
mouth, let alone your purse in the extremely
crowded area. Then you would find yourself in
the seemingly middle of the bus, and have no
clue how you came over there (Partly by the
jostling and partly by the quaking of the bus).
Your nose would find a whiff of something new
every second. From the horrible stench of sweat
from the college boy standing behind you to the
fragrance of the Johnson and Johnson baby
soap of the baby screaming beside you. You
would see palms searching for the conductor
who would be traveling on the foot board. The
palms, some soft, some very rough, some
clutching a flowery dainty
“hanky” and some alarmingly
yellow (later struck me that it
should be turmeric, for I had
thought that it might be an
extreme case of jaundice) all
carry change. You gasp for
breath and manouevre your
bulk towards any source of
light. This time you try
shutting your nose, for there
is a stench from the girl in jeans who must have
emptied three or four bottles of perfume, enough
to knock you out for a couple of days.
The twist in the tale comes when a co-passenger
behind you finally decides to get off the bus. The
question is HOW? It would be more tangible to
walk on the scaffolding across a fifty storey
building. You tend to think that your destination is
far, far away, but before you know it, it's already
there and you punch yourself through a mass of
tightly intertwined human bodies. Sometimes,
unfortunately, women with long hair get it stuck in
the zip of a hand bag of a bob-haired girl and they
scream "my stop, my hair, my stop". Then the girl
would scream, "hey, leave my bag"...Conductor
screams "quick quick". Ultimately, the three of
them shriek, and the passengers up front smile
knowingly, as they have been through this all
their life.
It's the ladies above 60 who finally get to realize
their insecurity in this country that has been
independent for more than 60 years. It would
start with the old dame asking the conductor for
the whereabouts of the stop (though it's obvious
that she has been taking the same route from the
time she was born). Admitting her frailty, she
starts the torture of elbowing the person in front
of her fifteen minutes before her stop arrives (in a
journey, not lasting more than eighteen minutes)
and start edging her way towards the source of
light. The wackiest part is that they ALWAYS, (the
caps indicate, that it is indeed ALWAYS) get
stuck just at their stop and usually get entangled
with a college student's or school child's bag.
The kid screams and the lady develops a morbid
fear that the bus would move off without dumping
her and she tries, with the heart
of an Olympic swimmer (who
finds that a guy has just inched
past him when he is just half a
foot from the finish line), to wade
her way through. The kid
screams more as the bag
somehow gets entangled around
his neck. And the lady calls out
the names of a thousand Indian
deities to help her, who in the form of a tough
looking lady come in to the hullabaloo. Expertly,
she untangles the duo. While the kid is gasping
for breath, the old lady tumults out of the bus and
just remembers that she had forgotten to tell her
son that she is out.
"Chinraaaaasu...." she screams from outside
(uncannily like Manorama in "chinnagounder").
When she gets no response from the other side,
she is all panicked now. Before we can witness
the next scene of mother-son hugging or an
estranged mother's melancholy, the bus
catapults away. The one sole non participant
observing to this kind of high level mega serial
drama is the speaker of the FM radio,
broadcasting a "Kittu mama, Susie mami" show.
If you could really manage all these and still,
safely land at your destination, it's fantastic; you
have beaten a B-school student. Is there a better
way to learn management skills?
Srishti ‘09 75From CIT to Townhall
From CIT to TownhallTo travel from CIT to
Townhall at five pm
in a town bus is the
best way to learn
m a n a g e m e n t
skills. Once you
reach Townhall you
would get to know how
the mortal body, except
for the soul gets kicked, squashed,
squeezed, pulped and in that vein,
add a couple of adjectives that would
suit a banana inside a mixer.
After a minute or so of waiting in the
CIT bus stop, you would see people
get all tensed up, as if awaiting a
rhinoceros from Kaziranga. At a
distance one would catch a glimpse of a
misshapen object with seemingly extra
attachments slowly waddling towards the bus
stop. And, of course, by now you would know
that the frame is nothing but a bus, stuffed with
the extra-ordinary, ever resourceful citizens of
Coimbatore.
The bus, if it is private, screeches to a stop and
the conductor is the real
player here. Of all the
optimists we could ever
meet, this guy is the best
for imagining his bus to be
of the size of a football
ground where everyone
has a place."Keep moving
in, move, move", is all he
says repeatedly as he
calls for more of the junta to come in. They fit
themselves even in the nooks and corners of the
bus before one realizes that the
bus is standing lopsidedly, in
fact shaking ominously
near the edges of the
amazingly small bridge
near hopes. Here one has
visions of Vishnu and Shiva
alarmingly near, but the
valiant hero of the day stomps
his hoof over the accelerator and
the bus whizzes forward.
M.A. UttaraIII year, ECE
If you don't have the exact change, you are doomed. You might not be able to open your mouth, let alone your purse in the extremely crowded area.
If you don't have the exact change, you are
doomed. You might not be able to open your
mouth, let alone your purse in the extremely
crowded area. Then you would find yourself in
the seemingly middle of the bus, and have no
clue how you came over there (Partly by the
jostling and partly by the quaking of the bus).
Your nose would find a whiff of something new
every second. From the horrible stench of sweat
from the college boy standing behind you to the
fragrance of the Johnson and Johnson baby
soap of the baby screaming beside you. You
would see palms searching for the conductor
who would be traveling on the foot board. The
palms, some soft, some very rough, some
clutching a flowery dainty
“hanky” and some alarmingly
yellow (later struck me that it
should be turmeric, for I had
thought that it might be an
extreme case of jaundice) all
carry change. You gasp for
breath and manouevre your
bulk towards any source of
light. This time you try
shutting your nose, for there
is a stench from the girl in jeans who must have
emptied three or four bottles of perfume, enough
to knock you out for a couple of days.
The twist in the tale comes when a co-passenger
behind you finally decides to get off the bus. The
question is HOW? It would be more tangible to
walk on the scaffolding across a fifty storey
building. You tend to think that your destination is
far, far away, but before you know it, it's already
there and you punch yourself through a mass of
tightly intertwined human bodies. Sometimes,
unfortunately, women with long hair get it stuck in
the zip of a hand bag of a bob-haired girl and they
scream "my stop, my hair, my stop". Then the girl
would scream, "hey, leave my bag"...Conductor
screams "quick quick". Ultimately, the three of
them shriek, and the passengers up front smile
knowingly, as they have been through this all
their life.
It's the ladies above 60 who finally get to realize
their insecurity in this country that has been
independent for more than 60 years. It would
start with the old dame asking the conductor for
the whereabouts of the stop (though it's obvious
that she has been taking the same route from the
time she was born). Admitting her frailty, she
starts the torture of elbowing the person in front
of her fifteen minutes before her stop arrives (in a
journey, not lasting more than eighteen minutes)
and start edging her way towards the source of
light. The wackiest part is that they ALWAYS, (the
caps indicate, that it is indeed ALWAYS) get
stuck just at their stop and usually get entangled
with a college student's or school child's bag.
The kid screams and the lady develops a morbid
fear that the bus would move off without dumping
her and she tries, with the heart
of an Olympic swimmer (who
finds that a guy has just inched
past him when he is just half a
foot from the finish line), to wade
her way through. The kid
screams more as the bag
somehow gets entangled around
his neck. And the lady calls out
the names of a thousand Indian
deities to help her, who in the form of a tough
looking lady come in to the hullabaloo. Expertly,
she untangles the duo. While the kid is gasping
for breath, the old lady tumults out of the bus and
just remembers that she had forgotten to tell her
son that she is out.
"Chinraaaaasu...." she screams from outside
(uncannily like Manorama in "chinnagounder").
When she gets no response from the other side,
she is all panicked now. Before we can witness
the next scene of mother-son hugging or an
estranged mother's melancholy, the bus
catapults away. The one sole non participant
observing to this kind of high level mega serial
drama is the speaker of the FM radio,
broadcasting a "Kittu mama, Susie mami" show.
If you could really manage all these and still,
safely land at your destination, it's fantastic; you
have beaten a B-school student. Is there a better
way to learn management skills?
Srishti ‘09 75From CIT to Townhall
From CIT to TownhallTo travel from CIT to
Townhall at five pm
in a town bus is the
best way to learn
m a n a g e m e n t
skills. Once you
reach Townhall you
would get to know how
the mortal body, except
for the soul gets kicked, squashed,
squeezed, pulped and in that vein,
add a couple of adjectives that would
suit a banana inside a mixer.
After a minute or so of waiting in the
CIT bus stop, you would see people
get all tensed up, as if awaiting a
rhinoceros from Kaziranga. At a
distance one would catch a glimpse of a
misshapen object with seemingly extra
attachments slowly waddling towards the bus
stop. And, of course, by now you would know
that the frame is nothing but a bus, stuffed with
the extra-ordinary, ever resourceful citizens of
Coimbatore.
The bus, if it is private, screeches to a stop and
the conductor is the real
player here. Of all the
optimists we could ever
meet, this guy is the best
for imagining his bus to be
of the size of a football
ground where everyone
has a place."Keep moving
in, move, move", is all he
says repeatedly as he
calls for more of the junta to come in. They fit
themselves even in the nooks and corners of the
bus before one realizes that the
bus is standing lopsidedly, in
fact shaking ominously
near the edges of the
amazingly small bridge
near hopes. Here one has
visions of Vishnu and Shiva
alarmingly near, but the
valiant hero of the day stomps
his hoof over the accelerator and
the bus whizzes forward.
M.A. UttaraIII year, ECE
If you don't have the exact change, you are doomed. You might not be able to open your mouth, let alone your purse in the extremely crowded area.
Srishti ‘09 77Srishti ‘0976
C
The gelling of the team
The arrival of the truck
ome third year, the urge to set ourselves apart was really killing us. We had had enough of being just another brick in the wall. We really
wanted to do something that would set us apart and Shaastra 2008 provided us with an opportunity to do that. Being mechanical engineers, there were a lot of events in store for us, but the event that stole away the limelight was "FIRE n' ICE": an event based on Internal Combustion Engines This event was about building a mini monster-truck (yes, a real monster truck), powered by an IC Engine. Sounds ultra cool? Oh yeah, you bet it was!
There was no doubt in my mind when it came to choosing my teammates. Bino-my classmate, Karthik (from EEE), Shreyas and Nikith (both from other colleges) were my obvious choices due to the fact that they were both talented and dedicated. And more importantly, all of us end up having a fun time together.
We had our first meeting at Barista. Being absolute amateurs in RC racing we decided to buy and study an existing RC monster truck. There was a 2-fold benefit in this, first, we would get the required complex parts, and second, it would give us an insight into all the minute details to be kept in mind while designing another truck. After having selected our "expensive toy", our first hurdle was to transport it to India from the USA. Shipping was not an option. I tried asking my friends around, if they knew anyone returning from the US. I knew this was a futile effort, but miraculously my classmate's brother was returning to India in 2 days. I was jumping for joy! I sent a mail immediately, and
Mukunda ShankarIII year Mech
Team Work
really hoped for a quick reply. He said that he would be really happy to help us in whatever way possible. I couldn't believe my ears. Bino, my supercharged pal was ready to go to Bangalore to pick up the truck on Sunday (just after the midsem) and by making this one-day visit, he saved a lot of time for our team. On his way back, kids were crowding near him to look at the box of the truck, and some people even assumed him to be a salesman and started asking him the price of his product!! Bino arrived with the truck at my place. This was where the fun started.
The truck was simply a masterpiece. We admired it,
from every angle, but work had to start. At the right
time, we got expert advice from Murarie, an RC
enthusiast. When we showed him our designs for the
truck, he advised us to stick to the original design as
much as possible. It sounded sensible, but, we knew
that there was a lot of work to be done. We got our act
together immediately. Bino and I worked on the CAD
models. We started with the main platform, housing
the engine and the gearbox. We knew that the
meshing of the gears required precision, so we
borrowed a digital vernier from the Civil department.
We are really grateful to the department for their timely
help. In a week's time we completed modeling all the
required parts. For the platform alone, we decided to
go in for EDM wire-cut, a precision manufacturing
process. Al l other parts were machined
conventionally. Our expenses had gone way over the
roof, and we still had a part to manufacture - The
Chassis frame. We were in a fix. And suddenly, it
dawned on me to make use of our Central
Workshop. We took the materials to the
workshop and started to work immediately.
With the assistant's initial help, we completed
most of the profile manually using hack-saw
blades and filers - I felt like I was in the first year
again! It seemed a near impossible task . But
Bino was undeterred. In short, I would say that
he is an embodiment of dedication. He worked
with the hacksaw and filer and brought the
profile to shape after 5 hours of continuous
manual labor! And to top it all, we had our mid
semesters the very next day!! But then, that's
Bino, who worked hard despite the
pressure….kudos to him!
Bring me to Life- Song of the truck
Simultaneously, we were assembling our truck, and
all of us were working rigorously. Whenever we
encountered a hurdle, Shreyas came up with brilliant
instant-fix ideas! He was really the idea-factory of our
team. Nikith also came up with simple solutions to
complex problems! Karthik played a vital role too.
With his portable driller, he worked his magic,
rectifying all the errors in the manufactured parts.
The list of the parts we manufactured were the
platform on which the engine sat, the suspension
system, the steering, the chassis and the bulkheads
between which the differential is housed and of
course the wheel hubs, the most complex part of the
assembly, that no other team had manufactured.
The thing that set our truck apart was the body cover
that really made it look like a monster! We had a
major problem with the steering and I had given up
hope, so had Karthik. But then it was Bino, who
motivated me and made me realize my folly. Shreyas
worked meticulously and came up with a quick fix
idea even to this problem. Our morale was soaring.
Bino was the grease monkey, meshing the clutch
and the gear box but then, I guess I had an important
role in the team too! "VRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM
MMM", the truck finally sprung to life!!! It looked like a
caged monster waiting for its prey! Force
Coimbatore looked to be heading in the right
direction!
The competition
We reached IIT-M and wasted no time in fine-tuning
our truck. Come 3rd October, we were geared for the
prelims. The first round comprised of a drag race and
weight pulling event. While practicing, the truck spun
out of control and banged against a concrete wall!
CRITICAL DAMAGE. I was filled with guilt being the
controller. Everything was over. Even in that
depression, Bino was undeterred. He motivated us
and we fixed the truck to make it run. But the damage
had been done. We did the weight pulling first, but
my hopes weren't high. But then, divine grace
poured on us yet again, and to our surprise, we stood
first in that round! Next we tried the drag race, and
our timing wasn't bad and we stood fifth. After the
drag race, we noticed that we had been dethroned
from first place in the weight pulling event. So, we
gave another try and pushed our truck a little too
hard, and it caused further damage. We thought that
this was not something severe, but it turned out to be
one of our worst nightmares. The results were out
the next day. We stood fourth overall and were
through to the finals!!! We started mending the truck
by evening…but it turned out to be too late. We
figured out the problem, and it hit us like a shockwave.
Apparently, by pushing our truck too hard, we had
destroyed the spring of the clutch, a highly crucial part.
There is no way to fix a broken spring, so we had to get a
new one. But this was not the kind of spring one can get
in a hardware shop; it was a specialized spring. Some
help from the the non-finalist Coimbatore teams, we
thought would be great. It was 11 pm and astoundingly
enough, a Coimbatore team agreed to help us out. We
went to Saidapet and got the part we were looking for.
We came back by 12:30 am and then the moment of
truth. We replaced the broken clutch, and like magic,
we were back in the game! In a matter of 8 hours, it was
time for the finals! While practicing, the truck developed
a snag. We realized that it was the same clutch
problem. This time, it was for me to take the lead. My
teammates who were cynical initially, acquiesced to fix
the truck. We had just 5 minutes before our turn. But we
worked like an F1 pit-stop crew, and everything was
fixed just in time! (this time there was no damage to the
spring, it had just unhooked). We did two runs, it wasn't
really impressive and we stood only 5th. But there was
no sorrow in our hearts. We felt a great sense of
achievement! We felt the spirit of engineering!!! We felt
we were engineers!!
The fact that, we were the only ones to conform to most of the rules, gave us a sense of satisfaction. Getting a consolation prize out of 50 participating teams from all over India was an added perk. The crux of the entire journey was that, we had learnt what it meant to work as a team. There were a lot of ups and downs but all this was overshadowed by what we had achieved. It was our undeterred spirit and mutual support that kept us going. Yes, there's a lot more room for improvement but we're just kids in the arena of the big boys, and with experience I'm sure one day, we'll win the first prize.
Team work is divine!
Team Work
* The thing that set our truck apart was the body
cover that really made it look like a monster!
* The fact that, we were the only ones to conform
to most of the rules, gave us a sense of
satisfaction.
Srishti ‘09 77Srishti ‘0976
C
The gelling of the team
The arrival of the truck
ome third year, the urge to set ourselves apart was really killing us. We had had enough of being just another brick in the wall. We really
wanted to do something that would set us apart and Shaastra 2008 provided us with an opportunity to do that. Being mechanical engineers, there were a lot of events in store for us, but the event that stole away the limelight was "FIRE n' ICE": an event based on Internal Combustion Engines This event was about building a mini monster-truck (yes, a real monster truck), powered by an IC Engine. Sounds ultra cool? Oh yeah, you bet it was!
There was no doubt in my mind when it came to choosing my teammates. Bino-my classmate, Karthik (from EEE), Shreyas and Nikith (both from other colleges) were my obvious choices due to the fact that they were both talented and dedicated. And more importantly, all of us end up having a fun time together.
We had our first meeting at Barista. Being absolute amateurs in RC racing we decided to buy and study an existing RC monster truck. There was a 2-fold benefit in this, first, we would get the required complex parts, and second, it would give us an insight into all the minute details to be kept in mind while designing another truck. After having selected our "expensive toy", our first hurdle was to transport it to India from the USA. Shipping was not an option. I tried asking my friends around, if they knew anyone returning from the US. I knew this was a futile effort, but miraculously my classmate's brother was returning to India in 2 days. I was jumping for joy! I sent a mail immediately, and
Mukunda ShankarIII year Mech
Team Work
really hoped for a quick reply. He said that he would be really happy to help us in whatever way possible. I couldn't believe my ears. Bino, my supercharged pal was ready to go to Bangalore to pick up the truck on Sunday (just after the midsem) and by making this one-day visit, he saved a lot of time for our team. On his way back, kids were crowding near him to look at the box of the truck, and some people even assumed him to be a salesman and started asking him the price of his product!! Bino arrived with the truck at my place. This was where the fun started.
The truck was simply a masterpiece. We admired it,
from every angle, but work had to start. At the right
time, we got expert advice from Murarie, an RC
enthusiast. When we showed him our designs for the
truck, he advised us to stick to the original design as
much as possible. It sounded sensible, but, we knew
that there was a lot of work to be done. We got our act
together immediately. Bino and I worked on the CAD
models. We started with the main platform, housing
the engine and the gearbox. We knew that the
meshing of the gears required precision, so we
borrowed a digital vernier from the Civil department.
We are really grateful to the department for their timely
help. In a week's time we completed modeling all the
required parts. For the platform alone, we decided to
go in for EDM wire-cut, a precision manufacturing
process. Al l other parts were machined
conventionally. Our expenses had gone way over the
roof, and we still had a part to manufacture - The
Chassis frame. We were in a fix. And suddenly, it
dawned on me to make use of our Central
Workshop. We took the materials to the
workshop and started to work immediately.
With the assistant's initial help, we completed
most of the profile manually using hack-saw
blades and filers - I felt like I was in the first year
again! It seemed a near impossible task . But
Bino was undeterred. In short, I would say that
he is an embodiment of dedication. He worked
with the hacksaw and filer and brought the
profile to shape after 5 hours of continuous
manual labor! And to top it all, we had our mid
semesters the very next day!! But then, that's
Bino, who worked hard despite the
pressure….kudos to him!
Bring me to Life- Song of the truck
Simultaneously, we were assembling our truck, and
all of us were working rigorously. Whenever we
encountered a hurdle, Shreyas came up with brilliant
instant-fix ideas! He was really the idea-factory of our
team. Nikith also came up with simple solutions to
complex problems! Karthik played a vital role too.
With his portable driller, he worked his magic,
rectifying all the errors in the manufactured parts.
The list of the parts we manufactured were the
platform on which the engine sat, the suspension
system, the steering, the chassis and the bulkheads
between which the differential is housed and of
course the wheel hubs, the most complex part of the
assembly, that no other team had manufactured.
The thing that set our truck apart was the body cover
that really made it look like a monster! We had a
major problem with the steering and I had given up
hope, so had Karthik. But then it was Bino, who
motivated me and made me realize my folly. Shreyas
worked meticulously and came up with a quick fix
idea even to this problem. Our morale was soaring.
Bino was the grease monkey, meshing the clutch
and the gear box but then, I guess I had an important
role in the team too! "VRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM
MMM", the truck finally sprung to life!!! It looked like a
caged monster waiting for its prey! Force
Coimbatore looked to be heading in the right
direction!
The competition
We reached IIT-M and wasted no time in fine-tuning
our truck. Come 3rd October, we were geared for the
prelims. The first round comprised of a drag race and
weight pulling event. While practicing, the truck spun
out of control and banged against a concrete wall!
CRITICAL DAMAGE. I was filled with guilt being the
controller. Everything was over. Even in that
depression, Bino was undeterred. He motivated us
and we fixed the truck to make it run. But the damage
had been done. We did the weight pulling first, but
my hopes weren't high. But then, divine grace
poured on us yet again, and to our surprise, we stood
first in that round! Next we tried the drag race, and
our timing wasn't bad and we stood fifth. After the
drag race, we noticed that we had been dethroned
from first place in the weight pulling event. So, we
gave another try and pushed our truck a little too
hard, and it caused further damage. We thought that
this was not something severe, but it turned out to be
one of our worst nightmares. The results were out
the next day. We stood fourth overall and were
through to the finals!!! We started mending the truck
by evening…but it turned out to be too late. We
figured out the problem, and it hit us like a shockwave.
Apparently, by pushing our truck too hard, we had
destroyed the spring of the clutch, a highly crucial part.
There is no way to fix a broken spring, so we had to get a
new one. But this was not the kind of spring one can get
in a hardware shop; it was a specialized spring. Some
help from the the non-finalist Coimbatore teams, we
thought would be great. It was 11 pm and astoundingly
enough, a Coimbatore team agreed to help us out. We
went to Saidapet and got the part we were looking for.
We came back by 12:30 am and then the moment of
truth. We replaced the broken clutch, and like magic,
we were back in the game! In a matter of 8 hours, it was
time for the finals! While practicing, the truck developed
a snag. We realized that it was the same clutch
problem. This time, it was for me to take the lead. My
teammates who were cynical initially, acquiesced to fix
the truck. We had just 5 minutes before our turn. But we
worked like an F1 pit-stop crew, and everything was
fixed just in time! (this time there was no damage to the
spring, it had just unhooked). We did two runs, it wasn't
really impressive and we stood only 5th. But there was
no sorrow in our hearts. We felt a great sense of
achievement! We felt the spirit of engineering!!! We felt
we were engineers!!
The fact that, we were the only ones to conform to most of the rules, gave us a sense of satisfaction. Getting a consolation prize out of 50 participating teams from all over India was an added perk. The crux of the entire journey was that, we had learnt what it meant to work as a team. There were a lot of ups and downs but all this was overshadowed by what we had achieved. It was our undeterred spirit and mutual support that kept us going. Yes, there's a lot more room for improvement but we're just kids in the arena of the big boys, and with experience I'm sure one day, we'll win the first prize.
Team work is divine!
Team Work
* The thing that set our truck apart was the body
cover that really made it look like a monster!
* The fact that, we were the only ones to conform
to most of the rules, gave us a sense of
satisfaction.
Srishti ‘0978
Ramkumar & KarthikIV year, ECE
GenNext Srishti ‘09 79
G xenNe t
s ly.Mo t ..Well! What th
do you ink?Ge x Y
u
n Ne ? o
e n ople i
m ape
n
th t
e te??
eirw n i s
next
Karthik: Hi Dude .Wassup?
Hey Man!!
Karthik: So,How's life ??
Life's Good. I'm just a little concerned though…
Karthik: Concerned?
Yeah! I'm worried about the changing attitude and lifestyle of generation next.
K: Gen Nex? You mean people in their twenties??
Mostly…Well! What do you think?
K: I think we need more freedom, space &exposure to carve out a niche for ourselves.
Freedom? But its mostly misused. "Wider is the gate, Broader is the temptation".
K: Not Exactly. Present scenario is that, "we aren't acting but acted upon". Till we are 25, our parents influence us in absolutely everything; All the way from the choosing the color of our jeans to the color of our future genes. For the next ten years, we become pliable to our wife's wishes & for the next 25, our life becomes children-centric. Then, one day our time is up. How many of us can say that, "I am what I am because of the choices I have made in my life?"
But don't you feel that the wisdom of our parents is necessary to guide us through this adulterated world? Do you think we are omniscient?
K: No, we may not be omniscient but neither are they. Empathetic Communication is certainly lacking. It is said that, "No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside". Now, the sad part is that, our life is rife with these persuasions.
If their guidance is beneficial, why shouldn't we accept it?
K: All that guidance just makes us conservative. On the other hand, Steve Jobs (Apple), Bill Gates(Microsoft), Michael Dell (Dell), Page and Brin(Google), Mark Zuckerburg (Face Book), were all entrepreneurs, and managed to make colossal fortunes in their early twenties. These guys had the Carte Blanche to follow their heart and take tough decisions without being influenced. If our present attitude prolongs, we would never have such people who change the world in the near future.
Hey! What about the lamentable condition of our culture? In the name of globalization, our culture is continuously degraded. In this so called "Connected world", we don't even know who our neighbor is. Everyone is moving towards a nuclear family and is deprived of love and affection as in a joint family. No moral stories from Grand Parents, no advice from siblings, nothing.
K: In this fast world, change seems to be inevitable. Culture needs to evolve and adapt with time. Why not "change for the good" as said by the first Afro American President Barack Obama in his historical acceptance speech, even though I am against the mushrooming nuclear family vogue.
It doesn't stop there. Video Games, films, books and even cartoons contain a lot of violence which instigates the younger lot to indulge in immoral activities. Juvenile delinquencies have flared up. To substantiate this, hear this piece of news, an altercation between two school students culminated in the killing of one guy by the other.
Ram Kumar:
Ramkumar:
Ram Kumar:
R:
R:
R:
R:
R:
R:
K: Of Course it is a matter of concern, but I don't feel it's an epidemic rather it is strictly confined to the individual's moral values and conscience. Every system has pros and cons. But at the end of the day, the important thing is which weighs significantly more. Perhaps, it is like sacrificing a candy for a cricket match.
R: I would definitely go for a candy.
K: It may sound clichéd, but it’s worth mentioning: Our Current educational system is really sick. It doesn't give room for innovation and creativeness. Even our country's vainglorious IT industry has a serious limitation. Its Products are mostly non-transformational and non-revolutionizing. Projects requiring high skills and research are mostly dealt by IBM, Accenture and other MNCs based in the US. The so called IT revolution may even turn out to be a fleeting one. This is the reason why we fear the Chinese influence in the software gamut in the near future.
R: I even have to mention the complacency of youth lagging in drive and motivation. We also ought to know our responsibility and the value of time and money.
K: Freedom and responsibility is certainly a false dichotomy. Focus again shifts to granting liberty which entails drive and motivation. For knowing the value of money, parents must make their children a part of the decision making process in the family affairs. But what is the reality?
R: Whatever! ….But I feel that change is good but not at the cost of existing good values. Blind westernization is unacceptable. We came to this world because of our parents. All of our interests can be pursued, at the same time our parents' feelings have to be considered.
K: India is getting bigger in the world map not because of the corrupt politicians, derelict bureaucrats, ever weakening resources nor the flawed education system. But because of the fact that nearly 70% of our population is very young and raring to go. We are waiting to be untethered, unbridled and to debouch.
May be we need the guidance, but not the guarding; we can be provided with choices but not with choices made for us; the path can be shown but we shouldn't be pushed into the path.
R: Hey hang loose da. Let’s have a cup of tea.
K: Hoops! Its time...Need to be in KG complex in another half an hour...Bye!
R: I guess u were right in your argument, we need more freedom . Ha ha… Ok bye da!
Srishti ‘0978
Ramkumar & KarthikIV year, ECE
GenNext Srishti ‘09 79
G xenNe t
ly.Most ..Well! What h
do you t ink?Ge Nx Y
u
ne ? o
e n ople in
m ape
th twe te??
eirn i s
next
Karthik: Hi Dude .Wassup?
Hey Man!!
Karthik: So,How's life ??
Life's Good. I'm just a little concerned though…
Karthik: Concerned?
Yeah! I'm worried about the changing attitude and lifestyle of generation next.
K: Gen Nex? You mean people in their twenties??
Mostly…Well! What do you think?
K: I think we need more freedom, space &exposure to carve out a niche for ourselves.
Freedom? But its mostly misused. "Wider is the gate, Broader is the temptation".
K: Not Exactly. Present scenario is that, "we aren't acting but acted upon". Till we are 25, our parents influence us in absolutely everything; All the way from the choosing the color of our jeans to the color of our future genes. For the next ten years, we become pliable to our wife's wishes & for the next 25, our life becomes children-centric. Then, one day our time is up. How many of us can say that, "I am what I am because of the choices I have made in my life?"
But don't you feel that the wisdom of our parents is necessary to guide us through this adulterated world? Do you think we are omniscient?
K: No, we may not be omniscient but neither are they. Empathetic Communication is certainly lacking. It is said that, "No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside". Now, the sad part is that, our life is rife with these persuasions.
If their guidance is beneficial, why shouldn't we accept it?
K: All that guidance just makes us conservative. On the other hand, Steve Jobs (Apple), Bill Gates(Microsoft), Michael Dell (Dell), Page and Brin(Google), Mark Zuckerburg (Face Book), were all entrepreneurs, and managed to make colossal fortunes in their early twenties. These guys had the Carte Blanche to follow their heart and take tough decisions without being influenced. If our present attitude prolongs, we would never have such people who change the world in the near future.
Hey! What about the lamentable condition of our culture? In the name of globalization, our culture is continuously degraded. In this so called "Connected world", we don't even know who our neighbor is. Everyone is moving towards a nuclear family and is deprived of love and affection as in a joint family. No moral stories from Grand Parents, no advice from siblings, nothing.
K: In this fast world, change seems to be inevitable. Culture needs to evolve and adapt with time. Why not "change for the good" as said by the first Afro American President Barack Obama in his historical acceptance speech, even though I am against the mushrooming nuclear family vogue.
It doesn't stop there. Video Games, films, books and even cartoons contain a lot of violence which instigates the younger lot to indulge in immoral activities. Juvenile delinquencies have flared up. To substantiate this, hear this piece of news, an altercation between two school students culminated in the killing of one guy by the other.
Ram Kumar:
Ramkumar:
Ram Kumar:
R:
R:
R:
R:
R:
R:
K: Of Course it is a matter of concern, but I don't feel it's an epidemic rather it is strictly confined to the individual's moral values and conscience. Every system has pros and cons. But at the end of the day, the important thing is which weighs significantly more. Perhaps, it is like sacrificing a candy for a cricket match.
R: I would definitely go for a candy.
K: It may sound clichéd, but it’s worth mentioning: Our Current educational system is really sick. It doesn't give room for innovation and creativeness. Even our country's vainglorious IT industry has a serious limitation. Its Products are mostly non-transformational and non-revolutionizing. Projects requiring high skills and research are mostly dealt by IBM, Accenture and other MNCs based in the US. The so called IT revolution may even turn out to be a fleeting one. This is the reason why we fear the Chinese influence in the software gamut in the near future.
R: I even have to mention the complacency of youth lagging in drive and motivation. We also ought to know our responsibility and the value of time and money.
K: Freedom and responsibility is certainly a false dichotomy. Focus again shifts to granting liberty which entails drive and motivation. For knowing the value of money, parents must make their children a part of the decision making process in the family affairs. But what is the reality?
R: Whatever! ….But I feel that change is good but not at the cost of existing good values. Blind westernization is unacceptable. We came to this world because of our parents. All of our interests can be pursued, at the same time our parents' feelings have to be considered.
K: India is getting bigger in the world map not because of the corrupt politicians, derelict bureaucrats, ever weakening resources nor the flawed education system. But because of the fact that nearly 70% of our population is very young and raring to go. We are waiting to be untethered, unbridled and to debouch.
May be we need the guidance, but not the guarding; we can be provided with choices but not with choices made for us; the path can be shown but we shouldn't be pushed into the path.
R: Hey hang loose da. Let’s have a cup of tea.
K: Hoops! Its time...Need to be in KG complex in another half an hour...Bye!
R: I guess u were right in your argument, we need more freedom . Ha ha… Ok bye da!
Srishti ‘0980 Sylvester Pious.VIV year, ECE Caste based society Srishti ‘09 81
“India lives in several centuries at the same time. Somehow we manage to progress and regress simultaneously. As a nation we age by pushing outward from the middle - adding a few centuries on to either end of our extraordinary C.V"
- Arundhati Roy.
I was silently nodding my head in acceptance when I first read that quote by Ms.Roy. We live in a country caught between modernisation, which threatens to tear apart ancient institutions and a large society which tries to hold on to those values.
The Mumbai terror attacks on November 2008, masked the passing away of V.P.Singh. He can arguably, be called the father of coalition politics. He was also a very controversial figure in our nation's political history. So controversial that after a short reign of one year, as the prime minister of India, he resigned from active politics and took to art and poetry. He stirred up a controversy that has had repercussions till date. From being considered a reformist leader, he sunk into infamy for trying to implement the Mandal Commission recommendations that advised reservation of 49.5% for backward classes (up from an existing 27 % for SC's and ST's). The 'not so old' struggle by students of central institutions, the court cases, and the implementation of quotas for OBC's are fallouts of the decision made by him.
- The One Thing You Dont Speak About
Caste Based Society
My aim here is not to debate on his actions. Primarily because of the gray areas between what is right and wrong, the gray areas in which most of the world's dynamics lie. What I intend to do is to try and shed some light on this controversial topic. For caste based reservation is not something that is pointless nor is it the panacea. For some of us 'caste based reservation' is something that prevented our entry into top engineering colleges, For some of us it is something that made it possible to get into the same top colleges. For some of us caste is something that is a part of our traditional cultural entity, for some of us it is a relic of the past, and to some of us it is immaterial as long as it does not stand in our way. But whatever be the case, we the student community in colleges have come in contact with caste and have either benefited or suffered due to it.
An interesting thing that I would like to note here is that caste is not uniquely Indian. The Vedas define the structure of a Hindu community to consist of the Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishnavas, and Sudras. This classification is similar to what was followed in Europe along with the guild system. They had the nobles, priests, soldiers and serfs. Serfs were the labourers and servants who worked for the other classes. But that was back in the 10th century. So what has made their societies move
on? The founding of America, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and Renaissance have all played their role in the development of the European society.
But why is that when someone mentions caste, it has become to mean the castes in India. So why did not the caste system in India 'almost disappear' like it did in the western world? The main reason is that Hinduism, more than being a religion, is a way of life for the people. The caste system has been written into the Hindu religion by the scriptures so strongly that it is not possible to change the system without religious reform. Any religion's main goal is to provide a code of morality for its followers to believe in and follow. Religion helps create responsible individuals who will be easy to govern. The fear of god strikes terror in those who think of committing crimes and faith in god acts as a source of hope to those in need.
In Hinduism, the moral code is called 'Dharma'. In this life, if you live by the rules laid out in the Vedas and also do the work that your caste decides for you, you will get a chance to be reborn in an upper caste (being). The concept of caste when mingled with that of reincarnation and the core values of the religion makes reform difficult. The system is (was) so rigid that it provides(ed) no social mobility during a person's lifetime.
So the next logical question is that if Caste system is a by product of the Hindu Vedas, why do people of other religions too have caste identities? This question can be answered by the observation made by analysing the reports by various commissions l ike the Kalelkar commission of 1955 and the Mandal Commission of 1980.
Kalelkar notes that "He found that the special
concessions and privileges accorded to the
Hindu castes acted as a bait and a bribe inciting
Muslim and Christian society to revert to caste
and caste prejudices and the healthy social
reforms effected by Islam and Christianity were
being thus rendered null and void. Muslims came
forward to prove that except for the four upper
castes, all the other Muslim castes were
inferior and backward. The Indian
Christians also were prepared to fall in
the trap…" (page vi, para 20).
We can see that caste as seen by
the Indian government is there just
t o i d e n t i f y t h e b a c k w a r d
communities. Mandal commission
reports do make good reading for
those who have time for it. For
those who still believe that the term
OC that they saw when they
appeared for counselling meant
"Other Castes", this might as well
be an enlightening experience.
Our Indian Society has never been a
perfect one right from its beginning. Any
reform done to the system has to come
from us, Indians. The British had no need to
enforce reforms and it would have been
• Caste based
reservation is not
something that is
pointless nor is it
the panacea.
• Our Indian
Society has never
been a perfect
one right from
its beginning. Any
reform done to
the system has to
come from us,
Indians.
Srishti ‘0980 Sylvester Pious.VIV year, ECE Caste based society Srishti ‘09 81
“India lives in several centuries at the same time. Somehow we manage to progress and regress simultaneously. As a nation we age by pushing outward from the middle - adding a few centuries on to either end of our extraordinary C.V"
- Arundhati Roy.
I was silently nodding my head in acceptance when I first read that quote by Ms.Roy. We live in a country caught between modernisation, which threatens to tear apart ancient institutions and a large society which tries to hold on to those values.
The Mumbai terror attacks on November 2008, masked the passing away of V.P.Singh. He can arguably, be called the father of coalition politics. He was also a very controversial figure in our nation's political history. So controversial that after a short reign of one year, as the prime minister of India, he resigned from active politics and took to art and poetry. He stirred up a controversy that has had repercussions till date. From being considered a reformist leader, he sunk into infamy for trying to implement the Mandal Commission recommendations that advised reservation of 49.5% for backward classes (up from an existing 27 % for SC's and ST's). The 'not so old' struggle by students of central institutions, the court cases, and the implementation of quotas for OBC's are fallouts of the decision made by him.
- The One Thing You Dont Speak About
Caste Based Society
My aim here is not to debate on his actions. Primarily because of the gray areas between what is right and wrong, the gray areas in which most of the world's dynamics lie. What I intend to do is to try and shed some light on this controversial topic. For caste based reservation is not something that is pointless nor is it the panacea. For some of us 'caste based reservation' is something that prevented our entry into top engineering colleges, For some of us it is something that made it possible to get into the same top colleges. For some of us caste is something that is a part of our traditional cultural entity, for some of us it is a relic of the past, and to some of us it is immaterial as long as it does not stand in our way. But whatever be the case, we the student community in colleges have come in contact with caste and have either benefited or suffered due to it.
An interesting thing that I would like to note here is that caste is not uniquely Indian. The Vedas define the structure of a Hindu community to consist of the Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishnavas, and Sudras. This classification is similar to what was followed in Europe along with the guild system. They had the nobles, priests, soldiers and serfs. Serfs were the labourers and servants who worked for the other classes. But that was back in the 10th century. So what has made their societies move
on? The founding of America, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and Renaissance have all played their role in the development of the European society.
But why is that when someone mentions caste, it has become to mean the castes in India. So why did not the caste system in India 'almost disappear' like it did in the western world? The main reason is that Hinduism, more than being a religion, is a way of life for the people. The caste system has been written into the Hindu religion by the scriptures so strongly that it is not possible to change the system without religious reform. Any religion's main goal is to provide a code of morality for its followers to believe in and follow. Religion helps create responsible individuals who will be easy to govern. The fear of god strikes terror in those who think of committing crimes and faith in god acts as a source of hope to those in need.
In Hinduism, the moral code is called 'Dharma'. In this life, if you live by the rules laid out in the Vedas and also do the work that your caste decides for you, you will get a chance to be reborn in an upper caste (being). The concept of caste when mingled with that of reincarnation and the core values of the religion makes reform difficult. The system is (was) so rigid that it provides(ed) no social mobility during a person's lifetime.
So the next logical question is that if Caste system is a by product of the Hindu Vedas, why do people of other religions too have caste identities? This question can be answered by the observation made by analysing the reports by various commissions l ike the Kalelkar commission of 1955 and the Mandal Commission of 1980.
Kalelkar notes that "He found that the special
concessions and privileges accorded to the
Hindu castes acted as a bait and a bribe inciting
Muslim and Christian society to revert to caste
and caste prejudices and the healthy social
reforms effected by Islam and Christianity were
being thus rendered null and void. Muslims came
forward to prove that except for the four upper
castes, all the other Muslim castes were
inferior and backward. The Indian
Christians also were prepared to fall in
the trap…" (page vi, para 20).
We can see that caste as seen by
the Indian government is there just
t o i d e n t i f y t h e b a c k w a r d
communities. Mandal commission
reports do make good reading for
those who have time for it. For
those who still believe that the term
OC that they saw when they
appeared for counselling meant
"Other Castes", this might as well
be an enlightening experience.
Our Indian Society has never been a
perfect one right from its beginning. Any
reform done to the system has to come
from us, Indians. The British had no need to
enforce reforms and it would have been
• Caste based
reservation is not
something that is
pointless nor is it
the panacea.
• Our Indian
Society has never
been a perfect
one right from
its beginning. Any
reform done to
the system has to
come from us,
Indians.
B.T
ec
h.
Ch
em
ica
l E
ng
ine
eri
ng
Srishti ‘0982
you see." I didn't see, but I knew why my dad
had laid down those rules when I was a kid.
Caste based reservations instead of their
stated objective of ensuring social equality
have been quite counterproductive with people
from backward castes trying to ascertain their
caste identity. Even commissions appointed to
review these reservations have come to the
same conclusion. Kalelkar himself says that,
"Two years of experience have convinced us of
the dangers of the spread of casteism and…
have also led us… to the conclusion that it
would have been better if we could determine
the criteria of backwardness on principles other
than caste" (page xiv, para 60). But these reservations
still continue because of the unavailability of
any other metric to gauge social inequality and
backwardness.
In a country where communal strife is already
the order of the day and parties flaunt their
secularism or Hindutva ideology to create vote
banks, caste based politics is also on the rise.
People are becoming more caste conscious in
a very unhealthy way. Unless a powerful social
reform movement takes place, this trend is
going to continue. Kalelkar notes in his report,
" A l l c o m m u n a l a n d d e n o m i n a t i o n a l
organisations and groupings of lesser and
narrower units have to be watched carefully so
that they do not jeopardise the national
solidarity and do not weaken the efforts of the
nation to serve all the various elements in the
body politic with equity" (page iv, para 14).
Our constitutional goal is to establish a
casteless and classless society. And any belief
that reservation based on caste is helping us
achieve that is an illusion. A society that our
constitutional charter desires can only be
achieved through a conscious demand for
change by the public. The reform has to start
with oneself first. We will not achieve a caste
free society, a reservation free society
tomorrow. But if we are ready to make a sincere
attempt at creating one, it is surely possible to
do so.
Caste based society chemical
cdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcd
cdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdRi
ght
to E
qual
ity
catastrophic to them even if they had tried.
Caste was just another card in their pack of
divide and rule. It took great leaders like
Periyar, Mahatma Gandhi, and Ambedkar to
address the imme-diate evils of untouchability
in the society. These practices continue to this
date in the rural regions of India, best portrayed
by films like ‘Swades’.
Just because the urban population does not
face the full brunt of the evils of caste system
and sees the all rosy side of tradition and culture
in the continuance of caste, does not mean that
casteism is not similar to racial discrimination.
It took great reformists like Raja Ram Mohan
Roy, the founder of Arya Samaj, to bring
customs practised in Indian society like sati and
polygamy to an end. These issues have more or
less disappeared from mainstream society. But
after that there have been very few reform
movements.
I remember this small incident that happened
during a train journey to Chennai with 3 of my
friends. My dad had always advised me against
talking about politics in the public. I was
discussing with my friends about options
available to us after college. The talk dragged
on from placements to higher studies. Then the
issue of implementation of reservation in IIMs
came up. I was arguing in favour of reservations
being there to make sure that backward
communities got due representation. I was of
the opinion that once social equality is
es tab l i shed , rese rva t i ons wou ld be
unnecessary and that the practice will cease to
exist. This was when one of the passengers
who had been a silent observer so far, made a
remark. "Reservations in India will not be gone
as long as India remains a democracy. There is
not enough political will to do something like
doing away with reservations. Look at them,
already trying to implement more and more
reservation" he said. I tried to point out to him
that the IIMs were implementing reservations in
a phased manner, and that they were
increasing intake to make sure that the general
candidates are not being affected. To this, he
said, "Well I don't know those things, I am FC
Right to Freedom
Right Against Exploitation
B.T
ec
h.
Ch
em
ica
l E
ng
ine
eri
ng
Srishti ‘0982
you see." I didn't see, but I knew why my dad
had laid down those rules when I was a kid.
Caste based reservations instead of their
stated objective of ensuring social equality
have been quite counterproductive with people
from backward castes trying to ascertain their
caste identity. Even commissions appointed to
review these reservations have come to the
same conclusion. Kalelkar himself says that,
"Two years of experience have convinced us of
the dangers of the spread of casteism and…
have also led us… to the conclusion that it
would have been better if we could determine
the criteria of backwardness on principles other
than caste" (page xiv, para 60). But these reservations
still continue because of the unavailability of
any other metric to gauge social inequality and
backwardness.
In a country where communal strife is already
the order of the day and parties flaunt their
secularism or Hindutva ideology to create vote
banks, caste based politics is also on the rise.
People are becoming more caste conscious in
a very unhealthy way. Unless a powerful social
reform movement takes place, this trend is
going to continue. Kalelkar notes in his report,
" A l l c o m m u n a l a n d d e n o m i n a t i o n a l
organisations and groupings of lesser and
narrower units have to be watched carefully so
that they do not jeopardise the national
solidarity and do not weaken the efforts of the
nation to serve all the various elements in the
body politic with equity" (page iv, para 14).
Our constitutional goal is to establish a
casteless and classless society. And any belief
that reservation based on caste is helping us
achieve that is an illusion. A society that our
constitutional charter desires can only be
achieved through a conscious demand for
change by the public. The reform has to start
with oneself first. We will not achieve a caste
free society, a reservation free society
tomorrow. But if we are ready to make a sincere
attempt at creating one, it is surely possible to
do so.
Caste based society chemical
cdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcd
cdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcd
Righ
t to E
qual
ity
catastrophic to them even if they had tried.
Caste was just another card in their pack of
divide and rule. It took great leaders like
Periyar, Mahatma Gandhi, and Ambedkar to
address the imme-diate evils of untouchability
in the society. These practices continue to this
date in the rural regions of India, best portrayed
by films like ‘Swades’.
Just because the urban population does not
face the full brunt of the evils of caste system
and sees the all rosy side of tradition and culture
in the continuance of caste, does not mean that
casteism is not similar to racial discrimination.
It took great reformists like Raja Ram Mohan
Roy, the founder of Arya Samaj, to bring
customs practised in Indian society like sati and
polygamy to an end. These issues have more or
less disappeared from mainstream society. But
after that there have been very few reform
movements.
I remember this small incident that happened
during a train journey to Chennai with 3 of my
friends. My dad had always advised me against
talking about politics in the public. I was
discussing with my friends about options
available to us after college. The talk dragged
on from placements to higher studies. Then the
issue of implementation of reservation in IIMs
came up. I was arguing in favour of reservations
being there to make sure that backward
communities got due representation. I was of
the opinion that once social equality is
es tab l i shed , rese rva t i ons wou ld be
unnecessary and that the practice will cease to
exist. This was when one of the passengers
who had been a silent observer so far, made a
remark. "Reservations in India will not be gone
as long as India remains a democracy. There is
not enough political will to do something like
doing away with reservations. Look at them,
already trying to implement more and more
reservation" he said. I tried to point out to him
that the IIMs were implementing reservations in
a phased manner, and that they were
increasing intake to make sure that the general
candidates are not being affected. To this, he
said, "Well I don't know those things, I am FC
Right to Freedom
Right Against Exploitation
Srishti ‘0984Archana Asokan
II year, IT
Hall of Reckoning
B.E
. C
ivil
En
gin
ee
rin
g
Hall of Reckoning
Great bards are born in exam halls,
And great ballads from ink pens,
For it is here, time awaits,
Till the huge bells beckon.
There are a few with mighty hearts,
Whose eyes rest on white angels.
For it is here, love stretches its arms,
Only to flood or ebb when arrears fall.
Then there are those Hunted,
Living under the shadow of Fear,
To be excused from the Great Hall,
When the Hunters make their call.
Yet there are others in numbers less,
Who sharpen their swords ere the dawn,
But blunt them long before the call,
Only to see their name high on the wall.
civil
Srishti ‘0984Archana Asokan
II year, IT
Hall of Reckoning
B.E
. C
ivil
En
gin
ee
rin
g
Hall of Reckoning
Great bards are born in exam halls,
And great ballads from ink pens,
For it is here, time awaits,
Till the huge bells beckon.
There are a few with mighty hearts,
Whose eyes rest on white angels.
For it is here, love stretches its arms,
Only to flood or ebb when arrears fall.
Then there are those Hunted,
Living under the shadow of Fear,
To be excused from the Great Hall,
When the Hunters make their call.
Yet there are others in numbers less,
Who sharpen their swords ere the dawn,
But blunt them long before the call,
Only to see their name high on the wall.
civil
B.E
. C
om
pu
ter
Sc
ien
ce
an
d E
ng
ine
eri
ng
Srishti ‘0986Uttara M.A.
III year, ECE
Ananya was beautiful. When I say beautiful, I mean it. Ananya was beautiful, for you could stop
for a second and then one more second and finally think, "Wow.... maybe if I have a little girl
someday…" She lived her life so happily, for it was as beautiful as she was. This was probably
because she was only ten years old and because she had the time to stop, stand, stare and smile at every pretty niche of
her life.
Anything she saw filled those inquisitive eyes with wonder. The earthworm that slowly crawled in her garden; the yellow
flowers that dropped from the trees to form a wide carpet beneath the trees; the ink blue darkness and the stars... She
wouldn't allow anyone to pluck her roses. She loved looking at the sky at night...She loved the constellations.
Sometimes she felt that she had sprouted wings when her dad pushed her in the swing. And she would shout
"wheeeee...this is fun… will fly will fly". The universe dazzled her. Sometimes she would stop beneath a tree and look at
the sunlight streaming through the green branches. People called her a lovely girl. And she called everything lovely.
As I was saying Ananya loved space. She took her little telescope to the terrace on most of the days and pretended to
peep in to Andromeda. And would come back shouting to her mother that she had seen an alien space ship which would
actually be an airplane. She would say that one day she would go to space, and would see her garden from the window of
her space ship. If her mother had let her stick posters in her room, she would have gotten life size stills of Sunita
Williams and Kalpana Chawla. But her mother, like any other, felt that the telescope and the pocket book of astronomy
was enough for a girl of ten years. If she was not looking through her telescope, she would be playing her game:
"Anananya, Chawla and the wicked three pronged man from Jupiter".
Her parents were proud of her. They were proud that their daughter was one who loved everything around her. Ananya
bounced around so much, that sometimes it was a bit too hard for her parents to curb her enthusiasm. Her parents
usually forgot their deadlines, dues, bills, premiums, irritating bosses, crappy office food, etc… when they took Ananya
for a walk, for she could notice things that they couldn't and could explain to them what she thought of them. It was fun
listening to her.
One day she was at her door waiting for her dad. For, it was her usual ritual to fling herself at him as soon as he entered.
Today, when she heard the slow whirr of the Zen estilo, she started bouncing from the tips of her toes and when her dad
walked in with a huge brown package with a tiny satin ribbon, she forgot her fling and instead went to inspect the
suspicious looking package. "Hmm", though she didn't think well of the brown and pink combination, she attributed it to
her dad's character, messy but sweet.
She screamed, for in this package was a 'Dell inspiron notebook'. Her dad watched his baby smiling with joy as she
quickly started tinkering with her new toy. But good sense prevailed and he managed to get the notebook off her hands
before she could do something dangerous to it.
It was Ananya's mother who taught her how to use it. You know, plugging in the right part, playing games, using paint
brush and the rest. It thrilled Ananya to play road rash. And slowly, days went by for her parents. Slowly because, there
weren't any more of the screams at the shooting star that whizzed past , or the "oooooohhh" at the sight of the view from
space , or "how can you do this to my garden", or "oooh, mumma, THAT place looks beautiful" for Ananya no longer
walked with them.
Ananya was busy delving deep inside her laptop. The telescope lay forgotten. If it weren't for her mother all her flowers
would have withered without water. There were no more Chawla and Martian games, because she was busy with
Pacman, Prince of Persia (I and II) and Mario. Her world was no more filled with crayons but with 'pick colour and
customize colour' in paint brush. And when yesterday, Ananya's mother found her astronomy book at the bottom of her
shelf, with a layer of dust, she also found her daughter slumped on her chair, closely peering at the game where there
was an animation swimming in a valley....with "you have only two more lives" blinking next to it with a half blurred
heart...along with a sack of glittering gold coins and diamonds on screen
Ananya's mother looked at the glass paper weight next to her daughter; A beautiful glass girl, bobbing up and down and
swirling inside the glass globe. It reminded her of a girl who used to stand watching how rain drops pattered on her
window pane, rhythmically….
The inside the Paperweight
irllassG
computer science
B.E
. C
om
pu
ter
Sc
ien
ce
an
d E
ng
ine
eri
ng
Srishti ‘0986Uttara M.A.
III year, ECE
Ananya was beautiful. When I say beautiful, I mean it. Ananya was beautiful, for you could stop
for a second and then one more second and finally think, "Wow.... maybe if I have a little girl
someday…" She lived her life so happily, for it was as beautiful as she was. This was probably
because she was only ten years old and because she had the time to stop, stand, stare and smile at every pretty niche of
her life.
Anything she saw filled those inquisitive eyes with wonder. The earthworm that slowly crawled in her garden; the yellow
flowers that dropped from the trees to form a wide carpet beneath the trees; the ink blue darkness and the stars... She
wouldn't allow anyone to pluck her roses. She loved looking at the sky at night...She loved the constellations.
Sometimes she felt that she had sprouted wings when her dad pushed her in the swing. And she would shout
"wheeeee...this is fun… will fly will fly". The universe dazzled her. Sometimes she would stop beneath a tree and look at
the sunlight streaming through the green branches. People called her a lovely girl. And she called everything lovely.
As I was saying Ananya loved space. She took her little telescope to the terrace on most of the days and pretended to
peep in to Andromeda. And would come back shouting to her mother that she had seen an alien space ship which would
actually be an airplane. She would say that one day she would go to space, and would see her garden from the window of
her space ship. If her mother had let her stick posters in her room, she would have gotten life size stills of Sunita
Williams and Kalpana Chawla. But her mother, like any other, felt that the telescope and the pocket book of astronomy
was enough for a girl of ten years. If she was not looking through her telescope, she would be playing her game:
"Anananya, Chawla and the wicked three pronged man from Jupiter".
Her parents were proud of her. They were proud that their daughter was one who loved everything around her. Ananya
bounced around so much, that sometimes it was a bit too hard for her parents to curb her enthusiasm. Her parents
usually forgot their deadlines, dues, bills, premiums, irritating bosses, crappy office food, etc… when they took Ananya
for a walk, for she could notice things that they couldn't and could explain to them what she thought of them. It was fun
listening to her.
One day she was at her door waiting for her dad. For, it was her usual ritual to fling herself at him as soon as he entered.
Today, when she heard the slow whirr of the Zen estilo, she started bouncing from the tips of her toes and when her dad
walked in with a huge brown package with a tiny satin ribbon, she forgot her fling and instead went to inspect the
suspicious looking package. "Hmm", though she didn't think well of the brown and pink combination, she attributed it to
her dad's character, messy but sweet.
She screamed, for in this package was a 'Dell inspiron notebook'. Her dad watched his baby smiling with joy as she
quickly started tinkering with her new toy. But good sense prevailed and he managed to get the notebook off her hands
before she could do something dangerous to it.
It was Ananya's mother who taught her how to use it. You know, plugging in the right part, playing games, using paint
brush and the rest. It thrilled Ananya to play road rash. And slowly, days went by for her parents. Slowly because, there
weren't any more of the screams at the shooting star that whizzed past , or the "oooooohhh" at the sight of the view from
space , or "how can you do this to my garden", or "oooh, mumma, THAT place looks beautiful" for Ananya no longer
walked with them.
Ananya was busy delving deep inside her laptop. The telescope lay forgotten. If it weren't for her mother all her flowers
would have withered without water. There were no more Chawla and Martian games, because she was busy with
Pacman, Prince of Persia (I and II) and Mario. Her world was no more filled with crayons but with 'pick colour and
customize colour' in paint brush. And when yesterday, Ananya's mother found her astronomy book at the bottom of her
shelf, with a layer of dust, she also found her daughter slumped on her chair, closely peering at the game where there
was an animation swimming in a valley....with "you have only two more lives" blinking next to it with a half blurred
heart...along with a sack of glittering gold coins and diamonds on screen
Ananya's mother looked at the glass paper weight next to her daughter; A beautiful glass girl, bobbing up and down and
swirling inside the glass globe. It reminded her of a girl who used to stand watching how rain drops pattered on her
window pane, rhythmically….
The inside the Paperweight
irllassG
computer science
Srishti ‘0988Anubhav Srivastava
III year, Chemical
B.E
. E
lec
tro
nic
s a
nd
Co
mm
un
ica
tio
n E
ng
ine
eri
ng
Freedom : My PerspectiveFreedom : My Perspective
One simple question posed: If we are truly free, why do we have to adhere to whatever our corrupt
politicians so dramatically proclaim? So, we all read in school about how our country is democratic,
right? And we mention it on every Independence Day, Republic Day and all other conceivable
occasions. And we all hold our right to freedom of speech and expression dear and we all stand up
for the national anthem before the movie starts. But why am I asking all these uninteresting
questions? I am sure that is the thought racing through your minds right now. Well, my point is not a
simple one, and I don't expect too many people to understand. But here goes….
Our forefathers created this nation with the very noble ideas of Liberty and
Equality. But these people also framed a law stating that any disrespect
shown to the national flag or anthem and other such symbols of a pseudo
democracy is a punishable offence!
Now I ask, is this not a contradiction? If all men are created equal and if
all have the right to speak out, why can't a citizen disagree with the ideals
of the nation he lives in? I raise a simple issue that if I live as a free man
in a free country, why am I being forced to stand up to a song that I feel is
intrinsically wrong? This is just hypocrisy. And ours is not the only nation
that's suffering!
As strange as it may seem, I really don't identify with nationalism, because I
believe all men are the same. Why differentiate between men? Why have
borders? True, people who have a common culture can have the freedom to stay together if they
want to, but why have rigid borders and differences on the basis of race and nationality? The truth, I
believe, is that the priests, politicians and religious leaders want to crush your individuality! They
impose upon you all these borders and rules, to stop you from thinking independently and from
living as you wish. Of course, they do all this under the garb of culture, political revolution and
religion, and yes, through education. Consider this, if we are truly free, why do we end up doing
what we did not want to, in the first place. And we end up leaving our dreams and forging them with
someone else's, because they think as they are older they are therefore wiser. This is the sole
reason why many budding sportspersons, musicians or fashion enthusiasts give up their hopes of
becoming big in the fields of their particular interest. They don't have the freedom to oppose. They
tend to be a part of the crowd.
The point is that we have unconsciously surrendered our lives to these unforgiving people who try
to impose their authority upon us without being able to justify themselves. The goal of society is
merely to create a herd, because a herd has no individuality. Animals move in herds! And all this is
being done to curb your freedom. Just look at all that your politicians are saying and your priests as
well. Look into it deeply and you will find that they are all out to crush your individuality.
This is my call to revolution against those very forces that have been oppressing us!
(Disclaimer : The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author himself and in no way
represent the opinions of the editorial board)
electronics & comm.
True, people who
have a common
culture can have the
freedom to stay
together if they
want to, but why
have rigid borders
and differences on
the basis of race
and nationality?
Srishti ‘0988Anubhav Srivastava
III year, Chemical
B.E
. E
lec
tro
nic
s a
nd
Co
mm
un
ica
tio
n E
ng
ine
eri
ng
Freedom : My PerspectiveFreedom : My Perspective
One simple question posed: If we are truly free, why do we have to adhere to whatever our corrupt
politicians so dramatically proclaim? So, we all read in school about how our country is democratic,
right? And we mention it on every Independence Day, Republic Day and all other conceivable
occasions. And we all hold our right to freedom of speech and expression dear and we all stand up
for the national anthem before the movie starts. But why am I asking all these uninteresting
questions? I am sure that is the thought racing through your minds right now. Well, my point is not a
simple one, and I don't expect too many people to understand. But here goes….
Our forefathers created this nation with the very noble ideas of Liberty and
Equality. But these people also framed a law stating that any disrespect
shown to the national flag or anthem and other such symbols of a pseudo
democracy is a punishable offence!
Now I ask, is this not a contradiction? If all men are created equal and if
all have the right to speak out, why can't a citizen disagree with the ideals
of the nation he lives in? I raise a simple issue that if I live as a free man
in a free country, why am I being forced to stand up to a song that I feel is
intrinsically wrong? This is just hypocrisy. And ours is not the only nation
that's suffering!
As strange as it may seem, I really don't identify with nationalism, because I
believe all men are the same. Why differentiate between men? Why have
borders? True, people who have a common culture can have the freedom to stay together if they
want to, but why have rigid borders and differences on the basis of race and nationality? The truth, I
believe, is that the priests, politicians and religious leaders want to crush your individuality! They
impose upon you all these borders and rules, to stop you from thinking independently and from
living as you wish. Of course, they do all this under the garb of culture, political revolution and
religion, and yes, through education. Consider this, if we are truly free, why do we end up doing
what we did not want to, in the first place. And we end up leaving our dreams and forging them with
someone else's, because they think as they are older they are therefore wiser. This is the sole
reason why many budding sportspersons, musicians or fashion enthusiasts give up their hopes of
becoming big in the fields of their particular interest. They don't have the freedom to oppose. They
tend to be a part of the crowd.
The point is that we have unconsciously surrendered our lives to these unforgiving people who try
to impose their authority upon us without being able to justify themselves. The goal of society is
merely to create a herd, because a herd has no individuality. Animals move in herds! And all this is
being done to curb your freedom. Just look at all that your politicians are saying and your priests as
well. Look into it deeply and you will find that they are all out to crush your individuality.
This is my call to revolution against those very forces that have been oppressing us!
(Disclaimer : The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author himself and in no way
represent the opinions of the editorial board)
electronics & comm.
True, people who
have a common
culture can have the
freedom to stay
together if they
want to, but why
have rigid borders
and differences on
the basis of race
and nationality?
B.E
. E
lec
tric
al
an
d E
lec
tro
nic
s E
ng
ine
eir
ng
My
Srishti ‘0990
My eyes were red and watering.
The room started to spin around
me. Suddenly my friend held up
two fingers and asked, “Ithu
Evalo?” Everything appeared to
be blurred. I replied, “Athu veral
da.” There was a stunning silence
for a moment but later on I
realized that I had invited the
death race again. Dozens of
hands once again engraved their
finger prints on my back. It was
their playground that night, and
they were trying every new trick
on me. I was like a stray dog
getting beaten up with whatever
objects people had. Or maybe I
was looking even worse than
one!!
After the entire bullying session
got over, my birthday cake
appeared, with a bright candle lit
on it. I wondered how this could
alone go by tradition. Before I
It was February 22nd. Everyone
seemed to be pretty busy doing
nothing as usual. But my fear was
m o u n t i n g a s m i d n i g h t
approached. I locked myself in
my room. It was 12 A.M and the
‘Elite Panel’ started lashing at the
door, shouting and threatening
to break the door down if I
refused to open it. I was petrified.
Why? It was my Birthday.
Last year, same day, same time,
my group of friends (the Elite
Panel) knocked the door gently.
With a big smile I opened the
door. “Bang!” I got one on my
face. A ruthless mob barged in.
One of them said, “Machan
arambikalamaa??…” That was it.
Tap..!! Tip..!! Dap..!! Dup..!!
Chap..!! . My back turned into a
bongo drum. All those smacks
left solid imprints. Two of my
friends suddenly lifted me. It was
party time and everyone’s legs
were at work, kicking me harder
than a football. This new concept
called “Air Podhumathu”, was
invented with my poor back
being its first victim.
could complete that thought,
“Boom!!” the creamy cake was all
over me and I stood licking all the
cream around my mouth. It was
not over yet. They then poured a
stinking solution, smelling worse
than a rotten egg, containing all
the possible items from paste, ink
to a fresh egg. This session went
on for another half an hour
before they finally let me free. At
the break of dawn I realized that
my appearance had changed
completely with a slightly
swelled back, reddened eyes,
r i g i d m u s c l e s , a n d a n
overwhelming stench. Then I
heard those magical words for
which I had to undergo these
tests of strength, “Happy
Birthday da..!!”
This is what celebrating a
birthday in boys’ hostel means.
So tell me now, Should I open the
door? If you say no, thinking of
saving me, then you are wrong.
The penalties for delayed
opening will be punitive. Let’s
see what happens this time..!!
MaheshIII year, Mech.
Nightmare
Birthday
electrical & electronics
“ This new concept called
“Air Podhumathu”, was
invented with my poor back
being its first victim”.
B.E
. E
lec
tric
al
an
d E
lec
tro
nic
s E
ng
ine
eir
ng
My
Srishti ‘0990
My eyes were red and watering.
The room started to spin around
me. Suddenly my friend held up
two fingers and asked, “Ithu
Evalo?” Everything appeared to
be blurred. I replied, “Athu veral
da.” There was a stunning silence
for a moment but later on I
realized that I had invited the
death race again. Dozens of
hands once again engraved their
finger prints on my back. It was
their playground that night, and
they were trying every new trick
on me. I was like a stray dog
getting beaten up with whatever
objects people had. Or maybe I
was looking even worse than
one!!
After the entire bullying session
got over, my birthday cake
appeared, with a bright candle lit
on it. I wondered how this could
alone go by tradition. Before I
It was February 22nd. Everyone
seemed to be pretty busy doing
nothing as usual. But my fear was
m o u n t i n g a s m i d n i g h t
approached. I locked myself in
my room. It was 12 A.M and the
‘Elite Panel’ started lashing at the
door, shouting and threatening
to break the door down if I
refused to open it. I was petrified.
Why? It was my Birthday.
Last year, same day, same time,
my group of friends (the Elite
Panel) knocked the door gently.
With a big smile I opened the
door. “Bang!” I got one on my
face. A ruthless mob barged in.
One of them said, “Machan
arambikalamaa??…” That was it.
Tap..!! Tip..!! Dap..!! Dup..!!
Chap..!! . My back turned into a
bongo drum. All those smacks
left solid imprints. Two of my
friends suddenly lifted me. It was
party time and everyone’s legs
were at work, kicking me harder
than a football. This new concept
called “Air Podhumathu”, was
invented with my poor back
being its first victim.
could complete that thought,
“Boom!!” the creamy cake was all
over me and I stood licking all the
cream around my mouth. It was
not over yet. They then poured a
stinking solution, smelling worse
than a rotten egg, containing all
the possible items from paste, ink
to a fresh egg. This session went
on for another half an hour
before they finally let me free. At
the break of dawn I realized that
my appearance had changed
completely with a slightly
swelled back, reddened eyes,
r i g i d m u s c l e s , a n d a n
overwhelming stench. Then I
heard those magical words for
which I had to undergo these
tests of strength, “Happy
Birthday da..!!”
This is what celebrating a
birthday in boys’ hostel means.
So tell me now, Should I open the
door? If you say no, thinking of
saving me, then you are wrong.
The penalties for delayed
opening will be punitive. Let’s
see what happens this time..!!
MaheshIII year, Mech.
Nightmare
Birthday
electrical & electronics
“ This new concept called
“Air Podhumathu”, was
invented with my poor back
being its first victim”.
The sand has slipped out of my hand,
But has carved a mark that will remain forever,
As I turn back and see, I behold green
pastures with very few barren patches,
The intricate melodies of my past
still resound in my ears,
the laughter and the giggles still play tunes,
While the tears still melt in my heart.
The very thought of having had such a
beautiful existence gives me profound happiness,
What I see ahead is nothing
but pitch darkness with not a lamp to guide me,
No piece of music to clasp my hand and say that
I am there with you,
but I know that if I walk on
I’ll reach a junction, where all
paths would meet and maybe at this
place I’ll rediscover a few particles,
Of the sand which once slipped out
of my hand!
Slipping Sand
Srishti ‘0992
B.T
ec
h.
Info
rma
tio
n T
ec
hn
olo
gy
SooryaIII year IT
information technology
The sand has slipped out of my hand,
But has carved a mark that will remain forever,
As I turn back and see, I behold green
pastures with very few barren patches,
The intricate melodies of my past
still resound in my ears,
the laughter and the giggles still play tunes,
While the tears still melt in my heart.
The very thought of having had such a
beautiful existence gives me profound happiness,
What I see ahead is nothing
but pitch darkness with not a lamp to guide me,
No piece of music to clasp my hand and say that
I am there with you,
but I know that if I walk on
I’ll reach a junction, where all
paths would meet and maybe at this
place I’ll rediscover a few particles,
Of the sand which once slipped out
of my hand!
Slipping Sand
Srishti ‘0992
B.T
ec
h.
Info
rma
tio
n T
ec
hn
olo
gy
SooryaIII year IT
information technology
B.E
. M
ec
ha
nic
al
En
gin
ee
rin
g
Paul Abraham EmmanuelIV year, Mech.
This is the statement, not of the lazy or the tardy but that of the most capable sect. However, tardiness, which is to be blamed, is not what I am trying to advocate over here. Rather, I would like to focus on the other end of the spectrum which houses the 'early birds', those ultra-prompt pigeons who zoom home 'in time'. Here, by 'in time' I mean 'well ahead of the stipulated time'.
In the extreme 'on demand/on request' environment that we live in, anything done before time is considered an inventory, which in the end might turn out to be less useful or in some cases, even a waste. Remember the state of General Motors! If 'change' is one's anthem, then a project completed 'in time' does not leave much opportunity for change itself, even if there's additional time at disposal.
I personally visualize a few negatives in an 'in time' delivery: The chances of overlooking a potential opportunity increases when one tends to become overly concerned of delivering 'in time'. One tends to focus more on 'delivery in time' rather than the required 'best possible delivery'. Being a part of the editorial team of Srishti '09, I realised that a lot of articles that we received well ahead of the due date, (including the very first article that we received following the announcement) just didn't make it! On the contrary, a lot of articles that were submitted 'on time' or rather 'just in time' made it! And of course, the pressure and the anxiety to deliver 'in time', more often than not, actually ends up destroying the concept of 'fun at work'.
Proficient is definitely not the right word to be used while referring to all in-timers. A proficient person, in reality uses every day and every opportunity until the given time (due date) is up. The insecure nature of the in-timers is something to be considered. They are so obsessed with the laurels that follow 'in time submission' since they are insecure of their ability to deliver the best. They mostly come up with set patterns for a solution and hence flexibility and openness to alternatives is something they never take into account. 'Change of plans' is something they constantly fear and if such a situation ever arises they end up caught totally off guard.
Creativity, which is built up with the rush of adrenaline, actually gets pumped up to optimum levels during the last few days prior submission. And this in turn brings the best out of a person's potential. A gold medallist (be it athletics, swimming or boxing) might never have topped the charts in the heats or the qualifying rounds. The secret is to be resourceful and maximise our efficiency. To sum up, I believe that 'Fools Rush In'.
Having in one way crucified the disciplined and the hardworking, let's not jump to conclusions. Remember, that it's the time conscious and quality wise irresponsible lot that I was talking about. It sure does help to be prepared, but to be open to 'change' even till the last moment makes a world of a difference. Therefore, the honors belong not to the early or the late, but to those that finish 'just in time'!
mechanical
One tends to focus more on 'delivery in time' rather than the required 'best possible delivery'.
The secret is to be resourceful and maximise our efficiency.
Justin Time
‘ Do not attempt today that which can be done tomorrow ' !
Srishti ‘0994
B.E
. M
ec
ha
nic
al
En
gin
ee
rin
g
Paul Abraham EmmanuelIV year, Mech.
This is the statement, not of the lazy or the tardy but that of the most capable sect. However, tardiness, which is to be blamed, is not what I am trying to advocate over here. Rather, I would like to focus on the other end of the spectrum which houses the 'early birds', those ultra-prompt pigeons who zoom home 'in time'. Here, by 'in time' I mean 'well ahead of the stipulated time'.
In the extreme 'on demand/on request' environment that we live in, anything done before time is considered an inventory, which in the end might turn out to be less useful or in some cases, even a waste. Remember the state of General Motors! If 'change' is one's anthem, then a project completed 'in time' does not leave much opportunity for change itself, even if there's additional time at disposal.
I personally visualize a few negatives in an 'in time' delivery: The chances of overlooking a potential opportunity increases when one tends to become overly concerned of delivering 'in time'. One tends to focus more on 'delivery in time' rather than the required 'best possible delivery'. Being a part of the editorial team of Srishti '09, I realised that a lot of articles that we received well ahead of the due date, (including the very first article that we received following the announcement) just didn't make it! On the contrary, a lot of articles that were submitted 'on time' or rather 'just in time' made it! And of course, the pressure and the anxiety to deliver 'in time', more often than not, actually ends up destroying the concept of 'fun at work'.
Proficient is definitely not the right word to be used while referring to all in-timers. A proficient person, in reality uses every day and every opportunity until the given time (due date) is up. The insecure nature of the in-timers is something to be considered. They are so obsessed with the laurels that follow 'in time submission' since they are insecure of their ability to deliver the best. They mostly come up with set patterns for a solution and hence flexibility and openness to alternatives is something they never take into account. 'Change of plans' is something they constantly fear and if such a situation ever arises they end up caught totally off guard.
Creativity, which is built up with the rush of adrenaline, actually gets pumped up to optimum levels during the last few days prior submission. And this in turn brings the best out of a person's potential. A gold medallist (be it athletics, swimming or boxing) might never have topped the charts in the heats or the qualifying rounds. The secret is to be resourceful and maximise our efficiency. To sum up, I believe that 'Fools Rush In'.
Having in one way crucified the disciplined and the hardworking, let's not jump to conclusions. Remember, that it's the time conscious and quality wise irresponsible lot that I was talking about. It sure does help to be prepared, but to be open to 'change' even till the last moment makes a world of a difference. Therefore, the honors belong not to the early or the late, but to those that finish 'just in time'!
mechanical
One tends to focus more on 'delivery in time' rather than the required 'best possible delivery'.
The secret is to be resourceful and maximise our efficiency.
Justin Time
‘ Do not attempt today that which can be done tomorrow ' !
Srishti ‘0994
Aravind Adiga was an unknown person before his "White Tiger" hit
the stands with a bang. With a booker behind its name for this
debut novel, it kicked up a lot of controversies. If you are a kind of
person who hated Slumdog Millionaire because you felt it was a bit
too unfair on India, then you are bound to hate this book. But for
folks who are not in a state of denial, this book would make them sit
up and grip it. The story revolves around Balram Halwai, who
narrates his tale to the Chinese Premier visiting India. He tells the
premier all the horrors prevailing in Indian villages. He also tells
him that the only way a person can reach the upper echelons of the society in India
is by deceitful methods.
Balram earns his name "The White Tiger" because of his excellence at his school.
But he is forced to drop out. He goes to the city and gets his break when he is hired
as a chauffeur of a rich man. As he drives his master to rich malls, he becomes
increasingly aware of the opportunity and wealth around him. He realizes he would
never get what he wants, unless he makes the obvious choice. There are places
where the protagonist gets in to a moral dilemma and convinces himself that his
master deserves the disloyalty his servant would mete out to him. The way Balram
delves in to himself to find his darker side would make a chill run down our spine.
The author's sarcasm at the efficiency of Indian Executive and Judiciary systems
provides some of the lighter moments of the book.
The language is very simple, as the protagonist is a person who drops out of high
school. No verbosity, no grandeur, white tiger struck it rich just by its simple
narration of harsh reality. This article is perhaps more edited than the book itself.
One should give the credit to Adiga, for pointing out the very obvious flaws in the
democratic system that we refuse to see. Balram Halwai is perhaps, one of those
common men who hate mediocrity. The quest to quench his desires takes us along
with him to the not-so- beautiful nooks and crannies of the modern India.
One of the members in the editorial board who read The White Tiger quips
"There are no swirls of saree,
Nor lies, or grains of rice,
Start reading this book,
You will be gripped in a trice.
The end is chiseled in such a way that one would not be indignant at all. For a few
days after the read you would actually love the book. Then one day, when you sit
back and think, you would probably feel "White tiger does not deserve all the hype".
Srishti ‘0996
Book Review – White Tiger
BO
OK
RE
VIE
WEditorial
B.Sc. Computer Technology ‘A’
B.Sc. Computer Technology ‘B’
computer technology
Aravind Adiga was an unknown person before his "White Tiger" hit
the stands with a bang. With a booker behind its name for this
debut novel, it kicked up a lot of controversies. If you are a kind of
person who hated Slumdog Millionaire because you felt it was a bit
too unfair on India, then you are bound to hate this book. But for
folks who are not in a state of denial, this book would make them sit
up and grip it. The story revolves around Balram Halwai, who
narrates his tale to the Chinese Premier visiting India. He tells the
premier all the horrors prevailing in Indian villages. He also tells
him that the only way a person can reach the upper echelons of the society in India
is by deceitful methods.
Balram earns his name "The White Tiger" because of his excellence at his school.
But he is forced to drop out. He goes to the city and gets his break when he is hired
as a chauffeur of a rich man. As he drives his master to rich malls, he becomes
increasingly aware of the opportunity and wealth around him. He realizes he would
never get what he wants, unless he makes the obvious choice. There are places
where the protagonist gets in to a moral dilemma and convinces himself that his
master deserves the disloyalty his servant would mete out to him. The way Balram
delves in to himself to find his darker side would make a chill run down our spine.
The author's sarcasm at the efficiency of Indian Executive and Judiciary systems
provides some of the lighter moments of the book.
The language is very simple, as the protagonist is a person who drops out of high
school. No verbosity, no grandeur, white tiger struck it rich just by its simple
narration of harsh reality. This article is perhaps more edited than the book itself.
One should give the credit to Adiga, for pointing out the very obvious flaws in the
democratic system that we refuse to see. Balram Halwai is perhaps, one of those
common men who hate mediocrity. The quest to quench his desires takes us along
with him to the not-so- beautiful nooks and crannies of the modern India.
One of the members in the editorial board who read The White Tiger quips
"There are no swirls of saree,
Nor lies, or grains of rice,
Start reading this book,
You will be gripped in a trice.
The end is chiseled in such a way that one would not be indignant at all. For a few
days after the read you would actually love the book. Then one day, when you sit
back and think, you would probably feel "White tiger does not deserve all the hype".
Srishti ‘0996
Book Review – White Tiger
BO
OK
RE
VIE
W
Editorial
B.Sc. Computer Technology ‘A’
B.Sc. Computer Technology ‘B’
computer technology
I was not sure if what I was doing was right or wrong. But the story just intrigued me. I boldly started and within a few minutes I cracked the password for the laptop and was through. There was a text file in it and as I opened it, the first few lines read… “”YOU ARE TRESPASSING IN SOMEONE’s LIFE … IF YOU WANT TO LIVE; LEAVE THESE LETTERS … ELSE THEY WILL MAKE YOU MAD …” I was surprised by this caution and wondered what to do. But no matter what it was, I decided to finish the work I had started and continued reading the file.
*****
For 3 years, I had been working in a top secret project for national security. I am one of the best hackers in the country. So I got this job and literally 24*7 I was engrossed in my work. I am a bachelor and stayed in the quarters that was allotted to me. I had never felt that I needed a companion.
When I opened the door I was surprised to see a letter lying in front of my room. That was the first letter posted to me in years. I was even more surprised to see that it carried no address or stamp since it was hand delivered.
The letter read,
Dear…You don’t know me. But I know you very
well. I l ive very near you. I see you dai ly. I don’t know where to begin and how to tell it. I have been trying for months to talk to you. But I am too shy and have always withdrawn not to show even my face. Now I have mustered all my courage and have written this letter. I can’t express in words how I have kept you deep inside my heart and how much you have disturbed me.
You torture me every night in my dreams and I want to see you in person. I don’t know how you would feel by reading this letter. But, I love you so much and want to talk with you. If you would like to meet me, then come to the bus stand tomorrow by 5.30 pm. I will be in a violet dress with a rose in my hair. With love...
I was on cloud nine. I never thought this
would happen in my life. I didn’t go to work the next
day. I read the letter again and again to check if it
was really true or just a prank. Later, I dressed up
and reached the bus stand at 5pm, with her letter. in
my hand. As 5.30pm drew near, my heart began to
pound. It was difficult to breathe. I glanced at
everyone in that bus stand. Suddenly I saw a
YA
B
et nother eginning
Srishti ‘09 99S. AnushIII year, CSE98 Srishti ‘09
Into the NightIt was one of the memorable times when
The night sky came close for us !!!
From time immemorial the human race has always had a
dying thirst for new discoveries and so did it progress
revealing the tiniest inch of space in and around, not even
sparing the sky so high. Till date, the search into the
expanding universe has been so profound that the
discovery of extraterrestrial bodies has outnumbered the
species on earth!
Now it was our turn to plunge into the mysteries of the
dark. Time to pack and kick off on a space tour.
TIME: 6 pm
EVENT: sunset
So did the voyage start at dusk, when the crowd gathered on the terrace to witness the
crescent of the moon, thin and light just bellow was the brightest star, Venus. The
expedition started with a pair of binoculars viewing the surrounding adjusting to highest
precision. Next was the higher magnification of the telescope to clearly view the moons
surface with its craters which was too real to believe followed by the shining Venus. It was a
live show, the real feel of actually getting closer to the moon itself, as though we were in
space for a minute and peeping into the Venus from there.
TIME: 7 pm
EVENT: stargazing
The thrill of the night's expedition began here, with the twinkling stars approaching us,
time to gaze with the naked eye, with the aid of a high power laser clearly pointing out each
constellation. First spotted was the belt of Orion, then the winter triangle with the three
bright stars Betelguese-Procyon- Sirius-the second brightest star. The Hunter and his dog
were followed by the Gemini brothers, Leo, Virgo and the Phoenix. The whole sky was
showing itself, each pattern clearly seen through the telescope, with even hidden stars
showing up brightly including the cluster above the Orion belt. One of them was actually
moving, which happened to be a satellite orbiting the earth. It was awesome to see a
satellite in orbit.
TIME: 8 pm
EVENT: Saturn's show
All is well that ends well, so did our voyage into the night sky with the special focusing of
the Saturn with its beautiful rings stealing our hearts. So clear and undisturbed in the east
which was the master piece of the night. It was a wonderful experience to remember for
ever.
But our journey into the space wouldn't stop here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(This star gazing workshop was a part of Quest ‘09)
M. EswariII year, Chemical
“ I saw somebody in violet approaching me. She was an angel coming to take me to heaven. I suddenly went weak in my knees. I waited for her to reach me.”
I was not sure if what I was doing was right or wrong. But the story just intrigued me. I boldly started and within a few minutes I cracked the password for the laptop and was through. There was a text file in it and as I opened it, the first few lines read… “”YOU ARE TRESPASSING IN SOMEONE’s LIFE … IF YOU WANT TO LIVE; LEAVE THESE LETTERS … ELSE THEY WILL MAKE YOU MAD …” I was surprised by this caution and wondered what to do. But no matter what it was, I decided to finish the work I had started and continued reading the file.
*****
For 3 years, I had been working in a top secret project for national security. I am one of the best hackers in the country. So I got this job and literally 24*7 I was engrossed in my work. I am a bachelor and stayed in the quarters that was allotted to me. I had never felt that I needed a companion.
When I opened the door I was surprised to see a letter lying in front of my room. That was the first letter posted to me in years. I was even more surprised to see that it carried no address or stamp since it was hand delivered.
The letter read,
Dear…You don’t know me. But I know you very
well. I l ive very near you. I see you dai ly. I don’t know where to begin and how to tell it. I have been trying for months to talk to you. But I am too shy and have always withdrawn not to show even my face. Now I have mustered all my courage and have written this letter. I can’t express in words how I have kept you deep inside my heart and how much you have disturbed me.
You torture me every night in my dreams and I want to see you in person. I don’t know how you would feel by reading this letter. But, I love you so much and want to talk with you. If you would like to meet me, then come to the bus stand tomorrow by 5.30 pm. I will be in a violet dress with a rose in my hair. With love...
I was on cloud nine. I never thought this
would happen in my life. I didn’t go to work the next
day. I read the letter again and again to check if it
was really true or just a prank. Later, I dressed up
and reached the bus stand at 5pm, with her letter. in
my hand. As 5.30pm drew near, my heart began to
pound. It was difficult to breathe. I glanced at
everyone in that bus stand. Suddenly I saw a
YA
B
et nother eginning
Srishti ‘09 99S. AnushIII year, CSE98 Srishti ‘09
Into the NightIt was one of the memorable times when
The night sky came close for us !!!
From time immemorial the human race has always had a
dying thirst for new discoveries and so did it progress
revealing the tiniest inch of space in and around, not even
sparing the sky so high. Till date, the search into the
expanding universe has been so profound that the
discovery of extraterrestrial bodies has outnumbered the
species on earth!
Now it was our turn to plunge into the mysteries of the
dark. Time to pack and kick off on a space tour.
TIME: 6 pm
EVENT: sunset
So did the voyage start at dusk, when the crowd gathered on the terrace to witness the
crescent of the moon, thin and light just bellow was the brightest star, Venus. The
expedition started with a pair of binoculars viewing the surrounding adjusting to highest
precision. Next was the higher magnification of the telescope to clearly view the moons
surface with its craters which was too real to believe followed by the shining Venus. It was a
live show, the real feel of actually getting closer to the moon itself, as though we were in
space for a minute and peeping into the Venus from there.
TIME: 7 pm
EVENT: stargazing
The thrill of the night's expedition began here, with the twinkling stars approaching us,
time to gaze with the naked eye, with the aid of a high power laser clearly pointing out each
constellation. First spotted was the belt of Orion, then the winter triangle with the three
bright stars Betelguese-Procyon- Sirius-the second brightest star. The Hunter and his dog
were followed by the Gemini brothers, Leo, Virgo and the Phoenix. The whole sky was
showing itself, each pattern clearly seen through the telescope, with even hidden stars
showing up brightly including the cluster above the Orion belt. One of them was actually
moving, which happened to be a satellite orbiting the earth. It was awesome to see a
satellite in orbit.
TIME: 8 pm
EVENT: Saturn's show
All is well that ends well, so did our voyage into the night sky with the special focusing of
the Saturn with its beautiful rings stealing our hearts. So clear and undisturbed in the east
which was the master piece of the night. It was a wonderful experience to remember for
ever.
But our journey into the space wouldn't stop here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(This star gazing workshop was a part of Quest ‘09)
M. EswariII year, Chemical
“ I saw somebody in violet approaching me. She was an angel coming to take me to heaven. I suddenly went weak in my knees. I waited for her to reach me.”
person approaching me who was clothed in violet.
My heart skipped a beat. But I immediately
realized that she was 40+ and didn’t wear a rose. I
controlled myself. Half an hour passed. It
occurred to me that this could be a prank and no
one was going to turn up. When I had made up my
mind to leave the place, I saw somebody in violet
approaching me. She was an angel coming to
take me to heaven. I suddenly went weak in my
knees. I waited for her to reach me. Suddenly a
bike halted beside her. She sat behind a young
man and before I could move a muscle, my angel
was gone. I had not even taken a proper look at
her face. I tore the letter in the same place and
went back home.
Throughout the night, every single word of that
letter was torturing me and I never slept. Come
morning, I saw a letter at my doorstep. I opened it
with half hatred and half expectation.
“Dear…
I am really very sorry for what happened
yesterday. I can understand how you would have
felt watching me go away like that. But trust me, I
love you. That was my brother who took me and I
never expected him to be there. I didn’t have the
courage to meet you with him there. So I was
forced to leave you alone. I am really sorry for
what I did and I will make up for it. There are two
cinema tickets in the envelope. I want to spend
some time with you. You take the tickets and
expect me in the theatre. Waiting for you
darling…With lots of love…”
I was half hearted that day
but was determined
to give it a try. I
went inside the
theatre exactly
two minutes before t h e s h o w
started. No one was sitting in those
seats. And the half empty theatre didn’t
surprise me. After a few minutes, a young elegant
woman approached me. She sat beside me and
immediately took my hands into hers. A silent hour
passed. I have never had such a wonderful
evening. Suddenly, she turned towards me and
asked in a sweet voice “Shall we go out
somewhere?.” I found myself nodding in assent.
We went to a café nearby and ordered two coffees
and sat beside each other. She smiled at me
which sent shivers down my spine. Then she
slowly took out a laptop from her bag and asked me
“Do you know hacking?”
“Bingo !!!” I exclaimed.
“You are the best hacker I have heard of. That’s why I
was following you”, she said. I could sense her
intentions and realized that I was capable of helping
her.
I happened to see what she said was true. Truly it
was a job for me.
“I have an elder brother. In the past few days he has
been acting very weird. Yesterday he left home for
good. He asked us not to trace him. The answer to
the questions where he went and what happened to
him are inside this laptop. I don’t know its password”,
She said.
“He also said that he would come back once I
understood what was inside that laptop”.
“I will try my best”, I assured.
She gave me her contact number, asked me to
contact her if I got anything, kissed my cheek and left
the place with a worried look on her face.
I was not sure if what I was
doing was right or wrong.......
Yet another beginningSrishti ‘09100
Students’ Union 2008-09Executive Members
Club Members
Sitting (from left to right)
Hostel General Secretary P.K. Pradeep
Students’ Union Secretary M. Chellapriyadharshini
Administrative Officer Dr. S. Shanmugam
Vice-Principal Dr. V. Selladurai
Principal Dr. R. Prabhakar
Students’ Union Staff Advisor Dr. N. Murugan
Students’ Union Chairperson A.S. Nirmaladevi
Chief Editor Srishti S. Vignesh
Standing First Row (from left to right)
YRC S. Gowdhaman
Literary Club Paul A. Emmanuel
Quiz Club G. Chocklingam
Dramatix Joint Secretary R. Aravindh
Dramatix Secretary R. Arvindh
Associate Editor - Srishti R. Amshuman
Placement Secretary G. Aravind
Arts Club S. Anand
Students’ Union 2008-09
Club Members
Executive Members
Standing Second row (from left to right)
Film Club R. Vijay Sivanesan
Music Club R. Nandhakumar
Karate Club M. Sivarajan
NCC R. Sankaranarayanan
Ilamparavai Editor N. Purushothaman
Muthamil Mandram R. Sudhakar
Associate Editor - Srishti V. Sylvester Pious
Standing Third row (from left to right)
Photography Club S. Sridhar
NSS R. SathishS. VijayakumarS.M. DheebanChakkaravarthy
Nature Club S. Vignesh
Sports Club S. Arunkumar
NSS C. Deepa Sarojini
Girls’ Hostel General Secretary K. Saranya
Members not in the photograph
Space Club T. Ragland Navamani
YHAI G. Sakthivel