October 25, 2013
BIT by BIT
BIT BY BIT 1
The News and Publication Society
www.napsbitmesra.com
Interview With The DSW
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra
were the problems identified and solved?
When the semester started, it was surprising that 7 of the pumps had a mechanical problem, and due to that there was a serious water shortage. In addition, the transformer that provided the A candid account with Dr. Vinay Sharma, the Dean main electricity supply to our campus broke down. This led to Students’ Welfare multiple problems and the small amount of electricity that was available was insufficient to run the pumps. Apart from this, » In your view, how does several people involved in switching on the pumps at specific BIT Mesra compare hours of the day weren’t doing their part. to the top technical institutes on a national Since then, both problems have been successfully identified and solved. We have made every person accountable to the level? duty he has been assigned through a register, signed by At a national level, I respective authorities, and regularly checked by people from feel BIT is at par with the Registrar’s Office, as well an official from the Water Supply others. We have very Department. We hope that this will solve the issue in the long good laboratories, and run. our hostels are well equipped. We attract » When the new batch of 2k13 arrived, there were new the best academic floors constructed in the boys hostels, but the same wasn’t minds and provide them done for the girls. As a result, there were several problems good infrastructure and in accommodation on their side. Why wasn’t such an intake research opportunities to foreseen, and why weren’t proper arrangements made for allow them to flourish. But the same? on an international level, There definitely was a lapse; we weren’t able to estimate the there are still many areas number of girls coming in this year, as there has been a large in where we can improve. increase over the past few years. I personally had taken charge Dr. Vinay Sharma » As the topmost authority directly concerned with students, in January, so this was new to me as well. But we have taken what kind of commitments are a part of your job as the Dean care of this, and arranged for accommodation for everyone. In Hostel-8, we have started building additional rooms, which I Students’ Welfare? hope will be completed by the end of January. A new hostel for I have made only one commitment as the Dean: to develop a girls, just beside Hostel-9, has also been approved. smooth system for student activities, as well as maintenance of hostels. I have got a lot of support from the student committee for On the boys’ side, going by the current rate of increase of intake, the same, and one major step in this direction has been the corpus we will have a shortage of hostels within the next 2 years, so fund that has been set up. By the end of this year, we will have a we have thought of having extensions built to Hostels 5 and built a student-level system that ensures smooth functioning of all 7. Once this is done, we will not face a problem at least for the next 10-12 years. the clubs and societies of BIT. » Addressing a few problems that the campus has faced, in » The food prices in the canteen have been a topic of much the beginning of the semester, there were several issues of discussion among students. What is the reason for a sudden electricity and water problems due to various reasons. How increase in prices, where other institutes instead provide subsidies?
Issue 03, OCTOBER 25, 2013
This issue is beyond my control. If you wish, you can approach the Registrar’s office, as it isn’t within my jurisdiction. From my side, I would suggest that instead of depending on the canteen, students should experiment with the mess facilities available. Apart from a weekly fixed menu, you can book whatever extra dishes you want in advance, and hence have a variety of food available on a paid basis. It won’t be instantaneous, but you can still make something of it. » What changes can be brought about from the students’ side to facilitate smoother and more efficient solutions to problems? From the students’ side, I would definitely like a positive response towards all the steps we are taking. For example, we still find several problems in the hostel messes, and have asked the mess committee members to check whether the rates of vegetables and the EMC are being displayed regularly. Still, I feel the response from their side is not up to the mark. The moment that is implemented, we can approximate the rate of the vegetables, and the system will become more transparent with everything being done on time. There shouldn’t be any lack of maintenance in hostels either, and any lapses should be promptly reported. A few small things, like maintenance of indoor sport items, is considered the duty of the hostel inmates, and should be duly taken care of. » Your comments on the recently concluded Pantheon ‘13? I’d definitely like to say that participation was at a much larger scale this time, and so was the crowd turnout during the nights. Along with that, the total budget that was formulated and executed to carry out an event of such proportions is indeed an achievement. » Finally, your thoughts on the News & Publication Society, and any suggestions that we can implement? N.A.P.S, after a lot of time, almost 5 years, has come into the forefront in terms of regular activity. Bringing out a great newsletter has been a good start, which has been appreciated by many people. I’m also aware of a magazine being published at the end of the session, which is a really good initiative. The BIT Radio has been another great venture. Let the creativity of writing and initiatives continue in times to come.
« Interviews: Pantheon ‘13 Guest Lectures Dr. Nachiket Mor
Mr. Diwakar Vaish
Dr. Nachiket Mor’s guest lecture on “The Falling Indian Economy and Different Ways to Curb It” was one of the most anticipated events of Pantheon ’13. The students and faculty were mesmerised by the knowledge of the charming alumnus of IIM-A, U-Penn, Wharton and Yale. Below are excerpts from an enlightening and enjoyable interview with the optimistic economist who has assured us that the Indian economy is in a much better state than the media makes it to be.
Mr. Diwakar Vaish can easily be given credit for single-handedly taking robotics in India to a wholly different level. The robotics genius is the founder and head of Robotics & Research at A-SET Training & Research Institutes. Nothing has deterred his focus from his passion ever since his first tryst with them in the fourth standard. Mr. Vaish delivered a guest lecture on “Humanoid Robots” on the third day of Pantheon. Here are excerpts from his interview.
» What inspired you towards a career in finance, economics and management after an under graduate in physics?
remain one of the poorest countries in the world. What need to be fixed are issues like proper housing, schooling and better standards of living in all parts of the country.
My original plan was to become a physicist but » What can you tell us then I discovered I wasn’t about the major changes smart enough (laughs). I that Dr. Raghuram Rajan come from a small town, is thinking of? where poverty is not as striking as it is in a It’s only been two weeks Dr. Nachiket Mor big city like Bombay. since he has taken So, when I was pursuing my undergrad, I was charge! Give the poor man a chance (laughs). shocked by the contrast and felt that finance He is certainly making sure that people see him is a bigger problem than quantum mechanics. as a confident person. A nervous director would Interestingly, economics and applied physics are make people panic. He has told us that we must related. Many of our concepts like the Brownian not wait for five years. We must move fast. India is Motion have been taken from applied physics. a big system and it remains to be seen as to how » Where do you think the Indian economy is we respond to him. headed in a few years from now and what is that one missing factor that can turn the » For a student, getting placed is a priority. Sadly, there have been talks of a recession again. What is tables around after the current downfall? your take on that? I see this as a two-part question. One is, did we have a downfall? The reality is, if you No, this is not something we need to worry about. step back and see, we Indians tend to be too We are not America or France where youngsters inwardly focussed. Track the Brazilian real for are told that if you want a job, go to India. We me, the Italian lira, the Indonesian Rupiya or are a rapid growth economy. Some sectors the Japanese Yen. We’ve done better than all are not doing well while some are exploding of them. Second, it is not a “problem”. There is in growth. When we talk about food products a phrase in economics “Beggar thy neighbour inflation, rural India is benefiting directly from “wherein you de-value your currency which this. The wage adjustment is also very fast. All this then boosts your exports, and hence you transmits directly into rural prosperity. There is make your neighbour the “beggar”. The deeper an underlying momentum in our economy, and issue is-why is the economy not doing as well I’m positive that all of you will do very well in all as it might? Despite all of the growth, we still spheres of life.
» When and how did all of this start for you?
» What is the future of robotics as a subject? How can we improve its popularity?
As a kid, I was very curious and started taking summer classes Robotics education must in electronics right from be made more practical. class 4 and continued till Practical teaching is more class 10. During this time, effective than theoretical. I participated in various What we need is hands-on competitions. During my experience. For which there 12th standard, during is need of laboratories and the final examinations, practical equipment. Such I told my father that I labs are being set across Mr. Diwakar Vaish wanted to build a robot, India and hopefully this will to which he agreed. On its completion, I showed the robot to my school principal. Incidentally, make robotics more popular among students. a reporter from The Times of India was present » Tell us about your institute, what sort of there. One thing led to another, and the next certification is provided for students who thing I know, I was live on Aaj Tak TV. After doing so well in my hobby, I wondered what would undergo training there? How far is it going to happen if I became serious about it. My school promote research in robotics? offered to open a Robotics Club, and I started We give certificates only to students who are teaching students on weekends. Word spread perfect in every aspect. Course work is divided until it reached IIT Roorkee, where I gave a Guest equally into training and research. This is Lecture in 2012. achieved through theoretical and practical » What, according to you, is the current state of teaching which, again, have equal weightage. Our institute has cutting-edge technology. robotics in India, and how far will it go in the future? We have developed India’s most advanced Robotics is in a very nascent stage. Everything from watches to mobiles are robots. They have always been in the background, but have helped us all along. Computers too were not in the forefront. In the 80s when Apple and Microsoft were emerging, computers were superexpensive; robotics is in the same stage now. But this will change in about 10-15 years, and robots will get involved in household activities as well.
humanoid and robotics lab. Secondly, we can nurture and support students financially and technically with their ideas. We provide a platform where the student can build and promote their product and later file a patent for their invention as well. Hands-on experience and industrial training are provided for. Fulltime programs and summer training courses are available as well.
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BIT BY BIT
October 25, 2013
« ONGOING RESEARCH ECE Dept.
Electromagnetic Interference and Electromagnetic Compatibility:
This vast project funded by the UGC, Delhi The Electronics and Communication and Special Assistance Program-2 , and Department is abuzz with many ongoing co-ordinated by Dr. Nisha Gupta involves projects in various fields of research. a number of smaller projects like RF filter design, compact printed antenna design Embedded Fiber Optic Sensor based and non linear circuit integrated patch Instrumentation System for Structural antennas. This project aims at reducing the Health Monitoring: side effects of interferences resulting from closely connected electrical devices and The funding agency for this research is installations. It aims to develop technolothe ISRO. The principal investigator of this gies which can exercise reasonable control project is Dr. S. K. Ghorai and the co inves- on such disturbances thereby enhancing tigator is Dr. R. K. Lal. The fiber optics immunity. sensors are used in structures (e.g. builings, bridges and pipelines) to obtain real Design of Ultra Low Power CMOS Cell for time data on structural changes such as Temperature Sensor in VLSI: stress or strain. Monitoring data to used to detect deviations from a structure’s This project, investigated by Dr. Vijay Nath, original design performance in order to aims to design an ultra low power CMOS cell optimise the operation, repair and main- that can work as a temperature sensor. This tenance of a structure over time. The proposed CMOS temperature sensor is able project was sanctioned with an amount to measure the temperature range from -150 of 15 lakhs . The proposed duration of degree Celsius to 260 degree Celsius. This the project is 2 years. low power CMOS temperature sensor is able to work in a harsh environment. Apart from VLSI, this cell can also be used for different space applications such as environmental cooling systems, oil in hydraulic and lubricating systems and fluid in coolant and heating systems. The funding agencies are DST and DRDL. The sanctioned amount is 26.7 lakhs and the proposed duration of the project is 2 years. - Source: Dr. Nisha Gupta, Professor, Fiber Optics based Sensors Dept. of ECE. Design of Microstrip Antennas for Wearable Applications : Research is on for the development of microstrip antennas and this project has been sanctioned by AICTE with an amount of 6 lakhs. The substrate used for the prototype model is a FR4 material. The designed antenna can be integrated with a watch and is suitable for the wearable application. The characteristics of the prototype antenna developed, are measured in terms of the return loss, VSWR bandwidth, and radiation pattern. It is found that the fabricated antennas possess 210 MHz VSWR Bandwidth. This antenna can be placed over the outer ring of a rectangular watch without disturbing the wearing comfort. The project is being investigated by Dr. V. R. Gupta and Dr. Nisha Gupta. The proposed duraMicrostrip Antennas tion of the project is 3 years.
« BIT DISPENSARY The college dispensary shoulders the important responsibility of ensuring that students are provided with good medical care and first-aid action in times of need. The News and Publication Society caught up with the dispensary in-charge Mr. A. K. Tarun to investigate the various aspects of the dispensary that most of us are unaware of. He also shared with us some tips on staying healthy and disease-free. » There has been a case in which a student suffered due to negligence of the dispensary staff and unavailability of equipment. How well equipped is the dispensary now to tackle such a situation? The dispensary is now equipped with an ambulance that is available 24 hours and can be easily called by students their respective hostels. Although there hasn’t been much improvement, we still have better equipment now to deal with adverse sit. » Many a times the telephone line through which ambulance can be called for does not function. How can
Mr. A. K. Tarun
students contact the dispensary in such a case ? Is there any alternative contact number? There is no other contact number as of now, but we have requested the authorities to provide us with one. » Under what conditions is a patient transferred to the Apollo Hospital (the hospital closest to the institute)?
Management Dept.
The Management Department Building
With 100 scholars under 18 eminent professors, BIT Mesra’s department of management is actively involved in innovation and research in diverse areas. There is on-going research in human resource management, financial management, operations management, systems management and industrial management. In particular, the department is working on: Supply Chain Management (SCM) Systems: Supply chain management helps in managing complex and dynamic supply and demand networks. SCM is the management of the flow of goods. It includes the movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption. Interconnected or interlinked networks, channels and node businesses are involved in the provision of products and services required by end customers in a supply chain. Dr. Supriyo Roy is working on genetic algorithm based optimization applied in SCM systems. Organization Change and Development: Organization Change and Development is a deliberately planned, organization-wide effort to increase an organization’s effectiveness and/or efficiency. It is a systemic learning and development strategy intended to change the basics of beliefs, attitudes and relevance of values, and structure of the current organization to better absorb disruptive technologies, shrinking or exploding market opportunities and ensuing challenges and chaos. Performance Management Systems: Performance management includes activities which ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. Performance man-
Only when the doctors here at the Dispensary are unable to understand the student’s ailment, or the student needs special treatment which we have insufficient equipment for, do we refer the case to Apollo. Sometimes, the students themselves request to be treated there. » What are the provisions in our dispensary to provide medicines to the students easily? All the common medicines are always available here, and we also have all important medicines for many common diseases. Still, saying that medicines for every disease are available would be untrue. The procedure involved in acquiring medicines is very tedious. It is up to the administration to make things more flexible. Without that, it is impossible for us to change anything. » What guidelines would you give to the students residing in the campus so that they can lead a healthy lifestyle?
agement focuses on the performance of an organization, a department, employee, or even the processes to build a product of service, as well as many other areas. It is a process by which organizations align their resources, systems and employees to strategic objectives and priorities. Flexible Manufacturing Systems: A flexible manufacturing system is a manufacturing system in which there is some amount of flexibility that allows the system to react in the case of changes, whether predicted or unpredicted. This includes machine flexibility which covers the system’s ability to be changed to produce new product types, and ability to change the order of operations executed on a part. It also includes routing flexibility, which consists of the ability to use multiple machines to perform the same operation on a part, as well as the system’s ability to absorb large-scale changes, such as in volume, capacity, or capability.
A Flexible Manufacturing System
Decision Support Systems: Decision Support Systems are computer-based information systems that supports business or organizational decision-making activities. They serve the management, operations, and planning levels of an organization (usually mid and higher management) and help to make decisions, which may be rapidly changing and not easily specified in advance. Knowledge Management: Knowledge management comprises a range of strategies and practices used in an organisation to identify, create, represent, distribute, and enable adoption of insights and experiences. Knowledge management efforts typically focus on organisational objectives such as improved performance, competitive advantage, innovation, the sharing of lessons learned, integration and continuous improvement of the organisation. - Source: Dr. Utpal Baul, Professor, Dept. of Management.
Since our college is in a place with a lot of greenery, mosquitoes are a problem. Ensure that your rooms are clean and protected from insects. Also, it is my sincere advise to students to have their meals in the mess rather than in the local dhabas. They are not clean and the food served is highly unhygienic.
The BIT Dispensary
« REWIND:THE MONTH THAT WAS October 25, 2013
PANTHEON ‘13
The inaugural day of Pantheon ‘13 was marked by events like On-The-Spot Case Study, Chem-e-Boat and technical events like Bug Hunt, Cook Up your Car and Analogics prelims. Robotics competitions like Lord of the Rings, oratory based events like JAM and Debate prelims were also held. In addition, events like Science and Tech quiz, Literary Wizardry, Chakravyuh, BITter@ BIT prelims, Builder’s Fate and Face painting were also organised. The second day of the fest saw events which encouraged entrepreneurship skills like Cash Flow, cultutal events like Unleash the Actor Within, technical ones like Circuit Design prelims, Codezilla prelims, Game of Bots, Fringe prelims, Save the Egg, and Elixir to Electricity. Photography buffs were rewarded in Look for It while quizzing enthusiasts enjoyed
Themed ‘Droid’, Pantheon ‘13 was focused on technical activities. Shown here are humanoid robots demonstrated as a part of a Guest Lecture. the General Quiz. Also, events like R3, Sudoku Geek, Ultimate Engineer and BITter@BIT finals were also organised. Day 3 was packed with events like Acoustic Alchemy, Chance Pe Dance, Ad Mad, Money Matters, Sports and Entertainment Quiz, Auto Quiz, Shadows Fall and technical events like Buoyancy, Byte, Thirsty Crow, along with the finals of the Debate.
The final day of Pantheon’13 saw events like Blitzkrieg which had five different events happening simultaneously; Circuit Design finals and the most anticipated of them all, the treasure hunt, Scotland Yard.
BIT BY BIT 3
WORKSHOPS
Dramatics Workshop - A 3 days long workshop was organised .The first day, students were explained about the various technicalities of a play. The next day, they learnt about mime. The events of the final day included dispensing knowledge about The first night of the event, how to perform nukkads musical skits, with demonstrations from Music and Drama night infused the members of the Dramatics Society. theatrics with music and the PLC SCADA Workshop - A workshop on Industrial automation One of the robots made by night showcased a variety of was organised by Prolific, in association with IETE, explaining students events like Sur Samrat, BIT’s the concepts of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and got Talent, a mime, skit and SCADA which are the hardware and software, respectively, a musical. The event also had a special performance by The used in Industries for automation. This workshop illustrated the Music Club. Dance and SPICMACAY intricacies of automation used night set up a beautiful event for the in various industrial processes. evening where Society for Promotion Finally, the students had to of Indian Classical Music and Culture appear in a written test, and among Youth (SPICMACAY) tried to were awarded certificates by revive Dastangoi-the lost art form of Prolific. Urdu storytelling and enthusiastic TEQIP Workshop - A one week participants showed their dancing long training programme skills in solo and group categories. supported by TEQIP was The last cultural night was the most conducted by the Department anticipated night by all, Fugiya, on Of Production Engineering the evening of September 21st, 2013. in Artificial Intelligence The night saw boys and girls, dressed Techniques in Engineering and in their finest party attires, turn out in Research. Every aspect of soft huge numbers. The best of bands in computing was analysed and the college enthralled one and all with Face Painting, a cultural event during Pantheon discussed. It included 14 guest their performances. The BIT Fashion show consisted of two rounds, themed ethnic and western and saw lectures, 4 of which were by Professors of BIT Mesra. The other the contestants carry themselves with extreme poise and grace. guest lecturers included esteemed professors from prestigious The night ended with Mayank Jha and Harsha Singh being institutions like MNNIT Allahabad, ISM Dhanbad and Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra. Dr. Arya Bhattacharya, Head of R&D at crowned as Mr. and Miss Fugiya respectively. TATA also delivered a very insightful guest lecture. Top five teams on the scoreboard of Pantheon’13 at the end of all the events made it to the Grand Finale - called the ‘Core Music Workshops - A two-day long workshop was organised by Night’. They were judged on their team coordination, ability to the Music Club. The first was a theory session which gave students think quickly as a team and as an individual in various situations. details about the basics of music and the various chords and Finalists had to justify the name of their team with a skit, address scales. The second day was dedicated to other aspects like beat a “press conference” and had to pass the test of “Three Men In A theory, introduction to various percussive instruments. Boat”. Team Spartans proved their mettle after all the gruelling Coding Workshops - Two workshops were conducted by ACM. rounds and were adjudged the winners of Pantheon 2013. The On the first day, the students learnt about game theory and the titles of Mr. and Ms. Pantheon were bagged by Harshit (Team: second day was dedicated to greedy approach and dynamic Spartans) and Namrata Baruah (Team: Alpha Chi Omega). programming.
« Interviews: Pantheon ‘13 Guest Lectures Mr. Shakir Ali
Mrs. Praveena Kala
A Digital Marketing Services consultant and a business owner, Mr. Ali’s company, E-Merchant Digital Solutions, which started as an online marketing and online presence consulting firm, has become a very remarkable presence in the industry. He is engaged as a trainer for SMEs Hyderabad Chapter for entrepreneurs to capitalize on the Internet for their respective businesses. He has been decorated by the Indus Foundation as an Eminent Educationist. Excerpts from his interview:
Mrs. Kala has been in the banking sector for over two decades. She has had many years of experience in the field of rural banking and has also been posted in Mauritius. She pursued her Masters in Physics. Apart from this, she also holds the distinction of being a part of the Everest Team of 1978, while also being passionate about sports. She has been a state level cricketer and basket ball player. Excerpts from the interview conducted by N.A.P.S:
» What, according to you, makes entrepreneurship an attractive package as compared to a standard and stable 9 to 5 job?
the success recipe of a business. » What is that one source of inspiration to keep you continuing during the tough times?
In a regular job, in the government or There is no external in a company, we factor that can always complain inspire you. Your about the system or own passion to about orders from the clear a benchmark boss, which isn’t the in your life is the situation in the case source to drive of running a company. you ahead in life. These are the aspects Only your internal Mr. Shakir Ali which made me choose desire to build up the option of entrepreneurship. I worked for and run a company can motivate one to keep almost 10 years in different segments as an pursuing their goals during hard times. One employee but right from my younger days I had should remember his past accomplishments intentions of taking up entrepreneurship. We and appreciate his efforts to encourage himself. think about making money, which is possible Then he should get up, dust himself and move in a job as well, but somehow you are not able on. to live your life according to yourself. In case of entrepreneurship, you get the benefits of » What are the potential fields of marketing making more money and running a company that can be developed in today’s world? according to yourself. We are living in the world of digitalization today. » What do you think is the reason in meteoric Digital media has changed our lifestyle to a great rise in the number of SMEs, especially those extent, e.g. the introduction of Facebook in our lives. The internet has become an integral part run by women? of our day to day activities. Whenever we need The recent rise in the number of SMEs can any information we look it up on the internet. be contributed to the usage of internet as a Digital media thus holds immense potential in marketing tool for the success of a business. everyday life, which can be developed to a great People are coming forward to recognize and extent. utilize the strength of internet to promote their business. The families are becoming less » To conclude, what message would you like conservative, as a result of which women are to convey to our readers? encouraged to take up entrepreneurship and Do not take entrepreneurship as an option in make use of the internet as a vital ingredient to your life. Take this as the passion of your life.
» After completing your Masters in Physics and having a strong extracurricular background, what was the driving force that led you to the banking sector?
It takes care of 60-70% of your problems. So if you help somebody in investing their money and help them progress economically, I think it’s a great job you’re doing.
» As students, how After finishing can we start thinking college, I got married in that direction and in ’81. In those what activities can days girls didn’t we participate in at a think much. I was a student level? television artist and I was busy doing As students, you can plays even after I got do a lot. You can teach Mrs. Praveena Kala married. See, banking younger children is a very secure sector for ladies and provides and help out in old age homes. Also you can a good working environment, without you make people aware of their rights, contribute having to bother about anything while working to various columns, raise your voice and put it there. It is related to money and this is one place in the right forum where it will be understood. where you do make a difference. It is ultimately Whenever there is something wrong going a service sector. We are dealing with public all on, you must make it a point to inform the the time. Our motto in SBI is that anyone who concerned authorities who shall respond comes to our door has to be richer when he accordingly. If you are a conscious citizen you goes out, in experience or money. I came with will make a difference always. the thought of helping people and I am very happy to say that I have done it in my career » Having worked in a country like Mauritius, what difference did you find in the profiles of span and I am satisfied. the banking sector of a place like Mauritius » Would you say that being in the banking & a place like India? sector, you get much more active scope of carrying out CSR than any other field of In Mauritis and other countries, you have a single law and single window clearance that are service? applicable everywhere and at all times. Here in Yes, a lot. Here, if you perform your job well, India you have laws within laws, wheels within then you are being a very responsible corporate. wheels and for getting one clearance you have That is very important as you do not get to do it to go to various departmentsts for different in many other sectors. You can help out people clearances. That in itself, in my opinion, is a by devising schemes, financial planning etc. big factor that contributes to the difference Money is not every thing but it is very important. between the two profiles.
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October 25, 2013
«FEATURED ALUMNI «EDITORIAL MR. AMAR AGARWAL
HERD MENTALITY IN BIT
Mr. Amar Agarwal, an alumni from the batch of 1990, is currently the Vice President of Tech Mahindra, one of the leading IT service providers in the country. His extensive experience ranges from telecom sector, leading large delivery initiatives, to the management of operations function in the organisation. Below is an account of his experiences in the campus, as well as insights into the latest developments in the IT industry.
Let us talk about the ‘herd mentality’ we face every day for a while, shall we? What I mean by the term is the blind following of so-called trends or vaguely, fashion in the day streets of BIT. After completing my first year in the college, I noticed that this is one of the places that have not been spared either, and the effects of it warrant some kind of thinking on it.
» As a student in BIT Mesra, what was your: Department: CSE Roll No: BE/201/86 Passing Out Year: 1990 » What were your favourite hangout places in the campus? During my time in B.I.T there weren’t that many options in terms of places Mr. Amar Agarwal to hang out at incampus. We usually hung out at Ormanjhi Dhaba and the college canteen. The Chilly-Chicken served in the dhaba is the best I have ever had. » What has changed in the institute since your time here? Has the infrastructure been able to keep pace with the rapid growth in technology? The institute has grown a lot in terms of infrastructure. New hostels have been built, the R&D building, Biotech & Pharmaceutical Wings have also come up. It has definitely grown and I feel now the university should focus on industry connect so that the students are able to add value from the day one they join professional jobs. » What insight can you give us about the current career prospects and scope of recruitment in the IT Industry? Since last year the situation has been steadily improving and hopefully campus placements will reflect that.The IT industry especially however is not yet out of the woods as it is dependent on the recovery of the US & Eurozone economies. » Is Tech Mahindra coming to the campus for recruitment? Tech Mahindra will be doing campuses this year. I am sure they would have BIT Mesra in their list of colleges to visit. » What would you like to change or add to BIT Mesra? I believe that investment on infrastructure development and quality of education is the key. As I said earlier the college curriculum need to be in line with new industry practices. Mobility, Big-Data & Cloud are the 3 biggest upcoming technology sectors, and updating the curriculum to reflect this will put the students ahead of their peers during placements.
The educational hub these days is full of artists, photographers and a countless number of ‘creative’ people, who claim to be unique in their own special ways. The rebels, the fusionists and the intellectuals, the bunny huggers and the gadget freaks. So, is this the BITian renaissance that’s under way? Or am I just witnessing the legacy passed on by the generations that have passed out? Are we on the verge of a total systemic overhaul? Are we as a society on the path of discovering ourselves, and making our stand? The young seem confident, ambitious, and creative and the future looks promising. But the reality that lurks beneath doesn’t seem that bright at all. For the simple fact that all of us have been at some point of time or the other, a rebel, an intellectual, a ‘creative’ person and the like; not because that’s who we are, but because that’s what is in fashion at that point in time. It’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with it; over the course of one’s life, we all need to grow with time and accept change as it comes. But the problem begins when the change is governed, instead, by fashion, and when we keep adapting ourselves in order to blend in, or to be seen as unique. Reality check, people, you are as unique as the one standing next to you. The pretention at the best of times is amusing, and like Bob Dylan sang, “They’ve got thoughts, they can’t defend”. Even their thoughts don’t seem theirs; they seem borrowed from books, movies or trendy TV series they’re addicted to.
«QUEST(A QUIZ) Between the blacks and whites of the newsletter, test your grey matter as we complement and supplement your quest for knowledge.
Major chemistry test coming up! But Azo dye structures fail to capture your imagination and stoutly refuse to get captured by your photographic memory. You can only think of one thing – that your preshrunk, faded & highly hip skinny jeans have shrunk, further. Or the more likely, you have expanded, further. But there’s still hope. The two may not be as unconnected as you think. Join us in this Quest as we lead you from Azo dyes through Jeans to a Treasure! Since you can’t bear to start from chemistry, we begin by a quick perusal of your jeans to look for the clues that would lead us to the treasure. You instantly note the material – denim. Denim gets its name from a place in France where it was first made. It is ‘de A’ (of A). Azo too has a French etymology. It comes from ‘azote’, the French word for B (an abundant gas).
At a much deeper level, it seems as if we are not very confident about who we are, and it is this insecurity and fear, the fear of not being accepted for we are, that makes us cling on to some group or the other, hence discovering security in a ‘herd’. And I see plenty of those herd-keepers around, wondering whether half of the herd that joins it actually carries the passion.
Today, the words ‘denims’ and ‘jeans’ are used interchangeably. But it took a few years and two men to develop trousers of denim – jeans. One of the men’s name - C lives on today. It’s the name you could be found wearing on your rear 24/7 before your skinny jeans shrunk.
Thus we appear fickle, changing our tastes and attitudes ever so often; depending on what is accepted and what is not, having to constantly pretend. Thus being a rebel or a creative soul is not our life, but just a lifestyle. The scariest thing about all this, however, is that we are not even aware of the problem, which makes us look down upon and ridicule the people we see as different or out of tune with the current mentality, and in a weird kind of a way, actually normal.
You also, can’t help noticing the distinct blue of your jeans – faded part by exquisite part. Miracle of miracles, Azo dyes dye your jeans blue! They replaced D, a natural blue dye (in which, your history book will tell you, several Indian farmers’ tears and blood were mixed back in the days of the British Rule). The fade comes from a particular type of washing – E.
-DIPENDRA ADHIKARI (BE/10076/2012)
« SKETCH OF THE MONTH - Ankita Sarkar (BE/1169/2011)
Since Russia and other USSR degeneratives had had enough of Red revolutions, a certain ‘Cornflower revolution’ was called the ‘F revolution’ in reference to the colour blue. All the cool kids (and that includes you, in Russia, other USSR degeneratives and elsewhere) know that the cigarette fit jeans fad is burning hot in the 21st. But flared end jeans, called G were more popular in the 20th century. Going deeper into Azo structures will lead you to Schrodinger’s wave equation whose famous thought experiment involved a certain sullen beast – H. Combine G and H to get the phrase I which means ‘to perform a difficult/dangerous task’ You’ll have to ‘I’ to get the Treasure!
Send in your Entries! Send us your answers (A-I) to Quest at naps@bitmesra.ac.in. Fastest five get bragging rights and their names in the next issue! Want to get featured in the next issue of BIT by BIT? Send in your original articles, sketches or photos at the email above.
PUBLISHED BY: The News and Publication Society, BIT Mesra
APPROVAL COMMITTEE: Shri Mrinal Pathak (FACULTY ADVISOR), Dr. Bhaskar Karn, Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Dr. L. N. Pattanaik
CHIEF EDITORS: Nitin Gupta MANAGING EDITORS: Vishesh Dokania, Soham Ray, Roshin Mathew, Talib Wasi REPORTERS: Namrata Gummalla, Shobhit Narain, Koushik MLN, Saumya Bora, Deboshree Banerjee, Anuva Agarwal, Dhruv Malhotra, Abhinav Goyal
DESIGNERS: Abhijeet P., Pruthvi Raj Gayadri, Harshdeep Sagar.
EDITORIAL TEAM:
Anand Chatterjee.
The News and Publication Society (N.A.P.S.) is the hub for all information and connectivity in the Institute, from the latest news and happenings around the campus, to interviews and opinions of the people who matter, to organization of the biggest fests and events in the college. It collaborates with the largest media houses to ensure all the important happenings in campus are brought to attention at a regional as well as national level. Being a completely student-run body, N.A.P.S. boosts college-level journalism, with regular publications including newsletters, brochures and batch souvenirs. Send us your feedback at naps@bitmesra.ac.in. For regular updates on happenings around the campus, follow us at our website: www.napsbitmesra.com. We also feature N.A.P.S. apps on the Android (Google Play) and Windows 8 Stores for ease-of-use.