The Fifth Estate, Author at The Fifth Estate, IIT Madras

Internship Stories: A Paris-Perfect Experience

“It was a journey that started last year in September, when I began to look in earnest for internships abroad. Although from an Electrical Engineering background, my interests tended strongly towards neuroscience and I was looking out for universities that offered a holistic exposure to Computational Neuroscience. After a few heartbreaks that seem trivial in retrospect, I landed an internship in Paris at École Normale Supérieure (ENS), via the Charpak Scholarship. Cue ten unforgettable weeks of my life.” Pragathi Praveena, fourth year B. Tech student, tells us about her summer.

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Thespian Club

T5E talks to the Thespian Club conveners about their plans for the coming year.

PicNicks – We too like to live dangerously

We too like to live dangerously.

PickNicks – Well, that makes it clear

Well, that makes it clear.

PickNicks – The ‘monkey-proof’ dustbin near Sharavathi Hostel

The ‘monkey-proof’ dustbin near Sharavathi Hostel.

Exchange Stories: When in Montreal

“The semester abroad had however made me realize the depth to which I loved my life and friends at IIT. This was probably the most valuable lesson that I had learnt — to appreciate the advantages that my life as an undergrad at IIT had to offer while simultaneously being aware of what I was missing out on.”

Siddharth Gupta, a fifth year student, writes about his experience as an exchange student at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

An Open Letter to ISRO on the Eve of Mangalyaan’s Tryst with Mars

“In the elite club of space faring nations, ISRO, you remind me a lot of the poor school kid. The richer nations do have a lot of resources and capabilities at their disposal, and to be sure, some remarkable achievements as well. Sometimes they may be helpful to you, sometimes just polite, and sometimes plain condescending to you regarding your achievements. Regardless of what the great space powers think about you, please remember that you will be cheered by millions of people in India every time you launch a mission. “

Getting Rid of The R-Word

“I am not advocating censorship here. I do think there are certain rape jokes that can be funny (like this one). However, the next time we’re making comparisons, let’s just look at the scale of the ordeal we are trivializing, and what our flippancy implies. Let us judge whether we want to perpetuate the normalization of rape in society. We can all “put our peace” and “gen put wing fart”, but let us agree to think before we use “rape” out of context.”

Are we contributing to rape culture by using insti lingo? Akshay Rangamani, alumnus, shares his take on the matter.

Why Mental Illness is Nothing to be Ashamed of

“If you thought clinical depression was just sadness, only more extreme, you’re wrong. How do I know? Because I have been diagnosed with depression. I’m not ashamed of it. And I’ve something to tell you.”