Fifteenth Issue

Vox Populi

Issue 13

In an exclusive Vox Populi interview Barath P. speaks to Sumanta Sarathi Sharma, President Hall-4.

“It is not out of ‘want’ that I became the president; rather it is the ‘faith’ of our residents and the ‘will’ to serve the Hall”

What motivated you to become the hall president?

Co-curricular activities have always been an integral part of my schedule. Be it sports or any other activity, I have always participated to the best of my abilities. I never ventured into politics and hence this was my maiden attempt. It is not out of ‘want’ that I became the president; rather it is the faith of our residents and the ‘will’ to serve the Hall, which eventually translated me into being the president. I am thankful to the wholehearted support provided by the Junta, both during the time of election and for the entire tenure.

How did you feel on the first day as a hall president?

I am honored to be the President of Hall-4. Initially, it was a bit difficult with the vacant post of the Chairman, Mess Committee and the Hall Day celebrations hovering over our head. Moreover, we (the HEC) were new to the system and hence took time to adjust. I am particularly thankful to the former presidents, Mr. Tony Jacob and Mr. Ramesh Kumar Sonkar who sailed us through these turbulent times.

What are the official/unofficial assignments of the President?

The President is the convener of the HEC and the member of the Accounts Committee. He shall monitor the day-to-day activities, overall administration and security arrangements of the Hall. He is also the ex-officio member of the Hall Management Council (HMC), Committee of students for Hostels Affairs (COSHA) and any other relevant body where the hall needs to be represented. President is an official post, though unofficially he shall be concerned with the general well being of the residents.

Now that you have completed your tenure, how many promises have you delivered?

I never had any tall claims or big promises. My primary aim was to continue with the development initiatives together with suitable up-gradations wherever required. There are certain long-term concerns and certain issues, which needs immediate attention. We tried our best to redress urgent matters and push forward certain concerns that, I believe, will be beneficial in future.

What are the pros and cons of being the President of Hall-4?

The President of Hall-4 is a responsible post not only in the hostel but also in the Institute. People look at you with admiration and expect accountability. A proper balance needs to be delivered. You are responsible for yourself as well as for the residents’ conduct. At times, it may be highly demanding and difficult. Given the time management and support of HEC members together with other residents, we cruised through.

Were you able to uphold ethics and at the same time satisfy the demands of both the HEC and the Junta?

I guess a part of this question is answered in the previous questions. Furthermore, the HEC tried its best to deliver what the residents demanded.

One adjective to describe the nature of work you did

A President’s responsibility lies in monitoring and management. I tried to sustain the efforts of previous HEC and its sub-committees together with accommodating and assimilating the views of the current HEC. Cooperation remains the basis of such an act. I thank the outgoing HEC for its efforts and wish the new HEC the very best.

Editor
Barath Palanisamy
E – 101/4

barath@
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“One of the first things to catch my eye as I explored the Hall 4 campus upon taking up residence here was the wall magazine. The concept itself is great ("The voice of the people"), the location is perfect (most of us read it while sipping tea, or while heading to the mess), and there has always been some content to draw readers -- be it a pithy quote or an essay or interview on hall matters. It was a pleasant surprise to be invited to contribute content myself, and I greatly enjoyed writing the two movie reviews that were published. I'd like to thank the current editors for the great content and the opportunity for me to contribute. I hope that this wonderful part of hall life will be continued by the next reading room committee. ”

Arun Raghavan

MTech, CSE
arunsr@, B-308

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Quote of the Week:

When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always.

- Mahatma Gandhi

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Pratidhwani: A first hand interaction experience

It has already been 2 and half years since I have been in this hall and I find my emotions tied with it. The last year, when Ankur came up with the idea of inaugurating Pratidhwani, I didn't know for sure, what plans were in his mind. I wasn't too sure either, as to why he had approached me in particular for being a part of the team. However, I saw it as an avenue for airing my views and improving on my writing skills which I had long left alone after my first post-graduate degree.

As a result, I laid low for a while and observed what Ankur and his mates were up to. The kind of articles they were looking for and the popular demand. I have seen through many college and school magazines and there were pretty stereo-typed articles in them. I was initially apprehensive about the same kind of articles being received for the wall magazine as well.

My apprehensions were proved wrong when I saw articles which were more relevant to the emergent scenarios and situations e.g. reservations, marches, suicides and what not. In a quest to do something different, I posted a poem which I had written long time back (about 10 years), to see if the junta really read the magazine. I did get a few feedbacks. I did a bit of advertisement too, marketing myself to people for reading my creation.

I initially thought of putting forth ghettoism, an issue which is not only a problem in our hall, but extends its venom across the campus. To be politically correct, I wrote of issues, which I knew existed, and were disturbing in the campus, with reference to the community I belong to. The bengali community, especially, has been singled out in the past for intentionally ignoring and not inviting other communities on several occasions (Invitations are only written in Bangla). Tuhin Pal, surprisingly aware of the issue, let the article go through unchanged.

One fine morning, Sathyaraj caught hold of me in the mess and asked me whether I would be able to write on the mess. He might have overheard some of my sarcasms on the working style of mess workers some time. I decided to give it a try. Believe me, I was so peeved on the mess issue, that I took me no longer than 30 minutes to complete the article and send the same to the editorial desk. Fortunately enough, it was accepted without any significant changes.

By this time, people had started gathering near the wall magazine to read the articles and Sathyaraj often kept giving me feedback on how well the article on the mess has been received by the Hall 4 junta. It only made me feel more energized to write on various other issues. I, in parallel, had started posting the same articles that I felt good about, on my blog.

At the end of the year I did try something cheeky. On my own, I took up the issue on how, the workers in the garden were lolling in the sun, leaving the grass to be inundated. The old volleyball court (beside the C / D blocks), has been repeatedly planted with grass and inundated with water, a number of times. This practice usually leaves the ground patchy and the grass dead. The roots of grass are fibrous and continuous inundation causes them to rot. It actually shows that not only we have a lack of trained gardeners in the campus but also a lack of scientific thinking. I therefore took a few pictures and made a poster out of them. I mailed this to the editorial board. But alas, it didn't appear owing to the winter vacations in the campus.

In all, this year emerged as a creative year for me. Kudos to the team for putting up such a good work and I hope sufficient funds are sanctioned by the HEC Hall 4 to bring out a consolidated and printed issue out in the form of a magazine.

Suddhasheel GHOSH
shudh@, PhD CE

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Editor's Choice Top 100 Books

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Fourteenth Issue

Vox Populi

Issue 12

In an exclusive Vox Populi interview Sathyaraj V. talks to the Chairman, Games Committee about the state of Games @ Hall 4

Sachin Singh Gautam
Ph.D
Dept. of. Mechanical Engg.

Yeah!! sometimes to convince the HEC is a bit challenging…

Sathyaraj Venkatesan (SV): What is the role of the Chairman, Games Committee?

Sachin Singh Gautam (SSG): The primary task of the Chairman, Games Committee is to coordinate various games activities through regular competitions, to maintain various sports facilities in the hall and to encourage hall residents to participate in the sports activities. Besides, the Chairman Games Committee is a member of Games Council and he represents the hall in gymkhana sports activities.

SV: What is Sports budget? How much did you spend this time?
SSG: The budget allocated to me was Rs. 20,000.00. It was also decided that the amount could be extended by Rs. 5000.00, if necessary. I required Rs. 500.00 extra. Overall, I did not overshoot my budget!

SV: Name some of your achievements and failures?
SSG: First failures:

(i) Not been able to conduct even a single sports quiz during my tenure is what I rue a lot.
(ii) Couldn’t complete the volleyball court due to lack of time for which I apologize to the residents.

Now the so-called achievements:

(i) The games Committee could screen both UEFA Finals of May 18th 2006 and FIFA World Cup 2006 (15 matches) on big screen. This was special in the sense that this was the first time that an event of this magnitude could be screened inside the hall premises.
(ii) SMASH 2006 was successfully conducted.
(iii) Hall tournaments viz. Cricket, Tennis, TT, Badminton, Volleyball, Athletics, Billiards and Snooker, Tug-o-War were held. Football, Basketball, Cycling, Cross Country, Kabaddi, Khokho could not be conducted because of insufficient participation.
(iv) I could convince the Games Council to restart Inter-hall events after a gap of 3 years.
(v) New Metal halide lamps were fitted in TT room and the lights in the badminton courts were replaced.
(vi) New Exhaust Fans were fitted for billiards room.
(vii) A cricket kit for the hall was purchased.
(viii) New Billiards Sticks and pockets were purchased. The cloth of the billiards table was changed. A new almirah was purchased for storing sports items.
(ix) An effective procedure for issuing sports items was implemented. This year the numbers of damaged items are kept to the minimum. The stock of sports equipments is at all time high.
(x) The net income of the Billiards Room was increased.
(xi) Games Committee could generate Rs. 4000.00 (approx.) for the current year through sale of T-Shirts and Sport equipments.

SV: Some of the challenges/difficulties you faced, if any?

SSG: Overall, my tenure was hassle free. I did not face any specific problems because the members of my committee were very helpful. Yeah!! Sometimes to convince the HEC is a bit challenging, especially if you trying to do some thing new.

SV: Your last word.

SSG: I would like to thanks the hall 4 residents for giving me a chance for this coveted post. I would also like to thank our wardens for supporting me. I thank Mr. Sumanta Sarathi Sharma and Mr. D. N. Srinath for allowing me to use a part of their budget. Lastly, I thank all my sports committee members for their suggestions and cooperation.

Editor

Sathyaraj.V
A – 110
sathya@iitk.ac.in

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Baulk-line: Games @ Hall 4

Arindam Dey
Ph.D, CE

The bygone year "2006" has proved to be a successful one for the sports committee. We organized a lot of sporting events/tournaments, to mention a few are: Billiards, Snooker, Badminton, Volleyball, Cricket, Lawn Tennis, Cross Country, Athletics etc.; where we had a whole hearted participation of many hall-4 residents. The successful culmination of SMASM (Open to all volleyball tournament) which always had attracted the best of the teams in the campus, the ever enthusiastic participants and not to forget the always lively and crazy spectators of our own hall, had brought another laurel to hall-4 sports committee. The sports committee worked very satisfactorily for the proper organization of all the events in that calendar year. All the active members performed their best to complete the assigned sporting events within the stipulated time. An all-new volleyball court was constructed during this tenure. The condition of the badminton court was improved by fitting new flood lightings. Very well done sports committee!!

But, I was displeased to see the system of imposing fines on breaking the sports items. The fines regarding the delay at returning the sports items are absolutely justified and needs no modification. But, I am not in favor of imposing fines on breakage of sports items. Look!! When one issues a particular sport item and it gets broken due to some reason or the other, it is not quite reasonable to charge that fellow against such a mishap. Does anyone break the sports items intentionally?? Sports items such as the badminton rackets, cricket bats, and lawn tennis rackets "probably" gets broken due to one of the following:
(1) unintentional striking against the ground or between rackets.
(2) recurrent deterioration of the items with time.

In any of the cases, it is not reasonable/justifiable to solely charge the last person who has returned the item broken. In many a case it might have happened the previous person in whose possession the item was made the fault and deposited it without raising any suspicion. And unfortunately the next person who issues it is the "victim of the circumstances". In that particular case the issue-register has to be properly maintained and each returned articles properly scrutinized for being perfectly in shape. Otherwise, the committee should properly distribute the fines among the users instead of "victimizing one".

I know that I have said a lot but here is where I can give my voice. A "LOUD" voice.

Editors

Sathyaraj.V Tuhin Kumar Pal
A – 110 C - 216
sathya@iitk.ac.in tuhin@iitk.ac.in

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Quote of the Week:

A table is not blessed if it has fed no scholars

-Yiddish Proverb

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Editor's Choice Top 100 Books


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Crazy kiya re...!

Suddhasheel Ghosh,
shudh@, PhD CE

The Kanpur edition of the Times of India reports on the bottom of the first page, “Ash sizzles, Bacchans fuming?” (http://www.despardes.com/India/ ent/default.html) The report was about the Hrithik – Aishwarya on-screen kiss in Dhoom2 that allegedly earned the displeasure of the “first family of Bollywood”. The background of the story is the hypothesis that Abhishek Bachchan is going to marry Aishwarya pretty soon. The report gives the following lines “...Abhishek was 'very, very upset' on seeing the finished product. The full impact hit him only when he saw it on screen, says the friend, and he made his objection clear to Ash....”. My question to the press is, if Abhishek really loved Ash, he should have had a confidence on her; and therefore a question of being annoyed at her does not arise. To add to the woes, this article was based on the comments of a supposedly close friend of the family.

“First family!” and my eyebrows went up! The early days of Indian cinema were dominated by the Kapoors. Starting right from Prithiviraj Kapoor, it has been four generations that have made the Indian cinema proud in the mainland and abroad. I have read innumerable reports about them and never were they called the first family! How come the Bachchans are the “first family” which is just two generations old by now?

Jaya Bachchan is an exception, a lady who carries herself with extreme grace and reflects the rich bengali culture embedded within her. The same is displayed in all of her films which stereotyped her as mostly timid and sometimes exuberant roles. Her objection may be justified. Amitabh on the other hand, reflects the Uttar Pradesh culture, especially Allahabad, with literary richness. He is a man of the masses. However, we have often heard about him being involved with Parveen Babi and Bhanurekha Ganeshan (Rekha) and even seen scenes (on the big screen) where Amitabh was on the bed with the lady. This was post marriage. In a recent interview Amitabh said he had no objections to the fact the Abhishek was moving arround with the ladies, as his own mother had none when he himself was doing so. Amitabh objecting? Is he being too gender biased? A big surprise.

Abhishek, a ladies man. Hunk, slim and attractive. He knows how to dress, carry himself and impress people. Howver, we cannot forget your kissing scenes with Antara Mali in Naach, and with Rani Mukherjee in Yuva. I have not yet seen Dhoom2, but I was able to find the onscreen kiss on YouTube and was convinced that it was a mere brush of lips and not a kiss per se. Abshishek you are objecting too, et tu brute?

Aishwarya, who had previously been linked and involved with Salman Khan, Viveik Oberoi and now Abhishek is, according to the report, maintaining perfect silence and giving no clues to the press whatsoever. Yes, Aishwarya that is what we expected from you. You linked yourself with people at the top of their careers and left them when they were in the slump. I find myself pitying Abhishek Bacchan. Hritik on the other hand laughed it off and refused to comment.

The press amuses me. It has begun speculating marriage and even tensions before marriage. In a recent report by the Kanpur Times (The Times of India supplement in the Kanpur edition), the astrologers have started saying that the couple is incompatible. Cheap Publicity for the astrologers? The couple recently performed Managala Arti in the Kashi Vishwanath temple. A secret marriage, they say, has been solemnised at the Sankatamochan (Hanumanji) temple! Puhleeeeeze ....! the press has to excercise some common sense, I guess.
Press ne crazy kar diya ghalib, varna hum bhi aadmi they kaam ke...!

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Book Review
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Movie Review
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Thirteenth Issue

Vox Populi

Issue 11
In an exclusive Vox Populi interview Sathyaraj V. talks to the Chairman, Reading Room about the state of Reading Room and Circulation Library

Ankur Verma, Ph.D, ChE
ankurv@iitk.ac.in

“If I fail to deliver my promises as I envisioned . . . those will be my failures”

1. What is the role of the Chairman, Reading Room?

In one sentence, to manage Reading Room and Circulation Library. Changing magazines and newspapers in Reading Room, keeping track of the subscription of magazines and newspapers etc.

2. What is the budget of Reading Room / Circulation Library? How much did you spend this time?

This year the reading room budget was Rs. 40,000/- and we shall be able to manage our expenses within this limit. On the other hand, Circulation Library is self-supportive i.e., no fund is provided from the Hall establishment fund. It is fully managed by the funds generated from the subscription and the fine from its members. If we assume 125 Circulation Library members through out a year, annual income will be approximately Rs. 10,000/-. We generate about thousand rupees from the auction of old magazines and other gifts. There is also some income from the fine etc. So roughly we generate Rs. 12,000/- per year. Luckily this year we have generated approximately Rs. 25,000/- because the subscription charges were not collected for the last four semesters. So, fortunately, we have enriched the library by spending around Rs. 22,000/-

3. Name some of your achievements and failures?

I shall not call it achievements; rather I say the promises that I accomplished to my satisfaction. This year we have improved the infrastructure of the Circulation Library by purchasing new racks. We have also purchased more than 100 new books this year. We have increased number of magazines in the Reading Room from 25 to 36 based on the readers’ demand. We have started Hall-4 wall magazine “Pratidhwani” to give a platform to the residents' voice. We are also in the process of publishing the Hall-4 annual magazine / yearbook. We have also started the work of re-cataloging all the books in Circulation Library, which is about to be completed. I am planning for a computer for the Circulation Library to facilitate library automation. Fortunately, very motivated team helps me. But, by the end of my tenure, if I fail to deliver some of my promises as I envisioned, I think those will be my failures.

4. Some of the challenges / difficulties you face, if any?

I always encourage the participation of general body in all key decisions. With this in mind, I conducted on-line surveys (regarding the newspapers, magazines and books). But unfortunately the response I got from the residents was not up to my expectations.

5. There are complaints about irregular opening of the Circulation Library. What is your reaction?

It is really a tough job to open library daily. I appreciate the efforts and hard work put by the Circulation Library volunteers, but sometimes there are genuine problems. To solve this problem, at least partially, I have put up a calendar in the Circulation Library to keep track of the days when the library is not open, and those days are exempted from the overdue fine. We are trying our best to reduce these irregularities. In the mean time I also like to invite more hall residents to become volunteers for the Circulation Library.

6. Your last word.

In the last nine months I enjoyed working for the Circulation Library and Reading Room. I have completed some of the things for which I have decided to be here. When I compare our Reading Room and Circulation Library with the other halls I find we have far better infrastructure. Now it is our responsibility to maintain it and evolve it to a better one. Looking forward to my successor...

Editor: Sathyaraj V.
Ph.D, HSS
A – 110/4
sathya@iitk.ac.in
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STATE OF READING ROOM AND CIRCULATION LIBRARY

Editors: Tuhin Kumar Pal and Sathyaraj V.

There are some basic requirements that need to be taken care of:
1) All the newspapers or the magazines should be kept at proper places according to the titles.
2) Previous day’s newspapers should also be kept in cupboards in a properly archived manner.
3) There should be some RULES to impose a fine on littering the newspapers or the magazines on chairs or sofas.
4) Please, try to get rid of those menacing/buzzing mosquitoes. The READING ROOM should be neat and clean. Thus, inviting readers.

Ashisha Kumar

Ph D (Mathematics), ashishak@

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I would like to share some of my views regarding the reading room:

1) These days it has become literally impossible to find the current issue of the newspapers. It would be appreciable if some place is fixed for current newspapers and readers are asked to put the newspaper back to the specified place just after reading.
2) Readers should be asked to put the magazines back on the rack at selective place after reading.
3) If “the reading room committee” makes some RULES, then it should be take care of, that the same is followed by everyone. If someone is found violating these RULES, they should be fined.

Md Aquil

Ph D (Mathematics), mdaquil@

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I really appreciate the way things have been rearranged in our circulation library. In the mean time, certain things had gone out of track. One of the prompt examples to be brought forward is our reading room; you can get magazines at their place but it's really hard to track the newspapers at their specified places. Anyhow with great struggle you can manage the current newspaper but of the previous day's newspaper it’s really a distant dream. Rest is fine, if I consider the present scenario.

Sarvendra Yadav

Ph D (HSS), sarvend@

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Literature and Society

When I was in the sixth standard, we had a paper in social science. That paper was named “CIVICS”. In that paper I remember having read that the fundamental unit of society is the family. I would start this discussion with my family and then perhaps generalize on the issue.
My grandfather died young, and my father who was one of the seven children that my grandfather had, was left without a lot of funds to study. With tuitions and sustenance money from some kind relatives, he was able to complete his bachelor's degree and finally join the civilian services of the ministry of Defence, Government of India. My mother on the other hand was exposed to a wide range of literature right from those which Bengal takes pride in (Sharat Chandra, Bankim Chandra, Rabindranath etc.), to those which were translated from their original to Bengali (O Henry, Leo Tolstoy, Guy de Maupassant etc.) At medium school, I had light brushes with the likes of Premchand, Makanlal Chaturvedi, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. Suryakanth Tripathi 'Nirala', Sumitra Nandan Pant etc. Each of the poems, short stories, long stories and novels written by these authors have often left me thinking for long hours. I often recall how I used to cry often in my younger days when I read “The Home Coming” by Rabindranath Tagore (available online at http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/1757/) just thinking what I would have done if I was in Phatik's shoes and then consoling myself on the fact that my parents had sacrificed on their dresses and food habits to raise my brother and myself.

The literature I had read often spurred me to study about the circumstances of the author and his background. Rabindranath's works (available as Galpaguccha in 4 volumes) often reflected the lives of the people around him, the condition of widowed women, poverty and the fishermen. Sunil Gangopadhyay's Shei Shomoy (Those days), a literary phenomena, the popular blockbuster which received the Bankim and Akademi Awards, the book breathes life into the 19th century Bengali Bhodrolok (gentleman) Culture. (http://www.bharatbooks.com/bengali_authors/sunil_ganguly.htm). The culture of absentee landlords, the strange imitative cult of the Babu culture, the literary revolution - begun by Madhusudhan, Vidyasagar, DeRozario - all that is brought to life in the two volumes of the books. Munshi Premchand faced immense poverty in his childhood. The same is amply reflected in his story “Idgah” where a four year old boy named Hamid who cries for going to the fair and for six annas, and to his aunt's surprise, buys a pair of tongs (chimtaa) for her because her fingers get burnt while making rotis (http://www.vidyaonline.net/bookshelf/childrend.asp?ID=93). The hindi film Rang de Basanti, glamourised Ram Prasad Bismil's poem “Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna”. Bismil who was one of the great freedom fighters, was also a poet by heart and each of his poems reflects poetic fervour. The events around him made him feel for the country.

This discussion on Literature and Society would go on and on for eons. Copious examples may be quoted where society and literature have influenced each other. But for this time, to end this article I must tell you that when I started writing my first romantic story, it was the same time when I had a crush on a lady to whom I could never propose.

- Suddhasheel Ghosh
PhD CE, shudh@

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Quote of the Week:

The belly is the reason why man does not mistake himself for a god.

- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
[Beyond Good and Evil, 1886]

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Editor's Choice Top 100 Books

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Movie Review
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Twelfth Issue

Vox Populi
Issue 10

In an exclusive Vox Populi interview Barath P. talks to the present and previous Mess Chairmen about the state of Mess

Present Mess Chairman:
Anand Baskaran, Ph.D, BSBE, banand@

“I believe we can, do you?”

1. What's your manifesto?
To run the mess democratically accommodating diverse views of the residents.

2. What are the challenges that you anticipate in your tenure?
In any democracy, it is not possible to satisfy everyone. I anticipate this challenge in my tenure. However, my endeavor would be to address the issues on merit.

3. Duties of a Mess chairman?
In brief, the chairman has to supervise and co-ordinate the mess related issues.
Ref: Please refer the clause 4.6.2 of the Hall constitution for details.

4. What is your message to Junta?
The mess committee is obliged to satisfy the needs of the residents. However, it is a daunting task without the support of everyone. I believe in participatory management in which everyone involves for a common cause. Please help us by providing useful feedbacks, constructive criticisms and voluntary assistance. As a team, we can work towards pulling the mess out of the "mess".

I believe we can, do you?

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Former Mess Chairman:
Ashok Kumar, Ph.D, MSP, ashokku@

“. . . it becomes difficult working with ideals”

1. What are some of the challenges you faced as a Mess Chairman? And how did you cope with them?
a. The mess committee consists of five elected members (including chairman mess committee). However, chairman mess committee is practically responsible for all the activities of mess.

b. Long time residents may develop themselves as key persons. If key persons’ interests differ from other hall residents’ interests, it may become a challenge.

Both the above challenges ultimately may have an effect on food quality and services. However, I can say that I did not face any of the above challenges and therefore coping becomes irrelevant.

2. Why did you resign?
This is really a difficult question. Being a scientist or an engineer you will understand easily. Take a simple example of a quantum particle. Even when it doesn’t have sufficient energy, by repeated hitting, it will tunnel through (across the barrier beyond its energy). So we have a set of rules everywhere but, when the tunnel through process starts, it becomes difficult working with ideals. I wished to keep all the residents happy. I probably could do that to a great extent except in a few cases.

3. What is your advice to the present Mess Chairman?
Do the job cheerfully and act on the complaints promptly. He should not allow majority residents’ interests to be sacrificed for interests of the few. This maybe difficult to follow, but, you have taken the responsibility so accept the challenges.
Remember: “Ships are safe in harbor, but that is not they meant for.”

4. What are the duties of a Mess Chairman?
We have two elected executives (1. Store and supply Secretary 2. Accounts and purchase Secretary) in mess committee. The chairman mess committee in consultation with the other members pursues issues that don’t come under the purview of the elected executives. The chairman convenes the mess committee meetings. In consultation with mess committee he reviews daily mess complaints, changes menu or takes relevant decisions. Official work includes signing documents and supervision of all activities of mess. He is fully responsible for mess security. In case of emergency, he has to convene meetings.

5. What kind of support/feed back did you receive from the residents?
Majority of the residents always supported me. I received many thanks in written and oral form. I really can’t thank in words for the support that I received from residents.

6. Do you feel residents are not cooperative?
Most of the residents are too cooperative and fully dedicated. This at times becomes problematic. Second, due to the inactiveness of HEC/ mess committee (meetings are open to all), much of the time is spent on debate and raising objections that are not always up to the point.

Editor
Sathyaraj.V.
A – 110/4
IIT Kanpur
sathya@

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What Hall Residents have to say about the state of the mess

Hall-4 mess like any other mess in the campus is always a hot topic of discussion. Unfortunately, the discussion almost always revolves around the negative aspects of the mess: bad food, bad service, mess bill etc All along my stay here I have seen the highs and lows of our mess. At present I suppose it’s doing fairly well. I guess nothing is ever going to be sufficient to satisfy the taste buds of everyone. For a change, we can at least dwell on the positives’ that have come up with an eye on improving. As the saying goes “EAT TO LIVE . . .NOT LIVE TO EAT.” Cheers HALL-4 mess.

Dilraj Lama

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Functioning of the Mess has always been a serious problem in Hall 4. I have seen several up and downs in the past five years. Now, the problems have reached a level where most residents are not ready to take up the responsibility of managing the mess. We need to realize that Mess is a responsibility of all the residents and can be improved only by large scale participation by all. I hope the new Chairman of the Mess Committee will take more initiatives to make the management more participatory and consider serious structural changes to tackle the problem of shortage of cooks.

Tony Jacob

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As I know for last 5-1/2 years, Hall IV has always been a point of discussion among the hall residents. One GBM in 2002 and 3 mess secretaries in 2006 proves that. There’s a world of change from the days of dimly lit dining space to the current state. The ambience has improved a ton. The food quality has deteriorated, but after such a long stay here it concerns me least how and what is cooked. One aspect that I miss is the bulla sessions over the dining table. Now people are more willing to spend time on their computers watching movies and playing computer games. This manifests itself in poor participation of junta in hall matters. But general hygiene and the cordial nature of workers remains the same. Finally, I think the quality of food can be improved only if juntas actively participate in the mess matters.

Sachin Singh Gautam

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The State of the Mess

One of my former colleagues at Bhopal, who was a degree holder in computer science and engineering, was asked during her days of 'introduction', “Why is the mess called a mess?”. “Because, it is always in a mess!”, came the pert reply. While she told me this joke, I was not really aware then, how a student feels while eating in a mess, pun intended!

I have been pretty interested and inclined to write about this whole issue about mess management, its affairs and the general response of the people towards it. I would be however, putting my words to limit owing to a lack of space.

It has been two years and more since I joined IIT Kanpur as a PhD student, and since then I have seen five mess secretaries. Imagine five of them in a span of 2 years! What is so special about this year is that it is the third time a mess secretary has been elected! I must acknowledge the fact that each of the mess secretaries made an attempt to improvise, innovate and please the junta by bringing in variety in the food items. Recently, as an attempt to appease regional taste buds, Shela rice was introduced. It would be prudent to comment that we have ended up paying more for the Shela rice than the original plain rice served in the mess.

While the mess secretaries attempted their best to improvise the quality of the food and the menu, I guess the employees in the mess have contributed at large to make a big difference. Be it the mess manager, be it cooks or be it those who wait on the tables, it seems that all of them have put on a big placard on their chests saying “Hum nahi sudhrenge!”.

I would like to specially mention the dinner on Friday, when we have “special” food in the mess. By the name of God, I promise you that you would find it really special, and eligible to be quoted amongst the worst meals of the week. Whether it is Kadhai Paneer or Shahi Paneer, it looks the same, it tastes the same. I sometimes strongly feel that all government mess employees should be exposed to a training programme coordinated by IRCTC at Kanpur Central. Even their food tastes better! They even serve better.

Whenever I go to eat and I take my seat, I would never find the salt, salad or jug of water at the proper place on the table. Sometimes, either there would be no salt on the table, or there would be two containers of pepper at the same place. Sometimes, there would be an empty container of salt or pepper even!

As a special mention, I would like to quote the name of Mr. Deepak who serves and waits on the tables. In addition, he thinks he is lean, mean, smart and handsome, and thinks he has the right to play with the music system in the mess. He takes away the plates in front of you without even asking you and there you are, left grappling for the plate! He would make a point hitting you with the large plate with which he is serving. Mr. Sharma, who I feel is the leader of the lot, thinks it is more important to put sabji on the tables where people are not even sitting than providing spoons to the people who are eating on the tables. One of my colleagues was eating at the table and he had no spoon with him and he asked him 2-3 times and then he was angry, Mr. Sharma coolly said “App kahein to sabji na lagayein!”

In my opinion, I strongly feel that if you want to really make somebody angry, invite him/her to the Hall 4 mess, and voila you have a new enemy!

Suddhasheel Ghosh, PhD, Civil Engineering, shudh@

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Quote of the Week:

There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.

-Albert Camus (1913 - 1960) The Myth of Sisyphus

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Editor's Choice Top 100 Books

Eleventh Issue

Vox Populi

Issue: 9

Freshmen on IIT Kanpur - Impressions, Dreams and Realities

The expectations automatically go high when the name - Indian Institute of Technology - IIT comes into mind. And of course, I was no exception. The first impression about this institute took shape in my mind during the first visit itself. Looking at the learned and experienced faculty, it was easy to say that there was a rigorous life ahead, if I made it through the interview. But, at the same time, I believed that even an ordinary stone glitters through rigorous polishing and that glitter is everlasting because of the hard work put into.

So, making way to one of the best institutes in India, IIT Kanpur, I was very much excited to embark a new journey here. The counselling service needs a special mention as it helped us right from the time we arrived on the Kanpur Central railway station till we got to know almost everything about the institute. I could hardly expect more.

Now that the lectures have begun in full flow, it is a real pleasure to study under such erudite professors. Besides, with so many extra curricular activities to participate in and the various clubs where we can pursue our interests and hone our skills- IITK proved to be a dream place where I wanted to be. The institute seems to prove my belief right- IIT is not only a place to excel in studies but also a place where one can develop an all round personality.

Paritosh Manurkar
M. Tech (First Year), EE

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You might have dreamed about making it. You probably have worked hard at it. And you made it. You had hopes, dreams, and expectations -- some of these would be met, and some might not. It's easy to get tripped up by the ‘nots’. Don't. Your experience at IITK (and, by generalization everywhere) is what *you* make of it -- so make it the best that you can.

Arun S Raghavan
M.Tech (First Year), CSE

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Initially, I thought IITK, being an institute of excellence, the students might be busy studying, and that on one will be involved in extra-curricular activities. After reaching here I was proved wrong. I saw folks, if not all of them, cheerfully involved in games and whole heartedly taking part in various festivities. That was a new face of IITK that I cherished a lot. Expectation was dampened when my love for good food was severely halted. I never saw green vegetables being served in our mess, it’s “aloo factor” that prevails the entire menu. Could there be a change, I’ll be the happiest man !!

Ritesh Pankajkumar Shah
MTech (First Year), CSE

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During my interview I enjoyed the close interaction with the faculties. They were supportive and their gestures awesome. IITK has one of the best facilities, the ambiance is cool and above all we always enjoy the evergreen campus. Witnessing all these, I moved to IITD for my next interview, I explored IITD and my desire for being at IITK got enhance many folds. I had a wish “if I have to get somewhere it’s IITK.” I got the offer and it was a dream come true.

Nageswara Rao Majeti
M.Tech (First Year), EE

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IIT Kanpur is a great place filled with intellectual vibes. I look forward to interacting with some of the best minds of the nation during my stay here.

Gaurav Saxena
M.Tech (First Year), CSE

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Editors:

Sathyaraj V. and Tuhin Kumar Pal

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Humor Section


Originally published at IITK Comics

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Editor's Choice Top 100 Books


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Seek Spiritual Unity Amidst Religious Diversity

Communal conflicts make some people feel that the world would be better off without religion. But the plight of a godless modern world is poignantly caught by Martin Luther King Jr. in his comment several decades ago, “We have guided missiles and misguided men”. While science and technology have helped us to control the external world to some extent, control of the inner world is sadly lacking, as can be seen from the alarming increase in depression, hypertension and other mental health disorders as also in addictions, criminality, violence, suicides and homicides. It is genuine spirituality alone that can provide the inner strength and fulfillment that can lead to lasting morality and real character in the individual.

All religions have two aspects – exoteric (external) and esoteric (internal). Most religious practitioners focus fanatically on the exoteric aspects such as rituals, institutions and mindsets, which often differ according to time, place and culture. These superficial religionists are often unaware of the essence of the religion that they profess to follow. Consequently they tend to become sentimental or fundamentalist and have internecine conflicts, riots and crusades. When we dig through the misconceptions, misinterpretations and mistakes that have over the centuries obscured the essential truths of all religions, we will find that these core principles are consistently identical and can be briefly summarized as follows:

1. God is the Supreme Father of all living beings and He is the Supreme Owner and Controller of everything.

2. We are accountable for all our actions to God. If we encroach upon the property of God or the rights of the other children of God, we will in time get an appropriate reaction as per the laws of God. .

3. We are spirit souls, eternal sons of God and our real happiness is not in material acquisition, but in spiritual realization, in lovingly harmonizing ourselves with nature and God.

4. We can easily and effectively achieve this harmony and the resulting highest happiness by chanting the holy names of God – Krishna, Rama, Allah, Christ, Jehovah or any other name as stated in the authorized religious scriptures

These spiritual precepts do not contradict the principle of secularism because secularism should not be misunderstood or misinterpreted as atheism. Secularism basically implies impartiality towards different religions and the above precepts are the common underlying teachings of all the major religions of the world.

When people harmonize themselves with the essential principles of their respective religion they learn to live harmoniously. Hence, Srila Prabhupada remarks, when the scientist, the philosopher and the medical man get the opportunity to scientifically understand God then there will be paradise on the earth.

Ranjan Kumar Behra
PhD, Electrical Engineering (ranjanee@)

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Tenth Issue

Vox Populi

Issue: 8

The Unspoken Dream
(Child labour in campus)

It is impossible to eliminate child labour by the enforcement of stringent child labour laws. Since it is related to the financial condition of the family, the only way out is to take concrete measures for eliminating poverty which in turn reduces the need. If we cannot provide a better life for a child, we do not have the right to stop him/her working. But their exploitation should be prevented.

- Prasanth T K
Ph.D, Aerospace Engineering, santh@

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Exploitation of children as daily wage workers or in the form of regular house maid or servants at several places like canteens, motor transport (MT) and employees’ residences can be seen easily. Most probably the motives behind all this exploitation are getting labour at lower cost and once the child becomes adult he is replaced by another child to optimize savings. If the people engaged in this are not punished, the least that can be done is discourage child labour in IITK.

- Ashok Kumar
Ph.D, Materials Science Programme, ashokku@

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A child's dream is always special since it is adorned with naivety, groomed with lot of expectations. In our country, improper family planning shackles the child to realize his/her dream. Despite chasing his/her dream, a child is exposed to the family burden at a very early stage of life. Every individual in this country is entitled to certain basic privileges and denial of these based on financial grounds is unacceptable. If getting a child is a blessing, then, it is equally sinful, when the parents are unable to offer food, shelter and basic education. There should be an awareness program to educate the public that a need of the child should be felt only if there are adequate facilities to raise it. Further, the employers should ensure that child labour is not entertained. For example, I do get to see some kids in our canteen shouting "chayeee". A healthy society can be built without the hassles of socio-economic problems if we could help a child to realise his/her naive dreams.

- Anand Baskaran
Ph.D, BioSci. and BioEngg, banand@

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In a country of more than one billion, where more than 30% of its population lives below the poverty line, and where getting two square meals a day is a struggle for many, child labor is a reality and IIT Kanpur is no different in this regard. The problem is more acute in Hall canteens, where children as small as age 10 work inhuman hours for very little. Its really a pity that a place like IIT Kanpur which converts dreams into reality for all of us, is killing the very dreams and aspirations of these kids by doing nothing for them. Instead of working at such a tender age, these kids should be getting an education which one day might help them to get into IIT Kanpur itself, not to work but to get an education which will set them for a bright life. It’s high time that the institute administration issues an order banning any child under the age of 14 to work on the institute premises.

- TVVSS Padmanabha Rao
M.Tech, Civil Engineering, paddu@

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The fact that children are forced to work as bonded labourers is totally atrocious and should be undone with. However just banning child labor is not the solution as many of the children have to work to support their families. It would be better if it is ensured that the children are not exploited physically and that they receive adequate remuneration.

- Aaditya Agarwal
M.Tech, Chemical Engineering, aadi@

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Guest Editor

Barath Palanisamy E101, barath@
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Quote of the Week:

The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.

- Alfred Hitchcock

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Cricton Fiction

Crichton is one of the most prolific writers of the 20the century.He is a class in himself as the one author who uses/does prodigious research data for his novels, seasoned with his wit thereby educating the reader unknowingly.Since 1960 he has articulated his thoughts much effectively and which have crytallized into compelling books and successful movies.
His stories start and end with a open ended question which the reader is left to ponder.Christened the angel of doom he foresees destruction from the so called 'Frontiers of science'and though some of his books make a deep impression the autonomy is left to the book lover for inspiration.
His recent book "state of fear" wherein he says that there is no such thing as global warming caused a deep impact within me and has resulted in this small tribute to him from my side. Herein I have tried to convey the crux of his books.

Barath Palanisamy E101, barath@

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Humor Section

Originally published at IITK Comics
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Ninth Issue

Vox Populi

Issue: 7

"Anti Reservation Movement at IITK and Hunger Strike"

The students stood-up against reservation in IITs and IIMs and are on relay hunger strike to register their protest. I strongly support their movement as the reservation will bring down the quality of education of these institutes. Moreover this caste based reservation will result in the discrimination in society and can cause chaos. Hunger strike is an effective way to register the protest and also this will empower our voice. Hopefully the strike will come up with some fruitful results if not the best.

- Prashant Kumar Srivastav
PhD, Department of Mathematics (pksri@ )

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The initiatives taken by the IIT Kanpur students against the new reservation policy is highly appriciable. IIT Kanpur was quick to react to the proposed reservation policy. In particular, the peaceful protest march on 13th April, cycle ralley to Moti Jheel and human chain in the XXXVIII convocation were huge success. Overwhelming participation from students from all spheres was observed. Hunger strike initiative is appriciable to some extent. But unless the energies are channalized in proper direction, the efforts put in for such peaceful protests might go in vain. In particular, I feel that peaceful protests are best heard when we do infront of concerned authorities. If we do these protests within our campus in which only IIT community hears, there is very little that one can expect to gain out of such protests.

- Vijaya Saradhi
PhD, Department of Computer Sc. and Engg., (saradhi@ )

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It doesn't have any significance at large and now it is illegal and unconstitutional after honorable Supreme Court order as reservation issue is sub judice. Through FIR supported Hunger strike, people are making irrelevant and irresponsible comments to media which itself questions its objective. Nothing is going to happened through this other than media coverage. Beacause, when we are unable to keep our own house in order than how can we do it for others.

- Ramesh Kumar Sonkar
PhD, Department of Electrical Engineering, (rksonkar@)

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I think this hike in reservation is really ridiculous and specially the way it is being implimented. We are not against the upliftment of any section of the society, but before implementing this reservation the government should ensure us that this bill is going to help the real needy citizens (not who are in creamy layer) and it will uplift whole backward section in some specified time period, say 10 years, and after that government will completly eradicate it. Because of the faulty and politically inspired way of governments move, the student comunity of IITK has joined hands against this reservation bill. We are commited for saving our nation by those selfish politicians.

- Omendra Pratap Singh
M.Tech., Materials Science Programme, (omendra@)

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The anti reservation movement at IITK, though started late as compared to other institutions, has picked up pace. The high point of the protest, I feel, was the cycle rally which drew a large gathering. The present rotational hunger strike is a pragmatic way of putting ones point. Better would be that whole of the student population skips lunch one day and sits on dharna.

- Aaditya Agarwal

M.Tech, Department of Chemical Engineering, (aadi@)

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Perhaps something stronger should have been done in 1990, and perhaps protests now will do little to change the minds of politicians. Maybe all is already lost. Even then, the anti-reservation movement in IITK gave me hope, and I realized that hope isn't a bad thing after all! To demonstrate our dissent in a dignified and peaceful manner not only showed the solidarity of our institute, but we also emerged as the bigger men in the process. I salute the effort and urge everyone to continue to hope.

- Arjun Karande
M.Tech, Department of Computer Sc. and Engg. (arjun@)

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The anti-reservation movement at IITK started with the silent protest march and cycle rally after a broad consensus was reached among the student body regarding these modes of protest. This did not happen with hunger strike which was rushed to without much discussion among students. I personally believe that hunger strike is not the way to protest in a democracy. It looks like many students were pressured into adopting this strategy so as not to seem left behind as medicos were embarked on a hunger strike.
With all these protests, we have failed to clearly communicate what we are protesting against and why. The protests are interpreted as being against backward classes even by many members of the campus community. This, I believe, has been the greatest failure of the anti-reservation movement at IITK.

- Tony Jacob
PhD, Department of Electrical Engg. (tjacob@)

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Vox Populi
Guest Editor
Ankur Verma (ankurv@)

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Quote of the Week:

As for morality, well that's all tied up with the question of consciousness.

-Roger Penrose

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Bengali Ghetto-ism: A non-resident bengali's perspective

Before I commence writing on this topic and series, let me introduce what is a resident Bengali and a non-resident Bengali. Well, the definition is simple, a person with mother tongue a Bangla, who has been born, brought up and a domicile and resident of West Bengal, is termed as a resident Bengali. A non-resident Bengali or Probashi Bangali is one who has mother tongue as Bangla, may or may not be born in Bengal, may or may not be educated in Bengal, and definitely not a resident of West Bengal for a long time. In short the definition of a non-resident bengali is parallel to the definition of a non-resident Indian. Yours truly, for an example, was born in Kolkata, but educated in Madhya Pradesh and is a resident of Madhya Pradesh and therefore a non-resident Bengali.

Before I proceed to say things, let me produce some things before you, which are very general:
(1) It seems that Indians in general believe that “If you can't beat them or understand them, hit them” instead of the well known English saying “If you can't beat them, join them”. Stories in support of this statement would be coming soon.
(2) The sample size which I use to produce this article is too small and it is therefore difficult to make or derive any public opinion out of it. This article is therefore only a perspective view and thus not intended to harm or cause embarrassment to any group or individual.


When I took admission to the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, I had the privilege to listen to the senior professors and the director of IITK. One of the important statements that Prof. Sanjay G. Dhande made, was to go across regional boundaries and to interact and mix with other cultures.

Let me go back to my childhood days, when I was in Jabalpur. Owing to the geographical location of Jabalpur in India, it holds tremendous importance in terms of defence. As a result, the city is a mix of cultures from all regions. Aptly therefore, the city is also called “Sanskaardhaani”. Although, I was born in Kolkata, I was educated in Christ Church Boy's Higher Secondary School (now called Christ Church Senior Secondary School), one of the popular schools in Jabalpur and St. Aloysius College. I did my mathematics post-graducation in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department of Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyala (RDVV), Jabalpur. In short I have spent most of my life till date in Jabalpur.

“Bangaali baabu... sari macchi khaabu... (Bengali clerk, eats rotten fish)”, “Sari macchi ... pulpula bhaat (Rotten fish and fermented rice)”, were some of the regular phrases which I, as a child, had to hear often from my schoolmates, apart from the occasional “Chashmukdeen... ghorepadeen, gharee mein baj gaye saare teen... (Hey specko, the one who farts like a horse, it is half past three) !” owing to yours truly being a specko. Interestingly enough, as a side observation, the people who often said this, had their roots in UP and Bihar. On a probe, it was found out they had an opinion that Bengalies are super-intelligent and their intelligence is spurred by their voracity for fish. Many people have even asked me “Macchli khane se to dimag tez hota hai, tum kaise bangali ho? (You develop a sharp brain if you feed on fish, why kind of a bengali are you?)” owing to the fact that I am a vegetarian.

Let me go further back in the early 50s of the last century, when a decision was being taken in the Parliament regarding the national language of the country. There was a major contest between English and Hindi, which obtained equal preferences in the Parliament. The then Hon'ble President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad used his veto power to vote Hindi as the national language of India. The people from Bengal and the south were mostly in favour of the English language. As a consequence (which I feel was devoid of common-sense, rationale and intellect), there were sad jokes spoken about the then Hon'ble President.1 (Also refer to pt. 1 which I made in the second para of my article!) The lack of financial support from the centre to West Bengal and the south might have been an after effect of this incident. Interestingly Southern India has been able to self-sustain their development. Comparatively, the situation of West Bengal is well before the reader's eyes.

I have full respects for Hindi as a language, and I often feel surprised that how a renowned educationist and academician from West Bengal (name withheld owing to lack of reference), who held an important academic post for more than two decades, could say that he did not want to learn that language in which the moustache was a female gender!

As an aside, I would also like to tell you that most of my acquaintances who reside in Kolkata, have strongly believed and still believe that anything outside West Bengal is “dirt”. They often use words like “Khotta”, “Khotua”, “Mero” and “Maowra” for Non-bengalis and non-resident bengalis like us. Resident bengalies have even often accused us of being non-cultured and being lesser intellectuals. But alas! They seldom realise that they have never studied the likes of Makanlal Chaturvedi, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', Mahadevi Verma, Ramdhaari Singh Dinkar, Munshi Premchand, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Subhramanyam Bharti, Kabeer, Raskhan, Tulsidas and the list continues...! I often wonder, how many of them have even heard these names. It seems therefore, that the resident bengalies have never attempted to see beyond their roots and make a propaganda on the negative points without even evaluating the others' cultures. Further, to my dismay, the people from Orissa who are referred to as “Oorey” by the people from West Bengal, are considered to be either cooks or nincompoops by the resident bengalies. “Oorey choley maatite paa ... (here 'Oorey' can refer to flying, or an oriya guy)” is a puzzle with intended pun, often asked to Bengali children.

Let us now talk and reason about the typical accusation of bengalies forming a “ghetto” at educational institutes. I will try to reason this out. Firstly, there is a famous English proverb, “Birds of the same feather, flock together”. Come what may, we bengalies love our mother tongue, and love to chat in the language which comes naturally to us. Secondly, whenever an Indian goes abroad, whom does he search for? Obviously other Indians! He does so because he seeks support, love and also loves to talk in a language which comes naturally to him. So, if a guy from UP, Bihar or any other part of India for that matter, searches for other Indians when abroad, why can't they realise that the same scenario prevails when a Bengali from Kolkata arrives at these institutes? Thirdly, bengalies practice Adda, a so-called intellectual discussion session, where all decisions, ranging from personal to national level, are taken, regardless of the case whether sufficient knowledge about the matter being discussed, exists or not! In an interesting incident, I remember a resident bengali gentleman frowning at my mathematics post graduate degree from RDVV without having the knowledge that the Mathematics Department was among the 10 nodal centres of National Board for Higher Mathematics, Department of Atomic Energy.

Further, given the fact that bengalies are jeered at, using phrases like “Bangaali baabu... sari macchi khaabu...”, “Sari macchi ... pulpula bhaat”, it forms reason enough to be ignorant about other people and form a group.

Fortunately or unfortunately, one or two non-bengalies who enter the group, are forced to learn or adapt the bengali language because they are often communicated to, in Bangla. In the colony where I live in Jabalpur, there has been several instances where a bevy of bengali ladies have enriched the Bangla vocabulary of non-bengali women! I have often heard the term “Boudi (sister-in-law)” being used by them to address my mother. In another interesting case, one resident bengali who came to visit my father when he was seriously ill, started talking to a rickshawala in Bangla arguing about the fare and the destination, and kept on continuing the discussion until it was loud enough to seek my attention, and I had to save the embarrassing moment for my family.

I do not know about other people, but my bengali parents have always taught me that whenever I am in a group, I should converse in the common language which everybody knows. They have taught me the first rule of communication, “If you have to converse with a person, converse in the language that the other guy knows.” After all, if I have a joke, I can make everybody laugh by sharing it with all. I still haven't been able to realise why most of the resident bengalis don't seem to understand this fact.2

I often cherish the bright smile on the face of some of my Telugu friends, when I say some Telugu words!

- Suddhasheel Ghosh
PhD, Department of Civil Engineering (shudh@ )

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Humor Section

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