Hello Gitamites! Welcome to the 8th issue of G-Mag. In this edition, we bring you exciting articles about turtle smuggling, beach errosion and an interview with Jai Undurti, who is bringing the graphic novel culture to India. The official student magazine of Gitam University, G-Mag, brings foreward this 8th issue with a special holiday theme. So feast your eyes upon this festive edition. Happy Holidays! ~G-Mag Team
PERSPECTI
IVE INSPIRATION
Sai Abhishek
Srikar Kamesh
Vishnu Vardhan
Abhinav Tushar Murty
Vihari
Tahseen Sama Khan Theju
Krati
Pappu Nishanth
Sai Vedav
Sruthi Veda
Pooja
Raghava Ram
S.J.Maitra
Rhea Guha
“Coastal Erosion Makes a Comeback to Vizag” “Beach erosion in Vizag turns hazardous" These were the common headlines that were flooding the city’s newspapers post Hudhud. Well, what exactly do we know about beach erosion? Many Vizagities rushed to the beach to witness this phenomenon but how many of us know the reason behind this?
Coastal erosion refers to depletion of land-area near the beaches. It isn’t a new thing to Vizag but beach erosion is turning out to be quite hazardous after the disastrous cyclone Hudhud. Rise in sea level due to global warming, sand mining and the destruction of mangroves might have lead to this.
Did you know? Mangroves of Vizag were very popular at one point of time and they were located en masse in the stretch towards Bheemili. Sadly, their destruction started way before Hudhud when the locales started cutting them down for timber. The mangroves were an essential part of the eco system as they had housed a variety of species of birds, fauna and flora. Furthermore, they played a pivotal role in holding together the already loose soil of Vizag.
With no mangroves left, the low tide every day leads to the sedimentation of new waste on the coastline, slowly eroding the beaches of Vizag. This issue must be immediately addressed as Vizag is known for its soothing, serene and beautiful beaches and it would be devastating if timely action is not taken.
Usually, the silt formed by the low tide often gets accumulated there as sediment. After Hudhud, the silt was washed away and was deposited in the RK beach.
How do we prevent it? • Building barricades: They usually slow down the force of the sea waves, hence reducing the impact on the soil • Planned constructions near the coast. • Timely inspection of the coast by the government.
•Ahmed (CSE – 3rd yr) •Rohan (MEC Integrated – 3rd yr) •Dhiraj (MEC- 2nd yr) •Datta (Civil- 2nd yr)
The Team: •Prithviraj Chauhan (Captain) (Mec-4th yr)
•Jatin (4th yr student at GU HYD) •Bhargav (MEC- 4th yr)
•Manraj (ViceCaptain)(Mec—4th yr)
•Praneeth (4th yr student at GU HYD)
•Sridhar (IT – 3rd yr)
•Aditya (3rd yr student ay GU HYD)
•Rajsekhar (Civil 3rd yr)
•Surya (3rd yr student at GU Bengaluru)
•Anjani (Civil- 3rd yr) •Hemant (EEE-3rd yr)
The Gitam University Injuries: football team recently took part in the south-zone inter- Anjani Kumar: Fractured university competition. This fibula. competition was held in Calicut, Kerala. The squad Even in that pain he of 15, from GU, performed continued the match very well and though struck after taking or applying by a list of injuries, could some pain relieving reach the pre-quarters of sprays. He was unaware the tournament. of the severity of his injury as no scanning After the opening facilities were available ceremony on 12th of to him, and played even December, The football the next match as the extravaganza started on secondary keeper was 13th of December. The first down with a hamstring match for the GU team was injury. Hats off to the on 15th of December. They man from the G-Mag faced Rashtriya Sanskrit team. Vidya Peeth who were crushed by our team: 8-0. The next match was a This score line is a record in tough match up against itself. Amruta University in which GU dominated the After this huge victory in first 15 min. in this the 1st round, round 2 of period the ball the tournament had a far rebounded of the goal bigger challenge in store posts about 3-4 times. for the lads of GU. They This match ended in an faced KLU in the 2nd round, unfortunate loss for the which is a football team as they went down powerhouse and has many fighting: 2-0. top players of African origin. The most frightening The team which had just part was the physical a 15 member squad with strength and stamina of many injuries and limited these players. Along with resources could reach the these came the problems of last 16 is an achievement injury for GU. Facing all in itself. Kudos guys! odds the GU team clung on and their tactics paid off. GU won it in style by ~S. J. Maitra defeating KLU: 4-2.
ICEPECDM ' 14 is an International Conference organized by the Department of Civil Engineering with TEQUIP- II. The main theme of the conference was to educate the new generation of engineers on how to educate the new generation of engineers on how to handle the consequences prior and post-disaster. Delegates from all over the globe The conference was held in The Delegates took the shared their GITAM University, Vizag on conference to a whole new level experiences and 18th and 19th of December, by spending their valuable time. also suggested 2014. The Hon'ble Chief The prominent key note speakers various methods Minister and Governor of were Dr.L.S.Rathore, Director and techniques to Andhra Pradesh passed on General Of Metereology ;Dr.P. predict the their valuable message, Indubhushan, RMIT Austrialia; intensity of congratulating GITAM Prof. Mark Hastak, Purdue disasters, reduce University for hosting the University, USA; Dr. Bhoop Singh, the damage by conference. Their message NRDMS,DST; efficient included the necessity of Prof.V.Ramakrishnan, construction these kinds of conferences Technological Unviersity, South methods. They after experiencing the Dakota,USA; Dr.Bolisetty, presented many disastrous “HUD HUD� Tirupathi, University Of Windsor, papers on various cyclone. Canada; Dr.A.Sai Baba CE, Indian kinds of disasters Railways; Prof. Chandan Ghosh, and the damage The organizing committee NIDM, New Delhi. caused by them. included Dr. Lakshmi Prasad, Dr. M. Ramesh, Dr. This conference provided a great K.V.G.Balaji, platform to many students and Dr.Veerabhadram and Dr.K.V. research scholars by making Ramesh. them well aware about the practical consequences of a disaster. It also aided many research works which in turn helps disaster management.
A freelance-writer, Journalist, comic book author; Jai Undurti, is a man of many talents. He started his journey as writer from the city of Destiny – Vizag, where he hails from. His recent comic that is slated to come out in 2015 – ROBOTS OF DHARMA, is the first Indian comic book, whose illustration is done abroad. The story is set in a pre-apocalyptic background in Hyderabad, and mixes the genre of thriller and romance in the right fashion. How did your journey start as a comic book writer?
I’ve always been a fan of comics, which started with reading Tintin. At some po there is a desire to try your hand at a medium which you love. I was fortunate I started working with someone of the exceptional caliber of Harsho (Mohan Chattoraj) from my very first project. Despite making many mistakes, the experience of working on our “Hyderabad: A Graphic Novel” was very positive and spurred me on. **** Picking up a job as a full time comic book writer is a very challenging road to tread on, especially in India – were you ever scared of failure?
To clarify, I’m not a full time comic book writer. I also work as a freelance journalist, mainly for financial papers. As far as failure is concerned, you only have one life, and that too, a narrow band of years in that life to do what you to do. Not taking this opportunity is a much bigger failure in my opinion. **** How do you think the Indian scenario is? Are people getting interested more in indigenous work at this point?
We are still at a very nascent stage. I estimate it will take another 5 years befo things really take off. There is a steady demand for western superhero comics/manga right now. Hopefully an evolution in both audiences and creator will mean an increased demand for indigenous work. ****
Is the industry a hard place to survive or is it welcoming to new talent?
Financially it is not viable. The people who are in here are mostly because of their passion. In such an environment, genuine talent can shine easily. Because the field is not yet saturated, if you do good work it’ll get noticed very fast. **** How did “Robots of Dharma” happen?
I had the ideas and basic concept a long time ago. I had written down the notes for t “story universe” as it is called. However the graphic novel took wing when I saw artis Stan Chou’s work online. We got in touch and very importantly, he was excited by the story idea and immediately immersed himself in the look & feel of the story. I liked t way he designed the robots, with a lot of attention to minute details. **** How many issues were released?
The first episode “Sweet Memory must Die” was released a couple of months ago. The entire series will be out by late next year (2015). ****
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Do you like – manga or comics? If so which ones? I’m not very familiar with manga. However one of my all-time favorites would be the DEATHNOTE series. As for comics, starting with Tintin and Iznogoud, all the way to Alan Moore’s PROMETHEA and Charles Burns’s X’ed Out series. Daniel Clowes is another incredible author and when you see his works like “Mister Wonderful” you realize how good he is at utilizing the power of the medium. ****
Which indigenous work of comics do you recommend to our readers, apart from of course yours? Of the ones I have read recently, I liked Appupen’s Aspyrus and Sudarshan Chimpanzee. **** What message do you want to give to those people who want to pursue their passion?
At some point you realize you cannot do anything else except follow your passion. Those are the lucky ones I would say. Just set yourself clear goals – it is easy to drift when you have an unconventional care ****
the What next? Do you have any other ideas in line? st e A writer’s life is all about dreaming about the next project, the next work to come. So yes I certainly hav the many more ideas waiting in the wings. Right now I want to complete the “Necropolitans” series which I’
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started with artist Harsho Mohan Chattoraj. It is an all-out occult actioner, which will be very different from what I’ve done so far. **** Working with an artist aboard must have been very taxing. Why didn't you have it done here in India? Furthermore, how did you get in touch with your artist?
Thanks to Gmail, WeTransfer and Skype, creative collaboration is far more easier than it was in the past. Of course India has some top-notch talent for sure. The US is a mature market as far as Science-Fiction is concerned. I thought it would be good to work wit an American artist because they have a long tradition of depicting robots and futuristic technology. I saw Stan’s portfolio online and liked his approach to visual storytelling. ****
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t was a joke at first. Most of us took the cyclone warning lightly and considered the impending disaster as a mere break from college. I remember the wind blowing strong, rattling the wooden doors in its frames. I remember my roommate jumping from her side of the room to mine because of the sound of the wind hitting the window panes beside her bed. The cyclone hit GITAM with a wind speed of 180kmph. The roar of the wind was deafening and, even in that, we could hear the sound of windows in other rooms breaking. Terrified, we sat huddled together as our window pane broke and glass shards peppered the room. The fan twirled ominously and water seeped in from the closed door, flooding the floor. All around, we could only hear a loud roar, the sound of glass breaking and screams. We spent the entire Sunday in fear, hungry and cold. However, it was the next day when we realized how frightening the situation was. There was no food, no water. The lush green campus represented a horror movie set. Trees and lamp posts were strewn across the roads like fallen toothpicks. The hostels were evacuated immediately, but we had nowhere to go. We were stuck in the city without any idea how to get out. The airport was demolished and all the trains got cancelled. Spending the night at the railway station having nowhere else to go was a new experience for me. A single shop was providing stale biryani packets, but everyone was taking them anyway. In the end, it was a couple of local people who were facing the crisis themselves who helped us out of the disaster zone. It was a harrowing experience which rattled every hosteller present during the storm. *****
ENDANGERED
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There are many things that make Visakhapatnam a worthwhile place to live n. A few people say it is the plethora of things that one can do that makes the city awesome, whereas a few say it’s the coastline that beautifies it. The fundamental core or the heart of the city is in its natural heritage: flora and fauna.
This city is also a temporary home to the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles which travel across the ocean to nest their eggs in the shore of Visakhapatnam district. These turtles also come under the Schedule-1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
After hearing rumours about the dying turtles the G-MAG Team pursued this ssue further and the findings are very disturbing. It seems that a few people who may or may not be indigenous to Visakhapatnam roam around in the outskirts of Bheemili to hunt down these turtles. After proper enquiry, it was found that these turtles were captured, killed and their shells separated from the carcass. The shells of these tortoises are said to be sold in the local markets like Bheemili Bazaar and the black markets of Visakhapatnam anonymously at very high prices.
These are not only acts against the law but they are also an act of utter cruelty to nature. The burden lies on us to do what is right; it is the collective effort of all the people living in this city that can stop such a menace. Government needs to step up its game and come with an action plan to curb the illegal poaching of turtle shells prevalent in our city.
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GEM FEST-The Mood Indigo of Vizag! -Krati
The most awaited fest of the year, GITAM Excellence Meet, was held on 12th and 13th of December in GITAM University and this year, its theme was ‘Nurture Nature’. More than 5000 students from different universities, colleges and schools took part in the various competitions and had a gala time in the cultural nights. Celebrities like Samantha and Akhil Akkineni promoted the fest through videos as the proceedings of the event were used to help Hudhud victims. On the 12th, there were competitions like Clash of Titans, Management Roadies, Click Ahead- a photography event and Social-B plan in the morning. There were many stalls lined up in the college that had delicious food and fun games. In the evening, culturals were hosted by the pretty and cheerful anchors- Aarti Thamma, Torani and Pratyusha. The crowd went moonstruck when the superstar Sharwanand came on to the stage, answered a few questions and took a selfie with the crowd. Another big celebrity that made the crowd go crazy was Chalki Chanti of the Jabardast fame. The cultural night started off with the Lithium Band’s performance whose members Krishna, Harsh, Manish, Marcus and Rakesh along with Sushen played various songs including their own composition ‘Musafir’. There was a mind-blowing dance performance by the‘Ground Breakers’ group – Rahul Sai Vattikuti, AnupSahoo, Shanmukh, Huzefa, Namita, Payal, Evina and Anusha. The ravishing fashion show made the crowd go crazy when the chic and trendy girls and boys got on the stage. Mr. GITAM was awarded to Sampath Vinay and Miss GITAM was crowned to Sneha K.
On the 13th, inter college and school students
from all over the city took part in the events like Connexion, Mock Parliament, Paint on Theme, a treasure hunt called ‘Sherlock Says’, Lexicon which was about English vocabulary and a very unique event called ‘Drop It’ which was an innovative event with an egg and finally, a quiz called ‘Enigma’. The culturals on that day saw celebrities like Nara Rohith and Poojan Kohli, who performed with the band Kairoz. The opening performance of the evening was by the band-99 Bottles that entertained the crowd and was followed by fantastic dance performances by members of KalaKrithi Dance Club and a comical Telugu skit. There was prize distribution and the winners of the competitions that were held in the afternoon also performed on the stage. Overall it was a memorable and entertaining fest which left everyone happy.
The cultural nights totally rocked. All the events were successful.
The Go-Karts caused a nuisance to the hostellers. The revving of engines sourced a lot of noise pollution.
4/5
Getting Into Perfect Shape: T his one tops the list. You might vow to put down the piece of pastry in your hand and actually pick up a dumb bell, but do you really follow through? The answer is negative!
Start Studying and Get Organized:
Girls:
“No girls, nothing of that sor from tomorrow. I’ll start with bent head at the main gate, finish my class work and com back.” Very funny! If everything go in accordance with your horoscope, then you can be spotted at Frankie, hanging out with girls the following day.
This one is my favourite, all most all of you do that, may be with a slight variation in its degree. “I’ll go to K.R.C and start preparing for GRE or GATE?” The next morning: “Sounds great but how about from tomorrow?”
Circling around Facebook and WhatsApp
Saving pocket money: -
That was a fantastic joke. It’s high time to join ‘Vizag Komedians’. They are in need of people like you.
December 31st:- I will stop all my activities Facebook and WhatsApp. I am even planning to deactivate my account. January 1st:- “Happy New Year!” pops out your Facebook wall or “HNY to all my fb friends,” in the worst case scenario
Attendance:
May god bless the one who swears to improve his attendance after New Year. May the almighty shower his blessings even more on the one who decides to push it up to 80%.
Amen!
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"I take a vow to pursue my passions and make them my profession" ~Akhil "I take a vow to find a passion" ~Arra "I take a vow to manage my time better" ~Ghurpreet "I take a vow to take time out to enjoy life better" ~Ram
Pisces Do you seriously have nothing better to do than worry about someone outing you from the limelight? Shouldn’t you be worried about your own future? It is time for a different phase of your life and you are still trying to cling onto the previous one. You are a laughing stalk. Nobody loves you, you shameless bastard. Continue to behave this way and nobody will even remember you existed.
Taurus You are not hated as much as your contemporaries. At the same time, you are not the most loved. You have remained as neutral as you could and you will continue this. Thus, you will continue to be looked upon a neutral manner.
Cancer You will die of cancer. Isn’t that obvious?
Aries Your symbol is the ram. Break down your doors and shine, for that is what you’re meant to do. This year has good things in store for you if you do.
Gemini You suffer from bipolar disorder. In your bouts of depression, keep thinking of the good things. This doesn’t mean you think of the bad things in your bouts of happiness. Your achievements will be proportional to your attitude.
Leo Your symbol is the lion. You should be the leader. Do not let your cubs treat you like they have this past year. Put your cubs in their places and roar. If you do not, bad things will befall you.
Virgo The symbol of Virgo is the maiden, Astraea. She was the last of all Greek gods to flee the earth to Mount Olympus. Take her as an example and follow in her footsteps. You will go a long way if you do.
Scorpio Refer to Aquarius.
Capricorn Dude, no one has ever liked you, okay? You think you’re a leader, right? A leader is not someone who thinks he can write books about how to get through life. I mean who are you to tell people the ‘rules’ to life? Your life itself is in a mess. No one thinks you are a leader and you will never be one.
Libra Your start sign is the balance. You are supposed to be unbiased. However, you have always been biased, though you have tried to show that you are a bridge. Those whom you have betrayed hate you. They compare you to hairy animals behind your back. You will never be trusted again.
Sagittarius: Life will continue to disappoint you. After all, when has it not? Your star sign is an archer, someone set on reaching his target. However, it is as if you are always drunk. You can never see a single target. You always see five. And when you launch your arrow, you miss all of them.
Aquarius You’re star sign is the water bearer. You are either loved or hated. If you are hated, it is because you are trying to steal the water belonging to someone else. You want everything under your name. If you continue to do so, next year, “in front there is crocodile festival.” (mundu mundu undi musalla pandaga)
Unfortunately, we cannot answer these questions. At least, not yet. But we can answer how different creative people do things from ‘people’. So without further ado, let’s jump right into the list: 1.They space out . . . a lot! 2.They work the hours that work for them 3.They take pleasure in solitude 4.They love the things they don’t understand 5.They “Fail-Up” 6.They are Mr. Perfect 7.They get easily bored 8.Their mind oscillates 9.When others see difficulty, they see opportunity 10.They don’t demand help 11.They hate rules “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” 12.They Procrastinate
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he aforementioned quote was quoted by one of those persons who fit right into the category of the topic of our article today. He was crazy, yet brilliant; funny, yet serious and saw the world with the eyes of a toddler and perceived things as Einstein, himself!
If you do any of these above listed things then I am sorry to tell you but you are creative! Maybe more than you ever thought you were. If not, don’t be Ops . . . My bad! I gave the name away. But that’s right. The ‘ quoter’ was none other than Einstein, himself. But before hediscouraged. As our favorite quoter became good enough to be considered a ‘quoter,’ he was a regular kid who had regular school problems like worrying once said, “Everyone’s skilled. But if you about bullies, hiding test results from parents and the worstmeasure a fish’s intelligence by its ability of all, Social Studies. to climb a tree then it will believe its Other people who have loads of creativity hidden in their whole life that it is stupid.” mind. So the question to ask here is what makes them tick? Is it really their creativity or is it purely their genius taking different forms? Are people born with the sort of talents or do they accumulate them over time?
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