Mottos of various IITs

Languages:
Hindi - 2
Sanskrit - 9

IIT BHU
कर्म ही पूजा है
Work Is Worship

IIT Bombay
ज्ञानं परमं ध्येयम्
Knowledge is the Supreme Goal

IIT Guwahati
ज्ञान ही शक्ति है
Knowledge Is Power

IIT Indore
ज्ञानम् सर्वजनहिताय
Knowledge is for the well-being of everyone

IIT Kanpur
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय
Lead me from darkness to light

IIT Kharagpur
योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्
Excellence in work is (true) yoga.

IIT Madras
सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा
Effort Yields Success

IIT Patna
विद्यार्थी लभते विद्याम
One who aspires wisdom, attains it.

IIT Jodhpur
त्वं ज्ञानमयो विज्ञानमयो असि
You are the entire knowledge and science

IIT Roorkee
श्रमं विना न किमपि साध्यम्
Nothing Is Possible Without Hard Work

IIT Ropar
धीयो यो नः प्रचोदयात
Guide In The Right Direction

IIT Delhi, IIT Bhubaneswar, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Hyderabad and IIT Mandi do not have any official motto.

Ashwin Sanghi - 'The Krishna Key'

Two months back I read the preview chapters of 'The Krishna Key'.

I wasn't excited.

Neither gripped.

Neither shaken,

Nor surprised.

All I knew was that a wave was on its way, ready to engulf me. Each day longing to grab a copy of this book. Little did I know those preview chapters were just the shore-line, beyond it lay, a vast ocean ready to be explored.

My review is divided into two parts. It is so as to give you the best perspective and analysis. I recommend you to read the part to which you belong.

If 'The Krishna Key' happens to be the first book of this author you are about to read

This is the third book by Ashwin Sanghi. His previous two books 'The Rozabal Line' and 'Chanakya's Chant'   had bowled me over completely. His writing style can be correlated to 'Time Travelling'. The author keeps juggling you back and forth in time. At one instance you are in the battlefield, a few pages later you will find yourself in a lecture room, then you are back again in a kingdom. This style has inspired me a lot and this is one of the reasons which make this book a page turner.

Believe me, it is a page turner. I am a voracious reader and it took me just 9 hours to complete the entire book (464 pages of content). I was so busy flipping pages that I skipped my dinner.

To begin with, the essence of the book is a single mythological character 'Krishna'. You realize it as soon as you progress. A fast paced thriller is based on exploring certain facts : 

Was the eight avatar of Vishnu really a myth ? 

The history we know is it truly true ?

Mahabharata : Is it just an epic to pass down values through generations or the events actually took place ?  

What about kalki and the divine 'brahmastra' ?

And several other questions which will ponder in you mind even after you complete the saga.

Sounds boring, huh.

Nope it isn't.

After all you are not reading a book on mythology. It is a thriller.

The entire event is triggered by a serial killer who takes you on a journey, slowly uncovering his secret.

A historian Ravi Mohan Saini is caught in between the web of murders of his associates.

Priya is a PhD student under Saini who is willing to go to any extent to help him out.

Radhika , an ideal cop who takes up this case.

Few more characters[ including an IITian Nuclear Physicist :) ] and a dark secret which finally ends with some soul searching.

Filled with scientific correlations. Lots of illustrations.

A time comes when you encounter a sudden twist, midway (around page 233). 

Pairon ke neeche se zameen hi khisak jayegi!

It is a true delight to read.Go grab your copy today !

Continue reading if you have already gone through other works of Ashwin Sanghi

I am a die hard fan of his previous work 'Chanakya's Chant'. 

'The Rozabal Line' has the best time traversing narration style I have ever come across.

'Key' is good, but surely not his best work. After reading the 'Chant' I had enormous expectations from the author. He drew correlations back and forth, but they were too scientific and at times drag. Somehow I felt that a human touch was missing as it was evident in the 'Chant'. It was great to see his cool trademark crypts like 'La Sara Kali' of Rozabal. The conclusion seemed to be open ended, maybe intentional, leaving a future scope to build over it. But, after reading 'Chant' I surely expected a better ending. 

Anyways it was an awesome read ! 

-Blogged after reading 'The Krishna Key' the second time. Do put your feedback below :)
This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Antaragni Leadership Initiative [The Questionnaire]

"The Antaragni Leadership Initiative is a campaign aimed at igniting the social consciousness of the college youth ... blah blah blah .."
I'll cut short this description. You can read it here.

Well this year Antaragni folks came up with this really nice concept, especially for the IITK folks as every second person in our campus thinks he is a great leader heading a three tier student organisation  .

The first round comprised an online questionnaire submission.
I just got over with it. Some of the questions were really intriguing and thought provoking.
So I am sharing my form below.

1. Current Affairs 
Politicians should not play with educational institutes and their functioning. How far do you agree with this and why? (Max. 100 words)

About a thousand years ago India ushered in the field of education. Students from all across the globe came to study in the Nalanda University which made it the greatest center of higher learning of its time. Nalanda had its own autonomous body who made all decisions in order to take the institute ahead and the king showered it with the signs of his respect. It was at the pinnacle for six centuries. In modern scenario politicians think they are the kings, but they have forgotten that what our educational institutes need today is patronage, not intrusion in their functioning.


2. Creativity
You have the power to eliminate one problem being faced by modern India. What will it be? Briefly mention the steps you would take in this direction. (Max. 100 words)

Education System in India is still a major issue and it will not progress into a dynamic field unless the problems inherent in it are identified and solved.
To eradicate this problem, I would take the following steps:
Create a transparent, but rigorous regulatory system that will focus on the academic standards and the learning, not just on structural aspects.
Encourage private participation in education by creating incentives for them to focus on the social and developmental needs of the country.
I think the simplicity, elegance, and effectiveness of this solution is something which can make an impact.

3. Critical Thinking 

65 years ago, We had resolved to establish a sovereign, secular, democratic republic with justice, liberty, equality and fraternity for all. Have we as a nation been able to live up to those ideals? (Max. 150 words)

Today, UN ranks us 134 and 147 in terms of Human Development Index and Education. The Gender Inequality index tell us that inequality is predominant. Even the party which claims itself to be secular is backed by religious sects. Justice exists, but by the time it arrives, it is already too late.

"What we had resolved, we haven't been able to live up to those ideals !" 

I disagree. 

Its not about talking about India in terms of statistics, its not a propaganda. The whole point is that India is the nationalism of an idea. Its an idea of an ever-ever land, emerging from an ancient civilization, united by a shared history, sustained above all by pluralist democracy. That is a 21st century story. If there is anything worth celebrating about India it is this fact that India is a rare example of successful management of diversity in the developing world.

4. Self-appraisal 

If someone wrote a book about you, what would the title be and why? (Max. 40 words)  

I yearn to do something innovative and out of the box. And I'll definitely succeed in my quest someday. My story should be named 'Aiming Beyond Infinity' because that is the motto of my life. I live by it everyday.

5. Additional Question 

Answer any one of the following two questions (Max 150 words) 

• In your opinion, is the dollar value increasing or the rupee value decreasing?
• What do you think the youth of the country can realistically do to make it better?

The Indian Rupee is in a downward spiral. Not just the dollar, it has depreciated against all major currencies. 

When I read that rupee is sliding against the US dollar, the first thing that came in my mind was that the dollar value is increasing, but how come the rupee is also sliding against the sinking Euro.

Price of any asset is a function of its demand and supply. The growth in Indian economy has slowed down global investors shunned Indian equities. India imports majorly  crude and gold which is bought and sold in dollars. Thus, increasing imports increase the demand for dollars and people sell rupee to buy dollars. This puts a downward pressure on rupee. 

The problem however is the not the Rupee slide itself – the fall in the Rupee is the symptom of underlying problems and we have to look at those problems to find solutions.

Impact of 'The Third Wave'

Well I had an awesome day today :)

After winning the best blog post prize in the Blog Writing Contest organised by Association of Mechanical Engineers this summer, 'The Third Wave' won yet another laurel.

This time it was judged as the best entry in the story/fiction category in a contest held by Book Club of our institute. They received more than eighty entries for this competition and my third wave surely had an impact.

If you haven't read it yet, do check it out!

 

Printing The Third Dimension

I mentioned about 3D printing and the RepRap project in The Third Wave.
Its significance was over-shadowed back there, so I thought it might be worth sharing some awesome stuff which I came across while working on that piece.
Check it out !

RepRap Project Official Site
The Economist - Manufacturing - 1
The Economist - Manufacturing - 2

The Last Question

"How to read a binary file using Python?"
"Use open(filename, 'rb') to read a binary file." - Quick came my reply.

"Any other question ?" - I announced.
"Why should I use Python instead of C/C++/Java as it is quite slow?"

"Because life is short and you need Python !" - I smiled.
"It maybe slow, but you save a lot of time when you are coding. Something which can take you a year to write in C++ might take you just a month in Python, which makes it an excellent prototyping tool." - I added.

"Time is running out so now I will take one last question. Anyone ?"
There was silence for a couple of seconds then a lean guy sitting in the back slowly raised his arm. He shuddered then spoke -
"I was quite happy to see in your last slide that you are a mechanical engineer. We have a software in our department called Abaqus. I needed some help regarding scripting. It is based on Python. I have searched the net, but could not find any tutorial or example on how to go ahead with it."
"Well if it is based on Python then it is not possible to not even come across a single tutorial. Moreover what I taught you in the past four days, might be sufficient to give you a head-start."
"No, it is not like you are thinking." - His voice softened as he completed the sentence.
I smiled and ended the lecture. A guy sitting in the front row applauded, others followed.
My first lecture series in IIT K came to an end.
I was happy.
I was feeling proud.
But somewhere deep down I had some remorse. His helpless look passing my mind time and again, and his last question, which remained unanswered.



14 months later ... in a slightly better lecture hall.

"So with this we come to an end. In this lecture we explored the tremendous potential of this software. How Abaqus can be used in Computer Aided Engineering to design better products."
"Any Questions ?"

Someone darted a question.
"How can we vary the seed density for meshing? Suppose I want more density of seeds on one side."
I quickly gave him the solution demonstration.
He beamed.

"How can I add a fixed boundary condition at a node?"
"Well you can use the selection toolbar and activate 'nodes'."

"So now I will take one last question. Anyone?"
No hands were raised, but this question triggered a memory. It was as if I was still searching for that person a midst the folks sitting in front of me.
I addressed them softly - "If someone needs any help with Python scripting in this software feel free to contact me."
It took me such a long time to figure out the answer to that last question !

She fell in love .. Just because he was an IITian! [Part II]

Previously : She fell in love .. Just because he was an IITian ! [Part I]


There was silence in the compartment for quite some time.
I could see the girl thinking about each and every moment she spent with him.
I knew that expression very well.

After hearing that I was from IIT Kanpur, one character which had evolved the most was Uncleji.
He started treating me as if I was a part of his family. Just moments ago he wasn't even looking at me, but now I was showered with food and stories. He offered me Gond ka Ladoo, Poha, Chanachoor and what not. I liked Thekua the most. It had an ideal hardness, above which they are regarded nothing less than a stone.

I brought myself back from the world of delicacies into her world of dilemma.

"I think you are right. Maybe he is fooling me. My mom had warned me not to blindly trust people. She was right I should not have trusted him."
"Look ..." [ Whatever she said was true btw. Moms are always right. Still I was wondering what to say next to make her feel better. ]
"... there are chances that I may be wrong."
"There is a way we can confirm. Why don't you call him and ask him who is the President of our college. Tell him that the cult secretary of your college is your friend and needs the contact of this person."

She dialed.
"Hello, hi. Who is the President of your college."
I was trying hard to grab the guy's voice leaking out of the speaker.
"Why do you want to know? Are you still talking to that senior? I told you na, stay away from him."
"Actually meri friend called me. She is the cultural secretary and needs some info on the President of your college. What's his name."
He took some time. Maybe Googling.
"Dhande"
I was trying to control my laughter.
"Thanks. Bye bye."
"Bye."

"Was he correct?"
"Nope. The correct answer is Sanchit. But I am still wondering from where he lifted Dhande. He is a second year like you so there are chances he might not know. Even I didn't care when I was a Sophomore."
"We need to figure out some other question."

After five minutes of silence ...

"Are you sure? Hasn't he ever mentioned how our college is .. Hostels .. Canteen .. Mess .. anything."
She started pondering.
"He told me that his hostel is Hostel East."
"What?"
"Hostel East."
"But our hostels are numbered 1 to 9."
"He told me that each hostel has a canteen."
"Ahh .. there he is right."
"And he also mentioned that during examination time, the canteen wale bhaiya brings tea to their rooms so that they could stay up all night."
"Bhaiya naukar baithe hai kya .."

"Aapke paas kya abhi institute I-card hai?"
"Yeah I always carry it with me."
I took out my I-card. Passed it to her.
She started looking at it with keen eyes.
I thought she was admiring the golden chip placed on the top-left corner of the card.
Suddenly, she broke into sobs.

I got up and sat beside her.
"Don't cry."

"He is toying with me. Now I am sure. Once he told me that they don't have I-card 2nd year onwards and asked me to buy a sim using my I-card. He was lying all along. Maybe he studies in HBTI or any other ordinary college."

After hearing the word 'ordinary' from her, I pondered whether she really fell in love with him or his college. For next few minutes I was sitting silently beside her. The magnitude of her sobs had dampened. Then I thought it would be a good idea to cheer her up.

"So do you watch movies?"
"Yeah"
"Recently kaun sa movie dekhi?"
"Ra.One"
"Kahan dekhi lappy(laptop) pe ki theatre mein?"
"Multiplex"
"Aur koi film nahi mila tha kya ... paisa barbaad kar di."
"I know."
"Which multiplex - Rave Moti or Rave 3 ?"
"Moti"
"We often go there. Abhi recently I saw 'The Dirty Picture' in Moti. It was a nice movie. You should have seen it in the theatre."
She blushed and quoted - "You liked it."
Then I remembered Vidya Balan and realised what I was blabbering.
"Arrey nahi not from that point of view. Story mein dum tha. You should watch it because of its storyline."
"Rockstar dekhi?"
"Haan. It was a very nice movie."
She pulled out her Tabeez (Talisman locket).
"My mom gave me this tabeez today and told me to wear it. She got it from the dargah where ranbir went in the movie. And with God's grace I met you who opened my eyes."

Kanpur was closing in. The houses which initially ran parallel to the rails 10 meters away, were now converging towards the tracks. I got up. Picked up my luggage and proceeded towards the gates. Uncleji made me promise to meet him when I came to Jamshedpur next time. I promised with a fake smile. I didn't say anything to her.

I was standing at the gate, facing the gushes of cold wind.
After a moment I turned, I saw her smiling standing behind me.
I smiled back.

We reached Kanpur Central.
I got down ready to bargain with the auto-walas.
Meanwhile, I was also scanning the platform for other fellow IITians.

A silhouette following me went unnoticed.
I stopped and turned to find her walking close behind me.
She gave a doe eyed smile and forwarded her hand.

"Hi, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Pooja Mishra."