Edition 57

Panel Discussion with Innovation and Startup Ecosystem Enablers From the Region/State/National level

Department of Applied Physics, DTU in collaboration with IIC-DTU organised a Panel Discussion with Innovation and Startup Ecosystem Enablers From the Region/State/National level in August, 2022. Prof. Jai Prakash Saini, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, DTU served as the patron. Prof. Vinod Singh, Coordinator and Prof. A. S. Rao, HoD, Dept. of Applied Physics, served as the organisers. Ashish Jain, CEO, The Start-up Board was the speaker at the event.

World Environment Day celebration

Department of Environmental Engineering, DTU organised an expert lecture on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature” followed by a drawing competition for kids (age group 8-15 years) on 5th June, 2022. Prof. V. Subramanian, Former Dean, SES, JNU delivered the lecture.

Online workshop on “Data Analytics for Managers”

University School of Management and Entrepreneurship East Delhi Campus, DTU conducted a one day online workshop on “Data Analytics for Managers” in May, 2022. Dr. Kusum Lata, Assistant Professor, USME, East Delhi Campus, DTU and Dr. Deepti Aggarwal, Assistant Professor USME, East Delhi Campus, DTU were the organisers. The speakers Dr. Lalit Mohan Goyal, Assistant Professor, YMCA, Haryana and Dr. Nitin Sachdeva, Principal Data Scientist, TVS enlightened the event.

Open House Program

Centre for Extension and Field Outreach, DTU organised an “Open House” program on 11th October, 2022, giving students of classes 10th, 11th and 12th an opportunity to explore the campus and gain valuable exposure to science, engineering and management offered by DTU. Prof. Amit Srivastava, Dean of Centre for Extension and Field Outreach, served as the organiser of the event.

Faculty Development Program

Delhi School of Management, DTU organised a “Faculty Development Program” on Research Methodology and Introduction to Modelling Techniques from 18th to 23rd July, 2022. Prof. Jai Prakash Saini, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, DTU served as the patron. Dr Saurabh Agrawal, Associate Professor, served as the coordinator alongside co-coordinators Dr. Deepali Malhotra and Dr. Abhinav Chaudhary. Dr. Vikas Gupta, Assistant Professor, served as the organising secretary.

Workshop on Prototype / Process Design and Development

Department of Mechanical Engineering and DTU-IIF organised a one day workshop on Prototype/Process Design and Development held on 26th May, 2022. The event was enlightened by guest lecturers, experts Prof. Abid Haleem of JMI, Delhi and Prof. P.K. Jain of IIITDM, Jabalpur.

Inauguration of the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Boys Hostel & Virangana Laxmibai Girls Hostel

Delhi Technological University inaugurated the newly built Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Boys Hostel & Virangana Laxmibai Girls Hostel on 20th July, 2022. The two newly built hostels were inaugurated by Mr. Manish Sisodia, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, in the presence of the Guest of Honour, Prof. Yogesh Singh, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi & former Vice Chancellor, DTU. Prof. Jai Prakash Saini, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, DTU, presided over the inauguration ceremony. With the newly constructed hostels, the university will accommodate 1,105 girls & 1,605 boys. The hostels are equipped with air-conditioned, fully furnished rooms, a television room, a gymnasium, a facility for indoor games, a reading and internet room, a dining room, a parlour, an activity room, and a guest room.

Art & Design Competition 2022

Department of Design, DTU organised the “Art & Design Competition” on 16th and 17th September, 2022. Prof. S. Indu, Dean Student Welfare was the guest for the competition, and Mrs Indira Doddamani, Art/Design expert, was invited as the special guest and jury member. Prof. Arun Thakur and Ms Taruna Singh, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Design, DTU, served as the faculty advisors for the event. Competitions for logo design and sketching, paintings, photographs, and sculptures were part of the event. The event was a celebration of aesthetic excellence as art lovers came to marvel at the artworks on display.

Akshar Mahotsav

Compared to tapping a device’s keyboard, handwriting may be a secondary action to the digital natives. For those who are still analogue loyalists, the development of technology has brought calligraphy back to its former splendour, driving it from a piece of paper or a scroll to lucent screens. While it is undeniable that pictures can speak a thousand words, the art form of calligraphy entwines the beauty of words with handwritten expressions to add greater profundity. Fostering the renewed interest in handwriting, The Calligraphy Foundation, in collaboration with the Department of Design, DTU, hosted the Akshar Mahotsav, a calligraphy festival to celebrate World Calligraphy Day on 10th August 2022 at the Department of Design, DTU. The chief guest, Shri Ram Niwas Goel, Hon’ble Speaker, Vidhan Sabha, Delhi, graced the event. Akshar Mahotsav, an awareness initiative by the foundation, cultivates a community of calligraphers and unites them with students of various disciplines who have an innate artistic prowess. Through a comprehensive study of scripts, the celebration aims to encompass knowledge of the origins, development and evolutions of expressions from history to the present. Reversing the typical turmoil associated with celebration and revelry, the Mahotsav guided attendees in channelling their inner commotion into a disciplined form of meditation disguised as calligraphy and brush lettering. Students and calligraphers alike become bewildered by the countless fountain pen and ink possibilities when searching for the one that best suits their handwriting style. The venue was adorned with beautiful inscriptions and graffiti. Students dipped the brushes and pens in their souls to paint their imaginations on the four walls of the Department of Design. Interacting with the art and the artist simultaneously broadened the breadth of lessons for the guests, who were astounded by the inventiveness of pure handicraft. In addition to the intrinsic beauty of manual writing, the plurality of typefaces brought another level of magnificence to the festivity, which was nothing short of exceptional at the University.

Convocation’22

The 9th Convocation Ceremony was organised for the Class of 2022 on August 25, 2022, in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Auditorium. Mr. Vinay Kumar Saxena, Lieutenant Governor and Hon’ble Chancellor, presided over the function and addressed the audience about the importance of lifelong and self-driven learning. The hon’ble chief guest, Prof. Sanjay Govind Dhande, former Director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, illustrated the importance of imbibing love and patience in all domains of life.

Prof. Jai Prakash Saini, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, congratulated the students and wished them luck in their future endeavours. The Booklet of Student Activities, the Yearbook, and the Progress and Accomplishments Booklet 201722 were distributed.

The ceremony witnessed the promoter of bigbasket.com, Portea Medical, HomeLane, BlueStone, Mr. Ganesh Krishnan (DCE Alumnus, BE 1982 Mechanical Engg.), and Ms. Alice Vaz, Secretary, DTTE, attended the ceremony as the special guest. They stressed the importance of humility and perseverance and lauded the students for their journey.

3,182 students were conferred, including 2413 undergraduates, 715 postgraduates, and 54 Ph.D. students during the function. The campus was buzzing with energy. The ceremony witnessed the Class of 2022 trying to capture the essence of the University and imprint it on their memories for eternity. Dressed in black cloaks and mortarboards, students were navigating the campus one final time. With degrees in their hands and nostalgia-filled eyes, they were ready to embark on a new phase of their lives.

Anant Vohra (3rd Year, ME)

The Golden Pride Function’22

Arein Gupta (3rd Year, EP) Akshaya Jain (2nd Year, B.Des)

The Golden Pride Function, 2022, was held on August 24, 2022, in honour of the recipients of Ph.D. Degrees, Gold Medals, and Merit Scholarships from the University. The event was a testament to their commendable achievements, and every attendee had a palpable sense of triumph and exuberance.

The national anthem and lamp lighting marked the formal beginning of the evening. Prof. Rajesh Rohilla, Dean Alumni Affairs, started the proceedings with his encouraging thoughts. Prof. J.P. Saini, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, presented the University’s meteoric progression with pride, substantiating that Delhi Technological University routinely pushes the envelope, leaving no multidisciplinary sphere undistorted. Prof. S. Indu, Dean Student Welfare, coalesced the spree of addresses on the podium to reiterate the essence of interweaving the adroitness of the students and the professors with a congenial visionary atmosphere.

Distinguished dignitaries graced the ceremony, like Mr. Karnal Singh, IPS, Patron of DTU Alumni Affairs; Prof. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS; and Mr. S.R. Narasimhan, Chairman and Managing Director, POSOCO. Prof. Guleria spoke on working for the good of society while also developing one’s skills and progressing forward. In his speech, Shri S. R. Narasimhan urged the young graduates and award recipients to contribute towards the energy transition journey. He further shared his learnings on personal development, emphasising the importance of overall well-being.

The esteemed guests felicitated the award recipients. The awardees then took up the podium to share their experiences and gratitude for their mentors. The release of the ‘Scholarships Brochure’ and the felicitation of the guests took place after the award ceremony. The occasion came to a fitting conclusion with an address by Prof. Madhusudan Singh, Registrar, DTU. The celebration of the Golden Pride Function exuded excitement and multifarious emotions in an evening filled with thunderous applause and a sense of composure.

Awards, Honours & Conferences

Prof. S. Indu, Dean, Student Welfare

● Ph.D. Examiner, Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education, Tamil Nadu

● Completed BLDC Motor Controller Project, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Digital India Expo

● Attendee, IHub Data Mobility Summit 2022, IIIT Hyderabad

● Presenter, ‘Automatic Intestinal Content Classification Using Transfer Learning Architectures’, IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Computing and Communication Technologies, Bengaluru, Karnataka

● Presenter, ‘A Deep Unified Pedestrian Detection Framework’, IEEE Delhi Section Conference 2022, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi

● Presenter, ‘An Improved Deep Neural Network for Multiclass Classification of Diabetic Foot Thermogram’, 2nd International Conference on Intelligent Technologies, Hubballi, Karnataka

Prof. Yasha Hasija, Associate Dean, Alumni Affairs

● Attendee, International Conference on Industry 4.0 Technology 2022, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, Maharashtra

Prof. Jai Gopal Sharma, Dept. of Biotechnology

● Member, Advisory Committee, Conference on Recent Advances in Nano Medical Sciences, University of Delhi

Prof. Naveen Kumar, Dept. of Mechanical Energy

● Speaker, ‘Next generation Transport Fuels in India: Status, Opportunities & Challenges’, 2nd Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi International Conference, Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi, Thailand

Prof. Rahul Katarya, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering

● Declared amongst the World’s Top 2% Scientists, Stanford University, California, United States of America

● Keynote Speaker, ‘Applications of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence In Autism Spectrum Disorder’, Exploring the Frontiers of Data Science, Biomedical Informatics & Human-Computer Interaction, School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University IUPUI, USA and Indiana University India Gateway, New Delhi

● Expert Speaker, ‘Role of Probability and Statistics in Healthcare Analytics’, Probability & Statistics: New Frontiers, Department of Statistics, University of Calcutta & Calcutta Statistical Association

● Expert Speaker, ‘Public Health Surveillance using Artificial Intelligence’, Advances in Computer Sciences, Hindustan Engineering College of Science & Technology, Farah, Mathura

Prof. Seema Singh, Dept. of Humanities

● Panellist, ‘Women Empowerment through Financial Inclusion’, Technical session III in Financial Inclusion and Literacy for Women, IICA, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, Manesar

● Speaker, ‘Enhancing Research Culture in STEM tertiary Education in India’, Reimagining a STEM Research Culture: Lessons Learnt from 20 years of the Evolution for Inclusive Representation in Science & Technology, 1st INWES Webinar, International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists, Asia Pacific Nations Network

● Board Member, Reimagining a STEM Research Culture: Lessons Learnt from 20 years of Evolution for Inclusive Representation in Science and Engineering project, International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

● Expert, Women in STEM, INWES-KWSE GISE Global Project, National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea

Prof. Vijay Gautam, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

● Awardee, Premier Research Award, Delhi Technological University

● Presenter, ‘Speed-Sensitive Smart Speed Bump for Efficient Traffic Management’, Recent Advances in Materials, Manufacturing and Thermal Engineering, Delhi Technological University

● Presenter, ‘Numerical Study of Deep Drawability of an Aluminium Alloy’, Recent Advances in Materials, Manufacturing and Thermal Engineering, Delhi Technological University

● Presenter, ‘Analysis of crashworthiness of a saloon car fitted with CNG cylinder’, Recent Advances in Materials, Manufacturing and Thermal Engineering, Delhi Technological University

● Presenter, ‘Characterization of Fracture Toughness of As Cast Si-Mo-Cr Ductile Cast Iron’, Recent Advances in Materials, Manufacturing and Thermal Engineering, Delhi Technological University

● Presenter, ‘A Review of Influence of severe plastic deformation processes on microstructural and mechanical properties of Aluminium alloys’, Recent Advances in Materials, Manufacturing and Thermal Engineering, Delhi Technological University

● Presenter, ‘A Hybrid Method for Assigning Containers to AGVs in Automated Container Terminal’, Recent Advances in Materials, Manufacturing and Thermal Engineering, Delhi Technological University

● Presenter, ‘Design consideration of laser power source for welding aluminium sheet metal: A review’, Recent Advances in Materials, Manufacturing and Thermal Engineering, Delhi Technological University

Dr. Shilpa Pal, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Civil Engineering

● Presenter, ‘Damage detection on Low, Medium and High Rise Buildings using Modal Slope and Curvature’, 1st International Conference on Innovations in Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat

● Awardee, Best Paper, ‘Experimental Validation of Damage Detection in Concrete Beam Under Impact Load Using Piezo Sensor’, 3rd International Conference on Recent Advances in Materials, Manufacturing, and Thermal Engineering, Delhi Technological University

Dr. Manjeet Kumar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Electronics and Communication Engineering

● Presenter, ‘A Hybrid Ensemble Deep Learning Model for COVID-19 Detection Using CT Scan’, International Conference on Signals, Machine, and Automation, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, New Delhi

● Presenter, ‘Comparative Analysis of CNN Architecture for Classification of Pneumonia and COVID-19 Using CXR Images’, International Conference on Signals, Machine, and Automation, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, New Delhi

● Presenter, ‘Discrete Sine Transform Interpolation Based Design of 2-D FIR Fractional Delay Digital Filter’, International Conference on Computational Electronics for Wireless Communications, National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Karnataka

Dr. Meha Joshi, Asst. Prof., Delhi School of Management

● Participant, ‘Research Methodology and Introduction to Modelling Techniques’, Faculty Development Program, Delhi School Of Management, New Delhi

● Speaker, ‘Human Resource Skills for bilateral relations’, Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research, Indian Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Dr. Prashant Giridhar Shambharkar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering

● Attendee, ‘Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) & IP Management for Start-Ups’, Department of Software Engineering, Delhi Technological University

● Attendee, ‘Accelerators/Incubation Opportunities for Students & Faculties Early Stage Entrepreneurs Computer Science and Engineering Department’, Delhi Technological University

● Presenter, ‘Enhancing Spam Detection on SMS performance using several Machine Learning Classification Models’, 6th International Conference on Trends in Electronics and Informatics, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu

● Presenter, ‘GenGen: Analysing the Performance of Transformer-based EncoderDecoder in a General Natural Language Generation Paradigm’, International Conference on Applied Artificial Intelligence and Computing, Salem, Tamil Nadu

● Presenter, ‘COVID-19 Diagnosis Using Machine Learning Techniques’, International Conference on Communication, Computing and Internet of Things, Chennai, India

Dr. Ravindra Singh, Asst. Prof, Dept. of Design

● BoS Member, UP Institute of Design, Noida

● Editorial Board Member, Design for All Institute of India, New Delhi

● Reviewer, MDPI Designs Journal

● Presenter, ‘Emotion Recognition for Individuals with Autism’, 24th International Conference on Human Computer Interaction

Dr. Smita Rastogi Verma, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Biotechnology

● Participant, Short-term Professional Development Programme on ‘NBA accreditation Procedure’, National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training and Research, Chennai

● Participant, ‘Converting Innovation into Startup’, Department of Biotechnology, Delhi Technological University

Publications

Prof. S. Indu, Dean,

Student Welfare

● ‘Pedestrian Intention Prediction for Autonomous Vehicles: A Comprehensive Survey’, Neurocomputing Prof. Yasha Hasija, Associate Dean, Alumni Affairs

● ‘Predicting Protein Intrinsically Disordered Regions by Applying Natural Language Processing Practices’, Soft Computing

● ‘Bidirectional

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Prof. Dinesh Vishwakarma, Dept. of Information Technology

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● ‘HISNet: A Human Image Segmentation Network aiding Bokeh Effect Generation,’ Multimedia Tools and Applications

● ‘A Literature Review and Perspectives in Deepfakes: Generation, Detection, and Applications,’ International Journal of Multimedia Information Retrieval

● ‘A Unified Approach of Detecting Misleading Images via Tracing its Instances on Web and Analysing its Past Context for the Verification of Multimedia Content,’ International Journal of Multimedia Information Retrieval

● ‘Obscenity Detection in Videos through a Sequential ConvNet Pipeline Classifier,’ IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Development Systems

Prof. Jai Gopal Sharma, Dept. of Biotechnology

● ‘Effect of Greater Duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza Supplemented Feed on Growth Performance, Digestive Enzymes, Amino and Fatty Acid Profiles, and Expression of Genes Involved in Fatty Acid Biosynthesis of Juvenile Common Carp Cyprinus carpio’, Frontiers in Marine Science

● ‘Evaluation of UV–B protective properties of leaves and seeds of Achyranthes aspera in Asian catfish Clarias batrachus (Linn.)’, Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences

● ‘Effect of leaves and seeds of Achyranthes aspera as feed supplements on the immunological and stress parameters and related gene expressions of Asian catfish (Clarias batrachus)’, Veterinary Research Communications

● ‘Evaluation of UV-B Ameliorating Properties of Indigenous Plants Ashwagandha Withania somnifera (Dunal), Amla Emblica officinalis (Gaertn) and Prickly Chaff Flower Achyranthes aspera (L.) Supplemented Diets in Prior UV-B exposed Catla catla’, Frontiers in Marine Science

● ‘Microplastics accumulation in agricultural soil: Evidence for the presence, potential effects, extraction, and current bioremediation approaches’, Journal of Applied Biology and Biotechnology

● ‘Emerging microplastic contamination in ecosystem: An urge for environmental sustainability’, Journal of Applied Biology and Biotechnology

● ‘Nanotechnology for the bioremediation of heavy metals and metalloids’, Journal of Applied Biology and Biotechnology

Prof. Rahul Katarya, Dept. of Computer Science

● ‘Multilevel Classification and Detection of Cardiac Arrhythmias with High-Resolution Superlet Transform and Deep Convolution Neural Network’, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation & Measurement

● ‘Watermarking of ECG Signals Compressed Using Fourier Decomposition Method’, Multimedia Tools and Applications

● ‘A Review on Computational Methods for Denoising and Detecting ECG Signals to Detect Cardiovascular Diseases’, Archives of Computational Methods in Engineering

Dr. Meha Joshi, Asst. Prof., Delhi School of Management

● ‘Exploring the Nexus among Internet Banking Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Age, and Gender : A Developing Country Perspective during COVID-19’, Indian Journal of Marketing

Dr. Navneeta Bharadvaja, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Biotechnology

● ‘Algal Bioplastics: Current Market Trends and Technical Aspects’, Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy

● ‘A Review on Unit Operations, Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies to Improve Algal Based Biodiesel and Biorefinery’, Frontiers in Chemical Engineering

● ‘Disease Prevention and Treatment Using β-Carotene: The Ultimate Provitamin A’, Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia

● ‘Algal Bioremediation of Heavy Metals: An Insight into Removal Mechanisms, Recovery of By-Products, Challenges, and Future Opportunities’, Energy Nexus

● ‘Microalgae Biodiesel: A Sustainable Source of Energy, Unit Operations, Technological Challenges, and Solutions’, Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances

● ‘Phyconanoremediation: A Sustainable Approach to Deal With Environmental Pollutants Heavy metals and Dyes’, Vegetos

● ‘Fungi: The Assorted Bio-Remediators’, ECS Transactions

● ‘A Review on Ayurvedic Non-Carbohydrate Prebiotics’, ECS Transactions

and Engineering

● ‘Normalized mutual information-based equilibrium optimizer with chaotic maps for wrapper-filter feature selection’, Expert Systems with Applications

● ‘Possibility of the COVID-19 Third Wave in India: Mapping from Second Wave to Third Wave’, Indian Journal of Physics

Prof. Seema Singh, Dept. of Humanities

● ‘Investigating the Status of Women Engineers in Education and Employment during the COVID-19 Pandemic’, Challenges

Prof. Vijay Gautam, Dept. of Mechanical

Engineering

● ‘Evaluation of Johnson-Cook material model parameters for Si-Mo-Cr ductile cast iron,’ Materials Today: Proceedings

● ‘Prediction of effect of alloying elements on properties of ferritic grade Si-Mo ductile cast iron using regression analysis,’ Materials Today: Proceedings

● ‘Effect of punch profile radius and sheet setting on springback in V-bending of A 2-ply sheet,’ Advances in Materials and Processing Technologies

● ‘Investigations on effect of bending radius on springback behaviour of three-ply clad sheet,’ Materials Today: Proceedings

● ‘Characterization of Residual Stresses in Conventional Forming and Hydroforming of Tailor Welded Blanks,’ . Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

● ‘Numerical Simulation of Frontal Crash for Toyota Yaris Using LS-DYNA,’ Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Technology

Dr. Aruna Bhat, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering

● ‘A study of machine learning-based models for detection, control, and mitigation of cyberbullying in online social media’, International Journal of Information Security, Springer

● ‘A survey on recent developments in diabetic retinopathy detection through integration of deep learning’, Multimedia Tools and Applications, Springer

● ‘Automatic Twitter Crime Prediction Using Hybrid Wavelet Convolutional Neural Network with World Cup Optimization’, International Journal of Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Janardan Prasad Kesari, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

● ‘India catching fifty percent non fossil energy and combating COP26 obligations’, International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Management

● ‘Solar Thermal Power Generation Technology Research’, International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews

● ‘Bioenergy: The Need of The Hour: A Review’, International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews

Dr. Shilpa Pal, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Civil Engineering

● ‘Impedance based damage assessment of concrete under the combined effect of impact and temperature using different piezo configurations,’ Sensors and Actuators

A: Physical

● ‘Structural challenges for seismic stability of buildings in hilly areas,’ Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Dr. Manjeet Kumar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Electronics and Communication Engineering

● ‘STSR: Spectro-Temporal Super-Resolution Analysis of a Reference Signal Less Photoplethysmogram for Heart Rate Estimation During Physical Activity’, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation & Measurement

Dr. Prashant Giridhar Shambharkar, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering

● ‘Study on Optimizing Feature Selection in Hate Speech Using Evolutionary Algorithms.’, Emerging Technologies in Data Mining and Information Security

Dr. Rajeev Kumar Mishra, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Environmental Engineering

● ‘Monitoring, modeling and mapping of rail induced noise at selected stations in megacity Delhi’, International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology

● ‘A picture of Delhi’s regional air quality during diminished anthropogenic activities in the COVID era’, Arabian Journal Geosciences

● ‘COVID-19 lockdown in Delhi: Understanding Trends of Particulate Matter in Context of Land-use Patterns; GIS Mapping and Meteorological Traits’, Environmental Engineering Science

● ‘An in situ exploratory analysis of diesel cars’ emission: way forward on policy evaluation’, Environmental Science and Pollution Research

● ‘Evaluation of water quality using water quality index, synthetic pollution index, and GIS technique: A case study of the river Gomti, Lucknow, India’, Environmental Science and Pollution Research

● ‘Ultrafine Particle Number Concentration and its size distribution during Diwali festival in megacity Delhi, India: Are ‘Green Crackers’ Safe?’, Journal of Environmental Management

● ‘Investigating exhaust emission from in-use passenger cars: an exploratory analysis and policy outlook’, Journal of Environmental Engineering

Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Asst. Prof, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering

● ‘Influence Maximization in Social Networks using Transfer Learning via Graph-based LSTM’, Expert Systems with Applications

● ‘Identifying Influential Nodes for Smart Enterprises using Community structure with Integrated Feature Ranking’, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics

● ‘Influence Maximization in Social Networks using Graph Embedding and Graph Neural Network’, Information Sciences

● ‘Opinion Leader Detection in Asian Social Network using Modified Spider Monkey Optimization’, ACM Transactions on Asian and Low-Resource Language Information Processing

● ‘SIRA: A Model for Propagation and Rumor Control on Social Networks with Epidemic Spreading and Immunization for Healthcare 5.0’, Soft Computing

● ‘Community Detection in Complex Networks using Stacked Autoencoders and Crow Search Algorithm’, The Journal of Supercomputing

Dr. Smita Rastogi Verma, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Biotechnology

● ‘SARS-CoV-2 origins: Zoonotic Rhinolophus vs. contemporary models’, Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Reviews

● ‘Targeted therapies in non-small cell lung cancer and the potential role of AI interventions in cancer treatment’, Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry

● ‘Disease-associated dysbiosis and potential therapeutic role of Akkermansia muciniphila, a mucus degrading bacteria of gut microbiome’, Folia Microbiologica

● ‘Relevance of phosphate solubilizing microbes in sustainable crop production: a review,’ International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology

● ‘Biophysical, biochemical, and molecular docking investigations of anti-glycating, antioxidant, and protein structural stability potential of garlic,’ Molecules

● ‘Biofilm-based antimicrobial tolerance and resistance.’ Application of Biofilms in Applied Microbiology

Dr. Yogendra Kumar Meena, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Applied Physics

● ‘Modelling and optimization of neodymium ion separation by liquid membrane using Artificial Neural Network coupled with Genetic Algorithm,’ Chemical Engineering Research and Design

Diwali Mela

Anant Vohra, 3rd Year, ME Somesh Srivastava, 2nd Year, B.Des

Art & Design Competition Department of Design

Akshaya Jain, 2nd Year, B.Des Anant Vohra, 3rd Year, ME Somesh Srivastava, 2nd Year, B.Des

Designed By Hemang Sinha, 4th Year, EP

180 Degrees Consulting breaks the bounds

The team of Sarvesh Shaw, Manvi Nilaya, and Gopal Pathak were the top 6 finalists in the 180DC Asia-Pacific Case Competition, UGM Indonesia Harsh Gupta, Lakshya Sharma, and Anukriti Jain were among the top 30 in BrAINWARS Case Competition organised by Bain Capability Networks amongst teams across India. Rishi Maheshwari marked his presence as the runner-up at Case Questa, BITS Pilani.

The team of N. Krithika, Ayan Bindra, and Sambhav Jeswani finished third in the Emergere Case Competition at IIM Ahmedabad and advanced to the national finals of the Ecolution Green Business Case Competition at IIM Bangalore. Samarth Bhatt finished as one of the TOP 21 teams in Brainy Fools 3.0 by IIFT and was one of the Top 4 national finalists in Analyst by Jadavpur University. Harsh Gupta was the winner at FINESCO’21, BrandBoozled (Quiz), College of Vocational Studies, and one of the Top 10 teams in Parivartan, Red Brick Summit, IIM Ahmedabad. Aditya Singh Mann finished 3rd place in the Critter Crusade Case Competition. He reached the finals in Earn The Dine Business Plan Competition, IIM Bangalore. The triad of Shubhang Shukla, Agrima Kumari, and Prathmesh Sharma finished 2nd in the Strategix National Case Study Competition at NIT Surat.

60FPS captures beauty 60FPS, the Filming and Photography Society of DTU, collaborated with Rotaract Club, DTU, to conduct a shoot at Banjara Market, Gurugram, as part of community work to spread the word about the local handicraft markets. 60FPS also conducted a photo walk at Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi

Lead, Microsoft, Mr. Aditya Kapoor, Chief Development Engineer, SAP, Mr. Pankaj Kankar, CPTO, Reliance Retail and Mr. Subhash Chaudhary, CTO, Dukaan and Mr. Chinmay Jain, CTO, WLPayments

E-cell DTU hosts the Execute Hackathon

E-cell organised the Execute Hackathon on the theme ‘Helping Indian Business with the Help of Technology’ in May 2022. The teams were evaluated by a panel of esteemed judges which comprised of Mr. Sanket Atal, Managing Director, Salesforce India Operations, Mr. Vikram Gupta, CTO, Snapdeal, Mr. Sandeep Goyal, Engineering

Enactus makes an impact

Enactus DTU won the Promising Sustainability award in the Enactus India National Competition 2022. Enactus DTU also organised ‘Samadhaan: B-Plan competition’ in collaboration with the Department of Software Engineering and IIC-DTU on World Entrepreneurs’ Day. Prof. Jai Prakash Saini, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, DTU, served as the patron. Prof. Ruchika Malhotra, HoD, Dept. of Software Engineering, DTU, served as the competition organiser, and Ms. Priya Singh, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Software Engineering, DTU, was the coordinator.

IAStructE conducts a technical session

IAStructE DTU conducted a technical introduction to MIDAS under the supervision of Prof. Shilpa Pal in partnership with Midas Research & Development Centre India Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Anubhav Tyagi, an alumnus of IIT Roorkee, and Mr. Abhishek, a DTU alumnus spoke at the event.

IEEE DTU marks another milestone

IEEE DTU hosted the Delhi Section Student Young Professionals Women-in-Engineering Congress (DSSYWC’22) under the IEEE Delhi Section in September 2022. It was a two-day annual event focused on sessions on entrepreneurship and ever-rising start-ups through

interactive sessions with industry experts. The Chief Guest was Prof. Subrata Mukhopadhyay, Chair of Asian and Australasian Electricity IPSC of IEEE PES. Alongside him, the dignitaries comprised Guest of Honour, Prof. S Indu, Dean Student Welfare, Prof. Rachana Garg, Chairperson, IEEE Delhi Section, and Prof. J. Panda, Branch Counsellor.

In August 2022, they hosted AAA inGame Coding Contest and a Game Development Workshop collaborating with Keywords Studios. The chief guest was Mr. Phil Owens, Head of Engineering at D3T and Coconut Lizard.

2022, organised by Rukmini Devi College. An intra-society competition was conducted on the occasion of Earth day.

NSS-DTU makes its mark NSS DTU, in collaboration with Koshish NGO, organised an exhibition-cum-fundraiser event, ‘Koshish-E -Kamyabi’, in August 2022 to support and motivate autistic children of the NGO. In September 2022, the society collaborated with the Department of Applied Mathematics, Equal Opportunity Cell and Sashakt NGO to organise a panel discussion on ‘Ovarian Cancer’ at Pragyan Hall.

IMechE DTU roars ahead

IMechE DTU, in collaboration with the Centre for Advanced Studies and Research in Automotive Engineering (CASRAE), organised Speak Out For Engineering, a workshop on the ‘Use of Robotics & New Technology,’ an interactive session on ‘Engineering Education Perspectives,’ and a general awareness session on World Biofuel Day. Besides, Abhishek Goyal of IMechE DTU secured the first position in an online quiz on ‘Mobility in 2030: Challenges & Opportunities for Developing World Economics’ along with Subhash Dwivedi winning the ‘Innovative Solution to Mobility Crisis.’

Pratibimb DTU reaches for the stars

Pratibimb DTU won the Best Cinematography Award in Kaarwan, organised by Maharaja Agrasen College, Delhi. They participated in the Survival Spectrum Short Filmmaking Competition organised by Miranda House and the Showtime Ad Making Competition organised by MLNCE and clinched 2nd position. Ankur Kadam finished 2nd place in the Minimal Movie Poster Design Challenge organised by CHRD Design Group, SVNIT. The society also performed its annual stage production,’ Kugelblitz,’ at the Manchan festival, Kravan theatre festival, Create theatre festival, and Saksham collegiate theatre festival Dhruv Singh won the 1st prize in Monologue Chronicles Season 2, organised by IIM Lucknow. They performed in Yamunotsav 2022 and bagged 2nd position. Ishaan worked in a stage play under the Jazba Theatre Group and performed it in Shri Ram Centre Auditorium, Mandi House.

Nrityangana DTU shines through

Nrityangana DTU organised a semi-classical workshop in which 37 students participated. Volunteers from the Society gave students of the Subhashikha NGO semi-classical dance workshops in May 2022. Additionally, the team performed at the Independence Day event at the NGO. The team presented a Garba - Dandiya sequence at “Sanedo,” a two-day event organised by the Cultural Council, and was invited to the DTU-DCE fraternity meeting to inaugurate cultural performances. The team also arranged folk training sessions for the Chhau dance form under an outsourced professional. Deepanshi Nagarwal, Shruti Samantarai, and Aarushi Saxena represented the society at RAZZMATAZZ

SAE hosts experts

Society of Automotive Engineering DTU organised a webinar on ‘Career Opportunities at the University of Sydney.’ The guest speakers at the event were Mr. Rod Fiford, Director of Student Life, Mr. Li Chang, Director of PG Studies, and Mr. Matt Dunn, Stream Director, Mechanical Engineering, University of Sydney. The society also

organised a 3D modelling competition, Anagram. Further, they hosted a Profile Building Seminar with Mrs. Dilpreet Kaur Ahluwalia, Destination Manager (Australia & New Zealand), IDP Education, as their guest speaker.

Sahitya gleams in glory

The team of Angad Singh Chawla and Vansh Chadha were the open semi-finalists at the RCL Parliamentary Debate ‘22. At the NALSAR InterVarsity, the team of Angad Singh Chawla and V. Sayiram were the open grand finalists. The team of Vansh Chadha and Shashwat Dash were the open semi-finalists, with Vansh Chadha being the 4th best open speaker.

Further, at the RV Debating Tournament 2022, the team of Ashutosh Bahuguna and V. Sayiram were the open grand finalists. Pranjal Singla, V. Sayiram, and Ashutosh Bahuguna were the 5th highest Indian team to break on open tabs at Malaysia UADC 2022. At the HELP Asian Debating Challenge, Himan Nayak broke as an adjudicator

SCEE celebrates Environment Day

The Society for Civil and Environmental Engineers (SCEEDTU) organised an MS Abroad Webinar, a webinar on International Research Internships 101, and Strategium, a non-tech seminar. On World Environment Day, they organised a case study competition, Case-A-Thon, and a photography and digital art competition, Quarant Clicked 3.0

Seminar on Heartfulness’ in August 2022, and complete the ‘Heartful Campus Module’ approved by AICTE under the spiritual guidance of Kamlesh D. Patel, known as Daaji for 60 selected members of STEP DTU. The conference was enlightened by P.V. Sindhu, Joshna Chinnappa, and two-time Grammy award winner Ricky Kej

Team Defianz Racing spearheads innovation

Team Defianz Racing claimed the status of India’s first team with a fully functional Driverless/Self-Driving Formula Student Vehicle by competing at Formula SAE, Italy. The team finished 8th worldwide and 2nd in the Business Plan Presentation Event, the highest position achieved by any Asian team in the competition’s history. They also finished 8th in the Cost Event and Engineering Design Event categories.

STEP DTU takes a step forward

STEP DTU, in collaboration with HRDC, organised a multievent four-day program on the occasion of Teacher’s Day. The society hosted a guest lecture by Dr. Saamdhu Chettri, Director of the GNH Centre, Bhutan, and Visiting Professor, IIT Kharagpur, on the event’s third day.

The society also organised an outstation visit to Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad, to attend the ‘International Youth

VIBE Dance Crew sweeps awards

VIBE Dance Crew organised ‘SWERVE STREETS,’ a street dance battle in DTU and also organised a Waving and Animation Dance workshop in September 2022. They collaborated with RED FM to promote songs by Armaan Malik and Honey Singh.

The team bagged the 1st prize in the ‘Crew on Crew Dance Battle’ category, with Chirag Gupta of VIBE coming in as the runner-up in the ‘One on One Dance Battle’ category at Raw War ‘22, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.

In other news

•AIMS DTU organised a Python Bootcamp in collaboration with the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering in September 2022.

•DTU Supermileage participated in the Shell Eco-marathon, Virtual League 2022, and bagged the 2nd position in Data and Telemetry category in the Asia Pacific & Middle East region

•International Students’ Society conducted an International Students Football Tournament.

•Together with the USME cultural societies—Disguise, Furious, Alfaaz, and Shiddat Pradarshini organised a remarkable Bollywood Day, reliving notable movies of Bollywood through a talent showcase.

•SIAM DTU organised an online guest lecture on ‘Developing online repositories of startups’ by Dr. Koustav Das, CEO, CrAdLE.

inclusivity in stem

By Ananya Rath, 3rd Year, B.Des. & Srijan Pandey, 3rd Year, B.Des.

Growing up is a tedious process. You start to realize that the legends of your childhood are not mythical after all. Before you know it, you’re thrown into the ocean to battle huge waves that were, only a few years ago, “things children need not worry about,” with little idea of what you’re doing. Any social barrier can seem insurmountable in a time like this, no matter how seemingly random and irrelevant.

As a child, most of us are taught by everyone around us that we can achieve anything we want if we just work hard enough. And so we believe it. We spend years preparing for a vision, gearing up for a goal that over 2 lakh other peers have as well. Some of us don’t make it. Some of us do. However, no one teaches us about the external factors that affect our success after this first checkpoint and how sometimes others’ opinions and prejudices will precede our efforts and capabilities.

Being a queer undergraduate in STEM comes with challenges and under-representation. A queer representation of less than a percent within a class and not getting the platform to make queers aware of their rights and create safe spaces within institutions results in biases that are questioned at every point. While heteronormal people in STEM have been rooted in a deep sense of being intelligent, at the same time, they lack the empathy needed to create a space for people with various gender identities. STEM for queers requires role models and queers in positions of decision-making where policies are strategized. It took me a while to understand and express myself as a queer (nonbinary) individual within this academic setup. I have been questioned and discriminated against by people at positions and even the faculties.

As a woman in STEM, sure, I felt the judgement and dismissal all too well. The hushed whispers about diversity hiring as the antithesis of merit, snatching jobs from boys in a college that had a gender ratio of 87% skewed in their favor, always seemed to forget every diligent woman working twice as hard to earn the same amount of recognition, if she was lucky, as her male counterparts did. The devaluation of women’s work and the evident systematic roadblocks that make a career in any field, especially STEM, challenging for women have reinforced the gendered division and perception of labor. This has left women in a vulnerable state in an already imbalanced society where men, the economy, and the country prosper at their expense. The probability of success decreases exponentially on a tilted stage where the rules were never made to be fair in the first place.

When it comes to STEM being accepting enough, it lacks vision and equality. Expression comes with a generous sprinkle of negative experiences resulting from a predominantly heteronormative and patriarchal society. The silences around identities and sexualities within the STEM spaces result in a less sensitized environment. This silence needs to be filled so that people have the sensitization to their pronouns and gender expression.

The Golden Hour

Manvir Singh, 4th Year, B.Des. Anant Vohra, 3rd Year, ME Somesh Srivastava, 2nd Year, B.Des.

Designed by Hemang Sinha, 4th Year, EP

the escape

Going out on a picnic, the last thing on Amanda’s mind was the thought of her 2nd-grade friend turned enemy Cassandra, who she hadn’t seen since 8th grade. A flurry of emotions ranging from anger, which was suppressed for many years all the way to regret, to have lost someone who meant the world to them dawned on her. While both were at the same park, only Amanda was aware of Cassandra’s presence. As she saw Cassandra pass by the park’s gate, she almost reflexively started sauntering her way to the other end of the park, so as not to arouse any suspicion.

The park was a peculiar labyrinth in itself, having the byzantine characteristic of making your way out through the other end practically impossible without covering the entire park once. Scared of the idea of encountering her friend, Amanda kept trying to find the most evasive paths, howsoever circuitous that route turned out to be. What followed is a half-hour anxiety-fueled game of cat and mouse, where the cat wasn’t even aware of the mouse’s presence. Throughout this comical situation, Amanda kept getting reminded of all the ploys she had played to get back at Cassandra, or at least on the pretence of it.

While the emotion elicited by betrayal is almost ineffable, it carries with it a tinge of resentment and some parts of sorrow, all wrapped up in an insalubrious dose of regret. This was the case with Amanda, as she tried her damndest to play the most elaborate game of ‘hide and seek’ of her life. She recalled the time when despite having been friends for over two years, she ended up being left for better friends and how when she needed Cassandra to back her up, she left her completely deserted. Clouded with these thoughts, she hardly realized that she hadn’t seen Cassandra in a while. Upon regaining composure, she soon went into a frenzy trying to find her, but to no avail.

Amanda sensed a strange presence from behind her, which to her felt almost akin to Svengali. Through the corner of her eyes, she saw Cassandra walking towards her. Petrified by being in her field of view, Amanda found herself incapable of moving. As Cassandra approached her, her heart raced faster, her palms started sweating, and her breath felt heavier. Despite all of this, the only thing she could fixate on was when would Cassandra find out about her. When Cassandra was about four feet away from her, she acknowledged her presence with a nod, much like one would with any stranger. Amanda looked into her eyes and saw no emotions: no regret, no sorrow, no anger, and no happiness.

The tacit realization of her not even recognizing Amanda brought out the most intense emotions in her, one that emerges from irretrievable loss. Trying to make sense of her emotions, she found herself becoming detached from her surroundings. Even as she stood gazing blankly, a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she came to terms with the meaninglessness of her fear, worries, concerns and regrets. Though feeling as if she had been rid of the albatross around her neck, she found herself to be empty and discombobulated, feeling like a large part of her life amounted to nothing.

Shaurya Shekhar, 4th Year, COE

Slave To Nostalgia

Ritwij Kashyap, 2nd Year, IT

We’re all familiar with a deceptive emotion of euphoria, triggering a wave of sensory overload and engulfing one in a fallacy known as nostalgia. Invoked by a familiar scent, a recognizable tune, or even a memento of the past, we’ve all had our encounters with nostalgia. Often attributed with a sense of comforting knowingness, this hazy recollection of our past is heavily distorted; or at least that’s the way it has been for me.

Whenever my mind finds itself in a desolate place, a coping mechanism that it resorts to is reminiscing the past through a filter called the ‘Good Ol’ Days’ and comforts itself with a glimpse of the so-called simpler times. The times have never been simple, never are, and never will be. It is merely the imperfect recollection of a distant memory that presents to us a flawless illusion of the past.

My gripe with nostalgia is not that it evokes a rush of serotonin on encountering a fragment of the past, but rather the fact that it overshadows the present and convinces us to believe that the past was a better time. In a world where pure, constant happiness is a utopian quest, positive memories are golden but are often at the cost of taking the present for granted.

A detrimental consequence of being a slave to nostalgia is developing a dystopian vision. When one becomes addicted to viewing a glorified version of the past, everything since seems to pale in comparison, leading to the belief that things have only deteriorated up until now and, naturally, will continue to do so.

Don’t get me wrong- I’m not here to bash the concept of nostalgia into oblivion. I preach simply to tread with caution on a road that may seem very inviting at first but is plagued with deception and momentary gratification. As long as one can keep in touch with reality and not give in to the illusions of the past, nostalgia is nothing but a friendly reminder of a fond memory.

Chimerical Sense

As soon as I entered the college gates, it was a unique experience. I saw hundreds of students walking toward their respective destinations. Some were busy talking their hearts out, some were devouring what seemed like food or fighting over it, while others were heading towards their classes, possibly. Simply put, it was all chaos. Although this crowd was a little overwhelming and intimidating initially, it sparked a “chimerical sense” or a world of illusions.

Let me elaborate on my case. Before the beginning of the classes, I was glued to my laptop. I watched probably a bazillion videos on college life, especially on DTU. I became nervous and feared being left out. From the canteen to classes, daily life to friends, societies to events, I tried to plan it all out by watching those vlogs. I was so determined to showcase my talents and prove myself.

Little did I know that everything I had mapped out so meticulously would blow up in seconds. Slowly as I started to blend in, I realized that my fellow students and teachers were something I had only hoped for. The sense of inclusivity and camaraderie behind the apparent chaos twisted my emotions altogether. Seniors, who have always been portrayed as the ones who live only to bully their juniors, became my chaperones. At least for me, I have been enlightened at each difficult step and received guidance whenever I needed. I have seen people enjoying themselves in spite of handicaps and be one irrespective of different cultures, ideologies and backgrounds.

I think I have understood the true essence of life and what it really means to be a part of the youth dividend. I would love to delve deeper into the microcosmos we have created here at college while I explore my individuality in this safe space.

After the Snowy Night

Out came a young boy, stepping onto the white ground. Gush gush, the ground below his two thick boots crushed. A wide smile shone out of him, barely visible beneath his woolen scarf and beanie. His eyes sparkled as he looked at his surroundings. A tall white blanket covered everything from cars to the trees.

The boy leaped and landed shortly ahead of him. Bits of white fluff splashed everywhere, landing and assimilating into the rest of the white cushion. His mouth opened agape, letting out a fascinated gasp. He then spun in a circle, stomping his boots repeatedly onto the ground, laughing as each action led to fluffs flying in all directions.

After many such circles, the boy's attention shifted to the many cars that lined the white field in an orderly manner. Each car was wearing a flat white hat that covered its roof, a white eye mask on its windshield, and a white sweater on its bonnet and trunk. Next to some of the cars were white trees. Each tree periodically sheds some of its white leaves.

The boy waddled towards one of the cars. With his small hands, he took a hold of the car’s hat and effortlessly borrowed a piece of it. Even through his big gloves, the boy could feel the cold tingle from the small bit of the hat. Instinctively, he began to crush the bit of the hat. Small bits of icy white sand began to escape through the gaps between the boy’s fingers. The part left in the boy’s hands grew smaller and smaller until it was as hard as a rock. Marveled, the boy tried to further crush the smaller-than-his-palms white rock in his hands. Yet, nothing happened. Disappointed, he let go of the small white rock.

The boy looked up. The white tree leaves reflected in his eyes. Unable to reach them, the boy stood on his tiptoes-the boy slipped.

Gush - a loud sound followed.

A large indent of the boy’s figure formed on his landing spot. Having been saved by the large white carpet below him, the boy began to laugh. He laughed at the concerned voices of his parents till his stomach hurt. Finally, he smiled up at his relieved parents.

Illustration by Preeti, 3 rd Year, COE

Ritvik Nair, 4th Year, COE

Illustration by Keshav Chauhan, 3 rd Year, EE

Suvani Rohatgi, 3rd Year, BT

Play/Stop

Riya Singh, 3rd Year, MCE

At the time of writing this, I've spent more than two months trying to let go. And I'm the kind who will sever all strands of memories to let go of a person.

I'm writing this on a metro ride back home from one of the most serene moments I've lived on campus. Sitting on a bench outside Pragya Bhavan, with pretty yellow flowers in front of me, a beautiful peacock coming out of the forest from the side, scattered clouds reflecting the orange of the setting sun, and a boy I somehow dared to ask out, sitting next to me.

Before I knew it, I had asked him to open Spotify on his phone, and I played The Matchstick Pianoman's covers of The Beatles. There, absently staring at the sky with my chin resting on the bench, I found a moment in which I finally realized that the things that bring me calm are more about me than the people they remind me of. And like that, I listened to my favorite instrumental album for the first time in a while and felt at ease with myself. I felt a kind of peace—just sitting there, nearly drowsing off to the sounds that would’ve left me sleepless a month ago, next to a person who barely knew how much the album meant to me but still appreciated the beauty of it.

With people, leaves music. But with music, come back pieces of me that fell apart in preventing bigger falls—the sights that made me teary-eyed, the sounds that overwhelmed me, the words I could not read, all the scents of the places—come back.

I tell him, "Stop! Look at the canopies above us." And with me, he stands there staring at the sunlight barely making its way through the envelope of leaves that decorate the skies of Vice Chancellor's Lane. It reminds me of when I exclaimed, "Let’s go look at the full moon!" But they didn't. The point isn't that this person beside me looked up but that, regardless, I held my head high and looked at what I loved.

I had already stopped.

Friendly Neighbourhood

Rishika Sinha, 3rd Year, ENE

“There’s a discomfort in revelations and in understanding reality, and I might have sworn to se crecies that lie in the shrouds of metaphors.”

In every version of our make-believe world, we go far beyond our self-conceived limitations - I was antagonistic to some of the impressions I had created, yet they were not so to me. And so, one day in the late summer of this year, I popped open my eyes to decamp from my confidential entanglements as I settled in the midst of an unknown crowd. I agreed with myself to stay hush, even with a palpitating heart and a puppeteered will to indulge in conversations. I clenched my fist to feel my parched skin. I shut my ears to listen to the intonations. I lay inert, sunken into invisibility, on a tenanted warm bench, waiting to welcome fresh realisations. I debated the monologue on an ideal 20-year-old life. I fought against conventional agreements while I recited the hoaxed past two years and negotiated with the mistakes - an awful and unnecessary screenplay; all in my head.

All this while, as I assigned myself superfluous roles, the downy soft turf, and the summer air hummed poems against my unmindful consensus to introduce me to their comforting prospects. And, as I began to walk around, acquainting myself with unblocked passages, I allowed myself to accept the poetry that followed. Although the verses seemed fuzzy, they persisted to call up my restricted senses. And I then began to harmonise with the cadence of the phrases I could not understand. I fought along with the imperfections they underscored. At the same time, I welcomed all the discomforts - a much-needed, inescapable segue into acceptance and metamorphosis.

And so, on another day in the late summer of this year, I found myself collapsed on an empty bench in an empty classroom. I clenched my fist once again to feel the same parched skin. I shut my ears again to sing along with the same intonations. I appreciated the solitary conversations - I accepted the devot ed affinity between a fictitiously cold, perhaps troubled, and ever-decrepit mortal, and her indissoluble friendly neighbourhood.

Illustration by Sarthak Sharma, 3rd Year, B.Des. Design by Ansh Anurag, 3rd Year, COE

STUDENT

Consulting Editors

Ananya Kapoor, Kapil Sharma, N. Krithika, Ritvik Nair, Riya Singh, Shaurya Shekhar

Photographers

Akshaya

Illustrators

Harshana Pillai, Keshav Chauhan, Mehak Singhal, Pratishma Bansal, Preeti Das, Rishi Dubey, Saurabh Sharma, Shreeya Shrivastava

Dr. Yashna Sharma Assistant Professor, Dept. of Electronics & Communication Engineering

Mrs. Parinita Sinha Assistant Professor, Dept. of Humanities

Prof. S. Indu Dean, Student Welfare

Angad Sethi Editor-in-Chief

Krish Modi Head of Photography

Mandeep Singh Student Head

Akanksha Tanwar Managing Editor

Aryan Ganotra Head of Development

Gaurav Khatri Student Advisor

Anoushka Raj Editor-in-Chief

Anirudh Kundu Head of Illustrations

Gopika Gopakumar Student Head

Nischit Poojari Student Advisor

Shreyansh Gupta Head of Development

Pratiksha Pradhan Student Coordinator

Prof. Rajeshwari Pandey Associate Dean (UG)

Front cover by Saurabh Sharma, 3rd Year , B.Des.

DISCLAIMER

DTU Times is edited and published by the DTU Times Team and printed by Arti Printers, New Delhi. DTU Studio is the Official Photography Partner of DTU Times. The publication is meant fo internal circulation only and has no commercial purpose. The views expressed in DTU Times is extremely personal and not necessarily the official views of DTU. The publication is based on news and content as gathered from the sources.