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

Of Likes, Points and an Ex-LitSec

The rescheduling of Shaastra and Saarang to the first days of January, and the housing of first-year undergraduates in hitherto exclusively post-graduate hostels have resulted in some noticeable changes to the student culture on campus. With the fests falling back-to-back in the vacation, they are attended by fewer insti students, and, additionally, the enthusiasm of students to be in the organising teams of the festivals has declined perceptibly. For the inter-hostel events, which form the major competitive platform for fostering cultural and technical activities within the Institute, UG hostels have usually relied heavily on freshers, inducting them into the ‘culture’ early, so that they could keep the hostel legacy afloat. This year, however, sees a forced departure from that tradition.

Off the Beaten Track: An Interview with Anil Ananthaswamy

Anil Ananthaswamy (BT/EE/1985) is an acclaimed science writer. He is a consultant for New Scientist, a leading science magazine published in the UK, where he has worked in various capacities since 2000.

His first book, The Edge of Physics (published in India as The Edge of Reason) was chosen as the Book of the Year 2010 by Physics World, a magazine published by the Institute of Physics, UK. He was also awarded their inaugural Physics Journalism Prize in February 2013, for his feature on the Square Kilometre Array. His writings have also appeared in various other outlets.

After his B.Tech, Anil did an MSEE from the University of Washington and worked as a software engineer in Silicon Valley, before he realized his true calling was writing about science. He trained as a science journalist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he is now a guest lecturer.

Science Diet: Nobel Edition

It’s Nobel week, and the Nobel edition of Science Diet features commentary and articles on the Nobel awards, winners, and projects.

समय

मेरे झरोखे से समय का पता ही नही चलता फूलो की खुशबू भी नही आती बारिश आकर गुजर भी गयी मिट्टी की खुशबू कहा मिल…

The Teach For India Experience

TFI is wonderful. You will love the time you spend in it. It is also tiring and you don’t get paid much. There are limited prospects after the fellowship, don’t fall for their publicity.

Sportsfest 2013

The courts resounded with praise for the host college as Sports Fest drew to a close on the 30th September. With 23 colleges from around the city, the games indeed brought about a festive mood to sports in insti and, of course, much needed exposure and a confidence boost for Inter-IIT. With almost all the teams clinching a medal, there seem to be good bodings for the Inter-IIT General Championship.

Science Diet: Into the Cloud

Science Diet is a weekly selection of five science/technology stories that are timely and relevant, fascinating and inspiring, and certain to stimulate your mind.

“Why is India Against its Women?”

Is there a sign of hope in this? For one thing, after the Delhi rape case, people who earlier dismissed articles like this as ‘women’s stuff’ are now reading and getting involved, trying to understand what happened.

The Return of Freshie Night

With Dobby welcoming you and Voldemort demanding an “intro”, it quickly became apparent to anyone who walked into the SAC on the evening of September 22nd that even Lockhart would have trouble “Obliviating” the experiences of Freshie Night 2013, which was themed on Harry Potter.

It’s More Fun In The Philippines

From learning about cultures and countries outside my own, to forging ties with seniors and batchmates whom I would have never met otherwise, this Symposium exceeded all my expectations.