Poorna, Author at The Fifth Estate, IIT Madras

Institute Swimming Pool Reopens

On Sunday, 26th January, the institute swimming pool was thrown open after extensive renovations that lasted over two and a half years. The swimming facility, with its impressive set of diving boards and beginners’ pool that adjoins the larger pool, has always been among IITM’s finest sports facilities, and the renovated pool boasts of a new addition – a ramp leading into the beginners’ pool, designed to make the swimming pool accessible to differently abled people.

Chennai Weather: Its Malignance and Magnificence

I got out of the car, putting one foot firmly on the ground, and then another. I waited for a sign. For a moment, nothing happened. The heavens and earth stayed just where they were, and a leaf twirled its way to the ground from a tree above.

And then a Malignance struck me, full in the face, throwing me completely off guard. This Malignance had been absent in all of my fanciful imaginings about college life, and as if to chastise me for forgetting to factor it in, it was relentless in its attack. There was no thwarting this determined Malignance. More charitable people than me have called this Malignance ‘the Chennai weather’.

Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind

A number of Facebook pages parading under the title ‘IIT Confessions’ have sprung up overnight, and have resonated widely with IITians across the country. They are an outlet for the bored student, the sort that Facebook seems to be such a fertile breeding ground for during Quiz Week, and though these pages started small, they quickly gained so much popularity that it is almost impossible to be ignorant of their existence.

Shark Tale

The Inter-IIT Aquatics Meet 2012 was held in IIT Roorkee from 2nd to 5th October. Notwithstanding the lack of a functioning swimming pool in our campus, the institute aquatics team – ‘The Madras Sharks’ put up an impressive performance – bagging gold in Water Polo and 3rd in Swimming.

Interview with Dr. Dhananjaya Dendukuri: Part 2

In part 1 of the interview, Dr. Dhananjaya talked about his company and his research work. In this part of the interview, he talks about his views on research and entrepreneurship, along with some of his memories about IITM.

Interview with Dr. Dhananjaya Dendukuri: Part 1

Dr. Dhananjaya Dendukuri is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Achira Labs, a Bangalore-based start-up which is developing new technologies for medical diagnostic testing at the point-of-care. He obtained his B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras in 1999 and won an Institute Blues (Bronze). He received his Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto, and his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was named one of the TOP 10 Innovators under the age of 35 by MIT Technology Review (also called TR35).

Litsoc Creative Writing (Group) – 2012

Lit-Soc Creative Writing (group) took place recently. As always, the entries were varied and ranged from the funny to the serious. Each hostel could choose one out of four given themes: ‘Apocalypse’, ‘Bright Lights, Big City’, ‘Valentine’s Day’ and ‘Time Travel’. Every entry had to have a fiction piece, a non-fiction piece, quotes and a poem.

Poorna