Being a warden [of VS Hall] I have seen how students behave in a sudden surge of TEMPO and I feel this ban is completely justified.

Prof. T Sahoo, Ocean Engg. & Naval Arch.

T H E S C H O L A R S ’ A V E N U E

T H E S C H O L A R S ’ A V E N U EIIT KHARAGPURSEPTEMBER 21 2008

www.scholarsavenue.org

From the Editors’ Deskor the first time in 57 years, students on campus celebrated Independence Day just over a fortnight past the usual date. This celebration, on the night of September 2, marked the end of F

what was undoubtedly the darkest periods of existence on campus in its history. While celebrating this 'independence' from coercion, we reflect on the past and realize that these bans aren't just endemic to our campus. Their genesis was in the aftermath of the infamous bar brawl last semester, which resulted in the original curb on movement outside IIT after 11 pm. A mandate soon followed, requiring that all SN residents be indoors after 11 pm 'for their own safety'. Eventually, the same extended to all other residential halls this semester. Perhaps the most alarming aspect of these bans is that they were decided on in total isolation from the students they were intended for. The students were informed of this via a single notice which was released much before the contents were actually implemented. Criticizing the ban(s) would be beating a dead horse. The decision not to consult students or the Student Representatives marks a permanent and disappointing low in the understanding between students and authorities on campus. Equally disappointing is the decision to keep the external ban permanently in place, without scope of re-evaluation. A lot has changed since last semester. Having lived with the full heat of a lockdown, it is but logical that students would at least think twice before indulging in unruly behavior. Re-opening discussion about the external ban is something the students must take upon themselves at the subsequent meeting with the Dean (SA). Student representatives have gotten us this far. If the rest is to be, it really is up to us. We need to be the responsible adults we claim ourselves to be, and reinstate the administration's lost confidence in us.

Consider the oft-repeated words on a famous patch of marble, "Here in the place of that Hijli Detention Camp stands the fine monument of I n d i a , representing India's urges, India's future in the m a k i n g . This picture seems to me symbolical of the changes that are coming to India." This was Nehru, looking down the barrel of a weapon called progress. How ironic, then, that today, we seem to be looking down the same barrel, but from the wrong end. Here in the place of India's hopes, urges, and the future, lies a Detention Camp. The picture does indeed seem symbolical of changes in India. The parallel between the agents of these changes on campus, and in India, is startling. The same myopic policies by the authorities at these two levels result in unrest on two very different scales. On campus, we see myopia in the decision to hide students from the threat (and causing inconvenience and irritation to most), instead of pro-actively tackling the menace by increasing awareness and soliciting active student participation. In a community where logic rules all, authoritarianism easily leads to open dissent. An example is over 100 students having their ID cards confiscated over a weekend, some outside campus jurisdiction. In Indian polity, we see – in this era of globalization - divisive and sectarian power plays fronting election-time agenda,

causing fiascos like Singur, and Kashmir's dual problem of separatist movements and the Amarnath crisis.

Tr u e t o Nehru's vision, however, we really are the future

and hope of India. To make the future, we must understa nd and acknowledge the present. On campus, t h i s means an understanding that the present s i t uation is, in fact, on the razor's edge,

and that any untoward incident on our part, as students, may see these

bans (or worse) back in place, and this time for good. In an earlier editorial

(March 18, 2008 - From the Editor's Desk), we said, "We stand to lose these and a lot

more, systematically, unless we prove to a skeptical administration, that these liberties are

disjoint from any irregularities that might occur every now and then. The best, and easiest way to do this, is to

take responsibility. This sense of responsibility is just about a single thought towards modifying one's actions to

minimize possible adverse effects on others." This remains true even now.

To implement Nehru's vision on a national scale, a wise first step would be to know of the problems that India faces, and relate to them as if they were our own. Perhaps the biggest disadvantage we face in a rural setup, is information isolation. We choose to stay cocooned and unaware in our comfort zones, while riots claim lives in Singur a hundred miles away. At The Scholars' Avenue, we have decided to take this first step. Starting this issue, we will feature an in-depth analysis of real problems occurring around across India, and focus on what message we, as students, can take from it. Our first thrust in this direction is our featured center spread that analyzes the latest Kashmir issue. We hope that these analyses will help generate an unbiased opinion amongst the students, an opinion based on undeniable fact, not emotion or empty rhetoric. Bertrand Russell said, "… be in doubt, be frightened, but do not be silenced." Perhaps it is time we step out of our zones of comfort and silence and up to the real India we are all sure to face in the years to come. As a fitting finish, we quote Martin Luther King, Jr. "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

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This move is the new whim of the powers to be, which hopefully will be unconditionally reversed. This move will make the students even more self centered - and anti gregarious. it's a pity that a great institution like IIT Kgp is trying to tamper with too many parameters of a successful experimental setup. we'd be fooling ourselves to think that the results of the experiment, i.e. students of IIT will remain as dynamic and well rounded as they always were. I am glad the students do feel the pinch, when it comes to this ridiculous 11pm curfew as if their wings are being clipped. May their crusade triumph.

Prof. Joydeep Dutta, Architecture and Regional Planning

What do you think of the ban?

Look inside to see what the campus junta

feels.

Some restriction is necessary however it should not be very rigid. In genuine needs students may be allowed to go to other halls after they have made requisite entries in record books.

Prof. D Sen, Ocean Engg. & Naval Arch.

“Freedom forces you to place limits on yourself and allows you to explore yourself too. Placing hard limits such as these can only be detrimental. Does the administration want to churn out law-abiding non-creative robots or the IITians of lore that are famous for being open-minded and for out of the box thinking?”

Deepak Cherian

“An adult at 21, I fail to comprehend the reason behind this 11 o'clock ban.At this age we ought to be mature enough to face the world we will be entering,so why are we suddenly being put into this cocoon,hampering our activities and stunting our growth.All the kgp societies,helping shape the character of students,have their meetings in the peace of night.Why cant girls participate in the same.”

Karishma Kapadia

“Just a mere banning and stopping of things is not the solution. Any one can do it, its pretty easy.But it is quite difficult to come up wid a solution that is in clear interests of larger sections of people. If you want to save yourself from diarrohea or jaundice would u stop eating all together?or would you be just careful in selecting the type of food you eat. Think about it.”

Anuj Srivastava

“Please do not blow things out of proportion ! Hijli Detention Camp ! Gulp - it shatters the shackles of reasonable exaggeration ! Otherwise speaking , as a student , I do hope to raise my voice against this ban ( No one is allowed beyond their hall compounds , after 11 PM ! ) Are they looking to exterminate activities , beyond the barriers of Acads ! " SOS " - KTJ , SF n Societies”.

Vijay

Is IIT KGP reverting to the days of Hijli Detention Camp?Here’s what you have to say.

“What's being done is not totally justifiable but we should not forget that its for our own good. The 11 pm ban is in no way helping anybody. Perhaps they should just make the I-Card entry mandatory.”

Rahul Jamini

“Kharagpur was never a great place to live but what made life here bearable was the occasional cycle ride to hijli in the dead of the night,chilling out at cheddis at say 2 in the morning and stuff like that.In short the freedom of lifestyle choices which it gave,but now the myopic and overtly conservative view of the administration has ruined whatever excitement we used to have here..”

Ritthik Bhattacharya

Visit to vote and comment on topics that concern you. Currently active topics are “Student facilities at BC Roy hospital need to be criticized.” and “By the time Tata figures out the Singur issue, China would

have designed, marketed and launched a car to kill brand Nano.”

iitkgp.minekey.com

The runners up in Envision 2007, a product design and prototyping contest conducted by the Entrepreneurship Cell, have been given an initial grant of Rs. 5 lakhs for their product's testing phase. The funding has been approved by TePP (Technopreneur Promotion Programme).

The team developing the product consists of P rabash Chowdhary, Sumit Jaiswal, Pawan K u m a r , a n d R a c h i t Agarwal, all students of the D e p a r t m e n t o f Biotechnology (Pawan has since graduated, the other three are in their 5th year). The idea hit upon them when three of them were working in a biotech company for their summer internship and were given the task of building a bioreactor as a side project. On returning, they realised that the bioreactor had great potential and decided to enter their idea in Envision, with help from their mentor Prof. S. Dey. (Department of Biotechnology). Prof. Dhrubes Biswas encouraged them to apply for funding, and that's exactly what they did.

Their product has distinct advantages over the two plant reactors that are currently widely used, RITA and Growtek. While their product costs only around Rs. 35 per unit, RITA costs around Rs. 3500 per unit, and Growtek (developed by Prof. S Dey) costs Rs. 280 per unit. Considering that

research in bioreactors is expensive, this is a s i g n i f i c a n t p r i c e reduction.

Acquiring a patent is the top priority for the group now, and they are

already in touch with a lawyer. Work on a prototype to verify the data they have collected is on the cards. The team plans to target developing countries with the product, as it is a good alternative to the expensive reactors currently in use. The team also acknowledged the contribution of Envision and E-Cell in providing a platform to them to showcase their innovation.

The Scholars' Avenue wishes them the best of luck in their endeavour.

Envision 2007 Runners Up bag funding

T H E S C H O L A R S ’ A V E N U E NEWS AVENUE

SEPTEMBER 21 2008

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The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is an organization for the promotion of international cooperation in the field of scientific research sponsoring a number of competitive fellowships for postdoctoral students and senior researchers, financing about 600 foreign scientists for a research stay in Germany for an extended period of time ranging from six months to two years. Our very own Dr. G.P. Raja Sekhar of the Department of Mathematics, with his exemplary work r eco rd and r e sea rch qualifications, has been approved for the Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers. This January he will be leaving for a period of two semesters for the University of Stuttgart, one of Germany's leading centres of technical education. Dr. Raja Sekhar will be working on Mathemat ica l Model ing of Biological Cells Using Boundary Integral Methods at the Institute of Applied Analysis and Numerical Simulation. Here's wishing him the best for his stay in Germany.

Prof GP Raja Sekhar

awarded Humboldt Fellowship

SEPTEMBER 21 2008

To get news from online and to give us your feedback, log on to http://www.scholarsavenue.org

August 18 was an unfortunate day for Bihar. The Kosi swelled and breached the eastern embankments adjoining the Nepal-Bihar border and started flowing over from the barrage towards the districts of north Bihar. More than four million people are affected. The immediate repercussion is death, destruction, homelessness and poverty but over the long term development has got p u s h e d b a c k .Sambhav, an initiative by a group of Kgpians is collecting donations to be sent through a proper channel so that it reaches the victims. Please, help them in helping them by contributing. For details, visit http://sambhaviitkgp.blogspot.com/

The Case of the Dead FrogThe Scholars’ Avenue Investigates

S p a c e Technology Cell of I IT Kharagpur, established in 1998, was renamed to Kalpana Chawla Space Technology Cell (KCSTC) in 2004 to honour the

late astronaut Dr. Kalpana Chawla. It provides a single window to Kgp for communications with ISRO for funding of research projects under the institute and is far more efficient than the earlier RESPOND (research sponsored) programme in which each project was evaluated individually. The concept took foundation in 1982 with IISc Bangalore under the aegis of Prof. Satish Dhawan and was extended to IITs and other universities. It receives all its funding from ISRO though IIT Kharagpur supports all its infrastructural needs. Prof S Sengupta, Head of KCSTC stated that the present grant of Rs 1 crore per annum will increase to Rs 2.5 crores according to the revised MOU effective from this month. The cell began working in areas of

MEMS, Communications and Cryogenics including Engine Modeling. Subsequently materials, control systems, micro propulsions and VLSI design were brought unde r t he umbre l l a wh i l e Communications extended to RF des ign, Elec t ro-magnet ism, EMI/EMC and ESD. It spans across the departments of ECE, EE, CSE, ME, Cryogenic Engineering, Meta l lu rg ica l & Mate r i a l s Engineering, Rubber Technology Centre, Advanced Technology Centre, and GSSST.

In January, KCSTC organized CASST 2008 (Conference on Advancement in Space Science and Technology) which was attended by eminent guests like Dr K N Shankar, Director, ISSAC, and was a huge success. On his visit to IIT Kharagpur last December, Colonel Mike Fincke, who had worked with Dr. Kalpana Chawla on multiple projects, also visited the cell and greatly admired it.

Prof. S Sengupta emphasized the importance of student involvement

in the cell and said that the new student initiative, SPATS (Space Technology Students Society) aims at generating awareness amongst the undergraduates about space and technology projects.

Future activities for KCSTC include creation of specific centres of excellence in collaboration with I S R O , p r o m o t i o n o f interdisciplinary research to support Department of Space and to see an increased participation from a l l d e p a r t m e n t s i n S p a c e Technology Activity. The cell also looks forward to expanding the present simulations lab as well as setting up a new FPGA lab. They hope to involve students more directly in their activities in the near future.

Kalpana Chawla Space Technology CellThe Department of Aerospace Engineering gets all ready to start off with one of the most a m b i t i o u s p r o j e c t s e v e r undertaken in IIT-Kharagpur, the STUSAT-1 (Student Satellite -1), after having talks with ISRO. The aim is to build a complete satellite with a payload of maximum of 80 Kilograms. It is to be taken from Concept Design Stage to the Testing Stage (which will be launched by a PSLV) by six teams classified into Structures (Civil/Mech), Controls, Communications ( E l e c t r o n i c s ) , P a y l o a d (Physics/Chemistry), Power sys tems (Elec t r ica l ) and Onboard computers(Computer Science).

Student Satellite

Dustbins on campus - Who did it?You have always thought that you, a lone fighter, can't change

anything right? You see the coloured dustbins that have come up just outside your hall? They prove you wrong. Akhil Naru, a third year student, decided that something had to be done about the lack of dustbins on campus. He approached the Registrar and the HMC

Chairman, and got dustbins on campus within 2 weeks, with the help of the VP. Kudos to him and wishing this inspires the activist within

each one of us.

11 pm curfew in place, reservation issues, faculty shortage, coffers running dry, an overtly bulky populace cramped into the hallowed premises of prehistoric buildings - Any concerned student would feel that matters have touched the lowest ebb, the thermometer's bubble has burst and things can't get any worse. That is until he had the misfortune of dipping his spoon into the sambhar prepared by the mess-workers and behold, out of all the vivid flora and fauna in the Maker's star-studded creation, a frog. Yes, a dead frog.

Call it what you will, either a direct consequence of the elements colluding in utter envy against the techno-generation or pure negligence on the part of the mess-workers. The HJB residents were in for a rude shock when one of the senior boarders discovered to his horror a dead frog floating blissfully in the sambhar kept at his table. The Scholars Avenue conducted a detailed investigation into the entire episode and what we stumbled upon were opinions, highly varied and diversified and thereby

inconclusive. We therefore outline the facts related to the incident; the events which ensued thereafter and the multifarious opinions associated with it.

22nd August- An HJB boarder discovers the dead frog, as mentioned earlier immediately after which the boarders vacate the mess. Upon inquiry, the mess contractor attempts to defer blame to the old mess workers who according to him were against the establishment of the currently functioning private mess, the management having shifted hands this semester. The Hall Council Members along with the warden and the HMC chairman decide to impose a fine on the mess contractor instead of removing him, the motive behind such a move being the preference of having a more vigilant mess contractor henceforth rather than having a completely new one. It is noteworthy that the amount of fine to be imposed is still being debated upon. Outlined underneath are some of the views expressed by individuals associated in any manner with this incident.

The unfortunate student who found the frog Quite clearly, the standards of the mess have deteriorated after its administration has shifted hands. The entire episode was a direct consequence of the negligence on the part of the private mess. Even though from the outset, it appears to be improving upon the menu yet in reality, this flashy list is more than compensated for in the bad quality of food served. The mess contractor should be heavily fined and duly warned not to repeat this in future. More power should be vested in the hands of the students to have a say in the affairs of the mess.

The General Secretary, MessThe mess contractor is doing a fine job and apart from this stray incident for which he will be fined, there is absolutely no reason to complain. The menu has definitely improved this semester with further plans of serving paneer twice a week during lunch. We are working towards getting the mess contract from the HMC after which we'll be having a greater control over its administration. Regarding the dead frog incident, in the absence of any concrete evidence against any other student who might have perpetrated this act willfully, we have no other option but to blame the mess contractor for his carelessness

The HMC ChairmanPreliminary investigations suggest that this is a one-off incident. The contractor has been pulled up and has been asked to take all necessary measures to improve hygiene. A committee has been set up to look into the matter. Final action will be decided after the report is submitted.

The Mess Contractor, on the frogThe entire event is a conspiracy by people who are bent upon destroying the reputation of this mess. I am a zoology student and can confidently tell you that the frog was not boiled, neither was it stiff so there is no way it could have got into the sambhar while the cooking was in process. The vessel in which the dish was stored was closed the entire time, so the only possibility is that the frog was first killed and then put into the sambhar. It definitely is a clear case of sabotage.

The Scholars’ AvenueIndeed, with such a varied plethora of opinions offered, it becomes imperative to set aside natural inclinations and gaze at the larger picture. As enticing as it is to condemn the mess contractor for his negligence, one cannot deny the sturdy evidence of his innocence that he has provided in his favor. On the other hand, the natural human tendency to mutilate the truth by subtle manipulation of facts and then shifting the blame over cannot be ignored. In such an eventuality, we would advise our readers to maintain strict vigilance irrespective of the nature of their mess and promptly report any practice that is an aberration.

The Mess Contractor, on the messCurrently, the mess is running at a loss. In any mess that is owned by the IIT, the monthly food bill comes to around Rs.1300 per student. Add to it the mess workers' fee and other expenses, the amount easily shoots up to Rs.1900 to Rs 2000. The HMC however pays us only Rs.1560 per student which should at least be upgraded to Rs.1700. My staff though underpaid carries on with its work with complete dedication.

NEWS AVENUESEPTEMBER 21 2008 3T H E S C H O L A R S ’ A V E N U E

The sky is the limit – Narasimha RaoAnything short of azadi – Deve GowdaPeace is our objective – A.B. Vajpayee

to build a 'Naya Jammu and Kashmir' - Manmohan Singh

Successive Prime Ministers. Successive promises. Successive failures.

hen it comes to Kashmir, logic and reason are far from driving forces. It's been a quagmire since the Indian Nation came out of its womb, her first birth cry of sorts. We cannot claim to have a comprehensive view on what has happened in Kashmir. A lot has happened since independence, not all good. All that can be undeniably Wand categorically said is that too much blood has been shed. It's time to stop.

The Amarnath FiascoWhat was initially a measure to ease a yatri's journey to the

Amarnath shrine snowballed into a controversy that has split the state. What's even more disconcerting is how the actual facts have been misrepresented. The original land transfer order was to be temporary covering only certain months where yatris would be in transit. This seemingly minor detail was overlooked and the Valley erupted believing the transfer to be permanent. The Shrine board, too, overreached and asked the government to "allot" the land back (which had never been permanently allotted in the first place) after the Governor N.N. Vohra rescinded the order in a hasty attempt to smoke the peace pipe. That was all that was needed for separatists and extremist elements from both the sides to bring out decade old issues and hold the state to ransom. What followed was a drama that devastated the facade of secularism which the country was trying to put up. Kashmir, then Jammu. Burnt.

Logically, temporary allocation of land is an acceptable measure given India's secular credentials and it shouldn't have been opposed by the majority public. It must be pointed out that just like every other country India has its fair share of religious zealots (Islamists and the Hindu Right) who unfortunately garner more screen time. Their trumpeting of the allegedly unfair order is what brought the Valley to a tipping point. It is important to realize that there exist moderates on both sides and that not everybody bays for each other's blood. Ethnic diversity constitutes India's celebrated social fabric and it must not be compromised upon. Unfortunately, tolerance seems to have exited this country along with Mahatma Gandhi.

The valley now resounds with violent calls for azadi and total integration with Pakistan, all testament to decades of inept political handling. This is not the first time that the cry for freedom has resounded in the Valley. However, it is certainly disconcerting that the "normalcy" that Kashmir was said to be experiencing has broken down. The Hurriyat is regrouping. Passions are inflamed and the moods run high. What the Amarnath issue has done is provide the separatists with a pivot about which to spread propaganda for azadi. Riding on false claims of the 'Hinduisation' of Kashmir (laughable given the manner under which the Kashmiri Pandits were driven out), the Hurriyat has re-emerged with the moderates and extremists united having at last found common ground for dissent.

India may have shot herself in the foot permanently with this escapade. With the Hurriyat now more vocal about azadi than before, it only makes the challenge facing the Indian Government harder. And for once, it can't blame the ISI.

the like. Boots and guns.Where’s the ahimsa?The Perception of Kashmir

We can blame a lot of people for what is happening in Kashmir. But that doesn't take away Resentment – The Why Notthe fact that a lot of Kashmiris fail to identify with India. This alienation has been taking place gradually, with the militant uprising and ensuing propaganda having accelerated it into high It is mystifying why all the ruckus in Kashmir is happening in spite of the fact that it has gear. always been the apple of the eye for successive governments at the center. The valley has

always got more than its fair share of grants and endowments from the government, even 'It is the issue of our land, and for our land, we will fight till we die' though it does not contribute to the exchequer as much as Jammu. In 12 years between 1990

- Omar Abdullah. and 2002, J&K got Rs. 35571 crore in grants. This amount has doubled between 2003 and 2008. As of now, two thirds of every rupee spent in J&K comes from the center. What has Needless to say, the effect this statement created, especially because it was delivered in the happened to all this money? Where is the development? Why does the Planning Commission

Indian parliament, was tremendous. Extremists in Kashmir latched on to it as a call for violent report show the state as lagging behind? And in the present, where the cry for azadi is loud, all agitations to protect the land that was going to be usurped. The Sangh used this as a rallying this raises another, even more pertinent and vexing questionpoint for their stand that Kashmir was losing its Indian identity. All in all, we had a selfish 'you Is azadi sustainable?vs me' situation on our hands. Omar has since clarified his statement ( ), but the damage had already been done. Conclusion

Indian land? Or Kashmiri land? When were these boundaries created? Is this what No matter how much the Valley resonates with the call for azadi, practically this would be

decades of alienation has done for the people of Kashmir? Is there no sense of belonging? difficult to attain. Neither India nor Pakistan will acquiesce to an Independent Kashmir and its Has Kashmiriyat won over India? Is this the point of no return? Questions have to be and future would be in extreme peril. As pointed above, the economic viability of such a nation will be raised. But what needs to be understood is that Kashmir is not just a piece of land to state would be questionable. The absence of the Indian army would mean almost certain most of India; it is a symbol of our stand against Pakistan; a symbol of national pride. conquest by Pakistan, given its enthusiastic backing for jihadi elements. Given the current state

"Kashmir is, was, and always will be India's." of political instability in Pakistan, secession from India to Pakistan wouldn't necessarily mean That is a mind set born out of generations of Indians not understanding the situation in a better place. The conversion to a restrictive Islamic state is pretty much on the cards. For good

Kashmir, being only peripherally associated with it, and being fed information by a media and or for bad, India still holds control over most of the region. It has to leverage this and stem the government that isn't exactly unbiased. For the average Indian on the street, Kashmir has and tide. And the separatists need to help.will always be a part of India, a view not necessarily shared by people of the valley. (A poll conducted jointly by The Indian Express, CNN-IBN, and Dawn News in August 2007 A first step would be to ascertain the mood in various parts of the state, something that our indicated that 87% of Kashmiris chose becoming independent over maintaining government refuses to do. The more vocal sections need not speak for the entire state. status quo, or merging both parts of Kashmir with either India or Pakistan.) Disaffected regions could then be identified and targeted for concentrated developmental

efforts. For that is where India has lagged. The dismal condition of the State's infrastructure Resentment – The Why illustrates clearly how India has failed to take advantage of comparatively quieter periods in the Valley to turn public opinion to its side.It isn't as if India has turned a blind eye towards development in the State. It has correctly

identified the Army as the most effective way of bringing development to the rugged regions of India's best hope of regaining Kashmiri sympathies lie in initiating effective humanitarian Kashmir, especially remote regions. Unfortunately, the Army presence in the Valley is a double and development efforts in the State. It has to fight the disaffection. The solution involves edged sword. The rough climate and hostile public can cause well-meaning soldiers to err on 'enlightened' and determined politicians pursuing a development agenda regardless of the the side of indiscretion. terror brought on by the jihadis. Let's not fool ourselves. Bringing in development to the

villages is the only way India can go about fixing its image as well as fixing Kashmir. “[the armed forces are empowered to] arrest, without warrant, any person who

has committed a cognizable offence or against whom a reasonable suspicion exists Furthermore, it needs to recast itself somehow so as not to be perceived as a Hindu that he has committed or is about to commit a cognizable offence and may use such government. Perception is everything. India is secular. Full stop. Blatant opportunism and

force as may be necessary to effect the arrest.” myopic solutions are what caused the Amarnath issue to spiral into chaos. Kashmir does not Section 4(c) of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act need any more of that.

Repressive Acts such as the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act (1978), Armed Forces Hollow promises go no farther than a falling leaf and the ghosts of yesterday shall always

(Jammu & Kashmir) Special Powers Act (1990) and the Jammu & Kashmir Disturbed Areas haunt tomorrow. In the end, what's left is a dream. A dream of a state renowned for beauty and Act (1990) have come under fire from international agencies such as the U.N., Amnesty culture like no other. The dream of Kashmiriyat in its original pre-nationalistic International and Human Rights Watch for enabling human rights abuses to be committed avatar; as envisioned by Emperor Akbar; the dream of a tolerant and with impunity. This isn’t helping India’s case either. As is succinctly put in the movie V for independent India, as envisioned by Gandhiji; the dream of anekta mein ekta.Vendetta,

"What happens when people without guns stand up to people with guns?” And some dreams need to be fought for. They need a war.

The same happens with curfew imposing and riot controlling policemen. Though This is a war of a different kind. This is ademilitarization of the Valley is an understandable demand, the practicality of it is non-existent war that will defeat fundamentalist with the terrorist threat. Which means we need to deal with the horrifying stories of mass indoctrination. This is a war where the victors graves, forced encounters and unlawful killings. A report entitled 'Facts under Ground', issued are the people. This is a war that will have on 29 March 2008 by the Srinagar-based Association of the Parents of Disappeared Persons casualties. The protesters who were killed in (APDP) claims that over 8.000 people have gone missing in Kashmir since 1989. The current police firing, the innocent people killed by Amarnath agitation too abounds with storied of crude heavy handedness. News channels terrorist bombings, the people killed in fake being banned, journalists being roughed up in spite of having curfew passes, beatings of encounters; the 14 year old kid with an pregnant women and children; all this hearkens back to days of savagery that has no place in AK-47 and a lost childhood; these are today's world. Ideally, this wouldn't have happened but it did, and this is why a lot of Kashmiris the casualties. Let them not have died in burn when they hear the word India. It conjures up images of heavy handedness, curfews and vain.

http://jknc.org/blog/

The Referendum Question

Pakistan has been very consistent with its demand that India follow the UN resolution 47 of April 1948 and hold a referendum to ascertain the people's wishes. India's grounds for refusing to do so rest on the fact that it rejects the "two nation argument"; that it has every right to rule the state regardless of it's ethnic constitution. This however, comes along with an unwritten clause that the Government must abide by the wishes of the people. Democracy is what this nation is founded upon and it is categorical. No exceptions allowed. More pertinently, the UN resolutions that Pakistan wants implemented so urgently say that the plebiscite must be held in all five regions of Jammu and Kashmir contingent upon Pakistan removing all it's military personnel from all occupied areas of Kashmir (including PoK) and that it be done with these areas having their indigenous population. Furthermore, a UN aide de memoire of January 14, 1949 states that the resolution would not be binding on India if Pakistan did not fulfil these conditions.

It is apparent that India has valid grounds of rejecting the call for implementing the UN resolution given that Pakistan has not made any advances towards fulfilling the prerequisites specified. A further complication is that the changed demography (the most glaring example being the forced exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley) means that the outcome of such a plebiscite conducted right now would be very skewed.

But what has conveniently escaped public notice (especially in India) is how back in 1948, Nehru and V. Krishna Menon stalled the U.N Security Council proceedings while Kashmir Constituent Assembly quietly got on with it's act of ratifying the accession to India.

"Kashmir is and shall be an integral part of the Union of India."

Article III of the Kashmir state Constitution

“...eleven proposals for settling the differences [have been] put forward. Pakistan accepted each. India rejected

every one."Malik Firoz Khan Noon , Ex - Pakistan Foreign Minister

[1948]

In other words, India too hasn't been playing fair since the beginning. This is enforced even more by the eventual jailing of Sheikh Abullah when he tried to manouevre independence for Kashmir after having delivered the State to Nehru. Farcical elections giving power to New Delhi's puppets further tarnish India's goody-goody image.

“Ultimately, the Indians gained Kashmir because the most important political movement of that time, the

National Conference Movement of the Kashmiri Muslims preferred India to Pakistan, if it came to a choice between these two. So it was not just the Maharaa's signature that

sealed the deal for India." Prof. Sumantra Bose,

Professor of International and Comparative Politics,London School of Economic.

Ultimately, the question that arises amidst all the cries for azadi nd referendums is 'What next?' What if the people of Kashmir want to shed their ties with India? Will it be for autonomy? Or will it be to acquiesce to Pakistan? Would partial seccession work? Will either of these options provide them more than what the state of India has strived, albeit unsuccessfully, to give to Kashmir? All pertinent questions and ones that cannot be answered with any degree of certainty.

Disclaimer

This is the first in a series of articles aimed at encouraging the average Kgpian to be aware of and express his/her opinion on important issues facing the nation. Pandit Nehru envisioned this campus to be "the fine monument of India, representing India's urges, India's future in the making." His vision of India's future was surely more than her youth citizens (We are Indians first, Kgpians second.) aiming to land a plushy job, perhaps after a stint in the IIM's. Our aim is to first make people know, and then think; to make them express themselves peacefully and nonviolently; either through us or through other avenues. We are not an island amidst a nation. We are the nation.

Kashm ir - The War W ith in4 5

Express Yourself!

Write to us with your views editor@scholarsavenue.org

T H E S C H O L A R S ’ A V E N U E NEWS AVENUE SEPTEMBER 21, 2008 2008

3

Whose LAN is it anyway?...and other frequently asked questions

?Is our LAN really as cool as what was written in our counselling brochures?

Yes. In fact, depending on the year in which you got your counselling brochure, it might be even cooler. As a matter of fact, our LAN has been improving quite regularly. For example, the bandwidth has increased from about 5 Mbps to about 48 Mbps in the past three years and there are plans to increase it further in the coming few months.

?So you mean there actually are optical fibre links for connecting places in the campus?

Yes. The connections between the CIC and different halls are all through optical fibre links. However, the links that are used to connect different places in a hall are all normal Category 5 cables, the ones you use to connect your computer to the LAN socket.

?Then why are the proxies too slow so often?

First of all, they are not supposed to be as fast as the figures in the counselling brochure may suggest at first. The bandwidth that is mentioned there is the overall bandwidth, something that is shared by everyone living in the campus. One computer will get the whole share only if there is absolutely no activity going on anywhere else. Secondly, there definitely are occasions when the proxies are too excruciatingly slow. But each such occasion has a specific reason. For example, one of the links that the institute uses for connecting to the outside world may have a problem.

?Links? What links?

The LAN can be seen as several computers spread throughout the campus (hostels, institute, professor quarters, guest houses etc.) joined to one another in very complicated ways, plus, some special computers connected directly to the internet. These special computers are called proxy servers. The internal network is used to communicate between two computers in the campus and to help each computer reach the proxy so that it can access the internet. The way these proxies connect to the internet is through links provided by different ISP's (Internet Service Providers). Our institute has bought links from Airtel, BSNL and Reliance. If any one of these fails, the corresponding proxy may go down for a few days.

?What are those boxes with lots of cables in them that hang on the walls in each floor of our halls? What purpose do they solve?

They are all computers, only a bit too simplified. They are called gateways. They assist in connecting different computers of a floor to each other and to the computers (again a bit too simplified) kept in the server rooms. Any communication that you do from your computer first goes to that gateway. It is the gateway that then decides the place it should be forwarded to and then forwards it. However, if you want to communicate with a computer on your own floor, your message does not need to go to the server room. That is why, on occasions when your hall's network is not functioning because of some problems in the server room, you can still communicate with your wingmates.

?Why do we need IP addresses and who decides what our IP addresses should be?

IP address is a number given to each computer in order to identify it on the network. There are several ways in which IP addresses can be assigned with two of them being at the two extreme ends – which would maintain a log of all the IP's available and all computers would need to

connect to that central completely static allotment of IP addresses would mean fixing the IP address for each room. A computer in such a scenario would always have the same IP address as long as it was connecting to the LAN from the same room. Setting a different address in your own computer's network settings wouldn't change your IP address, but would only lead to all your communications being dropped at the level of the first gateway. A completely dynamic IP address would mean to have a central computer and request for an IP address in order to get one. So depending on the IP addresses available, your computer may be alloted different IPs on different times, even if you connect from the same room. Both these

methods work well only if you are dealing with a very small network. In a network the size we have in the campus, it is more practical to use a mixture of the two methods. What is done here is as follows. The gateways that we have on each floor of our hostels and at some other suitable

locations for other places are alloted specific IP ranges. This is of course, done by the CIC. When a person switches on his computer, it connects to the corresponding gateway and requests for an IP. The gateway maintains a list of IP's available in its range and assigns one of them to the computer. It is possible to set your computer to always ask for a particular IP address. If that is available, your computer will get that IP, else, it won't be able to connect to the network.

?Why doesn't my computer have the same IP address on the internet as the one I use for connecting to it through remote desktop from other computers?

Your computer is not connected to the internet directly. The IP address that your gateway provides you is only to identify you on the internal network. So for the outside world, your computer doesn't exist. All that the outside world knows about the campus is the existence of the proxies,

because they are the ones that connect to it. And therefore, all that the outside world knows about you is the IP of the proxy you are using. In fact, according to convention, any IP address that starts with a 10 anywhere in the world has to be an internal IP address. A computer that has such an IP cannot be connected to the internet directly.

?Is it possible to connect two computers to the same LAN port simultaneously?

Not just two, you can connect a substantially large number of computers as long as you have a sufficient number of layer-2 hubs. Using a layer-2 hub has the exact same effect as using two separate

ports, in the sense, that you can have two different IP's assigned to the two computers. The only difference is that if you are using your own hub, you will be able to communicate between the two computers that are attached to it even if the gateway of your floor is not working. This is similar to the situation where you are able to communicate in your own floor even if their is some problem in the server room.

?There was some news about making the whole campus Wi-Fi enabled. Probably it has been implemented in some areas as well. Could you elaborate on that?

Making the campus Wi-Fi enabled is one of the projects that the CIC is working on these days. The project has two phases. The first phase, that included implementing Wi-Fi in RLB, MT, MMM and the institute main building, is already complete. The second phase is in progress. By the end of that, all the departments and all the halls of residence will be Wi-Fi enabled.

completely static and completely dynamic. A

T H E S C H O L A R S ’ A V E N U E FAQ AVENUE SEPTEMBER 21 20086

Is it possible to connect two computers to the same LAN port

simultaneously?

T H E S C H O L A R S ’ A V E N U E NEWS AVENUE SEPTEMBER 21 20087

ll of us, at some point of t i m e , h a v e b e e n f r u s t r a t e d a t t h e A

apparent futility of using the i n s t i t u t e w e b s i t e , http://www.iitkgp.ac.in. In this regard, we at The Scholars' Avenue spoke to Professor B.K.Mathur who is in charge of maintaining and updating the site.

When asked about the updation of the site, he said that it is done as and when a sizeable amount of data is collected. If the information is important or serves to glorify the institute in any way, then it is instantly posted. At the end of each year, all faculty members fill up

self-appraisal forms, the data from which is updated on their pages.

T h e s e r v e r f o r facweb.iitkgp.ernet.in is housed at Takshashila and professors would have to talk to the server administrator to create a page of their own. This explains why there are so few professors on facweb as of now. It's not feasible to provide students with their own webspace as cyber laws hold the head of the institute responsible for anything embarrassing such as blogs. Any department could also maintain its own website, but that would solely be the responsibility of that

carry a link to that page.

Prof. Mathur wasn't aware that a lot of courses taught in the institute a r e h o s t e d o n intinno.iitkgp.ernet.in. and said that there never were any plans to integrate this into the present academic system. Also, present services offered such as faculty leave forms, complaints, Institute forms etc. on the internal notice board of the site are soon to be withdrawn. The internal notice is not visible from outside the IIT as all information deemed necessary for students when they are outside the campus is put up on the 'For

Students' link on the main page.

He also informed us that the site is due to undergo a major upheaval and a new site has been in the pipeline for quite a while. The f a c u l t y f e e d b a c k p a g e (http://noticeboard.iitkgp.ernet.in/feedback), which is a relatively r e c e n t p h e n o m e n o n , w a s introduced for the purpose of inviting suggestions for our site. However, there are few students involved in this work. A preview of the soon-to-be institute website can m a y b e v i e w e d a t n http://www.dak.iitkgp.ernet.in/another.

iitkgp.ernet.in - Status Check

I n t h e w a k e o f r e c e n t bankruptcy of IITB making news, The Scholars' Avenue approached the Deputy Registrar (Finance and Accounts), Dr T K Ghosal for his

comments on IIT Kharagpur's financial status. "IIT Kharagpur is financially very sound", he assured.

If the Board of Governors Meeting held on August 6th is anything to take a cue from, all the fears of financial instability may take a backseat. This meeting approved some new constructions (see table) that are not only set to make the campus swankier but provide better resources as well.

In the next five years, the Institute is going to have many academic buildings, hostels, faculty accommodations etc. So, the Board recommended the Institute to go for an architect to help prepare a plan for a homogenous campus with

The Institute was requested to prepare a comprehensive proposal incorporating large storage space for books, better reading rooms, electronic library etc. for the

Diamond Jubilee Central Library, taking into account the substantial increase in the student intake in the next five years and thereafter. The Institute would also have to work

No ‘Money Problems’ for Institute

RLB Cost Overrun

?Initial Work Order - Rs. 5,87,04,335?Cost Overrun - Rs. 1,10,20,339?Final Expenditure - Rs, 6,97,24,734

New Constructions

?Diamond Jubilee Students' Amenity Center - Rs. 1292 L?Signature Building - Rs. 785.71 L?Convention Center - Rs. 4100 L?Satellite phone Exchange - Rs. 27 L

out its priorities in view of the implementation of reservation to OBC candidates. Construction of class rooms, laboratories, hostels and faculty accommodation should be the immediate requirement for the Institute, declared the Board of Governors.

The Board also took serious objection to the cost overrun (see table) in the construction of 250 room Rani Laxmibai Hall of Residence. The Committee that has been appointed to look into the matter is expected to finish its enquiry and submit its report to the next Finance Committee for consideration.

T H E S C H O L A R S ’ A V E N U E TECH AVENUE SEPTEMBER 21 20088

Research On Campus - Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors

We believe that nanotech is the next great technology wave, the next phase of Moore's Law, and the nexus of scientific innovation that revolutionizes most industries and indirectly affects the fabric of society. Historians will look back on the upcoming epoch with no less portent than the Industrial Revolution – Steve Jurvetson, Partner, Draper Fisher Jurvetson

It's night. You can't see a thing. You walk around your room like a z o m b i e , f u m b l i n g a r o u n d desperately for your glasses so you can switch on the light. "Scrunch", you just broke your only pair. You switch on the light and somehow doodle on the post-it on the wall reminding yourself to make a trip to Tech Market and order a new pair.

Enter night-vision goggles. These goggles use cutting edge infrared imaging technology to draw up and display an infrared image of objects in their vicinity. Essentially, you can see or photograph in the dark. The best part is, it isn’t bulky We l c o m e t o t h e w o r l d o f nanotechnology - where millions of intricately engineered objects can fit on the head of a pin.

So, this is happening in KGP?

The research group headed by Prof. S.K. Roy of the Department of Physics & Meteorology is working on the development of Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors, a product of recent advances in the field of nanotechnology. The proposal originated from an initiative taken at the national level for development in the field of nanotechnology, and received funding from the Nanotechnology working group of the Department of Information Technology, Govt. Of India. Moreover, IIT Kharagpur has c h o s e n N a n o s c i e n c e a n d Nanotechnology as one of the thrust mission areas for research and development. Prof. S.K. Roy, had earlier done work on Si-Ge nanotechnology in collaboration

with American and Russian scientists.

How does it work?

A photodetector, simply put, is s o m e t h i n g t h a t a b s o r b s electromagnetic waves and converts them to electrical energy. Numerous devices l ike computers and telephones use or process the generated electrical pulses.

D i f f e r e n t photodetectors are used to detect waves o f d i f f e r e n t w a v e l e n g t h s . Photodetectors that d e t e c t i n f r a r e d waves in the mid-to-f a r w a v e l e n g t h range have many applications in things like night vision, satellite imaging, and medical thermography. Since infrared is emitted by all objects, their images can be reconstructed by simply making an analysis of these infrared emissions.

In Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (QWIPs), the incoming optical energy in the form of infrared radiations excites electrons placed in a quantum well. A quantum well is a pit which confines the motion of electrons to a plane. The carriers (electrons) are placed in such 'pits', which are fabricated by placing thin layers of two different semiconductorss in alternation. The materials differ in their band gaps (energy level difference between the valence band and the conduction band). This band-gap discontinuity creates discrete energy states in the quantum

band-gap discontinuity creates discrete energy states in the quantum wells associated with the conduction or valence bands. The detector's parameters are designed such that photo-excited carriers can escape from the potential wells (allowing them f ree mot ion in three dimensions) and can be collected as photocurrent. An analysis of this photocurrent gives a picture of the

c a u s e o f t h e photocurrent, i.e., t h e i n f r a r e d radiation.

QWIPs form the basis for a new class of thermal imaging arrays operating in t h e m i d - t o - f a r i n f r a r e d wavelength range. They offe r the p o t e n t i a l

advantages of high-quantum efficiencies, good uniformity, and high detectivities. However, these detectors need to be cooled down to reduce the thermal noise.

The development of silicon-germanium (Si-Ge) based QWIPs, being done in this project, offers the advantage of having the same thermal expansion coefficient as the Si readout electronics (an aspect that is essential for the realization of large detector arrays operating under low temperature conditions) and hence allows for a direct integration of the detectors with CMOS read-out circuitry. Here, the lower band gap Si-Ge acts as the quantum well with Si as the barrier material. Detectors having ultra-thin multiple quantum wells with widths varying from 1.6 – 3.0 nm were fabricated u s i n g n a n o t e c h n o l o g i c a l

u s ing nano techno log i ca l techniques. Si and Si-Ge single and multiquantum well structures were grown with precise control over their thickness and composition. Micro-structural and optical characterizations of quantum well structures was carried out to optimize the growth condition of the photodetectors. Following this, the photo-current characteristics of grown QWIP structures was studied and an excellent response in the designed wavelength range was obtained.

The project saw completion on the 31st of March, 2008, and the funding agency expressed their pleasure about how well the project has gone.

The Road Ahead

Work is still underway to improve the efficiency of the QWIPs , and the i r p r imary application is expected to be in the Defence domain. The development can also be easily extended to work in the THz frequency range with interesting applications in areas like anti-terrorism, such as remote detection of explosives.

An image taken using a QWIP

The Research Team

Principal InvestigatorDr. S. K. Roy - Professor,

Co InvestigatorDr. A Dhar- Assistant Professor,

OthersRaj Kumar Singha – PhD studentSamaresh Das – PhD studentDr. Kaustuv Das – P.Doc fellow

LHC - At World’s End? What exactly is this "LHC" everybody's talking about?

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Geneva is the largest and most expensive physics project to date, built in collaboration with about eight thousand physicists in over 85 countries. It's this colossal particle accelerator complex that can produce proton beam collisions releasing upwards of 14 TeV of energy. The LHC's primary purpose is to test the validity of the Standard Model of Particle Physics.

How long have people been working on this?

Physicists have always been trying to get past the hurdles presented by

the Standard model since it was proposed in the 1970s. The LHC project was first mooted in the early 1980s and construction began in April 1998. The tunnel it currently resides in was previously occupied by the Large E l e c t r o n -Positron Collider (LEP) which was decommissioned in 2000.

What's wrong with the Standard Model?

T h e S t a n d a r d Model is a collection of equations that describes three of the four fundamental forces in nature - strong, weak and electromagnetic

na ture - s t rong, weak and electromagnetic interactions. Although it gives highly accurate predictions for most experiments, nobody has been able to successfully incorporate the final fundamental

force – gravity – into this model.

How does the LHC play a part in all this?

The LHC will be simulating e v e n t s a trillionth of a

second after the Big Bang on a small scale, with a high energy release at a temperature of 1.9 K. It is hoped that this would produce the Higgs Boson - the

1.9 K. It is hoped that this would produce the Higgs Boson - the elusive "God Particle", and the last unobserved particle predicted by the Standard Model. The verification of the Higgs Boson should help us understand how particles acquire their mass. There are also various other particles predicted by possible extensions of the Standard Model that people are on the lookout for. Who knows, the results could wind up toppling the Standard Model altogether and giving us leads to a newer, better Grand Unification Theory.

Can it really destroy the world?

Collision tests are on 21st October. Wait and see for yourself.

Peter Higgs inside the LHC

I, Arconaut

rcosanti or Arco is an a r c h i t e c t u r a l experiment set 75 A

miles from Phoenix in what is called the Arizona High desert. A concep t o f t he Arch i t ec t -philosopher and America's resident dissident Paolo Soleri, it is meant to be a community such as one which could survive for eons to come. A sustainable community, if you will. A tiny corner of the world that hopes to beat the rising flood waters of a global oven. It though is an amazing place to be at for more reasons than just this one.

Various forces made me want to travel to Arco ever since my first year studying Architecture. First, of course was the pristine logic of the concept, something so necessary yet something few of us hope to see complete in our lifetimes. Second

was to meet the man, Paolo. A student of Frank Lloyd Wright and one whom the master reportedly threw out of his school for his very apparent design acumen. Third, considering that the whole Project had only managed to attain a 5% completion in its 30 years of existence, I knew if I could keep my despondence at bay for the six months that I was to spend there, I could be really optimistic about any other future assignment, no matter how pathetic, which I worked on.

Hence one very sunny day in Phoenix saw me travelling the 70 odd miles to Arcosanti. I was dropped off at a McDonald's 2 miles off the property. This is pretty much the last resort of civilization for miles around. Stepping off the tarmac of the Shell Station that held this McDonald's and into the dirt road that leads to Arco and there is nothing but a big vast desert that you see for miles around. I've forgotten to jot down the number to call for a pick-up and hence ask a sweet looking granny where I can get a cab. "Four miles down the highway", she tells me with a smile.

After me pleading a little but 9 o'clock she shuts shop and drives me down the dirt road and into Arco. I can see a very concentrated group of lights just ahead and a halo which seems like it's from a few miles off. That's the glow of Phoenix, my first American Friend tells me following my stare. And that is when the absoluteness of the darkness hits me. I can see the shine of lights from 70 miles off. It feels like a colony in space. That is a feeling I'm going to have only too often in the days to come.

The first few days I spent at Arco are quite a haze. I don't remember much other than trying to be nice to people and being laughed at. I learnt. Americans, especially the ones at Arco, are nice people but they know when you're fudging. I gave up on my assumed and grossly inappropriate niceties and also the restraint on cursing. Subsequent to that, fitting in wasn't a great problem. My first few weeks, I was supposed to lay out breakfast as well as do my standard hours of work. That was tough, but after the hours I followed at Kgp, it wasn't a big deal. Get up at 4:30, go on to the café, have everything ready and on the counter by 5 which is when the first of the foundry workers would arrive for breaker. I pretty much had the running of the breakfast show to m y s e l f ; h o w e v e r o n e

warning/suggestion I got over and over again was to never dance in the café. The warning amused me and I finally mustered enough courage to ask why I shouldn't. The somber reply I got was, "Well, Dancing Indians make rain." I eventually got used to the Arco sense of Humor.

The assignments given to me regarding my internship were varied and intense. Other than just the designs for Arcosanti, people at Arco have done projects as diverse as design the Mile High building as part of a Japanese consortium(a documentary on which was shot by The Discovery Channel in its engineering marvels segment) to the design of a more sustainable parking lot. The basic crux of my work though was the stabilization of a hill slope which had been inundated by constant erosion and u n d e r c u t t i n g . T h e s p e e d y resolution of this particular problem was necessary not only because with passing time it would become only worse but also because this slope held the swimming pool on its top edge and till we were finished the pool wouldn't open to the public. Working in a crew of 6-10 people most of who were students, the w o r k p u t o n u s i m m e n s e responsibility and trust. In retrospect, the freedom of thought, of expression and of course the vast openness of the surroundings made me capable of some of my best on the feet thinking ever. From hitching up an age-old and discarded steel re-bar cutter when our electricity operated De-Walt cutter broke down to witticisms like, " I am too cool to dance", I was

role. It was after a really long time that I felt there was more to work than mere abstractedness. It was after a really long time that I stopped equating the remoteness of an assignment with its importance. It was after a really long time that I felt I'd made a change somewhere, somehow.

I remember the night I was to leave. My other half-beard told me, "Nujinator, You're going to be back."

"How do you know?"

"You're an Arconaut, dude. All Arconauts come back."

That was the most I've ever felt being a part of something and I hope what he said comes true.

like, " I am too cool to dance", I was closer to being the very perfect human-being than I'd ever before been in the past.

It was after a long time that I could identify with my work, my

Final Year Architecture student, Anuj Dayal talks about the semester he spent at Arcosanti, somewhere in the middle of the Arizona desert.

A long, long time ago...I can still remember

How that solitude used to make me smile.And I knew if I had my chance

That I would pack my brush and pantsAnd maybe stay in MMM for a while.

But Second Year made me shiverWith every wing that I would cover

Jockeys flying past the doorstepsI couldn't look any more red...

I can't remember if I criedWhen I saw my new hall, woe betide!

Just couldn't take it all in strideThe day I moved outside.

So bye-bye, IITian pie,Went to Takshak for some lassi

But the lassi was dry.And them good ol' boys were drinkin' nimboo pani and chai

Singin', "This'll be the day I say bye."This'll be the day I say bye."

Did you ever stay up till sixAnd sleep all day, just waking for snacksThen you'd know what I'm talkin' 'bout.

And did you have dreams of a 9.8When slogging was to be your fate

Till your first midsem gave you a real blow?

Well, I know that you were on DC'cause I saw you watching Scrubs season 3

You never left your bedEven as the roaches piled up dead

Whoo!It was a lonely teenage muggu maroon

Who never watched a match in a full common roomWell I knew that I needed a boon

The day I moved outside.

I started singin',"Bye-bye, IITian pie.”

Went to Takshak for some lassiBut the lassi was dry

Them good ol' boys were drinkin' nimboo pani and chaiSingin', "This'll be the day I say bye.

"This'll be the day I say bye.”

IITian Pie

An ode to the Freshers’ Hall

There’s also a twisted version of this song which goes by the name American Pie. Find it on the net.

BHAAT AVENUESEPTEMBER 21 2008 9T H E S C H O L A R S ’ A V E N U E

T H E S C H O L A R S ’ A V E N U E AD AVENUE SEPTEMBER 21 200810