THE SCHOLARS’ AVENUEIIT KHARAGPUR WWW.SCHOLARSAVENUE.ORGSEPTEMBER 12 2009

1

Teachers on Strike!

-Page5

Exclusive

It’s dark.

I look left, I look right. I don’t

know if I should go down the lane

to get those notes.

It seems improbable that

something might happen. I am

probably over-reacting. I have

walked along that street so

many times - but the Law of

Averages - that makes things

scary.

What is scarier though is the

notion that someday I might

look at a dimly lit street, and

follow this train of thought.

I am lucky I was born in a

country that doesn’t legalize

honour killings. I am lucky the

people I talk to think dowry

deaths are a shame. But there is

still somebody who thinks it is

necessary to remind me time

and again, that I need to be

afraid of the shadows, I need to

be afraid of being alone, and I

need to be afraid of standing up

for myself.

A recent incident in the

campus has made me realise

that similar incidents have

happened repeatedly in the past

and that they happen with

varying degrees of severity.

They are all unconnected, not

spoken of, and gradually

forgotten. Girls on campus find

a way to live with misbehaviour.

We dismiss it as unimportant,

we ignore it. First Mistake.

Eve-teasing is a crime. It is a

punishable offence.

An institution such as ours,

which boasts of the educational

superiority, unfortunately is

also home to certain elements,

which do not understand that

the thin line between having fun

and profaning somebody’s

modesty is better left uncrossed.

Information about isolated

incidents inside and outside the

campus is suggestive of the fact

that miscreants, indulging in

m o r e s e r i o u s f o r m s o f

harassment, are often outsiders

and not students from within

the campus. However a number

o f d i f f e r e n t f o r m s o f

troublesome behaviour are

persistent among the students

as well. Repeated phone calls,

indecent e-mails, lewd remarks

on the s t ree t or dur ing

gatherings and celebrations,

uncivilized behaviour in a

drunken stupor, or deliberate

remarks made to make a person

uncomfortable during student

body interactions, are also forms

of harassment. The crowd

sitting in front of the stage for a

Fine Frenzy programme,

making gestures everybody can

see or groups of guys cornering

girls during a concert, shoving

and pushing, are instances that

fill one with disgust.

Blaming the skewed sex

ratio for most such cases is a

dopey excuse. The whole point

is not to let yourself get carried

away when you are having fun,

and to think before you say or do

something, so you do not end up

conveying something you don’t

mean to.

A s k i n g f o r a s a f e

neighbourhood to live in, asking

for freedom from abasement of

pride, is not the same as

campaigning for reservations in

the Parliament. However,

dismissing voices against

misdemeanour such as eve-

teasing, as an exaggerated

feminist response is not

u n h e a r d o f . M o r e o v e r ,

perpetrators of the crime thrive

on induced embarrassment in a

female, which holds her back

from retaliating in public. And

letting the wrong-doers carry

this impression, is the second

mistake.

Unfortunate incidents are

not restricted to a certain time of

the day. Bans on night-time

movement within the campus,

o r u n n e c e s s a r y s e c u r i t y

enforcement are not steps, in my

opinion, that might help

eliminate such instances. But an

organized way of dealing with

an of fence , wi th proper

provisions for both parties to

put forth their points, while

seeming to be a corrective

measure, is also an effective

preventive measure.

Better lighting of roads and

alleys and thorough checking of

outsiders coming into campus

can help the cause. Most

importantly though, it is a sense

of responsibility for your own

self, as well as for fellow

students, that can help in best

possible way.

(Also see ‘What i s the

administration doing?’ for more

information)

EDITORIALHow safe is the campus?

What is the

administration

doing?

Supreme Court ruling Aspecifies the mandatory

presence of a complaint

m e c h a n i s m , i n e v e r y

organisation, whether a

private or public enterprise,

for redress of complaints

made by victims of sexual

harassment. Under these

guide l ines , a S tanding

Committee on Women was

established by the Institute.

T h e C o m m i t t e e n o w

addresses a broader range of

issues concerning students on

Campus. It comprises of

faculty members and Hall

Presidents of SN-IG/MT/RLB

Halls of residence and is

c h a i r e d b y P r o f . R i n t u

Banerjee, Dept. of Ag&FE. By

rule, the Committee has to be

headed by a woman and not

less than 50% of the members

should be women.

Victims of harassment can

write to the chairperson of the

Committee, explaining a

particular situation. The

Committee will examine the

c o m p l a i n t s a n d m a k e

recommendations to the

Director for necessary action.

All cases, where any one of the

persons involved is an

Institute employee or student

will be taken up by the

Committee. The findings of

the Committee are binding on

the disciplinary authority to

initiate proceedings against

the guilty. In case of an

outsider being involved, the

Committee will assist the

victim in approaching the

right authorities and filing an

FIR. The Committee has in the

past been effective in cases

such as tracing of abhorrent

emails sent to girls, and in

a d d r e s s i n g i n d i v i d u a l

problems, while maintaining

confidentiality.

S P I C M A C A Y

marked its revival

on campus with an

e n c h a n t i n g

p e r f o r m a n c e b y

none other than Pt.

H a r i p r a s a d

Chaurasia.

-Page 2

th6 January saw the

inauguration of the

IITKGP chapter of

S o c i e t y o f

E x p l o r a t i o n

G e o p h y s i c i s t s

(SEG) in a program

attended by big

shots from the oil

industry.

Campus Highlights

2 N E W S A V E N U E THE SCHOLARS’ AVENUE ² SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 12TH 2009

Academic MattersThe Dean of Undergraduate Studies explains

The average IITian is quite well informed about all things except the academic setup he is in. The following information from Prof. S K Som, Dean Undergraduate Studies is meant to clear the ambiguity on some essential academic details.

Curriculum Revision

To maintain its status as one of the best institutes of the

nation, the curriculum at IIT Kharagpur is reviewed

regularly with a maximum gap of 5-6 years in between.

After the last major review in 2006, this year quite a few

changes have been incorporated by the special committee

for review of curriculum for both undergraduate and post

graduate courses. The committee has the Dean UGS as

chairman. Its objectives are:

? To go through the curriculum and examine its relevance

? To avoid duplication of subjects as far as possible.

Semester Exchange Programmes

The institute is looking for compatible semester exchange programmes with leading universities at undergraduate level as well. But it is difficult to synchronise the course content and credit structures appropriately.

Medical College

The institute is collaborating with UCSD for development of a good medical college with both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and research. The aim of the project is to successfully amalgamate technology with medicine for the first time in India.

Academic Advisory Committees

For the first time in the institute academic advisory committees are

being set up in every department. These committees are chaired by

the department heads with subject teachers, faculty advisors,

UGPEC chairman and 4 student representatives per batch from 2nd

year to 5th year. Along the same lines a common 1st year

undergraduate committee with dean UGS as chairman will also be

formed. There will be two student representatives from every 1st

year section in this committee. These committees are expected to:

? Review the teaching, learning and delivery system

? Identify shortcomings if any

? Suggest corrective steps

EAA Credits

Extra Academic Activities no longer carry any credits for the revised syllabus of 2009.However it is necessary to clear the course or take it as a backlog subject. The increasing student strength coupled with limited facilities for EAA led to this decision. It was perceived that the grading was losing justification due to these factors.

Backlogs and Year Repeats

The maximum time to clear all courses for a degree is 8 years. The previous rule of not being allowed to repeat first year more than once has been scrapped. A backlog subject from 1 year has to be cleared in the next year itself. One cannot carry it over beyond that. If two third of the allotted credits are not cleared in a year, then it has to be repeated.

Player of the bansuri, and recipient of numerous accolades, the renowned virtuoso , Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia gets candid with TSA.

TSA: As a child, you embarked on a different path when you decided to pursue music. You came from a family with no background in music. What message would you want go give to people who aspire to do something very different from what everyone expects them to?

HC: Yes, I came from a family of wrestlers, but my love for music led me to where I am today. One should just go with what God wants him to do. It is true that what your parents say is important and they are a manifestation of God in your life. But ultimately do what you think you are meant to do. Your motivation and your drive to pursue your interests will take you where you like it best.

TSA: As a child, it is difficult to learn music because you don’t understand what you are doing and you don’t appreciate its beauty. And by the time you begin to enjoy it, you are too late to start learning.

HC: It is important to find a good teacher. A good teacher will make you understand and appreciate music. And it’s not difficult to find that kind of a teacher. When a person has an urge to smoke, even in the dead of the night, he will try his best and find a shop that is still open to get his cigarettes. If you have an addiction for art you will find the right guru. Also, no age is too late to start learning music.

TSA: Tell us about your experience w i t h W e s t e r n m u s i c a n d international musicians.

HC: There is something for us to learn from Western music, and there is always something which they can learn from us as well. Working with a Western artist is a process of give and take. I am a faculty at the Rotterdam Music Conservatory. [He heads the World Music Department there]. It is a University in the Netherlands, bigger than yours, with about 6000 students learning music. People in the West are very enthusiastic to embrace our culture, and they are very curious about the same. They

culture, and they are very curious about the same. They are amazed at the fact that they take the help of music sheets to play for half and hour and we can go on for hours without any aid. I have been a faculty at Rotterdam for 20 years now. I spend 6 months every year in that place. But I get paid for the whole year (Grins).

TSA: Music needs a lot of discipline. What do have to say about the traditional guru-shishya relationship, especially in the present context?

HC: I think that kind of devotion still exists. When you have a good teacher, you respect him or her. My Guru , Shr imat i Annapurna Devi, was not even a flute player, she was a vocalist. You don’t need a flute player to learn the flute. She was the daughter of Ustad Allauddin Khan, a world renowned legend and a maestro of several instruments. I haven’t seen a better musician.

Read the entire interview at http://www.scholarsavenue.org

Notes from a maestro

A r e yo u i n t e r e s t e d i n leadership at the highest levels? Do you have a track r e c o r d o f a c a d e m i c achievement? Do you care about making a better India for all citizens?

Teach For India, is creating a movement of leaders in all sectors, and is a nationwide effort to end educational inequity. The two-year, full-time leadership Fellowship selects the best college g r a d u a t e s a n d y o u n g professionals worldwide to teach full-time in Indian low-income schools. Fellows are trained in teaching and leadership skills and network with leaders in government, business and entertainment.

Interested in applying? Visit t h e i r w e b s i t e a t

to apply, or e-mail campus a m b a s s a d o r S a u r a b h H a r n a t h k a a t harnathka@gmail.com for more information.

www.teachforindia.org

Teach For India

N E W S A V E N U ETHE SCHOLARS’ AVENUE ² SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 12TH 3

th thetween 28 and 30 August BIIT Kharagpur played host

to RoboCup Challenge @ India

2009, the first ever RoboCup

competition in India. The event

kicked off with an inauguration

ceremony attended by students

and professors who had been

closely involved in conceiving

and organizing this event. This

was followed by a sumptuous

welcome dinner for the

participants who had arrived all

the way from cities like

Hyderabad and Mumbai.

The competition included

three of the leagues featured in

the international RoboCup

competition. The Small Size

League featuring five robots

from each side battling it out on

a 5m by 7m arena; the

S i m u l a t i o n

L e a g u e

involving two

t e a m s e a c h

consisting of

e l e v e n

s o f t w a r e

p r o g r a m s , o r

‘ agents ’ ; and

C o n f e r e n c e ,

which was held for

the presentation of scientific

contributions in areas relevant

to the RoboCup

For almost two full days the

a r e a a r o u n d K a l i d a s

Auditorium was abuzz with the

noises of participants and robot-

enthusiasts as the teams toiled

away making last-minute

adjustments to their army of

Smal l S ize League bots .

Unfortunately this League

could produce no winners as the

enormous complexity of the

problem statement gave rise to

issues which prevented any

m a t c h f r o m r e a c h i n g a

conclusion.

There were no such glitches

in the Simulation League and

Conference, however, and

Organising Chairs, professors

Dr. Jayanta Mukhopadhyay and

Dr. Dilip Kumar Pratihar, and

General Chairs, Dr. Sudeshna

Sarkar and Dr. Gaurav Harit,

were particularly enthused with

the vibrant exchange of ideas

that the Conference facilitated.

T h e p a r t i c i p a n t s w e r e

encouraged by the outcome of

their efforts over six months (by

no means a long period when

you are working to build a team

of humanoid soccer

players), and have

agreed to stay in

touch all through the

follow up to next

year ’s edition in

order to keep the

exchange of ideas

alive, which is one of

the stated objectives

of the RoboCup

challenge.

R o b o C u p

Challenge @ India 2009 turned

out to be a successful outing for

all teams, who were left

enriched by the experience and

are determined to make

RoboCup Challenge @ India

2010 bigger and better. The in-

house Small Size League team

from IIT Kharagpur was

particularly buoyed with the

excellent kicking mechanism it

was able to devise, while the

participants from CVR College

of Engineering Hyderabad

impressed with their execution

of image processing using a

graphics card. The omni-drive

d e v e l o p e d b y t h e I I I T

Hyderabad team was another

notable innovation. Sparking

interest among the first year

population on campus was the

Freshers’ Challenge which

required participants to build a

manual bot to play soccer

against an opponent on a

specified arena. This initiative

was an unqualified success and

garnered robust participation

from the freshers. The scale of

the event might not have been

cosmic from the perspective of a

layman, but the competition

was certainly a decisive step

towards putting India on the

international robo-soccer map.

Kick off!

Charles Dickens’ story, ‘A

Christmas Carol’, the tale of a

miserly old man and his ghostly

guests who teach him the true

Spirit of Christmas. The diverse

c h a r a c t e r s a n d t h e i r

idiosyncrasies, subtle and

b l a t a n t , we r e p o r t r a ye d

brilliantly as the actors became

their parts, leaving no doubt

that this year’s freshers are a

talented lot.

Not to be outdone, on the st31 , the HTDS Freshers too put

up an impressive performance

with accomplished portrayals of

the rather complex characters of

“Mahabhoj”, a tale of political

intrigue revolving around the

mysterious death of an idealistic

young man in a remote village.

The performance included some

powerful dialogues and intense

scenes, one of them being police

torture at the very end where

they displayed an interesting

use of shadows and light on

stage.

All the three plays were very

well received by the audience,

and spoke volumes about the

dedication and hard work of

everyone involved. Here’s

hoping to a bright future for

dramatics in IIT Kharagpur.

etaji Auditorium recently Nplayed host to a series of

theatrical debuts in the form of

the Freshers' Productions of the

Bengali, English and Hindi

Dramatics Societies. First, on the th25 of August, “Paliye Berai” by

Manoj Mitra, the BTDS play

with its witty humour and

comical take on human nature

drew a diverse audience

consisting of students, faculty as

well as campus staff. The

production drew a crowd larger

than any seen by the society over

the last four years and left them

all impressed and praises.

A couple of days later, on the th27 , the Freshers of ETDS

enthralled a packed Netaji with

a rendition of the well known

robocup @ india

HTDS freshers staging “Mahabhoj”

Miserly Scrooge caught in the act, from

Dickens “A Christmas Carol”

BTDS presenting“Paliye Berai”

C o u n s e l l i n g C e n t e r : T h e

counselling center set up in the

CTS building now employs Dr.

Rajlakshmi Guha, a mental

health-care professional . Student

co-ordinators will be hired and

trained to spot potentially

depressed students who could

use help and counsel them if

needed.

DELL Laptops: A service camp by

DELL has been planned in KGP.

All customers who have problems

with their laptops bought under

this deal can get them serviced at

much cheaper rates. The camp is

tentatively scheduled to be held in

October.

Placements: Students will be

a p p o i n t e d a s d e p a r t m e n t

representatives to provide the

Training and Placement cell with

department-specific information

and company contacts. Mock

placement test sessions will be

conducted for final year students

sitting for placements. PG

students now have representation

in the Placement Cell and from

initial indicators, this has been

ve r y e f f e c t i ve i n g e t t i n g

companies for placements.

Updates from VP

Taking a Stand

Teachers’ Day Out

4 FE A T U R E S A V E N U E THE SCHOLARS’ AVENUE ² SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 12TH , 2009 THE SCHOLARS’ AVENUE ² SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 12TH 2009 5FEATURES A V E N U E

e is a B.Tech in Computer Science from HIIT Madras, obtained a doctorate from the University of Maryland, and is presently an Associate professor at IIT Kanpur. With several years of teaching experience, quality research publications in prestigious journals like Euro physics and a book to his credit, Dr Mahendra Verma’s resume seemingly boasts of an impeccable record. Well, apparently the Government of India seems to think otherwise.

As waves of protest across e l i te educational institutions gather force and momentum, with IIM Kolkata being the latest addition in the series of IITs and IIMs to join the bandwagon, concerns are rife regarding their immediate future. So what is this brouhaha all about? Why, all of a sudden, are we staring at a direct standoff between these i n s t i t u t e s a n d t h e g o ve r n m e n t , a n unprecedented confrontation in the institutes’ five decade history and one which is getting stronger, uglier and murkier with every passing day? First of all, this is not a bolt from the blue. The undercurrents of discontent and vexation had been brewing for the past one year. However, recent events have accelerated the growing feeling of resentment and brought the war out into the open.

The root cause of the present situation is ththe recommendation of the 6 pay commission

(a body which reviews the pay of public sector bodies every 10 years) for the faculty of IITs and IIMs .”IITs have been long regarded as pillars of excellence in higher education. Instead of giving recognition to this fact, the Government has offered a pay package that is not helpful in filling the shortfall of faculty in IITs. We fear it may even lead existing faculty to consider other options, resulting in a dilution of the high standard that the IITs are maintaining today. The Government has even ignored the recommendation given by the IIT Directors.” says Dr B Seth, President of the Faculty Forum at I IT Bombay. This vocalization garners unanimous support in every IIT. The final recommendations cleared by the cabinet stops way short of their demands. The faculty argues that since every professor spends a considerable time in getting a doctorate while others like those in IAS start earning early, they should receive some sort of compensation in the form of scholastic pay for their relatively higher qualifications (compared to the IAS officials). In addition to completely ignoring this fact, the recommendations have added salt to the

a matter of honour

Relay Stir at IIT Powai

injury by setting their pay scales at the same level as that of the NITs and in some cases even with the UGC scales. The pay bands have even been reversed in some unique circumstances; an IIT teacher’s pay becomes significantly lesser than the scientists in DRDO and ISRO (due to their perks) while the opposite was the

thcase before the 6 Pay Commission era. More importantly, the Cabinet has undermined the recommendations of the Govardhan Mehta Committee which was already a diluted version of the original demand list.

“They say there is no great research at IIT. I agree we could have done better, but at least acknowledge the good work! It is not about a few thousand rupees, it is about the recognition that comes, a kind of medal given for good work" says Dr Sandeep Sen, who heads the Computer Science department at IIT Delhi. Dr Sen, an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, earned his PhD from Duke University, USA. He rejected many lucrative offers to settle down in his home country and fortunately, or in light of present circumstances, unfortunately, is not alone.

The issue is possibly best summarised in this quote by Professor Kanchan Chowdhury (Pres ident , I IT Kharagpur Teachers Association)

“Many private institutions have come up with large investments. Foreign Universities (not necessarily the best ones) would be allowed to set up their campuses on Indian soil very soon. How would they get competent faculty? Therefore, it has become absolutely necessary to frustrate the existing and future IIT faculty, particularly the younger teachers, by giving them a raw deal in salary and perks so that they finally decide to switch to systems that can serve the rich and the influential”

As our faculty moans about the seemingly insulting pay scales, who really stands to lose?

Is it our teachers, who can always leave for greener pastures?

Or the MHRD coffers?

Or much worse, a system called IIT?

the raw deal Should this standoff concern us?

es, as a matter of fact it should and it does. Already, across Ythe IITs, thousands of students had to miss classes due to an emblematic and unparalleled strike. Although a cosy Friday afternoon snooze did not really hurt, there still are fears in certain sections of the student community that this token protest could easily snowball into a major controversy adversely impacting them.

The education sector here does not seem lucrative. It never was. For decades, India has been a mute, helpless witness to the mass exodus of brilliant minds (a.k.a brain drain) to developed nations in search of better research opportunities, fat pay packages and a higher standard of living. In spite of this, the IITs managed to sustain and even improve their brand image leaving their mark across the globe. However, the scenario now seems to be changing and changing fast. The Cabinet has repeatedly reiterated the need to recruit and retain quality talent in these elite institutions but paradoxically, its actions of late have done nothing to illustrate the seriousness of its claim. Kapil Sibal, Union Minister (MHRD), opines that the image of IITs is not due to the faculty but due to the excellent, high quality intake of students. But what he fails to realize is the fact that substandard compensations will drive away a large chunk of good teachers which, in turn, would lead to dilution of faculty quality. An alarming spike in the intake of students and increased reservations also do nothing to safeguard the “excellent, high quality intake”. Given the irrational, unplanned mushrooming of new IITs and the massive attrition expected as renowned foreign universities set up their Indian campuses come 2010, Brand IIT is facing a threat like never before. Add to this the recommendations of the Yash Pal committee which talks of upgrading the institute to a typical Indian university and the ongoing plans to integrate JEE and other entrance exams, the HRD ministry this time has clearly got it all wrong. What will eventually happen remains to be seen.

I strongly feel that we must have a national debate in both print as well

as electronic media on how we Indians would like to treat our respected

priceless teachers. The IIT brand has become truly world class in less than

five decades and if we want to sustain the same then we need to revisit all

the four pillars of the institutes of excellence.

S M Murmu

Alumnus (1979)

We have to position the events of the apprehension of the

protests of faculty of IIT system in a broader perspective before

arriving at any annotations – whether it is right or wrong.

The IIT system and its education policy, in some way or the

other, have been able to uplift India’s technical contribution

and expertise in the frontline of the world platform. This also

matches the rise of other countries in Asia like Japan, China,

Iran, South-East Asia and the Middle East, leading to the

predominance of an Asian confederation and an Asian

approach to the world education system. Now, there are forces

having their sources beyond Asia which are trying to

homogenize and undermine the IIT system, and bring down the

possibilities just mentioned.

So, beyond the petty concerns for correcting money and

norms, the faculty and the ministry as a whole has to rise above

and rectify their attitude and concern at both ends in order to

augment and accelerate the contribution of India to the

continent she belongs through her own IIT system.

- Prof. Joy Sen

Dept. of Architecture and Regional Planning

Every other government organization gives special

incentive to its employees, except the IITs. We are

resentful that the ministry has abandoned us like this.

Dr Bhartendu Seth

President, IIT Bombay Faculty Forum

The Numbers

6 C A R E E R S A V E N U E THE SCHOLARS’ AVENUE ² SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 12TH 2009

arish Hande, an sustain dependable products, his solar lighting systems were the doubling of productivity. Dr. HIIT Kharagpur based on sound technology that selling like hot cakes. An annual Hande was named the Social alumnus, holds a PhD from the bring a positive change to their revenue generation of more Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 by University of Massachusetts, normal way of life. True, as with than US $3 million when one's the Schwab Foundation for Lowell, and has a reputation for m o s t s u c c e s s f u l s o c i a l clientele' consists entirely of Social Entrepreneurship.being a pioneer of change in enterprises, Harish had to bear street vendors and people rural India. What is truly the initial hardship of creating a earning below US $4 per day is The Scholars' Avenue, in an incredible is the business model strong base amongst the rural indeed startling. One particular e f f o r t t o inves t iga t e such around which he has built his folk and marketing his product success story of his company opportunities available in the field profitable social venture. t h r o u g h d o o r - t o - d o o r was equipping rose pickers in o f soc ia l en t repreneursh ip Harish's company Selco, India campaigns. However, with Bangalore, who used to pick contacted students and alumni who (Solar Electric Light Company) innovative schemes bordering roses every morning holding an have worked in such enterprises. has made a mockery of critics o n p a y m e n t t h r o u g h oil lamp in one hand with solar- Listed below are the personal who believe that the rural installments and collaboration powered headlamps. What experiences of two such individuals population of India does not with MFI's and other funding resulted was a considerable

who have experienced this domain have the means to buy and agencies, it was not long before increase of their income due to

quite closely.

arabjeet Singh make a real difference. My associated with the likes of MIT, Sa.k.a Surd (of earlier encounters with social Yale and the University of 'Where the hell in Kgp' fame) left a entrepreneurs during the TATA Michigan and has worked at the lucrative job option at ZS Jagriti Yatra and my experience IFC (International Finance Associates and is now working with AIESEC further spurred Corporation) and Grameen f u l l t i m e f o r E t h o s me on. Also, I have got future Bank. The idea behind the Philanthrophy, a start-up in the plans to pursue economics, initiative was to revolutionize social sector. In an interview policy making and governance 'giving' in India by creating a with TSA, Surd discusses the down the road and this field state-of- the-art portal to reasons for his choice. really helps to build a strong facilitate interaction between

profile for that. thousands of credible NGOs across the country and potential Working in a start-up in the TSA: What made you leave a d o n o r s a n d i n v e s t o r s . social sector involves putting in lucrative job option at ZS Innumerable brain-storming long hours and has a steep Associates and join Ethos? How is sessions that we have every day learning curve attached to it. the work culture there different coupled with calling up non-Contrary to popular opinion, from a stereotypical corporate?profit organizations and trying however, the remuneration is to understand the challenges decent. Ethos also allows me to Surd: E4SI (Engineers for Social they face are on the daily menu. explore my own ideas and I m p a c t ) w h i c h c o n n e c t s There is just one program which devote a few hours a week students from top Indian we are officially running right towards them. During these engineering schools to social n o w, c a l l e d I - S u p p o r t "few hours", I am working on enterprises, introduced me to Fellowship and this is being l a u n c h i n g a n i n c u b a t o r Ethos. Did I want to be one of the handled by Parth Sethi (KGP competition for early stage several "Technology Associates" Class of 2009 and McKinsey social entrepreneurs in India.in a big MNC like ZS where I hiree) who is currently an intern

hardly have any clue about the at Ethos. The program connects TSA: Could you elaborate on Ethos bigger picture, or should I be professionals, who are willing and the nature of your work there?making strategy decisions in a to volunteer, and NGOs who

firm where I define my work need support.

a n d b o u n d a r i e s ? S o c i a l Surd: Ethos Philanthropy was entrepreneurship, though started about a year back by abuzz with opportunities, is in P r i y a N a i k , a s o c i a l desperate need of good brains to entrepreneur, who has been

From An Intern’s Eye

The following is the experience of Shrey Goyal (3rd year, RK Hall), w h o t h r o u g h t h e E 4 S I programme got a taste of the world of social entrepreneurship in the summer following his first year.

I chose to work at iDiscoveri, a social enterprise founded with a mission to renew education in India. It was b a c k e d b y a t e a m o f exceptional individuals, from many of the top Ivy League Colleges, the IIMs and the IITs, many of whom had previously worked with and played leadership roles in Fortune 500 companies in India and abroad; definitely not the profile of social entrepreneurs that I had envisioned. A company with a "you can be serious without a suit" dress code, complete lack of a sense of hierarchy, and a warm and friendly office environment, iDiscoveri was scripting its own version of the Google Story. And all of this completely reflected in t h e i D i s c o v e r i t e a m ' s enthusiasm and dedication towards work.

My experience with them completely changed my outlook towards social entrepreneurship. The social impact made by iDiscoveri, revolutionizing education all over, is by far greater than most “social workers” can hope for. I realised that the impact made by Social Enterprises not only makes a dent in the society, but it is also sustainable as well as profitable in nature. It’s not just about being for-profit or not-for-profit. It’s about being not-just-for-profit.

s students of one of India's Al e a d i n g t e c h n i c a l

institutes, we are strategically

placed to induce change across

large sectors of the Indian

society through thoughtful

application of ideas focused

through the prism of sound

technology and innovation. We

list here a few specific avenues

in which entrepreneurs have

invested and have got ample

returns in the past. What is truly

encouraging is the fact that for

investors looking to earn big

bucks, this market is still wide

open.

Awaiting An Entrepreneur

Where the hell in KGP?

Harish Hande: Lighting Up India

Bandhan - Addresses the issues of poverty alleviation and women empowerment through micro-credit.

Craftsbridge - Incorporates traditional skills and expertise to design products matching international standards and then markets them for profit.

Desi Power - Helps in rural development by providing electricity and energy services in villages through tie-ups with local partners.

Drishtee - Supports rural entrepreneurship by providing easy access to trade, government, information, business and health services.

Jiva - Aims to revive India's traditional knowledge regarding science, healthcare education and technology and make it accessible to people today.

Pardada Pardadi - Supports the education and empowerment of the girl child in rural India.

TinyTech - Promotes small-scale indigenous enterprises in villages in various industrial fields, particularly agro-processing.

The French Connection

GUEST A V E N U ETHE SCHOLARS’ AVENUE ² SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 12TH 2009 7

when one is at home (for example, negotiating and conducting business with p a r t n e r s a b r o a d ) . W h i l e globalization has shrunk the world into one big community, it has also foregrounded the advantages of acquiring local knowledge. Languages are gateways to local information, both scientific and cultural. Care fu l ly -chosen fore ign language courses offered at the beginner’s, intermediate and advanced levels can go a long to way to enhance communication skills and open access to l e a r n i n g a n d c a r e e r opportunities outside the United States and the United Kingdom.

One thought that often crossed my mind when I taught at IIT Kharagpur was: why did the founding fathers of the IIT think of including a Humanities and Social Sciences department within a technological institute? Was it merely because they foresaw a day when scientists would need soft skills to survive in an increasingly competitive world? Or was it because they dreamt that Indian scientists would be world leaders one day, combining cutting-edge training in scientific methods with an e m o t i o n a l l y i n t e l l i g e n t awareness of their human environment? Though the Humanities department at IIT Kharagpur offers a wide range of courses in a range of disciplines, there is need, perhaps, to revamp some of the courses in the light of recent developments in gender and cultural studies as well as those i n d e ve l o p m e n t s t u d i e s , including ethics and economics. During my tenure at IIT Kharagpur, in addition to French, I also taught English language skills at various levels. It surprised me that a majority of undergraduate students did not feel studying literature was important. I feel somewhat alarmed at the idea of a purely utilitarian education. A scientist who has no notion about indigenous or world cultures or who has not tempered his/her scientific knowledge with insight into and empathy for his/her human environment is as handicapped as an arts student who does not know the use of computers or is not aware of the amazing ways in which science is revolutionizing our lives. Despite their extraordinary scientific progress, one of the main ills plaguing developed societies are societal and cultural

had never Idreamt I would set foot into IIT Kharagpur’s classrooms o n e d a y . B e i n g a s t u d e n t t h e r e wa s

out of the question—I had struggled with subjects like p h y s i c s , c h e m i s t r y a n d mathematics in school. As for being a teacher there, what would I teach India’s budding scientists? IIT was another world and it did not intersect mine in any way. Further, as I was born and bred in Kolkata, my activities had tended to revolve around this city. When I came back to India after obtaining higher education in the West, it seemed natural that I settle into my known world. Yet, the unthinkable happened because I was looking for a challenging career and this meant I would need to look beyond my comfort zone. I had studied Humanities, and luckily for me, like all other IITs, IIT Kharagpur had a Humanities and Social Sciences department. Thus, one fine morning, I found myself walking along the corridors of IIT Kharagpur towards room F-116, my heart beating gently at the prospect of a d d r e s s i n g a c l a s s o f undergraduate engineers. One glance at the audience and another first screamed at me—there were hardly any girls in the class. On the flip side, about forty five young men had gathered in a classroom to learn French as a foreign language and that challenged a stereotype many Indians have about scientific education—scientists do not study languages. French became one of the most popular c o u r s e s o f f e r e d b y t h e Humanities department. While I was happy to have students from a wide range of science backgrounds including doctoral students and also MBA students from VGSOM, there were many eager students whom I couldn’t accommodate due to practical constra ints and inst i tute guidelines.

IIT Kharagpur was, and still is a pioneer in many ways. Quite apart from being the first and the largest IIT in India, it is also singular in that it offers foreign languages such as German and French. Acquiring a foreign language has indisputable advantages—not only in terms of adapting to foreign cultures when one is overseas, but even

problems arising out of lack of significant exchanges between the scientific and humane spheres.

Teaching at IIT Kharagpur has been a hugely rewarding e x p e r i e n c e f o r m e . T h e opportunities that the institute o f f e r s t o a t e a c h e r a r e many—students who are a joy to teach, infrastructure such as a w e l l - e q u i p p e d l a n g u a g e laboratory, which is still rare in m a n y h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n institutions in India, the privilege of being in an institute where academic standards are very high. On the negative side, there are problems one usually a s s o c i a t e s w i t h l a r g e , centralized institutions, more

specifically, a bureaucratic, and s o m e t i m e s r i g i d a n d c o n s e r va t i ve a t t i t u d e t o innovat ion. However, no problem, no matter how complex , i s i r resolvable . S t u d e n t s , t e a c h e r s a n d administrators can, with some effort, create a joint forum where they can periodically discuss ways of addressing these issues. Vouloir, c’est pouvoir! Where there is a will, there is a way!

Dr. Sucheta Kapoor, BA MA English (Calcutta), MSt DPhil French (Oxon), is a former faculty member of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT-KGP. Her research is in nineteenth-century French studies. The complete article may be viewed online.

thhe 59 Foundation Day saw a series of programs lined up in TNetaji Auditorium, starting from 3 in the afternoon and stretching till 1 in the morning. The Chief Guest for the afternoon was Prof. Kiran Seth, an alumnus of the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur. He is the founder of the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture amongst Youth (SPICMACAY), apart from having done a lot of good work in this area. He spoke to the audience about the importance of bringing back Indian Classical Music and the ancient Indian Philosophy of Life, increasingly disappearing in today’s material world.

The program started with a welcome address by Prof. Amit Patra, Dean, Alumni Affairs and International Relations followed by the presentation of the Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award, 2009. After a series of evaluations, Prof. Milind V. Rane, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Bombay, and Mr. Kartik Kumar Samanta and associates, Department of Textile Technology, IIT Delhi were declared joint winners. Their innovations comprise of

New RGSOIPL Complex Presentation Ceremony

Foundation Day Celebrations

pioneering work in Tube-Tube Heat Exchanges and original work in the field of atmospheric pressure glow discharge plasma reaction technology for the functionalization of textile substrates respectively.

All professors and staff who have completed 25 years of Service were then distributed mementos. All medal winners of the Inter IIT Staff Sports Meet, 2008 were awarded a cash prize of Rs. 1000 in appreciation of their winning the Overall Championship and to help encourage more participation in future. The Foundation Day Debate saw the 16 finalists asserting their views on “Technology creates a virtual world better than the real world”. This was followed by a round of Fancy Dress Football at the TATA Sports Complex. A SPIC MACAY program delighted the audience with an excellent hour of Indian Classical music performed by Debashis Bhattacharya and Parimal Roychowdhury. The day’s agenda ended with the ETMS and TDS productions.

Abstract always add several helpful through related papers, and to spend a lifetime churning out comments, and you can always helps network papers together technical papers (well that's the

You've just spent two months toiling revise and re-submit next time. in relevance (not to mention that theory at any rate).away on a research project. Your it's plain good manners to give mentor runs through the results and

c r e d i t w h e r e i t ' s d u e ) . 8.1.2. Organization and Writingexclaims, "Say, we can make a paper Sometimes you may have to out of this stuff!" And then you do Assuming what you're write a cover letter to the editors your private victory dance. Nice, but working on is really paper-

what do you do from there on out? The / reviewers of the publication worthy, you need to be able to art of paper publication has often been yourself, though this would effectively communicate all the presumed lying strictly in the domain

most likely be handled by your main ideas as clearly as possible. of grad students and faculty, but you mentor. Be sure to provide your can take just as active a role in getting Try to frame a structure and profess iona l c redent ia l s , yourself published. overview for each major section experience and any selling instead of just diving into a mass points you can think of.8.1.1. Journals, Workshops and of details. To get a grip on the

Conferences sectional layout and the kind of 8.1.4. Fundinglanguage to be used, pore The first thing you'll be

through as many papers as While several "big gun" d o i n g i s s e l e c t i n g a n possible. Images and graphs are journals will not need this from appropriate audience for your crucial - try to put in as many your end, some organizations paper. And depending on your (useful ones) as you can. They like IEEE place a publication fee focus, it means knowing what

for services rendered such as your peers in the same field high-quality production and would be following, either by printing services, professional way of journals or conference support, marketing, indexing, proceedings. Note that all copyright protection, etc. You publications are not created may also choose to pay a fee in equal. A Conference is like a are all your paper can offer in order to grant people free access rock concert for scientists, with terms of eye-candy, and to your work. Of course, these high visibility, impact and a fair anything that can reduce the rates are oft far from affordable share of ego-boosting. Many tedium of labouring through (PLoS Medicine for example people will attend your talk and pages of content is a huge plus. charges a $2850 publication fee, ask questions about your work; As for formatting, LaTeX is a albeit with an unconditional this is an excellent way to staple in academia - it's easy to waiver for economica l ly interact and network with pick up, and takes much of the d i s a d va n t a g e d a u t h o r s ) . leading scientists. Conference hassles of styling out of the Funding for such fees can be material is generally of much hands of the writer. Some o b t a i n e d f r o m v a r i o u s higher quality (and often, publications may prefer Word Government and Private firms; novelty) so be prepared for .doc submissions, though, so in the basic sciences for instance, re ject ion. Workshops are tha t they can format i t the Department of Science and handled on a much smaller themselves according to their Technology maintains a listing scale, usually centred around requirements.of prominent funding schemes one single university. Journals a n d a g e n c i e s are often the safer bet and allow 8.1.3. Finishing Touches(http://www.dst.gov.in/r&d_fundimuch longer page limits. You

Once you think you're done, n g / r d f s . h t m ) . P r i v a t e c a n t h r o w i n a l l t h e

have two colleagues review it - c o r p o r a t i o n s f r e q u e n t l y experimental simulations and

one with some expertise on the a p p r o a c h e s t a b l i s h e d lengthy proofs that would

subject, another with little or no researchers and professors for otherwise be too boring for

knowledge about it. The former sponsored research projects, shorter publications. Journal

can provide technical advice, although these are usually publications tend to be more

while the latter can check if your attached with profit-oriented detailed, and the peer reviewal

ideas are being communicated strings. process also takes a longer time.

well. Throw in as many citations Rejection is a part and parcel as you can. This allows your

of the whole process but seldom Those are the basics... with a paper to be discoverable the end of the line - reviewers little effort, you should be all set whenever people search

Publish Or PerishTA et al.

Submitted on September 11 2009

Open Access?

Open access is an increasingly popular mode of propagating s c i e n t i f i c k n o w l e d g e (especially in the internet age). Publication charges are wholly paid by the author, his/her university, or the agency providing a research grant. The articles are then freely distributed via online repositories. Open access publishing is commonly criticized for quality as the standard of submissions and peer review is not yet believed to be high enough. Be that as it may, open access may well be just what is needed to revitalize academia - the publication scene as it currently stands is plagued by rampant capitalization as major publishing houses of the likes of Elsevier, Springer and Wiley hold monopoly over all the "top journals" and charge exorbitant amounts for annual subscriptions to their publications (case in point: Brain Research, an Elsevier periodical, costs $21744 a year) to the point that a vast majority of library funds in most universities goes in obtaining journals. All said and done, the goal of publication is to be the vehicle of information discourse; k n o w l e d g e h o a r d e d i s knowledge wasted, as the saying goes.

our car doesn't like it when setup relies imperative to have an alert Yyou yawn. And if this team o n i m a g e - T h e s ystem in place that monitors of researchers have their way, it process ing method uses fatigue levels. Research shows will soon be able to voice its software that a s i m p l e that sleepy drivers tend to concerns. monitors an correlat ion underestimate their weariness

In colaboration with a group i m a g e b e t w e e n and its effect on their driving of Indian and American experts, stream of the y a w n performance. A yawn-detection Prof. Aurobindo Routray of the d r i v e r ' s f r e q u e n c y system would be a simple, non-Department of Electr ical f a c i a l and fatigue invasive yet effective way to cut Engineering is designing an in- expressions, and warns down on accidents.car system that aims to issue a and accurately distinguishes the target to take a break. With warning when it detects signs of yawning from other movements sleepy drivers being a leading exhaustion from the driver. The such as talking and singing. cause for vehicle crashes, it is

In-Car Yawn-Detection System

Fig. 8.1

8 TE C H A V E N U E THE SCHOLARS’ AVENUE ² SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 12TH 2009

BHAAT A V E N U ETHE SCHOLARS’ AVENUE ² SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 12TH 2009 9

Umbrella MaintenanceUmbrellas are of various colors. For example, Brown, Black, Red, Pink, and Green. An

Umbrella may be an open umbrella or a closed umbrella. It has nothing to do with their

states of mind. Despite the myths, an Umbrella is not particularly happy when it’s raining,

but definitely and most particularly hates violent rains, unexpected drains, and miscreant

opening and closing. Also, it hates any kind of water touching its insides.

You may notice sometimes that an umbrella may act difficult. Maybe it doesn't open when

you just left the shade and entered the rain. Now that is just plain teenage embarrassment.

Look about you, is there a flush pink umbrella acting royally indifferent nearby? That is it,

the cause of the embarrassment and the failure. There is a time-tested, rather sick, but

working solution for this. Just take your umbrella back in, find a dark corner, stroke it

appropriately and you will see it rising with flying colors. Now that you have it high and

mighty, go ahead, walk into the rain, zoom and flash, and declare that you've arrived.

Though not too fast, mind you.

You may also sometimes notice that an umbrella, though its usually considered a good

thing under normal circumstances, may act tough and stubborn sometimes. It resists a

hurried closing. An umbrella at its flair, showing off in style, is hard to tame and cut back

and close, especially if there is audience around, the pink one, that is. The best way to deal

with such stubbornness and hard-headedness is to give your umbrella a good share of

opening everyday, preferably in the rain. And to keep under wraps and covers otherwise,

which basically hinders its opportunistic vision and keeps it cool and calm.

After a good long stint in the rain, a wet umbrella may want to drool for a long time, even

though it has long since been closed. It is advised to please let it. And then to wipe it dry and

cover in the wraps. Read and follow the instructions for a long durable life. Store in a cool

and dark place. Keep safe from children.

Lastly, in conclusion, please let your umbrella have a good time, while simultaneously

keeping it in check. There are laws in some countries against any deviant behaviour from

the standard and accepted umbrella-rain relationships, despite the very natural tendency

of an umbrella to playfully strike or rub against another. There may also be restrictions on

the usage routine, depending on the laws of the land. Please check the instruction manual,

and the constitution of your country, for a longer life. Thank you.

Advertisement: Call now for special discounts. 1800-44836323425.

TEAM SCHOLSAVE

Executive Editors:

Cherian, Mithun Madhusudan

Editors: AVN Murthy, Bharat Bhat,

Dheeraj Golla, Mayank Kedia, Pallavi

Jayannavar, Siddharth Prabhu, Siddharth

Singh, Suyash Bire

Asst. Editors: Abhirajika A, Amiya

Adwitiya,Arvind Sowmyan, Ratan J S,

Tiyasa Mitra, Vijay, Sumeet Mohanty

Reporters: Achyut Bihani, Chirag

Tibrewal, Deepesh Kumar, Hridya

Ravimohan, Indra Saha, Mahtab Soin,

Parth Govil, Rishabh Poddar

Anup Bishnoi, Deepak

Bei as te sD

If George Michael were Bong...

Last DP, I gave you my heart

But the very next day, you said

Cholbe Na

This year, to improve my CG

I wonder, ki korchis, ki korchis

Next to Dhaba

In a tractor

On my way to

Family kheth

Wearing Patiala

Making lassi

Out in open

aangan

Oh my darling

Oh my darling

Oh my darling

Loveleen

You're my dearest

You're my dearest

You're my dearest Kudi

If The Beatles were to fancy utthapams...

When I find myself on coconut tree

Mariamma comes to me

Telling me drink toddy

Let it be

And in my finest lungi

I book ticket to Dubai City

Wanting to make the money

Let it be

Let it be

Let it be

Iron out

My lungi

Speaking the words of

Mammooty

Let it be...

Did you know?

It’s intrinsically easy to

compose a rap song when all

your words end with ‘o’s.