Issue 02, SEPTEMBER 18, 2013 BIT by BIT

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

of Bots” and “Lord of the Rings”. Coding geeks will have ample opportunities to showcase their talents in events such as “Bug Hunt”, “Codezilla” and “Byte”. For aspiring entrepreneurs, competitions like “On-Spot Case Study” and “Money Matters” have been planned. The spread of events has been planned in order to suit the palate of students from every department and discipline- no mean task in an institute that is home to more than twenty of them.

Many cultural events, including ‘Debate’, ‘Scotland Yard’, ‘Chance Pe Dance’, and ‘Acoustic Alchemy’ will also be an integral part of the fest. To test the cultural sides of the participants, these events will cover all major forms of culture including music, dance, drama, fine arts, oratory, as well as literary skills. From “Counter Strike” to “DotA”, “FIFA” to “Most Wanted”, gaming competitions will also make their presence felt through “Command and Conquer”.

A highlight of Pantheon 2013 are the Guest Lectures, comprising of informative talks and presentations from four eminent personalities. The lectures will cover a wide range of topics like digital marketing, corporate social responsibility and humanoid robots. The eminent guests include the likes of Mr. Diwakar Vaish, founder and head of Robotics & Research, A-Set Training & Research Institutes, Mrs. Praveena Kala, DGM, SBI Ranchi, and Mr. Sajal Chakraborty, Chief Secretary, Jharkhand Tourism and Aviation, to name a few. These lectures will not only help in educating the students in the wider aspects of professional life, but will also introduce them to the latest developments in technology, straight from the top people associated with each.

At the end of all events, comes the final test of team work and compatibility, the Core Night. The finalists, teams that have earned the maximum points in all events over the 4 days, take to the stage to be put through various tests to prove their mettle. An all-out entertaining event, the Core Night is always a huge crowd puller, as the team that survives through all the rounds of impromptu tasks and stage events is finally crowned the champion.

- TECHNICAL EVENTS -

- CULTURAL EVENTS-

-GUEST LECTURES-

-MUSIC AND DRAMA NIGHT: 19.9.13-

-DANCE & SPICMACAY NIGHT: 20.9.13-

-FUGIYA NIGHT: 21.9.13-

-CORE NIGHT: 22.9.13-

September 18, 2013 BIT BY BIT 1

The News and Publication Society

www.napsbitmesra.com

After a hectic, albeit fun-filled day of running about and garnering points for one’s team, everyone is entitled to an evening of fun, frolic and entertainment. For the same reason, Pantheon 2013 will host 3 Cultural Nights –Music and Drama Night, Razzmatazz (Dance Night), and Fugiya Night.Organised in the Fugiya Grounds, these nights are a result of weeks of practice and co-ordination from all participants. The dazzling performances on stage and foot-tapping music, together with stalls to keep the crowd occupied ensure an evening of complete entertainment.

For any college, the days of its fests are perhaps some of the most memorable. A result of months of preparation and planning, the campus comes alive with activity all around, with every student involved as an integral part of it. The atmosphere seems electrified and the students seem to live on a never ending supply of energy. A lot is in store for you in Pantheon 2013; gear up and keep your arsenal ready for four days of productive hard work and revelry. The very first fest of the year is finally here.

PANTHEON, the techno-cultural festival organised every odd semester for the students and by the students of BIT Mesra, is back to enthral the minds and hearts of everyone present. After days andmonths of hard work, meetings and discussions, the campus is all set to come alive.

The first idea of a college-level fest to amalgamate the various events and competitions, which were previously spread throughout the year, was incepted in the year 2010, and that is how Pantheon came to being. Four years since its inception, the fest has grown in leaps and bounds - both in terms of quantity and quality of the events, and participation. It is without a doubt one of the most awaited events in the academic calendar. Being the first event of the year that is organised on a large scale, Pantheon has earned the reputation of giving the new set of BITians every year, the first years, the opportunity to showcase their talent and prove their mettle.

This year too will be no different. With numerous events ranging from technical competitions that serve as rigorous workouts for your gray cells, to the cultural competitions that give the students the opportunity to present their talents in the field of extra-curricular activities, students can be sure that Pantheon has events catering to everyone’s interests. With three cultural nights lined up at the end of the day filled with mesmerising performances, Pantheon 2013 is all-set to be a power-packed set of 4 days.

With a focus on technical events, Pantheon 2013 will host events ranging from “Codezilla” to “Up in the Air”, “Analogics” to “Science and Tech Quiz”. Robotics, having long fascinated students, will see a number of events and competitions including “The Thirsty Crow”, “Game

ONGOING RESEARCH..........................................2FEATURED ALUMNI.............................................2.PANTHEON ‘13 EVENT SCHEDULE.......................3PANTHEON ‘13 EVENTS.......................................4REWIND: THE MONTH THAT WAS........................5EDITORIALS.........................................................5INTERVIEW - DR. SATYAKI SARKAR....................6INTERVIEW - DR. RAJEEV AGRAWAL..................6COMIC STRIPS .....................................................6

PANTHEON OVERVIEW

PANTHEON 2013Birla Institute of Technology presents Pantheon 2013, in association with The Times of India, co-sponsored by E-Merchant Digital Solutions. Our Radio Partner is 92.7 BIG FM, Food and Beverage Sponsor is Hotel Accord, and Hair Styling Partner is Calvin and Hobbes, and Education Partner is Chanakya IAS Academy.

Counselor: Dr. Nina Agarwal

‘Robo-Billiards’, a popular Robotics event during Pantheon 2012.

Pantheon ‘13 will have a greater focus on Technical Events.

Visiting Hours: 3 PM to 6 PM, Tuesday and Friday at the BIT Dispensary

Dr. Agarwal is a Clinical Psychologist associated with Deepshikha Institute, Ranchi. She provides adult counseling to students and faculty/staff alike in the institute. With simple sessions based on non-judgmental sharing, she can easily be approached with any kind of problems. All discussions remain completely confidential, including names of visitors.

The pharmacognosy section is carry-ing out research in validation of tradi-tional systems of medicine, and vali-dated methodologies for development of new herbal formulations. They are also developing drug molecules from natural resources and are enhancing

them by a biotechnological approach. They are also exploring natural resources for novel drug delivery systems. Another area of research is the micro computerized identification of indigenous drugs and the development of their standards.

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS.

RETRACTION:In the last issue of BIT by BIT, dated

August 1, 2013, we incorrectly mentioned that the patent for the formula of the Bena-dryl cough syrup is owned by the institute , while in fact this is untrue. We regret any incoveniences caused.

2 BIT BY BIT September 18, 2013

EEE Dept.The Electrical and Electronics Engineer-

ing Department is abuzz with projects in varied fields of research.

Smart Grid and Drive: The funding agency for this research is the DST and also the Government of India. The pro-fessor in charge of this project is Dr. T. Ghose. The “smart grid” is more intel-ligent than our traditional grid. It is a modernised electrical grid that uses infor-mation and communication technology to gather information about behaviours

of consumers and suppliers in an auto-mated fashion to improve efficiency, reliability and sustainability of the pro-duction and distribution of electricity. The Italian University of Padova is also involved in this project. The department is also trying to develop feasible methods for integrating solar cells in the grid.

Process Control: Research is also on in the Process Control Lab and the department has received MODROB grant for the same. AICTE is also a funding agency. A landmark field of research is the development of lightning prediction and protection system, which is being funded by DST, Jharkhand Government. This project is being carried out under the guidance of Dr. B. M. Karan and Mr. Prem Prakash. Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Another project that would interest many is the development and implementation of hardware of microcontroller based boot converter for hybrid electric vehicles. This is being funded by the UGC , Delhi and the professor incharge is Dr. P. R. Thakura.

« ONGOING RESEARCH Magneto-optic material based cur-rent sensors: Research is also on for the design, development and characteriza-tion of magneto-optic material based current sensors for industrial application. The funding agencies are the DST, Min-istry of Science and Technology, Govt. Of India.Health Care: Research on the Electro-encephalogram and Electro-oculogram based Hand-Eye co-ordination system for hybrid brain-computer interface, funded by UGC, and the soft computing and phonocardiogram based automated system for diagnosis of heart valve dis-

eases funded by AICTE are the efforts of the department to contribute noble field of health care. Ongoing research in the field of voluntary event related brain signal classification, funded by UGC, is also a step in the same direction. Other projects: They are also working towards development of suitable peda-gogical contents and e-learning, through ICT. The funding agency for this project is the MHRD. The department is also work-ing towards developing the applications of power electronics in power system and drive.

Pharmacy Dept.The science of medicine is one that

evolves every day. Every so often a new disease is discovered, and ten more rem-edies are invented. No wonder then, that

the Department of Pharmaceutical Sci-ences is a hub for many ongoing research projects in its various fields.

The pharmaceuticals division is car-rying out research in the areas of new drug delivery systems and develop-ment based on nanotechnology for-mulation. They are also working on the thermodynamic approach to drug excipient interactions. Most of the industries now a days focus on manufac-turing products from natural resources and taking this into consideration, the pharmaceuticals division is also explor-ing the plausibility of natural gum as pharmaceutical adjuvants. Ayurveda, although developed centuries ago, is practiced even today. The standardisa-tion of the ayurvedic drug is another ongoing filed of research.

In pharmaceutical chemistry the important areas of research are synthesis and evaluation of novel candidate com-pounds with special reference to het-erocyclic moieties and small peptides in the field of antiviral, antimicrobial, antiHIV, anticancer, analgesic, cardio-vascular, antidiabetic and other activi-ties. Research is also on in the studies of synthetic neutraceuticals.

The ongoing research in pharmacol-ogy revolves around the anti tumour and immunomodulatory studies of compounds from natural and synthetic sources, toxicological and neurophar-macological studies of bioactive mol-ecules, studies of bioactive molecules on experimentally induced urolithiasis, nephropathy, neuropathy and diabe-tes in animal models. The other area of research is biochemical and molecular pharmacological studies of bioactive molecules.

A schematic view of Three Area Power Networks

A DNA StrandElectrical Transmission Lines

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV)

Biomolecules

Ayurveda

September 18, 2013 BIT BY BIT 3

4 BIT BY BIT September 18, 2013

« EVENTS: PANTHEON ‘13FANFARE (Promotional Event)Michael Jackson? Marilyn Monroe? Mal-

inga? You could be one of them! Come and find out how. Change your look, your mood, your personality! And get a chance to go viral on the internet. Highlights include a memorabilia collection and exhibits of pop culture.

BE THE NEXT SHAKESPEARE (Submis-sion Event)

Calling all Scriptwriters: Express your cre-ativity and show your maturity as a writer. Contestants have to write Poetry or Prose in English or Hindi on any one of the topics provided. Top 3 contestants get a shot at writing a script for a play to be performed in BIT.

E-PIC (Submission Event)A theme will be given, and anyone can

participate, submitting a maximum of two photographs. Maximum number of likes will be the one criteria of judgment.

Day 1ON THE SPOT CASE STUDYCase studies provide an unparalleled

opportunity to know about the working of a business enterprise, its objectives, strate-gies, challenges, results, recommendations and more. The case will be provided on the spot and members have to answer ques-tions regarding the case.

BUG HUNT A technical treasure hunt involving

coding puzzles, where the solution for each level points to the location of the next.

CHAKRAVYUHParticipants will be given puzzles having

more than one possibility which will lead you to different paths depending on your choice of answer. It’s on you to choose the swampy path or the path of victory.

JAMJAM stands for Just A Minute, and that

one minute is bound to be the longest minute you would have ever lived. Try speaking, & the evil JAM-master ensures you get Jammed! An event with lots of fun, with wicked shades of evil.

LORD OF THE RINGS To design an automatic robot capable of

solving a maze in the shortest possible time.

LITERARY WIZARDRYIf you think you have the ability to con-

nect the dots, this is the perfect platform for you! Come. See. Conquer.

ANALOGICSThe realm of circuit analysis can offer you

so many challenges‚ right from analyzing mind- boggling circuits to debugging them to find errors. If you have the instinct and sense as to how little modifications in the circuit can produce significant changes in the output, this event is yours.

COOK UP YOUR CAREver thought of making your own car?

Well here’s your chance to build a theoreti-cal one. You will be provided with various components (on paper) and other possible options along with their cost. All you need to do is choose the best option and make a high-performance economical car.

UP IN THE AIRIn this event, the student has to make a

structure that can fly in air with materials provided.

The design is tested on the range it covers in flight as well as other parameters. The winner is decided on the basis of time of flight, distance covered and stability of their structure.

BITter@bitCombining ideas taken from induction

ceremony of 2k13, this is an event involving various rounds of mental and physical com-patibility tasks that will take you through an entertaining experience. Choose wisely!

CHEM-E-BOATTo design a completely autonomous boat

that is capable of moving on water surface only by a chemical reaction or by using a chemical fuel.

FACE PAINTING Zombies, fairies, clowns, convert your

partner’s face into an amazing living art-work. Materials will be given on the spot, with a team size of 2 members.

BUILDER’S FATEExperience what it feels to be a builder,

the ups and downs of the construction business. Get ready to enter a world of risks, luck, strategy and profits.

DEBATEThe Debate is one of the most challeng-

ing yet fun speaking events. Participants will be divided into teams on a random basis by the judges and a motion will be raised on the floor. Each participant will have a specified time frame to deliver his speech in view of the topic and will later engage in a rebuttal session with the oppo-nent team. In the end the speaker with best speech having a strong content will win.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY QUIZIs cutting edge technology the driving

force behind your life? Are latest develop-ments in science the fuel that drive your brain? We challenge you to a mind-bogling quiz on science and technology to test how updated you are!

Day 2GENERAL QUIZFrom Sports to Art, History to Tech, Poli-

tics to War, if you are intrigued by every-thing underneath the sun, then come test your gray cells in the biggest quiz of this Pantheon.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLERun through the campus, collect any

junk you can get and come out with a model made out of scraps provided and recyclable materials collected from the campus. Models will be judged based on creativity, utility and the three R’s: Reuse, Reduce & Recycle.

CASH FLOWCash flow is an event that resembles

the present day money world with all of its components like liabilities, proper-ties, shares etc., where students have to buy and sell with the limited amount of money given to them. The student having the highest property value at the end of competition is declared the winner.

SAVE THE EGGGive wings to your chicken even before

the egg hatches! As we embark upon a mis-sion to destroy the world egg population by dropping eggs from great heights, come design parachutes to give wings to your egg and foil our evil plans!

GAME OF BOTSTo design a mechanical bot that can push

the balls in the given zones as per the rules mentioned and switch off the alarm in the given time.

POKERWelcome to the game of skills, chance

and ever-changing strategies. Formulate your plans on the position of the table, the kind of cards you hold and the betting plans.

FRINGEFringe is the test for everyday electronics.

From Maxwell’s laws to Moore’s law, if you think you can crack it up, then you are the one we are looking for.

CIRCUIT DESIGNRequires completion of a circuit using the

given circuit component diagrams, with a limitation to the number of times

SUDOKU GEEK3 different sudokus of different levels will

be given to 3 participants of each team and these will be rotated within the team mem-bers in an order after every 5 min.

AUTO QUIZDo you have the auto-geek in yourself?

An eye for detail when it comes to the auto industry? An insatiable appetite to know just about everything and anything on four wheels? The Auto-Quiz is the place for you, the auto lover’s delight!

ULTIMATE ENGINEERThe Ultimate Engineer has to be a jack

of all trades. Questions from all spheres of engineering will challenge your ability to crack any engineering problem that comes your way.

DESIGN YOUR COLLEGEAn amazing opportunity to design your

college your way. This event gives you a chance to re-plan your college (BIT Mesra) your way.

ELIXIR TO ELECTRICITYThis is a technical platform to design a

water turbine to produce maximum electri-cal power output, thus implementing the conversion of hydro energy into electrical energy.

CODE ZILLA An algorithmic programming contest

consisting of a written test followed by an on-site coding round.

LOOK FOR ITThis photographic extravaganza will

make you discover places in BIT you’ve never seen before. Each team will be shown a few photographs and they are expected to get the same image captured in the given time. A test of both your memory and photographic skills.

UNLEASH THE ACTOR WITHINWhere acting is reacting. An impromptu

acting competition, where topics will be given on the spot.

Day 3CHANCE PE DANCE Chance pe dance is an attempt to realize

the concept of LYP (Live Your Passion) in the form of dance. Random couples will be formed on the spot, who will have to ‘rock n’ roll’ their way through 3 rounds to be crowned as the champions.

BUOYANCYThe participants will have to design a

boat using the materials given, and the boat will have to balance weights on water. The team whose boat balances the maxi-mum weight, and also covers the maxi-mum distance during this period will win.

BYTE A unique subjective test in which partici-

pants are required to figure out real-world programming problems.

ENTERTAINMENT QUIZMovies, music, sitcoms, romcoms, clas-

sics, just can’t get enough of them on DC? If you feel you’ve surpassed all that DC has to offer, we invite you to a rendezvous with some of the entertainment geeks on campus in the Entertainment Quiz this Pantheon. Can you beat these legends to become the new legend?

THE THIRSTY CROWDesign a manual robot capable of trans-

ferring water from a large container to numerous small containers on its way while travelling on an irregular terrain.

ACOUSTIC ALCHEMYA stage which requires you to go

unplugged, where the charm of acoustic and the beats of percussion mixed in the soul of music enchants the crowd.

MONEY MATTERSEach team will be provided with a start-

ing amount of Rs. 300. The aim is to maxi-mize the given amount in a given span of time. The initial amount provided to the teams will have to be returned back to the treasury.

AD-MAD Teams will be given a random ‘topic’,

‘concept’, ‘idea’ or ‘product’ to prepare a presentation on it.

SHADOWS FALLUnleash your designing skills. Create a

3-dimensional composition so that the model has positive and negative spaces in it to create a story with the shadows that the model creates. The shadows can be contrasting or with similar theme as the composition itself. Required materials will be provided.

Day 4BLITZKREIGThis unique event tests the timing, coor-

dination and management of the partici-pants as a team of 5 has to distribute them-selves among 4 venues with challenging events going on in all the different rooms. The team is supposed to redistribute them-selves according to the rules of the game and successfully complete all the five test-ing events.

SCOTLAND YARDThe treasure is in BIT Mesra.Understand,

solve and run. Contestants strive to arrive first at “Pit Stops” at the end of each leg of the race to stay at an advantage and to avoid coming in last. Contestants travel to and within multiple locations by foot within the campus. Clues provided in each leg lead the teams to the next destination or direct them to perform a task, either together or by a single member.

Performance during the Dance Night

NCC Cadets standing in formation on Indepence Day

A participant rappelling during the DMTP

September 18, 2013 BIT BY BIT 5

When it comes to staying away from home, in a foreign environment, I wouldn’t really be exhilarated. Who would? Especially when you are expected to share your room and private space with people you have never known before, the very first day on. But a month later, I can say I have adjusted, in ways I could have never imagined. From growing up in household as a single child, to sharing my washroom with 20 more people, I have come a long and rocky way, and am only looking forward for my zeal to continue all through my years here.

- Debasmita Bhowmik, BE/10009/13

Heavi ly loaded with ‘No-IIT’ depres-sion, maddening rage against ‘Sibalisation’ and a suitcase, I set off from home for my alma mater to-be, where I was supposed to spend the four most beauti-ful years of my life. The main gate was a huge disappointment, but the main building blew my mind.

Entering the portals of BIT Mesra brought my life to a complete halt. There were a lot of things that were going through my mind but the only thing that got me anxious was the fact that i had to stay away from my parents. I was struck by a sense of nostalgia and the memories of my childhood flashed right before me. Back then I had my parents to support and guide me but now I had to find my own way in an all new world. But the aura of this place drove away all those sentiments and welcomed me with open arms.

- C. Ashmita, BE/10474/13

Two persons sharing a single room in hostel was again a shock, but then my roommate was awesome! Every class was a bouncer, but evening tea amidst trees was something we all waited for. The relief of not getting ragged after almost being certain of getting ragged was overwhelming. The first few days in college did justify the mad race to reach here.

- Siddhant Sahoo, BE/10384/2013

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” - John Hughes

These were the words that flitted through my mind when I first stepped into BIT. Stand-ing in front of one of the hostels, I felt ecstatic. The cool breeze, the mesmerising atmo-sphere and the white clouds flecked with orange rays of the evening sun added to the aura. Well, apart from thrill, I was also over-whelmed by a sense of foreboding. Though the thought of having to stay away from my family worried me, the feeling of meeting new people excited me. The days that fol-lowed were filled with sheer joy, enthusi-asm and excitement with brief moments of anguish and sorrow. Thus my journey from a fresher to a sophomore year student was a roller coaster of emotions with life adding

occasional spice to it.- Anand Chatterjee, BE/10393/2012

As one takes a leap from school to college, with a bag full of expectations and hope towards a new phase of life, a completely independent student life in a place far away from home puts us in a confused state of mind. Hostel life initially was very dull and boring and home sickness haunted us, but once people opened up and the interactions began, it brought a whole new spark to life, be it the late night gossip/movie sessions or the shouting during power cuts. Soon we felt part of a big new family.

Being a part of the activities and events enriched my initial days, while further attend-ing workshops helped me gain immense knowledge on various technical fields etc. I would also like to make a special mention of our seniors, who are very cooperative and friendly. The campus with its lush green trees and beautiful flowers makes the environment so calm and serene that one instantly falls in love with it. The journey until now has been amazing, and my initial impressions of the college are great. I look forward to having some amazing memories here in the years to come.

- Mujeeb Khan, BE/10198/2013

EACH new month witnesses a bounty of events taking place in the institute. The last month was no different. There was a wide array of events lined up from skill developing workshops to cul-tural celebrations and social activi-ties. A brief glimpse on cultural and social events in chronological order:

DAWAT-E-IFTAARAn Iftaar party was organized on

August 3, 2013 to mark the holy month of Ramadan and was attend-ed by the students and the staff alike. It stirred the spirit of hospital-ity and brotherhood, while spread-ing moments of joy all around.

CLUB INDUCTIONThe newest addition to the BIT

family, the 2k13 batch, was intro-duced to the operating clubs of the insti-tute in the induction program. Conducted on August 10, 2013 by the representatives of various clubs, it was aimed at inform-ing the students about the club activities, highlighting the past achievements and setting forth the objectives for the forth-coming year.

BLOOD DONATION CAMPA Blood Donation Camp was organized

by the NSS in collaboration with the Rota-ract and Leo clubs on August 11, 2013. The procedure was carried out by the doctors and staff from the Apollo Hospital and RIMS, and the donated blood was sent to their blood banks. The camp witnessed an overwhelming turnout of more than

350 donors, including the Dean Students’ Welfare and various faculty of BIT Mesra.

QUANTUM QUIZ AND STAND-OFFThe inaugural Quantum Quiz was con-

ducted by UNESQUO on August 13, 2013 to test the mettle of the 2k12 batch, and introduce the fresh quizzing minds of the 2k13 batch to the active quizzing scene in the institute. A total of six teams quali-fied for the finals and the quiz was won by the team comprising of Abhi Pandey and Rohit Chakraborty of 2k12. The inau-gural Stand-off Debate was conducted by UNESQUO, the prelims of which were held on August 14, 2013 and the finals on August 15, 2013. The topic of the debate finals was “Will the formation of smaller states lead to better governance?”. A very dynamic war of words ensued as the best speakers gave a fine example of both their presence of mind and depth of knowl-edge, in addition to eloquent oratory. Namrata Gummalla of 2k12 was declared the winner.

INDEPENDENCE DAYThe day was celebrated, as always, with

great fervor. Chants in praise of the nation could be heard at as early as 6 in the morn-ing by the NSS students of first and second years participating in the Prabhat Feri. The unfurling of the tricolor, followed by the march past of NCC cadets and a cultural program, took place in the Upper Lawn. The day also witnessed a football match

between the Sports Authority of India and the college team at the institute sports

complex, which ended in a goalless draw.

DMTPA Disaster Manage-

ment Training Program was conducted by the EPAC on August 24 and 25, 2013 to guide the students on the various methods to cope with adverse circumstances. The activities included rappelling, monkey crawling, Commando Net, Commando Bridge, Burma Bridge, Ladder Bridge, Archery and valley crossing.

LITERARY NIGHTThe Literary Society of BIT Mesra celebrat-

ed the dimensions of literature in the form of Literary Night on the evening of August 26, 2013. Named ‘Thespian Expressions’, a debate of a unique kind was organized in which all participants were assigned cer-tain influential personalities, and not only did they have to speak like them, but think and dress like them too. A ‘Kavi Sammelan’ was held to recognize poetic creativity and lastly, the audience was treated to an enter-taining Literary Quiz.

DRAMA NITEThe Dramatics Society of BIT Mesra intro-

duced itself to the fresher batch with much drama, literally. The evening of the 27th of August showcased the immense talent of 2k11 and 2k12 batches in the form of four plays, ‘Nimansa’, ‘Panahgah’, ‘While the Auto Waits’ and ‘Murder by Mid-night’. The effort put in by them was appreciated to the highest degree and the performances left the audience in awe.

FUTSALThe Sports and Adventure Club

have organized this event on the 31st August and 1st September,

« EDITORIALS- A few accounts of first experiences of freshers in BIT Mesra

« REWIND: THE MONTH THAT WASseeing an unprecedented response from eager football enthusiasts, with a staggering 38 regis-tered teams, of which 6 were all girls’ team. The flurry of tricks like Cruyff turns, Scissors, Rain-bows, Around the world, Feint, Dummy and Nut-megs kept the crowds engaged. ‘The Dribblers Seamen’ and ‘The Sprinters’ won the event on the boys and girls sides respectively.

DANCE NIGHTThe Dance Club of BIT Mesra hosted the sea-

son’s inaugural Dance Night, titled ‘Dans L’avenir’ on the 1st of September for the freshers’ batch of 2k13. With “looking into the future” as its theme, boys and girls were brimming with energy and enthusiasm for their first evening of some serious fun, as an enchanting evening ensued.

WORKSHOPS• The basics of MATLAB, by IET on 11th and

12th August.• Basic Digital Electronics, by the ECE Society

on 13th, 14th and 15th August.• The basics of C and C++ programming, by

IEEE on 15th and by IET on 26th, 27th and 29th August.

• Recursive and Dynamic Programming, by ACM on 28th August.

• Pencil and Charcoal Sketching, by FAS on 29th August.

• Introduction to Robotics, by Robolution on 31st August.

• Illuminate, a B-Plan Workshop by EDC on 1st September.

• The Art of Oratory, by UNESQUO on 3rd and 4th September.

• PSOC conducted a Photo Fest from 30th August to 1st September, 2013.

A fresher’s view of the campus. Photo Courtesy: Vaibhav Saxena, PSOC, BIT Mesra

Dr. Satyaki SarkarINTERVIEWS

Student Activity Coordinator (Cultural)Dr. Rajeev AgrawalStudent Activity Coordinator (Technical)

1) Pantheon is in its fourth year now. How has it changed and evolved over time?The participation has increased over the years. This time the participation will be even more because we have removed participation fee from events. Although the time for preparation is less and technological events will be more in number, we hope to see participation from across BIT.

2) What is the necessity of having cultural events in a technological college like ours?They are very necessary because a break is always welcome. Even students don’t start studying immediately after going back to the hostel rooms. Boredom is broken by cultural events. It provides the grey matter rest and refreshes us. The student community is very active in all cultural events. There is a lot of talent in the students waiting to be showcased and cultural events provide them that platform. Organising these events also brings out the managerial skills of the students who, after all, are the future managers of the country.

3) Your views on this pantheon being more technologically oriented than cultural?

The administration has decided to make Pantheon more technologically oriented and BITotsav more culturally oriented. About two thirds of the Pantheon events this time are going to be technological ones and in BITotsav the reverse will be true. We did not want to have a fully technological fest because that would be too much hard work and we need a break which will be provided by the cultural events and the night performances. Basically, we should have one cultural fest and one technological fest and this is our step towards it.

4) Sir, you mentioned that the student community is very active. Is it not feasible for the administration to either build a separate Students Activity Centre or allot some part of an existing building solely for the purpose of these activities?I feel that there is a need for a SAC. For the students to practice and sit and plan the various events. This matter was discussed with the administration but somehow it has not materialised yet. We had thought of allotting the first floor of the community hall for this purpose but for some reasons, it has not worked out. Hopefully, we’ll be able to have one soon.

5) Do you feel that the cultural events we organise are up to the mark?Yes! Definitely. And the proof is the fact that our students have been winning laurels consistently in various fests-be it Mood Indigo or Spring Fest.

6) Your expectations from this Pantheon and the ones to come?

Well, more participation from the students. More hidden talents must be discovered. The management skills of the students should improve. The most important thing that students must learn is working in a team and team spirit. Because ultimately, team BIT must win.

7) Your message for the students looking forward to first fest of the year?Come and experience it!

1) What would you like to tell the freshmen about Pantheon, which will be their first college fest?Pantheon is the first techno-cultural Pan – BIT fest of BIT Mesra where students from all the extension centers of BIT will be taking part in. The first year students will experience for the first time the diverse cultural as well as the technical aspect of BIT Mesra.

2) Why should college students participate in college fest at the first place?These fests give the right exposure to the college students which help build their competence. The various events organized by the different clubs and societies of the institution provide a platform to showcase their talents in the technical as well as in the cultural field. More importantly, these fests give an opportunity to the students to understand how to compete in today’s world. Some events require thorough knowledge of the concerned field for e.g. the coding events, robotics events etc. The students through teamwork will learn how to win as a team.

3)Is this Pantheon going to be any different from its ancestors?

This time, Pantheon is based on the theme “Droid”. This year’s fest is going to be more technical oriented and will require the societies to bring out quality technical events. This fest will be an excellent opportunity for the students to familiarize and interact with the various departments and societies of the institution and display their technical skills.

4) So sir, it is true this year Pantheon would be more focused on technical activities rather than cultural events?

Yes, this year we will have approximately 70% technical events and rest would be the cultural events.

5) Could you throw some light on the importance of technical events? And what is the motive behind making them a prime focus this year?

A technical event will enhance the learning process of students because it serves as an opportunity to test in real life what they have learned in theory. As I said, some events require sound knowledge of the concerned field, hence a lot of new things can be learned and this is a fun way to do it. We have various departmental clubs in our college and we want to give them an opportunity to organize various technical events in our college.

6)Finally, what message would you like to convey to the students?

I’d like to say that students must actively take part in this fest! They will learn so much about so many different things. They should make full use of this fest and try to develop their talents and skills. It is going to be immense fun and a wonderful learning experience!

6 BIT BY BIT September 18, 2013

PUBLISHED BY: The News and Publication Society, BIT Mesra

FACULTY ADVISOR: Shri Mrinal PathakEDITORIAL TEAM:

CHIEF EDITORS: Nitin Gupta, Naofel Nasim, Shravya Arya, Sugandha Chauhan. MANAGING EDITORS: Vishesh Dokania, Soham Ray, Roshin Mathew, Talib Wasi. REPORTERS: Namrata Gummalla, Saumya Bora, Deboshree Banerjee, Anuva Agarwal, Koushik MLN, Abhinav Goyal. DESIGNERS: Abhijeet P., Prithvi Raj Gayadri, Harshdeep Sagar, M. Uday Kiran.The News and Publication Society (N.A.P.S.) is the hub for all information and connectivity in the Institute, from the latest news and happenings around the campus, to interviews and opinions of the people who matter,

to organization of the biggest fests and events in the college. It collaborates with the largest media houses to ensure all the important happenings in campus are brought to attention at a regional as well as national level. Being a completely student-run body, N.A.P.S. boosts college-level journalism, with regular publications including newsletters, brochures and batch souvenirs. Send us your feedback at naps@bitmesra.ac.in.

For regular updates on happenings around the campus, follow us at our website: www.napsbitmesra.com. We also feature N.A.P.S. apps on the Android (Google Play) and Windows 8 Stores for ease-of-use.

JOY FEST‘Joy of Giving Week’ starts from 2nd October and goes on till 8th October, and is organized by the Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC).In its thrid year since its inception, Joy Fest is a charitable initiative, where people all across campus are encouraged to contribute. The total amount collected is provided to the blind, handicapped and undernourished children, as well as to the old-age homes in Ranchi.Collection boxes will be available in every hostel, where people can freely contribute.Arrangements will also be made for receiving collection in departments and in staff quarters.