Voices Centenary Magazine

Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata (1839-1904)
EDITORIAL
The woods are lovely, dark and deep;
but I have promises to keep.
The students are young, thoughts strong and steep;
Raise Your Voice , Let Yourself be Heard And I have promises to keep.
The legacy is immor tal, great hope will it reap;
www.iisc.ernet.in/voices So I have promises to keep.
And eternity to go, before I sleep…
VOICES: Centenary Special Issue -
And eternity to go, before I sleep.
100 enLIGHTening YEARS
Indian Institute of Science, known popularly as Tata Institute to both the common
Editor-in-Chief man and the scientific community is turning hundred soon! To usher in this significant moment
Madhurima Das (MGMT) and muse over its long history, yet many recent pasts, the Centenary Year Celebrations unfold.
Publisher As the curtains rise for the Institute to embark upon this historical time, the IISc
IISc Centenary Conference Committee community comprising of students, faculty, alumni and the staff bring forth their best contributions
to this amazing fable. From the British era to post independence days, the times of the Maharaja
Editorial Board to the democratic set up now, this hearth of knowledge has laid the foundation to many a brilliant
Arun R . (CSA), and enriched mind. The walkways have witnessed many a discoveries, rendered themselves to
Deepti Abbey (MRDG), many exhilarating moments, glowed in happiness when the researching minds discovered the
Eshwaran Vijaya Kumar (AERO), existential truths. This has been an inspiring tale of not just past glory but future promises. With
H.S. Sudhira (Alumnus, CST/MGMT), no predicament, it has embraced all minds from all regions and is an assimilation of that cultural
Madhusudan Hulgi (CHEMENG), odyssey.
Mukta Deobagkar (BIOCHEM),
Rupesh Nasre (CSA), The human mind is complex and human desires multi-fold. It is like a rainbow in
Shyam S. (MGMT ), which we wish the colour palette never stopped at VIBGYOR. After all, aspirations, emotions
Smrithi Murthy (MRDG), and reality- all have shades of grey. A thought seeded in one regular weekly meeting got converted
Vasanta K. (CSA), into a passionate benchmark for all in the team. After all, how many of us, when in our seventh
Vinay Shirhatti (CEDT) stage of life can state that we have lived the Shakespearean drama successfully being a part of the
100th year of a glorious institute.
Design
Questions were encouraged, no thinking was compartmentalised- the science and art saw a
Anas K.A. (CPDM)
convergence like never before. It was a eureka moment, may be even close to nirvana, when 100
enLIGHTening YEARS found itself in flesh and blood. The current team of Voice-ians with pride
Printer presents the Voices Students Centenary Magazine, commemorating this hallmark moment.
The Navbharath Press, Bangalore .
This is also an ode to all those voices that existed over the decades, challenging the
Acknowledgments system, giving vent to their creative potentials as torchbearers of thought and action. For us,
Abraham P. Kurien , Kumudhini this was an exploratory journey to find that from being called ‘The Rag’ in the 70s to ‘Drag’ in
Ravindra , Santhi R . (MGMT ) the 80s to ‘SCampus’ in the 90s; and ‘Milieu’ a few years ago; every decade a bunch of students
Dr. T. A. Abinandanan (MATERIALS) began a movement that gained some momentum but finally could not sustain itself. While some
Partha Pratim Saha (Alumnus, prided themselves on being the investigative journalists of the campus, others thought they were
CHEMENG) the representatives of collective student emotion. We have a Tribute Section to commemorate the
Archives and Publications Cell , IISc existence of these Student Newsletters on campus!
Illustrations Voices is currently in its seventh year and is aware that things will change with the
Bhavin Shah (MCBL) next generation. What it continues to hope is that even in the Bicentennial celebrations of the
Institute, there will be students creating ‘greater decibel’!
Photo Credits
100 enLIGHTening YEARS brings you a pot-pouri that could give any gourmet chef
Ashok Kumar Mallik (CES)
a run for his money. From innovation to spirituality, scientific temper to discovery of the other
Dr. Gururaja K.V. (CES)
realm; from the institute being an integral part of life to a humorous take on how staying here for
Urvesh A. Bharambe (CPDM)
too long has its effects; personal anecdotes to conscientious takes on duty and a sense of respect; a
look at a centenarian to accounts of a first day, and there is poetry galore.
Email: [email protected]
As you turn each leaf, this is a journey from then to now, from when to how; seen
Disclaimer: through the binoculars of the IISc community, a kaleidoscopic view that will ensure a smile, only
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by to ponder and say, “Congratulations Centenarian, You still have a long way to go!”
authors in this magazine do not necessarily reflect
the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Voices or
official policies of the Voices. However, this does not
apply to articles contributed by the Voices Team.
100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 3

Foreword
T
he hundredth year of an institution is a very special
occasion. In marking the centenary of the IISc, we
have an opportunity to look back on the history of the
Institute, reflect on its present and imagine its future. Such
occasions are usually celebratory, but they must also become
a time for reflection. The centenary conference provides
an opportunity for students, faculty, alumni and academic
colleagues from India and abroad to come together and discuss
issues of science that are most important today. Students
bring a freshness of approach, which is the true strength of
any academic institution, and the Institute is no exception.
VOICES is truly the voice of the student community and is a
forum not only for being critical of the present, but also a
medium through which literary talent can be expressed. This
special edition of VOICES should bring back images of the
past and provide a glimpse of the present.
Prof. P BALARAM
Director, IISc
C.V.Ramamurthy (Student, AERO).

A Walk Down Memory Lane PhD Resolutions
Adwait Godbole (Student, MCBL) Rupesh Nasre (Student, CSA)
Took a walk down memory lane today... was reading in Before joining PhD:
the library and suddenly my mind went idle for a while… • I want to win the Nobel Prize.
and before I realized it, I was reminiscing about the times • I want to win the Turing Award.
gone by...
First year of PhD:
The lane was strewn with dead leaves, and I walked, • I want to finish PhD in two years.
bending down occasionally to pick them up… some were • I want to publish papers only in top tier
light with their care free happy memories… others were conferences.
heavy with the sadness and pain that comes with some • I want to make ground-breaking research.
memories… the joy of learning to ride a cycle, getting • I want to win the best PhD Thesis award.
my first bike, meeting friends after ages, long chats
where minds and hearts were opened to people who Second year of PhD:
could appreciate them, birthdays celebrated, presents • I want to finish PhD in 5 years.
gifted and received... the best so far had been the two • I want a problem.
days I spent in Bangalore during the IISc interviews…
• Shall I change my advisor?
the irreplaceable taste of excitement and the joy on my
mother’s face when she saw the list.
Third year of PhD:
Dark times and the will to survive through them… • I want a paper; I don’t care which conference.
heartbreaks, decisions gone wrong in retrospect… • Shall I change my topic?
everything was there for me to see… • I want to be known as Dr bhOndOO.
Memories can be really weird... there are few that can lift Fourth year of PhD:
my heart up to kiss the heavens, but many that pull me • I want to finish PhD!
down into a quagmire... Only when I need them the least • My industry-friends have two children by now. When
do they surface through the mind… There are memories will I get married?
that bring a smile on my face no matter when they are
brought up, then there are others that I wished I could Fifth year of PhD:
forget simply because they speak of a better time… With • Why did I come here?
people who were the centre of my world… With whom I • Why did I choose this advisor?
had imagined a bright future… fool that I was at the time • Why did I choose this topic?
when I made them my raison d’etre… Never did I pause
to think, was I the same for them? Time has given me Sixth year of PhD:
my answer. Maybe I deserved it for jumping headlong • Someone give me a degree!
into things without thinking seriously about future which • I want to leave this place — for ever.
I should have… but then, every mistake becomes visible
• Let me leave.
in retrospect and not when you are committing it… and
in spite of seeing everything, I make my mistake again…
Seventh year of PhD:
like a moth to the fire drawn… I wish there was somebody
to sweep the dead leaves off the lane completely. I wish • People call me uncle (aunti).
the leaves would never fall from the trees and stayed • She (He) waited and finally married someone else.
green forever. Thunder clouds gather on the horizon, and • I don’t want any degree. I just want to live
I start looking around for cover from the deluge to come, peacefully.
wishing I had the will to never step into the lane...

First Day that a plane, my father has bought me one, but it doesn’t
fly it only rolls on the ground. No, that is not a plane, but
it is the building which your father is constructing it looks
like plane from top. People like me will make planes here
Shashiprakash Singh (Student, AERO) when it is complete.
Entering the office Manohar asked, I hope he hasn’t

Hey see there is a small boy wondering around the bothered you much. Manohar, your boy has great
construction work, said one of the workers, catching his curiosity to learn and looks like he is more intelligent than
coworker’s attention. He lives in our colony. Oh! He is an average boy of his age. Why don’t you put him in the
Manohar’s son, we should inform him. They went running school for studying? No sir, I don’t think we can provide
to Manohar( the mason) and told him about his son. Raju him education, we keep moving from one place to other
was 5 years old and the naughtiest boy in the worker’s with construction work, education is not our cup of tea.
colony. His small feet were like his little wings, to which he He will join me in the work when he grows up. Manohar
never gave rest. When workers informed Manohar about you are such a good mason and you never had a house,
his son, he was surprised at first but then admitted it was think of your son he can study and have a house and a
getting hard to keep him at home. “Father…” shouted job in the future. I don’t think you know but my father
Raju, seeing his father coming and he ran to him and was a farmer, he wanted me to study. He helped me and
said I was looking for you. Mother had told me that I can I worked hard to rise. Now he feels so proud of me and
find you here. Son, it is dangerous here, the construction feels satisfied as he has done his duty. It will be good
work is going on and you might hurt yourself. Son asked: if you put him to school he is at the right age to join
Can I work with you? Father replied: No son you are too school. Please think about it. Engineer was a good man.
small, I will teach you to work when you grow up. Now All the workers liked him because of his friendliness and
please go home, I will see you at lunch time. his humility.
Will it make any difference if he studies? Asked Manohar
The site engineer interrupted by asking, How is the work to himself. He looked at the engineer and thought about
going Manohar ? We need to hurry up. Yes sir, we have how prosperous he was. If his father hadn’t put him in
been working hard and we have got hold of the schedule. school he would also have been working somewhere like
Looking at the boy he asked: Is he your son? Yes sir, he me. It will surely make a difference if I put him to school,
came wondering to me. I am asking him to go home. It and he went to bed with much peace to rise only with
is soon going to be lunch time so I will take him to my much of hope and dreams.
office. When you are going for lunch, take him with you.
Thank you sir, I will get back to work. Be a good boy and Manohar, can I talk to you for few minutes, asked the
do not trouble sir, said Manohar while leaving. Manohar engineer. Sir I was also looking for you. Manohar, if you
was a very sincere and dedicated worker. His love for want to put your son to school than I have found a school
work was reflected in his pursuit of perfection. This surely where one of my friend is a teacher. He has also told me
had been observed and known by the engineer. He made about this organization which helps the needy students
every wall as if he was making his own house, though he for education. Whatever expenses come at the time of
never had any. He always lived in the temporary housing admission I will be most honored to help you with. This is
provided near the construction work, moving from one right time to take decision as all the schools are opening
place to other and from one city to another. from the next week and your son is at the right age. Sir, I
was thinking about it last night and I have decided that I
After few steps of silence towards his office, the engineer would like him to study and become an engineer like you.
asked Raju his name. Rajesh, said the boy cheerfully, I am very happy that you have taken the right decision
everybody calls me Raju. Why are you not playing with Manohar. We do not have much time, we must go to
the other boys in the colony? I was playing hide and school today. We will go there during lunch time, I will
seek. I hid myself in the bushes near the colony, I wasn’t talk to my friend and then we can meet the principal.
found for some time and therefore I came here to see
father. This is not fair, they might be still looking for you, It was the first day of the school, reopening after summer.
said the engineer. You be seated in this chair I have some There was a wave of enthusiasm in the air, as everyone
work to finish. Raju keenly observed the engineer as he was going to a higher class and meeting their friends after
proceeded with his work. He couldn’t resist his curiosity vacation. Standing at the gate of the school, Manohar
and asked…are you watching TV? No, this is a computer; had mixed feelings of happiness and nervousness. On
we can draw the buildings here. Come and see here…Is the opposite side, Raju was excited to go to the school,

raring to have this new feeling in a new atmosphere and the convergence of the seemingly disparate domains
adventurer as he was. The engineer told Manohar that of science and spirituality. Prof. Capra has highlighted
they will have to go and drop him up to his class. They the pivotal importance of (holistic) systems’ thinking as
took him to his class and Raju joined the other students. against (divisive) mechanistic thinking, epistemic science
His father wished if he could sit at the back of the class as against objective science, thinking in terms of process
and watch his son take lessons. as against structure, bootstrap (web) philosophy as
against fundamentalist perspective and last but not the
Take this, shouted one of the workers while throwing least ‘Being in sync with Nature’ as against ‘Domination
a brick at him to be built into a wall. He came out of and control of Nature’.
his thoughts. He couldn’t resist the thought of his son
studying, as it filled his heart with happiness. He also It is an interesting prospect to compare modern scientific
remembered what engineer had told him: we have to work attitude to the attitudes of mystics, and here we
hard. The inauguration day of this building is nearing. You encounter one of the significant differences between the
might not know but this college has produced so many two. Mystics are generally not interested in approximate
thinkers, leaders and researchers for our country. This is knowledge. They are concerned with absolute knowledge
India’s best colleges for higher education. This institute involving an understanding of the totality of existence.
will be completing hundred years this May. Being well aware of the essential interrelationship of
all aspects of the universe, they realize that to explain
He wondered about hundred years and the first day of something means, ultimately, to show how it is connected
his son at school!!! Placing the brick in his hand to finish to everything else. As this is impossible, mystics often
the wall that he was constructing, he said to himself “To insist that no single phenomenon can be fully explained.
hundred years of education”. Rather than explaining phenomena they rather endorse
the direct, nonintellectual experience of the unity of all
The story presented itself while coming back from the things. In such a scenario, what makes it possible to turn
airfield, towards the digital library. The main road was the bootstrap or web philosophy into a scientific theory
blocked by the aluminum sheets and I had to take a detour is the fact that there is approximate knowledge. If one is
through the workers colony. The story ironically reflects satisfied with an approximate understanding of Nature,
the state of the uneducated men and their families, who one can describe selected groups of phenomena in this
are indirectly part of this centenary year celebration of way, neglecting other phenomena that are less relevant.
Higher education in India. Thus, one can explain many phenomena in terms of a
few, and consequently understand different aspects
of nature in an approximate way without having to
understand everything at once. This insight is crucial to
all of modern science and it represents the paradigmatic
shift from truth to approximate description.
Science and Spirituality
As an illustration, one of the overlapping areas of
research in the plausibly dichotomous domains of
science and spirituality is ‘frequency’. We often use the
Balasubrahmanyam (Student, MGMT), idiom that “their frequencies do not match” to indicate
Deepak Paramashivan (Student, MGMT) differences of opinion or understanding between
K.R. Raghavendra (Student, CSA) two or more persons. Perhaps, with a subtle intuitive
A. Indumathi (Student, MGMT) understanding and subliminal comprehension that
we are able to feel the frequency differences between
H.S. Sudhira (Alumnus, CST/MGMT) ourselves and other persons and that these individual
S. Shyam (Student, MGMT) frequencies are uniquely different from one another akin
to different thumb impressions. Each person vibrates
Whether it is the extrospective (outward-looking) at a completely individual electromagnetic frequency
modern science or the introspective (inward-looking) of angstrom units (light waves) per second. When that
science of the soul, but for a change in the direction of frequency is raised or increased, the physical body is
inquiry, the underlying scientific outlook is one and the not visible to another person’s physical vision. When the
same in both the cases. This article is about science and frequency is again lowered or decreased, the physical
spirituality. It gets its inspiration from myriad sources body becomes visible to the physical eye. Perhaps, it is
of authority like Prof. Fritjof Capra who have made by virtue of the very same laws of physics; like Einstein’s
immense contributions to the world’s understanding of law of mass-energy equivalence, Max Planck’s quantum

theory of wave-particle duality; that ancient saints few species of animals disseminate the information across
used, to “manipulate their Light frequencies” to appear other species as well, thereby reducing the fatalities to a
and disappear (materialize and dematerialize) at will. great extent. While animals exercise their latent capacity
Perhaps, it is because of the same practical wisdom that to manipulate their light and sound frequencies to capture
even today, we witness several saints demonstrating the the impending disasters, we humans do not. The tragic
feat of levitation, defying the law of gravity and able to thing is that we don’t even believe in our own hidden
manipulate their mass into energy and vice-versa. potential to replicate these acts let alone start honing
these latent talents. Perhaps, we have to strike a balance
It is a known fact that, even today, US police take the between the extrospective and the introspective branches
help of ‘mediums’ in locating missing persons or tracking of science so as to effectuate the entelechy of synergistic
mysterious murderers and succeed in their missions. benefits emanating from such an eclectic approach.
These clairvoyants by virtue of their ESP (extra-sensory
perception) transcend the spatial and temporal barriers A study of our ancestors however shows a different
and help the police by their tele-tracking skills. The fact picture. At a time when supposedly there were no cranes,
that they do it as a part of their humanitarian efforts our forefathers could lift or elevate such huge stones in
to alleviate and ameliorate the lives of desperate people the erection of the gigantic pyramids of the Egypt. In the
in dire need prevents them from taking such issues for Mahabharat period, concurrent birth of 100 Kauravas to
commercial purposes or for purposes of popularity is Gandhari, by means of gene-manipulation was a feat of
worth noting. On similar lines, musical yogis of the yester- genetic engineering in the yester-millennia. Contrary to
centuries like Tansen could bring about rainfall, lighting the skepticism from some quarters about the scientific
of lamps by “manipulating the Sound frequencies” in a and engineering progress of our forefathers of the
rhapsodic manner. Several ancient temples (e.g., Hampi) yester-millennia, many temples and structures studded
and forts (e.g., Golconda, Gol Gumbuz) stand testimony with technological wisdom still stand as live testimony
to the profound knowledge of acoustics exhibited by our to their technological knowledge, scientific temper, and
ancestors. mathematical precision. For example, the Mohenjo-
daro excavations unearthed several human skeletons
Our ancestors’ auric wisdom is manifested in the subject to brobdingnagian amounts of radiation. Going
idioms and phrases coined by them hundreds of years by the carbon half-life of these skeletons, their awestruck
ago, much before the invention of the so-called Kirlian postures in the face of death and the amounts of
photography. A few such phrases are: ‘He is green with radiation they were subjected to, an atomic war should
envy’; ‘She has a red hot temper’; ‘He is a yellow coward’; have happened nearly four thousand years ago. Even
‘She has the blues’; ‘He is in a black mood’; ‘He felt a after these evidences coming to light, if one thinks that
purple passion’. The neoteric Kirlian photography just our ancestors did nothing more than mere indulgence in
confirms the projected matching of auric colours with cow-grazing or some mundane cultivation or the like, one
the respective (transient) states of the mind in all these is sadly and grossly mistaken.
classic idioms. People never ask themselves why they
make such observations. Does a person’s face actually Several millennia before the invention of telescope, our
turn the colour green when he / she is envious or jealous ancestors exhibited tremendous amount of astronomical
– brick red when angry – yellow when afraid – blue when knowledge right from the prediction of eclipses to capture
depressed – or black when melancholic and revengeful? of the speed of light apart from clinching the heliocentricity
Of course not. When people use such phrases to describe of our planetary system. Raja Jai Singh of the 17th century
someone’s mood or temporary state of mind they are A.D built five astronomical observatories in five cities of
either seeing these colours in the person’s aura with un- India, each with fourteen different chronometers meant
guessed, Third Eye Vision – or they are responding to the to gauge various planetary motions across time. We can
ancient knowledge and wisdom still inherent in what is find such sun sign knowledge being encapsulated in the
called “the mass, collective subconscious”, containing the twelve pillars of the Vidyashankara temple in Shringeri,
matching of certain colors to certain emotions as revealed with the respective pillar alone getting illuminated by
in the forgotten rainbow of the auric sheath or egg. sunlight during the respective sun sign duration of over
a month’s time.
Notwithstanding the precision of the sophisticated
equipment of the modern times we live in, many times, The world’s first dam and that too the world’s first
we often fail to anticipate the imminent earthquake or cementless (glueless) dam Kallanai built by Raja Karikala
Tsunami resulting in millions of human fatalities while Cholan, on River Kaveri in Tamilnadu during 2nd Century
some organisms (like a few birds and mammals, by virtue AD, speaks volumes for the civil engineering prowess of
of their visible frequency range) manage to escape such our forefathers. There were many cities that stood as
a catastrophe. By means of symbiotic networking, these the beacons of architectural excellence across the globe.

For example, Dwaraka, the submerged city was one of be foolish to remain oblivious or struthious to such an
the seven ancient cities in the country. It had six well- all-round development those days. Still, nothing is lost
organized sectors, residential and commercial zones, forever, once we hone our latent talents to capture the
wide roads, plazas, palaces and many public utilities. A frequencies of all the events that happened till date by
hall called “Sudharma Sabha” was built to hold public accessing Akashik records which remain intact for all the
meetings. The city also boasted of having the possession times to come, as per the spiritual literature. Scientists
of a good sea harbour. The recent under-water studies, agree in principle that all such frequencies across various
conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India, reveals time periods can be captured somehow.
the existence of the city dated to the second millennium
B.C. Modern science keeps evolving every few years, with new
revisions and refinements to its own primordial theories. To
The recent Sanskrit-to-English translation done by the quote Louis Pasteur, “Science advances through tentative
Aeronautical Society of India of the ancient VAIMANIKA answers to a series of more and more subtle questions
VIGNANAM, originally written by the saint Bharadhwaja, which reach deeper and deeper into the essence of natural
speaks volumes for the humongous scientific and phenomena”. For example, scientists took a long time
technological progress made by our forefathers during to realize that plants have life, later some more time to
the yester-millennia. In this volume, there were recognize that plants breathe, subsequently understood
detailed descriptions of different kinds of multi-purpose after some more time that plants are pulsatile i.e., plants
aeroplanes, studded with umpteen scientific devices and are capable of grasping the emotions and events that
weapons, various electric gadgets, multi-fuel engines happen in their vicinity. Most of these phenomena looked
with a provision to switch over to solar power during like noumena till the invention of devices that can capture
flight etc. Even by a cursory glance at the range of topics these subtle realities. It is only after the invention of
covered and the depth of coverage, one can see for instruments like Crescograph by Prof. J.C.Bose and others
oneself that it was indeed an authoritative treatise on that the scientific community started admitting several
aero-dynamic navigation and not any account of mere subtle facts about plants. It would indeed be shocking
scientific fiction. Just because the technical terms used for them to come to grips with the way our ancestors,
are not comprehensible to our generation does not mean millennia ago, could converse telepathically with plants
that it was just wild imagination without any productive to recognize their medicinal properties. At a time when,
content in it. there were no sprawling laboratories, they were relying
on such an extra-sensory perception (ESP) to capture the
Such historic events and relics corroborate the medicinal values of pertinent herbs and shrubs in their
commonalities or the causal links between the principles attempts to cure various diseases. Even today, scientists
of the exoteric modern science and those of the esoteric admit, whether directly or indirectly, the utility of such
ancient science of the soul. traditional medicines. They are bound to be astonished,
if they further come to know that when the gardener
With the en masse death of scientists and technocrats in gives telepathic assurance (felt and conveyed from the
the great Mahabharat war of Kurukshetra, much of the heart, with no scope for bluffing) regarding the safety of
orally transmitted esoteric scientific knowledge was lost. the rose plants, they would not grow thorns at all, in due
Many Palmyra-documents got submerged or destroyed course of time.
in the subsequent catastrophe at the end of Dwapara
Yuga (Bronze Age). Few other Palmyra-inscriptions As long as modern science does not take into account the
were lost during the loot and plunder carried out by the critical sentient aspects of life and interconnectedness of
foreign invaders. However, some such tomes are still the universe, it will just end up with suboptimal solutions
available with Russia, Germany, UK and perhaps even and can never make rapid strides in research and unleash
China. When the Kohinoor Diamond, notwithstanding the the hidden potential of the cosmos for maximum benefit
fact that it is a part of the Indian heritage with proven of the humanity. The only thing, we need to do, is to strike
credentials, could not be brought back to India, how can a blend of introspective and extrospective approaches to
those ancient Palmyra documents whose existence and our scientific inquiries, without relegating either approach
ownership cannot be redeemed so easily be brought to the background. A truly scientific approach should
back to India? All these instances and evidences stand remain open to myriad perspectives till the surfacing of any
as sparkling witness to the pristine and all-round glory of clinching evidence that proves beyond doubt the futility
the yester-millennia of our ancestors across the globe. or absurdity of any particular perspective. Till then, the
benefit of doubt should prevail and an eclectic approach
When there was so much of multi-faceted scientific to research should be undertaken on an ongoing basis
and technological progress on various fronts, it would for reaping the economies of diversity and the synergistic
benefits emanating from such an approach.

Ideation and Innovation are the Mantra of the
Enlightenment Network of IISc
C.E.Veni Madhavan (Faculty, CSA and Chairman, SID)
Indian Institute of Science has always been a fountain- Lakshmi are being tolerated. There is an up-beat mood
head of ideas and innovation. Innovation is not merely a of ideation and innovation in the air.
much touted catch-word today. It is a much studied topic
in economics, management, science and technology, One of the note-worthy aspects of life in IISc is the
sociology and public policy. I have extracted an acronym small-talk about great books. In some sense, many of
out of the common word mindset, to denote the long our own ideas are shaped by those of other thinkers. In
phrase of ‘making inventions/ innovations and discoveries my formative years at IISc as a student, I had the good
in science, engineering and technology’. This article is fortune of getting healthy doses of both mathematics and
about the IISc mindset. biology. The first, through the formal faculty sermons, and
the second through the informal fellow student debates.
A profound question in the history of ideas is, ‘why Monod’s statement, “life is an accident based on chance
certain ideas that shape the course of human civilization and perpetuated by the necessity of chemical reactions”,
occur almost contemporaneously and at certain times’. in his “Chance and Necessity”, sets one thinking about
A simplistic answer is that when the societies reach the ultra-reductionism of science. A coffee table chat
critical epochs in physical growth and development, the then, led me to Gunther Stent and his “Coming of the
intellectual contributions bloom in an explosive manner. Golden Age: A View of the end of Progress”. Stent used
It is not possible to expand this theme, in this short breakthroughs in his science (namely the Discovery of the
essay, on which there is a vast literature based on the DNA), to argue that the achievements of modern culture
many human endeavours of arts, architectures, music, left that culture fulfilled but exhausted, with nowhere to
sciences, etc. I will draw upon certain thoughts expressed go. This thesis of Stent, in this wonderful book of 1969, is
by some leading luminaries who have argued along such thankfully outdated today. The human spirit or life force,
lines, in the style of in-line citation. elan vital as the French philosopher Bergson called it, is
surprisingly innovative. It always finds newer intellectual
There are many theories, backed by semi-formal, pursuits, newer intellectual challenges and newer ways
empirical and analytical models, extensively discussed by to solve the problems generated by itself. It sets up and
scholars in a recent book, “Perspectives on Innovation”, conquers worlds. This is unlike Alexander, who “when he
edited by Malerba and Brusoni. I bring to bear arguments saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were
to develop eventually an analytical perspective from the no more worlds to conquer” (a quote from Plutarch’s Life
point of view of graph (or synonymously network) theory. of Alexander).
My thesis is that the enlightened ambience of this fine
Institute has evolved and continues to evolve rapidly due In the mathematical theory of evolution of graphs or
to the twin factors of nucleation of a large number of networks, comprising a certain number of nodes and
ideas and the networks of innovation. This last aspect of edges formed randomly according to some probability
networks serves as a model today for many phenomena distributions, certain significant events such as large
on many systems. It also captures the emergence of an cliques, large cycles appear when certain threshold
intellectual renaissance of sorts. This renaissance has parameter values are reached. The rich theory of random
just begun in the early third millennium. There is an graphs, developed in the classic books by Bollobas, Harary
increased momentum in the body of the scientific asset and Palmer provide many plausible mathematical models
we have. There is an accelerating trend of diminishing for the study of evolution of phenomena on systems
borders between the natural and engineering sciences. modeled as graphs. On the other hand, the studies of
A concomitant rapid reduction in the thickness of the large-scale networks, in an aggregate sense, pioneered
dividing line between the pure and the applied (or better, by the recent works of Barabasi and others, reveal many
the applicable) is being witnessed universally. Finally, in quantitative network properties that correlate with the
the Indian dichotomous scheme of things, transgressions physical properties of the modeled systems. These two
between the territorial boundaries of Saraswathi and approaches provide versatile frameworks for concrete

studies on the idea networks such as IISc.
It takes at least two to form a collaborative network The Mother of Light

to exchange thoughts. But then the power of binary
propagation is that in a few exchanges, an exponential
number of nodes are reached. For example, a 64th power Kumari M.C. (Student, CPDM)
of two is about the number of instructions computed by
about 256 machines in a year, or much beyond the age of I sense a pair of eyes observing me,
the universe in microseconds. Imagine the exponentiality Following my thoughts, acts and ambitions.
of the number of paths and cycles in a dense thought I looked around seeking those,
network representing the possible ideations of just a few The sunshine eyes which make a hidden bond.
thousand people of IISc. There you have a rich soup of
innovations! I look at the horizon, beyond the ocean,
Hoping to reach its end one day.
Ideation and Innovation are the mantra of IISc’s I look at the sky, stars and the moon,
perpetual, tireless knowledge yantra. Ebullient thoughts Waiting to shine with them one day.
on deep Engineering and Science, constantly propelled Is that you who make me feel,
by federal and corporate munificence, are honed here to I am never alone in my thoughts.
perfection by many a global networking tantra.
I am not scared or uncomforted, but
Feeling secured under your gaze.
Who is that who looks at me,
I asked the wind, the leaves and flowers.
They whispered it’s the mother of light,

Of you and those who touch your lives.
Sonnet on Institution’s Bell- Strong and beautiful her mighty glow,
Happy and successful through her children.
Less Belfry OR Tata to All That She wanted you to be her wings,
The reason why she’s looking for you.
CRABIUS (Kanak Seshadri) I looked around and found the golden eyes,
This poem was published in Vol III No.1 Bringing sunshine all around the dark.
March 1980 of DRAG!! A lady holding a golden lamp,
The light from it awakened my heart.
Now, I see, the horizon , but,
Thou still unvarnished haunt of noisy rooks Welcoming me was a path of flowers.
Cawing alas, for no Tennysonian Maud; I looked at the sky, stars and the moon,
Thou towerest above a repository of books But a rainbow asking me to climb.
And aspire to learning, perhaps to God:
Below thee many a clerk and scholar bold. I walked and ran towards these path,
Full many “a young man carbuncular”, stroll But turned around to look at her.
And whiffling through the Hall Jabber-Walk Dons old, Those glistening eyes waving at me,
Devouring whole, stray students on parole. I heard through the breeze her sweet voice.
Now, thou art a tower of silence, thy Faculty Hall forlorn I’ll always be there, hope you know,
The fair nymphs departed, dead the “Vibrations” encore. But you are free, to grow away.
The Bandar_Log have retired, the watchman is at the
gate alone. Now that I have you, these children,
The prolix debates are over and like the raven I’m crazed about the world, the next century.
“Nevermore” I proceeded, but shall never forget,
Dear Belfry, ‘tis true thou hast not many bats pellmell. She who planted the seed of light.
But then, you also ain’t got now no, No.....bel.
I realize that her percepts exerted,
Everlasting influence upon the course of my life.

A Careful Foot wild creatures, especially when they are inconvenienced
in some way, by a snake that strays into their house
or by insects that invade their houses during the rains
or monkeys wrecking havoc in their usual way. It gets
Natasha Mhatre (Alumnus, CES) truly amusing when some of them hold us ‘CES people’
responsible for the nuisance animals and want us to
clean up the mess that we allowed them to make. (This
has really happened!)
Our campus is a peculiar and special place, where
people and their lives intersect with the lives of many We obviously don’t share a single view of what the role
other creatures. I’ve been on the IISc campus for many of a campus is meant to be. What are the functions
years now, a small fraction of the 100 years it is now that this space must fulfill? What are the things the
celebrating. For much of this time, I’ve been interested campus absolutely needs to provide us with and what
in the wildlife and ecology of this campus with its strange do we have the luxury of allowing it to do in addition?
urban situation and wildland atmosphere. I’ve done a In general, our views on this are determined by who we
lot of work here. I’ve worked with the Snake rescue are, administrators and researchers want better offices
volunteers for many years and tried to reinvigorate the and labs, folks who have houses here want better and
‘Green-gang’. I’ve been photographing campus wildlife larger living quarters with gardens and fewer pests and
and I’ve talked and written about the campus and its those of us who know about or work on campus wildlife
wildlife in many different places. want its habitat protected. These are not necessarily
conflicting interests, but they often are. It’s very easy
In this process I’ve been lucky to share many for me to take the moral higher ground and say that our
conversations with all kinds of IIScians, people from view is better, more correct in some fundamental way.
all levels of the IISc hierarchy. Opinions on the campus It would be easy to preach that our way is the way the
environment and its wildlife are incredibly varied. Most campus should be managed. I’ve certainly done it before
people seem to enjoy wildlife and are extremely excited and I’ll try not to here.
when they start to talk about all the things they’ve seen.
I’m usually quite scared to meet someone who enjoys I could also make lots of different arguments about the
wildlife while I’m shooting. It’s almost a guarantee that utility of a healthy ecology on campus. There truly are
we will be chatting a dime a dozen for the next hour or many, starting with simple things like how a healthy
so and absolutely no photographs will be made. There ecosystem ensures more tolerable temperatures and
are others though, people who get pretty angry with a higher water-table, progressing to more complicated
The campus can hold great

surprises for biologists who
care to look carefully This
cricket species, Prozvenella
bangalorensis, was discovered
on our campus and was first
described from here. So also
was a new ant species. Even
without discovering new
species, there is a lot of work
to be done. We know little
about many of the animals
that live here and there are
many exciting behaviours,
proteins and compounds
being found by researchers
working on campus wildlife.

Tree propping picture: Workers from the nursery work to prop up a tree that has fallen after a storm. But is this
a good idea for the local ecology? The answer is very complicated. If one compares old archival photographs of
IISc to the environment we live in today we realize that the entire canopy cover was non-existent then. Trees
are not the native local vegetation and we have actively restructured the area. Paradoxically, whether trees
have a positive or negative effect on local wildlife is not clear and the effects of such activities will need to be
examined much more carefully.
arguments of how natural environments such as these of the Earth’s other creatures. But what does all this have
have been shown to be good for creative thought by to do with the few creatures we have on our campus?
restoring our ability to pay attention to difficult problems. Aren’t their numbers rather small and the campus itself
I could make the very straightforward argument that rather small to be of any significance?
there is good science to be done here and why waste a
resource that has been so fruitful, for both ecologists and Humans now occupy as much as 95% of all landmass
also the occasional intrepid molecular biologist. These are available for life and we plunder the oceans as well. We
all perfectly good arguments, but I’d like instead to tell have the largest range of any species and it is unlikely
you about something different, an idea I’ve come across that we will be able to change land we have occupied
only recently, the idea of a careful foot. back to natural habitat any time soon. Only about 5%
of the world today has natural ecosystems, an amount
We live in interesting times. The world changes rapidly that is woefully inadequate to the task of slowing down
around us, perhaps more rapidly than it has ever before. the mass extinction we are facing. This is why Michael
The planet’s climate is changing and all over the world Rosenzweig, from the University of Texas, introduces
ecosystems are in decline. We are currently losing species us to the concept of reconciliation ecology. He suggests
at nearly a thousand times the background rate, a process that if we find ways for as many species as possible to
that has been labeled the sixth mass extinction. Global co-exist with humans then we can significantly increase
climate change and the concurrent mass extinction, the habitat available to the world’s biota. One of the few
neither of these are unprecedented events, but they have ‘general laws’ in biology suggests that as more and more
never happened in the lifetime of humans. Scientists do area is available, the number of species we find in those
not know whether we as a species have the capability to areas increases exponentially. Rosenzweig suggests
survive such vast changes and our chances of survival are that increasing the available area through reconciliation
reckoned to be rather slim without the support structure ecology improves the chances of slowing the extinction

rate to at least an extent, maybe, perhaps, enough to
prevent a mass extinction from occurring. Something that
will never be achievable unless this attempt is made.
Dare to Believe and Uplift
It takes us only a moment’s pause to realize that we
have been practicing reconciliation ecology on this Madhusudan Hulgi (Student, CHEMENG)
campus for a century now. We cohabit this land with a
wide suite of species. The numbers are without a doubt
impressive. Checklists compiled by different people
over the years estimate significant diversity over many
taxa: 161 birds, over 96 ants, 87 butterflies, nearly 40 A kid was playing marbles, not confident of himself,
crickets, the list goes on. While we contribute rather wondering whether he would win his game or not. The
directly to the project of reconciliation, we are also long- movement of his body was a reflection of his parents.
lived existence proof that this can be done. We have The marble accidentally fell from the terrace to the
been carrying out a very successful experiment in our ground on which was a fire lit by the villagers. He further
backyard for the last century along with the others in our cried seeing the marble on fire and the flame of fire
labs. Many others and I believe it would be worthwhile to mysteriously conveyed to him a message: “Be like me; I
continue this experiment, not only in the direct interest am not attached to diamond or marble, both are same.
of conservation, but also as a great example for others I know how to burn and at the same time give light
to follow. There are, off course, as I have said before and warmth”. The boy was amazed at the clarity which
other benefits to this exercise. We live in a much more showered on him.
pleasant and equilibrated environment compared to the
average Indian as a result, a benefit that should not be Actions are an expression of ones thoughts and thoughts
sold short. are an expression of ones belief system. To change ones
actions, it is necessary to change ones thoughts and to
But, there are also challenges to be faced in co-existing change ones thoughts; one must change ones belief. If
with wildlife. Co-existence with animals is not a passive you have a limiting belief, then your life will be limiting; if
process. It means that we must make modifications to you have a powerful belief, then your life will be powerful.
our behaviour that actively promote the presence and All successful people achieved success because they
well-being of as many species as possible. Specific consistently held a positive belief, which is not a mere
planning must be directed towards these goals and there thought but something, more than a thought. Stephen
will be actual associated costs (But if you consider it for Hawking is physically challenged but he is one of the
a moment, there are also direct and indirect costs to greatest scientists of the century. Beethoven was hearing
the eradication of all life). Co-existence means we must impaired and still composed some of the masterpieces in
forgo certain immediate gratification, and generate less music. Michael Jordan was shown the door from his high
waste, worry about where we put what we do create. It school team saying that he was not fit for the game but
means we must be careful of what we allow to flow into his phenomenal speed and unquenchable competitive
our water bodies. It means we must find ways to resolve desire made him the best basket player of the world.
human-animal conflict, learn to deal with nuisance Walter Disney was ridiculed by newspaper because he
animals in ways that are not harmful to the whole lacked imagination and had no original ideas, but his
ecology. It means we must accept that certain activities innovative skills made him the father of Disney land.
will not be possible or at least quite difficult on campus. Abraham Lincoln failed in business twice, had nervous
We must be extremely careful not to destroy unique and breakdown and was defeated in 8 elections but his never
species-rich habitats.We must recognize that what we to give up attitude made him the president of the United
as humans have a large and often detrimental effect States.
on our immediate surroundings. We have an ecological
footprint and only a careful foot can avoid trampling the They all came from the powerful belief of ‘I can’ rather
world into oblivion. than ‘I can’t’.
Text & Photo: Natasha Mhatre The source of one’s action is one’s belief.

Poetic Corollary: Parallel poems
Mario, M.E. student, had written a poem when he had 47 days remaining to finish his stay
at IISc. This poem was published in Jun 2008 issue of Voices, IISc Newsletter. Krishna Kant,
M.Sc. student, modified the poem to suit M.Sc./Ph.D. students. Both the poems are given
below.
47 Days (for M.E. students). 1047 Days! (for Ph.d., M.Sc. students).
by Mario Pinto. by Krishna Kant Agarwal.
I count and recount, I count and recount
There must be something wrong. There must be something wrong
Hopelessly, Hopelessly,
for a miracle I long. for a miracle I long
I whine, I cry, I whine, I cry
I bang my feet. I bang my feet.
Finally, Finally
I give up in defeat. I give up in defeat.
From home, to home, From mess to lab,
I prepare to go. I prepare to go
My heart is really heavy, My heart is really heavy,
You Know? You know?
So little time, So little work
left in Bangalore, done for the project
47 Days, 1047 days,
… and I’ll be out of your door. …and I’ll be empty in my pocket.
Even in my wildest dreams, Even in my wildest dreams,
I never thought, I never thought
..of time so sweet, Of a time so terrible,
and the experiences it brought. …and the experiences it brought.
He had so much He had so much
for me reserved, for me reserved,
Even though non of it Even though non of it,
I deserved. I deserved.
My Heart was free, My heart was free,
My Mind philosophized, And now never will be
My Body danced, My mind crashed,
My soul Rejoiced. by studies I cherished
I Praise you God, My body ached,
for showing me Paradise, and My soul got perished.
Should you call me now, I praise you God,
Satisfied, I shall gladly close my eyes. for showing me such a “paradise”
May these 47 days pass, Hopefully, should you call me now,
like the years: The last two, Hurriedly!!, I shall close my eyes.
where each day had May these 1047 days pass,
its unique vibrant hue. like the years; first I can’t remember
Bless Me, Curse Me, where each day had,
or just Ignore! lost its value as a mere number.
47 DAYS, Bless me, Curse me,
AND ILL BE OUT OF YOUR DOOR!!! or just Ignore!
1047 days, it seems
I’LL BE NEVER OUT OF YOUR DOOR!!

The Last Bencher
Adwait Godbole (Student, MCBL)
He was one of the back-benchers, not because he was not his car… The monster within his bosom gave a mighty
interested in what was going on but rather because he roar of indignation and bared its fangs. He had to move
got a bird’s eye view of people from where he was sitting. fast, he could not loose a single moment; his heart was
There she was, on the first row of chairs, the sunlight racing as he closed the distance between him and her.
catching the beautiful shade of her brown colored hair. He He was right behind her now. “Excuse me”, he said, “you
liked the way the earrings in her ears flashed in the soft dropped your pen back there”. She looked back at him
sunlight. His hands invariably picked up the pencil and and blinked in the sunlight. She vaguely remembered his
before he knew it he was sketching an indelible image face but could not place it. “Thanks”, she said and was
of her, as much on the paper as on the untouchable gone before he could say anything else. He watched with
canvas of his memory, in colors that were known only ever increasing rage as she practically ran to him and got
to his imagination. The professor was going on about into the car. He must have been lost in those thoughts for
torques, tensors, vectors and what not. He couldn’t wait quite sometime and was brought out of his red haze by a
for the class to end. He had decided – he would speak to piercing pain in his palm, and when he looked down, he
her today, come hell or high water. But somehow every noticed the pencil in his hand snapped in two. Gathering
time he made up his mind and his courage, something his senses, he moved away and slowly started walking
or the other would happen that ruined all his plans even towards the library. There was a Maths Olympiad coming
before they took off. Like for example last week, she was up and he wanted to do well in it. He shook his head as
standing right in front of him in the line at the canteen, he walked to clear his thoughts and decided to get over
and he had just opened his mouth to utter a hello when his feelings for her; it was going nowhere and leading
his mobile rang; some officious upstart from an obscure him into bouts of depression. He had enough on his
bank wanted to ask him some inane questions and by the plate already. He threw himself into the preparation and
time he had ticked him off, she had made her purchase kept his mind occupied with a fierce dedication. It was
and moved to join her friends. Her friends… how much a few days before the Olympiad when it had all started
he envied those girls and was downright jealous of the happening and looking back now he wished he had never
guys… especially that two-faced, pretentious fellow who went down that stone path.
acted holier-than-thou in her presence, but he knew
what he was really, what his true image was. How much He was lost in his own thoughts, and happened to look
it pained him to watch her respond to his comments, his up to a sound of pen repeatedly scratching on paper.
jokes and his “innocent” demeanor. Well it was true that The gods must have been smiling down upon him or he
he was rich, had a bike, was good looking and knew how was just plain lucky because there she was sitting on
to play people’s emotions with his conduct. And that was one of the stone benches, her hair cascading down her
what made him an adversary, a very dangerous one at shoulders and a look of extreme indignation on her face
that too... Because whether he liked it or not, he lacked as she balled up a piece of paper and tossed it down
all that – he was neither rich nor was he an Adonis nor to join its fallen comrades. She looked up and saw him
could he manipulate people; but he had a good heart, standing dead in his tracks. Sense told him to ignore her
a heart that sang true for the people he cared for and and move on, but the heart rarely if ever listens to the
would go the extra mile to help... But the problem was, mind and before he knew it, he had raised his hands
she did not know anything of this – her world and mind and waved to her. To his surprise she waved back and
space was occupied by that devil with an angelic face like a man enchanted, he found himself walking towards
and a mind to mismatch. The bell shattered his reverie her. “Hi, did not recognize you the other day. Aren’t you
and people started making a bee-line for the door. He the guy who sits on the last bench?” He cringed within
got up hurriedly and stuffed everything pell-mell into his – what a way to know me... last bencher! “Yeah”, he
satchel and followed his classmates’ example. He caught managed to say, “Do you want any help with that? Its
up with her just as she was reaching the first steps of looks like something that I can crack.” He knew the
the building. Thankfully she was alone… but there he solution the moment he had seen the problem. It was
was, waiting at the gate leaning suavely on the hood of something he had been working on a few days back as a

part of an assignment. He cracked it in no time and went with her. As he was crossing the portico, he overheard
on to help her with the rest of the assignment. Time flew a couple of her friends talking in slightly raised voices
for him when he was with her. Her mere presence was that carried easily on the thin night air. What he heard
enough to transport him onto another plane. He liked it made his legs turn to jelly. He stood rooted to the spot
the way she smiled at his jokes, the light touch of her and strained his ears to hear more. The topic changed
fingers when she wanted to tell him something, when she and he slowly made his way back to his house. He did
specifically sought him out in a crowd to tell him of an not seem to remember the walk back, the near missed
incident or share a joke which only they could appreciate. collisions with the vehicles or when he opened the door,
And against all his better judgments, he let himself be flung himself on the bed and willed himself to sleep.
pulled along in his relationship with her. He sought her Nightmares plagued his mind as the clock ticked by. The
company whenever he could and went into a brooding morning brought no respite or light to his dark mind that
silence when she was not free to spend time with him. had suddenly gone blank with shards of pain thrusting
She became the centre of his world and his expectations into his consciousness. He was oblivious to physical
went up a notch when she invited him to her birthday pain, his mental anguish blinding him. He searched for
party at her house. Thoughts started running through an answer, but came up with memories that he tried to
his head – does she like me? shall I tell her about my push down in vain. He knew he had taken the fall, had
feelings? will she say yes? what if she refuses? With allowed himself to be led when he should have known
these thoughts in his mind he dressed in his only pair of better. It was summer outside but a cold blistery winter
formals and started from his house. On the way he got rushed through him now, wounds that bled of their own
her an elegant brooch that he had been saving up for accord and an irrational wish that he could be insensitive
to give her. He saw no other better occasion. With his to human emotions occupied his thoughts.
head held high, a song on his lips and his heart fluttering
like a butterfly he walked all the way to her house. The He went about his daily tasks like an automaton.
rows of gleaming cars outside her house and the tailored Attending classes, preparing for an exam, and running
suits alighting from them made him freeze in his tracks errands for his mother. For him the world had dissolved
and do a rethink on whether he wanted to go inside. into a shapeless mass of black and grey. He responded
Suddenly his departmental store formals made him feel to questions like an answering machine. The simple act
underdressed. He had nearly turned around and walked of having food became a torture to him, every morsel
back when he caught a glimpse of her through the brought up memories of the lunches that he had shared
window. How beautiful she looked in that evening dress, with her, their absolutely pointless trips to the canteen
with her hair let loose and one hand poised elegantly in which were just an excuse to stay in her company. Of
midair. Gathering up his courage he walked the gravel how he used to adjust his lunch timings so that he would
path and entered the house. The hall itself would have still be having lunch when she was free. The way he used
held two of his houses. He looked for her in the crowd to eat slowly so that he could join her for lunch when her
and made his way towards her. Smiling like a kid who has classes got over. Oh, God! Hunger brought on an anguish
the world’s greatest gift in his hands he went up to her. that was both mental and physical. He started avoiding
“Many, many, happy returns of the day, you are looking doing chores in the house because invariably they would
very beautiful.” For an instant her smile faltered a bit as involve walking through streets in which his monsters
she took in his appearance, maybe he saw the change in lurked, ready to spring like memories that would bring
her expression and regretted coming in. But the thought stinging tears to his eyes... How much he loved calling
passed through him for a fleeting moment as his senses her up to ask if she was free to do a bit of shopping. She
swam when she thanked him for the gift, as she shook did not even let him finish the question before saying
his hand and held for one moment too long. She moved yes. He knew he could shop on his own, but somehow
away and he did not notice as she carelessly allowed it to her company added that extra vigor to his step, distances
slip through her hands and fall beneath the table. Maybe melted when she was with him. One day she had asked
it was his fortune that he did not, if that had been the him if he wanted to go shopping with her. He had an
case his world would have shattered around him. Maybe exam coming up, but he knew he could manage and
it should have, it would have saved him a lot of pain later had readily said yes. The place was quite far away and
on. But fate had decided to play its cruel hand and he she had asked if he minded the distance, to which he
slipped into a false sense of being loved by her. He tried replied, “For you, the end of the world and the deepest of
to catch her eye throughout the evening but somehow trenches.” And he had meant it in earnest. At that time he
she was always engaged in talking to somebody else. was ready to face whatever the world threw at him. He
The evening was drawing to a close and he slowly made was not a talkative person, but the silent, pensive listener
his way towards the door, not having had a single word who preferred to let people do the talking, but he had

these sporadic bursts of saying things when he was with but never the wounds. He started avoiding her, stopped
her. He never had thought himself to be capable of such talking to her, became brusque when asked a question,
eloquence in his language. But somehow she loosened avoided her gaze and took care to not be seen at spots
the tight knots that gripped his throat in the company of he knew she frequented. He wanted to push her out of
other girls. He poured out his heart, his deepest wishes existence, to forget her. It was hard in the beginning.
to her. Trusted her, believed in her, loved her. He stopped Everywhere he saw, he found her – her SMSes in his
going out with his friends. He had several of them, but mobile, her favorite songs on his computer, even the
none close enough to let out his anguish, his pathos. trinkets he had chosen for her but would now never be
The few he had, wondered what was wrong but heavens gifted. All the material things could be ignored, but what
knows why they never approached him. Some did and of the indelible images that he had etched on his mind,
then backed off. He started building this shell around the scent of her perfume, the sight of her early in the
him, an impenetrable wall of loneliness and brooding morning, the way she moved aside the stray strand of
thoughts that ate him from within. His mind split into two a hair, the flick of her neck when she wanted to move
– one cried for solace, the other thrust more daggers into her hair on one side, her laughter that seemed to mock
an already dead mind by bringing on memories that he him now in his dreams and even when he was awake.
half-heartedly tried to push away. Like an acid tongued She was just about everywhere. You don’t need to die
devil, it spoke words not of solace but those that brought to see hell, everybody has a private version of it and he
forth her treachery. He was never close enough to his was living it and breathing it, every damned minute of
mother to go to her for counsel. She grew worried about his life now.
his bouts of silence. She knew that he was a quiet child,
had been since childhood. But not like this, not like a man “Dad, have you seen my mobile anywhere? I can’t find
possessed with a burden only he could feel. The vacant it.” He neatly folded the newspaper that he was reading
eyes seemed to be searching for something that was and was just about to get up, when he saw his daughter
beyond her comprehension. She asked him what was waving the “lost” possession gleefully. “I think your son
wrong, but he pushed the matter under the rug, always has a girlfriend… Check out his inbox.” “Richa! have some
citing one reason or the other – exams, assignments, bad sense of privacy!!” he said, as his daughter turned around
health. There were times when his mind would break free on her way out. Her eyes had that same devilish twinkle in
of the self imposed moratorium and he would become them as her mother’s, the same twinkle that had been his
aware of the things around him. The tears would flow sole sustenance as he had battled against the monsters
then, freely and without inhibition. The eyes dried up, in his brain as they threatened to extinguish his very

sanity. It was almost twenty years now. Twenty years of towards the puzzle section. He stole a glance once in a
mental anguish, retrospection, and a desperate crawl to while at her efforts to fill in the spaces in the Sudoku
free himself from the bonds that she had chained him puzzle. He wished he had gotten his paper along as
by. His memories, a prison, that he tried to break from. well. Nothing like a mind game to pass the time! The girl
Two decades of constant struggle, to push down the seemed to be mulling over a square and started chewing
memories that were triggered by the slightest of hints. A the end of her pencil. “5”, he blurted out and the flood
casual laughter of a girl on the bus back home, the flick gates opened... the stone path... the bench… she was
of a head, a stray strand of hair being tucked behind one sitting on it... an assignment that had to be solved. He
ear, threw open a flood gate of memories that he initially looked away.
found hard to suppress.
”Are you alright? You looked startled.” “Nothing, I am
He was thankful to his wife, for being found by her, fine, thank you.” The rest of the trip he kept to himself,
when he was tottering on the edge of a black bottomless staring straight ahead aware of the sideway glances of
abyss. How much easier it had seemed then to just let the girl. He got off at his stop.
go, to just give up and fall into oblivion. It was she who
had pulled him back. Slowly, gently, building up his trust Work kept piling up over the next few days and he could
and giving him time and space. After the self imposed barely make it to the last over packed sardine can of
moratorium he had slowly started coming back to a world a bus. Strangely he always found one seat beside the
that seemed to have passed him by after giving a cursory girl to be vacant. Conversation was to the minimum and
glance to his state and regarding him as a curiosity, a as demanded by courtesy. But as they say, a stone in
juicy subject for gossip. But as happens to most such the river wears down slowly with time and so did his
topics, he had been replaced as the star attraction by reluctance. The work load that day was very less, still he
somebody else. He remembered meeting her. It was a waited to board the last bus home. He saw her sitting on
December evening. A few days before that year ended. the usual seat and sat down himself. “You don’t look very
People were celebrating, happy voices filled with warmth tired today,” she said. “Not much work today. Most of it
carried on the frigid air. But none seemed to bring any was finished by afternoon,” he said and bit his tongue
warmth to his soul as he got on the last bus that took him as he realized his mistake. “Then you should have taken
home. He cared not for the cold outside. The constant the afternoon bus. That would have saved you a lot of
blistery winter within raged, fuelled by a voice that never trouble.” “But you don’t go by that bus, do you?” He had
seemed to keep quiet. In this same state he climbed in given himself away, revealed himself. She just looked at
to the bus and searched for a seat. Being the last bus him and looked away. The rest of the journey was spent
out it was full except for an empty seat beside a girl in silence, an oddly comfortable silence that conveyed
who was gently nodding off. He hesitated. Did he want to more than words as if both had said what had been on
sit there? She looked vaguely familiar. The last thing he their minds for a quite sometime. However the next day
wanted was someone from his circle recognizing him and he was in for a surprise as he found neither her nor an
restarting a fresh onslaught of gossip. But then it could empty seat. He did not see her for the next week or so.
just be his imagination. Shrugging his shoulders to shake He smiled sadly to himself. She was a good girl and would
off the cold as much as the thoughts, he went and sat have made a nice friend. He really needed one. Most of
beside her. She moved a bit to make some space for him. his earlier friends had either left him or time and distance
Muttering thanks, he took off the bag and stretched his had worn down contacts. He got used to going alone,
legs and prepared himself for the two hour ride home. sometimes standing up or sitting down if he got a place,
The bleak landscape passed by in the window frames of always keeping a place beside him if she came. But she
the bus. Single storied houses gave way to apartment never did. Three weeks passed thus. Twenty years on,
complexes as they entered the city proper. An occasional he could still remember that lazy February afternoon as
car was replaced by drivers honking their way through if it was yesterday. He was sitting in his office, hands
holiday mood traffic as if antediluvian monsters were behind his head, gazing up at the ceiling thinking about
chasing them. The cacophony of sounds and smells her. Someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” he said.
compelled him to ask the girl to shut the window. “Sure, “Hi.” He nearly dropped out of his chair. His heart did
actually I was thinking of the same thing but thought you a drum roll and his mouth went dry. She was standing
would mind my doing so.” He was in no mood for small there true as the sun. “Howadiedef…” mis-formed words
talk so he just gave a courteous smile and looked away. sprang out of his mouth as his senses tried to get a grip
Being a holiday, traffic was moving like treacle with traffic on things. “Sorry, did not get that.” “How did you find
jams being the order of the day. The girl after gazing out this place?” he asked composing himself. “You might not
for some time took out that day’s newspaper and turned remember but you told me your company’s name a long

time back.” “Please come in. Have a seat.” “Could we the bus and ran up to the window where he knew she
go out for a cup of coffee?” He picked up his bag and would be sitting. There she was, looking straight ahead.
they went to the nearby cafe. He waited for her to start. He banged on the side to get her attention. She looked
Somehow he still could not fathom as to why she had down, surprise registered on her face. She was smiling.
stopped coming by that bus and then directly landed in “I love you, too,” he was almost shouting now to get his
his office three weeks later. He was apprehensive of what voice above the engine. “What? I cannot hear you!” He
she wanted to say. “Didn’t see you for a long time,” he signaled the driver to stop.... She got off the bus and
said. “Yes. I need to tell you something. Do you promise came to him... “I am sorry” he said, “Foolish to have not
to give a frank answer to a question?” His heart leapt in seen something staring me in my face.. I love you too.”
his mouth. He had been thinking about this, toying with She threw her arms around him...The embrace seemed
this idea. But then experience had made him a wiser man to last for an eternity. Traffic came to a standstill. Claps
and he kept these thoughts light and just as a distraction, erupted from everywhere. She let go of him. Her eyes
never serious. “Go on,” he said. “The first time I saw you, were filled with tears. He wiped them. Hand in hand,
I somehow felt this heavy pall of gloom hanging over they walked away. Like ship wrecked sailors finding a
you, a great sadness that reflected in your eyes, in your shore, they had found each other, never to let go... After
actions. It was as if you were almost afraid to meet people a whirlwind romance they had tied the knot...
and make friends. I wondered what the problem was. But
as we started talking it felt like you were holding back on “What are you smiling about, mister? We need to leave
something. I knew we were not exactly good friends but for the party. I don’t want to be late.” He fell back into
just two people who had met by chance on a journey. the present, he didn’t realise he had a silly grin plastered
But somehow while talking with you, having you around, on his face, his wife was standing before him, arms
made me happy, a sort of relaxation after a hectic day akimbo, dressed for the evening. Oh yes, the party, now
at work. After some time I started looking forward to the he remembered. Perks of being an upper middle class
bus ride.” He just sat there, absorbing everything. Could man! “Yes madam, I am getting up. You look great.”
it be true? Was she......He wanted to believe it, almost “Thank you for the compliment, and now will his majesty
did, but his past experience surfaced, as painful as ever. please get up and get ready.” She still had that beauty
No, he told himself, he would not. She was going on, that had attracted him... She knew everything about him,
telling him about her past. He was surprised to find that but never brought it up until he himself started it. She
they had gone through an almost similar experience… He understood him. She was the pillar on whom he could
felt sympathy for her, but he held back all other feelings… lean. He got ready for the party and they left for the
It was surprising that she had such an optimistic attitude venue. They had reached on time. He parked his vehicle
unlike him... “I have to say something to you...” she said. and they alighted. The house was in an up market locality
He caught his breath. His heart was thumping in his ears. and the purchase was the reason for the party. The hosts
“I love you,” she said. He exhaled… There it was, out were known to them – a by product of their promotion
in the open... no one had said that to him before… he to the upper echelons of society. Champagne flowed
could not believe it… had he heard it right? He looked freely and so did gossip as tongues loosened. His wife
away... “You are a nice girl, but I have had my share of found some of her friends. He still had to adjust to the
disappointments. At present, I am in no state to commit. upswing and preferred to be alone. He drifted around
It’s not that I didn’t miss you, I did… But I don’t want to and found a quiet spot to lean against a tree. She was so
bite the dust again... Give me sometime…” Tears sprang happy, laughing freely, a hand kept casually on one of her
up in her eyes. “Does that mean...?” “No, no... it’s not friend’s arm. His thoughts slowly drifted into the darker
that. Please try to understand... Why are you leaving? regions. They did not hurt him so much nowadays, only a
Please…” She walked away, head bowed. And he had just dull pain. He was thinking about an incident at the airport
paid the bill and was left shocked. where a desk clerk had a profile and a hair style so much
like her. His breath had caught for a moment and he had
She had walked away but not from his thoughts… The ball looked away, forcing himself to not look that way. He
was in his court. Did he dare commit himself? He mulled glanced towards the gate and his world splintered like
over it... Was he ready for a relationship? The next day, glass. It felt like a block of lead had slammed into his
he left the office and started walking towards the bus stomach. A screaming set off in his head and the ground
stop, thoughts swirling through his head, a tug of war seemed to come up to meet him. How could it be???
that was going to a side. The bus had started to move. After so many years??? Why now??? What twisted game
He was running now. He knew what he wanted. Knew were the gods playing??? The air seemed to stifle him.
it, the moment he had started talking to her. How could He steadied himself against the tree and loosened his tie
he have been so blind? So foolish? He caught up with a bit. He needed a drink, a strong one at that! Downing a

Bloody Mary he searched for his wife. She was thankfully you?” she asked tentatively. “What do you think?” “Look,
still in conference with her friends and seemed too I am really sorry…I did not realize what I was doing.
preoccupied to notice the arrival of his nemesis like a I was young and foolish… Please forgive me… I can’t
blast from the past. He kept his fingers crossed. He did justify what I did was right…But I can ask to be forgiven
not want the two women to meet. Of course, she would by you. Twenty years I have spent, repenting for my
never recognize her, but what if a casual comment by one actions. Nightmares plague me. People, I thought to be
of her friends told her that she was here? He knew she my friends, left like rats leaving a sinking ship. The man
would not fly off the handle and have a showdown but he for whom I threw you into the ring cheated on me. That’s
just did not want her to see the face that had tormented when I realized how it feels to be cheated, to have your
him for so long, a face that he had so lovingly sketched trust trampled upon….” He stopped her in mid sentence.
sitting on the last bench, but now it all seemed a mockery “You think I will forgive what you did just because you
to him. He could not leave the party either because it went through the same experience? You deserved it.
would not look good to leave so early. In spite of his Things have a way of coming back. You think I will forget
promotion to the upper echelons he still had to climb the twenty years of being roasted in my pain and say, it’s
ladder there. He was not a veteran to come to parties alright? You haven’t repented. Not at all… Trust trampled
late and leave early. Caught between the “devil” and the upon? What do you know of trust? It sounds like a slur
deep sea, he decided to stay on but avoid her at all costs. from your mouth… Don’t you dare talk to me about love
Not knowing how she would react when she saw him, he either. I was a fool to have trusted my love into your
made serious efforts to make himself inconspicuous. He hands. You broke it like an infant breaks a toy, carelessly
did not keep himself in one place for too long, constantly and without any remorse whatsoever. How could you
moving around in a orbit that afforded him a clear view of
her but at the same time kept him well hidden from her
range of vision. His mind was a maelstrom of thoughts
and rage. Should he confront her? What would she say
after seeing him after so long? He had left abruptly,
not giving her the courtesy of a good bye, he had not
received her calls, he knew she was not calling because
she missed him because she wanted to confirm that he
had really gone away. Her emails went unanswered. How
fake were those words. She had actually taken him for a
fool. He had seen through her machinations. The sorrow
had been replaced by rage and then by hatred. However,
he managed to notice that she was unaccompanied.
A brief commotion stole his attention. A guest in an
inebriated state was being led away by the waiters into
the house. When he turned back, he had lost her in the
crowd. Cursing himself, he looked around but could not
see her. He looked at his watch and decided it would be
appropriate to leave. He went in search of the host to
thank him for the invitation and complete the societal
formalities of commenting on the beauty of the house.
He was looking around for him when he heard his name
being called out. Turning around he saw his guest waving
to him. What he saw next nearly took his breath away.
How could they know each other? Was it all a bad dream?
Why now? They were walking towards him. There was no
escaping now. He stood rooted to the spot. His guest was
introducing her to him, but all he heard was a cacophony
of sounds... Images flashed in front of his mind’s eye. Like
a film reel run amok, images and voices from a buried
past started screaming in his head. Regaining his mental
composure, he snapped back into the present. The host
had left them, she was looking at him. Like a frightened
Nursery (originally published in Platinum Jubilee
animal who had been dreading this day. “Hi, how are
Book) by M S Chandrasekar

be so cold hearted? So inhuman? All your friends knew
about it. And yet you carried on. I was treated like an
animal whom you made jump through the hoops to your
whims and fancies…You….”
An Alien
He was loosing it… Taking a deep breath, he composed
himself and went on. “That night after your birthday, I Harshavardhana Y. (Student, BIOCHEM)
heard your friends talking about it. Did you even open
to see what the birthday present was? How could you, Wondering through ,
since it was lying in the dustbin? The way you played space
me after that day, acting as innocent as a lamb. But this Silently
time, I was prepared for it. Earlier when you refused to Slowly
come to movies and shopping with me, you gave me an Jus’ near see though,
excuse that seemed so genuine. Later, I realized your The great cosmic dark ,
excuses were just that – excuses, so that you could cheat Sees me
on me. You were my first true love. Unfortunately it was As it always
With its expanding eyes did!
one sided. I lost trust in people after that. My friends
Me a blasphemer
could not understand me. I don’t blame them. The state Of great Hubble !
I slipped into, I was paranoid about everybody. Had I I come to a
not met my wife, God knows what I would have done… Halt
I pity you. Pity the state you are in… Thrown out by me Just to catch
and by the man for whom you destroyed me. Tell me, Light coming
how does it feel to live through it now. And do me a From a
favour – get out of my life... Forever… Leave me alone…” Desolate rock
He turned his back and walked away. He did not glance Brownish
Lifeless
back even once, did not see her collapse on the grass,
Yet
racked by sobs. He searched for his wife and found her Narcissism running
saying her good byes. They left. The night was cool. He In its craters
wound down the windows. A bleakness had started to A tear
spread through his mind. It felt as if the monsters within From my
him had just been reawakened and recalled from the pits Eye evaporating before
where he had thrown them. He clutched his wife’s hand Materializing !
as he tried to push them back. “Are you alright?” his wife Jogging my memories
was asking him. “Yes, sure…Just a mild headache.” He Strange for
An iconoclast
clutched the steering tightly. A cold rivulet of sweat ran
For the year is
down his forehead. Fearing his wife might ask too many 14885 AD
questions, he let off the grip from the steering. His wife’s me once a dweller
next question threw him off balance. “Who was that on that rock
woman whom you were talking to? Quite good looking which was blushing
I must say.” “Somebody whom I met long time back. in blue
Recognized me after a long time. I had totally forgotten now sapped to
her. Funny what time and distance can do to you,” he brown
replied nonchalantly. chunk
rock
yuck !
The road was winding. Both…, the one that ran under the for the year is
car and the one in his mind. One would come to an end 14885 AD
soon. The other was endless as always... me once a dweller on
that chunk
called Earth
now
I am
AN Entity
Living outside
The
EARTH

Making sudden landings in a smooth silky way,
On the spring trees shedding their leaves away,
It was the fleet of pastors that was a sight to watch,
In hundreds or more gliding away!
At times they flew over my head,
Sending a spark of happiness through my veins!
There were the kites as silent as ever,
Peacefully flying on their way,
Tiny Flower Peckers would chirp agitatingly at times,
At the site of Spotted Owls seated side by side,
The Robins were as alert as ever,
Flying away at the slightest sense of danger!
A few parakeets could also be spotted,
Eating away tiny fruits of the trees around,
These are my untold and unsung friends,
Making me happy day after day,
How lucky i was to come to this place,
And see happiness unfold onto me day after day!
Collared Scoops Owl: A beautiful small owl

Photo: Ashok Kumar (Student, CES)
Glory Way
Vikranth H. N. (Student, CPDM)
On the way to glory,

On the top of my S Block On the way to peak,
It is not a story,
You’ll find it if you seek.
They proclaim it’s been a century,
Mehul Raval (Student, ISU) Does it really matter?
It still remains a mystery,
On the top of my block beauty awaits, Since, there is a lot of light to scatter.
Which presents itself day after day, It is not just another institute,
Being unaware of the same day after day! It is a fountain of knowledge.
Finally one day i had a gaze at the same, It has its own charisma,
With the dense green trees all around, It is a synonym of Cutting-edge.
A few of which had flowers decorated on them, Like a lighthouse on the shore,
Also the main building was in sight, It steers the zealous student.
With the different hues of sunlight decorating the sky, Like a treasure with knowledge galore.
Also the clouds had a part to play, It endows the multitude prudent.
In making a picturesque sky! Step into the institution,
With the nearing of the dusk in the day, Only if you’ve the passion and desire,
The chirping of the birds added to the bliss, Since, success is not spontaneous combustion,
There were pastors(rosy pastors) maneuvering away, You have to set yourself on fire.

called Vibrations, and the magazine was left mostly to
the care of the other two, who were older and more
DRAG conservative. Much of the rather staid reportage was
about Vibrations, and this enraged members of the SC,
to whom this westernized cultural festival was anathema.
The issue was notable in one other respect. It lacked a
name, and the masthead was deliberately left blank. We
N. Gautham (Professor, University of had asked the previous editorial committee why it was
Madras) called DRAG, and they couldn’t tell us. Their mumbled
explanations about how the first editor may have been
When I joined the Institute in 1979, there was ferment an aeronautical engineer were not convincing. When it
in the student ranks. It was not universal, and large was pointed out to them that in slang ‘a drag’ means ‘a
swathes of the student community went about their work bore’, they replied that that was the whole idea, a kind
with mild amusement or, sometimes, exasperation at of self-deprecatory ‘insider’ joke. Another explanation for
the doings of their fellows. There was however a very the name was that the magazine was originally called
vocal and energetic group of student activists, many of ‘The Rag’, but over a few years had mutated to its current
whom were my friends. In the previous year and the form. We decided we needed a new name, and below the
year I joined, they dominated the Student’s Council (SC). blank masthead of our first issue we announced a DRAG
They organized strikes and demonstrations to demand renaming contest, with results to be announced in the
a greater role for students in the new admissions to next issue. After going through the contents of that issue,
the various programmes of the Institute. This of course which as I said were largely oriented towards the cultural
was then, and is now, the unquestioned and exclusive festival, one of the SC members angrily suggested that we
privilege of the faculty and the administration. The SC, rename it ‘Peeping Tom’, which happened to be the name
however, had secured a brief victory, when the Director of the daily newssheet brought out during Vibrations.
agreed to do away with the entrance exams for that The other suggestions that came to us in the subsequent
year, and rely solely on interviews for admission to the weeks were not much better, and in the second issue we
PhD programmes. Why the SC deemed this more just resumed the name DRAG, stating editorially that perhaps
and egalitarian is not clear to me now, but I remember this was the name that best described the ethos of the
being caught up in the excitement of having stood up to Institute.
the establishment. The Director appointed a committee
consisting of two senior professors and two nominees of The second issue was far better, chiefly, I think, due to the
the SC to go into the entire matter of admissions. The efforts of the youngest member of the team. For those
committee met several times and submitted reports and who may not know, there was at that time a large batch
did all the usual things committees do. There were also of students, who, after completing a Bachelor’s degree
many meetings between the students and the Director, in Science, joined the Institute for a three-year B.E.
during which hot words were exchanged. Finally as course. These students supplied most of the energy for
happens in such cases, the whole issue died a natural the student activities. The youngest member of our team
death. (One of the more cynical members of the SC was student of electrical engineering and he managed
described the eventual outcome as follows: ‘When you to obtain and digitize a photograph of the Institute main
complete one revolution, you are back at the starting building, which we printed using an electric typewriter
point’). When I was inducted into the editorial board of (actually a line-printer) and used as the cover page.
DRAG along with three others, however, the admissions This was revolutionary for that antediluvian time, and
matter was still alive. Since DRAG was nominally funded was well-received by the readers. The other contents of
by students’ fees, the SC, flushed with its ‘success’ in this issue were equally well-received, including a terrific
challenging the establishment, took charge of the eye-witness description of a Total Solar Eclipse which we
magazine and sternly instructed us to concentrate on were fortunate enough to experience. This was our best
matters of general interest to the student community, issue. By the time we brought out the third issue, the
and not just on literature and poetry and other such editorial board was reduced to three, with the youngest
dilettante stuff, which apparently had been the focus of member having finished his course. This was our final
the previous versions of the magazine. We tried! hurrah, and was something of a tired affair. Afterwards
we handed over charge to the next team and went back
The first issue was a disappointment, even to us. The two to our research. DRAG continued for two or three more
most energetic members of the editorial team were busy issues, but I did not see much of it as I approached the
at that time organizing the student’s cultural festival, end of my stay in the Institute. I thoroughly enjoyed
my stint as editor, and was happy when I was invited to

continue my ‘literary’ activities as a member of the team … of understanding the whys and the hows of science,
that brought out ‘Yellow Mag’. technology and people…
… of changing this world and making it a better place to
This unofficial, privately-financed gossip rag was the live in for everyone…
subversive brainchild of two or three fellow-students … of making a difference and being that change…
who are now extremely accomplished members of the
scientific establishment. The fortnightly gossip sheet was The quest had begun a long time ago and had taken
usually four pages long, copies were made overnight by several years of preparation and honing of skills. It had
cyclostyling and placed secretly at strategic locations begun in earnest and almost everyone was somewhere
around the campus. I contributed some articles to it and proud of their feats and achievements. It was not anybody
helped to print and distribute it. But the thing I liked best who could enter these hallowed buildings and walk on
about it was the party that accompanied the launch of the paths treaded by the most revered of academicians
each issue. in the country. It was a victory in itself to be in this place
and it was with pride that most used its name…
Then… came the years of frantic activity but very little

results. Pride gave way to confusion and misgivings…
Dreams turned to nightmares… Apprehension, low
morale and sagging emotions became the order of the
Dreams do come true… day! Excitement turned to fear… of doubting your ability
and dreading, even more, the chance that others may
see through the farce that was you… It was a dejection
Kumidhini Ravindra (Student, MGMT) that corroded your self-esteem and all your years of
achievements. The fears rose exponentially and so did
the desperation. You wanted to quit, but did not know
how … If friends asked, the answers were always the
Climb every mountain… Search every stream… same, “Things are moving… I am GETTING THERE!” But
Follow every rainbow… Till you find your dream! inside you wondered, “Is this what I wanted? Am I good
enough? Can I make it?”
A song from Sound of Music plays in the background
as you sit in front of the computer, feeding in data into Words failed to flow, papers were left unwritten… You
the database, validating and verifying it. Seems like read through the night, but found in the morning, you
mundane, uninteresting work… Just entering numbers couldn’t remember that seminal paper. It seemed like
and strings… Analyzing it… looking for possible factors the cat had caught your tongue and the devil had stolen
and patterns. You wonder… Is this what you wanted! your thoughts. But, where was that elusive result. Was
it only a chimera? If so then how did the others get past
You look around and see your colleagues. Everyone is this!
at different stages of their work, but all are slogging.
Most stay up nights reading up the latest literature, “Patience! Perseverance!” harped the guides and peers,
making notes and then trudge it out in the day at their “and lots of application and FOCUS…” Was it only you?
respective labs, setting up and completing experiments You were losing hope… Is this IT… Where was that pot
or analyzing data or validating and verifying results. It is of gold at the end of the rainbow… Was this the END of
back breaking, thankless work that seems self-inflicted. no end!
You wonder again… Is this what they wanted too!!!
Then suddenly, like the dark clouds being dispersed by a
It was not so long ago, that each and every one had bright sun to show a clear blue sky, there is a change. A
entered these portals with a Dream… small result here and a little one there… Words begin to
A DREAM … flow, molecules emerge, code works… Everything falls in
… of finding a new molecule or a miracle cure… place. Hard work is worth something after all. The world
… of writing a useful algorithm or a valuable piece of is upbeat and less gloomier! All your qualms fly out of
code… the window. You have made it… FINALLY… It may be a
… of creating something new or innovating the next small step in the research world, but for the student it
best thing… is a giant leap into the world of research. The foothold
… of making things work or understanding how and why that you are looking for… That one step that takes you
they do… closer to your dream and you say “YES, Dreams do some
TRUE!”

one whom you don’t like today will be your best friend in
Who are you? times ahead.
The world is full of cactus, but we don’t have to sit on

Deepti Abbey (Student, MRDG) it. Majority believes that “Positive anything (thinking) is
better than negative anything”, may be because it gives
“Hey! What happened?” you the feeling and confidence that everything is or will
“Nothing, fine”, or go fine. By adjusting your mental image of a situation to
“What? I am always fine”, or highlight positive aspects, you will often find that you are
“Great, cool!!” in a better position to deal with it. As the saying quotes:
“I have learned that most of the things I worry about
I know, I know. Often you have heard these statements never happen”.
reflecting three different shades of personality. But what
else have you noticed about these personalities? Please Attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an
leave yaar! I don’t have time for that. Okay, but what individual like or dislike for an item (this can be negative,
about you, are you fine? Let me ask: how many people positive or ambivalent or neutral). Attitude is your general
did you talk to today? Or do you often talk to? Are you disposition, your mental “starting point” for viewing life
living alone, or have a company of enough friends to and the people and events in it, in simple terms; attitude
enjoy? How many people can share your thoughts, or is the way you look at things.
take care of you?
Have you ever thought this way or are you busy pointing
Are you facing frequent mood swings and are often over- fingers at others? Are you easily moved by the situation
powered by them? Think again, is it your attitude which or do you try to enjoy each of its part and in turn learned
is making you aloof from others? that whatever situation is there (which can’t be changed
most of the time), is to be accepted. You know how to
So, what is this attitude now? Attitude is a little thing that live with it. The essence is, as the choices vary, the same
makes a big difference in our day to day life. To begin phase doesn’t hold good for you but is best for others.
with, let’s have a thought that every day may not be So, in a situation like this have you ever tried to enjoy
good, but there’s always something good in everyday. If for others’ sake? This is where the attitude plays. For
you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change example, silence prevents wars, but the same silence
it, just change the way you think about it, because acts as slow poison at times. The silent road may appear
wherever you go, no matter what, the weather always as a long way to go for some, but to some, it may also
brings you sunshine. Have you ever realized a difference give impression of confusion and aimless way with no
in yourself and even the ambience just by changing end. Flying in the sky means heights for some but far
the way you look at things? Don’t think so! As, it often from the truth and reality for others. It’s all your choice
happens that we all live our lives in chains and we never when, where, and how to move about.
even know that we have the keys. Worrying about things
is easier, we all do that, learn perfectly to live with them Try to look towards the brighter side of the street; as
and considering them as part of the system (described even a half filled glass says I am quite full. Learn to enjoy
beautifully as compromise), but just once try to prioritize even the smallest moment, try to forgive others for their
something else (which you never thought of doing as you mistakes, don’t give up in life easily but give up the things
are clubbed up with too many things) -- you will enjoy which make you depressed and apart from others.
it. To sum this up, “The only disability in life is a bad Let us once see the world from different perspectives and
attitude”. feel the difference. Changes are mostly constructive and
for betterment. Finding mistakes is easy but learning from
Being in a good state of mind helps keep one in the others experience is too difficult. Is it? What is possible is
picture of health. So, could we change our attitude? No, what you want to do.
never! but we should only see life differently. As Abraham Let us try once; may be changing the attitude will turn
Lincoln quotes, “I don’t like that man; I must get to know everything around.
him better”. Do you know your neighbor? May be the

For these life forms, especially the higher order and more
visible – close to about a hundred species of ants and
butterflies, about 160 bird species, a near threatened
mammal; the changes has not been a welcome sign,
A Hundred Years while we have no clue what’s happening for the rest. Yet,
thanks to the keen ecologists on campus, a species of ant
– Dilobocondyla bangalorica and a cricket - Prozvenella
H. S. Sudhira (Alumnus, CST/MGMT) bangalorensis have been discovered, described and
named after the place that harbours the campus. Yes,
Far away in the seas, a visionary envisioned about an we have.
institution while sailing from Japan to USA along with
another prophetic. It took more than a decade since the In the geological timescales, a hundred years may mean
visionary sowed this idea for the institution to take birth. only a second. When the Deccan plate is drifting towards
The munificence of His Majesty of the erstwhile kingdom, the Eurasian plate at about 55 mm per year, the GPS
guided by an accomplished minister and the endowment that was tracking the plate’s movement near the Jubilee
the founding father left, were all catalysts in giving birth Gardens was mugged earlier this year. The burglars may
to an institution. Witnessing the devastating World Wars, be interested in a few pints but with that, a significant
amidst a period of the Nobel laureate at the helm of amount of data was lost too. And as the passage of one
affairs, embracing independence to a country waiting to hundred years is celebrated, the emergence of concrete
be rebuilt, undergoing a sea of changes – people and landscape amidst the remnant green environs hasn’t
policies, exhibiting the resilience for a cowardly attack impinged on the ecosystem for conducting research.
during a conference, the Institute is constantly in its Yes, we have.
endeavour for reaffirming its position as an undisputed
leader for scientific and technological leadership in the A compendium on the discoveries and inventions the
country. And then we stand here to witness the test of institute has been responsible along with the publications
times, the power of thought, action and leadership, as can be a sure measure of the contributions. Yet, two
the Institute completes a one hundred years. A hundred Centres stand out as the two extremes of a normal
years. Yes, we have. distribution. For an acclaimed electrochemist, the state
of the majority Indians in rural areas was so compelling,
The legacy of the Institute is unquestionable for producing that he was concerned about the knowledge of science
the highest doctorates in the country - most of whom and technology not being channelized to make even a
having illustrious careers and enviable contributions. dent in his/her daily life – this led to the creation of a
When the Indian mission to Moon – Chandrayan – 1 centre. This centre apart from numerous innovations
was successful and the nation rejoiced, few realised pioneered in wood-burning devices aided by the intellect
that a visionary scientist hailing from Ahmedabad was on combustion, who were working for the rockets. As if the
in the Institute who laid the foundations for a space sciences were not enough, there emerged an international
organisation. Building on the legacy was an aerospace behavioural ecologist inquisitive over the relation of
engineer who was a ‘teacher, research scientist, engineer, language, production of knowledge and thought process
technologist, manager, leader and adviser - sometimes on science itself. For the pondering minds, this meant to
several of these at the same time’ – as his devout student shake a few foundations, as if the edifice of knowledge
put it. It was this person who apart from steering the was renovated for all the contemporary learning. Yes, we
Institute for nearly two decades was also responsible have.
for all the launches transforming the space organisation
to a technology development organisation. Many more Yet, on the fateful evening of December 25th 2005,
followed their footsteps, all of whom sternly ensured that when the terrorists chose to pound bullets attacking the
the Institute and the organisations they nurtured grow scientists at a Conference, a precious life was lost with a
beyond individual legacies and script history. Yes, we few scars in the minds of the victims, little did they realise
have. that they couldn’t even scratch the edifice of knowledge
– the resilience was unequivocally demonstrated. Yes, we
For the diatoms, whose life spans from a few hours to a have.
few days, a hundred thousand generations have thrived
in a matter of hundred years. In the course of evolution – As time pass by the centenary year will be soon over
unravelled by a myriad of patterns and mystic processes, reminding us one fact – change is constant. But to
many life forms have thrived on campus that has so far change for the better needs commitment, shared and an
has been a sanctuary amidst the urbanizing landscapes. extraordinary vision that the founding fathers had, the

subsequent leaders demonstrated. How will the institute 2. Devil Tree
be known for in the coming decades, the next century
– only time will stand to witness. For now, only a hope
remains that in the coming years, the institute will be
reinventing, reincarnating and reverberating - for the
people, for the science and for the country – yes, we
have – a hundred years.
A Walk in the Woods

Dinesh D.C., Yamunadevi S. (JRF, MBU)
Common name: Dita bark, Devil tree
• Hindi: Shaitan ka jhar , Chitvan;
1. African Tulip Tree • Marathi: Satvin
• Malayalam: Daivappala
• Tamil: Ezilai piLLai; mukumpalai
• Bengali: Chattim
• Sanskrit: Saptaparna
Botanical name: Alstonia scholaris

Family: Apocynaceae (oleander family)
Common name: African tulip tree, Fountaintree This elegant evergreen tree is found in most parts of
• Hindi: Rugtoora; India. The generic name commemorates the distinguished
• Tamil: Patadi botanist, Prof. C. Alston of Edinburgh, 1685-1760. The
• Bengali: Rudrapalash species name scholaris refers to the fact that the timber
of this tree has traditionally been used to make wooden
Botanical name: Spathodea campanulata slates for school children. Its is commonly known as the
Family: Bignoniaceae (Jacaranda family) Devil Tree, as it is considered to be the abode of the
devil, in popular imagination. In October small, green
One of the world’s most spectacular flowering trees, yet fragrant flowers appear. All parts of the tree can be
African tulip tree is a large upright tree with glossy considered poisonous. It is a tall elegant tree with greyish
deep green pinnate leaves and glorious orange scarlet rough bark. Branches are whorled, and so are the leaves,
flowers. It may grow to 80 ft on an ideal site, but most that is, several of them coming out of the same point.
specimens are much smaller. The tree has a stout, The tree is really elegant whether it is flowering or not.
tapering, somewhat buttressed trunk covered in warty The slightly rounded, leathery, dark green leaves form
light gray bark. The lateral branches are short and thick. whorls of 4-7. And a very regular branching gives the
The 1-2 ft long opposite leaves, which emerge a bronzy tree a beautiful shape. The wood is too soft for making
color, are massed at the ends of the branches. They are anything - so it is usually used in making packing boxes,
composed of 5-19 deeply veined oval leaflets. The horn blackboards etc. Its bark, known as Dita Bark, is used in
shaped velvety olive buds appear in upturned whorls at traditional medicine to treat dysentry and fever. On the
the branch tips. A few at a time, the buds of the lowest Western Ghats, tribal people are reluctant to sit or pass
tier bend outward and open into big crinkled red orange under this tree, for the fear of the devil.
tuliplike bells with red streaked gold throats, frilly yellow
edges, and four brown-anthered stamens in the center.
They are followed by 5-10 in green brown fingerlike pods
pointing upwards and outwards above the foliage. Each
of these pods contains about 500 tissue papery seeds.
The tree flowers in spurts all through the growing season,
but peak bloom is usually in the spring.

Memories
T. R. Anantharaman (Alumnus, MATERIALS)
was mostly taught in its first year faculty members of

Professor T.R. Anantharaman is an alumnus sister Departments!
To my astonishment, Professor Adcock explained to me
of Materials Engineering, and presently that I was not admitted to the new course as I seem to
Chancellor of Ashram Atmadeep Research have studied Metallurgy already in B.Sc (Hons) course! I
Centre, Gurgaon, Haryana. did not know whether to laugh or to cry, but eventually
after noting all the facts, Professor Adcock was gracious
At Presidency College, Madras (now Chennai) where I enough to admit me on the spot, through an urgent letter
did my BSc (Hons) in Chemistry during 1944-47, my eyes dictated in my presence to the Institute Director Dr. Jnan
were already on IISc, wondering whether there would be Chandra Ghosh. As I left his office, I heaved a sigh of
a new course for me to join, as all three available courses relief and consoled myself with the thought: “All is well
at that time viz, in Electrical Communications Engineering, that ends well.”
Chemical Engineering and Electrical Technology had ***
already been taken up by my three elder brothers. I did We were eventually ten students in that first batch. We
not want to follow, literally on the footsteps, as it were, learnt soon enough that none of our teachers had a
of any of these brothers and longed to join a different degree in Metallurgy and also that none of them had
course! My strong wishes and longings in this regard seem ever been associated with teaching in a Metallurgy
to have got registered and also given high priority by the Department! Neither these disturbing facts nor the
powers-that-be, since I got the news in the summer of obvious over-dose in our curriculum of Engineering
1946 that a new Department of Metallurgy was being Drawing, Chemical Technology, Electrical Engineering
established at the IISc with an English Professor as its etc, taught by teachers of other Departments, worried
first head and admissions were likely to be made in 1947 us very much. We knew that we were pioneers and had
for a new Diploma course. Needless to say, I was more to put up with inconveniences and abnormalities in that
than delighted by this welcome turn of events. role.
As can be imagined, it was in very high spirits that I Our teachers were all good and conscientious however,
started filling the applications form for admission to and none more so than Professor Adcock himself. He
newly started Diploma course in Metallurgy. I had taught us Extraction Metallurgy even though he was
secured the First Rank in First Class in the B.Sc (hons) essentially a metal physicist, and had to study several
Degree Examination of 1947, repeating thus my earlier aspects of Chemical Metallurgy himself, before teaching
performance in the Intermediate in Science Examination us. But he did a wonderful job and enjoyed doing it. I still
of 1944. I could also prominently display my high score remember vividly his well-organized lectures laced with
in the Metallurgical Chemistry. Thus it came as a great humorous anecdotes, particularly the beautiful sketches
shock to me when news reached me from Bangalore that of the Blast Furnace, the Bessemer Converter etc, which
my name was not in the first list of admissions to the he used to draw on the blackboard.
Metallurgy Course! I rushed to Bangalore and sought As my first academic year was coming to an end, Professor
immediate appointment with Prof. Frank Adcock, the first Adcock became concerned with what he thought of as
Head of this new Department of Metallurgy. rather inadequate instruction given to my batch in the
At that time, the Department of Metallurgy was located in important subject of Iron and Steel Technology. His
a tiny shed located in a small corner of the large rectangular concrete proposal -- it was rather bold and original at
area now housing the impressive Departmental complex that time -- was to send us for TWO MONTHS of well-
of modern buildings. This shed was divided into three supervised training either at the Tata Iron & Steel Works,
small parts, one for the Professor to sit, another for the Jamshedpur, or at the Mysore Iron & Steel Works,
two clerks in the office and third for a cramped classroom Bhadravati, with our return rail fare paid along with a
that could just accommodate a maximum of 12 students! per-diem (or D.A) of Rs.4/- during the training period. We
There was hardly any faculty to start with, and our batch felt most grateful to Professor Adcock for this gracious

gesture that was just characteristic of the conscientious I had completed MSc in Physics with electronics as
teacher that he was. specialization from the Osmania University, Hyderabad
in 1961. I was preparing to join the Women’s college
Before our second academic year ended, I was fortunate of that University, as a temporary lecturer, when the
to be selected for one of the ten Nuffield Foundation telegram bearing the good news of my selection for
Vacation Scholarships in Extractive Metallurgy, to the BE course of the Institute arrived as a great relief.
undertake practical training during summer of 1949 in The decision to accept was not easy. On one side the
any Common wealth country, I chose to go to Australia name and fame of the Institute and that the admission
partly because my boyhood cricketing hero, Sir Donald will lead to an engineering degree was tempting, while
Bradman, was there, but mainly, because Professor the financial constraints and family circumstances were
Adcock had already been at that country for some dictating otherwise. It was my mother who insisted on
months as Director of Research, Broken Hill Proprietary my moving to the Institute and we have never regretted
(BHP) Steelworks, with his laboratory at the Newcastle the decision. I vividly recall entering the campus of the
steel complex. He was happy to hear about my choice Institute from the Yashwantpur side by jumping over the
and helped me through letteres to go through many a compound wall at 2AM. That was the moment that gave
formality I was not familiar with -- after all, that was me the passport to my future.
my first overseas trip! For instance, because of the then
Australian Government’s so called WHITE (ONLY) POLICY, After the formalities of admission to the Institute were
I had to give a legal undertaking that I would not remain completed, we had a session with the Registrar who,
in Australia for more than three months! with a pipe in his mouth, told us that the Institute will
treat us like gentlemen and expect us to behave so. It is
I had a glorious time at the BHP Steel Plants in Newcastle to the credit of the Institute and its administration that
and Port Kembla. The journey by boat from Colombo to this philosophy was implemented in letter and spirit. As
Sydney via Freemantle and Melbourne took 18 days-as students, we kept the Departmental library open in the
a strict vegetarian I suffered a great deal, ate very little, nights, entered and left the main library without checks,
lost a few kilograms in weight and was brught back to became full fledged members of the Gymkhana, dined
health and cheer gradually by both Professor and Mrs. and played with the teachers and enjoyed every bit of
Adcock, who had me in their home for many a dinner. My our association with the Institute. I am not aware of
training was immensely useful and my report on the same any other Institute which treated its students with such
was highly appreciated by the Nuffield Expert Committee dignity. I wish that the Institute did not abolish the
headed by the Nobel Prize Winner in chemistry, Professor undergraduate courses.
Sir Alexander Todd (later Lord Todd) of Cambridge
University. While Hyderabad and Osmania University were
cosmopolitan enough, the regional and linguistic diversity
of the students and staff at the Institute was indeed
striking. Intense interaction with brilliant, competitive
and aspiring students from so many different universities
of the country taught me many a valuable lesson.
Memories
The ceaseless pressure of examinations and surprise tests,
the tutorials and the submissions ensured that the two
years will pass even before we knew. What remained was
P. Ramachandra Rao (Alumnus, MATERIALS) the taste of intense competition between us, the quality
of training we received and the fond memories. Playing
TT at midnight, listening to the routine admonitions from
Dr. P. Ramachandra Rao joined the Institute Professor Krishnan for our absence from NCC parades
after obtaining MSc (Physics) from the Osmania and reading his memorable reflections as the Thought for
University and graduated with BE (Met) in 1963. the Day are but a few of the many activities that remain
Dr. Rao is a Fellow of all the leading academies of etched in my memory. “What is needed in the Laboratory
the country and of the Third World Academy of is not Lab Oratory “and “In cricket they hit and run but to
Sciences. He was selected for the Distinguished hit and run is not cricket” are just two of the gems from
Alumnus Award of the Indian Institute of Science Professor Krishnan that have stayed with me. Friendships
made with classmates and contemporaries last to this
and also won many other awards including the
day and enable us to frequently relive those wonderful
Bhatnagar Award in Engineering Sciences. times.

Memories that we had done our duty by attending the NCC training
in the first year and that it would not be viewed very
seriously if we played truant in the second year. It was
not to be.
R.V. Krishnan (Alumnus, MATERIALS)
Prof Dhawan came to the hall along with the Registrar
of the Institute and started his address. It was a superb
lecture on the need of the hour and how we had failed
R.V. Krishnan obtained his BE in Metallurgy from miserably in carrying out our duties. Many of us forgot
IISc in 1967. He is a fellow of the Indian Institute that he was actually admonishing us for our act of
of Metals and Institution of Engineers (India). indiscipline, but were more engrossed in his beautiful
language, power packed delivery and his charisma. At
the end of the brief address, when we were still under
I got selected to join the department in 1964. That
the spell, he pronounced the punishment. We all had to
year was a significant one for several reasons. That was
miss our mid-term recess and instead have two weeks of
when the three-year BE programme got (re)started, and
on-campus NCC training. We were left with no option.
also when the ME programme was introduced. Several
young persons joined the faculty and taught us, and also
Needless to say that we thoroughly enjoyed our
were keen to pursue active research. They were full of
punishment! The training was made very interesting with
enthusiasm and shared with us their excitement and also
a variety of activities all through the day. We were afraid
narrated the challenges they experienced in carrying
that it would be continuous drill and parade from morning
out experiments with facilities that were vintage and in
till evening. It enabled us to mingle amongst ourselves
improvising test facilities! They complemented the senior
across the disciplines and developed good camaraderie.
faculty admirably and together prepared us extremely
We were also happy to receive snacks coupons for
well to face the world outside. While I always cherish
attending the training which we could use in a couple of
the years I spent in the department as a student and
restaurants in Malleswaram. We were very regular from
remember all the happenings, the following event stands
then on.
out for its uniqueness.
This incident left a lasting impression in me and later
It was December 1965, the first day of our third semester
during my career in the National Aerospace Laboratories,
examination. Midway through, the palpably tense
I had several occasions to meet Prof. Dhawan. Whenever
atmosphere in the hall was broken by the frail voice of
I met him, the above incident would flash before me and
Prof Krishnan, who was invigilating the examination. He
remind me of my duties and responsibilities.
read out a message from the central office requiring the
second year students of all the three streams to assemble
later in the day in the PE 303 hall, which was the only The Eternal Wish
large sized room available then, for a meeting with the
Director, IISc. All of us trooped into the large hall after
completing the examination while discussing amongst Prasenjit Biswas (Student, SERC)
ourselves and speculating the outcome of this special
meeting. We all knew why we were all called.
May be only the wish will remain..
When you will look down the memory lane.
In the years following the happenings in our northeast
Today’s glory of crimson red,
border, it was thought necessary that the graduate
May get so dull and look so fade.
students in all the colleges across the country should
undergo compulsory NCC training for the first two years
But what ever may the colour be or it’s..
of their course. This was implemented in IISc also for
It will still carry the immortal bits
the BE students, even though we were doing our course
at IISc after completing a basic degree from elsewhere.
Of reddish dreams, of sonorous chime,
Our batch of students had not attended any NCC classes
Buried under the sands of time—
during the second year although we were diligent in
attending the NCC classes during our first year in IISc.
Leaving behind the wish that will remain,
Many of us had even attended a camp in the Whitefield
When you will look down the memory lane.
grounds during the mid-term recess. We perhaps thought

Memories
P. Rodriguez (Alumnus, MATERIALS)
Placid Rodriguez (BE 1958, PhD 1976). Currently to a four-year ME programme, and finally abolished it.
he is a Raja Ramanna Fellow and AICTE-INAE The old post-BSc DIISc programme, which was converted
Distinguished Visiting Professor at IIT Madras and into a post-BSc BE programme was a remarkable asset
President of Indian Nuclear Society. for the Institute. It produced a large number of leaders
in science and technology activities in our country. It was
The growth of the Institute from the late Fifties to unique in producing engineers with a science background,
the present, to which I have been a witness has been and in my opinion, the Institute did the greatest mistake
phenomenal. The visible changes are not only in the in abolishing this programme. May be the centenary may
number of students and particularly the female population be an opportune time to look back at some of these old
among them, but also the new buildings, names for initiatives, reassess them and revive them.
roads and avenues, the very crowded car parks, the large
number of two-wheelers, the new messes and the new
blocks of Hostels.
If you asked a student in the late 1950s or early 1960s
to rank the best in the Institute, the answer would
invariably have been the Messes, the Gymkhana, and his
Department in that order! It was rumored that many a Memories
research student deliberately delayed the submission of
thesis to continue to enjoy the Mess and the Gymkhana.
In the Gymkhana, Billiards was the most popular, followed
by tennis and table tennis. The swimming pool was Brij M. Moudgil (Alumnus, MATERIALS)
also popular, particularly during the summer. My friend
and classmate K. H. Vijayadeva Reddy, who was also
the Institute Swimming Champion, and I were regular Brij Moudgil obtained his B.E in Metallurgy from IISc
swimmers and on many days, we were the only ones in 1968. He is presently a Distinguished Professor
in the pool in addition to some visitors from Germany and Alumni Chair Professor of Materials Science and
affiliated to HAL. Engineering at the University of Florida ; and Director
The BE Metallurgical Engineering course, which at of the Particle Engineering Research Center.
that time was only two years duration for those with
a bachelor’s degree in physics or chemistry, was really One early morning in August, 1965, a young man on his
well-designed; it was amazingly comprehensive, covering first ever visit to the South alighted from the Bangalore
almost all relevant subjects, from mineralogy to nuclear Mail and asked the scooter driver to take him to the
materials, including those that are not covered in four-year Indian Institute of Science. The driver looked confused
BTech programmes today! The teachers were wonderful and replied that there was no such institute in town.
and inspiring: Anantharaman taught physical metallurgy, Perplexed and nervous the young person pulled out the
phase diagrams and heat treatment, and Ramachandran telegram he had received from the institute director Dr.
(later NAL, Bangalore) taught mechanical metallurgy. Satish Dhawan informing him of his admission, and tried
J. Balachandra was truly a walking encyclopedia on to convince the driver that such an institute has to be
corrosion, electrometallurgy and nonferrous extraction, located in town. Few moments later the driver exclaimed,
and so was Mallikarjunan on iron and steel. Later on, “Oh! You mean the Tata Institute!” None of the exams
when I came back to the Department for the external and quizzes that I faced over the next three years fazed
registration PhD, the Department was in the nurturing me as much.
hands of Abraham and Vasu, two other affectionate and
inspiring gurus. At the institute, a number of us were housed in the ‘E’
The Institute did a lot of experiments with the BE Block, also known as the “Tunnel Block” where a knock
programme: converted it to a three-year programme, then on the door on the ground floor would echo at the other

end of the second floor. A few very early morning risers student with a broken pair of glasses and feigning a bit of
(suspected to be mostly graduate students unable to disorientation stumbled on to the doctor in the institute
sleep), who were accustomed to take bath in the morning infirmary. The good doctor approved postponement of
along with incoherent chanting, became a nuisance to the the exam for that student, then for another student, one
freshmen undergraduates. One of the tall bulky freshmen semester after next, until he remarked how all of the
solved that problem by waking up a few mornings earlier students wore the same design and broke the same lens
than anyone else and parading himself stark naked on over and over again.
the two floors.
A cadre of competent and caring professors and laboratory
In those days there used to be only two mess halls, staff made sure that we learnt metallurgy and learnt
vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Non rice eating students it well by taking 12-14 lecture and laboratory courses
mostly from the north had to wait for chapattis to be every semester. The Professors included Drs. Abraham,
served, which took a while because of larger than normal Vasu, Mohan Rao, Mallaya, Dwarkadasa, Raman, Sastry,
number of chapatti eaters. This contributed to launching Ramamurthy, Bhatt, Krishnamurthy, Gupta, and Kishore.
of the vegetarian B mess with north Indian food flair. A Professor Krishnan was the head of the department and
number of freshmen from the north volunteered to serve we quickly learnt to stay out of his sight. Finally, one
as mess managers. A tundoor was imported from Delhi to day he cornered us after our “industrial tour,” escorted
bring the true Punjabi taste to the institute. Unfortunately by Professor Kishore. Professor Krishnan boomed, “so
none of the cooks knew how to use a tundoor. Some of gentlemen, how was your pilgrimage cum sightseeing
us while illustrating cooking in a tundoor not only burned cum plant visit tour!” And that is how exactly our plant
our hands but also had to face the waiting students who tour had turned out to be. We visited the remotest of the
instead decided to play Frisbee with the tundoori rotis. temples all over south India, followed by all the scenic
The tundoor experiment turned out to be a disaster. Our places including beautiful Kovalam Beach, and a few
monthly mess charge in 1968 amounted to Rs. 105. I still metallurgical plants we could not avoid on our way to
have fond memories of the food served in the mess hall temples and other attractions and to justify departmental
and can remember most of the menu from those days. funding of the tour. Rumors were that it was the last
plant tour Dr. Krishnan allowed.
A newly minted professor from America joined the
department and started teaching us Phase Diagrams. In the 1965 Metallurgy batch, thirty three students
Soon we were given the choice of opting for a regular were admitted, about half of them being toppers in
or an open book quiz. We all eagerly opted for an open their respective Universities. All thirty three metallurgy
book quiz and loved the America educated professor students graduated – perhaps a record in the history of
for being so understanding. On the quiz day, people the department.
joyously carried armloads of books and notes, as if they
were carrying goodies to a picnic. During the exam, it It is amazing how time flies when you are having fun with
was a sight to behold among the fluttering of pages and a host of characters as your cohorts – at least that is how
thumping of books on the floor – everyone failed the I remember my three years at IISc. The department with
quiz, the last open book quiz we ever opted for from dedicated, demanding and caring faculty provided a solid
Professor Mohan Rao, or anyone else. I was lucky to have foundation in metallurgy, and inadvertent acquisition of
him later as my undergraduate thesis advisor – a highly soft skills proved to be a valuable bonus. A number of
rewarding experience indeed. Metallurgy graduates have been recognized with highest
awards at home and abroad, including the six metallurgy
Not everyone in the class was a good note taker; in alums who have been elected to the US National
fact some had to borrow the notes late in the night to Academy of Engineering – the highest honor accorded to
prepare for the seemingly unending shower of tests. an engineer in the USA. The Department deserves credit
Naturally, such people could not always be ready to face for providing the best education in the field. Overall, I
the wrath of exams on the due date, and the institute spent the best three years of my life – learning, laughing,
had strict regulations about postponing the exams and having fun.
for any other reason but death in the family or other
deadly diseases. Considering the large number of exams,
dead grandparents could be evoked only for so many
times. Adversity brings out the best ingenuity. One early
morning, a pair of thick glasses was stumped on and the

Memories
Jaydeep Sarkar (Alumnus, MATERIALS)
Jaydeep Sarkar obtained his MSc (Eng) in Metallurgy express their grievances to the authorities! It worked and
from IISc in 1993. Currently, he holds a senior R&D brought some changes. Let us thank those who survived
engineer position with Praxair Electronics, a division and excelled in studies. In my recent visit to the campus,
of Praxair Inc., at Orangeburg, New York. I did notice many changes including a few new hostels
with modern amenities and it convinced me that life in
It was a day of joy and wonderful feelings when my E-block is part of history now.
admission to the metallurgy department as a student
was confirmed in 1991. Besides the department facilities, In academics many distinguished faculty members
the beautiful campus, a good library, ‘the great coffee impressed me because of their achievements in their
board’ exceeded my expectations of a good campus. respective fields. The intensity of oral examination
While a cup of coffee in the coffee board helped me and the method of choosing potential supervisors for
to stay focused during long days, an after dinner walk the research work were more than a regular selection
in the inner campus always helped me to gain energy procedure! A good deal of courses, close supervision
for the next day. Great weather, nearly pollution free of the research work, in-house seminars as well as
campus, healthy food in most messes, ample sources of presentations from the well-known visitors always made
entertainment made my life nearly perfect. Most E-block the atmosphere intellectually stimulating. Changes that
dwellers would probably disagree with me because many took place during this time cannot be overlooked and
of them had to develop skills to co-exist with not so loving these included refurbishing of the seminar hall, making
bed bugs for several years! The early morning queue for e-mail facility available to the students (Internet was yet
a bucket of hot water made some of them so frustrated to come), a hot-press, a micro-hardness tester, switching
that an idea of a noisy bucket procession was launched to from dot-matrix printers to laser ones and so forth.
Main Building (originally published in Platinum Jubilee Book) by M S Chandrasekar

The REAL and the UNREAL
Sunil Anandatheertha (Student, AERO) for example 1 + 1 ? 2 then ‘the’ fabric of logic would have
discontinuities or holes in it. But how can one accept a
fact which appears not-strange sometimes and strange at
What is real and unreal? It’s quite a question. Once others be accepted as something being logically correct?
answered; the answer is all that remains and the question Or, perhaps common sense and logic are two wrongly
becomes ‘sublime’. So, what is real? , what is truth? Or coined words for some facts; and if so, the very fact of
“are real and truth the same?”. What is unreal is rather basing the facts on logic and hence on common sense
easy and yet difficult to be answered. The unreal is just seems absurd. Speaking from the Einstein’s relativistic
the absence of real in the simplest sense. It does not point of view, things considered strange otherwise would
form a separate entity all by itself. Just think about it appear as not-strange and would be known as a fact. The
when someone tells “Oh!! It’s dark in here”. All he/she “Grand Unified Theory” or today’s “M-Theory” which are
means is “there is no light here” or “the presence of ‘an believed to be the fundamental theory of “Nature” herself.
absence of light’”; so is with “truth” and “falsity”. One can Can we consider the fundamental theory as the basis;
tell the difference if and only if one knows what truth is; standing upon which is all the rest? A big question that
isn’t it? That’s quite logical. Can “that which is not unreal could be posted on the capabilities of this fundamental
be real?” or “that which is not falsity is truth” be correct? theory could be relating to the fabric of reality. Can this
A personal opinion would be ‘not necessarily! The logic theory explain reality?
works better otherwise’. Logic?. But can the truth about
real, reality and the non real be logic based?. This leads Now comes another great inquiry (provided the theory
us to the inquiry into “How true is common sense?” That can tell what reality is and make a distinction between
which is/appears (‘right’ or ‘correct’ or ‘just’ or ‘existing’ reality and the non-reality) that “Is reality a fabric just
or ‘prevailing’) to the common sense (unambiguously) like the fabric of space time?”. If so, what does it depend
is what is considered as or remarked upon as ‘logically on; and we must face a striking possibility of having a
correct’. But how far can our common sense go right; and condition in this ‘reality fabric’ similar to that of the space
will it do just if ‘on it’, we base the pillars of reality. The time fabric which can at times be curved. If after all this
inquiry can take route by knowing/answering “How false similarity exists, then the possibility of having the reality
can common sense be? Or can it go false?” Can common fabric ‘curved’ due to some unknown reason cannot be
sense be flawed? As stated above, the whole fabric of looked down upon. Above all, it would be worthwhile to
logic is built upon something which is unambiguous and ponder as what might happen if the reality were to be
appears correct for the common sense. curved? An even greater esoteric point to be noticed is –“If
at all the reality fabric is curved?, then what does it curve
In the year 1905, Albert Einstein while understanding the against?. Does it curve with time?; or with something
relativistic effects of going at speeds approaching that more abstruse? (consciousness? Hmmmm…)”.
of light, noticed that strange things happen. Somehow,
these strange things like the ‘Lorentz contraction (which If the theory is capable of explaining what reality is,
was predicted before Einstein developed his theories), then can we consider the theory itself as a laterally un-
slowing clocks (twin paradox) and others; did not fit quite inverted reflection of reality. It is equally important not
well into the fabric of logic due to an arguable fact of to forget that an object can have not just a single but
being a bit non – common sensical. Two points can be multiple images (assume that the mirrors make laterally
made at this juncture. One being that the common sense uninverted images). This inquirable point leads us
prevalent had been flawed and the other being that to another missed out branch in the theory as to the
some facts has been established such as those of the requirement from the theory to have similar images of
predictions made by Einstein’s theory and others. But is its own. But now comes a very arguable and a subtle
it not arguable that once the facts have been established, point that “an image is so because of the mirror”. Ever
they could be considered as being logically correct? entered the ‘crazy mirrors’ room in a circus? Well, you
Consider a simple mathematical statement as 1 + 1 = would have guessed what I am going to put down now.
2, which is a fact and remains a fact at all situations, is As are the different distorted images of your own self,
considered as being logically correct; and it is. If there is so are the multiple forms the fundamental theory has
a situation or a scenario wherein the logic breaks down to take up; each being a mere crazy reflection of reality.

We see our image because there is a mirror intervening take the apple back into position and now you should be
between your ‘self’ and the mind. The role of the mirror seeing the cute smile on the other’s face !!!
in a crazy mirror room or anywhere else is played by a
more not-so-easy term coined as “consciousness”. This Can you now take the ‘apple only’ out of the way and just
does not relate or link directly with “OUR consciousness” hold the “hole” in place. Seems absurd isn’t it?. The hole
but rather would be best considered as a ‘universal set’ of without the apple is absolutely meaningless in this case
which other consciousnesses are subset of. The very fact right? “The existence of a ‘non-existing region of space’
that different images of the same object are produced by independent of the ‘existing region of space’. You can
different shaped mirrors; inherently poses an intriguing only imagine the hole to be there in between you two,
question as to “are there different consciousnesses as but would make no sense. So, is it a necessity to take a
are the mirrors?”. stand towards “Non-reality is entwined in the fabric of
reality?”
Coming back to the point on the fabric of reality, pops up
a very interesting and strange inquiry to be made as to
“is the fabric of reality truly a fabric or just a point?” Or
more broadly would put forth a question “is the reality
fabric dimensional? and if so what would it/they be?”.
As discussed above, this fabric may not be continuous
always and everywhere and may have “holes”. The holes
may also be ‘point discontinuities’. The presence of holes
Scientific Temper
on the fabric of reality suggests the presence of “an
absence of reality” at these holes and discontinuities.
But now, turn back towards a point made previously i.e. Saraswathi R. (Student, MBU)
“the absence of light is darkness.” Hence, the absence
of “Reality” at these special places such as holes and
discontinuities suggest the presence of “Non-Reality”? The occasion of the completion of a century of one of
What extent of just would be done in making a point India’s finest and multidisciplinary institute, is a symbol
that “Non-Reality is a presence’ entwined in the fabric of of the resilient and steady scientific progress in the midst
reality” if at all any just could be done. The whole issue of rapid changes all around. The occasion calls forth, for
could be looked upon from another perspective. Look at also a re-evaluation of the contribution of IISc to not just
the “holes and discontinuities” as being separate from the scientific field, but also to the enhancement of the
the fabric of space and time. scientific temper in the society in general.
A thought exercise: consider a rectangle with a circular In an age of religious and cultural bigotry and in a
hole in it. Let the hole and the rectangle be analogous country where superstitions abound, the importance
to non-reality and reality fabric respectively. Working in of spreading awareness and open-minded thinking is
the way of the former point that the “Non-reality is a greatly increased. The question arises, how can the
‘presence’ entwined in the fabric of reality”, one could IISc workforce contribute to scientific thinking in the
imagine it to be as the “rectangle with the hole” as a non-academic areas? For this, it would help to also re-
single entity. Considering the latter point, one could evaluate the extent of rational thinking we follow outside
imagine it to be as “’the space of subtraction of circle of our labs. An average student at IISc might identify
from the rectangle’ and the ‘circular hole’ as two different with the increasing separation from the systems and
entities.” But this consideration would do a bit of harm ways of thinking he/she was brought up with, at home.
(or would it?) as it would lead to a sentence as “the How often do our parents still insist on letting us visit
existence of a hole all by itself without any entity for it or leave on ‘auspicious days’, or perform pujas so our
to be in”. Rephrased as ‘The existence of a ‘non-existing research progresses well; or match horoscopes and fix
region of space’ independent of the ‘existing region of alliances. How many IIScians honestly take a stand, or
space’ since, a hole all by itself without anything for it even have an opinion on taking/giving dowry which is
to be in is analogous to the state of being non-existent. prevalent despite laws against it?
For simplicity, consider another thought exercise: take
an apple, make a through hole; through which you could How does an IISc graduate perceive the social mores
peep at your girl friend or your boy friend and gaze. Now and habits which are taken for granted and accepted
take out the apple, yet you see the same face. I hope as the ‘standard’? Does the questioning and skeptical
you do see the same face and not any others!!!. Now attitude one assumes when handing academic concepts

and experimental data, also spill into the attitude towards one tends to refrain from believing an experimental
soceital traditions and ways of living? This is not to mean, result until it is rigorously tested, and then still keep a
that scientists have the sole responsibility, let alone the minor skepticism handy for new dimensions that may
ability, to change ages-old myths or ways of thinking. present themselves. A similar attitude of skepticism,
But it is also to be questioned, whether the ‘questioning rational thinking and courage to question personal and
spirit’ should be limited to the confines of a research social dynamics would allow for the contribution of IISc
institute. Does the ‘researcher’ in a research scholar have scholars to the scientific temper of society, extending it
to be compartmentalized and separated from the ‘social beyond the realm of the academia. The experience and
person’ who goes with the flow to fit into society? Would expertise of a century places IISc at the right position to
it not be more meaningful to be a scientific scholar if it is accomplish this task.
incorporated in all aspects of our daily life? In research
Memorial of the Founder
Vasanta (Student, CSA)
The memorial statue of Mr Jamsetji Nussewanji Tata, facing IISc main building is the symbol of his
patriotism and generosity that has made it possible to have an institute like IISc in India. The statue
depicts him carrying a replica of the institute and is supported by the statue of abundance on its left
and by the statue of knowledge on its right. The memorial tablet on the central shaft begins with
the words “humata hukhta hvrasta” which mean “good thoughts, good words, good deeds”, the
main motto of the Zoroastrian religion, which were truly followed by our beloved founder. The other
figures that are part of this memorial are of Minerva (Goddess of medicine, wisdom, commerce and
crafts), Calliope(Goddess of Eloquence), Vulcan (God of fire and smithery) and Jove (God of sky and
thunder) representing research in IISc.

Metallograph
Ashutosh S. Gandhi (Alumnus, MATERIALS)
I was there when it all began, and it all ended when produced an emblem, which had a snowflake at its centre.
I was still there. But during its rather short life, The I think it had five-fold symmetry, too. Befitting the work
Metallograph brought joy to all those who read it, and culture of IISc, most of the issues were brought out past
more so to the few who wrote in it. Yes, there was a midnight. We would pester fellow students to write about
student magazine called The Metallograph that was a something. I also did a couple of interviews of prominent
huge part of life in Department of Metallurgy for four or visitors and wrote profiles of students who were leaving
five years. the Department after completing their theses. Most
articles were written by individuals, but there was one
In the summer of 1995, a few months after I started my written on KR Market by Manjini, Nagendra, Srinivasan
PhD work, Nagendra became the coordinator of student Raghavan and I. Anyone who has been to KR Market will
activities, which till that point only meant that he would surely agree that no single writer can adequately capture
be the convener of the Annual Symposium. Of course, it in one article.
Nagendra wasn’t satisfied with that much. So during
one of those legendary coffee breaks he proposed a few This student magazine of Metallurgy became popular
ideas, one of which was to start a student magazine. outside the Department as well. I remember that a couple
of my articles on the game of cricket (what else?) were
When I got some exciting results in the early part of particularly liked by all who read them. Finni David wrote
my PhD, Vikram advised me to ‘grab the ball and run an article about life on campus that won him a few fair
with it’. I don’t know if I did that in my research, but I fans. L.N. Venkataraman also let his vocabulary lose onto
certainly ran with the ball when it came to the student the readers. Ramanarayan wrote about phantom limbs, an
magazine. We all did. The idea was floated within the article which I totally failed to comprehend but published
Ceramics Lab at first, and when the response was anyway. (Sorry Ram, I had to put this down…)
positive, it was taken to all the research students. Prof.
Prasad, who was the Chairman at that time, backed the There were a few interesting situations that we got into
new venture wholeheartedly. Pretty soon, the editorial because of The Metallograph. We had to retract one article
team was formed. Tania became the Founding Editor. that criticized the Institute after a senior faculty member
I was some kind of associate editor. Seshacharyulu objected to it. This led one member of the editorial team
and Sankarasubramanian were also there. Soon, the to offer his resignation as a protest against the perceived
first issue was brought out. I can’t remember in which suppression of the collective freedom of speech of the
month of 1995 the first issue was brought out. I also students. Other minor skirmishes within the editorial
don’t remember who else were there on the first editorial team involved disagreements over grammar, and being
team. With a little bit of research and email exchanges, I politically correct. I think all those experiences enriched
can perhaps get all the dates, all the editorial teams, and my life as a student of Metallurgy. I blame myself for
all the other details to quantify this account. But I don’t the rapid decline of the popularity of The Metallograph.
want to do it because then it would amount to writing When I became the Editor, I was thinking of ways to
history rather than just reminiscence. make it easy for students to write. Since articles of
literary nature were difficult to write, I decided to accept
So whose idea was it anyway to name a student technical writings which we had steadfastly rejected till
magazine The Metallograph? Er… it was my idea. There that point. Suddenly, The Metallograph was competing
is a newspaper called The Telegraph. So when we were with the more established sources of news on advances
scratching our heads trying to come up with a name in science and technology, namely Nature, Science,
for our magazine, it struck me that we should call our Resonance, and worst of all, Google.com! While it was
magazine The Metallograph. Clever, don’t you think? I easier for students to write technical articles, nobody
am happy to say that there wasn’t too much of resistance wanted to read them. The next few years, Sudhir and
to the name of the magazine. Seshacharyulu promptly L.N. Venkataraman sustained the magazine valiantly, but

it faded away quietly. Its demise was noticed only months else would I find the space to write about my views
later by the same readers who once used to wait eagerly on the government’s economic policies. Without The
for the new issue to come out. Metallograph, many stories the students wrote would
remain unwritten. In the overall scheme of things, that
So the truth of my experiments with stories is that would have been a loss, however small it might be.
without this student magazine I would perhaps not write
any stories at all. I would not have shared my enthusiasm (This excerpt was taken from the Golden Jubilee
for cricket with the readers. I would not have expressed celebrations of the Department of Materials
my displeasure over research on deadly weapons. Where Engineering).
IISc @ 100 Art of Godlike
Suman S. Thakur (Student, MBU) Sandeep B. Patil (Student, CPDM)
No words can define you, Only continuous self questions without answers
in age of hundred, going strong, Distracting myself without focusing to subject
made us proud as Indian, The more I knew the more difficult the simple became
left an impact on the world, Losing lots of time, confusion & even depression
quality of your work, justifies your beautiful name, Finally I see better
getting older with time, With some theory in between for the presentation
still gaining youthfulness. I began to build the frame
I sorted out the useful from useless claim
No words can define your greenery, With all its ups & downs……..
every one falls in love with your greenery Today I present to you
your departments are islands in the green sea. The saga of my melody
showing the path to solve global warming. Science reflects the art of God
IISc reflects the art of Godlike
No one likes to leave you, The sculptor of this art is late Hon. J. N. Tata
as powered by goddess of learning, Set lust greenery along the space is any visitor’s delight
home for students and scientists, The amidst villa with tall tapering body & over it all the
becoming symbol of unified India. graceful vimana
It has proved to be the unparalleled spiritual totem for
No one can ignore you, aspirants
you are mother of, It is perfect blend of what is termed as ‘Beauty with
ISRO, TIFR, HAL, NCBS, JNCASR ….., Brains’
Raman, Bhabha, GNR, Dhawan …..grew up here, It is a journey of a centenial with its strong foundation
you are dreams of many, Providing space to build skyscrapers to its thousands of
making India proud. devotees
So, we the devotees with a strong commitment to serve
our
nation
Not only want to lead but to rule the world by making
Indianisation of Globe rather than Globalisation of India

The Institute and Me
Prof. V.K. Aatre

(Former Director General of Defence R&D and Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister)
My association with the Indian Institute of Science started interaction with IISc and its faculty was quite intense and
in 1961 when I joined as a Master of Engineering student covered many departments. In fact several of my junior
in the Department of Electrical Engineering. Of course, I colleagues obtained their research degrees – MSc or PhD
had been to the Campus several times earlier to attend – with co-guides from IISc and my laboratory. Several
special lectures, to use the excellent library and visit the of the main DRDO programmes – Oceanography and
Science exhibition during the Golden Jubilee celebrations. Sonar Systems, Guided Missiles, Light Combat Aircraft,
The two years I spent on the IISc campus to a large extent and Laser systems and Solid State Devices – had intense
set the stage for my science and technology orientation and close interaction with the faculty members and the
and career. Though the teaching in general was not research students/associates across the departments. In
really of much higher order than those at my previous fact, I considered IISc as an extended arm of DRDO, in
engineering college, the environment for learning (clearly so far as these programmes were concerned, and used
a shift from teaching paradigm to learning paradigm), it as such. Looking back over this nearly quarter of a
exposure to the entire canvas of science and the chance century, I find that I used to be on the campus so often
to mingle and dialogue with students and researchers (perhaps once a week) and so much so my friends in the
with high intellectual potential were the main features of Faculty used to quip whether I have joined the Faculty
the academic environment at the IISc (and it still remains itself, which I did during the last (and continuing) phase
so). of my interaction with IISc.
My next long stint at the IISC was when I came to the As my scientific and technological life was drawing to an
Campus as a visiting Professor in my department during end, I decided to come back to where it had all started
the 1977 calendar year. Besides teaching several courses but this time as a Visiting Professor in ECE department.
and co-guiding research students, there were plenty of Though the National Programmes that I ran (and still
opportunities to run short-term courses and workshops. running) in the field of Smart Materials, MEMS and Micro
Indeed the latter in some way acted as a trigger for Systems and the involvement of a large number of IISc
my returning to India to take up appointment with Faculty cutting across the Departments in this field were
the Defence Research and Development Organisation. the main factors, an opportunity to constantly interact
During the year’s stay I was of the opinion that a couple with people working at the cutting edge of science and
of things needed some change – four electrical sciences technology was equally a factor in accepting an invitation
departments did not have much of an interaction between to be a visiting professor. The last few years have been
them (this situation, in some sense, continues) and as invigorating as those of the initial and the intervening
though IISc professors were involved in several projects periods.
at the high end of science and technology, there were
minimal joint and collaborative projects (there is some With nearly five decades of involvement with the Indian
change in this; but certainly requires further change). Institute of Science several thoughts race through my
mind. Unlike the scenario in the West, the INSTITUTE
The third phase of my interaction with IISc started in happens to be the main, if not essentially the only,
1980 when I joined the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Research University in India. As such it has to seed and
Laboratory of DRDO, and then went on to head the trigger high and cutting edge Science and Technology with
DRDO and till the year 2005. Besides many defence equal importance. While it is important and absolutely
projects and programmes, I joined the Faculty of the imperative to pursue Science for knowledge’s sake, it is
Institute in conducting several short-term courses, equally essential for IISc to be a much more effective
workshops and conferences. In 1984, we conducted the technology developer for creating wealth for India. I
IEEE International Conference on Circuits, Systems and dream of the day the INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Signal Processing to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of would trigger the creation, its own Technology Corridor,
IISc and the Centenary of IEEE. During this period my like Stanford did for Silicon Valley, MIT and Harvard for the

Route 198 corridor and like Princeton and Rutgers for the sure that the Indian Institute of Science would morph
USI corridor. With the kind of academic talent it attracts itself to achieve this dream. Clearly, a glorious decade
and the kind of confidence (and of course, respect) the and the next hundred years await the Institute.
Government and the Society has for the Institute, I am
Dheeraj (Student, CSA)

History A La Carte... Bon Appetit!!
Mukta Deobagkar (Student, BIOCHEM)

Madhurima Das (Student, MGMT)
It was a bright Thursday afternoon, The rays of the sun

sprinkled the wooden panelled walls…The fresh air just
made me feel I was in the fields surrounded by daffodils…A
little group of children just spread their picnic basket.
And in between all this, I heard someone say, “The new
species of ant discovered is…” The voice trailed off and I
woke from my slumber. Realised I needed “chai”! Walked
out of the conference room…and wandered like a traveller
of the winds. And voila, I had entered a new world. I was
walking into the big room right opposite the Faculty Hall
at the Main building. And to my delight, I found there
an entire collection of old documents, letters, pictures,
photos and so on. These were all part of the hundred
year history of our institute and were on display there.
That was the end of any interest I may have had in the
conference.
I spent the next few hours perusing those old letters,

gazing at the 100 year old black and white photos and
then I came across this entire set of invitations and
program lists for the cornerstone laying ceremony. The
beautiful calligraphy on the yellowed invites, the quaint
style and the list of the dances and the menu caught
my fancy. All these were glimpses of a story about the
cornerstone laying ceremony that was held on February
1st, 1911 and the various dinner parties hosted by the
director and other officials from the institute the night
before on January 31st, 1911.
The Maharaja of Mysore was the guest of honour and the

parties appear to have been very “British” in style. The
And all of this in honour of a ceremony to be held at a
evening party (or “At Home”) held at West End and hosted
science institute. In today’s times this may almost seem
by the then director, Dr. Travers and his wife, seems to
a contradiction. The grandeur and the very scale seem so
have been an entire evening of dance and dinner. Sounds
different from what we would ever expect from a similar
like fun! If you glance at the dance programme, you can
occasion in today’s world. I am sure the hospitality, the
see the range of dances that were included with two-steps,
importance of the occasion would be the same, but our
and waltzes and even barn dances. I can just imagine all
way of celebrating would perhaps be more Indian. Though
the ladies and gentlemen dressed up in their finest, the
I must say, it is fascinating to know that our institute has
music, the graceful enthusiastic dances and the mouth-
had such a varied and rich history and old documents
watering dishes. The four course menu is in French and
can tell such historical stories in an entirely different way.
it does sound delicious with the soups, salads, the fillet
They give you no descriptions…just an idea, a hint…and
entrees and casseroles and the dessert and coffee to sum
leave the rest for you to imagine just as you wish! So,
it up! It almost sounds like something out of the stories
live the gourmet of life like promised, a little herb, a little
about society gatherings in 19th century with exquisite
hope, a little history! Bon appetite!!
rules about etiquette and style.

The Weekend Trekker
Bhallamudi Ravi (Alumnus, MECHENG)
It happens almost every weekend. Come Friday and occasional spine-chilling drops of water from the roof.
there is a call of the wilderness, beckoning to rediscover
the joy and thrill of exploring the mysteries of nature. There are several rivers and fast flowing mountain brooks
Fortunately, there are quite a few who share these in the Western Ghats. One of the things we looked forward
feelings and there is always company available on such to in a trek is a splash in one of them at noon-time. Near
missions of adventure. Yedekumeri there was a fabulous setting in a secluded
spot, with cool crystal clear water flowing through rocks.
Karnataka State in India is bountiful as regards natural
treasures. Majestic mountains, gorgeous gorges, For the most part, the trek led through thick forests and
wonderful water-falls and fantastic forests make it a negligibly populated areas. Wild life ranging from snakes
trekker’s paradise. The Western Ghats running through to elephants is reported here. The guard of the goods
the length of the state, the beautiful Nilgiri Range in the train in which we travelled the last part to Subramanya
South, river Cauvery with its frothy waterfalls, wildlife and told us about the man who sat on a log of wood in the
bird sanctuaries, and the region around the many lakes jungle, only to discover that it was a huge python.
scattered throughout the state offer an infinite number of
routes. There are several places around Bangalore, within We went to this region again the next year, but in the
a hundred kilometres, providing excellent opportunities middle of summer, and this time trekked in the opposite
for a one or two-day treks. direction, from Shrivagilu to Yedekumeri. Again the
tunnels, bridges and green forests. The railway track is
It was usually during the dinner that someone would at a great height, almost parallel to the road and the
mention a new place to explore, the word would go river down below, which are visible for most of the route.
around, and within an hour or so a small group, back Thick forests separate the two. This time we entered the
packs ready, would be heading to the central bus stand jungle at a point in an attempt to reach the river. But had
or train station. to give up, and ran back for safety: there was a herd of
wild elephants. When we were in the middle of one of the
One of our earliest experiences was in the Western Ghats, tunnels, half a km long, a train was upon us suddenly. We
from Sakleshpur to Yedekumeri. There is a narrow gauge flattened against the walls of the tunnel. The roar of the
railway connecting these two places, which serves as train was deafening.
the guide. The track hugs the forest covered mountains
and there are sheer drops of several hundred feet on the It is the elements of risk and danger that add excitement
other side. in a trek. During the trek from Samse to Kudremukh, we
lost our way, even the trail. Dense trees surround on all
We had trekked there in October, just after the rains, and sides and since it was noon, it was difficult to guess the
there was lush greenery all around. I still vividly remember direction. We climbed up a steep mountain to detect any
the magic moments as the early morning fog lifted, like traces of civilisation, but all that was visible from the top
the curtains on a stage, revealing the green paddy fields was more mountains cascading on all sides. Finally we
glistening in the rays of the rising sun, shadow like forests detected a patch of wet ground, and searched for the
behind them, and violet hued mountains rising even source of water. It turned out to be a small rivulet, but
beyond. There was adventure too, in the form of railway we followed it to a stream, and eventually to a trail that
bridges to be crossed using a foot wide iron strip running set us back on the correct path.
through the middle: after sometime you feel stationary
and the rails seem to be moving in the opposite direction. In this particular trek we carried provisions and even a
The view directly below is fantastic and terrifying. Then pressure cooker. Collecting wood is easy, and cooking in
there were pitch dark tunnels, a few meters to a kilometre a glade or an alcove of trees is great fun. And whatever
long, some of them with screeching hordes of bats and the resulting concoction, it tastes like ambrosia. One has

to be ultra careful to put out the fire completely, and not arduous climb seemed well worth it.
leave any plastic behind.
Depending upon the place and the duration, several
Jungle trekking after the rains is exhilarating and lifts the things have to be carried on a trek: extra pairs of clothes,
soul to a different plane. At the same time, there are a food items like bread, biscuits, cucumber and glucose,
few problems too, such as leeches. One can never know an emergency medical kit, candles, matches and torch,
when this dreadful creature, thin as a thread, will attach carry-mat for sleeping, water bottle, a large plastic sheet
itself to your legs and feast on your blood, growing as to guard against accidental rain, an all purpose knife, a
big as a thumb in size. The only way to remove it is rope and so on. All these can he comfortably packed in a
to sprinkle salt or tobacco on it, or burn it away. For rucksack strapped onto the back, keeping the hands free
prevention, dip your feet in salt solution and put on thick for balancing and holding in case of a slip or fall. A cap and
stockings. sunglasses are essential for protecting against sunlight. A
sturdy walking stick is useful for climbing slopes and also
We could just manage to reach the base of Kudremukh to hit the ground or poke ahead in shrubs to scare away
by the evening, and stayed in a 96 years old priest’s any snakes. One of us usually volunteered to manage the
cottage, known as Father Lobo in the surrounding region. finances; it usually never crossed more than two hundred
He ignited our imagination by describing the beautiful rupees per head per trek.
sunrise from the peak of Kudremukh (meaning ‘horse
mouth’). Ignoring the demands of rest by our worn-out In a March trek to Yercaud, 33 km from Salem, we ran out
bodies, we got up at 4 in the morning to begin the climb of water. There is a road for the buses taking tourists to
to the 6000 feet high peak in biting cold weather. I still this beautiful town at the top, winding round and round
shudder to think of that climb under the moonless sky the mountains, but we chose to attempt the 2900 feet
through waist high elephant grass wet from dew, the trail near-vertical climb through the forest and dense shrubs.
inches from vertical drops of hundreds of feet. Without There were several steep rocks made slippery due to
torches, and the able guidance of Father Labo’s nephew loose earth and ashes, and a few dangerous overhangs
and his pet dog, we could have never made it. to negotiate. The climb seemed to go on and on; at every
peak, there would be one more to climb, slightly away
Much later, well after sunrise, and after hoisting our and hence not visible from the previous one. With the
‘flag’: a towel at the peak, we had a chance to have a sun beating fiercely down on us, stocks of drinking water
panoramic view of the complete path (and also discovered were soon depleted. Fortunately, we met an old coffee
several leeches on us). And Oh! The view of the rising planter who guided us to a small water hole in a grove of
sun shooting up multi-coloured rays from the velvety trees, and we quenched out thirst along with a mountain
mountains is just too beautiful to describe in words. The goat.

After nearly eight hours of continuous climbing we Rock climbing is a complete sport in itself, but a basic
reached the town, full of grime, dust and thorn scratches. knowledge of the same comes handy in trekking. Turali,
After lunch in a local hotel, we all collapsed on the banks Ramanagaram and Devarayanadurga, all quite close to
of the Yercaud lake. This partially put us back in gear, Bangalore, offer excellent opportunities to learn and
and at four in the evening, we started on the way down, practice this art. Some of the techniques seen to belie
by road route. This was not to last long however, and we intuition, but are based on solid principles of mechanics.
had to stop a passing ambulance midway to take us the Consider climbing an inclined rock face. Should one walk
rest of the way down. upright or climb inclined, using the hands as well? It is
difficult to believe that the chances of slipping are much
There are many more beautiful places in Karnataka suitable less in the former. Even when the rock face is steeper
for one day treks: Ranganthettu bird sanctuary, an hour’s than 60 degrees, we were advised not to hug the rock,
walk from Srirangapattana with a large variety of birds, but to climb upright, using ‘jug handle’ holds in recesses.
small animals and reptiles; Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary There are other useful techniques too, such as horizontal
100 km from Mysore with elephants, tigers and bison traversing parallel to a ridge, jamming hands or feet in a
and the forests; ravines and waterfalls along Cauvery: crack, chimney climbing in the gap between two rocks,
Talakaud, Mekedatu, Sivasamudram, Dodda Makali and bridge climbing when the gap is more and along a corner,
Hognekal. All these places can be reached by bus in and a combination of two or more techniques such as
three to five hours from Bangalore, perfect for starting corner lay-backing. Advanced rock climbing techniques,
the trek early in the morning. There is also a special thrill such as rappelling or zummaring, need the use of different
in moonlight trekking, though the trail is difficult to follow types of ropes and special equipment that need to be
and distances are difficult to estimate in darkness, as we carried along on a trek. However there is no harm taking
found once: so we went to sleep (one of us on guard for a couple of manila ropes a few metres long. They come in
any animals) and woke up with sunlight to search for the handy in different situations: crossing a stream, hauling
correct path. For trips of longer duration, there is Yana up backpacks, as a clothesline, a tourniquet or even as
and Jog Falls, September being the most suitable season footwear as we did in Sakleshpur trek when somebody’s
(we went in the rains and got drenched). Trekking to shoe completely came apart.
Ooty along the railway track is a marvellous experience,
just before the winter, with numerous waterfalls on the One need not always confine to trekking. Cycling is also
way. It rained when we went, and we had to use a carry- great fun, to places like Shivaganga, Nandi hills and
mat as one big umbrella. Anekal. It is advisable to check the cycles thoroughly

before starting, and to carry a puncture repair kit, with ‘vehicles’ in front of a small shop, and climbed rest of the
pump, if possible. Hundred kilometres can easily be way up. The climb looked easy, so we decided to try our
covered by cycle in a day, with enough time to spare for own path. We ran into thorn bushes, but undaunted, we
lunch and diversions for exploration, compared to about pressed on and crossed the thorn belt by crawling, and
thirty kilometres in trekking. I found sports bikes to be as getting scratches all over. The path was not repeated on
good as, if not better than, the big sturdy cycles. the way down.
We cycled to Nandi Hill in February, 60 kilometres away With all these slips and falls, dirt and grime, scratches
from Bangalore. For a change, we started at 4 in the and bleedings, twisted ankles and hurting backs, what
morning to experience cycling in the dark. It was nice is it that makes we want to go again and again on mad
silently gliding under the starry skies. Now and then the trips of adventure trekking? Become a weekend trekker
headlights of an oncoming truck made it difficult to see and find out!
the road in front, and one of us miraculously escaped
when his cycle slipped off the edge of the road. We And best of luck with the leeches!
reached the base of Nandi Hill where we parked our
The Mother
Ankita Pramanik (Student, ECE) was always among the top three rankers of his school.
From his childhood he had loathed to have a lot of friends.
He had only two friends but the bonding of friendship
“Chinku, please read all the questions before writing the was very great among the three. He shared every minute
exam and once you finish answering all the questions, go detail of his life with these two friends. But things had
through your work carefully. And I am sorry son, I can’t changed from the beginning of class X. Chinku could feel
come with you to your examination centre. But don’t the peer-pressure. He often pondered over the fact that
worry Dad’s there. He will take you. I am extremely sorry. his father is an MBA from IIM, mother a gold-medalist
I… I know today is the first day of your class 10 Board in Economics and his cousins are into either medicine or
exam but son, I am busy. But, I promise I’ll definitely pick engineering, so he needed to perform well in his board
you up in the afternoon.” exam and carve out a place for himself. He was often
“Absolutely not needed, Shalini. I can pick him up as apprehensive what would happen if he did not perform
well.” well in the exam. What would happen if he had no great
“No, Raj you go to your work. I’ll manage it.” academic achievements. He used to shudder at the very
“Shalini, do you think that by picking him up today after thought of being a failure. He felt his friends secretly
his exam you will be fulfilling all your motherly duties? laughed at him. He started avoiding them. These days,
Can you tell me how many sleepless nights you had when he barely laughed. So as days passed and his board-
Chinku had fever? How many times you organized his exams neared, he became more and more upset and
birthday party? How many times did you go to his school pale with the fear of being an under performer. But his
on parents-teachers meeting?” parents did not notice his behavioral changes. How could
“Raj, stop now! You don’t have to remind me what you they? Where was the time to notice all these silly things?
have done. And stop bullying me as if I am the worst Chinku’s mother did not even have the time to notice that
mom. I know you are a GREAT DAD.” her morning-tea turned ice-cold while she worked on
Shalini and Raj were engrossed in their heated argument her project-report. He longed for his mother’s company
but neither of them noticed that their child Chinku was and care but she was unable to spare time for him. It
listening to their argument with a silent plea in his eyes, is not that his mother did not love him but it is that she
“Please stop for God’s sake! Please stop at least today. I loved her work more. Poor Dad somehow managed some
have a board exam.” time for Chinku but he could not read much of Chinku’s
thoughts.
Chinku alone knew how miserable his condition was! He

Shalini was frantically driving, through the traffic, towards Three weeks have passed. But things were radically
Chinku’s examination centre. She hurried and finally different from three weeks ago. Chinku had a nervous
reached the place although, fifteen minutes late. But breakdown during the exam and could not appear for the
where was Chinku? She could not find him. She scanned remaining papers. Psychiatrists were of the opinion that
the faces of each of the boys but could not locate Chinku. Chinku would take at least two years to recover if at all
“It is true that all the boys look similar in school-uniform he recovered. The doctors had emphasized on the fact
but I am Chinku’s mother, I definitely should be able to that Chinku should not get any mental stress and hence
recognize him,” muttered Shalini. The stream of boys should avoid studying for the next few months. Shalini’s
coming out of the school gate narrowed down and finally work pressure had increased even more. Now-a-days she
no boys were seen coming out and no other parent apart hardly had time for her meals. Raj had taken leave for the
from her stood there. She stood there clinging to the next four months so that he could look after Chinku. Raj
gate with hope that her son will come now and also with played with Chinku, told him lots of stories while Shalini
anger that why is he so late. But Chinku did not come narrated bed-time stories to him. It was a very good life
out. Instead, the school guard came and started closing from Chinku’s viewpoint. The only bad thing was that he
the gate. “But how can you close the gate? My son is still had to gulp down a lot of medicines.
inside?” she screamed at the guard.
One day Shalini returned a bit early. She went straight
“No, madam all the boys have come out.” into Chinku’s room. There she found Chinku lying on the
“No, no it can’t be, you are making a mistake. My son is bed with his head on Raj’s lap, Raj was telling him a
still inside. Please check once again.” story and his fingers were gently stroking Chinku’s head.
“No madam there is no mistake. If you want you can Not wanting to disturb the father-son duo, Shalini hid
come in and search the entire place.” herself behind the curtain. Raj’s voice had some magic.
Like a lunatic, Shalini rushed inside the school. She She listened spell-bound to what he was saying, “The
searched every nook and corner but couldn’t find Chinku? first Mughal Emperor Babur loved his son Humayun very
Her head reeled. She had no clue of what to do next. She much. Once, Humayun was very ill. None of the medicines
somehow mustered courage and called her husband, “Raj, had any effect on him. All the physicians were puzzled.
Chinku is missing. I searched the entire school premises One day, the chief physician, who
thoroughly but there is no trace of Chinku. Raj, I beg to
you somehow or other bring my son back to me.” was also a very religious man, found out the exact
“What are you saying, mad woman? Where is Chinku?” medicine required for treatment. He went straight towards
“We’ve lost him dear. He is missing.” emperor Babur and said, “It seems my lord, that the
“What! Did you check with all his friends?” prince will be cured only when you are willing to sacrifice
“No, I don’t have their number.” to Allah your dearest possession.” And it is said that
“Calm down. Go home, find the number from Chinku’s Babur asked from Allah Humayun’s well-being and health
diary and call his friends. I am leaving for home now. And in lieu of his life. So, as days passed, Humayun started
yes, don’t drive yourself, take a cab.” recovering and Babur started inching towards death. And
one day emperor Babur left this world.” Shalini could hear
Shalini somehow managed a cab to bring her back home. no more, she ran towards her room. Her face was stone
But lo and behold, what did she see when she reached hard and her eyes had a strange calmness. After so many
her home? To her it was the most beautiful sight. It was days she could find peace. Her jaws hardened as she
as if finding an oasis by the person dying of thirst in took an extremely tough decision.
a burning desert. Chinku was sitting on the door-steps.
His clothes were soiled and hair unkempt. There was no Almost a year has passed. Chinku was staring at the
trace of his school-bag or water-bottle and he was bare night sky. His eyes were searching for something. Finally
footed. But it did not matter to Shalini. She rushed and they settled on a small star. With tears rolling down his
embraced him, “My child, I was just fifteen minutes late. cheeks he shouted to the star, “Mother I have finished my
Why did you give me such a severe punishment?” But board exams today. All the doctors are surprised at my
Chinku did not move. He wore a fixed cold reaction on speedy recovery. But I know it is because of your ultimate
his face and his gaze was totally blank. Again, Shalini did sacrifice. Dad also says so. He feels you are the greatest
not know what to do? She felt herself to be shut up in Mom of this universe. I know, Mom it is because of you
a small dark dungeon and Chinku seemed to be sitting that I am fine today. The doctor who treated you does
alone in a far-away island, staring blankly at her. She not even have one-percent clue of the mystery disease
started shivering. that devoured you. But why Mom, why did you do this
for me? Why?”

What’s Brewing over Coffee my dear?
Perched on a stone bench… If someone discussed quantum physics, some other a

This tale I told. musical raga.
To keen listeners who witnessed a picture unfold. I did not pry, did not eavesdrop;
It was a legacy… In my mind, even experienced a pin drop.
A memory gone by… Gushed congratulations, stolen glances;
Like crushed beans and tinkling dreams! Amidst talk on genetics and a researchers' chances.
With no time to spare, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Robert Aumann …
My story is right here… Discussed in the same breath, Oh Heavens!!
"I walked on the broken path, Grievances were addressed,
Picking my steps with caution. Plans were assessed,
So as not to gain anyone's wrath, Projects implemented,
As stumbling is my inborn passion. Policies amended.
Soon the aroma filled the air; I saw it all happen over coffee here…
It was blissfully ok…being fair. Even as I strived to gain my foothold here.
The white porcelain cup and saucer- I saw,
Had lost its sheen thanks to many a user. I perceived,
The coffee filled to the brim; I observed,
A wee-bit strong for me, invited my grin. I believed…
It was coffee sans any frills… Anything can happen over coffee.
No cinnamon or cream or appetizing thrills. Coffee board has like you visitors regular,
Yet there was something about this coffee… Just look around and find moments stellar.
That made me happy like a child with her favorite Next time you walk on the broken path…
toffee. Just give all this a little thought.
The canopy added to the aura, And whisper in the ear of the person near…
As my mind raced and witnessed emotions in plethora. "What's brewing over coffee my dear?""
The discomfort of the plastic chairs forgotten; I woke from the dream…
The shaky tables, so what if the edges are rotten! It was a stellar tale in every realm.
People from across the campus converge, Walked on the broken path again today.
Intellectual discussions and debates emerge. Those memories are here to stay…
Day after day, I witnessed sagas… Some goodbyes are just so difficult to say…

My Relationship with IISc
Rajendra M.P. (Student, MGMT)
My relationship with the Indian Institute of Science, seeds. It was just too beautiful. I cannot remember as to
better known under the sobriquet ‘Tata Institute’, how many we collected. In the past two years I have not
is nearly five decades old. Hold your breath, not as a been able to see a single “Gulaganji” tree. I don’t know
student. It is a simple story of a simple soul who stood in where they all are gone.
awe of a premier institution over the years...an institution
that has contributed immeasurably to the growth of After another ten years my brother was able to join the
science and the scientific way of thinking for exactly one Institute as a research scholar to the utter joy of our
hundred years. It does not claim to narrate any earth parents. To be able to get into this premier institution
shaking happenings. It is just a ‘putting together’ of a was one of life’s greatest achievements. Whenever there
few encounters which occured at very irregular intervals was a cricket match on the gymkhana grounds and our
starting in 1958-59. team played, my brother would treat us to lunch in the
mess and we used to so look forward to it. During those
On one Sunday morning I was shepherded by my mother days hardly anyone used to complete the work in less
to this august institute along with my siblings, thanks to a than 6 to 7 years. And this was true even in my brother’s
neighbour who was working for his Ph.D. in the electrical case. Due to various reasons he was forced to change
department and who had agreed to show us around. The guides too. By the time he completed submission, the
memory is vague and if I try to be very graphic it would one person who would have been proud was not around.
border more on my imagination than on facts and I am My dad had died very shortly after my brother had joined
loath to try it either. However two things do stand out. the Ph.D programme. As a part of the course work he
After a seemingly interminable bus journey we reached had to learn German and he had bought one Cassel
the place at around 9.00 AM. Thanks to the trees and Dictionary. Now, three decades later, I am using it for
also the famous, salubrious Bangalore climate, which my work here, inspite of the latest online dictionaries.
once existed, the campus was shrouded in mist and it My younger brother too is an alumnus of IISc. He did his
was cold!!! When the sun managed to shine through, M.E. during 1976-78. Now I am here at a ripe old age
what did we see? Lo and behold! The dew drops on trying to do something I had been wanting to do earlier,
the green grass carpet reflected thousands of suns and but could not.
amongst them we saw the small bright red “Gulaganji”
Hostel (originally published

in Platinum Jubilee Book)
by M S Chandrasekar

Shelter of Hope
Madhusudan N. (Student, CPDM)
It was nearing the end of the working day. After a to crime, and he probably had a family to support back
tough day’s work I set about to leave for home. The home.
schedule had been gruelling as usual - lethargic in the
morning, dreary in the noon, and picking up full pace And then there was this rag-picker who carried two
by the evening. Just then my boss came up to me and rucksacks on his back – the left one was related to his
started his usual cribbing about my lack of attention and living, and in the other was his kid, with its head propped
care towards the now-routine task of initial evaluation out. How much more of a burden did he have compared
of insurance claims for small industries. The melancholy to me –all I maybe carrying would be a few claims papers
was inducing fatigue. I was tired of the job, tired of my back home. And I wouldn’t be able to carry my kid longer
boss - who is a reasonably unreasonable person, tired of than ten minutes.
my wife – whose list of purchases is as endless as her
unpunctuated monologue, tired of my kids – whose list In the meantime, I reached into my pocket to shell out a
is even greater, of my neighbour - who is aghast about rupee or two for the beggar, who would still have to search
my water connection crossing his gate, of my milkman - for food long after I would have munched grudgingly on
whose character is as dilutedas his milk, and of everything the usual food made by my wife under the comfort of a
and everybody including myself! roof.
Am I the only unlucky person upon whom so much And then this struck me – nobody is sans problems.
misfortune must befall? Why can’t I be left alone just After all, God has given me something, definitely better
like one of my junior school classmates, whom I met than somebody’s nothing. A family which will still attend
the other day? He runs his own business, has a sedan, to me when I am down with a hundred degree fever, a
and can buy his family almost the whole gift shop! Isn’t neighbour who will share sweets with me to lighten up
it unfair on the part of the Almighty to be partial and a festive day, a home that would protect me from ten
bestow only some with riches? Well, I was, to say the degree winters, and above all a balanced and healthy life.
least, frustrated. Oh, that old classmate of mine has acute health problems
due to his fast paced lifestyle. He gets to talk with his
As usual I went to the bus stop to head home. It was one kids maybe once a month or so. This lesson that the
of the more crowded and accessible bus stops. There street vendor, the rag-picker and the beggar taught me is
was a sort of stark contrast in the reality that this place invaluable – I’ll carry it with me for life.
presented. It was right below the tallest building in my
city, which by all means represented the socio-economic Thank you God !
superiority of the neighborhoods, but also served as a
lone juncture of survival for the not so superior as well.
The bus stop was as usual crowded, but I had come a

little late in the evening so it could be said that the crowd
had waned a little. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed
the chap selling groundnuts. He has been around for a
few months now. I have spoken to him only once – the
day it rained heavily and I had to take shelter under a
makeshift tent where he had shifted his baanli. He came
here to eke out a living after failing his tenth grade back
in his impoverished home state. How determined he was,
in a place where he had hardly any contacts in terms
of people and language! He could have easily turned Vine snake: found in IISc campus
Photo: Ashok Kumar (Student, CES)

Cheese !!

With Shyam (Student, MGMT), Madhusudan (Student, CHEMENG), Smrithi (Student, MRDG)
“Cheese !!” of students who kept pouring in way past the initial time
We all looked up at the radiant sky, given, faculty who also complied with the dress code of
Pride in our eyes and head held high! white and their children.
Marked in our position, disciplined we stood, The Director, Prof. P. Balram said this was a wonderful
Worth the entire wait was this moment good. initiative that brought together everyone at one place,
The frames did capture, while a little ‘miss sunshine’ a seldom happening in these 440 odd acres of land. He
quipped, “Cheese”! not only enthused the participants with his presence, but
This summarized the entire experience, “Smile Please!” after several posed shots at the emblem, said, “I am
Date: 16 November 2008. fitter than most of the people!” . Commenting on the
Venue: Gymkhana Grounds, IISc dress code being white, he had an innovative idea of
Event: Human Formation of the IISc Emblem using lab coats! Now, why didn’t we think of that ?!
This was a historical moment as for the first time ever; Brijesh spoke about how the volunteers came in early to
the institute community came together to be a part of the draw the entire emblem and literally got their hands dirty
Human Formation of the IISc Emblem. This was another with mud and chalk powder. Arif working enthusiastically
of the events to usher in the Centenary Year. A brain child with the volunteers cited how initially it was difficult to
of the faculty and the Student Council, this event was get students but finally, the day had come and the Human
lead by Prof. AnanthaSuresh with co-ordinating support Formation was a reality. Student volunteers felt happy
from Brijesh Bhatt, The Student Council Co- Chairman and enthusiastic about being a part of this initiative but
and Arif Ali Baig, The Student Council General Secretary, hoped that things were better planned and punctuality
who conducted a drive to get students to be a part of was maintained. And as Prof. Vinoy put it, “ The Ball is
this. finally rolling for the Centenary!”
We had over 250 enthusiasts for whom waking up early
on a Sunday morning was no big deal. This comprised The event was designed by SAiMAA Creations.
Photo Credits: Prof. G. K. Ananthasuresh

Salute to the Rising Sun
Deepti Abbey (Student, MRDG) Remember the days when we studied, studied, and
studied, faced a series of entrances to land here; and
finally went through rounds of interviews and one day
you feel on top of the world being the part of the institute.
It appears just like a dream, to those who have felt this Life starts with full enthu, movies, DJ parties, Tea board
way a span of 100 years -- a period of victory, glory and birthday celebrations , never ending assignments and
a success with a responsibility to still maintain it. horrible end term examinations all in a row and have to
Who would have thought that an institute started by be faced all one by one. The feelings and the thoughts of
Jamshetji Tata in the year 1909 will one day be recognised reaching here are not at all over when suddenly we realise
as the most prestigious place for research giving platform that roots of research have started going deep and finally
to thousands of budding scientists. we start realising for what cause we are here.
So, here’s the institute standing firmly with over forty Still, life is really enjoyable here; a place where you
departments; eminent library with various students’ experience different cultures, enjoy celebrating the same
welfare and entertainment centers. It feels proud to be festival in different moods and ways; refreshing yourself
a student here, where you can dwindle with your mind at tea and coffee corners with friends, sitting there for
storming experiments; enjoy the company of people from hours making plans to go out, discussing new faces and
diverse fields and learn the experience of looking at even fashion and in the pastime to change mood little science
a simple thing from different perspectives; a place where and research.
you feel honored to be following the same path as the
Nobel laureate Dr C.V. Raman or many famous alumni, So, isn’t it great to be here? Nice way of pursuing science
all working with the aim to benefit the society in one or with sports and other extra curricular activities, where
the other way. It is a wonderful place to enjoy complete the nights are also as glistening as days.
students’ rights and freedom, as also the experiences of
other dignitaries renowned in their respective fields. I salute this rising sun for giving us the opportunity
to pursue science at its best in the shades of others’
Life at IISc is completely different from what the usual; experiences and above all helps us in building the
the nights are also as bright as the sunny days. Nature confidence and commitment towards goal. Above all, I
is in its full glory all around and even the fellow crows congratulate it for completing the glorious 100 years and
accompany you in the dark nights saying that they are wish to celebrate years like it ahead.
with us.
High Voltage
Engineering
Department
(originally
published in
Platinum Jubilee
Book) by
M S Chandrasekar

Life on Campus...(beyond studies???)
Mukta Deobagkar (Student, BIOCHEM)
Life on campus is not a picnic, not by any chance! One range of extracurricular activities. The Ranade Library
might even say that students have it tough, with classes and Reading room boasts of a vast collection of books
to attend and unending series of examinations to sit and magazines. And it is a sight that pleases my soul
through and to top this there loom the dreaded project when I step into the library and there are people sitting in
deadlines. Even for research students, the rigours of those old cane chairs engrossed in their books or comics.
working in laboratories for unearthly hours and the This flight into another imaginary world or the quest for
challenging task of keeping your advisor happy while information on something which may not benefit you in
hoping to finish a PhD in a respectable time frame (read: your “professional career” is a great stress-buster! For
before you are positively ancient!!!) make life stressful the musically inclined, the Music club (better known as
enough! Rhythmica) is a very active group indeed. The concerts
that the group presents are very well received, popular
Thankfully for all of us at IISc, we are blessed with a and appreciated. I shall not say much about the Gymkhana
beautiful campus and a very active community of students Movie club since I am sure most of us have scrambled to
that helps to keep us relatively cheerful and saves us wind up all work bang on time as the Friday evening
from becoming boring, geeky and dull individuals always approaches such that not a single movie is missed! But
stuck in the laboratory or the classroom. If you are what is interesting is that there is another group that can
wondering whether I have any point to make at all, I showcase off-beat films at required interest and meets
should just state that I am talking about the multitude at the Physics Department regularly, thus ensuring that
of students’ activities and clubs on campus that give a there is ample scope for you to explore different kinds of
chance to even the most stressed of us to relax in exactly cinema along with enjoying the popular genre.
the way we please.
Beyond the activities within a formal “club” structure,
Not being particularly athletically oriented, I had not students with similar interests meet as a small groups
evinced much interest in the Gymkhana facilities on so as to discuss, learn and teach. Such activities include
campus to begin with. But over the last year ( with ample the Astronomy Club, a group of amateur enthusiasts that
prodding from friends), I have discovered that we have meets at the top of the Raman building. Along with their
a Gymkhana facility which offers badminton, tennis, gym modest sets of personal telescopes and equipment they
facilities, billiards, chess, carom, table tennis, hockey, keep a watch on the skies and look at the constellations
football, cricket, kung fu and the list goes on and on! The and stars. And considering that we stay on an incredibly
aerobics club and the yoga classes twice a day are an beautiful campus that is almost like a different world,
added benefit for all those fitness fanatics and the “not so there is no chance that nature and photography lovers
fit” (more like “challenged with ‘weighty’ issues”). At the will not flourish here. Though there are many (and let
end of a seemingly unending working day, a competitive me stress “many”) amazing photographers here, there
match on the courts or an exhaustive training session are also those who do not venture beyond the regular
on the grounds goes a long way to make you feel more digital camera and the Photography club is a blessing of
cheerful (endorphins you know!!!). And it is amazing sorts for them since it provides equipment and arranges
that many of the games facilities we have today were photography tours too. Another recent discovery for me
present even at the very beginning of the Gymkhana, has been the Voices group, which brings out a students’
though there were a few then that might sound novel newsletter. Along with giving you a means for letting your
today, such as the Rifle club...am so amused at the idea creative juices flow, “Voices” lets you say all that you
of going around campus carrying a rifle today! may have ever wished to but for which you may not have
found a platform before.
On the premises of the Gymkhana at IISc (which
is renowned as one of the oldest Gymkhanas in There are many other informal groups that meet on a
Bangalore), there are facilities for a surprisingly vast regular basis in order to share common interests, relax,

destress and generally accept that life, beyond the science
that we do on a daily basis, is interesting, rich and worthy
of exploring. These activities do not just help you to find
an outlet for your tensions but also make you stop and
think at times, take a deep breath and more often than
not, give you the opportunity of meeting people that
you would not in the normal course of your life. These
friendships and the amazing camaraderie that builds
up due to shared passions is of as much importance as
doing good, meaningful research and the very fact that
IISc offers each one of us this opportunity is a matter to
be cherished.
Centurion Dearest
Tata Marg (originally published in Platinum Jubilee
Sudhir R. (Student, CPDM) Book) by M S Chandrasekar
With the rising sun, her glory pervades;

Her precious children merry to praise.
Content and stern, the grandsire stands guard,

No emotion to belie his eternal stance.
IISc as a Subcity
Her children eager - play and dream,
To sail and conquer distant lands.
Arun R. (Student, CSA)
While beautiful and embellished, she stretches across
Basking in the glory of the grandsire.
Often my relatives and friends outside Bangalore ask me
The grandsire stands strong atop; the typical question, “what kind of a place is Bangalore,
Stretching his watchful eye across the horizon. how frequently do you go out” and so on. My answer to
such questions is usually with a hint of apology in my tone
With an iron fist, he stands vigil, “I don’t know much about Bangalore because I have not
As he mildly glances at her nestled in his hand. gone out many times. I mostly stay on the campus.” They
are perplexed by this answer, even disdainful sometimes
The occasional streak of grey now peppers her hair and come to the conclusion that there is a lot of work
As she in his palm now peacefully rests. pressure which inhibits me from going out. That is in fact,
an erroneous conclusion.
Warmly smiling from his steel face;
He whispers into the breeze – The true reason is that staying in the tranquil environment
“Beloved, you turn a hundred today!” of IISc seems much more appealing and attractive as
compared to going outside to say, MG Road. If you go out
[The term ‘grandsire’ is used in reference to the Tata anywhere and come back, you immediately appreciate
statue opposite Faculty Hall] the change once you enter IISc. There is a total absence
of chaotic and messy traffic snarls, noisy environment and

other dust and pollution that one has to survive through.
Instead IISc greets you with the same calm, quiet,
peaceful environment that makes you feel as though you
have entered a different world. It has an aura that says
“Come whatever may happen, I will stay the same, go
on at my own steady pace irrespective of the huffing and
puffing world outside.”
An IIScian friend of mine once casually said, “we should

go out once every month, so that when we come back
from outside we will appreciate IISc a lot more”. There is a
lot of wisdom in these words. We don’t usually appreciate
what we have; only when we lose it we realize its value.
Apart from the tranquil environment there are a lot of

other things to be noticed which makes IISc such a great
place to live in. There is an amazing amount of flora and
fauna in our campus. Probably IISc is one of the few
places left where humans and wildlife coexist peacefully
(CES people could tell you more about that).
The trees of IISc play a major role in contributing to the

tranquility of the campus. For a start, there are so many
of them that they encompass entire roads. Look up IISc
on Google Earth and all you will find is greenery. The
trees do not let you feel the sun if it is a hot sunny day.
In case it is raining, you could still walk underneath them
because they buffer a large portion of the rain through
their leaves. However, if the rain stops and you might
be lulled in thinking that you can now go outside, you
might be mistaken. A gentle breeze will allow the trees
to scatter heavy droplets of buffered rain water upon you
and give you a wrong impression that it is raining.
A special mention needs to be given to the birds on the go there, order whatever they want, and then drift apart
trees that are more than willing to shower their “blessings” nearby and once they are finally done with the eating
on you whether you like it or not. There is a superstition they come back and pay the money at the end. There is
that unless one is blessed by the birds, he/she won’t no supervision, just an innate honesty from the students
be able to write his/her thesis. If you are superstitious and trust from the café owner. This kind of culture and
and are facing a tough time in writing your thesis, go trust is usually not prevalent elsewhere.
and stand outside the library during six to eight in the
evening. You are sure to get blessed. Fortunately, these So, all in all IISc is a special place to be in. Maybe a
birds are not wasteful or unintelligent either. They shower lot of us need to cherish the time that we have here
their blessings only on the roads used more by humans, and appreciate its natural beauty and glory rather than
example on the road from the library to Biochemistry grumbling about its various lacunae (which are usually
department. On other lesser used roads, you won’t find human-centric). So, the next time someone asks me
them. “what kind of a place is Bangalore”, I will answer without
any hint of apology “I know nothing of Bangalore, I live
Another wonderful thing about IISc is that there is a in IISc which is a different and beautiful sub-city of its
trust factor implicit over here. Mostly you will find people own kind. If you wish to know about IISc, I can give you
trusting one another on various issues. Even students who all the details.”
are usually not renowned for their trustworthiness are
honest and responsible. Take the example of GymCafe (a
popular eating place near Gymkhana). A lot of students

‘My’ Love Story
Anas K. A. (Student, CPDM)
Today, I’m going to break a big news. Guess what? I’m said, and read as if to my class, slowly and deliberately,
writing a novel! I’m spending almost two hours every day pausing to explain now and then.
for its materialization. The title? Well, it is still ‘Untitled.’ “I never knew you could write so well.”
I have finished almost three chapters. Ah! You want to “It is a pity that you should have underrated me so long;
hear more? but now you know better. Keep it up,” I said.
It is about the life of a newly married English Teacher, “And if possible don’t look at the pages, say roughly
who is also a poet, teaching at a college. As a sample, between 150 and 200, in the (book) Golden Treasury.
here is an extract describing a lovely scene… And don’t Because someone called (William) Wordsworth has
forget to e-mail me your valuable opinion… written similar poems.”
»»»»»»»»»»» This was an invitation for her to run in and fetch her
copy of the Golden Treasury and turn over precisely the
(Please note that the story is written in First Person forbidden pages. She scoured every title and first line
Singular. The words in brackets are given for your better and at last pitched upon the original. She read it through,
understanding of the story. The English Teacher speaks and said: “Aren’t you ashamed to copy?”
to his wife that he is unable to write poetry nowadays
because--) “No,” I replied. “Mine is entirely different. He had written
about someone entirely different from my subject.”
“The trouble is I have not enough subjects to write on,” “I wouldn’t do such a thing as copying.”
I confessed. She (his wife) drew herself up and asked:
“Let me see if you can write about me.” “I should be ashamed to have your memory,” I said. “You
“A beautiful idea,” I cried. “Let me see you.” have had the copy of the Golden Treasury for years now,
I sat up very attentively and looked at her keenly and and yet you listened to my reading with gaping wonder! I
fixedly like an artist or a photographer viewing his subject. wouldn’t give you even two out of a hundred if you were
I said: “Just move a little to your left please. Turn your my student.”
head right. Look at me straight here. That’s right… Now I
can write about you. Don’t drop your eyelashes so much. »»»»»»»»»»»
You make me forget my task. Ah, now, don’t grin please.
Very good, stay as you are and see how I write now, “Anaska, we never knew you could write so well.”
steady…” I drew up the notebook, ran the fountain pen “It is a pity that you people should have underrated me
hurriedly over it and filled a whole page beginning: so long; but now you know better. Keep it up. And if
possible don’t look at the pages, say roughly between
“She was a phantom of delight 50 and 60, in the book The English Teacher. Because
When first she gleamed upon my sight: someone called R K Narayan has written similarly.”
A lovely apparition, sent
To be a moment’s ornament.” References:
Read the poem “She was a phantom of delight” by William
It went on for thirty lines ending: Wordsworth from:
“And yet a spirit still, and bright http://www.web-books.com/Classics/Poetry/Anthology/
With something of an angelic light.” Wordsworth/SheWas.htm
I constantly paused to look at her while writing, and said: Know more about R K Narayan and The English Teacher
“Perfect. Thankyou. Now listen.” from:
“Oh, how fast you write!” she said admiringly. http://www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/englishteacher.
“You will also find how well I’ve written. Now listen,” I htm

Role of IISc in the Second World War
Arun R. (Student, CSA)
IISc played an important role in coordinating various related to rewinding or repairing of electrical machines,
activities and researches during the Second World War. repairing and calibration of measuring instruments and
Although not all of them can be mentioned, some of the other such miscellaneous jobs.
important contributions are listed below. • Large quantities of Carbon composition resistors and
• During the year 1941-42, on a request by the Army, the vitreous enameled resistors required by the Air Force
institute placed around 108 acres of land at the army’s were manufactured and supplied.
disposal for use as a temporary camp site for the duration • The institute became one of the centres of radio
of the war. communication in Bangalore for the Signal Corps. A
• The institute agreed to provide facilities for training 250 watt short wave transmitter was constructed by the
of skilled artisans, viz., electricians, mechanics, tin and institute for their use.
copper smiths for war purposes. • A scheme of repairs, tests and calibration of electrical
• During 1942-43, on a request by the Air Headquarters, and radio instruments as well as construction and repair
a factory for large scale manufacture of hydrogen gas of mechanical appliances were undertaken for the Air
was put up within the premises of the institute. Force and other fighting units.
• Pilot plant experiments were carried out by the institute
for the manufacture of Potassium Permanganate, At the conclusion of the hostilities, the War Department,
Potassium Chlorate, urea, white phosphorous from the Supply Department, the Directorate of Admiralty
phosphatic modules of Trichinopoly and cryolite. A design Research and Development and the President of Council
of a plant for the manufacture of Phosphorus and 200 lbs of Scientific and Industrial Research expressed their
of phosphorus made in the pilot plant were supplied to appreciation of the work that was done at the institute in
the Army authorities. the aid of war effort.
• At the request of the Supply Department of the Indian
government, the institute had prepared and supplied Hipatitis vaccine
2000 lbs of p-nitrophenyl-azo-β-naphthylamine.
• At the invitation of the Government, large quantities development at IISc
of modified (Depolymerized) Shellac were prepared and
supplied. P.T. Raghuram (SSO, CHEMENG)
• A substantial amount junket rennet powder required by
the government was prepared and supplied.
• Pilot plant experiments were also carried out for the The hepatitis B virus has caused several epidemics in
manufacture of Vitamin D at the suggestion of the Army the past and presently, about a third of the world’s
authorities. population have been infected with the virus. The
• The Department of Biochemistry was engaged in various infection is preventable by vaccination. The hepatitis B
important problems related to the preservation of food vaccine market is estimated at US $ 22.2 million (Rs.
grains, the use and nutritive value of soya milk etc., at the 90 crores) and is growing at 20% annually. India is the
instance of the military authorities. largest producer of Hepatitis B vaccine today. Over 10
• The medical services of the army was actively helped brands available in the country and IISc has contributed
by the institute in applying radio technique as a rapid and to two of them.
less expensive method locating metal (shrapnel) in the
human body.
• Mostly as a war measure, a wind tunnel, where an air
velocity of 300 miles per hour can be set up, was built
with accessory laboratories.
• On the Electrical Engineering side, a number of jobs
were undertaken for the fighting services. These were

Coffee with Shami.
Rupesh Nasre (Student, CSA)
A fine Saturday morning. Long time since bhOndOO met fully concentrating on his typing.
his advisor, and long time for the next meeting. bhOndOO
is relaxed. No nightouts, peaceful sleeps, early wake-ups, “bhOndOO, coming for coffee?”. bhOndOO is
and early comings to the lab; and so is today. thunderstruck. Reasons:
• someone uttered his name.
bhOndOO is alone in the lab. He is merry, whistling Dil • some lady uttered his name.
tadap tadap ke kah raha hai aa bhi ja, reading Shami’s • Shami uttered his name.
scrapbook on Orkut. His Orkut fortune today is Be tactful: • some lady is asking him for coffee.
Overlook not your own opportunity. He is expecting • Shami is asking him for coffee.
something nice to happen to him today.
bhOndOO looks at Shami standing beside him. “Sure.”,
Suddenly, he hears opening of the lab door. Wow! Its bhOndOO mutters involuntarily. He locks his KDE session
Shami! Shami smiles at bhOndOO while entering. and gets up. While getting up, he realizes what he saw
bhOndOO does not notice it. He is busy finding and on screen while locking the terminal: he was replying to
clicking on Home on the screen to get away from Shami’s Julie and the subject was Re: Cannot forget last night.
scrapbook. Damn it! IISc proxy is so slow. While clicking
on the button, he realizes that he should react to Shami’s bhOndOO looks at Shami and notices no signs of disgust.
greeting. He looks at Shami who is by now at a distance May be, she did not see it. But what if she did?
of five feet and greets (with fear), “Hello.”.
They meet a junior on the way and the junior greets
Shami walks past bhOndOO, casually looks at his screen, them with a smile. From the mocking smile of the junior,
settles at a machine (not adjacent to that of bhOndOO’s), bhOndOO realizes that he is going alone with Shami! Oh
and starts typing her login. bhOndOO has managed his my God! I never got this chance before! He recollects his
reputation using the most terrific key-combination of all Orkut fortune. bhOndOO adjusts his spects, sweeps his
times in the history of industrialization: Alt+Tab. hand across his hair, and clears his throat. He is suddenly
looking confident — confident to break the ice.
bhOndOO re-relaxes himself and notices his screen. Shit!,
he exclaims. His Yahoo! mail is showing an advertisement “Going home in Dec?”, bhOndOO asks.
of Bharat Matrimony with a lady smiling at bhOndOO. I “Ya. I could not go in summer because of the summer
hope, she does not misunderstand me. course. I must go now. How about you?”.
“No, I am planning to do some paper reading for my
bhOndOO is cautious now. He is hardly doing anything on research in Dec. I may go home in Feb.”.
his machine. His full concentration is on the girl seated
three machines away from him. Shami is typing a reply. Shami nods. This small conversation boosts up bhOndOO’s
The lab bears sounds of her typing and the fan of AC. confidence. Shall I talk to her? Lets get seated first. He
Will me not typing anything look suspicious? bhOndOO remembers the slogan of Cafe Coffee Day: A lot can
decides to reply to some mail. However, his Yahoo! inbox happen over a cup of coffee. They enter the Tea Board. I
contains zero mails. No, no. Typing something is very must pay for her coffee today. He inserts his hand in the
important right now. bhOndOO opens one of the nine pocket and feels a single coin of five rupees. One coffee
spams, clicks on Reply and starts typing. costs four rupees.
bhOndOO’s concentration is at ultimatum. For typing thirty Are yaar! Why does this happen with me only? They are
words, bhOndOO presses the Backspace button sixty- 10 feet away from the queue and bhOndOO is searching
nine times. This is very bad. Why am I getting tensed? for alternatives:
bhOndOO relaxes himself and starts typing slowly — now

• I will not drink coffee.
• I will ask the shopkeeper for credit. If he does
not agree, how about keeping my watch with him?
•
•
Is there anyone familiar already in the queue?
How about me paying for Shami’s coffee and she
Tete-a-tete with
paying for mine? Prof. Roddam Narasimha
Before bhOndOO could decide, Shami says, “I have Smrithi Murthy (Student, MRDG)
two coffee-coupons. Don’t get into the queue.”. Though
bhOndOO is relieved that the calamity is avoided, he
knows that he has also lost the chance of paying for The following interview is written posthumously, in
Shami. accordance with the wishes of the interviewer. The
renowned scientist Prof. Roddam Narasimha, gives his
They settle at a corner. bhOndOO is all set. He makes up take on various aspects of research.
the first statement in the mind: Shami, I love you. The
statement gets rejected — by himself. He retries: Shami, The Interviewer:
I want to talk to you something. This sounds better. Now, Divesh Thimmaiya was an integrated Ph.D. student in
bhOndOO is looking for the right opportunity to start Biological Sciences who joined in 2004. He was General
talking, without phrasing what he is going to say after Secretary of Students Council during 2006. Before his
the first statement. unexpected and regretful demise in October 2008, he was
working in Prof. Upendra Nongthomba’s lab, MRDG.
bhOndOO’s heart-beats reach ninety per minute. He is
trying to talk, but is not able to utter a single word. Is The Interviewee:
it so difficult to say such things? He quotes to himself: Prof. Roddam Narasimha is currently the chairman
Be brave, man dies only once. He clears his throat, and of Engineering Mechanics Unit at JNCASR. He did his
manages, “Shami…”. Associateship at IISc, under Professor Satish Dhawan. He
was a faculty member at the Department of Aerospace
Shami looks up, in astonishment. bhOndOO does not, but Engineering at IISc from 1962 to 1999. He founded the
Shami knows that bhOndOO never utters her name. She Centre for Atmospheric Sciences (now CAOS). He has
stops drinking her coffee and is looking straight into the been the Director of National Aerospace Laboratories
eyes of bhOndOO. (NAL) and National Institute of Advanced Studies
(NIAS). Among the many distinguished awards he has
The rate is now ninety-five per minute. bhOndOO feels to his name are the Bhatnagar Prize, Gujar Mal Modi
himself lost in the eyes of Shami. He forgets what he is Award, Aryabhata Award, Padma Bhushan and the most
going to say. When he comes to senses, he says, “Um…, recent one - Trieste Science Prize, 2008. He’s a Fellow
the coffee is very nice, isn’t it?”. of the Royal Society, a Fellow of American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics, Foreign Asssociate of
Shami smiles, looks down, and nods. bhOndOO curses US National Academy of Engineering and US National
himself: If this is what was going to be her response, I Academy of Sciences. He also holds the Pratt & Whitney
should have asked whether she loves me. chair in Science and Engineering at the University of
Hyderabad. He is a member of Scientific Advisory Council
“Generally, the coffee here is not good compared to (SAC) to the Prime Minister and the Space Commission.
the Coffee Board. The Coffee Board has maintained its He has authored around 17 books and 230 research
standard. I heard that they import it from Kerala. However, publications.
this coffee (in Tea Board) is what we get in shops.”.
Experiences that inspired him to take up research...
It drops to eighty per minute. After a lot of praise for the Inspiration began right at home. His father was a
coffee, bhOndOO experiences the last sip of coffee, and professor of physics at Central College, Bangalore. Later
sees a nice little dead cockroach at the bottom of the in school, there were two teachers who influenced him
cup. Not to contradict his statements, he gulps in the last the most. They were very interested in science. One of
sip and keeps the cup away from Shami’s eyes. them gifted him a book on lives of great scientists that
profoundly inspired him. “A small number of teachers”,
While going back to the department, bhOndOO decides he says, “go beyond the normal quality.”
to do a full rehearsal before proposing.

The first time he came to the institute was during his There aren’t enough opportunities here for people
undergraduate days. There was an exhibition going seriously interested in science as a career. “Although
on that influenced him very much. Later, he did his economically we are growing very fast, the total amount
Associateship (equivalent to today’s MSc. by research) of investment in basic research is very less”, he notes.
with Professor Satish Dhawan, from whom he learnt a “The infrastructure should be such that a reasonably
lot. Although the aeronautics course was not very popular bright student finishes his Ph.D. in 3-4 years; the
during the time (there were no students the year before), problems should be such that they’re manageable in that
he joined the course. People advised him against it, but period of time. The pay-scales also need to be improved.
his father encouraged him to do what he had made up Academia needs self-motivated people, who do science
his mind to. for their own pleasure, and are happy to be paid for it.”
Major changes in IISc during the fifty years he spent Creating more institutions…
here... “To create an institution, you need an idea, a motivation,
“Its very difficult to imagine the institute fifty years ago”, a mission. You must feel that what you’re doing is terribly
he begins. The institute was very small then, with a important and NEEDS to be done”, he delivers. While
small number of people. A few of them were driven by he was in aeronautics, he felt that serious research was
extraordinary passion, like Sir C.V. Raman. “There were not being done in atmospheric sciences. The field had
half a dozen telescopes (placed near the area where the important, interesting problems, but none working on it.
health centre is today), and both students and faculty He spoke to the director about this and was in turn asked
used them extensively.” if he’d give time to the topic and take responsibility for it.
Changes started in the sixties and early seventies, when He agreed and so CAOS was born in 1982.
the number of students, faculty increased, teaching
programmes changed etc. The faculty decided that there The reason for IISc’s popularity…
should be greater focus on science and in order to initiate “Because it’s the cheapest!” he laughs. On a serious note,
this, new courses were introduced. he ends, “For a student of science, I do not know of a
“For a long time, there was no place to get coffee!” he better place. Though we don’t account for much in terms
reminiscences. He also adds that in those days, the of contribution to the world at the moment, our ambition
institute mess was supposed to provide the best food in should be to rise to the top.”
Bangalore (!).
The reason he chose to become a faculty here instead

of staying abroad, in spite of lack of infrastructure in the
country…
“Lack of infrastructure is a constraint”, he agrees, “but if
you’re smart enough, you can get over it - its fun to think.”
He talks about how Professor Dhawan’s lab was well-
established - a bridge between science and engineering -
The Violet Flowers
solely due to his ingenuity. He built supersonic tunnels at
a time when supersonic flows and shock waves were still
a mystery. The problem he gave the student Narasimha Aditya Narayan Roy (Student, PHY)
was very interesting and seemingly impossible. Yet,
Professor Dhawan believed it possible and his advise to
his pupil was “Don’t follow what other people are doing. It was one of the most unique incidents in my life! One
Just ask yourself how you could tackle the question”. of the few that never had any explanation. I am seventy
Indeed, Prof. Narasimha completed the task in two years. now, and I have grandchildren. They ask for bedtime
This made him believe, in turn, that he could do good stories, and I often get to narrate this tale to them. And
work in India, despite all odds. Hence, though there was just as I, they never seem to grow tired of it. I don’t
an aerospace boom in the US during his time, he joined know what makes it so new every time it’s told! But the
IISc as faculty. fact that we all like it is reason enough for me to go on
narrating it over and over. Maybe its essence is what we
Contemporary issues… all like about it - the fact that it goes unexplained every
The most serious issue, he feels, is that science in the time it’s told afresh! It’s like that wafting sweet scent that
country is stagnating. The publications from our country you want to get rid of, just because you have grown tired
in the last few years haven’t been great. of your inability of trying and locating its source, but…

Chemical Engineering
Department (originally
published in Platinum
Jubilee Book) by
M S Chandrasekar
which, instead, never leaves you - quite to your liking It all started with a visitor, a man -- with shabby, torn
and disgust! clothes and dirty wisps of hair who had come from a
distant place, outside the realms of that village, which
The incident occurred when I was about forty. I was he never talked about much. He had come to meet me. I
living at a place that was like a village, having a nice came to know that he was with his eight-year old son who
forest around it with varieties of flowers and birds. I was deeply ill. And he needed a written recommendation
was working there as a deputy to the Chief Magistrate from me to get the boy admitted to a well known hospital
of the state for the development of that land. We were that was situated some five miles from there. He said
essentially building new roads that would connect the he had gone to the hospital but was not attended much
location to bigger cities, with the hope that it would be because he didn’t have enough money and that he
changing to a town for the better. I was to stay there for was told if he could get a recommendation signed by
six months and supervise the construction. And I was a Government official, his son could be admitted there.
living at a place whose neighborhood had a nice man Then he had come to know of me staying here and having
called Shaul. He was one of the wealthy men in the area. walked all the way from the hospital, carrying his son on
He had a large bungalow and a beautiful garden that was his shoulders. I inspected the boy and he indeed was
almost like a decorated piece of poetry that people from very weak. He was otherwise normal, just as other boys
miles away came to visit often. He invited me from time of his age, laughing and jumping when he was happy
to time to have dinner or lunch. He lived with his wife and and crying and complaining to his daddy when he was
had no children. I wondered whether being thus alone sad. But his unique feature was, as I got to notice, that
was one of the prime reasons behind never feeling any he fell frequently short on energy. I presumed he was
holding backs in terms of spending money. They spent suffering from leukemia. I decided to forward a letter to
with grace and always helped other people. Shaul was the hospital authorities, and for that night, I asked Shaul
very energetic. He was gay and talkative and had a heavy if he could let the visitors stay at his place. He agreed.
figure. He was unmercifully possessive of his garden They were served dinner and given a room. And they
where he grew rare flowers with utmost care. At times were supposed to leave for the hospital, next morning,
he was a bit short-tempered, but again, he was one of in Shaul’s car. It was the only personalised vehicle in
those men who quickly forgot any bad lines that he had the village apart from my own bicycle that I rode during
spoken or that were spoken to him. He held no grudges! supervising the different construction sites.
And he always had this piece of expensive cigar hanging
from his lower lip. His wife was a bit on the shyer side - I woke up the next morning to find quite a number of
talking less and spending more time in kitchen, cooking people gathering in front of my neighbor’s garden,
delicious dishes for the entire neighborhood. They were listening to him shout rough lines. I understood, due to
unanimously loved and respected throughout the place. some reason, he was in one of his bad-tempered moods.

I got to know then, that there was a new flower species anything. Blood transfusion had been carried out twice!
that Shaul had bought last month from a fair, which he But still that had failed to save him. The man gave me
was trying to develop with extreme care, that the small something, small, wrapped in a muddy piece of cloth! I
boy had somehow destroyed. There were a lot of people. asked, “What is it?” The thing was sealed with a piece of
I bustled my way in and saw the poor man standing on transparent polythene that would have taken sufficient
the streets, facing Shaul, all silent. The kid was crying. time to open! “My son destroyed his plant!” the man spoke
I saw ten to twelve red flowers being spread all over in that dark, “So I have got a plant for him. Give him this.
the ground - trampled by the dozen of people who had This bears violet flowers and they are very beautiful!” I
gathered around there. I learned that the boy had woken was quite stunned. The gentleness of the poor man left
up early in the morning, and on the pretext of seeing me spellbound for a while. But, then, I thought about it
the garden, had tried to pick flowers and leaves from and said, “Shaul has forgotten the incident! And he has
those plants. Shaul told me that he had slapped the boy got so many types of flowers in his garden, you know.
hard twice. And hearing that noise his father had woken We are all very sorry about your son, but you can take
up and had come rushing in. “You see!” Shaul told me, this back.” I smiled. I tried my best to get out of that
“Have a look at this! He has completely destroyed the situation! And then he said, “Maybe he has forgotten,
plants and I will never get this species again! That’s why but I haven’t. And I will never. Give him this. This is
I don’t allow these unknown rags in my house.” The picked from a corner of the forest surrounding your own
man was silent all the while. He was immensely tensed, village!” Leaving me stranded in the dark, he went away
mainly because, I presumed, he was a poor man who that night. The man never came back again.
knew he could never buy Shaul back his costly plants!
He stood there, hugging the little boy, stroking his hair. I handed over the plant to Shaul the next morning. He
I said, “You shouldn’t have hit him Shaul. He is already liked it. And as he was a simple, uncomplicated man, he
weak!” “Hit him? Huh!” Shaul said, “I haven’t yet touched never related it to what had happened before. He planted
him. I just gave him a tight slap!” People of the village the thing at a corner of his garden and exclaimed, “Oh
were watching us. I took Shaul into my room for a while this looks beautiful, really! I never knew I could get such
and managed to cool him down. After that, he went into nice species from our forest itself!” The plant started to
his house and slammed the door shut. grow, and we forgot all about the poor man and his son.
Things went back to normal.
I went to the man after the crowd had dispersed. The boy
had fever. His forehead was burning. I handed over the As the violet flowers started to bloom, I noticed their
letter of recommendation to the man and asked him to most unique characteristic - that they had a strong, sweet
leave for the hospital immediately. But he surprised me. aroma belonging to their very own, apart from being really
He put the kid on his shoulders and said that he won’t nice looking. The scent went far away without reducing
take Shaul’s car. He decided to walk all those five miles, much in intensity and that started to draw more visitors
and many requests fell on deaf ears. Shaul watched it from outside to Shaul’s garden. Shaul was more than
all silently. And at the end, he had no other option but happy. And he ordered his men to bring more such plants
to return quietly to his room again and slam shut the from the forest. But the men returned after regular failed
door for the second time. The man disappeared. For a attempts. Shaul cursed them and went there himself to
month, he never appeared again. I was told that he had look for it, but he didn’t find it too. And that finally made
reached the hospital safely and that he was never again him heart-broken, as he couldn’t plant another plant
seen in the village, but I never got to know how his son’s like that. But then, suddenly, one day he was shouting
health faired. Owing to my busy schedule and a sudden all full of joy. I rushed out of my room and went to his
increment of the work-rate in the next few weeks, I totally garden to find that he was bending over a small plant
forgot the incident until the man returned, one night, to that had grown beside the one bearing violet flowers.
my house again. They resembled each other in every sense. “See! I have
at last got another one!” Shaul laughed out in delight. I
He appeared leaner than ever - his clothes more dirty! smiled. I was happy for him. “Maybe it reproduces by its
And he was more silent this time. But in that darkness of own!” I said. That plant grew within a fortnight to bear
the night, I saw his eyes burning like those of a tiger. I similar flowers too that had the same strong and sweet
asked him to sit down and have a glass of water. But he smell belonging uniquely to the species! The aroma of
didn’t. He kept standing awkwardly with such obstinate Shaul’s garden increased two fold.
demeanor that even I couldn’t sit down properly! He
spoke very slowly, choosing each word with extreme care. The story ends here. Almost. Leaving out its last part,
I learned that his son had died. The doctors couldn’t do it resembles any other bedtime story that grandfathers

narrate to their grandchildren - composed of simple but none of them brought me his news. Whether he lived
events, uncomplicated emotions of men and women that long enough, or if he did, then, whether he remained
don’t make childrens’ minds meander too much, rather sane - what happenned to that house, ..Shaul’s garden;
give them a basic understanding of how this world runs ..those violet flowers - I never knew! I lived. And bore
with its people on it. Life at seventy, it’s quite a thing! You this unique story in my heart, just. A story that never
are assumed to have seen quite a lot in life and learned had an explanation - perhaps, not even to the potent
quite a lot too. And the fact that you are considered one imagination of my grandchildren! Many explanations
of the experienced and knowledgeable often tends to we did try to provide, and many we still do try; but the
make you feel a bit embarrassed when you can’t explain biggest mystery in this world is that connected to: Human
simple things about this world to the young ones! Emotions and how they affect and get affected by Nature.
Stories remain there to nourish our imagination or to
The story ends like this. Those flowers never stopped question our psyche. But the real incidents occurring in
growing. One plant became two. Two - four. And the this world that serve as their basis remain, sometimes,
chain went on. The violet of Shaul’s garden increased more intangible! Perhaps this is what makes our world
to magnanimous extent. So did the scent that, instead, run - what happens and how we see it happening.
started to become pungent and poisonous with time! Sometimes, the difference between the two is sufficient
In no time, every other species made way silently for to make up a story!
this majestic enigma of Nature and there came a time,
when, in Shaul’s garden, nothing could be traced except
those violet flowers. Shaul tried every option. He dug
up the roots, sterilized the ground, spread poisonous
chemicals - but to no avail. The germ of the violet flowers
had reached such depths of earth that they resurfaced
each time they were uprooted. People started leaving the
neighborhood. The aroma was killing them. Shaul asked
me to stay back. But the way things were progressing I
sensed Shaul himself should be vacating the house pretty
soon! Shaul began to lose it slowly. He was starting to get
Sleeping Insomniac
mad. The garden that he had made with so difficulty was
vanishing away slowly in front of his eyes, and he could
do nothing about it. His wife started making frequent Madhusudan Hulgi (Student, CHEMENG)
appeals to him for changing the house or shifting to
another village. The flowers had started to invade the
walls of his house too. They were gradually climbing up The story of “Methu” is set in the years before and after the
with unflinching tenacity and an unfaltering precision INDIAN INDEPENDENCE..At the foot of the Shivaganga
which clearly indicated that the place should be reduced Mountains of Bangalore was a village founded by British
to rubble in no more than a year! But the most striking colonists. Approaching it, one would see gabled homes
feature about the flowers was, as if controlled by a third with smoke curling up from the chimneys and shingle
hand of destiny, the curse never touched any of Shaul’s roofs reflecting the sunlight. .A simple, easygoing man
neighborhood. The scent was only there, just. Else, the called “Methu” lived in this village, in a weather-beaten
conquest was limited to the boundaries of Shaul’s land house..Because he was kind and gentle, “Methu” was
only. No flowers grew even a meter away outside Shaul’s popular with all of his friends. They especially loved him
garden. Neither did any of the other species die there. because of his amiable nature. Moreover, he was always
ready to help a neighbor with hard work and frequently
Four months had gone by since the first plant was ran errands. But when it came to attending to his own
planted. And my construction-related works were over. work, he was of little use. One day, while his mom was
Further, labourers working with me, at a distance of two preparing food by setting coal on fire, he was extremely
miles from the affected site, heard rumours and started amazed by the way coal burned when heated and
to flee. I returned to my homeland finally, which was produced some grey material. This made him inquisitive
almost a hundred miles away from that village. Safe. And about all that went on around him. He managed to get
worried for Shaul. schooling because his dad earned from his farm. He also
got his degree. He was loved by all but his teacher. His
I never came to know what happened to him. He couldn’t analyzing abilities were weak till that date. Even then
be contacted through any mean. I tried several routes, he somehow managed to enter IISc for M E in 1940. He
didn’t have any idea how it would be. His only weak point

was his inability to work and his extreme potential to
sleep. It was not that he lacked patience or perseverance
but he lacked ability to analyze new things. He would sit
in a canteen, with huge books and keep dreaming all day
about his project work (heat transfer in fluids) without a
murmur. He was an affable student whose academics, i.e.,
research program always suffered from his lazy neglect.
But his analyzing abilities started improving ever since
he joined IISc. He wanted to check whether fluid (liquid
or gas) could be formed at room temperature by some
sort of reaction (he meant heating). This motivated him
to learn more about reactions. The first thing he wanted
to do, was to check whether hydrogen would react with
oxygen to form water at room temperature. He found
that the reaction doesn’t proceed at room temperature.
He wondered why it wasn’t happening (H2+ 1/2O2«H20,
water). He had a conversation with his advisor about
photocatalytic reactions which would take years to reach
completion.
His analyzing abilities had started functioning. His

question was why some reactions cannot be carried out
at room temperature and why some reactions take years
to reach completion, making it difficult to analyze the
state of reactions. After this conversation, he was puzzled
with what was happening with the reactions. Feeling
miserable, one autumn day he escaped his College (IISc)
to wander up the shivaganga mountains. He encountered
strangely dressed men, rumored to be the ghosts of
Yamaraj’s crew, playing hide and seek and after drinking
some of their liquor, he settled down under a shady tree
and fell asleep. He was miraculously covered by a rock
His analyzing abilities came back in action when he
and remained out of sight for 34 years. When he awoke,
started thinking of reactions and hopefully had no
he found that INDIA had got its independence. He then
chemical imbalance in his brain. This time he had to
came back to IISc, saw that there had been tremendous
work on something which lead bubble or foam formation
changes in the college with respect to infrastructure and
on treating with water (soap). He regained his interest
flora. He saw that lot of recreational facilities had been
in reactions since it was somehow related to water. He
built up. He met his co-guide in the newly built canteen
found that two weirdly long chain molecules combine to
who asked him to get involved in recreational activities
form uncanny substances. These reactions were formed
so that he could overcome his so called forty winks. But
at a much faster rate and this swayed him into research
he was interested in nothing other than reactions. His
work because he was able to build information based on
interests in reactions had not reduced at all. He then
reaction. His happiness put him back to sleep thinking
returned to his department and astoundingly found that
that he would relax for some time as he would be finishing
he had been re-admitted for M E course because of his
his M.E. soon.
lethargic act. In mean time he found that hydrogen did
not react with oxygen if the reaction wasn’t initiated
34 years had passed when he woke up. He saw that
and photocatalytic reactions at room temperature could
the flora and fauna of the college had also changed
not undergo completion unless they’d been catalyzed.
along with a number of interdisciplinary department
This made him feel pathetic about himself because his
buildings. Fortunately, he had finished his M E and a
hibernation state deprived him of his thought processes
very old professor of the department recognized him
completely and he lost interest in reactions completely.
and provoked him to work. “Chimpu”, once upon a time
Because of his long sleep he had almost lost his analyzing
his close friend, had become faculty in the department.
capabilities which unprovoked him to work. But he never
Methu realized he had been admitted for Ph.D. under
gave up.
Chimpu. This made him feel like doing something really

original in his research. About this time, the computer
was newly introduced. To his chagrin, he found that most
of the experimental equipments had been replaced by
computers. He didn’t have any idea of operating them.
He found that people were simulating soap reaction in
the so called machine, and trying to prepare protocols
for different reactions. He felt that his ideas of analyzing
reaction by experiments were shattered and he felt truly A 100 Light Years – Today,
disheartened. He fell asleep in the jungles of IIsc and
never woke up. Tomorrow and The Day After
As Methu resumed his habit of idleness in the college, Eshwaran Vijaya Kumar (PA, AERO)
and as his hibernation state came to be solemnly believed
by the Professors in the department, certain people
especially wished they partly shared Methu’s luck. A few days back, I became aware of my own mortality
in a rather funny incident. During my daily dosage of
Procrastinatex (which pretty much involves mindlessly
surfing the internet trying to avoid the work on hand),
I realized that I shared something very peculiar with a
favourite author of mine - Mark Twain. This was of course
in addition to the fact that we are both writers. It goes
without saying that he seems to be a better author than
The Morning me and definitely more popular among the unwashed
masses (Shocked?! Angered?! Write to me and express
your anger :)).
Vinay Shirhatti (Student, CEDT) I found that Haley’s Comet visited the earth about the
same time as Twain’s birth and death dates. Twain was
aware of the peculiar fact that his birthday was around
Pure nascent and glistening dew drops the same time as the comet’s arrival - A harbinger of
Cling to the leaves and the window panes things to come, one might say. He expressed the desire
that it would be appropriate if he left the planet about
The morning air seethes with the fog the same time as its next arrival. Like most coincidences,
which replaces last night’s lashing rains his wish came true and everyone promptly forgot about it
until someone in IISc (Me! Me!) found out about it.
The feather on the boughs have come alive
calling out of glee and a smile I wear The incident set me off thinking about all the weird
and wonderful things that have happened since Mark
A dissolving symphony fills in the campus Twain’s death and my birth. We have seen two incredibly
Canvases of God, there are where devastating world wars, the rise and fall of racism and
Nazism, the rise of Zionism. This is not to say that many
The curving tars wear an eager look amazing things didn’t happen - we put a man in the
waiting to be swarmed by a thousand feet moon; we, in India, are well on our way to doing exactly
the same deed; we have seen the birth of the Indian
Feet tapping away or the feet on the pedals Institute of Science and its evolution into one of the
Tringing and smiling as the crossing souls greet greatest research institutes in India.
A morning of hope as good as you would see While there are so many diverse milestones that we, as
a species, have repeatedly crossed, I feel that a subtle
Adorning my beautiful IISc
reminder on one very important issue is required. Humanity
has often been very quick to try to attribute the success
of individuals to many trifling factors - race, religion,
caste and even political philosophy. I do not say that one
shouldn’t take pride in these things, but all the same it’s

wise to remember that a greater common denominator fresh evening that would be bathing in a never-fading
exists, that transcends every one of these classifications stardust.., when everybody in this world permitted him to
- it is none other than the supreme creature, Man himself stay alone and breathe in the heavy scents of loneliness
(Apologies to (Wo)Mankind :-)). and freedom that wafted through the still steadiness of
dusk.., it was time for the bridges (that joined the gulf,
Achievements, for good or for worse, have been forced connecting that small piece of land with the vast peninsula
upon humanity by the energy and passion of individuals. of human pain, sorrow and laughter in daytime) to melt
History might note these results as mere flashes of light again and pave the way for the sparkling, fresh waters to
and seek to edify philosophies and organization for having flow in through those hot, barren lands (thus separating
stood the test of time. Let us however at this juncture that small piece of land where he resided at afternoons
remind ourselves, that the greatest achievements have with huge fills of water that almost made it look like
been the ones by individuals - Albert Einsten, Adolf Hitler, an island) -- lost in the delirium of fever, and hidden in
Mahatma Gandhi, Josef Stalin, Rosa Parks, and even the curved warps of space and time (without a specific
probably you. location on the map of this human world); forgotten by
the ailing and erring of human nature.., and untouched
Let us not forget these brilliant fireflies who have (to by failure, ridicule and loss.
paraphrase Dylan) decided not to go gently into the night
and raged and raged against the dying of the light. This And then he would be all alone in that island that otherwise
swarm of fireflies has made us what we are today - he carried no animals or birds, but only trees and plants,
most powerful species on the planet. bushes and hedges and insects that lived and respected
the silence by not moving or making any noise.
He has always wondered how it happened. How, despite

all his selfishness and unimportance, this world recoiled
away from him every afternoon, during sunset, along
with all of its writhing and sighs being neatly folded
away, so that he managed to stay virgin and untouched
and could roam about naked among the shades of those
His Last Paradise green leaves – bathing in his own tears that shone like
crystal drops! It made him happy because it made him
sad. Whenever he was sad or he was quiet, folded into
Aditya Narayan Roy (Student, PHY) himself – crying in his inside, urging this world to leave
him alone because the world never cared to understand
him – he was able to seclude himself and meet and unite
“In that Macondo, forgotten even by the birds, where with Nature in a naked body, a naked mind and a naked
the dust and the heat had become so strong that it was heart; as though he was disseminated into a thousand
difficult to breathe, secluded by solitude and love and fragments that were spread over the grounds of that
by the solitude of love in a house where it was almost island – as grains of sand are -- in a desert – so that
impossible to sleep because of the noise of the red ants, with a blow of wind they all get whirled up and randomly
Aureliano and Amaranta Ursula were the only happy scattered and are never found again separately. He
beings, and the most happy on the face of the earth.” liked to live like that – lost in himself, assimilated in his
environment, seeped in the holes of the air, soaked by
-Gabriel Garcia Marquez; the soil and sucked in by the phloem of the plants.
-’One Hundred Years of Solitude’.
And he has ever failed to interpret how or why this
When the last birds returned home, the mild grey of the happened every afternoon! How he got separated at
sky bore patches of pink and golden sun-drops, the air, all from the rest of the world when the sun died one
casting the net of enchanted Utopia across the distant last time and how in that solitude he felt at his own yet
horizon (with the moist, hemispherical vault of the being lonely and alone! These were the most peaceful
firmament carrying a gradually vanishing, reminiscent moments and they vanished each time with the break
melody that reminded of the eternal dampness, the of evening when the waters flowing in those channels,
resounding hollow from which this world generated), separating his island from the distant human peninsula
making the ripples of the pond water stand still and – marked by the birth of a child and the death of an old,
quiet, brought in the heralding scent of the cool and each second – receded and bared the bridges again that

gulfed the two land pieces making his world merge with to it by the hormones that never stopped flowing, so
the temporary world of the outer space that lived like a much so that he ever failed to know that he was actually
drop of dew on a lotus leaf – never sure when or which dead and hence there was nothing much left for him to
way it would roll off. do.
It broke his continuity. It disturbed his idea of the infinite. The girl had left with agony and frustration and had
And it snapped that small circle – which otherwise could married someone else and lived a happy life.
have been traced over and over again – with a sharp
jab, reducing it to a curved line that flowed impermanent But after a few decades she died, as a thousand other
through life with a definite beginning and a definite end. mortals die and her body turned to ashes, her heart
evaporated, her soul bore holes through which air could
And then he became that small, stupid boy again – pass and she became a part of this mystic ocean of
vulnerable to the assaults and seductions of this world, continuity that the peninsular world bore in its heart for
and he waited for the next afternoon when similarly he eons.
would be in his island: sad, crying and content, and when
the waters would cut off his evergreen oasis of static And all this while he counted blades of grass, wings of
satisfaction from the peninsula of fluctuating emotions, dead butterflies – frozen through time – so much so that
hopes and fortunes. he didn’t even know when he died or if he died at all
because he never knew if he was not already dead from
the beginning ever since he had fallen in love and if he was
All these have been starting to occur since the time he not already immortal in that solitary island, that carried
had fallen in love. The emotion or the state of psyche years of peace and satisfaction, from the beginning ever
that he had only heard of before was ruling him now to since he had fallen in love…
such an extent that he has started to enjoy being ruled. It
was more than a drug. It was a whole new way of seeing The human peninsula survived and reared many more
himself and coming to terms with this world. He had seen girls who inspired the growth of such love in the hearts of
the girl once and he didn’t even remember whether he the youth who would dare to cut off their bits of islands
saw her again for it was not necessary, as he knew that from the piece of land, bounded by water of pain and
he had fallen in love and that was sufficient by itself. For creation in its three sides, just like he had done it once.
it made him sit down and cry. The hormonal depressions And it happened every time a star faded and every time
didn’t only decrease with the tears; the channels of salty a fairy appeared, with boxes of sparkles and magic, in
water – that etched through his cheeks – flushed every front of everybody. It happened every time a man chose
worldly manipulation off his soul, rendering it ready for to mould his future (along with (the spontaneity of) his
the seeds of surrender to be sown in its heart. present and (the interpretation of) his past) to the cause
of love. And slowly the whole peninsula, over billions
It was love alone that chose this island for him so much of years, got divided into small bits of islands (each
so that he ever failed to trace if he was dead or if he was separated from the other by their own magic realism
insane or if he was unimportant but this never worried that spun the web of truth and falsehood over its own
him much as all this time he was busy counting petals regime!) that stayed separated at afternoons, and joined
of flowers or blades of grass or wings of butterflies (that at nights, so that all the citizens of the peninsula could
stood still in the air, displaying their colors), getting all enjoy a common, shared piece of undivided land of peace
lost in that fever of things and he smiled for he couldn’t that respected everyone’s privacy and individualism, in
decide if this was for what the outside world considered the morning, so that they all can sing the song of love at
him to be dead, insane or insignificant! the breaking of dawn (though each of them had seen the
thing in his own different way, still somehow managing to
The girl had seen him in this state and had come to him realize that it was the same music that manifested itself
to ask if he would marry her for it seemed to her that it in several forms) along with the birds of air, trees of land
was the only plausible option left for them to choose and and fishes of the sea.
she was shocked to find him alone in his island, all naked
– his body being etched with flowers that had showered And his paradise got lost in that maze of love – that
from heaven, and wings of dead butterflies that seemed universal blessing that landed unto them from heaven;
as fresh as the evergreen leaves – smiling away with his still he never lost himself and the ground of his island
eyes closed, shivering thoroughly – his soul happy in the that he had so dearly created and prepared for himself
trance which it had created for itself or which was gifted and the rest, therefore, never mattered much.

Freedom with Responsibility!
A Centenarian’s perspective to Research and Life
Kumudhini Ravindra (Student, MGMT)
With Madhurima Das (Student, MGMT)
Prof. H.N. Ramachandra who taught them Electrical Machine Design, “If we tried
Rao (DOB: October to address Prof. Aston as Sir, he’d respond … Don’t call
25th, 1909) was an me Sir. I am not a knight! Call me Professor. That’s how
esteemed GURU of jovial faculty were at the time”.
the Indian Institute
of Science, a stalwart After graduating, Prof. Rao joined the Government
who was attached Porcelain Factory (now BHEL) in 1936 and got involved
to this institution for in producing dichromates (used for tanning of soldiers’
over 75 years and the shoes during the Second World War), along with Prof.
only person who has K.R. Krishnaswamy, of the Department of Chemistry, IISc.
witnessed the Silver, Sir J.C. Ghosh invited him to join as lecturer in 1942 and
Golden, Platinum jubilees then began his second stint at IISc, this time as faculty.
and the Centenary year. He worked as Professor and then Dean of Engineering till
This article is an ode to 1969, when he left the Institute to join the Union Public
one of the ARCHITECTs Service Commission (UPSC). However, Prof. Rao had
of the INSTITUTE. continued association with the Institute through out his
life. He has the record of attending every single Ayudha
Puja in the Electrical Department since 1933 to date.
Be it visiting United States of America to get the Network Living in Bungalow No. 13 next to the Post office from
Analyzer from General Electric, at the dawn of the Indian 1942 to 1969, was one of the most memorable times
Independence, to ensure the rapid power infrastructure for Prof. Rao and his family. Prof. Rao recalled the great
development of the country or visiting Russia with Prof. ambience of the Institute, the fantastic atmosphere, the
Satish Dhawan, Prof. Dhikshitalu and Prof. Nagaraja, to freedom to work and play, attending the Golden Jubilee,
procure equipment for starting the School of Automation, meeting several visiting dignitaries, and the wonderful
Prof. Rao was an indispensible part of the Institute friends he made here like Prof. K Parthasarathy (the
Team. Relay specialist), Prof. B N Narayana Iyengar, Prof. Satish
Prof. Rao joined the Institute as a student in the Electrical Dhawan and Prof. M.S. Thacker.
Technology department in 1933 after completing his
Masters in Physics from Calcutta. Sir C.V. Raman also Prof. Rao’s contributions to the research community
joined the Institute as Director in the very same year, who and the country have fetched him many accolades. The
had been his Physics professor at Calcutta, too. It was as IEEE Centennial Medal, which he received in 1984 at
a student that he attended the Silver Jubilee celebrations the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Institute, Sir M.
of the Institute in 1934. Visvesvaraya Award for Senior Scientists in 2003 from the
Prof. Rao reminisced about his student days as a time of Chief Minister of Karnataka, two CBIP Gold Medals for
full freedom. It was a time when there was no attendance research and Fellowship of institutions like the Institution
or strict working hours. He recalled, “During day time of Engineers (India), IEI (London), ISI (India) are a few
we would be at MG Road or Brigade Road and then of them. He attributed all his success to God’s grace.
work late into the night at our labs. It was a wonderful
experience.” It was a time when faculty and guides like Prof. Rao strongly believed in the necessity of Change.
Prof. F.N. Moudawala, played the role of an elder brother, The changing face of IISc, from being a campus with just
being strict when required, but mostly being accessible three departments, when he joined as a student, to the
and affable. They would be faculty during the day, and at new face it is today, had been to him, on the one hand
4:30 pm, once work was done, they would head off to the very noteworthy, but also on the other, a little disturbing.
Gymkhana to play cricket, tennis and billiards with the “The number of students, in the departments in those
students. He said of one of his professors, Prof. Aston, days, were less and the teacher student ratio was 1:3.

Then…it disappeared
Sourabh Diwan (Student, AERO)
Alice was getting really tired of wandering in ‘Wonderland’

when she saw a river flowing a little distance away. Alice
drank some water to quench her thirst and sat down in
the shade of a big tree nearby. The river was wide and
The students were mostly top rank holders from various deep and the water was so clean that she could see right
universities. They represented the cultural mix of India. to the bottom of the river. “It’s really a curious kind of
We had so many messes, one for Parsi food, another for river!” she exclaimed, “I can see all the way till the bottom
Bengali, Maharashtrian and so on. In fact, the decision of the river “. She had hardly completed her last sentence
by Sir J.C. Ghose, to merge them all saw an agitation! when she realized that she could see the bottom only
Today things have changed. The attitude of the students till a particular point. As she was casually observing the
of today is different from what it was in his times.” He river while resting in the shade of the big tree, she saw
said of the Institute and the community within it, “One some activity in the water. She was too tired to look at it
cannot be static, they should be constantly changing. seriously, but as she gazed downstream she saw many
One should be dynamic. Change is Life. Otherwise you strange things happening in the water. She was so used
are Dead.” to queer things happening in ‘Wonderland’, that it wasn’t
at all a surprise to her. But she still decided to observe
Prof. Rao believed in the philosophy of Work hard and the water carefully for she was the kind of kid who always
Play just as hard. His secret of success is a practical loved to encounter ‘wonder’.
message to the IISc community…
The aim of research like JN Tata’s vision should be The clean transparent water was flowing into a region
to solve the problems of the country and improve where she could see some ‘water rollers’ laid across the
Science and Technology. Money and Cheap river. There was a small swirling motion around the rollers.
Popularity should not be the aim as researchers. They were not quite straight, but jagged and wavy and
The Secret of Success as a student or teacher looked a lot like the spaghettis which she had many times
or professor is Full Freedom, not just a freedom seen her mother cooking. A little downstream, the water
of thought and action, but also a freedom with was undergoing different motions. She could see some
responsibility. It is Motivation, the interest and shapes which looked familiar to her. “It looks exactly like
love for the work that you do. Curiosity and a will my hairpin, I declare. But I surely wouldn’t want to wear a
to work at all times will go a long way to reach hairpin made of water”, she remarked. The transparency
your destination. It is the ability to question your of water gradually went down to a point where pockets
convictions and never just accepting what is. of water with highly irregular motions would come up
and make the bottom invisible.
Prof. H.N. Ramachandra Rao is truly an inspiration to all
of us at IISc and we are indeed grateful to him for having Finally she saw many different small swirling blobs which
provided his time and pearls of wisdom. We are also looked like whirlpools. The water there was sometimes
grateful to his family for the support. very clear and calm whereas at other times it was very
irregular and disturbed. All this confused her OR She
We dedicate this write-up to Prof. H. N. could not make sense of any of this. But as she painfully
Ramachandra Rao. The Voices Team tried to observe a relatively big swirling blob, it stretched,
became smaller and smaller, and then, to her great
deeply regrets his sad demise a few days amazement, it suddenly disappeared!
before the Centenary Conference.
And this was the last thing that Alice told me about

her adventure in Wonderland. She was too young to All this, she said, was studied in a branch of science
understand anything that she saw in the river. But as she called ‘Fluid Mechanics’. But it was a great mystery to
grew older and learnt some science, she told me that her as to how she could “see” these things in clear water
the irregular swirling motion was the so-called “turbulent with naked eyes, which she could never do again. It was
motion” of water and that the small whirlpool suddenly truly one of the most memorable experiences of Alice in
disappeared due to a property of water called ‘viscosity’. Wonderland which she hasn’t yet “published” anywhere.
The following pages are a tribute to the IISc Students’ Magazine /

Newsletters in the past - beginning with DRAG in the 80s. SCAMPUS in
the 90s, MILIEU in the recent decade.

Our Debt to the State
Abraham P. Kurian (Student, MGMT)
initiative . Is the nation asking too much of us, or

A hundred years of research and education in the misplacing its hopes if it believes that we are a better
sciences, achievements too many to list, honours, investment of its scarce resources, that we are in a better
platitudes and adulation in good measure. We are all position to help it, compared to say improved healthcare
truly happy and proud to be a part of this Institute at or irrigation projects or defence systems for that matter.
this time in its history. While it is fitting and proper that
we feel a sense of achievement at what the Institute In the midst of the celebrations of a century of
has become and pride at our contribution in the accomplishments and credit, can we pause for a moment
whole process, it is also vital that we remember that and take a second look at what we take for granted and
we are but caretakers of this Institute and its legacy. think about who is really granting it. Can we spare a
thought for the teeming masses of our country who have
We sure get to study in the rooms, work in the labs, knowingly or unknowingly parted with their share of the
soak in the personal success and bask in the glory. We development pie for our benefit. As Gandhiji reminded
also inherit a legacy of service to the nation and society our forebears during his visit to the Institute in July 1927
at large. Our Institute has contributed immensely to the "I expect far more from you than the ordinary man in the
cause of nation-building. Studies in the labs and centres street ...Let the big corner in your heart remain perpetually
here have answered pressing questions in front of warm for the benefit of the poor millions ... Let your zeal
society and the state at large. Basic and applied research for the millions not be stifled in the search for wealth."
in various areas of science and technology have been
transformed into processes and systems that change Along with Jamsetji Tata whose vision and grants helped
life for the better for the citizens of India and the world. realise this place, the Maharajah of Mysore who supported
this venture and the Government of India that approved
We are the heirs to this glorious heritage and this tradition of this Institute, the Faculty who taught and led research
of giving back to society. The future will judge us - the initiatives, the students who stretched the boundaries of
current generation, on our contribution to the state that their understanding and the limits of endeavour; we need
supports us. That would be the true test of our worthiness to remember if not recognise the nameless faceless men
to inherit this legacy and our faithfulness in preserving it. and women who toiled without honour, recognition or
merit to build this Institute over the past hundred years.
In a country like ours that is used to deficit budgets,
it is usually a case of putting our insufficient resources Is giving back impossible? I think not, it has been done
to the best use. In economic terms the state tries before and can be done again. We have the talent, the
to maximise the utility of the money it spends and in genius and the education for it. As to what we need, Calvin
that sense, the money that is spent in one area, is Coolidge, the former President of the USA puts it succinctly
money not spent in another area equally needy but "Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
deemed to be of lesser importance. This is something Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful
that is easy to lose track of when we constantly men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is
think about our entitlement to the facilities offered. almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full
of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination
Indeed it is a matter of justified pride that is associated alone are omnipotent. The slogan ’Press On’ has solved
with a certain sense of achievement that we are the and always will solve the problems of the human race."
cream of society in academic terms and India's best of
our generation and that it is our right to be granted the Congratulations and best wishes to the Institute and all who
facilities here towards the pursuit of higher education and contributed to its present stature in measures great and small.
research. At the same time it is humbling to think that
perhaps our facilities are at times funded and realized
by decisions, on not to fund say another development

Bicentennial Celebrations
Sujit Chakrabarti (Alumnus, CSA)
November 23, 2108. It’s almost time to freeze the and violence in the campus. Finally, there had been a
bicentenary issue of Voices. non-violent upheaval in which students and teachers had
joined hands (something which they had failed to do till
Archives mention a time when issues used to get then in any real sense of the word) to bail out the Institute
delayed by months on end. A tiny readership of a few from this banal predicament. Bad guys had been beaten
thousand sometimes never even sensed the delay. Now, black and blue (only figuratively). Not just in the main
it’s impossibility. The 100s of millions of readers across campus in Bangalore, but in all the branches across the
the galaxy eagerly wait for the new issue of Voices in 49 odd planets where IISc has its branches, Coffee Board
their feed on the stroke of the midnight, the first of has been made a compulsory amenity. Coffee Board
every month, without fail. After all, who doesn’t want to has ruled and rocked in IISc since then. Teachers and
know about the toughest geeks of the Milky Way doing students finally realised that they live for a common end
the most cutting edge research in its most high-profile and hence should work together and not against each
research institute – IISc? other. Research productivity has never looked back since
then, resulting in the IISc of today, the most hot-shot
And someone in the editorial committee had this research hub of the galaxy.
brainwave of getting an article done by one of its founding
members: one senile dude named Sujit. He has somehow Anyway, I was digressing. An old IISc genetic bug. So,
managed to hang around for so long. His article in the I was supposed to meet this Sujit. While I started my
centenary edition way back in 2008 had been quite a air-car I realised that the flux of traffic was towards the
sensation, it’s said. There were controversies, litigations, opposite direction. OK! OK! There was a football match
demonstrations in front of his house and what not. The between P and C – the two dominant sports clubs of IISc.
only permanent effect of all this was on the readership I put the car in auto-cruiser mode and started thinking
of Voices. It had tripled! We had to have an article from about this football match. The sports festivals of IISc
him this time too. It would surely double the readership. would mostly have these two clubs fighting for the trophy
I mean, come on! Give me a break! What can you do with in the finals. P and C match would always be the climax
2 billion readers that you can’t do with 1 billion?! of all sports contests.
I looked at my watch – 11 AM. Still not too late for the For historical reasons, all audience would sit on one side
Idly Vada and coffee at Coffee Board. Within 5 minutes of the gallery while the other would be left empty. P would
I was standing in the queue. It was a bad time to visit always play from the right side while C would attack
Coffee Board. About 2000 coffee addicts from 150 from the left. Even at half time they wouldn’t change
odd departments would flock here. Even with all the sides. History also talks of confrontations – not on the
automated vending of coupons, coffee and idlis, you football field, but real ones – between the two teams a
might still end up spending 5-10 minutes in the queue very long time ago. Various articles in the Voices archives
at this hour. While sifting through the Voices archives, I hint that those days they were founded on two diverging
had found that there was a brief period about a 100 year ideologies. Left and right; liberals and conservatives;
back for which the Coffee Board had been closed. Some communists and capitalists – such names were used
administrative politics. There used to be a term named rather casually. Most of their conflicts had been limited
corruption that was used to explain many unexplainable to badmouthing each other. Things had really got serious
phenomena those days. And it figured a couple of times when owing to the presence of such self-proclaimed
in that report. I couldn’t find the meaning of that word in groups following X and Y ideologies, the Institute had
the latest edition of the Oxford Dictionary. But statistics bid to host a scholarly conference that revolved around
has shown that immediately following that event there economic and sociological themes. It had resulted in
was a noticeable dip in the research productivity of the a public embarrassment when most devout members
Institute and a surge in cases acute depression, suicides of P had failed to exhibit any real knowledge of Indian

Philosophy and Religion, and most fiery exponents of C OK. Back to business. Eventually I reached Sujit’s hotel
couldn’t spell Karl Marx or socialism properly. Following room. He was here for the centenary conference. This
this embarrassment, the authorities had conducted a Sujit turned out to be a 130+ year old bag of wrinkles.
high level enquiry on the matter which resulted in striking I found him typing out his article on a laptop the like of
results: Like any other political standoff, here too, both which I had seen only in the museum! I had heard that
parties fundamentally stood for common goals. They he was giving a keynote in the conference. I had glanced
couldn’t give one good reason why they should have through the list of talks related to Computer Science and
separate existence particularly in opposition to each hadn’t found his name here.
other. The most logical conclusion about their differences
turned out to be – surprisingly – evolutionary. Eminent ‘No, no! I am addressing the arts and culture session. I
psychologists agreed on the point that humans are will talk on cartooning.’ He corrected me when I expressed
genetically programmed to look for conflicts. That gives my confusion. That explained it – the confusion that his
a vent – to some extend healthy – to their aggressive CV was. Sujit continued:
hormones. There are ways of preventing these traits
from expressing themselves in embarrassing ways. In ‘It’s gratifying to see that we have sessions on arts and
a scholarly mandate wherein such strong contenders as culture in a Science Institute. In our times, people were
politics, rock music, and teaching were considered and pretty narrow-minded. They would put blinders on their
rejected, sports was voted to be the healthiest vent to eyes very early. Engineering people thought that science
aggressive tendencies. P and C were merged into one people were duds. Science guys would say that Engineering
social group leaving only one point of distinction – their guys were lazy brats for whom all that mattered was a
sports wings. The more aggressive ones, identified plump job at the end of their course. Experimentalists
through medical tests, were upfront admitted into the would sling mud at theorists; and theorists would bitch
sport wings of their choice. Since then P and C have about experimentalists. In fact I would be embarrassed if
worked together and changed the face of the campus. If you asked me what my lab-neighbours were working on
Coffee Board took care of IISc’s research impact factor, during my PhD. I remember about mine though. It was
the merger of P and C resulted in a skyrocketing of IISc’s … it was…’
social and cultural impact factor. And their battles on the
football ground have done much to entertain the IISc I saw the calamity coming and made a daring attempt to
community, and in raising the health consciousness stop its advance, ‘Oh yes yes! I know. I have seen your
within the campus. thesis on your website.’ That was a lie.

‘You did! I guess my download counter is buggy. Now
I know why after all these years, It still shows zero ‘What question?’
downloads.’
‘“How’s your research going?”’ I saw a toothless smile
‘Yup! And that’s the story behind your keynote on peeping from behind the cobweb of wrinkles. What a
cartooning and not computer science.’ I thought. Instead joke!
I said, ‘But wasn’t yours the time when great masterpieces
came out of these labs, and great heroes were born?’ I managed a smile and lest I got one more of those,
immediately came to point. ‘Sir, the article…’
The old brat straightened his collar, thinking that he was
in the league of those imaginary people my praise was ‘Yes, I am done with it. Shall I give it to you?’
directed to. He exclaimed, ‘Ahem! Ahem! Well yes!’ The
expression on his face turned into that of a labourer trying ‘Sure.’
to dig a deep hole in a rocky soil. But the reason why he
couldn’t recollect any of those heroes of his times wasn’t I saw his withered fingers gliding over the keyboard. I
senility. ‘In our times, you mean?’ He said, finally. heard a beep in my mind-feed. He had already transferred
the article to my mailbox. I closed my eyes and opened
I shrugged! I didn’t know how to defend my lie. the preview. It read:
‘No. Actually, those days we used to work alone. So, ‘November 23, 2208. It’s almost time to freeze the tri-
heroism was possible; but most of us lesser mortals centenary issue of Voices…’
would perish.’
I had met my so-called charismatic senior. Frankly, I
Some hairs on my arm and neck stood up. The thought hadn’t found him all that impressive. But I had gathered
of having to work alone on a problem all alone seemed my fill. I had managed to squeeze out an article from a
fearsome, adventurous, and unrealistic to us. These days, first generation Voice-ian. On time!
things are rather uninteresting. We work on problems
which are collectively identified and worked upon.
Researching isn’t meant to breed heroes these days. Our
primary objective is to learn researching in collaboration
with other researchers. The recent IISc work that got a
2107 Nobel in Physics involved nearly 2 generations of
40 scientists – physicists, chemists, biologists, computer
scientists and philosophers – working hand in hand to
solve the same problem. For the last one hundred years,
there has hardly been one single author paper. It’s in the
ethical code to share one’s ideas with colleagues and get
their feedback on the first day. A research result has now
become a routine outcome of a systematic process of
ideation and execution. The thrill of dazzling the world
with a groundbreaking result one find day is a passé.
I wondered at the moment, the sensation of being a
forgotten scientist working on a problem purely his own
formulation, toiling in the garage, finding a solution purely
his…it must have been great!
‘It used to be quite lonely and boring those days.’ Said

Sujit, as if having read my thoughts. ‘No one cared about
your work. In some time even you would stop caring. It Slender Loris: A rarely visible small mammal in
sometimes would be like you would turn 100 trying to campus, stay in tree top in day time and calls in
find an exit from the campus! Some greying people who night. Photo: Ashok Kumar (Student, CES)
had hung around for a bit too long would pretend that
they loved the campus. Some used to recede into their
shells, pretending to be deep thinkers. Most were actually
hiding from being asked that dreaded question.’

Voices Team


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Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata (1839-1904)

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 3

C.V.Ramamurthy (Student, AERO).

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 5

Adwait Godbole (Student, MCBL) Rupesh Nasre (Student, CSA)

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 6

Entering the office Manohar asked, I hope he hasn’t

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 7

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 8

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 9

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 10

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 11

It takes at least two to form a collaborative network The Mother of Light

They whispered it’s the mother of light,

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 12

The campus can hold great

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 13

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 14

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 15

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 16

Adwait Godbole (Student, MCBL)

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 17

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 18

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 19

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 20

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 21

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 22

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 23

Collared Scoops Owl: A beautiful small owl

Vikranth H. N. (Student, CPDM)

On the way to glory,

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 24

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 25

Then… came the years of frantic activity but very little

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 26

The world is full of cactus, but we don’t have to sit on

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 27

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 28

A Walk in the Woods

Botanical name: Alstonia scholaris

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 29

T. R. Anantharaman (Alumnus, MATERIALS)

was mostly taught in its first year faculty members of

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 30

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 31

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 32

P. Rodriguez (Alumnus, MATERIALS)

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 33

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 34

Jaydeep Sarkar (Alumnus, MATERIALS)

Main Building (originally published in Platinum Jubilee Book) by M S Chandrasekar

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 35

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 36

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 37

Memorial of the Founder

Vasanta (Student, CSA)

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 38

Ashutosh S. Gandhi (Alumnus, MATERIALS)

100 enLIGHTening YEARS 1909-2008 39

IISc @ 100 Art of Godlike