In fond memory of

Dr. Sathish Narayanan

Messages
I

f one were to vouch for that age-old proverb Change is the only constant, IISER Bhopal would come off as nothing short of an epitome. Right
from the flourishing of the campus to a noticeable change in the collective
psyche, we seem to be finally fitting into the characteristics of that typical
institute of higher education.
Amidst the dynamics of the proverbial college life, the IISER-B family has
come a long way since 2012, when we shifted to the main campus. Inconveniences of the past are now topics of conversations on idle, reminiscent
evenings. Scarcities have turned into abundances. The lines between necessities and luxuries have blurred.
In a similar vein, this years Uday has seen a vastly different content when
compared to the last edition. We have added a new section entirely based
on humor, which includes loads of comics. The community has taken a special liking towards poems, principally in Hindi. As a special mention, we decided to go green from this year, which meant cost cutting and lesser printed copies.
Many thanks to all who sent out their articles, poems and artwork. If your
submission doesnt make it this time, well be sure to consider it for the future. We also expect a growing response with every passing year. We are
also grateful to Dr. Srinivasan and Dr. Gowda for their inputs. And I am particularly indebted to the Uday editorial team for graciously bearing with my
whims and idiosyncrasies.
Welcome to the fifth edition.

Mihir Kshire
Editor

his year Uday decided to go green. We think the world is changing

and as much as we like our hard copies whether it is academic or
fictional books we are also starting to like the digital age and our soft
copies. They are not only easily transferable but also easy to store, easy to
search, and environmentally friendly (remember paper = cellulose = plants).
We just could not let this opportunity go by and so Team Uday took a very
bold decision to conserve nature and move with the times and decided to
provide digital copies to most users and a few printed copies to the traditional readers.
This year we also decided to keep the magazine very simple and easy to
read keeping in mind that we are still somewhere in the middle of our learning curve. I am sure everyone recognizes that the dust is finally starting to
settle in the Bhauri campus. This years Uday magazine therefore is going to
be the first in many more to come from the growing IISER-B population that
is predominantly based out of Bhauri. To the newer generations that have
arrived in IISER-B, the ITI campus might not mean much but for many of us
this will always remain an essential part our university. The current issue of
Uday will hopefully go down in history as the last magazine to have emerged
as a result of efforts from people based out two IISER-Bhopal campuses.
As the faculty editors, Vardha and I have seen the magazine team go over
several challenging and engaging times. I hope everyone joins me in recognizing Team Udays efforts and will be magnanimous in keeping their differences of opinion aside. Three cheers to Team Uday for a beautiful, tasteful,
and thoughtful magazine and we welcome you all to the fifth edition.

Dr. Vinita Gowda

Guest Editor

English

Hindi

The Science Behind Dreams | Faizaan Bhat, MS 2014

Missed Call |

Are We Mad? | Shruti Shirol, MS 2014

Page | 45

Page | 8

Page | 10

Exam | Sarthak Gupta, iPhD 2013

Page | 11

Magic & Larry. Bird & Magic | Mohit Kumar Manhas, MS 2012
Page | 12

December Season | Ashwin R., MS 2014

Page | 16

Anonymous | Vibhuti Shastri, MS 2012

Page | 17

The Future of Computation Technology:

Quantum Computing | Kumar Dhananjay, MS 2012
Page | 18

When My Mirror Smiles! | Sumayya Hassan, MS 2010

Page | 20

Retribution | Mihir Kshire, MS 2012

Page | 21

Going on the Story... | Priyajit Jash, PhD 2013

Page | 22

Universe, You & Me | Samikshya Sahu, MS 2014

Page | 23

The Perry Bible Fellowship |

Nicholas Gurewitch

Ashwani Kumar Srivastava,

Junior Superintendent, F&A Section

Page | 58

One Liners |

Bachpan ka Zamaana |

Alok Pratap Singh, MS 2012

Avishek Singh, MS 2012

Page | 60

Page | 46

Nowhere to Nowhere |

Kashmakash | Sandeep Raut, PhD 2011

Mihir Kshire, MS 2012

Page | 47

Page | 62

Sookhi Aah | Shubham Namdeo, MS 2012

Page | 48

April Fools Day |

Daamini | Gopal Narayan Srivastava, MS 2012

Page | 68

Ankita Roy, MS 2012

Page | 49

Fun Facts |

Mahatv | Mani Mohan Tiwari, MS 2013

Shitij Agarwal, MS 2014

Page | 50

Page | 70

Crossword |

Baat ki Uljhanein | Kusum Lata, MS 2012

Ankita Roy & Gopal Narayan Srivastava, MS 2012

Page | 51

Page | 71

Pratibimb | Vinay Sagar, MS 2011

Page | 52

Nazariya | Sakshi Gupta, MS 2013

Page | 53

Shakti ka Naam Naari |

Ruchi Srivastava, Assistant Librarian

Page | 54

Shaayari | Mani Mohan Tiwari, MS 2013

Page | 55

Peace In Hands | Kunal Babu, Alumni

Page | 76

On A Rainy Day | Arjun P., MS 2012

Page | 78

Untitled | Suhas K. Ramesh, MS 2010

Page | 78

Cricket! Its Not Your Fault | Alok Pratap Singh, MS 2012

Yercaud, Tamil Nadu | Ashwin R. MS 2014

Musing Agony | Susnata Salony, MS 2014

Penetrating Time | Midhun K. Madhu,

Page | 79

Page | 24

Page | 26

Page | 80

Welcoming Winter in Southampton | Rohit Prasad Bhatt, MS 2013

Light Bulb | Midhun K. Madhu, MS 2011

Page | 28

Page | 81

Epigrams | Vinay Sagar, MS 2011

Birds | Mayank Mishra, MS 2013

Page | 32

Page | 82

Mirroring Life | Vibhuti Shastri, MS 2012

Illustrations | Nilotpal Kapuria, MS 2013

Page | 33

The Story of Untold Sufferings | Ayush Kumar, MS 2014

Page | 34

Terrorist! Or Not? | Faizaan Bhat, MS 2014

Page | 35

2014: The International Year of

Crystallography | Dr. Deepak Chopra, Department of Chemistry
Page | 36

The Missile Woman of India | Yagna Oza, MS 2014

Page | 38

Sacred Land of Hidden Treasures

and The Queen of Hills | Shitij Agarwal, MS 2014
Page | 1

Page | 40

A Great Experience It Was... | Prachi Wele, MS 2013

Page | 44

MS 2011

Astral Projections |
Udit Aswal, MS 2012
Page | 72

The Commanding
Heights |
Sani Sabale, MS 2012
Page | 72

Leap of Knowledge |
Udit Aswal, MS 2012
Page | 73

Terrible Pickup Line |

Udit Aswal, MS 2012
Page | 73

Page | 84

Starry Night | Muskan Gupta, MS 2014

Page | 86

Subconscious Mind | Aniruddh Verma,

Page | 87

MS 2012

Outreach `14
Outreach `14 was successfully held in summer for the students of class IX
and XI. The objective of this program is to inculcate in students an aptitude to appreciate the role and contribution of science in the betterment
of mankind. The program has been designed to create harmony between
learning and applying scientific knowledge towards the development of
the society.

Padma Shri

COMINGS &
GOINGS

The Honble President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee conferred

the Padma Shri, the prestigious civilian award, on Professor V. K.
Singh, Director, IISER Bhopal on 31st March, 2014.

Mini Marathon
Mini-marathon was organised on 30th August 2014, on the occasion of
National Sports Day, in the campus itself.
Rankings:

Men (3km)
Women (2km)

1) Arvind Meena
1) Chetana T.

2) Ramana Reddy
2) Shrankhla Bawaria

Awards and Accolades

Dr. R. Mahalaxmi and Dr. K. V. Adarsh
were awarded the NASI Young Scientist
Platinum Jubilee Award 2014.

Dr. R. Mahalaxmi was also

awarded the INSA medal for
Young Scientist.

Dr. Vikas Jain was felicitated with

the Innovative Young Biotechnological award, 2013.
1

Independence Day `14

Book Club

The Independence Day `14 celebrations began with the conferring of the C. N. R. Rao Education
Foundation Award for 2013-14 Sem II to Rohit Prasad Bhatt, followed by cultural performances, devotional and patriotic songs. The event concluded with the drama club performing a play on the
exploration of human values.

The Book Club is a place for bibliophiles at IISER-B. It has a classic

collection of books of different categories and book-lovers utilize
the facility quite often. The collection is getting enriched every semester and students suggestions are also taken into consideration.

Onam

Mathematics Club

IISER-B saw a splendid celebration of Onam on 7th September, 2014. A traditional Onam feast in
the morning was followed by the tug-of-war competition in the evening and a fabulous cultural
show in L5 in the evening.

IBQC is the club for quiz enthusiasts of our institute. The club is heavily attended as the participants put to test their knowledge in various fields
like Sports, Food and Travel, etc. The club also organized a grand quiz during Enthuzia, the annual
cultural fest of IISER-B.

Hoonkar

Movie Club
Every Friday night, the Movie Club of
IISER-B screens movies for the entertainment of students. The movies are selected via online polling in which members
of the club vote for their choice.

Bio Club
The Biology Club of IISER Bhopal, named Serious About Bio (SAB), discusses topics in Biology in an
informal setting by organizing activities like talks, discussions and quiz competitions. Besides catering to the needs of biology enthusiasts, the club invites students from different disciplines and
provides a platform to discuss current interdisciplinary research involving biology.

Hoonkar is a group of students who present street plays on socially important issues.
On Republic Day 15, they raised awareness
about the LGBTQ community, ragging, cyber-bullying and the third gender.

Convocation

IISER-B Quiz
Club (IBQC)

The club for all the aspiring mathematicians and math-lovers is the Mathematics
Club. Different paradoxes, theories and some interesting solved and unsolved problems are discussed every Sunday night.

IISER Bhopal conducted its 2nd convocation on June 24th 2014 for the BS-MS
students and the pioneer batch of PhD students. During the ceremony, graduands and the collegium don academic regalia that symbolize their official roles.
The dignitaries shared their wisdom, emphasizing on the values that IISER Bhopal endeavors to instil in its students.
The convocation was graced by our Honble President Shri Pranab Mukherjee,
Union HRD Minister Smt. Smriti Irani, Governor of Madhya Pradesh Shri Ram Naresh Yadav and CM of Madhya Pradesh Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan. Sai Puneet
Desai was awarded the Presidents Medal as the valedictorian for the 2009-14
batch.
In addition to the awarding of degrees, the ceremony included several events
such as the academic procession, awarding of medals and the student valedictory address.
3

IISM 2013

Prayaas
Prayaas is an initiative taken by the students and faculty of IISER Bhopal to provide
primary education to the children of construction workers in the campus. The Shiksha Kendra, inaugurated on 14th Nov, 2014 saw the appointment of two teachers
to ensure regular classes for the students. This endeavour was supported by the
Institute Works Department, the respective contractors and Prayaas - the student
community of IISER-B.

Arts and Letters `14

It is organized annually by the Fine Arts and Literary Council of IISER-B. Several fun
activities and competitions like Versification (English and Hindi), Essay Writing, Sudoku and Photography were arranged for students in this week-long event.

Singularity `14
The first science festival of IISER Bhopal, held from Feb 1st to 3rd
was a grand success. Schools from across the city were invited
to participate in the science quiz, working model presentations
and talks by eminent scientists. Students from many colleges
in Bhopal also participated in mega events like Renaissance
and The Domino Effect. Aryabhat Foundation conducted a telescope-making and star-gazing workshop. Singularity `14 concluded with cultural performances by the students of IISER-B.

Enthuzia `14
IISER Bhopal conducted its annual cultural festival, Enthuzia, from 31st Oct to 2nd Nov, 2014, which
serves as a platform for the students to break free from the normal schedule of the college and showcase their skills and talent.
The highlights of the festival were the Fashion Show and the Singing and Dancing Competitions. Auditions for these, open to the entire city, were held at C21 Mall and it was presided by celebs Affan Yousuf (Indian hockey star), Babar Khan (MTV Stuntmania winner) and Pragati Vishwakarma (model and
renowned choreographer from Bhopal). The glamour quotient of the event was raised with The Face
of Enthuzia, the winners of which would serve as the brand ambassadors for the entire festival. The
special guest for this event was Miss India International 2014, Gurleen Grewal.
Fun events like the Treasure Hunt, General Quiz, Counter-Strike Tournament, the In-House Performance - Pronyt and the DJ Night made Enthuzia `14 a grand success.
4

The 2nd Inter-IISER Sports Meet (IISM) was held in Pune from 11th to 14th December, 2013. IISER Bhopal exhibited a shining performance, securing the Cricket and
Volleyball Cups as well as the top spot in Table Tennis (Womens) and were runners
up in Basketball (Mens). In Athletics, we won 16 medals, with Gold in Mens 800 m,
Mens 1500 m & Womens Discus Throw. IISER Bhopal stood overall second. The
hosts stood overall first in this edition as well.

IISM 2014
The 3rd Inter-IISER Sports Meet (IISM) was held in Mohali from 11th to 14th December 2014. IISER
Bhopals stellar performance left it just shy of the top spot. We retained the Cricket (tied with Mohali) & Volleyball (Boys) cups and stood second in Badminton (Boys), Chess and Volleyball (Girls).
The Athletics Championship was also won by IISER Bhopal with Gold in Mens and Womens
800 m, Mens 1500 m, Womens 4x400 m relay, Womens Discus Throw & Mens Javelin Throw.
The hosts stood overall first in this edition as well.

Virasat (SPIC MACAY)

The Bhopal Chapter of Virasat 2014, one of the main cultural festivals of SPIC MACAY, was
jointly organized by IISER Bhopal and MANIT. Artists of international repute performed at the
institute, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the country.
The festival kicked off with the screening of Charlie Chaplins classic, The Great Dictator. A
Phad painting workshop was conducted by Shri Joshi.
Renowned flautist Padma Shri Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Bharatanatyam exponent Shrimati Dr.
Swathi Daithankar, Shri Chinibas Mahato and Group who perform the tribal folk dance form
of West Bengal called Purulia Chau, Shri Roze Khan and Troupe, exponents of the Rajasthani
folk music, and Grammy Award winner and inventor of the Mohan Veena, Padma Shri Pandit
Vishwa Mohan Bhat, enthralled the audience in this week-long festival.
A captivating interaction session with Hindi poet, writer and Sahitya Akademi award winner,
Shri Ashok Jamnani, concluded the festival.

Essays |

The Science Behind Dreams

Faizaan Bhat
This probably also explains why many times, on
waking up, we realize that some of our dreams
were simply absurd and illogical.
thoughts and desires that are prohibited by and
unacceptable to the society. For this reason, his
theory about dreams focused primarily on sexual desires and symbolism. For example, any cylindrical object in a dream represents the penis,
while a cave or an enclosed object with an opening represents the vagina.

reams are like Ali Babas flying carpet. Every night, they take us on a ride to a whole
new world a mysterious and paradoxical land of
fears and fantasies. Fittingly, a famous quote by
the U.S poet William Wantling says,

Dreams are cages within which we

observe the cages without.

Modern oneirologists have abandoned the old

psychoanalytical ideas and instead, use neuroscience to understand the cause of dreams. The
most accepted explanation is the activation-synthesis hypothesis.

Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis

The hypothesis was proposed around 1977 by

Much like fingerprints, dreams are unique to a Harvard University researchers Allan Hobson and
person- a reflection of the idiosyncrasies of the Robert McCarley.
persons mind, which is an essential feature as it
makes dreaming a very intimate and subjective There are certain stages in sleeping called the REM
process and distinguishes it from reality which (rapid eye movement) sleep when the breathing
is generally shared with others. Why we have rate increases, there are rapid eye movements
dreams and could we control them has long been and enhanced brain activity. The increased level
a matter of inquisition. In fact, there is a whole of brain activity along with increased physiologibranch of science that deals with the systemat- cal changes suggests that REM sleep is the period
ic study of dreams, called oneirology. This article when the most intensive dreaming takes place.
aims to address the above questions in brief with Picking on from these details, the two researchers hypothesized that dreams are simply the rea purely scientific treatment of the subject.
sult of random electrical brain impulses that pull
imagery from traces of experience stored in the
memory. Essentially, it is not the pulled-out images that form the stories that we remember as
One of the first scientific theories given to deal our dreams. Instead, our minds, in an attempt to
with this question was Sigmund Freuds theory of make sense of the erratic imagery, create the
repressed longings which had its roots in psychol- stories without us even realizing it - simply beogy. Its key claim was that dreams are a way to cause the brain wants to make sense of what it
allow the unconscious mind to act out the taboo has experienced.

Why do we dream?

Why do we usually forget our dreams quickly?

It is said that five minutes after we wake up, we
have forgotten 50 percent of our dreams content
& ten minutes later, weve forgotten 90 percent.
Why is that? We dont forget our daily actions
that quickly.
L. Strumpell, a dream researcher believed that
several things contribute to our not being able
to remember dreams. His strongest reason was
that we traditionally learn and remember both by
association and repetition. As dreams are usually unique (so that there is no repetition) and
somewhat vague (so that there is no association)
to begin with, it stands to reason that remembering them could be difficult, especially keeping in mind the fact that dream images are not
very intense. For example, if someone speaks a
phrase to you that doesnt immediately click with
anything in your experience, you might need the
person to repeat it in order to remember it or
even understand it. Since we cant go back to
our dreams to experience something again, details that are out of our realm of experience often
escape us.

Can we control our dreams?

Lucid dreaming: - Lucid dreaming is a skill in
which a person realizes that he/she is dreaming
and is then able to control what happens in the
dream - all while still asleep.
Lucid dreaming is difficult and usually takes

special training. It was not until 1959 that an

effective technique for inducing lucid dreams
was developed, and true research into the phenomenon began. In 1989, Paul Tholey, a German dream researcher devised what is called
the reflection technique, and it involved asking
yourself throughout the day if you were awake
or dreaming. Similarly, Stephen LaBerge of Stanford University, Lynne Levitan and other current
dream researchers refer to an analogous technique called reality testing (much like the use
of totem in the movie Inception).
While lucid dreaming may just seem like a cool
way to enter fantasy land, it also has several
applications outside recreation. It could provide
the handicapped with the nearest thing to fulfilling their long craved aspirations: paralytics
could walk again in their dreams, to say nothing of dancing and flying, and even experience
emotionally satisfying erotic fantasies. Such sensorimotor practice could conceivably facilitate
recovery from stroke. It can also function as a
world simulator. Just as a flight simulator lets
people to learn to fly in a safe environment, lucid
dreaming could allow people to learn to live in
any imaginable world; to experience and better
choose among various possible futures.
Research in various areas of dreaming is ongoing, particularly in the areas of REM sleep and
lucidity. The work involves dreamers wearing a
glove that incorporates movement sensors to
record hand movements during sleep. By using sign language, they hope to get reports of
dreams as they are occurring. As technology advances, one day perhaps, well all be able to control our dreams or even share our dreams with
others while we sleep.

Are
we
mad
Shruti Shirol

Why do we become scared of having big aspirations?

Why do peoples thoughts bother us?
Why dont we not like being just one in the crowd?
Why do we always want to fit into the picture that
some people have about the normal or the not
insane person?
Why are we scared of travelling the path less
travelled?

EXAM

Sarthak Gupta

Have you ever tried answering these questions?

And wait!
Before that!

If you look back into history, it was the seemingWhen was the last time you said something so ly crazy and ridiculed ideas, that went on to bring
revolutionary changes - be it Einstein to think
absurd that your friends laughed at you?
Or felt so stupid about your thoughts that you of the space-time relation or Edmund Hillary to
climb the highest peak in the world, or Bill Gates
laughed at yourself?
Have you made a very strange wish or had a bi- to found Microsoft!
zarre aspiration lately? ...
Not a long time ago, we were kids - full of enthu- What is the difference between these people and
others?
siasm and curiosity!
They too were ordinary, like others, with the same
As kids, we wanted to travel to the moon, count all crazy dreams!
the stars, travel through time or become the rich- It is simply that they were
est person on earth. We wanted to be as recog- - brave enough to take the path less travelled.
nized as Mahatma Gandhi or his likes and do al- - crazy enough to believe in themselves.
most everything that most grownups would think - smart enough to take risks.
- strong enough to not be affected by other peoas insane or crazy!
ples thoughts
But hold on! Look at us now! What do we think - not afraid of being laughed upon!
about these ideas today?
So,
Can we bring back into our lives the attitude that
Insane? Absurd?
we once possessed as kids?
Can we be mad,insane or crazy once again?
Oh Yes! We have grown up too!
Can we aspire to leave a mark of our existence on
We have stopped having crazy aspirations and this planet as we go?
dreaming crazier dreams. Why? Is it the time conPeople would surely laugh, but they did so on Einstraint?
steins theories too; on Aristotles arguments about
the spherical shape of earth and on Copernicus
Or is it something else?
heliocentric theory as well. Today, however, these
ideas seem as true as the sun rising from the east.
Yes indeed, it is something else!

Its exam, like an

emergency alarm
nights on table, no PC, no cable.
Day starts with books and boring looks!
NO mood to study, seems to be custody
but parents hope; a blackmail rope..
Study, study all the day,
nothing understood in any way.
All tense without sense,
Its like no one
knows lifes fragrance.
When results come all get drunk
everyone scolds but we are so cold
Its like a nightmare.
Though they know its not fair
still they do not understand
life may be on its last strand;
living on hells hand
then even time doesnt pass like sand;
All we do is cry inside.
Its not a fake ride,
we dont want these armed men.
But a chance!
To live life in our way
to feel and savour the suns ray
to ponder awhile and to pray.

Why does it happen that as we grow up, we think So lets dream the impossible! Be a little crazy,
and think out of the box!
more about what the people around us think?

10

11

MAGIC &

LARRY. BIRD
MAGIC

&

People say - Michael Jordan saved

the NBA.
Such BS! Bird and Magic saved the
NBA. Thats who saved the NBA Magic and Larry.
We got this connection thats
never gonna be broken, I mean
right to our graves. They will talk
about this from years on now.
It all began in Salt Lake City, Utah
on the night of March 29, 1979.
It was the NCAA Championship
- Indiana State versus Michigan
State. A game that still ranks as
the highest-rated college final ever
on television, a game that is now
remembered as the prologue to a
rivalry that transformed the sport.
They were two stars thrown in by
the cosmos to compete, but only
one emerged at the top. Magic
entered as the bigger the star but
by end of the tournament Larry
became a household name by car-

12

rying a lowly Indiana State all the

way to the final. Magic had a better game and with Bird struggling
Michigan State comprehensively
defeated Indiana State.

Mohit Kumar Manhas

ry at the time. Bird immediately

transformed the Celtics into a title
contender, helping them improve
their win total by 32 games from
the year before he was drafted and
finish first in the Eastern ConferWhile the college game was flour- ence.
ishing at the end of 1970s, the progame was crumbling. After the Johnson was drafted first overall
golden age of Bill Russells Celtics in 1979 by the Los Angeles Lakand Jerry Wests Lakers, NBA saw ers. Johnson joined a franchise
declining TV ratings, low atten- that had gone through significant
dance, and drug-related player changes. The Lakers featured a
issues both perceived and real new coach in Jack McKinney, a
that threatened to derail the NBA. new owner in Jerry Buss, and sevEnter Bird and Magic.
eral new players. Johnson introduced an up-tempo style of basBird was selected sixth overall by ketball which the NBA described
Boston Celtics in the 1978 NBA as a mix of no-look passes off the
Draft. Bird did not sign with the fastbreak, pin-point alley-oops
Celtics immediately; instead, he from halfcourt, spinning feeds
played out his final season at In- and overhand bullets under the
diana State and then inked a five- basket through triple teams. This
year, $3.25 million contract with style of basketball became known
the team, making him the high- as Showtime.
est paid rookie in league histo-

Magic led the Lakers to 60-22

record and they reached the
1980 NBA Finals in which they
faced the Philadelphia 76ers,
who were led forward by Julius
Erving. After winning the fifth
game and going up 3-2 in the
series, Abdul-Jabbar who was
averaging 33 points per game
got injured and couldnt play
in Game 6. Johnson started the
game at the center and recorded 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in a 123107
win, while playing guard, forward, and center at different
times during the game. Johnson
became the only rookie to win
the NBA Finals MVP award.
Bird was watching the game
in a club while Magic Johnson
lifted his first Larry OBrien

trophy. He was behind 2-0 now.

But he didnt know that he had
inspired Magics performance.
He was named Rookie of the
Year earlier that same day. The
voting wasnt even close - Bird
63; Magic 3. Magic went out
that day to not only to win the
championship but also to prove
to the one Larry Bird that he
should have won Rookie of
the Year. Bird was pissed. Even
though he won one next year
his obsession only grew deeper.
Their
competitive
dislike
emerged from a greater truth
that on the court they were doppelganger - team oriented stars
who cared about winning above
all else. They embodied basketballs suaveness, infusing the
substance of the sixties with the

style of the seventies to create

a new, exciting yet selfless way
to play the game in the eighties.
They were like two halves of the
same frame.
They had begun changing the
game but with low TV ratings
and tape-delayed Finals the
league was struggling to get
the word out. When the NBA
signed a new TV deal with CBS
before the 82-83 season, the
rescue plan was simple - sell
more of Bird and Magic. Sell
them as arch rival characters
in this dramatic saga. A slick
ShowTime African-American
guy out west and a bunch-bucket floppy haired white guy with
bruises all over his body. It was
perfect.

13

And when both Celtics and Lakers reached the Finals

a year into the TV deal, it appeared the superstar investment was about to pay off. The Finals showdown
was probably the biggest moment in the history of
NBA. Lakers beat the Celtics in Boston Garden to a
1-0 series lead. With less than a minute to play in the
second game, the Lakers were in a position to take a
commanding 2-0 lead over the Celtics. With 18 seconds left on the clock Gerald Henderson stole a James
Worthy pass to score a game-tying layup. The Lakers
then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time.
The Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124-121.
The Lakers regained their stride in Game 3 with a
comfortable 137-104 victory.

and the Celtics. But in the 85 Finals Magic changed

the script. After six gruelling games the Lakers came
out on top, winning the last game in Boston Garden.
Magic had evened the score with Bird on the NBA
floor. But the significance of their rivalry and their
relationship was only taking hold.

But it was Game 4 where Tragic Johnson gifted

the home court advantage back to the Celtics. A bad
pass to Robert Parish led to a turnover late in the 4th
quarter and it was followed by botching up two crucial free throws with the score tied at 123-123 and 34
seconds to go in the overtime. Celtics won 125-123.
Game 5 went to the Celtics, Game 6 to the Lakers.

1986 Celtics, considered by many as one of the greatest basketball teams of all time, won the NBA Championship that year with a 12-3 post-season record giving Larry the third ring of his career.

It was like 1979 all over again. Down to one game for
Bird and Magic.
On his home court Bird was in no mood to repeat
the loss of 1979 NCAA final. He had a great game
while his nemesis didnt. Down 3 with one minute
to go in the fourth quarter, Magic choked up again.
Cedric Maxwell knocked the ball away from Magic
Johnson which resulted in a turnover. Dennis Johnson responded by sinking two free throws to seal the
victory. Larry Bird was named MVP of the series.
I got him. I finally got him.
I hope he was hurting. I hope it killed him. He made
some bad plays down the stretch and nobody was
happier than me.

A 1984 Converse commercial for its Weapon line of

basketball shoes (endorsed by both Bird and Johnson)
reflected the perceived dichotomy between the two
players. In the commercial, Bird is practicing alone
on a rural basketball court when Johnson pulls up in
a sleek limousine and challenges him to a one-on-one
match. Despite their on the court rivalry, the two became friends after filming the commercial together.

Bird was facing off against Magic for the third time
in four years when they met in 1987 NBA Finals.
Even though their relationship had softened, their
determination to beat each other had not. The Lakers dominated the injured and fatigued Celtics and
jumped out to a 2-1 series lead. With 7 seconds left
in Game 4 and Lakers down 1, what followed was a
play for the ages. Magic received the inbound pass
with post-defender McHale on him. Magic dribbled,
hesitated to get McHale off-balance, and then drove
into the key. Magic then lofted a hook shot, which just
cleared the fingertips of both McHale and Parish, and
swished through the net giving the Lakers a 107-106
lead with only 2 seconds left. Celtics still had one last
shot. Dennis inbounded the ball to a wide open Bird
behind the three-point line who got it off in time only
to see the ball clank off the rim. The Boston crowd let
out a collective groan as the Lakers bench danced off
the court to celebrate the hard-fought victory, which
gave the Lakers a commanding 3-1 series lead. The
Lakers closed out the series on their home court to
win the series 4-2.

With media on his back with headlines like Tragic

Johnson, Thats why Birds the best, Magic was on
a mission to prove it to himself and the world that Magic is a great, great basketball player, Bird stated
with the ball in his hand he is the one in control. And flatly, settling the issue for the moment. The best Ive
after the Lakers ran away with the regular season, he ever seen.
quickly got what he wanted - another shot at Bird

14

After vanquishing Bird in 87, Magic wasnt done

winning. He squared up against Isaiah Thomas and
his Pistons and defeated them in 7 games to win his
5th and final championship. By the end of 1989-90
NBA season, he had equalled Birds tally of 3 MVP
awards. The Prince of L.A. was now the king.
I probably should have retired in 88-89, but its that
competition...maybe one more chance me and Magic can get together in the Finals, but it never happened.
While Magic was soaring through the prime of his
career, Bird was breaking down. His deteriorating
back and punishing style of play were excruciatingly
painful for him. He had lost the structural stability
in his spine. Regardless, through the final years of
his career, Bird maintained his status as one of the
premier players of the game. He played through all
the pain, but it was nothing compared to what was
awaiting him before the start of the 1991-92 NBA
season.
After a physical before the 199192 NBA season,
Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for
HIV. In a press conference held on November 7,
1991, Johnson made a public announcement that he
would retire immediately. The news shook Bird up.
He described it as the toughest time of his life since
his father passed away. For the first time he had no
feel for the game, didnt want to play anymore.
Bird played through the 91-92 season his last
in the NBA but a part of him was already gone.

honours. But that was just warm-up for the encore

Magic had up his sleeve.
Johnson was chosen to compete in the 1992 Summer Olympics for the US basketball team, dubbed
the Dream Team because of the NBA stars on the
roster. The Dream Team, which along with Johnson
included fellow Hall of Famers such as Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and of course Larry Bird, was
considered unbeatable. Magic, despite being HIV+,
was in great shape while Larry couldnt even practice. But it didnt matter because they were together.
14 years after they had first crossed paths-- the smiling kid from Lansing and the shy boy from French
Lick were happily back together in Barcelona.
Magic and Larry. Bird and Magic. To the millions
who watched them, now more than ever they are
inseparable. A pair of athletes thrown in by the
cosmos to compete, a couple of men who discovered a bond in the midst of that competition. Decades removed from the height of their rivalry,
their bond endures. Two impossibly different men
with a connection only they can fully understand.

As the basketball went on without him, Magic

performed ably in his new role of HIV educator and spokesman. But he still pined
for the arena that had made him a
star. So when he was invited to play
in 1992 All-Star game he jumped
at the chance, promptly stealing
the show and winning the MVP

15

Come December,

Chennai springs into

festive mood. Not a festival in the normal sense
of the word. Its a cultural festival as matter of fact
but no, not that of IITM or any college in Chennai
for that matter. Down south its popularly known
as the Marghazhi season festival. Its basically a
time when the spotlight is on Indian Fine Arts Dance, Drama, Instrumental music and not to forget, Carnatic music.
Artists ranging from legends and maestros to amateurs and debutants are in Chennai to enthrall
their audiences, be it in sabhas (program halls),
school auditoriums or elsewhere. Some of the

most famous Carnatic musicians who perform are

Sanjay Subrahmanyam, T. M. Krishna, Abhishek
Raghuram, Aruna Sairam, Bombay Jayashri and
Nithyashree to name a few.
In the meanwhile lets take a small detour, shall
we?
Food. This is also a time when food stalls are put
up in the vicinity of the sabhas to entertain your
taste buds. These stalls have built a reputation

over a period of time and are run by some of the

finest caterers in Chennai. Here you get the finest coffee and other south Indian delicacies. They
also come up with their own innovative dishes
by tweaking the original with new flavours. For
instance they come up with Bournvita/Horlicks
barfi and several other things. I think you catch my
drift
Coming back to what I was discussing earlier, this
cultural festival happens to be one of the worlds
largest cultural events and goes on for about 5-6
weeks. The concerts are generally of a duration
of about 2-3 hours. Usually in Carnatic music concerts, the vocalist is accompanied by
instrumentalists who play the violin, veena,
mridangam, ghatam or ganjira.
This festival was first held way back in 192728. It was initially held in the month of March/
April. It was later shifted to December due to
more favourable weather conditions and the
likelihood of attracting more tourists during
this period. Today people come from all
around the world to attend the same.
The very thought that music can be based on
7 swaras makes me curious and leads me to following queries
1) What would the frequency and amplitude of
each swara could possibly be?
2) Are these the only unique ones that can be
musical?
Well I dont have answers to them as of now.
With a fresh influx of young talent every year I am
certain that future editions of the festival will continue to mesmerise the audience and contribute
immensely to the preservation of Indian culture
and tradition.
Having read all this, do me a favour. If you happen
to be near Chennai anytime in December, do go
into one of the sabhas. And hey, who said Carnatic
music is uncool. Dont believe my word, attend a
concert and see it for yourself.

Anonymous

Vibhuti Shastri

Like drops of the ocean and

Rays of the sun all indistinct...unnamed
Faces in the multitude in search of their identity and dreams
Each born with a destiny to tread down a different path
A path that ends when theyre at one with themselves...
Like stars shrouded in clouds in the blackness of the night they are
Lost and unknown to the world
Each shimmers and glimmers within.
Walking the walk of life some meet the world, their glories dazzling all;
While others are rendered in the darkness of anonymity
A fire flares deep within each;
Working its way to the surface while the world sleeps
Illuminating with each flicker a little more of the shadow we wish to merge with.
Evanescent memories on a canvas of eternal sunrises and sunsets
The lives gone by... realized an identity, fulfilled a purpose and passed into oblivion
Like the million anonymous threads that make up a beautiful tapestry.

Ashwin R.

16

17

practically achievable. Interference is an important aspect in all the algorithms designed

for quantum computing.

The Future of Computation Technology:

Quantum Computing
- Kumar Dhananjay

ecently, a so called Quantum

Computer was launched into
the market by a Canada-based
technology company by the
name of D-Wave. The controversies associated with it made
it world famous. Is it really the
same quantum computer that
we are looking for or is it a fake?
We dont know yet but we do
know that quantum computing
is the future of computational
technology.
With the widespread expansion
of communication networks
(think, the internet) and technological development, the processing power of even the most
powerful computers today is
unable to quench our thirst for
speed and computing capacity. This has made us search for
something new. The concept of
quantum computing is not very
old. It originated just 35 years
ago and was first introduced by
Yuri Menin in 1980 and Richard P.
Feynman in 1982.
Quantum computing is essentially the harnessing and exploiting of the laws of quantum mechanics to process information.

18

A quantum computer is different

from a classical computer in the
sense that it makes use of qubits, or quantum bits, to perform
operations and for processing.
As the qubit behaves quantum
mechanically we have to capitalize on the phenomena of superposition and entanglement.
Another very important aspect
that differentiates quantum computers from classical computers
is Quantum Parallelism. In classical computers, parallel computing is performed by linking
several processes together, each
performing one computation
separately. However, in quantum
computers the parallel computing can be done using a single
processor only. It is because qubits can exist in multiple states
simultaneously.

The Quantum Mystery:

Although, the computation power and speed achievable with a
quantum computer are intriguing, there are some awkward
constraints too.
For the quantum computation
to proceed correctly, the qubits

need to be in a superposed state.

If you look at the qubit in a state
of superposition, it will acquire a
value of either 0 or 1 but not both.
So for a practical quantum computer, scientists have to devise
ways to make measurements
indirectly so that the systems integrity is preserved.
Another key phenomenon is interference. When two waves
overlap they can either reinforce each other or they can
cancel out. If they reinforce, the
interference is constructive and
the resulting intensity and amplitude are greater than that of
each wave alone. However, if
they cancel out, the interference
is destructive and the resulting intensity and amplitude are
lesser. Depending on the sign
of the amplitude, quantum interference can either increase or
decrease the probability that a
specific state is observed when
a measurement is made. This
whole idea will be utilized by the
quantum system to rule out the
wrong answers by destructive
interference and enhance the
right answers by constructive interference but as of now, it is not

One last aspect of quantum weirdness is entanglement. Quantum entanglement happens

when two quantum systems interact. They develop correlations between their properties
that are maintained even after they are separated. Lets consider copying a qubit from a set of
10 qubits that had some interaction earlier. Now
because of the entanglement, the information
contained in the qubit will not remain the same.
Entanglement is the prerequisite for at least
some of the important quantum algorithms.
The languages for programming quantum
computers are ready, even though the computers themselves are not:
The field of Quantum Programming Language
(QPL) is developing rapidly and the associated literature is surprisingly vast. However, the
physical implementation of quantum computers is very limited and they have not even escaped from the physics laboratories, then why
are people wasting so much time and energy
on developing the languages used for coding
in those quantum computers that dont even
exist? The answer to this question lies in the
following:
Because of the progress made in the field of
QPL, the Quantum Cryptographic Systems
(QCS) are physically present and commercially
available. The Institute of Quantum Computing
(IQC), University of Waterloo is home to Alice
and Bob, quantum cryptographic systems. The
advantages of Quantum Cryptographic System
lies in the fact that it allows the completion of
various cryptographic tasks that are proven or
conjectured to be impossible using classical
communication.

Developing the QPL in advance will serve us

many technological and practical purposes.
For example, in the case of classical computers
the widespread use of programming languages that lack semantic foundations has caused
huge problems for software engineers. Practical computing techniques have raced ahead of
theoretical studies. So, from this point of view,
designing QPL before the hardware exists is, in
some aspects, beneficial.
The semantic, logical and category-theoretic techniques used to develop these QPLs
are providing fascinating new perspectives on
quantum theory itself. Computing scientists
are generating new insights on the foundations
of quantum mechanics, which will be of value
even if practical quantum computers are never
built.

Why we need Quantum Computers:

According to a recent report published in TIME
magazine, quantum computers can do these 9
things which are practically impossible for the
classical computers:
> Design safer airplanes.
> Discover distant planets by analyzing a vast
amount of data collected by telescopes.
> Boost GDP-Hyper-personalized advertising,
based on quantum computation, which will
stimulate consumer spending.
> Detect cancer earlier by developing computational models that will determine how disease develops.
> Help automobiles drive themselves by distinguishing between cars and landmarks.
> Reduce weather-related deaths by forecasting the weather precisely well beforehand.
> Cut back on travel time by analyzing the
sophisticated pattern of traffic in the air and
ground.

19

nehWWhen
rorrimmy
ymmirror
!selimsmiles!
s
Sumayya Hassan

Standing alone in the crowd,

looking for a face among the common,
being blind trying to see, sleeping wide awake...
Yes! I was here in front of you, all the time
I dont know when the rain stopped;
when did my birds stop singing for me,
when did all the snow make a blanket over my dreams.
It was dark inside, out and all around, but I was here still
Hesitating to breath, when I stand here,
I saw you reflecting a shadow,
It was invisible though..
Yet you found me one day,
somewhere between you and me,
When my stars started to fade away,
you painted them for me again..
I was the same; a melancholy,
a song unsung
waiting for the same old Arabian Knight,
weaving a veil to cover all up
Now you are smiling, right at me
I see those magic sparks
its real, I wish to believe
since red bright are my horizons now..
Leaving to life now, with this smile you gave
leaving to sanity, going back home,
let me fasten the strings now, I am seeing my light!

20

Retribution
Mihir Kshire

hakib was an introvert. The

outside world didnt matter
much to him. He felt satiated
within the confines of a small
library that he had made for
himself. Be it Orwells dystopia
or Gibrans surrealist tales, the
alternate world fascinated him
and kept him from the boredom
of his daily schedule. He was a
clerk at a small retail store.
Things took a surprisingly gleeful turn with his wedding.
Hesitant at first, he eventually
gave in to his fathers wishes.
His first few interactions with
Freida werent of much depth;
the usual exchanges of meaningless sentences to break the
ice. He was mainly concerned
about managing the finances,
what with another person living
off him. He mentally prepared
himself to avoid the book shop.
From now, hed only go to the
local library inspite of their poor
collection.
As a twist of fate, with Freida
he found serendipity instead of
lurking despair.
Shed grown up in an orthodox
religious family which pretty much left her uneducated. With her marriage, came
the first rays of excitement in
her life. She didnt really know

what to expect, and that got

her thrilled like never before. It
took a few days to dissipate the
initial phase of awkwardness.
But once she noticed his closet
of books, there was no looking
back. In Shakib, she found a benevolent mate who showed her
a side of her imagination shed
never known. And in Freida,
he discovered the most precious companion with whom
he re-experienced the joy of
reading.
Within no time, they developed
a strong bond over their mutual
passion. Love blossomed, time
flew by while they lived in the
blissful little world of their own.
....
The lifeless face of Freida had
the same affectionate expression on seeing her Shakib.
She was glad. Glad that shell
be dying in her husbands arms.
Her love, her friend who had
gifted her two years of beatific
adventures.
He, on the other hand, knew not
what had transpired. The drone
attack on the local market had
left him deaf and dazed. Gathering his senses, he held the
bloodied hand of his beloved
wife, and had tried to pull her
from under the rubble. Em-

bracing her, he watched her go.

No words could be exchanged.
Dusty vegetables lay around.
Forty kilometers away, the P.L.
regiment celebrated the success of operation Sandbar.
They were relieved that the
collateral was minimal. Only an
old man, and a woman buying
cucumber. Probably they were
with the terrorists anyway.
...
Later, in the ruins of P.L. army
base, forensics concluded that
it was C-4 yet again. The prime
suspect was determined to be
the deaf man whom Jim had
recently befriended. Earning
their trust, the mujahid blew
himself up on gaining access to
the base.
And so as the families of soldiers mourned their loss at
a token funeral, little Timmy
made up his mind to join the
army. He saluted Jims photo,
and walked away in solemn determination.
It was his turn now to bring retribution.

21

the in
g
sto on
ry.
..

Go

ome
memories
in our life can never be erased.
They resonate with us regularly, especially in our pensive
moods, give legitimate pleasure
and eternal feelings. And if the
event is travelling in Indian Rail,
would could be more exciting?
Rail journey always fascinates
me. The beauty of travelling in
rail is in enjoying the sprawling
green landscape, the rhythmic
movement of wheels and also
the mystic scenery, which in the
moonlit night, creates ultimate
romanticism. Those who can
feel, can relish divine happiness.
Indian Railway reflects the Indian
heritage, representing the social,
economic and cultural spectra
since the British period. My experience is sweet as well as thrilling. It is too memorable to be
obliterated by the sands of time.
This goes back to my MSc days
in the University of Delhi, when I
was visiting home during the winter vacation. My friend Amal and
I booked tickets on HWH-NDLS
non-stop Duronto Express. The
scheduled time of Durontos departure from Howrah was 1 P.M.
I arrived at the station around
12.30, boarded the train and put
my bags on my berth in S-2 com-

22

Pr

iy

Ja
jit

Universe,
You & Me
sh

partment. Amal still hadnt come.

The clock struck 12.50 quickly. I called him. He said that his
train - Saraighat Exp. which he
had boarded from Barddhaman
junction is standing at a signal
point between Howrah and the
adjacent Liluah station. In the
meantime, clock showed 12.55;
I was dead sure that he would
miss Duronto. But what could I
do? My father suggested that I
talk to the engine-driver and ask
if they could wait for some time.
WAP4 engine was just adjacent
to my compartment. So I rushed
towards its cabin and requested
them for some delay. But they
refused, and advised me to do
something else to stop the train.
I understood what I had to do.
Id have to pull the chain. At that
moment, Amal called me and
said that his train is moving towards the platform. Meanwhile,
it was time for my train to depart.
My hand was on the chain, and I
pulled it. The train came to a halt
with a hiss. After few minutes, it
moved again. Once again I pulled
the chain, and the train stopped.
There was no network coverage
at Amals phone. I didnt know
what would happen. I tried calling him again. One good thing
was that the passengers in that
compartment were not miffed;
on the contrary, they encouraged me a lot and conveyed
their feelings to my friend. I was

determined that at any cost I

cannot let Duronto leave without
Amal. It took around ten minutes.
Finally, I heard Amal shout and
let go of the chain. Amal ran and
jumped into the moving train, his
hands shivering. Our compartment coach-attendant pulled
him inside.
An amazing thing happened
when the TTE came to us. Scared
Amal looked more nervous, perhaps thinking that the examiner
would penalize him. However, he
did nothing, just chuckled.
When wed visited Delhi for the
first time, we booked a ticket on
the Delhi-Kolkata Lal Quila Exp.
which takes 44 hours to reach
its destination with an average
speed of 55 kph. Even goods
trains overtake it with a hauling
speed. But still, we enjoyed a lot.
In contrast, the Duronto had a
phenomenal acceleration. Shortly, Bengal was left way behind,
our Rupasi Bangla. It crossed the
river Damodar and entered the
adventurous state of Jharkhand.
The hues of clouds in the blue
sky brought a smile on Amals
face. I was relieved. The red glow
of the sun declined gradually

t is often said that the simplest

of things are the ones that are
the most complicated, like the
laws of physics that govern
our day-to-day life, or any other
scientific law that helps us to understand different aspects of our
existence.
I believe that each one of us
must have, at some point of time,
given some thought to the validity of these physical laws. We all
must have questioned the basis
of their existence. Why are the
laws as such? Why are they not
anything else? Why do the planets have elliptical orbits? Why
does gravity act the way it does?
Why do the elements react in a
particular way to form a unique
product? Why do we classify
some substances as poisonous?
Why do we need oxygen? Why
cant any other element play the
role of oxygen in our cells? The
basic question could even be,
What is oxygen? I mean, all of
us know that it is a gas made of
atoms, which are further made
up of tiny entities but then why
cant we create atoms or energy or mass? What is the point of
our existence? Is there a specific
cause of our existence on earth?
Why was the universe formed?
What was the beginning of it, if

it began at all? When did time

started ticking? Or was it created
by a mysterious designer?
The list is endless.
Let us all try to see through the
mystery of our universe, which
seems to be the biggest question of all. As explained by The
Big Bang theory, the universe
expanded from what we call a
seething mass of energy smaller than an atom. It grew into
something so vast and ever-expanding that we really cannot
begin to trace where it ends. The
realms of our universe are still
unexplored. From recent discoveries it is believed that the universe is not only expanding but
also speeding up. So, where is
it going? If we admit of the existence of a dark energy that is
responsible for the expansion of
our universe, then there ought
to be another negative counterpart to this energy which might
pull the universe back to where
it originated from. What happens then? What is beyond the
time, space and matter we know
today?

Samikshya Sahu

man imagination. It is very difficult and complex to put all these

things together to have an idea
of the beginning and the end of
our existence, to know our fate.
Through the ages, the human
race has developed and evolved
so much that we are now beginning to understand what we are
actually dealing with. As an example, we can say that apes are
the species that can most closely match the intelligence level of
human beings. That might take
millennia of evolution, but it can
certainly happen. Similarly, we
might say the same thing about
us and our understanding of
the universe. Perhaps our intelligence or imagination is not so
strong and vivid that we can perceive the workings of the mysterious phenomena occurring in
our universe. Perhaps it will take
many more mutations, transitions, genetic modifications to
understand the beginning of everything.
But what if life ends here? Do we
have to go all the way around?

There could be another universe

with a different story of evolution.
It could be anything beyond hu-

23

Cricket!

Its not your fault

Alok Pratap Singh

ime and again, cricket

has been held responsible
for Indias woes in other
sports, on account of both talent
and money. But is it truly crickets
fault or have we given our judgement too soon without listening
to what the sport has to say in its
defence.
Yes! Cricket is an obsession in
India, but let me pose a question:
when does something become
an obsession? I guess when people attach or associate themselves
with it they feel covetous about it.
So how, why and when does this
happen?

24

Let me take you back to the 1980s

when it all started and to help my
case I will take hockey for comparison.
From 1928-1980, India won 11
medals in 12 Olympic Games.
This was the period when hockey was to Indians what cricket is
today! So what caused this drastic
change that we observe today?
In my view cricket got a perfect
launching pad when India won
the 1983 World Cup. The key
idea here is how Indians interpreted that win. More than India
winning the World Cup, Indians
transcribed it as ruling the game

that was invented by the whites

and given the associated history
of our nation with England, it just
added fuel to the fire. Now during
the same period, the lacklustre
performance by India in the 1984
Olympics and other major sport
events aided cricket. The BCCI
made full use of the opportunity
by promoting the game, and victories at regular intervals meant
that the game never faded from
the minds of people. In the meantime, Indian economy was on the
rise and the working middle and
lower class started to attach their
emotions with the sport. They
would feel proud about Indias
victories and sad & disappointed

Our rivalry with Pakistan also

helped a lot; people perceived
every contest as a war, and any
kind of war has always attracted a
large crowd and their money. And
why shouldnt it? If you can give
the same satisfaction and thrill as
winning a war without shedding a
single drop of blood then nobody
will ever vote against it.
The crowd was with cricket and so
were the sponsors, as wherever the
crowd moves the market moves.
The market invested their money
in cricket and the BCCI did a remarkable job in building basic infrastructure and facilities in most
of the major cities of India. With
this the game got increasing recognition and popularity and the
money began to pour in.

Another factor that contributed

heavily to the influx of money
in the game was the rise of legendary figures like Kapil, Sachin,
Sourav and Dravid, who carried
the momentum on, thus gradually becoming a lucrative source
for sponsors and business magnates. If the product sale of a
company is increased several fold
when Sachin-Sehwag claim it
to be the Secret of their energy,
why would it not invest heavily in
these two and the game they are
associated with? And thats how
cricketers went from being equal
on the monetary level with other sportspersons to the elite rich
club.

ternational glory of such magnitude. The popularity of any sport

depends upon the achievement
of the team or individuals in that
sport.

I would like to rest my case by saying that there is no doubt cricket

is a very popular sport in India,
but it is unfair to label it as a detriment to other sports because
the popularity or success of a
game depends upon the respective sports players and the teams
performance at a global level. We
never know how a few good tournaments can change the course
of a sports future. I am sensing
that the change has started, and
the balance of forces in the Indian
Unfortunately in other sports we sports scenario will be restored in
have not been able to bring in- the next decade!

25

Y
N
O
G
A
USING

SALONY
SUSNATA

I paced about
as though he was my FRIEND.
I bowed down heavily,
as one mourns for ones mother
STOP! I cried,
letting tears run free
But in my ADVERSITY,
he rejoiced
In the darkness of that night,
my heart twisted
When he wrapped his pricking fingers,
around my shoulders, PANICheated
my blood
He looked at me
with eyes wide and glaring,
Which spoke DEVILISH
My heart pounding,
n my soul turning numb and
cold as ice.

I plead my cause,
O LORD,
alongwith those who strive with me.
Take hold of SHIELD,
n stand up against those BUTCHERS.
Let them fall into the burning fire,
n my soul shall rejoice in their CONDEMNATION.
I do cry silently
n my heart still hurts today.
The pain n suffering still lurks,
in my headas I dream at night.
It feels like my whole world is falling apart,
maybe Im trying too hard,
trying to push the feelings away,
but they just want to stay
I sleep to take the pain away,
even though I know itll never HEAL
the emotions I feel.
Every now n then, sitting alone
I think of it very often,
n WONDER
what it would have been like,
if I wouldnt have STRUGGLED to live
MY LIFE.
Those EVIL EYES would have rejoiced,
seeing me stumble around,
broken into pieces

PHANTOM fingers
still lingered around my flesh.
How slowly, in a moment like that, time
passes.
STAY STRONG my mind said
but my body melted into ACCEPTANCE
n flesh became PLIANT.

26

27

TRAVELOGUE:

Welcoming Winter in
Southampton

elcoming winter in
Southampton 1st December 2014, 6:30 a.m.
GMT, I was miles away from my
motherland, excited to explore a
new world of incredible experience. I felt a tingle in my stomach on landing at the Heathrow
airport in London. We were in the
United Kingdom ready to visit
the University of Southampton
to explore new horizons of collaboration & blended learning
opportunities under the Knowledge Exchange Programme of
the British Council. I was accompanied by Mr. Amit Singh (IIIrd
year student) & the Coordinator
of Academic Affairs Dr. Ramya
Sunder Raman. Despite its short
duration, now my first foreign
visit makes me feel nostalgic.
At the airport we were received
by our hired private cab driver.
This gentleman was to escort us
to our lodge in Southampton. It
was a pleasant ride from London to Southampton, presenting
a myriad of landscapes on a cool
and cloudy morning. The undulating meadows of the countryside gave me a thrilling feel
of first drive abroad. Finally, we
were at our destination at JURYS
INN.
Upon entering the hotel, we

28

were given the details of our

lodging at the reception counter. All of us had our rooms on
4th floor quite near to each other. These well-furnished rooms
with free Wi-Fi would be our
stay for the next five days. My
cosy room provided a great view
of the Titanic memorial park and
the Havelock Street. It was time
to contact home and tell them
about our safe arrival. The time
gap between GMT and IST had
more in store to disturb my daily schedule. After relaxing a bit
I freshened up and took an energizing bath which made me
ready for the activities of the day.
The three of us met in the reception area & had breakfast. Things
get difficult in UK if you are a
strict vegetarian. It was Ramya
Madams ordeal to adjust to such
a condition as myself and Amit
eat meat. After breakfast we set
out to explore the town starting
with the Titanic memorial park
just in front of our inn. Southampton was the port from where
the legendary Titanic started its
journey to New York City. So an
obvious place to visit was the
Titanic museum, also called the
Sea City Museum.
This museum had two main attractions: the story of the First

Rohit Prasad Bhatt

World War & the Titanic tragedy.
The exhibition named A Soldiers
Journey gave vivid description
of the state of affairs in the UK &
the world during the war times.
The contribution of Indian soldiers to the British army was
also put up. Next we stepped
in the Titanics story browsing
every detail of the giant ship,
its passengers, the crew members & officers. The colossal ship
designed never to sink was the
pride of English engineering.
It portrayed the people & their
expectations from all classes
of the society. The unfortunate
tidings of its sinking came like a
shockwave to the entire world
unleashing all accusations on
the officials who were responsible for ensuring safety of the
passengers. The enquiry was
done at length & all the corrupt
officers were convicted for loss
of thousands of lives. The accident left a lesson for mankind to
implement measures for avoiding any such further instances.
It was about 2:30 p.m. once we
were done with the exhibition.

The time zone difference had made me drowsy.

I tried to put my sleep on hold for a while, but it
all went in vain as I fell asleep at 7:30 p.m itself.
Again I woke up at 2:00 a.m. as it was 7:30 a.m. in
India. However, hostel life teaches you well how
to oversleep. So I could manage till it was 5:30
a.m. The rest day was gone. We would now visit
the University of Southampton.
After breakfast we were received by Ms. Laurence Georgin at the hotel. She warmly welcomed us on behalf of the University & led us to
the main University campus also known as the
Highfield Campus. Here we were introduced to
their representatives with whom all the official
discussion would take place. They were friendly
people who extended their hearty welcome with
a lunch feast. During lunch, we had had a conversation about our experiences in Bhopal and
our visit to Southampton. After lunch we headed
for the Avenue campus which hosts the Humanities department.
The afternoon was dedicated to planning and
developing strategies for the forthcoming meetings & activities of the week. We decided to get
involved in a classroom session & attend a lecture (on language-related concepts) the next day.
This would help us gain an insight about teaching practice at the University. A brief discussion
was done to overview the structure of the course
to be offered at IISER Bhopal. The evening was
spent in the usual way at the Christmas market &
shopping malls. There was still some uneasiness
due to jet lag but it didnt bother me much this
time.
Quite excited for the class we hurried to the University next morning. Ms. Mary was the instructor
and she introduced us to the class. We got seated amongst their students and actively participated in the class proceedings. This lecture was
related to multilingualism and we tried our best
to discuss the richness of language & literature
in Indian culture. As a concluding note of the lecture we were able to capture the memories in a
group photo with the class.

29

After lunch at the Avenue cafe, a meeting was scheduled to develop a blueprint of the language course for IISER
Bhopal. The discussion was done at
length to consider the pros & cons of
every aspect. We had to do a rigorous
brainstorming for proposing a studentfriendly model. The type of technical
aids to be used was also determined.
Time was flying and soon the evening
had set. As a result of the day-long hectic programme I was tired. But Ramya
Madams proposal to have coffee at a
nearby Starbucks proved useful & I was
revitalized to spend the evening at the
market.
We had just 2 days of our visit in the
bank, but the work was still in abeyance. On 4th December in the morning session we resumed the planning
task. It was about 1:00 p.m. with most
of the work done. The afternoon had
something special for us. The University had arranged for a visit to the nearby
historical city of Winchester. The city,
about which I had read in English Literature as a student in my school days.
We were led by Katy, a student guide.
We got a chance to travel by train. The
breath-taking landscapes accompanied by faint drizzling made our 20-minute train journey amusing!
Winchester was more beautiful than my
expectations. The monuments standing amidst the town spoke of its rich
legacy. We started with the main gate
to the city built during the 18th century. The grand entrance with carvings
of ancient beliefs opened up vistas for
us to explore the great history of Winchester. Our next plan was to visit the
Great Hall. The special attraction would
be King Arthurs round table, hung on
a wall. Unfortunately to our dismay, the
hall was closed for public visit that day.
We proceeded in disappointment towards the Winchester Cathedral.
This cathedral is one of the longest in
Europe & dates back to 600 A.D. This

30

It was 3:30 p.m. when the

evening had set in. We
were heading back towards the railway station.
On the way we crossed a
bridge on a small stream
of the river Itchen. The
best part of the trip came
now when Katy said,
This is the same path the
great English poet John
Keats used to take. Keats
composed the Ode to
Autumn in Winchester
after a walk one autumnal evening. My excitement now outdid the dismay at the Great Hall and
gave me a joy forever.
Such a pleasant surprise
at the end made me really happy, in tandem with
the saying Alls well that
ends well.
huge hammer shaped building has its
interiors decorated with painting, sculptures & grave notes paying homage to
various great personalities such as the
famous English novelist Jane Austen.
There were Christmas stalls all around
the park outside. As we strolled down
the road we passed by bishops bungalow in the back of the Church courtyard.

I was completely absorbed in thinking about

the feat I accomplished
by treading Keats footsteps. After the return
journey we walked from
Southampton central railway station to JURYS INN
through shopping area.
This was the last evening
we spent at the market.
Finally, on the last day
of the visit, we were involved in summarising
things and reviewing the
discussions of the week.
It was 2:30 p.m. and the
farewell time had come.
We thanked everyone for
their cooperation & warm
hospitality. Our hired cab
driver was waiting for us.
Laurence bid goodbye
with best wishes.

well in advance, and

had some time to roam
around at the airport. I
bought some souvenirs
of the visit. At about 7:45
p.m. we boarded the
flight which took off at
8:20 p.m. GMT. I spent the
8.5 hour return journey
recalling the memories
of this first tour abroad.
At 10:30 a.m. IST we were
back in India, New Delhi.
The visit concluded with
the plane captain announcing Fellow Indians,
Welcome Home!
In this way, the first phase
of collaboration between
our IISER Bhopal & University of Southampton
was successfully completed. It gave me a rich
experience, broader perspective of education
abroad & also enhanced
my decision making
skills. Such encouraging initiatives should be
promoted among student community. I hope
this collaboration scales
greater heights in forthcoming years.
Now, being home, its our
turn to reciprocate by
showing enthusiasm and
generosity to the people from Southampton
during their visit to Bhopal. I look forward to welcoming them with open
hands to build strong,
friendly relation in the future...
Every short story ends
and mine is no exception.
Thank you!

We reached Heathrow

31

2) If only the cats

Knew about the numbers,
The earth would have been
Shaking with rats.
3) The empty bottle
Lying on the table,
Reminds me of time
When it had water.
4) The night falls
And the rabbits
Slide into their holes.
But look,
Lions are still out,
And so are the cats.
5) A fallen dry leaf,
Twirls around
On the ground,
Changing its face
Time and again.
And I stand motionless,
With the same face.

32

EPIGRAMS
Vinay Sagar

6) After a long time

I looked at my face.
Oh, the mirror is an illusion.
7) Only on white
Red is intense
Not on black.
Yet I see,
All three in blue.
Indeed the world is green.
8) And every time I look at it,
I see the difference
From what I had seen before.
Strange it is
Stranger it goes.
9) The smoke rose high above,
And the fire sat on the Earth,
Wouldnt the sky fall,
If not for the wind?
Cause the water cant fly.
10) The nights dark,
And a long walk.
To pierce through,
To the blooming blue.
Blindness is the key.

Mirroring Life

1) The branches,
And leaves,
Of the tree,
Criss-cross,
Intermingled and free.
Its difficult
To find a pattern,
Yet it is,
In single simple word,
Random.

Vibhuti Shastri

Wandering and Searching,

Catching a glimpse of you sometimes
In a childs innocent laughter
Bubbling delightfully like a mountain spring
But your heart hidden away somewhere
Deep in the darkest confines of a forest.
Sometimes youre just another face in the multitude
And sometimes detached and pensive
A drifting thought
Like a feather riding the crest of the winds.
Wandering and Searching,
For someone I have long known
The elusive shadow that remains just out of reach.
Urging the mountains to tell me your story
For they have stood tall across the ages
And countless ephemeral breaths they have lived to see.
In the wake of the endless musings and wanderings,

Wondering would a leaf be shed for me, the day I cease to be.
What would my story be?
I stumbled across traces to thee;
Sustained in life and remembered now by the words you etched,
The final pieces of my unfinished puzzle
For I found
A little me in you,
And the you in me...

33

THE STORY OF UNTOLD SUFFERINGS

ince our childhood, we have read and learnt

about the freedom struggle of our country.
We all recall the names of Mahatma Gandhi,
Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and many
more, with great reverence. Roles played by
these eminent personalities were important. But,
I would like to know, how many of us know about
the contributions of our Muslim brethren? Just
like a single finger cannot hold an umbrella, similarly our freedom struggle was not the result of
sufferings by a singular community. The contribution from all the communities was equally important. The force applied may be different, but
without their presence it was not possible. Our
Muslim brethren matched shoulder to shoulder
with these freedom fighters to bring up the independence. In this article I would like to highlight
the forgotten story of the Muslim fighters.
When India launched its freedom struggle, its
two major communities- the Hindus and the
Muslims, joined in it with equal enthusiasm, like
they had done during the First Indian War of Independence in 1857. The Indian National Congress was formed in 1885. Nationalist leaders
from all communities participated in its activities
in the first four decades of its existence. Indeed,
its second President was a Muslim, Badruddin
Tyabji . From the pages of history, Siraj-ud-daula,
the Nawab of Bengal was the first native ruler who realised the latent threat in British expansion and tried to check it in its inception. He
stands in the annals of history as the first ruler
who challenged the British and tried to avert the
danger to our motherland. Betrayed by his unfaithful general, he unfortunately lost the Battle
of Plassey. After him, Nawab Mir Qasim fought

34

Ayush Kumar

against the British and lost in the battle of Buxar.

The success in battle allowed the British to capture the states of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
So, the first flag of revolt was held by our Muslim
brethren. In the other part of our country, Muslim
fakirs revolted against the East India company.
This revolt was supported by Sanyasi leaders like
Bhawani Pathak. It became famous as Sanyasi-Fakir revolt. Tipu Sultan The Tiger of Mysore
proved to be a great obstacle in the way of the
British conquest. It was only after the defeat of
Tipu Sultan that the British declared that India
is ours. Having realized the upcoming threat,
they adopted the divide and rule policy i.e. to
divide these communities against each other.
They played with the minds of Hindus that they
were suppressed by the tyrannical Muslim rule
from the past and after getting independence,
history was bound to be repeated. They left no
stones unturned to keep Muslims and Hindus at
loggerheads. The public, at that time, was not
literate enough to understand the situation. But
I believe, even today, education has not helped
much. Still many people are there who havent
understood the conspiracy and are still fighting
in the name of religion.
We are all children of Mother India, but we still
fight each other in the name of religion. We are
a family and we all know that a family can function smoothly only if all the members co-operate
with each other. The sooner we come to terms
with this, the sooner will we reach societal harmony.

Terrorist!
or not?
W

e all have heard and used

the term terrorist at
some point or another in our
conversations. It is widely used
today by people across the spectrum, especially after the devastating attacks world has seen
in the past few decades. Due to
the negativity associated with
the term, it is generally viewed
with a sense of fright and aversion. This article however, aims
to depart from the conventional
portrayal of the word and takes
a more objective approach towards the matter.
To begin with, we need to ask
ourselves a fundamental question, Who is a terrorist? Well,
to most people, a terrorist is anyone who uses or threatens to use
violence to advance some kind
of cause; usually a political or
religious one. Superficially, this
amateur definition seems appropriate and caters agreeably to the
commonly intended opinion.
However, when the same description is placed in a broader
setting, it turns out to be incongruous and at times, misleading.
The problem arises because the

definition also encompasses in

it, the freedom fighters who use
violent methods to achieve their
cause and that can be objectionable or undesirable in certain
cases. So, how do we confront
this issue? How do we distinguish a terrorist from a freedom
fighter?
To address the problem, one has
to recognize a critical fact. It
needs to be understood first of
all, that judging whether somebody is a terrorist or a freedom
fighter depends solely on which
side one is on. And in most cases
it is the side that is dominant and
in power whose view prevails.
The British, during their rule,
called the Indian militant revolutionaries as terrorists and even
executed many for the same reason. India, however, calls them
freedom fighters today and commemorates them as martyrs. The
Irish Republican Army was also
branded a terrorist organization
in the early 1900s but now it is
termed a revolutionary organization. Similarly, in todays
context, majority of the members of the United Nations view

Faizaan Bhat
Palestinians as freedom fighters
struggling against the unlawful
occupation of their land by Israel
and carrying out a legitimate resistance, yet Israel regards them
as terrorists. It is quite easy to
discern that the associated labels
change with time and the change
is more or less directly related to
whether the struggle ends successfully (called a revolution) or
fails (called a revolt).
In the light of the above examples, one should realize that the
term terrorist is not as simple
and straightforward as it seems.
It should therefore be ensured
that only an informed and educated use of the term is made,
for someone may be a terrorist
to one side but a freedom fighter
to the other. In fact, it is mainly due to this rationale that till
date, we have no internationally
acknowledged legal definition of
terrorism. Even the United Nations, after a series of debates,
failed to arrive at a uniformly accepted unambiguous definition.

35

2014: The International Year of Crystallography

Dr. Deepak Chopra

rystallography is the science of crystal structures,

a subject which spans nearly
all areas of science. The concepts are rooted in physics and
mathematics with key contributions in chemical, biological,
metallurgical and mineralogical sciences. The techniques
used involve the pivotal role of
diffraction in crystalline solids
wherein the obtained results
correspond to the precise (or,
fairly accurate) atomic arrangement in the solid state. This
subject has undergone a revolutionary change ever since the
discovery of X-rays in 1895 by
W. Roentgen. This was followed
by the discovery of diffraction
of X-rays by crystals of CuSO4
in the early part of 1912 by Max
von Laue and a doctoral student P. P. Ewald. This was catapulted up by W. H. Bragg and W.

36

L. Bragg in 1912 who proposed

the reflection of X-rays by parallel planes of atoms and devised the famous Braggs law:
2dsin = n. This resulted in the
Nobel Prize being awarded to
the father and son in 1915. Till
date, a total of 29 Nobel Prizes
have been awarded in this area[1]
and many more are expected to
come in the future.
The field of crystallography
has made extremely significant
contributions in the elucidation
of the structure of compounds
of chemistry, biology (for example, insulin) and materials
chemistry. In this regard, the
name of Prof. D. Hodgkins deserves special mention. She
pioneered the growth of the
subject and has made phenomenal contributions in this regard.
Some of the key structure de-

terminations include those of

penicillin, cobalamines and the
vital biomolecule insulin. In an
era when instrumentation had
not really developed to the
status that we enjoy today, her
painstaking,
time-consuming
and perennial efforts resulted
in the development of crystallography. Today, tremendous
developments in the area of
technology have revolutionized
the subject in a complete manner. The existence of advanced
light sources, namely the synchrotron (which can generate
X-rays of high brilliance and
tunable wavelengths) and the
latest developments in X-Ray
free electron lasers (XFELs) are
expected to provide insights
into dynamical events in macromolecules.

It gives me immense pleasure

to share with you the fact that
our own country, India, has been
actively involved in the development of the subject. The early proponents of this subject
were K. Banerjee, A. R. Verma,
S. Ramaseshan and G. N. Ramachandran. Keeping in mind
the above-mentioned facts and
features, UNESCO had declared
the year 2014 as the International Year of Crystallography. The
International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) organized the

World Conference in Canada to

celebrate the occasion. To commemorate this occasion, the
Indian Crystallographic Association (ICA) declared three conferences in crystallography to
be held all over the country. The
Department of Posts, India issued a stamp to commemorate
the achievements of crystallographers from all over the world
in 2014[2]. The stamp depicts the
molecular structure of curcumin, which is an active constituent
of turmeric and the sparkling

diamond. The journal of science

education in India, Resonance,
has launched a special issue to
cover the areas which involve
cutting-edge research in crystallography practiced by various
groups across the country[3].
I conclude with the note that
this area will continue to develop, grow and make everlasting
contributions towards a detailed understanding of the fundamental aspects of nature.

37

named the Missile Woman of

India and also called Agni-putri.
We feel Tessy Thomas serves as a
role model and an inspiration for
the women scientists to achieve
their dreams and have their feet
planted in both worlds (career and
family) successfully, the Indian
Women Scientists Association expressed.

THE

Missile

Woman
of India
Yagna Oza
All-India level exam. After this, she did her M. Tech.
in guided missiles at the Institute of Armament Technology (renamed as Defence Institute of Advanced
Technology) and joined the DRDO Lab, Hyderabad
hese are the words of Tessy Thomas, Project in 1988. It was here that she joined the Agni team;
Director of Agni IV - the programme that de- the place where she was tasked with designing and
veloped Indias first long range intercontinen- developing a new generation ballistic missile. Since
then, there was no turning back.
tal ballistic missile (ICBM): Agni.

We watched breathlessly, praying for inner strength as the missile took off.

Born in 1964 in Alappuzha, Kerala, Tessy has been

a key player in propelling India to an elite club of
nations by leading and being a part of the Agni IV
team. Since childhood, she had always been interested in Mathematics and Science and her fascination
for rockets and missiles began with the Apollo Moon
missions when in school. At 13, her father had a paralytic attack, making it her mothers responsibility to
bring up Tessy and her five siblings.
Tessy did her B.Tech. from Government Engineering
College, Thrissur. The turning point in her life came
when she cleared the DRDO (Defence Research &
Development Organization) sponsored examination, being one of the ten people who cleared this
38

Following the great success of

Agni IV, Tessy was appointed as
the Project Director to the ballistic Agni V missile program. Agni
V is a 5,000 km range missile, and
according to Tessy, The challenge
in the Agni development was that
we had no blueprint to work on;
we had to develop the systems
and technology on our own and
it had to mature, function and be
acceptable. It is tough. After the
successful testing of Agni V on
19th April, 2012, she said, We
had an excellent mission, meeting all the objectives from the liftoff to the impact. Three stages of
guidance, which were new, could
meet the mission objectives fully. We should be more proud and
secure - it is a great achievement

for all of us. Ever since, she has

been working on the advancement
of the Inter-Continental Ballistic
Missiles (ICBM) and Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry
Vehicles (MIRV), the indigenous
war-head that has to be fitted onto
the missile.

a senior scientist, she is a responsible homemaker and mother too.

She loves playing badminton and
had been a champion in her school
and college days. She finds cooking de-stressing and also likes to
watch the daily soap operas. She
also likes reading but her career
in this ever-progressive science
Tessy was conferred the Shanti has left her with only science jourSwarup Bhatnagar Award, Indias nals to read. Her family has always
most prestigious Science award in backed her in her career and was
2011 and the Lal Bahadur Shastri supportive of her inter-religious
Award, in 2012 for her outstand- marriage and she is very thankful
ing contribution in making India to them.
self-reliant in the field of missile technology. Moreover, Tessy This multi-tasking scientist beThomas was nominated to the In- lieves in peace and says that the
dian Institute of Technology (IIT) missiles built by her are for a counCouncil along with Vijayalakshmi try that only wants them as a deRavindranath by the Ministry of terrent; so, she is building them
Human Resource Development on only for ensuring the peace and
22nd September, 2014 and these security of the nation. At preswere the first two women scientists ent, Tessy Thomas is working at
nominated to the council.
Advanced Systems Laboratory (a
Tessy is the wife of Commodore part of DRDO), Hyderabad. India
Saroj Kumar Patel, an Odissi na- stands proud of Tessy Thomas; a
val officer who was her classmate simple, down-to-earth achiever...
in DIAT, Pune. Their son, Tejas, is
pursuing an engineering degree at
Vellore and is named after one of
the Indian missiles. Besides being

At DRDO, Tessy worked under Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who was her director and mentor. She says, Dr.
Abdul Kalam was my original guru. He was my director. I have been with Agni programme since 1988.
He created a great forum for exchange of ideas and
all of us have benefited from that. Tessy was the associate project director of the Agni III missile project
which envisaged a ballistic missile having a range of
3,000 km. Then, she served as the project director
for the Agni IV missile project and under her leadership the launch of the missile was successfully accomplished on 15th November, 2011 at Wheelers
Island off the Odisha coast. This turned out to be her
greatest achievement as she became the first woman
scientist to head a missile project in India. She was
39

TRAVELOGUE:

SACRED LAND OF HIDDEN

TREASURES
AND THE QUEEN OF HILLS
Shitij Agarwal

DAY 2 & 3
The places to be visited
were Lachen and Lachung.
Lachen further leads
to
Gurudongmar Lake which
is one of the highest lakes
in the world - 17,100 feet
above sea level. This place
is sacred to both Hindus
and Buddhists. Lachung
is a hub for visiting places
like Hot springs, Yumthang
valley, and Rhododendron
Sanctuary (similar to orchids). The sight-seeing
was to be for 2 days.
We left for these 2 places
from Gangtok as planned.
We experienced rain all
along the route. This is
what we had wanted to
avoid and hence had kept
North Sikkim as our priority.

After 2 years of hectic study and exams, my family

decided that it was now a good time to go on a
holiday trip. India is a land of great diversity. The
most unexplored part of India is the NORTH EAST.
The Paradise Unexplored was to be explored.
The Lonely Planet magazine has given Sikkim
the numero uno spot for the Best place to visit in
2014. Having decided so, dates were chalked out
and a plan was finalized. We went there from 27th
may to 8th june,2014.
Sikkim has a highly mountainous terrain. Hence, it
has no airport or railway station. All travel is through
roadways (Some helipads are also functional).
DAY 1
Most flights to Bagdogra (West Bengal) are connecting flights. Hence our air route was Mumbai-Guwahati-Bagdogra and vice versa on the
return flight. Guwahati airport is a highly milita-

40

rised airport. The nearest airport to Gangtok is

Bagdogra airport in Siliguri. From there, is a 4 hour
journey to Gangtok. On the way,I captured the
scenery in a number of snapshots.The landscape,
composed of mountains and lush green valleys, is
indeed aesthetically pleasing. The tiny mountain
state of Sikkim has a meagre population of approx. 5 lakh. Hence, on the whole it is a well-managed and law-abiding state. Gangtok is a city in
the hills where houses are built above and along
the slopes. Gangtok has footpaths and staircases
everywhere. One has to go up and down these
staircases to go from one place to the other.
As it was about time for the onset of monsoon,
we decided, in accordance with our tour operator, that North Sikkim should be explored first so
that the roughest and toughest mountain terrain
would get be just in time before the rain sets in.

North Sikkim was rattled by 6.9 Richter scale

earthquake in 2011. This
led to massive destruction, especially in north
Sikkim. Since this event
north Sikkim is yet to be
stabilized. The roads were
horrible and the rains only
made travelling worse.
We travelled for around 6
hours and reached a place
known as Chungthang.
Here the roads forked, one
for Lachen and the other for Lachung. We went
ahead for a few kilometres
and saw a few cars returning. Those cars warned
that going any further was

perilous to our lives. They

had just escaped falling
boulders.
Disheartened
and frightened, we came
back
to
Chungthang.
We then decided to skip
Lachen and go to Lachung
instead.
All of Sikkim is under
heavy patrolling by the
Indian Armed Forces. (Sikkim shares international borders with 3 countries-China (Tibet), Nepal
and Bhutan). On the wireless, soldiers stationed
at Chungthang received
news that the road to
Lachung has also been
closed. This meant that
we travelled the entire
day only to realize that we
cannot go to any of the 2
beautiful
masterpieces
of nature. We then took
on the sad route back to
Gangtok. Like us there
were many tourists stuck
in Chungthang itself. All
had to head back to their
original destinations. Driving in the dark is a nightmare in places like these.
No street lights or proper
boundaries are present
along the road edges. All
the way there are deep
valleys and a river running
by with immense force.
The torrential rain at this
time further slowed down
our car. It was around 10 at
night when news was received that a jeep has fallen into the valley beneath.

Around 9 people were in it.

All but 1 child were dead.
Their bodies were yet to
be recovered. Army rangers were working with
the rescue teams for the
same. Fear dawned upon
us on realizing that a trip
for enjoyment can instantly take a tragic turn!
The night was still not over.
More unexpected things
were yet to unfold. We
travelled a few more kilometres and found that the
road had been blocked by
an uprooted tree. It took 2
hours for the tree to be cut
and removed.
There was also an alert
regarding
a
potential
landslide. Post this, all we
wanted was to reach our
hotel back in Gangtok.
Many other cars decided
to halt in a small village
on the way, to spend the
night. We, however, were
determined to make our
way back to Gangtok.

41

We reached Gangtok at 1 a.m.

There is a rule in Gangtok which
we were completely unaware of
- no hotels check-in travellers after 10 in the night. Also the roads
of Gangtok are deserted after
10 pm. We somehow managed
to reach our hotel. It was highly
unexpected for us to find such
a deserted and haunted look in
Sikkims capital and largest city.
(It is a part of India so people and
numbers are never an issue!)
DAY 4 & 5
Our original plan did not consist of these 2 days to be spent
in Gangtok but now we had 2
more days to spend in Gangtok.
The next day comprised of leisure and local shopping at the
mall road known as M.G. Road.
Local sightseeing included flow-

er show, Sikkimese handicraft

and cottage industries, a viewpoint (this is something common to the whole class of hill
stations), Buddhist monasteries
and waterfalls.
DAY 6
The next day was an excursion
to the Nathu La pass, the border between India and China. On
the way to Nathu La are Tsomgo
Lake and Baba Harbhajan Singh
Memorial (No, not the cricketer!)
En route to Nathu La pass
comes the Tsomgo Lake which
is a freshwater lake. For tourists
there are yak rides and boating.
At 13,000 feet is the Baba Harbhajan Singh mandir. It is a memorial of a soldier by the same
name who was martyred.

At around 14,000 feet is the

Nathu La pass. On the Indian
side there has been great development and it is quite a tourist
hub. However, on the Chinese
side there is no such development. There is a conference hall
and a dining hall for the armed
forces. There are many things
which depict India in its true colours. The Ashoka Pillar is present along with national symbols
like the national animal, bird etc.
It is advised not to stay there for
more than 45 minutes as the air
is scarce and oxygen levels can
become a problem. Soldiers
positioned there have acclimatized to the environment. As one
is about to reach the Nathu La
pass, one can observe boards
which display Chinese observation starts and Chinese ob-

problem. Soldiers positioned

there have acclimatized to the
environment. As one is about to
reach the Nathu La pass, one
can observe boards which display Chinese observation starts
and Chinese observation ends.
The Chinese are just one mountain beyond. So, at certain points
they can directly observe the Indian side with binoculars. Here, I
felt a great sense of patriotism.
The journey to Nathu La is very
tough and tiring taking about 4
hours for just 30 kilometres. We
came back to Gangtok and relaxed for the rest of the day.
DAY 7 & 8
Next day we were off to Pelling,
a small sleepy town. Pelling has
3 parallel roads on the slope of a
mountain. Pelling is thus, divided into upper, middle and lower
Pelling. Pelling is a tourist destination just because it gives a
breath-taking view of the Mount
Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world. Here, we
were mistaken and we checked
into the wrong hotel. This led to
a problem for the hotel management.
After staying overnight we visited Rimbi waterfalls, the Rimbi
hydro project and Khecheopalri
Lake which are a few kilometres
radiating outwards from Pelling.
DAY 9 & 10
Next day we headed for Nam-

42

chi. At Namchi there is the Samdruptse Buddha statue which

is a huge 120-foot statue. It is
the tallest statue of a saint in
the world. There is also a tourist place known as Siddheshwar
Dham (Char Dham). This has replicas of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva, the Char Dham, Sai baba and
a huge statue of Lord Shiva. I
spent a lot of time there and was
amazed by the work, beauty and
perfection with which the replicas had been made. We did not
have a hotel stay at Namchi and
we left at once for Kalimpong.
We took a detour to pay a visit to
Ravangla Buddha Park.
The Sikkim part of our tour was
over. We had now re-entered
West Bengal. At Kalimpong we
visited the cactus garden, Buddhist monastery and Indias most
scenic golf course.
Kalimpong has a huge market
for religious products.
DAY 11 & 12
Next halt was Darjeeling, one
of the most famous hill stations
of India. Darjeeling had been
primarily set up by the British.
Darjeeling is famous for still having one of the working toy trains
(narrow gauge) in the country.

tute. Also we visited the ever-famous tea gardens of Darjeeling

and the rock-climbing places.
We shopped over at the market
and also went into Nepal for the
same. Surprisingly, Indians can
enter Nepal without any special
permit.
DAY 13
On the last day in the morning
before going to the airport we
took a joy ride in the toy train
which is a UNESCO Heritage
Site. The joyride goes from Darjeeling to Ghum via the Batasia
loop. The Batasia loop as seen
from top is a figure of 8. At Ghum
station is a train museum. Many
old Bollywood films feature the
Batasia loop. We then returned
to our hotel and headed for the
airport.
I can relate the hectic road journey and the tiring schedule to
all the effort put into studies and
exams but in the end the journey
was blissful and worth all the
trouble. After spending some really good days in Sikkim I have
many memories to cherish!

While in Darjeeling we visited

Peace Pagoda set up by the
Japanese Buddhist group Nipponzan Myohoji, the Padmaja
Naidu zoological park and Himalayan mountaineering insti-

43

A Great
Experience
Prachi Wele

It Was...

t happened during the 1st semester of 2014-15, when all the rooms above Mess Hall-2 were closed
due to some incidents and the end semester exams were going on. The following day we had our
Maths paper (Multivariable calculus) scheduled and I was studying that with Akshay in the corridor in front of the gym. There was a guard in that corridor inspecting us continuously. Most of the
time, he was walking around us and staring. I supposed that the guard was probably thinking that
we were up to something. We tried to ignore him and concentrated on our studies. Then that guard
again came near and now he stood in front of us. Akshay was busy reading and I was listening to him
when he suddenly said, Ye maths hai na? (This is maths, right?) Akshay said, Ha, multivariable
calculus. At that point, we were stuck on some calculation and he suggested a formula in trigonometry to tackle the problem. He said, Wo wala lagake dekho na, sine x bata x ka limit 1 hota hai wala.
(Try applying that formula and check, limit of sin x over x equals 1). We were stunned on hearing
that from him. Later, when we told him some of the other problems we were tackling, he suggested
using ekikaran and bhedbhav which is integration and differentiation. Then he himself told the
procedure in Hindi even before we started trying on paper.
Later we asked him how he knows all this stuff. He told us that he had been pursuing B.Sc. in Mathematics and was in his 2nd year when he had to quit his education and join BIS due to financial problems at home. He also said that he still wants to continue maths but he cannot. Then we found out
that he joined BIS 7-8 months before this incident which meant he was not too old. Or maybe he was
the same age as us. The only difference being that we learn in English and he learned in Hindi. In the
end he said bohot acha laga aap logo ko maths karte dekh. (It feels very good to see you learning
maths.) He was standing there for a while and then he went down; may be duty call and came back
again to do his guard job. We talked about him for a long time and felt very sorry for him as there are
very few people who like mathematics and take it up as a core subject for study.
That was a really great experience in our college...

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Nicholas Gurewitch

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Alok Pratap Singh

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Mihir Kshire

Characters: Rohan Chakravarty and co.

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THE END.
67

APRIL FOOLS
DAY
Ankita Roy

rom simple pranks such as pasting a Kick Me

sign on someones back to more elaborate hoaxes, April 1st is a day when it is acceptable to play a
practical joke on your friends and enemies alike.
Here, presenting the timeline tracing back the origin
of this day:

1539: Flemish writer Edward de Dene publishes a comic poem about a nobleman who sends
his servants on foolish errands on April 1.

1686: First British mention of Fooles holy
day which is observed on April 1.

1698: One of the earliest of April Fool stunts:
people were invited to go to the Tower of London to
see the annual ceremony of washing the lions.

1789: An English newspaper claims that April
Fools day had its origin when Noah dispatched a raven from the Ark too early.

1919: Residents of horse-free Venice wake on
April 1 to find their famed Piazza San Marco dotted
with piles of horse manure.

1993: A German radio station reports Cologne
officials have outlawed joggers running faster than
9.6 km per hour so as not to disturb mating squirrels.

2002: UK supermarket chain Tesco advertis-

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es genetically modified whistling carrots. Tapered

holes in their sides cause them to whistle when
cooked.

2009: A British newspaper, the Guardian announces it will only publish stories less than 140
characters long, via twitter. Heres how it said it would
have covered the invasion of Poland in 1939: OMG
Hitler invades Poland, allies declare war see tinuryl.
com/b5x6e for more.
As rightly quoted Here cometh April again, and as
far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than
ever by Charles Lamb; this is not hard to believe
when people fell prey to some of these funniest
pranks from around the world.

Denmark

In 1965, a Copenhagen newspaper reported parliament had passed a law that all dogs be painted
white to improve road safety, because they could be
seen clearly at night.

India

On 1st April 2011, the Chandigarh

Tribune reported a UFO landing
with aliens at nearby Zirakpur.
It even quoted space scientist
Yash Pal. The long report ended
by subtly revealing the hoax, but
innumerable websites and Ufology blogs worldwide picked it up.

Norway

After reading that the government

was planning to distribute more
than 10,000 litres of wine confiscated from smugglers, hundreds
of citizens turned up carrying
empty bottles and buckets.

Germany

In 2009, BMW ran an ad in UK

newspapers promoting a new
magnetic tow technology. It enabled drivers to turn off their engine
and get a free ride by locking onto
a car ahead via a magnetic beam.

Canada

In 2008, Westjet Airlines advertised its overhead cabin bins

were among the most spacious
of any airline and it would cost
passengers an extra fee of $12
to sleep in these sleeper cabins.

Jordan

Residents fled the desert town of

Jahr after a newspaper reported
flying saucers piloted by 3 me-

tre high creatures had landed.

Australia

On 1st April 1978, a barge appeared

in Sydney Harbour towing a giant
iceberg. Millionaire Dick Smith had
apparently finally succeeded in his
scheme to drag an iceberg from
Antarctica to turn into ice cubes.
(if only it hadnt rained, washing off
the shaving cream and firefighting foam and uncovering the pile
of white plastic sheets beneath).
When it comes to fooling around,
Great Britain is way ahead in the
game.
In 1980, the BBC announced that
Big Ben, Londons historic clock
tower, was going to be replaced
with a digital face to keep up with
the times. Enraged callers flooded the station with complaints.
In 1957, the BBC news show Panorama reported that, thanks to
a mild winter, Swiss farmers enjoyed a bumper spaghetti crop. To
prove this it broadcasted a three
minute report of Swiss farmers
carefully plucking strands of spaghetti from trees. Millions of viewers were duped and many called
wanting to know how they could
grow their own spaghetti tree. The
BBC advised each caller: Place

tomato sauce and hope for the

best.
As a well-executed prank can lead
to valuable publicity, big firms often try to carry them out. Presenting some of these instances:
Youtube flips out
On 1st April 2009, Youtube turned
some of its videos upside down. A
page on tips for viewing the new
layout suggested users hang
their monitors upside down from
the ceiling, although the layout
did not reverse mouse-control.
Google hoaxes
When Google, a chronic hoaxer,
launched its Gmail service on 1st
April 2004, people assumed it was
another hoax. However, when it
turned out to be real, the company got the last laugh by receiving
yet another round of free publicity.
Dont be behind in planning your
own pranks as it is said that the
most wasted of all days is the one
without laughter, keep laughing!

a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of

Taiwan

The Taipei Times bluffed that Taiwan-China relations

dealt a severe setback yesterday when it was found
that the Taipei Zoos pandas, a gift from Chinese
government were in fact brown forest bears dyed to
resemble panda.

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FUN FACTS

C R O S S W O R D

Shitij Agarwal

1.
The correct word for a collection of parts.
crows is MURDER.
11. Wearing headphones for just an
2.
The sixth sick Sheiks sixth sheeps hour will increase the bacteria in your ear
sick is said to be the toughest tongue by 700 times.
twister in the English language.
12. The crocodile never outgrows the
3. In most advertisements, the time pool in which they live. That means if you
displayed on a watch face is 10:10.
put a baby crocodile in an aquarium, it
would be little for the rest of its life.
4.
It takes more calories to eat a piece
of celery than the celery has in it to begin 13. Aspirin was discovered during exwith. This is known as negative calories.
perimentation with a waste product.
5.
There is no synonym for the word 14. Sharks are the only animals that
thesaurus.
never get sick. As far as is known, they are
immune to every known disease including
6.
It wasnt me, I am fine and I nev- cancer.
er said that are the three most used lies.
15. Of all the words in the English lan7.
The pressure in Mariana Trench is guage, the word set has the most definimore than 11,318 tons/sq.m. equivalent tions.
of one person trying to support 50 jets.
16. Madrid is the only European capital
8.
The true mathematical word for the city not situated on a river.
infinity sign is lemniscate.
17. Contrary to popular belief, mobile
9.
The US Navy is the worlds largest phones have more germs than toilets.
and has a capacity greater than the next 17
largest combined navies.
18. The eye muscles focus back and
forth 100 times a second to focus on each
10. The F1 car is made up of 80,000 word in this sentence. They move more
components. If it was assembled 99.9% than 1 lakh times a day. To give the leg
correctly, it would still start the race with muscles the same amount of exercise
80 things wrong. A typical car has 14,000 would require a 50 mile walk.

70

Ankita Roy & Gopal Narayan Srivastava

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Alumni who joined air-force after BS-MS

2. Name of Institutes music band

5. Alumni who achieved a perfect score in the

GRE

3. Founder of the best club of IISER-B

9. One of IISER-Bs first identical twins

10. A physics major with a publication in EES
11. Only faculty with a degree in law
12. Sport in which IISER-B secured gold in two
consecutive years
13. Only faculty who is also an engineer,
Dr. _____

4. Company which mentored two students from

batch 2010-15 in their final year
6. The new school for children in our campus
was started on the initiative of _____
7. Presidents medal 2014 was awarded to
_____
8. Lilly Outstanding Thesis award 2014 went to
_____
11. Member of SAC for two consecutive years
71

Udit Aswal

Udit Aswal

The Commanding Heights

Sani Sabale

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Remembering

Dr. Sathish Narayanan

Sathish Narayanan: this name is not just one of my colleagues names

at IISER Bhopal but it resonates with this persona of great ideologies, ethics, and perfection in his every act. Dr. Sathish Narayanan, a virologist, was an Assistant Professor
at the Department of Biological Sciences before his untimely demise on October 27th,
2014. He fought a tough battle with esophageal cancer. He did not lose; it was just that
cancer eventually came out as the winner.
Sathish was always a fighter and winner. He was the youngest child in his family and the
apple of everyones eyes. He hailed from the medical town of Vellore. Sathish completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Science, each time with gold medal,
from the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore. His strong inclination towards the
clinical aspect of biomedical sciences motivated him to gain experience in medical lab
technology and medical microbiology. During his MSc he particularly took interest in
studies involving cancer. Later, Sathish enrolled in the PhD program at the Department
of Clinical Virology in CMC, Vellore. Sathish chose to study the Human papillomavirus
(HPV) induced cervical cancer in Indian population as his thesis question.
He continued his work on the interplay of cancer and viruses, and joined the Department of Microbiology at University of Pennsylvania, USA, to develop a greater understanding of Kaposis sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV).
After exemplary post-doctoral work involving KSHV, he joined IISER Bhopal in May 2011
as Assistant Professor to start his own research group. His work as principal investigator
at IISER Bhopal, focused on tegument proteins of herpes viruses. He was particularly
interested in delineating the role of tegument proteins in delivery of viruses to host cell
nucleus and also the strategies that viruses adopt to modulate the cell biological and
immunological processes of human host for establishing a successful infection.

Soon after joining IISER Bhopal I realized that Sathishs energy was infectious. He contributed immensely towards the development of the institute. He was probably one of
those faculties who were invited into every committee. Sathish was liked equally by
students, colleagues and administrators. He is one of the rare perfectionista that I have
met personally in my life. I have been fortunate to enjoy the good company of Sathish.
He was never more than a call away for academic and non-academic discussions, finding solutions to problems or a visit to the tea stall.
Sathish developed esophageal cancer in December 2013 and battled this debilitating
disease courageously for almost a year. He breathed his last on October 27th, 2014
in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Sathish is survived by his wife Srividya and nine month-old
daughter Kimaya.
I will always remember Sathishs words: I gave that person a piece/peace of my mind.
I am sure his soul rests in peace now. It is the saddest irony that he chose to study cancer and cancer snatched him away from us. Sathish, you will always live in our fondest
memories.

Dr. Ram Kumar Mishra